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ticklykitty216 · 4 years ago

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Pssst- good dad Byron giving his edgy son (Edgar) cheer up tickles-

(After 3 thousand years I finally wrote this!!)

(Ok so this story ended up being way longer than I thought it was, so I went ahead and put a little “ ** “ for where the actual tickling starts happening if you just want to skip to that part in the story)

***

Byron and Colette entered their shared house, bruised and beaten. They’d been on a losing streak since the beginning of the week, and it was starting to get on their nerves.

“When did Penny get so good at aiming?” Byron grumbled to himself as he set his case down on the floor and sunk into a chair, “I heard Piper had helped her out! God, I wish Piper would help me with my aim!~” Colette sighed as she plunked down in a chair across from Byron. Byron looked around the room before turning his attention back to Colette, “Hey, have you seen Ed-”

The front door quickly opened and slammed shut, both Byron and Colette jumped and turned to see Edgar storm past the living room and up the stairs “Edgar don’t slam the-!” but it was too late, Byron heard Edgar slam the door to his bedroom and growled slightly, “Found him...” Colette said sarcastically. “Why’s he so pissed?” Byron turned to Colette and shrugged “He’s sick of losing.” Byron rolled his eyes “We all are, but you don’t see me slamming doors and yelling.” Byron retorted.

“You don’t get it,” Colette said and leaned forward “Ever since he joined he’d been winning every single battle he entered, I guess everyone’s learned all his tricks and now he can’t seem to win any match he’s in!” Colette said, slightly yelling the last part. Byron raised and eyebrow “So?” “SO?! Edgar’s been losing it over this, the other day he lost a 1v1 with Colt. He LOST, to COLT.” Colette said, leaning so far forward in her chair she almost fell out of it, “It doesn’t help that Colt’s been rubbing the loss in his face every time he sees him...” Colette said leaning back in the chair with her arms crossed.

Byron hummed, a little annoyed that Edgar would get so worked up over a few losses, but he guess he could understand the frustration, when he also first started brawling he was undefeated for a bit, but the then suddenly started losing. “Let me go talk to him.” Byron said getting up, “Good luck, knowing Edgar and the way he’s acting you’re going to need it...” Colette slumped down in the chair and rested her head on her hand, and started to doze off.

Byron trudged up the stairs and down the hall, passing both his and Colette’s room until he reached the end of the hallway and a door with multiple “Do Not Enter” and “Do Not Disturb” signs on it. “Edgar?” Byron knocked on the door and listened “GO. AWAY.” Edgar yelled through the door, his voice was slightly muffled. “Edgar, sitting around in your room sulking isn’t going to change anything!” Byron said and tested the door, he was slightly surprised to find that the door was unlocked. Byron stood there for a second, when he didn’t hear Edgar respond he sighed and tightened his grip on the doorknob, straighten himself and inhaled “I’m coming in Edgar.” Byron announced.

Byron entered the room and couldn’t help but look around, the curtains on his window were pulled shut, leaving the room relatively dark, which didn’t help much with the fact that mostly everything Edgar owned was either black or a dark shade of another color. He had multiple “Edgy” (God, Byron hated that word) bands on the walls and a few other memorabilia strewn across the walls and floors.

Byron’s eyes finally landed on Edgar, he was lying face down on his bed, shoes kicked off near the door, and his scarf was hung up on a hook next to his bed, Edgar’s scarf limply waved at Byron as he approached the bed, and Byron stiffly waved back. “Get out of my room!” Edgar yelled, before burying his face deeper into his pillow, Byron huffed through his nose and rolled his eyes, he managed to get this far and he wasn’t about to give up now. He sat at the end of Edgar bed and took another deep breathe before quietly saying, “Colette told me you’ve been sour because you keep losing matches?” Byron watched as Edgar stiffened on his bed before he quickly turned to glare at Byron, “Whatever that crazy stalker told you is all a bunch of lies!” Edgar snarled before he went back to burying his face in his pillow.

Byron smirked despite himself, he always thought it was funny when Edgar got mad about Colette, he shook his head and tried again, “Edgar, it’s fine to be upset about losing. We’ve all have our fair share of losing streaks, but like I said, sitting around and sulking isn’t going to help you win battles.” Byron said and Edgar let out a dry bark of laughter, “What do you know about losing? Do the other brawlers rub it in your face every time you mess up? Do they laugh when they kick your ass into the dirt?!” Edgar hissed before he turned on his side, his back now facing Byron and he curled up into a tight ball with his face still in the pillow.

Byron felt a little guilty for the teen. He hadn’t realized the others had been so rude to him, though deep down Byron knew it wasn’t entirely undeserved, Edgar had grown cocky from all his victories and would sometimes act like he could do anything. Byron looked down at the curled up boy before he, very hesitantly and awkwardly placed his right hand on the teens side. “I didn’t realize the others were antagonizing you.” Byron said and Edgar tried to move away from his touch “Oh really? Just the other day I saw you laughing along with Bull and Mortis when I failed my jump and got my ass kicked by Spike!” Edgar growled. “Or that time in Brawl Ball when I’d ran straight into Shelly with her super? You were practically sobbing with laughter at that!!” Edgar yelled, “You don’t feel bad, you’re just saying that so I’d stop being an inconvenience to you, just go away and laugh with the others at my expense.” Edgar said and tried again to move away Byron’s hand.

Byron was stunned. He hadn’t expected Edgar to talk to him like that, and he certainly didn’t like what he’d been implying with that last bit. Byron left his hand squeeze Edgar’s side, “Now listen here-” Byron felt the teen tense and twitch beneath him and heard this strange, half choked sound leave Edgar.

The older man blinked in confusion, and repeated the process. Edgar twitched and made another sound, before he turned his head slightly, he face was half buried in the pillow and he glared at Byron “Don’t.” he growled.

It took a moment for Byron to realize what Edgar had meant, but when he did, this time he really couldn’t help but smirk. Byron turned on the bed so he was facing Edgar more and looked down at him “Don’t what Edgar?” Byron asked trying to make himself sound innocent “D-Don’t touch me!” Edgar stuttered out and tried to move away, but Byron just tightened his grip ever so slightly and Edgar squeaked.

“Why not Edgar?” Byron asked and leaned over him “Does it tickle?” Byron almost bursted out laughing at the face Edgar pulled when he said that. Edgar layed there looking like a deer in headlights before he tried to fling himself off the bed.

** Byron hadn’t expected him to do that, Byron quickly grabbed the back of Edgar’s shirt with his left hand and pulled him back, his right hand shot to Edgar’s other side to pull him closer, this also subsequently rolled Edgar onto his back. “BYRON!!” Edgar screeched and started to hit him with the pillow in his arms, Byron grabbed the pillow from Edgar’s hands and threw it off the bed, and he moved so he was now kneeling over Edgar (he was still at the teens side).

Byron smirked and placed his hands on both of Edgar’s sides and squeezed roughly, a choked squeal came out of Edgar and his face heated up “Byrohohon dohohon’t you dahahare!!” Edgar giggled out and grabbed at Byron’s wrists and tried to push them away. “Don’t do what Edgar? I don’t understand, you won’t give me a straight answer!” Byron said and started to rapidly squeeze the boy’s sides.

Edgar’s eyes widened before he shut them tightly and tried to curl up, all the while trying desperately not to laugh, “D-Dohohohon’t tihihihickle me!” he hissed through gritted teeth, Byron hummed before a chuckle escaped him “Tickle you? Well, why didn’t you say so? I’d be more than happy too!~” Byron teased before he started to skitter his fingers up and down Edgar’s sides.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Edgar gasped before a long squeal escaped him, and then the laughter broke through. Edgar started to kick at the bed and shook his head rapidly from side to side as he laughed and pushed at Byron’s wiggling fingers, “B-BYHIHIHIHIROHOHOHON NOHOHOHOHOHO, STOHOHOP!!” Edgar laughed out as he started to wiggle from side to side, anything to escape the older mans grip. Byron himself laughed at the display, he’d never seen the teen react like this, and he’d never realized Edgar was so ticklish!

“Stop? But Edgar, I’m just getting started!” Byron teased as he brought his left hand up to his ribs and his right went to Edgar’s stomach. “NOHOHOHO! NOHOHOHO!! I SWEAHAHAHAR TOHO GOHOHOD OLD M-M-MAHAHAHAN!” Edgar was really starting to thrash now, and Byron was starting to lose his grip. He quickly moved and was now straddling his hips, Edgar’s faced turned another shade of red “G-Gehehet off ohohohof mehehe!!” Edgar giggled as Byron adjusted himself.

“You were right about one thing Edgar,” Byron said as his hand returned to Edgar’s sides “I... I have been laughing a lot at you...” Byron said quietly and Edgar glared up at Byron while his finger ever so slightly scribbled into him “But, now I think it’s your turn to laugh Edgar, you deserve it, plus, laughing is good for your morale!” Byron said before quickly digging his fingers into the boys ribs.

Edgar squawked and gasped before a screechy laugh tore out of him “B-BYHIHIHIRON NOHOHO, HAHAHA, STOHOHOP!! N-NOHOHOT THERE!!!” Edgar screamed as he started to thrash from side to side “Not there? You mean here?” Byron asked as his fingers started to scratch at the little spaces between Edgar’s ribs “Why not? Does it tickle too much?” Byron sneered and laughed when he felt Edgar try and push his arms away “YEHEHEHEHESS!! IHIHIHIHIT’S TOHOHOHOHO MUHUHUHUCH!!” Edgar squealed out and started to slap at Byron’s arms. “Well, if that’s too much for you, then what about here?~” Byron said, seeing an opportunity and quickly shoved his hands up to Edgar’s armpits.

Edgar for a few seconds went silent, his face stuck in shock before a loud squeal, peeled out of him “ACK! EEEEEEHEHEHEHE- AHAHAHAHA! NO NO NO NOHOHOHOHO!! BYHIHIHIHIROHOHON PLEHEHEHEASE!” Edgar howled as he tossed his head back and arched his back, Byron himself started laughing along with him “Well! Aren’t you just a little bit ticklish, eh?” Byron snickered when Edgar started to shake his head “BYRON! PLEHEHEHEASE I-I! IHIHIHI CAHAHAN’T- *Snort*.” Edgar clamped his arms down on Byron’s hands, as his own hands shot to his mouth to cover them, and his face turned beet red.

Byron tossed his head back and started laughing like crazy “Did you just SNORT?!” Byron laughed as Edgar shut his eyes and wiggled like crazy “SHUHUHUHUT UHUHUHUP!!” Edgar said while laughing through his hands “Hoho! I want to hear you snort again!” Byron said clawing at Edgar’s armpits. “NOHOHO!! BY-HAHAHA-BYHIHIHIROHOHON I CAHAHAHAN’T TAHAHAKE IHIT ANY-HEHE-MOHOHORE!!” Edgar cackled while his hands left his mouth to squeeze Byron’s arms.

Byron sighed but still smiled, his hands started to travel back down to his ribs, and then back to his sides and they’d occasionally skitter over the top of Edgar’s belly, “You really can’t take it anymore?” Byron asked, he even tilted his head to the side for effect “Yehehehes! Plehehease stohohop!” Edgar giggled, his hands slid to Byron’s wrists and he weakly pushed against them. “Are you going to keep sulking and moping around in your room?” Byron asked and Edgar turned his head to the side, giggled a few times before he looked back, and slightly glared up at the older man “Nohohoho...” he finally responded. Edgar sucked in a quick breath before his gaze hardened on Byron “Ahahahare yohohou gohohonna kehehehep laughing ahahahat mehe when Ihihi mess up?” Edgar asked and Byron’s face fell and a guilty looked passed over him.

Byron stopped tickling Edgar and he put his hands on top of his thighs, “No Edgar, I’m sorry I laughed at you in the first place. I didn’t realize how much it got to you...” Byron said and with a huff he got off of Edgar. Edgar was still lying down and giggled every now and then, but he eventually sat up and he gave a wary look at Byron. Byron offered a small smile to him and a chuckle escaped him “Do you feel better from laughing?” he asked, Edgar’s eyes widened and his cheeks and ears turned pink “What?! N-No!” he yelled and wrapped his arms around his sides and looked away. Byron laughed at his reaction.

“Aaaaww! Does this mean you guys have all made up with each other?!” Both Byron and Edgar looked at the bedroom door to see Colette standing there “Colette?! H-How long have you been there?!” Edgar yelled at her, “Oh, I came up when I heard you start screaming the first time!” Colette said innocently and put her arms behind her back and rocked on the balls of her feet “Man, I knew you were loud Edgar, but I didn’t think you’d be THAT loud!” Colette said and smirked at him “I’m gonna document this in my scrapbook!” she said and tore down the hallway.

Edgar sputtered for a minute before he jumped off his bed and ran after Colette, “COLETTE! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU WRITE ABOUT THIS IN YOUR CREEPY SCRAPBOOK I’LL BURN THE DAMN THING!!!” Edgar screamed at her, Byron laughed as he casually sauntered out of the emo teen’s room.

#Kitten_Blunders #TicklyKitty Writes #brawl stars tickle #brawl stars tickling #wow; I really popped off writing this lol #it took a while to get started but then I took off #god I love writing teases lol #I got a little flustered writing this #*Me looking at Edgar getting wrecked by Byron*: God I wish that were me...#I think the only reason this was so long was because I decided to split it up #instead of having the story as one giant block of text LOL #Edgar is baby and deserves to be tickled and laugh and be happy >:(

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housemartius · 5 years ago

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i’ve had an hc that dakota is native american for a long time now, and after reading this awesome post i was inspired and like “what if he and piper were cousins??” so let me share some things i’ve imagined about them so far (warning: this is one long ass post):

- they were both born and raised in tahlequah, oklahoma (not in a reservation tho bc there’s no cherokee reservation in oklahoma, rick’s an idiot who doesn’t research anything)

- dakota is two years older than piper and that made him a bit overprotective of her while growing up. even when they were kids, piper got a lot of attention from mostly other boys (which would later make her feel super self conscious of her own looks) and dakota would pick up on her discomfort and shoo away all of them in an instant

- like seriously, he’s a pretty observant kid and piper would always flinch when a boy got too close for comfort. so dakota was always more than ready to help her out

- imagine how overjoyed grandpa tom was when he found out he was going to be a grandpa, twice, in such a short span of time. dakota had barely just turned 1 year old when tristan announces the woman he’s dating is pregnant tom cried so much, bless him

- now grandpa is no fool though. he knew something was up with the ppl his children were dating, he knew they weren’t ordinary folks. and he suspected his future grandchildren wouldn’t be exactly ordinary either. and how right he was

- just a few months after he was born in september 1992, baby dakota was taken on a little trip with his mom and grandfather around tulsa and they came across a huge vineyard

- it’s january and it’s hecking cold (like 50ºF/10ºC) and the vines, as you’d expect, are basically dead. that’s when something remarkable happens: the plants start to reach out towards dakota and the closer he is to them, the livelier they get

- grandpa is shocked to say the least but he plays it cool. he just turns towards his daughter and calmly asks “care to explain please” to which she then proceeds to spill the beans about how she met the roman god of wine whose son is currently being held by grandpa tom

- tom is really surprised that his daughter dated an actual immortal deity from ancient times, or that they even exist at all (he thought greek myths, and therefore roman by extension, were a bunch of bull). yet at the same time he’d been suspecting the dude wasn’t completely human for a while now...

- in the end he happily accepts both his daughter’s love for bacchus (if that’s even who he really is) and the son they had, and never loves dakota any less even now that he knows he’s a demigod

- except they don’t tell tristan bc 1. bacchus told dakota’s mom to keep it a secret (whoops), 2. tristan’s a skeptic who doesn’t believe in any kind of myths so what’s the point and 3. tristan’s sweetheart is pretty high guard about her own identity and grandpa’s noticed this and he thinks she’s hiding the truth from his son for a good reason (again, he is such a skeptical man, he’d probably think they were all insane)

- april 1994. piper is born and an almost 2 y/o dakota is finally introduced to the cousin he’d been hearing so much about

- both love their grandfather and listening to stories about their culture. and grandpa loves that his grand-kids are so keen on learning

- they live a pretty happy childhood overall. apart from dakota’s innate abilities to making vines grow whenever he walks by (though he remains oblivious to this bc his mom goes to great efforts to ensure he doesn’t find out so soon, he’s still a little kid after all), none of his other powers manifest all that much when he’s a toddler. and neither do piper’s

- ofc, being demigods they’re constantly exposed to the danger of being discovered by monsters but they luck out and continue living in ignorant bliss of their godly parentage

- they love being outside. playing, napping, talking, whatever it is, they don’t like being indoors. they’re always running around everywhere, climbing trees, rolling around in the grass, etc it’s a very rare occurrence when they manage to return home with clean clothes

- they just have a looot of energy and they like using it. getting them to calm down is a challenge in itself, they’re always goofing around. whether they’re having a nice family dinner (food fights tend to occur more often than not), or watching cartoons before bedtime (reenacting cool fight scenes is a must!)

- but then one day, just a few weeks after his 8th birthday, dakota shows up at tristan’s house with his mom and she says she needs to talk with his uncle and grandfather

- the kids are told to go play for a little while in the backyard to let the grown ups have some privacy

- dakota is uncharacteristically quiet. piper notices it right away, how her cousin’s shoulders are slacked and his eyebrows furrowed in distress. she asks what’s wrong, what happened to make him so sad

- “i have to move away” he says. piper is shocked, starts asking why. why, where to, and can’t the whole family go with him?

- “no. just me. somewhere far away”. “but why?!”. “because it’ll be bad if i don’t”

- the rest of the day goes by in a blur. piper can’t understand what’s happening. why does dakota have to go all alone? why can’t her aunt go too? why don’t her dad or her grandfather try to stop them?

(- later, when piper demands her dad for explanations, tristan only says what his sister told him: that dakota needs to go somewhere that’ll be better for him, that piper’s aunt can’t take care of him by herself. grandpa tom tells her the same thing whenever piper turns to him but he knows. his daughter told him the truth)

- saying goodbye is the only moment that seems to last an eternity though. piper is full on crying and sobbing, holding on to dakota with all her strength and begging her cousin to stay, stay and everything will be okay bc he’ll be with her and all the people who love him

- dakota cries too, though not as hard. he’s barely keeping it together but he’s the older cousin and he needs to be strong for piper

- inside though he’s terrified of what’s happening to him. to him and to his mom and now his dear little cousin and his uncle and grandpa. he wants to stay but bacchus was clear during his sudden unexpected visit: he needs to go to the wolf house right away

- his mom takes him there. this goodbye is even more terrible than the previous one. in the midst of all the crying he promises that he’ll be okay, that he loves her and will visit as soon as he can

- dakota hadn’t had the fortune (or permission) of visiting his mom and granddad back in tahlequah often. and the few times he had managed, piper had been away with her dad on his trips looking for a job as an actor in los angeles

- one day, now 13 y/o, he was at his mom’s place with his grandfather too, just sitting and talking and enjoying each other’s company when they decided it was time to tell him the horrible news: his grandpa had been diagnosed with lung cancer

- tom reassured him all throughout his grandson’s hysterics that he felt fine and that he was at peace with the situation

- and then dakota asked the dreaded question

- “... how long?”

- “... soon”

- when dakota made it back to camp he started asking around for possible cures, talking with praetors and centurions and just about anyone who might help him

- though in the end he didn’t find any medicine that could possibly save his grandfather

- and it’s not like the romans really cared for helping outsiders either

- the day he got the news grandpa tom had passed away, just a little over 2 months later, he refused to leave his bunk bed for the remainder of it and it took his two centurions to force him out of it the next morning

(- dakota swears that, out of all the days he’d felt the most lonely and in need of the warm comfort of his family, that had been the most painful one he’d endured in his whole life)

(- he also wondered if piper had known about their grandfather’s condition, and for one moment he actually hoped she didn’t just so she could be spared of going through the same despair he and the rest of their family had)

(- he’d also wished, more ardently than ever before, to be able to hug his beloved little cousin again just like he had so many times years before)

- fast forward to 2010. dakota is standing with the rest of the romans at cj, staring at a greek ship that quickly approaches camp

- his long time friend jason is said to be on board and dakota is just dying to give the dude the longest and most bone crushing hug ever

- plot twist: it’s piper who gets the pleasure of receiving the longest and most bone crushing hug ever. but she returns it tenfold rip dakota’s back

- their reunion was a hazard mix of tears, laughter and wrestling. he and jason happily gave piper a tour of the camp, though tbh she didn’t really pay attention to much, catching up with her fave cousin was obviously the priority

- during her quest to save the world, she iris messages dakota as regularly as she can and they talk for hours on end, sharing stories from their past, their family, their beloved grandpa tom whom they missed terribly every single day, everything really

- piper confides in him how much her dad’s lack of interest and pride for cherokee culture has rocked her own, how growing up with him so absent from her life and so worried with rejecting everything cherokee/native american related had made her feel so uncomfortable in her own skin

- dakota takes all this in silence and just lets her get it all out. he hears her every complaint and insecurity and fear. then he starts telling her the stories their grandfather had told them

- he tells at least 2 different ones every night they talk, always with a smile on his face, always trying to replicate the exact same tone and pace their granddad used

- and it eventually gets piper to smile too

- one night it’s dakota who confesses how much he regrets not visiting tahlequah more often, how he wishes he’d spent more time with thomas before he’d passed away, how he wished he’d been with him during those last few days if not to just hear him going on and on about cherokee myths like he loved to

- that gets piper crying in no time. dakota cries too. they just spend a good 10 minutes sobbing together through their reflections in the watery rainbow, neither saying much

- “i’m glad he told us. the stories i mean”, dakota says when they’ve calmed down. “feels like he gave us little pieces of himself bit by bit that’ll never go away”

- “yeah... it really does”

- when the war’s finally over, piper and dakota visit each other often, though piper’s the one who goes to cj more often since dakota’s a centurion and has his plate full most of the time

- they’re still as goofy and energetic around each other as ever, like the time they spent away from each other was like clicking pause on a movie and now they’ve hit play and continued on from there

- still hate being trapped indoors. when there’s camp meetings they both need to attend they just can’t help but joke around. everyone else dreads going to those now thanks to these idiots

- dakota isn’t as chaotic as piper so he somewhat helps to keep that side of her in check

- when leo accompanies her during her visits though... no point in even trying to hold back this Mess, dakota’s tried before and it was the most stressful and tiring day of his fucking life

- piper constantly teases dakota about his crush on her half-brother michael. he very much regrets the day she ever saw how he acted around the son of venus (a blushy neck scratching mess)

- wow this is getting long fhdkds anyway!! they’re amazing kids who love each other to death and constantly support each other through good and bad times, and they’re proud af to be cherokee and they’ll treasure their beloved grandpa tom and his teachings till the end of their lives, and if anyone ever wants to hear a story, they’re the right kids to go to!

