#someone stole her car within 10 minutes of parking it

[tracing-rivers]

Rewatching Castle in 2024 and I've reached the episode where the entirety of the conflict and suspense is based on the fact that this trained police detective and her boyfriend who has followed her in several gun fights and a number of other death sentences

is that they're stranded without phones or guns

in the Bronx

[ladypaulsvn]

Hello! Can you write something for Ally with “Do you still like me?” “Don’t ask me that.” Maybe she and reader dated when they were younger and it didn’t work out but they cross paths again, please? Have a good day :)

Ally Mayfair-Richards x Reader

Word Count: 2,402

Summary: You bump into Ally, your high school sweetheart gone wrong, at a grocery store in your home town.

a/n: don’t kill me.

You didn't want to be here, back in this town that made you miserable for 18 long years. You hated your home town, and your yearly visits for the holidays were no exception. As much as you loved your family, this town had too many bad memories.

Including your first love, who stole your heart, then smashed it. Ally. The two of you had dated all throughout high school, yearning for the future and your life together outside of this miserable town.

When Ally told you that she got accepted into a college across the country from you, you weren't phased at all! You loved her! You could do long distance. You thought Ally felt the same, until things started slowly falling apart.

She seemed as excited as you were, and kept up the facade as you both moved across the country from each other. You made sure to fly out to see her once a month, or once every two months if life got extra busy with finals or a build up of work. You called every day, or at least texted. You told her everything, just as you always had.

Things crashed and burned the time you decided to surprise her for her birthday. You had told her you wouldn't be able to see her this year, you had so much going on and weren't able to get off work. You thought you had tricked her pretty well!

So it was much to your surprise when you arrived at her apartment, a gift in hand, to find her in bed with another woman. You couldn't process what you were seeing and your heart immediately broke in two. Ally called after you, but you simply dropped her present and ran.

She tried to fix things with you. Apologize, tell you that it was a mistake. That she was drunk and it wasn't what it looked like. But it was exactly what it looked like. You broke up with her. And you hadn't spoken to her since.

It was 10 years since then, and this year, things were a bit on the brighter side. The weather seemed to be better than past years, your family wasn't fighting as they usually were which was a plus, and the house was decorated more than it had ever been. It seemed like the perfect holiday.

This morning, you were sent out on a small grocery hunt. It was a bustling Monday morning a few days before Christmas and everyone was out, picking up last minute presents and ingredients for Christmas dinner. Your mother needed a pie crust, that’s all.

You skimmed down the isle, why were pie crust so damn hard to find? You walked slowly, passing sugar, cake mixes, flour, sprinkles until finally! Pie crusts! You picked one with a graham cracker crust and turned around, giddy to get back home and help your mother bake your favorite, a coconut cream pie.

Smash.

You crashed right into someone. "Oh i'm so sorry!" You said, picking up their basket and handing it to them. Your eyes went wide as you recognized her features. "Ally?" You whispered. Her face was riddled with shock as well.

"Y/n? Wow! I never thought I'd see you again." She laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. You smiled, "Yeah, how strange. What are you doing in town? I thought you were across the country?" You asked, rocking on your heels.

"Oh yeah, I am! Just visiting the family. Usually they come out to Cali but this year they wanted snow." Her laugh brought back a million memories. "What about you?"

"Oh, same deal, kinda. I always, um, come here for the holidays." You we're getting anxious. "How's your mother?" She asked and you cursed internally. Why was she doing this?

"Oh um, she's fine. I got this pie crust for her actually, were making co-" You held up the pie crust.

"Coconut cream pie?" She cut you off with a smile. You nodded, laughing, "Yeah. Coconut cream pie."

"Those were always my favorite. Your mother was such a good baker." Her smile was warm and bubbly. Just as it always was.

You stood in silence for a few seconds. "Would you like to..." She bit her lip as she trailed off. "Like to what?" Your heart was racing.

"Get a coffee, maybe?" You could see the hope in her eyes, so you nodded. "Sure."

***

Why the hell had you said yes? You texted your mother that you were meeting up with a friend for coffee, and you'd be home with the pie crust soon, before cranking up your car.

You sighed as you buckled your seatbelt. You really were stupid, weren't you? The drive to the coffee shop was under 5 minutes, it was a small town after all. You immediately saw Ally closing the door to her car and locking it with a button on her keys. You took a deep breath. You could do this.

You parked and made your way inside the small shop, searching for her brunette bob. You spotted her at a window seat and she seemed to spot you too, waving you over.

"I ordered for you, I hope you don't mind." She said as you sat across from her. You shook your head in response. You looked up the ceiling, the rafters were exposed as they always were. Cobwebs drifting between them. It had been forever since you sat in this spot.

"So..." Ally pursed her lips "Do you have a partner? Work? Kids? What's up in y/n's world?" Her boldness caught you off guard.

"I don't have a partner, actually. But I'm working on my second doctorate right now." You said and her eyes went wide. "Second?"

"Yes. I have one in Psychology and i'm working on one in Criminal Justice." You shared, proud that you seemed to impress her.

"That's very impressive y/n." She said as a waiter came by and handed you both your respective coffee's.

You took a sip. "Thank you."

"I can't say i've done anything nearly as impressive but I am married... That counts for something right?" She laughed and held up her hand, a sparkling ring attached.

"Oh wow, that's amazing Ally. Do you have any kids?" You asked and she nodded.

"A boy. His name is Oz. Hold on I have a picture." She pulled out her phone and showed you a picture of a little blonde curly haired boy with glasses.

"He looks precious." You smiled and she thanked you.

"This coffee is terrible." She leaned across the table and whispered, causing you to laugh. "It really is. The Blue Jay has gone down hill." You joked and her laughter filled the air again.

"Definitely. Remember when we used to come up here every Saturday morning?" Ally asked and you reminisced on the past.

"Then we'd go down to the pond." You added and Ally smiled at your remembrance. "I haven't been to that pond since... well since we last went there I guess." Ally frowned.

"They were good times Ally." You reminded her and she smiled again. "Yeah, good times." She looked to her cup of coffee, stirring it with the little stick.

"So you really haven't found anyone?" Ally looked up again and you were taken aback by her question. "Well uh, no. I don't think i'd have a reason to lie about that." You laughed.

"I did see someone for a couple years though. Ended a year or two ago now, so It's not something I think about the daily or anything." You explained and Ally nodded.

"What were they like?" Ally asked and you wondered why she had such an interest in your love life. She had a husband, and a child.

"Well, she was really nice. Her name was Lana and she was a reporter, wrote a lot of articles. We traveled a lot together. She was really fun and addictive but she wasn't the type to settle down. When things got pretty serious, she dipped. Not that much of a story, really. Just a little chunk of my life that had a lesson to learn I guess. Like us." You told your story and Ally listened intently, soaking up every word.

"Like us?" She asked and you nodded. "Yeah. We were a lesson. Something I had to go through to grow as a person. Not every relationship is meant to last a lifetime, Ally. You've just found that person already. Mine is out there still." You were open and honest and Ally was dazed by it. "Yeah... a lesson."

Your phone dinged. Your mother texted, asking if you'd be much longer. "I think I may have to go Ally, I'm sorry. You know how impatient my mother is." You told her and she nodded, understanding.

You thanked her for the coffee before leaving the shop, heading back to your car.

"Y/n!" You heard Ally's voice across the parking lot as she jogged up to you. "I'd really like to catch up more. Can we meet up another time before I have to leave back home?" She asked and you contemplated.

"Here. Take my number and think about it. Text me." She handed you a piece of paper with a smile before walking back inside the cafe.

***

When you got home, you helped your mother bake the pie and spent the night hanging out with your family, almost forgetting the eventful day you had, seeing Ally.

You were in bed, about to fall asleep when you remembered she had given you her number. You laid there for awhile, going over your options in your head. Did you really want to see her again? After all this time?

It wasn't so bad today. She seemed to really want to see you. Maybe one more time couldn't hurt...

You punched her number into your phone and hit dial. Within three beeps, she had answered. "Hello?" Her voice was upbeat. "Hey Ally, it's y/n." You said, suddenly regretting your choice.

"You realize its 10 pm right, y/n?" She laughed and you checked the time, shocked. "Oh wow, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. But hey! You picked up." You said and heard her laugh. "You got me there. Did you decide if you wanted to meet up again?" You could almost see her biting her lip through the phone, a nervous habit she always had when you were together.

"Um, yeah. I'd like to meet up again." You said before you could stop yourself. Well, there's no going back now. "I'm so happy you said that! I was thinking maybe we could go out by the pond? Like we used to." She suggested and your breath caught in your throat. That damn pond.

"Uh, sure Ally. When'd you wanna do that?" You asked, nervously twirling a piece of your hair around your finger. "Are you free tomorrow?" You thought for a moment. "Yeah, i'm free." She giggled through the phone at your response. "See you tomorrow then, goodnight y/n."

"Goodnight Ally." She hung up shortly after. You plugged your phone in before switching off your lights, curling up in your bed. You really hoped this wasn't a mistake.

***

The next morning, you met Ally by the pond like you used to all those years ago. You would sit on the giant rocks and spend hours upon hours talking about anything and everything.

The two of you had been here for awhile, sharing a bag of jellybeans and a couple beers. It was like high school all over again.

"Remember yesterday?" Ally asked and you laughed, "If I didn't, I think that'd be a problem I needed to get check out."

"No I mean like, our conversation at the Blue Jay. You said that we were a lesson, and that I had found my person already but yours was still out there." Ally explained and you nodded.

"Yeah I remember, what about it?" you asked, curious as to what she was thinking.

"Well.. it had me thinking and if i'm honest, I don't know if my husband really is that person for me." Ally said her thoughts aloud slowly, gaging your every reaction.

"Why do you think that? I mean, you married him for a reason, right?" You asked, confused. "It felt like the right thing to do at the time. I was pregnant and he was such a nice guy, is a nice guy. I just...” Ally added.

"You just, what?" You guided her and she sighed. "I'm not happy. I'm content, but I'm not happy." Ally's volume was nearly a whisper.

"Ally I... I'm sorry you feel that way." You tried to comfort her but you were met with silence.

Ally stared out onto the water, "Do you still love me?" Ally asked and you were dumbfounded. "Love you?" You choked.

"Love me." She nodded. "Don't ask me that Ally. Please don't ask me that." You shook your head. "Where the hell did that come from?" You asked, finally looking towards her.

Her face was still towards the pond, her side profile on display. "I never stopped loving you... y/n." She whispered, swiping away a tear that fell from her eye.

"Ally... please." You begged. You didn't want to have this conversation. "Don't do this right now."

"The one and only time i've ever truly been happy, especially in a relationship, was with you y/n." Ally turned to you, visible tears raining down her cheeks.

"Ally I can't do this. You're married for fucks sake." You said, standing from the rock and you could see the panic rush through Ally as she stood to stop you.

"N-no no! Wait wait wait please y/n I'm sorry I didn't want to scare you away I just needed you to know that-" You could hear Ally behind you as you turned and grabbed her face with both hands, crashing your lips into hers.

You pulled away. "Ally. I have always, and will always love you, but you're married. I need to go now." You said as Ally stood frozen, a hand on her lips as she watched you walk away.

She didn't bother to stop you now, she knew you wouldn't stay. She just hoped that the universe would bring you back to her again, let her have just one more chance.

tags: @8plasma @poulengp @zamoimagines @wholesomeslut @natasha-danvers comment to be tagged in future works <3

[your-rose-highness]

Tell me what is Love (ch- 10)

Pairing- Baekhyun x OC

Special Appearance- JB of GOT7

“So I was thinking, I could take you on a date soon?”, Jaebeom shyly confessed as the two took a walk by the Han river. 

After the quick celebratory hug with jane, Jaebeom, and hye hee sneaked out of the apartment post-dinner. Hye hee felt young after so long. Being in that moment with him as he tried to cure the awkwardness voicing his random thoughts, seemed like a spring day. As they drove away to the Han river, she rolled down the windows and felt the crisp breeze embrace her face. Jaebeom stole glances at her. Something about her seemed so calming to him, yet she looked so drained all the time. He was sure it was more of an emotional turmoil than physical and thus the smiles rarely reached her eyes. At the present moment, she looked like a child. It made him feel warm. 

“Yes, maybe tomorrow?”, she hinted.

“Surely! I’m more than glad you agreed. Any place you would prefer?”

She turned to him with playful eyes before saying, “surprise me.”

Jaebeom pressed his lips together taken aback by her sudden boldness. Not that he was complaining. This was a new her that he was seeing and it was beautiful.

The riverside was quiet, with barely anyone walking past them. It was one of those times when you feel so comfortable with another as you bare your soul out for them. Lying on the grass, they told stories of their childhood, both listening to each other attentively. They laughed at the hilarious anecdotes while spotting funny shapes within the stars. Hye hee forced her brain to stop wandering to Baekhyun. This was a moment she had craved for years and why was she feeling guilty? As she tried to peel away from his thoughts, she felt Jaebeom’s hand brush against hers softly. They turned to each other in surprise, both inching away. Jaebeom’s ears turned red in embarrassment and for hye hee it was an instinct she had developed over the years. 

Just grab his fucking hand reasoned her brain yet something stopped her. She forced herself to place her hand beside his. Picking up courage, her fingers reached him subtly and the two shyly looked at each other once again. This time, Jaebeom fingers curled into hers. She couldn't explain the rush she felt. The warmth of his palm traveled through her body making her shiver.

“Are you cold?”, Jaebeom worriedly asked.

His voice full of concern made her smile, it was so akin to someone she knew, without realizing her heart was still in the old place, striving to find similarities, though unconsciously. 

“A little bit.”, she replied in a small voice and Jaebeom immediately proceeded to take off his denim jacket. 

He fretted around her, trying to help her put on the jacket without actually having to hold her. The two walked around once again, this time hands clasped tight. Sipping on their hot coffees, they watched the sunrise and the golden gleam strengthened their hopes. Hye hee watched him soak in the sun. it was almost as if his skin reflected off the golden rays making them his own. He was beautiful. Laying her head on his shoulder, she looked out towards the wonderful spectacle that unfolded before them. 

“I’m sorry I kept you up all night.”, Jaebeom said as he played with hye hee’s fingers.

“Well. it was long due anyway. Let us skip work too!”, she responded filled with sudden excitement.

Jaebeom smiled widely in shock at her. “What? Hahaha. Do I need to submit the files you know? What do you want to do though? Maybe we can get out early to grab lunch and have fun later. What do you say?”

“I’d love that.”, she whispered, snuggling closer to him.

Jaebeom dropped hye hee soon later, hardly being able to part ways. She found the house cold as she stepped in. jane had left behind a note on the refrigerator.

‘Wanted to wait for all the details, but realized I have a test. You're booked for the evening. 

PS- I WANT TO HEAR EVERYTHING!’

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“ARE YOU SERIOUS, BYUN BAEKHYUN?”, Lee Sooman roared at him as he stood in front of him, head hanging in shame. “The company suffered an immense loss of investors when this scandal unfolded and though the people have been most gracious and welcoming about you two, now, this!”

“I’m very sorry, sir.” Baekhyun gulped. He had decided to take this bullet by himself, leaving Taeyeon out. The backlash would be brutal on her and he didn't think she was to blame.

“What about Taeyeon?”, he asked, settling down on his chair, his eyes never leaving Baekhyun.

“We both want the same thing, sir.”

Mr. lee shook his head in disbelief at every word, pondering over how he can handle this incoming tsunami. Baekhyun peeked to look at him and continued, “Sarang will mostly be out of this. We will shield her from the public eye….”

“Sit.”, he suddenly whispered. Baekhyun cautiously trod over to the seat opposite to him.

“I’m sorry, but this isn't something that could be overlooked so easily. There are investors, partners that run this damn company. Marriage was one thing, but now divorce? It won't be simple. There might be a potential danger to both your careers and you better take care of that child.”

“I’m ready to take responsibility.”

Mr. Lee simply gave him a stare the whole time, before sighing deeply.

Baekhyun was walked through all the formalities before leaving the company that day. His freedom was going to cost him this time. As he drove home, his mind wandered over to hye hee. He hadn't heard from her for a while but refrained from involving her in the mess that was in front of him. He will be the center of attraction once again and peered from every crack like an animal. As he drove to his parents to break the news to them, he stopped a while at the tiny park of his old neighborhood. The place he had first kissed Hyehee and ironically also where he lost her. Sitting in his car by the empty park, he replayed the simpler times as his eyes closed for a minute.

-----------------------------------------------------

hye hee was furious. Her senior had called off her work for being half-assed in front of the whole office and Jaebeom had seen it all. She didn't like how pitifully he had looked at her. Rushing to the coffee room to fix herself and calm down, she found him enter minutes later, closing the door softly behind himself.

“Hey.”

“I’m fine.”

Jaebeom approached her slowly, holding her hand as she stood waiting for the coffee. Their eyes met briefly before she complained, “she never told me what kind of content she was looking for, you know. And now she just yells at me. It wasn’t my fault. Why today of all days? I’m so embarrassed.”

Despite her whining, Jaebeom was smiling ear to ear.

“What’s so funny?”, she shot at him, pissed.

He laughed at her annoyed pouty face and ruffled her hair, “ because you look adorable right now.”

“Waah. are you flirting with me right now?”

Raising her hand to his lips, he softly murmured against her palm, “if I haven’t even begun.”, proceeding to kiss it.

Hyehee’s legs swayed as his voice intoxicated her, forcing Jaebeom to hold her closer. The air thickened between them, their lips only inches apart. She scurried back on her feet, freeing herself from his embrace. Jaebeom's ears turned red and stuttered to find words. 

"Yah, why were you…"

She retorted without letting him finish, "I wasn't falling, okay? There were people outside." Jaebeom turned around to see if anyone could see them, and the realisation hit her- the door is opaque. Mentally cursing her lack of ability to make believable excuses, she met his playful eyes this time. His lips pressed into a suppressed smile he mouthed 'dumbo' at her. Hye hee slapped his arm in desperation and left the room. 

"Take the coffee, Hye hee!", He teased.

"I want tea."

He laughed loudly at her tiny voice. 

The rest of the day, the two kept at it. Jaebeom's change of demeanor came as a surprise. He usually was very reposed and a man of very few words. He was opening up to her and didn't wish to hold himself back.  Hyehee cheeks never went pale for the day. Even at his glance, she’d blush to the point where her co-worker asked if something was wrong. Nobody had yet guessed that they were dating each other. 

“Cold noodles and fried chicken, please.”, hye hee placed her order at the restaurant during lunch, beaming at the waiter.

“Are you sure you can eat it all? The portion sizes in here are a little bigger than usual.”, Jaebeom wondered.

“Oh don't worry, I can eat a lot for lunch, but dinner, that’s the tricky one for me.”

Halfway through lunch, Jaebeom’s phone beeped, and whatever it was, it made his eyebrows scrunch.

“What?”, Hyehee asked with cheeks full of noodles.

He snorted at her and pushed his cellphone towards her.

“He wants the new parts done. I’ll have to stop by my place to get the rest of the clips. I was going to get the hard drive tomorrow, but looks like this particular project has the boss on edge for some reason.”

“Okay, I’ll finish fast and we can go.”

“Yah. eat slowly.”, he scolded, “you’re gonna get indigestion. Also, could you chew through the whole thing? There’s no hurry. I’ll quickly drop you at the office and drive back.”

hye hee wanted to answer, but she chewed her last mouthful carefully before drinking the soup, “Why do you have to drop me? I can come with you. There’s no reason for you to make such long trips for one file.” 

Scrunching his face, puzzled, he stammered “Yo-you’re okay with coming over to my place?”

Hyehee nodded quickly, confused why Jaebeom would ask that. He always comes over to her place, it’s only fair.

“Okay”, his face went blank in surprise.

Throughout the drive, he didn't say a word and had avoided looking at hye hee.

What is he so worried about? Did he have his underwear sprawled throughout the apartment and was now thinking of how to clean up? Or, was he a dirty guy? Maybe his place stinks? What do men have to worry about so much?- were the thoughts running through her head.

She had only been to one man’s apartment all these years and it was Baekhyun. Of course, she didn't know if he kept his pass traits, but that guy was always a mess. When the two took apartments next to each other after they came to Seoul, she would organize his things whenever she came over. After complaining about how dirty his apartment was, he proposed to only meet up at her place. He did bother to clean up if she was coming over and it was cute. He’d whine about how hard vacuuming was and would curse scientists to not have made another invention to block dust entirely. 

The memory made her smile. Strolling through her memory lane, she had forgotten where and with whom she was. 

Jaebeom on the other hand had other things in mind.

The apartment was what modern decor would call, minimalist. There were a few plants by the window and only that added some color. Apart from that, he had a wall full of polaroids, mostly of random objects, animals, his friends, and family. Hyehhe carefully scanned them to find an old picture of Jaebeom, in his school uniform, and a cat. His facial features hadn't changed and the smile had remained. Jaebeom cleaned on his way to his study, diving into the cave of hard drives, finding the one he wanted only minutes later. On seeing her walking over to the window, he stood still, observing her. She booped her nose to the monstera plant that his friends had gifted him, touching it softly with her fingers. A feeling of delight washed over him seeing her there. He wanted to hold her close to him and take care of her. 

hye hee then turned to look at him, beaming. 

“This dingy apartment looks nicer with you in it.”, he exclaimed.

“Well I am quite a ray of sunshine.”, she cheekily responded.

Moving to close distance, she wrapped her hands around him, laying her head on his chest. Jaebeom pulled her close to himself, kissing her forehead, “I’m afraid I’m falling in love with you.”

Laced in each other’s embrace, she looked at him with the most alluring way, “sweep me off my feet.”

Jaebeom slowly approached her lips, brushing it against his, looking for signs of approval. As he hesitated, hye hee stands on her toes to kiss him this time, making Jaebeom hold her closer to him. Stopping suddenly, Jaebeom pulled away from the breathless hye hee.

“Are you sure, you want to do this, I mean…”

“Oh, shut up.”, hye hee cried out, cutting him midway as she kissed him again.

She could feel Jaebeom’s lips curve into a smile against hers. The hard drive lay forgotten as the time stood still for them in each other’s embrace.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You brought a lawyer?”, Baekhyun whispered through his teeth.

“Well, you should too.”

“Why do we need a lawyer?”, he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Well, the assets, parenting rights…”, she made him count.

