#they just gave me an envelope of steroids when I went in the other day

[thresholdbb]

Keep reading posts about US healthcare news while "Critical Care" plays in the background, which reminds me I have to pick which company is gonna gauge me for coverage next year while denying every claim I submit

[drabblesandimagines]

Honey

Rei x (afab) reader Buddy Daddies

Your line of work was non-conventional, of course, but it paid the bills nicely and there were worse things to be doing. You’d got into it completely by chance through a connection made at your old job. You worked at one of the seediest bars that side of town – which was saying something – but an ex-boyfriend had helped you get it and other work was hard to come by. It was a slow night, so slow you’d already cleaned the bar three times by the time there was a patron. He looked out of place to the usual clientele that would fill the bar over the weekend - tall, brunette, wearing glasses and dressed entirely in black. He asked for a whisky on the rocks and sat at the bar stool, it squeaking slightly under his weight. You nodded, poured the drink and then went to start your usual patter in the hopes of picking up a tip when he held up a hand, silencing you.

“No need.” He slid a few notes across the bar, far more than what that pour of liquor was worth. “For my drink, and for listening to what I’m about to say.”

Well, that certainly piqued your interest, though you knew you would’ve felt uneasy about it if Riku wasn’t in your eyeline – the tall, steroid-powered bouncer by the door would’ve been over like a shot if you gave him a wave.

“Go on, then.”

His name was Kyu. He was looking for some information about a certain regular you had on Saturday nights. He said it was a business issue, but you could read between the lines. He wanted to know if he had a regular drink, seat, who his company was… And, if you were able to supply that information, there’d be more money in it for you.

You didn’t have to think too hard – the pay here was awful, your boss saying your wage was subsidised enough by the generous tips the weekend crowd threw in. You were at least 95% sure it wasn’t a real functioning bar, just a money laundering scheme. The job market had been difficult and you couldn’t bear the thought of moving back to the countryside with your parents. You were scraping by, making ends meet and the idea of extra money to cover the bills that month would be nice.

He'd asked you to load all the information on a USB stick he provided – your crappy laptop barely hanging on to life, but it made it through creating the document at least – and he gave you the address off where to drop it off. Yadorigi Café. He greeted you like any other customer and you slid the stick over to him, before he retrieved an envelope of money and bid you good day. Easiest money you ever made.

Which is why the next month, when the bar had been busted by the cops and your place of employment made a crime scene, you found yourself back at that counter, pleading.

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Nope,��� he shrugs, cleaning a glass methodically. “Sorry.”

You groan, dumping the last copies of your CV on the counter - fed up of handing them out in every bar, café and shop you’d come across on the way here.

 “I can’t get work anywhere. Surprisingly, people don’t trust you if your employment history is blank, or if you put down your last place of employment as one that made national news.”

“It was a one-time thing…” He begins but, thankfully, as if by divine intervention, the café phone rings. You sulked into the coffee that Kyu had given you – another one-time thing he’d stressed –and tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation. “Now?” A pause. “It’s a pretty inconvenient time for me.” A sigh. “Fine. I’ll be with you in half an hour.” He hangs up and rubs the bridge of his nose.

“You gotta go – I need to close for a while.” The bell rings over a door as a group of women come in, sheltering from the rain.

“My apologies, ladies…” Kyu starts but you interrupt.

“Come on in out of the rain, please.” You smile, gesturing to one of the empty booths. Kyu gives you an incredulous look.

“I can watch the place while you’re gone. I’m barista trained,” you whispered, stabbing your finger at the part on your CV.

“I’m not going to hire you,” he scoffed.

“I’m not asking you to. Please. Just give me a cut of the profits in the time you’re gone, huh? Like, tiny, just of whatever they buy.” He stares at you in disbelief. “Please, I’m desperate.”

Kyu looks at the ladies now getting settled in the booth – it would be hard to get them out now and, as much as this is a cover gig for him, he does have a reputation to uphold.

“Fine. Gimme your ID.”

“My ID?” You raise an eyebrow.

“You think I’m going to leave my establishment to a total stranger? I need collateral.”

You dug your purse out of your backpack and retrieved the card, handing it over. He didn’t even scrutinise it for long, slipping it in his apron pocket and turning to the occupied booth.

“Ladies, I’m afraid I have to go out to deal with a personal errand. But don’t worry”, he yanked you forward by your arm, “Honey’s here to take care of you.”

Honey?

--

That had been a couple of months ago. Kyu had sent you away after he’d returned, delighted to see the place was not ransacked or razed to the ground, before sending you away with some cash that should get you through another week if you were careful. Those ladies you’d served and apparently charmed with your service, however, turned out to be part of a lunch club and recommended the establishment to all of their friends. It became hard for Kyu to keep up with dealing with the informants and assassins that popped in through the day, and serve the groups of people now filling up his booths on the regular. It was then that he’d called you – you’d stuck a CV in one the drawers, just as a reminder, as you were heating up the last cup of flavourless noodles from the back of the cupboard, asking if you were interested in working there… Under a false name, of course.

You were good at identifying those who had genuine café interests and those who were there for other purposes. Kyu didn’t let you deal with the initial conversation, but, as time went on, he did begin to trust you enough to allow you to take the information off informants and hand over payment when he wasn’t around.

For the past month or so, there’s been a dark-haired man taking up space at the counter. He’d come in one late morning near the start of your employment, alongside a blonde man when you were cleaning the booth tables. They’d seemed a little suspicious of your presence, but Kyu had offered them reassurance. Kazuki and Rei - you’d learned a little later on. Kazuki was there on his own sometimes, but Rei had started coming in on his own – sometimes with a book, sometimes with a game on his phone as he slipped on some orange concoction Kyu had shown you how to make, before he’d entertain you in any sort of conversation. It turned out you shared a love of video games. You’d used your most recent batch of tips (old ladies are generous to a sweet young lady, it seems) to invest in a second-hand console and were excited for recommendations. He’d even brought in some games for you to borrow…

It's on another rainy afternoon when Rei enters to find the stool at the counter already occupied by Hiro, one of Kyu’s newest recruits and he scowls. This isn’t the first time he’s been unable to sit at the counter when he’s visited. Kyu didn’t seem impressed by Hiro’s work and didn’t seem to have offered him anything since, but he’d started coming in for drinks and you could hardly kick him out in front of legitimate customers.

Rei gives you a small smile as he heads, slowly, to a booth near the front. You smile back and start preparing his usual drink without a word.

“Honey,” Hiro drawls, using the name Kyu had bestowed on you months ago, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh,” you reply, a little annoyed at his persistence. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Well, that’s a shame.” He smirks, spreading his arms across the counter. “A pretty thing like you? Who keeps your bed warm at night?”

“I have an excellent electric blanket, actually.”

“Oh, you’ll break my heart with all this talk.”

“Ah, well, you’ll get over it.” You reply, dryly, stepping out from behind the counter to deliver Rei’s drink to the booth. You can’t help but notice his phone is lying face down on the table, and his fists are clenched as you approach.

“You okay?” You raise an eyebrow as you place the drink down – he looks unusually tense.

“Is he bothering you?” He asks, in a low voice.

“Hiro? Er…” He is, a little, if you were being honest, but he’s harmless enough. “No, he’s fine.” From the scowl that remains on Rei’s face you know he doesn’t believe you.

“Hey, did you see they’re releasing a second edition of Morio Kart over the winter? Looks fun!”

“Mm.” He nods, “it does.” But his eyes are still trained on Hiro at the counter. Despite there being three stools up there, Hiro has placed himself right in the middle, spreading his legs wide enough so no-one would dare sit besides him. Rei’s not an idiot, he knows he’s done it deliberately.

“Well, let me know if you need anything else, okay?” You smile warmly, squeezing his arm briefly before turning back to the counter – wary of leaving it unattended too long.

“Good, you’re back! I was getting lonely.” Hiro quips.

“You, lonely? Impossible.”

“See, that’s what I like so much about you, Honey. You’re so witty.” You can see why Kyu hasn’t given him any work since – he’s incredibly dense.

“Can I get you something else to drink?” You hint. His glass has been empty for a little while now and he’s shown no sign of moving on. You know he’s not waiting for Kyu, either. He’d been here when he first arrived behind he headed out on a “stock run”.

“Hm”, he pulls out his wallet. “One more, then.”

--

You watch, a little reluctantly, as the last group of ladies of the lunch rush bid you farewell – leaving a generous tip – and head out the door. They’d at least given you an excuse to get a break from Hiro’s terrible pick-up lines every so often. He’d made sure to sip his drink incredibly slowly – there’s still half a glass left in front of him.

Suddenly, Hiro gets to his feet and you let out a breath you’d been holding - he’s finally leaving. He strides to the door and instead of opening it as you’d expected, he flips over the open side to closed, and twists the lock on the door.

“Er, what are you doing?” You asked, perplexed.

“Giving us some much-needed private time, Honey,” he smirks, returning to his place the counter. “Come sit beside me, hm?” His hand pats the stool besides him.

“Look, I’ve told you already – I’m not interested in you like that...” Your stomach sinks. You’d have to volley yourself over the counter to get to the front door and your athletic prowess is non-existent. “And you can’t just lock the door either and shut the place down – you’ll get me in trouble with Kyu if he comes back and finds it like that.” You know Hiro wants to be on Kyu’s good side, so maybe that’ll be incentive enough? Kick some sense into his dumb head?