#piper mclean #dakota #pjo #pjo.txt #my headcanons #i spent a lot of time on this and it made me very emotional fdsfjdsk #also if any of the bits regarding cherokee culture seem off or odd or bad then pls let me know and i'll fix wtv needs fixing #i tried to keep it as minimal and vague as possible bc i'm white and an ignorant to the topic

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greekgeek21 · 4 years ago

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The Codependency Competition Ch. 9

Welcome back! I hope you and your family are staying safe in these trying times, and if not, my thoughts are with you...yeah. Just thought I should put that out there. This is the second to last chapter of this story, so I'm aiming to make it really good. I'm going to try and finish this story quickly because I'm barely started on my other one, and I just started a new handwritten story. Plus I have school and life in general. A lot is going on and I just want check something off the list.

Thank you, JJ, my wonderful beta reader. This story would be horrible without you...

Anyway, comment, like, and follow! Stay safe and happy reading!

– your author

ΩΩΩ

Annabeth was going to kill Percy.

Sure, they were going to have to tell their friends eventually, but the NEXT DAY!? Annabeth was the type of person who planned for everything; who always knew what to say in the moment. But this was something that needed a little more than a couple hours of thought. This conversation was going to hit her pride hard, and considering what her fatal flaw is, she needs some time to prepare. And that's where Percy comes in. He doesn't think about anything, he just acts, and now Annabeth is yelling at him in the living room about how stupid he is ten minutes before their friends were due to arrive.

So, business as usual for them.

"Is there a brain in there? I mean, did you even stop to THINK about how this decision would effect me?" Annabeth shouted, "No, you didn't! Just like you always do!"

Percy just stood there, letting her get it out. When Annabeth got like this, it was best to just tune it out and wait for her to tire herself out.

"Are you even listening to me?! Seaweed brain!"

He sighed, "Yes. I am listening to you. And I know that I made stupid decision, but our friends are about to be here, so can we please just kiss and make up?"

Annabeth was fuming, but for once Percy had a point. No way was she going to let her friends see her freaking out over her admitting defeat. And to be honest, she wasn't really mad at Percy, she was just stressed, and he was there. So she let it out on him, and now she feels guilty about it.

"Fine. I'm sorry for screaming at you. I'm just stressed," she said hugging him.

Percy pulled back to give her a kiss, "I love you."

"Love you, too, Seaweed brain," Annabeth responded, a smile growing on her face.

That was when a series of knocks came from the front door.

"That's our cue," Percy said, pulling away to answer the door.

He didn't even get to greet his friends before being shoved back, letting in the flood of eager teenagers.

"What is it? Did he propose? OMG he did, didn't he? YES!! I have so much planning to do," Piper went right up to Annabeth, grabbing her by the arms.

Annabeth seemed to be too overwhelmed by her friend's excitement that her mind didn't even process what was being said. Percy's did though.

He blushed a deep scarlet before answering for his girlfriend, "No, pipes. I didn't propose. We wanted to talk about something else, so can you all sit down please?"

They all obliged, turning their questioning gazes onto the two heroes of Olympus.

"Well...we just wanted to let you know that...Percy?" Annabeth struggled.

"Nice. What Wise girl was trying to say was that you were right. We can't live without each other. Happy, Leo?" he said in a rush.

A huge grin spread across the son of Hephaestus' face, "Yes, I am indeed. Jason? My twenty drachmas please?"

The son of Jupiter reluctantly handed over the money, muttering something that sounded like, "You couldn't have hung out a little longer, guys?"

The fact that her friends had bet on her need for Percy in her life shocked Annabeth out of her stupor. Now, she was steaming mad all over again.

"You BET on us? You sons of bdelyrós**!" she yelled, trying to break free from Percy's hold so she could strangle the boys.

"I told you she would be pissed," Nico sighed.

"Easy, Wise girl. They're not worth it. Even though they DESERVE it," Percy tried to calm Annabeth.

Annabeth was already pretty high strung today, and this just pushed her over the edge. Not many knew that she had quite the sailer's mouth when she got mad. He did, of course. He was usually on the receiving end of the insults.

Annabeth took one deep, relaxing breath before sitting back down.

"If you interrupt me, I'll gut you," She stated as calmly, "Now, Percy's friends found out, and then the entire school found out the next day. We plan on going back to school, so don't even try to persuade to come back to camp. Any questions? No? Great!"

The way she said it made it clear that she was not excepting any questions.

"Wait, so you aren't getting married?" Piper asked, pouting.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but there was a slight coloring in her cheeks, "No, pipes. We're too young. We've been over this!"

The daughter of Aphrodite huffed, but didn't push it. She knew it was going to happen soon, just like everyone else did. Well, everyone else but the actual couple. If only they would get over the whole 'too young' thing. Love doesn't have an age limit!

"On that disappointing note, anyone wanna order some pizza?" Frank asked, changing the subject about as smoothly as a bull going through a china shop.

ΩΩΩ

Once Percy and Annabeth had finally pushed their friends out the door, they collapsed back on the couch. It had been a long, tiring couple of hours, and now they finally had some alone time.

"We're home!" Sally called.

Or not.

Sally and Paul walked into the living room, the latter holding a sleeping Estelle in his arms.

"What's going on? You both look dead," Sally commented lightly.

Percy gave a half-hearted chuckle, but nothing more.

"I'm going to go put these away," Sally nodded towards the bags of groceries in her hands.

Percy started. He hadn't even realized that his mom was holding anything when she walked in. He must really be tired if he had missed something so obvious.

Sally left to the kitchen and Paul set Estelle down by some of her toys, and then he sat himself down at an armchair.

He seemed to remember something before saying, "Oh! Are you guys planning on going to that dance on Sunday?"

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other in confusion.

"What dance?" Annabeth voiced their thoughts.

"The school is putting on a dance on Sunday night. There're posters all around school. How have both of you not noticed?" Paul said.

"We've been a little distracted," Percy answered, sighing, "But I don't think we're gonna go. Right, Wise girl?"

Annabeth didn't answer, and when Percy looked over at her to see why, she had that look on her face. The one that meant she was considering the odds of a choice. Oh, gods. She was thinking about going to the dance.

He had thought that they weren't school dance people. I mean, there was so many awful endings to them going. Like a monster attack! Yeah. Like that.

In reality, he just didn't like dances. Especially dance with mortals that had just found out that the most popular guy at school was dating a 'nerd.' It wasn't on his to-do list, that's for sure.

"Annabeth? You aren't seriously considering this, right?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

If she wanted to go, they were going. He had no doubt about it. Everything that Annabeth wanted, Percy gave her. He was a sucker for her.

"Well, it would kinda be like ripping off the bandaid, right? And it would be shorter than a day of school. This way, we could deal with the mortal questions earlier. And who knows? It might end up being fun," Annabeth answered.

Percy heaved a great sigh and tipped his head back onto the couch.

They were going to a school dance.

ΩΩΩ

**Bdelyrós: This word means either a villain or a b*****

Sorry if that was too much dialogue, but I just needed to move the story along to the point it needed to end on. If you haven't guessed what the next chapter will be, then you obviously didn't read this chapter.

Anyway, what do you think'll happen at the dance? Did you like how whipped I made Percy? Voice your thoughts!

Comment, like, and follow! Stay safe and happy reading!

– your author

chapter 10 :)

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #teen #high school #percabeth

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cxsmic-reactions · 5 years ago

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Companions react to their child moving within Female SS and Female Companions:

First off let's address how Sole is strong enough mentally to try for another baby. Just know it took some heavy convincing and bribing from their Companion to get them to try.

Alas, Sole and others were pregnant and it was interesting, to say the least. First, it was the morning sickness then the mood swings. And now this. Don't get me wrong those others things are nice and all but the baby moving in their stomach is the icing on the cake. They were taking yet another lazy day and the unexpected happened. The baby moved.

Cait: Cait always wanted a child. She felt like she wanted to undo the wrongs her parents did and make her own well-rounded child. She wanted to treat them like who they were as a person. A human. Instead of a slave or worst a waste of space. She would also treat them with compassion no matter what. That's why she felt like it was right to have a baby Sole. Sole wanted a restart on raising a kid and Cait wanted one. What could go wrong? For starters Sole would panic anytime Cait held her stomach. Which would cause her to say a quick “I'm fine” and continue on with her day. But when the baby moved Sole didn't do anything. Instead, he just rubbed her stomach and smiled. Cait guessed that he was used to it because of his late spouse. Either way, it was sweet to see Sole like that.

Curie: Thanks to Curie’s know-how of science, Sole was able to impregnate her. At first, it was an experiment on human life but then halfway through she felt like this was more than just an experiment. In a way, she felt attached to the child and she would often talk to it when she was by herself. She often found herself singing to the unborn child and would sometimes get caught by Sole. Eventually, she would confess her true love for the kid to Sole and would beg for him to forgive her. Sole would then tell her how it didn't matter and as long as she loves the baby it was fine. After that, he would rub her belly and kiss her. As soon as he touched her stomach he felt a small kick. He leaned down kissed her stomach and smiled up at her. Curie then thought to herself how lucky she was to have those two.

Danse: After the exile from the Brotherhood he needed the happiness that Sole brings. And after some convincing and science, Sole was pregnant. All throughout the pregnancy, he was constantly at her side. He would also panic about every little thing that she did. If she winces even a little bit he would be there. Hell, he will even go as far as to feed her. Which Sole quickly put an end to. So when the baby moved and Sole made a noise, despite Sole’s warning, Danse would have his hands all over her. Checking her temperature, stomach, you name it he was on it. Until he figured out it was the baby moving he would calm down. All in all, he's a good father even though he is a bit protective.

Deacon: They were having a debate in which if you put something in between two pieces of bread it's a sandwich. Sole said it is, Deacon, says it's not. But just as Sole was about to counter Deacon's last remark, the baby moved. Sole made a shocked gasp which made Deacon run over to her side to see what happened. Once he figured out that the baby wasn't coming out early he laid his hand on her stomach. Which then prompted a kick from the womb. It would make him smile from ear to ear knowing that his baby was in there and they're ready to get out.

MacCready: No it wasn't the first time that he has witnessed a baby moving in a womb. I mean he had Duncan so no surprise. But this one was kinda different. He felt like this baby made them officially official. Like that Sole was his and He was Sole's. He felt like that tiny event signified everything. Just know he would be smiling about it every time it happens.

Hancock: First off the fact that Sole even got pregnant in the first place was a miracle. But the baby moving was in a whole different ballpark. He finds himself regretting what he said to Sole when the first started out. He believed that she was gonna walk away eventually. But she didn't and that made Hancock happy. After touching her belly he would look in her eyes and say "Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky." (I got that from the game :p).

Nick: Similar to Hancock it was a miracle and some science (thanks to Curie) that Sole got pregnant. And he knew the day she told him that he would protect that baby with his life if he had to. Though at first, Nick was very hesitant about the whole thing. Thinking why would they want to be with an old robot like him. But of course Sole assured him that he was the one for her and she was the one for him and all that. Even when the baby kicked Nick was a little hesitant to touch her stomach thinking he would hurt her and all, but no. Again she assured him and he touched her. Which actually brought a smile to both of their faces. To Nick the feeling of the child in her stomach made him feel like he was on cloud nine and that they were finally meet to be in his eyes.

Piper: Piper couldn’t wait till the baby was out. It made it so much harder for her to move especially while trying to snag interviews. Thankfully Sole was always there with her so it wasn't that bad. And since he was always there he was able to witness the kicking. Of course, Piper freaked out due to lack of experience but Sole soon calmed her down. Explaining how his old spouse used to have those all the time with Shaun. All in all, it made Piper appreciate Sole way more than she usually did.

Preston: Throughout the whole pregnancy Preston was a worrying mess. If something fell on the floor he was right there to get it no matter what. He wouldn't let her do anything besides eating and sleeping. He was so afraid of losing the child but of course Sole told him she was fine. Telling him that they were safe and if anything happens she will protect the baby. After being told that Preston would calm down and would only pick up stuff if they needed it. Due to this new change, they both agreed that Preston was still allowed to give her belly rubs whenever she needed. Which then prompted her to have many moments where he would be rubbing and the baby would kick at him. Moments like this would make him the happiest and it would remind him not to take life for granted.

X6-88: In the Institute they have technology that allows synths to conceive with humans like Sole. So that's what they did. As the director of the institute, Sole marched right to the Synth Retention Bureau and asked about it. It went sort of like her asking for X6 sperm to see if she could get pregnant. It worked and now they are here. During the pregnancy, he never left her side for more than a moment. And when the baby kicked he was there for it too. It made him smile and blushed a bit when it happened. And when Sole noticed it made her think of how X6 smiles a lot more than he used too when he is with her and the baby.

This was requested by @femalepennywise. This is officially my LAST REQUEST. I'm so glad! I will not be opening up my inbox until later June. But you can still expect me to post. I still need to clear out my drafts. Anyways as always I hope you enjoyed.💜

#cait #curie #deacon #danse #maccready #preston garvey #strong #piper #nick valentine #hancock #x6 88 #fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout 4 reactions #fallout 4 companions #fallout 4 companions react #fo4 companions #fallout

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fallout4treasures · 5 years ago

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What’s Worth Fighting For - Ch 1

“Then why are you going?” Ellie asked, standing and following me as I headed towards the door.

“I need his help. And he’s not doing anyone any good gone.”

“You must be pretty desperate. It’s not often Nick can’t save himself.”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

Wayfaring Stranger - Johnny Cash

You’re looking for a man. He can help you. But he ain’t gonna be the man you expect. I’m ashamed to say my fear and rage was leading me back then. Giving an old lady chems seemed so small compared to what I was looking for. Her visions were all I had to go on, and nothing was more important than finding Shaun. I’ve tried to make myself regret it, to let the guilt weigh on me, but I can’t. It led me to the truth. More importantly, it led me to Nick.

I always thought this story started in the Vault. With the death of my old self, and everything I knew. Watching my world, along with the people in it, disappear in a blink of an eye had sparked enough vengeance in me to fuel a war. It should have been enough to be the main plot. Not that it was small, but I guess I’m a sucker for a nice guy with a broken soul. Either way, it turns out this story actually starts at the ballpark. But you should know before you start, in case you hadn't picked up on it already, this was never supposed to be a love story.

The crash of glass filled my ears, pulling me from my deep sleep and sending me sitting straight up. I grabbed my gun from the nightstand and had it readied on the door, taking short and shallow breaths as my brain caught up to my actions. My heart thumped in my ears, with sweat already building at my brow. The shatter was followed by boisterous yelling coated in accents too thick and angry for me to decipher through the wall, but from what I could tell it was only the innkeeper brothers quarrelling.

The air I was holding in my lungs released as did the tension in myself. I let the firearm lay in my lap as I held my face in my hands, counting the seconds as my breathing brought my pulse back down to a regular rate.

I was still grateful the shock woke me. The images from my nightmares were quickly blurring together to the point that they were unrecognizable. If I had to experience them while I slept, at least I couldn’t remember them when I woke up.

My shoulders refused to relax as I rolled out of bed. In fact, my whole body ached from my journey the night before. I should have taken the nearly day’s walk from Sanctuary to Boston more seriously. But it wasn’t the first time I did something stupidly impulsive for the sake of the mission. Certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Ready to leave the musty smell of my rented room behind me, I hoisted my leather armor over my shoulders and fumbled with the buckles as my sweaty fingers continued to tremble. It must have taken me five full minutes to get everything strapped on. And once it was I started to sweat even more, the leather feeling as if it was constricting around me.

Everything about this world, and the anxieties it stirred in me, felt so foreign. It had only been a handful of days since I had unfroze, yet it felt like I had lived weeks in this wasteland already. Time had its own mind here, with every moment full of either danger or needed rest. There was no telling how it would move next.

My days used to start so slow and sweet. Usually with Nate’s warm voice telling me that Shaun was crying. He’d bring him in from the nursery and we’d snuggle around him in bed. Just staring as our son babbled and cooed at us. Listening to the radio, sipping at the coffee on the nightstand. The sun would start to rise and we’d get up with it.

I wish I had wanted it more then. I wish we had begged the sun to stay low just a bit longer. To keep the moment stretched on, and our son beside us. Even if just for a little while. Safe, warm, perfect.

The bittersweet memories stung my chest, causing tears to well up. I quickly pushed them out of my head, but was still left a tired, jittery mess. Unfortunately, this was my morning routine. Battling the visions mixed from the past, present, and my nightmares. At this point, it seemed only one thing could calm my nerves.

“Ah, Viv! Our newest patron. You finally woke up.” The bartender bellowed out with a laugh the moment he saw me dragging myself from the hall of rooms to the bar.

“Good morning, Vadim.” I offered him half a smile as my arms fell to the counter.

“I am sorry about the fighting. My brother and I don’t always see eye to eye… Eh, are you okay? You're as white as a sheet.”

“I’m fine.” I waved him off before pressing my eyes into my palms. “Just looking for something strong.”

“No problem, what’s your drink?”

“Bourbon.” With a stiff nod he grabbed the shot glass from underneath the bar and the liquor with it. The quiet splash of brown liquid made crave the drink even more. I snatched it from its surface and threw it back without bothering to taste it. My face twisted as it burned the whole way down, but the warmth quickly took over and calmed my nerves. “Thanks.” I pulled out the small bunch of caps I had in my front pocket and counted out the payment, plus a couple extra for him.

“Will you be back tonight?” Vadim asked, pocketing the caps.

“Depends on how my day goes.” I gave him a short wave before leaving the grimey, makeshift inn.

The Diamond City I was walking through that morning was much different than the night before. It reminded me of the last ball game we went to. It was right before Shaun was born and Nate surprised me with tickets right behind home plate. Not too far from where I was standing actually, just two hundred years earlier. Who knew a baseball field was big enough for a whole city? If you could call it a city. Smashing a few dozen or so metal shacks inside a ballpark wouldn’t have fit my qualifications before we went under. But so far this was the closest thing I had seen that felt like home. The houses and businesses formed a bull’s eye around the stadium with the Power Noodles bar dotting the center. The Dugout Inn where I was staying was tucked away in an alley towards the city gates and to start exploring I ventured back toward where I had started last night.

“Read all about it! Institute replaces people with machines! Are you next?” A young girl with short, wriley, dark hair announced from her podium. “Hey lady!" Her short arms wildly waved me over, her long skirt flouncing a bit around her pants as she bounced. "You're new, right? All newcomers get their first issue free." She extended the flyer out to me.

"How could you tell?"

"My sister told me to look out for a doe eyed misfit.”

“I am not doe eyed.” I huffed, taking the flyer. I made a face at the girl as she smirked at me. “I’m guessing you’re Piper’s little sister?”

“Most people call me Nat.”

"Most people call me Viv…” I let my eyes fall to the paper, wandering the article aimlessly. It started to catch my attention when a name stuck out to me. “What's the Institute?” I asked her.

“You don’t know about the Institute? Oh, man... ” She rolled her eyes at me. I narrowed mine in return at her. “They snatch people up and replace you with robots." She sighed.

“Do people disappear a lot?”

“How would I know? They look just like us.” She retorted with an eyeroll. I let out a breath, trying to keep my patience.

“You’re a smart kid. I’m sure you know someone who does know.” She pondered this for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.

“I guess, you’d have to ask the detective, Mr. Valentine. He’s the only one to go to if someone’s gone missing."