“What do you mean parenting rights? Sarang is my daughter too.”, he snarled.

“Just come out. We can't make Mr. Mae waiting. It’s rude.”, she said, slamming the door behind her.

Baekhyun closed his eyes in defeat and followed her, leaving a huge sigh. Mr.Mae was a well-known lawyer and had already seated himself on the table, and had laid a bunch of papers in front of him.

“Ah, yes. Please. Lets’s begin, I have another appointment with a client in the next 3 hours.”, Mr. Mae chided at Baekhyun.

“Then you can go ahead. We won't be needing you.”

“Baekhyun!”, Taeyeon whispered under her breath, while Mr. Mae only laughed soullessly.

Baekhyun sat with a sour expression the entire time as Mr. Mae listed everything that needed to be done. Celebrities couldn't just get a divorce as they wish and entailed a bunch of ways to be free from the public eye.

“....but Mr. Byun will be allowed to visit…”, he continued.

“Excuse me, allowed?”, Baekhyun roared, making Mr. Mae look up from his papers through the top of his glasses.

“Yes, Taeyeon asked for almost full parenting rights.”, he confessed.

“I just don't think you’ll be able to take care of our daughter with everything going on and also with you leaving home unannounced to meet girls.”, she retorted, her face devoid of expression.

“I’m sorry, Mr.Mae, but Taeyeon and I need to talk about this bit of the agreement before proceeding. I have never been irresponsible towards Sarang. You’re making this personal and I won't have it.”, he thundered before storming out of the house. As the cold breeze slapped his face, his face stung with warm tears that escaped. Letting out an ear wrenching scream of despair, he broke down in unstoppable tears, praying that the hurt would stop.

[kpop---scenarios]

Collateral (13)

Previous Chapter (12)

Warning: Mafia Stuff. Violence etc.

Word Count: 1.8k

"Up for two large favors?" 

You weren't, but if you were being honest in this moment, you would do whatever you needed to do to eat some food and have some water. You had no idea how long you had actually been trapped in this cement hellhole. The cold concrete floor you sat on was damp, the smell of must lingered in the room. A small cot stood in the corner of the room, a thin blanket laid overtop what you could only assume was a dirty mattress. There was a bucket in the corner you'd have to resort to use, as if this wasn't demeaning already. It might not have been so bad, if maybe you had a window, but you didn't. You couldn't even tell if it was daytime or night time. 

"Mhm?" Jaehyun says, his eyebrow arching as they await for your answer. 

"I.." you pause, not wanting to agree but at the same time, you need to. 

"Take a breath." Mark whispers with a sympathetic smile. 

"Spit it out, bitch."Jaehyun snaps, placing the food down on your bed before walking towards you. Your mouth waters at the sight of the glass of water. The ice cubes floating, cooling it down every second as the driblets of moisture slowly trickle down the glass. Your throat dries up instantly, even more than it already was. Your stomach growls at the sight and smell of food. You didnt even care what it was, you wanted to devour it, the smell wafting through the air was pure torture. 

Jaehyun stands you up, pressing his body against yours while placing a small kiss on your cheek. "I think the lack of resistance is a yes." He chuckles. Jaehyun rolls his hips against you, only once, to make sure you were aware of how hard he was for you. It made you want to vomit. 

"Let's get this party started." Jaehyun says, looking at Mark to do something as he pushes himself off of you, nodding for Mark to take over.

"I'm sorry." Mark whispers as his fingertips gently pull the hem of your shirt up, moving to take it off your body. He managed to get it just over the humps of your breasts before the heavy metal door swings open. 

"A little busy here." Jaehyun snaps. 

Before your eyes open, you hear a body hit the ground before some mumbling. "Fuck off Mark before you end up like him." 

The next thing you know, you can breathe, and you're being carried from the room with a sulking Mark trailing behind. 

"Where are you taking me?" You whisper, a little nervous the next spot might be worse than what you were just taken from. 

"You'll see." The man announces, bringing you into a nice warm living room. 

You're gently placed on the couch while you see Mark being chewed out by Johnny before smacked upside the head. "I'm Doyoung. A friend of.. well.." He trails off, motioning behind him. 

"Y/N.." you hear a very familiar voice. Looking up, you are met with the strained and concerned face of your brother, Yuta. 

"Yuta.." you breathe, the tears not even hesitating to fall from your eyes. Without a second thought, you stand up, rushing towards him as he welcomes you into his embracing. You finally feel safe. 

"Why are you here?" You ask, panicking. "EXO.. Suho.. his money, you're going to get killed." You say, looking around. "You have to go. Now." 

"Wait, stop Y/N. Breathe. What are you talking about?" Yuta asks, looking confused. 

"EXO took me because you were running drugs for them and took off with a lot of their money! How could you do that? Running drugs! And then stealing money from the Mafia! Are you fucking dumb! You just left me behind with all this going on!" You yell.

"Who told you this?" He asks. 

"Suho. He said I'd be paying off your debt since you fucked him over." You tell him, looking around at the other men who also looked confused. 

"Yuta? Running drugs for EXO?" Johnny asks, bursting into laughter with the others. "I don't think so." 

"So you didn't?" You ask. "I'm so confused." You cry. 

"No Y/N, I never ran drugs for EXO. Not sure why I would, considering I'm second in command under Johnny here." He tells you. 

"Then.. why?" You ask.

"Suho and I were in the process of making a deal when he told me some people worse than we are  were coming after me. I took the money and told him where his drugs would be, and had to leave town for a while. I see now that it was all bullshit." He growls. 

"So why did he take me then? And why did Johnny try to sell me back to them for land?" You ask, glaring at Johnny.  

"None of them knew about you. I figured the best way to keep you safe was to keep you hidden." Yuta admits. "Looking back on it now, quite a bit of this could have been avoided had I told them." He snaps, glaring at Mark and Jaehyun. "The two of you and I need to have a conversation." He says, pointing to the men who now look ashamed. "But first, let's get you cleaned up. Doyoung, take her up to the spare room and let her shower and get changed before coming back down yo see me. I have some things to take care of." Your brother says, giving you a small kiss on the forehead. 

As you follow Doyoung up the stairs you can hear two loud yelps come from the living room, assuming Yuta had something to do with that.

** 

You walked into the conference room after your shower and saw your brother sitting there having what looked like a heated discussion with Johnny. 

"Everything okay?" You ask, slowly walking towards them. 

"Yes and no." Yuta sighs, looking at Johnny. 

"Suho wants to meet with Johnny to discuss getting you back. He doesn't know I'm back yet." Yuta tells you. 

"Let's do it." You say. "Let's go. Now." 

"Just wait. We need a plan." Johnny chuckles. 

"We'll figure it out on the way, let's go." You say. Yuta knows he has no chance of convincing you to think about it for a minute, so he just sighs and agrees, dragging Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Taeil along with him. You ride in the front seat with Johnny, to make sure things look as they should, you can't risk Suho seeing Yuta before it's time. 

"What's the plan?" You hear a voice come over the radio. You weren't entirely sure, if you were being honest. The entire thing was still rather confusing to you and there was so much that you didn't understand, but there was one thing you knew. 

Suho needed to pay for what he had done. The lies he had told about your brother, making him out to be some sort of terrible person. No one fucks with your family and gets away with it. 

"Let Suho try to negotiate with Johnny. There will be a moment for you to come out, Yuta. You'll know." You finish, taking a deep breath. 

"10 4." You hear from the other side as you and Johnny pull into the abandoned parking lot. 

Your stomach drops as you see Suho standing there, his nicely fitted suit clinging to his muscles perfectly. You didn't like him at the moment, but that didn't mean he didn't make your heart flutter or your pussy drip, just a bit. 

You can see his smile as you get out of the car, walking towards him. "Hello, baby girl." He purrs, giving you a small wink. "Johnny." He nods. 

"Suho. Now, let's talk terms." Johnny says, clearing his throat. 

"I want Y/N." Suho says. "It's simple." 

"And I want half of district 9." Johnny grins. "And we both know she's more than worth it." Johnny chuckles, slapping your ass. 

You can see Suho visibly tense at Johnny's advances towards you. "Don't." Suho spits through a clenched jaw. "Take it. Just give her back." 

"I believe I told you I wanted you nowhere near my sister, Jun." Yuta says, walking from behind you. "You have never been a very good listener." He chuckles, without humor.

"W-what are you doing here?" Suho asks, taken aback by his presence. 

"Well, when I heard my sister had been taken, I came back as soon as I could but I'm sure you know why it took so long, well with all the obstacles you set." Yuta says. "Trying to have me arrested, kidnapped, banned from coming into the country. It was a good effort I'll admit, but I don't think you remember who the fuck I am. You may be older than I am, been around longer but I'm smarter and have more connections." Yuta smiles, walking closer to Suho. "I know your men are around here, should we tell them about our little deal? Or about your lies about me? I never worked for you, and you know that. I never stole money from you. If I recall, after I was paid for our deal, you told me I needed to get out of town, but not to worry because you would handle everything. Was it all just a lie? And for what? My sister?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. 

"How else was I supposed to have her? I knew the rest of NCT didn't know about her and with you out of the picture it made it so much easier to have what I wanted." Suho smirked. 

"I never wanted her to know about any of this! Let alone be involved!" Yuta yells. "Now you've gotten her in trouble, put her life at risk more than once, and you'll never see her again." He spits. "Johnny, Y/N, get in the car." 

Without any hesitation you climb into the passenger seat with Johnny in the drivers. You watch in silence as Yuta says a few more words to Suho before turning his back to walk away. 

You're too slow to warn Yuta about Suho pulling his gun out. You can't unlock your car door fast enough to open the door and yell at him to duck. All you can do is sit and watch in horror as a dark and sinister smile spreads across Suho's face as he takes his finger, pulling the trigger twice, shooting your brother in the back. 

When you finally do make it out of the car, you hover over your brother as he gasps for air. "Call 911!" You scream, tears dripping down your face. "Someone help!" You cry out. "Please Yuta, I need you. Please don't leave me. Please I just got you back." 

"Grab her." You hear from behind you. Within seconds, you're picked up from the ground and taken away from your brother and Johnny. You're placed in the back seat of a car, Minseok beside you, his face stone cold as Suho quickly drives the car away. 

Away from Johnny who's doing anything he can to save your brother, and away from your brother, who you just know is now dead. 

[chim-chimchii]

Freelance Worker (Chanyeol)

Genre: Fluff 

Note: This is a sequel to Embarrassed. I was going to explain why Chanyeol was shaving outside while using her car window as a mirror but the story kind of got away from me. When writing this I kept getting ideas to continue this story so idk I might make this a small fanfic but we’ll see how it goes! I hope you guys like it though. Again, feedback is appreciated. 

. . . . . . . 

The coffee shop was bustling with people getting caffeine before work, couples sharing their mornings, and you waiting for Chanyeol. After the strange first meeting and promising to meet the next day for coffee, which didn't happen due to unforeseen circumstances, today was the day you would meet him. The anticipation was growing immensely. You were dying to know the reason why he was shaving outside while using your window as a mirror. He promised to tell you today.

Both hands grasped the cup of water offered to you by the owner of the shop. The plan was to meet at ten, and it was now fifteen minutes past. Checking your phone in hopes that he had texted, you were disappointed when there were no new notifications. You decided to wait a bit longer. To occupy your mind, you played with the condensation on the glass.  

10:30 came, and it was clear to you that Chanyeol wasn't showing up. Without thinking about it too much, you decided to cut your losses and leave because if you were to think about it, you would have stayed longer. Before you reached the door, the owner stopped you in her hand was your favorite drink. "Maybe he has a good reason as to why he didn't show up." She said as she handed you the cup with a sympathetic smile. You mumbled a small thank you before opening the door.

You hadn't even taken a full step outside when you collided with a body. The iced beverage soaked through your blouse, causing you to gasp. "Cold. . ."

The person grabbed your upper arms to steady you.

"Y/n? Oh, my God. I'm so sorry!"

You glanced up from your ruined shirt to meet Chanyeol's worried gaze. 

Grabbing at the material of your shirt, you tried to keep it from touching your skin. Chanyeol was still holding onto you as you tried to step away from him.

"It's fine." You answered with a sigh.

"No it's not, Come on." He finally let you go to lead you towards the parking lot.

"Where're we going?" He glanced at you with an apologetic smile.

"To get you some new clothes."

Chanyeol helped you into his car before getting in himself. The strong aroma of the coffee filled the interior.

Starting the engine and putting it into gear, Chanyeol sped out of the parking lot. 

"I'm sorry I was late and didn't text and spilled your coffee on you." He stole a glance at you.

Your eyes didn't leave the window in front of you. The disappointing feeling you had for Chanyeol was subsiding now that you were together, but you still didn't know what to say.

"Work ran late, and I left my phone there, but if I had turned back, I would have been even later." His knuckles were turning white due to his firm grip on the steering wheel. He was upset with himself.

"Does that mean you barely got off work? You haven't slept yet?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "I'm a freelancer. I work all day every day."

car turned into the parking garage of a shopping complex. Once the vehicle was in park, Chanyeol pulled his shirt over his head and handed it to you. He was left in just an undershirt. "We can both get some new clothes to wear." He said before covering his eyes for you to change.

"Don't worry about someone seeing. The windows are tinted."

You quickly stripped yourself of your blouse and pulled the material over your head. The smell of his cologne instantly filled your senses and brought a blush to your cheeks. He smelled so good.

"Ready." You mumbled.

Chanyeol uncovered his eyes and looked at you before quickly averting his gaze. He was beaming at the sight of you. . . . . All the stores in the mall were full of designer brands. Everything was expensive; you'd be lucky to find a shirt within your budget. The nerves started to kick in. "

Chanyeol, I could have just gone home to change." He shook his head and led you into a store.

He was rummaging through a rack and held up a blouse that was similar to the one you were wearing earlier. 

"It's my fault your clothes got ruined." He handed over the shirt along with a dress of the same color.

"Do you want to try these on?"

You hesitated with the clothes in your hands. With a sigh, Chanyeol pouted. 

"Please let me do this."

His expression was too cute to refuse. You decided to humor him by trying them on.

"I'm trying on some clothes next to you too." He called from the room beside you; you let out a quiet giggle.

Holding up the spring dress, you smiled adoringly at it. Yes, you could have gone to a department store and got one similar, but the fact that it was made by a famous designer made it special. You quickly changed into it and admired your reflection in the mirror. It hugged your curves and the color complimented your skin tone.

"Come out and show me."

Given it was only the first date, you were taken back by the matching outfits when Chanyeol came out. Chanyeol's ears burned bright red when he saw you. 

"I didn't mean for us to match." He ran a hand over his face and laughed. You couldn't help but chuckle. "You look beautiful, though."

He ticked his head to the side. "To hell with it. We're going to match today."

Shaking your head playfully at him, you turned to go back into the dressing room. . . . .

Chanyeol was waiting at the counter for you with his new clothes neatly folded. The clerk was ringing everything up; she smiled at you kindly upon seeing you approaching. 

Shyly, you put the dress on the counter and kept the shirt in your possession. "I'm going to go put this back."

Chanyeol grabbed the shirt before you could put it back. "I'm getting this too."

"Chanyeol. . ." You quietly called his name to refuse, but he ignored you.

"Could I interest you in getting the matching shoes for the dress?" The girl winked at you.

"That would be great." Chanyeol looked at you and motioned for you to tell the girl your shoe size. You watched the price increasing with every item she scanned.

"This is too much."

He bent down to your level and whispered in your ear.  "It's okay. This is nothing."  

"The total is 400,000 won."

Chanyeol casually handed over his shiny, black debit card without even batting an eye.

You felt like you couldn't breathe. The things you could do with 400,000 won. Would it be considered rude to ask what he meant when he said he was a "freelance worker"? 

“Are you ready to go? We can change, and I'll take you out for lunch." 

Though you felt guilty about him buying you expensive clothes, you agreed. You liked him, and even if he had money, it didn't matter to you.

"Lunch will be on me in exchange for the clothes."

You were met with his stern gaze. Challenging him, you quirked your eyebrow at him.

"I don't think so."

As quickly as you could, you snatched your shopping bag out of his hand. "Then, I'll just return these."

Chanyeol didn't move to stop you. Instead, he watched you with a smirk.

"What?" You asked.

He pointed the sign that was taped on the window of the store you just left—NO REFUNDS OR RETURNS. You let out an annoyed groan.

"So, what are you feeling for lunch?" He asked, taking hold of your shopping bag. 

You blew a strand of hair from your face in a defeated manner before taking your place next to him. 

"Let's decide together in the car." You answered.

[shesawriter39049]

|THE PLUG| P.2|M|JIMIN|

**JIMIN GETTING A LATE NIGHT TEXT FROM ANOTHER “CUSTOMER” SEEMS TO STIR UP SOME FEELINGS YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU HAD ****

Smut/ LIGHT Angst/ A lil fluff

Jimin and the OC are both whipped at this point...

The OC get’s jealous and a tad bit bratty so Jimin has to put her in her place

Pierced and tatted Jimin

5K

Jimin is a soft dom and a whole daddy, I said what I said....

WARNINGS: Language, dirty talk ,Soft dom Jimin, light cum play, light choking, overstimulation, oral (F receiving) creme pie/unprotected sex,hair puling, Jimin likes to be marked, the OC has a slight pain kink, light daddy kink(it’s not said physically during sex moreso jokingly but it’s used within the series)

Jimin 💨💨😏12:07PM : I’ll be back in town tonight, be ready by 10...pack a bag because I don’t plan on returning you until Monday night…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been a little over a week since you’d seen him, the night the two of you ended up going out to dinner Jimin informed you he’d be heading out of town to handle some “Business” . Though he obviously didint go into much deatail you weren’t stupid, I mean the reason you met him in the first place is because he’s your local plug. Well aware that he grows his own supply, so 9 times outta 10 if he was going out of town it was for some sort of drug transaction. Now what you weren’t too sure about is if Jimin handled things stronger than just some ganja...but at the end of the day the less you knew the better!

Honestly, you weren’t expecting much to come from “That night” but you’d be lying if you said it wasn't one of the best dates you’d been on in years.Everything from the conversation, his choice in restaurant ambiance, and of course the sex, fuck...the sex. The kind that could have you on the brink of coming just from the thought of it alone….yeah..that kinda sex!

Ya know what's funny ? While on your date, you finally realized you really don’t know much about Jimin Park, outside of the obvious. So why did your heart damn near fall out of your ass when he told you he had to leave for “business” ? Why are you so anxious to see a man that you barely even know outside of the bedroom?

Believe it or not, this past week is actually the closest you’ve ever felt to him on a personal level outside of sex. While he was away handling whatever, the two of you spoke frequently, typically via text but it’s just the principle. Previously, the only time you’d text is when you were reaching out for a late night “special delivery”. You’d never dream of texting him just because you were bored or stressed..or to share the bomb ass combination of snacks you put together while stoned. Yet as of late you didin’t question yourself if you went to pick up your phone just to forward some stupid Twitter meme.

You were finally starting to learn little things about him, nothing major but still, the two of you did all this backwards so now it’s like your finally transitioning into the friend category. Which excited you as much as it terrifed you...because at the end of the day, behind all the smoke and mirriors, the sex, the pretty face, the nice car...

Jimin.IS.A.DRUG.DEALER. Plain and simple, everything about his life won’t be as pretty as his face!

I mean fuck, what if Jimin went out of town to kill someone for fucking up one of his trancations!? Yes, I know that was a little dramatic, but to be fair..you really don’t “know” him that well sooo…..anythings possible!

Yet, no matter how many thoughts and scenarios you had buzzing through your head that still didn't stop you from packing that overnight bag!

It was going on 10 at night the Friday of Labor Day weekend, and THANK GOD for a four day weekend...Jimin had literally just driven back in town and the first thing he did was pick you up. Secretly feeling like a giddy school girl on the inside once you read his text, it was straight to the point no BS...just flat out “I wanna spend the weekend with you”

The usual cat and mouse game the two of you played were you acted as though the visit was supposed to be solely “Business” related was clearly long gone. Jimin didn't care how much weed you wanted or if you even wanted any to begin with, he just wanted you...in his bed coming on his dick until you were light headed. Plain and simple…

You heard the purr of his blacked out challenger creep up your driveway, as you may or may not have been impatiently waiting for him in the foyer. Freshly showered, overnight bag packed, sexy barely there lingerie, hidden under an oversized tee that you actually stole from him the last time you were over! Forcing yourself to play it cool you waiting for his normal “Here” text before bolting to the door, but to your surprise the minute the door flung open there he was. Resting against the frame of your screen door, skin extremely tanned from whatever state he just came back from. Especially in contrast to his crisp white V-neck, and freshly tousled blonde locks, lips looking even poutier than usual.

“Hey…” fluttered from your chest as you smiled up at him, fuck he was so.Damn.Fine. Brow arched in disapproval at your owe too formal greeting.

“Really!? Is that how you think I wanna be greeted, after not seeing you for a damn week?” There was something extremely sexy about the fact that Jimin did not appear to play games. Very straight forward about what he wanted...and right now that was you….

Head cocked to the side slightly, tongue playing at this bottom lip, eyes unraveling you from head to toe, his ring coated fingers signaled for you to come closer “ Come to daddy…”

Not even trying to hide the exaggerated sigh that left your chest as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. The minute you stepped past the screen he scooped you up, hands taking purchases under your thighs. Knocking you back against the door with one deep roll of his hips, effortlessly snatching a moan from your throat while your head jerked against the glass.Blunt nails clawing at your ass while his tongue licked its way through the seam of your lips with a slight moan.Letting the metal bar from his piercing tease at your bottom lip in the process, fuck you couldnt wait to feel him between your thighs again! “Hii..” Slipped off his tongue, as he rolled his hips even deeper this time smirking against your lips in the process.

Hands roaming up his back purposely digging your nails through the thin fabric of his shirt before letting them get tangled in his hair. Taking a possessive hold on the strands at the nape of his neck, yanking his head back leaving his neck on full display. Breaking away from the kiss to suck on the owe so prominent vein probing through his skin. When it came to you Jimin's neck was his sweet spot, this man loved when you marked him! Claiming such a vulnerable yet “open” place as your own!

One hand coming up to caress the back of your neck holding you in place, as you sucked,licked and nipped at his skin. “Babyyyy” moaned past his lips as he stroked the side of your neck.

