#like they don’t just sit their and do nothing like Jimmy probably did some of the time cause Curly likely didn’t want to make him

[dykedvonte]

I think a big misunderstanding is the power people give Curly to actually change things about the way the pony express operates or could’ve done things on the Tulpar.

We are talking about a company that docks pay for bad synergy despite mandated psych evals that should tell which staff members would work well together, only allots for 5 hours of sleep despite having literally no other tasks to truly do and locks all resources behind the access of one person. The last one is likely to manage resources and make it easier to justify collective punishment and blaming one person for it; someone needs something in “excess” or the captain gives in? It’s all on them your pay is docked. Instant resentment.

It’s insidious how the company works, it’s by design to distract you from coming after them, to force tensions to line their own pockets. With all the restrictions and forced interactions, altercations are bound to happen. 5 hours of sleep a day, limited sources of entertainment, no real tasks… the monotony alone would cause bad cabin fever, mix that with just only one absolute mediator and you get the exact environment that allows shit like in the game to happen.

The idea he could just complain and try to throw his weight around to get them to dig into their pocket for the crews comfort is laughable and misses the predatory and dehumanizing aspect of capitalism the Pony Express represents. Curly was and is still just another asset to them. Being a top show pony doesn’t mean he’s anywhere close to the actual top. He is the top of the working ladder, not whoever’s in corporate, he wouldn’t even be on the bottom step unlike what Jimmy perceives. The resounding recommendations he would get are almost mocking as they throw him out like nothing just like the rest. Being a shitty fucking company, how much do you bet they’d mean anything anyways, especially since he wanted to leave the field all together.

He made a fuss and they didn’t listen, he says he should’ve done more but you can tell he knows it wouldn’t have changed anything. Jobs like this are willing to make a sacrifice if it means even a penny more. Curly makes a bigger fuss they likely would’ve just found an “unrelated” reason to fire him, hired a more pliable guy or, terrifyingly, promoted Jimmy. The company was failing, going to shut down whether anything happened on the ship or not. But knowing that they were shutting down and that everyone, including him, would be out of a job with this being their last paycheck, he had to factor in not destroying the last bit of their financial stabilities combined with every other issue on the vessel and his own. He gets another cryopod or locks and then he has to break to them that they are not only fired but there will be substantial cuts to their paychecks due to the “upgrades” (things that already should’ve been in place on their part) on top of anything else that could be docked along the way.

You can blame him for saying it so early into the trip but then again, if he mentioned it later who’s to say it wouldn’t have been worse? On the capitalism side alone how would people in a galaxy away from home, out of a job and already stir crazy react? Don’t get me started on how Jimmy would have reacted if he realized he only had two days left to fix what would be a very hard to miss “problem” in his head…

I can’t even consider explaining this as devils advocate because it’s just facts of the world we and they live in and factors that heavily affected the situation. People are just so quick to make claims on the ease of the choices when P.E literally makes it hard to choose to do anything but suck it up.

[deathbyday]

-'⁠🫧*⁠.⁠✧ MOUTHWASHING ✧.⁠*⁠🫧'⁠ -

P2

“How could we end up here…?”

Daisuke x implied F!Reader

f/c - favorite color

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Written By: DeathByDay

(Also written on Mobile)

————

A FEW WEEKS LATER

You’ve made conversations and friends along the way, which you were surprised by. Anya is hard to read along with Swansea, but she’s more distant than anyone you’ve ever met. Somehow, you two make a good duo nonetheless.

Swansea honestly didn’t like you all that much, but it was obvious he didn’t despise you either. You two normally hung out when it was break time or whenever he wasn’t busy. Usually, Daisuke hung around you two as well.

One reason is because he’s literally Swansea’s intern, and the other reason is because you suspect he might have a teeny tiny little crush on you. It’s probably nothing, though. Other than the fact he always asks hows your day going and makes sure you’re doing well. But that’s what friends do, right?

You laid silently in your bed, the thin blanket covering your body being your only source of warmth. You haven’t been able to fall asleep early, which has been causing you to wake up at 6:35am almost everyday, meaning you had to hear Jimmy complain about you not being awake on time at 6 in the goddamn morning.

You know he’s just trying to look out for you, but not even the captain cares about it that much. Yes, he has mentioned you waking up ‘late’ once or twice, but never full on lectured you about it like Jimmy has.

You groan, sitting up along the headboard. At this point, you’re desperate for a device of some sort. Like a phone or an iPad. You want to get sucked into some video game that’ll make the time pass by so much faster then it is right now. Suddenly, you perk up, realizing Daisuke may have a Gameboy that he brung with him.

You turn your head to the digital clock that sat right beside your bed, the numbers reading 10:36pm. You and the other crew mates weren’t allowed to be out of the sleeping quarters after 9:30, but nobody cares for that rule. Along side that, you knew you wouldn’t be able to rest anytime soon, so what’s the point of just sitting around?

You decide to sneak around the Tulpar and ask Daisuke if you could borrow his Gameboy for the night before returning to your own room. That way nobody would know you were walking around. Then when you see him in the morning, you’ll return the device. It’ll be like nothing even happened!

You set your plan into motion, standing up and heading towards the door. You made sure you don’t like you’re as exhausted as you actually are by covering yourself up with a f/c sweatshirt and pulling the hood over your head, which protected yourself from the cold and kept your eye bags out of sight. You walked outside your room, keeping your steps light.

You passed by Anya’s room, holding your breath as you did so. But you almost let out a gasp as you heard a voice coming from her room that wasn’t hers. You recognized that voice almost immediately. It was Jimmy’s.

You hurried towards Daisuke’s room, a bit too scared to press your ear to the door and listen to what they’re talking about. You ignore the sick feeling in your stomach to turn back, not knowing if it was as serious as what you were thinking. You made a mental note to ask Anya about it soon.

You finally came across Daisuke’s door and gently knocked three times, hoping that he was still awake. Luckily enough, he was. You heard his footsteps get louder before the door opens, revealing the guy you’ve been looking for. You tiredly smile up at him, seeing his confused expression.

“Oh, Y/N! What’s up?” His voice was soft, barely above a whisper. He stared down at you, waiting for your response. You played with your fingers, suddenly becoming too anxious to ask about his Gameboy. You swallowed the saliva that traveled to the front of your throat, rethinking your actions.

“Daisuke.. you have a Gameboy, right?” You asked, glancing up at him. He nods, possibly figuring out what you were about to ask. “This is kind of a bad time but.. I’m playing on it right now. Do you wanna wait for it? Or would you like to watch me?” Both of your eyes seem to light up at the thought of the two of you giggling like little kids, watching him play on his device.

“I’ll watch you!” You don’t seem as anxious anymore and it’s showing. He widens his door, allowing you to walk in. He shuts it, watching you with a soft gaze as you glance around his room. Like Anya’s, it wasn’t too neat but it wasn’t dirty either. You ultimately assume everyone else’s room is the same.

Just a few minutes later, you found yourself curled up beside the brunette, your hands gripping his clothed arm, the two of you watching him play Tetris. You were surprised at how good he is, knowing you’ve never gotten past your 14,051 highscore. You yawned, breaking the comforting silence between you two.

You subconsciously snuggled closer, feeling your eyelids get heavier each time you shut them. Daisuke chuckles, pausing the game before patting your head playfully. “You getting tired already?” He teases, setting his device down. You grumble, rolling your eyes as you look up at him. “Yeah, yeah.. at least I’m not going to sleep so late.” You retort, sniffling before lying your head on his shoulder.

“Do you think we would get in trouble if I stay here for the night? I mean, I heard Jimmy’s voice in Anya’s room, so it should be fine, right?” You ask, looking up at him with exhaustion. You could honestly pass out any second if you stayed in this position.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about that. Just get some sleep.” He would be lying if he didn’t say his face was flustered by how close you were to him. You immediately obey, wrapping your arms around his waist, your head laying on the side of his chest. You shut your eyes, ignoring how your heart is beating faster.

Daisuke’s right arm wrapped around your figure, his head lying on his pillow. He shuts his eyes, feeling the exhaustion finally catch up to him. The mixture of his soft snores and your breathing comforted the two of you in a way that couldn’t be explained.

You just couldn’t believe you were sleeping in the arms of a friend. But.. could you even call him that now..?

————

Getting in trouble for being in the same bed as your best friend was expected, but you didn’t expect his boss to be the one finding you two. The sad thing is, Swansea didn’t even knock. He just barged in and saw the two of you asleep, arms wrapped around each other and assumed the worst.

Both of you got lectured on how sleeping together was inappropriate. But then, Swansea leaned over the desk and whispered something that surprised you.

“Hey, now I’m not one to judge about that sort of stuff. And honestly, I couldn’t care less what you guys do. As long as you two keep it quiet while I’m trying to sleep, then by all means, go ahead.” He reassured.

You both stared at him in disbelief, not knowing that those were the words that would ever come out of that man’s mouth. You shook your head, brows furrowed upwards. Daisuke’s eyes were wide, cheeks flustered in embarrassment.

“T-..I’m sorry?” You tilted your head, wondering if you even heard him correctly. He shrugged it off as quick as he brought it up, letting you two deal with the new found information. You turned your head towards the blushing male, giving him a soft smile, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“Well, that was something!” You giggle, forcing the embarrassment down your throat. Daisuke nods, his face still beet red. You would tease him, but you know your face is the same color. Swansea motioned for the two of you to get out, and you both quickly did so.

You avoided eye contact with Daisuke as he did the same with you, clearly too scared to bring what just happened up. You both just stand there, not saying anything for a few moments. That was until you finally sighed and became brave enough to speak.

“Daisuke, I-I’m really sorry.. I should’ve never even thought of coming by your room.” You attempt to take blame, the redness in your cheeks calming down as you stared at the ground in shame. After all, it was your fault Swansea found out about the two of you sleeping together. You’re just glad he promised you he wouldn’t tell anyone, especially the captain.

He immediately turned his head towards you, eyes wide as he let what you said sink in. You taking the blame for something that was ultimately his fault? No way! “Y/N, you didn’t do anything wrong!” He shook his head, his face finally turning back to its original color.

“I was the one who let you in my room in the first place. I should’ve been thinking more clearly. Don’t take blame for something that was my fault.” He stated, his expression calm as he spoke. He presses the palm of his hand on your shoulder in attempt to comfort you. You glance up at him, a smile glazing your lips.

“Are you sure? You know I’ll take responsibility if Swansea ever slips up and says something, right?” You question, not wanting him to regret his choice later on. Daisuke gives you a confident nod, making you playfully sigh in defeat.

You giggle, placing your hand on top of his own that laid on your shoulder. You unconsciously step closer to him before wrapping your arms around him, pulling the male into a tight hug.

It took him a few seconds to process what was happening, but he slowly hugged you back, his chin on top of your head. You both stayed there, comforted by the silence that surrounded you two.

“I guess I can’t change your mind, huh?” Your voice was muffled due to your face being buried into his collar. You felt his body shake lightly, a chuckle escaping his throat. “No, you really can’t.” He confirmed, tightening his hold on you. It was like he was trying to protect you from something.

————

You watched from afar as Jimmy, Swansea, Daisuke, and Anya played the famous board game, Sorry!. You sat alone on the rock hard chair, sitting at the lounge table in the middle of the room. You wanted to get closer, yes, but you were still hesitant of being near Jimmy.

He just seems off to you. In a bad way this time. You shake it off, thinking you were just overreacting over a little thing. Maybe he wasn’t a bad guy at all and you were making up scenarios. But, it’s always better to be safe then-

“Sorry!” Swansea’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, making you jump as he shouts. He weakly chuckles as Daisuke groans, grabbing his game piece and placing it in another spot.

You light heartedly smile, pushing away the unsettling feelings of Jimmy and focusing on the positive. You really don’t have anything to worry about besides the job, of course. But that was easy. All you had to do was take notes and give reports on what’s happening to whoever would listen.

You drown out the groups laughter and get up from your seat, slipping out of the room unknowingly. The last thing you would want to do is draw attention to yourself. You walked through the skinny halls, wondering what hard material they were made out of. Iron? Possibly. Definitely not wood, though..

You suddenly bump into someone’s chest, causing you to look up at them and immediately apologize. You knew who you bumped into. Captain Curly. You weren’t that dumb. He chuckles deeply before waving you off like a little kid. “It’s alright, nothing to apologize for.” He reassured you, patting your head gently.

You stepped around him, watching over your shoulder as you continued walking to see if he would look back at you or not. He didn’t. All he did was continue along the path you came from like nothing happened. You released a sigh that you didn’t know you were holding.

You just know if you bumped into Jimmy, he would lecture you until midnight. No wonder Captain Curly’s the captain. You would probably end up going crazy if Jimmy wasn’t the second in command, but instead taking his friends position. Just thinking about it sends chills down your spine.

You continued walking until you got to the sleeping quarters. Going into your room, you shut the door behind you and looking at the digital clock. 7:28pm. You realize you should report back to the lounge area, knowing dinner is about to be served. That’s probably where Captain Curly was heading before you bumped into him.

You felt your face heating up, remembering the awkward situation you just had a few minutes ago. You take deep breaths before looking in the mirror beside your door, checking to see if you could see any redness. Luckily enough, you couldn’t.

You flattened down your suit, making sure you couldn’t tell there were any wrinkles before smoothing it down. You took a deep breath in then exhaled, opening your door and finally walking back to where you came from. You weren’t that excited about dinner being served, though. It was usually always the same meal every time, which was soup.

You didn’t know what the ingredients were to making it, and you’d rather not know. It looked like it was made from sewer water. Some days the liquid tasted better than the day before, other days it tasted worse. It was a 50/50 chance.

A few minutes later, you found yourself walking through the door. The quad was finishing up their game. You could tell who was about to win and who wasn’t just by looking at their faces. You turn your head to see Captain Curly laying the bowls down, placing plastic spoons beside them.

You walked up to him, grabbing napkins for the crew. As you did so, you attempted to make small talk. “So, Captain, are you gonna join us for dinner?” You glanced in his direction, setting the cloths down next to the bowls and spoons laid down.

Captain Curly nods before placing the last bowl and spoon down, turning to you. “Yeah, I will be. But not for long, I gotta get back to make sure we aren’t hitting any asteroids.” You hum in realization, forgetting all about that asteroid stuff.

Just last week you all almost crashed the Tulpar into an asteroid. Luckily Captain Curly managed to steer the ship away before you all got smashed. Hopefully that would never happen again. It’s very unlikely that it would, anyway.

“That’s understandable. At least you can be here with us for a little bit!” You tried to make light of the situation, wanting to forget your almost deathly experience.

The quad finished up their game, Daisuke pumping his fists into the air. Swansea and Jimmy had stern looks on their faces, upset by the loss. But Anya looked like she wanted to strangle Daisuke to death. You all sat down, Captain Curly grabbing the pot of soup for you all.

Sitting beside you sat Anya. Jimmy sat on one side of the table, the captain about to sit down at the other. Daisuke sat across from you, Swansea beside him. Your brows creasing as you turned your head towards Anya, who shot daggers in Daisuke’s direction. You place the palm of your hand on her shoulder in attempt to comfort her.

“Intense game?” You ask, glancing towards each of the three brunette males. Jimmy and Swansea nodded while Daisuke gave you a thumbs up, a dorky grin plastered across his lips. It was obvious he was happy he won.

“Time to eat!” Captain Curly announced, setting the pot of soup down in the middle of the table. Everyone took turns scooping the liquid into their bowls, being patient for once. Once everyone finished, you hesitated before dipping your spoon into your own bowl and bringing it to your mouth.

“Thank you, Captain Curly.” Mutters from everyone came after one another before continuing to sip the soup. It didn’t take long for everyone to start to finish their dish, seeing as it was only a liquid to be drank.

As everybody continued finishing up, the captain excused himself to go back and hide in his quarters for the night. He bid you all goodbye before walking out of the room, the automatic doors shutting behind him. Jimmy was the second to go. Then it was Swansea and Daisuke, who ended up finishing at the same time. Lastly, it was just you and Anya.

You decided it was a good time to ask about what you heard last night in her room. You haven’t brung it up to anyone else besides Daisuke, not knowing if she would even want you to mention it or not. So, you didn’t.

“Hey, Anya?” You tilt turn your head her way, a curious expression glazing over your face. She glances at your direction, waiting to see what you had to say. “I, uh.. I heard a man’s voice in your room last night. I think it was Jimmy’s. What’s up with you two?” As soon as that question left your lips, her eyes went wide and her face turned pale.

You immediately perk up, not knowing that it would be such a sensitive topic to her. “Oh! I’m sorry, forget I said anything. I didn’t mean to upset you..” You attempt to reassure her, knowing the damage was already done. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’ll keep my mouth shut.” You knew you were lying. You literally told Daisuke last night. Of course she didn’t need to know that, though.

She swallowed hard, shaking her head as to tell you it’s alright. “N-No, you don’t need to be sorry. It’s just..” She hesitates, realizing she would just put more weight onto your shoulders if she told you what’s wrong.

“Never mind, you don’t need to worry about me. Him and I are just very close, that’s all.” Anya doesn’t give you a very convincing smile as she speaks, but you knew better than to push her.

You nod along, deciding to leave it up to her if she wants to tell you the truth or not. You knew deep down she was lying, but you don’t see a reason to force the real answer out of her. “You know I’ll always be here for you, right? Even though you’re our nurse and you know about all that depressive stuff, I still wanna make sure you’re okay.”

As you mumble, you leaned over and gave the woman a gentle hug, wrapping your arms around her shoulders. She stayed silent, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She quickly hugged you back, hiding her face in your neck. It doesn’t take a genius to realize she was crying. You stand up, whispering praises into her ears before shushing her.

“It’s okay, shh.. I’m here. You’re safe with me.” You rock her side to side, placing one hand on her head and gently playing with her dark hair. A few moments later she calmed down, her tears drying up on your suit. She continued to hug you, not wanting to let go.

“Jim’s just an asshole. I’m not sure what he’s done to you, but it clearly messed you up.” You state the obvious, curling your fingers in her hair. Anya sniffles, nodding her head in the crook of your neck as a response. “Do you wanna go to bed? I could walk you to your room if you want.” You release her from the hug, your hands gripping her clothed biceps as you stare into her eyes.

“Yeah. T-That would be nice.” She agrees, covering her face with her hands, wiping away the tears from her eyes. You nod, letting go of her arms and guiding one of her hands off her face to hold it. You help her stand, making sure she could stable herself before starting to walk towards the sleeping quarters.

Before you two left, you glanced up at the clock on the wall. 8:34. You let out a sigh, thankful that it hasn’t passed 9 yet. You grip Anya’s hand, your thumb gliding across her knuckles. Before you knew it, you both stood in front of her bedroom door. You turned back, letting her hand go. “I’ll get going now, ya? Sleep well, Anya.”

You grin, giving her one last tight hug before finally walking away. You heard the door open and close, letting you silently know she was safe in the comfort of her room. You didn’t know if Jimmy would go to her room ever again, but you’re praying that he wouldn’t.

You walk down the hall and head towards Daisuke’s room. As long as you don’t get caught by Jimmy, you doubt anyone else would care if you were in there. In all honesty, you missed his arms around you all day. Hopefully you both could end up in that same position tonight.

Or maybe he would be in your arms. Who knows?

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author’s note

MY POOR BABY ANYA😭😭 I had to add at least one moment of reader comforting her, I couldn’t resist. on a completely different note, I’m proud of myself for the ‘take responsibility’ line. even though it wasn’t creative, just let me be happy💔

next chapter will be out in a few days!! hope ya had fun reading! bye for now!! <33

[hxney-lemcn]

Late Night Chaos — Daisuke x gn! reader

summery: after comforting Daisuke a bit, you help Anya with Curly's medication. she tells you about the abuse she's faced on the ship, and you find yourself confronting her abuser.

tw: implications of rape, implications of abuse, graphic depictions of violence, death, murder, pure angst, dead dove: do not eat.

a/n: would you believe me if I said this series was just meant to be a fluffy one/two shot?

wc: 1.5k

Master List

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine

You could only watch on in disappointment. Daisuke laid on the grated ground, arm thrown over  his face and mouthwash in the other. Walking over, you crouched next to his form, feeling sympathy for his situation. It’s been two months since the cargo hold was opened, and you were honestly proud at how resilient Daisuke had been against his mentor’s persistent badgering to get him to join him for a drink. 

With a short sigh, you softly muttered, “You look like shit.”

“You were right,” Daisuke groaned. “How does Swansea do it? I feel like my stomach is going to explode.”

“An alcoholic doesn’t drink to feel good,” You murmured, gently brushing some of his hair out of his face. “They do it to escape from their problems, but it just adds more to the pile.”

“How’re you so smart?” Daisuke grumbled, uncovering his eyes and tilting his head to try and look at you. “Aren’t we around the same age?”

Chuckling softly you shook your head in amusement, “Yeah, we are around the same age. I just have more experience in this area.”

“You were an alcoholic?” Daisuke exclaimed, sitting up quickly only to clutch his stomach with a groan. 

You snorted at his reaction, “No, but I have first hand experience with what it does to a person.”

“Oh,” Daisuke laid back down, trying to even his breathing to quell the nausea. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” You sighed, fully taking a seat next to him and sitting cross legged.

“But you were so adamant on me not drinking this stuff, and I did it anyway,” Tears pricked at his eyes, clearly a bit tipsy. “Is that why you flinch when someone gets angry?” 

Your eyes widened at his question, gaze averting from his figure, you ignored it, changing the topic, “I understand why you did it, it’s hard to say no to an authority figure, and you were probably curious too. It happens, as long as you don’t make it a habit it’s fine.”

“I’m never looking at mouthwash ever again,” Daisuke grumbled. 

…

You nearly messed up your task, flinching back at Curly’s muffled groans of pain. It had been four months since the crash all together, and this was your first time administering the Captain his pain meds. You didn’t realize how terrible it was, and you couldn’t imagine the pain he was feeling. But you stayed strong, holding his jaw closed so he wouldn’t spit the pills back up. Once you heard him swallow, you pulled your hands back, feeling guilty as he stared at you. No wonder Anya had resorted to asking either you or Jimmy to administer them instead, you weren’t sure how she had managed to do this for so long without breaking-

It’s like you willed it to fruition, the sound of sniffles coming from behind you. Turning around, you watched in abject horror as Anya slid down to the ground, curling in a ball, arms around her legs and head tucked in her knees. The image felt wrong. This was Anya, strong willed, enthusiastic, competitive, encouraging and kind…is this how Daisuke felt when watching Swansea turn into a shell of his former self?

“It’s all my fault,” Anya sobbed, a hand going up to clutch at her hair. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

You frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Taking a seat next to her you slowly raised a hand and rubbed her back, “What are you talking about?” She tensed under your touch, both hands now pulling at her hair, and she shook her head. 

“I’m sorry,” You murmured, pulling your hand back. “You don’t have to explain-”

“I’m pregnant,” Anya whispers, brown eyes peeking over her knees to look at you, eyes red and watery. “It’s Jimmy’s. I told Curly, but nothing happened, so then I told Jimmy and…and th-that was r-right before the crash…” You felt your stomach drop, eyes widening at the implication. 

“W-was it too much for Curly to handle?” Anya asked, voice wavering as tears continued to stream down her eyes. “Is that why he crashed the ship? If o-only there were locks on the doors…if only I kept it to myself…”

“Wait what?” You paused, voice turning icy cold. You took in a deep breath, trying to quench the unbridled anger that suddenly flooded through you, this wasn’t the time or place to be angry, Anya needed comfort. “Anya, none of this is your fault. You had every right to seek help from the captain. If anything, this is Jimmy’s fault, why the hell would he-” You cut yourself off before you could rant, closing your eyes and continuing in a softer tone. “The company failed you, failed us. None of this falls on your shoulders.”

Anya leaned over and rested her head on your shoulder, gaze rising to Curly who could only watch on in silence, allowing herself to find just a moment of respite. Once again, you reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm in a placating manner. This time she relaxed in your hold, tears falling on your shoulder. You couldn’t just ignore this, couldn’t ignore the fact that Jimmy had abused not just your mentor, but friend. Who the hell did he think he was, walking around pretending to be captain knowing he did horrendous actions? Probably justified it like the asshole he was. God, you weren’t gonna let him get away that fucking easily. If Curly didn’t have the balls to help, you sure as hell were.

…

“The hell’s your problem?” Jimmy sneered at you. “You’ve become a real fuckin’ bitch, being nothing but a thorn in my side. You get off on making everyone suffer?”

“Hahaha!” You laughed maniacally, replying with a mocking grin. “That’s real fucking funny coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Jimmy glared, that icy heat behind his eyes intensifying, but you couldn’t find it in you to cower anymore, feeling nothing but absolute fury in his presence. 

“I think you know,” You growled, face morphing into a scowl. “I should beat the shit out of you for what you did.”

Jimmy’s face darkened, but didn’t make any sign to fight against your claim. That made you angrier, he knew. He knew what he did was wrong, he just didn’t care. You felt like you were vibrating, the absolute fury rushing through your veins.

“I won’t tolerate insubordination,” He glowered. “I’m the captain whether you like it or not-”

CRACK

A rush of adrenaline flowed through you, heart pumping faster. Jimmy held his nose, pulling his hand away to find blood dripping down. Your hands were shaking, and without thinking, you threw another punch, landing right on his eye, causing him to curse out. 

“You absolute, utter piece of shit,” You swore, kicking him as hard as you could where it really hurts. You watched on in satisfaction as the middle aged man fell onto his knees, eyes squeezed shut in pain. “You know what, that’s actually insulting shit, at least shit has a use.” 