“Oh yeah? Where’s he at?”

“Probably his office. It’s down that alley. There’s a sign at the end that shows the way.”

“Hey, thanks kid.”

“Remember what I said about the Institute! You can’t trust anyone.” She called after me as I walked. I waved goodbye and heard Nat muttering under her breath as I walked away. “Give her ten days… max.” I couldn’t help but laugh at this. She gave me three more days than I had given myself.

I followed her directions to the agency, quickly finding the glowing detective sign pointing me to the covered alleyway. Even in the daylight the pink neon ‘Valentine Detective Agency’ sign seemed like it was the only thing lighting the way. A heart shot by an arrow glowed behind the lettering with another arrow pointing towards the dark and narrow corridor leading towards the entrance. Passing the light, I couldn’t help but hear the fortune teller’s words in my mind.

You find that heart that's gonna lead you to your boy. Oh, it's... it's bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks. Maybe feeding that crazy old lady drugs was worth it after all. I should have written everything she said down, I thought to myself.

The metal door creaked open, and I was sure I would have alerted anyone inside. It was a simple box-y metal and concrete office, but was filled completely with files, papers, and other miscellaneous items that I could only guess were clues to cases. Off to the right, behind me, was a short hall that led to what I assumed were living quarters. Despite the cold look it gave, the agency felt warm and inviting. Across the room young lady in a flowy dress and dark jacket was rifling through files, completely oblivious to me intruding.

“The bills… Oh, forget the bills.” She sighed, mournfully muttering to herself. I decided to make my presence known, and finished walking inside, closing the door with a light slam. I figured I would have startled her but she kept her back towards me, continuing away with her work.

“Hello?” I finally spoke up.

“We're closed.” She told me over her shoulder. My eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

"I don't want to be rude but is Mr. Valentine here? It’s important."

"I’m sorry, the detective's gone." My heart felt like it missed a beat. I couldn’t have gone all this way to be led to a dead end.

"Gone? Gone where?" I asked. She turned to face me, her dress flouncing around her legs. "He was working a case. Skinny Malone's gang kidnapped a young woman and he tracked them down to an old subway station. I told him that it didn't feel right. But he just smiled and walked out like he always does… always did.” As sad as she sounded I couldn’t help but let out a silent sigh of relief. As long as he was alive he could help me find Shaun. It was just a matter of getting to him.

“Couldn’t he still come back?”

“He’s gotten himself into trouble before, but he’s never been gone this long. I never thought the day would actually come where he didn’t come back.”

“No one’s tried to get him?” I asked.

“Who do you send to find the man who finds everyone else?” She walked over to the desk in front of me and sat down in the armchair. Her face was fallen with defeat. I let out a long sigh, realizing I was about to make another stupid, and possibly fatal, decision.

“What’s your name?” I asked her, pulling the bag off my back. I dug around, counting my ammo boxes. After a quick stop at the gun stand in the market I would be set.

“Ellie.” She dried her tears, quickly composing herself.

“Where did you say he went, Ellie?”

“Park Street Station, it’s an old pre-war ruin. Skinny and his gang took it over.”

“Okay, great. I actually remember where that is.” I flung the bag back on my shoulder.

“You’re not actually going after him.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“No, you just... you don’t strike me as the fighting type.”

“I’m not really.”

“Then why are you going?” Ellie asked, standing and following me as I headed towards the door.

“I need his help. And he’s not doing anyone any good gone.”

“You must be pretty desperate. It’s not often Nick can’t save himself.”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

My legs were on fire by the time I had reached the Boston common. I had been able to get away with only running across some ghouls and a few rogue raiders before reaching this point, but I was still high on my guard.

Plywood signs along the metal fencing warned me not to wander inside the common’s park. Lucky for me, the hub was just on the edge and no where near the center. The buzz of anxiety kept me on my toes as I made one last mad dash for the station’s doors. The pops and cracks of battle echoed in the distance before they were muted by the heavy metal door shutting behind me. I would usually find this comforting, but there was plenty of danger waiting for me deeper underground.

The temperature fell as I descended down the broken escalator. I could hear talking coming from the next room. I hid behind the doorway, listening in and trying to get an idea of what I was dealing with.

“He’s weak, I’m tellin’ ya. That detective comes snooping around, and what does he do? Just keeps him locked up. He don’t even got the balls to ice some nobody.”

“Keep that shit to yourself. His new girl hears ya and she’ll start swinging that bat of hers until we don’t have no face left.” I could hear them walking and talking through the nearly empty lobby. A few more were lingering around. I didn’t think I would be able to shoot it out. I figured it was time to improvise.

I pulled my pack around to rifle through the junk I had collected until I found a ragged stuffed bunny that I had found in Concord. It was hardly big enough, but it would work. I pulled the seam that ran down its back apart and tossed the stuffing onto the aged tile until it’s torso was hollow. The empty cavity ended up being the perfect bed for a grenade. There was barely enough room to cover the explosive with some of the fluff to seal it in with only the pin being visible. I gave myself a nod of satisfaction. It would do.

I grabbed a couple of caps from my pocket and took a short peak around the corner to get a look. Most of the men were dressed in sharp suits, and some even completed the ensemble with a worn fedora. Most of them carried guns longer than my arm, and probably a lot more experience than I did.

The first cap was grasped in my hand, ready to fly. The metal clanged against the tile. I patiently listened as footsteps approached it. Another toss and the other cap rattle nearby the other.

“H-hey, check this out! Caps keep falling from the ceiling.” One of them called to the others. I was relieved to hear the other footsteps lumber over to the commotion.

“What the hell are you talking about?” My heart raced as they babbled on. My fingers sweated over the circle pin, waiting for the right moment to pull.

“They keep dropping down! Two of them! Look!”

“You’re hitting the chems too hard, bud.” A different voice chimed in.

“I haven’t even had that much! I’m serious!” The grenade clicked after losing its pin. One last good toss and I heard the soft thud of the toy. I covered my ears and braced myself behind the wall.

“What the-” BOOM!

It felt like minutes before I moved. I waited and waited for some sort of response or movement but nothing came. Slowly I stood and entered the now destroyed terminal. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and explosives. Like some sort of crude firework. There wasn’t much that could be recognized, other than the occasional burned cap. I figured it would still spend as I went around collecting them. I came upon the blue scrap of the bunny’s ear, left charred and frayed as I finished up.

“Thanks for your sacrifice, little buddy.” I gave it a small solute before moving deeper into the station.

I wasn’t nearly as lucky down by the tracks. I had to carefully sidestep a few mines as I made my way down. I stopped once the open area became visible. There were around a dozen or so triggermen. I had to be fast, precise, and alert. All things I did not feel confident in. My desperation had led me this far, though. Who’s to say it would fail me now?

I pulled out my pistol, checking the ammo before aiming directly at the back of their head. My finger trembled over the trigger, unable to let go of the fact that this would be the first gunfight that was initiated by me. I gave myself a moment to focus, taking slow breaths to balance my hand. Finally, I pulled the trigger. The first man flopped to the floor with the bang of my gun. Before someone had time to react I quickly aimed at the next one. My arm cuff was grazed as the other mobsters started to react. I ducked my head down as a swarm of bullets flew towards me. A break in the assault let me grab another glimpse of the tracks, and another head shot. It went on like that for awhile until the room finally fell quiet. The air held an unsettling feeling, keeping me frozen in my spot. I shut my eyes and waited for a noise. After several seconds there was a soft shuffle and footsteps. Just one set, but I could hear him closing in on me. He was creeping closer to the wall that protected me. I counted to three, held my breath, and popped up from behind the barrier. Before he could lift up his own gun my bullet flew through his chest.

I tried not to count the bodies as I passed them. I wasn’t close to ready to start processing the amount of damage I had caused. I followed the tracks, and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of security. I was able to stroll through the tunnels, their echoing silence bringing me some peace. Until I reached the last stop anyhow. I could see the tunnels had collapsed on the other side of the room. I slowed my pace and peaked around the tunnel opening. The coast seemed clear enough so I decided to continue on. I thought I was moving silently as I tried to sneak onto the platform.

“Hey! There’s someone here!” I heard a man call out from behind a pillar.

“Shit.” I muttered to myself.

“She’s here for the detective! Don’t let her-” With the pop of my gun I silenced the first goon, and the other dropped shortly after as he stumbled after him.

After a couple more skirmishes I found myself in an unfinished part of the station. Dirt and rock made up the floors, walls, and ceilings. The room was cluttered with boxes and construction equipment. As I ventured in a vault entrance came into view, sitting high on the wall with metal stairs leading up to it.

“A vault. Of course, he ended up in a vault.” Grumbling to myself I hooked my pip boy up to the panel, and pushed the button to open the door. The yellow lights circled as the vault hissed and groaned. The large gear shaped door sunk deeper into the earth before rolling off to the side. The metal bridge stretched out to meet the platform I was on. The familiar hollow step of my boot against the steel echoed as made my first steps in. It opened up to a small room, filled with storage containers. Off to the left was a small hallway, leading deeper inside the vault.

“Who the hell keeps opening the damn vault? Can’t hear myself think.” Someone called from the hall. “Skinny? Darla? S’that you?” The moment he came into view I fired. He cried out and with a limp arm he still attempted to aim his gun at me. Another shot and he was on the ground.

“Are you all this stupid?” I asked his body as I stepped over it.

The further I went into the vault the more the rooms started to blur together. I lost track of how many levels I had gone down, and of how many triggerman I had to put down. I was already desperate to get out of that stupid maze.

The last door opened to the second floor of the atrium. Below tables were sprawled out like a cafeteria. On the other side of the room, on the third level, a balcony overlooked the hall with a large circle window showing the office behind it. Yet another gangster stood in front of it, looking and talking to someone through the glass.

“How ya doin’, Valentine? Ya hungry, wanna snack?” He teased his prisoner. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I found him. At least I could say I got this far. I could hardly hear the murmur behind the glass, but the words became more clear as I lurked closer to the stairs leading to the upper floor.

“...gives Malone more time to figure out how he’s going to bump you off.” The detective’s voice finally became clear as I reached the stairs, taking each step slowly enough to keep my boots from rattling against the metal.

“Don’t give me that crap. You don’t know nothing.”

“Oh really? I saw him write your name in that black book of his. Mumbling something about a ‘no-good, lousy, card shark’. Then he struck it off three times.”

“Three times? That’s not funny.” The guard itched around where he stood, obviously troubled by what the other man was saying. Once on the higher platform I hid before the doorway leading to the balcony.

“Gotta guilty conscious, Dino?”

“Shit… I gotta fix this, fast!” Dino was in such a rush that he blew right passed me squatting in the corner without noticing me. Another shot rang out through the atrium, as did the thud of his body.

“What was that? Who’s there?” The detective called out once the echo finished. I followed the voice to the window, only seeing a shadowy figure inside the office. “It’s not going to take long for them to realize he’s not coming back. Get that door open.” He gestured towards the terminal at the end of the balcony. It all seemed to happen so fast then, so meaningless. Even with Mama Murphy’s visions I had no idea I would be walking into a moment that had been written into fate a long time before then.

The door opened and I strolled inside the dark office, ready to grab him and bolt. The glow of his yellow eyes pierced through my thoughts, leaving all of my previous thoughts behind.

“Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario.” He commented. With a flick of his metal wrist he fired up a match to light the cigarette hanging from his mouth. The flame that was brought to his face gave the first glimpse of the exposed framing beneath his cheek. “Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?” His voice struck a chord in me, somewhere that I thought was dead.

“Would you rather stay here?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me. Taking a drag of his cigarette he stepped forward into the light, giving me a better look at him. His synthetic grey skin had definitely been through plenty through his years in the Commonwealth. Despite his experience even his subtle smile felt warm to me.

“No, but you’ll have to forgive me if I’m wary of walking into another trap.” He retorted. I conceited with a nod.

“I need your help. But, I’m a lot better at explaining when I’m not in an old vault surrounded by blood-lusted mobsters.”

“Fair enough.” He pulled his pistol from his holster and readied it. “Well, what’s your name?”

“Viv.”

“Just Viv?”

“Vivian-...” I hesitated, suddenly unsure if surnames were even used anymore. Judging by his inquisitive stare he was waiting to hear mine. “Becker.”

“Great, I’m Nick… Valentine.” His lips curled into a cheeky smile behind his cigarette. “I’m actually able to say I’m pleased to meet you. Although, I probably would have been pleased with anyone who rescued me from this place.”

“I’m flattered.”

“You should be. Not many people would have been able to get to me. I’ve been stuck

down here for weeks. Turns out the kidnapped girl I was trying to rescue wasn’t kidnapped at all. She’s Skinny’s new flame, and she’s got a mean streak.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

I let him lead us back out into the atrium. He seemed to know his way, and I was done figuring this maze out. I was happy to mindlessly follow after days of strategically planned movements.

I never imagined how much easier getting through a small army of mobsters would be with a partner. We blew through rooms as if we had trained together before. I could almost let my guard down. Even so, the vault went on for ages. We would think we were close, only to find another staircase leading up closer to the surface. Finally, after what felt like dozens of goons and staircases we finally made it to the final locked door.

“Do you think he’s in there?” I asked him as he went to work the terminal that held the door shut. “He could have run off.”

“No, he’s there. I can hear his fat footsteps from here” Nick murmured as he typed away. I was fascinated with the way his fingers moved, specifically the exposed metal ones, moved. Fluidly, and with intention, despite the fact that they were controlled by a computer themselves. “I’m not really sure where Skinny’s temper is these days. Stay alert in there.” He broke me from my thoughts. My heart thunked in my chest so loud I could feel the ripple in my entire body, the beat hammering in my ears. It was moments like these that I completely forgot why I was there. I wasn’t a soldier, that was my husband’s job.

“Ready?” He asked, cocking his gun.

“Ready.” I lied.

The door opened with a hiss. The next room’s light only illuminated Nick’s captors and what was left of their crew.

“Nicky, what do you think you’re doing?” A portly man in a sharp, black tuxedo called from inside the room.“You just come in to my home and start killing my guys? How could you do this to me?” Next to him a tiny porcelain doll of a woman with a shimmering, cool colored, dress wielded a baseball bat. They both watched with a smirk as the remaining triggerman aimed their weapons at us when we approached.

“You should tell that dame of yours to write home more often. I wouldn’t be here if her parents weren’t looking for her.” Nick said. I could see the detective nervously eyeing the room after he spoke. We were surrounded, and I was suddenly very aware of the large amount of sweat I was producing.

“What’s the matter, Valentine? Ashamed you got beat up by a girl? That why you needed your lady friend to come save you?” The woman cackled, her bright red lips stretching across her face. Her nearly flawless features should have stunned me, but I couldn’t get over the crazed look in her eyes. Even when she wasn’t looking at me I could feel her stare. “I told you, we should have just killed him! Now he’s sent this one to rub us all out.” She hissed. “Darla, I’m handling this!” Skinny scolded. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, tucking the bat into the crook of her elbow.

“Sure, you’re handling it. Look how that turned out. You got all sentimental. All that stupid crap about the ‘old times’.”

“Darla, please!”

There’s… an echo. I found Mama Murphy’s words rolling around in my head again. I tried to push them away, staying on alert, but they forced their way in. Something in the past that can help you. When you meet the fat man and the angry woman… It finally clicked with me. I couldn’t believe that drug addicted, old, broad really wasn’t crazy.

“W-wait!” I was only half-expecting anyone to hear me, but as I spoke everyone’s eyes turned to me at once. My heart kicked into a new level of overdrive that I didn’t even think was possible. “Skinny… remember- remember the Quarry, a-and Lilly June on the rocks.” I couldn’t even hear myself speak. Everyone, including Nick, just stared in silence. Did I screw it up? Did I even say anything? Was I already dead?

“What?” The mob boss finally spoke, dumbfounded as his arms, and his weapon, dropped to his side.

“Um… remember the-”

“Shut up, I heard you.” He stopped me with a wave of his fat hand. His brow furrowed in thought, scratching at his face as the two brain cells he had bickered back and forth inside his head. Nick shot a look at me, silently asking what the hell I was thinking. I gave him a short shrug, not letting my eyes leave Skinny’s hands. The second they even twitch towards his gun and I would be ready. “Alright. Alright, fine. I’m going to give you ‘til the count of ten. After that then the old days are dead, and I see your faces again then you will be too.”

“Skinny, what are you doing? Kill them!” Darla shrilled, stomping her feet around like a spoiled child.

“No, Darla. Skinny Malone is putting his foot down. They get one chance to leave.” Darla’s face twisted with disgust. Her wooden bat clamored on the tile as she tossed it aside.

“My mother was right. You mobsters are all talk.” Without missing a beat, she turned on her heel and started walking into the shadows behind them.

“Babe, where you goin’?”

“Home. I don’t need you and your fat ass weighing me down anymore.” She called behind her shoulder as she sauntered out the back. The boss watched with his jaw left open, his head following her until she disappeared. He whipped around to face us, his eyes wide with pain and frustration.

“ONE.” Skinny growled through clenched teeth. His sausage fingers gripping his gun as he aimed it at us.

“Time to go.” Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me passed the small crowd to the back.

“TWO.” Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see how the far side of the room was cluttered with totes and boxes. It led to a wide hallway that led us further away from the scene but you could still hear the mobster’s voice booming behind us.

“THREE… FOUR… FIVE.” I could tell the boss was getting impatient as he sped up the countdown. “SIX.”

“This way, there’s a tunnel. It’s how I got in.” Sure enough, almost tucked away in the corner, was a ladder heading straight for the surface.

“SEVEN.” The stomps of boots started to approach as we clamored up the metal rods. At the top was a stone sewer cap. I struggled to push it open, hooking my leg around the ladder for balance as I used my whole upper body to shove the thing open.

“EIGHT.” Fresh air cascaded from above as the cap moved aside. I crawled out from the sewer hole and simply rolled aside so the detective could follow.

‘NINE.” I heard the last of Skinny Malone’s voice as Nick sealed the cap once again.

“Jeez, you’d think an old-school mobster who just got his heart stomped on would be more forgiving.” I chortled, staring up at the night’s sky. Nick gave a surprised chuckle. I could feel his eyes on me but it was easy to tune it out this time. Laying on the asphalt I let the crisp breeze relieve my body of its sticky sweat. I focused on my breathing, the rise and fall of my stomach. I was actually alive. “That was quite possibly the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Saving me?” I nodded, and he laughed again. “You mind telling me why you did? Or who you are?”

“I told you who I am.”

“Oh, c’mon.” I couldn’t help but giggle again at his frustration. I finally sat up, leaning back onto the palms of my hands.

“I went to your agency and your secretary said you were missing. You weren’t around to save yourself so I told her I would.”

“Okay, but why?” I curled my legs in to sit criss-cross, struggling to find the right words.

“I need your help… I’m looking for someone.” I picked at the skin around my finger nails, but kept eye contact with him as I spoke. He extended his metal hand out to help me up.

“Well, I’d say you’ve earned the right to tell your story.” Once I was back on my feet I brushed some of the dirt of pebbles off of my hands and jeans. “Let’s head back to my office. You can get a chance to unload your mind.” He said it like it was a good thing. The idea of voluntarily remembering what happened sent a spike of anxiety through my whole body. We had a decent walk back though. Plenty of time to think of ways to put it off.

It turns out Nick was an excellent travelling companion. Usually I enjoyed the still silence but listening to his stories of ‘the old days’ was both intriguing and hilarious. He talked about the cat and mouse chase that ensued between him and his old friend, Skinny Malone. There was something familiar about listening to him. Somehow it felt like a little window to before the blast. Even though he was recalling memories that had only happened some years before then, it felt like he was talking about the streets of Boston as it was two-hundred years ago.

The strangest mixture of dread and relief washed over me once we made it back to Diamond City. I almost got myself killed trying to get to this point, and yet part of me wished it had killed me. It sounded better than reliving what happened.

The town was silent under the midnight stars, so different from how I had left it. The occasional guard popping out from the shadows to patrol the market. Walking through, we would grab their attention but I noticed once they saw Nick they weren’t bothered with us anymore.

Back at the agency, the detective stepped in tentatively, I’m sure not to startle his secretary who was most likely sleeping.

“El, you here?”

“Nick?” I watched him smile as there was a sudden shuffle of footsteps from the private quarters. He silently invited me in, shutting the door behind us. Ellie came running in from the hall, her eyes obviously sleepless. “Oh my god, you’re alive. You’re actually here.”

“Try not to be too disappointed.” Nick said with a smirk. She ran over and embraced him, and he accepted it warmly. He gave her head a fond pat after breaking their hug. I noticed the tiny tears that had formed in her eyes. She wiped them away before they had the chance to fall. Suddenly her face turned into a scowl as she crossly set her hands on her hips.

“I told you it was a trap. You could have died.”

“A trap would mean they knew I was coming. They just got a lucky shot.” They bickered like that for awhile. In the meantime I let my bag fall off my back and onto the ground. I plopped onto a nearby chair, that had definitely seen better days. It was still a relief for the throbbing soles of my feet.