“Miss me?” the question was rhetorical, you could feel that he misses you even if it was purely sexual you were just curious if he’d admit it or

“I just drove 7 hours, and picking you up was my first stop...what the fuck do you think?” Another shameless moan rolled off his tongue , as your hands fell from his hair , kissing your way up his jaw, reclining it even more to give you better access.

A humm leaving your lips at that, though you were more flustered at his admission than anything “Good, because I’m over touching myself to that video we made a month ago....I need you to fuck me” Flicking at the hinge with your tongue smirking against his skin once the needies moan imaginable fell from his lips. While his hand crept into your hair, mimicking the hold you held on his, the new position forced you to stare into those big puppy dog eyes of his. Which were screaming how bad he needed you almost more than his cock was as it sat pressed throbbing against your thigh.

Tugging your bottom lip between his teeth, soothing the sting sligthly with his tongue, “Then we should probaly get outta here, before I bend you over, and fuck you on your damn porch!”

“Ohhh, is that a threat or a promise?” Brow quirked...testing your luck

“Baby, remember who your talking to then try that again, so you decide if you want little Susie next door to see you get fucked or not. Because the cops flicking me for indecenent exposure is the last thing on my mind….I’ll fuck you wherever you want me too..”

No, the sharp inhale that flooded your chest didn't go unnoticed, the smirk on Jimin’s face said it all “That’s what I thought….”

~~~~~

You found yourself stoned, laying in a sea of pillows on Jimin’s king sized bed,flicking through Netflix while he was in the shower. The sound of his phone ringing knocked you out of your current haze, not even aware he left it charging on the nightstand. Somehow you magically ended up all the way on the other side of the bed... Which is ironically where his nightstand was..hhmm Imagine that!

The number itself wasn’t saved but it was a local area code, you weren’t his girlfriend so it damn sure isn't your place to check and or answer his phone. More importantly, selling weed IS Jimin’s job. So you shouldn’t be surprised he’s getting random calls, hell you used to be one of those calls.

But thennnnn the person sent a text..and I mean you shouldn't look butttt……

(586) 445-8474: 11:12PM : Jiminieeeeeeeeeeeeee😍😍😍

You couldn't even help the snarl that naturally left your lips at that, everything from the nickname to the 83673 Emojis let you know this was a girl. But again your not official, not even close...so you can’t be mad….

Not even a minute later

(586) 445-8474: 11:12PM : It’s been too long, your favorite client is feeling neglected🥺 ...I think I deserve a special delivery…

“Of fucking course you do….” Eyes rolling to the back of your head more times than you could count, the dialogue just felt a little too familiar for you liking. But again, your not offical, and Jimin’s fine as fuck, you’d be stupid to think other "customers” didn;t have the same agenda as you. But still, THERE. NOT . YOU!

“Oh my fuck really!!?” Yes, you were legit yelling at the phone but I mean in all fairness..she was getting annoying she’s literally blowing Jimin’s phone up right now like dude CHILL! This is your third text in less than 5 minutes! Go play with your vibrator or something clearly he’s busy!

(586) 445-8474: 11:14: You already know what I want...just the usual with a little bonus on the side…..😏😏😏👅👅

I swear you almost threw up in your mouth at that, the sound of the shower shutting off had you flying over to the other side of the bed. Yet you couldn't wash the attitude off your face, not a damn chance....arms crossed eyes glued to all of nothing that danced along his flat screen.

Sauntering out, hair wet, slicked out of his face, his toned and tanned abdomen glistening...towel sitting dangerously low, v lines on full display. Standing there in all his glory, yet  believe it or not you were too damn annoyed to even be turned on right now!

“Your phones been having a seizure by the way…” Words leaving your lips dry as all hell earning an airy chuckle to fall from his lips. Still completely clueless to your current attitude...

“Oh yeah? Ya know, I’ve been saying I need a secretary..seems like your already on top of it...you down for hire?I’d pay you in more ways than one...” Slowly running his tongue along his teeth as he strolled in your direction, muscles flexing as he walked.

“Nah I’m good…” nothing subtle about the bite in our voice, eyes blatantly avoiding him and he already had an idea why. A slight smirk tugging on his lips as he walked over to his phone. Taking a quick look at all 8262 of his missed texts from his mystery customer before making his way over to you.

“Did you even notice I don’t even have her number saved?” To your surprise there wasn't a lick of attitude laced within his tone

Shrugging before he could even complete the sentence, an amused chuckle fluttered through the air, well, I’m glad he found this funny.

Bracing himself on his hands and knees as he crawled over to you, a knot forming in your stomach in anticipation! It was a lot easier to be angry when he was standing afar you didn’t need to see all things that were Jimin Park in close proximity! Fuck, you really didn't wanna cave..even though you really had NO right to be mad, but that's besides the point. Your in too deep at this point ya just gotta commit!

“Stop” spine going rigid at the almost primal glint  that hit his eyes as a narrowed in your direction.

“You know I don’t don’t have time to play games, I told you...daddy had some business to handle...I haven’t had time for anything...or anyone else….” Reaching over grabbing both of your ankles, yanking you down the bed in one swift notion. Breath hiccuping in your chest, at how quickly he moved you, often forgetting how strong this man really was. Positioning you right under him, caging you in. The strong scent of vanilla hitting your nose as you tried your damnedest to keep your best poker face on!  Yet all you wanted to do is lean up and taste those sinfully thick lips of his. He knew it too, the way your eyes immediately dropped down...so he hoovered..nice and low as he talked, purposely teasing you until you had to damn near mentally restrain yourself from chasing after him.

“‘I just got back in town and your the one in my bed so fix your fuckin face….”  There wasn’t any inflation in tone, nor did the tenor change within that tranquil lull he called a voice! Yet you felt you chest get tight..fuck everything got tight. Still baffled by how much authority just slipped past his lips in the calmest tone imaginable.

Turning your head to rest your cheek on the side of the bed, trying to avoid eye contact, clearly he didn't like that. “I never realized how much of a brat you could be ...your usually such a good girl for me is this what happens when I leave you untouched?!” Gripping a chunk of your hair right at the scalp . Tilting your head until your neck was arched off the bed , a hiss leaving your lips from the current sting that was fluttering from your scalp down to your core.

Eyes narrowing in his direction, jaw tight “ I. Don’t. Care. You don't owe me anything so-”

Cutting you off with a snarl, tugging your hair even tighter until he pulled a restrained moan from your throat “ Oh don’t give me that bullshit, you do care, and I no I don't owe you anything...but I’m choosing to let you know…”

Shifting slightly so one of his knees sat between your thighs, pressed firm against your heat, towel falling back on the bed in the process”So how long are you gonna try and sit in my face…” Dropping his posture so he was braced on one elbow...exchange the grip he held on your scalp for your waist. Digging his thumb into your hip “..And act like me telling you, your the only person I’ve been wrapped around...isint why your pussys fuckin soaked..” Pulling your panties to the side just enough to tease you. Slowly rocking your hips against his thigh. Body arching naturally needing to feel more no matter how much you wanted to fight it, and he gave you what you wanted. Lifting your hips, guiding you in a deep wave like motion, applying steady pressure to your clit until it was almost sticking to his thigh...even through your panties ...”Such a greedy little thing aren't you? your gonan fuck around and come all over my thigh if you keep it up, your clits already getting hard baby I can feel it…”

“Oh fuck meeee..” Hissed past your lips in slight defeat as your body betrayed you once again eyes fluttering to the back of your head as you clawed at his sheets

“ Oh I will, especially because..if were being honest... “ Reaching over with his opposite, grabbing a fist full of your shirt, yanking you upright while he rested his weight on his knees. Having your lips flush against his thigh, head lulling on your shoulder as they spread every so slightly, giving you direct  stimulation. Waving his tongue into your mouth, the kiss was hard, deep, so much so that he almost knocked the went out of you. “The idea of me... being the only one to fill you up get’s me sooo fuckin hard..”

Faint kisses fluttered against your lips as he took your hand in his, letting you take a little detour up his chiseled adbodomed, along his chest..edging your way down to his pelvis. Gently digging your nails into his V-Lines...eyes glued to the way his muscles tensed as you ravished over them with the pads of your fingers. Your fingers were tingling you were getting so impatient ...finally guiding you down to stroke his length guiding your movements. Almost as if he was teasing himself, not fully applying steady pressure. Or maybe he was waiting for you to take the lead. Work him in your hand like it was yours ….

The feeling of him hot and ready, throbbing against your palm had you stroking him on your own accord loving the site above you your own little private show. Watching his plush lips part as he slowly started to unravel eyes sitting low.For the first time since you've known him you were the cause of the sudden haze that washed over his body ...a low throaty moan leaving his chest.

“I can’t believe your over here trippin over some bitch on my phone when ....you got me right here hard as fuck ready to do whatever you want me to” Thoes words fell from his lips in nothing but a honey coated moan…”Mmm..you feel that? it's all for you if you want it…”

Aburputy knocking you back on the bed...body bouncing slightly against the mattress “You want it...your pussys telling me how bad you want it, these sexy little panties are soaked baby…” Eyes falling to admire the wet patch forming against your panties, a moan slipping from his lips as he pressed two fingers firm against your clothed slit making your body jerk.”All I thought about my entire ride home was making you come-”

The sound of another incoming text rang through the air completely snatching you out of the mood .

“You should probably get to that , wouldn't want you to miss out on an important customer. “ Rolling your eyes as tried to get up..you thought! One roll of Jimin’s hips knocked you right back on your ass.

“Do you really think I give a fuck about what’s going on, on my phone right now? Your not stupid you know what she wants from me….that’s why your so pissy-”

“I told you I-” 

“Fucking stop-” Cutting you off before you could continue your normal sechduled bullshit! 

“You know why she hit me up….”  Reaching for your shirt  again, pulling  you up to straddle his thighs “..And you care...”  Resting his forehead agaisnt yours…”lie to me again...I fuckin dare you...” There was a good 5 second pause that felt like it lasted a hour your heart was pounding so fast, while Jimin’s eyes pryed into yours “I’m not a child Y/N, I don’t play mind games! What I want, and who I want is right here-”…

“Prove it…”  Fell from your lips before you could even think about it, fuck it was so cliche but you meant it! 

There was a blatant shift once you said that, instantly, his face softened but his eyes got dark “I don't need to prove shit Y/N...you already know and that’s why your upset” Lips ghosting over yours as he spoke, fuck why were you already panting he hasn’t even done anything yet! “Actually... you could feel it,feel that shits shifting between us, and that’s the ONLY reason. You even give a fuck that some chicks on my phone” 

You throat got dry as all hell, deffiently not expecting for him to call you out like that “What you felt wasn’t in your head, it was real,and you’ll feel it again, and again. Until it sticks in that thick ass head of yours that we both have options, but clearly-” Brow quirked arrogantly, almost as if to say “You see where we are..,you already know whats up!”

Shifting forward to lay you back on the bed, grounding his hips into yours to hold you in place . pressing his lips against yours refusing to make the first move, now it was all on you, "Stop being stubborn and tell me that you want me, tell me that you want this..." Voice dropping to a sinful tenor, just as as dominant as it was needy!

"I want it" You didint even need to think about it because he was right..that's the only reason you got upset...you want whatever “This” is .

Slowly sliding his tongue past the seam of your lips at the admission...hands soothing up your thighs pulling back, yanking your shirt over his head "You look good in my shirt by the way..." the contrast of his rings against your skin was inviting since every inch of your body felt like it was set ablaze once he started placing open mouthed kisses down your stomach. Blowing over every spot he licked, eyes zoning in on the way your muscles contracted everytime. “Fuck, I can smell you from here…” Jimin’s mouth was literally watering as your arousal graced his nose.

Soft moans fell from your lips as he spread your legs even wider, pressing your ass firm into his mattress.  Hands kneading at your inner thighs, while you laid there fully exposed giving him free-reign to your body. Yet you didn't feel uncomftable, or embarrassed, in fact it was the exact opposite...suddenly feeling this need within you to let him have you any way he wanted.

“Do you always get this wet or is it just for me?” Teeth sinking into the side of your hip, making you buck into his mouth! Running away from the sting while begging for more all at the same time.

“You, fuck it’s you, please don’t do this, no teasing I’ve been needing you all day…” The admission was honest you woke up aching for him. Once he got to your hip bone you gripped the sheets on command anticipation for him to drag this out and tease you but boy where you damn wrong!

Reclining his jaw, placing his mouth over your lips, swallowing your clit in the process, “Jiminnn” Hands flying to his head, almost trying to pull him off , not expecting it to feel that intense...prepared for him to take it slow, edge you a little for being a brat. But it was clear Jimin wasn't in the mood to play games whatsoever tonight.

“Na-uh...I’m not stopping until your feel it...all of it…” Gliding his tongue along your folds, reaching up to free the hold you held on his hair, intertwining his fingers with yours instead. Back arching slightly as you squeezed down on his fingers, this man was treating your clit as if it was your tounge. There's no other way to describe the intense pressure he was applying to every inch of your heat. Licking,sucking,swirling his tongue around you like it was his life's goal to rip you apart nerve, by nerve  as quickly as possible. You could physically hear the sound of his lips sucking against your juices how wet, and messy you were. “Such a greedy pussy baby…” Smirking against your folds as he watched the way your entrance clenched and released around nothing, sliding his tounge over your slit again this time a little slower. Teasing your entrance, waving it in and out, almost grazing the top of your walls in the process.

By now Jimin knew exactly what do you to get you off within minutes if need be, lapping his tongue around all of the juices falling from every crevice. Eyes wired shut, as your body jerked and tensed at every deadly roll of the tongue, the added sensation from his piercing had you damn near crawling up the bed. You could feel Jimin moaning out a taste of you, every sound vibrated through your body as he captured your clit between his lips, sucking on it mercilessly grazing it gently with his teeth. “Jiminnnn fuckkk..” Back arching off the end as you squeezed down on his fingers even fighter, you were sure his fingers were going numb!  He wasn’t holding back on you tonight kneading out in pleasure burying your face into the sheets, biting down as hard as you could.

A breathy whine of his name feel from your lips as he already knew that meant you were coming, your clit started to tense beneath his tongue. Gently freeing your hand from his, brining it down to meet his tongue. Sliding 3 fingers in knuckle deep in one notion, which pushed you completely over the edge, a brittle cry left your throat. Body naturally jerking away from him as you came, trying to turn on your side, clamping your thighs around his head. Only making him moan even harder as your juices slide down his chin. The vibrations pushing you even further over the edge, working you through your orgasmn he relsed your clit, but still kept slowly pumping his fingers in and out. Soft praises fell from his lips as he watched you fall apart beanthe him.

“God your so fuckin sexy baby, you did sooo good..you taste fuckin amazing…” Voice sitting a little husky, already sounding fucked out. The only noise in the background was the low hum of the tv and the sound of your juices being being roamed around your pussy. Using your own arousal to get himself nice and wet, soft moans fell from his lips as he worked himself in his hand.

The sound alone had you eyes prying open as you reached up, tugging on his chain gently so he’d lean forward.”Come’re..”Sliding your tongue into his mouth, moaning out as you tasted yourself letting your fingers get lost in his slightly damp locks.”Why is your cock in your hand instead of my pussy?” Brow arched arrogently “Fuck, meeee” Biting down on his bottom lip, your request is more of a command, using the brattestt tenor ever but he didint fight you on this. Throbbing too damn hard for you to draw this out, a low growl hissed from his lips as he angled himself at your entrance, pushing into you making you ground your hips into the mattress the pressure was so intense. “Oh my god…” but you damn sure weren't running away, you needed him.

Tilting your head back, jaw slightly ajar, as the blunt head of his dick started morphing his way into your heat as both of you moaning out at the stretch, eyes flutter to the back of your head, bracing your weight on your elbows, while his lips connected to your ear “You feel it yet ?” panted from his lips you could feel him smirking against your skin. Whimpering out in response, slamming your lips back into his as he bottomed out completely damn near knocking the wind out of you in the process.

A low whine leaving your chest, while Jimin braced his hands on your knees spreading them to their breaking point as he started pounding into you.  Jimin was never one to fuck on jack rabbit speed, but he could still get rough and thats the modd he was in tonight, his thrust were slow and deep, but HARD. Pelvis bone grazed your clit at every thrust ‘Fuck I missed this, you feel so good around me baby, so fuckin tight” snarled from his lips

Teeth digging into his bottom lip as he fucked into you, the moans that fell from your throat only edged him on, you swore he was still throbbing even while being balls deep inside you. “How are you still so tight!? you just won't...ease up tonight fuckkkkk…” You were holding onto him for dear life, even as he slid out your pussy would catch him! Clamping down around the tip, walls never fully relaxing, almost as if he had to break his way through with every thrust.

“I told you I needed you, you fucked me soo good the last time baby...it’s all I could think about….” Arching your hips slightly meeting his thrust, challanging them actually,  egging him on to fuck you even harder “Yes-yes-fuckkk-I missed you….” Not sure where that came from but you didn't regret it and you weren't taking it back.

The confession ripped a moan from his throat, as he brought one had up to stroke your jaw, thumb flicking your bottom lip which you welcomed with your tongue. Sucking it into your mouth  with a moan as you rolled your hips even deeper, eyes glued to his.  “ Mmm, I missed you too, fuckk..” Head snapping back at how tight you just got upon him saying that, jaw tight, nostrils flared, completely consumed in everything that is you! “ Goddamn, I’m not gonna last, you gotta let up a little baby fuckk…”  Leaning over to spit directly on your clit.

“I can’t- I can’t -you, you feel too good..” Your words were so broken you were so close, exchanging the hold he had on your hip for neck. Applying just the right amount of pressure, while his other hand came down to work your clit, his skilled fingers circling the overly sensitive bud until your body felt like it was toppling over itself. Crying out his name in boken whispers, as you came with such force Jimin almost felt as if you were pushing in out from how hard you were pulsing around him.

“Fuck..” Growled from his chest, as his hips started to falter “So fuckin wet…babbyyyy…” sounding almost as if he was pleading for you to stop even though to be fair you weren't doing anything. Grinding into your slowly as you whined into the pillow. Bringing his fingers up from your clit letting you taste yourself,using it almost as a distraction.Lapping your tongue over the diggest with a slight moan. You started trying to fuck him back only earning a smack to the clit “No fuck, dont- I’ll come right now and I don’t- fuck- I dont wanan come yet…” Leaning forward to lick his way back into your mouth, deep and slopply, teeth clicking together slightly “It’s so fuckin messy god I love it...love fuckin your pussy baby…” Moaned past him lips as he started picking up his pace again.

“Mmm, I can feel it dripping out...I meant  I said earily...I can’t even get myself this wet...you fuck me soo good Jimin...so good” Letting your figners get tangled in his hair.

“Jesus..” He was winded, and ready to come then and there, but needed to pull one more from you, whether you knew it or not. Taking a moment to pull himself together,before slamming right back into you. The sound of his headboard banging against the wall muffled the sound of you completely falling apart. Once he found your spot again he rammed it mercilessly “Come again, come with me baby please..” Whined form his lips his voice breaking ever so slightly. This time you brought your own hand down to work your clit, Knowing exactly what to do you push you right back to the edge. “Yes, yes, fuck good girl, such a good girl  for me…” He could feel you getting tighter and tighter.

“Comeee, fill me up again baby….let me feel it, all of it!”Knowing you choice of words would push him over the edge,his thrust became uneven and you knew he was done. Your name fell from his lips repeatedly as his warmth spilled through you. Which is actually what triggered your third release, as it came crashing on top of you ripping a silent cry from your throat as your body spazzed around him. Pulling out slowly, only to play in his cum that was leaking out, swirling it around his fingers. Body jerking at every touch, shoving it all back in, followed by his length which had you back coming to a complete arch, nails digging into the sheets. Jimin feathered kisses all over your face, praising you repeatedly trying to get your body to stop shaking.He didn't wanna lose your warmth yet, he needed to feel you, soft moans fell from his lips as he tried to soothe you. His body still just as sensitive, and it didn't help that you were still pulsing around him.

Hands roaming up your thighs, his tongue stroking yours leisurely. Slowly grinding his hips into yours actually somewhat edging you ... giving just enough to have you on the brink of begging for him to give it all to you even though you really couldn’t handle it! Pulling your lips away from his tenantivily “I can’t feel my legs, your legit carrying me the rest of the weekend….” Straight up pouting and 100% serious though Jimin only laughed, an exhausted airy chuckle filled the room.

“Your fault, your challenged me baby girl...I guess you know better than to doubt me huh?” Flicking your bottom lip with ths tounge, the peice of metal teaseing your skin.

“I mean..I dont know, if you’ll fuck me like that everytime I do then maybeeeee-” The sound of his phone ringing finally his body from y yours with a loud sigh

“I gotta get that...All “after hour specials” aside..this..” Flicking his head in the direction of his phone “This is my job, this is my life, my phone rings at all hours of the night and realistically...if they want at least a quarter even if it’s after midnight theres a good chance I’ll make the drop….”

A long sigh left your chest because you knew what he was getting at, as I stated earlier Jimin didn't play games. This was his way of letting you know if you wanted to keep doing whatever “This” is...you’d have to get used to his lifestyle….

Nodding slowing...kissing up his face, until your lips found his again, there was no ulterior motive...you just wanted to taste him. “I have a couple contracts with dispensaries...and cbd shops which is good..because that’s steady reliable money...but I’m a hustler at heart. I take care of myself, have since I was 16, everything I do isn't as clean and pretty as my face…”  his choice of words were playful but there was nothing innocent about what he was implying!

Leaning down to kiss your forehead, a timid smile tugging on his cheeks, you could tell how vulnerable he felt right now. Brining your hands up to soothe his back as he talked.Not sharing too much because in the same notion, outside of the fact that you’ve been buying weed from him for damn near 6 months, on a personal level he dosen’t know much about you either. But considering the way things have escalated recnetly he knows he owes you atleast a vauge warning...

“I’m not gonna lie to you, all of my clients aren’t like Brandi...that’s her name by the way she’s a nurse...or the one who just text I’m sure it’s Tim..he’s an IT guy. They usually come to me once every other month and I put together a Little special. which is equivalent to 2 1/2 eighths! “

Eyes damn near bugging out of your head that,which made  it made him chuckle lightening the mood a little!  Eighters aren’t cheap they could be well over $150 depending on the type so between the two of them Jimin could easily make almost $1000 in one night!

