#that thang really made the whole crowd gasp

[consumable-clots]

Everybody clap for Flat Stanley! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Wet Sugar” [Part 10 of 30]

Summary: Being together again isn’t easy for Erik and Yani...

"I keep rubbin' 'til your body start to tweak, ahh When you push up on it, put that thang on me boy What's popping, baby? Can you put me to sleep, yeah Every time you see me, do me dirty, yeah I'll be back, I talk that, I want that shit bad I can't wait 'til midnight, baby come see me

Softly, tell me would you stay baby You know I give you more than she I know just where you wanna be, yeah Hair-do wild, make-up on your favorite pillow, baby Louder than the TV, knockin' boots We rockin' to grindin' music playin' I wish you could see what I see, baby Comin' for you boy, don't you say a thing…"

Missy Elliott—"DripDemeanor"

The man in charge of the mobile D.J. stage perched atop the semi-truck trailer told Yani and Kendall they were not allowed to curse or say anything offensive while performing. Yani stared at Kendall because the song he planned to perform, one of the most popular songs on Junior's compilation album, had a line in it with the word "nigga" as part of the chorus that Yani repeated throughout. Along with other profanity. It was actually a positive song called "Fiyahbun" and was about their ancestor Mary Thomas.

Queen Mary.

She of the Three Queens from the Virgin Islands. It was a song about the strength of Black women who took no shit from no one. The single was being streamed and downloaded like crazy, especially in the States and Europe and Kendall really wanted to show it off live to his people.

"I'll cut the song if I hear any cursing. Seen?"

"Yeah," Kendall grumbled, "What do we do with your part, Yani?" Kendall asked.

"Let the audience say it, we can't be penalized for something they do. I'll just point the mic at them and see what happens," she said.

The truck D.J. cued up the track and Yani stood next to Kendall as he fussed with another performer who complained about the sound system cutting in certain places.

Yani could see her younger sister Anika squirting their friends with her super soaker and she felt the restless spirit of the revelers as they waited for Kendall to perform to get the celebration back on track.

Twyla shouted out Yani's name and Kendall took over. Once the music kicked in and Yani let the audience do a call and response, things went well. Kendall even seemed over-hyped, almost angry that he couldn't use profanity to punctuate his bars. But the song was still a hit, and the crowd went off with them.

Kemba's friend Conrad helped Yani down from the stage and she played jab-jab with her relatives. Conrad was a nice young man with lofty goals, and he took a liking to her, but he seemed a bit miffed that she kept getting requests to take pictures from fans of the album. She took as many pictures as people wanted because she knew it would help Kendall. She tried to explain this to Conrad, but his face showed irritation.

Most of the fans wanting pictures were clearly clout chasing to get next to her, especially knowing she was Chez's Ex, and many were just thirsty niggas trying to cop a feel on her ass while their hands held her waist. A lot of the women clamoring for selfies too were trying to get next to Kendall. Conrad stood there like a scorned lover and Yani thought he was being ridiculous. They weren't on a date. It was a meet and greet and thus far, he was just a nice guy. No chemistry.

"Anika!" she shouted when her sister painted her chest with blue water. She snatched packets of pink powder from her jean pockets, ripped them open and tossed them at Anika. Music blared from the massive stage speakers and Yani danced around ignoring the prune face of Conrad. She left him standing in a cloud of green powder.

"There's a big nigga lookin' for you, Cuz," Twyla said, her lips pressed up near Yani's ear.

"Oh, yeah? Who?" she said throwing her ass back. Twyla smacked her bum and held up her cell phone. She swiped the screen and held up a picture.

Yani's mouth went dry and she grabbed the cell.

The scars. The hair. The muscles in the arms.

"Where did you see him?!" she blurted out and Twyla's face gave her a questioning look when she took back her phone.

"He headed over toward the drink carts—"

Yani pushed through the bodies, her eyes darting around searching for Killmonger. Stomach fluttering with excited nerves, her legs rubbery, and her mind racing, she felt like she wanted to pass out for a second and had to stop and catch her breath with her hands on her knees.

She thought for sure he was gone forever, had just gotten accustomed to making it through a whole day without him being on her mind, and yet one little photo had her running around frantically looking for his ass—

She came to a complete stop when she saw him sipping from a plastic cup and watching the parade of people move past him. His hair looked longer. His tight white tank made his scars look like art. A thick Cuban link gold chain draped around his neck, the bright gold on rich golden-brown skin made him dazzling to look at.

She slipped behind a barricade and snuck behind him, taking the place of a white woman who jumped down from the small bench he stood in front of. At first, she thought she would grab his arms and shake him with surprise, but then it hit her. He was back on the island. He came back for her. He saw Twyla and asked for her. Those thoughts made her think of his last words to her. Him asking to have her. In that way. She wanted that more than anything standing behind him, taking in the shape of his back, the curve of his ass in his joggers, those biceps that were strong enough to hold her up in mid-air for a long ass time.

Her fingers reached out and slid around his neck—

"I told you once already—"

She closed her eyes and kissed the back of his neck, the coolness of his Cuban link touching her warm arms, his cologne stirring her senses. She felt his chest shudder and when he turned to look at her, she thought she saw water in his eyes. Perhaps it was the liquor he had been sipping that made his Henny-colored eyes well up. He pressed his forehead against hers and tremors cascaded through him. She held him tighter as his arms wrapped around her waist, the paint and chalk on her clothes staining his white tank.

"Killmonger, why are you shaking? I scare you?"

His lips were ferocious on hers as he cradled her face. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue curled around hers. He lifted her from the bench and she wrapped her legs around his waist, neither giving a damn about the people swarming around them.

She came up for air.

"When did you get back?"

"It don't matter," he said crashing his mouth back over hers demanding that she submit to his plundering tongue, and she did. She felt his dick growing against her mound and pulled back.

"We should go somewhere else," she panted, her lips itching to be back on his.

He put her down and tugged on his shirt to cover his erection. Clasping her hand in his, he pulled her away from the surge of bodies. She tried to keep up with him but his long strides seemed desperate, his urgency spiking her excitement at being with him again.

They walked far and in the opposite direction of the revelers.

"Killmonger!" she huffed, her feet and legs suddenly feeling tired. Trying to keep up with him was proving difficult. He looked back at her and his eyes were so bright in the sunlight. He slowed down for her and she let her other hand hug onto his arm as they walked.

They crossed over two parking lots and Yani recognized the S.U.V. parked near a corner market as one of Klaue's. Erik opened the backseat door.

"I'll get this paint and powder everywhere," she said.

"Don't worry about it," he said, helping her get into the vehicle.

Erik hopped in the back from the other side and for a moment they just stared at each other. His eyes took her in. She reached out and touched his necklace.

"This is nice," she said trying to make conversation.

He took it from around his neck and put it around hers. It was heavy. Real fucking gold. Probably five to eight thousand dollars-worth from her calculations. It hung down and rested on her breasts. He twisted the chain and pulled her neck toward him and kissed her again, their tongues out in the open sliding against each other. She felt him twist the chain tighter and she gasped, releasing his tongue as his slid up her neck and nibbled on her ear before it was back in her mouth again, her face tilted to reach his.

Fuck.

She never kissed like this before.

They were at it for soooo long. He vacillated from obscenely wide open to closed mouth tongue kissing in long intervals that made her mouth water. There was a sticky puddle in her panties and squirming in the backseat didn't stop him from sucking on her lips and licking the seam of her mouth making her pant like she was in heat.

"My pussy…" she gasped. She wanted his calloused fingers down there…everywhere.

"Baby," he whispered and his voice hitched a bit as he sank his tongue deeper into her mouth. Her pussy was throbbing just from his tongue delving into her throat, dipping in and out like he was fucking the shit out of her neck. He didn't touch her or stroke her or pet her body in any way. Just his mouth overpowering hers, tugging on the Cuban link to choke her a bit to make sure she was obedient to his lips. And she was.

His mouth went to her left ear and that hot heavenly tongue snaked in and out then did the same to her right ear. Jesus, he was fucking her ears! Her left leg started shaking.

"I still gotta work hard for you, girl?" he whispered.

"Not too hard, man, for real," she whimpered when his hot mouth plunged back into her right ear again.

Her eyes drifted down to look at his waist as he made her ears tingle with intense pleasure. Her lips parted staring at the big tent in his pants. The weight of that print had her full attention.

"I want to suck your dick, Killmonger."

He groaned in her ear.

"You want Daddy's dick in your mouth?"

"Yes!"

"You want Daddy to fuck the shit outta your throat, baby?"

"Yessss! Nigga, please!"

He chuckled in her ear at the sound of her voice pleading with him and dripping full of lust. He still wouldn't touch her anywhere else and she was ready to pull her clothes off and crawl on his lap to get closer to him.

"I want you to fuck me."

"Damn, Yani."

Her skin was on fire and she was frustrated beyond belief. He pulled on his chain forcing her face close to his.

"You been a good girl for me?"

"I'm always a good girl."

"I dunno, summa them pictures you posted online didn't make me happy."

She sucked her teeth and he pulled her in closer and choked a little tighter.

"I didn't like that orange swimsuit."

"Why not?"

"I could see that fat puss sticking out."

"So?"

Yani could feel her body tingle when he mentioned her swimsuit. She wore that one on purpose just for him, hoping he was still watching her from far away. She had played with her pussy right before taking that particular selfie so that her pussy lips were nice and puffy for him. The fact that it was the exact picture that had him riled up right now was scrumptious. She was thinking of his dick in that photo, her clit rubbing against the bikini bottom like a hard diamond.

"Whatchu mean, so? If I could see it, all them bitch niggas out there could see it too. That's too much, Ma."

He brought his face closer, his eyes real serious now.

"You been with anyone since I've been gone?"

"You?"

His eyes darted away and she felt her heart sink.

Could she really be surprised? She wanted to be the one to replenish him, welcome him back to the island with her name in his warm mouth, but a man like this didn't wait. That's what Tahir said. He used women whenever he wanted to satisfy that itch. But now she had an itch that she wanted this bad man to scratch.

"Then I guess we're even," she said.

She hadn't been with anyone. Not really. A few lame dates the month previous out of boredom. A peck on the lips here. A booty rub at the club there. Gave a hurried handjob for the fun of it. That's it. A part of her was really trying to save it all for him. She wanted to cum and cry out his name in his ear. Only his ear. Be only his. This man sitting here before her, dropping out from the big world back onto her island, a stranger who was easily leading her astray. She hated that and wanted it too.

But the way Erik's nostrils flared and his eyes got tight, she had pushed a button. A big one. He expected her to wait. How typical of men. She smirked and pulled back from him. Wiping her wet lips her eyes challenged him. He had the next move. She waited. His eyes studied her face and he still kept his fist twisting his chain.

"You fucked someone else?"

The link was so tight. Tighter now, pressing into her throat, able to leave a bruise if he kept at it. She liked it. Liked being forced to look up at him. Liked his breath on her face. Liked the crease in his forehead as his eyes seemed to let her watch his mind cook up all kinds of scenarios with her and other men. Liked that dark beard that could never hide his dimples. Liked those big sharp gold canines gleaming at her in the false safety of his other bright white teeth. Jealous much Killmonger? Good.

She squirmed in the black leather seat and his eyes looked down at her breasts, thighs, and hips. His breathing was more pronounced. It was none of his business if she fucked anyone. He could ask if she was seeing anyone, to get a sense of where their boundaries laid as a potential couple, but she wasn't going to let him know about her sex life while he was away. No matter how bland it was. Just sitting next to him had her climbing the walls and she was trying her best not to come off like a desperate woman suffering from dick drought, but he brought it out of her.

His mouth attacked hers with a ferocity of kisses that made her weak. The heat from his skin ignited hers again and she was a wet mess all over that backseat: the blue and pink paint and sweat on her body, and the slick heat between her thighs.

When he finally pushed back from her, his eyes looked different, humble even…

"Killmonger?"

"I've been here for a week, Yani."

"A week? Why didn't—"

"I wasn't ready to see you. I had too much in my head to get rid of from this work I do. I wanted to see you…I wanted to drive right to your Aunt's house the moment I got off the plane…I just…"

"You're here with me now. That's all that matters to me. I don't need to know what you do for Klaue. If you needed to get your mind right, then you did what you had to do. I'm not complaining. I missed you…"

His eyes dropped from her face and he bit his lower lip. His eyes welled up and his big body leaned forward and he rested his head on her lap.

"Hey," she whispered. Stroking his hair, she felt his chest heave a little. She kept giving him tender strokes from his forehead to his back until his breathing evened out and became less shaky.

"I…ah man…," he whispered.

"Tell me," she gently cooed in his ear.

"I had a moment out there when I thought I wasn't going to make it. Straight up die, girl. I've been in some fucked up situations before, but this time…I wasn't so sure. I don't know if I was dreaming, or hallucinating or if my mind was just trying to get me over…but…I had this image of you and I swear to God, it saved my life. I just wanted to see you again, even if it was just for a little while, Yani. I'm tired and I just…I just want to be with you. When you say you miss me… I feel like I can rest."

For true?

Yani leaned her head back on the car seat and kept her hand on him, touching him, making sure he knew she was right there with him.

How quickly the moment had turned. Hot and heavy kissing morphed into her giving nurturing caresses to his scalp.

He slept on her lap and she sat there quietly for him. She was so happy to have him back. Allowing her eyes to close, she rested against the headrest as she listened to people walk, shout, dance, and flow past the S.U.V. She dozed off for a bit until she felt her cell vibrate in her back pocket. She shifted her body carefully, letting Erik sleep while she answered her phone.

"Yeah?"

"Where you at?"

Twyla's voice was loud as she tried to talk over the music in the background.

"I found him."

"Him? The bad man on the hill?"

"Yeah. What time is it…ah man," she said. She had been in the car with Erik for over two hours.

"Auntie is looking for you. She has Sydette and Bam with her. We can't find Cee Cee or Sonya."

"Where Auntie now?"

Yani heard a ping on her phone. Twyla gave her a map flag for her Aunt.

"They over by my conch place."

"She want us to take the babies? I'm still a little loopy."

"She wants the kids to see you. You bringing that big nigga with you? Where you at? What yuh doin' with him, gyal?"

