#it was meant to be rescheduled but the system fucked up and so did the gp i had at that time

[sandumilfshou]

AFTER OVER HALF OF MY LIFE SUFFERING THROUGH EVERY SINGLE SYMPTOM OF ENDOMETRIOSIS BUT NOT GETTING A DIAGNOSIS OF IT BC OF NO VISIBLE CAUSE AND 8 YEARS OF BEGGING FOR A HYSTERECTOMY WHICH KEPT GETTING DENIED BY THE MEDICAL SYSTEM I AM FINALLY HAVING THE SURGERY IN THREE WEEKS TIME!!!!!!!!!!

[yes-i-have-thoughts]

Rebel Rebel, What’s Your Gain

CW for not-great parenting, /a2t otherwise in case I missed something

“Adam, you listen to me, or so help me god I’ll send you to your room and Evelin can go right home!”

Adam rolled his eyes in response. Evelin giggled nervously and pulled her hoodie sleeves over her hands to playfully swat at him. Dave shook his head. This “day out” was taking longer than expected.

The original plan was that Dave just dropped Adam off after an after-school thing. Yet Evelin had turned on her charm and sweet-talked him into letting her hang out for a little while, despite the fact that they had other arrangements later. The agreement had been fifteen minutes; which turned into thirty, which turned into an hour. They were going to be late at this point.

Evelin burst out laughing, getting a rare smile from Adam. That alone was enough to convince Dave that rescheduling the next thing for later wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“That boy is going to be the end of me,” Mary fumed, walking over to stand next to Dave. “I swear he never listens. It’s like living with a rebellious 17-year-old. The boy is 13 and he never does a damn thing I tell him to!”

“He can hear you,” Dave whispered to her.

“I don’t care. I’ve just about had it with him, David, I swear.”

The worn-out woman made her way over to the kitchen table and wearily sat down in it, resting her chin in her hand as if she could barely keep her head up. Dave awkwardly stood beside her as she heaved a long-suffering sigh.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. “If you’re having so much trouble with him, why don’t you tell the system?”

“What’re they gonna do?” Mary dropped her hand to look up at him. “The boy changed housing every three years for most of his life. The least I can do is keep him until he ages out.”

“But if you drive each other crazy–”

“I don’t drive him crazy. He drives me crazy. I swear he’s trying to send me to an early grave.”

Dave thought back over the times Adam constantly told Evelin about the many times Mary drove him up the wall, but kept quiet. That was likely a conversation meant for the two of them. Adam needed no help speaking for himself.

“Did you know he’s started skipping classes?” Mary spoke again. “He’s started hanging out with teenagers. Teenagers! Who knows what they’ve gotten him involved into. And if I try to get him to talk to me about it, he just tells me to fuck off!”

“Well, do you ask him or force him to talk?”

Mary’s dark look told Dave the answer was the latter. “Don’t get cute with me, Lee. The boy’s got a rebellious streak a mile wide. You don’t ask him, you tell him.”

“Eve tells me what I need to know,” Dave said with an innocent shrug. “And I give her space in return. It works out.”

“I wish I’d had the girl placed with me.” Mary dropped her head onto her now folded arms. “She sounds so much easier to deal with.”

“She’s ‘easier to deal with’ because she has room to place her own boundaries, Mary. What boundaries does Adam have?”

“Go to bed at 9. Supper’s at 6 whether he’s here or not. No games after 8 PM–”

“Those are rules. Not boundaries.”

“Okay.” Mary sat back and crossed her arms, pinning Dave down with her hazel eyes. “What boundaries does Eve have, then?”

Dave sensed he had crossed a line and wanted to drop it. Mary’s expectant look demanded otherwise. “I can’t go into her room without knocking first, um…Her phone is her business, and she has five minutes of leeway regarding being out past curfew.”

“Does she have a lock on her door?”

“We’re saving up for one.”

Mary’s hazel eyes turned tired. “I’m trying,” she whispered. “I’ve done my best with Adam. I’m sorry it’s not enough for you.”

“I didn’t say–”

“You don’t have to.” She dropped her head again. “Your tone of voice says it all.”

Dave figured the conversation was over with that. After mulling over an apology, he gave up and walked out of the kitchen.

The two pre-teens weren’t in the living room anymore. A door slamming upstairs told him where at least one of them was. Evelin knew she wasn’t allowed into Adam’s room–one of Mary’s house rules–so either they got into a fight and Adam kicked her out or Adam bailed and she was somewhere else.

Dave made his way up the carpet-covered stairs. None of the doors were clearly marked as to whose room was who’s, though music loudly blaring from the room farthest from the stairs gave away which one was Adam’s.

The music was paused when Dave knocked on the door. When nothing else happened, he took it as an invitation to come in and opened it.

Adam’s room was, as assumed, a mess. A (thankfully empty) hamper was tipped over, books and CD cases were piled on top of almost everything and a black desk had been haphazardly cleared away to rest a fairly new laptop. A black dog plush poked its head out from a half-open closet and a dresser drawer was left open due to being overstuffed with a variety of shirts. Sitting on the other side of the bed with his back to him was Adam.

Dave stepped over a black school bag and tried not to think too hard about the amount of socks sitting in the corner. Adam didn’t respond to his whispered “hey”, so he leaned against the bed; careful not to intrude on his space too much. “We’re–”

“Heading home,” Adam cut him off. “I figured. Eve’s already in the car.”

Dave nodded slightly. “You heard all that, hm.”

“Of course I did. I can hear everything in this fuckin’ house.”

The hard edge to his voice backed up the claim that he’d been listening since the beginning. Dave winced.

“Do you…Want to get out? Even just for a night? I’m okay with you sleeping over. It’s a school night, yes, but you and Evelin go to the same school anyway.”

Adam didn’t respond. Dave sat on the bed and looked around. After about a minute, Adam made his way over to sit next to him.

The two sat in silence for a moment, Dave waiting until he was comfortable and clawing for a way to break the ice. He gestured at one of the horror movie posters. “Mary let you see Rocky Horror?”

“God no.” Adam’s laugh was weak. “She’d throw a fit if she knew I had seen it. She thinks I’m not old enough.”

13 was a little young to be seeing a play like that in Dave’s opinion, but now wasn’t the time to be a parent. “Who’d you see it with?”

“Pirated a movie copy.” Adam stretched casually, though his usual spunky pride was starting to show through again. “The last house I was placed in, the dad really loved the movie and promised that we’d watch it one day, when I was old enough. Obviously since I’m here now, that won’t happen. So I just pirated it instead. 13’s old enough to watch it, right?”

Dave shrugged idly. “I dunno. I’d say it’s a little young, but then again I saw it when it came out and I don’t think I was much older than you.”

“Hell yeah.”

Dave ruffled Adam’s hair. The blond leaned away from him, but his little smile gave away his real feeling about it.

“C’mon.” Dave stood up off the bed and put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Get your stuff together. I’ll tell Mary you’re sleeping over tonight.”

“Can I sleep over two nights?”

“I’d love to say yes, bud.” Dave shook his head. “But that’s not up to me.”

[gwydionmisha]

Personal: Everything is so hard right now.

Amoung the other things that broke last week was my bedroom phone which I need to work so I don't have to lever myself out of bed half asleep and wobble into my office area to answer the endless stream of medical and bureaucratic call people insist on constantly making while I'm asleep. I can afford a new one. The emergency back up is the phone that made it a tough twenty years, but now doesn't send the medical autodialers the digit 1 so they will stop calling me over and over. I swapped it in anyway as the crappy office handset I got used a few years back doesn't ring loud enough to be head over my bed room air filter.

This means I need to remember to carry the office phone in so I can answer that one when the first one rings. except that one has to be connected to the call the EMTs device on my desk. And all the handling has broken the plastic piece on the end of the cord so it randomly falls out. Also if i don't remember to move the panic box onto my office chair the phone won't reach and the box will fall panic box side down calling the paramedics. Sigh.

I forgot to carry the phone in twice which is how I discovered the intermittent fault on the old phone that cuts my voice out to the person I was talking to. If my car hadn't been broken I could have gotten a cheap used one at a second hand store, but that' out too.

I absolutely hate the new arm exercises. I am doing them anyway because I need an arm that will work post surgery. It's twice a day and I am being a grown up about it. i can absolutely see why these exercises. They are even noticeably working a little already. They still wear me the fuck out and I hurt and hurt and hurt. (It's not bad pain wise doing them, no worse than anything I have to do, but I stiffen up later and my general pain level will rise). I have to stay up for Thursday morning torture appointment regardless of how wiped I am because I'm getting bad shakes every time I'm not allowed enough sleep and then startled awake and I need to not have my entire neurological/muscular system freaking the fuck out and not obeying orders if I am going to my torture appointment.

There was no cleaner Tuesday, but at least the asshole agency called in advance so I could reschedule. I theoretically have four more covered visits between now and the 31st. They have skipped the last six, which is now over a month with no help. I am scheduling twice a week at the expense of sleep on both days in the hopes they will come once. Sigh.

I did successfully complete some Tuesday phone bureaucracy. Unfortunately, a place I discovered I needed to call after a call that ended at 4:37 actually closed at 4:30 despite the website saying 5PM, because of course. This meant I needed to stay up until they opened next morning, despite being exhausted from getting constantly awakened by phone calls. No, I can't unplug while I'm asleep because most of these are medical and include things like we need to reschedule your appointment til next month and they now take a day or two to reply if you call them back which means they are even more overbooked and they will return the call when I'm asleep, starting the cycle over again. It is faster to let them wake me up and get it over with.

I was exhausted and I really struggled to stay up an extra two hours past when I wanted to sleep. The call was frustrating and only one degree away from pointless. Sigh.

Six phone calls in the six hours maximum I had to sleep in, carefully placed to prevent relaxation or REM sleep. One was a long boring "assessment." Every single agency I have to deal with as a disabled person insists on waking me up to answer long, boring, intrusive surveys/assessments at least once a year, sometimes twice. Asshole Agency insists on four for some reason. I had just started drifting off from that when the asshole agency robot called me. So that's three Asshole agency calls in less than 24 hours, but no cleaners in a month. Just saying.

I was getting ready to go pick up Goth Millennial for errands and Squirrel told me there was no gas. Me: ?!? I put half a tank in Saturday night! It's my fault really. This was about two and a half weeks of gas for me because I don't drive much. His car is more fuel efficient, so I was thinking surely this would be enough for Sunday night to Wednesday night.

Bwahahahaha! No. Not even close. I should have been only putting in a gallon at a time, which meant trying to scrape together enough to buy a gallon with what I had on me as it was on empty and I had to go straight to the closest gas station. At least it didn't cut into the car repair money. I guess.

He is doing a favor lending my his car. It is his car and he needs it. I know what his executive function is like and he forgot I had Wednesday errands, so had planned to put more in on his way to work. It is 100 percent not any sort of rudeness on his part. There is a reason I'm mostly responsible for things that require executive function in the apartment.

Next time I'll remember. A gallon at a time covers everything I'm apt to do and leaves him plenty.

Errands were like this to. Lots of effort and frustrating results.

I would like to thank everyone trying to help with the car fix fund. I will find out likely late afternoon Friday if I will be able to pay any of my bills this month.

[honeysucklepink]

Anyway, Here's Wonderwall (23/24)

Day 23: Company (also on AO3)

Kurt awoke to the sound of snow plows.

It was still early morning, the horizon barely turning from black to a dark blue, but between Ohio and New York City, Kurt knew the sound well. He also found himself once again wrapped up in Blaine’s arms, this time facing him. Unlike the previous morning, this time there was no trepidation, no unease or mixed emotions; just the feeling of being safe, cared for, and lov– well, maybe not loved, it still felt too soon for that.

Maybe.

He smiled, but with a slight sense of melancholy. The snow plows meant they would be leaving soon, and that meant leaving this warm cocoon, this new thing that he and Blaine had cultivated in record time. He also recalled the absolutely mind-blowing sex that had transpired the night before. Blaine knew every button to push, every erogenous zone and kink, and made Kurt feel so many things last night, not just physically (though he swore on the flying spaghetti monster he would be feeling that on the long flight home), but emotionally as well. And he felt a little guilty that they had wasted so much time fighting and competing, that he wanted to make up for it. Kurt watched Blaine sleep…his fluttering eyelashes, the way his lips smacked, his tiny wheezing little snore (yes, Blaine in fact did snore, but it was not the roof shaker his friends had made it out as…Kurt thought it was cute). Feeling Blaine’s warm body all around him, a semi-hard on pressed against his hip, Kurt couldn’t help teasing him. He took Blaine in hand and stroked, and when Blaine began to stir awake, Kurt made it clear how he wanted the two of them to spend the morning.

After another round (this time ending with Blaine bottoming from the top), they lazily cuddled together, until Kurt got another buzz on his phone. It was the airline, letting him know his flight back to Ohio had been rescheduled.

Blaine playfully whined and tightened his grip on Kurt’s waist. “Nooo, stay here in bed with me.”

