#otherwise im gonna get to read more comics tonight

[fromgotham]

my coworker gave me a gift and started to cry bc im leaving im so 🥺🥺

[reddieforakiss]

Icecream on Sundays

College Reddie// not established relationship// roommates// Rated M for intense make outs and sexual references// SPOILER ALERT FOR HEATHERS MOVIE

Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak have been living together for around a year now. In senior year they ended up deciding on the same college so they figured being each other’s room mate was better than being with a stranger.

// When Richie first brought the idea up to Eddie, they were in his room reading comic books. “Eds I think we should be room mates when we get to college”, Richie said out of no where, and Eddie threw him a confused look. Richie went on to reason, “I mean who knows what kind of weirdos could end up rooming with you otherwise?”. Eddie snorted and nudged his side into Richies side, “I know exactly the kind of weirdo that I’m gonna room with”, he looked in Richies eyes “you”. Richie smiled wide and wrapped his arm around Eddies shoulder, “Aw hell yes Eds! You aren’t gonna regret it”. Eddie turned red and laughed softly, smiling, “I feel like I already am”. //

As they moved in and began school, the two of them started in routines. Eddie always got to shower in the morning and Richie did at night. Eddie made both of them breakfast as long as Richie would do the dishes after. If either one of them left at night, they would leave notes for each tier saying where they went and when they would get back. On Saturday mornings they would always go grocery shopping, at the mini mart of course. And, every Sunday night, they would get snacks and watch a movie together.

This particular Sunday it was Eddies turn to pick the movie as Richie had picked it last time, choosing Transformers 2 much to Eddies distaste. He reasoned the special effects were what made it good and as Richie was a film major he “cared about that kind of thing”. This week Eddie decided to go for Heathers. The two were sitting on the couch, icecream bowls in their hands and Eddie was queuing it up on Netflix. “EuGh Eds we have seen that movie so many times”, Richie huffed out, honestly he didn’t mind though because both JD and Veronica were hot as fuck and made his bisexual brain do flips. “What! It’s a good movie with an important message”, Eddie shot back. Richie looked at him with raised eyebrows, “Mhm and I’m sure it doesn’t help that you think JD is”, Richie then wiggled his eyebrows, “SpiCy”. Eddie bumped his shoulder, “so what! I like bad boys okay!”. Richie snorted, “Eddie, he’s not a bad boy he’s a cold blooded murderer”, he then leaned in close to Eddies ear, “I mean, unless that’s what you’re also into, I can kill a man too ya know”. Richies whispered voice sent shivers down Eddies spine, god damnit. Richie had been doing shit like that all the time lately, always teasing him about them being together. And sure Eddie kind of enticed it with his own comments but sometimes it got too much for him to handle. Sometimes it made Eddie think, he might actually like Richie?? But now wasn’t the time for that, so Eddie shoved him away and shouted, “Ew, Gross!” And as usually Richie pretended to be dramatically wounded.

As the movie began to play, Eddie sang along to the introduction; “When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?..”. Richie looked at him fondly when he did that, Eddie was cutest when he sang along to songs he liked because he would always get this bright look in his eyes. God what a beautiful boy. “How do you think they got Veronica buried under all that grass?”, Richie inquired with icecream in his mouth. “I don’t know Richie, I don’t think this movie is really going for realism”, Eddie looked back at him. He had peanut butter on his cheek, Richie always insisted putting peanut butter in his vanilla icecream, gross. But kinda cute too.......Shit.

Right around the time Heather Chandler screamed corn nuts, Richie had gotten bored. It was a good movie yes, but after you’ve seen it ten times in a year it starts to loose its charm. Richie looked over at Eddie, his face lit up by the bright screen amoungst the fading light from outside their window. Eddies eyelashes always looked long, but it was the most noticeable from his profile. God, those pretty lashes and that angel nose could kill a man. Richies eyes moved down to Eddies mouth and, fuck. Eddies lips were glossy with icecream residue, they were also puffy from the coldness of the treat. A small drop of melted icecream fell down from the corner of his mouth and Eddies tongue went to lick it up. Everything felt like slow motion. Shit that looks kind of like. God no Richie no not right now, Richie turned to face the screen again.

