#the top of the heap guy that everyone fears and nobody messes with

[thanks-obillma]

watched nerdy prudes must die and this happened

[camillemontespan]

her one constant [part fourteen: the human shield] [drake the bodyguard AU]

Master List

Warnings: Mention of blood/violence

A/N: Hey guys. I’m sorry for taking ages to write this chapter. Some of you know that I’ve been going through a shit time right now and writing hasn’t exactly been top of my priorities. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I guess I just want to roll up into a blanket and do nothing. 

I didn’t want to post this until I was 100% happy with it because you deserve a well thought out chapter, not just a shit post. I hope you enjoy this. I’ve got about 2/3 chapters left of this to write. Thank you to everyone who has commented and enjoyed. Your feedback means a lot.

I also see that I’ve lost some followers recently - all good, I’m not mad. But I have been posting a lot of BTS/Jimin content instead of Choices stuff, so that alienates a lot of my followers. Sorry if all the BTS content is annoying - I’m finding that they are helping me calm down. Something about Jimin’s smile makes me feel better. But as a result, my blog is now a hot mess. 

@ibldw-main​​​​​​​ @jovialyouthmusic​​​​​​​ @katedrakeohd​​​​​​​ @moonlightgem7​​​​​​​ @pug-bitch​​​​​​​ @princessleac1​​​​​​​ @burnsoslow​​​​​​​ @notoriouscs​​​​​​​ @dcbbw​​​​​​​ @saivilo​​​​​​​ @rainbowsinthestorm​​​​​​​ @marshmallowsandfire​​​​​​​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​​​​​​​ @gardeningourmet​​​​​​​ @kingliam2019​​​​​ @nomadics-stuff​​​​​ @kimmiedoo5​ ****************************************

Lou had his hand wrapped tightly around Olivia’s arm as he dragged her through the chaos of the ballroom.

‘Let me go!’ she shouted. ‘I can handle them myself, I’m armed!’

‘I don’t give a shit,’ Lou said fiercely. ‘I’m getting you out of here.’

Olivia let out an exasperated shriek but Lou ignored her, pulling her through the crowds. He knew Olivia was fierce and could look after herself; but he wished she would let him protect her without objection. All Lou wanted was to keep her safe and give her no reason to use her favourite dagger. 

His eyes scanned the room for any more threats. 

He saw the Duchess of Valtoria on the floor. He couldn’t see Drake.

Lou changed direction and raced towards her, his hand still gripping Olivia’s arm. ‘Lou, the exit is that way!’ Olivia protested. 

‘Give me a minute!’ Lou said. 

The two of them reached Camille. Lou noted with horror that while she was on her knees, Drake lay in a crumpled heap beneath her.  She was protecting Drake from the carnage around them, bent over him with her arms on either side of his body, cradling him close. She blocked Drake from view, keeping him safe, like a lioness protecting her cub.

Camille was a human shield. 

****************************

‘Drake, stay with me!’ Camille begged, keeping her body over his. ‘Stay with me!’ 

Tears were blinding her vision as she pressed down on the bullet wound embedded in his shoulder, trying to stop him from losing even more blood. Blood was everywhere; on his shirt; on his neck; on the floor; on her hands; on her silk dress. Camille’s hands shook as she tried to work out what to do. She pushed her hair back, not caring that Drake’s blood was now streaked across her forehead. 

Drake’s face was ashen. He was looking up at her with heavy, drooping eyes and breaths pulled from his throat, breaths that were ragged and strangled. 

Camille let out a sob. Everything had been so good, everything was working out.. when Drake had jumped in front of the bullet, all that was good in the world shattered. 

All she could hear was screaming, shooting and Drake’s strangled breaths. She could feel her throat constrict and her heart pound in her chest as she tried to make sense of what was happening. 

Breathe. Breathe. 

Another assassination attempt in the same ballroom. Another experience that Camille would wear like bruised and damaged armour. Another reason to feel fear. Another reason to feel vulnerable. 

But as she looked down at Drake’s ashen face, she felt fire in her heart and she knew that she would have to stay strong for him. Camille held him close as she promised herself that she would never let him go. 

‘Camille..’ Drake croaked.

‘It’s okay,’ Camille said, her voice shaking. ‘It’s gonna be okay. I’m keeping you safe-’

‘Camille!’

Camille looked up to see Lou and Olivia standing above her. Lou was staring down at her in shock while Olivia’s eyes, usually hard and narrow, softened as she took in the scene before her. 

‘H-He got shot,’ Camille stammered. ‘He jumped in front of the bullet to protect me-’

‘Shh, it’s okay,’ Lou soothed her, crouching down. ‘I can help. I’ll get him off the ground.’

Lou reached out to get Drake off the floor. ‘Don’t hurt him!’ Camille screamed, her voice hysterical. ‘Be careful!’

‘Olivia, take the Duchess,’ Lou said firmly. ‘Camille, Drake is gonna be okay-’

‘But what if he loses a lot of blood?’ Camille sobbed. ‘Or he- he dies-’

She looked down at Drake as the reality of a life without him - literally- flooded her thoughts. Her hands clenched his bloodsoaked shirt, unwilling to let go. She couldn’t let him go. 

‘Camille, let go..’ Lou murmured, his green eyes meeting hers. ‘I’ve got him.’

Camille felt soft hands take her by the arm, guiding her to her feet with some resistance from Camille herself. ‘No, no!’ she pleaded, reaching out to try and grasp Drake by the hands. She was pulled back gently by Olivia. 

‘Why are you helping me?’ Camille whispered. 

‘Because you look like you’ve lost the only thing that mattered,’ Olivia said. ‘Come on, let’s get out of this place.’

Camille let Olivia pull her through the ballroom, looking back over her shoulder to check that Drake was safe. He was; Lou was holding him up as Drake lolled against him. Nobles were running to all exits, screaming and crying. But all Camille could focus on was Drake.

***************************

Lou helped Drake into Olivia’s towncar. Camille clambered in beside him, refusing to leave Drake’s side. Olivia sat on the other side of Camille, instructing her driver to move as quickly as possible. 

‘We’ll go to my place,’ Lou said. ‘Nobody will know to look there if they are trying to target nobles.’

Drake’s head lolled against Camille’s neck. Camille swallowed and pressed her hand against his cheek, willing him to be alright. His eyes fluttered as he struggled to look at her. ‘Camille..’ he croaked. ‘Are you okay?’

Her heart cracked into two as she realised that even now, Drake was worried for her safety. Of course he was. He always put her first. 

‘Forget me,’ she whispered. ‘We have to focus on you.’

‘Where are we?’ he asked.

‘Olivia’s car,’ Camille told him. ‘Lou is taking us to his place.’

‘Fucking Olivia…’ Drake groaned. 

‘Careful, bodyguard..’ Olivia said, her voice like ice. ‘Or I’ll inflict another wound on you.’

Camille’s head whipped around so she faced Olivia. Her eyes were filled with fire. Drake’s blood had dried on her forehead and her hair was knotted down her shoulders. She looked a far cry from the usual elegant and sleek Camille that had been paraded around court all these months. Olivia drew back, realising that this Camille Montespan, the American commoner who she viewed as being weak, was anything but. 

‘Don’t you dare threaten him,’ Camille hissed. She turned back to Drake, stroking his cheek. Her fiery eyes softened, turning tender as she focused on the bodyguard.  Olivia’s eyes met Lou’s in the car mirror. His eyes reflected the same look as Camille’s. 

Olivia quickly looked away.

