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porkcutletbowl44 · 26 days ago

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Gothic muse

John Price x F!reader

(I'm turning the goth gf into a series not sorry) just fluff for Halloween!!!

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･𓃠🪦

Price thinks he's starting to get too old to understand the younger generations, not particularly liking the new music going on mainstream, new styles and sayings that go straight over his head. As long as he can keep up with the technology, everything is fine and there's no issues (no matter how badly it pisses him off when Apple comes out with a new phone every month for no reason).

Price felt that the music got worse and worse as the newer generations appeared. It was just... Noise. There was no rhythm, no actual beat. It was just someone wailing into a microphone with a bunch of random noise in the background. Not to mention the fashion trends... Dear lord. He thought back to his youth when people dressed like real people and not like this. He never made a fuss over it; that person has their own life and choices, could do whatever they wanted. It didn't mean he had to understand why the fuck this random kid was walking around in basketball shorts in freezing weather.

But who is he kidding? He's just starting to sound like a grumpy old man. Though, it doesn't help that he is growing into a grumpy old man.

Price groaned, feeling his knees and his back crack and ache as he came down a set of stairs. The last mission really did a number on him. He passed by some younger people, dressed in all black and white makeup, bright death hawks and all the works.

"Bloody kids these days."

He stopped for a moment, realizing he was starting to sound more and more like a old old man, which he was far from. He was still in shape, still in the army, he wasn't that old...

But that didn't stop him from whining about the 'youths'.

"What happened to real music."

But when he sees little ol' you, standing behind a gothic-style taste test stand under a big spooky awning, he stops. You are dressed like the others, makeup, skulls and bat jewelry, flashing customers a happy smile.

Price's eyes scanned the area, pausing on the little stand with the bright gothic decorations. It was different from his normal type in women, but he wasn't complaining.

You looked cute, charming.

The thought put a smile on his face. Price watched for a moment, before deciding to approach the stand, pretending that he wanted to try whatever you were selling.

Price made his way up to the stand, leaning on the counter as he examined you.

You looked far off from 18, which was a but surprising. Most goths were teenagers, or in their early 20s. It was rare to see one who is in her more mature adulthood stage in life.

"So what's all this then?" He almost cringed at the roughness of his voice, sounding a little too hostile.

"I'm promoting my new drink for my good friends' restaurant opening soon, I'm a learning bartender and I want to get feedback." You smiled nervously, being polite and understanding.

Price's rough demeanor almost immediately softens at the sweet smile and sweet voice. You were just too damn adorable, he couldn't help it.

"Really? So what's the drink called then?" He asks, looking down at the dark purple drink in front of him, examining it closely. "An' the restaurant? Or is it some kind o' pub?"

Your face lights up, you happily gush about your new mix. "I'm calling it Vampire Blood, it's a blackberry-flavored scotch. And the restaurant across the street— It's the Leaky Coffin. It's got a bar, yes, but I hear the food is delicious!"

It was so adorable how excited and happy you were, it almost made his heart melt.

"Vampire Blood," he repeated with a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Clever name." He pauses, looking at the drink again before looking up at you.

"You make this yourself?" He questions, gesturing to the drink again.

"Yeah! You're welcome to try it, I'd appreciate the feedback!" You happily nodded.

Price gave in, reaching his hand out to take the drink. Bringing it up to his lips, he took a sip. The second the taste hit his tongue, he froze. It was... Actually really good. He took a bigger drink, finishing the rest of the cup.

"Bloody hell this is good." He said, a small smile on his face as he turns the glass on the table, "It's amazing."

"Really? I'm glad you like it," you beamed kindly.

Price gave you a friendly close lipped smile as he watched you practically melt in happiness at his reaction. His heart felt all warm and fuzzy seeing you so happy, it made him forget about the aching in his body.

"'S delicious." He said again. "You 'ave a real talent for this."

"Thank you! I start a week after the restaurant opens, I'll be mixing up more drinks soon," you play with your bat necklace, smiling up at him.

He's never really paid much attention to women who dressed like you or anything like that- normally he was more into the girl next door type, or a more casual, homey style- but you were so adorable and unique.

Price nods, his eyes locking onto the way you were fidgeting with your necklace.

"Yeah?" He questions, the smile on his face growing a little wider as he continues to watch you, admiring every little thing you did. "When does it open?" He asks, giving you a smile behind his mustache.

"Just a few days! I have some pictures of the interior-" you pull out your phone, tapping on the screen and showing him some pictures. "It's all real gothic architecture, real antiques, a real wine cellar in the basement too-"

The gothic architecture, the antiques, the basement winery- it all looked spectacular. It was unlike any bar or restaurant he'd ever been to.

"That's bloody phenomenal." Price said, looking at the pictures closely. "You're friends have great taste."

He looks up at you again, meeting your eyes with a soft and affectionate smile.

"Thanks! This is a dream come true for us, I'm so excited." You grinned.

Price felt incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon this sweet, kind woman. The fact that you weren't his type at first, but now that he's spoken to you he was already falling for your charm.

"I can tell." He chuckled, still smiling. "What's your name?" He asks suddenly. He should have asked earlier, hell- he should have asked since the moment he walked up to the stand.

You outstretch your hand, politely giving your name. Price smiles as you extend your hand out to him, and he takes it in his own, shaking it gently.

Your name was so pretty.

He wanted to hear it again, but this time in his own voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." His hand swallows yours in warmth, "I'm John," he gives you a small smile. "John Price."

"Nice to meet you too, John." You giggle softly.

Price had never been one to seek out goths or women like you- he had usually stuck with more "normal" people. But something about you was different. The kindness, the politeness, the gentle nature. And the fact that you dressed in black, decorated with skulls and bats didn't make you any less attractive to him. In fact, it made you even more attractive.

He didn't think he'd ever been this attracted to someone before. And god, he could stare into your eyes for hours.

He wanted to ask for your number, or invite you out on a date right then and there, but he held himself back. He didn't want to be too forward and scare you away. But he couldn't stop the thoughts of taking you out on a date, getting to know you. Price cleared his throat, trying to snap himself out of his own thoughts. He had just met you. You weren't his yet. He shouldn't be thinking like this.

He gave you a soft smile, his eyes still gazing into yours.

"Uh— sorry," he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, "what... do you do when your not at your little stand 'ere?"

"Mostly help out with getting the restaurant ready. We have a lot of decorations and painting that has to be done. But on the weekends we attend Sirens Cave." You answered, flashing him a kind smile.

Price was fascinated by your answers, and the way you spoke. There was something about you that just made him want to pick your brain, and learn everything he could about you.

"Sirens Cave." He repeated, a little familiar with the name. "That's a bar, right?"

"It has a bar, yes, but it's mostly a Goth Club." You giggle.

That made a lot more sense, and it explained the bat and skull attire. Price smiles slightly, amused by the cuteness of your giggle.

"A 'Goth Club'." He repeated softly. "An' you frequent there a lot?"

"Not all the time, I can enjoy the peace and quiet at home. A book, TV show, baking..." You trail off.

Price was practically melting on the inside. You were such a sweetheart.

"You bake?" He questions, his tone almost turning into a cooing.

So you were kind, polite, and you like to read and bake, too?

He was definitely in trouble.

"Yeah, when I was in college I had a little baking business to help with loans." You nodded enthusiastically.

Price’s heart was almost bursting inside his chest. You just kept getting cuter and cuter. Not just that, but you were ambitious and smart.

Bloody hell.

He had never fallen so hard before.

Price couldn't help the little flutter in his chest at the thought of you baking. The fact that you were making money with baking was really impressive. He wanted to know every little thing about you; past, present, future. He would be lying if he said he wasn't already a little obsessed.

"College, huh?" He asks, leaning against the counter. "What'd you study?"

"I did mixology for a little bit, and then I switched over to architecture to help get the building structure what we wanted." You used hand gestures out of excitement, happy to talk about you and your friend's dreams.

He smiled, admiring your excitement. "Architecture." He repeated, nodding. "That's impressive."

Architecture wasn't easy, especially not trying to make a building how you wanted. He could tell how passionate you were about this.

"Did you graduate?" He asks.

"I did! A few years ago,"

You were literally perfect.

"So this little gothic restaurant you're gonna work at- you designed it too, yeah?" He questions, wanting to know everything.

"Most of the design was by me, yes," you answered proudly.

You had studied architecture, then gone on to design a full restaurant, one that you and your friend were opening soon. He was seriously falling for you. Hard.

"That's incredible." He said, admiring you, maybe even buttering you up in the chances of you saying yes to a date, "Must feel good, seein' your design come alive, yeah?"

"I'm so happy, it's a dream come true!" You couldn't suppress your bright grin, all teeth and eyes crinkling.

Price was in love. It wasn't even funny. Seeing that bright grin made his heart leap in his chest. If he wasn't falling before, he most definitely was now. He was practically swooning. No one had made him fall for someone this fast.

"I can tell." He smiles back, that soft, fond smile.

"One of my friends will be the head chef, she does a lot of culinary and her food is delicious! Definitely something I'd recommend to try out- she's trying new dishes for the opening too!" You mentioned.

Price listened to you enthusiastically rant about your work, your friends, everything. It was the cutest thing imaginable hearing how excited you got talking about everything. He loved the way you'd light up when talking about your new restaurant.

He listens intently as you gushed about your passion, talking about anything and everything about it. It sounded like it would be a good place to eat; good food, good drinks, good atmosphere. He could see you being a very talented bartender, if your little potion is anything to go by.

"You'll be the bartender then?" He questions, raising a brow.

"A week after it opens." You reminded sweetly.

"Right, a week after it opens." He repeated, a small smile on his face.

He wanted to know if you were single or not. But there's no way someone as perfect as you could be single, you were probably taken...

"Got any... special someone you wanna celebrate it with?" He asks softly.

"No, me and the group might have a celebration together at some point." You shook your head.

He had the chance.

He gave you a small smile, the thought of you being single had him practically dizzy.

"Oh yeah?" He muses, he was calm, but his mind was going crazy with excitement. "When you you think you'll have that celebration?"

"Maybe during the weekend, it's best to not come to run a restaurant hung over," you giggled, tucking hair behind your ear.

The way you smiled and giggled and talked, it sent butterflies through his stomach. This was new; he was normally the one doing the flirting. But you had him swooning. He wanted to just take you in his arms and never let you go.

"Guess that's a good idea." He said, smiling playfully at you. "The weekend then hm?"

"Likely, I'm free the rest of the week." You mentioned casually.

Price's insides practically melted as you said that. You were free the rest of the week? That meant he had a chance to take you out on a date. A smile spread across his lips, his heart beating a little faster in his chest.

"Are you now?" He teased lightly, raising a brow. "Would you fancy trying your new restaurant on opening day?" He insinuates.

"Oh would I?" You almost squeal in excitement, over joyed at the offer.

It was so cute. You were so cute.

"Yeah," He says, still smiling that big, soft, and fond smile. "Would you? With me?" he adds with a coo in the undertone.

"I'd love too!" You nodded enthusiastically.

You said yes. You said yes to the date. The butterflies in his stomach felt more like fireworks as he looked at your excited face.

"Great." He affirms, pleased, "I'll pick ya up then yeah?"

"Yeah! Here's my number-" you pull a card over, scribbling on it and handing it to him, the light glints on your nail polish spider web design

He flipped the card over, looking at the number. He was committing it to memory. He looked back up at you, smiling.

"I'll make sure to use it." He said, slipping the card into his pocket.

"See you then, John." You smile all giddy and excited.

No one had made him smile this much in a while, he was normally the one doing the swooning. Your smile and the way you giggled made his heart flutter like crazy.

"I'll see you then, love."

You were so...different. You knew what you wanted. You knew your passion and executed it.

It was impressive, really. Most people just work with what they have, take what's dealt to them. But you? You went beyond. You decided to make a dream a reality, and by the look of things, it would be a success. You were determined and hardworking and ambitious, and you went after your dream no matter what.

Everything about you was different from women Price was used to. You were a go getter, a dream chaser. You had ambition, creativity, a spark.

But you were also kind, and sweet, and soft.

You liked history, that much was given. You had a interest in gothic architecture and strived to keep it alive.

And that mysterious aura—

Price would admit it; when he first walked up to your booth he had some prejudices. But you proved him wrong. He was completely fascinated by you. He wanted to learn everything about you.

He could tell you had secrets, things hidden beneath that sweet appearance. He was very interested to see how many secrets you had, and what they were.

He liked that about you; the air of mystery.

And the fact that you were just generally so attractive.

When opening day arrives, you are waiting outside the restaurant. You've went a little easy on the gathering make up, allowing John to see more of your natural features for the date.

Price pulled up to the restaurant, parking his car to the side. When he stepped out, he felt his jaw drop. You looked absolutely beautiful. The dress was simple but elegant, and your jewelry completed the look.

You were gorgeous.

Price just stared at you for a moment, his heart doing somersaults in his chest. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be able to see you like this. He walked over to you, his smile bright.

"You look stunning, love."

You twirled your dress a little, preening and blushing, "Thank you,"

He gave you a wide, fond smile, admiring the way the dress looked on you.

"Of course." He tilts his head. "Absolutely beautiful."

He offered you his arm. "Should we go in then, love?"

You wrapped your hand around his thick bicep, walking in to the restaurant. The sight is beautiful, people at tables, the smell of wood and rich timbre fills the air, warm lights everywhere to make the atmosphere moody and relaxing.

He was blown away; it was like he had stepped into a whole other world. It was relaxed yet elegant, like the people at the tables. The low lights gave it a moody, romantic feel, and Price couldn't help but think how beautiful it was. And you were responsible for it all.

He was definitely taking you home at the end of the night.

"Hi, table for two," you held up two fingers, smiling at the host.

The host smiled back and nodded, grabbing two menus. She lead you too your booth, setting the menus down for you. The table was near a large window that revealed the beautiful view outside, and the low mood lighting was just bright enough to read the menu. Price sat down in the seat across from you, picking up one of the menus. He scanned the menu, eyes practically going wide upon realizing how good everything sounded. He had a hard time trying to pick what to get.

You picked up your own coffin shaped menu, smiling in recognition.

The food names were odd, and a bit blunt to say the least, it was a complete vampire type of vibe in the building.

Price read through the different meals, eyes widening further as he realized it was all vampire themed. A "Bloody Mary" was a type of pizza, a "Count Garlic" was the appetizers. He was even more impressed with what he was seeing. He looked at the drink menu, and saw "Holy Communion", which was their cocktail list. He was thoroughly enjoying this. It was cool that you had turned the menu names into a theme. He set the menu down, smiling at you.

"This is interesting."

"That was the fun part about this, coming up with funny names." You giggled.

Price's heart skipped a beat as you giggled. It was so cute how excited you were. You were practically glowing with happiness and pride. He was so gone for you. He leaned forward on the table, propping his chin up with his hand, smiling at you.

"I love the names." He remarked. "Creative."

"I feel like you would really like the 'Dead Cow'." You inquired playfully

Price grinned, raising his eyebrows in interest. Dead Cow? That was an interesting name for a meal. He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest.

"The 'Dead Cow', eh?" He hums, "That sounds promising."

He scans the menu, eyes landing on the dish.

'A 311 gram steak; typically cooked rare to sink your fangs into! Paired with roasted potatoes, deadly asparagus, and a fresh dead cow on top! Medium rare is fine... If you ask well-done we will ask you to leave.'

Price almost choked on his spit when he saw the description. It was so blunt, and darkly humorous. He couldn't help but bark out a laugh when he read the last part.

"Oh my god," He said in between his laughter. "This is fantastic."

You laughed with him, turning on the back of the menu.

"There's dessert too, if you'd be interested."

God, everything about this place was amazing. He glanced back down at the menu, turning to the dessert page. He read through it, his mouth almost watering. They all sounded great. He looked back up at you, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm interested." He chuckled.

"Is it the lava cakes?" You grinned.

He smiled back at you, impressed. "Yes, it is the lava cakes." He admitted, leaning back in his seat. "'ow'd you know?"

"Lucky guess?" You shrugged, closing your menu when the waitress comes

Price chuckled, shutting his menu as well as the waitress came over. He watched you closely, admiring you as you told her your order. He ordered the Rare Cow, because how could he not? When the waitress left to go put in the order, he looked back to you, resting his chin on his folded hands.

"You did really good with this place."

"I'm so happy it turned out like this," you sighed dreamily.

You looked so happy, so content. He leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on his hands as he continued to admire you.

"You should be proud o' yourself," he said sincerely. "You did that." He gestured around to the restaurant. "You really did that."

"With help," you added.

It was true that you had gotten help. But most of this was your idea. Your passion. Your creativity. Your hard work and determination. It was all you.

"Still." He said, his tone gentle and earnest. "It's all you, love."

"Ah! You're here!" A woman squeals, walking over with her arm outstretched for a hug to you.

You gladly accepted, hugging her tight. "The day has finally come!" You said into her neck.

Obviously a friend of yours.

"I know," the women smiled, pulling back from the hug. "We did it!"

"Oh, sorry—this is John, my...date for tonight." You introduced sheepishly, "And this is Charlotte, the owner of the restaurant."

He smiled, he was getting bits and pieces of your life and friendships. He held his hand out to shake hers.

"Pleasure to meet you, Charlotte." He said, his tone polite.

Charlotte smiled, shaking his hand. "The pleasure is all mine." She said cheerfully, then she gave you a wide grin, wiggling her eyebrows. "You kept this one a secret."

You sputter, trying to keep her voice down, "I did not!"

"You so did!" She teased. She turned her attention to Price. "This girl has never brought a date around us before."

You slap at her shoulder, mumbling something under your breath. Price grinned, watching you get a bit flustered as Charlotte teased you. So, you talked about him. That made him feel warm. Charlotte laughed, letting go of his hand.

"You never told me he was HOT!" She said cheerfully.

"Charlotte!" You whined.

Charlotte shrugged innocently. "What? He is!" She exclaims.

"Go do your business stuff," you shooed, completely mortified and flustered.

He had his mouth covered with his hand, his shoulders shaking from how hard he was holding it in. Charlotte just laughed, clapping you on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave you two be." She said with fake disappointment. "I'll have a bottle of wine taken to you guys, on the house." She winks.

"Thanks, now- get, go, shoo," you grumbled, completely embarrassed.

Charlotte just smiled widely, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Fine, I'll leave you two, lovebirds alone." She teased.

You tucked your hair back, clearing your throat. "Sorry...she gets very loud when she's happy,"

Price finally let out the laugh he had been holding in. He leaned back in his seat, his face absolutely shining with amusement. Charlotte seemed nice. He smiled at you, his heart melting at the way you were.

