#sound off if y'all are gonna be alive after this weekend

[thorsonoflesbians]

ferrari fans how are y'all holding up

[andreafmn]

12 Days of Ficmas ❅ Day 6

Word Count: 3.5K Paring:  Emily Prentiss x Fem!Reader Prompt @12-days-of-ficmas: fighting while setting up the christmas tree/soft emo reconciliation

Summary: (Y/N) took her girlfriend's death very hard. But when Emily reappears seven months after everyone thought they had buried the agent, things between the couple seem to go back to how they were. (Y/N) always understood how important her girlfriend's job was and she never complained. Still, it can be hard to remain understanding when yet another plan is canceled and another promise is broken.

A/N: well, another sad one with a happy ending... I told y'all it'd be a sorta sad Christmas 🫣

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There were so many things that (Y/N) was that Emily loved. She was smart, witty, and understanding. Over all things, she was understanding. 

After Emily’s supposed death, she had been devastated and had found it hard to get her life back during the seven months she was by herself. Although life went on, (Y/N) was stuck mourning for her partner without any knowledge that the woman would walk through the door alive and better than ever. Everything in her life had fallen down a monotonous spiral of dread, and suddenly she was there. 

And (Y/N) understood. Even after she had lost seven months of her life, she understood. Even if she had mourned her girlfriend that entire time, she understood. Even if she had prepared to go the rest of her life without the woman she had given her entire heart to, she understood. 

Because that was Emily’s job. It entailed high-risk situations, secret keeping, and even the potential fake-death scenario. Simply unavoidable work problems. And, of course, she just understood. 

Two months had passed since the woman’s return, and things had seemed to settle down. They had fallen back into their normal routines, living as though they hadn’t lived completely different lives for over half a year. As though Emily hadn’t been only a continent away when (Y/N) thought she was six feet under. And with the holidays coming up, it was no use bringing up the past. 

“Hey, baby,” (Y/N) said through the phone. “What time were you getting home tonight? I got us some matching sweaters and another one for Sergio. Oh, and I made some chicken pot pie, and I had Joe bring up the tree. So we can decorate it tonight. And…”

“(Y/N), honey,” Emily interrupted. “I’m not gonna make it home tonight.”

“No, but… you said you’d be home tonight,” she chuckled softly. “You told me you’d taken the week off until Christmas so we’d have some time together.” 

“I know, and I’m really sorry,” the woman said. “We just got this massive case, and it’s out of state. It’s probably gonna take the entire weekend. But I promise I’ll be home by Monday —Monday night at the latest.”

“Of course,” (Y/N) said, swallowing the anger that was bubbling in her throat. “I understand. Just be safe, Em. I love you.”

“I love you, too, honey. Thank you for being so understanding,” Emily responded. “And don’t decorate that tree. I wanna do that with you.”

”Of course. I’ll see you on Monday.”

The second the dial tone sounded, (Y/N) crashed onto the couch, sighing as Sergio climbed onto her. She ran her hands over his fur, allowing the purring to unwrench the coil of anger that was tightening in her chest. It was just another missed promise, another day where work was more important than their little family. And she couldn’t help but wonder just how much longer she could withstand being a family of one. 

Once upon a time, all (Y/N) had wanted was to spend the rest of her days with Emily. Then she had died, and (Y/N) thought she’d never find anyone to love like she had loved Emily. Only for the love of her life to rise up from the dead and settle back into her life like she had never been gone. It was as though the distance had not made any difference. Emily’s job came first, and everything else, including her own life, came second. And the woman didn’t know how much more she could take. 

There was only so much cleaning (Y/N) could do to pass the time. Only so many garlands she could decorate without touching the tree. Only so many songs she could play to forget just how empty the apartment was. She couldn’t even go to work as she had taken the week off to be with Emily. And there she was, no girlfriend and all the time in the world. 

“I don’t know what to do, Jess,” she told her friend that Monday morning when Emily hadn’t come home. “I thought this was the person I was going to marry. But after everything that’s happened… I don’t know what to do. And I’m trying. I’ve been trying for the longest time.” 

“Have to talked to Emily about this, (Y/N)?” her friend asked before taking a sip of her coffee. “Since she came back from everything that happened last year, have you actually sat down and talked about how you felt during that time?”

“Well, not exactly,” she shrugged. “It’s just… I know why she couldn’t tell me that she was alive. Telling me would have put me in danger. And I know her job is really important and that she has to be away a lot. But I just wanted to spend some time with her this Christmas. Try to make up for all the time we lost.”

“Honey, if you don’t work through what happened before, how do you expect to be good now?” Jess stopped for a beat, setting her mug down and taking her friend’s hand. “Can I be honest about something, and you won’t get pissed at me?” 

“Why do I get the feeling that I won’t like what you’re gonna say?” 

“Because there’s a very likely chance that you’re not gonna like it.”

“Just say it,” she gave up. “If it’s something you think I need to hear, then go ahead.” 

“I think you’ve been too understanding in this relationship,” the woman said. “I know that Emily’s job is very hard and that it requires a lot of her attention. But I also feel like there are times when you have to come first, (Y/N). And I know you don’t want her to think that you’re making her choose between you and her work, but you need to have your needs met. You need to tell her how you’re feeling regardless of how she’ll react.” 

“I don’t know how to do that, Jess. Her job is literally saving people. How can I tell her that I want her to save people less and be with me more?” 

“You know she’s not the only one on that team, right?” her friend continued. “The world is not gonna end just because Emily took a couple of days off. There will still be bad guys, and there will still be people to catch them. I mean, she disappeared for seven months, and the team kept working.” 

“But she loves that job.”  

“She should love you more, (Y/N),” Jess insisted, squeezing her friend’s hand comfortingly. “If not… honey, I’m sorry, but that’s not the person you should start a family with.” 

“This is crazy!” (Y/N) sighed loudly. “This is not the way I should be thinking during the holidays. I love her so much, Jess. I can’t lose her again.” 

“Then talk to her,” her friend pressed. “That’s the only way things can get better.”

As morning turned to night, Jess’ words kept swirling inside (Y/N)’s head. The last thing she wanted to think of was breaking up with Emily days before Christmas and only a few days before they hosted a holiday dinner in their place. She was terrified that saying what she felt would break them apart, and she’d actually lose her girlfriend forever. She wanted to spend the rest of her life by Emily’s side, but she understood she couldn’t do it at her own expense.

The hours passed, and (Y/N)’s disillusionment turned into anger. The bare tree mocked her presence as it reminded her of the reason it was still unadorned. Its branches shuddered under the A/C, needles of pine sprinkling onto the floor as the tree reminded her how much time had passed since it had been resting in their living room. She wanted to tear it down, to tear everything she had decorated down. She wanted Emily to see how angry she was the second she walked through the door. 

Instead, she turned off all the lights and went to bed, with the tree still naked and no Emily. 

The next morning, she awoke to the loud pang of a pan, and her heart sank. She remembered locking the door and checking it three times before going to the bedroom. Whoever it was outside had definitely broken in. 

(Y/N) took Sergio into her arms, using a hand to dial 911 as soon as she confirmed there was someone in the apartment and it hadn’t just been a pan she had left too close to the edge. Slowly, she peeked her head out of the door, making sure there was no one on the second floor before quietly making it down the top couple of stairs. She knelt on the ground and looked to the kitchen to find something she had not expected. 

Emily was trying her best to make breakfast quietly. A task she was failing immensely. She had her back turned to (Y/N), and that gave the woman the advantage to walk down the stairs without being noticed. 

“So, you’re home,” she said, clearing her throat, making Emily jump and drop the pan on the stove. “A whole day late.” 

“I know, sweetheart,” Emily started as she turned to face her girlfriend. “We got stuck in Washington and couldn’t get the plane out until very early in the morning.” 

“And did your phone stop working, too? ‘Cause I didn’t even get a simple text.”

“Honey, I’m sorry. I was exhausted, and I forgot to call you last night. We spent so many late nights on this case, and it finally caught up to me. Can you forgive me?” 

With a sigh, (Y/N) found herself falling into the same pattern. “It’s fine,” she said as she let Sergio down. “Let’s just eat breakfast so we can finally decorate the tree. We have the party on Friday, and there’s so much to do.”  

The couple ate in silence, pushing their food around on their plates rather than enjoying the meal. The air around them was tense, filled with unspoken words and frustrations. But, as always, it was easier to move past it rather than talk about it because (Y/N) always understood. 

Still drenched in silence, (Y/N) dragged the boxes of ornaments from the corner of the living room to the tree. She pulled the lids off the containers and started decorating without saying anything else. And Emily followed suit, working around her to help but keeping out of her way.

“Why don’t I put on some music?”

“Sure,” (Y/N) shrugged. “Whatever you want.” 

“O~kay,” she said, connecting her phone to the speakers. “Actually, I just remembered there’s something I got for us.” Emily pulled a box from her purse, handing it to (Y/N) with a bright smile on her face. “I got it before leaving Washington, and I thought you’d like it.” 

From the box, (Y/N) pulled a snow globe ornament with a lit-up Christmas tree inside, the tiny specs of white making the entire scene look like a winter wonderland. And where she would normally love a present like that, that specific morning, it felt like a slap to the face. 

“Thanks,” the woman said. “It’s pretty.”

“It’s the first ornament of our new place, baby,” Emily cooed. “It even has the year engraved under it.” 

“Yeah, I see. It’s… yeah, it’s great.”

“Is everything okay, (Y/N)? I feel like you’re somewhere else today.”

“I’m fine,” she shrugged. “Just fine.”

Emily wouldn’t have had the kind of job she did if she didn’t know how to read people’s emotions. She could tell (Y/N) was holding something in. Her shoulders were tight, and her expression was stoic. But it was her eyes that she could see held the most pain. They didn’t have their usual glimmer, and she knew it was her fault. “Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” she pleaded, tentatively closing the distance between them. “I know there’s something wrong.” 

“I don’t wanna fight today, Emily,” (Y/N) sighed as she took a step back. “I just wanna finish what we have to do and move on from this.” 

“Who said anything about fighting? I just want us to talk, (Y/N). You’re angry and upset, and I want to resolve things.”

(Y/N) slammed the ornament onto the couch, placing her hands on her hips and turning around as she took steadying breaths. She knew if she kept looking into Emily’s eyes, she’d simply break down before she could get a single word out. “You wanna know what’s going on? Fine. I’m mad, Emily,” she started. “I asked you –begged– for one week of your life, and you decided to take another case. You were gone for seven months, and all I wanted was one week.” 

“Is that what this is about? I thought we were over that.” 

“Over it? We haven’t even talked about it, Emily!” she exclaimed. “You were dead for seven fucking months! I grieved for you. I had to get used to being without you. I had to plan the rest of my life without you. And then you walked back in like nothing had happened. But something did! You died. I buried you. I lived without you. While you were in Europe, people here had to get accustomed to you not being here. And after all that pain and suffering, you came back. “I wanted to be fine with it, Em. I really did,” she sighed, feeling tears fall from her eyes. “But you just picked up where we left off, and I had to change an entire mindset that had been ingrained into my mind. For you, it was business as usual. You went to work, you took your cases, you were good. Meanwhile, I had to get used to waking up next to you and not thinking I was hallucinating or dreaming. I had to go back to worrying if your next case was the one that would take you from me. I had to be fine with you putting your job first and hope that one day you had any time left for me.” 

“(Y/N)...”

“No, Em, you have to listen to me first. I need to get all of this out of my chest before I explode,” (Y/N) cried. “From the moment I entered this relationship, I understood what I was getting into. Your job… it’s one of the most important ones out there. So, I bit my tongue, and I said I was fine with canceled plans and broken promises because it was all for the greater good. But when you died, it put everything in perspective. I couldn’t stop thinking of all the moments we had missed because of your work and all the moments we were never gonna have. And I don’t know if I can go back to that. Because I love you, Emily. I love you like I haven’t loved anyone before, and I want to build a family with you. But if the work-life balance is not something you can do, I don’t know how we could build anything together.” 

(Y/N) crumpled to the ground as she felt the weight of her emotions take over her. Her shoulders slumped forward, and her chest heaved, and the tears streamed from her eyes faster than she could stop them. As Emily remained quiet, she thought that was it. That was the moment that would break them. Three months before, she was still wondering how she would spend the holidays without Emily. And now, it seemed her fear had come true, even if her girlfriend was standing right before her. 

But, suddenly, (Y/N) was enveloped in arms and warmth. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” Emily whispered against her hair. “I never… why didn’t you tell me? I never wanted you to feel like my work was more important than you–than us. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through when I was in hiding, and I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that without me. But I want you to know that if I had been able to take you with me, I would have. Because at the end of the day, once the job is gone and all those responsibilities are put to rest, you are the only thing that I want in my life to be there still. I want the family. I want the future. I want everything with you. (Y/N).”

“It doesn’t feel that way most of the time, Em,” (Y/N) breathed as she leaned into Emily’s touch. As much as she had put space between them, she couldn’t help herself from sinking into her. “We moved in here only two months ago, and I think you’ve slept here a handful of times. All I asked was for you to take this one week so we could find our center again, and you took a case that you didn’t need to. It was a choice you made, Emily. Your days had been approved already, and you still took an out-of-state case. So, I think you can see how I would feel like you care about the BAU more than your own girlfriend.” 

Emily’s arms wrapped tighter around (Y/N), her own tears falling and staining the fabric of her girlfriend’s shirt. “God, I know. I’m so sorry, baby,” she sobbed. “I just… I guess I’ve been trying to make things feel like they did before, and it seems my way was to throw myself into work. I never wanted to make you feel like I didn’t value you because you’re the only thing in my life that I want to hold onto until the day I die. I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sor…”

(Y/N) swallowed her words as she turned and crashed her lip onto Emily’s. She kissed her until her worries melted away. She kissed her with all the love and passion they had been lacking for months. She kissed her until they both understood their love for each other was the one thing that remained intact. 

It wasn’t until Sergio jumped onto their laps that they finally released each other, chuckling as the cat meowed for attention. (Y/N) traced Emily’s lips with a smile, finally allowing herself to stare into the woman’s eyes. She caressed the skin of her cheeks, smoothing every worry line that had painted her face. She kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, her nose, her jaw, and finally her lips. Because she was there. And she was alive. 

“I promise things will be different,” Emily whispered as she rested her forehead against her girlfriend’s. “I’ll take another week off. Hell, I’ll take a whole month off if you want. But I want you to know just how much I love and care about you, (Y/N). And I’ll do anything to prove it.” 

“Wait here,” (Y/N) said as she got up from the floor and ran to her bag by the door. She rummaged for the red velvet box that had been inside for an entire week before March 7th, and she had kept it as a reminder of the woman she loved and would never get to wear it. But she was there now, and there was no better promise than what was inside. She ran back to where Emily sat with Sergio, taking her spot once more. “Do you mean it? Do you really mean anything?” 

“Of course, baby. I love you.” 

“Then, marry me,” (Y/N) said as she opened the box to reveal the ring she had carried for seven months on a chain and had put it back in the box when Emily came back. “I love you, Em. And I want everything with you. I want a house and a family. And I wanna grow old and wrinkly with you by my side. So, Emily Prentiss, will you marry me?” 

“Yes! God, a thousand times yes,” she exclaimed as she crashed her lips onto hers one more. “And, well, I guess there’s no point in waiting until Christmas,” Emily chuckled as she stuck her hand under the couch cushion to pull out a similar blue velvet box. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N), will you marry me? Because I don’t want to ever know life without you. Not now, not ever.”

“How could you steal my idea?” (Y/N) chuckled. “I’ve been wanting to ask you this since the start of the year.” 

“Would you believe me if I told you I bought this ring after our third date?” the woman smiled. “And I’ve been carrying it around for almost two years now. I wish I would have given it to you so long ago. But no better time than now. Will you marry me?”

“Can’t believe you have to ask. Of course, I will.” 

With matching smiles on their faces, they each slipped a ring onto the other’s finger and took the other in their arms. There, in front of their half-decorated tree and their cat, Sergio, they professed their love for one another and cemented their most important promise yet. They were in love, and that, (Y/N) understood.

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[xenizaation]

the bike club

Warning! Sexual content ahead! Minors please do not interact!

pairing: fem! reader x ateez

genre: sitcom?, high school! au, crack, smut

word count: 3.6k

warnings: explicit language, smoking, mentions of violence, handjob, exhibitionism.

a/n: fuck, i'm so late with this 😬😬 i'm sorry y'all i was so tired that i couldn't write anything. on the bright side, it's finally posted!!! it ain't much but it's honest work🤠. hope you guys enjoy and stay tuned for the next one, i promise it's gonna be posted faster than this one🤞. hope you all enjoy! don't forget to leave some feedback. stay safe! xoxo

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you drew a healthy conclusion after the weekend.

you are not going to the movies with mingi and yeosang ever again.

you never thought it would be possible to be so shamelessly ignored in a circle of just three people. it seemed crazy how two boys that barely met managed to talk about all of their common interests in just a few hours, and how you almost had none in common so you could chime in to not get annoyingly bored anymore.

it was of no surprise to you how you found them sitting together during lunchtime, when you wandered off to try and keep the social aspect of your life alive and not be the third wheel a second time.

"i knew he was gay!" a boy from the book club says while pointing to mingi. you turn your torso from the table to make sure he was talking about him.

"what made you think that?" the girl next to him asked.

"i can sense it in his aura." he replies blankly.

you frown remembering of how you thought that there was a chance mingi liked you (and you liked him) back when you helped him clean his cuts. after the weekend it was so clear that he was definitely not interested in girls that it kind of made you want to bang your head against a cement wall. why didn't you sense it in his aura?

"it's well hidden, but it's there." he adds as he takes a bite of his smelly tuna sandwich. well, that brings a bit of peace of mind.

"do you think they're gonna be a thing?" the blue eyed girl addresses you as she sips from the paper straw.

you look back once again, scanning over the table that mingi and yeosang sit. they seem to be very familiar with each other at this point, their bodies completely free to move in any way they feel like as they gesture in between words that keep the conversation flowing. the boys were shamelessly flirting in the school cafeteria from what you could figure. they're definitely going to be a thing.

"not my place to say, is it?" you respond with a sarcastic pout.

the girl shrugs as she looks to the boy quickly, who avoids eye contact as best as he can.

"oh, come on, you're always so...secretive." she pleads as she tries to take some information out of you, be it as little as an opinion worthless to anybody sat at the table. you chuckle as you take the last sip of your water, gulping it down with a loud satisfied sound at the end.

"well, i guess it's part of my aura, right?" you say smiling as you get up from the table, leaving the two people behind you huffing in a sort of amused confusion as you throw the trash from the tray into the bin.

you somehow find yourself in the company of the ignorant lovebirds again when classes are over and you're heading out of the building, walking alongside the pair while they are talking about some book with a title strange to your ears. you read many books, but their clever remarks about this one make you look around at the light blue painted lockers that are splattered along each side of the long walls and avoid adding any thought to the topic. you just listen, trying to keep up with them as you walk out the door.

were they too smart or did you wake up today and decided to be an idiot?

"hey, y/n!" a voice calls from behind, snapping you from your trance. you quickly turn around to be met by jongho waving his hand at you.

"hey guys, i'm gonna go...oh." you adress the two boys who seemingly forgot about your existence completely and were now way too ahead of you. well...that's what happens when you're third wheeling, isn't it?

you turn on your heels jumping from one foot to the other all the way to the corner of the school, where the bike club is gathered. as you arrive in front of them you offer a general greeting to everyone before throwing yourself in the outstretched arms of jongho, embracing him with all your force while laughing into his chest.

if anyone asked you why or how you and jongho were so close, you couldn't give a short answer, for there was a whole story.

back in junior year, there was a rumour going around about a girl from the book club that was adressed with a certain racial slur by the janitor. now of course, most people were furious and went to the principal about it, but he couldn't do much, saying that there is no proof. but you weren't going to leave things that way, right? you and jongho weren't too close back then, but you knew where he stood on certain matters when you had the chance to have conversations in the cafeteria, so he seemed like the fittest person for the task.

long story short, you got detention together for three months after painting 'kill the nazis' on every school wall you got the your hands on before being caught. spending the three months by painting the walls in the entire school as a punishment together with jongho was definitely a bonding moment. one you wouldn't change for anything.

the mini protest that you organized with everyone after was only more rewarding all thanks to the fact that you achieved the purpose of getting the janitor fired. you learned that even if some things seem out of your power, it doesn't mean it's above the power of an entire community.

you always had a soft spot for him, ever since the moment you talked to him for the first time. he could ask you to punch a puppy in the face and you would not hesitate.