"I'm going to head over now. Give me a little time. We're way on the other side. Take about fifteen minutes."

"Sluttin' it up with his fine ass, yeah?" Twyla cackled.

"You so wrong for that—"

"We'll see you in a few minutes," Erik said, holding her phone up to his ear as he sat up from her lap.

Yani took her cell back.

"Bye!"

Erik rubbed his eyes then looked over at her.

"I was out for a minute," he said.

"Yeah, you were. You really are tired."

"Aren't you?"

"Pacing is everything."

She touched his face.

"You ready to see Sydette?"

"Sweet Pea? Hell yeah."

###

Erik held Yani's hand openly, not even caring who saw them together. She actually looked like she was proud to walk around with him. A shit load of male eyes watched Erik warily. A few times Yani was stopped to take selfies again and when they walked on, she pulled him along. His eyes kept glancing at her backside and her thighs, her black fishnets putting dirty thoughts in his mind. She had that extra juicy juicy peach and he had no shame watching all that cake bounce when she walked. The roll of her hips could start wars. He savored being with her, having his fingers entwined with hers, letting her lead him wherever she wanted to go.

A tiny sliver of anxiety entered his body as they approached Leona and the children.

The older woman stood with a stroller in front of her as she stood next to another older woman who held the hand of a chubby toddler. The little boy's eyes stared at Erik with suspicion.

"Aye. Mr. Killmonger!" Leona shouted. She lifted up her sun hat to see his face.

Stepping from the stroller she gave him a big hug.

The woman standing next to her eyed him with quiet suspicion too. He held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Erik," he said trying to make things seem normal.

The woman took his hand and he felt her eyes stare at his scars.

"Sydette, look who it is," Yani said.

Erik looked down into the stroller.

Children grew too damn fast.

Still plump, Sydette's legs were out in a pair of white baby sneakers, pink shorts and an orange t-shirt with the same words that Yani had on hers. Little red and yellow beads kissed the ends of her braids, and her solid onyx eyes gazed up at him.

Yani picked her up and held her on her hip. She pointed at Erik.

"Remember Killmonger? Yeah?"

Sydette turned her head away when Erik moved closer to her, and he had to admit, it made his heart hurt when she did that.

"Sweet Pea," he said and the baby turned her head to face him, but rested her cheek on Yani's shoulder. He held out his hands for her and she turned her head away again.

"You want to hold her?" Yani asked.

"No, don't force kids to go to people when they don't want to."

Yani smiled at him and rocked Sydette in her arms. They were both wearing the earrings he sent them. Yani took his hand again. Leona didn't even bat an eyelash at how close they were acting.

"You want me to take Sydette now, Auntie?"

"Not unless you want to take her. We just wanted to come out for a little bit and see the fun. Everything go well? People behave?"

"Yeah, it was great. You want to hang out longer, Killmonger? How are you feeling?" Yani asked.

It was already past one in the afternoon. He could feel himself needing a serious nap. Lying on Yani's lap made him want to curl up on her again.

"I do feel worn out."

"You okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Finally!" Twyla said. She licked at a snow cone as she sauntered over to Leona. Behind her two of Yani's other female cousins joined her. Talk about a bad bitch brigade. Fuck.

"Found her, yeah?" Twyla said to Erik.

"Yep."

"Where that monster chain come from?" Twyla said, her eyes wide staring at the Cuban link on Yani's neck.

"Killmonger's. It's heavy too," Yani said.

Twyla's eyes dusted over him. Sydette's hands reached out for Twyla's snow cone.

"You don't get none lil bit," Twyla said.

"Mama!" Sydette yelled out and Erik started laughing. Twyla stuck her face close to Sydette's.

"Your Mama can't help you. This is my snow cone. Get a job begger!" Twyla said. Sydette babbled and her fingers pointed to the snow cone. Twyla took a big slurpy bite and walked away. Sydette's face crumbled and she cried.

"Spoiled!" Twyla teased ignoring her baby cousin.

"Hey, Sweet Pea," Yani said trying to soothe the girl but to no avail.

Erik stepped closer.

"You want a snow cone?" he asked.

Sydette's eyes went to his face and she pointed to Twyla and babbled to Erik. He held out his arms to her as she squirmed against Yani's chest, the chalk and paint from Yani's clothes smearing a bit onto Sydette's shirt and shorts. The baby gurgled more and tears squeezed from her eyes.

"It's okay,' he said.

Sydette leaned over toward him and he lifted her away from Yani. Her left hand pointed at Twyla.

"She's not sharing, huh? I'll get you one," he said.

Twyla stared at him then glanced over at Yani.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"Just over there," Twyla said pointing to a vendor behind them.

"What flavor is that?" he asked.

"Blueberry and raspberry mixed," Twyla said.

"You all taking the children?" Leona asked.

Bam's mother already had his hand and Yani took Sydette's stroller.

"Oh, kiss mi neck. We rode on the bus. You don't have the car seats," Leona said.

"We'll be fine," Bam's mother said letting her son have some of her snow cone.

"I'm going to Miss Kerry's house. Have a good time. Mr. Killmonger, it is good seeing you again. I owe you an oxtail dinner. Remind me soon!"

"I'll come pick you up later, Auntie," Twyla called as they older women moved along in the opposite direction.

"I'll take you home," Erik said after the older women left and he found himself being stared at by all of Yani's cousins.

The windows to the S.U.V. were tinted, so it would be hard to see Sydette on Yani's lap. The baby's fingers grabbed hold of his left ear, touching the big diamond there. The babbling began again.

"We better get her that snow cone before she cusses me out some more," Erik joked.

"Bye," Yani said to her relatives as she pushed the stroller.

"Not even going to tell us about this man, Yani?"

The mother of the toddler stared at Erik.

"That's her new man," Twyla said winking at Erik. "Where he come from?" the other cousin asked a look of shock on her face as she took in Erik's entire appearance.

"Bye ladies," Yani said.

Erik followed her and he bought Sydette a small snow cone that he shared with her. Yani didn't want one. The cold shocked Sydette, and Erik could see that her two front teeth were coming in nicely, no longer little grains of rice from when he last saw her online.

Easy.

He felt easy with the two of them as he fed the baby the syrupy sweet treat, her lips curling each time she mouthed the frozen ice. The cone melted faster than they could eat it and he threw the rest away.

They walked toward the S.U.V. and Sydette leaned into him, her head cradled in his neck but her eyes taking in the sights and sounds. The street party was winding down and they would probably get stuck in a bit of traffic, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be with them.

"Auntie is leaving for Virginia in a few days," Yani said.

"Oh yeah?"

"My other Aunt lives there and she's going to stay there for her vacation. You won't need her while you're at the compound will you?"

"Nah, I can cook and clean myself…but…"

"But what?"

Her eyes watched him as they moved closer to their transportation. She looked so cute with all the colors on her skin and hair.

"I might need a walk-through of some things. I don't know everything about the houses."

"Which one are you staying in?"

"Klaue's main house."

Yani looked surprised.

Erik took a chance.

"Are you busy for the next hour or so? I could really use your help going over the place. Klaue left me some instructions, but I bet you know that place like the back of your hand."

Yani smiled.

"You have to work tonight?" he asked.

"No. I have the next two days off."

"Can you help me?"

He wanted her with him.

"Lucky for you I have Sydette's diaper bag with me. I can show you the ropes," she said.

"I'll fix you a late lunch for your services."

"Is this a date, Killmonger? Wining and dining me?"

"I'm trying to earn my time with you."

"I see. You hear that, Sweet Pea? This man is trying to woo your Mama."

Yani reached over and tugged on Sydette's shoe.

More stares from people as he opened the car door for Yani. He folded up the stroller and placed it in the trunk.

"You can take a shower and wash your clothes while you're there," he said.

"I'll clean the car up too," she said.

"I got that."

He started up the S.U.V. She held Sydette tight, the seat belt securing them both. He sat there watching them, drinking in their faces. He was really there with them. No one could've told him three months previous that his greatest desire outside of going to Wakanda was spending time with a single mother. He didn't want children. He couldn't handle the responsibility of a serious relationship because of his work and lost an amazing woman in Massachusetts because of it, but here he was giddy about cooking for this girl and holding her baby. It didn't make no goddamn sense.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

###

Yani found some clothes in her Aunt's apartment at the compound that she could wear as her clothes were washed and dried. After he cleaned up himself, he watched her feed Sydette some strained peas and baby chicken and dumplings that were stored in her baby bag. He was surprised to see her lift up the borrowed t-shirt to breastfeed Sydette. He turned his eyes away respectfully while she nursed and fired up the outdoor grill of Klaue's main house. He cooked up some lemon chicken and made a grilled chicken salad with a strawberry vinaigrette for them.

The baby fell asleep and Yani placed her in the stroller to snooze as they ate in the dining room together. He had been tired earlier but felt energized while they ate. Yani had a healthy appetite and he was glad that she enjoyed what he cooked.

They walked around the compound as Yani pushed the baby stroller. She pointed out things that weren't on Klaue's list, things that the man never had to think of because Leona and Yani handled it over the years.

"You don't have to do much for Jerome. He can look after himself, but if you want to keep him on your good side, leave a little bowl of water on the pool wall. It'll keep him from drinking pool water. It's a saltwater pool, but he will use it and shit everywhere. The pool guy will come as many times as you want, his number is on the fridge in the front house. George is his name."

Erik took in all the information she gave him, but after a while, he stopped listening and just watched her. The tension of worrying about seeing her had left, and in its place, that strong yearning to be near her. It was already nearing five in the evening and he was dreading having to take her home.

They made their way back to the front house and she ran down to the apartment to change back into her clothes. She wore everything except the fishnet stockings. Sydette was still in a deep slumber, the day clearly wore her out.

Yani checked her cell phone and Erik felt himself tensing up again. She was ready to leave and he didn't want her to go. Not yet.

"Is it okay if I put Sydette on the bed? She should stretch out and relax," he said.

"We should probably get back to the house—"

"Stay for dinner…I mean…would you stay for dinner? I can take you both home later. I just want to hang with you a little more."

"You might want to sleep since you were tired—" "That was earlier. I'm fine now."

She nodded and he felt his chest ease up. Yani lifted Sydette from the stroller.

"Put her in the big bedroom, we can hear her if she wakes up," he said.

Even though she knew where that master bedroom was, she waited for him to take her there. Watching her place the baby on the bed, he stood in the doorway, and a million thoughts raced through his head. He had three months. Three months to be on the island with her. Could he live a lifetime in three months? What about her? He wanted her, but did he have the right to start something he knew he could never finish? He remembered his mother's friends when he was a child back in Oakland. The ones who were single mothers and dating. He remembered the complaints about men who started relationships, bonded with children and then bounced. It didn't just hurt the women, but the children as well. He didn't want that to happen, but his life with Klaue wouldn't permit him to stay. Erik's endgame was on the horizon and he was surprised at how transparent he was being with Yani. Being so upfront about what he wanted.

He wanted her, not just for sex, but for a taste of something else. Normalcy? A chance to pretend to have a normal life? One that he could easily let go of because St. Thomas wasn't the real world. It was a fantasy. Like that old tv show his great-grandmother loved, Fantasy Island, a place where people could delude themselves with a pretend life until it was time to board a plane again and go back to reality.

"Killmonger?"

Her voice.

He needed her. He was going to break her heart and his own, but he would do whatever it took to keep her close.

He held his hand out to her and she took it, threading her fingers with his. He tapped a small screen near the bedroom door turning it on, an intercom system that would allow them to hear the baby when she woke up.

Guiding Yani back into the main living room, Erik turned on the wall screen viewer and found a music station that gave them some nice background tunes. They sat on the couch, their knees touching, and Yani filled him in on what had been going on in her life the last couple of months. She was eager to begin school and he was excited for her. He couldn't reveal much to her, so he talked about a short trip he had to visit his relatives in Brazil without naming the country. They discussed the compilation album and Erik was honest, he didn't like too many of the songs on it, but he did fuck with Kendall's single.

"Fiyahbun slaps hard. Is that the family history you were going to tell me about? I'm back now, so spill it."

"How about I show it to you?"

"When?"

"Tomorrow. I will take you on a food tour and show you the Three Queens."

"Bet."

Her eyes watched him with a tenderness he thought he didn't deserve.

"I can't believe you are really here," she said. Her fingers toyed with the Cuban link she still had around her neck. All that gold on her brown. He reached out for it and tugged her closer to him. Her chest heaved a bit and it was hard not to notice how voluptuous she looked in her newly cleaned black top.

"It wasn't easy getting back, but I'm going to make the best of it."

"Will Klaue come back soon?"

Erik's eyes looked away from her. Her hand touched his shoulder.

"Sorry. I won't ask about him."

"I don't want to think about him when I'm with you, okay?"

"Okay."

"C'mere."

She grabbed his hand and he pulled her against him.

"Tell me you missed me again," he said.

"I missed you."

She stroked his locs and her fingernails grazed the back of his neck making him tremble.

"Say it agai—"

Her lips took his and he held onto her, letting her control the pace. Until she crawled on his lap.

Her eyes were soft brown pools of comfort, and her lips plush and warm as she gave him kisses on his cheeks and forehead. Her body was rising heat and his fingers slid up her sides and rested on her breasts. He pushed them together and her fingers rose up and pulled the straps of her bra and top down.

Shit.

Her breasts were still full and her nipples jutted out and he didn't waste a second as his tongue circled each one before he was sucking them, the sound of her moans melting any reservations he had about claiming her for himself.

Pinching her tips, he watched her face take on pure unadulterated pleasure. He felt a tightening in his pants and shifted so she could feel all of him. Her sighs had him turning into putty and when her breasts leaked a bit with milk, he licked her nipples and squeezed them hard, his suckling making his nerves calm down. She was back with him, so he didn't have to rush or worry about someone walking in on them.

She ground her bottom on his lap trying to let his length feel all that hard friction. Her hands clawed the back of the couch as she lifted and dropped herself on his dick. She wanted his heavy print sticking out to hit her mound just right. Watching her bounce on him fired him up even more. All that ass slapping his thighs had his tongue out. He couldn't stop groaning each time all that full weight came down on him.

