#sunbeam girl get angry

[cvtyvvitch]

✨☁️💧💤✨Pick-A-Card: Who’s Dreaming About You?✨☁️💧💤✨

💐 Pick an image (1, 2, 3, or 4) for a message about who’s been seeing you in dreams, and maybe visiting you in the astral realm. 💐

✨Focus your intention and remain open — if none of the images light up for you, there may not be a message for you in this reading! Alternatively, more than one image might connect with you. As always, trust your intuition and take what resonates, leaving the rest.

Onto the readings!

#1: 🫧 Bubbles 🫧

The person dreaming of you might be a sister or close girl/feminine in your life. I get the image of a girl with tears in her eyes, with the feeling that they wish they could talk to you/are upset about something that has happened between you. There’s an energy of youth and feeling sorry for their action(s), and wishing to make things right but not knowing how. Literally bursting bubbles, tears spilling down cheeks.

If this resonates with you, there’s no specific path for you to take with this person — what you do with this information is up to you. That being said, the advice I’m feeling is for you to deeply consider the situation and if there can be a way forward for you, maybe with a level-headed conversation about boundaries and how to work together. I do get the feeling that the person dreaming of you is trying their best, and if they apologize they really do mean it, even if they still make the same mistakes repeatedly. There’s a sense of emotional dysregulation here or immaturity on their side, which feels hard because they struggle against it. Definitely a specific message for maybe only a few people, but I hope that at least gives some insight!

Keywords: sister, red-faced, tears/snot, roses, skinned knees, tantrum, car/car keys, drinking

PS Feel free to let me know if it resonates with you and if you have any feedback!

#2: 🌿🌞 Sunbeam + Water + Branch 🌞🌿

This is a very dreamy energy (lol), and feels very nostalgic, very different from the first group message. Maybe a school friend or someone from uni. I get the image of them looking down a bit absently, tracing their fingers over an open hardback book with a red cover. This is someone you may have not seen for a little while, or perhaps won’t see for the summer (if you’re in Northern hemisphere). I get the image of stolen glances and them looking at you while you’re with a group of people/friends, and then wishing they could tell you how they feel. It’s possible they’ve been a bit unconscious in their feelings for you in the past, but I feel they’re aware of them now. Curious, maybe pining a bit. I get the image of a 90s boy haircut, like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Wants to say something but feels like there’s some kind of emotional distance to cross. Unlikely they will say anything about how they feel at this time, or even the next time you see each other if you’re away for a bit. Feeling it out for sure.

Keywords: summer, Coca Cola, red, red nail polish, sea swimming, shy, magazines, bicycles

PS Feel free to let me know if it resonates with you and if you have any feedback!

#3: 🌊 Waves 🌊

Lot more angst in this group. Someone feeling very angry with themselves over how things were left between you if you’re not talking, or how they’ve been unable to communicate well if you are in contact. This has a stronger emotional/spiritual connection than like #2, and feels more like a partner/former partner. There’s a volatility here and the image of someone frustratedly punching into their hand. The anger feels directed at themselves, and there’s the awareness of their own emotional blockage(s). For some of you, they may be trying to come up with ways to approach you or talk about how they feel/what’s going on, but it feels like they’re coming at it from a pretty rigid headspace. Trying to “fix” things and pushing against harder emotions. They don’t feel necessarily toxic or cruel, but maybe create a lot of their own problems through trying to “tough it out” or use their head to mend things instead of allowing themselves to soften and feel things through. I don’t get the feeling either way that you are in contact or not, but in either case they are trying to muscle through their frustration right now which feels hard. I don’t feel any advice for you, beyond that it’s good to remind yourself you can’t do the work for someone. Sometimes you have to let someone struggle through the hard bits on their own time and terms.

Keywords: rock, wrestle(r), tea tree, masculine, hands, thick eyebrows, clenched jaw

PS Feel free to let me know if it resonates with you and if you have any feedback!

#4 🌱🌾Sunny Meadow 🌾🌱

This energy feels very peaceful, and I get that this is either a past life connection you haven’t met yet or you have, but have not been in contact for a long, long time (potentially many years). You could also have met this person recently or briefly, but don’t know them very well yet. There’s a patient energy to it, earthy and contant. Like the way a tree experiences life and seasons, this love for you feels eternal. It’s a semi-conscious tether to you, like regardless of what this person is doing in their day-to-day life, you are on the back burner of their mind. It’s a constant, soul-deep love. I’d go so far to say it’s so deeply rooted that it connects to the cosmic river. So eternal, so ethereal while also completely in Gaia/Earth energy. Hard to put into words but if you resonate with this, you’ll know the feeling I talk about. Like so chilled out and in bliss, completely straddling human time and the eternal present.

Keywords: green, earthy, moss, stone face, wooden idol, old gods, river of stars. eternity.

PS Feel free to let me know if it resonates with you and if you have any feedback!

[darlingbabyboo]

hiii! (^o^)/

Dunno if your requests are open but if they are, would you mind sharing some of your hcs of what dating Souya would be like?

(Btw your writing stye is like so nice it's like sunbeams peaking out on a cloudy day, warm and enchanting to look at! ((o(*>ω<*)o)) )

'My Adorable Angry Boy...'

Summary: so what's it like dating one of the famed Kawata twins?

Notes: Requests are always open! And this is so nice 😭 Being compared to sun beams is such an honour omg!!!

Okay, so first we have to get into how you two first started dating

So how did your great love story begin?

Incredibly awkwardly to be honest

You two attended the same school but Angry had absolutely no idea how to confess to you

So he would just watch from his seat, not aware of how he's burning holes through your head

He cares, really, he's just a little stupid

Smiley is the one that really started the relationship

He was tired of how awkward y'all were and was just like, if I don't do it, no one will

"Listen, he doesn't hate you, he's a dumbass who doesn't know how to confess."

"W-What???" You look at the boy who's been burning holes through your head, the new information barely sinking in. Angry spares a small glance at you, before turning red and glaring at his brother.

"Smiley!" He exclaims.

The orange-haired gremlin only smiles wider, "you'll thank me for this later."

Everyone say thank you Smiley

After the awkwardness at first, you two do form a beautiful relationship

Angry is actually the sweetest boyfriend ever though

He's considerate in a way you would not believe

He will remember everything about you, making sure that you're always number 1

Don't worry if everyone else has forgotten about your birthday, Angry already got your back

"Souya, you didn't have to do all this!" You cover your mouth as you see your house completely transformed, streamers, banners, and everything bedazzled to the highest degree. In the middle, he sits on the table, with a homemade cake. Your eyes start to tear up "thank you so much."

Your boyfriend looks off to the side, the compliment making him turn red. "It's no problem, it's what you deserve."

And even if he's on the shyer side (especially compared to his brother), he won't be afraid of speaking up for you

If someone is bothering you, he won't be afraid to grab his brother and roll up to their house

It pays to have a delinquent boyfriend sometimes

"What's wrong with- hey!"

"This the asshole?" Smiley questions, fist crumpling around his collar.

Angry nods and narrows his eyes, "it's him."

The asshole holds up his hand, "hey, I don't know what you think I did, but I promise that you got the wrong guy."

Angry shakes his head, "no, I think I'm looking at the right guy." He sneers and cracks his knuckles, "this will teach you for harassing my girl."

He will not let anyone mess with his baby

Nicknames- I feel like Angry would be into soft/sophisticated, things like darling, honey, sweetheart

He's also a little insecure though, so be patient with him

He loves his brother more than anything but he also has to live in his shadow constantly, and sometimes it can sting.

"Souya, hun, are you okay?"

All the words he wants to say die on his tongue, only able to shake his head.

"Don't worry Souya, I won't leave you." You crawl into his lap, curling around him. He embraces you, sinking his head into your shoulders.

It's all he needs right now.

Angry is one of the sweetest guys in Tokyo Revengers, and anyone would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend.

Can we share?

[animasolaoriginal]

A B A N D O N E D 🥀 3/3

On his quest to make her feel better, he notices that the girl has very specific needs, and who is he to deny her?

Normal dude meets broken girl turned sex toy

WARNINGS: Explicit sexual content. Strangers to lovers. Hurt/comfort. Angst. Fluff. Smut. Oral cockwarming. Oral sex. Cockwarming. Unprotected vaginal sex. (More tags on AO3.) WORDS: 10.4k

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After a dreamless night, he wakes up to a sunbeam hitting him straight in the eye. Groaning quietly, he blinks against the sudden brightness before he notices a different ache.

Gently unwrapping his arms from around the sleeping girl, he slips from the bed and heads directly into the shower. He woke up hard, unsurprisingly with such a hot girl in his bed, rubbing her soft little limbs against him, but he could really use a break from it by now. He's never been anywhere near sex-crazed or the like, though he could see himself spending days and weeks with her in bed, on the couch, on the floor, against the wall, in the shower...

A grunt escapes him as he comes under the spray of the water, his fist tight around his shaft, body jerking as his balls twitch. Sighing deeply, he cleans himself again, then scrubs the shower wall for good measure as well. After finishing his morning routine by brushing his teeth while pacing the bathroom, mind reeling with plans, he slips into a pair of dark sweatpants and a T-shirt, then walks into the kitchen to scrunch together some food he could offer her.

In the end it's just a box of stale cereal and a carton of milk he hopes isn't sour yet, and when he turns to bring the stuff up the stairs, she's already descending them, still naked, pale little body riddled with angry red welts, but a soft smile on her lips as she sees him.

“Morning,” he greets her with a smirk, putting the tray back down on the counter. “Hungry?”

She nods and moves closer, her bare feet tapping over the concrete floor. She doesn't even seem to care that she's stark naked, she moves somewhat confident and comfortable, but she's probably lost all sense of being embarrassed a long time ago.

He's figured by now that she is an abandoned submissive, a girl who's lived under a Dominant who eventually sent her away for whatever reason (and ultimately allowed strange men to use her as a mindless toy). He's heard of those kinds of relationships, and while the idea seems nice, he's not a fan. He likes his girls with a bit more pep, someone to talk to, argue with, have fun, in equal measure with no one oppressing the other.

And he hopes he can bring her back into a normal lifestyle as well. She deserves to stand proud instead of kneeling and waiting for commands, fearing to be punished should she ever hesitate a tad too long or downright disobey. He doesn't know how, but he'll convince her that there's a better life ahead of her.

As he watches her sit down at the raised table, clumsily climbing onto the high stool, he blinks at the sight of her hard nipples. “Oh, wait,” he makes, absentmindedly helping her get onto the seat, but that's not what he's thought about. “I'll get you something to wear, okay? You must be cold!” Before she can object, he leaves the kitchen and rummages through his closet, finding a large shirt and some shorts.

She takes the clothes with a frown on her face before she cradles them to her chest, smiling shyly. Her hand moves to her neck then, rubbing at the bruises on her soft skin.

“Are you hurting?” he asks, moving back around the counter to bring the bowl, milk and cereal to her part of the table.

She shakes her head. “It's okay. I just...” She stops, biting her lip, looking down. “Nothing.”

“Hm?” he makes, handing her a spoon.

“I used to have a...” Her voice is feeble, and he furrows his brows as he tries to understand her. “A collar...” she ends, a sigh escaping her. “They... they must have taken it...”

He swallows hard at that. Not just that she still works around what she's experienced, but that she also can't let go of her old life, the one spent in submission and servitude (and that the bastard even collared her like a fucking dog, wow). “You don't need it. You are no one's property anymore, you hear?” he tells her, leaning against the edge of the table as he watches her closely. “And that's a good thing. Nobody should own other people. You are free now! It's better that way, trust me.”

She stares at him, lips quivering, before she shakes her head and looks down into her empty bowl. “I don't know what to do without him...” she confesses quietly, her shoulders trembling.

It breaks his heart seeing her like that. Unsure what to do, he walks around the table and stands behind her, inhaling deeply before putting his hands on her upper arms. “I'm sorry you have to go through this,” he says softly, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. “But you are not alone. I might not be your... Sir, but I'm here for you, okay?”

She turns her head slightly, watching him out of the corner of her eye. He leans around her, bringing his face to her level. Her eyes widen a little when he inches closer to kiss the tip of her nose.

“Alright?” he asks again and sees her nodding, a timid smile creeping onto her lips. “Now eat! We'll figure out the rest once you have something in your stomach.”

That something really is a meager meal, but it's better than nothing. As she eats, he makes a list of what to buy, then stares into his empty wallet a little too long. Checking his balance on his phone, he sighs deeply. There's still two more weeks to the month and he's already broke again. Buying that new lens has put a deep dent into his finances. Maybe he should put a sale on his online shop to entice people to buy his prints.

He's still deep in thought, sitting at his desk by now, when she approaches him, a shy hand brushing against his shoulder, startling him. “Can I help you?” she whispers, and he frowns at her. “You look stressed...”

She's put on the wide shirt that's long enough to cover her thighs, but refrained from wearing the shorts, leaving her bare underneath. And he's only aware of that because she has one hand clenched around the hem, scrunching up the fabric in a nervous gesture, revealing the shape of her bare mound beneath. Almost as if to offer herself to him, showing off what he could have if he indulged her. And he wants to indulge her, take her right here on the desk, bent over or sitting on the papers he's strewn about the surface, eager cunt ready to take his throbbing cock, but he puts his hand on hers and pries her fingers off, making her let go of the shirt to cover herself up again.

“I'm fine,” he says with a smile, his hand resting on her lower back as he pulls her a little closer. “Just figuring stuff out. It's fine,” he repeats. Fake it till you make it. “Don't worry about it, okay?”

She purses her lips, leaning into him with her head tilted. “But I want to help,” she whispers. “You've been so nice to me...”

He shakes his head. “I don't expect anything in return, you hear me? I brought you here to help you! It's on me. You just focus on feeling better, okay?”

Her nostrils flare slightly when she exhales. “Okay,” she says quietly, licking her lips. Her eyes move along his desk then, over his camera equipment and a variety of prints strewn about. “Do you take pictures?” she asks, the childlike curiosity in her voice warming his heart.

“Yeah, and sometimes I sell them too,” he replies with a dark grimace. “And I will again, I'll figure out how, I –”

“You could take pictures of me... and sell them,” she offers in a breathy whisper, making him stare at her. “Sir did that, and those other men too... pictures and videos... they said people liked them...”

He blinks slowly. The worst thing about her suggestion is that he's thought about it too, when he's taken pictures of her feet back in that awful sex room. To know she's used to that kind of perversion makes him angry, so using her for it again doesn't seem like the best thing to do. It doesn't feel right, even if she's offering.

“I'll think about it,” he says then, smiling at her, his hand rubbing along her back. “You'd certainly make a beautiful subject,” he adds, teasing his fingers against her ribs. She squirms and laughs softly, while he thinks about how to properly present her.

He won't show her face, but her body alone would bring a bunch, those small feet, that plump ass, the incredible thigh gap, her tiny tits and her beautiful cunt... but most of all it would be those welts adorning her pale skin. There are enough sick people out there dying to get pictures of tortured girls. And she already has them, already suffered for it. Why not give them a good use? It sickens him to think like that, but he's running out of options. Buying stuff for her won't come cheap...

He'll make a secret second account and start with those pictures he's taken of her in the sex room. Knowing the Internet, it won't take long for people to swarm to those, drooling over the poor girl. He hates objectifying her like that, but it can't be helped. Maybe it'll also make people aware of the sick happenings in this world, give it some sort of silver lining after all. He just has to be careful not to give away the location he found her like that, doesn't want those who were responsible to connect the dots and find him – and ultimately her.

He won't allow for her to go back to such a life. She will never be raped again, never be used, never told what to do, never punished for petty things, never forced to do things she doesn't want to do. He'll make sure to always ask her, even if it still confuses her, until she'll be completely annoyed by him – because she should feel more than the need to pleasure others and the urge to be used. There's more to life than sex.

His hands close around her small waist as he looks at her. Her cheeks are flushed and the echo of her laughter rings in his ears. What a beautiful sound. He should tickle her more often. For a moment he is just watching her, until his eyes fall on her hair, and its different lengths, one side longer than the other.

“Hey, do you want me to cut your hair?” he suggests quietly, making her frown. Her hands move up to touch the ends of the shorter part where those cruel bastards cut off her braid.

“If you want to,” she whispers.

“No, if you want to. It's up to you. This does give you an edgy look, though,” he adds, one hand moving up to slide through her long strands.

“Hmm, okay,” she murmurs, smiling shyly.

“Okay what?”

“Cut my hair,” she whispers, holding his gaze. “Please,” she adds, averting her eyes as if remembering something, or awaiting some sort of reaction. He doesn't give one, just moves his hand up to cup her face and nudge her chin with his thumb.

“You know, how about a complete makeover? We could make a new person out of you, to celebrate... well, your new life?” he says softly, smiling at her.

“Like what?”

“Hmm, I don't know. Dye your hair blue? Red? Any color you want?”

She giggles quietly at the suggestions, shaking her head. “Just cutting it is enough, I think,” she replies, her finger twirling around a shorter strand. “I like my hair.”

“That's good!” he blurts out, making her frown. “I mean, that you like stuff, things about yourself. I'm glad,” he says with a nervous chuckle. “We'll cut it then. It is nice hair,” he agrees, sliding his fingers through her soft tresses. “Thick and healthy, a nice dark color to it, frames your beautiful face perfectly...”

She smiles, her cheeks burning up, her eyes warm and bright. Happy even? He caresses her flushed skin, then lowers his hand, feeling the urge to pull her onto his lap and cuddle her. Instead he curls his fingers around her waist again, teasing her ribs with his thumbs. Another giggle escapes her.

“So, uh, I gotta work a little bit now,” he tells her, watching her. “Do you want to watch some TV or read a book or just chill somewhere before we cut your hair?”

She purses her lips, her eyes wandering over his shoulder into the loft apartment. “Can I stay with you?” she whispers barely audible.

“I'd love your company,” he says, then makes a gesture to show her the cluttered space of his desk. “But it's really boring here, you know? I just have to organize pictures, clean my camera, organize some more, I –”

“I could cockwarm you,” her cute little voice then says, and he stares at her with wide eyes.

“What?”

She blushes deeply, squirming against his chair. “You know... down there? Under the desk? Between your legs? I won't disturb you, I promise! I'll just...” She chews on her lip nervously. “It calms me to suckle on... cocks...”

Something hot crashes down his spine, and he clears his throat. This girl. “Uh, well, are you sure, though? I mean...” What is he even saying now? Agreeing to such a strange offer? How fucked up would that be? He shakes his head. “No, really, it's not necessary. I can make you a calming tea if you like, if you need to be calm, that is. You looked rather calm before, you sure you need to suck... I mean, uh, you know. I'm not saying I'm not flattered, trust me, wow, what an offer, but...” He sighs. “Sorry, love, I'd rather not have you cockwarm me. But it's not because of you, okay? I need to focus here...”

“Sir could always focus better when I had his cock in my mouth,” she whispers, watching him with big glistening eyes.

He inhales sharply, clenching his jaw. That fucking bastard. Of course he would. He'd probably also sleep just fine at night after spanking this cute little girl until she'd cry. “Well, I am not Sir,” he says darkly. A shadow crosses over her soft features, and she looks away. He clears his throat. “Listen, thanks for the offer, really. Maybe another time?”

She's pouting, and despite it all, he finds it cute. His hands move up her sides until he cups her face, making her look at him. She blinks, her long lashes dancing. “Fine,” she replies, almost a little angry, and he relishes in the emotion in her voice. Yes, be angry, show emotion, that's good, he cheers her on in his mind. A smile creeps onto his lips.

“Good girl.”

It just slips out of him, mainly as a joke, to tease her a little, but the unintended praise moves over her face immediately, like a cloud crossing over the sun. Her pupils dilate, her lips quiver, heat crashes into her cheeks. That little pout turns into a stiff mask of... bliss? Fuck, she really has a praise kink, huh? He has to be careful what he tells her.

“Alright,” he breaks the strange tension and lets go of her face, only to pat her hip gently. “Go find something to do. Make yourself at home, okay? Mi casa es tu casa, right?”

She blinks at him, eyes unfocused for a moment, before she looks away, inhaling deeply. Taking a step away from him and the desk, she pauses, probably looking around the space. There's not much, the couch plus shallow table under the stairs that lead up into the bedroom, a flat screen TV on the opposite wall, a bookshelf between the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the open kitchen with barely any food in it, an empty room he hasn't found a purpose for yet, and the bathroom next to it. Then there is a whole lot of nothing that he one day wants to transform into a photo studio, with partition walls, a real green screen, various light boxes and all the fun stuff. For now, there's not much.

He focuses on his computer screen, hand hovering over the mouse, while she still stands a few feet behind him. He can hear her labored breaths, the shaky exhales, and he turns his head back to see her shoulders trembling.

“Hey, what's wrong?” he asks quietly, rolling back to her with his chair. She swallows, eyes lowered, tears brimming her lashes.

“I don't know... what to do...” she croaks out before a sob makes her voice crack.

He sighs and stands up, steps behind her to wrap his arms around her small frame. “You could watch TV or browse Netflix or YouTube or whatever. There's so much to see, any genre you can think of.” He turns her a little, letting her face the large bookcase. “Or you can read something. I have a large collection of thrillers and crime stories, or photography books if you want to look at pictures instead.”

Her small hands find his arms, and she leans into him. “I don't want to be alone,” she mumbles.

“You're not alone, love,” he whispers, pressing his lips to her warm cheek. He can taste salt. Leaning around her slightly, he looks at her, frowning when he sees the tears rolling down her face. “I'm right here, in the same room. And I'm not pushing you away, either, okay? I just need to work.”

She sniffles, closing her eyes, a new batch of fat tears falling from her lashes. He leans his head against hers, inhaling deeply as he holds her.

“What do you want to do?” he asks quietly after a moment.

“Nothing, it's fine,” she mutters, biting her lip.

“No, it's not fine. Tell me: what do you want to do?”

“Suckle on your cock,” she presses out, her lips pursing, a pout forming on her face. He laughs, shaking his head. She issues a little groan and squirms in his arms.

“Alright, fine, if you really want to...” he sighs, pressing his lips to the top of her head as he leans back.

“I do...” she murmurs, turning around when he lets go of her, big eyes, shining with tears but sparkling with joy, looking up at him. Adorable.

“Come on then,” he whispers, pushing his chair back to the desk before he sits down in it, leaving a bit of space between the edge of the table and himself.

She quickly slips into the small space beneath it, her hands on his thighs, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. He shifts in the chair, still not one hundred percent convinced this is a good idea. Is this her brainwashed little mind wanting to service the man she's near or does she actually enjoy having a cock in her mouth for God knows how long?

“Okay,” he says, pushing the waistband of his sweatpants and boxers down to pull his cock out. To his own shame it's already semi-hard. This girl has a weird effect on him for sure. “But you just want to suckle on it? Not suck me off, right?”

She nods enthusiastically, her fingers flexing, eager to grab him. “I like having something in my mouth, it's calming...”

Maybe he should buy her a pacifier then or whatever else works. Or let her suck on her own thumb. But that's probably not the same. Maybe she needs to have someone close, a warm body that's not her own. A steady connection. He gets it, even if it's fucked up. “Alright then...”

He watches her. There's a little smile on her lips as her small hand closes around his girth, or tries to, the touch already giving him slight chills. She positions herself on her knees, one arm looped around his waist, the other holding his cock before she moves her mouth closer, her eyes on him as she opens it to put his cockhead on her tongue. The warmth of her mouth, the gentle grip of her lips as she sucks him a little deeper, the wet sensation on his skin, it all makes him grip the armrest of the chair.

But then she just stays like that, half of his cock in her mouth, resting on her tongue with her lips strained around it, and her cheek pressed to his thigh, her fingertips mindlessly rubbing at the exposed skin of his lower stomach, a warm little touch, soothing.

He raises a hand and gently pats her hair, and she hums around him, the soft vibrations letting goosebumps ripple over his skin. Her eyelids flutter before she closes her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose, her body relaxing against his legs. He strokes her head once more before he puts that hand on the mouse and focuses back on the computer screen.

It's a strange feeling, that's for sure, the idea of a girl kneeling under his desk to keep his cock warm is so otherworldly to him. But she seems so peaceful now, content, and even if those are old mannerisms he wants her to let go of, he can't deny her such a simple thing. If it makes her happy... and honestly, it does make him happy too. Of course it does. He's just a man after all.

Just the feel of her warm wet mouth lets the blood pump into his groin. He knows he's getting hard, even if he probably shouldn't. This is not necessarily a sexual act, that much he knows. It's like a meditative state for her, a means to let her mind wander, to empty it. What's it called, subspace? He really should brush up on his barely there knowledge on submissives, now that he has one under his roof.

Inhaling deeply, he focuses on the pictures he's taken yesterday. Some are good for his main blog, those of the broken windows and nature reclaiming the place, even the lonely chair in the middle of the decaying room looks good. Then he gets to those of the last floor, the closed doors, the sex room. Now he's glad she's under the table, unable to see what he caught with his camera.

The pictures he took of her look gruesome. Those caning wounds, deep red lines on her otherwise unblemished skin, all across her small breasts, her flat stomach, her thighs. The bruises on her neck look like a whole hand print around her throat. The state of her abused pussy, leaking with cum and blood, her labia and clit red and swollen. The rope burn on her ankles, how her arms were tied behind her back, random bruises on her hips and arms and legs. A horrible sight. He must have found her only a few hours after they left her, presumably to die or already assumed dead, it all looked so fresh.

Could they be already looking for her? Did someone come to clean the room, to prepare it for the next girl? Would he find the same scene in the other locked rooms? Maybe he should send an anonymous tip to the authorities after all, to save others from the fate she had to endure.

For now he focuses on getting these pictures into the right corners of the Internet. Setting it up is almost too easy (and it shouldn't be for photos like these, he shouldn't feed those sickos who enjoy looking at mutilated women, but then how can he judge them when he's trying to make some buck off their demented little kinks?). He chooses the picture of her bruised neck as a teaser, then hides the rest behind a paywall. A few clicks and it's all done, and all he has to do is wait.

The girl on the screen is barely comparable to the one kneeling between his legs, still suckling peacefully on his (by now rock hard) cock. She's already looked better last night when he's given her some much needed aftercare, and he's glad. She's young, her body more resilient than it looks. She'll make a full recovery, he's sure, at least physically.

His hand finds her hair, and she hums again, shifting slightly against his legs. He rubs down her neck, a gentle massage she'll probably need from how she's leaning on him, her head turned to accommodate his length. That warm wet feeling is still all around him, the tiniest of sucks when she pulls her spit in as it threatens to drip down her chin, the little pressure of her tongue when she tries to swallow it.

Apart from those motions she's perfectly still, relaxed, sunken into herself, far away probably. He hopes it's not counterproductive to allow this. He wants her to move on from her former life, not dive back into old patterns. But he shouldn't force this change on her too quickly, he knows that. And if she really enjoys this, why stop her?

Inhaling deeply, he leans back in his chair, trying to relax as well. He's on edge though, from the photos, from how her small mouth envelops his cock so perfectly, from wondering what the future may hold. Only a few years ago he didn't care about what came next, just lived day by day, going where the current would take him. And even though he's trying to settle down here, in this city, in this loft, he could leave any second, get into his truck and drive wherever he likes to go.

Not anymore. She's with him now. And he told himself to care for her. He feels like he owes it to her. He can't just abandon her like she's been abandoned before. The plan is to give her her life back, a normal life, where she has hopes and dreams, and hobbies, where she can party with friends, enjoy herself, follow her own needs, a life far away from sexual servitude. It won't be easy with how deeply brainwashed she seems to be, but he'll try. It'll be a new project, something for him to focus on.

