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jamiethebee · 4 days ago

Text

Harvest

My piece for ecto-implosion 2024!

I was partnered up with @tsubaki94 who did three whole lovely artworks, so go check them out here! (x)

(The AO3 Link (X) : broken up into smaller chapters rather than this one big guy)

25,252 words

Danny rubbed his foot around in the dirt, watching the small dust cloud billow up and hang there.

“Well come on, I’ll show you where you’re staying for the next few months.” Alicia turned around and started walking off.

“Wait!” Danny bent to pick up his bags and rushed to catch up to his aunt, “I thought that you lived in the cabin?” He looked over at the cabin he spotted through the trees.

Alicia glanced back at Danny. She sighed, “I do. You don’t.”

Danny frowned. “I won’t? Then where will I be staying?”

Side stepping a bush, Alicia grumbled, “you’ll see.”

They moved through the brush, dodging branches and stepping around roots and detritus on the ground. It was hot and humid and Danny was starting to feel sticky, carrying his bags with him through it all. The birds around them quieted as they approached and then started up again once they left. A gentle slope turned into a steeper incline and Danny quietly wondered how much longer they were going to take. He really hoped Alicia wasn’t just taking him in a circle in some sadistic test to see how long he’d last before complaining. Or murder him. It wasn’t likely, but Danny didn’t know his grumpy aunt well enough to rule it out either. Probably not though. Maybe.

As they made their way up, Danny smelled a change in the air. He arched his neck around Alicia to try to see what the cause was, but quickly moved his head back and away from a sudden branch flying in his face. Just as Danny was weighing the benefits of asking for a break, the ground leveled out, and Danny got his first glimpse of the farm.

Golden strands of wheat waved in the slight breeze, stretching farther than Danny thought he’d see. In the distance, taller stalks formed a different swath. Alicia stepped out of the trees and onto a path that edged the fields. Following Alicia, Danny realized the smell had gotten stronger. “Huh,” Danny thought. He leaned over, closer to the stalks. Yep, the fields were definitely the source of the smell. Turning back to Alicia, he looked down the path and stepped next to his aunt to walk side by side. They seemed to be close to the edge and Danny could see a couple of structures in the distance.

“These are the wheat fields,” Alicia said. “My farm grows two kinds, spring and winter wheat. This here is the spring wheat; it’ll be part of what you’ll be helping to take care of on the farm.”

“Oh. What else will I be doing?”

Alicia looked down at him, “We’ll see.”

Danny winced and looked ahead again. “Am I staying in one of those cabins ahead of us?”

Alicia huffed, “Sure will. I’ve got a farmhand that helps out - sometimes stays in one of the cabins, sometimes travels back and forth from here to town. You’ll be meeting him later.”

“I didn’t realize there would be anyone else here.”

“Well sure, ya think I can take care of a farm like this all by myself? It’s a lot of work. Course, if one of my hands didn’t leave me in the middle of the season, I wouldn’t have let Maddie send you here at all.” Alicia looked down at him, “My farm’s no place to goof around. We all have jobs around here and we all have to do them.” She leveled a sharp look at Danny, “Understand? Just because you’re my sister’s kid doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for pulling your own weight.”

Danny looked away, “Yeah. I get it. Don’t worry, Mom already told me.” More like lectured me to behave, Danny thought.

Alicia huffed. “Well, just keep that in mind.” They walked the rest of the way down the path in silence.

As they neared the first cabin they could hear a bark, “That’s Skip. He usually follows me around or hangs around the animals. Good for keeping most unwelcome visitors away.”

Danny looked out and around excitedly, “you have a dog?”

Climbing up the cabin steps to pull open the door, Alicia said “yeah, but he’s a working dog, so don’t go bothering him.”

Once Danny stepped in, Alicia followed, closing the door behind him. Sunlight streamed in through high set windows, illuminating the space. At one end there was a bed on a simple frame, a dresser next to it, and enough space for a chair and small table.

“This is where you’ll be staying. Got the place to yourself, though there isn’t much to begin with. The toilet is the outhouse in between these two cabins, unless you really want to head down to bother me for mine.”

Danny gulped, feeling a little intimated. “Got it – outhouse.”

“Yeah well, I’ll leave you to get settled in here and then I’ll come grab you for dinner. Most meals will be down in my cabin, since it has the kitchen. That said, you can bring food up here, but I don’t recommend it. Racoons and the like will try to break in if they smell it up here.”

Danny nodded, looking around. “Anything else?”

“You’d be best to wear boots if you’ve got them starting tomorrow, but for now? Make sure the cabin door latches correctly when you leave or it’ll swing open. That’s a great way to invite little rodents to make their home in here or to take a shit on the floor at the least.” Alicia looked over the cabin once, “Fer now, settle in and I’ll come get you when it’s time.” Alicia opened the cabin door and left Danny alone with his thoughts.

Stepping over to the bed, he set his suitcases down and sat between them. The bed let out a soft wheeze, but otherwise stayed firm. It was more of a cot than a proper mattress, but that didn’t faze Danny. He was looking to get shipped back to Amity Park as soon as he could anyway. Dust motes danced around him. The cabin was quite small. But at least Danny didn’t see any spiderwebs or droppings. ‘Small mercies’ Danny thought. Pulling out the older PDA gifted to him by Tucker, Danny tried to see if he could pick up a signal to send back to his friends. Waving his arm in the air didn’t do much. No signal. Sighing, Danny put the PDA down behind the suitcases and leaned back on his hands.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he could smell the dust in the air, hear the rustling of leaves on the trees, and the faint sounds of animals. He didn’t know why his parents thought he needed to get away from Amity Park for the second half of the summer, but Danny was annoyed. He spent the first half of the summer trapped in summer school, and no sooner did he have the freedom to spend time with Tucker and Sam, than his parents and Jazz decided to send him off. Between more ghosts showing up and causing problems, and his parents paying more attention to him now that Jazz was off at college, Danny had felt like he hadn’t had a moment to himself during the school year. Any extra time he used to have was taken up by his parents dragging him into the GAV to hunt down ghosts and talk about what he planned to do after high school. Danny had been looking forward to vegging out on the couch and running around the mall with Sam and Tucker instead of what? Shoveling dirt? Or watering plants? Or whatever. Danny wasn’t sure what would be expected from him this summer, but his mom made it clear that he was supposed to help his aunt with minimal complaint. Danny let his arms give out so he could fall back onto the bed.

He didn’t know what to expect here, but he knew that back in Amity the ghosts would be having a great time wreaking havoc with one less capable ghost hunter there to kick them back into the Ghost Zone. At least Valerie had enough of a truce with Phantom now to be convinced to empty the ghosts back into the portal instead of handing them over to be subjected to the latest experiment his parents cooked up. Danny closed his eyes. Even thinking about what he would be returning to at the end of summer back in Amity Park was enough to exhaust him and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.

A short rap on the door woke Danny up, and he got up, threw a glance at his still unopened suitcases, and walked to the cabin door, pulling it open. “Oh,” Danny said. It wasn’t Alicia at the door like he was expecting.

“Hey, you must Alicia’s nephew?” the mystery man asked.

“Uuuh yeah,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck trying to work out the crick that he put there by falling asleep cockeyed on the bed. “And you are- ?”

The man laughed, “Aaah, figures that Alicia wouldn’t have told ya. I’m here to take you to dinner, I’ll tell ya about myself on the way.”

Danny eyed the man, dressed in a button down shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a hat - he certainly looked like he worked on a farm. Stepping out of the cabin, and making sure that the latch took, Danny walked after the guy as he led Danny to a dirt path off to the side of the cabins. “I’m Will, no it ain’t short for nuthin. Down this path,” he gestured, “takes you straight to tha boss’ place – and coincidentally dinner.” Will let out a barking laugh and continued. “I’ve been working here for a few years now. Actually, for most of my life. Worked here during the summers in between school for Tish and Dick back when they ran the place. Later, when I realized city life didn’t agree with me, I came back and started working here full-time. Alicia took over when they passed and she’s a bit gruff, but just as smart as her ma in running the place.”

“Oh, last time I was here, Alicia mentioned the women in the family being smart,” Danny said offhandedly as he looked around the woods.

Will hummed, “darn right they are, never met a smarter bunch. The town was real glad when Alicia moved back, and I think they’re still a bit sad her sister – yer ma – never came back.” Danny could feel Will’s gaze on him, “when were ya here last, by the way?”

“Uh,” Danny said, looking over at Will, “uuh must’ve been a year and half ago? Roughly? It was only a short trip. My mom came down for Aunt Alicia’s divorce party and my sister and I dropped in to make sure my dad had my mom’s anniversary present. That’s a bit of a long story, but we were only here for a day.”

“Aaah,” said Will, “makes sense. I usually take a trip to the next town over to see my brother’s kids around that time. Wouldn’t have seen ya and Alicia ain’t a big blabber if it’s not about the farm.”

Danny didn’t have much to say to that, so he looked ahead to the path, which had started curving away. Coming around the bend, Danny could see Alicia’s cabin through the trees and realized that Alicia could have chosen to take this path up when Danny was carrying his suitcases. His mood soured as they kept walking. Getting to the end of the path, and out of the trees, Danny noticed a small building behind the cabin. Maybe he could ask Alicia what it was for?

Will walked up to the cabin door and knocked, before opening and sticking his head in, “Heya Boss, got the kid. Anythin’ ya need help with?”

“You two better wash your hands ‘fore ya even think about touching food.” Without turning around, she kept stirring the pot on the stove.

“Yes ma’am,” Will said, before turning around to Danny behind him, “Follow me.” And he walked into the cabin, heading around a wall to another door inside.

Danny glanced around the cabin as he stepped in. Nothing much had changed since the last time he was here. He heard water running and looked back around to Will, who was washing his hands in the small bathroom sink. Waiting for his turn, he looked around. There was a picture or two on a table along with a radio, a small couch and chair, and a little fireplace. But no TV. Danny frowned, resigning himself to a very boring summer.

“Alrighty,” Will said, hanging up the towel, “your turn kid,” and he walked off around the corner to the kitchen.

Danny stepped in, noting the indoor toilet and shower that wasn’t in his cabin, and washed his hands. By the time he got back out, Alicia and Will were outside setting down the final dishes on the wooden picnic table.

“Ah there you are Danny, we’ve got everything out here, come join us,” Alicia called him over.

Jumping down the stairs, Danny walked over to the table and took a seat next to Will. Alicia may be his aunt, but he felt more comfortable with Will from the short walk over than he did with her. A stack of bowls, a pot, and some bread on a plate got his attention.

Watching Alicia and Will grab bowls and dish out stew, Danny grabbed the last bowl and did so himself once the ladle was free. Grabbing a piece of bread, he started dunking it in. Watching Alicia and Will eat, he took a bite. Danny made a surprised noise.

Alicia looked over to him, “Surprised?”

Danny nodded and swallowed his bite, “a lot better than I was expecting.”

Alicia laughed, “I’ll take it that my sister still ain’t much of a cook if you think that.”

Danny sheepishly laughed, “Mom’s cooking is alright.” How could Danny explain that most of the stuff in their fridge sat next to ectoplasm and that no matter how well the containers were sealed, most of the time, the food tasted slightly off from spending time in there? He elected to stay silent.

Alicia hummed in response as she ate another bite of stew. The rest of dinner passed quietly, and soon the sounds of bowls being scrapped clean echoed in the little clearing.

Alicia leaned back, waiting for Danny to finish. Will took out a little pipe, tapping down the tobacco and lighting it. Danny wrinkled his nose at the smell as he finished his bowl and straightened. “That was really good Aunt Alicia,” Danny said.

Alicia grinned, sharp and wide, “glad you thought so. Will, you can head back up, Danny here is going to help me with the dishes tonight.”

“Are ya sure?” Will asked.

“Yea, we’ve got some things to talk about anyway,” Alicia narrowed her eyes at her nephew.

Danny felt a chill run down his spine, unrelated to the waning light.

“Alright,” Will said, standing, “I guess I’ll be going then. Night Alicia, night Danny.”

“Night Will,” Alicia said.

“Goodnight Will,” Danny called out as Will walked back to the path they came down.

“Well,” Alicia started, “Grab the dishes and follow me in.” She stood up and grabbed the pot, heading back to her cabin.

Danny stood up, piled the bowls and spoons together in a neat pile, and walked in after Alicia.

“There ain’t no dishwasher in this old cabin, so we’ll be doing everything by hand.” Alicia plugged half the sink and started the tap. “I’ll let you rinse and dry the dishes.” Danny set the bowls off to the side of the sink and walked around her.

After filling up the sink sides, Alicia took the pan and started soaping it up. “So, Danny,” Alicia started. “Um, well, Maddie,” she cleared her throat. “Yer ma seemed worried about you. Anything I should know about? Since you’ll be working on my farm and all.”

Danny shoulders inched towards his ears. “No, nothing. I didn’t need to get out of Amity.” He scowled at the pot Alicia was cleaning.

“Hmmm,” Alicia replied, methodically working around the inside. “I never knew my sister to be a worrier, but I won’t pry. So long as you don’t bring any strangers or trouble around it’s not really my business.”

Danny’s shoulders relaxed some as he took the pot from Alicia and rinsed it off before setting it in the dish rack to start drip drying. The rest of the dishes passed quickly in the silence and as Danny was drying the last bowl, Alicia walked off around the corner.

Danny closed the last cupboard as Alicia came back around with a large fabric bag. “I don’t want to keep you up for much longer, but we’ve got some housekeeping to deal with first.” She held out the bag towards Danny. He took it. “First off, my cabin has the only shower. The only rules are to not use it when I’m sleeping and to clean up after yourself. I mean pick up your towels and hang them to dry over your cabin porch railing. I’ve got a standing unit in the back.” At Danny’s scrunched eyebrows, she sighed. “A washing machine,” she strode to the cabin door. Heading down the steps, she called back, “You saw the structure behind the cabin?”

“Uuuh, yeah,” Danny said, walking behind her.

“Well, the machine’s in there. We don’t got a dryer, instead,” Alicia pointed up at a line stretching from her cabin to a tree. “There’s a bag inside with clothespins. You’ll hang up your clothes after the washer gets done. I recommend getting up in the mornings and starting them so that they have the whole day to dry on the line. But that’s just me.” Turning back around she said, “well, I think that’s most everything. I’ve got a bell I’ll ring to let y’all know when food’s ready. I expect you to finish whatever you’re up to and to get down here when you hear that bell. Either you’re on time or you don’t eat. There’s too much to do around here to wait around.” She looked down at him as the sun finished setting, the orange glow around them the last remnant of the day. Her face softened some, “before I send you back to get some sleep, any questions?”

Danny shook his head, “Naw, laundry out back, shower inside, don’t bother you with either. I think I’ve got it all.”

“Good.” Alicia and Danny stood there for a moment. “Well,” Alicia cleared her throat, “I’ll uh, see you tomorrow mornin then. Night kid,” and turned to walk back to her cabin.

Danny stood there for a moment before sighing and making his way back to the path.

_______

Danny woke up to knocking on the door and sunlight on his face.

Knock knock knock echoed through the cabin and Danny squished his eyelids together even tighter. “Come on, get up boy, you don’t have time to lay around.”

Danny turned his head into his pillow and groaned. He spent long enough last night putting away his clothes and getting used to the small cabin that he fell asleep at a time that, had he been back in Amity, would have been early and yet here was late, based on how groggy he felt. Unrested.

Knock knock bang, “don’t think I won’t come in there kid,” Alicia warned.

Danny let out another groan before turning his head and calling out, “Alright, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Something that sounded like “too long” came from the door before footsteps started walking down the cabin steps. Quickly getting ready – jeans, shirt, and unfortunately, FentonWorks patented hazmat boots, Danny pushed open the door, hopping a little to finish getting the second boot on. He jumped down the stairs, making his way to Aunt Alicia, who was leaning against a tree.

“Well, 56 seconds ain’t bad kid, but come on. You’re following me around for the day.” She pushed off and started walking, “I assume you don’t have any experience working a farm?”

Danny shook his head, “no ma’am.”

Alicia snorted, “none of that ma’am business, call me Alice.”

“I thought your name was Alicia though?”

Opening a little gate, Alicia whistled and then beckoned Danny through before latching it, “Sure is, but yer ma and me had our Grandma Alicia, so family started calling me by Alice.” Walking off to a small building further back, she continued, “But enough of that, we’ve got a long day. You can ask if you have questions, but do your best to pay attention.” With that, she opened the door to a cacophony of clucking that quickly died down. Danny stepped in after her, and as his eyes adjusted he saw the inside of a coop. Two rows of chicken nests on either wall, with hens either standing around Alicia or sitting. Once they spied Danny hiding behind her though, they started squawking again and rushed forward, wings flapping and feathers fluffed. Danny started backing away before a hand pushed on his back and a bucket was shoved into his chest. Quickly grabbing it, Danny looked down at a bunch of seed and –

“OW!” Danny yelped as he started hopping from one foot to another, hens trying to peck away at the new intruder.

“Walk out, they’re just not used to you is all,” and Alicia shooed him out of the coop.

‘Fuck’ Danny frowned, not quite running away from the coop and wishing he could’ve used his intangibility to get away from the chickens. Alicia laughed at him as the hens kept pace around Danny’s ankles, lunging forward to peck at him. “How do I get them to stop?” Danny yelled.

“Jump the fence!”

Danny ran back to the gate and hopped over it with a little help from his ghost side to land a few steps away from the chickens.

Bwaack Squak Sqwauk!!

Danny looked up at Alicia who offered an unapologetic, “Sorry. I forgot.”

Squinting at the slightly amused look on his aunt’s face, Danny scowled, “Did you do that on purpose?”

“No idea what ya mean kid. Anyway, for now you can toss some feed in, but otherwise wait out there. I’ll explain what I did when I get back out to you.” Alicia grabbed a basket hanging outside the coop door and walked back inside.

Danny glared down at the chickens who were still protesting his presence. “What.”

“Squuuuawk!” was the response back.

Danny sighed and looked down at the bucket in his hands. It had some seeds and other things mixed in. Looking back up at the chickens staring at him, Danny slowly raised a hand, “I’m going to throw some seeds in. Please don’t scream at me for it,” and he reached a hand in. No sooner did Danny close his hand around some feed, then one of the hens decided to start flapping its wings again to cause a fuss. Danny jumped and glared at the chicken. Out of spite, Danny reached back in and with a handful of feed, overhand chucked it into the coop yard. Sticking his tongue out at the chickens that refused to let him out of their sight, Danny took another step back. He couldn’t wait till his parents’ summer banishment was over and he could go back to Amity Park.

Alicia stepped out of the coop with the basket and walked over to a trough sitting in the yard. After looking down, she gave a quick nod, and then started heading to the gate. Where the chickens were still standing. Glaring at Danny.

“Uuuh,” Danny said, “Do you have a plan on getting close enough to take this bucket back?”

“Sure do,” Alicia said, coming up to the gate, “step closer and hand it over.”

Eyes never leaving the chickens, Danny inched his way closer to Alicia and when he was close enough, thrust out the bucket towards her. “Do they hate everyone?” He asked.

Alicia took the bucket, “Nope. Not me,” and laughing, walked back to the coop.

“Great, real reassuring,” Danny grumbled to her back.

Once Alicia finished up inside the coop, and with a basket of eggs in hand, she walked back out of the enclosure to Danny. “Noticed how I whistled before?” Danny nodded. “I was warning the chickens that I was coming in. It’s how I let them know it’s me and not a stranger.” She grinned. “Not that it helped you any.”

Danny looking away, glaring.

Alicia paused for a moment, “Well, no matter.” She started walking to another log structure. “I want you to figure out what signal you’re gonna give the chickens and start visiting them in the mornings. Just so they get used to you. We don’t want to upset them too much, so they need to start recognizing you.” Walking up to the much larger barn, she opened the doors. Danny was hit with the smell of animals and he scrunched up his nose, coughing.

Alice looked back at him and laughed, “Well, you’ll get used to the smell soon enough. Anyway, this is where we’ve got the rest of the animals. Some pigs, cows, sheep - used to have a horse, but once we switched to using the tractor and truck full time, and old age killed her off, it didn’t make sense to get another. But that was a number of years ago at this point. I think ya mom and me were still kids then.”

Danny’s eyes finished adjusting to the inside and he saw the animals in their stalls. The cows looked over at him, but it was one brave pig that snuffled up to Danny. “Oh,” Danny said, crouching down. “Cute.” Reaching out a hand, Danny tried to pet the pig, which quickly moved away and waddled back to its stall area.

Danny caught Alicia’s smile as he stood back up. “Pat’s rather friendly, but I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached.” She gestured over to the far wall, “I usually open up the barn during the day, let the animals wander around. Before that though,” she bent down to grab a stool. “There’s some tasks to get done.”

Alicia made her way to one of the cows and picked up a stool and a steel bucket hanging up on the post. She turned back around to Danny, “Yer gonna learn how to milk the cows here. We usually fill up the pail and then transfer them to bottles. We get too much milk to use ourselves, so neighbors will come and pick up some bottles from time to time.” She set the stool down with the pail on top, then moved to the larger cow. Going around to the back of the stall, she unlooped a short rope and tied it around the cow’s neck. “This old gal here is Gully.” Alice jerked her chin to other stall, “and our younger one is Lass.” Alicia walked back out of the stall to move the stool and bucket closer.

“What’s the rope for Aunt Alice?” Danny asked.

“Oh,” Alice said, setting down the stool and pail at Gully’s side. Sitting down, she said, “just to keep her in place. Gully doesn’t move as much as Lass will, but she’s used to the rope. Either way, it lets her know it’s her turn. Here,” Alice beckoned Danny over. "Now here’s how you milk a cow.”

After the early morning of getting food to the animals, collecting the eggs, and milking the cows, Alice led Danny back down to her cabin. Going inside for a minute, Alice came out with a cup of water for Danny. “I’m gonna check on the oatmeal and cook up a few eggs for us. I want you to walk around the woods down here while I finish up breakfast.”

“Alright,” Danny said. “And uuuh, I’ll hear the bell when it’s time to come back?”

Alice chuckled, “Ha - yeah, you’ll hear it. Remember – don’t dawdle when you hear it, come straight back.”

Danny downed the cup of water in one go and nodded, setting down the now empty glass on the table. “Will do.” Danny started walking off and he heard the creak of the cabin door. Just as he was about to exit the clearing, Alicia yelled back, “And don’t step on my rhubarb!”

Danny walked around a bush, ducking underneath a tree limb, “Ok!” and almost ran into a large leafed plant. He tilted his head. Squinted.

‘I don’t actually know what rhubarb looks like,’ he thought. Danny shrugged and moved around it anyway. Walking further into the woods he felt the temperature drop some as shade took over. Standing still, Danny realized how quiet it was. No cars, no honking, no rushing of traffic in the distance. Instead, there was the rustle of leaves and the occasional bird call. He breathed in and out. Quiet, and it smelled like the earth. He looked around. A chipmunk scampered up a far off tree. Danny started picking his way through the bushes, tree roots, and other obstacles as he walked further in.

Danny looked back, and not seeing anyone, did his best to walk in a circle with Alicia’s cabin in the center. He almost tripped a few times, before remembering that he could use his intangibility to easily get through the plants without crushing any. ‘Problem solved. I can’t step on anything if I do this.’ Without having to pick his way in between and around foliage, Danny’s pace picked up as he walked the area. Coming up to what he assumed was near the back side of the cabin, Danny heard a sharp piercing bell echo around. Danny jumped. It was much louder than he thought it would be, especially through the trees. He started walking back, and spied Will coming in and out of view. Danny had gone farther than he thought and hurried up. Just before he popped out of the trees, he dropped his intangibility and walked out behind Will onto the dirt path. “Hey Will!” Danny greeted.

Will whipped his head around, “Oh! Geee-zuuus kid. Where’d you come from?”

Danny came up alongside Will, “the woods. Alice showed me around the animals this morning, then had me walk around for a bit.”

Will nodded. “Makes sense. You see her rhubarb patch?”

Danny grimaced, “Uuuh maybe?”

“You don’t know what they look like, do ya?”

Danny shook his head, “Not really.” After a moment of hesitation, Danny asked, “what do they look like?”

“Oh well, you’ll know it when you see it. Got these big leafs on them. Actually, she’s started a new patch of them in her actual garden. Not hard to spot, there’s about 6 of them? Started a year or two back to grow them in a different spot. Real finicky things, they don’t like it down here, but I suppose Alicia likes ‘em well enough that she takes the time to baby the things. Me personally, I don’t like ‘em all that much, wouldn’t bother putting in tha’ much effort.” Popping out of the trees, Will waved over to Alicia, getting her attention to let them know they had arrived.

Alicia looked over, “Good – kid came back with ya. I’ll finish hanging this line and then I’ll get food out.” She turned back to the laundry.

Will nodded, “understood ma’am.” He looked over and down at Danny, “We best wash our hands and start setting out dishes then.”