“Wish I could,” Kurt said, kissing the top of Blaine’s head. “The real world awaits.”

~~~~~~~~

They made their way downstairs to a bustling pub, a much different scene than the morning before. With the snow cleared, the power line repaired and the roads reopened, the patrons were gathering their things and heading out, whether to their homes or simply their next stops. Adam was sending groups of folks off with to-go cups of tea and scones wrapped in wax paper. Many of the patrons were exchanging phone numbers and social media usernames with new friends they had made over the long weekend. Unique circumstances made for new relationships in more ways than one, Kurt supposed.

While Blaine went off in search of David to get an update on Wes, Kurt found Elliott and Dani talking with another gentleman.

“Kurt!” Elliott exclaimed. “Hey, we thought about looking for you last night, but Blaine’s friend said you were occupied and that we ‘shouldn’t disturb you.’ I think I can guess what he meant by that, and would I be right?”

Kurt couldn’t help the flush on his cheeks. “You might be. I suppose I should thank you. It was really underhanded and sneaky as fuck what you did, but still.”

“Yeah it was sneaky, and it was a team effort; couldn’t have done it without Blaine’s friends. But at least you got your heads out of your asses. So, I’ll ask for details later, but you can at least tell us, was it a ‘get it out of your system’ thing? Or something more?”

“To be determined,” Kurt said as he glanced at Blaine, hoping it was the latter. “So, change of subject; Dani, the airline sent our new flight reservation, so you think you might be ready to go soon?”

Dani looked guilt-ridden. “Um, I can’t. I’ve sort of accepted another invite?”

“Another what now?”

Elliott stepped in. “Sorry, Kurt, I don’t think you ever actually met Liam.” It was then Kurt noticed the slim, balding man with painted nails and a “Trixie & Katya” hoodie; the guy Elliott had hooked up with that first night of the snow-in. “He works for World of Wonder, you know the folks that produce RuPaul’s Drag Race? Anyway he’s the stage manager for Jinkx Monsoon and Ben DeLaCreme’s holiday show, and he’s invited us to come to the Manchester dates and stay a few days!”

“Yeah, he’s got a whole setup for the tour crew,” Dani said. “Yorkshire pudding, Christmas crackers with the little paper crowns, the whole spread. They’re even going to have a whole goose!”

“We’ve got room for one more,” Liam said. “They’re digging my car out now, seats four?”

Kurt sighed. “Thanks, but I really do need to go back to Ohio. Don’t get me wrong…Christmas with a touring drag show sounds amazing, but I really want to see my family. I hope you guys have a blast, though!”

“Thanks for understanding,” Dani said, giving Kurt a hug. “You have a safe trip back. Tell your dad I appreciate the hospitality, even though I won’t be taking them up on it.”

After Kurt said his goodbyes, knowing he’d see them back in New York in a couple of weeks, he was joined by Blaine. “Well, I was right…Wes’s mom invited us to stay with her. It won’t be a hospital cafeteria, but a shared hotel room doesn’t sound all that appealing, either.”

“Well, I just had a plane ticket free up,” Kurt said, grabbing the opportunity that had just been given to him. What did he have to lose? “So, Blaine, how do you feel about an Ohio Christmas? It’s a long flight, and I could sure use the company.”

Blaine’s eyes lit up, and Kurt wanted to make that light shine forever. “Kurt, I would be happy to accompany you.”

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

The Part-Time Puppeteer - Chapter 01

Summary :

Based on @fedoraspooky​‘s Puppet AU.

Lukas is a student in need of money. He manages to find a job in a famous television studio as a stagehand. However, his situation changes greatly when the directors give him one of the main roles of a new TV show for children. Lukas has to fit into this new and unknown world, meeting all the other actors, all while dealing with his student life. What could possibly go wrong?

Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971/chapters/57259018

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New fanfiction on A Hat In Time ! I hope you're all well and safe in this very hard period.

I had started this fanfiction for a while and I figured that posting it might help to make me write more. I work a lot with motivation/encouragement, so posting it might be one of the best ways to motivate myself.Anyway, I hope you'll like this story! :D

Don't hesitate to leave me a comment/like/reblog if you do, it'll help me a lot!

Happy reading !

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Chapter 1 - “What the absolute fuck?”

Lukas Pryce had seen many strange things in his short life, especially as a college student: people doing incredibly stupid stuff during parties (not that he went to a lot of them), students watching porn in the lecture halls, wandering drunk students in the middle of the night… But this right there? This was way weirder than anything he had ever seen before.

“What the absolute fuck?” thought he young student, as he tried to take in the sight in front of him.

He was standing up in an entrance hall of a famous movie studio, the Dead Bird Movie Studio. To be honest, Lukas never really understood where the name came from and never really thought much about it until more recent events. All he used to know was that they made a lot of stuff, from movies to TV shows, and even musicals! It was strange to think that a single studio could manage such different genres and still doing a good job with them. The student never thought he would ever step in a place like this, but his life had recently taken a route very different than what he expected.

Several persons were running in front of him, most of them carrying fire extinguishers. A fire had apparently started in the middle of a shooting and smoke could be seen through the doors leading to the filming stage. No one was noticing him, as they were all preoccupied with the current situation, and Lukas almost thought about leaving. But he couldn’t, as much as he wanted to.

Being a college student, especially a law student, was hard. In a system where students were in debt and had to pay a lot of things, Lukas couldn’t afford to lose one of the only job opportunities he could get in his two years spent at the university. While he did have nice parents who helped him to fund his studies, he didn’t like the idea of depending too much on them, especially on studies which were quite expensive.

So, yeah, he needed the money too much to consider leaving.

Lukas tried to get closer to the people, hoping to stop someone long enough to know if he should wait and come back later. Well, it did seem like the most reasonable solution, yes, but he had lost too many job positions because of his hesitation. Maybe he would look like a complete idiot, but if it meant he would get this job, then, he didn’t care!

-“Hum, excuse me?” he asked, as he managed to grab a someone’s arm, stopping them from doing whatever people did in case of fire emergencies. It was a blond man in his forties, and he was very much angry from the sudden interruption.

-“What are you doing? Let go of me, there’s a fire in there!”

Lukas tried to get more of him, but the man pulled his arm from the student’s hand, who didn’t really know what to do with himself. It was a bad time to go to this job interview, after all.

“Maybe I should just leave and go back later?” he thought quickly, turning away from the reception desk. He could call the studio later to reschedule the interview. Sure, Lukas never liked phone calls in the first place, but hey, what can you do against a fire emergency? It was better to leave this place, call back later and have another chance next week. Or at least, he hoped so.

However, before he could push the exit door, two voices interrupted him. While most of his surroundings were loud and full of agitation, these voices were even louder, cutting short all of Lukas’s inner monologue. The young student stopped in his tracks and threw a glance behind him, more than curious about what was happening on the other side of the room.

Two figures entered the room, apparently arguing with each other in the most intense way. One was a tall and sturdy black man, while the other was an older and smaller blond man. The former was wearing a set of very excentric clothing, while the latter was wearing a black costume, as well as a black cap on his head, which was hiding his eyes underneath. Both made big gestures with their arms, as they bickered. Something about them felt really familiar to Lukas who, for a brief moment, didn’t understand why. It was only when he heard their voices through the general brouhaha that he remembered: they were the famous directors of the Dead Bird Movie studio!

-“Was it really necessary to have that many sparks in the last scene?!” asked the sturdy man -DJ Grooves-, pointing the smoke coming into the room with both hands.

-“Of course it was!” replied the older one, much louder, stomping his foot on the ground. This was the Conductor. It wasn’t his real name but the old director never accepted to tell his real name to the media. He was mostly known as “The Conductor” and all of his movies were signed this way. Well, so were DJ Grooves’s, but the latter’s real name usually appeared somewhere in the credits.

They had recently started to work together on several projects and, while those became extremely famous blockbusters, it was said the two directors had problems working together in the past. It had seemed to improve through the years, but Lukas remembered reading an article somewhere, dealing with the direction problem on their latest movie at the time. While they were both very competent, they also had very different ideas and visions about movie-making, which made the filming quite difficult sometimes.

The argument kept going despite the agitation around them. In fact, most of the people in the room were avoiding them, by distancing themselves as much as possible from the duo, passing from one side to the room to the others by doing a detour in order not to be noticed.

-“It was? Darling, everything caught fire! I know you like action, but this was way too much!”

-“Pfff, as if you knew the basics of action movies! I know what action scenes need! Mind your own part of the movie, the music!” he said, putting a strong and ironical emphasis on the last word, as if he was mocking it. Which, in retrospect, was probably the case.

-“Excuse me? Conductor, darling, we talked about this: music is as important as action! A movie without any good music is worthless, just as it is without good and measured action!”

The bickering continued for a while and Lukas couldn’t help but stare at the two directors. They didn’t seem to hate each other as much as they did in the past, at least from what he had seen on TV, but it was quite impressive nonetheless. They both had strong personalities and those didn’t mix well together.

Lukas didn’t know what to do. He instinctively opened his shoulder back to take the job poster out of it. It was about a stagehand position, which didn’t need a lot of experience. It demanded to know how to fix set materials and to know how to sew -which he did-, nothing hard, really. What matters was the pay at the end of the month, pay he very much needed for his studies.

He hesitated a moment: should he step in? Most of the people here seemed to avoid them as much as possible, maybe there was a reason for that? However, if he didn’t do anything, he would get back home without any more job than before. What if someone showed up not long after he left and got the job? He didn’t want to take the risk.

Lukas needed that money.

The student took a deep breath and walked towards the two bickering directors, feeling his heart sink in his chest. Not only was he approaching celebrities, but he was also going to interrupt them to ask for a job! In a way, this was an extremely bold move, which contrasted tremendously from his usual behaviour. In any other situation, he would have chosen to leave, not to bother them, try later… But he wanted this job and he was ready to step out of his comfort zone to get it!

He finally arrived next to the two men, who absolutely didn’t notice him in the least, continuing their previous argument about the (un)necessity of using such or such pyrotechnic. Lukas felt eyes land on him: some workers seemed to notice his intent of interrupting the two directors and silently shook their head in his direction, telling him to give up, that he would end up regretting doing it eventually.

But the student didn’t listen. Instead, he cleared his throat, first once, then twice, this time a bit louder. The two directors immediately stopped talking and turned in his direction, surprised by the sudden interruption.

-“Hum… Excuse me, I- I saw that you were looking for a stagehand and I‌ came for the interview,” he started, unsure. Lukas wasn’t afraid to approach people, usually. But this wasn’t a usual situation: he was facing two famous movie directors! And interrupting them in an argument during a fire emergency!

… Suddenly, the whole thing didn’t seem like a good idea anymore.

The two men were now staring at him, probably not knowing how to answer. Lukas felt very nervous, being stared at that way. He felt like they were examining him from top to bottom, as if he was just an object.

All of a sudden, the Conductor let out a huge sigh and, still very much angry, quickly grabbed one of the fire extinguishers from someone’s hand. He then pushed it violently in the student’s arms:

-“You know what, fine, you’re hired!” said the old director curtly, before turning away to leave like a sulking child: “Go put out the fires with the others!”

Lukas remained unmoving, too shocked to react right away. Next to him, DJ Grooves let out a tired sigh, maybe because he was used to that kind of things. When the Conductor noticed Lukas’s non-reaction, he stomped his foot once again and pointed to the room from which came the smoke :

-“Now!”

Lukas jumped at the harsh order and turned to the stage room as fast as he could, extremely confused by what had just happened. Did he just… Get the job? That easily? There had to be a catch somewhere!

But here he was, passing through the door, only to find something on fire in the middle of the stage, surrounded by several people trying to put the fire out. Without thinking much, the student ran to meet them, almost falling down because of the weight of the fire extinguishers. No one seemed to notice him as they were all focused on the danger in front of them.

Lukas then joined their effort, disabling the safety lock on the device before spraying the fire.

Surely, this was just an exception… The working conditions weren’t going to be any weirder, were they? Lukas felt doubt growing in him, as the flames became weaker and weaker as seconds passed.

What did he get himself into?

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End of the first chapter ! I hope you enjoyed it ! :D

Chapter two is still a WIP at the moment, but that might change in the near future! My other fanfiction, Reliving An Old Nightmare, is my current priority, but I might continue this one if I'm in need of change! 

Thank you for reading !

Chapter 2 =>

[winterandiron]

Bruised.

Summary: In which Peter gets beat up by some school bullies and next thing he knows his suit it's flying him to the avengers compound.

A/N: I posted this on AO3 last year but figured It wouldn’t hurt to have it here too. As always, english it's my second language so beware of possible grammar mistakes.

It’s always been there... the comments. No matter how low they got everyone seem to get a kick of them, they would have a laugh and get back to their regular business. But Peter had to carry them through the day, as a remainder that his life was incomplete, sure he was more than grateful for May and everything she did to take care of a child that wasn’t even hers, had she said no to take responsibility of Peter back when his parents had died who knows where he could have end up with how child services and the foster care system was these days.

But that didn’t make it easier, sadly.

“I would tell you to hire someone to pretend to be your mom, Parker, but not only are you an orphan, you’re also poor”

“Your parents are probably glad they died so they wouldn’t have to see what a loser their son is”

“Too bad your aunt got stuck with you, she probably doesn’t even want you either, Peter”

It was a daily issue and as it was telling himself he was used to it after years of enduring the verbal attacks but sometimes the things some of his classmates said to him hurt, it made him wonder if some of it was true. And then things started to scale.

The first time that happened he was shoved into the lockers on the hallway, then someone pushed him when he was on his way out of class which resulted on a bruised cheek after he went face first into the floor, then on and on. May would always ask but Peter had made himself a reputation as a clumsy person so when he said he hit himself with the lab door on his way out she would just let out a sigh and put some numbing cream on it.

Ever since the spider incident things were getting even more difficult for him. Not only did he had to silently take the nasty things they would say and the punches but he had to control himself not to punch back, no matter how much he wanted to, cuz if loses it and throws Flash through a wall someone will figure out something it’s wrong with him and next thing he knows he’s on a lab in the middle of nowhere and the government it’s examining his insides. In all honesty, he would rather not.

So there he was, on the side of his own public school, surrounded by four kids his own age that were so full of rage they found no way of letting it out other than on his face.

“Guys, can we not do this today?” He whispered, knowing there was no getting out of it. “Oh, I’m sorry it’s not convenient for you right now? Would you like to reschedule it?” Flash mocked him.

The guy next to him gave the first hit, right on his jaw, making the sharp pain run all the way to the back of his neck in a cool string.

“Why don’t you call Iron Man? Since you’re such good friends with him?” They all laughed.

Yeah, because he was going to call Mr. Stark over some bullies.

The pain rapidly started to run all over his body; his ribs, his stomach, his back. The taste of blood was way too familiar, not only from the beatings at school but also his spider-costumed adventures he went in every now and then. Peter could only tightened his fist and grunt both from the punches he was taking and all the strength it was taking him to not kick them back to their asses. Thoughts about his aunt who had enough trying to put food on his plate and raising him a good man to also had to deal him him being a superhero filled him, she didn’t need that. Ned could also he drag into it, and God know how much bad press Tony would take if they found out he recruited him at such a young age, they wouldn’t understand how much Mr. Stark had helped him get through the whole superhero thing and he already had many targets on his back, Peter would not help put another on it.

So he took it, all the hits, every punch and kick and when they were done Peter would go on with his life.

X

“Boss” The voice seemed to be far away, he was probably dreaming either way. “Boss” Or maybe not.

He whined at the pain on is neck, sleeping on top on his working table probably wasn’t his brightest idea.

“I hope you have a good reason to wake me up or you’ll end up with Dum-e on that community college.” He murmured. “I’m sorry to wake you, Sir, but an alarm just went off on the training wheels protocol.”

That was enough to wake him up.

“Where is he?” He questioned, his back shooting straight. “He’s on an alley three blocks away from his school” The AI informed. “Ok, what's wrong?” He was already on his way upstairs. “It appears one of his ribs it’s broken, his jaw might have a minor fracture and there’s some internal bleeding. Karen advised medical attention but Peter refuses to go to the hospital, Sir.”

Oh, God that kid was as stubborn as a mule.

“That’s it. Lock the suit, Friday, bring him home.” He spoke at the same time he was calling the medical wing to make sure there was a doctor there when the kid arrived.

About ten minutes later he walked outside into the green area that surrounded the compound just in time to see the Iron Spider suit fly it’s way to him with a very confused Peter Parker inside.

“Mr. Stark!? I-I… What? The suit just started flying and it wouldn’t let me move, when did you put repulsors on this thing?” The kids was way higher than usual when his mask faded back and his signature ramble came out.

Tony was taken aback by the state Peter was in; one of his eyes was swollen, there was blood running from his left eyebrow down his face, a bruise was starting to show it’s color on his jaw and more blood was coming off his parted lip. He was wrecked.

“What happened, Peter?” The question came out as a growl. “N-Nothing, just a run in with some bad guys on a dark alley, Sir. I had the flu last week and I’ve been kinda weak but I think I’m going to take it a little slower for a couple of days-” “Kid, I’m giving you an opportunity to come clean” He interrupted him. “But I could very well have Friday find some security footage of the whole thing, so either you tell me or I figure it out myself” “Mr. Stark there’s-” “We’ve been here, Pete. Last time you went behind my back things didn’t end well.” He let out a sigh. “This isn’t that, Sir, I swear.” The kid hurried to explain. “So… tell me what it is, because if you think I’m buying the bad guys on a dark alley at 3pm thing then you have something else your way.”

Tony was pissed but not necessarily at Peter, he was mad about the kid being hurt. He thought that by monitoring him and giving him a more advanced suit he could help Peter be more safe when he was swinging around New York, but what if he was just making it easier for the child put himself on danger?

“Come on, let’s get you checked out and then we can talk. Karen unlock the suit.” As soon as his orders were followed he had to run help Peter stay on his feet. “You can’t even stand, Spider Man.”

He guided him to the compound with one arm carefully wrapped around his hips so he wouldn’t hurt his broken rib.

X

“The internal bleeding it’s already slowing down on it’s own, I gave him some strong painkillers ‘cuz he’s going to need them later but his healing process seems to be accelerated just like his metabolism so there’s really not much to do anymore.” The head of medical at the compound informed him.

“Thanks, Doc.” Tony padded his arm and saw him leave his lab.

He walked to Peter, who was sitting on a stool with his stare lose somewhere near his bots, and handed him a glass of iced water.

“Here, you might need this.” The kid took a long gulp but keep his eyes away from Tony.

There were two butterfly closures on his eyebrow and the bruise on his jaw seemed bigger now that the purple was getting darker.

“Peter, I just want you to be safe, Kid. Broken bones and bleeding insides it’s not safe, I don’t care how fast you can heal.” He began explaining. “I-I just don’t want to bother anyone with these stuff.” He offered but Tony could barely hear him. “This is not a burden, this is your safety which makes it priority number one for me, for May and it should be for yourself too” He kept his voice as soothing as possible because he wanted to school the boy but Peter had had enough for a day. “Who did this to you, Kid?” The question rolled out softly.

Peter eyes started to water, it was clear on his face that he had been carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders and Tony wanted to take off of him because nobody should be dealing with such things so young in life.

“There’s… there’s some guys at the school…” His voice stuttered. “You’re being bullied?” He got a nod for an answer. “An this is new or…?”

Peter’s eyes lowered again and that’s all he needed to put two and two together, suddenly Tony had the urge to comfort him, to take care of it all so the kid didn’t have to go through anymore shit. His hand brushed Peter’s dark locks of hair back, the kid went rigid for a second at the unfamiliar feeling of Tony’s gentle touch. Physical affection wasn’t the billionaire's forte but it felt right to pull Peter’s head close to his chest to plant a kiss at the top of it, the muscles of his back relaxing under his hand as he run it up and down through it slowly.

“Fighting crime will never be more important than your safety, Peter, and if I have to face a bunch of sixteen years old kids to ensure it, including you, then so be it.” He concluded.

Anthony Stark had seen his fair share of things -he’d been to space for fuck’s sake- and yet here is this kid who takes away his breath with just how selfless he could be. He manage to keep his abilities a secret (even from his best friend) and decided to use them for the greater good, not caring that it meant putting his own life on the line and when he faced trouble as Peter Parker and not Spider Man he took it like any defenseless teenager would because using his newfound strength could only get him on a worse predicament and his loved ones could be drag into it too. The kid was hands down the best person he had come across in all his years walking around this blue earth and even if he didn’t knew the first thing about taking care of someone other than himself, he would learn and he would keep Peter safe even if it was the last thing he did because that child deserved someone to fight for him as hard as he was fighting for everyone else.

Peter was breathing deeply, the pain was still very much present but he was more relaxed and maybe it was the painkillers or maybe it was Mr. Stark comforting touch but he was confident on the fact that he wouldn’t have to deal with Flash or any of his minions anymore because Tony said he’d take care of it and Peter believed him, so he fell into the darkness with ease knowing that after all he got someone looking out for him.

And when you know Iron Man has your back, you sleep like a baby.

_______

Hope you guys enjoyed, sorry for my poor grammar and as always feedback it’s appreciated!

[editorialsonlife]

hello tumblr world its been a while since there’s been a proper update here so prepare for a dump and a half my friends because the last few weeks have been a fun trip (and that’s not even including the bloody US elections OMG)