He sought out her lips again and didn't give her a second to breathe. There was no reprieve from his urgent tongue or from his soft lips.

He tugged on her shorts.

"Take these off," he said.

For a second, Yani's eyes looked concerned. She wanted him. He knew that for sure. But maybe she was having second thoughts about moving so fast. It was obvious that their bodies ignited quickly when they were together, but he didn't want her rushed, didn't want her thinking he just wanted to hump her and then drop her off for the night.

"Baby, I just want to taste that sugar between your legs. I've been dreaming about it…lemme kiss you there the way I want to."

She nodded and shimmied out of her underwear and shorts. He pushed her back down on the couch and opened up her legs. She was limber enough to keep them wide open with her bare heels digging into the couch. He wanted to take his pants off but changed his mind when he saw her face. Nervous desire. They were still new to one another. Something was blossoming between them. It hung in the air. She was so beautiful like that, wide open for him, her hands resting on her abundant thighs, her breasts shiny with his saliva all over them.

"Damn," he sighed when he saw her vulva. No wonder she could get away with those skimpy bikini pictures, she was hairless down there, and her inner labia sat wide open, the crinkly softness so ready for him. Her clit was a swollen jewel and he gripped his erection through his pants to see how hard he was for her.

He reached down and pinched her nipples again and he saw her vulva throb because of his touch and a bit of her clear natural lubricant spilled out from her vagina. He let his thumb glide around her plump clit.

"Yani…damn girl. Pussy tryna get ready for Daddy's dick?"

"Ooohh."

Yani's eyes closed and her lips puckered. His fingers strummed around her clit, teasing, pinching, circling it with deliberate hard pressure until she was moaning for him, her eyes fluttering under her lids.

"Been dreamin' 'bout this pussy, girl."

Her opening throbbed hard again from the sound of his voice and more of her natural lubricant pooled out in a thick stream that dripped down her ass cheeks. Erik let his thumb rub up and down her wet slit and trace down to her anus.

"Killmonger," she whimpered and her fingers circled her clit, those short rounded pink nails of hers so pretty against her glossy folds.

"Play with Daddy's pussy, baby. Do that shit for me," he said.

He pulled on his dick as her fingers flicked her clit. Her pink insides glistened and he finally made the decision to pull his pants off all the way. Her eyes were glued to his shaft. He stroked it a bit just for her to see it grow harder and lift up higher.

"Look how you got my shit," he said.

His slit spilled pre-cum onto his fingers and she saw it, her lips curling up from the sight of it.

"Is that how you played with your pussy while I was gone?"

"Yeah," she gasped.

"You were being so nasty with it," he said, his eyes on her fingers that were now gently sinking into her slit.

She pulled open the fleshy inner lips wider for him.

"Fuck," he said.

He knelt down and pressed his mouth into her center and drank up all the sweetness there. His tongue didn't waste time teasing her too much. He kissed and licked her thighs and tongued down her entire vulva before he even let himself suckle her clit into submission. Her thighs jerked and her hands grabbed his hair.

"Soak this beard baby."

Yani's legs shot up above them and she pressed his face harder into her core. He lifted up and stared down at her. Those big wide eyes were on his face as he slow spit onto her folds. She watched the stringy saliva fall from his lips and land on her clit. Mixing his saliva with her wetness, his fingers traced and pressed her inner folds together, the soft scalloped wings sensitive to the touch as she pulled her knees up to her chest. He shook his beard between her legs drenching himself in her essence. She was close to letting go, her voice raw from calling out his nickname.

His tongue danced around her clit and he felt her breathing become uneven as his tongue swipes purposely missed direct pressure with her nub.

"Want me to lick it again, baby?"

"YES!"

He chuckled at the veracity of her tone. He licked then nibbled her inner labia instead and heard the irritation in her throat as she sucked her teeth.

"You don't like it when I don't give you what you want, huh?"

His tongue tip flicked just under the bud, right near the opening of her urethra and she sucked in a breath. He licked her opening.

"You taste so good. Come taste your pussy, girl."

He rose above her and forced her to raise up to kiss his lips. Her tongue swiped across his lips first and then he stuck out his wide tongue so she could lick and suck it.

"You got a sweet tongue, baby. Will you lick my dick like that?"

A throaty whine fell from her lips and Yani sucked on his tongue like she was giving him head and he groaned with delight over it. Pushing her back down he returned to the apex of her thighs.

He couldn't get over all the pussy throbbing he was seeing, it had his dick bobbing like crazy. He pried her thighs back down to her sides so he could see her face as he ate her pussy nice and proper. He got down to business with her clit and her eyes rolled back in her head. He felt comfortable enough now and let his tongue finally slip inside of her. Her hands shot behind her head and pushed against the couch as her midsection jerked up. He plucked and scissored her clit as his tongue delved inside her core with repetitive and concise thrusts.

"Killmonger…ohmigod…ohmigod…oh…!"

Flicking his tongue in and out of her, he kept his gaze right on her face, and when her eyes met his, she screamed out his name. He felt a bit of clear fluid squirt from her urethra, and her uneven breath punctuated the tight pulling he felt on his tongue as he allowed it to sit in her pussy as her orgasm rolled out from her. The sweet aroma of her folds had him in a daze.

He reached up and squeezed her breasts and there was a release from her nipples too and his tongue popped out of her pussy as he gripped his dick. Her eyes were on him, sweat falling from her face, stomach, and thighs as he lifted up from her body.

What does one do when a Goddess orgasms in front of you? You make an offering of course, and Erik fisted his dick until he was shouting her name out loud and spraying hot semen across her shiny dripping folds, her soft belly, and her heavy wet breasts. Looking down he stared at the picture of her milk rolling over his milky semen coating her brown body once more and she was beautiful. Truly divine.

His hands gripped her thighs as he tried to gather himself, perspiration dripping down his face and falling on her.

"Fu-u-cckk," he gasped and they both laughed.

"Your tongue is dangerous, man," she said stretching her arms out toward him. He pulled her up and gave his mouth to her.

"Your pussy is dangerous. I can see that right now."

"It's yours," she said.

Erik closed his eyes when he heard that and he squeezed her body against his.

"This is my pussy?" he said slipping two fingers into her sticky folds.

"Yes! All yours," she yelped, her eyes squeezing shut as his fingers curled and tapped along her walls making so much noise.

"Listen to all that," he said.

"Killmonger!"

Yani bit on her lips as he wiggled his digits inside of her.

"What?" he teased.

Her head fell back and he held her waist with his free hand, keeping her close as he worked her gushy slit.

"Can your pussy take all this dick?"

Her eyes popped open and she could see that his shaft was plumping up again. His thumb tickled her clit and he played with her folds until she was begging him for his dick.

"I be in that shit deep girl. Can you handle that?"

Her eyes were watery, his finger strokes in complete control of her body. He wanted to be in her so bad. Boxes of ultra-thin condoms sat in the master bedroom. He regretted putting Sydette in that room instead of the other guest bedroom.

"Killmonger…I'm cumming—"

He gasped when he felt her walls clench his fingers and he rode the orgasm out with her as she wailed in his ear all the pleasure she was feeling from his hand.

"Ah, dammit, Yani!"

His mouth covered hers and he circled his fingers gently as he pulled them from her quivering inner muscles. His digits were dripping with her release and he slipped his fingers in his mouth to lick them clean.

Crawling up on the couch he fell back exhausted, his release and hers draining him. If that's how he felt from just eating and playing in her pussy, he worried about how he would handle cumming inside of her. He felt like he had run a damn marathon.

Her head rested on his shoulder and her rapid breathing kept up his non-diminishing excitement. He twisted his gold chain around his hand and pulled her neck toward him.

"Tell me you're mine," he said.

She nodded her head and he shook his.

"I need to hear you say it, Yani."

Her hands cradled his face and he released the chain and leaned into her touch.

"What about you?" she asked.

He leaned back.

"What about me?"

Her piercing eyes held his gaze.

"Are you mine?" she said.

"You don't even have to ask that—" "Yes, I do. You not a one-woman person."

"I can be. For you, I can be."

"I told you I'm not easy. My life ain't easy, Killmonger. I'm a package deal. Understand? I'm no wham-bam jump off. If you just wanna fuck, then say that. We can have fun and then let mi be on mi way."

Her eyes were somber. Serious.

"You plan on fucking other women while you're here? If you are, then I don't want this."

"I just want you."

"For true?"

Questioning eyes stared back at him. How many men told her this? And then lied?

He was no liar.

"You are the only one I want. For as long as I am on this island…you it girl."

"Don't say that unless you really mean it, man…"

Her eyes fell away and she wiped her lids quickly, but he saw the wetness drop from her face.

"Yani…don't cry. C'mon—"

"People use me. Men…they say all the sweet things I want to hear, and then I fall for it until they realize that I'm not here for just a good lay. I have a brain. Opinions. I have a baby who needs me all the time. That's when problems come up—"

"I'm not that dude, Yani. I promise—"

"You can't make me no promises that I can trust. Not yet."

"Then let me prove it to you. I got three, maybe four months here. That's the truth. My life ain't easy either, Ma. On God. I try not to get fully involved with people because I know I won't be around long enough. So yeah, I fuck a lot of women when I can. But this is different. And I shouldn't get involved with you because you have a kid and I've seen how that scenario plays out. I should leave you alone. I know that's what I should absolutely do. I wish I had never met you."

Her eyes shot to his face when he said that.

"I've got issues I struggle with and I do some dirty ass shit out in the world. You already know this. You also know you ain't got no goddamn business messing around with me. You probably wish you never met me either. That's cuz we're in a no-win situation. I know it, and you know it. But we want to play this game anyway—"

"It's not a game to me, Killmonger."

Her lips trembled. He stroked her back.

"What do you want to do then? I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to be miserable here without you. Straight up."

"What will happen to you in three or four months?"

"I don't know. I work for Klaue and he is unpredictable. It's the nature of our work."

"Why live that kind of life? Can't you do something else? You are so smart, and you must have money because you spent a lot on all of this jewelry…"

Her eyes pleaded with him for an answer that could change their fate.

"There are some things I have to do before I can retire from this life."

"How long?"

"I can't say for sure. That's real talk, Yani."

She leaned away from him and cradled her arms around her waist. He felt his stomach tense with unease. This was the same conversation he'd had before in another life. Without any screaming or throwing of things this time around. It was a rational conversation. It always was. Until feelings got real thick and they were deep into the relationship. He could see the writing on the wall, recognized the same thought patterns coming from Yani, and he still couldn't let go of her. He'd read this book before and the ending was always the same. Anger. Tears. Silence.

"I'll leave it up to you. You can think about it if you want," he said.

"It would just be a waste of time," she said.

Her words stabbed him in the gut. His eyes shut while he silently collected his thoughts on how to move forward.

She crawled back on his lap and he looked at her with surprise on his face.

"I've already wasted three months on your ass thinking about you. Might as well use these next three months being with you."

His face lit up and he grabbed her waist and pulled her in for a hug.

"We are so stupid," she whispered in his ear.

"Yes, we are."

"Just you and me, right?" she asked.

"I told you—"

He let his lips finish the rest of what he wanted to say.

"Mama!"

They laughed when they heard Sydette's voice echo out from the intercom in the room.

"Of course, she would wake up now!" Yani said.

She threw her arms around him and he kissed her, drinking in her mouth deeply. He was breathless and let her go, his knees gone weak.

"MAMA!"

"I'm a mess!" Yani said as she scrambled to pick up her clothes.

Erik slipped on his underwear and pants.

"Go clean up real quick in the master bathroom. I'll entertain her while you wipe up," he said.

They both went to the master bedroom. The light sensors already on the moment the baby moved.

"Hey, Sweet Pea!"

Erik made his voiced excited as Yani rushed past her daughter with her clothes and ran a fast shower. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Sydette rub her eyes as she sat up. Her big dark eyes gazed at him and she gurgled a few baby words. She crawled over to him and used his arm to lift herself up, grabbing for his earring again.

"Sweet Pea!"

Yani rushed back out, her body still damp despite being clothed again. She lifted Sydette from the bed.

"I better change her, she's wet," she said.

"I'll wash up and start dinner. You are staying for dinner still, right?"

God, please. He didn't want to be alone.

"Yeah. We'll stay for dinner."

He practically ran to the bathroom.

###

Yani found the dinner Erik cooked delicious.

They sat around the dining table talking about the best rice they ever had, island rice versus Gullah rice, as they both ate the curried rice and shrimp he cooked. Sydette sat on her lap sucking down a few grains of rice that Yani mashed up for her and mixed into her strained peas.

She loved that Erik was an attentive listener. She found herself dominating the conversation and revealed some things about herself that she thought was a little too personal, but he wanted to know. She went into full detail of the breakdown of her relationship with Chez and confessed to him about the lackluster dates she'd had since he was gone. He seemed happy to know that she hadn't had intercourse with anyone. She still felt disappointed that he'd been with someone. She didn't ask how many. She didn't want to know that.

They spoke of serious things concerning them having full-on sex. She was on birth control. They agreed to get tested within the next few days and she gave him the name of the clinic she went to. It was all so responsible, uninhibited, and adult. Nothing like when she was with Chez. They spoke of their likes and dislikes in the bedroom, and she let him know that she used anal plugs. His eyes gave her a look that made her body shiver.

He wanted her to stay the night. She knew it for a fact even though he didn't ask her outright. But when dinner was over, and it soon got late from talking again, she asked for them to be taken home.

She needed time away from him to think about and process his return.

Twyla spent the night at Cee Cee's house and she had the bedroom at Leona's to herself. When Sydette was fast asleep, Yani masturbated like crazy. Thinking of Erik's big wide tongue on her private parts made her cum so many times. The way he talked her through orgasms sent her fingers in overdrive. She had to take another shower before she could go to bed properly.

She was nervous, thrilled, anxious, worried, and all so many other emotions while lying there all night. She couldn't sleep. There was also chatter on her social media feed about her and Erik already. A few pictures popped up on her TL and Kendall's feed with her walking with Erik. At least he had his dark shades on, but they made a striking pair holding hands. She worried that Chez would act out again because he was always scouring her feed to see what she was up to. She avoided him since their last encounter, but it was inevitable, as always, that word would get to him about Erik once more. It would probably be best to keep her relationship on the low low. She kept expecting Chez to blow up her phone, or God forbid, show up at the apartment.