“And yes, since I’m sure it’s been buzzing through your mind some of my clients are just a cliche and shady as you’ve probably imagained…..”

The sharp inhale that left your chest didn't go unnoticed, “ I’m not a rookie baby relax, I’m not reckless, but I’m also not innocent. There maybe nights, or even days were I go MIA and I won’t tell you where I am...the less you know the better.”

The idea of that alone kinda made your heart sink, nights were you'd have to feel him creak out of bed and not know where he was going and more importantly if he’d even make it back. “My lifestyle isn't for everyone, but my bills stay paid and it keeps my savings account up for a rainy day. I don’t have family to lean on...all I got is me...Soo I gotta do what I gotta do….” You heard his voice flutter in his chest at the mention of family, or lack there of!

Reaching up to cup his face in your hands, locking your eyes with his “Why are you telling me all this Jimin….” You needed him to say it..spell it out…

The smile that moved up his face as he licked his lips had your chest tight. The blatant fondness that dance through his eyes as he gazed back at you!

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t want too... I like the idea of you keeping my bed warm for me at night...but I don't want to paint a false picture of who I am. At the end of the day I’m not some corporate hothead in a suit, though I own a few and look damn good in it… too…”

Always so modest eyes rolling to the back of your head, an exhausted giggle left your chest “I like who I’m getting to know, and I know your not some super clean cut guy. And I’m not gonna lie it’s actually kinda sexy…..” You couldn't even hide the smile that creeped up your face if you wanted to as you felt his dick twitch, at the sudden praise.  Almost forgetting he was still buried between your thighs. Making it damn hard to focus on much else  now….

“I-I don't really know how this whole thing works, but I don’t mind trying..and just taking whatever this “thing” is..day by day with you….I’ve known who you were since, the first night I let you in...I’m not expecting you to be anything other than the guy I met outside of Jhonnys” Thumbing at his bottom lip, feeling somewhat anxious after you spit all that out...

The purest smile stretched across his face until you were almost questioning where his eyes went! Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, nodding slowly , you could physically feel the tension leaving his body .

“You can come with me if you want...I won’t say that often, actually probaly ever..but Tim and Brandi are harmeless..and they live in the fuckin burbs!  Also, it would let Brandi know that I gotta take my late night specials off the menu…”

You couldn’t help but snort out a laugh at that nudging his chest playfully “If I go there's 3 stipulations.”

Brow arching in curiosity ‘Hmmm?”

“1st, you need to roll me a joint, because my muscles are aching thanks to somebody!! “ A smug smirk tugged on his lips at that

“Two….you gotta buy me whatever I want from 7/11 because you live in Africa and I need snacks for the road” A cackle ruperted from his chest, Jimin had one of the purest laughs you’d every heard. What makes it even better is he laughs with his entire body, almost falling off the bed in the process.

“And last ...were gonna play 21 questions….on our ride down there...I’m not here to find out your secret sauce for your fire hybrids..I just ...wanna get to know you...not “Jimin The Plug”...just..my Jimin…” Feeling somewhat shy once you said that, especially because you already claimed him without even realizing it! But the smile that moved up his face as he strolled closer killed any doubts…

“Your Jimin” Hmmm..I like that, and it’s a deal...to all three...and thennnn…” Crawling his way over to you, letting his body hoover over yours “When we get back...we can crawl back into bed and I’ll  fuck you right to sleep…”

THATS ALL SHE WROTE!!! FOR NOW...I ACTUALLY ALREADY HAVE AN IDEA FOR PART 3 ( IT GETS A LITTLE ANGSTY) SO IF THIS GETS ENOUGH LOVE ILL ADD IT TO MY LIST. IF YOU LIKED IT “LIKE IT” COME DROP BY THE ASKS AND LEMME KNOW…

SIDE NOTE: Leave a comment if you want me to do a little excerpt of  their 21 questions car ride...for the MOST part the questions will be legit. Not “what's a kink I don't know about” it will be them actually getting to know each other BUT it’s Jimin so it will get a little cheeky of course!!

UPDATE AS OF 9/8- I AM DOING A 21Q’S CHAPTER...SOOO SEND ME QUESTIONS YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE OC AND JIMIN!! 

LOVE YOU GUYS AS ALWAYS,

ROCKI

[quadraphonictypewriter]

Rushing Whispers Part 11/?

Read from the beginning or Part 10

June 25 & 26, 1970 ((approx 2550 words))

Cameron and I had left the house early to spend the day in and around Aberdeen. As we were driving along the River Dee mid day, I noticed Duthie Park to our left and my mind drifted to the last time I was at Polmuir Road.

“Do you think Lily would be happy to see me?” I asked.

“I don’t see why she wouldn’t be,” Cameron answered. “Did you want to stop by? We still have time before the meeting.”

I thought for a moment and agreed. We took a little detour and within minutes were standing in front of her house. My hand hovered with hesitation in front of the door. I stole a glance at Cameron, and with a smile he knocked for me.

It took a minute for Lily to get to the door, but once she opened it I could see the surprise clear on her face.

“Hi, auntie,” was all I said. 

“Emily! Come, dear!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug and bringing me inside the house. “You too,” she told Cameron, who obliged and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. 

We followed Lily into the kitchen, where she put the kettle on and took three cups out of the cabinet. 

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” she chuckled as she turned back to face us. 

“I didn’t expect to be back so soon,” I answered, glancing at Cameron. “It’s just me, though. Liliane isn’t here,” I added. 

Lily sat down across from us and I could see how happy she was to see me again, as I was to see her. “I know, dear. I received a call from her yesterday, long distance of course,” she quipped. “Though she didn’t tell me you would be on this side of the pond.” 

“I asked Emily to return,” Cameron answered. “You know that I’m a musician, and I’ll be touring for a few months with the rest of the band. I asked Emily to accompany me and she agreed.” 

Lily looked at me and winked almost imperceptibly. “Where will you be travelling to?” she asked, obviously curious.

“We will be doing most of the tour in Germany and France,” Cameron began. “Some other dates are planned for Holland, and some British dates as well.” 

“Very exciting!” Lily said as she stood to pour the tea.

“It is,” I agreed, my smile wide. “Auntie, would you mind if I gave Liliane a quick call? I’m sure she’s up now, it must be around eight for her.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind at all.” 

With that, I got up from the table and went into the sitting room. I sunk into the armchair by the phone and dialed the operator before giving my sister’s number. 

She answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Lil,” I responded. “How are you?” 

“Emily! I’m doing fine, how are you? The flight was okay? Cameron was there to pick you up?”

“I’m good too, and yes. Also, yes,” I added with a laugh. “We’re at Lily’s right now, I thought I’d give you a call and let you know everything’s fine.” 

“I’m glad, thanks for calling. When do you leave to join the travelling musician’s club?” she asked me through a stifled giggle. 

“Ten days or so. I’ll write you a letter not long afterwards, so expect that in a few weeks,” I informed her.

“Did you show him the photo of your painting?” 

“I did. He loved it,” I told her. 

“That’s great.” I could hear her smile. “I’m happy for you.” 

“Thanks, sis. Well, our tea is ready and I don’t want to keep Lily waiting, I’ll let you go.” 

“Wait, before you go. Thank Cameron for me, for keeping you safe. And remind him that if he doesn’t he will have me to answer to.” 

I chuckled, even though I knew she was being serious. “I will.”

“Love you.”

“Same here. We’ll talk soon.” 

I hung up and went back to the kitchen, my cup of tea set on the table and Cameron and Lily chatting pleasantly. 

“Your sister is doing well?” Cameron asked as I sat beside him. 

“Yes, she is. I’ll write her a letter soon, so in about three weeks she’ll be hounding the postman for a letter every day,” I laughed.

When it neared two-thirty, we said goodbye to Lily and made our way back to the house in Cairnie. The rest of the band, plus Geoff and the girls, were to arrive at three, but when we pulled up to the house we saw that some of them had already arrived. 

Willie and Dale were standing outside the door, smoking cigarettes and talking. We got out of the car and greeted them; Willie looked his usual solemn self but Dale was happy to see me. 

“It’s nice you’ve come back to our keyboardist!” he exclaimed after we exchanged a brief hug. 

“Well, I didn’t leave by choice,” I said with a chuckle. 

We all entered the house and Cameron left the front door unlocked for the others to enter when they arrived. Soon enough, the house was full and we were just waiting for Geoff. Sylvia and I were chatting when he walked in a few minutes later and immediately called the band to the meeting in the studio. 

“What’s it like having lots of snow?” Sylvia asked. “I’ve never seen more than a few inches on the ground.” 

“Try three feet of snow by New Years Day,” I quipped.

“Three feet?”

“I’ll give you one better,” I said enthusiastically. “Nine years ago, at the end of February there was an ice storm. An inch of freezing rain fell in two days. And the wind uprooted trees and everything.” 

Sylvia said nothing, only a shocked look on her face. After a moment, she began asking questions again and I amused myself by answering them. I was just about to explain how Niagara Falls is actually three separate waterfalls when Lee walked into the room and asked me to join the meeting. 

"I thought it was a band meeting," I noted quietly as we walked down the hall towards the studio. 

"I'll let Geoff explain," Lee replied, opening the door. All the heads in the room turned towards us, Cameron smiling at me and Willie  brooding. Everyone else looked mildly surprised, as if I had food on my face. Knowing I didn't, I made no move and waited to be asked by Geoff to sit. 

I pulled up a chair beside Cameron and sat down. 

"Emily," Geoff greeted me, "we have a bit of an issue with the album, and Cameron thought you could help us out." 

I glanced at Cameron and he gave me a slight wink. I looked back to Geoff and spoke. "What's the issue?" 

"The man who was to airbrush a photo of the band for the album cover, his mum's sick and he's backed out of the contract." Then, seeing my face change, he continued. "Now, I'm all for sympathy but he's got a contract with us that's now been nullified, and we're in need of someone to provide us with an album cover."

"And you want me to do it? I've never airbrushed before-" 

"But Cameron has said you are quite a painter,” Geoff interjected. “Would you be willing to paint something?”

"Quick and dirty,” Willie added in a surprisingly interested tone. “We haven't got much time.”

I thought for a moment and realized that this might be the way to be accepted by the rest of the band, especially Willie and the manager, who didn't seem too happy with my presence. “I'll do it,” I said confidently. "But I'll need supplies, and some sort of idea to go on." 

"Lee's got the sketches. He'll fill you in," Geoff said. "Meeting dismissed." 

Everyone left the studio except Cameron, Lee, and myself. I'd remembered him being introduced as Leroy when we had first met, but bit my tongue. 

"Cameron, are you sure about this?" I asked worriedly. 

"Yes. Talk with Lee, figure out what you need and we'll get it for you. I'll be right back," he said before giving me a quick kiss and heading towards the living room. 

Lee took Cameron’s spot beside me and handed me a sketchbook. "So, Emily, this is what I’ve got sketched out..”

After an hour or so of talking with Lee and making my own sketches, he left with Cameron to get the supplies I would need. Almost everyone had left; only Clyde and Sylvia stayed at the house to keep me company, which I appreciated. 

“You know,” Clyde began as he stood, “there’s always been something with Cameron.” Clyde flipped the record and lowered the needle.

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious at his words. 

“Something missing. He’s never been one to fool around for the sake of it, but no one’s ever stuck,” he noted. “He’s different with you, though.” 

“He’s right,” Sylvia added. “He’s more-” 

All talk of Cameron ceased as he walked in the door with Lee, hands full with shopping bags of art supplies and rigid canvases. 

I stood and grabbed a bag from Lee, setting it down on the kitchen table and beginning to unpack it. Acrylic paints, multiple styles and textures of brushes, many sheets of thick paper… 

It was evening, and everyone had left by now; only me and Cameron remained at the house. He had a test pressing of the album with him and was playing it for me in the sitting room, where I had repurposed the kitchen table and laid down a large sheet to catch any paint. All my supplies were ready and waiting for me, but first, I had to hear what I was painting. 

“It’s a shame that no one in North America knows about you guys,” I told Cameron as the last song began to fade. “You’d kick some major ass.” 

Cameron laughed. “The time will come. One day we’ll be known all over. And this album is the first step.” 

I smiled at him. “I’m happy to be a part of it. Now, play it again.” 

Cameron flipped the record back to the first side and set the needle down. I had sketched some ideas based on what Lee had shown me, but there was something missing from them. 

“Is this album about someone?” I asked. “It seems almost like a plea, but for who, I don’t know.” 

“You’ve got a keen ear,” Cameron noted. “It’s mainly about a man that Willie and I used to know, an old teacher of ours. He died in Korea. We were young and he had greatly impacted both of us,” he told me. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be, love. It’s not your fault there was a war.” 

“Still,” I commented, “it’s not fair to die in someone else’s war.” 

“No, it’s not.” Cameron paused in thought and then looked back to me. “We wrote this album as a statement. People can come from very little and do very much with themselves.” 

Cameron began to describe to me his teacher and the impact he made, and by midnight II had two completed canvases, and the last was half finished. Cameron was reading on the couch but dutifully kept the turntable going. 

It was difficult to paint on a schedule and at the same time make something worthy of being the cover for an album they’d all worked so hard on. I had a few last touches to add when Cameron stood and came to stand behind me.

“It’s not finished, not yet,” I told him. 

“It’s wonderful,” he answered. “You’ve painted all over your arms.” 

“Always happens,” I explained. “This is the first time you’ve seen me paint, isn’t it?” I added a few small brushstrokes and set down the brush and palette I’d been holding. The third version of the cover art was finished. 

“Yes, it is,” he said. “I love seeing you so passionate.” 

“I haven’t been so happy to paint in a long time.” 

“I’m glad I could help with that,” Cameron noted. “Now, let’s go to bed.”

We got out of bed in the early morning, again woken by the shrill sound of a telephone. Cameron answered it and came back to the bedroom. 

“Don’t go downstairs in your panties,” he warned me. “Willie should almost be here.” 

“For what?” I asked incredulously.

“To see your paintings,” he said as if it made sense. 

“I’m not even sure they’re finished,” I moaned. “Why does he have to come right away?” 

“Just be grateful he didn’t barge in here at three in the morning to ask if they were done,” Cameron said with a laugh.

“Why, is that like him?”

“Very like him.” 

With that, I stood and quickly got dressed. Brushing my hair and teeth took less time than I thought, so after I signed the corner of the canvas I even had time for a quick toast before Lee and Willie arrived with too much gusto for so early in the morning. 

“You two look dead,” Cameron noted. 

I was glad I didn’t say it, because Willie shot him a stern look. Lee, on the other hand, looked apologetic. He came up to me and pulled me aside as Cameron and Willie discussed something on the other side of the room. 

“So? How do they look?” he asked me anxiously. 

“Cameron says they look great,” I told him. “But come see for yourself.” 

We’d removed some art from the walls in the hallway to put the three canvases up to dry. I brought Lee there and he gasped. 

“That’s amazing! I think Willie will like it too, even with that stick up his-” 

“That stick up my arse?” Willie asked, startling both of us. Cameron was behind him, but slipped past to come stand beside me with an arm around my waist. Lee looked bashful, but Willie ignored him in favour of the canvases. 

‘This isn’t the Louvre,’ I said to myself as he critiqued the first painting. 

The second had a more dramatic feel to it, but it was the third painting that caught Willie’s attention. He turned to us and nodded. “This one.” 

“That’s that, then,” Cameron said. “Give this to Geoff and tell him to get it to his man.” 

Lee delicately took the painting in his hands and lifted it off the wall, walking behind Willie. He glanced back at me and winked, I smiled in return.

We saw them both to the door but once they’d left, I hugged Cameron tight. “That was nerve-racking.” 

“Was it?” he chuckled. “I suppose Willie can be like that sometimes, but I’ve known him so long I barely notice it anymore.” 

“Well, I respect your... whatever-it-is for him, but right now, I’m glad he’s gone,” I said with a chuckle. 

Cameron laughed and hugged me closer to him. “I can understand that.” 

We laughed for a moment until my gaze fell to the two rejected paintings. "What will we do with these?" I asked. 

"We'll decorate with them."

--

Part 12

[luvd0nghyuck]

an awaited love♡

it was unlikely to vision the school's bad boy and good girl to date but hey, anything's possible.

it was a daily routine since they were both stressed. y/n, head of the cheer team and library aide before and after school while haechan was the leader of the dreamies and captain of the football team.

you may be curious as to how complete opposites ever crossed paths romantically and it was all from a detention in the library. haechan stole a go cart to drive his friend, chenle to the nearest bathroom during football practice so he can take a shit. which landed haechan right in between the aisles of the book shelves and a game of 21 questions between the both of you since he was bored.

"is it true that you smoke weed and drink alocohol?" i ask.

"yeah... people who has never tried it before always looks down upon it but its not that bad once you try... you want me to burn you out?

"WHAT?" i blurted out accidentally but i realized that this is a library so i slapped my hand over my mouth.

"you do know that it's just the two of us right? the librarian isn't even here." he said as he decides to sit on the floor and place the book on the lowest shelf and absentmindedly i just sit down along with him.

"what do you mean burn me out? what does that even mean?" i ask as curiosity kills the cat but instead of answer back, he smiled like he had a devious plan.

i had the joint my mouth as he was lighting up the other end with his red lighter. as it caught on fire, he blew it out and told me to suck and i did as hard as i could and then he took the joint of my mouth as he saw that i took a hard hit. my eyes were watering and my throat was getting scratchy, itching to cough but he told me before we started that i have to hold in the smoke as long as i can.

"hold it in y/n, don't cough it out yet." he attempted to courage me but for 10 more seconds i had to cough the foreign smoke out of my lungs. as he watched me cough it out, he patted my back and told me to spit it out if i had to since we were hiding on top of the library's roof. as i was collecting the clean air throughout my lungs, he patiently waited for me to calm down and when i did, he asked: "wanna hit it again?"

...

and that was the funny yet confidential start as to how we began to affiliate with each other. before i always admired him from afar but i knew to stay away since he was bad news. but whatever happens, happens and i don't regret meeting haechan at all. that night of his detention, we were stoned to the bone and we discussed everything we could to get to know each other and it was all in one night. we talked about our favorite genre of music to our biggest fears and dreams, our hobbies to our pet peeves, or our future plans and our past.

the more we talked, the more i felt myself getting comfortable with him, and the more i started to admire how his tanned skin looked so beautiful in the sky's sunset. the way his orange dyed hair suited him and brought out his brown eyes. the way his voice was soothing to listen to and made me feel drowsy (or maybe that was just the weed) .

there was a moment where we both stopped talking and let the silence talk for us and let our thoughts roam. i thought about how life and school wasn't as eventful as i thought it was, it was just a routine. wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, go to the library, go to class, go to cheer practice or go to the library then go home to do homework. i realized nobody ever asked me to hang out or invited me to parties or asked me out on dates because i was stuck in a routine. nothing new and no changes. but hanging out with haechan made me see a whole new world.

"hey y/n"

"hmm?"

"i'm glad that i got detention." he said and i just quietly laughed to myself because i knew what he meant.

"and i'm glad you stole that go-cart." he said and his red eyes turned to me and smiled at me.

"you know i like you like this." he stated as he slowly tucked my hair behind my ear and i blushed.

"oh yeah? why?"

"your hair is down. i never see your hair down. your eyes, they're red but i can see that you're genuinely content like you found a peace within yourself." he said truthfully and in all honesty, what he said was accurate. my whole life has always been lived in safety. i never did do anything exciting, most likely because my parents control my life and i'm already given the nickname 'the school's good ice princess'. "i've never really told anyone this but i always admired you from afar." he said as he took another hit from the joint and passed it to me as shock slowly registers within me.

"n-no way." i said while taking the joint from his fingers and taking a hit as he exhaled the smoke.

"oh yes way, i always thought to myself that you were too good for me to ever confess to you. your pretty little self intimated the schools bad boy." he confessed. and that just made me take a second hit as i couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. i kept in the weed induced smoke in my lungs until i felt the need to breathe which was awhile and enough time to think of what to say back.

"i had no idea but i'm kinda mad now cus it's senior year now and i wished you would've confessed to me early because i would've accepted your confession." i truthfully said and i passed the joint back to him but he just began to shake his head.

"naaah you wouldn't date someone like me." he said and i felt a little sad as to why he would say something like that.

"why would you say that? you didn't even know me before." i say, fully facing him only to see he was always sitting towards me.

"no but i knew of you and before i knew you were a straight A student, you always smelled like green apples and shea butter, you didn't like the school's cheeseburgers since it the cheese just looks like cum on top of the burger, and you never used pencils and how you-" i cut him off by softly placing my lips on his because i was starting to get tired of him ramble about me. i tasted weed and the flavor gum we're both chewing awhile ago. but what really snatched my soul was how he reacted back, he kissed me with in undeniable passion as if he waited years for this exact moment and he's trying to tell me that he's in love with me. it was slow but the burning within ourselves was empowering. as we parted, it was like static electricity.

"wow" i said. "that was my first." i said quietly.

"same" he said and i looked at him slowly in disbelief. "what? have you ever heard one rumor of me sleeping around? that's all jaemin, not me." he said seriously and i just chuckled and i couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek. he was overwhelmingly cute.

"what was that for?" he asked.

"for all the years you waited to confess to me." i said and i kissed him on the other cheek once more. "for all the years you admired me from afar." i kissed once more on his forehead. "for all the years you studied me and my natural self." i kissed him chin. "for all the years you thought i was too good for you." i kissed his nose. "for all the years you probably wished for this moment." i kissed his lips. "for all the years we missed out together."

as i pulled back to study his face, his eyes were barely open, hash and undeniably happy from all the love and affection i'm giving him, i just had to laugh until my stomach growled then my mouth watered and tacos came into my mind. then it was his turn to laugh.

"let's get out of here" he said as he slowly got up and brought me up along with him too. i stumbled a little and he caught me in a tight embrace. and cringy me i just had to laugh.

"sorry this is so cliché" while he rolled his eyes and let go of his hold on me and my legs went jelly. only for him to catch me once more. "jerk" i muttered as he laughed and helped me slowly walked out of the library building and into his car. he paid for our tacos and i swear it tasted like heaven.

"damn so you got the munchies huh?" he asked, eyes still red with a smug laugh. i just slowly nodded my head while i slowly enjoyed my taco. he just shaked his head and ate more of his taco but continuing to stare at me. although i was as high as a kite in the sky, i can feel his eyes on my face until i stopped eating to ask him what.