Getting the table set up with a small plate, bowl, and spoon for each of them, Danny grabbed the pot of oatmeal, while Will grabbed the scrambled eggs. They got them set down in time for Alicia to round the corner from the back. “Aah, thank you kindly boys. Wasn’t expecting ya both to set up, but I’m grateful.” Sitting down, she started dishing out a ladle of oatmeal for everyone and Will pushed off some eggs on each plate. Danny waited a moment for Will and Alicia to settle down and then started eating.

After breakfast, Alice once again shooed Will off to work and had Danny help her wash and put away the dishes. Putting the towel back on the oven handle, Alice turned to her nephew. “Well. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” She glanced around. “Ya bring a water bottle with ya or anything?”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, “Uh no.” He flushed, “I forgot to grab one when packing.”

Alicia huffed, bending down to open a lower cabinet, and rummaged around before pulling out a spare canteen. Standing up, she unscrewed the lid and looked down into it with one eye closed. “Don’t think there’s dust or nothing in there. Should work fine for ya.” She passed it off to Danny and started walking out the door. “Get it filled and I’ll see ya outside. If you need to pee, now’s the time to do it.” She walked out and left Danny in the cabin. Looking around, he didn’t see anywhere other than the sink to fill up the water. Shrugging, he got it filled up from the sink, then quickly went to the bathroom. Looping the water bottle strap around himself, he left the cabin. Making sure to latch it closed, he walked towards Alicia who had put on a wide brimmed hat and they started up the slope together.

“Soooo,” Danny said. “What’re we doing today?”

Alicia chuckled, “you’ll see. I always found it easier myself to see what someone was talking about than to just listen to someone blabber on.”

They headed back up to the animals. Walking towards the barn, Danny squinted his eyes at the change in light as they reentered. He put a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle a cough. Alice looked over at him, eyes crinkling. “First order of business, mucking out the stalls. I’ll do the first one, then you’ll take over, so make sure you’re watching closely.” Danny wrinkled his nose as he took his hand away and watched Alicia roll up a wheel barrow from the side. She picked up a pitchfork, and as she speared the poop, started talking.

“You’re probably familiar with the poop part of this. You want to get out all the large patties, and then go back and clean up the pissed sections.” Alicia grunted as she lifted a large chunk into the wheelbarrow. “It ain’t tricky, but sometimes the animals like to cover the patches, so you gotta make sure that you get all the spots. We want them to have clean stalls when we bring them back in this evening. Specially the cows, don’t want them to get infections or nothing.” Alicia looked over at Danny who was looking up into the loft.

“Hey!” she called, and Danny dropped his head down to look at her. “You got that?”

“Yes, Aunt Alice,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

Alicia narrowed her eyes at him, then continued mucking out the stall. When she finished, she handed the necessary tools over. “Your turn kid.”

Danny flushed as he grabbed at the pitchfork, “Uh yes.” He looked around before facing his aunt. “What am I doing?”

Alicia stared him down. “The next stall, boy. Get to it.”

Danny gulped and walked to the stall next to the one Alice finished. “So I just-“ and he mimed stabbing a poop patty.

Alicia raised an eyebrow and stared Danny down.

Turning back around, he prodded the pile. Standing there a moment, he shifted his stance and jerked the tines into the pile. He wiggled it in a little further. Glancing over at the wheelbarrow, he started to crouch a little, bracing against his leg, and tried to leverage the pile up. The pitchfork shook a little and Danny shifted a foot back to steady himself. He shuffled around and clumsily wiggleded the poop off and into the wheelbarrow. He looked up at Alicia. Alicia looked back into the stall then back at Danny. Figuring that was as good of a “go ahead” as he was going to get, he turned back into the stall and continued. Alicia came to stand by the stall entrance and give the occasional tip as Danny rooted around looking around for spots to clean up. Danny groaned as he finished the last spot. Rubbing his arm, he turned toward Alicia.

As he opened his mouth, Alicia cut him off, “On to the next.”

Danny shut his mouth, glowering a little, and stepped over to the next stall in line. By the time he finished with that one, Alicia had come back with additional stall bedding, spreading it out and filling in the bare spots. Danny leaned against the stall divider and opened up his bottle, taking a gulp of water. It dribbled down his chin and he wiped it off. He hung his arms over the divider as he watched Alicia. Her movements were smooth and practiced, and she was methodical, poking around and moving material, building it up in spots and thinning it out in others. Alicia stepped back, shovel planted by her side. She glanced over at Danny, not surprised to see him watching.

“Any questions?”

Danny shook his head.

“No? Well, I’ll leave you to the rest then,” and grinned at him, before leaning the shovel to the side and walking out of the barn.

Danny sighed and dropped his head for a moment. It wasn’t hard to get the gist of what he had to do, but all of them? It felt like he spent an hour just cleaning out the two he did already. Not looking forward to the rest of the day, Danny pushed off the wall to continue.

At some point, Danny noticed something watching him from the barn door. His shoulders tensed as he turned around. The shape was grounded, solid in a way that most ghosts couldn’t replicate, and Danny felt his shoulders relax some. Squinting against the bright light pouring in, he made out a fuzziness to whatever it was. As his eyes adjusted enough to see more, Danny smiled. It was a large dog, light in color except for the face and ears where the fur darkened. Just as he was about to take a step to walk over, a low bark echoed throughout the barn. Danny stopped. The dog stood up but otherwise didn’t move, keeping eyes on him.

“Hey,” Danny said. “Aunt Alice said your name was Skip?”

The dog lowered its head down, staring down Danny.

Hearing footsteps coming from outside, Danny looked up. Alice came to the entrance by Skip’s side. “Sit,” she said. Turning to Danny, “can you turn away from Skip a little?”

Crouching down, she talked to Skip for a moment, before standing up and walking towards Danny. “Alright, this is Danny.” Coming to a stop near Danny, she clapped a hand on his shoulder. “He’s going to be staying with us a while Skip.”

Skip stood up, turned away, and walked off. Alice faced Danny. “Well, that was Skip. He isn’t the most friendly to strangers, but he’ll get used to you being around eventually. Not that he hangs around us all that often. Skip spends a lot of time with the chickens, sometimes the cows or pigs depending. And you,” Alicia shook a finger at him, “will be out with the crops. Shouldn’t run into any problems with Skip, just don’t startle him.”

Danny’s face fell, “Got it.”

Alice looked around. “So, you about finished in here?”

Danny ducked his head, “eeh about that.”

Alicia sighed, “Ok. Well, once you get done with this, come find me. I’ll be around, but if you can’t find me, just give a shout.” She walked back out of the barn.

Danny sighed, hopes of having a dog crushed once again, and got back to work.

_____

Putting the tools back where Alicia grabbed them from, Danny walked out of the barn. Stepping out of the shade, his hand flew up to shade his eyes from the sudden sun. Glancing around, he didn’t see Alicia. The woods on one side, chicken area in front, barn behind, and fields on his left. Danny’s arms were aching, and he turned toward the woods.

Walking through them for a while, Danny found a downed tree and sat down on it. Head turned up to the dappled sunlight, arms stretched back, legs thrown out in front of him, he breathed deeply. He slowly built up energy in his chest, before directing the collected ectoplasm out from his fingers, through the log, and into the surrounding area. Nothing ectoplasmic echoed back through the connection and Danny slowed pulled it back, collecting and dispersing it back into himself. Once confirming there were no ghosts out there, he fully settled his weight down onto his hands.

He ignored the guilt building a home in his stomach and stayed for a few minutes, letting the sun soak into his being. Danny was starting to get warm, bordering on hot - a foreign feeling ever since his ice core fully formed. His eyelids fluttered closed and a soft breeze blew through, taking the edge of the heat off. Danny could feel his heart slowing, mind growing fuzzy, and then he toppled back off the log. His back hit the ground and the air escaped his lungs. Wheezing softly, he stayed there for a moment. Gathering breath back in his lungs, he tried to roll himself over. Picking himself up, Danny did his best to brush the dirt and leaves off his backside. Turning his attention back where he came from, he stomped his way to the farm.

Coming back up to the path around the farm, Danny spied Alicia coming up to the barn. He started jogging faster before deciding to turn invisible and fly into the barn. Setting down in a shaded corner, Danny turned visible and walked to the open doors. Looking around behind him, he double checked that everything looked alright and walked out.

Alicia was almost to the barn doors, looking back at the chickens, when Danny popped out. “Hey!” Danny called. Alicia turned around to look at Danny before sending one last glance back. Waiting for Alicia to get to the barn, Danny rocked back and forth on his heels. His arms didn’t ache as much as when he first finished, but he could still feel the shaky weakness in them. Danny flashed a smile at her as she got to him.

“So, how are you feeling? Up to walking through the fields with me?”

Danny grimaced before he could stop himself.

Alicia looked at him, “I’ll take that as a yes.” She started walking away.

“Uh.” Danny started. Alicia stopped. “I – uh – what do I do with the, uuh, poop. In the wheelbarrow?”

Alicia sighed before changing directions, walking back up and into the barn. “I’ll show ya. You’re gonna dump it in a pile out back. We let it sit and age a while before using it. Not the most glamorous, but it does the job.”

Danny followed her in and took up the handles on the wheelbarrow. Alicia led him out back, through the gated fence, and to a pile of poop. Danny wrinkled his nose. It didn’t smell as bad as he thought, but it wasn’t pleasant either. He watched Alicia pick up a shovel that was leaning against a tree nearby, and she scooped the poop out of the small wheelbarrow and onto the pile. In a minute she was done and set the shovel back down.

“As I said, not hard. Get that wheelbarrow back where I grabbed it from this morning and catch up to me. We’ve got a lot to do today.”

Danny hurried to comply and jogged to get back to Alicia who was halfway to the fields.

“Sooo,” Danny stretched out the syllable, “what’re we doing anyways? Like the plants are all planted and stuff, right?”

Alicia scoffed at him and continued walking out to the fields. Coming up to a large field of corn, she sharply turned left and kept walking alongside it.

Danny hopped a little on one leg to change direction and catch up. After a few minutes of following Alicia and looking around the area – primarily at the woods in the distance, watching a bird fly up and overhead, and trying to find some shapes in the clouds – Danny sighed. He looked over at Alicia. Tried to find another bird to watch. Looked back down. Then further down at his feet. Kicked a stray rock, causing a small dust cloud to rise up. Alicia huffed. Danny paused for a moment. Started swinging his arms back and forth. Stopped. Started humming. Stopped. Shifted his weight on every step so he bobbed and swayed along more than walked. Stopped that. Looked back up at the clouds. He could feel the sun warming the back of his neck as they went.

Alicia glanced over at him, causing Danny’s extraneous movements to still. His shoulders lifted and he ducked his head down. After another moment Alicia put her hands in her pockets. Sighed. “If Will wasn’t using the tractor to go around the farm today I would’ve taken you around in it.” She leaned over to examine some of the corn stalks they passed by. Straightening back up Alicia said to Danny, “There’s still a lot to do on the farm. We may not be primarily livestock, but crops also require a fair bit of work. We have to make sure they’re getting enough water, fertilize from time to time, spray for bugs and other diseases, weeding of course, making sure we don’t see signs of problems on the plants themselves, taking care of tractor maintenance – among other daily tasks. You’ll be out in the fields mostly. I’ll show you what needs done these first few days and then you’ll be sent off to do those tasks. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know what to focus on, but,” Alicia shrugged, “a lot of it comes down to watching and learning the first few days.”

“Oh.” Danny said. “Uh, so what kinds of plants do you grow here?” He scratched his warm neck.

Alice lifted up her hat before setting it back down, “Well, we’re a bit unusual – mostly growing feed for the livestock farms around here. Remember when you and Jazz jumped into town last year from Air Grits?”

Danny nodded, “Yeah, that was weird; drove in this time though.”

Alice lifted her eyebrows for a moment, “Yep. Bit of a hassle to drive into town though?”

Danny looked away, “Uuuh yea, the roads were kind of bumpy?”

Letting out a loud barking laugh, Alice said, “That’s one way to put it. The road up here has a lot of sections through the woods too. People here don’t drive from town to town all that often. Makes us pretty secluded, and since there's not a lot of traffic it doesn’t make much sense to put money aside to pave a more direct route in. Easier to just jump in from a plane for the most part. Unless you live close that is.”

“I guess. But what does that have to do with your farm?” Danny wrinkled his noise as a breeze briefly brought the smell of manure his way.

“Mmm,” Alicia started. “Well, animals need a lot of food, and the harder it is to get it brought in, the more expensive it is. Growing up, your ma and me saw how the farmers struggled with the prices. When I grew up, I decided to shift the family farm to silage to help with the demand. You won’t see a lot of farms like mine, most of the food is grown outside of our region here or in other states entirely.” She paused. “It’s also a hell of a lot more trouble to get it to all work out if I’m honest. There’s a reason crops aren’t grown in these parts.”

Danny nodded, looking back at the trees they passed by.

“To answer your original question, we got a field we plant cover crops in. Depending on what we’ve got, I’ll send the cows and pigs out there during the days. You won’t spend a lot of time there. Then we’ve got this corn that we’re passing. Unlike the corn we eat, this gets left to dry out after it gets done growing.”

Danny looked over the field, eyebrows pinched together. “Corn?”

“Yessir, this is a corn field we’re walking by. I guess for a city boy like you, it’ll be easier to tell in a few weeks. These here are still growing their ears. We’ve got some fields we planted earlier – they got their ears and silk already. You’ll see them tomorrow probably.”

“Why?” Danny interjected, “Why did you plant them like that?”

“Well,” Alice starts, “Oh, we’re coming up to the wheat here,” and pointed forward to the next field. “We stagger our fields like that, so we stagger what time they’re ready to harvest. It doesn’t make sense to flood the ranchers around here with a bunch of feed all at once, or to hafta store a bunch of it. Arkansas up here in the north is a little interesting. I started doing that a couple years back, and it’s been alright. More work on my and Will’s end, but,” Alice shrugged.

Danny looked up at her, then tried standing on his tip toes as he walked. He couldn’t see past the tops of the corn stalks and stumbled over an uneven patch on the ground. Righting himself, he glanced back up at his aunt. “So you’ve got corn and wheat, anything else?”

Alice looked down at him briefly, “Sometimes we’ll do soybeans, sometimes sorghum. Depends. Nothing you’ll have to worry about either way. I think we’ll keep ya working on the wheat and corn this summer.” Alicia looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Speaking of, you drive yet?”

Danny choked on some spit, “Sorry?” He cleared his throat, “I’m still a few months shy of being able to get my permit. Eeeer,” Danny looked up her, “Why?”

“Aaah,” Alice said. More to herself than Danny, she muttered, “No matter, I’ll have to teach ya regardless.” She looked off in the distance before turning back to Danny. “Today, we’re going to go around the farm. I’ll show ya where are the different sections are and how they’re organized.”

Danny squirmed, “You don’t have to do that Aunt Alicia, I could walk around by myself. I don’t want to take you away from your work.”

Alicia narrowed her eyes at him. “You won’t be. I’ve got stuff to do out in the fields anyway.”

Deflating a little under her gaze he nodded, “Okay.”

Walking out to edge of the farm, Alicia took Danny through a section of wheat, pointing out things to watch out for, checking moisture levels, and more. Danny did his best to pay attention, but kept getting distracted by the wind brushing through the wheat. The plants would bend and rub against one another, creating a raspy sound, like someone walking around. After a sudden gust that caused Danny to jump, Alicia looked up at him. She waited for Danny to settle again, then went back to what she was doing. He could feel his shoulders tense and looked around the tops of the wheat to make sure that there really wasn’t anyone around. Danny moved to crouch down next to his aunt. He started to lean off to one side, unbalanced on the ground, and it was only when he put out a hand to brace himself did Danny notice that his hands were balled into fists. He slowly unclenched his left hand, the tension dissipating as he flexed it. Turning back to Alicia, he noticed she had turned to look at him. Danny looked back at her. She raised an eyebrow.

At Danny’s clueless face, she rolled her eyes. “Look over at the roots by you – do you see anything out of the ordinary?”

Danny ears flushed pink as he turned his head to look around him.

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly, with Alice pulling snack bars from her overall pockets as a short break while they walked through more sections. As they exited a corn field, Danny heard a rumbling in the distance. After a minute or two of walking down the wider path, Alicia angled her head back, listening to something. “Seems Will is driving the tractor back. If he crosses near us, and has the cart hitched up, we can get a ride back.”

Danny desperately hoped that he would see Will. He might have the occasional ghost fight and Sam as a friend, but he wasn’t fit. After a day walking around, crouching and standing, his legs were tired, feet aching, and even his arms felt heavy. Danny couldn’t wait to get back to his cabin and fall face first onto his bed asleep. His stomach grumbled out. Actually, dinner first, then sleep. Hearing a change in the tractor rumble, Danny looked behind him and saw the tractor turn down their row. Danny waved at Will, and Alicia turned around. Ushering Danny to the side of the path, they let Will come to a stop, before closing the distance.

Grinning over at them, Will opened the door and told Danny, “You look dead on ya feet, kid. Ready to get back?”

“Yes please,” Danny begged.

“Alright, then climb in.” Will closed the door.

Danny gave a little wave and followed Alicia to the back, climbing up into the cart hitched up.

As Will got closer to the upper cabins, he let Alicia and Danny off before he went off to park the tractor and finish up some tasks.

“Well,” Alicia said, stretching out her back, “I’ve got some stuff to get in order before dinner. If you want to call home, I’ve got a landline down in my house. There’s not enough time to take a nap or anything, not that I’d recommend it anyway. Or you could always take another look in the barn, see if there’s anything to muck out before the animals bed down for the night.

“Ok,” Danny said. Alicia quickly turned and made her way down to the lower area. Danny stood there for a minute, looking off into the woods, before making his way behind his cabin to the freestanding outhouse.

After, he ambled to his cabin. Throwing open the door, he walked over to his bed. He flopped down on top of it, a leg and arm hanging over the edge. Danny wasn’t sure how much time he actually had before dinner, but he just wanted to be horizontal for a while. His body settled down, weighing into the mattress as he tried to stop thinking. After a while, his face got tired of being smashed into the sheets and Danny turned his head to the side, examining the little cabin. The sunlight coming in through the windows was yellow orange and muted. He watched the dust motes dance down the shaft of light before they disappeared into the shadows by his face. Feeling his body relax further, his turned his attention to his wide open door. The sounds of the woods filtered in, quiet, through it. He heard a deep bark come from Skip from somewhere. The sounds of a fly buzzing around his doorframe before flying off. Birds called back and forth. Danny sighed and felt his eyelids slide shut. He couldn’t wait to start counting down the days until he returned to Amity Park.

When Danny could feel his heart slowing down, he quickly opened his eyes and pushed himself up. The sudden shift started his heart beating rapidly. Despite wanting to sleep so badly after this day, Danny did not want to miss dinner and he had a sinking feeling that his aunt would not be happy if he didn’t show up. Not knowing how much time passed, he got up and left his cabin, making sure the latch clicked shut before he walked down to Alicia’s cabin. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, he made his way down the slope. He didn’t call last night, despite promising his family he would. Danny was relatively assured that his mom would’ve called Alice anyway. More than that, Danny wanted to check in with Sam and Tucker. As enthusiastic as his parents could be about chasing down ghosts, they were hardly reliable when it came to dealing with the ghosts in town.

He heard a steady clacking as he approached Alice’s door, and opening it, he found her in the kitchen cutting up ingredients.

Danny looked around, then cleared his throat. After a moment, Alice turned around to face Danny. “What’s up?”

“Uuh, I’d like to use the phone. If there’s still time before dinner?”

Alice gave one short nod then gestured, curving her hand around to point. “Phone is on the other side of this wall, it’s a mounted one. You can pull up a chair if you want. I reckon you have enough time for a call.”

“Or two, if you’ve got a special someone,” she tacked on, laughing when Danny spluttered half formed words at her. “Aah just kidding kid,” Alice said as she turned back around.

Danny let out a wheezy, “thanks,” before walking to the other side of the wall. He found the aged yellow phone on the other side easily enough. Pausing in front of it, he took a deep breath, before lifting up his hand to the receiver. His hand rested there for a moment before he tightened his fingers and pulled the phone off, dialing the FentonWorks business number with his other hand. Bringing the phone up to his ear, he shifted his weight, an arm coming around to wrap around himself.

Briing brriiiing.

….

Briing Brriiing.

….

Bri – “Hello?” A female voice answered. “You’ve reached the FentonWorks business. If it’s about ghosts or specters, we’re here to help. What can we do for you today?”

Danny let out a breath at his mom’s practiced spiel. “Hey, Mom.”

A gasp crackled through the landline, “Oh Danny!” she said in surprise. “Oh, honey, why didn’t you call the house number?”

Danny looked up at a corner of the cabin. “They all end up at the same place though?”

“Honey, but it’s different phones that ring – you know that. And I’m not sure your father deleted off old voicemails from this number, so if we weren’t here to catch your phone call you wouldn’t have been able to leave a message!”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” Danny mumbled under his breath.

“What was that? Danny, you have to –“

“IS THAT OUR DANNY BOY?! HOW IS HE? ENJOYING LIFE WITH YOUR OLD BAT OF AN SISTER?” Jack’s booming voice cut through, clear enough to understand even as it crackled the closer he got to the phone.

Danny heard a rustling and a light smack on the other side. “Jack darling, my sister is not an old bat,” she admonished. “But yes, it’s Danny.” A pause. “Danny can you hold on a moment? I’m going to put you on speaker.”

Danny’s hand crept up to the coiled cord connecting the phone to the base.

A couple of clicks, then – “Oh Danny, can you hear us?”

And a competing “Still there Danny?” coming through at the same time.

Danny winced as the phone screeched. “Yeah,” his fingers twisted around the cord, “I’m still here.”

“Oh wonderful,” his mom said, “how are you settling in?”

“Meet any farm animals yet?” his dad asked. A breath, then an excited “Meet any country ghosts?”

Danny sighed, his fingers twisting up more in the cord. “I’m doing fine. Aunt Alice explained where everything is, and I pretty much fell asleep after moving my clothes out of the suitcase. Sorry I didn’t end up calling you last night.”

“That’s fine sweetie, your aunt gave us a short call last night to let us know you made it there alright.”

Danny hummed, hunch confirmed. Hearing his dad take a breath in, Danny quickly tacked on, “and I haven’t seen any ghosts, Dad. Met some cows, pigs, chickens, and the farm dog though.”

“And how is Skip doing?” Maddie asked.

Danny’s face scrunched up, “Fine? I guess? He didn’t like that I showed up today, just kind of stared at me for a bit before walking off.”

Maddie laughed. “That sounds like him. He’s nice enough when he warms up to you. But no, he isn’t too fond of strangers. Just give it time Danny.”

Danny huffed.

“Yes, yes, but I think he’ll be back before then Maddie,” Jack replied.

“Oh, you’re absolutely right dear. How are –“ Danny heard distant footsteps.

“Is that Danny?” his sister’s voice called out in the distance, a whisper coming through the phone.

“YES, COME HERE JAZZ, SAY HI!” his dad yelled.

Danny untwisted his fingers from the cord before starting to wrap them up again. “Hi Jazz,” he said.

“Oooh! Hi Danny! How are you doing!?”

“Alright,” he said. “Aunt Alice was finishing dinner. I just wanted to check in with you guys before then.”

“Ok Danny. Well, thank you for that. We don’t want to keep you too long then.” Jazz’s voice turned sharp, “Do we?”

“No! No, we don’t Jazzy pants! Don’t forget to call later! We miss you Danny boy! Don’t work yourself too hard, but make sure you listen to your ba-“ Jack cleared his throat, “your aunt.”

“I suppose we should let you go then Danny. Thank you for calling us. As nice as it was to know you were there safe, it’s even better hearing your voice. We miss you sweetie, love you!” Maddie said.

A twin chorus of “Love you”s sounded off after her.

“Love you guys,” Danny said. He clicked the phone back on. Sighing, he pulled it back off after a minute. Dialing a different number, he waited for the signal to connect. Danny started counting, but before he could reach five, he heard it connect.

“Sam?” Danny said.

A gasp, “Danny? Oh, I didn’t know you’d be able to call so soon!”

Danny smiled. He heard a small voice come through, “Is that Danny?” After a moment, a much louder, “Hey dude! How are you? Is it smelly there? Did you get a signal with my Charlotte?”

“Hey Tucker, Sam. Uuh, no Tucker, your PDA didn’t connect to anything. Other than that, it’s fine. I was outside, like, all day today. My legs feely like jelly,” he grouched.

Sam clicked her tongue, “This is why you, and Tucker, should join me when I exercise!”

“You can NOT convince me to join your exercise regime,” Tucker said.

“One day,” Sam vowed, “one day you’ll join me, Tucker Foley.”

Danny laughed. “Alright, I’m glad I reached both of you. I’ve got some questions about our,” Danny paused for a moment, “city guests?”

“Guests?” Tucker said. “What do you – oof.”

“Ghosts, Tucker, keep up,” Sam hissed.