Right around the time Veronica had made the call to the football players, Eddie realized Richie kept looking at him. He’d look back, only to find Richies head snapping away back to the screen. What was he up to? But as it happened more often, Eddie could see from the corner of his eye that Richie was looking at his lips. Eddie took another spoonful of icecream and, Oh. That’s what Richie was looking at. Eddie looked down at the cold white treat in his hands, and there was quiet a lot left. Richie had gotten a whole pint each for both of them and while Richie finished his quickly, Eddie had barely made a dent. Eddie brought another spoonful up to his lips, this time slowly dragging the spoon out of his mouth. He could feel Richie shift on the couch. He felt like he was in control in a weird way, and in an even weirder way, it was kind of hot. Now Eddie upped his game, this time swirling his tongue around the spoon. The next spoonful he made sure to leave a good amount left on his lips so he could slide his tongue across them. And the next time, he “accidentally” dropped some on his shirt. Now Eddie was never one to make messes, but this time it was kind of fun. Eddie huffed to make himself seem frustrated and began to suck on the fabric where it had dripped. He mouthed at it and gave it small licks with his tongue. He could feel the intense heat of Richies stare burning into him. He liked to know he did in fact make Richie feel some kind of way and this thing was not one sided. And it was not one sided by a long shot.

Richie wouldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Eddies shoulder. “Eds”. Eddie looked back up at him, as innocent as could be, “yea rich?”. Richie stared him down intensely, searching for something. Eddie looked back, daring. “Can I have some of your Icecream?”.... what? That was not what Eddie was expecting at all. “Uh, sure Rich”, he went to grab the pint but Richie grabbed his sleeve again. “No”, Richie felt incoherent at this point, trying to fight through his lust, “Wan taste now”. Richie dove in for a kiss and Eddie shivered. It was intense and full force, no warning at all. Eddie melted into it, his eyes closing and letting out a soft moan as Richie licked into his mouth. Eddie wrapped his arms around Richie and moved them up and down. He wanted to feel every single inch of him. One of Richies hands snaked down the the waistband of Eddies shorts and slowly began to slide under. Richie grabbed his bare ass and kneeded it with his palm. Eddie moaned louder, allowing Richie access farther into his mouth. The kiss became even more passionate and Eddies entire body became red hot with burning desire. Richie pushed Eddie down into the couch, now having both hands on the smaller boys bare ass. Eddie grabbed at every part he could, his fingernails raked up and down Richies back, one hand making its way up to Richies neck to pull at the small hairs. Richie groaned and drew back for one second, “please do that again oh god please please please”, he blubbered out. Eddie got a handful of hair this time and pulled harder, Richie had to take his mouth of Eddies as his became breathless. “Fuck”, Eddie whispered “you’re so hot went you’re turned on”. Richie looked down at him again, “oh yea?”. He smiled into Eddies neck and began to kiss him hard. “Mmhm, yea”, Richie sucked at his Adam’s apple. “So”, Eddie was breathless, “h,happy you got that icecream”. Richie laughed into the crook of Eddies neck, “me too Eds”. “Mmm”, Eddie pushed Richie up and off him. Richie looked worried but Eddie came crashing down on top of him. Eddie mouthed at Richies neck, “Wan make you feel good too rich”. Richie breathed out, “holy fuck”. Eds bent down near Richies painfully hard crotch, Richie began to say something but Eddie interrupted, “no I’m not doin that, not tonight atleast”. Eddie kisses Richies hip bones instead and lifted up his shirt so he could see his exposed stomach in the light of the tv screen. Eddie looked down and raked his eyes across Richies body. He was so beautiful. Richie had always been lanky, his ribs slightly exposed from leaning back, and Eddie loved it. Richie got paranoid from Eddies silence. “Sorry im not much to look at”, Richie laughed out. Eddie looked up at him confused, “are you kidding me? God I could stare at this for days, take a picture and frame it even”. Richie awkwardly laughed, “okay whatever you say”. Eddie could hear the doubt in Richies voice and it aches. Eddie kissed Richies jaw and then neck. “Think you’re beautiful rich”, he laid his head on Richies chest, “always have”. “Ohoh yea?” Richie grinned down at him with a goofy smile. “Yea”, Eddie sighed softly and played with Richies chest hair. “Sorry, that was kind of a mood killer thing for me to say huh”, Richie laughed a little solemnly. “It’s alright”, Eddie held him tight, “that’s about as far as I wanted to go tonight anyways”, he smiled up at Richie.