At first I tried to follow their conversation, but my brain would start to phase the sound away and replace it with emptiness. A quiet nothing feeling embraced me, where the only thing that was being processed was the sight of the robot moving from one paper stack to the next.

At some point Ellie stopped and pulled me from my trance to thank me and I believe I responded politely. She disappeared to bed some time after that, but I didn’t notice. I was back in my disassociation, my eyes only tracking the little movement in the room.

The flow of Nick’s patched trench coat. A scratch on the back of his neck. I wasn’t sure if I was even awake anymore. It was oddly satisfying, like meditating specifically on the moment.

“You’re staring.” The detective’s voice rang in my head before I realized he was actually speaking to me. He had sat down at the desk in front of me, and pulled a screwdriver from one of the drawers. “Have you ever met a synth before?” He asked as he started fiddling with some of the screws in his exposed hand.

"Oh, uh… no, but that’s not- uh…” I attempted to rub the sand out of my eyes but it was useless. I dropped my hands into my lap and sighed as I looked back at him. “Sorry. I'm just tired. I should head over to the Dugout and let you settle in. We can meet up in the morning." When I rose from the chair it felt as if I had spent all day there. Every joint in my body ached, begging for a proper rest.

"You could. Or you could use my bed tonight if you want." His statement actually woke me a bit from my state.

"You want me to sleep in your bed?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You don't have to. I don’t sleep so it’s not like I use it. I figured it would save you a few caps, and I thought I'd offer since you saved my life and all." I gave a soft laugh. The idea of walking just a few steps to a bed, as opposed to across the diamond, did sound appealing to me.

"You don't even know me. I could be some sort of con artist."

"I'll have to keep a close eye on you then, won't I?"

His bed, bedroom area, was up on a loft above Ellie’s. I climbed up the ladder quietly as she slept. My leather armor was shed to the floor, along with my blue flannel overshirt and heavy brown boots. I crawled onto the mattress and curled up happily under the light blanket. I don’t even remember closing my eyes. My mind just drifted back into the peaceful blackness.

#fallout 4 #fanfiction #fanfic #fallout #fallout4 #falloutfic #falloutfiction #fo4 #fo #fo4fiction #fo4fic #nick valentine #nickvalentine #oc #original character #sole #solesurvivor #WWFF

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lokilickedme · 6 years ago

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Okay so I promised a bunch of pics from ScotFest 2018, and I’ve been stuck posting from my phone for the last two days so - sorry for the delay, but here we go with the good stuff. It’s long, but stay with me, you’re gonna enjoy this mad trip.

First, let me say this.

FUUUUUCCCCCCCKK. I knew I was gonna be having McClary flashbacks the whole time but it started out ridiculous and just got worse as the day went on.

The moment we pulled up the first thing that stepped into view was a dude in an anarchy tee shirt with a kilt and Docs and long black hair strutting down the sidewalk. If Chem!Tom was Scottish...oh wait a sec, didn’t he say at some point that he was a bit, on his mother’s side? Works for me. So anyway, we arrive at ScotFest and walk the long way to the shuttle bus pick-up with a bunch of kilted guys and an elderly couple dressed in ancient clan clothing (they looked awesome). And before we even get off the bus at the festival grounds, we’re blasted with bagpipe music as a full regalia marching pipe band parades past the entrance. Something smells REALLY.GOOD. and off to the left of the entrance is a field where two Mol-pups are chasing sheep around while their shepherd whistles commands loud enough to split your head open. Yep, McClary flashbacks, right off the bat. And big Scottish athletes are throwing things that don’t look like they were meant to be thrown, though the biggest and most impressive athletes on the field are the females who are using pitchforks to hurl big bags of sand backwards over their shoulders over a bar that’s about 20 feet above their heads. Big is looking at me like “What the hell, mom??” so I tell him the ancient Scots were farmers and they made games and competitions out of their farm chores. He’s like “No, I mean why are you breathing so hard?”

No comment. Did I mention that the females were really impressive? Good start to the day.

So we move on past the games into the main festival area and everywhere are man-knees. I’ve never really paid much attention to man-knees before, but to be honest they’re kinda...hot. I don’t even know why. And there were so many of them...hundreds and hundreds of man-knees on open display, it’s almost like I shouldn’t be looking but they’re RIGHT THERE all over the damn place and I feel like a pervert scamming peeks. And calves. Man calves. Not normally a fan, but there were some good ones on display.

The first thing we did was hit the tribal music tent and it was over for me before it even got good and started...because on the stage inside the tribal music tent was THIS Scottish god:

Don’t worry, the picture quality will get better. So we settle in to enjoy the music and this guy is eating up the stage and spanking the shit out of that drum, and then he starts blowing on a flippin’ didgeridoo (yeah, a nine foot long Australian horn, don’t ask me why but omg that man’s lung power was making the ground rumble under our feet and all I could think was how that skill might carry over, if you know what I mean).

Suddenly I’m really interested in nine foot horns.

A really cool thing about hitting the afternoon shows was the fact that you could go right up to the side of the stage and nobody cared. So I did.

Physically painful, let me tell ya. I could just almost look up his skirt.

That horn is vibrating the ground where I’m standing and I’m actually relieved when he switches back to the drum because all that vibration has shifted my panties about two inches to the left and it’s getting uncomfortable. The drum isn’t much better though, and neither is the view from where I’m standing - he’s a big stout bull and I’m three feet away from him while he beats that drum to a whimpering death. I could reach out and tickle his bare knee if I felt like getting divorced.

So I go back and sit with my guys again and he starts doing this:

KNEES. I mentioned man-knees before, didn’t I? Well here, have a pair. I’ll post a video later of what he did to this poor little drum, and to his own thick neck - because I can’t even describe it, and you know words are my thing. He played his freaking adam’s apple or something, I don’t even know.

There were actually two other musicians on the stage with him, but I sort of forgot they were there.

There were also lots of adorable father/son kilted combos present - and yep, a bagpiper rounds out the onstage trio. But again...man knees. The ones on the left specifically.

So the show ends after a lot of insane drumming, war cries, didgeridoo blowing, bagpiping, and a really nasty little ditty about a girl who’s been touched so much she’s smooth as a stairway bannister (followed by an anthem to an unhealthy relationship that proclaimed “I’d rather be drunk a thousand years than be sober one minute with you”). Nice, guys.

As soon as their set is over we leave the tent to go wander around, but most everyone else stays because it is as hot as the freaking surface of the sun on this day and the tent is like an oasis on Mars - which means when the band comes out to let the next band hit the stage, we’re pretty much alone outside with the bull and his two stagemates (sorry backup drummer and bagpiper, you guys were awesome and I loved you but didgeridoo guy vibrated my panties two inches to the left, you know how it is).

Anyway, we’re outside at the merch tent and Husband is buying something and I look up and nearly slam bodily into this:

Drummer/didgeridoo guy. I vaguely recall yelling to Husband during the deafening noise of the show that he looked like Aquaman, and when I end up face to face with him it’s confirmed. I think it’s the cranky eyebrow.

I also get to ogle the piper’s bagpipes up close and personal, which was hard to do as didgeridoo guy - whose name is CJ - is standing right behind me while I ooh and ahh over this weird thing, and he’s laughing at me for reasons unknown:

Maybe it was the stupid comment I made about squeezing the bag?

And then the three of them pose for a pic:

Goobers. At this point Little walks up to them and they all sort of huddle around him and start laughing (Little has light-blindness and has to wear special shades outside so he was half blind and I think he rammed right into the guy with the hat), so I hand my phone to Husband and go to get him. When I get close, didgeridoo guy puts an arm the size of a tree trunk around me and hugs me up next to him while the other two are tickling Little. Husband starts snapping pics with my phone, but no, I’m not sharing them because 1) my face, 2) Little’s face, 3) shellshock at being touched by this stud ox without having initiated it myself, and 4) the look on my face clearly says MY PANTIES ARE CROOKED AND HIS SWEAT IS SOAKING THROUGH MY SHIRT AND PHEROMONES PEOPLE OMG PHEROMONES I’M IN PAIN HELP I MAY BE PREGNANT

Yeah, he was drenched in sweat from jumping all over that damn stage schlepping a drum that probably weighed more than me. My hand was on his back and it came away soaked. You can consider that a euphemism if you want, it works both ways.

Also - red boots. Urgh. And then he goes like this:

Boy was solid as a whiskey barrel, let me tell you. We came back later to listen to another band and he was out there again, and the girls from the face painting tent had lured him over and braided his hair. He looked flippin cute. And by cute I mean Jesus Wept.

So before this turns into an exclusive didgeridoo guy fest (too late, yeah I know) let’s move along to this fine specimen that I found at the blacksmith tent:

Ladies and gentlemen, meet King McClary’s work kilt.

Dude was nice from the front too:

Definitely an Auchinleck, for those of you familiar with The McClary Chronicles. Check out the tattoo. And he was making maille battle armor, which I got to touch. It didn’t shift my panties quite as hard as the drums did, but there was definitely a quiver.

This guy was at the tent next door to the armor tent, making I dunno, bong pipes or something and he was hilarious:

And then there was this guy, listening to ballads in the historical folk music tent and looking all angsty and authentic, like his love just died of a fever and his crop failed so he joined a ships’ crew to find his fortune in a faraway land but the damn boat sank fifteen feet from shore and now he’s just fucking stuck in Scotland and contemplating becoming a villain:

And he was glaring at my child, I don’t know why. Prissy prick. I was hoping to see his dick but he was so anal he tucked his kilt under his ass from the front. Definitely a villain.

After a couple of teary ballads about wailing winds and failed crops or whatever, I dunno, I wasn’t listening because I was too involved in trying to see Prissy Prick’s ballsack, we wander over to the Highland Dance competition and walk in on this:

We’re in there for all of about twelve seconds before Big starts giggling, then Little starts giggling, then I start giggling. We promptly leave the Highland Dance competition tent, because these girls really worked hard and I don’t want to get arrested for being a dick.

We go watch the Mol-pups chase the sheep around, because nobody cares if you disrupt the proceedings in the middle of a field full of sheep.

And then we watch some more of the Highland Games, in which guys threw stuff while making the best faces I’ve seen since that time Husband wanted to try setting the mirror next to the bed:

Yeah, we giggled.

After that we went back to listen to some more music, because damn. Scottish rock is da bomb. Heard a punk band that Husband immediately fell in love with, so I guess we’re evensies on the lusting after Scottish musicians thing now:

Dude on the bagpipes grinned like that through the whole set, I think he was puffing something out of one of those tubes.

And then we walked out into the big freaking middle of about four billion of these:

Noisy effers. And they don’t stop for anybody - we literally had to jump out of the way because when they paused in front of us, they went into this formation thing and backed up right into where we were standing. Had to grab Little and yank him up off the ground before he was trampled by some dude wearing a dress and giving an octopus a blow job.

Turned to look at a woman sitting next to us a little later and watched her pull a dagger out of her sock and shine it on her kilt like she was getting ready to go assassinate someone in the crowd. We left soon after, so I didn’t get to see it go down. I hope it wasn’t the didgeridoo player, he was cute AF.

All in all it was an 11/12 day, marred only by the outrageous heat and the fact that I’ve been off my supplements and medications for a week in prep for surgery on Tuesday, so I was exhausted and my blood’s gone back to being water again. We didn’t stay as long as we would have otherwise, but we had fun and experienced a lot of weirdness - I ate haggis on accident, Husband sat down with a plate and I thought it was meatloaf (it was good and I didn’t die, so bonus) - and I got to spend the day surrounded by all the clans that tried to assassinate Thomas The Fucking Marauder.

We’ll be going again next year. Husband is a descendant of one of the border clans, so he’s heavy into this...and of course you all know what my connection is to it :)

Let me leave you with a picture of a guy about to bullrush a scarecrow. I don’t know why, I didn’t ask. Scotland’s weird, ya’ll.

#ScotFest 2018 #long post

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maskedinstructor · 3 years ago

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Black Education in America- Leadership... Can You Stand After Thee Ass Kicking?

Some days you are the windshield. Other days your are the fly. So it was on that particular day. He, at the recommendation of his crack staff, had strengthened the discipline policies, especially in the cafeteria. The pupils felt an emotional strain by the more stringent rules and began to rebel. This only brought into effect tighter measures. And, they worked. The students recognized the fact that the school was not a place for reckless behavior. Their compliance reaped greater rewards than their struggle for power. It was a win - win situation. Then Monster Madman decided to test the regulations. This students was notorious for challenging all school officials. And, It was not pretty. Some of the most competent personnel, he left in tears. He was in rare form this day. The lunchroom was quiet until he started to raise his voice. They in all aspects were screams about his desire for bathroom privileges. The principal was summoned and he observed from afar until Monster Madman began to prance like a Clydesdale about the room. The principal reached for his bull horn, commanded him to return to his designated table and wait for his class to be called for toileting. Serenity resurfaced for the moment as Monster Madman was surprised by the presence of the principal on active duty in the cafeteria. The students began to laugh at him . Some reminded him of his failed attempt to disrupt the peace and quiet of the cafeteria. The mocking reached the point of ridicule. All present could see the blood rush to Monster Madman’s face in embarrassment. Every student knew that the shit was about to hit the fan. Someone would pay the piper for Monster Madman’s loss of status in that moment. The tranquility did not endure long there after.. Monster Madman jumped to his feet and yelled, ‘ “Fu....k This ! I’m going to the bathroom.” The principal anticipating some confusion stood ready with his trusty bullhorn and countered that message from Monster Madman with his own mandate. “ Sit down and wait until your class is called!”. The abrupt response from Monster Madman was” Su...k my di...k !” ( rhymes with brick). The cafeteria went into overdrive. The principal was in a state of animation. He could not believe what he heard. He was in a paralytic state. His initial reaction would have been to dash across the room, grab Monster Madman and wring off his what he told the principal to suck so that there could never be a second reference to that act. Before the principal could respond, a warm sweat consumed him. The entire student body saw his reaction. Laughter filled the hall. The principal was left in solitary to bask in the light of his own shame. Some people say that he felt so low that he could have walked under a snake with a top hat on. In the next few minutes which appeared an eternity, hundreds of responses passed through his mind . Most were too unprofessional to recount here. Others were : You don’t have one. Your face is in the way. Tell that to your Momma. None of these passed his lips nor did they disgrace him adequately. He wanted an expression that would stick to him like horse shit. The more the seconds passed, the quieter king principal became, yet incensed. His world was turned inside out. Nothing could ameliorate his situation. His status as monarch was appropriated by those 3 little words ...AND, FROM A CHILD. This was not a democracy. No one even an irate parent or teacher spoke to king principal in this manner. Suddenly, king principal became alive, invigorated. energized. He went into crisis or ‘save your ass mode. “ O, it is physical encounter you desire!. Son , you chose the wrong person this morning,” The bullhorn slipped from his gripe and he was in hot pursuit of nasty mouth, Monster Madman. As fate would have it both arrived at the bathroom door at the same time. King Principal impeded his progress and grabbed the prickolito by the arms and recited the following uncensored dissertation, “ Hold tight, you little dumbass half baked sperm. There is only one badass mutha fucka in the building. You are looking at him. Take your piss and meet me in my office. If you are not there in five minutes, I will lose my job, My pension and my freedom for whipping your unfertilized ass.”

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anxiety-trademark · 4 years ago

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The week in review:

Raw 12/07 NXT 12/09 NXT UK 12/10 Smackdown 12/11

Raw:

Nia hyping up Shayna. That’s nice.

Shayna vs Asuka should’ve been a ppv match during Asuka’s reign. They don’t seem to care that much about protecting Shayna in tag matches, as she always eats the pin, so I’m not sure why they protect her so much in singles. She submitted Asuka (along with everyone else) in the elimination chamber, Asuka should want to prove herself better than Shayna. This is why I liked Becky’s reign, I loved the aspect of her collecting her debts against people who had wronged her, and the sideplates of the former champions she beat. That jacket was dope. The story was dope.

Man Shayna is so strong, that girl is built like a bull. I swear her bmi must be as low as Bayley’s.

How did Shayna of all people make taking a release German suplex look better than like a dozen other women in the past year? Good for her. Knows how to actually jump.

Lol so Lana willingly jumps onto Nia’s shoulders in the position of a powerbomb, and as Nia is walking her over to the announce desk, Lana sends Nia into it with a headscissors takedown. That’s great.

Lana’s just running away lmao.

Shayna just ate an L via rollup. See? Protection.

I was gonna force myself to sit through Dana’s backstage segment with Ricochet, but then Riddle popped up, and honestly? Can’t be bothered.

Welp I don’t do mixed tag matches unless they’re compelling... which this is not.

Hate: Asuka being a cheerleader for fucking Lana. She is the Raw women’s champion, does anyone remember this??? Terrible stuff.

Love: Asuka leaving Lana with some stupid mantra to repeat to herself before Lana turns to find herself face to face with Nia. Great stuff.

Nia just shaking her head as Lana slowly, oh so slowly, backs away. Fantastic. See this would all be a compelling midcard feud if the Raw women’s title wasn’t involved, is that a fair complaint? I feel like that’s a fair complaint.

Points to Nia for not breaking.

Highlight: Nia intimidating Lana backstage by merely looking at her

---

NXT:

Toni claims Ember stole her thunder, and honestly? I can see it. They both moved (back, in Ember’s case) to nxt the same night, and which one was given the promo time in the middle of the ring to start off the following week’s show? Not Toni. Who was propelled into a feud almost immediately against Dakota, a top player? Not Toni. Who got the opportunity to share the ring with former nxt champion Rhea in the main event? Not Toni.

Well apparently Io doesn’t like Toni lmao.

Io sets Toni up for the moonsault, and Toni rolls out of the ring. I criticize wwe for being predictable, but I’m gonna be honest when I say that I did NOT predict Ember running down from out of nowhere just to topple Toni. That was great. Shame this is absolutely leading to a tag match.

So Ember rolls Toni back into the ring and Io hits the moonsault... and then proceeds to pin her before she realizes what she’s doing and rolls off lol. Should’ve just committed, crowd would’ve counted to 3 for her and it would’ve been great.

That’s right Raquel, go destroy Ember in the name of Dakota. Can’t believe my second favorite performer on that roster isn’t there tonight. BLASPHEMY.

Xia out here striking wooden pegs and I can actually see the purpose. Boa getting the shit beat out of him? Not understanding the point there. They call it penance, but Wade is right, looks like torture. Guess it’s more of a mental thing though, right? Break the nerves and sensitivity?

*The Way celebrates their TakeOver victories* No.

Wow Ember gets the main event match again? Man, yikes for Toni. Cool for Raquel though, this is the furthest she’s gone in her singles career without Dakota.

That Eclipse onto those 2 chairs was brutal, Dakota is a trooper.

I really dislike Ember’s persona, and I would love to see her be humbled. She did jack shit on the MR and has the audacity to run back to nxt beaming with arrogance?

Nice, Raquel hits Ember with a boot to the midsection as Ember’s in midair, and she flies back a few feet. Impactful.

Why is Ember selling her lower back? Is that genuine? An ongoing injury, or something from WarGames?

Kind of a slow moving headscissors into a tornado ddt, but it’s such a beautiful move that I don’t even care.

Does Ember typically do her suicide dive through the bottom and second rope? If so, I’m beginning to understand why hers looks so friggin brutal. Peeps going through the second and top rope always kind of gracefully land on their opponents. Ember looks like a missile.

That’s cool; Ember’s crazy ass was climbing up some metal thing, Raquel goes over and pulls her off, Ember lands perfectly on Raquel’s shoulder in a one armed fireman’s carry, then Raquel tosses her face first into the ring post. Ember landed perfectly on the apron, too. Good spot.

Raquel is dangling through the ropes with her head near the ring post and Ember charges at her on the apron. Raquel eats a knee to the side of the head but puts her hand up between her and the ring post so she doesn’t accidentally smack her head against it. She’s very safe and aware of her surroundings, I’m noticing. That’s gonna take her really far.

That was a good match. I can see why Raquel is getting set up for a push. She’s safe, strong, sells well, has an intimidating look, and is serviceable on the mic. I can see the appeal.

Toni’s come to deliver a receipt to the receipt she received herself.

LMFAO Toni goes to pull up Ember and jumps when she hears Rhea’s music. That history runs DEEP. That was hilarious, she genuinely looks shook.

Oh that focus in Rhea’s eyes is great. Man she’s come so far this past year.

Rhea is such a solid babyface. She does all the right things as a leader of the division would without going overboard and coming off as a doormat. Asuka is the complete opposite; does nothing to help her division from unfair shenanigans, and when she does, she come off as an idiot.

Man that tension between Rhea and Toni is thick. They’re like the same age too, right? Their futures will be heavily entwined.

...Alright well honestly I was more enchanted by the concept of a Rhea/Toni feud, even though we’ve seen that like 3 times, than a rehash of Rhea/Raquel. I knew this was coming, but you’re kind of killing my vibe, here.

I actually really liked the Raquel/Rhea fight but I feel like they have subzero heat outside of an actual match. They suck at hyping a future fight between each other. Basically they’re the exact opposite as Rhea/Toni, since Rhea and Toni have like... never had a good match, yet always know how to sell one to me anyway lmao.