“Got it, there was no need to elbow me though.”

Danny could imagine Tucker melodramatically massaging his side as Sam rolled her eyes at him. “So?” he prompted. “Anything to worry about?”

Tucker sighed, “dude it’s been dead around here, Poindexter was walking around campus yesterday, the Box Ghost was seen flying around the warehouses, and then today Vaaaal – the Red Huntress was chasing Skulker.”

“Skulker?” Danny snapped.

“Yeah, no need to get your pants twisted Danny,” Sam said, “it was Skulker out of his suit of all things. No clue why he was wandering around like that.”

“It was weird seeing his naked, blobby ass Danny!”

“Eeeew, Tucker!”

“What?”

“Gross! Anyway, Danny, despite having so many sightings the past few days, there haven’t been many problems. Even your parents have kept the GAV destruction to a minimum. Your dad only dented a stop sign pole and your mom only scorched some leaves while blasting at the Box Ghost.”

“Huh,” Danny said, “that’s good. I guess?”

“Relax, dude, if any problems pop up, Sam and me have got this. Along with Valerie. We won’t let anything too bad happen. And hey! If all else fails, then your parents are always around.”

Danny snorted, “thanks, I feel so much better now.”

Sam sighed, “seriously though Danny, take it easy. You are nowhere near Amity right now, so it’s no use worrying about it. We have it covered and before you know it, you’ll be back.”

“Yeah, alright,” Danny said, fingers twisting in the cord again. “Okay. That’s – thanks for letting me know.”

“Are you okay?” Tucker asked.

Danny sighed into the receiver. “Yeah.” Silence stretched out between the two sides of the call. Danny heard Alicia shuffle out of the cabin and down the steps.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Danny said. “I’m just. UUuugh. I don’t understand why my parents thought I needed to get away from Amity Park. And my sister didn’t help, butting in with all these psychology studies about stressed teenagers, and environments, and whatnot. Can you believe that fink convinced my parents to send me away for basically my entire break!?! I already missed half of summer being in school, and now I’m out in the middle of nowhere? It’s stupid. I don’t even know why they thought the ghosts attacks were putting me on edge in the first place! I don’t even stick around for the ghost fights as Fenton because I’m so busy running off to fight them myself,” Danny hissed. He heard a stair creak. He sighed, letting the tension bleed out of him. “Anyway, how are you guys? Enjoying your summer?”

Sam and Tucker started talking about how excited they were for a new movie that was coming out next week and Danny smiled softly, listening to their back and forth. Hearing someone clear their throat behind him, he turned around, and lowered the phone away from his ear.

“Dinner’s gonna be done soon kiddo,” Alice said.

“Thanks,” Danny mouthed.

Finding a short break in the conversation, Danny interrupted whatever retort was coming next, “Hey, guys. I’m glad I could catch both of you, but I got to go. I’ll talk to you both later?” He untangled his fingers from the cord.

“Oh,” Sam said, “Yes, of course. Bye Danny!”

“Bye! Talk to you later!” Tucker said.

“Bye.” Danny clicked the phone back in place.

Collecting himself, Danny breathed out, plastered a neutral expression onto his face, and turned around to walk outside for dinner.

_______

Danny was in his bed. He was exhausted. His arms ached, his feet were sore, and his eyes were tired.

He rolled over. It was dark, likely the middle of the night, and he was groggy, limbs still heavy and heart slow from sleep. So why was he awake? He heard a far off call coming from the direction of the woods. ‘Probably a wolf’, he thought. Closing his eyes, Danny settled back down. Or tried to. His skin itched and Danny twisted around to rest on his other side. Scrunched together his eyelids. Moved his feet around. Sighed, then pushed himself up. Slipping on his boots, he opened up the cabin door and stepped outside.

Looking around, Danny didn’t see anything concerning. He stepped down and walked around the cabin, looking at the sky and the darkness in between the trees. Danny walked back in the cabin, pulling the door till he heard the latch click, then walked to his bed. Sitting down he took a deep breath, held it, and his eyes glowed green in the dark as he released the breath. Ecto pooled beneath his feet and he pushed it through the ground. He stretched out his consciousness with the ecto, making sure that there was nothing unexpected in the area. The only thing he sensed was a small pool of ectoplasm in the ground, far enough down that it was probably undisturbed by anyone for hundreds of years. Breathing in, he called his ecto back. Breathed in, then out. Followed the path of his breath through his body as it traveled. In through the nose, down to his lungs, inflating, then back up and out. Once he felt sufficiently centered in his body again, Danny kicked off his boots and laid back down. Sleep claimed him quickly once more.

Sun hitting Danny’s face woke him up. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Danny groaned. He still felt sore from the day before, tired from the ghosts fights prior to coming to his aunt’s, and annoyed from being sent in the first place. In short, Danny was grumpy. The sharp rap on his door a couple minutes later did not help.

“Up and at ‘em Danny.”

“I’m up!” he called back.

Hearing footsteps recede, Danny groaned. Loudly. Maybe he could convince his parents to pick him up? Call this summer trip short? Danny started plotting ways to get back home, with his parents’ permission, as he followed Alicia back to the chickens, then off to the barn.

Neither spoke to one another, Danny doing his best to help Alice. Before long, she had him mucking out the stalls again as she walked off to attend to other chores. As Alice said, it wasn’t tricky and the repetition had Danny zoning out, daydreaming about being back in Amity.

A short step back, and Danny tripped over a trough. Hitting the ground hard, he felt something squish against his backside. Danny sighed. He closed his eyes, gathered some motivation, then swung his legs over the trough and fully onto the ground. Standing up, he twisted around to see the cow pie he landed in. Wrinkling his nose, Danny pushed intangibility through his body to get the crap to drop off his butt and walked out of the way before releasing it. He stood there, feeling the warmth of the sun heating up the open doorway, and looked at the two stalls left to do. Danny was just about to turn around and walk off for a little break, when his mom’s chiding voice echoed through his head. Turning back around, he went to finish the job before the food bell rang out.

Later that day, the walkie that Alice had given Danny earlier that day crackled to life. “DANNY! Get the first aid kit from the barn and get out to the field Will was working in. Now.”

Click.

Danny, who had been lounging by the storage barn, darted inside to grab the kit that hung up there, and ran back out. He activated his flight so he lifted just above the ground, and flew most of the distance to the field. When he was close, he dropped back down and ran the rest of the way.

“Mmmm fine,” Will slurred out.

“Will Archibald Jacobson don’t you dare,” Danny heard Alice hiss out.

He darted around a row to see Will by the woodchipper, Alice holding his arm above his head. “What happened?” Danny yelled, dashing the last few yards to them.

Will’s arm was wrapped in his overshirt, blood soaking into the fabric. He had blood on his tank shirt and his pants. Blood dripped down to his neck. His face had an out of focus expression.

Danny set down the first aid kit.

Flipping it open, Alice responded, “darn idiot got distracted and forgot about the woodchipper next to him.”

“Hey!” Will protested. “Kid, don’t listen to her, I was… safe, prom’se! Jus’ go’ startled by this green thing – glowing like the sun – ‘n tripped ‘n fell is all.”

“Danny, press here,” Alice instructed, ignoring Will’s slurred explanation.

Danny helped Alice wrap up Will’s arm tight. Hauling him to his feet, Alice turned around. “Danny, I’m going to take him into town. I’m not sure how deep that cut went, but,” she trailed off, looking at the dopey look on Will’s face.

“Got it, what do you want me to do?”

Hoisting a shoulder over her own, Alice grunted, “help me get him there.”

Danny darted under Will’s other side to support him, and they started to walk him back. Will protested the whole way, claiming that he was fit as a fiddle and definitely didn’t need to walk into town and that they should check out ‘the weird creature in the woods, big, green, and glowing, can’t miss it’. Danny extended some of his flight powers to Will, lightening the load on him and Alice. They walked Will past Alice’s cabin, through a short stretch of woods, and into town. Will finally quieted down, grumbling instead of loudly complaining, and they made it into the small clinic.

“Patty!” Alice called out.

A middle aged woman came out from the back door, “what’s – oh, get him into the back room.” She propped the door open, and let them pass her, pointing them to one of the two examination rooms. Shooing Alice and Danny back out once they set him down, Patty got to work.

Walking back out to waiting room, Danny felt sick to his stomach. He was supposed to have gone to help Will out that afternoon, but decided to take his time and took a break near the chickens instead. “Is he going to be ok, Aunt Alice?”

“Probably,” Alice said, but the furrows between her eyebrows told a different story. “Well, nothing much to do in the meantime. You been through town yet?”

Danny blinked at the sudden shift, “uh, no, not yet.”

“Then I’ll show you around real quick while we’re here, make the most of this.”

Alice took Danny around, which consisted of walking him up and down Mainline and Riverway, the two major streets of the small town. There were only a handful of shops, the clinic, and a gas station.

“That’s it?” Danny asked as they walked back to the clinic.

“Yep,” Alice popped the p.

“It’s…. tiny.”

Sighing, Alice said, “well yea, most folks around here stay on the farms. You have a few homes down here near town, but most people prefer to move down to the bigger town about 50 miles from here.”

Stepping into the clinic, Danny now noticed the chime that signaled their entrance. They settled down in two of the three seats in the front area.

A few minutes later, Patty walked back out. “Well, Will should be fine. It’ll take a while for his arm to heal up, but he’s still got movement and feeling, so I don’t think he’s got any nerve damage.” She smiled at them. “Lucky, though, that he didn’t lose too much blood. I got him a snack and had him lay down in the meantime. What’d he even do? He had fat hanging out of the wound and everything.”

“Fool got distracted and the wood chipper was nearby,” Alice grumbled.

“He tripped into it,” Danny added.

“Hmm, well alright. You guys gonna take him back up to the farm?” Patty asked.

Alice uncrossed her arms, placing her hands on her knees. “Suppose so. His family’s too far away to call to get him today. I’ll see if they’ll come pick him up tomorrow.” She sighed, running a hand through her mullet. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, so they probably will.”

“Definitely lucked out then,” Patty said. She walked back to check on Will.

Waiting for the “all clear” to take Will back up, Danny stewed in his thoughts. He hadn’t exactly done anything outright wrong, but Danny knew that if he had taken his job more seriously, he would’ve been with Will and maybe he wouldn’t have gotten hurt or as badly or –

“Stop thinkin’ so loud.”

Danny jumped. The swirl of his thoughts coming to a halt.

“I’m sorry,” Danny whispered.

“What for?”

“I –“ Danny paused. “I –“

“Danny,” Alice cut in. “It ain’t your fault.”

“But –“

“Nope. Whatever ya think ya did or didn’t do, it’s not your fault.” Alice side eyed his hunched, guilty looking form. “Stuff like this happens – whether or not anyone else is around. So don’t worry too much.”

Danny dropped his head down.

The silence stretched between them. Alice looked out the window, and Danny made a promise to himself to take this summer more seriously.

__________

The next morning, Danny waved Will and his family off as they left down the back road. He’d be gone for the next couple of weeks to keep him away from the temptation of working. Knowing they’d have to pick up the slack, Danny and Alice hurried back to work.

_________

A week later, Danny was settling into a routine, getting comfortable around the farm. He was getting quicker at mucking out the stalls, and as such, he had some time to do some laundry. Taking the path down to Alice’s cabin, he passed under one of the open cabin windows.

“-addie.”

Danny stopped. Was Alicia talking to his mom?

“Danny?” Alicia asked.

Oh, they were talking about him. He stood there, holding his bag of laundry, curious about what his aunt would say.

“No, he’s doing good work around the farm.”

Danny shuffled a foot around, making circles in the dirt as he listened in.

“Yeah Madds, I can see why you’re so fond of him.” Alicia laughed in response to something Maddie said. “That he is, you raised a good boy.”

Danny’s eyes widened. Bugs buzzed around in the grass around him.

“Mmmm. If he didn’t have school to get back to, I wouldn’t mind keeping him around,” Danny overheard. Eyes widening, he decided to quickly walk off to the laundry.

He hadn’t realized that his aunt liked him that much. Even more surprising that she’d want to keep him on. Danny remembered the start of summer school when his teacher all but groaned at him walking in. Danny had just failed the second half of their class not 2 weeks before. Due to the sudden ghost appearances, Danny hadn’t been the most reliable in the last few years. But for someone to recognize his work? And be satisfied with it? Danny felt a warm feeling start in his chest. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay for the rest of the summer.

______

A couple weeks passed from that phone conversation, with Will coming back and slowly starting to pick up more work again.

Danny had, for the first time since he arrived on the farm, a short work day. By the time lunch came around, Danny had finished his list of chores. After getting the confirmation from Alice, he had the whole afternoon to himself.

He walked around the farm, ending up at one of the wheat fields. Will and Alice were focused on the corn fields for the day and wouldn’t be out this way until later. Standing there amidst the softly swaying strands, Danny watched the sky. The breeze in the air that moved the wheat also pushed the clouds around high above. He decided to take a seat between the golden rows, laying on his back, arm flung behind his head. Staring up at the clouds, he watched them flow across the sky, shifting forms as they traveled. The sun-warmed dirt below him felt like a warm blanket on his back. This close to the ground, it smelled sweet, a little moist and earthy. Danny pulled his cap lower over his face as the warmth settled into his bones. Soon enough, he was lulled off to sleep.

By the time he woke up, the sun had dipped lower in the sky. Sitting up, Danny didn’t hear anyone around and got up. As he walked out of the field, Danny raised his eyes, jumping a little at Skip sitting down and watching him from a distance. Danny paused midstep. When Skip didn’t make a move, Danny finished walking out of the wheat and onto the dirt path. They stared at one another for a moment. Out of view, one of the pigs grunted. Skip blinked, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, before he got up to walk to the pig. Danny watched his tail wag as he left. He chuckled softly as he headed off to Alice’s cabin.

After dinner, he stuck around, playing a card game with Alice, Will, and Jasper. Every so often one of the townspeople stopped by to get Alice’s opinion about something or another and stayed for a meal. When Jasper lost the third game in a row, he called it quits and headed out for the night. Will, Alicia, and Danny played a few more rounds themselves, Will and Danny winning a round each, with the rest of the wins going to Alice. By the time they said their goodnights, the moon was rising. The sky had darkened considerably and the stars were twinkling to life above them.

“Oh.” Danny breathed, stopping on the cabin porch.

Will looked back, “Danny?”

“The sky. I –“ he paused. “I’ve been falling asleep so quickly I haven’t had time to really see it.”

“Oh, that all? It’s pretty neat I guess… Well, I’ll head up then, see ya later Danny.”

Eyes never leaving the sky, “Night Will. See ya tomorrow.” He walked down to sit at the table.

The door creaked open, “Oh. Danny? Is that you still down here?”

Danny, from the picnic table, confirmed, “Yeah.”

“Huh, I thought you and Will left a while ago.”

“Hmmhmm. Will did, headed up already.”

“Ooook. Well, you need anything?”

“Nope.”

“Alright,” Alice stepped down, walking up to the table. “Well, it’s getting late. Now, I’m not your mom, but maybe consider heading up yourself soon.”

“Ok. Yeah, you’re right.”

“… Ya really like those stars huh?”

Danny finally looked down, “Yeah.” He grinned, “you can’t see the stars like this in Amity. I mean, you can, it’s not the worst, but it’s just so clear out here!”

Alice chucked, “Sure is. Sometimes I forget how nice it is.”

“If I lived out here, I would never take it for granted. I bet it’s so easy to track the constellations and star movements,” Danny’s eyes lit up with the possibilities.

“Don’t know much about the stars myself but,” she shrugged, “I guess it wouldn’t be hard to, no.”

Taking one last look up at the stars, Danny got up, said goodnight to his aunt, and headed up to get ready for bed.

_______

“And Danny? Come into my cabin for a moment, your job today is going to be a little different.”

Will frowned, “Aaah man, Danny gets to do that?”

“Do what?” Danny asked.

Alicia grinned. “Blackberry picking.”

“Yeah, and it’s the best job of the summer,” Will grumbled. “You better enjoy it kid.” He stood up. “Well, I’ll see you two later,” and he walked up the slope to get back to work.

“Bye,” Danny called. Turning to Alicia, “So what does berry picking mean I’m doing, exactly?” He looked around, “I haven’t noticed any berries around here.”

Alice laughed, “no you won’t. Come inside, I have to show you where you’re going.”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows but followed her into the cabin where some maps of the farm and surrounding area and a large basket sat on the table.

Alice picked up the first map, took a look, then rifled through the pile to find one that had a large circle on it. “Ah, here it is,” she placed it on top of the pile and pointed to the circled area. “This is where you’re headed today.”

Danny leaned in to look over the map. “That looks like it’s in the woods?”

“Yep,” Alicia said, “you’re going to be taking a little walk today. I’ve got your lunch packed up, all you have to do is fill your canteen, and then head out for the day.”

Danny frowned. “And how am I supposed to find them?”

Alice rolled her eyes, “They aren’t hard to spot. Here,” she pointed to a different area of the map, “we are. You’re going to head this direction,” she moved her finger up, around a small lake, and to the circle. “It’s pretty easy walking. The pond will keep you on track, though it’s more like a glorified puddle, but whatever. You’ll hear the stream feeding into it, so if you do get lost, just hush up and listen. You’ll pick the berries, put them in this basket, and when it’s full, you’ll head back. I scoped out the area last year and this was a fairly big thicket, so even if the animals have gotten to it there should still be plenty left for you.” She looked up at Danny. “Got it?”

Danny worried his lip. “I guess?” He hadn’t really explored the surrounding area, but figured if he needed to, he could just fly up and look for the way back easily enough.

“Good. Well, get your basket and water and get going. I’ve got work to get to. See you for dinner kid,” and Alicia walked out the door.

Danny took another look at the map, doing his best to memorize the path. He sighed, picking up the basket, stopping by his cabin quickly to grab his water bottle, and started off to the trees.

Walking into the woods, Danny noticed a strap on the basket and quickly put it over his shoulder. The basket bobbed against his butt as he walked, but it was better than having to carry it the whole way. As Danny got further in, the undergrowth increased. Danny activated his intangibility and walked right through. The sun was bouncing through the leaves, casting spots of shadow and light. He heard the birds sitting overhead in the treetops and a beetle buzzed past Danny’s ear. He made his way to the small lake.

As he got closer, he heard a soft bubbling sound that soon turned into a whoosh. Then the smell of the dirt changed – rich and a little heavy on the tongue. Danny walked through a bush and saw the puddle. If he wasn’t intangible, he would’ve gotten his boots wet.

Huh, Danny thought. It really is small.

The pond was only a couple of yards across and looked shallow.

Danny looked to his left and saw the stream that fed into it. Looking around the edge, he couldn’t find where the pond emptied. Danny stayed there for moment, comparing what he was seeing to his memory of the map. Once he felt confident in his orientation, he floated up and drifted across the pond. Setting himself down on the other side, he double checked his intangibility was still activated and started walking again. True to Alice’s word, the walk itself was easy, and Danny took the opportunity to look around at the woods. He spotted a deer in the distance at one point, and what looked like owl nests in some of the branches.

As he walked through a particularly dense area of bushes, he noticed some mist by a tree some distance away. Danny squinted at it. It was too warm in the day for there to be mist and, he looked around, it didn’t look like there was any water for it to come from either. As he started to walk to it, Danny realized that he hadn’t heard any birds in a while. Getting closer, he saw some wispy tendrils float out from the densest part of the mist. He tilted his head. Let some ectoplasm leak into his eyes. The mist suddenly contracted and came together to form a vague squirrel shape. Danny stopped. Followed the smallest tendril down to the earth. A squirrel, blood leaking out from a wound on its leg, was connected to it. Danny looked back up. The ghost followed the motion and looked at Danny. Danny looked back. Blinked. And stepped forward, holding out a hand. The squirrel ghost drifted forward and right before it made contact with Danny, turned to look back at its mortal body.

Danny held his breath as he watched one of the ears tufts twitch. The squirrel turned back around and jumped forward to touch Danny’s palm. As it nestled into his hand, its soft, transparent body started to disperse again. Danny reached for his core and pushed the ectoplasm circulating in his body to his hand. His palm started glowing green before some ectoplasm coated his palm. The squirrel started condensing again, pulsing as it made contact. The ectoplasm flowed off Danny to mix in with the translucent body. The ectoplasm swirled around like bubbles in soda before losing shape and being absorbed. The squirrel’s ghost glowed bright and Danny looked away, closing his eyes.

When he no longer saw the light through his eyelids, Danny cracked open one eye, and confirming the bright light was gone, fully opened both eyes. What was once a misty looking squirrel ghost was now a small green blob. As it rotated around, eyes came into view, and opening up, looked at Danny, letting out a small chirrup in greeting. Danny smiled a little. It was cute, if a bit sad knowing where this little blob came from. Danny looked back at the corpse. Then up to the blob. The wispy tendril no longer connecting the two. Danny let his hand drop and the blob stayed floating. Floated closer to Danny’s face. He could feel his eyes flash green. The blob ghost let out another little chirp and flew around Danny head before settling down on his shoulder, nuzzling up into his chin. Danny laughed at the ticklish sensation and then turned around to continue to the blackberry bushes.

As Danny got to the blackberries, he reached up a hand to the blob ghost. Gently scooping it into his hand, Danny lifted it up and onto the top of one of the bushes. Looking around and not seeing any animals, Danny focused on the bushes. There were a lot of them, and it seemed like the bushes had plenty of berries. Danny could make out at least 5 bushes growing into each other, and possibly more around some trees. He knelt down and picked a blackberry, tossing it into his mouth. As the berry burst open, juices sprayed Danny’s mouth, and he stifled a cough. He ate it quickly and indulged in a quick cough. Even though it was smaller than the ones they bought from the store, it was noticeably sweeter. Danny smiled and swung his basket off his shoulder. He started carefully plucking berries off, and every time he accidentally squished one, he popped it in his mouth instead of the basket.

At some point the little blob ghost woke up and started darting between the leaves of the berry bushes, occasionally trying to eat one. Danny laughed at its antics, making a little ball of ectoplasm form, and tossed it for the blob to chase.

By the time the sun started its afternoon descent, Danny had his basket filled and a happy blob ghost nestled on top of the berries. Over the course of the afternoon, its green color had started disappearing and now it was more wisp than blob again. Danny frowned briefly and started off to the farm.

As Danny got near to the edge of the woods, the little ghost had lost all its color and was now back to a translucent wisp. Before he could give it more ecto, he heard a shout and ran out of the trees. Aunt Alice had dropped a screwdriver on the ground and when she stood back up from grabbing it, she spotted Danny. She waved, walking over to him.

“Hey Danny, how was –“ the little ghost darted out from behind Danny’s back, coming to face to face with Alicia. She frowned. “how was the trip?”

He pulled the basket forward, “good, there were plenty of blackberries.”

“Aaah good. Any trouble finding them?” She eyed the ghost out of the corner of her eye.

“Nope,” Danny paused, and taking a chance, said, “I found this little guy on the way though.”

“Oh?” Alice raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “You can see it, right?”

Alice’s frown lightened. “Yes.” Sounding choked up, she cleared her throat. “Yes, I can. I didn’t realize - well, nevermind.” She looked at the ghost, nuzzling into Danny’s hair, mussing it up. “I don’t know why it’s acting so friendly, but you best not encourage it. The less attention you give it, the sooner it’ll pass on.”

Danny’s ears flushed red, “pass on?” he asked.

“Chiiiirup?” said the wispy ghost.

Alice leveled a glare at it. “Absolutely not.”

Danny’s mouth fell open. “Wait. What? Can you understand it?”

“Sure can. Ever since I was little,” Alice answered.

“Does Mom know you can see them? And understand them?”

Alice squinted at him, “Sure does, was the first person I told as a kid. Real supportive of it all.”

Danny stood there for a moment. “Mom knows? And she didn’t have you help her with the – the ghost stuff?”

“Nope. I was the reason she got into ghosts in the first place, but,” Alice shrugged. “I didn’t want anything to do with them. After I got back from the big city, I just wanted to live a quiet life and Maddie respected that.”

“Oh.” Danny looked between the ghost now on his arm and Alice. “Really?”

“Yep.”

The ghost floated between the two, circling Alice once before resting back on Danny.

“Well, looks like we should go deal with those blackberries.”

As Danny and Alice finished sorting the blackberries into different containers, Will walked up to them. “Hey! Oh, Danny’s back already?”

Alicia snorted at him, “Don’t act surprised.”

Will held up his hands, “Aaah you got me. I saw you two meet up earlier.” He quickly reached down to pop one in his mouth.

Alicia smacked his shoulder. The ghost flew up and chittered angrily in his face.

Will smiled, showing off his berry splattered teeth, completely unrepentant. Chuckling, he walked off.

Danny looked at the ghost, now flying over the piles of blackberries, and then up at Alice. “Will didn’t react at all.”

Alice grunted, “Hmm.”

“Are we the only ones who can see this little guy?”

“Far as I can tell, kid.”