“Oh, you’re not interested?” He lets out a dry laugh. “Well, I can be pretty convincing when I need to be…”

It all happens so fast. Rei is suddenly behind Hiro and wraps his hand around the back of his neck, before smashing his face against the counter. There’s a loud crunch as his nose breaks against the hard surface. He’d been so quiet this entire time you’d forgotten that Rei had still been in the first booth, sitting slightly behind the divider. Silent, unassuming Rei, who apparently had more strength in that slender body than one would expect.

“What the…?” Hiro mumbles, obviously dazed, blood trickling down his nose. “Who the hell are you?”

“Her boyfriend.” Rei grunts, picking him up by the scruff of the neck and hauling him over to the door with minimal effort. He twists the lock with one hand before opening up and shoving Hiro out into the street. The man groans but doesn’t attempt to get up. Rei shuts the door, not locking it – Hiro would be an idiot to come back in and take a swing - and walks over to the counter opposite you, a concerned look on his face.

“Are you okay?” Your heart is thudding in your chest at what transpired over the last few moments. You know you should definitely be more concerned of what Hiro thought was going to happen, but there’s only one thing on your mind in that second.

“My boyfriend?”

Rei’s face flushes red. “It… It came out before I knew what I was saying. I couldn’t stand the way he was all over you.”

“Boyfriend?” Your brain is stuck in a loop.

“I mean, I know I’m not, that we’re not…” His face is growing redder by the second. “I should go.”

He turns to leave but you lunge forward, grabbing hold of his sleeve and pulling him with a strength you didn’t know you possessed back to the counter.  

“Please don’t.” He looks confused at that for a moment, before settling his arms down on the surface. “What I mean is… I like you too.”

An adorable smile creeps across his face. It’s most likely the adrenaline, you decide, but to hell with it. You lean forward, grab hold of his shirt and yank him into a kiss. It’s messy, heated, and tinged with a citrus taste when the bell over the door rings and you pull apart like deers caught in the headlights. Kyu’s in the doorway, a knowing look on his face.

“Well, I was gonna ask why Hiro’s sat in the bins with a bleeding nose and crying, but this might explain it.”

-- Check out my masterlist.

[blackmissfrizzle]

No One Has to Know- Part 3

Characters: Angel Reyes x black!reader

Summary: Angel confronts Bishop about his gift to you.

Warnings: Mentions of torture

A/N: Its finally here!

Like what you read, here’s more and if you really like it here’s my taglist

Part 2

Bishop could barely keep this secret anymore. Every time you would pop up at the club, he wanted to envelope you in his arms, but he had to settle for the little hugs you would give him time to time.

Then, he wanted to strangle every man hitting on you. One day when he was riding by, he saw Nestor flirting with you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. He almost ran Nestor over that day. Calling on his primo, Marcus, he had him speak to Miguel, because he didn’t want any cartel member near his baby girl and in no way did his personal life need to mix with business.

And he almost killed Angel on multiple occasions as well. It’s obvious he could see the love Angel has for you, but the lust was just as clear and too much for Bishop to handle. The way his eyes would roam over your body, or how he would grab your ass when he walked past you, or when he came to the club in a good mood because you got him right that morning.

Everything would set Bishop off. Only Hank and Taza could calm him down and that was getting harder now. He could feel his resolve breaking down. He wanted your mom to tell you, but as each day passed it looked like it would be him.

-

While Bishop was struggling with keeping the truth from you, Angel was struggling with the idea that Bishop was trying to steal his girl.

It seems that every time Bishop was around you, he was up in your face. Checking on you a little too much, asking about you more than any other woman associated with the club, taking you on your first bike ride, teaching you how to dance, and in general just giving Angel shit.

Angel decided he wasn’t gonna take anymore when he caught something inside of your helmet. There was an inscription that said, ‘Para mi preciosa,’ (For my precious). He knew you haven’t seen it, because you would automatically ask him did he know about it. Taking your helmet, he got on his bike and headed for the scrap yard.

On a mission, Angel didn’t even respond to Chucky when he greeted him. He just brushed past the man and searched for his target. He found Bishop at a table with Riz, Tranq, and Creeper playing cards.

“Hey Bis, can I speak with you?”

Bishop look up at Angel and could tell he was irritated. “After this hand.” He told him, not wanting to deal with whatever drama Angel was caught up in.

“I was hoping it could be now. It’s kinda serious.”

Bishop slammed down his cards. “Is it kinda serious or is it serious?”

“Serious. It’s about Y/N.” The flash of worry that crossed Bishop’s face confirmed his suspicions that something was going on.

The two of them went to sit at the bar. “What’s going on Angel?”

He couldn’t find the words, so he threw your helmet in Bishop’s direction. “What the hell is this? ‘Para mi preciosa?’ You trying to make a move on my girl?”

Bishop didn’t mean for Angel to find that. Well, not now at least. He thought the secret would be out by now. “No one’s trying to take your girl, Angel.” Bishop left it at that and tried to walk away.

“Then explain the inscription.” Angel stopped his retreat.

“It’s none of your fucking business.” Now they attracted everyone’s attention. They were standing toe to toe in the middle of the room.

“No fuck that! You’ve been giving her too much attention for too fucking long! You need to step off!”

Bishop knew Angel was just protecting his, but he couldn’t tolerate the disrespect. “Or what?”

That did it. Angel threw the first swing and Bishop tackled him. They were so busy fighting that they didn’t notice you yelling at them.

You were about to pull Bishop off Angel, but what he said stopped you in your tracks.

“She’s my fucking kid! Y/N’s my daughter!”

“What?” As quiet as you were, Angel and Bishop heard you. They clambered over each other trying to get to you.

“Mija, follow me.” He guided you to the famed Templo. Angel tried to follow, but Hank stopped him. “Let them work it out first.”

“I thought only Mayans were only allowed in here.” You ran your fingers against the carved table.

“Exceptions can be made for Mayan royalty.”

You raised your eyebrow at him. You always wanted to be an honorary member, but princess could work too. “Be careful. Give me an inch and I’ll be your first patched female member. Kutte and all.”

“I don’t doubt that. Come sit, mija.” He patted the seat next to him.

Bishop practiced this speech multiple times, but now the words were stuck in his throat.

All the times you’ve been around Bishop, you’ve never seen him so unwillingly quiet. You took mercy on him and squeezed his hand. “You’re him, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“You’re the guy my mom always used to warn me about. She used to tell me about the guy who almost ruined her life as a cautionary tale.”

Bishop lit his cigarette and took a drag. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, but I always thought she was a coward.” Bishop furrowed his brows at your confession. “Why is that?”

“Because whenever she would talk about you, no matter how much venom and disdain she had in her voice there was a twinkle in her eye. Her love for you would shine through. Although not as bright as it did in the past, I suspect. I’m pretty sure you being from the wrong side of the tracks caused her to drop you thus cowardice. Her need for people’s approval cost her you and our relationship.” As you went on Bishop could see you get riled up even more reminding him of his own temper. To get you to calm down, Bishop wrapped you in his arms.

This hugs weren’t like hugs in the past. This hug was full of love and longing. This hug had a tinge of grief for the lost time between father and daughter.

You pulled back some when you felt some of Bishop’s tears on your face. “Are you crying?”

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this moment forever.”

“How long have you known?” You asked wiping away his tears. “I suppose for a while, but I confirmed it a little before your graduation party.”

You remember seeing Bishop talk to your mom the night of the party. She always hated him, but that night you saw a flash of fear in her eyes when she was talking to him. Guess the cat was out of the bag.

While you and Bishop were having your reunion, everyone else was making fun of Angel freaking out. “Dating the president’s daughter, who would’ve thought?” Gilly nudged him on the way to the pool table.

“That’s the least of his worries. Bishop and Alvarez are more like brothers than cousins. So, he’s dating el presidente’s daughter and el padrino’s niece. One fuck up and…pow!” Coco made his fingers into a gun and pointed it at Angel.

“Shut the fuck up, you two.” EZ brought everyone a beer. “Thank you, lil bro.” At least Angel had one person on his side. “They won’t shoot him first. It’ll definitely be torture first.”

Angel tried to swing at his brother, but EZ ducked and tackled him. They ended up wrestling with each other. Neither one grabbing the upper hand.

The brothers were in a jumble of limbs on the ground when you and Bishop finally left Templo. “You sure you wanna be with that idiot?” The president pointed at Angel on the floor in a headlock. “Get these steroid arms off of me, Ezekiel! You’re like some sick creation of Syd from Toy Story!”

“Yeah, I’m sure. He’s my idiot.” Even in a headlock Angel was adorable.

Eventually, the Reyes brothers sensed yours and Bishop’s presence and stopped their wrestling. Angel stood still as Bishop walked up to him. “If you ever hurt her, I’m gonna cut you into pieces, bury you in a fucking hole and piss in it.”

“Told you, torture.” EZ boasted to Coco and Gilly.

“Shut up, Prospect.” Angel and Bishop ordered him at the same time.

There was more talk about how Bishop would torture and desecrate Angel’s body if he ever hurt you. Being the daughter of a biker president sounded violent but oddly comforting.

“And definitely no sex at the clubhouse. Keep that shit at home and away from me.”

Forgetting where you were at the moment, you blurted out,  “So that Templo thing is a no go?”

“What Templo thing, Angel?” Bishop questioned, ready to fuck Angel up again.

Angel’s eyes widened at you and you gave him a sheepish shrug, apologizing for your blabber mouth. “Nothing, Bis.”

“Keep it that way.” Bishop poked Angel in the chest.

Your phone started ringing and the name on the screen put you in a trance. Finding out that Bishop is your biological father is great, but it’s a whole lifetime too late. And of course, you loved the man who raised you, but you also missed out on a lot with Bishop and that was because of one person.