When she woke for breakfast, Leona watched her like a hawk.

"You came back late. You were with Mr. Killmonger the whole time?"

"Yes. He made us lunch and dinner. We talked about my schooling and stuff."

Yani tried to keep it platonic sounding, but her Aunt could see the faint markings on her neck from Erik's chain and his teeth.

"What you plan on doing with that man?"

Yani thought her eyes would fall out of her head.

"I thought you liked him, Auntie."

"I do. But I know what he is. Do you?"

"You don't think I should see him?"

"You uh big woman now. Not a child or a teenager. You know what you should or shouldn't do."

"He won't be here long, so it don't matter anyway—"

"It does matter."

"What are you saying to me?"

Yani sat with her spoon in her cereal and Sydette sitting in her high chair right next to her. Leona sipped at her coffee.

"What are you trying to do with him?"

"Nothing."

Leona chuckled, her eyes glancing at Yani's neck.

"Nothing? Okay. You say so, that's how it is. Just be careful. Don't get careless and bring no more babies home—" "Auntie!"

"You heard me. You don't see how he was looking at you? Like him can't wait to plant him seed in you."

"Ohmigod. Really now? I'm not making that mistake again."

"Then you make sure him wrap up tight. He probably got babies all over. Women look at him and want to breed—"

"Please! Auntie! Too early in the relationship for alla that talk."

"Say that with them love bites on your neck, gyal…"

Yani felt her jaw go lax and she ate her cereal full of embarrassment.

"Him really like Sydette," Leona said.

Yani grinned.

"He does."

Leona cleaned her cup and stared at Yani.

"Be careful, Yani."

"I will. Trust."

Leona went into the living room and Yani let out an anxious breath. Her cell buzzed on the table.

Erik.

She answered.

"When can I see you?" he said.

"Can I call you right back?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need to find a sitter for the baby—"

"Bring her—"

"No, it'll be too much trying to do the walk with her. I'll call you back in five minutes."

Her face was tight from smiling so hard. It was eight in the morning and he was already calling for her time. They had only been separated by nine hours.

"Auntie…"

"Hmmm."

Leona sat on her couch watching her stories on TV.

Yani stood near the couch, her fingers touching a throw pillow.

"Can I have a favor from you-?"

"How long will you be gone?"

Leona's eyes were playful. "Not too long. I'm taking Killmonger to see Twyla on her food tour, and then I want to show him Queen Mary."

Leona sat back in her seat.

"Showing him family stuff?"

"Yeah. Him curious about mi tattoo. He likes food too, so Twyla will give him a good time. Let him see the town…stuff like that. Maybe gone two or three hours."

"Hmmm."

"What that mean, huh?"

"Two or three hours?"

"If you can't, I'll ask Anika or Monice—" "I can watch her. But it won't be for two or three hours. That man been gone a long time. That not enough time for him—"

"Stop. For real, Auntie—"

"I'm just saying. You were gone a long long time yesterday."

"Three hours."

"You say so—"

"I say so!" Yani said tossing a small pillow at her Aunt, "I'll watch Bam for you tonight to make up for your time today."

"Okay, fair trade."

"Why are you looking at me like that."

"You got that look on your face."

"What look?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about. Don't act cute. And don't suck your teeth at me. Have fun."

Yani took a long shower and also cleaned up her daughter. She prepped two bottles in case Sydette was fussy about the jars of baby food Yani was weaning her on. The little girl was holding on to breast milk for as long as possible. Yani was beginning to think it was out of comfort and not nutritional need. Yani had been under stress with her car, keeping Chez at bay and worrying about her finances. It was influencing Sydette's behavior with her.

"You be sweet as pie with Auntie little girl. Hear me? Mama is going to be with Killmonger for a little while, then I come home. Alright?"

"Juice!" Sydette said pointing to her mouth.

"No more juice until dinner. Too much sugar."

Sydette fretted and bent her body back and Yani pulled her forward.

"Stop that. Don't act like Bam. I tell you no, and it's for your own good. You nuh spoiled."

She carried the baby back into the living room and put her on the carpet next to a pile of dolls and a stuffed puppy. Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she checked it. A notification from Kendall. She swiped the link and it was a reblogging of a photo of her and Killmonger on an island gossip site.

"Baby Mama Drama!"

The headline was in large red print under the picture of Killmonger carrying Sydette a big dimpled smile on his face with Yani clutching his arm with a grin on her face. Sydette's face was blurred out.

You see this shit? What are you doing Cuz?

Kendall's text made her feel ill.

Yani scanned through the gossip rag and the main take was the open questioning of Sydette's paternity. She read the comments under the screed and trolls were already claiming that Yani had been using Chez for his rap career, but the real father of her child was the mysterious man in the dark shades.

Ignore this shit.

She texted Kendall with more shaky conviction.

I won't respond to any of this.

She felt nervous now. Chez was always checking for that site. He already saw that photo. She was sure of it.

"Auntie, tell Sonya I will watch Bam at her house tonight."

"Why?"

"Give you a break from having kids here all the time."

Leona gave her a strange look as Yani tidied up the apartment.

She did a load of laundry before she called Erik back leaving the house.

"Thought you forgot about me," he said when she drove to the compound in her car.

"I'm on my way to the compound."

"I thought I was picking you up."

"I have to babysit my cousin's son tonight, so I'll need to drive to her house later."

"I could've taken you."

"It's ok, I'll see you in five minutes."

Erik was waiting for her in the driveway as she pulled in and parked. It felt odd coming into Klaue's sphere and not feel guarded. Erik allowed Sydette on the grounds freely, and she herself could walk around like she owned everything. It was interesting to see how Erik's sole presence made the compound feel…welcoming. Open.

He had the S.U.V. ready for them.

"Do I need anything else?" he asked holding bottles of water for them.

"Nope. You're good."

She gave him directions into Havensight and they parked near the tour guide office Twyla worked for. They could see twelve other people standing near the office. Twyla swept out wearing a teal polo shirt with the Tour Company's logo on it and crisp new khaki walking shorts. A pair of tan Birkenstocks covered her feet.

"Hello everyone! It looks like our last two guests have arrived. We will be getting started. If anyone needs to use the restroom now, you can right inside the office. This tour will run for two hours with lunch and drinks included. Please take plenty of photographs and feel free to use me as your model because I am very cute!'

The tour group laughed and it was fun for Yani to see her cousin act so professional.

No one needed the restroom so Twyla started the tour giving a thorough history lesson about the island, the people, and the culture.

There were stops to taste local drinks at several bars where bartenders spoke to the group and Twyla gave facts about the buildings and other architecture influenced by the Dutch and English and Spanish.

She was so good at her job, and Yani felt proud when Erik had several questions for her cousin that Twyla answered with joyous aplomb, even surprising Yani at some facts she herself didn't know.

The time flew by fast and they ended the tour inside of a restaurant that specialized in fried conch. Everyone ate and enjoyed the food, especially Erik, who ate so much conch that he was belching while he drank his beer.

"You have fun?" she asked.

His arm was around her chair and he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"This was great, but when are you going to tell me about this?"

His fingers stroked the back of her neck, touching her tattoos.

"What you want to know about these?" Twyla said, holding her left wrist up. Inked on her dark sienna skin were the exact same torch and cane blade on Yani's neck.

"She said she would show me," Erik said.

Twyla let a sly smile paint her lips. She glanced at the watch on her arm and stood up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes the Havensight Walking Food & Drink Tour. You are free to remain here and continue your merry-making, the tour office is right next door if you would like to check out our other tour offers. Thank you for being a wonderful group, and I am so happy that I made all of your photos so much better with my presence in them!"

Twyla gave a dramatic bow and eased Yani and Erik out of the restaurant.

"I am done until seven when I do the evening Bar Crawl. Should we head over to Blackbeard's Castle?"

"Yeah," Yani said.

She held onto Erik's hand as they walked through tourists.

The castle really wasn't a castle and Twyla explained to Erik that the tower was really a watchtower built by the Danes to spot enemy ships in the Harbor. Erik was not interested in hearing about Danes or any other European history once he spotted the Three Queens Fountain right below the tower.

Riveted by the statues, Erik walked around it staring at the three women depicted holding torches, their backs to one another facing out onto the world. Twyla proudly walked next to Erik.

"Meet Queen Agnes Salomon, Queen Mathilda McBean, and this baddie right here…this is our great-great-great-extra great Grandmother, Queen Mary Thomas, she was from Antigua originally, but came to St. Croix to work on a plantation…"

Yani stood back as Erik stared at the statue of Queen Mary. Each woman wore a dress with an apron over it, head kerchiefs tied over their hair, feet bare, and eyes looking forward and beyond the island. Twyla reverted back to her tour guide voice.

"On the island of St. Croix, October 1, 1878…our Great Gran right here was part of a labor revolt known as the "Fireburn". Our ancestors fought for fair wages and when the White man acted a fool, as he is known to do, the three Queens rose up with their torches and their sugar cane blades and led the Black masses to burn it all down…"

Twyla laughed and Yani looked at Erik whose eyes were shiny with respect.

"Fireburn," Erik said.

"Fiyahbun!" Twyla shouted, startling a few tourists who had wandered down to take pictures of the fountain.

"Where you gon' go burn, Queen?" Yani sang to Twyla.

"She gon' burn it all!" Twyla responded back.

"Respect," Erik whispered, his eyes looking at the statue of Queen Mary.

"The revolt ended after a few days. They burned and tore up what they could to make those Danes understand some new rules. Buildings were burned down, fifty plantations lit up….some lootin' too—"

"Aye, reclamation, Cuz. People collect fair wages that were not given to them," Yani corrected.

"They were takin' shit, man," Twyla chuckled to Erik, "slavery had ended there in 1848, but they treated niggas like sharecroppers in the States, basically making them slaves all over again. People got tired. These women set it off. Life was not good for them and if they couldn't live well, nobody was, burn the whole fucking town down…"

"So the sugar cane blade and the torch…that's your family crest, like a coat of arms even—"

"But we carry it in our skin. For her memory. Remind us what we made of," Yani said.

Twyla nodded.

"Our Mary was sent to Amsterdam and she did jail time. She could've been hung. Thank God she already had her babies before then or else none of us would be here. She was sentenced for arson and lootin', but her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment," Twyla said.

"What happened to her?"

"She was sent to Copenhagen to do her time but ended up sent back to St. Croix for the remainder of her sentence. Stories and myths surround that part. Some say she escaped the jail, some say she was released. No matter though. We here."

"Yeah," Yani said wiping her eye when she felt a tear start up. Thinking about Queen Mary always made her feel emotional. She wouldn't be alive if it weren't for that woman.

"You can look online and see another statue dedicated to her in Denmark. Twenty-three feet tall. Have our Queen sitting on a throne holding her torch and cane blade. Powerful. They call the statue there 'I Am Queen Mary'," Twyla said.

Yani blinked her eyes to get them focused again and she noticed a few tourists were standing near them listening to Twyla. Always ready to finesse a situation Twyla stood back from the fountain and faced the eavesdroppers.

"If you'd like to learn more about Island history, please go to Havensight Walking Food & Drink Tours!"

She waved her hand at Erik and Yani and they followed her away from the fountain, heading back to the tourist office.

Erik held her hand again. As they waited to cross a street, he leaned over and kissed the back of her neck, his lips covering her tattoos. Her skin prickled with goosebumps.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For sharing. Will you let Sydette get the tattoo?"

"Of course. The moment she turns eighteen. It's a rite of passage. We all get one."

"That's dope," he said.

"Well, that's not exactly true, we all don't get one. Some of the family don't believe in marking the body. Mainly the older people," Twyla said.

"My parents didn't want me to get the tattoo, and they won't let my other sisters get them, even when they turn eighteen. We also have a few cousins on our Grandmother's side who don't believe in that—"

"Ridiculous," Twyla said.

"They just don't think we should be doing that. They think it sends the wrong message—"

"The message is clear. Either you are a fighter or you are a sell-out. It doesn't even have to be a big tattoo. Look at me and Yani, discreet, yeah? They can put it places where no one can see it…" Twyla waved her hands at the thought.

"You bitch!"

Yani and the others were barely passing by two buildings not too far from where Erik was parked when a silver car came to a halt right as it started to pull out from a parking spot on the street.

They all stopped wondering who was yelling out the window when Ursula jumped out of the car and ran across the street right up to Yani's face.

Ursula shoved Yani in the arm and Twyla immediately jumped in front of her pushing the woman back.

"Fuck you want?!" Yani shouted, trying to get past Twyla. Erik separated them all.

"Trying to fuck my man in my house, now?!"

"What?!"

"Don't play dumb Yani!"

"I didn't do anything like that!"

Ursula held up her cell.

"So this isn't you on my fucking couch?"

Twyla and Yani stared at the picture.

Sure enough, it was a picture of her sitting on Chez's couch in his house, her skirt looking way too short because of the angle Chez took the photo. Thigh meat just all out.

"Yeah, that's me—"

"In my house!"

"I was only there to get my child support. Chez wanted the kids to play together…"

Twyla glared at Yani like she had lost her mind. Yani felt her face get hot and her voice flustered.

"Nothing happened—"

"Chez said you offered to fuck him for more money!"

Ursula stared at Yani's neck.

"You even have marks on your neck!" she yelled.

"You need to get your man in check! I wouldn't fuck him for no amount of money. I came to get my baby's support and he said Star was asleep and he couldn't come bring me my cash. I went to get it and your baby woke up. He wanted the girls to be together and I sat on your couch so they could. But he tried to blackmail me with the money. He didn't want to give it to me unless I gave him some. But I didn't."

"He tried to force you?" Erik asked. His eyes were heated.

"He don't want you!" Ursula shouted.

Yani felt eyes from people watching the circus they were displaying. She wanted to fall into the ocean.

Twyla stepped up.

"That nigga been wanting Yani back! That's why he tried to beat her ass when he saw her with this nigga right here-!"

"Yani, he put hands on you?" Erik pulled her aside.

