#my mom’s one rule is no smoking in the house/smoke with the garage open but ain’t no way i’m cracking that garage door open

[stevie-baby]

LEAST RELAXING SMOKE I JUST GOT DIVE BOMBED BY A MASSIVE FUCKING OWL

[venusinmyrrh]

Sleepover Saturday q: If you were to tell a tourist what they should do in 3 days to get the Best LA Experience, what would you recommend? This includes occult sites/stores, really any place you'd recommend

oooooh okay! I'm assuming you're starting in Hollywood, because that's where I live, so here we go!

DAY 1: get thee to the Academy Museum. it is exquisite and it will make you feel some type of way about movies but it probably won't take all day so go ahead and wander about LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits for the rest of the afternoon. either pay to go to into the exhibits at LACMA or stick to the free stuff (Urban Light and the tar pits); they're all in the same park on the same block so be sure to take your time and enjoy the green space and beautiful sunshine. head to the permanent farmers' market at the Grove for dinner, and make sure you go up to the top floor of the parking garage to see the best views this side of the San Gabriel mountains. if you have time, go to the Quentin Tarantino-owned New Beverly Cinema to catch a movie on 35mm film before heading back to Hollywood to see the Times Square of the west coast: the Walk of Fame lit up for the night.

DAY 2: driving all over god's beautiful forsaken creation is a time-honored LA tradition, so today you are gonna take the interstate 10 out to the Pacific Coast Highway and drive all the way up along the coast. stop wherever you want. the beauty of SoCal beaches is that you can just pull over on the side of the road and hop out of the car onto the sand and into the ocean! it's easy! it's free! it's what god intended! then once your feet have gotten wet, keep going up to the Self-Realization Fellowship Center, aka the lake shrine, and sit for an hour or so in meditation by the lake. then keep going up the PCH past the Getty Villa to route 27, and take that all the way through Topanga. the canyon views are sublime. (at least until you get back to the 101.) oh and for food, make sure you stop at whatever mom & pop place catches your fancy along the way. I had a really good tuna burger at Malibu Fresh Fish Market patio cafe, but as a general rule whatever looks good probably is.

DAY 3: get an early start and drive west down the Sunset Strip. Sunset is easily one of the very best streets in the city because if you stay on it long enough you get to experience the best of what Hollywood has to offer, from the strip to Bel Air to the Pacific Ocean if you drive far enough, but today we're going to turn onto Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills to go up to Mulholland Drive. YES it is every bit as beautiful as the movies make it seem, however it is a WHOLE LOT more twisting and winding so I really would not recommend going more than 25mph. you're gonna take Mulholland back east toward the 101, and then head for Burbank, my favorite shopping destination bar none. in one neighborhood you have Besame Cosmetics' flagship store, The Crooked Path occult shop, the Mystic Museum horror boutique with rotating exhibits, and piles of stores like Slone Vintage and the year-round Rob Zombie-owned Halloween Town. further downtown (still in Burbank) there's Unique Vintage's only brick-and-mortar store, Story tavern (great burgers), and Artelice patisserie, where they always make the macarons fresh and if you get there late enough in the day, they'll give you some free ones with your pastry.

DAY 4 (BONUS DAY): if you still have time after all that, go take a morning hike in Runyon Canyon and then head for a studio tour at Warner Brothers. eat lunch beforehand at the Smoke House (open since 1946) right across the way, and eat dinner afterward in Hollywood at Musso & Frank's (open since 1929). grab some cocktails at the Roosevelt Hotel or Chateau Marmont afterward if you feel like it. idk I'm not the boss of you.

[robinrunsfiction]

It’s A Love Story - Part 3

Part 2

"What the hell Frank," (YN) heard Ray shout from where she was sitting on the steps in front of the school, digging through her backpack. Her head snapped up as she looked between them, trying to figure out what was happening.

"What did I do?" He asked defensively.

"Tucker just told me he delivered a pizza to you on Friday night, and he saw girls shoes and a purse by the door. You lied about being sick to go on a date?!"

(YN)'s eyes wide as panic ran through her. She hadn't seen Tucker, she was in the living room, so there couldn't have been any way he would have seen her. Ray would have said if he knew it was her, right? Tucker would have surely told her brothers.

"You got a girlfriend?!" Mikey asked, clearly surprised.

"Umm, yea, I do," Frank answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Gerard asked.

"Who is she?" Ray asked, not even giving him time to answer the last question.

"She doesn't go here," Frank lied.

"Is she cute?" (YN) finally piped up, a wicked smile on her face.

"She's gorgeous," Frank replied emphatically and (YN) grinned even wider.

"Are we gonna meet her sometime?" Gerard asked.

"I dunno, maybe, if she wants."

"What's her name?" Mikey asked.

Frank opened his mouth to answer and (YN) was genuinely curious to see how he was going to respond when the bell rang, signaling that they had five minutes to get to their homerooms.

"I'll tell ya later," Frank replied as they all made their way into the school.

(YN) hung back and Frank slowed down so he could walk with her. "Saved by the bell," she smirked.

"Who knew Tucker was fuckin Sherlock Holmes," he muttered and (YN) laughed.

“What name were you gonna give them?”

“Yours,” he smirked.

“Stop it,” she said, smacking his arm and he laughed.

“I’ll see ya in algebra,” he said before heading down the hall. (YN) watched him go and sighed. One day they’d all know she was the girl at Frank’s house. One day she’d be able to kiss him before they parted ways. One day couldn’t come soon enough.

~

A few weeks passed, and (YN) was still living for the thrill of being with Frank. There were small moments like (YN) coming out to the garage to watch the band, or rather Frank, practice, to them spending more time doing homework together, to Frank taking her hand as they sat next to each other during the weekly movie night, even though her brothers were right there. Then there were the more exciting moments, like when she found Frank between the shelves, deep in the library.

“Hey,” she whispered, making him jump.

“Shit, oh hey (YN)," he grinned. "What are you doing here?”

“I'm in study hall, but I came to get some books for my research project for history. I saw Mikey up front and he said your English class was in here so," she shrugged, leaning against the shelf.

"You thought you'd come find me in the stacks?" He smirked.

"I thought I'd come find my books for my research project. Come on Frank, what did you think was gonna happen?" She replied with a smirk of her own.

Frank glanced over his shoulder, before grabbing her waist and kissing her hard. (YN)'s mind began to spin, partially because of how amazing the kiss was, but also because her brother was also in the library. Hell, anyone could wander over and find them making out. It'd take all of a minute for the entire school to find out. And (YN) loved it.

She ran her hands through his hair, as they made out against the historical fiction books until they heard footsteps and they pulled apart and both turned their attention to the books. Whoever it was, kept walking, not even slowing down to do more than glance their way.

“Close one,” Frank whispered.

“Mmhmm,” she agreed, stealing a look out of the corner of her eye.

“Kinda awesome.”

“Oh yea,” she giggled.

That afternoon at lunch, (YN) was at her usual spot with the guys, minus Mikey. Ray and Gerard had been practically bouncing out of their seats, clearly having news to share.

“Where is Mikey?” Ray asked, looking around anxiously.

“I dunno, but I’ll fill him in later,” Gerard said. “Let’s just tell ‘em!”

“There’s a battle of the bands coming up and we’re signed up!” Ray announced.

Frank, Bob, and (YN) all exchanged a look of surprise.

“Wait, when is it?” Frank asked.

“Next month!” Gerard grinned.

Bob put his head in his hands. “We have so much more practicing to do.”

“I think we got a real shot!” Ray explained. “And when we win, we get prize money and  real studio time to record an album!”

“We’ll be taking off in no time!” Gerard nodded.

“Can I help?” (YN) asked. 

Before anyone could answer, Mikey walked into the cafeteria with a cute blonde girl. 

"See ya there Mikey," the blonde waved before going off to join her friends and Mikey had a smug smile on his face.

"About time!" Ray said.

“What was all that about?” Gerard asked.

"Me and Kristin are going to the fall formal together."

“Oh nice,” Gerard replied.

(YN) almost choked on her sandwich. "Wait, what?! That's not fair! I wanted to go to fall formal!"

"Who's stopping you?" Mikey replied.

"You and Gee! When you two, the least intimidating nerds at this school, somehow convinced the entire male population to stay away from me!"

She could feel people were starting to look at her as her voice raised with every word but she didn't care. She was angry and sick of how she'd been treated.

"Just go with Christine and Marie," she heard Gerard say, and she began to see red.

"I don’t want to because they have dates and I don't want to be a third wheel!" She snapped. "The double standards in this family are such BULLSHIT!"

"Miss Way!" Mrs. Simon barked. “The office, now!”

(YN) felt her cheeks burning red and her shoulders slumped in defeat as almost everyone in the cafeteria started laughing at her while she was marched down to the office by the teacher. She sighed in frustration at yet another way her brothers were ruining everything for her.

~

A few hours later the school day was over and (YN) reported to detention.

"Is this your first time in detention?" The teacher, Mr. Rodriguez, asked as she slid into the desk and she nodded. "Ok. The rules are there is no talking, you may do your homework, read, or sit silently."

(YN) wondered who she would even talk to since the room was empty. She pulled a folder out of her backpack and was about to get started on her homework when someone else walked into the room.

"Mr. Iero, please take a seat, you know the rules," she heard the teacher say. She looked up to see Frank coming to sit down at the desk next to hers.

"Hey," he whispered.

She grinned and then turned her attention back to her homework. They both worked silently until the teacher announced he would be right back.

"He's gonna be gone at least 10 minutes," Frank said once the door was closed.

"How do you know?"

"He's taking a smoke break."

"Oh, right. Well what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't let my girl go through her first detention alone," he smiled.

(YN) covered her face, partially because she was blushing, and partially because she was embarrassed to be in detention in the first place. "What did you do to be here anyway?"

"I threw a ball at Mikey's head during gym."

(YN) could hardly stifle her laughter. "Oh my god, were you playing dodgeball?"

"No, soccer."

(YN) burst out laughing, thankful Mr. Rodriguez was not in the room. "Thanks for that."

"He deserved it," Frank nodded.

"I agree,” she grinned.

When they walked out of the school almost an hour later, (YN)'s mom was sitting in her car waiting to pick her up. "Ugh, I can't wait to get grounded."

"Maybe it won't be that bad?" Frank said sympathetically as they walked down the steps.

"Hello Frankie, did you wait for (YN)?" Her mom called out the open car window.

"No, I had detention too," he shrugged.

"Oh," her mom seemed taken aback. "Well would you like a ride home?"

"Please," (YN) whispered, hoping to delay the trouble she was certain to get into.

"Sure, thanks!" He nodded, getting in the backseat.

"That Mrs. Simon said this wasn't your first outburst this year, (YN)," her mom said as they started to head home.

"Yea, I know."

"That's not like you," her mom replied, more concerned than angry.

"I know," she muttered, head against the window.

"No one asked me, but I think Gerard and Mikey should back off," Frank piped up from the backseat.

"What do you mean Frankie?"

"Don't worry about it," (YN) mumbled.

"They're too protective of her. I know she's a girl, and the youngest, even if it's just by a few minutes, but they don't need to treat her like every single guy is a predator," he explained.

"Did something happen?" Her mom asked, now very concerned.

"No, some guy in Gee’s class was talking to me at that pool party this summer and Gee freaked out. It doesn't matter, the social damage is done. I don't even care anymore."

"Do you want me to talk to them?"

"No, I don't wanna make it worse. Just let me handle it," (YN) answered.

The rest of the drive was silent until they arrived at Frank's house. "See you tomorrow," he said, reaching forward to rub (YN)'s arm sympathetically before getting out.

"He's a good boy," her mom said as they started back toward their house and (YN) hummed in quiet agreement. "And that necklace he bought you for your birthday is lovely."

(YN) didn't even realize she was playing with it until her mom drew her attention to it. "Yea," she agreed.

"If you ask me, I think he likes you, I've always thought that."

(YN) blushed. "Don't tell anyone, but I know he does."

"Because you like him too?" Her mom asked. (YN) nodded as they pulled into the driveway. "I'll keep it our little secret."

"So am I in trouble for getting detention?"

Her mom laughed lightly. "No, but don't let it happen again. If you want to yell at your brothers, wait until you're home."

"Will do," she nodded, a relieved smile crossing her face.

(YN) didn’t say anything to either of her brothers that night at dinner, eating quickly before running back up to her room. It still wasn’t fair that she got in trouble, or that Mikey could date whoever he wanted to and she couldn’t. She curled up in bed with her sketch book, and tried to let her frustrations come out through her pencil.

"Hey," she heard Mikey say from her doorway after a while.

"Go away," she muttered, not even looking up until something landed at the foot of the bed. It was her favorite candy bar.

"Sorry for being an ass," he said.

"Whatever," she said, grabbing the candy, but still not even looking his way.

"Did you hear what Frank did?"

"Gave you what you deserve," she replied.

"I guess you could say that, but we’re just looking out for you."

She glared at him. "I'm not that fragile Mikey! I can handle myself, now go away!"

“Sorry,” he muttered as he retreated back to his room next door.

(YN) got up and slammed her door and settled back onto her bed when there was another knock. 

“Oh my god, leave me alone!” (YN) shouted, but the door opened anyway.

“Can we talk?” Gerard asked, peaking in.

“No! Go away!” She said getting up to push the door shut, but Gerard was stronger than her.

“I’m sorry! I was thinking about how you said you wanna help with the band, and I was wondering if you’d design our logo for us, and maybe like some shirts or something?”

(YN) stopped pushing on the door. “Wait, really?”

“Yea, like when we win this thing, we’re gonna need some merch to sell to help get our name out there, and posters for gigs, stuff like that,” Gerard shrugged.

“Yea, I guess I could try,” she nodded.

“And I know Mikey tried to apologize, but didn’t do a good job of it. We just didn’t want a guy like Adam to get a chance to do anything, because then people would start talking and-”

“Hang on,” (YN) cut him off. “This isn’t the Regency era, I don’t need my older brothers telling me who I can and cannot spend time with, out of fear that I’ll disgrace the family!”

“That’s not it! I just… I just feel like it’s my duty to protect you. You and Mikey both, but it’s different with you because you’re a girl and I’ve seen the way the guys look at you and I can imagine what they’re thinking and it’s gross and it makes me mad.”

(YN) sighed. "I just wish that if you felt like making a decision in my best interest, you’d actually ask me what I want first."

"Sorry," Gerard mumbled.

"Doesn't do much good now, but whatever," she shrugged.

Gerard stepped back from the door, and she shut it behind him. It didn't really matter, she had Frank, but it was the principle of the matter that still left her steaming.

Part 4

[fictionalabyss]

Protector : Surprise?

Pairing : Dean x Reader, Sam, Alex (oc), Azazel, Detective Baker (oc), Ash, Brady (mentioned), Abby (oc) (mentioned)

Word count :   2,795

Warnings : Prison  (mentioned), interviews/interrogations, pregnancy complications due to stress, bedrest, fear, panic, house fire, guns, violence, physical abuse, threats, murder, death . Series TW : Domestic Abuse is a constant topic- be it mentioned, or actually happening.

Continuation of this series was commissioned by : @iflostreturntosteverogers

Final part of Protector.

Masterlist • Patreon • Ko-fi.

Weeks passed, and everything was being dragged back up. New statements, new interviews. Alex was pulled in again, but this time he had both you and Brady with him and he was treated with respect. No asshole like Baker trying to stonewall him into some kind of a confession. “We just want to be sure this statement is correct, given everything that Baker’s done. Just a formality, I promise.”

New detectives and new experts poured over every detail of Dean’s arrest and the so-called case Baker was trying to build around the idea of Dean murdering your first husband.

You were brought back in the room yourself, asked why Baker had it out for Dean, why he was so sure Dean had killed your first husband. You were honest with that fact that you had no idea but you were scared. Baker scared you. Then you opened your phone, went to a picture and slid it across the table.

“When was this?”

“Yesterday morning. Around 11. I went out to check the mail and there he was.” It had scared you to find Baker parked outside, eyes boring into you. You had kept your eyes locked on his as you brought up your phone, snapped a picture and then called Brady. “I’d like to file a police report of continued harassment despite a restraining order. This isn’t good for my pregnancy. My doctor is worried.” You then slipped them a note from your doctor about the stress.

“Can I get a copy of this picture?”

“Of course.” They handed you your phone back and you were given an email to send the photo to.

Days turned to weeks as interviews continued, evidence was questioned and each and every lie Baker told was revealed. The stress of it all had gotten to be too much, your doctor putting you on temporary bedrest. All information about the case went through Sam, and you only heard bits and pieces of the good stuff, only things that would give you hope.

You saw Azazel a few times since that day in the grocery store. You’d walked out of your last doctors appointment to find him in the waiting room, eyes on you as you hurried past, Sam's hand on your lower back to keep you calm. Dean got a picture of that, too.

But since then, nothing. No Azazel, no Baker. Sam said Baker was under surveillance, and Azazel was now being hunted for betraying the patch. Apparently, someone had dropped a video of the arrest at the garage on their doorstep and they finally listened to what Dean had been telling them. One of their top guys was working the other side. And word was getting around fast.

It was another quiet day. Alex was at school, Abby was napping and you were relaxing in bed with a book while Sam headed out on a quick errand. Something about needing to pick something up for dinner, but he’d be back by the time Abby woke up. He promised. You hadn’t minded. Sam had been stuck to you like glue for so long now you relished the time alone. Finally.

The words started to blur, your eyelids getting heavy. Letting the book fall from your hand, you rolled onto your side, pulling the pillow close and letting yourself drift off to sleep.

A piercing sound snapped you awake and panic instantly set in. A fire alarm. Your fire alarm. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Getting up, you rushed down and followed the sound to the kitchen. You expected to find Sam cooking but instead found your stove on fire.

You were confused, how could that have happened, no one else seemed to be home and unless you slept walked down and then back to bed, it hadn't been you. You ran to yank open the cupboard under the kitchen sink and pulled out the fire extinguisher, working as fast as you could to get the fire put out.

As the flames died, you noticed something on your stove. A hand towel. It was mostly burned, some blackened shreds all that remained. You looked around the kitchen, looking for anything else out of place but found nothing. Brutus was barking wildly at the back door, desperate to get inside as his claws scratched against the glass every time he jumped against it. You had forgotten he’d been let out before you laid down.

You sighed with relief despite the uncertainty. You were just glad it was out, that no one was hurt. But before you could relax, let alone let Brutus back in, another smoke detector started going off. This time, upstairs.

“Abby!” Running as fast as you could back for the front stairs, you almost fell when he stepped out in front of you, blocking you off from the stairs and the front door. “Move.” You threatened, fire extinguisher clutched tight in your hands. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word, just gave you that cold dead stare he seemed to always be giving you. Your eyes shot to the stairs, this time a click of his tongue grabbed your attention over the sounding alarm and Abby’s cries.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Screaming, you went to take a swing at him with the fire extinguisher, but he far too easily knocked it from your hands. Then he swung, the back of his hand hitting your cheek hard. So hard in fact, that you fell to the floor, eyes wide with shock and fear.

“Why are you doing this to me? I didn’t do anything to you.. Please.. Please, just let me get to my daughter. Let me get her out. You want me, you can have me, please.. Just let me save her.”  He just stepped closer, no answer, no change in his face at all. You tried to get up anyways, and he just hit you again. “WHY!?” you screamed at him as tears ran down your cheeks.

You were scared, you were terrified, it was that day all over again in your head, but just like that day you had a child to protect. You could hear Abby’s screams and it was killing you that you couldn’t get her, protect her.

“Because Dean Winchester deserves it.”

“FUCK YOU!”  A boot came up in a kick, and you twisted yourself enough that the side of your ribs took the brunt of it instead of your stomach, but it didn’t stop you from crying out in pain.

Then he was leaning over you. “I’m going to make you hurt. I’m going to make it hurt so fucking bad you can’t move.” he smiled at you. “Then I’m going to watch your house burn down around you. Watch as that son of yours finds you. Then kill him too.” You shifted, ready to try fighting back, take a swing, anything, but he grabbed your face by the cheeks in one hand and put a gun to your head which effectively stopped any and all plans.  “Then I’m going to wait. I don’t care how long it fucking takes, I’m going to wait. I want to see the look on his fucking face when he comes home to nothing. Because that piece of shit husband of yours took everything from me.”

Your eyes shot to the stairs again, Abby’s screams louder than anything to your ears, and he pushed the gun harder against your temple bringing your attention back to him. His gaze locked on yours.

Suddenly his face changed, and there was a blur of someone running past and up the stairs. Sam. You’d know that giant frame in a plaid button up anywhere. He was going for Abby, he was going to save her. Nothing else mattered.

Until you looked up and behind the man who still held a gun to your head. You couldn’t stop the tears that welled up all over again. “Let go of my fucking wife.” he growled out, a gun of his own in his hand and pressing into Azazel's skull.

“You’re going to have to kill m-”

You flinched as the shot rang out and blood splattered onto your face. You sat there stunned for a moment, not sure he was real as the body hit the floor. “Dean?”

“Surprise?” he gave you a half smirk.

“Dean!” you got up as fast as you could, throwing yourself against him not caring about the blood. You clung to him and cried.

“It's okay, baby. I’m home.” His arms wrapped around you almost just as tight. “You know I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.”

Then Sam down the stairs, Abby in his arms. “Here.” he told you. “Take her outside. Your bed’s on fire.” Your eyes shot to Dean.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby.” He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead and you grabbed Abby before heading out front.

You stood there, your forehead against hers as you cried. You had been so scared you’d lose her, so scared that you’d be stuck there listening to her die. That that would be what you died with in your head.

“Mom!?” Alex rushed over and you started crying even harder. “What the fuck happened?” He asked, ignoring Ash who hurried past and into the house. “That’s it, I’m out of school, I’m not fucking leaving you again!”

“You’re going to school, end of discussion.”

Alex’s head snapped up towards the voice. “Dean!” he rushed from you to Dean, who smiled and opened his arms. There was a moment of quiet between them before Alex pulled back. “What happened!? Why does mom have blood on her?”

“Better come inside and get cleaned up, baby.” You looked over at Dean, still so afraid. “Fire’s out. You're safe now.”

“Fire!?” Alex shot  a panicked look to you and Abby, then hurried into the house and froze before getting too far. When you walked in, he was looking down at the body on the ground before he looked back up and met your eyes. “What the hell happened, mom?”

“He wanted to kill us. All of us, watch the house burn down around us so Dean would have nothing left to come home to. I thought I’d lose Abby.”

Alex turned to Sam. “I was getting Dean. Judge ruled last night he was to be released. He wanted it to be a surprise. I should have got dad to come stay with you while I was gone, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” you tried to reassure him, let him know that you didn’t blame him for this. Your voice probably wasn’t very convincing, at least not right now, not with all the pain and fear you were still processing, but you really didn’t blame Sam. “My protector showed up, right on time.” You looked up at Dean, letting him lean in and kiss you gently.

“Always, baby. I’ll always do everything in my power to keep you safe.” You gave him a small smile. “Now, get that ass up to the showers and then you’re on the couch. You’re supposed to be on bedrest.” Dean gave your ass a slap with a smirk.  “Sammy, get dad on the line, tell him to get his ass over here and not to come alone. I need this mess cleaned. Alex and I are going to head out to get a new bed. Ash, you’re on babysitting duty.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Ash mock saluted, making Dean roll his eyes.

“Baby, my jacket?”

“Where you left it.”

With another sweet and tender kiss, Dean headed upstairs and back into his bedroom. He ignored the blackened and burned bed at first, reaching into his closet and pulling out leather. It felt good to wear it again, to feel the weight of it and the patches stitched to it. His jaw tightened as he looked at the bed his children had been conceived in, the bed he’d made love to you in countless times, the bed you had been sleeping in just an hour ago. Azazel might be dead, but it didn’t end there.

And Dean had every intention of ending it.

He knew they were coming for him and he knew they’d be coming soon. He had to get away, he had to get out of town, out of the country. He needed to vanish for a while. Anything to stay out of prison. There was no way he’d survive it. Moving the curtain aside, he peeked out of the motel room and at the car he’d bought last night with cash parked directly outside. It was 2pm, and while the streets weren’t empty, everything was pretty quiet outside the Motel.

Perfect.

Baker grabbed his meager belongings, tucked his handgun into the back of his jeans, and rushed out to his car, eyes darting around as he hurried to the trunk and opened it, tossing his bag in. As he slammed the trunk shut, something was placed over his head that plunged him into darkness and he started to panic.

When he came to again, it was dark and he couldn’t move. His hands were tied behind his back, his feet tied together. He tried to get his bearings. He could hear the low rumble of an engine, the vibrations of a car driving down a highway. He knew he was in a trunk, now he just needed to find the tail lights and kick them out. Shifting around to give himself the space was difficult as he realized something else was in there with him, something big that smelt faintly of blood. He grunted when he hit his head and felt a small trickle of blood. “Shit.” he cursed and started kicking, hoping to meet his mark.

Suddenly, everything stopped, everything was quiet. Despite being in the dark under whatever was still over his head, his eyes frantically darted around as he tried to listen for what would come next.

Doors. Two of them, opening and closing, one on each side of the car.  Foot steps, but faint. So he wasn’t on a solid road anymore, and not on gravel either, or a floor or the foot falls would have more sound to them. A field?  Shit shit shit. A field meant open space. Even if he could get away and run, he’d be an easy enough target to shoot down.

The trunk opened, and hands reached in, yanking him out. He tried to fight them, tried to do what he could but he was put on his feet, dragged away from the vehicle and then kicked in the back of the knee forcing him to drop.

The hood was yanked off, and even though it was pitch black outside, he had to blink a few times before he could see where he was. The desert.

“You wanted to know where he was.” Baker’s head shot around and he found himself face to face with Dean Winchester. “You found him.” Dean pointed out into the desert, and Baker followed his finger. “There’s no marker, but he’s out there. He hurt her so I fucking killed him.”

Suddenly, a body was dropped down next to Baker, and he looked over to see Azazel, bullet wound to the head. Glancing up from the body, he saw Sam dusting off his hands. There was only one reason Dean would finally admit what he did. Baker wasn’t making it out of here alive.

“You hurt her.” Dean growled into his ear. “You fucking put my family in danger when I couldn’t protect them. She almost died.” Dean grabbed Baker by the hair and yanked his head back painfully. “MY DAUGHTER almost fucking died. Almost burned to death. Because of you.”

“I didn’t-”

“You did do this, Baker. You told him who they were, you knew what he would do. If I would have come home just an hour later..” Dean shook his head. “You can’t even imagine the level of hell I would have rained down on you.”

“Dean-” Dean straightened back up and put a gun to Baker's head. “Look I didn’t-” He was cut off by the bullet that ripped through his head and his body fell to the ground.

Dean was wiping down Baker’s gun that he’d just shot him with when his phone rang. Pulling it out of his back pocket, he smiled seeing your name light up his screen. “Hey, baby. You should be sleeping.”

“Woke up to pee and you weren’t back yet. Couldn’t get back to sleep. Are you going to be home soon?”

“I’ll be heading back home soon. Just finishing up something. You don’t need to worry, baby. No one’s ever going to hurt you again. Your protector is home. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dean. Be careful.”

“Always am.”

*If you like this, please consider supporting my work*

Tagging :  Protector : @jaycc7983 @volleyballer519  @meganlpie  @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo  @londoncallingbutiwontpickup    @valsworldofcreativity​   @samsgirl93​ @delightfullykrispypeach​

Dean - @akshi8278​  @adoptdontshoppets​   @evyiione​ @karikatz12481​ @idksupernatural​  @deandreamernp​

SPN -  @sandlee44​  @just-another-busy-fangirl​  @mrswhozeewhatsis​   @deanandsamsbitch​  @deans-baby-momma​  @thebescht​ @67-chevy-baby​ @supraveng​   @musiclovinchic93​ @holyfuckloueh​  @ksgeekgirl​   @hobby27​ @maddiepants​  @roxyspearing​ @onethirstyunicorn​    @fandom-princess-forevermore​     @kalesrebellion​   @deanwanddamons​   @thoughts-and-funnies​

All tags - @sorenmarie87 @artemisthebadger @winchesterprincessbride @iflostreturntosteverogers @akfonkin @rebelminxy @foxyjwls007 @onethirstyunicorn @shaelyn102 @supernaturalenchanted​  @kazkingdom​   @babypink224221​  @emoryhemsworth​    @ilovefanfic86​  @pie-with-hunters​   @anaelsbrunette​   @feelmyroarrrr​  @letsdisneythings​   @cdwmtjb8​   @notyourtypicalrose​ @xostephanie​ @ilovedeanspie​ @defenderrosetyler​ @amandamdiehl​

[markleesthighs]

Can I request a piece of writing with Badboy!Jaehyun and him changing throughout their relationship because his shy girlfriend has asthma and can’t be around him when he smokes cigarettes?🥺

-ahh i love this concept thanks for sending it in!

You never thought you would end up dating Jaehyun. He was the complete opposite of you, loud, rebellious, and dangerous. You, on the other hand were someone who did well in school, kept yourself quiet, and followed rules accordingly. You met Jaehyun at one of his parties, your friend dragged you to it because she wanted you to get out of the house for once. She clearly dressed you up, putting on your makeup, clothes, and jewelry for you. You looked completely different, you weren’t wearing your soft sweaters and ripped jeans but a tight fitted dress that was riding up your butt. (You kept trying to pull it down) So when you entered the party it would be no shock that everyone drew their attention to you, including Jaehyun.

“Woah! y/n looks hotter then normal!”

“I’d tap that any day.”

“Who knew she had those curves under those sweaters.”

All these comments somewhat ticked off Jaehyun. He liked how you looked before, you looked cute and innocent, he liked that you were and looked different from his lifestyle. He admits that you looked hot, but he didn’t like that you looked like fresh meat for all the other guys drooling over you. When Johnny approached you, he snapped out of his thoughts. You still looked like an awkward mess while trying to talk to Johnny, but when he was about to whisk you away upstairs (probably to make out or something) Jaehyun stepped in and asked Johnny if he could talk to you outside. Johnny smirked and said

“Get it Jae, you sly dog. You are a lucky man.”

Drunkenly laughing Johnny walked off to hit on another girl for the night as you looked up with your innocent e/c (eye color) eyes. You couldn’t tell if he was blushing or if he had too much to drink. He dragged you outside almost like a strict dad pulling their child outside to scold them.

“What is all of this? Who do you think you’re fooling?”

“Relax, Jaehyun, I didn’t want to show up like this, I wanted to come in a hoodie and sweats and curl up in the corner with a book.”

“But why?”

“My friend dressed me up after seeing me in my outfit.”

To prove your point you kept tugging your dress down and attempting to take out your fake lashes. Admittedly, you had a crush on Jaehyun, but you thought you were just like everyone else, everyone has a crush on the bad boy, why would he want to date you? Part of you let your friend dress you up like this because you knew this is what Jaehyun liked, at least up until now when he’s confronting you about it. You sighed as you tried to take off your heels but you stumbled and fell into Jaehyun.

“S-sorry!”

“It’s alright you can hold on to me while you try to take off your heels.”

You thanked him as you held onto his shoulder taking off your heels and then laying down on one of the pool chairs.

“Shouldn’t you be going back to the party? I’m alright now, and I’m probably going to leave soon.” You said struggling to take off your left eyelashes.

“Nah, the party can survive without me, here I’d rather be out here helping you.”

Jaehyun said as he ripped off the lashes like a band-aid, it hurt so much that you began to cry. Jaehyun pouted (but you couldn’t see) as he dried your tears with his thumb, now holding your cheek. He was about to lean in for a kiss before you stopped him.

“Look Jaehyun, thanks for helping me, but I’m not interested in becoming one of yours. I’m sure you can find someone better.”

“I doubt a girl dressed like you would take off their fake eyelashes for me.”

“But, do you only like what you see? Do you only like me because I’m dressed like this?”

“No! I liked you much better in comfortable baggy clothes, curled up reading a book.”

You gave him props for remembering details of your conversation, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jaehyun’s a bad boy.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“Wait-“

Jaehyun dragged you to the garage to his motorcycle. “So cliche” You thought. He gave you a helmet as he invited you to hop on. You had nothing to lose so you put on his helmet and hopped on. You were holding onto Jaehyun’s waist as you awkwardly felt his abs through his shirt, he’s lucky he can’t see you blushing right now. He smelled like how you imagined, cigarettes and musk, with a feint hint of pine. You and Jaehyun arrived at the top of a hill, which had an amazing view of the city. You could see all the gleaming lights without all the cars honking and people yelling. There was a bench and Jaehyun sat and invited you to sit. You sat down and you continued to stare out into the city.

“So, is this your usual hook up spot?”

Jaehyun laughted “No, I’ve never brought anyone up here before.”

“Riiight, lemme guess this is your ‘special’ place.”

“I-I uhh, yeah, I used to come here with my mom when I couldn’t sleep, before my parents got divorced.”

“O-oh I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s alright.”

You both sat awkwardly as you were rubbing your arms from the cold. Jaehyun threw his jacket over you.

“I meant what I said at the party. You are different, and I like that about you. I’m not joking when I’m saying I want to ask you out.”

HUH!? He wanted to ask you out? why? what’s happening? Before you could answer he held your cheek, he looked even more gorgeous, with the light shining bright against his perfect skin.

“I won’t kiss you if you don’t want to.”

You kissed Jaehyun which made his eyes go wide as he kissed you back, holding both of your cheeks in his hands. You pulled back blushing awaiting his reaction.

“Was that your first kiss?”

You nodded

“I could tell.”

“Hey! I bet you’ve stolen so many first kisses.”

“You’re right but none of them were as good at yours.”

From that moment on you started dating, all your friends were worried that he was dating you for some bet but now you’ve been dating for almost a year now. Jaehyun invited you to eat on the rooftop with him, you’re usual spot for eating together. Jaehyun didn’t bring anything for lunch except for a box of cigarettes, which you had to get used to. He was caring enough to smoke a good distance away from you so it wouldn’t ruin your lunch. You, however has asthma, and always took your inhaler before lunch, knowing Jaehyun smoked often. But you forgot to take it today, so you were coughing more than usual. Jaehyun noticed this and immediately put out his cigarette to see what was wrong.