we went to hawkes bay, so that was a good time. NOT. we turned up late because we slept in which was a great time. and also very fortuante because we arrived and no one came out to say hello which is terrible weird. So we start unloading the car and walking to the door and paul eventually emerged and was like, oh your mother’s just taking a nap we’re a bit tired. we only got home from the hospital an hour ago’. alaring for several reasons. 

the last couple of times this has happened, dave’s grandma died, his grandfather died, paul was in hospital for a suspected heart attack, paul had a heart attack & was flown to wellington for emergency surgery. let alone all the other family dramas in the intervening times. 

so it turns out that she threw her back out badly, fell over, and ended up in hospital when they couldn’t get on top of the pain with their sizable drug haul (pharmacist families man). didn’t think to text or call or give us a heads up in any way. when I asked why they wouldn’t text the response was, and I quote “Well she wasn’t dying so we didn’t think it was important’. like, fucking wow bitches. 

She couldn’t move without crying and groaning like she was in labour, she couldn’t move without a walker, she was on morphine, coedine, steroids and antiinflammatories, and still fucking miserable. 

poor dave was so stressed out. it was actually just a fucking horrible weekend. a) seeing another human in that much pain who utterly refused to do anything about it and still is

b) not being told the full story about whats going on, although I did read her medical discharge notes when they were both asleep 

c) seeing poor fucking dave stressed to shit because who the fuck knows whats going on and that’s his mum hes watching in so much pain. 

it was fucking horrible. never again. and walking into it with no warning was just the shittest thing of all. 

I was so fucking angry when we got home. like, ridiculous. I’m still raging tbh. guess who’s place we’re not going to for christmas?? 

So that was our five days of leave, and our holiday, once again shat all over (at least it wasn’t covid this time?!?)

got home on monday evening and went to send an email to work to be like hey homies not showing up tomorrow, need a day to recover to find out I had a client meeting at 830 the next morning I had to attend which was so  hard to get through. here, let’s pitch for 80k of work which isn’t going to solve any of your problems? why not. it makes me so mad. SO MAD. 

rolled through that and our team meeting and a colleague was like how are you doing? just about burst into tears so I peaced out of there. turned up to counselling on thursday, didnt even make it into the room and anne was like, you seem angry? I was like, mmmmm no, don’t think angry quite covers it mate. so that was great. 

got to last weekend, was meant to be meeting friends for brunch but there was a massive crash on the motorway so we ended up driving somewhere else which was an hour each way so that basically ruined the day but it was a lovely brunch anyway, had a great time. best smashed avo and lots of cuddles with little miss izz who is not so little anymore but so gorgeous!! Had a great day on sunday, finished off a bunch of work (yes, work is insanely busy right now, such fun, will be working again this weeked), got heaps of planting done, mowed the lawns, hung my artwork, finally felt like I was back on a happy even keel (fuck life is nice not having permanent anxiety) only to be sitting in a meeting on monday afternoon to find out homegrown is on the same day as our wedding. the second wedding since the first one was cancelled. 

I pretty much just lost my shit. honestly. why is it so fucking hard to just organise something to celebrate being married. legit feel like the universe is just fucking with us at the moment and like, did we even make the right decision doing all of this? because every time we try and do something it gets fucked over and its v stressful. and yes i know we’re lucky to be covid free and be able to plan these safely and everything else but like, honestly. I’m so over it. every holiday this year has been fucked over, the wedding was done, the family reaction was so shit, like, its just ridiculous. the worst part was I came home in rage mode and dave came home in problem solving mode and was like, we can fix this and like, yeah, i know we can, but like, I’m fucking sick of making do. It’s meant to be one of the best days of our lives, and we’re already onto plan fucking c for it, and just like, I’m done with it? I’m just done. I cannot be assed. I don’t want to email everyone, I don’t want to reschedule all this shit, I don’t want to reorganise all my hair appointments, I don’t want to have to worry about the weather and rebooking it all and dealing with all this fucking shit. I’m so done. I’ve done it twice already I don’t want to do it again. RAGE. anyway. survived monday night, the week did not get any better, work got worse, and the PMS hit fucking hard yesterday. cried before work, cried at the stupid 8am meeting, cried turning up to anne and was like, I have an hour to get this all out of my system before client meetings in the afternoon. 

and hot damn, god bless best friends, because bish messaged me and was like, lets do lunch homie, so we went to the botanic gardens and sat there and had the most insane conveersation ranking the best flavours of shapes, then biscuits, then crackers. and honestly, it was the pointless, best, most lighthearted discussion and everything I needed and I love her so much. 

all I can say now is thank fucking god it’s friday, and its the weekend, and we have zero plans beyond going to mitre 10. I’m gunna order all my christmas presents online this weekend adn get that out of the way. need to do a couple of laods of washing, hopefully only like 6 hours of work, but like, it’s gunna be chill. and I’m v relieved. 

she’s been a bit of a nightmare. 

HOWEVER

despite all this complaining, looking back on where I was a year ago, like fuck me i am in so much of a better place mentally and life is just so much better. I’m so relieved. and period binge aside, physically I’m getting better too so I’m gunna take it all as a massive win. week in adn week out its been a grind, and it’s been uncomfortable and hard and horrible at times but man, coming out the other side is such a relief. having capacity to do things like supporting a friend through her current nightmare and managing dave and dealing with all the work stress makes such a fucking difference honestly. it’s also nice to feel like I can manage myself better so I can look after everyone else better too. 

Feeling v grateful for this little life of mine, and the people in it, and for being in this little corner of the world. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I am so so so so so grateful for it. 

[crazy-bi-btch]

You Hurt Me ( Sweet Pea X Reader)

Summary: Y/N feels like the connection she and her boyfriend had has somehow disappeared just like he is from her life. She has to decide if she’s better off invisible or finally disappear 

Warnings: Angst?!? Some smut of course!!! Soft pea

Word count: 3.6k

A/n: thank you so much for being patient guys!? This took me a while bc I’ve been really busy! Also ima try to finish all my request before Monday since I start school soon! But I hope you like this one!? Request per @saltyturtlejudgepurse (some grammar and punctuation errors)

You were mad. Confused. Frustrated. This was the 2nd time pea had canceled on your plans. The first time was a decent excuse.

You waited patiently at pops in your usual booth. Pea had told you to meet up at 6 pm their so you guys could eat before he went back to work the serpents. He did seem pretty busy with them recently.You had planned a little something special for him, you had bought that cute lingerie set from VS and well you had realized how long it was since Pea and you were intimate. So you decided it was a great idea to wear it under your short tan skirt and white blouse.

So you sat there, at 6 pm, and waited 20 minutes then 30 minutes. You texted him furiously.

Y/N: Where r u???

Pea: Babe I’m sorry! Reschedule, got caught up longer than we anticipated

You left him on reading, tears ready to run down your flustered cheeks. You got up and walked out into the chilly night and drove home.

The second time he tried to reschedule was meant to be at his trailer. You were jumping up in joy when he told you it would be at his home. You had dressed in a maroon lace and pulled on a casual black wrap-around dress. You look yourself in the mirror, “I look hot as fuck!” I laughed to myself as I grabbed my keys and made my way to pea’s trailer. On the way there you felt distracted the heat between your legs growing as the thoughts of Pea’s hands on your body, his lips that you craved. Thank god you were 2 minutes away. As you make your way up the stairs you knocked twice with no answer. You huffed agitated and called Pea.

He’s probably asleep

Ring ring ring

“Hello?”

“ babe! Hey, what’s up?” You could hear his questioning voice. It made your blood boil.

“ What’s up? I’m outside your door? Where are you!” I yelled furious that he forgot.

“ holy- it was today? Oh, shit baby, I’m so sorry the boys invited me along to some drinks since we had a rough couple of -“ you were extremely angry, stomping your way to your car as you acted as you listened to his nervous ramble.

“ Sweet Pea GO FUCK YOURSELF?!” You screamed into the phone and hung up. You threw your phone at the passenger seat, sobs choking you up. You had been craving sweet pea’s affection and just support. You wanted your boyfriend back. Your phone was blowing up as you drove back home, of course of Pea. You decided to turn your phone off, you need to be alone for a bit and process everything, to make clear decisions.

You tried remembering the last time you kissed him. The thought of his lips on yours almost felt faint and like a ghost. The last time he hugged you close and you nuzzled into his chest. Your heart ached as you realized, “ how did it get this bad?”

the slight touch of his hands on your arm as he passed by you in the hallways at school

The soothing sound of his voice as he told you he would “ see you later”

The forehead kisses as he left you.

~

That night Y/N cried herself to sleep as she realized that maybe her happy ever after with Sweet Pea would end. His lifestyle has changed to the point it has affected their relationship and Pea didn’t even realize it. He was so preoccupied with serpent business that he put his only support system aside. As the sun rises Y/N woke up to the miserable feeling of having to see Sweet Pea at school. Her eyes red, swollen, and tired. No matter how much concealer she layered you could see the sadness wearing her out. You walked into school hoodie up, headphones in, you just wanted to get to 1st period without having question being thrown at me. You didn’t want to speak to Pea or even look at him. You had made your decision. If he wasn’t going to be there for you anymore, what was the point then? You were preparing yourself to end it. Suddenly you were yanked to the side, knocking your headphones out.

You met Toni’s confused expression, “ hey? What happened you’ve been MIA all day!”

“ my phone died.” I lied

“ Your phone.. Died? What is this the 19th century, you always carry your portable charger.” She stated matter-a-factly. You wanted to spill your emotions and feelings to her. Toni realized something was wrong once her friend sighed and looked at the ground.

“ What aren’t you telling me?” she implied, I couldn’t look at her or I would sob all over her and I didn’t need that attention right now. “ Please.” She whispered her hand on my arm.

“ I’m sorry.” I mumbled and walked past her leaving her concerned.

Just as I made my way up the stairs to my class I saw him. He stood tall and proud, right next to the entrance of my classroom door. His face seemed tight almost pissed. His arms crossed, the red flannel tight around his arms. His eyes wandered through the sea of students of Riverdale high.

“ Hey Y/N.” Reggie spooked me, I clutched onto my chest and Reggie stood their chuckling.

“ shit reg.” I cursed putting my attention on him, Reggie and I sit next to each other in the the 1st period. Recently since Sweat Pea and Jug had serpent business that meant I didn’t have someone to walk me to class, and since me and reg got along he decided to look after me.

“ Why are you waiting here? Let's get to class.” He ushered me but my eyes searched for Sweet pea who is still there waiting. Reggie followed my gaze and saw him.

“ Um.. did something happen?” He mumbled and walked back closer to me, my eyes filled up in tears as I remembered what happened.

Reggie pulled me into a hug, “ Hey don’t cry…” He cooed, I nodded softly but settled into his chest. Just like I use to with sweet pea. The bell rang as it signaled class has started. Students ran to and fro trying to avoid a tardy. The bell made me pry away from him. I was ready to do the hardest decision of my life. Reggie turned around to see me pass the classroom and past Pea who was obviously not looking to well since I tried to pass as quickly as possible.

But I was too slow.

“ Hey Y/n!” I heard him yelling , making me flinch and walk faster. As I tried getting away from him my eyes squinted as my thoughts ran quick just as my feet. Shoving who whoever was in my way. Then for the first time in a while, I felt a strong grip on my arm right above my elbow pulling me back, I recognized his hand immediately, his rings digging into my hoodie.

“ Why are you avoiding me?” He groaned angrily trying to look into my eyes but I refused looking at him.

“ Let me go.” I spat pry my arm away with no relief. It only made him even more mad. With his strength he pulled me up close, forcing me to look at him, both of his hands around my upper arms. I squealed as his sudden movement startled me.

“ Look at me.” He mumbled annoyed, I easily fell for his command, their i was looking into his dark eyes, the force and touch was enough for my body which had craved him for a while.

“ What the fuck is wrong-”

“ What the fuck is wrong? You want to know? Now? Go. to. Hell.” I snarled in his face, and began attempting to squirm away from him. My blood boiled, face flushed. While sweet pea felt hurt and insulted, and furious.

He shook me in anger, “ Y/N if you don’t tell me know-”

“ LET ME GO. YOU DON’T WANT ME I DON’T EITHER, ITS OVER!” I screamed in his face slapping his chest, those words gave him enough to let you go, he stood frozen with a frown on his face. I huffed rubbing my arms, and glanced at him. It was enough to make my anger disappear.

“ What?” He croaked, I fidgeted with my fingers and convinced myself to repeat myself to keep my ground. I deserved better right? But I missed him, I wanted him to hold me again. To kiss me. I couldn’t deal with this.

“ Pea I-” I started but when I saw his sad eyes and just seeing him, it made me feel like I had it all, my world was pea. Soft sobs came from me as I watched him process. “ I missed you- I NEEDED YOU, I WANTED MY BOYFRIEND!” I accused voice cracking fingers deep into his chest in frustration. His expression said everything, guilt.

“ So you can’t ask me don’t you dare ask me what is wrong with me, because-” I wiped my eyes, my vision became blurry by the minute. “ I never see you, I never can touch you anymore, how can I love someone who isn’t their?” This was the first time I saw Pea cry. It was breathtaking to say the least. His hands going through his hair trying to hide his face from me.

“ I’m sorry… shit I knew it… I fucking knew it, I was going to fuck this up!” He cried punching the lockers next to me in fury, making me flinch and sob, I wanted to hold him tell him to forget everything. I wanted to forgive him. But it hurt to much to forget.

Pea dropped to his knees and hugged my legs, crying he begged, “ Please… I’m sorry I fucked up…. I love you don’t leave me, your the best thing that happened to me.” I held in my tears and touched his head on last time.

“ I’m sorry.” I whispered as I unwrapped his arms from me, and walked away from a crying Pea.

~

It had been officially a week since I broke up with Pea, and it felt like forever. Toni had stopped by everyday to make sure I was okay. Also to convince me to rethink my decision on ending it with Pea. She had advised me that breaking up with Cheryl only made her realized how much she actually needed and loved her, and she said the makeup sex was amazing. Which made me laugh of course.

Pea wasn’t doing so well, he had completely shut down on everyone. Blamed jughead and the serpents for his misery, but of course FP sat with him told him the real reasons why. It somewhat helped but still it was hard to sleep and eat. He drank a lot and mostly alone in his room zoning out. Fangs apparently is tired of hearing his friend cry at night when he thinks he’s asleep. 

Deep down I was doing horrible too but you kept yourself busy. I caught up on reading and studying, shopping by myself. I decided to return the lingerie that I bought but it was still painful to even open the nice bag it came in.

“ Please take him back.” Toni pleaded as she was ready to leave. I looked up at her, actually pondering. She hugged me before opening the door, “ Just think about it.” with that she was gone. I slumped into my couch, watching as the sun set through the screen door. I decided to put on a movie to keep my mind focused on the movie and nothing else. It seemed like the universe was sending sign in the weirdest way, having to pick a movie right after a break up - worst decision. I went with the notebook. Halfway through the movie I heard knocking at the door. I paused it to get to the peephole.

“ Y/N!” Sweet pea pounded on the door. I gasped as I felt the door shake. Was he drunk? Was he here to yell at me? So many thoughts ran as I stared at the only thing keeping us apart.

“ Open up please!” He begged with a tremble in his voice, it sent a pain in my heart. Maybe Toni was right. I needed Pea, just as much as I needed him. “ baby.” He whimpered against the door. I set my forehead on the door eyes closed, deep down I prayed he would leave so I didn’t feel this guilt. He sounded vulnerable and broken, and I couldn’t take it.

“ I miss you… I still love you.” He sobbed as he kept knocking on my door. The stains on my cheeks said it all, I love him and god he seems so distraught from my actions. Suddenly the knocking was over and the presence on the other side seemed nonexistent. My breath was stuck in my throat as I realized, he left.

My hands instantly whipped open my door and their he was sitting on the ground where it seemed he was leaning against my door. My hands flew to my mouth in order to control myself. My heart beat increasing by the second.

Pea was on his feet instantly staring at his tired and emotional ex-girlfriend. All of a sudden he couldn’t speak. His thoughts running to fast for him to comprehend or say. His breathing heavy and panting.

I saw the dark under eyes ,and sickly pale skin in his use to be tan skin, his knuckles scarred in scabs from punching in a rage. Hair sticking to his forehead and his puffy eyes looking for any sign of forgiveness.

“ I-” He started to say eyes slightly squinted, my hand dropped down and looked pea dead in the eyes, filled with love and want.

“ I made a mistake.” I whimpered softly, his eyes went wide. “ I love you and it’s killing me Pea. Please don’t ever leave me.” I confessed as I yanked pea’s frozen body towards the entrance of the house. Our bodies inches away. Breath hitting each other’s face as we stared at each other. Admiring our flaws which seemed like a piece of art they could watch all day everyday.

“ Forgive me.” He breathed hands inching its way up my arms slowly leaving a trail of goosebumps, and up to cup my cheek. My eyes closed and leaned into his touch, I needed this for so long, his touch and love. “ Love me like you used to love me.” I sighed.

Pea’s heart broke as he heard her say those words. He was so selfish for letting this get so out of hand. He loved her so much yet he ignored the fact that love was also shown in intimacy and affection.

“ I promise I will do better I will-” My mouth immediately on his, a whimper escaping me as I felt the similar taste of him, the taste I've been craving since the day he became distant. Our bodies constantly colliding, my hands deep into his hair taking in the feeling of dried up gel under my nails and finger pads. Pea’s hands wrapped around my torso like I would disappear any moment and he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t go anywhere. The thought popped into your head ‘ You should take control since I mean you did get your heart broken’. It was risky but I knew it was needed. My hands moved down to unwrap his hands from me, which Pea groaned about into the heated make-out session. Grabbing both his wrist in each hand and placing them against the wall behind him. It shook Pea to the core that he broke the kiss.

“ What-” He started eye wide, lips bright red from the assault.

“ My rules tonight.” I whispered before giggling and running upstairs to my room waiting to hear the patter of Sweet Pea’s steps.

our embrace once again colliding as his strong arms wrapped around me and unwrapped in anticipation to rip my clothes off. My eyes closed in bliss as I felt his aggression through his movements. His lips like honey on my neck, making me moan and groan, fingers prying instantly at his jacket and shirt. I pushed him off and straight towards the bed were he plopped down with a huff. I quickly crawled over him pinning his hands above him.

He groaned loudly in annoyance, ”baby!” with the unknown courage hidden in me I spoke in a seductive voice.

” you heard me, I'm in control, ” I tsked going to the drawer and pulling out the handcuffs he got me, he used them in me once but I think it's his turn to try them out. He whined as I clipped them around his wrists, and to the dashboard.

My eyes looking deep into his as I crawled down hands slipping my shirt off to show my bare chest, pulling the loose sweatpants off leaving me sitting right above his jean covered erection. The cuffs clanked as he groaned and hissed at the teasing.

“ I swear to god.” He huffs out somewhat out of breath already. I smirked softly enjoy his embarrassed and frustrated state. Wiggling my hips against earning a whine just to rile him up more. Deep down I needed this, badly. Suddenly the burning feeling in my thong was enough to have my lips and tongue on his and hands fondling with his belt to liberate him.

” please. I will do anything.” he grunted almost in pleasurable pain as my palm dragged up against his member.

” anything ” I mumbled against his lips, his face shook as if to say yes. I yanked down the remaining clothing and let my hand around him earning a sigh and growl.

” But you don't deserve it.” I whispered then something in him clicked into beast mode because his hands yanked and clanked his hips rutting upwards looking for any friction. I sat upward hands on his heaving chest watching in disbelief, who knew I would have the baddest boy of riverdale wrapped around my finger begging for me?

” beg.”

”never!” he spat in anger, my hand inched its way to my thong and straight to where I craved it.

” what are you doing…” he trailed off eyes wide.

” well since you’re tied up, not willing to follow the rules I got to take matters into my own hands.”

My eyes closing as my fingers rubbed the right place whimpers and cries pouring out leaving Pea in a horrible state.

” OKAY OKAY PLEASE PLEASE LET ME FUCK YOU, BABY, PLEASE.” he cried out once again his hips buckled. Our mouths once again together and letting my hand guiding him in me as I pushed aside my red thong. His hips instantly shoved up sending an electrical wave through me almost knocking me out.

” oh, my PEA!” I cried out fingers scratching his chest as his face scrunched in concentration as he thrusted upwards. I went ahead and clicked the latch that kept the cuffs locked sending Pea in a frenzy. He threw the cuffs somewhere and wrapped his arms around me his upper body meeting mine our lips clashing as I wrapping my legs around his back hitting the spot instantly deep in me. I gasped against him as my hips met his.

“ PEA fuck fuck, harder please.” I cried in pleaser, his hot breath against my neck.

“ now look who’s begging.” He chuckled darkly his hand wrapping around my hair yanking it back softly leaving more access to my neck. “ shit baby I can’t believe I left you so lonely, god I forgot how this felt.”

“ shut up and fuck me!” I groaned, he hastily switched our position, my back on the mattress and the pillows around me.

” I'm so close please ahh” I cried out fisting the sheets as Pea began his quick and bruising pace.

“ Pea touch me.” I guided his hand to bundle of nerves that pleaded to be touched by someone beside myself.

God Pea loved seeing you guide him to touch your most sensitive area, the way you’re face scrunched up in pleasure his name falling out of your lips in a prayer. His thumb quick to flick and rub you right.

Your back arching and a scream erupting followed by the pumping feeling of your walls around Pea signaled him you were so close.

“ Fuck baby, cmon.”

“ I’m- oh my mmmm” incoherencies left my lips as my legs twitched, hands fisting till my knuckles turned white, and eyes closed shut. A load loan left Sweet Pea as he buried his face in my neck.

I laid their trying to catch my breath. My eyes finally opening to see Pea still in me. It almost didn’t feel real. That he was here.

“ I missed you so much.” I whimpered as silent tears fell, instantly getting Pea’s attention, his tender hands around my face.

“ Aw baby don’t cry, I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I love you.” His brown dopey eyes comforting me. I nodded in agreement and held him close.

“ you know we need to do that more often you are crazy hot when you’re in charge.” He mumbled against my hair.

I laughed in amusement,” You just do that to me.”

“ Yeah you fucking tease.” He sassed back.

[noonawriter]

Delicious Rendezvous

WORD COUNT: 4638

WARNINGS: flashbacks to torture, shameless flirting, over-worked and stressed main character

DELICIOUS RENDEZVOUS

Chapter 4

“Bad news,” Siwon said as soon as he was in earshot of Heechul. “Our contact in 223 has been transferred and is locked out of the local system here.” He bit his lip, a rare slip of control. “As I’m sure you know, we’re cutting it too close to develop a new one just yet.” His first creation walked up to him with a look of hesitation on his face.

No mystery as to why.