"how have you been?" jongho asks as he pulls out of your arms.

"good, good," you answer, mirroring the kind smile on his face. "how about you guys?" you add, pointing your attention towards the tall boy who patiently waited for the entire scene to unfold in front of his eyes.

yunho looks better than ever. even taller, if that would be possible, even wider in his smooth leather jacket, even more handsome. for a brief second you think about the past with him as well.

"we're doing good." jongho's honey voice glazes your ears as you embrace the taller man, nuzzling your head in his comfortable chest, breathing in his beautifully intoxicating floral perfume. he still wears the same one.

"what happened to you?" the question bounces out of your mouth before you get the chance to weigh your surprise out of it as you pull out of yunho's big arms and point to a boy near by.

you didn't know him too well but you were used to seeing him behind jongho's and yunho's tail all the time, the only thing that was different now was that we was wearing a fading black eye, the kind that makes you hiss when you think how bad it could've hurt.

"oh, don't worry about him. that's what he got for saying the wrong shit." jongho replies as he shrugs, leaning back on his red motorcycle.

the boy looked down in shame, shoulders dropping low upon hearing the words.

"c'mon jongho, you know we don't encourage violence." yunho says to the younger.

"we don't, but we encourage fairness and he only had a taste of the consequences of his own actions." jongho huffs out.

you look at the boy again, and it's not hard to put two and two together, especially taking in consideration how there haven't been many fights in the school lately.

he's the one that mingi got into a fight with.

"your friend took care of him pretty good." yunho whispers close to you after a short while, so that no one other than you and jongho, the one closest by, can hear. you lean beside the blonde, on the seat of his black motorcycle and you look up into his puppy-ish eyes.

you smirk as you let a low chuckle tumble out your mouth.

"talking about the new guy," jongho's curious voice breaks into the air. "what's he like?"

"well, i don't know him that well yet, but he's green." you tell jongho. an old expression you chose to refer to everyone that would see the world similarly to how you and the brown haired boy did.

"so we have some principles in common." yunho's voice rings in your ears from beside you.

you hum in approval, looking up to him once again as he looks at jongho.

"well, now you've got to introduce him to us." the shorter says intrigued. "he's got strength and he's got view, shouldn't we all benefit from it?"

you chuckle at the strange image jongho paints in your head. strentgh and view- like they were going to run around the streets like some vigilantes, beating homophobes and sexists and who knows what more.

"and what do i tell him? that you want him to be a mercenary for you?" you question as you laugh to yourself.

"i mean, if that's what he wants to hear, then sure." jongho answers. "but it's not about that. we could use a new face, and we want to take him under our protective wing." he adds as he dramatically stretches an arm and flaps it up and down.

"i doubt he needs it." yunho says with a chuckle as he signals with his head towards the boy with the bruised face.

you chuckle as well, slightly elbowing yunho in his ribs. he rubs the place immediately, exclaiming a way too dramatic 'ouch' before placing a cigarette in between his lips, quickly lighting it.

"we could give him a ride around at least," jongho adds "you know, as a sign of gratitude for punishing guys who let their mouth run a bit too much." he subtly refers to the boy again, too busy to talk with the other members to pay any attention to the sting behind his leader's words.

everyone was head over heels for mingi, you realized.

if the calligraphy club wanted him for his social status, the bike club wanted him for the power that he'd bring to the team. not many would dare cross their way if they had mingi, not that they relied on fear to do their business but at times it was more than welcomed, even for them.

jongho was strong but his small stature would make even you, someone who knew too well what he was capable of, doubt about his abilities in taking someone head on if need be. and for yunho it was the opposite. he had the body for it but the face of a baby at times.

they happily made a good team at least, in leading everyone when it came to doing what they actually love. you forgot how many times thay made the school involve in projects that were more about it's students and less about the school's reputation, but you were sure there were many.

you nod to jongho when he raises his brows expectantly. he gives you a gummy smile before turning his attention to the discussion his friends were having a few steps away.

"talking about rides," yunho starts and you turn your head to him, studying the lit cigarette in between his slender fingers before he inhales smoke and blows it out. "need one home?" he asks with a raspy tone, smiling at you in a way too kind way as he drops the half finished stick, putting it out with the sole of his boot.

yunho was the only person in the whole school who knew your address and that was thanks to the brief period that the two of you spent dating right before the year ended. back then, he would always take you home, making sure to wait until you entered your house before driving off- a sweet gesture which you always held close to your heart. even if the break-up happened on good terms- you simply realized that the both of you were too young to act mature in a relationship- you always thought about how it would've been if it didn't happen at all. if both of you would've let your feelings grow into something more than a superficial high school relationship.

"sure." you show a tight lipped smile to yunho while he hands you the helmet.

right after you say goodbye to the gang, you start securing the shiny black helmet on your head and joining the little straps under your chin, following yunho's movements as he straddles the bike with his muscular thighs, his tall figure fitting perfectly on the black body of the magnificent vehicle. if pure bred stallions could take an object's form, it would most certainly be yunho's bike.

you get on the seat behind him, settling in comfortably as you press your chest on his wide back. it takes you a while to join your hands around yunho's waist, and when you do you're sure you feel him stiffening under your touch as he suffles into his seat. maybe he missed you as much as you did.

"hold on tight, okay?" yunho's voice pleasantly brushes on your eardrums right before he starts the engine of the motorcycle, rising both his feet off the ground as the vehicle starts moving.

you wish you could feel the wind in your hair when yunho speeds up, but you're only left with the sight of the world quickly passing by to make up for it. the sight of the world and the presence of yunho, those are the only things marked in your helmet confined head and it comes like a sudden instinct, to want to feel yunho even more than you're doing right now- to feel his front stacked on yours and not his back, to feel his big arms wrapped around your waist the same that yours are around his, to feel his lips again, maybe for a few reasons more than in memory of the old times. why did you break up, anyway?

you let your mind come up with some scenarios that are far from appropriate in your situation and your hands unconsciously loosen their hold around his waist. you're pretty sure you can hear your heartbeat pulsing in your head when they shyly slide towards his thighs, gently caressing his clothed muscles. his body stiffens again, but this time he remains still, not shuffling in his seat anymore, and certainly not becoming more relaxed when you trace your palms towards his covered dick. you make sure to not rush things, rubbing the inside of his thighs lazily, while he mirrors your action in the way he drives, slowing the vehicle with each second passing by- like he wants the moment to last for as long as you'd be willing to give it to him.

it's only when you finally reach for his clothed erection that he makes a sudden right, detouring from the original way home and taking you on a small street that is covered of any pair of eyes. he stops when he reaches a dead-end in between the two high buildings that stop a big part of the sunlight from illuminating the narrow street.

"what are you doing?" you hear his muffled voice from under the helmet.

"you want me to stop?" you ask as your fingers make their way to his belt, slowly unbuckling as you wait for his answer.

"not really," his words more like a sigh when you reach inside his boxers, wrapping your fingers around his girth.

sex with yunho never happened, but you made up for it on numerous occasions by having a bit of fun with each other whenever you had the chance.

"i missed you," you say as you start pumping his cock slowly, pleasantly welcoming the familiar weight of it in your hand. his body jolts under your touch, all thanks to your words that only add in the warmth he feels inside his pants.

"you never said anything." he says as his head drops low and even though you cant see each other because of the helmets, you're sure that the frown on his face already made it's appearance as all the other times you helped him get rid of his random boners whenever you hung out.

"neither did you," you say a bit louder, to make sure yunho hears you. "but from what i can see, you missed me more." the words leave your mouth through a smug smile, making sure your hand increases its pace as you chuckle to yourself.

he can't bring himself to say anything anymore, he moans in silence as you do your wonders on his dick. you feel his back heaving for air against your chest, making sure to pull him closer when you drag your thumb over his sensitive head, spreading his pre-cum all around it.

yunho hisses slowly, tightening his hold around the handlebars. he always hated the teasing, one of the reasons you always loved doing it to him so much. it would make everything a hundred times more exciting. like when you would just kiss and suck the tip of his dick, being fully surprised of the moment his cum would shoot straight into your mouth. oh, what you wouldn't give to have a taste of his delicious cock right now.

your pussy clenches at the thought, becoming so wet that you think you're going to leave a mark on his leather seat. it becomes especially wet when yunho's big palm takes a hold of your outer thigh, stroking it as much as the position you're in allows it. your own breathing becomes heavy when his muffled groans become louder as his hips rise slowly to meet your hand, giving away how he desperately chases after his release.

taking in consideration how someone could see you at any given time, if they decide to take a look on the strange dark alley, you decide that you should reward yunho faster than usual and so, your hand strokes faster, tighter- just the way you remember he likes it, and in the blink of an eye, yunho's body starts to shudder under the weight of your glorious touch. his cock twitches in your hold a few times and before you know it, his cum spills out all over your hand with a loud groan, spreading all over his big cock as you don't stop the up and down motion.

you gently stroke it until it becomes soft and after that, you tuck it back inside his boxers, zipping his pants and fixing his belt. he places his big veiny hand on your forearm, holding it in place when you try and pull it back. your palm is spread out, glistening in his still warm seed as it faces upwards.

"you've outdone yourself this time." yunho chuckles as he releases your arm gently.

"me? i should be the one saying that, who cums this much?" you ask as you take a good look at the amount of actual cum that's still left on your skin.

"well, i don't have someone to take care of me anymore, do i?" yunho says as he turns his head towards you as much as he can, removing his face shield before he tries removing yours. you lean to the side, giving him better access to slide it upwards.

"that could be solved." you say, looking into his eyes for the first time since you got on his motorcycle.

you see him smirking under the helmet, and you mimick it under your own, wiping his seed on the inside material of the grey skirt of your uniform. well, there could be grosser things you could do.

"still wanna go home?"

what you want is to kiss him. and much more.

"yeah."

but you don't want to rush things.

he slides your face shield down before his own and swiftly turns the motorcycle around as he speeds the purring engine in the direction of your house. no detours this time.

"you've gotta stop making me compromise, jeong yunho." you sigh as you watch him take his helmet off, handing him the one on your head. his eyebrows go up in surprise.

"i know for a fact that wasn't your first handjo...."

"oh my god!" you exclaim loudly as you quickly cover his mouth with your hand. "yunho, anyone can hear you!" you nag, eyes wide as they can get.

"is..this the...hand where..." yunho's voice is muffled under your pressing hand.

"oh, shit," you quickly retract it as you jump backwards. "sorry." you quickly add as you take an awkward stance in front of him, legs pushed together at the tippy toes and hands behind your back, playing with the folds in your skirt as you swing from side to side, looking innocently into yunho's eyes and thinking about what it is about him in this moment that makes your heart beat so unreasonably fast.

"don't ghost me this time." he says after a while, sliding his helmet on his head.

you don't say anything back, only observe how he drives into the distance like he used to some time ago, the only thing different this time is that you wait for him to leave first. the excitement you feel in the pit of your stomach barely lets you walk normally towards the front door, your rationality being the only thing keeping you from jumping from one foot to the other.

you hear the ding right before turning the door knob, and your hand instictively shoots for the phone instead of the metal that opens the door.

it's a matter of seconds before your eyes open widely as you frown upon seeing the notification- your mouth shoots open and you feel like you're going to throw up your own heart.

"holy shit."

next chapter➡️┃taglist form (if you want to know when i'll post the next chapter)

taglist: @sweetteez @jin-neck-shaft @lovelyvitamin @1sieun @shegotboreddsoo @mirror-juliet @enhypp

thank you all for the support! <3

to user @noryyyyyyyyy: i can't tag you for some reason or another, i'll try messaging you about it.

also there's someone who left a gmail link in the form???? very much confused homie but try again with a tumblr link or just the URL, thank you!

[katerinabythesea95]

Me, playing Cannibal Corpse full blast in her bedroom while screaming into her hands at her desk: me? Stressed? Not at all🙄😩

Here are some songs I feel go good with this (I've only heard a tiny bit of canibal corpse, idk their songs, but they definitely sound perfect for letting out frustration and anger. I'm sorry you've been stressed lately 😔

Pt two in my second blog @graciesinclair81

Blood in the water pt 1(reader x Sinclair brothers, house of wax au)

Warnings: mentions of child abuse, plot to murder, cheating.

A/N:Okay so my mind came up with so many scenarios, but this one In particular stood out. It takes place way back when, before Ambrose was home to more than just our fav greasy brothers. So I'm gonna have to say...1991 . Victor Sinclair is still alive in this au. Also for some reason this turned into a small back story intro for him and Trudy.

So without further adieu, Here's part one

*Your pov*

My mind had finally snapped. My worst nightmare had become reality. Everything finally came crashing down on me like a sh**load of bricks and cement. I wasn't angry; oh, no. I was beyond that. I was seething, all I saw was literally tinted in red. My eyes were bloodshot and my face was soaked in tears of pure frustration, pain and hurt. My boyfriend of not one, but two years had been cheating on me. I found out when I went to pay him a surprise visit...

*Flashback*

"Thanks for shopping here with us, have a great day." I smile at the current customer I'd been tending to. My boss, Mr. Daniels, walks into the room.

"Okay kids,I'll be leaving town for the weekend to see my folks, see y'all on Monday, have a great weekend." He announces to my coworkers and me.

We finish tending to the remaining customers and file out of the small building. I step outside and the smell of coffee and cooking food is replaced by fresh air and the usual country smell of Ambrose. I love our quaint little town. It ain't flashy, the streets arent correctly paved, and despite the townsfolk best efforts, the small buildings are showing signs of aging. Nevertheless, it's home.

"So, y/n, you goin' to the theater tonight?" My best friend, Daisy asks excitedly as we walk, her curly blonde ponytail swinging with each of her steps. I smile wide. "Of course, James and Ive been wanting to see Halloween five forever." I say. (Usually by the time a movie is showed at ambrose, it's outdated.)

I noticed Buster, Daisy's boyfriend, and James' best friend was unusually quiet. He had his hands jammed in his pockets and his head low. He was usually a jokester chatterbox. He Always had something to say and it's rare to see his signature grin off his face, but lately he's been acting strange, and he seemed to avoid talking to James and I.

"Buster, you've been actin'...quiet lately. What's wrong?" I ask and stop walking. Daisy follows suit.

He looks up and looks at us with a frown.

"I don't know what You're talkin' about."

I squint my eyes at him. I hate when people played dumb. This boy is definitely hiding something.

"Buster, cut the crap. Anything you wanna tell me?" I demand, crossing my arms and staring him down.

It was a technique my poppa taught me and my brothers. We called it the Sinclair stare. People tend to get intimidated when they're being watched with intensity, and they'll confess if you subject it to them long enough, just to get you to stop.

His eyes flicker from me to daisy and the ground restlessly for a few moments. Daisy was wearily looking between us.

"You know what? Why don't you just go ask your boyfriend? I'm f***ing done with all this bull***t!" He exclaims before storming off, leaving Daisy and I with gaped expressions.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's gone into him." She gives me an apologetic look before running after her lover.

I sigh in exasperation. "Ask my boyfriend? " What did James have to do with anything? I keep walking towards his house. I pass by the gas station my brother Bo worked at. It was just across from the malt shop. I could see his legs sticking out of a car as usual. I cross the street and walk over to him and nudge his boot with my own foot.

He slides from under the vehicle and looks up, his annoyed glare turning immediately to a warm smile. I smile back at him. He gets up and puts his hands on his hips.

"Hey, little Missy, shouldn't you be at work?" He raises his eyebrow.

"Mr. Daniels is leaving town for the weekend, he let us off early." I explain.

"oh, you gonna help Vince at the museum?"

I shake my head. I wasn't in the mood to paint or help my other older brother,Vincent, Bo's twin work on the house of wax that our mother had built from scratch. Now that she's gone, Vincent and I were the ones mostly in charge, since we were artists like momma.

"naw, Imma go see James, gotta talk to him about some things." I reply.

Bo rolls his eyes and I giggle. He didn't like James much, he only barely tolerated him because of me, same goes with my dad. Vincent was more accepting of my boyfriend while my younger brother Lester was full on friends with him.

"Well don't stay too long, you know the drill, his momma ain't home you get your behind back here or to the house of wax, okay?" Bo says. Its my turn to roll my eyes.

"Of course." I smirk at him.

He smiles and wipes his hands on the back of his suit before wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead.

"He so much as lays a finger or hurts you in any way, you tell me immediately, got it?" He murmurs into my hair. I nod, suppressing a sigh as I hug him back, but I know exactly where exactly he was coming from. I've had the same bad luck as my siblings when it comes to significant others. We've all been burned in the past.

We let go of each other after a moment, and he ruffles my hair before we say goodbye. I resume my original route. When I finally reach James' house, I knock the door, call out a few times, and wait for a few minutes, but no answer. He should be here, he had the day off on Saturdays. He works at the town sugar mill with his dad. Mrs. Miller was usually at home too, but sometimes she would go out to the market or to neighbors houses to chat.

I'm definitely not gonna be the perfect little housewife the woman of ambrose are. I learned it from my momma. She owned the house of wax museum and she ran it, even though poppa helped her with it, she was the main boss of it.

Maybe James was at the market with his momma. I'm about to turn away and leave when I look up and see one of the window curtains sway close. Oh, he was probably sleeping when I came up. I waited for a few more minutes for him to come downstairs, but he never does.

My heart sinks as those venomous flashbacks from my past start to seep into my mind, and I try to shut them out. James is different. He knows my past and he'd never hurt me. He loves me. I know he does. How many guys would put up with a girlfriend who refused to sleep with them? Like, literally no boy would.

James did. He understood and shared my beliefs, and knew about my past trauma. I'd told him before even getting into a relationship with him that I wouldn't be able to fully trust him completely for a long long time, and he'd promised that he wasn't going anywhere. So far he hasn't given me any reason to doubt him, why should I start now? But...what's going on right now?

The door finally opens and I let out a sigh of relief, mentally rebuking myself for getting paranoid. I wrap my arms around his waist. He hugs me back. He smelled of shampoo and his skin was cool and moist.

"Hey baby, you're here early." He chuckles. I look up at his face, the face of the boy I love so dearly. His emerald green eyes seemed slightly tense and darker than usual. His curly hair was dripping a bit, water droplets glistening in the sunlight like tiny diamonds.

"Yup, boss is going on a trip, we got let off early. Thought I'd surprise you" I tell him, a hint of uneasiness still lingering in my chest. His expression softens more.

"You okay? Did something happen?" He asks with concern.

"Well Buster kinda blew up for some reason. I'd asked him why he's been acting so weird these last few days, and he just went off, told me to ask you." I watch James' face harden into a frown, his jaw clenching.

"What did he mean?" I ask, searching his eyes.

"Don't listen to him, he's just...mad at me. We're having an argument." He says, but there's a look on his face. He's not telling me something.

"James. Don't hide information from me please. What's going on?" My heart feels heavier with each moment that pases. He sighs and rubs his face tiredly.

"Babe, don't worry about it, look, ma isn't here, so I can't let you in...but I'll pick you up tonight, sound good?" He touches my face tenderly.

"Why don't we just take a walk to the lake while we wait for the movie to start?" I suggest. I can't help the growing panic inside me.

"I'd love to, baby, but I didn't really sleep well last night, and I had to get up early today to help pa with some things at the mill. I'm exhausted, I wanted to take a nap before our date."

"Okay, sleep well, see ya later then." I say, trying not to sound too disappointed. He gives me a kiss on the lips and a hug. As we hug, my chin rests on his shoulder and I once again look up toward the bedroom windows and see the same curtain move just as my gaze lands on it. I pretend to walk away from the house until I hear the door close. I turn and go around the house, and I go in the door that leads to a crawl space under the porch. I sit there to wait. Wait for what exactly, my mind tries not to deal on it, but I can't help myself. I know I have every reason to be mistrusting and to worry so damn much but I also know this isn't normal healthy behavior. I have to let go of the past pain in order to be happy again, but something just doesn't feel right here.

The last time i ignored the red flags and internal gut feeling I was hurt. At least this time, I can be slightly prepared for what might coming ahead. Being cheated on is not something you ever recover from; you just learn how to accept it and try to not let it ruin you.

I don't know how much time passed when I heard the door open again.

"Today was a close one, Ashely. Don't ever come over like that, You can't break the rules I told you when we got together. she would've seen you if ma had been here before her." I hear James' voice.

"I'm sorry, I just missed and needed you so bad." Besides, I've never been to your house, and I'm tired of hiding like a rat. So you better get rid of her or it's over between us."