"oh nothing, you're just so beautiful and i'm just glad you decided to be mines." he said as his clean hand rubbed my thigh underneath the table. darn these booth tables, i'm trying to eat, not be sexually aroused. i almost choked on my food and it made him stop.

"oh, are you okay?" he asked and began to pass me the coke. i drank until i stopped choking and nodded my head to show that my gag reflex was fine now.

we finished our tacos and in the car, he asked if i wanted anything else. although i was still hungry, i didn't want to be a burden.

"im fine" i said only for my stomach to growl again.

"okay yeah no, we're going to 7-eleven." he said before putting his keys into the ignition.

as we arrived to the nearest store he told me the exact words "get whatever you want." and five minutes later, i had armful of a big bag of doritos, a pickle, oreos, a coke, kit-kat, and a pint of cookies and cream ice cream. he laughed as i dropped all of the snacks onto the counter and gave the cashier a $20 bill, as he got gum, a slushee, and eye drops. as the lady bagged our items, he told her to keep the change. we walked out with him holding the bags and me opening the door and unlocking the doors as we both got into his lexus.

"i don't know why i'm so hungry. i usually don't eat this much." i said ashamed while opening my bag of chips. he just laughed as he began to exit out of 7-eleven's parking lot.

"when you get high, you can get the munchies. munchies is when you get really hungry and crave for food mostly snacks but you can eat meals too." he said and the information slowly processed into my brain as i munched loudly on my snacks. he gave me a quick glance and laughed again.

"why are you laughing at me?" i ask completely clueless.

"because you're exactly everything i ever wanted and you've never changed over these past years i have admired you." he said and all i can think of was 'oh... so he in love love.' i turned on his radio and my favorite song better by khalid played. and it was like i can hear every beat and instrument and backup vocals playing in the song.

it was only 9 pm and he asked if i needed to go home and i said no since my parents know i usually get home late by bus which angered him a little.

"you're no longer allowed to catch the bus anymore. i will pick you up and drop you off. okay?" he asked as he gripped my thigh and i shakily replied.

"o-okay"

"okay good." and he drove towards the lookout of the entire city.

"why are we here?" i asked.

"you're still high and i just wanna take you home when you're able to walk properly." and i just nodded deciding he was right since my parents would be pissed if they knew i did marijuana.

i munched on my snacks as haechan posted a quick pic of the view from his car and his caption was "nothing feels better than this" since it was the song that was playing and then he posted it on his ig story.

when i finished all of my snacks, i faced the other way to let out a long and loud burp. instead of him being disgusted all he said was "okay first of all, wow that was impressive and second of all i don't know why you're facing the other way, i need some of that talented burp." and began to fan the air towards his face and i laughed out loud as i stopped him from smelling my dinner.

"oh here" he said as he passed me eye drops. i accepted them and began to drop them into my eyes. "do you have perfume by any chance?" he asked me and i nodded my head. "good, spray yourself with that." and i did as told as we began to take our leave from the lookout and back to my neighborhood which is the same neighborhood that he lives in.

we drove into my driveway and i didnt want to leave his car. "as much as i want you to stay with me y/n, you have to go home to your parents or else they will call 911 on your ass." and i nodded my head since he's always right.

"you're right" i said with a sad sigh yet i couldn't help the growing smile on my face as i thought about what i did today with him. "thank you for today. i'm very grateful and i hope we can do this again."

"sure we can do this tomorrow." he said calmly.

"omg are you serious?" i said and he nodded for me to smother him in kisses all over his face.

"thank you! thank you! thank you!" i said and gave him one last kiss on his soft lips, it was similar to the one on the roof except this one was given in a relief type of way. as we pulled away, we were bith breathless.

"i am so whipped for you." and i just giggled before grabbing my things and exiting the car.

"thank you again and get home safely!" i said.

"my house is down the street, i think the worst thing that can happen to me is a speed bump." he said cockily and i just rolled my eyes.

"i don't care just be safe." and he just nodded and smiled.

"okay, okay, go wash up and shower. dont forget to dm me your number before you sleep. okay?"

"okay" i say and smile before biting my bottom lip.

"oh don't do that before i'm about to leave. leaving you is hard enough already." i laugh once again before sending him off for real this time.

"bye haechan"

"okay bye." he said before putting the car into drive and i began to walk up my steps until he honked. "see you tomorrow babes!"

and just like that my heart was stolen.

my parents were in their rooms so i quietly showered and laid in my bed as i texted haechan my number.

he sent me a good night text since it was 11 pm and we both had a busy schedule and i couldn't wait to have our weed date again.

and that's the funny yet fluffy story of how y/n and haechan became the good couple/bad couple.

[fic-library]

Kids

“You gotta help me here, Jody. I’m in deep, deep trouble with this one. I’m serious, I need your help.“ The desperation was painfully obvious in his voice.

“Seriously, Dean? It’s one 16 year old with an attitude, it’s hardly the end of the world. At least yours wasn’t raised by vampires, think yourself lucky. Take her to a movie, buy her a new phone, just get her on your side. Call me when it’s the apocalypse.” There was a click. Jody was gone and Dean was left to fend for himself. 

It had been eight months since Claire Novak moved into the bunker and it had been… Interesting, to say the least. She hated Dean. Pure and simple. No matter how hard he tried to win her over, no matter how much he avoided her, it always ended up in a screaming match and two thoroughly slammed doors. At first, it wasn’t just Dean she hated. At first, anyone that dared even knock on her door was met with a torrent of abuse.

Within three weeks, Jody was allowed  to talk to her. A week after that, Cas was accepted into the circle of trust. A few days later, Dean walked in on Charlie and Claire both hysterically laughing. Three months into Claire’s stay, Sam had his first full conversation with the girl. Dean had figured that eventually, eventually his time would come. But five more months passed and Dean was yet to hear her voice at a normal decibel. It was really beginning to grate on Dean’s nerves.

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand her reasoning. Jody was a comforting reminder of her Mother, Charlie was like a cool older sister, Cas was wearing her damn father for gods sake and Sammy was  basically a giant teddy bear. And Dean, well Dean was the guy banging the dude inhabiting her father’s old body. Yeah. So Dean did sympathise with the kid, it was a fucked up situation after all.

He tried to be discreet with Cas whenever she was around. He kept the touches light and brief, the innuendos were at a bare minimum and he was very, very careful to use only ‘bro’ approved nicknames from the second he heard her bedroom door open in the morning to the second it closed at night. It was difficult and Dean hated it but he would do anything to make Cas happy, which meant keeping Claire happy.

Cas and Claire were generally harmonious. Dean had even heard the word ‘Dad’ being thrown around between them, at first as a kind of inside joke until it became less of a joke. The pair rarely, really argued. So it was quite a change to hear Claire screaming at someone other than Dean, as the man in question enjoyed his morning coffee.

“Look Castiel, it’s not a big deal. You drive me to a concert. You do whatever old people do while I have a great time. Then you pick me up and we drive back here. Its not exactly life threatening.” Claire’s volume was dangerously high, indicating to Dean that this argument was long drawn out and had probably begun hours before he even awoke.

“Please Claire, you have to understand. I do not wish to stop you having fun, that is really not my intention. But I can’t drive, Sam and Charlie will be away on a hunt and Jody’s busy with Alex. There’s no one to take or supervise you. I’m sorry.” From the look on his face, he really truly was sorry.

The words left Deans mouth before he even processed them.

“Why don’t I take her?”

The response was instantaneous.

“Absolutely not.”

“Dean I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Can I please talk to you, alone, for a second?” Cas’ eyebrows were raised high and his mouth was set straight. Dean clearly had no choice in the matter. He let Cas take his hand and lead him out of the kitchen, choosing to ignore Claire’s eye roll at the slight touch. Once they were out of the range of prying teenage ears and eyes, Cas gave the biggest sigh Dean had ever heard. “Thank you for offering to take her. But I was lying to her before, I could quite easily get her there and back in sufficient time. I believe the concert she wishes to attend is somewhat inappropriate for her age, but I also believe telling her this would cause a lot more shouting to occur. I can’t explain it but the thought of her at this concert, it - well, it worries me greatly. Plus, you’re still recovering from the removal of The Mark. So thank you Dean, thank you for trying with her. But please do not take her to that concert.” 

Dean considered for a second, the gears in his brain whirring. On the one hand, Cas had asked him not to. Cas had made it very clear that leaving the bunker was a no go for both Claire and Dean. On the other hand, it had been years since Dean had been to an honest to god concert and it would be a great way to win over Claire, as Jody had suggested. Before he’d even decided he was nodding and pulling Cas into a long hug.

After a short while, the two went back to the kitchen and Cas annoyingly delivered the news that actually Dean wasn’t feeling up to it after all. If Claire wasn’t eating, Dean was sure she would’ve stormed out of the room. She was a lot like Dean in that way; outrage took the back seat when there was food involved. Eventually Cas got bored of the kitchen and excused himself to do further research into some miracles that had occurred one state over, they suspected angel intervention. He stole a kiss from Dean as he passed, causing Claire to grimace. Dean waited a good few minutes before he was sure Cas was out of earshot before he addressed her.

“So, tell me more about this concert.”

She snorted. “Not a chance, old man. Besides, I thought you were too under the weather? Or were you lying? To me or to Da-, I mean Castiel?”

Dean chose to ignore her very nearly almost slip of the tongue, and her very incorrect use of the word old. “Look, Cas doesn’t want you to go, so unless you have a way to sneak out if this basically impenetrable bunker, drive yourself there and sneak back in, all without alerting the guy, you ain’t going. Now me, I’ve got a real neat trick to get rid of him. I’m just as tired of being cooped up in this bunker as you are. I’m going whether you’re there or not, it’s up to you kid.”

She considered it, chewing for a few seconds. “Fine. Doors open at 7 so we should probably leave around 5:30 so I can get right to the front when we get in. How are we going to get out without Castiel knowing?“

“Nope, doors open at 7 which means the real fun doesn’t start until at least 10:30, trust me. We’ll leave at 10, I’ll get you to the front. As for getting out, that’s for me to know. You just make sure Cas sees you ready for bed, but definitely angry. If you’re not angry he won’t believe it. See you in a bit, kiddo.”

Dean left the kitchen, unreasonably pleased with himself. He could make this work. He had to make this work. Cas cared about Claire, in his own awkward, angelic way. Cared about her a lot, actually. Dean could see that it upset the angel whenever Dean and Claire fought. Maybe this would finally make Claire tolerate him and maybe, just maybe, it could mean less yelling around the bunker.

Dean set to work on their escape plan immediately. He followed the sound of tapping keys and heavy sighs all the way to the library, where he found his two favourite dorks, both elbow deep in research. Dean honestly couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two of them, heads slumped into palms with boredom as they trawled news sites for any new leads on their respective cases.

“Sorry to interrupt the party but I need to steal Cas for a few. You and Charlie leaving soon?” The question was directed at Sammy, as Cas shut down the laptop and gathered his things away.

“Uh yeah, couple of hours. We’re taking Charlie’s truck. The towns only an hour away so there’s no huge rush. We’re thinking it’s a witch,” Dean shuddered at the thought, “Probably fairly new seeing as the cops actually found the hex bag. We’ll be there a couple of days tops. So, I guess I’ll give you a call if we need anything. See you later.” Sam turned his attention back to his laptop, leaving Dean to continue Operation Tire Out Cas, Go to the Concert and Win Over Claire. He would have to come up with a better name.

He led Cas out to the garage, holding the car door open for him whilst pointedly ignoring Cas’ questions. He continued to ignore Cas as he pulled out of the bunker and onto the open road. He let his hand slide down to Cas’ knee as the speedometer pushed 75 miles per hour before he bothered to reply.

“We’re taking a day trip. I have cabin fever, you’ve been working almost nonstop on that new case and really both of us could use a break from the yelling.” Dean noted Cas’ grimace, taking it as an agreement about the yelling. “So, where to? It’s your choice.”

Cas considered it for a moment, clearly weighing up his options as he stared out of the window. “You’re really letting me choose? You’re not going to argue with my choice, even if you disagree? You really won’t tease me for my choice?” Dean rolled his eyes but drew a cross over his heart with his right hand all the same. This seemed to satisfy Cas’ questions. “Then I know exactly where. There’s this place that I found recently whilst researching a case. I’ve been wanting to visit for a while now, but haven’t really had the chance. I’ll direct you.“

And direct he did. Until Dean pulled into a car park, about an hour later. After a quick stretch of his legs, Dean glanced around to see where on God’s earth Cas had brought him. Not even the dull ache in Dean’s shoulder managed to dampen his grin after reading the sign above him. The Magic Wings Butterfly House. Of course. Still, as Cas nervously peered over the roof, just waiting for the teasing to begin, Dean couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. They were only there so Dean could later do the exact thing Cas asked him not to. For a second, Dean considered texting Claire and calling the whole thing off. His train of thought was soon broken by Cas gently tugging on his sleeve, urging him towards the butterfly house with the enthusiasm of a young child, expelling any thoughts other than ‘Cas’ from his mind.

Dean would never, ever admit to this to a soul but that afternoon spent in the butterfly house was one of those afternoons you always remember until the day you die. There was something about the heavy humidity of the place, curling even the straightest of hair and giving everyone’s faces an intense sheen of sweat, that prodded at Dean’s heart just a little bit. Or maybe it was the pure delight on Cas’ face the first time one of the patterned creatures landed on his arm, (“Dean. Look, look at my arm! It landed on me!”) or maybe it was his shocked bark of laughter when one of the fragile fuckers set up residence slap bang in the middle of Dean’s forehead. There was a chance this feeling so pure it hurt, came from the sight of Cas lapping at an ice cream. It had taken Dean a good ten minutes to convince him to try it.

“But Dean, I don’t need the food. I don’t eat. I don’t see the appeal of frozen milk.”

“Cas, just try it. Trust me, it’ll be so worth it. You’ll love it!”

Cas had eventually begrudgingly admitted that Dean was right. The sun was just setting when they headed back to the bunker, indicating to Dean it was around 5pm. With four hours to kill, Dean knew exactly what had to be done back at the bunker. As soon as they pulled up, Dean gave a list of the most mind numbingly dull tasks to Cas. These were the tasks Dean knew full well tired Cas out the most, due to the complete lack of thought needed. He asked him to fold the laundry, to restack books in the library, to wash up the dirty dishes and every time Cas passed Dean and gave him a small smile or a yawn, that uncomfortable guilt burrowed just a little further into Dean’s gut.

At 7:30, Cas passed Dean with his third load of laundry and a fairly large yawn. Dean’s resolve broke.

“Cas I think you’re done now, thank you for the help. Come watch a movie with me?” This was the final, albeit unplanned, phase of the plan. Cas didn’t get tired much. He was still an angel, despite his failing grace. It took a long, emotionally wrought day or a seemingly endless list of tasks or just a night alone with Dean to make him feel even remotely sleepy. But, after many hours of research, Dean had discovered a secret weapon. Animated movies. Not the good ones like the Incredibles or Finding Nemo. Something more along the lines of Despicable Me 2 or Madagascar 3. There was nothing quite like two hours of those irritating yellow tic-tacs to send Castiel off to sleep. Dean suspected it was down to frustration.

“I can speak every single language ever spoken on earth and in heaven. I cracked the Enigma Code before the Germans had even written it. I watched as the first word was grunted. But these little yellow specks don’t even make sense! They’re speaking gibberish, Dean!” It was at this point Cas gruffly crossed his arms and shut his eyes, clearly sulking. The plan was working. Cas was practically asleep, burrowed into Dean’s side. His face still wore an expression of irritation although the lines formed softened considerably as Dean caressed his side lovingly. Dean had done his part, now it was down to Claire and her acting skills. They were surprisingly good.

At 9pm Cas was, by all definitions of the word, asleep. Every now and again he stirred to complain about the movie, often calling the minions blasphemous, but for the most part he was breathing heavily, with his eyes shut, against Dean’s lap. Dean was seconds away from suggesting bed time when thundering footsteps jerked him awake.

“Are you happy now Castiel? It’s barely even dark out and I’m in my freaking pyjamas. What’s the point in even being young if you don’t ever let me do anything? I might as well be old like you two sad, losers falling asleep at Despicable Me. I mean come on, that’s just ridiculously sad. I’m going to bed before the two of you ruin my life even more.” With a very Regina George speech and additional hair flick, she turned and flounced out the room. It was very convincing. Apparently, that was all Cas was waiting for. As soon as Claire’s door audibly slammed shut, he stood up and stretched widely.

“I think I’ll go to bed too, Dean. Coming?“ He reached out a hand and pulled Dean to his feet.

This was something Dean should have prepared for. He’d never been a cuddler, before Cas. Never. Traditionally, the only time Dean wanted to share a bed with someone was sex, usually sleeping as far away from the other person as physically possible afterwards. But with Cas it was different. Dean was more than happy, eager even, to just sleep next to him. It was getting to the point where he’d choose staying in bed with Cas over pretty much anything. And both of them knew this, so Dean knew he had to be careful with his answer.

“Actually, I’m gonna be a few hours. Baby was kinda making some funny noises on the drive back, like a rattling sound. I wanna check her out and fix her up before it turns into a real problem, might go for a little test drive when I’m done. I’ll be as quiet as possible. Goodnight, Cas.” He pulled him in for a brief kiss, half for pleasure and half to wipe the guilt inducing look of concern off Cas’ face that almost had him chickening out. He gave Cas a good ten minutes to get to bed as he tidied and fretted about the kitchen, before shooting a quick text to Claire.

Garage. 2 minutes. Stay Quiet. - D

Dean waited anxiously in the Impala. He was absolutely convinced that there’d be a whoosh of wings and Castiel’s feathery ass would be right there in Impala, bitching Dean out for breaking his trust. Thankfully, the only sound in the garage was the slow creak as Claire yanked open the car door with entirely too much force and the even louder slam as used her full body weight to pull it shut. Still wary of any sounds, Dean simply shot her look of annoyance and pulled out the garage as quietly as possible, keeping the revs low and coasting out onto the road. 

The drive there was just as fast as Dean promised. In her excitement for the concert, Claire completely forgot to hate him. She didn’t exactly speak to him, but there was no shouting or even glaring. In fact, when his totally real and legitimate ‘backstage pass’ got Claire right up against the front barricade, she actually hugged him. An awkward side hug but a hug all the same. The music was a little too much pop, not quite enough punk or rock for Dean’s tastes but the sheer volume combined with the excitement of just being away from the bunker was entertainment enough. There was a tangible buzz in the air; a mixture of sweat, excitement and the thrum of the bass vibrating through the floor. Not one person left the event without ringing ears. The car ride home was special. Maybe not from an outsiders point of view but to him, and Claire too Dean suspected, it was a big turning point. Claire spoke enthusiastically about the concert, raved about the burgers they stopped for and ranted about her favourite bands the whole way home. Dean listened to every word with a smile on his face, relishing every new detail he learned about her. To his surprise, the two were very similar. 

They were both still laughing about an incident at the concert when the impala rumbled back into the garage. They both stopped laughing the second the headlights illuminated the figure of an extremely pissed off Castiel. He was in his pyjamas, flannel pants and an old t shirt of Deans, which would usually be incredibly endearing. However, when paired with an expression of smitey anger and a pair of arms crossed so tightly they appeared to be bursting at the seams, the pyjamas were nothing less than terrifying. No one moved for a good two minutes. The two in the car barely breathed for fear of triggering an explosive reaction. Eventually, when it was clear that neither Cas nor Claire would make the first move, Dean sucked it up and pushed the door of the Impala open. 

He approached Cas, hands raised in surrender. “Look Cas, I know-”

“I’ll deal with you after, Dean. Claire, could you come here? Please.” His face remained steely as Claire walked, incredibly slowly, towards them. He only spoke once she was level with Dean, their faces both matching images of fear.  “I don’t ask much of you. In fact, this may be the only thing I’ve ever asked you not to do. It wasn’t to ruin your life, it was because I was worried about you. When you asked me, I did some research and found these events could be very dangerous. You have no idea how worried I’ve been. I’m so disappointed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Claire’s cheeks were tinged an intense pink as Cas explained himself, intensifying to a burning red shame as he stated his disappointment. “I’m really sorry, Cas. Night, Dean.” 

Despite the guilt, Dean couldn’t help the rush of pride he felt when Claire actually acknowledged him in a pleasant manner. Cas also seemed shocked at the interaction, even completing a rare double take as Claire retreated. There was a continued silence once Claire left and Cas led Dean towards their shared bedroom. Cas shut the door behind them, leaning against it for a second as Dean began to change into his own pyjamas. 

“Was Claire actually nice to you? Did you have a good night? I know I’m supposed to be angry but I’m curious.” He was still leaning back against the door, arms crossed but the steely expression was replaced with a small smirk. 

Dean was still struggling to get dressed, hopping about with one leg in his pyjama pants. “Huh? Yeah, Cas, the night was good. Listen, I know you didn’t want her to go and I know you didn’t want me to take her and I know I lied to you, even though we promised not to do that shit anymore, and I’m sorry for the lies but I’m not sorry for taking her. Look Cas, something had to give. We were arguing all the freaking time, she hated me and -” 

“Thank you, Dean. Thank you for finding a way to connect. I would have preferred it if there were some other, less anxiety inducing way for the two of you to bond but I don’t know why I expected anything less than blatant disregard for rules from either of you.” He pushed off the door, approaching Dean, “Obviously I’m going to act mad at you the second we step outside this room, don’t expect me to do any chores for at least a month and please do your hardest to keep the peace with Claire. I’ve been up half the night worrying." There was a short pause for an adorable yawn, "We’re both tired. Goodnight Dean, love you.” 

He placed a chaste kiss against Dean’s lips before climbing into bed and switching out the lights, leaving Dean dumbfounded but grinning in the dark.

It was worth it.

[thestudyof5sos]

When Uber Becomes Tinder (tinder!Ashton) - part 2

When Uber Meets Tinder, by @larryologymajor Read Part 1 here.

Part 2: Friday.

Ember awoke Friday morning feeling refreshed. From bed, she blindly swooshed aside the black out window curtain in her bedroom. Although Ember couldn't clearly see anything, she scrunched her eyes shut at the sudden influx of sunlight that signaled the end of the snow storm. She rolled over to grab her glasses of the night stand and climbed her way out of bed. Peeping through the window shade in her bedroom, Ember admired the sun glistening off the snow like tiny diamonds crystallized on the ground. Quietly she stepped into her fuzzy slippers and snagged her robe that was draped over the headboard of her bed. She picked up her phone and slid it into her robe pocket then made her way into the kitchen where she blindly stabbed at the power button of her Keurig. Her eyes refused to focus. Clearly Ember needed her daily boost of caffeine.