“Babe, was the smoke too much? I’m sorry, I-“

“It’s ok Jae, it’s just my asthma.”

“What’s asthma?”

“My airway is just more constricted than normal, meaning I have a hard time breathing at times.”

“Babe, why didn’t you tell me?”

“You seemed to enjoy your smoke breaks, so I just take my inhaler, which helps open up my airway before I come up here. But I forgot it today.”

Jaehyun felt bad, and you could tell, so you kissed his cheek in reassurance that it was ok. But as the week went by, you notice he gradually stopped smoking, taking only one cigarette break per day. The following week he stopped carrying cigarettes all together but instead had dum dum lollipops in his mouth. He would suck on the lollipop to relive his stress. Since he didn’t smoke, he found himself sharing lunch with you, stealing the last chip or eating the last gummy bear. You found it endearing that he would change a bad habit of his because of you.

“Jae, where are your cigarettes?”

“Well, I want you to be healthy and be able to breath and take your break when you have lunch with me, so I wanted to quit. For you.”

“But- I don’t want you to change because of me, that’s not fair if I don’t change for you. Like the night you met me, you didn’t want me to change, but what if you like-“

“Babe, I’m changing for the good of your health, it won’t change who I am and why I love you.”

Your eyes softened at his words and you kissed him tasting the blue raspberry lollipop he was eating earlier.

“Blue raspberry?”

He giggled at you identifying his lollipop choice for the day.

“Never change y/n, never change.”

[soaronmywings]

Princess of SAMCRO (Juice x Reader)

“Jaxy!” You whine from the leather black couch in the living room of your mother’s house. You’re Jax’s sister, Gemma’s only daughter and the princess of the SAMCRO. Gemma has been raising you after her own heart, teaching you not to take any shit from anyone, especially the boys in the club. You’re about 4 years younger than Jax, which meant you barely got to know your father, John Teller. He still haunts your memories, his bike crashing into the semi when you were a little girl. You were 12 when he passed, and he was even coming to get you from school. It was a special day for you since you almost never got to ride with dad on his bike. It was when Opie’s dad Piney came up on his bike, you knew something was wrong. You could see Piney holding back tears as he dropped down on one knee, opening his arms welcoming you in. He was the one who broke the news to you. You were heartbroken and all you wanted was your mom and Jaxy. Now, you’re 26 and have Jax wrapped around your little finger, and you keep that boy in line as best as you can “What do you want princess?” He exasperated, crossing his arms, looking down at you with a warm smile. You were the princess, and everyone treated you like one. “Can we go for a ride of your bike?” You looked up and him a big smile on your face. You begged Jax to let you get your own bike, he just repeats every time “I won’t let you taint such a pretty thing with pink like we all know you will”, you wanted to be apart of the club, but the whole no girls rule held you back from it, and Jax would never let you go in the line of danger. “Alright I guess.” He says, defeat in his voice. He could never say no to you. You were his weak spot in the metal armour, he always kept you heavily protected, always made sure at least one person was with you at all times. It usually consisted of Opie, Happy, Tig, Juice, or Chibs. Jax wouldn’t trust anyone else with his baby sister. “Yay!” You jumped up into his arms. “And Jaxy?” You take his hands into yours with a pouty face. “Can I please get my own bike?” You looked up at him with a puppy dog face, just begging him to let you fit in a little bit with the guys. “That’s up to mom Y/N.” He shook his head at how ridiculous his sister was acting. You smiled, letting go of Jax’s hands before heading to the garage to get your helmet. Jax bought you one since you’ve been begging him to take you around so much. “Oh!” A lightbulb just went off in your head. “We should go visit the club!” You said with a grin and you picked up your helmet, turning around to face your brother. “If you say so.” Jax ruffles your hair before exiting the garage. That made you grumpy and you tried to fix your hair without a mirror. Jax just threw his leg over his bike laughing at how vain his sister is. God is she beautiful. He thought to himself, see his mother in her. Jax neglected to put his own helmet on, and Gemma Teller was on top of it. “You better put your helmet on boy.” She hollered at him from the from door as she leaned into the door jam. Jax shook his head smiling as he reached behind him to get him helmet. “I’m 30 mom, I think I got this.” He says with a shit eaten grin on his face as he strapped in on underneath his chin. Gemma went back inside, but not before blowing a kiss to her daughter. “Bye mom!” You yelled into the house. You walked over to Jax who was on his bike. You strapped your helmet on just as Jax started the bike, revving the engine. You throw your leg over the bike, feeling the vibrations go through your bones which gets your adrenaline pumping. You grab onto Jax’s leather kutte loosely, loving the freeing feeling. -Something happens at around 92 miles an hour - thunder-headers drown out all sound, engine vibrations travels at a heart’s rate, field of vision funnels into the immediate and suddenly you’re not on the road, you’re in it. A part of it. Traffic, scenery, cops - just cardboard cutouts blowing over as you past. Sometimes I forget the rush of that.- Jax pulled up to the club, backing into the first spot in the rows of bikes. You take your helmet off, leaping off the bike before Jax even turns it off. The boys just got back home from a very long run, to Las Vegas, and you missed all of your boy.! “Ope!” You beamed as you leaped into the big bears arms. He’s basically a second brother to you, and you loved him and his kids were amazing. “Hey there shorty.” Opie smiled. Jax stayed back, lighting up one of his cancer sticks that you hate. You wished that he would just stop smoking. You still want a brother in 20 years, but he can’t get that through his thick skull. You said your hellos to everyone else, having drinks with everyone catching up and laughing like you haven’t seen each other in 10 years. The last one was Juice, who you didn’t see in the clubhouse. He must be in his dorm. “I gotta go pee.” You blurt out before hopping off of the bar counter and down the long hallway that holds all the dorms. At the very end, you even have your own dorm. Because when it comes to lockdowns, you’re the first one to be brought here. The third door on the left. You repeat in your head. Being one of Jax’s watchdogs, Juice and you have become very, fond, of each other. Even though it breaks one of Jax’s forsaken rules, you’ve started to fall for Juicey. You give a light knock on the door before slowly opening it. “Juice?” Your voice is barely a whisper. You’re so nervous, and you can’t place why. “Hey, Y/N.” Juice greets you and he appears from the bathroom, a towel around his waist and hot water dripping all over his built chest. You close the door behind you, locking it. You rush over to Juice pressing your lips to his. Juice melts into the kiss, his hands resting on your waist. You press your forehead to his with a big smile spread across your face. He’s made you the happiest girl ever, even if your relationship is kept a secret, and Juice could tell. “I missed you baby.” He whispers before kissing your nose. “I missed you too Juicey.” You wrapped your arms around his neck. “What was your excuse this time?” He asks you looking into your eyes. You giggled thinking about it. “I just kinda.. Blurted out that I had to pee.” You giggled out. Juice started laughing at you. “You might be the most blunt girl I’ve ever met.” He says and kisses behind your ear which is your sweet spot. You bite your lip smiling. “I actually do have to pee, but then I should get back out there before someone starts getting suspicious.” You softly kiss his lips one more time before going into his bathroom shutting the door, sitting down on the toilet to pee. Once you finished doing your thing, washed your hands and walked out. Juice now had a pair of jeans on but no shirt. You make your way over to him, kissing his forehead. “You should go out first, then I’ll come out in a minute or two.” Juice gives you a big hug and a final kiss behind the ear. You nod, sighing. You honestly hate keeping this a secret. But you knew that if Jax found out that he would probably kill Juice. You looked down at his back chest, finger tracing over his tattoos before unlocking the door and walking back towards the boys. You sit down next to Chibs, laying your head on his shoulder. “You need to let yer brother know lass.” He says, with lots of consideration in his voice. You just nod, trying to get yourself back into the mood. You took one of the shots that was sitting on the table and down it, the alcohol burning your throats but you love it anyways. Juice comes out, with a plain black shirt on and his leather kutte lying on top. You don’t know how, but over time, Chibs eventually found out about your secret relationship with Juice, but you both knew he would never spill the beans about it, that was your job, not his. You all sat and drank, some of you playing pool, for a few hours before Jax cleared his throat to speak. “Well, as fun as this is I think I should be heading home. I need to tuck Abel in. And Wendy would hate me if I came home late again with nothing going on.” Jax stated, looking over to you. “I think I can get a ride home from one of the guys. Please? I miss them!” You begged and pleaded. Jax became father-like to you whenever Gemma wasn’t around, it didn’t matter if you were 26 fricking years old. “Alright I guess, don’t stay out too late.” He mumbled with one of those stupid cigarettes in his mouth. Tig and some of the other boys started laughing. “Boy, she has you whipped, wrapped around her little finger.” Happy grinned over at him with a whiskey in his hand. Jax flipped all of the boys off shaking his head. “Your helmet will be on Chibs’ bike.” Jax told you. You nod, giving him a sweet smile in thanks. Jax walked over to you, placing a kiss on your head before walking out toward the bikes. All you heard was the rumbling as he started it, before it faded into the distance. 6 hours later For the most part all the boys cleared out, either had to get back to their ol’ ladies or needed to sleep the alcohol off. It seemed that whenever you came to the club, drunkenness always followed. Ope was about to head out, he grabbed his kutte from the back of the chair he was sitting on. “Do you need a ride?” He asks you. You shake your head before placing it on the table. You were sleepy, and you thought about just crashing here. “I think I’m gonna stay here. I’m too drunk to move.” You groaned before letting out a cute, high pitched hiccup. Ope shook his head at you. “Alright, you should give Jax a call, he’d probably want to know.” Ope says before heading toward his pickup truck, starting it up and going home to Donna and his kids. Chibs sighed, crossing his arms as he looked at you. “Yer gonna stay here with Juice aren’t ye lass?” He raised his eyebrow at you. “I never get to spend time with him, and I’m wasted. My luck I’d fall off the back of a bike.” You giggle at the thought of that one. You’re a very clumsy being. You trip on flat ground, hit you elbow or hipbone or toe on furniture all the time, you walk in to walls. Not a good sight, and it gets even worse when you’re tipsy, and when you’re drunk that’s a whole other story. “If ye say so love. Just be careful, ye don’t want Jacky finding out on his own. Yew should be the one to tell him.” Chibs gives you yet another one of his lectures. You nod. “I’ll talk to Juice, maybe we’ll tell him tomorrow.” You looked down at your hands as you spun your thumbs around in circles. “Alright lass, I’m gonna head home. I probably have an impatient Jarry waiting on what’s taking me so long.” You both laughed at that. You got up, stumbling down the hall. “Juiceyy!” You whined, holding yourself up against the wall. You press you back against the wall as a mean of support as you take off your heeled boots. Juice steps out of his dorm, leaving his door open. “Hey, what’s up?” He asks rubbing his face with his hand. You clearly just either woke him up, or stopped him from trying to sleep. You extend your arms after you get your boots off trying to get him to bring you to his room. Juice walks up to you and picks you up. You immediately wrap your legs around his waist. He could smell the alcohol radiating off your skin but he didn’t care. This wasn’t the first time he got to spend the night with you, but it was the first time with you this drunk. “Hey, hey. Lay down babe.” He cooed in you ear as he laid you down before going back into the hall the grab your boots. He came back, setting your boots by the door. You unbuttoned your white jeans and tugged them off. Juice went into his drawer and pulled out one of his white SAMCRO shirts for you to sleep in. You tossed your jeans by your boots, or as close as you could get them before lifting up your turquoise crop top and tossing it by your jeans. You happily took the shirt from Juice and slipped it on. “Thank you.” You whispered looking up at Juice. He gently took your face into his large, calloused hands before kissing your lips. You kissed him back placing your hand right on top of his “son” and “shine” tattoos that are on his chest. Juice pulls back and looks into your eyes. “There’s no need to thank me Y/N, I’d do this for you any day. Now cmon, lets lay down” Juice pulls you back onto the bed so you’re laying down. You both get under the sheets before snuggling into each other. Juice didn’t want to take advantage of you tonight, you were too far gone. So he just cared for you and let you stay in his bed. Soon enough both of you drifted to sleep. The Next Morning The light shined into the room. You grunted as you sat up, your head pounding like a bitch. Blinking and looking around you realized you weren’t in Juice’s room, you were in your own. He must’ve carried you into the room this morning, he’s always been an early riser. Some knocks on your door and it makes you groan. “Come in.” You barely manage to get out. God you drank way too much last night. Jax walks in with his arms crossed, looking at you with a disappointing look on his face. You pull the comforter higher up to cover Juice’s shirt that you were planning on keeping hostage. “Mom said you didn’t come home last night. And you didn’t leave either of us a phone call, nuthin’.” Jax explains to you. You nod. “I stayed here. I figured I was way to drunk to sit on the back of a bike and I even have my own bed so why not?” You say looking down. “Hey, hey. I’m not mad darlin’. I just wish you left us a message. Mom was worried.” Jax rests his hand on your leg. You nod. “I was wayy too wasted for that Jaxy.” You giggled. He smiled laughing at the thought of the message you would have left either of them. “Alright, well I gotta take the boys to school. But I just wanted to stop in and check in on you.” Jax says patting your leg before exiting your room. You lay in your bed thinking to yourself. Maybe it’s time I move out and get settled in my own place, maybe even get a job. You gross yourself out at the thought of that, but you wanted to become more independent. You’re 26 still living with mom. But then again, your situation isn’t exactly the same situation as normal girls. You were the princess of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club for Christ sake. You sigh to yourself. You know you need to get out of bed eventually. You toss the covers off and walk over to your closet, rummaging through the clothes you have there. You pull on a pair of black activewear shorts and leave Juice’s shirt on. Peaking down the hall, you make sure the coast is clear before top-toeing down the hallway in case any of the prospects or the other guys are still in their dorms. The wooden flooring beneath you creaks, and you bolt. Going into Juice’s room. You know what door that was, Happy’s, and you know if he found out about you and Juice he would feel obligated to tell Jax. And you couldn’t have any of that today. Not unless you were the one to spill it. “Easy there tiger.” Juice laughed. You just sigh sprawling yourself out on his bed. Juice was wearing his boxers and nothing else, you caught him in the middle of changing. But you didn’t care, all you cared about was the conversation you needed to have with him. “So, I don’t know if you know. But Chibs somehow knows about us.” You started. You sat up, propping yourself up on your elbows. “We were talking last night. And it’s kind of fuzzy, but I still do remember a little bit. He thinks we should tell Jax.” You finished you sentence looking up at him. He puts his jeans on before sitting down next to you. “Is that what you want?” He asks. “And I mean you. Not Chibs. And not me. You.” He clarified. You looked over at him. “Yes. I don’t want this to be a secret anymore. It’s been going on for 4 years Juicey. I just want to be able to be in the same room as you and everyone else, not worrying about showing too much feeling towards you. I’m sick of the croweaters being all over you, And I don’t want someone else spilling the beans either, he’d disown me.” All you can do is choke up at the thought of that. “Don’t think like that baby. I’m perfectly fine with it.” He looked down at you, wrapping his arms around you pulling you against his chest. You kiss his jaw lightly before standing up. “Thank you babe.” You thanked him, running your hand over his freshly shaven mohawk. Juice gently pushed your head up and pressed his lips to yours. His kisses were so soft and sweet, it warmed your heart. You kissed him back, moving onto his lap and wrapping your arms around his neck, bringing yourself closer to him. You hear the roar of a single motorcycle from outside Juice’s window, Jax must be back. You hop of Juice’s lap. “I need to change my shirt so he doesn’t flip his shit right off the bat.” You smiled, blowing a kiss to Juice before rushing down the hallway into your room. You grab the closet thing you can find which happens to be a white tank top. It’ll have to do. You walk out of your dorm, down the long hallway into the clubhouse. Jax walks in just as you do. You look over at him before walking over to him. “Hey Jax, can I talk to you for a minute?” You ask him trying to mask just how scared you are. “Yeah of course you can sis, what’s up?” He drapes an arm around your shoulder as you walk back outside to sit on the picnic table. Your heart is racing, about to beat out of your chest. Jax sits down, his back facing the door to the clubhouse and you sit on the other side of him. You look behind Jax to see Juice, now fully clothed, leaning against the doorframe. Chibs comes behind him, patting him on the shoulder. “How’d you find out?” Juice asks him. “She’s always sneaking away while you’re gone. And it doesn’t take 20 minutes to take a piss last time I checked lad.” Chibs grinned chuckling at how stupid you two must think he is. “So, Jax. I don’t really know how to put this. I want to start off with please don’t get upset with me.” You start off, looking down at your hands. “For the past 4 years- I’ve been.. I’ve been kinda seeing Juice secretly. And, I really like him Jaxy..” You trail off, not knowing what else to say. Hesitantly, you look up into Jax’s eyes not knowing what to expect. Anger? Sadness? “I had one rule Y/N. Don’t date a patch.” Jax’s voice was barely a whisper. You nod, looking down again. You began to feel disappointed in yourself. “I’m sorry Jaxy. You just don’t understand..” You tried to explain. You couldn’t form the right words anymore. You were so close to breaking down right there. “What do you mean I don’t understand?!” He starts raising his voice. “Having someone watching you 24/7? Always having someone right there behind you. Shit I can’t even go to a store to get personal shit on my own Jackson! You would never understand that!” By the end of your sentence you were crying, the dam broke and you couldn’t handle it anymore. All that was left to do was walk away and let Jax take it all in. You slipped out from the picnic table and went to go back inside, but Jax grabbed your arm stopping you from doing so. “Don’t you understand? All I wanted to do was keep you safe! You know the risks that come with this shit.” He was still yelling at you, but not for the same reason anymore. Now, he was hurt. You could see the sadness in his pretty blue eyes. “I know you wanted to keep me safe Jaxy. But you have to let me be a big girl. I love Juice.” You looked over at Juice, who was in the same spot you saw him in last. He knew this was hard for you, but he also knew this had to happen. Jax let go of your arm and sighed pushing his hair back. “I need to ride and clear my head.” He says walking over to his bike. You go over to Juice and Chibs. “He probably hates me now.” You sighed out as you wiped your eyes of the tears. “I doubt he could ever hate ye lass.” Chibs rubs your shoulder, trying to let you know that he’s here for you. You just shrug, it’s been a really emotional day for you and it’s only noon. Well, now that your relationship with Juice is out in the open, you don’t have to hold back. And that feels great. Juice wraps his arms around you, hugging you. You hugged him back pressing your face into his chest. Tig walks in with a raised eyebrow looking over at you two and then Chibs, who took the hint and walked away. Tig leaned against the bar looking at the two lovebirds. “And what the hell did I miss?” He asks Chibs pointing over at you guys. “They’ve been together for years, they just broke the news to Jax who didn’t take it so well. I had to keep Juice from interfering. Y/N and Jax needed to yell it out which turned into riding it out and in Y/N’s case, cry it out.” Chibs explained to Tig. Tig nodded, understanding the situation. “I never want to leave your arms.” Your voice was muffled by Juices white shirt, which now was stained with tears. Juice guides you back down the hallway into his dorm, knowing you don’t want an audience to watch you have a breakdown. You sit on Juice’s bed, with your back pressed up against the headboard. “Do you want me to get you a change of clothes from your room babe?” He asks sitting in front of your curled up legs, rubbing your bare leg. You nod wiping your eyes of the tears. “Just get me a pair of grey sweatpants, and a set of bra and panties if you would.” You ask him sniffling. He nods before heading out of his dorm to head down to yours. You go through his top drawer and find your favourite long sleeve SAMCRO black shirt of his. It smelled like him, and you loved it. Juice comes back in with exactly what you asked for and his shirt that you tried, and obviously failed, to hide from him. You just want one shirt of his, but now that everything is out in the open he might not have an issue with it. “I think I’m gonna take a shower, if you don’t mind.” You put down the shirt of Juice’s on his desk chair. You walk into the bathroom, nudging the door shut with your foot which in turn meant it didn’t shut all the way. You start to strip, taking your tank and shorts off, followed by your bra and panties. You grab your kimono that you have behind the door and put it on tying it around your waist. Juice had always let you leave little things in his dorm. Like your kimono so you can take a bath or a shower, a toothbrush, a brush and shampoo and conditioner since he damn well doesn’t have any hair. Just small things. You turn the shower on, letting it warm up before you get in. Juice sneaks up behind you without any warning and puts his hands on your waist, which scares the shit out of you. You jump, turning around and smiling realizing it was the one and only. “Don’t do that!” You scold him and slap him shoulder. He laughs a little before kissing your lips. His arms go from around your waist to gripping your ass. Your bodies pressed so close together you can feel his bulge start to grow. He moves one hand up your back, his fingers leaving a trail up your spine before he settles on the back of your neck. He uses it to pull you into a deep kiss, biting your lower lip softly. You pull his shirt over his head and toss it out of the bathroom and you place kisses down his neck and chest before sinking to your knees. You undo his belt, and unzip his jeans tugging them down a little. You pull down his boxers and his member is proudly protruding in your face and lick the tip of his cock. You suck on the tip, teasing him with it. Looking up you see Juice biting his lip and throwing his head back. You take the base of his cock into your hand, pumping slowly. Taking in more of his dick is when he began to moan, putting a hand on the back of your head. You hollowed your cheeks as you took in more of him, with his hand holding you there. As you came up, you dragged your tongue along the underside of his cock, which always turns him on. “Fuck Y/N.” Juice was barely able to get that out. You went back down, taking his entire, very large, length into your mouth with hollowed cheeks and keeping it there with the tip of his cock hitting the back of your throat .”Jesus Christ.” He moans louder. Juice can’t help but grab ahold of your hair, he does that when he’s close. That’s when he takes control. He begins to fuck your mouth, thrusting in at his own rhythm each time his tip hitting the back of your throat before his letting his hot seed shoot to the back of your throat. Juice slowly stopped, before pulling you up and kissing your lips. He untied your kimono, leaving it on the floor as he grabbed your boob. He took your other boob into his mouth, his tongue swirling around your nipple. You moaned loudly, grabbing the back of Juice’s neck. He pinched you nipple as he bit your other nipple, causing a gasp to escape from your lips. You took Juice’s face into your hands bringing him up and kissing his lips. “So how about that shower?” You ask Juice with a wink. He couldn’t get his pants the rest of the way off quicker. You get get into the shower first, letting the hot water wash over you. Juice gets in behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He pushes your hair out of the way before kissing your shoulder. You put your hands on top of his, moving your head to the side for easier access. Juice turned you around, pressing your back against the cool tiles which makes you arch your back. He grabs his own dick, pumping himself a few times before lifting one of your legs with his free hand and slowly inserting himself into you. Juice starts a slow and steady pace, stretching and filling you perfectly. You grab him face and give him a sloppy kiss, which make him increase him speed. You moan against his lips, biting down on his lower lip and tugging. “You’re so tight baby.” He moaned into your ear. You dug you nails into his shoulder blades in pleasure as you ached your back, pressing your chest closer to his as the hot water flowed between the two of your bodies. Juice groaned as his thrusts became faster. You dragged your nails down his back, leaving red scratches all over. His hands grabbed your waist as he brought you down one last time, both of you reaching your climax. Juice comes inside you, his pace slowing down but not stopping as he helps you ride out your orgasm. He presses a soft kiss to your lips, so warm and gentle. “I love you Juicey.” You mumble against his lips. A big, goofy smile spreads across his face. “I love you too Y/N.” He whispers. Juice pulls himself out of you, letting your leg fall back down to the bottom of the shower. The hot water continues to run over you both. Juice grabs the body wash and starts to bathe you, letting the suds form around your whole body. He takes his sweet time, enjoying every part of this. You grab your shampoo and wash your own hair as Juice caresses your breasts. You take what’s left of the shampoo on your hands and rub it through Juice’s mohawk. You finish up bathing each other before getting out, wrapping yourselves in towels heading back into the room. Drying yourself off, you slip into your panties that Juice brought, which are his favourite pink lace ones with the matching pink lace bra to match it. Juice sits on the bed with his black boxer briefs on watching you get dressed. You slipped on his shirt before going over to him, straddling his waist. You give him a sweet tender kiss on the lips before you’re rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. “Jax is back.” Tig gave you both a heads up just before you could hear his boots walking off in the distance. You toss your head back grunting. “My brother has to ruin everything.” You say sliding off of Juice’s lap getting your sweats on. “He’s just being protective of you, and I can understand why.” Juice says from behind you as he gets his jeans and boots on before putting on a fresh new white shirt. Your subconscious was telling you that you shouldn’t wear this shirt, that it would upset Jax, but you didn’t care. It gave you comfort. After you were both dressed, you lead the way down the hall to see a still rather pissed Jax standing there with his arms crossed, waiting for you. Everyone cleared out, except for Chibs who sat at on a bar stool. And you stand in front of Jax with Juice behind you waiting for whatever is going to happen. “I understand that you have feelings for each other. But, I just can’t handle my baby sister dating one of the patches.” They’re my brothers Y/N. Jax explained to you with a raspy voice. “I’m not a baby Jackson! I’m 26 years old, I think I can make my own choices, and Juice is my choice. Take it or leave it.” You barely stood your ground, your voice had a slight quiver to it. But you didn’t cry. “I’m gonna leave it then. For now at least. I can’t handle it but I’m not gonna make you two break up because of it.” Jax turned around and walked back out. Chibs got down and followed him out and you could tell he was upset with Jax. You turn to Juice, truly saddened by everything that went down today. “It’s gonna be okay baby.” Juice stepped forward taking him into your arms. Chibs jogged over to Jax, who was sitting on his bike smoking a cigarette. “So what? Yer just gonna disown yer own sister? She’s in dere heartbroken because of ye.” The scot scolded Jax for his behavior today. “She’ll survive. She’s just like her mother. And she brought this on herself.” Jax spat taking a drag of his cigarette, the smoke filling his lungs. Chibs wanted to smack him for that. “Ye know son, keep talkin’ like that and yer gonna get yerself a beating one of these days.” Chibs finished before walking away towards T.M. Jax didn’t know what to do anymore. He should’ve known this was going to happen, but he was oblivious to the fact. Juice sat on the roof with your head in his lap, your body stretched across the couch. “I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore Juicey.” You sniffled. You hadn’t been crying in a little bit, but you always had the sniffles after you cried. “Come stay at my apartment. Get away from Jax and Gemma for a little bit.” Juice suggested as he stroked his long fingers through your hair. You shifted your body so you were now laying on your back and looked up at Juice. “Really?” You asked him. He nodded. “You’re always welcome at my place Y/N, you know that. You need a break from family for a little bit. I can see it in your eyes.” Juice told you. He was amazing. You sat up and kissed his lips and he kissed you back. He pulled away and stood up offering his hand out to you. You take it and let Juice pull you up. You both walk over to the latter that leads back down to the hallway. Juice went down first and then you followed after him. Juice got a nice look at your ass as you carefully climbed down. As you walked down the hall he slapped your ass, which you turned around and gave him a glare for. “Babe, do you have a bag that I can pack stuff in? I don’t have anything here and I don’t wanna go to moms house. She asks too many questions.” You asked Juice as you both walked into your room. “Yeah, I have my backpack that we use for runs. I’ll go grab it for you.” Juice offered, grinning from cheek to cheek. You’ve never stayed at his place, yeah you’ve hung out there with him but you’ve never spent the night there before. This was a big leap for you two, and you were as happy as you could be about it. Rummaging through your clothes, grabbing only the bare necessities knowing you could come back for more. Juice walked in, with the black backpack that had the Sons patch right on top in hand. “This should do.” He tosses it on your bed before sitting on the edge. You finish packing, putting a pair of black sneakers on. “I’m ready Juicey.” You smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips. Both of you head out, walking down the hallway. Juice lead, with you following but your hands laced together. You had Juice’s backpack on your back, which caught some glances. “What was Y/N doing with a Juice’s backpack on her back?” Was the thought going through everyone’s heads. But some knew. They heard everything that went down today, it’s kind of hard not to when two siblings are screaming in each other’s faces. You both ignored the stares and the whispers. Your secret was out, and you didn’t want to waste any more time hiding your love for your Juicey. You did catch one particular persons eye. Jax, who still sat on his bike pissed at the whole situation. And now what? Juice was taking his sister to live with him now too? That angered Jax even more, as he took a final drag of his cigarette. He threw it on the ground, crushing it with his foot. “I’ll go get your helmet off of Chibs’ bike. Just go wait by my bike.” Juice nods over to his Harley before walking over to the bike that just had to be next to Jax’s. “If you hurt my sister I swear to god-“ Jax had full blown anger in his voice, but was cut off by Juice. “Looks like you’ve already hurt her enough.” Juice told him, looking dead into his eyes. Jax curled his hands up into fists, snarling, before reaching up and knocking Juice in the face sending him back a couple feet. You drop the backpack next to Juice’s bike before running over to Juice, as Jax just punched a second time. Juice socked Jax in the face right as you got there. You stood between them, trying to keep them from ripping each others heads off. Tig and Happy came rushing over to see what the commotion was, noticing a bloody Jax and Juice. “Enough both of you!” You snapped. They looked at you with disbelief. You shook your head in disgust at your brother, whose hair was a mess. Grabbing Juice’s arm you yanked him away from the group of guys and back to his bike leaving Jax to get cleaned up by Chibs most likely. “Will you be okay to ride?” You ask him sighing at how childish he was acting. “I’m fine baby.” He smiled looking down. He had a cut on his eyebrow and one on his lip. He was most likely going to have a black eye. “Okay sweetheart, I’ll clean you up when we get to your place.” You whisper placing a kiss on his nose lightly careful not to hurt him. Juice got on his bike, starting it up. You put his backpack on your back, and grabbed your helmet, latching it on tightly under your chin. You throw your leg over the bike, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your head to his back as he pulled out. The roar of the bike filled your ears, as Juice drove away. *** Juice pulled up to his apartment, the rumble of his bike softening and he kicked out the kickstand letting his bike stand up on his own. You got off the bike and unstrapped the helmet still letting it sit on your head. Juice also got off and grabbed the keys of his bike which also had his house keys on it You both walked up the stairs before getting to his apartment. “Home sweet home.” He smiled before opening the door. You set your helmet on the table and the backpack right next to the door. “Lets go get you cleaned up.” You tell him, looking up at his face which had blood running down it. Grabbing his arm, you dragged Juice into the bathroom. “Sit.” You command. “Love a girl who can take control.” He mused with a grin spread across his face as he sat on the toilet seat. You rolled your eyes at the comment. You went back into the hallway of his apartment and into the small closet to grab a rag. Going back into the bathroom you wet the rag begin to lightly dab the blood off of his face. When is he going to stop getting beat up? Is all you thought yourself as you cleaned up your beaten boyfriend. The head wound now has a bandaid on it, which is good enough, and there wasn’t anything you could really do for the cut on the lip. So you just lightly kiss it better. “Do you want something to eat?” He asks you, changing the subject off of him and onto you, nothing new for him. “I’m not really that hungry, do you wanna play video games?” You offered as an exchange. He smiled standing up as both of you walked out of the room and over to the couch. You were a girl of his own heart. Juice turned on his PlayStation and put in Mortal Kombat for you two to play before walking back to the couch and sitting. You loved playing with Juice, you both were very competitive with your video games. The princess never liked to lose, and Juice didn’t believe in letting people win. Juice had one leg on the couch with the other on the ground, bent sitting comfortably. You sat down in front of him with your legs crossed and your back pressed to his chest. This is how you two always sat while playing video games, until one of you were on a winning streak and the other thought you were cheating so they moved to the floor. After hours of kicking each other’s asses, with you both having small winning steaks, you yawned loudly starting to get tired. You paused your current match and turned your body around so you were facing Juice. “I’m tired, can we watch movie or something?” You asked resting your head on his shoulder.”Of course baby.” He kissed your cheek before slipping out from underneath your body to go glance at the movies. “What movie do you wanna watch?” Juice asks you. You didn’t even have to think twice about it. “Star Wars!” You giggled reaching in front of you to get a sip of water. He smiles to himself as he puts the new Star Wars movie into the DVD player. Juice walks back to the couch. “God I love you.” He said with a smile reaching his eyes. “I know.” You said back. It was a cheesy quote, but you knew Juice would love it, and he did. He bent down and gave you a kiss on the lips. You get up, letting Juice spread out on the couch so you can lay on top of him. The movie started and both of your eyes glued to the screen. You both were huge nerds, something you had in common. Jax always made fun of you for it growing up. As the movie went on, you found it hard to keep your eyes open, your eyelids feeling heavy. You finally stop fighting it and close your eyes, snuggling closer into Juice’s side.Juice had his arm around your waist, rubbing small circles into your lower back. He grabbed the remote and turned the movie off. Carefully, he picked you up and you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist as he carried you to his bedroom. “Y/N, baby. Let go and lay down sweetheart.” He cooed in your ear. He gently lowered you onto his queen sized bed. You took your sweats off, tossing them by the wall and took your shirt off doing the same. Juice took his pants and shirt off, leaving both of you in your underwear. You got under the covers, you might have struggled being half asleep but you managed, and Juice did the same He spooned you, wrapping his arm around your waist pulling you as close as possible to him. You shoved your cold feet in between his legs, startling him slightly but he let you keep them there. Eventually, you both slowly drifted off to sleep. Your eyes flutter open at the sound of birds chirping outside of the window. Juice’s arm is still locked around your waist, with his warm breaths on the back of your neck. You turn around so your facing him, his eyes still closed. “It’s rude to stare yknow.” Juice mumbles, his voice heavy from sleep. You smile and placing a kiss on his nose. “How’s your head?” You question quietly, gently grazing your finger over the bandaid on his eyebrow. A light shade of purple started forming under Juice’s left eye. You sigh typo your spelt in disbelief. Why did they have to fight? You thought to yourself “It hurts, but I’ll be okay baby.” He reassures you, placing a kiss to your forehead. “Do you want me to make breakfast?” You ask him looking up into his eyes. “That’d be great babe.” He agreed and slid out of the covers. You take in his body, like you do every time you see him with his shirt and pants off. You bite your bite smiling as you watch him get dressed. “Enjoying the show?” He walked over to your side of the bed and leaned over you, kissing your lips. “You bet I am Juicey.” You grin as you get out of bed yourself. Juice playfully slaps your ass as you walk by him. You turn around and blow him a kiss before walking out, heading towards the kitchen, not bothering to get dressed. Juice knew what you were playing at. He knew you were trying to drive him nuts walking around in only a lace bra and matching thong. And god was it working. He followed you out of the room and into the kitchen sitting down at the dining table to observe you as you cooked. You went into the fridge to see what you had to deal with. Juice kept a fully packed fridge, full of healthy and fresh food. Everything in his house was spotless, all organized perfectly. Juice’s phone rigging from the coffee table takes his attention away from you, and sends a wave of confusion over you. Juice walks into the living room grabbing his burner phone. “Hello?—“ He asks. The answer he got caused him to furrow his brows. “Hang on.—“ You can hear the seriousness in his voice and it worries you. Juice walks into back into the bedroom and grabs his kutte, coming back out and stepping outside to have the conversation in peace. You begin to hyperventilate at the thoughts running through your mind. Did something happen to Jax? Or your mom? Or Abel? You try and shake the thoughts out of your head as you walk into the bedroom grabbing one of Juice’s shirts. Putting it on, you take a inhale deeply into the soft fabric. It may not be him, but it always stopped a panic attack in its steps. “Alright.— I’ll get us there as soon as possible.—“ Juice’s voice came back into the house as you heard the door close behind him. With the click of his phone, footsteps came towards the room. You turned to him waiting to see what he has to say. “What’s going on Juan? Who was that?” You start to panic. He walks over to you, making shushing sounds as he takes your hands into his. “Shh, babe calm down.” He runs a hand through your hair. He knows your triggers, you have always had issues with anxiety. After you two got together though, his OCD tamed down and your anxiety did the same. But you still had your flair ups, like you were having right now. “The clubs in some deep shit with the Irish. We’re going on lockdown. That was Tig on the phone and Jax told him that he wants you there right now. He’s pissed about a bunch of shit right now.” Juice finally explained to you what was happening. Juice wrapped his arms around you, seeing that everything he just said made everything worse for you. “We shouldn’t have told Jax, this probably just made stuff worse for him.” You mumbled. You were feeling so weak right now. If your mother saw you, she would be disappointed. She raised you better than to cry at everything that came your way. “It’s gonna be okay babe. Everything is gonna be okay.” Juice whispered, his words covered in love and kindness. He slowly slid down onto the floor bringing you down with him. He pressed your back to his chest, with you sitting in-between his legs. His arms were tightly wrapped around you as you brought your legs up to your chest. This is how you got your anxiety to pass, and it almost always worked. Your breathing started to regulate after what felt like hours of being curled in a ball hyperventilating, and your heart rate slowed to its regular pace too. “You okay now baby?” Juice place a soft kiss on the back of your neck. You nod getting up and taking one last deep breath. “Do you think it’s gonna be a long lockdown? I don’t know how long I can take of an enclosed space with my mother.” You offer Juice a hand to help him up, trying to be kind even though you both know if you really had to do that he’d pull you down before you’d pull him up. He takes it, and pushes himself up while using your hand to pull you into a hug. “It’ll be okay Y/N, you’re always able to get through it. You sigh in defeat, nodding as you pack up what small bag you had. “You might want to get some pants on though, everyone is gonna be at the clubhouse.” Juice winks at you. You just roll your eyes. Yeah like I’m gonna go there like this. You thought. You pulled out a pair of black jean shorts, putting them on and putting the backpack on your back. “Let’s go back to see the wrath of my brother.” You grumbled as you walked out of the house, both of you hand in hand. Juice pulled up to the clubhouse and the prospects had to open the gates. Slowly pulling in, you see the loved ones of all the bikers gathering in and around the club. He parks his Dyna and you get off, placing your helmet on the back of the bike. You see Jax leaning against your mom’s office door, smoking a cigarette. Should I go over there or wait for him to come to me? You were repeating your options in your head. Juice snakes an arm around your waist which brings you out of thought. “They’re probably going to be calling us to church soon.” He warns you as you both walk up to the crowd of people. “I know.” You say placing a kiss to his cheek. Before walking off to say hi to the old ladies that you’re going to be stuck with for who knows how long. Juice and yourself parted ways as Juice went to go talk with Chibs and Bobby about club stuff most likely. You did however catch the eye of Gemma who came over to you, bumping into people along the way. “And where the hell have you been, sweetheart?” Your mother demands, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. You give her a grunt at her actions. “Didn’t Jax tell you?” You answered her question with another question. She just shook her head and grabbed your arm pulling you outside of the club so you could have a private conversation. “Tell me what?” She raised her eyebrow at you. You sighed. Of course he didn’t tell her, you had to. “I was with Juice.. At his place.” Your voice trailed off as your rubbed your arm uncomfortably. How was she going to take it? Was she going to be like Jax? Or was she going to be like Chibs? A grin spread across her face. “So you two finally came out, huh?” She said smugly. You let out an uneasy laugh, it seemed almost awkward. “Y-yeah. Jax didn’t take it so well.” You stammered over your words. “Of course he didn’t baby, you gotta give him some time. You press him too hard and you both will end up more hurt than where you started.” You nodded at her response before giving her a kiss on the cheek. You walked back into the club to see the boys make their way into church. Juice looks over his shoulder at you and you give him a wink before going to see where your little nephew got into. You see Wendy sitting at the table with Abel on her lap coloring in his superhero coloring book. You sit down across from them with a smile on your face. “Hey there little man, whatcha doin’?” You ask him as you peer over his crayon. “Just coloring, why were you with Juice Aunty?” He asks you as he switches out colours. Your smile widened at his question. You loved Abel to death, you were there when he was born and you helped her get clean after that. You even helped the two stay together. Not only for Abel, but because you knew how much they loved each other. You were both of their sound boards when they had a thought day, and they’d talk about each other nonstop but refused to say it to the other’s face. So you made them, and look where that got them? The two of them a happy family with Abel. “He’s Aunty’s boyfriend.” You looked down at Juice’s shirt as you said that. It’s the first time you’ve called him your boyfriend out loud, and you loved it. Wendy looked at you with happiness across her face and in her face. “So Y/N finally found someone.” She giggles out. You couldn’t help but laugh with her. She was happy for you because she knew how much of a pain your brother was, how he scared off anyone you dated growing up. Hell, he even got Ope and Happy to join in sometimes. “I did. And I’m gonna go grab a beer, do you want one?” You offered her as you stood up. “Sure hun.” Wendy ran her hands through her sons hair as she answered you. You nodded as you walked over to the bar. Phil the prospect was standing behind the bar serving the drinks out to the old ladies that had to stay here for the next few days or weeks. “Hey there Phil,” you start with a smile. “Two beers please love.” You asked him as you took a seat in the booth. Phil was one of the prospects that they called in when they made Half-Sack a full-patch. He gave a short nod before going into the fridge behind him, and handing you two cold beers that are already opened. He never did talk much, he still was shy even though he’s been a prospect for almost a year, so you always tried to be as sweet as can be with him. “Thank you.” You thanked him before walking back over to Wendy and handing her a beer. You both took a sip out of your beer before all of the guys walked out of church with Jax proudly leading the pack. “Alright everyone. We’re sorry to inconvenience you, but if you’re here you probably know why. You’re important friends and family to the club and we don’t want you getting hurt.” Jax explained to everyone in the clubhouse, he says the spiel every time we go on lockdown. “Bad stuff is going down right now, and we have a target on all of our backs. So we ask you to be patient while we sort this out, but we don’t know how long this will take.” He finished before walking off to do god knows what before the club goes out to risk their lives. 5 hours later This was always the hardest part of lockdowns for you. When the boys, who you considered either brothers, best friends, or father figures, went out to do who the hell knows what, killing who knows how many people, for who knows how long. Within the past for years on lockdowns you only got to say goodbye to Jax and the rest, maybe a vague goodbye to Juice and every time it killed you. What if he got killed? And you didn’t get to give him a kiss goodbye. Just a good luck and a pat on the back. You two were extra cautious, never wanting to show too much emotion. Your anxiety always skyrocketed when your boys left. You often ended up locking yourself up in your room with a bottle or two of booze waiting for them to get back to you safely. You were in Juice’s room, strapping on his bulletproof vest with your heart about to beat out of your chest. “Promise me you’ll be safe, I can’t lose you.” You mumble as you strap the last piece of velcro to the vest. Juice turns around and takes your face into his hands. “I promise baby.” He places a kiss on your lips. You kissed him back and placed your hands on top of his vest. “I love you.” He whispers against your lips. “I love you too.” You place another light kiss to his lips. A loud knock on the door interrupts the two of you, starling you at the same time. “Alright lovebirds, hope you have your clothes on.” Tig jokes as he opens the door with his hand dramatically covering his eyes. “You’re all good Tiggy.” You laugh. “Well sorry to take your boyfriend away from you doll, but the guys are going to start heading out.” Tig says. You give Juice one last hug, before going over to Tig and hugging him. “C’mon babe, let’s get you back home as soon as possible.” You beckon for Juice putting your hand out for him. He takes it interlacing his fingers as he leads the way out into the clubhouse. You see all of the guys saying there goodbyes, before your eyes land on the one you were looking for. Jax. Who is saying goodbye to Abel and Wendy You slowly make your way over there, hugging everyone goodbye as you get over there. You finally reach him. “Hey, can I talk to you?” You ask Jax. He places a kiss on Abel’s head before stepping aside with you. “Look, I’m sorry for everything that happened yesterday. But can we put both of our thick skulls aside for a moment so I can make sure you don’t run off and get yourself killed because of everything that’s going on. I love you Jaxy.” You wrap your arms around his neck bringing him down for a hug. Jax gripped you tight and you couldn’t help but smile. “I couldn’t have said it better. I love you too Princess.” He whispers in your ear. Juice and Gemma stand across the room watching the two siblings make up. “If you hurt my daughter I’ll cut you. But I don’t think I have to worry about that, you two seem to make each other very happy.” Gemma warned Juice. He nodded, looking down at his feet with a smile. Gemma didn’t know just how happy Y/N made him. She quieted the voices in his head. Her smile made him forget about a stressful day at the club. Her hug made him feel like he wasn’t alone anymore. She made him feel like he was worth something. And he loved her with everything he had. She is what made him get through these life-threatening situations, she made him want to survive. He saw a future with her, finally someone wasn’t going to leave because he’s too clingy. She loved how clingy he was. “I promise to love her with everything I have Gem, trust me.” Juice said before he was distracted from the conversation. Jax was calling the guys to their Harley’s, to go put an end to the Irish threats. You gave Jax a final kiss on the cheek before shooing him off. All of the guys parted from their Ol’ ladies or their kids and walked out of the club. You, Gemma, Wendy, and Lyla were all standing right outside the club blowing a kiss to whichever biker had their heart. In your case, you had two. A brother and a boyfriend. It was nearly 4 in the morning when the boys got back. Juice quietly opened the door to his dorm, not knowing if you crashed in here or in your own room. As he walked in, he saw you on his side of the bed, hugging his pillow. He also spotted bottles in front of the bed, from wine to beer to whiskey, you drank when you got worried. Juice got undressed as quietly as possible, leaving himself only in his boxers as he got into bed. Even though you were on his side, he made do. He pulled the comforter over himself and wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you closer.         