And if he's being completely honest with himself: he's happy about it. He found himself a girl, in a very unusual place, under very unusual circumstances, but a girl nonetheless, who allowed him to kiss her and pleasure and fuck her, who's willingly crawled under the desk to put his cock into her mouth. This is every man's dream, is it not? No matter how sick and broken she may be. And even though he feels as if he's taking advantage of her frail state of mind, he can't deny the appeal this whole situation has on him. He's not particularly proud of the reactions of his body, but it is what it is.

She looks so cute (in the most lewd way possible with how his cock is stuck in her little mouth and her body perched on his thigh, with that little bit of drool passing by her strained lips, that warm glow on her cheeks, the vacant expression, the serenity on her face). His hand moves down to caress her hair again, stroking her head, slipping between her tresses. Her eyelids flutter, but she keeps her eyes closed.

“Hey,” he whispers softly, tracing his finger around her ear when he tucks a strand behind it. She doesn't stir. “Love? Did you fall asleep?”

Obviously, idiot, he scolds himself, because she keeps perfectly still between his legs. His hand finds her cheek, nudges under her jaw, teases her lips. No reaction. Sighing deeply, he wonders if he should just pull his cock out of her mouth, but he doesn't want to disturb her. Doesn't want to startle her already muddled mind.

So he leans in a little and opens Google, typing away to ease his mind. He's in the middle of reading about Dominants and submissives, and how to maintain a healthy relationship, and BDSM etiquette, gets distracted by a list of various spanking methods, complete with tools and what they do to a human body, still looking for that little bit of information on subspace, when she stirs in his lap.

He looks down, feeling that little suck when she pulls in her drool, her tongue pressing against the underside of his cock, making him inhale sharply, a tiny shiver crashing down his spine. His hand is back on her head, patting it softly, when her eyes open, blinking slowly into focus before she looks up at him. He smiles at her. “Hey there,” he says quietly.

She blinks again, closing her lips tighter around his hard length, shifting between his thighs. Instead of maybe pulling back and allowing herself a break, she leans up on her knees, one hand braced on his leg, the other going straight to fondle his balls between her fingers.

He gasps softly, twitching to pull her off, but then finds himself mesmerized by her smooth movements, how she bobs her head slowly up and down, always holding his gaze, her tongue gliding along his shaft when she takes him deeper, teasing his tip against the back of her throat.

Maybe she waits for him to stop her, tell her no, but when he doesn't say anything because he's too dumbstruck and frankly too horny to not see it through, she just keeps going, her mouth sliding up and down his cock, lips tight around him, drool and precum dripping down her chin and onto his sweatpants.

Those soft slurping noises make his head spin, and even more so when she starts pushing him deeper, tongue peaking out and pressed to the bulging veins on his hard member, as she forces herself to take all of him, her eyes watering, those gurgling sounds becoming louder and quicker as she starts bobbing faster until she manages to squeeze him into her tight throat.

A violent gag shakes her small frame, but instead of pulling back and coughing or swallowing the excess spit flooding her mouth, she holds him there, nose pressed to his pubes, tongue and chin teasing against his balls that she's still groping hard, and he feels the contractions of her throat, the tight squeeze, and a series of groans and grunts escape him as pleasure crashes through him, his stomach tense, balls tenser, and it doesn't take long for his hips to stutter and for him to empty himself deep into the willing girl's body.

She pulls back slowly, while his cock is still throbbing and spewing cum in thick ropes, her eyes are reddened and glistening, lips swollen, her face wet from tears and spit, viscous globs of drool and precum dripping down her chin. Her hand is shaking when she grabs his base and steadies him, aiming his tip onto her tongue as she gathers all that he is giving her. And it's a lot, not that he particularly cares as he slumps back into the chair, breathing harder from doing basically nothing.

He watches her out of hooded eyes as she swirls his spend around in her open mouth before she swallows it with a hard gulp, and he blushes, actually blushes, at the sight of the girl licking her lips, wiping her chin, then leaning down to lick that same tongue along his softening dick, cleaning him. She even tucks him away again when she's done, then leans back on her knees, hands folded on her lap as she looks up at him with her big eyes.

“Okay,” he breathes, trying to comprehend what just happened. “That was something... not what I expected...”

She frowns at his words, biting her raw lips. There's a strange sadness on her face. “Oh, did... did you not like it?” she whispers hoarsely.

“What? No, I... I loved it, don't get me wrong!” he quickly clarifies, leaning in to cup her face, rubbing his thumbs over the corners of her lips. “That was incredible. But... well, you said cockwarming, and I thought –”

“I'm sorry!” she wails out loudly, shaking in his hold, big tears falling from her lashes, running along his fingers. “I... I couldn't help myself... I... I thought...” She squeezes her eyes shut, thoroughly crying now.

“Hey, stop, it's okay! Don't cry, please!” he urges her, wiping at her wet cheeks.

“He... he always said I was too... too eager,” she mumbles, her lips quivering. “He... he'd...” Her eyes fly open as she stares up at him. “Will you punish me now?”

“What?” he croaks out, furrowing his brows. Anger rises inside him. Accusing a girl of being too eager while giving head? What kind of asshole idiot would say that and then proceed to punish her for it? “No! Of course not! Why would I ever do that?”

“Because I didn't do what I was supposed to!” she cries out, squirming on her knees. “I... I always do that... I get... get excited by the feel of... of cock... and then I... I just...” She shakes her head between his hands, wailing softly as she tries to squirm away from him. He lets her, and she raises her hands to cover her red face, quietly sobbing.

He pushes his chair back and crouches down in front of her, gently taking her wrists to pry her hands away. “Shh, it's alright, it's all good, okay? Please calm down, you did nothing wrong!” he whispers urgently, pulling her frail body against his chest, wrapping his arms around her.

It takes her a moment to calm down again, shoulders still trembling when she snuggles into him, small hands gripping at the fabric of his shirt. He rubs her back and keeps shushing her soothingly. Eventually he scoops her up in his arms and clumsily sits back down in the chair, arranging her on his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face in the crook of it, breathing deeply, her knees pressing into his stomach while she tucks her feet under his thigh.

He holds her until she's that pliant thing in his arms, quiet and still, a barely there weight. His heart is still beating faster, from both his orgasm and her outburst afterwards, and he really hates the guy who turned her into this fragile little thing who's afraid to get punished for performing these incredible blow jobs every other guy would dream of receiving. So what if she has a natural taste and need for cock? Nothing wrong with that.

In her case it's actually a blessing, makes him reconsider her former life. She wanted it, craved the cock she was given, hopefully even before she was turned into a sex toy? He can only assume. In the back of his mind he starts to wonder if he'll be able to keep up with her unusually high libido. Even more so when she squirms on his lap, little mewls slipping from her lips, vibrating against his skin.

“Are you okay now?” he asks quietly, one hand on her back, the other on her hip.

“Mhm,” she hums, but she doesn't stop moving. It's then that he notices her hand going from gripping his shirt to crawling lower, twitchy fingers rubbing over his stomach, then slipping right under the waistband of his sweatpants.

A groan escapes him when her fingertips tease at his dick. “Still hungry, hm?” he muses, a chuckle in his voice, but she suddenly pulls her hand back and inhales sharply.

“Sorry,” she mutters, the arm around his neck tightening as she pulls herself up a little.

“No, it's fine. Do whatever feels good to you...” he says. “I told you I'm here for you, in whatever way you need me, okay?”

She leans back a little then, looking at him, considering his words, eyes still a little red, bottom lip pulled between her teeth. “I... I need...” Blinking a few times, she licks her lips, bites them again, staring at him. “I'm so empty,” she mumbles, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

He's not usually the quick-witted guy, but he knows exactly what she means, with the way she squirms restlessly on his lap, but he can't help but tease her a little. “Hungry indeed, huh? Yeah, just a bowl of cereal is definitely not enough, and oh, look, it's almost lunch time. We could order something, are you in the mood for pizza?”

She keeps staring at him, nostrils flaring, cheeks bright red. “I... I'm in the mood for...”

“Cock, I know, love,” he laughs, nuzzling her neck when she turns away with an embarrassed little groan. “Give me a few minutes, okay? You basically sucked me dry just now...”

She lets out another noise of discomfort, then sighs deeply. “I could still just sit on it,” she rumbles into his neck, sounding like a pouty kid if her words and intentions weren't so lewd.

He frowns, considering it. “Well, uh, alright, go on. Do with me what needs to be done,” he declares with a smirk.

She looks at him, eyes wide, a small smile making her lips twitch. Shifting on his lap, she puts one knee on either side of his legs, squished in the small space next to the armrests, then moves both hands to his waistband, eagerly pulling it down enough to pull his cock out. He should be spent, flaccid as he is, unusable, but his natural length and girth seems to be enough for her. She grips him hard, causing him to groan, but he tries to relax as he leans back into the chair and watches her curiously.

Giving him a few pumps, she sits up on her knees and wiggles her hips a little. As she concentrates on lining him up with her entrance, he reaches out and grabs the hem of her big shirt, gently rolling it up to be able to see what she's doing. The sight of her bare cunt coaxes a deep exhale out of him. She's wet, glistening, soaked, completely drenched, labia puffy, clit swollen. Mesmerized by what he sees, he watches as she sinks down onto him, nudging his semi-soft cock between her tight muscles.

A deep moan escapes him when she pushes her hips down, taking all of him into her wet depths, and he feels the blood rushing down instantly when her walls clench around him. She adjusts on top of him, then relaxes in her position, her hands on his shoulders, as she grinds her hips a little bit, before she stops moving altogether, looking at him with a soft smile.

“Thank you, Sam,” she whispers and leans in to press her lips to his cheek.

He pulls his arms around her and keeps her leaning against him, turns his head and meets her lips fully. “You're welcome, love,” he whispers, peppering her with gentle kisses that make her giggle.

The chair groans beneath them when he gives her a little upwards nudge, feeling himself hardening quickly with how she engulfs him, so warm and close, and she mewls into his mouth before she nibbles on his bottom lip playfully. He smirks at her, arms encircling her body in a way that allows him to tease his fingertips against her ribs.

She squeals, falling into a giggling fit when he keeps tickling her, and his cock is now really growing stiff with how she squirms on top of him. He silences her with a deep kiss as he moves one hand to her nape and holds her steady, and she relaxes, kisses him back, her hands slipping into his hair. He moans at the sensation and tilts his head back, but she chases after his lips, as hungry as her cunt that keeps clenching around him eagerly.

What a curious little creature. So insatiable. A dream come true, right? But despite his growing lust for her, it still concerns him just how trustworthy she is, how downright desperate to continue whatever sexual acts she was told to perform before. Is she chasing her own hunger or was she brainwashed to believe she needs to fuck and be filled 24/7? Indoctrinated to think she isn't a real human unless she has a cock in one of her holes?

He shouldn't judge too soon, especially not her character, when it was him who couldn't resist her either, who allowed all of this, who was weak for the sexy girl worshiping his cock as if it was the best thing she's ever seen, which just can't be right. Nevertheless, here she is, bouncing on it right now as they continue kissing, sliding from that awkward little cockwarming phase into a full on cowgirl fucking. And his cock is hard, pulsing, throbbing inside her, and every little grind and slam and slide and rub makes goosebumps ripple over his skin while his stomach tenses something awful.

He holds her small waist now, hidden under the wide shirt, their gazes locked, their breaths mingling as she uses his shoulders for leverage to move up and down on him, her pupils dilated, his own eyes hooded, their moans and groans echoing through the large room while the chair squeaks beneath him, threatening to break under the enthusiastic girl riding his cock.

“You feel amazing,” he tells her breathlessly, his body shuddering beneath her.

She smiles shyly, her face flushed, lips parted, soft mewls and moans slipping out of her throat. There's a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, but she doesn't stop, keeps moving up and down, hard and fast, pulling back to slam down with a force that makes him groan every time. He's impaling her deep, he's sure he's hitting her cervix whenever she lets gravity pull her down again. She's wincing when it happens also, and he's willing to stop her, let her take it easy, but she's too focused it seems, eyes glazing over, face contorting in that mixture of pain and pleasure, as she bounces even faster.

He tries to meet her motions with upwards snaps of his hips, and when he does, she cries out, and he stops again, afraid he might have hurt her, but then she throws her head back and moans loudly, stiffening on top of him, legs trembling against his sides, body shaking, stomach fluttering, her cunt clamping down on him hard. He's mesmerized by the sight of her orgasm rolling over her, he barely notices how he's approaching the same edge quickly as well.

She's grinding her hips against him now, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his, her hot breaths making his head spin. His hands tighten around her waist, and when he starts moving her back and forth, hips snapping upwards once more, she mewls, an exhausted groan escaping her, as she tries to continue riding him.

But he sees her struggle, and with a strength he hasn't thought possible in his state, he stands up from the chair, pushing her with him, and she clings to him, legs wrapped around his waist, his cock still lazily pumping into her as he walks her towards the kitchen in a strange little crab walk.

He barely makes it to the counter before he throws her onto it, his cock slipping free for a moment, before he pulls her back by the hips, fumbles to enter her again, then starts pounding into her with a new found need. She squeals and whines, hands curling around the edge of the counter as she squirms on her back, hips meeting his thrusts, feet crossed behind his lower back.

His groans sound loud and animalistic around the open kitchen, the slams of his pelvis against hers creating wet and frantic slapping noises, the squelches of her eager cunt so enticing he can barely breathe. His stomach is tense, his balls ready to burst, but he pumps through it until he forces another orgasm out of her. She arches her back, body contorted so beautifully as she comes hard around his pounding cock, her walls contracting, milking him for what he's worth.

He's sweating by the time he allows himself to reach the edge as well, and when he comes, he slams into her hard and stills, a loud grunt slipping from his throat, feeling his cock spurting hot cum into her depths, hands tight around her waist, adding to the bruises she already has there. For a moment he savors her soft little breaths, ragged and raw, her body pliant beneath him, chest heaving, hooded eyes following his every move.

Slowly he leans over her, resting on his forearms as he looks at her, still panting with his heart racing, his hands finding her soft hair when he nuzzles his nose against hers. “H-how do you... feel?” he gasps breathlessly.

“Nice and full. No longer hungry,” she whispers with a small smirk on her quivering lips.

He huffs a laugh and presses his mouth to hers. Her hands find his face, and she pulls him in again when he tries to lean back, her kiss soft and gentle, but demanding. He puts more of his weight on her and deepens the kiss, lets his tongue slip between her lips and tastes every inch of her mouth before she meets his motions and mirrors them.

“But,” she pants between kisses when they're both breathless. “There's always room for pizza...”

His chuckle is swallowed by her eager mouth, and he tries to move, tries to stand up, but she clings to him like the insatiable little monkey that she is. Somehow he manages to pull himself up, and her with him, and connected as they still are, lips glued together, cock still buried in her clenching cunt, he makes it back to the desk. Sitting down proves a little difficult with the girl attached to him like this, and the chair aches beneath their combined weight once more, but once he sits, and she on top of him, leaning heavy on his softening dick, he rolls them to the computer and pulls up the details of the nearby pizza place.

She remains sitting on him, cockwarming him again, with their combined warmth slowly seeping down onto his sweatpants and the seat, but she's too cute to shoo away now. She looks so content, resting her head on his shoulder, watching him with that happy little smile on her swollen lips, her face still flushed, hair stuck to her damp forehead. He must look much the same, exhausted as he is, but neither of them mind.

He's told the delivery driver to leave the box in front of his door, and having paid beforehand (badly denting his balance once more, but he couldn't care less about that right now), they shouldn't need to face anyone. Voicing his worries on how to get to it though, she's suggested just rolling to the door and she'll bend down to pick it up, and neither of them have to get up. That was the plan, anyway.

“This is ridiculous!” he mumbles as he rolls them closer to the door, the chair groaning under the task. She giggles, knees tight around his hips, pelvis pressed down to maintain their connection, one hand on his shoulder as she stretches the other arm out to reach the door handle. At least she's having fun. And it's the main reason why he lets her do this acrobatic stunt.

It would have been easier to get up and walk to the door, pick up the pizza carton and return to the chair, and then he would have let her get back on his cock if she was so desperate to feel him inside of her, but she's pouted at him, not wanting to get up, to lose just a single drop of his warm seed, it's too cozy, come on, you like this too, don't you? She's manipulating him, and he lets her, because it's better than having her kneeling on the floor, begging him to use her while equally being afraid of any kind of punishment for the same neediness.

It may not be the healthiest development, but it's something. He certainly prefers a needy, bratty girl to a meek, submissive one. It's definitely switching up his slightly boring life, that's for sure.

She's straining on top of him, having managed to open the door, and he's glad he's on the top floor with no neighbors, and luckily the delivery guy didn't hang around either. He rolls them closer to the square box on his doormat, then puts his feet down to stabilize them. She stretches, moaning under the exertion, but her short arm can't reach, her fingers helplessly twitching in the air, several inches away from the desired pizza.

“Let me,” he says with a roll of his eyes, and turns the chair, his left arm extending, stretching until his fingertips brush against the cardboard.

“Almost!” she quips, holding onto him, watching his attempt to reach their lunch with a nervous bounce that makes him groan and his cock harden all over again.

“Sit still, please,” he growls, reaching further, index finger hooking under the edge of the box, but before he can lift it and grab it properly, the chair gives an angry squeak, and the world turns sideways.

In the few seconds it takes for them to lose their balance and the chair to roll away from under them, he has the mind to wrap his arms tightly around the girl's small body and turn his shoulder, managing to land on his side, hard but at least cushioning her fall, her shrill shriek echoing in his ears and along the hallway, his own grunt stuck in his throat. The momentum makes them roll further, and she whines when her leg catches under his hip.

He ends up lying on top of her, but she's caged in, he on his hands and knees, his sweatpants tangled around his thighs, while her legs are still wrapped tightly around his waist, pushing his shirt up enough to let the cool air hit his bare ass, and for some godforsaken reason they are still joined. Her cunt clenches around his cock as if holding onto him for dear life. Exhaling loudly, he rolls them onto their side, right there in his entryway, on the cold concrete, inches away from the deliciously smelling pizza carton on the doormat.

She seems frozen in shock, but he looks at her, and the frown and frustration of their little accident turns into a hysterical laughing fit. She joins in a little timidly, but then giggles with him, snuggling against him, face buried in his chest. He rolls onto his back, moving one arm to cover his eyes as he keeps chuckling, while she sits up on him and reaches for the pizza, grinding her hips into him slowly, making him shiver.

“Hungry?” she whispers, and when he lowers his arm, she's holding a piece of steaming dough covered in amazingly smelling melted cheese in her hand.

He smirks at her and gives her a wink. “Always,” he replies and reaches for her wrist, pulling it closer before he props himself up on one elbow and takes a big bite.

She smiles softly and starts nibbling on the rest of the slice, their eyes meeting when they both chew. “You're something, you know that?” he says past the bite in his mouth, shaking his head slightly.

A frown stops the happy gleam in her eyes, and she swallows hard. “I'm sorry...”

He shakes his head again, sitting up fully to reach his free hand out to caress her warm face. The motion causes her to slip between his thighs a little, and she grabs his shoulder to move her pelvis back against him. “Stop apologizing, it's fine. It was a compliment,” he says, bringing his greasy lips to hers, which she dodges with a shriek and a giggle, but then moves her own against his as they share a pizza flavored kiss. “I've certainly never eaten pizza on the floor with a cute girl impaled on my cock, that's a first...”

She blushes deeply, her hand moving around his neck to hold onto him as she starts grinding her hips into him once more. A groan escapes him, and he silences it by shoving the rest of the slice she's holding into his mouth, glaring at her in mock irritation.

When he reaches for a new slice, he bucks his hips up into her, making her squeak, but she only leans more into him, meeting the motion until she's properly riding him again, hips undulating slowly while they both share more of the pizza. He feels her clamping down around him, her breaths quickening, but she stays at the edge, never falling over, focused on eating and looking at him and sharing grease covered kisses.

He can't believe he found this girl less than a day ago in such a horrible state that he'd feared he'd found a corpse, left behind and mutilated, covered in blood and cum, a shell of a girl, just a body thrown away after too much wear and tear. To see her now, smiling and giggling, eating happily while riding his cock, feels like a dream, unreal on so many levels.

His hand slips under her big shirt as he feels his way up and down her back until he curves it around her plump rear, squeezing softly. Teasing a finger between her cheeks, he watches her gasp, cunt clenching tighter around his cock when his fingertip circles her rosebud. He's never been much into anal, only tried it once or twice with girls who were absolute not happy to have a cock up their asses, but this girl... he's ashamed to think like this, but he can't help it... this girl seems like she's done it all and enjoys most of it thoroughly.

He looks at her when he gives his finger a little nudge, straightening it, feeling the tight ring of muscles give way a little, and she mewls, arching her back, mouth agape. “Is this okay?” he asks quietly, voice hoarse and low. She nods, even moves her rear back against his hand, wiggling her ass to let his finger slide in deeper. He indulges her and presses as deep as his finger will go, feeling her tight muscles tense around his digit when she moans deeply.

He leaves it there, immobile, feeling his invading member pulsing through the thin membrane between her holes. His other hand finds her hip and makes her move again after she's paused her grinding motions for a moment. She's quick to follow through, resuming to bounce up and down on his throbbing cock, arms wrapped around his neck as she clings to him, huffing and puffing into his ear, straining her thighs, and he moves with her, putting his feet on the ground to angle his legs and give himself better leverage.

Together they push themselves closer and closer to the edge, her cunt clamping down on him as he pushes deep and hard and fast, in and out, shallow snaps of his hips, angled just right to hit all the special spots inside her sensitive channel. When her noises become louder, she buries her face in the crook of his neck, hot breaths on his skin, soft vibrations when she moans and mewls, fingers digging into his shoulders.

He pulls his finger from her ass and a little squeal from her throat, and embraces her tightly, pushing through the ache in his legs to get to the finish line. They fall over it in tandem, she a few seconds before him as she comes hard on his dick, her orgasm crashing through her and him as she tightens around him enough to hurl him right over the edge as well. He comes with a grunt when his balls twitch and unload his hot seed deep inside her through the wild throbbing of his cock.

She's still spasming on top of him when he falls onto his back and pulls her with him, both of them panting, hearts racing, beating steadily against each other as he cradles her to his chest. Her hips jerk, legs trembling, his own fall away limply. They're a heap of limbs on the floor, entangled, sweaty, but sated, his stomach relaxed and full of pizza, hers swimming with his seed. Fuck it, the damage is done, echoes that one voice through his head that made him fall into this sex frenzy in the first place.

He's forcing the post-nut clarity away another moment when he presses his lips to the top of her head, savoring the soft feel of her hair, but a strange uncertainty burns under his nails, forcing the words to spill out of his mouth without much revision. “Hey, uh, this is probably a bad time to ask this, but... you... uh, are you on birth control?” It's as empathetic as he could have worded it.

“I can't get pregnant,” she whispers in response, her voice feeble and barely audible as she snuggles into him. “He had me sterilized.”

It's like an ice bucket to his head (literally the entire bucket) as white-hot anger crashes through him. That fucking bastard! He's shocked to hear her say this so casually, and it only makes him even madder. Unable to respond to this horrifying revelation (and he's even angrier at himself for being a little bit relieved too), he just hugs her tighter, exhaling loudly into her hair, making loose strands fly.

What a horrible life. A girl her age, done away with all the things that made her human, a free will, the ability to bear children, a life on her own. Instead she was forced to become a literal sex doll, just a body with holes to fill without any consequences for those filling her. Disgusting. The poor thing...

All the more reason to make her remaining existence the best she could possibly ask for.

With her in his arms, he rolls them around until he's hovering above her, then leans on his elbows to cup her face, smiling softly at her. “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen,” he tells her when she looks at him in confusion, her lip worried between her teeth. “You are amazing, okay? A pretty girl with a wonderful soul,” he adds, leaning down to pepper her warm face with kisses.

She inhales sharply, but quickly falls into soft giggles when he kisses her nose and her temples and her eyebrows before claiming her mouth for a searing kiss. “I am sorry for what you had to endure,” he continues between kisses. “Nobody deserves such a life...” He moves his affections along her cheek to her jaw and down her neck. Her heartbeat throbs against his lips as he presses them to her pulse. “And I want to give you a better one,” he whispers, slowly leaning back up to look at her. “Will you let me?”

She stares up at him, breathless, flushed, her hands wandering up his sides to rub over his shirt. Her lips are quivering, tears brimming in her eyes. A little whine escapes her when she opens her mouth, and embarrassed about the sound, she closes it again, and nods instead, a timid little smile grazing her lips.

“Yeah?” he breathes, and she nods again, before he huffs a relieved chuckle, then moves down to capture her mouth for a slow and deep kiss that she replies instantly, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, holding onto him tightly.

For a small moment something cold crashes through his endorphin flooded body. He realizes that by taking her away, saving her from the clutches of other men, he mirrors the same move that bastard who took her in first had done. But it's not the same, he tells himself. He'll keep her until she's able to live on her own, find a new purpose in life, away from sexual servitude. And he knows he won't be able to stay away from her, not now that his cock has made a home inside her warm body, carved a place that only fits him.

She told him she is his to use, and even if he doesn't agree with her wording, he sees it now. But this isn't a one-sided thing, he wants her to use him too. It's not so bad if they're both doing it, right? Use each other? No, not use, but enjoy, worship, love? Eventually, maybe.

All he knows is that he won't abandon her, and if she can't be alone he'll drag her along with him, wherever he goes, probably not attached by the hip or by his cock in her cunt, society isn't ready for that kind of display, but they'll be together, and after spending most of his life alone, walking, searching, it feels nice to have someone by his side, to share things, be it pizza on the floor, or a good fuck, or both at the same time.

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End notes: I feel as if I could continue their story endlessly, and maybe I will, eventually, but for now I will end it here. Thank you for reading and coming along on this little side road with me.

For those of you who have read INFATUATED, I hope you won't look at Sir differently now, I had to make him look a lot worse here than he is in that other story. Just be glad he's treating Darling better than this poor girl (well, for the most part, anyway, hm).

AO3 / / / MASTERLIST

[j-eryewrites]

Left Behind When We Are In Need

Part Seven of A Sinner's Redemption

SERIES MASTER LIST | MAIN MASTER LIST

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Word Count: ~21.k

Author's Note: This chapter covers some pretty dark topics. Most of the events happen in canon, but I will still say it. Do not read this chapter if dark themes such as SA trigger you. I have put discretions above the sections containing these triggers to warn you again. I am not in charge and do not control the media you consume. Please read at your own risk. That being said, enjoy this extremely angsty and dark chapter.

*Note: I very briefly edited it, and it has not been beta read.

Trigger Warnings: Canon typical violence, gore, gun violence, descriptions of injuries, attempted SA, mentions of death, descriptions of death, depressive thoughts, fire, cults/religion, mentions cannibalism, cursing/language, creepy men, mentions of pedophilia

꧁_꧂

Numb, that's all Piper felt as she sat on the porch. The chill morning light kissed her skin, and the birds sang their good morning, yet Piper couldn't feel anything. She couldn't hear the sweet song or sense the loving caress of the sunbeams. She no longer felt cold, and most of all, she was no longer sick.

She was well aware of how illness worked. It was human to contract illness, but Piper didn't feel human. She was alive and breathing, for that she was sure. However, after the scars left by Joel's words and the wounds that reopened, Piper was in pain. Sure, humans felt pain, but not like this, Not pain that lasts for 17 years. Not a pain that only increases with each breath. Sinking deeper into the frozen porch, Piper clenched her fists. No, the pain she felt wasn't human. It was a message calling out to her, a consequence, and a promise. It was a promise of death. She'd been right when she told Joel. Piper was only made to kill, and she only knew how to kill. She was a killing machine, built to survive and destroy. She wasn't human. She wasn't sure she'd ever been one at all. Maybe once, she could have been through the love she held for her sister, but it was revealed to Piper as she lay bleeding in the snow that maybe Ellie didn't want her love. Maybe Ellie was just as hurt and angry as she was, and no amount of love would change that.