Ember grabbed her favorite coffee mug from the cabinet, not caring that the words were long faded and the rim had a weathered chip in it. Her best friend, Anna, had given it to her many birthdays ago and, although they lived states apart, drinking from that cup somehow made her feel like they were in the same room together sharing their favorite blend and laughing like old times.

After Ember sucked down her first cup of coffee, she stretched out on the couch and turned her attention to her phone. She vaguely recalled receiving that lost item text last night from Uber, so she chuckled as she again read the words her flirtatious passenger had written. Ember admired Ashton's courage to send it, but damn she was confused.

In her two years of driving Uber, that text was by far the most interesting thing that had happened to her and it was certainly her first fake "I forgot something" aka "let's hook up" message. Curiosity was on Ember's mind and she wanted to know more about this guy. Ember reached over to grab her laptop from the shelf under the coffee table and powered it on. Once it booted, Ember opened two tabs in her browser: Google and Facebook.

Ember first typed Ashton's phone number into Google but didn't really find any interesting hits. Next she typed his phone number into the Facebook search box. The results popped up and after scanning the names and tiny picture thumbnails, Ember silently cheered when she located a match to what she was looking for.

She clicked on the thumbnail of Ashton's smiling face. Her mind was a complete whirlwind of disbelief as she read through his profile. Ashton Irwin. Music/Band. 5 Seconds of Summer. Drummer. World Tour. 415,000 likes. Billboard #1.

Ember closed her eyes and shuddered from head to toe. She gently closed her laptop and reached over to pet her kitten who was curled up next to her, lightly snoring. "Who is this kid??" she asked out loud to no one, although her kitten rolled over and blinked an eye in her direction.

Ember spent the next several hours on her couch, in pajamas, surfing the internet. She was convinced that she had gone to the end of YouTube and back learning everything she could about Ashton Irwin, the hot young Australian with a quirky personality from a famous pop rock band. Ember sat on her couch grinning. How did she become so enamored? Ha, wait. She knew that answer. His performer personality was sparkling, smile wide and bursting with pride over his work and band mates, eyes bright, and laughter loud. God, she didn't really know the guy but she was in love with his laughter. She wondered if his real-life personality was anything like his stage persona.

Her head was throbbing from staring at her computer screen, so she shut it down and grabbed her phone. She opened up Spottily and queued up a 5 Seconds of Summer playlist. Ember walked to the bathroom and tossed her phone on the counter commanding her Amazon Echo Dot to take over playing the Spotify list. She gulped down a few ibuprofen to mitigate her headache and eye strain before stripping off her pajamas; then Ember jumped in the tub to take a relaxing bubble bath.

Forty-five minutes later, Ember was out of the shower and changing into clean clothes. She laughed to herself as the song "She Looks So Perfect" poured out from the Echo Dot in her bathroom. Standing there in her underwear, she settled on her favorite dark wash skinny jeans and super soft maroon Henley. Ember loved how the three delicate snaps on the front crept from her cleavage to collarbone to accentuated her breasts without flaunting them.

Ember's stomach growled and she realized it was nearly dinner time already. She skipped breakfast in favor of coffee, and she was much to occupied with her Ashton reconnaissance to eat lunch. She rifled through her freezer until she pulled out a frozen dinner.

When the dinner tray was in the oven, Ember returned her attention to her phone again, internally debating if she should message Ashton back. She reasoned with herself that she should message him back in case he was going to be cranky and report to Uber that she stole something he lost. Ember clicked open a new text message and carefully composed a message: Hi, this is Ember from Uber. Sorry you 'forgot' something in my car last night. ;) It was a pleasure chatting with you during your rides, hope you have a great day!

Less than a minute later, Ember's phone dinged with a reply. Her fingers shook nervously as she unlocked her phone.

Ashton: Hey. lol I wish I could have gotten it back last night ;) hope your day has been good!

Ember's heart raced. Was he trying to flirt with her? She quickly tapped out a reply: I put my phone on do not disturb and went straight to bed. I'm too old to stay out late haha.

Again, another reply from Ashton: Lol understandable but I wouldn't say all that.

Ember was baffled beyond belief; she quickly shot back a reply: Why's that?

Seconds later, Ashton replied: Age doesn't mean anything.

She was confused. So so confused. But she put on a brave face and silently thanked all of her friends in the undergraduate program for her keeping her young during grad school. Quickly she tapped out another reply: Definitely not. I'm a firm believer that you're only as old as you think you are.

Several long minutes went by, and Ember's oven timer sounded, letting her know that her frozen dinner was ready. She was pulling it out of the oven when she heard her phone ding, vibrating in place on the couch. She peeled away the foil cover to let it cool for a few minutes before returning to the phone. Ashton agreed with her theory.

Ashton: Exactly, that's a great belief to have.

She read Ashton's latest reply and let the conversation quietly die.

The rest of her afternoon was business as usual. Homework, laundry, errands. She was in a great mood and almost ready to login to her Uber app. She grabbed her jacket and shuffled down the hallway and out to her SUV. She drove over to the gas station across the street where she needed to top off her gas tank, wash her windows, and grab her customary Diet Coke.

Within a minute of logging into her Uber app, Ember was off to her first pickup of the night. It was Friday night and business was hopping! Several hours went by but Ember didn't even notice because the back-to-back pickups kept her busy. 10:30pm rolled around and the app was quieting down. Ember took advantage of the lull and pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant open 24/7 to sneak in and use the bathroom.

As she approached her car, her phone dinged, signaling a new text. It was Ashton: Driving tonight?

Ember wasn't sure what to say, so she tapped out: Yes

Ashton: Lol I just ordered one, wish it was you.

Ember rolled to a stop at a red light and quickly replied, feeling brave: Cancel?

Ashton fired back: They just pulled up....

Ember spotted an empty parking spot and carefully swooped in so she could focus on her phone.

Ember: That's tragic...

Ashton: Wish I could see you

Ember: Where are you heading?

Ashton: Downtown

Ember was at a loss for what to say. She was thinking when her phone dinged again.

Ashton: Don't you want to see me?

Ember: Well..... maybe if I get a drop off downtown I'll message you for your location and stop by to say hello.

Ashton: Just to say hello?

Ember knew she was sliding down a slippery slope, but chatting with this boy was outside her comfort zone and it excited her.

Then without warning she got a pickup request at a bar 15 minutes away from her. Knowing the crowd who patronized that bar, she was probably heading out to the countryside at least 25 minutes from town to drive them home.

As Ember pulled up to the curb at her passengers pickup location, she clicked the button to confirm her arrival. She minimized her Uber app and shot Ashton one last message: Heading to drop someone off out in the country. It'll be at least an hour, maybe longer, until I'm back downtown.

Although it was dark, Ember expertly navigated her way through the countryside with her passengers. A sleepy, and likely inebriated, late 20-something male sat immediately behind her. His female counterpart sat beside him in the back seat. She chatted animatedly with Ember, completely convinced that she and Ember had met before. Finally, Ember pulled into her passengers driveway and put the car in park so the duo could get out safely. Once they were out the car she shifted into reverse and stepped lightly on the gas. Nothing happened. Ember was stuck; her poor SUV was billowing smoke out from the engine. She quickly popped the hood latch and jumped out of the car while her male passenger came running over and they both stared at the engine in disbelief as it spewed an unrecognizable fluid all over the driveway. It was black out and neither of them could tell what was going on with the car. Ember wanted to cry.

The wife urged her to come sit in the kitchen with her while they figured out what to do. Reluctantly, Ember followed her into the house and dialed her roadside assistance hotline. While she waited on hold, she tapped out a message to Ashton: Raincheck on seeing you. My car is acting weird and I'm stuck out in the country waiting for a tow.

Moments later, her phone dinged. It was Ashton: Do you want me to call you an Uber? Ironic, huh...

Meanwhile, Ember was patched through to towing dispatch. "What do you mean you can't get a truck out here to tow me for three hours? It's already 2am! What if I find someone local? Can I pay them myself and submit for reimbursement?" Ember pleaded to the phone. After nodding a few times, she spoke again. "I'd really like to have my Subaru towed to my apartment building until the dealership opens up on Monday morning, then on Monday I'll need to have it towed to Subaru."

Satisfied with their response, Ember promised to call back and cancel the roadside assistance tow when she found someone who could be there sooner then hung up.

Ember wanted to cry again. Tim, her male passenger, chimed in, sobering up slightly. "I'm a mechanic and my buddy lives up the road. He runs a tow company. He owes me a favor and I'd love to drag his ass out of bed. Can I call him for you?"

Grateful, Ember agreed and waited quietly while Tim made a phone call. As Tim spoke to his buddy on the phone, Ember watched Tim nod his head. "Yeah, she drives a Subaru so you'll need something that can pull all-wheel drive."

Tim turned to Ember, "My buddy Dan will be here in about 30 minutes to tow you home. Feel free to hang out downstairs until he gets here."

Ember could have hugged him. "Thank you so much for helping me out, you're a huge lifesaver."

"Ah, it's no problem. You got us home safe. I just wish I was more sober to take a better look under your car," Tim chuckled.

Ember sat back down to call her roadside assistance hotline to cancel their dispatch with the three hour wait. When she hung up, her Snapchat app notified her that she had a new friend request. Ember almost freaked out. The user who added her was @ashton5sos.

She accepted his request and sent him a selfie captioned: Worst night ever. Car is broken. Waiting to be towed home.

Within seconds she had a reply. Ashton sent a selfie back: How about that Uber? ;)

Ember immediately snapped another selfie: lol that's super ironic but I'm going to wait here with my car. I'll probably be home in a few hours.

Ashton was waiting for her snap because his response came back in rapid succession. This time, he was shirtless and the snap showed only his tanned torso and sculpted shoulders... Are you sure? I could make your night a hell of a lot better...

Ember wanted so badly to screen capture that snap, but she knew she'd look like a fool if she did so instead she tried committing it to memory. In that moment she felt too old to be having this sort of conversation with someone so young, yet alone so famous. So she sent her final snap, a shot of her shoes. Sorry buttercup, I'm going home and going to bed.

Ashton shot back another selfie, this time it was his beautiful lips posed in a pout, shadowed by the dim light. Bae? Try me when you get home. I'd love to come over and sleep. Nothing more.

Ember switched over to the chat feature, not knowing what else to snap. Bae? Oh boy, now things are getting serious. I'm much too old for that word.

She watched Ashton's emoji pop up and could see he was typing: Age is just a number, bae. *kissy face emoji*

Ember could see lights in the driveway and hear tires in the snow, so she peered out the window to see that the tow truck had arrived. She and Tim both hurried outside. When the cold winter air hit Ember's face, she clicked open the car locks and grabbed her winter jacket from the driver's seat. It was was icy cold. Why hadn't she thought to bring it in to warm up.

It took nearly 25 minutes to get the Subaru all strapped onto the tow trailer. Ember told Tim thank you, again, and said goodbye as she hopped into the passenger seat of the tow truck.

It was a few minutes past 4 am when the Subaru was unloaded into Ember's parking lot and the tow truck left. She snapped a picture of her disabled car and e-mailed a copy of her receipt to herself. Feeling depressed that she was going to lose out on time driving and she was going to spend all of her rent money to fix her car, Ember trudged her way inside. She quickly undressed, changed into pajamas and fed her kitty.

Right before she crawled into bed, she sent a text to Ashton attached to a picture of her car. Got my car towed back to my apartment okay. Thanks for try to cheer me up tonight... Goodnight!

Ember put her phone on Do Not Disturb and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

READ PART 3.

Thanks for reading! There’s more to come! If you enjoyed this chapter, I would appreciate a reblog please and thanks! <3 I’m also looking for a beta/cheerleader for furture chapters. Message me if you’re interested!

Tags: @mycollectionofnuts, @kaxseychill, @sunnysidesblog Want to be tagged? Let me know!                                                                                                                            

[victoriagrace00-blog]

Battle For The Power: Chapter 10

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is the most powerful mobster in England. Her family’s business being in power over many of generations. But your family never saw the Holland’s as a threat to steal your throne. So know you must fight Tom Holland for the monster throne. Little did you know that to stop all of the fightings you would sign a contract to marry him so the two mafias would become one. How could you do this you already hated him but now you had to live with him.

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Word Count: 1282

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Previous Chapters: Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5  Chapter 6  Chapter 7  Chapter 8  Chapter 9 

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A/n: Hope you enjoy this chapter of Battle for the Power. If there are any grammatical errors please let me know. Please like and follow for weekly updates of my stories and fanfictions. I have decided to post this series every Saturday. If you would like to request a story message me or put it through the asks, ask me stuff or tell me stuff in the asks as long as its positive. 

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The plane lands and you are still asleep on Toms' shoulder. He shakes your shoulder slightly and whispers into your ear "Darling it's time to wake up." Your eyes blink open slowly "Are we here already?" "Yeah, the plane just landed. How did you sleep the entire flight?" "I was pretty tired." "We did have a very eventful day yesterday." "Ha, yeah we did." 

Harrison walks over to you and Tom "We can get off the plane now, you guys coming?" You and Tom get up, Tom walks down the stairs of the plane and you follow. A black SUV is waiting when you reach the bottom. Tom gets in the driver's seat, Harrison in the passengers, you sit in the back behind Tom with Harry and Zane next to you. "Is everybody ready?" Tom asked. Harry speaks up first "Yeah we're ready." Tom takes the car out of the park and hits the gas pedal.

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The car drives into a neighborhood where the roads were all dirt, Tom makes a left turn. Shortly after the car stops in front of a large house. "Tom this is a pretty nice house." You shouted half way up the many stairs to the front door. He hurries up to meet you and responds "Only the best for you." He pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the door. You step inside and giggle when you see the orange kitchen and dining room. "Why are you laughing?" "It's orange." "I thought it would be charming. if you don't like it I guess we could redo it." "No, we can keep it like this." "Only if you want to." "Let's keep it like this. We should get to work on finding Carson." "Good idea. We should set up in the basement."

Tom opens a door to a stairwell. "Harry, Zane help me set up downstairs. Harrison help Y/n bring in the luggage from the car and put it in everyone's room." Harrison asks Tom "Who's room is who's?" "I'm in the masters, you are the room to the left down that hall, harry you are on the right, Zane is in the room downstairs to the right, that leaves us with you Y/n." "Where am I going to sleep?" "Well, there is one room left downstairs that I was going to let Carson sleep in when we locate him," He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I was thinking maybe you could sleep with me in the masters." "Oh...Um...Okay." "If you don't want to you don't have to" "I mean like only sleep right, Tom?" "Yeah, nothing other than sleeping." "Okay."

You and Harrison walk outside to the car. "That was really awkward, huh?" "What do you mean?" "That whole thing between you and Tom inside just a minute ago." "Yeah, that was pretty awkward. I didn't think he was going to do that." "I had no idea either." "Really you're his best mate though." You open the trunk of the car to start grabbing luggage. "I am but this is the first time anything like this has happened to Tom." "This mob stuff?" "No, him actually liking a girl and building a relationship with them like he has with you." "He's never had a girlfriend?" "Not since Dom gave him the mob, just a lot of one night stands basically." "Whoa really?" "Yup." "We have to stop talking and bring in the luggage, Haz." "Okay if you say so."

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After about half an hour later you and Harrison finished with your task so you decide to head downstairs to see how Tom, Harry, and Zane are doing. You walk down the stairs with your hand on the rail. You walk in to see Harry with headphones on looking at his computer. Zane typing away on the keyboard of his computer. Tom, as usual, was on his phone talking to someone. It makes you wonder why he is always on the phone, you never been on the phone nearly as much Tom is. Then again you were a better a mob leader and busier and hired people for that. Toms mob was smaller, could that be how he nearly won and stole your mob.

You walk over to the corner where Zane set up and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, do you have any leads yet?" "Hey, we're getting closer there are only a couple places he could be around the area, in Milford, there is only one place he could be." "Where's that?" "Acorns resort, you can either camp there or rent a cabin." "Have you checked who has rented their cabins within the last month?" "Um no. Why?" "Just check." "It will take a while to hack into their system to see. Why do you care I doubt he is there?" "Zane, do as I say." "Okay." "Let me know when you get in." "Yes, I will." "Thanks, Zane." "Welcome."

You walk over to Harry, you see that he is watching Camera footage on his computer. You gently take the headphones off his head, "So what did you find out from the footage?" "Well from the traffic cameras it shows that every night he comes back somewhere in the town. But the traffic cameras only went so far so we don't know where." "That's great news Harry, I think I know where he is." "How the bloody hell do you know where he is?" "You will learn someday, Harry." "What happens when you're wrong?" "I'm never wrong."

"Y/n, I got in." "Great, Harry come 'ere and see if I'm wrong." You look through the list of names that have rented a cabin and a particular one catches your eye. "Iggy Terrell" You mumble. "What?" Harry and Zane shout at the same time. "He is Iggy Terrell." "How do you know?" "Harry I spent my whole childhood with him I know lots of things. Plus we came when we were kids on vacation at the Acorns Resort in their cabins."

"Did you even need Zane and I to find him?" "Well yes that was years ago, the memory just came to me after Zane said 'Acorns Resort'." "So do we go to the cabin?" "Harry are you new to this? We will go when we know he is in the cabin. It's also rather late we did land here at nine p.m. its like midnight we should all rest and we will go early tomorrow morning." "Sounds good," Harry stated. Zane shook his head while shutting down his computer.

You walk over to Tom, you take his phone from his grasp to hang up his call. "What was that for?" "We know where Carson is." "Really that fast?" "Yeah, I remember coming here on vacation as a kid so I kinda figured he was there again." "Do you want to go now?" "Of course I want to go now. but we need to wait 'till the morning." "Are you sure?" "Yes Thomas I'm extremely sure, we all need to sleep."

"Okay, I'll race you to bed." Tom dashes up the stares in a blink of an eye. "You are acting like a child!" You shout as you run up after him. When you get to the room you see tom laying on the bed, you close the door then jump on to the bed with him. "I won, darling" "I see that, Thomas." He brushes your hair behind your ear to cup his hand around your check. He kisses you softly on your lips. He pulls away "Good night love." "I guess I have to get ready for bed since you won't distract me." "Oh, you want more?" "Soon Thomas, soon."

[friendswithbusinesses]

Chapter 1

It was an average day just like any other. The weather was fair with a gentle breeze, traffic within the city was light, and even gas magically managed to avoid increasing in price. The only thing out of the ordinary was that Richard Cobble was at home instead of working at his office. He even managed to find a pair of faded jeans and a plain, light blue t-shirt to wear instead of his usual pressed suit.

Richard was on a step ladder in his living room trying to set up a security camera. He was having a tough time due to the fact that he had no idea what he was doing and the only instructions he was getting was via the phone from his secretary, Drew Mason. He had the phone smashed between his ear and shoulder, angling his head awkwardly so he wouldn’t drop it.

“Okay, okay. I have it secured to the wall,” Richard explained.

“That’s good, Mr. Cobble. Everything should be ready. Now all you have to do is set up the connection between the camera and your phone.”

Richard gave a grunt as his response and carefully stepped down from the step ladder. Keeping the phone on his shoulder, he quickly folded the ladder and gently set is against the wall to avoid tripping over it later. He used his hand to remove the phone from his shoulder and pressed the “home” button on his touch screen and tapped his surveillance app. The app made a tiny “ping” noise as it opened and the screen loaded with two empty white bars. One labeled “email” and the other “password” and in tiny print below the second bar read “new user.”

Richard explained what was on his phone screen to Drew, “The next step, Mr. Cobble, is to tap the ‘new user’ and create a new account.”

“Simple enough,” he replied and did just that. After putting in his email and desired password, he also added his and his secretary’s number in case of an emergency. “Now it says to ‘set up connection with security device.’ How do I do that?”

“One moment, sir,” came Drew’s quick reply. Richard could hear her fingers typing quickly on her keyboard. After a moment of silence she picked the phone back up. “What you need to do now is switch the connection option on your computer to ‘on’.”

“My computer? Why would I need to do that?”

“Mr. Cobble, the security system you just installed should have come with a disc to set up a program on your computer.”

“Oh, that,” Richard looked around on his desk to find the disk, but was stumped when he didn't find it where he thought he put it. Checking under the desk, Richard heard the soft chime of a bell. Leaning up to look at the direction of the noise, he saw his cat perched on the arm of the couch with the disc in her mouth. “I found it, but there’s a slight problem.”

“What is it?”

“Princess has it.”

“Oh dear,” Drew replied dreadfully. Her boss’s cat was a lovely social Persian, but once she had a hold of something, she became a vicious tiger when someone tried to take it away from her. Retrieving the disc wasn’t going to be easy, especially since she wasn’t declawed.

Richard’s brow began to sweat a little at the nervous prospect of trying to retrieve the disc. Princess didn’t notice her owner’s stare and started to chew on her new toy. Richard slowly stood up and set down the phone with Drew still on the line. Drew could hear the floor creak as her boss slowly approached the feline. As the steps started to fade away she could hear him talk to the cat, “Hiya, Princess! Who’s a good kitty kitty? Daddy is just going to take that disc from you . . .”

Richard’s words began to fade as he continued to walk farther away from the phone. For a few moments Drew couldn’t hear anything at all, but suddenly she heard a loud hiss and an ever louder “SHIT” followed by all sorts of banging. She could have sworn she heard something smash but she was more concerned over the running stomps.

These noises went on for a few minutes and Drew was entertaining the idea of leaving work to assist her boss, but she snapped to attention when she heard heavy footsteps rapidly approach the phone. “Screw it,” he gasped, clearly out of breath. “That monster can keep the damn thing. I’m heading over to Ted’s office.”

“Is everything alright?” Drew asked alarmingly. “Why do you need to go to his office?”

“Ted stole my house key a few days ago and catnapped Princess. I’m going to snoop around in his office and make sure he didn’t make a copy.”