"It's fine, love."

"I think she's great, actually." He chuckled.

Charlotte was just a little nosy, but it was all in good fun. Besides, he wanted to get to know more about you and your life.

"'ow do y'know 'er?" He asked curiously.

"College. We had a couple classes together, met our other friends and boom, we had a little goth friend group." You smiled wide at the memory.

It was sweet how all of your goth friends stuck together from college. He couldn't really connect with that; he never really made friends in the military. He had colleagues he tolerated, and that was about it besides his team. But you, you had friends you loved and who loved you. It was sweet.

"So...is Goth just the style?"

You shook your head politely, folding your hands on the table. "It's a subculture, the music genre is the classification."

A waitress comes up, dropping off a bottle of wine, "From the owner."

He loved the way you knew so much about this. He knew very little about the subculture, but he wanted to know as much as he could. He could listen to you talk about this all night.

"What genre is it exactly?" He asked, his tone curious and eager to learn more.

You proceed to kindly explain as you poured yourself some wine. The genre of goth has branching styles; there were many. Dark wave, cyber, steam punk, regular old punk goth, metal goth, the goth traditions and having a open mind. He learned about the music, about the traditions, the aesthetics, and everything he could about it. He loved hearing you talk about it. You were so knowledgeable and excited as you spoke. The waitress drops off your orders as you explain, giving her a kind nod of appreciation.

"Damn." He said when you finally finished explaining. "You're a scholar."

"It's just the basics for those who first get into it," you brush off politely.

Price smiled, finding it cute how modest you were. The basics, yeah right. He bet you could tell people a lot more than just the basics.

"Hm, maybe I should start listening to goth music." He muses, half joking and half serious.

"Maybe you might find something you like," you comment, taking a sip of your wine.

He definitely found something he liked- you. The food on the table looks fantastic, it smells amazing, everything is going perfectly.

"I'm sure I will."

Price finished his first glass, setting it down on the table. The alcohol instantly warmed his body, relaxing him. He looked at all the different food on the table, not sure where to start.

"Everythin' looks great."

"Taste good too," you agree, cutting off another piece of chicken parmesan.

Price took a bite of his steak. Perfectly cooked. Bloody, but not too bloody, the flavor burst into his mouth. He hummed in satisfaction.

"Holy..." He muttered between bites. "It's delicious."

"So John, what do you do for work?" You grabbed your wine glass, looking over at him with a curious expression.

He took time considering the question. He couldn't tell you everything, of course. But he didn't want to lie to you either.

"I work in private military." He settled on saying.

"Ohhh, that's cool!" You nodded along, interested in the new direction the conversation was going.

Price smiled. Thank god you didn't ask more. Most people would. They'd ask what kind of private military, what missions he's been on, what his job was specifically. But you didn't ask, you just accepted that and moved on. He was very grateful for that. It was the downside of his job. He was pretty much forced to lie to people, even his loved ones.

"Yeah." He continued, "it's an interesting job."

"So I take it you're off for the time being?" You asked.

Price smiled again. You really didn't ask probing questions, did you? It was a much better change of pace then what he was used too. Most people wanted all the info, wanted to know everything. It was refreshing that you just accepted what he said without being pushy.

"I am." He replied.

Price couldn't believe it. He wasn't one to believe in luck, but damn, he was feeling lucky. This date really was perfect. The restaurant was amazing, the food was so good, and the company was absolutely out of this world. Talking to you was so easy, he found himself constantly smiling, laughing, and just having a great time.

He never wanted this night to end.

Price insist for you to wear his jacket before you went out into the chilly London night air, that dress wouldn't do much to keep you warm.

You tried to refuse, saying you were fine and that you didn't need it. But he was persistent, and honestly, the way you looked in his jacket was something he couldn't resist.

"Please." He insisted, slipping his jacket around your shoulders, "you'll freeze."

You smiled sheepishly, tugging it around your shoulders as his lingering warmth soothed your skin.

"You smell good," you remarked softly as you looped your arm with his.

He made a mental note to wear that cologne more often. He kept your arm tucked close to his, walking close so you could absorb more of his warmth.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at you. "What's it like?"

"I can't really place it, but it's nice." You replied all bashful and giddy.

His jacket was much too big for you, but you looked great in it.

You were holding his arm with both of your hands, like couples do. He smiled down at you, his eyes absolutely lighting up with joy. No one's ever held onto his arm like that before. None of his ex's, none of his flings.

It was something special that only you did.

Everything was just perfect right now. The weather, the night air, the city lights. And most of all, you.

He loved that, he loved the feeling of being wanted. Being needed. To be touched and held close by someone he wanted so bad. He moved his other hand to cover your hands, his fingers running over yours.

Price slowed to a stop as you reached the parking lot, his heart starting to race a bit. You had an entire parking lot to yourselves. No one to bother you, no one to interrupt. He looked down at you, staring into your eyes. He didn't know if it was appropriate to kiss you right now.

He didn't know where things stood between you two now that he thinks about it. Did you want him to walk you to your front door? Did you want him to drive you home? This was the moment where decisions had to be made.

"I...had a lot of fun, thank you for tonight," You smiled nervously, teeth shining past your lipstick.

Price couldn't take his eyes off of you. The way the street lights hit you, the way the air blew your hair, everything about you in this moment was just perfect.

"Me too." He replied, his fingers moving to rest against your chin, tilting your head upwards to look him in the eyes.

He loved how those big, shiny eyes of yours looked when you smiled.

"Do you want me to walk you 'ome?"

Where was your head at? Is it okay to pursue?

"I don't live too far, and you drove all the way out here..." You declined politely.

He could see the want in your eyes as you denied him. It was driving him insane. He knew he should let you go, walk you to the door, like a proper date should.

He needed more time with you.

"Could I see you again?" You both asked in unison, the action makes you snort and truly laugh.

Price was a little startled, not expecting you to ask the same exact question. But the awkwardness was quickly brushed off as the two of you started laughing. His heart was racing from that. You wanted to see him again. His smile grew wider, his hand falling from your chin to your hip, pulling you in.

"Yeah." He agreed, breathlessly. "Yeah, 'course."

"I would like to see you again, I mean." You clarified with the last shred of shy tension gone, growing bold.

"Yeah? You'd like that?" He questioned in a low, soft voice, looking down at you intently.

You nodded wordlessly, smile dropping into something less cheery into... Sly.

"Your jacket...?" You tugged on the collar.

Price's smile shifted into something more darker, more hungry. You wanted a bit more then just a goodbye. He let out a hum, his eyes raking over your body, pausing at how you looked in his jacket.

He absolutely did not want his jacket back.

"I think it looks better on you." He replied.

He slouches, his body pressing against you as his head hovered a few inches above yours.

His heart was racing, all the blood in his body pumping south. You smiled wide, making your eyes crinkle. Your hands cupped his bearded jaw, leaning up and— planting a kiss on his cheek. Price's brain short-circuited when he felt your lips touch his skin, and then immediately rerouted all of his brain function to his core. The feel of your soft, plump lips on his skin drove him nuts.

Pulling back, your blush is across your nose, a giggle bubbling in your throat.

"I was hoping you'd let me keep it... Gives a reason for us to see each other."

His eyes were glued to your lips as he let out a low rumble, practically growling in the back of his throat with a knowing smirk at your actions. You were being cheeky, and your little smile tells him you know it too.

"Call me?" You asked, backing away a few steps.

"I absolutely will." He replied, rougher than usual, almost in a trance.

"I'll be waiting." You nodded, turning and walking down the street.

Price watched you walk away for a minute, his eyes glued to your frame walking down the street. His mind replayed the feel of your lips on his skin, the heat of your body pressed up against his, the sound of your soft, breathy giggles.

He could see the sway of your hips, the way you looked completely wrapped up in his jacket- your sweet, beautiful, innocent face, turned back to him with the promise of a second date- all drove him insane. He swallowed heavily and pulled his car keys out.

But he made a promise to himself, he was going to take this slow, and not scare you away. But god was that going to be a test of his self-restraint.

....It's a wonder how he didn't notice your fangs, though.

#happy halloween!#captain john price x reader #john price x reader #john price x goth!reader #captain john price #john price #john price cod #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty #vampire goth #goth reader #141 and a goth reader #goth fanfiction

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smahell · 6 months ago

Text

so the obey me boys aren't going to AX this year..

to absolutely nobody's surprise. yes solmare, you take away one of the most anticipated events for AX for obey me fans (at least for me; I need more fan content!)

but what I'm genuinely excited about, though I'm unable to go is..

now THIS is what i'm interested in. a new youtube audio drama project by ntt solmare: Ex and Bee: Nightfall's Coven; a mystery-centered audio drama with a dash of the dark arts and occult! am I excited just by that premise? from the little sneak peaks posted on twitter, which is the bare minimum, it's just enough to hype me up for this, yes. finally something else that might be solmare's legacy other than weird luke art and bad representation.

y'know what makes me even more excited.

look who's having a video appearance. heh. heheheh.

are they recycling VAs? yes. do I care? not at all. get that bag, Kada-san.

i genuinely think this project will be well received by those who do recognize it. with its more mature, somber theming, perhaps darker tone than obey me, it seems to still be catering to that same 16-24 age group but more to those who may be interested in psychological horror, sci-fi and true crime (aka, autistic people like me).

there's not much information i could dig from the internet about whoever else is working on the project, but i fear that the series will be reduced to 'obey me's lesser step-brother', and won't reach (enough of) its target audience, and then be completely discontinued out of nowhere after a year due to 'funding issues" (aka, not enough popularity, and daddy solmare wanting to spend his big bucks in silly dating sim game and their shitty 3D model concerts around the world (Japan and the US)).

[which is one of the reasons why i made this post. i do NOT want this project to flop just because of its relations to obey me and under funding.]

i think Ex and Bee deserves a chance its own separate fanbase from obey me... even though one of the main selling points was "hey guys!! you remember these guys??? they're gonna be here!!! please recognize them!! give us money!!!" and all that other corporate greed blabber that you don't hear from the social media managers.

conclusion: (army general voice) i want YOU to attend this panel if you are going to AX, and if you aren't, i want YOU to hype this shit up when more information comes out!1!!

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beautifulfuckup99 · 1 year ago

Note

Please give me a Jin x reader where he teases her for getting easily flustered at anything he does!! 🫶🏼🫶🏼😫🤞🏼

Of course!

Title: Too Easy

Pairing: Y/N X Jin

Rating: PG-13

Warning(s): Slight *Teasing*, Mostly Fluff, bf!Jin, shy!Y/N, Some Groping, and grey sweatpants....

Author's Note: Hope you enjoy!

*********************************

The soft sound of breathing is the first thing you hear in the morning as the golden rays of sunlight washes in through the sheer curtains. Jin's choice obviously. If you had it your way, you'd never be bothered by the bright sun so early in the morning. But the strong chest you're pressed against helps balance out the thoughts of complaining.

With a slight stretch, you yawn and grip on to your boyfriend's shirt some more, as if not ready to let him go before it sinks in. Today's Sunday. You can't help but gasp in pure delight, causing the body basically under you to shift at the noise. You cover your mouth bashfully and smile to yourself. Sunday. A day off. 'Finally!' You think to yourself.

It'd been awhile since your boyfriend of 2 years had a day off. After coming back from the military, Jin went right back to working and doing interviewers. You understood why though. ARMY needed to see he was still okay, still the same old Jin, still THEIR same old Jin.

Sharing your boyfriend with a global fanbase definitely had its downfalls, but also, it's perks. For one, those fans sure knew how to edit him...

You're pulled from your thoughts by a soft and low groan rumbling from the chest under your head. "Mm.." Jin murmurs, still half asleep.

"Arise, Frankenstein..." You tease soft and he lets out an airy chuckle.

"You're so... weird..." He mutters as he rubs his face, eyes still closed. His morning voice is a bit rough and deep. You ignore the flutter in your stomach and giggle a bit. "You like it." You state confidently as you sit up some more and look down at the 5-foot 10, Korean man in your bed.

He stretches and sighs happily as his eyes wonder to the clock on your nightstand. "It's Sunday." You say, a humorously look on your face as you watch him expectingly.

Just as you figured, the 30-year-old's face breaks into an excited smile and bright eyes full of joy. In one quick motion, he snakes his arms around your waist and pulls you back on top of him. You laugh in surprise and swat at his chest lightly.

"No! No, no more sleep!" You laugh as you fight playfully against his grip.

"Mm... But... Day off..." He complains and you laugh. "Yes, caveman, day off. But we still have things to do today. I wanna go to the store today. I found this new dish on TikTok-" Jin cuts you off with a playful groan.

"This is gonna be like that sushi-" You cut him off this time around. "It won't be like the sushi!" You say fast, practically whining at the memory of the 'sushi-incident' that took place over two months ago. Of course, a foodie like Jin would never let you live it down. Let's just say there's a reason he's the cook of the house.

"Here. I'm gonna brush my teeth, and you're gonna check out the video." You say as you reach for your phone and hand it over without a second thought. You and Jin were always open when it came to switching phones. Neither of you had anything to hide.

You hop off the bed and practically skip to the bathroom, pleased with the mental plans of today. Breakfast, shopping, coming home to cook together. Today would be perfect.

Little did you know, giving Jin access to your phone meant giving him access to your little TikTok stash of... well... him. As Jin lays in bed, he scrolls through edit after edit of himself, that you had liked and saved. Some of those edits even had comments from you. Unapologetic comments that is. This was your personal account after all, so you had no real filter on here. On this page, you were just one of the many ARMY members.

He smirks to himself as he sees firsthand, what exactly you find so attractive about him. He begins making his own mental list of the day.

****************************

During breakfast, Jin makes a point of tapping his slender fingers along the tabletop. At first, you pay it no mind, but at a certain point, you begin to take notice of the way he bites his lower lip lightly or how he strokes his fingers along the tabletop as he softly speaks in his low voice about the dish you were planning to make today.

You take notice of the, now grown out, jet black hair that was a bit shaggy and slightly covering his eyes, the way he rubbed his chin as he eyes you. His deep, dark eyes only focused on you, but when they trail to your lips, you stammer a bit, and that damn smirk comes out. He chuckles softly.

"What?" He whispers innocently, tilting his head slightly to the side as he squints at you, but that damn smirk shows he knows what he's doing. "Uh... Nothing. Nothing." You try as you shake your head. He hums softly and licks his lips again, slowly this time around.

"I was just saying..." You try speaking again as Jin reaches over to scoop up some of the whip cream you had on your waffles. He brings it to his lips and softly sucks it off, keeping eye contact with you the entire time. You hum softly and Jin laughs gently. "Too easy..." He smiles at you, and you huff. You avert your eyes as you grab your glass of water to drink, knowing one thing for sure: You were in for it...

*****************************

You stand in front of the shelves of pasta, trying to remember which one the TikToker said to use when you feel an arm wrap around you from behind. Jin stands next to you. "Decided which one?" He asks as you sigh deeply. "Uh... Let's just go with that one." You say as you go to grab it only to be stopped by Jin.

"I got it." He says and moves his arm slowly down your body before gripping your hip to hold you closer to his tall and strong frame, using his other hand to grab the pasta box. You feel so small pressed against him like this, and the slight... *ache* is only made worse when he slowly leans in towards your ear and whispers: "Mm... Too easy..."

You huff playfully and lightly push him away. "Not funny!" You fuss as he starts laughing at you, extremely proud of himself and the power he had over you.

He gives your butt a quick swat and it makes you jump, hitting him more as he laughs happily. "Come on, come on..." He snickers as you huff and walk off to the next aisle.

***********************************

"And next, you throw in the cheese, and you stir till it melts." You say as Jin follows your words with slight hesitation on his face.

"Baby... I don't know if it should look like that..." Jin laughs and you pout. "I mean... Maybe it needs more time, ya know." You defend and he chuckles quietly and agrees, always one to encourage you.

As you take over the stirring, Jin stretches a bit and his t-shirt rises only slightly, but it's enough to show off his v-line that dips into those damn grey sweatpants he'd changed into.

You focus hard on the pot in front of you only to feel trapped by him placing his hands on either side of you. He grips the countertop slowly so you can see the veins in his hands as he tightens his grip.

He nuzzles into your neck slightly and you feel his breath as his lips graze over your pulse point. "You're cute when you focus..." He teases and you blush hard. He moves closer and places his hands firmly on your hips.

"Jin..." You mutter as his fingers start to slide into your front pockets before digging into your thighs to pull you back on to him. "What? You don't... want me to hold you in my 'big, strong' arms?" He taunts in your ear and you feel your face heat up at the question.

"W-What... Do you-" He cuts you off with a chuckle. "Playing dumb? You just commented that on an edit of my arms yesterday." He taunts and you stop stirring and gasp as you cover your face instantly. Jin bursts out laughing at your reaction, and you turn to him.

"Not funny!" You try as he holds you tight to him by your waist. "I don't know. It's a little funny..." He laughs before kissing along your cheek as you cover your face with your hands once again.

"I... I just... liked seeing my boyfriend!" You defend and Jin lifts your chin. "And I like flustering my girlfriend." He says back before softly kissing you.

You act uninterested in the kiss at first and he laughs at you pouting and refusing to kiss him. He starts kissing all over your face and that's enough to break you. You give in and kiss back, holding him close.

He picks you up in his arms and places you on the countertop, deepening the kiss which makes your stomach heat up only a bit as you play with his hair at the nape of his neck. As he moves to kiss along your neck, the smell of burnt cheese begins to fill the air.

"Jin..." You gasp in surprise. "Mm... I love when you say my nam-" You cut him off. "No! Jin! The food!" You squeal as you push him away. He gasps in alarm and turns off the stove as you groan at the lumpy mess of cheese and pasta.

Jin stiffens his laugh as you groan. "It's... like the sushi-" You cut Jin off. "It's not like the sushi incident!" You fuss fast and Jin chuckles, moving to hold you. You pout and nuzzle into his chest.

"Want me to order some Jeyuk Bokkeum?" He asks to try and cheer you up, knowing it's your favorite. You grumble slightly. "Hm? That a yes?" He chuckles softly. You nod as you grumble some more. He laughs and tilts your chin to look at him. "Will do." He nods certainly and pecks your lips. "So easy..." He taunts before moving away.

"You little..." You hop off the countertop as he laughs loudly and runs off from you as you chase after him. "Get back here!" You laugh.

**************************************

-Hope you enjoyed!!