Deep in her depressive derailing, Piper could not hear the crunching of the freshly fallen snow underneath Tommy's feet as he crept away from his home, family, and life to the house across the street.

A huff of air fogged Tommy's view as he stilled, noticing the statue of Piper on the porch. Her cheeks burned a bright red underneath the wood-brown knit beanie atop her head. Where tuffs of long dark hair used to lay were now pinkened, freckled skin. Around her cheeks and eyes, dark purple and blue shades merged as if a child mixed watercolor paints together. Tommy frowned at the sight, taking care to slowly approach.

"How long have you been out here?" Tommy asked her once he reached the front steps.

Piper shrugged and stood up, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. The sound of Tommy knocking on the front door was drowned out by Piper's heavy steps as she descended the stairs and began her trek in the snow.

"Hey, wait," Tommy called out to Piper. Suddenly, the door flung open and slammed shut, revealing Ellie. Ellie hopped down and trickled after her sister, leaving a wide gap between the two. For a moment, Tommy could only stand and stare before he realized he was supposed to follow the girls and lead them.

The walk to the stables seemed longer than Tommy remembered it being. With how fast the girls were walking, he was sure he'd get there faster than he thought. Yet the silence and grim expression of the girls made the trek over exponentially longer. The cold bitterness of the winter's day slightly softened as they walked into the stables.

Hay and straw decorated the floor, and various saddles, ropes, and grooming tools hung along the wall. Tommy motioned for the girls to follow as he led them down the stables. Arriving at the last few stables, Tommy stopped and sighed, stepping back.

A scowl formed on the girls' faces upon seeing what stood inside the stables.

"You came here to say goodbye or something?" Ellie spat.

"No," Joel replied as he saddled up the horse. "I came here to steal one of these horses, probably two since there's three of us, and go."

"I woulda gave you 'em," Tommy told Joel.

"I know," Joel nodded.

"Anyway…," Joel turned to the girls. "…that was 30 minutes ago, and I guess… you two deserve a choice. I still think you'd be better off with Tommy…"

"Let's go," Ellie declared and stepped into the stable.

"Okay." Joel stepped aside and looked at Piper. "Piper?"

Biting her lip, she stared at Joel. A wave of emotions crashed over her. Joel was standing in front of her, saying he'd stay. The deeper his words sank in, the more her nerves began to work. She began to feel the sharp cold that stained her cheeks and clung to her head. The soreness of the bruises Ellie had left behind struck deep within her muscles. Piper began to feel again.

With her silence, Joel stepped forward. The light trickling through the wooden planks of the stables illuminated the bruises and minor cuts from Piper's hasty haircut. Suddenly, Joel's eyes became watery, and his heart sank deep into the pits of his guilt. How long had those bruises been there? Why didn't he see them? How could he have let it happen?

After a few quiet moments, acceptance filled Piper's being, and she nodded, unsure if her words would fail her. She was glad Joel stayed, but the night before had left its mark and made her bleed. A wound like that is not so easily forgotten or forgiven.

Joel couldn't help the soft smile that melted onto his face. Waving his hand, he led Piper into the other stall where the horse he prepared earlier was ready to ride.

"You good to ride on your own? Hard to fight three people on a horse," Joel explained. Piper nodded before placing her foot in the staddle and lifting herself onto the back of the steed.

"Hold onto both," Joel instructed, gently taking Piper's hands. Mm-hmm," he hummed when they were on the lead. Once she was on the horse, Joel led the creature out of the stall. Then he got Ellie onto the horse before turning to Tommy.

"General direction?" He asked Tommy.

"Head southeast till you hit I-25. It's right off the interstate. Shouldn't be hard to miss." The crease between Tommy's eyebrows deepened, and he drew his brother in for a hug. Patting his shoulder, Tommy pulled back. There's a place for you here… The three of you," he explained with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Joel glanced back at his girls. They were his girls. It was a fact he could no longer deny. "Countin' on it." Joel pointed to the rifle hanging over Tommy's arm. "Can I borrow that?"

Tommy followed his brother's finger and nodded. "Yeah."

"'Cause Maria took mine, you know?" Joel continued to persuade.

Chuckling, Tommy handed him the gun. "I already said yes, Joel." After a pause, he continued. "Adios, big brother."

"Adios," Joel said with tears in his eyes. He had found his brother. Tommy was family, but after last night, he realized. The girls, Ellie and Piper, were family too. They were his girls, and he couldn't leave them. While he trusted Tommy with his life, he knew he couldn't bear the thought of not being there for them if anything had happened. Maybe he could have done something to save them if he had just been there. So, as he led the horses out of the settlement, he didn't feel as sad as he thought he'd be saying farewell to his beloved brother. After all, he had found his girls. He had his family.

꧁_꧂

Tommy said they had a week's journey to the university, yet Joel wished the days were longer. For the first two days, as they rode, he had successfully taught the girls, mainly Ellie, how to whistle. The first consisted of the actual whistle, and the second was about whistling a tune.

Ellie was more than eager to learn after all her failed attempts over the months they had been together. On the other hand, Piper was much more reluctant about anything with Joel.

He had tried to ask about her hair after she removed her hat the first night, but he was met with a grunt in response. Then he wanted to help her pack her sleeping gear in the morning while she was busy with other things, only to watch her repack it all. He knew he screwed things up when he left her broken on the porch that night. He knew his words had cut deep, but he felt it was more than just him.

The bruises garnishing her face only seemed to worsen in color as the days went on. They seemed to be an uncomfortable topic for the girls, with flashes of guilt appearing in Ellie's eyes every time she glanced at her sister. However, what Joel thought was the worst of all was the silence. Ellie still talked to him and made jokes here and there. Piper never spoke. Words hadn't trickled from her mouth since that night. Not even a word was spoken between the two sisters.

Today, Joel decided to teach the girls how to hunt. Well, it was more of a shooting lesson, but the knowledge was still applicable to hunting. Piper decided on a more observational approach as she sat in the snow near Joel and Ellie.

Returning his gaze to Ellie, Joel adjusted her hands and nodded for her to shoot. A thundering wave of gunshots echoed over the hills. After the third shot, Ellie sighed and loosened her grip on the gun.

"Wide right," Joel noted as he pulled the binoculars from his eyes. "You're flinchin'."

"The target's too small," Ellie complained.

"I made it bigger than I should've." Joel instructed, "Eject the cartridge."

Ellie grumbled as she did as Joel told her. "…And I am not flinching."

Joel hummed, "Mm-hmm."

"The rifle just sucks," Ellie said upon finishing the task.

Taking the gun back, Joel peered over at Piper, "Why don't you take a break and let your sister try?"

"No thanks, I already know I wouldn't miss," Piper declared confidently, leaning back into her hands.

For a moment, Joel's eyes widened. She had spoken to him. "If you're so sure, why don't you show us?" Joel teased in an attempt to have more interaction.

Piper rolled her eyes and sank deeper into her hands before pushing off and reaching for the gun. Joel passed the weapon to her without a word, and she raised it to fire. Ellie peered over as Piper's eyes narrowed and her breath stilled. Her finger pinched back on the trigger. The gun fired. The glass didn't break. Piper pulled back in confusion as Joel chuckled.

"Did she miss?" Ellie yanked the binoculars out of Joel's hand and zoned in on the target. "You missed!" she gasped before pointing at her sister. "Piper missed!"

Piper grumbled and shoved the gun to the ground. "Ellie's right. The rifle's fucked up."

Joel bit his lip from laughing more. He stuck out his hand and motioned for the gun. "Okay, give it,'" he sighed. "It doesn't aim right. Mm-hmm. You'll see." He raised the rifle into position. "A deep breath in, slow breath out,' he explained, earning a leer from Ellie. "You squeeze the trigger like you love it. Mm. Gentle… steady… nice and slow."

"You gonna shoot this thing or get it pregnant?" Ellie grumbled as she peered through the binoculars. Joel smirked and prepared to fire.

"It isn't gonna work. It doesn't aim right," Piper mumbled beside him.

Joel pulled back the trigger and beamed as he heard Ellie curse, "You dіck."

Piper only huffed and bit her lip. It didn't matter that Joel had hit the target. She had missed. She hadn't missed in years, not since that night. Not since she first killed a man. She wasn't allowed to miss. She couldn't miss. Yet, here she was. Her shot had missed the target. Peering over at triumphant Joel, Piper understood why. Even if he had hurt her and left her on the cold winter night, she was safe with Joel. Joel became home after months with him on the road, fighting for their lives. Joel became family. Frowning, she continued to grumble; even if Joel was family, he had to work to apologize. He had fucked up, and he wasn't going to get away so easily.

After Joel decided his bragging rights had been overused, he told the girls to pack it up and return on the horses. As Ellie begrudgingly trudged away, Joel called out to Piper.

She turned her head to look at him. "What?" She asked with hands in the pockets of her orange coat.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Joel pulled out a small book, brushing off some lint before handing it to her.

Piper hesitantly took it. She flipped it over and read the cover. It was white and frayed along the edges, as paper does with time. " Tiny First Aid Guide," she read. She raised it with confusion on her face.

Joel stood up and brushed the snow off his pants. "I found it in the room I stayed in. No one was using it. I thought you might like it, so you can start saving someone and not, you know…," he awkwardly smiled.

Piper felt blood rush to her face, and a soft, grateful smile appeared. With her fingers, she traced over the cover. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Joel." Joel nodded in response and watched Piper walk over to her horse, holding the book tightly. Her head looked down as her brown eyes quickly scoured over its contents. With each word absorbed into her brain, Piper began to forgive Joel a bit more.

꧁_꧂

Question after question followed as Joel, Ellie, and Piper rode along. Ellie's curiosity bubbled to the surface once she realized Joel was willing to answer her questions. Piper, however, hummed along, listening as she directed her horse after Joel.

"So the way they ran things in Jackson was how things used to be?" Ellie wondered, remembering every aspect of Jackson: the Christmas tree, the movie, the communal relationship, the homes, etc.

"No," Joel smiled as he shook his head. "The country was too big for that. Back then, there were two main ways of lookin' at things. Some people wanted to own everything."

"Mm-hmm," Ellie nodded, adjusting her grip to hold Joel tighter.

"And some people didn't want anyone to own anything at all," Joel continued.

"Which one were you?" Ellie asked. She leaned over to look at Joel, trying not to fall over.

"Neither. I just did my job." Joel shrugged and glanced behind, noticing Piper's sudden interest in her book. She'd been reading it as she rode. The horse she sat on seemed to understand that it needed to follow Joel, allowing her the time to scan the pages of her first aid guidebook. He turned back around, proud of himself for the gift.

"Which was…," Ellie trailed off as her brain recalled her previous conversations with Joel. "Building?"

"That's right," Joel acknowledged. "Houses, stores, that kinda thing. We were called contractors."

Ellie smiled and cleared her throat. Deeply, she said, "The Contractor," as if it was a superhero name from one of her comic books. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah. We were cool," Joel shrugged. "Everybody loved contractors."

"Nice," Ellie hummed.

The conversations continued one after the other. In one conversation, Ellie chose to ask about movies and television, questioning which ones were Joel's favorite. This led them down the path of football. Joel claimed he didn't watch much TV except for the Sunday games.

Ellie's brows pinched together as she tried to make sense of the game. "Okay, so if you mess up your fourth down, then you give the ball to the other team?"

Joel nodded. "Right. It's called a turnover."

"Turnover," Ellie repeated. "But if you make it to 10 yards, then you're back to first down?"

"Yep."

"So," Ellie concluded. "Basically, just moving in one direction."

"Basically…," Joel agreed. "But violent."

"Oh, well," Ellie sarcastically said. "There's that."

Up ahead stood the I25 sign. Joel glanced around, checking if Piper was still following. Stopping his horse, he announced, "Well, how 'bout that? Made it in five days. Easy days."

"I don't know what Tommy was so afraid of," Ellie noted.

"Still time to find out," Piper mumbled as she continued to walk her horse past Joel and Ellie.

"Still time to find out," Ellie mimicked.

The road went on for what seemed like forever. Snow covered the ground, but small tufts of dried grass poked out here and there. In the distance, stood tall mountains encasing a city that grew larger and larger the longer the road. As they entered the city, the snow traded for dead leaves and forgotten cars. Rusted signs led them to the university campus.

"Home of the Big Horns," Ellie read as they approached the sign. "What does that mean?"

"Team mascot," Joel explained. "It's a kind of sheep."

"Oh, see?" Ellie playfully nudged Joel's side. "One step closer to your dream."

"Don't see any Fireflies, though," Piper noted, stopping her horse beside Joel and Ellie's.

"They're probably in the middle," Joel said. "Safer."

"Uh-huh," Piper replied. "Sure."

"This way," Joel nudged his horse and led them down the road deeper into the campus.

"So these places…," Ellie began as the towering brick buildings surrounded them. "People would live here and, like, what? Go to classes and stuff?"

"Yup."

"Even though they were adults," Ellie questioned.

"Sort of adults," Joel explained. "I think it was just as much about partying and findin' themselves as anythin' else. Figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives."

"What they wanted to do with their lives," Ellie whispered before chuckling, remembering Joel's dream of a sheep ranch.

"So I've been thinkin'," Joel began.

"Mm-hmm?" Ellie hummed.

"I don't want a sheep ranch, actually." Ellie peered at Joel. Meanwhile, Piper stole a quick peek away from her book. "I mean, if the deal is I can do anything?"

"That's the deal," Piper recalled.

"Well… when I was a kid," Joel said, "I wanted to be a singer."

Ellie was unsure what she expected Joel to say, but it sure wasn't to sing. Her grip on Joel loosened as a bout of laughter overcame her.

"Shut up," Joel's cheeks flushed red. "Why is that funny?"He grumbled.

Finding a momentary pause in her giggles, Ellie swatted his arm. "You gotta sing something now."

"No," Joel shook his head.

"Come on, man. I'm not gonna laugh," Ellie promised. "Any singing will be better than Pipers."

Piper whirled around and sent Ellie a glare, who grinned in response. Joel made a mental note to ask Piper about the singing later.

"You're already laughin'," Joel observed.

Ellie agreed, "Yeah, okay, true. Well, you're singin' for me later. I'm gonna save the fսckin' world, man. It's the least you can do for me."

Joel weighed his options and shrugged. "Fair enough," he said, looking over at Piper. "What about you, Piper? Do you have any requests once you help save the world?"

At Joel's words, Piper grew quiet, and her eyes cast down. "No…," her voice shook. "No, I-"

"Are those monkeys?" Ellie squealed, pointing over to where a horde of monkeys was running across the stone stairs.

"Must be from the old labs," Joel muttered, slowing his horse.

Ellie laughed, watching the monkeys fumble over themselves. "Look at them go."

"First time seein' a monkey?" Joel raised his brow.

"First time seein' a monkey," Ellie replied for both her and Piper.

Joel smiled, directing his horse to return to the original pace. Up ahead, he noticed a bright yellow symbol covering the faded university signs. He'd recognize that symbol anywhere: the Fireflies.

"Look-it," he uttered, nodding his head to the sign. Piper and Ellie followed his gaze.

"Here we go," Ellie whispered to herself. Anticipation boiled in her blood as they approached the building that housed the Fireflies. She was so close. So close to making a cure and saving the world.

However, as the horse approached, Ellie realized the campus was too quiet and empty for a group of Fireflies to be there. "Guard stations," Ellie said, noticing the empty stations.

Joel frowned before bringing the horse to a halt. Hopping off, Joel grabbed the harness and tied it around a tree before helping Ellie down. Next, he helped Piper secure her horse.

"Mm. No guards," he noted, looking around. He began to walk with Ellie in tow. It was a few paces before he noticed Piper's absence. He turned around and saw her standing beside the horses. Her gun in hand.

"I'm gonna stay and watch the horses," Piper announced.

Joel sighed and began to walk back. "You're comin' with us."

"No, if the Fireflies are in there, then I'll come in. Besides, someone has got to watch the horses." Piper cocked her gun. "I can handle myself."

Biting his lip, Joel found himself nodding his head. "Okay. We'll be back."

Piper scoffed. "You better."

Turning around, Joel motioned for Ellie to follow him in. Together, they entered the building. Paper was scattered all over the floors. Dirt, grime, and mold clung to the once-white walls. Forgotten glass bottles and display cases created a maze along the floor.

Ellie and Joel glanced around the room, looking for any sign of life.

"There were definitely doctors here," Ellie said, picking up some test tubes.

Joel wandered over to Ellie, noticing a brown file on the turned-over cabinet. "This is a packing list—something you make before moving," he explained.

"They just left?" Ellie's brows furrowed.

In the distance, a loud clang of metal echoed throughout the halls. "Maybe not all of them," Joel whispered, readying his rifle.

The clanging continued to call Ellie and Joel deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of the science building. Nudging a door open, they discovered some of the monkey's from earlier banging against metal cabinets. Upon sensing their presence, the monkeys screeched as they fled from the window.

"Well… at least it ain't Clickers," Joel said.

"Yeah, no Fireflies either," Ellie added in disappointment. "Maybe in all that research, they turned into fսckin' monkeys."

Joel slowly blinked his eyes, watching Ellie begin to fiddle with the cabinets and kick random bottles along the floor. In the back of the room stood a board with numerous red pins. Joel stepped closer, his eyes narrowing at what he discovered: a map.

"That's where they went?" Ellie asked from behind Joel.

"All the pins lead there." Joel's finger traced the mass gathering of pins on Salt Lake City, Utah. "Maybe gettin' ahead of the weather… better facilities?" Joel suggested. "I don't know."

A harsh whisper from outside the window made the two of them freeze. Joel quickly snuck to the window. Beneath him ran a group of men, all armed. They headed towards the entrance of the science building, to the horses, and to Piper.

"This way," one raider loudly announced.

Another raider whacked his back, "Shut the fսck up," the raider hissed, causing the other to cough.

" Out the back," Joel whispered, trying to silence his steps as he ran down the hallway and stairs. He just hoped he could get to Piper in time. She could handle herself. He knew she could, but he would never forgive himself if something happened.

"Ready?" Joel turned to Ellie as he creaked open the back door. The horses and Piper were visible, but the raiders were nowhere in sight. Joel sighed. They could get out without being spotted.

"Yeah," Ellie nodded. The two crouched down as they sprinted over to the horse.

Piper stood by the horses, whirling around, when Joel whispered her name. For a moment, she raised her brow in confusion when she saw Joel and Ellie's crouched position until she realized why. There was something here—something dangerous.

As Joel and Ellie made their way over, Piper hastily untied the horses from the tree. She handed Joel his horse's bridle and quickly jumped on hers. Her horse grunted as it made a turn, adjusting back to its rider's weight.

"Come here. Come here. Come here," Joel soothed the horse as he instructed Ellie to hop on. "I got ya."

Once her horse was still, Piper noticed another figure. She raised her gun and screamed, "Joel!"

Joel didn't waste time ducking as Piper fired her gun, shooting the raider in the arm and making him drop the metal baseball bat he had swung moments earlier. A river of curses fled the man's mouth.

The sound of Piper's scream and the commotion startled Ellie's horse. The horse screeched, kicked its front legs up, knocked its head, and removed Joel's grip. Ellie cried out, trying her best to hang on.

In the raider's moment of weakness, Joel twirled him, sliding his arm around the man's neck. The curses soon exchanged for pleas and gasps of air as Joel choked the man. The raider's punches grew weaker until he tightened his grip and twisted. A sickening crack filled the air, and the raider dropped dead.

Ellie's horse had stilled when the commotion had died down, and Piper lowered her gun. Despite his heavy breath, Joel caught sight of his girls' horrified expressions. Slowly, his eyes trailed down. His shirt was wet. It wasn't wet before. The worst was the knife impaling his torso. He was positive that had not been there. Joel yanked it out of his body while the adrenaline still pumped through his veins.

The girls' terror only grew as they saw the group of raiders rampaging towards them. "Joel! Get on the horse!" the girls screamed."Get on the horse!"

"Joel!" Ellie cried, extending an arm to help him up. With a grunt, Joel sat upon the horse. He flicked the bridle and forced the horse into a gallop.

"Get him!" The raiders yelled. "Go!"

"Get back!" Piper growled before firing her gun and taking out another raider.

"Shit!" The raiders snarled as they watched another one of their comrades fall. "You mοthеrfսckеr!"

Joel, Ellie, and Piper ignored their curses and hurried their horses. They ran and ran until the border of the university and city was no longer visible. The gigantic buildings were exchanged for train tracks and a suburban neighborhood.

"They're not following us. I think we're safe," Piper breathed, looking behind her.

"Joel? Joel, no, no, no! shit!" Ellie cried as Joel's once-tall figure leaned over and toppled off the horse.

Panic flooded Piper as she fumbled off her horse and over to Joel and Ellie.

"Fսck! Joel? Joel? Shit. Joel, open your eyes. Open your eyes." Piper's hand felt Joel's wound. Pulling her hand up, she discovered it drenched in blood. Fighting the urge to puke, she wiped his blood on her coat.

"Joel, you gotta get up," Ellie begged. Her eyes were beginning to water to a point it was hard to see.

"I can't fսckin' do this without you. I don't know where the fսck I'm going, what the fսck I'm gonna do," Piper trembled as her hands shook Joel. "Joel. Please. Joel, please."

Joel did not answer. His eyes did not open, yet his chest still rose and sank. It was something. Fighting more tears of her own, Piper sniffled. "Ellie, help me get him up." Ellie was too lost in her fear. "Ellie!" Piper shuddered, snapping Ellie out of her panicked daze. "We need to find someplace to stay."

"Where?" Ellie whimpered.

Piper whipped her head around and spotted what seemed to be a neighborhood in the distance. "Maybe there. Looks like a neighborhood." Placing a hesitant hand on Ellie's shoulder, Piper comforted her as best she could. "He'll be okay. We'll be okay."

"How? He got stabbed." Ellie blubbered. "Piper, Joel won't wake up. How is that okay?!"

"I don't know," Piper felt her anxiety flutter to the surface. "But…but I'll figure something out. I always do. Just, come on."

Piper stood up and placed her hands under Joel's shoulders. Ellie placed her underneath his feet. Together, the two girls lifted him with all their might and put him onto the horse. Using her coat to secure Joel to the animal, Piper hopped on the horse, telling Ellie to ride the other.

Piper ignored the cold winter day that nipped at her skin. She ignored the stain on her pants from Joel's leaking wound. Her mind focused only on getting somewhere safe and saving Joel. She had to save him. She meant what she said in her terrified state. She couldn't do this without him. If this occurred months before, Piper would have been fine, but not now. Joel was her home—Her dad. She'd be damned if she was going to lose that after she fought so hard for her family. Piper had to be strong for Joel, like he was for her, and most of all, for Ellie, even if her sister didn't want her strength. If it were the last thing Piper would do, she'd ensure Joel and Ellie made it out.

꧁_꧂

The horses weren't content with the heavy thud of the garage doors. They squealed in discontent, making it difficult for Piper and Ellie to drag Joel off the animal. Piper was grateful the garage could hold the horses. Not only was it cold, but having two live creatures hiding outdoors was a calling card for bad things. If the raiders did decide to come after them, the horse would be the first thing they'd look for.

Joel groaned as his weight sank into the concrete floor of the garage. It felt as if a needle pricked every inch of his body as the blood slowly regained passage to his limbs. With hushed apologies, the girls lugged Joel up the stairs and into the remnants of a home. Trash and debris littered the ground and caught on Joel's feet, halting the girls’ movements every few steps until they could clear the floor. Sweat oozed from Piper and Ellie's skin as they withdrew into the basement.

Ellie argued a bed or a room would be best for Joel. Piper disagreed. It was easier to be attacked and cornered in the room. Besides, they had yet to learn if something resided here. The basement made it more accessible to hide in and guard. After they caught their breaths, the next step was to pull Joel down a long flight of stairs.

Each step left a dull ache in their hearts. Anxiety filled their lungs, and exhaled into the air. Piper swore the air only got thicker and thicker the more they breathed, making her lungs sting. Sweat threatened to drip into their eyes, but the girls refused to wipe it away. They refused to let go of Joel.

Their muscles burned as soon as Joel flopped to the floor. His face scrunched up in pain, and he twisted in turn, increasing his pain. Piper dropped beside him, feeling his head. It was wet and just as sweaty as hers, if not more. Suddenly, she didn't feel hot anymore; she was cold. Every inch of her froze.

"Ellie," Piper whispered. "Go upstairs and find a mattress or something for Joel to lay on."

Ellie huffed a breath of air and wearily nodded before trudging upstairs. It wasn't long before she returned with some worn couch cushions. They had an ugly floral pattern embossed onto them, but Piper did not care about their appearance. The cushions were soft and got Joel off the cold, hard floor.

Placing the cushions on the ground, the girls lifted him and put him onto them. Again, their muscles screamed, but they ignored it. Instead, the girls honed in on the blood that continued to pour out of Joel. Lifting his jacket, Piper got a complete picture of the wound. Joel's once dark gray shirt was now a wet black. His blood seeped into the girl's skin and stained the pages of Piper's book as she yanked it out of her coat pocket and flipped through the pages. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the page.

"It's said to bandage and put pressure," Piper read. "Something about antibiotics, too."

Ellie furrowed her brows, trying to understand, but opened them quickly once she heard the sound of fabric ripping. Piper grunted as she tore off a large strip of her shirt, and gathering the fabric, she carefully lifted Joel's blood-soaked clothes to tie it on.

"Ellie, help me lift him," Piper said as one arm snuck under Joel's shoulder and the other prepped the fabric. Ellie copied her sister's actions, and together, they lifted his chest just enough for Piper to wrap the fabric tightly around Joel. After some rustling, a wet squelch, and a whimper from Joel's mouth. The fabric had been secured. "Put pressure," Piper repeated to herself. Her hands hovered over the wound, the makeshift bandage already turned red from Joel's blood. She gulped, took a deep breath, and, with shaking hands, pushed down on Joel's wound.

A guttural scream burst out of Joel. His back cracked, arching up as his eyes flew open. He tossed around fighting off Piper's attempts to place pressure on his injury. Ellie closed her eyes as she helped fight Joel's panicked movements off.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Ellie said as a mantra. Her muscles demanded she release Joel, who fought with all his might.

"Come on," Piper begged, feeling her cheeks grow wet. From blood or tears, she wasn't sure. "You gotta help me. Come on."

Suddenly, Joel's movements stilled, and his pupils fluctuated as he peered at the girls. The fog that had overcome his mind briefly faded as the knowledge of their situation hit him. He was bleeding out, and they had been attacked by raiders who could still be after them. His girls were terrified, and he could do nothing about it. Finding the strength to pull the girls in, he gasped, "Leave. Leave"

"Shut up, Joel." Ellie trembled.

Joel shook his head and continued. The pain in his gut grew more and more. "Take the gun." He felt a tear on his cheek. It wasn't his.

"Joel shut the fuck up!" Piper cried.

"You go. You go," Joel heaved. "You go north. You go to Tommy. You go."

Then he let them go and fell back down. He watched them. He watched as they sat, crying. There was so much more he wanted to say. He tried to tell them so much if only there was time. But life wasn't fair. It never was, especially not for Joel Miller, but he could at least give them a fair chance. So when they huddled back, trying to help him, he mustered all the strength he could and pushed. He pushed them away so that they might have all the fairness in the world, The fairness that Joel never got. As he watched them pull themselves off the floor and trudge up the stairs, he felt his cheeks grow wetter. Except this time, these weren't the tears of his girls. They were his own. If the world were fair, they'd stay, and somehow Joel would make it out. If the world was fair, they could be a family, and maybe Joel could tell them they were no longer cargo and that perhaps they never were. But that's different from the way the world worked, especially not for Joel Miller.