"He was waiting for me at Auntie's. I told you people would talk at the restaurant. Somebody told him about you."

Yani's voice began to crack. She felt mortified that this was happening in such a public way.

"You wanted to have sex with him," Ursula insisted.

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, so you didn't ask him what you needed to do to get the money?"

Ursula dialed a number and put her phone on speaker.

"Yeah?"

They all heard Chez's voice.

"I got that bitch right in front of me. Did she or did she not ask you what you wanted her to do in our house?"

"Ursula, get me off the fucking phone!"

"No, the slut is right here denying everything. We're gonna clear up the whole thing right now!"

"I'm not a slut!"

Yani slapped Ursula and when the other woman rushed forward, Erik held her back from Yani.

"Where this nigga live?" Erik asked. His voice was calm but tight.

"I can show you exactly where he lives!" Twyla said.

"Erik, don't, I don't want this…." Yani said tugging on his arm, pulling him away from Ursula.

"Who are you with?!" Chez shouted on the speaker.

"Her real baby faddah. This trick is using you. She's out here with that guy from the pictures online."

It was too much.

Twyla ready to throw hands and Erik with smoke nearly coming out of his ears. The cacophony of arguing voices wore Yani down.

"Come on!" Twyla yelled grabbing Yani's arm and pulling her toward the parking lot.

When they buckled into the S.U.V., Yani tried to dissuade Erik. Twyla yelled out Chez's address and Erik tore out of the parking lot.

"How come you didn't tell me he hurt you?"

Erik's raised voice was chilling to hear.

"He slammed her on Auntie's car. Had Yani by the throat. If I hadn't heard them and come outside, she might be dead—"

"Don't say that! He wouldn't kill me—"

"Yani, he had you in a chokehold! I saw him slam you on the fucking hood!"

Her cousin's fingers reached from the backseat to wipe Yani's face.

"Stop crying," Twyla said in a softer tone.

"This nigga tried to choke you out and he held Sydette's money over your head? Yani…"

Erik couldn't even finish his sentence. He leaned into the wheel as they sped toward Red Hook.

"Turn up here, man," Twyla said.

"Which house is it?" Erik asked.

"The white one, right there. Park over there," Twyla said.

Snatching the keys from the ignition, Erik stepped out from the S.U.V. and slammed the door.

"Y'all wait out here—"

"Nah, I'm coming to see this."

Twyla followed behind Erik. Yani jumped out and ran up to Erik pulling on his arm.

"Yani, stop!" Erik barked, yanking his arm away from her.

Banging on the front door, the moment Chez opened it, topless and in baggy jeans trying to zip up his fly, Erik snatched him by his throat and man-handled him back inside the house.

"Nigga what?!" Twyla shouted barging in.

Yani ran in and was shocked to see another woman in the house half-dressed on the couch.

"You fucking put hands on her?!"

Erik pressed his face close to Chez. Slamming him against the farthest wall in the living room, he took his right hand and continually bitch-slapped Chez.

"Fuck!" Chez kept yelling as Erik busted his lip. The slaps kept coming.

The woman on the couch tried to jump up.

"Sit your ass down!" Twyla yelled standing over her. The woman sat back and they all watched Erik's hand brutalize Chez's face.

"If you ever in your natural Black life touch her again, I will put you in the fucking ground. If you try to force her to have sex for money, I will put you in the fucking ground. From now on you will take her child support and give it to her Aunt one hour before she leaves for church on Sundays. If you are late, I will fuck you up. You won't talk to her, stalk her, or bother her for anything. If you want your daughters to have playtime, they will have it at her Aunt's house when she is not there and there is supervision watching you—"

"I can do that!" Twyla volunteered.

Yani's hand went to her mouth. She heard feet running to the front door and Ursula burst in. Twyla was on her fast.

"Don't move or you will catch hands too," Twyla said.

Yani watched Erik shake Chez like a rag doll before he slammed him one last time against the wall. Chez's pants had slipped off of his hips. He didn't have underwear on and they could see his pubic hairs and the root of his dick.

"Don't even look her way, nigga!"

Erik threw Chez down on the floor. Ursula rushed over, but her eyes finally noticed the half-naked woman on her couch.

"Who the fuck is this? Chez?!"

"How you get 'em is how you lose 'em, bitch!" Twyla screeched.

She grabbed Yani's hand and pulled her toward the front door.

Chez yanked up his pants and tried to fight back, but Erik kicked him in the balls sending him squat on his ass. Reaching for the table lamp he fell near, Chez threw it at Erik who ducked. The lamp shattered against the coffee table and Ursula screamed when Erik punched Chez square in the jaw. A sickening crack was heard.

"Erik! Stop! Please!" Yani shouted. She ran to him and threw her arms around his waist pulling him back, "He's still Sweet Pea's faddah."

For some reason, her Auntie's words from months back fell from her lips. Chez was a terrible person. But he still was the father of her only child. Erik would kill him for her and not even blink an eye doing it. Too much.

"He won't do anything ever again. I swear. Him learn his lesson, yeah? I don't want you to go to jail. Killmonger—"

She burst into tears, her eyes glancing at Chez, his face looking worse than when he beat up her last boyfriend Zachary. She buried her face in Erik's back.

"Okay…baby…it's over…"

Erik turned around, wiped his right hand on the back of his pants and threw his arms around her.

"I'll take you home," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

Everyone else in the room was quiet, the only sound was Chez gasping. Twyla opened the front door for them and Erik turned toward Ursula.

"Your man is a liar, a woman beater, and a cheat. Always will be," he said.

The other woman gathered her things and ran out past them, not even looking back.

"Better not be any cops called on us," Twyla spat as she followed them out of the house.

Yani wiped her face with her hand.

"I wish you didn't do that," she said with a shaky voice.

"I had to. Men like him brutalize women because they can. Now he knows he can't do that to you anymore."

"What if he doesn't pay his money? What if he blames me for his ass getting kicked—"

"That nigga is going to pay. Trust me on that. I'll be back over here again if he tries to be funny with Sydette's money."

"I'm scared."

Erik stopped.

"Why? I'm here."

"There's a picture of us floating around a gossip site and it's telling people that you are Sydette's Dad and that I used Chez. He might have people come after me because of that."

"Gyal, ain't nobody coming after you. Not after that ass whopping in there. Even Ursula scared of him," Twyla said waiting for Erik to open up the S.U.V. for them. He unlocked the car but stood next to Yani. Twyla climbed into the back seat and waited for them.

"I wanted you to stay in the car so you wouldn't have to see that."

"I didn't want you to kill him."

"I wouldn't kill him."

But he would do it. If she asked him to. She was sure of that. And if Chez had forced himself on her, he would be a dead man right now. As it stood he probably had a broken jaw for his fuckery.

Erik was a force of nature and he frightened her.

But he excited her also.

A little too much.

###

Part 11

Tag List:

@fd-writes​ @soufcakmistress  @cherrystainedlipsbaby @tclaybon  @thadelightfulone

@allhailqueennel @bartierbakarimobisson @cpwtwot @shookmcgookqueen @yoyolovesbucky

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@scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @bugngiz @stariamrry  @honeytoffee @meilintheempressofdreams

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Beauty Within the Fallen ch.VII

Summary: Two misfit twins come across an enchanted castle, home of a mysterious beast, and slowly begin to form a strong bond that just might survive through anything. Even evil demons.

AU and artwork belong to the beautiful and very talented @artsycrapfromsai​. Go give her some love, guys!!!

ch.VI - ch.VIII (finale)

~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper, Mabel, and Waddles hastily traveled through the forest. They may have a map leading them to Fiddleford and then to the village, but the wolves might still come. Dipper led the way with a lantern he had borrowed from the castle and the map Ford had given to them. Mabel looked ahead and screamed before running with Waddles at her heels. Dipper looked up from the map and nearly dropped it in shock.