The phone finally stopped ringing and you went straight to your car. “Querida?” Angel called out to you, but you ignored him.

“Follow her, pendejo!” Bishop pushed Angel while grabbing his own keys.

“Where is she going?” Angel ran out the door and to his bike. “To the person who just lied to her for her whole life,” Bishop snapped on his helmet and revved up his bike. “Her mother.”

Tagging: @angrythingstarlight @imanerdychubbyqueen @starrynite7114 @lilsmilez @marvelmaree @thickemadame @chaneajoyyy @woahitslucyylu @angelreyesgirl @sadeyesgf​ @blessedboo​ @ljstraightnochaser​ @my-rosegold-soul​ @richonne4life​ @brattyfics​ @lovebennycolon​ @langiinspirations​ @chibsytelford​ @brownsugarcoffy​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @fvckthisbxtchup​ @theartisticqueen​

[burntmcnuggies]

A Hopeless Fight

Yandere Levi x Reader

Warning: this story contains blood, gore, and suggestive themes such as kidnapping, murder, non-consensual touching, forced sex, and drug usage. You guys have been warned! Now all of you who wanna read! Please enjoy! :D

Chapter Two: Betrayal

“Thank you, nurse (Y/N)!”

“Wow! You draw so good!”

“You’re my favorite nurse!”

All of the ill little kids ran around me happily with pictures of themselves I had drawn for them just moments ago. Their happy laughs warmed my heart, a feeling I would never forget. “Well, I hope to one day become your doctor. Sadly my little brother passed away from Lung cancer. I’ve made it my goal to help those with similar issues. Someday... I hope to find a cure for the diseases, and help people just like you guys, live a long and happy life.” The beautiful sparkle in their eyes spoke a million words to me. Admiration, happiness, enthusiasm, and most of all... hope. I kneeled down and smiled, opening my arms for the sweet kids to embrace. They came to me with happy smiles and childish giggles before enveloping me in a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around as many as I could, before grinning playfully. “Oh no... what’s this? Oh no! The tickle monster has escaped! Everyone run to the beds!”

The children energetically ran to the beds shouting and laughing happily while their small bodies climbed up into their hospital beds. It was getting close to their treatment time, and I need all of them to be good while the other doctors came in and administered their chemotherapy or steroids and antibiotics. “Alright now, you guys be good. I trapped the tickle monster for now, but if he hears another peep... or complaint by the doctors...” I pulled my hand up with a smile and moved my fingers towards them, wiggling them wildly like a spider. The kids laughed and shouted a flurry of protests to my hand. I brought up my other hand and took a step forward wiggling both my hands and fingers. “I may just let him go to tickle all those naughty children!!” I smiled warmly at their small giggles and childish protests and pleas for me not to bring the tickle monster back. A short laugh came fell from my lips hearing them so happy, so cheerful and lively. Just how my brother was until his last moments. “Goodbye, children. I’ll see you all later, alright?”

“Ok! Bye Nurse (Y/N)!”

“A-Ah! Nurse (Y/N)!” I turned hearing the familiar voice of Dr. Zöe’s assistant, Moblit. Poor man seemed like he hasn’t slept in what appeared to be days. Dark droopy circles were under his eyes, but I could tell by the way his pupils were dilated he had most likely been chugging caffeine like crazy. “Oh, hey Moblit! What’s up? You seem in a rush.” He looked quite frantic, I wonder if something happened?he had an entire box full of medical supplies in his hands. I took a peek inside and realized it was the medicine for the children. Ah, so that’s why he looks so frantic. Before he could open his tired mouth I stopped him. “The children should be all good now, Moblit. I’ve put them in their beds and they should behave while you and some other doctors give them their meds.”

He sighed in relief. “You’re really the best, (Y/N).” He caught a few other doctors in the hallway and called them to help him administer the medicine faster. I only gave him a smile and waved goodbye as the dirty blonde and a team of lower ranked doctors walked calmly into the room. I turned on my heel to start down the hallway towards my next task, before Moblit stopped me. “Oh! I forgot to tell you! Hanji would like to see you in her office.” I tilted my head a bit in confusion. Just an hour ago at lunch she had assigned me a couple tasks to do before I went home. Maybe she needed my help with something? Or a new task for me to complete. “Oh ok! Thank you, Moblit! And get some sleep tonight! You need it!” He just smiled sheepishly and waved bye as he disappeared behind the sliding glass doors.

I began my journey towards Hanji’s office, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit paranoid walking down the hallways. After learning that a serial killer was evident in town from the news, I couldn’t help but feel extra cautious. No one has seen this suspicious and stealthy individual. Is it a man? A woman? All I know is, they knew what they were doing. There was no evidence whatsoever linking anyone to the crimes at all. Nothing. The wave of paranoia washed over my body like a tide coming in during the night. Rough, unexpected, and dangerous. The tides have been known to drag people into rip currents and drag them far below the surface. These currents also known as curiosity. You couldn’t help but wonder the motives of the person behind all of this. Pleasure? Revenge? A sadistic nature? It was all confusing. Taking a human life, even thinking of the heinous crime made vomit rise in my throat.

I shook my head firmly and swallowed thickly, pushing the repulsive thoughts to the back of my brain to be revisited at a possibly later date. My eyes trained on everyone I passed by. Any one of these people could be the murderer, playing a façade to trick innocent people. You could never be too careful, however, I would soon pay the price for my carelessness. I finally arrived at Hanji’s office and gave three firm knocks, awaiting a response from the messy-haired brunette. A faint reply came from the other side of the wooden door, and I carefully pushed it open, closing it behind me before I made my way to the chair opposite of her mahogany desk. She looked quite distressed, which was unusual for the eccentric woman.

“Hey Hanji, what’s up? You seem a little out of it. Are you okay?” I noticed a thin layer of sweat graced her forehead, and her muscles were oddly tense. Her hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting, whether it be with each other or anxiously pulling at loose hangnails. During my studies at med school, I quickly identified the signs. Nervousness. It was very out of character for Hanji. In all honesty, it made me more paranoid than I already was. “I’m fine, (Y/N). I promise you. There’s an ambulance coming in a few minutes with a couple bags of blood. It’s not like we need them, but it’s always good to be over prepared right?” I hesitated before I nodded. Why was she acting so strange? Is she just as bothered by the news earlier than I am? At lunch she seemed fine, why now? “Would you mind assisting me?”

“Oh! Sure! When’s the ambulance coming?”

“Soon. We should head down now just to ensure that we’re there in time so we can get that blood cold.”

I have her a small fake smile and nodded. Her fingers calmed for a brief moment before she began to type on her computer, pushing her glasses up to her head. Usually l could always see what she was doing from the reflection off her glasses. It was never anything bad, usually writing up reports or checking on patients. It was almost like she was hiding something. “You’re too smart for your own good sometimes, (Y/N).” I perked up hearing the sudden compliment come from her. The last click of the keys was heard and she closed her laptop, slipping her glasses back over her eyes. “Pardon?” I questioned, a bit taken aback by her sudden compliment about me smart. She smiled with a laugh and skipped on over to me, patting my back harshly as if I were choking on something. “I said you’re smart! I’m incredibly lucky to have such an amazing med student going to work for me in the future!”

“Ow, that kinda hurt a little! But thank you Hanji! I’m very excited to finish up and come back to work here full time.” Maybe I was just being too paranoid. There was no way Hanji could be worried. She’s a bit scary when she wants to be. Maybe she’s just having a bit of a stressful day? We strolled down the corridors towards the East wing of the hospital, talking about nothing in particular. When we reached the stairs Hanji had grown painfully quiet. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Why was she being so quiet all of a sudden. “Geez... I’m so tired. Maybe I should finally get some sleep tonight!” She turned back to me and showed me a tired and lazy smile. I nodded in agreement, flashing a kind smile back towards her. “Yeah. You work yourself to death here Hanji. It’s very admirable, but you’re still human too.”

“Guess you’re right! Here we are!” She opened the doors to the loading area where nurses and other hospital staff were usually down here loading boxes, stocking shelves, and collecting deliveries. However, it was empty. I tilted my head in confusion. “Where is everybody?” Hanji waved off my question with a sly grin as she waited now enthusiastically for the ambulance to arrive. Her mood swings were a bit alarming. Maybe she really is just too tired and she’s trying to act like her usual self. Not the first time I’ve seen it, but this time her kids swings were more frequent and clear. “Ah, I let them go home early half an hour ago. This is the last shipment for today that called last minute. Didn’t wanna call them back! We’re strong, confident, independent women! We can do this by ourselves!”

I roll my eyes and smile patiently waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Soon, the square looking vehicle had rounded the circular pavement and stopped right near the door. A man got out of the front of the car, rather short I had to admit. He wore a hat that covered a majority of his face, and dark sunglasses. He wore some scrubs, which was very uncommon for someone in an ambulance. Usually they would wear similar outfits as policemen, however there would be differences in the patchwork on their shirts. The man approached us and nodded, tipping his hat to Hanji as a silent greeting. I placed a fake smile on my lips while Hanji went to grab the clipboard from his hand.

