#once i get winter tires it won’t be as bad but ughhh right now i am slip slidin’ around the road like crazy when it snows 😭

[threnodians]

happy friday y’all 💕 i just need today to go a lot, lot, LOT better than i think it is going to go 🥲🤞🏻

in any case ily all and i hope you all have a lovely day/night ✨

[oh-theatre]

Objection!: Chapter 18

Chapter title: Two Ways Home

A/n:  WE ARE BACK IN THE COURTROOM BBY!!! I lovE IT. And them I did it btw! I did the kiss ™ t-the one in the snow?? Yes, that one because it melts my heart ahahah the irony. Anyway, they are baby and I love them and would die for them. Ughhh I hope you enjoy I know how bad this is but I love writing so hopefully idk?? leave me some comments!! I'm a mess sorry

oh god they're moving too fast arent they..sihiawdhiw i always do this

First | Previous | Next

words: 4034

summary: The gang returns to court!

pairings: Eventual logicality, prinxiety, platonic demus, romantic remile

warnings: Murder mention, child murder, Law and Courtroom, swearing, blood, hospital, crime scene,  murder, gun mention, guns, swearing, abuse, graphic descriptions, tickling mention

Ao3 Link  

“You're late” Virgil huffs opening the door, Roman presses forward, an apologetic smile falls upon his face. “Come on princey” He says, taking the judges hand leading him into the house. “Go help Dee pick a movie, I need to finish up a few things and then ill make some snacks,” Virgil says trying to go, leaving Roman but the judge isn't that easily shooed.

“Woah slow down...Virge, is everything ok?” He takes his hand gently, Virgil turns to him matching the steady beat of Roman's heart, he nods. “Ok, I'll go help with the movie and you?” He squeezes the detective's hand “Take a breather” Virgil does just that simultaneously resisting the urge to lean forward and connect their lips. What is wrong with me?

“He's waiting” Virgil cocks his head towards the coach, Roman nods smirking, his nose scrunching quickly. He scans Virgil once more before feeling it safe to retreat to the couch, a small figure already enveloped in a mountain of blankets lays. Damian quickly scrambles to a more conscious state as his small eyes fall upon Roman.

“RoRo!” He squeals jumping into the judge's arms. Ignoring the slight pain that seizes his body he hugs back, embracing the child he holds so dearly. “I missed you!” He pulls away still clinging to Roman's neck. Roman smiles at him, unable to allow his shiny pearls to gleam. He's just so happy. The little boy wriggles impatiently in his arms, playing with Romans more than fluffy hair, it bounces under Damian's touch.

“I missed you too niño!” Roman assures, ruffling the younger boy's hair. He laughs falling back onto the couch, he grabs the remote handing it happily to Roman, he wriggles comfortable in his blanket cuddling up to Roman. “What's the mood for tonight?” He wonders opening up Netflix on TV, Damian shrugs, his eyes entranced.

“Christmas!” He exclaims throwing his hands in the air, missing Romans face by an inch “It's snowing!” He marvels looking towards the window, indeed it was. It fell slowly but it seemed the November air had cooled away as the light breeze of winter took its place, ready to cover the world in a soft layer of possibility.  He could see it, he hadn't meant to but his mind was not his own. The image of squealing laughter as he raced down a snowy hill, Damian in front of him holding on for dear life.

“It is Dee!” Virgil affirms, he stands over the couch his hand ruffling Damian's hair. The little boy crawls up on his father, Virgil situating him on his shoulder taking him to the window. Damian places his hand across the frosted glass, astonished laughter as it chills him. Roman stands to join them, Damian waves to the unknown hoping a shimmer of something might greet him back. Someone, something out there will grant his ever so silent hopes.

“Bye-bye snow,” He says, his fists closing quickly as he waves goodbye. Roman chuckles allowing Virgil to swift past him, landing on the couch. Damian snuggles once more under his mountain of blankets allowing the warm pressure to calm him. Roman sits next to them handing the remote to Virgil, giving him full control. He takes it his hands tracing the buttons carefully, the bumpy exterior awakening him.

“Thanks,” He says, he looks to Damian who watches the blank screen with intent “What are we watching buddy?” Damian shrugs fully morphing into his father, clearly seeking an adoring hold from the man. Virgil allows him now checking on Roman. “Any requests?”

“How about ‘Elf’?” Roman suggests, Virgil watches him hesitant “Its a classic! You just gotta...believe” He teases, Damian cheers clapping his hands together. Virgil shakes his head knowing that what the child wished the child gets.

“Elf! Elf!” He chants, Roman points towards him looking at Virgil. He groans finding the movie quickly. It starts slowly and Roman has trouble focusing, the soft hum of the radiator, the awfully quick noises from Damian as he reacts to everything. It feels more natural as they get into it, clearly, Virgil had a long day. On multiple occasions, his head would fall slightly onto Roman's shoulder before jerking awake. Roman didn't mind, he even encouraged it once when it was maybe too much.

“Virge, rest, I've got Dee” Roman whispers, Virgil blinks at the reflection of the movie playing. He sniffled nodding, Roman pushes his head carefully onto his shoulder letting him warm up to the judge. Virgil was asleep in minute, steady breathing as his chest would rise. The movie finished quickly and it seemed the Tormine family was fast asleep. Damian had clearly been consumed by his mountain of blankets and snored sweetly. Virgil had clutched to Roman his presence soft on the judge. Oh, woe is Roman as he stirs the detective awake, his soft face bubbling as his eyes adjust to the outside world. “Sorry just...the movies over and..” He pushes Virgil's ruffled hair away from his eyes. “Thought you might want to sleep in your own bed” Virgil yawns nodding, he struggles to get up but soon enough is waddling away, Roman laughs watching him go. He wraps Damian up his arms watching as Virgil returns.

“I forgot my son” He mumbles, Roman stifles a wheeze placing Damian gently in Virgil's arms. “Thanks,” He says, Roman nods their eyes meet. The tired storm behind Virgil's eyes intriguing the fading flame in Romans. “Thanks for…” He starts slowly, getting closer to Roman's mouth. “Tonight” He whispers meeting Roman's lips, their eyes closing in unison. A little groan from Damian pulling them apart. “See you tomorrow Ro” Virgil says disappearing into his room

“See you...tomorrow,” He says, the tickling sensation upon his lips leaving a satisfactory mark. “Virgil” He muses, he collects his things making as little noise as possible. Closing the door behind him, the silent night falls on him only increasing the volume of his thoughts.