He hurried to the tree Mabel was kneeling at and examined Fiddleford. He looked more dead than alive, his skin pale, almost blue, and heavy bags under his eyes. He must have been searching for them this whole time. Without a single word, much like how they helped Stan when he was hurt, the twins stood on either side of Fiddleford and helped carry him out of the woods. It was the middle of the night when they arrived home. It would have been comforting if the circumstances weren’t so dire. Fiddleford might be dying. The children quickly worked together, fixing medicine, building a fire, dressing their guardian warmly and putting him to bed, until they finally admitted defeat to sleep and curled up with Fiddleford in his bed. ~~~~~~~~~~ The first thing Fiddleford noticed was how warm he felt. And better, much better. Oh. No. No, no, no! Did he die?! Is he in heaven?! He can’t die yet! The children! He wanted to quickly jump up and act, but his body was weak and he ached. Oh. Okay, good. He was still alive. He forced his eyes open and though his vision was blurry, he smiled weakly to find the kids at his sides. Mabel and Dipper both beamed at him, perfectly safe and okay. Mabel was dressed in her blue peasant dress and cloth headband, Dipper in his navy-blue nest and hat with an orange shirt. He gave Fiddleford his glasses and he croaked, “Welcome back.” “Kids,” Fiddleford sat up and slipped on his glasses, then wrapped each child up in a tight hug, which they happily returned. “Oh, thank God. Thank God. I thought I’d never see y’all ‘gain.” “We missed you, too, Fidds.” Mabel cooed. “You’re finally awake…” “What on God’s green Earth happened t’y’all?” Fiddleford asked as he loosened his hold. “You wouldn’t believe it, Fidds!” Mabel cheered as she sat on her knees next to him. “There was this beast in a castle and a talking hammer and an axe and a teapot and all sorts of magic inside and a poor journal who couldn’t talk or eat or sleep and…” “But the beast and the journal - Stan and Ford - are our friends. They took care of us.” Dipper cut Mabel off. “Well, everyone in the castle did, but the guys are awesome! They’re twins, like us, and under a curse.” “And we have to help them!” Fiddleford blinked, completely and utterly confused, but then he smiled. “I believe ya.” The twins are a bit surprised, but then again, they were talking to one of the most open-minded people they knew. “You do?” They asked at the same time. “O’course.” Fiddleford said. “I always said this world’s gotta lotta thangs we don’t quite get. Some thangs are just different, like us. N’ I trust y’all enough to know ya wouldn’t lie ‘bout this. Now, y’all said they’re under a curse?” “Yeah, and to break it, Stan the beast has to fall in love with someone and they have to love him, too.” Mabel answered. “We were gonna try to help by finding a match for him, courtesy of the best matchmaker in the world!” “Hm, well, if…” Fiddleford stopped when he thought he heard yelling coming from outside. “Did y’all hear that?” “Yeah, what’s going on?” Dipper asked and they went outside to investigate. ~~~~~~~~~~ Stan sat on Abuelita the armchair, watching the sun set behind the woods. His mind was elsewhere. Ford, his journal closed, noticed this and wished to help or comfort him, but the beast, back in his normal attire of red cloak over a white shirt and dark pants, was too distracted to open a journal and read at the moment. The sun was now gone, all light but from candles lost, and Stan sighed. He needed to say something. He cautiously opened the journal and said, “I’m sorry, Stanford. I’m sorry I couldn’t set you free.” Stanley, was the only word for a while, but then Ford managed to write more. You were willing to let me go. Thank you. “No,” Stan shook his head. “It’s my fault you’re trapped.” Don’t blame yourself. I’m the one that summoned Bill in the first place. I fell for his easy flattery, but you saw him for the scam artist he is. “I didn’t exactly make this curse easier for you.” No, perhaps not. Ford admitted, but then quickly added, But your heart was in the right place. You’ll never admit this but you were afraid. I understand; when the curse was first brought upon us neither of us knew how to respond. Accidents happen, Stanley. “Yeah, and I’m chop full of ‘em.” Even still, I won’t lie to you. All those years you never opened me, kept me in that glass container, I nearly went insane. There were so many times I didn’t know if I existed anymore. That wasn’t even the worst of it. All I could do was listen and watch you suffer alone. “I know, I know!” Stan growled. “That was probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some really stupid stuff, and I’m sorry.” It’s alright. I forgive you. I should have been a better brother to you. I should have seen your pain and done something about it years ago. “And now you’re gonna die like this.” Stan said darkly. As will you. “Who cares?” I do! And those children care, too! The tiniest of smiles flickered on the beast’s face. His memory brought back those kids for a moment, a beautiful, glorious moment. Dancing with them, reading stories, teaching Dipper how to fight and hugging Mabel close to his furry chest. You miss them, don’t you? Stan sighed, a tired old man. “Yeah. I love them.” I know you do. And because you love them, they will be with you, in your heart, for evermore. Stan, once again, cracked a small smile at that. He had no idea if they found Fiddlebucket or not, or if they ever made it home, but he hoped that they were safe and happy. Do you wish to see them? Ford asked. Look at my hand. You can see them whenever you want. Stan, excited, closed the journal and looked at the six-fingered hand. He grinned at the sight of the children, standing at a front door with an old man with a long beard and big nose. His smile dropped when the children looked scared and uncertain. He watched as echoes of voices grazed his large ears. “What’s going on?!” Dipper asked. “What are you all doing?!” “Dipper!” Lazy Susan gasped. “Mabel! You’re okay!” “But… how…” Blubs stuttered. “Gideon says you were kidnapped by some beast in a castle!” “What?!” Mabel gasped and shook her head wildly. “No, no! He saved us! He saved our lives! He’s our friend!” Stan beamed with pride. Lil’ Gideon paled. “I… I don’t understand. Y-You were t-t-trapped by a monster!” “He’s not a monster!” Dipper snapped. “Mabel’s telling the truth! The beast wouldn’t hurt anyone. He gave us a place to stay and took care of us.” “Yeah!” Mabel said as she and Dipper left the porch of their home to talk to the angry crowd. “He’s sweet and kind and gentle. You don’t have to be afraid of him. He’s a very good person. He even liked Waddles!” “No, I don’t!” Stan growled with a smile, unheard by everyone except for Abuelita and Ford. The old armchair rolled her eyes, knowing her boss was lying. Gideon’s face reddened, his chubby face curling inward in fury. “Of course! The beast has them under his spell! I’ve heard of dark magic like this, but never before seen it with my own eyes!” “What, no!” Mabel cried out. “Officers, you don’t believe him, do you? You won’t let this happen, will you?” “Sorry, kids, but we trust Gideon over a couple of odd-balls like you.” Blubs said coldly, arms crossed over his chest. “And nothing short of a miracle could ever change that.” “NO!” The kids shrieked and turned to Fiddleford. “Fiddleford, tell them!” Dipper called. “Tell them it’s not true!” The angry mob laughed. “You’d put your word on a loony old man?! The same guy that destroyed the town three times just this month?!” Durland cackled. “I done rebuilt it every time!” Fiddleford defended. Gideon stood on his dazzling white horse and called out to the townsfolk, “You see?! The spell spreads! Look at what the monster has done to our poor friends!” “He’s not a monster, Gideon,” Mabel snarled and pointed at the white-haired boy. “YOU ARE!” “ENOUGH!” Gideon hopped down and grabbed her wrist so tight she winced in pain. Stan growled dangerously. Dipper yelled and was about to act, but Ghost Eyes grabbed a hold of him. “Don’t worry, Mabel, once I kill the beast and the spell is broken, you shall finally be my queen! Keep them safe! Lock them away! We can’t have them gettin’ in our way!” “NO!” Mabel cried out as a big beefy man grabbed her and shoved her, Dipper, and Fiddleford into a cart and it was locked up. “HELP! HELP US!” Dipper rammed his body against the iron doors to try to escape, but it was useless. “The beast will come after us all! He’ll come after us in the night!” Gideon called out to the crowd, who cheered and yelled. “I say we kill it!” “YEAH!” “NO!” Mabel cried as tears ran down her face. “DON’T HURT HIM, PLEASE!” “We're not safe until he's dead!” Northwest concluded. “He'll come stalking us at night!” Mr. Valentino gasped. “Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!” Manly Dan cried out, hugging his three sons so tight their faces turned blue. “He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!” Lazy Susan feared. “So it's time to take some action, fellas!” Gideon called out. “It's time to follow me!” And the crowd began to gather guns, torches, pitchforks, and chanted “kill the beast” courageously into the night. Stan stood up quickly and left the armchair, throwing the door open. “Soos! Wendy! Get over here!” Soos and Wendy hopped over as quick as they could. “We’ve got a code Piertotum Locomotor! Man the boundaries! Protect the castle! Get ready for battle! Go, go, go!” And the beast left to organize the attack, all the while he couldn’t shake away the blossoming feeling that those kids were willing to risk their lives for him. Maybe he was worth it, after all. ~~~~~~~~~~ Even after the mob marched away, Dipper continued to throw himself against the doors, making loud bangs but no progress. “DIPPER, STOP!” Fiddleford grabbed him and rubbed his shoulders. “You’ll hurt yourself, calm down.” “We have to do something!” Dipper cried out. “This is all our fault! They’ll kill him! We have to help!” “Hush, boy, hush.” Fiddleford hugged him and rubbed circles into his back. “We’ll think o'somethang. We are three geniuses, after all.” Mabel looked out the window, though the bars, and tried to find something that could help. Her eyes dazzled at the sight of her pig as he ran up to the cart and oinked. “WADDLES! Waddles, we need your help! Go get us a pry bar! You can do it, Waddles, go find one! Good pig!” “Mabel,” Dipper scolded. “He’s just a pig! There’s no way he even knows what a pry bar is!” “C’mon, Dipper, have faith!” “No, no! YOU need to be realistic! I love Waddles, too, Mabel, not there’s no way he’s gonna…” The pig squealed with joy and the three humans peered down to find a ring of keys in his mouth. Mabel gave her brother a sassy look. “Well, it’s not a pry bar.” Dipper quipped. Waddles tossed the keys in the air and Fiddleford put his arm through the window and caught them. He pushed himself against the door and started to fiddle with the lock and the keys. “One of these gotta be it…” ~~~~~~~~~~ Manly Dan led the team to chop down a huge pine tree and cut it so they could use it as a battering ram. The mob hoisted it on it’s shoulders, following Gideon on his noble steed and Ghost Eyes marching beside him. “Take whatever booty you want, but the beast is mine!” He called out, using the map Gideon had woken up with in his fist to find their way. Gideon grinned to find the castle before them and they ran up to the giant doors. Miraculously, it only took one hit and the doors flew open, giving the invaders a false idea that this would be easy. They found the castle filled with items in the lobby, like a rich yard-sale. Gideon left his horse outside and led the crowd into the dark and quiet castle. Books, chairs, chests, dishes, nearly every type of item surrounded the unafraid villagers. Ghost Eyes leaned down to whisper to Lil’ Gideon. “Aren’t you worried this place might be haunted?” “Don’t lose your head, Ghost Eyes.” The bodyguard picked up an axe from a table and held it, ready to attack anything that may come his way. “NOW!” The axe cried out, and the castle lit up with life as the battle began. Drawers smacked people in the face. A coat-rack boxed with one of Manly Dan’s sons and won quickly. Pots fell on people's heads and clashed with metal spoons and pans, making their ears ring. A chest consumed people and dumped them back outside like dumping out trash. Grenda stood from the second floor and cried out, “GRENDA’S JOINING THE PARTY!” and she fell on top of Ghost Eyes. Gideon dodged out of the fight and went up the stairs. Three men were coming towards her to attack, but Grenda had cloth and material swarm around them and soon they were dressed in drag. Two of the boys screamed in horror and ran, but Tad Strange only stared ahead and said calmly, “This is fine.” Robbie was kicking tea cups and trying to squish them, but Candy hung from the above chandelier and spilt boiling hot tea on the crowd. Wendy was running away from Manly Dan’s own axe, but Soos came out of nowhere and hammered him in the face, knocking him out cold. Melody burst through the doors of the ballroom and shot her keys like bullets. Meanwhile, using Ford’s given map, Dipper, Mabel, Fiddleford, and Waddles were running up to the castle and gasped to find the battle before them. “Hurry!” Mabel cried out and they hurried up to the front door. Fiddleford used his banjo to swing at people’s heads. Waddles bit people’s ankles. Killbone was about to go after Fiddleford for helping the enemy, but Lazy Susan hit him over the head with her rolling in, knocking him out cold. “Susan?! But I thought…?” “I’m sorry, old friend, I just didn’t wanna be locked up.” Lazy Susan explained as she and Fiddleford fought back-to-back. “Claustrophobic. Plus I could’ve very well fight the bad guys locked away, could I?” “Ah, gotcha. Well then!” Fiddleford swung his banjo and hollered, “Fight like a hillbilly, woman!” Mabel and Dipper punched people and shoved them out of the way as they hurried up to the West Wing to make sure their friends were okay. ~~~~~~~~~~ Minutes prior, Gideon cautiously opened the door, a bow and arrow in his chubby hands. His eyes immediately landed on the handsome journal on the table. He noticed the six fingers on the golden hand and he hypothesized that this journal must have the answer to undoing the spell Mabel was under. No wonder it was so well cared for while everything else in the room was ruined beyond repair. Gideon walked into the room to take the journal, but the door slammed behind him and he spun around, arrow ready to shoot. His eyes widened at the huge gray beast before him, peering down at him with cold brown eyes and on all fours like an animal. “Last chance, kid.” The beast growled warningly. “Get out before things get ugly.” “You mean uglier than you, never!” Gideon declared and shot his arrow. Stan dodged it, but soon saw that it was a distraction so the little troll could run to Ford. The beast tried to get their first, but just a few feet shy and Gideon had the journal in his chubby hands. “I got it! I got it!” “Give it back.” Stan snarled. “Why?” Gideon asked coldly with a wicked smile. “Why’s it so important, monster?” “Just give it to me.” Stan was careful to sound firm, but he looked in no hurry to hurt a kid or his brother. Gideon opened the journal to find it blank. He flicked through the pages roughly, losing his temper, and when he concluded that the answers he was looking for were not here, he ripped a page out and yelled in fury. Stan grunted and sunk, like he was in pain. Gideon noticed this and grinned as an idea came to his twisted mind. This journal must be the source of his powers! Destroying it would free Mabel! Gideon ripped out another page, then another, and another. Stan growled on all fours and curled in on himself in overwhelming pain. He tried to shake his head and clear away the distraction, but he could practically hear Ford’s screaming in his ears, even if it was only his imagination, and it was maddening. “Stop it… stop it… STOP IT!” Stan gnarled at Gideon. “Or what, huh?” The child mocked. “What are you gonna do, huh? Huh?! Face it, foul creature, without this book you’re nothing!” He laughed and tore out another page. Gideon suddenly cried out in pain and dropped the journal. Stan huffed and puffed to try to compose himself. He looked up to see Dipper and Mabel standing in front of him, facing Gideon, both of them wearing scary looks and Dipper had his fists curled and ready to strike again. Gideon rubbed his pale chubby cheek. “Ow! What the… how did you…?” “Doesn’t matter.” Dipper snapped. “You’re leaving. Now.” “Oh, am I, boy?” And Gideon ran to him to punch him. While the boys punched each other and fought, Mabel hurried to Stan and petted his shoulder, trying to soothe him and help him feel better. “Stan? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Hazy still, Stan weakly looked up at the girl and smiled. “Mabel… you came back.” “Of course we did.” She looked back at the fight and saw that Gideon was having a slight advantage. He shoved into Dipper and they both fell through and broke a window, toppling down the roof. Mabel and Stan yelled with worry and ran after them. The boys tumbled and rolled, punching and slapping each other. Dipper fell on a balcony and groaned with ache while Gideon squealed and kept on going. He fell on a slanted roof and staggeringly got up. Like a scrawny cat, he climbed up to Dipper and kicked him in the jaw. Dipper quickly rolled up on his feet and used the lessons Stan had taught him to fight. Mabel quickly slid down the slanted tile roof and jumped into the fight. She punched Gideon in the jaw and found that his stuck-up traditions made him not hit a girl. She and Dipper took advantage of this weakness and worked together to beat up their enemy until he fell and didn’t get up. He rubbed a swollen black eye and looked up at the angry pre-teens before him. The beast, he noticed, was over on the next roof and letting the twins handle their own battle with a huge smile. “Listen, Gideon,” Mabel said coldly. “It’s over. I will never ever be with you.” “Yeah!” Dipper backed up and Mabel kicked him in the head, just hard enough to knock him out cold. Stan hopped down behind the twins and had his hands on his hips. “Nice technique, pumpkin.” “Stan!” They both cried out with relief and ran up to him. Stan got on one knee and engulfed them in a hug. Mabel nuzzled her face into his fur and Dipper held him tightly. “We’re so sorry, we tried to stop them but they wouldn’t listen to us!” The boy said. “It’s okay, kid, it’s okay.” Stan soothed and rubbed his back as he purred. “I know.” “You know?” Mabel gasped with a huge grin. “Ford! He showed you, didn’t he?! You asked to see us, didn’t you?!” Stan shrugged and put the kids down to ruffle their hair. “What can I say, I missed you knuckleheads.” Mabel squeezed his paw. “We missed you, too, Stan.” Meanwhile, Gideon’s one unswollen eye opened yellow and slit, like a cat’s. He rose and flexed his fingers and arms, getting used to his body. Standing with his back to the happy reunion, he began to cackle evilly. A chill ran down Stan’s spine. His grip on the twins tightened. “I know that laugh.” Dipper’s jaw dropped. “No… it couldn’t be… it’s impossible...” Gideon turned around and they saw his eye. Stan growled protectively and hunched over the kids. “Bill Cipher.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note: I have nothing to say. Except the code Stan used as a reference to the spell McGonagall used during the Battle of Hogwarts. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope y’all enjoy an upcoming chapter full of angst!

[jaecrivaine]

At the Finish Line

Soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns into a million colors once they do: In which you’re a street racer with manners, and always make sure to congratulate (or get congratulated by) your opponent. 

Street racer!Jaehyun X Street racer!fem reader (ft. Best friend!Johnny, Yuta and Sicheng) 

TW: Cursing 

Here’s my first lil writing thing hehe. Let me know how you guys like it, come drop something in my ask box!! Don’t be shy :)) Requests are open! 

“The amount of times we’ve almost been late to lecture because you spend 20 WHOLE minutes washing your hands is astounding,” Johnny kicked himself off the wall outside of your friend’s auto shop and catching up to walk beside you. 

“You know it’s because of this stupid stain,” you hold your hand up and gesture to it. You swear you’ve had this talk a million times, but it’s expected that you have to constantly remind Johnny, since he chooses to be such an idiot.  “Look, I’m not in any hurry to find this soulmate of mine or whatever, but it would seriously be great if they could just give me a quick high five so I would know when I can stop Fast Orange-ing my hand in the shop. Do you know how many times I’ve gotten brake fluid on my clothes because of this?!” An exasperated sigh fell from your lips and caused your friend to chuckle at you. 

“Ayee speaking of brake fluid, are you planning on going tonight? I need to know if I should put my money on you or Yuta. Actually- do you think he’s going tonight?” Johnny kept typing while he shot questions at you. After a few minutes, he shot you a look before sighing, locking his phone and taking a seat next to you.

You nudged Johnny with your foot, feeling your eyebrows raise when he turned to look at you. Your face began getting warm with a mild anger when he gave you an oh so annoying look of confusion, so you gestured to the now down-turned phone on his desk. He finally got the message, shaking his head. 

“Okay, so?” the two of you were leaving the lecture hall and planned on heading to the cafe down the road from your apartment to catch up on homework before tonight’s meet up. 

“Okay so,” Johnny started with a roll of his eyes, catching your attention. “There’s a new kid coming tonight. Sicheng said he’s new to the city but he’s...good?” The upturned end of that statement caused your head to tilt. So they didn’t know if he was good? Why invite him? “Really good, actually,” Johnny situated his phone between the two of you to watch the video he had opened. A sharp exhale left your mouth as you watched the CLA45 AMG handle the sharp turns and stretches of pavement on the winding, empty road in a town you recognized was a little outside of the city you both were sitting in. You tried to pull your eyes away from the machinery zipping around on the screen, with the dark blue gloss of the paint heavily resembling the night sky above it, complemented by streaks of a soft purple that you could only just make out as the driver kept their wild speed. 