“(Y/N)! Could you go grab the boxes from the truck!” I gave her a firm nod and opened the doors of the ambulance, my eyes instantly falling upon a couple styrofoam boxes. I hopped up into the chilly space of the square-like space and made my way to the boxes. The boxes were a bit heavy, but I assumed there were at least 10 pints in each. Only three boxes in total. I made my way out of the ambulance and watched Hanji and the man from the ambulance talk. “Thanks, (Y/N)! I’ve gotta talk to my friend for a minute so keep working without me!” I placed the box down near the door and walked back towards the two. The man quickly snapped his head towards me and I couldn’t help but flinch in surprise. “Oh sorry! Don’t mind him! He’s a hit on edge from all the murder talk...”

“Oh! No I totally get it, sorry if I startled you sir.” I smiled at him and went back to work grabbing the last two boxes. During those few minutes, I could feel a pair of eyes penetrating my skull with every move I made. I took a couple glances and noticed a pair of dark covered eyes following me whenever I moved. A chill went down my spine. Something seemed off, something just wasn’t quite right. When I picked up the last box, it wasn’t even the least bit heavy. I tilted my head in confusion before I turned around. I took a blind step forward before I came to my senses and saw the short guy in scrubs standing and blocking my way out of the car. “Ah, excuse me, sir.” I said politely and smiled towards him. The man still refused to move. Now it was getting suspicious.

I stepped forwards a bit and attempted to get past him, but suddenly something sharp stabbed my neck. I jerked quickly away in pain and dropped the box, noticing a syringe in the mans hand, without any liquid in it. My body began to feel woozy, and I stumbled a bit feeling my body going numb. “What... did you do... to me...?” The man caught me swiftly when I began to fall, and he easily threw me into the back of the ambulance. I groaned in pain and gasped weakly at the sudden pain that erupted from my side. My vision was beginning to blur, but I could focus just enough to make out their faces. Hanji and the man stood at the foot of the ambulance, both just staring at me. “Well done! I didn’t think you would actually be able to hit her correctly with the needle!”

Hanji...? What’s going on?

“Tch, shut up shitty glasses. The main thing is that she’s in the truck.” Why? Why Hanji?! Why are you doing this?! Suddenly, I could barely feel the edge of the ambulance dip as they both climbed back in to come to me. The man took off the hat and glasses, and revealed his face to me. It was Corporal Levi, the man who was supposed to be solving the case of the serial killer. Wait... does that mean?! “Gotta hand it to you, brat. You’re not as stupid as you look.” He grabbed my hair and tugged my face up. I winced weakly and felt my vision slowly start to fade. I could still hear faint voices, but they seemed so far away. Hanji’s regretful face was the last thing I saw. My friend... or so I thought. “I’m really sorry, (Y/N). But... like I said earlier, you’re just too smart for your own good.”

And I lost consciousness, with a heavy burden on my heart. Sadness bubbling in my chest. My mind was plagued with one singular thought.

The reasoning behind my friends betrayal.

[widowedwithtwins]

Intro to my life

First things first. I--am not a writer. So to begin with, I apologize for any grammatical errors and whatnot that you may read.

Let me give you a little summary about my life.

Fall of 2013, I met the love of my life, but I didn’t know it at the time (we ended up being friends though). We had the biggest crushes on each other but we didn’t let either one know it. We worked at the same job, but he left May 2014 to go work elsewhere and we didn’t speak or see each other for about a year. Flash forward to March 2015. He texted me one night and that led to hanging out one time, and well---- the rest is history. Just kidding. We started dating March 25, 2015 and that was the start to our crazy, but drastically short adventure.  We spent about every waking moment together. He even came back to the same job!! We just knew we would be married, and sometimes you really just know. It’s a feeling. May 24, 2015, he proposed--- underneath the fireworks of RiverFest! It was AWE-MAZING!!!! Yes, we dated a short time before being engaged, AND yes we were also engaged a short time before being married, but I wouldn’t change a single moment. To continue, we married August 1, 2015 and then escaped to Cancun for a wonderful honeymoon. December 17, 2015 we signed on our first house. We had lots of adventures of Pokemon hunting and date nights. We also had our fair share of marital problems. When they say the first year of marriage is the hardest, they were right. At least between us. No one could prepare us for the emotional roller coaster we were about to ride together. November 2016 we found out we were pregnant. Of course we were over joyed!! We been doing rounds of fertility medicine due to infertility and after three rounds, we finally succeeded. This baby was the silver lining to the year we had had. March 2, 2017 we had our gender ultrasound. The tech slipped the gender into the envelope, sealed it, and we went on our way to the gender reveal where all of our friends and family joined us. We out did ourselves with the tannerite, but for our little joy, it was go big or go home. WE WERE HAVING A BOY!! But the excitement would only last us for a few more weeks. On May 20th, I went into preterm labor, and as much as we tried to prevent everything, we just couldn’t. On May 24, 2017, at 22 weeks and 6 days gestation, we lost our sweet little boy, Nicholas Thomas Henderson Washburn. The emotional pain we went through, I wouldn’t wish on my worse enemy. No one should have to go through the pain of losing a child. We may have lost hope, but we never gave up. We were determined to be parents, and we now had the greatest guardian angel to watch over us. Three months later I started back on the fertility medicine, and after three more rounds we found ourselves pregnant again September 3, 2017. Our first ultrasound was October 10, and the day before I sent Brad a belly picture saying I looked 20 weeks pregnant--not about to be 9 weeks. He joked about being pregnant with twins. HAHAHA. We laughed it off but he just knew he was right. But boy was her right--- TWINS!! This pregnancy was listed as high risk, so we were having ultrasounds every 2-3 weeks, checking on our double rainbows. December 6, we had our gender ultrasound at sneak a peek. This time we wanted to know the genders before hand. Baby B we found to be a boy after a little work, and then he kept hiding Baby A. After some time we came to the conclusion that baby A was a GIRL!! (later confirmed at our anatomy scan). ONE OF EACH!!! A perfect combo. Again, we found ourselves over the moon with excitement, and then again, that excitement was cut short. At 25weeks 4days, I was in preterm labor yet again. Scared for the lives of our little ones. I started receiving steroid shots immediately to help their lungs. We were planning to be in the hospital for as long as we could, even if that was two months. Well, little girl twin had other plans. I was fully dilated and she was literally slipping out. On February 6, 2018, at 25 weeks and 5 days, I was rushed to the OR for an emergency c-section. With no time for an epidural, the had to put me under. I WAS COMPLETELY TERRIFIED. But at 12:44pm and 12:46pm, Jaelyn Paige and Jaxson Paul, came into this world screaming and kicking at just a mere 1lb 14 and 1lb 15. Over the next 3 to 7 months they gave us many scares. Jax had an emergency surgery at just 6 days old. The first of 7, soon to be 8, surgeries. Jae came home May 14, 2018 after 97 days in the NICU (just 3 days before their due date). Jax wasn’t so lucky. Twice we almost lost him, but on September 4, 2018, day 211, we finally brought him home. Even though we still had a long way to go, our family was finally together under one roof-- but if only that moment would have lasted longer. August 2018, my loving husband was diagnosed with right sided heart failure, at the young age of 24. Again, we found ourselves scared, but hopeful that we’d get through this. October 14, we took him to the ER. That week is still a haze. His health decline so fast in just 2 days. Unfortunately, on October 19, 2018, at 9:32pm, my dear, sweet and absolutely wonderful husband, and amazing father to our twins, passed away. To be 24 (now 25), a widow, and single parent to twins (of which have medical problems)---you just scream why?? Here I am, almost 7 months later, with twin 15 month olds, living with my parents, taking the kids to many doctor appointments, not being able to work due to Jax needing my care 24/7. It’s hard. At times, I admit, to almost giving up, but the twins save me. EVERY day. EVERY second. They save me. God knew Brad would need our sweet Nicholas one day, and he knew I’d need the twins. That's what I tell myself. That's how I continue. 

My kids will never know their daddy. I’ll tell them about him and his love for us. But they will never experience his love. I won't grow old with him. 

I long for him.

My heart acts for him.

My soul is crushed without him.

I’m 25 years old. I have experienced more pain than anyone should ever have to experience. 

This is my story. 

[believe-that-you-can-my-friend]

There's a lipstick stain on your shirt. Jealous and fierce Betty all the way

I’m all for that Betty, nonnie! Hope you like this!

47.   “There’s a lipstick stain on your shirt.”

“Oh, the remorseful husbandreturns.” Betty murmured with venom, violently changing the channel on the flatscreen across her that she was far from watching. She could hear the door oftheir apartment click closed and then the casual muffling sound of coat andshoes being taken off before his lazy footsteps brought him to the dimly litliving room she was being suffocated in and internally screaming for an hournow.

“Hey, babe.” His easy-goingsmile found his lips at the sight of his beautiful wife, lounging in a looset-shirt of his and a pair of tight yoga pants, the baby monitor on the sidetable on her right emitting the sounds of their son peacefully dreaming. “You’restill up? I thought you’d have gone to bed by now.” He popped open the topbuttons of his dark blue shirt and plopped next to her, going in for a kiss onlyfor him to come across thin air, as she turned her face away.

“Alright, is this about me nottaking out the trash this morning?” Jughead sighed, already aware of theirongoing argument about how easily forgetful he was of that particular householdchore. “I know you keep telling me every time and every time I forget butplease is this such a big reason for us to go to bed angry at each other?” hetried to negotiate seeing as she kept staring at the muted TV with no desire intalking to him anytime soon.

“Betts, come on.” He urged herto communicate with him, like they always did with each other, dropping a light kiss on the shoulder the loose hem of his t-shirt left bare, only for her to squirm awayfrom his touch and him to frown. “Is that not it? Am I forgetting something else?”he tried to work his mind around any other possible thing he might have donewrong but he found himself at a dead-end, clueless seeking her feminineassistance.