You were about to send one more kick to his side for good measure, really wanting him to feel just an ounce of the pain he put Anya through, but you were thrown off balance when he grabbed your leg mid lift. He pulled your leg towards him, causing you to wobble and fall backwards onto your back. You barely registered the pain, adrenaline diluting your senses. You barely had any time to think before Jimmy was straddling you, hands around your throat squeezing as hard as he could. 

Eyes widening, you felt yourself panic, body automatically trying to suck in a breath but failing. You tried to wiggle, to kick your legs and knock him off of you, but he was stronger, watching you struggle with an evil glint in his dark eyes. You began to claw at him instead, trying to pull his hands away, to try to claw at any weak spot you could find. Your lungs were burning, tears falling down your eyes at the dull pain in your throat. You tried to reach his eyes, maybe poke one out to get his grip to loosen, but your hands were shaking and it felt like you were holding up a ton of bricks. 

As you lay there, oxygen depleting from your system, you humorlessly realized you were going to die to this monster. You could barely make out Jimmy anymore, the world spinning too fast and turning dark at the same time, body going limp. Did this really have to be your last view before passing on? You felt guilty as well, you were leaving Anya and Daisuke behind, you wish you weren’t so selfish. Ashamed that you prioritized your anger and lashed out instead of going about the situation rationally. You just hoped they didn’t blame themselves, that by some miracle they could be saved.

And just like that, your consciousness vanishes, leaving behind your body that lays limp under the hands of an abuser.

[multifandomgirl08]

The Moment You Smiled At Me [Mini Verstappen Series]

Dad!Max Verstappen x Fem!Reader (Pre-Established Relationship)

Summary: The evening that started it all for Max and Reader.

Warning(s): N/A

A/N: Title taken from the song Rain by Sleep Token.

Words: 2.3k

Previous Part → Next Part Mini Verstappen Masterlist

Max had always hated going to these FIA parties. It had nothing to do with racing, and although he had no issue with supporting the sport and the people that were coming up in it. He saw no real reason as to why they had to get dressed up. Wouldn’t it have just been easier to give out these awards at the end of the season during the last race and call it done?

He was caught in a small group of people who were waiting to get their picture taken on the blue carpet. Some of them he knew and the others he didn’t. He could see people walking around before making their way inside to the tables not stopping by for more than a glance at him.

Max glanced down at his watch to check the time and instead caught the sight of light blue fabric out of the corner of his eyes. He looked up wondering if he could see who was wearing the color, but all he saw was the back of a dress belonging to a woman who had her arms locked with a man. They disappeared into the room.

Eventually, Max had managed to make his way out of the group that he was stuck with and inside towards the tables, people weren’t sitting yet. His eyes traveled over the room wondering about the light blue dress he saw. He tried to tell himself that it was nothing, but his eyes' normal laser-sharp focus seemed to be playing a trick on him.

But then he saw it again. It was going towards the front of the stage, just a little far from where he stood. He looked a little higher and saw a wide feminine smile greet him. He felt the need to fix his posture or at the very least making it seem like he wasn’t miserable being here, but was quick to realize that she may be looking past him and not at him.

He looked behind him to see no one standing there and then back towards her to see her cover her mouth; she was probably laughing at him. He pushed his shoulders back and couldn’t help that his feet led him to her.

As he got closer he realized that he didn’t know her. Never seen her before in his life, and maybe heading straight to her was… strange.

He didn’t want to just outright ask her why she smiled at him or why she laughed at him as he looked behind himself earlier. Maybe she just did that, smiling at strangers that she didn’t know.

“Smiling at random people again, Y/N?” He heard as someone walked up to her, Y/N.

“Maybe.” She said as if it was nothing.

“I don’t know how you can just kill people with your kindness.”

“Fatal flaw.”

“Right,” He heard as a retort. “I’ll see you at the table.”

Max saw her give him a half nod before he finally came up to her.

“You’re date?” He couldn’t help but ask before he reached up to pat his hair down. He knew that it wasn’t sticking up since he had put on hair gel before he left his hotel.

Her eyes met his quickly, “No, my co-worker. I’m just his plus one.”

“Oh, what do you do?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Private banking, I’m always traveling for work though. I can’t wait for the day when I’ll be able to work from home full time.”

Max lifted his eyebrows at her words. “Don’t like traveling?”

“I do, sometimes. I’m just a homebody.”

“I’m like that. I’m gone from home more than I would like.” He liked being at home with the cats, not having his phone to worry about, and spending time with his son. Nico was such a wonder to him. He was just over a year old and was walking and touching things that he shouldn’t. Jimmy was not happy when Nico had decided to pull his tail one time.

He wanted to tell her that story but knew that he shouldn’t. She didn’t know that he had a son, and he didn’t want it to get out.

“What about you? What do you do?” She asked. Before he could answer Christian came up to him.

“Max, I hate to interrupt but you’ve got to go up. They’re starting the ceremony soon.” Max silently glared at Christian for a moment.

“That’s okay.” She said reaching towards the table for her handbag. “It was nice talking to you, Max.”

She quickly bowed her head a little before going off towards the tables that faced the stage. It seemed like she didn’t know who he was, or what he did for a job given that she bothered asking him what it was he did.

His eyes followed her until she sat down next to who she claimed to be her co-worker. Christian put his hand on his shoulder, ready to lead him up the stage. Waiting while they lowered the lights and made all of the introductions felt like it took forever. It was like waiting behind the safety car after there was a yellow flag.

Finally, he managed to get up on stage to present the award for Rookie of the Year. He awkwardly ran through the speech that he was given and tried to keep his eyes towards the crowd but couldn’t help it when they kept drifting back to you in the light blue dress that you were wearing.

You weren’t talking to anyone while he was up on the stage. Eventually after painstakingly finishing the speech and handing the award over to Oscar Piastri, he made his way off the stage and back into the crowd of people sitting at the tables.

The rest of the speeches came to an end after a while. People started to make their way out of the room and out towards the hallway. Max hadn’t been pulled into any conversations luckily.

There was a familiar feeling of his phone buzzing in the inside pocket of his tux jacket. He pulled it out to see that it was his mom. He stepped out of the room, hoping to move away from everyone as much as he could.

He ended up outside by the valet watching as a few people were already leaving. If this wasn’t a work obligation he would have done the same and tried to leave as soon as he could.

He pulled his phone out to call his mum back. It rang in his ear.

“Mum?” He questioned after the line picked up.

“Max,” She started. “I just wanted to let you know that Nico’s asleep. It took him a while to fall asleep.”

Max had flown Sophie to Monaco to spend some time with Nico while he was in Paris for the FIA Prize Giving Gala. He would fly home tomorrow in the morning and be back with Nico in a few short hours.

Nico had apparently fallen asleep in Max’s bed with Jimmy and Sassy at Nico’s feet. Sophie had told him that Nico missed him, “I miss him too, Mum.”

It was a few moments later that he said goodbye and promised to be home and back with Nico before dinner tomorrow. He pushed his phone back into the pocket of his jacket.

He could hear the clack, clack of footsteps against the cobblestones that made up the driveway to the hotel. Someone was wearing a pair of heels. Max looked in the direction of the sound to see her again.

She stood a few meters away from him, with her black bag in hand and her arms wrapped around herself. She looked like she was cold, the slit on her dress did go up quite high on her leg.

He gave himself a moment just in case someone came after her, but she just stood there looking as people kept getting into different cars.

He slowly walked up to her, “You need help, a jacket maybe?” He asked.

She looked over at him. “I’m fine.”

He could feel her eyes on his jacket. He moved to undo the button, she looked cold. He pulled it off his shoulders.

“I insist.” He said, opening it for her so she could put it on.

She moved closer to him laying the fabric over her shoulders. It only took a few moments before he saw that she looked more comfortable with it on.

“You didn’t have to.”

“It’s Paris, and it’s November. I’m surprised it’s not snowing.”

“That’s true. I figured that the Gala would be over before it got too cold.” Well at least she didn’t mean to catch hypothermia.

“They normally have it in warmer places.”

“You’ve been to the Gala before?” She asked. “I saw you present an award, so I assume that you know more than I would.”

“Yes, my first was in… 2015.” It was back when he was in Formula 3, he doesn’t remember what it was for now.

“They always this boring?”

“Yes,” He answered honestly. “They don’t change much.”

Max couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. He didn’t know what to talk to her about, he could bring up what she had said earlier, and he was just about to when,

“You didn’t tell me what you do,” She started to say. “Before we were interrupted inside.”

“I drive in Formula 1.”

She gave him a silent nod.

“You like it?” She asked. He didn’t know if he should answer honestly but there was that feeling again that told him he should.

“Sometimes,” He said with sincerity. “I like being with my team, and driving the car. Other things, like this, I don’t really like.”

“I’m sure it’s not all bad.” She was right. It wasn’t all bad, driving in Formula 1 gave him a lot, even with the parts that he didn’t like.

“No,” He said with a slight shrug. “But it doesn’t really give me a whole lot of time for other things.”

Between his F1 schedule and Nico he didn’t really have any time for much else. He had tried dating over the last year and it never seemed to end well. They always ended up wanting to move faster then he was ready for.

“I’m sure if it matters you’ll make time.” She said. He didn’t know why her saying that seemed like it had a softer tone to it after the words moved past her lips.

He couldn’t help but let out a smile. If only she knew the things that he had made time for over the last year.

“Of course, I’m sure your boyfriend feels the same.” He said, as a way to see if she would correct him again.

“Co-worker,” She corrected him just like he wanted. She smiled back at him.

“He wishes, right?” He asked, with a slight laugh to his tone.

“More than you can know.” He could hear her chuckle. So she obviously knew that her “co-worker” invited her here with other intentions.

“You can always go on a date with someone else. So he knows you're not interested.” He offered as if that would actually help her situation.

“You make a good point.” She had just said when the guy from earlier had come out to stand next to her.

“Ready to go, Y/N?” He asked.

“In a moment.” She said with a smile. Y/N didn’t leave him right after.

“Do you have your phone on you?” She asked him.

Max widened his eyes. Was she doing what he thinks she is?

“Uhm, jacket pocket on the right.” He watched her pull his phone out of the inside pocket of his jacket, she turned his phone to him silently asking for him to unlock it for her. He didn’t even take it out of her hand. Just moved a little closer to put his face in view of the front camera so that it would unlock. 

She moved to type something in before handing him his phone back and then quickly pulled her own phone out of her bag. He looked down at the screen for a few seconds before a text showed up with the words, Think he’ll take the hint this time?

He heard the closing of her bag before he saw her pull the jacket from her shoulders, slowly handing it back to him, almost as if she didn’t want to lose the warmth the jacket had provided her in those short moments. 

“Call me, if you’re ever in London.” She said with their hands brushing and gave him a wide smile before following the guy to a black towncar. His eyes followed her and he couldn’t help but slightly flex his hand from feeling their skin touch. Before she got inside the car she gave him a second look. He couldn’t help but feel a little like he couldn’t breathe, like he had just gotten out of the car after Singapore, watching her leave him standing there. His head was spinning a bit.

He wasn’t sure if he really should. Max would never say that he was the best at flirting and he was sure that this only proved it. But somehow, she still gave him her number and told him to call her.

He took a moment and then pushed the thought away, it was probably just to get the guy to back off.

It was the last week of November, Max had finished up early with all of his sponsorship things at the Factory. He would be leaving to go back to Monaco in a day or two and he couldn’t help but look through the text messages on his phone until he came across the text from Y/N again.

He had thought of her a bit since the Gala. He thought of her, and their conversations. It had taken him a bit before he had realized that she wouldn’t have given him her real number if she didn’t want to talk to him again.

He opened her contact information before pressing on her number to give her a call. Maybe he was ready to make time in his life for someone that could understand him, and eventually his son.

Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun, @smnthnclj, @brekkers-whore, @lpab

[toournextadventure]

our little secret pt.v

Summary: Letters to you.

Word Count: 4.5k Warnings: swearing, mention of possible suicide (slight mention, nothing happens), mental instability, mental spiraling, religious talk (Southern Christianity) Pairing: Lorraine Day x Reader (Masterlist) A/N: this is like a little filler, just having fun trying out something different. Don't worry, there's still a giant chapter left! Also? When Lorraine signs the letters to you, she puts a little heart over the i <3

June 15th

I thought you said you’d always be waiting. But I come home to hear from your momma that you’re on a vacation with Roy? Why didn’t you tell me before I left? I would have given you a proper goodbye.

It’s probably a good idea, though. Roy could definitely use the break and I’m sure you can too. I know the past few weeks have been… rough. I’m sorry. I didn't know it was going to happen. But we can talk more about things when you get back. For now, make sure you have some fun, okay?

Your momma said y’all went out West. If you could write me back and let me know where, maybe I can meet up with you. We can have a proper vacation for once. Do y’all have any real plans, or are you just traveling? I’m sure either one will do the job. You always did want to get out of town for a bit.

Our shoot went well. Max and Bobby-Lynne asked about you the whole time. It doesn't sit right with me when they're constantly checking up on you. Maybe I'm just jealous. It's probably nothing compared to how you feel. At least they mean well, I suppose. They send you their love. Maxine sent… a little more than love, but I’m not telling you about that.

By the time you get this letter, it shouldn’t be too long before you’re back home. I’ll be here waiting for you, okay? Don’t forget to send me some postcards. And if you find anything cute, don't forget to buy it for me! I'll pay you back, I promise.

I'll see you soon.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

June 29th

Having too much fun?

We all thought you'd both be home by now. The 4th is next week, you know. We never miss the 4th. Daddy said he would cook out this year. He's making your favourite and Beau and Huck got the good fireworks. We can take the truck out and watch the show, just you and me. RJ will be out so we can be free for a bit. That’ll be nice, right? A nice little break. So you better not miss it.

Speaking of, Beau isn’t too happy that you’re not home yet. He’s been doing a lot of pacing and mumbling a bunch of nonsense. I think he’s being a bit dramatic. He’s not happy that you left without letting him know. Said he could have told you a few places to go to be safe. I think he just misses you. We all do.

We haven’t been out to a shoot for a while. I’m glad. It hasn’t been the same since RJ proposed. Nothing has, really. Things just don’t feel the same. There’s guilt in everything I do now, I don’t know how to explain it. I just don’t feel comfortable with anything, even daily chores. Did you ever feel that guilt? The one that sits deep in your belly?

On a brighter note, Jimmy and Liz are back in town. They seem to be doing good. And no, they’re not pregnant, thank God. It’s a modern miracle. They had hoped to see you before the summer is over. Of course they will though, it’s not even July yet, the summer is still young. Besides, I know no vacation is more fun than hanging out with us, right? Even Roy would agree, I know it.

Momma is calling me to dinner now, so I’ll wrap it up. I’ll see you on the 4th, okay?

Yours, Lorraine

—---

July 23rd

Hey darlin, I think it’s about time you came home. You’ve more than missed the 4th, and Lorraine ain’t too happy. It’s the first time you’ve missed a holiday, you know? It ain’t like you. I know this ain’t the happiest place for you right now, but your family is here. We’re all here.

Where’d you go anyhow? You and Roy are homebodies, y’all don’t know anybody out West. If you really wanted a vacation, you could’ve waited for us to get home. We would’ve taken you. I’m sure Lorraine would’ve been happy to go too. We could’ve had a double vacation, you know? Like we always talked about?

Huck and I won our competition the other day. Wish you had been there to cheer us on. We wiped the floor with everybody. Best team ropers in the South, just you wait. You’d best come home for the next one. I’d hate to get too popular for you to notice us, you know?

I’ll keep Lorraine calm and happy, but I really need you to get home, darlin. It’s a bit past time to be concerned. At the very least, send us a letter back. I can handle you being gone for so long if I know where you are. I know this isn’t a happy place, but we’re still worried about you. We can make it a better place again, I promise.

Just send me something back, okay? I’d appreciate it.

Love you, Beau

—---

August 12th

Hon, I really think you need to come home. Lorraine and Beau are losing their minds. No one has heard from you or Roy since you left, and your parents don’t seem worried at all. Your momma seems the slightest bit concerned, but your daddy isn’t. Everyone is just acting weird, so you need to come home.

Jim and Liz left for seminary again last week. They were mighty upset they didn’t get to see you before they left. It’s been about since Christmas since y’all were together, right? They miss you both. Y’all are family. Maybe try to write him while y’all are gone, I’ll write his address at the bottom in case you don’t remember.

If I have to listen to Beau and Lorraine ask where you are one more time, I’m going to lose my mind. You know neither one of them knows how to be patient or think logically. They have a single bad thought and run with it. I need you here to help me calm them down, because you’re fine, just taking a break from everything.

No one blames you for taking a break. After everything… it’s the least you deserve. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Lorraine asked the other night if this is her fault. I told her it wasn’t. We all know that girl loves you to the moon and back. And we all know you love her back. Things can be worked out, but you’ve got to come back home first, okay?

After all this, you had better be having the time of your life, darling. I’m going to assume as much since you’re not answering anybody. Hey, if you can’t write back, can you at least give us a number to try and call you at? Beau said he’d pay any long-distance charges, he just wants to make sure you’re okay.

He’s playing the part of a dutiful boyfriend, you know. Everyone thinks it’s romantic. I know he’s just worried about you, but it’s weird to hear everyone giving him their sympathies. Is this how you feel when everyone talks to Lorraine about RJ? Like you’re in second place in a race you hadn’t wanted to compete in? Because if so, then I think I understand you a bit. It’s… not a nice feeling.

Ah, I won’t get sentimental. We can talk more when you get home. I think I understand you a little better. That’s kinda sad, isn’t it? Took you leaving for me to get a better grip on your feelings? Well, just come home soon so we can talk. As I’ve made clear, Beau and Lorraine miss you. But I miss you too, darling. Enjoy your trip, but please come home soon safe and sound.

With love, Huck

—---

October 9th

This ain’t funny anymore, you know. It ain’t funny, and you need to get home now. You can quit ignoring all our letters, we get it. You’re hurt, you’re upset, you wanna teach us a lesson or somethin. We get it, we understand, just come home.

Lorraine is losing her gotdamn mind, and quite frankly I am too. No one’s heard a peep from you or Roy. You didn’t even like the West, you had always said it was too different. Never liked how they did their food either. So why would you even go out that way anyway?

You’re probably out drinking those fancy beers they try to peddle up there. They’re not as good as ours and you know it. Or you’re out doing those stupid hikes that you never cared for, getting more blisters on your heels because you don’t even like walks. There’s nothing good out there and you need to come back.

You should’ve left us a note before you left. That ain’t like you, you know. You always let us know where you’re going. You couldn’t even go to church camp back in the day without leaving a personalised letter for each of us. But now you just up and leave in the middle of the night? No warning? That ain’t right and you know it.

People keep asking me where you are and I don’t have any more answers. I can only say “she’s on vacation” so many times before people realise it’s a lie. And it is, isn’t it? It’s a lie. You’re not on some damn vacation. If you ran off, just let me know. I’ll leave you alone as long as I know you’re safe.

Did we make you that miserable? Was being around us so awful that you had to leave? You could’ve told us first. We could’ve come up with a plan, something that wouldn’t hurt you so bad. I don’t know what we could’ve done, but we could’ve tried something. Anything at all.

I need you to answer my letters, honey. I really need you to let me know you’re safe.

Please be safe.

Love you, Beau

—---

December 17th

You missed Halloween. And Thanksgiving. Are you going to miss Christmas too? And New Year's Eve? Am I going to have to jump into the new year without you? Please let me know if I am, because I need to be prepared. I’ve spent holiday after holiday waiting for you to come back, for you to spend it with me again. I get my hopes up every single time just for you to not be there.

RJ keeps asking me what’s wrong, and I’m honest with him. I miss you. I miss you so badly my chest aches. But he doesn’t understand. He thinks I just miss my best friend. And I do, you’ve always been my best friend. But you’re so much more than that, and I can’t explain it to him until you get back because I need someone to hold on to while you’re gone. When are you coming back?

Are you waiting for an apology? Because I’ll give you one, I’ll give you as many as you want. I’m sorry about RJ. I’m sorry about the proposal and that I didn’t say no. I’m sorry about Mr. Dylan, he never should’ve touched you. I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye properly. I’m sorry I avoided you after the proposal, I was just scared and didn’t know what to do.

I’ll say sorry for anything you want or need. Just please answer me. Please come home. I don’t want anything else for Christmas, I don’t want any other miracle, I just want you. Please come home.

I miss you.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

January 24th

We searched Roy’s room and found all his guns gone.

I’m done asking, darling, you need to call us or send us a letter. Now. Now, I don’t believe Roy would do anything to you, but your daddy is on a kick about how unstable he was. How he’s still sick from the devil and all that nonsense he would always preach. I know he wouldn’t touch a hair on your head, but I really need you to answer me.

Lorraine has been losing her patience with RJ. She yelled at him the other day just because he tried to hold her hand. Told him not to touch her. It was quite the show. And it’s going to get her in trouble. She needs you, you know? You’re not the only one who has to hide.

I’m sorry, but I went through your room. It’s been long enough, your momma practically gave me the go ahead. You didn’t take any of your letters from Lorraine. Did you mean to leave them? I hope you didn’t. I hope it was an accident, and you didn’t mean to leave us behind.

Beau has a letter for you too, but he’s not done with it. I don’t know how to help him. He’s got himself convinced he should’ve done more. I don’t know what he should have done. I don’t know what he could have done differently. Did you want him to propose? The three of us could’ve moved off somewhere, you know. We could’ve made it work if it’s what you wanted.

Everyone wants you home. They need you to come home. No one is complete without you, it’s like a big part of town is missing. Stevie from the bar finally pulled me aside and asked about you last weekend. I couldn’t even give him an answer. He said he’d pray for you. Said he’d keep a shot of the good stuff saved for when you get back.

Fuck it. I miss you too. You’re one of my very best friends, hon. You’re the one who’s been with me through everything. Hell, you introduced me to Beau. You’re the only one I can truly talk to about things. I need you home too, okay? You’re part of my home, so I need you to come back.

I need you to write back.

With love, Huck

—---

January 30th

You’re an absolute bastard. You know that? You’re a fuckin bastard. A vacation? Give me a fuckin break, you didn’t go on no gotdamn vacation. Where’d you go, huh? Somewhere we’d never find you? Did Roy convince you to leave? He probably did, the prick. Ain’t no way you would’ve left on your own, you’re not stupid.

What the hell were you thinkin? Just up and leavin like it ain’t nobody’s business. Well it’s my business. It’s my fucking business and you should’ve told me. You’re supposed to be my girlfriend. I don’t care that we’re pretendin, I still fuckin care about you and you just fuckin left? Did I mean that little to you?

We had a pretty great thing goin, you didn’t have to leave and ruin it. I don’t care that it was a lie, we were happy. I still had Huck, and you still had Lorraine, and we were happy. You didn’t have to pack your bags and leave like a thief in the night to, what, prove a point? Well I get it now, you weren’t as happy as I thought. You could’ve told me instead of doin all of this.

You’d better answer the gotdamn letter this time. I ain’t playin around anymore. You better answer the letter and get your ass home. And if Roy is readin this, then you better get her home. You’d better have kept your gotdamn hands and your guns away, and you better get her home. Now.

Beau

—---

February 15th

Hey, momma said I should try to send you something. She said you might answer me since I’m your baby brother. Are you and Roy okay? I don’t care what Pap says, I know y’all aren’t dumb, y’all didn’t go do something stupid. Roy probably just grabbed his guns to keep you safe. He’s not crazy.

Gramma came down with something nasty. The doctors think it’s pneumonia, but we’re still waiting for tests to come back. You both should probably get back just in case it’s bad. She misses you. She prays for you both twice a day. It’s really sweet, she just wants you both safe.

Seminary has been alright. Boring. You would’ve liked it more. Heck, you would’ve been better at it. No one knows the bible quite like you, I don’t care what Pap says. If any one of us should’ve gone off to study, it should’ve been you. Maybe once he sees how bad at it I am, he’ll change his mind. Think so? Probably not.

I’m waiting to propose to Liz until you both get back. I’ve got it all planned out and everything, even bought a ring. You’d like it, I think. But I can’t get married without my big siblings, right? Don’t worry, I can be patient. Y’all just get home safe and sound, you hear?

We love you. The both of you. We’ll see you soon.

Jimmy

—---

February 18th

Your Gramma passed away today. The funeral is in two weeks. That should be more than enough time for you to get back.

We’ll see you soon, love.

With love, Huck

—---

March 4th

Your Gramma’s funeral was today. You weren’t there. Why weren’t you there? You meant the world to her. She meant the world to you. You were the one she wanted to see, and you weren’t even there to see her buried.

She would have wanted you to be here.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

April 4th

A police report came in that they found two bodies in the river a few hours away from here. The bodies are decomposed too much to make identifications. I swear to god, hon, it better not be you. I know things were hard. For the both of you. But you didn’t have to go and do that.

It better not be you.

With love, Huck

—---

May 26th

Your daddy practically declared you both dead at church this morning. I guess after almost a year, he’s tired of worrying about it. He was never a patient man. I don’t think anyone really believed him, but who’s going to argue with their preacher? No one in this town, that’s for sure. Momma and daddy said you’re probably fine, just got sick of your daddy. No one would blame you if that were the case.

After church, Mr. Dylan told your daddy you and Roy had tried to kill him the night you left. If that were true, I don’t know why he didn’t bring it up when everyone was asking where you were. Don’t know why he saved it for now, but he did. Said you had both tried to kill him in the church.

He told your daddy you were a queer. Said you were a queer and you were going to infect the town with your sin. Huck hit him. Square on the jaw, knocked him out cold. I had thought it would be Beau. I hope he gave Mr. Dylan a concussion.

Did he really find out? Because I didn’t tell anybody, I swear. We always kept things a secret. At least I think we did. No one was ever around that didn’t already know. I know none of my crew told, they wouldn’t dare. I promise I didn’t tell anyone.