******************

The group arrived at Lou’s apartment. Camille helped Lou guide Drake up the three flights of stairs to his front door while Olivia checked the news on her phone for any updates. 

Unrest had broken out through Cordonia. The assassins were unknown but it seemed that they were anti-monarchists. They had encouraged terror to roam the streets, with buildings being set on fire and republicans leaving their homes to join in with the fray. 

At least Drake was out of the palace, Camille thought to herself. She helped Lou settle Drake down onto the couch in the living room while Olivia searched for a first aid box. She handed the box to Camille. 

Lou watched as Camille broke the box open. She grabbed at a bottle of alcohol and then unbuttoned Drake’s shirt. Her fingers were gentle on Drake’s skin and the love and loss in her eyes was palpable.

‘We’ll leave you two be,’ Lou muttered. ‘If you need anything, give us a shout.’

Lou and Olivia left the room.

**********************

Camille examined the bullet wound, trying to calm down. She cleaned the wound with the alcohol, causing Drake to let out a cry. 

'Take my hand and squeeze it,' Camille said softly. Drake winced as he reached out to take her hand. As Camille cleaned the wound some more, Drake gripped her hand with a steel-like grip. 

'There we go..' Camille whispered. 'Getting you all cleaned up.. Now to get the bullet out which I've never had to do before but let's not panic about that right now..' 

Her voice was trembling as she coached herself. Drake looked up at her with heavy eyes. 

'It's okay,' he murmured. 'Breathe.' 

A tear slid down Camille's cheek. She roughly wiped it away and looked through the first aid box for something to use to take the bullet out. She finally found tweezers. 

'This may hurt,' she said. 'Do you trust me?' 

Drake nodded, pressing his lips together in pain. 'I always trust you,' he croaked. 

Camille used the tweezers to locate the bullet. She tried to keep her hand steady as she worked. Drake's blood stained her skin but she didn't care. She had to help him. 

She gently pulled the bullet shard out of his skin. Drake let out a hiss but as his head fell back against the couch cushions, he felt relief. 

Camille washed the wound with alcohol again before finding a bandage to cover it. 

'You should be a nurse,' Drake said, breaking her concentration. 

Camille smiled weakly. 'My mom was a nurse.' 

Drake squeezed her hand. 'Clearly runs in the family.' 

Camille's eyes met his now. 'You saved my life,' she whispered. 'But.. I can't feel grateful because I nearly lost you.' 

Drake smiled weakly. 'It's my job to keep you safe. Don't worry about me.' 

Camille shook her head quickly and let out a sigh. Tears began to slide down her cheeks again. 'If I had lost you, Drake.. I don't know what I would have done. When you jumped in front of me, time stood still and all I could see was your body falling to the floor. I thought you'd been killed. I can't imagine -' 

She let out a choked sob and clapped her hand over her mouth as she tried to hold in her emotions. Drake leaned forward and cupped the back of her head with his hands. 

'I'm here,' he murmured. 'I've got you, kid. I'm alive and you're safe, that's what's important. Don't waste a moment thinking about what could have been.'

'But -' 

Drake closed his eyes and swallowed. 'When I saw the gunman aim his gun at you, I saw my life flash before my eyes. And that sounds ridiculous because surely, that feeling should only have been felt by you.'

Camille watched him as Drake opened his eyes again to meet hers. His expression was raw, searing and raw. Camille reached out to take his hands, trying to offer support. 

‘Before we left for the ball, I told you we needed to talk about us tonight,’ Drake said. ‘So damn it, that’s what we’re gonna do.’ 

Camille’s eyes widened as she sat back on her heels and waited to hear what Drake had to say.

'My life is you, Camille,' Drake whispered. ‘Before I met you, I was just a regular bodyguard. I worked hard but I didn’t do anything else. My life was dull. It had no meaning in it; I would wake up, protect my charge, eat, sleep, repeat. But ever since I became your bodyguard, you’ve made my life more meaningful. I look forward to waking up so I can see you. I like joking with you, I like playing Rock Paper Scissors in the car. I like our Book and Whiskey club and listening to you read your favourite passages from your books. But more than that, I’ve found myself starting to feel more. Before I met you, I was a loner. I didn’t have friends and I certainly didn’t date. But now, I’m different. You’ve changed me as a person. You.. you make me happy.’

‘Drake..’ Camille whispered.

‘When the gun pointed at you,’ Drake continued, keeping his voice steady, ‘I saw my life with you flash before my eyes. I saw every moment we have ever had together go through my mind like a highlight reel. I did my duty by jumping in front of the bullet, I know. But to be honest, duty didn’t even come into my mind when I did it. I jumped in front of the bullet because I love you. I don’t want to live my life without you. I refuse to live life without you by my side. I won’t do it.’

Camille’s eyes had filled with tears. She let out a deep breath and cast her eyes down to the floor. ‘You handed in your notice,’ she said quietly. ‘So you won’t be by my side for long.’

Drake swallowed hard, preparing himself for what he was going to do next. He looked at Camille for a long moment as she looked down at her hands. Her forehead was smeared with blood. Her silk dress was ruined. But she had protected him in the crossfire. She had tried to keep him safe. To Drake, Camille was the bravest and strongest woman he had ever encountered. 

He reached into his suit jacket and brought out the small velvet green box that had been hidden inside. He had wondered if Camille had felt it when her hands had been on his bullet wound but he realised that in the aftermath of the shooting, she would not have been in her right mind. Thank God. At least this would still be a surprise- a happy surprise, he hoped.

‘Camille.’

Camille sniffled and looked up. Drake gave her a smile and cleared his throat.

‘I want to be by your side forever, if you will have me,’ Drake murmured. ‘Not as your bodyguard. Not as your friend. But as your husband. But just know that I would still be all of those things for you. I’ll never stop protecting you.’ Before Camille could respond, Drake opened the box to reveal his grandmother’s topaz engagement ring. 

Camille clapped her hand across her mouth. ‘Drake!’

‘Will you marry me?’ Drake asked, trying to keep his pounding heart steady. 

Camille stared at the ring. Her hands were shaking and tears were forming in her eyes again as she considered his question. 

‘If you marry me, you’ll be a Duke..’ she croaked.

‘I don’t care if I’m a Duke or a bodyguard or a man with nothing,’ Drake said. ‘All I want is you.’

Camille closed her eyes as a smile broke out on her face and happy tears ran down her cheeks. Drake reached out to wipe the tears away, waiting for her answer. Camille opened her eyes and her gaze slid down to the beautiful ring that Drake was holding out for her.

‘Yes, I’ll marry you,’ Camille whispered. 

Drake’s eyes lit up and a wide smile spread on his face as he realised she was now his. He slid the ring onto Camille’s finger, relieved it fit her. He was about to reach out to kiss her but Camille beat him to it. She threw her arms around his neck and her lips crashed against his. 

'I'm never letting you go again,' Camille whispered, pulling herself away so she could speak into his ear. 

Drake chuckled. 'I should be saying that to you.' 

Camille pressed her hand on his cheek. The topaz stone of her engagement ring sparkled in the low light, glinting against Drake's skin. 

'Promise we'll never let each other go,' Camille said, her voice shaking. 'Promise me, Drake.' 

Drake's lips brushed hers gently. 'I promise,' he murmured. His fingers caught in her hair as he kissed her deep, moving down to move the straps of her silk dress so he could lean down to kiss her shoulder. 

Camille slowly pulled away and let her mouth roam down his neck, down his collar bone, until she reached the bandage over his bullet wound. 

She kissed the area around the bandage gently, close to the place where Drake took a bullet for her. 

Not because it was his duty but because he loved her.  

[donttellpeterparker]

Love Me To Love You

Summary: Five love letters, five ways my life was slowly spinning out of control. If I had known what a disaster my junior year was about to be I'd never addressed my letters, but I did... and now they were out... I was totally and utterly screwed.

Requested: No

Word Count: 2.3k

Warning(s)?: AU, pg-13, filler chapter (italics is basically her inner monologue)

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

Love Me To Love You

The forbidden kiss.

We knew that it was wrong. That he was betrothed to my sister. But if this wasn't what he wanted, then why did he come to the field of desire?

It was fated, that we should meet like this-

I grunted and rolled over in bed, starring daggers into my younger sister as I rose up into a seating position, the pillow she had used to throw at me laying beside.

''Hey!''

''Are we hanging out or what?'' She was very bossy for an 11 year old.

''I just want to finish this chapter'' Before I could even dive back into the story of the people I envied most in the world, the sound of dishes clanging together down stairs brought my attention back to reality.

''Oh!'' Yep, that was dad. I sadly glanced at my younger sister, Kitty as we call her, as Margot, my eldest sister, came by my bedroom.

''Should we go down and help him?'' I asked, knowing he struggled around this time of year.

''He wants to do it himself, but please, come help set the table'' With her being the eldest of us, she sort of became a mother like figure to us when mum passed.

''I hate when dad makes Korean food, it always taste like butt'' Kitty stated as her and Margot both turned away to head down the stairs. I smiled slightly to myself at her comment before rising off the bed soon following behind them.

Kitty and Margot bickered between each other before falling short once a knock was heard at the front door. I waited on the stairs and rested my arms against the railing as Josh walked inside, his arms instantly going around Margot as he pulled her in for a sweet kiss. I stared in awe at this before he moved to greet my youngest sister with a hug also, her tiny arms barely reaching all the way around his back.

''Ashley-Jane'' He walks over and offers me a high five. I slap his hand with my own and laugh softly as he smiled back, soon pivoting around to head into the dining room followed by my sisters. I sighed before moving off the steps heading in the dining room myself.

''So uh, what you cooking?''

We all sat around the table as dad tried his best to saw through the meat. He overcooked it. It looked like tar, cemented together. Some could say it almost looked like road kill.

''Usually if you just rock this thing back and forth...'' Dad trails off, still trying to cut the meat.

''It's supposed to fall off the bone'' I stated quietly, popping my head in my hands as my elbows rested against the table. Margot sent me a look before getting up to help dad cut the meat.

''You know, the electric knife is in the kitchen and it'll have that thing ready to eat in like two seconds'' My sister, always the optimist. She gets up and smiled brightly at everyone, taking the food with her into the kitchen. I sometimes wish I shared the same upbeat energy as her.

''I can't believe we're not going to see her again till thanksgiving'' Kitty speaks from the end of table sadly. I know, I was going to miss her heaps too.

''It's gonna be Christmas, actually sweetheart because Scotland's too far to come back from for thanksgiving'' Both Kitty's and I's eyes widen at this new found information.

''Wait are you kidding? We are not going to see her till Christmas?'' It was incredulous. I had no idea how we were going to survive without her for so long.

''Let's look on the bright side..'' Here we go.

''Margot won't be taking the care everyday, so you can practice your driving'' I mentally rolled my eyes at dad's attempt to cheer me up.

''I forgot I have to drive with Ashley-Jane now'' Kitty speaks up dramatically.

''Feel free to take the bus'' I glare at my younger sister before Josh cuts in.

''If you are in a bind, I can give you a ride, I'm next door, I'm not going anywhere'' At this I turned to face him and smiled.

''Or I can drive, and if we get pulled over, we just switch places real quick'' I smiled at Kitty's comment as Margot brings over the now cut up meat.

''Top-notch idea honey'' Dad agrees sarcastically causing us all to laugh.

''What'd I miss?'' Margot asks as soon as she reached to pop food onto my plate.

''We were talking about what a bad driver Ashley-Jane is'' Kitty gestures towards me with a sarcastic smirk. I just make a face back causing her to smirk even more.

''Yeah, we were, but we were also talking about airplanes, which speaking of... I had a surprise for you'' I drop my hands down away from my face as Josh reached into his pocket to get something out and passes it over to Margot.

''Oh'' Was all she responded with.

''Seeing as you couldn't come home for thanksgiving, I figured I'd bring home to you'' My heart jumped at the romantic gesture.

''It's a plane ticket, I'm coming to Scotland'' Josh states proudly, smiling to all of us, especially Margot. Dad grins and pats Josh on the back.

''Look at Josh stepping up!'' Dad sounded beyond happy about this. Though with one look towards my older sister I could tell she did not share the same excitement. In fact, she looked devastated.

''You.. you already paid for this?'' Josh's face began to drop as did the mood in the room.

''Yeah, I had a google alert set for flights as soon as you decided you wanted to go to school there, why?'' God he was beyond incredible. Margot cleared her throat and continued serving food, completely ignoring what had just happened.

Another thing with her, she didn't like confrontation. She avoided it.

~*~*~*~*

I guess I should tell you a little bit about Josh. He and Margot have been together for the past two years., but before Margot even cared that he existed, he was my first boyfriend. Well... space between the words, boy was a friend. I could talk to him about anything. We really understood each other.

''Okay, would you rather only drink water for the rest of you life? Or, you can drink whatever you want but it has to have a little drop of pee in it'' I asked as we both sat on the bleachers nest to each other.

''Clear or yellow?'' He asked, popping a crisp into his mouth.

''It has to be a little yellow'' I responded. He thought about it for a second.

''I mean pee, definitely pee. I can't give up Mountain Dew'' He stated.

''Yeah definitely, pee's the only answer'' I glanced up at him before quickly looking away blushing.

We didn't stop being friends when Josh and Margot got together, it was just different.

''Water, definitely water'' Margot stated as if she was so disgusted.

''Yeah, me too'' Josh chimed in next to her.

''Definitely'' He concluded.

They didn't want me to left out, so they invited me everywhere.. even on dates. They tried to make it as normal as possible but, I still felt like a third wheel. It's not that I wanted to steal my sister's boyfriend or anything. I was super happy for Margot. She deserves a great guy like Josh. And so I wrote him a letter. I wasn't going to send the letter, it was just for me to understand how I was feeling. But really, I guess it was mainly about how sometimes I imagined what it would have been like if I had realised how I felt about him sooner.

''Making me look like the bad guy...'' Margot's voice echoed from the driveaway.

''Oh I'm making you look like the bad guy, you know how hard that was?!'' Josh yelled back.

''You shouldn't have in front of them!'' Margot fought back. I closed the curtain and walked away. I've never heard them fight like this, even when Josh spilled chocolate milk all over her favourite white blouse a few months back.

I headed over towards my wardrobe and turned on the light. I lifted my glance to the blue ribboned box on the very top shelf and smiled to myself. I grabbed it and left the wardrobe, turning the light off behind me as I say on my carpet indian style.

My letters were my most secret possessions. They're five total:

Kenny from camp; Peter from seventh grade; Lucas from homecoming; John Ambrose from Model UN; and Josh. I write a letter when I have a crush so intense I don't know what else to do. Rereading my letters reminds me of how powerful my emotions can be, how all-consuming. And Margot would say I'm over-dramatic, but I think drama can be fun.

''What are you doing?'' My attention soon left my own head as Margot's voice popped in. I quickly scampered to put my things away as well as the box before getting up off of the ground, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

''Nothing'' Just as long as nobody else knows about it.

''Your room's a mess'' She puts down a box she was carrying and flops down onto my bed. She looked wrecked.

I hoped into my bed next to her as she rolled over and cuddled my pillow close to her as she glanced off into the distance.

''Are you okay?'' I didn't want her to know I had over heard everything but at the same time, I wanted to be there for her.

''Yeah'' she responded slightly sad.

''Well, I don't know, I just broke up with Josh'' my eyes widen in shock.

''You did what?'' This was insane! They loved each other!

''Why?'' I couldn't understand it. I was so puzzled.

''Before mum died, she said I should never go to college with a boyfriend'' I rolled my eyes at this, she was using it as an excuse.

''But you love him'' I still couldn't seem to wrap my head around this. It was so unexpected.

''I know'' she responded sadly.

''So, do you think you might change your mind?'' She had to, this was just the fear talking it has to be. She sits up straights now and readjusts her hair, making sure her tears weren't falling down her cheeks anymore.

''No''

''No, it's over'' I see out of the corner of my eye her glance flicker with sadness for a moment before it quickly disappears again, a fake smile falling across her face.

''When I was packing for college, I had daddy make a box of things to take to goodwill. I think you should do it to, I made you a box'' Diversion.

I sit up straighter and glance around my messy and overly-clattered room.

''I don't really think there's anything I can part with at the moment'' I say half seriously half jokingly.

''Ashley-Jane, I'm leaving tomorrow'' don't remind me.

''That means you're going to be the biggest sister. You need to set a good example for Kitty, no gorging on chips before dinner and a clean room'' She says, looking around my room in distaste near the end of her sentence.

''Can we go back to talking about how you're sad?''

~*~*~*~*

Margot says when something is no longer useful, you either donate it, recycle it, or throw it away. I always knew she felt that way about objects but...

We all hoped into the car as Margot glanced one last time over towards Josh who was standing in his driveway, watching us load the car up with boxes.

I didn't think she could feel that way about a person.

''Come here'' Margot spoke to Kitty as she offered out a hug. We were currently standing near the gate at the airport waiting for Margot's flight.

Once she pulled away I slowly walked over and wrapped my arms around her tightly, squeezing my eyes shut to try and stop the tears from falling.

''Hey, you need a magazine. We'll be right back'' Both dad and Kitty walked off just leaving the two of us to say goodbye.

''You gonna be okay?'' Honestly, no.

''Did you have to pick the furthest college you could possibly think of?'' I asked.

''Who am I supposed to eat lunch with?'' I was going to miss her. She was my rock both inside and outside of home. School wasn't going to be the same without her.

''I think you should look at this as an opportunity to branch out, make some new friends''

''No'' I was very quick to respond.

''It's junior year, you never know what could happen''

''That's what I'm afraid of'' I spoke up almost sarcastically.

''If you need me I'm just a skype call away''

''Until you start going to pubs and eating Haggis, with your Scottish friends and forget about all of us'' I was disgusted at even mentioning the name of the food itself.

''I promise you I could never, ever... eat haggis'' I laughed lightly at the brief pause she made deliberately.

''We couldn't decide so we got you all of them'' Dad and Kitty soon arrived back with a magazines they had gotten.

''That's Road and Track, it doesn't sound interesting but if you stick with it... come here'' Dad pulled Margot in for one last hug as his eyes started brimming with tears as well.

We all soon got together for a group hug, one last time.

''Alright I gotta go'' Margot speaks up cutting the family hug short. We all step away and turn to face Margot with sad eyes. She gives us one last goodbye smile and walks right off towards her gate as Dad wraps an arm around both Kitty and I.

''Think she'll turn around?'' Kitty asks hopefully. I lean against dad and shake my head.

''No, that's not Margot'' we watched as she disappeared from our sights without one fleeting glance back.

''Can we have a dog now?'' this makes me smile. Dad turns to face Kitty and smiles too.

''No, but that's a nice try'' I laugh and pull my youngest sister along with me as we leave the airport together.

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

A/N: Here's the first chapter of the mini series for 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before!'. Yes this is basically another remake of one of my most favourite movies of all time. Just like 'You're A Loser' except this one will be written in first person. Thank you for reading! Please leave feedback and comments about what you would like xx

[sevi007]

Hi I saw you did a headcanon about Toshinori and how he was ticklish and I was wondering if you had a fic of Toshinori being chased by his students and tickled by them? Something like that would really make my day as I've been having a bad week

Anon, first of all - I don’t know if you will even see my answer, but let me just tell you that I’m so, so sorry for not answering this sooner. I’ve been stuck in a really bad writer’s block lately and just couldn’t come up with anything for this request. I’m so sorry for not being there to make your week a bit better! I hope you will still be able to enjoy this now, though (and also that you’re feeling much better by now):

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

It could have been such a nice andrelaxing afternoon, Izuku mused half-heartedly as he watched the happy mess infront of him unfold. Such a nice, quiet afternoon, with Bakugou taking a nap,his classmates engrossed in different – quiet – activities and no homework todisturb them.

He had wanted to watch a bit of TV, thatwas all. Had wanted to catch up on a view hero talk shows he liked to watch.

Now, however, Izuku, just like the rest ofhis classmates, found himself captivated by the sight of Mina lurking around inthe kitchen, the girl watching All Might closely as he went around the kitchento prepare some drinks and snacks for everyone.

Based on the stiff set of Toshinori’sshoulders, Izuku could interpret that the man was on high alert, knowing whatthe girl behind his back was aiming for.

It had started out all too innocent.Toshinori had been rummaging through the fridge, bent over quite a bit, as Minahad squeezed herself into the little space between her teacher and the openfridge-door, darting forward to grab something from the cold depths. Completelyby accident, the girl’s finger had scrambled over the man’s side all the while,digging deep into the white material of his shirt as Mina tried to gently shovehim aside.

The reaction had been immediate, asToshinori had jumped with a yelping sound, head hitting the fridge’s ceilingwith a loud Thunk as he splutteredout a weird, high sound.

And if that hadn’t been enough, Mina’shorrified shriek certainly had been enough to draw everyone’s attention to theboth of them.

“Sensei, are you okay?! Did I hurt you?!”

“N-No, really, I’m… I’m quite alright, mygirl…”

“Did I hit your scar?! I’m so, so sorry…oh no, wait, your scar is on the left side… but still!”

“Mina!” Toshinori had tried as the girlhad tried to lift his shirt to see where the damage lay, “I assure you, mygirl, I’m more than al-…”

Mina’s soft touch had connected with hisside and the man had let out a far too high sound, somewhere between acut-short laugh and a yelp.

That had been the moment when it hadclicked for Mina. “Sensei, are you tickli-…?”

And Toshinori, honest to a fault as hewas, had probably not made the best choice by interrupting the girl, sayingsomething about having to get started on the snacks, and turned away from her.Him making sure that he stayed out of her reach all the while had been quitesuspicious, too. 

Really not the best choice, Izuku mused,attention once again drawn away from the TV and over to where Mina was sneakingup on Toshinori.

Perhaps they should have warned him –there were almost ten pairs of eyes directed to Mina and their teacher – butsaying that the other children weren’t interested in the spectacle would havebeen a blatant lie. So it was probably no surprise that nobody, not even Izuku,called out warning as Mina used a short moment of distraction.

The girl ducked slightly, stealthilygetting closer until Toshinori – still with his back to her – was in her reach.

The moment Mina’s fingers wiggled up theretired hero’s side, Toshinori all but jumped,throwing one hand up to steady himself on the kitchen counter while asharp, surprised bout of laughter left him. It didn’t matter that he slappedhis free hand over his mouth only a second later, it was already too late.

Mina was beaming, smile wide and shiningand excited all at once. “You are ticklish!”

“A bit,” Toshinori relented, leaning awayfrom her and out of her reach. “A little bit, perhaps.”

They looked at each other for a moment,Mina thoughtfully and Toshinori warily, both clearly assessing what they shoulddo next.

Then, everything happened in the blink ofan eye. Mina darted forward, expression determined and hands outstretched,aiming straight for her teacher’s sides. In the same moment, Toshinori’s handsdarted upwards and caught the girl’s wrists, stopping her from touching him.Still, Mina had so much momentum that she slammed against Toshinori, making himstumble backwards.

“Nonono, we’re not doing this!”

“But, Sensei!”

“No buts, my girl…”

“I just want to hear you laugh somemore!” 

“As much as I would like to indulge you,tickling is not the right wayyy…!”Toshinori’s words became rushed and drawn-out as he bend and twisted to getaway from the fingers trying to poke him. He didn’t dare to use his fullstrength on the girl, fearing that he could hurt her, but holy, if Mina wasn’tsurprisingly strong. More than once, she almost managed to slip from his grasp.

And as if that weren’t bad enough, Minawhined, “Guys! Help me!”

There was a moment were the othersexchanged quick glances, a bit taken aback by the sudden request.

“Uuuuh…” Kouda mumbled, ducking his head.“Should we really…?”

“Well, it would be funny,” Kirishima’sexpression turned from thoughtful to excited.

“Wouldn’t he get angry, though?”

“Nah – Sensei never gets angry with us!”

“Let’s try this, guys!”

Izuku had long since forgotten about hisTV-show by now, trying his hardest not to laugh as he turned around and lookedover the back of the couch.

Toshinori had almost managed to freehimself of Mina when Kirishima slammed into his back, latching onto his rightarm tightly.

“Young Kirishima…!” the blond warned,half-heartedly, slight panic flickering over his expression.

“Sorry, Sensei!”

“Yeah,” Kaminari chimed in, apologeticsmile on his face as he grabbed his teacher’s other arm. “Please don’t getangry at us, okay?”

Mina whooped in triumph as her classmatescame to her aid one after the other – holding onto Toshinori’s arms or climbingup his back – and the second she was free and there were no defensive hands inher way, she dived right in, taking great delight in poking and tickling to herheart’s content.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds forToshinori to go down, knees buckling and not able to hold up the combinedweight of him and his students. By the time he landed – or more, was let down –onto the ground, he was already howling in laughter, coughing in between as hesquirmed and writhed, trying to get away from the deft fingers tormenting him.

The laughter of the children joined in asthey cheered. Even Izuku was laughing at the sight of a delighted Mina, notgiving up in her tickling, and flushed and laughing Toshinori, rolling over theground in a heap.

Izuku’s smile dropped, though, when thecoughing suddenly overtook the laughter.

“St-Stop…!” Toshinori wheezed out, smilesuddenly turning into a grimace, “Stop, please!”

Mina’s laughter trailed off as well andshe pulled back, but too late – while the children were still retreating,helping their teacher to sit up rather than holding him down, Toshinori alreadydoubled over, coughing hard, blood splattering over the hand he covered hismouth with.

Izuku was up from the couch and dashedover at top speed, falling onto his knees next to his mentor as everyonecrowded around them. “Toshinori-san!”

“Sensei!”

“I’m sorry!” Mina’s eyes were already fillingwith tears as she gestured around, reaching for Toshinori and yet not daring totouch him again. “I’m sorry, I should have stopped, I should have listened…!”

She trailed off, sniffling, as Toshinorireached over with his free hand, gently ruffling her hair. The coughinglessened gradually as Toshinori shook his head, smiling slightly. “No need toapologize at all, my girl.”

“Whoa, Sensei,” Kirishima’s laugh wasstrained as he handed the man a tissue. “You really startled us there!”

“Are you okay?!” Kouda asked, eyes widewith concern.

“Do you want to lie down for a moment?”Uraraka offered.

“Nonsense – thank you, my boy,” Toshinorismiled at Izuku as the boy helped him to his feet. Stretching carefully,patting his chest to make sure that the coughing was over, the former herogrinned brightly. “I’m more than alright, honestly.”  

Relieved smiles were exchanged as everyonerelaxed again.

“And now that that is settled…”

Sudden silence fell over the room as thechildren stopped mid-motion, going pale at the pure power crushing down on them.

Quirk or not, Toshinori still had thecommanding aura of All Might if he wanted to.

“I dare believe,” the blond rumbled, eyesblazing with mischievousness. “It’s my turn now.” 

Mina was the first to react, squeaking loudlyin a mixture of mock-angst and delight as she made for a mad dash towards thedoor. Kirishima followed suit, laughing and hollering for “everyone to takecover, he’s after us!”

It didn’t take too long for the others tocatch on, and quickly, the living room was near empty as everyone run for it,laughing and screaming all the while.

Shouto looked from Toshinori to hisfleeing classmates and back, slightly confused. “I… don’t think he would reallyhurt us?”

“It’s not about hurting, man,” Sero laughed,pulling the other after him out of the room. “It’s part of the game, you know?”

“Ah. I see,” nodding thoughtfully, Shoutolet himself be dragged away.

Huffing in amusement, Toshinori leveledIzuku with a questioning gaze, running a hand through his ruffled hair. “You’renot going to run, my boy?“

“You have no reason to take revenge onme,” Izuku said after considering the question for a moment, lips quirking intoa smile. “So, no.”

Blue eyes flashed as the man smiledwidely, softly. “Fair enough.”

They shared a grin before Toshinori cockedhis head, listening.

Izuku did the same. Training had honed hisawareness and senses enough that he could hear the shuffling and hushedwhispers in the hallway in front of the living room, the snickering andrustling of clothes.

His classmates hadn’t fled very far,obviously hoping that their teacher would chase them to continue the fun.

And if Izuku could hear them, then AllMight surely could, too.

The wide grin stretching the blond’sfeatures said that he could hear it indeed. Waving vaguely towards the hallway,the hero started, “Mind if I…?”

“No, no, go ahead,” Izuku shrugged, makinghis way over to the couch again. “I’m occupied anyway.”

“Right,” Toshinori didn’t sound convinced,but he didn’t protest.

Settling down again, Izuku tried toremember what had happened last in the show. And, oh dear – he couldn’tremember.

So much for watching his favorites showsthis quiet afternoon. That was probably completely impossible around hisclassmates…

The sudden feeling of gentle and searchingfingers gliding over the sensitive spots where neck met shoulders made Izukuyelp aloud, jerking forwards on the couch to escape the tickling sensation.

Chuckling resounded right behind him,making Izuku blush and splutter as he whirled around, scandalized, “Hey!”

Toshinori’s eyes were alight withamusement as he held up his hands in surrender, even though he was stilllaughing. “Sorry, sorry. I just had totry it.”

“You don’t look sorry at all,” Izukumumbled, covering the sensitive spot with one hand while he scooted away fromthe mischievous man.

Izuku didn’t take his eyes off Toshinoriagain until the man had left the room, pretending to “chase” his waitingstudents. Only when he heard loud shouting, cheering and laughter resoundedfrom the hallway, indicating that their teacher had joined his classmates, did Izukudare to relax again.

For, like, two seconds. Before his fingersstarted drumming impatiently, and his gaze shifted more than once away from thescreen and strayed over to the door.

It sounded like everyone was having fun…

 Izuku was dimly aware that he had no ideawhat was happening on screen because he was too busy listening to his classgoofing around.

With a sigh and a smile, he relented,turned off the TV and threw the remote to the side.

There were better things to do, he thoughtas he jumped up and rushed out of the room, running into the direction of shoutsand shrieks and happy laughter, grinning widely as he noticed that Toshinorihappened to stand with his back towards him. Much better things.

 The moment Izuku leaped forward, landingon his mentor’s back and reaching for the sensitive sides under the loose whiteshirt – hearing the way Toshinori shouted in surprise and laughter and how hisfriends cheered for him – he was laughing aloud himself, feeling warm andhappy.

 This was so much better than watching TV.

[mmroad]

The Auction

Chapter 9:

“Those are some preeetty strong words there, Heath.” Lexa dictated to Tobin as Tobin paced her floor of Clexa Corp. back and forth that Monday morning. “Like I loved Clarke really early on…buuuut…” Lexa leaned her head in and looked to either side of her and said quietly “…we all know you don’t say it after seeing her twice…” she paused and mumbled “even if she is the most beautiful blonde you have ever seen in your life and she has the hips of a…” you could tell she wasn’t even there anymore: she could only see Clarke.

"LEXA,” Tobin snapped, trying to get back on topic. "Anyone who has ever been in a room with you knows you love Clarke…” Tobin said, rolling her eyes. Lexa confusedly looked at Tobin as if Lexa didn’t understand how Tobin possessed such top-secret information. “YOU UNDRESS HER WITH YOUR EYES!” Tobin cried out as if they were second graders on the playground, and Lexa blushed sanguinely (she was unaware that everyone knew that she like liked Clarke so much.) “Yeah…well…I guess it’s a good thing I married her,” Lexa squeaked out.

"Okay enough about you already…” Tobin harped out, “I have a serious problem…I’m IN LOVE with Alex Morgan…I’ve BEEN IN LOVE with Alex Morgan…I had her in my house, but I drove her away…what do I do?” Tobin whimpered out as she dramatically sat down in the chair across from Lexa’s desk. “Well…” Lexa drew out slowly and then escalated her tone, “you could um…I don’t know…TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL!?”

Suddenly Clarke busted into the room, “Whaattt is going on in here with all the yelling? “Oh, I’m sorry honey. Tobin and I were just talking about her buyer,” Lexa spat out quickly with a smirk. “Hmm,” Clarke inquired, “what about her?” Tobin tried to answer, “Nothing she and I jus—“ “TOBIN’S IN LOVE WITH ALEX MORGAN,” Lexa interrupted like an excited child. “Well aren’t we all…?” Clarke replied in joking tone.

Tobin gave out a small nervous laugh with a slight cringe, “You guys! This is a serious problem: what should I do? I messed up, and I can’t take it.” Lexa sighed, “Tobin,” she paused and thought carefully about what she was going to say to one of her oldest and more cherished friends, “You know exactly what you need to do.” And with that, Lexa stood up from behind her desk and strutted through the doorway, leaving Tobin and Clarke behind. Tobin had hung her head in defeat when Clarke headed to the door, but before leaving, she stuck her head back into the office taking in the sad heap of Tobin. “Tobin!” Clarke said in a stern tone. Tobin picked her head, revealing her sad, slightly wet puppy dog eyes; defeat was looming behind her pupils. “Go after her,” Clarke encouraged before chasing after her lover.

Tobin sat alone in her boss’s office. Both courage and fear battled in her head. For a second, Tobin thought fear might triumph; her eyes darkened. People passed by here and there, but no one even noticed her. She knew Alex wouldn’t have passed over her. Alex always picked up on her. Just then Tobin had a fleeting memory, not of an event, but of a feeling.

Tobin was a young girl. Just turned seventeen, Tobin was a junior at Alex’s senior prom. It was cold, and they were taking pictures of everyone in their fanciest attire. Alex, Tobin, and a few of the other soccer players in their coed were chatting and laughing. Just then, Alex’s mom called her daughter over. Alex strutted to her mother; she looked fierce and hard in her long, tight black dress. Her mother was talking to Mrs. Carrasco and her son Servando. Alex and Servando were childhood friends, and their mothers wanted them to get a picture together. (They were the most attractive kids in the school; they had to get a picture together.) As they were posing, Servando must have said something hilarious because Alex burst out laughing. Tobin saw the way Alex looked at him and the same kind of fear and anxiety and doubt filled her mind then as it was now. It took a second, but when Alex locked eyes with Tobin again, she cut the pictures despite both mothers’ protest and rushed over to Tobin. “Tobin, you know we’re not like that.” “No, Alex, I know. It’s not your fault you shouldn’t be sorry…I really don’t know why I was jealous.” “Tobin, you can’t help how you feel, but I just want you to know I am yours always.” “Thanks,” Tobin paused, “hey, Alex…how did you know what I was thinking…nobody else did.” “It’s your eyes Tobin: it’s always your eyes.”

In that moment, Tobin’s face brightened. Clarke and Lexa were right. She knew what she had to do. After doing some digging, Tobin realized that it was going to be harder to find Alex Morgan than she had previously thought. Sure, she’s a super star but that means you can’t find her in the yellow pages. "Hmmm…how can I find Alex’s address?” Tobin thought to herself, “I could always call up the soccer team and pretend to be an agent in order to get her…no, no, no, that’s borderline stalker.” Tobin pondered a little longer, “Well…there’s bound to be an Alex Tumblr fandom that knows where she is (for some reason they always knew where she is)…but ugh that will take forever; I don’t have time to sort through all that trash.” Tobin finally came to the realization that she could probably hunt down Alex after a soccer game like a little fan girl, and maybe just maybe, Alex would see her and give her a chance. It wouldn’t be pretty but Tobin had messed up, so she had to make this right.

That night, Tobin bought a ticket for the Courage’s game against the Reign. Tobin had watched a lot of soccer in her life, but this was her first time watching a Courage game live. She loved the environment, the children, the energy, and the love of the game. The only problem was that Tobin had to keep herself from getting a little too excited when Alex scored which happened kinda a lot. When Alex scored her hat trick, Tobin didn’t exactly even know what had happened, but she was all of a sudden by the railings at the front of the stands. Tobin didn’t know what had come over her, but she was just screaming and screaming for her girl. After a few seconds, Tobin looked around and realized that nobody else was screaming like she was. Moreover, based on the somewhat upset or even shocked faces of the people behind her, Tobin may have done a little pushing while getting up to see her romance.

After the game, there was a big crowd to see the girls. There were people of all ages, little kids running around in Courage jerseys so oversized they looked like dresses, lots of face paint and decorative blue and gold signs with players’ numbers on them. The fan base in Carolina was impeccable and had grown in the short span of time that the team had been there after it was relocated from New York. The game crowds were starting to compete even with the big city teams like the Portland Thorns.

Tobin knew the second the team began to file out of the locker room because the crowds low rumble turned into a high pitch scream. “Here we go…” Tobin thought “I have to compete with a hundred-other people to get Alex Morgan’s attention.” All the girls on the team walked over to the crowd signing posters and soccer balls and taking pictures with the fans before waving goodbye to the crowd and thanking them for their support.

Alex, of course, was the last to stumble out the door (she needed some time to decompress after each game, win or lose.) Tobin could tell, even from far away, that Alex’s smile didn’t seem as bright as it normally did—that was odd because the Courage had a shockingly strong win against the Reign. Alex always took her games personally. Tobin thought back to one time when Alex and Tobin were playing in high school again. Tobin was nervous because her friends Allie and Kelley were coming to visit from National City. Tobin loved Allie and Kelley; the trio hadn’t been complete in a long time, and Tobin was so excited for them to come and especially to meet Tobin’s love, Alex. The only problem was that there was a soccer game right before Kelley and Allie came. Tobin knew that if they lost, Alex would be torn apart; she would make it her fault, and it could jeopardize the visit. Tobin just wanted everything to work out perfectly. However, all the worry was for naught when, with about five minutes left in the game, Tobin split two defenders and drew just enough attention to pass the ball to a free Alex Morgan who scored easily and secured the win. Needless to say, Alex was in a great mood, and Tobin’s friends all loved her. Alex Morgan was the happiest girl on the planet after a win. Why wasn’t she this time? Maybe Alex was having a tough time just like Tobin. Some things are more important than soccer.

Tobin stayed back behind the crowd leaning on one leg against a tree with her arms crossed waiting for the crowd to die down. Tobin watched Alex (how could she look at anyone else?) Alex was mesmerizing with the children, always bending down to talk to the smaller kids at eye level, never passing over anyone who wanted to see her. (Although people called her a soccer player, she thought of herself more as a liaison for the game she loved.) If she could, she would stay for hours after long gruesome games just to make sure everyone got what they wanted. Tobin loved that about the girl and was glad she got to see it unfold right before her eyes.

Once Alex thanked the last little girl waiting to get her U.S. soccer jersey signed, she turned around to head to her car when she heard a familiar voice call out, “Alex…Alex can I talk to you for a second,” she knew who it was. As Tobin stepped out of the shadows and made B-line for Alex, one of the security guards stepped in her path and puffed out as chest, almost as a way to say “keep movin’ punk.” But just as Tobin was about to open her mouth and explain herself, Alex waved the guard off: “it’s okay Serge, I know her,” with a tint of heaviness in her voice. Serge looked back to Alex, giving her an eye asking if she was sure. Once Alex gave him another nod, he stepped aside allowing Tobin to go to Alex.

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked in a skeptical, strained tone, “you can’t just show up here Tobin, this is my job and I…” “Alex I know…” Tobin reposted, “I didn’t have another option. You can’t even imagine how bad I need to talk to you.” A slight smile peaked onto Alex’s face before she realized she was supposed to be mad at Tobin and tucked her grin away. “Well…what do you want…?” “I need to tell you something but I can’t say it here…can we…” “How about my place. Now. Just follow me there.” Alex interrupted, and without even giving Tobin time to protest, Alex was already walking to her car. “No wait, Alex, I didn’t mean…it’s not…” “Follow me Heath…I’ll see you soon!” Alex interrupted again before dipping her head into her car. Tobin wasn’t sure about this. She was hoping that they could talk on more neutral ground. As Tobin shut her door she gulped and thought to herself: “I’m going to Alex Morgan’s house…” Tobin muttered to herself “to tell her that I love her…goooooddd.”. ________________________________________

[inexcon]

RSI Comm-Link: Collision Course - Part II

Radu Ghazi settled into the bunk, letting the mattress conform underneath him. He was impressed by the support. Most ship designers couldn’t care less about mattress strength. They seemed to spend all their time pouring credits and attention into the sexier aspects of the ships; the hull, the guns, the engines. The marketing points, he’d once heard them called. That was back on Prime, in some high class bar that he had no business being in. The thing these companies didn’t seem to grasp was that when you spend months on the drift, a comfortable mattress could save your life just as well as an armored hull.

The airlock lift hissed and opened. A short man in an expensive but ill-fitted flightsuit rose into view on the lift near the bunks. The man turned towards Radu.

Radu snapped off a shot with his pistol. The energy round punched through the small man’s faceplate and popped into his head. He dropped in a heap and was still. A thin strand of smoke rose from the wound.

Radu climbed out of the bunk, dragged the body off the lift and took an appraising look around the interior of the Constellation. He might have to buy one of these when he gets the credits.

He hit the descend button on the lift. The platform shook gently and began to descend.

Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise on Daymar. Swirls of dust danced in the predawn light. Radu crossed the landing platform, keeping an eye on the dark buildings dotted around the edge of the outpost complex.

Based on his recon, the target (learning their names just muddled his thinking) was always the first one up, so he wasn’t expecting any witnesses, but you had to be ready for anything. That type of flexibility had seen him through some pretty dicey situations.

Radu trudged towards the jagged peak behind which he’d parked his ship. Gravel crunched underneath his boots as he glanced back at the closest building. A faded logo for Rayari Inc. was barely visible under the weathered dirt. He’d heard the company mentioned on the spectrum from time to time, but had no idea what it really did, even less of what it would be doing all the way out here.

What do you gotta do to get sent out here? Radu wondered as he climbed the hill. Trying to figure out the stories that led people to where they were was one of his favorite hobbies. Six years in the Bremen militia watching people come and go provided a lot of opportunities for people watching. That was a long time ago, however.

He reached the top and did a thorough scan around the outpost to make sure no one had stirred. The light from Stanton’s star had now crept across the horizon. The moon was peaceful and quiet.

Radu glanced back at the Constellation waiting on the pad, wondered briefly about how long it would be before anyone discovered the body he left inside, then turned and walked down to his own ship. The old Gladius had been his father’s, the same model as the one his old man had flown back in the service. Radu and his dad had picked it up at a reclamation sale and spent two years fixing it up. When Radu joined the militia, his dad passed the ship onto him.

Moments later, after the flare of his thrusters had merged with the canopy of stars, the outpost was still again.

The credits hit his account by the time Radu entered the main sprawl of Grim HEX. The central hub of the dilapidated station was bathed in the flickering light of the massive community screen that loomed above. What had once been used by the station administration to post updates, job opportunities, ads, local events, et cetera, was now a wash of digital noise, fractured imagery and the occasional Nine Tails symbol.

He didn’t understand why the outlaw pack felt the need to take over the signs. It’s not like there was any confusion that they were running this place now. Looking around, he counted eight armored thugs bearing Nine Tails tags, fully loaded and looking for trouble.

A junkie raced out of a nearby abandoned storefront with that feverish excitement that comes right after scoring a hit. Radu weaved out of his way and watched him disappear down one of the winding back halls. Turns out Radu wasn’t the only one watching. He met the gaze of a pair of squatters dressed in ragged oil-stained clothes. Their hands twitched sporadically. They seemed to be waiting to see if Radu was going to move on the junkie. When Radu turned away, they skulked down the hall after their prey.

Ol’ 38 was pretty empty, so Radu could grab a seat by the end of the bar. The bitter old man wasn’t working the bar today, it was that kid, the one who looked like one bad day away from the junkie Radu just saw.

“Get you somethin’?” he asked as he polished up a dirty glass.

“Gin and Pips,” Radu responded.

The kid nodded and slowly started to make the drink. Radu couldn’t help but watch him check each and every bottle in the speed rail until he found whatever cheap gin they had. Then he checked three freezers before he could find a can of Pips. The mixture was even more baffling to him.

Finally, the kid put the glass of mostly gin in front of Radu.

“Let me know if that’s okay,” he said with a tinge of hope.

Radu took a sip and winced. It was a lot of gin.

“Yeah, sure. It’ll do.”

The kid bartender grinned, gave a thumbs up, then went back to “clean” more glasses.

Radu brought up his mobi and skimmed through the headlines on the spectrum, but it was just more of the same: fear and money — the two engines that seemed to drive all of Humanity.

“Hey there, chief.”