Eddie laid on Richie as the rest of the movie played. Eddie loved the way the bare skin of Richies chest felt against his cheek. When the movie ended Richie whispered, “Hey Eds?”. Eddie looked up through sleepy eyes , “mhm?”. “Do this um”, Richies voice seemed a bit scared, “did this mean anything to you? Cuz it meant a lot to me and I just want to be on the same page because I’ve loved you for a while now and you are my everything and I just think you’re so magical ya know and”-. Eddie cut him off with a quick kiss. “This meant everything to me Rich”, he smiled at him softly. Richie looked at Eddie almost tearful, “Eddie kaspbrak, will you be my boyfriend?”.

“I thought you’d never ask”. And after a quick kiss, the two fell asleep.

[goldenponcho]

Battle for Neverland Chapter 2

Yeah, so I said I was gonna post this one chapter after another, and so far, all I’ve posted was the first, so I’m gonna go ahead and queue up the rest I have so far.

Here’s chapter 1 if you haven’t read it.

Next chapter

"Tink stumbled a bit as she emerged from the other side of the portal, "Phew!! Peter, I told you this wasn't a good i-"

She stopped in mid sentence when she realized she wasn't in the Underground House. Tink was familiar with every inch of the Never-Forest, but nothing in her direct line of vision outside the hollow tree she was now standing in was at all recognizable. "Wh-! What kind of cheap dust is this?!!" she yanked the sack from her belt, scrunching her nose with a glare, "What good is it if it just takes me to wherever it happens to fancy?!" She crossed her arms with a stomp, fuming for a moment, then sighed, "Well… at least I won't have to listen to that horrible singing anymore," she said fluttering from the portal, and onto a nearby tree branch, "so much for my nap, though..." She examined her surroundings from her new position. Tall maples and evergreens shaded the fern-covered forest floor, and a recently fallen oak rested across a patch of saplings to her left, the small trees straining to hold the large trunk. To a human, the rainbow of flowers scattered along the forest floor and the sunbeams shining through the brances might have seemed beautiful, but to a fairy, it was nothing to be awed over. Not when there was Neverland to compare it to.

That's when she noticed a faint buzzing that quickly grew louder, and she stumbled backward, landing solidly on her backside as a large, fuzzy bee landed on the bark surrounding the hollowed out hole. Its wings buzzed in short bursts as it seemed to regard Tink with interest. Tink slowly gazed toward the top of her head at the small flower she wore as a hat.

“Nooo...n-n-n-n-n!” she grabbed the petals and pulled it down further over her head, “This isn't your flower! It's mine!” She hovered backward as the curious insect pawed at her, before finally flying up and over it. “Phew!” she turned with a sigh of relief until she realized that an entire swarm was patrolling the area and only feet above her hung a massive hive.

“Eep!” She dodged two that went for her as soon as they noticed her, and she buzzed away quickly. It was a good thing bees were such awkward, slow fliers.

“Well I'm not getting back in there anytime soon.” She made some significant distance from the hive before finally landing on a branch to scan the area.

Ferns, pine cones, poison ivy... “Ooo!” she peered closer to a few trees over at the base of a sapling where a lush patch of silver sage covered the forest floor. After making sure the coast was clear of any more flying creatures that might take an interest in her, she fluttered down from her perch.

She ran her fingers over the silky leaves and sat before pausing, “...I probably shouldn't...” But the woolly leaves were so soft against her skin, and the thought of such a comfortable sleep made her yawn. “Well...if I can't get back to the Underground House, I might as well just snooze for a bit here,” she nestled comfortably into the soft leaves with another yawn, “The portal will be just where I left it when I get back.” ~*~*~*~ "En garde, fiend!!" Peter slashed at Nibs with his wooden sword, barely missing the Lost Boy's head. Wendy caught herself staring at the fireplace, and quickly looked up to where the Lost Boys were squabbling, "Tink's been gone for a very long time, Peter," she reminded him, breaking the thread from one of Michael's socks she had just finished mending. Peter turned to her, parrying an attack from Slightly in the same motion, "Tink... Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since this morning. Where has she gone to, anyway?" Wendy rolled her eyes with a deep sigh, "She went to help you pull your prank, Peter!" "Oh! That's right!!” Peter side-stepped a charging Curly, and the boy landed face first on the dusty floor. "She's probably just making sure Hook's soup is extra disgusting." "I slightly doubt that, Peter," Slightly spoke up as he darted at him again with his wooden sword, "Tink was more than slightly sleepy. She really wanted to get it over with and get to bed." "Oh, she'll be fine!" Peter insisted, casually knocking Slightly over after dodging his attack, "She can fly, and the pirates can't. What could possibly happen?!" ~*~*~*~*~

Faint voices interrupted the tranquil sounds of the forest, and Tink was slowly pulled from what had probably been the most sound three hours of sleep she had gotten in a good while. She stretched with a contented sigh before registering that there were others nearby.

Whoever these creatures were had no problem with the whole forest knowing they were there. She shook her head; definitely humans...

Tink flitted a few yards further to a dogwood that lined the edge of a small clearing, where five humans, adults, two males and three females, sat around the beginnings of a small bonfire, one of the boys having a rough go of lighting the tinder.

“Sheezus, Ethan! You're gonna bust a vessel if you keep doin' that!”

This Ethan looked at the girl who had said that from over...some sort of manuscript it seemed, making a show of scraping the flint comically fast.

“Ethan! Stop being an effing goober, and get that fire lit!” another girl, who was unpacking a long, cylindrical bag of poles and what looked to be brightly colored canvas.

“And Susannah! Get off your butt and help!”

The blond girl with the “manuscript” rolled her eyes, reaching for a knapsack near her feet and beginning to unpack half-hazardly as she continued her reading.

“Come on, Lindsay...” the other boy pleaded, “we can pitch the tent later. The priority right now should be dinner.”

The blond scoffed, “Yeah, since SOME-body didn't wanna stop and get somethin' on the way...”

Lindsay squinted with a huff, and dropped the bag of sticks, “Fine! You guys managed to get the food, right?”

Another two girls, loaded with about as many bags as they could possibly carry, made their way into the clearing.

“Emma?!”

“Yeah! Got it! Got it!” one in a knit hat raised three small, white sacks.

“Guess it's PB and J tonight...” said the last one, who had a strange, blond streak in her otherwise mousy hair. She smirked toward Ethan.

“Almost got it, Riley!” exclaimed Ethan, filing away at the flint, no sparks to be seen.

“Ethan...” the other boy placed a hand dramatically on Ethan's shoulder with a whisper, “It's time to stop.”

The boy sighed, drooping his head, “Another day, perhaps...”

Emma waved two jars in his direction, tossing one to Riley, and they all gathered around to make their sandwiches.

Humans, Tink laughed to herself, hopeless as always.

Once they had settled in with their meals, their conversation continued.

“Jared Leto's hot,” the blond lifted her strange manuscript directly to her face.

“Ew! He's a douche, Susannah...” Lindsay wrinkled her nose before taking a bite from her sandwich.

“Yeah, but he's still hot,” she finally looked up from her reading, “I met 'im back in March, ya know! Right at the end of my internship; they paid for the trip and everything. Didn't get to interview him myself, but...”

“That's still pretty impressive,” Grant, the other boy, replied, “All I did for my internship was take pictures of babies and old people. I never realized how similar they were til then...”

“Have to change any diapers?” Riley asked, looking up from a small book she seemed to have been writing in.

Grant shook his head, “It was a close call a couple of times, but no. At least my work there got me a job, though.”

“Oh! Ya'll heard about Lindsay's new job, right?” asked Susannah with a grin, finally closing whatever it was she had been reading.

“Oh, yeah!” Emma, spoke up, “Where'd you say it was at?”

“Pathway Center, a psychiatrist office in Berkeley Lake,” Lindsay straightened up in her chair, “I didn't have much competition. My mom's office works with the company a lot. She put in a good word.”

“Wish I had those kinds of connections,” Emma said with wide eyes, “I think I'll be stuck in insurance my whole life.”

Lindsay shrugged, “It's all about who you know.”

Tink propped her head up with her hand, stifling a yawn with the other. Tin spoons and tonics, human's were boring!

“So, Riley...”

The girl almost jumped as Susannah addressed her.

“What'chu up to these days? You always had a lotta' talent in school.”

“Eh...” Riley closed her book, placing it back in her lap, “Nothing much, I...I'm actually looking for something else right now.”

The answer apparently wasn't enough for Lindsay, “Yeah, but what are you doing now?”

Riley fidgeted a bit, “I, um...I work in a warehouse.”

“Ah,” her tone was as short as her reply.

The others nodded with no commentary, and Riley's eyes shifted between them expecting someone to say something before continuing.

“It's, uh...ya know, a lot of walking and lifting,” she picked at a frayed tab on her book, “It's good exercise, but it's...pretty soul crushing...”

A few nods, and a couple “yeah's” preceded a few seconds of silence, which Susannah attempted to end.

“Sooo any prospects, then?”

Tink stumbled a bit as she emerged from the other side of the portal, "Phew!! Peter, I told you this wasn't a good i-"

She stopped in mid sentence when she realized she wasn't in the Underground House. Tink was familiar with every inch of the Never-Forest, but nothing in her direct line of vision outside the hollow tree she was now standing in was at all recognizable.

"Wh-! What kind of cheap dust is this?!!" she yanked the sack from her belt, scrunching her nose with a glare, "What good is it if it just takes me to wherever it happens to fancy?!"

She crossed her arms with a stomp, fuming for a moment, then sighed, "Well… at least I won't have to listen to that horrible singing anymore," she said fluttering from the portal, and onto a nearby tree branch, "so much for my nap, though..."

She examined her surroundings from her new position. Tall maples and evergreens shaded the fern-covered forest floor, and a recently fallen oak rested across a patch of saplings to her left, the small trees straining to hold the large trunk. To a human, the rainbow of flowers scattered along the forest floor and the sunbeams shining through the brances might have seemed beautiful, but to a fairy, it was nothing to be awed over. Not when there was Neverland to compare it to.

That's when she noticed a faint buzzing that quickly grew louder, and she stumbled backward, landing solidly on her backside as a large, fuzzy bee landed on the bark surrounding the hollowed out hole. Its wings buzzed in short bursts as it seemed to regard Tink with interest. Tink slowly gazed toward the top of her head at the small flower she wore as a hat.

“Nooo...n-n-n-n-n!” she grabbed the petals and pulled it down further over her head, “This isn't your flower! It's mine!” She hovered backward as the curious insect pawed at her, before finally flying up and over it. “Phew!” she turned with a sigh of relief until she realized that an entire swarm was patrolling the area and only feet above her hung a massive hive.

“Eep!” She dodged two that went for her as soon as they noticed her, and she buzzed away quickly. It was a good thing bees were such awkward, slow fliers.

“Well I'm not getting back in there anytime soon.” She made some significant distance from the hive before finally landing on a branch to scan the area.

Ferns, pine cones, poison ivy... “Ooo!” she peered closer to a few trees over at the base of a sapling where a lush patch of silver sage covered the forest floor. After making sure the coast was clear of any more flying creatures that might take an interest in her, she fluttered down from her perch.

She ran her fingers over the silky leaves and sat before pausing, “...I probably shouldn't...” But the woolly leaves were so soft against her skin, and the thought of such a comfortable sleep made her yawn. “Well...if I can't get back to the Underground House, I might as well just snooze for a bit here,” she nestled comfortably into the soft leaves with another yawn, “The portal will be just where I left it when I get back.”

~*~*~*~

"En garde, fiend!!"

Peter slashed at Nibs with his wooden sword, barely missing the Lost Boy's head.

Wendy caught herself staring at the fireplace, and quickly looked up to where the Lost Boys were squabbling, "Tink's been gone for a very long time, Peter," she reminded him, breaking the thread from one of Michael's socks she had just finished mending.

Peter turned to her, parrying an attack from Slightly in the same motion, "Tink... Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since this morning. Where has she gone to, anyway?"

Wendy rolled her eyes with a deep sigh, "She went to help you pull your prank, Peter!"

"Oh! That's right!!” Peter side-stepped a charging Curly, and the boy landed face first on the dusty floor. "She's probably just making sure Hook's soup is extra disgusting."

"I slightly doubt that, Peter," Slightly spoke up as he darted at him again with his wooden sword, "Tink was more than slightly sleepy. She really wanted to get it over with and get to bed."

"Oh, she'll be fine!" Peter insisted, casually knocking Slightly over after dodging his attack, "She can fly, and the pirates can't. What could possibly happen?!"

~*~*~*~*~

Faint voices interrupted the tranquil sounds of the forest, and Tink was slowly pulled from what had probably been the most sound three hours of sleep she had gotten in a good while. She stretched with a contented sigh before registering that there were others nearby.

Whoever these creatures were had no problem with the whole forest knowing they were there. She shook her head; definitely humans...

Tink flitted a few yards further to a dogwood that lined the edge of a small clearing, where five humans, adults, two males and three females, sat around the beginnings of a small bonfire, one of the boys having a rough go of lighting the tinder.

“Sheezus, Ethan! You're gonna bust a vessel if you keep doin' that!”

This Ethan looked at the girl who had said that from over...some sort of manuscript it seemed, making a show of scraping the flint comically fast.

“Ethan! Stop being an effing goober, and get that fire lit!” another girl, who was unpacking a long, cylindrical bag of poles and what looked to be brightly colored canvas.

“And Susannah! Get off your butt and help!”

The blond girl with the “manuscript” rolled her eyes, reaching for a knapsack near her feet and beginning to unpack half-hazardly as she continued her reading. 

“Come on, Lindsay...” the other boy pleaded, “we can pitch the tent later. The priority right now should be dinner.”

The blond scoffed, “Yeah, since SOME-body didn't wanna stop and get somethin' on the way...”

Lindsay squinted with a huff, and dropped the bag of sticks, “Fine! You guys managed to get the food, right?”

Another two girls, loaded with about as many bags as they could possibly carry, made their way into the clearing.

“Emma?!”

“Yeah! Got it! Got it!” one in a knit hat raised three small, white sacks.

“Guess it's PB and J tonight...” said the last one, who had a strange, blond streak in her otherwise mousy hair. She smirked toward Ethan.

“Almost got it, Riley!” exclaimed Ethan, filing away at the flint, no sparks to be seen.

“Ethan...” the other boy placed a hand dramatically on Ethan's shoulder with a whisper, “It's time to stop.”

The boy sighed, drooping his head, “Another day, perhaps...”

Emma waved two jars in his direction, tossing one to Riley, and they all gathered around to make their sandwiches.

Humans, Tink laughed to herself, hopeless as always.

Once they had settled in with their meals, their conversation continued.

“Jared Leto's hot,” the blond lifted her strange manuscript directly to her face.

“Ew, Susie!! He's a douche..." Lindsay wrinkled her nose before taking a bite from her sandwich.

“Yeah, but he's still hot,” she finally looked up from her reading, “I met 'im back in March, ya know! Right at the end of my internship; they paid for the trip and everything. Didn't get to interview him myself, but...”

“That's still pretty impressive,” Grant, the other boy, replied, “All I did for my internship was take pictures of babies and old people. I never realized how similar they were til then...”

“Have to change any diapers?” Riley asked, looking up from a small book she seemed to have been writing in.

Grant shook his head, “It was a close call a couple of times, but no. At least my work there got me a job, though.”

“Oh! Ya'll heard about Lindsay's new job, right?” asked Susannah with a grin, finally closing whatever it was she had been reading.

“Oh, yeah!” Emma, spoke up, “Where'd you say it was at?”

“Pathway Center, a psychiatrist office in Berkeley Lake,” Lindsay straightened up in her chair, “I didn't have much competition. My mom's office works with the company a lot. She put in a good word.”

“Wish I had those kinds of connections,” Emma said with wide eyes, “I think I'll be stuck in insurance my whole life.”

Lindsay shrugged, “It's all about who you know.”

Tink propped her head up with her hand, stifling a yawn with the other. Tin spoons and tonics, human's were boring!

“So, Riley...”

The girl almost jumped as Susannah addressed her, "What'chu up to these days? You always had a lotta' talent in school."

“Eh...Riley closed her book, placing it back in her lap, “Nothing much, I...I'm actually looking for something else right now.”

"Oh..." she nodded knowingly, "Gotcha."

Lindsay, however, persisted, "Yeah, but what are you doing now?”

Riley crossed her legs, her grounded foot bouncing quickly, “I, um...I work in a warehouse...nothing fancy."

“Ah,” her tone was as short as her reply, and the others nodded with no commentary.

Riley's eyes shifted between them expecting someone to say something before continuing. "It's, uh...ya know, a lot of walking and lifting,” she picked at a frayed tab on her book, “It's good exercise, but it's...pretty soul crushing...”

A few nods, and a couple “yeah's” preceded a few seconds of silence, which Susannah attempted to end.

“Sooo any prospects, then?”

Riley shrugged, “I've had a couple interviews. Concept art jobs, book companies looking for illustrators..." Her eyes shifted, "And I've been thinking about freelancing...”

Recognizing the awkwardness, Emma quickly picked up the conversation, “Well, you'll definitely find something. You're work is great!”

“Maybe going back to school would help,” all eyes turned to Lindsay, “I mean...there's just not a lot of profit in art, not unless you're really lucky.”

Most of the group seemed uneasy at this point, and Riley seemed to be biting her lip.

She gasped, “What about nursing...something medical! Ya know, saving lives; that would be really good for you.”

Now there was dead silence, and Susannah massaged her temple with a strained look.

Ethan, not one to notice an awkward situation, gave a snort of laughter, "Oh, yeah, a nurse named Riley Blade! That'll go over real well with the patients..." he pulled his shirt to his mouth as if speaking into a clip on mic, "Uuh...Nurse Blade to the biopsy room,please? Nurse Blade?! We're gonna need a leg amputated over here, stat!!"

Grant gave Ethan a punch in the arm, and Riley chuckled dryly, hoping the quip had derailed the conversation. She was afforded no such luck.

"No, I really think something like that might be more fulfilling for you," Lindsay nodded with wide eyes, "My mom has a lot of great contacts she could hook you up with. Knows the best schools too."

Riley cleared her throat with a curt nod, “Sure.” She tapped her nails quickly on her book, before straightening herself, “Oh! Um...I just realized I left something in my car.” She stood picking up a small sack and shoving her book inside, “I'll be right back.”

Susannah mouthed something toward Lindsay with a glare, and finally Riley was out of earshot. “The HELL was that?!”

“What?!” Lindsay cocked her head, genuinely confused.

“Are you trying to upset 'er?!”

“NO!”

“Well how do you expect her to react?” Grant shook his head, “Trying to bring up her mom...”

“UH!” her mouth hung open at the accusation, “I didn't bring her up!!”

“Uh! Ya kinda did,” Susannah retorted with crossed arms.

“Oh!” Lindsay crossed her arms as well, “So I guess I can't say anything around her anymore... She's been like this for over a year. When is she gonna snap out of it?!”

“Lindsay...” Emma shook her head with the shrug of a shoulder, “you don't just 'snap out' of something like that. She lost her mother.”

“Well, we can't walk on eggshells forever!”

Tink shook her head. Humans were so dramatic; always a squabble...

That's when Tinkerbell's keen ears picked up a light snap, and turning her head from her position in the trees, she could see Riley leaning against an oak.

~*~*~*~

Riley wiped her eyes before approaching her friends again, “Think I'm gonna head down the trail and find the waterfall. It shouldn't be far.”

The others were startled by her sudden appearance, but nodded, getting the hint that she wanted to go alone. “Alright, let us know how the water is,” Susannah said with a smile.

She was soon pacing through the forest, dodging a few spider webs that had been built recently enough for no one to have broken through them yet. She should have known it would turn out like this. She had thought she was in a good enough place to enjoy a trip with her friends, but it just wasn't happening. She dreaded the coming night. She still had the occasional difficulty with sleep, and she was certain she would be wide awake tonight.

She had never been very close to or even overtly fond of Lindsay. Part of her wanted to be angry with her. Was she really so dense as to not think maybe suggesting that saving peoples lives would suddenly cure her of grief just might be unwanted advice in her situation?

She stumbled over a protruding rock, catching herself on a tree. Taking pause, she gripped the branch so hard the bark made imprints on her palms.

Lindsay was right, though; she was getting nowhere. Art school had been a waste of her time, and now she was stuck at a job she was drastically overqualified for, barely making a living wage and hating it every day. And then her mother got sick...

Her thoughts were interrupted when pushed aside the tree branch that had been obstructing her path. There, not fifty yards ahead was an exceptionally large black bear. She took a long silent breath, backing away slowly. But it had seen her, and unfortunately it was curious.

“Woah! WOAH! BACK!!” she glanced around as she tried to remain calm. If she ran, it would run after her.

It sniffed the air with a grunt, still advancing.

“GIT!! GO ON!!!” she stomped her foot toward it, causing it to flinch back, but not for long. This bear obviously wasn't the least bit afraid of people. Her eyes shifted desperately again.

There, just through the saplings, she could see a massive tree with a large, dark hollow. Just big enough for her to fit into and be clear of the bear's reach. She calmly but quickly edged toward it. She almost fell backwards as the bear reared back to knock her over, but she narrowly evaded and caught herself, before finally wedging herself into the trunk of the tree.