[raspberrymaple]

Midnight Down Town

Chapter One: Lucky Tapes

Summary:

"A nonconventional belief in poker is everyone has an ability that allows them to stand their ground. Whether it be wit, luck, or the ability to bluff, the idea of staying in the game manifests the nickname of a ‘Stand’. A user of a ‘Stand’ is typically defined by their own strategies, therefore creating their own self-reflection in the game. The belief is so popular amongst professional and amateur card players, they even give their ‘Stands’ names.

Joseph Joestar is a casino owner in Los Angeles, California, 1989. With a reputable name such as “The Stardust Casino”, he gains popularity downtown. But he faces problems when another casino opens across the street: “The World”, owned by one Dio Brando. It’s formidable staff and popularity poise a challenge. However, the “Stardust Crusaders” the nickname given by Joseph for the employees, were ready for anything."

“Jotaro! Aren’t you going to have dinner?” Came the sweet voice of Holly Kujo, calling out to her son as he passed by the kitchen. Jotaro Kujo looked over his mother's shoulder and saw she had prepared a meatloaf for them. The aromantic smell of the meat made Jotaro pause and salivate at it. His mother made the best meals. “Your father won't be home until later but you can at least see him. Do you have to be at work on time, Jotaro? Your grandpa won't mind.”

Her son shuffled away, slipping his hands into his coat pockets. He wore a large, dark coat that exposed his light shirt under and rippled about his legs. Accompanying it was a hat that blended into his black hair, a red coke bottle cap, and the letter 'J' pinned on the front.

"I gotta pick up Kakyoin. Can I get a couple of slices for later, mom?”  He asked, opening the fridge. The boy pulled out a couple of cold glass bottles of Coke, slipping them into his jacket pocket. He spun a pair of shining keys on his finger.

Holly Kujo placed her hands on her hips, adamant toward this, but nodded. She turned to take off a couple of slices of the meatloaf, placing them in a small plastic container. Jotaro took it from her hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It seemed to brighten her up, but he had turned away a second later to adjust his hat. It made his mother sigh.

“I still don't know why you wear that coat in summer, JoJo. And put on your helmet! Tell Kakyoin I said hi!” She called after him, but he didn't listen. His mother slumped against the counter as he walked out of the door, hiding the container in his coat pocket just like the bottles.

Jotaro was hit with the afternoon sun as he stepped out of the house. It was a large, two-story home, painted white. The front lane extended out far, the front of the house lined with red roses. To the left was the garage. As he stepped off the porch, his eyes trailed on the city. It was beautiful. He didn't expect anything else from it.

Jotaro's grandfather owned a casino. He found his grandfather annoying, but he was offered a job there and took it. Jotaro and his mom were typically alone, as his dad was a musician and traveled often, so Jotaro wanted to get out of the house. He never liked it when Sadao Kujo came home. His father would try to be friendly, but his absence annoyed Jotaro.

The teenager stepped into the open garage, his eyes landing on his motorcycle. It was only about four years old, but Jotaro had snagged it only last year. It was a Kawasaki Ninja 600R, one of the best in the brand. It was red and black, great colors for Jotaro. As he settled into its seat, he took off his hat and put his helmet on. He had two, typically, one for him, the other for Kakyoin.

Noriaki Kakyoin had been his friend for a few years now, and he knew him for five. They met in eighth grade and went to the same high school. Kakyoin's personality wasn't very similar to Jotaro's, but they felt they had to stick together. They even gave each other nicknames that they used privately: Kakyoin was Nori, and Jotaro was JoJo. Even though everyone called him JoJo,  Kakyoin was the only one he cared about enough to give a nickname to. Jotaro was half Japanese, and Kakyoin was full Japanese. Jotaro had lived in America all of his life, but Kakyoin said he moved here when he was eleven from Japan. His friend did admit it was a cultural shock, so Jotaro acted like a crutch to help him learn.

As he twisted the grip to lightly apply the throttle, Jotaro kicked up the center stand. With a secondary helmet resting on his lap, he drove out of the garage and onto the street. The wind whistled along his body, thrashing about the end of his coat.

He had been working at this job since the beginning of the year. It was early summer break now, but he continues to work in the afternoon. The casino was open all hours, however, it was busy later in the day. Los Angeles wasn't known for its casinos, but The Stardust was one of the most popular. Hundreds of men and women frequented it weekly.

Jotaro could ride forever. The sun was on the horizon as he rode down Beverly Hills to the city outlined by its gold rays. The golden city. Kakyoin lived closer to the city, but his parents were also traveling agents and had money. He lived well off, and typically alone from his parent’s trips. Kakyoin used to go on trips with them, but after he got a job he said he didn’t want to anymore. They had their arguments but ultimately agreed since he was close to becoming an adult.

He came to a screeching halt in front of a blue one-story home. It had a long stretch of the lawn as well, but it was gated and surrounded by dark green hedges. Flowers and vines snaked through the hedges. Sitting on the step of the sidewalk, his legs extended out, was Kakyoin. Jotaro pulled off his helmet, his short black hair poking out over his forehead. He looked down at Kakyoin with blue-green eyes.

“Hey, Nori. Ready to go?” He asked the other teenager. Kakyoin looked up from the game in his hands. It was a Zelda & Watch game, a Nintendo brand, Jotaro assumed from the logo on the back. Kakyoin was a redhead, with a long, twisting curl poking out from his head hanging as a bang. His hair was short and straight in the back, pointing down as spikes. His eyes were a striking shade of violet against his pale skin, and dark circles lined under his long eyelashes.

Kakyoin gave Jotaro a broad smile, sliding the game into his jacket pocket as he bounced to his feet. He wore a dark blue jacket, with a large stripe of green across the chest, and another stripe of white on his shoulders. Kakyoin adapted to the fashion quickly, and his pale, slightly defined stomach showed in a white crop top. His high waisted pants were cinched snugly around his waist with a gold belt. His white Adidas shoes scuffed against the ground as he got up.

“Sure, JoJo! Where's my helmet?” Kakyoin asked, sliding in the space behind Jotaro. The teenager checked his watch, noticing the time was five pm. Their shift began at five-thirty.

Jotaro took the helmet from his lap, handing it back to Kakyoin over his shoulder. They had matching black helmets with a red stripe down the sides. When Kakyoin clipped it in, his red bangs poking out, Jotaro started up the motorcycle again.

“Hey, JoJo we better get there on time so—WOAH!” Kakyoin wrapped his arms tightly about Jotaro when they took off, a puff of smoke from the screech of the wheels rising up behind them. Kakyoin frowned, pressing his cheek against his back. "You could have warned me!"

Jotaro glanced over his shoulder. Even if he was a serious person, he was still a dumb kid. He grinned lightly. “It's more fun this way, Nori.”

As they left the suburban scene and drove into the city, the noises and lights increased.  The roar of cars, the flashes of music, all drowned out Kakyoin's thoughts. Splotches of color danced across Kakyoin's vision as Jotaro sped along, their bodies pressed close to the vehicle. Every time he cranked the engine, it purred beautifully in response. Jotaro fed off the thrill of its speed, and since Kakyoin rode so frequently with Jotaro, so did he. And Jotaro rode fast because he didn't care about the rules.

But he did care about getting a ticket. Kakyoin exhaled softly when they came to a slow halt in front of a bright, red stoplight. For some reason, he was out of breath, but the warmth of his friend was relaxing. Jotaro looked back at him again.

“We're almost there.” He stated quietly, then fired up again. Kakyoin gripped tightly to his jacket. Jotaro was a lot taller than him. He stood about six foot five, while Kakyoin was just a couple inches off of six feet. Jotaro had a wider frame than him as well, dwarfing Kakyoin when they stood next to each other. He did admit he was jealous of Jotaro. He could fight just about anyone and win—and he did fight. Typically he didn't pick the fights, they came to him. Jotaro was like that.

The casino was on the outskirts of the main business center in Los Angeles and in Hollywood. It was as grand as the Joestar name. Joseph Joestar had begun as a realtor, and he adopted money from a family friend who passed away. It left him with the Speedwagon Foundation, who donated mainly to charity in Robert E.O Speedwagon’s name. Speedwagon was a close family friend, who struck rich in America. But he passed away in a heart attack, giving his money to Joseph.

Joseph Joestar could be in the least, to Kakyoin, ‘charming’. During his venture in real estate, he decided to invest in a casino. It took several years, but he owned the casino in 1979. Ten years later, it was still going just as strong. The "Stardust" casino was famous for attracting rich people in Hollywood and tourists.

“Hey, we're here,” Jotaro said, swinging his leg to get over the bike. They were behind the casino, where all of the staff parked. He flipped out the center stand, then pulled off his helmet. Kakyoin followed, setting his helmet down. As he did he noticed something engraved at the base in the back of the helmet. Why hadn't he seen this before? 'Nori', it read. He smiled.

“Did you do this? It's cute. It makes me feel like that's my helmet.” Kakyoin said, observing the scratches in lettering. It may be a bit crude but still worth the effort. Jotaro rolled his eyes and picked up the helmet to settle it in its usual spot, on the motorcycle's handlebars. The staff parking lot was usually gated, so he didn't have much to worry about. And with their nicknames on the helmets, he could find the guy and beat him up.

“Well yeah, 'cause it is your helmet. I don't let anyone else ride with me, Nori.” Jotaro muttered, taking a seat on the sidewalk. “There are ten minutes before we gotta change. I brought some drinks. Have you eaten?”

Kakyoin took a seat next to him, shaking his head lightly. He pulled out the small console again, flipping it open. Jotaro pulled out the bottles of Coke, then the plastic container. Kakyoin peeked around his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s that?” He asked as Jotaro cracked open the tinted green glass bottles, handing one out to Kakyoin. He sipped it, enjoying the refreshing taste of a cool drink.

“Just some meatloaf my mom made. Do you want a slice?” Jotaro asked, offering the still warm food to Kakyoin. Kakyoin shook his head again, though his stomach rumbled in response. Jotaro raised an eyebrow. “C’mon, you love my mom’s cooking.”

His friend sighed, wrapping his arms around his body and slouching forward.

“Don’t feel like eating.” Came a null response from Kakyoin. He was rather skinny, but Jotaro knew he could eat a lot. Jotaro rolled his eyes, picking off a chunk of the meatloaf and holding it out to Kakyoin’s nose. The boy sniffed the food tentatively, but even he couldn’t ignore the delicious smell of Holly’s cooking.

Jotaro’s mouth quirked at the corner when Kakyoin took the piece, nibbling it quietly. He was smiling now, always happy to accept food. Especially from Jotaro’s mom. When Jotaro offered him the rest of the slice, he took it like a feral beast, eating away and washing it down with the Coke. When he was done, he still felt hungry, but it was bearable.

“Wow, I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I did shower, though. A gamer has to at least stay clean!” Kakyoin declared, his bottle clinking to the concrete. Jotaro pulled out a pack of camels and a lighter, his lips curled in a frown.

“How long have your parents been out on the trip?” He asked, placing a cigarette between his teeth. Jotaro flicked the lighter to life, lighting the end of the fag. As he stuffed the lighter away, he heard Kakyoin sigh slowly. Kakyoin looked down at his hands and began to count his slender, pale fingers.

“Maybe a week and a couple of days. So nine days. They go on trips this often anyways. What day is it again?” He asked, his eyes following a curling trail of white smoke as Jotaro exhaled. He took out the cigarette, pinching it between his fingers to think.

“Today is the 27th of July. Why—” Jotaro turned to see Kakyoin tense up, his fingers curling on his knees. His wide mouth formed a frown, his purple eyes shifting to his feet. Realization struck. “Oh. It’s your birthday tomorrow. Sorry, Nori.”

Kakyoin stood up, shuffling his hands in his coat pockets. He began to pace along the edge of the sidewalk, his eyes focused on the path before his feet. He spoke in a quiet, almost defeated voice.

“It’s ok. I mean, they’ve missed my birthday before. It just sucks because it’s my eighteenth birthday. I at least thought they would stay for this. Well, I make my own money. I can buy myself some uh…cupcakes or some shit, maybe. Hey, can I have a smoke?” Jotaro blinked when he asked out of the blue, but the cigarette was plucked from his mouth. Kakyoin pressed it between his lips, inhaling slowly, then exhaling the smoke to the sky. He watched it disappear into the air slowly.

“Hey, I could have lit one for you,” Jotaro grumbled, but his friend only laughed.

“Doesn’t matter, we’ve known each other for five years. We finished high school together, Jotaro. We shared drinks and food before. But hey, I can leave my family, can’t I? Will they even notice I’m gone?” Kakyoin wondered aloud, breathing out more of that white smoke. It glinted with orange in the sunset. Jotaro rolled his eyes.

“Nori. Come on. They just forgot, or their flight was delayed. Gimme the damn cigarette. You’re gonna regret smoking.” Jotaro warned, setting down his Coke bottle. When he stood he was much taller than Kakyoin. The fellow teenager was grinning, a sort of fake smile plastered on his face. He wasn’t happy. Jotaro gritted his teeth. “Nori, are you even fuckin’ listening? Here, after our shift, we can go to a 7-11 and buy you some cheap shit.”

Jotaro flinched when Kakyoin set the cigarette back in his mouth, his face brought close to Jotaro’s. His purple eyes were dark, almost unreadable as he stared at him, his face slacked into a passive state. Jotaro had to remind himself sometimes of how batshit crazy Kakyoin could be. He wasn’t violent in the slightest, but his actions could be considered unorthodox. His ideas were more sinister—Jotaro just punched people. If Kakyoin wanted to genuinely hurt someone, Jotaro didn’t doubt it would be in the worst psychological way possible. He was clever enough to. And even then he couldn’t detach himself from Kakyoin, even with that personality clash.

Kakyoin turned back around, bending down to get his Coke bottle and Watch game. When he stood up, he pocketed the small game. Jotaro observed the Coke bottle bounce between his hands, then lift above his head and with the jerk of an arm, fly across the parking lot. It shattered on impact with the asphalt, green glass soaring in every direction. The cap rolled in a smooth circle before clattering against the ground.

Jotaro watched Kakyoin’s shoulders sag, that hollow look on his face returning to a red shade of guilt along his cheeks. Kakyoin pressed his hand to his eyes, distress visible on his face with how he grit his white teeth. His lips were chapped and red from the number of times he bit them.

“Fucking hell. God, Jotaro, I’m sorry. It’s just…a lot. I don’t know how you deal with your dad always being gone.” Kakyoin muttered, looking over at Jotaro. The slight clench in Jotaro’s jaw made him pause. “Right. You don’t. I’m sorry. Fuck. Aw shit, look at the time.”

Jotaro glanced at his own watch with the comment. They only had a couple of minutes left. He sighed, jerking his thumb over to the backdoor. Inside they could hear the pump of music, maybe even a laugh or two. It was never quiet here, not with an accommodated hotel and several restaurants. The fact they snagged jobs here was phenomenal.

“We’ll talk about this later. C’mon, let’s go, Nori.” Jotaro pats his shoulder, letting his hand linger there. When he turned to walk away, Kakyoin stood there for a moment. In the sunlight, the orange warmth across his face highlighted his tired, dark eyes. He nodded and followed Jotaro, a slight scuff to his step.

The back rooms weren’t as grand as the actual hotel. They were completely fine, but to put it simply, they were boring. The locker room was for them to get changed and put their stuff away, and assigned by gender. There were faculty bathrooms as well, and even showers. What was nice was the break room, where everyone could eat and take a break. It was generously stocked with food, and even had a couch and television.

When they punched in, the pair headed to the locker room. Neither of them really decorated their lockers—they did that at school already, and they were done with high school. Jotaro was already eighteen, having his birthday on February 3rd already. He got used to Sadao Kujo not being there, but his family, Kakyoin, and a couple of other friends from the casino were.

The bang of Kakyoin’s locker door hitting the other lockers arose Jotaro from his thoughts. The other boy had pulled his jacket off, the console tucked inside. Folded on the bench was his work clothes. Kakyoin was a waiter and a golden tag with his first name rested on the pile. As he slipped his crop top over his head, he picked up a white undershirt. Jotaro’s eyes hesitantly lingered on his arms, but he pulled his gaze away.

“You can look. I haven’t tried since they left, by the way. I told you I wouldn’t. None of these are fresh…” Kakyoin’s quiet voice rose up again when he finished tugging his undershirt over his head. Jotaro felt the warmth of a body next to him, and Kakyoin’s arm filled his gaze. Typically, the boy wore sweaters or thin long-sleeved shirts. His left arm was the victim of his pain. Each scar was at the top of his forearm, dark against his light skin. Little red hairs dotted his arm. Jotaro sighed.

“Good. Don’t do that shit again. I don’t want to remember the last time…” He frowned, pushing aside Kakyoin’s arm and standing up. Jotaro typically wore what was considered a traditional Japanese school uniform because of the coat. But under it was a red rock band shirt and a pair of ripped black jeans. Jotaro realized wearing shoes with platforms made him uncomfortably taller, so he stuck with simple black high tops.

“I won’t, I promise. I…I’m really sorry you had to see that.” Kakyoin responded softly, then turned away. They got dressed. Jotaro wore a white collared shirt with a light blue tie under it. Slipped onto this were a blue dress jacket and equal blue pants. A belt with a silver star-shaped buckle kept the pants to his body. His grandfather let him keep his hat.

“Why do they make you wear gloves again?” Jotaro asked his friend, looking into the mirror Kakyoin put inside his locker. Two gold studs glinted from his ears. Kakyoin, who had finished getting ready, slipped on the gloves. He also wore a white collared shirt and black pants, but a shiny green vest over it and a green tie. His belt was gold.

“Just for sanitary reasons. Didn’t they give you gloves too? Aren’t the slot machines unsanitary?” Kakyoin replied with a question, patting his body over for everything. Jotaro shrugged.

“They didn’t fit me.”

“What? Really? You never told me. I guess that makes sense.” Kakyoin pursed his lips, tapping his finger to them. When he was sure he had everything, he closed his locker, pressing his forehead to it. He almost seemed adamant to go out. “Well, time to put on a happy face and suck up to middle-aged white people. I wonder how many times I’ll get called exotic.”

Jotaro chuckled, shutting his locker in return. He held out his arm to Kakyoin, letting himself grin slightly. “Really? Let’s count today. I’m taller, and my eyes are blue, but I don’t look white and I have a Japanese name. I’ll get more.”

Kakyoin grinned, gripping Jotaro’s extended hand, their elbows bumping together. “Yeah but I’m full Japanese and a natural redhead. My eyes are even purple, JoJo. But I’ll be counting—and winning.”

With another quiet laugh between them, the feelings of regret and sadness slowly melted away. Kakyoin’s fingers lingered in the spaces between Jotaro’s, though he could barely feel the warmth of his skin. The smile they shared lasted for a beat too long, but Jotaro pulled away.

“Okay,” He said, his voice dropping to a pressing tone, “Let’s go.”

“Noriaki, was it? You look so tired for such a cute young man, hun.” The woman he was serving said, taking a sip of her margarita. He flashed his white smile, setting down a couple of other drinks to the rest of the people at the table. This woman was in her mid to late forties, and she donned a necklace of pretty pearls that she fondled lovingly.

God, he was sick of this shit already. Suckering up to the guests was annoying enough, but the ones who flirted with him, man or woman, were revolting. Especially since they all found him so ‘exotic.’

“Well, to be frank ma'am…serving customers was so tiring, until I met you, of course. Say, what's your name, young lady?” Kakyoin asked politely, pressing his platter to his chest and taking her hand. He lightly grazed his red lips against the wrinkling skin on the back of her hand, his eyes glimmering with a charming playfulness. The woman put her hand to her mouth to laugh into it, her face turning rosy. Her husband fumed.

“Oh my, you're quite the exotic little flirt, dearie. My name is Margeret. How old are you, honey?” She asked, but Kakyoin pulled back to press his finger to his red lips. If he wasn’t so good at acting, he might have screamed.

“That's my little secret, Miss Margaret, but you’re free to guess. Enjoy your drinks!" Kakyoin winked, turning to snake between the poker tables. The woman watched him go, murmuring something to her husband, who was grumbling quietly about how wives shouldn’t flirt in front of their husbands.

Well, he could certainly catch someone’s eye. With the confident way he walked and the bounce of his vibrant hair, almost anyone he passed by did a double-take. Kakyoin did have a rather feminine face, his cheekbones set high and his lips a light red, which begged the opinion he was a woman. But he was too tall, his voice too deep, and the bags under his eyes showed he didn’t take care of himself.

“Hey, Kakyoin!” Another chipper voice penetrated the chatter of gambling men and women, causing Kakyoin to turn his head. He was greeted with one of the other casino employees, a pit boss named Muhammed Avdol. The man wore a black suit, a pendant of the casino's colorful logo on his exposed front. His gold medallion earrings glinted in from the lights above. His dark hair was smoothed back and pulled into a low ponytail. Wise, amber eyes, and a big smile shone against his darker skin.

"Oh, hi Avdol. How are the tables?" Kakyoin questioned, smiling at him. Avdol crossed his arms, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes were focused on a specific silver-haired dealer who was laughing with his table.

"Well, they're…good. But I just wanted to tell you that your break is in five minutes, so you can take the time off now. Its Jotaro's too, so tell him. By the way, how is Jotaro?" Avdol answered, his nails tapping lightly against his forearms. Kakyoin shrugged, tucking back a strand of loose red hair. He looked around, wondering if in this crowd he could even spot his friend.

"We aren't really near each other since you're not allowed to have food and drink at the slot machines, so I wouldn’t know. He is well, though. I'll go tell him, ok?" Kakyoin bowed quickly to Avdol, though his face burned when he did. Avdol was maybe five or six years older than him, and he was used to saying bye to older people that way. Avdol chuckled, though he didn't mind.

"Alright. Happy birthday, by the way, Kakyoin!" Avdol called after Kakyoin as he hurried away, smiling to himself. At least Avdol remembered. It had been a couple of hours now, meaning it was break time. He had a thirty-minute break period from seven-thirty to eight. And then he worked for three more hours.

After setting down his tray in the kitchen, Kakyoin set off to find Jotaro. There were three slot machine rooms, and Jotaro worked at the last one. It wasn’t terribly far from Kakyoin, but he didn’t interact with Jotaro often. Maybe it was for the best. They had a habit of goofing off together, even if they were young adults.

It took awhile for Kakyoin to find him. He knew where Jotaro was stationed, but there were also a lot of people on the slot machines. He weaved through a group of young women, whose eyes followed Kakyoin as he walked away. He was a tall teenager, so it was no wonder he was looked at so often. And he was a Japanese redhead. That was something. 

When he found Jotaro, he remembered the bet. A total of twenty men and women had called him exotic or unusual. A man had even told him he liked them special, which only made him want to punch the guy. If there was anyone that wanted to have him, well…

“Jotaro! There you are!” Kakyoin exclaimed, hurrying up to his friend. Jotaro was standing alone, his back against one of the slot machines and arms crossed. He looked down at Kakyoin, raising an eyebrow.

“Why are you here?” He asked sharply, his eyes focused on Kakyoin from below his wide-brimmed hat. Kakyoin rolled his eyes.

“Just look at the time. Break starts in a couple of minutes. Avdol said we could just go now. I think he’s too easy on us, frankly. Just because we’re barely adults. Or, you are at least. Let’s go!” Kakyoin insisted, taking Jotaro’s arm and tugging him away. The older teen sighed but followed after him.