A familiar female voice said. I recognize it as Ashely Jacobsen's. She was the Mis ambrose beauty pageant queen. She won each year since she turned 13. She was the kind of girl who was "nice" to everyone to their faces but behind closed doors, she was a b***h. We had been enemies since she'd turned on my when she started hanging out with with jocks and cheerleaders.

"Don't worry Im gonna break up with her, but I have to find the right way to do it, don't want her brutes of brothers and father on my back." James says.

Rage boiled inside me; it took every ounce of strength I have to not crawl out of my hiding place and rip her and James to shreds. But us Sinclairs have a way to deal with people who dared double cross us. It didn't happen often, but when it did, let's just say bad things occured.

Bile rises up my throat as I catch glimpses of them kissing through the small cracks in the wooden floor. I wait for the skank to leave and for the traitor to retreat back into the house. When the coast is clear, I get out and go home, There is much work to be done...

*end of flashback*

When I got home, Nobody was there, not my brothers, not my father, not even Jones, our family dog. Vincent or Lester must've taken him. (A/N this particular dog is Jonesey's great grandaddy, since this takes Place so long ago.)

I storm up my room, and slam the door so hard the walls of our wooden house shutter. I scream out loud, it hurts my throat but I don't give a damn. I want to see them in pain. I want to see blood. I keep screaming into my pillow, my body tensing up with all the overwhelming emotions I'm feeling.

I push myself off the bed and take out my Canibal corpse tape and put it hastily into my boom box, cranking it all the way. I need to refrain myself from further action until I talk to my family. They will help me layout a plan. I know that poppa is gonna get real angry when he gets home and hears me blasting music he didn't really like. But once I tell him my story he's gonna turn that vicious anger towards the sick f***s that have hurt me.

I was right. I'm still pacing the floor when my door slams open this time and my father is standing there, his trademark scowl on his face as I expected. He has a belt in his hand. Ready for action.

"WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS NOISE??" He yells above the booming music, somehow managing to sound louder than the blaring heavy metal. He lurches forward, looking like a rattlesnake about to strike a unsuspecting mouse.

"THE BASTARD IS TWO TIMING ME!" I scream as loud as I can.

He hears me cause he lowers his weapon. His face goes to surprised for a moment before getting even angrier than before. "HE WHAT??" He takes in my broken expression for the first time,and just kind of stands there awkwardly. Thankfully the music filled what would be a awfully uncomfortable silence. I want to be comforted, but my relationship with my father, like his with my brothers,is strained.

My father wasn't father of the year; everyone knows that. And my mother hadn't been mother of the year when she was alive either, but deep down, they tried their best. It wasn't easy for them to raise a family especially in the beginning when Bo and Vincent had been born. Yeah, doctors had been able to separate them safely, but my parents hadn't been prepared for the mental and physical complications that followed after. And not long after the twins were born, I came along; and only two years later Lester had been born. It was alot more than a young couple could handle. I'm not saying I agree with their child rearing methods, but I try not to be unnecessarily judgemental of them. Although they terrified the crap out of me and my brothers, we're still their babies; and they watched out for us in their own way. The music abruptly stops.

"what's all this noise?" Bo asks, he and Vincent standing at the door and looking at us.

Bo's eyes land on me and then at the belt in our fathers hand. He frowns. He walks over and stands protectively in front of me.

"Come on, Pa, it's just music." He says in a light tone. Bo may be 19 and fit from his work as a mechanic, but poppa was not one to be messed with, despite his lanky frame, he was dangerous, and we Sinclair children knew that perfectly well. Vincent steps in beside Bo and me.

"He didn't hurt me, James did." I tell my older brother. What James did to me hurt worse than any beating Poppa has or could give me.

Bo's eyes widen in shock at my words, but only briefly; for his eyes turned cold and a deep frown appeared on his face, making him look so much like poppa.

The tension and pure discontent in the room that rolled off all of us was so thick, I literally feel like I'm suffocating in it. I need to feel a release, and there's only one thing that would do that. And I make a request I had never made before.

"Pa,Vince,Bo,I want them dead." I say in a low, venom coated tone.

"Okay sweet pea, we'll round up Lester and get rid of 'em." Bo says, rubbing my back sympathetically.

"I want to go with you. I want to be part of it this time."I clarify. Vincent is the first to shake his head.

"Baby, we don't want you to get hurt." Bo says softly.

"I need this, guys, poppa! PLEASE." I look from my brothers to poppa, who hasn't said anything yet.

His Ice blue eyes bore into my pleading ones. He could see how much pain I was in and how important it was for me to get my revenge personally, because he nods after debating a moment.

"Okay." He says, giving my brothers the 'look' so that they don't protest. It's not that my father isn't protective of me; he's even worse than all three of my brothers sometimes, but he's a 'swim or drown' father, and right now I know Im asking to be swimming with pirahnas.

He looks back at me with the same gaze.

"You are to join us, but remember. Once you hunt and kill, it changes you. No going back. Ever. Understand?"

I nod my head. "Yessir."

He nods again and looks back at the boys. "Go get your brother. We've got planning to do."

The twins both look at me, well Bo sorta glared at me, I know he hates that I'm gonna be hunting with them, but he keeps his mouth shut and stalks out my room. Vincent grabs my hand, squeezing it gently before following after Bo.

My father jerks his head at me, motioning me to follow him. We go downstairs to the living room. Poppa throws himself on the couch. I know better to stare at him; he hates it, but I can't help but do just that. He looks so...exhausted? He's not that old; he was only 35. (he was my age when the twins had been born, mama had been 14). But he looks older than he actually is. His chocolate brown hair was thinning and had some gray in it. I don't know why, but I feel pity for him; he hasn't been the same since momma passed; and I know he feels guilty for not being able to save her but there wasn't anything anyone could do; she'd had a cyst in her brain and it was unremovable.

His eyes flicker to me and he meets my gaze, and I don't take my eyes away from his, although that's the rule. "You're a lot like your momma, you know that?" He says, his eyes scanning my face, as if he was seeing me for the first time.

I'm not surprised by his words; for everyone would always mention my uncanny resemblance to her, but what shocked me was the pure softness of his words. His face is gentle, and he continues to stare at me, his eyes unusually light and kind. I felt the sudden urge to just hug and comfort him. This is ridiculous, he's my father. I have every right to hug him. I decide to push my luck and carefully walk forward till I'm standing beside him.

He didn't move away or glare at me like he always did when me or my brothers would get too close to him.

"Yeah, I know...but I have your eyes, pa." I say. My body was trembling with fight or flight like I always do when I'm around my father. But i find myself sitting next to him. We stare at each other, his usually ice blue are lighter, making it look like I was looking into a mirror. Happy memories of my childhood flood my mind. Poppa coming home from work,and me greeting him,jumping into his arms. Laying with him on the couch, watching a boring game of football that he liked, and me falling asleep,cuddling his chest. I do the same thing again,I wrap my arm around him and lay my head on his chest.

He tenses up a bit at first, but then he relaxes and I feel his arms around my small frame hesitantly and then more strongly. This was something I had missed terribly, just like I missed momma. After she died it was like poppa had left, too. She was the love of life; the one who saved him from the unhappy life he'd come from. His parents were even more strict than he is with us. He would get beaten for literally everything he did, even things we never get beaten for.

Momma's passing wasn't the beginning of my estrangement from my father; it only deepened it. I'd started drifting apart from him and momma when I was about six or seven and found out about Bo's wrist scars. I had went into his and Vince's room to wake them up for breakfast, when I saw the giant purple painfully looking scars on my brother. I was so shocked,upset and worried. I woke him up in tears, and asked him what happened to his arms and he tried to lie about them at first, saying he done them to himself, but I saw right through him and demanded the truth.

When he nervously revealed that it was our own parents who had done it to him as a kid, that's when I realized that they were dangerous and perfectly capable of going to extreme measures if it meant keeping us disciplined. I was angry at them; nobody could hurt my brothers and get away with it, not even my mom and dad. So I retaliated by closing myself of from them. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but as time would prove, it wasn't. Now my momma's gone and this is the first time in all these years I've been able to get close to my poppa again.

Tears well up in my eyes and I bury my face into his shirt. It smelled of cigarettes, beer and his favorite cologne.

"I'm so sorry,I'm sorry,I'm sorry daddy." I say into his chest,bawling my eyes out. I haven't called him daddy in so long.

"Sh sh sh, babygirl, it's alright, daddy's got ya. I'm here." He says soothingly into my hair. I grip onto him like my life depends on it and I can't stop Shaking with sobs.

We stay like that for a long time before I'm able to calm down. He moves my face gently so I can look at him. His thumb brushes away my tears and he plants a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm...sorry too. For everything...you...your brothers...can you ever forgive this old pile of bones?" I know how difficult it is for him to express his feelings, and this is the first time I've ever heard him apologize to anyone but my momma.

"Of course daddy.I love you. And I missed you." I kiss his cheek, and a sad smile forms on his face. At that moment, we hear the rumbling of two trucks pulling into the driveway. Daddy gives me one last squeeze and pats my back, signaling our little father daughter reunion was over.

It was time to get down to business and have a more sinister reunion...

[fuckyeahscienceparty]

Fighter (Lover)

Call me fighter, I'll mop the floor with you

Call me lover, I'll take you for a drink or two

You'll get older, and maybe then you'll feel some control...

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HOO longest thing i've ever written lads :V hope y'all enjoy! title/description based on fighter by jack stauber bc i thought it was very fitting lol

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Engie let out a strangled yell as he finally managed to land a solid hit on RED's Spy with his wrench, the familiar sound of crunching bone and the squelches of blood that accompanied it filling the air and splattering his overalls in French flavored crimson.

Not a very pretty way to die, and he almost felt bad for the fella, knowing from.... rather painful experience how excruciating it was to go through respawn after having your skull caved in. But almost was the keyword here, especially considering the fact that the bastard had unfortunately managed to sap both his dispenser and his sentry in the process, leaving him not only vulnerable to his fellow REDs but without the resources to actually get things up and running again.

What was extra unfortunate was that before he could get to either of them, they'd both managed to practically destroy both affected buildings, causing his dispenser to spark and sputter to a halt and his sentry to explode, sending components and pieces of shrapnel flying everywhere and barely giving Engie a chance to shield himself while hanging on to less than half of his health points.

Great. Just great.

He let out an annoyed grumble, anger rising in himself as he began to at least attempt damage control by basically tearing the sapper off of his dispenser with his bare hand. He didn't even care about all the little metal bits in his skin that tore through his shirt and were starting to make blood ooze out, staining his already sullied uniform. What he cared about was making sure that RED didn't take their final point and not having sentry up, even if it was just a level 1, was going to make that exceedingly difficult.

That being said, if he made it out of this alive, he was gonna have a field day getting all these stains out he mused to himself as his pried open the side panel of his dispenser. He reached for his toolbox, rummaging around for his wire cutters, twist on connectors, and a new set of wires to replace the ones the sapper had fried as he heard a chorus of bullets being fired from somewhere around the next point over.

He frowned. Those were much closer than they were 15 minutes ago. Better pick up the pace.

With a deft hand, he pulled out the wires and snipped out all the unsalvageable ones, tossing them in his toolbox to properly dispose of later. Twist on connectors wasn't exactly a Good fix to all the problems he knew that damn shock box had caused, but it would be good enough to last him until the end of the round.

...He hoped, at least.

After making quick work of the internals and closing the panel back up, he flipped the switch back on, waiting a few agonizing moments before the dispenser beeped at him a few times and whirred back to life.

Engie let out a weary sigh of relief as it slowly started healing his wounds, giving it a couple whacks with his wrench to get it into somewhat working order. It may have been knocked back down to level 1, but hey, at least it actually started up again! Finally, he had one thing was working in his favor!...

...But only the one thing. Now was the issue of getting his sentry back up, and with his dispenser back at level 1, just waiting around for metal wasn't exactly going to be an option this time.

After scanning the battlefield a few times, a disgruntled noise escaped him. Pyro was nowhere to be found. Just his luck. He grumbled to himself more as he picked his dispenser up and moved it to where he thought it would be at least a little less visible so he could go search for an ammo kit himself, keeping a hand on his pistol and his wits about him as he ventured into a nearby building.

He hated to leave any of his buildings unattended without Pyro around to cover for him (usually in return for a joyride into town the following weekend along with the sugariest fruit flavored item they could get from the local candy store), but he really didn't have the time to sit around and hope for the Chance that they'd 1). be in his field of view and 2). not be too busy to play guard dog for 5 or so minutes (5 minutes they could very understandably use to set some REDs running for the hills. or a fire extinguisher).

And as much as he would love to just waltz into BLU's resupply and pick up all the things he needed with little to no effort, he was currently stationed at second to last and the time it would take him to get there and back would be more than enough time for the REDs to not only destroy BLU's hopes and dreams but also to give way for his teammates to complain about how he hadn't been there to defend them.

(As if he wasn't doing enough for this damn team already.)

So taking a gamble with getting an ammo box was objectively his best bet at the moment. Was he happy about it in any metric? Absolutely not. Sure, he knew his way around the place and he actually knew that the building he was currently in housed the largest ammo kit you could find out in the field, but he also knew that other people knew that too. And that meant that there was a very real chance of running into one of them and not only failing to defend BLU's points and having to put up with his teammates' negging but also dying and gettin sent through respawn in the process.

But that's as if anything was really going his way today.

He hopped up the wooden stairs two at a time, knowing that the ammo kit was somewhere up on the top floor. He'd actually passed by the Medkit on the first and as tempted as he was to heal himself up a little, he also knew that any more time he wasted in there was time that could be used getting a sentry back up.

When he'd reached the second floor, the ammo box was just where he expected it to be, sitting next to a window that looked out over the battlefield, giving him a front and center view of BLU's second to last point. He could just about see a sliver of his dispenser, silently relieved that it was still there. From what he could see, RED and BLU were still fighting it out over the mid point, both teams having captured and then recaptured it several times already, only for the other to take it back.

Currently, it was still BLU's but something told him that if he didn't hurry, that was going to change soon.

He quickly scooped up the ammo box, eyebrows furrowing when the top of it came off with relative ease. Odd. You usually need to do at least a little prying with these suckers to get the tops to pop off. He then rummaged around in it to make sure it had what he needed, confusion deepening when he realized that there weren't any syringe cartridges in the box.

And that's when he heard a slight rustling from somewhere just out of his peripheral vision.

He immediately dropped the box, bullets and miscellaneous parts spilling everywhere as he turned around and reached for his pistol.

However, he ended up getting a spray of syringes to the arm, letting out a strained cry as he instead grabbed his pistol with his other hand and randomly fired it in the direction of where the syringes had come from.

His guesswork was pleasantly met with a very loud "FUCK", his eyes finally focusing on a very irritated looking RED Medic who now sported a bullet wound in his non dominant shoulder.

"You wanna dance? Let's fuckin' tango, buddy," Engie muttered mainly to himself, only just about bearing the pain as he tore anywhere from 4-7 syringes out of his arm and dropped them to the floor.

He tried to shoot his newfound opponent again but his bullets made splinters rather than punctured flesh, Engie fully aware that his normally serviceable aim was probably off thanks to the searing pain in his... well, everything, cursing under his breath regardless.

However, before he could even process what to do next, the enemy Medic made a dive for him, the two of them tussling to the floor and struggling with each other for the right to end someone's life.

Engie was able to momentarily able to wiggle his arm out of the other's grasp, managing a solid hit on RED Medic's face that he was pretty sure ended up breaking his nose.

That really only seemed to make him angrier though, the two of them continuing to wrestle it out until Medic finally managed to come out on top, having practically straddled Engie's chest as he pinned down both of his arms to the ground. The both of them struggled to take in air, Engie still making feeble attempts to escape his captivity with little success.

If this weren't a life or death situation, he probably would've told RED Medic that he was rather handsome, even with a broken nose and blood dripping out his mouth and onto Engie's shirt. Truth be told, Engie had always thought him attractive and if the two of them weren't enemies by uniform color, he probably would've asked him if he wanted to go out for a drink some time.

But even if life or death prevented him from attempting to woo the man who he'd just shot, Engie couldn't help but be immensely frustrated with himself, eventually just letting out a wheeze of defeat as he gave out from exhaustion.

"Just- just fucking do it please, I'm really not goddamn having it right now," He growled out, causing RED Medic to squint and tilt his head at him. After all, it wasn't every day that your enemy practically begged you to off them after they (quite understandably) just tried to strangle you.

"Hey, Stitches, you hear me? Just cut my head off or steal my organs or whatever, make my godawful day into an even more godawful one," He reiterated, Medic unable to suppress a chuckle despite how tired he was.

"Sorry- steal your organs? Do you really think I'm going to do that?" He grinned incredulously.

"Dunno. You just seem like the type," Engie said dryly, Medic letting out a cackle.

"Well just because you made me laugh, I'll make this quick. You don't seem particularly happy right now," Medic vocalized, shifting so that he could pin both of Engie's arms down with one hand and reach for Engie's pistol that had gotten knocked out of his grasp in their scuffle with the other.

Stronger than he looks. Engie couldn't tell if his heart beating faster because he was literally about to die or because an item was added to the list of "reasons why I want to take my enemy out to dinner."

...Might be both.

"Golly gee, what gave that away?" Engie deadpanned, feeling the muzzle of his own pistol pushing against his forehead. RED Medic chuckled again.

"No hard feelings, right my friend?" he smiled at him, almost apologetically. At least Engie thinks it's apologetically. Kinda hard to tell with all the blood that wasn't in his body.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself.

"Nah. None at all."

...

BANG!

...And not even 20 seconds later, he suddenly materialized in BLU's main respawn room, immediately grimacing from the skull splitting headache he was saddled with; the unfortunate side effects of being shot in the head. Respawn could only do so much, after all.

He moved to open the resupply cabinet to just get what he needed and get the hell out of there before he was startled by the intercom crackling to life, Engie's stomach sinking when he heard the very familiar "YOU FAILED" accompanied by almost comically sad music.

Had he really been gone that long? He didn't even hear the Admin announcing that mid had been capped, let alone second to last, and surely he would've heard it even if he was being held up by RED's local handsome devil.

But his teammates slowly filing in with various injuries seemed to confirm their defeat, Engie sighing as he reached into the cabinet for a bottle of aspirin instead of a case of bullets.

"Hrr Mrnrph!" Pyro mumbled out as they made their way in, Scout with his arm around their shoulders for support as he hobbled in as well.

"Yo, Engie, where the hell were you?" Scout frowned, clearly peeved about losing that day's round.

"Yeah, maggot, we thought you were on second to last! Their damn Scout somehow slipped by us and ended up capping both of ours after RED capped mid again," Soldier added, Engie sighing. Of course this was going to be blamed on him.

"Sorry, fellas. Spy managed to sap both my sentry and my dispenser and their Medic got me when I was tryin' to get supplies. I was hoping y'all would be able to hold mid long enough for me to get back but that. Obviously did not happen."

"Oh, so it's our fault now?"

"Hey, I'm not sayin' it's anyone's fault, I'm just sayin' that they got the best of us today. We'll give it another go tomorrow, like we always do."

Scout obviously seemed unhappy by the notion but decided it best to shut his trap when Demo gave him A Look because even Scout knew that Demo was not one to fuck with. Engie knew he didn't actually intend real harm, he just tended to run his mouth with things he didn't necessarily mean. Didn't make his life any easier, though.

"Listen, I think we've all had a long day. Let's just get patched up an' relax before tomorrow," Demo interjected, the rest of the team making various sounds of agreement as the final members of their menagerie made their way in.

As he walked past, Medic gave him a conciliatory look that Engie could only give him a knowing smile in return for. They both knew what it was like for the entire team's failure to be blamed on their shoulders alone. Usually it was Medic who received the brunt of it, especially when he'd just been transferred in, but Engie was no stranger to complaints on his off days about how he should've been better or how could've done more.

It made him want to tear his own ears off. Not only because it was annoying as all hell because you didn't see him out here blaming the entire team's loss on one damn person's slip up, but because it was the kind of shit that he told himself when he was younger and it brought him back to times he didn't necessarily want to remember.

He was suddenly brought out of his brooding by Pyro walking up to him, Scout seemingly having limped his way back into base on his own.

"Mrr rrhrrh hrrph phr nrr rphmm hrr rr phrrhrrk phr rrr," They mumbled out sadly, holding their arms out to offer an apology hug and very much looking like a kicked puppy. Engie let off a soft "aw."

"Shucks, Firefly, it ain't your fault. Can't expect ya to baby me all the time, can I?" He joked, pulling them in anyways. Only a monster could refuse Pyro hugs, after all.