“What you keep forgetting isthat I’m your wife.” She finally spoke slowly and in barely a whisper, heranger and stubborn tears threatening to come to surface.

“What?” Jughead spat in totalconfusion, bouncing his head back to take a better look at her profile.

“Where have you been all daytoday, Jughead?” she turned to face him for the first time, eyes stone coldupon his oblivious and worried ones.

He cleared his throat. “I hada meeting with Beck that got dragged a little out of our usual time schedule; Itexted you earlier to let you know.”  He informedher casually his plans with his manager that she was already aware of, a little morecasually and aloof than necessary, and Betty scoffed with a shake of her head.

“You do know that you can’tlie to me, don’t you?” she curled her arms defensively over her chest, eyesturning dark green with fury.

“I clearly don’t have a cluewhat you’re implying right now.” He maneuvered himself out of the situationcleverly, dropping back on the couch to focus on the TV like she was doingminutes before.

“So then I’ll stop implyingand straight up ask you.” She decided to cut in to the chase, her heartdrumming violently against her ribcage. “Who is she, Jughead?” she threw in themillion dollar question.

“Who is who?” he blurted in aheartbeat, eyebrows knitting in complete confusion right now.

“The whore that left this on your shirt.” Her voice raised anoctave angrily, snatching one of his plaid shirts from the cushions behind her and showing him the hint of burgundylipstick on the lapel before throwing it to his face with venom. “Care toexplain to me why there’s a lipstickstain on your shirt?”

“Betty” he hesitated,examining the faint shade of color on one of his shirts with bewildered eyes. “Idon’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you don’t know?” shebabbled in mockery, jumping up to her feet. “Let me enlighten you then. This whole week you come and golike you’re a visitor in this house!” she accused towering over his slouchingposture on the couch. “You’re gone all day, you come home late, you shower… Andthen this!” she grabbed the shirt from his lap, waving it around like a redflag between them. “Do you think I’m blind? Or this stupid, not to understandthat something is going on with you?” her voice gained a high-pitched tone offrustration, eyes narrowing challenging for an answer.

“You’re overreacting.” Was all thatJughead said, standing up from the couch to walk away.

“Oh, don’t you dare!” shescoffed while following quickly behind him, his large strides equivalent ofmultiple of her running steps. “Tell me who she is!” Betty demanded in a hushedyell. “Is she that slutty editor, Janet Marrow, or-or that fake blondesecretary, what’s her name, oh, Macy? Macy!”she laughed with no humor at all at the mention of the young assistant, Betty fumingand still following her calm husband down the hall and to their bedroom. “Sheis always rubbing up against you, don’t even try to deny it! Tell me her name,Jughead, or help me God!” some stubborn tears fell silently down her cheeks asshe grabbed him by the material of his shirt over his shoulder, twisting it in herfist and succeeding in making him stop pacing and turn around to face her.

“There isn’t a name, there is noone, I can promise you this.” Jughead stated with all honesty, blue eyespleading for her to believe him.

“Like you promised that I’mthe only woman you’ll ever love?” she spat to his face. “What changed, huh? Isit because I became the mother of your child now? What, I lost my value as awoman?” she was whisper-shouting now, not to disturb the peaceful baby in thenext room, but feeling her anger boiling at the apathetic attitude of herhusband. “Because I’m still beating my ass every day to lose that damn pregnancyweight or because I lounge in this apartment all day in milk stained sweatpantsand messy hair? Tell me a reason why you are not here anymore!” she whinedheartbreakingly and Jughead dropped his head to the ground, nodding vigorouslya couple of times, before doing an one-eighty and going to thevery end of their walk in closet, bringing back a small box. He opened it upand handled her an opened small notepad that held the date of her birthday ontop and then a list of plans under it.

“For this.” He sigheddefeated, rubbing the back of his head before focusing back on her. “Polly and I are planning a surprise birthday party for you. Webooked your favorite restaurant and all those days we were planning how to flyeveryone to Boston without you knowing; her with Ethan and the twins, your mom, my dad, Veronica, Archie,Kevin and everyone else from Riverdale because you miss them all terribly andnow with little bug we wouldn’t be able to fly there.” Her heart broke at therevelation, lips opening in surprise at the change of events, as she read hiswords on paper along with reservation dates and menu instructions. “And then Ihad to organize these.” he gave her a travel leaflet, again with a paper filledwith plans and flight times and dates stashed inside it. “A week-long trip in Balibecause you love warm, sunny places and we both, and especially you, deserve all therest in the world after all those months with the baby.” New tears were nowstreaming down her face, Betty feeling awful at how unfair she had been towardshim, when all he did was continuing to be an amazing partner for her.

“As for the stain, I assumethat’s left by Jellybean when I went to pick her up from the airport two daysago, right after I stopped by the jewelry shop to confirm that my order wasready to be picked up in a week.” His eyes softened against her own now softfeatures, taking every plan-containing paper from her hands and dropping them to their masterbed, before refocusing on her. “She came to help with the preparations and then to stay with little bug when we leave for our trip and you know how she sports thosefreaky dark lipsticks all the time, so I believe the smudged stain came fromwhen she hugged me in full force upon running off the arrivals like a madwoman.” He laughed slightly at that, before turning serious again. “I can callPolly or Jellybean to confirm all of these right now, or if you think they wouldbe lying on my behalf, you can call the restaurant yourself or I can drop bythe travel agency tomorrow and see if I can get our tickets earlier, I don’tknow…”He tried to list all the possible solutions for her to believe him with asigh. “I just want you to know that—” Betty cut him off, fingers going to hischapped lips.

“You love me.” She whisperedthrough her silent tears, green eyes turning up to look at him in remorse.

“Of course I do, you dork.” Hesmirked adorably down at her, enveloping her inside his arms.

“Even when I become a psychoticbitch still from all the bumped up hormones?” she pouted in all cuteness, hiccuppinga little around the words.

“Then, even more so.” He toldher truthfully bopping his nose against hers. “Even though we both know that’snot the hormones talking; you’re being a spitfire like always.” He reminded herwith clever raised eyebrows, making her fake a groan in defeat.

“I was just scared that youwere going to leave me.” She admitted in a small girly voice, letting herconcerns flow out of her now burden-free chest.

“How can I possibly leave thesource of my breathing?” Jughead stated beautifully in a heartbeat. “Seriously,Betts, after all those years, do you really think that I would ever cheat on you?” he pulled back alittle to look at her, eyes turning a tad sad at the thought of her not trustinghim or his genuine and intense feelings completely.

Betty shook her head to easehis mind. “I just… I mean I still look like a whale on steroids, I wouldn’t blame youfor losing your interest.” She shrugged with a perpetual pout on her wet lips,buttoning and unbuttoning a button of his shirt, not daring to look him in theeye.

“What are you talking about?You look more breathtaking than ever, babe.” He rushed to validate her worth asa human being and as an amazing woman. “And I believe you know what you’redoing to me every time my eyes linger a little longer on that sinfully sexybody of yours.” His voice dropped an octave and became huskier, effectively sendingshivers down her spine as he whispered next to her ear and dropped a simplekiss against her pulse point, though enough to make her heart hummer inside herchest. 

“However, you being jealous of me, is still quite entertaining to watch.” he teased her with a cocky smirk and earned a smack against his chest and a “watch it, mister” look under her eyelashes, both of them landing in a fit of giggles.

“I really don’t deserve you.And all those things you organized, Juggie, you shouldn’t have.” She ran herhands up his arms and rested them behind his neck, lifting herself on her tiptoes torest her forehead against his in affection.

“Oh, of course I did.” He whispered,pecking her lips once. “Anything for the woman of my life.” He stated with somuch love and devotion in his eyes that Betty swore he fell in love with himall over again in that moment. “Just please, try to act surprised on the actualday, okay? Polly and I had a bet on whether or not I’ll crack and spilleverything to you and I really don’t wanna face the life-long mockery of yoursister.” He admitted in all seriousness and Betty laughed, head thrown back injoy, before promising him that and many more inside the heated kisses thatfollowed.

2k followers little prompts

[seengularity]

Silent Killer

Pairing: none

Summary: Everyone has secrets. Do you think some secrets should be told?

Word Count: 2.9k

Warning: small talk about depression, mention of suicide, lots of pain, someone dies and sadness

A/N: I hope you all enjoy reading this. I tried not to mention any gender so that ALL genders can enjoy reading it. I tried making this as sad as possible for those of you who need a good cry once in a while.

 The sickening hospital smell had done it to you. The smell of cleaning product and sickness made you race to the restroom and made you expel the contents of that mornings breakfast.

You thought that by now the smell wouldn't bug you, but it did.

Chemotherapy. It's not a word people want to hear and certainly not something they want to go through. But, for those of us with cancer, we often don't have a choice.

You remembered how terrified you were of getting your first chemotherapy treatment.

Would I be sick? Would I have a reaction to the medication? Would I be in a room by myself or with other chemo patients?

You really didn't know what to expect the first day.

At Stockdale Hospital, you had a TV, Internet access, a recliner and best of all warm blankets.

They also had food service at lunch and dinner if someone were to get hungry.

Once you were in the infusion suite, the nurse ordered the chemotherapy, calling it a "cocktail". Although you could never see it as a cocktail.

It usually took at least 30 minutes for the drugs to arrive. Some of the pre-medications were steroids, anti-nausea medications and/or anxiety medications. You always thought they were useless because you felt nauseous and tired regardless.

Within that meantime, your nurse accessed your "Power Port". If a person didn't have one, then the nurse will just start an IV in the arm. In your case, you had an IV.

