#i'm going to start saying about anyone who jumps over flames to kick ass from now. sorry i'm not that subtle only one man | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

smellsfaintlyofvanilla · 3 years

Note

Hi, I have this super specific idea so feel free to ignore this one lol. So basically, Annie and the reader have been dating for a while, like at least a year. And the reader is in the survey corps right, so during one of the missions she ends up getting injured in an explosion and she's like all burned up and covered in injury's that'll scar really bad. And so the reader gets taken to a hospital or med bay or whatever, and she's been out for days, and like Reiner, Eren, Mikasa, etc. are all there, ya know her little gaggle of friends. And like she's been unconscious for days but sometimes she'll wake up for a few minutes and pass out again. So when Annie gets the news and comes to see her she like starts to wake up, and when she's coherent Annie is holding her hand and says "I'm glad you're alive" or something, then the reader just kinda stares at her for a minute and says "are you one of my friends from the cadet corps" and everyone's shocked and Annie kinda runs off. And ass the reader gets better she's allowed to walk around town and shit as long as someone's with her because she he's trouble walking, and she like can't hold things in one of her hands without shaking like she's about to fall apart. She basically hos no memories of absolutely anything so if someone says that their friends she just believes them and wants to be with them, which is a contrast to how she was in the cadets because she was always super short tempered and would pick fights with everyone, but she always had a soft spot for Annie and would follow her around and shit while being an ass to everyone else. So now she has no memories, blind as shit, can barely walk, and is super kind and polite to just about everyone. And like she insists on Annie seeing her and wants to go with her wherever she goes and is all smiles and happiness while Annie is kinda having a crisis. Because they were both very closed off people and they opened up to each other and built unwavering trust and loyalty but now one of them doesn't remember, Annie wants to help her but at the same time she feels that it's for the best if they stay apart, uh spoiler they don't stay apart it's just gonna take time. I'm really sorry this was so long dude. Also please tell me this made sense I haven't stopped think about this for days

I- It’s a little confusing but I think I get it.

Let me know if I get anything wrong!

I also included a lot of platonic AruAni because it’s cute.

Unbearable

(Annie Leonhart x Reader)

AU: Canon

Warnings: Implied season 3 spoilers

Category: Both angst and fluff (somehow)

Summary: After getting seriously injured in a mission, Annie’s s/o doesn’t recognize anyone, and is left very weak. Still, Annie and her S/O stick together through the recovery.

Words: 5.5K

It’d gone wrong. It’d all gone horribly wrong.

A freak accident—only preventable by, perhaps, closer gear inspection, but it was far too late for that. The damage had been done.

The most recent Survey Corps mission was just concluding, and you managed to call yourself one of the lucky ones who survived this far. Erwin led the charge back to the walls at full speed, having completed the objective by the skin of his teeth, but an abnormal titan was tagging dangerously close behind.

The towering beast approached closer and closer, until it kicked the horse you were on, sending you and it abruptly flying through the air and away from the Scouts.

It took you a minute to regain your senses and realize the gravity of your situation. Your horse lay dying 40 feet away from you. Clearly, it would be of no help. The abnormal lurched towards you unnaturally, and your eyes widened in fear.

A quick movement of your upper body caused a jolt of pain to shoot up your chest, and you were positive you must’ve broke a few ribs when you collided with the dirt.

Still, you had limited time before the monster reached you, and you weren’t about to die that easily. You bore the pain in your chest as you stood up straight, beads of cold sweat rolling down your face as you surveyed your situation to find the easiest way out.

You were too far from your horse, and the rest of the Scout formation, and you were in no shape to run. Your head turned towards the walls, and an idea popped into your mind—you were going to scale the wall.

You broke into a quick sprint before you shot your ODM gear into the wall, flying towards it at lightning speed. Your back took the brunt of the impact, and you groaned in pain.

Still, it seems as if the abnormal wasn’t going to let you get a moment’s rest, as it caught up to you and tried to jump and grab you, but narrowly missed your boot. The rush of adrenaline kicked your body into gear as you shot the grapple of your ODM gear onto the ledge of the wall and hauled yourself up, a garrison soldier helping you before turning to man one of the cannons.

You stood up triumphantly on the wall, the titan below you still trying in vain to reach you. You could hear the distant shouting of a commander—and what you could out assume was the foreboding shout, “FIRE!!!”

And that’s where everything went wrong.

The cannon, no more than three feet to your right, exploded into a supernova of sparks and flames, and the last thing you saw was fire as blinding pain shot through your body.

And then it all went black.

---

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but only family members are allowed to see her at the moment, you’re going to have to wait until she’s discharged.” The poor receptionist sighed, staring up at the distressed woman in front of her.

“I don’t care if ‘only family is allowed’! I’m her girlfriend, I should be allowed to see her!” Annie shouted, dressed in a simple white hoodie and grey pants. An outfit too casual for her to wear outside in most occasions, but when she heard the news of your admission to the hospital, she didn’t care to change.

“I’m sorry, there’s really nothing I can do-”

Annie leaned in closer, grabbing the receptionist by the collar of her shirt and pulling her in, a dangerous look gracing her face. Her voice came out in a threatening growl.

“Look, I’m a part of the military police, so if anyone asks, I’m just her older sister,” She glared daggers the woman, who shook like a leaf at the intimidation, “Got it?”

The woman nodded urgently, sweating bullets at this point, and Annie was thankful the intimidation had worked. “R-Room 302...”

She didn’t bother letting out a response as she ran to the wing of the hospital you were in. She didn’t know quite where the room was, but she would find out soon enough.

After a painful few minutes of searching, her eyes found the plate outside of a closed wooden door, the number reading “302″.

She walked up to it, and took a deep breath in before twisting the doorknob and pushing her way into the room, but her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped at the sight.

She knew it was bad—after all, nothing good ever came out of being so close to an explosion like that—but she couldn’t have been prepared for what she saw.

You were laid down on the bed, clearly unconscious, and sweltering burns covered at least 60% of your body, especially your right side. Many limbs were elevated and covered in taunting white casting, and you let out shallowed, labored breaths.

She mentally cursed the primitive healthcare the Eldians seemed to have, and the lack of a doctor in the room. She was no professional, but you definitely didn’t look to be in a state to be alone.

She though you were alone, that is, until her rationality returned to her and she noticed many figures in the room, though none bore the staff uniform.

They seemed to notice her before long, and a few stared at her quietly with pity in their eyes. She scanned the faces that surrounded her; Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Connie, and Reiner were all present in the room.

“What in...” Her voice came out short in her throat; the words were just as powerless as she was, “What in God’s name happened to her...” It was hushed, almost husky, and it sounded like she was about to cry. Maybe she was, but she didn’t notice.

Mikasa seemed to be the first one to speak up through the heavy silence, stepping forward to grab Annie’s attention.

“It was on the recent scouting mission yesterday. She narrowly escape a titan by climbing over the wall, but one of the Garrison’s cannons blew up.” Mikasa looked to the side, clearly troubled by the situation as well. “Of the four people caught up in the explosion, she’s the only one still alive.”

Annie didn’t process quite what Mikasa had said at first, her mind was more focused on a pressing question that suddenly arose in her mind.

“The only one still alive?” She echoed. “Why did you phrase it like that?”

Mikasa sighed, covering her mouth with her scarf—something she often did when she was troubled. “Well, the doctor is doing all he can at the moment, but she’s been drifting in and out of consciousness nonstop for the past hour. Even when she is awake, we can’t seem to get a coherent response out of her.”

She froze.

Her eyes moved back to your battered form. She hadn’t taken in exactly how bad it was until now. Shattered bones, burnt skin, compromised organs—you were nearly unrecognizable. Not in the way that you were scarred beyond recognition, but in the way that she never imagined to see you in such a state. You looked like you had, quite literally, went through hell and back.

She let out a pained sigh, slinking down in a chair next to the bed and staring at the floor in defeat. She reached out and grabbed your limp hand at your side, running her thumb delicately over your burnt hand, as if the slightest mistouch would cause you to shatter like delicate porcelain.

“Please...” She knew you couldn’t hear her, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to pretend, for a brief moment, that you could, and that you’d bounce right back up. But, you stayed limp on the bed, unmoving. “Please wake up...”

The others were able to read the room and came to a silent consensus, filing out of the room wordlessly.

She continued to hold your hand, sitting silently on your bedside for hours.

You never regained consciousness once.

---

Dreams flashed through her mind, the inner turmoil she faced was too fierce to not have such vibrant, nonsensical dreams. Dreams of you, spending late nights with her, or eating with her in silence. Dreams of your broken and bloodied body being sent flying from a hellish firework of flames. Dreams of visiting a newly dug grave. Dreams of—

A loud banging startled her out of her sleep, and she opened her eyes with a start, the dreams stopping abruptly as her brain pieced together the fragments of reality. Right, they were just dreams.

The banging—what was it? She looked around for a source. Nothing had fallen, nothing had moved, the room was still.

*BANG BANG BANG*

She jumped at the loud so, before facepalming internally. Of course someone was knocking on the door, what was she thinking?

A quick glance at the clock showed the time; 3AM. What is going on?

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she threw on some sweatpants, just presentable enough to answer the door.

She twisted the knob open and was greeted by...

“Armin?” She slurred, confusion and tiredness laced her voice.

“Annie...!” He had a strange look on his face, like he was in a hurry. Yet, it didn’t look like desperation, nor was it excitement. “Y/n woke up!”

---

She had never run faster. She didn’t care about leaving Armin in the dust at her front doorstep—hell, it didn’t even process until minutes later that she didn’t even close the front door. She just ran, ran, ran all the way to the hospital.

She made it to your room again, panting and desperate to see you again.

She went inside, and an immense wave of relief and joy washed over her face. It was true, you were conscious. Sitting up in the bed, talking to someone at your bedside, likely a nurse or a doctor.

Her loud footsteps and heavy breathing brought the attention of both you and the staff member to her, and you locked eyes with her.

She froze. There they were. The beautiful E/C eyes she had fallen in love with, and the same ones that filled her vision when she first awoke next to you in the morning. Except, something was off. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was disarray in your eyes. A storm.

She paid no mind to the rotten gut feeling, though, and rushed by your side to grip your hand tightly. A spark of sympathy arose in her chest when you whimpered in pain at the motion, but that was the last thing on her mind. Tears of happiness sparked in her eyes and threatened to roll down her cheeks.

She bowed her head—a sign of vulnerability that only you were ever able to see.

“Y/n, I...!” She choked out through the tears in her eyes, the back of her throat tightening with emotion, “I’m so glad you’re okay...”

You didn’t embrace her, you didn’t squeeze her hand back. No, you were still. Still as you were when your battered body was first admitted to the hospital. She looked up at you, and the same misguided look was in your eyes.

“Sorry... do I know you?”

---

She slammed the door behind her, locking it as she slid down the wall of her house, sobs wracking her body.

Her mind had neglected to process it until just now, but the truth was inescapable; you didn’t know who she was anymore. You didn’t know anyone or anything anymore.

Amnesia.

She couldn’t bear to see you like that. Seeing you so physically broken was bad enough, but seeing you confused and lost, years of memories and connections and friends just out the window? If there was a god, he sure as hell must’ve hated you.

She had no idea what to do. You weren’t going to just magically remember her. No, the Y/N she knew and loved all those years was gone. You were just a blank slate. She no longer meant anything to you, she was a stranger in your eyes.

She laid down to go to sleep, but she couldn’t even bring herself to close her eyes. She didn’t sleep that night.

---

She chose not to get up the next morning. She stayed in bed, staring at the empty space next to her where you usually slept. She wanted you to be right there next to her. God, she wanted you back.

She would’ve stayed in her depressed, hibernated state for hours, or even days, had someone not stopped by to check on her.

She figured it would be Armin. The sympathetic blonde man would always stop by to check on her. Not just now, but throughout their days as cadets. He was always the second person—after you, of course—to check up on her and ask how she was doing.

But when she opened the door and saw Mikasa, she was a little confused.

“Mikasa, what are y-”

“Y/n wants to speak with you.” She stated flatly, and Annie physically recoiled at the mention of your name.

“She... what?” Annie muttered, confusion enveloping her tone.

She understood the statement, on a surface level at least. But she didn’t understand why. Why did you want to talk to her? She meant nothing to you. What was there to talk about anymore? You probably didn’t even know her name.

She complied silently, though, and before long, she had trudged herself all the way to the hospital.

302. Such a depressing number to her now. But it was unavoidable. You were on the other side of the door, awaiting her for some odd reason.

She pushed the door open, and her eyes met yours silently. You were sitting up with your hands folded neatly in your lap. Your eyes followed Annie as she wordlessly shut the door and took a seat next at your bedside.

“Annie.” The blonde women flinched at the sound of her name, eyes staying fixated on anything but your face. “Annie.”

She finally shifted her head, meeting your gaze. There was a pitiful look tracing her features. It would look like indifference at first glance, but being so close to her allowed you to notice small features on her face, like her sunken in eyes, and her lips, tucked into a frown slightly tighter than normal.

She looked like she was about to cry.

You moved your arm slowly, wincing internally as your wounds burned and ached, and took her hand in your own, rubbing your thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing manner. Annie didn’t want to enjoy it—she knew this wasn’t the you she had fallen in love with—but she couldn’t stop herself from remembering the simpler times, where small affectionate gestures like this were normal to her.

“Mikasa told me just about everything I’ve forgotten.” You finally spoke up. “About the Scouts, about the accident, about us.” A painful silence filled the room for a moment following the word ‘us’. Surely, it meant more to her than it did to you.

“Annie.” You squeezed her hand despite the pain shooting up your arm, and your hand trembled involuntarily. “I know I don’t really know you,” You chuckled lightly, “or anyone for that matter, but I want to spend more time with you. We can just restart, fall in love all over a-”

“No!” She snapped, the sudden outburst causing you to jump. Her distressed eyes softened when she saw you, almost as if she thought you were made of glass, and that you would break at any moment. “No... please...”

She stood up abruptly, dropping your hand to lay dormant by the side of the hospital bed. “You don’t even know me! What’s the point?!”

Despite her angry appearance, her bottom lip trembled, and her voice shook as she spoke. Pricks of tears appeared at the corner of her eyes, but she wiped them away desperately.

“You forgot me, so I’ll forget you in return.” She turned towards the door, grabbing the knob firmly. Despite her desperate need to get out of the room, her hand trembled and shook, refusing to turn the knob.

“I’ll...” A small sob wracked her body. “Find someone else...”

---

Contrary to what her heart truly desired, she refused to see you. She forced herself to cut off all emotional ties to you—after all, you didn’t even know her. It was painful to even speak to you. Somehow, the loss had felt like you truly had died in the explosion. Sure, you were physically here, but all that was you was gone.

It was Armin who finally brought her out of her depressed slump. He saw the state of her after weeks of staying huddled up in her room. It was so unlike Annie. Her room was a mess, and so was she. Her hair was unkempt and unbrushed, and she hadn’t even showered at all. Clothes lay scattered across the room, and the trash can in the corner of the room had started overflowing.

It wasn’t a pleasing sight, but he couldn’t blame her.

He had offered to meet him at a local café to talk—albeit, after she showered. She hesitantly agreed, and went into the bathroom to get ready. While she showered, Armin absentmindedly picked up some of the scattered clothing, putting it in it’s proper place, and even emptied the trash can for her.

He saw the slight shock in her eyes when she came out, surprised, but internally grateful for his help. She didn’t show it verbally, but she gave a thankful nod, and he understood.

---

Armin brought the cup to his lips, the steam flowing from the cup blocking his face as he sipped his tea silently, and Annie took another bite of her glazed donut.

“So, Annie.” He turned to face her, setting his cup down. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She sighed internally. Nothing yet had been spoken, but she knew it was about you. Her silence beckoned him to continue.

“I... No, we all noticed how you’ve been recently, and we understand it. Who knows what you’re feeling right now...” His sympathy went mostly unappreciated. She really didn’t want to be reminded of the depressive state she had fallen into.

“It’s completely up to you, but... we think it would be better for you if you decided to talk to her again.” Armin didn’t need to say who this ‘her’ was. Annie already knew.

She raised an eyebrow and considered his statement for a fleeting moment, but regained her stance. She wasn’t going to talk to you. No convincing from her friends would change that.

“See, the thing is, Y/N has been discharged.” He spoke, bringing the cup back to his face to preemptively fill the silence he anticipated.

No amount of emotional cover-up could hide the shocked look on her face. Part of her was ecstatic, deep down. She was glad you were well enough to leave. But, the other part reminded her that associating with you would only bring her more hurt.

“But, there isn’t really going to be any recovering from what she experienced, unfortunately.” He brought the cup back down onto the table, now empty of all it’s liquid. “So, the doctor advised that she be under careful supervision from someone at all times.”

Annie wasn’t stupid. She knew where this was going.

“So,” he huffed a breath of heavy air, “We decided that if anyone was going to take her in, it should be you, Annie. We want to take her back to live with you.” She could feel her jaw slack at the proposal, and a full-fledged war had just started in her mind. She registered he was still speaking, but was too conflicted to listen.

Once again, part of her mind was desperately trying to reach you. To take you in and care for you, and to ensure you have a safe and comfortable recovery with her. She could restart with you, and make new memories with you, and everyone else.

But she understand it would be painful. Unbearable, even. She might as well be taking care of a stranger. You didn’t act like Y/n, you didn’t look like Y/n, hell, you hardly even knew who Y/n was at this point. It would just hurt her even more, all she needed to do was get away from you—!

“Annie...!” Armin spoke firmly, slightly leaned over the table as if he had been prying for her attention for a while now. He reached across the table to grab her hand, causing her to gasp. His hand was warm. It reminded her of you.

“I know what you’re thinking.” His voice was soothing and inviting, and she was reminded once again of what great friends she had made in the 104th.

“You think it’s gonna hurt, and it will, I’m sure. I understand too. She doesn’t quite act like she did before, we all noticed. It’s...” He paused, leaning back in his chair and looking to the side. It had hurt him, too. “Strange. To see a friend like this.”

He leaned forward, pulling his hand away to place it back on the table. “But you have to do something! Separating yourself from someone you care about so deeply isn’t good for you.” He brought his head up slightly, staring daggers into her eyes. “And don’t lie to me. I know you still care about her. You wouldn’t be so conflicted if you didn’t.”

Tears pricked at her eyes once again. She didn’t want to get emotional, and certainly not here of all places. But she knew he was telling the truth. She still cared, and it wasn’t good for her to ignore you.

“Besides,” He stood up, turning to leave. “She misses you too, Annie.”

---

She made up her mind that day. She was gonna bring you back home.

It wasn’t easy. Both the emotional aspect, but also cleaning up her filthy room in such a short span of time. Still, she prepped it perfectly for your arrival. She cleaned up the room, organized her things, made the bed, and even bought a second pillow—surely, you two couldn’t share just the one.

Picking you up from the hospital was bittersweet. You managed to stay standing, although only with the help of a wooden cane. Your hand gripped the handle tightly, and you leaned a large portion of your body weight on it, just to not fall over.

You had changed out of the raggedy hospital clothes, finally getting to wear something comfortable after so long, but even with the cloth, the purplish-redish burn scars coated much of your body. It reached from the very fingertips of your right hand, all the way up your neck and part of your face.

Still, you smiled weakly and brought your hand up to wave at her.

She approached you hesitantly, but as soon as you tried to stumble over to her, she rushed up to support you with an arm around your shoulder.

“Easy, now.” She muttered. “You should be careful.”

“Right,” You chuckled nervously. “Sorry.” You breathed out a sigh of relief, having seen the outside for the first time in weeks. It didn’t stop the stone walls from towering forebodingly over you, though, but you felt at least some freedom.

“Where are we headed?” You sighed, and started walking. Annie guided you for the most part, but you managed to get your injured legs to cooperate, somewhat. You hand trembled as it gripped the cane, and even step on uneven ground caused you to stumble, but Annie’s grip kept you upright.

“We’re going...” She hesitated. “Home.”

---

Early morning birds chirped their greetings through the open windows, and the sun shone rays of dawn down from the sky. A typical wake-up call to her.

That, and your snoring.

She opened her eyes and stretched, easing up the tension in her muscles, which had laid painfully dormant for the past eight hours. Yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her attention shifted to the mass attached to her side.

Your arms were wrapped tightly around her torso, and your head was buried in her chest. Despite having lived with you for a few weeks now, she hadn’t gotten used to the change. In the past, neither of you really cuddled in your sleep. You gave sweet goodnights and passed out on opposite sides of the bed just like that.

It was a welcome change, though, and seeing you tucked so comfortably into her side brought a smile and blush to her face. She ran a hand through your messy h/c hair, smiling softly as you stirred in response to the affection.

“...Mm?” You let out a groggy noise, having been woken up a little earlier than you were used to. Annie was always the morning person in the relationship.

“Good morning.” She cooed, removing her hand to sit up and get out of bed. Once she tried to stand, though, she felt a frail hand tug at her wrist. You grip was weak as a result of your injuries, and she could very easily wiggle out if she wanted to, but she faltered.

“C’mon...” You muttered, face down in the blankets, still halfway asleep. “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

Annie huffed in defeat, climbing back into the bed and shuffling back under the cotton sheets. You were back at her side in an instant, and she smiled once again. Even after everything, you were still just as cute as always when you were sleepy.

“We can’t stay like this for very long, you know.” She sighed, placing a warm, calloused hand on your back.

You groaned in annoyance at that. “Why’s that?”

“Armin and the others invited us out to get lunch. It’s been a while since the Survey Corps has had a day off.” She looked to the side before muttering quietly. “I also have to go to work with the military police... I’ve used up all my paid leave.”

“Oh... yeah, we should probably get ready.” Contrary to your tone, you were actually quite happy. Annie had been quite a bit overprotective of you since your injury, so you hadn’t gotten the chance to get out much. You couldn’t blame her much, though. You could hardly walk, eat, or do just about anything without assistance. You were glad she took good care of you, but it got a little overbearing sometimes.

“Let’s get up, then.” She said, slinking out of bed. You watched wordlessly as she slipped out of her night clothes into something more presentable, sliding her shirt over her head effortlessly. You couldn’t help but blush as your eyes trailed down her toned stomach.

She looked back at you with an unamused expression as she slid on a plain white shirt. “You shouldn’t stare, Y/n.”

“R-Right.” You looked away flustered. You had only technically known her a few weeks now, but man were you lucky.

Annie’s warm hand enveloping your own brought you back into reality, and you accepted her help wordlessly as you got out of bed.

She helped you out of your clothes and handed you something nice to put on for the day. It was a comfortable ritual the two of you got into, helping you get dressed in the morning.

She sat you down in one of the chair’s in her room, ordering you to stay put while she went to the military police mess hall to pick up breakfast for the two of you.

She came back into the room only a few minutes later, carrying two trays of food, and sat them down in front of both of you. It was a boring meal, typical of any military ration, but you didn’t complain.

“So, Annie,” She looked up from her food, still digging her fork into the baked potato on her plate. “Tell me a story.”

She smiled longingly, staying silent for a moment as she recollected her memories for a good story to tell. Ever since you lost your memory and started staying with Annie, you often spent mealtimes getting her to tell stories about you, her, and your other friends. About what happened in the 104th, and the Survey Corps, and sometimes, you’d ask Annie about her childhood and time before the military. She seemed very hesitant about the last one, but she still told you bits and pieces. You could easily infer that she didn’t have a very pleasant childhood, so you didn’t push the subject.

“Well,” Annie finally spoke, swallowing a gulp of water from her glass, having seemingly found a story she felt like telling. “One time, in the 104th, Sasha had managed to convince you to steal food from the pantry with her.”

You listened intently as she continued recounting the events, a sad smile on her face. “So you and her snuck in late at night, but Shadis heard both of you because of how loud Sasha was. So then, you two had no where to go but a tiny cramped pantry in the kitchen, and then—”

*CRASH*

You sat there like a deer in headlights as the glass shattered into hundreds of transparent shards on the floor, startling Annie out of her nostalgic trance.

“Y/n!” She exclaimed, standing up from her seat swiftly. She spotted the broken glass, mixed with the water it had held, and looked back at you. Once she pieced it together, she facepalmed.

“Y/n...” She sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you to not to try and pick up things right now...”

“Sorry,” You muttered. “I just wanted to see...”

Despite the severity of your injuries, you were quite stubborn. No matter how much Annie insisted that you not hold things in your state, you did so anyway. It seldom worked, since, like now, you always dropped it within seconds.

“It’s... It’s fine,” She sighed, leaning down to carefully pick up the larger fragments of glass. Once she got the larger pieces, she dumped them in the trash and knelt down in front of your chair on one knee, grabbing your hand in her own. “But you need to remember, your injuries haven’t healed yet. Nowhere close. I know you hate it, but you need to let your body rest.”

You nodded sorrowfully. Yet, despite how much you promised, you knew you’d never really stop trying to push your body. Even if your skin was scarred, and hands were shaky, and the muscles of your legs atrophied and partially-paralyzed, you would never stop trying to live a normal life.

Annie had finished sweeping up the smaller shards of glass in the dustpan, and dumped it into the trash can, before returning to the table.

Silently, she grabbed her glass, still half filled with water, and brought it up to your lips. When you had first started living with Annie, you were a little embarrassed about having to be fed like this, but you had long since gotten used to it.