Highlight: Ember vs Raquel

---

NXT UK:

Jinny out here calling Piper a wild animal lol. Her in-match dialogue sucks, but I’m here for her as a promo.

“[Isla] has yet to really kick out of first gear [...] what does Isla Dawn need to do to keep her momentum moving forward?” She needs to literally move out of first gear and work on her stamina, holy shit. She’s one of the weakest in the cardio department imo.

Since I’m already being critical, Xia is super overhyped and I need everyone to calm down. She has a lot to work on before she should even be considered midcard.

Yes sure, Xia has technical fundamentals and literally nothing else. Oh she’s only 22? That makes more sense. Man the UK stars are young lol.

We’ve finally moved past wrist locks, miracles have occurred.

Imagine being a kickboxer and not utilizing that in your arsenal. Look at that, suddenly I’m actually being entertained by Isla for the first time. More miracles have occurred.

Xia “look at my fundamentals” Brookside, can you please explain who you’re yelling ‘come on’ to? There is literally nobody there. Are you hyping me up? Hm?? Hyping me up for another hurricanrana???

Xia very obviously helped roll Isla out of the ring there.

I really need announcers to stop assuming every wrestler is about to do a suicide dive/is gonna fly/do a high risk move. It’s seldom they toss out this assumption and are wrong, but every time I’ve seen it the performer went to do a mere baseball slide beneath the bottom rope, having typically never performed a suicide dive before.

That was awkward. Isla did no offense as Xia went to grab her off the ground, but Xia backed off and just looked at her. Then Xia no sells a punch to the midsection. ???

Oddly enough, suitcase luggage being delivered ring side isn’t the strangest thing I’ve seen in this match.

So they’re props for a mid-match promo from Nina meant to distract Xia. Distracted Xia turns around and eats an awkwardly slow kick to the neck, which she awkwardly sells, before Isla wins with a... back body drop?? What a finish :/

Highlight: That fleeting moment where Isla entertained me

---

Smackdown:

Sasha gets to kick off the show? That’s a first.

Saw someone today say that Sasha only works as a babyface if she’s an underdog or if she’s generally more of a “fun” character. Said there was no positive energy around her as a babyface right now. Honestly her character sucks.

Also saw someone claim Carmella was a better version of Sasha and I’m not disagreeing with that sentiment. They should probably be on different brands in their current characters.

“How fast can I make Carmella cry” Sasha sweetie, you are the last person that should be mentioning making someone cry.

God she even has that stamp. Why is this girl not a heel? What the hell are wwe doing pushing Charlotte and Sasha as babyfaces? They gonna try to turn Becky heel again if she comes back before crowds return? Imagine a world where Charlotte and Sasha are babyfaces while Bayley and Becky are running around as heels. oof. 75% of the way there.

Carmella is great, truly. One of the best promos in the women’s division, probably in my top 3 tbh. Glad to see her relevant in the spotlight once again.

They really are 2 sides of the same damn coin.

Sasha shouldn’t need Bayley to prop her up anymore. Enough of that well. It’s bone dry.

To be honest, it does still feel like Bayley’s show; it does still feel like she runs things, and that’s a testament to not only her booking and her massive success over the past year, but also to how she carries herself and how far her character has come. She’s absolutely on par with Becky and Charlotte now imo (which is why I wanted her to win the Royal Rumble and potentially main event night one of WrestleMania, but I digress) she’s beyond the need of having a title to be the main attraction. I never thought the 3 of them would all surpass Sasha in accolades, star power, and promo skills... but here we are.

Bayley back there talking shit about Bianca rofl.

Omg that captain thing was great. Bayley is creative and fun, and knows how to keep herself from becoming stagnant or dull. Points to Bayley.

Oh Bianca kept those insults from last week’s online exclusive. I love when wwe tests shit in online exclusives, sees the reaction, and then has the talent run that same promo/interview on tv the next week. This happens constantly. Love it.

Friggin love Bianca’s shirt. wwe should’ve printed out a ton of them. I would’ve copped the coin for it.

Girl has legit receipts rofl alright.

Called Nattie the boat. Subtly hyping up her coworkers. Solid.

Lmao Bianca ran Bayley off with her receipts. This is fun. This is a fun feud.

“I’m gonna beat the disrespect out of Sasha,” that’s a good line.

See Carmella has been doing that cackle long before Sasha started it up, and she’s better at it too. Sasha just needs to change things.

Why is Carmella calling Reggie ‘Tommy’? Is this like a dig at his name not mattering or was that a screw up? Couldn’t have been a screw up, she would’ve improvised. Do I have his name wrong? Am I the dumb one???

I need to start watching Raw Talk and Talking Smack. They won’t be a part of these “reviews” (ramblings) but still. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of fun.

So I know this partnership between Nattie and Billie Kay is super temporary, but I still find it curious.

Okay so Liv tags in Ruby, runs to her, and Ruby sweeps up Liv into a wheelbarrow before Liv rolls through and trips Ruby, driving her into Billie Kay’s midsection. I’m gonna be honest guys, stuff like that is cool to see, but you could’ve literally just speared Billie Kay and saved everyone a ton of time and effort. Work smarter not cooler. Maybe situationally that potentially wouldn’t be terrible, but that was terrible tonight.

“Natalya probably the most powerful in this matchup” lol SIR. Natalya is probably the most powerful in the entire main roster, and only Bianca could be a contradiction. Curious to know which one is stronger, pound for pound and in general.

...Is Ruby okay? I’m concerned. She goes to give Billie Kay a Riott kick before Liv even gets her part of their combo finisher in, and then after she delivers her Riott kick, she crawls over to Natalya’s corner. Was Natalya not in place for a spot or something? Is Ruby on 4 shots of espresso too many??

This match was serviceable. Obviously it’s meant to merely advance Billie Kay’s storyline, so.

*Mario Lopez weighs in on Sasha vs Carmella* I’m good thnx.

Was... was that sheet real? Does Carmella actually dance behind a real sheet that drops down for her to walk down the ramp??

Man I gotta hear Sasha’s awful remix twice tonight, shame.

Lol how is Carmella being a WrestleMania battle royal winner more impressive/important than her being a champion for like 100 fucking days??? She has wins over Asuka, Becky, and Charlotte. THAT is more impressive than winning that stupid battle royal.

I guess I can see why Sasha being Snoop Dogg’s cousin is more important than some of her previous accolades, but jfc Carmella resume to casual viewers is dumb.

Someone in the audience had their camera pointed up to a ceiling fan and you know what? Points to that person.

I like the countering of each others’ submissions. Both scouted their opponent well.

Carmella will always be such a natural trash talker with a snappy attitude in the ring. I’m not saying her current gimmick is bad, but the trash talking princess of Staten Island will always live inside of her.

Minor petpeeve: I dislike when wwe cuts to commercial during a 10 count.

Sasha was not manipulated into tonight’s match, nor was her hand forced. Her ego spoke for itself.

Sasha has really graceful footing. She reminds me of a cat.

“Banks might have a dislocated shoulder after that,” “and if that’s the case, there’s no way Sasha can lock in the bank statement,” fun fact: Sasha went into her elimination chamber match in 2019 with a fucked up shoulder. She also ended that match the victor by locking in a modified bank statement using one arm and a bent leg. It was creative, it was cool, and it worked.

History tells me that when Carmella starts letting her frustration in a match show, she will lose rather soon after. That’s where we’re at.

“vintage Sasha” SHE’S 28 YEARS OLD WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON ABOUT

Peep that Sasha slid herself back so Carmella could grab her as she climbed up the turnbuckles. Knows her spot.

Don’t do a jackknife cover on Carmella, you’re setting yourself up for the code of silence so damn easily.

Good transition into the bank statement though.

Good progression into a dq by Sasha as well.

OH SHIT Carmella just broke a fucking bottle of champagne over Sasha’s back. Is that gimmicked? Holy hell. It has to be right? That’s why it was a different color??

What a sound effect, oof. Oh Sasha’s selling that real well.

Lmao Carmella goes over and pours herself a glass, says “that’s good, really good,” before shaking the bottle all over commentary and Sasha. Carmella’s great at every character she plays, lesbireal.

Carmella needs to hop on down to nxt and teach those women how to trash talk in a match without fucking up. She’s fantastic.

Wow here’s Greg to FINALLY announce the winner. Yikes announcer, yikes.

This was fun.

Highlight: Carmella in general was fantastic tonight

---

*Smackdown easily shined the brightest. Everything was vastly entertaining and women dominated throughout the entire show. Loving the progression of everyone’s characters sans Sasha, but her match with Carmella was fun nonetheless.

#wwe #issa review #feel free to ignore these #cuz who tf cares lesbihonest #today's props goes to:#carmella

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gadgetgirl71 · 4 years ago

Photo

Top Ten Tuesday 15 September 2020

Welcome to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday. Originally created by The Broke & The Bookish, which is now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week it features a book or literary themed category. This weeks prompt is:

Cover Freebie:

(choose your own topic, centred on book covers or cover art)

So I have chosen to list my favourite MC (Motorcycle Club) Covers.

Baker (The Devil’s Disciples MC #1) by Scott Hildreth

ANDY: I got a job next door to a tattooed biker named Baker. He was an outlaw, a criminal, a biker, a bad boy, and a thief. I should have run as far and fast as I could. Instead, on the day we met, I let him have his way with me. I couldn’t help myself. His intensity and swagger lured me, but it was the crazy sex that kept me coming back, day after day.

His sordid ways scared me, but I simply couldn’t stay away…

BAKER: When she moved in next door, I knew I was in trouble. She was sexy. She was irresistible. She had spunk. She was also the manager of a bank my MC robbed six months prior. She didn’t recognize me, because we wore masks during the robbery. If she ever found out who I really was, there would be hell to pay.

It would be nothing like the hell I’d be living in if my MC found out I was fucking her.

We’d issued an order to kill her on sight. She was off-limits if anyone ever was.

So far, the men in the MC hadn’t seen her. But, I couldn’t keep her hidden forever.

Beyond Reckless (Lost kings MC #8) by Autumn Jones Lake

Marcel “Teller” Whelan, Treasurer of the Lost Kings MC, has always been two things—honest and responsible. At ten years old, he was already taking care of his baby sister. At eighteen, he patched into the Lost Kings MC and took a major role in shaping the club’s future. Three years ago, he thought he’d met the perfect woman, only to have her reject everything he is—a Lost King. One bullet is a lifetime supply. Now, after an accident that left a girl dead and Teller almost crippled, he’s struggling through the darkest time in his life. His niece, sister, and Lost Kings MC family are the only things holding him together, but his reckless actions are bound to drive everyone away. Then, in the most unlikely place, he crosses paths with her again. The woman he once thought might be his perfect match. Love soothes our inner demons. Sparks fly for both of them. She’s the ride-or-die woman he needs, able to calm his many demons and bring the light back into his life. But she has a secret—one that forces him to lie to his brothers. In chaos we trust. When Teller’s brothers find out who he’s falling in love with, it will create a storm of chaos for the Lost Kings MC. But if there’s one thing Teller’s turbulent life has taught him, it’s that sometimes love is worth the chaos. Beyond Reckless is the 8th book in the popular Lost Kings MC series, but can be read as a standalone.

Big (Satan’ Fury MC #6) by L Wilder

How much would you risk to save the one you love? From NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author L. Wilder comes book six in the Satan’s Fury Series, a standalone MC romance.

Big: I don’t use a knife or a gun to get the guy I’m after. I find that my weapon of choice has a much longer, more crippling effect. With just a few keystrokes, I can have him scrambling for his life. I’ll take everything he’s ever worked for, everything he’s ever loved, and I’ll destroy it. That’s what I do.

My brothers don’t ask questions. They don’t want to know what I do behind the closed door. They know I bring results, and that’s all that matters. It’s my job to protect the club, and nothing is going to stand in my way–not even Josie Carmichael.

The girl with the tantalizing curves and emerald green eyes is an unexpected threat, but a threat nonetheless. It’s my job to take her down, but there’s just one hitch. I can’t get the smart-mouthed beauty out of my head. She’s trouble. The kind of trouble that would turn my whole world upside down, but I don’t give a damn. I want her.

Josie Carmichael will be mine, even if that means I’ve got to break her first.

Big is book six of the Satan’s Fury MC series. This book is a full-length standalone novel that’s intended for mature audiences due to the explicit language and violence. Reader discretion is advised.

Bull (Kings of Mayhem MC #6) by Penny Dee

She could be the end of me BULL: I lost my wife on a rainy night almost two decades ago. Since then, my heart has been a barren wasteland. It only knows love for family and the club. And for revenge. Then I meet Taylor and I know I’m doomed. Because she’s everything I didn’t know I wanted. Everything I’ve denied myself for years. But my club is about to storm headfirst into a war and I can’t afford the distraction. Yet I can’t get her out of my head. We both say we’re not interested. But we are both liars. TAYLOR: For years we’ve been running from my past. My kid brother and me. Hiding in the shadows. Now we have a chance for a new life in a new town … far, far away from trouble. I crave freedom and a quiet, simple life for us both. The last thing I expect is to fall for the enigmatic biker king, Michael “Bull” Western. He is magnificent. White-hot and scorching. With the touch of an angel and eyes of the devil. He could be the love of my life. But I have a secret. A very big secret indeed … Bull is book six in the Kings of Mayhem MC series. For mature readers 18+.

Claiming Mine (Unforgiven Riders MC #1) by Amy Davies

Sex, secrets and motorbikes.

When Ana starts working in a small but quaint café, after running from her old life, she never expects to be surrounded by sexy as sin men… Little does she realise they belong to the local motorcycle club. She’s had more than enough of controlling alphas in her life, but can she keep away from them?

Ace is the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Unforgiven Riders and yet another controlling alpha. He sees Ana’s reluctance to him, but Ace always gets his own way, and he wants Ana. Will Ace be able to prove his feelings for her and break down the walls of protection Ana has built around her heart? Can she let him in?

When secrets of Ana’s past are revealed and her life is threatened, it’s Ace’s job to save her. But will he be too late? Will Ace still want her when he finds out about her past?

Compass (Valiant MC #1) by Mary B Moore

Piper: When Hunter left, he cut me out of his life with no explanation. I sent him letters, but each time they were returned back to me. I had no choice but to raise my son alone and move on with life. I love being a mother, but every day I miss the other half of my soul.

Hunter: Four years ago, I joined the Marines. What I did for my country changed me. I saw my buddies, men that I’d fought alongside return home and set up their lives. Seeing them settling down, I took a risk and returned home to the woman that I’d left behind.

War changes a man. A majority of our military come home scarred inside and struggle to return to the civilian world. Learning from my friends in Piersville, I’ve established an MC called Valiant. Our training and military contacts will help assist the government with tackling the ongoing issues of human, drug, and arms trafficking along North and South America. Those responsible are like the mythical Hydra – cut off one head and two replace it.

I’m willing to fight that war, but more importantly, I’m going to fight the battle to get Piper back and become a father to my son.

Link’d Up (Dead Presidents MC #1) by Harley Stone

President Tyler “Link” Lincoln of the Dead Presidents MC, runs a club dedicated to helping military vets readjust to society. When his sergeant at arms is arrested for the attempted murder of a prominent Seattle figure, Link’s search for a lawyer brave enough to fight for justice leads him to an alluring defence attorney with a bleeding heart and a steel backbone.

This isn’t the first time Emily Stafford’s commitment to defending the falsely accused has put her in harm’s way. Smart, cautious, and independent, she knows how to defend herself. At least, she did until she joined forces with one sexy, overbearing, tattooed MC president.

Flames run hot as Link and Emily seek shelter in the club’s converted fire station, working against the clock to uncover the truth and save a somewhat innocent man.

18+ for language and sexual situations…

Primal Howl (Primal Howlers MC #1) by Piper Davenport

Orion: I’m the oldest son of MC royalty. My father founded the Primal Howlers and he expects me to wear his patch one day. The problem is, I don’t know if that’s what I want. Lately, I couldn’t give two sh*ts about anything.

Until her.

Raquel: I moved to Monument, Colorado to write my thesis and get some much-needed distance from my overbearing family. What I didn’t expect was to find is myself hung up on a biker who appears to have nothing to lose.

I, however, have everything to lose and I’m worried Orion just might be my downfall.

Stitch (Satan’s Fury MC #2) by L Wilder

From New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author L Wilder

Stitch: As the club Enforcer, Stitch is the man chosen to protect the club. There are no limits to his brutality, no lines drawn in the sand. The club is his life, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his brothers safe.

He’s a man who keeps to himself, guarding the walls that he secured so long ago. Then, one moment, one chance meeting, changes everything.

Wren: Life for Wren and her son, Wyatt, isn’t exactly easy. Yet, Wren faces each day with determination and courage. Wyatt is her joy and motivation; for him, she will find a way to make their lives better, even when obstacles are continually thrown in her path. The last thing she needs is another complication, but what is life without complications?

Stitch appears when they need him the most, protecting them when no one else can. Wren can’t understand it. She should feel threatened by his bulging muscles and menacing tattoos, but she’s somehow able to see past the mysterious biker to the man inside. She is drawn to him for reasons she can’t even begin to comprehend. All she knows is that her body craves his touch.

Can Stitch let his guard down and allow these two strangers into his heart? Can Wren see beyond the scars of her past long enough to let him in, or will her fear drive him away?

** This book is intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language, violence, and explicit sex scenes.

Stitch is a standalone romance, but you may also be interested in reading Maverick: Satan’s Fury MC #1.

The Diary of Bink Cummings Vol #2 by Bink Cummings

Note: Must Read The Diary of Bink Cummings Vol 1, previously.

When changing life’s course you never consider what twisted curve-ball fate might dump in your lap. Growing up in the MC, then gaining my own personal independence was not only a curse, it was a blessing. So when I decided to say fu*k my past and embraced my future, away from the only place I called home, I tried to re-invent myself, by becoming the woman I am today. Until one day, fate reared its ugly head, forcing me to return to the place I ran from. The place where I had no choice but to face HIM. And hide the biggest secret of my life as I wallowed in silent fear, of the insurmountable repercussions it would evoke when anyone found out the truth.

Steamy Adult romance Warning: Contains Mature scenarios, and mass quantities of profanity. For Ages 18+

-This is not a Standalone.

I’m sure that some of the men on these covers are the same person! What do you think?

*** This majority of these books are intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language, violence, and explicit sex scenes. ***

Until next Tuesday

#BikerErotica, #BikerRomance, #Bikers, #JustForFun, #MC, #MC-Erotica, #MCRomance, #Top Ten Tuesday, #TopTenTuesday, #TTT

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purkinje-effect · 7 years ago

Text

The Purkinje Effect, 5

Table of Contents

With the carton of Grey Tortoise under his arm, Galen skipped down Publick Occurrences's couple of front steps. A single pack had cost him five dollars, and there were twelve packs--so he estimated to have about sixty dollars with which to barter. He had a bit of money left in top of that, but not much. But, having a sense of direction and some kind of medical opinions, where he'd had none prior to the morning, he found himself grinning.The surplus stall was in the far corner; second base would be directly behind it. A Latina woman in a white dress shirt stood watch boredly with a newspaper. Just as the pink ex-vaultie strolled up, she shooed two children trying to nick her wares. When she caught sight of him, she didn't conceal her startled stare.

"--That's not contagious, right?"

"Absolutely not. Galen, by the way." He offered a gloved handshake. She simply stared at his hand for a moment. "...Right. I need some travel supplies, and I hear you're the one to see."

"We've got a little bit of everything. Don't... touch anything. You sure it's not contagious?"

"I already saw Dr. Sun earlier." He remembered his scripting. "He gave me something for it. Promise it's not catching. Besides," and he wiggled all his fingers at her with an enthusiastic grimace.

"...Ok, but no funny business. I've got my eye on you. And if you see those two brats again, help me run 'em off. They try every day." She flicked her newspaper with a huff, going back to her reading.

Galen began to browse, setting things in front of him that seemed the most likely to be useful. Wonderglue and an industrial tub of shortening, for sure, and a card of needles and a cone of thread. He wanted to fix up his hood a bit better, and he could probably eat on the starchy oil for a week. His eye caught the junk bins off to the sides of the higher commodity items, especially the aluminum can full of utensils. He guessed those were what the kids had been going after, since he could tell a good third of it was silverware from the black tarnish. Remembering what Dr. Duff had recommended regarding accepting the changes in his constitution, he entertained the notion of buying a few butter knives for the road, and picked up the tin to root for a couple. Distracted by his own attempts at good behavior, ironically he didn't notice himself stomach them instead of setting them with his other selections, and he set the tin back down to continue browsing. As he reached for a piece of leather shoulder armor, he found his hand halted by the barrel of a pipe pistol.

"What-- what do you think you're doing? You're a Synth, aren't you? A reject. They messed up your mold pour. Is that why you're pink? How else could you store something inside you for later!" She cocked the gun, forehead glistening. "That's disgusting!"

His hands flew up and he backed away a step, but she aimed straight at his face the instant he moved and he stopped in his tracks.