Back when the terror of it was fresh, Siwon informed Heechul of a raid that had occurred a decade ago and how badly it had ended. The whole thing played like a movie reel of memories and fears. It wasn’t the sex work that sank them that time - no one runs that kind of operation without a contingency plan. No, it was who was doing it that led to tragedy.

Several of the employees ended up in a specialized prison only to be slowly tortured to death because supernatural creatures weren’t known then... And groups of humans have the capacity to do terrible things when they’re afraid of the unknown. Ingenuity, put to exactly the wrong purpose. What little inside data could be gleaned was... It was... Unspeakable, to this day.

Heechul considered giving him a moment of comforting touch, but it would be crass to make it so very evident that his right-hand man’s thoughts were left entirely unlocked. They sure as hell didn’t have time for a fight, either.

Not a creature anywhere didn’t hear about that disaster. The Council exploited those fears, the prejudices borne of it, but for the rest of the community, lacking that level of power... Whatever there was where Heechul’s stomach used to be turned just the same way at being bombarded with it all over again, shrunk into a few nauseating seconds. If his hair could still stand on end, it would. Even the humans that supported that establishment had been fined so heavily that they were out on the streets, and then... disappeared. Maybe to the same place. Who knows? Siwon visibly winced at that last thought, but forced that idea to the side. There were days that his confidence that his master would never let anyone harm him or their brethren was all that allowed the leader to make it happen.

Yet, sometimes, Heechul really wished Siwon had more magic potential. This was one of the rare moments where he’d very much like to be able to not hear these thoughts. Keeping his hands from ripping his own hair out was as much as he could manage here, arms stiff at his sides. Was he even capable of crying anymore? Did he have what it would take to stop a repeat of such horrors between his very own walls?

It was all too much. Too much. Heechul had to set it all aside too. Rather than comfort, he ended up having to tap Siwon’s cheek just to bring him back to the present.

“Sorry,” he mumbled with a shake of his head. ”I remembered it again.” That raid was the last time Siwon tried working for anyone else, is the only other thing he would say about it out loud. He broadcast the rest louder than an echo in a cave, though, he just didn’t know he was - right to Heechul like an open book, at least. Not a hint of a side gig since.

The grass only looks greener, as it were.

Finally, that portion of mental agony was over, tucked away back in its box. Upon realizing the massive amount of work that their contact being pulled out from under them meant, Heechul’s shoulders slumped. There was too much weight upon them.

However, he only allowed himself those two seconds of self-pity before squaring them back up. “Shit. That means there’ll still be a raid tomorrow night.” He checked, unwittingly holding his breath, but couldn’t get much detail. “That only gives us about a day and a half.” He counted off on his fingers as he called out instructions. “We need to put up glamour and force barriers on the rooms, make excuses, reschedule appointments, make sure all my kids have somewhere to stay for the night..."

A groan slipped out. But only one. How he dreaded this last part. “I’ll have to handle the backstage regulars. They would feel slighted if informed through an intermediary.”

While he was appreciative of his higher-paying customers in that they kept the show running, literally and otherwise, they always looked down their noses at him when complications came up. Fuck, he felt a headache coming on already. He pinched the spot just above the bridge of his nose. He’d have to add on the promises of a free service to make sure they kept silent about where they went and who ran the show - and he hated burdening his kids like that.

Hated it with everything in him, but the alternative was worse. He’s not risking any kind of prison cell for anyone.

“Of course, Master. I’ll initiate the protocol and distribute the workload immediately.” A floating schedule appeared next to Siwon, its constituent lines made of light if light could be smoke.

“Thank you. Time for me to get to my part of the work as well.” Heechul watches as Siwon carefully inspects the list and moves to assign each task. He stretches his arms out wide, a satisfying crack sounding in response, as he rotates his neck and searches his mind for where Alyssa is and what she’s doing. He needs her now more than ever. 

While her training had, of course, been intended to prepare her for bigger and better things, he needed that untapped power she was sitting on to pull this off on such short notice. It felt as though he had more to hide this time, more at stake, when in reality, the only new addition to the club was his little witch. A flush took over his cheeks quickly. He’d not felt the need to protect anyone quite so strongly since he’d made Siwon. “Stupid sex magic. Everything is amplified.”

He tried to sound mad about it, but inside, even if only to himself, he had to admit that he was more amazed at just how much change the ritual had wrought in the first place. He also decided then and there that he would not perform any sex magic with another person, ever.

Definitely not if it turned out like this. He didn’t want this with anyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No better way to learn, Heechul had insisted, than throwing you in to help with glamouring the back rooms to look like cramped offices and storage space. Everything was tightly coordinated - regimented, even, which was surprising to see in a place usually so loosely and chaotically run. Time constraints would do that, you supposed.

He rattled off instructions and even showed you exactly what you needed to do and say, but your brain was foggy with all the veins of magic flowing through the club. There was an anxiety running through the employees that you couldn’t help but soak up to some extent. “Let’s add empath to the list of things to deal with. That’ll be fun,” you said under your breath, none too pleased with the discovery. Your eyes rolled, but you continued with the task, pride not allowing you to step back and admit defeat.

Maybe even that little voice inside that was happy that Heechul was the one who needed you, for once, instead of the other way around. Just the thought made your ears burn.

Putting up the glamours was the easy part, though. Imbuing them with enough power to stay up for two entire days left you sweating and ravenous. You huffed, taking a second to wipe the sweat off your forehead and sip from the water bottle Mi had brought you hours ago, tossing it on his way past with a small smile and a congenial nod.

When all this work was done, you for sure had to get him to show you that one shade of purple again so you could try to find a matching dye. His hair had only held it for a second earlier.

You were getting distracted again. And you finally noticed that your hands were shaking, too. The strain was getting to you.

“Fucking hell. This shit is for the birds.” Your voice was tired and wavering. Hands on your hips, you stood there admiring the iridescent sheen from the last barrier you put into place. “God damn, I should have eaten first.”

“Such dirty words coming from such a pretty little mouth.” Of course, when you’re a sweaty mess, that’s when Heechul shows up to inspect your work. On his face blooms his signature smirk; after holding your attention on it for a second, he adds, “I like it,” with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows.

Damned if it didn’t make you want to kiss him again. You whimpered at the thought and immediately flushed, thinking that while he was still there.

As usual, though, he was gone before you could give the thought any weight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were carefully not thinking about the absurdity of taking a coffee break in a... house of pleasure where your magic training is happening, the legitimate front half of the building notwithstanding. Even after all the upheaval, there was something sort of amazing about creatures of all sorts here milling about, living their ordinary lives and being themselves. The comfortable atmosphere in this room left you feeling bold enough to lean back against the counter near where the siren was, the dull gray microwave buzzing on the other side of him. You were protected now, right? And his boyfriend was really friendly with you, so that’s gotta count for something.

"Hey," you said, wiggling your fingers in a sheepish wave. He acknowledged you with a sideways glance, but nothing more. After hours working quietly side by side, following his occasional directions about images and dimensions, that didn’t seem odd anymore. "Look, you can tell me if this is out of line, but I'm really curious about something."

"Hmm?" Ryeowook answered absentmindedly, watching Henry and Donghae play-fighting across the room with a fond half-smile. You may have even heard a faint, tuneless humming; couldn’t be sure, but you felt a little bolder, a little more free either way.

"Does the, uh, backstage work affect you at home?" This was so embarrassing to ask about, but you'd been dying of curiosity and this seemed like your best bet to get some answers. Usually, it was your training regimen that left you too drained to make conversation. To be honest, you were still kinda drained; it was hard to tell whether your thoughts made sense, your brain-to-mouth filter just about gone.

When Ryeowook turned to you, though, his brow was furrowed in confusion. "Why would I do work at home? Heechul’s wards and security are far better than anywhere else, even clubs supposedly owned by the very wealthy,” he pointed out, crossing his arms. “I only do work here."

"No, I mean, um," you blushed as your composure slipped further, not wanting to have to spell it out, "you know, you do-" You waved towards the hallway of back rooms. "You do this for work, so does it, uh, when you're at home, does it get in the way of, wait, no, does that cause any problems for you with," you were definitely red as a tomato now, your entire face aflame, "making love?"

But Ryeowook only blinked twice. "If he wanted to, we could."

"Oh! Oh, sorry, I didn't think- Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. You probably think I'm a jerk now, huh," you admitted clumsily, pursing your lips. I sound like an idiot! This was such a bad idea.

But he only hummed nonchalantly, turning away once more. "Hmm. Well, you wouldn't be the first to assume, only the first to apologize for it," he said offhandedly, taking a sip from his mug. "But it doesn’t matter to me. I suppose I take after my mother that way," he continued in a wistful voice, a touch of sorrow coloring his features. "Keeping my mate safe and happy is my heart's greatest desire."

"That's so sweet!" You cooed, genuinely touched by the sentiment, only to be met with an icy stare as he whirled around to face you.

"Don't know why I'm telling you all this," Ryeowook said while he pushed off from the counter, his tone acrid and sharp as though the words were meant to cut to the bone, his eyebrows drawing together in anger, startling you when he slammed his mug down on the hard surface. "I don’t care if you’re Heechul’s newest, shiniest project. If that's your power,” one peak of his upper lip curled up towards his nose in contempt, “let's not do this again. I need to get back to work."

"But wait, I didn't-" He'd crossed the short distance to the doorway in three quick strides and left before you could finish your sentence. "-do anything," you finished dejectedly, dropping your raised hand. Not that you knew what you were going to do with it anyway. You muttered under to yourself, “‘Make friends,’ he said. Do this, do that, blah blah blah.” Wait a second. Newest project?

What happened to the others?

“Don’t take it too personally,” a genial voice said next to you, cutting off your train of thought. Guess your muttering was louder than you’d realized. “He takes a while to warm up to most people.”

You turned to- not the butler. Mi. Seriously, still not a butler, you hastily reminded yourself. More of a jack of all trades? Maybe it was better not to call a shapeshifter that, so you went with, “You really think it’ll be okay? I feel like I screwed up pretty bad.”

“Welllll, maybe warm up isn’t the right word. But he’ll probably stop being an ass.”

“Probably?” Despite yourself, you laughed, smiling back at Mi’s toothy grin. He patted your shoulder in a friendly way before saying, “Excuse me, I need some tea,” his hair color and the shape of his arms changing three or four times between the microwave and what you’d come to call caffeine central more towards the back of the room.

Still, after the- intimacy you and Heechul had shared so far, the idea that you were one in a long line of projects, to be set aside whenever he decided he’d had his fun, rubbed you the wrong way.

Which not only lingered through your meal, but grew. And grew. And grew bigger still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stomped down the extravagantly decorated hall, footsteps echoing off the marble tiles that probably set him back more than you cared to think about. A red haze settled in your mind as you mulled over the words Ryeowook spat to you. Hands curled into tight fists, you didn’t bother knocking before making entrance into his office. Hopefully, whatever sights awaited you wouldn’t be something you’d regret seeing, because you were way past caring now.

"So I'm your latest project, am I?" You flung the words at Heechul the very second you walked into the room.

"Feisty today, aren't you."

You wanted to slap him. Something. Anything. Instead you settled on a seethed, "What happened to the others?!"

Heechul laughed. "What happened?" He asked condescendingly, moving his upturned palm in a horizontal arc, his eyes following before landing back on you. "Look around you, darling."

"Argh!" You clenched your fists. Eyes rolling as you wanted to tear your hair out.  "Can't you just say what you goddamn mean for once?!"

But Heechul only sighed. "Really, you could stand to learn to read between the lines. Can't always rely on your power, you know." But as you glared, he seemed to relent a bit, his smile turning amused, his eyes a touch fond. "Haven't you noticed? Those who sincerely come to me for aid... I don't take that lightly. Why, I develop them to the fullest of their talents. How else could I build all this?"

Silence enveloped the room as you looked deep into his unwavering sight. Dammit, you sighed under your breath. He was being honest - well, his version of it anyway. Relenting yourself, you breathed out a long exhale. "...That's it?"

"Yes, that's 'it'. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. My favorite kind," he finished with a smirk, alluding to extremely pleasant memories of the 'arrangement' already between the two of you.

You took a moment to gather what you wanted to say. His aura gave you a reason to pause. Your words needed to be chosen carefully. You gestured your hands between the two of you. “This? Us? Just me scratching your back and you scratching mine, I’ll assume?”

“We both know what assume means, sweetheart. Let’s not do that.” He turned to walk out, but before he made it through the doorway, he called out over his shoulder, “Good job out there. You’re doing better than I expected.”

Might’ve been better that he looked away before you could flip him off. You tried sending it mentally anyway, pleased to faintly hear his distinctive laugh. At that point, you didn’t know if the warmth in your heart that you felt a moment later was his or your own.

He kept getting you all mixed up like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donghae was speaking in hushed tones with Heechul when you rounded the corner. He noticed you coming in and moved to intercept you as the man you wanted made his smooth escape, right back into the office you’d just vacated. Damnit. “Come on, Alyssa, follow me. You need to let off some steam.” Objecting, you pointed towards the doorway where you were trying to go, because Heechul kept escaping conversation like some sort of extremely beautiful eel, but Donghae wrapped his hand firmly around your wrist, steering you in a completely different direction. “Your work is done for now. The boss has some things to tend to. He asked me to help you get some frustration out.”

Before he crossed the threshold to a room new to you, he looked at you, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m more than happy to help, Lys.” He giggled at your huffed response as he pulled you out a side door and a few buildings over into what looked like a gym at a country club, just on a smaller scale. Taking in the sights before you, your brain reeled at the possibilities of what Heechul was going to have you working on now.

“It’s not like I’m not appreciative for a break, but is physical fitness really important to my training? I’m fit enough, but…” Donghae shushed you with a finger to your lips.

Eyebrow raised, he explained. “This isn’t just gym class. Boss asked me to evaluate your skills. See where you are so we’ll know where to start.” You wondered what he was talking about. Surely you wouldn’t be stranded without your powers? He grinned as though he knew exactly what you were thinking. “Come on, just think of it as a bit of stress relief. Let me show you what I want you to be able to do.” He proceeded to throw a few punches, one sequence after another. A minute became more as he got more focused. 

You allowed your eyes to roam his form as he continued his session. The thick, corded muscles from his biceps down his back, his ass just as shapely as his chest was, even to his hips as they tightened and flexed as he danced around the hanging heavy bag. A small sheen of sweat coated his forehead as he threw hit after hit. You even noticed how his tongue was situated between his teeth at the corner of his mouth. It was cute, but then, you took his figure in again in its very nice entirety.

If anything, you were getting more frustrated, though certainly not the way he’d intended.

You weren’t blind. Donghae was fit. That was the simplest way to put it. But the way he moved around the bag gracefully almost had you forgetting he was a supernatural creature. His eyes had a dangerous focus blazing in them, and you shuddered to think of those who would be on the receiving end of an angry version of this barrage. You couldn’t help but find it attractive, mentally thanking Heechul for suggesting this break; truth be told, you didn’t even try to stop your gaze from going wherever it was drawn to. Oh, the things you could imagine...

He stopped at hearing a whine from you, his eyebrow raised high. For a second, you were irrationally terrified that he could read your thoughts too. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were staring, hard.” He looked none too surprised by that - amused, if anything.

Fuck. At least he couldn’t see what I was thinking. You stuttered out some nonsense, words failing you at the fact that he’d caught you drooling over him.

Eyes shut in embarrassment, you didn’t notice him move, which is why you ended up jumping in surprise when you heard his voice in your ear. “This is delicious. Thanks for the free meal.”

“I...” Damn this anxiety. “Hey wait, I didn’t tell you that you could do that!” He rolled his eyes, and, really, you could tell you needed to concentrate so you could get done and leave. For your sanity’s sake. You stepped to the bag and looked at him, wide-eyed and ready for his instruction without any further distractions. Hopefully.

He chuckled. “Let’s see what you got. Give me a few good sequences and we’ll call it a day. And I promise I won’t tell Heechul that you were eyeing me like a piece of meat. Besides, it’s my job to do the ogling around here.” He winked, making you feel a bit weak in the knees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“As I mentioned, we unfortunately have a highly contagious bout of illness, and thus, those facilities are unavailable for a couple of nights. We can reschedule your appointment if you would just come this way.”

“You’re a goddamned liar! Lemme back there!” Regular though this man may be, at the moment, he seemed to be doing his best to make the saying that hell is other people a reality. Heechul’s temper reached its last frayed thread.

“You, sir, need to calm the hell down. You’re at a fifteen and I need you at, like, a seven,” Heechul snidely commented as the regular patron threw every excuse in the book at him as to why he should be allowed inside even if no one else is there. The growl that rumbled at the back of his throat was deep and raspy, full of rage as the patron tried to push his way from the front waiting room onto the main floor. Heechul called out in a dead language - and suddenly, the snarling long-time customer was frozen on the spot.

The thread snapped.

No longer willing to hold back, Heechul took a deep sigh of relief as he got right in front of the now confused man. “I told you, countless times,” he emphasized as he bared his teeth, “we are closed for the next couple of nights. I can see that you refuse to take my words seriously, not even attempting to cooperate.” His hand glided up to the patron’s face as his nail traced his red, splotchy cheek. “What you fail to realize is just who,” Heechul took that same nail and raked it from the patron’s temple to his lips, leaving a deep, seeping wound behind, “I am.” Taking the customer’s chin in his other hand, he jerks the man’s head in the direction of the floor.

Seconds later, Heechul had drawn a crude symbol on the marble. “You will never step foot in this establishment again. Should you even try, I will know. I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb. And I will enjoy every single second of it,” he hissed, face contorting in unbridled rage. Then he stood, straightening to his full height as the doors flew open.

As Heechul walked towards the doors, the man who was still immobile was moved to the opening. His body seemed to fly as he let out a terrified scream. 

“I don’t ever want to see you here again.” Heechul turned on his heel to walk away. He tilted his head a few degrees towards the sound when he heard Mi’s firm “Sir”, but didn’t falter in his step, as he had more important things to deal with. His favorite shapeshifter could handle the situation however he saw fit. Trash disposed of, Heechul added the area to be monitored more closely in addition to his typical security alert set, along with making a mental note to check his crew for potential teleporting capability or an ability to learn quickly so he could evaluate offering security training and shifts. There were plenty enough to rotate at the front and connecting doors, but in the back rooms...

That’s where danger turned on a dime.

Breathing slowly, Heechul ran his hand over the back of his neck. Problem after problem continued to appear. If he couldn’t entice some of the other customers to fill in those appointments, cover the disruption, it’d be two months at most before he had to evaluate dipping into the stash. The guilt of it ate at him whenever he couldn’t keep it entirely at bay. The ex-noble’s possessions were Heechul’s by right, but he hated exercising that option; Siwon was loyal, and good at his job, and would never turn down the request.

That it benefitted his safety as well as everyone in his employ was not as comforting as it should have been. Taking from it, even with permission, still felt like stealing. I need a drink.

No time. Back to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The static took over your vision as you saw bits and pieces of something happening. Grainy images and darkened tones did not help. Even as your eyes closed, you squeezed them tighter and found you could see through someone else at the moment, someone tall and weighed down by something. Equipment? What could- You could hear a sinister cackle to your right but the current head you were occupying wouldn’t turn so you could see who it was. Though, if your memory served you well enough, it sounded like Claude and he was headed somewhere with a mission.

You studied the surroundings of the overly dressed-up group of men you were envisioning. Sidewalks, street lamps, old brick. “Shit!” You yelled out, gasping for breath as your feet began to move without you willing them to. You couldn’t be bothered to apologize for knocking into the others as you dashed to where Heechul’s magic was emanating strongest.

The doorway to his office was shut with a supernatural energy, but somehow, your inner self anticipated it. Without breaking stride, your palm came up and a small glow emanated from it. Light enveloped the door, causing its edges to hum, opening to you silently but swiftly.

“They’re coming.” Your eyes darted around the room, taking in the sights of Heechul’s closest and most trusted. Gulping, feeling like you couldn’t get enough oxygen, you panted, “It’s happening early. The...” A boom against the barred doors down at the end of the hallway sounded throughout the club. “The raid. Claude got- someone to bump up the time frame.” Heechul was by your side in an instant as the rest of the crew flew out of the room, knowing exactly what they needed to do.

Author’s note: mad props to @thesirenandtheking​. An amazing sounding board, wonderful aesthetic maker when it comes to setting, and SUJU knowledge!!! Couldn’t do this without you.

[bestillmyslashyheart]

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Alex was almost home when the text came through. He barely glanced at it before jerking the wheel and turning around.

It wasn’t long before he came to a stop, the trip back taking far less time than the drive out had been. Parking the car, he yanked the keys out of the ignition and threw the door open, the anger which had been simmering for weeks finally rising to the surface.

“Hey?!” He yelled as he slammed the door closed. A few feet away Michael stared at him from inside the Airstream. “Three weeks of nothing and you start off with hey!?” Alex stomped over to the door but stopped shy.

Michael looked bewildered. “Is that not a customary greeting here on Earth?” Alex stared at him until he started to shift uncomfortably. “I didn’t know what to say, okay?”

“So you say ‘hey’.”

Michael shrugged a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear from me. Figured ‘hey’ was safe.”

Alex glared. “Oh I wanted to hear from you but there are a lot of things you could’ve said that would be better than ‘hey’.”

“I’m sorry,” Michael apologized.

Alex stiffened. “For what?”