Once the glass was empty, she sat it down on the tabletop once again, and checked the time.

“Shit, we should get going, it’s nearly time.” She sighs, grabbing your cane from it’s spot leaning against the wall and handing it to you. You thank her and, with her help, stand up from your spot. Her arm slinks around your waist, allowing you to lean half of your body weight on the cane and the other half on Annie.

As you made your way out of the building and down the street towards the restaurant, you finally broke the silence.

“Annie?” You asked, quietly. There was an uncharacteristic sadness to your voice.

“Yes, darling?” She inquired, keeping her eyes glued on the trail in front of you.

“How come you still take care of me? Even after the accident, you still stick with me. Why is that?”

Annie chuckles dryly. She doesn’t want to tell you that it’s still a sore subject for her, so she answers honestly.

“It wasn’t so black and white, really. It was pretty upsetting to see someone I loved so much not even recognize me at all.” Her eyes bore into the pavement below her feet. “No offense, of course.”

“None taken.”

“But a friend of mine talked to me about it. And I realized there would be no point in running from it. I decided that if you didn’t know me, I would make you fall in love with me all over again. Plus,” She looked to the side, a faint red blush on her cheeks. “I didn’t want you to feel lonely...”

You giggled at her embarrassment, opening your mouth to say something, but she cut you off quickly.

“We’re here.” She stopped in front of the doors, and you easily spotted Mikasa, Armin, and Jean already sitting inside at one of the tables, exchanging lighthearted banter.

“Hey Annie.”

“Hm?” She turned the knob of the door, stepping foot into the bustling room.

“Thanks for taking care of me.” You sighed, a small smile gracing your lips.

“Of course.” She smiled in return. “I’ll always be here for you.”

“Oi!” Jean shouted from across the room, and Armin immediately tried to shush his yelling, but he wasn’t phased. “Annie, Y/n, hurry up!”

You and Annie giggle at his boisterous attitude, walking over to find your seats.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Y/N.” Mikasa smiled warmly, tucking her scarf around her neck.

You smile at the three of them, looking so happy and peaceful. You’ve missed it.

“Yeah,” You laugh. “So, what did I miss?”

This feels badly written but I can’t place it, I dunno.

Probably ‘cause I wrote the first half like a month ago and only finished it today lol.

And no I totally didn’t reference someone else’s fic in this haha nope

#attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyojin x reader #aot #snk #aot x reader #snk x reader #annie leonhart #annie leonhart x reader #annie x reader #fluff #angst

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let-it-raines · 4 years

Text

I Hope We Never See October (3/?)

When his personal life and football career go up in flames, Killian Jones escapes England for America, finding seclusion in Martha’s Vineyard in order to hide from his demons. It’s a fresh start, or at the very least a paused moment in his life, and all he needs is a few months alone to allow his heart to heal. He doesn’t count on meeting Emma Swan.

Emma’s life depends on tourists who come to the island every summer. It’s how she makes her money working in restaurants and clubs across the vineyard, but every year, she cannot wait until autumn comes and her life returns to normal. She especially cannot wait for Killian Jones to leave.

Rating: Mature

a/n: Not gonna lie, I forget I'm writing this story, remember, and then the moment I sit down to write, I get called away. But here's part three!

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr: One | Two | Three

-/-

His head is pounding. It’s been awhile since it has pounded like this. Usually, it’s from a lack of sleep from the nightmares or the stress. This morning, he knows it’s from the rum. He did everything he could to cancel it out – coffee, water, food, medicine – but his head is still pounding. He is a bloody lightweight now.

Huh.

Killian is making it sound like that’s a bad thing, when really, it’s good. A week ago he was standing with a beer bottle in his hand early in the morning tempted to drown his entire day away. Last night, he made it the entire day without wanting to get pissed and only had two small drinks to toast his friends goodbye.

That’s progress.

This hangover, though, damn. It’s a sign he’s making progress, but damn.

Or he’s simply getting old, which is something else he doesn’t want to think about.

“Fuck,” Killian moans, pressing his fingers against his temples as he opens his eyes. His neck is also killing him, probably from how he slept on this damn couch all night. He should have driven home, but he didn’t trust himself to. Besides, Ariel had offered the couch before she went to bed.

Emma had too.

He’d nearly left after she offered. She was likely only doing it because she assumed Ariel or Eric already offered. He gets the feeling the woman doesn’t like him, which usually isn’t something that happens with him, and that intrigues him. It also makes him realize how much of an asshole he is.

How has he gotten to a point in his life where he expects women to always fancy his company?

Killian sits up, his muscles aching, and slowly, he rises from the couch. The lights in the house are all off, and he knows he can leave now with no one knowing the wiser that he slept over, that he felt bad enough to not be able to drive home. Or maybe that he didn’t want to spend another night in that giant house by himself.

The floor creaks beneath him with each step he takes, but no one seems to stir. Killian finds a notepad and pen in the kitchen and quickly scribbles a note to Ariel and Eric. He said his goodbyes to them last night, and he’ll talk to them on the phone at some point today. He doesn’t need to stick around to say another goodbye this morning. It’s still early enough that the sun hasn’t risen, and they won’t be up for hours. Killian finishes his note, grabs his wallet and keys from the counter, and heads out the front door to his car. It takes him a moment to find his car, to remember what said of the road they drive on over here, but he eventually spots it across the street under a large tree when a light from the house turns on.

Killian turns to see it’s coming from an upstairs window, and Emma Swan is standing between the curtains. He nods, and he swears he sees the slightest nod in return before the curtains rustle and she turns off the light.

She didn’t get in until two this morning, and she’s up at six. How the hell is she functioning?

Then again, how is he functioning?

Killian’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and after he gets in his Jeep, he checks the message.

Elsa Jones: The girls say thank you for their new Leggo set. My bare feet do not.

Killian laughs and puts his phone back in his pocket. That’s how he’s functioning. He may have flown across an ocean, but he’d never leave Ally and Sophia. They’ve already lost enough, and Liam will have his head, someway and somehow, if he doesn’t do everything he can to make sure all his girls are happy.

To make sure Killian is happy too.

“Bloody hell,” Killian whispers to himself as he cranks the engine, “it’s too early to be thinking like this.”

He should be able to have at least a little reprieve from the voices in his head.

-/-

Killian doesn’t leave the house much over the next few days. He doesn’t have reason to. He’s got everything he could possibly need in the house, including his own private stretch of beach that he walks along a few times a day, but the repetition of nothing begins to drive him mad. He trains in almost the same way as he did when he was playing, and while that takes up a good portion of his day, it’s not enough to keep him occupied. He reads the books that the owners of the house left behind but finds it’s mostly romance novels he can’t stomach. For a day or two, he binges Netflix, leaving a permanent imprint of his ass in the couch cushions, but there’s only so much time he can spend staring at screens.

Elsa and the girls call more than once a day with them being on summer holidays, and he gets a call or two from Scarlet, who finally had the bullocks to ask Belle out to dinner. That was good to hear since Killian has been giving Will shit about doing that for years now, and it’s good to see that people are moving on with their lives.

He’s not, not really, but he’s not trying to move on so much as he’s trying to not be a total disaster every day.

Sitting in this house alone all day every day isn’t helping. Why did anyone think sending him to be alone would be a good idea in the wake of his brother’s death? He knows it’s more so the scum English tabloids would leave him alone and he could fix his public image so he doesn’t go broke before he’s forty from loss of sponsorships and possible opportunities to get involved in the league, but damn, this was a bad idea.

At least he’s not drinking himself to sleep anymore.

Or drinking himself awake. He thinks that feat is slightly more impressive.

Killian puts his bottle of water down and opens the door that leads to the deck. It’s cool out today, the sun hidden behind the clouds, and since he cannot stay here anymore, he decides he’ll go for a run. It’s been years since he ran outside and not on a pitch or a treadmill, but maybe it’ll be a good distraction. He’s noticed more people filling into the houses around him, the summer tourists showing up in large droves now, so at the very least he can pass time watching people while hoping no one watches him.

It takes him little time to get dressed, lace up his trainers, and pop headphones in his ears before he’s out the door. The roads aren’t flat around his house, so he drives the Jeep a few miles until he finds smoother, less crowded ground. Maybe it’s a way to keep him from running that little bit longer, but mostly he knows his knees need the flat surfaces right now.

He really has gotten old, hasn’t he?

Eventually, he finds what looks like a good path behind a long stretch of beach, finds a place to park, and then he starts running.

It’s horrible, which was expected, but he does it anyway. There are families lining the beaches, music playing from speakers and phones, and he watches as boats skip out on the water. Maybe he should rent a boat for a weekend and take it out. It’d be nice to be out on the water again. He hasn’t been since Liam’s death, the fear of something similar happening to him despite the unlikeliness, but maybe one day while he’s here. It’s not as if he has anything better to do.

Killian runs until the endorphins kick in and then again until his legs get tired. He’s an idiot, however, because he doesn’t think to turn around to his Jeep.

Bloody hell.

He stops and reaches his hands over his head, stretching out his shoulders, and looks to see what’s around him. It’s mostly beach, but there are several restaurants and shops a few blocks down. He notices the familiar Blue Dog Tavern sign and the long deck filled with their outside seating. That means he’s minutes away from a populated area of shops and restaurants where he could cool down and catch his breath, but he still walks toward the Blue Dog. There’s another diner around here he went to that was horrible, and he doesn’t feel like taking the chance again. He’s still over his phase of twenty-four-hour diners. He doesn’t think he can handle more sticky tables.

Killian cools down on the walk to the restaurant, taking in the people walking along the sidewalk, and he dodges them until he’s inside and the cool air is hitting against his skin. It’s past the prime of the lunch rush, so the place is mostly empty. He thinks of going to the bar again, but as he wants to stay as out of the way as possible, he asks the hostess to seat him at a booth in the corner.

“Is someone coming to meet you?” she asks, smacking her gum as she hands him a menu.

“I’m afraid not. Just me today.”

She smiles, popping her gum again, and leans forward, casually popping a button on her shirt. Killian tries not to snicker at the obvious attempt, mostly because she is attractive, but the last thing he needs is to burn more bridges at one of the few places in towns he likes. “Well, if you want company, all you have to do is come find me. I’m Marina.”

He raises his brow. “Seems like you were born to work by the ocean then.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because your name is Marina.”

She cocks her head to the side and laughs. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing, love.” Killian smiles and nods toward the front. “I believe you’re needed.”

She jumps and walks away, obviously putting a little sway in her hips when she moves, and in another life, he’d ask her to join him for lunch and meet her after her shift. He nearly does it now, but the man he’s been and the man he’s trying to be war with each other in his mind.

No burning bridges, he reminds himself. He’s done enough of that in his lifetime.

He orders water and coffee and avoids eye contact with Marina as much as possible, especially when she keeps finding ways to come by his table despite there being no other customers in his section. He texts Will and Rob, sends Elsa some pictures of the beach to show the girls, responds to Ariel about him doing another video conference with a hospital back home, and then he puts his phone away and tries to focus on his meal.

Unsurprisingly, it does not take a hell of a lot of focus to eat a sandwich and chips.

The music coming over the intercoms keeps him occupied for awhile, so does the television hanging over the bar until someone changes it to ESPN, and eventually Killian starts fidgeting for headphones and something to do while he waits for his meal to settle and drinks another cup of coffee. He needs to start the trek back to his Jeep, but that’s the last thing he wants to do.

“Heather, I get that you don’t want to be here, but your uncle and your parents want you here. And you either need to take it up with them or start doing some actual work.”

Killian recognizes that voice, and he sinks in his booth. He was hoping to get away with not running into her here today, if only to save himself the headache. He doesn’t have any paper money on hand, so he can’t pay and leave, and he imagines there’s very little chance he’ll avoid her when she’s walking right toward him with Heather, his server from last week.

She’s in those bloody jean shorts again. They barely cover anything and hug her ass to show it off, and the blouse she’s wearing is fitted to her skin. Her hair is down, hitting past midway on her back, and she looks just as gorgeous as she has every other time he’s seen her…which is exactly why he needs her to not notice him.

So, of course, she does.

Right after she teaches Heather how to clean the tables, she looks up and over at Killian, raises both brows, and walks toward him with her arms crossed beneath her chest. “Anything I can help you with today?”

“The check may be nice, Swan. Lovely to see you again.”

“Uh-huh.” She looks over her shoulder, holds up a signal toward Killian’s server, and he hustles to the back, presumably to get the check. “I can recommend other restaurants in the area. This place is great, but I promise there are better ones.”

He shrugs. “I like the food and how calm it is during off hours. Are you enjoying your house with no Fishers in it?”

“I don’t mind when they come to stay.”

It’s a lie if he’s ever heard one. Killian points to his temple and taps. “I know this may surprise you, but I’m actually quite perceptive.”

Her smile is tight, and she tucks her hair behind her ears. “The Fishers are great landlords, and I can’t complain.”

“I’m not going to tell them what you’re saying, love.”

She smiles again, and he can tell she’s still faking it for him. “All I can say is I’m glad not to have strange men scaring me in my kitchen at two in the morning. Now they simply show up at my work.”

He lifts his glass. “It’s good food, and you’re right, I don’t know of many other reliable eateries around here. Some of them seem a little too…made for tourists.”

“And the Blue Dog Tavern doesn’t? I mean, come on. We have a giant blue animated dog cutout outside. We’re on all those lists of ‘Places in Martha’s Vineyard you have to visit.’ We’re made for tourists like you.”

“I am not a tourist.”

“Says the man who is renting one of the big houses out in Edgartown and staying here for the summer. I’m guessing you go to the beach and lounge around the pool and go through way too many of the bad books the owners of the house have on their shelves.”

Killian huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back in the booth. That was a little too spot on. “How do you know where I’m staying? Wait, no. Ariel, right?”

“Yeah,” Emma smiles, and God, it feels like a hell of an accomplishment to get her to smile. “She went on and on about the great Killian Jones.”

“Ah, so you know who I am then?” He leans forward and waggles his brows, flashing his brightest smile.

“Yeah, a rich British tourist who is friends with my landlords.” Someone calls her name from across the restaurant, and Emma holds one finger up. “Your check will be with you soon. I’ll ask Marina to give you some other restaurant recommendations on your way out. You’ll get sick of this place soon enough.”

“I’m perfectly happy with it, Swan.”

She shrugs and walks away, and Killian chuckles to himself. He doesn’t understand this woman at all, but she intrigues him.

He knows that’s a dangerous game to play.

Killian gets the check, pays it, and before he can escape, Marina corners him to give him more recommendations. She ends up veering into bars and clubs on the island and the surrounding towns, asking him if he wants her to show him around, but he declines and takes the list of places. Maybe he’ll check them out, but the last thing he needs is to go to a club. A bar, maybe, but not a club. He’s learned that there’s a hell of a difference.

He’s also learned that he’s bored to tears in this place, and no amount of calls to Ariel and Elsa can solve that boredom. He finds himself googling pre-season training information, checking up on mates and rivals, and while that’s a bit of a slip-up, he does manage to still stay away from looking himself up. He never used to have the urge to google himself or to read any of the tabloids, but ever since his retirement, he’s been curious. Were people sad? Happy? Did he leave any kind of lasting impact? Or did they all just see him as the drunk, washed up old man with a dirtied past?

That is a path he absolutely cannot go down, and since he’s already run a half marathon today, he decides to shower and get dressed to go to one of the places Marina recommended. If his time alone doesn’t start to get less depressing, he thinks he’s going to have to fly back to London and bother Elsa and the girls until they kick him out. He’ll pay for the remaining time on the house, but he won’t be staying there.

While the sun sets, Killian drives down new roads on the island, going to different towns and neighborhoods to see what others are doing, before ending up at a bar near his house. Marina said it was a spot for locals with good food and a quiet energy, so he doubts Marina has ever stepped foot into it. Killian pushes open the old oak door, and the lights inside are dimmed, the music quiet. There’s a guy playing guitar in the corner hidden between two pillars, and Killian finds himself sitting at the opposite end of the bar on a stool that’s cushion squeaks when he sits down.

Charming.

“You eating, drinking, or both?” The bartender asks, wiping his hands off with a cloth.

“Eating. Have any recommendations?”

“You have an objection to seafood?” the old man asks.

“Not a one.”

“Good. I’ll fix you up with the daily catch.”

Killian nods as the man makes his way through a door behind the bar, and then Killian swivels on his stool, looking around the place. He doesn’t know about the food yet, but Marina was right. It definitely has a quiet energy to it. There are people in nearly every booth and at every table, but there’s a hushed tone except for a laugh in the booth nearest him. His eyes are drawn there, and to both his surprise and horror, he finds Emma Swan with her head tilted back with laughter.

Fuck.

She’s definitely going to think he’s stalking her, and as hungry and bored as he is, he’s still tempted to leave. So of course, that’s when Emma stops laughing and looks directly at him.

Bollocks. Utter bollocks.

She blinks and stares at him a little longer, her brows raising before falling, and then she turns back to whoever is sitting in the booth with her. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her arms moving, but he turns on the stool until he can see her no longer, wishing at the very least he had a water to nurse.

“Hiya. Come sit in our booth with us.”

Killian twists and looks at the brunette who’s now sitting next to him. “Pardon?”

She sticks out her hand, and he takes it, shaking it. “Ruby Lucas. You’re Killian Jones, the – ”

“There’s no need to – ”

“ – the guy who scared Emma half to death at her house in the middle of the night,” Ruby completes, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. “And I must say, you are much more attractive than she described.”

“So she talked about me then?”

“In her own special Emma way.” Ruby tilts her head back toward their booth. “And in my own special Ruby way, I’m inviting you to eat dinner with us. It’s me, Emma, and this super wholesome woman named Mary Margaret who will take you home and bake you cookies while asking you about your childhood because she had a good one of those.”

Killian chuckles, cheeks still flushed from him thinking Ruby knew who he was earlier – he is a pompous, entitled ass obviously – and from being invited to their table. “I couldn’t intrude.”

“I insist that you do.”

He likes her, he decides. She’s stunning and funny with no filter, but she reminds him too much of a dirtier version of Anna. It’s a rather peculiar comparison, but it’s true. It’s also half the reason he agrees to switch tables, rising from his stool and walking toward the booth. The other half a reason is the blonde woman with her face pressed into her forearms against the table top.

She looks beyond thrilled for him to be joining them.

“Oh, Emma, you were right, he is handsome!”

Emma bangs her head into the table as who he presumes is Mary Margaret smiles at him from across the booth. Killian slides onto the seat and elbows Emma’s side before patting her shoulder. “It’s alright, darling. I told all my mates you were beautiful, so we’re even.”

“Go to hell.”

He laughs, grinning at her, and slowly, she peels herself off the table. “Just so you know, I’m only here because Marina recommended it.”

“Remind me to fire her in the morning.”

“So,” Mary Margaret interrupts, tucking her short hair behind her ear, “tell us about yourself, Killian. Where are you from? What do you do for work? How long are you planning on being here?”

“Good God, Marg,” Emma sighs, slumping down, “give the man some room to breathe.”

“What? I’m curious.”

“You’re nosy is what you are,” Emma corrects.

“Aren’t we all?” Killian shuffles in his seat, hoping they move on to another subject, but when Mary Margaret turns to him, he knows she isn’t one to forget. “So, how long are you staying?”

“I have the keys to the house I’m renting until the first of October, but I imagine I’ll leave sooner.”

“And why’s that?” she asks.

Killian shrugs as the man behind the bar drops off a glass of water at the table and tells Killian his food will be ready in ten minutes. “I’m afraid no matter how nice it is here, I don’t know many people. I miss the people I’m closest to. A man can only spend so much time alone.”

“Then why’d you book a house for so long?”

“I needed to get away.”

“Yeah, but – ”

“Marg,” Emma interrupts, placing her hand over her friend’s, “please. You don’t have to know everything about him. Not everyone wants to reveal their entire life to complete strangers.”

She’s right. He doesn’t. But for some inane reason, he doesn’t think he’d mind revealing most of his life to her.

He has obviously lost his damn mind.

But it’s nice to spend a night with other people, to be included in the conversation, and while Mary Margaret and Ruby are delightful, he finds Emma captures his attention, not that this surprises him.

What does surprise him, however, is how much friendlier she is in this environment. He knows it’s her friends and not him, and maybe the glass of wine she had with dinner, but it’s nice to see her laugh freely and blush when Ruby tells stories of Emma he cannot imagine knowing otherwise. He can’t imagine Emma ever scaling a building to break into an ex’s apartment to get her favorite sweater back, but then again, that seems exactly like something she would do if she wanted it badly enough.

He fancies her.

He has no business fancying her, none at all, but when he ends up driving all three women to their homes because Ruby and Mary Margaret had too much to drink and Emma can’t drive the stick shift in Ruby’s car, he accepts Emma’s invitation inside for a cup of coffee.

He also accepts her invitation upstairs into her bed.

To hell with the consequences and burning bridges. He’ll deal with those in the morning when he isn’t so enticed by the trail of freckles running down Emma’s bare stomach.

-/-

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#I hope we never see october #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs fanfiction #captain swan ff #captain swan fic #captain swan fanfic #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan

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zmediaoutlet · 3 years

Text

in support of Texas relief, @claraxbarton donated $50, and requested Dean Winchester & Bucky Barnes. Thank you for donating!

to get your own personalized fic, please see this post. (no longer taking prompts)

Curfew to get back to their bunks is 2200 hours but Carlisle's still trying to prove something and so Bucky's still out, too, because hell if he's going to let some jerk from Long Island out-drink a Brooklyn boy. "Think you're gonna fall asleep soon, punk," Carlisle says, grinning wide and loose and his eyes real red, and Bucky raises his eyebrows and knocks the next shot back. He doesn't rise to the punk thing even if he wants to sock the jerk one. See, Steve, he wants to say, but of course Steve's not here. Bucky sucks the inside of his cheek, not feeling the burn anymore after this much—maybe a bad thing—but he waves to the girl leaning against the bar, signaling for another. Becky, is her name, which caused some comment from Carlisle too. She's in a too-short skirt and Bucky knows from when Carlisle got a hand on her ass that she's not too worried about keeping the hemline down, giggling as she leans over and puts the next round on the table. Carlisle pulls her in by the hand, murmuring something in her ear that Bucky can't hear over the jazz from the jukebox but that she hears perfectly well, from how she giggles and leans in, her bosom squishing up and catching Carlisle's attention just fine. Bucky sighs, sits back. Maybe the competition's over, after all. He sips at the next shot instead of downing it, actually tasting the whiskey—crap, but better than he used to be able to afford back home—and ignores how Becky's showing off the top of her stockings, the peek of white thigh above them, and looks over the top of Carlisle's head at the lawyer-type who's been sitting toward the back of the jazz club, this whole time, watching them.

Hat on the table, a beer half-sipped at his right hand. A paper pad open, at his left. Doodling something. Bucky sips at his shot again and Becky's now in Carlisle's lap, her arms around his neck. The bar's emptying out, most everyone from boot camp gone home, and Bucky's maybe got a point to prove but he's tired of this. He knocks back the rest of his shot and then reaches out and takes Carlisle's, and kicks him under the table for good measure. "Hey!" Carlisle said, distracted from sweet Becky's plump white throat, and Bucky said, "Sorry, pal, you forfeit by way of boring me to death," and gets up from the table in a scrape of the chair on the wooden floor, and Carlisle starts to stand up but of course Becky's weighing him down and she says, "Hey, slugger, you're gonna leave me all alone?" and Carlisle's distracted, soothing, long enough for Bucky to walk away, toward the back of the bar, the shot still heavy in his hand. He wants to drink it but he wants something else, too.

Jukebox, in the back. He leans over it, flipping through. Glenn Miller, Gene Autry. He wonders who put on the run of Louis Armstrong—fourth song in a row, by his count—and in the corner of his eye he can tell that the lawyer-type is watching him, from the table right there, and doing a good job of pretending he isn't.

2200 hours. Bucky checks his watch. Ticking closer. He's not the most rule-abiding guy at the best of times but he knows he's been pushing it, with his sergeant, and if he's found out to be back late again then—well, it's latrine duty for sure, if not a full ten miler with all his gear. He sucks the inside of his cheek. Worth the risk? If he's thinking of going to Europe to fistfight Hitler, then what isn't?

"Hey, pal," Bucky says, turning, with this feeling in his gut like running into a fight in a back-alley in Brooklyn—but the lawyer's up, leaving his beer half-drunk on the table, walking past him to the hall where the WCs are. Bucky licks his lips. There's a doodle left on the table, a torn-out page from the guy's pad: some weird symbol that Bucky doesn't recognize, in heavy pencil-marks, sketchy and strange. He frowns, looking over his shoulder, but the door's swinging, and he's—sure, almost. He's gotten that kind of look, before. He's given it.

The hall's empty, but there's another door at the end, frosted glass, EXIT in reversed letters, just closing. An alleyway—well, hell. Bucky's done worse in worse places but the danger of it is leaping in his throat, now. The chances that someone might see, might catch his uniform in the dark, might—but he's a real knucklehead, it turns out, and he's pushing through the door, the glass of booze still clutched in his other hand, and then: the alleyway, and whatever's waiting, and… the lawyer nowhere to be seen.