Cold crept into his bones and threatened to freeze his tears—a permanent reminder of what he could have had and lost. In the dim light of the basement, Joel stifled his cries as he heard his song fade away, and in his silence, his dream became clearer. He sat on a porch with the late afternoon summer sun on his skin, in the distance, fields of green and yellow home herds of sheep. From beside, he hears laughter and giggles. Beside him sit his girls, Ellie and Piper. Ellie's reading jokes from her stupid book. Joel won't admit some of them are funny. He smiles as he watches Piper roll her eyes and fight off a smile. He knows Piper's just like him and won't admit she's fond of Ellie's puns. At some point, the jokes end, and the girls look up at him. They smile and get up. Joel knows they're going to leave. They are going to fade along with him and the dream. The dream will end any minute, and the girls will be gone. Except they don't leave. They come closer.

Now Joel no longer shivers. He opens his eyes, and there are his girls—Ellie on his left and Piper on his right. She cleans his wound with a cloth and a bowl of some liquid. It stings, but not as much as the tears leaking from his eyes. His girls. They came back.

Beside him, Piper muttered to herself the words of the page. Her hands were covered with Joel's blood, but the color had lightened. She'd done her best to clean her hands. That's what the book said, and she was reading it now. It was telling her how to stitch a wound. She hadn't sewn someone up before. She'd mended clothes for herself and Ellie, but those were clothes. Those could tear and fall apart, and she'd be fine, but this was Joel. Joel couldn't fall apart. Joel couldn't leave her, so Piper had to do this right.

Collecting the remnants of courage left in her body, she took her lighter and heated the needle she and Ellie had found upstairs. Once the needle seemed hot enough, she threaded the string through the top, biting her lip as her finger brushed by the heated end. The string went through. Piper took a breath. Her eyes met Ellie's, and she nodded. Her hand lowered, and she began to sew. The needle threaded in and out of Joel's skin, leaving him gasping for air. Except this time, Joel didn't fight. He stayed still and cried, listening to Ellie and Piper's hush sorries. But Joel's tears weren't from the pain. His girls had come back. The world could be fair for Joel Miller. Maybe for a little bit.

꧁_꧂

EXTREME TRIGGER WARNING IN THIS SECTION! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

They had found her in the morning; it was easy to tell her apart from the crowd with the blood that covered her body. She was guilty. There was no doubt about it.

As she stood before the compound's officers and leaders, Piper realized. No one could protect her. Levi was gone. She had killed him. Now, Piper was alone to fend for herself.

No one listened when Piper begged them to. He had tricked her and trapped her in that room. She had come to him for help. Ellie was sick and cold. The cold was deadly at night. Piper didn't want her sister to die, so she asked for help. Late at night, she'd snuck out of her room and found Levi. She asked him for another blanket. She felt relieved when he'd said yes, but that feeling was soon replaced with dread when she heard his following words.

"For a price," Levi smirked and locked the door. "I need something in return if I'm going to keep helping you like this."

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor. Levi was above her. In her terror, she did as any 12-year-old girl would do. She fought. Then he held down her arms and legs. So, she battled with the one thing she had left—her teeth. Levi leaned in close, and she tore at his throat. Blood seeped into her mouth and tainted her tongue. She bit and bit until there was nothing left to bite.

Piper pleaded with the officers to understand, but they could not. All they saw was a body of one of their own—a vacant spot that needed to be filled before them stood a body—a body that could be put to use, a body of a young girl that could be molded into one of them.

No one cried any tears when the twelve-year-old received her verdict. If she were old enough to kill, then kill, she would do. Once the decision rang out, it was swept under the rug, along with the bodies and lies. Piper wished she could cry. She wanted to cry, but everything was numb.

When she got back to her room, Ellie asked. Of course, Ellie asked why her sister had been taken out of the room at dawn. Looking down at her sickly sister, Piper felt her throat grow dry. There was nothing to say. She couldn't tell her sister. How was she supposed to when her mind was still trapped in that room? How was she supposed to explain it to her sister? Instead, Piper crawled into the bed beside Ellie. As Ellie fell back asleep, Piper promised to protect her sister. To never let her see the horrors of the world as she had. It was a promise never to leave. A commitment to follow her anywhere. A promise to be her sister no matter what.

Piper's head pounded as the afternoon sun rose high in the sky and broke through the room window.

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

She'd never let anyone in again. She'd be strong enough for herself and Ellie. That's all that mattered now. She and Ellie. Ellie and her.

꧁_꧂

"You thirsty?" Ellie hoarsely asked, reaching for her water bottle.

Across from her sat Piper. Her hands shook as she traced the indent of the needle on her fingers. She succeeded. She'd sewn up Joel's wound, and the blood had stopped. Piper sighed and wiped her forehead. The sweat along her body grew cold.

Water trickled from the edge of the water bottle into Joel's mouth. He eagerly drank it before his throat closed, causing him to choke and cough. Ellie's eyes widened, and she quickly pulled the water away. With worry, the girls lean over Joel. They watch his breath settle as he sinks deeper into the cushions. As they watched, his eyes grew heavy, and their own eyes' weight was felt. Adrenaline had left, and there was a yearning to sleep in its absence.

Placing the water down, Ellie slowly lowered herself onto the floor beside Joel. Her head rested on his chest, and her eyes closed. Piper fought the tiredness as long as she could before she caved. She lay beside Joel and let sleep take her. As the girl's breath synced with sleep, Joel inched his arms around them. He pulled them closer off the cold floor. With a trembling hand, he brushed his finger through Ellie's tangled hair and, with the other, ran his hands over Piper's head. His fingers ran smoothly over her short pixie. Joel cracked open his eyes for one last glance at his girls before returning to his dream.

꧁_꧂

Grumbles from Ellie's stomach were what awoke her from her slumber. Her eyes were still heavy even after the sun had gone down and returned. She groaned as she sat up, noticing the weight of Joel’s arm around her back. Looking to the other side, Ellie saw Piper reading the first aid guide in the corner. Her orange coat was zipped up, and her beanie was shoved onto her head.

“You hungry?” Piper asked without looking up from the book.

Ellie nodded before standing up and looking for her bag. Opening it up, she found not a single crumb. “Anything in your pack?”

Piper shook her head and placed the book down. “Nothing in Joel’s either.” Brushing dust and flakes of blood off her body, Piper continued. “We need to eat.” She watched as Ellie followed her path to Joel.

Carefully, Piper lifted Joel’s shirt and the bandage to check the wound. Instead of pinkened, angry skin, a white ooze surrounded the injury. Ellie gagged at the sight and glanced away as Piper cursed.

“It’s infected,” Piper said.

Ellie whirled her head around. “How do we fix it?”

Piper furrowed her brows. “Um, medicine. Antibiotics and shit.”

“Where’re we supposed to get those?”

Piper shrugged as panic rose in her voice. “ I don’t know, maybe…upstairs? Fuck, Ellie, I’m tryin’ my best here.”

Ellie bit the inside of her cheek, pushed onto her feet, and marched up the stairs. “Come on.”

“I’m gonna be right back, okay?” Piper whispered into Joel’s ear. She stood up and took a few steps before she glanced back. Returning to Joel’s side, she grabbed his rifle before scrambling up the stairs after her sister.

The two of them scavenged every single cabinet and corner. Nothing was to be found. As their search continued, so did their curses to the world and god, even if they did not believe in him. It was someone to blame, and that was enough for them.

Lastly, the girls made their way to the garage. The horses’ ears perked up as the garage door opened and closed. Piper and Ellie walked over to their horses, giving them pets and pouring water into a bucket. The horses greedily drank the water, splashing some droplets onto the ground.

Sighing, Piper reached for Joel’s rifle, which was slung over her shoulder. She opened it up and checked the bullets. Her hands swiftly shut it and returned it to its original place on her arm. “I’m gonna go find us something to eat.”

Ellie turned around and glanced at her sister. “Can I come?” She pulled out her gun, showing Piper.

Piper shook her head and walked to the garage door, pulling it up. “I need you to watch Joel,” she said as she stepped outside into the morning sun. She gulped, took another step forward, raised her hand, and began to pull the garage door shut again.

Suddenly, the garage clanged as Ellie resisted her sister’s attempts at closing it. “Where the fuck is he gonna go?” Ellie pleaded. “Piper, I…if Joel dies…”

“He’s not going to die,” Piper growled and pulled the garage down with more force, causing Ellie to wince from the pain. Piper froze and let go of the garage door. “Ellie, I’m s-”

“If he dies, I don’t wanna be here.” Ellie grew quiet. “I don’t wanna watch him die.” She peered up at Piper with watery eyes.

Piper bit her lip and groaned, caving in. “… alright,” she said.

꧁_꧂

With guns raised, the girls left the house. They twirled around, covering their corners, until they realized nothing was there except them and the bird song. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Piper sighed. Her eyes closed as her skin soaked in the morning sun.

"Piper," Ellie grunted, using her eyes to point toward the nearby forest.

The elder sister narrowed her eyes on the evergreen trees and valleys of snow. Then she returned her gaze to the neighborhood—cars with flat tires, forgotten RVs, and doors hanging on their last rusted hinges. This place was looked over. There would be nothing here for the girls and nothing here for Joel. She turned back to Ellie and nodded her head, telling her to lead the way.

Ellie had to admit the forest was beautiful. Snow clung to the grooves of the tree bark, painting the dark a bright white. Deep, vibrant green pine needles littered the snow-covered ground as if they were the freckles of the earth. Even if the forest was pretty, the snow and pine needles made it hard for Ellie to spot any animal tracks. Ellie stopped looking a bit closer at the ground and noticed Piper doing the same.

The two of them repeated Joel's instructions as they tried tracking any animals. Rabbits, deer, birds were looking for anything at this point with how their stomachs rumbled.

Piper continued to walk around the forest until she felt Ellie slap her side. Turning around, she scowled at her sister, who rolled her eyes and pointed down the hill. Piper moved her head to follow Ellie's directions. In between two fallen trees and surrounded by brush and weeds poking through the white snow was a rabbit. IItsfur was a faint shade darker than the color of the ground. Piper smiled and raised her gun to shoot the creature. Ellie watched as Piper pulled back her finger. The gun fired. The rabbit jumped and scrambled away.

Cursing, Piper bit her lip, drawing blood from her chapped lips. She turned to her sister, but Ellie was already gone, chasing the animal. Her tiny feet trudged through the snow, sinking deeper with each step. With one more step, Ellie was knee-deep in the snow and crashed to the ground. Ellie groaned as she lifted her head covered in snow.

Piper carefully approached and helped her sister, pulling her to stand. "Come on," Piper nudged. "Let's keep going."

Grumbling, Ellie brushed off the snow and followed Piper, stepping in her sister's footprints as they went deeper into the forest and farther away from Joel. Soon, the trees grew sparser, standing tall and farther apart from the next. The sounds of snow tumbling off tree branches and screeching birds were the only things heard besides the girls' footsteps in the snow. Suddenly, a branch cracked, and a soft sound of repeated clicking was heard. Piper gulped and placed her hand in front of Ellie. She raised Joel's gun and slowly stepped closer to the sound. Ellie drew out her pistol and followed.

They tuned their ears into the clicking, and turning their heads in the direction of the sound, they found a stag. Although it was small in stature, the creature made up for it with the sheer size of its antlers. They were majestic as they sharply rose into the heavens. The deer hadn't seen or heard the girls as it was too distracted munching on some forest shrubbery.

Creeping as close as they could, the girls snuck behind a fallen log. Piper readied the rifle only to freeze upon gazing at the creature. Its dark eyes are filled with only one desire: survival. She swallowed her spit. Piper had failed to shoot the rabbit. She could not risk failure anymore, not when so many were counting on her. Taking a deep breath, she sat back and handed the gun to Ellie, who frowned but took the gun. Ellie settled down low and cocked the gun back. In an instant, the gun had been fired, and the deer toppled to the ground. As fast as it had fallen, the deer had risen again to run off in the opposite direction.

"No fucking way," Ellie spat as she stood up, chasing after it.

Piper spat her own cursing string as she followed her sister and the deer. Ellie had shot when Piper couldn't. As Ellie continued to run, Piper found herself slowing. Ellie had shot the deer. All by herself. Maybe she didn't need Piper anymore. Maybe Ellie would realize this and leave; leave Piper all by herself. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Piper reprimanded herself. It was just hunger. It was only hunger.

Once the girls had tracked the deer and ran out of the clearing, they froze and raised their guns. There, before them, stood two grown men standing over their deer. They were armed, and that's all Piper needed to know before firing a warning shot. The men's gaze shot to the girls.

"Don’t! Drop your rifles!" Piper yelled. Ellie pulled Joel's rifle closer, ready to shoot. The men were hesitant to drop their weapons. It wasn't until the one with red hair nodded that the two lowered their guns. "Now!" Piper demanded, "Turn and face me… Slow. If you make any sudden moves, I will put one right between your eyes. Ditto for buddy boy."

The redhead smiled and raised his hands slowly to the sides of his head. "You’re quite a hunter. We didn’t even hear you coming," he gently spoke. "Both of you."

Piper clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She felt sicker than she had been when she was ill. Something about the man's voice made her ears ring and her lungs tense. It was as if her lungs refused to breathe air shared by whoever this guy was. She didn't like it.

"Turn around and walk away," Ellie growled orders of her own.

"Okay," the man said again, stepping back and nodding to the other. The other man shrugged his head and followed. Ellie frowned.

The snow beneath the men's feet didn't crunch fast enough to ease Piper's nerves. "Just go!" She barked when she realized their progression back had stopped.

"Okay," the red-haired man muttered. "All I ask is 10 seconds of your time. I just wanna talk."

Piper cocked her gun and shot another warning. The bullet grazed a nearby tree, making the men jump in their boots. "I won’t say it twice," she growled.

"Please. Just 10 seconds," the man spoke. "My name is David. This is my friend, James. We’re from a larger group: women, children, and we’re all… very, very hungry." He motioned to the dead deer near his feet.

"We're from a large group, too," Ellie announced. "Also hungry."

"Well, even so…" David began pointing to the two of them. "Ya can’t drag this back on your own."

"Thank you for your concern, but I think we've got that covered," Piper hissed. They kept inching closer to the girls. Her eyes darted to their feet. If they stepped one more time, she'd shoot them both in the head.

"We’re not asking for charity. We-we can trade you for some of the deer," David begged. "We have– What do you need? We have… boots."

"Medicine?" Ellie blurted. "Like, for infections."

Piper's attention was snapped away from their feet as David spoke. "We do. Back in our village. You’re welcome to follow us."

"We're not following you anywhere," Piper stated. Her feet dug deeper into the snow, securing her stance. "Buddy boy can go get it. He comes back. You get half the deer. Anyone else shows up, I put one right betw–"

"Put one right between my eyes," David finished with a chuckle.

"That’s right," Ellie said.

"All right," David agreed before turning to the other man. "Go talk to Howard. He’s got a case with some penicillin. Bring back two bottles and a syringe. It’s not code, James. Do as I said."

The man, James, hesitantly looked between David and the two armed girls. Each of them bore a fire in their eyes he'd only ever seen described in the bible. The eyes of the devil, of a killer.

"Ten steps back. Keep going," Ellie instructed James, carefully watching him as he backed away to fetch medicine.

It felt like forever as James sunk deeper and deeper into the forest. Piper was sure he'd sneak around them and attack from behind, but it never came. Still, she and Ellie stood on guard, their guns trained on David.

"That’s your dad’s gun?" David asked, pointing to the rifle in Ellie's hand. "He's the one that’s sick? That’s why you’re out here on your own?"

"What's with all the fucking questions?" Piper snarled.

David's posture caved upon hearing Piper curse. It was almost as if she was offended by her language. "Well, look, uh… it’s a four-mile round trip back to our settlement, he began. "It’s gonna be… a while before James gets back. I have some oil and matches in my pack. We could… take shelter, start a fire."

Piper's eyes narrowed. "We can handle the cold. I'm not sure about you." Ellie shifted beside her. Piper turned to look at her sister. Ellie's burned a bright red, and snot trickled down her nose. Her sister was cold. "…Fine," Piper agreed after a moment. She used her gun and pointed in the distance to a nearby shed. "There," and then waited for David to move.

Once David took his first step, Ellie demanded, "Bring him with us." David looked back and frowned, confused. Ellie pointed to the deer and repeated herself, "Bring him with you." David reached down and grabbed the antlers. "Go," Ellie continued.

She trailed behind David, the rifle ready to fire at the earliest sign of danger. Piper was in tow, tightly gripping the guns James and David had dropped in the snow.

Soon, they reached the shed and had David start a fire. The fire crackled and snapped as the flames consumed the firewood and other kindling. The heat from the fire reached underneath the girls' coats as they sat across David, who sat on the ground. While their guns no longer stood tall in the air, their hands never left the cold, smooth surface of their weapons.

"You know," David said with a smile as his eerie blue eyes flickered back and forth between Piper and Ellie. "You really shouldn’t be out here all on your own."

"Who said we were?" Piper scoffed. The flames illuminated the grim stare embedded in her dark eyes. The purple circles coloring her eye sockets only increased the darkness David found in them. Ellie, on the other hand, was warm. Her eye sockets were free from any darkness, yet her eyes still held a deadly stare, more somber than her sisters'. "From where I’m sitting, you shouldn’t be out here on your own," Piper scolded.

"Fair enough," David shrugged, trying to hide the shiver that covered his body. "So what’s your name? It’s hard to trust strangers. I know. But I honestly mean you no harm."

"I call bullshit," Piper hissed under her breath. She was right. It was getting harder to breathe around David.

David sighed and peered up at the girls. His voice was full of pity. "…For what it’s worth, there’s room for you in our group if you want."

"You’re inviting us to your Hunger Club?" Ellie rolled her eyes. She didn't need this suddenly profound pity David had mustered. She and Piper have never needed anyone's pity. It was worthless in the world the outbreak had created. "No thanks."

"It’s true. We’re hungry," David chuckled. "But… we’re still here…I’m a decent man just tryna take care of the people who rely on me."

Piper frowned. "You’re their leader?" She asked in disbelief. She eyed David up and down, and her frown only deepened. He wasn't a leader. Not in the way Joel, Tess, Tommy, and Maria were. No, he seemed weak yet confident. Piper was unsure where this confidence got assurance from. His people were hungry, and if they looked anything like James, then his people were also sick. Hunger does things to the human mind. It grows fragile and naive in search of comfort and food. Piper knew it well. The QZ would do it to punish the kids. Revoke daily meals, and the kids will start speaking a different tune. It unnerved her.

"Wasn’t my choice. It was theirs," David explained. "But… yes."

"They chose to follow you,” Ellie repeated as a thought formulated in her head. It seemed she and Piper were on a similar wavelength. "Is this some weird cult thing?"

"Uhh," David blushed. "Well, you sorta kinda got me there. I am a preacher, but just pretty standard Bible stuff."

"What?!" Ellie snickered the moment the bible was mentioned.

"The whole world ended, and you still believe that shit," Piper mocked.

"I started believing after the world ended," David corrected. He adjusted his seat to make himself appear taller and more prominent, but to the girls' he was just as small as ever, if not even smaller than before. "Before that, I was a teacher," David said, and a glimmer appeared in his eyes. Piper's breath stilled. She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or what, but she swore a flash of desire shone in his eyes when he said that. What was worse, his eyes honed in on Ellie. "Math. Taught kids about your age," he noted, pointing to Ellie.

"So you went from teacher to preacher because," Ellie scoffed, "what? It fuckin’ rhymes?"

David grinned and shrugged as if it was the funniest joke he had heard. "Yeah, exactly."

"But seriously," Ellie said, awaiting David's actual answer.

"Well," David sighed, beginning his story.

The more he spoke, the more Piper realized where the unease with David came from. His eyes, the look they held whenever he looked at Ellie, she had seen before. It was the same look Levi had in his eyes that night. The longer Piper thought about it, the more she realized Levi had always had that unsettling gleam in his eyes.

"I found God… after the Apocalypse," David continued. "Which is either the best time or the worst time to find Him, hard to say. But when the Pittsburgh QZ fell in ’17, Fireflies and FEDRA… I left with a few others, and that’s how I ended up with our flock."

"Long way from Pittsburgh," Piper said with a low voice. Her defense screamed at her to pick up the gun and shoot David. But she couldn't. Not when he had medicine that could save Joel.

David chuckled again. "Yeah, we’d settle somewhere, and then raiders would come, so we’d move again. And as we wandered, we picked up new people along the way until… we ended up here." He looked around the shed before settling on Ellie.

"Well," Ellie said, "your luck had to run out sooner or later."

"Hm? Luck?" David raised his brows and shook his head. "There’s no such thing as luck. No," David inched closer to the fire and, in turn, closer to the girls. "I-I-I-I believe everything happens for a reason. It does. I can prove it to you."

"Okay." Ellie urged him on.

"We didn’t expect this winter to be so cruel," David explained. "Nothing’ll grow. Game’s been hard to find. So I sent four of our people to a nearby town to scavenge what they could. And only two of ’em came back. One who didn't come back was a father. The other was a husband. The father had a daughter just like you. And her dad was taken from her. Turns out, he was murdered… by this crazy man." David hid his sneer under a smile as he looked between the two girls. "And get this. That crazy man… was traveling with two little girls."

Piper's eyes widened as she heard some of the shed's floor creak behind her. She jumped out of her seat. Gun raised, pointing into the forest. Her eyes narrowed, and she stilled her breath. While her body remained calm and controlled, her mind was on fire. An array of curses and fears swarmed each thought. These were the raiders. She'd killed one of them and Joel the other. With the glint in David's eye and the fury of the land, Piper knew one thing. Revenge was guaranteed.

Ellie stood alongside Piper, her gun trained on David instead of the vast forest, awaiting her sister's order.

"You see?" David continued. “Everything happens for a reason." Then, looking out into the forest that drew Piper's attention, he calmly called out. "James, lower the gun."

Suddenly, James appeared with his gun held high, trained on Piper. Piper let out a guttural breath and stared down James. Her finger hovered over the trigger. "They're the ones that killed Alec, aren’t they?"

David stood up with his arms raised. "The girls didn’t kill anybody," David assured. "Lower the gun."

James scoffed and prepared to shoot Piper. "She's the one who killed Desmond. The boys told me he got shot by a girl who looked like a boy. That's her."

"Drop it," Piper growled, and James ignored her, hardening his expression. "I said to fucking drop it. Unless you want a bullet to find a new home in your skull."

"Did you bring the medicine?" David calmly asked James.

James' expression broke upon hearing his leader's voice. "Yeah, but–"

"Throw it to her."

"David," James pleaded. His hand itched to shoot and kill Piper. However, David's stern demand did not falter, and James sighed. Reaching into his pocket, he tossed Piper the medicine.

With ease of breathing, Piper snatched the medicine out of the air. A syringe was taped to the side of the small glass bottle. She glanced down and pocketed the medicine before returning her gun to James.

"Back away," Ellie growled.

James slowly made his way around the girls and found a stance next to David. David handed him an extra gun in his pocket, but David didn't take it. Instead, he began to talk again. "I know you’re not with a group. You won’t survive for long out there. I can protect you," he assured.

"I'll take my chances," Piper snarled as she slowly began to back away. Her eyes never left David and James. Ellie mimicked her sister's movements until they were far enough away for the shed to be the size of their thumb.

James watched as the girls stopped and turned, entering a sprint. He scoffed, turning to David. "So you’re just gonna let them get away?"

David shook his head. "Patience, James," he assured. "God rewards those who wait."

꧁_꧂

It was stupid to run in the direction of Joel, but Piper couldn't care. They had the medicine, and Joel needed it more than Piper's desire to lead David and James astray if they decided to follow. Showing them the direction was one thing, but as the snow squashed beneath her feet, another thought soon overpowered her need to save Joel. Their footprints. They would lead David and his band of fucked raiders straight to them.

The air around her fogged up as Piper slowed her pace. "Els," she hissed, worried that David and James may be able to hear her.

"What?!" Ellie turned around to look at her sister.

Piper dug into her coat pocket and tossed Ellie the medicine. "Here, get back and give this to Joel."

Ellie's brows pinched together as a low level of panic boiled to the surface. "Piper, what are you-"

Her older sister had already moved on to her next task. Marching over to a nearby evergreen, Piper jumped on the lowest branch. A clean snap filled the air as Piper tore off the branch and swiped at their footprints. "I'm covering our asses, that's what."

Ellie's stare switched between the vial of medicine and her sister, who was hard at work erasing any trace of their footprints.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" Piper laboriously wondered. The small pine needle scratched at the ground, diminishing any sign of the girls.

Snapping herself out of her daze, Ellie tightened her grip on the medicine and ran. Worry filled her being the farther away she got from Piper. She was leaving her sister alone. David, James, and whoever was out there could come after them. They could be coming now, and she had left her sister alone. Her only thought of respite was Joel. If she could save Joel, he could save them. That's what he did. He always saved them.

The house appeared before Ellie's vision faster than she thought it would. Her legs burned as she darted into the house and down the stairs to Joel. Desperate pants left her mouth as she collapsed beside Joel. With shaking hands, she lifted the blanket off of him. Then, deftly peeling up his shirt, she winced in disgust. The wound seemed even more infected than it had been before. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her brows as she handled the antibiotics with as much care as possible. A new wave of panic filled her once the syringe was filled to the brim.

"Ah, okay," she said, wiping away the sweat threatening to cloud her vision. "The fuck do I put this? Alright, what would Pipes do? Uh…" Ellie glanced around the room and spotted Piper's blood-coated first-aid book. Scrambling over, she snatched it up and flipped through each page. There was nothing about injections and antibiotics.

"Fuck," she cursed and crawled back over to Joel. "Joel? Joel? Joel, where the fuck do I put this?" Joel lay unresponsive. A layer of sweat and grime coated his skin, making his dark skin appear pale. "Fuck it," and with one swift motion, she stabbed the syringe directly into the sewn-up wound.

Joel groaned. His eyes tensed but never opened despite the immense pain his body was in. Once the syringe had been emptied, Ellie withdrew the needle before debating giving him another injection. Shaking her head instead, she carefully wrapped the needle and medicine and placed them into Joel's bag for safekeeping.

She watched Joel's tense expression soften and sighed, feeling a wave of exhaustion fall over her. She had run. For how long, she didn't know, but she had run. Her whole body ached: her legs, her shoulder from the kickback of the rifle, her back, and her head. Everything hurt, and she was tired. She was a little girl who only wanted to curl up beside Joel and fall asleep into a beautiful dream of a sheep farm on the moon. So, that's what she did. She snuggled up close to Joel, pulling the blanket over them, and sank deep into sleep.

By the time Piper had reached the house's front steps, her orange coat had been removed and tied at her waist. Her shirt was soaked with sweat from disguising her and Ellie's footsteps. Groaning, she wiped away the last of Ellie's prints and opened the garage before tossing the branch with the horses. With the garage door closed, Piper slid to the floor and took a moment to breathe. One of the horses trotted beside her, sniffing her hair before deciding to try to nibble on it. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her mouth as she brushed the horse away.

Standing up, Piper pulled off her coat and threw it over her shoulders, not placing her arms through the sleeves due to the heat her body was still disposing of. She'd done her best removing any sign of where the girls went, but the knowledge that David and James knew the direction they had gone in and the footprints from before she began her bluff that they could trace and track. She prayed that they were enough to keep them safe. At the very least, to give the girls time to recuperate and Joel time to heal.

Her feet felt heavy as she stepped down the stairs and into the basement. "Ellie, did you…" Piper's voice trailed off when she saw the scene before her.

Ellie's chest softly rose and fell. Her arms were wrapped around Joel, who looked better than he had ever had since the injury. A soft smile melted onto Piper's features, and she quietly stepped down the rest of the stairs.