“Oh.” Danny looked off into the tree line. “Aunt Alice, what did you mean when you said it’d pass on?”

“Well, exactly what I said. Little bugger died, and whatever was left will pass on to whatever’s next. Why? What’d you think I meant?”

Danny shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to ghosts passing on? Most of the ones I meet stick around and cause trouble.”

“Ah. Madds has mentioned something like that. Have they caused you any trouble?” Alice probed.

Danny grimaced. “I guess you could say that. A lot of ghosts cause trouble around the high school.”

Alice nodded, “I can see how that’d be distracting.” Alice watched a bee buzz around the table. The wispy ghost chased after it.

“Yeah, most of them like to cause problems on purpose, but sometimes there’s the little blobs that hang around and they’re kind of cute, like a stray cat. They do make it hard to concentrate if it’s dark though.”

“What do ya mean?”

Danny looked back at his aunt. “Cause, they, you know, glow green?”

“Green? Huh. None of the ghosts round here glow green. I guess Will did mention something similar. And I remember Maddie showing me a vial of glowing green stuff once. Made me feel kind of sick.”

“Oh, that vial was probably ectoplasm,” Danny said.

“Ec-toe-plasm?” Alice sounded out.

“Yeah,” Danny said. “It’s the glowing green stuff that ghosts are made up of.”

“Really?” Alice sounded unimpressed.

“Hmmhmm,” Danny hummed. “You can kind of see their insides if they get hit with an ectoblast. It’s all gooey looking, like a really thick liquid. Their bodies kind of flow back in to fill the hole.”

Alice shook her head. “I don’t know about all that. All the ghosts I’ve seen are just misty lookin’ and real hard to see if the sun shines through them. Well, that’s only if I catch them. As I said, they don’t usually stick around too long.”

“Interesting.”

Alice shrugged, “I suppose. Madds had a theory that ghosts only form when the living aren’t prepared to die or something.” She laughed. “Not that I think most things around here have unfinished business. Everyone has a time and place, you know? A rabbit lives its life knowing it’ll be eaten and all that.”

“I guess.” Danny thought for a moment. “I think a lot of the ghosts I know didn’t even think death was a possibility.”

The little ghost zipped under the table and around their feet.

“Perhaps.”

In the time it took for Alice and Danny to finish with the blackberries and prepare dinner, the ghost kept fading bit by bit. Once Danny rang the dinner bell, the little ghost was completely gone. Danny tried not to miss it, knowing it was better that the little guy passed on, rather than hang around the ecto deprived area.

____

After dishes, Alice sat Danny down. “How you doing kid?”

“Fine?” Danny said, voice lilting up like a question.

“You sure? You looked rather, uh, sad about that little ghost disappearing on us.”

Danny shrugged, “hmm, I guess I’m not used to it.”

“It?”

“Yeah, I’m not used to things just…. Ending. I guess.”

“Oh, is that it?”

Danny looked off to the setting sun.

“You know, I can sympathize. Used to be a time when I thought that I could fix anything.”

Danny looked back at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know I’m divorced right?”

“Sure, Mom visited you on the anniversary for that party last year.”

“Right, well I know it was a big celebration, but when it first happened, I was lost. I mean, I knew that it was coming. He didn’t like the farm, fell in love with someone who wanted the city life with him. A real yuppie. And yet, when I sat in the lawyer’s office, papers in front of me, there was this emptiness that seemed to take me over. We both wanted our relationship to end, happy for it even, but, that didn’t make it easier to deal with. Waking up and knowing that there wasn’t going to be someone by my side? That there was no fixing it, no going back? It’s hard to accept that some things just can’t be changed. Don’t like talking about that even now.”

Danny’s mind flashed briefly to Dan. His shoulders raised. “I guess. How did you deal with it?”

Alice hummed. “The divorce? Time, I suppose. I had the support of the community here. With death?” She shrugged. “I grew up. At some point you just realize that some things have to happen and you can’t change it, so you have to accept it.”

Danny huffed out air. “Yeah, alright.” The variation of the age old excuse of “when you’re older” rang hollow in him.

A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned back to his aunt. “Danny. I mean it. Some things just need the perspective that time brings. I’m still not sure my sister has quite grasped that.” She smiled. “No fault to her; understanding comes in its’ own time. Worrying about it won’t help.”

Danny watched the last of the light chase the sun down with his aunt beside him, before standing and heading to his cabin to think.

An hour later, he stood up from his bed and walked down to his aunt’s cabin. By now, the air was cool against his skin. The cicadas were out, filling the air with a loud buzz. Danny stopped halfway down the path, trying to collect himself. As he stared up at the trees, his eyes burned. Rubbing them harshly, he breathed in, the smell of dirt and the green leaves settling into his lungs. He stayed there for a moment, collecting the resolve that started to slip away. He let out some ectoplasm around his feet to light up his path and continued. Exiting the trees, Alice’s cabin was lit up, warm light enveloping it like an aura. Cozy. Welcoming. Danny dispelled the ectoplasm around his feet as he walked towards the cabin, each step feeling heavier than the last. His shoulders curled forward until he stopped at the stairs up to the porch. He heard Alice set something down inside and a creak of a door, then a click as the front doorknob rotated open. Danny stayed at the bottom of the stairs, feeling frozen, as the door hinges creaked. Alice’s red hair came into view first, quickly followed by the rest of her. Catching sight of something, she raised her head to look at Danny.

“Danny, that you down there? Everything alright?” voice soft as she stared down at him.

Danny’s body moved, skipping steps as he rushed up to Alice. Her body swayed backward as he barreled into her, and she wrapped her arms around him to steady them both.

“I died,” Danny said, voice muffled in her shirt.

Alice didn’t say anything for a moment, squeezing Danny close. His body shook as he cried into her shirt. After Danny’s shaking petered out, Alice stepped backwards, hand on Danny’s back to nudge him inside.

“Take a seat on the couch, Danny. You want tea? Hot chocolate?”

Sniffling, he wiped a hand against his nose. “Hot chocolate please.” He went to sit on the couch, grief and emptiness gnawing at his insides in equal measure.

The sound of boiling water soon filled the space. A clink of a mug. Powder being measured. The fridge door opening and closing. Alice walked over to the sofa, two mugs in hand. Danny unstacked two cup coasters from the pile in the middle of the coffee table, placing them down for Alice.

Danny picked up his hot chocolate and took a sip, holding the warm mug in his hands. Alice said, “Now, what was that about?”

The silence stretched between them as Danny stared at the wall, quiet. By the time Alice had finished most of her cup of tea, Danny finally opened his mouth.

“When I was fourteen, I died.” Silence followed Danny’s statement, Alice’s torso turned towards Danny, but nothing else to indicate she was listening.

Danny let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t, come back. All the way.”

Alice took another sip of tea.

Danny set his mug down. Folded his hands together and set them on his legs. “I know what it sounds like, but I’m not crazy. I’m alive, but I’m also, somehow, a ghost? Not like the one we saw today, but the kind I talked about, the glowing ones. I think I turned the portal on when I went inside to look. Not that I remember a lot of that, except for the pain,” Danny laughed, the sound hollow. “I mean, it wasn’t working before, and after that, it was that glowing green. It’s kind of pretty, actually? Or maybe that’s just what I think. It swirls around, the ectoplasm, like a really slow whirlpool, but it’s vertical like a door, not horizontal like a pool. It makes it really easy for Mom and Dad to get more ectoplasm samples. Actually, I gave the ghost today ectoplasm and it kind of turned into what I call a blob ghost? By the time we made it back to the farm it was back to that wispy appearance, so, I mean, that was different. But it was interesting, made me think of the blob ghosts back home. You know, the ones that don’t pass on? That’s the kind that I’m like. A ghost. I mean, I’m alive too, but I’m also a ghost. I don’t know if that means I’m still dead or not? I don’t think anyone really knows, but it’s kind of cool because I’m like the town superhe-“

“Danny,” Alice cut in. Danny stopped.

Alice took a breath. “Danny, do your parents know?”

Danny’s eyes widened. He shook his head.

“Are you going to tell them?”

Danny tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth, throat tightening as he thought about the answer. He settled for a small shrug.

“Alright. Well, I can’t say this isn’t a surprise, but I won’t make you tell your mom or nothing. Thank you for telling me.”

Danny stared at his mug, still half full. He picked it back up. As quiet settled around them, he felt his heart speed up. Alice set her mug down, now empty.

“But, I don’t think,” Alice started, slow, “that it matters too much. From what I’ve gathered, dead, alive, or something else, you’re still you. The caring and hardworking young man that Maddie described is the same one that arrived on my farm. Sure, you’re not perfect, and the implications of it all is damn worrying, not knowing, but that’s life.” Alice swung her knee up onto the couch to fully turn her body to face Danny, arm braced along the backrest. “For what it’s worth, people love you because of who you are, not what you are. That includes your mom and dad. Heaven knows when Maddie decides to love someone, she does it with her whole heart, no matter the circumstances.” She tacked on a lighthearted, “and that includes your fool of a father”.

Danny laughed, rubbing his eyes of residual tears. “Thanks, Aunt Alice. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Danny finished off his hot chocolate, bidding his aunt a goodbye, and walking back up to his cabin, feeling lighter than he had in a while.

______

During that week, Danny started helping out even more on the farm, volunteering to lend an extra hand when needed or after his own tasks were finished. He was getting comfortable with the flow of the days – spending mornings and evenings with the animals, afternoons in the fields, and helping out with various chores. It was easy to fall into the rhythm and to trade playful quips with Will and Alice when they worked together.

Alice called Danny over one day.

“What’s up, Aunt Alice?”

“You know anything about machines?”

“Uuuh,” Danny’s eyebrows shot up, “I guess? I’m familiar with my parents’ inventions.”

“Hmmm. Why don’t you come over here then and tell me what you think.”

Danny peered his head into the propped open tractor hood, looking at the mechanics. “It looks like the belt, here,” Danny pointed, “is wearing out.”

Alice appraised him.

Danny shifted his weight. “Uh, was that it?” he asked nervously, feeling like he was taking a surprise pop quiz.

“Yea. Yea, it was kid. You familiar with engines?”

Danny made a face, “Sure? I’ll help my dad out sometimes when there’s a problem with the GAV.”

“The GAV?”

“Oh, it’s our family car. Or van, RV, thing? My parents souped it up, so a lot of service shops won’t even look at it. My dad keeps up with most of the maintenance on it and makes me help out.”

Alice nodded, “Ok, makes sense I suppose. Well, if you’ve got a familiarity with it all, why don’t you help me replace it. I’ve got a spare belt down in my cabin. I’ll go grab it and you can get the tools we need. Just look in the toolboxes around here, find the one we need for the tractor.”

Danny nodded in agreement and Alice walked off to get the part.

Later that night at dinner, Alice remarked to Will that it might be time to let Danny drive the tractor.

“Sure thing boss! Who’s gonna teach him?”

“I will. I’ll start him off with parking it in the barn, so tomorrow just leave it out when you’re done and I’ll walk him through it.”

Will nodded and continued eating.

“I’m what?” Danny asked.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

Danny swallowed his bite of food. “Can I even do that? I don’t have a learner’s permit or anything.”

From beside him, Will answered, “Don’t need one. Most kids ‘round here start driving tractors much younger than you are. It’s not like you’re going to be driving down the road or anything in it.”

“Oh. You don’t need a license for it?”

“No sirree, and it ain’t that hard to do either.”

Alice piped up, “You good with that?”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

The rest of the night and next day passed calmly. Then came Danny’s first lesson.

“When you go to park it, don’t forget to let it out of gear and apply the parking brake. That’s about it. So, you good to go?”

“I think so, Aunt Alice.”

“Alright, well don’t forget your ear protection, and I’ll let you get to it.”

Alice swung the door closed and stepped back from the tractor.

Danny put on the headset, and did one last review of everything, before he turned the tractor on. Looking behind him, clocking Alice still off to the side, he carefully backed up the tractor. Slowed down and came to a stop. Danny turned forward again and started moving the tractor forward. Taking a circle around, he pulled up to the storage barn and eased the tractor in. Applying the brake and turning it off, he took off his ear protection and stepped out.

“Not bad kid, not bad. Now help me look everything over before we head back for dinner.”

Alice walked Danny through the daily checks and maintenance on the tractor, then showed him where they kept their log.

“What it comes down to, is if you notice a problem, either stop and fix it right away, or come get me or Will if you can’t figure it out. I’d rather you waste an hour doing that, then pushing through it and messing up the tractor on us.”

The bell rang out, clear and bright. Alice glanced out of the barn doors. “Well, guess it’s quitting time for ya. Let’s get this put back and get our asses down there.” Alice handed the binder back to Danny, who placed it back on the small table and hurried to close the doors and catch up with Alice.

Another week passed, with Danny learning how to operate the tractor, hitching up different attachments, and getting used to the daily checks.

“I think it’s time to start harvesting the far wheat fields tomorrow.”

“Already?” Will asked.

“Yeah, it’s ready to go.”

“Huh. Alright, if you say so boss.”

“Will I be helping with that?” Danny asked.

Alicia nodded, “you’ll be here through this first harvest, then you’ll head back to Amity after that.”

“Oh.” Danny forgot he’d be heading back soon. “Right.”

“So soon?” Will asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Madds reminded me that their school year starts earlier in the season.” Alice shook her head, “seems ridiculous, but there’s nothing to be done for it. The cities run on their own timeline.”

“Wait, then when do schools around here start? And where’s the school? I don’t remember seeing one when you showed me around town,” Danny asked.

“Oh, about a month later than yours I reckon. The school isn’t on the main roads. It’s back on one of the side roads, so the farm kids can get to it easier.”

“Used to be in the town,” Will added. “When most of the town families moved out, the farm kids got together and convinced the adults to move it closer to them, oh, I reckon ‘bout 20 years ago?”

“Closer to 25 I think,” Alice corrected. “I remember the big commotion when I visited from college. Maddie, I think, organized it all.”

“Sounds like Maddie,” Will agreed.

“Mom did that?” Danny asked.

“Sure enough. Everyone knows she’s a force of nature when she puts her mind to something. She argued with near everyone about it.”

“Don’t know why she fought so hard for it,” Will added. “Had to have been her senior year, didn’t even make a difference for her, considering the changes took place after she headed off to college.”

“Huh.”

“She never mentioned it to you?”

“No, not really. But it explains where Jazz got her single-mindedness from. She turned our annual Spirit Rally into a whole week at Casper High during her freshman year.” Danny grimaced, “My freshman year, I got put in a diaper and thrown on stage for it.”

Will laughed and Danny scowled at him. “Sorry, but just a diaper?”

“Are you kidding?” Alice was flabbergasted.

“Wish I was, it wasn’t funny.”

“Sorry, but you have to admit, that’s just a little funny,” Will chuckled.

“It really wasn’t. Also, our counselor tried murdering Jazz.”

Will stopped laughing. “What.”

“Yeah, she ended up getting, uh, jail, for it.”

Alice narrowed her eyes, “Really?”

“Yep,” Danny said, “last year wasn’t so bad though. Hardly anyone called me a baby the whole week.”

“Damn.”

“What the hell is happening in those cities.”

The sudden somber shift made the conversation die down and dinner was finished quickly after.

The next morning, the bell rang out clear and sharp. Danny blinked his eyes open, noticing it was still dark out. Stumbling out of his cabin, he turned to Will, who was passing by. “Why’re we up so early?” Danny yawned, pulling on a long sleeved shirt.

Will returned his yawn, jaw cracking in the early morning air. “Oh, we do most of our harvesting in the morning or evening. Means real early mornings the next few days. S’not so bad, once you get used to it.”

“Mmm.” Danny responded, following Will downhill.

“Hey Alice. You got the coffee brewing?”

“Hey, boys. Sure do. Another couple minutes or so, then we can get started.”

After getting their coffee in thermoses, the group headed up to the fields. Danny was put on tractor duty. Alice took over the truck with a wagon attached and Will was in charge of the forage harvester. With the exception of taking care of the animals, Danny and Alice traded back and forth on filling up their collection wagons and running them to the silo.

Soon enough, the harvest passed and it was time for Danny to return to Amity Park.

“Yep, got it sis.” A pause. “Uh huh.”

“No, no need, I’ll take him myself.”

“Of course I do.”

“No, it’ll be fine. A short trip up.”

“Will can do what needs to be done.”

“Yes I’m sure.”

“Uh huh. See ya then.”

“Take care Maddie.” Alicia put down the phone and turned to Danny, seemingly unsurprised to see him leaning against the wall. “Well, I’ll be driving you back up to Amity in a few days.”

Danny nodded, not looking particularly taken back, despite the fact that his aunt hadn’t gone up to Amity in the past 10 years or so.

The corners of Alice’s mouth turned up, “alright then, make sure you’re ready. It’ll take a couple days, since you can’t help with driving, but it should be a nice enough trip.”

“Anything to do before then?”

“Nope, the only thing left to do is to check on the truck. As much of a help as you’ve been with the tractor, I’ll be doing that. You just make sure you help out Will with any odd jobs before then.” Alice scratched the back of her neck. “Uuh, ya excited to be heading back?”

Danny shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.” He looked out the kitchen window, “I’ll miss being here though. I know I caused some trouble when I first got here, but it grew on me.” Danny smiled softly.

“It has a way of doing that,” Alice agreed. “Well, let’s get back to work then. It doesn’t stop for rain nor shine.”

Danny finished loading up his bags in the short backseat and closed the back door. Hauling himself into the front passenger seat, he closed the front door.

“Got everything squared away?”

“Yep. Double checked and everything.” Turning to grin at her, “but if I forgot anything, that just means I’ll have to come back.”

Alice laughed and shifted the gear to start the truck rumbling down the path. Soon enough, bouncing along the road, a dust cloud behind them, the farm was swallowed up by trees.

The journey itself was uneventful. The mountains turning to valleys turning to farms turning to small cities and large ones, a one night stop at a motel, then back on the road, and finally Danny recognized the outskirts of Elmerton in the distance. He could feel the rumbling of something in his stomach, and it solidified into a nervous ball when they crossed the town limits.

Elmerton had enough tall buildings that Danny couldn’t see over into Amity Park, but he could feel the flow of ambient ectoplasm moving about like chem trails, signifying the presence of a visiting ghost. Next to him, Alice clutched the steering wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Coming to a red light, she glanced over at Danny and noticed his pinched eyebrows, eyes on her hands. She sighed softly, relaxing her hands and hitting the accelerator when the light turned. The sun filtered through the buildings, casting long lines of shadow that waved over the truck passing through. Danny turned to look out the window, head in hand, braced against the door. It was quiet, no ghostly interference on this side of town. Nevertheless, he could feel the ectoplasm that floated in Amity’s air reach out tendrils in Danny’s direction. Welcoming him home, beckoning him closer, wanting to wrap him up in its embrace. He shuddered. After getting used to a non-ecto infused environment, the not quite alive reaction of the ectoplasm felt like a slimy slick hand on his shoulder, slipping off before trying to embrace him again. He didn’t notice Alice next to him, her breathing becoming shallow and quick.

As the truck crossed over the interstate separating the two cities, Danny shuddered, feeling the sharp contrast of a decidedly unhaunted city to one that almost had more ghostly visitors than alive ones. He could feel the boundary like he was pulled through a film, the ectoplasmic residue clinging to his skin on the other side, settling back into his nose and lungs, coating the back of his throat and cooling his hands. It wasn’t enough that someone like Valerie – fully human - would notice, but being so attuned to the presence of ectoplasm as a being shaped by it, Danny could feel it like a physical weight, bearing down heavier on him the closer they sped to FentonWorks. Alice’s hands lightly shook as she clasped the stick to shift down.

Pulling up to the side of FentonWorks, Alice stopped the car. They both sat there for a moment, breathing in the quiet of the street, before a far-off blaster shot echoed in the distance. Danny turned to Alice, a wobbly smile on his face, “home sweet home,” he said, punctuating it with a little laugh.

Alice looked past him to the door, then back to Danny. “I suppose so,” mouth set in a thin line.

Danny turned away, not wanting to parse what Alicia was feeling, and unclicked his seat belt. He opened the door to slide out of the truck. Alice followed him out and walked around to knock on the front door. As her first rap against the door ended, weapons sprung out of the sides of the walls, focused down on her. Alice jumped back a little as a light popped out of the door, scanning Alice from head to toe. “Freaky,” she muttered darkly as something dinged and the door clicked open, the differential air pressure opening it further. Alice turned back around to Danny, “What was that?”

Danny shrugged, “It seems Mom and Dad added some things while I was away.”

Alice gaped at Danny. “Added some things? What was it like before?”

Popping open the back door to grab his bags Danny said over his shoulder, “Oh, the weapons have been there since the first house defense upgrade, but the unlocking is new.”

Alice looked back to the door. “That’s the new part?” She hesitantly reached a hand out and tapped the door hard enough to swing it open the rest of the way. She leaned forward a little. “Uuuh,” she started, peering in. Clearing her throat, she spoke up, “Anyone home? I’ve got your boy back Maddie!”

Danny walked up beside her. “I wouldn’t wait for an answer Aunt Alice. It’s best to just walk in and take a seat.” Danny did so himself, setting his bags next to the stairs and walking back to the truck. Alice walked in, tentatively lowering herself down to the couch, and looked around wide eyed.

“Just what in the world has my sister been up to?” she said mostly to herself.

The slamming of a door and a loud beep sounded out as the truck was closed and locked. Danny walked in with Alice’s bag and closed the door behind him. “Seen anyone yet?” he asked.

Alice swung her head around to stare at Danny, “No, not yet.” She gestured around at the living room, a myriad of objects on the table, hung on the wall, or thrown onto a shelf. “Danny, what is all this?”

Danny barely glanced down before making his way to the kitchen, “probably broken ghost inventions. I wouldn’t touch any of them though, they can be a bit, well, temperamental.”

The sound of a cabinet door squeaking open, running water, and Danny came back with a water glass for himself and Alice. “Here ya go,” he said, holding one of them out.

Alice absently took the glass and sipped from it. Choking and spluttering, she set the glass down on the coffee table, slapping a hand against her leg. She collected herself, wheezing, and looked up as green light tinted her peripheral vision.

“Oh Alice! And Danny!! I didn’t hear you two come in,” Maddie said after exiting the downstairs lab. She quickly went over and swept Danny up into a big hug. “Oh, I missed my sweet little baby boy.” Giving Danny one last squeeze, she stepped over to Alice to do the same.

A clang could be heard, echoing up the lab stairs and then some thumps as Jack made his way up. Danny set his glass down in anticipation. No sooner did Jack realize Danny was home than he rushed over, knocking over a chair in the process, scooping Danny up into a bone crushing hug. “DANNY BOY!” was shouted right into his ear.

Danny did his best to move his wrists enough to pat his dad back. “Hey Dad. Just got back.” He paused and with no indication that Jack was going to let go anytime soon, “Can you let me go now? It’s hard to breathe.”

Jack, embarrassed, let him go, giving him a firm pat on the back, “Sorry about that, I was just so excited to see you back home! JAAAAAZZIE-PANTS!” He called out.

Alice clasped a hand to her ear, scowling as Maddie looked on fondly. “Oh honey, no need to yell like that.” She turned to face her sister. “It’s so good to see you here Alice. I don’t remember the last time you visited and things have changed so much since then. Jazz was just toddling around and we still had the play pen set up for Danny.” Taking a seat, she pulled on Alice’s sleeve, inviting her to sit next to her. “I missed you,” Maddie said.

Alice coughed and looked around the room, “I missed you too Maddie. If you ever want to visit the farm more often, you could.”

Maddie laughed and waved her hand around, “Oh our work keeps us so busy nowadays. Speaking of, I hope you didn’t run into any ghosts on your drive in?” Eyes twinkling, Maddie waited for the answer.

Alice frowned at her, “No, we didn’t,” and watched as her eyes dimmed a little.

“Aah well, that’s alright, I’m glad you two made the trip up here safely. Speaking of, I was thinking we could all head out for dinner tonight? I know it’s not often you’re in the city, so it might be nice.”

Jack leaned down to Danny and whispered conspiratorially, “We had an ecto sample explode in the fridge. All the food is completely inedible, but wouldn’t you know it? The old chicken and hot dogs started a little kingdom in there. Fascinating stuff Danny. Really.” He looked over at him, “Would you like to meet them?”

Danny grimaced more than smiled, “Uuuh no thanks Dad. I think I want to get started unpacking instead.”

Slapping a hand to his forehead, “That’s right! I won’t keep you Danny. Go take your bags up to your room, we’ll visit with your aunt down here.”

A boom echoed through the neighborhood and Maddie jumped, starting to reach a hand for her blaster before relaxing, continuing the conversation she was having with Alice. Danny stopped briefly to grab his bags and headed up the stairs towards his room. As he reached the top, Jazz’s door clicked open and she stepped out.

“Danny! You’re back!” she said. Stepping forward, she wrapped Danny up in a hug, chin poking into his head as she said, “I missed you little brother.”