Pyro squeezed him tightly, nearly lifting him off the ground despite the fact that they were only a couple inches taller than he was as Engie was momentarily overwhelmed with the familiar scent of kerosene and singed rubber.

When they finally let go, Engie gave them a gentle pat on the head.l

"You go inside now, hey? I gotta check if my dispenser's still out there and you probably got your own injuries you should have Doc look at," He told them, Pyro nodding at him and giving him an affirmatory wheeze. They then gave him another quick squeeze before waddling their way inside, boots squeaking every so often.

Engie sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Oh well. Nothing he could do now but prep for tomorrow.

He sat in respawn for a little while waiting for the aspirin to kick in and only decide it was time to get going when he finally felt like his brain wasn't trying to squeeze itself down his spinal cord.

After making the trek to second to last, he was pleasantly surprised to see that his dispenser was still on. And also there at all.

(To be fair, RED and BLU had been fighting over mid for so long that RED's Scout probably hadn't bothered to destroy what wasn't shooting at him in a desperate attempt to end the godforsaken match already. He couldn't say that he'd blame him.)

He was also surprised, though not as pleasantly, to see someone waiting for him. Specifically, someone in glasses and a tie that, even though it was covered in blood, had a face that was both painfully smug and oddly endearing.

Though they were technically now in ceasefire until battle tomorrow, he still instinctively reached for his pistol, blinking and looking down when he realized his holster was empty.

"I believe you're looking for this?" RED Medic asked as he picked said pistol up off of his dispenser, Engie nodding cautiously.

"Relax, dummkopf, I'm not going to shoot you. The bullet that was in your head was actually the last one in the magazine anyways," Medic snorted, demonstrating by pulling the trigger while pointing the weapon to the ground and coming up with nothing but empty clicks.

Regardless, he still offered it to Engie butt first, Engie himself still wary but a little less hesitant as he took a few more steps forward and took it in his hand.

"Apologies. I actually meant to put it back into your holster before you went through respawn but I didn't have adequate time. You pack quite a punch," Medic smirked lightly, Engie's attention suddenly being drawn to his still broken nose.

He grinned sheepishly.

"Heheh, yeah, mama taught me well... No hard feelin's though, yeah?" Engie sticking his pistol in its place and his hand out to the doctor, Medic letting out an amused huff at his own words being used against him.

"No hard feelings," He assured, shaking Engie's hand.

"I should probably be off now, I can practically hear my gaggle of idiots begging me to heal their boo boos from all the way out here," He then snorted, Engie letting out a chuckle.

"All good. I should prolly get the ol' girl back to the workshop. Damn sappers always do a number on the internals," He grimaced, thinking about all proper rewiring and circuit board replacement he was going to have to do, not to mention normal maintenance and cleanup.

"As I've heard. Our own Engineer has some particularly... colorful words on what he thinks of your Spy."

"Bit of a wily bastard, that one. Can't say I blame him," Engie shrugged, leaning against his dispenser for support and suddenly feeling face flush as Medic did the same, the two of them now so close that their elbows touched in the middle.

If Medic noticed, he didn't immediately let on, merely smiling at him.

"That we can all agree on, I think. What is it with Spies and deciding to be bastards? Is it a profession thing, does it just come naturally to them?" He said mirthfully, leaning in close enough that their noses were close to touching.

...Never mind, he absolutely noticed.

"'s gotta be, right? I mean, it's the only explanation for why they're all so dickish. That or the ones we've been in contact with just happen to be persnickety lil fucks," Engie grinned, Medic laughing loudly in response.

It only made him grin even wider. Medic's laugh had to be in a class of its own. Borderline obnoxious in nature but somehow brash and unapologetic while still being absolutely ridiculous.

Man, was it just something to die for (which he.. technically supposed he did).

"Ah, look at me, babbling about. I really should get going before I waste any more of your time," he said when giggles finally stoped threatening to rise out of his throat, Engie feeling a sudden pang of disappointment in his chest. He merely waved him off with a soft "shucks, weren't nothin'" as he tipped his hat, Medic giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

"It was nice talking with you, Herr Engineer. Perhaps we can meet again some time," He smiled before turning to make his leave.

Engie closed his eyes. This was a bad idea, this was a bad idea, don't do it, don't do it Dell, don't FUCKING do it-

"Hey, uh. Stitches."

Medic paused before turning around again.

"Are you... free this weekend?"

An amused glint suddenly appeared in Medic's eyes.

"Well seeing as we all have weekends off, yes, I should be. Why do you ask?"

"You, uh. You wanna grab a drink with me, this Saturday, maybe? I know this pretty good place not too far out and uh. I dunno, 'd be fun to uh. See ya again outside of work, I guess," Engie stumbled out, putting a hand on the back of his neck.

"...I'd like that. I'd like that a lot," Medic smiled, Engie's face lighting up.

"Great! Uhm. I uh, I guess. Meet me on y'all's second to last at about 6? I know how to avoid all the cameras, so," Engie offered, Medic raising an eyebrow at him.

"...Hey, when you live out your days fighting people to the death for an old dinosaur who would skin you alive and turn you into the coat given the chance, finding out where her cameras and all their blindspots are isn't that much of a hassle. We're actually in one right now. Wouldn't've asked you out otherwise," He shrugged, Medic holding his hands up in response.

"I'm not one to judge. Whatever gets me out of playing team mama for the night. I'll just tell them I joined a book club or whatever. And if they don't believe me... well I think a saw to the skull might convince them," Medic said, suddenly pulling out his Ubersaw with a malicious grin.

Engie had to physically restrain himself from saying "hot" in response.

"Heheh, yeah, I bet it might. I'll uh. See you later then," He coughed out, moving to put his dispenser into compact mode and pack it back into his toolbox.

When he stood up with it resting on his shoulder, however, Medic was standing right in front of him, nearly causing it to slip out of his hands.

Medic barely stifled a laugh at his shock, gently removing his hardhat and leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"It's a date then," He hummed cheerily before putting Engie's hardhat back on his head and making his return to RED, leaving Engie with his hat slightly askew and his face moderately flushed.

And that's when if hit him. A date. He had just asked his actual, literal enemy who had shot him in the head about 30 minutes ago, on a date. And he said yes.

He didn't know if he wanted to scream, punch something, or throw himself off a bridge. Probably all three, if he was honest.

Despite all that, he practically forced himself to turn around and begin making his way back to BLU, readjusting his tool box every so often so it wouldn't slip out of his hands. What the hell was he doing, breaking contract like this? He means sure, he wasn't particularly one for rules anyhow, he's pretty sure he's committed more than a few atrocities against the heavens in his lifetime, and the Admin wasn't always on his case for every little infraction he'd ever made anyways. But between her and God, it was the Admin he feared more and he knew that if there was one rule that the she enforced, it was that cross faction relations were NOT tolerated and were more than a warrant for termination.

Termination of contract or termination of your life? Depended on how nice she was feeling that day.

Needless to say, he was very frustrated with himself.

But then he remembered how drop dead (haha) gorgeous Medic was even when he was bleeding all over Engie's shirt and the way hearing his laugh had made him felt and the way that glint made it look like he had stars in his eyes and...

...Aw hell, if he was going to get fired (or die! both was very possible) for this he might as well go down after having had a good time.

Now all he had to do was make it to Saturday. While also not giving anything away.

Piece of fucking cake.

[scarlettwitcher]

Baby Girl Chapter Two

Summary: Y/n tried to avoid her past with a certain Statesmen but when they’re partnered back up for a mission that could cost millions their lives, Y/n must make the right choice. (This is the Kingsman: The Golden Circle movie basically in writing with reader insert. I recommend watching the movie, it’s amazing! It’s on Amazon Prime Video.)

Characters: Agent Whiskey, Agent Gin(Y/n), Tequila, Ginger Ale, Eggsy, Merlin, Champ, Harry, mentions of Poppy, Charlie, and Clara in coming chapters..

Word Count: 3,820

Warnings: angst(this is going to be a big theme here), alot of cursing, a itty bit of implied smut, southern talk because that’s a warning in itself

Author’s Note: Does it show how excited I am to post this series? Shout out to @giftofdreams​ and @queenxxxsupreme​ for being great betas and supports! (I would like to say that I have tagged a lot of people who I think would be interested in this story as a signal boost of some kind, please don’t hate) As always, thank you for reading and feedback is welcome/needed.

Previously...

“Just for the weekend. Has he tried to talk to you?” You shook your head as the elevator stopped, indicating you were on the floor you needed. “Good. How about we go to that restaurant I told you about?”

“Sounds nice Tequila. We’ll take Ginger. She’s really been wanting to go there.”

“It’s a date.” You giggled at his remark. You grabbed Eggsy once more, slowly dragging him towards the interrogation room you had. Once Tequila secured Merlin into his chair, Tequila moved quickly, securing Eggsy beside him. You sat in the far side of the room as Tequila took his place in front of the both of them, leaning on the table. He licked his lips, trying not to show how much he would enjoy this as he leaned over, slapping the both of them out of their unconsciousness. This was going to be fun.

Now...

After both men recounted and told Tequila everything, he frowned at the floor, shaking his head as he took a deep breath. “A bottle in a secret wall. You really expect me to take that seriously?” Both men glared at Tequila, too focused on him to have noticed you in the room, silently watching them. “See, I think your story's horse shit. Y'all just trying to cover for a failed rescue mission. You here for the lepidopterist, ain't you?” Merlin looked over at Eggsy, confusion written on their faces. That’s when Eggsy finally noticed you and was taken aback. You waved at him with a soft smile on your features. They looked back to Tequila, almost as if they were expecting an explanation. “Okay, so your mystery bottle, huh? Look anything like that, right there?” Tequila had reached behind him, pulling out a Statesman whiskey bottle, holding it up towards the men. 

Eggsy decided to speak up. “Yes. Same brand, much older.”

“All right. Let's see here.” Tequila opened up the bottle, taking a deep breath of the thick scent before tossing the top towards you. You huffed in annoyance as you caught it with ease, throwing it back at him, hitting him square in the face. He looked at you with irritation as you started to giggle. He shook his head mumbling about how you were a pain in the ass before focusing back on the Kingsman. “You know why the measurement of alcohol content's called ‘proof’?” 

Tequila walked around both of them, pouring whiskey all over their suits and laps. He covered them in the liquid. Eggsy jumped when the liquid fell on him. “Oh, fuck off!

“Oh, for Pete's sake.”

“See, comes from back in the old days,” Tequila stood back up in front of them as he spoke. You walked over, taking the whiskey from his hand. You took a big sip before handing it back to him. You winced before letting out a heavy breath. You winked at the men before going back to your spot in the room, leaving a puzzled Merlin behind you. “When pirates wanted to test the strength of their rum, they used to pour a little bit out on gunpowder.” Tequila took his own sip of the whiskey as he exhaled loudly from the strength. “That'll make you wanna slap your mama right there, boy.”

The men glared at Tequila as he continued talking. “And if the gunpowder, if it burnt when they set it alight, they considered it proof that their rum was good and strong.” Tequila poured the rest of the whiskey bottle on them without a care in the world. “But see, I ain't got no gunpowder on me, do I? But I'm pretty sure you boys will make just as impressive of a sound when I set your balls on fire.” Tequila had stepped back, setting the bottle down as he reached into his jacket, pulling out a lighter. He turned it on and held it out towards them. Merlin chuckled quietly. You bit your lip watching from your corner. The men looked unfazed and you found it intriguing. “Or you could just tell me who the fuck y'all really are and how the hell y'all found us.”

“We don’t want to hurt you but you gotta understand our position. Two sharply dressed men hack into our system within seconds and they tell us they found us from a whiskey bottle? Sounds fishy. I know you boys are good, just help us help you.” You chimed in. You couldn't help but be good cop at the moment. Eggsy looked at you curiously before nodding his subtle appreciation. He knew if you were the one handling this, it would’ve gone a very different way. Merlin noticed your subtle kindness and made sure to only direct his anger towards Tequila.

“Look, for the last time, we have nothing to protect but our honor. So you can take your cheap horse piss that you call whiskey which, by the way, is spelled without an ‘E’ and is nothing compared to a single malt scotch and you can go fuck yourself.” Eggsy laughed as Merlin finished talking. Tequila smirked and walked closer to the men as he dragged the flame of the lighter across his palm. He stopped in front of Eggsy, nodding towards him.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“No, I love a Jack and Coke, bruv. But I do agree with the part where you go fuck yourself.” You could see Tequila was losing his patience just a bit and you motioned towards him if he’d like for you to take over. He hesitated for a second before shaking his head. He walked back towards his spot.

“All right. Y'all ain't got nothing to protect other than your honor. Let's see what happens when we change things up.” Tequila reached over the wall, hitting a switch. The large, brightly lit panel behind him went clear, revealing Harry who was shaving into what was a mirror on his side. The men’s eyes fell wide in shock as they stared at their old friend standing alive and well. 

“Fuck me.”

“Harry?”

“Y'all got three seconds to tell me the truth.” Tequila pulled out his handgun, pointing towards Harry through the mirror. You watched just as shocked and you stood, ready to tackle Tequila at any moment. He saw this and didn’t falter in his hold but he tried to convey with his eyes for you to trust him. You swallowed thickly knowing you trusted him. The room was full of Merlin and Eggsy’s screams.

“Wait. No. No!”

“Harry!”

“He can't hear you. But I can so talk.”

“No!”

“Get down, Harry!”

“Harry! Harry!”

Tequila clenched his jaw in annoyance before muttering. “That's two.”

“Harry!”

“Three.” Just as Tequila muttered the number, Ginger came running in, tossing an umbrella towards Tequila. He lowered his gun and caught it, looking at her confused

“Stop! Their story checked out. I opened our doomsday scenario locker and that umbrella was in it. Kingsman. It's got our logo on it. I'm really sorry.” Ginger walked in with towels in her hand, placing it on their laps as she tried to dry them. You walked over quickly, inspecting the umbrella as the logo clearly read Kingsman. You looked up at Ginger who handed you the towels she used to dry them off. 

Tequila started laughing as he spoke to Eggsy and Merlin. “My apologies, boys. I hope there ain't no hard feelings. I was just doin' my job. Welcome to the Statesman, an independent intelligence agency. Just like y'all, I reckon. But our founders went into the booze business. Thank the sweet Lord above.” He motioned towards Ginger with the umbrella. “This is Ginger Ale. She's our strategy executive.” He looked at you and an unrecognizable look on his eyes appeared. You raised an eyebrow in question but he cleared his throat, motioning with the umbrella. “ And that’s Gin. She’s one of our top field agents.” You winked at Merlin who looked at you apprehensively. You stood next to Ginger, getting a better look at the men. “I'm Agent Tequila.”

Eggsy glared at Tequila. “This is the part where you untie us.” Tequila clenched his jaw before motioning towards you. You walked up towards them, untying them as gentle as you could. Your scent burned through the air and Eggsy couldn’t help but sniff, finding it really pleasant. Merlin looked over at Eggsy, thinking the same thing as you finished cutting them loose.

“Thank you.” As soon as both were free, they marched out of the room towards the next room where Harry was. They walked in and you could see everything from the mirror. You decided to give them space to talk to their friend as you motioned for Tequila to go to the other end of the room with you. 

“You went too far with butterfly guy..”

“Darlin, you know I wasn’t gonna shoot him.” You huffed at him as you tried to make him understand.

“That’s not the point Tequila. They came for our help. The least we could’ve done was give them the benefit of the doubt, not threaten to shoot their friend.” Tequila chuckled as you scolded him. He reached over, pulling you into him as he kissed your forehead softly.

“You’re too sweet Gin.” You grumbled in response before moving away from him, going with Ginger. Your response made Tequila laugh harder as he rejoined you at your side. You caught the end of the reunion’s conversation. You bit your lip in thought as Tequila spoke what you were thinking. You stood next to Ginger from where she was sitting, Tequila taking the chair next to her. “So these fellas right here are our doomsday protocol?”

“Turns out, our founder's tailor was Kingsman.” Eggsy and Merlin walked back into the interrogation room.

“What the fuck have you done to him?”

“Nothing. Only tried to help him. He's got retrograde amnesia. Now, we knew from his eyeglasses that he was intelligent. We just didn't know whose.” Ginger spoke up. You knew you both tried as hard as you could to help him but he had lost quite a bit of his memory and spent most of his time studying butterflies.

“How did he get here?”

Ginger retold the story of how he ended up at the agency. You remembered the day as if it was yesterday. When the alarm for the low-frequency waves rang and Ginger asked for backup, the three of you made your way over to the church. Upon arriving, Ginger took care of Harry and you and Tequila made your way into the church with your guns held high. The sight that welcomed you was horrifying and you still had nightmares. “We developed our alpha gel technology for our own agents in the event of a headshot. The gel protects the brain. Then, in the lab, we use nanites, microbots, to repair tissue damage. There are side effects. Partial amnesia, regression to the younger self. With no idea who he was, there was nothing we could do. But now you guys are here, there's a good chance we can bring him back.” Eggsy turned to look back at Harry through the mirror before looking at Ginger then you.

“I’m glad to know you’re here. It hurts to see him like this.” Merlin smiled tightly as you decided to speak up. “You need to meet up with Champ. He’s the head here. Come on.” You motioned towards Eggsy, Tequila following closely behind as you made your way to the elevator. Within a few minutes, you were outside, walking towards the main office. You had alerted Champ, letting him know you were on your way. 

Tequila walked in first, with you and Eggsy following. You closed the door after everyone was in. Eggsy looked around amazed as you and Tequila stood next to the long table, waiting on the champ. 

“At what point are you going to start behaving like a Statesman, Tequila? You wanna go back to being a rodeo clown?” You giggled quietly to yourself as you watched the older man stare out the window. He turned to look at the three of you. It wasn’t uncommon for Champ to go after Tequila. You were Champ’s favorite, considering he raised you for half your life, and he never picked on you.

“No, sir. I apologize, sir.” Tequila looked down as if he was embarrassed. He scowled at you as he heard you laugh and you gave him a sweet smile, one he immediately returned. 

“I'm Champagne. But anyone who knows what's good for him,” You watched Champ throw his hat across the room with ease as it landed on a giant bottle of Champagne. “Calls me Champ. Sorry for your troubles. As your American cousins, I'm placing all of Statesman's considerably larger resources at your disposal. Can you imagine us in the clothing business?” He motioned towards a large screen at the end of the room that displayed the amount of money the organization had before nodding towards the empty space to his right. Champ chuckled as you took a seat at the table on the other side, leaving the chair on Champ’s right side empty. Eggsy thought this was peculiar but chose not to comment as he watched you slip on some gold wire glasses, similar to the ones Tequila was wearing. You looked to your left and you nodded curtly, a look of contempt flashing across your features. Champ chuckled and focused back on Eggsy. “Now, how can I help you?”

You watched as Champ pulled a silver case out of his pocket. “First of all, I've got to thank you for saving Agent Galahad.” Eggsy looked like he was out of his element and you found it amusing. He was probably a few years younger than you and it pleased you for a second to know you weren’t the youngest agent around. 

“Wait. You said that you were Galahad.”

“Oh, no, he's talking about the butterfly guy. That used to be his handle.”

“Oh.” 

“Galahad always said, "You've got to look at the bigger picture. Ask 'why' as well as 'who'." So if someone wanted to take out Kingsman, then they've got to be planning something major.” Champ pulled out a cigar from the casing and started to smell it, rubbing it against his nose. 

You nodded before chiming in. “So what do you know Agent?”

“They're a drug cartel, we think. The name Golden Circle keeps coming up.” You took a few notes for later research, frowning as you threw an irritated glance to your left. 

“Mmm. We'll look into them. What else?” Champ looked to his right, motioning towards the empty chair as if he was speaking to no one. Eggsy saw this again but chose to not comment on it. 

“One of our former trainees is working with them. Charlie Hesketh. Total prick.” You snorted quietly to yourself as you listened to the way he talked about his ex-colleague. 

“You got any promising leads on him?”

Eggsy pulled out his phone and swiped through it. “His ex-girlfriend. I've been tracking her through social media. We believe she's still in contact with him. And she's going to Glastonbury Music Festival.” Eggsy flipped his phone towards the table, showing everyone the selfie Clara had posted.

“Oh, good. Agent Tequila, Agent Gin, break out your dancing shoes. You have a new mission.”

“Yes, sir.” Tequila took a sip of his drink and as he raised the cup, large blue spider veins began to appear over his skin from his neck until it covered all of his face. You all watched in shock and almost horror. 