Despite the arguments, Jotaro had been Kakyoin’s first kiss. They had been playing a game with a couple of ‘friends’ once, and their mistake was letting girls join the party. Girls obsessed over Jotaro, and even Kakyoin. They were both popular, but when they were at school they didn’t really talk to anyone but each other. But one of the girls had come up with a game of truth or dare, and Kakyoin was dared to kiss his friend.

Well, he thought, it was typically the girls that kissed each other that was wanted, wasn’t it? He had laughed and shaken his head, explaining how strange that would be, but to Jotaro he guessed not. Because Jotaro had kissed him square on the mouth. It wasn’t a big deal, right? The girls had laughed, the other guys said ew, whatever. This was their sophomore year of high school.

But Kakyoin thought about kissing Jotaro again. And he did. He kissed Jotaro a few times, actually. None of them were accidents, but each time he tried to brush it off by saying he was just feeling lonely. Kakyoin was always lonely. There was no excuse, even if he tried to rub it off as one. But right now he was too annoyed to care, and he was way too attracted to him.

So as Kakyoin pulled his friend into the empty breakroom, he did it again. His hands were gripping the front of Jotaro’s suit jacket, pulling him down so he could slam their lips together. Jotaro tensed up, but that feeling of want after Kakyoin had simply ignored his past actions, was too much to bear. He pulled him closer, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist as his head spun, dizzy with the feeling of warmth. Jotaro reached to slam the door shut, pressing Kakyoin to it as their lips stayed locked.

When his friend pulled away, panting quietly, he wiped his lips. “God, you’re a bad kisser,” Kakyoin muttered sourly, gaining a rile from Jotaro that made him grin. The other teen narrowed his eyes, flicking Kakyoin on the nose. It made the redhead wince and grab his nose, rubbing it lightly.

“Whatever. Why now? Aren’t we just friends?” Jotaro replied in a bitter tone, letting go of Kakyoin to walk to the fridge. The breakroom had an additional kitchen to it. As Jotaro pulled out a couple of cans of soda, he genuinely wondered if Kakyoin was crazy. The guy spent weeks, maybe even months, not kissing Jotaro, and then decided one day he wanted to. It was almost unbearable. Even then, it was for the best. Jotaro was an adult, and Kakyoin was still a teenager. He suddenly regretted kissing him.

Kakyoin laughed, leaning against the wall next to the door. He had his arms crossed, his heels planted firmly to the ground.

“Well not after that, no. And why now? I want to. Do you have a problem with that?” He taunted, tilting his hip out to the side. Jotaro sighed. Ok, maybe he wasn’t crazy, just an asshole sometimes. As much as Jotaro wanted to punch his clever ass, he was still Kakyoin’s friend. Or, well, closer than that. He didn’t know half the time because half of the time Kakyoin was just insane.

Jotaro turned to him, glaring from beneath his hat. He stalked up to Kakyoin, shoving the can in front of his face. Kakyoin tilted his head away, gritting his teeth at the coolness pressed on his cheek. “You’re not eighteen. That’s my problem, Nori. I don’t like it. So you’re just going to have to wait for a few hours.”

Kakyoin scoffed in return. He yanked the can from Jotaro, cracking it open and walking past him. With a heavy sigh, he plopped down on the couch, mansplaining. His heel tapped erratically on the ground as he took a sip of the soda.

“Aren’t we just a happy pair of fags…” The redhead grumbled, letting his eyes dart around the room anywhere but Jotaro. Jotaro rolled his eyes, taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen. They were already a dysfunctional pair, something like romantic feelings would just make it worse. Jotaro set the can down and rubbed his tired eyes. Why did he take this job?

The breakroom door opened, and a laughing pair of men walked in. He recognized those individual laughs; one was loud and boisterous, the other watered down and hearty. He lifted his head to see who it was.

Jean-Pierre Polnareff was even more annoying than Kakyoin. He was a tall Frenchman with a big smile and too blue eyes. His silver hair was shaped like a cylinder, piling high above his head. Two earrings, each shaped like half a broken red heart piece, bounced along with his movements. He wore a black button-up, a silver vest fit snugly over his body. His laugh was infectious, but it ticked Jotaro off.

“Hey, Jotaro!” Polnareff yelled, even though Jotaro was only a few meters away. He exhaled quietly, waving a hand to say hi, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. There was a small ‘tsk’ and the pack was pulled from his hands by Polnareff’s boyfriend, Avdol. Avdol was the pit boss, meaning he controlled everything at the poker tables, or ‘pits’. It was from what Jotaro remembered since he didn’t normally see any of these three.

“Jotaro, what did Mr. Joestar say about smoking indoors?” Avdol tutored, resting a hand upon his hip. From the couch, Kakyoin snickered and sunk into the comfort of the cushions. Jotaro whipped around to flip off the gremlin. He then glanced at Avdol, grumbling quietly to himself.

“Shut up, I’ll smoke outside. Give me those.” Jotaro swiped the camels from Avdol, rising to his feet. At the end of the day, Jotaro was still taller than the rest of them. He wasn’t as muscled as Polnareff, but he was less stout than Avdol. Even then, he wasn’t as lanky as Kakyoin, who was too busy stretching out on the couch like a noodle. Avdol watched him shrug past, dipping his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Kakyoin! Aren’t you two friends? Don’t leave him alone!” Polnareff complained, taking a seat at the table. Avdol walked over to the fridge, taking out two glasses of chilled beer. When he returned to the table, Polnareff’s face lit up and he happily took one. “Mon dieu! Merci, my flame, your kindness is impeccable.”

With a slight chuckle from Avdol, Kakyoin groaned and got up.

“Why don’t you two go bother him?”

“Because I want alone time with Jean, obviously,” Avdol stated, taking a mouthful of beer. Polnareff grinned lightly, taking his partner’s hand and twining their fingers together.

“Is that so? Because I know a good storage room next to the bathrooms—”

The abrupt slam of the door behind Kakyoin made the two flinch, Polnareff looking over his shoulder in a slight surprise as he was interrupted. Well, at least he was gone now. Avdol looked at his boyfriend and elevated an eyebrow.

“Did they fight?”

Kakyoin walked out to see Jotaro kicking rocks, a cigarette between his lips. He stood by the door for a little, watching him rear his leg back and send the stones flying from the force of his shoe. The moon cast a silver light upon Jotaro’s face, the slight red spark of the cigarette butt the only warm light outside. When Jotaro was done, he turned and flinched at the sight of Kakyoin.

“What the fuck—you scared the shit out of me, Nori. Why are you out here?” He questioned, facing away from his companion. Kakyoin watched white smoke billow out around his figure and follow a path into the sky. In the distance, he could hear the roar of the freeway, a sound he would never adjust to.

“They wanted alone time…” He mumbled, crossing his arms and dipping his head down. There was some dejected feeling in his chest, maybe it was from being refused. Or maybe it was because it was cold. “Hey, JoJo? It’s freezing. We should go inside before the break ends.”

Jotaro turned around again, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. He nodded, heading back to the door. He looked down at Kakyoin, then bent forward. Jotaro could hear Kakyoin’s breath catch as he brought his face close. Their lips could almost brush, just barely, if he leaned any closer.

“Midnight.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll kiss you at midnight. You’ll be eighteen then, right? Then it should be fine for me to kiss you.” Jotaro stated, flicking his eyes around Kakyoin’s face to observe the changes in his expression. The other teenager sucked in a soft breath, biting the inside of his cheeks. He nodded, looking away. His cheeks glowed.

“Yeah. Fine.” Kakyoin confirmed, then peeled himself off the wall. He glanced at Jotaro, who was as stone-cold as ever, and his lips mashed together in a weird, nervous smile. Jotaro only dropped the cigarette he was holding to smash it under his heel. He noticed Kakyoin lingering by the door and raised an eyebrow.

“What? It’s not like we’re having sex. It’s just a kiss.” He said, kicking away the squished cigarette. Kakyoin chuckled. God, what a strange smile. It's as if Kakyoin was trying his best to hold back all of his gushy feelings and failing.

“Of ‘course not, JoJo! Unless you want to—”

“Shut up.”

----

Haha I posted this on AO3 around a month ago, and my friend (@arrivederciroque , follow her) suggested I put it here. Hope you enjoyed.

[thecandywrites]

As Long As You Want To Be

Look, my grandfather (in law, he was my husband’s grandfather but might as well have been mine because that’s how close we were) passed away yesterday. He had dementia and alzheimers and we saw this coming (he has been on his deathbed for a week but the son of a gun was stubborn, god I adored him and am going to miss him) and this is how I have dealt with this on top of everything else hectically happening in my life and this is simply my outlet. But with modern orcs because no one can stop me at this point. Is there homework and big projects due that I should be working on instead? HELL YES. But am I avoiding them because they’re making me face reality? YOU BET. So let me have my emotional support fantasy, if you have happened to read part 1 and part 2 of this story then it’ll be nice to see these guys again and see how things have progressed. 

As Long As You Want To Be

You were in your room in front of your mirrored closet doors, getting ready for today, it was your birthday and it was the big 18- legally an adult and you couldn’t be more relieved it was finally here because you had big plans that the only thing that had been holding you back was your age and you felt a sense of renewal today, like today was a turning point and you had been trying to get your ducks in a row behind the scenes so that when the time came, you could hit the ground running. And today was also your graduation party, all rolled into one huge blow out of a party. 

You curled your long golden brown that ombre-ed into a warm golden blonde hair as you had gotten it colored yesterday, a gift from your aunt Sally at your favorite salon. You had just gotten back from spending an hour at Sephora getting your makeup done, a birthday gift from your sister Grace as she gave your littlest sisters just a light dusting of a shimmering nude eyeshadow so that they felt extra pretty for today too. 

Your mom and your “aunties” got things ready in the kitchen because while you came from a big family, your family “adopted” many others so that you had an even bigger extended family. And they all came out today to show their support and your gift tables were already showing signs of overflowing since half the party came early to help set up for the party and your one gift table soon had to be two and was threatening to turn into three because your parents invited everyone you knew and everyone they knew and everyone came and invited their friends. And while you lived in a sizable suburban house that your parents had had custom built several years ago, it felt overstuffed at the moment and there were still more coming. But with it being a potluck, there was an overabundance of food on the many tables in the huge tents in the backyard. 

You had three younger sisters and one younger brother, who was in the middle of all the girls. You were Brianna Richelle, then there was Blossom Grace who simply went by Grace who was turning 16 next month, then your brother Gavin George- who was 13, Adeline Olivia who was 11 and then the baby, Arianna Lillian who was 8 as Ady and Ari had a few of their friends over as did Grace while you had had all of yours come and spend the night with you the night before while Gavin also got to have some of his friends over, so it was already a very full house. 

And you had especially invited Kihro’s younger sister over to hang out too. Since Kihro’s younger sister Shesly who was only 15 and shy but she was a sweetheart and even if Kihro and you would break up tomorrow, you and Shesly would stay friends and to see her with your friends who were helping her put on makeup and curl her hair and dress up and be one of the girls warmed your heart and your other orc girl friends from the other school districts also were here among your halfling friends and elven friends too and it made you so happy that they weren’t all grouped off, instead everyone was peacefully chatty and mixed. 

Gavin was of course in his room playing video games with his friends, also brothers of your friends while your dad and your uncle were inside cutting up whole beef loins to make steaks and your mom was having your cake delivered as your friends hung out and gossiped in your room and you didn’t bother paying attention when you heard grunting outside your bedroom window as Kihro and his friends carried a big package around the house, under your window and you didn’t hear Kihro direct them and you definitely didn’t hear how he then came inside just as your dad left the house out the back door before Kihro asked where your dad was before he went through the house, said hi to your mom and gave her a quick hug before he went into the back yard where he found your dad firing up the grill and pulled your dad aside and talk with him privately away from everyone else as Kihro’s friends made themselves useful to help carry out the heavier dishes from the kitchen before they helped themselves to the snacks that were being set out before your cake arrived. 

Your parents had gone all out for this party. Mostly because they almost lost you last year to your illness because you had spent your 17th birthday in the hospital barely hanging on by a thread and your parents felt they owed you a proper blow out this year and when you had mentioned a few things you had wanted- neither of them would tell you no. Your invitations for this party had been on par with many of the nicer wedding invitations and the DJ had set up in the garage and hung up a disco ball, laser lights and black lights and smoke machines and all kinds of stuff. 

Your parents even had ordered a tiered cake and hundreds of cupcakes from your favorite bakery- Boonzaaijer’s- in your favorite flavors that had been custom created for you in addition to a baker’s dozen cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory and a chocolate fountain with the works. The cake itself was gorgeous. The top tier was a lemon creme cake with limoncello and sugared lemon zest in the cake batter, with ripe strawberries soaked in super sweet pink moscato in the middle layer between the two cakes with a strawberry puree and the frosting was a twist on strawberry lemonade and the cupcakes in this flavor had the moscato soaked strawberries in the puree in the middle and chocolate dipped strawberries gracing the top of the frosting on top. The second tier was white chocolate cake with luscious whole raspberries in a raspberry puree in the middle layer made with raspberry peach Grand Marinier and the frosting was a ruby chocolate frosting and the cupcakes for this flavor had chocolate cups stuffed full and piled high with perfectly ripe raspberries drizzled in a glaze made out of simple syrup and that raspberry peach Grand Marinier. The third layer was a twist on pineapple upside down cake, it was still a pineapple upside down cake but with peaches and soaked in a trio of rums and peach schnapps and the cupcakes for these were little cupcake versions of a pineapple upside down cake with peaches cooked in the rums in the middle. The fourth tier was a “mudslide” chocolate cake that not only had Kahlua and Godiva and Baileys in the cake but also in the frosting. It was hands down the most decadent cake you had ever witnessed in your life and Kihro and yourself were pretty sure your wedding cake was going to be exactly like this. (If he ever proposed that is, but first he needed to get a damn place of his own because your father forbade any engagement if he didn’t have a home to bring you to that was not his parents house or your parents house, much like his rule that you couldn’t go out on any dates in a car that wasn’t mechanically sound and completely paid for which wasn’t a problem because Kihro’s truck had been bought used and he had paid cash for it so it was a “hoop” that Kihro easily jumped through and one that all your dad’s siblings and friends thought was genius to implement much to the chargrin of your cousins and friends.)

Your father had also had the same BBQ joint that he used to cater the employee picnics bring in a few roasted pigs and tons of ribs and brisket too while one of your uncles- Gary- fried up a ton of chicken wings while your other uncle- Larry- who was a butcher- had gotten several whole beef loins at his cost and “gifted” those to the party and your dad and your uncle were grilling those themselves as your uncle Larry manned the grill but kept an ear open to try to overhear what Kihro was talking to your dad about in the backyard away from everyone but judging from your dad’s posture and his beaming proud smile as he looked at things on Kihro’s phone and listened attentively as Kihro was talking and gesturing with his hands, it was obviously going well and when the two hugged each other, he knew something was going on but kept that to himself as your other uncles and aunts and cousins came over as the men started to congregate around the grill and BBQ pits before a few curious ones decided to see what your dad and Kihro were talking about but Kihro quickly put his phone away as the others came over as your dad simply dismissed it as it was a “work thing”. 

Just then the kegs got delivered. While you weren’t wild about beer, you asked for Kihro’s favorites so that he and the other adults would enjoy them as your father and all your uncles, both by blood and by “adoption” cracked into them, grunting growls- Home Improvement style echoing between all of them as they gleefully drank it down as the pit master let them have little bites of the roasting hogs and some ribs as they got the wings from the deep fryer as beers were drawn for everyone, even the DJ made an appearance to grab a beer and some wings and a few ribs as the Pit master and his crew gratefully took a few steins of beers themselves from the portable BBQ pits parked infront of the garage. 

“So how are things between you and Brie?” Your uncle Gary asked as Kihro took a wing from the pile. 

“Great.” Kihro answered as he slathered on Gary’s homemade hot sauce onto the wing as Gary looked from Kihro to your father as your father gave him a smile and a nod and that seemed to be enough for Gary. 

“Have you found a place of your own yet?” Your uncle Larry chimed in from his spot by the grill nearby as he gave Kihro a speculative glance before he gave your dad a curious look. 

“Possibly, just have to run the potential places by Brie to see what she thinks.” Kihro answered as he barely managed to keep the truth to himself by putting the wing in his mouth. 

“Great answer.” Your father praised as he pat Kihro on the back as the rest of your uncles looked at each other curiously knowing that you were one of his favorite daughters and your father was never more protective of any of his kids than he was of you so for your dad to be so pleasant, let alone approving of your boyfriend, was a good sign that Kihro was a good and trustworthy guy. 

“Well if you know of any good places, feel free to share with Max, I need to get him out of the damn house.” Your other uncle Robert instigated as Max just frowned at his dad as Kihro fought not to snort a laugh because the hot sauce up the nose was a bad idea. 

“Same could be said about you Casey.” Carl added as Casey rolled his eyes as he sucked down chicken wings himself. 

Truth be told, your father and all your uncles and your father’s friends were so proud to see Kihro try so hard and jump through so many hoops to court you properly and it gave them inspiration to push their own sons to match the same bar Kihro was making as well as urge their own daughter’s to expect more from their own significant others. 

Then Kidron and Rhiox showed up with the rest of their kids along with the rest of your father’s OG’s, having dropped off their own gifts on the tables as Kidron made a B-Line for your dad and the hot wings as Kihro’s friends finally rallied around Kihro and the wings in the backyard before your friend Tysh noticed her own crush among Kihro’s friends from her spot overseeing the backyard. 

“Oh, Kihro and his friends are here.” She announced before you nearly yanked your hair out trying to get the damn curling iron out of your hair before Melody made you sit back down so she could finish the back of your head. 

“Oh you can wait five more minutes, I have three curls left.” She reminded you. 

“What do you think Kihro got you?” Tysh asked. 

“An apartment for himself would be ideal. Because the only two things keeping me from actually being engaged to him were I was 1. Underage, which starting today- I no longer am and 2. Him having a home to bring me to if we did get engaged and then married.” You answered. 

“He’s had six months, why hasn’t he gotten one yet?” Sasha asked. 

“He can’t find a place he likes. He nitpicks every place. ‘Not a safe area’, ‘it’s too small’, ‘it’s too expensive’, ‘no garage to park the work truck’, ‘the apartment has issues’. You name it. There was even one apartment, it was a freaking duplex and it was perfect but no- he had a really bad feeling about the guy we would be renting from. Which actually worked out because two months later- the house itself sold and the current tenants were kicked out into the street without warning and their deposit was never returned to them. So there’s that.” You explained with a heavy sigh. 

“Borug just got a condo.” Korryn bragged from her spot on the other side of the room, taking snaps on her phone to send them to her current squeeze- Borug which you were sure once his money ran out, she’d be dropping him like a hot rock. Korryn was Grace’s friend and she was a year older than Grace but a year younger than you and Korryn wanted to be close to the center of attention wherever she went and for Grace’s sake, you put up with her at your party. Because honestly- you couldn’t stand her. But you supposed you could be gracious on your birthday. 

“I thought Borug didn’t have any money left after getting his car.” You questioned innocently, knowing Borug had to beg for a downpayment on his favorite car and a raise from his dad so he could afford the payments because he didn’t have the money saved because he had blown it in Vegas the month before clubbing with Korryn who had invited herself to some tech expo his dad’s company was attending and if you were a betting woman, Borug also got his parents to buy him a condo too because the shame of having a peer, that peer being Kihro, be farther in life than him- was too much for Borug to bear. 

Borug was very competitive and had a huge chip on his shoulder and was incredibly entitiled and an ego that you were positive your house was too small to contain it. But he hadn’t always been like that, as a kid he was awkward just like you. And in the classes that you didn’t share with Kihro, you had shared with Borug. He was also quite popular in school, part of the preppy jock group because he played sports too. But he was always nice and friendly to you at least. 

Borug was the eldest son of a man who owned one of the biggest tech companies in the Great Lakes and was always at the home shows for their tech and home security systems and his dad was part of the Business Owners Association, which your dad was also a part of and you had grown up seeing him a lot at the home shows and Association meetings that you had made snacks for that he helped you with when you were younger but once he was ‘old enough’ to be in the meetings himself with his dad, that stopped. 

Almost immediately after Kihro asked you out, Borug asked Korryn out, Korryn had a huge bosom, like each boob was the size of a basketball kind of big bosomed and she had a belly which for orcs, they usually loved fuller figured women so that wasn’t surprising but she had no ass and a richer yet smaller family who lived on Laken Lake which was a lake known for its lavish lake houses, speed boats and water sports while your family lived off of one of the Trinity Lakes that all connected together to form a three lobed lake, which were better for fishing and your family were avid fishers, a pastime you and Kihro enjoyed a lot together. Especially when he would help clean the catch and had a way of frying the fish that was amazing. 

However, something that you didn’t know was once Kihro had asked you out, he literally passed Borug who was also on his way to ask you out, he had even strutted accross the lunchroom but neither you or Kihro had noticed. When Borug had been passed by Kihro and saw Kihro sit at your table, he sat down at the next table over and eavesdropped and once Kihro asked you out to the dance and you accepted and especially once you kissed Kihro, he knew he didn’t stand a chance right then and so he had asked Korryn out to the dance after school since she had a different lunch time. 

It was only supposed to be until Kihro crashed and burned and Borug was supposed to come in and scoop you up and save the day and she was, according to a mutual friend, was just a right now girl. But Korryn hadn’t been happy with that and had insisted that they be an item since Borug’s plan was to treat Korryn the way he wanted to treat you, which ended up being an invitation to a super fancy restaurant that he was sure Kihro would have a hard time paying for and of course lavish Korryn with a gown and the “star treatment” which she had no problems taking absolute advantage of. But the problem was- was you had gotten another flair and hadn’t gone to the fall formal because you were in the hospital so you didn’t witness any of that except through Korryn’s social network feed on Grace’s phone because you weren’t friends with her on any social media which you could care less about. 

And of course by winter formal Korryn’s claws and hooks were fully embedded into Borug as she pushed them to be this picture perfect couple and Borug could only wait until Kihro would fail to jump through a hoop but every one Kihro jumped through with ease and to see you and Kihro be together so naturally and effortlessly and especially so happily, made his gut sour because while him and Korryn looked great on camera, the moments between the camera flashes were awful. Between her difficult and demanding personality, emotional immaturity, nonexistent life skills and zero work ethic coupled with piss poor money management along with her inability to compromise because she had been catered to by her parents and her other friends her whole life- the relationship was incredibly strained. He was stuck with a girl who pushed him to spend all his money on a “lifestyle” and expensive lavish gifts on her and it was something he couldn’t hope to support long term. And the barely mediocre sex he got from her wasn’t worth it but with her being the popular girl, no other girl would go near him for fear of Korryn’s retaliation socially. He literally got a big pair of tits. That was the only positive in that relationship for him. And Korryn was constantly spewing his personal business and every argument he ever got into with her, she told EVERYONE so that she could get “everyone” on her side. 

Meanwhile you had taken her behavior as notes about how not to act as Kihro was eternally grateful for it and every time Borug would complain to their mutual friends, Kihro would simply sit back and smirk that at least his girl didn’t do that shit and if anything, it gave Kihro the assurance that he had made the right decision by asking you out and doing everything in his power to keep you happy and content, if not sated the best ways he could, basically through his mouth and his hands because regular sex wasn’t allowed. Yet anyway. 

While you were open to a degree to your parents about the relationship because you had witnessed how your friends had kept some dangerous secrets from their parents and how that had not ended well at all, so much so that you kept your parents in the loop and were honest with them, so much so that they trusted you more and gave you freedoms that your friends couldn’t even dream of, freedoms that you wisely did not abuse. 

At the same time, you were also very discrete to everyone else- so that on the rare occasion where you two argued, he made sure to never escalate anything so that the two of you could talk it out and come to either an agreement or a compromise and no one ever heard anything about it, to the point that no one knew you had the disagreement in the first place except or your parents when you had simply mentioned it after the fact which impressed your parents and his. You urged him to stick to his budget and not splurge on anything but that if he needed to buy anything, to invest in quality and only buy something once and were just in general, a sweet, supportive girlfriend while he did his best to be as helpful, supportive, gentle and affectionate as he could be. You two got along like you had been together for years and asking you to a dance and dating you had been the best decision of Kihro’s life as well as yours. He had already spent his fair share of sleepless nights in the ER with you because it was important to him and to your parents to really see you at your worst physically and you wanted him to go into a relationship with you with his own eyes wide open.  

By now though, he had gotten you over a dozen beads that you were sure would pull your hair out if you tried wearing them all at the same time but instead you got them on a necklace that you never took off and that you guarded with your life, except for the gold promise ring/ engagement bead, that never left your hair. 

Once your hair was done you practically bolted out of your room to go downstairs to see Kihro, leaving your friends laughing as they followed you downstairs as they watched you having to hug your way through everyone who wanted to wish you a happy birthday and congratulations before you finally managed to get outside before you were swarmed by all your uncles and cousins before you finally got to your dad then Kihro before you glued yourself to his side. 

“So? How’s the beer?” You asked Kihro giddily. Hoping that he got to get his favorite at least. 

“Delicious.” Kihro praised as he offered you the cup to sip it, which you did, a tiny one. It was dark and intense but for the beer connoisseurs, very good because it was a Dragon’s Milk in a seasonal marshmallow and dark chocolate flavor. 

“It’s definitely beer.” You giggled as you handed it back and shuddered before you comically looked down your shirt. 

“Ok, so it isn’t replacing my boobs with chest hair immediately, that’s good.” You teased which got everyone to bust out laughing as Kihro nearly spit out his beer laughing himself. 

“Would you still love me with chest hair Babe?” You teased Kihro who comically grimaced. 

“Sure.” Kihro sarcastically agreed as he pretended to dodge the question and drink more beer which made you laugh as you noticed Tysh give her crush Akhi a beer and judging by the hopeful smile she gave him, she was trying to catch his eye, and judging by the way he bashfully took it from her, he liked her too but you knew Akhi was more shy than Kihro ever was and Tysh was one of your prettier friends before you noticed Korryn zero in on Borug and practically plastered herself on him and kissed him, which was a sloppy open mouthed kiss and you noticed how Borug actually sagged his shoulders in defeat and winced at being yanked down to her level as she pulled his hands to hold her before you looked back at Kihro and lowkey pretended to gag as Kihro watched Borug with amused pity before he turned to you and nearly spit out his beer again snickering a laugh at your reaction like it was the greatest inside joke as he rubbed soothing circles into your back and was grateful your arm was looped around his lower back before he sweetly kissed the crown of your head which made your dad grin at your discrete PDA as Borug’s dad gave Korryn the side eye because he didn’t approve of Korryn at all. He knew a gold digger when he saw one and felt his son could do so much better and was almost to the point of bribing his son to dump her for good because the two fought almost all the time. 

“So how’s massage school?” Borug’s dad Draig asked you. 

“Going great. Getting A’s.” You beamed. 

“Getting proposed to every time she’s in the clinic.” Your dad revealed. 

“Oh really?” Draig blinked but grinned. 

“They’re not serious proposals, they’re all joking.” You clarified.

“But you have to be pretty good if they’re offering, all joking aside.” Draig countered. 

 “Ok so I’m known as Big Touch. Because I have little hands but a big touch because I’m heavy handed and they expect the other orc girls who are strong enough to deliver that kind of touch but so far they’re softer handed than I am. So when the clients ask for deep tissue and firm pressure, they expect one of the other girls to come out to meet them and when they see me they always laugh, not believing I’m Big Touch. But about five minutes into the session they find out real quick I’m the real deal, and about 10 minutes in they drop the “tough guy act” and ask me to ease up and by the end of the session they’re believers and try to get rebooked with me. And as it stands I’m booked out until August and I should have all my clinic hours in by then.” You explained. 

“And he’s cool with you working on other guys?” Draig questioned you with a look at Kihro who simply grinned proudly. 

“Yeah, of course, because she’s a professional and if they can’t respect her and the profession they have no business being her clients and she doesn’t need their business if they step out of line and she has no qualms about dismissing anyone. She already has five job offers and her clientele list that is following her from the clinic to wherever she decides to go is already several pages long. She doesn’t need my ego or my possessive jealousy holding her back from making bank because she can stand to make just as much as I do if not more which I don’t have any problem with at all. It would be like her being so jealous she won’t let me do my job when there’s only a married housewife at home without her husband right?” Kirho defended as your love for him was oozing out of every pore on your body as you beamed a bright happy and appreciative smile at Kihro while your dad, all your ungles and Kidron beamed happily themselves while Draig couldn’t argue with that while Borug outright pouted. Because while he wasn’t wild about Korryn, he totally was jealous of every guy who commented on her instagram pictures complimenting her massive cleavage but wanted to get into fights with everyone who called her “butterface” which you thought was hilarious. 

“So Korryn told me that you got a new condo is that right Borug?” You asked Borug, shifting the attention over to him as you looked from him to Draig who’s shoulders dropped. 

“Yup, it’s at The Glen. Just signed the papers yesterday.” Borug boasted. The Glen was a brand new condo complex that was about 20 minutes away and many of the young people who’s parent’s lived on Laken Lake were snatching up condos there like crazy. 

“So that means we need to go furniture shopping Baby.” Korryn cooed excitedly and you had never seen Borug force a smile so hard before. You actually felt sorry for him. But it wasn’t your business or a problem you should ever try to fix. You could only stand back and watch to see what happened and hoped that they both wouldn’t fight during your party. 

“And how much did that cost you?” Your dad murmured to Draig. 

“Too much.” Draig muttered back. 

“What about you Kihro? Haven’t you been apartment shopping for like half a year?” Borug jabbed. 

“I have, haven’t found the right place yet.” Kihro just shook his head no with a smug smirk because he overheard your dad from his spot. 

“Cause you’re too picky?” Korryn snidely instigated with a smile that you wanted to slap off her face. 

“Well being “picky” can be a good thing. Brie needs special accommodations because with her business, some of her clients are going to be using walkers and wheelchairs and they can’t do stairs and even if she works for another outfit, I’m sure she’ll still do her own thing on the side and I have to be mindful of that. Plus I need a place close to the hospital because of her health and I need a place to accommodate her pets and mine.” Kihro just started to list off as your mom came out to let everyone know that things were ready for the party to go into full swing. 

“Aww, well that’s because you’re so sweet and thoughtful Kihro.” Your mother praised which got a grateful smile from Kihro and you. 

“Party’s ready when you are Brie.” Your mother informed you. 

“Sweet, how are the hogs Mr. Terry?” You asked the pit master from his spot in front of the portable pits. 

“Been ready Sweetie.” He called back. 

“Well then lets do this.” You instigated before the party got into full swing and you pigged out on all the food and got to dance, Kihro never leaving your side for a moment before you were urged to open your gifts and of course you not only had your little sisters to help while Grace was your recorder and even had Kihro’s little siblings help you which Kihro loved and adored that you made an effort to include them and were sweet and nice to them. 

You got all kinds of massage tools and your aunts Sally and Marry, (married to Larry and Gary respectively) hand made you flaxseed pillows to use in your practice and had gone to the fabric store to pick out all this pure cotton fabric in all these patterns they knew you would like and together they got their sewing machines out and had sewn you over a dozen of them in all these different sizes and a few different styles and you nearly cried because you knew this was a labor of love. 

Your parents of course had gotten you your ideal massage table and a new car, which meant your current one got to be a hand me down to Grace as an early sweet 16 which she was thrilled with while Draig and his family had gotten you the best massage table on the market along with a damn tool box with all kinds of massage tools, the table itself was fully electric and had all kinds of extra bells and whistles and it made your jaw drop, it had taken Borug, Draig, Kihro and all of Kihro’s friends to carry it since it was very heavy. You got all kinds of gifts from everyone while your sisters and Kihro’s younger siblings had all gotten orders from Kihro and your parents to make sure you opened Kihro’s gifts last and when it came to the last few gifts, the first gift from Kihro was a small box and in the box was a coconut half. 

“What is that? Half a coconut bra?” Korryn sneered. 

“You would need four of those.” Borug laughed as he made to grab her boob but she shifted away so he couldn’t. “Tease.” Borug teased with his nose in her ear, making her shudder and turn back to him. 

But instead you looked at it and immediately knew what it was. 

“Oh no way, you didn’t.” You started laughing at Kihro who was sitting down front and center as you looked it over. 

“What is it?” Your mom asked. 

“It’s a coconut hide for a reptile mom.” You informed her. 

“Ew!” Korryn complained before you handed a second box. And once you took the paper off, it was a reptile shipping box which made you squeal in excitement before you got your pocket knife out and opened it as your brother Gavin was instantly much more interested as he scooted his chair really close to you. 

“Oh you got Gavin’s attention really fast.” Your dad laughed as you had Gavin sit right next to you. 

“What do you think it is?” You asked Gavin.  

“It better be either a snake or a gecko.” Gavin insisted because he thought reptiles were awesome and already had a bearded dragon himself and it was something he and Kihro’s younger brother Mohre bonded over. 

“Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods.” You started to chatter excitedly as you opened the box and found a few bags before you opened up the first bag and peeked inside. 

“It’s a snake!” Gavin cheered before you let him peek into the bag too. 

“What kind is it?” Gavin wondered before you pulled it out before you looked in the box to see the different snake cards. 

“That, is an ivory leopard?” You guessed at Kihro who nodded to confirm. 

“Sweet.” Gavin beamed.

“Aren’t you just gorgeous!” You cooed to the snake. 

“What else did he get you?” He asked as he eagerly. “I’ll hold that, you need two hands to open the others.” He insisted as he held out his hands to take it from you before you handed it over before you looked in the other bags. 

“Oooh, this must be the pastel super coral glow, hello sweetie.” You cooed as you got the snake out of the bag before you passed it over to Gavin who held the other snake in his hand before you got to the last one. 

“And this is a crystal ball!” You cheered when you got them out. 

“Thank you Babe, I love them. Now I just gotta get some tubs or something.” You realized before looking back over at the giant box left by the gift table before you looked at the smug grin on Kihro’s face. 

“You got me a rack system didn’t you.” You playfully accused Kihro before you wrapped the crystal ball around your neck to hang out as you opened up the box and found it was indeed a rack system. 