As soon as the medications were delivered, your nurse hung the bags of medication on the IV stand and then walked off to start someone else's IV.

The steroids they gave you were meant to give you energy, but the anti-anxiety drugs they gave also made you sleepy.

Every so often, the nurse would come in and check your vitals to make sure you weren't having some kind of allergic reaction to the medicine. She would come every five minutes, which was a total of four times, because you always had to have chemo done for twenty minutes.

Within that time, you contemplated on how you were lucky that you were still doing credit card scams. If it wasn't for the scams, you had no idea how else you would pay for the therapy.

The IV stand is mobile, so if you wanted to, you could roll it with you in case you wanted to take a walk or sit outside. Which was usually never, because you were always so tired.

After the chemotherapy was finished, the nurse flushed your IV line with saline and then took out your IV.

Most times, they have you wait 30 minutes after the chemotherapy is done to make sure you don't have any reactions to the medications. You haven't had any reactions within the past two years, but your first year of chemo was filled with allergic reactions. You assumed your body grew accustomed to the medicine, but the nurse always wanted to be sure and safe.

At that point, you were allowed to go home. You were excited to go home and sleep. That's basically all you've been doing anyways.

::

"Hey, where were you? We've been calling you all morning."

You didn't want to hear it. You heard the nagging every single time you came back from chemo. But all you wanted to do was sleep.

"I was out for breakfast." You lied to him and adjusted the beanie you were wearing. You lying straight to his face has become a norm now.

"And you couldn't call?" He had wide angry eyes and you were nothing but annoyed.

"Phone died." You continued walking to your room, from the library room that was in the bunker. You walked past his brother and he stopped in his tracks, but you continued to walk.

"Hey Y/N, you okay? We were worried about you."

Again. You understood they wanted to make sure you were safe, but at this point, you were dead whether you were out there wrestling with monsters or in here sleeping in your bed.

You ignored him. Back slouched and feet dragging, you finally made it to your room. You flopped your body onto the bed, feeling heavy as ever. You were cold but your body was so tired, you couldn't even move. Surely and slowly and then all at once, your brain followed suit and you fell asleep.

::

You woke up and checked the time.

9:10

You couldn't tell if it was a.m. or p.m. considering there were zero windows in your room and the bunker.

You got up, feeling slightly nauseous but no longer tired, you made your way out of the room and into the kitchen. You adjusted your beanie and reached for a cup in the cupboard.

You poured yourself some water and ice and downed it in one go. You didn't realize how thirsty you were until you felt the coldness of the water stream down your throat.

You heard footsteps behind you but you didn't bother to look.

"Hey Y/N." Was all that was said from the deep and raspy voice.

You turned around and faced towards him, and tried to smile the best you could.

"Hey." You said back to Dean.

"I know I always ask you this, but, are you alright? You don't look too good and you haven't looked good for a while now."

You nodded your head and tried to straighten your posture the best you could. You felt slight pain, and you knew that by the end of the day, your pain was going to become agonizingly worse.

"Okay just let me or Sam know if you need anything, alright?"

You nodded your head and the green eyed man walked out of the kitchen.

You poured yourself more water and walked to the fridge to get some food out. Ever since you had to start chemo, you've had to change your diet from greasy foods to green foods.

You took out a salad box, that you bought yourself the other day, and brought your water and salad to the table in the library. You sat down on one of the hard wooden chairs, wincing in pain as you slowly sat down.

"You okay Y/N?" Sam said from behind you.

"Yeah, I'm okay Sammy."

"You sure? You looked like you were in pain trying to sit down." He walked around from behind you to look at your face. "Not to mention you look like you haven't slept in days when you just slept for a whole day when you came back from your 'breakfast'."

He air quoted the word "breakfast" and all you did was roll your eyes.

"Sam please. Not today." You adjusted your beanie again, trying to make sure it stayed on your head.

"Then when?!" He shouted. You closed your eyes in pain, your head throbbing and pounding against your skull.

Sam noticed your expression and lowered his voice.

"Then when? Dean and I know something is up with you. Did a werewolf bite you or did a vampire get to you or something?"

You shook your head with every assumption he had.

"Then what is it?"

You looked into his eyes and you could see he was pained seeing you like this. A tear fell from your eye and all you did was close them. You couldn't tell them. You didn't have the audacity to let them know that you've had cancer for the past three years and have been hiding it from them ever since.

You shook your head again. "I can't tell you guys."

"Why not?" Sam asked with sad eyes.

"I just can't. Please just try to understand. I'll be okay. I am okay. I promise."

Your heart broke with those last two words. You knew you were making a promise that would break soon.

"You have a few months left." Those were the words the doctor gave you every single time you walked in to receive your chemotherapy.

You knew that in a few months, you will be leaving Sam and Dean soon, yet here you were, being extremely selfish with the information that you had about yourself. You just couldn't find the courage to tell them.

"Hey, I think I found ourselves a vampire's nest. I think the three of us should check it out." Dean said as he walked into the library and took a seat across from you and Sam.

You nodded in agreement, as did Sam.

::

There were three vamps left. Sam and Dean went after one each, and you went after the third one. You were running as quick as you could, but you felt as if your lungs were going to collapse.

You were finally catching up to your vamp, when you turned a corner and the vamp had no other way out.

The male vampire hissed at you and drew out his teeth. You readjusted your beanie and brought your arms up to swing the machete you had, but your body began to lose its balance and you felt as if you could no longer control your muscle movement.

First, your body dropped to the floor, then all at once, you became unconscious and your eyes slowly closed, enveloping you in nothing but darkness.

::

Beep. Beep. Beep.

That sound sounded familiar.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

You knew it was a heart monitor before you even opened your eyes.

That smell. Oh that smell. It was always just enough to want to make you barf, and in some occasions, it actually did.

The feeling was coming, and it was coming quick. You opened your eyes quickly and adjusted to your environment as fast as possible. You looked around for a restroom and ran to it, dragging your connected IV with you.

You slammed the door shut and hunched over the toilet. Expelling nothing but stomach acid, you continued to dry heave until your body decided it was enough. You wiped your mouth with your hand and flushed the toilet. With all of your strength, you closed your eyes and pushed yourself up off the floor and walked to the sink. You turned on the cold water and rinsed the disgusting taste from your lips and mouth.

You shut the water off and opened your eyes to look at your reflection in the mirror that was above the sink.

You gasped and took a step back. Your face was a pale white and you had bags under your eyes. Your eyes were bloodshot red and your lips were cracking from being so dry. Not to mention, someone removed your beanie from your head.

You stood there with your mouth gaped as you took in your bald head and pale face. You looked sick and you were barely able to recognize yourself in your reflection.

You realized that now, you look like a sick cancer patient. Those cancer movies don't exaggerate when they show people that are pale white with no hair.

You took a minute to process the way you looked and then thought about how you even got here in the first place.

You remembered blacking out at the vamps nest but everything after that is nothing but black.

You began to grow nervous, because you knew Sam and Dean took you to the hospital. You slowly made your way out of the bathroom and looked around your hospital room.

The couch and the chair looked like they've been slept on and there was food on the table that was eaten already.

You got back into bed slowly, your body aching with every movement.

Once in the bed, you slowly laid your head back and closed your eyes.

Although you didn't fall asleep, laying right there in that bed with no noise inside the room, was the most peaceful you've ever felt.

That was until you heard heavy footsteps walk into your room.

You knew it wasn't a nurse who walked in so you kept your eyes closed.

You heard movement across the room and then you heard the footsteps stop at the couch and the chair.

You opened your eyes and lifted your head, to see Sam and Dean sitting down staring at you.

You stared back at them and you could see anger and hurt in their eyes. You stood quiet and waited for them to say something first because quite frankly, you didn't have the energy to even speak.

"When were you going to tell us?" Dean was the first to break the furious silence.

All you did was shrug your shoulders. That alone felt like it took all your energy to do.

"That's it? That's all we get from you is a...," Dean mimicked the way you shrugged your shoulders and continued talking. "Three years Y/N. You knew you had leukemia for three years and you never thought about telling us?! We became family! You've been family ever since we saved you from that djinn! We brought you in and considered you a Winchester for ten years, but you didn't think it mattered to tell us you had cancer?!"

You closed your eyes in pain. Where the heck are the nurses when you need them?

Dean sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "I need some air." He said and walked right out of the room.

You stared at the doorway, thinking Dean would come back in and apologize for being dramatic, but he never did.

You looked back at Sam who was staring angrily at you all the while having a sad look as well.

"Why Y/N? We love you but you don't tell us. Why? That's all I want to know." His face dropped and he look as if he was about to cry.

Your heart began to break knowing that Dean and Sam were acting like this because of you. You took a deep breath and answered his question.

"Because I couldn't." You said simply.

Sam brought his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

You shook your head, but stopped immediately because of the nausea that was arriving.

"I couldn't. I didn't have the courage to tell you guys. I had depression for about a year before I finally realized that I was, in fact, going to die. No amount of chemotherapy or radiation would have helped. So I hid it from you both. I thought I was saving you guys the heartache that I had when I found out."

Warm tears began falling from your eyes as you were talking. Small tears turned into a full sob and Sam was right by your side, caressing your head.

You moved over for Sam to get in bed with you, and he did. His long body hung over the bed, and he continued to hug you until your sobbing subsided. Fortunately for you, you fell asleep against his chest to the soft sound of his heartbeat.

::

"Dean, I really think you should apologize. I already told you why she did what she did. She didn't want us to be sad like the way she was when she found out."