It felt colder in the basement, so Piper placed on the rest of her coat, zipping it up. Carefully, she picked up Joel's rifle and tip-toed over to the basement window. Sitting beneath it, she cracked it open, just enough to hear the world outside but not enough to invite the cold in. Leaning up against the wall, Piper rested her head on the wall and closed her eyes, Not to sleep but to relax. Piper had no time to sleep, especially if predators were hunting them.

꧁_꧂

Voices cascaded over the ground like the morning fog. Piper's eyes shot open as a wave of footsteps and grumbles grew closer and closer. Her blood ran cool, and her skin paled as white as the snow. It was David, and he brought company.

They were too far away for Piper to make out anything they said, but that didn't matter. Securing Joel's rifle over her shoulder and pocketing her pistol, Piper shuffled over to Joel and Ellie.

"Ellie," Piper hissed, shaking her sister awake. "Ellie, wake up."

Ellie's eyes flew open, and her lungs gasped. "Piper?"

"They're here," Piper anxiously explained. "They found us."

Ellie gulped and looked down at Joel. Placing her hands on his shoulder, she shook him. "Joel! Joel, wake up. Joel, wake the fuck up, Joel," Ellie pleaded.

Joel's eyes shot open, and he darted around the room before settling on the girls. His mind was still in a daze, making it difficult for him to process Piper's words.

"Okay… okay, look at me." Piper turned Joel's face to look at her. "There are men coming, okay? I’m gonna lead them away from you, but if anybody makes it down here, you fucking kill them. You got it?"

Joel's eyes slowly closed, causing Ellie to snap her finger loudly next to his ears.

"Joel, do not fall asleep," Ellie demanded, but it was useless. Joel's eyes closed, and he returned to his sleep.

Piper pushed herself off the floor and began to hike up the stairs when a pair of footsteps accompanied her.

"What are you doing?" Piper asked.

"I'm coming with you," Ellie replied.

Piper shook her head and walked her sister back down to Joel. "No! Ellie, I'm serious. I need you to stay with Joel. He's…he's fucking out of it. I need you to make sure no one makes it down here."

"I'm not letting you do this alone," Ellie desperately said.

"No! Ellie," Piper commanded. "Just fucking stay. Or you'll get us both killed. Stay with Joel. Protect him until he wakes up. I'm gonna lead them away and kill'em. Stay here."

"No-" Ellie began, but Piper shut her down.

"I didn't ask you," Piper growled. Her voice grew dark and dangerous, warning Ellie to back down. "You're staying." In the blink of an eye, Piper shoved Ellie to the ground and darted up the stairs. When Ellie got to her feet, the stairwell door had been shut and barricaded.

Ellie pounded on the door, tears in her eyes. "Piper! Let me out!" She cried. "Pipes! Fuck!"

Fighting the tremble in her voice, she spoke to her sister through the door with clenched teeth. "I'm doing this for your own good."

Without another word, Piper readied Joel's rifle and snuck out the back door. A sigh of relief escaped her once she realized the horses had stayed quiet. With the silence of the late morning, Piper crouched down low. It was up to her now. She couldn't miss. She had to keep Joel and Ellie safe. She had to lead them away.

Her first thought was to take them into the forest, but she knew they would expect that. They'd only send so many men after her and keep the rest in the neighborhood. Instead, Piper chose to lead them deeper into the neighborhood, away from Ellie and Joel. Recalling her faint memory of what the rest of the neighborhood consisted of, Piper remembered a school. She could lead them there. Like a forest, the hallways and classrooms would provide a vantage point to take out the group quietly. That's if Piper was brilliant. The problem there was getting the group into the school. She had to make them think that's where she was staying.

Sneaking around the backyards of the homes that littered the street, she crawled onto a fence and into one of the yards. On the ground lay a rusted ladder. Glancing at it, Piper realized she could sneak onto the roof. It was the perfect place to shoot them down one by one. Maybe she didn't have to lead them to the school.

Pulling herself up the ladder and onto the roof, Piper crawled across the tiles until she spotted the group. David walked into the center with James on his right. There were eight of them. Each of them were armed, all except David. He pointed to the homes on the right and started barking orders.

Preparing the rifle, Piper lay down and peered through the scope. Her sights were on David. She could pull the trigger and kill him right then and there, but then she'd have a pack of revenge-hungry cultists after her. She smiled. That's exactly what she wanted. Kill the leader and then lead the whole group to the school, where she'd pick them off one by one.

Steadying her breath and focusing on David, she pulled back the trigger and fired. There was a cry as the gunshot echoed off the homes. A raider fell, soaking the snow a dark red. But it wasn't David. Piper cursed. She shot the man behind him. Hurriedly, she got ready to shoot again. Her head was down low as she prepared to fire. A cool, sharp whisk of wind flew by her head. She whirled her head around.

"Shit," she snarled. They'd found her. Getting up from her spot, she heard them fire a few more shots as she crawled off the roof.

"Get her! Remember, alive!" She heard David scream as thundering footsteps ran in her direction. She pulled herself over the fence and ran. The school, she kept telling herself, away from Joel and Ellie. She had to keep them safe.

When she heard the raider reach her old spot, Piper had circled the back of the neighborhood. She could see David, James, and one other man.

Piper scoffed and snuck closer, preparing a shot. "It's their own fucking funeral," she whispered to herself.

A horse's shrill filled the air as she readied to fire again. Piper froze as the body of a horse ran onto the street. It wasn't the horse that terrified her—it was the person who sat on the back of the horse.

"Hey, motherfuckers!" Ellie yelled. She shot her gun a few times, taunting the raiders.

David and his group ran after her. Piper bit her cheek, drawing blood. "Fuck," she cursed and ran after her sister, who was half-hazardly firing her gun from atop the horse.

"Shit!" A raider screamed after a bullet grazed his skin. Then, they began to fire at her and the horse.

"Fucking hell, Ellie." Piper's speed picked up, and her breath grew labored.

"Go! Let’s go," James yelled as he motioned for some people to follow him.

"Alive!" David shouted over the chaos of it all.

"Keep comin’, fuckers!" Ellie teased.

Piper continued to run. Her feet blurred as she ran on the pavement, not caring to hide behind the cars and homes. All thoughts of the school were gone. Ellie was out. They had seen her, and she was taunting them to come closer. With each fire of their guns, they got closer to stealing Ellie away. Piper's heart pumped faster and faster. She had to save Ellie. She couldn't let them get her sister. She had to-

A gun fired, and the horse fell to the ground, sending Ellie flying to the ground.

"I got her!" James triumphantly yelled.

"Ellie!" Piper's voice cracked. Raising her gun to fire, she didn't care if she missed. She had to get them away from her sister. She had to get David away. "No, no, no," she breathed, watching David pick up her sister and cradle her in his arms.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her leg. Piper screamed and clutched her thigh, feeling the blood trickle out. Her ears screeched as she tumbled to the ground.

"Got the other one!" A raider announced from behind her. He stepped up to her side, yanked the weapons out of her hand, and kicked her in the chest just for good measure.

Piper gasped and clenched her teeth to stifle her cry of pain. She wouldn't give the fucker the pleasure. The pain flooded her, making it hard to notice anything around her. Suddenly, the sun's gaze was blocked by a shadow. Worn leather boots stepped up to her face.

Peering up, fighting the tears in her eyes, she saw David holding Ellie. He smiled down at Piper and brushed away some stray hairs on Ellie's face. Piper groaned and spotted her pistol just beside David's foot. She pulled her hand away from her bleeding leg and reached before James stepped up and kicked it farther away.

"Everything happens for a reason," David muttered.

"If you fucking hurt her," Piper growled. "I'll-"

David nodded, and then her world went black. A dull pain traveled from the base of her head, encasing her in darkness.

"Shhh," David whispered to Piper. "Everything will be alright. You're in God's hands now." Then, turning to the group, he began giving out instructions. "Two of you with me. Drag the horse. The rest of you, stay here. Go door to door. Are you so hungry for vengeance? Deliver it."

The men didn't need another word as revenge and rage flooded their souls. With a sickening grin, they readied their weapons and began their search. They were determined to find the man who had killed one of their own. The girls would be dealt with on David's accord, and only God'; would save them.

꧁_꧂

Something inside Joel forced him awake. It was a whisper tickling the back of his mind. Gently, it eased his eyes open. The location of the basement dimmed the light of the sun that fought its way through. Flickering its way down to the concrete floor, the light touched particles that bounced in the air. They shimmered as the air flew them around.

In his daze, Joel's dark eyes followed the dust as they captured the sun's light. A soft smile crept onto his face. The sun's light reminded him of his dream. It was such a good one. One he hoped to make real—him and his girls. Just as fast as the smile had come, it had faded into something more grim. His girls.

The whisper in his mind grew louder and louder. Words that were once fumbling together now became apparent. "There are men coming, okay?" He heard Piper's voice as it struck away the fog clouding his mind. "I’m gonna lead them away from you, but if anybody makes it down here, you fucking kill them. You got it?"

Joel nodded to an empty basement, and his face paled upon realization. The girls were gone. He shot up, wincing from the pain in his stomach. The guns were gone. The familiar colors of Ellie's purple and Piper's orange coats were replaced with the wooden walls of the basement. His girls were gone.

A cool metal burned his skin, causing him to look down. Ellie's knife. He'd recognize it anywhere. She never let it leave her sight. It had been a gift from Piper. Joel's grip around the knife tightened. His girls. Where were they?

A cloud of dust fell down the ceiling, catching more of the sunlight. Joel froze before looking up. The floor above creaked as footsteps pounded down. Whoever the steps belonged to was trying to be quiet, but they were heavy on their feet—almost sluggish, Joel noted. His girls' footsteps didn't sound like that. Ellie held the weight of her feet on her toes, and her step was springy.

On the other hand, Piper's step was silent. It was almost as if she floated above the ground with how she walked. Joel knew his girls, and whoever was above wasn't them.

The footsteps stilled momentarily, and then a screech was heard as something dragged across the floor. It was an unmistakable noise. Close to the door. Joel stifled his groan as he stood up to a standing position. Clutching the knife close to his body, he quickly scanned the basement for a place to hide. Creeping into a dark corner, Joel held his breath and waited.

Footsteps descended the stairs. Joel heard the heavy breath of the invader, and the shakiness of his hands at the gun he held rumbled between his hands. The man had crept deeper into the basement, flipping around for any sign of Joel. With his back turned Joel saw his chance. He pounced on the man, wrapping an arm around the man's neck.

He struggled and fought Joel's grip, dropping his gun to favor his hands. They beat against Joel's arm before coming to a still once a sharp blade pierced his jugular. The man fell weak and turned to look at Joel, who drove the blade deeper. Blood squirted out, spraying all over Joel's hands. As the man fell, his weight dragged Joel down with him, and with a deadly grin on his face, the man died.

Joel released his grip on the blade and yanked it out of the man's neck. Blood pooled out of the wound and spilled onto the concrete floor. Joel groaned as the wound on his side sent flashes of pain along his body. His lungs wheezed and craved the restful slumber he had before, but now wasn't the time for slumber. Piper wouldn't have let this man get into the basement. He'd seen how she killed that boy. He'd seen her fight. The only way she'd let it happen was if she was gone.

He knew now what happened. Joel understood from the footsteps outside the basement that his girls were gone. These people had come to hunt them. If it were a hunt they wanted, he'd give it to them. He'd get his girls back.

꧁_꧂

The floor was cold and uninviting when Piper woke up. A chill rolled through her body quickly to be replaced with pain. In waves, it rippled from her thigh, roaring as it left echoes of agony in its wake. Her breath tensed as the pain reached her chest. Hastily, she clutched at her head and leg to ease it. That's when she felt it, the coarse cotton of a bandage. Peering through the sweat and tears, Piper saw her leg neatly wrapped up. She felt around the bandage and almost immediately regretted her decision, biting her lip to stop the cry of distress that thrashed within her.

"I started worrying you wouldn’t wake up." A ghostly voice said.

Whirling around, Piper caught sight of David. He stood outside her cell with a smile on his face. Piper scowled as she took in her surroundings. A chain-link fence tied the walls together, trapping her in a cage.

"Don't worry, it was a clean shot. The bullet went right through," David noted, pointing to the leg Piper had been clinging onto.

"Where's my sister?" Piper asked. Her voice seemed alien to her with how hoarse and dry it was. It was as if she was speaking on the edge of death.

David folded his arms across his body and looked down at Piper. "She's safe with us," he assured her, and his smile grew large upon seeing Piper's reaction. "You'll see her soon."

Piper lunged at David, only to be stopped by the fence. She violently shook it, causing the room to erupt in a screeching fit. "Let me out, you fucker." Piper screamed.

"Well, that’s certainly the goal," David chuckled.

Feeling another spasm of pain from her leg, Piper collapsed to the floor. "Why am I in a cage?"

Crouching down to her level, David answered. "Because I’m afraid of you. You’re a dangerous person." His eyes slowly looked Piper over, leaving trails of goosebumps over her skin. "You’ve certainly proven that. The others, they want me to kill you for all that’s happened. Did you hear me say the others wanna kill you?"

"Yeah," Piper coughed, her original voice poking through.

"But I stopped them," David added and leaned in close as if he wanted Piper to be grateful and get on the floor and beg for forgiveness.

"I don't need your fucking protection," Piper snarled before spitting into David's face. She watched as David's smile faded.

With jerky motions, he flicked her spit off his cheek. "Well…," he said, returning to his terrifying gentle expression. "Why don’t we just start with your name?"

"Buster Hi-Man," Piper smirked.

Something in David snapped, and he lunged for Piper but stopped before reaching the fence. "Hey, listen to me!" He yelled. "You can’t survive on your own. No one can. But I can help you. Let me protect you."

Piper growled at David, and through clenched teeth, she corrected him. "I’m not on my own."

"Right," David scoffed. "Your friend. And how is he? I can see how much you care about him, so I know it hurts. But even so…" he looked at her leg and sighed. "You gotta face reality. That part of your life is ending. And what I’m offering you is a beginning. But if you can’t find a way to trust me… then, yes, you are alone."

"Fuck you," Piper hissed. She couldn't let David see how deep her words cut. Joel was out there. She had left him with those monsters. She had let them capture Ellie. She had failed. She had failed Riley. She had failed Tess. She had failed Henry and Sam. Now, she has failed Joel and Ellie. She had failed, and now she was truly alone.

"Everything happens for a reason," David muttered with a smug smile. Pushing off his feet, he stood up and walked to the door of the room Piper was being held in.

"Where the fuck is my sister?!" Piper roared.

"Like I said," David said, peeking over his shoulder. "She's safe. Maybe she'll be smarter than you. I can keep her safe. I can protect her, unlike you. Ponder what I've said."

With that, David was gone, and Piper was alone. Piper had failed, and now she was alone.

꧁_꧂

Joel had hunted. It was easy to take out the two other men who were after him. With one swift bang of the butt of the rifle, he had knocked them out and tied them up in the living room of the house he and the girls sought safety in. He'd find his girls and bring them home.

The first man was a denier. He pleaded with Joel as he brought his hand to his face, beating him over and over. If the man wouldn't speak, Joel would tear it out of him.

"Stop… stop. Please," the raider begged as Joel punched him again. A sharp groan escapes his mouth.

Joel withdrew his hand and reached for Ellie's knife. In doing so, he saw the other man awake. With a threatening smile, Joel raised the knife for the other man to see.

"Leave him alone," the other demanded.

Joel ignored him and instead tuned into the raider before him. He kept spouting the exact words. "Please… I don’t know any girls," he cried. Joel clenched his jaw and stabbed the knife deep into the man's thigh before twisting it. "Oh, fuck!" The raider screamed as his body involuntarily squirmed.

"Jesus!" The other raider whispered, alerting his fellow man to his presence.

"Marco," the raider called out, leaning his back to catch a glimpse of his partner.

Joel snatched the raider's head and yanked it forward, forcing the man to look at him. "No-no, no-no-no. He can’t help you," Joel used the knife to point to himself. "You focus right here. Or I’ll pop your fuckin’ kneecap off." He placed the knife at an angle to do just as he said. The tip of the knife dug under the skin, and the raider whimpered.

"She’s alive," the man confessed. "Both of 'em."

"Where?" Joel growled, leaving the tip of the knife embedded in the man's knee, but he didn't answer. Joel's body tensed as the urge to live up to his promise became stronger and stronger. But today wasn't the day Joel would fight his violent urges. His girls were gone. Whoever was with these men took them, and Joel would get them back. He pulled the knife back and stabbed it back in, lifting it.

A raw scream erupted from the man's throat. "Ah, fuck! Fuck! Ah, the town!" He shrieked.

It wasn't enough. None of the answers were enough. He pulled the knife with as much force as he could muster. "What town?!" He roared in the man's face.

"Silver Lake," the man whimpered, and Joel twisted the knife. "Ah! It’s not a real town name. It’s a resort," he exclaimed.

"A resort?" Joel asked. The man didn't respond fast enough, so Joel twisted the knife further into his knee and leaned in close. "You’re gonna point to where we are… and where your “resort” is. And it better be the same spot your buddy points to," Joel warned.

Taking the knife out of where it impaled the raider, Joel shoved the knife's handle into the man's mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a map. Carefully unfolding it, he held it open for the raider and awaited his answer.

With a trembling head, the raider used the knife to point to a location on the map. "Okay," Joel muttered, marking the spot in his mind.

"…That’s where we are. I swear. Go ask him. He’ll tell you. I’m not lying," The raider explained.

Joel stood up and removed Ellie's knife from the man's mouth. He nodded as his mind absorbed the raider's words. They were to be his last. Within the blink of an eye, Joel drove Ellie's knife into the heart of the man. The blade twisted as the man's life slowly faded from his eyes.

He had died faster than Joel liked. The more pain he could give these men, the better, but that required time. Time his girls didn't have, so he had to settle for a swift, bloody end. Pulling the blade out, Joel marched over to Marco, who scrambled to escape.

"No… no!" Marco cried. "Shit! Jesus! No! Why the fuck did you do that?! He told you what you wanted!"

Joel wiped Ellie's blade and carefully placed it in his jacket pocket. Then he picked up a pipe he had taken from one of the raiders. The metal felt light as he flipped it in his hands. Then he sauntered over to Marco, who resorted to cursing out Joel.

"You motherfucker. Fuck you. I ain’t tellin’ you shit." Marco spat at Joel.

"It’s okay…," Joel coolly said. "I believe him."

He raised the pipe in the air as if praising the heavens above. Then, allowing the weight of gravity to take over, Joel brought the pipe down. Marco didn't have time to scream his god's name before his face resembled a dirtied bowl that not even the devil would use.

꧁_꧂

Ellie snickered to herself about her captors' stupidity. They had put her in a cage with a window. While the window was too tall for Ellie to reach on her own, her captors kept a bucket in the cage. Flipping the bucket upside down, Ellie placed it under the window, stepped up, and jumped. Her hands caught the bottom of the windowsill. Grunting, she bent her arms in an attempt to pull herself up.

It failed, and Ellie was no longer laughing. Maybe her captors were more competent than she thought. Hearing footsteps outside her prison door, Ellie pushed herself up and pulled the bucket away from the window. By the time the door flung open, Ellie had shoved herself into a corner far away from the bucket and window.

"It's good you're awake," David greeted. Your sister woke up a while ago," he mentioned as he pulled a chair to Ellie's cage.

Ellie's head shot up and ground her teeth together. "What the fuck did you do to my sister?"

David smiled and waved off her aggression. "She's fine. You know, my people," he added. "They wanted to kill her. She killed two of our men. It only seemed fair, but I stopped them. I protected her. I can protect you, too. How are you feeling?"

"Eat shit," Ellie growled before tucking herself as far as she could go into the corner.

David smiled before looking to his side. He picked up a bowl and slid it through Ellie's prison bars to her. "Here, this is for you."

Ellie glanced at the bowl and scowled, but it soon faded with the look of pure horror. Beyond where David sat lay a bloodied ear. Ellie glanced down at the bowl of soup containing chunks of thick meat. She felt sick.

"For what it’s worth," David added, "this is just deer meat. I swear."

"You’re gonna chop us up into little pieces," Ellie accused.

Shaking his head, David replied. "I’d rather not. Please, just tell me your name." She refused to answer. She wasn't giving this fucker her name. "If you wanna judge me–"

"Judge you?" Ellie shouted from the top of her lungs. as she kicked the bowl out of the cell. The glass shattered as it hit the wall. "You’re eating people, you sick fuck!"

"Yes," David agreed with a soft voice as if he was trying to quiet Ellie. "There are only a few of us that know. But I would’ve told you. Sooner or later. I guess sooner,' he shrugged.

"You’re an animal," Ellie hissed.

"Well, yes, we all are," David said. "That’s sorta the point." With a deep sigh, David continued. "It was a last resort. You think it doesn’t shame me? But what was I supposed to do? Let them starve? These people who put their lives in my hands, who expect me to keep them safe, who love me?"

Ellie scoffed. "Yeah, maybe."

Stepping closer to the cage, David adamantly shook his head. "You don’t believe that. I don’t think your friend would either. Didn’t he take another man’s life to save yours?" Ellie turned away. She couldn't bear to look at the monster anymore. "What about your sister? She took two men's lives. She did it for you."

"They were defending themselves," Ellie refuted.

"They were defending you. But you knew that. You see a lot. So do I. And you know what I see when I look at you? Me. You remind me of me," David stated. Ellie wanted to throw up. "You’re a natural leader, you’re smart… loyal. Violent."

"You don’t know anything about me," Ellie replied.

"But I do," David corrected. "If I let you out of that cage right now, put that knife of yours in your hand, you’d stick me in a second. You have a violent heart. And I should know. I’ve always had a violent heart. And I struggled with it for a long time. But then the world ended, and I was shown the truth."

"Right…," Ellie rolled her eyes. "…by God."

"No. By Cordyceps," David said. Ellie's brows pinched together, and she turned to look at David. "What does Cordyceps do?" David continued, having caught Ellie's attention. "Is it evil? No. It’s fruitful. It multiplies. It feeds and protects its children, and it secures its future with violence if it must. It loves."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Ellie's feet had pulled her closer to the bars of her cell. Her hand wrapped around the cool metal and squeezed it with the image of David's neck in her mind.

"Because you can handle it. The way the others can’t. They need God. They need heaven. They need…," David paused and looked at Ellie. Cautiously, he approached her. "They need a father. You don’t. You’re beyond that. I’m a shepherd surrounded by sheep; all I want is an equal. A friend."

Ellie frowned. "What about my friend? What about my sister?"

David sighed. "Like I said, loyal. I can tell the others to stop looking for him. I can tell them to let your sister go."

The hope in Ellie's voice betrayed her. "Really? They’ll just let them go?"

"Yes," David nodded. "If they leave us in peace, my people will just let them go. They do what I tell them to do. They follow me. And they would follow us. Lord knows I could use the help." Taking the final steps, David stood directly in front of Ellie. The only thing separating them were the bars of the cage. "I– Look what’s happened. Think of what we could do together, as strong as we are. We’d make this place perfect. We’d grow, spread out. And we’d do whatever we needed for our people. Imagine the life we could give them. Imagine the life we could build." Then David gently wrapped his hands around Ellie's.

Chills were sent down Ellie's spine as she turned a ghostly white. "Oh," Ellie muttered. She hesitantly looked up at David as his finger began to rub against the skin of her hand. The shock on Ellie's face was wiped clean and replaced with a deadly snarl. She grabbed David's finger and pulled. She pulled until she heard that snap.

"Ah, ah!" David screamed and pulled his arm back, but Ellie wasn't done. She would break every bone in his hand and then move to his arm until David was a pool of shattered bones. She yanked his arm back, but David was too strong. With one swift pull, he freed his hand and pulled Ellie into the poles of her prison.

Ellie fell to the floor, clutching her bleeding nose. Her fingers gently pressed against the ridge of her nose. It wasn't broken. She knew what a broken nose felt like. After all, she had broken Piper's.

"You little cunt," David cursed, clutching his broken fingers. "Let’s see what I go tell the others now. Let's see what I tell them about your sister and friend."

"Ellie," Ellie said through the blood and pain. It trickled down from her nose and into her mouth.

"What?" David lowly asked, turning away from the door.

"Tell them," Ellie began, "that Ellie is the little girl who broke your fucking finger!"

David stood stunned as he took in Ellie's appearance. Her face was bloodied and filled with raw rage. Biting his tongue, David glowered at Ellie. "How did you put it? Hmm? “Tiny little pieces”?" Then David was gone, and Ellie was alone.

She was alone, and her strength faded. Her eyes only held fear. She was trapped here with cannibalistic cultists. She only wanted to help Piper. She had heard the gunshot and freaked out. She only did it to save Piper; instead, Ellie led the monster to them. They had Piper. Her panic only multiplied as the image of the ear burned in her brain. They were going to kill her and Piper and who knows what else.

Tears mixed in with the blood that fell from Ellie's face. It was her fault. She left Joel alone with those fuckers. She got herself and Piper caught. She was the reason they were going to be killed. If only she had listened. If only she didn't curse everyone around her. Everyone left. No matter how much she clung to them, they'd leave one way or another, and they'd leave because of her. The more Ellie thought about it, maybe she was the reason. After all, she was the reason Henry and Sam died. She couldn't cure him. Hell, she was the reason Tess and Riley died. She was the reason Piper got caught. She was the reason Joel was alone and dying.

Ellie no longer fought the sobs that fled her mouth. She was a curse, and she was alone, utterly alone.

꧁_꧂

Spite filled Piper's being once the doors to her prison flung open. She jumped back as David and James surged into the room. "Welcome back, you fucker. Oh, brought back up. Scared of little old me?"

David ignored her taunting and fumbled with the lock, keeping her cage closed. Piper scoffed and opened her mouth to spill more curses when the door flung open.

David and the other man lunged for her as they reached for her arms and legs. She ducked before slamming the man closest to her into the brick wall. A sweet crack filled the air as the man swung his hands to clutch his broken, bleeding nose.

"Fuck!" he cried before shooting Piper a glare as he jumped back to his feet. He looked at David, and the two nodded before stepping closer to Piper.

With each step they took, Piper took one back. Suddenly, her hands felt the cool metal of the cage. She was cornered. In the blink of an eye, firm hands squeezed her arms. Then, her legs were lifted into the air. Piper screamed.

"Get off of me! Fuck off." She swung her head around, trying to bite anything she could grab, and found James' hand. He bit his tongue as her teeth entered his skin, drawing blood.

"I tried to redeem you," David scolded her as his hands were replaced by another's, the man who shot her in the leg. "To save you in God's eyes, but you're too far gone. The devil has claimed you."

"Fuck you," Piper growled as she flailed around.

"Take her and bring her to the other one," David instructed them. The men nodded and began to drag Piper out of the room. She scratched, screamed, bit, cried, and did anything she could to free herself, but to no avail. They were going to kill her and kill Ellie too. Piper had failed, and now she was going to die.

꧁_꧂

No matter how much pain he was in, Joel had to keep going. It was as if the blood pumping through his veins was replaced with the need to ensure his girls were safe and back in his arms. Even if the wind and snow howled at him and the cold bit his skin, he kept going. He had to save his girls.

Despite the fogginess the whirling snow created, Joel had found the resort. It was huge, buildings lined, what Joel assumed was the road. As he passed, most of them were empty. Glass windows were broken, and dust and snow littered the insides. Yet he continued. His girls had to be safe so he could tell them they were no longer cargo. He needed to tell them his dream and to share it with them. It was vital he found them, and Joel knew if he couldn't, he'd be gone.

It seemed so long ago his only goal was to find Tommy. Tommy. Tommy. Tommy. The girls were a means to an end to get to Tommy and his family. But fate had a different plan, and the girls stuck around longer than Joel intended. With each horrible joke from Ellie's mouth and eye roll from Piper, Joel found his goal to be changing. Yes, he needed to find Tommy, but most of all, he was searching for his family. He found Tommy and discovered Tommy had a family of his own. With the smiling faces of Maria and his unborn kid, Joel knew Tommy didn't need him anymore, but Joel needed someone.