Danny awkwardly stood there holding his bags, “Missed you too Jazz.” He swayed a bag a little to knock into her leg.

“Oh!” she said, releasing him, “Sorry, I’ll let you get to your room.” Smiling at Danny for a moment, Jazz started down the stairs.

As Danny kicked his door open, he heard Jazz greet their aunt. Dropping his bags down in front of his dresser, he jumped up onto his bed. “Uuuuuuuugh,” the groan rumbling throughout his chest. He breathed out, then rolled over onto his back, arms flung out and over the sides of his bed. Danny stared up at the glow in the dark stars, stuck on his ceiling years ago. He had barely been gone for a couple months, but already his room felt slightly foreign - like returning somewhere he didn’t fit into anymore. It was like an old sweater you found again after a few years. Slipping it on and knowing every seam, texture, and fold as it settles around you, but no longer the same comforting weight – a little too thin, worn at the elbows and a hem starting to unstitch itself. Not as soft as you wanted to remember. Exactly the same, but time having polished away the fondness that once endeared it to you.

Danny rolled over onto his side, staring into his closet. The sliding door left cracked open from when Danny slammed it shut, the recoil pushing it back open before he left. He heard the cadence of a conversation float up the stairs and he closed his eyes.

Waking up to someone shaking his shoulder, he blinked awake. His room had darkened with the setting of the sun and Danny felt groggy. “MmMMMmm?” he hummed.

“Danny, we’re going to head out to the Nasty Burger for dinner. You gonna get up and come with?”

Danny bolted up, smacking his head into Jazz’s hand still hovering above him. “Up! I’m up!” he said.

Jazz chuckled, “See you downstairs,” and left his room.

Danny braced himself on his arms, letting the thrum of his heart settle back down from the adrenaline rush. After a moment he swung his legs down. A quick detour to the second floor bathroom later and Danny joined everyone else downstairs.

“Alright, now that we’ve got everyone here – to the GAV!” Jack announced.

Danny sleepily followed Jazz out to the garage and clambered into his seat. Alice, who was following Danny, stopped at the open door. Looking around the retrofitted RV, she hummed and side-eyed Jack who had turned the key in the GAV, prompting the consol to light up in a variety of buttons and gauges. She stepped into the back and climbed into one of the open seats. Maddie closed the door behind Alice and got herself into the passenger seat. After clicking her seatbelt in and checking that the kids had as well, she pushed a button, the garage doors clanking open behind them. Jack flipped on the headlights and backed out of the garage.

“Hold on,” Danny hissed up to Alice, who in turn, grabbed onto the hold bar at the top of the door.

Once Jack cleared the sidewalk and safely backed onto the street, he stepped on the gas and catapulted the GAV down the street, careening around corners, and speeding through yellow lights till they swayed to a halt in the Nasty Burger parking spot. Jazz sighed, Danny let out his breath, and Alice looked a little green. “ Does your husband always drive like that Maddie?”

Maddie turned around, unclicking her seatbelt, “Like what, Alice?”

Alice eyed Jack nervously before looking back at her sister, “Uuuuh. Nevermind Maddie. Let’s go,” and she opened up the sliding door to shakily step out.

The Fentons and Alice went into the Nasty Burger, quickly ordering food and sitting down at a booth. The chatter of the restaurant was pleasant, if a little overwhelming to Danny. He decided to listen to his family’s conversation and looked out the window. As Alice asked after Jazz’s college adventures, Danny saw a bright blast light up the sky. He blinked and took a moment to process as a streak slithered through the air. A ghost! He turned around, nudged Jazz out of the booth, and slid out with a halfhearted excuse about the bathroom before making his exit. Hiding behind the dumpster, Danny transformed and flew off after the ghost that he could still see winding around the tops of buildings. The trusty Fenton thermos clattered against his leg as the wind whipped Danny’s hair into his face. Coming up to a stop, he watched the ghost slow down over the park, then dive down. Danny pushed himself into action, darting into the tree tops to see where it went. He heard the whine of a blaster charge up below him and Danny looked down. Tucker stood there, a small blaster leveled at the backside of the ghost. Danny flew up towards the sky and starting arcing down the other side. Before he could do much, Sam ran out from the other side of the trees shooting at the ghost. A low hum joined the chorus of weapons and Danny turned invisible as the Red Huntress caught up to the ghost.

Danny drifted up higher, watching the teamwork between the three of them. They quickly captured the ghost. He lazily drifted down to the trio.

“Huh, didn’t know you guys would team up,” Danny said, turning visible.

Tucker flinched and the girls rolled their eyes.

“Hey Danny,” Sam greeted.

Valerie retracted her helmet and stared at Phantom for a moment before, “Hi, Danny.”

Danny’s eyebrows flew up, pinched together.

Tucker laughed at his expression as it quickly morphed into a look of betrayal aimed at Sam and Tucker.

“Sorry Danny,” Sam looked away. “Val kind of… figured it out?”

“Sam!” Danny hissed, voice crackling like steam. “What does that mean?” His eyes darted back to Valerie, who just stood there, looking conflicted.

“Exactly what I said Danny!”

Danny shifted so he could stand on the ground. “But how?” He was starting to get angry at the lack of answers. It hadn’t even been two months and without being around Valerie somehow pieced together his biggest secret?

Tucker’s laughter died down.

“It’s – Danny please don’t be mad,” Valerie spoke up. Her eyes darted around the clearing before landing back on Danny. “When Phantom disappeared after Fenton left it wasn’t hard to figure out you two were connected somehow. And then Dani stopped by in town and-“

“Dani came back?” Danny interrupted. He glowered at Sam and Tucker, eyes glowing brighter for a moment.

“It wasn’t a big deal!” Tucker tried to defend.

“Yeah!” Sam chimed in. “She was here for like, a day? Maybe? Hardly worth mentioning. She spent most of it playing pranks on Vlad.”

“And Valerie met up with her? But not me?” Danny voice raised in pitch, “I missed seeing my cousin and you didn’t say a word?!? I thought I wouldn’t have had to tell you two that Dani coming back would be something important to mention.”

Tucker’s shoulders crept up to his ears.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Really, Danny, it is so not a big deal. We didn’t even know for most of that day. She only came to see us towards the end of her stop.”

Danny’s core felt a sting go through it.

“Did she know I was coming back?”

“Yeah dude, we mentioned you were sent to your aunt’s farm. She asked about you! Promise! Once she realized that, she told us she’d try to stop by to see you. Seemed really excited to check out a farm.”

“Although,” Sam chimed in, “I don’t think she realized you’d be back so soon? If you never saw her, she probably got distracted by something on her way.” Seeing Danny’s sad expression, Sam said, “I’m sure she’ll be back to visit you, Danny. She did say she’d stop by at least a few times a year to check in, right?”

Danny sighed. “Yeah. I’m just bummed that I missed her. And with no way to get into contact with her,” he trailed off.

“Actually,” Valerie started, “Uhm, I gave her a little, well, kind of like a cell phone? It can make calls, but it’s also got a little button to send a distress signal to my suit if need be? And seeing as it’s never gone off, Dani’s okay. Ok, Danny?”

Danny looked down at the ground. “Alright. I guess that’s better.” He looked preoccupied - lost in thought and still a little sullen.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie exchanged glances with one another over Danny’s bowed head.

Valerie gave a little cough. Seeing Danny head twitch at that, she said, “I saw Dani transform after one of her pranks. I was stopping by Vlad’s office to see if I could find anything new.” Valerie paused. “She looks a lot like you Danny. And once I saw that, and my suit recognized her like any other human, I approached her. She explained a lot to me and after getting lunch, I brought her around to Sam and Tucker.”

Danny looked up at his best friends. “Really? Valerie had to bring Dani to you guys?”

Sam nodded and watched Danny’s expression lift at the confirmation.

“Anyway, Sam didn’t tell me anything, but Tucker told me about the whole,” she waved her hands around, “Cujo? The ghost dog thing.” She sighed. “It wasn’t easy to sort through it all, but I realized that I was being really unfair to you Danny. I’m sorry for not hearing you out about it earlier.”

Danny shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Oh, well. That’s? Ok? I mean it’s not okay okay, but I understand. Why you acted like you did. Life dealt you a really bad hand with everything and you were dealing with a lot with your dad and his job and the A Listers and everything so – “ a hand settled on his shoulder.

“Danny,” Valerie cut in. “You don’t to forgive me right away. I’ve had a few weeks to deal with this. I just wanted you to know that I know about your … situation and that we – Red Huntress and Phantom – are cool now.” A bell tolled somewhere in the town. Valerie looked up at the street lamps turning on. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back, but it was nice to see you Danny.” She gave him a little smile, activated her hoverboard and helmet, and flew off.

Watching Valerie fly off, all three of them stood still for a moment.

“Well,” Danny started, “I’ve got to get back.”

As he started moving to walk off, Sam grabbed his arm, “Are you mad at us?”

Danny turned around. “No, Sam. I’m not. I just – I’ve had a long day and I want to go eat dinner. Can we get talk about this tomorrow?”

“Promise? I’ve got a new game I can bring over to play,” Tucker offered.

Danny smiled at them, “That sounds good. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Danny started walking backwards and turned invisible from one step to the next. He flipped up into the air and flew off, back to the Nasty Burger. He transformed in a stall, washed his hands, and walked out to the booth. As everyone turned to look at him, Danny’s neck flushed red. “Hi.”

“You doing alright Danny?” Jack asked.

“Uuuh yeah, just,” Danny paused, “had to take a dump?” He slid into the booth, Jazz pushing over his tray of food.

“If you say so m’boy.” Jack shoved more fries into his mouth.

Jazz scolded her father for his manners and Maddie smiled fondly at her eldest.

Danny inhaled a third of his burger and as he took a sip of pop, looked over at his aunt. Alice had a smile on her face, but it was stretched a little thin, eyes crinkling right underneath them, a fist on the table and body turned, supported by the window and booth back. Danny went back to eating his burger. Aunt Alice had looked like she was in pain that she was trying to hide ever since they entered Amity Park’s borders earlier. He hoped she would be fine considering Maddie had wrangled her into staying for a couple days. Danny ended up ordering another burger and Jazz decided to split a small shake with Maddie. Once they had finished eating, they climbed back into the GAV and headed home. Danny started feeling sleepy again, leaning his head on the cool window, watching the streetlights pass by. Jazz looked over at her brother, noticing how relaxed he looked. She missed him.

“You know Danny,” she started, “you look so much more relaxed than before.”

Danny glanced over at her. “I’m not giving you the satisfaction of saying you were right.”

Jazz smiled softly as Danny’s head rolled back against the window. “I wouldn’t expect anything else little brother,” she whispered.

___

Danny heard the clicks and whine of the Fenton door weapons activate and after a few seconds, the doorbell rang out. He left his room, heading down the stairs to hear his mom invite Sam and Tucker in.

“Hey guys,” he called down the half flight of stairs. He waited for them to start walking up before he turned around and led them to his room.

Pushing open his door, he dropped onto his chair. Tucker grabbed a spot on his bed and Sam, after closing the door, took a spot at the foot of the bed.

“So,” Sam started.

“So,” Tucker added.

“Soooo,” Danny finished, “any thing else I should really know that you didn’t bother to update me on?”

Tucker winced at Danny’s tone.

“Nope,” Sam popped the p. “Vlad’s still mayor,” she ticked up a finger. “No new halfas that we know of, no new ghosts.”

“Oh!” Tucker interjected. “Dash had a wipe out on a skateboard.” He looked smug, “I caught it on video, wanna see?”

“Yes!” Danny cheered, leaning forward to watch.

Sam scoffed at them, but she also leaned in.

After catching up on all the little things Danny missed over the summer – a new girl moved in next to Tucker, Sam’s petitions and protests, teaming up with Valerie – Danny stood up and stretched. His spine let out a loud crack and Tucker gaped at him.

“Geez, are you okay? What were you even doing on that farm?”

“Yeah Danny, you sounded like my Bubeleh and she’s, like, 80.”

Danny laughed, sitting back down. “Actually, I think that was because I’ve been sitting so much the past few days. I was pretty active before that.” He thought for a moment. “I might be able to beat Dash in a race now.”

Tucker snorted, “I don’t know dude, he decided to start working on his legs this summer. He’s no longer, like, a Dorito with sticks for legs.”

Sam definitely didn’t giggle as she said, “But sure, we’ll take your word for it, Danny.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he sat back in the chair. “Alright, enough teasing me.”

“Yeah, let’s talk about Sam ditching our elective class to take environmental sciences. Can you believe she disrupted our carefully crafted schedule that ensured we shared as many classes as possible just for? What was it? The earth? Can you believe Same is ditching us like this?”

“Huh,” Danny said, he turned to Sam, “what’s that class even about.”

Sam glared over at Tucker before looking at Danny, “I’m glad someone here is taking an interest in the important things in life.” Sam launched into an hour long explanation. After the first five minutes, Tucker had pulled out his PDA to play a game, mouthing along to parts of Sam’s explanation from time to time. Danny got the basic idea shortly after that. He started to tune out, thinking about school. How in 2 short weeks, he’d be back in the classroom, probably juggling ghost attacks, Dash, the other A Listers, homework, and sitting in a cramped chair for hours on end. The sun coming through his window warmed Danny’s side. He glanced outside at the street. A bird flew across, but otherwise it was buildings, sidewalk, and asphalt as far as he could see. No green at all. He wondered if Undergrowth would make another appearance, and if Danny could convince him to –

“Danny, are you even listening to me?” Sam’s sharp voice called out.

Danny whipped his head away from the window, “Uh, yeah, Sam, I’m listening. You were saying something about,” he searched his short term memory, “the climate?”

Sam huffed and crossed her arms, “So, as I was saying – “

“As she was saying,” Tucker interrupted. “She’s shamelessly ditching us, Danny. Can you believe it?” Tucker slid dramatically off the bed and grabbed Danny’s jeans, “and Sam doesn’t even care!” he cried.

“Tucker, you know that’s not it,” Sam reprimanded. “Besides, didn’t you sign up for Advanced Algebra or Calculus or something? You’re also ditching us.”

Turning around to face her, Tucker gasped. “How. Dare. You. It’s Finite/Brief Calculus and that’s only because they refused to put me in the computer class again this year.”

Danny laughed, “That’s because you hacked the school’s computers and played that banana song over the intercom for all of lunch.

“Because peanut butter jelly time is a classic,” Tucker grumbled. He got up, sitting back on the bed. “Anyway, you should have your schedule by now too. Have you looked at it?”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, “eh? I think my parents handed it to me this morning, but I didn’t take a look.”

“Oh, well then what are you waiting for? Let’s see it! I want to see how many classes we share this year!” Sam demanded.

Danny sat up in his chair and rolled over to his desk. Grabbing the school letter, he opened it, gave the schedule a once over, and then surrendered it to his friends. Sam grabbed the paper and her and Tucker leaned over it.

“It looks like we share PE again Danny,” Tucker held up his hand for a high five as he continued looking at the schedule.

“We all share chemistry this year, right before lunch,” Sam added.

“Oh nice. And look – we end the day together in art too,” Tucker pointed with his other hand. Sam and Tucker looked over at Danny. “Dude?”

Danny stared past them, eyes not focusing on anything. When Tucker waved his hand in front of his face, he jolted back to focus and gave a half hearted smile as he high fived Tuck. “Yeah, that’s great.”

Sam narrowed her eyes at Danny, “that doesn’t sound very enthusiastic. Are you not excited for this year Danny?”

A shrug was her answer. “I don’t know.”

Tucker glanced over at Sam, “What do you mean? When you finished summer school, you seemed pretty thrilled to finalize your schedule request and send it in.”

Danny looked out the window, “Yeah, I know. And I was.”

“Was?” Sam echoed.

“Well, this summer on the farm was a lot different. I liked it, being outside and stuff. Working on things, knowing that I was making a difference for people.”

“Danny,” Tucker started. “Do you not want to be in Amity anymore?”

Danny whipped his head to stare at Tucker, “Oh course I want to be here! I missed you guys so much! And I missed a lot of other stuff too!”

“Danny.” Sam waited until he looked at her. “You can have missed us, and not want be in Amity Park.”

Danny dropped his gaze to the carpet between their feet. “Yeah, I know that. I do want to be here. I do!”

He fell silent, struggling for a moment.

“I just – it’s so much, you know? The ghosts, and Dash, and school, and my parents, and all of it. It’s so much, all the time, without a break. And I don’t feel like I have a choice in any of it either. Obviously I can’t skip school and I can’t avoid Dash. We live in the same town after all, and there’s only like, three places for teenagers to hang out. And then the ghosts on top of that! And the ghosts are here because of my parent’s portal, but I’m the one that turned it on – I can’t just ignore that the ghosts are causing problems even if I want to. I don’t feel like I have a choice but to take responsibility and step in. And I know you guys have been helping Val and stuff, but -” Danny shrugged his shoulders.

“I like being on the farm. It’s quiet. And even when there are ghosts,” he noticed their faces, “– and there are ghosts,” Danny confirmed, “they’re different! They don’t cause trouble. It’s like,” Danny waved his hand around, “everything’s so close to the cycle of living and dying and everything has it’s time from the plants to the animals and like – uuuuugh,” Danny threw his hands up. “I don’t know how to explain it. Death is always a part of living and everyone out there is used to it being a part of life, so when it happens it’s less of a tragedy?” Danny looked away. “I guess,” he scratched his arm and fell quiet.

Sam and Tucker looked at Danny, waiting for him to clear up what he was trying to say. The wind pushed against his window, a slight whistle from uneven weathering strips cutting through the quiet of the room. Danny sighed and looked at the ground in front of his feet. “I feel like less of a freak for dying and coming back when I’m out there.”

“Oh Danny!” Sam moved forward.

Tucker let out a quiet “Danny”.

Danny pushed away from them in his chair, rolling back some. Rubbing his arms he said “I mean, I know I’m not a freak or anything, but it’s hard to forget that I died when I’m in Amity, you know? I can’t escape reminders of it and that it makes me different from everyone else. When I’m out there on the farm it’s just? I feel at rest.” He laughed, “that’s stupid isn’t it?” He ran a hand through his hair. Looking up at them, “A ghost who feels at rest. But DAMN! I do, getting to be part of life and death like that makes me feel normal – I feel like I belong out there.”

“Danny,” Tucker glanced over at Sam before turning back, “Danny, do you want to stay there?”

“Tucker!” Sam admonished, “I don’t think –“

Danny laughed, “Yeah, I think I might want to…. Would you hate me if I left you guys again?”

Sam rushed forward to pull Danny into a hug. “Oh Danny, I don’t think we could ever hate you.”

Tucker joined in, “Yeah, we’ll just have to visit you.”

Danny’s smile was smushed against both their shoulders.

“Do you think I could get internet out there?”

And all three of them laughed.

_________

“So, that’s what I want to do. If I can,” Danny said. He stared at the coffee table in front of him. His parents sat on the couch across from him.

“Well, Danny, I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that.”

“But if that’s what you want, we’ll support you son!”

Danny looked up and gave him parents a smile, “Thanks.”

_______

It turned out Alice was familiar with the work programs that the local school utilized for their students. It consisted of students taking the core classes, like math and science, in the mornings, and then working on the farm in the afternoons.

The trick was getting Casper High to agree. But between Alice and Maddie, there was no trouble convincing Principal Ishiyama and Mr. Lancer that Danny would be better off in the modified program. As long as he came back to take the state proficiency tests, he could even still earn credit for Casper High’s records without having to transfer them back and forth.

Within a few days, Alice, and now Danny, climbed back into the truck, ready to head back down to Arkansas.

“Bye!” Danny called, waving out of the window.

A chorus of bye’s and love you’s sent Danny off as they drove away.

Extra:

“Come on,” Danny laughed as he looked at his friends struggling up the side of the silo.

Tucker’s hand slid off a rung and he yelped.

Looking up at Danny, Sam asked, “are you sure this is safe Danny?”

Laughing again, Danny started climbing again, “Sure is. Besides, I can always catch you guys before you hit the ground.”

“Wow, that’s sooo reassuring,” Sam grumbled.

Reaching the top of the dome, Danny disappeared from both their sights. They heard some clangs before his head popped back over the edge, “come on! Hurry!” He grinned at Tucker’s frown as Sam reached him first. Danny disappeared again as he gave Sam room to clamor up. Soon enough, both their heads popped back over the side. Twin grins met Tucker as he finished climbing up. Hands thrust towards Tucker, he grabbed them and let himself be pulled up the rest of the way.

“Okay, we’re here. What are we supposed to be doing?” Tucker asked as they crawled their way to the middle of the silo.

Danny sat down, and pointing up said, “Look.”

“Oooh,” Sam breathed.

“Wow,” Tucker added.

The sky stretched up above them, shades of blue creating a fabric where streams of stars traveled across the expanse. Blushes of red and green broke up the inky darkness and stars twinkled back and forth. A light breeze caressed the trio and they laid back, enjoying the view.

#ectoimplosion2024 #danny phantom #danny fenton #danny phantom alicia #danny phantom fic #the bee writes #it is very late so i'll look over things once i sleep... i'm hoping there's nothing weird happening with format #ok! it's now later. I've got the AO3 posted and linked #warnings: there is a farm accident and therefore brief mention of an injury. also a brief mention of animal death #ao3 separates out the “injury chapter” so if you want to skip that part and get a summary of what happens then you should head there #this is the longest thing i've ever written actually. and most of it was written in the last 2 weeks.#every time i join a phandom event something happens irl: a case study (in this case it was multiple things)

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loveinhawkins · 2 years ago

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It’s a long summer’s day—August 1985, to be precise—and all Eddie Munson wants to do is leave a broken down fridge in the junkyard.

“I don’t know if you can dump those here, actually,” comes a voice from somewhere above.

Eddie looks up and seriously contemplates the possibility that he’s contracted heatstroke while straining to remove the fridge from the back of his van.

Because surely that’s not Steve Harrington sitting up on the roof of an old school bus like it’s a perfectly normal thing to do.

“And what are you, Harrington? The junkyard inspector?”

Eddie pushes the fridge with the sole of his shoe until it topples over with a satisfying clunk into the dry grass.

Steve cups his hands around his mouth, cheering like a sports commentator. “What a shot!”

Okay. Maybe Eddie’s not the one suffering from heatstroke after all.

Or maybe this is just what happens to some people after graduation: you lose the social hierarchy of high school, and then before you know it, you’re surveying the Hawkins junkyard like it’s gym class.

Poor guy.

Eddie should really just leave him be. But… well. He’s intrigued.

“And where’s the stuff you were dumping, Harrington?” He puts on a mock grave expression, folds his hands as if in prayer. “Your car die on you?”

“Uh, no. Just.” Steve shrugs. “Just hanging out.”

“Mm-hmm, yeah, you sure picked a nice place for it. Wait, this isn’t one of your tryst locations, is it?”

Steve wrinkles his nose. “Ew, no. Tryst? Can’t you just say make-out spots like a normal person?”

“Nope. Honestly, where’s the fun in that, Harrington?”

Eddie gets a bit closer to the bus, squinting against the sun. There’s a brief moment of shadow thanks to a passing cloud, and he can suddenly see evidence of what must’ve been a huge bruise healing across Steve’s face.

Steve heaves a great sigh; Eddie gets the impression that if he wasn’t here, Steve would’ve flopped backwards, using the roof like a sun-lounger.

“Hey, uh. Are you…?”

Steve makes a face. “Just ignore me. It’s the heat, man. I get… antsy.”

Eddie does not point out the fact that Steve definitely has a massive, air-conditioned house in which to escape from the sun.

“Uh-huh,” he says slowly and hopes it sounds enough like, “Meaning…?” without being too obnoxious about it.

Steve looks down at him, and for a moment it’s almost like he’s sizing him up—not in, like, a gym-class-intimidation kind of way, more…

Eddie’s not sure.

But a flicker of something definitely crosses Steve’s face—something almost vulnerable, maybe—and then it’s gone.

He mimes aiming an imaginary gun at Eddie, one eye closed, and drawls in a ridiculously bad Russian accent, “I would tell you, but I’d have to kill you.”

Eddie’s surprised into laughter. Where was this personality at school? In hiding?

“Fine. Keep your secrets, Steve Harrington.” He raps on the body of the bus, as if they’ve just met in a parking lot instead. Something normal. “Enjoy your, uh… lookout spot.”

Steve smiles, raises a hand. “See you, Munson. Hey, what was the shit you used to say?” And it must be a trick of the light, the sun in Eddie’s eyes, because for a moment it looks like Steve actually winks at him. “Here be dragons.”

#i’m falling in love with multiple scenarios of them meeting Before Everything but like just little glimpses u know?#pre steddie #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #anyway hopefully new chapter of u know what next! ❤️

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snaileer · 9 days ago

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Behold!🤲🏼

The wildest fic I have ever come across.