He turns around, squinting in the mostly-dark. Trash bins, and a cat racing away out toward the streetmouth. Bucky steps forward, looking—wondering if he was seeing things he wasn't meant to be seeing, wondering if his stupid heart was manufacturing things that weren't there, like always—and—there, on the other side of the wooden gate, a glow. A candle? No: a… circle, somehow drawn on the alley wall like with fire. Strange symbols that he can't make out as he gets closer. They're bright but slowly fading and he reaches out, caught by the strangeness. No heat, as his fingers hover over the coal-flames. In the center, one of the symbols looks like a star, and he licks his lips and takes a deep breath and like an absolute knucklehead presses his hand flat against it and then –

"Of course I'm—look, I'm the one who had to haul his ass into the trunk, okay? And he's heavy as hell. So, thanks for sending me out here solo, by the way."

Bucky keeps his eyes closed, trying to keep his breath even. He's waking up slow, not like from a bad dream but from a deep, long sleep, and he hasn't had one of those since before basic—since before Joe moved back into Ma's house—since before he slept over at Steve's, when they were younger and Steve's mother was at the hospital, and Steve was snoring on his half of the bed but Buck was—well, it hardly matters. His head feels queer, memories close to the surface and hurting. He's laying on something soft.

The man starts talking again: "Dude, for the last time—yes, Sam, I'm sure. You know how many History Channel docs I've watched about Cap and the Commandos? There's some kind of federal law that it's all they show at noon on a weekday. Check the insignias from the uniform, I'm telling you. This ain't a reenactor, it's the real deal. Plus there was that Thule sigil still burning on the alley wall." A pause. Bucky doesn't know the half of what this guy's talking about. Thule? What the hell is a history channel? "Yeah. Hey—look, he's—okay. Call me when you find something."

Another pause. There's a shift, fabric rustling, and then a creak of bedsprings. "You want to stop faking? You're not that good at it."

"Says you," Bucky says, but he opens his eyes.

A room, like a hotel or something. Nighttime, from the dim, and a lamp making a pool of light between the two beds. He's on one, laid out on his back, and on the other, when he turns his head: a man, older than him, sitting on the side of the mattress, watching him. Bucky presses his lips together, looking. Not the lawyer type who gave him the slip in the alley and not anyone he's ever seen. The man's looking right back at him, studying his face, and then his eyes go skipping down Bucky's body, and Bucky's still wearing his uniform but he feels—"What's a Thule sigil?" he says, to cover up his reaction, and the man's eyes jump right to his and he grins, like Bucky's some circus pet that just did a trick he didn't expect.

"I think we better start with 101," the man says. Generic accent. Where are they? "Name's Dean. I'm a hunter. Sorry for kidnapping you, but you were passed out in an alleyway and I wasn't sure the cops would know how to handle a guy from 1943 who's—uh, you." He scratches the corner of his jaw—hasn't shaved in a few days, apparently—and then shrugs, and nods at Bucky. "Your turn."

"James," Bucky says. He surprises himself and blinks at the man. Dean. "James Barnes. Probably AWOL from my unit at this point, depending on what time is." Another grin, but this one more natural, and Bucky decides he probably doesn't want to sock the guy one. He starts to sit up but his head—ah. Woozy, the world tilting some, and Dean reaches out quick and grabs his arm, helping pull him upright. It hurts but not like getting punched, or the one time a guy coshed him over the head in an alley fight and he woke up to Steve grimly holding his brains together. More like a hangover but he didn't even have that much to drink. When he's up, boots on the floor, Dean sits back and just looks at him again, all over, and Bucky looks down at himself too like maybe there'll be something interesting to see. It's just him, though, in his uniform a little worse for wear for eating dirt in the alley, but Dean keeps looking at him like…

Dean's spinning something in his hand—a metal rectangle with a shiny glass face. He sees Bucky looking and grimaces, and tucks it into his jacket pocket. "Sorry," he says, "not sure we're ready to do the whole Back to the Future II thing, here," and Bucky doesn't know what that means, either, but then Dean says, "Here's the thing: it's 2013," and Bucky blinks at him and says, "Bullshit."

Dean's eyebrows go high. "Wow," he says, under his breath, "okay, so it really wasn't like the newsreels." Bucky stares at him. "Um," Dean says, and then says, "Shit, Sammy doesn't know everything, hang on—" and he picks up something from the bedside table between them and points it, and then there's a flashbang of color and light and… a man, talking about the stock market, in brilliant color and as vivid as Dean sitting across from him. "Don’t tell your pals in the unit about Wolf Blitzer, I don't want to create a time paradox or something where someone doesn't get born," Dean's saying, but Bucky just sits and stares, frozen on the bed. It's like… a marvel, from that World Fair they went to, something that Stark genius would think up. He gets up, finally, and Dean's quiet, and he reaches out and touches the glass and it sparks against his fingers, static, against where there's a box that says February 15, 2013, 9:57 pm. "Yeah, it's an old one. A television. I can't remember if you have those yet or not."

"Who are you, pal?" Bucky says, not turning around. The light hurts his eyes, it's so bright.

Dean sighs, behind him. The sound from the television goes away and Bucky touches it again, shaking his head, and Dean says, "James Buchanan Barnes. You go by Bucky. You're from Brooklyn." Bucky looks over his shoulder and Dean's looking at him—looking older, looking tired. "You joined the service in 1943. You're in the 107th and, from what I can tell, you haven't shipped out to Europe yet, because you were in an alley in Georgia, instead, and you haven't—" He gestures vaguely to Bucky's side, eyes dipping, but Bucky doesn't know what he means, and he's got this vague panicky feeling stuttering up in his chest. Like being caught at something only this time he hasn't done anything wrong.

Dean stands up. They're the same height, same build. Dean's dressed like a farmer, in denim pants and a plaid shirt untucked, but he doesn't carry himself like one. A hunter, he said, and Bucky braces himself. Hunting what? The door's too far away for him to lunge and make it before Dean could get there.

"I'm not here to hurt you, man," Dean says. He laughs, lightly, shaking his head. "Like, that's the last thing I want to do. You're Bucky Barnes. I can't—tell you what that means, I guess, but… It means something. But you're not supposed to be here."

"Where's here?" Bucky says, tightly.

"Well, seventy years out of place, for one thing," Dean says. His mouth curls up on one side. "Though I gotta say, you're hot for an old guy."

Bucky takes a breath, while Dean grimaces. "I feel like I just hit on George Washington or something," he mutters, eyes dropping to his boots.

"Even if you add seventy, I'm not that old," Bucky says, after a second, and he can tell he's coloring up but he's not—men don't—he's never, even in alleyways and in dark rooms and in the one dance club he ever got brave enough to go to, one night when Steve was staying up with his mother and Bucky was so strained in the heart he thought he'd crack in half, he never—out loud, he never.

Dean looks up. Calculation. He's a looker. Even back in the unit among all the guys, Bucky could say that and not have anyone question it. Brownish hair, green eyes, freckles like a kid from a sodapop advertisement but he sure doesn't look like a kid. A man, carrying himself like one, his muscles obvious in the blue plaid, his hands square and sure. Bucky looks at them instead of into Dean's face. He's never sure but now he's very not and he doesn't want to—so there are Dean's hands, on his hips, and his knuckles, and his clean neat nails. Safer to focus on than the insanity of what Dean's telling him—the future, Bucky thinks, again, the world wheeling off its track, where somehow some man in some hotel in Georgia knows who he is, and says he's hot. Howard Stark's World of Tomorrow couldn't possibly.

He steps forward. Dean's hands lift, low, cautioning, and Bucky licks his lips and walks into them, lets Dean catch his hips. "Whoa, sailor," he says, and Bucky says, "I'm in the Army," and then he picks up his head and kisses Dean, square on the mouth, heart leaping into his throat.

Brief, hard. He grips Dean's shoulders and they're—oh, shocking, hot and firm and real in a way that he's turned over by, half-convinced that it's a dream, but all his dreams have been insubstantial as air, gossamer that slips away when he tries to hold it. There's a burst of air, Dean exhaling hard through his nose, but his lips are—soft, his chin scratching against Bucky's, and after a second of stupid clenched-eyed hope Dean's hand slides up his side and he readjusts his head, tilts, makes the kiss… softer, easier, and Bucky gasps in air he didn't realize he was holding onto and Dean's mouth follows his, closing over his bottom lip and sucking very softly, and Bucky thinks out of nowhere without his brain having any say-so Steve, and he pulls away then, jerking so hard that Dean says, "Whoa, whoa, buddy—" and Bucky almost hits him but turns away, puts his hands over his face, breathes out hard and quick and tries to ignore how his lips feel oversensitized, burning.

There's a strange metallic sound while Bucky's heart is trying to beat out of his throat. It cuts off mid-racket and Dean says, "Great timing, Sammy," full of sarcasm, and Bucky drags his hands down over his cheeks, covers his mouth. Turns around, to face his stupidity like a man. Dean's holding the metal thing to his ear, apparently listening, but his eyes are fixed to Bucky's. "Oh, just traumatizing a war hero," Dean says, and then his attention shifts and he rolls his eyes, holding the thing away from his ear with this expression so what are you gonna do?, like a guy from the deli taking a call from his henpecking wife, that Bucky snorts. Dean smiles at him, easy, and puts it back to his ear in time to respond, "Yeah," and then, "Got it, okay—look, text it to me, I left my pen in Kansas," and takes it away and holds it in front of himself—another whirling flash of color, a picture of some man, and then Dean pokes a red circle and it goes quiet.

"So," Dean says. "Sammy knows how we can send you back. Gotta do it by midnight but that's no big deal, I've got the stuff in the trunk. Scary adventure's gonna be over soon, soldier. You'll have to worry about the AWOL thing on your own."

He's poking at things on the rectangle again. His thumbs move very quickly. Bucky's watching his face, downturned, apparently casual, except that his ears are bright blushing red.

"War hero," Bucky says, finally.

Dean's cheek sucks in on one side and he looks up under his eyebrows. "Can we pretend I didn't say that?" he says. Bucky shakes his head and Dean bites the corner of his mouth. His mouth. Bucky looks into his eyes instead. "Yeah. Look, I can't—tell you this stuff. I don't know if they had sci-fi in the 40s but you just… can't tell people their future, okay? It's a bad idea. You might change something, or do something, and you'd screw up time, and then, I don't know, giant vampire robots might take over Manhattan as soon as I send you back."

"Vampire—?" Bucky says, bewildered, and Dean groans.

"Forget that, too," Dean says—fat chance, Bucky thinks—and Dean shakes his head, sighing. "Look, all this… time travel crap is new for me, too. Didn't even know it could really be a thing before a few years ago, and I didn't know regular people could just smear some stuff on a wall and speak some mumbo-jumbo and just make it happen. And so—we found this record that an unexplained event had happened, on this day in Georgia, and Sammy—that's who was just on the phone—he said, well, go check it out, and he's faking like he's not sick so I just let him send me out on the errand, and then it turned out to be you, and I'm… babbling, this is embarrassing, but you're you and I gotta say, whenever we were kids, Sammy was Superman and I was Batman but when we played Commandos he had to be Cap because I always wanted—"

Dean cuts off, and now the red's in his cheeks as well as his ears, even if Bucky doesn't know what goes there. "So. I'll send you back, but." He lifts a shoulder. "I wish I didn't have to."

He looks real sorry. Bucky leans back against the dresser, with the silent television flashing colors by his shoulder. He tries to imagine it. Boys in some hazy, magic-screen future, playing at being him, the way the kids in the neighborhood play being Flash Gordon. It's too big to fit into his head. He says, instead, "So… we win, then." Dean frowns. "The war. We win? If… me and the commandos and whoever the Captain is, we all get to be heroes. We must win."

Dean licks his lips, and looks… guilty, as all hell. "Yeah," he says, voice strange. "Yeah, you win."

Oppressive, to hear it. Not relief but responsibility. Bucky nods, takes a deep breath. "Well, all right, then," he says. He smiles at Dean, his very best. "Then I think the big hero deserves another kiss."

Dean startles, and laughs, and Bucky grins until Dean's head drops. He swallows. The future, settling onto his heart; the past, roaring up to meet it.

#ffcc #dean winchester #bucky barnes #my writing #-- hey i hate to be that guy but i gotta apologize #this is less a story than a collection of paragraphs #but i feel like i forgot how to write at all #this doesn't match up to the donation #but i hope it gives you some mild entertainment #imagine bucky barnes watching cnn #that could be funny at least right?

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liliesoftherain · 5 years

Note

I'm back again with a daddy bakugou prompt but I'm asking you to break hearts now. Daughter in this scenario is working as a intern in bakugous agency and they go out on patrol. However a villain attacks and bakugou tells his daughter to go cause he's not going to make it and he tells daughter reader to tell her mom he loves her. But the daughter jumps in front "tell her yourself" and saves her dad. Please end it with daughter surviving. Fluffy but with angst.

A/N: So wow.. This was over 5000 words.. I got carried away whoops. I hope you guys like this, I tried adding more of the fight scene because well, I wanted to practice because I’m not good at them. Also, let me know if you guys like the way I described the quirks, was it too much? I feel like I gave the bad guys ordinary quirks, but what can you do. I’M SORRY I FEEL LIKE I COULD’VE DONE SO MUCH BETTER AHHH. Enjoy y’all!

Title: For the Love of a Daughter

Pairing: Dad!Katsuki Bakugou x Mom!Reader

Katsuki Bakugou!:

“Have fun at your internship today, Bakugou-chan!”

“Thanks! Enjoy school for me.”

“Not likely, you’re the one who gets the day off while I’m stuck here!”

“Not my fault! Find an agency!” She laughed at her friend as she walked out of the dorms.

The young girl made her way to the Ground Zero Hero Agency that was located nearby U.A. High. It was a convenient commute, and an even more convenient place intern at. Her blonde hair secured high and red eyes set in a determined gaze as she walked through the front doors, being so well known she didn’t even have to show her badge to the lady at the front desk.

“Good morning Akari-chan!” The young woman smiled brightly, waving her through.

“Good morning to you, Chizue-san.” Your daughter smiled in return, walking forward towards the elevator.

After pressing the desired floor and heading to the locker rooms, Akari had gotten changed into her hero gear and made her way to the lead hero’s office. She knocked twice, before opening the door to see him at his desk.

“Still doing paperwork old man?”

“Watch your mouth brat, I’m almost done.” Katsuki tsk’d, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth as he spared his daughter a glance before looking back at the computer screen.

“What are you going to have me do today pops.”

“It’s Ground Zero while you’re here, how many times do I have to tell you that.”

“Yeah yeah, Ground Zero-Jiji.”

“OI-”

“C’mon dad really, am I going to be able to go on patrol today? I haven’t been in for a week!”

He smirked at her, standing once he submitted the last of this morning's work.

“Yeah brat, a patrol with your favorite hero.”

“Deku is my favorite hero-”

“Not funny, shithead.” He snapped, flicking her forehead as he walked by her. She huffed in false hurt, internally laughing at how she could get him so riled up, even when he knew she was joking.

“Because of that, I’ll have you file all the paperwork yourself when we get back.” Katsuki snickered, pressing the button to head down to the main lobby.

“You can’t do that,” Akari crossed her arms with a light glare, “I’m not allowed to handle paperwork, I’m a second year dad. Did you forget due to your old ass age?”

Entering the elevator Katsuki flicked her forehead once more, this time putting more force.

“Ow-”

“Watch your fucking mouth, I remember perfectly thank you. This old man could kick your ass. Plus, as long as I supervise, I can make you do whatever fucking paperwork I want.”

“I’ll tell mom on you.” Akari crossed her arms, nose pointed in the air.

“Do it brat, she won’t take your side.” Katsuki mocked her look without even realizing it.

The fact that him and his kid were so similar was almost scary, it surely gave you enough headaches to last a lifetime.

The doors open with a chime and the two headed out, punching out by the front desk. The system was there to keep record that they were going to be away from the agency on a patrol. It was a handy system, letting other pros of the office know what you were doing in case an emergency happened.

“Have a safe patrol, Ground Zero, Surge!”

“Thank you.” The two replied in sync, walking out of the building.

The two left their playful bickering inside, turning on a much more serious demeanor while on patrol. Katsuki wanted to teach his daughter everything he knew, because before long she would be her own hero taking her place to come out on top.

Nothing but the greatest for his kid.

The patrol started normal, and if Akari wasn’t as well groomed in the line of hero work, she’d dare say boring. However, she knew better than to think of it that way.

Peace may be tranquil, it may be calm and still, but it was never boring.

It was a blessing.

However today, was not one of those blessed days.

They had already been out for almost a good thirty minutes, interacting with civilians and helping with smaller issues, when screams were heard. The two quickly rushed to the scene, smelling the smoke before they could even see it.

Large flames danced along collapsed buildings, civilians were running wild, desperately trying to get away from whatever had caused the situation in the first place.

“Go help with an evacuation, make your priority the safety of the citizens!”

“Yes sir!” Akari knew better than to argue about wanting to help with the villains who were making the scene, the civilians were the priority.

Katsuki had charged forward, assessing the situation to see that there were 3 villains and their main target seemed to be unknown. It wasn’t money, there was a bank right down the street. They were standing closer to a now burning abandoned building, possibly there just for a harmful deeds with no goal. Or, they were causing a distraction for something bigger.

Katsuki enclosed on the three, quickly blasting an explosion to try to quickly knock them off their feet. However, they must have seen him becoming because all three immediately countered the attack. That gave Katsuki a moment to analyze their quirks, and how big of a nuisance they’d be.

The female of the group seemed to be able to manipulate shadows, he could tell as she manipulated what looked like to be her own as a shield to block his attack. He noticed she didn’t bother using any other shadows, even though there were plenty around her that were larger than her own, so he figured that was the extent of her power. The amount of shadow she could manipulate seemed to be as small as she was. Either way, it could be used not only as a defensive quirk, but depending on how she could handle her quirk, a good offensive one as well.

There was a man with a mask over his face, bending the air around him to make the attack head over his head. Wind was always a pain to deal with, even if someone wasn’t as skilled with it in turn making the quirk weaker. It was hard to aim calculated attacks without having them be blown away. Katsuki knew he’d had to keep an eye out on that one.

The last man, who looked to be the leader, took the blow straight on. His skin changing to that what was hardened in what looked to be steel, most likely high carbon steel, seeing as there were no scratches or abrasions even with the high impact explosion. He may be the pack lead for a reason, most things would bounce off of him, no damage, no injury, less mess. However, there was a thing about hard materials were also very brittle- if he kept on his toes, not allowing this guy to take a break and continued to hit him with hard impacts, he’d either let his armor down himself or finally break.

Katsuki readied for battle as the two underlings rushed forward, attacking him simultaneously. Katsuki was able to use enough force to send the shadow user back a few feet into some debris, before blocking a punch from the main man himself. The hardened punch caused him to grunt, the force from the punch was almost as much as Eijirou’s.

Almost.

Katsuki sent an explosion from both palms to each guy, countering immediately with physical attacks. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the man with the wind quirk was causing him more problems than he’d like. He had a good sense of control on his quirk and it was difficult to find openings as not only his quirk, but his attacked were being pushed back because of it.

The fight lasted with neither one side or the other going down, the shadow user came up from behind as she recovered, almost knocking Katsuki off of his balance. He was growing irritated, these lowlifes were actually putting up a fight-where were the other pros in the vicinity?

Where was Akari.

Like she read his mind, his daughter quickly came from nowhere it seemed, surprising the wind user as she used her own explosions on him from behind.

She was his daughter alright.

She got a really amazing quirk, even more so than his, even if he’d never admit it. Your quirk was a really good match with his, even though your quirk was the last reason why he married you.

Your quirk was called Adrenaline Rush, you were able to enhance your physical body because of it, your adrenaline working more overpowered than anyone else’s. Your increase in blood flow and oxygen to your muscles causing you to be- well basically supercharged.

The reason why it paired so well was because one prominent feature that happened during a rush-

You sweat. A lot.

So in turn, when your daughter had both, the increased sweating mixed with his explosive quirk-

Let’s just you guys made one bad ass kid.

Her quirk was Explosive Adrenaline, he thought it was the cutest name, a mix of both of yours. She was sort of able to control her physical body like you were, but she could either put in a ‘super charge’ into her limbs, or into her explosions.

This time she put more of her overcharge into her fist, having it painfully collide with the back of the wind quirk’s head. Katsuki, now even more on a high alert, made sure to keep the other two occupied on him while he let Akari handle the other.

The two-on-one was going better now that he didn’t have his attacks weren’t being blown away, and he could tell he was wearing both of his opponents down. The shadow user manipulated her shadow into a bat, and went to swing it at his face, but Katsuki grabbed the other guy moved him into the spot instead, forcing him to take her attack while he followed up and used an explosion from behind. The two crashed into each other, falling on the ground while Katsuki went for another attack to make sure they stayed there.

Although, the sound of his daughter's cry caught his attention and he turned in time to see her back collided with an unstable building, the walls shaking from the impact and threatening to fall. He sprinted over to her, blasting the wind user away while covering her body with his own as soon as the building crumbled down. The pain spread throughout his body, and he ground his teeth together as he tried to make sure Akari was alright.

He blasted through some remains, the overuse of his quirk causing his hands to shake but he bared with it. The rush in his body numbing the pain as he dragged the both of them behind another building to recoup. He slumped against a wall, taking in heavy breaths as he scanned her over. Besides for some cuts she looked fine, and he felt a breath of relief fall from his lips.

“Are you alri-”

Before he could finish his sentence the three, now all up and running, came from behind the corner in order to fight once more. This wasn’t right, something was wrong.

Katsuki just knew it, if they were after something they would have ran off the moment they got, unless they were distracting them for a reason-

There was something else they were covering for, or worse yet, someone.

Katsuki frantically looked around while trying to fend off the persistent villains, trying to see who the hell they were messing with.

“You heroes really are idiots!” The shadow user screamed out, her shadow flattening out and pushed the father-daughter duo back.

They both landed further down the alley with a grunt, and Katsuki felt his lungs working overtime to get air into his lungs. Then he finally saw it, another person coming out of the shadows with a wicked grin.

“Ground Zero- good to see you buddy. Really, it’s been a while.” Katuski stood, throwing three explosions in his direction while throwing five more in the other to hold off the three lower villains.

“You think this had any effect on me- come now Ground Zero, you mustn't remember me if you think that could hold me, and frankly, that pisses me off.”

The sound of cracking bones was loud in Akari’s ears, more so than her father’s and her own explosions. The sickening sound of it taring through the skin was horrid and she held back a gag at the smell that followed. His bone turned sharp, coming out of him like extra limbs as they stretched and grew, heading straight towards her dad. She vaguely saw the look of panic on her dad’s face, and she knew that he must've had great trouble with him in a previous battle, if the villains monologue wasn’t anything to go by.

She felt the wind from behind and saw the others closing in, looking back to the front, the man's bones were growing thicker as ran forward.

“Surge-” Her dad let off more explosions and she followed suit, gritting her teeth as she sent multiple to the party behind her, “Get the hell out of here- go request back up. I don’t know why no one else hasn’t fucking arrived.”

A bone sliced through the air unharmed from the blasts, managing to clip Katsuki’s shoulder painfully. His hands were tied, if he ran forward to attack the man, he’d be leaving his daughter to a 3-on-1 fight, and while she was no weakling, that was hard on anyone. If he focused on the three, they’d have his full attention and she would be left alone with the creep. Either way he’d be leaving her as an opening, and he wasn’t about to risk that. He was sure he’d have a fighting chance if she wasn’t there on the forefront of his thoughts, if he was able to go wild. At the very least, he’d be able to buy her enough time to get the hell out of here and request some assistance.

To get somewhere safe.

Akari gasped as she saw her dad get his shoulder sliced, drawing plenty of blood from the wound. He was already badly injured, plenty of regular bruises and scratches, but worse wounds from the falling building earlier. Plus, this maniac with the crazy quirk was striking only him, deep cuts appearing on his skin, angry red coming in its place. She started sending more powerful explosions to the group behind her, trying to keep them away as she racked her brain for any ideas on how to fight. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to take on a group alone, and this guy seemed to think he could give her dad a struggle, so what were they going to do?

All she could do was send a constant barrage of supercharged explosions, and it was working for the most part, the smokescreen helping to keep them blinded and unable to press on with any attack. But the smoke was being wiped as fast as she could create it, the wind picking up do to the man with the quirk, blowing it away and trying to create an opening for his team.

Damn wind quirks.

“No- I can’t leave you Ground Zero! We have to find a way out together-”

“This is no time to argue with me dammit!”

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, he was looking down at her with a worried look on his face. He was shaking due to overuse and exhaustion, and he was bleeding out in multiple places as the bone kept meeting his form. She willed her explosions to come larger, feeling adrenaline course through her veins as she began to sweat more, and took all of the energy and moved it into her palms. The smoke was thicker, the pain was larger, and the panic was coming in waves.

“I’m sorry dad-I can’t leave you!”

“You get your ass out of here! You got that!? Dammit-your mother must be calling by now, you haven’t had a fucking lunch break yet and you know how pissy she gets when you don’t eat. Kid, you know you’re a hero in my eyes but you’re still fucking learning! So get out of here so you can keep moving forward and take over the number one spot-GO.” He gave no room for argument, and the sadness in his eyes scared her more.