“Thank you so much Baby.” You cooed to him as you came over and kissed him, the crystal ball sticking it’s head out to sniff Kihro. 

“You’re welcome.” Kihro cooed back. 

“What are you gonna name them?” Your sister Ari asked as she got the super coral glow from Gavin. 

“I don’t know, I’ll take suggestions.” You answered before your sisters went to the office and got a pad of paper and decided to take a poll to what to call the snakes into a basket. 

“How about we go set this up so these precious babies can rest.” You urged Kihro before he and his friends got up and picked up the box and the other gifts and carried them up the stairs while everyone went back to party and you simply sat on the bed with your brother and your little sister, each of you holding a snake as you watched proudly as Kihro and his friends got to work setting up the rack system and getting everything ready and to you in that moment, Kihro couldn’t get any sexier. 

You knew he wasn’t perfect but the gods be damned you couldn’t see any flaws at this moment. Here he was sitting down on the floor, reading the manual and putting it together accordingly and a screw driver in his hand and he might as well have been naked with a dozen roses posing on a bed because you could feel the wetness squish between your legs. You wanted to fuck his brains out is what you wanted to do. But you had to admit that what you wanted more than snakes for your birthday was his own independence but it had not been the time or the place earlier to ask him about it. You waited patiently as Kihro put it together and all his friends made sure each tub was ready to go before you put the snakes away in their new homes. 

“Guys, could you give us a moment please?” You requested to his friends once they were done before everyone else left as the snakes settled into their new homes.  

“What’s wrong?” Kihro asked as he read your face and body language. 

“I don’t want to be ungrateful or anything. But I would have been happier if you had used all the money that you spent on all this getting an apartment.” You answered before you peeked up at him and saw him beam another proud smile at you. 

“Brie, why do you think I got a rack system capable of housing 12 to 40 snakes when you only have three and I only have three?” He questioned. 

“Because ball pythons can become an addictive hobby?” You guessed. 

“That’s true but, because I knew that if I got you this, it would give me a moment to privately give you these.” He said as he reached into his pocket and gave you two business cards. 

One was a bank manager’s business card with an appointment time written on it for Monday and the second was a realtor’s business card. 

“What?” You breathed as you looked at the two as you realized what the implications of these were. “Wait, are you getting preapproved for a home loan?” You asked as your heart started to race. 

“We are.” Kihro corrected. 

“We?” You repeated as a bright smile soon bloomed on your face before you squealed and leaped into his arms and was happy when he caught you and held you up so you could kiss him. 

“Why didn’t you give me these as my present?!” You asked. 

“I didn’t want to embarrass you, just in case, I know we both like to keep our private affairs private.” Kihro answered. 

“Well with the present company, that would probably be wise.” You laughed with a pointed look at Korryn’s things she had left in your room. “That was very kind and thoughtful of you. Thank you.” You thanked him. 

“And I don’t think the bank will approve it if you don’t have this.” He said as he carried you over to your chair and sat down with you still in his arms before he dug into his pocket and pulled out an engagement ring, a mermaid sapphire one and you were instantly crying tears of happiness as he put it on before he produced another gold bead for your hair, a larger one but the same style as the first as you sat there and happily waited for him to add it to the other in your hair. 

“How do I look?” You asked when he was finished as wiped at the streaking mascara under your eyes but your smile shamed the sun. 

“Beautiful.” He whispered before he framed your face and kissed you earnestly and you melted in his lap and returned the impassioned kiss. 

“Pack a bag, I’m taking you on a trip this weekend, after the party.” He urged. 

“What?” You laughed in surprise. 

“Before we actually tie the knot and get married, I want to make sure I can fit in my bride.” Kihro explained as he palmed your belly but reached under you to sensually rub at your center. 

“Uh, I don’t know if..” You began to counter as your cheeks flushed even though in that moment you didn’t want anything more. 

“Your dad already gave me the go ahead, no more chaperones, no more hoops, we can just be together and the only clause was that I didn’t knock you up, so as long as we can be safe about it, we don’t have to hold back anymore.” Kihro explained as you were ready start immediately. But instead you kissed him before you practically leaped off of him to grab a bag and started stuffing enough clothes to get you through the weekend and an outfit for the appointment on Monday, you wanted to look as professional and mature as possible. 

“Ok, let’s send everyone home, I’m ready to go.” You insisted which made him laugh. 

“Easy horndog. The night is still young, we have plenty of time, we’re not going that far.” He assured you.

“But I am going to put this in the truck.” He explained as he took his bag and you left your room with your hand still intertwined with his before your mother was already at the base of the stairs which prompted Kihro to leave your bag at the top of the stairs because he could sense you were about to be swarmed. 

“And?” She asked excitedly since your dad had clued her in before Kihro brought your intertwined hands up to show off the engagement ring before she squealed and as soon as the people around saw the ring, word spread like wildfire though the party and Korryn turned a few shades greener as she looked at your engagement ring before she looked expectantly at Borug as if he had been secretly keeping one for her in his pocket and you were too happy to recieve congratulations from everyone else to notice how Draig gave Borug a warning glare with a pointed look in Korryn’s direction but Kihro caught it as did everyone else apparently as your dad nearly died laughing but happily hugged you tight. 

“You sure it’s ok?” You whispered in his ear.

“Yup, as long as this is what you want, I’ll support you no matter what.” Your dad reassured you before he kissed your cheek affectionately. 

“Thank you, I love you so much Dad.” You told him before you let go and received all the other congratulations from everyone else and if you had thought the party was in full swing before, now it really was. You danced until you felt your feet were going to fall off, you ate until you were stuffed and drank until you were just a little tipsy but so happy and at peace. 

And once most of the party guests finally left, you left too with Kihro. Granted his truck wasn’t nearly as nice as Borug’s sports car. It was still all Kihro’s and you didn’t worry about a thing as you sat next to him and held his hand when he wasn’t shifting gears. You didn’t care where you were going, he could drive on for forever. He drove until he came to a beach house in South Haven which was only half an hour away. 

“What is this place?” You asked curiously as you got out of the truck and looked up at it. 

“An airbnb.” He beamed as he got your bags and his and entered the code on the door to be let in. He had actually spent his morning getting this place ready because he was hopeful that your dad would say yes and he had packed the fridge with enough food to get you through the weekend and your parents had packed you enough leftovers to also get you through too. 

“Home away from home for the weekend.” He said as he managed to pick you up and carry you over the threshold which cracked you up. 

“How in the world were you able to afford all of this?” You wondered as he put you down and the bags down on the other side.  

“Well actually Borug and I had the same amount in savings when we both asked out our girls and so far in the six months he’s dated Korryn, she’s bled him dry while my savings has done nothing but go up even though I’ve been beading you well and the snake thing was something I was going to do either way and since you love it as much as I do- I might as well make it a couple thing, something we can do and enjoy together. Plus even when your health is bad and you can’t physically manage to give massages, this can be a backup for us.” He explained. 

“And even if we don’t make any money with the snakes. They’re still pets to add to our menagerie because honestly, finding an apartment that checks all the boxes we need it to is slim. But a house- we’ll get much farther with a house and the market is pretty big and open right now.” He explained. “Besides if I had gotten an apartment right when we got together, I would be six months of rent poorer and while the house we could get won’t be as nice as a condo…” Kihro began. 

“Oh my gods, I can not begin to tell you how much I don’t want a condo just on the off chance that Borug and Korryn would feel entitled to come over since they’re “neighbors”. No, hell no.” You interrupted him which got him to bust out laughing. 

“Ok, we’re in agreement on that.” He beamed. 

“Let’s get something we can both manage but we can make it our own. It doesn’t have to be brand new, we don’t even have to get something custom, not now, not ever because we had enough headaches with our current house as it is. It would be nice to get something just semi nice- functional, something that we don’t have to bulldoze and start from scratch, but not a money pit either. But something with space, obviously a garage for the work truck and a yard big enough for Kelly that is either fenced in or we can fence it in and we can make it ours over time, it doesn’t have to be picture perfect for me to move in, I can work with anything. And if we’re doing this together, let’s do this together all the way, I absolutely insist on adding my savings to yours for this and all the money I just got from graduation which I know you took all of yours and added it to your savings. I just had the birthday party to end all birthday parties and a graduation party to end all others and we don’t need a wedding to end all weddings ok? No need to go into unnecessary debt, let’s just get preapproved for a home loan and small equity loan for some modest home improvements that we can do ourselves over time so we can turn whatever house we choose into our home.” You urged him and noticed he nodded along with everything you said so you could tell you were both on the same page. 

“So suburbs.” Kihro gathered. 

“Yeah basically.” You nodded. 

“Awesome, I’m happy we’re in agreement about this because everything you just said is what I was thinking and planning anyway. So, want to get naked?” He asked which made you laugh. 

“Hell yeah! I’d thought you would never ask Baby.” You giggled before he picked you back up and put you over his shoulder and grabbed your bags and started going up the stairs as you cackled from your place over his shoulder. 

“Woo! Conquer me Baby!” You cheered which made him laugh before he playfully bit your ass with a flirtatious growl which made you squeal even more before he got to the bedroom and let you drop onto the bed before you bounced, laughing so hard your ribs hurt. 

But your laughing died down to giggles as you sat up and watched Kihro strip his shirt off before he stalked up the bed towards you, your legs were already splayed for him, your wetness soaking through your shorts so there was a wet spot over your core and when he got on all fours over you- you greedily pulled him to you to kiss your nerves away as his weight settled over you as you let that comfort you. The feel of his surprisingly soft but supremely warm skin over his hard, sculpted body was lighting you up just as much as his hands stroking your soft sides from lifting your shirt. His hands, although rougher from callouses from years of hard work, yet there was a supreme gentle reverence in his touch. Like you were a precious gem he was caressing. Like you were his greatest treasure. You couldn’t feel any safer or more comfortable than in his embrace. 

Yet you were so relieved when Kihro slowed down and just laid over you and kissed you until all the tension in your body melted away and when Kihro started kissing your neck and chest, you were itching to get out of your clothes and feel all of his skin against all of yours as you started tugging on your shorts to get them off and that seemed to be what Kihro was looking for before he lifted himself up on his elbows to give you room to remove them and your underwear as he took that cue to take his own pants off and you could only giggle like a loon to see his cock straining in his boxers as you palmed it and started stroking it as you started to lavish open mouthed kisses to his chest and neck as his touch got a little firmer and deliciously needy before he helped you out of your bra. 

“There’s my friends.” Kihro practically giggled once your boobs were free from their constraints before he grabbed them and started kneading them before he started sucking on them as you threaded your fingers through his hair and pulled him closer before he moved one hand to your center and delved in which made you moan and throw your head back. 

Before this was as far as you could go. But now, instead of only getting your feet wet as the waves caressed them and staring at the water, now you could jump right in. You eagerly pulled the covers down and moved the two of you to between the covers before you greedily got him over you and between your legs and it took a little bit of work getting the head in because it was softer and squishier than the rest of the shaft and once it was in you both blew out a shaky breath of relief which got you both to laugh a little breathlessly and with a good and gentle push, your maidenhood gave way but he was in, it was a tight fit, but he fit and you felt your prayers and his were answered and Kihro made sure you were as comfortable as possible for every bit of it and made sure you were ok and made sure that you wanted this and was ready to pull out, literally- at any moment. But you stuck your heels behind his legs and locked him in because you didn’t want him going anywhere but farther in. 

“We made it this far, come on Baby, take me all the way home.” You insisted before he looked at you so softly. 

“I’m already home with you.” He murmured as he pressed his forehead to yours. 

“Me too.” You whispered as you shared a breath with him as he started to ease in and out as the pain lessoned and morphed into pleasure and the more relaxed and turned on you got the more your canal opened up and the easier it was but at the same time you could tell Kihro was officially on a slippery slope because while you could tell he was bound and determined to get you to cum before he did but you could tell he was fighting his own release as if it was a mighty foe. 

“Baby, get a condom on before you lose your load.” You urged. 

“No, I can...I can last.” He tried to insist as he rested his head on the pillow next to your head as you kegalled and constricted around him as you grinded against him with a meaningful look that said ‘Are you sure about that?’

“Oh fuck, yeah, ok, ok, ok.” Kihro caved as he pulled out and rolled over so he could get into the drawer where he stashed a box of condoms and he had spent last night trying to find the ones that would fit him best and once he was protected you got on and started to ride him and he just stared up at you in awe wonder. 

“You are the greatest vision my eyes will ever see.” Kihro professed and your heart melted. 

“Aww, likewise, I can’t wait to live the rest of my life with you and I don’t care where we live or what we do as long as we’re together doing it.” You mirrored as a few happy tears came to your eyes. “I’m just so happy that you’re mine.” You confessed before he sat up and cradled you in his arms. 

“I’m always going to be yours.” Kihro vowed. “Just like you are always going to be mine as long as you want to be.” Kihro added. 

“I wouldn’t worry about me ever changing my mind if I were you.” You reassured him. “You’re stuck with me.” You giggled. “As long as you want to be.” You added as you bit your lip. 

“I’ll always want to Baby,” he purred before he kissed you and nibbled on your lip because seeing you bite it only made him want to nibble on it himself which made you giggle. 

“You and your lip fetish.” You teased. 

“Not just any lips, your lips, all your lips.” He practically growled which made you squeal in delight as he hiked his hips up with more power that nearly knocked the air out of your lungs but made a moan spill from your kiss swollen lips. 

You let your instincts take control and before you knew it you were so close you recognized the home stretch and by now Kihro had flipped you over and was pounding into you as your body was tensing from the extreme pleasure Kihro was giving you and then with one last push, you were falling into bliss just as Kihro was stuffing that condom full as he slammed into you so deep you felt the head run into the top of your cervix as his fingers dug into the softness of his hips as his growling roar of completion was the most amazing sound and helped amplify your own orgasm. 

“Wow,” you breathed as you basked in the afterglow as Kihro rested over you and caught his breath. 

“Uh huh, wow, well worth the wait, damn baby, that was the best...just...the best...most amazing, you’re so amazing, holy shit that was mind blowing.” Kihro gushed as he cuddled with you and kissed you all over. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the best sex of my life.” He thanked you which made you crack up. 

“Best sex of our lives so far.” You giggled because truth was Kihro was every bit of a virgin that you were. 

“That’s true.” Kihro conceded before he kissed you before he pulled away and a huge load of semen was ballooning out at the head which made you both giggle. 

“Been saving that for me huh?” You gently teased as he pulled away and very carefully took it off before he tied it off and threw it away and got cleaned up and got you cleaned up. 

“I’m sorry if I hurt you Babe,” he cooed as he helped clean you up. 

“That pleasure was definitely worth the little bit of pain and discomfort, it’s only going to get better from here.” You reassured him before you both got ready for bed and finally got a chance to sleep together in the purest sense. 

When you woke up, you had some amazing morning sex before you made breakfast together, being ever so grateful that Kihro could cook and not just cook but clean up after himself before you walked to the rest of the beach and just talked about everything under the sun and made all kinds of plans before you went back and decided to open all your cards that you had gotten that your parents had dumped into a bag for you as Kihro wrote down who gave what for the purpose of writing thank you cards as you counted up the money and gift cards and come Monday morning, you deposited all that you could and got a bank balance at your bank so that you could take that to Kihro’s bank and to your surprise, your parents and Kihro’s parents met you there for the purpose of co-signing, you knew that Kihro’s parents would co-sign but to have your parents also cosign meant a lot to you that they would give you this kind of support. 

Now the hard parts- finding a house and planning a wedding. 

[steebharringt0n]

cat’s in the cradle

infant | toddler | child | teenager | young adult

a 5-part story exploring the relationship between billy hargrove and his first-born son, adam

pairing: billy hargrove x you

rating: t

a/n: GUESS WHO’S COMPUTER DELETED THIS ENTIRE STORY OVER THE WEEKEND, THEN CRASHED. LOL. yeah, i was pissed, anyways, the final part will be posted tomorrow, and Sanctuary will be updated later in the week. As always, thank you for your patience and for your support.

---

part 4 - teenager

17-year old Adam Hargrove was fucked.

No scratch that, he was dead where he stood.

Fear slid it’s cool claws over his neck as his eyes gazed over the camaro. He swallowed thickly, his stomach lurching as his eyes landed on the heavily dented front bumper of his father’s precious car.

“Oh my god, dad is going to kill you”

He didn’t even have to turn around to know that his 12-year old little sister was standing behind him. The Hargrove siblings stood outside their driveway, their attention both on the blue camaro in the garage. He twisted his neck to face a smirking Ava, her arms crossed as she carefully walked around the car, analyzing the dented bumper with her own eyes.

“Did you really think taking the camaro out was a good idea?” she questioned.

Adam licked his lips, he felt the sudden urge to vomit his entire dinner but he fought against it, “At the time ... yes ... now ... not so much ... “

His eyes landed on his 2000 Honda Accord parked adjacent to the camaro. His father had gifted him the car when he turned 16. It was a perfectly nice car, there was nothing wrong with it, but he was hanging out with Gina Sanderson and he knew his little green car wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as his father’s 78′ Camaro. He had a reputation to maintain at Sunset Cliff High, all thanks to the myth, the legend that was his father, Billy Hargrove.

It wasn’t that Adam was unpopular. In fact, if you asked anybody at Sunset Cliff about Adam Hargrove, you’d hear good things about him. Adam had lost his baby fat throughout his formative years, his jaw line chiseling out, looking more and more like his father everyday. He had traded his square frames for contacts which made his baby blues shine out more than before. He was the captain of the baseball team, his long hours of training and running had helped sculpt his body into one that the ladies loved to ogle at. And he was an all around good guy, he got straight A’s, got along well with his AP teachers. 

But when word quickly got out that he was Billy Hargrove’s - yes, the Billy Hargrove - son. He knew he had to up the ante just a bit more, and taking the camaro for a joy ride (and inviting the most popular girl at school as well), was just the thing he needed to maintain that high status at school.

It was a last minute impulsive decision. Adam wasn’t really one for impulsive decisions, he was logical, he liked to think things through. He wasn’t big on rule breaking, which was something his parents loved to pride on. But something in him snapped, his rebellious streak made a small appearance tonight and he was highly regretting listening to the devil on his shoulder.

It’s not like he had $500 dollars to spare, or an extra 78′ Camaro bumper lying around as well.

He was sure his parents - more so his father - would be understanding about this, right? It’s not like he was warned his whole life never to touch the camaro, never to be inside the camaro without his father, hell, he wasn’t sure if he was ever allowed to breathe inside the camaro.

Was it worth taking Gina out on a joyride? The Adam from about an hour ago would have told you, absolutely yes. He relished in seeing the way her eyes lit up when he showed up at her house, the way her hair blew wildly in the wind as she loudly sang along to The Killers, Somebody Told Me. And when they arrived at the cliff that overlooked Mission Beach, and how the moonlight struck her, he swore he had never seen something so perfect in his life.

If you asked Adam now, he would probably tell you no. That he hadn’t seen that stupid fire hydrant when he made that sharp left out of Gina’s neighborhood. It was a poor excuse, but hell, it was the truth. That in reality, it wasn’t worth losing his freedom over.

“How much longer until mom and dad get home?” he asked nervously.

Ava shrugged, “You got about less than a hour - mom called about half an hour ago, said they’d be leaving soon”

You and Billy were currently attending a black-tie Gala for the educators in San Diego. You were being honored a prestigious award for your work with at risk youth, a mission that you held very near and dear to your heart ever since you met Billy. You witnessed first hand how abuse could warp and change a person - you remember long nights staying up with Billy, tending to his wounds, letting him cry on your shoulder, and just holding him until his nightmares of Neil would go away.

Never again did you want any child to go through that.

Billy (or now more commonly known as Bill, which weirded you out) still ran the very successful automotive shop, and managed to open up 2 more locations in the surrounding areas. The Hargroves were well off, money wasn’t an issue to them and because Billy was so tight with the dealerships in the area, cars always came and went, but he always had a soft spot for his beloved camero. 

The bright headlights that suddenly pulled up on the driveway broke Adam’s concentration. The 2004 black BMW pulled to a stop on the driveway, the driver of the car wondering why his two children were currently hanging outside in front of the garage.

“Oh this is gonna be good” smirked Ava as she watched her parents step out of the car. Billy was dressed up in a white button-up, a black bow-tie attached at the top near the collar. His hair was neatly cut short, long abandoning the days of his mullet. He looked older, wrinkles donning the corners of his eyes and near his forehead, but even still at almost 40 years old, he looked good. You stepped out next, your figure was delicately clothed in a long black strapless dress, hugging your hips and curves. Your hair was pulled up in a bun, with two curled strands of hair that crowned your face. If you told people you were on your way to turn 40, they probably wouldn’t believe you.

You instantly frowned at the scene in front of you, there’s no reason why both of your children should be out this late. Your eyes gazed over at them, Ava who was looking very amused, and Adam who looked like he was on the verge of tears. Then as your eyes wandered over to the garage, and as you saw the dented camaro, did your stomach instantly dropped.

And you immediately knew the culprit.

“Oh Adam ... “ you muttered.

You looked over at Billy who’s jaw was clenched tight, his nostrils flaring. You could tell he was trying to bite his tongue, trying not to unleash loud explicits in the quiet neighborhood. Over the years Billy had learned how to manage his anger, with a lot of coaxing and learning from you, he wasn’t the same Billy Hargrove that terrorized the halls of Hawkins. But this, this could have easily made him snap back into that.

You quickly walked up to Ava, wrapping your arm around her shoulder.

“This is between your father and Adam ... we don’t need to stay out here” you whispered to her.

Ava’s jaw dropped, “But mooooooom ... “ she whined, following your lead as the both of you quietly walked into the house, leaving both Hargrove men outside in the cool California night.

Adam stayed planted on his feet, his brain was telling him to move, but he couldn’t do it. 

“H-Hi Dad ... “ he weakly spoke.

Billy quickly made large strides up to the garage, walking past an anxious Adam. He walked around the camaro, inspecting it from every side. He then poked his head on the inside, checking the leather, the seats, and even to see if it still turned on. Once he realized everything else worked, and everything else wasn’t broken, or dented, he walked up to the front of the camaro, crouching down and inspecting the dented bumper carefully.

“I-I’m sorry dad, I know I fucked - I mean I messed up, and I’m really sorry. It was so stupid of me, I should have never done it, and I understand if you never want to talk to me again - “

“What’d you hit it with?” he interjected, his tone heavy.

Adam swallowed, “A fire hydrant”

Billy let a deep sigh escape his lips, lowering his head down in disappointment. He then stood up, and in one fluid motion, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his inner coat pocket. He leaned up against the camaro, placing a stick in between his lips. He then offered the carton to Adam,

“Go on, take one, I’m sure this night has been stressful enough for you” he murmured.

Adam blinked blankly. He never knew his father smoked, let alone allow him to smoke after he had damaged his car. He hesitantly reached for one, holding it in his hand as Billy pulled out a zippo lighter, and lit up the stick. Billy took a deep inhale, his eyes staring out into the distance.

“Don’t tell your mother, she’d kill me” he quietly added, tossing him the zippo lighter.

Adam quietly nodded, lighting up the cigarette, inhaling, then going into a crazy coughing fit soon after.

“Easy there, don’t inhale too much ... the first time always suck” Billy said, patting his son’s back.

After Adam had quieted down, there was silence amongst the two. 

“You know, I saved up my own money to buy the camaro ... I worked every day that summer of 83′, my old man wasn’t too happy that I decided to spend my money on a car, hell, he wasn’t happy with a lot of the decisions I made in life, including being with your mother”

Adam stood quiet, Billy rarely ever brought up Neil. It was taboo in the family to ever bring up Neil. Adam didn’t know much, but he knew that he wasn’t a good guy, even his Aunt Max would mention every now and then how terrible Neil used to be to her and his father.

So he never asked, never wondered about his grandfather. 

“I drove this camero from California to Indiana. Had a lot of great memories in this camero ... it’s where I took your mother on our first date, where she first told me that she loved me, hell I think you might have been conceived in there” he added that last part in with a chuckle.

Right at that moment Adam had decided to inhale another puff, and ultimately choked on it as Billy finished that last sentence.

“Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you be yelling at me? Wanting to rip my head off?” Adam asked.

Billy let out a chuckle, “You know, the old me would have been livid, furious at you.” Billy paused for a second, licking his lips before he took another inhale of the cigarette. “But you’re a good kid Adam, you always have been. Even when you were a little baby your mother and I never had any problems with you. I mean when I was your age I was beating people up, I was awful, I was mean. I honestly don’t know how your mother, or really anyone, put up with me back in the day”

Adam shuffled his feet, kicking a pebble with his foot.

“T-Thanks dad ... but I mean, I messed up your car, you’ve always told me that I wasn’t allowed to drive it, or even touch it”

Billy turned to look over at Adam, “My car? You mean yours”

He then reached into his pocket, pulling out the spare keys of the camaro and placing it into Adam’s shaking hands.

His blue eyes widened in surprise, “Holy shit ... are you serious? What about my Honda Accord?”

Billy shrugged, “Ah, I’ll save it for your sister. We’ve had enough cars come through our garage”

Adam stared at the keys in his hand in awe. He shoved it in his pocket, then threw his cigarette down to the ground and engulfed his father in a hug.

“Thanks dad ... I could’t have been a good kid without having a dad like you” he muttered.

Billy wrapped his arms around his son, closing his eyes and leaning into his embrace. He felt his heart lurch at Adam’s words, tears pricked the corner of his eyes but he quickly wiped them away with the swipe of his hand. Never in a million years did he ever think a child of his would utter those words. 

Billy pulled away from Adam, who’s eyes were still wide with surprise.

“Was the girl cute?” Billy suddenly questioned, his top lip curled into a smirk.

Adam avoided his father’s gaze, his cheeks blushing.

“C’mon, she must have been cute for you to become all Mr. Rebel Without A Cause” Billy pressed on, gently jabbing him in the ribs.

“Yeah, yeah, she’s cute I guess” he finally admitted, a small smile on his face as he recalled kissing her before he dropped her off.

Billy put out his cigarette, stomping it out with his dress shoes as he put his arm around Adam’s shoulder. The two of them started to walk towards the entrance of the house.

“Too bad you won’t see her for awhile, because you’re grounded for a month” he deadpanned.

Adam whipped his head, a look of desperation on his face as they walked through the front door, “Oh, c’mon Dad!”

---

tagged: @the-first-breath-of-autumn-air @justabeautiful-letdown @fab-notfat @tarahell @noodlenerd101 @crazylittlethingcalledobsession @letdecemberburninflames @kake-babe @barbarasbae @delqcour @wearewiththebands @oogachuggaoogaoogachugga @klanceiscannon14 @mrs-hollandstan @gracieadorable 

[sorceress-coffee]

Becoming Pt. 1

AO3 Becoming Pt. 1

Fantastical adventure, heroes, villains, magic, and more tore through River’s mind as she sat in the family room of the Lake house. This was a life River could only dream of while growing up. She always felt a connection to fantasy novels and movies, opting to read or watch those in favor of any other genre. The book she currently read was one of Arthurian legends, one of River’s top rereads in fact. Just as she began to skim over the section where Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone, a crash from upstairs sends her reeling back to reality. She carefully marked her page, depositing the book in her bag and Jim came racing down the stairs.

“Morning,” Jim grumbled out, still half asleep.

River laughed and began helping with their daily chores. “You alright there Jimbo? Did the raccoons keep you up again?” She asked as they made sure the house was picked up.

Jim smiled, finally waking up when he began cooking, “Nope, just needed to get in the kitchen. Not everyone can run on coffee alone.” He teased, gesturing to River’s cup, and the half-empty pot of coffee from that morning. “You do realize you’re going to crash one of these days with how little you sleep.”

River shrugged packing the lunches as they were finished, setting one in the fridge with a note on it for their mom. “I drink coffee because I like the taste, I sleep when I’m tired, and I wake up before my alarm. I can’t help it if I don’t need as much sleep.” She poured the rest of the coffee into a thermos and placed it on the tray Jim was working on for their mom.

Jim smiled, finishing up a note. “Alright, alright. But if mom asks, you only made half a pot.” He teased, causing River to roll her eyes. “I’m taking this up, mom has work tonight. Ready to go?” He asked as he walked up the stairs.

River grabbed their bags, following to the foot of the stairs, “I got everything together, I’ll grab the bikes. Meet you in front.” Heading to the garage, River opened the door, wheeling out both bikes. Putting on her helmet she let out a groan seeing the trash cans. “Seriously?”

Jim ran out, grabbing his helmet quickly, pausing seeing the cans as well. “The raccoons! They were out last night!”

Huffing, both teens quickly picked everything up. As they finally got the lids on the cans, a stout teen rolls up on his bike, grinning at the two. “Morning Jimbo! Morning River! Ready to head out?” Toby asked, bouncing from one leg to the other, looking at his watch. River waving a silent greeting in response. “Sure thing Tobes, but first,” Jim smirks, handing Toby one of the packed lunches.

River shook her head, smiling as the two began to argue over Toby’s lunch. “If you two don’t hurry we’ll be late. Again.” She began to ride off ahead of the boys, hearing two distinct yelps as they realized the time.

“It’s already 8!” Toby shouted as he and Jim quickly caught up to River on their bikes. “We’re gonna be late, on account of meatloaf!”

“River lets take the canals! It’ll cut off 5 minutes!” Jim yelled towards River’s back as they quickly turned onto a dirt path, Toby complained behind them as they sped up.

River picked up speed and hit a jump, soaring into the canal easily. Landing near a pile of rocks, she turned to watch for the boys, making sure they made it down safely. As Jim landed in the canal after his own jump, the pile of rocks began to glow. “James… Lake” and ethereal voice calls out, causing both River and Jim to jump, heads snapping to lock at the rocks.

“Did that… just talk?” Jim asked, getting off his bike to investigate the rocks.

River quickly followed, drawn in by the light emanating from the pile. “I think it said your name…” She and Jim began to pull the rocks away as Toby joined them.

“What’s that? A pile of K-Spar?” He asked, picking up some of the rocks they had moved.

Jim and Toby began arguing when the light spoke again. “JAMES LAKE!” It seemed to yell. The light reflecting off River’s eyes as they finally dug out what appeared to be an amulet.

Jim quickly pulled the Amulet from the rubble, holding it to his ear, trying to get it to talk again. A shrill ring causing all three teens to jump back. “The first bell, we have to go!” River yelped as she stepped on a rock Toby had moved, causing her to fall back on to the pile, wincing. “You two go ahead!” She yelled to the boys already on their bikes. Jim and Toby nodded, rushing off to school, knowing River could catch up. She sighed, carefully getting up and heading to her bike when a low voice catches her attention.

“It chose a human!” The voice gasped. River quickly turned her attention to the drain grate, watching the darkness for a moment, waiting to see if the voice would speak again. A second shrill bell sent her into action, jumping on her biking and taking off for the school, deciding to worry about it later.

Once River finally made it to her first class she collapsed in her chair, feeling exhausted for the first time in a while. Her teacher just smiled, knowing River and Jim’s living situation, their mom had to work odd hours as a doctor, she chose not to mention the tardiness.

River pulled out her sketchbook and began drawing the amulet they found that morning, along with some of the more oddly shaped rocks she had sifted through. By the time she registered the bell, she had several pages filled with the amulet and what looked like strange beasts taking shape from the rock sketches.

River met up with Jim and Toby on their way to Senor Uhl’s class, “Has it talked again?” She asked Jim, glancing at the pocket he slipped the Amulet in earlier.

“Nothing yet, though I really hope it doesn’t start talking in class. The last thing I need is detention cause of a talking toy/” Jim sighed, slipping into the classroom and heading for his desk.

“Toy?” River asked, looking to Toby for clarification.

Toby shrugged walking in with River, heading to the back where her desk was set up for grading that day. “I spent most of Strickler’s class looking up what it could be. All we got so far are plush toys. Though most were brightly colored and heart-shaped.” He explained before taking his own seat.

River hummed, thinking over whether or not the Amulet was just another toy… a very person-specific toy, having called out Jim’s name, but a toy none the less. During Senor Uhl’s class, as the teacher’s assistant, River was elbow deep in grading quizzes from the past week when she stopped on Mary’s quiz. Tilting her head slightly and squinting at the words scrawled across the page, River tried to decipher the sentence Mary had constructed. She concluded that what was supposed to be a simple page describing animals, turned into a jumble of Google translate, disregarding all rules for sentence structure and tenses. Not the first fail River gave that day, but definitely the worst.

When the bell rang River waited for Eli and waved after Jim and Toby as they heading in opposite directions. “Morning Eli,” she greeted simply as they headed to Chemistry.

“Morning River! Any new art pieces for the show?” Eli asked, knowing how excited River was for the upcoming art show the school was holding. He loved going through her sketches and seeing all the fantastical creatures she constructed.

River shrugged, a small smile pulling at her lips. They quickly sat at their lab table, waiting for the bell. “Here, they’re just rough sketches, but I haven’t been able to stop drawing them, in fact, your quiz may have a doodle or two when you get it back.” She laughed, pulling out the sketchbook and handing it to Eli.

Eli quickly began going through the sketches, pausing at a couple of alien sketches in the front that he convinced River to draw. Once he got to this morning’s sketches, he almost dropped the book, eye going wide.

River frowned at the reaction. Eli’s never reacted like this to any of her pieces before. “Are they… That bad?” She hesitantly asked, not wanting to put him on the spot.

Eli quickly shook his head, “No! They’re amazing it’s just…” He paused, stopping on a sketch of what looked like a horned beast wearing armor. “This morning, I saw these things.” He pointed to the sketch.

River frowned, staring at the sketching, whispering as class started, “You mean the pile of rocks?”

Eli shook his head, tapping the sketch, “Not the monster, it looked like it was made of rock, there was another one, and I think they were fighting.” He explained, barely able to keep his voice down.

River quickly slipped the sketchbook back into her bag, opting to ask Eli about it later as they had to move on to the lab portion of the class.

During her Medieval History class with Strickler, River zoned out. Sketching more of the beast in armor, wondering if the other one Eli saw looked similar. Strickler paused at her desk, glancing at the sketches. “Miss Wyllt,” he addressed playing with his pen. “Earlier, your cousin was falling asleep in my class, and now you are sleep-drawing through it?” He asked, tapping the sketchbook.