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curseofdelos · 25 days ago

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wherever he is, is where I'll go (what if I said he's down below?) (4/4)

Relationship(s): Solangelo Word Count: 68.7k Summary: When Will ventured into the underworld for the first time, he was hoping to find his sister. He did not expect to find Nico di Angelo. After the tragic death of his sister Gracie, Will Solace hatched a plan - go to the underworld, seek an audience with Hades, and lead her out of the underworld just like Orpheus had tried before him - but his attempts were immediately waylaid by Hades’s mysterious son, Nico. What started off as a rivalry shifted into something more, and soon Will found himself dropping by the underworld every week to spend time with the boy who stole his heart - and whose heart he may have stolen back. There was just one problem: Nico couldn’t leave the underworld and Will couldn’t stay. Despite the insurmountable odds, Will was determined to make a relationship between them work - if only he could find a way to get Nico out. (Canon Divergent AU in which Nico grew up in the underworld. Solangelo star-crossed lovers. Witten for the @solangelo / @solangeloweek prompts light/dark/boundary.)

[Read on Ao3]

[Fic Masterlist]

#will solace #nico di angelo #solangelo #my fic #starcrossed au #this wasn't supposed to be multiple chapters but then ao3 got mad at me for exceeding the character count so here we are #too sick even for the sickos on ao3........................

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kindheart525 · 3 months ago

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I also read Shipping Friends by @cheesecakeingfriends today

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ironunderstands · 3 months ago

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Rules for how my Omegaverse works for the Aventio au because I don’t like how others write it (so my picky ass will resolve it myself)

Some mentions of SA because unfortunately it comes with the trope

-Beta’s are basically just normal humans, far less attuned to things than alphas/omegas, but they can be turned into alphas/omegas through difficult/unnatural means, although not by other alphas/omegas without consent, have a similar mechanic to what omegas have (you shall see). Blade is an omega bc of whatever the hell happened to him but originally he was a beta

-omegas still have heats- but the desire to submit to alphas is able to be controlled even inside of heats, although it’s very difficult of course, it just requires mental fortitude. It’s even easier for pathstriders

-omegas have a lot of trouble getting pregnant before getting mated, but after it’s fair easier, especially if you’re the mate of an omega, while it’s virtually impossible for non-mates

-omegas can refuse mating bites, and if they do, the offending alpha will die (they can naturally poison their own blood, which is toxic to anyone but the omega themselves, unique to each omega), however this organ can be removed surgically and in some cultures they do (it’s framed as a bad, archaic practice). Nevertheless, this is often why people wait to be married before going through with a mating bite, bc being killed by refusal is only prosecutable by law after marriage in most places

-alphas can use their scent/pheromones/whatever to influence others, especially omegas, but it’s frowned upon and not entirely effective because with enough willpower anyone can resist. However it works against more weak willed individuals, and even subtly against people who aren’t even part of the omegaverse at all (you will see in the next point)

-since hsr has so many different species of person, many are just normal people outside of the omegaverse entirely, like characters from Belabog/Xianzhou don’t have any of that stuff

-Ratio, Aventurine, Black Swan, Acheron, Blade, the Trailblazers, March 7th, Sunday, Robin, Boothill, the people from their respective planets (just Halovians for Penacony) and the Amphoreus characters do though

-Aventurine + the rest of the Avgin + Sigonians are unique bc their pheromones can even affect people with no distinctions at all, it’s part of their bad reputation/stereotypes in the galaxy, really it’s not as strong as their enemies make it out to be, and most would never abuse it unless in desperate situations

-also comes with a thing I’ve seen in other fanfics that’s called alpha voice I think? It’s unique to him + other alpha Sigonians + strong pathstriders + emanator alphas where they can basically command other people, but again it’s rarely used especially by him because Aventurine isn’t a piece of shit

-the IPC was aware of this which is why they made it so the people they sent to enslave the Sigonians a) had no distinctions b) turned off their synthesia beacons c) wore filtration masks

-the reason I’m adding this is because Aventurine is going to use it on Ratio for reasons we will both find out (because I haven’t thought of why yet, I just like the ideas) but won’t involve non-con at all I promise

-currently I’m thinking Aventurine gets mad/upset/worried/whatever and uses the alpha voice unconsciously to basically tell Ratio off, resulting in him submitting which will be a whole mess

-at this point ppl w these traits are common enough that those without have learned to synthesize things to use with/against them, like replicating alpha pheromones or something, which can cause problems and has led to strict regulations of them by the IPC

-suppressants still exist, and because I like this trope (well more like it’s useful), they don’t permanently harm alphas/omega’s by using them, but they slowly make their users feel worse and worse, and can be fatal with over use, they also make any ensuing heat/rut stronger after being off them, this is the only time it becomes practically impossible for alphas/omegas to circumnavigate their instincts, and can lead to problems

-Therefore it’s rarely recommended for people to be on them forever, and if individuals really hate their instincts they can get surgery to remove their mating gland (back of the neck, I didn’t specify before but that’s where others put it, not gonna fix what isn’t broken) to suppress the effects of being an alpha/omega, although it can’t remove them completely. This also tends to make people infertile, which is why the procedure is often frowned upon/undesirable, bc as annoying as heats/ruts can be, most still want kids

-Everyone regardless of sex is a hermaphrodite and presenting is what changes their anatomy, how? It kinda just gets absorbed into the body the day of presentation. Which is a) funny b) means nobody has to deal with stray organs everywhere c) it’s a cop out hahahaha also betas retain both

- Black Swan is an alpha and so is Acheron (mmm alpha x alpha) I’ll figure out how that works later lmao

-Boothill, Blade, Caelus, Ratio, Topaz and Sunday are omegas (as they should be)

-March is a beta, Stelle is a beta, Robin and Aventurine are also alphas

-not sure if I wanna make Stelle and Caelus coexist in this or not

-Can you tell I don't like the rapey elements of the genre and I hate when ppl write omegas like they are weak and can’t resist at all. I get it’s fun for horny stuff but honestly it just annoys and disgusts me more than anything. If that’s your cup of tea then go ahead, but I am not a fan of it at all unfortunately

-Nesting has always been an interesting concept for me. I think I’ll keep the elements of it that involve omegas surrounding themselves w the scents of their desired alphas, and just precious belongings in general

-I’ll make an alpha version of this where the scent of their desired omega can calm them down and provide them comfort during ruts

-similar for omegas where the pain (but not the horniness) of heats goes away if near desired alpha

-by “desired ___” I mean crush/mate if you don’t fuck with someone (in a metaphorical sense although literally this can also be true) they cannot help you

-foxians aren’t part of the omegaverse but they have heightened senses so they can tell when someone’s going through heats/ruts/stuff which is why a lot of doctors specializing in this stuff are foxians

-people present at 18-20

-none of that kits/pups/litter shit sorry not my thing at all, also I feel like it dehumanizes the potential children like dude those are human beings not dogs

-Way less of the strict gender rules, no omegas can’t do this alphas should go that kinda stuff, I don’t want omega’s to be seen as significantly weaker than alphas/they should mostly balance each other out. However as stated prior alphas can absolutely influence people, especially omegas which can result in very interesting problems, however they do have means of fighting back (the poison + personal willpower)

-However the willpower required to resist is a lot/its very hard in general. Most people in universe do not blame omegas for giving into their instincts, although there are plenty of victim blamers, just like in reality unfortunately

-mpreg

#tw mentions of sa #mentions of sa #aventio #aventurine #dr ratio #omegaverse #ngl this was so fun to write I love making rules #I think the actual fic will have multiple chapters I just need to think of what the plot will be #Beyond the whole “Aventurine is an alpha and discovers Ratio is an omega when he’s been pretending to be a beta his whole life”#I’ll think of something #I just have a particular scene- or rather sequence of scenes in my mind #I need Ratio curled up on the floor in heat not responding to texts for days having Aventurine break into his house out of panic #Only to discover his secret #And proceed to take care of him #Also if you have any suggestions pls tell ive literally never written for this trope before

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demaparbat-hp · 27 days ago

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For the Spirits—

Chapter VIII: Make You Stay

And I'd do anything to make you stay

No light, no light

Tell me what you want me to say

—No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine

Ming had experienced so many different, wonderful things. She had lived, truly lived, and allowed herself to dream of things that had been impossible back in the Academy. Endless possibilities now seemed to lay gently in the palm of her hand. But she would give it all away to vanish the shiver that tore its way down her spine at Yoi’s words. The Prince has genuinely gone mad. He—didn't you hear?—he insists on going on this mysterious quest on his own.

#zutara #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara #prince zuko #zutara au #new gods au #spirit touched zuko #atla fic #atla fanfic #atla oc #atla zuko #zuko fanfic #atla au #zutara fic #zutara fanfiction #for the spirits #Chapter VIII: Make You Stay #AKA the It's Time For Zuko To Be A Little Shit chapter #Alternatively the Ming Is About To Commit Regicide chapter #Who can blame her though?#Okay guys please don't kill me #I KNOW I'm stretching this out too much and the pacing isn't really...everyone's cup of tea. But I need you all to trust me.#These scenes are necessary. Fleshing out these characters (even if you don't care about the OCs and just want to jump to ZK—which I get)...#...is also necessary for the story. The multiple povs and the introspection and the ambiguity—everything is there because it needs to be #The intensity will be amped up in the next chapter. You are NOT ready. Believe me.#For those who stick around and spend their free time reading through this muddled story: thank you.#You hold my heart and soul in your hands.#Just...thank you

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laylajeffany · 8 months ago

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Between healing bees and Wednesday identifying her sexuality in a clinical setting, Enid can not prepare for what's next in her new life.

#wednesday 2022 #fanfic update #wenclair #au #author has once again managed to surpass her self-imposed word count by nearly 5k #I don't know how people write chapters in a multichap fic less than 10k I simply don't - how do you character develop #when i tell you this plot has literally nothing to do with the original outline anymore 😭 it was only supposed to be 10 chapters #idk how long it's going to be anymore #but the good news is I have figured out how to manage writing multiple stories at once so we'll be alright 🫶🏻#the black menagerie

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its-in-the-woods · 5 months ago

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Down the Rabbit Hole Chapter 16

Chapter one here, two here, three here, four here , five here, six here, seven here, eight here,nine here, ten here, eleven here , twelve here , thirthen here, fourteen here, Fifteen Here

master list

Pairing: Walton Goggins x You

Rating/Warning: As always minor get out Almost entirely fluff, vague suggestions of sex, lots of comfort, it's sweet and sappy

Synopsis: Updated synopsis, Monday means things are busy, but not busy enough to not go look at nice dresses.

Note: Happy Sunday y'all thanks for reading and enjoy my work it means so much to me! This is just a little bit of fluff cause we all need some.

You are lying in the bed after changing the sheets, body sore in the best of way. Windows open and the cool evening breeze comes over your skin. It’s late but the two of you were too warm to sleep. Pizza had been ordered, more drinks had been made, and more sex. You can’t help the flush that crosses your face, as you remember the evening. The man was insatiable, and you don't mind. He took care of you every time, no asking or fussing, just turning into a puddle on whatever surface he had you on. Your brain wanders over to tomorrow, of course, it did.

Tomorrow was packed, Walton had sent you an itinerary of what was going on tomorrow. It was busy. Nothing you couldn’t handle really, if set life had taught you anything it was how to handle stress. Tomorrow morning Charlotte would be coming over with some paper for you to sign, as well as a list of documents she’d need from you. It still made you nervous, but you had decided to trust Walton. No matter what, it would work, one way or another. The other thing that was happening was the red carpet event at the end of the day, you hadn’t really talked to him about it.

You slid off the bed and wandered over to the bathroom, Walton was currently shaving for tomorrow. “I kinda was hoping you’d keep the stubble” You muse, watching him work away as you lean against the door frame. His shirt covers most of you, it smells like him, smoke, vanilla something else you can't put a name to.

Walton’s hand works quickly and easily moving over the skin covered in shaving cream. It was practice movements that he had done many times, you couldn’t help but remember the scratch of the stubble on your face. He flicks the razor into the sink as he finishes up.

“Got to have a smooth face, that’s what they are asking for anyway,” Walton says quietly running his fingers over each area, before taking a town to wipe himself down with.

“So about tomorrow, what does the red carpet event involve?” You ask, you can hear the trepidation in your voice.

Walton turns to you kissing your forehead, hands running over your shoulders, “Do you want to come with me? Be my date?”

Your heart speeds up in your chest, at the thought of having several dozen photographers flashing at you. This didn't even cover the endless headlines that would surely be published the moment the photos hit twitter.

“I would love to be your date, but umm.” You let out a breath, as you followed him over to the bed, “Would it be okay if I didn’t walk the red carpet with you?”

Walton sat on the bed, those damn hazel eyes watching you, “You worried about being seen with me?” His brows furrow as the words leave his mouth.

“No, more the other way around.” You come and sit beside him, shoulder slouching a bit, “Not sure I am up for answering the questions or dealing with all the headlines.”

Walton lays down motioning for you to come lay with him. You wiggle over and rest your head against his chest, the comforting warmth and steady beat of his heart soothing you.

“If you want to come you’re welcome to. I don't think it will be as stressful as you might expect. That said, If you aren’t ready for that, then I will make sure you are escorted around the mayhem to meet me on the other side.” Walton tells you, hand rubbing up and down your arm.

You ponder this for a second moving closer to him, enjoying the feeling of his heat near you. “Maybe next time?” You feel a little awkward, you don’t want to disappoint him, but you're not sure if you’re ready for the hubbub that would be coming after the event.

Leaning down he kisses you softly, hand wandering down over your cheek. “We will have many chances when you’re ready.”

"Am I being ridiculous about this?" You push, mind reeling as you feel self-conscious about the whole situation.

Walton's face breaks into a grin, and he kisses you again, "You are never ridiculous." You can hear the tease in his voice, you pout and scrunch yourself away from him.

His fingers push under your arms and tickle at your side, you squawk and try to move away as bubbles of laughter break out of your chest. Mind blanking at as you do your best to push away him tickling at you.

"Stooopp," You giggle wriggling away from him, trying to get your own fingers to find spots but he has you pinned in a moment. "Not fairrr."

He stops kissing you again, rubbing his nose against yours. "You are ridiculous, but I only want to see you content. Even if that means I do the event on my own. "

You roll your eyes and snuggle against him, "Fine. You've convinced me. I will go with you."

Walton kisses all over your face, "You are too good for me."

***

Charlotte had stopped by first thing, the stack of papers you needed to sign was explained in detail. Some of it goes over your head, but if you had a question, she or Walton would answer them. The list of documents you need was also relatively straightforward, many of them you had already from working in film. Charlotte and you exchanged numbers, once your show was done and you were back in LA she’d help you set up anything else you might need. The whole experience left you feeling pleasantly comfortable. It wasn't nearly as mountainous as you thought it would be.

Then Terrance comes over just as Charlotte is finishing up, the two of them exchange hugs before she takes off. The man is a whirlwind of energy, clothing is laid out on the bed, along with various accessories. The man talks a mile a minute and is all hands. You have decided to sit by the window ledge letting the two men work. Currently, Walton is topless holding up two different tops as the man looks him over. Terrance grabs a couple of bracelets, they eventually land on a simple white button-up and black jacket for interviews. Then switch to a light gray suit jacket and matching pants for the red carpet event.

“And what about you?” Terrance turned to you, he is around your height with salt and pepper hair. Decked out in a well-tailored pair of black pants and flowing navy shirt, hands decorated with large rings. He looks elegant and at the same he commands the room. The man looks you over, taking in the simple blue jeans and a loose-fitting black top you are wearing. “Should we take you to get something for the event?”

You shake your head with a smile, "Oh, I am sure I can find something that will work for tonight."

Terrance narrows his blue eyes at you, turning back to Walton. "Do you have dresses hiding in your closet I don't know about it?'

Walton chuckles as he does up most of the buttons on the shirt. “Nothing that would fit her, I am afraid.”

The man sighed, putting his hands on his hips, turning back to you, "It will be my treat. Plus I doubt your man here has taken you out much."

You break eye contact and look away. Walton grins as he gets his jacket on. Walton looks over at you, “You are welcome to take him up on his offer.”

You ponder this for a moment, you couldn’t remember the last time you had gone shopping for something outside work clothes. Most of your wardrobe was black or neutral colored clothes, comfortable to wear, and easy to clean. “Umm, sure, I wouldn't mind finding something a little more appropriate.”

Terrance claps his hands together, “Excellent! Now I am excited!”

***

The first two interviews go off without a hiccup, everyone is professional and make sure you are comfortable. You find yourself easing into things, it’s not much different from working on set. Smaller crews, more intimate locations, and a breakneck pace. Once Walton is set you sit back and enjoy the filming process, listening to Walt tell stories never got old. As you arrive at the third interview Terrance stops by to grab you. Walton gives you a quick kiss as you are out the door with the man, down into the sunshine-spilled streets. The stylist is on the move, and you are doing your best to keep up as you slide into the front seat of his mini cooper.

“So how are you enjoying LA,” Terrance asks, easily moving along the busy roadways.

You shift in your seat slightly, this was the most you’ve seen of the city this weekend.“Ahh, like you said, haven't been out much,”

Terrance chuckles as he lights a cigarette rolling down the window, “Ah, a weekend that’s been more pleasure than exploration.”

You are now officially pink, swallowing, you take a sip of water before replying, “ Something like that, we don’t get many multiple days off together.”

Terrance has a small grin on his face, “That’s Walton, man loves to be busy, I have no idea how he didn’t lose his mind during the pandemic.”

“He probably did, trying to make up for lost time now. I know I was losing my mind but I also live in a shoebox.” You reply, your mind picturing Walton just running from one end of his house to the other like some madman.

“But you are moving down here though?” Terrance pries, as he turns down another busy street. You briefly wonder how the man had any clue where he was going.

You nod, “I wasn’t certain, but I think it makes sense. Looking forward to not having to live in an apartment anymore. Nice to have some space and be in a bigger city.”

Terrance pulls up to the small storefront, and you follow him inside. Despite the appearance, the entire place is beautifully laid out with amazing dresses.

Terrance is going through the racks like he is looking for the cure for cancer, all careful precision and hurried movements.

“So you’re going to be Watlon’s personal make-up artist going forward?” Terrance asks as he pulls out another dress and hands it to you.

“Yes, that's the plan, still working out details. Don’t think I’ve seen so much paperwork” You reply, eyes wide at some of the price tags. You adjust how you carry things so nothing is touching the floor.

“I am sure Walton will take excellent care of you. Charlotte is also a dear friend of mine, the lady knows her stuff in and out.” The man states, walking you over to the changing rooms. He hangs up several of the dresses humming over them. “I was going to try you in this red number, but I think I like these blue ones better.”

You slip into the room slipping off your clothes to pull the dress on. It has a corset back which proves tricky to do up by yourself. It has a scoop neckline, which you realize reveals Walton’s handy work of marks.

“Walton mentioned that he was going to be traveling again,” Terrance said, pushing the curtain open to help you tie up the piece.

“Yes, I think he mentioned that there was work lined up,” You smile, face a little flush, the dress is squishing in all the wrong ways. “I think I may need something that, umm, covers these.” You point at the marks, a small grin tugs at Terrance’s lips.

“Oh, well that changes things,” Terrance groans, immediately untying the back. He hands you a piece in navy blue with gold embroidered flowers. “I am going to have to tell him to keep the marks somewhere lower. Damn vacuum cleaner.”

A small snort leaves your mouth, as you tuck yourself back into the changing room, the thought of Walton getting scolded kept the smile there.

The zippers barely go up on this one, Terrance adjusts a tie on the side, and it slips on. The neckline covers up the marks but you feel like you are in a cardboard box. You grimace, trying to adjust the material so it looks half decent, but Terrance is already unzipping you and handing you a deep red piece.

“Haven’t seen Walton this excited about anyone in years,” Terrance quips as you come out in the red number, it's the best out of the bunch but you aren’t sure about the color.

“Oh? I haven’t really,” You cringe as Terrance fluffs the material out in a few areas, " asked about past relationships.”

“Nothing of interest really, man has needs and all that. But he’s really taken a liking to you,” Terrance says, before handing you a black dress. “He never shuts up about you, pretty sure he is smitten.”

“Yeah? I like him too,” You flush again as you peel off the latest pieces. Take a few breaths before slipping into the next piece.

You walk out feeling confident about this one. It’s tight under your bust, coming up and wrapping around your neck to cover the bruises, then flows out in whisps of tulle and satin. Terrance is smiling as he grabs something sparkling, it’s layers of rhinestones that fall over you making the dress look like it’s covered in dew.

“Oh I think this is the winner,” Terrance smiles, having you spin around. The dress is sparkling in the light, it rests just at your ankles and is loose enough for you to move freely. “Yep, I am good at what I do. Look at you, just stunning”

You look in the mirror, taken aback by how you look, “Wow. This is beautiful.”

Terrance is beaming as he takes you in, “I don’t even think we need adjustments, you are looking red carpet worthy.”

A thread of doubt curling in your mind, pushing that away, and focus on enjoying the feeling. You can’t remember the last time you put on a dress much less one this stunning. Terrance fluffing and preening you, showing how to make the piece sit just right.

“Okay, let’s get everything sorted. Few bits of paperwork, and then we will go get you some shoes,” Terrance says with a smile, you smile back before tucking yourself into the changing room. You do a silent squee, turning around in the space a few times. Stopping, you calm yourself down and change back into your street clothes.

You carefully put the dress on the hanger and step out. Terrance hands it over to one of the staff who takes it up front.

“So with the dress,” Terrance explains walking you up to the counter, “Just hang it up in Walton’s closet before you leave, I will have someone pick it up and return it here.”

“Oh, yes of course,” You reply, slightly saddened that it was a rental. Then again with the price, it only makes sense. “I will make sure it gets back to you. Thank you so much for this.”

Terrance fills out all the paperwork and whatever else is needed. Then you are whisked out to find some matching heels, and back on your way to meet up with Walton.

Terrance takes a puff of a cigarette as the two of you drive down the busy streets. “When you move down here I will have to take you out, and fill out the other half of that closet.”

“Really? I would enjoy that,” You reply, still a little taken aback by all of this. The thought of having clothes picked out by Terrance sounds wonderful. "Thank you again,"

“Of course, got to make sure you are looking your best,” Terrance says, butting the smoke out in an ashtray. “Plus, I miss working with women, so many options.”

You chuckle, pondering what the next few months might look like. Your whole world changing in the blink of an eye.

***

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, you both are at home to get ready for the last event of the night. You pull out the gown and lay it on the bed. It doesn’t feel real. You stand there, head spinning a little, how was this even happening? Were you really going to go down the red carpet, the dress was beautiful, and you had done up your make-up, so why not? You swallow, your mind is still swirling around.

“Hey,” Walton whispers, you turn to see him standing there. Your breath caught in your throat, he looked so good. He always looks good, but something about the cut of the suit, the fact the last few buttons aren’t done up makes him look even better. You can see his long neck peeking out between the buttons, licking your lips as you watch him move.

“Hi,” You squeak, as you look him up and down, trying to burn the image into your mind. “I will get into this right now.”

Walton moves over, hands resting on your hips, “If you want to stay here tonight, it’s okay. It was a busy day for both of us.”

“No, I do want to come with you, ” You say, even as you worry at your lips. “Try it out anyway.”

Walton moves away, opening up a drawer on the side table, you watch him. Slightly concerned he might have something more devious in mind, instead he comes to you with a small box. You blink a few times, as he hands it to you, feeling a little nervous as you go to open it.

“I promise that it’s nothing too fancy,” He says with a small smile, his face flushing as he watches you.

You take a moment before opening up the box, inside are two silver bracelets, one slightly smaller than the other. Taking out the smaller one you slip it on over your hand, the cool metal sends a smaller shiver over your skin. Walton takes the other and slips it onto his wrist. You run your fingertips over it Walton grinning as his bracelet pulses.

“Oh? Wait-” You do the motion again, grabbing his wrist you can feel where you have touched. A small pulse vibrating against his skin as you move your fingers.

Walton grins as he watches you realize how it works. “If I am thinking about you,” He runs his fingers over the bracelet, and you immediately feel where his fingers touch. “You can feel me”

You let out a little giggle as you trace your fingers over your bracelet, watching him react to it. “Oh, this is so neat.”

He leans in and kisses you, you kiss him back wanting to stay there. He pulls you against him, holding you tight against his chest. You close your eyes and just take in the moment. The two of you locked in time wrapped around the other.

“I should get dressed,” You say, hesitant to move. The last thing you want to do is go out but know it’s important.

Walton lets you go, giving you another kiss on the forehead. You slip out of your clothes and carefully step into the dress, Walton coming over to help you do up the zippers. Then you grab the rhinestone top piece sliding it down over top. You move it back and forth until it sits right, like how Terrance had showed you, the lighting in the room making it sparkle. Walton steps back, his eyes traveling over you, you do a little spin and he grins.

“You look stunning,” He whispers, eyes going over the dress as you move in it, “It fits perfectly,”

You grin back, “Terrance knows what he is doing.”