Michael looked away. “I shouldn’t have stood you up. I told you to come back and we’d talk. You did but I didn’t. I should have called or texted or something. I’m sorry.”

Alex nodded. “You’re apologizing for standing me up.” Michael nodded and Alex scoffed. “You’re apologizing for asking me to come back to talk and leaving me hanging but not for going off and fucking my best friend while I sat here for hours waiting for you?” Michael couldn’t meet his eyes. “What would that phone call or text have said? Sorry I can’t make it, rain check? Would you have rescheduled our chat without bothering to tell me about Maria?”

Michael’s silence was answer enough.

“Fuck you, Michael.” Michael’s head jerked and he stared at Alex. Alex knew it was a low blow using his first name but he didn’t care. He didn’t care if he’d only ever used Michael’s first name during sex until now. He just didn’t fucking care. “Jesus fucking Christ, you’re an asshole.”

“Hey!” Michael yelled as he finally stepped out of the Airstream. “You’re not perfect here either.”

“I never said I was. But I never screwed around with your best friend behind your back and planned to lie to you about it!” Alex shouted. 

Michael’s jaw clenched. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Alex yelled. 

“I’m sorry about Maria. About not telling you and about leaving you for her.”

Alex huffed. “You didn’t leave me for her, Guerin. We would’ve had to actually be together for that to happen.”

Michael let out a dark chuckle. “Yeah and whose fault is it that we never got that far?”

“Mine,” Alex admitted readily. “It’s my fault. I know that. I have apologized for that. And I came here that night to try and fix it so we could finally move forward. But you went to someone else.”

“Alex, I-” Michael cut himself off as he ran his hands down his face.

Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a step back from Michael and shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. It was quiet for a few minutes, the last of their shouts seeming to echo in the still air.

“I understand,” Alex said after a while.

Michael stared at him. “You understand?”

“Noah almost killed you, Max shot at you and then healed your hand and then killed Noah. You lost your last hope of getting answers about where you’re from and who you are. And all of that was just hours after Caulfield. You needed some peace and quiet and someone who wasn’t wrapped up in all of the horrible things happening to you and you had Maria so you went to her. I get it. I do.” Michael stared at him with naked relief. He took a step towards Alex but froze when Alex nailed him with a hard stare. “Just because I understand doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt like hell. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel betrayed by both of you. And it doesn’t mean I’m not pissed off. Because I am.”

He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “But because I understand I know that I will eventually get passed this. I don’t know how long it’ll take but at some point I will stop being angry and I will get over the hurt and be able to forgive you.”

“Alex,” Michael said quietly. “I don’t know if I want or need your forgiveness. Maybe I wasn’t lying in the prison. Whatever this thing is between us, we should probably just let it go. It doesn’t do either of us any good.”

Alex stared at him for a moment before he nodded. “Maybe.” He swallowed and started taking slow steps towards Michael. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should just let it go. But I’m in love with you.” Michael sucked in a breath. “I’ve been in love with you since I was 17 and I honestly don’t foresee a future where I’m not in love with you. You’re under my skin and in my heart, Guerin. Loving you is a part of me, a part of who I am, and I don’t see that ever changing. Now we can do nothing about it, that’s up to us to decide. But I know that I won’t be able to stay mad at you forever, not even about this. So at some point, I will forgive you. You can’t stop me.” 

By now, Alex had closed the gap and the two men were scant inches apart. Alex’s voice was soft and low, his words meant only for Michael. “I’m not going to follow you around and beg for another chance, Michael. You have to decide on your own what you want. But I am telling you that if you decide you want me, want us, then I will be here. Because I know what I want and it’s you. You’re my family, Michael. If we never have any kind of romantic relationship that will still be true. But I want one. Hell, I want everything.” Both of them were leaning into each other, like they were opposing magnets and the pull was too strong to resist. But Alex didn’t let them touch. He felt the hairs around Michael’s head brush his face as their foreheads neared each other, their breaths mingling in the space between them. But they didn’t touch. Alex closed his eyes and savored the warmth radiating from Michael for a moment longer before he pulled away. Michael swayed forward as he took a step back and had to catch himself. Alex hid a grin.

Michael stared at him with his mouth hanging open, want and love and fear and something else warring on his face. He watched silently as Alex took careful steps back to his car. He didn’t say anything and so neither did Alex.

Alex got his door open and was about to get in before he paused and called back to Michael.

“Yeah?” Michael answered, his voice hoarse.

“If you need anything, especially with Max, just let me know. I’m still on your side.” Alex promised. Michael nodded dumbly and Alex got in his car and drove away without another word.

---

“How the hell do you plan on getting that down the ladder?” Kyle asked as he plopped another box down on the deck. 

Ever since his dad showed back up in Roswell, and with Flint and who knows which of his other brothers possibly showing up too, Alex and Kyle had decided to abandon the Project Shepherd bunker and relocate to the bunker under the cabin. It was secure, and hopefully secret, enough to set up as a new base of operations for their investigations and Alex would be able to do more work after hours if he didn’t have to drive out to the old base after coming back from Kirtland for the day. There was the small problem of logistics and getting everything set up when the only entrance was a single ladder.

“What do you think you’re here for?” Alex asked cheekily as he carried over another box. They’d stripped the Project Shepherd bunker of anything useful but he’d still had to buy new hardware to really get it up and running. It had taken almost three weeks to retrofit the detox center to accommodate all of the equipment and wiring he needed but it was a useful project for taking his mind off of the Michael and Maria situation so he hadn’t minded too much. 

“I thought I was here to unload the truck,” Kyle protested weakly. They both knew Alex wouldn’t be able to get everything down there on his own. He looked around the mess of a deck and put his hands on his hips. “Tell me you have a better system in mind than me taking all of this down the ladder in individual trips.”

Alex looked up from the box he was searching through and grinned. He opened his mouth to answer when he heard the sounds of a truck rumbling up his long driveway. He looked over his shoulder but didn’t see anything just yet. “Who is it?” He asked Kyle. The other man stood on the edge of the deck facing the driveway and had a perfect view of Alex’s visitor. He looked from the car to Alex and back again. “Kyle?” Alex asked as he straightened up.

Kyle picked up the box he’d just put down. “I’m going to put these in the house.” He fled inside just as the red Chevy came into view.

Alex’s jaw clenched involuntarily. He hadn’t heard from Maria in almost two months. Not since the night Max died. Since-

She rolled to a gentle stop and turned the car off. Alex slowly stepped down the stairs as he heard the door open behind him and Kyle shuffled across the deck to grab another box.

The door closed gently as Maria stepped out of the car, an uneasy look on her face. Alex paused on the last step.

“Can I help you?” His voice was cold.

“Can we talk?” Maria asked. She looked at the two cars parked in the driveway and eyed Kyle as he came out to grab yet another box. “Or is this a bad time?”

Alex shrugged. “Not a bad time at all. But no, we can’t talk.”

“Alex,” Maria sighed. “Please?” She fiddled with her keys for a moment before dropping her hands to her sides and squaring her shoulders. “I miss you and I want us to get past this.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose involuntarily. He’d been planning on being cordial but something about the way she said that just set his blood on fire. “You miss me and you want us to get past this.” He repeated. She nodded. “Well you should have thought about that before fucking the love of my life after repeatedly telling me it would never happen again.”

Maria flinched and stared at him with wide eyes. “Alex-”

“Go home, Maria. There’s nothing for you here.”

“Alex, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He was starting to sound like a broken record.

“I should have talked to you before starting anything with Michael.”

Alex cocked his head. “Why?”

She paused and furrowed her brow. “To clear the air?”

“Do you think I would have given you my blessing?” Alex scoffed.

Maria’s jaw clenched. “I care about him Alex. A lot. And he cares about me.”

“I know.”

“Then why-”

“Did you miss the part where I called him the love of my life?” Alex asked.

“You had an epic kiss in high school!” Maria yelled, frustrated. “It’s been long over. I get that you loved him then but it’s not like you two were together since then. Is he just never supposed to move on?”

Alex stepped down to meet her on ground level. He didn’t bother correcting her on their relationship history. “This isn’t about him, Maria. This is about you. You knew I was in love with him, you even said it yourself. And you knew I was feeling hopeful about him again in a way I hadn’t been since high school. And then you stood there and you promised me that your one night stand with him meant absolutely nothing to you and that it would never happen again.” They stared at each other for a beat before Maria looked away. “You want to be with him, Maria? Then be with him. I’m not in your way anymore. But don’t come here expecting my forgiveness.”

Maria wiped at a tear. “Michael said you told him that you would forgive him eventually.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “Because I understand why he did it. I’m hurt and angry but I understand it and so eventually I’ll be able to forgive it. But you? I cannot fathom why you would betray me like that. I literally cannot think of a single reason. What have I done to you to make you do that to me?”

“Aren’t I allowed to be happy, Alex? Can’t I be selfish for once and put what I want ahead of everything else?”

Alex nodded and took a step back. “Of course you can, Maria. But that doesn’t mean I have to be okay with it.”

“Alex, please.” Maria begged. “I want us to get past this.”

“We’re not going to.” Alex told her simply. He took another step back and turned around. “Goodbye Maria,” he called over his shoulder as he grabbed one of the few remaining boxes. He paused just before entering the house. “I honestly hope you’re happy.”

He set the box down on top of the large stack Kyle had formed and waited until he heard her drove away.

“That was harsh,” Kyle commented from the doorway to the kitchen.

Alex shrugged. “I left nice back in the Middle East.” He looked around the room. “I was honest with her. Not sure what else she could ask for.”

“Her friend?” Kyle said quietly.

Alex shook his head. “We’re not friends. Not anymore, if we ever were.”

“Come on, Alex, she loves you. She made a mistake.”

“Yeah. The first time they slept together, she didn’t know and I didn’t blame her for it. But then she lied to me and she went behind my back. And to top it off she waited two fucking months to come and talk to me. If it was a mistake, I should’ve been her first call in the morning after she kicked his ass to the curb. Maybe then I could’ve forgiven her, god knows I understand moments of weakness when it comes to Michael Guerin, but that’s not what happened. Two months of them playing happy couple before she deigns to say a word to me? No,” Alex shook his head. “I can’t forgive that.”

Kyle eyed him but didn’t say anything else.

“Let’s get everything else inside. I rigged up a pulley system that should get pretty much everything down there.”

“Oh thank god,” Kyle sighed as he went to grab the last couple of boxes.

---

Michael and Maria’s relationship lasted longer than Kyle thought it would, if he was being honest. It had its rocky moments when Maria learned the truth about aliens and Rosa but they got through it okay. If their smiles were more strained when they were together afterwards, it was hardly noticeable. 

It was months before Kyle really started to see the cracks in their relationship. Really, it was right around the time that Alex finally left the Air Force that the happy couple’s troubles really began.

Kyle had a sneaking suspicion that the two were closely linked. Not least of all because an Alex free from the Air Force was an Alex who had decided to embrace his former lifestyle again. His hair was longer, his pants were tighter, and the eyeliner and leather jacket were back. He also seemed lighter, like he wasn’t weighed down by the sins of his family anymore. They’d finally cleared Project Shepherd and shut it down. There were other two facilities and these they’d been able to shut down without losing any of the captives. Since his discharge, Alex spent most of his time helping the aliens kept there integrate into human society and it seemed to be doing him a world of good. He certainly seemed to be smiling more, nowadays. 

Kyle wasn’t the only one noticing all of the changes in Alex, if the way Guerin’s eyes followed him whenever he was in sight was any indication. It was like the two were in tune, somehow. Alex only had to step into the same room as Guerin and the alien’s eyes were latched onto him. Alex was the same way, his whole body tuned to Guerin’s whenever they got close.

Where Kyle might be annoyed or bothered by having to bear witness to his ex’s new relationship with someone he’d been very close to, Alex almost seemed to revel in it. After a few months, he stopped avoiding the Pony. After a few weeks of stopping in occasionally, he started dragging Kyle in more and more frequently until they were having drinks there most nights of the week. Each time, Alex’s clothes seemed to get tighter and tighter. He rarely spoke to Guerin and when he did it was mostly inane small talk or catching up on the rest of their little group. All of it seemed to be a careful orchestration with Alex pulling all of the strings. And then one night, Alex met him at the bar with his nails painted black. Kyle raised an eyebrow in question but Alex shrugged him off with a comment about trying something old again. It was only when he pulled out the nail polish remover and a cotton ball that Kyle figured it out. He smothered his grin as he watched Alex calmly clean his nails in the middle of the Pony, Guerin staring at him from the bar with a hungry expression the whole night, like an addict begging for his next hit. The man hardly seemed to notice Maria talking to him.

“You’re not playing fair,” Kyle commented with a laugh as they left that night, Guerin’s eyes trained on Alex’s ass.

Alex grinned. “Why should I?”

Kyle laughed and shook his head but didn’t comment any further.

It all came to a head a few weeks later when they decided they needed a night out. Max had been back for a while now but, even with everything settled, hadn’t had a chance to really let loose. They decided to hit up a club a town over and make a night of it. Alex begged off when it became apparent that Maria and Guerin were planning to use the night as an attempt to reconnect their fraying relationship but Kyle texted him the name of the club regardless.

He didn’t think anything would come of it. Honestly. He’d just wanted him to be kept in the loop.

He should’ve known better. Especially after the last couple of months.

They’d barely gotten inside the door when Kyle saw him. It took him a second to recognize him in the dark lighting but it was definitely Alex.

“Uh-” he started to say, his voice inaudible under the music. He chanced a glance at Guerin and snapped his mouth shut with a grin. He could say something but honestly, he’d rather watch this play out.

As a group they waded through the crowd until Isobel shouted and darted forward to claim a table. 

“I’ve got the first round!” Liz shouted over the din as she detoured to the bar. Kyle followed Max, Maria, and Guerin as they joined Isobel.

Kyle tried to find Alex again but couldn’t. He had half a mind to go searching when Isobel sucked him into the conversation. A moment later, Liz appeared at his elbow with shots clutched in her hands.

“Here’s to a night out with no emergencies and no drama!” Liz toasted. 

Kyle grinned but tossed it back without a word. After that, everyone seemed to split off. 

Liz dragged Max on the dance floor while Maria and Guerin went up to the bar and ordered them all real drinks. 

Max was a bad dancer, Kyle quickly realized. Liz was graceful as ever as she tried to get him to move with her but the man was stiff as a board. Isobel tried to keep a straight face but even she couldn’t hold it forever. By the time Maria and Guerin returned, the two were laughing so hard they needed the table to hold themselves up. 

“What’s so funny?” Maria asked as she passed out the drinks.

Kyle waved at Max without a word and the two turned to see the show. 

“How can he not figure out how to dance with her?” Guerin criticized.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Maria teased. It didn’t land well. Guerin nodded and inched away from her as Maria’s smile dipped. She looked away for a moment before squaring her shoulders and plastering the smile back on. “Guess we just need to practice more!” 

Guerin nodded, his eyes scanning the crowd, looking everywhere but at Maria as he lifted his beer to his lips.

Every glass on the table and on the tables around them shattered at once.

Maria cursed as the shards cut into her hand where she’d been holding the glass as Kyle flinched back from the table.

“Michael!” Isobel hissed angrily as she leaned over the table. Kyle looked at the man in question only to see him frozen, his eyes fixed behind Isobel’s head. He turned and followed his gaze.

Alex was standing in the middle of the dance floor, the lights somehow illuminating him as he danced alone, seemingly lost in the music. He’d clearly been out there a while, if the way his hair was plastered to his head and the sweat on his naked torso was any indication. His black leather pants looked like they were painted on, they were so tight. In short, he looked like sin. Kyle wished almost desperately that he wasn’t so tragically heterosexual and could fully appreciate the image his best friend presented in that moment.

Alex’s face turned upwards, his eyes closed as another man came up behind him and put his hands on his hips. Kyle could see him smile as he started grinding on the man. 

A sharp pop brought Kyle back to the table as the lights overhead started to crack and explode. 

“Michael!” Max yelled as he and Liz came back to the table. “What the hell?”

But Michael wasn’t listening. He hadn’t even looked away from Alex. 

“Maria, we’re breaking up,” he yelled across the table. Maria stared at him as he left without waiting for her reply. 

Kyle clapped a hand over his mouth as he watched Michael wade his way through the crowd to Alex. 

He watched as Alex’s eyes snapped open and fixed on Guerin immediately, though he could not possible have known he was there until that moment. He watched as Guerin stepped up to him and removed the other man’s hands, Alex not stopping him. 

Guerin leaned in and spoke directly into Alex’s ear. Whatever he said had Alex searching the crowd until he found their table. Kyle had no idea what he was looking for but he seemed to find it.

Guerin pulled back and the two stared at each other for a beat, their bodies moving seamlessly to the music, before Alex nodded.

Well, Alex started to nod. He’d barely started jerking his head up before Guerin surged forwards and pulled him into a searing kiss. 

The confused shouts next to him tore Kyle’s attention away from the two men reconnecting on the dance floor and back to the table. Liz had her hands wrapped around Maria, rubbing her arms gently as they both stared as where Alex and Guerin were actively trying to fuse their bodies together. Max was slack jawed as he looked between his brother and his girlfriend. Kyle almost felt bad for the man, whatever romantic plans he may have had for the evening were now clearly ruined as Liz comforted her best friend. Isobel turned and ducked behind Kyle’s shoulder to hide her face as she snorted.

Kyle eyed her as she picked her head up and tried to recover. “This is better than a goddamn soap opera.”

Kyle just shook his head and resolved to contain his own feelings until at least Maria wasn’t present. He may have believed that she was awful to Alex but he knew she didn’t deserve this, to be ditched by her boyfriend as an afterthought on his way to reconnecting very publicly with his ex. He leaned over the table.

“I have a room at the hotel down the block. Do you want the room key?” He offered her. “I can figure something else out tonight.”

Maria shook her head as she gathered up her phone and purse. “I’ll figure it out. I just need to get out of here. Thank you though,” she added as she quickly fled, Liz close behind. Kyle watched them before turning to Max.

“If you need a bed, my room’s got two,” he offered. He got the feeling Maria would end up with Liz tonight and Max, as Guerin’s brother, might not be invited. Max just nodded at him before he looked back out at the dance floor.

Kyle turned as well and shook his head. If anything, the two were even closer together, their legs intertwined as they gave up all pretense of dancing.

“Seriously,” Isobel exclaimed. “Those two are better than a damn soap opera.”

[dreamingincerulean]

We had a storm for like fifteen minutes, last week. And then the power was out for a day and a half.

After buying groceries the day before.

I haven’t allowed myself to feel the emotions that it brought up because it was really disappointing.

But guys....it’s the four-yr anniversary of my sexual assault thing so it makes sense, all of this self-destructive behavior I’ve neglected to tell you about for months, now!

I talked with my mom, today too.

It was a bit of a mistake.

It always is. But I did it because Corona. And it was hard to maintain my composure. I felt uncertain what to say. To my own mother. A person I used to feel ok being myself around. I just clamme up. She kept wanting me to drive 8 hrs one way to drop off stuff in a uhaul for her and I was just silent when she asked. I’m not about to volunteer to drive across country in a fucking pandemic, for one, and in a uhaul. To Arkansas.

I might have jumped at the question, before. But that little girl who wanted to please everyone and be helpful to everyone but herself? She’s fucking left the motherfucking building.

I should be proud of myself that I remained silent. I guess the next step to to express in a not-rude way the reasoning behind the utter silence. Not that she’d care, but it’s mainly for me.

Having a fridge full of rotten food? It’s stressing me out. Majorly. Especially when everyone in my house says we don’t have money to waste so we’re just going to hold on to the rotten food for however long it takes for them to get over the loss, I guess.

These days? I’m not a very patient person. So....it’s causing a lot of anxiety. I’m on a four day break from work, right now, and all I did was watch YouTube and sleep, today. Kinda disappointed in myself about that.

I had to miss my tele-therapy appointment, during the blackout. I rescheduled for this upcoming Thursday, the day I go back to work. It’s going to be a video chat if my tablet works with their system!

I’m unsure about that. I’ve gained like twenty pounds, in the past few months, and my house is always a disaster area. I feel like someone from Social Services is arriving on my doorstep or something....it’s just a video call.

And I guess they think it’s important to see my face. Maybe it’ll discourage me from lying.

I’m meant to have been figuring out how to track my moods. Guys....I don’t want to do that, right now. I’d much rather smother my brain in feel-good feelings instead of all the other feelings it’s hiding from. I guess I’m trying too hard to preserve an outward sense of calm.

[miachanelparker]

Secret Tales

INVOLVED: Tyler Carter and Mia Carter TIME FRAME: Wednesday, April 20th, 2020 LOCATION: Doctor’s Office; Houston, TX SUMMARY: Mia and Tyler find out the sex of the baby, and decide it’s time to find a new doctor.

Mia sat against the examination table in front of Tyler, kicking her feet gently before she shifted against the table. Placing her hands down, she slid back a bit in her overalls before she rested her hands in her lap. She gently tucked a few loose braids into her bun as they waited for their doctor to join them. 

 Tyler sat in the chair off to the side, gazing at Mia with loving eyes as she sat against the examination table, her short legs kicking back and forth. He chuckled softly to himself before he tucked his lips in, trying to contain the snort that was threatening to escape him. She was so short and watching her legs swing back and forth amused him to no end. 

 Dr. Russell knocked on the door twice before he let himself in and he looked at Mia. “Hey” he said to the couple with a head nod “how’s it going?” he asked them as he moved to sit down before them. 

 Mia looked towards the door and she smirked at the man as he walked inside. “Hi” she said to him politely. At his question she said “pretty good” to him as she cupped her hands under her stomach gently. 

 Tyler looked over at the door slowly as Dr. Russell entered and he pursed his lips. He had meant to get Mia’s doctor switched out but of course he forgot, only remembering now as he bored holes into the man. 

 Dr. Russell nodded his head at Mia and said “good” to her as he opened the chart and read over somethings. “Everything looks good, which is good” he told her as he continued to look. “I noticed you picked up a few pounds” he said “you’ve gained about 11 pounds since your last visit” he told her. “Uh, I don’t see anything wrong with that” he said sighing “nothing to monitor. But do keep in mind you are feeding for one essentially” he said raising one finger. 