“Hold up… You feeling okay?” Champ stopped to ask as you stood up to walk over to Tequila's side touching his cheek, feeling his temperature. This earned you a quiet growl from your right, one only the three of you could hear and one you actively ignored. 

“I'm a little tired, but fine, thanks Gin. Galahad,  you ready?” Tequila looked at you with confusion as you continued to touch his skin, looking for anything to indicate a fever. He reached up taking one of your hands in his, holding it gently as he smiled at your overprotectiveness. You were very open with your fellow agents. You were like the mother of the group. You always made sure they were okay, that they had what they needed. Nobody minded your touchiness. Most actually enjoyed it, Tequila included. 

"Sugar, your face is having a reaction.” You said sweetly as he furrowed his brows.

“Your face… You got…” Champ motioned to his face 

“What the fuck?” Tequila looked at himself in his cup before looking up at you with fear before standing up and making his way to the door.

“Oh, shit. Head to the sickbay. Have Ginger check you out.” You were going to walk Tequila to the sickbay but Champ’s simple shake of his head told you to stay where you were. You did have a mission after all. Champ whistled at Tequila making him stop and looked back, his eyes finding your small form first before looking at Champ. “Hey, give him your glasses.” Tequila clenched his jaw before tossing his glasses to Eggsy and leaving the room. “You're in luck, kid. Put 'em on." Eggsy complied and slipped the glasses on. "You get our finest senior agent to join you instead. Right now, he's in our New York office. Galahad, meet Agent Whiskey.” Eggsy looked up at the empty chair on Champ’s right side and was now able to understand why you didn’t sit there and why Champ referred to the empty chair often. 

“Kid, looks like we're hookin' up with a chick at a rock concert. My…” Whiskey looked over at you for a second and smirked, loving to rile you up. He didn't like how close you were to Tequila and wanted to have some type of control over the situation at the moment with you. “Favorite kind of mission. I'm sending my jet to pick you both up.” You scoffed at Whiskey’s comment and crossed your arms, staring the arrogant bastard down. Eggsy nodded his understanding as he left the room, leaving you alone with Champ and Whiskey.

“Champ, I can handle this one alone with the kid.”

“I don’t doubt that Gin, but we’re going to have to put a tracker on her and you know how we handle that.” You rolled your eyes as Whiskey chuckled condescendingly. You hated all of them. 

“So? I’ve never been afraid to touch a woman. Ginger quite likes how soft my hands are.” Both men’s eyebrows shot up as Whiskey licked his lips, trying not to imagine you with another woman. He coughed as he felt all the blood rush to his cock, hardening in his tight jeans. Even through the hologram, you could see his eyes darkening, his gaze intense on your form. You smirked in victory of knowing you left both speechless. 

“Whiskey goes, Agent Gin. I know this isn't ideal for you but this is an all hands on deck situation. Galahad will accompany you.” You huffed angrily as you left the main room, leaving to go pack some of your things. 

“Whiskey, focus on the mission. Give her a break.” Flashes of that night passed through Whiskey’s mind. Images of you riding him, screaming his name, filled his senses. He cleared his throat once more, moving in his chair, trying to fix himself. He remembered it was the night before he had to leave to manage the New York branch. He hadn't told you and when he finally made a move and you slept together, he told you the next morning, leaving you high and dry. You had feelings for the older agent and you suspected he did too. Turns out he just wanted to add you to his never-ending list of fucks. At least, that's what you told yourself so it wouldn't hurt so much. 

You hated to admit it took you months to recover from Whiskey hurting you. You weren't weak, especially when it came to your emotions. Sure you were kind, but that was just your personality. You were one of the highest top-ranking agents, falling below agent Whiskey. You had a strict rule of no love following the rules as best as you could but Whiskey slipped under your nose and got to your heart before you even realized what was going on. When Champ had made you partners in the field, you were excited. You got to work and learn from the best agent in Statesmen. Slowly as you got closer, working on more intimate missions, even going as far as pretending to be a married couple, your heart betrayed you. You knew your feelings were unrequited, or you thought, and you kept it to yourself. The night he seduced you and finally got you to his bed, you believed he had changed. You let yourself believe he felt the same. You thought it was the beginning of something amazing but you were wrong. He was saying goodbye. 

He tried to get you to talk to him when he was away. He called every morning and every night for the first few months. You never answered the calls or his texts. After that, they slowly started to diminish until you didn't get any calls or any texts at all. You didn’t want to say you fell into a depression but you definitely weren’t okay. Going on missions, you became reckless. Not only were you putting your life in danger, but others were also starting to get affected. You started to return back to the agency with more bumps and bruises than you had and Ginger had to patch you up good every time. Champ became worried and pulled you away from fieldwork, sending you to take a break. After a few weeks of recovery, you finally came back to your own senses and came back better than ever. You bonded heavily with the other agents, especially Tequila and Ginger. They all made sure you were okay and kept tabs on you especially Tequila. He was way too overprotective of you. You had your suspicions he had feelings for you but you made sure he understood that you couldn’t. Tequila wasn’t him. 

When Whiskey came to the Kentucky office for visits or big meetings that required in-person presentation, he tried to talk to you but you would avoid him like the plague. Tequila made sure to never leave your side and that irritated Whiskey. He suspected that Tequila had some feelings for you and it bothered him because you belonged to him. Ever since Whiskey left for New York, he couldn't get you out of his mind. He tried to talk to you but you would ignore him. He fucked his way through many girls but none could compare to you and he was unsatisfied. They weren't you. After sleeping with girls the first few weeks, he stopped completely, knowing he would only be satisfied by you, your touch, and your voice. Whenever he'd go to Kentucky, you'd always be on some mission or you would avoid him, staying away from the office. He knew he messed up but he wouldn't give up on trying to talk to you and getting you back.

Whiskey knew exactly what Champ meant and he sighed, nodding his head. "I'll try Champ." 

"I'm serious Whiskey. That girl has been trying hard to recover. She may be young but she has a big heart." Whiskey nodded as he waved his goodbye, hanging up the call. He was relieved at finally having some time to talk to you, even if it wasn’t alone. Who knew this would be the start of a long, long roller coaster.

Forever Tags: @iwantthedean​​​ @authoressskr​​​ @sorenmarie87​​​ @reigningqueenofwords​​​ @goldenolaf25​​​ @giftofdreams​​​ @winchesterprincessbride​​​ @chelsea072498​​​ @kitchenwitchsuperwhovian​​​ @itakeawfultoawholenewlevel​​​ @fictionalabyss​​​ @gabby913​​​ @angelkurenai​​​ @sea040561​​​ @sleepylunarwolf​​​ @smoothdogsgirl​​​ @carryonmyswansong​​​ @feelmyroarrrr​​​ @evyiione​​​ @sofreddie​​​ @sis-tafics​​​ @nitelotus​​​ @trexrambling​​​  @manawhaat​​​ @mermaidxatxheart​​​ @winchest09​​​ @ellen-reincarnated1967​​​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​​​ @just-another-busy-fangirl​​​ @lovebodymindstuff​​​ @backseat-of-deans-67chevy​​​ @chook007​​​ @akshi8278​​​ @evansrogerskitten​​​ @bringmesomepie56​​​ @persephonehemingway​​ @blacktithe7​​ @donnaintx​​ @queenxxxsupreme​​ @whitewolfandthefox​ @riviawitch3r​

Agent Whiskey Tags: @thesadvampire​ @le-roman-rose @mcudisiac​ @someone-take-my-bagelseverywhere @chibi-liz05​ @marvel-avengers01​ @themandjalorian​ @floccodineveautunnale @jassiepoohbear @gollyderek​ @retrobhaddie​ @wolf-lover74​ @paryl​ @laubeck10 @ithinkwehitametaphor​ @wizard-b1tch​ @domino-oh-damn​ @c-ly-g​ @rosamedina92​ @sunshinepascal​ @ariespedro​ @libellule2001​

Tags I Think Would Be Interested: @spacegayofficial​ @ariasfandom​ @lannister-slings-and-arrows​ @sendhoots​ @stevieharrrr​ @dindjarindiaries​ @hiscyarika​ @qveenbvtch​ @forever-rogue​ @jimmythegirl​ @ohpedromypedro​ @catfishingmorales​ @generaldamneron​ @cptnbvcks​ @bobafvtt​ @swhiskeys​ @honeychicanawrites​ @scribbledghost​ @thepascalorian​ @ladydahliawrites​ @roboboyjinx-writes​ @zeldaslayer​ @damerondjarin​ @aint-that-a-mcfreakin-bitch​ @aerynwrites​ @mandadoration​  @absurdthirst​ @huliabitch​  @gryffindorwriter​ @ghostofthebarricade​ @astrolo-galaxy​ @siempre-pedro​ @cherryplasmids​  @madadlorian​ @sithlordmando​ @bubble-tea-bunny​ @beskars​ @longitud-de-onda​ @archieimagines​ @outfatuating​ @lesqui​ @inknopewetrust​ @menacingmandalorian​ @softpedropascal​ @pascalisthepunkest​ @swimmingbyrd​ @buckyodinson​ @everstarry​  @naivesansa​ @waywardodysseys​ @paniclana​ @tiffdawg​ @siempre-pedro​ @fandom-imagines-stories​ @umbrellasandlassos​ @kingsmanstories​ @bucks-angels​ @the-real-xhorse​

[hahahafangirl]

To My Muse - Ch. 5

Ch.1 - Ch.2 - Ch.3 - Ch.4 To my AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078014/chapters/34958786

Summary: At this point, all Nico di Angelo wants to do is to finish the draft of his final book. Also at this point, all Will Solace wants to do is works through the summer to stay alive. Perhaps there are many things else that they also need, but they aren’t aware of them, yet. Okay, maybe they just need to do it step-by-step, and thus that first step is at The Flying Ship. ————————————————————

5. Seven Steps Toward Summer

It was Wednesday. Good ole ordinary Wednesday, who endearingly visits every week only to leave in the span of twenty-four hours; just as an old friend that seemed to be ageless in that her existence is unforgettable. Perhaps, it was because her visit is periodical and frequent, that the same sanguine signal followed her voyage: the next day was his "weekend". He loves his work schedule in that his holidays are two days before other most of others'; especially in that the aspect that everywhere he visits are usually void of the crowd - as everyone else is hard at work, he gets his meritorious break. Coffee shops are sprinkled with scarcely a crowd, the pastries at the bakery are more punctiliously made, the silent air of the library circulates more gently. Yet, best of all, he could use the excuse "But it's not the weekend!" to stay inside and "be productive", as he preferred to describe the seemingly dull and insipid activity of working on his school works.

All right, so perhaps he only loved Wednesday because technically it was equivalent to normal people's Friday, but what difference would it make? Why couldn't he still rightfully wax poetry about his favorite day of the week?

Still, to be fair, the last time he dares to portray his day as ordinary or habitual, an utterly momentous event happen: an unreservedly charming man stepped through The Flying Ship's door, eyes fixated at his face. Will Solace might or might not felt ardor blossomed within his ludicrously earnest heartbeat. The other guy - Will reminded himself not to get ahead of himself - might or might not reciprocate such ardent desire. Nonetheless, they befriended; the guy even recognized Will's favorite band! The idea seemed absurd in the past - like a fantasy that kept replaying in his head instead of jumping out and transform into reality. And now, it finally came true. Not just the "recognizing his favorite music" part - the entire ordeal seemed fantastically dreamlike.

Nonetheless, he loves the normalcy of life - the unremitting beat of motion and activity, the perpetual cycle of monochromatic daylight and kaleidoscopic bulbs enlightens the city, the perennial tidal masquerade of the waves - that were law-abiding and sober, yet its heart was sculpted by enchantment, the sleeves still the fabric of charm. Its tricks are just illusions cloaked under its velvety pretense mayhaps, yet what is life but conundrums and secrets? In the regularity of life, the magic is kept to the minimum and logic dominated, most of the time, though, with his mind deluded by its steady, conciliating rhythm, Will won't recognize any hidden variables installed in place. Just as this instance, was it logical or was it magical that Kayla and Austin called him, together, urgently, in the middle of his shift? Especially if he weighted in numerous, countless elements involved

"No, Kayla. As I emphasized, again and again," Will huffed, his eyes comically widen and his eyebrows raised in desperate exasperation - the emphasis on the word "emphasized" weighted like an annoyed grunt "We're not dating. We're friends."

"Good grief, William," Will could practically hear the noise of Austin's eyes rolling in its socket; the boy has made an irksome habit of calling him every possible name that could be shortened into "Will" - except for his actual name, of course, just for the sake of ticking off the older brother; "Sure, just a friend, you know, who came to the shop every single day since the day he practically eat you up by his eyes, that blushes and dumbfoundedly stare everytime you pull up your sunshine smile, and..." Nothing good would ever come out, every time Austin did such dramatic pause "... a friend sooooooo important that you couldn't help talking about him with Drew every single day."

Will could hear Kayla whistling from another end, but perhaps Will's choking noise was even louder - yet neither of those actually helped to amplify the situation, honestly, for the rosiness in Will's cheeks had already gone blood-red five minutes ago, since the first mention of Nico. His gauche "That's not how it is..." barely came out as a suffocated whisper.

"Oh, Will. Oh, Will," Kayla had snatched the phone from Austin's hand, it seemed, her voice theatrically deriding "Finally, don't you see, Austin," she turned to the "sport-announcer" voice now "Our most gracious, devoting, work-a-holic single-mom had found the love of his life now, in his workplace. A coffee shop, you say? What kind of romantic K-drama is this? How much shoujo manga material is loaded into this love-life?-"

"Sickeningly cliché is it, my dudess, yet so heartwarming," Austin added in his two cents in the background

"An overworked mother found her hope in love again after seeing a handsome man in black? Oh goodness, I understood why Drew was so hyped-"

"Now, pause for a second, would you-" Will pleaded

"You know what she said, Wilfred?" Austin's enthusiastic voice came on crystal clear, from either extreme shouting or regained control of the phone, "'Oh my gawd, haven't you children heard? Will was absolutely smitten, I'm telling you. That unromantic boy finally sounded like he is capable of scoring himself a boyfriend.'" It, apparently, didn't matter that Drew was one of his closest friends, seeing that Austin had no problem ridiculing her voice with his absurdly sweet mocking-tone. Kayla's laughing noise was stifled from Austin's end.

"Drew told y'all all of this?"

"Of course, she's... well, our most trusted secret agent out there." Kayla was back on the phone now, practicing her "government-official" voice.

"But, seriously, Wilston," As always, Austin's tone turned solemn, his maturity found its way to outshine his mischievous-loving facet, "Take your chance, dude, I couldn't care less about how slow it's gonna be. Be friend first, then close friend, then best friend, whatever. You finally quit over-worrying about us and get out of this town-"

"That was five years ago, Austin-"

"And you're still a worrywart." Kayla's joined in, her voice earnest, "And I know that you'll always be, Will. But, gods, just... stop. Don't tire yourself out because of us. We're not kids

anymore."

"I'm overdue for being an adult now, Will." Everytime Austin called Will by his actual alias, the conversation became genuinely heartfelt. That sentence was not new - in fact, lately, it seemed that their conversation would always head toward this direction.

"Plus, I'm going to university next fall, Will. There's absolutely no need for you to worry about us, both economically and, well... everything else-y." Kayla tried to assure him, the words started as solemnly yet became light-hearted, almost humorous, at the end "Just, take care of yourself. Medical school is a fucking mess, so at least try to enjoy your summer..."

"Summer, you say, hm?" Will absentmindedly muttered, his eyes pensively gaze over the street outside. A brooding sense of vagueness engulfed his thought; like a hazy, misty cloth, it suddenly overpowered his eyesight, turning the scenery outside the window distant and detached from his reality, his own universe. For an unknown reason, if there is actually any, the idea of "summer" seemed such a faraway reverie, as if the word deepened in itself a concealed, abstract meaning besides a name of a season. Not necessarily anything that could be associated with summer - the minuscule waves of the butterfly inside his gut was a notional feeling - it wasn't the beach, the heatwave, the ambrosial smell of fruits, nor was it the rush of vacation. That's to be said, there was a hint of liberty in such feeling (No, it was not related to the Fourth of July), not the freedom from the hellscape that is medical school, the freedom from the responsibility of an adult, nor freedom from any physical constraint. It was more of that his heart is free - unbound from any burden, from the invisible weight that he has no idea why, when, and how it got there.

Still, that was just a reverie - a daydream he could sacrifice time to live in, yet, nonetheless, it was anything but a minute of his soul wandering outside of this realm.

"Yeah, Will, and you should come back home sometimes-" Will realized that he must have spaced out for a pretty long while, as the conversation had spiraled out of his mind yet again. Before he could panic and try to follow up on the dialogue, the familiar chimes resonated, pushed through the air and rushed toward his eardrums, for the fourth time in his shift. Which was not a lot, but one had to consider that today was, again, still a weekday. Out of a corner of his eyes, a familiar strand of messy, charcoal hair casually bounded its way into the shop. "-expensive, but Minnie missed you a lot-"

"Listen, kids, I would love to keep talking and listening to y'all complaining about my lack of presence at home, and I'm honestly very sorry about that, but right now I'm still in my shift and-"

"Did Nico just come in? I swear I heard the bell rings!"

"It's definitely Nico, isn't it?" Kayla excitedly followed, then unceremoniously shouted, the phone still directly in his ears "HEY, NICO! HOW ARE YOU DOING WILL LOVES TALKING ABOUT YOU SO MU-

"Bye!" Will briskly shouted a curt goodbye to the phone, which was clutched tightly by two hands, the screen shined its light directly in front of his mouth - the immediate result of having Kayla's booming voice aimed toward his myringa. How he hoped the kid hasn't announced her presence aloud from the phone for the entire West Coast to aware. How he hoped Drew hasn't told them about his new friend. How he hoped he hasn't told anyone about said person.

And oh, how he hoped, dearly, desperately, perilously hoped - because this is one wish in which time-traveling is not involved - that whoever just stepped into to shop (he knew it was Nico, but-) has not paid enough attention nor their hearing was not so exemplary that every single word that bounced out of his phone was heard. Gods, he hasn't even put his phone on speaker.

Still, before he had time to reconsider about every decision he took in his twenty-three pathetic years of exchanging oxygen through the trillions of cells in his body, his obligation toward this job made him tilted his head up and look at the individual that has been so promptly ignored, despite the fact that they had been here for at least three minutes, and probably just hoped for a nice cup of coffee, and not his personal nor familial information. As he expected, Nico di Angelo, his new friend - f.r.i.e.n.d - stood awkwardly in front of the counter, his lean, tiny figure forced him to tilt slightly upward toward the barista. Before Will had time to dreamily gazing over the guy's drastically improved appearance - suddenly, it seemed as if he hadn't had enough time for frankly, anything, lately - a curbed giggle wriggled it way out, through the crevices of Nico's healthily defined, lean and elegant fingers. His eyes curved into crescents, the moonlit surface dotted with the same tenebrous iris, now illumined by the warmth his smile radiated. Was it atypical for Nico's facade to be inundated and enlightened by a sheer jubilant curve of his lips? Will caught himself asking, for how divine and beauteous the other man's joy seemed, the sight graciously, tacitly extricated his soul from pure allure. The melody of his laugh did nothing to lure Will's back from his cherry-blossomed reverie; the angelic harmony danced around his ear, fleetingly fondled his hearing just to dissolved into air. The stifled noise was nonetheless childish and gay, faithful to the depiction that was of a cherub giggling at an embarrassing sight; which is quite accurate, if the rising warmth in Will's cheeks and his ridiculous position whilst held the phone was anything to go by.

"Now, who is the lame one, staring at the other's smile?" Nico smiled yet again, his lips curved into more of a teasing smirk

At this point, Will didn't even bother looking for a retort. He had felt the blood rushing to his face, more clearly this time. The only course of action his brain registered was to jerkily straighten his frame, hastily slam his phone into the counter, hope that the screen won't crack, and hopelessly directed his stare elsewhere - anywhere but the exuberant sight that is Nico di Angelo.

"Wo... wh... what would you like to o... order... today?" He finally breathed out, the supposedly monotonous greeting got stuck on the roof of his mouth

"The usual, if you please." Nico smirked again, this time even more devilishly pretty "So, what was that whole... staring ordeal about?"

"Can't imagine, finally, it came, the day somebody casually said 'the usual, please.'" Will ironically wiggled his head side to side. He heard the second comment about the "staring ordeal", yet had elected to ignore it.

"Uh huh, and it's sure to stay for a while." The smirk still hadn't left Nico's lips "Was that your sibling?"