Before Drew could change his mind he hung up. He knew going to Ted’s office was a bad idea, but it’s not like he could send anyone else to do it. They don’t know what the key looked like and he wasn’t going to hand over his only copy for a reference. He sighed as he pocketed his phone, hoping the noise would help motivate him to get started. He opened his front door and made sure to lock it behind him, jiggling the doorknob to double check the safety of his home.

Not feeling like driving, he walked down his driveway and turned right along the sidewalk. He continued in that direction for about a block when he spotted a taxi and quickly signaled it over. It only took a few moments for the cab to pull up next to him. He opened the door and sat inside with a huff and told the driver the address to Stone Industries. The cabbie nodded and pulled away, giving Richard the opportunity to relax and look out the window. Traffic was a little congested so Richard took his time looking at the city and letting his mind wander.

One of the first things he noticed was all the graffiti. A lot of the vandals clearly had talent and the vivid colors added life to the otherwise gray neighborhood. His favorite was an amusing caricature of his favorite childhood cartoon; a crime fighting duck with a purple outfit, complete with a mask. The caricature had the character’s hat just a little too big and the rest of the body looked like a child wearing adult clothes.

Richard remembered how he and Theodore used to watch the show every Saturday together when they were kids. Richard’s mother was an excellent seamstress and made the costumes of their favorite avian hero and his nemesis. Richard would be the hero and Ted would be the villain. For a nice kid, Ted had perfected the “evil villain”. voice and would often scare his own mother with it.

Richard chuckled at the memory and that giddiness soon became sadness. He and Ted were best friends all the way to college, but they had a falling out and haven’t spoken to each other since. Well, until a few days ago that is. Richard hadn’t heard from Ted in eight years and the first thing he does to get his attention was to break into his house and steal his cat.

He noticed that the cabbie was parking and quickly paid the man and included a nice tip. With a happy smile and words of appreciation, the cabbie drove off. Richard turned away from the road and looked behind him to stare at Ted’s building. He whistled his admiration and counted roughly thirty floors. He was here once before when Ted tricked him into visiting, but he never actually took a good look at the building. Richard’s building had 10 floors, but he knew Ted didn’t care about appearances. Ted cared about getting the job done and Richard really liked that about him.

Steeling himself, Richard finally decided that it was time to head inside and walked through the revolving doors. The ground floor was a giant lobby and reminded him of an airport. There were people walking around everywhere. Not a single place seemed devoid of movement. It was very large with a high ceiling and there were luxurious couches and loveseats strategically placed against the walls. The floor looked like white marble and in the center was a large fountain with a small pool to collect thrown change. Instead of having an angel or Greek hero on the fountain it was a howling dog with a stream of water coming out of the mouth. The wallpaper was white with gold trim and there was even a giant chandelier hanging above the fountain. To his right, he noticed a map pinned neatly to the wall. He gladly approached it and noticed that on the 5th floor was an indoor pool. What kind of business was this?

“Can I help you, sir?”

Richard started at the sudden voice and turned to his left to see a smartly dressed young woman with black hair and blue dyed tips. He saw this woman before when he rescued his cat, but didn’t pay her much attention. Now that she was standing right beside him, there was something familiar about her. “Uh,” came his genius reply.

“Do you need help finding anything, sir?”

“No, uh, I was looking over the map to see how large this place really is.”

She gave him a kind smile, “This place is relatively new and the owner, Mr. Stone, is thinking of expanding and starting a chain.”

Richard paused at that and tilted his head slightly, “What kind of business is this place?”

“It’s a grand hotel, sir.”

That made him scrunch his face in confusion, “A grand hotel? Why is it named Stone Industries?”

The woman looked like she was trying her best not to smile at his expression, “The previous owner, Fletcher Stone, used to sell cars here, but when Mr. Stone inherited the business, he changed it into a hotel instead.”

Richard couldn’t believe why Ted would even want to run a hotel. The man hated hard work. “Thank you for the information.”

“Anything else I can help you with, sir?”

“No, thank you.”

With a polite nod, the woman headed toward the front of the lobby and sat behind a huge desk, leaving only her head and shoulders visible. She adjusted her glasses and answered a phone the moment it started to ring.

With a swift glance around the lobby, Richard spotted the elevator and headed inside. It was a large elevator with the top half of the walls covered in mirrors and the bottom half followed the same white and gold theme as the lobby. Richard expected someone to be working the elevator, but no one was present so he went ahead and pressed the button to the top floor.

The elevator shook slightly as it started to climb and Richard was delighted to notice that the elevator music was classical and not that garbage other elevators seem to have. The particular music being played was “Ave Maria” by Bach and Richard thoroughly loved this piece. To increase his mood, the elevator arrived to the top floor just as the music ended. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The elevator shook once more as it stopped and the doors opened with a light “ding.”

Stepping out of the elevator, Richard was surprised to see how little staff was up here. He saw only three people and a fourth desk that was empty. He wondered briefly who usually sat there, but he decided that he didn’t care and headed toward Ted’s office at the end of the hall. As the walked past the three desk workers, he expected them to try and stop him, but they didn’t even look at him as he walked by.

He knocked gently on the door and when no one answered he poked his head in and scanned the area. Relieved to see it empty, he stepped inside and gently shut the door. He made a beeline to Ted’s desk and started to investigate every drawer he saw. He was able to look through half of them before he heard the door open. Cursing himself for not being more alert, he stood up slowly from behind the desk to see who came in and cursed himself again when he noticed it was a security officer.

“Hello, officer,” Richard managed to greet with a sincere tone.

“I’ve been following you since you came into the building. I need you to get on your knees and put your hands behind your head,” the officer replied as he produced a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

“Do you have any idea who I am? I am Richard Cobble, owner of Cobble Publishing.”

“Sure you are, please make this easy for the both of us and comply. I’d rather not make a scene.”

Richard was flabbergasted that this man had no idea who he was and that’s when he realized that he never changed out of his jeans and t-shirt. Cursing himself a third time, he was about to obey his orders when Ted walked into his office.

“There you are!” Ted greeted cheerfully. He quickly approached Richard with a concerned expression, “I told you to wait for me in the lobby! You could have gotten lost!”

Richard was too stunned to speak. The officer was just as confused, “Do you know this thief, Mr. Stone?”

“Thief! Why this man is my cousin! You’ve been working for me for a few months and I figured you knew how to recognize wealthy men by now.”

The officer had a deadpan look on his face, “Wealthy? This guy?” His gaze darted to Richard, judging his cheap shirt and dirty jeans, then to Ted, who was wearing a business suit.

Ted shook his pointer finger at the officer and “tsked” at him, “Mr. Huff, I asked him to dress casually. We haven’t seen each other in a long time so I wanted to take him out to dinner.” Ted paused for a moment and tilted his head to the side slightly, “Why did you call him a thief?”

“I caught him looking through your desk, sir,” he answered.

Ted looked at Richard and cocked an amused eyebrow, “I forgot my wallet up here and Richard was too impatient to wait for me so I assume he was looking for it. Right, cousin?”

“Uh, right,” Richard affirmed quickly.

The officer paled, “You just called him Richard. You don’t mean Richard Cobble do you? The new businessman that just moved his company here a few weeks ago?”

“The very same,” Ted nodded. Richard just flashed the officer a smug grin.

“I- I’m very sorry, sir!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Richard said cooley.

“Thank you for your vigilance, Mr. Huff, but I can handle it from here.”

The officer nodded once and hurriedly left the room. Ted and Richard were stuck in the office alone and Richard was embarrassed over the whole ordeal. “Sorry about the trouble, Ted.”

“I didn’t make a copy of your house key,” Ted chuckled.

Richard blinked a few times, “How did you know that’s what I was looking for?”

“Oh please!” Ted slapped Richard on the back playfully. “You’re so predictable!”

“I am not!”

“You are too,” Ted laughed. “I bet you’re dressed like that because you were installing security to keep me out of your house.” When Richard didn’t respond Ted laughed harder. “Why didn't you just change the locks? That would have been much easier and it would also make any copy key I might have had useless.”

Richard thought about what Ted said for a moment and slowly ran a hand down his face in irritation at himself. His day would have been much easier if he just did that in the first place. He looked at Ted and saw his smirk. Richard felt his cheeks burn with a small blush of embarrassment and looked away.

“I promise not to catnap Sunshine again, cousin.”

“Her name is Princess,” Richard grumbled. “And don’t call me cousin.”

“Well we have to pretend to be cousins now! Mr. Huff likes to gossip so I’m sure half the building knows we’re cousins.”

“But we’re not cousins!”

“Obviously, but my employees don’t know that. If you deny our blood then my security guard would wonder why I lied to him and that would make him doubt my story about you looking for my wallet.”

Richard sighed in defeat. Ted was right. Denying their false family ties would cause more trouble than it would solve. “So,” Ted began. “How about dinner? Consider it an apology for taking Mashed Potatoe Sunshine.”

Richard cringed at the full use of his cat’s annoying second name, “It sounds worse when you say the whole damn thing. You do realize that you misspelled potato on her collar, right?”

“Oh, did I?” Ted feigned ignorance and battered his eyelashes innocently at his former friend. He looked down and noticed that Richard had a fresh bandage on his hand. Ted pointed at it with a finger, “What happened?”

Richard followed his gaze and realized what Ted was referring to. “Nothing.”

“Did you try to take something from Sunshine?”

“No,” came Richard’s too quick reply and Ted laughed at his expense.

“So . . . Dinner?”

Richard just rolled his eyes. “How about Bananaflies? They have a steak special going on this week.” Ted just beamed Richard a huge smile and was practically glowing with happiness. He opened his office door for Richard to walk through and they both headed out to enjoy their first meal together in years.

[prorevenge]

Craigslist room for rent goes sour.

I was in the process of joining the military, simply waiting for the date to enter service. "It would take at least a month, but no more than a year." Apartment lease had expired, no month-to-month payment option. Looking for some short-term housing. I was single, worked 2 part time jobs, & had cash in savings. I'm quiet, flexible, simple needs. Just needed the simplest of accommodations. I went to Craig's List.

Met with a woman who advertised a room for rent. We'll call her "Jill". Jill was 20something, single, and came from a wealthy family who bought her this small 3 bedroom house, gave her a nice car, paid her bills. Jill didn't like to work, she just "sold her art". She made awful graphic art fan fiction on her PC, probably never sold anything but was completely obsessed with her own work and would talk about it constantly. Jill had pets. So. Many. Pets. Like 20 cats, 4 dogs, a room of birds out of their cages, and several acquariums. A bit weird/slightly skewed version of reality, but seemed nice, had a room available and price was okay. I would pay a flat rate for rent and utilities, provide my own food, and come and go as I please. Neither of us ever signed anything, just details via text and email.

She benefited from my moving in as I had transferred my cable internet connection to her house. Got the modem hooked up and used my own wireless router and let her use it for free. I also have carpentry experience so I helper her repair some door frames and some wood trim in addition to patching up some drywall. Helped her out a lot, all while requesting nothing in return. The first week was nice.

Things fell apart rapidly after that. She became manipulative, started making financial demands. The electric bill was high, I needed to pay "my part". She had bought enough groceries for both of us without informing me, but now that milk had soured and bread molded I needed to pay for "wasted groceries". Old busted up door knob on the side of the house broke off while taking out trash, so I needed to buy a new one. Etc...

Individually these didn't bother me much, but there was a pattern. After just weeks, living expenses had tripled the agreed upon amount. I told her that this couldn't happen anymore. I would pay the agreed upon amount and buy my own food. Period. This settled things...for a week.

Got back from work. In my room my guitar was gone, and in its place, a bill. A bill from a plumber who had installed a toilet. "My bathroom" needed some work done. Jill had "lost all trust" that I would fulfill "financial obligations" after I "freaked out about money before." My guitar was hostage, locked in her bedroom until I paid for her toilet upgrade. She literally added a padlock to her bedroom door.

Time to get out. I told her I was moving out the next day (a friend already offered me his guest-room). She could keep the guitar (it was a $100 pawn shop guitar). I wasn't going to pay to fix her house anymore.

Upon packing things came the modem discussion. She was taking an online class since she now had an internet connection. She would get her own connection "in a few days". I was angry with her but not yet vengeful. I agreed to let her use it until my connection got transferred.

A week later, called Jill the day before the cable transfer. She said she would drop off the equipment, oddly, only while I was at work. I texted a reminder, "please don't forget to drop off modem", and she responded, "left it in a bag outside your front door". Weird, but whatever. I get home that night. No bag. No modem. I text, "did you leave it at the right house? can't find it", she responds, "yes".

Cable got installed, still no modem. It'll cost me if I don't turn in the old one. Now I'm vengeful. She's extorted money, I've been nothing but helpful and considerate, she's stolen my things, now she's probably lying and stealing more things - which will cost even more money.

Jill took a pottery class on Thursdays, out of the house for 2 hours. Her front door had a combination keypad for entry instead of keys. She claimed she would change the combo when I left, but probably didn't know how to do that. Waited until after the time she left. Drove past. No one home. Parked a block away, walked to front door, entered the code. Still works. Straight to her bedroom. Not padlocked anymore. Look, there's my router and modem, right where they shouldn't be because they're in a bag outside my friend's place. Weird. Grab my modem & router, grab my guitar, insert a spare old burned admin copy of Win'98 into her cdrom, boot to CD, set it to work formatting her hard drive. She can complete Win'98 installation later, complained about Vista anyway. Probably won't be able to retrieve her "art" and homework.

Back in my car within 5 minutes, at my friend's place 10 minutes later. Jill's pottery class still had another hour. I texted, "finally found the modem, bag must've blown into the bushes! Thanks for dropping it off! :D" I love to imagine whatever flurry of emotions she must have experienced at that moment...

Called me in a frantic rage 30 minutes later. "YOU STOLE FROM ME!!!" "What?? Jill...What are you talking about?" "YOU BROKE INTO MY HOUSE AND STOLE FROM ME!!!" "Wait...someone broke into the house?? I'm sorry, I don't know anything about that... What did they take?" Her remarkable psychological gymnast skills. Walks right up to the ledge of almost admitting that she lied to me and stole my things (after-all, such an admission was required for her version of events to make any sense at all) and then psychologically-backflips away. She couldn't do it. Her story was not compatible with reality. All she could muster was rage and empty threats and that phone call was the last time I ever heard from her. Honestly, at that point the stuff and the money involved was worth less to me than the fact that she had so much rage but couldn't do anything about it. It brought me a little joy. The strangest part is that she never mentioned her computer at all...

(source) (story by Kuriente)

[asprinkleofstarlight]

15 pieces of childhood lodged in my heart

(snapshots and fleeting memories from the years i spent in delta) 1-  the top of alex fraser bridge was like the top of a mountain, where the whole world was spread before you. clusters of skyscrapers glittered gold and faraway peaks glowed purple, and in the distance, almost lost to the horizon, the vague outline of vancouver beckoned like a dream

2- driving back to delta over the bridge, mt baker loomed out of the clouds, out of the sky, snow-white, sky-blue, shrouded in fog and mystery. its flower-speckled meadows and pristine blue lakes once filled the camera roll of my phone

3- the 340 was the bus that everyone took to escape the bland monotony of delta in search of excitement elsewhere — burnaby, richmond, and, perhaps, if one disposed of enough time and such an affinity, downtown vancouver. we sat, fatigued and half-asleep in the sun, on the bench plastered with local advertisements, squinting down 64th avenue in hopes of catching a glimpse of the bus turning the corner. someone always announced in a resigned voice that the bus would be late by twenty minutes

4- the intersection of 72nd street and 120th avenue was always busy, always crowded, always full of groups of pedestrians milling impatiently at the edge of the curb, waiting for the red light to change to green. the flow of cars never ceased, not even in the darkest hours of the night 

5- metrotown and oakridge centre and guildford mall offered hours of excitement and exploration, but they were usually too far and so we were left to content ourselves with the local mall. a small handful of stores and a tiny food court tucked away at the end, right next to the walmart that used to be a zellers. the local high school students claimed that only the chinese food joint was worth mentioning 

6- for nine entire years, i followed the same path from my house to my elementary school and then high school. wade road curved gently towards 120th street at the end of the road, nicholson road sloped downwards, always slippery in winter. lyon road was the longest of the three, and before i have covered even half of the distance, the roofs of seaquam came into sight

7- the houses in the neighbourhood were familiar, filled with faces that i have known over the years. down the street, the girl who taught me to play badminton against the older boys, even though they were faster and stronger than i was. on that street corner, the girl whose height my parents always marveled at. on this street, the boy whose older brother once stared at us, confused, from his kitchen. our next door neighbours, the old couple who grew tomatoes in the backyard and whose granddaughter was in my fourth-grade class. across the street, the family friends who smiled whenever they heard me practice piano in my living room. and of course, the girl in whose room i spent innumerable nights in elementary school and high school, whose front garden was always immaculately maintained and full of blooming flowers 

8- the walk from my house to school never took longer than ten minutes in the morning, but always managed to take an hour after school, because we stood on the sidewalk facing her house, and lost ourselves in endless conversation. it was amazing how we never ran out of things to talk about. “time flies,” she remarked. “flap flap flap,” i added. we burst into laughter, full of carefreeness and joy

9- the big house at the end of the street with a four-car garage, a basketball hoop in the driveway, and a giant pool in the backyard. many of us grew up there, not only because of the weekly piano lessons in that warm, carpeted room, but also because of the kindhearted, smiling woman whom we called ‘auntie,’ who baked us cookies and threw christmas parties and welcomed us into her family

10- the food options weren't too great, but there were still a few restaurants worth going to. the japanese restaurant near london drugs and the bank, where i ate lunch with a boy for the first time. the japanese restaurant across the street, where i spilled secrets i maybe shouldn’t have, and where we shared childhood stories in whispered voices over sushi rolls and miso soup. down the road, a short drive away, ihop and denny’s, where we had giant group breakfasts before we drove to school, just in time for our first class 

11- chapters, the library, and the theatres were all conveniently located next to each other. a&w’s, starbucks, and tim hortons were within a five-minute walking distance. studying, playtime, entertainment, and dinner, all without leaving the block. we all mourned when the chapters closed 

12- sungod recreation centre was where everyone gathered on the weekends. the badminton courts were always full, players sat on the bench and awaited their turn, anxiously watching birdies hurtle through the air, minds already racing to the next tryout dates. we gathered in groups of three or four at the end of the night, waiting for someone’s mom or dad to come pick us up. our collections of half-crumpled paper admission wristbands, blue dolphin and yellow star designs fading with time and wear, steadily grew

13- everyone’s backyard was a lush forest at the edge of kittson parkway, named the watershed. the trails abounded with hikers, dog walkers, joggers, horseback riders. towering trees loomed over the trail, leaves splitting the sunlight into a thousand shattered fragments. a meadow at the heart of the park provided views of the cities beyond and offered benches engraved with the names of those who once walked these trails

14- a family of starlings once made their home in my neighbour’s attic. in the spring, the baby birds ventured out for the first time and learned to spread their wings. woodpeckers swooped from the top of the trees which they claimed for their own. robins pulled worms from the ground, squirrels stole sunflower seeds from the bird feeder, raccoons perched precariously at the edge of the birdbath and shoved their paws into the water. the next day, we found the birdbath lying on its side on the ground

15- i once borrowed a telescope from an astronomical society because i wanted to see jupiter and venus. i memorized all the constellations and all the stars, and learned the stories behind them. i learned to find orion in the winter, and lyra, cygnus, and aquila in the summer. i traced out the twinkling shapes of ursa major and ursa minor against the dark skies, and found in them the same comfort that i found in the stuffed bears lying on my bed

[rainygalaxynerd]

Brave New World - Chapter 59

Warnings: Canon typical violence. Severe injuries. Cliff hanger.

Summary: It’s D-day, and Team Slay Dick are ready. They have plenty of tricks up their sleeves so it should be easy. Right?

A/N: No one answered my question about whether or not I should post this before I know when I’ll be able to post the next chapter so now I’ll post it anyway. I’ve had it up to here (stretching hand as far as it goes and jumping as high as I can) with moving and I need virtual interaction. Feed me feedback, please.

This is part of a chapter story. Link to mobile friendly master list here.

Tagging: @jencharlan @jotink78 @kbrand0 @twenty-onepages @winchesterprincessbride @vibou25 @deandoesthingstome @littlegreenplasticsoldier @mrsjohnsmith @fangirling-instead-of-working

Sam cut through their argument, his voice doing the weird echo thing. “We have to go. If she wants to come, let her come.”

Dean clenched his fists and jaws and swallowed against the horde of swear words threatening to escape his mouth.

Cas placed a gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder, a silent calming gesture as they filed out to the parking lot. “If Sam says she should come, it will be alright.”

Chapter 59 - End Game

Dean glanced in the rear view mirror and scowled at Caitlin in the backseat. She stuck her tongue out at him. For the next few miles he kept his eyes on the road. Another glance, another scowl, an arched eyebrow and a lopsided smirk before Caitlin stuck her tongue out again.

Cas watched the interaction with fascination. “Is there something wrong with your tongue? Do you require help?”

Caitlin snorted. “Why don’t you ask Dean if he needs an iron to smooth out his forehead?”

Cas’ reply was cut short by the sound of Caitlin’s phone.

DICK PICKS FROM SPACE ARRIVED. EN ROUTE TO SUGAR LAND. -C&G.

“Roman took the bait, he’s headed to SucroCorp,” Caitlin told Cas, loud enough for Dean to hear her. Then she showed Sam the screen and he gave her a thumbs up.

Ten minutes later, the Impala pulled to a stop in the emergency track inside a long, curved tunnel.

Hands shaking, Caitlin texted Charlie back: WE’RE HERE. -C&CO

Less than a minute later another message ticked in. CAM CONTROLLED. CRASH IN 10…

Caitlin closed her eyes and swallowed, Dean’s stricken expression when they had showed him the fake video, fresh in her mind.