This has to be a dream

~~~

“We are back in the courtroom” Patton taps his desk excitedly, the echo ringing through the room. He shuffles through his papers a familiar buzz in his heart as the door opens behind him, the urge to turn his head watch who enters overwhelming him. Hoping, almost praying its a certain lawyer. His urges win however as he watches Logan diligently speaking to Reeve as he makes his way down the aisle, the young intern frantically taking notes. He blushes as if a teenager once more focusing back towards the empty witness stand, feeling a light brush of air while Logan walks by, taking his place on the opposite end of the courtroom.

“Your client” Patton smiles at George as Virgil and Remy lead him in, tight hold on his constraints of a prison. They take him to his end of the desk, handcuffing him to the table. He's silent as he moves, little to do about anything as the world moves on without him. It almost makes Patton sad to watch, and harder to read.

“Thanks, guys,” He says, a light squeeze to Virgil's arm as he passes, receiving a lingering feeling as the detective walks away. Virgil watches him for a moment but retreats to his chair.

“Mr.Hart?” Patton looks up smiling at a young intern watching him expectantly. “Mr.Tolentino wanted me to let you-

“You can just call him Logan,” Patton says, his smile remains placated. Reeve fidgets uncomfortably but nods as he continues on.

“Um...Logan just wanted to let you know that he is going forward with calling Annie to the stand.” Patton bites his cheek but nods, his smile fades staying resolved. “He has also decided to call Brandon to the stand, and he was wondering whether you were calling Carlton” Reeve finishes feeling as if the words were not his own. Patton shakes his head softly, he looks to Logan who seems to be buried in mountains of work, he hides a disappointed pout.

“Yes...I'm sorry Brandon? Brandon Hoff?” Patton checks, looking back to where two children sit where their mother, all sadly eyeing George. Reeve nods, Patton takes a deep breath but stretches a pursed smile. “Great thanks Reeve,” He says, the intern scurries away, himself betrayed by his words. He doesn't agree with Logan's methods but he is a good lawyer...but Patton is too. He re-focuses taking a seat next to Logan. Soon the trial begins and Patton is instructed to call his first witness.

“The defense call detective Carlton to the stand” Patton calls, feeling as discouraged as before. He avoids looking to Logan, knowing the usual hopeful glance the pair shares wouldn't be returned today. Once he's sworn in Patton begins, knowing his intuition could fail him he simply prays. Prays that Carlton, that everything he's built this case on...won't fall apart. Please, don't let this man be guilty. “Detective Carlton, you were recently discovered at a hostage scene correct?”

“Objection! Leading the witness” Logan declares, he barely grazes Patton with his eyes, the man's stomach sinks. He knows he shouldn't be thinking about this right now, but...had he done something wrong? Had he shattered everything he had ever built up, his friendship? His trust? Was all of it...the kiss, out of pity?

“Patton?” Roman whispers, Patton jerks back realizing his own condition.

“Detective” He starts, he looks to an unfazed Logan, right there deciding he knows his path. “Do you know this man?” He points to George, a moment of hesitation before the witness sucks in a sharp breath.

“I've never seen that man before” He admits, Patton smirks “In my entire life” He adds, Patton nods satisfied as a tiny groan, ever so slightly escapes Logan's mouth. Check and mate, mister Tolentino. His next move may be deemed risky, and Roman certainly won't enjoy it and yet…

“I want to submit that detective Carlton be admitted as an expert witness” He requests, the room falls silent. Logan, surprisingly, is the first to move. He stands abrupt from his chair and points towards Patton.

“Absolutely not your honor! The man is convicted felon!” He claims, Patton cocks his head, his smirk returning.

“Exactly the reason I propose this, not only is he a convicted felon but one who has admittedly worked with the so-called ‘Alphabet Murderer’. Which means that unless he perjures himself, he knows more than most. More than say...Brandon or Annie Hoff” Patton explains, Roman cant find a rebuttal.

“That's ridiculous” Logan huffs looking to Roman for confirmation “Your honor?”

“Let it be known to the court and jury, detective Carlton is now an expert witness” Roman bangs his gavel, a rush of excitement as it passes through him. Logan glares, his nostrils flaring as he resits himself. Patton wears a triumphant smirk turning back to Carlton. “Watch yourself, detective, one wrong move…” Roman threatens, as his job. Virgil can't help but feel a sense of pride. The judge doesn't get enough credit.

“Thank you, your honor” Patton sighs “Carlton, has mister Hoff ever contacted you or attempted to?” The detective laughs shaking his head, he scans Geroge.

“Him? Please...if he was the murderer, you would know” Carlton scoffs, instantly clutching his throat. Almost surprised by his own words.

“Do you know who the alphabet murderer is?” Patton inquires, the entire room leans forward allowing themselves to dangle at his anticipation

“Absolutely” Carlton grins, Patton digs his nails deep into his palms, stopping just before the skin breaks blood. “Haley Bloomington” He seethes, Virgil and Remy share a look, both with the same idea.

“As in the precinct captain?” So much more happens in Patton's mind, everything falls into place, he feels lightheaded. He looks to Logan, a helpful plea is administered, a stab to the heart as Logan...ignores him.

“That's the one” The one? The one who Patton took all his complaints about Liam to? The one who Patton pleaded, begged for help? All these years-

No, focus.

“Thank you, no further questions,” Patton says “I also suggest that we hold on cross-examination until further notice,” He says before retreating to his seat. Roman watches but nods.

“Court adjourned,” He says in a practical whisper. The jury clears out in whispered murmurs, each giving a look towards Patton as they move through. Patton says a quick goodbye to George as the detectives lead him away, shuffling his papers. He feels the room around him gain quiet until two quick feet make their way out and its just him and Logan. He refuses to look towards him, a mixing bowl of emotions, not sure which recipe to follow.

“Patton” Logan stands at the desk now, across from Patton. The lawyer turns, his brows in a knitted furrow, he tries to scowl but instead places a worried pout.

“Oh, now you-”

“Would you like to go on a date with me on Friday?” Logan wonders, his hands fidgeting carefully behind his back. Patton softens, oh…

“Yes, absolutely” He whispers, Logan purses his lips bouncing on his heel. He nods before carefully leaving the room, the door closing behind him. Patton presses his file against his chest, trying very hard not to swoon. “Yes...absolutely” He repeats, just for himself.

~~~

“And why is that?” Logan wonders straightening his bowtie, he tilts his head as the mirror reflects his image.

“Because this is Patton's first date in almost a million years,” Virgil says from the couch, his position quite extravagant. Roman chuckles from the ground as he plays with Virgil's hanging hair. “This night is for him, I mean seriously...the last person he went out with was-

“Liam” Logan breathes, his strict posture falls as he watches the sky fade. The outer world becomes less prominent as he loses himself in his own mind. Virgil hops from the couch and takes his stance in front of the lawyer, he slaps his hands away instead taking Logan's lopsided bowtie into his own hands, fixing it. The Friday night of the neighborhood dim.  

“Exactly” Virgil pats his chest once he's done, Logan moves onto his hair suddenly feeling his confidence drain with him. He wasn't sure what he was doing, Patton assured him everything was fine but that couldn't be true could it? And that's not what he deserves, if Logan could he would summon a plane to Europe right now. Seat himself first class with Patton by his side, his eyes marveling-

“But isn't a date about two people? About both of us?” Logan genuinely requests. Coming down from dream.

“Not this one dude. This is for Pat” Roman says drumming his fingers in the air. “Sorry, but it just isn't about you tonight.” Roman shrugs, Logan dusts himself off choosing to heed their words, he shows off his outfit carefully. “Two thumbs up from me. Love the vest” Roman compliments

“It looks great” Virgil nods, he fixes one strand of hair before squeezing Logan's shoulders gently. “It'll be great, just...make it great ok? For him?” That's all I wanted to do

“Mmhm” he hums going towards his watch, placing it slinked on his wrist. One more check in the mirror before gathering his coat and things. He wishes he had a bag to carry with him, his phone rings out. “Don't want to be late” he mumbles to himself, he turns to his friends. “Good?” He checks

“Perfect,” They say in unison.

“Perfect!” Patton says in his home, feeling as though time just wasn't enough. “It has to be perfect Em!” He says gathering his keys. “Logan probably thinks me a fool, this is simply to amuse his own ideas” he sighs sadly, knowing how deep this fear runs.

“Surely you don't believe that Pat!” Emile exclaims sitting in front of the couch watching as the twins play in front of him. “You've been friends forever! And Logan asked you, and seemed more than excited to go with you”

“Ugh, I don't know anymore. I mean Em...what am I doing?”

“Going on a date...doi” Remy reminds returning from the bathroom. Patton rolls his eyes playfully.

“Thank you captain obvious!” Patton jokes, Remy blows him a kiss, receiving a swat from Emile. ‘No I mean...what am I doing? I don't have time for this, I have kids...a full-time job. I don't have time or space for heartbreak” He sighs resigned, leaning over the couch.

“Now who says it's going to be heartbreak, Patton?” Emile says as Valerie presents her latest creation. She makes her way to Patton showing him all the same, he picks her up smiling brightly.

“Beautiful Val” He commends, kissing her softly on the forehead as he releases her back to play. She joins her brother Remus in his quest to save the world in lego form. “Ugh, maybe I shouldn't go...so I got caught up with the children or something,” Patton says wistfully, the twin gleam at the idea. The bounce up rushing to their father, enveloping his legs in their tiny arms.

“Papa! You have to go! Mister Logan loves you!” Valerie squeals, Patton blushes picking her up, he boops her nose to which she recoils giggling. Remus jumps around him, poking him gently.

“You have to! Then! Then! Mister Logan can teach me new words!” He claims, Patton laughs picking up Remus next. Emile watches happily, Remy takes his place next to his partner. Remus points to them “Look! Look! Rem and Em will take care of us!” He claims, Patton nods.