River jolted, quickly putting the book away, “Sorry Mr. Strickler.” She tried to focus on the lectured after that. All she really wrote down was something about a bridge.

Later during trigonometry, Eli began to explain more about the monsters he saw to River. “I saw them in the canal this morning! There was a lot of yelling, lights, and smoke! After that, all I could see was the pile of rocks. I wonder what happened to them.”

A snarl from behind Eli and River drew their attention. Both glanced back to Steve Palchuck, glaring at Eli. “Monsters? Really? Why are you wasting your time with stuff like that?” He sneered.

River rolled her eyes, intent on ignoring Steve, she faces forward again, glancing to Eli as they let the conversation drop. She hoped to get more answers after school.

During gym class, River was with Toby on the ropes, trying to explain how to climb them. Once halfway up, she glanced back down to see Toby struggling but trying to copy how she climbed. River smiled and finished her climb, hitting the bell as Coach Lawrence began yelling at Toby, who was now hanging upside down by his ankle.

River let out a sigh, sliding halfway down before jumping to Toby’s side of the mat, trying to untangle his foot.

“Everyone here should be able to climb this rope and hit that bell!” Coach yelled at Toby.

River huffed, glancing at him, “Coach, at least he’s trying. You can’t say that about half the kids here.” She grumbled.

Coach Lawrence snapped his head to River, nostrils flaring as he yells “I want everyone here made of iron! IRON!”

River leveled him with a deadpan stare, “If we were made of solely iron, none of use could climb the rope. If you account for the same body shape and not weight. I mean, can the teachers even do it?” She snarked, finally getting Toby’s foot free.

When Toby hit the mat, all he could do was stare at River in disbelief. Shocked she could say something like that so easily to a teacher, let alone Coach Lawrence.

“You want another week of detention Wyllt?” Coach asked, crossing his arms.

River’s eyes went wide, her own words finally sinking in. “I just meant… Like Mr. Strickler, I don’t think you could pay him to climb the ropes in here.” She rambled out quickly, mentally apologizing to Strickler.

Coach began to laugh, “Alright, alright! I’ll give you that one! Class! Hit the lockers!” He yelled wrapping up the lesson.

River sighed in relief, helping Toby up quickly. “We will never speak of this again.”

Toby burst into laughter, trying to keep up as they head to the locker rooms.

River glanced around, catching Jim talking to Claire and her friends before running off with Toby. As she finished changing, Claire, Mary, and Darci wondered into the locker room, Mary’s laughter catching her attention immediately.

“River!” She yelled, throwing her arm around River’s shoulders. Gasping between laughs, she finally had enough air to from a sentence. “You should’ve seen it! Your cousin tried talking to Claire in Spanish!” She all but screamed in River’s ear.

River sighed, shrugging off Mary’s arm. “That’s funny because…?” She trailed off, waiting for one of the girls to explain.

Claire sighed at Mary’s behavior, “Mar! It’s not that funny.” She frowned, looking to River.

Mary’s laughter finally subsided, “Not funny? He couldn’t even get a full sentence out! I’m pretty sure he said something about eggs too!” She snickered, trying not to burst out laughing again.

Darci winced, glancing at River, “Mary, seriously. It’s not funny.”

River’s jaw tensed as she ground her teeth. “Eggs?” She asked, her voice on the edge of a snarl. “I wouldn’t comment on other people’s competency regarding the Spanish language Mary. You couldn’t even write huevos properly on your last quiz.”

Mary’s quickly turned, glaring at River before leaning back on her locker with a smirk. “You know, for a model senior, you’re really just a bitch. No wonder you only hang around Jim, Dumbzalski, and Pepperjack.” She sneered back.

River snapped, pulling her fist back quickly, she let go, slamming it into the locker next to Mary’s head, eyes never leaving Mary’s. Mary flinched; eyes locked on River’s arm.

“Mary!” Darci and Claire both yelled, shocked at what their friend said, and worried due to River’s reaction.

River pulled back, rolling her eyes at the girls. “Mary, keep in mind that I’m not a model senior, and I have no problem getting in trouble defending Jim or my friends. Claire,” she paused, turning to gesture at the flyer for the school play. “You asked Jim?”

Claire nodded slowly, snapping her attention from the slight dent of the locker to River, “Um, yeah… we’re having trouble getting guys to audition.” She explained, nervously crumpling the edges of the flyer.

River tilted her head in thought before nodding. “I’ll talk to him, might actually get him to show up.” She stated, grabbing her bag and heading off. Claire shook her head before yelling after River, “Uh, thanks! That would help!”

Smirking as she finds Toby and Jim by the bikes, she shoulders Jim to get to her bike. “Talked to Claire, she’s asking for you to try out for the play.” Jim winced as they began walking towards the school exit. “I seriously doubt that.”

River smirks, eyeing him for a moment, “Told her I’d get you to go, she was very happy about that.” She teased.

Jim snapped his head to her, “Really?” He asked, pausing as they find Steve and his friends talking to a locker.

Steve was leaning on the locker next to Eli’s laughing, “Tell me again! What did the monsters look like?” River’s lips curled back into a snarl. “Eli,” was all she said and she went to move.

Toby’s arm quickly snapped out in front of her, “Are you crazy? If Steve is busy with Eli, he won’t have a reason to attack us!” He squeaked out as River’s glare was shifted to him.

Jim moved instantly as River was held back, “You could let him out now.” He fixed Steve with a wavering glare.

“Or what?” Steve snapped, grabbing Jim by the collar. “You gonna do something about it Lake?” He snarled. Fist pulling back to strike.

River ran past Toby seeing Steve move to Strike. Grabbing onto his arm tightly. “Let go.” She ground out. Steve hesitated as River’s grip tightened.

Jim’s worried glanced shifted to River before he began to ramble, “Okay! Do it!” He yelled at Steve.

Steve and River’s attention snapped back to Jim, “You’re asking for a beating?” Steve asked.

“Hit me, but in 40 years, you’ll be fat and bald, and Eli will have a career in computer software and be a billionaire.” Jim stood to his full height, causing Steve to stumble back.

Toby, finally getting over that Steve will not be leaving his friends alone this year, began yelling for him to let Eli out of the locker. Students that had gathered to see the possible fight began to chant along with Toby.

“Palchuck!” Coach Lawrence’s voice cut through, causing Steve to drop Jim instantly. “What’s going on out here?” He continued to yell from the locker rooms. Steve quickly opened the locker Eli was in. “Nothing sir, Eli here got stuck. Just helping him out.”

“You’re late for practice. On the double!” Coach yelled heading into the locker room again.

Steve turned on Jim, getting into his face with a sneer. “Friday, noon. You, me.” He smirked walking backward to the lockers. “Tick-tock” he waved his finger at Jim, grinning like an idiot before disappearing into the locker rooms.

River rolled her eyes, easily opening Eli’s locker. Having had to memorize the combination due to past instances of Steve or Steve’s friends shoving him into said locker.

Eli toppled out, thanking Jim and River from the ground. River sighed, helping him up before promising to hang out later, needing to head home with Jim and Toby. “Did you see that?!” Toby yelled for the 14th time on their way home. “Let him out! Let him out!” He began his chant all over again as River and Jim laughed, letting him have his moment.

River and Jim paused as their mom’s car pulled up. “Hi mom” River smiled when the window rolled down.

“Hi, sweetie! Hi boys!” Dr. Lake greeted the teens, smiling. “It’s going to be a long night, don’t wait up for me.”

Jim smiled, shoving something into his pocket. “Alright, did you remember your” he began to ask.

Dr. Lake pulled out the bag with the mom note on it. “Dinner, I’ve got in.”

River giggled, seeing Jim’s constant lecturing starting up. “Don’t forget to find an oven mom.”

Jim huffed, pouting a bit at his cousin before turning back to their mom. “Nuking it in the microwave takes out all the nutrients,” He defended.

“Wouldn’t you two rather do anything else than spend time taking care of me?” Dr. Lake asked smiling at them.

“Can’t think of a thing.” Jim grinned.

“Not a single one,” River smiled.

“Love you both, have a good night!” Dr. Lake smiled before heading off to work.

The three teens parted ways. River and Jim heading into the house quickly. Jim pulled out the Amulet, trying to get it to talk. Eventually threatening to put it up for sale on eBay.

“So, we’ve come to threats?” River asked, laughing before a loud crash came from the basement. She and Jim glanced at each other before slowly heading down into the basement, turning the light on. “See anything yet?” River asked, grabbing a baseball bat.

“Not yet. Could be raccoons.” Jim replied. Turning to go further into the basement, the light behind them shattered, causing both teens to yelp and slam into one another, back to back.

Jim glanced to his right and screamed seeing movement, trying to hit what he saw.

River spun around quickly before bursting into laughter as she watches Jim attack a mirror. “Your… Your reflection!” She wheezes out, slowly calming down. Jim blushed, stopping his attack on the mirror.

“Shut up…” He trailed off, eyes staring past River, going wide. After calming down, River tilts her head at Jim’s expression, turning around to see what has him freaking out.

A tall and large creature, consisting of blue stone, six yellow eyes, four arms, and what appeared to be overalls was looming over River. Its face broke into a grin as it all but pounced on them. “Master Jim! Lady River!”

River yelped, putting herself between Jim and the creature. Jim scrambling back into another creature. This one was grey with green fur and towered over the blue creature. It picked Jim up by the ankle as he continued to scream. “It’s Arrrgh. Three Rs.” The creature, now known as Arrrgh, explained to a shaking, upside down Jim.

River turn, pointing the bat at Arrrgh, trying to appear the least bit threatening. “Put him down!”

The blue creature went to Arrrgh’s side, getting him to set Jim on the ground. “Where are my manners? I am known as Blinky. As my friend has stated, he is Arrrgh. “Master Jim, you have been chosen! The Amulet of Daylight challenges you to ascend to the most sacred of offices.”

“Orifices? What orifices?” Arrrgh asks, mishearing Blinky.

“Offices.” Blink repeats, one hand pointing up while explaining to Arrrgh, “It means responsibility.” He quickly looks between Jim and River as he begins to explain again. “Unbeknownst to your kind, there is a secret world, a vast civilization of trolls lurking beneath your very feet, hidden from view.” “Trolls?” River asks, glancing between the trolls and Jim.

“Trolls. Yes, Trolls. And it is now your charge to protect them. For you, Master Jim, are the Trollhunter.” Blinky states happily as Jim chokes hearing this. Arrrgh gestures down towards Jim, smiling “Trollhunter.”

“This honor is yours to accept. So, what say you?” Blinky asks, his four hands grasped in excitement.

Jim choked again, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he collapses. River rushing forward grabs Jim in time to keep him from hitting his head. “Well… it looks like your uh… Trollhunter passed out…” She shifted Jim onto her back, Arrrgh helping her adjust him so she can stand. “I’m just going to take him upstairs.”

Blinky studies her for a moment, “I know you don’t have the overwhelmingly joyous discovery of becoming the Trollhunter like Master Jim, but if this is his reaction, how have you not ‘passed out’?” He asked her, prodding at River’s arms curiously in a studious fashion.

“If Jim wasn’t here, I probably would have passed out on sight, but someone has to look out for him… Look he’s going to be out for the night, maybe you two should come back for his answer later?” River asked, hoping that being polite would get the trolls out of the house quicker, if Jim woke up there’s no telling how freaked he would be.

“Excellent idea Lady River!” Blinky clapped the shoulder Jim wasn’t resting on. “We will be back for Master Jim’s answer soon. Come Arrrgh, we must prepare for Master Jim’s training!” Blinky escorted Aaarrrgghh out of the house quickly.

River carefully brought Jim up to the couch. Settling him down before locking all the doors and windows, making sure no other Trolls would show up. Laying down on the second couch in the sitting room, River glanced at Jim’s sleeping figure. “The things I put up with for you.” She sighed before letting herself fall asleep. During school the day after Blinky and Arrrgh broke into the Lake house, Jim was an anxious mess. At lunch, River dropped her tray in front of him, leveling him with her patented ‘You messed up,’ look.

Jim groaned seeing the look, “What?”

“Maybe you should talk to someone who doesn’t have a drill in their mouth. Someone that said to stop by his office if we ever needed to talk?” River suggested referring to Jim’s yelling waking her up way too early while he was trying to talk to Toby.

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Mr. Strickler? Guess who came over last night offering me a job? Trolls!’ Do you want me committed?” Jim asked. River only shrugged in response. He groaned getting up, “Fine, I’ll think of a way to tell him that won’t get me committed. See you there soon if it doesn’t work.” He waved back to her as he headed for Strickler’s office. She shook her head and continued with lunch; the day seemed to drag on after the events of last night.

Once they made it home, River sat outside in the backyard with Jim as he looked over the amulet. “So, thinking about their offer?” She asked. Jim shrugged, reading the etched writing that glowed on the Amulet.

Jim slowly read the words out loud “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command.” After he spoke the wind picked up around them. Looking around River noticed that gravity seemed to break as heavy rocks began to float, their bags sitting next to her were in the air, and Jim hovered holding the Amulet. She watched as glowing orbs exit the Amulet, flying around the yard before shooting off into Jim’s chest. A bright flash blinding her for a moment before Jim lands with a heavy thud. As the light fades, River bursts into laughter seeing Jim in a suit of armor far too big for him. After a moment the armor began to shifting until it fits Jim perfectly. A second flash of light and a sword appears in his right hand. He swings the sword testing it out a before it gets stuck in a rock. This caused River to burst out laughing again. As he frees the sword from the rock he tilts back slightly too far and the sword tips back out of his hand and gets stuck in a second rock. River was laying back in the grass, laughing so hard that she began to tear up. Once Jim finally frees the sword and holds it up, she calmed down enough to ask him “So, is that a yes?”

[easyfoodnetwork]

Mushroom Hunting at the End of the World

Getty Images

While the rest of the country focused on something other than the forest floor, I started foraging for chanterelles

I’d been staring at the ground too long. That’s most of what foraging is, by the way. It’s ignoring the blue sky and the trees to focus your gaze on the dirt. I was walking through cobwebs, surveying the woodland floor for almost an hour, when I finally saw one: a tiny, pale chanterelle mushroom sticking up near the trail’s edge. It looked sickly, or at the very least elderly. Perhaps it was a sign that this section of the woods was untraveled, or maybe nobody had ever thought to pluck it from its habitat.

I peeled it from the ground with my paring knife and placed it into my netted, purple sack, which once housed grocery-store red onions. This lonely mushroom wasn’t the haul, mind you, but rather an indicator. When one chanterelle appears, more will follow. A few steps off the trail and they emerged in droves. Soon, my bag was filled with corpulent, spore-bearing fungi — big chanterelles with deep-orange hues and fantastical shapes, like something a Nintendo animator might draw.

Walking back with my giant bag of wild mushrooms, I ran into a couple, the first people I’d seen that day. We all scrambled to put on our masks at the distant sight of one another. “You get some chanties?” the man said in his familiar, spectacularly unusual Pittsburgh accent. “It’s a gold mine out there,” I said, trying unconsciously to disguise any hints of that same Pennsylvanian elocution. After they disappeared back into the woods, I put my mask in my pocket, where it stayed for the rest of the hike. For about 30 seconds, I was reminded that the rest of the world was focused on something other than the forest floor.

For about 30 seconds, I was reminded that the rest of the world was focused on something other than the forest floor.

A few years back I had tasted some wild mushroom conserva courtesy of my cousin, Andy, during a trip to my hometown in Pennsylvania. Andy is a budding locavore, a self-taught forager, and a mad scientist in the kitchen. His passion is infectious. Eighty percent of the meat he consumes, he hunts himself. He cures venison and butchers whole pigs in his garage.

That first spoonful of Andy’s mushrooms, meaty chanterelles salted in a strainer, then simmered in white vinegar with gothic-looking thyme and peppercorns, is preserved in my mind, so much so that I can access that memory whenever I want. The dim lighting in my parents’ dining room, Andy standing in the kitchen with his arms confidently folded, the sound of the Mason jar lid spinning loose, and the immense joy of my first bite — stocky chanterelle mushrooms, piquant vinegar, gentle aromatics, and then the brilliant opulence of olive oil, used to preserve the mixture.

I asked Andy if I could take a jar of them back home to Los Angeles, and he obliged. Every so often, I unscrewed the lid for a small bite. I would close my eyes and feel the cold air in my hometown. If I listened carefully, I could hear the train whistles in the distance. Those mushrooms became a portal to my hometown, a culinary object so emotionally resonant, so distinct from the food I bought at my grocery store in California, that I always longed to forage and conserve a jar of my own.

I began to miss rural Pennsylvania as the pandemic encroached into summer. Like a lot of people, I felt trapped in the big city, and so in June, I went home. In Pennsylvania, everybody’s houses are set at a distance, but everyone barters home provisions, ranging from venison pastrami to crooked cucumbers to gargantuan zucchini. The summer is when the Amish sell sweet corn, and when the berry farms open their orchards. The old-timey ice cream shops end their winter break, and people start roasting whole pigs and marinated legs of lamb. It was also not lost on me that a hot, wet climate is the ideal condition for chanterelles, and that this would be the perfect time to chase that dragon: the jar of preserved mushrooms.

Once I began mushroom hunting, the calm followed. I embraced foraging, an oft-maligned word after the chef-bro boom of the 2010s. If your reaction is to recoil, you’re not alone. Before my mushroom-hunting days, I usually laughed when I saw the word “foraged” on a menu or in a magazine. Oh, did you really go out foraging, m’Lord?

The first time I went, I rode in the passenger seat of Andy’s car, down the winding rural roads of Amish country. To be honest, I didn’t immediately connect with foraging; the experience felt educational. Of course, when you’re dealing with something that can be either good in a stir-fry, consciousness-expanding, or deadly, education is important. Poisonous mushrooms actually look evil, though, an offer of good faith from Mother Nature. They often have a sinister gray or red color, with warts and scales reminiscent of the toxic fungi in fairy-tale illustrations. Andy made sure to teach me enough that I didn’t end up hallucinating through the woods — or, worse yet, dead.

People in my hometown definitely don’t fall into the stereotype of knuckle-tatted, beanie-wearing “foragers,” but they’re pretty keen on the good mushroom spots. There’s an old Polish woman, for instance, whose stiff, territorial energy I can feel whenever I show up to Gaston Park the day after a rain. Because I didn’t want to move in on another gang’s turf, I had Andy show me a few of his favorite areas. Still, it didn’t feel right: These were his discoveries, not mine. I wanted to make my own way. I wanted that excitement of stumbling across a rare mushroom, of encountering a field of freshly sprouted chanterelles. I wanted to find my own mushroom haven, and so I went to Hell’s Hollow.

daveynin/Flickr

A view from the Hell’s Hollow Trail in McConnells Mill State Park, Pennsylvania

Hell’s Hollow is a national park and trail in New Castle, Pennsylvania, about a mile down the road from my childhood home. Apparently, it’s called Hell’s Hollow because some time ago a man fell asleep in those woods, and when he woke up, he was convinced that the place he was in was actually Hell. Are the woods deep and dark? Sure. Spooky at night? Yeah, of course. But, Hell? As in the place where sinners go and are tormented for eternity? Like, Satan-owned and -operated Hell? I scoff at the idea whenever I pass the old wooden sign for the trail. What kind of idiot would think that the woods is Hell? It’s beautiful out here. I mean look, there’s a flowing river. Why would the Devil keep a freshwater source in an eternity of suffering? Rule No. 1 of Hell must be to stay hydrated. Rule No. 2? No running.

Hell’s Hollow has been a constant throughout my life. When I was a kid, my mom and dad let me splash around the creek trying to catch minnows and small crabs. When I was 10, I gleefully collected rocks and declared that I was going to be a geologist (my family would be disappointed). As teens, my friends and I smoked shag weed and smashed cans of Mountain Dew together like Stone Cold Steve Austin there. The point is, I’ve been wandering around Hell’s Hollow my whole life, and it never dawned on me that I would ever find myself foraging there. But sure enough, it was my spot.

I did not expect hunting for mushrooms to clear my head the way it did. People say that about prep work, by the way. They say that peeling potatoes and kneading dough lets the mind wander and alleviates stress. But, to me, prep work is just that: work. Dicing onions pierces the eyes, lemon juice stings, and I will always associate chopping parsley with the incoming threat of a dinner rush at one of my restaurant jobs. When people say that cooking soothes the mind, they’re not taking into account all the people who do this shit for a living. What are those people supposed to do to get away from themselves? For me, I found that wandering in the woods alone with a sense of purpose was exactly the thing I needed to weather the fire tornado of anxiety the pandemic had produced.

The act of foraging, a completely unchanged activity in a pandemic, possesses the acute ability to make me forget about the state of things entirely. Specifically, it was easy to forget about a global virus. Hunting for mushrooms in the woods alone is already distanced; there are no guidelines to follow. Walk down the street in Los Angeles and you’re immediately reminded that restaurants are shut down and live performance spaces are shuttered. But in the woods? Go ahead — sneeze full force in any direction you please. Let off some steam, pal. You’ve earned it. Sure, I had a mask, but it stayed in my pocket on the off chance that I ran into another human being, though I was more likely to spot a deer.

When I’m hunting for mushrooms it feels like I’m achieving something tangible.

This wasn’t just a way to pass time, mind you. These weren’t nature walks I was taking. There’s a sense of ambition at the core of mushroom hunting. Purpose, the thing so many of us have felt without this year, I suddenly possessed. When there’s purpose, there’s a sense of reward, and when I’m hunting for mushrooms it feels like I’m achieving something tangible. All my energy is focused, my aim clear. Instead of staring at the ceiling in my studio apartment, I found myself scanning the ground for edible treasure. The dopamine you receive from finding a cluster of chanterelle mushrooms in the damp woods is immense, somehow both frivolous and survivalist. There’s a real sense of childlike treasure-hunting tied to foraging.

Take the elusive cauliflower mushroom, Sparassis, which is as rare as mushrooms come. They grow sporadically; their appearance is psychedelic and aquatic. It looks coral in a way, like a living, breathing self-sustaining organism that belongs at the bottom of the ocean. Jarring, then, to find one surrounded by leaves and mossy logs. The mushroom itself is wavy and ethereal, with petals like a flower. It’s so rare that when Andy and I found one, he jumped in the air with excitement. For seven years he had been hunting for a cauliflower mushroom, and he finally got it. His triumph felt like my triumph, and in a way, it was. Later, I fried the petals of the cauliflower mushroom in oil and ate them salted. The texture was outstanding and the flavor delicate, like a homemade noodle but with the specific earthiness of a fungus. “How many people are eating a cauliflower mushroom right now?” I thought.

I felt like jumping in the air like Andy when I spotted that lone, feeble chanterelle in Hell’s Hollow. To reach that first chantie was a hero’s journey, past a path that leads to a dazzling waterfall, down a steep hill, across a stream, and through a tunnel of decaying trees. The air starts to cool down and a trained nose can begin to smell the faint notes of mushrooms in the air. Clusters of chanterelles appear like small towns; they are golden trumpets that politely announce their presence with colorful glee. Oyster mushrooms grow shelf-like on the sides of trees, and chicken of the woods, these endlessly useful and tasty orange half-moons, light up your eyes like a gorgeous sunset. That’s the thing about wild mushrooms — once you see them, you can’t unsee them. After an education in foraging, you’ll be forever scanning your surroundings, trying to manifest treasure.

As I carried back my sack of mushrooms that first time, I thought about that man who woke up in Hell’s Hollow in the night. How must he have felt? Aimless, one would assume. Probably searching for a way out of the darkness. Disoriented, without a clue where he might be in relation to the outside world. Maybe that’s what Hell is. Maybe it’s quite simply feeling lost and alone. The pandemic can feel like that, as though you’re traversing an endless dark wilderness hoping to catch a light in the distance that’ll guide you back to society. But is that a new feeling? Hasn’t it always been that way? Maybe all of life has just been wandering in the dark.

Anyway, I’m glad to be walking through the woods with a purpose.

Danny Palumbo is a comedian and writer living in Los Angeles.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2JUbLZq https://ift.tt/3korg8w

Getty Images

While the rest of the country focused on something other than the forest floor, I started foraging for chanterelles

I’d been staring at the ground too long. That’s most of what foraging is, by the way. It’s ignoring the blue sky and the trees to focus your gaze on the dirt. I was walking through cobwebs, surveying the woodland floor for almost an hour, when I finally saw one: a tiny, pale chanterelle mushroom sticking up near the trail’s edge. It looked sickly, or at the very least elderly. Perhaps it was a sign that this section of the woods was untraveled, or maybe nobody had ever thought to pluck it from its habitat.

I peeled it from the ground with my paring knife and placed it into my netted, purple sack, which once housed grocery-store red onions. This lonely mushroom wasn’t the haul, mind you, but rather an indicator. When one chanterelle appears, more will follow. A few steps off the trail and they emerged in droves. Soon, my bag was filled with corpulent, spore-bearing fungi — big chanterelles with deep-orange hues and fantastical shapes, like something a Nintendo animator might draw.

Walking back with my giant bag of wild mushrooms, I ran into a couple, the first people I’d seen that day. We all scrambled to put on our masks at the distant sight of one another. “You get some chanties?” the man said in his familiar, spectacularly unusual Pittsburgh accent. “It’s a gold mine out there,” I said, trying unconsciously to disguise any hints of that same Pennsylvanian elocution. After they disappeared back into the woods, I put my mask in my pocket, where it stayed for the rest of the hike. For about 30 seconds, I was reminded that the rest of the world was focused on something other than the forest floor.

For about 30 seconds, I was reminded that the rest of the world was focused on something other than the forest floor.

A few years back I had tasted some wild mushroom conserva courtesy of my cousin, Andy, during a trip to my hometown in Pennsylvania. Andy is a budding locavore, a self-taught forager, and a mad scientist in the kitchen. His passion is infectious. Eighty percent of the meat he consumes, he hunts himself. He cures venison and butchers whole pigs in his garage.

That first spoonful of Andy’s mushrooms, meaty chanterelles salted in a strainer, then simmered in white vinegar with gothic-looking thyme and peppercorns, is preserved in my mind, so much so that I can access that memory whenever I want. The dim lighting in my parents’ dining room, Andy standing in the kitchen with his arms confidently folded, the sound of the Mason jar lid spinning loose, and the immense joy of my first bite — stocky chanterelle mushrooms, piquant vinegar, gentle aromatics, and then the brilliant opulence of olive oil, used to preserve the mixture.

I asked Andy if I could take a jar of them back home to Los Angeles, and he obliged. Every so often, I unscrewed the lid for a small bite. I would close my eyes and feel the cold air in my hometown. If I listened carefully, I could hear the train whistles in the distance. Those mushrooms became a portal to my hometown, a culinary object so emotionally resonant, so distinct from the food I bought at my grocery store in California, that I always longed to forage and conserve a jar of my own.

I began to miss rural Pennsylvania as the pandemic encroached into summer. Like a lot of people, I felt trapped in the big city, and so in June, I went home. In Pennsylvania, everybody’s houses are set at a distance, but everyone barters home provisions, ranging from venison pastrami to crooked cucumbers to gargantuan zucchini. The summer is when the Amish sell sweet corn, and when the berry farms open their orchards. The old-timey ice cream shops end their winter break, and people start roasting whole pigs and marinated legs of lamb. It was also not lost on me that a hot, wet climate is the ideal condition for chanterelles, and that this would be the perfect time to chase that dragon: the jar of preserved mushrooms.

Once I began mushroom hunting, the calm followed. I embraced foraging, an oft-maligned word after the chef-bro boom of the 2010s. If your reaction is to recoil, you’re not alone. Before my mushroom-hunting days, I usually laughed when I saw the word “foraged” on a menu or in a magazine. Oh, did you really go out foraging, m’Lord?

The first time I went, I rode in the passenger seat of Andy’s car, down the winding rural roads of Amish country. To be honest, I didn’t immediately connect with foraging; the experience felt educational. Of course, when you’re dealing with something that can be either good in a stir-fry, consciousness-expanding, or deadly, education is important. Poisonous mushrooms actually look evil, though, an offer of good faith from Mother Nature. They often have a sinister gray or red color, with warts and scales reminiscent of the toxic fungi in fairy-tale illustrations. Andy made sure to teach me enough that I didn’t end up hallucinating through the woods — or, worse yet, dead.

People in my hometown definitely don’t fall into the stereotype of knuckle-tatted, beanie-wearing “foragers,” but they’re pretty keen on the good mushroom spots. There’s an old Polish woman, for instance, whose stiff, territorial energy I can feel whenever I show up to Gaston Park the day after a rain. Because I didn’t want to move in on another gang’s turf, I had Andy show me a few of his favorite areas. Still, it didn’t feel right: These were his discoveries, not mine. I wanted to make my own way. I wanted that excitement of stumbling across a rare mushroom, of encountering a field of freshly sprouted chanterelles. I wanted to find my own mushroom haven, and so I went to Hell’s Hollow.

daveynin/Flickr

A view from the Hell’s Hollow Trail in McConnells Mill State Park, Pennsylvania

Hell’s Hollow is a national park and trail in New Castle, Pennsylvania, about a mile down the road from my childhood home. Apparently, it’s called Hell’s Hollow because some time ago a man fell asleep in those woods, and when he woke up, he was convinced that the place he was in was actually Hell. Are the woods deep and dark? Sure. Spooky at night? Yeah, of course. But, Hell? As in the place where sinners go and are tormented for eternity? Like, Satan-owned and -operated Hell? I scoff at the idea whenever I pass the old wooden sign for the trail. What kind of idiot would think that the woods is Hell? It’s beautiful out here. I mean look, there’s a flowing river. Why would the Devil keep a freshwater source in an eternity of suffering? Rule No. 1 of Hell must be to stay hydrated. Rule No. 2? No running.

Hell’s Hollow has been a constant throughout my life. When I was a kid, my mom and dad let me splash around the creek trying to catch minnows and small crabs. When I was 10, I gleefully collected rocks and declared that I was going to be a geologist (my family would be disappointed). As teens, my friends and I smoked shag weed and smashed cans of Mountain Dew together like Stone Cold Steve Austin there. The point is, I’ve been wandering around Hell’s Hollow my whole life, and it never dawned on me that I would ever find myself foraging there. But sure enough, it was my spot.

I did not expect hunting for mushrooms to clear my head the way it did. People say that about prep work, by the way. They say that peeling potatoes and kneading dough lets the mind wander and alleviates stress. But, to me, prep work is just that: work. Dicing onions pierces the eyes, lemon juice stings, and I will always associate chopping parsley with the incoming threat of a dinner rush at one of my restaurant jobs. When people say that cooking soothes the mind, they’re not taking into account all the people who do this shit for a living. What are those people supposed to do to get away from themselves? For me, I found that wandering in the woods alone with a sense of purpose was exactly the thing I needed to weather the fire tornado of anxiety the pandemic had produced.

The act of foraging, a completely unchanged activity in a pandemic, possesses the acute ability to make me forget about the state of things entirely. Specifically, it was easy to forget about a global virus. Hunting for mushrooms in the woods alone is already distanced; there are no guidelines to follow. Walk down the street in Los Angeles and you’re immediately reminded that restaurants are shut down and live performance spaces are shuttered. But in the woods? Go ahead — sneeze full force in any direction you please. Let off some steam, pal. You’ve earned it. Sure, I had a mask, but it stayed in my pocket on the off chance that I ran into another human being, though I was more likely to spot a deer.

When I’m hunting for mushrooms it feels like I’m achieving something tangible.

This wasn’t just a way to pass time, mind you. These weren’t nature walks I was taking. There’s a sense of ambition at the core of mushroom hunting. Purpose, the thing so many of us have felt without this year, I suddenly possessed. When there’s purpose, there’s a sense of reward, and when I’m hunting for mushrooms it feels like I’m achieving something tangible. All my energy is focused, my aim clear. Instead of staring at the ceiling in my studio apartment, I found myself scanning the ground for edible treasure. The dopamine you receive from finding a cluster of chanterelle mushrooms in the damp woods is immense, somehow both frivolous and survivalist. There’s a real sense of childlike treasure-hunting tied to foraging.

Take the elusive cauliflower mushroom, Sparassis, which is as rare as mushrooms come. They grow sporadically; their appearance is psychedelic and aquatic. It looks coral in a way, like a living, breathing self-sustaining organism that belongs at the bottom of the ocean. Jarring, then, to find one surrounded by leaves and mossy logs. The mushroom itself is wavy and ethereal, with petals like a flower. It’s so rare that when Andy and I found one, he jumped in the air with excitement. For seven years he had been hunting for a cauliflower mushroom, and he finally got it. His triumph felt like my triumph, and in a way, it was. Later, I fried the petals of the cauliflower mushroom in oil and ate them salted. The texture was outstanding and the flavor delicate, like a homemade noodle but with the specific earthiness of a fungus. “How many people are eating a cauliflower mushroom right now?” I thought.

I felt like jumping in the air like Andy when I spotted that lone, feeble chanterelle in Hell’s Hollow. To reach that first chantie was a hero’s journey, past a path that leads to a dazzling waterfall, down a steep hill, across a stream, and through a tunnel of decaying trees. The air starts to cool down and a trained nose can begin to smell the faint notes of mushrooms in the air. Clusters of chanterelles appear like small towns; they are golden trumpets that politely announce their presence with colorful glee. Oyster mushrooms grow shelf-like on the sides of trees, and chicken of the woods, these endlessly useful and tasty orange half-moons, light up your eyes like a gorgeous sunset. That’s the thing about wild mushrooms — once you see them, you can’t unsee them. After an education in foraging, you’ll be forever scanning your surroundings, trying to manifest treasure.

As I carried back my sack of mushrooms that first time, I thought about that man who woke up in Hell’s Hollow in the night. How must he have felt? Aimless, one would assume. Probably searching for a way out of the darkness. Disoriented, without a clue where he might be in relation to the outside world. Maybe that’s what Hell is. Maybe it’s quite simply feeling lost and alone. The pandemic can feel like that, as though you’re traversing an endless dark wilderness hoping to catch a light in the distance that’ll guide you back to society. But is that a new feeling? Hasn’t it always been that way? Maybe all of life has just been wandering in the dark.