She saw another part of the bone coming from the smoke, this time aimed right at her dad’s heart. She yelled out, and rushed for it before it could reach him.

He wanted her to learn, but if she couldn’t learn from him, learn from the best, how the hell would she ever make it to the number one spot?

It was over before it began, the searing pain in her side caused her to grunt in surprise as she was lifted up into the air. The gravity forcing the bone to travel deeper into the wound, this time bringing a scream from her lips. Although she couldn’t hear it due to the ringing in her ears-plus she was too busy trying to focus on breaking the bone.

If her father’s quirk couldn’t break it, she would have to show that old man who’s boss and do it herself.

She wrapped her hands around the bone, drawing all the power she could muster before releasing multiple, large, supercharged shots into it. She heard the crack, and the screams and shouts around her blended together. All she cared about was the the bone turned to ash and she was finally dropped onto the floor. The impact took the air from her lungs and her vision blurred before it all went black.

While all she could see was black, Katsuki saw red.

One moment he was telling her to leave, to save herself without really telling her that it was over, and the next he sees his baby on the ground.

His baby.

Katsuki’s mind flashes to every moment he’s ever had with her, and for some reason the most prominent memories were all the moments he's ever cried;

The first time he held her he cried because he was scared that he would never be enough for the angel he held in his tainted hands.

The first time she had talked, she had spoken had been his name and he had cried tears of happiness because his whole world was complete as long as he had her.

The first time she had walked, it was into his embrace, so he cried tears of joy at being the arms where she felt safe enough to walk into.

The first day of school she had said goodbye with no problems, and he cried at the fear that she didn't need him anymore.

The first time she had shown her quirk, he cried right along with her as the explosions had burned her hands; he knew the pain of a powerful quirk, both physically and emotionally, and he wanted nothing more than to blast that pain away.

The first time she had shown interest in training, she had asked him to train her and he secretly cried because he was overjoyed that she wanted his help over anyone else.

The first time that she was ever excited about school was when she got her acceptance in his alma mater, and he cried because he was so damn proud of her.

The first person she said when he asked who she wanted to intern with was him, and he cried because he felt so lucky to be her first choice.

This was the first time he had seen her hurt so badly, and he knew he was crying in agony at the sight.

She had so many firsts in her life already, but she still had so many firsts left ahead of her.

He wanted to keep crying for all the good and all the firsts she had yet to do.

He wants to cry as he watches her graduate.

He wants to cry as she makes it as a pro.

He wants to cry as he walks her down the aisle.

He wants to see her grow, he wants her to have the world at her feet.

He didn't want to cry in regret at her funeral because he didn't have what it takes to save her.

He would not let himself see her death, there was no way he was going to let her die.

"AKARI!"

Any hurt he had been previously feeling was pushed to the side, the only thing Bakugou could focus on was keeping his little girl safe.

Sending a large enough explosion to keep the ones behind at bay, he moved her from the middle of the ground. He wanted to hold her tight in his arms but he needed to make sure they were safe first, so he ran towards the man with bone, sending a punch that was backed with an explosion at his face, twisting around to kick him in the gut before sending off another explosion for good measure to knock him down.

Katsuki turned around, and wasted no time blasting an explosion larger than he had ever done before at the trio, making sure none of them could possibly think of getting close to Akari. He wasted no time sprinting forward and grabbing the man of steel, tossing his hardened body into the wind user, before grabbing the girl by the face and slamming her into the wall. He sent off an explosion before tossing her as well at the pair on the ground.

He backtracked and brought the man of bone back to his feet, the man only staring with wide eyes as Katsuki gripped his throat tight, having to force himself to stop before he took it too far. More bone tried to desperately pierce his skin, but the chokes and frantic kicking of his legs showed how his mind was off due to panic, his quirk doing nothing more than grazing in an ungraceful frenzy. The labored breaths framed Katsuki’s face and he squeezed a fraction tighter, in hopes to knock him out for a while.

Inside his mind he wishes it was for good.

Once the eyes rolled back and the man went limp, the viper-tight grip was released. He let him fall harshly onto the ground, no care in his body for anything other than their suffering. The other group was groaning on the ground, writhing in pain, but it wasn’t enough.

Yet before he could do more, police ran forward into the smoke, catching the villains and binding them with quirk suppressant cuffs.

Another hero ran through the smoke, looking as bad as Katsuki did. Bloodied and torn green hero suit, curly hair flat against his head with sweat and even more blood. He was holding onto his stomach, breathing harshly with one eye closed to keep it clean from what trickled down from his hairline.

“Kaach-fuck, MEDIC!”

Katsuki didn’t listen, focusing all of attention to his little girl. She was still breathing, the wound deep but fortunately not deep enough to have her bleed out in the seconds he was fighting. He raised his heavily shaking hands and pressed them to her side, tears falling down his face as he whispered promises into her unconscious ears.

He refused to let anyone pick up up, choosing to strain himself longer and set her down onto the stretcher himself, also refusing attention as he insisted on riding with her. As much as they wanted to tell him to trust them, to let himself get help, they wouldn’t. The look in his eyes proved that anything spoken to him would be futile, so they ushered him inside the ambulance before speeding off to the nearest hospital. He could wait, he needed to make sure she’d be okay.

Akari had to be okay.

As soon as they had gotten her stretcher into the operating room, is when Katsuki collapsed. His body was running on pure fear and adrenaline, and the damage he had taken was more than he could handle. As soon as he saw she was getting the treatment she needed, the small amount of relief had been the switch that turned his body off. His shakes stopped, breathing hitching along with eyes fluttering closed and he felt weightless, landing with his back on the cold tile. Nurses and doctors rushing to get him help.

You had watched the news, worry coursing through your body as the woman reported of how small yet powerful groups of villains were targeting top pro heroes. You tried to calm yourself, saying your husband was more than capable of handling some weaklings. But you remembered today was the day Akari was with him, and you knew he’d be more concerned about her safety than the fight at hand. You rubbed your enlarged stomach with shaking hands, trying to remind yourself the stress wasn’t healthy for the two of you.

Although that worry only intensified when your home phone began to ring, the ringing sounding further away the closer you went. Lifting it with a shuddering breath, you answered.

The man on the other end told you how your husband and daughter were in critical care at the moment, and that you needed to get down to the hospital as quickly as you could. You could only hang up, no answers needed. Knowing if you spoke it would all rush out. You were in a trance, grabbing your purse and keys one moment, and the next time you blinked you were rushing through the hospital doors.

Waddling as fast as you could to the nurses desk, you quickly asked for more information. The nurse soothingly gave you all the information she could, getting up to guide you to a seat as you were finding yourself swaying in place. She knelt down in front of you, asking you to breath in and out with her. You don’t remember complying, but the nod of her head gave you the indication you were. Her lips moved but no noise came out, static white noise is all that you could hear-and in a way it was calming.

The hustle and bustle of rushing professionals was all in the background, fading slowly as if you had muted the television. The nurses words, the speakers overhead, the squeaking of stretchers, the sirens from outside, they were all silent.

Quiet.

It was too quiet now.

You needed to hear two things only.

Your family’s voices.

Your husbands throaty scoffs and your daughters teasing laughs.

You needed your family.

It must have been hours before a doctor came to you, but you had sat for what seemed like years of your life were chipping away.

All at once the noise came back at full volume, almost too loud to hear the doctor in front of you.

“They’re ready to be seen, but be warned, they’re most likely still pretty groggy. If that’s the case, know that it is perfectly normal.”

You followed the doctor to a room on another floor, the entire walk felt too long, you had to see them now.

Katsuki had woken up, pain shooting from multiple places in his body. He grunted in pain, the closing of his eyes, along with the growing weight of his limbs, were trying to coax him asleep and he was allowing the pull to lull him.

His eyes shot open before he fell back under, his heart rate spiking on the monitor as he panicked.

“A-akari.” His voice was hoarse, broken glass in his throat causing pain that no amount of throat clearing could get rid of.

“I’m right here daddy-I’m right here.”

His eyes snapped to his left, seeing his daughter sitting up and bandaged in many places, although not as bandaged up as he was. She started to sniffle and held out her hand to him. Despite the pain, he reached out and held her right hand just as tightly, lips quivering in relief at the sight of her.

She was okay.

“Don’t you ever do that again, you understand.” Katsuki demanded, voice still scratchy but just as serious.

She said nothing but smiled, although her smile quickly fell and was replaced with a wobbly bottom lip.

“You l-look like shit.” Tears fell from her eyes.

Katsuki barked out a mix of a sob and a laugh that hurt his body, hand squeezing hers as he replied.

“I love you brat.”

“I love you too old man.”

The door opened, causing the two to sober their tears as best as they could, and the pair looked over to see you and a doctor walk in.

“Oh my babies.” You cried, rushing over to hug your daughter in a hug. Katsuki let go of his daughter’s hand, slowly bringing it back to his side, hissing quietly at the pain.

You kissed her face all over, holding her cheeks and muttering sweet nothings into her hair.

“Mom, I’m okay-”

“Shut up brat, let me kiss you.” You pressed her against your chest, rocking her slowly as you kissed her head.

She gripped your shirt back, holding the material tight between clenched fists. You stayed that way for a while, long enough to where the doctor excused himself and said he’d be back later for more information.

After a moment, you pulled away, giving her one last kiss before looking over at your husband. He was staring at the two of you with a small smile, love in his eyes.

“(y/n)..”

“You stupid man.”

“Oi!”

You remove yourself from your daughter, walking over to Katsuki before hugging him just as tight.

“OW-damn woman, I’m hurt here.”

“Sh-shut up.” You cried into his chest, laying sideways on his bed facing your daughter, being wary of your bump.

Katsuki ran his right arm down arm a few times, hoping to sooth your cries. His hand ran down your back, reaching around the best he could to hold onto your stomach. He lifted his left arm to do the same, but that took a lot more effort.

No matter the effort, he’d do all he could to hold you close to him.

You sighed, calm enough to sit up to look at your loves in matching bandages.

“You both are in so much trouble when we get home.”

“Awh Ma, c’mon!”

“Yeah what the hell woman.”

You laughed and they looked at your confused, glancing at each other before sharing mental thoughts, knowing they shouldn’t poke the bear.

“I’m sorry mom.” Akari sighed.

“Me too mom.” Katsuki replied sarcastically.

Well, poke the bear too much. Katsuki couldn’t help it sometimes, even during serious moments such as these.

“You better be, I never said you could get yourselves hurt, did I?”

“No ma’am.” They responded in sync.

You sat on his bed in a way that allowed you to look at both of them at the same time, and you felt tears well up one more. Reaching out to your daughter, you held her hand tight, using the other to rub circles on your husbands bicep.

“I love you both, I’m so happy you’re okay.”

“We love you too.”

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whitewolfmoving · 4 years

Text

Boston Burning Part Two

Explosion

Summary: Over breakfast, Nika recounts the events of the fire for Chris; afterwards, he reminds her that she is anything but useless.

Warnings: description of fire emergency, description of fire-related injuries, description of being trapped in a burning building, slight angst, description of non-sexual nakedness

Word Count: 2218

A/N: Chapter two is here! I had so much fun writing this chapter and developing Chris and Nika's relationship. For the sake of this part of the series, Chris and Nika's dynamic is just as important as Sebastian and Nika's dynamic. Happy reading!

Waking up in Boston the next morning was a breath of fresh air for Nika. While she couldn't get her mind off of the fact that she was out of work until her body healed, she had accepted the fact that she was pretty much on a paid vacation. And Chris had upgraded from his small studio apartment in downtown Boston to a fully furnished three-bedroom condo close to the firehouse since her last visit, so at least she wasn't putting him out.

It'd been days since she last talked to her brother, and Nika was more than content to continue her stay in Boston without his hovering. They had always been close, but Sebastian could be a bit overbearing at times, which was the last thing she needed right now. She wouldn't feel guilty for not checking in with him — she was a big girl, she didn't have anything to feel guilty for...

The scent of fresh waffles wafted through the air, finally pulling Nika out of bed. She stretched, grabbed her hearing aids from the nightstand next to her bed and shoved them in the pocket of her pajama pants. No use putting them in before she was ready, sounds of the early morning were a little too overwhelming for her and Chris knew sign anyway.

"Hey, there she is! Morning, Honeybee," Chris exclaimed once Nika had made her way downstairs. He pointed to his ear when she sat at the island across from him, she shook her head. He gave her a knowing smile. "I wondered when breakfast would get you out of bed."

"Not just any breakfast… I only get out of bed this early for your waffles." Nika laughed, stealing a strip of crispy bacon from the platter.

"How are you feeling? Sleep okay?" Leave it to Chris to make sure she was as comfortable as possible with her arm in a sling and bandages inhibiting movement even if it weren't.

She shrugged. "Slept okay for the most part, your guest bed is really comfortable. My wrist is sore but manageable, my shoulder and chest hurt more than I care to say."

Chris frowned. Nika was always an unstoppable, immovable force to be reckoned with; for her to admit to being in pain, even a little bit, things had to be worse than she'd originally let on. He took the last waffle off of the iron and set it on the platter with the others, then nodded to the dining table. "Go sit. I'll bring juice and your meds. Let's eat, then we'll see about relieving some of the discomfort on your chest and shoulder, okay?"

Nika had to hand it to him, Chris's hovering was much different than Sebastian's. Her brother often forgot that she was a grown woman who could take care of herself, that she didn't need him constantly looking out for her every second of the day like he had when they were kids. But Chris opted for a more hands off approach to everything — unless she outright stated that she needed help, he let her do her own thing for the most part. Coming to Boston was definitely the right choice.

As they sat down at the table, Nika slipped both hearing aids in and turned them on, setting the volume lower than usual since it would just be her and Chris. She took a deep breath and sighed, adjusting first thing was always the worst part. Once the ringing in her ears died down to where it was bearable, she smiled up at him.

"Why do you always make waffles and bacon my first day here?" she asked, dragging a strip of bacon through the syrup on her plate and plopping it in her mouth.

"Why do you always defile my prize-winning bacon like that?" Chris countered, scrunching his nose up in mock disgust.

"Because you make that face right there," she said, giggling around a mouthful of warm waffles.

"Because you smile that smile right there," he replied sincerely.

They'd had that conversation a billion and one times before, and each time their answers were the same.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Chris waved to get her attention. The distant look in her eyes told him that she'd been somewhere else, and he could already guess where. He poured a glass of orange juice and handed it over to her along with the medication she needed to take that morning.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?"

"Would you believe me if I said I don't?"

"Nope. You forget I know you just as well as Seb does. So, come on, out with it."

Nika exhaled deeply. "Dispatch routed Squad, Truck, and Engine to a four-story house fire on Main. By the time we got there, you just knew we only had enough time to get everyone out before the flash. Mackie and Nova went to vent the back and clear downstairs, I went up to the top. The main floor was clear, the second floor had two. Mackie got them out and I kept going to the third floor, it was also clear. Finally reached the top floor and called out, the smoke is so thick by this point that I can't see not two feet in front of me."

"Why didn't you wait for Mack or Seb?" Chris asked. He could tell where the story was headed before Nika had even started speaking again; a burning desire to kick the ass of whoever had done this to her welled up in his veins, but he held it at bay so she could finish.

"Sebastian was off for the night. We had to clear the building before the ceiling came down, Chris. What else was I supposed to do?" She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and continued. "I cleared the front bedrooms, the nursery, the bathroom. I kept calling out but no one responded. I made it all the way down the hall, the heat was unbearable, the smoke was dark and bitter. I could see just enough, and I only had one more room to clear when Chief Jackson made the call to evacuate, saying it was gonna come down. You don't have to tell me twice, you know? Me and Bas have been in enough flashovers to know when to get the hell out of Dodge.

I turned to leave, head back the way I came when the door to my left burst open. A body landed on top of me out of nowhere. He just kept shouting at me, saying someone had to pay for ruining his plan and that it was my lucky day. I kept trying to get him off of me but he wouldn't budge, he just kept looking up at the burning ceiling and counting down. He grabbed my helmet, my mask… I couldn't breathe, I couldn't call for help."

Chris reached across the table and took Nika's hand in his, giving her an encouraging squeeze. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come.

"The only thing I remember before waking up in the hospital is the whole thing coming down on top of me. I blinked and the guy wasn't there anymore; it was just me, alone, under piles of burning debris. I could feel the flames eating through my gear, burning away my skin. And I couldn't do anything except lay there helpless. Just before I blacked out I heard Bas calling me."

"What did he say?"

"What he always says whenever I'm too far away, Întoarce-te la mine, Micuță. And then I woke up in the hospital with a broken wrist and second-degree burns on my shoulder and across half of my chest. If anything else happened between the house coming down and me waking up in the hospital, I don't know."

Chris's fingers opened and closed around Nika's. He didn't have the words to express the mix of emotions running through his body, all he knew was that he wanted to get his hands on the man from the fire and make sure he didn't get to walk away again. He blew out a long breath and looked across the table at her.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to," he offered.

Nika stood, awkwardly clearing the empty plates from the table with one hand. "Thanks. But I don't know how to do this. I'm a firefighter, I don't know how to just be a regular person. Right now, I'm completely useless."

Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. The pain etched on her face and laced in her voice was unbearable. He wanted nothing more than to take it away, and give her back that sense of purpose she always found in her career, but how could he? Until she'd fully healed, there was nothing anyone could really do. He couldn't imagine the thoughts going through her head.

He took the plates from her hand and set them in the sink, then led her from the kitchen to the bathroom. He may not have been able to change what happened, but he could help her relax.

"What are you doing?" Exhaustion settled deep within Nika's bones. It'd been the first time she'd told anyone what all she remembered from the fire, and she couldn't help feeling like she had screwed up somehow. Why else would someone have been able to get the jump on her so easily? Why else would she have gone down without a fight?

Chris stepped up behind her, positioned her in front of the mirror, and gently pulled her hearing aids from her ears. When she protested, he held his hands up signaling her to wait.

"The woman standing in front of me is far from useless." He grabbed the hem of the t-shirt she'd worn to bed, gently lifted it over her head and carefully pulled it from her injured arm. The unsightly bandages stuck out on her chest like a sore thumb, and he watched as she wrinkled her nose at her reflection in the mirror.

He slowly pulled the bandages away, the skin underneath was raw and bruised. She stood before him half-naked, a look of annoyance clouding her amber eyes.

Chris gently washed over the back of her shoulder and across the right side of her chest with warm water, careful not to agitate the wound too much. Nika's skin was warm to the touch, he often said it was because she had fire in her veins. He looked at her in the mirror as he rinsed the soap from her chest. "She's strong, she's courageous, she's stubborn, she's wild, she's a total badass."

Nika snorted, rolling her eyes. The burn would leave behind scarring along her collarbone, breast, and shoulder blade. Nothing about her currently seemed anything like what Chris had described. "Don't be stupid, Evans."

"I'm serious." Chris used a clean piece of gauze to pat the area on her chest and shoulder dry before bandaging it up again. He moved her hair off to the side and kissed the top of her head. "I see the woman who survived a freak accident, I see my best friend. She may be a little broken, a little bruised, a little scarred. But you are anything but useless, Nik. And you'll get through this."

"Being a firefighter is all I am, it's all I have," she explained sadly. She put her hearing aids back in and followed Chris from the bathroom.

"Somehow I don't think that's right, Nik. That's not all you are."

"And how would you know? You've never done anything else a day in your life either, Chris! You live and breathe being a firefighter just as much as I do."

"Maybe. But you're also my best friend, you're Sebastian's annoying kid sister. And you're a great chef, for one. You have other things you like to do in your down time. It's not the end of the world."

"Those are hobbies. Firefighting is my life. Without it, I'm nothing."

"You're talking as if you've already been told not to go back."

"We both know Bas won't want me to go back. The call was too close."

Chris sighed and pulled Nika into a hug. He didn't have the answer this time, but he wouldn't leave her to figure it out on her own.

Nika thanked whatever god was listening that she'd cried out all of her tears in the hospital bed. And maybe Chris was right. Just because she couldn't work right now didn't mean she wouldn't ever work again. And maybe the time off would do her some good, give her a chance to see what else was out there beyond the fast-pace of firefighting.

But when she thought of what the future had to offer her outside of the firehouse, that scared her more than rushing into burning buildings did. Firefighting lived in Nika's veins.

"Hey," Chris stepped back so he could look her in the eyes. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead and smiled. "Whatever happens back home, you know you always have a place here at 64."

Till The End of All Things Taglist: @arrowsandmixtapes @pinknerdpanda

#boston burning #sebastian stan fanfiction #chris evans fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #firefighter au

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thatrandomcatoverthere · 4 years

Text

She Devil Part 3

Author: I’ll be honest I wrote this same night as part 2 way too early in the morning. This chapter shows a bit more of the readers true personality, there is a timeskip in it to try and make more progress with the reader. I apologize if that annoys anyone but it was hard for me to find another idea to do so. As always my taglist is open and I will gladly take requests currently. Thank you and remember to live a little ❤️

Summary: Still wary of the others and scared of the same rejection she faced as a teenager, Y/n attempts to keep her distance. She trains in the mornings with everyone making it hard to keep to herself now. Bucky starts to take more and more of a liking to the little devil, then he faces something terrifying.

Warnings: Cursing, Blood, Lots of blood, Implied burned bodies, worried Bucky, injured reader, and pretty canon violence and fighting.

Steve stood on the sidelines with some of the other avengers watching Bucky and y/n spar. She was quick and agile, he was big and strong but slower than her. Steve could tell the girl wasn’t giving it her all and was about to say something until Tony stopped beating his punching bag and spoke.

“Don’t tell me the scary little devil can't fight better than that. He’s barely broke a sweat fighting you. Those punches are cute.” He teased at her, his goal to piss her off enough to try harder without thinking about it. He just wanted to see Bucky get his ass kicked by a girl.

This was more effective than any of them could’ve hoped, Y/n immediately started to move faster. Dodging punches thrown at her before sweeping the bulky man off his feet. He jumped up quickly and caught her ankle when she went to kick.

“Too slow.” He sent a smirk her way but failed to realize her next move would be to drop to the ground and pull him with her. She rolled over and pinned him.

“Alright that’s enough.” Steve called out to them, but Bucky had different plans. He overpowered her and flipped the position so he was straddling her waist and pinned her with his metal arm. Then he saw why Steve called it, The girl had gotten worked up enough from Tonys words that her horns were out.

He took a second to take in her appearance. Her black horns, her h/c stands that came loose from her ponytail were stuck to her face from sweat, her e/c orbs staring up at him. He could see a canine slightly poking out from the pouty face she was giving him.

“Bucky do you mind getting off?” Y/n said attempting not to sound nervous but failing slightly due to the slight waver in her voice. That pulled him away from staring as he quickly got off of her, “Oh I'm sorry... You fought really well today though.”

“Thank you, you as well Buck.” She shot him a smile and took his hand to stand up. “Well done Y/n, but why did you hold back in the beginning?” Steve inquired.

“Just didn’t feel fully up to it until Stark decided to open his damn mouth.”

Before Steve could scold her for cursing Tony spoke first again, “Well I wanted to see what we actually have on our team, plus I'm sure it intrigued Brucy boy over that you got mad and your horns came out.”

“Indeed it did, I would like to see that again sometime maybe find out what causes it. Looked like maybe annoyance this time.” Banner interjected rolling his eyes at Tonys nick name for him.

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

Unable to sleep from her thoughts swirling down the rabbit hole. Trying to figure out if the team truly did accept her, or if they were studying her for more information before kicking her out. Y/n decided it was best to just go workout, maybe tire herself out enough to actually fall asleep.

So right now she was busy beating the life out of the punching bag in front of her. It had been too long since she had worked out alone, so she gladly embraced her true appearance to work on her skills. Dancing around the bag her tail looked much like a cats, acting as her main source of balance. After an hour she had started to focus directly on her target, causing her vision to tunnel in on only that.

Imagining a real enemy fighting her she was dodging attacks, attacking where sensitive spots would be. A kick to the midsection, dodge a punch, throw her own punch, dance around. The poor bag was in tatters within two hours of her work out. Finally she gave one kick with more force than intended, the 200lb punching bag flew across the room hitting the wall then the floor with two thuds.

She had been so focused she didn't notice there was someone watching her. Then she heard clapping behind her. Spinning around and getting into a defensive position, her eyes locked onto Steve.

He put his hands up in surrender, “Woah I didn’t mean to scare you. I really do not want to end up like that poor bag over there.”

She relaxed forgetting that she wasn’t in her human appearance, “How long were you there?”

“Long enough to see you trip over your own tail earlier and get mad at it.” He smiled trying not to laugh. He knew that there was a sweet girl in there somewhere she just needed to warm up to everyone first.

“Oh. Thats embarrassing.” She gave a small smile but it vanished just as fast as it appeared. “Anyways, did you need something?”

“No I actually got up for a drink of water, but I heard someone down here so I came to check it out instead. You’re a good fighter ya know, I hope one day you’ll fight like that during morning training.” Steve complimented her. “I only fight like that when I’m alone or against a real enemy Cap. Though I’m not as fast in human form, so it’s rare to see. I’m gunna go shower and try to sleep though. Thank you for the compliment, Goodnight.” She scurried out before the conversation continued. Leaving a confused Steve, he couldn’t understand why she was always so scared and nervous.

What the little devil didn’t know, was that Steve hadn’t been the only one that saw her that night.

About 30 minutes into her work out Bucky went down there to do the same thing as the girl. His nightmares kept him awake and he wanted to let off some steam. Between the nightmares and the self doubt he was feeling, he was growing increasingly irritated.

That irritation left as soon as he looked into the training room and saw her. She was wearing black shorts and a sports bra. Her hair pulled up into a ponytail, horns peaking through, and the unmistakable tail behind her. She hadn’t noticed him at the doorway so he stood there and watched. He hadn't got to see her fight like this since the day Nat was in trouble. She was gorgeous. The way she dodged things he couldn’t see, the way her face was full of pure focus and adrenaline. The way her tail swiveled with each move and turn she made. It was done with grace that only a devil could have.

When he finally decided to leave her alone, he ran into Steve in the hallway, “Oh hey Steve, what’re you doing up?”

“I heard someone in the training room I wanted to check it out. I see that it wasn’t you since you’re not all sweaty and I can still hear whoever it is in there.” Steve replied and cocked an eyebrow at him.

“It’s Y/n, I was gunna go in there but decided to leave her be. I don’t even think Natasha could beat her she fights so well. I’m heading to bed though, I wouldn’t interrupt her out of no where though Cap she’s pretty focused.” Bucky answered him.

“Got it, I’m just going to go check it out, I want to see what she is capable of. Oh and I see the way you look at her ya’know. She only talks to you openly, I'd say maybe you should go for it. Goodnight buddy.” Steve ended the conversation and continued to his destination. Bucky stood there for a second, was it really THAT obvious?

------(I’m sorry I usually do not do timeskips but I wanna progress a little)-------

A month later Y/n had started to open up more. She started to joke around with Tony more, even started to open up to Steve some after their conversation. She still didn't like the idea of being in her devil form around them. The team was currently on a mission, it was simple. Get into the base, take the necessary information, get everyone out.

Y/n, Bucky, and Steve were inside the base, the rest of the team already back to the jet. So far no one had suffered more than a few scratches. Steve was at the computer inserting the flash drive and the bug while the other two were guarding the room. A guard was sneaking up on the window to the room when an arrow wizzed through their chest and through the window. “Thank you Hawkeye.” Y/n thanked him.

When Steve was done and they were on their way out guards surrounded them. She was quick to transform so she could fight as well as possible. A few of them men froze up for a second but went into action quickly. The three of them managed to take them all out, but they were out of sight from Clint.

A sniper from the treelines took aim at who seemed to be the most dangerous. Y/N.

No one had anytime to register what happened before a bullet lodged itself in her left shoulder. Both of the super soldiers turned their heads to the source of the pained cry she gave out.

Before they knew it flames erupted from her hands, she was pissed.

“Fuck.” The boys said in unison.

Then she shot a flame directly at the sniper. She was happy when she saw him fall from the tree he was in. Quick to get back to work, it looked like a massacre. She was moving too fast for the Hydra guards to keep up with.

Within minutes after they took all of them out, Bucky looked around them. The bodies covered copious amounts of blood or were charred in various areas leading to Y/n. Who looked completely drained before she locked eyes with Bucky. Then dropped. He was quick to catch her before she hit the ground.

She was completely limp, and wasn’t breathing at all.

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harryfreakinstyles2 · 5 years

Text

Torn (Part 5) H.S.

“What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper. My pulse instantly starts to race, partially from his presence and partially from the terror of being in a room with him and Julie at the same time.

"Julie invited me yesterday. I figured the offer still stood. And I figured you wouldn't invite me." He whispers back eyeing me down. He definitely did not like my reaction to his presence.

"You need to leave now. This is a bad idea." I whisper. I look behind me nervous but the view of the front door is just out of sight from the kitchen wall blocking the living room. Putting my hand on his chest I push him back out the front door. Hoping he will not fight me on this and just leave.

"No, I'm not leaving. We're friends now, so what's the problem?" He says testing me and even though his voice sends a shiver up my spine I want to kick him in the shin for being an ass right now. He leans in even closer so he is only inches away waiting for my response. My pulse starts racing and I hope he doesn't notice. God this boy is stubborn.

My breathing has become rapid and uneven. I notice my hand is still on his chest when I feel his heart start beating faster. I pull away quickly embarrassed I take a step away from him to help clear my head.

"Who is it, Allie?!" Julie yells from the living room making me jump slightly.

"Fine." I say coldly to him not wanting to argue with him when everyone is right inside and turn back into the apartment. I can feel him following close behind me. Why is he doing this to me? Why does he have to make this harder for me. It's like he enjoys watching me suffer.

"Look who's here," I say with a fake cheerful voice to the group as I walk back into the living room and take my seat on the floor.

"Harry!!" Julie says in her high-pitched squealing tone making my ears ring slightly.

"Hey! You guys don't mind if I join you right?" Harry responds casually while avoiding the scowl on my face.

"Of course not! But you'll have to sit on the floor with Allie because we are out of seats," Julie informs him with a smile and my body tenses. What the hell I figured at least she would have him sit with her. This just keeps getting worse.

I watch him as he slips his shoes off and makes his way towards me. He is trying to hide his delight, but I can see his smile forming which both irritates me and sends another chill up my spine at the same time. He purposely sits closer to me than necessary but luckily no one else notices. He is wearing a light grey hoodie and his usual black skinny jeans and looking so good it makes me want to scream. I start eating handfuls of my popcorn to keep myself occupied as I try not to glare at his cheerful attitude.

After a few minutes of Dylan arguing with Maya and Julie about what movie to watch the girls finally win with the classic "The Notebook" as their choice movie of the night. I have avoided speaking since I sat back down not wanting to bring attention to myself and not being able to focus on anything other than the inch of space that separates my body from Harry's. I keep my legs crossed Indian style with my popcorn in my lap trying to keep my distance. Julie finally gets up and starts the movie and then continues to shut off every light in the entire living room. And I sigh annoyed that I can't seem to catch a break tonight.

The first thirty minutes of the movie roll by without Harry moving an inch. He is completely focused on the movie. Every now and then a slight laugh escapes his perfectly shaped lips and I can't help but smile to myself even though I am still pissed at him for coming here in the first place. Realizing that Harry seems to be on good behavior tonight and is done torturing me I finally start to relax. With my popcorn gone I lean over and place the bowl on the floor next to me as I stretch my legs out in front of me. I grab my blanket spreading it out over of me as I relax back against the couch. I can see Harry looking at me from the corner of my eye. I turn to glare at him again and he makes a gesture for me to share my blanket with him. I sigh reluctantly and hand him the edge of the blanket closest to him. Pulling the blanket over his legs he takes the opportunity to close the inch of space between us. Our legs are flush against each other and our shoulders are touching, my body instantly starts to react to his as my pulse brings to race, and I can feel every inch where his body touches mine and I feel like I am on fire. I try not to move so he won't notice the effect he has on me. I casually look behind me and both Julie and Dylan are passed out leaning on Maya who is still eating a bowl of chips. Luckily both her and Sam are so focused on the movie they don't seem to notice Harry and I sitting so close together on the floor. I turn back around focusing my attention back on the movie when I feel Harry's fingertips rest just above my knee under the blanket. My eyes widen, and I do not dare to pull them away from the movie. Slowly his fingertips start to trail up my thigh and in this moment I am so happy I decided to wear pants instead of pajama shorts, so he cannot feel the goosebumps that follow the path of his touch. His slow pace is torture as my heart pounds and my breathing uneven with every inch he moves up my thigh my body tingles more. I know I should move or swat his hand away but I can't. I flinch startled from a loud crunch of Maya eating her chips behind me snapping me back to reality. Remembering the room full of people and my best friend behind me I rush to my feet to create as much space between Harry and I as I can.

"I'm getting some more popcorn!" I announce much too loud not caring as I break the silence in the room and startle everyone on the couch. I head for the kitchen stepping over Harry's long legs carefully while I glare at his barely visible face in the darkness. I see his huge grin on his face knowing he had his intended effect on me.

I stick the popcorn in the microwave and place my hands flat against the counter trying to return my breathing to normal. The effect he has on me makes me feel like I could burst into flames every time he looks at me. It has been so long since I have felt this way about anyone I almost forgot what it was like. I hear someone enter the kitchen behind me but I don't turn around. He is fucking killing me.

"Hey Allie," I hear a soft voice say but not the one I expected.

"Hey! What's up?" I respond turning around surprised to find Sam standing in front of me.

"Umm, I know this is random but I was just wondering if you had any plans this coming Friday night?" He asks while staring at the floor his usual awkwardness heightened tonight.

Right now?! You have to be kidding me! I know exactly where this is going and I panic not wanting to answer his question. But maybe this is good. Maybe this is exactly what I need. Maybe this will make Harry stop his merciless taunting.

"Uhh, I work in the morning but besides that, I'm free," I say casually bracing myself for his response.

"Is there any chance you would like to go out on Friday? With me?" Sam mutters too fast while still looking at the floor he says exactly what I have been anticipating for months. Why he waited until now when things are complicated I have no idea. But things are not complicated really I realize. So despite the gorgeous guy who just had me almost hyperventilating sitting on my living room floor two minutes ago I answer with a simple, "That sounds great."

My answer takes him by surprise and his head snaps up so fast I feel like he may have whiplash but a smile takes over his entire face and I cannot help but smile back.

"Awesome! I'll text you this week and we can make a plan," he tries to say casually but I can practically feel his excitement.

"Sounds good," I answer with a smile.

He turns and walks into the bathroom across from the kitchen and I sink back against the counter once again and sigh deeply. This is not where I saw tonight going. The microwave beeps and I grab my popcorn pouring it into the bowl and go to head back into the living room to face Harry again. Turning to leave I nearly smack right into him. He looks pissed but there is also a sadness in his eyes that I have not seen before and it cuts me to my core. His mood has shifted from five minutes ago and I can feel the tension between us. He doesn't say a word and I know he heard Sam and I's conversation. I rack my brain to find something to say to him but it's blank. I don't have any reason to need to explain anything to him but I still feel like I need to.

"Harry," I say reaching my hand out to touch him but he pulls away quickly.

He turns walking away from me and I don't say a word as I follow him back to the living room. What is there to say. I watch helplessly as he puts on his shoes and walks right past me and out the door without a word. I feel like my head is spinning so much has happened in the last ten minutes I can't think straight. I don't know why he is so pissed. Nothing is going on between us. Besides him torturing me. He has no reason to be upset that I am going on a date with Sam. But I think he is and it confuses the hell out of me.

"Is he okay?" Julie says looking at me confused by the strange scene that just unfolded.

"Yeah, he said something about not feeling well and that he has to be up early for work so he decided to head home I guess," I say shrugging my shoulders as I lie to her with ease. I realize I don't even know what he does for work. My stomach turns with guilt for lying to Julie again but I couldn't explain what just happened even if I wanted to.

Sam smiles at me as I walk back to my spot on the floor and take a seat, but I pretend not to see it because I can't return it right now. I feel utterly helpless and like a complete jerk. Why didn't I say anything. And why should I feel guilty, it is not like I am cheating on him. We are not even together. We barely know each other. But for some reason I can not focus on the last bit of the movie with Harry's sad eyes stuck in my head. Not be able to take it any longer I pull out my phone.

Me: "Can we talk? Please!" I text Harry and wait for a reply.

He doesn't have a reason to be mad at me when I told him we could only be friends. He knows that is all I can offer him because of Julie. But it still does not stop me from feeling guilty and shattered by the look on his face when he left. I continue to check my phone every two minutes for the remainder of the movie but Harry never texts me back and the pit in my stomach keeps growing. Everyone gets up starting to chat when the movie finally finishes, but I feel even less like talking than I did before.

"I am heading to bed. Night everyone," I say to the group not waiting for a response and walk into my room and shut the door.

Collapsing on the bed with a sigh. I pull up Harry's contact on my phone, his name just the smirking emoji. I thought it suited him. I put it just in case someone saw him pop up on my phone. By someone I mean Julie. I hit the call button this time and listen to the ringing through the little speaker. It rings again and again until it finally gets to the automated voicemail.

"Ughhhh!" I groan loudly. I wish I would have said something to him. Anything would have been better than this.

Accepting that I will not be hearing from him tonight I put my phone on my nightstand and grab my planner to make sure I did all my homework that's due for class tomorrow before sleep finally takes over.

#harry edward styles #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles series #harry styles fanfiction

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nothingbutfangirlsmut · 5 years

Text

The Girl out of Time

Pairing: Bucky x Reader & Sam x Reader

Rating: Story will be overall MATURE but not every chapter. There will be strong language, talk of both mental and physical abuse, some good ole angst, and some eventual smut once the story reaches that point.

Chapter 6

The mission was for us to join the extraction team. It was something about a boat off course that had been hijacked by pirates. This should be fun. The team gathered in a group to listen to Rumlow go over important points.

"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform. The Lamerian Star. They were sending up their last pay load when pirates took them 93 minutes ago." Rumlow explained.

"Any demands?" Steve asked him.

"Billion and a half." Rumlow answered.

"Why so steep?" He questioned Rumlow again.

"Because it's Shield's" he said simply.

"So, it's not off course. It's trespassing." Steve said turning to look at Nat.

"I'm sure they have a good reason." She said simply as she shrugged.

"Yea, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve grumbled.

"Relax. It's not that complicated." Nat said rolling her eyes at him.

Steve turned back to Rumlow.

"How many pirates?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Twenty five. Top mercs lead by this guy." Rumlow paused to pull up a man's image on the screen.

"George Batroc" he said once we all could see the photo.

"Ex DGSE. He's at the top of interpol's red notice. Before the French demobilized him he had 36 kill missions. He's got a rep for maximum casualties." Rumlow explained.

"Hostages?" Steve said moving the conversation on.

"Mostly techs. One officer." Rumlow paused.

He pulled up another photo.

"Jasper Sitwell" Rumlow pointed to the photo.

"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve asked curiously more to himself.

"Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow you sweep and find the hostages. Get them to the life pods and get them out. Will, you're with me." Steve ordered.

"Strike, you heard the Captain. Gear up." Rumlow shouted to his team.

Steve, Nat, and I went off to our own little area. We didn't have to "gear up" since we were already ready to go. I sat next to Nat as Steve paced.

"Secure channel seven" Steve said quietly.

"Seven secure" Nat answered back.

"Do anything fun Saturday night?" Nat asked Steve as she jumped to her feet.

"Well, all the guys from my Barber Shop Quartet are dead. So, no, not really." Steve smirked at me.

I stood up just so I could effectively smack his shoulder for being such a smart ass.

"We've mostly been doing reading and research on the weekends." I told Nat.

"Coming up on the drop zone Captain." The pilot announced over head.

Steve quickly stepped over to the bay door. He hit the button with his hand making it start to open.

"You know if you ask Christin out from statistics she'd probably say yes." Nat spoke her voice getting louder to go against the howling wind.

"That's why I don't ask." Steve shouted.

He moved to ready himself for his jump.

"Too scared or too shy" Nat shouted.

"Too busy" Steve smirk then dived out of the plane.

"I'll talk to him." I shouted to Nat.

I simply walked to the edge of the opening and fell. I could see Steve below me. Neither of us were wearing parachutes. We didn't need them.

We fell into the water then used our super soldier strength to quickly swim over to the side of the boat.

"You good?" Steve asked me quietly.

"Yea" I whispered.

He started climbing silently up the side of the ship as I followed him. Once we were over the railing we immediately spotted a man in front of us. Steve grabbed him from behind as he choked him with his extremely large arms until the guy was unconscious. We tried to keep to the darker areas of the ship as we ran as fast and as quiet as we could.

We jump over a barrier to find three men. Without hesitation I grabbed the one closest to me. One good punch straight between his eyes knocked him out cold. Steve slid across the deck knocking one man off his feet as he tossed his shield using it to knock the other man unconscious. The two of us picked up running again. We started towards the walkway. As we ran Steve and I both kicked and threw anyone who came at us off the ship.

One man tried to come at Steve with a knife but I slammed the bottom of my shoe into his chest sending him flying into the wall. Steve picked up the knife he dropped then threw it sticking it perfectly in that man's hand and the wall.

Ahead of us the walk way ended but that didn't stop us from simply jumping over the bars back to the main deck. Three men were there at first but within seconds four others ran out. Steve and I split the group taking them out as quickly as possible. Once they were down and we thought we were in the clear one more man appeared with his gun pointed straight at us. Steve and I raised our hands up. Before either of us could think up a move to make the man fell to the ground with a bullet hole in the back of his head.

Steve and I turned around to see Rumlow and his team silently landing on the ship.

"Thanks" Steve said to him.

"Yea, seemed pretty helpless without me." Rumlow smiled and shrugged.

We waited for Nat to land. As soon as she did we took off in the same direction.

"What about that nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kinda nice." Nat says picking the conversation up where they left off.

"I agree. She is nice." I added.

"Secure the engine room then find me a date." Steve said to Nat with a hint of a smile on his face.

"I'm multitasking" she said then jumped over the railing.

He shook his head then we continued on to where we needed to be. We climbed up a few balconies and walkways until Steve got to where he wanted. He grabbed on to the railing to lean back and pull something out of his pocket. He pointed it upwards towards a window above us. He clicked the button and the small device shot out and stuck to the window.

"Natasha what's you status?" Steve whispered.

There was no answer.

"Status Natasha" he whispered again.

"Hang on!" Natasha shouted making us both wince.

The line went silent again as we waited for Nat to respond. A minute or two passed before we heard her voice again.

"Engine room secure." She stated simply.

"On my mark. 3... 2... 1!" Steve ordered.

We both jumped off the balcany we were holding to the main deck. Steve ran full speed. I watched him pull his shield off his back then toss it upwards towards the same window he had bugged. The glass shattered. Steve and I moved quickly to get up to it. He climbed in first. I was right behind him. I saw a man run out the door.

"Batroc" I said pointing to him.

Steve was already running after him his shield once again in his hand. I followed close behind.

"Hostages moving to extraction Captain. Hostiles are still in play." Rumlow said over the com.

Steve and I made it back out to the main deck. He looked around for Batroc.

"Natasha, Batroc is on the move. Circle back around to Rumlow and help him with the hostages." Steve ordered threw the com.

No answer.

"Natasha?" Steve questioned.

As he walked past a corner I saw a foot coming straight for his face. He blocked it quickly with his shield.

"Go help Rumlow!" Steve shouted as he charged Batroc.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Go!" He ordered as Batroc knocked him to the ground.

I did as he said running full speed to find Rumlow and the hostages. I knew where they were headed. I met them at the life pods. Rumlow and I stood guard as the rest of the strike team helped the hostages in.

"We're clear" I said over the com to let Steve know.

I heard no reply. I turned back to Rumlow telling him to go ahead with the hostages. I turned and ran back to where I last saw Steve. As soon as I came around a corner I saw Batroc running. I was about to go after him when an explosion went off to my left. My instant fear was that Steve was hurt. The flames engulfed the room keeping me from going inside.

"Steve!" I shouted into the room and over the coms.

No answer.

"Steve Rogers! So help me God if you don't answer me!" I shouted again trying to keep my fearful tears at bay.

"Willow, We're ok" his voice groaned into my ear.

"Thank God" I breathed.

---

Masterlist

#nothingbutfangirlsmut #the girl out of time #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #sam wilson fanfiction #sam wilson #bucky x you #bucky imagine #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes

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artificialqueens · 7 years

Text

I Look Spooky but I'm Really Nice; the Saga Continues (Vatya/Sashea)

AN: Thank you to @mistressaq for Betaing my smut, this is the first and probably the last smut I’ll write as it took me forever and isn’t even good so I do apologize for that! This ace mermaid just isn’t made to write smut but I have a HUGE amount of respect and admiration for those that do! Thank you to @artificialeevee for being my cheerleader and making me laugh and reminding me that my story could always be worse. Lol! If you want to read part one, which I suggest, you can find it here

Возлюбленная (Vozlyublennaya) means Sweetheart.

The Saga Continues Part I I gripped my phone so hard in my shaking hand that my knuckles were completely white. I broke out in a cold sweat, shivering and pulling the blanket tighter around me. I was terrified and then I got pissed. This had to be a joke. I jabbed in a response so viciously that I split my thumb nail. “FUCK!” At least it was the same one from last night. Me - Ok who is this? Pearl or Aja if this is one of you two…Keep in mind, I may be in a wheelchair but I can still kick your mother fucking ass! Unknown caller: living impaired 3a Living impaired? What the fuck did that mean? My head felt like it was going to split open as I tried to find deeper meaning in the cryptic text. I pulled myself onto my side and propped myself up on one elbow and rubbed my forehead. I grabbed the bottle of pain meds and shook out another one, it would make me foggy as hell but being unconscious seemed like a good option. My hands were shaking so badly I think I got more water on my bed than in my mouth but I managed to get enough to swallow the damn pill. A memory from last night floated into my head as I flopped back down. Didn’t I say something like “Listen Mr or Miss or whatever the gender neutral term is, listen ghost or spirit or living impaired, whatever you call yourself.” while I was freaking out and pacing circles across my floor? Didn’t see say she was stronger after 3. I might not need the ice by the time Katya got back, I felt like my blood had turned to ice. I bolted upright with a little panicked moan as I burst into terrified tears, throwing my phone across my bed like it would burn me if I held it a second longer, I was breathing in tight little gasps of air, my heart thundering in my chest. I needed to get out of here. The adrenaline rush I was experiencing in my panic made me careless as I frantically struggled out of the tangle of blankets and flipped myself into my chair. I pushed forward and heard a crunch. “Fuck!” My foot must have fallen off the footplate or it wasn’t on there right to begin with and I had jammed my foot between my chair and my bed. It didn’t matter, I’m sure it was fine. I pulled it back up and zoomed towards the door, opening it so hard I had to catch it so it didn’t smack me in the side of the head. I turned in my chair reached my hand out to snag my purse while I kept wheeling with the other hand. I was trying to stop hyperventilating but I was panicked with that totally unrealistic sense of impending doom like you get when you’re a kid and your cousin dares you to stay in the supposedly haunted closet at your Grandma’s house for a whole minute that feels like 5 years. I was barrelling through the doorway, not watching where I was going when I collided with another person. “Ohmigosh, I’m so sorry!!” my hands shot out as I steadied the petite, bald girl who was carrying an armload of books, some of which toppled to the ground. “I’m so sorry! Are you ok? I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Violet.” My manners took over but I reddened, realizing too late that I was a tear streaked hot mess in a zebra onesie who just almost killed someone in a panic to evade a fucking ghost. A shiver passed down my spine at the thought of the girl in the mirror. What had happened to her? Was she stuck in the mirror. Maybe she needed help or me to avenge her death like the cheesy episodes of the Ghost Whisperer with SJP. I wouldn’t mind being Sarah Jessica Parker but I wasn’t too keen on the ghost part of the situation. “Hey? Hello?” The person said, waving a hand in front of my face. I totally somehow missed that she had sat down cross-legged on the floor beside her mess of books. This way she wasn’t towering over me either, one of her hands resting on my knee which they removed quickly like she’d touched her hand to a flame. “Are you feeling ok? I only ask because you’ve kind of been staring into space for the past minute or two. I was trying to get your attention but I put my hand on your knee and it just occured to me that maybe you couldn’t feel that.” She babbled. “Could you? Oh wait, don’t answer that! that was an awfully personal question.” She smacked her open palm on her bald head with a THWAP! so loud that it made me jump. She muttered to herself, “God Sashinka, why must you be so awkward?” “No it’s ok, I mean I can’t but it’s ok, what I mean to say is that it’s ok to ask. If you want to, I mean if you have questions.” I babbled back like babbling was contagious then we looked at each other and both let out nervous little giggles. I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, “ok let’s start over and pretend I didn’t almost kill you.” I thrust my hand out, “hi, I’m Violet. Are you ok?” “Good idea! I’m totally fine! My name is Sashinka Velurovna but everyone just calls me Sasha Velour because that is too much of a mouthful for most.” She shook my hand with her delicate one and I noticed the paint flecks that spread halfway up her arms. “Hey, are you Russian by any chance? Are you in the art program?” “Yes to both? I mean my name kind of gives the first one away but how did you guess the art part?” “The paint gives that part away,” I smiled and pointed at the well manicured hand I was still holding before I let it go. “Oh yeah!” She smacked her hand on her head again. “Do you make a habit of hitting yourself over the head often Sashinka? You’re going to leave a mark!” “I do, my girlfriend always teases me about it! She says if I had hair, I’d pull it out with the amount of times I smack or rub my head in a day!” She turned serious as she checked her watch and once again smacked herself, albeit much gentler, “oh shit! My girlfriend! Let me just send her a text.” “Oh I don’t want to hold you up,” I backed up so I was halfway in my doorway again, I felt myself lean forward automatically so at least my body was still outside of my room. “There done!” She said triumphantly, putting her phone back in the pocket of her long flowing palazzo pants in a loud geometric print full of hues of red, rose, orange and yellow. If it were on anyone else, it would look hideous but on her spritely little frame, it seemed perfect somehow, paired with a simple red leather or pleather crop top. Oh shit, she was looking at me as I studied her, a small smile lifted one corner of her mouth. I felt my face flush as she turned serious. “So you looked pretty upset when we met.” “When I almost ran you over and made you a Sashinka pancake, you mean?” She threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah that. What happened? What can I do to help? You looked terrified! It’s nice to see some colour back in your beautiful face because you were white as a ghost when you came out of your room looking like some ax murderer was chasing after you.” I flinched at the word ghost and she peered past me into my room. She mouthed, brow furrowing, “is there someone in there? Are you safe?” “No there is no one in there.” right now anyway, I thought to myself and shifted my gaze from her concerned face. She looked up at my door and tsked. “Ahh I get it.” “Huh? What do you get?” “You’re in room 121. The mirror. I get why you are so freaked out.” My chin flopped open and I tried to think of a way to explain I wasn’t fleeing from text messages from a ghost. I sputtered and opened and closed my mouth a few times but no words would come out. “It’s ok, I don’t think you’re crazy! I believe in that stuff. I could bring my ouija board over if you want to borrow it, I’ve heard that she will talk with you.” “But…” I started but I saw Katya rounding the corner with her arms laden with food and 2 bags of ice. Sasha’s back was to her so I saw her first, then Sasha turned her head to see what I was looking at, in case maybe it was the ghost. Katya’s eyes went wide and she stared at Sasha as if they might be a ghost themselves. I thought she was going to drop everything in her hands so I grabbed the bags and food and put them on my lap. She looked down at Sasha in wonder. “Sashinka? Es that you?” A look of recognition flickered across her face and then Sasha’s smile was radiant as the sun as she jumped up like she was spring loaded and pulled Katya into a bear hug. They jumped up and down on the spot screaming and started talking in rapid-fire Russian, Sasha had very little accent when speaking English so I had just assumed that their family line was Russian and thus she was named the way she was. I was wrong. Katya holding her out at arm’s length and then pulling her in again. Happy tears streaming down both of their faces. I just sat and watched this happy reunion. After a few minutes of talking over each other, they both turned towards me smiling. “Why do I have the feeling you two know each other?” I asked sarcastically and couldn’t resist adding, “and that you were just talking about me.” They both laughed, they still had their arms around each other and were squished together like they were trying to meld into one person. I’m glad I wasn’t the jealous type…well much. When Katya spoke, she was breathless with glee, “dis es my friend Sashinka! Sasha’s family fleed away from Russia in night and ve never got to say goodbye and ve couldn’t write because the politsiya vanted to hurt Sashinka’s father who spoke out against government. I voke up one mornink and my best friend vas gone, vanished. Oh Sasha,” Katya pulled Sasha in again as she sobbed into their shoulder. “I never thought I vould see you again!” Sasha smiled through her own tears and corrected Katya, “your English is really good! I think you knew 20 words when we parted. Oh and the word is fled not fleed and they say Police here.” Katya nodded and muttered “fled, police, ok I got it! Thank you! I understand better than speak it! You almost haf no accent Sashinka! You haf been here in USA whole time? Are you steel in gymnastics?” Sasha’s face fell, when she spoke next I did pick up a faint Russian accent that had gotten a bit stronger, “No, I am not in gymnastics, I still practice but I wasn’t able to enroll anywhere because they were looking for us and we didn’t want me to be registered anywhere. We had friends who owned a gym and would let me practice there and my father continued to train me. I was homeschooled for the first 4 years after we moved, a lovely lady would come to our house and teach me english. My family was so scared. We moved to Canada! But we moved often, we would always keep in touch with the Russian communities in major cities and then it could make it easier to move. Father was so well known and respected but occasionally we would pick up and move if he thought bad people were getting close to catching us. I’ve not been able to say goodbye to a great many friends until we were able to use the internet. I looked for you! I swear I did! I watched you at World’s in the basement of a friends house but I couldn’t say that I knew you, I didn’t want to put you or your Mother in any danger. How is your Mama?” “She es better than she vas, still sick but ok!” Katya said excitedly, Katya rarely spoke about her Mother but I did know she had been sick a lot when Katya was growing up and Katya spent a lot of time going between the gym and caring for her mother. The pressure for her to win competitions to get the prize money as the sole bread winner of her house must have been an enormous weight to bear. She also was home schooled but mostly did it all herself online, that is why her english wasn’t as good as it could have been. She understood more than she spoke because she used to watch old english movies and shows her family had on VHS. I remembered nights of us snuggled up together watching Little House on the Prairie reruns and cracking jokes til our sides hurt. “I’m so glad that Violet and I met! I mean, I would have seen you eventually Yekaterina but the school is very big and it could have taken MONTHS to spot each other! Providence came in the form of a crying panicked girl barrelling out of her room at top speed. I have to go meet my girlfriend but if you could put your numbers in my phone, I’d love to catch up! Violet, I would love getting to better know you as well!” Sasha said as we passed our phones around so Sasha could put her number in. Once Katya put her’s in and handed me Sasha’s phone to do the same, she crouched down and picked up Sasha’s books for her, straightening them out. When we exchanged glances, she looked at me with worry clouding her eyes over for a moment. I smiled at her, hoping it might help. I think it did. Well I hope anyway! Cell phone numbers exchanged, Sasha surprised me by pulling me into a hug. “Thank you for making it possible for Yekaterina and I to reconnect. I can’t wait to tell my girlfriend!” Then she whispered, “if you want my ouija board, let me know. I can even come and show you how to use it since it’s not something you can use with one person.” “I’ll uh…think about it. Thanks.” Sasha swished away and Katya turned to me, her face still radiant with joy, the smile slid off her face when she looked at me. “Vait! Did Sasha say you vere upset? Vhy are you in hall in your Pyjama’s? I mean you look cute but vhat happened?” “I pretty much almost ran over her, I’m ok now. It’s nothing! Don’t worry my dear, I’m fine!” We were still both in the hallway. She leant over and gave me a kiss on my head. She still looked worried but I hoped she would drop it. “Should ve go back in room now? You look pale, are you sure you don’t need Doctor? Or Max?” She gently tucked a loose tendril of my hair behind my ear and studied my face. Going to the Dr or to Max’ office would mean I wouldn’t have to go back into my room. I chewed my bottom lip while I thought. “Violet?” Katya kneeled so her worried face was in front of me, her hands grabbed mine in my lap, “just tell me vhat happened? Please?” I sighed, wondering how I could bullshit myself out of this one. I looked down, I didn’t want Katya to laugh at me but I knew she was going to be persistent until I told her SOMETHING. I didn’t know if she would believe me. I couldn’t bear her thinking I was crazy. She cupped my face and made me look at her. “Tell me. Ve keep no secrets remember?” Shit, she had me there. We had poured our hearts out to each other on facetime while Katya was still in Russia. We both carried the heavy weight of many secrets and swore we would never keep anything from each other. That we both had one person who was safe to say anything to. I sighed and covered my face with my hands, peeking through my fingers at Katya like I was watching a cheesy slasher film, “but you are going to think I’m crazy though.” “You? Crazy? No!” She joked, pulling my hands away. “I feel like you don’t vant to go into your room, do you vant me to get you some clothes?” I nodded and added meekly, “and my cell phone please? It’s on my bed.” “Da, I vill be right back.” She caressed my shoulder comfortingly on her way past me. I took a deep breath and let it out. Katya returned momentarily with my backpack, handing me my phone and looping my bag on the back of my chair, she gathered up the bags on my lap. “I got you a pair of yoga pants, underthings, T-shirt, hoody because ve are just going to relax in my room today. Soon ve vill be starting our classes and you vill need to gather your strength after that nasty fall. I also got some things from bathroom and your medicine in case your head still hurts. You look like you need a nap Возлюбленная.” She was right, like I expected, taking extra meds was making my eyes droop. “Come. Do you vant me to push you?” I knew that if I said yes, that Katya would know how dizzy and tired I truly was. I HATED being pushed around. I was almost violently independent, when I was first injured I would snap at people who would try to help me up ramps but it was mostly because people wouldn’t ask, they would just grab my chair and steer me around while talking to me as if I was five years old. “Nope I’m ok.” “Ok, as long as you are sure. Come on.” Katya led the way to the elevator and up to her room on the Third floor and let us into her room. She stepped back and waved me in. Her roommate hadn’t arrived yet and all we knew was that her name was Trixie, what kind of name was Trixie? Hopefully she wasn’t a nightmare at least! For my Katya’s sake, she already had enough high maintenance in her life with me in it! “Ok, bed you! Do not pass go, do not collect 200$. ”I giggled, Katya was seriously obsessed with Monopoly. That’s why the board game cafe event today would have been perfect but I had fucked that plan up. Katya put the food in her tiny little fridge and surprised me by picking me up bridal style. I let out a surprised giggle. “Sorry, no grip bars in here, you just have a Katya in here.” I let myself relax in her arms, almost melting into her. “Fine by me. I like having a Katya.” I gushed sweetly, letting out a contented little sigh as she plopped me onto her bed. She went to move away and I grabbed her wrist, “would you lay down with me?” “Da, on two conditions.” She squared a look at me. “Anything.” I didn’t want to sleep alone in case I had nightmares. “That you will tell me vhat happened vhen ve vake up,” she grinned devilishly, “and I get to be the big fork.” I laughed, “I think you mean spoon although forking sounds like fun too.” I waggled my brows as we burst out laughing, then I let out a giant yawn. Well damn. “Let’s talk about forking later.” Katya reached over and pulled a drawer open, tugging out the first T-shirt she could find, wrapping the knotted plastic bag of ice into it. I curled up on my side as Katya climbed over me, hovering over me with an arm holding herself up over my body so she could cup my face and give me a deep, lingering kiss. I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled my fingers through her silky, flaxen hair. When we pulled apart, we were both out of breath and I let out a plaintive little noise from the back of my throat. “Are you sure we can’t renegotiate the forking?” I whined as she climbed over me. I felt the vibration of her chuckle as she laid behind me, her breasts smushed against my back as she put the ice against the top of my head and pulled her thick duvet over us. Then she nibbled at the back of my neck while I squirmed. She scraped her teeth against me as she sucked small patches of skin low at the base of my neck, swirling her magical tongue along them. “You’re such a fucking tease woman.” I leaned back into her as she wrapped her arm protectively around me and pulled me even closer. I stifled a yawn but she saw or felt it. “Shhhh, go to sleep.” She reached up and pulled my hair elastic out so she could bury her face in my hair, inhaling deeply as she slowly ran her fingers through my freed locks. She softly exhaled a sigh by my ear, The bitch knew exactly how to get me, I stopped fighting and gave in to sleep, letting out a deep sigh of my own. I woke up and blinked blearily at the clock and was just about to close my eyes, just five more minutes, when I heard someone clear their throat. My eyes snapped open to be assaulted by pink. A girl with big, poofy light blonde hair was standing hesitantly in the doorway, shuffling from foot to foot, blushing and looking like she’d been caught in the act of doing something indecent. She was dressed in a short gossamer pink shift dress that almost looked like a nightgown with pink platform MaryJane shoes and a big pink bow headband. She looked like she had the whole makeup aisle from Sephora on her face. She was carrying an honest to God Barbie cosmetic train case and pulling two big Hello Kitty suitcases. “Hey, you must be Trixie. Come on in.” I whispered and reached behind me to poke Katya’s shoulder, “Kat, time to get up.” Trixie creeped quietly into the room enough to slide the door shut with a click behind her as Katya mumbled something in Russian, she did that a lot when she was half asleep. “Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova, your new roommate is here love. C'Mon now.” Katya’s head shot up and she smiled. “Hello there Trixie! I’m Katya.” Katya pulled back the covers and scrambled over me to pull one of Trixie’s bags out of her hand. and bring it over to her bed. Trixie noticed my chair and gave me a sad little look, I hated that look but I was just as guilty of giving it when I could walk so I forgave people for it. It was human nature. “Do you haf more bags Trixie? Vhere are you from?” Katya said, pulling Trixie’s ample cosmetics train case out of her hand and putting it in front of the little vanity mirror at the end of her bed. “No I don’t have anything else, this is basically it.” She shrugged. “I’m from Wisconsin?” Her voice inflected upwards as if she was asking or if she wasn’t sure where she was from. “What about you?” “I am from Russia and dis es my girlfriend Violet and she is from Atlanta. Ve didn’t know vhen you vere coming or ve vould not have been sleeping! Violet just had a bit of an accident and needed to rest.” Trixie’s hands flew up to her mouth, “ohmigod are you ok?” I pushed myself upright and waved her off. “I’m totally fine! She’s prone to exaggeration Trixie!” I joked, trying to put the poor girl at ease. She was really sweet and looked so concerned. “Kat, could you please push my chair over so it’s not in the middle of the room.” Katya trotted over, pushing my purple chair over and putting the brakes on for me. She knew exactly where to put it, her hand couldn’t help but shoot out when I transferred and overshot my seat. I felt my face go crimson with embarrassment, I probably looked like such an incompetent poor disabled girl that Katya had to wait on. Great first impression Violet, an unkempt, zebra onesied, helpless girl. Katya and I shared a look, she knew I was still so self conscious of this new body of mine, she smiled and me and pulled my hand up to kiss it and then leaned over to give me a quick kiss. Trixie just stared at us until she noticed we were looking back at her, she lowered her head with a shy smile as she turned a shade of beet red. “Sorry, I don’t mean to stare, I’ve just never seen…” She started sheepishly. “What? Someone in a wheelchair?” I snapped. Katya gave my hand a squeeze and put her other one on my shoulder as if to say calm down. “Oh no! No, no!” Trixie turned even redder, which I didn’t think was physiologically possible. “No I have a friend with cerebral palsy. I mean I’ve never seen…” She lowered her voice dramatically “…you know gay women…uh…lesbians. I mean, you’re both really pretty and I have always pictured the stereotypical butch femme. I’m sorry, I’m not good at this.” She babbled and looked miserable. Katya and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Awww she’s cute, can ve keep her?” Katya said as she plunked herself onto my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. Trixie joined us in our mirth after a few minutes of stunned silence, relieved after looking like she was waiting for us to jump her. Her face transformed when she smiled, she was naive and full of hope and I hoped that no one broke her little heart. I felt oddly protective of the obviously sheltered girl. “We only dress butch on every alternate Tuesday and Saturday.” Katya deadpanned. “Really?” Trixie cocked her head to the side. This girl was too much. I smacked Katya on the back while she scream-laughed, “no Trixie! She’s just being a goof. You’ll learn quickly to not take everything she says seriously. Actually, anything she says really.” “Hey!” Katya exclaimed in mock outrage, swatting my shoulder, laughing. “She es the one not to pay any mind to!” I was feeling kinda flushed so I pulled the collar of my onesie in and out, enjoying the small gust of cooler air that fanned on my collarbones and chest. It was odd because I was generally a cold person, hence the fleece onesie at the end of August. Katya and Trixie were chatting amicably about something as I let myself fade out for a moment, the pain in my head screaming. “Violet? Are you ok?” Trixie asked, suddenly snapping me back into focus. I wiped a hand across my sweating forehead and gave a little nod, a wave of dizziness engulfed me for a moment until I stopped. “I’m fine! I just feel sticky and kinda gross.” “You need shower before you get changed?” I thought about going back to my room to use my accessible shower and shivered. Katya leant over and whispered, “if you don’t vant to go to room, I vill help you in bathroom down hall.” I loved that Katya knew me so well that she almost seemed like a mind reader some days. My brain fought with itself for a moment, my pride and how crappy I felt duking it out for control, my pride and independence won. I mean, I knew I’d have to face my room sooner or later. I sighed, “no it’s ok. I got it.” “I vill come vith you.” “No you don’t have to! Stay and chat with Trixie, I’ll be up again soon.” “But I vould like to keep you close, alvays but especially today.” Katya muttered worriedly as she tucked my hair behind my ear. I swear it was like a nervous tick of hers to play with MY hair. “Actually, don’t worry about me! I will be fine and I have to meet my friend Kim soon anyway so I’ll just nest a bit and unpack and be back later.” I was too tired to argue, I patted Katya’s hand, “ok whatever makes you happy love.” We exchanged numbers with Trixie, making plans to hopefully meet up for dinner tonight. Grabbing the second bag of ice and some of the food with us. My hands shook as I put my key into my lock, Katya swiped it from me and put it in the lock easily, giving it a twist. She walked in before me and looked around and waved me in. I headed in, turning to go to the bathroom and AWAY from the mirror but Katya held onto the back of my chair, “Oh no! You do not get avay dat easy.” She plopped down on the institutional-looking orange patent leather armchair that was beside my bookcase and pulled my hand into hers, leaning over so her elbows were on her on her knees. She rested her chin on her other hand and looked me straight in the eye. “First, tell me vhat happened. Please?” I sighed, I knew I couldn’t avoid the topic forever. “You know the urban legend that this room is haunted?” She nodded. “It’s not so much an urban legend as it is true. A girl appeared last night, she scared me and I jumped and that’s why I fell out of my chair.” “Vait! You actually SAW her? Did she talk vith you?” Katya said, a look of incredulity. “Are you sure you didn’t just fall and hit head and have nightmare Возлюбленная?” “No! I didn’t! She said boo but she texted me too!” I brandished my phone in her face, triumphant that I had proof. “Check it out, the unknown caller. That’s her. She even asks me not to get rid of her! Look!” She picked up my phone and scrolled, looking puzzled. She looked up at me, brows knitted and looked back down at my phone. She gave me a look that was a cross between confusion and pity. “Vi, Возлюбленная, someone is very much messing vith you my dear.” “That’s what I thought too but the whole ‘living impaired’ comment, it was something I said last night so short of someone bugging my room, NO ONE WOULD KNOW THAT!” I felt myself getting worked up but I couldn’t help it! I mean, I had proof! “So you ran into Sashinka because you vere trying to get avay from ghost?” I nodded as she handed my phone back, looking hurt, “vell then, you are trying to mess vith me and I don’t like it! No secrets, remember?” “Wha…” I sputtered, confused and indignant. “I’m not! I swear I’m not! You read them yourself!” “Violet, there is nothink there. Do not lie to me!” She barked rather sharply and then her voice softened and turned sombre as tears pooled in her eyes, “did somethink happen? Did someone attack you? Are you not safe?” I switched on my phone and frantically looked through my texts. There was nothing there! No texts from any unknown caller. “No, no, no!” I whined and burst into frustrated tears. Was I going crazy? “I SWEAR to you that it was there Katya! Do you believe me? Please tell me you believe me!” She pulled both of my hands into hers and took a deep breath. “I believe you,” I exhaled and relaxed until she added, “I believe that YOU believe it.” “No Kat…” I started. She stood and poked around the bump on my head before sitting down again and holding my shaky hand, “I think you hit head much harder than you thought. Maybe you should see Doctor? I’m vorried.” I felt so helpless and confused, maybe she was right? Not about going to the Doctor, my head hurt but I am sure that I didn’t do any type of damage. Perhaps I had dreamed it. I sagged in my chair, and rubbed my forehead. “Maybe you’re right but it felt so real Kat! Do you think I’m crazy?” I ran my hand through my hair, wincing when it ran over the tennis ball sized lump at the back of the top of my head. “No, I don’t think you are crazy at all my love! I know you vould not lie to me. Maybe you vill feel better after somethink to eat and a nice varm shower? Or vould you like me to tuck you into bed again?” She quickly added, with round eyes. “I vill stay vith you. I vill not leave your side, I promise!” I didn’t even know what to say or do. I was still in utter shock that I felt emotionally paralysed, unable to make any decision, to even speak. I felt like my brain was being traitorous IF I did dream it and if it really had happened, I was set against a very crafty entity that I was helpless against. For the second time today, Katya gently picked me up, pushing the bathroom door open wider with her knee. She set me down on the toilet, grabbed my onesie zipper, pausing to ask. “May I?” I nodded and she pulled it down, I shrugged the parting fabric off as she leaned over and kissed my shoulder and along my collarbone to the other side. I threw my head back to give her better access to my neck and jaw. My fingers played at the collar of her shirt, “Can I?” “God yes!” She whispered in my ear, sending goosebumps down my neck and chest as I peeled off her shirt and unclasped her bra, running my hands down her arms as I took it off and tossed them into the corner. I rested my hands on her waist and she hummed into my neck before I could even ask. I unbuttoned her skinny jeans and shimmied them down her hips. She wasn’t wearing underwear. “Naughty, naughty girl,” I purred. She grabbed at the fabric of my pyjamas as I kissed and sucked a line just below her belly button, marking her like she had me earlier. I nodded. She bent down and linked my fingers around her neck before plunging her hands into my pants, cupping my naked butt. I gasped. “Now who is naughty?” She chuckled. When she lifted me up, my onesie fell off at the same time she kicked off her pants. Katya held me against herself in a reverse piggy-back so my legs were straddling her above her hip bones, making them less likely to fall off. She stumbled and readjusted her grip, pulling me close protectively. Her velvet-skinned breasts pressed against mine, her nipples hard as she brought us into the large shower stall that was open on one side. A long shower bench sat under the showers spray. Katya reached over and pulled the lever, turning the shower on before sitting down on the bench. I was still spider monkeyed around Katya as I captured her mouth with my own, my hands roaming down her slick back and around to swirl my thumbs around her rock hard nipples. Her hands caressed my ass, knowing exactly where the feeling in my legs stopped and staying above it. Katya’s attention to detail and our open conversations about what felt good and what didn’t to each of us made her an attentive and passionate lover. Her lips left mine as she pressed open mouthed kisses on my collarbone and up my jaw, capturing my earlobe between her teeth and pulling gently before sucking on it. My eyes fluttered closed as I ground down on her. I massaged her breasts, alternating between giving her nipples a pinch or twisting them mildly. She moaned by my ear, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. She pivoted us and gently laid me down on the bench, stopping momentarily to just stare down at me while water bounced off me. She held eye contact with me as she knelt and pulled me so my legs dangled off the edge of the bench. She hovered over my body, her breath making the heat pooling in my belly intensify. I let out a needy whine. She moved deliberately slow, placing lingering kisses on my right hip bone and across my belly, stopping to swirl her tongue around my belly button. I grabbed her by the hair and guided her head in the direction I needed her to be before she could reach the other side. She chuckled, her breath tickled and I squirmed. “So impatient.” Before I could open my mouth to retort, she flattened her tongue and licked a wide stripe, causing me to curl my fingers around the edge of the bench to avoid falling off in surprise. She circled her tongue around my clit as my breath hitched, I held on to the bench with one hand as I slid the other up my side to play with my almost painfully erect nipples. Katya smacked my hand away as she pulled away long enough to say. “Shhh. I’ve got you.” While she sucked on my clit, she smoothed her palms up my abdomen and cupped my breasts, her thumbs toying with my nipple rings, occasionally tugging one. I moaned and writhed in ecstasy, one hand now tangled in her wet blonde hair. The hot water was running out so Katya slapped a hand at the knob. She crawled up my body, running her tongue along before circling my nipple, clenching the silver ring in her teeth and giving it a pleasantly painful tug as she inserted one and then two fingers, crooking them as she pumped them in and out. Her thumb circled my clit, sending me over the edge as I clung to the sides of the table while my back arched and the rest of my muscles spasmed. I’m sure my toes would have curled if they could as my whole body tensed and then released, my head falling back as I panted. Katya braced herself with one hand so her face was hovering above me; she was out of breath too. She slowly and deliberately brought her fingers up and sucked on them with a little satisfied, cocky grin. I was finally able to release my grip on the sides of the bench and brought my shaking hands to pull her face in so I could trail wet little kisses up her jaw and neck, her golden hair like a curtain around us. She moved my hair so she could put one elbow on either side of my head to brace herself so her whole weight wasn’t on me, I swear she thought she would crush me. I liked that she treated me like this precious, fragile ethereal creature when we were intimate. She pulled her fingers through my hair while we kissed until we were both breathless, our breasts pressed together as I cupped her ass so I could pull her in. She rutted against me, mashing our pubic bones together, trying to find some kind of friction. I pulled her face away from mine and whispered, “baby let me take care of you. Help me sit up?” She captured my lips in another deep kiss before climbing off of me. I held my hands out and she pulled me into a sitting position, I turned so I was sitting facing the wall as I forcefully pushed her up against it, grinning devilishly up at her as I slowly kissed one nipple, trailing between with kisses and then the other before nipping at them, making her breath catch. I put my hands on her waist, kissing her abdomen while she made a pitiful little noise like a cross between a moan and a whine. “Now who’s needy?” I teased as pulled her leg up and hitched it behind my shoulder, giving me full access. My fingers lightly trailed along her little tuft of blonde hair, my thumbs exploring along her folds before parting them to suddenly sweep my tongue across her vulva. Katya let out a huff of pleasure in response. I smiled before shifting my focus to her sensitive nub, alternating between applying pressure, soft laps and sucking gently. I wrapped my hands around her butt to pull her closer as she entwined her fingers in my hair. Katya rocked her hips into my face, throwing her head back as she moaned. I continued while pushing a finger inside her and then another, adding a third and bending them, enjoying the sounds of her falling apart reverberating off the bathroom walls. Her leg started to quake, she let go of my hair so she could reach behind and held onto the grip bar for support. Her face contorted, her mouth shaping into a sinful O, hot liquid squirted out past my hand and down her leg as she clenched around my fingers. I put my spare hand around her waist to keep her from toppling over. She relaxed her leg and wobbled to sit on my lap. She cradled my head against her chest as we both caught our breath and the pounding of her heart echoed in my brain. We were both completely spent as we put our arms around each other. “Holy fork!” Katya panted. “Yeah.” I let out a little giggle and she joined in. I nuzzled her neck and pulled her face to mine. I shivered against her and she stood up and turned the shower back on, hot water cascading down my back. Katya stood behind me and pulled my shampoo off the shelf, massaging some into my hair, being careful around the lump on my head. I am fiercely independent but having someone bathe you because they wanted to take care of you not because it was their job was intimate and freeing. I trusted Katya enough to give over control, I leaned back as her soapy hands roamed my body. I sighed contentedly as she wrapped me up in big fluffy pink towels. She threw my housecoat over her and then put my hands around her neck again so she could pick me up. “Chair or bed?” “Bed, definitely. You can be the big fork.” I teased with a little snort of laughter. “Goof.” She sniggered as she gently set me down on my bed. She backtracked to the fridge and pulled out our food she had bought earlier. She passed them to me and grabbed some bottled water. She grinned devilishly and dove at the bed as I let out a little squeal as she clamoured over me while I leaned back on my elbows. She turned back towards me, crossing her legs in front of me. I pulled myself up to sit facing her as well. Katya’s face fell. “What? What’s wrong?” I said, grabbing her hand. “Your foot. Violet, vhat happened to your foot?” I looked down and swore softly, the foot I had heard a crunch from earlier when I was evading what was probably a figment of my overtired, over active and over caffeinated brain was an angry, swollen and purple mess. “Shit!I thought I caught my foot on something earlier.” I yawned, “I’m sure it’s fine, just a sprain. It’ll be fine.” I didn’t want to explain what had happened because I didn’t want to think about it. I pulled the container of cheese and crackers over, hoping it would placate her if I ate something. She pursed her lips together but didn’t call me out. “Ve vill have to wrap it and keep an eye on it I think. You know you have to check these things Vi. It’s important to me that you are being careful. I don’t vant anything bad to happen to you.” She chastised gently as she pulled her own sandwich over. “I know, I know I should. You are totally right.” I yawned again, “I promise I’ll be more careful.” I pushed my half eaten food container onto my bedside table and chugged down some water. My eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by invisible sand bags. She tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and stroked the side of my face, “You must because I vould be lost and heartbroken if you got sick or hurt again. Now go to sleep.” She reached over me to put her empty container in the waste basket as I turned onto my side. She curled into me and draped her arm over me protectively. I didn’t have much of a chance to think about anything before sleep overtook me. I woke up to Katya trying to sneak off the end of the bed as her phone rang from the bathroom. I stirred and rolled over sleepily and she swore softly, “sorry I vas trying to get it before it voke you up. Go back to sleep love.” She disappeared into the bathroom, I heard her talking but didn’t know about what or who she was talking to. I put my head back on the pillow, shut my eyes and tried to go back to sleep but my brain was buzzing like there were bees in it. I looked at the clock, surprised we’d been asleep for 3 and a half hours. Katya poked her head back out and saw I was still awake. Frowning slightly, she pushed my chair over to the bed. Whoever was on the phone must have stepped away for a moment and was now back as she started talking in rapid Russian again. Probably her Mom. A few minutes later she pulled the phone away from her ear and covered the receiver with her other hand, “Trixie texted she can’t meet us for dinner, her friend isn’t meeting her til later so she’s gonna nap but Sashinka is vondering if you and I vant to go out vith her and her girlfriend Shea for dinner at the board game cafe! It’s ok if you aren’t feeling up to it, maybe we can reschedule for later this week.” “No, that sounds like fun to me! That’s perfect since we missed it this morning!” I propped myself up on my elbows, smiling at her look of happiness as she said goodbye to Sasha. I pulled myself up, only slightly dizzy this time and was about to swing my legs over the side of the bed when Katya’s hand shot out to stop me. “Let me look after your foot first.” She went over to her purse and pulled out a tensor wrap, I raised my eyebrow questioningly as if to say ‘do you always carry around first aid supplies?’ She shrugged and waved a hand at me, “Vhat? I’m a gymnast, I have all kinds of crap in here. You know the deal.” “Yep I do.” I had a whole variety of other supplies I carried around now, I thought somewhat morosely. “You ok?” Katya asked, cocking her head to the side. “Yep.” Katya felt around my foot and I grimaced, even though I couldn’t feel it. It just looked painful. “Does it hurt? You are making a face. Vhat is that face Violet?” “No, of course it doesn’t hurt but I remember breaking my foot during floor practice so it’s like my brain knows it’s supposed to hurt. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.” Katya paused for a moment, “kind of makes sense. Your brain is still trying to connect with your spinal cord so it’s likely to misfire. I don’t think it’s broken but are you sure we shouldn’t–” “No I’m not going to the Doctor!” I interupted her before she could finish, she chuffed like a horse as she finished wrapping it up. “You are stubborn as a mule Violet. If it doesn’t look better or the swelling doesn’t go down in 48 hours, you are going to need to get it looked at even if I have to drag you there by the hair.” I chuckled and put my hands up, “ok! Ok! Geeze woman!” I reached my hand out to touch her arm. “I’ll be careful, ok? Thank you. You take such good care of me but you worry too much. I’m just fine.” ‘Aside from seeing things and a wicked headache, sure you’re fine Vi.’ I thought to myself. I got ready to go out, pulling out a pair of dark skinny jeans and a grey long sleeved T-shirt instead of the sweats Katya put in my bag. I could tell Katya wanted to change by the way she kept looking down at her faded and ripped jeans and wholey favourite sweater but that she didn’t want to leave me alone in my room. “Go ahead and change if you want to love,” I said, resolutely turning away from the long mirror and using my little vanity mirror across the room, opening the drawer and pulling out my foundation and a brush. The dark circles under my eyes had to go. I turned to flash her a smile, “I’m fine here.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, I insist. Go! Get! Should we meet in the quad in half an hour?” She smiled, “sounds good. Text or call me if you need me before then. I can be down here in a minute.” “I promise I will. Please don’t worry.” Katya was always interested or concerned with my welfare because she loved me but I hated the furrowed brow that had taken up residency on her face today. “Ok, I’ll see you soon.” She leaned over and gave me a quick peck and disappeared from the room. I let out a shaky breath, so the whole ghost thing must have happened in my head or from my fall but being in here alone was still kind of unnerving. I glanced quickly at the mirror through my reflection, nope, no booger monster in there. My head hurt, I shook a pain med out of my bag, downed it and went back to applying highlighter, contour and a quick smokey eye. I could swear I caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye but everytime I looked, nothing was there. After the fourth time, I chastised myself outloud in a whisper, “stop it Vi! You dreamt it up. You let all the stupid ghost stories and urban legends get in your head. You had a nightmare, it happens. But it wasn’t REAL! There were NO texts, you must have nodded off for a second and dreamt them. Katya is right, you whacked your head really hard.” I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes for a moment, “aaaand now you’re talking to yourself. Go you!” I added sarcastically, sighed and opened my eyes again to see my tired, stressed out looking reflection. I saw a flash of white across the room and spun around, but nothing was there. I slung my bag over my shoulder and pulled my favourite crimson leather jacket on. I tried to put on a pair of heels, since it was one of few wheelchair perks that I could wear them without getting sore feet (AN sorry about it lol) but I couldn’t fit my wrapped foot into it. I settled on a pair of Katya’s cute black knee-high boots that she had left here. Her feet were a size bigger than mine but it barely did up around my swollen foot. I left a light on and softly shut the door behind me, I would be early in the quad but at least I wouldn’t be here, freaking myself out. I wasn’t there long when Katya appeared, wearing a killer sleeveless scarlet dress that hugged her small but muscular frame and her shiny black high heels that we called her fuck me pumps. I was surprised she was actually wearing makeup, something she generally reserved for meets and then only because she had to, but tonight she had on winged eyeliner and a bright red lip. She made a passing comment of “nice boots” on the short walk to the cafe. I laughed and elbowed her in the side as we continued on. The cafe was crowded when Kat and I got there, the tables and booths crowded with students. The hostess at the door gave me a worried look after we said we had a reservation and gave Sasha’s name. She talked to another employee and then pulled us to the side, looking uncomfortable. “Sooo, I’m sorry you ladies will have to wait a few minutes, my manager said we just have to shuffle some people around because no one told us that you needed a table so we could pull out one of the chairs. We had you in a booth and there isn’t enough room to put your wheelchair at the end without it being a fire hazard Miss. I’ve been told to offer you a free game for your trouble. Again, I’m so sorry!” “It’s ok can go in a booth if you have a place out of the way to put my chair.” I offered, smiling at the nervous looking girl who was chewing on her lip ring. Her nameplate said Acid Betty and I wondered if it was a themey thing. She had an edgy look to her, but not gothy edgy since she was a riot of colour. Her tall multicoloured mohawk was seriously giving me Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony vibes and her bright makeup was on point. After a moment of scrutinizing her look, it dawned on me that she was a drag queen. I’ve always thought drag queens were so cool and admired their creativity, especially when I was heavily into gymnastics and not allowed to dye my hair, get piercings, tattoos or “alter our bodies in any way unbefitting to an athlete and more importantly a delegate of the United States of America.” It was pretty sad that I still remembered it word for word from the handbook and that I still hadn’t done any of those things now that I could. “I could put it in the staff room. It’s locked so no one will mess with it there. If that’s ok.” She offered, looking relieved. I nodded and she showed us over to a booth, thankfully they weren’t super high so I transferred rather easily, scooting in so Katya could sit on the outside. She handed us a free game voucher and games, drinks and food menus. “If you don’t see me when you want to leave, just ask for Acid and someone will come find me. I’m here til closing, is there anything I can get you before I leave and put your chair in the back?” “Do you have Monopoly?” Katya asked with a giant grin lighting up her face. Acid laughed, “we not only have Monopoly, we have a whole monopoly SECTION! We have pretty much every variation you can think of, the 80th anniversary collectors edition, Harry Potter, Dr Who, Star Wars, Disney, sports, Christmas, The Walking Dead to name a few. I think we even have a Canadian themed Monopoly around here somewhere.” “Ooooh goody!” Katya exclaimed and clapped her hands in glee, “be right back Возлюбленная!” I was left behind as I gazed around in wonder at the bookshelves lined with rows and rows of different board games, big and small. Some were so new, they weren’t even out of their plastic and some old well-loved ones that were battered at the corners. “Hey Violet!” Sashinka called, crossing the room hand in hand with a tall black woman with sleek black hair who was turning heads in a tight, sinfully short dress with an orange graphic print and a knee length bright orange faux fur coat. Sasha was wearing a red felt oddly taco-shaped hat that was definitely a statement piece and a white and black swirled dress. “Hey! Katya will be right back, she is looking at the Monopoly section.” Sasha rolled her eyes and chuckled, “it figures! She’s been obsessed with that game for as long as I remember. This is my girlfriend Shea, Shea this is Violet.” Shea slid into the booth opposite me and Sasha plunked down beside her. The Nubian queen offered her hand, “Shea Coulee, nice to meet you.” She had the cutest smile, her teeth weren’t straight at all but they were white and the exuberance with which she smiled was absolutely charming. “Violet, nice to meet you too.” Katya rushed up with the 80th anniversary edition of Monopoly clutched to her chest, sliding into the seat beside me. “I got one! Hi Sashinka! And you must be Shea! Nice to meet you!” Katya offered her hand and Shea offered her full name again. Sasha said something in Russian, the only word I caught was Monopoly, and Katya fired back at her laughing. Shea and I looked at each other, she cocked an eyebrow at me. “Do you speak Russian?” I shook my head, “nope, the only word I know is a few curses and the word sweetheart because Katya calls me it all the time. You?” She shook her head. “So are you a student at Stanford?” She nodded, “BA in fine arts, my major is fashion design with a minor in dance. You?” “Well I haven’t declared a major yet but I’m taking some Bachelor of Arts and Sciences courses. It’s a big decision.” Shea nodded and gave a laughing Sasha a little elbow. Sasha’s face fell and she covered her mouth. “Oh I’m sorry, we were being rude. English. I promise. Sorry Violet.” “Hey it’s ok, you both have so much catching up to do.” Katya put her hand over mine, “but ve can do that in English too.” Acid came back and took our drink and food orders as Katya giddily set up the Monopoly board in the middle of the table. I tried to order a salad but Katya gave me a look, I sighed and added half a wrap to my order which earned me a brilliant smile. She really was too good to me and worried way too much. I learned that Sashinka was also a fine arts major and that she spoke several languages besides Russian and English. That her and Shea had met the last time that Sasha and her family had moved when Shea had been doing an internship at a Toronto based fashion company. Their friend Trinity had introduced them about 9 months ago and they had hit it off immediately and have been dating ever since. After Katya won at Monopoly by owning at least half the board, we played Trivial Pursuit which Sasha kicked our asses at. Sasha and Katya quickly forgot that they should speak in English and there were little stretches of time where they would babble away in Russian, both tripping over each other’s words and laughing. Shea and I talked about our programs, classes we were looking forward to, dorm life expectations and dorm life reality. She was super friendly and easy to talk to. “Show off.” Shea teased. “Hey! Don’t be upset because I bitch slapped you with my intelligence dearest.” She joked back, throwing her head back in laughter and looking at Shea like she hung the moon. When we were ready to go, we decided we would walk back to the edge of campus together. Katya quickly excused herself to go find Acid and my chair after she insisted on paying for all of us. Sasha excused herself to go to the washroom. I scooted to the edge of the booth and swung my legs over the side. “You coming Violet?” Shea cocked her head to the side, offering her arm. Oh shit, she doesn’t know! This was the one drawback of transferring from my chair. “I…um…have to wait for Katya.” “I’m not gonna bite!” She laughed, “we can meet them outside. There’s a lineup of people waiting for a table.” Shea said coolly, giving me a look over her round orange glasses. She’d become somewhat gruff with me for the last hour or so and I wasn’t quite sure what I did to make her upset with me. “Um…Shea, I thought Sashinka would have told you…” I trailed off, if she was already mad at me, making her feel stupid was going to be the icing on the fucking cake. Shea crossed her arms and said sharply, “told me what?” “That I’m a paraplegic and I literally almost ran her over today. She didn’t mention it?” I had become used to being disabled as one of my identifiers. It wasn’t a bad thing, I was the queer, skinny, brunette girl in a wheelchair. “No she didn’t, so you can’t feel your legs at all?” She was grinning at me and I was more than a little creeped out. “Nope, that’s what paraplegic means.” I grumbled, “ok why are you looking at me like that?” She sat down again, still grinning, “Violet I’ve been flirting with you all night,” she laughed, “I’ve been playing footsie with you all night too! I just thought you weren’t a big fan of the chocolate.” She said cockily and raised her right eyebrow. I didn’t even know what to say. Thankfully Katya and Sasha were crossing the room again, Shea put a finger up to her lips and said shhhh. What a creeper! “You ok hun?” Katya inquired, parking my chair in front of me. I could feel Shea’s eyes on me as I moved into my chair, all of the hair on my neck and arms was standing up as I slid my jacket on. “Are you cold?” “Here, borrow my coat. I insist!” She said, pulling her coat off and making a scene of putting it over my shoulders. She whispered in my ear, “my number is in the pocket. Stash it before we get back to campus.” “Aww that’s so nice of you to lend her your coat Shea Shea,” Sasha gushed, pulling Shea’s hand into her own. Shea flipped her hair, “happy to help out.” The walk back to campus was filled with Sashinka and Katya jabbering on, sometimes in English and sometimes in Russian. Shea grabbed my chair at one point, “your arms must be tired. I don’t mind.” Sounding like she was doing me the world’s biggest favour. After telling her no nicely twice, I abruptly turned my wheels, breaking her grip. The stop caused the other two girls that were ahead of us to pause and Katya saw what Shea was trying to do. “Don’t Shea, Violet really doesn’t like people pushing her. She can do it herself. If she needed help, she’ll ask.” Katya said firmly, picking up on the tension between Shea and I. “Oh ok. I was just trying to be helpful. Sorry Vi.” She pouted. “It’s ok, I just really don’t like being pushed around.” I gave her a look as if to add that I wasn’t too fond of pushy people either. We reached the edge of campus where Sasha and Shea had to go the opposite way from Katya and my dorm. I peeled off Shea’s coat and handed it back to her. “Thanks for lending me your coat.” “You can keep it and give it back to me later. I don’t mind.” Shea said silkily. “Nah! Katya will keep me warm.” I retorted, Katya put her arm around my shoulders and nodded. “Ok fine. No worries.” She slipped the bright orange garment back on, putting her hands in the pockets and frowning. Probably because her number was still firmly in her pocket and not in mine! Sasha and Katya hugged while Katya marvelled “I still can’t believe it! After all these years Sashinka!” “I know!! Thank the Goddess that Violet almost ran me over!” Sasha joked, pulling me into a one armed hug while trying to keep her hat out of my face. Katya was hugging Shea, “it vas so good to meet you Shea! Ve vill all have to go out again soon so I can get to know you better since Sashinka and I did most of the talking tonight. Sorry about that.” “Violet and I had some interesting conversations, right Vi?” Shea teased. “Sure did! Yup! Nice to see you again Sashinka and nice to meet you Shae.” I said with a little yawn. It was a totally fake yawn but it had the desired effect of Katya saying goodnight so we could part ways with the other girls. Katya and I paused for a minute when we got into the building, unsure of whether to go to her dorm or mine. Katya’s phone rang, “Hello?” Katya paused for a moment, looking concerned. “Trixie is that you? Calm down, vhat are you saying? Vhere are you?” Katya frowned and paused again to listen and I mouthed ‘go get her’ to her. “I vill be right there. Stay put!” Katya hung up and gave me a peck on the cheek, “I vill message you as soon as I get Trixie ok?” She didn’t wait for an answer but ran out of the door. I hope Trixie was ok. I wondered what happened as I made my way to my room. I pondered all of the things that could happen to a newly transplanted country bumpkin and each idea was worse than the last. I pushed open my door, fumbling around in the dark to turn the light on, locking the door behind me and going directly to my PJ drawer and pulling out my snuggliest pair. I yawned widely and stretched my arms out, before changing and hopping into bed, I put my phone beside me for when Katya called and wrapped a blanket around myself as I cracked open my book. I woke up in darkness, I didn’t know where I was for a moment. My book had fallen over my face. I pulled it away and it was still dark. Ugh the bedside lamp liked to short out at the most inconvenient times, not that there was ever a good time for things to short out. I groped around in the dark for my phone but couldn’t find it. I could have sworn it was right beside me. I groped in the darkness for the lamp when my phone rang, making me jump. My phone wasn’t on my bed anywhere though. It lit up and was laying on the floor feet away. In front of the mirror. I must have knocked it off my bed. There was no way I could get to it in the dark though, I clicked the on/off switch on the lamp a few times but it wouldn’t work. I didn’t want to transfer to my chair in the dark to get my phone since I had managed to knock myself out and fuck up my foot already today, who knows what kind of trouble my currently accident prone body would get into in the dark. But I really needed to know that Trixie and Katya were ok and I knew Katya would worry if she didn’t hear from me after the day we had. My phone started ringing again. I grabbed my laptop and typed in a facebook message to Katya. Hey hun, my phone is on the fritz so I don’t know if you texted or called me, I kinda fell asleep for a little bit. Are you and Trixie ok? What happened? Message me back on here. I started scrolling through my facebook, smiling when I got a friend request from Sashinka Velurovna and then groaning when I got one from Shea Coulee. I would have to think about that one, I couldn’t very well accept Sasha’s friend request and not have her wonder why I didn’t accept her girlfriend’s. No, I would leave it for the moment. I needed to talk to someone about that whole situation but it couldn’t be Katya because she might tell Sashinka and she was so lovely, I didn’t want to be the one to break her heart with tales of her girlfriend’s treachery. As if by magic, Aja’s face popped up on the screen. I answered their facetime, pasting a smile on my own tired face. “Ayo Sis, what’s good?” Aja blurted and giggled. “Hey, on a scale from sober to falling off your chair, how drunk are you right now?” I inquired, wondering if I told them about the situation, if they were too wasted and would just fly off the handle in typical Aja fashion. “Well I’m still upright but definitely NOT sober sis!” They joked and then looked serious, “hey, what’s going on? It’s a Friday night before school starts Monday, you aren’t attached at the hip to a Russian blonde, you are in your fuzziest PJs AND you’ve been sleeping in your makeup.” Aja sat up straighter in their desk chair, “wait! Did you and Katya have a fight? Do you need me to shake–I mean talk–some sense into her? Because I can be at your place in 10 minutes.” I chuckled, Aja may not be Latinx by blood but they definitely carried the fiery personality inherited by their adopted family, “easy Cujo! Katya and I are fine. It’s this other girl.” “Uh oh.” I explained that Katya reunited with someone from her past and we went out and what Shea said. “What a fucking creep!” Aja smacked their hands on their desk, “and she tried to give you her jacket with her fuckin’ number in it after all of that?! How fucking bold is that!?” Aja crowed, you could almost measure Aja’s level of sobriety with the amount of times they said the word fuck or it’s variants in a sentence. They were pleasantly toasted but not sloppy drunk yet. “Ok you can tone down the awe and admiration a touch.” I added sarcastically, holding my hands out. She laughed, “sorry it’s just a bold fucking move. I mean, she was playing fucking footsie with you.” Aja snorted, “which is fucking hilarious Sis. I mean footsie with a paraplegic! I mean she didn’t know but still, the visual is amusing.” “Gee thanks. Why did I think you would be any help at all?” I laughed. “Hey, can’t blame a bitch for wanting to hit dat fine ass!” Aja leered at me and waggled her eyebrows at me. We both burst out laughing. “But it’s definitely an odd situation, are you going to tell Katya?” “I don’t know, she’s really excited to reconnect with her friend, I don’t want to create drama and make things awkward since we will probably be going out with them as a group again sometime.” “Maybe the girl will clue in that you aren’t interested and things will be chill next time?” Aja offered hopefully. She leaned her head to one side and studied me for a moment. “Are you ok girl? You look kinda pale and tired as fuck. Are you feeling ok?” I sighed, raking my hands down my face before rubbing my temples and reaching a hand back to gingerly feel around the top of my head at my scraped and raw scalp, the lump hadn’t gone down hardly at all. I winced, “I’m fine, just a bit of a headache, I’ve been a bit of a klutz in the past 24 hours and have fallen and knocked myself out cold last night and then this afternoon I kinda smashed my foot up.” “Jesus! Do we seriously need to bubblewrap you sis? Did you go to the Dr?” “What do you think the answer to that question is?” “I know! I know you hate them Violet.” Aja’s face got serious, “but maybe you SHOULD go? I mean, I know they’re a pain in the ass but you might have seriously hurt yourself this time.” “God did Katya call you to try and convince me to go?” A guilty expression flickered over their face for a fleeting moment. “Oh my God, she did, didn’t she? DIDN’T SHE?!” I put my hand over my eyes and then pinched the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. “Ok honestly, yes, Katya texted me. She seemed upset, said she found you passed out, that you had a nightmare or hallucination or something and said you didn’t seem like yourself. That you seemed scared. She worries about you, which I think is cute. She didn’t tell me to ask you to go to the Doctor, that was all me. Have you been eating?” “Yes! I had lunch AND supper today! And I ate yesterday too!” I added before she could ask. I sighed, feeling so tired, “Listen I know you guys worry about me and I appreciate it but I’m a big girl, I can make my own choices. I promise I’ll be careful. I have to go, my head is killing me but thanks for listening, enjoy whatever party you are going to tonight, stay safe. “Ok Sis, listen, don’t be mad at Kat, she just loves you a lot and wants to protect you.” “I know but I’m pretty good at protecting myself if you hadn’t noticed.” “I noticed, bye Sis, I’ll message you tomorrow.” “Bye Aj!” I waved and clicked the off button. I sighed and leaned back on my pillows. There was a ding and I sat up straight. Katya had finally responded. Katya - That sucks about your phone, I hope it can be fixed. Glad you got some rest, that is great! Trixie and I are fine, on our way back to the dorm. About a 20 minute walk away. Trixie got really lost and turned around when she went to meet her friend Kim and she said she thought some guy was following her. She went into a hotel and called her friend but she couldn’t get a hold of her and we are the only other people she knows here. The guy stopped walking for a minute when she went inside but then left. She sat with security until I could get there. Poor thing was shaking like a leaf so we stopped for coffee. I typed back; Geeze that’s scary, no wonder she was freaked! Wow 20 minutes walking? That is a lot of wrong turns! Hopefully the guy just thought she was someone else or it was a coincidence that he stopped. Make sure that she gets a whistle from the student centre just in case he comes back. Are you going to come over after you guys get back to your room? Katya - I think I should stay with Trix, she’s still pretty upset. Why don’t you come up to us, we can have a sleepover! It was tempting but I worried that if I kept running from my room at night that the nightmare that I had had would make it hard to sleep when I inevitably HAD to sleep in my room alone, like when Katya went to gymnastic meets. I knew I had to nip it in the bud. Me- I think I’m going to stay here, I honestly don’t think I will be able to stay awake for 20 more minutes! I’m so tired! Wanna meet in the quad at 8 to go for breakfast? Invite Trixie if she wants to come. Katya - switch that 8 to 9:30 and we have a deal! I haven’t slept in in forever! How is your head feeling? Me- sore but it’s totally fine! Nothing a little sleep and meds won’t cure. I’ll see you in the morning. Tell Trixie I’m glad she’s ok. Katya - I will, I love you, I hope you have a good sleep. Facetime me if you need anything. Restart your phone and see if it fixes the problem, it might just be a glitch. Me - I love you too! I will do that in the morning, I’m going to let it charge for the night first. Sleep well. Bye! Katya - bye love. I closed my laptop and put it beside my bed within reach. I rubbed my tired eyes, curling into a ball and felt the pull of sleep immediately tug me down. —————————————— Life completely got away from me for the next few weeks with the business of school starting, social events and sometimes watching Katya practice and giving critiques. I didn’t think of the dream very often. Occasionally I would wake up to find something that was beside my bed suddenly sitting in front of the mirror but I used to be a sleepwalker so maybe now I’m a sleeproller? I reasoned with myself. When I DID sleep in my room, I was so exhausted from classes that I generally immediately fell asleep as soon as I got in bed. Shea had backed off, she still flirted but not as aggressively. I still hadn’t told Katya, even with our no secrets rule. I started finding little reasons to cut my visit short when we would get together with both of them, I would always insist Kat stay if she wanted to, saying I needed time to study. The problem was that Sashinka was fast becoming a dear friend and invaluable person in my life and I felt bad for not saying anything to her about Shea. I mean, chances are if she was willing to sneak around or flirt with me, she was doing it with someone else who might actually take her up on her propositions and Sasha loved her so. Being around them both tied my stomach in knots for days leading up to and after the event. So with all the stress and studying, I hadn’t really thought much of the nightmare. Until I got the flu while Katya was away at a meet. I had slept in the afternoon but couldn’t manage to stop barfing long enough to sleep more than half an hour at a time that night. I would randomly fall asleep hugging a bucket and wake up to use it, burning with fever. It was a comedy of errors earlier in the day when Katya had sent Trixie check on me, she had at least brought me the bucket but within 5 minutes of her arrival, I had used said bucket and found out Trixie was a sympathetic puker. I sent her away when she emerged, green-faced, from my bathroom tearful and apologetic. I had my book beside me when I fell asleep but when I was jolted awake, it was half way across the room again. Maybe I threw it? I thought for moment before I buried my head in the bucket. “Ugh, fuck.” Dragging myself into my chair to empty the bucket in the washroom. I was wheeling sluggishly back to bed, feeling like my muscles were on fire, when the lights went out. There was light coming from my phone screen, reflecting off of the mirror. There was a face reflected in the mirror but it wasn’t mine. She was pale with a cloud of white hair. “Hello.” She said in a high voice that echoed slightly, “Don’t pass out this time, please. I’m not going to hurt you. Dawn is soon, I can’t talk once the sun comes up. The text thing was a one time deal unfortunately, I just didn’t want you to get rid of me.” My vision blurred and I closed my eyes against the spinning room. This wasn’t happening. She wasn’t real. “Don’t pass out, please don’t pass out Violet!” The girl begged in a whine. “I’m gonna get in bed now.” I muttered drowsily at myself, since I was most definitely alone. I clawed my way into bed, out of breath from even that small amount of exertion, curling in on the bucket. The mirror was humming a song I didn’t know. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks. You’re never awake and you’re really hard to wake up!” I didn’t respond, trying to firmly stay in my denial that this was even happening. “I mean, I don’t even know if you know how hard it is for me to manifest my voice.” She complained. “I really wanted to talk to you. I’m real and I need your help.” I started throwing up again, eventually resurfacing and setting the bucket aside to run a hand through my sweat soaked hair. My heart pounding in my ears was almost deafening as I muttered “you’re not real Sharon,” before my eyes fluttered shut again. I woke up to a ray of blinding sun shining on my face, I let out a grunt at the pain in my head and squinted before I brought a hand up to shield my eyes. What a crazy fever dream I had last night, I remembered parts of it, the girls high pitched whine as she tried to convince me she was real, I think I remembered her begging me not to pass out. I pulled myself up to sitting and reached for my chair but it was across the room, parked facing the mirror with the brakes on. Scrawled on the mirror, in some dripping crimson liquid that looked like blood were the words I’M REAL! S. I started hyperventilating and crying. I couldn’t have wrote that on the mirror in my sleep because how would I have gotten back to bed? “Oh God, oh God, oh God!” I put a shaking hand over my eyes, my head was pounding and my stomach was churning and I felt like I was going to pass out. I sent Katya a message, trying to distract myself from my racing thoughts. Me - hey when do you get back? Katya sent back a message immediately. I had to blink my eyes a few times before I could read it, the words were swimming around and it was adding to my dizziness. Katya - We are on the bus back, going to stop for breakfast soon. How are you feeling my love? Me - ugh, fever’s bad, head hurts, dizzy, can’t move except to barf Katya - Oh my darling, I’ll be home soon to take care of you. Katya couldn’t come here! There was no way in my current state of weakness that I could drag myself across the floor to my chair and clean up the mirror! I couldn’t have her laughing at me again, thinking I was cracking up under the pressure. I felt like I wasn’t getting enough air as I fumbled to type in Me - NO! You can’t come here! You’ll get sick! And then the team will get sick and it will be all my fault! Please don’t! Katya was taking awhile to respond, they must have stopped for breakfast and she probably forgot her phone on the bus. I had slid back down, lying on my back in the bed with a frustrated sigh. I fell asleep and dropped my phone on my face a few times while I waited for her to respond. I rolled over onto my side with a little cry, “you’re such a fucking weakling Violet,” was the last thought I had before I lost consciousness. I woke to someone singing softly in Russian, there was a tinkle of water while she wrung out a cloth and pressed the cool material across my forehead. My eyelids were so heavy, I couldn’t open them. I sighed and tried to sit up while I croaked out, “Katya, I told you not to come.” I felt a hand push down on my chest, forcing me to lay back. Putting the cloth back on my forehead and smoothing back my hair. “Shhh, it’s not Katya. It’s Sasha. Just rest Vi.” “Oh Sasha, hi.” I said dumbly, finally gathering the strength to open my eyes to see Sasha’s concerned face over me. She chuckled, “hi yourself.” “Wait, how did you get in here?” I squeaked out. “Please tell me you didn’t tell Max I was sick, did you?” I added in a whine, trying to sit up again. “Would you just lay back down and rest kukolka! I didn’t tell Max, Katya called me in a panic when she couldn’t get in touch with you and asked me to get your key from her room to check on you. She said was going to be late getting home because the bus got in an accident.” “Oh my God, is she ok?!” I brought my hand up to my throbbing head, weirdly on the edge of tears. “Is she ok Sash?” “Shhhh! She’s okay! Katya is fine! It’s all going to be okay Violet, just rest dear kukolka.” Sasha frowned as she rinsed the cloth and returned it to my forehead. “You’re burning up. Maybe we should get you to the hospital?” I reached out and grabbed her hand, “no, please, no Sashinka,” I begged. My stomach rolled as I frantically looked for the bucket, Sasha pushed it into my hands and rubbed my back until I was done vomiting and feeling so spent I didn’t even have the energy to hold my head up anymore. Sasha started singing again and my eyes fluttered shut again. Later when I woke up, I opened my eyes to the most blindingly white sunlight. I groaned and shielded my eyes. I must have finally slept through the night or maybe I dreamt the whole waking up to a bloody mirror and then waking up to Sashinka taking care of me? “Violet? Oh thank Goddess!” Sasha exclaimed, she pulled my free hand into her own and patted it. “Just a second, let me turn down the light.” Turn down the sunlight? What? The light behind my eyes dimmed and I was able to blink open my eyes and lift my head to look around to see the white walls of the student clinic, an IV in the hand Sasha was patting again. I flopped my head back, “Sasha, you didn’t.” “I’m so sorry kukolka, so so sorry! I know you didn’t want this but your fever was so high and I couldn’t keep you awake.” I closed my eyes and groaned, imagining the fucking scene it would have caused to have an ambulance come screaming up to the dorm to take the poor disabled girl away. I opened my eyes and looked at Sasha’s remorseful tear stained face. “It’s ok Sasha, you were just doing what you thought was right. How long have we been here?” “Shea and I brought you here about 2 hours ago.” “You and Shea?” “Oh yeah, she told me to say she hopes you feel better soon, she wanted to stay but she had to work. She took the bus and left the car here so we can get back. Oh your chair is in the trunk! I’ll have to bring it in.” “Wait, we didn’t take an ambulance? How did you guys get me in here?” “You don’t remember?” I shook my head, “oh well, you woke up enough that we kept you upright and managed to wheel you out to Shea’s car but then you wouldn’t wake up when we got here and we were freaked out so we just,” she shrugged, “carried you in. How are you feeling? I was so scared! I have to let Katya know you’re awake, she’ll be so relieved! She was so worried!” “YOU TOLD KATYA?” I bellowed, much more furious about them freaking her out than being dragged here. “Violet, no! I HAD to call her, they were asking me questions like what your level of spinal cord injury is and when it happened? How long you’d been feeling sick? If you took any medication and I didn’t know the answer to any of them! They wanted to give you medication and I didn’t want them to give you something that was going to make you sicker if you were allergic or if it interacted with any medication you may be taking! Katya talked to the doctor herself. Please, please don’t be mad at me kukolka?” I sighed, “I’m not mad at you Sashinka. Where is Katya? And what do keep calling me?” “Katya will be here as soon as she can but when I talked to her, they still didn’t have a new bus and a few of the girls were still getting checked out. I don’t know when she will be home so you are totally stuck with me.” I was confused for a minute but then I remembered about the bus accident. “The accident! So some of the girls were actually hurt? How bad was it? Is everyone going to be ok?” “Katya said one of the girls broke her wrist and a few needed stitches but most of them just have bumps and bruises. However, one of the trainers was standing up when it happened and,” Sasha paused, furrowing her brow and chewing on her bottom lip, “I think she was really hurt though. Katya wasn’t sure how badly, maybe she’ll be able to give us an update?” “Yeah maybe.” I muttered noncommittally, “do you have my phone?” “No but you’re welcome to borrow mine, you can just hit redial she’s the last number I called.” Sasha said holding her phone out to me. “Do you want me to leave so you have some privacy?” “No no you’re fine Sashinka! So first I should probably ask you if the doctor said anything or have me meds because I guarantee you that’s going to be the first question that she’s going to ask me.” Sasha nodded, pulling out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket. “Yes I wrote it down kukolka, they gave you fluids and electrolytes, some nausea medication called Zofran, a medicine for fever and the same pain medication Katya said you take at home that I didn’t quite catch the name of. They said you were very dehydrated.” “I figured as much. I was trying to drink Gatorade but the more I drank, the more came back up so I finally just gave up trying. Hey Sasha?” “Yes, what is it?” “I have two questions. When can we get out of here? And what is a kukolka?” Sasha turned red, the blush spreading up her neck, sweeping across her face and over her bald head. “Oh that. Sorry it just slipped out, my Mama used to call me that as a term of endearment when I was sick as a girl, it’s probably a horribly patronizing thing to say to a grown woman!” “Why don’t you let me decide that, so what does it mean?” “Well it translates into little doll or dolly.” I grinned, “I like it.” “Good, I’m glad. Do you want me to go ask when we can go?” I nodded and she left the room as I dialed Katya’s number. Katya picked up on the first ring, rattling off a long trail of Russian that had my name in it. “Hey it’s me Kat. Are you ok? Did you get hurt in the bus accident? Sash said one of the trainers got hurt?” She let out a low little chuckle, “I should ask you how you are first.” “Too slow!” I teased, “no seriously, are you alright?” “I’m fine, I have a few stitches in the back of my head but it’s ok.” “No! That is most definitely NOT ok! My poor baby!” “No I’m really fine, Farrah broke her wrist and cut her knee up, she’s been crying ever since. I svear the Doctors vere going to give her an elephant dart to the neck at any minute but she fell asleep, probably from the pain meds. ”We both let out a little giggle, not that she was hurt but Farrah was a huge drama queen and the youngest person on the team. The bubble gum pink haired girl was always crying or moaning about something. “But the new coach Alaska was hurt the worst, she’s in surgery now. She was standing up facing the back when the bus was hit. She broke her leg in 2 places when she got it caught on the way down and she hit her head pretty hard and had to get some stitches.” I screwed up my face, “fuck ouch! Poor ‘Lasky! Is she going to be ok?” “Da, she vill probably not be able to work for a few veeks but I do have some more bad news on top of that.” “Oh no! What?” “Vell, ve haven’t been able to get a bus yet so it seems ve might have to stay here for the night. I am so sad because I vanted to be there to make sure you vere ok and to take care of you.” “I’m okay, I’m sorry you don’t get to come home tonight. I miss you. I am so glad that YOU are okay. That must have been so scary.” “I miss you too. So Sashinka said you vere really sick, I’m so glad I didn’t take your spare key vith me. I just had a bad feeling. Vhat happened?” “Well the day before you left, my stomach felt a little funny but when I woke up at dawn the yesterday I could not stop throwing up. I’m sure it’s the stomach flu, I thought it would be over by today but it just seemed to get worse. They gave me meds so I’m not throwing up anymore, well at least not right now. And they said I was dehydrated so they gave me fluids. I’m mostly just feeling weak and like I could sleep for the next 500 years so you aren’t missing much by not being back and maybe by the time you get home I’ll be feeling better.” “I hope so,” I hated hearing the worry that tinged her voice. There was a clatter and Farrah let out a moan and whined out Katya’s name. She started sobbing loudly. “I think that’s your cue you have to go. Text me later and if I’m not asleep, I’ll message you back. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’m a tough cookie.” “Shhh Farrah I’m right here,” I heard Katya whisper and then in a regular voice, “I vill text you later my love. Feel better and take good care of yourself. Thank Sashinka for me.” “I love you too, don’t forget to put some ice on your head.” We disconnected the call and I let my head flop back, closing my eyes for a minute. When I woke up again, Sasha was back in the room and she had brought my wheelchair. Her face was serene as she read a book named Maidenhair by Mikhail Shishkin. She looked up and smiled sweetly. “Hey, welcome to the land of consciousness again! How are you feeling?” I rubbed my eyes, “how long have I been asleep?” “Oh about an hour.” “An HOUR! Why didn’t you wake me? When can we get out of here?” My stomach lurched and I swallowed thickly. I wanted to go home so I was NOT going to bring up that I was feeling nauseous again. “They said to let them know when you woke up,” she gave me a knowing look, “maybe you should ask for a prescription for nausea meds to get you through.” “You are freakishly intuitive girl.” “And you are freakishly green, you look like Alphaba.” She teased as she swished out of the room. It was dusk by the time we were finally freed from the clinic, clutching a prescription for 2 antinausea meds and a strong recommendation to put some type of food or drink in my system. After stopping at the pharmacy, Sasha said she just had to pick up a few things from her and Shea’s place before we could go back to my own. I sat in the car for a minute and fought with myself for a few minutes before texting Sasha. Me - hey Sash, would you mind grabbing your Ouija board, you know, in case we get bored. She texted back one word. Sashinka - sure! She came out shortly after with the old-looking box under one arm and a small duffle in the other. When we got to the dorm, I was having a hard time transferring from the low car, my shaking arm muscles felt like jelly and there was nothing to grab onto. Sasha hovered for a few minutes, before gently asking if I needed help, I put my head down and sighed before nodding. Sasha pulled me into a hug and stood up, pivoting to set me softly in my chair. I was surprised at her strength despite her wispy frame. We got to my room and I opened the door, noticing immediately that the mirror was clean. Maybe I had dreamt it in my fever induced state. Sasha saw me staring, “I cleaned the mirror off. I figured you wouldn’t want to see that when you woke up.” “So it was really there?” She nodded. “So I’m not going crazy.” “No, I feel it. There is a trace here.” I cocked my head in confusion. She took a deep breath and sunk into the orange chair, “I am a sensitive. I can talk to them, ghosts that is. I’ve been able to do it since I was around 7 when I drowned in a lake, thankfully they were able to revive me but I’ve been able to see and hear people who are dead ever since. I also can sometimes sense other people’s emotions if they are strong enough. I know it sounds surreal and trust me, it feels surreal too but it’s the truth. I’m able to control it now but when it first happened, it was scary and overwhelming.” “I can imagine! Dying is scary enough! I can not imagine going through that as a child!” “So you’ve died too?” She looked at me, wonder and curiosity on her face. “Uh-” I probably should have worded that differently, “yes, I did. After my accident, I remember landing and then I couldn’t breathe. At first I thought that I just knocked the wind out of myself but then I couldn’t move and things went fuzzy. Then I was looking down at myself and I freaked out, I saw one of the trainers come up and yell for help but it felt like every minute I watched, the more detached I became from what was happening that by the time I was being brought back, I wasn’t really scared anymore.” Sasha nodded. My eyes were getting droopy again from the IV meds they gave me before it was removed. Sasha was suddenly beside me, her long fingers gently resting on my shoulders. “You need to go to bed dear Kukolka,” I opened my mouth, “no, no, no, don’t even start. I’m staying and it’s absolutely no bother. I can read here as well as I can at home. I’m not going to leave a friend in need just so I can sit at home and read.” She chastised firmly, giving me a no nonsense look. “What a crazy day! If I fall asleep, will you wake me up if Katya updates us about how the new coach Alaska is doing once she gets out of surgery? I hope she’s gonna be ok!” I fretted. I let her steer me to my bed, she kept a steadying hand on my back while I got in and then pulled the blankets over me. Sasha left and returned with a cool cloth which she placed over my eyes, I sighed as she sat on the side of the bed and smoothed my hair back as if I was a young child. “I promise I will wake you with news kukolka.” She started singing the same Russian song as before, my limbs felt like lead as I relaxed into my mattress and tripped into sleep. I woke up to knocking on the glass, an incessant tap, tap, tap. I blearily looked at my alarm clock. It was 4:24 am, across the room Sasha was fast asleep, mouth wide open with her tiny frame draped across the arms of the chair. I had to pee so bad my bladder hurt, one of the hazards of IV fluids. I propped myself up on my arms and that is when I noticed my chair was halfway across the room again, brakes on and in the same position facing the mirror as before. The ouija board box on the seat. Sasha must have put them there for some odd reason. Maybe she had little Russian idiosyncrasies like Katya did, like always putting empty bottles on the floor, not kissing or shaking hands in doorways or making sure if I got her flowers that there was an odd number. Tap, tap, tap. Sasha stirred, sitting up and rolling her neck with a pained look on her face. She looked puzzled as she gazed at my chair and then she noticed I was awake. “Hey, how did you move your chair?” I looked at her in shock, I mean how could I have moved it? “I thought you did.” I muttered but Sasha was no longer looking in my direction, her vision firmly fixed upon the mirror, head cocked to one side as if she was listening to someone or something. I hesitantly turned to look, expecting to see the white haired girl but there was no one in the mirror. “Sasha?” “Hmmm?” She looked over at me with a dreamy expression. “Can you uh bring my chair over? I really gotta pee.” I let out a little giggle. She shook herself and pushed my chair over, she was preoccupied and kept looking towards the mirror. We both jumped at the next tap, tap, tap and I expectantly looked at the mirror, frowning when she wasn’t there. “Should I get that?” Sasha asked once I was in my chair and halfway to the washroom. “Huh?” “I think someone is knocking on your window dear.” “Oh that! Yeah, it’s probably someone who forgot their key!” I said as I slammed the bathroom door shut in my haste. I was surprised to come out of the bathroom to find Sasha sitting on my bed cross-legged, there was another person facing her with their back to me until they turned towards me. “Ayo Sis!!” Aja announced with a giggle, they were definitely drunk. “Aja? What are you doing here?!” “Pearl kind of kicked me out. She had someone over and needed the room to themselves if you know what I mean. So you were the only person whose room I knew I could get into at 4 in the morning and who hopefully wouldn’t be too pissed that I woke them up at 4 in the morning?” There was another tap, tap, tap and I went to go over to the window to pull the curtain up, “did you bring friends with you or what?” “Or what.” Sasha said in a whisper, staring at the mirror. The girl was there. “Well hooooly shiiit!” Aja said as they fell off the bed. Tap, tap, tap. Sharon looked at us and then at the dusty Ouija board. “Oh I think she wants us to play!” Sasha exclaimed as if it were the most normal thing in the world to want to talk with a spiritual entity that’s trapped in your mirror. Sasha pulled my side table out to the middle of the room, dragged the orange chair over. Sasha looked at Aja who was still staring at the mirror, open mouthed and sprawled out on the floor. “You in?” “Fuck yeah! Of course I’m fuckin’ in!” Aja scrambled up and pulled over a folding chair from the corner. Sasha pulled out the board and a small white candle, lighting it and turning off the overhead light. She swirled the planchette around in a figure 8 a few times while Aja and I joined her at the table. We added our fingers to the board as Sasha said, “we invite communication from the spirit world, specifically from the girl in the mirror of room 121.” The heart shaped hunk of wood under our fingertips jumped. “You’re moving it!” Aja accused me until they saw how round my eyes had gone but I still shook my head for good measure. Sasha started spelling out letters and stringing together words. “S…H…A…R…O…N, oh your name is Sharon?” Sasha looked up at the girl in the mirror who nodded frantically. “Oh look she’s spelling something else! H…E…L…P. Oh no! She needs help! How can we help? What happened to you?” Sasha had tears in her eyes, “you’re so sad, I can feel it. You’re poor heart!” Sasha finished on a little sob as the tears overflowed down her face. “I D…O…don’t H…A…have. M…U…much T…I…time. She said she doesn’t have much time!” “Yeah she told me she can’t communicate after sunlight.” I blurted, the other two just stared at me in shock. “What? She told me last night.” “She can talk?” Aja sputtered and glared at Sharon, “why are we doing all this bullshit then?” “Because I guess it takes her a lot of energy to manifest her voice?” I looked up at Sharon to see her look of delighted surprise that I actually took in what she said. “She spelled out the words long story, not enough time, tomorrow? But I can…” Sasha paused, thinking as she bit her lip. “You can what? Spit it out sis!” Aja commanded impatiently. I let out a little chuckle. “Well I can try to channel her. I did it for my aunt once when I was 17.” “Are you sure that’s a good idea Sash?” I asked. “I have to try!! I mean I can feel her heart just breaking, I can’t wait a whole day to hear what happened! You can get the story and tell me when I get back.” “When you get back?” “It’s hard to explain. I’ll just center myself and let her speak through me.” Sasha withdrew her hands from the board and took some deep breaths and lowered her chin to her chest. At first I thought it hadn’t worked. Sasha was still, it looked like she wasn’t breathing. “Sashinka?” I said in barely a whisper, my voice shaking. I was about to take my hand of the planchette and reach for her when she sucked in a big breath of air, her head still down. When she looked up, her face was almost unrecognizable as it transformed into a malevolent grin. The harsh change in Sasha’s features made me gasp. “Hey, thanks for the ride.” She laughed, it was high pitched and evil sounding, devoid of any actual mirth. She was feeling her body as if to confirm she was real. “So what happened to you?” “I’ll ask the questions.” Sharon barked, the sneer marring Sasha’s face was so uncharacteristic that it made all of my hair stand on end. She turned her cold eyes on me, “where is Alaska?” “Alaska?” I asked, perplexed as to what Sharon would want with Alaska, maybe they were friends? I knew Alaska had been a student here before she came back as a coach. She had blanched after she found out which dorm and room I was in. “You said she was hurt. Where is she?” “I don’t know! At a hospital somewhere between here and San Francisco. What do you want with Alaska? What is she to you?” “She is my destiny.” Sharon said cryptically as she abruptly stood up, grabbing Sasha’s phone, purse and keys. Aja and I both sprang into action. I wheeled to the door, blocking the exit while Aja approached Sharon. “Listen sis, this isn’t cool. Why don’t you tell us your story and then give us Sasha back and we’ll bring Alaska to you when she gets back to town?” Aja said in a calm voice. Sharon moved so quickly, Aja didn’t have time to scream when Sharon picked them up by the neck, her strength clearly superhuman and spat through gritted teeth, “I am NOT your Sis! And I am NOT waiting.” She threw Aja across the room, they landed on my bed first which broke their fall a but before bouncing off and crumpling to the floor where they lay unmoving. I wanted to go to them but I was frozen by fear. Sharon turned her cold glare on me, “get out of my way Violet.” She commanded in a cold dull voice. “I don’t want to hurt you but I will if I have to.” “No! I’m not going to let you do this! Give us Sasha back!” I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair. “We will help you get a message to Alaska but this isn’t the way.” “It is the ONLY way!” Sharon exploded at me, “don’t be stupid Vi, STEP ASIDE!” “NO! I’m not going to let you do this!!” “You don’t understand,” Sharon said in a softer voice, sadness crossing her face. “You can’t possibly. I need to see her!” “I can’t let you go Sharon.” “You have no choice!” Sasha’s face contorted with rage as she backhanded me across the face with such force that I was knocked from my chair as I landed with an oof, putting a hand to my throbbing cheek. Sharon looked at me in disdain as she left, taking my wheelchair with her. She stopped for a moment to announce, “you’ll get this back. This is so you can’t follow me. You can’t stop me, I’m unstoppable!” She laughed as she slammed the door behind her.

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