“Okay...fuck? You expect me to compete with that tonight?” You looked at Johnny, who had the audacity to nod. “Alright, I’ll bring my car in before I go. See you at 7!” You left to think about how in the hell you were gonna keep up with that AMG in the video. 

“Hey, finally! Good to see you again, beautiful,” Sicheng beamed as he waved from where he was slouched against the hood of his car. “Ready to race the new kid?” 

“Yeah yeah whatever, I’m only here because we all know Yuta can’t win anything in that roach looking thing,” you gave Sicheng a nod and shared a laugh as you caught Yuta yelling at you about how It’s a Miata and it’s fast! “Where is he?” Sicheng nodded in the direction of the line, 

where the AMG you had seen earlier was idling. You spotted Johnny leaning against it, talking to the driver inside. Of course he’s take it upon himself to be the welcoming committee. 

You walked back to your car, pulling it in between Yuta’s Miata and this new guy’s AMG, laughing at the difference in style between these two. “Hey sweet thang, you ready for this roach to rock your world?” Yuta smirked as he yelled from inside his car. You laughed and shook your head at the laid back  smile he always wore. 

“The only thing I want to rock my world is you, hot stuff!” Your reply gained a hearty laugh from him, causing Johnny to come over between the two cars. 

“Hey hey hey, if anyone’s rocking your world it’s gonna be me, after I get my money from these suckers when you smoke these two,” your best friend joked with a wink sent in Yuta’s direction. Yuta just rolled his eyes in our direction, and we heard a faint get a room as he rolled up his windows and put his car in drive. “Good luck. Win me some cash, yeah?” Johnny sent a goofy smile your way as he tapped the inside of your passenger side door before walking away. You just laughed and nodded before shooing him away to warm your car up at the start line. 

You looked over to Yuta, but couldn’t tell if he was checking his systems or if he was choosing a playlist to blast in his car. Probably both. You looked in the opposite direction, studying the new guy Sicheng brought in. his car was clean, you could hear the powerful purr of the engine from where you sat, and the interior looked minimal. Interestingly enough, gloved hands gripped the wheel. Who wears gloves to a street race? 

Whatever, you didn’t have time to dwell on it. Sicheng made his rounds, taking bets before he sent someone over to start us off. You revved, shooting a cocky look to Yuta who returned it with a roll of his eyes. The rumble of your engine was always your favorite part, you loved hearing your car, feeling it roar. 

“Ready?” Sicheng gestured to Yuta, who gave him a thumbs up and a lazy grin. Sicheng repeated his actions towards the new guy, who nodded quickly. Finally, Sicheng made eye contact with you, tilting his head ever so slightly and sending you a soft grin. You could see the mischief radiating off of his body. 

“Ready, baby?” 

You felt the corners of your mouth turn up at him. You planted one foot onto the brake pedal before planting the other one onto the gas, causing your car to hum louder around you. 

“Always” 

Just like that, the three of you left the crowd of spectators in a trail of your dust. The second your foot left the brake pedal, you shot forward and caught an early lead. You could hear both cars catching up to you, but you willed your car to accelerate, maneuvering through the city streets with ease. Once you hit the main roads, it was almost like breathing to you. You weaved through the cars, laughing as they honked and yelled while the three of you caused chaos. You peeked into your side mirror to catch Yuta laughing as well. Refocusing your eyes onto the road, you finally spotted it. 

The finish line. 

“I knew you’d kick ass, baby,” Sicheng came over to you as you stepped out of your car, taking the key out of the ignition and locking it behind you. He handed you a band of cash, smacking the other band into Johnny’s outstretched hand when he got to both of you. 

“Nice job, as always,” Johnny put an arm around your shoulder as he waved his band at you. “It was a close one, I gotta admit I was scared there for a second. 

“Yeah, me too.” You walked over to Yuta, who came out of his car and opened his arms. “You almost had me there, you roach!” He laughed as you hugged him, thanking him as he congratulated you. 

“Whatever, you’re buying me lunch this weekend, big winner!” He winked and went to talk to Sicheng. You shook your head with a laugh, of course Yuta would demand that after a loss. You sighed, turning as the new guy parked his car. 

“Hey,” you caught his attention, walking over. When you got close enough, you planted both feet in front of his and shot out a hand without thinking. You always did this after a race, you were practically known for your sportsmanship. The unnamed man reached out a gloved hand to shake yours, but the minute you two connected, you felt a sudden shock go through you. You both gasped, as he pulled off his glove, and you looked down only to see your once blackened palm now shimmering in a million different colors. You stared down at it, only to look up when you heard a chuckle. Johnny and Sicheng came over, curious about what was happening between you two. Under his glove, you saw a million colors dancing where, you assumed, was once a similarly blackened palm. 

Then, your eyes met. He gave you a bright smile, one you couldn’t help but mirror. His eyes sparkled in the night as he let out a soft exhale. 

“I’m Jaehyun,” his eyes didn’t leave yours as he spoke. “Nice to meet you, soulmate.”

[mindingmyownbusiness]

Body Like a Backroad

Pairing - Cowboy!Bucky x Plus-sized Reader Modern AU

Summary - Your lonely night takes an unexpected turn when a handsome stranger asks you to dance.

Warnings - n/a, just adorable fluff, it’s sorta my thang

Word Count - 1805

Notes - Props to @angryschnauzer for creating the cowboy!Bucky moodboard for me, it was perfect for this fic! I was inspired by the songs Body Like a Backroad by Sam Hunt and Little Things by One Direction which I encourage you to listen to as you read (I originally wanted to work them into the fic but I couldn’t find an organic way to do it). I also got quite a lot of inspiration from Seb’s character Hal Carter from Picnic.

The night was winding down and you sighed as another slow song started playing. You loved to go dancing, especially line dancing, but this part of the night was always the worst. You watched as one by one each of your friends were asked to dance while you were passed over, yet again. You weren’t picky, not really, and would probably have said yes to just about anyone. But that was the problem, no one was asking.

You were swirling the ice around in your drink, watching the couples on the dance floor, when you saw a familiar face out of the corner of your eye. You’d been catching glimpses of him on the dance floor and in the crowd all night. I mean, who wouldn’t notice him. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, the way you’d want a real cowboy to look. Like he’d been working outside all day long, tan with a bit of scruff, dressed in worn jeans and a dark plaid flannel, hair a little long and the sort of messy your fingers are just itching to run through.

He turned in the direction of your table, briefly catching your eye. You looked away suddenly, blushing at the realization that you had been staring, eyes growing wide as you heard him stop right next to you.

“Well hello there handsome,” your very single and very beautiful friend Jess said, as she sat down at the table. “You looking for a dance partner?”

“Yes ma’am, I was just comin’ over to ask the lovely lady for a dance.”

You kept staring down at your drink until Jess elbowed you and you looked up to see the mysterious stranger extending his hand to you.

Completely caught off guard you stumbled over your words. “Wait, wha--  you, you mean me?”   

“That was the idea,” he hesitated for a moment, “but if you’re unavailable or not interested I understand…” You could see what you thought might be disappointment in his eyes as he began to withdraw his hand.

“No! I mean yes! I mean…” You took a deep breath and tried again. “I would love to.” He smiled instantly as you took his hand and he led you onto the dance floor.

“I’m (Y/N) by the way,” you say, looking up, forgetting how to breathe for a second as you realize how much more handsome he is this close up.

“I’m James. But my friends call me Bucky. Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma’am” He flashed you another smile for you to giddily tuck away in your memory banks.

Feeling bold you ask, “If you don’t mind me asking, Bucky... why me? I’m pretty sure you could have had anyone you wanted in here as a partner in a heartbeat.”

“Well,” he said thoughtfully, “I’ve been on the lookout all night for someone who might know the two-step well enough without me having to teach it to them. I noticed you dancin’ earlier and you definitely have the moves. Plus,” he lowered his voice and leaned in “you were havin’ so much fun all by yourself I wanted to see if I could share in the fun with you.” He wrapped his arm around your waist and took your hand as the music started. You hoped he didn’t see the blush rising to your cheeks as the two of you made your way across the dance floor.

You quickly realized that Bucky was as a great dancer up close as he looked from a distance. He not only knew the steps but he knew what it meant to lead, encouraging you to take risks and try new things. Any slipups just resulted in hearing him laugh which made any embarrassment you had evaporate instantly.

All too soon the song was over and the couples began to separate. “Thanks for the dance, Bucky. It was great.” You gave him a small smile and turned to go but are stopped when Bucky doesn’t let go of your hand. Instead he steps towards you while pulling you in resulting in your body ending up flush with his.

“Can’t I talk the beautiful lady into one more?” He kissed your knuckles, taking your other hand and placing them both behind his neck. His hands moved downward to rest lightly on your hips. “Gotta see if your slow dance skills are as good as all your other moves”

You blushed furiously and looked away as the two of you began swaying to the music. You were never good at taking compliments and right now was no different.

“Hey darlin’,” Bucky tilted his head to get a better look at you. “What’s goin’ on? Why are you blushing?”

You still couldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m just not used to all the attention. It’s not very often that a handsome man asks me to dance, much less wants to dance with me more than once.”

“That is ridiculous. Any man who wouldn’t want to dance with you is just plain stupid. Or blind. I mean, look at you.” He stepped back, twirling you then pulling you back close to him again. “Gorgeous, just gorgeous from head to toe.”

You shook your head. “Maybe guys just have trouble seeing me when I’m with my friends. I love them and they love me for sure but I definitely feel like the thing that doesn’t belong sometimes. I mean, who wants to choose this when they could have all of that?” You looked wistfully over at the table where your friends were sitting.

“Me.” You look up at him in surprise. His face is suddenly serious, “I have a confession. I didn’t just ask you to dance with me because I admire your skills. I asked you to dance with me because I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of you all night.” Your breath caught at his admission.

“Those girls are nothin’ compared to you. And this dress...” He looks down at your figure, wrapping his strong hands around your waist, pulling you even closer, “I found myself actually feeling jealous of this dress, how it gets to cling to all these gorgeous curves. Haven’t been able to get your beautiful body out of my mind all night long.”

You felt yourself heat up all over under Bucky’s gaze. His words caused you to stumble a bit and you were thankful that his strong arms were there to steady you. “Whoa there, you okay?” He chuckled, “I mean, I intended to sweep you off your feet but not literally.”

You smiled, “Yeah, just… yeah.” You looked up to see him staring at you intently, glancing at your lips then back up again, the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.

He leaned his face closer to yours and you couldn’t help but gravitate towards him until your foreheads touched and your noses were brushing together. “(Y/N)?” His voice had gotten quiet, and deep.

“Yeah?” You would’ve mentally kicked yourself for how breathless you sounded but at the moment you really didn’t care.   

“Would it be alright if I were to ki-”

“Yes, please.”

You could feel Bucky grin as he moved in to kiss you. His kisses started out soft and gentle and small, as if he was still asking your permission. You wanted time to slow down, to stop, so you could burn this memory at this exact moment into your brain forever. A small sigh escaped your lips as you reached up to thread your fingers through the hair you’d been dying to touch all night, pulling on it lightly. This earned you a soft moan from him that was sure to fuel your fantasies for ages and encouraged him to deepen kisses which you happily returned. Already this was by far the best kiss you’d ever had in your entire life and you never, ever wanted it to end.                                                                

Unfortunately, you found yourself distracted from your dreamlike haze by a chorus of whoops and whistles coming from just off the dance floor that were becoming increasingly louder. Separating slightly from Bucky you looked over to see all of your friends cheering and clapping for the two of you. This time the blush on your face was nothing compared to the one on Bucky’s. You took his hand and pulled him off the dance floor, moving quickly past your overexcited and inebriated friends and out a side door. You were both laughing the whole way and stopped just outside, both of you attempting to catch your breath in the cool night air.

“That was…”

“Embarrassing?” said Bucky with a nervous look on his face.

“Awesome,” you said with a grin. You suddenly looked at each other and within a heartbeat Bucky had you in his arms again, this time without hesitation on either of your parts. This kiss was different, more passionate. You had read about being devoured in someone’s kiss before but now you knew exactly what they meant. After a few heated moments Bucky pulled away from your lips, only to continue kissing down your neck to your collarbone, sucking lightly.

You gasped at the new sensation and grasped his shoulders, pushing him back slightly. “B-Bucky wait, hang on…”

He practically jumped back from you, “Oh damn darlin’ I’m sorry, look at me, takin’ advantage of you and in an alleyway of all places… I’m so sorry… I never shoulda--”

“No! No, it’s not that Bucky,” you interrupt his rambling to cup his cheek so he’ll look at you. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want, promise. I’ve had a really good time with you. It’s just that, well, I’m the designated driver tonight and my friends in there are depending on me to get them home safely. Believe me, if it wasn’t for that I’d be more that willing to see where this thing is going...”

“So, does that mean I can see you again?”

You sighed, relieved that he wasn’t upset at the night being cut short. “I’d really like that. Here…” you pluck his phone from his shirt pocket and put your number in. “You’ll call me?” You say as you hand him his phone back, suddenly feeling that old nagging doubt creeping in.

“Try and stop me, darlin’,” he leans down for one more kiss, exhaling roughly as he pulls away reluctantly. “See ya, soon I hope?” he says as he backs away.

“Yeah, absolutely,” you replied. You watched as he retreated slowly, giving him a small wave as you went back inside. You leaned back against the door, taking a moment to collect yourself before facing your friends, smiling at the memories of the last half hour. You hoped against hope that tonight was just the beginning of something that was gonna last.

TAG LIST: Tagging all the folks who expressed an interest in this initially and a few others who I greatly admire as writers. :)

@gabriellaprincessa, @ifoundlove-x0vanessa0x, @the-violent-peach, @babemichael @thecountessakasha, @wickedwerewolf, @dorothees-adventure, @amour-quinn, @kennadance14, @superwholock-5sos, @elisa-ramirez14, @rissfrey, @strictcaringsir, @dianelogan, @bucky-plums-barnes, @imaginingbucky, @therealjamesbarnes, @thatawkwardtinyperson, @avengerofyourheart

[vettyandberonica]

Archie Andrews Imagine

“I Hate Parties”

Summary: Betty and Veronica were always dragging you out to parties, the only thing that makes this one any better is the arrival of the one and only Archie Andrews.