“You heard thing two,” Remy says, Patton smirks “We got them Pat” The lawyer smiles gratefully as he hands one of the twins to each of them. He moves to his room finishing up the cleaning as he moves around, wanting the room to be clean for when he returns, to drown himself in his embarrassments. He turns to find the mirror showing him his reflection, had he always looked so tired?

“Hey you,” He says, maybe only slightly joking. “You're going on a date!” He points his fingers wagging. “Oh god, what am I doing?” Patton sighs rubbing his forehead. “You can do this” He laughs, an actual laugh, it's bright. He might be losing his mind, but he plants himself. “Ok Patton, look at you. You've got this, you...deserve this. Well no...you definitely don't-” He groans turning away “Just cancel Pat,” He says his hands shaking over the phone, he just wants it to go well. To see Logan smile, just as he deserves, he wants him happy should that be too much?

“Patton! There's a car in your driveway!” Remy calls from the living room. Well, now or never. He takes his coat and gloves from the stand, walking out. He gives the children two quick kisses on the head before a deep breath reigns him in. His hand circles the cold knob, twisting as he steps into the timid air. Logan steps out of the car, double-taking as he sees Patton in his doorway.

“Oh! I was coming to-” He stops, his eyes trace Patton. “You look...wow” He smiles, Pattons night is made. Just that small twitch of the lip as it moves upwards.

“Well, you look-” Don't make it weird, don't make it weird “Amazing”

Crap

“Thank you” He nods extending his hand, Patton steps into the snow taking it.