“That he does, might have to cut the night short just so I can take you out of it,” He comes over and brings you close, fingers running over the different details of the dress.

You lean up and kiss him, “Promises, promises.”

seventeen

As always, likes, reblogs, comments are always welcome <3 You feed the parasites in my brain.

#walton goggins #fanfic #writing #writer #x reader #walton goggins x reader #walton goggins x you #fluff #domestic fluff #established relationship #long fic #multiple chapters #alternate universe #au #i make this up #i just wanted something cute okay!#down the rabbit hole

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tinyywriterr · 7 months ago

Text

WHO WILL IT BE?

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{Nanami + Toji + POC Reader}

∘°∘♡∘°∘𝓒𝓗𝓐𝓟𝓣𝓔𝓡 𝓣𝓔𝓝 ~ 𝓡𝓞𝓤𝓝𝓓 𝓣𝓦𝓞∘°∘♡∘°∘

⟿ Song to Go with the Chapter: Cockiness (Love It) by Rihanna AND OR Lollipop by Lil Wayne [Nanami + Toji + Reader theme song for this chapter] {both of these songs use to be my jam as a kid 2000 kids STAND UP}

⟿ Word Count: 5,200 +

⟿ Toji + Reader short smut scene | Nanami + Reader smut scene & Toji watches | plot building + dialogue

⟿ Summary: A couple hours later you’re ready for round 2 not knowing what you’d get yourself into. Once you were asleep Nanami asks Toji a random question that might change a lot for everyone involved. Will Toji accept? And will you be okay with the decisions being made behind your back?

*+:｡.｡.·:*¨༺༻¨*:·.｡.｡:+**+:｡.｡.·:*¨༺༻¨*:·.｡.｡:+*

𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰: contains smut, pet names, the use of every hole, cream pie, fingering, oral sex, dom/sub, soft dom vs semi hard dom, threesomes, light BDSM, fem reader, black fem reader/you, and etc. [please don’t read if easily triggered or not 18 +]

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓮: 18+ please & please don’t copy and paste my story anywhere else. This chapter is slightly shorter than the last chapter sadly but I hope the smut makes up for it. ANYWAYS, this is my first tumblr fic so if you leave a heart, reblog, or comment it’s greatly appreciated! If there are any errors I am open to anyone correcting me in the comments, leaving feedback, or dming me. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did when I wrote this!

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*𝒲𝒜𝒦𝐼𝒩𝒢 𝒰𝒫 𝒜 𝒞𝒪𝒰𝒫𝐿𝐸 𝒪𝐹 𝐻𝒪𝒰𝑅𝒮 𝐿𝒜𝒯𝐸𝑅 | 𝒴𝒪𝒰𝑅 𝒫𝒪𝒱✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You open your eyes slowly looking around as you do. You look to your left and right and see the two big men lying next to you. They opted to put their boxers back on but you’re still naked sandwiched between the two of them. Not wanting to move you just look at Nanami who’s sleeping peacefully while hugging on your waist and one leg hooked around your leg. Toji has his arm around your neck and another in your hair playing with it as he’s awake. 'Fuck, I forgot my bonnet!' You think to yourself slightly frustrated at how you keep forgetting.

“Finally up I’m itching to smoke one,” Toji complains while rubbing his temples now. You chuckle softly before fully sitting up and moving Nanami’s limbs slowly so as to not disturb him. You scoop down and throw your dress back on; it’s a long one touching the floor made of cotton, solid black, and strapless.

“Come upstairs we can smoke one real quick before Kento wakes up.” You whisper trying not to overuse your voice as it was hoarse all because of Toji. You walk out of the room beginning to walk upstairs and you feel Toji staring you down as he follows closely behind you. You get to your shared room with Nanami and swing the door open. You waltz to the bathroom to freshen up really quickly since everyone’s juices are dry on your body. You wet a rag as you pull your dress up over your butt and wipe yourself up recounting the fun morning you’ve had so far.

‘Who says it has to stop here,’ you think devilishly to yourself before walking back out. Toji’s sitting on your bed now and looking around your room examining it; making sure to take in every detail.

“You like to decorate or clutter a space but it’s cute,” he blurts out as you sit next to him. You lean over to your bedside table and open the vintage cigarette dispenser, Toji raises an eyebrow. “Now I need one of those.” He points out as you hand him a cigarette. He pops it in his mouth and you light it for him loving the intimacy between the two of you.

‘I wonder if Ken would be okay if I asked for a second boyfriend. Toji would be a great addition,’ you think to yourself as you put the cigarette between your lips.

“Let me light that for you,” Toji suggests grabbing the lighter not really waiting for a response, and lighting your cigarette.

You take a long drag and smile as you exhale; “I had fun with you today. I'd hate for it to end.~” You tease lustfully while leaning on his shoulder which makes him tense up slightly. You look up at him and he’s blushing softly trying to just smoke his cigarette.

“How did you know I liked you?” Toji inquires taking another long drag and exhaling just as quickly.

“You turned down Angel, practically melted when I gave you a lap dance, and lastly you couldn’t keep your eyes off me all night whenever I was working. Same as Kento,” you explain in between a couple of puffs of your cigarette. Toji looks at you flabbergasted as he didn’t think you’d notice.

“I uh, can’t deny you’re beautiful and I’d do anything to protect you. But I’ve been wanting to tell you that I um, have a son,” Toji explains trying not to look at you until you force him to by grabbing his face.

“I don’t care if you have a kid or kids Toji. I bet you’re an amazing dad, what’s his name anyway? What’s he like?” You ask sincerely turning your full attention to him.

“Well, his name is Megumi. He’s a smart kid, but quiet not as loud as me. He is a good mixture of me and my ex. I’ve finally been able to get him into a private school and he’s made some friends like Yuji and Nobara. I haven’t always been a good guy or a great father at that. I used to be a hitman for a crime boss named Ryomen, Sukuna. I was just doing it for the money and because I was good at it. I wasn’t able to keep my kid while I was doing it which ruined our relationship and he’s somewhat wary of me now. Mainly because I’d come and go a lot sometimes coming home hurt no kid should go through that so I sent him to his mom. Also, I felt I was losing myself just wanting money and enjoying the killing I was doing so I decided to stop. I was gambling a lot and for a while, once I quit but then I met Nanami. It was a random day at a boujee club I had no business being at just gambling money away and getting drunk as all hell. Nanami offered me a job to be his on-hire bodyguard whenever he needed or for whoever. It’s really helped with getting on the right track and beginning to be able to provide for my son.” Toji recounts heaving a sigh as he finishes venting along with his cigarette putting it out and passing it to you. You turn to put the cigarette butt away in the ashtray and smile at him as you turn back around holding his hand with your free hand.

“You did what you thought was right, even if it wasn’t. People will do a lot in order to know their family is okay and financially taken care of. I’m glad you met Kento when you did and were able to get back on the right track. I bet your ex and Megumi are happy that you’ve elevated yourself,” you say reassuringly rubbing the back of his hand now. You turn to put your cigarette out and to toss it into the ashtray but as you turn back Toji is inches away from you now.

“I haven’t opened up to anyone like that, before. You bring out the soft side in me no one’s been able to do that besides my ex and my kid,” Toji explains looking at your lips as he starts to bite his. You lean in closer and so does he so soon enough your lips collide. Toji is rough, full of desire, but it still has a hint of love behind it. Both of you kiss each other feverishly exploring each others lips trying to memorize every movement. Toji pulls away biting your lip as he softly places his hand behind your head. Once apart you look into each others eyes searching for answers. “You’re an amazing kisser and lover,” Toji praises rubbing your head softly before falling into the bed. You follow him lying down as well crawling over to your side as Toji has picked Nanami's side.

“Thank you, you as well Toji…” you say as you both curl up and Toji starts to cradle you in his arms. You both fall silent enjoying each others company until you feel something poking you. You look down and see the growing tent in Toji’s boxers. Looking back up at him he has a devious look on his face as he slowly pulls his boxers down. You feel the hot appendage smack you on the thigh and you can’t help but chuckle softly. Once done Toji tosses the boxers across the room as he crawls on top of you, you can’t help but stare at his muscles. Particularly his arm muscles how cut and defined they are it’s like you could see each one. You return your attention to his face as he smirks down at you simultaneously pulling your dress off. Once off he stares at your naked body under him so curvy and soft. Toji begins to lick from your neck down to your stomach and back. After a couple of times, he goes down to your sore pussy all swollen and puffy. He blows cool air on your slick opening making you squirm slightly.

“You’re still craving to be stuffed brat? I’m going to change that for you,~” Toji coos before going straight in and devouring your pussy. He’s sloppy and feverishly as he eats you out. Sucking and licking everything with no real coordination but it feels good. It’s different from earlier and the past men you’ve had. Toji sticks 3 fingers into you hooking into you immediately making you gasp as he continues to sloppily suck on your clit and folds. You moan loudly arching your back as he’s quickening the pace pulling up for air and using his free hand to torture your clit now. “Look at you melting right in my hand you’re such a slutty brat. Cum for me brat. I’m ready to stuff you full of me and have you all to myself,~” Toji teases before kissing up and down your thigh making you squirm and buck your hips as he adds a new sensation to the torture. Your stomach tightens and you squeeze your eyes close as just hearing him talk to you like this makes you go crazy. You grit your teeth together before howling loudly arching your back like you're in the exorcist. Toji laughs loudly as he sees you becoming a mess under him soon after he pulls his fingers out of you making you groan. Toji swipes his dick at your slick entrance one time before just shoving it in deep inside of you making you gasp for air. You claw at his back as he grabs your legs pulling them apart further before leaning more on top of you. Now chest to chest he slams into you making you yelp as he starts to thrust into you at the same depth and speed. You drop your arms as your strength is leaving you but instead, you grip onto your sheets tightly. Toji begins kissing your jawbone nibbling on it before getting to your neck and practically biting you not truly caring about the sore love bites already there. Your moans echo throughout the room and probably the whole house but you could care less. This pleasure was amazing but nothing was better than you and Kento. There was a certain connection you two have that no one could top but Toji was fairly close. Toji pulls away slowly before grabbing your legs again and propping himself on his knees. You without thinking hook your legs with your arms to make it all easier for him. With your knees to your shoulders now Toji grins as he grips your hips and love handles. He slams into you again hitting your already bruised cervix making you groan loudly. Returning back to his original pace Toji drills deep into you making you dig your nails into your own skin. The sound of his balls slapping on your ass echoes throw the room making you smile softly. Soon Toji shifts slightly to the side to hit it at a different angle making you lose your grip on your legs but he grabs them just in time. Using one hand he grips your legs to keep them in place and chokes you lightly with his other hand as his pace quickens. “Fuck your tight brat you feel so good,~” Toji praises as he tilts his head back. But with his words you clench around his dick moaning loudly with pleasure. Causing Toji to go silent as he loses control and slams into you at an unbelievable speed. He keeps this up for a couple moments before releasing deep within you maybe even into your actual womb. You whimper as he stops moving and pulls his dick out suddenly standing up just as fast. He smacks your ass loudly as he watches cum spill out of you and stain the bed.

“Awww, I missed all the fun,~” Nanami teases from the door looking straight at you with eyes full of lust and a tinge of jealousy.

‘When did the door open? I bet he heard me from downstairs, fuck,’ you think to yourself as you’re still a mess on the bed trembling from all the sensations. Toji slips his boxers on and sits in a chair in perfect view of the bed.

“Aw, don’t be like that Nanami I was prepping her. I’ll just sit back and watch,” Toji teases as he leans back into the chair smirking. Nanami walks over to you silently looking at the cum spilling out of you before smacking your sore pussy not too hard but enough to make you whimper softly.

 “You had fun without me princess. I don’t know how I feel about that,” Nanami says bluntly running his fingers up your leg before swiping your entrance making you squirm. “What to do to you? What to do? Toji can you grab some nipple clamps and a vibrator from downstairs.” Nanami requests as he looks at you smiling as he can’t help but love how spent you look. He crawls on top of you kissing you passionately while nipping at your lip as you moan wanting more of him. “So impatient and so oversexed,~” Nanami teases flicking your nipple which makes you bite your lip. “You know you are mine right?” Nanami asks coldly looking deep into your eyes.

“Yes, daddy,~” you say softly returning the eye contact trying not to be flustered under his gaze. But, within seconds you crumble and you couldn’t help but get shy all of sudden. You still couldn’t go toe to toe with Nanami. You turn your head as heat starts to explode in your cheeks.

“But I don’t mind sharing, my love. I just get a little jealous, you understand right?” Nanami says tilting his head slightly before kissing your ear and biting your earlobe softly. Toji returns with the toys Nanami requested placing them on the bed and sitting down again. Nanami slyly grabs the nipple claps and vibrator before pulling away and putting the nipple clamps on you. You moan softly as the cold metal actually feels good on your sore nipples. With the vibrator in hand, he crawls back down to your pussy placing the vibrator on your clit. “Hold the vibrator, my love.” Nanami requests not waiting for the answer as he turns it on to the highest speed with a remote he has next to him. You gasp at the feeling of it being turned on and buck your hips slightly into Nanami. In response he sticks his tongue into your cream pied entrance. It shocks you but you don’t have a lot of time to soak it all in before he begins licking at your folds switching between the two. With his free hand, he tugs on the chain that is connecting the nipple clamps making you yelp while simultaneously bucking your hips in his face. Nanami laughs before pulling his mouth away and shoving 4 fingers deep within you fingering you at an insane pace. You moan as the sound of the juices being pumped out of you is so erotic. Nanami turns the vibrator down trying to torture you and make you beg for mercy. You mewl loudly and look at Toji who’s watching and stroking his dick. All the while he’s licking his lips at the sight he’s seeing. Nanami uses his hand that was tugging on the chain to force you to look at him. “Don’t forget that I am here princess. Don’t hurt my feelings,~” he teases turning up the vibrator speed and picking up the pace of fingering you. He lets go of your face tugging on the chain again gaining a deep guttural moan from you as your stomach starts to tense up. Out of nowhere, you spray Nanami’s lower torso and fingers coating them in your juices. He pulls his finger out of you and licks them seductively before smacking your ass. “Keep that vibrator right where it is, my love. And bend over on the bed feet flat on the ground.” Nanami commands crawling off of you and pulling his boxers off before coming behind you bent on the bed. Without warning or question, he shoves his dick inside of you making you gasp softly gripping at the sheets with your free hand. He bucks his hips deep within you as Toji’s cum coats his dick which made you 10x more slick. Grabbing your love handles he plows into you making you groan with each thrust as it keeps hitting you’re demolished cervix and walls. Nanami leans down so his chest is on your back and he grabs your neck practically lifting you up with his dick fucking up into you which gives him an idea. “Drop the vibrator give me your arms.” He commands so you do as he says and he starts to pull on your arms slightly as he leans back. Your feet are off the ground now as he pulls you all the way down his length to the point you feel his pubic hair on your butt. Nanami thrust deep into you fucking up into you filling you up and giving you no way of running away. Your moans grow louder as each thrust breaks your mind.

“You feel so good Ken fuck. Pump me full of your cum daddy,” you request in a breathy tone and Nanami doesn’t respond just focused on demolishing you to the point you can’t move. You groan loudly as you cream around him again but there’s no tightening or warmth in your stomach as it was just flowing out of you at this point. You’ve cum so much today that you’re starting to go numb from the bottom down. Your clit practically has a heartbeat as you continuously cum on Nanami’s dick going silent as you are overstimulated. Nanami stops all of a sudden as he groans loudly saying your name like a chant within seconds he cums deep within you. He doesn’t let go though but bucks his hips as if he’s trying to make sure it’s all in there. Still inside of you, he leans down picking you up from the legs and getting into bed.

“Toji if you are done grab the tin box in her bedside table and spark it she’ll need it. And come lay with us, I think she likes laying with the both of us.” Nanami asks as you tremble in his arms and not coherent at all. Toji does as the man says upset he didn’t get to get his nut off as he has come accustomed to your touch not even wanting to beat himself off; it didn’t feel the same. Pulling his boxers up he gets in bed puffing on a perfectly stuffed joint you have rolled Toji then passes it to Nanami as he exhales slowly.

“Shit, I haven’t smoked in a while that shit is good,” Toji says as he caresses your face but looks and speaks to Nanami.

“Ya, I got a friend to start dropping off here. He gets it from Amsterdam and brings back here I hated the shit she was smoking before it was dirt,” Nanami says chuckling softly as he takes a couple of puffs before putting it in between your lips. Like it’s part of your computer programming you inhale taking a long drag before using an un-trapped hand to pull it out to exhale.

“Fuck..” is all you can muster up to say before taking another long drag from the j feeling the effects immediately thankfully it made your legs not hurt as much. But your sore pussy is still being stretched as Nanami is still inside of you bucking into you every now and then when you clench around him.

“You’ve had a good day today?” Nanami inquires watching you take a couple more puffs before passing it to Toji.

“Yes, daddy,” you mumble sleepily thinking about how all you’ve done was get fucked. You snuggle into Nanami as he’s being passed the joint all of you smoke in silence as you slowly fall asleep leaving Nanami and Toji to finish the j and talk.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*𝐼𝒩 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝐵𝐸𝒟 | 𝒩𝒜𝒩𝒜𝑀𝐼 & 𝒯𝒪𝒥𝐼 ’𝒮 𝒫𝒪𝒱✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

After finishing the joint with Toji Nanami slowly slips out of you as his dick has gone flaccid and watches as the cum leaks out of you. Standing up suddenly he slips on his boxers and you moan softly at the new emptiness and the coldness you felt in your sleep. You shift a little but thankfully don’t wake up and begin to snoring slightly. Nanami chuckles sitting back down slowly and Toji stands up completely and then fully gets out of bed. You groan as it starts to get cold shuffling over to where Nanami was sitting.

“I guess I can’t leave. But thank you for doing this I don’t know how she would’ve felt if you rejected her.” Nanami says turning to you to rub your side to keep you asleep.

“Like I said I’ve dreamt about a day like this. I hope I didn’t offend you when I said that it’s just your girl is beautiful and so caring I was shocked that she even brought it up to you.” Toji says crossing his arms and looking out the window as the sun has begun to set now.

“No, you didn’t offend me I understand it completely. I was the same way with her when I first saw her. She’s so enchanting I just had to know her and she made me think about things I tried to push out. But I have a feeling she’d want to keep this going honestly. She loves you very much I bet she’d want to have us all be together as a couple.” Nanami explains in between chuckles as the thought of that was interesting, to say the least. The two of them are two completely different people in a relationship with you an ethereal woman.

“I mean, that’d be cool. We’d share her and get to make her a mess almost every day that’d be a dream.” Toji says not thinking before he spoke shaking his head as he replayed what he just said in his head.

“We do get along pretty well and she’s spent from today. If we were to become a poly couple I could connect you with more work opportunities and it’d be great to have someone here to keep her company while I try to start this small business.” Nanami explains like he’s actually thinking about it. He never saw himself being in a polyamorous relationship but he’s found out a lot of new things about himself recently. “Toji, I’m serious it’ll be like a little surprise for her she won’t see this coming from either of us at all. You could stay here and even bring Megumi she’s great with kids and it’s not far from Tokyo. I don’t know your co-parenting schedule or situation right now but I bet we could work something out.” Nanami states trying to sell the idea to Toji but he’s still looking out the window starting to contemplate his decision.

‘I mean it’s better than living in that shoebox of an apartment. Megumi could bring his friends over and actually have fun. I’d be in a throuple and I get access to seeing y/n more and get to fuck her whenever with or without Nanami. It’s not the worst idea…’ Toji thinks to himself rubbing his chin as he runs through all possibilities and outcomes.

“I’m in but I am keeping the apartment I have just in case,” Toji explains looking at Nanami now smirking softly. “You must really love her..” he says softly looking at you now sleeping so peacefully looking like an angel.

“I do, I really do but I can also tell you do as well. I noticed as well as time went on and I even became jealous. But I thought to myself maybe I’m just being selfish and controlling maybe I am not but still. I don’t want to stifle your feelings and make you not experience what I am experiencing. I see she brings out that side in you Toji, she does the same for me. Who am I to rob you of that experience? And when she told me she wanted to fuck you or have a threesome with you it turned me on thinking about us both demolishing her.” Nanami explains looking at you as well you scrunch up your nose and groan softly before shifting again.

‘So beautiful and perfect how could I not share you, my love? Maybe I’m jumping the gun but everything has gone so fast and has felt so right this feels no different than when I asked her out.’ Nanami thinks to himself as he bites the inside of his cheek as anxiety grows thinking he possibly could mess the whole thing up.

“Wow she really has changed you, man I need a drink this is something..” Toji teases walking out of the room and downstairs. Nanami kisses you on the cheek covering you with the covers before following behind Toji meeting at the base of the stairs. “I’m gonna grab my clothes and put them on real quick.” Toji explains dipping into the sex room and re-entering wearing his grey sweatpants and black shirt handing Nanami his clothes. Nanami slips them on shaking his head as he didn’t realize he was just walking around with his boxers on.

“Follow me, my office has all the whiskey in it,” Nanami explains guiding Toji to the office and swinging the door open showing a clean and orderly room. His office is dark with one big window in the middle of the wall facing the street. Nanami pushes out a whiskey cart and sits down on a couch that’s conveniently positioned across the room in a nook. Toji plops down next to Nanami heaving a sigh and picking up a cup Nanami pours him a generous amount of ‘Hibiki 30 year old blended whiskey’; Toji nearly jumps out of his skin taking his first sip.

“How the fuck are you drinking this neat also isn’t this an almost ¥1,000,000 yen Nanami!?” Toji exclaims puckering his lips trying not to spit out the alcohol and Nanami just nods ‘yes’ as he laughs and takes a sip. The two men sit in silence both thinking about what they both just agreed to. “You won’t try to kill me if I get her pregnant right?” Toji teases trying to break the silence and taking a smaller sip from his glass.

“No, I wouldn’t but she’s on the pill so I am not too worried about it. But she would look even more beautiful pregnant,” Nanami says daydreaming about you pregnant and glowing. “I will control my jealousy but we can give it a trial run to see how you feel about it by the end of the week. You don’t have anything planned or jobs lined up this week do you?” Nanami inquires twirling his cup as he thinks about how this will all play out.

“No, I’d be happy to fuck your girl all week and see if I wanna commit.” Toji teases laughing softly as the drink and joint were affecting him.

“Then let me know by Friday how you feel about it,” Nanami says ignoring what Toji just said but just smirks shaking his head. “You are a devious dog aren’t you,” Nanami teases this time taking another sip of his drink and finishing it off.

“You saw what I did,” Toji replies taking another small sip trying not to waste the drink. “We had her trembling like a leaf and before you barged in she was spent,” he explains pointing at Nanami.

“You saw her she wanted me,” Nanami says grinning from ear to ear now. They both chuckle thinking about how you were so ravenous for the both of them.

“Serious question, do you want to marry her Nanami? Like you said she has made you think, change for the better for yourself, and you even seem happier around her. Why not just take her completely off the market now.” Toji inquires just chugging the rest of the glass and coughing a little bit once he was done.

“I do actually she really brought out a new Nanami Kento one I never expected. I’ve always been gentlemanly but this go around courting her I enjoyed doing it. Even if I wanted to devour her right then and there. But she was amazing and fun to be around even if I wasn’t fucking her yet. She was refreshing to be around I didn’t feel like I had to show out for her. I just was me and she adored that even if I was in my growing stages when we started to talk seriously. Also ever since I met her I wanted to protect her don’t get me wrong the past women I was with I’d protect them. But I never truly worried about their feelings or ambitions. I would die for y/n.” Nanami explains staring into his empty glass recounting how you two first met, when he came over to your house, when you guys went on your first date, and the first kiss. Nanami began to feel heat rush to his face so he bowed his head trying to hide the bright red blush covering his cheeks.

“Wow, that was deep Nanami I understand how you feel. Just protecting her for those few months was enough for me but when I saved her from Geto and Gojo something shifted in me. The last time I felt like I’d die for someone was my kid and ex wife. It’s definitely a refreshing feeling and she’s so heartwarming it just makes you melt,” Toji explains talking with his hands as spoke.

“Ya, she does that to people I don’t know how but she makes people feel comfortable around her,” Nanami says standing up now. “I’m gonna lay down that glass and joint have hit me all at once. There’s a guest room right next to ours you can rest there.” Nanami explains as he walks out of the office waving ‘goodbye’.

“Thanks,” Toji says as he leans over and puts his elbows on his knees.