Radu looked up from his mobi. There was no mistaking that voice. Madrigal was a two-bit thug for the NovaRiders. Rumor was that Madrigal used to be CCS, the civilian division of Hurston’s corporate security, but was let go for being too violent. Collections were his specialty, which unfortunately put Radu on his radar. Two of his enforcers were waiting by the door, presumably there to keep Radu from making a break for it.

“Hey, Ayrs,” Madrigal said as he settled onto the seat next to Radu. “Lemme get a Rust.”

The kid behind the bar smiled and spent another protracted amount of time trying to identify the right bottle.

In the meantime, Madrigal let out a theatrical sigh and turned to face Radu, who simply stared ahead this whole time.

“I hear you might have something for me.”

“Yeah?” Radu replied and took a sip of his drink. The ice had cut down the potency of the gin. Or maybe it was the growing anger …

“I heard from a person who heard from a person that you just pulled off a ghost job.” Madrigal stared at Radu, a smug grin on his face. “I mean, you know what a social guy I am. All the friends I got.”

Radu didn’t say anything. Madrigal watched him.

“I’m waiting,” he finally said.

“The credits just transferred. I was gonna send ’em.” Radu brought up his mobi and sent the pay to whatever dummy account the NovaRiders had set up for collections. He watched his own account drop down to double-digits.

“Good, real good.” Ayrs delivered a glass of Rust. Madrigal immediately downed it and checked his mobi. He did not look impressed. “Looking a little short.”

“That’s what they were paying.” Radu took another sip. “You don’t like the rate, take it up with them.”

Madrigal grabbed Radu by the back of the neck and slammed his head to the bar. Everyone in the bar jumped at the sound, but nobody did anything. The kid bartender turned away to look for more glasses to clean.

“Let’s pause a sec and recap. You owe us, so we own you. You stop paying? You die. You try to run? You die. Don’t like it? Maybe you shouldn’t have done what you done. So mind the goddamn tone with me. You’re alive because you’re useful and believe me, that can change real quick.” Suddenly, the smug grin was back. “Alright. Good talk. You got two days left to pay us for this month. I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

Madrigal grabbed Radu’s glass and downed that too.

“Thanks for the drink.”

Madrigal left. No one looked at him as he strode out of the bar. The two lunks of muscle by the door followed him out.

Radu sat up. After a few moments, the kid bartender wandered over like nothing had happened.

“Another?”

Radu shook his head and hit the job board on his mobi instead. As he scanned through the random and anonymous jobs that populated the local servers, one headline jumped out at him.

“I messed up.”

The job seemed simple enough: retrieve a NavDrive from a wreck and drop it off to get wiped. The money was right too, but it was something more. The offer was written with a desperation Radu could relate to.

He took the job. Moments later, all the relevant data flooded to his mobi.

Radu stopped by his hab to pull his flight suit and guns. Speed grind music hammered through the walls on one side. The heavy distortion and propulsive beat almost covered the screaming argument that was raging on the other.

He pulled on the chestpiece of his armor and strapped it into place, when he suddenly stopped. Radu slumped down on the edge of the bed and looked at the tiny room around him that had become ‘home.’ He picked out all the tiny details; the days-old foodstuff bags piling up in the corner, the old blood stains on the walls, all of it, and looked at them like he was seeing them for the first time.

The weight of the past six months came pressing down on him. He barely recognized himself anymore. How could he have strayed so far from who he used to be?

All the guilt, frustration and anger swirled around his head until finally, a single thought pushed to the surface: it’s time to change.

He’d do this job. Whatever it took to get him a little breathing room until his next payment was due, but he’d use that time to escape, to find a way out of the noose that was slowly strangling him.

One way or another, Radu decided, he would be free.

Radu weaved his way through the halls of Grim HEX, past the squatters and Nine Tails killers, the broken doors with leaking atmo, and headed towards his ship.

Outside the airlock to his pad, Madrigal was shaking down some other poor sap for whatever creds she had kicking around. Radu hit the button for the airlock and waited. Madrigal finally noticed him.

“Safe flying,” Madrigal yelled with a smirk.

The airlock finished cycling and the door hissed open. Radu stepped inside and punched the button. The outer door finally opened, revealing his ship.

He stocked the rifles and climbed into the pilot’s seat. The canopy struggled to close while he powered on the various ship systems. The multi-displays flickered to life while the engines started to hum. He struck the thrusters and felt the first lurch of movement as the skids lifted off the deck. He checked for an open flight path. The space around Grim HEX was notorious for lazy outlaws trying to score easy kills from pilots who thought they were ‘safe.’

Lift fast, clear fast was the mantra. Radu spotted an empty route out of the asteroid cluster and flashed the engines. The G’s hit his chest as the ship punched out away from the station.

The light fighter effortlessly weaved through the massive asteroids, dancing slowly through the void. The scans were clear, but Radu did visual sweeps to see if any would-be ambushers were pulling low-sigs to get close. Satisfied he was alone, he input the coordinates for the retrieval job. It was still in the asteroids around Yela, but on the far side, so he’d need to quantum around the moon before he could get a straight shot.

The first orbital marker selected, the quantum drive spun up and kicked him into a blur. The surrounding Stanton system turned into a smear of light until the drive automatically dropped him out. He repositioned the ship to the next marker and quantumed again.

Minutes later, he descended into the asteroid belt towards his coordinates. The scans were clear, but Radu slowed anyway. No sense wandering into a trap in case the job had been shopped to other pilots. Sure enough, he started to see scattered pieces of debris, leading him to the decimated wreck of a Connie.

He began to a wide sweep around the wreckage to make sure he was truly alone.

That’s when he saw the ragged Buccaneer parked up outside with its power on, lights shining into the wreck, and no pilot to be seen.

Damn, he thought. I really didn’t want to have to kill anyone today.

TO BE CONTINUED …

SURVEY

It seems that our two main characters, Radu and Clara, are about to cross paths and we want your help in deciding what happens next. Take the survey below and let us know how you think the action should unfold. (If you need a refresher on what happened in Part One of Collision Course you can read it here.) The poll will close Friday, August 18th at 6:00pm PST.

(function( $ ){ var $window = $(window); var windowHeight = $window.height(); $window.resize(function () { windowHeight = $window.height(); }); $.fn.parallax = function(xpos, speedFactor, outerHeight) { var $this = $(this); var getHeight; var firstTop; var paddingTop = 0; //get the starting position of each element to have parallax applied to it $this.each(function(){ firstTop = $this.offset().top; }); if (outerHeight) { getHeight = function(jqo) { return jqo.outerHeight(true); }; } else { getHeight = function(jqo) { return jqo.height(); }; } // setup defaults if arguments aren't specified if (arguments.length < 1 || xpos === null) xpos = "50%"; if (arguments.length < 2 || speedFactor === null) speedFactor = 0.1; if (arguments.length < 3 || outerHeight === null) outerHeight = true; // function to be called whenever the window is scrolled or resized function update(){ var pos = $window.scrollTop(); $this.each(function(){ var $element = $(this); var top = $element.offset().top; var height = getHeight($element); // Check if totally above or totally below viewport if (top + height < pos || top > pos + windowHeight) { return; } $this.css('backgroundPosition', xpos + " " + Math.round((firstTop - pos) * speedFactor) + "px"); }); } $window.bind('scroll', update).resize(update); update(); }; $('.parallax-1').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-2').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-3').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-4').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-5').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-6').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); $('.parallax-7').parallax("50%", 0.1, true); })(jQuery); http://bit.ly/2vZLoZu