Well, here we go.

~~~

“Oh my!” Patton laughs, his hand meeting Logans across the table. “Did he actually?” He checks allowing Logan to comfortably fiddle with his hand. Logan nods affirming his story, the room lights with the candles that float.

“I kid you not, he fell asleep” Logan recalls, Pattons smile only grows. “The case was just that boring I suppose, it really is a Roman thing to do” Logan guesses, Patton takes a sip of his water. Logan does the same with his wine, trying subtlety to get it down.

“Only Roman” Patton smiles, the waiter stops by delivering their desserts to mark a night of love-filled happiness. A successful dinner thus far. “Mmm tiramisu” Patton digs in, his eating gracefully as the sweet dessert tickles his upper mouth.

“I do enjoy a simple chocolate cake,” Logan says himself as he takes a delectable bite of his food. He pushes the plate slightly towards Patton. “Would you care for a bite?” He offers, Patton pulls the fork from his mouth, a lopsided smile.

“Of course” He tries, a sweet but bitter taste befalls his mouth. “Care for a bite of mine” Logan takes it, trying not to cringe inwards. It's not bad, just incredibly sweet, made to Italian perfection but not his style. “Too sweet?”

“Just like you” He retorts, a coy smile spreads as Patton blushes his eyes darting quickly to suddenly very interesting candle.  “Sorry” He shakes his head, Patton giggles.

“Don't be, thank you,” He says finishing his dessert. Logan quickly does the same, and somehow once the check has been paid the pair make their way outside. The chilly air only growing in cold, Pattons not sure why but he interlaces his arms with Logan, the lawyer blushing excited when Patton does so.

“Are you having a good time?” Logan checks for what seems like the fifth time tonight, Patton stops him taking his shoulders.

“Ok, you've asked that a lot tonight. Is everything ok?” Patton wonders, the taller man adjusts his glasses. “Lo…” Patton moans softly, wishing to return the fun that logan has gifted him that night.

“I just want this to go well for you” Logan replies, his throat growing hoarse. Patton chuckles his breath visible in the air.

“Logan” He starts so carefully, in a way that Logan wishes his name should only be uttered by Patton. “This isn't just about me. You know that right? We should both be enjoying this night, god I hope you are” He jokes, his voice shaky. “I want you to have a good time, and if you aren't that's ok-”

“I am” Logan confirms, his interruption causing a sweet smile upon Patton.

“Well good, I am too” He bounces taking Logan's hand “Where to next?” He asks looking up to Logan. The lawyer looks back at him. He turns Patton towards him studying his face, under the snow Patton practically glistens. The snow begins to fall softly, coating the brim of their glasses, they laugh looking up.  “Snow reason to end the night now” Patton teases.

“Really?” Logan groans, an amused smile failing him. Patton giggles falling into Logan's chest softly. The warmth that spreads around him is something that overtakes him. Patton recoils a bit holding to Logan's scarf, twirling it gently. Logan places his hand under Patton's chin as he leans in meeting their lips. Patton returns the soft gesture still clutching to his scarf, his gloves wrapping further around it. A careful click as they pull apart, Patton's undeniable smile as he meets Logan's eyes. He laughs as the snow falls directly onto the lawyer's nose taking his glove to wipe it away. Logan fails to resist the urge to giggle as the wool tickles him.

“Oho…” Patton smirks “Logan Tolentino...are you ticklish?” Patton checks, Logan laughs away, turning his face away. “Oh my! You are!” Patton claims

“Please don't tell Roman” Logan begs “I don't want to know what he would do with that information” Patton giggles delighted imagining the judge locked into battle with a very flustered Logan.

“That's alright, I can find other ways to get you flustered” Patton leans in kissing Logan once more, not sure how long he's waited to that so casually. As if second nature.

“Ways...that I don't mind” Logan nods, Patton rolls his eyes playfully as they continue their trek through the snow, closing the door on a night that can only be described as perfect. Because it truly was, the evening had been something of a new experience for both of them. Patton had never felt so safe in someone elses arms as they played with his fingers, Logan had never felt so invested, so truly passionate.

They were…

In the most professional sense...

In love

[kezikatescribbling]

Witness to Monsters- Chapter 2: Smile and Nod

Heeyyy, it’s chapter 2! And it took less than a month! It’s a miracle! I’m kinda sleepy, so not sure how this chapter turned out, but I’m posting it anyway!

***

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 |

Or read on AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639121/chapters/54362587#workskin

Word count: 2575

TW: Ughhh, nervous behavior? Awkward teasing.

Leon’s POV

Hunnigan wasn’t kidding when she said this girl had been through a lot. Every reaction he’d seen so far spoke of the way [Yn] had been treated since being arrested from the Umbrella facility. The way her eyes widened when she saw his gun, and kept watching it, as if waiting for it to be turned on her. The nervous, defensive look she gave him when she saw the anger on his face, even though his anger wasn’t in any way directed at her, but at the state she was in. And worst of all, the way she flinched when he reached for her, the genuine fear he saw in her eyes...had just about broken his heart. It didn’t matter what she had done while at that lab; this was wrong. He’d relied off of the fear from his enemies to get him through battles, but this was different.

Which is why the last thing he expected was for [Yn] to hug him tighter while pushing her face into him, like she was hiding-like he was protecting her from some unseen predator. He looked down to confirm the movement, and sure enough, her face was burrowed into his shoulder, a chunk of stray hair that had come undone from the low ponytail at the back of her head obscuring part of her face. 

Leon realized he’d been holding his breath, as if the quiet noise would scare [Yn] and ruin the moment. He resumes his even breaths and [Yn] stays with her face hidden until he sits her in the passenger seat of his car. Even then, she doesn’t seem willing to let go of his jacket until he loosens her fingers. As he’s getting into the driver’s seat he notices [Yn] shiver, not a surprise since she’s not even wearing a coat and the chill autumn air is nearing freezing.

“It will get warm in a second,” Leon informs [Yn] as he starts the car and turns the heat up to max, as he does, he feels his phone buzz. Pulling it out reveals a message from Hunnigan with information to get a bag of essentials for [Yn]. A picture goes along with the message to show who Leon is supposed to meet at the bus station. The DSO sure is being careful with this assignment, judging by how clandestine this meeting is supposed to be. ‘Just how desperate is Umbrella to get [Yn] back, and what did she do for them?’ Leon wonders to himself before shaking his head. It doesn’t matter. His job now is to keep her safe.

“It looks like we have a drop to pick up with clothes and supplies for you. Good, you can finally get out of those awful scrubs.” [Yn] looks down at herself as if she didn’t know what she was wearing; green scrubs and a long sleeved shirt underneath, thin socks, and ratty looking gym shoes. The fabric looks rumpled and Leon has to force himself to think of something else besides wondering how long she’s been wearing the same clothes. Leon puts his phone in the hands free holder on the dash and buckles his seatbelt before looking at [Yn] again. She looks thin, but not dangerously so. The way she sits slumped in the seat makes Leon wonder if she’s going to fall back asleep, but her eyes are alert, an awareness that calms some of the worry he’d been carrying since seeing her lying dazed on the cot in her cell. ‘Her cell.’ Leon shoves more dark thoughts from his mind, focusing on what he could do now.

“After when get the drop, how about we pick up something to eat. I’m starving, and I don’t know what kind of bland crackers and water diet you’ve been on, but I’m sure you’re ready for some real food.” Her eyes light up and she gives him a cautious smile that burns it’s way to his soul and takes his breath away. Leon can’t keep the bright answering smile off his face, “I’ll take that as a yes.” For some reason he’s feeling giddy at each positive interaction between them. It hasn’t even been an hour.

Leon focuses his attention on driving to the bus stop, which is about a half hour drive. He spends the trip trying, and failing, to keep his attention off of [Yn], but the way she stares at everything is captivating, and when she flinches from a car zooming past them, Leon reaches across the center console slowly and takes her hand, rubbing small circles into her skin to calm her down. She startles a bit at first, but doesn’t pull away, instead looking from their hands intertwined up to Leon’s face.

“It’s alright. These busy roads can be pretty overwhelming, especially with assholes like that driving.” [Yn] cracks a smile, so Leon continues, “But don’t worry, I’m a good driver, despite what some of my friends would say. I’ve had some...exciting experiences with vehicles. If you’d like I could tell you some of those stories. They’re kinda funny looking back on them. But maybe we should wait until we’re off the road, don’t want you getting so spooked by my bad luck that you jump out of the car. It’s still a long walk to my place and I get kinda grumpy if I’m on my feet for too long.” Leon knows he’s rambling at this point, but when he hears [Yn] giggle softly he decides he would gladly talk until his voice gave out to hear it again. And when he looks to see her smiling eyes, biting her lip, her cheeks rosy, he can’t imagine anything more beautiful.

All too soon Leon pulls into the bus station parking lot. A man matching the picture Hunnigan sent is standing in the smoking area dressed plainly to avoid drawing attention. Leon parks and reaches over to grab a cigarette lighter from the glove box, stashing it in his pocket.

“Ok. I’m going to meet that man over there, get the stuff, and be right back here.” Leon wasn’t warned about [Yn] being a flight risk, but then again he wasn’t given much information in general. “I’ll be able to see you, and you’ll be able to see me the whole time. If you need help just flash the lights at me, ok? It’s this button here.” Leon shows her what to do, but [Yn] still looks concerned. “I’ll lock the doors, I’ll be back in ten minutes tops, and that man is another agent. You’re not going anywhere without me, ok?” He doesn’t want to scare her, but he needs to be sure she won’t run away. [Yn] seems to trust him at least a little at this point, and she hasn’t seemed interested in getting away, but she is an unknown Umbrella asset, and he needs to remember that. [Yn] still looks concerned, but nods in understanding. “Back in a flash.”