So, as Joel lay in the dark in the bedroom, he claimed it was his own, and he gazed up to the heavens. The longer his gaze lingered, the denser Joel. What was he looking for in the darkness, staring at the ceiling? He stared that whole night, and as the sun trickled in between the bent plastic blinds, Joel's mind awakened. Joel had his family. They had been with him all along. He'd found them under his gun in a hallway in the QZ. Piper and Ellie became his girls, and most of all, they became his family. Just as quickly as he found them, he lost them as fast. They were taken, trying to protect him and their family.

Clenching his jaw, Joel pushed further into the storm. Leaning his back against the stone wall of one of the buildings, he caught his breath. The wound in his side seared with pain. He quickly checked it for blood. It wasn't bleeding, yet the snow around him was red. With narrowed eyes and careful steps, Joel followed the trail of blood into the building.

He found the door to be unlocked and stepped inside. With his flashlight equipped, he searched the room for any sign of his girls. It didn't take long for him to set sights on the girl's bags tucked underneath a table. He frowned, pushing himself to a stand. The girls were here. The raiders hadn't lied. Making a mental note of the bag's location, Joel pressed forward.

Not one of Joel's steps rang out across the building as he continued his search. His flashlight flickered as it bounced from wall to wall, searching for Ellie and Piper. Suddenly, his light stilled. The beam floated towards the beams in the ceiling. Tied from the beams were three bodies. Their heads were gone, and their skin was paler than white as they dangled from the ceiling.

Joel felt all sense wash away from him. He no longer felt the jabbing pain in his side or the way his lungs heaved air in and out of his lungs. Instead, the purest form of fear entered his body. It infected every inch like a disease, invoking an urge he hadn't felt in twenty years. It was intuitive paternal protection. If it was clear before, Joel had to get his girls out, and he'd do anything to get them back.

꧁_꧂

As the door flung open, Piper's ears were met with the worst sound in the world: Ellie's screaming.

"No! No! No," Ellie screamed as David tried to grab her. With one swipe, he snatched the collar of her shirt, pulling her in. She jabbed her fingers in his face and bit his hand, forcing him to drop her, only to find his boot kicking her down to the ground. Ellie coughed and wheezed as she protected her head from David's attack.

"Get off of me! Get off!" Her violent shakes grew stronger as she tried to free herself from the grasp of her captors. "Ellie!" Piper called out to her sister as David stepped out of her cage, closing the door behind him.

"Shut up!" James yelled at Piper as they dragged her

Ellie pushed her head off the ground, allowing Piper to look at her sister. Blood steadily flowed from Ellie's nose down her face. Scratches littered her sister's once-pale skin. "Piper!" Ellie croaked, raising a hand to reach towards her sister.

Suddenly, there was a thud, and the oxygen in Piper's lungs disappeared. She gasped for air and clenched her fists as James and the other man held her down on the table.

Ellie began to scream again. The words were incoherent in Piper's mind as the assailant from before squeezed her bullet wound. With a knowing smile, he watched as Piper jerked around in pain.

A silver glint appeared. A hand was placed beside her head. Above her stood David with a cleaver raised.

Air fled back into Piper's lungs. "Wait, wait!" She pleaded, shaking her body even more.

"Shut up!" James yelled again.

"Hold her still," David commanded as he steadied the blade above Piper's neck. Her eyes widened as the fight began to drain from her body. She was going to die. She knew it, and after she was dead, they were going to kill Ellie. Piper had failed. She had failed Ellie.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Don’t! Don’t do it!" Ellie cried out. She clung to the chain link fence and shook it. "Please, don’t do it! Please, don’t! Don’t!"

"You had your chance," David reminded her.

Ellie's breath escaped her lungs faster than her heartbeat. "We're infected!" She exclaimed. "We're infected. Both of us!"

James scoffed and then glanced down at Piper. He froze. His grip weakened as the sight sank deep into his mind. It was a bite mark. Piper had been bitten. Ellie also flashed her bite mark in her cage, lulling James' eyes to her wound.

The room grew quiet as James looked to the other men for guidance. His hand was still bleeding from when Piper had bitten him.

"And now, so are you," Piper chuckled. "What did you say? Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"David," James whispered, but David didn't hear him over the sound of his own heart beating in his ears. Ellie had bitten him. She was infected. Both of the girls were infected.

Shaking his head, David began to pray and not the scripted bullshit he continuously repeated for his flock. For the first time, he began to truly pray to the God he always preached about. "No. No, they would’ve turned by now." He tried to assure himself and James. "This isn’t real."

"It looks pretty fuckin’ real to me," James cried.

The other man released his grip on Piper. His feet failed him as he stumbled away from the table, checking his skin. There wasn't a bite mark. He was safe. He glanced between James and David.

"You're infected. You-"

"Now, Peter," David began calming the man down.

"You're infected," Peter gasped before running out the doors.

Piper grinned, seeing her chance, and flung herself off the table at David, knocking the knife out of his hand and forcing him to the ground. Jumping up, she scrambled to open Ellie's cage. With swift hands, she swung it open and pulled her sister out.

"Ellie! Run!" Piper yelled, shoving her sister out the door. Ellie listened this time, and this time, she regretted what she did.

Once the door settled, James retrieved the cleaver and pounced on Piper. She grunted as they toppled to the ground.

"I've got her!" James yelled to David. "Go!" With another word, David ran after Ellie.

Piper screamed and thrashed as she watched David chase after her sister. But there was nothing she could do. James sat above her, forcing the cleaver down closer and closer to her neck. Yet Piper fought. Her arms shook as they pushed against James' weight. Her eyes began to darken, and her heart thundered. Despite her efforts, the cleaver came closer. Tears formed in her eyes as she kicked her legs. She was going to die.

The silver blade shined in the faint light of the sun as it sliced her face. From her right eyebrow to cheek, her face burned. It was a scalding, searing pain as she felt warm blood trickle down her face. She pushed back, but the blade sunk deeper and deeper. Her dark eyes widened as the blade's fine edge hovered above her eye.

In one last effort to force James off of her, Piper gritted her teeth and screamed as she kicked him in between his legs. His eyes bulged, and his grip loosened. Turning his force against him, she swung the blade into her hands. The silver blade shone no longer as blood splattered over the walls, onto the floor, and Piper.

The blade never clattered to the ground as Piper pulled it back and drove it deeper into James' neck, except it wasn't James she saw, with his blue eyes and scraggly beard. Instead, she saw a face that only haunted her nightmares: Levi. She swung and swung until her hands were drenched in red. Her tears stung as the blade finally clattered to the floor. It was then Piper realized the room was darker than it was before. Clouds of gray and black filled the air.

Tilting her head, her eyes followed the trail. It was smoke, and it came from beyond the doors. That's where Ellie had run. Piper's heart clenched, and she grabbed her chest, wincing in pain. Ellie, she thought. She had to get Ellie. She had to save Ellie. Piper pushed herself to her feet. Her eyesight grew muddier as blood continued to flow into her eyes. She tried blinking it away, but her face spasmed in pain. It was as if the pain on her face caused a chain reaction; Her leg buckled from underneath her, bringing her to the floor. Instead of a hand touching the door handle, it was her head. Piper's head hit the floor with a smash, and her world grew black.

The darkness was a sweet relief from the pain and fear. There was no monster hovering above her. In the darkness, she was a kid again, safe in her room with her sister tucked beside her. She could dream in the dark. She could dream of that farm with the sheep and her family sitting beside her. Anything was possible in the darkness, so Piper sank deeper into the darkness.

꧁_꧂

EXTREME TRIGGER WARNING IN THIS SECTION! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Ellie ran. Piper had told her to do so, and she ran. The doors she opened only seemed to end in more doors. Twirling around, she searched for anything to protect herself with just in case it wasn't Piper who came after her. She was in a kitchen now. Knives hung from the walls, too high up for Ellie to reach. If she had time, she'd grab them, but time was not on Ellie's side. A glint of red and orange from beneath the stove caught her eye. It was the remnants of a fire still lingering on a chunk of wood. Without much thought, she snatched it and ran through the next pair of doors.

Wood and shades of red clashed together as the new room appeared. Seats, tables, and benches were everywhere. Ellie darted between the tables for the glass door, for freedom. When she reached the door and pushed, it didn't budge. It was locked. Cursing, Ellie whipped her head around. She had to hide until she could get out or until Piper found her.

Hiding behind a wooden wall, Ellie crouched down and caught her breath. Her ears listened for any sign of Piper or an oncoming assailant. There was a deafening creak as the doors swung on their hinges. The footsteps Ellie heard following were heavy and frantic. This wasn't Piper. Holding her breath, Ellie waited until the footsteps were a few paces away before she jumped out. With all her strength, Ellie threw the stick. It flew towards David, who ducked out of the way. The stick landed underneath a window. The remaining fire flew onto the curtains, swarming the fabric with desperate flames.

The fire grew upwards, reaching the ceiling before spreading over the chairs and benches. Crackles came from the fire as it consumed everything around it.

"There’s no way out, Ellie," David said as he stalked around the dining hall. His steps were calculated as he peered under each table for Ellie. "The doors are locked. And I have the keys. Ellie?" David cooed. "Ellie!"

From underneath a nearby table, Ellie squeezed her body tighter. She needed to be invisible until Piper came. Ellie knew Piper would save her from David. After all, her sister had made a promise.

"Ellie…" David called out as he continued his hunt. "I know you’re not infected. No one infected fights this hard to stay alive. So… how did you two do it? What’s the secret? Or are you girls just that fucking special?"

The roaring fire had consumed most of the building. Clouds of smoke soared from the flames, filling the air. Ellie's lungs tensed as the black mist threatened to enter them. She crept deeper into her hiding place, covering her mouth to stifle any coughs.

"No one likes being humiliated, Ellie. You don’t know how good I am! You don’t know what I could’ve given you! If you had just let me!" David's search grew more frantic as he searched for Ellie.

Meanwhile, the young girl darted from spot to spot until she crept behind the bar. With shaking hands, she picked up a steak knife and held it close, ready to strike if needed. Sweat clung to her skin, and worry filled her mind. Where was Piper?

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream erupted from the back room. Ellie shuddered and slapped her free hand over her mouth. It was Piper. The scream seemed to last an eternity before the sound was abruptly silenced. Ellie whimpered as the blaring quiet filled her ears.

"Did you hear that Ellie? That was the sound of your sister dying. She has failed you. I won't fail you. I never will if you'll let me!" David yelled with a gleeful smile on his face. From her hiding spot, Ellie began to cry. Piper wasn't coming to save her.

"Ellie," David taunted as his steps grew closer to Ellie's hiding place. "I have news for you. Neither one of us is dying today. You see, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided you do need a father. So I’m gonna keep you… and I’m gonna teach you. Ellie. Ellie…"

With tears and blood adorning her face, Ellie crept out of her hiding place. David's back was turned to the raging fires. Instantly, Ellie lunged and stabbed the steak knife into David's side as he turned and swung the cleaver at her. She ducked before tripping over her feet and bringing herself to the floor.

Above her, David groaned as he pulled the knife out of his side. "Ah, fuck," he cursed, clutching his side. He pulled back his hand, which was dripping blood. Biting his lips, his venomous eyes trailed over Ellie as she crawled along the floor. Her hands desperately reached for the cleaver David had dropped in their struggle. He took a step before swinging his leg into her stomach. He kicked and kicked, forcing a grunt of pain to escape from Ellie's mouth.

When she turned on her back, he pounced. His hands flew to hers, forcefully holding her down as he sat down on her legs, keeping them still. Ellie screamed as she thrashed around. David leaned in close, and Ellie spit. Pulling back, David chuckled; "Oh. I thought you already knew. The fighting is the part I like the most."

Ellie screamed as loud as she could. It was a call for anyone willing to save her. She begged that it reached her sister's ears, so that just maybe, Piper would awake from the dead to rescue her. But the dead don't return that quickly. Next, she screamed for Joel, who lay dying in the basement. Maybe he'd be able to hear her call and save her. Someone had to come for Ellie. Someone. Anyone.

"Don’t be afraid," David soothed as Ellie continued to scream. “There’s no fear in love.”

As David released one of her hands to reach downward, Ellie reached. No one was coming to save her. Piper was gone. She risked her life for Ellie's escape. Joel wasn't here. No one would save her, so she had to save herself. Her finger brushed against the handle of the cleaver. Pulling it down, she grasped the handle and, with all her might, swung it down onto David's neck.

David fell back, struggling to stop the blood from falling from his body. Gurgles escaped his mouth when he tried to speak, but Ellie wasn't listening. She was saving herself. She brought it down repeatedly with her hands clinging tightly to the cleaver. As the blade cut deeper into David's face and body, Ellie cried. She cried for her loss: her sister, her childhood, Joel, Tess, Riley, Henry and Sam. No one came to save her, and Ellie was alone.

The fire raged on as curtains fell into piles of ash. The wooden walls and ceilings turned dark as the flames consumed them. Hovering David's body, the orange and red blaze reached out to Ellie. The heat was trying to comfort her mourning heart. Stumbling to her feet, Ellie brushed the gentle flames aside and headed towards the door's light. With bloody and trembling hands, she placed the key into the lock and stepped out into the bitter cold.

Smoke trickled out as the door opened. Her body shivered, and her feet sluggishly wobbled in the snow. She had nothing now. There was no Joel and Piper. Her coat and bag were stolen from her when she arrived. The only thing she had was herself. In a daze, she shuffled forward deeper into the snowstorm.

Suddenly, a pair of large dark hands flew onto her shoulders. Ellie screamed and flailed her arms around. "No! Get off of me! Get off!" She pleaded.

"Ellie," a deep, gentle voice uttered. "It’s me."

"Get–" Ellie yelled as the hands turned her around.

"Ellie," the voice repeated her name and a soft hand cupped her cheeks. "It’s me."

The fog from her dark eyes faded to reveal Joel. His face was all pinched up as he looked at her. His brown eyes welcomed her in and told her she was safe. Someone had come for her. Ellie wasn't alone. Joel had found her.

"Hey…," Joel said. "Look, It’s me… It’s me. It’s okay." He brushed some of the hairs from her face away.

"He-," Ellie began to mumble.

Joel nodded and gently pulled her into his warm embrace. She didn't hesitate to place her head on his chest and allow the tears to come. Joel had come for her. "It’s okay. It’s okay, baby girl. I got you," He soothed as his hands rubbed along her back. Closing his eyes, he rested his chin against her head. Ellie was safe. He only had one more daughter to find.

"Where's Piper?" He asked and immediately felt Ellie's legs grow weak. His grip tightened as he held her up.

Choking on her sobs, Ellie peered up at Joel. "She-she's," Ellie's voice shook. "I heard her scream. It was so loud. Joel, she's-"

"Okay," Joel said as he looked at the building Ellie had emerged from. "Ellie, I need you to come with me. We need to fi-"

The shrieking sound of glass shattering filled the air. Smoke tumbled out from the side of the building, pulling Joel and Ellie's attention. What they heard next was quiet. It was a plea for help. It was Piper.

꧁_꧂

Pain. It's all Piper felt once her eyes opened. The room was as dark as her unconsciousness had been. Piper's lungs heaved as they remembered to breathe, only finding nothing to take in except for dark, heavy smoke. As coughs erupted from her chest, Piper felt her body grow weaker than it had ever been before. The temptation to fall back into the darkness grew too much. It had been so welcoming and peaceful, but the darkness couldn't give her everything. The darkness couldn't hold Ellie and Joel.

She placed her hands in the sticky pool of blood that had seeped out of her and pushed herself to a stand. Her hand instinctively covered her mouth as she opened the door she had seen Ellie run out of. As the metal doors opened, a roaring fire was ready to greet her. Quickly, she closed the door and turned around for a new escape.

Above her, a faint light seeped through the dark fog of black. She limped over to the countertops and pulled herself atop them. She prayed Ellie made it out and ran. It was the only thing keeping her going. If Ellie was gone, she might as well sink back into the fire and smoke and return to the darkness.

Standing tall, Piper reached her hands into the air. Her scorched and bloodied fingers felt the cold glass windows. She banged against them, fighting the smoke that forced its way down into her lungs. The windows refused to open. She grew more desperate with each hit. She had to get out. She wanted to live. She needed to find Ellie and Joel.

A glint shone through the darkness. A metal rolling pin glimmered. Piper dragged her feet along to grasp it. Her arms dropped down from the weight. This would break the glass, Piper thought as she lugged it back to the window. She raised it and swung. The metal thudded against the glass. She swung again. The glass cracked. Swinging one final time, the glass shattered. Using the pin, Piper enlarged the hole so that it was big enough for her to crawl through before dropping the pin to the ground.

Piper's knees buckled beneath her as the rolling pin clattered to the floor, and she fell. She was so tired. Her lungs had given up any fight to inhale only breathable air. Her wounds continued to scream in pain as red liquid soaked her skin. Everything in her body told her to crawl into a ball and welcome the fire. However, her heart and mind sang a different tune. It was a song of freedom. It was her dream.

Struggling to stand, Piper clung to the walls, searching for anything to help her up. She reached to the window and clenched her fingers around the ledge. Her muscles strained against her will to pull herself out. Glass dug into the palms of her hand as she forced herself off the counter and into the air. Flinging her elbow onto the ledge, she kicked her legs into the air, allowing her second elbow to gain a grip. With both arms on the windowsill, she pushed down, throwing herself through the window.

A cry fled her mouth as she removed her hands and arms from the window. Shards of glass embedded themselves deep into her skin, and even more blood fell from her wounds. Swinging her legs around, Piper jumped. She welcomed the white snow, which immediately turned a dark pink.

Her head rang with a static noise as her world began to spin. Something loud was crying out into the air. She winced, trying to make sense of it.

"Piper!" Joel and Ellie called out. They ran to her fallen body in the snow. Joel's knees fell to the ground as his hands wrapped around her broken body. Worry and guilt filled his being as he took in her torn-up figure. With heavy eyes, Piper looked up at Joel and Ellie. Ellie was in tears as she lunged for her sister, enveloping her in a desperate hug. Meanwhile, Joel took both girls in his large embrace. He held them tight to fight off the biting winter cold.

His daughters were home in his arms. His daughters were alive. His shirt grew wetter the longer they sat in the snow, holding onto each other.

"It's okay," he whispered into their ears. "I've got you. I've got you."

꧁_꧂

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꧁_꧂

[kidcosmonaut]

I’m at One With the Silence — Luke Castellan x f!Reader — Part One

Description: Luke learns sign language in order to get to know you, the silent, angry daughter of Apollo. Warnings: canon-typical violence, injury Word Count: 1.2k A/N: The reader character in this fic is mute and uses ASL! Descriptions of signs will be used, but it's super duper hard to describe hand signs with text, and I'm not a fluent signer myself, so don't use this as a learning device. Also, I have no idea how many parts this will be yet. Let's say three? Four, maybe.

Part One ☆ Part Two →

Luke wasn’t generally one to people-watch, but this was… a sight.

Your hands were balled into fists as you stormed out of Apollo’s cabin, the sound of a dozen talented singers battling for supremacy spilling out behind you. You were saying — mouthing — something, your lips moving a mile a minute. You cut through the center of camp like hellhounds were on your ass and, as you approached the edge of a hill, bent down to pick up… a pile of pebbles.

Luke watched. Maybe it was the anger in him that enjoyed the anger in you. Maybe he was just curious what your problem was, or what you meant to do with the pebbles. Maybe he liked what the sunset did to your face. He watched.

You began tossing — no, hurling — the tiny rocks at the sky. The sun, he realized; you were looking right at it, a feat only the children of Apollo could pull off without going blind. You were throwing rocks at the sun.

Not hard to figure out the meaning of that.

Your lips kept moving as you attempted this small act of violence against your father, your jaw wild as though you were shouting, and when you ran out of pebbles to throw, you’d move your hands, too, as though by sweeping them wider, you could sign louder. And then you’d dip down again, scoop up more, and repeat.

If Apollo cared at all, if he even noticed his daughter’s rage, he didn’t show it. The sun kept setting, and no one came.

The gods were deaf to their children. Luke knew that better than anyone.

He kept watching, even as you tired of throwing rocks at gods and shuffled off — still away from your cabin, he noted. Not tired enough to go back there.

He didn’t know why you were angry.

Oh, he could guess. It couldn’t have been easy, the fall from grace; going from your father’s favorite child — the gods all picked favorites, it was only the less honest ones who pretended that wasn’t true — to just another in the pile mustn’t have felt good, especially for you, the demigod who gave everything.

But was that it? Was that why you hated your father? Because Hades had silenced you?

Your voice had been beautiful, for whatever ‘had been’ was worth. Luke had only heard you sing once before it was ripped from you, but he remembered being mesmerized.

You were fourteen then, too. It was your second — maybe third, he wasn’t sure, he didn’t know you personally — summer at Camp Halfblood, and his first. He’d been shy, not that anyone remembered that now, and he hadn’t spoken to much of anyone other than those who slept in Hermes cabin, let alone pretty girls with older, meaner boyfriends. But he’d been dragged to a bonfire party by an older brother of his, and you were there, with your guitar and your sunbeam smile.

Luke had never liked old music. His mother had all these dusty records that she’d put on and dance to like they were the only things that made sense, but they never made sense to him. If the lyrics had meaning, he didn’t get them, or at least couldn’t relate, not like the nu metal he’d ripped onto his mp3 player.

But you were singing something that night, a Prince song he’d heard before, and on your lips, the words made sense. They were beautiful, even.

He could still see it, the light flickering across your face, your fingers moving fast as light against the strings. You were talented with your guitar, too, though he hadn’t caught sight or sound of the thing since the quest that took your voice, either. The way you played reminded him of the mariachi bands he’d seen on the New York subways — hard to believe a person could pluck so fast.

And you sang. He could still hear it, too — When Doves Cry. It was different, of course, acoustic and melancholy, but the song was the same.

He must have been staring. You must have noticed.

You were coming towards him. He didn’t think anything of it at first; you twirled, you danced, you walked.

“Touch, if you will, my stomach. Feel how it trembles inside.”

And then you were in front of him, so close, and looking him in the eye, and his breath caught. You seemed to almost smirk at that.

“You’ve got the butterflies all tied up. Don’t make me chase you,” you sang, to him. “Even doves have pride.”

And then you turned away from him, like it had been a blip, like you had never been looking at him at all. You danced on.

“How could you just leave me standin’, alone in a world that’s so cold? Maybe I’m just too demandin’—” you grinned there, head turned up to the sky— “maybe I’m just like my father, too bold.”

And then your eyes changed, cast out to the lake, like your mind was elsewhere. “Maybe I’m just like my mother, she’s never satisfied. Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cry.”

The next day, you embarked on your quest. You did well, too — returned a week and a half later with the item you were sent to steal back from Hades. Hades the place, it turned out, but not the god himself; it was Persephone who had stolen one of your father's precious sunbeams. She'd missed the sunlight in her months down below, she told you, and took it to keep herself warm. An understandable desire, certainly, but it'd lead to snow in the Sahara and summer blizzards in Boston. She gave it back over without a fight, but her husband hadn't smiled upon you sneaking into his domain.

If it weren’t for one of his furies catching you just outside the barrier and digging its claws into your throat, they’d have marked it down as a flawless victory.

The staff managed to save your life, but not your vocal chords. When summer came to an end, they said they commended you for your sacrifice, as though you’d had a choice.

Maybe it really wasn’t that big a deal; half the kids in camp were willing to die in service of the gods, and given that you’d collected more quests than beads, you were probably in that number. But then, dying is different than surviving with a disability. Not worse, but different. What kid actually considers the limb when they’re risking life and limb? What risks would one take if they had to live with the consequences?

Worse yet, as far as he could tell, your daddy never called you back afterwards. No ‘thank you’s for the maimed daughter, no more gifts. Insult to injury, used and discarded.

He’d throw rocks at the guy, too.

Which brought him back to that moment, alone in the settling darkness. You were gone by then, off somewhere, likely pushing your anger aside for something you considered more productive, though Luke couldn’t begin to guess what that would be. He didn’t know you, still.

He might like to, though. Perhaps the two of you could be… allies. That thing inside him that burned, that he hid… he could, potentially, share it with someone who felt the same.

Feel free to reply or send an ask to join my taglist!

[findafight]

okay more lab kid Robin because @thesummoningdark @stobinesque asked...

I want to specify that I did not say MANY thoughts, but...

Robin being a lab kid, maybe doing the classic escape with Kali, gets separated, and ends up in a quirky little couples backyard.

Now, the Buckleys are former hippies, and maybe they're less former than they'd like the good people of Hawkins to believe them to be, but they aren't very high (just a little!)when they see a kid, maybe eight years old, wandering out of the woods. They, obviously, freak out. Adrenaline can sober them pretty quickly. They, also obviously, don't think about calling the cops right away.

They wrap them--her-- up in a blanket and get her clean clothes. Maybe a shower if she's comfortable with that. Get her set up in the spare bedroom the have a futon in to have a nice long nap, cozy and safe.

It's then they realize hey....maybe we should....call someone? But the kid was scared. Kept talking about running away from "bad men", and says her name is "nine" when asked, showing her wrist with a corresponding 009 tattoo. And the Buckleys are not one to trust authorities already, so they think. Fuck that.

They discussion options as the little girl, who will shortly become their little girl, sleeps soundly down the hall. Richard says they can say she's Melissa's second cousin's kid, and they're adopting her. Mel says they'll need to call in a lot of favours for documents. Richard says he knows a guy that owes him and he's pretty sure he moonlights as a forger.

They'll ask her how she feels about names, but they brainstorm a few. They like Robin, their free little bird, and maybe a few middle names like meadow or sunbeam. Things to remind the scared child in the guest bedroom she is no longer where bad men can hurt her.

So. Morning comes and the child that was once Nine is now Robin, and it doesn't take very long for her to reveal that she can make the sugar bowl float. It's very impressive, honestly, though the trickle of blood from her nose is concerning and Mel tells her not to strain herself. Then they learn what geniuses her little ears are, when she repeats it back to her in a perfect imitation of her voice.

So the Buckleys set some ground rules for their new daughter. They tell her that, though she is very gifted, they do not want whatever bad men were chasing her to find her, and that her talents may lead them to her. She nods, and understands. There are things to only do at home, with her mom and dad, and not tell her secrets so the bad men cannot find her.

They emphasize they are not like her papa. That they do not want to trap her here but hope that she stays. Little Robin briefly struggles to understand this, because of course they are not like Papa. Where papa was cold, the Buckleys are warm. Where Papa was angry, the Buckleys may be annoyed, but patient in explaining to her what she did wrong. Where Papa would command her to use her powers over and over and over until her throat was raw, the Buckleys only once told her she needed to use them, so she could tell someone over the phone a lie about who was talking and that she was meant to stay with them. They didn't even make her, just told her it would make things safer for her, but they would find other ways to keep her safe. So she did, and a few months later she was able to attend school.

At school she is strange, but possibly no stranger than other wierd little kids. She runs and plays and learns. She talks and asks questions and laughs, all in her own voice (even if she wishes she could let it rest sometimes, and borrow someone else's). She holds her secret for years and years.She learns three languages, her accents nearly perfect, her ears still little geniuses. Her mother nags her not to be so careless with running her mouth, her father tells her to try to go out with friends over the weekend and asks her if she remembers what the baseball score was last night (of course she does, she recounts it in the announcers voice, and watches a fond smile creep onto her mothers lips and her father huff, likely at the Cubs' score).

Then there are Soviets under the mall and she tells Steve a secret about her not even her parents know, and she's confronted with her little sister throwing a car across the foodcourt. It takes her a week after to tell Steve everything about the lab. About escaping and losing Kali and finding her parents and leaving her siblings. He holds her hand when he tells her she should tell El. (who is, somehow, more his sister than hers at this point. It is odd, but Robin isn't jealous of it, just sad.)