The bear clawed at the bark of the tree, and that was when she remembered the granola bars in her backpack. Almost ripping the zipper open, she scooped out a hand full and tossed it out where the bear made quick work of tearing them open and gobbling them down. But it wasn't satisfied. Riley thought, as it sniffed toward her, that it still thought she had more, but as it reared back again, and leaned it's forepaws against the tree trunk, she realized that it was after something else.

She heard the buzzing before she actually saw the large, gray hive just above her.

“Ooooh! NononononoNONO!!” she tried to back further into the hole. However, it didn't shield her from the angry bees now swarming around the crevice as the bear tore into the hive, unfazed.

She squeezed herself downward, trying not to make too much noise as she felt the first stings. She would have been better off with the bear. Receiving several more stings, she forced herself further down.

And then she fell backward...

She rubbed the back of her head and neck, momentarily forgetting about the painful stings, and when she finally got a grip on her spinning vision, she noticed the open cabinet at her feet. Her eyes shifted back and forth, too dumbfounded to move. Had she fallen out of there? Pots and pans covered a counter top above her, and piles of potatoes and other vegetables were scattered over the wood floor.

She stood slowly. Had there been a house built into the tree? Surely she would have noticed. Maybe she was underground. But how could someone have gotten away with building all this under a public hiking trail?  Absent mindedly looking over the old cast iron stove, she tried to sort things out in her head. She had to be unconscious; she had to have been stung so many times she had passed out. Or died...

She removed the lid to a pot that sat over one of the eyes and immediately regretted it. She gagged on the noxious odor, and stumbled backwards in a coughing fit, nearly tripping over a barrel.

"Oh, no...caugh caugh caugh...that is not for eating!" she carefully avoided stepping on any wayward food stuffs with a bit of difficulty.

No, this didn't feel like a dream. She felt so clear headed, everything was so detailed. She quickly decided she should get out of the room before someone caught her or, assuming she wasn't already dead, died of the fumes. She slowly cracked open the door, wincing as it creaked a bit louder than she would have liked, and found that it went to a long hallway. Like the kitchen, everything was wood, the ceiling, the floors, the walls, and she slowly began to realize that the entire structure was swaying. A ship?

As she neared the other end of the hallway, she could make out an opening in the ceiling that shone a beam of light from outside, illuminating the wooden ladder below it. She could hear the sound of waves as she neared the opening and crept slowly to the foot of the steps, hoping to take a look at what or who was on deck, but all she could make out was the mainmast and a bit of rigging.

Just as she had taken her first step up the stairs, she almost lost her footing when a small, pinkish light zipped past her and out the hatchway. She quickly caught her breath, but when she directed her sight back to the hatchway, she froze. She stared face to face at a dark skinned boy, no older than about fifteen or sixteen, both of them frozen in their spot.

Riley struggled to speak, to give some explanation for her presence, but she wasn't given a chance. Just as she noticed the skull and crossbones flag that flew at the top of the mainmast, a rather rough looking man appeared beside the boy, and without pause alerted the others.

"Ahoy!! Stowaway!!!"

Riley's stomach leapt into her mouth, her legs taking over and propelling her back toward the galley as fast as they could carry her.

"There's a stowaway on board, maties!!" she could hear the man from behind her, "Hurry, ya dogs!"

She heard the rumble of footsteps in the hallway and tripped over several pots and pans and vegetable piles before diving into the cabinet. But instead of finding herself back inside the bee-infested tree trunk, she hit her head on the wooden back panel.

"What?!!" she squeaked, "Where's the hole?!!!"

Having no time to panic, she quickly pulled the door closed and huddled up in the corner. How many poor decisions could she make in an evening? One way or another, she was dead for sure.

The bi-fold door slammed open against the wall, and several pairs of footsteps could be heard storming into the room.

"Yeh see 'em, maties?' said one deep voice.

"No… I should say they're hiding here somewhere," said a higher pitched voice.

"Come out, come out, wherever yeh be!" came an Irish accented voice. This voice echoed as he had apparently picked up one of the many pots and was calling into it.

Riley covered her mouth and nose with one hand and attempted to calm her breathing. After several seconds of silence, she thought they may have given up. But that fleeting hope was replaced with fear as the door to her cabinet swung open.