Leon exits the car and fights off a shiver as the cold air hits him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he approaches the small group of smokers standing in the designated area. He makes a show of pulling out his lighter and patting his other pockets before sighing in mock defeat, looking to the man beside him in the non descript black outerwear jacket. “Got a spare?”

The man nods and pulls out a pack and shakes it, “Last one, lucky you.” Leon thanks the man and pulls out the last cigarette, pocketing the empty wrapper. The man nods and flicks his spent cigarette into the ashtray before walking away. Leon lights his and stands for a few minutes until the people around him leave before putting it out in the tray and walking to the lockers just inside a glass door. He takes the “empty” pack out from his pocket, tearing off the top and tipping the box until a small key falls into his palm. Smirking and mumbling under his breath about ‘mission impossible bullshit’, Leon opens one of the big lockers and removes a duffle bag and a warm winter coat hanging next to it.

Walking back to the car Leon can see [Yn]’s nervous gaze flitting over everyone at the station, before she noticed him coming back. A relieved smile crosses her face and her shoulders relax. Leon smiles at her as he unlocks the car and puts the bag in the back before taking his seat.

“Here. You can change once we get to my place, but for now at least you won’t be freezing.” Leon passes over the jacket and watches as [Yn] runs her hand over the fluffy fabric of the lining. Her eyes look far away, hand sweeping back and forth. “[Yn],” she blinks before her gaze focuses on Leon, “You ok?” She smiles and nods, but he’s still unsure. “Alright, what do you want for lunch?” He was sure that would get more of a reaction based on last time they discussed food, but [Yn] only shrugged and closed her eyes. Leon takes the quiet moment to think and decides it shouldn’t be anything too greasy or rich, unsure of how close he had been with his guess of crackers and water, and not wanting to overwhelm [Yn]’s stomach.

“How about sandwiches? There’s a good sub shop not too far away. Sound good?” [Yn] smiles and nods again, but at least she looks more enthusiastic. “Alright. Subs it is.”

***

Leon counts himself lucky that the sub shop seems to be having a slow day. A couple people are inside scrolling through their phones and a tired looking employee is sitting behind the counter. There are only a few cars in the parking lot as well, and no sign of more people coming down this part of the road. Leon gets out of the car and walks around to [Yn]’s side, opening the door for her, a hand out to help her if she needs it. “Are you ok to walk now? Do I need to carry you again?” [Yn] jumps down easily from the seat, giving Leon a haughty look. He puts up his hands in a placating gesture, closing the door and leading the way to the door.

As they walk in, they are hit with a mouthwatering wave of scents; fresh baked bread and cookies, spicy veggies, and assorted meats. Leon goes up to the counter to grab a menu and hands it to [Yn]. “What would you like? Get whatever you want.” [Yn] looks over the menu for a minute before looking up to Leon with a lost look. “There’s a lot to choose from, huh? How about this, I’ll get what I like, and we can split it, see what you think of it. You ok with that?” [Yn] looks relieved as she nods, and Leon walks to the counter to get his normal order, minus the usual spicy peppers.

[Yn] stands next to Leon as they watch the person behind the counter make the sandwich, but her eyes keep traveling to the other people in the room nervously and when a new person walks in with the chime from the bell on the door, she flinches closer to Leon, grabbing onto his jacket like a lifeline. Leon controls the urge to wrap an arm around her waist, instead taking her hand and holding it tightly in his, smiling down at her. He pays and takes the sandwich, leading [Yn] to the table in the corner, far from the door. She sits and he picks up the drink cups, “They have really good lemonade here. Would you like some?” [Yn] nods again and he has to keep himself from sighing. He’s glad [Yn] has some level of trust in him, and is comfortable enough to be close to him, but he wishes he could get her talking. He smirks when a plan forms in his mind.

Leon sits down across from [Yn] and slides her one of the cups. She takes a few large gulps of hers before coming up for air. “Thirsty?” He smiles at her so she knows he’s joking and she returns it with a sky look. Leon opens the wrapper and hands half the sandwich to [Yn] with a few napkins. He watches her take a bite, waiting for a reaction before starting in on his own. He can’t tell if she likes it or not by her expression, and after chewing and swallowing his first bite he puts his plan into motion.

“You know, this is one of my favorite places to eat? This shop has been here for years and I’ve never had a bad sandwich. And I love the sauce they make! It’s the owners recipe and he won’t tell a soul what’s in it.” All of what Leon is saying is utter bullshit. He’s been here before, sure, but he’s never seen the same person twice behind the counter, all bored college students who half the time look stoned out of their minds. But [Yn] is listening to everything he says with a neutral look on her face, a silent participator in the conversation, so Leon pulls out the acting skills, “So, what do you think? Bet you’ve never had a sandwich better than the ones they make here.” He worded the sentence carefully so she won’t have an easy yes or no. She shrugs instead, with the same polite smile, and Leon lets his face drop, his shoulders deflate, a look defining defeat, “Oh, ok. It’s ok if you don’t like it. I understand.” Leon almost feels bad when a stricken look crosses [Yn]’s face, but the next moment makes it worth it.

“What? No, I...I like it. That’s not what I…” She stops, confused when Leon’s face breaks into what he’s sure is a devious looking smile. She seems to understand what he did and she...rolls her eyes at him. But she doesn’t stop there, “Asshole,” the word is just a whisper, but Leon hears it anyway and can’t help the laughter that breaks out of his chest, and when [Yn] slaps her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, the laughter becomes uncontrollable. Only when she tries to fumble out an apology does he control himself, smiling across the table at her.

“No, I’m sorry I’m sorry. You’re right, I was being an asshole. I just wanted to see if I could get you to talk, besides to say that I’m pretty.” Her face grows even more red and she tries to apologize again, “It’s ok, really. It’s not like that’s the first time I’ve heard that. People say I’m gorgeous, and who am I to correct them?” The blush on his cheeks is probably giving away his embarrassment, he’s never known what to do with those comments. His awkward thanks to [Yn] when she’d called him pretty was the typical reaction he’d give, at least that time he hadn’t tripped over anything afterword, unlike last time…

Leon is drawn from his thoughts when [Yn] glares playfully at him and sticks out her tongue, crinckling her nose. He laughs again and she joins in with a quiet giggle. Leon feels his heart swell, and the smile feels permanent on his face.

Leon and [Yn] finish their meal and, after picking up a few warm cookies, get back on the road to Leon’s place.

@chloe-3-price @mitsuintheworks @imagineleonkennedy @locus-desperatus @biohazard4ever @sinnamon-bunn

Chapter 1

[linssikeittomies]

Apocalypse. In 50 Years. Chapter 1: Virgin Allison

I’m lucky. Always have been. Me, my parents, their parents, and their parents as far back as we can remember have always been lucky: none of them have been seriously ill, gotten into a serious accident, or suffered major financial setbacks. We don’t have any hereditary diseases. No one has died before their 80th birthday. There hasn’t been a single divorce.

I had a good upbringing, a stable family situation and a healthy diet. My parents bought me an apartment, I got in to college on my first try, I have hobbies I love and time for them, summer is just around the corner and we’re planning a vacation to Hawaii, everything is great and I should have nothing to worry about.

But every second of the day I feel this anxious tension in my chest.

I always feel like I’m doing something wrong, or I’m supposed to be doing something else. Something is not correct, and I don’t know how to correct it. Something’s expected of me, but I don’t know what. I’ve tried going to church and mosque more, I’ve tried doing more sports, I’ve tried volunteer work, arts, science, philosophy, psychology, travelling, soul searching, nothing works. That nagging feeling just won’t go away! Sometimes it’s right there on the surface, sometimes it sinks to the background, but it’s there every second of the day and my sanity can’t take another month of this feeling! I might be the first person in my family line to have a mental breakdown.

--

There’s some kind of sound… What is that, I don’t like it, I don’t like beeping when it’s so warm. Just let me find that last bunny. It got scared of the sound. Aww, I found it, right on my desk, the alarm…

Oh, the sound was my alarm clock. Damn brilliant, time to wake up already. Whose bright idea was it to force people up before they were ready? The professors can’t like being woken at the ass crack of dawn either. Just stop having morning lectures, people! Nobody wants them! I’m the nicest girl this country has ever seen and I’m getting an impulse to murder a guy. I’ve been getting up at 5:45 the whole week, maybe I should’ve gone the other route and just not slept at all. Would’ve made it easier to drag myself out of my soft, warm, loving bed… I’ve been trying to clean up my language, but I just have to curse some right now. Gives me enough anger to push myself up. Makes me feel bad about myself, too.

The classic white and blue sailor fuku has seen a lot of use this past month, but since it still feels marginally less wrong than all my other clothes, it’ll see a little more. I brush my hair while I wait for the frying pan to heat up enough fry my omelet, then pick at it and end up only eating half. Ughhh, why did I stay up reading that fanfic last night, again? I’ve read it like ten times already, I already know damn well what’s gonna happen! I get so queasy when I’m tired… I should probably pack the rest of this omelet up and take it to school ‘cause I’ll just get hungry an hour later.