Anyway, I’m glad to be walking through the woods with a purpose.

Danny Palumbo is a comedian and writer living in Los Angeles.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2JUbLZq via Blogger https://ift.tt/38Dk0DK

[ashis2gay4u]

I Am Not A Robot (In One Post!!)

Nico di Angelo stared out his window, the skull head ashtray in his lap overflowing with ashes, cigarette butts, and burnt out joints, yet instead of ashing out the open window, he continued to ash into the tray.

He was sat on the ledge of the bay window, it being big enough to be a bed for an average height person. He gave a huff as he watched the boys playing soccer on the lawn across the street, smiling and laughing.

He can't remember the last time he laughed. Hell, he doesn't even remember what it sounds like.

Don't even get him started on his smile, because he's sure he'd rip his face in half if he even tried.

He put the ashtray aside, pulling his knees to his chest. He nestled his chin between them, continuing to watch.

One of those boys turned to look at him, and Nico froze as the others turned to stare him down.

"Hey!" one kid shouted, his black hair untamed, like he had just rolled out of bed, "Wanna join? Might be more fun than watching!"

Nico shook his head, "No, I'm good-"

Another boy, a Latino, shorter than the first, spoke up next, "But why not? We're one player short of a team, anyways!"

Nico stood up and leaned out the window, staring at the five boys there. "No, I'm good, thank you very much."

The blonde boy shrugged, "He doesn't want to play, guys."

"Awe, man!" the Latino said.

The Chinese boy shook his head and spoke up, barely loud enough for Nico to hear, "If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to... Plus, he kinda scares me."

At that, Nico slammed his window shut, glaring at them all. He flipped them off, and went to sit on his bed.

Curled up on his purple comforter, he fell into what he hopes will be a dreamless sleep.

~

He woke up the next day in a cold sweat. Everything was fine, up until he fell into that dark hole.

He hated that hole, with all it's horrid hallucinations and ghastly smells and horrifying noises.

He quickly threw the blanket away- how did it get on him and not below him?-, and stood up, going to take a quick shower.

He stared at his reflection afterwards, glaring into his own eyes.

He proceeded to brush his teeth, his eyes never leaving the stare into his own soul.

He had mastered this technique. Why? It was a distraction.

He quickly got dressed, before heading to his window, opening them up and sitting on the ledge, grabbing his lighter, smokes, and ashtray from beside him.

Just as he had taken the first inhale, a knock sounded at his door, followed by a sniffing sound.

"Dammit, Nico! I told you not to smoke in the house!" came the voice of his step-mother, Persephone.

He hated her, she was always switching between nice and mean with him.

"Fuck off, you bitch, I don't have time for you."

She slammed open the door, glaring at him. "You dare? I should call your father right now and-"

"And what? He won't fuckin' pick up. He never picks up. Not since Mamma and Bianca died, right?" he said coolly, smirking as she tensed up.

"Don't you dare mention her-"

"Suck it up, he cheated on you with her. Twice. And then once more with Hazel's mom. Yet you hate me the most. How so? Why not hate the man who cheated on you, because you aren't enough?"

Persephone merely walked over and smacked his ashtray out of his hand, his smokes and lighter flying out the window with it.

A loud crash rang out as the crystal skull broke.

"Don't. Smoke. In. My. House. You. Insolent. Brat!"

Nico pushed her away, grabbed his satchel from where it was perched against the windowsill, and nodded, "Fine. Next time, I'll smoke in your room, and leave all the ashes in your makeup and burn holes through all your favorite dresses. Cunt."

She was about to smack him, he could tell, so he did what he always did when she attacked him.

He jumped out the window, landing in her garden and rolling to his feet. He smirked up at her, "I think I crushed those pretty tulips that just bloomed! Sorry!"

She started screaming at him, but he was already in the garage, starting up his motorcycle. He took off down the street, heading towards his favorite place in the world.

The graveyard.

~

When he got there, he parked his bike and tossed his helmet to the side, sitting on his haunches in front of the gravestones before him.

"Hey, Mamma, Bianca. It's been a while."

He sighed, moving to sit with his legs crossed.

"I know I shouldn't break her rules, and I know I shouldn't fucking snap at her and piss her off, but she does everything she can to hurt me. I hate it."

He could feel the tears starting to fall, hitting his hands which were clasped so tightly in his lap he swore he was about to snap his own fingers in half.

"I had the nightmare again, Mamma, about-" He stopped himself, choking back a sob.

"I miss you, Mamma, Bianca. Sometimes I... I just want to be emotionless, like a robot."

~

"Hey, Nico... I heard from Persephone what had happened, I'm sorry she broke your ashtray, I know how much it meant to you," Hazel said softly, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Whatthefuckever, she can do what she wants..." Nico mumbled.

"You don't always have to be on top, you know," she replied, gently taking his hand in hers.

"I feel like I have to-"

"Because you can't show weakness, right? It's okay to be vulnerable, you don't have to act like the tough guy all the time."

Nico said nothing, merely stared out the window where his new plastic ashtray sat.

"You've been smoking a lot, lately."

"I know."

"You're just a baby, Nico. You shouldn't smoke so much..."

"I'm seventeen, Hazel."

"I know, but your lungs aren't fully developed yet."

"If I wanted advice, I'd go to a counselor or a medical professional," he snapped.

"...Better to be hated, than loved for what you're not," she said, before standing up.

He snatched his hand away, and she left, closing the door behind her softly.

~

It's been a year since he started watching the boys.

He sat perched on his window ledge as per usual, a new (although metal) skull ashtray sat in his lap. Persephone was gone, so she couldn't yell at him.

He stared out the open window, and noticed the black-haired boy and his friends were out front again, playing some demented form of tag.

The Latino looked up at him, and waved.

Despite his better judgment, he waved back.

He was just being polite, is all.

"Yo!" the blonde boy yelled, "Wanna play with us now?"

"What the fuck are you idiots even playing, anyways?" Nico questioned.

"TV Tag!" the black-haired boy said, smiling goofily.

Nico's heart stopped at that look on his face.

No, no. Not today. Begone, thoughts.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

The Latino stepped forwards, grinning wildly. Nico's heart did a flip.

"It's when you yell out a TV show name, and crouch down. The person can't idle by you, or tag you until you stand up. You can only crouch for ten seconds, though, but it's fair play to yell out another right afterwards!"

"That doesn't sound very fair at all, that should be illegal."

The blonde boy laughed, loud and booming. It made Nico's cheeks heat up.

Fuck, they're all hot.

"I like this kid!" he said.

The black-haired boy grinned, "Frank isn't here today, so if you want, you can fill in for him!"

Nico thought for a second, before putting out his smoke. He stood up, and promptly closed his window, disappearing from their sights.

"Awe, man! Percy, you scared him away!"

"I'm sorry, Jason, I didn't mean to! Besides, Leo probably did it, not me!"

"Hey! Jason, are you going to let him talk to me like that-"

"Gods, it's like watching a buncha old married couples. Maybe I should just go."

They all stopped talking, and turned to face Nico, who stood a few feet away, a smoke hanging from his lips.

"Smoking kills," the blonde boy- Jason, Nico recalled-, said.

"Exactly."

Jason made a choking noise at the blunt tone, and the Latino- Leo, the black-haired boy had called him- laughed.

"Cat got your tongue really good, eh, Superman?"

"Shut up, you stupid Christmas Elf."

"Jason, how could you?" he said, faking a sob. He turned to the black-haired boy, "Percy, are you going to let him talk to me like this?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "No, Repair Boy. Jason, play nice. Leo, stop being dumb."

Leo gave a gasp, falling against Jason. Jason caught him, rolling his eyes in turn.

Percy turned to look at Nico, "Hey, name's-"

"Percy," Nico said, smirking. "The blonde is Jason, and the tiny shit is Leo. I pay attention, you know."

Leo gave a cry, "You've embarrassed me in front of the hot goth! how could you!"

Jason dropped him, "Well, it does give Percy an advantage."

Nico stared at the three, "What?"

"Why do you think we've been spending so much time outside since we first noticed you?" Percy said, chuckling. "Me and Leo thought you were cute. Everybody's been trying to help both of us win a chance, well, except for Frank, who's apparently dating your-"

"Oh fuck no. That's Frank Zhang? Holy shit, that kid is dead-"

"Wait! He's really nice, we swear-" Jason said.

"No, he borrowed my Myth-O-Magic cards a few months ago from Hazel and spilled pop on them. Hazel's kept him away from my wrath for this long, but no more. Dead, he will be."

They all stared at him for a few moments, before collapsing to the grass in fits of laughter.

"That's why you want to murder him?" Leo said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"We... We thought-"

"That it was cause of what he said last year," Percy managed to get the whole sentence out, before giggling uncontrollably once more.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Nico deadpanned.

"Yep, indeed."

"Wanna play that game?" he asked.

Leo's face lit up, "Si, indeed!"

They all stood up, exchanged looks, and then yelled in almost perfect unison, "NOT IT!" before taking off in different directions.

Nico soon learned physical activity was not meant to be done in skinny jeans.

~

"Hey, Mamma, Bianca."

It's been two months since he's last visited them. He'd been so busy running around with Leo, Jason, Percy, Grover (Percy's best friend), and Frank (who turned out to be really cool, even replaced his deck with a limited edition one), and had completely forgotten his promise to visit them every day.

The first time since he was ten, nonetheless. He's eighteen now.

"I made some... Ah, friends, I guess," he said, not sure how he felt about having friends.

The word tasted strange in his mouth, he doesn't think he's ever had any friends, not like the five friends he had made.

"...I kinda like them..."

"Awe, we like you too!" Leo Valdez said, appearing at his shoulder.

Nico almost had a heart attack, "What-? Why-"

Jason Grace, Percy Jackson, and Frank Zhang stood next to Leo, each with a bouquet of flowers. Nico stared at them all.

"My Mama died when I was seven, she was buried just over there," Leo said, smiling sadly, "Next to my twin brother."

"My mom died when I was about eleven, I think, I was abandoned outside this military facility- nobody claimed me-, so I didn't find out until I ran into my sister out on a mission with Leo, who I had picked up along the way with my girlfriend, Piper."

"And you?" he asked, turning to Percy.

"Here for emotional support," he said, brandishing two bouquets of red roses.

Nico stared at them all silently, "So-"

"Maria is a nice name," Leo said, sitting down next to where Nico sat hunched in front of the graves, "And if she had even a bit of your face on her, I bet she was gorgeous, too..."

Percy sat on the other side of him, placing a bouquet in front of the graves, "I'm sure Jason's mom won't mind. Bianca... That name sounds familiar. Was she an archer...?"

Nico nodded solemnly, "One of the best. At such a young age, she was already on the waiting list for the Olympics."

Percy went pale, "I knew her. I met her and you at a casino years ago."

"You- You were the boy with the blonde? That boy you left with was-"

"Grover, yeah. Annabeth is my other best friend, but nobody can compare to the G-Man."

Jason stood off to the side, and silently slunk off to his mother's grave.

Leo sighed, "Guess we've all met each other before, then. I remember her, too, she and Hazel used to play hide and seek with me and my brother Sammy Jr. all the time, up until he died."

"Sammy... Jr...? The kid she had a crush on?"

"Yeah, I had a crush on her, too, until I met my ex Calypso. Boy, that went to Hell-"

"-when he found out she had tried to seduce me while I was on-and-off dating Annabeth," Percy finished.

"Woah... We've got some fucked up connections, don't we?" Nico said, smirking.

"Yeah, we do," Percy replied, leaning back against the grass.

"Where'd Jason go?" Leo asked, looking around.

"Over here!" came the voice of the blonde.

"Oh, he's paying respects. Come on, Leo, let's go do that, too."

"...I'll come with, I can talk to them later," Nico said, standing up with the other two boys.

"Are you sure? You seemed to be having a decent one-sided conversation with the dead, Neeks," Leo said, chuckling silently.

"Yeah, yeah, Valdez. Let's go."

~

"Happy birthday, Baby Bat Wings!" Leo cried, waving a party streamer around.

Percy laughed and swung his arm around his shoulders, Leo following suit.

Soon enough, Nico had six boys hanging off of him, Jason, Frank, Grover, and Will Solace- who was the latest addition to their little group- soon joining in on the group hug.

Nico can't remember when he smiled so hard, but he'd gladly accept his face splitting in half if this was the reason why.

He blushed a deep crimson red as his two crushes, Leo and Percy, kissed each of his cheeks respectively.

~

"You've been hanging with the unloved kids a lot," Persephone accused, glaring at her step-son. "You've never really trusted or even liked them before, what happened?"

"He's just magnetic, he picks up all the loose pins," Hazel says, smiling sweetly at the wickedly bi-polar step-mother.

Persephone sniffed, "Yes, but he really shouldn't. I looked them all up, they all have criminal records or bad school reputations!"

"I'm nineteen now, Persephone. I can do whatever the fuck I want."

She got a wicked gleam in her eye at that, "Yes, you're right. So, you're an adult, now... Get the fuck out of my house.”

Nico stared at her, before turning to Hazel, "Can she do that?" he questioned, looking like he had just witnessed the most fucked up thing in history.

She shrugged, "'Dunno."

"Call Dad, then, see what he says!"

"He won't pick up the phone, and you know it," Persephone replied. "You have twenty-four hours to get the fuck out of my house, before I call the cops for thievery, breaking into my house, and vandalism!"

"Excuse the fuck you-"

She pulled out her phone, dialing 911. "Try me, Nico. Where's your mother to save you from my wrath now? I should have kicked you out as soon as you turned sixteen."

Nico glared, and rushed up the stairs, calling Leo to come get him. He grabbed all his clothes, pillows, and blankets and threw them out the window, packing his more fragile stuff and personal items into his multiple backpacks, his satchel, and his one suitcase, and dragged them all downstairs.

He spat in her face before leaving, Leo and Percy (who had offered his much bigger six-seater as a substitute for Leo's pick-up), helping him load up all his stuff.

They drove off, and Nico felt truly alive for once.

~

"Don't be so pathetic, Nico, just sing! Come on!"

"Shut up, Jackson, I will not-"

"You called?" Leo sang, prancing into the room, dressed entirely in Percy's clothes. He wore a black towel wrapped around his head.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Oh gods, not this again."

"Oh gods, not this again," Leo said in a mock imitation of Percy, "Look, I'm Perseus Jackson! All tough, all sexy! Dumb skater boy!"

Nico laughed, "He was a skater boy, she said seeya later boy-" he stopped himself, realizing he had been singing the lyrics.

The two boys stared at him, "Wow..."

"Such beauty," Leo said, smiling.

"Amazing..." Percy said, in awe.

Nico blushed, "Guys, come on... I'm not that good-"

"Better than Percy, he sounds like a dying whale!"

"You wound me, you shit."

"Suck it, Aquaman."

"When, where, how ha-"

Nico let out a squeak, "P-Percy!"

"Jealous, much?" the sea-green eyed boy said, smirking.

"I'm gonna be sick," Leo said, fake gagging.

"Both of you are dumb, absolutely not," Nico said, noticing how Leo's face lit up and Percy's face fell.

Oh boy, was he as smitten with them as they were with him.

~

Another nightmare, and Nico woke up screaming, thrashing at his blankets as he tried to sit up.

The sounds of footsteps came echoing down the hall, and Leo burst in, wearing nothing but a white tank top covered in grease stains and a pair of red Deadpool boxers, Percy appearing behind him wearing Superman pajama pants.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, concerned.

Percy looked anxious, "Nightmares, buddy?"

Nico couldn't help it when he started crying, reaching out to them like a pathetic baby.

They both swooped in and hugged him, Percy settled behind him and Leo nestled up against Nico's chest, both mumbling soft, soothing words and holding him tight, but not too tightly as to trigger a flashback of any sorts.

"Mamma... Bianca... And I-"

"Shh, take your time..." Percy whispered, rubbing his cheek against Nico's hair.

"Yeah, Neeks, don't rush yourself."

"I felt so... Vulnerable... In that cave. We got stuck down there for a week on a field trip to Greece, there was this gas..."

Percy tightened his grip around Nico's waist, and Leo burrowed deeper against Nico's stomach, his cheek pressed against it.

Nico took a deep breath, before continuing.

"We were trapped for five days. Mamma... Got sick first. The gas created hallucinations, and... Her heart couldn't take the horrors. She started screaming about a lightning storm, shoved us out of the way, and then... She tripped and fell, landing face first on those ground spike things..."

Percy looked horrified, but Nico didn't see, so he continued on.

"Bianca got sick next. The smells really got to her. She thought she was in a metal scrap yard, and got... The ceiling collapsed on top of her," he said shakily, "I was left alone for the next three days, until they found me. I was malnourished and traumatized, and Dad... He left. Business trip after business trip.

"Last time he called me was when I was eleven... He said he wished I had died instead of Bianca, she wouldn't... She wouldn't have been as much of a failure as I am," Nico said, his whole body shaking as sobs wracked his body, occasionally breaking free.

He felt vulnerable, so very vulnerable.

"The noises were what fucked me up the most, mixed with the smells and hallucinations of monsters and demons and... And my dead family..."

He broke down entirely, turning slightly to latch onto Percy. Leo sat up and clung to them both in turn, tears of his own spilling down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," Leo mumbled, "I know what it's like to watch people you love die... I watched Mama and Sammy die in a fire... I started it..."

"I watched my mom get strangled to near-death as a kid... Stayed by her side in the hospital for a few days before I went off with Grover and Annabeth. Ran away to find the sick fucker who attacked her, this guy named Minotaur, he called himself..."

"We're all fucked up," Nico gasped, laughing silently.

"And vulnerable," Leo added.

"But that's good," Percy said, smiling softly through his own tears, "That means we aren't robots."

"Can you teach me how to feel?" Nico asked softly, "Can you turn my power back on...?"

"We'll try our fuckin' best."

~

After a year of living with the two, Nico said something that made the two boys stop and stare.

"I like you both. Fuck, I'm in love with both of you."

"What-" Leo questioned, ears going bright red.

"How-" Percy questioned, dropping his lucky pen Riptide, which he's had for years but never really used.

"I. Love. Both. Of. You," Nico said once again, even more bluntly than the first. "And I don't know how, I just know I do."

The two boys shared a look, before they both broke into huge smiles.

"Fuck. Yes," Leo said.

"So... How the fuck do we smash? Do we take turns or-"

"Percy!" Nico scolded, face flushing.

"Why don't we find out tonight?" Leo asked, smirking. "Would be a great way to celebrate our three-way."

"Wait, so-"

"Yes, Ghost King, I'd happily share you with Repair Boy," Percy said grinning.

"As long as I can be a bottom, I hate topping," Leo said.

Nico laughed, and instantly crashed onto the couch between them, moving the resumes they had been filling out.

The two snuggled up against him, and Nico smiled.

I am not a robot.

{La Fin}

~Ashton Bende

[wlwoodnymph]

apocalypse diaries

a little account of living in oregon during the 2020 wildfires/COVID-19 pandemic. mostly under the read more :)

Monday, 9/7

This morning, the sky was blue. Hot, the sun harsh for September, but blue and clear. I went on a walk with my mom, threading through shaded forests, cresting the hilltop with a view of town, and passing by fields rimmed with sweet ripe blackberries on the bush. We saw lots of people -- a perfect late summer day in a perfect little town, where the grand brick buildings of campus and small downtown storefronts are ringed by rolling farmland, a smooth-flowing river, and forested hills that grow into sheltering mountains.

Of course, we walked six feet apart, and hid our noses and mouths behind masks whenever we passed others on the narrow trails. And almost everyone else did too, in a show of courtesy -- it felt perfectly normal. I am still occasionally taken aback when I shy away from others or try to trap my breath or hear an announcement beginning “To stop the spread of the virus...” while grocery shopping. But these things don’t surprise me as much as seeing a photograph of two people unmasked and nearly touching, or watching the neighbors have a birthday party, people and music spilling out of their kitchen and onto the balcony. The connection and celebration I had known my whole life, now completely foreign.

Despite it all, that morning felt perfectly normal. After discussing our birthdays, my classes, and my mom’s anxiety about going backpacking, I returned home and made vegetable soup, watched Prince of Tennis with my roommates, and practiced taking integrals. The afternoon passed quietly, doing calculus at the table, until I glimpsed a sliver of strange sky through the blinded window. I stepped onto the balcony and into another kind of apocalypse.

The most welcome thing about outside was the breeze, making the dry air just bearable after the hot day. The concrete was still warm under my feet, comforting. It seemed the wind had blown in smoke from some fire, far-away until now. The sun, setting and shrouded by the smoke, glowed red and foreboding. The rest of the air was tinted yellow, and if not for the sepia tones, it might have just looked foggy, everything smudged and faded. 

Notably, the smoke hadn’t stopped the games of beach volleyball in the park across the street. Quiet shouts and static-y pop music filled the air along with the wind, which rattled the trees’ dry leaves. Someone walked their dog by, pausing to take a picture of the sun. A car started and pulled out of our complex. A leaf scraped across the ground, and the smoke filled my nose.

I stood outside for longer than I needed to, somehow trapped by the warm concrete under my feet and soothing breeze on my arms. The smoke scent was light, and seemed innocuous until I thought about how far away the fires must be -- out in the Cascades, not the little hills that sheltered my town. The wind suddenly seemed a bit less friendly, carrying them closer. I thought about the emergency alert for high heat and winds earlier that day, and (among other things) the big signs along I-5 that discouraged travel during the pandemic, and slipped back inside.

Instead, I raised the blinds, to observe the progress of the red sun and the shrouding smoke and just-green trees buffeted by the wind. I did try to go outside again, to write, but the smoke was thicker, enough to make me cough. I thought about the virus, and watched bits of ash float past, and went back inside. It wasn’t worth the worry of giving myself a sore throat. 

So now I’m sitting in my kitchen, and watching it grow unnaturally dark as the clock passes 7:00. The sky is yellower, and the trees and volleyball players have faded, drifting into the thickening smoke. I looked up the air quality a bit ago -- unhealthy for people with sensitive lungs, which is better than I expected. It all feels very strange, but mundane. The volleyball continues even as the sky grows dark. Cottonwood seeds float by with the ash. And I am just watching from a quiet kitchen, with dishes that still need doing. I wonder how long the smoke might last -- I’d love to open my window tonight. 

This morning had felt so normal in comparison, even though the smoke is such a small thing in comparison to the shuttered schools and stores, the cancelled concerts, and the rules of six feet and masked faces. But still, I get up and do the dishes, move my laundry to the drier, and watch a movie with my sister (over Zoom, of course). I can hear the wind whistling outside, and the smoke scent begins to seep in even though all the windows are closed. I hope that I don’t wake up smelling smoke and that I can open my window soon. Wishful thinking, and I realize that I barely bother to wonder anymore when I might dare to touch someone I don’t already share air with.

Tuesday, 9/8

 I wake up a few times as night fades into morning, mostly from the growing light, but once from the shower starting on the other side of the wall -- my roommate has work at 8:30. My comforter is on the floor, my battery pack and earbuds are in the bed where I discarded them before going to sleep. I am almost too warm under just a sheet, but I curl back into it each time I wake. The whole sky is yellow-orange, as if the sunrise fills all the air, but it’s just smoke shrouding my surroundings. It is alien, this dusty neon sky, but I go back to sleep anyway.

When I get up, the downstairs is dark, one window covered and smoke filtering light out from the rest. It feels like evening, but I make an egg and toast and eat a beautiful nectarine, which reminds me of yesterday morning, a flawless piece of summer. It is hard to think of anything about this summer as flawless. I can see bits of ash flutter by the window, like snowflakes, and I long for last winter.

After breakfast, I water the balcony plants. The smoke scent is strong, sharper than yesterday, and the fires creep closer. There is ash layered in the pots, and on our table and chairs. My bare feet leave prints. I also mist the plants with water, to make the balcony air, dry from the wind, more bearable. Balcony life is ill-suited to most plants, and I wonder if they know where they are, if they know that the salvatory humidity on their leaves is man-made.

I finish as quickly as possible, and return inside, where the air is already too warm (the cool morning outside had been a relief), but clear and clean. I would like to drive to the stormy coast, to go swimming in the cold water of the nearby river, even to cool myself with a mist from the plants’ spray bottle, but I don’t. Instead, I wash my face and brush my teeth and get my calculus workbook and another cup of coffee. I open to the chapter on motion problems and watch a dog-walker drift by with the ash. There is no volleyball today, the air hazardous.

-

The first part of today passes like yesterday. I finish my calculus and eat yesterday’s soup for lunch. I call our internet provider to complain about our abysmal internet speeds. The call takes 30 minutes, and we get nowhere. She asks about the weather where I am, and I hold back a laugh. I glance out the window, as if to check that the smoke hasn’t up and left and say “Not too bad. We have some smoke blowing in from wildfires though.” I guess it’s not too bad -- I’m safe, at least.

Afterwards, I go up to my room to get something, and wince at the scent of smoke inside. My throat has started to catch, and my roommate’s eyes are watering. We decide to venture out to get sealing tape. It’s nice to do something, and for a moment, this feels like an adventure, a brave expedition into the unknown to protect us and ours. For one of the first times since March, I am present, letting the moment, the heavy smoke sink into my skin. I will remember, but who will I tell about these days? What will still be here, who might still be shocked by it when this is all over?

The feeling of adventure only lasts as long as the Home Depot parking lot, where the smoke chokes thick in my throat and the wind whips ash into our eyes. It is evening, and the sun must be sinking again, because the sky turns from dusty brown to red-orange, far too dark for a summer 6:00. It makes the grass a plastic shade of vibrant green and suddenly, I want nothing more than to be home, out of the smoke. The adventure is gone, and even when we return home, the sickly orange from the windows and bright ceiling light makes me feel melancholy, lonely and lost.

I’m not sure what to do with the feeling, but I know that I need to start taping our doors and windows. I go downstairs, where it is the worst, and as I run tape along the seams of the front door, I feel ash beneath my feet. The flames seem to lick at our walls, and for the first time, I wonder how far the winds will drive the fires. Where would we go, when the rest of the state is already fleeing to us? 

I think of March 11th, when my university announced they would go online for most of finals week and the first week of spring term. I remember how we watched other states, other colleges, shutter, and wondered when or if we might do that. I remember March 23rd, when the governor ordered us into our houses to stay, and how we planned grimly for a few weeks’ change. I wonder how long this will last.

Thankfully, we watch Prince of Tennis and read our dumb romance novel, and I forget for a bit -- it is nice to be stuck inside with these people, at least. As the evening winds down, we finish taping windows. We tell our other roommate, who is away, to come in through the garage when he gets home. It’s the only door we don’t tape, the double entrance acting like an airlock. I even carry the balcony plants inside, so we can seal it off. They are dry and ashy, but probably happier to be inside. Even coated in ash, the basil, sage, and tomato still smell like lovely and herby, and it makes me smile.

Wednesday-Friday, 9/9-9/11

    The next few days pass like this. We stay inside, and watch the shifts of the sky from orange to yellow to sepia, a strange fog settled over us. We monitor the smell of smoke in the house, how it changes from day-to-day and room-to-room. At least the smoke blocks the sun, and keeps it cool while we can’t open the windows.

    I am reading a Money Diary on Friday morning, and the author mentions how “shocking the images coming out of Portland are”. For a moment, I am amused -- Portland has some of the least smoke in Oregon right now. Then I realize she probably means the protests, or the detainment of protestors in unmarked federal vans.

    I thought it was a good thing, how little the smoke bothered me. I’m a natural resources major -- I know that forest fires are inevitable. Even though they are unusually bad right now, in part because of climate change, their existence does not alarm me. It is tragic that people are losing their homes, but that is almost inevitable, as long as we build in forests and let fuel grow thick and close to what we love.

    But even so, this has never happened before, and in some moments, it hits me. It is scary the fires have stretched so far, that they may continue to be this bad for many years, that we are so ill-equipped, that this happens as people go hungry and are evicted and die from this pandemic. As I typed the words “detainment of protestors in unmarked federal vans.” I wondered if I had become numb. I know this is bad, but it feels so distant, so unreal, so unavoidable. I am almost powerless, so what does it matter if I care? It’s easier to not feel anything, to fixate instead on the hundreds of tiny crises my mind makes of my body and life. I finish my coffee and do my math and try to ignore the pain throbbing in my elbow.

Saturday-Thursday, 9/12-9/17

    It was supposed to clear up on Friday. When it didn’t, Tuesday and even Wednesday looked better, the air quality “moderate”. However, it remains “unhealthy”, and I cancel my trips to The Arc and Goodwill, so I can at least meet my mom outside for her birthday. She is struggling with the smoke, but glad to get outside for a bit. Instead of the long hike we had planned, we sit six feet apart on a bench, and I feel like a monster for cringing away from her. The breeze on my skin, though, is a blessing, salvation after a week of the same stale, still air in our house. I want to open my window.

    There is rain coming, and wind, and maybe later this week the smoke will clear. We plan for my birthday, assuming that outside, the only safe place to meet our friends, will be safe itself. I imagine pulling all the tape off, and wonder if it will have to go back on. When will we feel safe enough to let the air in? Will I ever shake hands with a stranger again? Will I continue to recoil at the very thought of entering a store without a mask? It feels like being naked.

    The rain does come, in drizzles, on Thursday night. It comes with flashes of lightning and rolling purrs of thunder, soothing, while we make pretzels and fondue, and I feel joyous, unhindered for the first time in more than a week. When we finish our cooking, we go outside. It is still smoky, but muted, and the smell is mixed with the delightful scent of a long-needed rain. I grin and hop onto the curb as we walk to the park. We talk and I climb on the play structures (I dropped my bouldering class, even though I miss it fiercely) until the thunder roars too close, and we return inside. It feels like a gift, something I could pray for.

Friday, 9/18

    I’m listening to ASMR in bed (it’s after midnight, so technically Friday), and when I take my headphones off to go to sleep, I realize it is pouring. I briefly entertain the idea of going outside, but it doesn’t quite seem worth drying off after. Instead, I lay awake, listening to thunder and rain, and think about what could have been. I am still happy, finally given a good form of novelty.

    I wake up that morning and the sky is clear as can be. I grin. As soon as I eat breakfast, I grab my bike to go shopping -- the air quality is “moderate”. I take deep lungfuls, uncaring that the air is public. It smells so good, smoke-free and rain-filled. 

    The first rain of autumn always feels like a return home. I don’t like the dry grass and merciless heat, especially when I am stuck inside, watching. It feels so strange, to see the exact same yellow-brown leaves littering the ground, feel the same cool damp air on my skin, the same weak, soothing sun. So much has changed, but this is still the same. I think of my middle and high school soccer games, of watching my favorite YouTubers play Undertale with a cup of tea on stormy Saturday nights, of sitting next to my dad’s fireplace with our kittens, of doing homework while my mom’s partner watches football. The season reminds me of home, but I’m not sure that I feel comforted. 

    I know that I’ve changed, and so has the world. I desperately, desperately, want this place to still feel like home, and maybe it will tomorrow, maybe it will next fall. I also don’t want to think about next fall -- what will have happened by then? What will have happened in five years? I have my hopes, but they feel slim. I hope that I am home and safe, and that I can take a breath without fearing smoke or virus or tear gas. And I am lucky, in the grand scheme of things.

    At least I can breathe right now. I bike home from the Arc, and revel in cold rain dripping from my legs when I stop at Fred Meyer, where I get prints of my friends for our living room. At home, I pull off the tape and throw open the windows. Cold, fresh air rushes in, and it feels like life. The sound of pouring rain and thunder is refreshing, after so many days of static. Here, now, maybe not in five minutes, but now, I feel relieved, unweighted, even if just briefly. It will not be a long reprieve, but I am grateful nonetheless.

[eamesandbellamyaremyheaven]

Heart of Novocaine Ch1|| Jax Teller x Sansa Stark (SoA/GoT)

Sons of Anarchy x Game of Thrones AU (set before the show)

Warnings: none for now, but there will be violence and smut in the future - with SAMCRO what do you expect? 😜 

Summary: After loosing her mother and elder brother in an accident, Sansa takes her younger siblings and moves in with Jon, who lives in Charming, to start anew, amidst from and the suffering and heartache from the past. But can she adapt to Jon’s dangerous lifestyle? And what if her “past” comes looking for her? And for how long will she be able to abstain herself from the alluring advances of Jax?

Chapter One - Far from Home

Sansa raised her head to the skies, and closed her eyes. It was a grim day, as it was past midday and the sun wouldn’t shine through the dark heavy clouds, and the cold breeze puncture through her skin, her blood, her bones. It was a grim day, for grim matters.

Sansa looked to her left, where Arya stood. Arya raised her head, giving her a simple tight-lipped smile, an understanding smile, and took her hand in hers, squeezing gently. When Arya adverted her gaze, Sansa looked to her left, where her brothers where. Jon’s shoulder brushed against her arm, as he was now smaller than her a few inches. He’d taken hold of Rickon by his shoulder, pulling the youngest of the pack closer to him. Bran stood by their side, is face void of any emotion.

All dressed in black, two graves freshly dug and filled in front of them.

A drunken driver. A car crash. A massacre. No survivors. That’s how she was told she had lost her mother and brother Robb, less than a year after loosing her father.

The world was cruel to the Starks, it had always been. But as long as the family stood together, as a unit, they could endure all the obstacles that were thrown at them. That’s what Ned used to say. And when he died, leaving them stripped from their shield, Catlyn and Robb joined forces and ran the company her father had built, a company that was facing serious difficulties. Now, with them gone, her only solution was to sell all of their belongings in order to pay the dept, and sell the company. She couldn’t run it without Robb, anyway. And she couldn’t take care of her siblings alone, so Jon had offered her to move in with him, and she had accepted it.

So, in the two weeks that passed since her mother and brother’s death, Jon had stayed behind to found them a place that would be fit for all of them, leaving Sansa to deal, alone, with the funeral and the legal bureaucracies that involved selling all of her family legacy. In between packing what was left, finishing paperwork and signing deals, Sansa barely had any time to assimilate what was happening, as she was running in auto-pilot and coffee.

“We need to go now if we want to get there before dark” Jon said, facing her, to which Sansa simply nodded. The ride to Charming was long, and since Jon brought his bike Sansa would be the one driving the car down to California.