"Sure. Whatever. What kind of diabetes-inducing treats would you like today?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that wasn't something you ought to say as an employee here." Nico glanced toward the glass display "Mango cheesecake, please. At least I'm going to get the fruit required in my diet at once."

"Moral obligation as a medical student, if you don't mind." Will smiled. "That would be $13.67."

Nico handed him the cash, his olive-skin warm and slightly sweaty, "Sure, but right now you're still a barista. Gotta enjoy your summer without such... obligation."

"Who knows, it already invaded my bloodstream." Will handed him back the coins. Nico left for his usual table, bounced jejunely on the ball of his feet, obsidian irises still rested on Will's face

"Maybe lame-ness and boredom had, too, you know. Lucky for us this isn't a Starbuck, or else someone would have to decipher your handwriting."

"Ha, ha, funny little jokester, you truly are." Will rolled his eyes, hands moved to make the macchiato that his muscles had grown to be familiar with.

"See, at least I don't have lame replies to jokes."

"Oh, see, that's because my so-called 'lame replies' are at least humorous enough for everyone to be able to generate a decent reply." Will's eyes were fixed on the cup of coffee, for which he regretted not being able to observe the other man's immediate facial responses.

"If you need to believe so in order to console yourself, go ahead." Nonetheless, Will could imagine Nico dramatically rolled his eyes, again. "Still, you haven't answered my question: Was that your sibling?"

"Yeah, both of them were on the phone, really, but lucky for my ears and dignity that only one of them has the nerve to yell." Will's mind drift about what image should he draw today for Nico's cup

"Bold of you to assume that you have any left after that shout, though." A fox, maybe. A sassy, milky white fox. Perhaps he would let the coffee blend-in enough for the fox to had brown fur.

"Bold of you to assume that you still have any, quoting a meme."

"Hey, one got to catching up with slangs these days, you know. Unlike some cranky old person."

"Whatever ya say, tiny." Will glanced toward the said person, who already brought out his laptop and seemingly about to start typing

"Sure, William, I noticed the floors up there is at least five inches taller than the ground."

Will didn't even bother to correct the name, "I mean, the last time we met outside of this shop, you were still shorter than me."

"Shut your trap, Wilston, I was sitting down." It seemed like Nico somehow knew about the fact that his name really was not William (Will blamed Annabeth. Wasn't she the only one who could disclose that information?) and as of now, just tried to use random names to get a response out of him. Will couldn't stop his laughter this time; he let loose the airy, funny laugh from his lungs. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, just that you're playing the exact game my little brother is playing. Except that he actually knows my name, and just want to mess around." The brief laughter died off, yet its corpse remained in the form of a smile on Will's lips.

"Oh."

"And to give more details on your questions. Yes, I have two younger siblings. One male and one female," Will might or might not forget to mention his two older brothers, but that's a story to be developed in later days. A half-covered truth, in this situation, for Will was not a lie. "His name is Austin, and her name, the one that was shouting, is Kayla."

"A handful, they seemed." Nico ruminated

"Well, generally speaking, they're good kids. But yeah, the pranks drove me insane sometimes. Lovely kids, nonetheless." Sometimes, it concerned him how much of a mom he sounded like - how much of a mom he was to them in the absence of their mother; but he didn't utter anything. It wasn't time, yet. "You got any siblings, though? Enough about me."

In a fleeting second, Nico surprised gaze was frozen in place, stilled against the flow of time. He quickly diverted his gaze toward the streets outside, his inky pupil melancholically straitened. Ironically, perhaps, a tint of blue from whatever sign out there reflected its color on his forlorn orbs, then the guy's breathing gradually slowed. Will wondered if he asked the wrong question. Guilt engulfed his gut, sent through his spine a spark of ice, his sense tingled for him to apologize, yet his eyes and soul could not utter a sound, for Nico's woebegone beauteousness was whittled out of glass - elegant yet fragile, merely for eyes to touch yet not for caress to see - and was it a tragic piece of art, for miseries were the element of its painstakingly exquisite portrayal, a burden so cumbersome, yet bleached with tears and bloodshed into a pulchritude. Was it so heartbreaking that this crestfallen beauty required breathing, required blood to stream through its vein, required neurons to send flares of sorrow throughout his body? There would exist neither pain nor beauty without the rushes of life prodding through human's veins, yet such grace was inflicted upon unfeeling woods, and not another beating heart. Was it fair for the universe to sculpt a life into a living art? Was all that was at stake worth the torment to form such transcending elegance: ichor surging through a sculpture of agony, living force pounding against the hewed claw marks? Perhaps the only path to truly touched human's heart through art was to whittle such art upon living beings, for cruelty was only acknowledged after a costly disaster.

Nico suddenly seemed so small and fragile against the friction of time. As if after all those adorned embellishments were peeled away, only the broken, terrified child remain. A child so young yet had already felt such immense sufferings. His stature stiffened, eyes still not dared for any being to see, yet Will had found the scarred child deep within.

Would he shatter if a sound dared to intrude this coagulated silence?

And for Will acknowledged that the man there was human, that life thrived within him unconsciously, he spoke. His voice trembled more than he thought it would be, the agony he felt more than his conscious mind was aware of.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry if... the subject is sensitive to you."

Will saw the surprise jerk of Nico's shoulder; as if the air his words resonated suddenly shook him awake from his dream. Eyes still lost in the crowded world outside, Nico gently whisper, barely enough for Will to catch

"It's alright..." There is a pause, before his wavering voice steadied itself, "I have a half-sister, Hazel, you probably didn't notice her from the karaoke night."

Something was hidden within such curt and simple reply, yet Will didn't probe. Didn't dare to, and didn't want to. He respected the guy's secrecy, and since there were hidden words in his sentences earlier, it was not fair to further provoking Nico's woe. He brought the cup of coffee and the cake to Nico's table himself this time, the sudden clicks of porcelain against wood once more shook the ebony orbs out of their pondering.

"See, you're not that much taller than me." Nico tried to make a joke, tried to smile instead of a grimace, yet the dusky-colored air around them had yet to fade away. Sorrow clutched into the air, not quite ready to part yet.

"Whatever, kid." Will so desperately wanted to ruffle his hair, to run his calloused hands through Nico's soft onyx locks, like how he often did to console Kayla and Austin's tears, yet found himself not able to. For some reason, he sat down, opposite to Nico, the laptop stood between them like a barrier.

Nico did not comment. His eyes betrayed his defensive stature; they longed for Will to share their pain, for Will to deepened his light into those impossibly dark pits.

"I had a bigger sister, too" was all Nico muttered, the sound waves emitted were so tiny against the movement of air. Will thought he had misheard his words, but beside the quiet, foggy voice, each consonant was clear and void.

Unconsciously, Will's palm reached the other's trembling hand, the quiver so negligible that it was almost impossible to felt. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 taps. A pause. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, again. The steady rhythms gave them something to focus on.

Outside, a summer rain merrily marched its way through the town.

-------

That day, Nico barely got anything written in the shop. First was the mention of his... family, then it was the persistent tapping of Will's gentle fingertips against his hand. The sunlike warmth of his palm left a burnt imprint on Nico's olive-skin. Not that at that point, his brain was in the shape to get anything done.

Honestly, he didn't blame Will. It wasn't like he was a seer or any of the like; the guy didn't know how sensitive he was to the slightest allusion toward Bianca, and it wasn't his fault that their conversation was about siblings and family. If it was anything to go by, in the end, Nico still disclosed the fact that Bianca existed.

Existed. Exists. Existing. Existed.

He no longer sure if it would matter if Will knew about the incident.

--------

"A thickened air of tense quietness embraced the pair before Mei could bring herself to glanced once more into Songoro's eyes. The ambers that she had grown to trust upon were fogged with inquietude and hesitation. The taut, soundless atmosphere felt like extreme humidity; as if every particle in the air was gravitating toward their inner battle, ravenous for the taste of their struggle on some quantum-scaled tongues. The room temperature seemed to drop, the esurient air besieged their breathing, hindered the oxygen exchange. Right, Mei felt suffocated, purely from tense uncertainty and anticipation - suspense for whatever decision they were going to make.

The burden of the world had mushed their lungs together, flat, voided of life.

And thus, so was the plan they schemed. Voided of humanity and compassion, void of empathy and moral. And soon, voided of breathing being.

There was too long yet too little time for Mei to decipher the lines embarked on Songoro's face. Too long the days they spent staring into papers, scheme, and strategies; too little the hours they spent to know the hidden anxiety, the turbulent emotions within their hearts.

Mei was aware of how Songoro often stared into her eyes, discretely, from a respectful reach. Not the way another general drilled into another, piercing his way through her armored arguments to find a sophistry; his gaze was compassionate and empathetic, the very way opposite with the nature of their incoming work, yet she won't complain. They were human, after all, she reminded herself. But the way she remembered the moments when Songoro's ambers were limpid and sharp made it hard to be so, as of right now.

She knew what his eyes meant when he stared at her like that. As if he was trying to decode the misery in her eyes, then gave up and lured himself into a still observation. She knew the poetic way he was assessing her pain. It was ludicrous. She knew that he tempted to convey the torment in her eyes into some crudely stunning arts. That whatever scars and marks were indented on the mahogany of her skin, that he would sketch them as adornments for his sculpture. As if sorrow was exquisite and her body was the gold-varnished embodiment of despair. As if the ichor rushing through her veins and her scars coalesced into diamonds. It made her conscious, now, when the gloom had melted away from her heart. Songoro meant well, Mei reminded herself, despite the inner protest of her mind. How tired she was of compassionate eyes throw their gazes toward her direction -  as if the woe within her was a black hole, gluttonous for empathy. Mei was not craving for their silent consolation, still, the rain of their collective guilt over her past drenched her lungs.

But Songoro was a man of action, one of the only people whose next step was not away from her to nurse their own tears, but toward Mei in her forlorn expression and awkwardly tried to console her. Her mind suddenly drifted toward the steady beat of Phoebe’s fingers against her skin.

Of course, she noticed the hurt in his eyes, too, as it emerged from the ocean of amber he desperately drowned it under. Mei noticed it before, and it was here, at that very moment, as they decide if the sacrifices were going to worth the chance. She saw the perturbation threatened to emerge and devastate his mind; a burden handled so immaculately at the first sight that no one bothers to lingered a bit longer, to see that his barricade was about to shatter into pieces just as glass. There was an invisible responsibility in his shoulder and the weariness it inflicted upon his darkened eyes, a strain that ruptured the gemstones that were his eyes, his dam, his panoply. Mei wondered if there was something else hidden in his silence; a thought so personal and unfathomable that no one could reach into. Countless times she heard the quietest of audible noise escaped his thought before sound succumbed to the roaring silence of their own awkwardness, speechlessness, and guilt. Mei could understand, yet not truly feel, how onerous and harrowing the plan was going to be for Songoro - if there was an unspeakable cause of his hesitancy. Yet, one thought she was certain of amidst the grueling nature of this moment, was that sooner or later, they would need an immense resilience to accept that this was the best they could think of.

The only strength they need was the strength to admit that someone's blood would be on their hand. And that there was no other way.

Thus, Mei squeezed his hand. Firmly. Twice. So that their ideal was spared a chance to blossom."

----------

Hi, finally I’m back with... this kinda slightly longer than before chapter. Thanks to @fififerielb and everyone that enjoyed my previous chapters :3 So sorry this took so long, but life and writer’s block are apparently a thing so..... :cry:

[crystu-cii]

Of course!! 💕💞💕💕💕💞💞

What a MOOD XDD OKAY I FEEL YOU ON THAT ONE SHOT THING TBH- LIKE IF YOU TAKE TOO LONG TO GET TO THE GOOD SHIT ILL JUST GET BORED YALL--

wHEeze okay mood-- I actually went in my backyard with a mask on today(not intentionally, my sister sprayed febreeze and I'm sensitive to fragrances soo-- but the entire time I was like "wtf I'm telling crys about this later" XDD

XDD YEAHHH-- XDDD oms MA'AM GO GET SOME SLEEP WH..... TAKE A NAP MISS......

XD also baby jail- puts a laundry basket over him- there now I'm safe-- dangg never had a pet?? I recommend a dog(specifically shelties/sheltie mixes!! They're beautiful and playful!! And the type of dog I've had all my life :3) I.. ban?? Like ban ban??? Wh????

I am! XDD I'd (at least probably) say something if I wasn't-- of course!!!! 💞💕💞💕💞💞💕

Me too!! I miss hanging out with them :/ but so many live super far sooo :,D OH DEAR-- yeah nonononoooo-- Do Not-- YEAH better safe than sorry nO--

I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE PUMPKIN AND CHERRY PIES WERE DELICIOUS, HAVEN'T HAD THE BIBLE YET- AH YES PHONE WERE EATING A BIBLE HOW COULD I THINK IT'S CALLED A COBBLER-- XDD WH- HOW DARE SHE INSULT PUMPKIN PIES LIKE THAT-- /HJ it sounds fairly weird but hey if it's good than cool!! XDD

BUT tREEeEeeE!!!!! DO YOU NOT ENJOY DRESSING UP??? WHAT ABOUT THE CANDY SALES DIRECTLY AFTER???? WH-- AAAAAAAH HOW COULD Y'ALL-- XDD

Yeahh, I decided not to take any more creative classes in school anymore anyways--they don't suit me at all-- OH DANG-- YALL REALLY OUT HERE PISSING OFF THE CHOIR TEACHER??? DAMNNN-- XDDD YESSS-- awwwwhh :( oh well, on steam you can mood games sooo-- if you haven't asked for it, I recommend the portal games 👀 they're SO GOOD and I'll simp for both Glados and Wheatley, don't test me (unless you're Glados or Wheatley) /hj BUT THEY'RE SUCH WELL-MADE CHARACTERS-- BUT VALVE CAN'T COUNT TO THREE SOOOO-- (but there is a cool portal 2 mod coming out in April 2021(plus another from the past I think!) that looks incredibly promising!!!) and oooooohh I actually haven't seen much about it 👀 but from what I have seen it looks fun!!!!

opens calendar app-- can I just say it's so rare to meet people born in the early months-- like January and February, especially SO EARLY in the months of just unheard of XD I have a singular other friend born in January, on the 21st-- and I knew a girl who was born February but like I don't really like her or know her well so she doesn't count--

lEGITTT LIKE- im OUTTA HERE- xDDD

and omgg XDD im lowkey sensitive to fragrances to- when its too much and all- like i would only spray myself with perfume ome to three times while my mom is here doing like tWENTY SPRAYS AND IM LIKE "hEYo BRO I CANT B R E A T H E" /nm- its wild XDD

AND LEGITTT My mOm NEEEDS SLEPPP- quarantine has ruined her so hard- its ironic- I M supposed to be the rebelious one- XDD

WHWHWHEEZE B AB Y JA I L- XDD and yeahh- well my brother has an aussie dog (the one i said their name was also astro xD) but sometimes im just like- "yeah- thats my dog too-" i even mentioned it on a introduce yourself assignment for school xD and omg i dont know my dog types but i searched up what sheltie dogs look like and OMGG???💞 YESS A FLUFFY DOG I always dream of having a dog soo fluffyy- but i expect that it would be a pain to clean up the fur all the time XDD and well i MeAANn- not really ban but like- whenever i speak about pets at all to my mom- it would go like- me: we cant even have ONE pet? | mom: no | me: how about a fish?? | mom: wELL ***-BRINGS UP EMBARRASING ACTION I DID AS A TODDLER-*** ) so i just assume thats her way of saying- no fish. XDD

and phew thats good! the least thing i'd want is make you uncomfortable in any way ;w;; 💞💞 gosh- even hanging out with friends is like russian roulette- XDD before covid and all i would always go to Larie's house every single weekend because my mom would always go there every weekend to play mahjong (its a little gambling game) and i would just be like "YEAH IM COMIN TOO-" - like OMG- literally friend's moms being friends with your mom is just the definition of LIFE GOALS- and it would be so fun every time i go there too- my mom would play with them till midnight or literally up to 3 am- so me and larie would just do the most wackiest stuff- along with eating loads of snacks and watching random shows or anime XDD ahh its only months ago since it stopped but it already feels nostalgic xD

awh NoW I WANNA TRY PIEEEESS- AND ABHAHAHAHA "HAVENT TRIED THE BIBLE"- I GOT SO CONFUSED WHEN I FIRST READ THAT XDD phone: its the BIBLE | astro: its a cobbler— | PHONE: YOU QUESTION THE WORDS OF THE MIGHTY JIMMY? ) XDDDD

and LEGITTT- WHENEVER we ask them "hey what you gonna dress up this halloween" thEY woULd JusT Be Like "huh halloween whats that--" XDDD but they end up trying to celebrate it with us at the very least- xD anD YEAP WELCOME TO WHEN its the time of the year where the month names start ending with "ber" aka CHRISTMAS CHAOS TIME- /hj xDDD

mann for my school we had to choose between three music electives- band, orchestra, choir- i chose orchestra and it was AWESOME- until it was my last year and THE FUCKING ORCHESTRA TEACHER QU IT (it was reasonable actually- she had a sickness) and the cLASS JUST TURNED TO SHITITITHKAHTLQJF I HATED IT it came from my favorite class to the WORST in an InSTANT im SOBBING- but even the whole school is just utter bull- during that same year- i had six classes(a teacher for each) and guess what- THREE OF THOSE TEACHERS LEFT- LIKE EXCUSE YOU?? my 2020 was already RUINED before even COVID CAME like WTHHH- so yeah it was crazy- at that point we were all in despair and the school became more ghetto than it was before(everyone would keep saying "wErE In The GheTtO RATTATATAAA" every time we reach school grounds- its funny cause its true- XDD) yeah its crazzyy

and Oh YEHAH the mods are sickk- mods make my dont starve together gameplay so much better xDD and ooh i have seen portal before but i never actually played em- i think i was watching the walkthrough of both games just to try to learn what the game was about- but in the end- i forgot everything from what the heck our objectives of the game was other than to solve mind blowing puzzles- XDD but cAN i JUST SAY THE SONGS ABSOLUTELT BOPPED THO? THE ENDING SONGS STILL ALIVE AND WANT YOU GONE GOT ME LIKE in TEARS to how good they were- like i jammed to them for a long ass while xDDD and ohhh i never seen any portal mods before! i didnt even know portal mods were a thing but that sounds SICKKK

and omg xD and wth- now that you mention it- like- SAMEE?? real life wise- the birthdays are scrambbled up- but lately on tumblr almost everyone has their birthdays around the the "ber" times and this has now made me realize it- like omg- XDD

[mysterybustershq]

everton colony camping trip » event.

i can’t believe all of this actually happened.

daniel.

finally getting the fire lit, daniel stood up and headed over to where most of the rest of the team was standing. “hey, i got the fire going so if you wanna come on down, come on down.” he half expected all of them to say no, and really wouldn’t blame them if they did, but it was worth a shot.

blair.

blair wanted to reply with a simple hm, no. but decided against it and walked past him to where his fire was. she didn't want to be alone for the time being so why not try to at least enjoy the trip?

bryce.

bryce had spent most of his time, sitting in his chair, trying not to think about not being able to contact his mom, as well as trying not to let things bother him. it wasn't really working- he was still freaking out, only internally now. but when daniel mentioned a fire, he lit up, a fire would be nice. "i'll join," he replied, as he slowly stood up.

nathan.

as the group slowly started to separate to the fire, nathan tried his best to keep an eye on both groups. the last thing he needed was him losing track of someone (probably trevor), and having to spend the rest of the night hunting for them. "are we even allowed to light a fire out here?" he asked, trying to be cautious, ". . . but sure, i guess i'll join. . . i get my own log to sit on though."

vanessa.

"anyone got some marshmallows?" appearing at Nathan's elbow from what seemed like thin air, Vanessa didn't waste much time in bounding down the slight hill to where Daniel had been hard at work on the fire, joining the small ( she suspected it'd grow, though ) group relocating there. "That's all we need. Fire, marshmallows, logs - spooky stories? I've got THOSE covered."

julian.

julian had followed nat towards the fire, promptly taking a seat on a blanket that was spread out over the forest floor. he leaned back on his palms with his feet out towards the small fire. "oh, we know," julian laughed a little, speaking only slightly condescendingly.

nathan.

"no one is telling scary stories." he snapped, head turning to vanessa, "bryce was already flipping shit before and im on trevor-fleeing-watch right now. the last thing this group needs is getting more freaked out. why can't you just read Goodnight Moon to the group instead?"

naomi.