I manage to cover the bags under my eyes with make-up, and since for once I was smart and packed my bag ready last night, I just grab it and get out the door. I’ve barely closed it when my next door neighbor Ricky comes out his. He’s really nice and kinda cute, but his obvious crush on me makes our relationship a little awkward. Not that I don’t reciprocate – he’s easy on the eyes, super cute with all those freckles and dimples and supposedly carefree hair combined with a caring and shy personality. So yeah, I once considered dating him, but the overwhelming sense of WRONG! WRONG! had unfortunately made that impossible. It always flares up particularly bad when something romance-related comes to my mind, maybe I’m just extremely aromantic without realizing it? It seems being friends with him is a-ok, however. And it’s got its perks.

“Oh, morning, Ally. Did you like the cookies I gave you yesterday?” he asks, as if there was ever any doubt. “I think the cinnamon made them a little too Christmassy.”

“Not at all, they were great! I don’t get how you make them soft in the center, whenever I try they just dry up.”

“Might be too much flour”, he theorizes as we go down the stairs. He moves his messenger bag from his free side to between the two us – I’ve noticed he does that a lot, I think it’s some kind of unconscious attempt at putting up a barrier because he feels so self-conscious around me. “Or maybe you keep the oven on for too long. I always turn it off when they’re close to ready.”

I almost ask for a baking lesson, but again the WRONG flares up so I give up on the idea.

“You might be on to something, I’ll try that next time.”

He’s bad with words, so he tries to find something to say but can’t. He scratches his arm absently and opens his mouth only to close it immediately. Our conversations are rarely smooth, and these kinds of pauses are the norm. I don’t mind them that much – no point in saying words solely for the sake of making noise, after all. But Ricky seems to find them incredibly uncomfortable and a sign of failure, so often I just say something completely meaningless to help him out, give him some ideas.

“How’s school been lately?”

Ricky’s a journalism major, and has a huge collection of magazines and newspapers at his place. I wonder why he didn’t go into confectionary since he’s so good at it already. Maybe he prefers to keep it a hobby? Not even with a gun to my head would I animate for a living, even though I spend like 90 percent of my free time staring at anime.

“Nothing special”, he mumbles. “A lot of work… It, uhh, might get a little worse now that my computer broke…”

“Aww crap, I feel for you!”

“Thanks… I… spilled milk on it last night”, he admits embarrassed. He likes drinking milk with cookies, he must’ve been eating those cinnamon cookies while working on something. “It’s probably busted even if I can get it dry.”

“I can lend you my tablet if it’s any help.”

“Thanks, but… all my files were on the hard drive.”

Oh jeez, he didn’t even save the most important ones to a cloud? This guy’s just hopeless. I don’t get how he’s managed to stay alive living on his own for two years. A cute face doesn’t help much with keeping track of bills and switching fuses.

We part ways on the street and I dig out my headphones. My bus route is noisy as hell, thanks to all the “edgy” teens going to high school. For some incomprehensible reason so many of them think it’s entirely necessary to loudly laugh at the worst non-jokes and gossip about this bitch and that bitch and those assholes, while also apparently hating each other judging by the amount insults they throw at each other, but still they hang out together so I guess they really are friends…? I just don’t get them. I was never like that in high school, I actually liked my friends.

Speaking of which, I get a new message from ~BFF~.

Good morning! Saida says, and sends a selfie. Seems she’s been clothes shopping, as I’ve never seen that tunic before. The hijab is old, but it’s draped pretty elaborately. It looks really good on her, red’s really her color, and the tunic’s greenish gray complements it surprisingly well.

Woah nice! Looks great on u (^o^)b

Thanks^^ Took ten tries to drape it good, I’m thinking wearing it like this for the premiere. Only a week from now! SO excited! >o<

Grrrrreat peeps gonna luv it \(^-<)

Keep both thumbs up for me^^

Saida’s an aspiring playwright and works on a lot of amateur productions. This will the first play she wrote completely on her own. I’ve been to a couple of their rehearsals, so I know the story is about a woman whose father is murdered and she vows to catch the perp – but in the process learns that her father was actually a terrible person and was killed in revenge. I didn’t want too many spoilers so I haven’t read the script.

Can we go togthr im so proud of u (/>3>)/

Of course! We’re going for a dinner afterwards so you can come with us too

Aww, I wanted u all to myself orz

If only you were a guy you couldXD Too bad :p

Deciding to tease her about this raises the wrong feeling back to the surface, but the opportunity is just too delicious.

Ill keep that in mind (^3^)b

Oh jeez, in hindsight that was a bad joke (/-_-\)

U get im gonna teez u about this all ur life k:DDDD

In hindsight that was a REALLY bad joke -_- Have fun AT SCHOOL you little devil!>:D

Aww orz

She barely has classes this week, not that it means she actually has less work – just that she’s supposed to working on assignments at home. Unlike me, she’s really diligent and actually does her homework over a few days instead of the previous night.

--

The professor is late, as usual. Students don’t have keys for the classrooms, so we have to wait outside. It can get pretty cramped, especially at places like this: at the end of a narrow hallway, with the smelliest toilet in the building at the other end. Everyone tries their hardest to squeeze out of the way of the stench. At least in the summer it gets a little better – in the winter the pipes get frozen, and when the water doesn’t flow, the smell really starts melting off faces.

I fail at stifling a yawn, and a classmate gives me a sympathetic look. It’s so hard to stay awake when I’m not on the move, any small break just reminds my brain of how tired I am, and then it wants to go back to sleep. It even forgets about the horrible stink floating in the hallway, if only for a moment. When my head drops and I snap back to attention, it suddenly fills my nose again. I’ve repeated the process about five times already.

In fact, I’m right in the process of drifting back to sleep again when I notice her. The pale, young woman dressed all in black, sporting abyssal black hair and glowing, ember-like eyes. She stares at me intently, like a hawk hunting a rabbit, and emanates a malicious aura. Everything about her is… dark, somehow. Like she’s hard to make out, and even the bright lamps seem dimmer around her. She looks human, but in an… elongated way. Her face, her body, and especially her fingers, look a little too long and a little too spindly. She looks like a daddy long legs. I can’t shake the mental image of her creeping up the wall and skittering away in to some slight crack. I’m not used to being nervous – I consider myself a particularly brave person, but this lady is giving me the creeps! I find myself crossing my arms at my chest to get at least some kind of barrier between us, despite her standing several meters away. It’s not far enough. If possible, I would rather put several countries between us – but as it stands, all I have is half a meter of hallway.

Her eyes stare at me unblinkingly as I squeeze closer to the door, their dim glimmer drowning out all other light. I can’t look away – her gaze holds me prisoner, and laughs at my fear.

Then a light weight settles on my shoulder, and her thin lips curve into a sharp, sadistic facsimile of a smile and she whispers

                                                  FOUND YOU

before turning around and walking out. All feelings of dread melt away with her gone, and I turn to look at whoever defended me.

It’s a hand. A translucent, poorly defined, watery hand that peters out of existence at the wrist. Seeing it floods me with tranquility. It twinkles like moonwake and grips my shoulder reassuringly before fading away.

…

Wow, I must be really tired! Guess those five hour nights finally caught up with me! As interesting as this awake-sleeping was, I’d rather not repeat it anytime soon. Or, like, ever. I have got to catch up on sleepy times this weekend.

--

By afternoon I’ve almost forgotten about the creepy lady and disembodied hand. It’s Friday, I’m too excited about finally having the time to finish my Ayato cosplay to think about sleep deprivation hallucination thingies. If I hurry, I should be able to finish the coat, maybe work on the pants some more. I need to get some more glue and find the right kind of buttons, the crafts store is still open so I’ll stop by there before going to my parents’ –

“Hey, Ally!”

A classmate drags me out of my thoughts.

“Ellie decided to throw an impromptu birthday party to herself tomorrow at her place, wanna come with us?” Lisa continues. Bryan is at her side, while Lotte and Yao come up on my right.

“She’s invited a lot of her other friends, too! Place is gonna be crawling with cute chicks!” Brian informs me as he pumps his fists. He then seems to remember he’s talking to a girl. “…Or guys, if that’s your thing”, he adds meekly.

Lisa firmly shakes her head.

“Her place can’t fit more than twenty people, and our class is gonna be at least thirteen of those people.”

“Yeah, the afterparty is what’s filled with hotties!” Lotte pipes in with stars in her eyes. Our class doesn’t actually share a lot of courses, but we try to stay in contact with each other. We have a whatsapp group, and sometimes we plan parties or get-togethers. I try to take part every now and then, but so often everyone just wants to go drinking I don’t see the point in going.

“Don’t worry, Ellie said her place is an alcohol-free zone for tonight because she doesn’t want a repeat of last year!” Lisa assures me. “It’s just gonna be music and games until we go clubbing.”

Ellie is pretty nice, and the only person I kind of consider to be a friend other than Saida. I might make friends easily, but keeping them is a genuine problem. If we hadn’t been neighbors all our lives, I don’t think I would still be friends with even Saida, either. So I’d like to at least try and hold on to Ellie while we’re still in the same school.

“Alright, I’ll be there!”

“WOOOO!!!” Lotte screams and everyone else flinches.

“Jesus Christ Lotte, control yourself!” Yao snaps at her, but of course she doesn’t give a damn. Instead, she starts dancing right there in the hallway and singing some pop song off-key. I know for a fact she’s not drunk because she acts like that even in class, but it’s still almost impossible to believe. Yao grumbles quietly and facepalms in shame before walking off without another word.

“See you tomorrow!” are Lisa’s parting words, and she smiles brightly as she waves bye. Bryan punches her lightly on the shoulder and she silently pumps her fist. They’re so happy that most of the class will be there. We used to this kind of stuff a lot more often in our first year, but then summer break came and everyone drifted apart.