"I-- I'm not-- Here, I'll pay for whatever it was--" He went to hand her the carton of cigarettes, and she snatched them from him, not standing down. "I'm sorry-- I--"

"You trying to tell me you don't even know what you swallowed! SECURITY!" Her weapon trembled. "I told you no funny business, you... you Geek!"

His stress got the best of him and he snatched the Wonderglue off the table and swallowed the bottle whole. Struggling against the impulse mid-act got him shaking fiercely, and she fired a warning shot at his feet. Reacting landed him flat on his butt, and he glared up at her, rattled to his core.

"Next time I'm not aiming for dirt, Geek."

"Myrna, stop blastin’ that thing." An uninterested guard wearing a catcher's mask finally meandered up with increased attentiveness when he heard her fire at Galen. "What's a matter now?"

"This Synth here is swallowing my inventory! He ate a bunch of my silver, and then he ate my last bottle of Wonderglue! How could you let him in here? He's obviously a Synth!"

"I don't even know what a Synth is," Galen finally managed to utter edgewise, but this only made her madder. The guard raced to put his arm up in front of Myrna to keep her from firing a second time.

"Aight, fella. Didja or didn’t cha swallow her stuff? We don't take kindly to deep pockets either."

"I meant to pay her for the things before eatin' 'em," he confessed. "I don't know what got into me. ... Surely that carton a smokes is enough to call it even?" He flinched when a second guard came up behind him to cut off his potential for escape.

"You were going to swallow my carton of Grey Tortoise next!?" Myrna hollered incredulously. "You heard this Freakshow Geek! He's already easily cost me a hundred caps in goods, and you heard him himself admit he was gonna steal even more!"

"Are you really still trying to get supplies outta her with her pointing a gun at you, Geek?" the second guard judged.

"You really aren't bright, are ya," the other seconded.

When a third entered the circle forming around Galen, the ex-vaultie knew not to object to Myrna's version of this story. The situation gathered infield attention and he started sweating.

"Aight, come with us. You can't be trusted inside the city walls, fella."

"Garry an' me's got 'im," the first guard told the third, and he and the other each hooked an arm under each of Galen's armpits. "Go on up to Danny and let him know he screwed up lettin' a pink guy in here-- an' why."

"Christ, short stuff, you're heavy as a brahmin," Garry muttered. "Jim, I think Myrna might a really caught herself a Synth for real this time."

"Officers, y'all, y'all can let me go," Galen reasoned pathetically, getting dragged toward the stairs out of the park. "I'll go peaceably. I swear I don't know what a Synth is. I, I, I keep hearing people talk about 'em and I sure wish somebody'd-- Hey-- Hear me out!"

"If I let you go," Jim calmly replied, "Myrna will chew my ear off for a month. An' the half chance she's right about you..." A low whistle. "Yeah, I'm not lettin' go of you for an instant."

"Piper!" Galen tried, kicking at the dirt as they passed Publick Occurrences. The reporter and her sister both stood on the porch, indignant and confused as ever. "Piper, tell them I'm not a Synth!"

"Galen, what did you DO?" she chastised, knowing fully it had gone abominably with Myrna. "Y'all, he's a vault dweller. He can't be a Synth."

"He admitted to swallowin' unpaid merchandise," Jim told her. "Synth or no, this sideshow has gotta go. If he can't keep his sticky fingers off what ain't his, we can't help but give him the boot."

"But--"

"Hehe, that rhymed, Jim."

"You know, it did." Jim chortled a bit, then sighed. "Piper, we'll boot you AN' Nat too as accessories if you try to get involved. I won't have Myrna reportin' me an' Garry to the MacDonough for misconduct."

"Garry, at least-- at least give him this before you lock him out." Piper ran up and slammed a crumpled paper against his shoulder. Though Garry did take the paper, the guards didn't stop moving. The further along they got, the louder she got. "I know what I said earlier, but I went and talked to Duff anyway, Galen. Read. It. Y'all! This isn't justice. All just a huge misunderstanding!" She kicked the newspaper stand at the end of her lot, hard enough to dent it. "AUGH! Y'all are so bull headed!"

Once they got back out to the ticket area, the two guards threw Galen to the pavement. Garry started reading the note.

"Asked Duff about pink food sample. Could only recall testin' a sample a pink plastic. Say Jim, what's this word here say?" He pointed a mitt at the paper.

"Pre... servative. You been eatin' plastic, Piper says," Jim scoffed. "Man, plastic people eat plastic food? Gross." Garry wadded up the paper and tossed it at Galen.

"Never hearduva Synth t'eat plastic. Guess that makes you a Geek an’ a cannibal." As a loud mechanical process began, Garry and Jim each pulled out his pipe rifle with a casual fatigue. "Aight, Geek. The gates are gonna close. If y’know what's good for ya, you'll be on the other side and stay there."

Galen snatched the paper as the wind tried to grab it from him. He briefly caught sight of the guard from earlier getting an earful from the third guard, but he couldn't hear them over the pulley system. He glanced up to see the gates rapidly gaining momentum to close him out, and he gave the guards a short-fused, incredulous snarl before scrambling to his feet and walking away without causing any more of a scene.He shoved the paper in one of his jumpsuit's breast pockets, then fished his pack of cigarettes out of his rolled sleeve and slapped the packaging against the butt of his palm as he stormed off briskly, not paying much attention to the direction. It didn't take long into his smoke for him to notice half a dozen guards were staring at him from their various guard posts along the streets leading up to the corner gate.

"Y'all really suck," he muttered under his breath, kicking at the asphalt rubble, then quickly shying from an Eyebot that hovered too close to him, skulking onward until he no longer saw signs that pointed to Diamond City.

#fallout 4 fanfic #fo4 fanfic #fo4 #fallout 4 #fallout oc #the purkinje effect #geek #in which the plot thickens

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catonotsohostilius · 5 years ago

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Tough Fluff - Bloody BFFs

So I've been going through a whole lot of angst and mental health issues (I literally had to flee a country - it's a fun story), and this community has given me new life.

Cait reminds me of a good friend I once had, a long time ago. I wanted to write a little angsty fluff about a Cait who set out to explore, years after the events of Fallout 4.

I imagine her and my Courier getting along in some weird way. So here it is- the Cait/M!Courier friend fic no one asked for - WARNING- SOME GORE AND LANGUAGE

______________________________________

Having run out of bullets a moment before, Cait watched agog as August charged headlong into a group of raiders, armed only with a machete. Before she could get an exasperated word out, three bodies marked the trail of fleeing raiders.

"MARVELLOUS WORK, NEARLY GETTIN' YERSELF -" And nearly as quickly as he dropped the three raiders, August stumbled into a wall, tumbling over his feet to reveal a massive gash at the end of a chest-length slash. This wasn't great - not the worst they've seen, but not great.

"One-a these days, August, yer gonna run headlong into somethin' ya can't rightly back outta..." It had only been a few months since the newcomer had arrived from "out West," but he had proven himself to be just as mad, if not respectably madder, than the resident blood knight herself. 'Mad,' she thought, 'but reliable.'

August winced, shooting Cait a silly pout he'd given her many times before, and examined the wound. He never said much on their patrols, and Cait liked it that way. Saved most of the talking for Piper - she was gobbling up his story up like Fancy Lads. He certainly had the gift of gab, and knew when to use it - but more importantly, when *not* to.

Silently, he wrapped some rags and compresses around the shallower cut, then rinsed and packed the gouge in his side, but hesitated as he eyed the stimpak needle poking out of his bag.

"Hey, Cait..." His soft, deep baritone crept up on her, and she remembered: "Oh god, ya big baby!" She was more amused than anything, recalling the first time he asked. "You *really* can't stand the idea of a little...'ol...needl-"

"CAIT - GOD, NO - please, just..." He trailed off, woozy and dry heaving from blood loss and the very mental image of the pak. "Yes, Cait, I know. It's the -hic- stupidest. Just...please?" A half-begging smile crawled along the side of his mouth, up an old, tired scar that burrowed under his salt-and-pepper hair.

She gave him the same crooked smile right back. Behind what some local idiots called 'obviously villainous' scars, she was the very first in the 'Wealth to see a startlingly kind man. It helped that she 'caught' him bellowing at and chasing off a yao guai, like a crazy person, from one of her more rural settlements.

Cait took a liking to his... enthusiasm, and hired him on the spot. That is, after she knocked him unconscious, mistaking him for a feral. Rightly so, they both admitted. Since then, they've been a force to be reckoned with in the Outer Commonwealth. 'This is what it feels like to really be a parta somethin',' she would muse as they brought a new brand of justice to their corner of the post-War world

"What's the stupidest," she said, prepping the pak and meeting his gaze as she sought a proper muscle bundle to jab the needle, "is that you haven't given yer scary reporter the story *both* of ya wanna hear!" And with a devilish grin, she knew he wouldn't worry about the prick for long.

"Oh you're k-k-kiddingg mmm...." Cait firmly but gingerly pushed the needle into August's torn flesh, and he fainted right into her arms - it wouldn't have been the first time. Cait couldn't help but laugh, but laid her friend's limp body down with care, even wiping some of the blood that had caked into the scars around his temple and lips.

"I'll make a man outta ya, yet..." Cait mumbled, pondering the strange attraction blossoming between Piper and the savage, bloody mess of limbs beside her. They couldn't have been more different on the surface, but they shared a debt to the downtrodden. And a ferocious lust they only ever hinted at, much to Cait's frustration. She'd always been entirely up front, but those two, the mailman and the reporter, they'd weave words and dance around each other until the next set of goddamn bombs dropped.

August stirred, and Cait propped him up, and looped her arms to hoist him up, back to back - something she'd grown to like doing on patrols. It gave her a measure of comfort, and he didn't disagree. He was flattered that she trusted him at all, he often thought.

August sighed and leaned a little harder against Cait, who could feel his ragged, labored breathing. It made her feel...something. Like she was holding something fragile. Maybe death hit a little too close to home this time, Cait wondered with a hint of pity.

She surprised herself at how gently she took August by the shoulders. Thinking she had something profound to say, Cait took a breath, sighed, and ended up just pulling his beaten, bloodied bones into an embrace. She let herself sink into that feeling she used to say made people weak. When she began to trust people not to use her. That feeling when Nora got her clean.

August locked perfectly into Cait's shoulder, buried in a shock of dusty red hair and freckles. She held him tight for a moment, only to realize she'd let out a gentle little sigh under her breath. She pulled back, a little sheepishly - sheepish not being an emotion in Cait's repertoire, or so he thought.

"Are you...all right?" August hadn't ever seen her like this. Not many have, and not many will. Only after a frankly ridiculous beat did he recognize it on his friend's face: "Wait just a...you're goddamn EMBARRASSED!" His big stupid grin didn't please Cait one bit.

"Hey, don't look so fuckin' shocked! Yer not the only one with *feelings,* are ya?" She feigned indignity and managed to get a few laughs from August, but not without a bloody cough or two.

"Yer killin' yerself, and that's really sayin' somethin' with you, ya bullet sponge...I'm gonna throw your little words o' wisdom right back atcha."

They'd had this conversation before. She recognized the fury driving him from the day they'd met. The same fury that still smoldered in her heart to this day. And she genuinely began to worry for those who fight the wasteland's monsters with such passion - all too often, they end up monsters, themselves.

She'd seen it in the years after the Institute, when prosperity and chaos met one another in equal measure.

August, for all his brutality, loved literature, and chose to see the world through it's lens, collecting books across the Commonwealth. Cait almost whispered the words he passed on to her one stormy evening. She uttered them like a well-worn prayer, or a grave warning - words from an ancient love story full of death and tragedy:

"These violent delights have violent ends"

August beamed - she *had* remembered. "There's more to the lines! 'And in their triumphs die, like fire and powder which, as they kiss, consume.'"

Cait just smirked and cocked her head, expecting the explanation he clearly wanted to give. "Of course, the first part is seriously badass. But then the monk basically says, 'Ok, yes, you're horny as hell. You can fuck soon, promise. Cool your shit or you're actually gonna explode.'" Cait guffawed a little harder than she meant to at his deadpan snark.

"But...I think your play would have some different advice for this lovesick idiot, huh?"

August usually milked these moments for more drama, but this point was different. He felt Cait sling her arm around his shoulder, and knew he hit his mark.

The meaning wasn't lost on her; she felt him relax into her arm a bit, easing the tension that knotted his shoulders. He wasn't tense for nothing. She knew the stories - stories of the mailman who rose from the dead with two bullets in his head. Stories about armies of robots and the glittering palaces they protected. Stories about a force of nature who wounded the Bear, and slaughtered the Bull.

But Cait didn't give a shit. She only knew the man who did honest work, and whom she trusted. She knew the man who turned into a stupid mess when he sees needles or Piper's fluttering eyelashes. The man had lived a lifetime already, and managed, in this hellish world, to find a second chance. Hell, a *third,* even.

She knew exactly what that felt like.

Letting her eyes drift along the dusky horizon, Cait cradled August's peaceful, bloody head in the crook of her arm for a short while. August gave a satisfied, lupine snort as she freed her arm to tighten up his chest compress, both silently pondering to themselves what they did to deserve such a moment of peace, and that against all odds, someone with whom to share it.

#fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #cait #fallout new vegas #courier six #male courier

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mr-hawkmoth · 8 years ago

Text

The Sea and the Sun: Chapter 2

Fire and Bronze Bulls Should Not Be Combined ML/PJO Crossover fic

AO3

Chapter 1 chapter 2 (Here)

I formed a routine at camp. The injuries I had suffered from the various monster attacks were quickly healing allowing me to participate in more camp activities. A favorite of mine was archery. I was terrible at archery but Adrien often was the instructor on days the Hermes cabin went to the range for practice. On days when Adrien wasn’t our instructor a boy by the name of Will Solace taught us. On those days I was much less inclined to spend the vast number of hours I usually spent on the archery range. Instead I found myself befriending a girl by the name of Ashton, or as others called her- Ash. Ash was a daughter of the muses and was soon becoming one of my favorite campers despite her backwards reasoning and sarcastic disposition. My days were often filled with archery, talking to Ash, learning what I could from the Stolls, and whatever other camp activity they had scheduled. Life became normal in a way but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed as each day came and went without my godly parent, whoever they were, claiming me.

More than a week had gone by since I’d arrived to camp and still no sign as to my godly parentage. The Stoll brothers made more and more jokes about me being a daughter of Aphrodite. After my first shower at camp they acted as though they didn’t recognize me. On one occasion Travis made the remark that maybe if I put on some makeup Aphrodite would be more inclined to claim me as her daughter. At first the jokes were humors but as the days wore on without word from my godly parent the jokes began to hurt. More than ever I looked forward to my archery lessons with Adrien and when he wasn’t there I looked forward to spending time with Ash.

“Ready, aim, Fire!” Will shouted at us. Arrows sailed through the air making thudding noises as they hit their targets. All except for mine which had imbedded itself into the ground. “Marinette,” Will sighed. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” I nodded lowering my bow. The other archers continued shooting as Will came to talk to me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. I knew I was always doing something wrong when it came to archery.

“Marinette I don’t think archery is really your thing. I think it would be better if you started exploring other camp activities,” Will spoke gently. My heart sank. No more archery meant no more Adrien and no more Ash as well.

“Oh lay off Will! Who cares if she sucks, she can spend her time where she wants,” Ash but in hand on her hip as she glared icy daggers at Will. Will raised his hands in defense.

“I just think her talents would be better used elsewhere,” Will defended. Ash rolled her eyes in response.

“Yeah well my talents would be better spent writing but a pen isn’t going to help me in battle is it? Let the girl practice what she wants, she isn’t claimed, and until she is she should learn everything and anything,” Ash informed him. Will swallowed hard before nodding and retreating to instruct the other archers. I looked towards Ash a grateful smile on my face. She offered me a smile as well. “No one here gets to mess with you got that?” She told me.

“Thanks Ash. So I know why I’m always at the archery range but why are you?” I asked as she notched another arrow. She let the arrow fly, it hit the target but it was anything but a bulls eye.

“Being daughter of the muses, I don’t really have an affinity to any one weapon unless you believe the saying that the pen is mightier than the sword.” She notched another arrow. “Believe it or not archery is the thing I suck the least at.” She released the arrow, this time it embedded itself right next to the red center of the target.

“You seem to be pretty good at it to me,” I told her. Ash laughed bitterly.

“Hardly. Most of the kids here will hit their mark every time. I’m passable, but that doesn’t help much in battle. This has also taken years of practice. You should have seen how bad I was when I first got to camp,” Ash huffed as she pulled back another arrow.

“Were you as bad as me?” I asked hopefully.

“No.” She let the arrow go. “You’re pretty bad but until we find out what you’re good at what else are you going to do.” Ash shrugged indifferently. Ash looked behind me and grimaced. “Aw crap! I’m going to kill that kid!” Ash growled.

“What is it?” I asked looking behind me. Will Solace was talking to Conner and Travis Stoll.

“That little weasel is talking to your cabin counselors about limiting your time at the archery range,” Ash explained irritably. I sighed in defeat.

“I guess this is the end of my archery days,” I said dejectedly.

“Hey Marinette! We’re going to head to the arena! Come on!” Conner called, waving me over. I looked towards Ash who was glowering at Will.

“I swear if his boyfriend didn’t have the ability to raise the dead, I would kill him,” Ash muttered.

“I guess I’ll see you around?” I asked uncertainly. The archery range was about the only time I really saw Ash.

“Screw that I’m going with you,” Ash tossed her bow to the ground.

“But aren’t you supposed to stay with your cabin?” I asked. Ash shrugged.

“Do you think I care about camp rules? Come on let’s get to the arena before all the good stuff is gone.” Ash smiled taking my hand and leading me towards the arena. Will called after her once but one look from Ash’s cold grey eyes silenced him. She beamed at me as we continued towards the arena. The Stoll brothers said nothing about Ash’s joining the cabin’s training and to that I was grateful.

As it turned out my ability to wield a sword was infinitely better than my archery ability. Not to say I was the best but I was at least able to spar with Ash without dying. While I learned faster than her Ash knew some backhanded moves. Later on she taught me a few of her dirtier moves. When I asked her if it was cheating she replied saying “Being more creative than someone isn’t cheating. If they had thought of it first you can bet your life they would have used it.” I took the words to heart looking for any advantage or opening I had in the next few skirmishes with Ash. After battling in the heat for more than an hour we finally settled down to take a break. Ash handed me a paper cup filled with water which I happily gulped down feeling much better after I did so. I watched other members of the cabin laughing lightly and poking fun at one another reminding me of what had been on my mind all day.

“Hey Ash?” I asked.

“What’s up?” She said brushing her dark brown hair slick with sweat from her face.

“Do you think that maybe I’m a child of Aphrodite?” I asked hesitantly. Ash looked at me with alarm. “The Stoll brothers think that’s who my godly parent is,” I explained letting my eyes drift to the earth beneath my feet.

“No way! Those two are idiots don’t listen to them! The Aphrodite Cabin is well… I mean don’t get me wrong there are some great people who have been children of Aphrodite! Selena was amazing! And Piper is pretty good but proportionally speaking they tend to have more rotten apples that good ones,” Ash informed me. “I don’t think you’re a child of Aphrodite.”

“Who do you think my godly parent is?” I blurted.

“Hard to say. Most of us can at least narrow it down to a mother or a father but even then there are dozens of minor gods. You survived a long time out on your own, what are you? 14?” She mused.

“15,” I clarified.

“Wow, my guess is you are from a minor god to have made it so long. But don’t take my word for it, there are things that can block monsters from sniffing you out. That’s the only reason Percy Jackson made it as long as he did before coming to camp,” Ash told me.

“Sniff out?” I raised an eyebrow quizzically at her.

“Oh yeah monsters can smell you! And the more powerful you are the stronger your scent and it only gets worse the older you get!” Ash yawned as she looked out towards the rest of the Hermes Cabin.

“How many monsters did you run into before you got to camp?” I inquired.

“Well I had to face off against two I think. But I also was traveling across the country and unlike some demigods I’m actually allowed to fly.” Ash smirked.

“Why couldn’t a demigod fly?” My eyebrows jumped into my hairline. My heart pattering against my chest for the very reason that I myself was unable to fly to New York.

“Oh it all depends on your godly parents relationship to Zeus, god of the sky and all that. See the Muses were daughters of Zeus so I’m allowed to fly because he likes my mom. But other kids like children of Hades or Poseidon for example probably shouldn’t fly- ever! It also depends on how Zeus is feeling that day sometimes the guy can be a real dick,” Ash answered nonchalantly.

“And two monsters that was- that’s normal?” I squeaked. Ash seemed to notice my distress.

“Well yeah when the journey only takes you six or eight hours two doesn’t seem like much but relax. Didn’t you have to travel here from Europe or something?” Ash waited for me to answer.

“France,” I whispered.

“Yeah and you took a boat right so I mean that’s going to take a lot longer than a quick plane ride. I wouldn’t be surprised if you faced off against a handful of monsters before you got here,” Ash comforted me. I nodded chewing on my lip unsure on what number of monsters would qualify me as ‘normal’. “France huh? I think I have an idea,” Ash smiled coyly at me. I quirked my eyebrow up at her. “I happen to know a camper here from France who is still fluent in the language. I’m sure he would be more than happy to talk to you in your native tongue and make you feel more at home,” Ash cooed.