You heard Sam's voice talking right outside of your door. You opened your eyes wider and tried listening in on his conversation with his brother.

"She lied to us Sam!" Dean shouted.

"No actually she didn't. She tried protecting us and our feelings. Which is something that you seem to be skipping over in your head."

You heard a heavy sigh and movement outside your door.

Dean walked in first and made eye contact with you. His eyes were angry at first, but then changed to sorrow.

"Hey Y/N, how are you feeling?"

You smiled and slightly laughed. "Like a train hit me a million times."

"That bad huh? What's it like to have cancer?" He asked sincerely.

"To be honest? I can feel my body dying. I can feel myself becoming worse and not getting any better. I feel like I want to kill myself because I'm going to die anyway, but I'm also scared to do it. My bones hurt all the time as does my head, and I am always tired and nauseous."

Dean frowned at your words and he walked up to you. He brought the side of your blanket up and searched for your hand. When he found it, he entwined his fingers with yours.

"I wish you would've told us when you found out Y/N. I know we couldn't have stopped the cancer from growing, but it would have been nice to go through this with you. You know, so you wouldn't have to deal with it by yourself."

You softly nodded your head. "I know Dean, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to put this burden on you guys. You two have enough going on as it is."

Dean bent over and kissed your head softly, lingering his kiss for a few seconds.

"I love you, Y/N. Sam and I both do." Dean looked at Sam and you looked at Sam and he nodded in agreement.

"At least now, all three of us can go through this together." Sam said as he walked up to your bed and grabbed your other hand. He placed a gentle kiss on your pink knuckles.

::

April 29, 1990 - May 8, 2017 Here lies loving friend and sister Y/F/N Y/L/N R.I.P. sweetheart

TAGS: @senselesssamii

[jenhikes]

The Pistol Ultra - Race Recap

I recently toed the line to run my first ever ultramarathon.  For those of you who follow me on social media you probably know by now that I ultimately finished the race, too!  While the euphoria of running The Pistol is definitely not wearing off any time soon, I'm about to dive into training for my second marathon, so I wanted to get this race recap up and going before I get too deep into training.  This week's Sunday Runday post will be all about The Pistol Ultra Weekend - the best way I've ever rung in a New Year!

This entire weekend basically started off for me on Friday afternoon.  I hadn't run this race and actually had never been to the location of the race before, so I headed out to the "almost mandatory" pre race meeting to pick up my swag bag and bib.  Lazarus Lake, the founder of the Barkley Marathons, happened to be the keynote speaker of this mini expo and was doing a clinic while I was there, so it was pretty quiet when I was in to get my bib as you can imagine.  This race offers four distances - a 50K, 100K, 50-miler, and 100-miler.  When I was inside there were tons of people in line to pick up for the 50K and tons of people for the 100-miler.  I guess those are the most popular distances for this race!  I was through the line pretty quick and was ushered through by helpful volunteers to pick out all my race swag - a nice water bottle from Orange Mud, some Zen Evo chocolate, and two shirts - a cotton Tee and a hoodie!  While you're in line getting your freebies, you also get your chance to attempt to win the markmanship award - given to the runner who guesses their actual finish time as close as they can.  While I ended up doing pretty well (was off by about 4:29) the winner actually was only off by FOUR SECONDS!

So Saturday morning is race day! I was glad I went to the venue beforehand because the 50K parking is actually not in the same place as the rest of the event - it's further down the road.  Since we had to leave the house at 5:30 a.m. I was grateful we weren't trying to find parking in the dark!  Prerace they offered bagels and cream cheese with fruit for the runners, so I had a half bagel and a half banana while trying to calm my nerves.  I also chewed a good handful of dark chocolate espresso beans thanks to my boss, Vesna!  Just after the sun came up, Will, the race director, ushered runners outside for the national anthem.  The 50K runners got into the chute first to take off, while the 100K and 100-milers were paced behind us a few minutes.  Almost immediately, I could tell this race was going to be different.  While in the chute I socalized with many people who were doing an ultra for the first time.  Some of them stood casually, drinking coffee, saying their only goal was to finish.  With a 30-hour cut-off, this race is more than just walker friendly - it's nap friendly!  When the starting gun went off you could tell many people were just out to enjoy themselves and take it easy.  It was so much different than going to a race where there is elbowing and vying for space on the course!

Miles 1-10

I really enjoyed that this race started off by going downhill.  I took it easy at a gentle pace and the pack thinned out pretty quickly.  This race runs loops of approximately 10 miles on the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway system, so once we left Alcoa High School we headed down and ran the Greenway following Pistol Creek the whole way (you were probably wondering where that cool name came from, weren't you?).  About 4 miles in a photographer was grabbing photos of runners jumping.  My photo is ridiculous. I apparently really need to work on those jump skills next year!  About 5 miles in was the first time I passed the famous Woody's Aid Station, which is basically a trail magic stop on steroids.  We ran a little loop in downtown Maryville before making our way back past Woody's and back to Alcoa High School.  I was feeling surprisingly good and enjoying the rolling small hills on the Greenway.  I had planned to change my shoes at the 10-mile mark, but since I was feeling alright I called NoKey on my way back to the high school and told him just to meet me with The Stick so I could roll out my legs to keep them loose.  I knew I was running a little faster than I would have liked, but I was still feeling good and vowed to not take a break until the half marathon mark.  I gave him my gloves and Buff, refilled my Tailwind, and kept on running. 

Miles 10-20

I knew I'd need to slow down through this second lap and that it would also be inevitable I'd slow down.  I gave myself the mental mile marker of 13.1 before I would take a walk break.  Now, one thing that I absolutely hate is walking during a race.  I knew with an ultra taking walk breaks were going to be something I just DID, but telling myself it was okay was another thing altogether!  When I hit the half marathon mark I took a walk break for a little under a half a mile.  Those teeny, tiny greenway hills were starting to feel a little bit bigger now anyway and conserving energy for a strong finish was my goal.  By the time I got running again I realized my stomach was ANGRY and wanted food!  When I got to Woody's again I gave myself the goal of running back to it before stopping again.  I grabbed myself a piece of homemade banana bread and a few homemade trail mix bars and ran while I ate.  This simple act got me lots of cheers from spectators and runners alike - telling me they liked my style.  I told them it wasn't my first time stuffing my face and running!  It's like I trained for this moment during most of my thru hikes! I intermittently stopped to walk every mile or so, power walking or slow jogging in between picking my pace back up.  By mile 19 I had called NoKey to come out and meet me with The Stick, some new socks, and new shoes.  The hill heading up to the high school seemed enormous now and many were speed walking the hills to conserve energy.  I plopped on the ground and changed my socks and shoes before rolling out my quads and taking off again.  

Miles 20-30

For my final lap I didn't hear the "what the hell am I doing out here?!" voice I normally hear this late into a race.  I was oddly calm and at ease, almost like I knew I was going to finish and wasn't bothered at how slow I was moving.  One thing I did take advantage of on this lap were the benches!  I would stop at a bench to sit and stretch my IT bands or I would use it as a prop to do lunges without worrying about not being able to get back up.  Every mile or so I stretched quickly to keep my muscles happy.  On this lap the sun began to disappear and every once in a while it would sprinkle lightly.  Despite the cold and sprinkles, there were still lots of spectators out cheering and having fun.  It was definitely a morale booster!  By the time I hit mile 25 I was getting tired, but still didn't feel myself giving up hope.  Although, I did have the thought that if I were running a marathon I'd be almost finished by now!  I passed Woody's the final time and stocked back up on that delicious banana bread and trail mix bars.  A volunteer filled my water and Tailwind while another asked if I'd like something hot to drink since the wind had picked up and temperatures were dropping.  I passed on the hot drink and continued to stuff my face while running away.  While I was in the process of alternating slow jog/slow run I saw lots of other runners doing the same, people cheering us when we picked back up the pace and us doing it for others in return.  It was an amazingly supportive running community.  I called NoKey on my way up that hill (which now felt like a mountain) back to the high school before finishing my final mile.  Now I was suddenly feeling reenergized and ready to tackle that big finish!

Mile 30-31.5

After running the final out-and-back mile, I was super disappointed when I ran through the finisher's chute that they were having technical problems.  When you grab your bib at the expo they denote your first ever ultra and they told me the announcer would cheer you on at the finish.  Due to a glitch, they said I was some guy from Kingsport, TN.  I let out a loud cheer anyway and finished happily in 5:50:36.  (and that was with approximately 15 minutes of stopped time according to my Garmin!)  I was quickly ushered inside by a volunteer and, while I was waiting for my official results due to said glitch, another volunteer grabbed me a bottle of water.  Once the results finally printed out, I discovered I was 20th overall female and 52nd out of 201 runners.  Not bad considering my lack of actual training!  They ushered me off to get my medal, take my finisher photo, and then hand me my finisher visor and T-shirt.  I chugged chocolate milk and ate a banana before heading over to the Quest Therapy tent to have my quads stretched my the pros.  I was definitely thankful they were there helping us all out!

I was overall so happy with my experience at The Pistol and I would definitely recommend this race to any runner wanting to try their first attempt at ultra running!  I'll definitely be back next year and, provided I get the time to actually train, am even considering jumping up another level to a different distance.  If all of this wasn't enough to convince you to try an ultra, check out my review over on Bibrave.  

What's the toughest thing you've ever attempted?  How did you feel when you finished?  Did it make you push the envelope to try more difficult things?

[broomsticksandliquorice]

Magical Pest Patrol

This was, in retrospect, probably the most idiotic moment the two girls had shared in their ten years of having known each other. A solution yes, but a good one?