“Wear something nice... but not too nice”, Lotte advises, winking conspicuously. “That’d be a bit too scary.”

“Scary how?” I ask puzzled. She just blows me a kiss before WOOTing again and pseudo-dancing out the door. In a way I almost envy her utter indifference towards social norms, being her must be so freeing. I can’t imagine the tiniest worry ever enters her head. For sure she never feels anything she does is wrong.

I popped in the crafts store on the way to my parents’ – on Friday’s we always have dinner together. This week it was dad’s turn to cook, so I helped him make the asam laksa, after hiding the curry- he always tries to put in too much, and mom’s so white she can barely salt her food.

“Bismillah”, dad and I say.

“God is great, by his hand we are all fed. Amen”, mom and I say.

My parents are great at working around their faiths. They both let the other do their own thing while holding onto their own. They never tried to teach me one faith was wrong. I came to think of God and Allah as different aspects of the same entity, in a way, and had no problems growing up bi-religious. As a child God felt closer, but after graduating middle school I became more drawn to Allah, maybe partly because of Saida. That’s when we really started being good friends, despite being neighbors since birth and always being in the same class. I even wore a hijab for a while, like her, though only for, like, ten months maybe? It wouldn’t have been even that long had my parents not been kind of worried, and had I not been a rebellious little shit. I wanted to make them squirm a bit. Imagine that, an Ally who wasn’t a total goody two shoes.

“We’ve been thinking about getting a dog”, dad tells me. “I think a Maltese would be best, they’re small and playful. A dog should be social and playful, right? Real companions. I have some breeders scouted already.”

He’s super excited about this dog. One might even say suspiciously excited…

“You’re suffering from empty nest syndrome”, I quip and chuckle.

“Nonsense, I’ve always wanted a dog.”

“You never mentioned dogs before Ally moved out, honey”, mom reminds playfully.

“What? Sure I did. The house was just too small.”

Mom rubs her chin mock-thoughtfully.

“The man doth protest too much, methinks.”

“He really doth.”

Dad gets flustered and still tries to claim he’s doing no such thing. Everyone and their grandma knows he has a soft spot for anything cute and fluffy but he still likes to pretend he doesn’t. Oh, that pink teddy bear on that shelf? It was a gift for my wife, she loves things like that. I heard your cat had kittens, can I bring my daughter over to see them? What’s a few mice, they’ll be gone by winter, getting mouse traps is too much hassle.

We had to call an exterminator for the mice. In a few months they had taken over most of the kitchen.

“Well now neither will get to name the puppy.”

Aww, and I was so looking forward to that yappy little shedding machine. I would have named it Fluffy of the Incessant Noise.

“I’m thinking O’Malley. That could then be shortened to either Max or Madsie.”

“He hasn’t been this excited since your youngest cousin was born”, mom says while nudging dad with her elbow. Dad claims the dog would be mostly for mom, so she won’t get lonely while dad’s at work. Mom says Of course, honey, and lets it slide. She has a part-time job, she’s only home alone for nine hours a few days a week.

--

I leave when it starts getting dark outside. I live close to my parents, so I decide to walk home. It’s getting a little chilly outside, but that only means the air is fresh and getting under the warm covers will feel that much better. It’s quiet – oddly quiet, it’s only quarter past eight. Why are all the lights already off? I could get a few people being asleep already, but the whole neighborhood? It’s not a blackout, the streetlights are on. Weird.

I’m starting to get a little nervous. Logically thinking there’s nothing worrying around, but my gut keeps telling me something is wrong more insistently than usually. And it’s a dangerous wrong, not the this-is-not-expected-of-you-wrong.

I pick up my pace a bit, and that’s when the streetlamps start going out, too. Each one I pass under fizzles out after me. The feeling of wrong is replaced by GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!! In a blind panic I start running, but then the lamps start breaking before I even reach them! Hot glass shards rain over me as I’m left in total darkness in a large city that never sleeps!

No, that not entirely correct… There is still one light on. A single streetlamp a dozen meters away illuminates a small patch of sidewalk. Something is standing under it. Some kind of dark creature, with long talons and glinting fangs. I can hear it chuckling darkly… and it charges at me!

On instinct I put up my dukes, only realizing after the fact that it’s probably the one choice even worse than simply running – I’ve never hit anyone in my life and would just break each of my fingers before getting mauled to death… Shit! Okay, okay – but at least this way, I can die on my own terms – bring it on, bitch!

But just as quickly as it attacked, it is defeated. A blindingly bright spear of light shoots down from the sky, piercing the creature’s head clean in the center and nailing it to the asphalt. The resulting shockwave drops me on my ass on the ground. The spear stays standing, unbearably bright to look at but barely illuminating the surroundings at all. And the creature lies there motionless, not bleeding, but it’s so obviously dead I almost want to go up to it and investigate a little. My wrong radar goes off, though, so I give up the idea.

And, well, I wouldn’t have gotten that far anyway, since now a watery, half-there hand fades into view around the hilt of the spear ��� the same hand from school. This doesn’t feel like a dream, and in a dream I sure wouldn’t wonder if this was all a dream, but I just have to consider the possibility. Because if this is reality, I’ll have to readjust my beliefs on ghosts and I really, really don’t want them to be real!

A faint sound of flutes drifts in as the hand lifts up the spear and offers it to someone invisible. The corpse of the demonic beast quietly crumbles to dust, and all the lights flicker back on. The invisible someone starts forming a body – at first as poorly defined as the watery hand, like a half-remembered memory, but soon solidifying into a slender, paper white arm, alabaster robe, platinum blonde curls… and massive, pure white feathery wings flaring out from this picture perfect woman’s back. A softly glowing halo hums into life above her head as a single, clear ring of a church bell tolls.

If – if this isn’t an angel, nothing is. There I am, on my ass on the pavement before an emissary of God, and I can’t even manage to not gawk at her like some fucking moron!

The angel takes the spear in her hand, the watery hand waves to me and disappears, and still I can’t manage to even close my fucking mouth!

“I take it you are unharmed?” the angel asks me, her voice pure and melodic and all that poetic crap, and all I say is “Praise be to God”, like some generic and zero-thought-process and out-of-habit phrase like that is going to do any good in this situation. THINK OF SOMETHING TO SAY, DAMN YOU BRAIN!

“Get off your ass already!” a new voice huffs and startles me enough to actually make me jump despite not even standing. On my left, there is a lesbian – honestly, that’s what best describes her! She’s wearing red flannel, for fuck’s sake! A super short lesbian, she’s almost a head shorter than even me… What the hell – heck is she doing here? Can’t she see the angel standing right there? Why isn’t she boggled out of her mind at the incredible sight?! It feels so right to be in awe of her – wait… It feels… right? Why… why isn’t anything wrong now? I… This is so confusing. Where did the wrong go?

The angel graciously offers her hand to this idiotic creature, and all I can do is stutter out a simple thank you. Partly it’s my confusion at the inexplicable disappearance of wrong, and partly because she is - and I’m not shitting or embellishing this in the slightest - the most beautiful woman I could have imagined even in my wildest dreams. It’s not just how she looks, it’s also how she feels – and yes, she does look stunning, but she also emanates this aura of peace, reverence and contentment. That aura, combined with her perfectly symmetrical, slim face, large eyes in multiple hues of blue and nearly translucent, evenly toned skin puts Aphrodite, Venus and Istar all to shame.

“Thank you”, I say automatically. The angel smiles and I swear my heart skips like ten beats. Not only is she indescribably beautiful, she’s also insanely tall – I don’t even reach her armpit. As I stare up at her like some love-struck idiot, her face subtly changes – her eyes go from double-lid to monolid, her nose flattens a bit, and her cheekbones travel upwards. She’s turned from completely Caucasian to part East Asian – like me. She skin still stays just as pale, though, it even faintly glows a white light.

“We need to go, asshats!” the lesbian snaps. I reluctantly turn to look at her instead of the wonder in front of me. Her hair is blonde as well, but instead of freely flowing long waves, it’s a straight, long bob and pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes are an even turquoise, and that’s one of the only two things worth mentioning about her looks – she’s impossibly plain. She’s so plain you can’t call her ugly, not even standing next to the angel. The other thing worth mention is that bitch face of epic proportions. How she can be anything but awestruck around the angel is beyond me, but that look makes it pretty clear she despises nothing on this planet as much as she does me.

I thought the angel would be incapable of negative emotions, but even she gives a slight glare at the lesbian, like she’s being inappropriate.

“Yes, it would be best to move on before more demons arrive.”

That thing was really a demon? Not just some monster? Why was it after me? And why am I important to warrant an honest to God angel to save me? Not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s just weird that a nobody like me gets special treatment. My family’s not important, and I’m not even planning a religious career.

The angel and the lesbian start walking towards my place, and I don’t question how they know where I live. I just follow, legs weak, suddenly noticing how funny the short lesbian looks next to the giant angel. As I stifle the chuckle, I realize how rude I’m being, and to a celestial being at that!

“Ah! My name’s Ally binti Badraan! Nice to meet you!”

Both women turn to look at me, but keep walking.

“We knew that”, the angel replies smiling gently. “You may call me Rapture.”

We both look at the lesbian expectantly, and she blanks for a good five seconds. What, doesn’t she know her own name?