And then he smirks asks if she can do a Ms. Piggy impression.

and that's all i've got right now hehe

[clangenrising]

Month 12 - Leafbare

Prev | First | Next

The sun was warm and strong over Smokyrose’s fur. Laid out on the stone of the warriors’ den, belly full, with her kits splayed out with their heads resting on her side, she felt like those sunbeams were filled with pure joy. It was so rare that she got to spend time with the girls like this, meaning Fogkit wasn’t running around and asking a million questions. As much as she adored her daughter’s curiosity and energy, she wasn’t a young queen anymore and she was much better suited to activities like this.

Purring, she rolled over to let her belly get some sun. Fogkit and Slatekit readjusted. Fogkit yawned and stretched her legs out, shrimp-like. Slatekit mewled softly and pulled herself closer, burrowing her face firmly into her mother’s fur. Smiling, Smokyrose reached over with a paw to help tuck Slatekit against her side. 

After a moment, Slatekit spoke. “Hey… Mama?” Smokyrose opened one eye and twisted her head enough to look at her daughter who was staring at her with big, golden eyes. 

“Yes, my darling?” she purred in reply.

“Um…” Slatekit tucked her chin shyly, hesitating on the words, then asked, “Is daddy evil?” Smokyrose’s purr died in her chest. That was not the question she had been anticipating. 

“Uh, no. No, honey, he’s not evil.” She said, voice unsteady. 

“But um,” Slatekit chewed her lip. “I heard Sparrowpaw say that he had to fight him. Don’t warriors only fight bad guys?” 

“I see,” Smokyrose said sadly. She sat up, curling her tail over Slatekit to reassure her. She supposed this conversation was inevitable, as much as she had hoped never to have it. “It’s… complicated, but I’ll try to explain it, okay?” 

Slatekit nodded mutely and Smokyrose continued. “Warriors fight to protect their Clan, right?” Slatekit nodded again. “So sometimes they fight foxes or badgers but sometimes they also fight the other Clans.” 

“Really?” asked Slatekit.

“Mhm,” Nodded Smokyrose. “And the other Clans aren’t made up of bad guys, are they?” 

“No,” Slatekit shook her head. 

“That’s right.” 

Slatekit shifted, lips pursed in confusion. “But, so… why do they fight them then? Isn’t that bad?” 

Smokyrose sighed a little, a smile on her face. “Sadly, not everything is good or bad. Sometimes it's neither or a little bit of both. Sometimes warriors fight the other Clans because they need food or because they’re scared or because they get angry.”

“But you’re not supposed to do fights when you’re angry,” Slatekit’s brows furrowed deeper. She seemed on the verge of tears. “You’re supposed to go take some breathing time and then talk about it!” 

“That’s right,” Smokyrose smiled, proud of her little girl, “but people don’t always do what they’re supposed to do. As a mediator, it’s my job to try and help them remember to talk about things instead of fighting but that doesn’t always work. Sometimes one side wants to talk but the other side is too angry and just wants to fight and so we have to fight them.” 

“Is that what happened with daddy?” 

Smokyrose swallowed and took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Not exactly. See…” She paused. How did she explain to her perfect, precious daughter that some cats didn’t care if they hurt other people? That most cruelty was born from indifference? That some of the rogues likely didn’t have a choice to fight or not?

“The city cats who are in charge don’t want to talk about things with us, but that doesn’t mean that all of the cats feel that way. The Code says that warriors have to listen to their leader, right?”

“Yeah,” said Slatekit.

“Well, it's the same for the city cats,” Smokyrose said. “Their leader wants to fight so they have to fight us. Your father is just following the rules of where he’s from. That doesn’t mean that what he does is okay, but it does explain it, just like how Fogkit being hungry doesn’t mean it's okay for her to be snippy but it explains why she feels that way. Does that make sense?” 

“I guess…” Slatekit frowned and turned her gaze into Smokyrose’s fur. 

“It’s okay if it doesn’t,” she said. “Sometimes cats do things that are confusing. Your father was really, really nice to me and then he just stopped talking to me. It made me feel really confused but he probably has reasons for why he did those things.” 

“But that’s mean,” Slatekit pouted. “Doesn’t he love you?” 

Smokyrose swallowed thickly. “I don’t know, sweetheart.” 

“Have you asked him?” Slatekit tilted her gaze up again. 

“No, I haven’t had the chance.” 

“You should ask him!” Slatekit squeaked. “You’re always saying that you have to talk about things instead of keeping them all quiet inside! Maybe if you talked to him he would come and stay with us.” 

Smokyrose felt her chest squeeze tightly. “Oh, Slatekit,” she sighed, giving her daughter a few licks over the ears. “It’s not that simple.” 

“Why not?!” Slatekit squeaked, starting to cry. 

Fogkit stirred and sat up with a worried frown. “What’s wrong?” she asked, getting up to wrap Slatekit in a hug. “Slatekit, don’t be sad!”

“It’s okay, Fogkit,” Smokyrose gave her a few licks as well. “Remember, it's okay for people to be sad. We need to respect what Slatekit is feeling and support her.” 

Slatekit was weeping openly now, her little body racked with tiny sniffles and sobs. Fogkit gave her a tighter hug but she screamed and started to struggle. 

Smokyrose leaned down and picked Fogkit up by the scruff, pulling her away. “Hey, let’s give her some space, okay?” Slatekit buried her face in Smokyrose’s side and let out a long, keening wail, the kind that you gave when you wanted everyone to hear how miserable you were. 

Fogkit pouted worriedly. “I’m just trying to help!” 

“I know,” Smokyrose said, “but she needs space right now. We have to remember to respect her boundaries.” 

“Okay,” Fogkit frowned. 

Relieved that that was settled, Smokyrose turned her attention back to Slatekit. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so sad, honey,” she said gently. “Do you want anything to make you feel better or do you just need to cry?” 

Slatekit sniffled pitifully and said, “Maybe just you to hold me gentle?” 

“I can do that, sweetheart,” Smokyrose said, curling into a ball around her daughter with a comforting purr. Fogkit nuzzled into her mother’s side so that she could watch Slatekit’s face, tail twitching anxiously. Smokyrose sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to put Slatekit at ease, to bring Ghost back and have him be a model father to her girls. She wished that things were simple. 

But I haven’t talked to him about it at all, she thought. What if there’s something I don’t understand? If he’s as important as they say, maybe I could get him to listen! Maybe we could put an end to the fighting!

A tenuous strand of hope started to tug at her excitedly. With the kits, she had been out of work during the critical start of their interactions with the city cats. Would things have been different if she had put her mediator skills to the test? Could an open conversation possibly resolve the conflict without further bloodshed? A kittypet was dead. That definitely made her job more difficult, but at the very least, maybe they could agree on terms for the fighting to cease. 

She turned the thoughts over in her mind, tried to remember everything she could about the conflict’s details, and tried to make a plan for negotiations as she held her daughter close until she had cried all of her tears.

[sirenspells]

WIPs and abandoned projects (March 2021-December 2023)

Info on each one (as well as what the songs/audio sources are):

The song playing in the intro and outro is Dianthus Nardiformis from the Dreaming Mary OST.

19: March 2021. Okay so this one's not actually a work in progress. I made this on my 19th birthday, the joke being that the singer just says 19 then it ends. I think I thought it was kinda dumb so I didn't end up actually posting it. Also features a sona I had before Cress that I never really got attached to, so she was barely used. Song is 19 by Old 97's.

Lonely Holiday: July 2021. This has the honor of being the first OMORI mv I ever attempted. I started this on a whim while bored out of my mind dogsitting for a couple weeks, and I kinda just lost interest in it. Dunno if I'll go back to it. Song is Lonely Holiday by Old 97's.

Numb: July 2021. Another one I started while dogsitting, and another one I kinda just lost interest in, but I absolutely want to revisit it someday because it's an idea I've had for a while and still really want to do. Song is Numb (Linkin Park Cover) by Robyn Adele Anderson.

The Artist: December 2021. I stopped working on this one because doing everything manually frame-by-frame got really annoying and I started to hate working on it. I dunno why I did the zoom in manually but it looks bad, lol. The entire MV would have been just this verse of the song because I thought it really fit Basil and Omori. Tbh I still like how this looks and I may come back to it. Song is The Artist by The Hush Sound.

Higher: February 2022. It's the animation meme. I actually posted this wip a while ago but I'm still gonna include it here for completion's sake. This was really just storyboard practice, so I don't have much of an interest in completing it beyond this. It's Omori Strikers AU (my omori x persona 5 crossover au) and it's basically about Omori's identity issues due to being Sunny's Shadow. The quality's really bad on this one, for some reason iMovie refused to export it in a higher quality than this, I don't know why. Song is High by SIVIK.

Little Sunbeam: February 2022. This MV would have centered on the omari au, and beyond this it'd switch to Mari's pov and take on different palettes. Doing that text effect made working on this very annoying and would make my art program lag a lot so I lost interest in working on it. I might revisit this one, though I'd have to rework the original idea I had now that my perception on the common omari au has changed lol. Song is Little Sunbeam by Eleisha Eagle.

Nightmarish: April 2022. This MV would technically be a remake of one I made in 2020. Same song, same color palette, but with a completely new media. Part of wanting to work on this is wanting to spread Dreaming Mary propaganda cause I love it and I think people who like OMORI will like Dreaming Mary as well. Also I love this song. I definitely wanna go back to this one at some point. Song is Nightmarish from the Dreaming Mary OST.

Keep You Safe: July 2022. Like Higher I also posted this wip before but will still include it here. I absolutely want to go back to this one someday because I still really like the idea I have for it. Fun fact, for those who remember this piece, that was based on this MV, but it's not like you can tell based on what's shown here. Song is Keep You Safe by The Crane Wives.

Four Walls: August 2022. Amnesiac Omori MV, what would have been his youtube introduction if I hadn't stopped working on it and then made When Am I Gonna Lose You. I think I kinda just lost interest in this one, though I wanna go back to it at some point I think. Song is Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith) by Bastille.

Someone Gets Hurt: January 2023. Amnesiac omori again babey!! Animatic that would have taken place after he regains his memories, where he's basically really angry and lashes out at Sunny and Stranger. Might revisit this one. Song is Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise) from the Mean Girls musical.

Uhh some shitpost: February 2023. Silly thing, it's a shame I stopped working on it before it actually got to the main funny part. I dunno if I'll go back to this one. Audio from @/tylergaca on twitter.

Jealous: March 2023. Animation meme. It would've been about Sunny and Mari in my pmd au and the leadup to the incident. It took me a while to get that second shot right and I still really don't like it. Do wanna revisit this one cause I love angst surrounding these two so much I love them in pmd au GRAHHH. Song is Jealous by Eyedress (slowed down).

Stranger lipsync test: May 2023. This was way too difficult as a lipsync test so I gave up on it, though I still like the animation for it. Also this is a pretty good contender for headcanon voice for Stranger I'll be real. Audio is from Persona 5 Royal.

Propaganda: August 2023. Amnesiac omori au storyboard that I do actually wanna make into a completed thing. This is very spoilery so my master plan is to not explain what's happening. Muah hah hah >:3c. Also once again iMovie exported this in a really bad quality for some reason. Song is Propaganda by Kill J.

Alter's Rant: December 2023. One more amnesiac omori animatic for the road. Once again it's really spoilery but it's basically Alter and Omori's final confrontation. I have more done than what's shown here but I wanna keep it a surprise for when I finish it, which should hopefully be soon >:3c. Also this one also got hit by iMovie's low quality curse. Song is Eva's Rant from Bring It On The Musical.

[timehastobecruel]

Hi Tumblr, long time no see. Is anyone here? No anyway. I have been holding this one under my thumb for a very long time. I’m still not sure if I should truly post it. I have already planed a little au in the future under the condition that some lonely soul will read this maybe even if no one is going to. I’m just too exited to write this fanfic and scared. Haha, Anyway

Link x f!Reader

If anyone wants I could make a version without the female pronounces

Summary:

Some times has passed since the hero of time saved the world. He is forgotten by now, not only by the people of Hyrule but the goddess herself, living secluded in the lost woods, the only home he ever knew.

After all one throws away a toy that is no longer of use.

Little does he know that fate in form of you is already on its way. The gears of the old clock have started moving again and who is powerful enough to stop destiny?

It was a good day, or so she thought. The sun had just climbed over the mountains and colored everything in soft morning light. The heat of the day had not yet reached its peak and enveloped the inhabitants of the forest in a pleasant coolness. The morning air couldn't have been better and more soothing with every breath and the chirping of the birds couldn't have been more cheerful. Bright clouds drifted over Hyrule, the soft pink kissed orange and here and there one could already sense the infinite blueness of the sky, which would soon stretch cloudlessly and the burn the sun would provide ungraciously.

But this unpleasant premonition did not reach her at all, for her youthful heart felt protected in the forest. She thought she could feel the presence of the Kroks, which calmed her mind and made her feel protected, so that she did not dread the forest, which would have frightened any wanderer.

The weight of her ocarina in her pocket gave her additional security and the knowledge that nothing worse than loneliness would befall the children of this forest. That's why she greeted the eagle owl without shyness, who scrutinized her with attentive eyes. She walked past him into the woods and wandered around with a melody on her lips. Her own imagination made the forest vivid, so she didn't need to discover the little woodland creatures that lurked at the edge of her field of vision and eyed the young woman curiously. They perceived the naive heart and the childish mind, coupled with an insatiable thirst for knowledge that would get her into a lot of trouble.

The deku tree couldn't be angry with her for entering its woods either, and with a sympathetic eye, it saw how tenderly she brushed aside the tendrils of the trees to slip through and immediately find herself eye to eye with a hut.

The rotten wood made her heart tremble, but her concern for the inhabitant was greater than her fear itself. Her father, a carpenter, had put a keen eye in her cradle and her inquisitive mother had created the best prospects for her to absorb knowledge. Other girls who liked to play with dolls had never understood the inclination to rummage through books or watch their parents at work. She knocked timidly on the door and a harsh cry escaped her throat as the wood gave way beneath her fingers and fell clumsily to the ground. Sunbeams now kissed the bare earth and flooded the interior of the house with their glare. A wooden table in the middle of the room could not escape them and would probably fade under the sudden brightness. She entered, surprised by the simplicity of the hut, for it contained little more than a fireplace and a bed. On the other side of the house, the corners were shrouded in shadows so that she could not see the furnishings.

"Excuse-," the rest of her words were drowned in coughs. She waved wildly in front of her face, expelling the dust that filled her lungs and danced in the house. It seemed abandoned to her, so she didn't bother to waste any more words and risk getting more dust up her quivering nostrils and into her bandaged lungs.

Melancholy immediately gripped her mind as she considered the thorough handiwork, running her fingers over the nicks that had been collected in its surface with passing time. She circled the table and crossed the room, intending to keep looking around. A rough hand suddenly placed itself over her mouth and she was grabbed.

She threw up her hands, tried to free her mouth in agony and kicked out backwards with her legs to hit sensitive areas such as his shin. Her opponent was taller than her and in her fearful excitement she could feel the muscular body behind her. But despite her belief that she was up against a strong man, she managed to escape his practiced but weak grip and stared into the boy's face with wide eyes. The mirrors of her soul widened even more.

Her opposite was dressed in rags, the fabric hanging in tatters from his body. The once green fabric was faded and splattered with mud. She thought she could also make out red stains and the smell of blood, beneath the acrid stench of sweat. A far worse odor of sickness enveloped him, which she saw confirmed in his muscular but emaciated form and face. His collarbone stood out. His face was sunken, the skin stretched white almost greenish over the bones, looking almost like a skull, which was reinforced by the impression of the eyes that had fallen deep into their sockets. But beneath all the horror and squalor, his eyes captivated her. He wasn't pretty, but she was almost certain that one, not anymore, was in order. The greasy blond hair underscored her suspicions and his eyes burned hard into her soul.

It wasn't just the piercing blue which was overcast by a dark shadow, but the expression that was reflected in them. They were on fire, burning. An expression that would have taught any normal girl horror and fear but brought her back to her right mind. Beneath the layer of dirt was something that would have escaped someone controlled by fear. The way he held her hand with his left, exerting a surprisingly strong pressure that he had not exerted with his right, left no doubt. A fighter stood before her. A fighter who was used wielding a sword.

He had followed her movements closely and scrutinized her face almost as intensely as she had his. The warm brown of her eyes, which began to shine at the same time as her discovery, made him wonder. The fear had evaporated and given way to a warmth that sent shivers down his spine. It had been a long time since a human had looked at him with so much admiration, almost benevolence. Years, if not decades. He was no longer used to being gazed at with so much enthusiasm, with so much naïve ignorance.

And it repelled him, bringing back too many bitter memories.

"Rise (Get out)," he growled. His voice sounded hoarse, scratchy, as if it hadn't been used for a long time. But the growl that used to make even a grown man’s knees buckle under his weight had no effect on her. She had to prick up her ears to hear his voice and it took her even longer to match the syllables. They were spoken in old language, borne of old times past.

"Who," she said, thinking hard, trying to remember the sentence structure and the right words. "Millet be."

He stared at her, puzzled and surprised, until he burst out laughing. The ice was broken. She relaxed, let the pent-up air escape and finally felt the warmth of the sun on her skin again, which the scene had grotesquely taken away from her.

Giggling, she joined in and opened her eyes again just in time to see him limping to the bed, the only object, counting the table, on which there was no dust.

As he sat down, he said: "Don’t worry, dear child, to be no longer familiar with the language of the gods. It amazes me that thou recognised and e'en understood it at all. Withal bearing so much knowledge already, thou don’t hast to be familiar with their tongue as well. I understand thou that way too"

"Truly? thou speak both languages" she exclaimed in astonishment, her cheeks and the tip of her nose turning red in excitement. "How most wondrous and thee can actually speaketh both" she exclaimed.

"That is not the problem. I just do not like to mirror their clumsy tongue."

"A lot is lost 'i their translation, that's true." He raised his head.

"Now do not look upon me as surprised as a donkey at lunchtime. I realize most well how much finer thou speak than i doth, e'en would I compose the greatest effort. Thy grammar and sentence structure is much better than a housewife and a simple carpenter could ever have taught me. But what can't good will make up for?" she said cheerfully and sat down on the floor as a matter of course.

"Wherefore thee not taketh a chair?" he shouted hastily, wanting to get up, but she was quicker and pushed him back into the bed. "Do not ! thou'd better lie down again, 'i thy condition! thou want a bath and a meet meal! forgive me, yet thou stink and thy apparel could doth with a stitch! How good that I could be barely mistaken as a good housewife”, she mused sarcastically.

In his bewilderment, he began to laugh, dark and warm. He was no longer prepared to resist her, hadn't he given in to her at her first remark? She spoke the truth and that spoke for her.

He raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Doth with a stitch? needle and thread, thou mean."

Her hurt expression made him row back immediately. "Forgive me, i didn't mean to hurt thy feelings, thou mean well and that's all that matters! thou are welcome 'i mine home! if thou desire to compose yourself useful then hie ahead, behind the house thou shall find firewood, a pot 'i front of the fireplace, ingredients for a meal 'i the house, as well as a needle and thread." On the way out, she heard him add: "After all, thou've already invited yourself 'i"

Laughing melodically, she left him behind and found the things as he had listed them.

She dragged the wood over and deliberately ignored his objections, with which he warned her that the wood was far too heavy, cutting mushrooms and onions too difficult and sewing too dangerous. She also repeatedly rejected his admonition that she really didn't need to do that and, despite this, dragged a tub for him to wash in.

She put the bones of a hare, after cutting it up, in water and put its innards and meat aside to add to the broth later.

Late in the evening, as dusk fell, she was ready. She had left the door provisionally ajar because, despite all her knowledge, she didn't trust herself to hammer like her father would have done. Not yet.

As a result, the cold penetrated every crevice and, despite her efforts to keep the house warm and to stoke the fire, she noticed him shivering.

She had already put all the blankets she could find in the house around his slender body and, despite his protests that she needed one too, stuffed it tightly around him.

It was no use, he was shaking and when the spoon fell into the wooden bowl and he buckled backwards, she rushed to him. She placed him on the pillows and felt his forehead. It was hot and his skin was wet with sweat. He was feverish.

[sakkiichi]

hey can I request a genish matchup?

I'm a girl who's about 5'7 and has black hair and black eyes. I like drawing a lot and I also write songs. I often study and prepare for tests with the time I have.

I am very kind, loving, caring and considerate. I hate any kind of conflict so I usually almost always agree with other's opinions. I rarely get angry and usually bottle up my anger lol. The only thing I don't agree with is changing my basic moral values. I refuse to harm those who have harmed me as I simply don't like it. I also love puns and my humor is similar to cyno's lolol. I'm a huge introvert but I always try to be friendly and try to figure out the way to win someone as my friend. I've been betrayed and replaced a lot before so I get kinda scared of ppl leaving me easily. But to those who are the closest to me, I treat them like royalty. The smile of those I love is the most important and I will go any lengths to achieve it.

hey, dear, thank you for the info you sent ! i hope it’s okay to publish it, since i have no way to identify you otherwise… i hope you’ll like the matchup <3

now, for you i was seriously debating two characters that i can definitely see you clicking quite well with, but finally decided on someone who loves nature and is seen as a guide of sorts. Like you, he spends a great amount of his time studying and though sassy at times, he’s not one to go looking for conflict either, often preferring a more rational approach. In contrast to you, he knows when to let his anger show and he’s not afraid to throw hands (if he absolutely has to only, of course). Though introverted, he is social too and good at talking in front of crowds.

well, with all this, you might have an idea of who i’m talking about already hehe ~ i think your genshin match is…

✧ TIGHNARI

Your love for drawing and song writing are both facets of your personality that I think Tighnari would really admire. He has knowledge in drawing himself, often recording all the spices he studies on his journals. So, don’t be surprised if some time he asks you to accompany him or just join him to study botany for a while.

The head forest ranger’s eyes can’t help but glance at you, as you masterfully make pencil lines come alive in the form of flowers, leaves, fungi, butterflies or any other living creature he’s studying.

Due to your studious and introverted nature, the fennec fox always finds peace and respite in your company. His sensitive ears feel calm when he shares hours with you, Sumeru’s sunlight filtering through the verdure overhead coming in through his study’s open window.

More than once, when you two have been focusing on the books until dusk, his mind wanders to the lyrics you tend to scribble on the corners of your notebook’s pages.

He always wondered the meaning of those…

—

Intermittent sunbeams dance around the paper, the clear sky overhead patchy with marshmallow-like clouds and vibrant viridian leaves.

Humming to yourself, your eyes follow the penned lines you have down so far, your fingers tapping against your knee, to the tune of a melody yet to fully take form.

You always liked to escape to the hidden corners of Avidya forest to compose your songs. The birds chirping, the nilotpala lotuses floating in the crystalline waters and dendro crystalflies certainly did make for a soothing and inspiring atmosphere.

Sometimes you just got a few lines written; others you only managed to get a general idea of how your song is going to sound; at times, you even wrote no lyrics at all, settling for just doodling the flora and fauna surrounding you, but regardless, all the live that thrived in the rainforest always managed to make you smile.

Not to mention, no one knew about these little spots you picked to let your creativity fly free.

Or so you thought.

He had exceptional hearing, after all.

Honeyed notes had made it to the head forest ranger’s location as he was patrolling, the voice singing them unequivocally yours.

Carefully, he had retraced his steps, the echo of your sweet symphony leading him to your whereabouts.

Tighnari reaches a clearing, where you placidly sit, your back to him. Dendro crystalflies and fireflies flit around, their glow and the sun’s casting you in ethereal light.

Your lover smiles; you look so at peace like this, pen in hand, your feet dangling from the rock you’re sat at, dipping in the crystalline spring flowing by.

Your performance ends, you put down your notebook and unexpected clapping fills the otherwise mostly silent woods.

“I didn’t know you could sing.” Your boyfriend tells you, when you turn around and are met with his clapping hands and twitching ears.

“T-tighnari!” You fluster, gaze averted to the side. You hadn’t expected anyone to find your little corner. “I- well… I just write sometimes… lyrics… or something like that…”

“It sounded like quite the beautiful melody to me.” He says, stepping closer, taking a sit by your side.

“I don’t know… it’s still not finished…” you trail off, tapping the pen against the scribbled pages. Swirling flowers decorate the margins, some of them shaded, others just simple drafts. To Tighnari, however, they all look so beautiful, so alive…

His smile softens, gloved fingers running over your artworks.

“So this is what the quotes I noticed on your botany journals are…” he muses, eyes of turquoise and honey scanning the words.

“Mhm.” You nod, warmth spreading through your cheeks, a fond and shy smile decorating your features.

“May I hear your song again when it’s finished?” Your lover asks, afternoon sunlight reflected in his gaze of molten gems.

And in that moment, as your eyes lock with his, the rest of the lyrics start to outline at the back of your mind.

“That’s a promise.” You breathe, your lips soft on his forehead, his ears twitching happily.

—

Your kind and considerate disposition is something Tighnari adores about you too.

Additionally, his pupil Collei finds comfort in your presence as well. Many a time, she goes to you if she’s having trouble with difficult vocabulary or with writing letters to her outrider friend from the city of song and wind.

In these moments, the head forest ranger can’t help the dreamy expression painted in his features.

Other times, however, though still loving you deeply, he wants to facepalm.

As if it wasn’t enough with his mahamatra friend cracking awful jokes at dinner, he now has to deal with double the trouble.

Still, the sight of you laughing airily with his closest friend, so carefree, so unbothered, is something he could stare at for hours.

Tighnari is very loyal and understanding, so I think he’d be someone healing, in the sense that he could help you find a healthy outlet for your contained anger. He is also very comforting, down to earth and caring, and would reassure you constantly through his actions that he’s staying forever by your side, no matter what.

Like you, Tighnari is true to himself, and the fact that you are determined and loyal to your own moral values is awe inspiring to him.

✧ RUNNER UP: ALHAITHAM

I think our stoic scribe here would be a nice contrast to your personality, in a good way.

Though calm and collected, he’s not scared to throw the occasional blunt jab (as he often does with his roommate), and he’d help you see that it’s okay to disagree with others’ points of view.

When you tell jokes or are being humorous, if you watch closely, you’ll spot a gentle smile on Alhaitham’s face; he really does think your jokes are endearing.

In the same way that, even rational and logical, he thinks it’s so cute you draw and write songs. If you let him, he’d really love to read the lyrics you write.

Due to your nurturing characteristics, I do believe you could make his heart race too. It can be any small gesture, but every time you make him smile sincerely, Alhaitham feels a newfound warmth in his chest, cheeks tinting a very faint pink.

You’ll have to draw that sight sometime.

[the-owl-tree]

Trick or treat! Any chance for candy in the form of thoughts on if they’re setting up NightFrost, what with Sun’s nightmare about him being stolen by a silver cat, and the exchanges detailed between Nightheart and Frostpaw in the spoiler thread? Maybe Night goes to RiverClan and Sun gets his family (kinda joking here but theorizing is fun)

hands u a single one of these

and man. bad. rookflower was right nightheart DOES have a little aura around him that does something to the female characters in the series. i'm not a fan of him reverting back to being pissy at his mom and then having frostpaw act as though she was ever pressured into becoming a medic.

maybe they'll have chemistry in the books but like. ideal situation for me is neither of them get with nightheart. he's a little piss baby who needs to have a time out before he enters a relationship, especially if the writers keep bouncing back and forth on whether or not he's angry at spark for whatever made up reason they want us to sympathize with.

sunbeam's nightmare unfortunately does not fill me with hope that this will happen :/ sunfinch is 10/10 for me though, date your shitty bf's sister girl i'll begrudgingly forgive you for being mean to lightleap if you do

[lizajane2]

Outer Banks 1x10

How did those cops not notice John B and Sarah entering the house? Someone explain that to me. She literally had the flashlight on as if screaming, "WE'RE RIGHT HERE!" And they deserve that happy ending!