 "Hold on! That doesn't fit there!" Astrid punctuated in a panicked state. Her voice would have been almost entirely rivalled by the sound of several thousand angry doxies swarming around the two twenty-somethings if it weren’t for its high frequency and pitch matching their tiny wings. Stressed and wound-up tight. Emotions were high between the pair, and were tempting a freak out at any second if at least one could not solve the problem at hand. To put it briefly, some poor unwitting tourist or native, rediscovering London, had disturbed a considerably large nest of grudge holding violent pixies, in attempt to take out money from an ATM. It had angered the doxies, who had until that point, rather enjoyed their new residence, and had unleashed their fiery rage upon him and the entire street. Now the man lay with a layer of hives and sting welts over the majority of his body, being subsequently hoisted off by a large ministry worker to have his memory wiped and his body healed. Louisa shivered at the thought, but maintained her belief that the fairly sized vile of potion from Potions Master Mills could realistically fit into the envelope dispenser of the cash-point. It could work, right? Of course it could.

 Astrid swatted her hands out of the way where they had been incessantly jabbing at the tiny buttons to open an ATM port, alarming the auror’s dog companion who began to loudly bark and no doubt attain attention from streets away. No she didn’t want to file a cheque, she wanted to file the damn potion. Louisa reflexively growled but stomped away from the fowl contraption. Instead, she commanded the wolf-hound away and relinquished to fending off the swarming creatures with every legal offensive curse she knew. "What do you mean, it doesn't fit there? That's the only place it can fit!" Lou cawed over her shoulder, distracted just enough to be the victim of a razor sharp claw, tearing the delicate flesh of her face like a paper cut on steroids. The redhead was beyond unamused, and now- well, she was being subjected to increasing levels of pain as each strike befell her and not the protected blonde. She took in a strong, deep breath, causing her nostrils to flare out through the shear frustration. "What else are we gonna do?! Ask it nicely to, please, eat this fucking bottle. Az, it's a Neanderthal muggle toy. The most it can do is- OW!-“ another malicious attack. “-give me worthless money!"

 "Don't you think I already know that!?" Astrid confronted the auror with a look of urgent exasperation, she waved around the potion bottle in her hand, frothing it. They were truly at a loss for what to exactly do with it now, ‘Plan A through D’ were completely useless. If Astrid wasn’t so peripherally aware of her surroundings, the only remaining solution to their problem would have cleverly flew away with the hive-mind of the biting pixies as one attempted to snap it away from the blonde. Louisa, unbelieving, pointed to her hand and then fought the urge to snatch it away before, now dumfounded, she watched her friend physically punch the pixie from the air and back a fair few metres with her unoccupied hand. Damn, Lou gawked. The thought that Maescia was going to kill Astrid, was clearly deep set in the potion apprentice’s mind, and an army of evil bloody fairies in muggle territory, was also painfully and obviously a good enough reason for bringing violence to her surface. Astrid cringed, rubbing her knuckles but regardless, went back to her quickened attempts at prying open the machine.

 In the flurry of adrenaline, the blonde had completely missed Louisa, regaining her notion of purpose and shifting effortlessly into her animagus form; as Az liked to call it, a big, grey, hella’ angry wolf. And now it had a temper so great it was near terrifying if you didn’t know it was the lovable goofball underneath. With the looming fate of demotion in her department, it was apparent this too, for Louisa, was a good enough cause for any nosy muggle to witness her transformation abilities. The witch’s companion, Totem, a similarly coloured canine, followed his owner in aggressively plucking mouthfuls of creatures from the swarm and viciously ripping them from side to side.

 "Uh- good job... Dog?" Astrid grimaced. “But I um- it wouldn’t...” The pair bared their teeth in thanks, a gruesome sight considering the emerald blood. Wolf Lou, further acknowledged the potions apprentice with a puff of breath before she continued on her bloody trail to thin the numbers attacking them. “... I can’t find a way to-... You know what... Fuck it!” Astrid took from their continued violence that she was alone in figuring out the rest of the puzzle, which wasn't exactly the best news of the day considering they were on a time constraint, or the actual case. No, you know what, she acknowledged, they had used up that time constraint, and were now royally boned as screams broke out around the pair in reaction to both the swarm and the two grizzly wolves that were hunting the aforementioned swarm on the streets of London.

 Astrid frantically prodded the little red, yellow and green buttons as if it were a ciphered code, by this point trying absolutely anything; then, when that didn’t work, she 'attempted' a charm on the machine’s locking system which resulted in a fast stream of cash firing out the ATM’s little slot like water from an Aguamenti Spell.

 "Great! Regina is going to kill me!” The girl exclaimed. “It's my third week on the job, you know Louisa. I was supposed to just be delivering this to the ministry, but no, it would be fun you said, come on an adventure with me, you said. God! I'm going to be fed to the bores. And Mother's probably going to kill me too and I don't even want to think about-" The wolf howled, the noise akin to human laughter. Maescia was really going to be on the war path considering she was the ministry head of experimental magic... And they were failing at it miserably. "I'm glad you find it so funny!"

 Astrid shielded her face from the little green bills and pushed on, trying to convince herself that they were in no way inhibited by this little development. After all, it was her self-appropriated mission to press every button combination available, because they had not taught her about this blasted device in muggle studies, god damnit!  "What do I do? Just throw it at it?" The blonde was testing this theory out when a hand, marred with an incomprehensible amount of tiny cuts, joined her and wrapped around her own, smashing their closed fists through the machine's lowest port, thanks to the help of a little magic. Remarkably, the metal gave way with no resistance, like a piercing hot poker into plastic.

It was no news to Astrid that Louisa had returned to being human, and without really having to look back, she felt that the auror was now practically blanketed around her herself as they attempted what Lou coined to be reckless incarnate. And it worked... Basically. "Worth a try!" The redhead gritted. The potion vile shattered upon contact and rapidly seeped, almost sentient into the machinery and subsequently over the hive of doxy that had formed within. It was a repellent of sorts.

 The ATM emitted a high pitch alarm, signalling its destruction and a blasted a heavy plume of thick, deep red smoke from its ‘mouth’. The muggle invention, was clever and apparently now consuming both the now useless hunk of metal self and the witches who were still elbow deep inside its inner workings. Nightingale and Montbane burst back in disgust, gagging and spluttering from the sour taste and odour the muggle technology vengefully thanked them with. They withdrew their hands from the new fist-shaped hole like it was a fire and fell back together in shock, intertwined and tumbling back and over the low pavement boundary. Muggles nil, magic one!

Astrid was first to look away and to her friend, who was busied with calling for her missing companion, disappeared after the initial alarm. Louisa was now stained from head to toe by a rusty red smear of ash, or was it stained? She really hoped it wasn’t permanent. "Was that a force charm you just used?" Astrid pondered. “Like, from ‘Merlin’s writings’ force charm?”

 Lou grinned, although still somewhat preoccupied. "In the flesh~ the big bad boss just taught me it the other day."

 Threat corrected, Nightingale, in a similarly red predicament to the auror, became more casual in her approach to her childhood friend. "Nice. Very effective." She coughed and dust cascaded down her shoulders with the abrupt movement. A no-nonsense 'Mhm' was all the thanks Astrid received for this compliment however. By the time the situation had been successfully corrected and the hive had evacuated from the ATM, countless brave muggles had gathered to ogle the strange looking girls and were in the revelling in snapping photographs of the scene with their silly little mobile call devices.

"So are you going to obliviate them or am I?" The potions apprentice quipped in a low whisper. Her voice loud enough only for the ministry employee to hear. "Because I might explode their heads considering my ‘talent’ with charms... And to be honest, I don't know what else I can realistically convince them this was, except a freak beehive incident... in a currency dispenser..."

 They were pest controllers seemingly in this scenario.

 Upon this revelation, a rumbling bark signalled the return of Totem to Louisa’s delight. He had apparently gone chasing the creatures away from public sight in attempt to please his owner. With this excellent news under her belt, an exceptionally more settled Louisa retrieved her wand and slowly, as to not distress any of the muggles more than necessary, even more carefully enchanted their memories with Astrid’s little white lie. She had to except that a bad lie was better than none after all.

 So there they sat, after the almighty worst day so far in their respective careers, but maybe the most entertaining, waiting for the A-OK from Louisa’s boss and the mythical goddess Regina Mills. The impromptu meeting called soon after the events regarded their unorthodox approach to clearing up that day’s fiasco, leaving the two young women to stew, looking more like soon to be sentenced criminals than the saviours they were. Astrid was adamant she shouldn’t have been caught up in it and Louisa was mildly offended that Tricia hadn’t stopped her from suggesting it in the first place.

 She was the first to laugh however. “Guess you could say we bumbled through that one,” The auror poorly joked. She didn’t even attempt to address her friend head on as the potioneer drummed her fingers out exasperatedly on the metal grating of their bench. Astrid’s reaction was undoubtedly the same it always was each and every attempt Louisa made at trying to be funny.

 "Don't try to be cool." The blonde snapped, but she did however smile, thanking her comic relief.

 "Oi, Can’t give a girl points for trying. They do have our backs in there, I promise. And I mean, bee positive, at least we’re still al-hive." Louisa was sharply struck on the shoulder for that one, a precise motion and something which just screamed Maescia. “Hey! Hey~ Quit it... Buzz kill, you’re not your mother.” The auror heard her friend audibly groan and grinned proudly. “I can’t beelieve-“

 “For the love of god, please stop!”