 Mia looked at the man as he sat before them when he told her everything looked good, she nodded her head at him, liking to hear that. The man then went on to talk about her weight and she nodded slowly at him again. “Okay” she said simply taking note of that. 

 Tyler sat there quietly, listening in silence, nodding a bit as he took the information in. However, when the man mentioned Mia’s weight, Tyler’s jaw clenched and he shifted in his seat, his fists balling a little. Women gained weight during pregnancy, so why it was a problem when Mia did it, he had no damn idea. He said nothing though, trying to really work on containing himself and his anger. 

 Dr. Russell nodded his head before he said “any questions you’d like to ask me” in a gruff voice. “Any concerns we may need to discuss?”

 Mia continued to sit with her hands cupped under her belly and she said “well, I just noticed if I travel for a long period of time my ankles may swell a bit” she told him honestly. “It happened one other time outside of the Hawaii trip I called you about,” she sighed. “Is that a bad thing?” she asked him seriously. 

 Tyler clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, looking at Mia as she spoke. He would love to hear what the doctor had to say about this. High blood pressure, would probably be his answer though he had just said that Mia’s vitals and things looked just fine. He honestly dared the man to say anything off the wall or contradictory because he had had it. 

 Dr. Russell listened to Mia and he said “easy” with a nonchalant tone “you probably consume too much sodium in your diet and need to flush out your system more with water” he said. “Have you attempted to change your diet since the last time we spoke on it?” he asked her. 

 Mia looked at the doctor and she sighed before she licked her lips “actually yes I have, contrary to what you think Dr. Russell” she started trying to keep calm. “I consume mainly vegan dishes or low-calorie meals. I am not a heavy sodium eater and I have cut out a lot of greasy things” she said. “Am I right Tyler?” she asked looking over at her husband. 

 Tyler tilted his head up, looking at the man as he spoke, and his nostrils flared. Just as he thought, the man was complete and utter trash. He was such a racist bastard and he pissed him off. Looking at Mia, Tyler’s jaw was tight and you could see the muscles there bulging as he said, “you know the fuck what man, do the exam, tell us what the fuck we’re having and don’t say shit else, do you fucking hear me,” he said as he stood up, towering over the man. “Matter of fact, send a fucking nurse in here because if I have to look at your bitch ass for one more fucking minute, it’s a fucking wrap,” he said as he leaned into the man, almost wanting to headbutt him. 

 Dr. Russell looked at Mia and nodded his head slowly before he looked at Tyler as the man became angry with him. Russell raised his brow at the man and then looked at the man’s wife. “Okay” he said raising his hands defensively as he moved to stand up, he walked out of the room in pursuit of a nurse to send in his place. 

 Mia looked at Tyler as he got angry, he went off on the man in a flash which Mia could not even blame at this point. She watched Dr. Russell move to stand up on his feet walking out and she shifted against the examination table again. “We have to find a new doctor,” she said, shaking her head a bit. “There could be something actually wrong and all he sees is a fat black woman” she said rolling her eyes. 

 Tyler watched the man cower away before rushing out of the room and he looked at Mia, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to calm himself down. His nostrils flared as he let out a harsh breath. He walked over, placing his hands-on Mia’s thighs. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He was listening to her, but he was simply too agitated to respond. 

 Mia watched Tyler and she tucked her lips inwardly knowing he was pissed off and anything she had to say would add fuel to that. She stayed quiet and she moved her hands to his strong arms as he leaned his forehead against her. “It’s okay baby” she told him softly. Knowing that he was in fact trying to remain calm and practice what she’d been preaching about for weeks. “It’s okay” she said, grabbing his hands in hers. 

 Tyler squeezed Mia’s hands as she grabbed his and he lifted his head from her forehead, letting out a deep sigh. “I’m good, I’m good,” he repeated softly, pressing a kiss to her lips to calm himself. “I’m good,” he said once more. 

 As he stated that he was good and kissed her, she kissed him back gently and nodded her head. “Yes baby” she agreed “we will find a new doctor; it will be fine” she told him gently. “I love you” she said cupping his face with one of her hands “you know that?” Mia asked him. 

 Tyler nodded slightly at Mia. “Today, we’re finding a new doctor before we leave this fucking hospital,” he told her, licking his lips. “I love you too,” he told Mia softly, taking another deep breath. 

 Mia looked at him and she nodded her head “okay baby” she said not wanting to argue with him at all. “Thank you for protecting us, we both appreciate it” she said to him sweetly. 

 Nodding, Tyler blinked slowly, taking another breath as he calmed himself more. “It’s my job,” he told her gently, his thumb stroking her chin softly. 

 “I know, but it won’t hurt me to thank you for it,” Mia said with a smirk as she pecked his lips again. “I should thank you more often,” she told him. Mia heard a knock at the door, and she sighed softly “come in” she said. 

 Katrina knocked twice on the door waiting to hear from whomever was inside. She didn’t know what had transpired but Dr. Russell had instructed her to come and finish the examination of said couple, who he was nearly threatening security on. She moved into the room hearing the woman telling her to come in and she pushed the door open, “hi” she said nervously. 

 Tyler let out a small sigh as he gazed at Mia and he nodded his head, feeling fully calm now as he took her in. He leaned in, pecking her lips sweetly before he heard the knock on the door and he turned his head, looking at the nurse as she poked her head in meekly. 

 Mia watched the woman enter the room and she said “hi” to her in response. “Sorry if this inconveniences you” she told her, “but my husband and I just don’t feel comfortable with Dr. Russell overseeing our visits anymore … and we really just want to find another doctor” she told the girl. 

 Katrina stepped in and stood aside listening to the woman and she nodded her head. “No problem” she told her politely. “He is very…” she said, unsure of what word to find to describe him really. “A piece of work” she added. “There are plenty of other doctors here that women rave about,” she told her. “Did you still want me to conduct the rest of the appointment? Or reschedule with a new doctor of your choosing?” she asked them both. 

 Tyler let Mia speak, explaining to the woman why she was sent to help them before he said, “we’d like to have the examination completed then look over the options for a new doctor.” He licked his lips slowly, looking at Mia.  

 Mia looked at Tyler as he spoke, and she nodded her head at his words. “Yes, we have a gender reveal coming up and.. well” she chuckled lightly. “We would like to finish this appointment. I was trying to ask the man his opinion or insight on why my ankles would have swollen twice. Both times I was sitting for a long period of time” she told her. “I want to make sure everything is fine with the baby,” she stressed. 

 Katrina looked at Tyler and nodded her head, she moved to the sink and washed her hands thoroughly before she dried them and placed some gloves on. She looked at Mia and took in her ankles before she nodded her head. “Has your hands, fingers… swelled?” she asked her. 

 Tyler nodded a bit, looking at Mia as she spoke before he turned to look at the nurse. “I haven’t noticed any swelling in her hands,” he said, speaking up a bit. “The first time her ankles swelled we had just flown into Hawaii for a vacation,” he went on to explain. 

 Katrina nodded her head at the woman and then at her husband before she said “well in that case I wouldn’t worry, if Mia was swelling in other places, I would assume that it was something unfortunate like preeclampsia” she told them. “But in your case, it could just be a case where the long traveling caused it,” she said easily. “I wouldn’t worry” she reiterated to them. “Nothing in your chart is alarming” she told her. 

 Mia looked at the woman as she spoke, and she nodded her head at her. “Okay” she easily told her before she looked over at Tyler for a moment. “I won’t worry,” she replied. 

 Listening to the woman, Tyler nodded a bit, taking in what she had to say. “Okay good,” he said with a hum as he patted Mia’s thigh gently. “That’s a weight off the shoulders,” he said. 

 “Yes sir” Katrina said nodding her head “if you lay on your back, I can finish up for you” she told her gently. She moved to set up the machine and grab whatever she’d be using during the exam. 

 Mia nodded her head at Katrina, she unfastened the overalls and let the fall forward. She leaned back and held the front flap down before she rolled up her shirt, tucking it under her breast. She revealed her belly to the woman and laid there waiting for her to start the exam. 

 Tyler nodded a bit as he stepped back, allowing Mia to adjust her clothing and layback. He stepped back beside her, taking her hand into his own as he did. “Can you not tell us,” he said, “just after you find out, seeing what we’re having, can you write it down and place it in an envelope for us?” he asked. 

 Katrina waited for Mia and at the man’s words she nodded her head at him. “Oh sure, no problem” she told them happily. “I will make sure I do that” she said to them both with a head nod. She felt around Mia’s stomach gently, seeing the positioning of their baby. She then moved to measure Mia’s stomach size before she sat the measuring tape aside. “Okay” she said making a mental note before she grabbed the transducer and some gel, she squirted some gel on the woman’s stomach “cold” she reminded her before she pressed it against her stomach moving it around. 

 Tyler stood off to the side a bit, getting out of the way as the nurse agreed to not tell them and instead just write it down. As the woman began the examination, Tyler stood quietly watching. “What are you measuring?” he asked curiously before the woman placed the transducer on Mia’s stomach. 

 Katrina looked at Tyler for a moment and she said “we began to measure mother’s stomach, to kind of help with our overall length estimation for the baby” she said to him easily. “And just to have a record of it, as the baby gets bigger it’ll get more technical. Baby rump to crown length and stuff” she said to them. She looked back towards the screen and located their baby smirking “there you are” she breathed. “Fluid looks good, baby looks good” she said going through the drill. She turned the sound on and listened to the baby hearts beat “heart sounds amazing” she said. 

 Mia looked at Tyler and then at Katrina listening to the stuff going on around her. As she explained she nodded her head at the woman before she looked at the screen as their baby appeared. She licked her lips and smiled “good” she said before the heartbeat filled the room. 

 Tyler nodded at the woman, taking in the information as she explained it to him before he looked at the screen as their pumpkin appeared. He smiled softly, giving Mia’s hand a squeeze before the heartbeat began to sound throughout the room and his own fluttered in his chest a bit. 

 “Nice, strong heartbeat” Katrina told them both as she continued to look on buying herself some time as she in fact determined the sex of their baby once she did with a smirk she moved on. “Baby was in the perfect position for me” she told them with a smile. 

 Mia watched the screen clutching Tyler’s hand, as she listened to the child’s heartbeat. “I could hear this all day” she said looking over at Tyler with a smirk on her face. At Katrina’s words she chuckled a little looking back at the screen for a moment. 

 Tyler smiled down at Mia, nodding in agreement to her words. As the nurse told them that their baby was in the perfect position, he itched with anticipation, wanting to know. 

 Katrina smirked and said “okay, I snagged my photos and what not” she told them happily. “I’ll make sure that I won’t add the gender announcement photo in the sonograms, but I will make sure they are attached to your file for the future” she said to them with a smirk. She grabbed some tissue and wiped Mia’s stomach clean before she said “baby looks very good 3 ounces and about 5 inches” she said happily. “Everything is right on schedule,” she said. 

 Listening to the woman, Tyler nodded along with a hum. “Thank you,” he said easily. As the woman told them about the baby, he licked his lips. “Good, that’s good,” he said with a hum, giving Mia’s hand a squeeze. 

 Mia looked at Katrina and she nodded her head at the woman gently “good” she told her. “All done” she easily to her as she licked her lips and let the man hand go. “Thanks” she told the woman easily as she moved to roll her shirt down and she sat upright again fastening her overalls. 

 Tyler looked at Mia with a small smile as he released her hand, letting her adjust her clothes as needed. Turning to the nurse he said, “so about these other doctors…” 

 Katrina looked at Tyler as she cleaned up the space around them, tugging her gloves off and tossing the aside in the trash can she said “I will go get a printed out list of the doctors who are currently taking on patients, and while I do that I’ll get your sonograms and that envelope as well” she said to her to them with a smile before she excused herself. 

 Mia shifted on the table and nodded her head at the woman “okay, thank you” she told her easily as she moved to slide down off the table. She moved onto her feet smirking a little at him as she rested her hand on her stomach “I’m excited now, the suspense” she said to him with a grin. 

 Tyler nodded at the woman, saying, “sounds good…” easily to her before he looked at Mia. Smirking a bit, he said, “I’m excited too,” with a chuckle. “What do you think we’re having?” he asked her curiously. His mother kept on saying it was a girl and he was inclined to believe her.

 Mia shrugged lightly with a cute grin that caused her dimples to crease a little. “I don’t know” she said with a small sigh “a boy?” she guessed cutely as she moved closer to him. “Only a boy would make me this round all ready, right?” she asked, rubbing her stomach through the overalls. 

 Tyler smiled even harder at Mia’s dimples and he said sweetly, “a boy, hmm?” he thought about it. He would love a little boy. “I don’t know babe,” he chuckled softly placing his hands over hers on her stomach. “My mom thinks it’s a girl, she’s very adamite,” he told her lovingly. “It might be a girl,” he smiled brightly, his heart fluttering in his chest at the thought. 

 Mia looked up at him, his words causing her to smirk “she does?” she asked him gently. “Interesting” she said to him “well we won’t know, until the reveal” she chuckled at him lightly. 

 Katrina knocked on the door and let herself in “here you guys go” she said holding out a folder for Tyler and Mia. “Let me know if you guys need anything else” she told them politely. 

 Tyler chuckled gently. “She does,” he confirmed before he said, “you know I’m happy either way,” he said sweetly before he looked towards the door. He nodded at Katrina, taking the folder from her easily. “Thank you,” he said. 

 Mia looked at him and nodded her head “I know baby” she said cutely “I feel the same” she acknowledged as Tyler grabbed the folder from the woman she exhaled softly. “So” she said to him “we should sit and do our research over lunch” she told him thoughtfully. “Me and your baby are hungry” she chuckled lightly as she moved to grab her Birkin bag off the chair. 

 Tyler nodded with a sigh of content. “How about The Cheesecake Factory?” he asked her lovingly as he gave her ass a slap as she grabbed her bag. “These overalls really just do something to me,” he told her, biting his lip as he looked her over. She looked so adorable; like a little minion.

 Mia looked at him and she smirked at his suggestion “yes!” she squealed “one of my favorite places” she said to him excitedly. He slapped her ass and she bit down on her lip gazing at him with passionate eyes “they do?” she asked him as she turned in them slightly looking herself over. 

 Tyler chuckled softly at Mia’s squeal and he nodded his head with a hum. “Cheesecake factory is it,” he said easily. As she turned to him, he nodded at her with an amused smirk. “Yeah, babe,” he told her. “You look damn good,” he smiled, like my own personal minion. 

 “Thank you” Mia smiled her shoulders to her ears as she did, she moved towards him and leaned up puckering her lips. “Can I have a kiss?” she asked him sweetly. 

 Grinning at her, Tyler let out a soft chuckle at her reaction and he said, “you’re welcome,” before he smiled at her, “of course,” he said leaning into peck Mia’s lips sweetly. “I love you beautiful.”

 Mia closed her eyes at their kiss before she opened them again “I love you too” she told him lovingly. 

[atlfics]

Dehydrated- All Time Low Fanfiction

Being sick causes Alex to get dehydrated. Word Count: 2163

More notes at the end. 

“Hey, it’s okay, Alex. Take some deep breaths for me,” Jack said as he rubbed Alex’s back. The two of them were sitting on the bathroom floor of their shared hotel room, and Alex was gagging over the toilet. He woke up that morning feeling sick to his stomach, and quickly discovered that he had a stomach bug.

He was running a fever and was very sweaty, but still had intense chills throughout his body. Alex had already gotten sick twice that day, and it wasn’t even noon yet. Luckily, the band had a couple of days off, and were able to stay in a hotel instead of the tiny bus. After a couple more gags, Alex leaned up against Jack.

“This is the worst I’ve felt in a long time,” Alex said, holding his stomach.

“Do you think you’re actually going to be sick again? You’ve already puked twice today, I doubt you really have anything left at this point,” Jack pointed out.

“I feel like this awful feeling won’t start to settle until I get sick. Also, I had some water after I threw up the last time, and I think that’s what’s making me feel bad now,” Alex replied.

“Alex, I doubt that a little-“ Jack started. He was cut off by Alex starting to gag again. He leaned back over the bowl and started to get sick.

“Well, shit, what do I know?” Jack muttered to himself as he rubbed his friend’s back. After a few minutes, Alex decided he was done, and put his head into his hands.

“I hate this. Why do I always get sick so often? You guys don’t seem to be sick as much as me,” Alex pointed out.

“That’s because our immune systems actually work. Do you want to try to go back to bed?” Jack offered.

“Fuck you, and yes. This floor is so uncomfortable,” Alex replied. Jack helped his friend up, then led him back over to his bed. Alex quickly got in and pulled up the covers, trying to combat his chills. Jack took the cup next to Alex’s bed, and put fresh water into it.

“Here, drink some water,” Jack instructed.

“Hell no, that’s why I just threw up. I’ll drink some when my stomach decides to settle,” Alex replied.

“Alex, you should really try to drink some. Sick people are supposed to drink stuff,” Jack tried.

“I will, I just don’t want to right now. I really don’t want to throw up again,” Alex replied.

“I don’t want to argue with you, so please just try to in the near-ish future. Anyway, what do you want to do?” Jack asked.

“I kind of want to sleep forever,” Alex sarcastically replied.

“Why don’t you try to take a nap? If you don’t mind, I might go to Rian and Zack’s room for a bit. We kind of have to figure out what we’ll be able to reschedule and move around this week with you being sick. Like, we’re supposed to do some press shit tomorrow, but that might be out of the question now,” Jack explained.

“I forgot all about that. Yeah, I don’t want to have to cancel a show over an interview, so thank you for taking care of all of that,” Alex replied.

“Of course, man. Call me if you need anything, I’ll just be across the hall,” Jack said, before turning around and walking out of the room. Alex turned on the TV and picked the first movie he could find to watch.

He looked over at his nightstand and saw the cup of water that Jack had put out for him. He did feel a bit thirsty, but he decided against drinking it. He meant it when he said that he didn’t want to throw up again.

Now that Jack wasn’t there, he really didn’t want to get sick again. His best friend was the only thing that made being sick slightly tolerable. Deciding a nap would be nice, Alex got as comfortable as he could in his sweat soaked sheets and started to drift off to sleep.

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

“Okay, this schedule should be perfect, assuming that Alex is better in two days,” Rian said, looking at the new schedule they’d just spent the last two hours coming up with.

“Speaking of Alex, I should probably go check on him. He was about to go to sleep when I left, I hope he’s not been sick again,” Jack replied.

“Okay, tell us how he’s doing when you get the chance,” Zack requested as Jack walked across the hall to his shared room.

When he first walked in, he saw that Alex was asleep, and was happy that his friend was getting some rest. He walked over to wake Alex up to ask him how he was feeling, and quickly noticed that Alex was much sweatier now.

“Alex, can you wake up for a minute?” Jack said, trying to shake his friend awake. When he shook Alex, he noticed that he was a lot warmer than he’d been earlier, which concerned Jack. After a few more attempts at shaking, Alex still didn’t wake up.

Jack looked over at the water cup he’d brought out earlier and saw that it was still full, making Jack realize what was going on and how bad it was.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Jack anxiously said to himself. He ran out of the room and banged on Rian and Zack’s door until Zack finally answered.

“Woah man, calm down. What’s going on?” Zack asked.

“Both of you, come here now,” Jack said in an urgent tone. Rian and Zack quickly followed Jack back across the hall, and froze up when they saw Alex laying motionless in his bed.

“What’s wrong with him? Zack, call 911,” Rian instructed.

“I think he passed out from dehydration. He threw up right before I came over, and he didn’t want to drink anything after until his stomach was settled. His cup is still full. Rian, this is bad,” Jack said, clearly still anxious.

“Hey, calm down, we don’t need you to pass out from the anxiety attack you’re about to give yourself. We’ll get him to the hospital, everything is going to be fine,” Rian replied. In all honestly, he was just as scared as Jack was, but he knew that all of them freaking out wouldn’t help anything, so he did his best to stay calm.

“The EMT will be here in five minutes,” Zack said, hanging up his cell phone.

“Okay, good. Now, we just have to wait,” Rian said. Jack started taking deep breaths in attempt to calm himself. He couldn’t help but feel like this was partly his fault. He should’ve just forced Alex to drink the damn water.

After five minutes passed, a team of two EMT workers came up to their room and wheeled Alex out on a stretcher. The other three followed closely behind and were all beyond relieved when they were told that all three of them could ride in the ambulance with Alex.

Once they got to the hospital, Alex was immediately taken to a room, and the other three were taken to the main lobby and were given some paperwork to fill out. Normally, Jack was the one to fill out papers on Alex’s behalf, this wasn’t the first time he’d landed himself in the hospital, but he was still feeling extremely anxious about everything, so Rian took over this time. Eventually, the three of them were called down to a room. Alex was laying in the bed, still not awake, and hooked up to an IV with fluids.

“Is he okay?” Zack asked as the three of them sat down around the room.

“His fever was high, close to 104, which is what caused the dehydration. He should wake up soon, but he’ll have to stay here for a couple of hours so we can get his temperature down and make sure he’s rehydrated,” a nurse explained.

“Thank you so much for helping him and us,” Rian replied.

“Of course. It’s a good think he got here when he did. Too much later, and this could’ve been a lot more serious,” the nurse replied. She looked at something on her computer then left the other three in the room with Alex. Jack was sitting on the chair closest to Alex’s bed, and was playing with the sleeves on his shirt.

“Jack, you haven’t spoken since we got here. Are you alright?” Rian asked.

“I feel like this is my fault. I should’ve just made him drink something, or maybe checked on him sooner than I did,” Jack replied in a small voice.

“Hey man, this isn’t your fault. Alex should’ve just manned up and drank the water you gave him. The nurse said he’s going to be okay, and that’s what matters,” Rian tried. Jack just gave a small, forced smile before looking down at his hands again.

The next twenty minutes felt more like twenty years to all of them, especially Jack. The three of them mostly kept to themselves, allowing Jack’s mind to spiral some. He couldn’t shake the idea that this was partly his fault, no matter what his friends said in attempt to convince him otherwise.

Eventually, tears of frustration and anxiety started to sting his eyes, and he hoped that Rian and Zack wouldn’t notice from where they were sitting. Suddenly, Alex started to move around in his bed some, making the other three perk up. Alex slowly opened his eyes and started to sit up some.

“What’s going on?” he weakly asked.

“Alex! You’re awake!” Jack exclaimed, hugging his friend.

“Hey, take it easy on him, Jack,” Rian said, noticing how close Jack was to where Alex’s IV was.

“Oh shit, sorry,” Jack said, sitting back down.

“How’re you feeling, man?” Zack asked.

“Well, very confused. Why am I here? The last thing I remember is falling asleep at the hotel,” Alex asked.

“You didn’t drink enough water, and your fever spiked up a lot, and you got dehydrated and passed out,” Jack explained. Alex looked over to Jack and noticed the tears in his eyes.

“Wait, are you crying, Jack?” Alex asked.

“I was. I thought that this was my fault, since I was supposed to be taking care of you,” Jack replied.

“He’s been anxious and fidgety ever since we found you. Zack and I were scared, too, but Jack’s been the most affected by everything,” Rian explained.

“Oh shit, Jack. I’m sorry that I scared you so much. Please don’t think this is your fault, I should’ve just drank the water you gave me earlier. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me ever since I came down with this stomach bug, from sitting with me while I’ve gotten sick to bringing me things, and everything else in between. Please don’t blame yourself for my stubbornness,” Alex replied.

“Thanks for saying all of that, I really needed to hear it. I’m just glad you’re a bit better now,” Jack replied.

“As are we,” Zack added.

“Alex, next time, can you just not be an idiot, and drink water to stay hydrated? I know that throwing up sucks, but I think that we can both agree that this sucks a lot more,” Rian requested.

“Damn, tough crowd,” Alex mumbled.

“Alex, seriously,” Rian stated.

“Yes, I’ll be more careful next time. I’m sorry that I scared you all so much, I didn’t think that this would happen,” Alex replied. After a couple of hours, Alex was released, and they went back to their hotel. The three of them spent the day with Alex in his hotel room, keeping him company and making sure he drank water.

Once it was about ten that evening, Rian and Zack decided to go back to their room for the night. Jack changed into his PJs, then got into his bed. After plugging his phone in, he turned out the light.

“Hey, thank you for being so concerned about me all day, it means a lot,” Alex said into the darkness.

“Of course, man. You’re my best friend, it’s scary to see that shit happen to someone who you care about so much,” Jack replied.

“I’m really sorry that I put you through all of that,” Alex said.

“It’s okay, I’m just glad that you’re doing better now,” Jack replied.

“Me too. I’m glad I didn’t have to stay overnight at the hospital, this bed is a lot better than the one I had there,” Alex said, making them both laugh some.

“I bet. Hey, get some rest, man,” Jack suggested.

“Will do. Thanks for being such a great friend, Jack,” Alex said as he turned around.

“The same goes to you. Sleep well,” Jack replied. He was glad that Alex was okay, and for the first time all day, let himself relax as he drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Hey guys! This was a request I got from someone on here! They have sent me a few requests in the past, so I’m glad I was able to write for them again! I’ll be posting more requests this week, I got about six all at the same time last week, and almost have all of them done! Please don't hesitate to send more in, I love writing them, since it’s what you guys actually want to see from me. Thanks for reading, it means a lot. Lots of love, Liv.

[ferritin4]

Titans Together part 2 (Gen Jon Kent/Damian Wayne)

A follow-up to This First Installment of my mildly absurd headcanon about aged-up Damian Wayne and Jon Kent, based off of the recent, and now ongoing, runs of Tomasi’s Super Sons. The first post got more interest than I expected -- the amount I expected was “none” honestly -- so I’m putting this up as well for you few who thought it was fun. It is fun. It’s a fun ship. This is set on the same visit, the next day.

—

“I have a meeting with my advisor,” Damian said, stepping over Jon to get to his desk. Jon pulled his blankets back onto the air mattress and rubbed his eyes.

“Cool,” Jon said. “Is the cafeteria open on Saturday mornings?”

—

The cafeteria was open.

Damian had demanded he go to some restaurant in town where Damian knew someone, but that didn’t matter. Jon hadn’t even intended to stay the night, but if he was here, he was here, and he wasn’t Damian. He could eat at a normal cafeteria like a normal person.

It was pretty sparse still, because Damian got up at like four thirty in the morning every day — Damian slept between zero and four hours a night most days, which still freaked Jon out a little bit, but if he was going to have a heart attack or a seizure or something he probably would have had it by now — so Jon was showered and dressed in his jeans and boots and one of Damian’s plain white t-shirts by five thirty. Damian didn’t just wear t-shirts around anymore, of course, and this was supposed to go under a dress shirt, but Jon wasn’t wearing one of Damian’s dress shirts. No way.

It was pretty warm for September, but he still needed something between a t-shirt and his jacket. Damian’s dorm or whatever was like, a whole studio apartment, with a closet that Jon probably could have slept in instead of next to the desk where Damian kicked him in the side by accident every time he wanted to get a new pen or something.

Damian probably would’ve kicked him in the side by accident even if Jon had slept in the closet. Jon had spent more than enough time in the Titans headquarters. He knew how Damian operated.

Damian had a couple of sweaters that didn’t look too fancy, for Damian. Jon had pulled a dark red one over his head and gotten his wallet and headed out.

The breakfast in the dining hall was eggs and bacon and stuff. Jon got like six pancakes at the pancake station; he was hungry.

“Hi,” he told the person at the cash register. “I gotta pay with money, like. I’m not a student. If that’s okay.”

“That’s fine,” the cashier said, and then the person behind Jon said, “I — are you — um, Kent?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jon said to Ms. Braxton, who looked even smaller standing up. Her hair was in a very ineffective headband and she was wearing a hoodie, pajama pants, and house slippers.

“Wow,” she said.

Okay?

“Good morning,” Jon said.

“I can get your food,” she said suddenly, apparently recovering from whatever she’d been thinking, and shoved forward to give the cashier her ID card.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it,” Jon said. “I can pay for my breakfast, Miss, uh, Braxton. For real,” he added when she blinked up at him.

“You remember my name?” she said. “And, no, I got it. It’s not even real money. It’s part of my tuition.”

Isn’t your tuition paid for with money? Jon thought, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know Damian. It wasn’t like he didn’t know a whole lot of people who ran billion-dollar companies and bought newspapers and banks and thought things like it’s not real money, if they even thought about it at all.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Jon said, following her to the condiments station. “Why wouldn’t I remember your name?”

“Because you were busy getting grilled by the devil himself?” she said. “I think I go into, like, a fugue state most of the time. Like my brain is trying to die while my body’s still alive.” She pumped a giant pool of ketchup onto her plate.

“Oh, yeah,” Jon said. He shrugged as well as he could with a tray in his hands. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. I guess I don’t know if it ever did? But I get it.”

“Other profs don’t bother me,” she said, steering them toward a table. “I’m not, like, a wimp, but he’s like — he’ll fail you as soon as he’ll look at you, did you know that? And he’s, like, I don’t know. He’s so mean. You have no idea.”

“He can be pretty mean,” Jon conceded, tucking into his bacon. He wasn’t going to sit here and try to convince someone that Damian Wayne wasn’t an asshole.

“So,” she said.

“Mgnh?” Jon said. He swallowed. “Yeah? Oh, I didn’t really introduce myself.” He wiped his hand off on his napkin. “I’m Jon.”

“I’m Hafsah,” she said with a weird look on her face. “Mitchell said your name was Jon.”

“Mitchell?” Jon said. He took a sip of his coffee. It tasted okay, but it smelled kind of funny. Whatever, it only cost a dollar.

“Derek Mitchell? He was sitting next to you?” she said, and Jon bit his tongue so he didn’t say, oh, sure, Sweater Vest.

“Yes,” Jon said instead. “He didn’t tell me his name.”

“We don’t talk a lot in that class,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Usually. You did.”

Jon put half a pancake into his mouth and chewed it while he tried to figure out what she was getting at, but it didn’t really help.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said finally. He hadn’t. He had mostly planned to ask Damian about it after class, if he remembered or if Damian hadn’t explained it already by then.

“Do you work with him?” she said, out of nowhere. Jon frowned.

“No?” he said. “He works here?” It was kind of a lie, but like, he didn’t think she was acting weird and confused because she’d figured out the whole Teen Titans thing.

“Liam Kendry, who is a tool and stalks all his professors online like a creep,” she said, “says that he works for some defense contractor sometimes. And that he works for his dad’s company.”

“Well, okay, yeah, but he’s been doing that since he was like si— sssoo long ago,” Jon said. Damian would have had his ass for that. “He works here,” Jon added in an effort to distract her from the world’s lamest half-lie. “He goes to school here. And that’s not how I know him. I’m just here to hang out with him.”

“What?” she said. “You’re here to what?”

“Hang out?” Jon said. She stared at him, eyes nearly as big as Sweater Vest’s — Derek Mitchell’s — had been.

“Is that some kind of weird slang for like, a start-up tech company thing? Or, like, some kind of military exercise?” she asked.

“No,” Jon said a little more sharply than was polite, because he was getting tired of this. “He’s my best friend. We grew up together. We hang out! We watch movies! I made him go mudding on the farm last spring, he hated it,” he added, smiling.

Hafsah’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything. It stayed open.

“Are you okay?” Jon asked.

A small piece of potato fell out of her mouth and landed on the table between her plate and her lap.

“Oh my god, that was disgusting, I’m so sorry,” she said, snapping back to life and frantically attacking it with her napkin. “Okay gross, gross, sorry. Ew.”

“It’s okay,” Jon laughed. “Are you okay?”

“Um,” she said. “I don’t know. You seem so nice.”

That was a real non sequitur, but she seemed awfully sincere.

“Thank you,” Jon said, trying not blush. “I, uh. I try to be.”

“Wayne doesn’t,” she said decisively, and Jon didn’t even try to fight his smile.

“No,” he said, “no, he really doesn’t.” He forked the last of his pancakes into his mouth and took a drink of coffee. Something in his coffee still tasted a little off, or smelled weird. It was cafeteria coffee, so he didn’t want to be mean, but it was definitely getting worse.

“Did you really hug him at the end of class?” she asked, her eyes a little wild. Jon grinned.

“He hates that too,” he said. “But he had it com—”

That wasn’t his coffee. Shit.

“I gotta go,” he said, lurching out of his seat. “I’m sorry, I just — remembered something I forgot to do.”

“You what?” she said, but he was already gone, bolting out the doors and onto the quad.

Shit, shit, shit, where was it coming from? Where was his map? Something was burning, something chemical and strange, and Jon didn’t know where anything was, where were the science buildings — he punched CALL on his phone and started running toward the smell. Thank God it was still early. Nobody was out, nobody was there to see him and say, hey, man, are you —

“I am in a meeting,” Damian’s voice said, sharp and annoyed. “Which I know I told you.”

“Where are the labs, the science, like, the lab buildings?” Jon cut in. “Dami, something’s, I don’t know where, something’s on fire and it smells like nitrogen, or metal.”

“Four hundred yards southwest of Waterstone,” Damian said. “This meeting is over,” he said, not to Jon, “I will reschedule at my —” and Jon hung up.

He rounded in the corner, past Waterstone Hall, up a flight of weirdly broad stairs. There were two buildings, pretty much identical, looming up, and where was it — oh. Oh no, he could see the smoke in the windows of the third floor.

Nobody was coming. There was nobody anywhere, no sirens. Smoke was starting to trickle out one of the windows, but no one was helping.

Well, Jon thought as a dark shape landed on the roof. Not no one. Not anymore.

Nobody was out here, though, which meant Jon could fly up and kick in the emergency door on the third floor fire escape without anyone calling the cops or a TV station.

Damian ducked in through the break room window as Jon came down the hall, and oh, whoa. Shit had been the right word. Yikes.

Smoke was pouring out the open door to the lab at the end of the hallway, acrid and sour and foul. Jon’s eyes were burning; his mouth felt like he’d been chewing on pennies.

“Fuck,” Damian said, covering his mouth. “Even I could smell this from the dining hall.”

“Why isn’t the fire alarm going off?” Jon said. “This should be,” he stopped.

“What?” Damian said. He punched the plastic box of the fire alarm until it cracked, then ripped it off the wall. Wires fell out in a tangle. “There's a short in the system. Jon?”

“Somebody is in there,” Jon said in horror.

He could hear their heartbeat.

The fire alarm surged to life, suddenly screaming.

“Okay,” Jon said. “Okay.” He could barely see the door through the smoke, but they were in there and they were alive, and he could find them if he listened hard enough.

“The local fire department’s response time to this location is an average of eight minutes,” Damian said. Jon turned to look at him. “So stop just standing there, Kent.”

Jon smiled.

“Right,” he said. “Don’t go anywhere.”

The lab was a blinding, suffocating wall of smoke, and Jon shut his eyes against the sting and listened.

They were… to his left. Somewhere to his left. He tripped over something, a chair or a stool, but it wasn’t burning. Some of the furniture was on fire, but most of the flames were coming from a fume hood on the far side of the room, nowhere near him, near him or near them.

They were right under him before he was sure of it, but they were breathing. A woman, in jeans and a puffy vest that had half melted in the heat of the room. She was breathing, she wasn’t moving but she was breathing —

Something made a very ominous cracking noise behind him.

He felt it before it happened: a wet splash of liquid on the floor as a bench collapsed and a pipe burst, and then a thunderous shudder of bottles and jars tumbling and rolling toward the side of the room that was mostly flame, and then that awful, familiar inrush of air before an explosion.

He dropped to cover her just in time.

The windows blew out; one of the lab's doors ripped off and went crashing out into the hallway. A piece of a desk hit Jon’s back, hard, and the ceiling on the far side of the room let out a miserable, terrible groan and started to sag.

Jon grabbed her and ran.

Damian wasn’t in the hallway, and Jon spared a terrified thought that maybe the lab's door had hit him, and he was — no, of course not; he was in the break room, halfway down the hall.

“Put her here,” Damian told him. “Is she breathing?”

“Yeah,” Jon said. “Hang on, hang on, I gotta,” he stripped the melted vest off her and threw it on the floor. Damian’s fingers were at her neck. He had a bottle of water from somewhere, and he was opening it as she began to cough.

“Oh, whew,” Jon said. “Wow.”

Damian looked over at him, his eyes sharp chips of green. Jon heard the heavy footsteps of the firefighters start up the stairs on the ground floor.

Damian’s gaze flickered down to Jon’s chest, then back up.

“Oh,” Jon said, looking down. Damian’s sweater was hanging off him in burnt strips, and the whole left shoulder of his t-shirt was missing. His jeans and shoes were okay — he’d kind of laid down next to her and curled up — but there was no way he looked like he should have all his limbs.

“I, uh, I think I need to leave,” Jon said.

“We need to leave,” Damian agreed. “The easiest roof access is just to the east of the window.”

“No, I need to leave,” Jon said. “You need to stay here and explain the fire alarm, and the getting her out of the lab and stuff.”

Damian rolled his eyes. “Nobody asks why they didn’t die in a fire,” he said.

“Somebody was obviously here,” Jon said.

“And when they’re gone, no one will—”

“She didn’t crawl out here and onto a table and not —”

“People do all kinds of things in critical, life-threatening situations,” Damian snapped.

“Not like this,” Jon stalled.

“Jon,” Damian said suspiciously.

“In here!” Jon yelled as the firefighters burst through the hallway doors, and then he lunged for the window.

He caught Damian’s eyes as he scrambled up to the roof, and boy, was he doubly glad he was impervious to fire today.

[hamilton-one-shots]

Hamilton High School AU 36

When he woke up hours later, Alexander groaned and sat up, feeling bloated from the pizza and overall, just gross. "John?.." He tried shaking him away. "John?.." He looked over and saw that he was shaking a pillow. He frowned and looked around, finding a note on the nightstand in John's handwriting.

[Hey, Alex. If you're reading this, I'm not at the apartment. I left to make sure my siblings were back home and okay and I'm going to make them some dinner. I left at 5 and I should be back no later than 6. If you want something specific for dinner, please text me to tell me. Otherwise, please text me anyways when you're awake and let me know how you're feeling. I'll explain everything that I know when I get back. I love you <3]

Alexander tutted and looked at the time. 5:48. At least he'd be back soon. He grabbed his phone and texted him. [hey] [im awaek] [awake*] [miss u] Then he figured that he at least owed Aaron a thanks. [hey] [im ok] [thnx 4 2day] [rly] [oew u big time] He sighed and put his phone in his pocket, then quickly took it back out. "What?.." He threw back the covers and gasped in horror at the warm, wet patch spread across the mattress. It couldn't exactly be helped with the drugs in his system, but still.. Did it have to be in John's bed?.. He got up and stripped the sheets off of the bed before stripping off his wet clothes and heading to the bathroom, taking a quick shower. He put on some of John's clothes and put a new set of bed sheets on the bed before taking the rest downstairs to the building's shared washing machines.

Aaron was the first to respond to the text messages. [I'm glad to hear that.] [Thomas didn't have anything to do with it, by the way. It was Jay.] [He got the drugs from Thomas, but he only gave them to him to get rid of. He said he never was going to use them on you.] [But I don't blame you if you don't believe me.]

John responded soon after. [I miss you too. I'll be home soon, I promise <3] [Do you want anything in particular to eat? I'll make you whatever you want whenever I get home.]

Alexander smiled and went to the group chat, figuring the rest of his friends would want to know he was okay.

[John's Bitch: hey] [John's Bitch: i lived] [John's Bitch: kinda] [John's Bitch: evrythin is sore] [John's Bitch: but im ok]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: Thank goodness! I was so worried about you! 😫]

[MamasBoi: thank fuck] [MamasBoi: what happened?? Jefferson?]

[John's Bitch: idk] [John's Bitch: i dnt thnk so] [John's Bitch: i dnt trst jay]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: I hope you feel better soon. Are you guys still up for the party tonight?]

[OhMyGod:*: Not sure.]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: Maybe we should reschedule?]

[OhMyGod:*: Not if it'd be too much trouble. Its more Alexander's choice.]

[John's Bitch: no its cwl] [John's Bitch: ur mom jst caem home] [John's Bitch: we shoud selebr8]

[MamasBoi: you sure?] [MamasBoi: At least take it easy with drinks 😜]

[John's Bitch: wil do] [John's Bitch: no intenshons of goin loopy] [John's Bitch: ..agen]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: Its fine <3 I'm just glad that you're okay.] [Kitty Mom 🐱: I'll snag that vodka bottle from your room.] [Kitty Mom 🐱: Hey, with that and all of the other alcohol around, there's no doubt that John will get wasted! : D]

[OhMyGod:*: Why are you so happy for that?]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: Maybe seeing you act like an idiot will help him feel better! : D]

[OhMyGod:*: Wow...] [OhMyGod:*: Glad I can help.]

[Kitty Mom 🐱: <3 <3 <3]

John finally showed up as Alexander sat by the dryer and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his cheek. "Hey, I was so worried about you..."

"I'm okay.. Just a bit off.."

"Okay.. What are you doing down here?"

Alexander hesitated to respond. "I... I wet the bed.. I just woke up and.. Yeah... But I changed the sheets and everything.. I'm sorry.."

"I'm not upset or anything. I know you couldn't help it."

Alexander nodded, though he was still embarrassed by the fact.

John held him close. "I'm going to kill Jay on Monday.. I don't know what he was planning on doing, but he used the date-rape drug on you.."

"He was acting funny since I got in the car.. Something about being my resident John and getting Jefferson there and buying my drinks.. I should've seen it.."

"You couldn't have known. Those things are meant to be undetectable.. You're okay now and that's what matters..."

Alexander looked up at him. "Everything was blurry and bright and scary.. But you came and I knew everything was going to be okay.." He smiled.

John kissed his cheek and smiled. "Of course. You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. I love you so much.."

Alexander couldn't help but blush. "I'm so lucky to have you.. Even when you make me eat my body's weight in pizza," he chuckled. He remembered pretty much everything from the past few hours.

John rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Why don't we take the sheets and your clothes upstairs, then get ready for the party?"

"Sounds like a plan."

John grabbed everything from the dryer once it went off, then took it upstairs. He gave Alexander his clothes and folded his sheets, then left with him and walked to Herc's place.

When they got there, Sarah greeted them with a wide smile. "Ally! It has been too long!" She pulled him into a tight hug before taking a second to look at him. "You've gained some weight, I see! That's great!"

Maybe the others may not have noticed it as much, but it was definitely true. Compared to just a week ago, Alexander didn't look nearly as frail, though he did feel like his eyes would pop out of his skull if Sarah hugged him like that again.

"Are you calling me fat?" he teased, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Oh, hush." She smiled and turned to John. "Martha was such a little lady earlier, John. She insisted on helping clean before leaving. She's so mature."

John nodded. "That's Martha for you."

Sarah smiled and led them to the living room where Lafayette and Hercules were sitting on the sofa, already with drinks in their hand and shot glasses on the table.

"Hey, guys," Hercules greeted. "Come join us." The game in front of them was a Snakes and Ladders board modified for other purposes. Most spaces without a snake or ladder occupying it had an instruction written in instead.

John sat down with them and took the dice as Lafayette handed them to him. He chose a game piece and rolled the dice, moving as the dice instructed. He landed on a blank piece and tutted, giving the dice to Alexander. "Want to play?"

"Yeah, sure." He rolled the dice and on 'Down your drink'. "Ha! Stupid game, I don't have a drink ye-" He cut himself off as Hercules pushed his glass of Guinness in his direction. "Gee, thanks. Herc-germs." He picked up the glass and downed it's contents. The glass had only been half full and the drink wasn't particularly strong, so it was no mystery as to why he gave him that one.

Lafayette took his turn next, rolling the dice and landing on 'Everyone Takes a Shot'. He grinned and poured some of the vodka that he'd snagged from Alexander's room into the shot glasses that surrounded the table.

Alexander almost wanted to protest, but he did practically drink all of Laf's wine last time they'd gotten drunk. It was only fair. He took his shot and watched as Hercules took his turn, landing on a blank spot before handing John the dice.

John rolled the dice and moved his piece, also landing on 'Down Your Drink'. Before he could make the same joke as Alexander, Lafayette poured a glass of wine for him. "Thanks for the girly drink," he joked, knowing how strong the drink really was as it scorched his throat. "Christ, Laf."

Alexander watched and felt memories flood back of last time. He grabbed the sharpie from the table and scribbled untidily on a few of the blank tiles 'Kiss BF'.

Hercules chuckled. "Someone's trying to say something."

"Shut up." He rolled the dice and moved his piece, landing on 'Next player takes a shot'. "There you go, Laf."

He shrugged and downed the shot like it was nothing, taking his turn and landing on a blank space.

While Hercules took his turn, John turned to face Alexander with a cheeky grin. "If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask." He cupped Alexander's face in his hands and pressed his lips to his in a loving kiss.

Alexander let his eyes fall shut as he kissed back, intoxicated by the taste of the wine on John's tongue. He only pulled away when Hercules cleared his throat to get their attention. "What? Is it my turn?"

"No, Casanova, it's where I landed." He pointed at the 'Choose a player to take a shot' written on the tile.

Alexander tutted and poured himself a shot, then downed it. He was certainly starting to feel a light buzz, though he could've sworn that it was more from the taste of John's lips than of any alcohol he drank.

John watched him, in a love struck daze until Lafayette got his attention.

"Your turn, John."

"Yeah, yeah." He took the dice and moved, grinning as he landed on 'Kiss BF'. Perfect. He turned to Alexander and pulled him into a passionate kiss, not pulling away until he was out of breath. "How was that for a kiss?" he asked with a cheeky grin as he dropped the dice into Alexander's palm.

All that escaped Alexander was a strained squeak. He blushed and rolled the dice, lazily rolling them across the board and landing on another 'Down Your Drink' tile. He tutted and downed a glass of wine, though he thought it was too good to waste like that.

"Maybe you should skip a few turns.." Hercules suggested. After all, it wasn't like Alexander hadn't just gotten date raped. Still, Alexander made them promise not to bring it up, so he threw in a joke for good measure. "Otherwise, you'll be borrowing condoms before you get up the stairs."

Alexander shot him a playful glare, but it worked.

It worked for John, too. He went quiet for a second. "Maybe I should skip a few turns, too.."