Word count: 3030

a/n: It’s way longer than I thought it was gonna be but what the heck. Sorry if it sucks but I suck so it’s appropriate.

---

Parties had never really been your thing. Like you liked going out sometimes, and every once in a while you would be in the mood to dance, but after a while it just felt boring. Every time you got ready on Friday nights with Betty and Veronica you would be excited; ‘This time will be different,’ you’d think to yourself. But time after time it would end up the same way with the same house of people dancing to the same music and playing the same game of beer pong. Tonight was no exception.

 “Can we leave yet?” you yelled over the booming bass to B and V, trailing behind them.

 Veronica turned her head to answer you, “Okay, we literally, and I mean literally, just walked in. You haven’t even had time to get bored yet!” She pushed through the crowd and led the trio to the bar in the corner of the room. “So,” she turned to you and Betty with 3 shot glasses, “shots anyone?”

 You rolled your eyes and looked to Betty for a go/no-go. “I’m convinced that you have some sort of radar or sonar or something when it comes to finding alcohol” Betty joked back.

 “It’s residual from my days in New York,” she said handing each of you a shot glass. “Gentlemen, to our wives and girlfriends,” she started the usual toast looking at the two of you expectantly. You turned you Betty and completed it simultaneously laughing, “May they never meet” and downed the shot, feeling the vodka burn all the way down your throat. You weren’t a huge fan of alcohol, yet another reason parties weren’t your favorite place, but being drunk was fun sometimes. Since it was the getting drunk that was the annoying part, you generally stuck to vodka. You preferred its nail polish remover taste that could get the job done faster to the slow-working, carbonated urine formally known as beer.

 Just then, the music changed to “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE, a song that was notoriously Betty’s jam. Her eyes widened and she jumped up in down in excitement. “We have to dance!” she squealed pulling your and Veronica’s wrists toward the dance floor.

 “I think I’m gonna sit this one out guys,” you explained trying to get out of this inevitable public display of embarrassment.

 “What, you don’t dance Chad Danforth?” Veronica teased in a very Veronica-esque way. Betty chimed in, “Because we all know how that ends, Chad dances with Ryan like the whole time”.

 “It’s not that I’m too good to dance, it’s just I’m not drunk yet enough to dance”

 That must have been an acceptable answer because Betty simply pointed at you and began to back away with Veronica in tow with a “Hey batter batter, hey batter batter, swang,” to which you yelled back over the growing crowd with your hands cupped around your mouth, “I’ve got to just do my thang!”

 B and V faded behind an ocean of people and you were alone. Just you and the vodka. Speaking of the vodka…

 You turned to the bar and poured yourself another shot and stuck your tongue out at the offensive taste. You poured some coke into a red solo cup and started to walk away then thought better. You turned around and poured some more vodka in with the coke. What? It was gonna be a long night.

 You made your way through the room, deliberately avoiding the table with the jungle juice and found a dimly lit corner to lean in.

 I wonder where Archie is right now? It’s not like he normally hangs out with us at parties anyway. Since they always happen after football games he usually hangs out with the rest of the team, but you were curious. You would never admit it to anyone, not even Betty or Veronica and especially not to Archie, but you’d had feelings for him for quite some time. There were times when you wanted to tell him about it, he was one of your friends after all, but you truly felt that he didn’t feel the same way. It wasn’t worth the risk.

 “You like hanging out in dark corners, loner?”

 Speak of the devil and he shall appear. You could identify that voice anywhere: the one and only Archie Andrews.

 “You like staring into dark corners, creeper?” you shot back.

 Archie chuckled and approached with open arms for a friendly hug. “Hey y/n,”

 “Hey Tom Brady, great game.” You pulled out from the hug but stayed standing close to him to be able to hear each other over the loud music.

 He smiled, “It wasn’t exactly the Super Bowl, but thank you. So, what are you drinking?” He plucked the plastic cup out of your hand. “This isn’t the jungle juice, is it?” he questioned with a slightly alarmed but mostly joking tone. Reggie’s jungle juice was pretty famous, or more accurately infamous.

 “God no,” you shook your head, “It’s just coke.”

 “Good. Stay away from the jungle juice.” He took a sip and did a bit of a spit take into a nearby plant overdramatically. He looked at you with a faux-shocked expression. “Just coke, huh y/n?”

 “Just coke as in mostly coke. As in there’s slightly more coke than vodka.”

 “Alcohol’s illegal for people our age you know,” he warned just before he drank half of the cup’s contents.

 You narrowed your eyes and leaned toward him as if trying to get a better look, “Why, you a cop?”

 He glanced around, checking that the imaginary coast was clear before he leaned in. “You ever seen 21 Jump Street?”

 “Ah,” you nodded.

 “Yeah.” He said with a laugh, straightening his back and returned the cup to your hand. You thought his hand had lingered for a second touching yours; you were probably just imagining it. You had to be imagining it, but the moment was over before you could really be sure.

 “Uh,” you tried to regain your composure. “Betty and Veronica were in the other room dancing the last time I saw them,” You offered figuring this had to be his destination. You were friends/friendly with him but they were all really close. The only reason you even knew Archie in the first place is because you had become good friends with the girls.

 He shrugged his shoulders, “Okay.” He blinked at you and didn’t move. You tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to show itself. Maybe he was here for you. The electronic music blared on and you scanned the room, looking for nothing in particular in an attempt to make yourself busy, or at least make yourself look busy. The house was filled to the brim with a mix of people, some you knew, some you didn’t. People were singing and dancing and yelling and drinking and smoking and—okay, you couldn’t ignore it anymore. Archie was still looking at you! You could feel his eyes on you from the side.

 You glanced at him and couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh. He was just smiling down at you like a fool. “Is… is there something I can do for you Mr. Andrews?”

 He smirked, keeping a laugh to himself, “No, it’s just,” he shook his head looking down at his feet. “Nah, never mind.”

 “Oh, come on! What? Do I have something on my face? Is my hair messed up?” You ran your fingers through your hair trying to fix any possible issues.

 “No, you look great. I was uh,” he looked back up at you. “It was just that you looked really cute.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked off to the rest of the party, the flashing lights washing his face with a blue and red light, hitting his cheekbones in just the right way to leave a shadow in the hollows of his cheeks. It wasn’t until that moment that you really noticed how close he was standing to you. He was at max 6 inches from you; he could lean forward the tiniest bit and kiss you (if he were so inclined). It all felt too good to be true. He had to be drunk or something.

 “How many drinks have you had?”

 “Just the sip of your ‘mostly coke’. Why?”

 For some reason this answer bothered you more than if he had been drunk. The fact that he called you ‘cute’ while being almost completely sober was, as far as you could tell, reason for alarm. “Let’s go find some drinks.” Frankly, you needed another one.

 You grabbed him by the wrist so you wouldn’t lose him in the crowd and began to push through the mess of sweaty bodies toward the familiar bar. You would have made it too, if it weren’t for the jungle juice. You were walking past the table with the punch bowl of the “juice” on it, the bar was in sight, when some random drunk guy with a cup full of, you guessed it, Reggie’s famous jungle juice rammed into you, spilling the entire contents of the cup all over your shirt. Your mouth hung open and the people around you all gasped.

 Archie pushed between you and the guy, “Hey man, why don’t you watch where you’re going?” There was some real anger in his voice, and you weren’t going to lie, it was pretty hot.

 “Well why don’t you mind your own business?” the guy said getting right in Archie’s face. He opened his mouth to respond but before he could get anything out you put your hand on his shoulder from behind him.

 “Archie?”

 He looked down at you, clenching his jaw. “C’mon Arch, it’s not worth it.”

 He looked back up at the guy for a moment then back down at you. The crowd that had gathered around you all waiting in anticipation for Archie’s response.

 He nodded his head, “I know where the bathroom is,” the crowd of people returned to their former activities with sounds of general dismay that there hadn’t been a fight. “Let’s go see what the damage is.” He grabbed your hand in his and led you in the opposite direction as the bar, down a hallway, and into a bathroom.

 It was pretty dark in the house so you couldn’t really see how badly it had spilled on your shirt yet. Archie closed the door behind you while you felt around on the wall for a light switch. You flipped on the switch and he immediately gasped sharply.

 “Is it that bad?” you asked. You couldn’t being yourself to look in the mirror yet.

 “No… I mean it’s…” He tried to think of some consolation to give, unsuccessfully. “Yeah, it is that bad.”

 You hesitantly turned to face the mirror, squinting enough to delay the inevitable. Your eyes sprung open and you found that yes, it truly was that bad.

 “Oh my god.”

 “I told you.”

 “This shirt ruined! How am I supposed to wear this for the rest of the night?”

 “Well, you did say you wanted to find another drink. I guess it found you first,” You looked at him in the mirror and rolled your eyes. “And I did warn you to stay away from the jungle juice” he laughed getting a closer look at the stain.

 You turned to him and sighed, “I have to go home. There’s no way I can walk around like this.” You still didn’t like parties, and this was no exception, but you were actually getting to hang out with Archie alone. This was just your luck.

 “Take my shirt,” He blurted out, rather loudly.

 “Take your shirt? Like the one you’re wearing right now? Arch as much as I’m sure that every girl at this party would love to see you walking around shirtless, neither of us are at that point of drunkenness yet.”

 “It’s fine. Even if you’re got my jersey, I’ve still got my letterman,” he countered, already peeling off his jacket and throwing it on the floor. “It’s not like I’ll be completely shirtless.” You thought about this for a moment before hesitantly nodding your head in agreement. You really didn’t want this night to end just yet. Plus, shirtless Archie.

 You took off your stained t-shirt and threw it in the trash, no stain remover was powerful enough to work on that jungle juice. You stood awkwardly in just your plain black bra. You definitely had cuter, but you hadn’t planned on anyone, especially not Archie, seeing you shirtless tonight. Archie pulled off his jersey leaving both of you half naked. And let me tell you he was built with a capital B. Just as he was handing you the jersey, the bathroom door flings open. It seems neither of you had remembered to lock it in the chaos of the dark.

 Kevin Keller stumbled into the room, clearly at least a little bit intoxicated. It took him a second but when he finally realized what he had walked into, at least what it looked like he had walked into, his eyes widened dramatically taking in the scene. It was understandable. You were sure this looked a lot worse than it really was.

 “Oops!” he exclaimed.

 “Kevin, it’s really not what it looks like,” you tried to explain to him with your hands out in front of you as if trying to calm a wild animal.

 “Don’t even worry about it you guys. Your secret’s safe with me,” he tried to wink at you but the alcohol in his system just turned it into a sloppy blink. This sentiment did nothing to ease your concern. Kevin was not the person people told secrets to. Kevin was the person people told when they wanted the whole town to know something.

 Archie tried to stop him too, “No, Kevin man, it’s not like that. Her shirt just-“

 “Hey, you don’t have to explain yourselves to me. I always knew Archie - Y/n would happen. Don’t you worry about a thing. My lips are sealed.” He stumbled out of the bathroom and Archie quickly shut the door behind him, locking it this time.

You both stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds, neither of you knowing exactly what to say.

 After about 30 seconds you asked already knowing the answer, “He’s definitely going to go tell Betty and Veronica about this, right?”

 “I’m sure they already know.”

 You nodded your head and took the jersey from his hand. He slung on the jacket and waited for you. You pulled his jersey over your head. It was big on you but not too big. It smelled like Archie. It felt right. He opened the door and you followed him out of the room, only for him to stop abruptly. You ran into him and then peered over his shoulder at what had stopped him. Who else but Cheryl Blossom joined by Josie at her side.

 “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” she said in her Cheryl way, her eyes scanning up and down. “The quarterback and the rando hooking up at a party together. How cliché. Doesn’t this feel like a bad 80’s rom-com?”

 Josie joined in, “Who’s Molly Ringwald in this situation?”

 “I’m like Breakfast Club Molly Ringwald and Y/n’s like Sixteen Candles Molly Ringwald. That makes Archie Jake Ryan!”

 Neither of you had the patience to try and explain the situation to her. Archie grabbed your hand pulling you in the other direction down the hallway. “It’s been a pleasure as usual Cheryl,” he yelled behind him.

 Over the blaring music, you could just make out her say “Or maybe she’s more Pretty in Pink Molly Ringwald…”

 He pulled you through a different part if the house to a patio where a few random couples were making out. They were taking up all the seating and he scratched his head not knowing where to go.

 “Why don’t we just sit in the grass?” you suggested. You walked over to a far part of the lawn that was dark but still lit by the moon. The music was muffled and distant, present enough that would could have private conversation, but still muted. He sat down crisscross applesauce style and you followed suit, chuckling to yourself. You both sat with your forearms resting on your knees, leaving only a couple of inches between each other.

 “We’re finally alone.” He stated quietly, sounding satisfied. The moon lit up half of his face and his fiery locks glinted as he tilted his head.

 “Yeah, that’s why I come to parties. To be alone. Just me and two-hundred of my closest friends.” You breathed sarcastically.

 He grinned at your reply. He looked at you for a moment. Just really looked at you. He was really seeing you.

 He looked away timidly, “You look good in my jersey you know.”

 You raised an eyebrow, “Yeah?” He nodded his head. You considered how to reply. “Well I guess I’m just gonna have to try out for the football team then.”

 “Or,” He leaned in even closer, “alternatively,” his lips just centimeters from yours, “you could just…” He pressed his lips to yours, lightly but passionately, like it was something he’d been wanting to do for a long time. His lips were soft and it felt right, he felt right. It only lasted a couple of seconds but it felt like forever, in a good way. He pulled back and all you could both do was grin at each other.

 All of a sudden, a mess of loud yelling coming from the house caught both of your attention. “Woo!!!” “Oh yeah!!!” “Get it!!!” “Hashtag Archie-Y/n!!!” Veronica and Betty were hanging out of a window calling out to the two of you. You looked up at the sky in embarrassment and Archie just shook his head at them, laughing. They pumped their fists and chanted “OTP, OTP, OTP…”

 Archie stood up and put his hand out to pull you up, “Do you wanna go to Pop’s? Or anywhere that isn’t right here?” “Gladly,” you agreed, “I hate parties.”