‘I can’t believe this is happening honestly. Nanami has changed so much since when I met him. He was so cold and straight to the point but now he’s smiling.’ Toji thinks to himself before getting up and walking up to the guest room. As he closed the door he turned around to see a huge bed calling his name. Toji strips again down to his boxers and plops into the bed throwing the cover over him. ‘This will be a story I tell my grandkids 'cause this is insane.’ Toji thinks to himself before slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Once again I hope you enjoyed this one and can’t wait to upload the next chapter! Also let me know how you guys like the smut in this chapter. I liked the dialogue in this chapter so I hope y’all do as well! I’m so happy people on here actually like this story or smut it warms my heart. And IM HERE FOR ALL THE NANAMI & TOJI LOVERS! ♡ But, don’t forget to comment, leave feedback, leave a note, or anything truly. It’s all appreciated! (・ω<)

[Please don't copy or plagiarize my work thank you. I don't own any rights to JJK and all photos are from pintrest or here I'll try to tag people if I can]

⟿ Link for my AO3 lovers: {also it’s 24 chapters posted on here}

⟿ Credit for the inspiration for the Chapter:

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dangans-ur-ronpas · 20 days ago

Text

Chapter 26

PLEASEEEEEE NOTE: this is a Maturity rating chapter. heed the content warnings below etc etc

SEE HERE FOR GENERAL WARNINGS AND FIC SUMMARY

Some pre-chapter notes:

this one was supposed to be merged with chap 25 but it was getting long and i felt like this motive reveal chapter should be isolated anyways

one day i will write a full thing about fucking nasty style and post that online without the 25 chapters of leadup

ty @digitaldollsworld for the peer review and validating me specifically :)

Content warning tags: blood, physical violence/roughhousing, biting, making out (while bloodied. mild bloodplay?), mildly dubious consent becoming unspoken consent given enthusiastically becoming dubious consent again, coitus interruptus, mild (nonsexual) breathplay, murder plot suggestion, unhealthy relationship dynamics...Please let me know if there's anything I'm missing

< previous - from start - next >

To his surprise, they don’t continue on the same path together.

Instead, they split, with Kirigiri walking towards the stairs, and Makoto in the opposite direction. Without exchanging words, or even a glance.

It gives him pause for a moment, but the choice is ultimately easy. Kirigiri, for all her mysteriousness, does not seem like the kind to be swayed by money, or most other things for that matter, and would certainly not hesitate to point out his current state. He goes after Makoto instead, trailing him some steps behind into the supply room.

The place is the same as ever - stacked with materials, shelves crammed snug with crates of all sizes, and with the air disconcertingly clean and free of dust, as if Monokuma vacuumed every day - and the overhead lights hum and buzz, glowing with an insufficient yellow light. Makoto is crouched near the far wall, over a box on a bottom shelf. Byakuya approaches, making no effort to conceal himself.

For a moment, neither of them say a word. Makoto continues to rummage, and Byakuya simply watches, arms crossed, waiting patiently as the silence stretches to minutes.

Finally, Makoto turns over his shoulder. “Uh…hi?” He doesn’t sound startled or surprised by Byakuya’s presence, but more bewildered by it than anything. “Do you need something?”

Somehow, it doesn’t sound sarcastic or spiteful. On the other hand, he sounds so genuine that it dissipates any tension that might’ve been in the air. Byakuya sighs, a little exasperated, but less bothered than he thought he should be.

He was going to ask what Makoto’s feelings were about the motive reveal, but suddenly the atmosphere is all wrong for it, and such a conversation feels too exhausting to have now. “What are you doing?” He asks instead.

“I’m…” Makoto trails off, turning back to look into the box. “...Looking for something.”

“Yes, I gathered that much.” He rolls his eyes, and steps nearer. Even standing right behind him, it was impossible to determine the exact contents of the box just by looking, and he didn’t remember the exact locations where all the products were stored either. “I’m blind, not stupid.”

And he blinks, surprised by what he just said; that hadn’t been the snide remark he wanted to make. It feels like it should have been harder to say, and yet the words had left his mouth easily, like he’d been waiting to finally say it for himself. Makoto startles a bit, just as taken aback by the admission as he.

“I…” Makoto starts, then looks back down. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.”

The response is so meek it’s annoying, and not the kind of answer he was wanting from someone who had been sneakily butting into his life the past few days, and he scowls. Whatever light-heartedness had been previously present was now slipping quickly away into irritation. “I don’t need your pointless scraping. What are you looking for?”

Makoto doesn’t answer. Rather, he continues to dig through the box, acting as if he hadn’t heard Byakuya’s question at all; a complete reversal from the previous sheepish, meaningless apologizing. It’s almost jarring, if it wasn’t also something entirely infuriating - he couldn’t remember the last time someone had the gall to ignore him, other than his father - and Byakuya childishly aims a kick at his shin. “Answer me.”

“Ow,” He says instead, unconvincingly. “Okay, okay, um. Do you promise not to get mad?”

“I’m going to be even angrier if you keep talking in circles.” He snaps, the last threads of his patience thinning. “I know for a fact that you’re not this wimpish, so speak up.”

Even despite the demand, Makoto is silent a little moment longer, rummaging still. Byakuya is about to kick him again, when he stands up, a tiny, blue box clutched in his hand.

“You, uh…you were shaving this morning, right?” He takes a deep breath, then holds the box out. “You’ve got a little blood here-” And he taps a finger against his cheek, somewhere below his ear; Byakuya mirrors the movement, reaching up to feel that thin line of roughness, the scab tugging at the skin. “And…I remembered my dad gave me this brand of razor, it’s really easy to use-”

Byakuya smacks the thing out of his hands before he can even finish speaking, sending it spinning across the floor, beneath some other shelf.

For a moment, the two of them stand there, stock still. Byakuya can feel his pulse thrumming in his ears, throbbing against his eardrums; he’s not sure which of them is more shocked, to be honest. Makoto’s hand is still partially outstretched, now empty.

Then: “What the hell is your problem?!” Makoto demands, instantaneous and loud and cracked with a slight note of hysteria. The sound bounces tinnily between the metal shelving units, before being swallowed into the wooden surfaces of the crates.

“What is your problem?” Byakuya shoots back, just as furious. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want your pity?”

“It’s not pity if I’m trying to keep you alive,” Makoto grabs his arm, shoving it upwards. His hand is nowhere big enough to wrap around it, but the grip is tight anyways, fingers digging into the hollow junction of his wrist. “You barely eat, you don’t talk to anyone-”

“I’m trying to keep myself safe-”

“That’s shit, that’s bullshit. You look,” He breaks to breathe, to laugh, and his grip tightens, grinding the bones. “You look like such shit, and it’s not even hard to tell. It’s so obvious that you’re trying to hide it but you can’t, and everyone can see that you’re falling apart and it’s so pathetic but you won’t let anyone get close enough to tell you that -” He’s shaking, or maybe that’s Byakuya himself. “Just-”

And falls silent - no, not entirely silent. Byakuya can hear his uneven breathing, the quiet squeaks in his throat. Stifling the sound of his crying, still only just audible over the hum and clanks of the building’s internals, and the ring in his own ears.

Why was he crying? The thought is fleeting, and should have just been a blip in everything else. “I am not,” He starts, and the latter half of that sentence never even becomes coherent in his own mind.

Instead, he tries to wrench his hand backwards and away from Makoto’s grip, and Makoto just follows him, pushing him, until his back meets the hard, uneven edges of a shelving unit, digging into his shoulders.

“You are, you so are,” Makoto wheezes. His hand shakes violently, but Byakuya still can’t break out of it; his wrist is being pinned to the metal frame, the cold surface a shock against his skin. “You - fuck, you can’t even take care of yourself. You try to act so cool but you’re so helpless it’s lame. You’re trying so hard to predict where the next threat is coming from but your biggest threat is yourself. You can’t even see what’s happening around you, so you don’t even try to find out - I just -”

And he stops, taking another deep, shaky breath, head dipping down until his forehead rests against Byakuya’s collarbone. His other hand is bracing the edge of a shelf, next to Byakuya’s hip, and Byakuya can feel it by sheer proximity, the warmth bleeding impossibly through the layers of Makoto’s jacket and his own thin shirt.

He-

should say something. Anger and indignation boils in his gut, how dare Makoto say such things? Who gave him the right? Didn’t he know who Byakuya was?

But-

what can he say, when it feels like he’s suddenly been struck stupid. Like he’s a child again facing his first real defeat at the hand of one of his siblings’s lackeys, kneeling with scraped knees weeping blood into his pants as he’s being taunted, the words hysteric and victorious. Like he’s trying to argue with Kirigiri, but she’s already had the last word and is simply walking away.

So he resorts to the same answer he had the first time he was forced to concede to one of his siblings, and kicks Makoto in the shin.

It’s not a very strong blow. Caged in against the shelf as he is, he doesn’t have enough space to pull back very far; but it makes Makoto grunt, surprised, and his hold loosens. Byakuya shoves him backwards, and glances to his side, where the white light spilling from the open door marks the exit.

He could leave. He doubts Makoto could catch him if he ran seriously. But his legs refuse to move; it would feel too much like conceding. He’s been losing too much these past few days to forfeit again, now.

Makoto is standing in front of him, the overhead lights above providing just enough illumination for Byakuya to make out the location of his nose, the curve of his brow, and in the split second before he can do anything Byakuya reaches out. One hand snags fingertips into Makoto’s hood. The other grabs his face, slotting his chin almost tenderly into the space between forefinger and thumb.

The effect is instantaneous, Makoto’s cheeks heating beneath his fingertips. “Hey, wh-”

Byakuya feels his face pull, an undignified baring of teeth that’s barely reminiscent of a smile, before he drags Makoto forward and knees him in the gut.

He prefers more dignified solutions to things, but violence is the most universally understood language, and he can admit to its usefulness when the need calls. Like now, as Makoto wheezes, bent over, his hands clutching unsteadily in Byakuya’s shirt to keep himself upright.

This is how it should be, he thinks, as he looks down at the crown of Makoto’s head with a twisted sense of triumph. It hardly lasts long before Makoto’s moving again with an animalistic growl, fingers twisting so tightly Byakuya can feel some threads snap in his shirt, before he’s shoved backwards with a rattling clang against the shelves.

It’s hardly enough to stun him, but he winces anyway, at the metal frame digging between his shoulder blades. Far more effective, is what comes next - Makoto sways, resting his forehead against Byakuya’s chest - before surging upwards, colliding the top of head against his nose.

The taste of copper is an afterthought to the sharp, explosive burst of pain. Byakuya screams - snarls - with it, blood tracking a hot line down his upper lip, stinging against raw skin. He sinks his hands into Makoto’s hair, and yanks roughly, trying to drag him off.

It’s unsuccessful. He doesn’t have the strength in his arms to move the weight of another teenage male, but it’s not wholly ineffective either. He hears a sharp intake of breath, and he’s managed to drag Makoto’s head backwards enough to see his face.

A face that, even in the dim yellow light of the supply room, is flushed darker than usual. And with eyes that are blown wide, the blotted shape of iris-pupils very, very dark against the whites.

It takes a moment for him to put together what that means through the haze, before Makoto’s hands are resituating themselves in Byakuya’s shirt collar, and yanking him down to - kiss him.

He freezes for a moment, mind once again going utterly blank. It’s nothing more than a hard press of lips, almost far too innocent compared to their previous state. Makoto’s lips are warm and slightly chapped, and sliding slightly against his as he smears the blood over his mouth.

It continues for a long moment, the two of them frozen in place, until Byakuya realizes that Makoto was beginning to pull away, his hold loosening; willingly seceding control over, meek again, and anger works its way up in Byakuya’s skull, spiking sharp and precise through the delirium.

He twists his hands, fingers tightening in the locks of Makoto’s hair, and forces him still, bowing his head down to bite at the seam of Makoto’s mouth with all the composure of a starving dog, smearing blood, tongue and teeth snagging in the cracked skin of his lips.

He pulls away just enough to grin, savagely, at the sight of Makoto with a vividly dark slice staining across his mouth. “That is how you kiss someone,” He whispers, with something dark and self-satisfied curling in his gut.

The only response Makoto gives is a low, almost inhuman sound, before he’s being yanked down again.

There’s nothing chaste about it this time. Rather, it’s more like a continuation of their fight, biting, clacking teeth, hands scrabbling and grasping for purchase. Makoto matches his every move with the same exact vigor, and Byakuya tastes salt and hot metal and the over-sweet sourness of energy drinks and laughs into the kiss, breathless and triumphant at Makoto’s desperation, the feeling of hands dragging down his sides, even as he claws back, trying to drag him nearer, nails raking across the thick fabric of his blazer, down his back, over his arms. In turn, Makoto licks into his mouth, tonguing hotly over his canines, the soft roof of his palate.

Disgusting. Byakuya shudders, and lets his jaw slacken just a little more.

He feels his back beginning to slide, uncomfortably, down the frame. It’s both an annoyance and a relief - the previous angle was killing his neck - but then Makoto leans forward, weight pressing against him, sandwiching him there, and digging his spine painfully against the hard juts of the shelves.

Byakuya half-thinks to scold him for that, but at the same time, Makoto is sliding his leg between his thighs, propping him up, and the reprimand turns into a groan instead, breathy and desperate and far too loud in the solitude of the supply room.

He jerks back, suddenly self-aware again, face flushed to burning. This was - he feels his head swimming, self-appalled, rivaling the temptation to sink down a little lower, lean into the hands that are now feeling clumsily up his ribcage - utterly unbecoming of him. To give into such base temptations-

Ever persistent and apparently undeterred by the absence of his mouth, Makoto leans forward and presses his teeth to the side of Byakuya’s neck instead, and the rest of Byakuya’s coherent thoughts try to fly out with those thin, pinprick-sharp flares of pain.

“Idiot,” He still manages to hiss, even as he gives in and grinds down, against a sweet pressure that makes everything feel so - indescribably - “Bastard, you pathetic little-”

Talking was getting troublesome. He presses his hands against Makoto’s cheeks, feeling a small thrill of victory when he feels his thumbs brush the corner of his lips on the first try, and kisses him again, feeling dizzy with it.

His hands shift, seeking out better purchase in Makoto’s hood, knuckles pressing against the warm, jumping muscles in his neck, the other sinking into his hair again. This time more to keep himself upright as Makoto was apparently trying to bite his tongue off - and that thought really shouldn’t be doing anything for Byakuya, and yet -

Tap, tap. Tap.

“Makoto,” He gasps, whines, managing to pull himself away once more. This time grabbing onto Makoto’s face and pushing him backwards like an undisciplined, overeager dog - the other boy struggles for a moment, pushing back against his hands - “Wait, just - calm down, you - do you hear that?”

It takes a moment for Makoto to respond. “Wh-huh?” He manages, somewhat incoherently, which Byakuya…supposes, is reasonable. They’re still pressed against each other, and Byakuya can still feel something pressing against his thigh, which he tries very hard to ignore, in favor of concentrating hard.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It doesn’t sound like it was coming from the hallways. But it couldn’t be the heating or piping in the walls either; it was too soft, and…too dynamic, too purposeful, for that. He cranes his head over his shoulder, but the only thing behind him was the shelf, some boxes, and the flat, gray expanse of the wall.

Tap. Tap, tap, taptaptap-

The sound rises to a sudden crescendo, speeding behind him. Almost reflexively, he shoves away from the shelf, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Makoto lands on his back with a grunt, and Byakuya lands nearly on top of him, before scrabbling backwards until his back meets the shelf, self-awareness shattering his earlier insanity.

Makoto is staring at him, face still flushed and dazed. “Hey, what was-?”

“Awahwahwah!? Kyahh!!”

They jerk their heads in unison, turning to find a short, round, oblong shape standing in the doorway. Monokuma stands there with face covered by paws, squealing. “C-c-could this be?! The fabled, mythical, super-ultra-sexy-secret-rendezvous I heard about from the headmaster’s handbook?! Wah! My eyes!! My untainted, honest, adorable teddy-button eyes!!!”

“Shut up!” Byakuya snaps, voice far too high-pitched to not be damning, despite his best attempts to calm down. He surreptitiously turns away from the door, and can see Makoto doing something similar out of the corner of his eye, tucking his knees up close to his chest. Monokuma shakes, either from laughter or phony horror.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry, Young Master Byakuya. I’m a very progressive bear, after all!” It nods emphatically, and Byakuya grits his teeth at the derisive use of the title. “After all, I am your headmaster, and I want this place to be all sweet and accepting of all my students! You can talk to your classmates about it at this seminar I’m planning-”

“Get out of here.” Makoto rasps, voice still rough and a little unsteady. He sounds downright furious, more so than Byakuya remembers ever hearing him. “It wasn’t- It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh-ho? T’wasn’t it?” Monokuma tilts its head, and toddles over with squeaky footsteps. “Well then, what did happen? Because it certainly looked to me like I just blue-beared you two!” And it cackles hysterically at its own joke, the sound grating and echoing between the shelves.

“He-” Makoto’s sneakers scrape against the floor as he shifts, hesitating. “He was- trying to…trying to kill me.”

And even through the rising haze of fury, panic, and nauseating shame, Byakuya’s thoughts grind to a sudden halt.

“What?” He says aloud, at the same time as Monokuma squeals with apparent delight, drowning him out entirely.

“Oh, oh! Is that so?” And it rounds on him, all of a sudden far too close for comfort, his vision divided white and black. “Tell me, is this true? What was the weapon? What was the plan? Oh, it’s a shame I interrupted, so now I gotta make up for the lost opportunity! Spill the deets!”

So none of it had meant anything. Their pathetic, awkward fumbling in the dark, his brief delusion of control, had only amounted to this. Back to being humiliated and shamed by a grinning, faceless mastermind, and with no more authority over himself as he did before, as Makoto was trying to save him. Again.

He kicks Monokuma away, sending it spinning with a yelp into one of the shelves, and bolts from the room. Makoto is shouting after him, and soon there are footsteps dogging at his heels, but he makes it all the way back to his bedroom before Makoto catches up to him as he’s trying to unlock the door.

He narrowly makes it inside, tries to swing the door shut but it bounces off of Makoto’s shoe, jammed in just in time - and he’d wince in sympathy, or mull in the dejá vu of it, if he wasn’t currently trying to tamp down his own swell of emotions, nearing to breaking through his thinly held-together composure.

“Why did you say that,” He spits through clenched teeth. Too exhausted to try and force him out, too angry to just ignore him. “Of all the stupid, useless lies to come up with, you had to choose one that made me look even more pathetic?!”

“What were you going to say, then,” Makoto shoots back, just as irritated. “Was there anything more plausible that would’ve been better for you than ‘we were making out in the closet’?!”

He doesn’t bother to reply. Because no, that was the most believable thing Makoto could have said, which was why he was so furious now. There was the logical setting, an established motive - the set-up for a cheap, impassioned crime, with no thought or grace behind it.

If he had said it himself, he might have barely been able to salvage his own pride. But having to be defended by his own so-called ‘victim’, having to be saved by Makoto again-

He sits down heavily on the bed, rubbing his temples. “Just leave, Makoto.” He sighs, eyes screwed shut. He’s too tired for this, and would rather try and sleep and forget it all. Or break down, which was beginning to feel like a very real possibility, which he’d rather do in the privacy of his own room anyways.

But instead of leaving, Makoto drops down to the floor with a thump, directly in front of him. “I’m not leaving until you go eat something.” He says, stubbornly, apparently recalling his entire original purpose of trying to bully him into codependency.

I was hoping he would’ve forgotten that. Byakuya feels a pulse throb beneath his fingertips, exasperation pushing through the rising fog of panic. “Must we do this now?”

“If I don’t, you’re going to ignore and avoid me and everyone else again, right?” He could almost hear the teasing smile tugging at the corner of Makoto’s mouth. “But, um. I mean. If you don’t want to talk, we could…you know…”

It takes a moment to identify exactly what he’s suggesting, but the disbelieving laugh that escapes Byakuya’s mouth is entirely unintentional, the panic miraculously dissipating in the same breath. “You can’t be serious.”

“I-I mean-! I’m totally okay if you don’t want to, I just thought…” Makoto trails off with a cough. “I…it was kind of a joke. Um- but you were enjoying it too, right?” There’s a thin note of hesitance in his voice.

Byakuya sighs. “...Yes. Unfortunately so.” Enough that if he thinks too much on it, he’ll become aware of the buzzing still lingering in his lips and the feeling of warmth beneath his hands, the low throb in his nose where the bleeding had only just stopped, and there was no good way that particular thought process was going to end. He’d almost prefer the impending anxiety attack to this.

“O-oh, okay. Cool. That’s cool.” Makoto rocks a little bit. “So…”

“I’m not having sex with you right now.” He deadpans, and Makoto has the gall to blush sheepishly, as if he weren’t the one making the suggestion in the first place.

“Right. Yeah, of course.” He scratches his head with a quiet laugh. “We…kinda took it a little fast, huh?”

That was an understatement. And he raises a hand over his face, trying to hide the heat rising beneath his fingers…much of what had happened was mostly due to his own actions. “Well, it’s not like we are in a situation where we could have a normal progression of things.”

“I don’t know, we have a pretty good kitchen. I would’ve liked to make you dinner first, or something.”

“How romantic. Forgive me if the idea of a school cafeteria meal doesn’t sweep me off my feet.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try it. I can make a pretty good omelet on a good day…if you’re okay with that.” The lilting invitation is clear, and Byakuya snorts.

“I should’ve murdered you in front of Monokuma.” He deadpans back.

Now it was Makoto’s turn to chuckle, a soft, surprised ‘ha!’ that makes Byakuya smile wholly inadvertently.

“Yeah, probably,” He agrees. “Did you want to?”

The smile slides off his face instantly. It sounds like Makoto is joking, but - it’s hard to tell. So hard to tell without being able to see if he’s smiling, if the easy tone of his voice matches his face.

“Do you want to?” He asks again, voice softer, serious.

Probably not a joke, then. He laces his fingers tightly, tight enough for his joints to ache, pressing the knuckles to his chin. “It hadn’t…crossed my mind.” Not seriously, at least. And not since the last trial.

But he could. There was no deal to uphold, not anymore. And Makoto -

“Why are you asking?” He looks up for the first time, at Makoto, sitting cross-legged on his carpet. Staring back at him. “Surely you don’t want to die?”

Makoto doesn’t reply, his face still curiously, infuriatingly blank.

Everything that had been previously cleared comes rushing back, fury and disbelief and - anxiety, of all things, a painful, welling lump of it rising up his gullet - and before he knows it, he’s on the ground, kneeling across from Makoto with his hands around his neck.

The skin is warm. Shockingly soft, slightly tacky with sweat. The pressure isn’t enough to cut off airflow - his hands are only just resting against his throat - but Byakuya flexes his thumbs lightly, feeling the shape of his Adam’s apple beneath his fingers, his pulse beneath his palms.

And the whole time, Makoto makes no move to push him off. He had twitched, maybe, surprised at first, but that was all, now frozen stock-still - no, he was relaxing into the touch, muscles going purposefully slack as his shoulders slump.

“...What are you doing.” He whispers. Tenses his fingers, feels the breath hitch. “I could kill you right now. Why aren’t you stopping me?” Takes a deep, shuddering breath as he feels his voice begin to break. “Don’t tell me you actually want to die here!”

Makoto’s mouth is a dark cavern as he opens it to respond. “I don’t. Of course I don’t.” His voice wheezes slightly. “But if it’s you… I’d rather it be you than anyone else.”

Byakuya feels his hands shake. This was too much, all of it too much - he hadn’t even concluded how he felt about Makoto yet, not coherently - and apparently, in the time he’d spent in self-isolation, something had become twisted. The most mundane person here had become wholly insane. For his sake.

I must be insane too, he thinks, for the tiny, irrational thrill of joy that runs through him at that realization.

He jerks when he feels hands resting over his, fingers tracing delicately over the fine lines of his knuckles, the hollow of his wrist. Keeping his grip steady.

“I don’t think you will, though,” Makoto continues. “You don’t really want to kill anyone. You would’ve done it already if you did.”

“Don’t act like you know me.” He grits, grip spasming, torn between removing himself from Makoto and throttling him to shut him up. “You know perfectly well there’s a difference between intent and capabilities.”

Makoto takes a shaky, raspy breath. A slash of white pulls across his face. “Then are you gonna prove me wrong?”

Byakuya hesitates for too long. In that time, the hands that rest over his pull and then press, and he flinches as his palms fully meet Makoto’s neck, almost icily cool against the clamminess of his own skin. He yanks them backwards like he’d been burned, too shocked to even scold him for - for any of it. Too flustered to wonder if he even could.

His hands shake, still, even when he clenches them into fists with his nails biting into his palms, pressing into his knees.

Makoto coughs once, massaging his neck, before he stands up slowly.

“Let’s go,” He says, still smiling as he offers up a hand. “I’ll make you an omelet.”

< previous - from start - next >

#thpff #thpff chapters #naegami #cw: toxic relationship #<- yeagh #dont try to imagine what positions are going on here if you dont want like. phantom neck agony #height diff couples cute but hell to work with #casually sliding my 'byakuya's weird about pain' headcanon into this fic. dw abt it this is just For Me (+ a few mutuals)#this is also The Chapter Where Makoto Reveals He Is Also A Little Fucked Up #you don't see it. but he's been stressed. he's being pulled in multiple directions (entirely by his own decision but still)#don't ask me what dynamic they've got going on idek #sorry this took so long. sex is hard man

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