Hercules cursed himself for that comment and cursed the alcohol for making him lose his ability to censor his thoughts.

Lafayette shifted everyone's focus back to the game, taking his turn and landing on a blank space.

Hercules went next. Another blank space. They went back and forth like that for a minute until Alexander piped up.

"Don't you have anything else to fill the spaces with?"

"Do you have anything in mind?" Hercules asked, offering the sharpie.

"Maybe.." He wrote on a few more blank spaces 'text'.

"Text?" Lafayette asked.

"Yeah. You choose someone and give them your phone and they choose anyone to text."

"Very evil. I like it." Hercules nodded in approval before offering John the dice.

"Sure." He smiled a bit and took the dice, rolling them. Of course, he landed on 'text'. He pulled out his phone and pondered his choices. "Let's see... Lafayette is embarrassing just being Lafayette, Hercules has no filter when drunk, and Alexander is Alexander.." He gave Alexander his phone.

Alexander rolled his eyes and went through his phone, already knowing exactly who to text. [madison, if u had a kid nd maed them angery, wud they be ur mad son? pls respond. v importnt.] Alexander handed back John's phone, like he hadn't just text James the most god awful pun. It wasn't long before he got a reply.

[...I came out of a movie with Dolley to answer this.] [Damn it, man.]

John chuckled and responded. [Lol, so sorry dude] [We're playing a game and I had to let Alexander text anyone he chose] [And he chose you] [So sorry :' )] "Where would I be without my jealous boyfriend tormenting my business partner?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Lafayette took the dice and took his turn, landing on another 'Take a shot' tile. He downed the shot with ease and passed the dice to Hercules, who took his turn and landed on 'Everyone takes a shot'. Everyone downed their shot, then John took his turn.

He landed on another 'Take a shot' tile and did just that, feeling the alcohol mess with his system. He sighed contently and leaned into Alexander.

Lafayette smiled at the dorky drunk and took his turn, landing on 'Person on your right takes a shot'. he poured a shot and passed it to Hercules along with a kiss on the cheek.

Hercules smiled and downed the shot, feeling the same buzz that John was. "Dia, tá tú chomh álainn, leanbh..." ("God, you are so beautiful, baby ...") he muttered in Irish.

"Slow those flirty tones, son," Hugh chuckled from the kitchen.

John snorted with laughter and took his turn, landing on a blank space.

Alexander, despite Herc's warning, took a turn and landed right on a 'text' tile. Like John, he ruled out Hercules immediately and ended up giving his phone to John, figuring it was only fair. "Go easy on me, won't you?"

"Maybe." He giggled and went through his phone. [Hey, Aaron. Thanks for helping me with club stuff, but don't get too friendly. I have an amazing boyfriend, after all 💗]

It didn't take long for him to respond. [Hmm... Judging by the mainly correct grammar, I'm assuming this is that amazing boyfriend.]

John giggled. [You caught me : P]

Aaron responded. [Okay. No need to get jealous.]

[Just a warning : )]

"And I'm the jealous boyfriend?" Alexander asked with a chuckle.

John ignored him and cuddled into Alexander's stomach. "My baby.." he hummed.  

[jons v. drunk] [lmao] [dw: ur not my tipe anywai ;)]

[Now it makes sense. John's a very sensible person when sober.] [And you'll be glad to know that you're not my type in the slightest.]

[rude]

John whined and grabbed Alex's wrist, taking his hand and putting it against his cheek. "I'm amazing, too.."

Alexander felt a pang of guilt. Ironically, he'd only been hanging out with Aaron so much because he wanted to make the art department as a surprise for John, but he couldn't very well tell him that. "I'm sorry.." He kissed his hand. "I love you so much, more than anyone."

John smiled and sat up a bit. "I love you too. I'm sorry for being stupid and jealous. Don't feel guilty."

"You're not an idi-" He was cut off by John squishing his cheeks together and giggling sweetly. He was always just melting his heart. When he let go of his face, Alexander smiled and put a hand behind John's head, pulling him down into a hug and holding him close. Nobody was going to hurt him anymore. "You know, I really prefer my guys with curly hair and freckles, anyways."

John smiled and looked up at him, his chin resting on his chest. "I have curly hair and freckles!"

"You do!" Alexander smiled, as if it was some sort of epiphany.

Hercules tutted and leaned against Lafayette. "I'm glad we're not soppy like that. We don't have to be for you to know I love you."

"Of course we don't," Lafayette claimed, though Hercules was just as soppy and silly.

Sarah giggled, looking over at them. They were all so sweet together, so in love, just like herself and Hugh.

Hercules looked over at her and her orange juice. "You're not drinking?" Sarah wasn't a heavy drinker by any means, but she hardly ever passed up a chance to drink with her family.

"No, not tonight."

"Why not? Everything okay?"

"Well, we were going to wait a while longer to tell you, but you're going to be an older brother."

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

You’re My Bodyguard, Not My Owner. (Chapter 24) (Brendon Urie x Reader)

“Rise and shine, sweetcheeks,” your bodyguard chirped happily as he strolled into your room with your usual morning coffee along with a stainless steel bottle in the other hand, flicking the light switch on as he did so.

The loudness of his voice caused you to be ripped from your peaceful state of sound slumber, and you jerked upwards. The dull pain in your head that occurred as a result of the sudden movement earned a heavy groan from you, and you brought a hand to clasp your forehead as you strongly regretted consuming so much alcohol last night.

“Jesus, Brendon,” you mumbled, voice thick with sleep as you closed your eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of your nose in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing in your cranium, “Could you be any louder?”

“Is that a challenge?” he raised an eyebrow at you, taking a seat on the edge of your rigid bed.

“NO!” you yelled, groaning again as another twang of pain shot through your head; Brendon let out a light scoff in amusement, making you narrow your eyes and glower at him. “You think this is funny?”

“I think it’s hilarious.”

“Yeah, okay,” you muttered, rolling your tongue around in your mouth before shaking your head and reaching for the coffee mug, “Just give me the coffee.”

As you extended your hand, Brendon retracted his, shaking his head no while holding the mug out of your reach.

“Oh, no, no,” he said, “The coffee is for me.” He flipped the steel bottle he held in his hand around before holding it out to you. “This is for you.”

With hesitant fingers, you slowly grasped the bottle and took it from Brendon’s hold. “What is it?” you questioned, somewhat reluctant to open the container.

“A hangover remedy.”

Turning up your nose and scrunching up your face, you carefully unscrewed the cap of the bottle. Immediately after you had removed the cap, the sickening stench of whatever the hell it was that your bodyguard had tossed in the bottle filtered up and into your nostrils, making you gag slightly.

“What the hell, Brendon?” you spluttered, trying to rid your system of the smell of the putrid mixture as you held the bottle as far away from you as was possible. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” he assured, rolling his eyes, “Just drink. It’ll help.”

You truly did not want that bottle anywhere near your mouth, but the rhythmic throbbing in your head won the battle, and you exhaled breathily.

With one last filthy glance at your bodyguard, you pinched your nose so that you wouldn’t taste the awful liquid, brought the bottle to your lips and hastily gulped all of it down.

When you were done, you swiftly recapped the bottle and tossed it at the hard rock in front of you. The bitter aftertaste made you want to throw up, but you managed to keep your reflexes under control.

“Now that that’s sorted,” Brendon spoke, taking a gulp of coffee and standing up, “Suit up. Our session starts in ten minutes.”

Your jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Wha- SESSION? As in training session? Today?”

“Was that not implied?” he cocked his head to the side, “Or is your brain not able to comprehend my speech? Again?”

Biting the inside of your cheek to keep from snapping at him, you took a deep breath and calmed your tone of voice. “Do you really think that training today is a good idea after everything that happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday was nothing. I’ve been in worse situations.”

“Of course you have,” you hissed under your breath, looking down and shaking your head before looking back up at the pillar of icy stone in front of you, “I meant that I don’t think I’m in the right shape to train right now.”

“Agents go to hell and back and are still back in the training centre the next day. Things could be crueller for you. Suck it up,” he said simply, turning around and heading for the door, stopping when he reached the frame and turning to glance at you, “Ten minutes,” he reminded, slipping away.

“tEn MiNuTeS,” you mocked, angrily ripping the blanket from your body and moving to get changed.

~

When Brendon rounded the corner at the end of the corridor after having exited your room, he collided with a figure dressed in a black leather trench coat.

“Excuse me, sir,” Brendon apologised, bowing his head a bit as a sign of respect.

“It was my fault, Agent,” The Director mused, clasping his hands behind his back as his eye that wasn’t covered by an eye patch twinkled in anticipation, “I was actually looking for you.”

“Oh?” Brendon raised his eyebrows, “Well, you found me. What do you need, sir?”

“That thing we spoke about yesterday,” he started, tilting his head upwards and looking over Brendon’s head, despite talking directly to him, “I would very much appreciate if you would take the time to go over everything in my office. I’ll assign Agent Corvey to watch over (Y/N).”

Brendon’s brows furrowed a bit. “Right now?”

“Yes,” The Director confirmed, bringing his steely gaze to meet his employee’s, “Is that a problem? Are you currently…” he glanced down at the coffee mug in Brendon’s hand, “preoccupied?”

“I was just-“

“On your way to the training centre to prepare for your session with (Y/N)?”

Neither man said anything, nor did they move a muscle, they simply stared at one another. One icy stone pillar to another. Eventually, after an uncomfortably long silence, the corners of The Director’s lips twitched upwards into a hint of a smile, and he spoke.

“Did you honestly think I was unaware of the fact that you had been giving her lessons? You continue to surprise me with your recently acquired lack of thinking things through, Agent Urie.”

Brendon’s mouth opened and he was about to address the situation, but the raising of two of The Director’s fingers ceased the words from escaping his throat.

“I’m not upset, Brendon,” he said carefully, earning a perplexed look from the agent in front of him, “On the contrary, I think it’s a good thing.”

“You do?” Brendon frowned.

“I do,” he nodded, tapping his fingers together behind his back, “With everything that’s going on… in addition to it being useful for her to learn how to defend herself, it also offers a way to keep her distracted, which is a very good thing.”

Brendon nodded in understanding. “So does that mean…”

“You are free to go,” The Director conceded, bringing his hands to his front and checking his watch, “But I am still expecting to have that meeting. Let’s reschedule for tonight, 7pm. I’ll make all of the necessary arrangements.”

With that, The Director gave a curt nod to Brendon before stepping around him and walking off, leaving your bodyguard to make his way to the training centre, where you were waiting for him.

~

You landed on the padded floor of the training centre with a heavy thud, huffing as you sprawled yourself out on the mat. Brendon slumped his shoulders and let out an exasperated sigh as he looked at your hobble state.

“(Y/N), come on,” he ran his one hand through his hair before throwing both up in the air, “You’re not focusing.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you remarked sarcastically, pushing yourself up from the floor and blowing the few loose strands of hair out of your face before placing them on your hips, “Forgive me for not being at my full mental and physical capacity today, but spending the night clubbing and then being thrown off of a cliff and almost drowning, doesn’t make for a very good state of mind the following morning!”

“It doesn’t? Hm, I’ll be sure to make a note of that,” he sassed, pressing his lips together in a thin line.

“Fucking hell, I hate you,” you growled, sprinting forward and swinging your arm in an effort to strike him.

He countered it, obviously, and now he had your back plastered against his chest as he held you in a tight grip, one hand wrapped around your waist to prevent you from moving and the other one wrapped diagonally across your chest, his fingers resting on your shoulder. Despite your anger for him at present, your body flushed at being in such close contact with your bodyguard, and you mentally cursed at the betrayal.

“And just like that, boom,” he whispered into your ear, making a vague gesture to indicate snapping your neck, “you’re dead. Not good enough,” he said, releasing you and shoving you forward, “Try harder.”

The sudden loss of his constricting grip caused you to stumble, and you scoffed. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes for a moment before whipping around and rushing toward him, lifting your leg up to kick his head, but he countered that too.

“Again,” he pushed, prompting you to try another time, but he counteracted every one of your moves.

“Again.”

Counter.

“Again.”

Counter.

“Again.”

Counter.

“Again. Focus, (Y/N)!”

“I am focusing!” you argued, grunting as he countered an uppercut from you.

“No, you’re not,” he insisted, grabbing your fist and jerking your arm to the side so that he could step closer to you, “You’re thinking too much. Letting your emotions take over. Don’t. You’re acting on your hatred for me – on what you’re feeling – and that can be every agent’s downfall. Shove all of your feelings aside and act on pure instinct, because that’s the only way you’re gonna stay alive. Emotions make you weak, and weak gets you killed.”

Panting, you lowered your hand when Brendon released it, and took a moment to look into your bodyguard’s eyes. They were full of fire, but not the one associated with rage or fury – oh no, this fire was one burning with urgency, desperation.

Noticing that you were trying to decipher him, Brendon blinked and the fire disappeared, replaced by the usual cold, hard stare. Stepping back, he made a motion for you to get into position.

“Again.”

The rest of the session went well. You followed Brendon’s advice, focusing on your instincts rather than your feelings, and you did exceptionally better.

You landed a roundhouse kick, knocking your bodyguard to the floor, and let out a little cheer.

“Good,” he praised, standing up with ease, “That was good. Clearly kicking is your strong suit,” he touched his fingers to the side of his mouth before pulling it back and examining the splatters of blood coating them.

“I would say sorry,” you started, walking forward, “but you forced me to shove my hand in a container full of cockroaches, so I’m really not.”

“Fair enough,” he pursed his lips, “Guess now we’re even. Ya know, if we’re not counting all of those times I saved your life.”

“Really?” you rolled your eyes and condescendingly raised an eyebrow, “You’re gonna play the bodyguard card?”

“I’m just stating facts,” he threw up his hands before moving to clear up.

“Mm, alright,” you said, following suit and packing away the equipment you had used.

“So,” you said after everything was packed away, “are you gonna tell me what Fury wanted to talk to you about last night?”

“No,” he said simply, grabbing his gun and reattaching it to his belt.

“You sure about that?” you questioned cockily, “’Cause you know that I won’t stop annoying you until you tell me.”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Bullshit,” you scoffed, advancing on him, “Tell me.”

“Shit, you’re so intimidating,” he mocked, dramatically clutching at his chest as he took a step backwards, “I better tell you everything before you kick my ass.”

You rolled your eyes. “Just tell me.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he shook his head to accentuate his point before heading for the door.

“Why not?” you persisted, jogging to catch up with him.

Stopping in front of the door, Brendon clenched his jaw and turned to face you.

“(Y/N), SHIELD’s trying to keep you safe. If there are things that we’re keeping from you, it’s to protect you.”

“So it’s something to do with Hydra, then?” you assumed, furrowing your brows and keeping a hand on the door to prevent Brendon from opening it.

He inhaled deeply. “Unless you know of another evil organisation we’re protecting you from, then yes, I think it’s safe for you to assume that it has something to do with Hydra.”

“Is it something to do with The Asset? Did he finally give some useful information?” you pressed, knowing full well that it wasn’t a good idea, but asking anyway because you were sick of always being out of the loop.

Your bodyguard rubbed a hand over his face and under his jaw before giving you a tired look. “You’re not gonna give up, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

With a sigh, he let his head hang back before giving you a serious look. “(Y/N), if I tell you, you have to swear to me that you won’t do anything stupid.”

“I swear,” you promised, perking up at the prospect of finally knowing what information had been exchanged between your bodyguard and The Director.

“Alright…”

Approximately twelve hours ago. The Director’s office, SHIELD HQ.

“I asked him for his price,” The Director told Brendon, referring to the assassin they had locked away in a cell, “Wanna guess what his answer was?”

Brendon’s eyes studied his superior. He noticed that he was standing facing the glass wall that overlooked the rest of HQ, not making eye contact. He noticed that the tone with which he spoke was distant, almost as if he were afraid. He noticed that he was standing even more upright than usual, muscles taught and tense. He noticed the rhythmic tapping of his fingers as his hands stayed firmly clasped behind his back. He knew that all of this could only mean one thing.

“He wants to speak with her.”

The Director nodded slowly, staring through the glass for another minute before turning to face Brendon.

“And you know why we can’t let that happen. It would mean…” he trailed off, almost afraid to continue, “disaster. Complete and utter disaster.”

“What did he say when you told him that allowing her anywhere near him was not an option?”

“What do you think he said?” Fury began pacing now, the way he always did when faced with such a delicate situation, “He refuses to come up with another request. Says it’s the only thing he wants from us.” He gave a light chuckle.

“I can’t imagine why,” Brendon breathed, resting his elbow on the armrest and bringing his hand to his mouth, ��So what do we do?”

“The only thing we can do,” The Director answered with a hard face, “We protect her. There is no way in hell that the two of them are getting anywhere near each other.”

 Present day. Training Centre, SHIELD HQ.

“He wants to speak with me,” you clarified, and Brendon nodded, “That’s what you didn’t want to tell me? That he wants to have a conversation?”

A frown immediately formed on your bodyguard’s face, and he took a step closer to you. “I don’t think you understand, (Y/N). If we let you in the same room as him, it won’t be just a conversation. Not in the slightest.”

“What do you mean?” you huffed in perplexity, “He’s in restraints, isn’t he? He can’t touch me.”

“That’s not-“ he stopped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before stepping even closer and grabbing your wrist, squeezing, “There are things you don’t understand. We can’t let you in there with him. We just can’t.”

“But if it’ll get us information-“

“No information is worth letting him speak with you,” Brendon cut you off, his breathing getting heavier as he tried to get you to understand, “Nothing is.”

“Brendon, if I can-“

“No,” he said sternly, his grip on your wrist tightening so much it hurt; he looked at you for a second before laughing lightly and letting go, regaining distance between you two. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you. I fucking knew it. You don’t understand. You never will.”

Now it was your breathing that increased. “I understand that you all want to protect me, Brendon. But have you ever thought that maybe I want to protect you too? If I can get him to talk and give us information about Hydra, then we can save everyone.”

Brendon shook his head and opened the door so harshly he almost ripped it clean off its hinges. “It isn’t your job to protect anyone, (Y/N). It’s SHIELD’s. So let us do it.”

~

You absentmindedly chewed on the skin surrounding your fingernails as you sat on your bed with your knees propped up. Corvey was sitting across the room, in the seat that Brendon usually sat in, yapping on about some or other band called ‘The Falling Boys’ or whatever. You weren’t paying any attention to any of the words coming out of his mouth; your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of The Asset.

The Director’s logic was completely lost on you at the best of times, but now, it was about as far gone as Brendon’s emotions. You couldn’t wrap your head around why he wouldn’t allow you to speak with the assassin. Yeah, you knew that everyone around here was obsessed with protecting you, but if there was a possibility that you could get the assassin to disclose information that could help take down SHIELD’s biggest enemy, then shouldn’t you at least be allowed to try?

Concluding that you were sick to death of being treated like a delicate snowflake that needed constant supervision, you threw your legs over the side of your bed. It was time that you did something useful.

“Corvey?” you interrupted the agent’s rambling, “I need a favour.”

“Yes, ma’am- I mean, Miss (Y/L- I mean, (Y/N)?” he blushed a deep shade of pink at his mistakes, “What do you need?”

“Could you take me on a walk around HQ? I’m tired of being holed up in here all day.”

“I, uh, don’t think that I’m allowed to take you outside of this room,” he said sheepishly, nervously readjusting his sleeve.

“Please,” you pleaded, making your eyes big – you knew that that always worked on him, “Just for a little bit.”

It was visibly clear that the poor guy was having a rather intense internal debate. He knew that it wasn’t ethical to go against orders, but a radiant smile from you to him was enough to convince him otherwise.

“Okay,” he caved, “But just for a couple of minutes.”

You grinned widely. “That’s all I need.”

~

You weren’t at all positive that your borderline-suicidal plan would work, but by sheer luck itself, you had managed to shake Agent Corvey – by asking him to make you a cup of coffee in the break room and then running off – and you were now sneaking through the corridors of HQ, dodging agents left, right and centre.

It was no easy feat, and you had to use your quickest reflexes and techniques Brendon had taught you to make sure that you didn’t get caught. If it weren’t for having been giving a thorough tour of HQ by Agent Hill a few months ago, you would’ve had no clue where you were headed.

Luckily for you, you had a phenomenal memory, and you were able to slink through the grey-walled corridors of SHIELD headquarters towards your target with ease. You had to make sure to keep out of the view of any cameras, so you kept your head down and walked quickly, rounding corner after corner until you came face to face with the door leading to your destination.

Your hand slipped into the back pocket of your jeans and grasped the key card you had swiped from Corvey. He was a great guy, bless him, but he was an awful agent. It was almost too easy to steal it from him.

Pulling it out, you took a deep breath. You knew that there was a heap of agents behind that door, and you prepared yourself to take down all of them.

You raised the card to the sensor, which beeped, turning the sensor green. With a rush of air, the door slid open, and you stepped inside.

As expected, there were a lot of agents present. A quick survey of the room told you that there were five in all.

“Miss (Y/L/N),” one of them spoke up and stepped forward, “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I know,” you sighed, “and I’m sorry for this.”

You pulled back before striking the agent with a roundhouse kick, knocking him against the wall and causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious. Your actions stunned the rest of the agents in their places, and you took the opportunity to attack them too.

Using everything Brendon had taught you, you managed to take out the two closest to you with a lower leg strike and uppercut to the one, and an elbow to the ribs and knee to the face.

The other two were a bit more problematic, since they had guns, which were now trained on you.

“Miss (Y/L/N), stand down,” the one warned.

With a huff, you raised your hands up to insinuate that you would cooperate, but when they started walking forward to retain you, you hit both of them with a punch to the face, before grabbing both of them by their hair and knocking their heads together.

Panting and looking around at all of the unconscious agents, you took a moment to smirk, proud of yourself. But remembering that you probably only have a few minutes before someone finds you, you moved quickly to open the door leading to the cell.

You were aware that stepping over that threshold would mean going against everyone, and everything that they’ve done for you, but you couldn’t help but feel drawn to the assassin inside, and before you could comprehend your body’s actions, you were walking forward.

Slowly, you headed for the glass and metal box containing the man who was responsible for so much pain and destruction. When you stopped in front of it, he leisurely lifted his head, a smile forming on his face once he saw you.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N),” he croaked, a light chuckle catching in his throat, “It’s about damn time we met.”

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

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