"I'm not leaving my little girl," Oh my god, if Ward wasn't a murderer, I'd find that sweet.

Rafe, buddy, I hate to break it to you, but everything is not all right. You're losing it. You're falling apart.

I can't believe no one would actually listen to Sarah. I mean it's obvious the SBI Agent was suspicious. Also, the moment Ward steps in the absolute fear on her face and can he not see how this is tearing her up inside? How it's screwing with her mentally and emotionally?

"She doesn't even see him for what he is." No, she sees you for exactly what you are. A liar. A murderer. Fucking calling her bipolar.

Sarah's family, her whole life is falling apart around her. She's slowly losing everything. Her dad and brother are both murderers and take no responsibility for it. Rose is an accomplice to all of it and Wheezie has no clue what's going on.

I love Mr. Heyward, as strict as he is, he's a good dad. He just wants Pope to make good decisions and be honest with them. He wants Pope to have a future outside of the Pogues. And he's not forcing him either, he's letting his son make his own decisions even if he doesn't agree with them. Can't say the same for Kie's parents though.

"Look I think I actually hurt his feelings." No shit Kie. I thought him giving you the silent treatment and being angry was a clear enough sign.

Holy shit! Kie's mom gave me a mini heart attack popping out of fucking nowhere like that. One of those rare moments that I think she's being a concerned mother. Like at this moment she just wants Kiara to be safe and that's understandable.

JJ's dad is passed out on Ambien shit will knock you the fuck out. I have such a funny story; this was years ago, and it was the night of the GA vs FL football game, she hadn't slept in 6 days. She took one that didn't work, took another, and the entire night she thought she was giving a rock show and playing an electric guitar. Funny as fuck, laughed so hard I almost pissed myself.

Anyway, any scene that JJ has with his dad hurts. My heart hurts for JJ. He's not even sure if his dad means it or not, but it's clear that no matter what happens between them JJ is always gonna love his dad. But he shouldn't be the one apologizing, for anything. It's not his fault.

"I see your mother in you." Just stab me and twist it, why don't you? It'll hurt less.

Pope kicking the living fuck out of Rafe is:

That ass-whooping was deserved.

JJ to JB: "Love you." No, but listen their friendship is not talked about enough. Especially when he's like taking control of the situation making sure that John B is listening to him, to make sure that he gets out safely.

Kie: "I don't have feelings for you, Pope." A few minutes later, kisses him. Girl, make up your fucking mind. The second time this girl has confused me with her ability to keep saying one thing and then doing the complete opposite.

"Let's go into the storm!" Yeah, let's not do that, JB. Out of all the decisions you made this one takes the cake and the icing.

Ward when JB speaks on the radio, "You framed me for a murder I didn't commit!"

I love that Mr. Heyward also brought in JJ for a hug. Broke my heart to see that he had no one to comfort him... yeah, I never stop thinking about that.

Dream A Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald ft Louis Armstrong is my all-time favorite song.

"Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you, sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you."

[notdonebeingmessy]

Part 2

Susie Sunbeam and her handler tell me to get up and go into the examination room. There was a desk with a computer monitor on it. The actual nurse could probably tie a leash around this other excitable breed that sat at the computer across from me. The RN leaned over the screen of the LPN and logged back into a program that the LPN logged out of. I reached into my bag and realized that my bottle of B12 vitamins had come open. I gathered the little pills like they were precious tadpoles in an annoyingly deep satin-lined puddle. By the time I gathered all the vitamins for the second time, LPN Linda had entered and exited the Matrix twice and I was about ready to fucking kill myself. After this, the ladies pulled it together and they started their interrogation health check-in.

"It says here that you marked that you've been on new medication since last time you donated."

Oh yeah... It's been a long 45 minutes. I guess I did choose that option on the quiz you take when you first come in. Shit. They aren't going to make this a big deal, are they?

"Yeah. It's the same medication, just a bigger dose. I was at 20mg and now I'm on 30mg. I went to 30 in December."

That should be fine. Who cares about the Amitriptyline? It does the same thing as the Escitalopram except it helps me sleep too. At this point, I just want to get the fuck on the floor to those sweet, sweet donation tables. They're like machines that convert pride into currency. And fuck me if I wasn't running out of pride on a minute to minute basis already.

"Alright. Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"What is this medication used to treat?"

"My anxiety and depression."

LPN Linda types for a bit and RN Rachel watches her screen like a hawk. I bet this was the highlight of her day. Rachel says to click a box and Linda does so. Linda then asks me the bullshit:

"Do you have suicidal ideation?"

"Sometimes."

"How often do you have suicidal ideation?"

"Like, how often do I think about killing myself?"

"Yeah."

"Every few days."

"Every few days? When's the last time you thought about suicide?"

"Yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

After a minute, Rachel now spoke: "According to our guidelines we cannot let you donate. You will be put on a 6 month donating freeze."

"What? Why? ...Liability?"

Rachel said "Your medication is protein-based, and for your well-being, we cannot take your blood plasma because then your medication wouldn't work as intended. Your life is what's most important."

...........................

... What the fuck? ... Really? They're really going to do this to me? If I wasn't going to kill myself before I definitely am now! What am I supposed to do? This was my last resort before trying to fucking sell feet pics! I'm at least trying to pretend like I have a little bit of dignity getting paid for my fucking plasma.

"Yeah.... I understand."

Linda looked shaken. Even Registered Nurse Rowdy Rachel the Ripper looked awkward.

I reflect on the fact that I did just tell these 2 strangers that I should probably be on suicide watch. Maybe my casual tone about it is what left them uncomfortable.

Whatever.

I calmly exited the room and made my way out of the plasma donating center, just as poor as when I entered. Except this time I'm hungry and angry.

I guess I'll live to die another day... But without rent money.

I hate my need to be a fucking girl scout and be honest on these soulless questionnaires (designed for the sole purpose of dodging liability). That'll teach me to think twice before being honest about my mental health. My landlord couldn't give a shit about my sad brain. That's how society works.

........….......... ............................. ..........................

Tell the world to change overnight because mama raised a little bitch-- Let's see how far you'll get with that attitude. If I'm gonna sell my plasma, I have to be a well-hydrated Shiny Happy Person.

So says "Big Science" or something. Idk.

It's gotta be some kinda wake-up call when you're donating plasma for the money rather than for the altruistic aspect anymore. How do I go from $5,000-8,000 a month [less fuckery agency fees] to letting big pharma sell my actual lifeblood... Well, plasma but lifeblood sounded more dramatic.

Yet, there I was with the plebs and the common riff raff, standing in the sell-your-body-for-bread line. The line crept forward at a rate that rivaled a half-dead mouse whose spinal cord had been only partially severed in a trap. Sorry for that image. I shouldn't be a shock jockey. I wasn't hugged enough as a kid. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.... it is a cut in the line. It turns out that if you haven't donated in a while, they send you to the nurse to be reevaluated before going directly to a station.

... ... ...

Alright, this shouldn't take too long.

... ... ...

I slump into a hallway chair, pretending to not need this money. .. .. .. A nurse and a nurse-in-training(?) that seems like way too much of a people person cut into my view of the poor savages waiting in the main line.

To be continued...

[t4twnyclaw]

Nightheart takes on an Ashfur-role, glorifying the girl he likes while also constantly comparing her to the women in his life who’ve wronged him (his mom, his sister, his grandmother.) 

[icallhimjoey]

Sunshine Blend Dark Roast is such a roller coaster and I love roller coasters and I also love games 😈…

God, that selfie thing made me cringe so hard…also, reader is so relatable?! I wish, I were more like her.

As always, perfectly written. 👌🏻

Have a nice day, babes 😘

bestie ima take for a riiiiiiiiiiide today! Wordcount: 2.3K

---

Sunshine Blend Dark Roast

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

When Joe walked in the next day, you had your hand ready, resting on the tower of large brown paper cups and you glared at him threateningly. Like a western stand-off. A cowboy with their hand near their pistol, ready to pull it out and shoot as soon as the other made a move.

Joe saw. Eyed your hand, stayed quiet for a little bit and then let his eyes bounce between your face and your hand and you seemed... genuinely upset about something. So Joe caved.

"Can I get–"

You hurriedly took a paper cup, wrote down Joe, and then, typed it in on the cash register to make Joe pay. Didn't wait for Joe's order. Didn't wait for Joe to give you a random name. Didn't tell him that this one was on the house. You made Joe pay, and Joe grinned a little, realised this was a game he'd now won, and happily tapped his card to the machine. You hated every second of it and weren't holding back on letting him see that. Letting him feel that.

“So, you paid?”

Joe had just stuck his wallet back into his pocket, checked the pin machine, was about to say, yes, I did, because the payment seemed to have gone through, but you didn't mean today. Obviously you didn't mean today.

“You just went and paid? Thought you could just do that, go behind my back? Go and pay?!"

Yes, that’s exactly what Joe thought. He thought he understood the game. He thought this was how he could play. But the sunbeam of a girl in front of him was now a solar flare. You were no longer dripping with honey, or caramel, or any other type of syrupy sweetness. You still looked delicious, and Joe really wanted to go in for another bite if he could find the guts, but you looked like you were about to explode into high ejections of hot lava.

Joe remembered Jamie saying, “Oh she’s like the sun, that one. Got to be careful, if you stare long enough, you’ll go blind.” And this was like that. But vicious, and scary. No fun. 

“Look at me and all my money,” you muttered, now making Joe’s drink, moving around without any care, slamming things down, picking things up like you were going to throw them like a pitcher in a baseball game. No more sunbeams, but just, a scary summer storm, raging. “Can’t appreciate a free drink when he gets one,”

“Forty-seven.” Joe interrupted you, and for the first time in weeks, he surprised you. Made you look up at him with rounded eyes, just for a second, because you realised, Joe had counted. 

“They were forty-seven free drinks. Appreciated all of them, said thank you every time,” 

Your rigid movements made something drop behind the counter. Joe didn’t see what it was, and you didn’t move to pick it up. Kept angry eyes on a boring cup of coffee you were making for whoever the fuck Joe was going to tell you he was that day.

Joe felt a small bite of guilt in his stomach. Had he ruined it? Had he misread the situation? Again? What did you want from him? There was always something people wanted, and even if they didn't ask, it was always so easy to tell what it was that they wanted.

So why then not with you? Why was Joe always guessing with you? And then, always getting it wrong with you? You'd given him free coffee every day for weeks, and for what purpose? What was the reason? Just to make him owe you? Was that it? Ugh, Joe couldn't stand it.

What did you want?

The first beats of The Proclaimers' 500 Miles filled the shop and Joe knew these were happy beats you would usually dance to. Except you didn't move this time. Joe was sad he couldn’t see your feet from where he was standing, because you were doing a stellar job at not moving a single muscle in your upper body, but he would put money down on the fact that at least one of your feet was tapping along.

God, you really were a sore loser, weren’t you? A very pretty one, very cute, all frowny and pouty, but a very very sore one, too.

“Are you... you can’t seriously be upset that I paid an outstanding bill, can you?” Joe kept his voice down, leant over the counter at the end where he'd pick up his drink in a second, tried to keep this conversation a little private.

This song was getting to you. Joe's worried face was getting to you. You were so close to breaking. So close.

“Can you?” his eyebrows knitted up higher. So expressive. You kind of loved it.

Okay. Enough. You let one corner of your mouth curl up, only slightly. Very small.

Jamie had called you the sun, but he had also said, “She’s like a party,” when Joe asked, “See what she’s like?” as they’d stepped out of the shop that day, coffees in hand. You were like a party, Jamie said, one that you didn’t want to finish, that made you make stupid choices, that would have you end up in a stranger’s house with a group of people you’d never met before in your life just because you didn’t want it to end. Needed it to go on for longer. Some nights weren’t allowed to just be over all of a sudden, and neither was this. Joe had ended a game. He hadn’t lost. You hadn’t won. It was done, but it couldn’t just be over.

But Joe seemed genuinely worried, and this was good song, and to be honest, your boss had started giving you suspicious eyes and you were afraid that maybe your coworker had dropped a comment that your boss wasn't meant to hear. Joe paying for all of his coffees was ultimately a good thing.

You were just a sore loser. And you still wanted to play. And then Joe was worried.

So you smiled - but only a little - as you handed Joe his large americano, and before you let go of it completely, said, “You better think of one hell of a way to make that up to me, Ed,” You almost said Eddie. Almost. And with a twist of your wrist, made sure your fingers brushed against each other before you let Joe take it.

The bright red that rose to his cheeks made up for everything. Joe walked out, smiling like a loon, feeling all warm and tingly on the inside.

Joe didn't come in the next day, and you weren't stupid, because Joe had work things, surely. But he did come in the day after, and it was a little busy, so you hadn't seen him come in, only noticed he was there when it was his turn.

“Let's get a coffee,” Joe said, chin slightly raised, a confident playful smile on his face.

You looked at him for a second, narrowed your eyes, not trusting this upbeat attitude from him, but, sure. Of course he could get a coffee. He was going to pay for it again, though, those glory days were over for Joe, and by his own hand too.

“Sure, boring same old same old?”

You were already reaching for a large brown paper cup when you heard him cough a laugh. You could’ve mistaken it for a scoff, or even a sob, and you saw how Joe let his head hang for a second. It gave you the perfect view of the tips of his ears which were suspiciously flushed already.

“No,”

Wow. What? You stopped in your tracks. Huge eyes on Joe. No?!

Joe had taken a full day to work up the courage. This was going to be mortifying, but he was going to do it. Surely, it was what you were after, and he actually didn’t mind the idea of it. Did he fully trust it? No. But he wore a smile, wore confident eyes, wore this version of himself that he’d let the lighter parts of his brain muster up after thinking of the best possible outcome. He had to be quick. Get it out fast, before the dark parts would take over. So he wore a smile, wore confident eyes, and he wore them like armour. Because he still needed a bit of protection, didn't he?

You stayed unpredictable, and scary, like a dark ride in a theme park. A rollercoaster in pitch black. Fun and adrenaline inducing, but terrifying and with dark corners Joe couldn’t see into. And did he really want to see into those corners? That would totally ruin the whole ride, wouldn't it?

It was a constant battle between wanting to know more, get the answers from you that Mr Self-doubt clearly needed, but also, let you exist as this mysterious, lovable, gorgeous lucky charm of a person that boosted the moods of everyone that accidentally got too close.

Joe wanted to know the technicalities behind the magic trick that you were, but also wanted to marvel in awe and pretend that the magic was actually real.

A never-ending back and forth. Confusion and delight. Never sure of your motive. Never sure if that voice was right, or had it completely wrong.

Today, Joe decided that he was going to be that voice himself, even if he could only manage to hold onto that for the duration of him being in the coffee shop.

He was the voice, even if it was stuttery, and even if it was going to crack like a prepubescent schoolboy. He was going to be the voice today, and he was going to use it to ask you an important question.

Joe lifted his head back up, looked you straight in the eye, cleared his throat which gave away his nerves, and said,

“No, I meant, let’s go out. Get a coffee. Together, sometime,”

He got the words out as he rubbed sweaty palms together slowly. You had done nothing to get him this nervous. He'd done that all by himself today, like a big boy.

“Well, well, well,” you plopped the paper cup back onto its tower.

For a moment, you just looked at Joe. Let your lips go from being sucked into your mouth, to a pucker. Let your eyes go from big, rounded, eyebrows raised high, to narrow little slits, almost hidden behind a frown. You let Joe’s words sit there for a minute. Thought them over carefully. Made him sweat a bit more. Joe’s smile got smaller by every second that passed, and just before it was completely gone, you turned your head to look at your coworker, then around the shop and shouted,

“Nobody look at me!”

Of course it did the opposite, made everyone look at you directly, and made Joe cringe. Inwardly, though, where you couldn’t see.

You leant a bit closer, lowered your voice, pretended you tried to make your conversation a bit more private, even though you’d literally just pulled everyone’s attention onto whatever you were going to say.

“All right,” you bit your lip in a bad attempt to hide a smile.

An awkward chuckle on an exhale from Joe followed.

“I get off at three,”

Oh my God, Joe thought. So direct. Being asked out on a date and then proposing to meet later on that same day? Joe would have never even thought of it as an option, would have never gone for it, and a part of him was already searching for excuses. No, maybe next weekend? Or even tomorrow? When I've had time to mentally prepare a bit more? But Joe was his own voice still, the best case scenario guy, and so he smiled, blushed, and nodded.

“Great. Then I’ll see you at three.”

And then you just stared. Looked into each other's eyes. Joe's eyes were like weapons of mass destruction, you thought. He better be real careful what he aimed those at. They were fine to look directly at you, though. Gave you a chance to get lost in them a little. Swim around inside them for a bit.

You grinned, and let Joe grin back at you, and in a terribly disgusting turn of events, you felt your own face burn up.

You smiled, and you blushed and you were definitely holding up the queue together, because by now two other people had walked in, but Joe had just asked you out on a date with him and you wanted to make this moment last longer. It couldn’t just be over. Not so fast.

Your colleague disagreed, and cleared his throat loudly, making the both of you turn to look at him.

“Are you going to order a large americano, or what?” stern eyes at Joe.

“Oh! Yes, please,”

You grinned, grabbed a paper cup, nearly dropped it because, oh my God, Joe was staring at you, stop it right now Sir, and found your sharpie with clumsy fumbly fingers.

“Name?”

“Eddie.”

Mother fucker used the joke you’d so very nearly used two days ago when you’d called him Ed. What an idiot.

“Of course.”

You wrote down Joe, and let him pay.

Joe thought he understood. You accepted, and so it was confirmed. You wanted something from him, and now he had finally figured out what it was. Joe understood now. And although not opposed, he predicted he was probably going to enjoy this too, knew it was just going to be what it was. A transaction. Just like with everyone else. It was a little different, because it had taken him this long to figure it out, and he was wary still, like he had been wary for months now.

But you wanted something from Joe, and Joe had just decided to hand it over.

Joe understood now.

---

The Taglisted: 

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[kadssp]

Can i request Sun, moon, and Glam Freddy with fem reader who is suddenly in a very bad mood after being on her phone, texting someone? She just kinda start getting very irritated and angry and then tells how it's her ex who's supposedly is now her "friend", but they're just very problematic together (which is why they broke up) and continues to somehow piss eachother off whether it's unintentionally or purposely >:( or is that too much of me self projecting

note: thank you for requesting !! im a fan of your writing so i was excited and giggling when i saw this. have a great day sunshine<33

warnings: gn!reader though “silly girl” is used once in Sun’s, light venting/ranting, anger, problematic friendship, ex is lowkey causing shit, hurt/comfort

Sun

He honestly sort of knows something is wrong. He’s around kids everyday so he can tell when a little one is hiding their emotions or when they’re about to explode in anger and throw a tantrum.

And it’s no different when it comes to you, if anything it’s because he is around you so much he can sense the tension in the air.

”Sunshine? Hey, hey Sunshine! What’s up! What’s wrong!” He’s bouncing from side to side on the heels of his feet, swaying in his lil dance as the daycare theme plays in the background.

You glare at your phone, thumbs moving to tap against a letter on the small keyboard but too frustrated to think of a kind choice of words.

With a groan you turn the phone off, which vibrates with another notification that happens to be from someone you don’t get along with at all.

“Nothing, Sunny. Just— Just this.. Idiot! Ugh, I don’t know.” You throw your head back, leaning in the small kid’s chair you had originally thrown yourself into a few moments ago.

”Oh? That’s not a very nice word to use for a friend!” He says, hands clasped together as he tilts his head watching the way your glare softens when you look at him.

”Well, this friend isn’t a very nice person. Can I even call them a friend if we don’t get along?” You sigh again clearly annoyed with your situation and Sun thinks for a moment on how to respond.

He always believed by everyone being a friend or a potential friend! But, if they’re not nice, don’t follow rules or upset you when you’re together then surely something is wrong here!

”Have you tried talking it out with your friend? Talking always fixes differences!” “Every time we talk it turns into an argument.”

Oh. Well that idea was thrown into the trash bin quickly. He hums for a moment, your hands card through your hair as you try to distract your thoughts, just thinking about them made you upset. You honestly wondered why you gave them any type of interaction with how they treat you.

”Hm, who is this person to you, Sunshine? I’m sure if you care about each other than you can overcome this… Right?” His attempts at helping make you smile slightly, corners of your lips quirking up as you sit up in the chair looking at Sun now who waits patiently next to you.

”They’re my… Ex. I thought since our breakup went a little smooth that we could be friends but, I was wrong I guess.” Your mood drops, upset with yourself as you look down at your hands against your lap.

Sun wasn’t expecting to hear that from you. You had an ex? He never knew that! That explains why you don’t get along then!

”Oh silly girl!” He laughs, patting your head tenderly as he scoots closer. ”That’s why you don’t get along together!“

”I guess so. I just thought I’d give it a try.” “You did! And you did great at it, Sunbeam! But some friendships don’t work out.” He hums comfortingly at you, rubbing his hand over your back as your face falls at the words.

”You tried really hard and even though it’s not working out that’s okay! You will find a new friend again! One that doesn’t make you feel like this.” He’s sweet, turning to the side and picking up a small clear box and placing it on the table in front of the both of you.

He clicks it open, lifting the lid off and grabbing two sheets of papers and placing them in front of the two of you.

”Why don’t we finger paint our emotions? Or paint something that makes you happy!” He’s swaying side to side where he sits besides you, dipping a finger in the yellow paint and drawing a smiley face on his paper before looking over at you expectantly.

You shrug with a unconfident smile as you touch the blue and purple paint with the tips of your fingers and trace lines out on your own paper.

You begin to truly smile after a bit of repeating the same action with different colors in different strokes against the sheet. Sun had eventually tapped dots of colors against your cheeks and now you were a giggling mess as you showed him your small painting with a wide grin.

His heart swelled and he let out a dreamy sigh, bottom of his circular head resting against his hand as he nods in approval and praises your work. You pull out another sheet, this time mentioning you’re drawing something that reminds you of Sunny.

He’s little plan worked and you’re too caught up to realize it yet as you paint with your fingers across the paper, the whole daycare filled with your laughter and his robotic sounding cheers and praise as you spend the evening painting out your emotions and small gifts to each other.

Moon

He was annoyed too, the fact you weren’t going to sleep or making his job any easier was slowly ticking his patience away by the second. And the fact you were annoyed as well made it worse.

”Why don’t you sleep it off.” He had suggested, voice strained as he held back from cursing at you.

“I’m too upset to sleep.” He groans at your response and leans his head against his shoulder as he stares at you in a glare, clearly pissed as his arms cross over his chest and he sways side to side.

”You haven’t tried it yet.” “Because it won’t work! This stupid… Jerk just does anything to annoy me!”

His head lifts, if you could even see in the dark of the daycare then you would be able to see the cheeky grin on Moon’s face as he stalked over to you, bells jingling softly with his movements.

”Who is this… Jerk, Starlight?” “My ex. God, we never get along! Whenever we’re doing something it turns into an argument and then we’re back to not liking each other’s presence anymore.”

Moon hums, uninterested in whoever the idiot was and more on you and why it made you so upset, the solution was simple to this problem.

”Why don’t you break it off then?” He shrugs. You look up at him confused, blankets that he had trapped you in earlier in an attempt to force you into sleeping now loosely hung to your body.

“Break off what?” “The friendship. It’s messing with you both negatively just end it and move on. So you can sleep.” He wants to facepalm at the look on your face, wishing he could just find the ex himself and scare them off so you’ll be happy again and stop worrying over “foolish things”.

“I mean yeah but, I’m trying to fix it so we can stay as friends.” You try reasoning, though it goes through one side of his circular face and out the other he shakes his head and sits down beside you.

”You’ve already tried, clearly. It’s not working out from what you’ve told me so don’t strain yourself to fix something that’s already broken.” His voice is quieter, softer as he pats your head soothingly, grabbing something beside himself and repositioning where he sits. Although you can‘t see with how dark it is, you can hear the gears and metal of his body moving around the padded flooring.

”If I read to you, will it help clear you mind enough for you to sleep?” He sounds slightly irritated but you know it’s his way of trying to be kind.

You simply nod, almost responding when you realize if he can even see you or not but you’re softly pushed down to lie your head against his lap, padded legs inside behind the cover of the pants and it almost feels like a pillow.

The sounds of pages flipping is heard from above your head and you feel a hand pick up strands of your hair before twisting and flicking them between his fingers as he sighs and begins to read.

You forget about your previous problem, phone casted aside and near your legs as you close your eyes and listen to the story that Moon speaks softly to you about, holding the blankets close to yourself as your frustration slips from your mind and body.

Your breathing is slow now as your body relaxes against his touch and he fights back a chuckle at the sight of you asleep finally as soft snores leave your lips.

He whispers ‘good night’ to you before continuing to read, just incase you happen to still be awake even if he’d know if that were the case. He wanted to stay in this moment for a little while longer even if you were dreaming in a land he couldn’t yet reach.

Glamrock Freddy

He’s definitely worried when he sees the state you’re in. Phone clutched in a tight hold in your hands as you’re seething with anger from the chair you sit in inside of Freddy’s dressing room.

He stands still, almost too scared to move as his hands reach out and retract back to his sides as he thinks of a solution.

You groan, the sound of his metal squeaking with his movements worsening your mood. “What is it, Freddy?”

His ears droop at the tone your voice holds, annoyed as you talk to him but your eyes are still looking at your phone in your hand. He‘s curious what has you so worked up.

”Well I… Uh…” He’s embarrassed he doesn���t know what to say, your brows furrowed as you cast your glance in his direction as he stutters over his words.

He swallows thickly, slightly pressured from your eyes on him as he clears his throat. “I was wondering what has you so upset, Superstar.“

Even though he wasn’t hinting at your ex you groaned at the thought of them, grumbling swears under your breath as you contemplate throwing your phone into the hard flooring.

”I just have this friend I don’t get along with that much.” You sigh, noticing how Freddy looks genuinely sad as he nears you, feet shaking the ground beneath him.

”Have you discussed your problems with each other and talked it out?” He asks, head tilting curiously as he sits on the ground in front of you like a little child would.

You shrug and frown as you look off to the side out the glass window, kids run past as they call out to their parents and friends about the next event or area they’ll go to.

”Anytime I try to my ex gets upset and then we end up distancing again and not liking each other.” “Ex?“ “Yeah, that’s who my friend is… My ex.”

He hums looking down at his hands before he reaches up and holds yours in his own. A determined look in his eyes as he stares at you intensely.

”Why don’t you take a break from being friends then. Or from seeing each other.” You shake your head, phone buzzing in your lap again from another text most likely from your ex.

”I can‘t do that, Freddy. They’l—“ ”Why not? It’s the best solution currently, especially if they aren’t willing to cooperate and fix your differences with one another to have a steady and strong friendship.” He leans closer to you and lets out a robotic sounding sigh as he closes his eyes for a moment.

”This isn‘t how friends should treat each other. This isn’t what a friendship is supposed to be, my Superstar.” He says sadly, ears drooping again as he looks at you who frowns back at him.

Before he can register your movement you’ve wrap your arms around his head, hugging him tightly as your anger washes away and he comforts you.

Patting your back softly as he lets his claw finger tips trace shapes into your back while you hold onto him for however long you needed.

”You can stay here for as long as you want, Superstar.” He hugs you back, letting you sit in his lap as you release your emotions and burry your face in the crook of his metal neck. “No one can harm you or upset you while I’m here.”

And you do. You stay with him for the rest of the evening, eventually feeling better about how you felt, forgetting about your phone that hummed lowly in the chair that sat off to the side as you did activities with Freddy. Laughing together as you took out a Pizzaplex guide that had games on it for children and drew on the pages as the sound of your cheerful talking filled the dressing room.