“Where did you get that?”

“Oh my gosh, was this really your car? We found some photos on a website with car wreck pictures and then manip’ed them into this.”

“That’s baby, alright.”

“Holy shit. How did you survive?”

Dean had turned his back and stomped out of the room.

Sam had come over and sighed at the sight of the wrecked Impala on the screen. “I was driving when the truck hit us out of nowhere. Dad had a bullet in his leg, Dean was barely breathing as it was. They told us, at the hospital, he wouldn’t make it. Dad wouldn’t hear of it. One minute my brother’s dying and I’m screaming at my Dad to fix things, to do better. The next minute, Dean’s okay and Dad’s dead.” Sam had shaken his head. “Did a hell of a number on Dean.”

Now, the cameras in the tunnel stored Charlie and Garcia’s manufactured footage real-time. Within the next few minutes, a traceable 911 call from the scene would alert authorities and three ambulances and a police car would be dispatched to the scene. They would be redirected elsewhere through scrambled radio communications before arriving.

Dean picked the lock to the dusty storage room for “CREW ONLY” and soon both ends of the tunnel were blocked by yellow and black striped barriers and signs saying “BLOCKED” and “ACCIDENT.”

Sam set up a bunch of flashing blue lights, so the reflections of what would seem like a bunch of emergency vehicles were visible when entering the tunnel.

Caitlin and Cas spread caltrops across a fifty yard section just ahead of the bend.

Sam and Dean set up a row of cardboard boxes containing crystallized borax and C4, working quickly and efficiently.

Caitlin’s phone startled them all. NEAT TRICK. DICK 1 STILL SUGARBOUND, DICK 2 COMING UR WAY, 3 CARS, 7 GOONS.

“Fuck,” Dean spat. “Why didn’t we think of that? How do we know we get the right Dick?”

Sam read the text and Dean’s expression. “Because the real Roman will be the one coming here. Trust me.”

Dean patted Sam’s shoulder and nodded. As he walked away he muttered to himself: “I fucking hope you’re right.”

Caitlin and Cas dragged a four gallon tank of borax over to the storage room and Dean figured out how to connect it to the sprinkler system.

They armed themselves with shotguns, extra shells and a machete each and nodded at each other in silence.

Dean handed Caitlin the detonator for the C4, his hand shaking bad enough that he almost dropped it. She caught it and he grabbed her wrists. “There’s an emergency exit inside the storage room. If things go south, you leave, promise?”

Caitlin frowned, the idea of leaving her friends behind and running from man eating monsters on her own every bit as horrible as staying in the killzone.

“I need you to live, please?” Dean’s grip on her tightened.

“Okay,” she said, shaking her head. As he let go of her, she reached out and stopped him. “But Dean, don’t make me do that. Don’t let things go south, okay?”

Dean leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “Okay,” he said hoarsely.

They took their positions, Caitlin in the store room, Sam and Dean by the fake emergency lights, Cas invisible somewhere in between.

They waited.

XOXOX

Charlie and Garcia watched their screens rigidly, whatever cameras they could access along Roman’s route to ensure that nothing unforeseen happened, keeping an eye on the Winchesters standing in the tunnel, faces grim, guns ready.

A knock on the motel door startled them both, Garcia letting out a squeak.

Morgan pulled his gun and went to stand behind the door. “Who’s there,” he yelled.

“Me. What the hell are you two doing here?” Hotchner’s annoyance went through the door with perfect clarity.

Morgan put his gun away and opened the door. “Sorry, man. We’re working this ca…”

Someone kicked the door hard from the other side and it banged into Morgan’s left cheek bone. His teeth bit down hard on his tongue at the impact, flooding his mouth with the metallic, stale taste of his own blood. He shot out his arm to stop anyone from entering the room. Too warm, too strong fingers wrapped around his wrist and snapped it like a twig. Morgan yelled and pulled against from the iron grip around his wrist. The pressure simply increased.

Hotchner stepped into the room, keeping Morgan’s wrist in a grid lock, a cruel sneer on his lips. He aimed a gun at Charlie and Garcia.

Garcia stared at her friend and coworker with wide eyes. “Hotch, what are you doing?”

“That isn’t Hotch,” Morgan gasped, failing to loosen the fingers around his wrist with his other hand.

The Leviathan impersonating Hotchner moved the gun from Garcia to Charlie. “Don’t even think about it.”

Pouting, Charlie drew her hand away from the bottle of soap on the table.

“Shouldn’t they have been here by now?” Dean waved a hand in front of Sam’s face and repeated himself.

Sam shrugged. “Depends. They could have detoured for backup but I guess the girls would have told us.”

Just then, the sound of cars sounded down the other end of the tunnel.

“Woah, here they come,” Dean warned Sam.

With a nod, Sam turned to face the incoming threat.

The sound of popping tires never came. Instead, the cars slowed before entering the caltrop zone.

“Something’s gone wrong,” Dean muttered, exchanging a dark glance with Sam.

“Sam and Dean Winchester!”

There was no mistaking Dick Roman’s smooth, arrogant tone.

“I know you’re waiting around the bend, ready to fire everything you’ve got at us. Before you do, you should know that we have your friends at the King’s Rest Motel. They’re alive and relatively unharmed. If you cooperate with us, they might stay that way.”

“You’re bluffing!” Dean’s shoulders slumped in defeat, despite the defiant words. Of course, they weren’t bluffing.

“You’re welcome to come closer and watch the livefeed. So far that just means the real time video recording but if you don’t comply, it might become more literal than that.” The words carried an audible smirk.

“Son of a bitch,” Dean muttered and shrugged at Sam.

Together they walked forward, feet scraping the asphalt to avoid stepping on their own useless caltrops.

Three black continentals blocked the road, eight men waiting in front of them. Roman stood his ground in the middle, the closest goon to his right holding a laptop turned to face Sam and Dean. It showed the unmistakable images of Morgan, Charlie, and Garcia tied up in Sam’s room.

“What do you want,” said Sam, arms crossed in front of him, back straight enough to make him tower over everyone.

“What you stole, of course. Your guarantee that you’ll stop fighting us. In other words, the tablet and your lives.”

Dean scoffed. “You’ll eat our friends as soon as we’re gone anyway. No reason for us not to fight you right now.”

“With what?” Roman smiled. “You rigged the sprinklers to drench us in borax?” He reached behind him and brought an umbrella up. “You can’t harm us.”

“Yeah?” Dean mimicked Sam’s crossed arms. “What are you gonna do? Shoot us?” He winced at his own words as they left his mouth.

Roman laughed. “What a novel idea.” Seven guns left their holsters and aimed at the brothers as their wielders clicked the safeties off.

Sam’s eyes widened and he turned to Dean. “Dude! What did you just say?”

Dean threw his arms out: “Duck and cover.” He pushed Sam hard, back toward the line of explosives.

Caitlin listened from her hidden position. Things had gone south. When Dean yelled duck, she hit the switch and turned on the sprinklers, crossing her fingers that it would buy him and Sam a little time.

The Leviathans had the others. Her heart thumped against her chest. They might die.

Cas. Castiel. You can save them. You’re the only one who can.

Roman cursed as the sprinklers came on, bullets flying everywhere, his sizzling underlings firing blind. He held out the umbrella, allowing at least one of them to aim.

“Cease fire and take cover! No, not you, you idiot,” he hissed at the flustered dimwit at his side. As soon as everyone was protected he pointed ahead where the Winchesters had just disappeared out of sight. “Let’s do it right this time.”

Roman brought out his own gun as they advanced across the treacherous ground. The completely borax-free caltrops were a nuisance, nothing more, and they soon had the Winchesters back in their sight.

The tallest were limping. leaning on his brother. Roman took aim and fired a two deliberate shots. He watched with satisfaction as the two of them went down in a heap.

“Seriously?” Leviathan Hotch gave Morgan an incredulous stare. “You two do nothing but flirt outrageously day in and day out and you’ve never done the dirty? Not even that weird biting each other’s lips thing you humans find so entertaining?” He looked between Morgan and Garcia, momentarily stunned into silence. “You should’ve gotten it out of your system. Then maybe you’d spend more time working and less time frustrating everyone with your oh-so-clever banter.” A roll of the eyes made it clear how clever the Leviathan thought their banter was.

Morgan met Garcia’s eyes and she gave him a small nod. His lips curled up as he leaned his head back to sneer at their captor. “I thought your kind were an ancient race, akin to a natural disaster on a cosmic scale. And yet, here you are spewing the same ignorant, barely concealed misogyny humans with below average intelligence tends to hide their insecurities behind. What are you afraid of?”

The Leviathan narrowed its eyes [Hotch’s eyes, dammit] at him. With a huff it turned to Charlie. “I’m surprised you‘re still here, little turncoat. Don’t you think your new friends here know about all the crimes you’ve committed? Don’t you think they’re just waiting for the right moment to snap a set of handcuffs around your wrists?”

Charlie shifted in her seat. “Plenty of nice jobs for me in the White Collar division. I was never really a black-hat. More of a grey-ish kinda pink hat.”

The Leviathan smiled, teeth showing. “You’ve been planning to get caught, haven’t you? Hoping to get access to their old-fashioned paper archives to find out who fucked up the case against your parents’ killer?” It chuckled. “You’re delusional. Accidents happen. You just don’t want to carry the guilt alone.”

Charlie’s face was white as a sheet except for two red spots high on her cheeks. She kept her lips pressed together, hands clenched in their bonds.

Garcia nudged Charlie’s leg with her knee, her ankle protesting against the rope. She caught Charlie’s attention and smiled, shifted her eyes to the Leviathan and back before rolling her eyes vigorously.

Charlie’s breath hitched on an aborted giggle. Her head snapped back when the Leviathan backhanded her.

“Do you think this is a joke? Do you find your situation funny?” Another slap hit her other cheek. “What do you think is gonna happen when my boss gets the Word? You’ll get to mosey on out of here, no harm, no foul?”

Charlie spat a mixture of spit and blood on the floor, breathing hard. She swallowed and met the Leviathan’s eyes dead on. “I think we’ll be dead before the sun sets no matter what and I’m not gonna waste my last hours crying about my past to satisfy your sick sense of humor.” Her eyes widened and the corners of her mouth quirked upward. She focused on Garcia. “That sounded totally badass, didn’t it? We’re going to die trying to save the world and I’m mouthing off to the bad guys. Penny, we’re HEROES.”

Garcia scoffed. “Martyrs, more like it. But, your enthusiasm is admirable.”

Charlie’s face fell.

Castiel materialized behind the Leviathan and swung his machete in a wide arc. The severed head slid off its neck and rolled across the floor.

Charlie stared at the gorish spectacle, mouth hanging open. “Dude! Telefrag!”

Cas caught the monster’s head by the hair and carried it to the bathtub.

The head opened its mouth. “Think you’re a hero now, Castiel? Do all your friends know what you’ve been up to? We remember. Changing sides now won’t wash you clean, nothing will.”

Cas glared at the thing as he let go and turned the tap, cold water trickling into the tub. “My Father disagrees.”

The head rolled its eyes. “You’d think I failed psychological warfare 101,” it sighed.

Cas tilted his head, confused. He shrugged and paused. A small smile grazed his lips. “Why don’t you get clean?” Cas threw a bar of soap into the water and left. It only took half a minute for the water to rise high enough to drown the agonized screams.

Cas loosened the first knot on the ropes tying Morgan’s hands behind his back. There was a strange pull inside him, growing. The world tilted sideways, his surroundings blurring and fading. The carpet was scratchy against his cheek and smelled like onions. He blinked furiously as another Leviathan stepped through the door.

“Hello old friend. You look unwell. I guess the sigils I just activated are working.” The Leviathan kicked Cas hard in the stomach. “No flying, no powers.” It bent down and easily trapped Cas’ hands behind his back. “The combination of the inverted Solomon’s key keeping you here and the extensive angel warding might turn out to be deadly,” it said, tying a rope around Cas’ wrists.

Pain lashed through Sam’s left side when he hit the ground, twisting to spare Dean’s suddenly limp body as much as possible.

Dean stayed silent, heavy and motionless as he landed halfway on Sam.

“Dean? Dean? Where are you hurt? Dean!”

Sam padded down Dean’s back, feeling the warm, sticky wet blood. He shifted, gently rolling Dean off him.

Dean’s eyes were open, brimming with terror and pain. His mouth worked furiously but Sam couldn’t hear a single sound. Dean’s lips had a bluish tinge that seemed to worsen quickly.

Sam put a shaking hand to Dean’s back, following his spine up, up. There. Slightly to the left but still on point, just below the base of Dean’s skull. The entry wound. Dean was paralyzed from the neck down

Sam slowly maneuvered Dean onto his wounded back side. “Dean, the bullet hit your spine. You’re not breathing right now, so I’m gonna do it for you, okay? Cas will fix you in sec, so hang in there, Dee.”

[fantasysuiteleague]

Week 4: Ex Mates and Shitty Dates

We annoyingly pick back up at the end of the pool party to see that the girls have not yet realized they are stuck in a shitty West World loop where they sit around and complain about Corinne, assuming Nick is “better than this,” without yet realizing that he doesn’t actually care about any of them and their feelings do not matter. A few feet away Nick is being scolded by Vanessa, which obviously scares him as he more or less begs her to “be patient” while he continues to make a fool out of himself and the rest of the women.  Corinne is sleeping off-camera, uninterested in Nick’s transparent speech about how he appreciates everyone’s *openness* yet, somehow, still feels like he’s “making the right decisions.” 

Jasmine provides a flabbergasted in-camera realization that Corinne doesn’t even have a rose and yet is so confident in her *connection* with Nick that she has yet again opted-out of participating. Eventually Taylor and Sarah take it upon themselves to let Corinne know that her shit “hasn’t looked the best,” which is like telling Trump that he’s “sort of unpopular.” After Sarah tells Corinne that she needs to pull it together because she’s embarrassing her parents and coming off super entitled, Corinne offers up the alternative fact that she is not privileged.

After this unsurprisingly ineffective *confrontation,* Corinne goes on to “wonder” why Sarah and Taylor are so obsessed with her. And by “wonder,” I mean very knowingly point out that, much like our old pal Chad, she has taken up an enormous amount of real estate in everyone’s brain, and is there to stay whether they like it or not. She’s the only thing that the girls are talking about; she’s getting the most attention from me and everyone else watching; even Chris Harrison pulls Nick aside before the rose ceremony to talk about her. But then again, this was her plan the entire time. And it’s one we’ve seen before from the OG villain Courtney Robertson. Get on the show and be obnoxiously sexual with the Bachelor while simultaneously being insensitive, irrational and offensive to the girls, and then start saying ridiculous shit like “I love the taste of victory” or “we’re fighting for a fiancé, not a pickle.” And why not take this route (besides all the obvious reasons like, for example, your future) when it leads to maximum screen time and your name in lights for a few extra minutes?

Home Sweet Home

“Get ready to travel around the world! Starting with .... Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!” While the girls feign excitement over flying from California to Wisconsin, we get a head with Nick and meet up with his parents in a quaint little diner in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Within the first 23 seconds of being on-screen (yes, I counted), Nick’s mom is crying. I mean, I would be too if this were my son, but come ON lady do you not have any other tricks in those bags under your eyes? As it turns out, no, she does not. Nick spends his time with his weepy mother and beta father explaining that he has finally lowered his guard and thinks he can find love this time. Now if you’re me you might have stopped and said “wait, what guard?!” before remembering the guard that kept him from going on this show and trying to propose to someone not once, but twice. Yeah, that “guard.”

Giggles and Girlfriends

After meeting up with the girls in the park, Nick whisks Danielle L. away for a date consisting of walking around town like “normal people.” As this date goes on and they force awkward conversations about nothing, I start to notice that Danielle L. giggles literally every time she opens her mouth to speak. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she’s just nervous, but I’m a cynical asshole, so I’m pretty sure she just doesn’t have much of a personality and it’s the only way she knows how to feign interest. At one point when they’re strolling down the street they walk past a cafe and just so happen to run into one of Nick’s ex-girlfriends whom he dated some undisclosed amount of time ago. Interestingly enough, I know someone who indirectly knows this girl. Turns out this girl hasn’t spoken to Nick for over 10 years and she is happily married with two kids. One day she got a call from the producers who offered her cash to come on the show and “surprise” Nick in this scene. They told her what to say about Nick, she was handed her money, and went on her merry way.

Later that night Danielle continues to giggle while just barely keeping her nipples in her dress. She gives the whole my-parents-got-divorced-so-I’m-more-mature-than-most-24-year-olds speech, and tries to spin her lack of knowledge about Nick as wanting to be open-minded. It’s all pretty transparent, seeing as she was 100% recruited to be on this show and has no intention of marrying Nick. Then again, does anyone? And if so, we should probably get them some help.

America’s Dairyland

Obviously all of the girls would rather be in a spa eating a taco, Corinne, but you can’t get to Bachelor in Paradise without going on at least 1-2 terrible group dates.  So even though Nick has clearly never been to a farm, he and the girls get to do some farm chores because Wisconsin is famous for cheese and this was the most creative the writers could get. Even more creative is the main storyline for this group date: Corinne and her unwillingness to do any chores. We get a little comical relief at the expense of Jaimi’s sexuality when Nick can’t manage to work the teat so Jaimi the resident bisexual has to come in and show him how its done, but even this feels lazy. After we’re treated to extensive footage of the girls shoveling cow shit, Corinne decides to take a seat away from the action because her fingers hurt....

Later that night, Astrid starts to gain sentience as she asks “how many more group conversations are we going to have about Corinne?” finally realizing they are all stuck in a loop and that maybe, just maybe, none of this matters. As the girls continue on their loop, Corinne listens from just outside the room and decides its time to take action. She starts by recycling an old Bachelor gag by comparing herself to a vegetable and then aggressively grabs her chest, demanding to know if THIS behavior is immature. And in this moment, she pushes it too far. I’m not laughing anymore because this is tired and transparent, and I feel insulted that she (and the producers) think that this dog and pony show is entertaining. I mean, yes, it’s entertaining but COME ON. It’s been done before. 

With some encouragement from the producers, Corinne decides to present herself to the group for a hearing on the reality of her immaturity. Unfortunately, Sarah is the senator chose to question Corinne’s intentions for the group and she blows it. Instead of attacking Corinne’s disingenuously shitty character, she decides to focus on Corinne’s rose ceremony nap. Sensing weakness, Corinne pounces and goes on and on about how SORRY she is for taking a nap, knowing full well that the girls’ issues are larger than her one nap. The only person we see really getting under Corinne’s skin is Kristina, the Russian spy who ultimately wins the night. Earlier Kristina stole Nick first and had a great chat about how she wants to tell him all about her past as a Russian oligarch’s daughter who almost died in a bus crash but then was rendered blind until she was pistol whipped by her captive 20 years later, but doesn’t ever seem to have much time with him because he’s dating 25 other women. Feeling invigorated by Nick telling her that he loves her “zest for life,” Kristina hits Corinne with a “right reasons” accusation and barely lets Corinne get a word in as she brushes off her false claim of having a “medical condition” that kept her from participating in the rose ceremony. After confusing Corinne with her broken English and calling her out for lying about a panic attack, Corinne gives up and walks away. Kristina ends up getting the group date rose for the night, putting the cherry on top of the first successful Corinne Confrontation of the season.

That’s So Raven

Raven drew the short straw this week by getting the “realistic and meaningful” date with Nick which includes going to Bella’s soccer game with Nick and his parents. Unsubscribe. Having played soccer all my life, there is nothing worse than watching young girls play the sport. Nick’s mom shockingly manages to make it through her 1 minute of screen time without crying. After the soccer game, Bella and the gang opt-out of showering and instead go to the local indoor skating rink where Nick shows off his super cool skating moves and makes out with Raven in front of his parents and sister. Later that night Raven tells Nick a tale as old as time about this one time she caught her boyfriend cheating on her. But it’s not your average I-walked-in-on-him story. Instead, she purportedly got a call from a friend who said that some girl was about to fuck her boyfriend, prompting her to get in her car and drive to Arkansas to confront him. When she gets there, the bedroom door is obviously locked (even though she was out of town so he had nothing to hide?) so she KICKS IT OPEN to see her boyfriend thrusting into a stranger’s vagina. 

She proceeds to launch herself at them, scratching her boyfriend and beating him over the head with a shoe. The best part about this entire story is the low key demeanor in which she tells it -- as if all of this is normal everyday life and not something resembling a scene from Jerry Springer. 

Roses are Rude

Despite having a rose, Danielle L. breaks the cardinal rule of cocktail parties and steals Nick away to have a one-sided nonsensical conversation about how she’s just gonna “go for it” and “put herself out there.” This awkward conversation is made even more awkward by resident know-it-all Taylor who interrupts them by just standing next to the bench and not saying anything. While Taylor and other girls get their time with Nick, Corinne is busy inhaling apps and talking to Josephine with her mouth full about how gross Taylor is...lol. Josephine, having clearly figured out that the best way to get screen time is to be the Karen Smith to Corinne’s Regina George, agrees with Corinne and points out that everyone has been talking about Corinne behind her back...except her. 

After bulking up, Corinne decides she’s not going to be fake so grabs Taylor by the hand like they’re pals and leads her outside to confront her about how "disgusting” Taylor’s behavior towards her has been. Taylor one again does an incredibly good job of calmly trying to explain to Corinne why she’s terrible, but because Corinne is a child, she locks on to one word--intelligent--and starting shouting that she’s not stupid. Well, it’s pretty clear that in a lot of ways Corinne is a stupid little girl who has no business “running” a multi-million dollar company or marrying a 36-year-old, but I also recognize that she set this up herself to guarantee more screen time, so it’s not completely accurate to call her unintelligent. Taylor hasn’t yet figured out that you can’t rationalize with an irrational person, and so we’re left with a “to be continued” even though, thanks to past seasons and the guarantee that Nick will never do the right thing, we know exactly how this will end.

Did you notice . . .

We are not impressed by your use of the word “plethora,” Taylor.

Nick definitely gets his limp dick from his dad.

“Everything is good now and everything is great in the world.” Lol just wait until November, Raven. 

I find it incredibly hard to believe that Danielle L. didn’t have her first kiss until she was 17. I had an afro 1/2 of my childhood and still was able to find a boy to make out with in 5th grade. Sure, he ended up becoming a druggie, dropping out of high school, and allegedly having an affair with my old drama teacher (who later got fired for embezzling school funds), but that’s not the point.

Raven shows up to the date with noticeably longer hair than she’s had at any point in the season. If you’re going to rock some wack extensions, you gotta rock them the whole time girl.

Alexis’s biggest fears are Nicolas Cage and aliens. Same, tbh. It’s pretty clear that Alexis is sticking around because she’s hilarious and easy to talk to. She really deserves more screen time.

I’m just going to leave THIS right here .... you’re welcome.

Minority Report: I think we’ve set a record for number of black girls (3) to make it past week 4!! I’m not sure how much longer we have Jasmine or Jamimi, but I’m still holding out hope that Rachel is able to overcome her *disability* of being a black girl on the Bachelor and make it to the top 4.