#seokjin #bts jin #jin #jin imagine #bts fic #bts army #bts #jin x reader #jin x y/n #bts imagines

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sweaterkittensahoy · 5 months ago

Text

JackHarding all for me for Horny on Main Friday; of course there's smut!

One morning when Jack's out in the pre-dawn running his usual six miles, Harding's suddenly next to him, keeping up easily even though Jack's got a longer stride.

"Sir?" Jack says.

"Nah," Harding replies. "Not when we're jogging. Harding's fine."

"Are we going to do this often?"

"You mind some chit chat while you exercise? I like a little chit chat."

"Nothing about the missions," Jack says. "And no fucking singing."

Harding chuckles. "Egan?"

"Egan."

"Got a voice like a rusted trumpet."

It's Jack's turn to chuckle. "He knows it."

Harding groans. "That makes it worse. You can't sing that unabashedly and not care that you're bad."

"He lives a charmed life," Jack replies.

Harding hums in agreement, and they make it a quarter mile in silence. "Why the Air Army?" he asks.

"I like planes," Jack says. "Have since I was a kid. It sounded like a dream come true. You?"

"Most exciting thing you could do when I signed up. A lot to learn. A lot to know."

"Certainly that," Jack agrees.

They make it another quarter mile. Jack slows to stretch. "Halfway point," he says.

"I usually do seven," Harding says, and Jack likes how he says it. It's a fact, not a brag or a challenge.

"Do you box?" Jack asks as he leans down to touch his toes.

"Here and there." Harding replies. "I keep up with the sport more than I play in it." He puts his arms out to both sides and rotates them a few times. "Red says you were Golden Gloves your last year at college. That true?"

"You don't trust your intelligence officer?" Jack asks, unable to stop the joke.

Harding grins. "Sure. But he's not a boxer. He may have misheard."

"Well, he didn't," Jack says. He takes a moment for a full body stretch, then glances at Harding. "Ready, Si–" He just manages to stop himself from finishing the honorific.

"Well, you tried," Harding replies, looking amused. "And, yes, let's go."

Jack starts again, and Harding again keeps pace. Harding asks about Jack's family (parents alive; grandparents alive; two brothers, two sisters, he's the baby). Jack asks about Harding's career (he's been just about everywhere; flown just about everything; hates the politics in the upper brass too much to try for a higher title). They briefly compare favorite boxers, then favorite thing to do in London (Jack likes the bookstores; Harding prefers a heavy meal and a beer at the pubs). By the time they hit the end of Jack's run, Jack feels like this is something he could easily do whenever Harding wants to show up.

"Glad to hear it," Harding says when Jack says so. Jack's slowing to a walk, and Harding's still keeping pace. He pauses briefly when Jack squats to stretch his hamstrings. "See you tomorrow morning, then."

"Sure thing," Jack says instead of 'Yes, Sir.' He figures they're still technically exercising. "And feel free to call me Jack."

Harding grins. "If you're going to be that informal, make it Chick."

"We'll see," Jack says. He grins when Harding rolls his eyes and picks up the pace again.

It becomes routine very easily. Jack and Chick, side-by-side for six miles, and then six and a quarter, and then six and a half.

"The last half-mile all at once?" Chick asks the morning Jack tells him he'll finish with him. "You sure about that?"

"Oh, fuck you," Jack replies, and he likes the way it makes Chick laugh. "I won't apologize for making sure I don't pull something."

"No, I shouldn't joke. You're right. I'm honestly surprised my knees have held together this long after all the football I played."

"You okay?" Jack asks, all faux-concern. "Need to slow down and do some careful knee bends to check them?"

"Okay, okay, fuck you, too," Chick says.

They finish at seven miles. Jack can feel the extra half-mile trying to pull him into tired, but he stretches hard to try and clear his head.

"Get your gear," Chick says as he sets his feet wide and does a few cross-toe touches. "Come over to my hut. I've got my own shower."

"I'm okay with the barracks shower," Jack says. "I'm the only one in there this early."

Chick straightens and gives Jack a look that nearly knocks him back. It's frankly wanting and hot. Like Jack's the most handsome man Chick's ever seen. "We'll be the only ones in mine this early, too."

"Um," Jack says. "I don't–" He stretches his arms to do something. "Have you been flirting with me the entire time?"

Chick stares at him. "What? No. I've been working up to offering to split my shower."

Jack can't help but stare back. "Oh," he says. "I thought this was…jogging?" He feels the blush the moment he finishes the question. "Oh, fuck, ignore that."

Chick laughs like he did earlier, bright and easy. "No, don't think I will," he says. "But I find it charming, if that helps."

Jack shakes his head at himself. "I'll meet you at your hut," he says, making sure to give Chick a quick, hot once over. He's sweat through his PT shirt, dark chest hair showing through the cotton. There's sweat on his hairline, too, and when Jack meets his gaze, it's sharp and interested. "Give me five minutes."

"I'll get the water started," Chick replies. "Don't worry about a towel," he says as he walks by Jack. "We can share."

Jack shivers at the confidence in his voice. He has to fight not to turn and watch Chick walk away. He has absolutely been watching him jog off when he'd kept going on his run when Jack had tagged out at the various points. It's a good view, his thick thighs and meaty ass well-suited to their PT shorts. Jack wonders if Chick watches him, too. He'll have to ask.

He goes to his hut and gets a clean uniform, sliding it into a small rucksack so no one wonders why he's crossing to the Colonel's hut with new clothes. It's not far to Chick's hut, several yards behind his own to give a sense of privacy as afforded by his rank. The door is ajar, and Jack takes the invite, stepping inside and shutting it behind him. When he turns around, Chick's standing a few feet away, stripped down to just his PT shorts.

Jack drops the rucksack and walks straight to him, gets both hands on Chick's hairy stomach, then holds himself still. "Is this a one-off?" he asks.

Chick slides a hand under Jack's shirt, dragging his palm up Jack's back. "Only if it's bad, and I don't think it will be."

"What do you want?" Jack asks.

"To fuck your brains out," Chick says. "Fuck that smart mouth quiet. See the part of your thighs I can't see in these shorts, nice as they look on you."

Jack grins and slips two fingers behind Chick's waistband. He snaps it, and Chick chuckles, then gets his other hand under Jack's shirt and shoves it up until it's over his head and off.

"Fuck," Chick mutters, hand heavy and hot on Jack's pec. The other one cups Jack's ass, pressing them together at the groin. Chick's hard, and Jack's most of the way there. "You look as good I guessed, maybe better," he says.

"Same to you," Jack replies. He licks his lips when Chick meets his gaze again. He dips his head down in invitation and groans when Chick tilts his chin up and grabs the back of his head, kissing him firmly. His mustache drags against Jack's upper lip, and Jack presses into it, opens his mouth a little and hums in appreciation when Chick opens his in response. Their tongues slide together, and Jack swears he's never had a kiss this good. It's confident. Chick sucks his lower lip, and Jack's knees go weak. He grabs Chick's waist hard and manages to get his hands into Chick's shorts, pulling away from the kiss to yank them down Chick's legs.

He's wearing white briefs, and his dick is a heavy outline on the fabric. Jack drags his palm against it, and Chick grabs his wrist before he can do more.

"Come on, the shower's waiting," Chick says.

Jack uses his other hand to grab Chick's briefs and tug them down. Chick lets go of his wrist so he can use both hands. When his dick springs free, Jack ducks in quick, sucking the head.

"Shit," Chick grunts. He grabs Jack's chin, holding him in place as he takes a step back. His dick bobs free of Jack's mouth, and then Chick holds out a hand to help him to his feet. "Get naked," Chick says.

Jack shucks his shorts and briefs, toes off his shoes and pulls off his socks. Chick looks him over as he tugs Jack's hand and leads him to an alcove behind the bed. He backs Jack into the running shower, and Jack sighs as the tepid water hits his skin.

Chick's presses his open mouth to Jack's neck, then his shoulder. He licks a stripe along Jack's bicep, then presses Jack against the back wall as he lowers himself to his knees. He jerks Jack off loosely for a few strokes, then looks up at him. "Anything you don't like?"

Jack struggles for breath. Chick on his knees, water cascading down his face, shoulders broad and hand dragging slowly on his cock. "Not from you," he says.

"Smooth talker," Chick says, then he opens his mouth and takes Jack's cock in his mouth. He sucks once, softly, and presses his free hand wide against Jack's stomach.

Jack has to close his eyes and breathe slowly so he doesn't go off instantly. Chick's working his tongue over Jack's cock slit and still jerking him slowly. Jack drops a hand to fondle his balls, and Chick pushes is away, taking more of Jack's cock in his mouth as he lets go with his hand so he can roll Jack's balls himself.

Jack gasps, hands gripping Chick's shoulders. He thinks of the weeks of jogging together, talking and getting to know each other, of the looks he snuck because Chick is handsome in a way that makes Jack want.

And now he's getting.

He grunts and taps Chick's shoulders to warn him. He pulls off and looks up at Jack, dropping his hand from Jack's stomach to jerk him off while still playing with his balls.

Jack comes so hard his whole body jerks. He thumps his head on the shower wall but doesn't feel it. All he can feel is Chick's hand on his dick, and Chick's shoulders under his hands.

"Goddamn," Chick says as he stands up. He rinses Jack's come off his hand, then gathers Jack against him, fitting his dick into the spot where Jack's thigh meets his groin. "Mind if I–"

"Whatever you fucking want," Jack manages. He grabs Chick above the elbows, holds him tight as Chick rubs off on him. He kisses Chick's collarbone, then drops his head to suck his nipple.

"Oh!" Chick shouts, shivering. "Shit. No one's done that in awhile."

Jack sucks Chick's other nipple, grinning when Chick shivers again. He lifts his head so he can see Chick's eyes. His pupils are blown wide, but he's staring with absolute focus at Jack. Jack licks the corner of his mouth and watches Chick track the movement. "Want me to keep it up?" he asks.

Chick grunts and nods, pushing Jack against the wall as he ruts harder. Jack's happy to go pliant and slip down just a little, plant his feet on either side of the drain and nibble on Chick's nipples back and forth until Chick's fingers dig into his sides and there's hot spunk on Jack's stomach.

Jack manages to push himself upright so Chick has some of the spray to rinse himself off. He rubs his own hand on the spot where Chick has just come, working in circles until it doesn't feel sticky anymore.

Chick reaches past Jack and shows him a bar of soap. "I'll get your back," he says. "Hell, I'll do your front, too, if you want."

Jack considers that. He thinks about the last several weeks. "Be honest," he says, pushing his hair off his forehead. "Did you start jogging with me just to get your dick sucked?"

"No," Chick says. He holds up the soap with a pointed look, and Jack turns around, lets Chick pull him into position so his back is out of the direct spray. The soap is coarse on his back. The same Army-issue bar they all use. "I like to know who I'm working with," he says. "I would have found some way to connect with you sooner, but I wanted to give you space for the Air Exec shit."

"Appreciate that," Jack says. "I think I've finally accepted that I'm sticking with it."

"That's enough talk about that for now," Chick says as he drags the bar down Jack's spine and over his ass. "The point is, I saw you jogged, and that felt like a way to start talking just between us without a desk or a map between us."

Jack sighs when Chick wraps his arm around his front and soaps his chest while basically hugging him. "God, that's nice," he sighs.

"You've got friends," Chick says, voice soft in Jack's ear. "But it didn't seem like you had a sweetheart."

"I don't," Jack replies. "Or, I didn't," he says, reaching back to grab Chick's flank.

Chick's laugh rumbles through him. He slides his other arm around Jack and pulls him flush, drags the soap over his pubic hair and across the tops of his thighs. "Oh, I'll be your sweetheart if you want. Take you to dinner. Spin you on the dancefloor. Keep your drink filled and your hand tucked into my elbow."

Jack laughs, feeling giddy and light. "You're joking."

"Not one fucking bit." Chick rubs a hand over Jack's chest, getting rid of the soap. He turns him around, and his face is serious and sincere. "No one takes care of you, Jack. You know that? The boys try, but you don't let them."

"I'm Air Exec," Jack says. "I'm supposed to take care of them."

Chick snorts. "Sure, but I get the feeling you don't let people take care of you in general."

Jack shrugs and takes the soap from Chick's hand. He rolls it between his palms and works up a thick lather, then places the soap back on its little rack. He rubs his hands up and down Chick's chest, then down to his belly and around to his ass. "I'm the baby of the family. Always had more people watching out for me than I wanted. I've always kept my own counsel."

"You want to let me keep a little of it for awhile?" Chick asks. "I'd like to."

Jack steps to one side so there's more water to rinse Chick with. "Why me?" he asks.

"I'm a leg man," Chick says, grin sharp. He laughs when Jack splashes him with water, then grabs him at the waist, pulling him close again. "You're smart. You're competent. You make me laugh. And you look fucking good in those shorts."

Jack laughs and lets Chick pull him out of the shower. He watches Chick retrieve a towel and holds out a hand, but Chick tosses the towel over his head and roughly dries his hair for him before dragging the towel down his front and drying his chest and shoulders. He dries Jack's back as well, then wraps the towel at his hips and tucks it in so it doesn't fall off.

"Thought you said we were sharing," Jack says when Chick pulls out a second towel.

"Yeah, that was a line," Chick says as he dries his arms. "Sounded good enough to get you here, though."

"Oh, I was already coming over," Jack assures him. "You keep up with the hands-on shower, and I might not leave for awhile."

Chick grins and steps forward, presses their chests together and holds Jack's jaw softly in his palm. "Joke all you want, but I'd be fine with that."

"You move fast when you move," Jack says. "I like it."

Chick steals a kiss. "I'm a man of action," he says.

"All sorts of action," Jack replies, and he grins at the way Chick groans at the joke. He kisses Chick's cheek and steps away to go find his rucksack. They both need to be at headquarters sooner rather than later, but Jack feels certain if he invites himself over tonight, Chick won't say no. He won't be able to stay the night, not if someone needs to find him, but they'll jog together again tomorrow morning, and Jack figures the shower invite is wide open.

When he finds his rucksack and turns around, Chick's watching him with the same frank assessment as earlier, and yeah, Jack is certain that shower invite in a perpetual sort of thing.

#jackharding #jack kidd #chick harding #get together #this is rom com level situation to get them fucking #they deserve it #masters of the air #smut

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theunbearableweightofpedropascal · 1 year ago

Text

Be my Baby ch. 6

Warnings: (angst)

A/N: Sorry in advance.

Word Count: 3.9k

A few days after your beloved pizza party you finally met another member from the army photo. Santiago Garcia walked into the garage with an air about him that alerted you how well-acquainted he was with women. He was absolutely beautiful but he was the exact man you prided yourself on staying away from. Though being in a situationship with a married man wasn’t much better.

“Hi, welcome to Miller’s Motors how may I help you?” Your customer service voice and smile instantly take over.

“I mean I wouldn’t mind just hanging out here with you until one of those jackasses come out here.” His dazzling smile is working overtime while he leans on the counter and you can’t help the laugh that emitted from you.

“Okay, Mr. Garcia suit yourself.” Back on your ‘work’ computer, you opened the Twitter tab again and continued scrolling.

“Just how attached to Catfish are you or are you still looking at other options?” While Santi frames his question as flirty, he wants to see how you feel about Frankie.

“Catfish?” Unsure of how you should answer you counter his question with one of your own.

“It’s his callsign from our army days. Mine is Pope, Will is Ironhead, and Frankie is Catfish.” All the tidbits you find out about Frankie make him so much more interesting.

“Okay but why is he Catfish? And what about Benny?” The other callsigns seem to align with personality, except for Frankie’s.

“Well he always had trouble growing his beard and he had a reputation with the ladies at training camp, thus the birth of Catfish.” You can’t say you’re surprised by Frankie’s past discretions, he had to learn that from somewhere. “As for Benny he came much later so we never really thought about it.”

“Well, what about Goldilocks? I think that suits him, especially because he would go into someone's house and eat their food without a second thought.” Your analysis of Benny’s callsign has Santiago burst into laughter at how right you are.

“And he definitely would talk about how bad the food is after scarfing it all down.” The both of you are now loudly laughing in the empty lobby like you’ve known each other for years.

“Pope step away from my receptionist.” William is the first through the door and he playfully narrows his eyes at Santi from behind you.

“Benny we found a callsign for you, how does Goldilocks sound?” At the mention of the name, you and Santi laugh in remembrance of your jokes. Despite the inside joke, Benny looks pleased.

“How is it that I’ve known you asshole’s years and she’s the one to come up with a callsign for me?” Benny’s large arms swarm around you to hug you in appreciation.

“I mean we had some names but you wouldn’t like it.” William nudges Frankie in jest with a smirk plastered on his face.

“You know for such a quiet man you are so sassy.” Your words cause a roar of laughter from the group of men and you take that as your cue to take a nice long lunch break.

……..

“Bitch,” Hearing the drawn-out exemplative from your best friend over the phone brought a smile to your face. Either you were going to hear the juiciest gossip or Dante just proposed, “If you could see this fucking ring I have on right now.”

“Finally, I’ve been waiting 40 days and 40 nights for this.” There was no one rooting for Ronnie's happiness as much as you.

“Before we even get into this wedding stuff you’re gonna be my Maid of Honor right?” The sentence tumbled out so quickly that if you listen so well you might’ve missed it.

“Of course, what cake do you think you’re gonna get?” You take a bite of your caser salad while you listen to her rattle off her top 5 flavors. With a simple hum every couple of seconds while she gets all her excited rambles out.

“Shit, let me call my parents so they think they’re the first people I called.” A goofy smile graces your face at the fact that you were the first person she called.

“Okay, text me when you’re gonna be free for a sleepover so we can go through the actual details. Love you.” You end your sentence with an exaggerated kiss that she would hear on the other end.

“It’ll probably be Friday or Saturday but I’ll know for sure by tonight. Love you bye.” Her exaggerated kiss was the last thing you heard before the line cut out.

It’s been about an hour and a half since you left for your lunch break and Ameilia has been keeping you company intermittently. A slightly disappointed sigh leaves your lips when you’ve taken the last bite of your salad realizing you’ll have to get back to work. When you leave your cash on the table you make sure you tip a little extra since Ameilia snuck you two pieces of berry pie.

Upon re-entering the lobby you find Santiago behind the front, seemingly taking your place for the long break. He’s focused completely on the computer in front of him and by the time you round the corner, it’s too late for him to close the window.

“Plenty of Fish? I took you as more of a Tinder kind of guy.” The side eye you receive from him makes it hard for you to cover your smile.

Before he can say a smart comeback the phone blares and you set your pie on the counter to answer.

“Miller’s Brother Automotive, how may I help you?” The cheeriness of your voice makes you grimace.