*~*~*~*

Sansa let her last bag fall into the floor in a thud, taking in her surroundings for the first time since they started unloading. The mid-century house Jon had rented for them was in good conditions, but it was outdated. The furniture was old, dark and sturdy, and every room had colors and patterns that didn’t quite match one another. Not to mention that in the two weeks that Jon had already stayed there, he made a mess of it, with empty beer bottles and take out boxes scattered through the living room’s every surface, and as she reached through the dark-green linen couch pillows, she pulled out a lacy hot pink thong, which she immediately threw away, grunting in disgust.

“Eww, Jon!” She rubbed her hand fast on her jeans, as Jon simply chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable with her discovery

“Me and the boys had a party last night, won’t happen again” he said, apologetic, as she raised her brow, looking at him clearly annoyed

The boys. Jon left the Starks household when he was 14, and moved in with his mother to Charming, California. There he apparently made friends with a group of 16 year-old wanna-be bikers, whom she couldn’t remember the names, and as they finished high school they joined the town’s biker club, Sons of Anarchy. Now, Jon worked in the auto shop that belonged to the president of the club, and the group spent most of their waking hours together, either working or partying.

“This place’s a shithole” Arya stated, as she walked through them with two duffle bags thrown over her shoulders

“Arya!” Sansa scolded, her stare firm but stern “It has potential, maybe we can make it better over time. New furniture, a fresh coat of paint, the boys can take care of the front yard-”

“Don’t count on it, sis” Rickon replied as he passed them by, his eyes glued on his phone, as Bran simply shrugged, too busy carrying an heavy box of books to even dignify them with a spoken answer.

Sansa grabbed a black trash bag and started to pick up the empty bottles that were spread all over the place, the mess all around her was starting to make her feel anxious.

“So, what’s for dinner?” she asked Jon, but as she looked to him she noticed he was on the phone. He hung up, and smiled weakly at her with guilty eyes, as he tapped his phone against his hand, a nervous tic he had since she could remember.

“Jax called, they need me in the club”

If Sansa could shoot daggers with her eyes, Jon would be dead on the stop. He moved closer to her before she could start screaming at him, and he held her steady by her shoulders, speaking low so that the younglings could not hear them.

“It’ll only be for a couple hours, I swear, he wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important”

Sansa sighed “I need you too. We need you. Things have to change, Jon. What happens when I get a job?”

“Speaking of which” Jon shot her one of his rare, mischievous grins, making her instantly roll her eyes “Gemma wants to hire someone to help with the shop paperwork, and I told them of your degree, so Jax said if you want the job, it’s yours”

Sansa felt herself calming down, and she smiled gently at her brother “You got me a job?”

“Well, technically, Jax did, I just suggested your name” Jon said, as he grabbed his kutte and slipped it on. “So, don’t forget to thank your new boss when you see him tomorrow, ‘kay?”

“I sure will, biker boy” Sansa teased jokingly

“I’m gonna regret this, ain’t I?” he asked, exasperated, as he ran his hand through his thick black curls, and Sansa couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction to her provocation. He was more alike Robb than she’d ever expected.

“Calm down Jon, unlike Margaery, I don’t have a bikers fetish”

Jon first made a disgusted face, but then her words sunk in and he raised his eyebrow, curious “Margaery has a what!?”

“Ugh, just leave already!” Sansa said, faking annoyance, as she pushed him out the door and closed it quickly behind him, smiling as she went back into cleaning the house. 

*~*~*~*

Sansa set the car into parking, coming to an halt. She looked at her watch, noticing it marked a quarter to nine. She’d arrived early, but there was people walking around the garage already, so she exited the vehicle, old metal screeching as she opened the door.

As she came closer to the shop she could feel all those curious eyes glancing at her, gruff-looking men twice her age wondering her up and down.

“Hello, sweetheart” one of them shouted, a younger man with a short mohawk and a devilish smile, as the rest of them laugh. Sansa raised her perfectly trimmed brow at him, defiantly, and instead of ignore him or scold him, like she would do, she pulled out a Marge card, and shot the men the most sweet - yet provoking - smile she could muster as she opened the entrance door.

“Good morning to you too” she said, sliding through the door as it closed behind her, fully aware of the slack-jawed men she left behind

There was a woman behind the counter, eyes scanning through some receipts as she expertly moved them in between her fingers, using the other hand to bring a cigarette up to her lips, inhaling deeply, her bony cheeks hollowing as she raised her eyes towards Sansa.

Sansa closed the distance and raised her hand at the older woman “Hi, I’m Sansa, Jon’s sister. I’m here for the accounting job...?”

The woman didn’t move. She looked her up and down, as she puffed out the smoke, taking in her’s features, and in that moment Sansa was glad she’d opted for a simple black shirt, jeans and sneakers. The woman’s lips curled upwards, and she nodded as she dropped the papers and reached for her hand “Gemma”

Sansa smiled gently to her new boss, and the woman waved to her to follow. Gemma was lean and tall, and she looked all the way what she’d imagined a biker’s wife would look like. Long, styled hair, tattoos on her exposed chest, a cleavage that left barely nothing to the imagination, leather pants with an adorned buckled belt and high heel boots. She looked like a Van Halen groupie.

“You don’t look like Jon” Gemma remarked, and Sansa chuckled

“Yeah, I hear that a lot. I look a lot like my mom...” Sansa voice dropped, as she felt her heart clenched at the thought of her mother, hauntingly beautiful, now six-feet under. Gemma turned around, facing her with a compassionate smile.

“She must’ve been a beautiful woman, then”

“And pretty badass, too” Sansa added, thinking of how Catlyn would rule the house with an iron fist

“I hope you have some of that in you, ‘cause these boys can be pretty handful” Gemma said, as she pushed the door open, leading Sansa inside an office. Sansa furrowed her eyes, confused, and Gemma explained “In here, we mix family and business, and we take care of our own. You’ll see that soon enough, but for now, let’s concentrate in cleaning this mess”

*~*~*~*

Jax rushed towards the shop’s office, looking for Gemma, his self-assured throttle a sign of his good mood.

“Hey Ma-”

“She’s not here” an unknown voice called from inside the office, before he turned the corner and entered the room. He froze under the door arch, unable to move forward, or leave. 

Jax knew Jon’s sister was the new employee, hell, he was the one that came up with that idea, but for the past couple days she had been working there, he had been either running around for the club or visiting his son, so it was the first time he was face-to-face with her. And what a face.

She was sat down by the desk parallel to his mother’s, too lost in the accounting books to acknowledge his presence. Her auburn hair, long and wild, cascaded down her shoulders, in contrast to her dark blue shirt, that in its simplicity only emphasized more her porcelain skin and the most stunning set of bright eyes he had ever seen.

She was nibbling lightly at the end of the pen in her hand, and Jax could feel himself grin at the thought of what else he would love to see those full lips wrapped around.

Jax cleared his throat, hoping she would finally noticed him there, too afraid to let his mind wander anymore on the thoughts that involved the beautiful stranger in front of him. 

“Hi there” he called, and she looked up. And he was a goner.

Her bright blue eyes staring wide at his, her mouth slightly open, lacking a pen, as she first noticed him standing there, by the door. He bravely kept the steady eye-contact, his brows rising as he smiled smugly, waiting for any kind of embarrassed reaction from her. Instead, her eyes softened as her lips curled into a mesmerizing smile.

“Hi” her voice is as sweet as a hummingbird, Jax thought, as he moved closer to her, sitting down in the chair in front of her desk, his legs sprawled out and his fingers entwined over his torso

“So, you’re Jon’s baby sis, huh?”

She rolled her eyes quickly at him, obviously amused by his teasing, as the sweet smile never left her lips “My name is Sansa”

Sansa. An unusual name for an unusual good-looking woman.

“Jax” he replied, as he pulled the cigarette box out of his pocket, grabbing a stick in between two fingers.

He noticed her gaze drifting from his face to his hand, and as she leaned back on her chair she looked up to his eyes again.

“So, it’s you I have to thank for the job, then” she remarked, and he simply shrugged

“Jon said you’re good with numbers”

She chuckled “I hope to live to that high expectations”

Jax was about to bring the cigarette to his lips, but stopped, just inches away. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly, as he tried not to show too much how he was amused by her smart teases. He licked his bottom lip as his eyes never left hers, a hum escaping him “And some”

Sansa looked away from his gaze into her papers, still smirking as a flush of heat rose from her neck into her cheeks “Gemma’s out, running errands. She’ll be back in an hour or so”

Jax pulled the cigarette into his lips and pushed himself up using the armrests, turning to the door as he lighted up the stick. He then turned around, puffing out the smoke before he smiled cheeky and winked “See ya‘round, Red”

She let out a loud laugh, her eyes and nose crinkled in pure amusement, and when Jax thought Sansa couldn’t be more arousing she spoke, her voice sweet and flirtatious as a purr

“Bye, Boss”

A.N.: So, here it is the first chapter!!! Sorry for any mispelling, and if there is anyone interested the taglist is open!

[a-jynx]

The Beast of Kansas: P2: Vicious as Roman Rule

Summary: You’ve known them for years… You could always run to the Winchester boys for an escape of daily life. With their dumb fairytales of hunting the Supernatural, to their idiotic stories of breaking into the public pool – and getting arrested.

You knew them, or at least… You thought you did. What happens when rumors begin to leak through small-town Lawrence, Kansas about your best friends and their family? How will you and the boys handle new threats? More importantly, will you survive The Beast of Kansas…?

Warnings: Mentions of death, smut warning, cursing, blood/gory battles, death threats, kidnapping/ almost rape, slight mention of drug use, alcohol consumption, rival packs, angst 

Notes on Tags: you can be added/removed just send an Ask! 💖

Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated & encouraged!

The drive to the Winchester’s house was quick, since their home resided just outside of town, closer to the edge of the forest. Coming to a stop, I left the car running before retrieving Dean’s backpack and marching up the stairs, only to halt as I felt eyes following me. Straightening my back, I slowly dropped the backpack to the oakwood stairs and carefully glanced around, only to freeze upon seeing the bright eyes shine from the thicket. Gulping, I slowly turned on my heel and raised my hands as the beast carefully maneuvered itself from the treeline. 

“Ah, shit…” I whispered when the beast charged at me. A gasp passed my lips, followed by a yelp as I was sent tumbling down the stairs, only to grunt as the large mutt began to lick my cheek. “Ah! Sadie, hey, no!” I growled, giggling at the overgrown German Sheppard. Sadie sat up, panting as I groaned, wiping at the slobber that she had just doused me in. 

“You,” I paused, shifting my index finger towards her as she tilted her head, still panting. “Are disgusting.” I stood, noticing a few scratches here and there, but nothing that would kill me. Sighing, I went to move up the steps when the front door was thrown open, revealing a concerned-looking Samuel. 

“Y/N! What’re… Why are you covered in dirt and,” he paused, moving closer before swiping his thumb against my cheek, collecting a line of saliva I had missed. “Why’s your cheek wet?” He reached down, wiping his thumb on his jeans as I chuckled shifting my weight to reveal the large puppy behind me. “Why don’t you ask the little lady here.” 

“Sadie,” Sam held a deep voice, as she whimpered, moving more behind me as I turned, squatting down and running my hands through her short-haired coat. 

“Awe, don’t be such a dad, Winchester. Sadie’s a sweet baby, aren’t you?” I shifted my weight, grabbing hold of the dog's muzzle and grinning as I placed a chaste kiss on her nose, making her tail thump the ground behind her. “See! She’s just a big teddy bear.” I smirked before standing, stepping beside Sam and retrieving the bag from the steps. 

“I also believe this is your brother’s. He left it at work after his little accident,” I breathed out a laugh, as Sam scoffed, reaching out and grabbing it before gently unzipping it while his eyes grew wide before rezipping it. 

“Uh, thanks… I don’t think he could part with this.” Sam chuckled, yet it sounded… Forced. Arching a brow, I took a step forward as he moved the bag back down to his side. “What exactly is it?” 

“Oh, it’s his, uh..” Sam paused, taking a step back as I pressed forward, testing the waters as I felt Sadie’s wet nose press against my calf. “Come on, Samuel, just tell me!” 

“It’s his Busty Asian Beauty magazines!” He suddenly exploded, making me grow wide-eyed before clearing my throat, chuckling and taking a few steps backward. “Right, I… Should’ve guessed. This IS Dean we’re talking about.” Sam’s body untensed, a soft smile appearing on his lips as he chuckled. 

“Yeah, we know how Dean gets… Hey, since I know you’re off for the rest of the day,” Sam’s voice trailed as I rolled my lip between my teeth, nodding for him to continue. “Would you want to get lunch with me? Just… Hang out, like old times?” He took a step forward as I grinned, nodding as he mirrored me. 

“Awesome, oh, so get this, Dean ended up needing stitches,” Sam added, as I went wide-eyed, nodding as we both began to climb the stairs, Sadie in trot behind us as I scoffed. 

“Well, I figured… I don’t even know what happened! I mean, the floor wasn’t wet, there weren’t any tools or buckets in the way… It just doesn’t make sense how he could have just -- trashed the place in a matter of seconds.” I shrugged as Sam frowned, as we filed into their large home, Sadie quickly bounding past us, causing me to stumble and fall into Sam as he smirked, wrapping his arm tighter around my waist.  

“That’s probably karma for making fun of Dean, sweetpea.” I couldn’t help but scoff. 

“Whatever! It’s probably karma for when we broke those mirrors by accident at that antique shop -- which was yours and Dean’s fault!” I chuckled as he looked down at me, shocked before dropping the backpack, yet the moment it collided with the floor, it sloshed. Furrowing my brows, I went to move away from Sam, only to screech as he hoisted me up from the ground and moved towards the living room. 

“Samuel Winchester! Put me down!” 

-----

“Bobby? Bobby, you still here!?” I shouted into the store, not waiting for a reply as I marched into the garage, double-checking that the front shop door was locked before shoving my way through the plastic door. 

“Rufus? What’re you doing here, I thought you and Y/N would’ve met at home by now.” Bobby’s voice called from behind some Ford. Moving closer, I glanced down to see the soles of his boots and with a grunt, knocked my foot against his, causing him to slid from beneath the truck. 

“I was supposed too, but… I need to ask you something.” I shrugged, as he grunted, pushing up from the creeper and wiping at his oiled hands. “Which is?” He arched a brow as I sighed, shifting my weight so my back rested against the wall, my arms quickly crossing over my chest. 

“How do I protect Y/N?” It came out smooth and simple. That’s just how I wanted it to sound, but when Bobby snapped his head towards me with a questioning look -- I knew I had to explain. “How do I protect Y/N from… Wolves?” 

“From… Wolves? Rufus, what have you been drinkin’?” Bobby scoffed, standing and moving towards the other side of the garage as I sighed, rubbing my face down with my hand. 

“Bobby, I need to protect my baby girl! I couldn’t protect my wife-” 

“Rufus, you’re my friend, and I care about you and I sure as hell cares about that little girl of your’s but… She’s an adult now! And your wife didn’t die because you couldn’t protect her, she… She cheated and left you, Rufus. Y/N can hold herself, and besides the boys-” 

“Those boys ain’t nothin’ but trouble! They got her arrested when they were younger, they all got drunk and smoked weed together, they even tried to make her show off her body-” 

“Rufus! That’s enough, my- John’s boys did not disrespect that girl in any way! Hell, they protected her from the douchebag that tried to make her show herself off -- and so what? We drank, smoked weed, got arrested plenty of times in our younger years! You know we did because you would always proudly tell the stories of how you tried to fight the biggest man in the holding cell!” Bobby spat, anger fuming off of him as I scoffed, reaching up and rubbing the back of my neck. 

“I want better for my daughter, Bobby… She’s lived here for all her life, and I want her to get out.” 

“Then, let her take her time. But, by you shoving down her throat that she isn’t allowed to see certain people, or do certain things -- that’ll make her leave and never look back.” He frowned, as I huffed, fighting off all the words I want to say. Bobby appeared in front of me, one of his hands landing on my shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze before sending me a frown. 

“Don’t dwell on the past because you’ll miss the present, and you’ll fuck up the future.” He patted my shoulder once before marching off into the shop, getting ready to close up as I scoffed, pushing off the wall and stalking back towards my car, only to stop as I spotted a couple walking down the street. His arm around her shoulders while her own wrapped tightly around his waist, keeping each other close. Narrowing my eyes, I quickly walked around my car before scoffing. “Winchester.” 

----

I couldn’t fight off the laugh as Sam and I continued our walk down the sidewalk, my chuckles echoing as Sam’s throaty chuckles mixed. “So, wait, wait -- your dad caught Dean trying to climb out of his window bareass because he had a girl over?” I all but snorted as I covered my mouth and nose, attempting to keep the noise down as Sam and I came to a stop in front of the cafe. 

“Yeah, and what’s even better is our mom ended up catching him by the arm and saw everything.” He shivered as I chuckled again, walking ahead as he opened the door, allowing me to head in first. “So, you want to do dine-in, or just take it back to one of the houses?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained onto the menu until I felt eyes burrowing into the side of my head. “Sam?” I asked quietly as I noticed him staring dead at me, making my cheeks flush before leaning over, nudging him. “Yo, loverboy Samuel, you have to order.” I grinned as he shook his head, turning towards the waiter with a sheepish grin. 

“Right, sorry. Can I just get two hamburgers, hold the pickles and tomatoes on one, both with fries and lemon waters?” He shot me a look as I stared up at him, awe laced across my face as he chuckled. “You alright, sweetpea?” 

“You… How did you remember that?” I couldn’t fight off my cheek-splitting grin. 

“How could I forget? I remember when we’d come here after school and you’d always get the same thing, but somehow they messed it up or were messing with you and you’d complain saying the cook was conspiring against you.” Sam smirked as my mouth fell open. He remembered… How did he remember after all this time? 

“Sam, I believe it’s safe to say that you just impressed the absolute hell out of me.” I grinned as he smirked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders while handing over his card when the door swung open, the small bell signaling someone had entered yet I didn’t pay it any mind until I felt someone’s hand wrapped around my wrist, tugging me from Sam’s hold. 

“Hey!” Sam growled, his hold following my body as I was crushed into a chest, glancing up through my lashes, I snarled as I saw my father. Tugging my body behind his, he kept a death grip on my wrists as he jutted a finger into Sam’s sternum. 

“You! You just can’t be a good little soldier like your brother can you?!” My father spat as I gasped, wrenching my wrist away from him and stumbling back. 

“Daddy, stop it!” I growled as Sam stood his ground, glancing back to me as I frowned, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “Stop it, leave Sam alone for one goddamn moment!” I spat, quickly moving between the two, keeping my back to Sam and my arms outstretched. “Go get in the car and go home.” 

“I’m not leaving-” 

“Like hell, you aren’t! Go to the house, now!” I snarled, keeping my footing strong encase he tried to charge Sam. My father just stared daggers at him before glancing down to me, his eyes softening before he sneered. “We’ll discuss this behavior at home.” I watched as my father quickly left the store, carefully sighing I turned back to Sam, who quickly grabbed my wrist, studying it. 

“He grabbed you.” He sneered, his bright eyes growing cloudy. I instantly frowned, relaxing under Sam’s feather-like touch as I shrugged. “It happens,” 

“It happens..? Y/N, does he hurt you?” 

“What?! Samuel, you can’t just…” I paused, pulling my wrist from his grip, holding it with my free hand with a grunt. “You don’t just ask someone that.” 

“I-” 

“Uh, excuse me, sir… Your order is ready.” The cashier chimed in as I glanced up, peeking through my vine-like hair, only to notice that some of the cafe's customers eyeing us. I met one man’s eyes, only to lightly gasp as he flashed these bright amber eyes. Blinking, I went to move towards him when Sam suddenly caught my waist, pulling me with him towards the doors. “We can take this back to my house, then I’ll drop you off at your place.” 

“Sam, I drove my car-” 

“Don’t care. I’ll drop it off in the morning, I don’t want you driving home by yourself, not after today.” He lightly growled as I frowned. I couldn’t fight against him, once Sam Winchester set his mind to something… People be damned to stop him. “Fine, but you better not run before dropping it off -- it’ll smell like sweaty Sam.” 

“What? Don’t like the aroma I give off?” He bit, as I scoffed, nudging him gently with a smirk. “Oh, no, I love the scent but not in my car.” I winked as I glanced up, seeing his cheeks had turned a shade of roses. “Awwe, THE Loverboy Samuel is blushing for Lil’ old me!” I grinned as he scoffed, taking his free arm and wrapping it tightly around my shoulders, him attempting to keep me buried in his side. 

“Come on, let’s get home so you can eat and hang out before you have to… Head back.” Sam lowered his voice as I looked up at him, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk which caused him to stumble and halt. “Y/N? Come on, the foods going to get cold-” 

“I don’t care about the food right now, Sam… I just, don’t worry about me, okay?” I hummed, clearing my voice as Sam’s brows furrowed, making me sigh out a laugh. “Sam, you have to promise me that, alright?” I raised my hand, sticking out my pinky while arching a brow as Sam breathlessly chuckled with a shake of his head. 

“I -- Y/N, you know I can’t promise you something like that.” 

“Samuel, please. I’ve never asked you to not do something, but just this once, please? My father can be…,” I found myself a lost of words as I sighed, dropping my hand to mess with the hem of my work shirt. “Vicious. That’s the best word I can think of to describe him -- vicious as the Romans.” I whispered as Sam sat the food next to our feet, before taking a step closer, grabbing one of my hands and holding on tightly. 

“I honestly don’t give a damn how vicious your father can, or could be. You’re part of my world and I want to keep you in it, along with the worry, the late nights, the drunk nights, the cuddles, everything.” He whispered the last part while his free hand reached up, gently brushing my loose hair behind my heated up ear. 

“You’re impossible, Samuel Winchester.” I grinned as he smirked, nodding gently before pulling both of our hands up and hooking our pinkies together. 

“Only when it comes you to, Y/N Tucker.”

---- 

Ooh~ two parts in one day? Momma’s rollin’! 

---- 

Tags:  @waywardnewcomer, @laceyn-1201, @mlovesstories, @i-am-not-a-goat @animallover4000, @fabinaforever11, @ilovemymoose, @torihester, @bellero, @helloangelwarrior, @utterlyhopeful, @dreaminemz, @maybe—-not, @ladystiltskin67, @theladydetective, @avaaaxx, @justanotherblondie, @kendlemariee, @kayqueen19, @alexiarogers, @hobby27

[miss-wanderlustwriter]

The Sky (Part 2)

Billy Hargrove (Stranger Things) x Reader

~2500 words

Let me know what you think, this is my first Billy fanfic!

Feedback, suggestions & requests all welcome ♥

Summary: So after meeting Billy Hargrove at Tina’s Halloween party, feeling a heated connection but not wanting to be sucked in and used by the arsehole, he seems to appear when you’re trying to avoid him, but it’s surprisingly easy to be around him. (Yeah so I’m rubbish at summaries.)

Part 1  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5

(Of course I don’t condone the actions of Billy at all in the show, but I’m intrigued by the character and let’s face it Dacre Montgomery is hot as hell, and such an amazing actor!)

Approaching the next week of school, I had one goal: avoid Billy Hargrove. I did not need him spinning round my head and confusing everything. It was already trouble enough with the Steve and Nancy situation. Which did not improve, they officially broke up.

Steve seemed to find a friend in Dustin, and Nancy and Jonathan went MIA, again. I know it’s something to do with the upside-down, but I knew the bare minimum (alternate universe = dangerous) and they had to promise not to get me involved unless absolutely necessary (Hawkins lab rules) which was fine by me.

So I tried to focus on my school work, I wasn’t the smartest kid in class but I wasn’t stupid. Since my friends were doing god knows what in the Upside-Down, I tended to spend most of my spare time in the library studying.

And then suddenly my time wasn’t spent on my own so much and my one goal flew out the window. Billy would acknowledge me in the halls and in the classes we had together, and he just showed up one day in the library.

“This seat taken?”

I looked up to see Billy freaking Hargrove standing next to my table. I rolled my eyes at him. “No. But I swear to God Billy don’t you dare start with your arrogance and shit pick up lines trying to get into my pants because it’s not going to work” I furiously whispered.

“Okay okay princess calm down, I come in peace,” It was his turn to roll his eyes at me. “I really just want to study, I need to pass this maths exam we have in a few weeks.”

My eyes narrowed at him but I really believed him. So I gave him a nod, he sat down on the other side of the table and we studied in silence. This became the norm over the next few days, which turned into weeks. He would sit with me, actually studying, and we just offered greetings and goodbyes. It was surprisingly comfortable with him around, even though I did get distracted by how devilishly handsome he was, especially when his brow was furrowed over a maths problem.

And so today was no different. Although the maths test was on Monday, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen after then. My chest tightened at the thought that he wouldn’t be around anymore or bother with me, I kind of got used to his presence. He was actually quite pleasant and tolerable when he wasn’t being an arse.

“Hey there Princess.” I was brought out of my trance as he sat down in the chair closest to me today, this was new.  

“Oh hey.” As I focused back to my notes.

“You okay?” He asked with a little amusement in his voice.

“Me? Yeah I’m fine.” I said, looking back up at him.

A smirk was playing on his lips, it reached his bright blue eyes which were fixed on mine for a few seconds longer than necessary, before he looked down at his maths notes from today’s class. “Okay Princess.”

We worked in silence as usual until the bell rang signalling the end of lunch. “Hey,” Billy started as we stood up, “Can I err, drive you home tonight?” He actually looked quite sheepish, with one hand on the back of his neck.

I stopped and looked at him wide eyed, this was also new.

“Oh, yeah sure.” I automatically answered.

“Okay, see you later Princess.” He offered with a wink.

I tried my best to focus for the rest of the day but my mind was in over drive. What the hell. Billy wanted to drive me home. Why. Did this mean we were friends. Was he still just playing me like at the Halloween party. Only one way to find out.

When the bell rang at the end of the day I calmly, or as calm as I could muster, made my way across the parking lot to wear Billy was already stood leaning against his Camaro smoking a cigarette.

“Hargrove.”

“Princess.”

I rolled my eyes at the nickname that for some reason seemed to have stuck since the party. “Come on I do have an actual name you know.”

“Yeah I know.” He flicked the cigarette stub away and raised an eyebrow at me, “Coming? Y/N.”

“Maybe.” I smirked as I climbed into his car, ignoring the stares I could feel on my back.

I heard him chuckle as got in the driver’s seat. Music started blaring out the speakers as he started the car up and I couldn’t believe my ears as we were driving out the parking lot, I loved Mötley Crüe and Kickstart My Heart was one of my favourites!

“I’m impressed Hargrove, you actually have good music taste!”

“What? You didn’t think I had good taste in music?! I’m hurt Princess, real hurt.” He mockingly shot me down.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay okay I’m sorry, forgiven?”

“Maybe.” He glanced sideways at me with that smirk creeping onto his face.

For the all too short journey we laughed, sang and threw banter back and forth like we’d been doing it forever. I was actually enjoying Billy Hargrove’s company; and especially his mixed tape.

We pulled up outside my house as Billy turned to me and put me under his intense stare.

“So, Tina’s having another party next weekend, I was wondering if you wanted to go? With me? As my date?” He smiles, so confidently, I can’t believe I actually nearly say yes. But a date isn’t like a ride home from school and I catch myself.

“Oh Billy,” I flash him my best smile and say “Don’t push it pretty boy; but this was fun, we should do it again some time.”  As I get out the car I slam the door shut and make my way up to my front door. Before I can take two steps I hear him shout “So you think I’m pretty then?!” And I just wave my hand in the air to dismiss him without turning around.

I was smiling to myself as I walked through the front door nearly straight into my Mom on the other side.

“Oh shit sorry Mom.”

“Hey sweetie, don’t worry,” She presses a kiss to my forehead, “I got called in for a shift at the hospital, I know I know it was meant to be my night off but they’re desperate.” She finished as I gave her a glare, she worked too hard at that hospital, but I knew they cherished her, she was one of the best nurses they had. I just wish she’d take more time to herself, but she’s always been that way, so caring.

I sighed, “Okay Mom, I know how much they need you, you’re the best.”

She smiled, “Anyways, what had you smiling like you had a secret just now?”

“What? Oh nothing.”

“Sure? Who was in the car that was driving off?”

“Just a friend,” Is he a friend?! “From school, gave me a ride home, it’s nothing.”

“Mhmm, okay sweetie, I’ll see you tomorrow.” And she left with a knowing look in her eye. Dammit, I was in for twenty questions the next time I saw her.

With Mom at work there thankfully won’t be any arguments tonight. Dad was out in the garage anyways, I’m pretty sure he lived in there more than the house when he wasn’t at work. He loved working on whatever he could get his hands on, mainly old cars he’d then sell on.

We had dinner together and he was back out there. I retreated to my room, with a glass of water and my book I was currently reading, The Hobbit, for about the fifth time. Yes I was in touch with my nerd side, I knew Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will loved this stuff as well, it was one of the reasons I got on with them so well.

I did start to worry about them, and Nancy, Jonathan, Steve; but they have been flitting in and out of school so it can’t be that bad right. I hope they’re back soon, I’m really missing them, and in constant panic something terrible will happen. The only way I’ve been coping is throwing myself into school, and then Billy showed up into my life.

I could get lost in a book for hours, and tonight was one of those nights. Dad made me jump when he shouted ‘goodnight’ about midnight, I didn’t even hear him come upstairs. I put my book on my nightstand and changed into my grey sweat pants and a band t-shirt, AC/DC tonight, and settled into bed.

As I was drifting off to sleep I heard like a tapping noise, I dismissed it as a bird, but then it got louder and more frequent. Confused and disoriented I sat up in bed, trying to determine where it was coming from, and my drowsiness immediately vanished when I realised it was coming from my window.

I crept towards my curtains. Slowly pulling one to the side to peek out.

And what do I see, but Billy Hargrove standing on my lawn throwing rocks at my window; like some rugged, lost in time Romeo.

As soon as he saw me at the window I saw a grin spread across his face and he dropped the rest of the stones he was holding. I was frowning as I opening my window slightly. “Billy?! What the hell?” I was whisper yelling.

“Hey Princess.” Still smiling.

“What are you doing here, at this time?”

“I came to get you, you said we should have a drive again sometime, so you coming?”

I laughed to myself, as if this was happening right now, it was such a ridiculous situation. “Seriously? I didn’t mean in the middle of the night!”

“Why, got something better to do?” He replied.

“Yes, actually, it’s called sleep. You should try it sometime.”

“Can sleep when you’re dead right. Come on, it’s not like we have school tomorrow; and I just wanted some company.”

“And your first choice of company was me?” I asked shocked.

“No everyone else I tried was asleep.” He laughed as my eyes narrowed and I went to shut the window. “Yes you! Now get your cute ass down here!”

“Alright! Just keep your voice down. Jesus Christ.” I was technically already wearing clothes so I just grabbed my boots and my black hoodie, and since it was 1am I actually didn’t care what I looked like.

I crept down the hall, relieved to hear my dad snoring, down the stairs and out the front door to find Billy leaning against his car, still wearing what he’d worn all day: jeans, white t-shirt and denim jacket.

“About time.” Was all he said as I headed straight for the passenger door.

We set off and something he said earlier just hit me. “Wait, so you think I have a cute ass?” I asked, turning towards him, eyebrows raised.

He offered me one glance and a smirk, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m taking that as a yes.” I said smugly and he just shook his head.

“Where are we going anyways?” I asked.

“Somewhere secret.”

“Oh god, you’re not kidnapping me to murder me are you? Please don’t do that.” I look at him with my best innocent puppy dog eyes, making him laugh, again. I found myself enjoying making him laugh, he wasn’t really one for smiling, but I could bring it out, and that made me feel good.

“Don’t worry, it’s more so that no one sees you looking like that.” He nodded towards my outfit.

“Hey! It’s 1o'clock in the morning Mr. I’m just gonna go wake Y/N up when I know full well she’ll be in bed. You would look no better.” I said in huff. My tiredness was obviously showing.

“I’m joking Y/N, you look… cute.”

I rolled my eyes, and shifted my gaze to out the window. We were pulling up by the lake, and I was momentarily shocked into silence by how beautiful it was. The sky was clear, the moon was so bright, illuminating the lake and when Billy killed the headlights the stars appeared; like someone had just blown a handful of glitter across the black canvas.

Without thinking I got out the car and couldn’t tear my eyes off the sky until I heard Billy clear his throat. I was brought back and saw he was sitting on the hood of the car leaning against the windscreen, he patting the hood next to him and I, rather ungracefully, slide onto the hood next to him. Our arms were inches apart, I made sure of that, but this setting, the way we were with each other, made me feel the electricity filling that space.

My gaze shifted upwards again. “Billy, this is beautiful. I love the sky.”

“I know.”

My head snapped to him to see he was already looking at me. “What do you mean you know?” “Tina’s party, the night I first spoke to you, when I found you again you were sat away from everyone just staring out at the sky.”

I blushed, hoping he couldn’t see in the limited light surrounding us. I was speechless. The aggressive bad boy Billy Hargrove may have actually just been incredibly sweet to me. He noticed something about me and remembered it, enough to bring me here, to a place where the sky was a work of art.

I let myself relax a little, still watching Billy. He looked… Calm and vulnerable. I nudge him gently with my arm “Hey, so what’s up, why did you bring me out here?”

He sighed and took a while to answer but I gave him the time. “Things are a bit, heated. At home.” He glanced to gage my reaction and I didn’t give anything away. “I’m out most nights, here or driving around listening to my music, but tonight I didn’t want to be alone.”

“And you ended up outside my window?”

“I’m just as surprised as you Princess.”

“Hmm…” I tried to stop the corners of my mouth from lifting.

“What?” His eyes shifted to mine as a slight frown appeared.

“Well, I’m just trying to get my head around the fact that the keg King himself actually wants to spend time in my company! First the library study hours and now drives to the lake in the middle of the night.” I triumphantly stated, trying to lighten the mood and take his mind off whatever was happening at home.

“Yeah well don’t push it pretty girl, I might not come get you next time.” But he couldn’t hold back his smile.

And then we were laughing, and we couldn’t stop. When I could finally breath enough to speak I offered my right hand out to him “Friends?”

He hesitated for a second before taking my hand and meeting my gaze “Friends.”