“…Meta. Got any smokes?”

Rapture looks like she wants to facepalm, but it wouldn’t fit her image.

“Uhh, sorry, no. I don’t smoke.”

“What are you even good for?” Meta huffs. Excuse me? What the hell kind of manners are those?! She was totally raised in a barn!

“I apologize for my subordinate”, Rapture grumbles. “It may be difficult to believe she is also an angel, but she is capable despite her personality.”

What?! The lesbian is also an angel? But – she’s nothing like Rapture! She seems like the furthest thing from angel excluding demons! Rapture, yeah, she could only be an angel, but you can’t tell me that Plain McBitchy belongs in the same genus!

“I’m here to fight demons, not to baby these bonebags”, Meta comments with a sneer. I decide not to bother with her, and address Rapture.

“So you’re powers, am I correct?”

Rapture smiles so bright I swear the whole street lights up. I hate being a broken record, but she is so beautiful! I might have to look away soon, wouldn’t want my eyes to overload.

“Oh, good to see you have read your Bible! It has been very long since I met a true believer!”

I don’t have the heart to tell her I haven’t even read the whole Bible… I skipped like 70 percent of the Old Testament. I read all the angel stuff on Wikipedia.

Come to think of it, does this prove Christianity to be the only true religion? What am I going to tell dad and Saida?

I’m just about to ask, when the angels – no, I just can’t consider the lesbian an actual angel – suddenly turn invisible. We’re right at the corner of my apartment building, and I hear someone walking towards us. I don’t want to panic, because for sure Rapture wouldn’t have left me to fend for myself if it was a demon, but can you blame me for imagining the worst when I was a second away from death mere minutes ago?

I couldn’t hide behind the dumpster fast enough, and Ricky caught me at a very embarrassing situation.

“Did you drop something?” he asks. I feel my face growing red as I try to nonchalantly brush my clothes clean and look like I didn’t just dive on the ground.

“Oh, yeah, my… thing. Girl thing.”

“I have two sisters, you can say tampon”, he laughs as he throws in his trash. I am so glad he doesn’t realize I made it sound like my tampon just fell out. “Nice evening, right? If it weren’t for the lights, you could see the stars clearly.”

Yeah, the sky is clear and there’s only a light breeze in the air. I look up at the sky, but can only see a few dots here and there. I’ve always wanted to go in the countryside somewhere at night so I could see the starry sky in all its glory. It’s just that driving in complete darkness in a strange place would be a little too scary, and I am not sleeping in a car.

I catch Ricky looking at me with a slight blush on his face, and wait for the wrong to set in to discourage any kind of romantic notion. But it doesn’t come. What happened to it? It always comes at moments like this!

���Um…” Ricky starts, wrings his hands, looks at the ground, looks at me, and starts again. “I – I cooked up something really good, if you’d, maybe, like to come in and, I don’t know, watch some anime?”

Where is that sense of wrong? I feel completely fine with saying yes to this ridiculously obvious date. It’s like it’s suddenly okay to like someone.

I – I kind of want to see what happens. It doesn’t have to lead to anything serious, I can just leave if wrong returns. Claim I didn’t realize this is a date.

I’m gonna do it!

“Yeah, okay! I got some mochi at my place, you liked the green tea ones, right?”

Ricky can’t believe I just said yes. His smile is so wide you could fit a camel in his mouth, despite him clearly trying to play it cool, like he’s a smooth player.

“Those were the kind you got me for Christmas? Where did you buy them?” Aww, he remembered! He hadn’t looked too happy with his first taste of mochi, but I guess they grew on him.

“The Chinese store on West street, they got many kinds.”

“Never thought I’d say I like green tea”, Ricky jokes and stops even trying to hide his joy.

“My favorite is durian, smells horrible but tastes heavenly.”

Does that count as an accidental pun? Rapture and Meta are still around, aren’t they? Just invisible. What’s up with that, anyway?

“Was that the purple one, or –“

Ricky is cut off by Meta suddenly appearing right at his side and making him jump away in surprise.

“Will you two just get ON WITH IT!” she yells exasperated. “I’m TIRED, I need my SMOKES, and I’m not getting EITHER while you two keep standing here FLIRTING WITH EACH OTHER!”

Ricky stares at her in terrified silence, and I can’t think of anything to say either. Meta huffs again – seems to be her thing.

“Do you at least have smokes?”

Ricky shakes his head timidly.

“Well of FUCKING COURSE you don’t! Fucking useless garbage! Thirsty little bitch who probably still wets the bed…”

“What the hell Meta?!” I yell. Yeah, I’m a nice person, but I’m not gonna just stand there while this bitch insults my friend! Angel or not, she needs to show some basic respect! “You can’t just blow up like that! Apologize!”

She stares at me in stunned silence, and I can just hear the Did this bitch honestly-! Uh-huh, you bet your ass I did! “Ricky’s a nice guy, he doesn’t deserve you giving him shit for not enabling your bad habits!”

Uh-oh, bad move. Meta goes from disbelief to fite me! in under a second.

“You realize he probably beats off to you every single night? Nice guys like him watch the most fucked up Asian bondage porn”, Meta shoots, and stomps inside.

“She’s wrong!” Ricky instantly squeaks. “I don’t even watch normal person! I swear! SHE’S LYING!”

…and he escapes. I doubt this date is happening anymore.

When I get inside, Meta is already sprawled out on the couch. Rapture becomes visible the second I close the door. She begins a long, furious rant that same second.

“Meta! Your work ethics are deplorable! We are under strict orders not to show ourselves to normal humans! You mouth off any human you meet and spend your time smoking and rotting your brain with TV and lazing around and drinking and nothing I say ever gets through to you! Get up! What a fine image you are giving your client!”

Rapture is a lot less angelic when she rants at someone she clearly considers beneath her. That feel-good aura is completely gone and her face contorts in inhuman ways. Her voice also is also slowly losing its melodic qualities and turning more and more shrill every ten seconds. And she talks for many ten seconds. Wow, can she flap her lips! She just keeps going and going and going about the innumerable flaws Meta has, while the object of this rant does nothing to hide her prissiness though she never defends herself, either. Guess she’s used to this, and knows the fastest way to get it over with is not to argue. I may not like her, and maybe I do agree with Rapture on many points, but it’s still overkill to put someone down for almost ten minutes.

“Please calm down, Rapture, I’m sure she got the message.”

Despite this being such a meek protest, she actually turns to face me – her eyes have turned black and her face is considerably more angular and sharp than earlier. She returns back to normal in seconds, like she forgot I was here and tries to pretend she didn’t just chew out her partner. Her huge wings knock off two glasses on my table, which thankfully don’t break, and after some deliberation she decides her visage is angelic enough without the wings. She sheds them by letting the feathers fall of in a dramatic cascade. Fortunately they fall through the floor and don’t just pile up for me to clean up.

“I assume you would like an explanation of the situation?” she asks, and I nod. Behind her back Meta rolls her eyes and drops back on the couch. “Your grandchild will be the second coming of the messiah.”

Messiah? As in, Jesus Christ? And his second coming? Woah, seems Christianity is the only religion. Am I gonna have to give up Allah?

“We will stay here to protect you, to ensure the bloodline keeps going.”

“Have you been protecting me my whole life? But – why would you never show yourselves?”

You’d think protecting me was a little easier if I knew what could happen to me. I could, you know, maybe try and prepare, instead of freezing and trying to fistfight a demon. Plus I probably would have gone to church a lot more often. God likes it when people go to church.

“Oh, no, we were assigned to this task today. Powers are much too conspicuous – before this, a guardian angel was more suited to the task. They are everywhere and have very little power, so they do not attract attention. But now that you have been discovered, Satan will do all in his power to break the bloodline. He will do anything to escape judgment.”

She smiles reassuringly, but suddenly her smile doesn’t captivate me like it just minutes before. Yeah, she’s still super beautiful, but hearing her nag so passionately didn’t exactly earn her points in my book.

“Not to worry, we can take anything the enemy throws at you.”

Right, yeah, I guess I should be worried about my own life, now that she mentioned it.

“So Christianity’s God is the only true god?” I blurt out. Rapture smiles brightly, while Meta vigorously shakes her head behind her back.

“So… is He or isn’t He?”

“Of course He is! What else would He be?” Rapture barks.

“He’s so far from the only one he’s not even a decimal”, Meta comments. Rapture shoots her a truly venomous look, and clearly plans to lecture her some more later.

This is all a bit much to take in… I’m the grandmother of Jesus, and angels can’t agree on whether God is the only god or not, and I’m gonna have to tell mom and dad all this craziness… Oh and my life is gonna be in danger basically 24/7 now.

“Okay guys, I need some alone time. Good night, sorry but I only have that one couch… Try and share it or something.”

Rapture lets out an indignant scoff, but I don’t look at her. I just close the bedroom door and fall on the bed. I should do my evening prayers, but what can I even say tonight? Should I pray to both my Gods, or just one? Should I address one to all the possible deities, since Meta said there’s a whole lot? Would just one shared prayer do or am I gonna have to sit here ‘til I faint from hunger?

Eventually I settle on praying to both God and Allah, as I do every evening. I simply pray for guidance. As predicted, Rapture nags at Meta, but at least she’s doing it quietly, and lets me fall asleep.

--

Crumbs… Crumbs everywhere… Poor sandwiches, can’t be easy going to school when you shed all over the floors and eat yourself for lunch, and Ham can’t even find its cow.

“BLESSED SILENCE!”

I hear a confused groan and it takes a few seconds to realize I’m the one who made it. It’s pitch black in my room.

“Sorry, it got a little too quiet”, Meta explains. I groan again. This is just great, she woke up in the fucking dead of night because it was too quiet? That’s the ideal for night!

At least I fall asleep again reasonably quick.