“Hello, this is Nurse Lauren calling from Lake Montessori. I’ve been trying to get ahold of Rosie’s father Fransico Morales and he listed this number as his work contact.”

“Of course, he’s in the garage can you hold for a moment?” Without waiting for her answer you head to the garage to summon Frankie.

“The nurse for your daughter’s school is on the phone asking for you.” As soon as he hears it’s about Rosie he’s walking faster than you to get back to the phone.

“Hello, this is Fransico Morales.” You can see the tension in his shoulders trying to figure out why the school is calling him. Both you and Santi scroll through his dating profile while he talks on the phone.

After presumably finding the reason for the call his shoulders deflate and he utters a faint “Jesus,”

“I see, I can be there in about 15 minutes.” There’s a slight pause before he says, “Take care.”

When the phone hits the hook he heaves an irritated sigh before turning to you and Santi. “Apparently Rosie’s stomach was bugging her since she got to school and she ended up throwing up on the playground. Maria was the one to drop her off and they tried calling her but she wasn’t picking up.”

“So she knew she was sick when she dropped her off?” Irritation is written all over Santiago’s face and voice.

“Seems that way because there’s no way Rosie wouldn’t say anything. So fucking irresponsible.” Frankie grits the last sentence out before heading to the back to wash his hands properly. When he comes back out with clean hands and a more patient face he stops by you.

“We should be back in like 15 minutes.” He slightly bends to kiss your forehead before heading out the front door. Santiago wolf-whistles when it’s just the two of you but you roll your eyes.

After 5 minutes Will and Benny come inside to ask what happened and there’s no time wasted by Santiago to fill them in. You head to the break room to see what would be helpful to a sick kid. Luckily Benny has a collection of tea and you take out peppermint and some sugar.

You pop your head out only to see them huddled together and gossiping like school girls.

“Hey, are there any pillows or blankets in the back offices?” Each of them turns to you with wide eyes before Benny tells you he has some in his office. When you come back out you place the brown blanket on the sofa closet to the garage door and prop the pillow on the armrest.

The guys can’t help but watch and exchange looks as you make the area cozy for Rosie. You beat them to it. Looking at the time you head back into the break room to heat water for the tea. By the time you come back out with the steaming tea, Frankie is laying Rosie down on the sofa and the guys are circling her.

“I made some peppermint tea and I think I have some cough drops in my purse.” As you carefully place the cup down on the table in front of her Frankie watches you in awe. Rosie’s tired brown eyes steal a glance at you and you nearly melt. Even though her little face is sickly pale she’s the cutest kid you’ve ever seen.

“Thank you,” after he shows his gratitude he turns back to his daughter and continues running his hands through her curls.

“And if you feel up for it I have an extra piece of berry pie.” Her downcast eyes widen at the mention of pie and it almost livens her chubby face.

“Really?” She perks up on the sofa and tries to remove the blanket before Frankie settles her.

“After you drink some tea and lay down kay?” She pouts at his words but obliges and lays back down.

With all the guys personally checking in on Rosie you head back to your desk and check your purse for those cough drops. There are about three but that should be good enough, plus they’re the ones that taste like candy. You lay them out on your desk before looking up to find Frankie in front of you. He leans across the table with that look in his eye, the one that makes your tummy flutter.

“I meant it when I said thank you back there. I appreciate you so much, Hermosa.” He places his warm hand over yours.

“Never a problem Catfish.” You let your eyes fall back on the desk and remember to ask him, “It’s fine that I give these to Rosie right?”

He laughs at your genuine sweet nature before answering, “Yes, and if it’s not too much would you mind checking on her, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to.”

“Like I said never a problem.” You give him your biggest smile, making it a point to scrunch your face.

The two of you share a moment before he releases your hand to head back out to the garage. Coincidentally you find the guys staring at you with smirks plastered on their faces. They say their last comforting words to Rosie and trail after Frankie.

Since two of the three cars were going to be ready in an hour you called to let the customers know. You peer over to find Rosie drinking her tea and you grab the first cough drop before heading over.

“How’s your tea?” You take a seat in the chair next to the sofa.

“It’s good but I like more sugar.” Her direct answer has you nodding your head in faux contemplation.

“If you finish that cup I promise to make your next one extra sugary.” She smiles at your bargain and begins tipping the cup back to drink more. “You don’t have to get it all now sweetie but I love the enthusiasm.”

“What’s your name?” You tell her your name and she says it a couple of times while nodding. You return the question to her as if you didn’t already know.

“I’m Rosie. So are you my Daddy’s friend?” The tilt of her voice makes you think she’s teasing you.

“Yes, I am why?” You put a tilt in your voice similar to her.

“You’re really pretty to be his friend.” She tries to hide her smile behind the mug.

“Thank you, Rosie, I think you’re really pretty too.” Her giggles warm your heart and you almost forget the reason you came over here. “I brought you a cough drop but I promise it tastes like candy.”

“Thank you, I don’t think I feel as bad anymore so can I have that piece of pie now?” Her puppy dog eyes resemble her father’s so much that you don’t think you can deny her.

“Alright finish that tea, but not too fast, and I’ll get it ready.” You make your way back to collect the pieces of pie from your desk and bring it to the break room. Each piece is placed on a paper plate and you grab two plastic forks from the box on the counter.

When you come out of the break room Rosie is criss-cross applesauce on the couch pleasantly waiting for the pie. A huge smile breaks out across her face when you place hers in front of her and she thanks you immediately. Neither of you wastes time digging into your respective slices.

A few minutes pass before the tell-tale bell rings above the door and a customer walks in. You leave your half-eaten slice to go back to the desk and greet them. She gives you her last name and you bring up her paperwork in the system.

“Okay let me check in and it shouldn’t be long. Please take a seat anywhere and I’ll get back to you.” On your way towards the garage, Rosie smiles big at you with purple smeared around her mouth. You wave back before going through the door.

“Who’s working on Monroe’s Honda?” You call out to the four men in the area, and Benny’s head pops up from the hood. “She just arrived and I wanted to know how much longer.”

“I was literally about to come inside I’m just running my third check to make sure.” He heads back to the car and you leave to head back but Frankie saddles up next to you.

“How’s my baby? I have about 10 minutes left on this car before I’m done.” You are tempted to answer for yourself but you know what he means.

“Tearing down that berry pie like it’s going out of style.” His laugh sounds full and boisterous and you’re glad after how irate he was when he went to pick up Rosie.

The waiting area is the same as you left it and you let Mrs. Monroe know her car is just about ready. As you turn around you almost bump into Rosie who’s holding her now empty plate in her small hands.

“I finished and I couldn’t find the trash.” You shouldn’t be surprised at her manners since Frankie is her father but you tell her to follow you. She rounds the desk behind you and you point out the trash can under your desk. “If you want you can have the rest of my pie.”

Rosie still places her plate in the trash but she thanks you before running back off to her corner. Benny slides through the door and checks out Mrs. Monroe so you head back over to Rosie.

Before you can sit in your seat she tells you, “I have to tinkle.” And just as quickly as you sat down you’re right back up and guiding her to the bathroom in the back. You wait in the hallway while she finishes up her business. The moment she opens the door you double-check that she’s washed her hands. Thankfully Rosie provides her slightly damp hands for your approval.

“What’s your favorite color? Mine is all of them, I can’t pick one.” Her charming voice fills the empty hallway you two walk down.

“I used to love all the colors too, but now I really love purple.” You look down at her to smile while giving your answer and she slips her slightly damp hand in yours.

“Purple is really pretty but so is the rainbow and cheetah.” You didn’t have the heart to correct her on cheetah being a pattern.

When you two re-enter the lobby the both of you are so engrossed in conversation that you miss the tension unfolding while you’ve been away. Frankie stands in front of a stunning woman with dark brown hair who’s seething in anger. But she’s not the only one, Frankie’s irritation is coming off his body in waves.

Clarity alludes you the more you look between them, there’s a familiarity. It doesn’t take long for the pieces to fall into place when Rosie raises her other hand to wave at the woman before yelling out, “Hi Mommy.” Two sets of eyes land on you and you’ve never felt more out of place in your life. Suddenly being swallowed by the earth sounded delightful.

“Who the hell is this?” Her sharp but alluring voice cuts through the air and you finally allow yourself to fully take her in. This is Frankie’s wife. You can’t help but notice her polished appearance, her hair looks freshly blown out and her French-tipped nails only add to the form-fitting dress she’s wearing.

“I’m the receptionist, I just took Rosie to the bathroom.” You try and keep your voice level, not wanting to escalate the situation in front of Rosie.

“I’m gone for a couple of hours and you pawn our daughter off to some receptionist?” Though she kept her voice down you end up hearing every word.

As much as you’d heard about her you still weren’t prepared to see her, part of you was pretending as long as you couldn’t see her she didn’t exist.

“A couple of hours?” Frankie pauses at that to give her the nastiest look you’ve ever seen cross his face. “You dropped our daughter off knowing she was sick so you could-” He stops himself to gesture at her clearly put-together outfit.

“I didn’t know she was sick, how was I supposed to know she would throw up all over the place.” From Frankie’s face, it’s clear he wants to say something but with Rsoie here he holds himself back.

“But I told you I didn’t feel good Mommy, you told me it would pass.” The silence that followed her innocent statement scared you, and you weren’t the one Frankie had his eyes set on.

Shaking yourself out of your stunned stupor you gently coax Rosie to go see her Uncle’s in the garage. For the first time since you’ve worked here, you close the door behind you. The guys take notice and you simply tell them, “Frankie’s wife is here.” Confused faces instead turn into silent understanding and they pause their routine for closing.

…………

“Maria,” In all their years of marriage she’d never heard this tone of voice. “Are you fucking crazy?” The lack of yelling made it even worse, not that he ever really raised his voice.

“Look Francisco, I had a meeting and it didn’t sound serious so I still dropped her off. Okay? I’m sorry.” Maria places her hands on her husband's biceps but he backs away from her touch.

“You are unbelievable, they couldn’t get in contact with you for 5 hours. How long could this meeting have possibly been?” It was one thing for her to disregard him but for her to do it to their daughter was something unforgivable. But there was only one reason she would be so careless, and her outfit told him everything.

“Tell me you weren’t meeting with Chris, tell me you didn’t drop our daughter off so you could run off with your boyfriend.”

“I-,” A panicked expression crosses her face and Frankie doesn’t allow for any more of her excuses.

“I’m done. Putting a man before our child is in-fucking-sane.” He can’t recognize the woman in front of him, and he understands how she felt during his addiction. The person he met at the altar is gone.

“I agree. The open marriage thing has gone too far and I’m ready to close it okay?” At this point even she can see her marriage crumbling before her and despite previous thoughts, she’s not ready to let go.

“I’m not talking about closing the marriage, I want a divorce.” The distinction in his voice before he turns and heads to the garage fills her with desperation. Maria follows closely behind him as he opens the door. She stays in the door way silently watching and waiting for another chance to talk.

You are gently rubbing Rosie’s head while she sleeps soundly in a makeshift bed of two chairs. The way Frankie’s face lights up when he looks at you makes her skin crawl. But it gets worse when your eyes meet his there’s no denying there is something between you.

She thinks back to how Frankie told her Benny introduced him to the girl he was seeing. She supposes it makes sense you are beautiful and you seem caring. As much as she wanted to throw the rules in his face she knew she had no leg to stand on. At this point, she had nothing else to lose and Rosie was asleep so it would only be fair to warn you.

From the doorway she makes herself known and Frankie rolls his eyes, hoping that ignoring her will make her go away. One look around the room and she can see how outnumbered she is. The men who once welcomed her with open arms now disdainfully glance at her.

“I’m not sure how well he’s hidden it but he’s a drug addict and his PTSD will always send him right back down the cocaine rabbit hole. Save yourself from the endless baggage.” Maria threw her last card on the table and from the way Francisco froze, it had the desired impact.

No one could have predicted that would come out of her mouth. Your eyes widen at the sudden intake of information and you seek out Frankie’s eyes but he’s turned away from you. Seconds feel like minutes and no one else has said a word. What could be said to follow something so cruel?

All you want to do is tell Frankie that you don’t think less of him, but that’s a private conversation. And unlike some people, you understand the need for privacy and tact.

“It’s time for you to go.” William steps in to shield Frankie who keeps his eyes locked on the ground.

While Maria struts away like she didn’t ruin what little comfort Frankie had, tears begin to rim his eyes. As if his shame wasn’t bad enough it had to happen in front of you. There was no telling how you would feel about him now and he wouldn’t blame you.

Benny and Santiago circle Frankie whispering about something you can’t hear. You stand to approach him but Will’s chest fills your vision. His eyes are cast down in a way that you can tell you’re being shut out of this private moment.

“I don’t think now is a good time sweets,” His hand rests on your shoulder before squeezing in what you think is reassurance.

“Could you tell him I don’t think any less of him? And to call me when he’s ready please?” Your voice cracks as you try to keep it together because you’re the last person who should be crying.

Will feels terrible about making you go but it’s too late and you’re already out the door with your sniffles following. When the door closes again Frankie knows you’ve left and his shoulders begin shaking. The only reason he’s still standing is because of the three men holding him up. Thankfully Rosie’s cold keeps her knocked out so she misses her father’s breakdown.

@harriedandharassed @emilianamason

#triple frontier fic #triple frontier smut #frankie morales smut #frankie morales x f!reader #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales #frankie morales x you

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kittenfangirl20 · 8 months ago

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*Charlie was surprised when Emily messaged her to say that Heaven allowed Charlie to come and have a sleepover with her, it was even more exciting ever since she found out that Emily was her cousin, after seeing some of the sights that she didn’t get to see the last time, they arrived back her home, it was very nice but seemed rather sterile like Sera herself, though Charlie didn’t have that positive of an opinion the leader of the Seraphim Council after what Adam had said about her, she looked up and saw Emily come from the kitchen with homemade chocolate chip cookies*

Emily: How is Adam doing on his rehabilitation?

Charlie: Honestly it is going great, for someone who used to say Hell is forever, he has really taken quite well to the hotel and most of the residents there. I heard he used to babysit you when you were growing up.

Emily: He did, dad picked him for the job because of his experience as a parent and since dad trained him to be a warrior, he saw Adam as someone he could trust. Mom didn’t like it because of his taste in music and as she put it, his corrupting attitude. But when he was with me, he was really sweet. We would play with dolls and he gave them funny voices and I was able to convince him to let me paint his nails pastel pink even though I knew he didn’t like the color. He basically became like an older brother to me and I miss him.

*Charlie liked hearing about this kinder side in Adam that she didn’t realize existed until he had to become a guest at the hotel, he came a long way from the man that used to frighten her, Charlie was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the door open, the man that walked in made her jaw drop, his angelic robes were in the dark colors that only warrior angels were allowed to wear, but what shocked her the most was his face, this man looked exactly like Lucifer and he even had the large red circles on his cheeks which Charlie had also learned was the mark of an archangel, the angel even had Lucifer’s height and thin frame, the only differences were that his eyes were blue and he didn’t have fangs*

Emily: Daddy.

*Emily got up and ran towards the man to hug him, the stoic look on this man’s face softened and he gave Emily a gentle smile, Emily then led the man to Charlie*

Emily: Charlie, this is my dad, Michael, the leader of the archangels and commander of Heaven’s armies. He is the greatest warrior angel in all of Heaven.

Michael: Hello Charlie, it is very nice to meet you. I look at you and see so much of my brother in you.

*if another angel had said that to Charlie, she would have thought that they were insulting her, but Michael seemed to be actually complimenting her*

Michael: How is my brother doing?

Charlie: He is doing quite well, for a long time he had been depressed because mom left him. But he is doing better ever since Adam came to the hotel.

Michael: I never liked Lilith all that much and I told him as much when he told me he was helping her leave Eden. But she did mother a good kid from what I can see. I should get dinner started.

*Charlie didn’t know what to say, she felt like she should defend her own mother, but she could see why Michael wouldn’t like the woman who convinced an angel to leave Heaven*

Emily: Daddy never talks about Uncle Lucifer, but I can tell he misses him and it was brave of him to ask you about him.

Charlie: He doesn’t seem to like my mom at all.

Emily: No, aside from the whole leaving Eden, Lilith was cruel to Adam and told lies about him that persist to this day.

*Charlie was taken aback by hearing this, Adam never mentioned these things about Lilith, her mom always seemed kind to her and it seemed like she was seeing a newer side to her mom that was kind of dark, but then again she always wondered why her mom just left her and her dad like she did and if she even missed them*

Charlie: I love my mom very much, but I don’t know how a loving mother did those things I hear about her doing and if it is wrong for me to still love her, but I also think it might be for the best for her to not return. I am even now thinking that Adam is a better romantic partner for dad since he understands loneliness and I don’t think he will leave him even after he becomes an angel again.

Emily: There is nothing wrong with feeling conflicted. I love my parents dearly, but I wish that they would publicly acknowledge me as their child.

*in the kitchen Michael heard everything that was said and placed his face in his hands knowing that Emily was right, it was unfair, but no one knew how the rest of Heaven would feel about a pair of angels making a child when angels were usually created, he feared how some orthodox angels would react since Lucifer was banished for acting upon his unorthodox beliefs*

#hazbin hotel #charlie #charlie morningstar #emily #hazbin hotel emily #michael #archangel michael #hazbin hotel michael #i like the idea of angels wearing darker robes because they are a warrior #lucifer and michael being identical twin brothers

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coffeeheartaddict2 · 2 years ago

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Surprise

Book: Open Heart (post series)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Casey Valentine, M!OC Joel Valentine

Word count: 907

Category: fluff

Warnings: none

Rating: General audiences

Summary: It is finally Ethan and Casey’s wedding week and Casey receives a surprise visit.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Pixelberry

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Sunday 9th April.

It was Sunday afternoon and Casey and Ethan were having a well earned rest. Work had been crazy as both were wanting to finish off everything as much as possible before going on leave for their wedding.

They were finally here, their wedding week. They had brunch with Tobias and Naveen earlier that day but Casey and Ethan decided on a low-key Easter as it was their wedding week. Casey’s parents and her brother were due on Tuesday and she was very excited. She last saw her parents at the engagement party. They lived in Oregon now so getting the time off was difficult. She was more excited to see her brother Joel. She had not seen him since she graduated medical school. Joel was an electrical engineer in the army and he was often on deployment overseas or working on the base when stateside.

Ethan and Casey were enjoying their downtime when the intercom went off. Both were surprised to hear it. Casey got up and answered it.

“Hello” said Casey into the intercom.

“Hey big sis, you going to let me up?” Said the familiar voice.

“Oh my gosh! Yes! What are you doing here?” Said Casey as she pressed the button to let me him.

Ethan looked over,

“Joel came early!” Exclaimed Casey excitedly as she opened the door. The lift finally brought Joel upto to the top floor. He stepped out of the lift and saw Casey standing in the doorway. He made his way down the hallway to Ethan’s apartment and hugged Casey.

“You’re early!” Says Casey. “I was lead to believe you were coming with mum and dad.”

They enter the apartment. Casey formally introduces her brother to Ethan. Despite having spoken on face time, both men were happy to finally meet each other in person. Joel finally answers Casey’s question.

“Mum and dad knew I was coming early. When I put in for my time off, I requested from today.”

Casey hugged Joel again.

“It has been far too long since I last saw you”

“I know Case, that is why I came early. I still can not believe my big sister is getting married.”

“Well it is happening”

“And I could not be any more happier for you if I tried.”

Joel and Casey spent the rest of the day catching up. Despite both taking very different career paths they were both very proud of each other and what they had accomplished.

Joel knew his sister would do great things but he was also happy that she had found love too.

As the week went on, Joel got to meet, not only his fellow groomsmen but the bridesmaids as well. He had known about these people from chatting to his sister and also his parents but it was great to meet them in person and to be able to put names to faces.

One thing he marveled at the most though, was the love that Ethan had for his sister. The love and devotion that he had witnessed all week was reminiscent of the love that their grandma and grandad shared.

Friday came, it was rehearsal day. He could figure out why but he was expecting his sister to be nervous but she was the most relaxed he had seen her. The rehearsal went well and then the bridal party and parents went for dinner.

It was a lovely meal, with a gorgeous view of Boston to boot. Between courses Joel decided to give a speech.

“I think we can all agree that we are all looking forward to the ceremony proper tomorrow. This week has been the first time that I have met all of you and even though I feel that I knew most of you by talking to Casey, however I have enjoyed getting to know you all. There is also a big difference between knowing that Ethan and Casey love each other and seeing it properly with my own eyes. This is the first time I have spent any significant time with Casey since she graduated medical school. She has been the happiest I have ever seen her and seeing her with Ethan has reminded me of what I remember of grandma and grandad and the love that they had not only for each other but their family and friends also. I know if Grandad was alive he would not only be proud of the woman and doctor that you have become but he would also be happy that you have met your partner in life. I am sure he is here in spirit but he would be proud, as I am of you. Welcome to the family Ethan and here is to Casey and Ethan.”

Everyone raises their glass while Casey wipes a tear from her eye. There had been many times over the last 17 years that she missed her grandad and now was another time.

Casey finally managed to catch Joel.

“Thank you for your kind words at dinner.”

“I meant it to, he would be so proud of you.”

“I know he would, I have always missed him and it hit me a bit more after that speech.”

They hug.

“I am so glad that you and Ethan found each other, sis.”

“‘Me too, baby bro, me too.”

They then separated to enjoy the rest of the night and more importantly to celebrate her marriage to Ethan tomorrow.

Authors note:

Thank you for @jamespotterthefirst for the Easter reblog game that inspired this short and sweet fluff.

I headcanon that growing up Joel and Casey were close (2years age difference roughly) but their chosen careers kept them apart as adults. Joel was not expecting to be asked to be a groomsmen but he was honoured as Ethan knew how much Joel meant to Casey.

Also so excited as my babies get married this weekend.

Tagging: @jamespotterthefirst @jerzwriter @genevievemd @potionsprefect @liaromancewriter @bex-la-get @a-crepusculo @crazy-loca-blog @cariantha @trappedinfanfiction @binny1985 @schnitzelbutterfingers @peonierose

@openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

#open heart #ethan ramsey #Casey valentine #choices fanfic writers creations #pre-wedding #fic of the week #short and fluffy #choices

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8-rae-rae-8 · 1 year ago

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To Save A Life - Chapter 3

Graves x Roach

Not looking for criticism

Tags under the cut

Hurt/Comfort, Canon Typical Violence, Roach has trouble talking, Graves knows how to save a life (shocking), Roach x Graves, takes place in 09, Task Force 141 as Family (Call of Duty), Author Has Never Played Call Of Duty, Quite a few people are dead already, I'm not killing them, preshadow company, Graves doesn't have his shadows yet, Young Philip Graves, Young Gary Roach Sanderson, Past Simon "Ghost" Riley/Gary "Roach" Sanderson, (that is only potentially I haven't decided yet), Graves is considerate and kind??, Coma, it's inaccurate though, Pre-Graves being evil, inaccurate coma, slow burn, disabled character, suicidal thoughts, references to depression, guns, shooting, dead characters, [Some may be added or changed]

[Start]

His hopes were not foolish. Every night, or at least every cycle of about 10 hours, his friend would rejoin him in the hospital room. At least, usually. Sometimes there seemed to be overtime.

The ache of keeping his strained body working to hold his eyes open was almost too much to bear. It felt like he was trying to lift an entire person with his eyes. Too heavy. It didn't take long for himself to allow the rest.

When he woke, he believed his friend would be there. The loneliness won't be so dark, he was sure of it.

He held onto hope while he slipped back into sleep. Every small thing felt like a huge task, but it hardly ever was. It was usually something small and simple. Well, simple for those who weren't on the brink of death.

Morning felt like it rolled around quickly. Perhaps the slight excitement to hear someone else close had made time seem faster. Like a speed up in a game.

“Hey there…” His friend. He was back. Though Roach could not respond, the heart rate monitor ticked up a few beats per minute. He could hear him.

The next words spoken hadn't really registered in his mind, he was focused. He'd see his friend, he just had to open his eyes… the task felt monumentous. But he would not stop trying.

The room was mostly dark, apart from the morning light through the windows to his left. It was difficult, more so than imagined, to even move his eyes. To look around felt hard.

But he did it. He did. His eyes were just barely open, half lidded. It was enough to see most of the room.

Dim lighting, white tile floor, a tan accent wall across the bed, white bedding, a small couch for visitors to the left by the windows. A simple hospital room.

His friend was sitting on the couch. Roach was looking at him as close as he could. Scanning his body with his tired eyes. He looked exhausted, slumped over the arm of the couch with his legs crossed. His head down.

“I don't even know why I'm here… My commander, he-” There was a pause and a breath, “he said I should stop coming to see you.”

Roach sword his breath caught in his throat. The monitor ticked up with his heart rate again. Awake, listening, scared. The last thing he needed was to be alone. Would he be alone now?

The sounds of the machine briefly freaking out had the american looking up from where his eyes had settled on his lap. Shock, panic, then surprise painted his face.

“What the hell?”

That's about what Roach expected.

Slowly, he rose from his seat on the couch to stand just over the hospital bed. Watching, looking, examining.

The burns didn't cover much of his face. Luckily, the mask and helmet had protected him against that. The rest of him wasn't so lucky. Had it not been for his gloves, he probably wouldn't have much of his hands left. But he did. And the american seemed shocked he was even waking up with all the damage.

The last place his eyes landed were to make eye contact with Roach.

Roach got a better look at his friend. Blond, a fresh scar on his cheek, thin lips, slight stubble, small freckles dotted under his eyes and across his nose. Wearing what looked to be an army shirt. His name sewn on.

[Graves, Philip]

Now he had a name to pair to the voice and the face. Philip Graves. Unique.

Graves seemed to notice the way Roach's tired eyes lingered. A soft hush came from him, as if promising he'd be okay to rest. A gentle promise.

“No one thought you were gunna wake up… it's been weeks.” He spoke, his eyes never leaving Roach’s body. Looking at the bandaged arms, or his face. Sometimes even his chest to watch the slow and steady breaths.

Weeks? It didn't feel that long. His eyes shut again, listening to the oddly soothing voice.

Graves seemed to catch on to how Roach wanted him to keep talking. “You lost a shit ton of blood out there. Ain't much we coulda done about it where you were.. Once you were stable enough we flew ya back to the states.” The way he spoke felt as if he was considering Roach as a teammate rather than a stranger.

The american seemed to genuinely care about his well being. It was odd, to say the least.

“Been about 3 weeks since then. I knew ya kept waking up, heard me talking. Your heart thingy kept beeping faster.” Ah, an educated american. Yes, the heart beepy thing. Maybe he was trying to make the situation lighter though.

In a way, it worked.

Graves kept talking, and he had quite a good listener to keep him company. Even before this, Roach was a listener. He didn't speak much.

It wasn't long before Roach was lulled back to sleep by the sound of the other's voice.

[End]

#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #GravesRoach #cod fanfic #graves x roach #cod mwii

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superbatson · 3 months ago

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so i was at target today and they had this set of talking cars toys featuring lightning and jackson and to my surprise, jackson's lines seemed to be plucked right from the movie and therefore are armie's voice (!) and of course i was super excited about this and proceeded to take a video. (i actually took two but i'll add the second little one either in a reblog or second post bc tumblr won't let me make a post with two videos attached.)

#armie hammer #jackson storm #disney cars #pixar cars #cars 3 #cars #video #mine #idk how it is with animated movie toys but i know talking superhero movie toys sometimes have lines done by a random VA #rather than stuff said by the actual film actor (or at least that was the case with shazam)#so that's why i was surprised and excited to hear armie's voice coming out of the toy #also cars 3 came out 7 years ago and i don't remember the last time disney might have had talking jackson toys #so i guess the timing of this also just made me happy. like the tide is really turning and maybe we are close to an armie comeback 🙂#also yes i attempted to include lightning in this too but then when he just made a car sound i was like 'ah forget him'

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four-loose-screws · 1 year ago

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FE7 Novelization Translation - Chapter 11 Section 8

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

Chapter 11: Four-Fanged Offense (Section 8)

After Matthew and Legault shared the location of their destination, Eliwood and his allies, without a moment to waste, all began to march.

Matthew and Legault moved as the vanguard to lead the way, guiding the army to push up the mountain road, through the middle of a blizzard.

And so, they finally succeeded in infiltrating the Black Fang's main base.

"It is faint… but I can hear voices." Eliwood said.

Lyn also seemed to hear words beyond Eliwood's own, and she quickly confirmed which direction they were coming from. "Over there! Let's go check it out!!" She said and started running, with Hector following after her.

"Marcus! Wait here with Ninian and the others. And stay on guard so we can be able to escape at any time!"

"Yes, Milord! Leave it to me!"

Eliwood gave his orders to Marcus, then followed after Hector and Lyn, while being careful not to make any footsteps.

"...Really?! You're going to give me a job…? Is that true, Mother?!" Nino was just told that she wasn't being given an errand delivering messages, but a real job. Her heart overflowed with excitement.

"Yes, and it is a very big job. …It is a request from the king of Bern."

"The king?! You're giving such an important job… to me?"

"Sonia?! I am against this!! You cannot give such a dangerous job to such a small child…!" Brendan argued, his face pale.

But Sonia smiled calmly and replied, "...True, this is really a job your sons should do. However, we haven't seen either of them since their report a few days ago."

"Big Brother Lloyd… Big Brother Linus…" Nino loved her big brothers dearly, and their disappearance greatly pained her tiny little heart.

Brendan was also worried about his sons, silencing him from saying anything further.

"And that's why I'm ordering my daughter to do this. Even you cannot complain about it."

"Ah! Father…" Nino tried to step in.

Brendan spoke not a word but looked at Sonia for a moment, then left the room. "...You may do as you wish!"

"But…" Nino hesitated.

"Nevermind him, we must talk about your job. Jaffar! Come hither!" To shush Nino from trying to say anything further, Sonia called out to one of the Four Fangs.

In response, Jaffar entered the room without a sound.

"Jaffar! Should you be up? Doesn't your wound hurt?" Nino rushed over to him, peppering him with questions with worry written all over her face.

But Jaffar's expression hardly changed at all, and he did not even try to look at her.

"Such a cold man… Though I suppose that is of no matter. You've heard the details of the request from the king, yes?"

"...The assassination of Prince Zephiel…"

The words that Jaffar spoke sent Nino into a state of utter shock. "What!? The prince? …The king is trying to assassinate the prince? But why? He's his son!"

"...Nino! Silence!"

"Ah… I'm sorry."

Sonia said to quiet the panicking Nino, then looked back with an emotionless expression at the Angel of Death, standing still in front of her. "Jaffar, I shall trust this job to you and Nino."

"...Are you serious about this?" His expression showed that even he was a bit surprised.

He knew the extent of Nino's skills. She could only cast beginner anima spells. No matter what stood in their way, she would be of no help. That was his logical assessment.

But Sonia said calmly, "Yes, I am serious. As my daughter, even Nino must soon become able to handle herself."

"...Don't do this. It will be impossible for such a child."

"If you go with her, there won't be any problems, now will there? You cannot say no. It is a strict order from Nergal himself to put the king in our debt."

Nergal was the man that took him in when he was orphaned, and trained him to be an assassin. To the man that Jaffar had become, it was unthinkable to reject any of Nergal's orders.

"Nino! If you fail… I trust you know what will happen?"

"Ah… yes."

Failure to complete her duty. In other words, her death.

She shivered violently in fear, but only for a moment before enduring it as bravely as she could for the mother she loved so much.

"Now then, we shall go to the manse where the prince resides to investigate. I'll share the details on the way there." Sonia said to them, without a clue about how Nino really felt, then called in another of the Black Fang's upper members, called the Shrike.

"Kenneth!"

"Yes, Lady Sonia!"

Kenneth was a short, stocky man with a smile of utter subservience on his round face. He wore the robes of a bishop of Elimine, as he had actually served as a disciple of the gods before joining the Black Fang.

"Where is our leader? He just left the room." Sonia

"He went with Jan, outside."

Jan was one of Brendan's followers who had been with the Black Fang since its inception.

He was small fry, and neither a help nor a hindrance, or so Sonia thought, at least.

"...I wonder what he is planning…? Well, no matter. Now then, Kenneth, you will be in charge while I am gone. Do not allow anyone to take the item."

"Understood. You can leave it to me, Kenneth, even if it costs me my life…" Kenneth said obediently.

Sonia, Jaffar, and Nino disappeared into a teleportation circle.

ー

Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn, after spying on the entire conversation, were now covered in goosebumps.

"...Do they really intend to assassinate the prince?" Eliwood wondered aloud.

"Yes, and by order of his father, of all people… I can't believe it…" Hector shook his head.

The emblem was the one object needed for the prince to be crowned successor to the throne… But even if the emblem was returned, without the prince, it would all be for naught.

Eliwood made his decision in an instant. "We… We must stop the assassination! If we talk to Nino… she seems like she'll understand!"

"The man they called Jaffar is dangerous, but… That is our only option." Lyn said, picturing the ruthless Angel of Death in her mind, in the same moment that a high-pitched man's voice reached their ears.

"Hello, trespassers! To think, us assassins have had our base infiltrated. I cannot help but laugh. Eh heh heh heh!"

The man that had appeared before them was Kenneth, the Shrike.

He continued with a creepy, grating laugh, "But you will not escape. Sonia has left me in charge while she is out."

"Why are you, a holy man, in a place like this?!"

At Eliwood’s question, his round face twisted into an expression of obvious contempt. “Gods… Gods, you ask of? You still cling to them, don’t you? But you’ve met Lord Nergal, correct? Then you should know now. Gods are not real. They were born from humanity’s weaknesses. …If there is such a thing, then there is only one, and that is Lord Nergal.”

“You are a fool…”

"Eliwood! We don't need to bother with a guy like him!! Let's hurry back to the exit…"

Now that they had uncovered the Black Fang's plot to assassinate the prince, they had no time to waste fighting with the assassins here.

Eliwood nodded in response to Hector's words, and started to retreat, but Nils appeared even though he was supposed to be waiting for them.

His face was pale, and said, "We can't leave! Someone put up a strange barrier, and we can't go outside!!"

"...It was him. I just felt a wave of evil come from the person in front of you…!" Ninian's powers sensed the dark power Kenneth unleashed from within him.

He'd constructed a barrier with his ominous dark magic, and now none could leave the area.

"The way humans struggle and suffer… there is nothing more beautiful. It is when I witness their pain, that I experience the greatest pleasure I have ever felt… I will watch you suffer slowly!" Kenneth openly expressed his most deviant hobby, then disappeared into a teleportation circle.

He likely intended to observe Eliwood and his allies from somewhere within the fort, to make his subordinates fight and enjoy watching everyone suffer.

"...We will find that man, and make our escape!!"

The Black Fang vs. Eliwood's army. The curtain had raised on their all-out battle, where they would fight desperately for their lives.

ー

#fire emblem #fe7 #fire emblem 7 #the blazing sword #the blazing blade #lyn #lyndis #hector #eliwood #gba #game boy advance #japan #japanese #translation #novel #novelization #fe7 novelization translation

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crqelsummer · 2 years ago

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dinner. [saeka]

saeka hasn't been home for dinner in what feels like forever. a think piece on saeka todoroki.

"You want me to come home for dinner?"

"Yes!" Fuyumi almost exclaims, the excitement evident in her voice. She can almost see her sister, sitting somewhere in the house with a smile stretching across the features they share, "It'd be so nice to have you home tomorrow, it's almost the end of break and you've been working so hard."

Saeka doesn't know how to answer that. She almost doesn't, until Fuyumi calls her name again, "Saeka?"

"I'm not going."

"W-what?" Fuyumi sputters. Saeka grimaces, the breeze outside the agency playing with her hair as she brushes it out of the way, "But, Saeka--"

"Will Natsuo be there?" Fuyumi makes a sound of confirmation. Her older brother, almost destined to make things awkward. She thinks of her twin, so quiet it's painful without even realizing what he has, "And Shouto?"

"I invited them both home, yes. It's been so long since we've eaten as a family. You and Shouto have been in dorms, Natsuo's been working on his degree--"

"There's a reason we don't eat as a family anymore, Fuyumi," Saeka says, looking up as the sun sets over the horizon, "We both know what it is. Or who, really."

"Saeka--" Fuyumi starts, then stops. Then she starts again, "I know things have been difficult for you lately. With school, with everything going on in the news...I won't demand it of you, but I just want us all to be able to sit down and enjoy something together. You know I love you, and...all four of us. Together. Please at least think about it."

Fuyumi says her pleasantries goodbye when Saeka doesn't answer, staring at the time and lockscreen she has on her phone before closing it. There's a thin layer of frost crawling up her forearm, just thinking about going home to eat. With Natsuo. With Shouto.

And where Shouto goes, their father follows.

Yet, Saeka ends up home after her day at her work study. Staring at her childhood house, hero costume in her bag. She almost turns around, stalking back the direction of UA. It wasn't too late, she could catch a train back that way. But she doesn't. Because she knows Fuyumi probably prepared enough to feed a small army, and because she hasn't seen her older sister in some time now.

She spends so long outside that when she does eventually shuffle inside, she notes two pairs of unfamiliar shoes by the door. Who else was here?

And then she hears Midoriya's voice and she knows its all over. Fuyumi invited those two home with her brother and father. She can't begin to assume why (then she does, likely as a buffer against any questionable conversations), but before she steps into the dining room, Saeka takes a very deep breath. Fuyumi invited her because she loves her. She's here for Fuyumi. For Natsuo, to an extent. She's here because she's not a terrible sister.

And yet when she steps into the room, it goes silent. Six pairs of eyes are on her, and she stiffens. She wasn't wrong, Fuyumi had prepared significantly extra, and it smells near heavenly. She hasn't had Fuyumi's cooking in quite a while now, it almost makes her regret never coming home before now. One pair of grey eyes avoid her entirely, another sparkle with admiration. Green and red look surprised.

The pair of cerulean ones that meet her's. Those she ignores entirely.

"Saeka!" Fuyumi pipes up, rising from her feet to hug her. After a moment, Saeka leans into it, putting her arms around her elder sister. She still smells like the same, like crayons from a day in her elementary school. But it feels so homely, that she can't help but sink her face into Fuyumi's sweater. Eventually she has to be freed, and Fuyumi smiles at her, "I didn't think you were coming."

Saeka's quick grin is more subtle, "They let me out for the day a bit early. I figured I might as well come and see how you were."

"I'm glad you did, we only just started eating," she answers, gently taking Saeka's hand to sit her in between herself and Natsuo, "I imagine you know Midoriya and Bakugou?"

"They're in my class, Fuyumi," Saeka responds, sitting down. She spares a glance to the two boys, Midoriya of who waves at her and Bakugou who barely even looks at her, "It was news to me they ended up at dad's agency."

At this, she gives Shouto a withering glare that he doesn't acknowledge. Fuyumi gently pats her on the shoulder, before turning to the two boys, "But yes! Thank you, Midoriya."

They keep up a little conversation around her. The heat off the bowls feels good at least, her Quirk keeps her from accumulating too much heat, so even the little off dinner is a nice change. She can't quite believe Fuyumi did it all, but in another vein, she can believe it. Fuyumi took over nearly everything when they were kids.

Fuyumi was always there for her, when no one else was.

"Natsu, you cooked too, remember?" Fuyumi says softly, "We took turns."

A surprise, a welcome one though, she thinks. The last thing she actually remembers Natsuo making for them was...well. Saeka would admit she doesn't remember, even though she wishes she did, "So, were we eating your food growing up, Natsu?" Shouto asks.

His gaze grows colder as he looks across the table, something like disappointed first, then angry. Looking past her to their father, "It's possible. But I used to go overboard on seasoning. Chances are, Endeavor might've told you 'don't eat stuff like this'."

The table stops eating for a moment. There it is, exactly what Saeka had been expecting when she came home. Natsuo's disdain for the father is something older brother and younger sister share. But she's frozen, surrounded by her family and unable to do anything. Both of the boys, strangers to their drama look at each other and then down at their food. Smart, keep your head down and he wouldn't acknowledge you.

Saeka knows well enough he'd do it to her anyway. Fuyumi pipes up next to her, "S-Shoto, Saeka, what kind of food do you eat at school?"

Saeka doesn't look at her, so Shoto answers, "Cafeteria food--"

"Next time, I want to eat Natsuo's cooking too." The table quiets again at her father's admission. Natsuo's already shuffling out of his seat at this, as Fuyumi is already babbling something to try and get him to stay.

"I came, that's enough, right?" Natsuo asks over his shoulder, already halfway out the door with his dishes, "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

The door slides closed behind him. The sounds of eating resume. Saeka finds her appetite is gone. She puts her own bowl down, a headache building behind her eyes. She catches Fuyumi's eyes, as they dart down to her hand. Frost grows over it, and her elder sister gently takes her hand, voice barely above a whisper, "I wish he would stay longer. With everyone."

Saeka's chest hurts, "Why? Why torture himself, sister?"

Fuyumi stops her ministrations on the back of her hand, shock in her eyes. But Saeka's words are already pouring out of her and she can't stop them, gripping onto the table with her other hand, "Dad hasn't been to dinner with us since we were kids, and he's here now? You know how that makes the rest of us feel."

"Saeka...please--"

"Did you know, Fuyumi," She looks up to Endeavor at this, at her father, "That these two got the opportunity to train with him for their work studies before his own daughter did?"

Though she looks at them, they don't look at her. Not even out of Bakugou, who she'd imagined would have a retort immediately. Fuyumi's mouth drops into an o, looking first at their father and then back at her. Shoto answers before Enji can even open his mouth, "I asked them to come with me, Saeka."

"I asked too. And they said he didn't need anymore work study students." She pulls away from Fuyumi at this, "He didn't need his spare there, to distract his prized child."

"Saeka!"

"What? It's true! I've been number two since the day we were born," She shoves a trembling finger in the direction of Shouto, "For all his talk about how crap it is to be that way he sure as hell never cared when his daughter turned out the same way."

"Saaka--" Her father. His gaze isn't quite soft when she catches it, but it's far more different than she'd ever seen it being before. And somehow, that makes her more angry than it should, "I thought you would have more opportunity somewhere else."

"At least you're consistent." She bites out, "You told me the same thing right after the Sports Festival too, you know. Originally I thought it was because I'd failed you. But no, it was because I was never in your plans to begin with!"

She remembers it too. All too well when she'd asked after him with hope in her heart that after her Sports Festival performance she'd be able to work with him. Finally, sometime to cultivate her Quirk alongside her father. It had been such a long fifteen years of barely getting acknowledged by him, but this was it. It was finally time, when she'd come to see him.

And turned right back around when he'd said he was taking on her brother. The boy who didn't even want his attention. Her twin who had been sure to admit he didn't care for him at all, not after what he did to their mother. Yet, a part of her wanted his attention so badly because she'd never been given it by anyone. She kept trying. Kept training. First under Fuyumi's watchful eye, because unlike Shoto she didn't share their father's inclination for flames. But eventually on her own, creating her own moves, learning precision beyond her years to the point she was a dangerous adversary on the battlefield.

"Amazing for you, when you were so determined to make Shouto the next number one," She pushes herself up and away from table, taking her dishes with her as well. She shoves open the door Natsuo had stepped through, barely looking behind her, "When even All Might admitted I'm at your skill level when you were my age."

"Fuyu," She tugs at her older sister's sweater, tilting her head ever so slightly. She's six again, barely up to her waist. Fuyumi is on the phone, pacing around the room until she almost runs into Saeka, "Where's mom? Where's Shou?"

"I," Fuyumi starts, eyes panicking. She gets down to her level, trying to keep a smile on her face. Appropriate, for a child who was just trying to figure out why her life had been upturned, "Mom had to go away for a little while. They're just trying to help her."

"Help her with what?" Saeka asked, so innocently. Confused, what had it meant? Her mother had seemed fine the last time she'd seen her, "Can I help?"

Fuyumi doesn't answer at this. She frowns, water gathering at the corner of her eyes. It takes her a moment, a small sniffle behind a sweater sleeve, "Not right now, sister. Not right now."

Two more years pass. Saeka is more aware. When she realizes her brother, the few times she sees him these days, is covered in little bruises here and there. Marring his skin just enough to be hidden with sleeves, and the burn over his left eye, red and angry like the hair over it. When they go to bed one night, Saeka's inexperienced eight years to Fuyumi's fifteen, she asks, "What happened to Shou's eye, Fuyu? Really."

Fuyumi rolls over audibly, likely looking at her younger sister's form, "I told you-"

"I know what you told me," She answers, cutting her off. She doesn't believe Fuyumi anymore, "What really happened, Fuyu? I know it wasn't true."

"Saeka," She can hear Fuyumi rise from her bed, while she faces the wall. Her sister sits on the edge of her futon, and she finally turns to look at her. She looks tired, dark circles underneath her eyes. Saeka sits up, shuffling out from underneath her blanket to sit next to her, leaning her head into her sister's form. Fuyumi holds her close, her hands trembling, "Shou's burn. Mom...she did it. It's why she went away. She didn't mean to do it, she didn't..."

Saeka is. Something that night. Fuyumi eventually goes back to a fitful sleep, but Saeka doesn't remember sleeping much.

The years pass by. She grows into her Quirk, able to harness it to the point she thinks she'll finally earn her father's attention. Fuyumi and Natsuo had never had any real intention to become heroes, and their father never made the attempt to train them as such. Not like Shouto. Saeka had wanted it though. Begged for it almost. She remembers, at the ripe age of 13 when she had finally visited their mother with Fuyumi at her side.

It's at 13 she realizes the real reason her father never trained her the same way. When Natsuo takes her aside and explains his plan. When Fuyumi takes her aside and tries to break it to her gently that her father is busy with Shouto right now, and that he'll be back soon. When her mother, a small, unfamilar smile on her face when she cups the side of her face.

"You look just like I did when I was young."

She's scrubbing at the dishes harder than necessary, chunks of ice flying out of the bowl she works on now. She hears footsteps behind her, assuming it's Midoriya and Bakugou with more before--

"Saeka."

She stops. Her father. Her hands are trembling as she puts the bowl down, same with the sponge she had been using. Saeka dries her hands with the towel on the counter, leaning her weight forward on the sink. Her skin is rough with the ice that crusts on her fingers.

"Father," Is what she lands on, taking a shaky breath. Saeka doesn't think she's ever been scared of her father. She never saw him often enough to be afraid, "I'm not as nice as Fuyumi."

He's quiet. She continues, "She wants us to be a nice happy family. I fail to see how that's possible, these days. I mean, I'm not five anymore and kept in the dark about the things that happen between these four walls. You know, I finally learned years ago why there were five of us. Why you never trained anyone but Touya and Shouto.

"You tried first with my eldest brother. When he didn't work out, you went straight for trying for Shouto without a second thought. You got Natsuo. And you got me. I never said it to your face, but Natsuo hated you for what happened to mom. Fuyumi didn't tell me the truth until years later. She tried to keep me safe from you," Saeka is beyond trying to keep her voice from shaking, "My twin brother. You kept me away from my own twin brother because I didn't fit your idea of powerful. Because you found that duality so important you didn't even think I'd have anything to offer you. I was a child, just like he was. And yet, he felt like a stranger to me. UA -- high school, this is the most time I've ever spent with him. We're siblings, twins! And I didn't even know what his favorite food was, what he enjoyed doing until now."

She turns, finally looking at him. She can't tell if his gaze is supposed to be apologetic. The cuff of her shirt rips just a little, as she tugs it over her wrist, "I wanted the same attention you showed Shouto. I didn't know at that age what was going on. All I knew was that he was gone out of my life almost and you refused to look me in the eye. Fuyumi and Natsuo were already old enough to handle what was going on. Already able to process everything, but I was left to pick up the pieces! For better or for worse, Shouto had you and I didn't even have mom at that point. I wanted someone, you, to give me something. Anything at that point. I didn't have your flames, but I had a Quirk that could rival yours if you just helped me. Gave me any attention at all. I decided, at barely eight, that I wanted to be you.

"What was I to do, when I found out Shouto got the recommendation to UA? When I found out it wasn't coming for me? What was I to do, when I saw you in the stands and you didn't even look at me after I lost. What was I supposed to do, when I came to you for an internship, came to you for my work-study and you refused me, only to find out Shouto of course would be under your tutelage again?" Saeka is only vaguely aware she's still talking, "You pit us against each other. And when our Quirks came in, I lost! Even though I was barely old enough to even understand it. I never had a fair chance to be your favorite. I never had a fair chance to be the hero you wanted because you'd already decided."

Saeka's panting at this point, "Saeka." Her name, all she ever wanted to hear him say, and yet it feels so goddamn sour in his mouth. In his tone.

"I figured it out. Three years ago. I visited mom," That stops him in his tracks, "I visited her. Told her I was beginning to resent Shouto. Had been resenting him when Fuyumi had stepped out. She told me, told me I looked like her in the face. And that meant the world to her, that her daughter was growing up like she was. And it all clicked in that moment, you could barely look me in the eye because I looked like her. My Quirk, it was all her. I might've had your hair but I was much more Todoroki Rei than I was Todoroki Enji."

"Saeka, my decisions in the past. I understand it could make you come to that conclusion. And I'm...it was never meant to make you feel that way." He raises a hand, as if to reach out to her. But she shrinks away into herself, and he drops it.

"How else was I supposed to feel? I've always been the spare of the Todoroki family. If Shouto disappeared tomorrow, I don't doubt for a second you'd turn to me for your new number one pet project." She glares at him, shoving past him, "Treat me like you did Shouto after...after he died."

She doesn't stick around to hear his response, pushing past Midoriya and Bakugou as they come down the hall with more dishes. Saeka almost manages to stalk out, shoving her shoes onto her feet and throwing her jacket on when Fuyumi comes out of the dining hall, "At least let one of us bring you home, please."

And Saeka, against her better judgment, doesn't say no.

#oc: todoroki saeka #oc #original character #au: arent we too young for this brother?

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halothenthehorns · 2 years ago

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Chapter 8: WE BOARD THE PRINCESS ANDROMEDA

Happy New Years! I am so unreasonably thrilled to see the update change to holidays for no good reason! Staying on schedule Monday keeps me just as excited!

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Magnus did so without a second thought, maneuvering Alex's fingers with gentle confidence (which sort of looked like using a needle with your pointer finger on top of your other hand,) but when Alex was still smiling and wagging his index about even as he turned to yell in exasperation about the book, "I swear if that's yet another Disney Princess to keep track of!" Magnus's brain went back to short-circuiting as he realized Alex hadn't needed to ask him to do that. Hearth had been right there, hell Alex could have asked Thalia. Yet Hearth was now watching Percy with his usual intent focus for having to lipread, and Thalia keeping Percy focused on anything for a solid minute seemed a full-time job, so that must have been why Alex picked him.

'Ironic name for an invading army' Thalia mentally corrected him, but dared not hint a word of the Greek myth behind the cruise line's name lest it unnecessarily jog any of Percy's memories. Still, she always wondered at Luke naming his monster ship after the princess the mythological Perseus had saved.

I was staring at the waves when Annabeth and Tyson found me.

"A very awe inspiring and dramatic scene I'm sure they were sorry to interrupt," Will chuckled, imagining Rachel trying to get Percy to sit still in front of the ocean long enough for a sketch Percy had always refused.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked. "I heard you calling for help!"

"Me, too!" Tyson said. "Heard you yell, 'Bad things are attacking!'"

"I didn't call you guys," I said. "I'm fine."

"Fine being an operative word here, what with a little thing like someone's life being on the line," Jason disagreed.

"But then who ..." Annabeth noticed the three yellow duffel bags, then the thermos and the bottle of vitamins I was holding. "What—"

"No, no, it was a who," at least Percy hoped she didn't now think he could spontaneously make camping supplies appear.

'Is that why Athena's symbol is an owl, that's the first word out of their mouths?' Hearth grinned.

'My cousin will learn sign language just to tell you to shut up,' Magnus promised.

"Just listen," I said. "We don't have much time."

I told them about my conversation with Hermes. By the time I was finished, I could hear screeching in the distance—patrol harpies picking up our scent.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "we have to do the quest."

"We'll get expelled, you know. Trust me, I'm an expert at getting expelled."

Nico touched his ear just to make sure it hadn't fallen off, and he still didn't quite believe it Percy was still waffling about going on this quest.

"So? If we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to."

"Preach," Alex nodded. This seemed weirdly obvious and very strange nobody seemed to be discussing this more.

"Yeah, but you promised Chiron—"

"I promised I'd keep you from danger. I can only do that by coming with you!

"Or tying him to a tree," Magnus frowned.

"Dude," Percy frowned.

"What? I'm just saying she's not using a lot of problem solving here," Magnus insisted.

"Then you'd have to feed him," Alex helpfully reminded, "and let him out to use the bathroom, who wants the responsibility? This sounds easier."

"Of course going to the cyclops den sounds easier to you," Magnus said without a trace of surprise.

Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," Tyson said.

"No!" Annabeth's voice sounded close to panic. "I mean ... Percy, come on. You know that's impossible."

I wondered again why she had such a grudge against Cyclopes. There was something she wasn't telling me.

"Which seems to be a recurring pattern with her," Jason huffed.

"We're all entitled to our secrets," Thalia said quietly as she rubbed where her bracelet covered long healed ropes.

Jason quickly looked from Nico and away and didn't argue the point.

She and Tyson both looked at me, waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, the cruise ship was getting farther and farther away.

The thing was, part of me didn't want Tyson along.

"How would you not?" Alex demanded. "He's immune to fire, that alone could have come in handy with all the buses you're bound to explode again."

"In the middle of the ocean?" But Percy looked as unsure of himself now as he had at the time.

I'd spent the last three days in close quarters with the guy, getting razzed by the other campers and embarrassed a million times a day, constantly reminded that I was related to him. I needed some space.

"Fair enough," Will conceded that point, it could be mentally exhausting sharing your cabin with your siblings even when you got along, let alone how many jokes had been following Percy around.

Plus, I didn't know how much help he'd be, or how I'd keep him safe. Sure, he was strong, but Tyson was a little kid in Cyclops terms, maybe seven or eight years old, mentally. I could see him freaking out and starting to cry while we were trying to sneak past a monster or something. He'd get us all killed.

Alex's assured expression fell as he found that a much more valid reason for Tyson staying behind and now felt as conflicted as Percy with that laid out.

On the other hand, the sound of the harpies was getting closer...

"We can't leave him," I decided. "Tantalus will punish him for us being gone."

"That is true," Will said at once.

"That doesn't entirely make me feel better," Percy muttered, still twitching with unease. As much as he knew Annabeth was still hiding something, he felt he still was about Tyson as well. Some emotion still buried within he'd discover during this quest.

"Percy," Annabeth said, trying to keep her cool, "we're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is an S-i-k ... a C-y-k . .." She stamped her foot in frustration. As smart as she was, Annabeth was dyslexic, too. We could've been there all night while she tried to spell Cyclops.

"I couldn't spell it and I've been reading it half this book, I thought it started with a P," Thalia agreed.

"Call that a psych- lops off your head," Alex snickered.

"But gods forbid she doesn't know the capital of Utah," Magnus sighed as he remembered the flashcards she used to sleep with.

"You know what I mean!"

"Tyson can go," I insisted, "if he wants to."

Tyson clapped his hands. "Want to!"

Annabeth gave me the evil eye, but I guess she could tell I wasn't going to change my mind.

"I don't get her point," Nico frowned. "Does she think he'll eat them the moment he's around his own kin? If he hasn't already sharing a bunk with Percy, I'm not seeing the issue."

"She doesn't want him to come, she's using any excuse she can," Thalia said like that was supposed to make it any better.

Or maybe she just knew we didn't have time to argue.

"All right," she said. "How do we get to that ship?"

"Hermes said my father would help."

"Well then, Seaweed Brain? What are you waiting for?"

I'd always had a hard time calling on my father, or praying, or whatever you want to call it, but I stepped into the waves.

"Urn, Dad?" I called. "How's it going?"

"Percy!" Annabeth whispered. "We're in a hurry!"

"Small talk is still the polite thing even in life or death situations," Nico weirdly sounded like he was speaking from experience, and it put Will on edge as he wondered how often that happened around him and Hades.

"We need your help," I called a little louder. "We need to get to that ship, like, before we get eaten and stuff, so ..."

"I think that was a rather perfect blend of rushing and manners," Jason shrugged. It at least was the most half-decently respectful thing Percy had ever said to any god.

At first, nothing happened. Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. Then, about a hundred yards out to sea, three white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast toward the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean.

"If Poseidon sent a kraken to sink the ship, I'll have some serious questions about his idea of help," Jason muttered. He liked Percy fine, but the idea of Neptune in general still bothered him.

As they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of three white stallions reared out of the waves.

Tyson caught his breath. "Fish ponies!"

He was right. As the creatures pulled themselves onto the sand, I saw that they were only horses in the front; their back halves were silvery fish bodies, with glistening scales and rainbow tail fins.

Everyone's face lit with delight at such a harmonious match up of beauty in these creatures.

"We've been in the ocean for how long and haven't gotten to see these things!" Alex demanded of nothing.

"If I could call one to me, I would," Percy promised as his hand itched to reach out and pet one.

"Hippocampi!" Annabeth said. "They're beautiful."

The nearest one whinnied in appreciation and nuzzled Annabeth.

"Can you not hear them too?" Magnus asked in confusion. It seemed unbelievable he couldn't.

"He said thank you," Percy shrugged, "don't know why the book didn't mention it."

"We'll admire them later," I said. "Come on!"

"There!" a voice screeched behind us. "Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!"

Five of them were fluttering over the top of the dunes—plump little hags with pinched faces and talons and feathery wings too small for their bodies.

"Like the homegrown version of a fury," Alex frowned and twitched for his garrote.

They reminded me of miniature cafeteria ladies who'd been crossbred with dodo birds.

Percy smiled as he watched all of them bust out with laughter. "Glad you all enjoyed, I'll be here all week," he chuckled too.

"Please don't remind us," Nico tried to say in a much more smooth tone than he actually managed as he was still smiling.

They weren't very fast, thank the gods, but they were vicious if they caught you.

"Tyson!" I said. "Grab a duffel bag!"

He was still staring at the hippocampi with his mouth hanging open, "Tyson!"

"Uh?"

"Come on!"

With Annabeth's help I got him moving. We gathered the bags and mounted our steeds.

Poseidon must've known Tyson was one of the passengers, because one hippocampus was much larger than the other two—just right for carrying a Cyclops.

"Giddyup!" I said. My hippocampus turned and plunged into the waves. Annabeth's and Tyson's followed right behind.

The harpies cursed at us, wailing for their snacks to come back, but the hippocampi raced over the water at the speed of Jet Skis. The harpies fell behind, and soon the shore of Camp Half-Blood was nothing but a dark smudge. I wondered if I'd ever see the place again.

Percy found himself wondering that an awful lot down here as he felt as close to sea sick as he could get half the time. Like his mind was one big rocking vessel that never settled on a single idea for long. He'd just got done remembering the world being in peril yesterday and now this was looming over his head! Some moments the dark thought even snared him if they were even lying about Annabeth being alright just so he wouldn't accidentally kill them all...

But right then I had other problems.

The cruise ship was now looming in front of us—our ride toward Florida and the Sea of Monsters.

Riding the hippocampus was even easier than riding a pegasus. We zipped along with the wind in our faces, speeding through the waves so smooth and steady I hardly needed to hold on at all.

As we got closer to the cruise ship, I realized just how huge it was. I felt as though I were looking up at a building in Manhattan.

Jason let out a whistle in appreciation. "Mercury sent you off in style, how come he doesn't let your camp go on annual cruises in that thing?"

Will, Nico, and Thalia were all very obviously not looking at each other though, and Percy was giving the book one of his deluxe I'll-Kill-You-Later stares as his hand twitched to drop it and go for his pen. This vessel was no vacation to a monster island.

The white hull was at least ten stories tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks with brightly lit balconies and portholes. The ship's name was painted just above the bow line in black letters, lit with a spotlight. It took me a few seconds to decipher it: PRINCESS ANDROMEDA

"I'd still rather hop aboard the Mulan if given the chance," Alex muttered just for Magnus, noting all the Greek kids uneasy silence and knowing this ship wasn't going to be a good thing, but he didn't want to let the opportunity slide to lean in close and watch Magnus's reaction of glancing over and smiling in agreement before turning back.

Attached to the bow was a huge masthead—a three-story-tall woman wearing a white Greek chiton, sculpted to look as if she were chained to the front of the ship. She was young and beautiful, with flowing black hair, but her expression was one of absolute terror. Why anybody would want a screaming princess on the front of their vacation ship, I had no idea.

'I wonder if that made it cheaper, or more expensive,' Hearth smirked.

I remembered the myth about Andromeda and how she had been chained to a rock by her own parents as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Maybe she'd gotten too many F's on her report card or something. Anyway, my name-sake, Perseus, had saved her just in time and turned the sea monster to stone using the head of Medusa.

"I guess we know why you remember this particular story," Jason nodded.

That Perseus always won. That's why my mom had named me after him, even though he was a son of Zeus and I was a son of Poseidon.

"The more you know," Magnus snorted in surprise, wondering if Zeus had found it flattering, insulting, or if he even remembered the original kid at all.

The original Perseus was one of the only heroes in the Greek myths who got a happy ending. The others died—betrayed, mauled, mutilated, poisoned, or cursed by the gods.

"Sometimes all of the above," Thalia agreed grimly, counting herself.

My mom hoped I would inherit Perseus's luck.

"I think she'd have had more luck just naming you Lucky," Alex frowned in pity that didn't seem to be going well.

Judging by how my life was going so far, I wasn't real optimistic.

"Oh I don't know Percy, I'd say you beat the odds," Will grinned as he corrected, laughing just for himself as he forced himself not to quote the prophecy at him.

"I'm at the bottom of the ocean relearning my life from a book," Percy reminded.

"But you're alive doing it," Will spread his arms grandly, nearly swatting Nico in the face.

Percy couldn't argue that and smiled at him, missing the more obvious than usual scowl on Nico's face as he shoved Will away.

"How do we get aboard?" Annabeth shouted over the noise of the waves, but the hippocampi seemed to know what we needed. They skimmed along the starboard side of the ship, riding easily through its huge wake, and pulled up next to a service ladder riveted to the side of the hull.

"You first," I told Annabeth.

"Ladies first," Thalia agreed empirically, "we have the best long range weapons."

"Who ever said chivalry is dead?" Percy grinned.

She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bottom rung. Once she'd hoisted herself onto the ladder, her hippocampus whinnied a farewell and dove under-water.

Annabeth began to climb. I let her get a few rungs up, then followed her.

Finally it was just Tyson in the water. His hippocampus was treating him to 360° aerials and backward ollies, and Tyson was laughing so hysterically, the sound echoed up the side of the ship.

"The best part is the mortals probably just think it's a pod of dolphins and are going nuts taking pictures," Magnus grinned.

"Tyson, shhh!" I said. "Come on, big guy!"

"Can't we take Rainbow?" he asked, his smile fading.

"Not unless one of you can spontaneously create a weirdly large fish tank on wheels," Will grinned.

I stared at him. "Rainbow?"

"It's better than Bull One and Bull Two," Alex shrugged.

The hippocampus whinnied as if he liked his new name.

"Um, we have to go," I said. "Rainbow ... well, he can't climb ladders."

Tyson sniffled. He buried his face in the hippocampus's mane. "I will miss you, Rainbow!"

The hippocampus made a neighing sound I could've sworn was crying.

"Maybe we'll see him again sometime," I suggested.

"Oh, please!" Tyson said, perking up immediately. "Tomorrow!"

I didn't make any promises, but I finally convinced Tyson to say his farewells and grab hold of the ladder. With a final sad whinny, Rainbow the hippocampus did a back-flip and dove into the sea.

The ladder led to a maintenance deck stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors, which Annabeth managed to pry open with her knife and a fair amount of cursing in Ancient Greek.

"Both of which helped equally I'm sure," Magnus nodded.

I figured we'd have to sneak around, being stowaways and all, but after checking a few corridors and peering over a balcony into a huge central promenade lined with closed shops, I began to realize there was nobody to hide from. I mean, sure it was the middle of the night, but we walked half the length of the boat and met no one. We passed forty or fifty cabin doors and heard no sound behind any of them.

"It's a ghost ship," I murmured.

"You haven't seen anything close to a ship of the dead yet," Nico shook his head, though he knew better than to elaborate what he really knew it was. Percy was already sitting so on edge on his seat, he was likely to tip the beanbag over on top of him and not even notice.

"No," Tyson said, fiddling with the strap of his duffel bag. "Bad smell."

Annabeth frowned. "I don't smell anything."

"Cyclopes are like satyrs," I said. "They can smell monsters. Isn't that right, Tyson?"

He nodded nervously. Now that we were away from Camp Half-Blood, the Mist had distorted his face again. Unless I concentrated very hard, it seemed that he had two eyes instead of one.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "So what exactly do you smell?"

"Something bad," Tyson answered.

"Great," Annabeth grumbled. "That clears it up."

'Better than Percy's ghost theory with no warning at all,' Hearth insisted.

We came outside on the swimming pool level. There were rows of empty deck chairs and a bar closed off with a chain curtain. The water in the pool glowed eerily, sloshing back and forth from the motion of the ship.

Above us fore and aft were more levels—a climbing wall, a putt-putt golf course, a revolving restaurant, but no sign of life.

And yet ... I sensed something familiar. Something dangerous. I had the feeling that if I weren't so tired and burned out on adrenaline from our long night, I might be able to put a name to what was wrong.

"It's not like the hotel in Vegas is it?" Jason asked wearily.

"Wrong again," Thalia murmured, but their persistent silence lacking any good news coming was drawing more tension from them all.

"We need a hiding place," I said. "Somewhere safe to sleep."

"Sleep," Annabeth agreed wearily.

We explored a few more corridors until we found an empty suite on the ninth level. The door was open, which struck me as weird. There was a basket of chocolate goodies on the table, an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand, and a mint on the pillow with a hand-written note that said: Enjoy your cruise!

"I don't get it," Magnus finally asked. "Hermes wouldn't have sent you onto some death cruise if he wanted you to find his son, what's with this place?"

His guess had been a little to close that time, Percy winced horribly and turned a bit grey as the answer felt right on the tip of his tongue. He kept reading swiftly before anybody could ask if he was okay, he would be when he figured out what that had meant.

We opened our duffel bags for the first time and found that Hermes really had thought of everything—extra clothes, toiletries, camp rations, a Ziploc bag full of cash, a leather pouch full of golden drachmas. He'd even managed to pack Tyson's oilcloth with his tools and metal bits, and Annabeth's cap of invisibility, which made them both feel a lot better.

"Maybe them," Alex muttered, "I on the other hand want to know how easily he can jack our possessions, and why every person in need around the world doesn't have one of those bags."

"Because that tacky yellow color would clash with anything," Percy said without looking up. There was no good answer for Alex anyways.

"I'll be next door," Annabeth said. "You guys don't drink or eat anything."

"You think this place is enchanted?"

She frowned. "I don't know. Something isn't right. Just ... be careful."

"She says, as she separates from you two," Jason frowned in heightening concern if a rescue mission was going to be launched for her next. "I think in this particular instance privacy isn't that needed."

"I didn't hear you wanting to share a bed with any of us last night in this weird place," Percy sighed, even if he did agree.

We locked our doors.

Tyson crashed on the couch. He tinkered for a few minutes on his metalworking project— which he still wouldn't show me—but soon enough he was yawning. He wrapped up his oilcloth and passed out.

I lay on the bed and stared out the porthole. I thought I heard voices out in the hallway, like whispering. I knew that couldn't be. We'd walked all over the ship and had seen nobody. But the voices kept me awake. They reminded me of my trip to the Underworld—the way the spirits of the dead sounded as they drifted past.

Monsters Luke was still summoning right onto the ship perhaps? Thalia absently wondered as she tried to keep breathing normally. Or perhaps actual demigods they'd somehow managed to avoid passing by now.

Nico laughed when nothing was really funny, it was a dark noise that made Percy's skin crawl. Nico had heard that so often he could almost tune it out now. The quiet was worse than the whispers.

Will watched Nico in concern though and wanted this to be over as much as Percy already so he could ask him what that had meant and not be brushed off!

Finally my weariness got the best of me. I fell asleep ... and had my worst dream yet.

"Worse than Grover in a dress?" Nico scoffed.

"Worse than me in a straight jacket?" Thalia grinned.

"Worse than the Kronos talking in the pit nightmare?" Jason killed the fun with a more pertinent question.

Percy had smiled at the first two, but turned back to the book with un uncharacteristically grim look on his face.

I was standing in a cavern at the edge of an enormous pit. I knew the place too well. The entrance to Tartarus.

"Annabeth might be getting jealous of how often you dream of this guy," Thalia frowned.

Percy spluttered as he was pulled from his past to glare at her not-so-innocent smile now before he decided to ignore the implication.

And I recognized the cold laugh that echoed from the darkness below.

If it isn't the young hero. The voice was like a knife blade scraping across stone. On his way to another great victory.

I wanted to shout at Kronos to leave me alone. I wanted to draw Riptide and strike him down.

But I couldn't move. And even if I could, how could I kill something that had already been destroyed—chopped to pieces and cast into eternal darkness?

"Flames?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Nah, but we could chuck Will down there," Jason was clearly trying at a joke this time which at least the recipient laughed at while Nico looked even more offended at the implication. That sun dazed idiot would never survive down there!

Don't let me stop you, the titan said. Perhaps this time, when you fail, you'll wonder if it's worthwhile slaving for the gods. How exactly has your father shown his appreciation lately?

"He sent you Rainbow!" Magnus reminded, mock scandalized the Titan could have forgotten.

'And Tyson,' Hearth agreed, but there was a somber tinge to his face making his signing not seem like much of a joke. Magnus once again swallowed the curiosity to ask about his friends life he'd never been privy to.

His laughter filled the cavern, and suddenly the scene changed.

It was a different cave—Grover's bedroom prison in the Cyclops's lair.

Grover was sitting at the loom in his soiled wedding dress, madly unraveling the threads of the unfinished bridal train.

"Who knew I'd ever want to start a sowing club with a satyr," Alex nodded in appreciation.

"Honeypie!" the monster shouted from behind the boulder.

Grover yelped and began weaving the threads back together.

The room shook as the boulder was pushed aside. Looming in the doorway was a Cyclops so huge he made Tyson look vertically challenged. He had jagged yellow teeth and gnarled hands as big as my whole body. He wore a faded purple T-shirt that said WORLD SHEEP EXPO 2001. He must've been at least fifteen feet tall, but the most startling thing was his enormous milky eye, scarred and webbed with cataracts. If he wasn't completely blind, he had to be pretty darn close.

"What are you doing?" the monster demanded.

"Nothing!" Grover said in his falsetto voice. "Just weaving my bridal train, as you can see."

The Cyclops stuck one hand into the room and groped around until he found the loom. He pawed at the cloth. "It hasn't gotten any longer!"

"Oh, um, yes it has, dearest. See? I've added at least an inch."

"Too many delays!" the monster bellowed. Then he sniffed the air. "You smell good! Like goats!"

"Oh." Grover forced a weak giggle. "Do you like it? It's Eau de Chevre. I wore it just for you."

"Mmmm!" The Cyclops bared his pointed teeth. "Good enough to eat!"

"Oh, you're such a flirt!"

"No more delays!"

"But dear, I'm not done!"

"Tomorrow!"

"No, no. Ten more days."

"Five!"

"Oh, well, seven then. If you insist."

"Seven! That is less than five, right?"

"At this point he could say he wanted to wait until next year and this boulder brain would think he meant tomorrow," Jason frowned.

"Whatever delay works," Percy reminded fiercely.

"Certainly. Oh yes."

The monster grumbled, still not happy with his deal, but he left Grover to his weaving and rolled the boulder back into place.

Grover closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"Hurry, Percy," he muttered. "Please, please, please!"

It took all of Percy's will power not to throw the book to the floor and storm over to that island right this second to rescue his best friend as he read his pleas. No Titan could hold him in the ocean!

But his dad had put him down here for a reason. He knew Grover was alive because he still was, and though it did not soothe a single worry in him to know how thin the line of alive and being okay was, he had to trust his dad knew what he was doing letting him hear all of this before he went back.

I woke to a ship's whistle and a voice on the intercom— some guy with an Australian accent who sounded way too happy.

"Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our special guests, disemboweling practice on the Promenade!"

I sat up in bed. "What did he say?"

"What's a mambo party?" Jason asked. He got a bunch of blank stares, and he protested, "what? I know what disemboweling is, even if I couldn't find the Promenade. I just wanted to know if I should be worried about throwing a mambo party too."

"I'll explain later," Thalia finally promised when the silence lingered.

Tyson groaned, still half asleep. He was lying facedown on the couch, his feet so far over the edge they were in the bathroom. "The happy man said ... bowling practice?"

'Bowling practice with your bowels, I feel like the hotel would get a kick out of that one,' Hearth thought to himself, but knew Magnus nor Thalia would know what he meant and decided now wasn't a good time to sound like he was agreeing with whatever monster was aboard.

I hoped he was right, but then there was an urgent knock on the suite's interior door. Annabeth stuck her head in—her blond hair in a rat's nest.

"No more princess curls? Did Andromeda make her rethink them?" Alex chuckled.

"I'd like to see how you look first waking up," Magnus tried, and failed at a confident tone. Mostly he just stuttered and blushed as he realized what a terrible thing this was to say before he fully said it and Percy had mercifully just rolled his eyes and ignored him while Alex pinned him with those eyes again.

"Disemboweling practice?"

Once we were all dressed, we ventured out into the ship and were surprised to see other people. A dozen senior citizens were heading to breakfast. A dad was taking his kids to the pool for a morning swim. Crew members in crisp white uniforms strolled the deck, tipping their hats to the passengers.

Nobody asked who we were. Nobody paid us much attention. But there was something wrong.

As the family of swimmers passed us, the dad told his kids: "We are on a cruise. We are having fun."

"Yes," his three kids said in unison, their expressions blank. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool."

They wandered off.

"Oh, well that's creepy," Will still managed to say in almost a cheerful kind of voice, like he couldn't wait to hear how to slay whatever was making this so odd. Jason didn't regret his joke now more than ever.

"Good morning," a crew member told us, his eyes glazed. "We are all enjoying ourselves aboard the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day." He drifted away.

"Percy, this is weird," Annabeth whispered. "They're all in some kind of trance."

"Thank you, captain obvious," Thalia nodded.

"Probably the only time that title will be appropriate to the setting," Percy chuckled.

Then we passed a cafeteria and saw our first monster. It was a hellhound—a black mastiff with its front paws up on the buffet line and its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. It must've been young, because it was small compared to most—no bigger than a grizzly bear.

Still, my blood turned cold. I'd almost gotten killed by one of those before.

Percy felt the same cold chill creep up his spine now as he remembered that...but it wasn't nearly as powerful as the first time either. A part of him even felt a since of, longing? He felt a little nuts why he'd ever want to see one of these things again.

The weird thing was:

"I'm plenty fine with the weird stopping at demon dog eating eggs," Magnus promised, but Percy was still reading and ignoring him.

a middle-aged couple was standing in the buffet line right behind the devil dog, patiently waiting their turn for the eggs. They didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"But that did make it weirder," Magnus sighed.

"Especially if they get their turn, who knows what's in that drool?" Alex finally turned away and wrinkled his nose at the book in disgust...but at least it hadn't been at him.

"Not hungry anymore," Tyson murmured.

"Actually I could go for some bacon still, so long as I don't find an eyeball in it," Percy muttered as he flipped the page.

He felt all the eyes boring into him and looked up with a frown, "what, I didn't get to finish my breakfast."

"We'll take a break soon Perce," Will happily agreed, watching Nico carefully. He seemed as impassive about this as he did most of what had been going on, but Will had still uneasily noticed he'd yet eaten a thing.

Before Annabeth or I could reply, a reptilian voice came from down the corridor, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."

"I don't suppose they're talking about something nice, like six more water colors?" Magnus sighed, making sure to translate that for Hearth.

"Wouldn't hold your breath," Alex frowned.

Will flinched though, enough they all noticed and nobody wanted to try laughing off whatever he kept himself tight lipped about. How they were celebrating the loss of another friend who had abandoned camp for this place...how he'd seen those dracaena rip into a kid who had just gotten there that summer. Michael had dragged him away when he'd insisted he could just feed him a little more ambrosia and his entrails would slide back in...

Nico alone felt the shiver roll off of him, how he quickly shook his head and put up a convincing smile for the others to just move on. Will caught his eye though, and it dropped for just a moment. He opened his mouth like he desperately wanted to say something- but then Percy kept reading, and Nico dutifully turned away to watch like everybody else and refused to acknowledge the stupid thrill of having this easy excuse to watch the son of Poseidon.

Annabeth gestured frantically toward the nearest hiding place—the women's room—and all three of us ducked inside. I was so freaked out it didn't even occur to me to be embarrassed.

"At least you didn't have flashbacks to a royal resurrection," Alex shrugged.

Something—or more like two somethings—slithered past the bathroom door, making sounds like sandpaper against the carpet.

"Yesss," a second reptilian voice said. "He drawssss them. Ssssoon we will be sssstrong."

Will was starting to lightly shiver and fighting back the urge to yell at Percy to stop drawing out those hisses, but he didn't want to look like an idiot. He knew there were no snakes in here.

The things slithered into the cafeteria with a cold hissing that might have been snake laughter.

"What do snakes eat for breakfast?" Will's voice sounded odd not having a hiss to it after Percy had tried to, poorly, mimic such a thing.

"Rats, don't you remember George and Martha," Percy reminded.

"If there are rat's anywhere near my pancakes, I'm out," Jason stated.

Annabeth looked at me. "We have to get out of here."

"You think I want to be in the girls' restroom?"

"They have better lighting but always less toilet paper for some reason," Alex clearly thought he was offering helpful advice.

"I mean the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship."

"Smells bad," Tyson agreed. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth is right. We must leave the restroom and ship."

"Well at least now you have a convenient exit?" Jason offered.

"I can't make the plumbing eat us, do I look like I'm wearing red and overalls?" Percy protested.

I shuddered. If Annabeth and Tyson were actually agreeing about something, I figured I'd better listen.

"Is that what it takes," Thalia popped the side of her head. "Here I've been going about it all wrong."

Then I heard another voice outside—one that chilled me worse than any monster's.

"—only a matter of time. Don't push me, Agrius!"

It was Luke, beyond a doubt. I could never forget his voice.

Alex watched the way Thalia tried not to curl into herself and the murderous look pass over Percy again and decided to say, "how could you, you've dreamed of him too."

"At this rate Annabeth's the only person you haven't dreamed of," Magnus agreed.

"You'll be lucky if I only dream of stabbing you all," Percy groaned while Thalia flashed Alex a small, albeit genuinely amused look.

"I'm not pushing you!" another guy growled. His voice was deeper and even angrier than Luke's. "I'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off—"

"It'll pay off," Luke snapped. "They'll take the bait. Now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check on the casket."

Their voices receded down the corridor.

Tyson whimpered. "Leave now?"

Annabeth and I exchanged looks and came to a silent agreement.

"We can't," I told Tyson.

"We have to find out what Luke is up to," Annabeth agreed. "And if possible, we're going to beat him up, bind him in chains, and drag him to Mount Olympus."

"In that order?" Nico asked.

"I don't see why it's not possible," Jason scowled, "Mercury might even give you a real cruise ship instead of this madness if you do."

"Percy's involved," Thalia reminded as she took the book from him, "something's going to go wrong."

Percy resisted giving up the book long enough to smack it against her shoulder before he crossed his arms, but didn't deny it.

#pjo #Percy Jackson #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Nico di Angelo #Will Solace #Hearthstone #Magnus Chase #Alex Fierro #fierrochase #solangleo #percabeth #reading the books #fanfiction #Sea of Monsters

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lady-ashfade · 2 years ago

Text

Son of a bitch.

Steve Harrington x Henderson! Fem!Reader.

Plot: Dustin planned for his group of friends to come over and play D&D. You decided to be a good sister and make his friends breakfast but then someone shows up you didn’t expect.

Notes: Almost everything you know about Dustin’s house, forget it. I just changed the kitchen and living room. Also this was pictured with a chubby reader in mind.

Warnings: Fluffy and cute. Also Steve being a simp.

You hummed to yourself as you flipped the pancake over in the pan. You decided to be a good sister and make Dustin and his friends breakfast.

He had been saying that his friends where coming over and you knew how much he loved your pancakes. You wished you had more time to spend time with him but you had work, not to mention it’s your senior year.

“Dustin, how many people are coming over?” You yelled out for him to hear you since he was in his room. He yelled something about him not knowing and you rolled your eyes.

“Then I’ll make enough to feed a army” Taking the finished pancake off the pan and into the plate right behind you on the counter.

You continued to make pancakes and lets just say there where a lot of them by this point. You turned your head at the sound of a knock at the door.

“Dustin someone here!” You screamed and as soon as you did he ran by the kitchens arch way to the front door. You laughed at his excitement to see his friends. You were glad he had friends that cared for him.

You hear a voice talk to your brother but you couldn’t put a face to it, but something about it felt familiar.

But what you didn’t know, Steve Harrington was at the door to hang out with the group because Dustin begged for him to play some “stupid game”. To be honest he didn’t want to but Dustin wouldn’t stop bugging him about it.

“I have everything already step up” Dustin walked passed the kitchen and Steve followed. But he turned when he heard movement in the kitchen. He assumed it was Dustin’s mother so he had to say hello.

“Good morning, Mrs. Henderson” Steve pokes his head into the kitchen and to his surprise it wasn’t Dustin’s mom. It was a girl and from the view he had she seems cute.

“That’s something I haven’t heard before, thought I looked younger” You turned around and you stopped dead in your tracks. That’s where you knew the voice. It belonged to “Steve the hair Harrington”.

Steve heart raced because of the beauty in front of him. He knew Dustin had a sister but he couldn’t remember what she looked like and since you were never around he didn’t know. How could you be Dustin’s sister?

“Oh shit I’m sorry I thought you were-“

“Dustin’s mom”

“Yeah”

You laughed and brushed him off. “It’s fine, the apron probably aged me” You motioned to the apron your mom always wear when she cooked.

“No I think you look great- I mean great for your age because you don’t look old. Not saying that looking old is a bad thing. I just-” He stop again when you burst out laughing at his rambling. God why did he have to be so stupid.

“I see why Dustin keeps you around, funny and cute” Steve blushed and his jaw dropped in utter disbelief that you called him cute.

Dustin rolled his eyes and wonder why he let this go one for so long. “Steve, lets go” Dustin took Steve’s arm and yanked him out the kitchen and down the hallway.

Steve yelped and followed Dustin and got pissed out what just happened. When they got to Dustin’s room he pushed Steve into the room and slammed the door.

“What the hell was that” Dusting question and Steve rubbed his wrist where dusting had grabbed him.

“I could asked you the same thing”

“You were flirting with my sister”

“I wasn’t flirting with her”

“Yes, you were. You get this stupid look on your face when you flirt” Steve blinked at him and made let out a low chuckle in annoyance.

“I do not make a stupid face” Dustin rolled his eyes and walked away from him and to his desk. Dustin picked up a notebook.

“Just shut up and take the notebook” He slammed the book into Steve’s chest as the man let out a groan. Why did he decide to come?

At least he gets to see you.

Now everyone was in the living room talking about the D&D that was about to start. All Steve could do was try and look into the kitchen to see you.

“Do you think steve will make it?” Max said from across the coffee table sitting on the floor. Steve made and face at her and she gave him a smirk in return.

“I’ll try and take it easy on him” Eddie looked right at steve and was clearly lying. Just then a loving voice started to talk and it quickly got everyone’s.

“I have a plate full of pancakes” You smiled at all the people in your house and sat down the big plate of pancakes on coffee table. You turned to Jane and handed her a plate full of egos and it was ready for her to eat.

Her eyes brighten up and took the plate from you quickly. Steve smiled at your kindness to the young girl, oh how he loved that smile on your face.

You walked off and back into the kitchen to eat your own food. Steve watched you leave and it was crazy how much he wished he could be next to you.

He felt so stupid not looking into you when he was in school because with face and body like yours, not to mention the smile was memorizing.

The session begun about two hours ago and he hated everything moment of it, though he could how someone would be interested in it but It just wasn’t his thing.

“Dustin I’m going to the store” You popped into the room in a new outfit on, one that Steve loved. He got a clear vision of what your body looked like. He was for sure staring but he couldn’t help it.

Dustin’s voice came through in muffles into Steve head as he asked for something but by the look on your face shows you didn’t know what it was. So Steve hopped onto the first chance he could to be alone with you.

“I could help you if you want” Dustin groaned in annoyance at Steve’s actions to get closer to you.

“You are playing steve”

Steve looked back at the you and then back at Dustin and he remembered he had a turn and it was a fight anyway.

“Fine, I walk up to one of the guards guys and try to stab him” He takes the dice and rolled them onto the table.

He looks at the number and back to Eddie.

“You reach of your sword, but it falls as soon as you pull it out. The guard hears this and gets ready for battle and before you have a chance to move he takes his sword and puts in through your stomach” Steve cheers and hopped up.

“Sorry everyone but it looks like I have died. Have cake at my funeral” He grabbed his jacket and walked towards you.

You shrugged at him and walked off with him following you. You needed help and it was with the hot guy you had a small crush on in high school. It’s a Win, Win.

Dustin looks at Steve and you walk down the hallway as you both disappear out the door.

“Son of a bitch”

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #Steve x Henderson reader #stranger things season 4 #stranger things #Dustin Henderson #max mayfield #stranger things Steve #eddie munson

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grimmywrites · 2 years ago

Note

jalim and 15 for the mini fic ship thing?

(Anon, thank you! I was so excited to try my hand at the Jalim ship from House of Ashes. Hope you enjoy!)

"Things You Said With Too Many Miles Between Us."

“I’ve missed you,” he says, softly, and it’s further softened by the fact that it’s coming through the speaker of a phone. “I do miss you.”

The connection is shit, as it would be considering they’re half a world apart from each other now. Jason is safe and honorably discharged back home in the south with enough hush money to keep his lips sealed. Salim is still in Iraq, safe and without U.S. army intervention as the lieutenant had feared for long months. Even so, the diminished quality of the other soldier’s voice didn’t sit right with him. He’d been wordy in that hell—borderline poetic due to the way the deep cadence of his voice and the rolling lilt of his accent molded his words melodious.

Jason had never met anyone who spoke that way before. He sure isn’t someone anybody would ever call eloquent. Cheeky, maybe. Full of it, sure. Maybe that’s why he finds it tricky to answer.

“Are you still there, Jason?” Salim asks. “Has the call failed?”

“…M’here.”

It comes out of the back of his throat, lower and a little more raspy than usual. He hadn’t been primed to speak after the admittance. Those words have left him reeling and to ground himself he’s focusing on the feel of his tongue along the back of his teeth. He realizes, too, that his eyes have been darting back and forth while his brain works through the surprise.

It shouldn’t be a surprise. He often thought the same regarding the Iraqi. But apparently, Jason still finds it too hard to fathom someone having that sentiment towards him, too. One-sidedness was something he could handle and had handled before. He’d been prepared for that in this, too, because he’d missed the man before he’d even turned to walk away.

Jason had been fine with that (had had to be)—with the man going back to the person who mattered most. He’d even taken pride in helping. He’d told himself he could live with that.

Until he couldn’t.

“Still here,” he manages, just to stop his racing thoughts. “Just thinkin’ on how things turned out. You missin’ a man who held a gun on you.”

“I held one on you first,” Salim reminds him and even with the connection he can hear the teasing timber to it.

Jason wishes he wouldn’t do that, though not nearly as much as he relishes it. “Good reasons at the time, yeah, I know.”

“…Have I upset you, Jason?”

He’s not upset and he’s not uncomfortable. Hard to say what he’s feeling. He thinks maybe it’s close to the second, but that wasn’t anything on Salim or having to do with Salim. That was all Jason. The dregs of who he used to be, all tough words and bravado to hide stunted emotions. The man waiting on his answer had somehow pulled him through that in an unbelievably short period of time. Yeah, there’d been the threat of death breathing at the back of their necks, so it had seemed a good time for the raw, painful honesty.

But he’d rarely ever given that to Nicky, and never in the full measure he’d deserved.

With Salim, he’d bared all those parts of him. He still wanted to. Because Salim had reasoned with him, listened to him, and had taken him for what he was. A man. His complexities were just facts, just aspects of him to learn and work with and through. He’d made Jason feel like he hadn’t had to hide away.

There are so many parts he doesn’t want to hide away anymore.

“No,” Jason tells him. “You didn’t. I’m just—” He hesitates, and then stretches out his neck as if physically settling himself into the honesty. “Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one.” He waits only a second because that’s all he can wait. “Missing you, I mean. If I’m honest, didn’t know what to think of it at first. Some people might think I’d gone crazy.”

“Even though we stopped being enemies long ago?”

“Not so suprisin’ if you think on how I was ‘fore I met you.”

Salim hums in consideration. “You had your reasons, as I said… I am glad you saw passed them.”

That had been because of Salim. Because of how impressed he’d been by his logic. By his tenacity. By his ability. Because, subconsciously, Jason had been… but that’s not the honesty he can say over the phone. Not after knowing this man for mere hours, losing him, and one phone call that’s lasted but a few minutes.

No matter the time he’d spent shaming himself for it, agonized over it, came to terms with it… hoped with it.

“Me, too, brother.”

He knows Salim is smiling, he can hear it. He can see it, goofy and bright and breathtaking as it had been in those caves. “I would not have cared what those people thought. They could never understand what we became down there.”

Jason swallows. “’Sword and shield,’ like you said. Allies.” He laughs shallowly. “Friends?”

“More,” the other man says, solemn and heavy.

He lays it out there in tone alone to fill the gap of all those miles between them.

It’s another thing that takes the breath out of Jason’s lungs. He can’t think enough to move his tongue this time, not to talk or test the back of his teeth.

“Jason…?” It’s not a question of whether he’s still there, it’s a test of their bearings. It’s a gauge of the American’s footing. It’s an out… if he wants to take it.

Jason doesn’t, but all the same finds that he has to say, haltingly: “Salim.”

“I’m sorry,” the Iraqi amends immediately, almost sorrowfully. “These are things I shouldn’t say—"

Jason stops that, though. “They are,” he clarifies. “They’re just… things I want to say when I can see your face.”

A beat. A moment for his brain to analyze the words. “When you can—” He breathes, as if inhaling the words into understanding. “Yes, I would like that, too. I would like to see you again.” He lets that hang for a moment, too, and it feels like a little bit of a relief for both of them, before he asks: “But when, Jason? How?”

He doesn’t know, but he’s going to figure it out. “Told you about believin’ in miracles, didn’t I, Salim?” he asks it just to say his name in turn. “You leave it to me.”

His friend gives that deep chuckle. “I suppose I must. It shouldn’t take too long, now that we have the means to speak to one another…”

“Fast as I can,” Jason promises.

“Good. I expect nothing less.”

This time he’s the one who laughs.

“We have much to say,” Salim tells him once he quiets, amicable but with underlying promise. There’s also a hesitance, as if he believes that the phone call is coming to an end. That the American meant that everything they wanted to know about the last months of each other’s lives needed to wait.

They didn’t.

“You’re crazier than I remember if you think I’m lettin’ you get off this phone without tellin’ me how Zain’s birthday went.”

And that puts Salim’s laughter right back into his ear, so warm he can almost feel it.

#jalim #jason x salim #salim x jason #jalim hoa #house of ashes #hoa #jason kolchek #salim othman #dark pictures house of ashes #jason/salim #salim/jason #my writing

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