“Doesn’t everyone in the Aphrodite cabin speak French?” I noted.

“I’m not counting them. They only speak French thanks to their mom,” Ash waved them off. I gave her a confused look. “But I happen to know that a certain Apollo boy speaks perfect French.” Ash waggled her eyebrows at me. My cheeks burned as my eyes widened.

“He- he does!?” I squeaked. I couldn’t recall hearing much an accent in his voice.

“Sure he does! But he hasn’t been able to speak much French since he got to camp unless he wanted to talk to the Aphrodite cabin and believe me Chloe pretty much ruined that experience for him,” Ash explained. A goofy smile spread across my face. Maybe I wouldn’t need to continue my archery lessons to see Adrien after all.

Ash stuck with the Hermes cabin for the remainder of the day even going so far as to join our cabin for dinner which judging by the looks we were receiving was a big no no.

“Ash,” Chiron sighed. “Can you please sit at your own table,” He said tiredly as if this was an argument he had had one too many times.

“Excuse me? Is there anything wrong with enjoying a meal with my friend? It’s a stupid rule that forces us to eat with our own cabins,” Ash countered.

“Ashton,” Chiron warned.

“Besides- the muses are teaming up with the Hermes cabin for capture the flag tomorrow! We have to run through strategy,” Ash excused. Chiron sighed rubbing his temples with one hand.

“Very well Ashton but please remember to plan better in the future,” Chiron gave in. Ash saluted him before he clopped away.

“Capture the flag?” I asked turning towards Ash who was practically hanging off the bench of our overly cramped table.

“Oh man! We forgot to explain capture the flag to Mari!” Conner Stoll exclaimed.

“It’s only the best camp game there is!” Travis joined in.

“The Stoll boys are right. It’s one of the better ones,” Ash added.

“Basically the cabins split off into teams,” Conner explained.

“And we each have to hide a flag,” Travis continued.

“And the whole goal of the game is to steal the other teams flag.” Ash smirked.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said nervously.

“Oh but it gets better!!” Conner said excitedly.

“Unlike how mortals play capture the flag we get weapons!” Travis said practically bouncing off his seat.

“Weapons?” I squeaked.

“Don’t worry you’ll have armor on too,” Ash said reassuringly.

“Don’t worry no one dies…. normally,” Conner chuckled darkly.

“Yeah just use your Charm speak and no one will touch you,” Travis offered. Ash reached across the table to slap Travis upside the head.

“Would you stop telling her that! She is not a child of Aphrodite!” Ash scoffed.

“Are you guys talking about the game tomorrow?” Adrien asked squeezing in next to the Stoll brothers across from me. My face was already starting to burn.

“Yes we are!” Ash smiled wide giving me a mischievous sidelong glance.

“Well Apollo doesn’t have any alliances for tomorrow’s game,” Adrien offered.

“Dude! We totally need to get will on board!” Travis said excitedly.

“If we get the Apollo cabin Clarisse won’t stand a chance!” Conner said excitedly.

“Let’s go!” Travis exclaimed. The two brothers jumped up from the bench and ran towards the Apollo table.

“Say if you join our team we should probably come up with a plan. Especially since Marinette here hasn’t played before.” Ash looked towards Adrien. Adrien’s eyes widened.

“That’s right we haven’t had a match since you got here Marinette! Don’t worry you can stay with me and I’ll show you how it’s played,” Adrien beamed. My cheeks were already burning.

“D’accord!” (Okay) I squeaked. Adrien looked alarmed before a wide smile spread across his face.

“Tu parle français!” (You speak French) Adrien shouted excitedly.

“Toute ma vie,” (All my life) I whispered shyly. Ash smiled at the two of us despite the fact that she looked completely lost.

“Yup Marinette here speaks French! Couldn’t you tell from the accent?” Ash raised her eyebrow at Adrien who looked down at the table sheepishly.

“I uh didn’t want to bother her with too many questions when she came in to the infirmary,” Adrien explained.

“Well now that we have established that you two nerds both speak French I’ll leave you to it while I go see how the Stoll brothers are doing with Will,” Ash said as she stood.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” I giggled.

“What? I just want to have a chat with Will. I’m not going to do anything to him,” Ash feigned innocence.

“Ash,” I laughed.

“I’m not going to hit him that hard Mari, don’t worry,” Ash assured me before rushing off. Adrien turned back to me brows knit together.

“Did Will do something?” he asked. I shook my head avoiding his eyes.

“No, not really. Ash just doesn’t really have an affinity for following the rules,” I explained as I nervously rubbed my sweaty hands off on my jeans.

“Are you okay?” Adrien frowned. My head snapped to attention.

“Y-yeah! I’m just uh- I’m uh nervous for tomorrow’s game.” It wasn’t a total lie. I definitely was nervous about capture the flag but talking to Adrien made me a bit more nervous.

“Don’t worry I’ll take care of you. We can hide in the trees the whole night if you want.” Adrien smiled so warmly at me that I couldn’t help but smile back. Why did he have to be cute and sweet. It just wasn’t fair.

“Ash this is why I don’t like you sitting at other tables. Now the entire pavilion is-“ Before Chiron could finish scolding Ash a loud boom sounded overhead. Every camper in the pavilion instantly jumped to their feet. The room was completely silent. Another loud crash sounded followed by an orange glowing light in the distance. The pavilion instantly broke out into shouts. Everyone began running. Cabin counselors and Chiron were shouting orders to the other campers. Everyone scrambled off in all different directions. I looked towards Adrien fear and confusion twisting my face. Adrien gave me a light smile before taking my hand and leading me in the direction of the other campers.

“What’s going on?” I shouted.

“Camp’s under attack!” Adrien called back to me.

“But I thought this was a safe place!” My throat felt tight.

“It is! But that doesn’t mean the occasional monster doesn’t try to attack it!” Adrien explained. Adrien led me to the armory. Campers were quickly strapping armor to themselves and grabbing weapons. Adrien dropped my hand as he dug through the gear. He tossed me a breastplate and helmet before finding armor for himself and quickly throwing it on. I put on the breastplate and helmet before fumbling with the straps of my armor. Adrien snickered before coming to my aid. Adrien scooped a bow and arrow from the pile he looked towards me and nodded towards the weapons. I picked up a sword that seemed a bit too heavy but before I could decide on another weapon another boom sounded from outside. I followed Adrien out of the armory and towards the chaos.

Beyond the golden fleece were two bronze bulls charging the magical forcefield around the camp again and again. The bulls breathed fire as they bellowed angrily.

“The Khalkotauroi,” Chiron said darkly.

“Again!! Are you kidding me? Sometimes I really hate Hephaestus,” A girl by the name of Clarisse growled.

Many of the the campers stood behind the forcefield throwing spears and shooting arrows at the beasts. The weapons bounced harmlessly off their bodies. Although the bulls couldn’t get into the camp it could cause a problem if they burned everything outside of camp or worse killed any campers trying to get in or out of camp and the two bulls seemed determined. If the bulls got close enough to the field some of the campers with spears and swords would try to hit the bulls but their efforts were in vain. Fire burned just beyond the camp line. Patches of grass were charred to nothing and some still burned. Clarisse a girl who i had only heard stories about as the cabin counselor to the Ares cabin charged out of the forcefield. The girl screamed as she drove her spear into a chink in the Bull One’s side. The bull did not seem to like this. Smoke rose from his nostrils as he bucked Clarisse from the grip she had on her spear. Clarisse went flying landing hard on the ground and rolling several feet before pulling herself back to her feet. The bull opening it’s mouth. Clarisse barely rolled out of the way in time to miss the flames. What Clarisse couldn’t see was that she had put herself into the path of the other bull. So focused on Bull One she didn’t notice Bull Two preparing to strike. Without thinking I ran towards her past the camp line.

“Marinette!” Adrien shouted after me. I didn’t look back. I ran for Clarisse knocking her out of the way just in time. I could feel the heat of the Bull’s flames on my back but thankfully we were both unharmed.

“What do you think you’re doing twerp!” Clarisse spat as she shoved me off of her.

“I uh- you were…” My words died in my throat as I saw Bull One preparing to charge us again.

I jumped to my feet moving Clarisse out of the way once more. The bull ran towards me . my eyes scanned it for anything I could use. The chinks in it’s armor were my only safe bet. The bull got closer and at the last second I leapt out of the way. As the bull ran past me I stabbed my blade in a chink in it’s armored neck. Unfortunately for me my sword stuck. The bull began dragging me along beside it. Panic is the word I would use to describe what it is like to be drug through burning grass by a crazed fire breathing bronze bull. Fire streamed from his mouth but with me attached to his neck it had little effect. As the bull slowed some in order to turn and begin running again I placed my other hand on the bulls horn and swung myself atop its back. Squeezing my legs around the bull’s hot metal body I gripped my sword preparing for the bull’s reaction. As expected the bull began bucking wildly spewing flames in every direction. I squeezed my eyes shut as I clung to the brazen bull. Once the worst of it was over I peaked open one eye to see that we were now running in circles. Clarisse was now facing off against Bull Two. She had acquired another spear, probably from another camper, and was now facing off against the bull ducking a dodging charges, and flames.

I sat up on my bull and pulled on my sword in an attempt to remove it from the bull’s neck. Something strange happened in response to my tugging. As I pulled back on the sword the bull reeled back before coming to a complete stop. I smiled to myself before wrenching the blade to the right. The bull began to trot towards the right picking up speed as it did so. I looked towards Clarisse and Bull Two an idea striking me. I pulled back on my sword bringing the bull to a stop before turning it around. With a shove forward the bull began to run towards them. Closer and closer until….

“Clarisse look out!!” I screamed. Clarisse glanced back before leaping out of the way. Bull Two opened it’s mouth spewing flames as it raced towards me and Bull One. I screamed as I let go of the sword’s hilt and dove off the bull. The two bulls continued to charge forwards their view both blocked by the fire until they crashed into one another in a bust of fire and metal. Bronze parts began raining down on me. I coughed as I looked through the smokey haze feeling rather lightheaded now. I could hear screams and shouts, some of shock, some of joy, and some of concern. I let my body sink back down onto the grass with a groan. Campers began rushing into the clearing smoke. In the next moment that I opened my eyes Ash and Adrien were crouching over me.

“Holy cow!!! That was amazing Mari!” Ash congratulated.

“Marinette? Are you alright?” Adrien asked worried, his eyes surveying my body for injuries. I smiled reassuringly at them as my eyes slid shut.

“She passes out more than Jason Grace,” Someone laughed as my world faded to black.

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fluffymonsterklk · 8 years ago

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My Only Sunshine

Finally Katie got Shaun asleep, he was tucked generously in a series of blankets, nearly protected from the outside. He was peaceful and quiet, not chattering like he usually was. Her mind began to wander, along with her eyes. She looked out the window to see Hancock staring blankly at the blazing fire infront of him. He was seated lazily in an old wooden chair. He had a broken look on his face, something that looked foreign. She was use to seeing him with a smirk, a blissful high soaked in his dark eyes. He sat up perching his elbows on his knees taking his ebony tricorn hat off his head and looking at it in the glowing light of the flames. His lips moved mumbling something as he tossed it on the ground beside him. Katie didn’t realize how immersed she had been because as soon as a strong hand grabbed her shoulder she jumped nearly waking her son up. “I’m sorry” a deep familiar voice said filled with concern. “I’m heading to bed. Are you coming?” Katie looked up at the muscular ex-paladin before shifting her gaze at the ghoul who sat his face buried in his hands. “I’m not quite ready yet. I’ll be there shortly” Katie whispered back up to Danse. He nodded before placing a soft kiss on her cheek, squeezing her shoulder as he turned and walked out. Katie watched him leave feeling that familiar warmth fill her chest before her gaze once again fixated on the ghoul. A bitter taste filled her mouth as he stood up and walked away leaving his hat in the dirt. The ghoul shoved his hands in his pockets as his figure disappeared in the inky blackness of the night. She waited a few moments hoping he would come and pick it back up, but instead it remained, the flames reflecting their glow off its dried leather. She looked back at Shaun, seeing him peacefully sleeping, before standing and leaving the room. She made a beeline to where his hat laid, glancing to see if he was coming back for it, soon noticing that he was not. She sighed before throwing herself into the chair he had been sitting in, the warmth of the fire sinking deeply into her skin. She watched the flames for a moment before looking at his hat. -that hat- she gingerly picked it up, treating it as if it were the finest jewel in the Commonwealth. She, with careful fingers brushed the course dirt cleaning the worn leather. She examined it with cautious eyes before setting it in her lap, carelessly running her fingers over the tight stitching that held it together. “Blue? Everything alright?” Piper perched into a seat beside her looking at the hat that was safely secured on Katie’s lap. “I don’t know-” her words were careless. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly. “Is this about my second least favorite mayor?” Her eyes hinted at the hat Katie held. Immedietly her stomach dropped. She bit her lip as her eyes lazily open staring straight into the flames. “Maybe.”

——–

“Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky.” His voice rasped as he stroked her cheek with his dry leathery hand. She smiled as the ghoul tucked Katie’s hair behind her pierced ear. Her face was a scarlet red “Stop John, you’re a good man. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” “Well I guess you’re right. But, I’m still lucky” he smirked as she laid her head on his chest. “I am too” She smiled taking one of his damaged hands into her own. He gently ran his fingers over her smooth skin, taking in every soft feature she had. He closed his eyes isolating himself and Katie, the old statehouse where they were fading around them as he slowly drifted to sleep. “You are my Sunshine.”

——-

Hancock threw himself in a chair the darkness around him matching the darkness he felt. He brought his hand up running it over his bare head while uncomfortably shifting in his chair. The painful vivid image of Danse bending down and kissing Katie left a painful wound in his chest. an agitating feeling, like an itch needing to be scratched came over him. He grunted beneath his breath as he shoved his hand inside his red coat Pulling out a tin canister. He placed his nail bed beneath the small metal top, and forcibly pushed it, the hinges squeaking as it shot open. He grumbled as he grabbed a sheet of small red pills, popping two into his palm before closing it. His ears picked up it’s satisfying click before tucking it back into his coat. He slouched in the chair looking at the two mentats. Without hesitation he threw them back into his mouth, biting hard on both, sending a cherry taste onto his tounge, coating it completely with its chalky texture. He grinded the gritty substance on the roof of his mouth before coating his teeth in the pill’s powder. Immedietly the drug went into effect the world around him twisting, as a complete bliss fell over him. Loosening up his muscles the tense feeling in his chest broke with relief as he watched the ceiling dance like cigarette smoke leaving the lungs of its user. He closed his eyes letting the high send him to a calming place. A far happier time.

------

He picked her up, their lips never leaving eachothers as he swept his hand across the messy counter top throwing his chems onto the floor with a clatter. He set her down as he began to tug at her clothing, throwing unwanted garments aside onto the floor, leaving her in a tank top and torn dark washed jeans. He fumbled with her black tank top as She tugged at his clothes trying to pull off his coat. He allowed the first layer to shed dropping the coat to the floor, the brim of his hat hitting her forehead making her pull away and laugh slightly. The ghoul watched as her nose crinkled while she let out a small giggle. She gently reached out taking the hat off his head and held it gingerly in her hands. He watched as she examined it, the moment slowly slipping away from them. He half hoped she’d set it down and they’d finish what they started, but then again, he liked that happy look on her face. She ran her fingers over his hat before meeting eyes with him. “John Hancock.” She smiled putting the hat on her own head, fitting it over her Messy blonde bun. He laughed at the silly look on her face as she tried to mimick his face when he was high. Which was all the time. “ Of the people, for the people” She smiled making his widen. “That’s right, and don’t you forget it.” He rasped watching as she took his hat off again and looked at it. “Can you tell me that story of how you saved everyone here from Vic?” Katie asked. He nodded backing up from the counter and offering a hand. She kindly took it and hopped down following him to the couch stepping over their clothing. He sat down leaning back against the arm. Katie laid back on him allowing his arms to wrap around her as both looked at the hat. He then went on to tell the story of how John Hancock was created, her head on his shoulder. Her blonde hair draped over him, tickling his molten skin at the base of his neck. “Tonight certainly didn’t end the way I pictured it would-”

-----

“You miss him Blue?” “I don’t know. I love Danse. I am very happy where I am now. But I think John hurts more then what he leads on-” Katie’s eyes glistened as the fire reflected off of them. “You think?” Piper asked “or do you know?” Katie brushed her hand against the leather again “I know.” Silence now engulfed them, a much needed break. A silence she needed to think, however with it brought back sad memories. The way they ended. Yelling, tears, disappointment. But they agreed it was for the best. They agreed to stay friends, to have eachothers backs. Moving on was harder for him then it was for her.

----

“There it is.” His voice was heard before he was visible in the dim light. “M'lady.” He bowed offering his hand out to take the hat. She smiled placing it in his hand. “Thank you-” he said before fitting it on his bare head. He was high, she knew he was by that look gracefully placed on his rough face. She swiftly stood up and hugged him. He was caught by surprise but kindly hugged her back. “Keep being you Sunshine.” he mumbled into her hair before turning and stumbling off into the darkness. ——– Okay here it is XD finally posted! :P And I have @quinzelade to thank!

#paladin danse #sole survivor #fanfic #john hancock #fallout 4

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i-write-shakespeare-not-disney · 8 years ago

Text

Warm Me Up pt 22

Songs I listened to: Mercy- Shawn Mendes, The Reason- Hoobastank, Already Gone- Kelly Clarkson, Love You Goodbye- One Direction, What Hurts The Most- Rascal Flatts, Breakeven- The Script

Click Here for Ch. 1

Click Here for Ch. 21

There was one ceiling tile that wasn’t completely aligned with the others. It had been driving Nico crazy since he woke up. But he found himself staring at it anytime he was alone. Which was often. Aside from the nurses and doctors that checked on him, no one else came in.

Ever since Will’s outburst, Nico had asked to keep visitors away. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his friends what had happened. Surely they’d heard it too. Surely they’d heard all the things Will said, all the things he’d called him.

The moment kept replaying in his head as he stared at the tile. Over and over. Even when he slept, he didn’t get a break from it. In the back of his mind, the shouts were still echoing.

“Ready to go home today?” Dr. Ass- something asked him. Nico shrugged. “I suggest you stay away from alcohol. You’re too young to give yourself liver damage.”

Nico rolled his eyes and pulled at the ends of his hair. “Yeah, well. Easy for you to say. You have your life made. Nothing to run away from. I’m trying to run away from everything.”

“Everything?” the doctor asked.

“I’m not suicidal,” he snapped, knowing that if he said the wrong thing, he’d have to stay longer and get checked into a psych ward. “I’m just saying… drinking stops the thinking. It always has. So I drink enough to forget.”

“Well what were you trying to forget this time? Because obviously it didn’t work until you reached unconsciousness.” Nico averted his gaze and stared at the IV in his arm. “Alright then. I hope I don’t have to see you back here with the same problem, Nico.” He nodded and watched as the doctor removed the IV and gave him some regular clothes that Percy and Annabeth had brought in for him.

One of the most infuriating things was that he couldn’t remember anything from the night he was taken to the hospital. He remembered seeing Will and kissing someone. But he couldn’t remember how much he drank, what he had done, whether or not that boy had been in his room, or at what point he’d stopped breathing. The guy had to have been with him. Who else could have called the ambulance?

The connotation in that made Nico even more anxious. If a guy was in his room with him at two in the morning, which was the time the doctor said he’d been brought in, then didn’t that suggest something? He couldn’t bear the idea of it. Not with Will occupying so much of his thoughts and how desperately he wanted him back.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Maybe he should just pretend the night, the last five days, hadn’t happened.

When he was changed into his clothes, he grabbed his phone, signed some final paperwork, and left the hospital. He called a cab to take him to the campus, but he didn’t tell anyone he was free. He wanted to be alone. He was scared to find Will, and he didn’t have the stamina to answer questions from Leo and the others.

Instead, he got his motorcycle, stopped at a McDonald’s for food to regain his strength, and then rode over to his dirt road clearing. He sat under a tree to eat, frustrated with the way the wind kept blowing his hair in his face. He made a mental note to get a haircut. Possibly that very day if it would stall going back to campus.

He ate slowly, his stomach still sore and uneasy after what had happened.

Vaguely he wondered what Will would do when he saw him again. Would he ignore him? Yell at him again? Nico didn’t want either. He wanted him back. He wanted to fall to his knees and apologize until Will believed him and took him back and kissed him again and again.

He just wanted Will Solace back.

At the moment he was in The In-Between as he liked to call it. He didn’t feel hopeless and empty the way he did when he hit a depressive episode, but he wasn’t happy and ecstatic and filled with energy like when he had his highs. He felt numb, stoic, and confused. He knew there were things he had to think on, to act on. But his brain wouldn’t let him think enough. So he was stuck. He was at that middle place, No-Man’s Land, where he was simply focusing on little tasks like eating and putting one foot in front of the other.