"boo" naomi says from where she's sitting, wearing one too many layers of clothing. it was cold. "that's what camp fires are meant for. scary stories and group bonding. lord knows you need to bond with us, nathan."

vanessa.

"Meow. Really feeling the frost here, pals," she murmured under her breath only SLIGHTLY passive aggressively, having naturally orbited away from Julian and Nathan before they'd opened their mouths. When Naomi spoke up, Nessa pointed to her and bopped her head up and down animatedly, completely in agreement, "see? Naomi gets it. We can't waste this perfect backdrop and NOT scare our pants off with the stories of my people - it'd be like going to NASA and not taking your chance to announce on the tour guides swiped mic that the moon landing was fake and you have proof... which is something I definitely have never done, and is nothing more than a perfect, random anecdote."

cristian.

cristian was already sitting by the fire pit when daniel called everyone to come, having already been there, sinking into a lawn chair, when the team leader had decided to get a fire started. he took a sip from his beer, gaze nonchalant, as everyone began to join in and start speaking around him, half listening to what vanessa was going on about.

elijah.

eli made his way over to fire at daniel's request. not seeing trevor, he took a seat near nessa, the second most comfortable person and popped a marshmallow in his mouth, eyes twinkling with childlike happiness at the mention of frightful fire retellings. "yeab, we cabnt jus' not tell scarby stories," the beyond the grave cohost mumbled, mouth full of marshmallow. he proceeded after gulping it down. "what else are we gonna do? sing kumbayah? no way! plus, i hate to break it to y'all, but we are the mysterybusters so if you're not a fan of scary things, you're in the wrong line of work."

kimberly.

sitting around a fire and singing the campfire song song sounded about as fun as getting her teeth pulled sans anesthetic, but kimi hurried over to the fire. she didn't comment on the matter of horror stories. this entire job felt like a horror story, and not a good one, either. she focused on finding a place to sit; not yet seeing ashley (thank god) she decided to stand behind the logs opposite cristian. it was purely a coincidence that she stood there, but upon seeing, micah let out a quiet scoff as he took a seat next to naomi. if not for the people around, she would give him a fair suggestion of where to shove his ill-timed humor. alternatively, she silently sent up a prayer for his cast to catch aflame, and looked around with an innocent gaze. "so what are we doing, then?"

vanessa.

nessa visibly brightened at eli's appearance, grabbing a marshmallow and popping it in her mouth before he could protest as she made a bit more room on the log she'd claimed for him. mouth full of soft, pillowy goodness, she accentuated everything he was saying with movements of her head and hands, as so; "what else are we gonna do?" - she raised both hands in a clueless-old-man sorta gesture - "sing kumbayah?" - one shake of her head side to side, curls gone wild - "no way!" - a very animated nod of her head, up and down -"plus, i hate to break it to y'all, but we are the mysterybusters" - a dark glance around at all that were so far gathered, like she was disappointed in each of them - "so if you're not a fan of scary things, you're in the wrong line of work." - a final nod coupled with the folding of her hands over her chest and a noise of agreement, as she finally swallowed the marshmallow that'd shut her up for two seconds and threw in her own, final two cents, "i vote we listen to eli, and naomi, and therefore me, and get cracking with stories that'll ruin ALL our chances of  good nights sleep. for bryce's sake- sorry, bryce, for singling you out, but you ARE the only one who's freaked so far- we can go for a... a pg-13 retelling of the classics. that's a win win, right? right. the answer's right. say it, everyone- i'm right."

julian.

at that point, julian basically gave up trying to combat the girl. he laid his entire body down on the blanket, his hands resting on his stomach. "go ahead, ness." he threw out into the dark, his eyes closed.

nathan.

ive already bonded enough with ashley he thought to himself, groaning in response to naomi. nathan leaned forward, warming his hands near the crackling flame, "fine, i'll tell a scary story first. once upon a time, a guy from seattle just wanted to spend his weekend sitting at home doing class work. instead, he ended up getting dragged to virginia with Ghost Busters Jr. he got bit by mosquitoes, got sweaty, and didn't even have enough signal to use Pocket Camp." he looked back up the group, "there's my contribution. ive done my group bonding."

lana.

“mhm,” as ashley was going on and on about something, lana gave her an occasional hum to let her know she was still listening. she wasn’t. they were coming out of the woods when her eyes went from focusing on the leaves beneath her feet to the group who were huddled around a fire a way ahead. she pointed towards them and cut ashley off mid-sentence, “look! let’s go see what they’re doing.” she picked up her pace to join with the blonde following behind her. once she reached them, she shoved her hands in her pockets and stayed quiet to catch up on the conversation going on.  what she heard only made her shoot nathan a sarcastic dirty look.

vanessa.

she stayed quiet while he talked- at least, no matter what else happened, nessa could say that much. she kept her mouth shut ( something that was often an incredibly hard thing to do ) and she didn't butt in, even though she wanted to the minute she realized where his spiel was going, and when he was done she waited a whole seven point three seconds before she said, very seriously, "if that's the quality of all your campfire stories, please, stick to your day job." and THEN - then, as if she hadn't just dropped that out there into the world, nessa nudged eli with her elbow ( a little non-verbal 'hey, help me spook these ghouls' ) and leant closer to the fire, gaze lifting to go round the circle ( and lingering a bit on the newcomers of lana and ashley ), before saying, ominously, "have any of you ever heard of the huge storm of 1935?"

ashley.

following lana back to the group, ashley took a seat on the blanket julian was on, nudging him with her knee to get him to sit up. "hey," she said, not really paying attention to what the rest of the group was discussing. but she did catch the tail end of vanessa's monologue. "no, what's that?"

micah.

"i don't even remember the storm of 2018," micah spoke dryly. "why would i remember one that i wasn't alive for." his question came out so dully, kimi could hear the lack of proper punctuation.

elijah.

after she'd made her statement and finished her marshmallow, eli already had one roasted on a stick for her — his own kind of thank you for her gestures and generous support — handing it to her wordlessly. his eyes widened at nathan's statement and he leaned in, eyes wide with excitement . . . only to have them dim immediately at the bogus cynical content #teamdad's story. "come on nate you can do better than that! the only thing that was scary about was your lack of enthusiasm and creativity." eli said with a playful huff, a devious smile forming on his face as vanessa nudged him. "ah yes. gather round everyone. it was the huge storm of 1935! where goodness died and EVIL was born." he winked at ness, wiggling his eyebrows at the crowd. "listen if ye wee yellowbellies dare."

nathan.

"i could always tell the sequel where one of the kids he goes camping with disappears and all they find is his glasses and a pinky toe." he responded, tired eyes shot at elijah's direction. nathan wasn't one to get into the festivities, but vanessa's story proposition peeked his interest, "storm? what storm?"

naomi.

"the only storm i know is that vine that's like 'hurricane katrina? more like hurricane torilla' and that's not even a storm." naomi speaks up from where she's sitting,  "so by all means, tell us about this storm."

zachary.

zach, someone who thrived off of group dynamics of any sort, wasn't going to miss out on something as dire as a campfire. making his way toward the group, he caught the crucial end of vanessa's dialogue and interjected confidently, “heard of it?” he said with a tone that was mockingly serious, "i was there." zach smiled as he sat down next to eli.

alex.

alex sat herself besides zach quietly, folding herself onto the front of her legs, and listening with one ear. the prospect of scary stories itself made her animatedly roll her eyes as she rubbed her hands together to keep them warm (gloves were tacky, in her own opinion, and she was a sucker for fashion over comfort). "stop talking bull," she murmured before directing her eyes towards the fire, glaring at it. "honey, you've got a big storm coming," she mimicked.

vanessa.

"what about the closing chapter of a horrifying trilogy, where another one of the kids he's with shoves a marshmallow-on-a-stick so far up his a-" whatever she'd been about to say ( expression ever innocent ) was forgotten as eli silently handed one such marshmallow-stick combo to her, and she abandoned her threat in favor of stuffing her face while her friend reiterated what she'd said ( but, much better ). she WASN'T happy with nathan, that much was clear from the dark look that she kept trained on him for as long as it took for the others to tune back in and get in the spirit of the story, and then even more clear from how she began to avoid looking at him at all. "it was the storm to end all storms - my very own grandmama told stories of how they thought the world was ending...- and the people whom my cohort and i are about to tell you about WISHED it had," she took a deep, quivering breath, choosing to hook onto what zach said and continue with, "you should have waited 'til you heard the whole story before joking like that, zachary. see - not to sound too like a cliche straight from an egyptian tomb raid - everyone who witnessed what happened in the atchison manor that night DIED over the six months that followed. that is... the people who survived. we're not too far from that manor, actually - remember the crossroads? we took a left, but if we'd taken the RIGHT, we would have found it - the place the devil was born."

blair.

blair was really over the whole sitting around the campfire and telling scary stories trope so she waited for vanessa to finish before saying, " anyways, what time are we leaving tomorrow?"

daniel.

"blair," daniel said, his tone slightly harsh. all he wanted was one night where the team could just relax and have fun. maybe it was bad timing, but blair could at least try.

blair.

"don't blair me, cheater." blair doesn't mean to be rude (well maybe a little) but she can't help it. especially since it's daniel trying to get her to relax. "it's a dumb story and i have homework due tomorrow so i'd like to know."

damaris.

"b-" her own softly spoken cut in interrupted by daniel, damaris shut up and sat back instead of trying to throw herself in the middle, eyes wide as saucers as she looked from blair, beside her, to daniel, and back again. she waited for the other girl to quieten once again ( having already winced from her words - people going through second hand wincing was how you knew you'd fucked up, @ daniel ) before she whispered quietly, just to her, "why don't we go and get snacks from the van?- by the time we're back the story'll probably be done, and you...- the story will probably be over, yeah!"

julian.

without opening his eyes, julian poked ashley's side, trying to draw her in closer. "are they fighting? should we move? i don't want to get stabbed tonight." he spoke as quietly as possible, hoping no one else was in earshot.

nathan.

"blair! daniel!" nat shouted, standing up from his log and placing his hands on his hips, "look, if your outdated relationship drama is going to start shit on this trip then you guys better separate and take a chill pill." nat looked to the agitated blair, quickly collecting the roasting sticks that laid in front of her, "just. . . one of you take a walk. not alone though."

elijah.

of all the places to sit, of course zach picks the spot next to him. at his presence, eli paled visibly and shifted towards vanessa, who 1) had defended him and 2) was telling an awesome ghost story, which were 2/2 of the ways into eli’s heart. he listened intently, gasping, whooping and wiggling his fingers while he made ghost noises to add to the paranormal campfire ambience they had going. eli’s eyes were brighter than the fire when she finished, but of course everyone was sullen and sarcastic as ever. for a bunch of paranormal investigators they sure were normal. bo-ring. looking at blair, bored bitchiness illuminated by the firelight, eli whispered. “there won’t be a tomorrow if the devil gets us. and i wouldn't leave if i were you. if you want to get shish-kabobed by satan, that’s on you, but i for one am saying where i am. so, daniel, blair, i would work your stuff out because tonight's the night. and by that i mean the ONLY night."

micah.

micah sighed, already over the arguing. "so, zach was born tonight, he's the devil, none of this is news. but if you think the devil is enough to work their shit out, you're going to be sorely disappointed, eli." as usual, micah's voice had taken on that slightly softer tone, the one he always got when speaking to eli. it was barely noticeable, but it was there. he was still working on fixing that. "why do you think they didn't work out?"

ashley / daniel.

although he probably should've expected it, daniel stiffened at blair's reaction. after nathan got his scolding out, daniel rolled his eyes and stood up. "fine. i'll go." as daniel stood up, ashley followed, grabbing julian by his shirt and pulling him along with her.

vanessa.

great. just GREAT. a quality ghost story, wasted on everyone who wasn't eli - go figure. his theatrics had been perfect, the mood was JUST right, everyone was starting to slowly but surely get engaged in what she was saying ... and blair and daniel had to go and ruin it. thank god she was used to such moments not going to plan, because at the very least she was able to hide her sad annoyance beneath an indifferent expression, eyes darting to whoever chose to speak up next like it was a basketball game, muttering under her breath as daniel stalked off, "if you'd all just waited 'til the end of the story, then you woulda been too SPOOKED to argue and no one woulda had to leave, but noooooooo, you had to go and start RIGHT BEFORE it got good." and then, after a brief pause and considering of her words, she directed the final part at eli, "- you know, they don't appreciate our BOMB story tellings. we should start charging by the minute."

julian.

"oh–what? why? oh–okay," julian had no time to process what was going on. as soon as he felt ashley tugging on his hoodie, he sat up, and was on his feet with her. "you know, to be fair, bud," julian mentioned to daniel, walking just a bit behind the boy, "you really asked for that one to happen."

naomi.

naomi felt really awkward as they began arguing, pulling the strings on her hoodie to make it scrunch up against her face. "if it makes you feel better, i was really intrigued." she tells vanessa, words muffled by the fabric of the hoodie.

kimberly.

kimi watched as ashley dragged julian away after daniel. she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that friendship, considering how much it'd already fucked things up for him. but who julian befriended, wise or otherwise, was his business. she smiled at vanessa, nodding in agreement to naomi. she hadn't believed a word vanessa said since they were back in middle school, but she knew better than to let that show. "it was really interesting. how does it end?"

damaris.

she was beginning to think she needed a new best friend, and after sending blair one long, sad look, turned back to the others and went silent once more ( so allowing the narrator to effectively write vanessa m. wright's night at the campfire ) [ vanessa ] : "you'll survive the night," she intoned, spookily, half-heartedly wagging her finger in naomi's direction to add to the dramatic flare of her words. vanessa wasn't one to be knocked so easily out of a spooky mood ( some would say she was in one 90% of the time ), and she didn't not want to try bring them back to the group dynamic with the story... but she couldn't help shooting blair a wary glance as if unsure how SHE'D take it as she answered kimi with a, "maybe it's a story for another time."

zachary.

zach listened into more than he watched more members of the group gradually get in on the argument at hand. it was the type of drama that made zach wonder why they didn’t recognize how lucky they were to be so tightly wound in regard to one another. as a group, their fucked up dynamic was both a blessing and a curse. the product of a dysfunctional family. zach questioned what he had gotten himself into. he watched naomi with careful eyes as she tightened the strings of her hoodie. it was adorable, but caused a foreignly worrisome feeling to seat itself in zach. he resisted the urge to move to sit beside her; instead settling for a smile directed at her. he tuned back into the group just as vanessa was beginning to retract her storytelling expertise. even when shit had hit the fan, zach couldn’t bring himself to take it all too seriously. “you forgot a crucial part of the story, though, vanessa. as we all know, i was there, and i didn’t die. so what the fuck is up, kyle? a place where the devil was born, though? i’d recommend we go visit it,” zach looked around the group as though he were counting ( a smart-ass kind of move after so many people had left upset mere moments ago ), “but yeah. maybe it’s a little too spooky for tonight.”

ashley / daniel.

“trust me dude, i know,” daniel sighed, perfectly aware of what he’d signed on to. as the trio walked through the woods, ashley felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out. “hey, we have service now,” she to neither boy in particular, showing them the way notifications were flooding her phone. turning her screen back towards her, she started to skim through everything she was getting. it seemed as though a lot of them were for the mysterybusters twitter, and all of them seemed to have a common theme. “the backseat killer? is that that new indie band? why is everyone tweeting us about them?” her the question was to both of them, but daniel answered first. “what?” he grabbed ashley’s phone from her hands, unlocking it to read what the tweets were about. “backseat killer escaped from prison.” he read aloud, his heart dropping to his stomach as he clicked on the article link. “mayer willis was being transported to a high security prison when he killed both the driver and the deputy with him and took the car. the car has been found but there has been no sign of willis,” his voice trailed off as he got to the end of the sentence, glancing up at julian and ashley, figuring only one of them would know what his words meant, before he circled back around to the fire. he immediately headed over to naomi, saying nothing but handing her ashley’s phone.

naomi.

naomi rested her head on micah's shoulder and pouted, "well that sucks... i really wanted to hear it." she tells vanessa, seeing daniel coming in her direction. she smiles at him even though her jacket is covering it but it soon fades as she sees the expression on his face.  "what's u—" she pulls the hood from her head and reads what's on ashley's phone. oh no her eyes widened and just like that she feels like the world is crashing down on her. the worst part is that she can't react here, in front of everyone. "uh.. excuse me..." she gets up quickly and begins to walk away from the group, tears blurring her vision.

micah.

when naomi stood up, it didn't take micah long to follow. he would give her space, if asked, but the fact that she was on the verge of tears -- something that, in and of itself, wasn't surprising -- told him that it probably wasn't needed. and as much of a fuck as micah didn't give about what was going on, he still cared about naomi, and this all felt too silverwood-esque to let her walk away by herself.

julian.

following right at daniel's heel, as he passed the phone to naomi, he rested a hand on his shoulder, needing the boy's attention for a second. "hey, man, where was this guy headed? or where was he being held? do you know? like, we have no reason to freak out about this, right?" he kept his voice low, not wanting everyone else to hear the news and react in panic.

daniel.

"i don't know man, i haven't read much more. signal's gone again," daniel answered before lightly shrugging julian's grip off of him and heading after naomi and micah. he pulled her into a hug the second he caught up, one hand rubbing her back and the other resting on her head. "i'm not gonna let anything happen to you this time, nay. promise."

vanessa.

nessa didn't like this. she didn't like it, AT ALL. what had started out as a soft moment - a kindly smile turnt naomi's way as she became the only one there at current moment appreciating her spookiness - went sour with the guys arrival back. a new feeling, set apart from the previous bother, settled uncomfortably in her stomach, and the vibe of her surroundings... the vibe was all WRONG. something had changed, and she didn't like it. "what's going on?" she asked, loudly, sitting up a little straighter, eyes following naomi and micah before drifting to daniel, and julian - the others in on whatever it was, it seemed.

micah.

micah stood aside as daniel hugged naomi. he threw a glance back towards where they'd left the others. he didn't care about them much, but at least they were all together. he looked back to daniel. "won't let who hurt her again?" usually, micah would stay out of it. but if someone was going to hurt naomi, that was irrevocably his business, and no one could say otherwise.

ashley.

"some guy named mayer willis broke out of jail and killed guards and stuff. and now they don't know where he is," ashley announced as she walked back to the fire.

trevor.

trevor had been a bit spacey since they all gathered together, it wasn’t a surprise since before they left he hot boxed himself in the bathroom of their dorm. he was extremely high and he was really relaxed when he was usually panicking at the thought of death, he was just chilling - staring off into the distance thinking about whether or not alex’s hair smelled like cotton candy or was cotton candy in his high little brain. snapping back into reality, the tall man shook his head and glanced around. everyone didn’t seem happy but he was too zoned out a moment ago to know what had happened. “ uh... so... did someone fart ? “ he made an awkward face, not really knowing what to say.

bryce.

bryce looked up in time to see daniel approach naomi, his eyebrows furrowing together as he watched the exchange. he didn't hear anything that they said, but he saw the look on her face- and that said enough. he was getting ready to stand up and follow the group when he heard ashley's announcement- and then he froze. mayer willis. no wonder naomi was upset. casting a glance at the rest of the group, he slowly stood up and made his way to where naomi, micah and daniel were standing.

zachary.

it took a lot out of zach not to insert himself into the conversation—or into the moment as a whole. and if the situation hadn’t been surrounding naomi, he definitely would have. but he had been patient in getting to know her fully. he had taken his time. he wasn’t going to fuck it up now by rushing to be someone she didn’t want him to be. what reassured him the most was the fact that ashley had followed suit. thankfully, vanessa voiced what he had been thinking since naomi was handed the phone, and when ashley showed back up to the fire zach stood up to meet her. “hey, what’s happening? what can i do?” his tone softened just a little as he repeated himself, “is there something i can do?”

nathan.