Momma asked me this evening if you really were queer. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what her reaction would be. She has always loved you, I didn’t want her to think any less of you because of what Mr. Dylan said. Daddy said we shouldn’t talk about it while you’re not here. Said it wasn’t right to talk behind your back. I don’t want them to hate you.

I won’t ever let them hate you.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

June 1st

I hate you. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hate you. I hate you, and I hate Roy, and I hate this fuckin town and everyone in it.

You were supposed to be here, gotdammit. You were supposed to be here, and we were all supposed to grow old together. What the fuck were you thinkin? Don’t you know how much you’ve hurt me? Don’t you understand? We might not have been in love, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love you. I loved you, and you went and broke my heart like this?

We were all supposed to be together, you know. No matter what, remember? I thought you were my Huckleberry. Well what are you now, huh? A coward. You’re a fuckin coward. What, times get hard so you leave? You just pack your shit and leave with your crazy fuckin brother?

What were we to you? Were we just a means to an end? Nothing more than a toy for you to play with? Cause you were never that to me. You were never anything less than my best friend, the only girl I ever loved. And you just fuckin left me. Was I not good enough for you?

If that’s how you feel, then good fuckin riddance. Stay away. We don’t want you back in this town anyway. Go stay with your new fuckin friends that won’t ever fuckin know you or care about you the way we do. No one is ever gonna understand you like we do.

Don’t even bother comin back.

Beau

—---

June 2nd

Please come back. I can’t do this without you.

Beau

—---

June 4th

I broke off the engagement today. It’s all just too much. I can’t even stand looking at him anymore. Every time he looks at me makes my skin crawl. I can’t even stand being in the same room with him anymore. Each time he touches me makes me feel like a piece of my soul dies.

Did I do this to you? Did I push you to leave? If I did, I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. If I had been smarter, I would’ve suggested dating Huck instead. Then none of this ever would have happened. The four of us would’ve been together and no one would have ever known. We could’ve been happy.

Were you that unhappy? I never wanted you to hurt. All I ever wanted was you. Every time I had to fake a smile with RJ, or play nice, I always thought about you. I didn’t care about him, he was just a good distraction so no one would know about us. It was stupid. I never should’ve been afraid of how I felt.

I need you to come home. I need you to come home and tell me everything will be okay. Nothing feels the same without you. Foods don’t taste good, the sun isn’t as bright, nothing is fun. Most days I don’t even want to get out of bed anymore. I would rather rot away than go another day without you.

I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for everything. I’ll take everything back, I’ll tell the whole world that I love you. I’ll hold your hand at the store. I’ll sit in your lap at the bar, and pull you to dance with me. I’ll do whatever you want, whenever you want. I just want you back. I need you back.

I love you. You’re my home. I need you here with me.

Please come back to me.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

July 1st

You took my heart with you, you know. No one else is ever going to have it. Please keep it safe.

Yours, Lorraine

—---

The bonfire was hot against Lorraine’s skin. Far too hot. Combined with the sweltering summer heat, it was painful. She didn’t care. Painful at least felt like something. It felt like something real, something she could focus on. Almost as real as the pile of letters in her hands, all stamped with the same thing on the front in red.

Return to sender.

“I’m sorry,” Max said softly. Her hand was surprisingly cool against Lorraine’s upper arm.

On the other side of the fire, off in the distance, she could hear Beau yelling. Drunken, incoherent rambling that no one could really understand. Huck had given up on trying to console him. After all, how could he console him about something that they couldn’t fix? What would be the point?

Another beer bottle shattered against the hard ground.

You were supposed to come back. You were supposed to be there waiting for Lorraine when she got back from filming. Then you were both going to talk, and you were going to come up with a plan to get out of the engagement, and then everyone was going to be happy. Maybe you could’ve gone out East for real, like the four of you had always talked about.

The letters in her hand felt like lead.

“Do you want us to give you a minute?” Bobby-Lynne asked. She squeezed Lorraine’s shoulders. It was comforting. Grounding.

“No,” Lorraine said softly. “It wouldn’t matter anyway.”

The letters were the last connection she had to you. Your daddy had quickly emptied out yours and Roy’s rooms, labeling you both as sinners and traitors. She had been lucky enough to grab your hat before he had thrown everything out. It sat comfortably on her head right at that moment.

Her last remnants of you.

No tears came as she held the letters over the fire. The flames licked the skin of her damaged fingers. She knew, logically, it should have hurt. It didn’t. Maybe, if she kept her hand there long enough, you would appear and pull her back. You would scold her for doing something dangerous, and then you could both go to bed.

That’s all she wanted. She just wanted to go to bed.

Her fingers pried themselves away from the letters, and she watched them fall onto the bonfire. One by one they caught a spark, turning a dark brown and curling around the edges before igniting. She could see the different handwriting on each page. Beau, Huck, Jimmy. Her own. All filling the pages with their thoughts, their concerns, their feelings. Things they would never dare tell each other.

She watched the fire until the very last letter burned. Your name faded away into the orange flame. You faded away into nothing, and when your name was no longer legible, Lorraine felt her own heart go with it. There was a space shaped exactly like you within her chest. No one would ever fill it, and she didn’t want them to.

You were her heart and soul. Her home.

She would never find anyone else for as long as she lived. And then, she would find you in death.

She would find you in every lifetime. No matter how long it took.

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

@mcyt-aro-week day 3: solidarity / hobbies

It's a quiet day in Pixandria, all things considered, which is nice and rare these days. That is, until Pix hears the telltale sounds of rockets and someone skidding to a halt in the sand outside his storage room.

Pix closes the chest he was rummaging through with a sigh and walks outside to figure out which of his friends has appeared on his metaphorical front lawn. As he pokes his head out the door, he catches a flash of bright green- Jimmy, then, so this will probably be a relatively normal conversation, all things considered.

"Jimmy, hey, what's up?"

Jimmy turns around, frowning, and pulls his codboy hat lower than it's supposed to go so it covers his eyes- bad day, then.

Jimmy sighs, "Pix, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, sure, come on in," Pix ushers the man into the top area of the storage room and leans against one of the walls. "What's going on?"

Jimmy buries is head in his hands even further somehow and groans for a second before he starts talking. Very bad day, then.

"Well, I just left Rivendell cause Scott invited me to some sort of alliance meeting, except it wasn't really an alliance meeting, it was a date, and it was really clearly a date cause he had this tunnel of love thing going on and a picnic and it was really nice but I don't- I wasn't prepared and I don't know if I even like him- or anyone- like that but I didn't know how to tell him that in the middle of a date, so I pretended that I didn't know it was one, except it was so obviously a date so now he either thinks I'm even more of an idiot than he already did or that I was, I don't know, playing hard to get or something? I don't know how people think about these things, I just-"

Jimmy, who had been pacing and gesturing wildly the whole time he spoke, stops short, digs his palms into his eyes, and shouts a bit before stopping and looking up at Pix desperately.

"Help?"

Pix nods slowly. "Yeah, ok, that's... that's bad. So, first things first, the thing about not being sure if you like him, or anyone like that?"

Jimmy takes a deep breath and shakes out his hands a bit. "Yeah, I don't know, I think I've had like, one crush ever? And I don't even really know if that was a crush? And I like Scott, I do, even though he's kind of a jerk sometimes, but I don't think it's like that? I'm not sure."

"Ok, well, do you want to be in a relationship with Scott?"

Jimmy pauses, visibly considering. "I... have no idea."

"Ok, so, first step is, despite what you might think, not figuring that part out, because that's going to take forever. First step is getting on the same page with Scott.”

“Does it have to be? Can’t I just figure out what my deal is and then everything is fine forever?”

Pix chuckles. “If only it were that easy.”

“It’s just-!” Jimmy walks over to where Pix is leaning and joins him for about two seconds before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. “I don’t know. I don’t know how any of this is supposed to feel, I don’t know how I’m meant to know if I like someone like that or not if I want to be in a relationship with them or what and I don’t know how everyone seems to have it so figured out!”

“I mean, I don’t think everyone else does, to be totally honest. But even if they do, well, it probably felt a lot more like… something for them.” Pix joins Jimmy on the floor, staring straight ahead as he tries to think. “Because in my experience, sometimes it feels like nothing because it is nothing, but sometimes it feels like nothing because it’s something but not with this person, but other times it feels like something even when it’s nothing-“ Pix has no idea what he’s talking about, at this point. He’s not equipped for these things, and he says as much. “Why did you come to me for this, I’m not-? Your sister’s married to your best friend, I feel like they’re much better equipped to answer the question of ‘How do you know when you want to be in a relationship with someone?’”

“I mean, probably,” Jimmy says, finally letting his codboy hat go enough that Pix can see his eyes again. “But, well… you’re you. We’re us, y’know?”

Pix does know. He knows that Lizzie is Jimmy’s sister, but Pix was the first person to see Jimmy without the Codfather head on. He knows that Joel is Jimmy’s best friend, but Pix is the one he asked to build the cod statue in his base. He knows that he’s Jimmy’s… something, and this is what they do. And that, however unfortunately, he probably is the best person to ask about this type of thing, even if he doesn’t feel like he knows what he’s talking about half the time.

Pix reaches out and puts his arm around Jimmy’s shoulders, and Jimmy instinctively moves to lay his head on Pix’s shoulder. Well, they’ll figure it out eventually.

[thetomorrowshow]

intruder

backstory of why jimmy and scott moved out of the super neighborhood in my empires superpowers au!

cw: murder (in SELF-DEFENSE) of an unnamed character, blood/violence, like a decent bit of it, injury, dissociation

~

Scott’s been missing for two days.

Scott’s been missing for two days, and Jimmy isn’t going to wait around doing nothing.

The news had come in the form of a knock on the front door, around 3pm on the first day. Jimmy doesn’t officially live at Scott’s house, but he spends a fair amount of time there, and now he pushes back from the kitchen table and heads to the front door, snapping on the mask that hangs on a hook by the entrance.

“Oh, hi, TJ!” Blossom says when he opens the door to find her on the step, flowers actively winding around in her hair. “Is Major around?”

Jimmy frowns, checks his watch. “Um, he left for work this morning, around eight? He shouldn’t be back until four, at the earliest.”

Why would Blossom be asking him this? Don’t they all have some sort of hero group chat?

“Are you sure?” Blossom’s smile drops. “Did he say he was headed somewhere else?”

“Just to work,” says Jimmy. “Why? What’s up?”

 Blossom bites her lip, the flowers in her hair wilting. “He never showed,” she says. “He isn’t responding to messages.”

That’s enough for Jimmy to shut the door and run back to the table, grabbing his cell phone. Then he returns, pulling it open again. Blossom is still there, looking a little surprised.

Jimmy pulls up his contacts, clicks on the one labeled ‘scott :) - super’ and hits call.

“You’ve reached Major, I’m probably winning a battle right now. Send me a text and I’ll get back to you when I have a moment.”

Straight to voicemail.

That can’t be good.

“Try the Mad King,” Jimmy tells her. “I’m still working until four, but keep me updated. Do you have my number?”

But Blossom never texts him any news.

And Joel tells him, that night, that Scott’s officially missing, and they’re moving Jimmy to a safehouse.

So it isn’t even 8pm when Jimmy finds himself in a small apartment downtown, the dim light of the setting sun half-illuminating the single room.

And Jimmy stays there all night, staring at his phone, as his worry crescendos over and over again, blowing out lightbulbs and spoiling food can by can.

They still haven’t found him in the morning.

Jimmy can do nothing but sit, alone, in this cheap, unused apartment of Joel’s, waiting for some message that his boyfriend has been found.

But there’s nothing, and Jimmy isn’t going to wait around doing nothing when Scott could be getting tortured right now.

Because that’s it, really. When Jimmy went missing, it was because some horrid, insane villain kidnapped him and ran experiments on him and treated him like an animal—

One of the blades on the floor fan comes off, crashing to the bottom of the fan cage.

Jimmy takes a deep breath.

He can’t continue to sit here on the ragged carpet (because there’s no furniture other than a single folding chair and a mattress) while Scott could be going through the exact same things that he had been subjected to.

Or worse, he thinks, pushing back a sickening memory.

So Jimmy packs up his little backpack that he hasn’t actually unpacked yet except to get his toothbrush, grabs the mask he’d left on the kitchen counter (which he balls up and shoves in the pocket of his jeans), and leaves, ready to find Scott.

Where does Scott usually go first?

He covers all of the city, but rarely ventures away from the most densely populated areas. Downtown is one of his favorites to frequent, as well as the pier.

Good thing Jimmy knows downtown like the back of his hand.

He catches the bus like it’s second nature, the schedule practically tattooed on the inside of his eyelids (despite the fact that he rarely rode the bus for fear of causing an accident. He learned it in case anyone ever asked him the bus schedule). He hasn’t spent much time out and about on his own, but he can get around and he’s lived with Lizzie long enough to know how to go somewhere by himself. That doesn’t mean he isn’t careful: he sits at the back of the bus with his back pressed against the window and watches everyone, careful to sort them into threat categories and keep tabs on everyone.

It’s exhausting. It always is.

It isn’t long at all before he leaves the bus at one of Scott’s favorite places—right across the way from the elementary school. Scott heads here first thing most mornings, keeping an eye on the children as they arrive at school.

The mask is scrunched uncomfortably in Jimmy’s pocket. He wishes he could put it on. He hates going out in public—not without at least a baseball cap.

It feels like everyone at this park is watching him.

Any of them could be in league with whoever took Scott. Any of them could have been one of the thugs that worked for Xornoth. Any of them could be someone he hurt in the past.

Every time someone walks past him, Jimmy automatically tenses. That woman could attack him. That man could crush his skull. That child could be a distraction. That man could grab him and pull him into an alley.

Jimmy shoves his hands in his hoodie’s pocket so that he doesn’t have to look at how they tremble. This is why he doesn’t go places alone. This is why he works from home right now.

This is why people need to not get kidnapped. Specifically the people that can help him not panic about being kidnapped.

Right, now, does he usually patrol around the school? Or just wait out front and watch the kids go in?

If he was Scott, what would he do?

Scott would probably patrol. He likes to be moving, likes to show off his skills.

So Jimmy hikes out of the park and crosses the road to the school, following the sidewalk all around the building.

On one side is an alley between some run-down apartments, and Jimmy passes through, keeping a close eye on anything out of place. Any knocked-over trash cans, any smears of dirt or dried blood on buildings, anything that could be the signs of a struggle.

He feels more and more anxious the further down he goes, swallowing back the thrumming of his power within him, the scar at the base of his skull burning.

He can’t cause an accident here. He's next to an elementary school, he can’t risk it.

Can he?

What accidents can he cause here?

Jimmy’s never really reached out with his powers before on purpose—not in a long time, not in a searching way.

But his powers can cause terrible things to happen, things as far away as inside the school, and if his power can know that there’s things that far away to ruin, then can’t he know, too?

So he reaches out into the surrounding buildings.

There are a lot of people here.

That’s the first thing he feels.

There’s hundreds of children in the school, and one of these buildings is an apartment complex, and Jimmy can’t see them or even really sense them? He just . . . knows that they’re there, in some kind of . . . sixth sense?

There are so many other things that he knows are there, but can’t verbalize. He simply knows, to an overwhelming degree, the contents of everything around and maybe there’s a reason he’s never done this before because he thinks he’s going to be sick—

“TJ!”

Jimmy flinches, hears something crash in the distance. He wheels around—this could be it this is the moment he’s kidnapped—, only to find fWhip standing at the mouth of the alley.

“Why are you out and about?” fWhip asks, moseying over, hands in his pockets. “Don’t you usually stay home from the cool parties?”

Right. He knows fWhip. Kind of. fWhip is nice, right? He helped save him.

Jimmy isn’t wearing his mask. Which is fine. It’s fine to not be wearing it, because fWhip recognized him anyways and his secret identity isn’t contingent on a mask anymore.

“Um, I’m looking for Major,” he says, head still spinning a bit. “He usually goes here every morning, and nobody saw him for his whole shift, so if he got kidnapped it was probably near—”

“Wait, Major’s missing?”

Jimmy frowns. “Yeah, did you not hear? He disappeared yesterday.”

fWhip checks over his shoulder, adjusts his goggles. “Okay. Not good. And if Major’s missing, why aren’t you in a safehouse?”

“Well, I was,” Jinmy says, looking down at his feet. How has he been caught already? He just barely left!

“But you couldn’t stick around when Major could be . . . being tortured?” guesses fWhip.

Jimmy shifts uncomfortably. “Yeah,” he says dejectedly. “But I can go back. The Mad King would—”

“Nah, don’t do that. I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. Do you need help looking?”

And before Jimmy can so much as process what he’s said, fWhip is reaching up to the window in the building beside them, testing the latch and finding it open.

“Let’s check out this place,” he suggests, shoving the window open and grabbing the sill, pushing himself up and into the window in an impressive show of upper-body strength.

Jimmy blinks.

He didn’t expect to be joined in his search.

Let alone by fWhip.

“Okay, nobody’s here,” fWhip calls out the window. “You coming?”

“Is there a door?” Jimmy asks halfheartedly.

fWhip shrugs.

Jimmy sighs, grips the windowsill (a bit lower for him than it had been for fWhip), and heaves himself up, legs kicking for purchase on the wall and arms trembling under his weight.

He falls back once, arm scraping a bit against the sill, then manages to pull himself up the second time, his ribcage pressed in painfully against the windowsill, where he hangs for a moment before tipping over and landing in a heap on the other side.

“Try to roll when you come in,” fWhip advises as Jimmy picks himself up. “It’s easier. And way more cool.”

“I’ll remember that,” Jimmy grumbles, brushing the copious streaks of dust off his hoodie.

“So we’re looking at an abandoned first floor of some office building, I think,” fWhip says, flipping a switch on his goggles. “See anything?”

Jimmy looks around. It’s a fairly large space, the concrete ground scarred by the torn-up carpet (some of which still lies in an awkward heap against a wall), a single dead office chair sitting in the middle of the room. Otherwise, there’s some brightly-colored papers in a corner, and—

The front door slams open.

“TJ,” comes a suspicious and familiar voice.

The Mad King is standing in the doorway.

“Rats,” fWhip says, frowning. “Did you follow me?”

“You and Mythics are always up to no good,” Joel tells him dismissively, before turning back to Jimmy, arms crossed. “Why are you here?”

“Um . . . looking for Major?” Jimmy tries.

Joel raises an eyebrow. “With fWhip? Come on, TJ, if you were going to break house arrest it should’ve been with someone respectable.”

“Hey!”

“Come on, back to the safehouse.”

“But—”

“TJ,” Joel says firmly. “We aren’t arguing about this. I’ll keep looking for Major, yeah? You need—”

“But I, I can help!” Jimmy insists. This isn’t fair, he shouldn’t be locked up when his boyfriend could be going through the worst experiences of his life—

“Jimmy,” Joel grits out. fWhip makes a ‘yikes’ face, turns to start going through the neon papers in the corner.

“Since Major has been kidnapped, they will want to get the people he cares about the most—you,” Joel stresses. “They will want to hurt you to get him to give up whatever information they’re looking for. That’s why—”

“I know, I know, but I can defend myself,” argues Jimmy. “It’s—it’s Sc—I mean, it’s Major. I have to help. And I know—”

“You’re helping by staying safe,” says Joel. “I’m not arguing about this, okay?”

“Who would have a bake sale and then put the signs in an abandoned building?” fWhip murmurs, examining one of the said signs.

Which is stupid.

This is stupid.

How does Joel expect him to just sit there?

How can he tell Jimmy to go hide and let Scott get hurt?

But there’s no point in fighting this.

“Maybe there’s some way you can help from the apartment, okay?” Joel says placatingly, and Jimmy rolls his eyes.

“Sure. Fine, take me back, officer.”

“Don’t get an attitude with me, young man,” Joel warns, sputtering jokingly, but Jimmy’s stomach squirms just the slightest bit.

He’s not a child.

“fWhip, I’ll be back here in half an hour, okay?” Joel says. “Let me know if you find anything.”

Then he strides out the door, Jimmy reluctantly following along behind.

-

Joel finds Scott the next day.

It’s a small place, a closed mechanic shop, near the East side of the city, where this particular gang of villains decided to keep him.

Joel finds him by checking the security footage of the elementary school. He sees, in the corner of one of the cameras, a couple of neon signs hanging on the side of the building fWhip and Jimmy had broken into.

Backing it up a little bit, Joel finds the car that carried the people who hung up the signs (something they did several hours before dawn).

And when he tracks down that car, he finds Scott.

Jimmy receives the text that Scott’s been found and instantly calls Lizzie, begging her for a ride home. Lizzie agrees, and when Joel and Scott come through the front door, Jimmy is there waiting, a frozen pizza in the oven.

Jimmy drops everything, his stress releasing in a little burst of power that crashes his phone and knocks all the cushions off the sofa, hurrying toward Scott.

Scott looks absolutely exhausted. His suit is torn here and there, his hair tangled and greasy, his eyelids drooping. But he gives Jimmy a small smile and acquiesces to a gentle hug.

“Glad you’re safe,” Scott murmurs. “I was worried.”

Jimmy chuckles, pitched a little high with nerves. “You were worried? Imagine my state!”

Scott pulls away, plants a small kiss on Jimmy’s lips before tugging off his mask, mouth twisting in a grimace.

There’s a large bruise on his cheek, and a small line of them down his jaw, but he otherwise doesn’t seem to be in very bad condition. Still, Jimmy frets, hands twisting anxiously.

“Where are you hurt? Do you need to get checked out? You really should go to the hospital, just in—”

“I’m fine,” Scott cuts him off. “Just some bruises. It’s all right.”

Even so, Scott stands there patiently, as Jimmy takes in every part of him.

He seems to be telling the truth. Nothing looks broken or like it’s bleeding too badly. He’s holding himself a little gingerly, though, that could be a broken rib—

Jimmy prods at his chest and Scott steps back, hands over himself.

“It’s not broken,” Scott says, teeth gritted. “Joel already tried it. Just a deep bruise.”

“Probably the worst kidnappers I’ve ever seen,” Joel calls from the kitchen, where he’d gone after pushing past the two of them in the hall. “Didn’t even know how to torture him properly.”

Torture? “Scott, I’m so sorry—do you need anything? Should I schedule you a therapy appointment?”

Scott bursts out laughing. “Thank you, baby,” he says. “I’m fine. I promise. Just tired.”

“And an idiot,” adds Joel. “How’d you manage to get kidnapped by such an incompetent lot?”

“Their signs said homemade croissants,” Scott moans, walking into the kitchen as if nothing ever happened (though his arm is still wrapped around his ribs). “You know I love supporting small local businesses.”

“’Twas your downfall,” Joel intones, snickering. “Sorry, mate.”

Jimmy follows awkwardly, not entirely sure how to behave.

Scott’s . . . fine?

He hadn’t even considered that as an outcome. He hadn’t dared to think that Scott might return without severe injuries, without being traumatized by the torture and greatly needing help returning to the real world.

Like Jimmy had been.

He doesn’t know what he can even do.

How can he help Scott when Scott doesn’t need help?

So Jimmy just kind of hovers, near Scott, as he sits there and eats pizza and jokes a little with Joel.

Then Scott leaves to go shower, and Joel shoots Jimmy a sympathetic smile.

“He’s fine,” Joel assures him. “He may be a bit clumsy for a while—his hands were zip-tied pretty tightly together—but he’s really fine.”

It’s hard to believe him.

But Jimmy just nods and resolves to not treat Scott strangely. He’s fine, after all.

If he’s fine, then so is Jimmy.

-

That night, there’s something wrong.

Jimmy wakes up quite suddenly, the odd sixth sense that he’d probed at the other day ringing with the notice that something is off.

He doesn’t know what. He doesn’t know what’s changed in their surroundings, but he knows that it’s not quite right and he needs to be aware of it.

Jimmy blinks open his eyes, glances over to Scott to reassure himself that his partner is safely there.

And leaning over Scott, a knife gleaming in their hand and poised above Scott’s chest, is a person dressed in black.

Jimmy reacts immediately.

He dives over Scott, knocking the man’s arm just as he sinks the knife down—Scott wakes with a cry of pain, the knife carving a jagged line in his chest and up his shoulder as the man is knocked off course.

Jimmy rolls off of Scott, faces the intruder for a brief second.

The intruder spits out a curse, then barrels into Jimmy, brandishing his knife.

Jimmy moves on instinct. He grapples with the man, twists his wrist with the knife—the man slashes at him, but Jimmy twists further until his grip loosens on the hilt, and then he takes the knife.

He spent hours and days and weeks training with Xornoth in knife work and he knows exactly how to attack to injure, which spots are the most painful without being fatal. He stabs the knife into the attacker’s upper arm, then into his side when he howls and twists away, and Jimmy can’t help but show off a bit as he flips the knife to his other hand and drives it into the man’s knee.

The intruder falls to his knees, and Jimmy’s head is pounding with the adrenaline, and he can’t move his focus from taking this man out entirely because he tried to kill Scott—

Jimmy spins around to be behind the man, hands on his throat—the man grabs at his wrists, nails scrabbling against his skin—and sends a burst of power out.

Under his sweaty palms, knife still tucked between the fingers of his right hand, Jimmy feels the man’s neck break. Not just the bone: his vocal cords snap—his muscles fall loose—his throat collapses, and so does the man, falling heavily to the carpet.

Jimmy stands there, panting.

Scott wheezes in pain.

Jimmy fumbles on the bedside table, grabs Scott’s hero phone with fingers slick with blood. He presses the emergency button on the side, holds it down for a solid five seconds.

Then he drops it back on the table, opens one of the drawers to pull out Scott’s mask.

“Jimmy,” Scott gasps, sitting up, clutching his arm over the slash in his shirt. “Are—are you okay?”

Jimmy nods, then he clicks on the bedside lamp, bathing the room in low, yellow light, and surveys Scott.

There’s a sheen of sweat over Scott’s bruised face, his eyes pained and confused (and concerned, and very very worried), but Jimmy barely registers that as his eyes find the wound.

His nightshirt is soaked in blood, spreading out from the slash, and it only takes one glance at the wound for Jimmy to know that it needs a professional to take a look at it. He doesn’t know near enough about injuries to know anything other than that it looks bad.

He leans over Scott (Scott flinches back) and pulls the mask over his face, carefully holding the knife pointed away from him. His hair catches a bit in the eyeholes and Jimmy doesn’t do anything about it.

"Major?" calls a voice from below, and Jimmy spins around, knife held out, as he hears the stairs creak with running footsteps. Was there back-up? No matter. There won’t be, soon.

A pajama-clad Blossom pushes open the door from where it's half-open (Scott always closes the door when they go to bed), her hands flying to her mouth when she takes in the scene. "Oh my gosh—Major, TJ, what happened? Should I call an ambulance? I'll call one—"

"Hello? Is everything okay?"

More footsteps, then Gem appears, mask pulled over tangled hair.

"Hi, we need an ambulance—the address—"

"What happened?" Gem says, echoing Blossom's words as Blossom turns away, one hand covering the ear not pressed to her phone.

Scott pushes himself up further, grimacing. "Intruder," he manages, nodding toward the body on the floor. Gem glances at it, before her eyes fix on Jimmy.

"TJ, sit down—where are you hurt? Where do you guys keep your first aid kit?"

"It's not my blood," Jimmy says, his voice too loud in his ears. He gestures with the knife toward the motionless body, the neck appearing kind of . . . squashed. "I'm fine. Check Major."

"Shoot, the attacker," Gem mutters. "Blossom, tell them that there's two or three people that need—"

"He's dead," Jimmy interrupts. "Don't worry about him. Check Major."

Gem blinks.

Meets Jimmy's eyes.

"Okay," she says after a moment. "I'll check Major. Did you kill him?"

Jimmy swallows.

"He was attacking us," he says stiffly. "He stabbed Major. I acted in self-defense."

Gem moves around and climbs onto Jimmy's empty side of the bed, still keeping an eye on him even as she checks out Scott, pulling away his shirt and asking quiet questions (to which Scott responds, his breath shallow and words faltering).

"The ambulance should be here soon," Blossom says, moving toward the foot of the bed. "TJ, you're covered in blood—set that knife down, let me help you."

"It's not my blood," Jimmy says again. "I'm fine."

"Okay, then—"

"You help Major," Gem says, slipping off the bed and coming back over. "I'll help TJ wash up. C'mon."

Numbly, Jimmy follows her out of the room, checking over his shoulder to make sure Scott is okay. Scott waves him on with the hand that isn’t held to his chest, and Jimmy continues down the hall, into the bathroom.

"We'll have to make this quick," Gem says. "Sit down. And give me that knife."

Jimmy doesn't want to give her the knife. He pulls it back to his chest when she reaches for it, thumbs the blade protectively.

"I need the knife to give it to Major, so that when the police get here we can have a convincing story without you in it. Make sense?"

After considering, Jimmy nods. It makes sense.

And that means he needs to not be here.

He hands over the knife. "I killed him," he says. "If they ask, Major stabbed him three times. Then he fell and broke his neck."

Gem shakes her head. "Okay. Wow. Okay. You know we don't normally kill people, right? Never mind. I'll go give this to Major."

Jimmy glances in the mirror as she steps past. There's blood spattered across his face, more in splashes on his nightshirt and shorts and arms. His eyes, cold and wide, peer back at him out of his pale face.

He needs to get out of here.

Gem returns after two or three minutes, handing Jimmy a jacket (one of Scott’s, he distantly notices).

"Zip that up over the blood, rinse off your hands, and let's go," she says. "We'll head to my place. Blossom will ride with Major in the ambulance. It doesn't look too bad, so he should be okay."

Jimmy obeys, letting Gem turn on the water so he can stick his hands under the cold spray.

For a moment, he's back there—just trying to scrub the blood off his hands from his first intentional murder in the sink with the broken handle.

Then he blinks, looking down at the sink, at the red running off his hands.

"Good enough. Let's go."

-

Joel joins them in Gem's dark kitchen after about two hours, stripping off a pair of gloves. He's fully dressed in his supersuit, his hair unbrushed and his posture stooped, looking more exhausted than ever.

"Gem, you have anything caffeinated?" Joel asks, opening a cupboard.

"Yeah, there's a pot of coffee already made. Mugs are in the left cupboard."

Jimmy watches as Joel finds a mug, fills it up with coffee, and then takes a swig of it black.

"Thanks," he says, face scrunching up at the taste. Joel doesn't like black coffee. Jimmy knows that. He always adds cream and sugar.

"Major's okay," Joel informs them, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table to sit across from them.

Jimmy's been here more or less in silence for the past hour and a half, staring at the wooden table. When they'd first come in, Gem had sent him to wash his hands and arms and face better than he had before, but there's nothing they can do about his sleepclothes, so he's just been sitting here in a blood-spattered t-shirt for a while. Gem had joined him after pulling a hoodie over her pajamas and starting the coffee maker, and has since sat beside him, working on a crossword puzzle.

"Major's okay, he and Blossom are at the hospital now. The intruder was pronounced dead on site. Major identified him as one of the men who kidnapped him."

Jimmy doesn't feel anything.

No sense of satisfaction at knowing that the man truly deserved it, no fear at how close they had been to getting killed, no guilt for his actions.

Nothing.

"TJ," Joel says hesitantly, "how are you doing?"

Jimmy shrugs.

He's still covered in the blood of the man he murdered.

"They say killing is like riding a bike," Jimmy says after a long pause. "You never quite forget how to do it."

Gem sighs. Joel winces.

"Right. Well, we don't really kill people, as a general rule. It's kind of, like, against the law."

The law.

As if the law applies to heroes and villains.

Jimmy's not really sure which one he is right now.

Neither, probably. Which means the law should apply to him, even if it hasn’t stuck in the past.

"I've never really been one to follow the law," Jimmy says.

"Sure, but as a person—"

He isn't a person. If anything was to prove that fact, it would be tonight. He hadn’t thought, he’d just acted, and even now the first feeling that he can even register is the feeling of not feeling. He isn’t a person.

He's a weapon.

He's a pet.

That's the word that triggers his therapy brain.

"I'm in a bad headspace," Jimmy interrupts Joel, using words that he'd rehearsed with Nora. "I don't feel like a person right now. I might be dissociating."

"We have to talk about this," Joel insists. "We can't run away from hard conversations—"

"I promised I would never kill again," Jimmy whispers, and, ah. There’s the panic. Detached and not quite real, but panic nonetheless. "I can't escape it. I'm not—I can't. I'm a weapon, I was made to be a weapon, I—"

"Stop that right now," says Joel firmly. "You are a person, and you just saved someone from being killed. It was self-defense, not mindless."

Jimmy almost laughs, because to some extent, it was mindless. He acted entirely on instinct, following the training Xornoth had given him, whether or not it was self-defense.

He doesn't like hurting people.

He never wanted to go back to being a villain.

It's not even that he's upset about killing that specific man. Screw that man, he tried to kill his boyfriend.

He's really just afraid that now that he's killed one person, he'll keep doing it. It isn’t like anyone can stop him. Nobody can stop him, not even himself, and he wouldn’t even care if his current state has anything to say about it.

"TJ," Gem says carefully, "why did you kill that man?"

Jimmy frowns. Why? "To protect Major."

"Do you have any desire to kill people outside of defense?"

Does he?

He's never had the desire to kill.

Not even when he was getting rewarded for it. Killing was something he did to survive, to escape severe punishment, or accidentally.

And here, he killed to protect. To save his boyfriend. He didn't get any satisfaction out of it. He certainly didn't enjoy it. He doesn't want to do it again.

That cuts through the foggy panic in his mind, the fear that he might keep going, that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

"No," he says, then stronger, "no. I never want to kill. I hate it. I only do it when I have to."

Joel lets out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. Okay, next issue. You and Major clearly aren't safe here. Do you want to try to stick it out, or should we start moving you two as soon as possible?"

Jimmy hadn't even thought about it.

Of course they aren't safe here—he hadn't been safe alone, when Scott was kidnapped and he had to be moved to the safehouse. Why did he think that things would magically change just because Scott was here? Every villain in the city knows where they live. The rest of the gang that kidnapped Scott could show up on their doorstep at any time, even more angry than before.

Anyone could show up at any time.

Jimmy doesn't feel as secure as he used to feel, surrounded by superheroes as they are.

"We'll move," Jimmy decides. "As soon as Major is back, we're moving. It just isn't safe here."

They’ll move.

Then he’ll deal with this numbness.

-

"Hey!" Jimmy calls, running into the kitchen. "No! You aren't allowed to lift anything more than ten pounds, put that down!"

Scott sighs with an over-dramatic roll of his eyes, sets the box back on the counter. "It's not that heavy. And it doesn't even hurt right now."

"Just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean it isn't injured, Mister," Jimmy tells him. "You don't want to pull out your stitches."

"You haven't let me help at all. Pearl already handled the actual heavy stuff, let me do something."

Jimmy shakes his head and picks up the box. "That's your own fault for getting stabbed right before we moved."

"We're moving because I got stabbed," Scott points out. "It's not like any of this was planned."

"You should have thought about that before you got stabbed, then."

Scott groans, then reluctantly laughs. "I guess I should have. Can I at least drive?"

Jimmy lets out a very put-upon sigh. "I suppose, since I don't have a driver's license, you can be allowed to drive. But only if you behave yourself."

Scott giggles again. "You're adorable," he says fondly. "You know I'm the Primary Protector of the city, right? I don't think you'd be able to stop me."

"And I killed a man last week," counters Jimmy. "I don't think you want to be on my bad side."

"Oh," Scott says after a moment. "Are we joking about this now?"

Jimmy shrugs. "We're in the laugh-or-cry stage. I'm trying to laugh about it right now."

Scott looks at him. Really, truly, looks at him.

Then he laughs. Just a little bit, but still a laugh.

"I love you," he says. "I'll help you hide the body next time."

Jimmy laughs a little, too, but Scott pauses.

"There . . . isn't going to be a next time, right?" he asks uncertainly.

"Oh, absolutely not. Not unless it's entirely necessary."

Scott nods several times. "Good," he says. “Yep. Cool.”

Jimmy turns back toward the door, box in his arms, and waits until he’s out of the house to huff, shaking his head (though a smile plays on his lips).

They’re okay.

He pushes away the numb feeling that threatens to seep into his brain and thinks and remembers and knows that they’re okay.

That’s good enough for him.

[writeawaythepain]

That Funny Feeling

Jimmy Solidarity x (gn!reader)

…Hey! I’m not dead! And I finally have the urge to write again! Hope you enjoy my spiral into a new fandom!

tw: self-deprecating thoughts, angst (don’t worry there’s a fluff at the end)

Word count: 1.7k

Prompts:

“You are worthy of love and friends and respect.”

"why do you care!" "because i’m in love with you!"

Summary:

You walk in on Jimmy having beef with a fence post, and though you're not really surprised, you wonder if he’s dealing with more pain than just that of his injured foot. Includes you giving the poor guy a much needed hug, and a slip-up that lets him in on how much you really care about him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You don’t think you’ve ever really seen Jimmy upset…not really. He never minded being the butt of any joke, laughing along at any jab or insult. He didn’t mind if people made fun of him as long as it made someone laugh at the end. He was selfless like that. You were always a little bit jealous of his resilience, and maybe that’s why you always thought of him as almost…invincible.

So, when one day you came to check up on how the Sheriff’s new building was going, you were surprised to see that barely any progress had been done. It actually…seemed like he’d torn parts of it down. You approached slowly, taking in the half done walls and foundation, a door frame without a door, and started to look for him. 

Before you can even call out to him, though, you see the back of a familiar blonde cowboy. A cowboy who was seemingly talking to himself. “No- come on Jim! You know you can do better at this- you just gotta… just gotta…” He stops, clenching his fists and yelling out in frustration. “It’s not that hard!” He emphasizes the last word by kicking a rickety fence post, but it must have been sturdier than he expected because he instantly flinched back, grabbing his foot and crying out in pain.

The whole sight was almost cartoonish, with him wearing his cowboy hat and boots, so you couldn’t help but snicker even as you reached out your hand in concern. “Oh my god Jimmy, are you ok?” You can’t stop the smile that spreads on your face, but it wavers slightly as you approach him and notice…are those tears in his eyes? He quickly wipes his face, replacing his frustrated look with an excited smile. 

“Oh hi! I didn’t even see you there! Me and this fence post are having beef, actually- See, it won’t do what I tell it to, and make my stuff look good so I was reminding ‘em who's in charge round here!” He laughs a little as he says it, his smile so bright you're inclined to believe him…it wasn’t quite reaching his eyes though, and you still wonder if the kick hurt him more than he was letting on.

“Yea, you really showed him!” You try to mirror his energy, shaking off some of your worries as he replies in his usual chipper tone.

“Yea I did!” He laughs but then slightly turns away from you. “Listen uh…you know I always love having you around. You’re welcome anytime! But uh…I really have a- a thing I gotta do and…” Your smile drops as you see him wince a little as he puts his weight on the foot he ‘beat up’ the fence post with.

“Hey Jimmy, is your foot ok?” You walk up to him, concerned. “Maybe you should sit down-“

“Nah I’m fine…probably anyway.” He laughs like it’s a joke, but when you look at him you're not smiling.

“You're limping. You might not have broken anything but- here, sit down.” You gently put your hand on his shoulder.

“It’s really nothing, I’m just being an idiot...” He moves away from your touch, shaking it off and puffing up his chest a little. He tries to shoot you a smile again, but it did little to aid your concerns.

“Just, let me take a look at it? Maybe I can help-“ You start, a little frustrated at his stubbornness.

“But I don’t need help! I can take care of it myself! I just- I just stubbed my toe. I’ll be fine!” You sigh, giving him a weird look, but deciding not to push it.

“…why were you beefing with the fence post anyway…did it kill your grandma?” You joke, hoping to fix the awkward air that had somehow come between the two of you. It’s weird, you’d never felt awkward talking with him before.

Instead of responding, Jimmy just turned towards his half finished building. And stood there. After a while he finally spoke. “Listen I’m, kinda busy right now. Maybe you can come back another time?” …Alright that’s it-

“Ok Jimmy, what is up with you? I came here to see your build, which looks less finished than when I saw it days ago may I add, and instead I see you kicking a fence post, getting defensive when I try to help, and now you don’t even laugh at my Trolls joke? …ok maybe it's an old meme but still-“ You chuckle, still kind of hoping he’d just turn around and start acting normal again. You’ve never seen him act like this before.

All he did was stand there…and as the silence grew longer you couldn’t help but start to get worried. “Gosh…I really am useless.” He finally says.

You almost roll your eyes, “Your not useless Jim-“ 

“Yes- yes I am!” He says it so firmly you freeze. You’ve never heard him raise his voice like that before. 

“I can’t build, I can’t fight, I can’t even be the guy who smiles all the time! I’m- I’m basically worthl-“ He stops himself. “…and I don’t know why I’m telling you this- I’m sorry.“ You're so surprised by his words you don’t even know what to say. “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just-“ He takes his hat off of his head and grips it in his hands. “It’s so stupid- I’m so stupid. It shouldn’t be this hard for me to just-“ His grip on the hat tightens.

“…Jimmy, you are not worthless. You don’t have to smile all the time to be the brightest ray of sunshine I know. You could probably make me see the silver lining of getting stabbed for god's sake-“ You almost laugh at your own words, hoping it would get through to him. “You are worthy of love and friends and respect. And I’m sorry I don’t tell you that enough.” You walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He slowly spins around, but doesn’t meet your eyes.

“I’m just being a baby-”

“No, no you're not. It’s ok to- to feel bad sometimes.” You interrupt gently before he can insult himself again.

“Why- why do you even care?” His voice wavers, and now you can see the tears streaming out of his eyes. 

“Because I love you…you idiot.” Jimmy freezes, and even you are a little surprised at your own words, but it’s true. “People care about you- I care about you! I don't care that you can’t build giant castles or fight dragons, or that you get mad or sad sometimes-“ Your rambling a bit, trying to recover from the bombshell you just dropped. Jimmy was just staring at you, eyes wide. 

“…you…love me? Like…love, love me?!” He says slowly, not really paying attention to anything else you said after.

“I- this is probably not the best time to just- but, yea. I really do.” You can’t help but look down as you admit it, and when you look back up at him he’s crying all over again. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“

He steps forward and wraps you in a hug, sobbing into your shoulder. You hug him back, rubbing his back and giving him some words of encouragement. Slowly his sobs get quieter, and eventually he pulls away from the hug.

“Um…” He sniffs. “I know I probably look like a mess right now-“

“Just a little.” You tease gently, wiping a stray tear off of his face.

“Right- but um…I love you too. Just so you know.” He avoids your eyes as he says it, then looks directly into them, gauging your reaction, as if to ensure this wasn’t all a joke.

“Like…?” You start.

“Yea…like that.” He gently bumps his forehead against yours, his regular confident smile returning to his face. “I cannot believe you fell for my Sheriff rizz.” You laugh, shaking your head.

“Don’t- don’t say rizz-” You try to suppress a giggle, pretending to be upset. “Great, now you ruined the moment.”

His bravado instantly drops, “Wait. No wait I didn’t mean to-” You shut him up by yanking his neckerchief and planting a kiss on his cheek. “To…to…” His face slowly reddens as his brain catches up to his speeding heart.

“Fixed it.” You say simply, chuckling softly as your Sheriff still reboots. “I think I’m the one with the rizz~” You laugh.

“Yea, no I see how that ruins the moment.” You laugh even harder at his reaction, and he can’t help but join in. After a few moments, you end up gazing into his bright hazel eyes.

“You know you can always talk to me when you're feeling upset.” You say seriously, taking one of his hands with both of your own. “Don’t just…no one should be alone when they're feeling like that.”

“...I know…You're right, as always.” He smiles appreciatively, grabbing one of your hands with his free one. You both stand there, swaying your interlocked hands gently back and forth, just enjoying the other's company.

“You know, when you're feeling up to it, why don’t I help you finish this…” You look over the half finished building, realizing you had no idea what it was actually supposed to be.

“Barn. It’s – ” he sighs, as if even bringing it up makes him feel tired all over again, “ – ‘supposed to be a barn.” 

“Barn! Right, and we could even ask Joel to help.” His eyes widen.

“No! You can’t tell him- Oh my god I’d never hear the end of it!” You laugh at the urgency in his voice.

“Ok! Ok. It’ll just be me. I’ll help you…” You let go of his hands and instead interlock your fingers behind his neck. “It’ll be our little secret.” He gazes into your eyes with a look only comparable to a lovesick puppy.

“Gosh I really wanna kiss you right now-” He lets out with a whisper, and then it’s your turn to get a little flustered.

“Well…then kiss me cowboy.” You lean in and he meets you halfway, and the kiss is just as sweet as the blonde Sheriff you share it with.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[featheredenby]

Concert

"Ah yes global pop sensation Ariana Griande the oldest in Grian’s long list of alter egos, a singer who is secretly a drag queen, Grian had even worn one of her outfits to the masquerade."

Written by: FeatheredEnby

Word Count: 1,231

Part Ten of: Show Your Fangs

A Superhero AU of Empires SMP/Hermitcraft/The Life Series/Artimator SMP/Adding Some Of My Mutuals

Grian sits on the roof of Cleo’s cafe in his new and improved Cuteguy look and thinks about his life, it’s been two weeks since the whole kidnapping thing and since he admitted to Hotguy that Cuteguy and Poultry Man are one and the same. Of course Grian could have told him “Oh yeah and I’m also Grian,” instead of still keeping that a secret but what Grian’s doing is illegal and he doesn’t fancy the idea of going to prison. He already has enough to deal with without more issues with the government. Nothing appears to be happening so he checks his phone but only sees some texts from a few days ago. 

9:56 AM - June 10th

Mumbo: Grian, Ariana Griande is doing her first concert ever and it’s gonna be at the arena in Empires City.

Grian: Cool.

Mumbo: Yeah! I got the three of us tickets for the 14th.

Scar: Awesome I can’t wait!

Grian: Sorry I’m busy that day. You can give away my ticket to someone else.

Scar: You wanna give the ticket to Jimmy, Mumbo?

Mumbo: Sure.

Grian: I hope you guys have a good time!

Ah yes global pop sensation Ariana Griande the oldest in Grian’s long list of alter egos, a singer who is secretly a drag queen, Grian had even worn one of her outfits to the masquerade. It’ll be fun for him to wear his stilettos again, Grian tucks his phone back into his pocket as he feels a pair of eyes land on him. Grian turns around and sees, of course, Hotguy. Grian would quite like to treat him like a friend but Cuteguy isn’t really Hotguy’s friend, Grian isn’t either, they’re rivals, “Hey there pretty boy,” Grian greets him, “It’s been a bit.”

“Yeah it has,” Hotguy agrees, “I like the new outfit.”

“Huh, oh yeah. Well I did rip up my old one.” Grian says.

“It’s nice, the pastel blue suits you.”

“Hm… Thanks.”

“Yeah you look really g-” A burst of fire can be seen in the distance as a bang cuts Hotguy off.

“What was-”

“Probably creepers,” Hotguy says while frantically tapping at the communicator on his wrist, “Okay now that I think about it, probably not creepers.”

Grian opens his extra eyes and scouts out the explosion where he sees a white cat mutant holding a spear and a large diamond. “I have no idea who it is but someone just stole a giant diamond. Let's run!” Grian takes a running start and takes off from the roof before flying toward the scene. When he arrives Grian finds a person with a flower mask, fighting the cat mutant, with a chainsaw. As he watches a raven hybrid lands on a roof nearby and shoots an arrow at the cat mutant who dodges only to get trapped in vines that the other person. Hotguy comes up behind Grian observing the scene, “Should we deal with this?”

“Nah, I think that these people have got it.” Grian tells him.

“Okay but should we at least keep an eye on it?” Hotguy asks.

Grian looks down and sees that the raven hybrid is lifting up the diamond while the human is tying up the cat mutant. He turns to Hotguy, “I have to go do something.”

“Okay bye.”

Grian flies down into a nearby alleyway where he changes into his normal outfit and grabs a notepad and pen from his bag. He runs up to the scene where the three people are still standing there. As Grian goes up the person in the flower mask spots him and walks over, “Hello,” they greet him, “are you okay?”

“Yep I’m fine. Actually I’m a reporter for the Hermit Times, I was wondering if I could interview you?” He asks.

“Sure, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Bard and I use she/her pronouns.” She says.

“Okay,” Grian replies while jotting down notes, “and who are the other people here?”

The other people hear him and the raven hybrid drags over the cat mutant, “I’m Poisoner, I don’t care about pronouns.”

“Mhm… who's the villain?”

“I’m Dandylion! I use he/him.”

“Okay, what exactly happened here?” Grian asks.

“Well-” The villain starts to talk only for a vine to gag his mouth.

“He blew a hole in the museum and stole a diamond. We got it back, pretty simple.” Bard explains.

“Okay, thanks for the interview.” Grian says before starting the journey back to his apartment. On his way back Grian sees Hotguy also running along a similar route so he picks up the pace to be able to find a place where he can change and open his wings. Then of course Hotguy sees him, “Hello there Grian.”

“Hotguy.” Grian says naturally.

“My favorite reporter, need a walk back to your house?” He asks.

“I think I’d get there faster if you left.” Grian replies.

“Aw, come on it’s gonna rain soon.”

“No.”

“Okay, bye!”

Hotguy walks off in the other direction and as soon as he’s out of view Grian ducks into an alley and changes into a black hoodie and opens his wings. As Grian flies back to his apartment he watches the people below him as they walk around Hermitopia and sees nothing of note. As Grian moves to land on his fire escape he sees some of the people who live in the apartments around him out on their fire escapes or balconies. Not wanting them to learn that he’s an avian Grian lands on the roof and takes in his wings before climbing down the latter and onto his fire escape. After he climbs down Grian stands on the platform outside watching his neighbors on their balconies and waves to a few of them as he sees them. 

Grian walks into the living room and sets down his keys on the table before going into his room. Once in the bedroom Grian takes off his sweater and opens his closet door. He digs around the closet for a bit until he unearths a chest which he opens and grabs a dry cleaning bag from. Grian opens the bag in which there is a bright pink dress with a short skirt and a heart shaped cutout on the chest. The back of the dress also has a large cutout wear his wings can come out of. The waist of the dress has a white leather belt with a silver buckle and a few heart and star charms. Grian moves back over to the chest and grabs a bag full of makeup and accessories which he opens and grabs a long blonde wig out of. Along with it he grabs out a shiny pearl white hair tie and some matching pearl jewelry. Quickly Grian changes out of his normal outfit and into his Griande look and puts on his jewelry. Afterward he grabs a bag and puts the rest of the stuff that he needs in it along with putting on his wig and tying it up. He then moves to the bathroom where he uses a can of hairspray to color his wings a dusty pink.

Grian goes back into his room and changes his shoes, briefly stopping to stretch his talons, into pink stilettos. He then opens his window and jumps out into the night air and starts to fly towards empire city.

[watarfallar]

Have Some Celebratory Incorrect Quotes- HERE'S TO WILD LIFE!

Joel: Oh, to be a bored heir to the throne who keeps rejecting marriage proposals due to being secretly in love with the cute gardener. Etho: Oh, to be a cute gardener who secretly places roses in the heir’s room because they are in love with them. Lizzie: Oh, to be the palace guard who discreetly helps to boost the cute gardener up the wall for their secret deliveries in the middle of the night. Scott: Oh, to be the heir’s best friend witnessing the two fools dance around each other while knowing damn well that the two like each other. Gem: Oh, to be the noble suitor from another royal family who comes to know of their love instantly and plans an entire plan to get them their happy ending. Impulse: Oh, to be a medieval peasant who knows nothing about the heir’s personal life and who dies of dysentery at age 23.

Pearl: My mom is calling… hi mom. Jimmy: Come on guys, stop. They’re trying to talk to their mom. Scar: *loud fake sexual noises* Mumbo: EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP! Grian: *is asleep* Ren: *gets really close to the phone* Tell her I said hi.

Impulse: So, Skizz is late today. Anyone wanna bet why? Impulse: I say they slipped through the subway grate and is having terrible sex with the mole man. Grian: I don't know about that...I think either their alarm clock didn't go off, or they're in line at the bank. Scott: Take this more seriously! Skizz was clearly taken in their sleep! Lizzie: I bet they tucked themselves into the bed too tightly and got stuck. Cleo: Maybe they fell into another dimension where they're more interesting...? *Skizz arrives* Skizz: Sorry I'm late - there was a problem at the bank. Grian, clapping their hands in excitement: HOT DAMN!

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker* Grian: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know. Everyone: Impulse: ...I did. I broke it. Grian: No. No you didn't. Cleo? Cleo: Don't look at me. Look at Etho. Etho: What?! I didn't break it. Cleo: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken? Etho: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken. Cleo: Suspicious. Etho: No, it's not! Bdubs: If it matters, probably not, but BigB was the last one to use it. BigB: Liar! I don't even drink that crap! Bdubs: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier? BigB: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, Bdubs! Impulse: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Grian. Grian: No! Who broke it!? Everyone: Bdubs: Grian... Cleo's been awfully quiet. Cleo: rEALLY?! *Everyone starts arguing* Grian, being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it. Grian: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick. Grian: Grian: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

Joel: Christmas lights? Pearl: Check. Scott: Thermos of hot cocoa? Pearl: Check. Cleo: Santa suits? Pearl: Check. Grian: Shovel? Pearl: Check. Martyn: Alibi and bail money? Pearl: Check- wait, WHAT?!

Martyn: Alright, who’s hogging the Netflix account? I’ve been locked out all week! Scott: Sucks to suck! I’m already on the 8th season of Friends! Bdubs: Not me. Martyn: Don’t lie. I know it’s not Scar or Skizz. Bdubs: It’s not me, really! Martyn: … Bdubs: …But it might be Joel… Martyn: You gave Joel access to our Netflix account!?!? Bdubs: They wanted to watch Orange is the New Black! Martyn: I’m going to kill you.

Cleo: I’m the smartest person in my friend group. Skizz: You hang out with BigB, Jimmy, Etho, and Impulse. Skizz: It’s not as high a compliment as you think.

Gem: Dumbest scar stories, go! Martyn: I burned my tongue once drinking tea. Etho: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and it burned. Tango: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade. BigB: I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it in my hand and I got a really bad burn. Bdubs: I have emotional scars.

Scar: *fills up bottle and drinks from that* Bdubs: *brought 4 bottles of water so this wouldn’t happen* Martyn: *drinks straight from the tap* Skizz: *dehydrates* Ren: *drinks from the puddle of water on the floor* Pearl: *licks the tap, doesn’t even need a drink*

!SUGGESTIVENESS AHEAD!

Grian: Make her pussy wet not her eyes. Scott: Make his dick hard not his life. Bdubs: Break her bed not her heart. Scar: Play with her boobs not her feelings. Mumbo: Get on his dick not his nerves. Etho: Always salt your pasta while boiling it.

!SUGGESTIVENESS OVER!

*after the Squad has been separated for a few years* Mumbo: So what have you been up to recently? BigB: Leading a revolution with Etho. Mumbo: Good for you two! Me, I've joined the mob. BigB: *nods* Oh, how cool! That's awesome! Mumbo: I know! Anyway, have you heard from the others? Bdubs? BigB: Happily living as a hermit in the woods. Joel? Mumbo: Wrongfully locked up in an asylum, which reminds me, we need to break them out later. Lizzie? BigB: Cult leader. Mumbo: Yeah, that sounds about right.

Joel, to the Squad: I’d die for you. Jimmy: Then perish. Scar: You will. Skizz: Please don’t. Impulse: Cool. Scott: I’d die for you first.

Jimmy: You're a lying piece of shit! Scott: Oh yeah? You're the idiot that thinks you can get away with everything you do, WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD! Impulse: I'm leaving and I'm taking Ren with me! Scar, gathering cards: Aaaaand that's enough Monopoly for today.

Mumbo: If you put a milkshake in one yard and crack open a cold one in another yard, which yard would the boys go to? Pearl: Schrödinger's boys. Grian: FUCK! Lizzie: What about cracking open a cold milkshake? Etho: As we all know, the milkshake brings the boys to the yard. The presence of the boys is a prerequisite for the cracking open of a cold one, but cold ones do not have any inherent boy-attracting abilities. Milkshakes, however, do. Etho: All else being equal, the boys would proceed to the milkshake yard. While it is possible to announce the presence of cold ones in the hope of attracting some boys, the pull of the milkshake is much more powerful by comparison. Mumbo: ... Pearl: ... Grian: ... Lizzie: ... Etho: Mind you, all of this nonsense hinges on whether or not the boys are back in town.

Gem: What do you guys do when you're stressed? Cleo: Try and calm myself down! Tango: Sleep. Martyn: Get myself into even more stress, so that the first reason for my stress gets cancelled out. Scar: I don't.

+ bonus hermitcraft quote! (Dasuma and his brainless children)

Xisuma: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast? Pearl: Several traffic violations. Scar: Three counts of resisting arrest. Jimmy: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks. Grian: Also, that’s not our car.

[plaidpajamallama]

(You scared me ) RHEA RIPLEY X JEY USO

Chapter 14

________________________________________________

Jey was woken up out of his sleep by a loud bang on his door.

He got up slowly, going to open the door.

He opened it and saw Naomi standing there.

Hey, you want to go to breakfast.

Yeah, hang on; he shut the door.

He changed his clothes and stuff.

He walked downstairs to the lobby and found Naomi sitting at a table.

It was still pretty early, so it was pretty much empty.

He grabbed some food before joining her at the table. Hey, how have you been?

Good kicking ass over on SmackDown like we do

I know it, that’s right! I’m looking at the soon-to-be women’s champion.

So what’s going on with you? I mean, beside the obvious

He sucked his teeth. I've been good wishes your stupid husband would chill the hell out, though.

She laughed. You're going to have to wish really hard then.

Hmm, hey, I got something to tell you.

What’s up?

He let out a deep breath. Ok….

She grabbed his hand. Did he do something again? She said it with worry on her face.

No, nothing like that just... he ran a hand over his face. Rhea and I are together.

Oh my god, really!

He smiled, yeah.

how long?

A couple of weeks now, that was her calling last time we’re hanging out.

She hit him on his arm. You waited to tell me till now!

Ow! We’re keeping it on the low

Have you told Jimmy?

No, not yet.

Why not tell him, Jey?

I just don’t want her to get wrapped up in our shit because of me. Jim keeps you out of it for the same reason. Can’t worry if your not there to worry about.

You care about her, she said in a teasing voice.

He rolled his eyes. Here you go.

You have anything planned today.

Nah, I ain’t got shit to do... Oh wait, I got to get Rhea a gift.

Oooo, you're getting her a gift.

Yeah sense I left her again. I own her a gift.

Mmh, can I come help you find one? I don’t have anything to do today either.

Yeah, sure, I probably need your help anyway. I don’t know what to get her.

She shook her head. Alright, I’ll see you later.

Ok, bye; see you in a bit.

She stood up, walking away. He followed not far after her.

_________________________________________________

They were walking around London, looking around.

So are you looking for anything particular?

No, I'm not really sure what to get her.

Well, what does she like?

Mmh, I mean, she likes all kinds of stuff, but I don’t know what’s a good thing for a gift.

Well, come on, let’s look in here and see if you like anything.

They walked into a jewelry store; it was nice, like really nice.

He wandered around looking in a case full of necklaces; they were fancy, a bit intimidating.

It was too much.

He walked back over to Naomi. Hey.

Hey! Look at this one. She pointed at a very nice necklace. Do you think she would like this one?

Umm, don’t you think it’s a little much?

You don’t like it.

I mean, it’s a lot; it’s new. I mean, I have even said, He stopped himself as she looked at him with a curious expression.

Were not in a hurry; we can find another store. Come on, let’s go.

They walked out, and she turned to him. You alright?

Yeah, I’m good.

What do you think she wants?

I don’t know.

You think she’ll want a bag or a

It needs to be something small, nothing crazy. I don’t want to scare her off.

Ok, then we’re finding her something small.

Here come on, he leads her into another jewelry store; it was much smaller, not as fancy as the first one, and it was less intimidating.

He walked around looking in different cases before finding one that caught his eye.

It was a sterling silver infinity bracelet with small diamonds in it.

He waved over Naomi.

What’s up? You find something you like.

Do you like this one? He pointed at the bracelet he found.

Ooo, that’s nice. Do you think she’ll like it?

I know right. I’ll think she’ll really like it.

He got the attention of a jeweler behind the counter.

Yes, sir, what can I help you with?

Can we see this bracelet, please?

Oh, of course he opened the case, pulling out the bracelet and setting it on the counter.

Can I? Oh, here you go, ma’am. He put the bracelet around her wrist.

Jey grabbed her hand, taking a closer look at the bracelet; it was beautiful.

He turned back to the jeweler. How much?

It’s one hundred dollars, sir.

Alright, I’ll take it.

Ok, would you like me to box it up for you, or would she like to wear it out?

Oh no, box it up, please. She put her wrist back over the counter.

He took the bracelet, boxes it up in a black box with a black ribbon, and puts it in a white bag.

After that, they found places to get some food.

All this walking made them hungry.

As they were looking for what to eat, he looked up at her.

Thanks for the help. wouldn’t have done it without you.

You’re welcome I think she is going to love it.

I think she will

After a moment, she sat her menu down.

Jey I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I think you should tell Jimmy.

He sucked his teeth, dropping his menu on the table.

You just bought her a bracelet that’s serious.

It meant you really like her; he’s happy teaming with you again being the USOs again.

He still thinks you don’t fully trust him, though.

I trust him. I always have. Even when we’re fighting, I did

Well, he doesn’t believe you do.

I’ll tell him soon, okay? I’m just, you know.

What are you scared?

No, no, just worried.

About what?

I told you why! You know how Roman is; he’ll do anything to get what he wants.

Yeah, but he hasn’t touched me; why would he touch her?

He’s never lost everything before; he’s desperate right now. Who knows what he’ll do?

I already have to worry about her with fucking Judgement Day. I don’t need to worry about her in our damn business either.

She was quiet for a moment before grabbing his hand.

Jey, I know you when it comes to people you love and do anything to keep them safe. If you felt that you were putting her in danger in anyway, then you wouldn’t be in this deep

He was looking down at his menu; he didn’t hear anything she said after Love the word echoed in his head. Love" was a strong word, a scary word, a word he associated with Rhea.

He knew it was too soon; he knew he shouldn’t love her this soon; it’s only been a month or so.

But it was just something about her that had him in a chokehold; he would do anything for her.

He heard his name pulling him out of his thoughts.

mmh, what’s up?

What do you want to eat?

He looked over at the waiter waiting there patiently.

Oh, sorry, I’ll have a burger, please. He handed the waiter their menus.

________________________________________________

Okay so when is Roman gonna apologize cuz he’s getting on my nerves with the disrespect that man fin to get hit and not by solo and his bloodline 🖤

[thecoolerliauditore]

THE SHEPSCAPADES COMIC! That was to me (and from my perspective to the fandom) the turning point of “ok, im not imagining this”. It doesn’t change any dialogue or anything, it just gives the characters facial expressions and yet it’s almost impossible to interpret the interaction in any way other than the relationship not being good.

The dl era, to me, was a lot of trying to ignore the implication of ranchers fanon lore being that, for once, someone is being nice to Jimmy. People could see the difference in their interactions, which made the abusive behaviour all the more difficult to ignore, and yet acknowledging this directly would be labelled shipping discourse and no one wants to be THAT fan, right? But the tension growing was palpable.

I also would like to add that once I decided to scroll through anti-toxic fh blogs to try and understand why they think like that and… a lot of it was just “well it makes me feel gross”? And I get it. Cannibalism and mass murder are, to most of us, a very distant concept, so it’s more comfortable to engage with than the horrors of the mundane, especially when applied to a queer character. But that doesn’t mean it’s any better than talking about domestic abuse.

The last paragraph is phrased weird but i don’t know how to write it better so i hope it’s understandable.

That comic was patient zero in "oh my god other people see it too" for so many of us, I think. And yeah like you said it sticks very close to what happened taking into account tone of voice and everything. Adaptations of that sequence are like an almost surefire test to figure out what someone's interpretation of FH's relationship is and I think that's wonderful.

Big agree on the ranchers lore and I would argue Pearl's POV also has a similar effect where it forces you to acknowledge Scott not being the best ever. Funnily enough I watched the ranchers pov before the FH pov and didn't really see any of the post-FH horrors until I watched FH. I just kind of assumed when people said Tango was the first person who treated Jimmy as an equal they were putting "and Scott too but that was a season ago" in footnotes. But no they meant full-time and they'd be right lmao

My favourite example of Jimmy expecting the worst is this interaction he has with Bdubs where he essentially gets a bucket for free when the ranchers were struggling for iron and tells him to not tell Tango because he's scared he'll get yelled at. Like there is literally nothing Jimmy has done here that would be remotely considered reasonable to yell at him for but he's so afraid of having agency and making his own decisions at this point he just defaults to assuming his partner will be upset at him. (FYI I think this is more a result of how everyone treats him - Southlanders certainly did not help - but getting mad at Jimmy for doing literally anything except sit still was something Scott was especially privy to)

Don't worry I think your point was clear enough on that last paragraph, I kind of roll my eyes when people try to use distance as an excuse to justify why some dark topics are okay but others aren't, but I can't talk too much about this because I find it annoying and will probably end up saying something that feels mean lol.

Redirecting this once again to Bree's post about how hostile the language people use when talking about this discourse is to abuse victims e.g. "why can't you be NORMAL and write about NORMAL relationships and let them be NORMAL" which I think partially comes as a direct result of refusing to engage in abuse storylines and thus not being sympathetic to these portrayals or the people who write them.

And aside from that it's not even like. abuse and toxic relationships themselves are the issue sometimes. Obviously generalizing here a bit but I see a lot of the same people who find toxic fh "gross" gas up interpretations where Jimmy cheats on Scott or otherwise treats Scott horribly. Not to mention Pearl and her storyline getting turned into "girl who is mad gay man won't date her".

It just uh. sometimes feels as though the "grossness" is coming from a need to defend Scott's honour than a need to disengage with these themes entirely, which rubs me the wrong way.

(not to mention that I do think calling abuse storylines "gross" in of itself might have some unfun implications attached but I've said enough)

[masterwords]

only fools rush in

Summary: After a custodial interview with Vincent Perotta drags up some of Hotch's well hidden childhood trauma, he takes Morgan on a little road trip into his past. (They also have quite a bit of sex.)

Pairing: Hotch/Morgan

Words: 13.3k

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse & child death among others...they are all on ao3 but that's the biggie.

Notes: First off, this is long. Like super long. Like probably should have broken it up into chapters but I have too many of those in progress right now and I just wanted to stamp something as finished. Second off, this is probably the best story I've written in recent months. I've been posting updates to multi-chaps but my writing has been dogshit lately and I feel like this one...isn't. It turned out nice. I'm proud of it. Third! It's basically a really long headcanon dump. And beyond that, it almost fits into the Chicago universe but not quite so if you notice some similarities...that's why. Ultimately I wanted to keep the sister thing separate though.

**

“He looks too happy,” Derek said quietly to Hotch as they stood outside the one way glass. In the small room, with its banged up gray walls and dirty tiled floor, sat Vincent Perotta. A few years older than they’d last seen him but all things considered, he looked no worse for the wear. His hair was kept as short as ever, his features stony but content, his eyes void of compassion. “I don’t like it.”

“I’ll make it quick,” replied Hotch, though the twisting aching mess in his gut told him it wouldn’t be that easy. Derek was right, he looked almost happy sitting there. Like he was ready to receive a visitor, not an interrogation, not questions pertaining to a murder.

“You think he knows anything?”

“I do. I think he was way too good at what he did to be kept in the dark.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. You think he’s glad Russo’s dead?”

“Absolutely. He may have ordered the hit himself.”

Derek turned to Hotch, eyes wide. “You really think that?”

“He blames Russo for putting him here. Always has. Russo had to have betrayed him. He already had Jimmy before we found him, so in his mind, all of these years, it can only have led him to the conclusion that Russo was working with us. Our visits to Russo sealed the deal.”

“He’s got connections on the outside.”

“I’ll bet they’re limited, he’s a relic, but they’re reliable. And whomever it was that hit Russo is likely to be someone Perotta trusts.”

“That smile…” Derek muttered, unable to escape the shiver it sent up his spine. Hotch squared his shoulders.

“He’s going to take a swing at me personally,” Hotch said, knowing what he was about to walk in to. After his last conversation with Perotta, there was nothing else to make of that smile. Perotta had done some digging and planned to share his findings. “I’d prefer if it were only you standing here.”

“Why’s that?”

Hotch bit the inside of his cheek nervously for a moment, trying to weigh his options. They weren’t good no matter which side of the scale he was on. He was walking into a well-laid trap. A small voice told him to bail, that he really didn’t care who killed Russo or why. Russo was a bad guy who did awful things and he got what he deserved...that was the easy part. But murder is murder, and that part of Hotch that believed in his oath couldn’t abide by his murder going unsolved. Not if he could manage it.

“He and I have unfinished business,” was what Hotch settled on. “In his mind.”

“How so?”

“I left him hanging on a point that he wanted to discuss. He’ll have gathered plenty of talking points, judging by the look on his face.”

“Hotch…”

“He’s going to say things I’d rather not have an audience for.”

“You want me to turn off the cameras?”

“No.” He thought about Derek in the interrogation room, Derek being faced with the realization that his colleagues were about to uncover a secret he’d done everything in his power to bury for good. Hotch had been careful then not to say anything, once he figured it out, once he saw that frightened angry look in Derek’s eye. He couldn’t turn off the camera then and he wouldn’t ask Derek to do it now. Derek’s secret had remained between the two of them and Gideon, nothing in the paperwork, nothing in any files, nothing in the trial. Buford was tried for murder, Derek didn’t have to give details and Hotch planned to keep it that way. He had a feeling Derek had since shared it with some members of the team, after going through therapy, after working through it, but that was for him to decide when and where and if he did it at all.

Hotch looked into that room and knew Perotta would give him none of the same courtesies. If he could only have one thing, if he could just not walk out of that room to an audience, he could manage. He’d be okay. That would be enough.

“You ready?” Derek asked and Hotch nodded, setting his jaw. “Good. Let’s get this over with and go home.”

Hotch grabbed the door handle, setting his palm against the cool metal and pressing down just hard enough to push it inward. He squared his shoulders and walked in with as much confidence as he could muster, given the roiling storm in his stomach.

Read the rest on AO3!

[umbrify]

Wip Wednesday! Today, I’ve got our fWhimmy space au (as always, AU created with my good friend @made-nondescript )

“This is Commander Jimmy, transmission regarding the emergency distress signal received from planet ANC-19.”

“This planet is lost, and so are we. Do not send a rescue mission. This planet is sick, it cannot be saved. I repeat, do not send anyone else here. They will die. There are no survivors. There is nothing of value left here.”

Jimmy lets out a shaky sigh, turning off the transmission radio. It’s done. They’re both doomed. He leans back in the chair, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

What now?

His co-pilot is outside still, for some reason. They both saw that message, in the lab. You are doomed, this planet is sick, you’re already infected, it’s too late.

He saw it. They both saw it.

Jimmy’s not sure why that guy is still out there, breathing in the death spores— or whatever it must be, Jimmy’s not really sure. Regardless, he doesn’t see why anyone would want to spend more time outside, what with the way those sickly blue plants create an ever present blue pulsating light, blocking out the entire sky. It’s just… uncanny.

He blinks rapidly, breath hitching. Is this really it?

Surely not… right? This can’t be it. Isn’t there anything they can do?

Glancing around the ship, there really isn’t much— a few notebooks, various pencils and pens, some basic cleaning supplies, as well as their supply of food. There’s the transmission system built into the main console of the ship, and a few different types of monitoring equipment that his co-pilot schlepped outside a few hours ago, but other than that… there’s not much he can do, in here.

Besides, whatever that guy took outside, it’s probably covered in… space-gunk, or whatever, and Jimmy’s not sure he’d want it to be brought back inside anyway.

He leans forward, burying his head in his hands.

The door clicks open and shut again. Heavy boots step into the main cabin, before being tossed aside, as his co-pilot returns. He glances up, taking in the grimace etched into his ginger companion’s face.

“And how did it go?” Jimmy asks, as if it matters.

“I’m… not sure yet,” the man replies, hesitant. “They just seem like weird plants, I can’t tell…” he trails off, unsure, settling himself down at the table. “Need to do more research.”

Jimmy hums. “I mean… we saw the thingy,” he says, “maybe we shouldn’t be going out there.”

The silence that follows feels like a telling reply. “You can’t be serious,” Jimmy says.

“Well! Am I supposed to just sit around and twiddle my thumbs?” His co-pilot snaps. And… Jimmy can’t quite come up with a good answer to that.

Yes? He wants to say yes— stay inside, see if maybe— if maybe they don’t get sick. If maybe they’ll just… be okay, if they can just go home and move on and act like this didn’t happen. Maybe they won’t get sick. Maybe there’s still a chance. Maybe…

“Maybe we just… wait it out?” Jimmy offers.

“I don’t know about you,” the man says, “but I feel like I’ll go a bit insane if I stay in here all day.”

It would be safer if we did, though…

With nothing else to say, Jimmy leans back in his chair, eyes wandering back to the metal ceiling of their cabin, squinting as his eyes readjust to the bright overhead lights. He hears his co-pilot begin writing something, the rhythmic scratching of pencil on paper slowly blending into the ever present white noise of machinery.

The constant blue light outside makes it a bit… hard to tell when it’s supposed to be night? It feels like it’s been a long time, but he’s pretty sure it’s only been maybe half a day, at most.

Does this planet even have time? He stands, peering out the front window. It doesn’t look any different outside, from when they got here. At least, he doesn’t think it’s different?

“Do you know what time it is?” He asks idly, half expecting to be ignored.

“Uhh, y’know, I’m not sure,” His companion muses, “it’s hard to tell. It didn’t seem like there was any noticeable… sun.”

Jimmy nods. “I reckon I’m gonna keep track, then. Count the days.”

His companion hums a noncommittal note, which Jimmy chooses to see as approval. He steps over to the table, sitting across from the man as he takes one of the many composition notebooks piled on the table— a yellow one, with a shimmery cover— and begins writing.

Day zero:

We’re trapped on this planet. There’s no way to tell what time it is, so I’m writing this to keep track of the days. And for something to do. Like a journal of sorts, maybe.

My name is Jimmy Solidarity, I’m here with my co-pilot—

Uh. Hm. He doesn’t actually… remember this guy’s name. Jimmy glances up at the man across from him.

“Hey, uh, I guess— since we’re stuck with each other and all that—“ he starts, stilted, “my name is Jimmy— or Jim, whichever you prefer. In case you forgot.”

His companion glances up at him. “Oh, yeah. I’m fWhip,” he says, “I guess we’ll be getting to know each other.”

“I guess so,” Jimmy agrees.

—fWhip, who seems a bit flippant about this whole thing. I’m worried he’s not taking this seriously.

This whole place is covered in these huge blueish… plants? Like weird vines maybe? Big vine thingies, and they’re covered in dark spots, and they seem to almost glow a little bit. They’re everywhere, like they’ve replaced all the other trees and bushes and the like that were here before, probably. I don’t think it was always like this. We found a lab, of sorts, that told us that this planet is… sick. And that we’re sick too, now that we’re here.

I hope we don’t get sick. I think we should just stay inside for a bit. I don’t think fWhip agrees though.

I’m gonna go to bed soon, I reckon. Time doesn’t seem to really pass here, in any meaningful way? But it feels like it’s been a really long day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Hopefully we’ll be okay.

[n-evermores]

“Besides, you’re still in love with your old girlfriend.”

Let’s talk about this trope. I see this often with older male characters, and my only question is why? It’s so tiring and honestly, a little silly. And this is not me trying to diminish real feelings that teenagers can have. Many people marry their high school sweethearts and live long happy lives together. But you also grow together and build a life with one another. It’s very different.

If my math is correct, Joy and Parker dated when they were 15/16 years old. They went their separate ways their junior year of high school so they were probably 16 when they broke up. Our brains don’t fully develop until we’re about 26. Parker and Joy, even at 21, would be very different people from who they were at 16, and even more so at 26. They’re like 60 now. It’s safe to say they are strangers at this point.

This trope is so unhealthy to me, and usually painted as romantic by writers. Him not able to have a healthy long lasting relationships with women because he’s still obsessed with his high school girlfriend is not romantic. One could argue it's toxic. Honestly he needs therapy because this has to be some form of trauma. Yet, the writers love using women for male pain, and this isn’t any different. You’ll never see them write a female character incapable of having an adult relationship because they can’t get over their old flame, because they don’t use men as plot devices like they do with women.

It’s like when ALL of Gibbs’ relationships and marriages failed because he couldn’t move past Shannon. I totally understand this for him because they built a life together and had a child, (but it’s still unhealthy) As we get older the way we love changes. We mature and so does the way we love and how we love matures with us. There’s no reason Viv had to compete with a ghost from his teenage years. It’s downright silly and kind of unrealistic if we’re being honest.

I love Joy as a character and I love the actress. I feel like the writers need an excuse to prevent Parker from being happy just as they did with Gibbs. And I hate that. A part of me wishes they used Joy’s actress as Viv (I wasn’t too fond of the actress they used. Perhaps it was the way she was written or portrayed, but I’m not a fan), and just gave us a slow burn of him getting back with his ex wife of many years. I feel like that’s the direction they were originally going in until they retconned it with the Joy plot line.

And when Constance broke up with Parker, I felt sad for him, and then suddenly she hits us with the “you’re still in love with your old girlfriend” line, and I just eye rolled so hard. Like why? It’s so stupid. It pulled me out of the story and I love Parker, I do, but it kind of ruins his character for me just a little. It’s just weird. Like you were a child when you loved her, you haven’t seen her since you were 16. Move on, my guy. Move on. I just know a man wrote this into his story, that or I want to know who’s 14 year old child went into the writing room and suggested it. Because it’s silly.

Also just to reiterate that they usually don’t do this with women: Joy herself is a good example. When Parker asked if she was over him, we never saw her response. Clearly, that conversation didn't go in his favor because nothing came from it. Most likely, she rejected him. However they did allow Jimmy to fall in love again and be in a healthy happy relationship after his wife died, but Parker can't get over a girl he dated at 16? It's just a badly written plot and a trope that needs to die. It's not romantic, its not cute. I'm not sitting at my tv and going, “awww, he's stuck in his past which is preventing him from having healthy long lasting relationship, so sweet and romantic.” Yuck no.

Also please note this is not me hating on Parker. He is one of my favorite fictional characters ever. I adore him. This is just me complaining about NCIS writers. I love the show to pieces, but when it comes to characters like Parker and Gibbs, they love to throw these toxic tropes at us. One of those tropes being unbridled anger = masculinity (hello old wounds.) Anyway. Rant over ha ha.

TL;DR: Unless you have an unhealthy obsession, real people don't stay in love with the person they dated at 16, especially after 40-something years. That person would be so far from your mind. It's unrealistic and I wish writers would stop using this trope to prevent characters from happiness or having any healthy long-lasting relationships.

[oliverreedmasterass]

Synopsis: A young Greta Van Fleet find hope in a local battle of the bands competition to finally catch their big break.

Words: 16.4k

Notes: Here's a whopper of a chapter lmao...thank you @infinisonicosm for the fic idea!

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Day 2

The next day, the members of Greta Van Fleet walked into the competition like they owned the place. After being showered with praise the day before from friends, family, and strangers alike, they all couldn’t help but think that they were bound to win the whole thing. It felt as if nothing could get in their way. 

Sam was sitting with Danny at one of the picnic benches by the hot dog stand when Jake came rushing to them, his face obviously overcome with panic. 

“Have you seen my baby?” he asked them. 

“You have a kid?” Danny didn’t seem to follow what he meant. 

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed. “My guitar. Have you seen my guitar?” 

“It was with all of our gear,” Sam told Jake. “Is it not there anymore?” 

“No.” Jake’s eyes looked like saucers. “I can’t lose that guitar, it’s all I have.” 

“Wow, thanks,” Sam retorted. He and Danny rose from the table to follow behind Jake, who had taken off back towards the backstage area without another word, running as fast as he could. They saw him with Josh, tearing through their cases and cables, growing more frantic by the second. 

“Someone must have taken it,” Josh decided as he watched his brother. Jake snapped back upright and fumbled to brush his hair out of his face. 

“Whoever did this to me,” Jake started, “I will find them and I will kill them.” 

“Let’s tone it down a bit, okay?” Danny tried to get Jake to follow some breathing exercises. Jake only started to hyperventilate which made Danny stop. 

“But who would take it?” Sam had to ask. “I mean, maybe someone grabbed it by mistake? We can check with the other groups.” 

Josh looked between Danny and Sam. “Why don’t you both do that while I calm him down?” Sam took one look at Jake and noted that he looked like he was on the brink of foaming at the mouth he was so stressed. The guy really did need to sit down and go through a guided meditation. 

Sam grabbed Danny by the arm and they wandered around the grounds, hoping to find any of their competitors to see if they could shed some light on their situation. Danny pointed out the lead singer of The Bellhoppers, who was talking with some older guys in front of their jet black Mustang. 

“Hey!” Sam jumped and waved to catch her attention. She spotted him and excused herself to join their side. 

“What’s up?” she asked them, crossing her arms and looking Danny and Sam down with interest. She seemed to be at least a few years older than them, probably in college, and had tattoos covering her arms. Sam felt like he had never seen someone as cool as her in his eighteen years in Frankenmuth. 

“We’re missing a guitar,” Sam cleared his throat to regain his focus. “Cherry red, like the one Jimmy Page played. Have you seen it anywhere?” 

“I can’t say I have,” she answered after giving it some thought. “I’ll keep an eye out for it though and let you guys know if it turns up.” 

“Thanks,” Danny told her, dragging Sam on to find the other bands. 

Invalid Password was pretty inebriated when they found them, despite it being 1pm, and gave answers that were barely coherent. That was more than enough for Sam and Danny to consider them innocent. Their drummer kept asking their keyboardist where they were; if that was a mystery to them, they probably had bigger fish to fry than Jake’s missing guitar. 

Sam checked his wristwatch and winced when he noted that they only had thirty five minutes before they had to take the stage. He knew for a fact that Jake wasn’t going to go out there if he didn’t have his old reliable, and then it would be all over for them. Sam still wasn’t sure where the guitar could have possibly gone, but he really hoped with all of his might that it was all just a fluke, and it would turn up soon. 

They couldn't find anyone from Fellowship around, so they made their way back to Jake and Josh, who were sitting cross-legged in the field behind the stage. As they came closer, Sam realized that Josh was walking Jake through one of the meditation routines he had picked up from YouTube. It seemed like it was working, because Jake’s eyes were softly shut and his breath was level. Josh was still talking him through the steps in a soothing whisper but, when he saw Sam and Danny approach, he arched an eyebrow at them, checking their progress. Sam and Danny both shook their heads, and Josh visibly looked troubled. 

Sam was about to offer that he do one more loop around the perimeter when Danny smacked him in the arm. 

“Ow!” Sam called out in surprise. Jake opened one eye and looked at them with a frown, but then returned back to his meditation. Danny pointed across the stage to the other side, where a few members of Fellowship were huddled around something. 

“They look like they’re up to no good.” Danny whispered to Sam under his breath. Sam looked at their opponent and squinted. Even though they were a decent ways away, Sam could hear them laughing about something. 

“Should we investigate?” he asked back. Danny had already turned on his heel and was stomping across the stage to them. Sam hustled after Danny, appalled by his assertiveness. Danny was usually more of the methodical one between them; Sam wasn’t used to seeing him act so brashly. 

Danny jumped down in front of the band and put his hands on his hips, taking in the scene in front of him. 

“Are you serious?” was all that Danny could say to the other band. Sam joined Danny’s side and saw what he was scowling at. In the middle of the five band members was Jake’s guitar, laying on the grass with all its strings snapped. 

“We found it like that,” their guitarist told Danny, trying to fight back a grin. 

“Why are you standing around it like you’re doing a sacrifice or something?” Sam asked. None of the band members seemed to want to answer that one. 

“You’re lucky we found this and not our guitarist,” Danny told them. “You’d all be in serious trouble. I mean, you don’t go messing with someone’s guitar. That’s, like, the number one rule in music.” 

“You’re a bunch of shit heads,” Sam summarized what Danny was trying to say. “Just remember that karma’s a bitch.” 

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” the bassist stepped closer to Sam. He was a couple of inches taller, but Sam felt like he could take the guy. 

“That’s for you to find out,” Sam balled up his hands into fists. The bassist watched him and started to get his fists ready too when Danny jumped in, grabbed Sam’s shoulders, and steered him away from the band, only taking a brief pause to retrieve Jake’s guitar from the ground. 

“Go fuck yourselves,” Danny told them before leaving. Sam was happy to see that all of them were gaping and, luckily, none thought of anything to retort back. 

As they walked back to Jake and Josh, they tried to assess the damage. Danny held the guitar up and scanned its polished surface, looking for any scratches or nicks. 

“It looks like they just messed with the strings,” he concluded. “It shouldn’t be that hard to fix. I can put on a new set in under five minutes, we should be fine.” 

“WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?” they heard someone holler in the distance. Danny and Sam whirled around and saw Jake sprinting towards them with his head down, Josh chasing behind him. “MY BABY!” Jake shouted louder. Sam felt like he should  duck and cover from his brother (he was so panicked he almost looked feral) but instead Sam remained frozen in place. He reached Danny and forced his guitar out of his grasp, clutching it to his chest. “My sweet girl,” Jake practically sobbed into the wood finish. 

“It was Fellowship,” Sam told Josh under his breath, so Jake couldn’t hear. “They took it and cut the strings.” Josh’s face folded into a frown. 

“Who the hell does that?” 

“A band that’s afraid of us,” Sam tried to look for the silver lining. 

Jake held his guitar back out in front of him and let out a sharp gasp when he saw the condition of his strings. “Who did this?” Jake turned back to Sam and Danny. Sam felt like it would be best if he withheld that information since it really wouldn’t be good for their music career if their lead guitarist was charged with manslaughter. 

Josh, unfortunately, didn’t seem to have the same concern. “Fellowship,” he replied. There was a jarring fury blazing on Jake’s face, and then it calmed. In silence, he handed his guitar back to Danny and motioned towards the strings. 

“Would you mind fixing those for me?” 

“Of course,” Danny said without hesitation. Jake then looked at Josh. 

“Come with me.” 

“Hold up, what are you gonna do?” Sam tried to stop them. Jake and Josh were notorious for taking things a little bit too far. He let out a frustrated groan when he realized that his brothers were walking away, not bothering to answer his question. 

“It’ll be okay,” Danny tried to reassure Sam. 

“You’re not worried?” Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Danny was usually the one who was the most up in arms about keeping things civil. Danny shook his head. 

“You don’t mess with someone’s guitar,” he repeated himself. “Whatever Jake and Josh do, Fellowship had it coming.” 

“Dear lord,” Sam whispered. He didn’t realize how intense the music industry could get. 

Jake and Josh returned back right before Danny was done adding Jake’s last string. Sam had been busy making sure that his bass was in tune (in case Fellowship tampered with that as well) but looked up when he heard his brothers’ jovial laughter. In comparison to the rage that had surged through Jake just a few minutes earlier, Jake seemed like he had entirely cleared it from his system. In a similar vein, Josh looked energized. Sam could only imagine what they had just done. 

“I can take over,” Jake told Danny, motioning for him to hand him his guitar back. “Thank you so much for doing that.” 

Josh took a seat in the folding chair next to Sam and let out a soft giggle to himself. Sam looked between his brothers and finally gave in. 

“Okay, fess up. What did you do?” 

“What do you mean?” Jake played stupid while he worked on the last string. “We took a walk.” 

“You obviously didn’t,” Sam countered. He was going to press more but caught a whiff of a strange smell and took a longer, deeper inhale. “Is that smoke?” he asked. Jake and Josh exchanged a glance and tried to hide their laughter. Sam stood and scanned around the grounds. Sure enough, at the edge of the venue just past the food concourse area, one of the porta potties was set ablaze, turning into a growing fireball of melting blue plastic. Sam stared back at Jake and Josh blankly and jutted a thumb towards the fire. “How did that solve anything?” A few volunteers were running around in a panic, trying to find water to toss on the growing flames. The fire jumped to the next porta potty in line and erupted into an even bigger inferno. 

“That’s our best work yet,” Josh nudged Jake in the side. Jake gave a wide grin and nodded while playing with an orange Bic lighter. 

“Put that away,” Sam practically shouted at his brother. They had to hide the evidence, and fast. The way that fire was spreading, they were bound to be held liable for an unfathomable amount of damages. Jake tucked the lighter back into his pocket and took a break from tending to his guitar to lean closer to Sam and Danny. 

“We stole the strings off all their guitars and basses,” Jake shared. 

“Where are they now?” Danny looked confused. Jake let out a laugh and then tried to regain his composure. 

“We put them all in the porta potty,” Josh finished Jake’s thought. “And then decided to partake in a little bit of fun and friendly arson.” 

“There’s no such thing as fun and friendly arson,” Sam hissed. 

“Sure there is,” Josh shrugged. “See?” Sam looked to see where Josh was pointing and watched as the volunteers finally got a hold of a hefty looking hose and smothered the flames with an impressive gush of water. “Only minor damages,” Josh concluded. “Fun and friendly arson.” 

“You both need to be put on a watchlist,” Sam told his brothers. 

Jake let out another chuckle. “You need to lighten up.” 

Sam wanted to protest that it was incredibly hypocritical for Jake to even consider telling him to “lighten up,” but a stagehand stopped by before he could argue. 

“Fifteen minutes before you need to take the stage,” the woman told them. 

That got them to spring to action, and they rushed to their instruments. While Sam, Danny, and Jake worked hard to get everything set up, Josh hurried to find which band they were set to square up against. 

“Bellhoppers,” he reported to the rest of the band, out of breath, a few minutes later. Jake pondered their matchup and then nodded his head. 

“They’ll be tough to beat, but we have a stacked setlist.” 

Sam had to agree with his brother there. While they had stuck to the blues and folk the day before, they made sure to prove to everyone on the second day that, at their heart, they were a rock n’ roll group. Jake, Sam, Danny, and Josh would all have time to showcase their skills in their own solos throughout their three song setlist, and that seemed to be what was feeding into Jake’s confidence. 

“They’re good for covering songs,” Jake continued, “but we know how to improv, which is sure to impress the judges. That’s what the solos are for, boys. Don’t go wasting them.” 

“But don’t get too carried away with them either,” Josh reminded his brother. Jake had a tendency to get lost in his music and, sometimes, it took pulling the plug on his amp to get him to stop. They didn’t have a time limit for the third round, but Sam had a feeling they could get some points docked if they played for too long. 

Jake was about to make a sarcastic retort back at Josh when the guitarist from Fellowship stormed up to them, his face bright red. 

“You took our strings!” he accused the band. Greta Van Fleet looked around at each other, turned back to him, and collectively shrugged. “Our bassist doesn’t have a spare set!” 

“And what are we supposed to do about it?” Jake mocked the guy. Before he could argue back, Jake added, “Maybe think twice before messing with my shit next time, twerp.” 

The dig didn’t really land, considering the guitarist was well over six inches taller than Jake, but it was evident that Jake had won their dispute since the guitarist let out an aggravated huff and then turned on his heel to clomp back to his band. Jake waved to the guy and then focused on his guitar, which was back in optimal shape. 

“Those strings were getting old,” he shared. “If anything, those guys did me a favor by cutting them, as traumatizing as it must have been for my baby.” 

“Way to look on the bright side,” Sam congratulated him. 

“Oh good,” the lead singer of The Bellhoppers greeted the band. “You found your guitar.” 

“The guys from Fellowship took it and cut the strings,” Danny caught her up to speed. She shook her head with disgust. 

“What a bunch of cowards. You don’t do that to a guitar.” 

“Exactly!” Jake and Danny both emphatically agreed with her. 

“Well, I wish you all luck,” she looked around at them. “I can’t speak for the rest of my band, but I’ll be cheering you on from the wings. You guys have a spark to you that I haven’t seen in a long time. It’s really exciting.” 

“We’ll be doing the same for you,” Sam assured her. He had really enjoyed watching her band play the day before. She grinned at him and then motioned for them to take the stage. 

“May the best band win.” 

“Hear hear,” Jake nodded.

They heard the host announce them and, just like that, they were back out in front of the growing crowd, ready to take on the third round of the Battle of the Bands competition. 

Sam slipped off his boots at the back of the stage and made his way to his amp to plug in his bass. It hummed to life and, with nerves and excitement coursing through him, he made his way to center stage where Jake and Josh were facing Danny at his drum kit. 

“Ready for this?” Josh asked around, wiggling his eyebrows. Danny twirled his drumsticks around a few times and gave an infectious smile. 

“I’ve physically never been more ready,” Jake announced. He looked around at his bandmates with a mixture of love and joy, and turned to resume his position on the right side of the stage. Sam stood, facing the crowd that extended all the way back to the food tents over 50 yards away, and took a deep breath. They had made it to the third round. They were good, and the audience in front of him knew it. It was time for him to prove that what they thought was absolutely true. 

“One, two, three, four!” Danny counted them in. Jake broke out into the opening on his old reliable, churning out a full and rich sound that Sam knew could partially be credited to his new strings. He had a feeling the Fellowship guys were probably kicking themselves for that “prank.” Sam played alongside his brother and let his head bob around to the steady beat Danny was keeping. To his left, Josh made his way in front of the microphone and took a deep breath. 

“We used to say that come the day, we’d all be making songs,” he bellowed out while Jake played behind him, using his pedals and whammy bar to create a warbling effect with each chord he struck. The crowd started to cheer when they realized that they were playing a cover of the Fairport Convention song, “Meet on the Ledge.” Josh grinned at their recognition and sang louder over his bandmates, going through the rest of the first verse. 

As they entered into the chorus, Sam kept his eyes trained on the neck of his bass to make sure he was playing the right notes. Then, alongside Jake, he approached his own microphone that was set in front of him and closed his eyes. He was definitely not the strongest singer in the band by a mile, but Jake had convinced him and Danny that their voices sounded strong together when they performed backing vocals. Sam was deemed the baritone of the trio, which worked to his favor since Jake and Danny’s higher vocals typically wafted above his and were easier to hear. So, while Josh sang his verse, Sam, Jake, and Danny sang behind him as they played, creating a mesmerizing wall of sound that filled the entire field. 

Sam took a moment to open an eye and look across at Jake as they held their elongated notes, and saw that he was looking back at him with a twinkle in his eye. That was refreshing to see, considering Jake usually looked like he wanted to bash Sam’s head in whenever he tried to sing. Sam focused back on his vocals and listened as they folded in perfectly with Jake’s middle harmony and Danny’s high notes. 

When they returned back to the second verse, Sam stepped away from the microphone to catch his breath and reopen his eyes. They were doing well, and he could see that the audience was visibly into it, swaying back and forth to their music. Josh had taken the microphone off its stand and started to work the stage, moving back and forth across it so he could wave and smile at as many people as possible. Sam chuckled when he saw Josh flash his old high school buddies a middle finger before moving back to center stage, right before the second chorus. 

Without thinking, Sam plodded across the stage, right past Josh, over to Jake, who was just starting to gear up to lean into his microphone. He gave Sam a surprised glance but then let out a chuckle when Sam nodded towards the microphone and leaned into it so they could share it. The brothers crowded around the stand and let their vocals feed into the same input so it washed over the crowd. Josh seemed tickled by their theatrics and spent more time on Sam’s side of the stage, where it was empty, to sing and try out a kind of foot shuffle that got the crowd going. Sam and Jake finished their singing and Jake stepped away to take center stage for his solo. As he passed by, Sam gave his older brother a kick in the ass with his bare foot, which caused Jake to widen his eyes in shock. It was fortunate that he was on his A game and didn’t let that surprise flub his moment in the spotlight. 

Sam took his position back on his side of the stage and smiled with content as Jake nailed every note of his solo, arching his back and holding his guitar vertically out  in front of him, as if showing it off. Behind him, Danny was working hard as well, adding in fills that Sam had never heard before, but found to be perfect for the song. He kept beat on his bass, and Josh bumped shoulders with him after taking a chug of water. 

“This is fun.” 

“Yeah,” Sam laughed back. 

Jake’s solo was wrapping up, so Josh hurried back to his microphone and belted out the last chorus of the song. Grinning from ear to ear, Sam returned back to his own microphone and closed out the song strongly, singing his rich harmonies while gazing out at the cheering crowd. Jake played the last note and let the feedback wash over the audience, who were clapping with all of their might. 

Once again, they met at center stage. Jake was already starting to sweat through his velvet black blazer decorated in silver etchings, so he hastily tugged it off, which earned them more cheers. Josh laughed at that, and then looked back at everyone. 

“Feeling good?” he asked around. 

“Never better,” Danny was the one to speak for the rest of them. Sam could only nod in agreement. He wanted to keep playing; the adrenaline was intoxicating. 

“Done getting naked for the fans?” Josh poked fun at Jake, who was readjusting his guitar strap. 

“Go introduce the next song, shit head,” Jake looked back at him with a cheeky grin. Josh laughed back and approached the microphone. 

“HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING TODAY?” he hollered so loud, Sam nearly reached his hands up to cover his ears. Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. “We’ve got a funky one for you,” Josh continued, “Well, kinda. It’s called Motown Funk No. 4.” 

Jake began the opening riff while Josh was finishing his sentence, which earned him a scowl from Josh, but it was quickly replaced by a look of concentration. Danny joined in with Jake and, soon after, Sam played in parallel with Jake, blasting the crowd with their second song. Josh channeled a more bluesy and deep tone as he let out the first verse, 

“Hey, lady! Whatcha trying to do to me? Hey, lady! Please don’t give me anymore…” 

As Josh sang, Sam hurried to the back of the stage, where one of the stagehands had helped him set up his keys. Danny had expressed concern that he would be doing too much by switching between instruments mid-song, but Sam assured him the night before that he was faster than Roadrunner. He proved that to Danny right there in that moment as he turned down the volume on the bass, pushed it out of the way, and leaned over his keys to pound out the chords that he had written for the chorus. It went smoothly and, at the start of the next verse, he was back at the edge of the stage, playing his bass in line with Jake, tossing his hair around and mouthing along to the words. 

He scanned around and finally spotted his family in the center, a few rows from the stage, dancing and waving their arms around with glee. Next to them, their group of friends were more excited than ever, jumping around, trying to open a mosh pit. It was unfortunate that the rest of the crowd wasn’t into that idea. 

Sam retreated to his keys once more and got through the second chorus, feeling the power of their music flood through his body. Standing close to Danny’s drums made him feel like he was vibrating in place, and he loved the sensation. 

Like they practiced in their endless rehearsals, the chorus came to an abrupt end and the audience began to applaud, thinking the song was over. Jake remained frozen in front of them, holding his guitar out and grinning. The cheers grew, and then Jake called out before ripping into his solo. Sam tried to work his part of the stage for the crowd while he played along on his bass, and made a show of flipping his hair and lifting his leg up when it felt right. Jake closed out his solo and pointed at Sam, who made his way to the edge of center stage, getting as close as he could to the people in the front row. He let his fingers dance over the neck of his dad’s bass and bopped back and forth to Danny’s groovy beat while he created a riff on the spot, deviating away from the bassline he had written with Jake for the song. His fingers flew up and down in complex patterns to the roar of the crowd and, after giving it his all until he felt like his hands were going to fall off, he played a long note with vibrato to indicate to the rest of the band that he was finished. Jake was quick to jump back in and take them into the chorus, where Sam once again found himself on the keys, taking a breather from his moment of fame. He wasn’t sure that he could replicate whatever he had done out there, but he swelled with pride that he hadn’t played the wrong note or created pesky feedback to dissuade the crowd and judges. He had contributed to the band in a way that would hopefully propel them to the final round and beyond. 

They played through the last verse and then, as planned, Danny began his own solo, giving Josh, Jake, and Sam a breather before they started their third and final song of the round. While Danny played his heart out, pounding away on his drums and creating a tidal wave of noise to wash over the crowd, the brothers joined together on the wing of the stage. 

“Great solo, Sammy,” Jake congratulated him, giving him a hefty pat on the back. “I didn’t know you could play slap bass.” 

“I didn’t know either,” Sam admitted as he tried to sort his hair out. It was incredible how many knots he got after every one of their performances. Danny had suggested he learn how to do a french braid, but Sam didn’t feel like that was very rock n’ roll. 

Josh opened a bottle of water and started to down it when he stopped, made a confused and then disgusted face, and spat it out onto the floor. 

“BLEGH!” he called out. “What the hell is this?” 

Jake snatched the bottle from him and took a whiff. “That’s rubbing alcohol, dude.” 

Josh’s eyes bugged. “In my Dasani water bottle?” 

“Good to stay hydrated, right?” the guitarist from Fellowship smirked as he approached them from where his band was hanging out. 

“That could have seriously hurt him if he drank that,” Sam stared at the guitarist in shock. Isopropyl was potent enough to cause chemical burns. 

“Like how he hurt my guitar’s strings?” the guitarist shamelessly countered. 

Jake wasn’t having any of that. “Like how you hurt my guitar’s strings?!” his voice raised enough that a few people at the front of the crowd were craning their necks to see what was happening backstage. Sam was disappointed that he couldn’t focus on Danny’s solo since he was really killing it, but he needed to help his brothers put the asshole in place. 

Without a moment’s hesitation, he tore off his denim button up and jumped at the guitarist. Now, Sam wasn’t usually the fighting type, but giving a guy rubbing alcohol to drink was a step way too far out of line, especially for a local band competition. Jake seemed to have the same idea as Sam, because they both flew at the guy at the same time, their hands ready to pound him in. To Sam’s utter surprise, Josh squeezed himself in between his brothers and the guitarist before things could get ugly, waving his hands around in a desperate panic. 

“Don’t fight!” he called out. “Danny’s solo is almost done!” 

Sam cursed to himself and took a step away from the guitarist, who was laughing and calling them cowards. Even though the clock was ticking, Jake couldn’t restrain himself from reaching up to launch his balled up fist straight into the guy’s face. They watched as the guitarist dropped like a sack of bricks and then, without saying another word, marched back out to join Danny. While Danny finished out his last drum roll, Josh approached the microphone like nothing had just happened. 

“This is called Edge of Darkness. It’s about… the edge of darkness.” 

Sam could already tell from across the stage that Jake’s hand was blossoming with purple bruises from the contact he had made with the guitarist’s face, but it didn’t seem to bother him while he picked out the opening riff of the song. While they were building out their setlist, Jake had been adamant that Edge of Darkness be added so he could try out a new part of his solo that he had been working on, where he played his guitar behind his head. Sam felt like it was a risky move, but that had been just about everything they had done in the competition so far, so it only felt right. 

Jake’s playing was intense, and Sam could feel his anger and frustration with Fellowship brewing to the surface as he tore into his guitar strings. Josh, likewise, nearly shouted the lyrics into his microphone throughout the opening verse. Sam matched their energy, plucking his strings extra hard. He made a few glances at the chaos that was unfolding on the wing of the stage, where the host and a few stagehands were trying to tend to the guitarist, who was still flopped on the ground. His stomach dropped at the thought that they would be ejected from the competition for Jake’s violent lashing out, but he tried to tuck that bad thought into the back of his mind. 

He started to play his bouncy bass part for the chorus, throwing in some higher notes to stand out over Jake’s guitar and Danny’s drums, and they moved into the second verse without any issue. Sam took a deep breath and released some of the anxiety starting to ripple to the surface about the repercussions of their feud. They were playing at their top level, and technically they hadn’t started the whole thing. If anything, Fellowship should be booted for nearly killing Josh. 

Sam was so deep in thought about this that he let his muscle memory take over and, soon enough, was surprised to find that they were entering into the guitar solo. Jake nearly sprinted to center stage with a loud yell, as if releasing some of his pent up emotions. Whatever he was feeling about their beef was instantly channeled into his playing, as he hit every note with perfect precision and power. 

“Do it, Jakey!” Josh called to his brother. 

Jake’s body folded over his guitar as his fingers danced up and down the frets, and then he straightened upright and turned his back to the crowd. Sam could feel the audience hold their breath as he hoisted his guitar up and over his head, resting it across his shoulder blades so he could play without looking. Sam couldn’t believe it, but Jake’s playing increased in difficulty while holding his guitar in that unconventional position, letting his fingers flutter through complicated patterns. 

While Jake was giving quite literally everything he had to offer, Sam noticed that a few of the members of Fellowship, excluding the guitarist who was still moaning on the side stage, were sneaking closer to him. He continued playing without pause, but used his peripheral vision to make sure they didn’t try anything with him. He was relieved that their path veered away from him, but then his eyebrows furrowed when he realized that they were headed towards Jake’s amp with a pair of wire cutters. Jake was at the climax of his solo, his guitar back in front of him, and sweat poured down his face as he exerted all of his energy into playing faster than the speed of light. They couldn’t stop him while he was at his literal peak. 

Sam rushed to Josh, who was honed in on his tambourine playing, and gave him a nudge. 

“Help,” he managed to whisper to his brother. Josh turned and saw the Fellowship guys closing in on the amp and shook his head in anger. 

“Not on my watch,” Josh grunted. Sam watched him storm to the guys, grasping onto his tambourine like he was ready to use it as a weapon. While Jake and Danny continued to throw their bodies around to the music, entirely oblivious to the scene unfolding, Sam watched Josh hustle behind Danny’s drum kit so he could confront the three guys without anyone in the audience seeing. Sam poked his head behind the drum kit to keep tabs on the situation in case Josh needed backup, but it seemed like he had it covered. The members of Fellowship hollered out as Josh sprung behind them and smacked them all in the head with his tambourine. Somehow he managed to stay in time as he did it. That distracted them enough that Jake’s amp and cables were left unscathed, and Josh forced the wire cutters from the drummer’s hands and slid them across the stage to Sam where he could keep them safe by his feet. 

“Stay the FUCK away from my band!” Josh barked after them as they scampered away. 

Jake closed out his solo and, for the first time, seemed to realize that something had just happened behind him. He cocked his head to the side when he saw Josh stomp back to the microphone to barrel the final chorus out. Jake made his way to the side of Danny’s drum kit, where Sam was playing, and called over the music, “What happened?” 

“I’ll tell you after,” Sam yelled back. He looked behind and saw that Danny was watching them with concern, but kept smacking away at his kit like nothing was wrong. They returned to their designated spots on the stage, gave the crowd what they wanted, and finished out the song with a collective jump on the last note. After waving goodbye to the crowd and blowing kisses to their families, the members of Greta Van Fleet rushed off the stage to get as far away from Fellowship as they could. 

Jake was immediately on Sam’s ass. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded to know. Sam mulled over the right way to share the information without riling him up too much and watched as Jake wiped the sweat away from his brow with the back of his hand. 

“Fellowship tried to cut your cable during your solo,” he shared. Jake’s face turned red.

“They’re playing dirty,” he hissed. 

“You did pop the guitarist in the schnoz,” Sam reminded him. 

“You did what?!” Danny turned to Jake in horror. 

“They slipped isopropyl in Josh’s water bottle!” Jake raised his voice, motioning back towards the stage. “What the hell was I supposed to do?” 

“Are we gonna get tossed from the competition?” Danny looked between Josh and Sam with worry. “That seems like something that would definitely happen.” 

“Maybe we can negotiate with them to only eliminate Jake and you can take over the guitar, Danny,”  Sam told him. Jake scowled at the thought. 

“We’re the best ones out there - they’d be crazy to take us out of the competition.” 

“Don’t get too cocky,” Josh reminded him. “We’re up against some really good bands.” 

“You did hear us out there, right?” Jake checked with Josh. “We sounded fucking incredible.” 

Whatever confidence Jake let take over himself immediately vanished when the host of the competition approached him with a grimace stretched across his face. The members of Greta Van Fleet all paled at his appearance. 

“Is it true one of you punched a member of Fellowship?” He checked with them. They all looked around at one another, trying to telepathically agree on a plan to talk themselves out of their sticky situation. Josh finally took the lead. 

“Yes sir,” he replied, keeping his gaze glued to the grass. The host made an annoyed ticking sound and shook his head. 

“I was hoping it wasn’t true.” 

“Please don’t kick us out, we promise we’ll keep our fists to ourselves moving forward,” Danny tried to plead with the older man. He looked back at Danny with a sympathetic smile and shook his head. 

“I know this is a big deal to you all,” he started. 

“Monumental,” Jake corrected him. 

“But I also want you to understand that AutoFest prides itself in being a safe haven for car and music enthusiasts. Fights are vehemently prohibited, even if they are in self-defense.” 

“What does that mean for us?” Josh’s eyes slowly rose to land on the host. 

“I really do like you guys, but this can’t go unaddressed. You have to face some kind of repercussions for your actions.”

“What about the Fellowship guys?” Jake couldn’t hide his anger. “They tried to poison my brother! That’s the only reason why I threw that punch.” 

The host’s eyes widened. “Of course they didn’t tell me that,” he pinched at the bridge of his nose. “Here’s my proposal: you’ll have to pay a fine to the city. All the more incentive for you to win this competition so you can forfeit some of your earnings instead of digging into your own pockets.” 

“How much?” Jake demanded to know. 

“$250,” the host had obviously given it some thought, he answered so quickly. 

“But can we still play?” Sam checked. The host nodded his head, and the band released a long sigh of relief. 

“I’d be crazy to pull you from the stage after the show you just put on,” the host admitted. Jake leaned into Josh’s side to point out that he had been right, and Josh owed him an apology. Josh responded by pushing Jake so hard, he nearly toppled to the ground. “You just have to promise me you won’t do it again. You know what? Consider this a warning. Do it again, and you’re out.” 

“Crystal clear, sir,” Danny told him. Sam felt it was only right to give him a salute. 

“I’ll have a word with Fellowship as well. I think it would be best for you both to keep your distance for the rest of the competition. You know, for all of your safety.” 

“I can’t argue with that,” Jake nodded. The host gave them a wave and made his way back towards the stage, where The Bellhoppers were getting ready to go out. Sam watched him go and thought about following behind him so he could watch their competitors perform, but Jake grabbed at his arm. “Can you help me find some ice?” 

Sam looked down at Jake’s hand, which was starting to swell a concerning amount, and pointed towards the food court. 

“I bet they have something.” 

Jake led the way and Sam followed behind, leaving Danny and Josh back to unwind after their performance. Sam wasn’t quite sure why Jake wanted some alone time with him, but that confusion was quickly resolved when Jake started to rant. 

“It’s bullshit that we have to come up with money to pay a fine for something that I was forced to do!” 

“You technically made the decision to sock the guy,” Sam shook his head. Jake studied him, looking disappointed. 

“I thought you’d understand my frustration here, you went after the guy too.” 

“I’m not saying what you did is technically wrong,” Sam backtracked. “It’s just a bit hard to play it off like you’re entirely innocent. I mean, it kinda looked like you broke the guy’s nose.” 

“I hope I did!” Jake exclaimed. 

They came up to the slushie stand and all Jake had to do was show his hand off to the college kid running the cash register. He fixed Jake a large Ziploc bag filled with ice and joked that he didn’t want to know what the other guy looked like, which got a chuckle out of Jake. Instead of making their way back to Danny and Josh, Jake motioned for Sam to take a seat with him at one of the picnic benches on the outskirts of the festival grounds. As he iced his hand, Jake continued to ramble. 

“I think the Fellowship guys should pay our fine. What do you think about me threatening them with a broken bottle?” 

“Jake, no,” Sam sighed. He understood that their opponents had gone way out of bounds with him and his band mates, but Jake matching their energy wasn’t the right way to handle the situation. The host had given them a warning, and he seemed pretty serious. 

“Well I’m not paying that stupid fine,” Jake spat out. “$250 my ass.” 

“Why don’t we try to earn it?” Sam thought aloud. Jake snapped his good hand at Sam with a look of intrigue. 

“We’ll encourage people to bring singles to our next performance and Josh can do a strip dance.” 

“No,” Sam quickly shook his head. “But you’re not too far off. We’ve played enough that I feel like we’ll be pretty recognizable around the festival. All we have to do is set up shop somewhere and do it how we used to.” 

Jake tried to make sense of what Sam was suggesting. Then, his face brightened in realization. “We’re gonna go back to the good old busking days?” 

“If that’s what it takes,” Sam replied. Jake seemed on board, but then he looked down at his hand. 

“I should probably take a break from the guitar so I’m okay to play in the next round.” 

“If we make it,” Sam cut in.

“If we make it,” Jake agreed. 

“You can sing, Josh can drum, and Danny will take the guitar,” Sam thought on his feet. Jake didn’t look entirely on board but, the more he considered it, the more the idea seemed to grow on him. Singing in front of people was a better option than forking over $250 of their own hard-earned money. 

“On one condition,” Jake held up a finger. “I’m not taking any requests.” 

Fifteen minutes later, the members of Greta Van Fleet were stationed in front of the festival entrance, serenading the guests as they filed into the venue. Sam and Danny were making use of his electric amp, and Josh was in his element, playing away on Danny’s cajon drum. Jake, although he was stiff with discomfort, was stationed in front of the group, singing along to Wonderwall. An elderly couple had requested it as they walked in and, after handing Jake a twenty, Jake was backed into a corner and forced to suck it up. 

Sam was glad that they had gained so much stamina from all their practice sessions because, otherwise, he would have been entirely burnt out. But between the excitement from their last performance and the determination to get the money they needed, Sam felt he had enough energy to continue giving performances for as long as they could. 

“I said maybe, you’re gonna be the one to save me…” Jake belted out in his best Liam Gallagher impression. A girl around their age stooped down in front of them to toss a $5 bill into Jake’s fishing hat that he had been wearing offstage. Jake flashed her a cheeky smile and gave a thumbs up with his good hand as he continued on with more energy. Sam was glad to see Jake get out of his comfort zone when it came to singing in public: Jake needed to realize sooner or later that he was fully capable of being a frontman too. 

At the end of their song, Jake took a pause to count their earnings. “$44.39!” He announced to the group. “Not bad for being out here twenty minutes.” 

Sam wasn’t sure if that really was a good sign, but he couldn’t dwell on it for long since he caught the sound of The Bellhoppers’ set. It was hard to place the song at first, but then he realized that they were playing a fast tempo version of Everybody Wants to Rule the World. From what he could hear, the crowd was pretty into it. 

“Do you think we’d have more luck if we did this after the competition is done?” Danny asked around. “You know, when everyone who watched us is leaving?” 

“I want to celebrate at the end of the competition, not be working my ass off for money,” Jake protested. 

“Again, Jake,” Josh called up to him. “We haven’t won yet. Please stop jinxing us.” 

Jake let out a soft apology and then faced back out towards the clutters of people who were entering the fairgrounds. “Welcome to AutoFest!” He greeted them with a charisma that was more characteristic for Josh. On Jake, it felt unnatural and forced. “We’re Greta Van Fleet and we take requests!” 

Sam arched an eyebrow at his older brother. Apparently his standards could change when they weren’t making money fast enough. 

“Do you know Ed Sheeran?” a younger boy approached them. Jake had trouble hiding a look of disgust, but opted to play stupid instead. 

“Who? I can’t say I’ve ever heard of Ed Sheridan before,” Jake said. “But we’ll play some Black Keys for you!” 

“Nah,” the kid waved Jake off and ran in through the front entrance. Jake stuck his tongue out at him and then shook his head. 

“I still have my limits,” he muttered to himself. Then, he looked back at Josh for help. “What music do rich people like listening to? Maybe we can lure them in.” 

“We’ve been busking for years now,” Josh looked back at him. “You haven’t figured that one out yet?” 

“Obviously I haven’t since we’re still busking,” Jake retorted. He combed his fingers through his hair while he thought, and then snapped his fingers together. “Dean Martin.”

“Do you know any Dean Martin songs?” Sam was genuinely curious. 

“Of course I do,” Jake scoffed. And then he broke into the worst rendition of That’s Amore Sam had ever heard, mostly because he only knew half of the lyrics. Josh and Danny tried to humor Jake and play along with him, but Sam shook his head and opted to watch his brother make a fool of himself instead. 

“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore,” Jake tried to sing in a deeper tone with an Italian accent that was bound to offend someone. “When the moon seems to shine and you chugga da wine, that’s amore,” he continued, and Sam winced. “Bells will ring, ting-a-ling-a-ling ting-a-ling-a-ling…” 

Sam couldn’t help but smack his forehead when Josh and Danny joined in with Jake’s botched song, messing up the lyrics in their own unique ways as well so the song was entirely muddled. One person approached Jake’s hat and took out a $10 bill, shaking his head in disappointment. 

“Hey!” Jake took a break to holler at the guy. “Give that back!” 

“Maybe when you learn how to sing Dean Martin right!” the guy called back, and then hustled away. 

“So now we’re at $34.39,” Danny concluded. 

“Okay, I’ll admit Dean Martin wasn’t the right choice,” Jake admitted. Sam strained to hear if The Bellhoppers were still performing and took note that the live music had stopped inside the fairgrounds. That meant that Invalid Password and Fellowship were bound to go out and face off at any minute before the winners were announced. A part of him wished he hadn’t told Jake about his busking plan because the nervous anticipation was starting to feel like it was going to eat him alive. He had no clue how The Bellhoppers had done in comparison to them since he missed their entire set, and doubts started to consume him that they would make it to the final round. 

“I think you need to turn up the heat, Jake,” Josh advised him. “Flaunt what you’ve got.” 

Jake pondered Josh’s words, and then gave a half-assed shrug like he had nothing left to lose. He had tugged his blazer back on following their performance so he wasn’t walking around with his nipples fully out, but he started to slowly shimmy out of it while Sam, Josh, and Danny played Feel Like Makin Love. 

“Baby, when I think about you, I think about love,” Jake sang slowly in a husky voice, trying to make eye contact with everyone that passed. While some people did slow down to watch them for a bit, most snapped their heads down and hurried past them. Sam felt secondhand embarrassment from the countless rejections towards Jake’s show as he joined in the backing vocals. “Feel like makin’,” Jake sang out as he fully removed his coat. “Feel like makin’ love.” The blazer whirled around his head a few times and then was flung off in the distance, where it landed in a bush. With Jake’s chest fully out on display, he noticed that more people were gathering around them to watch. This encouraged Jake to go a step farther, and he retrieved a bottle of water from the ground by his feet and proceeded to dump out the contents over his hair, soaking himself. Sam thought he looked beyond ridiculous, but people started to step forward and drop bills into his hat. 

To keep it coming, Jake tried out some dance moves that closely resembled what he did on stage with his guitar, and the people seemed to eat it up. When he started to rake his hands through his hair and wiggle his hips around, Josh put his foot down. 

“Too much!” he shouted to his brother, who was getting lost in the performance. “I don’t want to see your ass moving like that back here!” 

“You’ve got a front row seat to the show, why are you complaining?” Jake took a pause from his singing to argue with his brother. Josh shook his head in disbelief and continued drumming. 

“I created a monster,” he told Sam. 

“A motivated monster, that’s for sure,” Sam agreed. He wasn’t used to seeing Jake steal the spotlight out in public, around a bunch of people. It was much more common that he was hiding behind Josh, only coming out when he was comfortable, but he was obviously motivated to earn the money to pay off their fine. 

The song ended and Jake made a show of bowing to those who stuck around for the full performance, and then called for five so he could dry off and count their earnings. As he sorted through the growing pile of cash, he took a pause to look at his bandmates. 

“I really do appreciate you guys helping me get the money to pay this fine,” he told them. “And I’m glad I’m the one out there making a fool of myself since I’m the one who got us in trouble in the first place.” 

“I mean, I’m glad you’re fronting this too, trust me,” Josh told him. “I need to rest my vocal cords, but we’ve been at this for a while and I need to take a breather. It’s been a long ass day.” 

“I think we earned that rest,” Jake agreed, shoving the money back into his hat. 

“We made it to $250?” Danny asked in surprise. 

“Kind of,” Jake replied. “Well, close enough that I can pay the rest out of pocket if I have to.” He took a break to squeeze the water out of his long locks and study his drenched black and white striped pants. “I need to change out of these.” 

“You go and do that,” Josh told him with a laugh, waving him off. 

“I want to watch the other bands,” Danny shared, and Sam agreed with him. 

“I need to hear from our friends how The Bellhoppers did.” 

They collected their instruments and left their busking area behind, setting back inside the fairgrounds to the competition. 

“They’re definitely an 80s cover band,” Leah shared when they found their friends hanging out near the fair games. Sam hoped his relief wasn’t evident to his friends but he was glad to hear that The Bellhoppers only played covers. That was bound to earn Greta Van Fleet some bonus points.  

“The crowd loved them, but I think they were louder for you guys,” Ian added. “There was an older guy next to me who looked like he was having a spiritual awakening or something when Jake put his guitar behind his head.” 

“Jake has a way of doing that to people,” Danny laughed. 

“Speaking of Jake,” Tom cut in, “is he icing his hand because he was playing faster than is humanly possible?” They all turned to look at Jake, who had changed clothes and was with some of his own friends, trying to use his left hand to throw baseballs at empty milk jugs while keeping the melting bag of ice on his bruised hand. The poor guy obviously wasn’t ambidextrous like Danny because he missed the bottles by a mile, nearly taking out the guy running the whack-a-mole booth. 

“He punched someone,” Sam shared, shaking his head with disbelief. Everyone gaped at him, so Sam continued. “We have some beef with one of the bands.” 

“That one?” Ian asked, looking back at the stage. Sam tried to make out what Ian was looking at since they were a good distance away, but he scowled when he saw that Fellowship was taking the main stage. 

“Yup,” Danny confirmed. “They broke Jake’s guitar strings, tried to poison Josh, and nearly cut Jake’s power when he was doing one of his solos.” 

“What the hell?” Leah called out. “Who would do that?” 

“A bunch of dickheads,” Sam replied. 

“I think they’re all in college,” Danny added. “They must be especially desperate to catch their big break so they don’t have to keep attending lectures and taking finals.” Sam had never thought about it that way; he thought they were just a bunch of jerks. 

Tom, Leah, and Ian nodded like they could see the rationale behind that. Sam heard Fellowship begin the first song of their set and excused himself so he could move closer to the stage. Danny’s eyebrows knit at that, and he trailed closely behind Sam. 

“You’re not gonna pull anything, are you?” he asked as he struggled to push through the crowd. Sam shook his head, but he wasn’t sure if Danny had seen him. As tempted as he was to fire a flare gun at them, he was mostly curious to see what they brought to the table, and if he should feel as threatened by them as they were apparently threatened by his band. Sam found a spot in the middle of the crowd, off to the left side of the stage where the guitarist was, and put on a pair of sunglasses so the guy wouldn’t recognize him. Danny joined his side, out of breath, and positioned himself close to Sam. 

Fellowship was playing a cover of a Rush song and, to Sam’s dismay, they did sound pretty good. Greta Van Fleet had attempted playing Rush before and, while they almost got it down, it wasn’t something they could confidently say they had in the bag. Fellowship, on the other hand, was playing through Freewill like it was nothing. The only thing that brought Sam comfort as he watched them play was the guitarist had two black eyes forming, and his nose did look a bit crooked on his face. Jake really did know how to throw a mean punch. 

The people around them whooped and hollered as Fellowship jumped straight into their second song of the set, which was an original and dark song that sounded like a mix between Metallica and Ozzy. Sam hated to admit that the guitar and bass merged together to create a rich sound that he wasn’t sure he and Jake could accomplish. The drummer was like a blur behind his kit, he was hitting so many things at once. And the lead singer knew what he was doing as well: the guy was able to let out the lyrics with an impressive range, and made a show of dancing around and pulling some moves that Jake had attempted earlier during the busking to get the crowd into it. Sam would have to tell Josh to turn it to 11 if they made it to the final round, because they would have to go against a guy who really knew how to work a crowd. 

As the guitarist went through a mind-boggling solo, Sam tugged on Danny’s arm. 

“I’ve seen enough,” he called into his ear. Danny looked relieved and nodded, so they took off to find Jake and Josh. After they made it back to the open space away from the stage, Danny and Sam exchanged worried looks. 

“I knew they were good, but I didn’t realize they were that good,” Danny admitted as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sam was utterly puzzled by everything. 

“Why are they messing with us if they could easily win this whole thing?” 

“Beats me,” Danny shrugged. “They must see something in us that we’re not seeing.” 

They reached Jake and Josh, and Sam deliberated whether he should tell them about Fellowship’s performance or not. He didn’t have to, though, since they had already found out. Jake was fuming at Josh when they approached them. 

“We need to edit our setlist,” he planned out while pacing back and forth between Josh. “No covers, more solos, we need to find ways to get the crowd excited. We need to be memorable.” 

“You need to turn up the charm and seduce the crowd more,” Sam pointed at Josh. He and Jake both whirled around to face Sam and Danny. “We saw a bit of their performance,” Sam explained. “It’s gonna be really hard to beat them.” 

“There must be something we have that they don’t,” Danny tried to assure them. 

“We’re better looking?” Jake guessed. 

“I was thinking more in terms of our playing,” Danny tried to steer him in the right direction. 

Jake’s face scrunched together, deep in thought, and then his face brightened. 

“I think I have a plan.” 

*** 

Fellowship and Invalid Password played their sets and, right at five, they were brought on stage to announce the finalists. Greta Van Fleet allowed themselves a small celebration when it was shared that they would be playing at 7pm, going against Fellowship, but then they went straight back to their preparations. 

Jake’s plan was an intricate one and, while Sam wouldn’t admit it out loud, it felt like they were trying to pull off a mini-miracle. The first step of Jake’s plan was that they dress to the nines: the members of Fellowship were all going for the skinny jeans and black shirt combo, so they could outshine them in that way. The band made a quick detour to the local thrift store and, after an hour, were back at the fairgrounds looking better than ever. Josh had found a jumpsuit on the women’s rack that looked like it was a Halloween costume at one point but, when he put it on, he looked like an ethereal being. The white velvet cloth decorated in rhinestones was guaranteed to make him stand out on stage. Danny found a mesh silver top that fit perfectly and glimmered in the sunlight, so he would be hard to miss behind his kit. Jake was ecstatic to find an army green suit in his size, and made a side comment about how he was going to customize it a bit. Sam wasn’t sure exactly what look he wanted to go for, but he spotted a baby blue suit similar to Jake’s and decided that was what he needed to wear. As they paid for their clothes, Jake whispered to Sam that he was going to add something to his outfit as well. 

Back at AutoFest, Josh and Danny were already suited up in their new clothes and rehearsing backstage, but Sam was with Jake. There were a lot of things that he didn’t know about his brother, and the fact that he was a seamstress was apparently one of them. Out of the back of their car, Jake was hunched over Sam’s suit, stitching fabric between the sleeve and body of his jacket. Sam was holding Jake’s suit, which he had already personalized, in awe of his brother’s craftsmanship. In under twenty minutes, Jake had managed to add a moth decal to the back and front flaps of the coat, along with some swirls of gold, explaining as he worked that he liked moths because they chased after the spotlight. 

“There we go!” Jake exclaimed, holding Sam’s suit up to him. Sam took it and studied Jake’s work, his eyes widening. Jake had added a rippled piece of fabric that almost looked like a wing beneath his arm. The fabric shimmered as he moved it, and Sam was immediately entranced. “Now get that on,” he told Sam. “We need to practice a bit more.” 

Once they were fully suited up, they found Josh and Danny huddled around Danny’s cajon drum. Danny was trying to explain a pattern to Josh, but stopped when he spotted Jake and Sam. 

“Looking good!” he grinned at them. 

“I can say the same!” Sam exclaimed back. Danny gave a shy grin and shook his head with a chuckle. His eyes were darkened with some dramatic eyeshadow and eyeliner that fit well with his outfit. 

“Josh started it, but Leah helped me clean it up,” Danny explained. Josh looked proud of himself. 

“If musical theater taught me anything, it’s how to put on eye makeup.” 

“I’d say we look like a rock band now,” Jake looked around at them with satisfaction. “How’s the practicing going?” 

“Josh has almost got it,” Danny gave an update. 

“Are you feeling good?” Jake checked in with Danny. 

Danny looked at ease. “I know the part like the back of my hand, it’s not gonna be a problem.” 

“Let’s run through it a few more times though,” Sam told everyone. He wanted to make sure they knew exactly what they were doing so they didn’t drop the ball when it mattered most. 

The swelling in Jake’s hand had lessened enough that he was able to practice with them without any trouble, and they wound up running through their updated setlist right up until they were supposed to go out on stage for the final round. That worked best for Sam because he was so caught up in his bass and keys that he couldn’t think about how monumental everything was shaping out to be. Their big break was within grasp. 

The host had explained to them that they were going to take the stage at the same time as Fellowship so he could announce them to the crowd that had well over tripled since the third round, and then Fellowship would go through their five songs first. Sam wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to put them out there all together, but both bands were so focused on winning that their feud was put on hold. As the host announced both groups, Sam let the applause from the crowd wash over him. This was something they had earned. This was where they were supposed to be. The feeling made him smile wide. 

He was also tickled by how his friends and family reacted to their new looks. 

“God damn, Danny!” someone had shouted close to the stage when Danny first came out. 

While Fellowship got ready to play, Greta Van Fleet retreated to the backstage area. 

“I don’t want to hear them,” Jake was telling Josh. “It’s just gonna get in my head.” 

“Wanna sit in the car?” Josh suggested. 

So they piled into Danny’s car and blasted some Tchaikovsky to clear their heads. Sam was glad that they weren’t watching Fellowship’s set; the panic he had experienced after seeing their third round performance was the last thing he wanted to feel before they were supposed to take the stage. Sam leaned his head against the passenger seat and closed his eyes so he could get lost in the strings blaring from Danny’s speakers. The rest of the car was silent as well, caught in their own heads. 

Sam’s mind wandered away from Swan Lake to reflect on the turmoil he had faced prior to the competition. He had wanted to throw the whole thing away because he wasn’t certain how he wanted to spend his future. Thinking about that now felt absurd. He had experienced an indescribable amount of joy while playing in front of people and showing off his skills. There were other things that he definitely wanted to do with his life, but he had put a lot of time and effort into playing his bass, and he realized that it would be a waste to throw that away before he could reap the benefits for his hard work. The Battle of the Bands competition was really the first time he felt like he was being truly recognized for those countless hours spent in the garage and at shady bars around Michigan. He was all in on trying to make it to the top. Like his brother had told him earlier, he needed to remain in the present and not dwell too much on the future. And in the present, it seemed like he could have an exciting future with his music. 

A timer on Danny’s phone made them all jump and Danny turned down the music. 

“Fifteen minutes until we need to take the stage,” he announced to the car. 

“Let’s do this,” Josh said as he threw his door open. “Before my nerves eat me alive. Plus I really gotta piss and I know it will take me a second to get out of this thing.” 

Jake made some kind of half-assed excuse about checking that his guitar was fully in tune and hustled out of the car. Danny and Sam sat in silence for a few beats, and then Danny took a deep breath. 

“Josh told me what you were going through yesterday.” 

Sam’s shoulders slumped. Of course Josh couldn’t keep his secret between them. “I’m feeling a lot better now,” Sam tried his best to assure Danny. He frowned when he could tell that Danny wasn’t buying it. “I swear,” he promised. 

“You really want to go to college, don’t you?” Danny asked down into his lap. Sam wished they could have this conversation at a better time, but he didn’t know how to steer things into more friendly territory. 

“That’s how I felt yesterday, but now it’s different,” Sam locked eyes with Danny. “I love playing with you guys. I think we could go all the way.” 

“But I don’t want this to get in the way of your own dreams,” Danny stared back at Sam. “This is your life we’re talking about. You don’t have to always make sacrifices for us. I know it’s been hard for you to miss out on so much.” 

“You’ve been going through the same thing with golf,” Sam pointed out. “I’m sure that’s been a hard decision for you too.” 

Danny considered this. “I do love golf, but it’s something that I can always do, no matter what. Being an engineer isn’t something you can just pick up in your offtime.” 

“I’ll bring a Lego set with me on the road and be content,” Sam tried to joke. Danny chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. 

“I want you to be happy,” he told Sam. 

“This is making me happy right now,” Sam replied. “And that’s what matters at this moment.” Danny’s frown lifted into a relieved smile and he gave Sam a pat on the back. 

“I’m so glad to hear that. I was gonna offer to blow the whole competition for your sake, but thank god I don’t have to do that. Jake and Josh would probably have my head on a stake if I pulled that one off.” 

Sam looked at his friend in amazement. He knew Danny would always have his back, but the thought of him offering to throw their big break like that was astonishing. 

“How were you gonna do it?” he had to ask. Danny mulled it over. 

“Play the wrong tempo maybe. Jake hates it when I do that and he misses notes when he gets flustered. Josh gets confused when Jake starts messing up. I know you would continue to carry, but I think that would be more than enough for us to get booed off stage. 

“Well please don’t do that,” Sam said. “I really want to win this thing.” 

“Me too,” Danny grinned at him. “I’ll be steady as a metronome back there, don’t worry.” 

With that, they got out of the car and worked their way to the stage. Josh must have managed to get to the bathroom because he was back by their instruments, looking tranquil. When he saw Sam, he motioned for him to come to his side. Sam raised an eyebrow when he saw that Josh had decorated around his eyes with a series of rhinestones. 

���Where’d you get those from?” he asked. 

“The lead singer of The Bellhoppers,” Josh answered. “Now come here.” 

Sam didn’t want to, but curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously approached his older brother. Before he could react, Josh was smearing silver eyeshadow with glitter over his eyelids. 

“BAH!” Sam called out in surprise, wiggling his arms in retaliation. 

“It’s for the aesthetic, hold still,” Josh instructed. Sam didn’t like his brother poking his fingers around his eyes, but he gave in and stood stiff while Josh continued to swipe his thumb into the palette and press it across his eyelids. “Your eyes will pop now,” Josh felt like it was important to tell Sam. Sam felt mortified that he was going to go out in front of his friends with eye makeup on, but then he remembered that Danny was wearing some too, and he looked good. 

Josh finished and admired his work. “Pretty,” he commented. Sam could feel his face flush red. Danny took a look as well and whistled. Sam pulled his phone out from his pants pocket and used the reverse camera to check the damage. Josh was kind to use a lighter shade so it didn’t stand out as dramatically as Danny’s look. For what it was worth, it did look good with his baby blue suit and wing. 

A stagehand told them they had two minutes until they needed to take the stage, and Jake hustled to their side shortly after. Sam did a double take when he realized that Jake’s eyes were darkened with carefully etched on black liner. He stared back at Sam and then gave Josh a cheerful pat on the back. 

“You managed to get it on him! Congrats.” 

“I let him do it,” Sam frowned. “Since when did you learn how to do that?” He pointed to Jake’s face. Jake gave his best blue steel and then motioned back at the crowd. 

“Gabby did it,” he explained. Sam should have known that Jake needed some help from one of his friends. “We’ve got the look, we’ve got the setlist, we’ve got the extra pizzazz, we’ve got this,” Jake looked around at the group. “How are we all doing?” 

“Feeling sexy and free,” Josh replied. 

“Love it,” Jake pointed back at him. 

“I’ve never felt more alive,” Sam said, and he wasn’t necessarily lying. Jake nodded with a smile. 

“I wanna get out there,” Danny answered while twirling his drumsticks around. A stagehand nodded at them, which was their cue, and Jake pointed at the stage with the neck of his guitar. 

“Onwards!” he called out. Leading the charge, Jake held his head high and made his way out in front of the crowd, making sure to wave and give thumbs up to as many people as possible. Josh trailed behind him and followed suit, blowing kisses to everyone in the front row. Sam decided it was only right for him to salute the crowd, and he wrapped an arm around Danny before he climbed behind his kit. 

“Here’s to our future,” he told Danny. Danny squeezed his shoulder back. 

“To our future,” he repeated. 

Sam plugged his bass into the amp and closed his eyes for a brief second. It was the final round. They had proved their worth to the audience and earned their spot in the top two. All they had to do now was blow everyone away one last time to get their big break. Sam felt like they could do it. 

Jake finished greeting the audience and, after getting his guitar set, he held it up to everyone to see and immediately flattened the crowd with the loud roar of his opening notes to Safari Song. Josh matched his energy with a long and powerful scream to kick things off and, just like that, they were sucked into the music. Sam didn’t allow any of his previous doubts and worries to reach him while he played along with his brothers. He felt free in front of that crowd, and bounced around on the balls of his bare feet, making sure to stay close to the front of the stage so everyone could see him. 

During the chorus, Jake and Josh leaned into each other to sing into the same microphone, which was met with loud cheers. Sam caught a glimpse of Danny singing along at the top of his lungs as well while he drummed, even though he wasn’t mic’d up this time around. Josh had taken notes from Sam and Jake about how to increase his showmanship and get the crowd really into it, and made sure to dance around to the music more than he usually did. During Jake’s solo, he goofed around with some girls close to his age, flashing them his nipple before quickly covering it with a wide grin. 

They sounded electric, and Sam was amazed to see that the audience was matching their energy. Even though Safari Song was a new one of theirs, the people caught on fast and sang along with Josh and Jake during the chorus, pumping their fists in the air. Josh joined in and led them so they were all in unison, creating a massive wave of fists in the air. Sam had never seen anything like it before, and found himself staring. 

At the end of the song, Danny launched into the drum solo that he had been practicing in almost all of his spare time over the past year. Sam was with him for many of those hours when he was trying to figure out what solos to take inspiration from, and what moves he could use to impress. Sam hoped that the crowd appreciated what Danny was doing back there, because he was working his ass off and playing stuff that some professional drummers could only dream of accomplishing. While Danny was hard at work, Josh hurried to the side stage and retrieved a bouquet of white roses that he had picked up from a local florist after their stop at the thrift store. Jake joined Sam by his keyboard and watched Josh jump down from the stage and run across the barricade, passing out flowers to as many people as he could. 

“Do you think he’s gonna need help getting back on stage?” Jake asked Sam. They watched him continue to speed around the front of the crowd and Sam shook his head. 

“He’s gonna launch himself back on here, I’m sure of it.” 

Josh did exactly what Sam predicted, thrusting himself up onto the stage with sheer arm strength, and carried the travel bottles of Fireball and Jameson that had been handed to him from the crowd to his brothers. 

“They want us to do shots,” he told Jake and Sam. 

“They know we’re underage, right?” Sam checked. 

“It’s Michigan, does it really matter?” Josh shrugged back. He handed Jake a bottle of Jameson and Sam a Fireball and then booked it back to center stage so he could throw the hard alcohol back with no hands. Sam placed the small bottle on top of his amp and returned to the front of the crowd since Danny was nearing the end of his solo. 

“Ahh, better the isopropyl!” Josh joked into his microphone after finishing his shot, which earned him a thunderous applause from the crowd. Jake shoved the bottle of Jameson back into Josh’s hand as he passed by to return to his spot on stage, and told Josh something that Sam couldn't hear. 

“Let’s go!” Danny called behind his drum kit, and Jake took the lead, entering into their second song of the set, Black Smoke Rising. It was a crowd favorite when they played it at biker bars, and Sam felt like it truly captured the essence of Greta Van Fleet. 

He was surprised to hear shouts from the crowd like they recognized the song, and even a few people outside of those they knew were singing along with Josh. Sam didn’t know what to make of that, but he liked the feeling of having the lyrics they worked so hard to compose sung back to them. Sam played through his complicated basslines and felt Danny’s drumming pounding through his feet. From his vantage point, they were all playing at their best, and the audience was eating it up. 

“Yeah, Sam!” he could hear some of his friends holler from the sea of people. He scanned around for them and then flashed them a wide smile when his eyes met theirs. This made them cheer louder, and the people around them followed suit. On his side of the stage, Jake had the audience in the palm of his hand. They watched him in muted awe as he played and mouthed out his part and would scream when Jake jumped around the stage and shimmied his shoulders to the beat. Those in front of Josh were the loudest, and he egged them on by raising his hands up, indicating that they keep the calls of approval going. Sam only wished that Danny could experience the adrenaline rush he was feeling at the front of the stage, but he also knew that Danny was most comfortable in the back where people weren’t scrutinizing his every move. It had taken Sam a while to get used to being in that position. 

Like he had pulled off in every other song of theirs, Jake effortlessly flew through his solo with his eyes shut and held his guitar in front of him as he shredded. The song ended with the buzzing feedback from their amps, and the audience cheered over the static. They let their applause carry them as Jake retrieved his acoustic guitar and Sam set himself up behind his keys. 

“Thank you all for coming out here tonight,” Josh addressed the crowd. The sun was just starting to set, and Sam could feel the heat from the stage lights starting to reach him. “You all look beautiful out there,” Josh added. “I can’t say we’ve ever played to a crowd this big before but, well, I think I could get used to this.” Josh chuckled and then looked back at his band. “Ready?” he asked them, covering his hand over the microphone. They gave him nods and thumbs up, and Josh returned back to the crowd. “This next one is a love song to a really important movement that took place in the 60s. Some of you were around for it, and I’m jealous. It’s called Flower Power.” 

Sam was the one to bring them in this time around, and he played up and down his keyboard on the organ setting, taking the crowd to church. Danny tapped his cymbals behind him, and then Jake joined in with his acoustic guitar, filling the field with their upbeat song. 

“She’s a lady, comes from all around, she’s many places but she’s homeward bound,” Josh sang along. Sam looked up from his keys and grinned when he saw that people were starting to lift their lighters up and sway them to the beat. Josh reacted to the same thing and took a pause from the lyrics to call, “Light it up!” 

“Like we did the porta potties,” Sam could overhear Jake call into Josh’s ear. Josh laughed, which made him miss the next part of the verse, but he quickly recovered. 

“She’s a sparrow of the dawn, our love is born…” 

Sam especially enjoyed playing Flower Power since his organ playing added a complex layer to the sound they already excelled at creating. He loved how the organ wafted in and out of Jake’s guitar playing, and fell in time with Danny’s drums. Plus, he could sit on his ass and take a break from making eye contact with as many people as possible. He left that to Jake and Josh, who stood together at the front of the stage and played back to back. Someone in the crowd tossed a bouquet of daisies onto the stage, and Josh leaned over to grab it as he continued to sing. He plucked out a white one and brought it back to Jake, checking with him first before tucking it behind his ear while he continued playing his guitar. Jake met the cheers with a bashful bow, and Josh brought the bouquet back to Danny and laid it by his feet, mouthing out “for you.”

The song came to a slow as Josh drew out his notes and Sam let the music take him away into his solo. He played with the chords he had used throughout the song and created a melody from scratch, blaring the sound from his keyboard and rocking his head back and forth to the beat. His hand passed up and down the keyboard and used both levels of the keys to play the bass and higher notes. He could see Danny, Josh, and Jake watching him and nodding with happy approval as he went and then Danny joined in on the cymbals, giving Josh the cue to let out his final note to close the song. Sam could feel the final note still ringing through his finger tips, and he took the pause to remove his suit jacket, exposing his bare chest to the crowd. Those stage lights really were intense. 

Josh was back in front of the crowd and basked in their cheers for a while before calling over them, “We have a new one for you tonight. How does that sound?” They were met with roars of approval. Sam remained at his spot with his keyboard, buzzing with excitement while Jake strapped back on his electric guitar. It had been a part of Jake’s plan that they bust out a song they had been workshopping over the past year. It was a bold move, considering they hadn’t practiced it as much as some of their other songs, but Sam knew that they had created something special when they wrote it. 

Josh pointed back at Sam and he played on his mellotron setting, serenading the swarm of people with a flow of hypnotizing notes. The vibrations from his keys rose from his fingers up into his soul, and he could feel the music taking him away. He took a pause from playing to hear the claps from the crowd, and then entered into the beginning of Age of Man. Danny softly kept the beat behind him with his cymbal, and Jake added in some ad lib playing, fluttering across his strings. 

“This is about the story of us all,” Josh told the crowd over the instrumental music. “In an age of darkness light appears, and it wards away the ancient fears,” he began to sing. As Sam played along, he felt like he was transported outside of his body and soaring up into the universe, past all of the troubles of Earth. Out amongst the stars, as he played his mellotron, he felt light as a feather. He could feel the very essence of his being come to life, dancing in front of his eyes to the beat of their music. 

“Ooh ooh, oooh ooh ooh,” Josh cooed into the microphone in his high register. Sam let in a deep breath and then exhaled as they entered the main part of the song, Jake’s guitar coming to life. Sam played in time with him and continued to feel the power of the music flowing through him.

“A tree of life in rain and sun, to reach the sky it’s just begun,” Josh sang with his eyes squeezed shut. The crowd seemed to be holding their breaths as the song carried them forward, and when they hit the chorus, it felt like there was a collective release. As Josh thundered out, “And as we came into the clear, to find ourselves where we are here,” Sam noticed that the people in front of them had let the music take control. Many of them had their eyes closed and their hands raised to the sky, swaying back and forth and feeling alive. Sam had never felt such a close connection with so many people at once, but he knew that they were all brought together in that moment. He looked to his right briefly and raised an eyebrow when he saw that Fellowship was standing a few yards away, watching Greta Van Fleet with their mouths hung open. Their bassist was even moving along with the crowd, like he couldn’t help it. 

Sam was learning right then and there that, while engineering and going to college had its pros, he would never experience anything like what he was going through on that stage. He was bringing people together with his closest friends, and they were succeeding with flying colors. Sam began to understand the power of music and all that they could accomplish with it if they did it right, and all of his lingering doubts and concerns immediately flushed away for good. 

The song finished and they were met by silence before some guy in the middle of the audience called out, “Holy shit!” People seemed to agree, because the cheers were deafening. Jake pointed back at Sam, and he stood from his stool, took a shaky breath, and bowed. He had never let a song take him so many places before. It was a good thing they decided to end things with Highway Tune, since that was one of Sam’s favorite songs to play, and he knew it by heart. 

Jake teased the crowd by crouching low at center stage, looking around at everyone and wiggling his eyebrows as Danny crashed on his cymbals. 

“We don’t want to go, but we’ll leave you with one for the road,” Josh spoke into his microphone. Jake nodded his head and started to churn out the Highway Tune theme as he continued to crouch lower and lower while tapping his foot. Josh, Danny, and Sam joined in and shocked the crowd out of their hypnotic state with the high energy song. Sam jumped around while he played and grinned when he saw the crowd bouncing along with him. 

“Are you ready?” Sam approached Danny’s side of the kit to call to him. Danny didn’t miss a single beat as he smirked at Sam. 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” he joked back. Josh ran back to join them and expertly swooped into Danny’s position behind the drums, swapping with him so Danny was free. Josh carried the beat forward and whooped out with glee, crashing some of the cymbals just for fun. While Josh went to town and Sam and Jake continued to play alongside him, Danny retrieved his own Fender from the side stage, plugged it in, and started an overdrive solo, playing next to Jake and surprising the crowd. Jake took over the rhythm guitar part and nodded for Danny to go out into the spotlight so he could have his moment of fame. While he at first looked hesitant, Danny made his way in front of everyone and came out of his shell, transforming into a rock god. 

“Do it, Danny!” Josh hollered from the back of the stage. 

Sam watched his friend go and could feel his heart swell with pride. Jake needed to be watch out for Danny. 

Danny closed out his solo by jokingly tucking his own guitar over his head, but then motioned to the crowd that he was only kidding. He and Jake played a duet of the main riff and then the music opened for Sam to jump in and take his own solo. While Josh continued to bash on the drums with the power of a hundred men, Sam hustled to center stage, flipped his long hair out of his face, and let his bass take over the melody. He churned out bone rattling notes alongside Josh’s fast-paced drumming and was happy that he was playing a pretty funky line with a little stank on it. 

While he continued to play, Danny took the opportunity to spend some time of his own with the crowd, and caught a bottle of Fireball that was tossed to him. Even though his parents and younger sister were in attendance, he quickly opened the bottle and downed it before returning back to his guitar part. Jake grabbed a pair of oversized Elton John-esque sunglasses that had been tossed on stage and brought them back to Josh to wear. Josh called out in glee when Jake pressed them onto his face, and then stuck his tongue out while he continued to play. For Sam, Danny placed a cowboy hat on his head, which made him laugh. It was like Jake and Danny were making all the costumes and props appear out of nowhere. Danny shoved a trucker cap onto Jake’s head and Jake retaliated by tossing a feather boa around Danny’s shoulders. 

Sam’s bass solo transformed into a jam session on stage, and Jake inserted one of his favorite Black Keys riffs, which the audience approved of. Sweat was starting to plaster over Sam, so he knocked the cowboy hat off of his head and contemplated taking the shot Josh had given him earlier. Maybe not a good idea to do that, he told himself. So instead he made his way to Danny and whispered in his ear, “Do Elvis.” It was something they liked goofing around with during rehearsals. Danny looked eager to do it, and whispered the same thing to Jake. Jake passed it on to Josh and then, in a rapid transition, they slowed it down and started playing “That’s Alright.” 

To everyone’s surprise, Danny stationed himself in front of the microphone. 

“That’s alright mama, that’s alright with me,” he crooned in a nearly spot-on Elvis impersonation. He took a pause to laugh at what they were doing, and then tried out his best Elvis-inspired hip thrusts and wiggles. Sam heard a few girls scream in the crowd, which made him cackle. Danny fed into their energy and pouted his lips while he continued to sing the opening to the song. “Take it away, Josh!” he called, motioning back at Josh. He had a microphone set up in front of him, and started to scream the lyrics in his signature voice while flinging his drumsticks all over the place. 

They made it through the chorus, and then Jake retrieved his lucky harmonica from his back pocket. He held it up for Josh to see so he would stop playing, and let his guitar lazily flop in front of him as he grabbed his microphone and held it up to the harmonica, which was practically glued to his lips. 

All of the Kiszka children had been taught the harmonica by their father, since he was a pretty damn good player himself and wanted to pass it on to his kin. Of the four siblings, Jake had been the one to really feel a connection with the instrument, and spent a lot of his time on long road trips practicing, much to the protest of everyone else in the car. Jake’s incessant playing seemed to pay off though as he let out a bluesy tune which, backed with Danny’s concentrated guitar playing, sounded really good. At this point in their set, all of them were nearly drenched, they were covered in so much sweat, but Sam still felt like he had enough energy in him to light up an entire power grid. The audience was definitely into it, and their excitement was what made Sam all the more determined to give it everything he had. That, and he so desperately wanted to get Greta Van Fleet on the map. After all that they had been through, they deserved some recognition. 

Jake and Josh started to do a call and response with the harmonica and Josh’s vocals which led to a hearty applause, and then Jake, satisfied with his performance, tucked his harmonica back in his pocket and turned his trucker cap backwards. He took back to center stage, bringing Danny with him, and stood with his guitar held out and ready to play. Josh, Danny, and Sam had stopped playing alongside Jake so the only sound was the on beat clapping from the audience. Jake beamed around at everyone, looked at Danny, and raised his eyebrows. Danny held his guitar out in front of him too, indicating that he was ready to go and, together, they brought everyone back into Highway Tune with the main riff. 

While Jake continued on, Danny put his guitar away and switched back with Josh so he could finish singing while Danny closed out the song on his drums. Josh booked it to the front of the stage, got everyone to give a round of applause for Danny, and then belted out the last part of the song. As he let out his glass-shattering last note on “Sugar,” it felt like there wasn’t a single person at the festival who wasn’t cheering for them. Sam looked out at the sea of happy faces and tried his best to take a mental photo with his mind so he could remember how they looked for the rest of his life. It wasn’t too often that he felt like he had lived through a monumental experience, but this was definitely one of them. 

The host came out onto the stage as soon as they finished, calling out, “How about that? Greta Van Fleet everyone!” 

Sam dropped his arms to his sides and immediately felt the exhaustion catch up to him. He knew for a fact that they had never put on a performance like that before, and he was practically guaranteed to need a couple of weeks to recover. For that, he was grateful that Jake insisted they do their busking before the final round. 

“We’ll be announcing the winner of our Battle of the Bands competition in fifteen minutes!” the host declared. “Stick around, we’ll be back soon!” 

“Great job guys,” he congratulated the band once his mic was off and they were on the side of the stage. “Absolutely stellar.” 

They thanked him, and then enveloped each other in a celebratory hug. Sam called out in protest when Josh started to ruffle his hair. As they released from each other, Sam was glad to see them all smiling, as spent as they looked. 

“I hope someone filmed that,” Danny commented. 

Jake nodded. “That shit could go in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.” 

“Cocky,” Josh warned him. Jake threw up his shoulders and laughed. 

“I think I have every right to act cocky after a show like that, Jesus Christ.” 

They teetered down the steps to get off the stage and almost immediately were met by a small crowd, congratulating them and demanding to know how they were so good. It made Sam a bit uncomfortable since he wasn’t used to being put on a pedestal, but he did have to admit that it felt nice.

But, there was still a voice nagging at him that maybe Fellowship had managed to be better. And that was something they would find out soon. 

Final part >>>