He supposed it was the best place to be, mentally. At least for him. He never enjoyed his highs as much as he should, not with that little voice warning him that the next depression low would hit soon. And he hated the episodes where he could barely get out of bed.

So he supposed his mental state at the moment was the best he could hope for after what had happened.

Suddenly his phone started ringing. He looked at it and saw Percy’s number. He ignored it. Then two minutes later, Leo. He ignored that too. Within the next thirty minutes, he had seven calls from Percy, fifteen from Leo, eight from Annabeth, seven from Piper, and ten from Jason. None from Will. He received texts, Facebook messages, WhatsApp messages, even GroupMe messages which he never even used.

He groaned and turned his phone off. He didn’t want to go back yet. Not until he was okay enough.

He clambered back onto his bike and revved the engine. It had been a long time since he’d bothered riding it here. He didn’t want to be reckless this time. He wanted to ride it right. He wanted to see how many times he could go around without falling, how long he could sustain the feeling of flying in such perfect weather.

He kicked off and all that filled his ears were the sounds of air pushing against him and the angry engine as it pushed him forward. Dirt filled the air as the motorcycle turned and sped along the path.

It was the best he’d felt in a long time.

Then he saw a figure at the end of the road. He nearly lost control of the motorcycle in the shock and confusion, but he steadied himself and squinted to get a better look. Golden hair glinted in the sun, and Nico’s heart stopped.

The closer he got, the more certain he was it was Will. Until he had stopped his bike in front of him and was staring at angry blue eyes that left Nico speechless and weak in the knees.

After about a minute of silence and staring, one in wonder and shock, the other in what seemed like hatred and anger, the latter spoke. “Percy and Leo said you disappeared. They went to see you at the hospital and they were told you’d left, and you weren’t answering your phone.” Nico continued to stare mutely. “Are you going to say anything?”

“Will,” he breathed.

Will rolled his eyes, but the apples of his cheeks tinged red. He crossed his arms and glared at Nico. “I’ll give you five minutes. Five minutes to explain the shit you pulled at the hospital before I tell your friends where to find you.”

Nico shut the engine off and hurried to stand, letting the motorcycle clatter to the floor, but never once letting his eyes leave Will. If he did, he might just disappear. “Okay, okay,” he said hurriedly. “Look, I know I said really horrible things when I broke up with you, and I know you think you’d never forgive me, but I didn’t mean any of it, okay?” Will rolled his eyes and turned away from him. “Will, please. I never once wanted to be without you. The truth is you make me want to be a better person, okay? I was a decent human being when I was with you. But that didn’t stop the depression from pulling me under okay, and that wasn’t fair to you. I was being selfish by staying with you. You deserve someone better, someone who doesn’t constantly need you watching over them, and I had to let you go, I had to be selfless for once in my-”

“Oh shut up!” He shouted, turning back to him. He stepped forward, digging his finger into Nico’s chest. “Don’t you dare pretend you thought of anyone but yourself when you did that! Don’t you pull that bull shit!” He turned away, and Nico followed after him, but he was still shouting at him. “The things you said were horrible! I trusted you!” He bent over and Nico didn’t have time to process what he was doing until he turned around, throwing something at him. “I trusted you, you asshole! I told you everything! And you left me!” Rocks bounced off his jacket and to the floor, as Nico tried to block them from sensitive areas.

“Will, I-”

“You left me! Not the other way around! Don’t- tell- me- you were heartbroken when this was your fault!”

“Ow!” he exclaimed as a stinging pain burst above his right eye. “Okay, I deserved that,” he groaned.

“You are a selfish prick, and- oh my God, you’re bleeding.” The anger dissipated and Will rushed over to his side, checking the wound. “Oh my God, you’re bleeding.”

“Well, you hit me with a rock,” he answered. Will ignored him and tore the bottom of Nico’s shirt. “Will, if you wanted to undress me, you could’ve just asked.”

“Not the time, di Angelo,” he growled. Nico clamped his mouth shut and Will pressed the cloth against his forehead, causing Nico to wince. “You have to put pressure,” he mumbled under his breath.

Nico glanced up, catching the expression of determination on his face. The furrow of his eyebrows, the concentration in his eyes, the lip bite. And the flush in his cheeks, splattered with beautiful freckles. “I don’t think I ever told you how much I like your freckles, did I? They’re mesmerizing.”

Will’s eyes flickered down to him, but his expression remained hard. He grabbed Nico’s hand and pressed it to the wound. “Pressure,” he said, ignoring him still.

Nico sighed and looked at him longingly. He began to pull away, so Nico decided he had nothing left to lose.

“One more thing,” he said desperately. “I know I hurt you, and I will never forgive myself for it. I know you probably hate me, and I don’t blame you. I understand if you don’t feel the same, but I have to tell you before you disappear forever, okay?”

Will’s eyes flickered back to him, curious and wary. “Tell me what?”

Nico swallowed and took a few breaths. “That I’m completely fucking in love with you. And it honestly scares the shit out of me.”

The change in his expression was immediate. Wide eyes, almost frightened, lips parted, his cheeks bright red. His hands fell to his sides, and Nico was afraid he’d scared him away completely. “What?” he asked, barely audible.

Nico took another breath and tried to ignore the dizziness that had overwhelmed him. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you. I never said it, and maybe I should have, but I was scared. The idea of letting myself be so vulnerable to someone…” His voice broke, and he felt the tears that stung his eyes. But he didn’t want to cry. “I didn’t want to let someone have that much control over my emotions. So the best thing I could do was show you how much I cared about you and show my affection the best way I knew how to.

“I tried so hard to show it without feeling vulnerable. Without making it about me. I wanted to focus on you, I wanted to show you I loved you, but I’m not the best at emotions. But you have to know, Will…. I loved you as best as I could. I tried... to show you how important you are to me.” At that point, his voice was wavering uncontrollably, desperate and afraid. But he had to tell him everything. Will had to understand. “To show you how happy you made me even if I couldn’t always be happy. How much I appreciated you, without having to put all of my emotions out there. Maybe that's what you wanted. I know you wanted me to lay myself bare for you, but I couldn’t- I can't... do that.

“So I left you that way you could find someone who could. Someone who wasn’t so fucking afraid, so messed up in the head. You think I couldn’t see it in your eyes? The way you looked whenever you couldn’t fix me, when you couldn’t pull me out of the depression? I was selfish in keeping you with me, and I’m being selfish now by wanting you back. Because I know you deserve better, but I’m still hoping you’ll be okay with me.”

“Stop,” he croaked. Nico looked down and shut his eyes. “You’re right,” he whispered. Nico glanced at him, not understanding. His nose was red. Runaway tears had fallen down his freckled cheeks. “I hated you. I hated you so much for what you did to me.” Nico choked back a sob and looked away. “But how could you be so dense, Nico?” He didn’t look at him. “Don’t tell me I could’ve done better than you. I knew about your pains and your messes and how fucked up things could get in your head. I knew about you using alcohol to run away from problems. I know what each scar on your body means and where it came from. And how you can never let yourself be fully happy because that pessimistic voice is always there telling you it won’t last.

“And I also know about your determination, and defiance. I know what makes you smile. I know how gentle you can be, because you’ve always shown it to me. I know how strong you’ve been all your life and how strong you still are. Defensive, protective, and stubborn.” He stepped closer, keeping Nico’s eyes on him. He wanted to brush away the tears that kept falling down his face. Nico didn’t want to make him cry anymore.

“And I fell in love with all of it.” Nico took a sharp breath, and he couldn’t keep himself controlled anymore. The tears he’d been fighting fell down his face, and now he was crying in front of him.

Nico didn’t think he’d ever really cried in front of him. He’d gotten angry, he’d ranted, he’d been hurt, he’d been sick, he’d thrown up, maybe shed a few tears. But he’d never cried the way he was now. Not in front of anyone. Especially Will.

“I fell in love with the smell of cigarettes that stays in your fingers and your leather jacket.... The callouses on your fingers.... With that stubbornness and pessimism. With your voice. Your dark eyes that never fail to make me forget what I’m thinking. With your laughter which is still the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard and your smile because it’s rare, but it was always real when you looked at me. It always made me feel worthwhile.

“So don't tell me I could have found someone better. Because I found you, and I loved you, and I wanted you. I fell in love with the good and the bad that comes with you. I was willing to handle it. You’re the one that decided to call it quits. You’re the one that pushed me away and gave up on me, I never once thought about leaving you.”

“I didn’t give up-”

“Yes you did,” he interrupted. “I know I can’t make your depression go away, and I couldn’t help if I felt bad about it, okay? That’s something people feel, it’s empathy. But I wanted to make it easier for you. I wanted to be there to keep you from falling apart, or to at least help you pull yourself back together. I wanted to at least do that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, gripping his arms, afraid that he’d go away if he let him go. But he didn’t move. Nico was close enough to hear his breaths, uneven through the crying. He looked up, biting his lip. “Do you still love me?” he whispered.

“Of course I do,” he whispered. Nico cupped his face and pressed his forehead against Will’s. “Nico,” he breathed.

“Could you give me another chance? Please, baby,” he begged, soaking in the feeling of being so close to him again. His scent, his voice, his warm skin beneath his fingers. He missed Will so much. “I’ll do anything.”

Will’s eyes were solemn, his gaze focused on Nico. Conflicted. It made Nico nervous. Then his warm hand pressed against Nico’s cheek and he leaned into him slowly, pressing his lips against Nico’s gently. Nico forgot how to breathe.

The feeling of his lips was so familiar, so right. It made him weak. He wrapped his arms around him, kissing him harder. He loved him. He loved him and Will loved him back. They would be okay. They had to be.

His fingers were pressing into his side, pulling him closer. Nico’s hands were in his hair. He wanted to forget every other kiss that wasn’t with Will. He wanted to fall apart in his arms because he knew he could trust Will. He wanted to love him in every way possible and never let him go again.

Then Will pulled away and rested his hands on Nico’s shoulder, pushing him back gently. “I need time to think,” he murmured. “I can’t… I can’t think straight when you’re this close to me. When you’re kissing me and looking at me like that.”

“Think about what?” Nico asked incredulously, feeling his heart begin to shatter again. “Will?”

“I don’t know,” he breathed. “I don’t know. I just… I need to think.”

Nico swallowed and furrowed his eyebrows. “Is there… someone else?” He’d seen Will with Paolo and some other boy he didn’t know. He’d seen them together often. Had Will moved on despite loving him?

But he shook his head, and Nico was able to breathe again. “No, there’s no one else, Nico. I just need to think. About this, about what it means. Okay?” Nico hesitated, but he nodded. He’d hurt him enough. The least he could do was let him have time to understand what he felt, right? “I have to go…. You should call your friends and tell them you’re okay.” He cleared his throat and pulled away. “Will you need a ride?”

“N-No, I have my… motorcycle.” Will nodded and bit his lip. Then he turned away, and Nico tried not to think it was for the last time. When he heard the car drive away, he turned back to his motorcycle and sat beside it, trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

He didn’t understand. How could they both be so in love with each other and still be apart at that moment? They should have been kissing in the sunset, laughing and hugging and promising beautiful things. They should have been getting back to campus together, hand in hand, while onlookers stared with shocked expressions.

Instead, Will had left and Nico was confused and exhausted.

He turned his phone back on and waited for it to stop buzzing with notifications of people trying to reach him. When it finally did, he called Leo and winced when his voice burst through the speaker. “Where have you been! We’ve been worried sick, no one has seen you and-”

“Leo, shut up for a second?” he snapped. “I’m fine… I came to clear my head. I’ll be back to campus soon. I’ll let you know when I’m there.”

He leaned against his bike and touched his head again, wincing at the throbbing pain that came from it. He looked at his shirt and shrugged. He had tons of black shirts anyway. When he finally mustered the courage to go back, he righted his bike and rode it back to campus. He went to the café and messaged his friends. It was a little fuller than the last time he’d been there, though it made sense because some people were already coming back from break.

A spring break spent in the ICU. That was without a doubt the most idiotic way he’d ever spent a vacation. Though it beat being home.

He messaged Leo and Percy and within five minutes his friends were crowding him, inspecting him, asking him questions. Nico remained silent until they backed off. Then Percy moved his hair and frowned. “Why is your head cut? Honestly, Nico you just got out of the hospital.”

“Will threw a rock at me,” he answered tiredly.

They blinked at him and raised their eyebrows. “Well… let’s be honest, you kind of deserved it,” Leo mumbled. Nico rolled his eyes. “Why didn’t you let us come in to see you at the hospital?”

“Because I knew you’d all be asking me all of these questions. About what happened with Will, and what we said and what I’d do next and on and on. I just… I couldn’t deal with them. And I still can’t.” He took a shaking breath and leaned his head against his hand. He needed a cigarette, but his pack was in his room. And none of his friends smoked.

“Nico, we actually have something we want to tell you,” Jason said.

“No questions, if you don’t want. Just hear us out,” Piper added.

Then they all looked to Annabeth and she scooted closer to Nico. “Listen,” she started. “We haven’t been very good friends. We don’t know how to help you when you get depressed. And we shouldn’t be so oblivious to what’s happening with you that you end up in the hospital. We’ve been shitty friends, and we’re sorry. We should be helping you m-”

“Oh my God, please stop,” Nico grimaced. “Where is this even coming from?”

Leo bit his lip and rubbed his neck. “At the hospital, when Will left, he sort of snapped at us. He pointed out that we don’t really pay attention to you.”

“And that’s how I like it,” he protested. “If I wanted help, I’d ask. I didn’t even ask Will for help, he just… forced his way in.” He sighed and shook his head. “Look, you guys got me away from a party when I drank too much. My need to drink has nothing to do with you guys. And I didn’t even tell you guys what I was doing when I got checked into the hospital. There was no way you could have known. You’re not shitty friends, okay? I just stay distanced and I prefer it that way really. So please stop.” They frowned and looked at him uncertainly. Frustrated, he rolled his eyes and continued, “I asked the nurses to stop letting you guys in. And every day they told me you guys were back. Even though I tried to push you guys away, you kept coming back. My phone blew up with a million calls and messages because you didn’t know where I was. And you were all there the second you heard I was in the hospital. Shitty friends would’ve gone on a Spring break road trip anyway.”

He stood and squeezed Leo’s shoulder, glancing fleetingly at the others. “It’s okay, really. Thank you. I’m going to go sleep or something.” He turned away and started for his dorm, trying to shake off the exhaustion from everything about that day.

***

His head was spinning with the flurry of emotions he’d experienced in the last hour. He had chewed his nails so badly at that point that the skin was raw.

Will knocked on Paolo’s door a little too hard and tried to keep each thought in line. When the door opened, Paolo looked worried and Will wondered what his face looked like. “I need help,” he said.

“What happened?” he asked, letting him in.

Will took a breath and told him everything, from getting a call from Percy about Nico missing and finding him, to yelling at him and throwing rocks at him, to the sudden declaration of love, to running away. He was completely talked out, confused, and feeling both pathetic and hopeful.

Paolo had listened the entire time, his facial expressions speaking for him. Doubt and shock and suspicion and concern all crossed his face, and it didn’t settle Will’s nervousness.

“I don’t know what to think, Paolo. I know he said he didn’t mean any of the things he said, but he still said them. And then he decides to tell me he loves me and….” His voice quavered and he took a breath. “I still love him. But he hurt me.”

Paolo stood and put his hands on his shoulders. “It’s no surprise that you still love him, Will. Why do you think you hated him so much?” He bit his lip and sighed. “I want to be supportive. I want to say what you want to hear and tell you to go after him, to give him a second chance.” Will grit his teeth waiting for the second part of that thought. “But I’m afraid he’ll hurt you again. And that you’ll have to go through all of this again with the same person.”

“I’m scared too!” he exclaimed. “That’s why I don’t know what to do. I mean, now he wants me back, but what if he just goes back to saying I deserve better and breaks up with me again? I don’t want to keep going in circles and getting hurt. But I don’t want to give up on him either. Because I know he meant it. I know he did, Paolo.”

His friend furrowed his eyebrows and chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “Do you have it in you to forgive what he did and try again?”

It was a long time before Will was able to answer. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a no that you wish was a yes.” Will let out a soft breath and shut his eyes. “Don’t force yourself to do something you don’t want to do. If he loves you, he’d respect that, Will.” He ran a hand through his hair and groaned as he sat on Paolo’s desk chair. “Part of me really wants to punch him in the face for springing this on you.”

“Trust me, I do too,” he mumbled. “This is too complicated. It’s not supposed to be like this. Love doesn’t hurt this much.”

***

The next day, Nico walked out to the café to get a breakfast taco and a coffee. He sat outside, smoking a much needed cigarette as he flipped through his song journal. He was on his third cigarette when the chair in front of him was pulled out.

“Can I sit?” Immediately, Nico put the cigarette out and nodded. “I thought you were quitting,” Will noted for what must have been the hundredth time since they’d met. Nico bit his lip, unsure of what to say. “So. I thought about this. You and me.” He took a breath and his blue eyes seemed faded as they looked at Nico. “I can’t….”

“You… can’t?” he repeated.

“Date you again.” Nico’s heart fell to his stomach. He couldn’t bring himself to form any words. “You hurt me too badly, Nico. I don’t trust you the same way I used to. I don’t want to date you again and spend half the time paranoid, wondering if you’ll break up with me again because you’re too upset. It’s too painful. I know that you have problems. I know you suffer with depression and it makes you do things or think things that you wish you didn’t. I get that. But it doesn’t give you the right to hurt other people, Nico.”

“I know what- I wasn’t- Will, please,” he begged, shutting his eyes, refusing to believe Will would walk away from this after everything. He bit his lip and motioned for Will to wait with his hands. He had to form the right words. “Look, I’ve… always believed I wasn’t worth loving okay? I always believed that I wasn’t worth the time, worth the effort for anyone to try. So I figured you never would, and I should’ve cut it off before you did fall in love with me. But that was stupid and I see that now. I know I messed up, but I can fix it. I’ll do anything to fix it. Just please don’t leave me.”

Will’s eyebrows scrunched together as he winced. “I didn’t. You left me. I don’t have it in me to try again when it still hurts this much.”

“I thought you loved me,” he whispered.

“I do. And that’s why…. Listen, I don’t want you to just disappear from my life again. We have this idea of either dating again or ignoring each other, and we don’t have to do that.”

Nico shut his eyes and put a hand against his forehead. “What, you mean the whole, ‘we can still be friends’ thing? Seriously?” Will sighed in exasperation and Nico opened his eyes.

He saw the raw pain on his face. It didn’t look right on him. He deserved to smile and be happy. Nico wanted to be the one to make him smile. To make him laugh again. He wanted that smile from the karaoke night. The smile from their first date. The smile from the first gifts Nico got him. He hated himself for causing this heartbreaking expression on his face.

Slowly, Nico reached over the table and took his hands. “Okay,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to disappear either. And as much as I want you back, I don’t want you to be hurting the entire time. I know what I did. And I know it was horrible. I’m so sorry, Will.” His eyes were focused on him, his cheeks pink from the contact. “Tell me what to do to get you to trust me again. Please. I’ll do anything.”

A small breath escaped his lips and a small, tired smile tugged at his lips. “I don’t know, Nico.” He pulled his hands away and rubbed his neck. “I have to go to my internship. I’ll see you around.”

He stood and walked away, leaving Nico to stare at the seat he’d been occupying in absolute defeat.

For a long time, Nico wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He didn’t trust himself to go back to his dorm. There was a part of him that was angry. With Will for saying that he loved him but not giving him another chance. With himself for having fucked up so badly that the kindest person on the planet couldn’t trust him anymore.

There was a part of him that blamed his depression. It was the part of him that told him he was right. He was unlovable. He fucked up too much. He wasn’t worth it. He ruined beautiful things.

Before long he was in his room, pacing angrily, trying to stop the thoughts racing his head. He wanted to shut them up. He wanted to stop them and stop thinking them because they’re what got him into the situation in the first place.

It was about three in the afternoon when Nico couldn’t stand it anymore. He opened his fridge and pulled out what he had left of his liquor. The first thing he saw was a bottle of tequila and he unscrewed it, pressing the bottle to his lips before the smell hit his nose and made him dizzy.

His hands started shaking and he stared at the bottle.

I knew about you using alcohol to run away from problems.

Nico was tired of running. Tired of giving in to these bottles. He wasn’t helping himself by repeating the same mistakes.

So instead of drinking it, he stood and began pouring the liquor down the sink. He stared as the clear liquid flowed into the drain, mixing with hot water. Then he turned and grabbed the other bottles, even the small collectibles, and dumped them too. He grabbed his wallet and cut his fake ID in half. Maybe that didn’t make it certain he’d stop buying alcohol in the future, but it did make it more difficult.

Then he turned on his laptop and ran his hand through his hair in anxiety and frustration. After a few searches, he finally found a number to call.

He dialed it on his phone and waited for the click. “Hello, this is LifeWorks, how can we help you?” a soft, feminine voice greeted.

Nico swallowed the knot in his throat and tried to ignore the thumping of his heart. “Um, hello. My name is Nico di Angelo and… I’m interested in starting therapy.”

Click Here for Ch. 23

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