"what?" he exclaimed, voice booming through the campsite, "alright, trips over. you're all getting in that van and we're staying in a hotel or pulling an all nighter at the airport." nathan was more worried than aggravated at this point. of course there would be some killer running around just when they were out in the middle of west bumblefuck. through the chaos, he kept a close eye on damaris (not that she had done anything guilty yet, but he didnt want her wandering off and possibly causing more of a disturbance). "daniel, sorry to put a stake in your trip, but something has to be done."

lana.

her eyes followed naomi who separated herself from the group, lana's attention stayed on her until ashley’s words snapped her out of the trance. she couldn’t have heard that right. ashley must have made a mistake; it wouldn't be the first time. there was no possibility of that scenario being real and she wasn’t about to freak out until she was sure. she cleared her through before forcing the word out, “w-who?"

damaris.

the effect ashley's statement had on damaris, silent and non-existent 'til that convenient moment, was instantaneous. her face paled, her eyes widened, and though she didn't jump up from the log she'd been perched on to rush to naomi's side - she thought about it, and would have, if it weren't for fearing she'd crowd the girl. it was happening again. everything they'd been through - everything they'd JUST started to move on from, was suddenly at risk of coming to pass again. without thinking, she reached out and took a hold of blair's hand  for comfort, silly as it were,  eyes on everyone else as she waited for the information that hadn't been spilled yet.

naomi.

something about having daniel, damaris, micah, bryce and even blair there surrounding her made her feel a lot better. they had all been terrorized by him that night but, for obvious reasons, it hit closer to home. she hugged daniel back and softly cried into his chest. "i can't do this. what if he finds out where we are? where we work... live. you guys know he's coming for us... me because i'm the reason he was caught. and oh god what if he finds out about the twins and tries to hurt them too... i-i can't do this i have to, i have to leave. how much does it cost to get your name changed? a new passport... micah please tell me you know a guy. do any of you know a guy?"

micah.

her questions hit so hard to home, because god, if micah hadn't been thinking them, too. the evidence was in the discolored skin beneath his eye, and the split of his lip, and the cast on his arm. yeah, he knew a bit about that. but naomi couldn't make the same choice he did. he wouldn't let her. "breathe, nomi. i'm not going to let him hurt you, or the twins. i promise."

kimberly.

kimi watched as the original group stood together, forming a protective sort of semi-circle around naomi. as much as she wanted to know what was going on, she wisely stayed in her lane. she wandered closer to ashley, looking up at nat with wide, terrified eyes. "please, let's go. now."

vanessa.

if she'd thought that blair and daniel's fight was gonna be the worst of the evening, then wow had she been mistaken - evidently, that had just been the tip of the yikesburg. it wasn't her place to be with naomi or the other og's - she hadn't experienced what they had, she didn't know what they'd been through in the intimate way each of them did. her place was by elijah, where she took comfort from his presence and had a pretty great vantage point of everyone's reactions to the news, and where, when nathan spoke up, her "i agree" came softly from. they had to go. if nothing else, so the noise naomi was making wouldn't attract all the wild animals in the area to them ( not that she had scientific proof that crying drew bears, but she didn't want to take the chance ).

julian.

"wait, wait���" julian held his hands up, trying to grather some attention from the group that was still by the fire. "we don't need to go anywhere. and it's way too late to find a hotel with room for, what, twenty people? we're fine here." maybe he didn't really believe it, but julian didn't want everyone else to start panicking.

ashley.

"mayer willis?" ashley repeated, making eye contact with lana. "i could be getting the name wrong, dan has my phone." she shrugged. turning her attention to zach, she shrugged again. "i have no idea. i thought he was just some singer, but apparently i was really wrong." it seemed like she was the only one that didn't know what was going on; was keeping updated on criminals a requirement that daniel had let slide when he signed her on?

alex.

"yeah," alex replied, "totally fine. with a killer who could be hiding in the backseat of our van!" she shook her head, arms crossing as she stood and stomped the ground with the heel of her shoe. "i'm calling a freaking uber."

bryce.

bryce bit his lip as he listened to naomi- he didn't know what to say, and out of fear of saying the wrong thing- he stayed silent, his hands clinching into fists as he thought back to that night. he'd tried his best to block it from his mind- but now it seemed inevitable that he was going to relive it. and he was scared, but for everyone's sake he tried his best to remain calm. "we won't let him hurt you, or the twins," when he spoke his voice was low, and shaky, but he meant what he said.

naomi.

the more she thought about it the more scared she began to feel and suddenly naomi was freaking out the same way she was when she got that ticket for not pulling over for an emergency vehicle ( haha #tbt ) "we have to go. like now i can't do this oh my god i'm going to die, we're all going to die and it's my fault—" she pulled away from daniel and rested her hands on her knees, "i'm gonna throw up."

nathan.

"sorry, julian. supervisor trumps researcher." nathan said, looking around for something to put the fire out, "it's not safe. we can spend the night in the airport or even go to a church. anything is better than here where we have no signal. cristian is a big boy, he knows how to work high beams. he can drive."

alex.

alex glances worriedly at the group surrounding naomi before turning away, and promptly deciding, for once, it was none of her business. "for once... and it pains me to say this," she said, "i think we should listen to what nathan has to say."

trevor.

trevor looked around again, seeing as no one was laughing about his fart assumption he figured it was really serious because no one didn't laugh at a fart joke unless there was something wrong. the tall boy stood up, awkwardly mostly because his high mind made it seem like he was moving slower than he really was. " okay ! i have no clue whats going on - you guys seemed freaked out so i'm guessing either naomi is having a normal breakdown or an actually bad breakdown ? " he looked around once more before glancing at vanessa. " are we gonna die? is this a cabin in the woods situation ? because the stoner ALWAYS dies first ! " he exclaimed.

vanessa.

"trevor, the stoner died LAST in that movie," vanessa corrected cooly ( doing eli's job for him, since he wasn't there ). she didn't have a very good feeling about the night as a whole, now. some would say it was a little late to be listening to bad vibes, but nessa was of the opinion that it was only too late when you were DEAD - something they weren't, yet, and that she was quick to add on and direct trevor's way, "everything is fine. we're going to leave, right guys? leave, get out, slam the door on this WHOLE thing - a healthy case of the SCADADDLES, and once we've relocated this shindig to the airport, everything'll be right as rain! or. as right as rain ever is? you get me."

elijah.

insanity was unfolding right before their very eyes. naomi was crying, screaming, BOTH and everyone was trying to get out of there and eli was inclined to agree when. . . "wait! GUYS HOLD ON ! WAIT I HAVE TO GET MY CAT!"

julian.

"elijah, i told you not to bring tippi!" julian had both hands ontop of his head, a headache already forming from the stress.

julian.

" you brought TIPPI!" trevor exclaimed in more fear than before, the thought of eli's cat going missing even more scary then himself disappearing. " we HAVE to find him NOW ! " he yelled out before turning to almost run to find the cat.

bryce.

bryce could make out part of what was happening around the camp fire, and he found it to be incredibly overwhelming. he just needed to get away- or block it out or something. so without saying anything he sort of just walked a way, still in sight and sat down, covering his ears with his hands, as he focused on taking a few deep breaths.

cristian.

half listening to everyone's bickering for the past couple minutes, cristian had been rolling his eyes ever so subtly in the background, busying himself with relaxing by the fire. he wasn’t about to spend the last few hours of his birthday weekend worrying about ghost stories and people's breakups. however, his indifference only lasted so long. upon hearing the name of the backseat killer, cristian's brows popped up in worry, remnants of the silverwood night rushing a bit too quickly into his mind. many of the faces around the fire probably couldn't understand the magnitude of the terror that rushed through his head, although he could see it in the faces of the other original members. therefore, getting up quickly from his chair and swiftly taking out the van's keys from his pocket, it only felt right to join the others by naomi's side. he wasn’t the greatest with tears, but he could surely understand the horror of the situation, so rushing up behind micah, catching the last of naomi's words, cristian added, “uh, if it helps, naomi, i do know a guy.” he shrugged, trying to keep his calmest face in the heat of the tense moment, allowing her to let it all out. just the group being near each other seemed like enough. however, cristian knew better. so, after hearing everyone's pleas to leave, he nodded affirmatively. " yeah, maybe it's best that we get the hell out of here," cristian agreed, dangling the van's keys so everyone could see. "i actually think i did see a church nearby on the way up here, but we'll see. everyone get what you need and get in. quickly." he gestured toward where the vehicle was parked.

damaris.

while vanessa immediately rushed to eli's side and panicked about tippi with the rest of them, damaris went in the opposite direction, moving to bryce's side. so much was happening - too much, at that - and she knew it was probably overwhelming, so she did what she could and grasped his shoulder, tightly, grounding him in the moment and giving him a few seconds to calm his heart rate before she  gave his jacket a gentle tug in the van's direction. "c'mon, bry. we're going - we're gonna go to a church cris saw. it'll all be better once we're there, ok?"

lana.

lana took one step forward, about to start a trail to the van, after ashley confirmed it and they decided upon leaving. except she was starting to feel like her heart was beating out her chest and she couldn't move. this was a situation that she hadn't been expecting and that was part of the reason why she was silently panicking. she shouldn't have reacting at all, not in front of every one here. she took a long moment tried to contain herself while everyone was talking amongst themselves, not wanting the lightheadedness feeling that was creeping in get to her. but, it was no use. her father, the person who tried to kill her best friend, and someone she'd been trying to escape for years was on the loose. the rest of the group’s distress continued to encourage the sickening sensation. there was no reality in which lana would be able to hold herself together and before she knew it, everything went black-- just in time to not feel the blow of her body hitting the ground beneath her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XjayddbksQ

kimberly.

kimi watched as lana's body hit the floor. "we should... should someone grab her? is she alive?"

nathan.

through the symphony of yelling, crying, and meows in attempt to call tippi from hiding, nathan heard the thud lana's body made as it hit the forest floor. "shit." he murmured, rushing over the the girl on the ground. "uh a little HELP HERE." he called to the group, gently shaking lana's shoulders, "lana? hey lana." he smacked her cheek gently, "lana??"

alex.

alex actually laughed. "stop playing, lana. this is a serious discussion."

bryce.

bryce squeezed his eyes shut- maybe if he pictured something- he could forget about what was going on. it didn't work. but feeling the hand on his shoulder, he opened his eyes as he slowly titled his head to look at damaris. her words didn’t register, but he found himself nodding as he slowly stood up. “t-that sounds nice,” he stammered, as he slowly moved in the direction of everyone else. stopping in his tracks as he watched lana fall to the ground.

julian.

standing up to run to lana, julian was beat by nathan's frantic run. he was frozen for a second, watching the two, waiting for some reaction from the girl. he turned around on his heel, picking into a near-by cooler, and pulling out a bottle of water. he sprinted to nat and lana, his knees digging into the dirt. "did you slap her? no, no–bend her knee, put her on her–" as nicely as he could, julian shoved nathan to the side, gently turning lana's body so that the girl was resting on her side.

nathan.

"is she breathing??" he asked frantically, trusting julian enough to take somewhat over, "put a finger under her nose or something." he bit the skin of his nails anxiously until a bead of blood formed, "fuck. how far is the nearest hospital?"

julian.

"she's fine," julian said, taking the water bottle and placing it under lana's neck, "she wasn't strangled, she just passed out. give her a second." he looked at nathan and sighed, seeing everyone else who had gathered in worry. "someone might want to get naomi. for when she wakes up," he told to anyone in the group who was listening.

kimberly.

kimi bit her lip apprehensively. she thought everyone was being a little dramatic, but even she was starting to get worried. casting another glance at the panicking group, she followed cristian to the van. she stood aside as he tried to get the car started.  her eyes widened when he said the car wouldn't start. "what the f--... why wouldn't it start?" she laughed nervously, hoping to cover her near slip.

naomi.

after many deep breaths and encouraging words from daniel, naomi was able to calm down just a little before seeing julian and nathan around lana. "what— what happened to lana?" she quickly runs over to where they are and gets down on her knees, shaking the girls body. "lana... oh my god why did she pass out is she okay? i'm gonna go get her some water." she looks at both nathan and julian before getting up and walking towards cristian and kimberly. too much was happening and everyone knows how naomi gets when things get tough. she hears cristian say the van won't stop and honestly things could not get any worse than this. "jesus fucking christ cristian i swear to god if you don't get this dumb van to work i'll fucking scream until all of your heads pop!" she begins to roughly hit the hood of the vehicle with her hands, looking at him— expecting him to do something.

nathan.

Nathan bunched up his jacket to create a makeshift pillow to put unless lana's head. he was about to ask julian another question when he heard the oh so familiar shrillness of naomi's voice. cringing, he turned toward the direction of the van, "what the fuck are you guys doing? get in the c!--" before he could finish, he noticed naomi pounding her fists on the hood. he swallowed a nervous gasp that had presented itself in his throat. "guys. . . whats wrong with the van?. . ."

daniel.

watching everything go down hit too close to home for daniel. he'd sworn nothing like this would ever happen again. that was the only reason he'd even agreed to continue the group. "okay," he said, thinking aloud. "everyone just calm down. he was in prison back in washington and everything is from today. there's no way he could get here in that little time, so we're safe for the night." there was no telling what would happen once they left, but for now, they were okay.  and there was no point in worrying everyone if they couldn't leave. "so just stop freaking out. nothing bad's gonna happen to us tonight."

cristian.

shrugging in kimi's direction, cristian gave her an unsure glance. “ i don’t know, i can pop open the front and see what’s wrong, but it was fine like not even an hour ago, i don’t know what’s up,” he explained, running a hand over the top of his head as he contemplated what could have gone wrong, his level of worry beginning to rise substantially and his heart picking up in pace as the pressure zeroed in on him -- although he tried his best to keep a composed expression on his face. however, his face dropped once naomi started to yell and pound on the hood of the van. " whoa! hey! hey! hey! naomi, what the fuck? don't fucking do that!" he shouted back as he approached the girl, losing his composure a bit at witnessing his prized possession get hit, "whatever's wrong with it, that's not going to help." cristian grabbed naomi's wrists and stopped her hands from damaging the van any further. "let me see," he huffed irritatedly as he gave naomi a sour glare and popped open the hood of the car.

naomi.

"don't tell me what to do. you know you should really make sure everything is working before the trips because somehow the van always stops working when we need it, cristian. my best friend is dying, a serial killer is on the loose and i have so many mosquito bites on my arms and legs it looks like i was in a mosquito gangbang— and i don't even know what that looks like." she says everything too fast and her voice cracks, she's going to start crying again. "and daniel thinks it's all going to be okay but it's not and everyone else is freaking out... why did elijah bring his cat and why can't we all just! have a normal camping trip without having to worry about dying, missing pets or our fucking mosquito repellent not working?! so if you'll excuse me i'm going to throw up in that bush over there and if i get lucky enough, there might be posion ivy over there too because why wouldn't there be?!" she laughs through her tears even though there's nothing humorous about the situation.(edited)

nathan.

nathan felt bile in his own stomach start to rise at the mention of vomit. he took a deep breath, shutting his eyes tightly, "uh youre not going to those bushes without a buddy, young woman." poison ivy, tippi, the van, and a killer would be the least of their worries if naomi got attacked by an animal (or person) if she wandered off alone. "can someone go with her?" he asked to no one in particular.

micah.

micah was at least used to naomi's rambling. he held up a hand to nathan, hoping to somehow convey that this was the most normal thing that had happened tonight. "naomi, seriously, breathe. you're going to hyperventilate. lana's not dying. she just fainted." he didn't know why, but at least he knew she wasn't dead. (unfortunately.) "trust me, she doesn't die that easy. i've tried." kimi tried to hide both her blooming annoyance and fear, and elected to ignore micah's confession to attempted murder(??) "guys, we all need to calm down. the guy can't get us. we outnumber him anyway, right? it's, like, twenty of us against one. we can find eli's cat, and hike back to the hotel if we need to. just..." she left the sentence open-ended, unsure of what else she could say.

cristian.

raising his brows in offence, cristian stopped looking at the mechanics of the van for a moment and shifted back to naomi at his side. “wow, okay, fuck me then, huh? for your information, princess, i did check if everything was working! not everything is my fucking fault!” he snapped, letting all notions of wanting to stay calm fly out the window. he exhaled deeply, visibly annoyed with how everything was going down, before turning back to the car and examining it thoroughly. what he saw was a mess -- just a bunch of different wires cut in different locations. cristian almost wanted to laugh. “ yeah, well, this is fucked, ” he shook his head.

julian.

“if we can’t leave in the van,” from the ground, julian glared up at cristian, “then we’re staying put. we can’t even go anywhere until lana wakes up. and i doubt she’ll be in any shape to hike.” julian had to actually make sure the girl was still breathing once or twice, growing more and more worried as she continued to lay unconscious.

zachary.

zach had registered all of the chaos that was unravelling before the team. it wasn’t overwhelming in the slightest. in hindsight, even, he reasoned that he had dealt with much more imminent dangers than they seemed to be experiencing. everyone was getting tangled up in the “what ifs.” it was normal of large parties like theirs. when naomi started fuming and cristian returned the sentiment, taking her by the wrists, zach took a cautious step toward them. micah’s sentiment was appreciated—anything to diffuse the situation was worthwhile at this point. but when cristian began to go off, “don’t fucking patronize her like that. and it’s no one’s fucking fault. no one here has anything substantial to go on right now, so just take a second to breathe or meditate or whatever it is you need to do.” when julian spoke up, it was as though the atmosphere had become infinitesmillay more reasonable. “i agree. we’re not being chased right now. if need be, we can rotate taking watch or some shit throughout the night.”

daniel.

daniel made his way over to cris. although he didn't know shit about cars, even he could tell that the van was useless. "no, cris. it's not your fault," he said as he closed the hood. no one else needed to see the cut wires and worry more. "c'mon guys, let's just take a seat and calm down." he led cris and naomi back to the fire, passing naomi off to zach, maybe he could calm her down. "yeah, julian's right. we stay here tonight. nothing bad's gonna happen. first thing tomorrow morning i'll go find service and call someone. we'll be fine." maybe if he said it enough times he'd believe it.

lana.

slowly regaining consciousness, lana began to hear everyone’s muffled voices. she didn’t dare to open her eyes yet, since the pounding of her head made it too difficult to do so. she didn’t remember fainting, but she quickly remembered what happened right before. which led her to groan out loud, “okay. who the hell knocked me out?” she was too afraid to look at who was around her but she spoke anyway.

nathan.

a sigh of relief came from the eldest, "oh thank fucking god." nathan placed his face in his hands, relieved that he didnt have to explain to the university why a student died on his watch. "no one knocked you out, lana. you passed out. though, i want to knock you out for scaring the shit out of us all." he sighed, "but, youre not dead. so im thankful. do you need water?"

julian.

hearing the girl’s oh so familiar annoyed tone, julian looked down to lana. “stay down, lana. just take it easy…” he listened to nathan, nodding along to him. "does your head hurt at all?" from his position right next to her on the ground, he tried to look at her head, but couldn't see much in the dark.

kimberly.

"i'll go find some water," kimi offered, ready to get away from the group. their paranoia was no longer contagious, it was just annoying. "i have some pain pills in my tent, too." she probably didn't, but if it gave her a bit of space, she would lie her ass off, more so than usual. this relationship drama was old, and she couldn't care for lana on her best days, let alone one like this.

lana.

“no, no,” as she spoke, she felt her cheek tingling. “i just need everyone to not touch me,” lana brought her hand up to feel the side of her face. “you’re sure no one knocked me out? why does it feel like it?” her throat was dry, causing her voice to be seemingly more raspy. she wasn’t sure how long she was out for or what happened once she did. frankly, she was afraid to ask.

julian.

"you might have hit your head hard on the way down," he tried to theorize, but wasn't sure. now that she was awake and alert, he inched back a bit, giving the girl some more space. he turned to where kimi was, waiting for the water. "i don't think anyone saw you get hit." he said, trying to give her some comfort.

kimberly.

kimberly had all of ten seconds to herself. with her back to the group, she let her facade drop. it was almost like art, watching such pretty perfection morph into something so ugly and hateful. her stride took on a new sort of bounce. the others wouldn't have noticed, of course; they didn't know kimberly. not really. but she felt more in her element with eyes off of her. she slipped into her tent and let out a quiet groan of frustration. "this fucking team," she murmured, rooting through her bags for water. there was a bottle of pain pills right on the top, but she pushed it aside. she grabbed a water bottle. she'd brought at least a dozen, not just for herself, but for anyone else who might've forgotten to bring one. most of them were full, but she grabbed a half empty one, before rising back to her feet. she breathed deep, putting back on her mask. when she walked outside, her face was the picture of worry as she rushed to lana's side. she handed the water bottle to julian with a remorseful expression. "this was the only bottle i could find, i'm sorry. and my pills went missing. has anyone seen them?" it was hardly important, but she felt the need to ask anyway, if only to cover her bases.

micah.

micah let out a sigh, dragging a hand through his hair. it was a bad idea, considering it felt like he'd just hit himself with his cast, but it felt appropriate. "let's just... go to bed." he looked around at the group of misfit toys. and he thought he had troubles at home. "sleeping in the van might be a good idea after all. don't worry, i'll keep watch."

honorable mentions: