#this duo came to my mind by accident but damn THEY REALLY LOOK SO COOL TOGETHER ????

[kukumber265363829910373700000]

what if they kiss.... no no well just think about it theoretically

[mizutori-heiko]

Mizutori’s bakudeku fanfiction master list [complete works]

Really really good writing by these incredible authors. In no particular order! These are all Top!Bakugou and Bottom!Deku. If A/B/O dynamics then it’s Alpha!Bakugou and Omega!Deku. Yes, I have preferences.

Canon World – until 15k

What The Fuck Did You Just Call Me? by reading_raindrop | 8,303 | Izuku starts calling him Bakugou and it pisses the explosive teen off a lot more than he thought it would.

Oh right, you were a little sh*t by SaysiWrites | 5,653 | When Midoriya Izuku gets hit by an age-reversion Quirk, the last thing anyone expected to find out is that Toddler-Izuku is a little shit. Except for one Bakugou Katsuki, who has seen this phase one too many times already. (Bonus+ the entire Little Sh*t (Kidfic) series)

Do Not Disturb by surveycorpsjean | 10,010 | Apply enough force, and something is bound to break.

And Atlas fell by supercrunch | 15,185 | They move in together, after a while. Katsuki joins Best Jeanist and Izuku trains under Gran Torino. They still take comfort in each other every day, curl up in bed and kiss and talk about how life is going. Their live are tumultuous, after all, what with villains and training and rescuing people every week. It’s nice to have something certain. At the end of a day filled with violence and adrenaline, Izuku knows he can come home to someone concrete. It’s perfect. Being a hero is scary and grueling and uncertain, but this part is just right. And then, one day, a child dies in Izuku’s arms.

be loved by bonnia | 5,403 | The kidnapping incident leaves bakugou traumatised about being touched on the back of his neck, and midoriya decides to take matters into his own hands.

Big Protein by Mysecretfanmoments | 13,683 | Bakugou Katsuki has a thriving hero career, an agent to manage his famous attitude, and absolutely zero romantic interest in anyone. With the exception of his favourite health food joint refusing to expand to his city, his life is pretty damn perfect—so why does a viral video revealing Deku's stash of dirty mags involving him and Deku together turn everything upside-down?

Chocolate cake and resin preserved flowers by Anoksun | 11,396 | Izuku loses his memories. Katsuki struggles not to lose Izuku too.

Twin Stars by theperksofbeinglarissa | 8,435 | When Deku saves a woman's life, her quirk is accidentally activated. Her quirk? She reveals a person's soulmate. A star-shaped mark appears on Midoriya's left arm... and on Bakugou's as well. Kirishima is the only one who knows that Bakugou is Midoriya's soulmate, and Bakugou isn't taking the news very well. Can the twin stars of class 1-A work out their differences and find their happy ending?

Unhealthy Fixations by Thesis | 12,522 | Izuku is an adult who knows better than to crush on his childhood bully. AND YET.

Like the Moon by osakakitty | 14,781 | Katsuki Bakugo is having constant, erotic dreams about Izuku Midoriya. He isn’t sure why, but they won’t go away. In order to make them stop, he needs to figure out what Izuku Midoriya means to him.

Worth a Second Shot by cinnabee | 13,080 | Katsuki and Izuku celebrate registering as a Hero Duo together with a big party. What could go wrong?

Like Something Out of A Shoujo Manga by Merrywetherweather | 2,971 | Deku ends up in a rather interesting quirk accident, one that triggers flag events as if he were the protagonist of an otome game.

Canon World – 15k++

Blood Moon by lalazee | 94,860 | The Thank-Fuck-We-Aren’t-Dead Sex had started then, and had never really stopped. Then came the feelings and the fights. The ego, the pride, the jealousy. And then there was Us.

The Way You Used To Do by edema_ruh | 669,463 | During a battle, Midoriya gets hit by a villain whose quirk detaches his soul from his body. Stuck in a ghost-like state, the boy enters a race against time in order to save himself from permanently dying. Much to his luck - or lack of it -, the only person who can see and talk to him in this state is no one other than Kacchan.

Just Like Breathing by MD_Daydreamer | 35,423 | Izuku got engaged. He didn't mind. If that made Uraraka happy, he could do it. He thought his life wouldn't change much.But then, Kacchan went to live in the USA.

briar roses (and hundred years of sleep) by vannral | 15,951 | In which Izuku is hit by a ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Quirk, Class 3-A tries to find his True Love and get them to kiss him, and Katsuki’s very angry about it all.

"what's your type?" by sapphicflower | 20,192 | In order to increase their popularity rankings as up and coming pro heroes, Izuku and Katsuki participate in the most popular late night talk show for hero duos - ‘Heroes Rising!’. They’re killing it, obviously, because they know each other from inside and out. Until one question stumps the two of them: “What is your hero partner’s type?”

and it was Just Right by cinnabee | 23,759 | Katsuki spends two years post-graduation in a furious one-sided competition with his childhood friend and rival's promotional photos - until they finally run into each other, and, well. You shouldn't believe everything you see in magazines. A love story about size differences.

Notice Me, Nerd by useless_donut | 40,000 | Bakugou is in love with Midoriya. He doesn’t hide it, in fact it’s so painfully obvious that the entire class of 3-A has him figured out in a matter of months (days, in some cases). Too bad Midoriya is the most oblivious motherfucker out there, and Bakugou is too damn stubborn to actually ask him out. A love story as witnessed by the class of 3-A.

in your dreams, nerd! by sapphicflower | 37,639 | In a strange and unexpected set of circumstances, Izuku and Katsuki find themselves sharing their dreams together whenever they happen to fall asleep at the same time. Being hopelessly in love with each other, they don’t mind it all that much. What better way to spend time with your crush than in a stupidly vivid dream?

Hear Me by my_name_is_Levi | 22,419 | It wasn’t as if nightmares were uncommon for the freshman class of Yuuei. They’d seen plenty of things, heard and felt and witnessed enough travesty in their lives to last them a lifetime. But Midoriya Izuku was screaming, and no one, not even Bakugo Katsuki could ignore it.

Bridges by supercrunch | 18,018 | Bakugou is signed up for a Calvin Klein modeling gig. The thing is, they really do need the money. And Katsuki's technically the leader of this bunch of morons, so he finds himself taking the job even though his pride will never recover. And even though nobody thought to tell him that he'd be working with his ex-boyfriend. You know, the cute freckled guy from high school who went and broke his heart. So, yeah. This whole situation kind of sucks.

objective truth by mamalade | 15,390 | Izuku gets hit with a truth quirk, as one does. He seems to be handling it well—until Katsuki shows up.

catharsis by dollcewrites | 15,071 | It's been six years since Izuku graduated.It's been six years since he confessed to his childhood friend; his classmate and his inspiration. It's been six years since he deleted Bakugou's number, asked his friends not to mention the name, spent every last effort of his heart turning off the TV and averting his eyes from the newspapers. It's been six, long, long years since he gave up on Katsuki Bakugou ever loving him back.

Here here, my friends and me (You are my familia) by Jeka | 128,832 | Bakugou Katsuki has made a great job of ignoring the fact that he is tragically in love with Deku, someone who could never love him like that and let's face it, he doesn't deserve. Now that he can't ignore it anymore, he has to find a way to keep his childhood friend and move on for his own sake. Or so he had thought, maybe he can have Deku, after all. Izuku has everything he always wanted in life. But suddenly he has to navigate the most important relationship in his life through different eyes.

Canon World – Jealous! 

Hands Off by SaysiWrites | 7,140 | When a new girl at school starts flirting with Bakugou, his friends quickly become invested in the idea of their friend experiencing love - even if he doesn't seem at all interested in her. What they don't see is Midoriya fuming in the background. But how can he get rid of her when they've spent so long keeping their relationship a secret?

Surfaces by surveycorpsjean | 25,225 | Katsuki has a new girlfriend, but something isn't right. As impossible as it is, Izuku can't help but wonder what it'd be like to be called Katsuki's girl.

Green-Eyed Beast by SecretKiwi | 4,721 | Everyone wants a piece of Katsuki Bakugou, but they should beware of the Green-eyed beast always lurking close behind him.

Green with Envy by Sol_Morales707 | 2,611 | Izuku Midoriya is not as innocent and pure as everyone thinks he is. The truth was he was very jealous and willing to do anything for a certain blonde.

Happy Camper by Arysa | 7,074 | Wanting a break from the stress of dealing with the rookie Pro Hero grind, a handful of students from Class A decide to go on a camping trip. Izuku's excited to relax and catch up with everyone, especially Kacchan. But, well, Kacchan's... Kacchan. And dating Kirishima.

How to stop time: kiss by Teddingtons | 31,693 | Deku finally asks Uraraka out. Everyone's supportive except Bakugou who can't even look him in the eye. Deku seeks him out after and is hit with truth.

What I Deserve by s_the_queen | 16,671 | When Izuku starts dating a student in General Studies, everyone is happy for him. She's super sweet and really caring. But something doesn't sit right with Katsuki.

Deku's Already Fucking Taken by asdfjkl129 | 20,704 | 5 times people don't realize that Deku is already in a very happy relationship and try their hand at asking him out, and then in Bakugou's unique and special style, get very firmly corrected, +1 time where no correction is needed.

His by sister_elric | 6,206 | Izuku would like to consider himself a pretty level headed individual. Sure, he had the occasional tunnel vision, especially when it came to training. And hero work. And Kacchan. But, overall, Midoriya felt as though he typically kept his cool. Well, maybe that was a stretch. But, at the very least he could understand his own emotions. So, it surprised even him when an unfamiliar emotion coursed through him as a first year approached his boyfriend, Katsuki.

Down the Red Line by MinervaHope | 7,804 | Izuku has been able to see the red strings of fate since birth. It's no surprise that his is connected to Katsuki.

Canon World – Fake Relationship Goes Wrong

how he should’ve known (and how it turned out) by vannral | 43,918 | In which Katsuki and Izuku pretend to be a couple to avoid journalists, the plan backfires magnificently because of course it does, and the act goes on. Includes feelings, pining, domestic fluff and jealousy.

Vicious by feelslikefire | 105,173 | Midoriya and Bakugou wind up in the very last position either of them thought they'd be in: Hero Partners. It's not fun, but they learn to cope. Their first big assignment together takes them undercover to infiltrate a cult, but the situation turns out far more sinister than they first thought.

What I can never tell you by Mikacrispy | 27,067 | After living in the US for 5 years, Izuku returns to take care of a concussed Bakugou who believes they're engaged. Now, Izuku has to pretend he's in a relationship with the man he's loved for most of his life, knowing that it's just a matter of time until Katsuki gets better and realizes it's all a lie.

Not-Dating by MiraChaDoodles | 14,290 | Katsuki takes Deku on a not-date to save his career, only to find himself wishing it were real.

we'll do the things that lovers do by ethereals | 29,544 | Izuku gets an invitation to Shouto's wedding and Katsuki is PISSED that he asks Kirishima to be his date (also he wasn't even fucking invited

Canon World – Friends With Benefits (?) 

Four Times Bakugou Katsuki Doesn't Intend to Sleep With Midoriya Izuku (And the One Time that He Does) by fallingraine85 | 17,601 | He hadn’t planned for any of this. He isn’t about to go delving into the ball of yarn that is Midoriya Izuku’s heart; he isn’t equipped to try and untangle and make sense of it all. He isn’t about to try to analyze how he’s feeling about all of this, either.... How many times can you repeat the same mistake?

We Wear Chains on the Weekend by surveycorpsjean | 35,086 | Well, in a day of revelations, it turns out that Izuku isn't as vanilla as Katsuki previously thought. Unfortunately, that fascinating discovery is overshadowed by Izuku's dumbassery, because he has zero concept of aftercare."Don't go to anyone else," Katsuki says, because screw it. He can do a better job anyways. Or; Katsuki finds Izuku on a bad drop.

Just for Now by Shiro_Kabocha | 48,135 | Katsuki's parents are out of town over a school break and to keep him from getting up to any shenanigans, they ask Izuku to house sit with him. What are two teenaged boys to do when left alone to their own devices? (Bonus+ the entire Just for Love series)

safe in the darkness by yoonskisses | 20,855 | Izuku and Katsuki had been meeting up secretly for months, with absolutely no feelings involved. Or so Katsuki thought at least. The dorm gossip about Ochaco and Izuku's new relationship seemed to set a spanner in the works for their arrangement.

Alternative Universe – No Quirks

Bluebird by EtherealBeing | 53,108 | Dialing a wrong number was no unusual occurrence. Everyone did it once in a while, and Katsuki was well aware of that fact. However, possessing this knowledge made it no less aggravating for him to discover — a full two minutes into his rant about his day — that he’d been venting his frustrations to a complete stranger. As if that wasn't enough, said stranger was also inexplicably determined to hear his story to its end.

Someone Borrowed by mynameis152 | 138,996 | It felt like hours that he stared at Izuku, coming to terms with the fact that a man, his childhood best friend, whom he hadn’t seen since their senior year of high school, was there in front of his very eyes. Then his brows furrowed and his jaw clenched before he uttered through gritted teeth the very name Izuku had longed to hear for years. “Deku.”

Dark Side of the Sun by Synnie | 51,598 | Staying up too late playing video games, Kirishima wasn't expecting to get an urgent call begging for help. Next thing he knew, he was letting his classmate Izuku Midoriya take refuge in his apartment - without consulting his always angry roommate.

Manage Me by Justaperson1718 | 10,756 | Izuku becomes Katsuki’s model agent.

Don't Set Your Drink Down by Crandberrycrush | 88,424 | With sudden clarity Izuku realized he had broken the first rule of going out. Never leave your drink unattended.

Livewire by pretty_rekless | 18,160 | Per Ochako's request, Izuku downloads a gay dating app in hopes to finally find a partner. Except every single one of his leads keep ghosting him or standing him up... That is until one hot, fiery blond enters the chat. Grindr/Tinder AU fic.

Drinking Watermelon by warschach | 8,906 | Katsuki works as a camp counselor, and Izuku is a boy made of summer heat and sunlight.

Precious Pet by Mikacrispy | 6,379 | When broke college student Midoriya Izuku found a job that offered lodging, food, and good pay for four hours of work each day, he thought it was too good to be true. But he called anyway. Turns out all he has to do is to be the spoiled little puppy of a rich businessman.

Our Eleven Summers by Dark_Mage_Ayumu | 34,472 | The first time Katsuki met Izuku was when he was eight. For the next eleven years, Izuku changed his life, and no one even knew. Their relationship was something they shared in secret.

sticky note crushes by ladyofsnails | 3,239 | Katsuki hates his roommate. The green-haired, freckled, artsy son of a bitch with his dumb pun t-shirts and paint-stained hands he can’t fucking keep to himself. Katsuki can’t leave a single assignment or paper out in his room because that idiot will just grab anything to draw on it. He’s like a shark that can’t stop swimming else it’ll die – he can’t stop drawing. Ever.

Don't Play Pretend by SweetSide | 10,103 | Actor AU: Deku and Bakugou get the leading roles for an upcoming TV Drama. They weren’t aware that they would be working with each other for who knows how long. It would’ve been completely fine if they weren’t exes.

97.6 FM by jamjars | 32,249 | Izuku can’t stop listening to the radio host with the deep voice who sounds like he’s stuck in 2010. It’s a harmless crush. That is until he starts calling into the show under the pseudonym Deku.

Read {between} Your Lines by greatcloudninja | 52,252 | Midoriya Izuku, up-and-coming actor, has finally hit his big break (...), Bakugou Katsuki, who has been acting for over twenty years.However, Bakugou seems to have it out for Izuku, leading to tension both on and off set. When some incriminating photos surface, the studio suggests (...): having Bakugou and Midoriya fake a relationship to get ahead of the rumors. 

I’m not looking for somebody with some superhuman gifts by PassingShadow | 5,522 | Izuku is a professional cuddler and Katsuki is his new client that’s just a little rough around the edges, and needs a natural healing touch.

Alternative Universe – Quirkless Deku

A Good Old-Fashioned Tattoo AU by lalazee | 14,437 | After their paths had split, Bakugou & Deku meet again as adults. While Bakugou begins to repent for the kid he used to be, he also starts to prove himself as he the man he is now.

Call Me a Safe Bet (I'm Betting I'm Not) by WTTTD | 10,803 | He wished he had some sort of heads up before seeing Deku again for the first time after nearly two years, looking like the essence of a lazy Sunday, smiling and surrounded with brand new, adoring friends. It was a little fitting that Katsuki burned for him so badly. (Support Department Deku)

In Which Kacchan Has a Ruff Time by OneshotPrincess | 14,511 | Bakugou Katsuki gets quirked into a dog, gets adopted by an unknowing Izuku and generally has a very rough few days full of realizations

While You Were Sleeping by Belkacaramelka (annabelleg) | 71,197 | The one where quirkless fanboy Midoriya Izuku rescues Pro Hero Todoroki Shouto, gets mistaken as his fiancé while he is in a coma, and gets caught up in the most unlikely fake engagement... until his childhood enemy and Todoroki's classmate Bakugou Katsuki tries to catch him out, and they both end up discovering a lot more about each other than they'd expected.

Let Me Assist You Personally by Seeress | 32,806 | Izuku is long-suffering Personal Assistant to #1 Pro Hero Dynamight.Dynamight can't keep a PA to save his career. They all quit crying after a few days weeks. Enter, Izuku—with enough money problems to brave the jaws of the cranky beast. Childhood friend turned glorified paid slave. Somehow it all works out. ‘Kill them with kindness’, his mom had told him once. If that were true, Bakugou Katsuki would be stone-cold dead by now.

Smile For The Camera by kurokonekokilled | 19,179 | Midnight has a cam site, home to millions of users, but one catches Katsuki's eye when he goes scrolled through it in search for something to help him release a little stress. A live stream and the best orgasm of his life later, his wallet is lighter, and he might be almost as obsessed with this Deku guy as the cam boy is with him.

Just Like The Comics by brichibi | 24,935 | Where Izuku works at a comic book shop because that’s as close to a hero as he’s gonna get, and Katsuki plays the part of heroic ex-boyfriend who is good at everything except winning Izuku back... maybe

Alternative Universe – Quirks

Get on my Level by Mikacrispy | 92,273 | Bakugou Katsuki is a Pro Hero whose boss demands him to take an intern. Midoriya Izuku is a UA student who needs an internship. When the two of them are put together, they learn about what it truly means to be a Hero and what it means to be in love.

A/B/O – Secret! Baby

Home by Emerald2402 | 87,214 | Midoriya Izuku left Japan in a rush, moving to America without a word to anyone else. But then almost 11 years later he arrives back Home and Bakugou Katsuki's Alpha is furious. Fuck that, Bakugou is furious, because Midoriya Izuku, an omega he tasted one time, has been keeping a very big, very blonde haired, green eyed secret.

Those Under the Same Stars by PerpetuallyPerturbed | 325,553 | When Katsuki Bakugo left Izuku Midoriya five years ago, he thought it was for forever. He put aside dreams and wishes of the omega to focus on his career. He was going to be the best hero, after all. He couldn't have an omega getting in his way. So when he's stopped on the streets one day by a pup begging for help for his mom, he isn't prepared to face what he gave up, and what the consequences of his actions were. (Quirkless Deku)

A/B/O – Quirks

Mark Me. Make Me Yours. by decadentbynature | 10,062 | Midoriya is the only Omega at UA and he's been hiding it well but there's one issue that threatens to expose him: his attraction to an Alpha, Bakugo. After being told to give some paperwork to Bakugo, Midoriya lets him into his dorm room and is immediately overwhelmed by his scent. Unable to help himself, he gives in to his urges, only to be discovered by Bakugo but instead of becoming enraged, Bakugo decides to give Midoriya exactly what he wants

Claim Me by ScientificallySinful (VampireGaaraCheesepuffs) | 114,449 | Being an Alpha has nothing to do with Katsuki's success as a Pro-Hero, the same way Deku's Omega status hasn't kept him from becoming Number Two. Secondary gender doesn't mean anything nowadays and “mating” is an antiquated practice. So when Izuku, his rival, asks Katsuki to Claim him in the middle of the night, there is only one logical thing to say. “What the fuck?”

Change of Plans by Mikacrispy | 185,965 | Alpha Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki never planned to get married to some random omega but what he wants isn't an option anymore. One for All wielder Midoriya Izuku has suffered injustice too many times and doesn't plan in allowing his secondary gender to dictate how he must live his life. Falling in love was never in the plans.

Going Feral For You by ANGIE_fic | 17,977 | Bakugou has an aggression problem that might have to do with his Alpha. His job is on the line because of it. So what do you do with a pent up Alpha? Yes.Rut. (Quirkless Izuku)

i live for you, i long for you by jeonjeonggukkkkkie | 19,165 | The five times Izuku hinted he wants Katsuki to spend his next heat with him, and the one time Katsuki took the hint.

Baby's First Bloom by ContraryBee | 44,945 | Izuku blooms for Katsuki one warm day in their third year of middle school. What follows is both boys learning about themselves, their bond, and the society they live in.

As Fate Would Have It by ScientificallySinful (VampireGaaraCheesepuffs) | 88,737 | Katsuki Bakugo had plenty of reasons why he wasn't mated yet, not that he was going to explain why to just anyone. But now, Ground Zero was running out of time. If he didn't find someone soon, he'd lose his position as a Pro-Hero and he'd never get to be #1. So, when he finds out there's a male Omega recently arrested for prostitution that's headed to prison if he too doesn't get a mate…well it must be fate. (Quirkless Izuku)

A/B/O – No Quirks

Gravity by warschach | 71,477 | Izuku is back in his hometown and plenty hasn't changed much from the 8 years he was gone. Except, Katsuki Bakugou, the alpha king of their small town. He's hotter- because that's fair, right, God? -, stronger, a now-famous pro fighter, and noticeably nicer this round.Not that he cares, pfft. (Fine, he cares.)

Nine Months by greatcloudninja | 23,303 | Omega Midoriya Izuku connects with Alpha Bakugou Katsuki through an online singles ad. Izuku pays Katsuki to help him with his heat, ending up pregnant in the process. What follows is a pregnancy filled with ups and downs, but whatever hurdles come their way, they can make it through together.

The long dark by Ominous-Anonymous (Ominonymous) | 13,289 | He could have been really dangerous. He could be a fucking murderer for all he knew. But Izuku Midoriya, ever the reckless daredevil, was not thinking of that when he got into a car with a complete stranger. Completely ignoring the part where his mother always taught him to never gets into cars with alphas he didn't know...

[vemuabhi]

Sanji - Ice cream

Annyong Haseyo!!! I kinda changed the prompt a bit, to fit the story.

Prompt by @nottbilly (wattpad)

Pairing : Sanji X Reader

Warnings : Just fluff!

Word count : 2.3K

Modern Universe

Summary : Sanji is a regular at the icecream parlour you work at. Every time he brought a different date to the place. One day, he was alone and you decided to talk to him. Would this blossom into something new? Lets find out!

A/N : Being a hoe for this man Sanji, I can’t help but write when I find suitable prompts for him. Most of the prompts which I read, I automatically imagine with him. But this, is definitely his character.

There he came again, with a different girl. It’s been 5 months since you started to work in this Ice cream parlour in the evenings. Serving customers ice creams and cold drinks was your part time job and, every week at least 3 times you saw the same blond with different girl.

The first meeting of you two was also awkward. It was the start of the new semester in colleges when you started to work here. One day, when the blond was about to leave because his date cancelled on him, he came towards you and said, “Hey! You are really cute. Do you come here often?”

“Actually… I work here”, you replied. His cheeks turned red due to embarrassment and he left the place. You thought he’d never return… But you were so wrong.

In the beginning you didn’t care much but, as he was a regular, your interest perked up. You listened to how he tried to talk to the girls but… oh god… he was so bad in flirting. You were sure, the girls used to come with him to get free ice cream.

He greeted you every time he came and he seemed like a nice guy. You witnessed many confessions, rejections. Honestly, he was actually handsome, but his flirting, his actions, mostly scared away or creeped out his dates. You really felt bad, when he left the place dejected every single time.

After 5 months you saw him again, but for the first time, he was alone. He had no company. He came towards you and asked for his regular flavour.

“Will anyone join you?”, his expression changed to an awkward one. ‘Oh no… did I offend him?’, you panicked then he sighed and said, “No, I don’t have a date today. No one even wants to come for a free ice cream now”

He took the ice cream from your hands and sat on the chair. He scrolled his phone as he ate in silence. He was always lively, always smiling and trying to impress his date, while they always were bored or just plain ignored him by texting someone else. You looked outside and noticed that, no one was coming to the shop. So, you took off the hat and placed it on the counter. You headed over to the blond and asked, “If no one is coming, do you mind if I give you company? I mean, I don’t feel like costumers will come now. So… What do you say?”. It felt like it took some time for him to register what you said to him. He quickly stood up and shouted, “YES YES YES PLEASE! THANKYOU”.

You chuckled and sat opposite to him as he gripped the table before him nervously. It was quiet for a few seconds. You thought he’d talk first but, you decided to break the silence ‘cause he seemed nervous.

“So, I’m Y/N by the way. Just working here part time to make extra bucks”

“Oh forgive my behaviour. I didn’t introduce myself first. I’m Sanji. I study at the university near this place. So, I tend to come here whenever I try to get a date”

“Woah! Is that so? So, what are you studying there? It’s so hard to get accepted into that university, tell me about yourself Sanji”, you placed your hands on the table before you and listened to him.

Sanji told you about his culinary course and how he was into cooking from a young age. You really got interested as he talked about how he was a cook and wanted to open a restaurant soon. As food being your love of life, you couldn’t help but to be curious of his cooking.

“And I am sure this is weird but, if you would like to try, I’d love to bring something for you to eat”, he scratched the back of his neck anxiously.

“Yes! I’d love to. I know it’s weird but, I’d definitely love to try your cooking”, the blush on his face reddened as you said that.

“Then its set. I’ll make something for you”, he chuckled. Now to raise your most awaited question and concern.

“Sanji… I am not trying to be rude and I know this is our first conversation but, are you… are you working out or doing any sports or yoga. I mean you… are a regular to this place, coming here 3 times a week… You are taking care of yourself right? I am not judging you… just worried”

His cheeks turned red with embarrassment as he answered, “I actually work out 5 times a week and sometimes do martial arts. Thank you for worrying about me” he looked at his thighs and stayed quiet.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”, concern clearly visible on your face, you asked him. He looked up and said, “This… This is the first time, a lady showed interest in what I am doing and even worried about me so… It just feels over whelming”

He was dramatic but, you could understand it because you always watched him… the way he praised his dates, flirted with them, all the time they were here. You never heard him tell anything about himself. So… you decided to lift up the sprits.

“Don’t worry, you are really fun to talk to and also… handsome”, you averted your eyes and whispered the last part. It was barely audible but Sanji heard it. His cheeks turned pink as you said that to him.

“Thank…you”, he murmured and your gaze shifted back to him.

He tried to cool his heated face and brought the ice cream towards his lips. He licked the melting cream and smiled as he looked at you.

You talked about yourself and he listened carefully. You talked about your hobbies and dreams. He excitedly asked you about them and why you like them. He was really listening to you. He wasn’t acting. You both got carried away as you a lot. You literally introduced him to your world. He ever listened to the songs you liked or the read the books you admired. He was genuinely interested when you talked about them.

“Oh my! Y/N, these are amazing. I might get addicted to them”, he said. You were about to talk more but were a customer entered the place.

Getting up from the seat quickly you went towards the counter and handed the customer what they needed. Then your gaze shifted to the blond, who now stood before the counter and was held out his money for the ice cream. You shook your head no and said, “You don’t have to pay for that. It’s my treat”

“Wait why I’m a guy? I should pay, but you didn’t even eat anything. I am practically paying for myself”

“Is there any rule that, girls can’t pay for their dates?”, the date word slipped out of your mouth by accident but, it resulted him to blush harder.

“I… I’m not saying that”, he pouted and whined, “This was a date. You said it. You cant take that back”, making you chuckle.

“Yeah… I guess I can’t. Well, in return, I did have a date with… a cute guy”, you murmured the last part as you looked down, making him gulp.

Placing his elbows on the counter gently he leaned towards you. “Beware, if you keep doing things like this I might kiss you”, he whispered near your ear.

Your face heated up as you felt his breath near your eat. ‘Was he always this confident always?’, you thought as you looked at him. He had a cocky smirk on his face. Then his phone buzzed. He pulled back and you nodded at him to check it.

“Damn it… I can’t believe it”, he said as he looked at you.

“Its okay, go back. It’s not safe to stay late”, you smirked as he took your hand.

“I just can’t believe it. I’m leaving first on a date. Usually its always-”

“YOU. I know. It’s alright for you to leave. It’s not a crime. Now go back”, you insisted as you placed your free hand on his. He tugged on your hands and asked, “You’ll be here tomorrow also, right?”

You giggled and said, “No. I won’t”

He was shocked at what you said. You chuckled at his expression and said, “I’m having a day off tomorrow”

He sighed as he frowned. “You almost had me”, he huffed and continued, “Then, can I take you out on a date tomorrow again”, he asked and you nodded yes. He smiled as he reluctantly let your hand go and walked towards the door. He looked back at you as he waved bye. You returned his action and he left the place.

The next date, you got to eat one of the best dishes he cooked. It was absolutely delicious. The next date was a movie and the other was at a park. You both really had a great time together.

At Sanji’s house

After some date, at last you were coming to his house so Sanji was getting super nervous. But the ruckus on the dining table made it even more irritating to him.

“SANJIIII MEATTT!!!!”, shouted Luffy as he kept stuffing his mouth with Ussop’s food, making the latter cry as Zoro just gulped down the beer he got in the fridge.

“GET OUT YOU THREE! A very important guest is coming today. So scram”, Sanji practically tried to kick them out but the bell rang.

“OMG! You two. Be polite”, he glared at the duo and opened the door with a smile.

“Welco- Oh! Nami san, what brings you here?”, he asked her nervously.

“Wha?! Did you just stop smiling after looking at me”, she asked as she folded her hands.

“Oh my No never Nami san! I’m… happy that you are here”, he said.

“Sanji weren’t you the one who said that I was always invited to your house?”

“Yes milady”

“Then move or do you not want me to-”

“OMG! Sorry and please come in”, he said. His nervousness was making it hard for him to think properly.

“Franky will be here soon”, she said to the blond as they both entered the living room. Sanji clicked his tongue and thought why everyone were here now out of all other days.

“Someone is apparently coming here”, Said Ussop to the ginger as she sat beside him.

“Really? Who is it?”, she asked the long nose as he shrugged. “Come to think of it, he isn’t trying to be so flirty with me anymore”, Nami said as she got comfy on the couch. “He is also smiling and texting a lot”, said Zoro and it perked the interest of the two.

“So… tell me, what’s happening”, asked Nami with a smirk. The bell rang again and Sanji again went to open the door thinking Franky. He opened the door with a annoyed look on his face but his eyes met with yours.

“Oh my. What happened Sanji? Is this a wrong time? I’ll go if it-”

“NO! no my dear. It’s not. I thought my friend came over”, he said as he held your hands and placed a kiss on them. You blushed as he did it. ‘Damn his charming attitude’, you thought and then you heard.

“What are you guys doing?”

You and Sanji turned towards the door. There you saw 3 guys and a girl. Excluding the guy eating something, the other three looked like… they were spying something. Sanji sighed and said, “This is Y/N, we are dating”, he pulled you close to him as he placed his hand on your shoulder.

“WAIT WHAT!!!!”, shouted the guy with the long nose as he came closer to you. The orange haired girl was also in front of you in a split second.

“You agreed to go out with him?”, she asked

“Are you an actress by any chance and is he paying you to act”, asked a man with green hair.

“Oye!! Why are you all so shocked? It’s true. We both are dating. Don’t scare her”, he said as he hugged you closer.

“Yes, we are dating”, you smiled as you hugged him back and added, “He is such a gentleman and is so caring” making him blush

The three whistled at you two and Sanji led you inside. Soon they were introduced to you. Apparently, four more people entered the place without announcing.

You had a lot of fun with Sanji’s friends, now your friends too. Everyone played, ate and sang. Soon, it was already evening and everyone left the place. You stayed and helped Sanji to clean.

“Tsk… I thought we could’ve spent time together. You only get 2 days off work”, he pouted. You ruffled his hair and smiled at him. Leaning your elbows at the counter, you looked at him and said, “It’s okay. Your friends are really good. I enjoyed my time here”.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and smiled. “If you enjoyed, then it’s fine”, he said as he tucked a strand of hair around your ear and looked deep into your eyes.

You knew what he was trying to ask, but was nervous. “Sanji, its okay”, you said as you placed your arms around his neck. Slowly he leaned down and his lips met yours. They were soft. He gently tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Your hands travelled to his hair and shoulders. His arms pulled you even closer and one of his hand, gently stroked your cheek. You broke the kiss to look at him. You both smiled at each other as your foreheads touched.

Thanks for reading. Please Like/Vote, Comment and Reblog/Share.

XOXOXOXO

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[multiharlot]

real life bau (rls 2) / matthew gray gubler x fem!reader

summary: matthew meets the real life bau

warnings: this one is so long for no damn reason. adjfhalfkh sorry. but i had fun writing it.

masterlist

part one

third person pov

“please give a nice warm welcome to matthew gray gubler!”

matthew stumbles out onto the stage, nearly tripping over himself as he waves into the crowd.

“hey!” he smiles widely as he sits down in the chair.

“hey how are you?” the interviewer chuckles.

“i’m great! and yourself?”

“i’m great. you seem like you’re in a fantastic mood.” the interviewer chuckles, as matthew adjusts himself in the chair.

“i am i am. i just got off the phone with my girlfriend.” he smiles proudly, making the interviewer smile.

“ah, y/n right? i’ve seen the photos of you two together but you’ve never spoken about it. is this an exclusive?” the interviewer asks as he sends a playful smirk matthew’s way.

“i guess it is, yeah.” matthew chuckles.

“well you two are absolutely adorable.” he says, crossing his left leg over his right.

“thank you! she was actually really nervous when i asked her if it was okay if started telling people we were together.”

“i’d be nervous too. you see all these people?” the interviewer chuckles, motioning out to the fans against the glass outside the building and the fans in the crowd.

“yeah. yeah i could understand why, which is the reason i never wanted to push her into things. but she was okay with it and now i could scream it off of a roof if i wanted to. well, i actually can’t, she said that’s too dangerous and i’m too clumsy to be on a roof anyways.” he laughs, making the interviewer laugh as well.

“well let’s talk about her. give us the scoop. to hell with these questions.” he shrugs, throwing the cards over his shoulder.

matthew laughs, adjusting the small backpack in his lap.

“well what do you want to know?”

“how’d you two meet?”

“she came in to consult on criminal minds after the first season. spencer reid’s character is actually based off of her.”

“you’re kidding.”

“no it’s true. she’s legally a genius. IQ of 187, reads 20,000 words per minute, eidetic memory. all of it. of course i made spencer my own and threw in little things here and there, but i also threw in little character traits that belong to her too.”

“this is so cute. keep going. tell me more.”

matthew chuckles as he runs his hand through his hair.

“for instance, spencer wears mismatched socks and is super awkward in both movements and social situations because of me. but the germ thing, that was inspired by the girl herself. and it was actually written in that spencer would be sort of...all over the place? so his neatness and those little mannerisms is all y/n.” matthew smiles proudly as the interviewer gushes.

“so essentially you’re dating yourself?” the interviewers laughs, and the crowd follows.

matthew is quick to shake his head in disagreement.

“no. there’s plenty of differences between the character i play and my girlfriend. for starters, she’s the strongest woman i’ve ever met. mentally and physically. she could definitely beat me up if she wanted to. spencer? not so much.” matthew laughs, a warm feeling arising in his chest as the thought of his girlfriend flooded his mind.

“as much as i love every second of this, i’m getting the evil eye from my producers, so let’s get on with this interview.” the interviewer smiles, picking up the cards from the floor.

as the interview went on, y/n and her team watched from their plane. her cheeks were hot and red and her team smirked at the girl sinking into herself.

“you know, you guys have been together for almost a year now and it’s not fair that you’ve met all his friends but he’s met none of yours.” fields says, taking a seat next to her as he sips on his coffee.

“well he’s flying out for a few weeks. that’s why i cashed in my sick days.” she smiles, blowing softly into her mug of hot coffee.

“and you weren’t gonna tell us?” their unit chief, lucas benjamin, asks.

“well i was i just...i dunno.” she shrugs, afraid of voicing the things she wanted to say.

“hey, what’s up?” phillip asks as he places a comforting hand on her forearm.

“i just...once he meets you guys. that makes it real. it...it means i have something to lose now. you know?” she sighs, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

phillip lets out a low breath, exchanging concerning looks with the two other men on the plane. they all shift their gazes to crystal, who’s deadpan gaze pierces through them.

“hey, this job get’s hard. but having something to lose just makes you work that much harder. it’s gonna be okay, kid.” she smiles, leaning her head on the edge of the couch.

“yeah. and i’m sure we’ll love hollywood.” phillip says.

“ooh. hollywood. i like that.” fields smiles, making the girl groan.

“please don’t call him that when he gets here.”

the two boys exchange looks, nodding their heads at each other. they were definitely calling him that when he got there.

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

“i missed you so much.” matthew mumbles into her messy hair as they sprawled out beneath the covers.

“i missed you too...i saw the interview. we watched it on the plane.” she smiles as she runs her fingers through his curls.

“we?” he questions, quirking an eyebrow at his anxious girlfriend.

“yeah...like...the team. my team. you know. the real life bau.” she shrugs, sitting up and clutching the sheets to her body.

“hey, why’re you so nervous?” he chuckles, sitting up and placing his warm hand on her cool back.

“ummm...do you wanna meet them? maybe?” she asks, looking over at him with wide hopeful eyes.

he smiles and nods his head.

“if course i would.”

“o-okay.” she smiles, turning away from him and grabbing her clothes from the floor.

“is that what you were so nervous about?” he chuckles, watching her throw her dirty clothes into the hamper and change into new ones.

“yes, now come on. let’s go, they should still be at the office and they really wanna meet you.” she wiggles excitedly.

he shakes his head, watching her every move, soaking in every moment with her that he had. he watched as she ran her finger gently over the hangers in her closet, pulling out an orange corduroy skirt and sheer black tights. she glances down at her bedroom floor before picking up matthew’s sweater and throwing it on. 

“hope you don’t mind.” she smiles, and he just shakes his head, staring dreamily at her.

it’s almost as if it was all happening in slow motion. he watched her pull on the tights and tuck the sweater into the skirt, his heart beating slowly in his chest. she sat down and pulled on her high top black converse, neatly tucking the laces into the top of the shoe. she stood up, smoothing out her skirt and matthew’s eyes skimmed over her body, taking mental photos of every inch of her.

“i love you.” he says, making her cease her movements.

she turns to him, a soft smile on her face. 

“i-i love you too.”

his heart seems to skip a beat as he smiles wider, standing up out of bed and pulling her into him, pressing a firm kiss on her lips. she smiles against his lips before pulling away completely. 

“come on, get dressed lazy. i’ll make us coffee.” 

eventually, the two made their way to the quantico building. matthew was in awe of how similar the building actually was to their set. 

“it’s crazy similar, huh? i’m always amazed whenever i watch the show.” y/n smiles, dragging him into the elevator as he clips the visitor badge on his shirt pocket. 

“yeah, it’s actually kind of amazing.” he smiles, squeezing her hand softly. 

“by the way, i really like this.” she says, pulling at the ends of the long sleeves of matthew’s sweater. 

“it looks better on you than it ever could on me.” he says, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into him. 

“okay mr. i’ve modeled for tommy hilfiger.” she snorts, making him roll his eyes. 

the elevator dings open and she’s immediately met with the eager faces of her team. 

“you guys couldn’t have waited in the bullpen like normal people?”

“come on now, sugar. you couldn’t have possibly thought we were normal people?” phillip smirks. 

she rolls her eyes as her and matthew walk out of the elevator. 

“well, matthew, that’s declan fields, we joined the team at the same time. and that’s phillip hannigan, resident pain in my ass, but also the morgan to my reid. this is abigail bronwin, our technical analyst, then there’s crystal miller, our communications liason. and lastly, lucas benjamin, our unit chief. matthew, meet my team. team, meet my matthew.” she smiles, leaning her head against matthew’s chest. 

“her matthew. oh how gross!” fields gushes sarcastically.

“nice to meet you hollywood. come with us, let’s have a speak.” phillip sighs, wrapping his arm around matthew’s shoulders and pulling him away from y/n. 

“no...no let’s not have a speak!” she says, rushing up to them. 

“no. we’re going to have a speak, sugar.” phillip says, waving her off. 

she look over at her female friends, silently pleading for their help. they simply shrug, following behind the boys. they seat matthew at y/n’s desk and he looks over the organized desktop and his eyes fall onto a duo frame. one side had a photo of her and matthew, and the other side held the drawing he had made for her on the day that they first met. he’s soon snapped back into reality when he hears y/n shouting over the male agents. 

“i will take him and i will walk away. i will do it. i’ll quit!” she threatens, making everyone snort. 

“no you won’t.” they all say in unison, making y/n frown. 

“it’s fine, baby.” matthew quickly reassures, making a giggle arise in her throat at the sound of the pet name escaping his mouth. 

“gross. okay. so hollywood, we’re just gonna lay out some ground rules. cool? good. first rule, treat her right or we’ll make your murder look like an accident. and i know you know we have the skills to do that.” fields says, leaning up against the desk. 

y/n releases a sigh as she nervously chewed on her fingernails. 

“if it makes you feel better, this method helped ward off my last boyfriend. and he wasn’t shit.” crystal shrugs, looping her arm through the panic ridden girl. 

“and they do this because they love you. we all do.” abigail smiles, leaning her head on the girl’s shoulder. 

“rule number two, never forget that we’re federal agents, meaning if you hurt her in any way shape or form, we’re coming for you and we’re charging you with assault on a federal agent. and don’t even think to run. we have an abigail and a vast network of contacts around the globe, there’s nowhere in this world where you could possibly hide.” lucas says, a stern glare looming over matthew as he crosses his arms over his chest. 

“last but not least, rule number three, if you break her heart. i promise you, i will ruin your life. you see, y/n and i...we both lost our parents at a young age. so...we’re all we’ve got. and for a long time, it was just me and her. i’d lay down my life for that woman, many times i almost have. and she’s done the same for me. so if you break her, i promise you, you’ve got a world of hurt coming your way.” phillip says, making y/n sigh and chew faster on her nails. 

matthew lets out a low breath, relaxing his shoulder and nodding his head. 

“you got it.” he smiles, making the girls furrow their eyebrows and the men smile. 

“you got it? that’s it?” abigail laughs sarcastically. 

“i wouldn’t do any of those things, so i don’t have to worry.” matthew shrugs, smiling over at y/n.

she bit her lip nervously before sticking her hand out to him. 

“well, now that you’ve met the real life bau, how about we all go for dinner?”

they all glance at their watches before nodding their heads. matthew stands up, grabbing y/n’s hand and bringing it up towards her chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. phillip throws his things over his shoulder before patting matthew on the back. 

“i like you, hollywood. now tell me, is aj single?”

“jesus phillip.”

“what? a guy’s gotta know.”

taglist:

@dreatine​ @slytherinintj13​ @mileven-reddie​ @eleventhdoctorsangel​ @haileymorelikestupid

[evrthefanatic]

soulmark part 1 | Elijah Mikaelson x OC

Pairings: Tyler x OC, Matt x Elena

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence

Word Count: 3,873

Read on AO3, FF.net, Qoutev, Wattpad

A/N: Hello there! If there’s anyone there! So I made a fic and I’ve been consistently updating it so far, I thought I’d share it here! I hope you guys like it! 

Ever since she could remember, the strange lettering was engraved into her wrist, pale enough for no one to notice, but rough enough in the edges to be traced. It wasn't until the tragic accident of their parents did Alyssandra begin to uncover the secrets behind the runes.

What would happen in the show if two human doppelgangers were running around?

PROLOGUE | Drowning

It was dark out. Cassie's 'Me & U' blared out loud from Tyler's stereo. From where she stood, Aly saw some of her friends motionless on the grass, either too drunk or fast asleep. Aly glanced to her side. "How's this for a party?" Tyler smirked.

"Pretty good," she answered. The lake offered them a cool breeze, and it carried along with the chatter from the other party-goers. "Pretty tame," she added in afterthought.

"Well that's for next week," he smirked, grabbing her by the waist. "For when we win the championship."

Aly giggled and playfully pushed him away. " If you win the championship." she teased.

"Come to my house this Sat then." he shrugged, "It'll be way more fun than this one. Maybe I can convince you how good of a player I am."

Aly snorted, rolling her eyes. "I can't." she tells him, "It's game night. Mom and Dad are coming home from this huge Medical Convention from Seattle,- and Dad's leaving again next week so I can't really miss it."

Tyler frowned. "How will we have some fun time then?" he whispered to her ear, kissing her there. Aly felt herself flush- her breathing instantly laboring as he nibbled and sucked.

"Next week?" she answered weakly. "They'll be gone anyway."

Ty kissed her, pulling her body flush against his and Alyssandra finds her hands going through his hair. He bit down her bottom lip and she gasped. "We can have some fun time now," he said suggestively.

Whatever reply Aly had in mind was disrupted as Caroline's voice filled the air. "Lockwood!" she whined, "stop manhandling my best friend in front of all of us!"

Aly flushed even more, but she smirked at the looks everyone else gave them. She pushed Tyler away, grinning upon seeing his clearly frustrated face. A chorus of laughter filled the campsite.

"I gotta go anyway." she gave him an apologetic smile, kissing him by the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Instantly as she got away, Caroline hooked her arm around hers, bursting into giggles. "Have you seen Elena?" Aly asked her.

Caroline ignored her question. "That was so hot. He looked like he was about to eat you. I wish I had a boyfriend like that."

"He's not my boyfriend." Aly denied, rolling her eyes. "Yet."

"Ugh." Caroline flipped her hair. "I just want to have sex. Hot and scandalous. Is he as good as they say he is? I want all the details."

Alyssandra couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "Pretty good," she answered, not at all intimidated by her comment. Caroline shot her a look. "Sometimes aggressive-" she adds, "Takes what he wants, kind of guy."

"Damn." Caroline wistfully sighed. "I want one."

"You'll get one," she reassured her. "Have you seen Elena? I haven't seen her since earlier"

"She's probably knocked out somewhere," Caroline muttered. "You know, with Prince Charming Matt."

Aly giggled at her comment.

"Bonnie already went home, by the way."

"I didn't see," she replied. "Wanna carpool home?"

"Fine by me." Caroline shrugged. "I guess it's just me tonight." she sighed once more. The two girls ceased their walk upon hearing a familiar sniffle and sob a little deeper within the woods. They gave each other identical looks of worry as they followed the sound. "Is that-?"

Elena's face formed immediately to a familiar pout upon seeing them. She threw herself between the two girls, instantly wrapping her arms into a hug. "I broke up with Matt!" she cried.

And that's how they spent the night at the Forbes residence.

Water. Endless water. She was drowning. Her lungs screamed at her, and she desperately clawed her throat. She couldn't breathe, every breath she took burned her. Her heart rattled against her chest. Each second feeling more like her last. Her arms reach out to her father, who struggled against the hold of the belt on of their car before her world faded into black.

But not for long.

She coughed out, crying in hysteria as soon as her eyes opened. Distinctly, she heard sirens fast approaching. Aly quickly sat up, head looking around like a lost dear, to her side she sees that she's just near Wickery Bridge and-

The sweet smell of pancakes and honey awoke her. She blearily opened her eyes, taking a sharp intake of breath. Her heart refused to calm down, and she couldn't help but trail her finger along the familiar mark on her left wrist, welcoming the comfort that usually came along with it. Aly distinctly looked around her surroundings, feeling slightly relieved upon seeing the familiar walls of Caroline's room. Outside, she hears some chatter and plates being moved.

Alyssandra grimaced upon seeing herself in the mirror. Her curly hair was a wreck, it's normal to loose curls had bunched up in her sleep. The signature headband she always wore had grazed her neck, leaving a mark. They must have gotten even more hammered last night, especially with the news of Elena and Matt breaking up. She sighed, choosing instead to tie her hair into a bun, not bothering to fix it until she had come home. By the time she had reached the kitchen, her dream had been long forgotten.

"Morning sleepyhead." Her twin sister, Elena, greeted her. The duo looked exactly alike- completely identical in features, looks, and height. Their differences lied on how they dressed and presented themselves. Aly was more preppy in style, and Elena was more laid back. The biggest difference was how they chose to style their hair, with Elena getting it straightened every other month and Alyssandra just letting it be.

"You look disgusting," Caroline stated. Aly grimaced, whole-heartedly agreeing with her. "Are you okay?" the blonde immediately followed up. "You kept trashing and muttering last night."

Aly blinked, taking the cup of coffee Elena offered her. "I had a bad dream." she shrugged. Caroline wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"The good kind of bad?"

"The wrong kind of bad." she corrected. Though, now that she thought of it, Aly could hardly remember the nightmare at all. Aly switched her attention to her sister, who still looked disheartened and depressed from the breakup. Which was odd, since SHE was the one who broke up with Matt. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

Elena gave her a small smile. "I'll hold," she answered. In truth, Aly knew that her sister was going to break up with the jock sometime soon. She knew exactly why. Elena had known Matt since they were children. Their relationship lacked the excitement, the thrill, often seen in newly formed couples. It was because they were never 'new' at all. If Aly was gonna be honest with herself, she would say the same about her and Tyler.

"Bonnie's asking if she should come over." Caroline's voice broke Aly's musings. "I told her we can meet up at your place later tonight."

"Sounds fine by me." Elena gave her another, albeit timid, smile.

Glancing at the time through her phone, Aly ate one big pancake before dragging her and Elena out. "We'll see you later Care!" she called out, fully intent on getting home and fixing herself up first before heading to school.

The news of the breakup had apparently shaken the whole campus. People sent Elena looks as they walked through the hallways, and her sister maneuvered their walk to make sure they avoided any jock-looking guy that might say the word 'Matt' as they passed. The odd looks were mostly ignored, bar the pouty look that Elena had permanently etched to her face. It seemed to be enough to ward off any advances, cheerleaders, or otherwise.

The two sisters soon separated as they got to their respective classes. Although both girls were intelligent and hard-working, both wanting to go to the same college together, it was Aly who took the extra mile to her studies and extra-curricular. Never wanting to have a dull moment in her schedule- she had signed up in multiple clubs and participated a lot in the Founding Families activities, even going as far as volunteering every now and then along with Caroline.

Her classes passed by smoothly, or as smooth as they can be. Once again she had aggravated her history teacher, Mr. Tanner, before remembering that the man can very well destroy all of her hopes and dreams with a single B. She had wisely shut up, thinking that AP History in her Juniors next semester would be worth the shame of being 'outsmarted' by the man. Someday, she idly sneered in her mind, he'd get his ass rightfully kicked.

In the cafeteria, she finally opened her phone that kept on buzzing in her pocket, and she couldn't help but laugh a little at Ty's rants about Matt and Elena- and how it was ruining his mood. She sent him a bunch of emojis in return- snickering at his attitude.

"Are we gonna hear another break up from you, too?" Bonnie asked as she sat beside her. Bonnie Bennett completed their little circle of friends. A beautiful black brunette who was fiercely loyal to her friends. Oftentimes it was Bonnie who'll get them out of trouble when it arose and she never failed to speak her mind when she wanted to.

"Ty and I are just friends," she said in sing-song.

"Can you like, explain to me how that works?" Caroline demanded, taking a seat as well. "I never pegged you as friends with benefits type."

Aly put her phone away. "It just happened." she said, "We didn't have a label and it-well- I guess it's gonna keep on happening?"

"You have a way with words." Elena mocked, taking a seat as well. She looked remarkably better than she did in the morning. "You should run to the hills. We've known Tyler our whole life and he's not exactly boyfriend material."

"Agreed." Bonnie sagely nodded, pointing her fork up and down. "You'll find better. You never know, you might find a handsome, daring, hot, and chiseled man just around a corner." Aly snorted, giving Bonnie a look.

"Oh you bet." she giggled. "Just not right now."

"I need a boyfriend," Caroline whined. "Maybe I shouldn't have broken it off with Dustin a couple of months ago."

"Gross," Elena complained. But Care nudged her, blonde hair bouncing as she pointed her head to a bunch of red-varsity jackets wearing guys approaching. As if in by cue, Elena's face morphed into an epitome of sadness. Matt led the campaign, and Aly and Ty's eyes met- she looked away immediately, focusing instead on her food before she burst out laughing.

The cafeteria sobered, spectating the debacle about to happen. Bonnie consolingly held Elena's hand- who stared at her food, lower lip wobbling.

"Elena," Matt started.

"She doesn't want to talk to you!" Caroline quickly ended.

Matt ignored her. "We can talk about this," he continued. "Come on, babe."

To Alyssandra's complete surprise, Elena actually faced him. "We can't, Matt," she said, meeting his eyes. "It's over."

The silence seemed to have fallen all over the cafeteria. "This Saturday." he mustered up, fighting the monstrous awkward silence. "Tyler's throwing a party-"

Ty raised his hands in an instant, giving Matt a look that said 'don't bring me into this'. Matt ignored this too.

"- and maybe we can go together? Just this one last time," he said, practically begging. "Please, 'Lena."

Her sister took a deep breath, giving him a small smile. "I'll think about it," she answered. That seemed to be enough, as the flock of jocks immediately went away after that. As soon as they did, chatter once again began in the cafeteria.

"Damn." said Caroline, "I kinda feel sorry for him."

Aly snorted, she quickly covered it up when Elena glared at her. Elena wasn't actually going to the party, she mused. Tyler's party overlapped with their family's game night. "Yeah," Aly tried to agree, "Poor Matt."

Bonnie giggled.

Except Elena didn't seem to be in with the laughs, there was this guilty expression on her face. One that Aly knew all too well. "Come on-"

"I'll talk to him," she said firmly. "The entire thing's my fault, anyway."

"How is it your fault?" Caroline argued. "You should be able to break up with a guy whenever you want!"

"Totally!" Bonnie agreed, "But why do you want to talk to him, anyway? I thought you already had last night."

"I didn't." Elena finally admitted. "I kinda just ended things off." she shook her head, sighing. "I just can't be with him anymore, you guys. I just don't feel like things are going right. Don't get me wrong, Matt's amazing. It's just- it's just not right."

Caroline gasped. "O my god! He totally scared you off!"

Alyssandra laughed at that, remembering Matt's promises of a future filled with mini Mattlenas. "He totally did. 'Lena has a point though. We're only in high school."

"He deserves an explanation." Her sister continued, moving a stray strand of hair from her face. "It'll just suck if I dump him for no reason. I'm not that kind of girl."

"Fine, talk to him," said Alyssandra. "But you gotta remember that we have game night this Sat. You better not miss it."

"I'm not going to." her sister answered. But Aly was quick to realize that she was lying, Elena always wore the same pinched expression every time she lied. Alyssandra still hoped that she'll change her mind, so she didn't push it.

In another life, Aly might've stopped Elena from sneaking to Tyler's party before game night. In this one, she ignored her sister sneaking out of her room through the window after she had lied to their parents about being sick. Completely avoiding game night altogether.

Instead, Aly focused on her four very-present family members as they meticulously played an aggressive version of UNO. Jeremy was currently winning, and Aly felt herself giggle hard over their mom's angry glare. Miranda and Grayson Gilbert were both Doctors at the local Mystic Falls hospital. It wasn't unusual for them to leave their kids alone, sometimes for weeks, trusting that the three siblings together would have enough brain cells to keep the house and themselves together.

Their trust is well placed.

Or at least Aly has convinced herself that it was.

The trio wasn't the type to cause trouble, especially Jeremy. Their brother was as relaxed as they come. Often he'd stay out to hang with his friends, either playing baseball or painting out. Aly and Elena were often out as well. Before, the two sisters would take turns in cooking, and the trio would rotate with the chores. It stayed that way until Elena had almost accidentally burned the house down while using the oven, their parents had then left cooking to Aly's hands whenever they left.

A resounding 'ding' broke the concentration the four held. Miranda was quick to stand up to retrieve the freshly made pizza. Aly felt her stomach grumble in delight as the aroma flowed into the living room. Making sure to carry her cards with her, Alyssandra followed her mother. Fully intent on helping her out. (and maybe grab some bites as well)

"Do you know where Elena went, Alice?"

The question caused her to scowl. Their mother didn't seem to be all too-bothered with Elena skipping game night (it wasn't the first time). She watched Miranda cut the pizza into pieces, immediately grabbing one when she finished.

"She went to Ty's," she answered, taking a bite. "Matt didn't take the break up well. So she decided to apologize- or something."

"Or something." their mother echoed, a light smile on her face. Aly really thought that she was too lax. Her mind wondered if she'll be the same once she had children on her own but she instantly grimaced, burying the thought deep in her mind. She was only 17 after all. Her entire life was still waiting before she could ever begin to settle.

Alyssandra helped her mom bring the food to the tense living room. Grayson's stormy blue eyes were locked against Jeremy's brown ones. Both held their cards against their chest. The tension broke when Grayson grinned, putting a +4 card down in triumph.

Jeremy groaned. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Her brother sent their dad a dirty glare, grabbing four new cards from the deck. Aly threw their dad a grin, plopping herself down next to Jeremy, not so discreetly looking at his new cards as she went by- earning a yell from the youngest Gilbert.

It was Miranda that won the game by the end. The four had watched a movie before effectively calling it a night. She begrudgingly sent a message to her sister, telling her that lights had gone out and she was free to go home. She was fast asleep before she could read Elena's reply.

Aly choked, eyes wide. Grayson tried to reach out to her. She couldn't stop herself from gasping even if she wanted too. A pang of familiarity resonated within her, and with it came fear. She tried to reach out, finding it harder and harder to breathe- her lungs burned. Her windpipe felt crushed. The last thing she saw was her father's struggle against the seatbelt before her world faded into black.

Her mind kept telling her that it was a dream. That she should just wake up. But she can't. Aly gasped awake, shooting herself up- coughing. Where was she? Wickery bridge? Another bubble of uncontrollable fear buzzed through her, making her cry in hysteria. What-

Aly was violently pushed awake, without even realizing, she was dragged up. In the back of her mind, she hears a voice cry out.

"Aly wake up!"

She groaned in response, hastily pushing her brother away, glaring. "I'm awake!" she snapped, holding a hand up her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart. Her hand shook, and it took her a moment to realize that her entire body was shaking as well.

Alyssandra groaned once more, pushing her younger brother away with a glare. "Yeah," she murmured, sitting up. She blatantly ignores her racing heart. However, it seems like life has other plans. Jeremy immediately pulls her up.

"Get dressed," Jeremy said, breaking Aly out of her haze. He says, he has this wild look in his eyes. He looked scared. "we have to go."

That's when she noticed the sirens blaring outside her house. All of a sudden, the dream she just had gone to the forefront of her mind, waking her up. The events of her dream were still fresh on her mind, and it overwhelmed her. Aly stood there in her room, frozen.

"Hurry up!" Jeremy frantically pushed her. "Mom, Dad, and Elena are in the hospital,"

Alyssandra moved without thinking, her body suddenly going in auto-pilot. Jeremy rushed her on, but his voice barely registered in her head. She didn't even bother to completely change her set of clothes, settling into an oversized jacket and hair tie. Outside their home stood Deputy Forbes, Caroline's mother, and there was a pained expression on her face.

The officer offered them a tight, sympathetic smile and didn't reach her eyes. Aly fought the urge to scream. "Let's get you two to the hospital."

She could barely recognize the streets as they quickly drove by. Alyssandra's mind had gone to an override, jumping to her dream to the hospital. In the background, she could hear Jeremy and Liz talking.

What had just happened? How could it happen?

Words like accident, lucky, and Elena echoed in the car. Their sister, her twin, survived. But both Grayson and Miranda were dead.

Their parents were dead.

How could things change so quickly?

They were just having game night a few hours ago.

They were at the hospital before she even knew it. Jeremy got out of the car first, rushing in. She saw Aunt Jenna immediately embrace him to her arms, letting him cry and sob. She followed behind- her throat felt so tight. Liz gave her arm a comforting squeeze, leading her inside. Oddly enough, Aly didn't run to her aunt's arms, letting Jeremy have his comfort. Instead, she swallowed the bile that had lodged itself in her throat.

"Elena?"

The first thing that Aly noticed was the crying.

Throughout their entire lives, she was used to the sound of Elena crying. Her sister had always been the more sensitive one out of the two, and it didn't take a lot for waterworks to come. But never in her life had she heard her sister sob this hard. It was agony, deeper than any emotional cut that came before it.

Elena was barely covered with a towel, bawling into her hands, she was absolutely soaked from head to toe. And every cry from her throat shook her entire lithe frame.

Aly felt her heart wrench painfully. For a moment, she felt like she was still dreaming, there was no way this was actually happening. Their parents couldn't actually be dead. Right? It had to be a joke.

In a second, her arms had wrapped itself around her twin. Holding her tight, ignoring the tremor that seemed to overcome both of their bodies. "It's okay." It's not. But the words were out before they even registered in her head. "We'll be okay," she tells her, firmly this time. Her head felt unbearably light, and she jumped when another set of arms had settled in their embrace.

She couldn't breathe.

The sounds of her family crying seemed to echo in her mind. And Aly's arms fell loose to the sides, another person grabbed her arm- Liz Forbes again. She didn't smile this time. Guiding her body into a chair instead, Aly fell to the seat immediately. Blank. Her mind has gone blank. She stared at the image of her family ( what's left of it ) holding each other in a tight embrace. Aly shook herself, taking a harsh deep breath.

Like a shadow, Aly followed the Deputy out of the room, and she can see the concerned glances of everyone present. Mystic Falls was a pretty small town after all, and the hospital was where her parents had worked in. Their Doctor, her parent's co-workers, idly explained to her what happened. And Alyssandra found herself nodding along, signing this- signing that. I'm so sorry, he had said. But really, she couldn't see what he was sorry about, it's not like he drove them off the bridge. It was an accident. Accidents happen all the time.

They gave her a heavy piece of paper. At the top right corner, it said ' Mystic Falls Memorial '. It was a fill-up form.

"You don't have to do this right now, Aly." Liz again. In the back of her mind, Aly can hear the annoyed voice of Caroline, angry for her mother always going about her business.

"It's alright Ms. Forbes," she answered. Jenna was still consoling her siblings. "I can do this now."

The adults around her gave her a set of tight smiles and as she walked away, she could hear the words poor girl, the responsible one, and such a tragedy.

Next Chapter

[thelanguageoflovers]

A Study in Fate - Chapter 6

Lucy took a deep breath, leaning against the door of Emily’s car and closing her eyes. Cool air swirled around her, calming her heartbeat as she pulled her phone and earbuds out of her pocket. Sighing, she put them in her ears, subconsciously moving along to the song flooding through her earbuds.

When her hands stopped trembling a few moments later, she opened her eyes to find Buffy and Amber standing in front of her.

“There she is,” Amber said, smiling gently. Lucy nodded, gathering Amber into her arms in a warm hug. “You scared me, Luce.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled into Amber’s shoulder. “Where’s Teej?”

“Told him to take the other car home.”

“And Buffy’s here because…?” Lucy glanced over Amber’s shoulder, watching as Buffy’s eyes widened at the use of her first name. Lucy winked, smiling as Amber opened her mouth.

“She-”

“-Can speak for herself, I imagine?” Lucy teased, pulling away from the hug and looking to Buffy.

“I’m here to apologize,” Buffy supplied, stepping forward. “So, um, here goes. I’m...sorry. For everything. You’re here for what? 6 hours? And I was awful to you, and you didn't deserve that. At all. You’re more talented than I thought,” she admitted.

“That is how one apologizes, yes, good job,” Lucy chuckled, offering Buffy her hand. “I appreciate it.”

Buffy grinned, taking her hand and shaking it.

“...But I‘m still not joining the dance team,” Lucy said, grinning maliciously.

“Damn,” Buffy huffed.

“I’m just not a big ‘school dance team’ person. Cheerleading? Already in the works. Studio dance team? Already on it. But school dance teams? No thank you.”

“How the hell are you going to fit all that into your schedule? Maya told me you signed up for a 25 hour dance week,” Buffy said, eyebrows furrowed.

“Cheer is before school, with games on the weekends. I can make games after dance. And competition team will be during dance hours- I pulled some strings, and now it replaces strength and conditioning in Maya’s eyes. I guess that’s because it meets every day- also I now only have a 22 hour week- and I keep up with workouts. So anyway, I still get the key to the studio, and competitions will replace classes- shit. I forgot- I’ll be right back!”

With that, she was rushing back into the studio. They watched her go for a few moments before turning back to one another.

“Is she just...Permanently renouncing sleep?” Buffy asked, leaning against the car.

“She already has,” Amber said casually. “And yes, she’s always like this.”

“Hmm. Fair enough.” Buffy smiled as Lucy stepped back out of the studio. “What’d you do now?”

“Got Maya to let be choreograph the team’s numbers for the competition in two weeks,” Lucy said, smirking smugly.

“All of them?” Buffy asked.

“Mhm, why not?”

“That’s insane! How did Maya Beck let you do that? Her own son wasn’t even allowed to when he asked two seasons ago. Granted, Jonah Beck is awful. Should definitely just stick with his guitar. But he is her son. Like- the literal and actual continuation of her family. They’re not flesh and blood, but-”

“They’re family, we get it.” Lucy rolled her eyes in amusement as she and Amber slid into the car. “You getting in?”

“I- what?”

“Don’t you want a ride home?” Lucy asked, smiling like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“...Please don’t kill me,” Buffy mumbled, sliding into the backseat. “Jesus Christ, this thing is worth more than three times my mother’s entire pregnancy of American medical bills. And that woman needed an emergency C-section.”

“Interesting yardstick you’re using there,” Lucy chuckled, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Yeah, yeah. You still haven’t answered my question, though.”

“It’s like you said, Buffy.” Lucy briefly made eye contact with her in the rearview mirror. “I’m more talented than you might think.”

“...You are so fucking cocky, Kippen number 1,” Buffy said, gesturing for Lucy to take a right.

“So are Kippens 2-3,” Amber responded. “So what are you going to do for the competition?”

“I don’t know yet. But I do have a hell of an idea for a duo and one for a group routine. We don’t have nearly enough people for the group though, there are only seven girls including me. And no boys.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“...Probably some bullshit ‘7 Rings’ piece for the group. A duo to ‘Ghost of You’? That one’s gonna take a hell of a lot of work. Maybe a trio to ‘Hold On’-”

“Which one?” Amber interrupted.

“Extreme Music.”

“And you’ll be performing in all of these, I imagine?”

“Well, yeah. Maya said I’m probably best off taking the reins for a few competitions until I can get my girls in shape.

“Good. Anything else?”

“A solo. My solo.”

“Wait, are you going to-”

“Yup.” Lucy cut Amber off, hands tightening on the wheel.

“I thought you said you’d never perform that one again, no matter how much we liked it.”

“What? No! Not that one! That solo can rot, it’s awful. I mean ‘War of Hearts’.” Amber let out a low whistle, eyes wide.

“What’s ‘War of Hearts’?” Buffy asked from the back seat, leaning forward in interest. Amber waved her off, manicured acrylics dismissing her.

“Hang on. You’re going to pull out that solo on your first competition?”

“I don’t see why not.” Lucy shrugged.

“Because you almost died last time!”

“I did not ‘almost die’! I broke my leg and ankle, calm down. Plus, it’s never been performed in front of an audience, the choreo is done, and I only need one prop,” she bargained, rolling her eyes at Amber.

“A prop that almost paralyzed you last time!”

“I was not- okay I was almost paralyzed,” she conceded. “But it wasn’t the table’s fault! I just, uh, screwed up the fall. A little.”

“A little? Lucy, you had like three surgeries because they couldn’t figure out what the hell to do all at once!” Amber argued.

“What the hell is this routine?!” Buffy yelled. “It sounds like she has to like jump to her peril.”

“Not much better! She has to fucking fouetté off a table!”

“I do not fouetté off the table! I fouetté to the edge of the table and then fall off!” Lucy defended. She slowed to a stop at a red light, glancing at Buffy in the rearview mirror. “Very different experiences. Trust me, I’ve done both. Why are you so worried about this, anyway?” She drummed her fingers against the wheel, waiting for the light to turn.

“Lucy! You came back home a little banged up last time. But if you’d fallen a little further onto your neck? You wouldn’t have come home at all.”

Amber squeezed her eyes shut, pointing to the green light in front of them to distract from the fact that she was crying. Lucy sighed, waiting for the traffic in front of them to start through the light before she followed.

“Okay, I won’t-” Lucy was cut off by a flash of dark blue metal crossing her peripheral vision. Someone was about to run their light and kill them all. She’d always imagined she’d know what to do in this situation. Maybe she’d hit the breaks, maybe she’d turn out of the way. And yet somehow, she was on autopilot. She swerved to avoid the car, but it was too late. A loud shatter of glass signaled the car smashing into the passenger side of theirs.

Lucy paced back and forth in the hallway, phone pressed to her ear.

“Goddamnit TJ, pick up!” She nearly threw her phone across the hallway, but Buffy’s hand on her forearm stopped her. “Hey! You’re okay!”

“Just needed some stitches. Thank God I was sitting behind you, not Amber.”

“I am so sorry, Buffy. If I hadn’t offered you that ride…”

“If you hadn’t offered me that ride, maybe it would have been me and my mom in that accident. It wasn’t your fault, Lucy.”

“Is she on her way? Your mom?”

“Yeah, but it’s not her I’m worried about. Any word from TJ?” she asked, sitting down in a chair against the wall. Lucy sat down next to her, shaking her head and burying it in her hands.

“Nothing yet. I’m gonna try Aunt Em.” She put her phone to her ear, reciting the same word over and over. Please.

“Hello?”

“Emily? Oh thank God,” Lucy sighed. “Listen, is TJ with you? He’s not answering his phone.”

“No, he headed to the park to play some basketball, what’s going on?’

“I’ll explain later. Just get TJ and come to the hospital. Amber’s in a coma.”

“What?!”

“Just get down here!”

“On my way.” Lucy sighed, hanging up and running her hands through her hair.

“Em’s coming. She’s gotta run by the park to get TJ.”

“How many cars does that woman have?”

“How many billions was my family born into?” Lucy retorted.

“Do I want to know?”

“Nope,” she laughed, popping the ‘p’. “The Kippens are neither humble nor poor, though I wish we were the former.”

“You know, your lack of humility? It’s kind of your most signature characteristic in my mind to date. Care to change that?”

“...You do know that ‘to date’ is literally just one date to you, right? You met me this morning, Buffy.”

Buffy simply nodded in defeat, leaning back into her chair.

“...But, we are more complex than lack of humility,” she said.

“Alright, give me a rundown,” Buffy said, grinning. “I want the full out, ever present narrator in a teenage romcom description.”

And who was Lucy to say no to that?

“You ever seen Heathers?”

“...Yes? Do I want to know where this is going?”

“The Kippen triplets are kind of...that.” Lucy put on her best narrator voice, a dramatic expression on her face as she readied herself to speak about herself in the third person.

“Really?” Buffy asked. “Like- felony arson and all?”

“No,” Lucy laughed. “Like- they’re the Heathers. Chandler, Duke, and McNamara.”

“Then who’s who?”

“Well, there’s TJ, or Heather Duke in our case. Kind of seems like your classic white douchebag jock, but he’s actually a really sweet guy. He’s the baby of the triplets, but packs a hell of an angry punch. Don’t get in his way unless you absolutely have to. That goes for all three of them though; they’re a bit of a feisty trio.

“Um, then Amber, the middle triplet. And our Heather McNamara. She’s… A bit of a popular girl cliche. She and Lucy were co-captains of the cheer squad in New York. She, TJ, and Lucy are best friends, and together… They’re kind of a murderous group. Amber knows how to throw a punch pretty damn well for a rich girl with stiletto shaped acrylics- she’s just as good as TJ. Maybe better. If she wants something, she knows how to get it.”

“And that leaves…?” Buffy prompted.

“Heather Chandler. Lucy Kippen. In our case, one and the same. Lucy’s pretty much the head bitch of her life.”

“Fascinating,” Buffy said, propping her chin up on her hand. “Does that make you a mythic bitch?”

“Yeah alright, that’s over now,” Lucy said, reverting to her natural voice. “Listen, I’m just a normal person, Buffy.”

“You’re a Kippen.”

“Okay, I’m like… 70% a normal person.”

“Alright, but I’m only really concerned for your whole 100%?” Buffy said slowly.

“Alright fine. I’m a dancer. 100%.”

“One hell of a cop-out you’ve got there.”

“Ugh, fine! My favorite color is red, I get all A's in school, my favorite subject is math, my lucky number is 28, I am 6’1”, I weigh 127.8 pounds, my favorite animal is a cat. Anything I missed?”

“Hold up, you only weigh 128 pounds and you’re 6’1”? Alright, not my business. I know.”

“Good. Don’t criticize a ballerina’s weight, idiot,” she teased, knocking her shoulder into Buffy’s.

“I know, I realized it the second I said it,” Buffy apologized sheepishly.

“Don’t sweat it, Driscoll. It’s all good.”

“Have you met me? On the outside, totally good. But definitely gonna sweat it, Kippen. You will actually never hear the end of this apologetic tirade.”

“Please don’t bore me with that.”

“Ms. Kippen?” Lucy turned her attention to the doctor standing in front of her.

“Yes?”

“Your sister is still unconscious, but you’re welcome to see her now,” Dr. Lawrence said gingerly.

“Oh- thank you so much. Is- is she…?”

“We can’t be sure of anything right now, Ms. Kippen.”

“Okay, thank you. Um, Buffy, stay here and tell TJ and Emily where I am? Please?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Kippen. I’ll tell them.”

“Thank you,” Lucy whispered, turning to follow Dr. Lawrence.

She stepped into Amber’s room, breath catching in her throat. She’d never seen her sister like this; she was covered in bandages and stitched up cuts. Lucy pulled a chair up to Amber’s bedside, sitting down with a heavy sigh.

“Hey, Ambs. I don’t know if you can hear me, but, you know. I’m still going to talk to you. God, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say, Amber. I’m supposed to have this eloquent speech about how you’ve changed me as a person and I miss you so much and please come back, but… I don’t know what there is to say. You’re my best friend, Ambs. TJ and I would be lost without you. But you already knew that. And I’m not- I’m not going to tell you to wake up. Because, if you have to go, Ambs, I get it. I’ll cry and scream and I’ll break down and probably resent you a little bit, but I’ll get it. If you need to go, I want you to know that I understand. However, I am definitely going to plead with you here a little bit. Please, please wake up, Amber. I can’t do all of this without you. TJ relies on us for fucking everything, and I rely on you two, too. There have been three of us since the very beginning, Amber. And there will be three of us until the end. So just- God, just wake up.”

“You think that works?” Lucy turned around to find TJ leaning against the doorframe.

“Teej,” she breathed, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug.

“How’s our girl?”

“She’s… Alive. Somehow.”

“She’s a fighter. Learned from the best, I guess.”

“Who?” Lucy asked, meeting TJ’s eyes.

“You, dumbass,” he teased. “You are by far the strongest person we know.”

“I’m strong and a dumbass?”

“You’re a multitasker. Hell of a good one, too.”

“Well, if a girl an be a strong dumbass, there’s nothing else to want!” Lucy said with a roll of her eyes and a shove of TJ’s shoulder.

“My point exactly. Listen, do you mind if I…?” he gestured to Amber. Lucy nodded, squeezing his forearm.

“I’ll go find Buffy. And maybe also a coffee. Want anything?”

“Um… I could really go for some chocolate.”

“On it,” Lucy promised. “Be back soon.”

As Lucy stepped out of the room, TJ sat down in the seat she left behind. She gently let the door click closed, turning down the hall toward the waiting room.

“How’s she doing?” Buffy immediately asked, standing up when Lucy stepped out of the hallway. “Um, this is my mom.”

“Ms. Driscoll,” Lucy said, extending a hand to the woman next to Buffy. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You too, Lucy. Please, call me Pat. How’s your sister?”

“She’s good. I guess. She’s alive. Comatose, but well and truly alive.”

“I’m so glad.”

“Lucy!” Emily exclaimed, rushing forward to hug Lucy tightly. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

“It was awful, Em,” Lucy sobbed into Emily’s chest. “And it’s all my fault.”

“Hey. This is not your fault, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong, kiddo.” Emily’s voice was measured and careful as she pulled back to squeeze Lucy’s hand. “In fact, you did everything right. You tried to avoid the accident, you were quick to call 911. Hell, you have Amber’s blood on your leotard because you kept her conscious until the EMT came. You’re basically a damn superhero, Lucy Eleanora Kippen.”

“Eleanora?” Buffy hissed, eyes wide.

“I didn’t choose it,” Lucy defended, glancing down at her outfit. “Holy shit. That’s actually Amber’s blood.”

“You didn’t notice?” Pat asked.

“Not really. I- I’ll change… at some point. But for now, I am on a coffee and chocolate run.”

“Coffee… and chocolate?” Buffy asked.

“Long story. Come with me?” Lucy asked quickly.

“Uh, sure?” Lucy tugged her down the hall without a second thought, only stopping when they found a coffee machine.

“What’s going on? You good?”

“Yep,” Lucy said, pulling Buffy forward and kissing her. Buffy’s hands tangled in her hair as she stood on her toes to reach Lucy’s lips. They pulled apart after a few moments, and Lucy nodded decisively.

“Uhh…” Buffy said slowly. “What was that about, exactly?”

“Thank you.” Lucy nodded again, as if confirming something, before disappearing back down the hallway.

“...Any time.”

[insane-control-room]

The Concept, Chapter Two

Happy Ending

Johan was trying to keep it together. He was. It was so addictive to let it all go.

There are warnings to be listed, among the most important, implied rape, child death, and non traditional drug use.

Chapter One Here

Their studio expanded, Henry insisting on making more room for more workers. They built up one floor, for Joey’s apartment, and down one floor for the actual studio.

It felt good to build something with someone special to him.

What makes one special?

The most rare form of the word special is in reference to a train car used on rare occasions.

But we don’t have time to unpack all that.

Many things can create a form of peculiar distinction, and that pulls on a form of something special. Items are special when they have something different about them. For example, a computer made in nineteen twenty seven is something special compared to one made in two thousand seven. A scar composed of words is something special when you see it next to one from, let us assume, one from a broken arm. A person with a talent is called a person with a specialty. Holding a loved one in a dire situation is a special and terrible feeling, even if the gentle caresses will be forgotten a moment later.

Special means something different and awesome, yet awesome has two meanings.

That makes one special, when something is valuable and unique to them.

Joey met a good deal of talented and special people in the week he opened for hiring.

Sammy Lawrence was someone special. Jack Fain was someone special as well.

Sammy and Jack were like a diagnoser and a surgeon, one knowing what must be done and the other knowing how to do it, and these roles easily swapped between them.

Sammy and Jack came in together, one with a banjo and the other with lyrics. They performed wonderfully as a pair, clearly close friends, despite their obvious differences in styles. Sammy was harsh, taciturn, and smooth, whereas Jack was a mellow, soft spoken, and wry fellow.

They made quite the musical pair, the duo seemingly capable of all sorts of admirable ‘note’worthy (Dear reader, allow me to have my humor in this dire and grotesque situation. These small prods are my only special comfort in the pain of chronicling his side of the tale.) melodies. Joey and Henry hired them immediately.

Susie, the wonderful voice actress was someone special.

Her voice was nigh angelic, though when Henry had mentioned it so, Joey flinched, almost expecting something abnormal to occur, relaxing when nothing happened. Joey then quietly agreed that her singing was a heavenly marvel. Susie showed her voicing talent, and both Henry and Joey gave her a standing ovation along with her hiring. Joey laughed when she joked of a character just for her, shrugging and replying with a maybe.

Susie sent him a special smile, her eyes flicking over him, making him blush with the question if she was blind to see the pin stuck on his suit. At the same time, the rainbow was not a popularized symbol at the moment, and so this small incident was dismissed.

Lacie Benton and Thomas Connor introduced themselves by their quarreling over who was the better technician.

Lacie had a cool head and a passive aggressive attitude toward Thomas, and he was a foul mouthed temperamental man. Henry broke them apart by clearing his throat and cocking his eyebrow, he face asking if they were three year olds fighting over a toy. Faces, of course, cannot ask questions, but Henry was such a cartoonish being that it positively radiated from him. Had Joey been any more picturelike than he was, his eyes would be hearts at the confident and fluid manner Henry took control of the scene.

Henry asked Thomas who he was.

Thomas explained he was from a company called Gent, Gent Piping and Metal Wares, from Pittsburgh. He could duct up and fix anything they wanted done, and he had a cousin who could help with voice acting. He pulled out a little invention of his, something he called a clean reel, a reel with the same properties of all the others, but erasable simply by dipping into acetone. They all were aware it was a special and handy asset to any animation studio.

Lacie rolled hir eyes, saying that she could fix anything Thomas could and fix it better, and robotics were hir specialty. Joey’s eyes lit up, and he quietly begged Henry to let hir show them a model. Henry acquiesced as Joey’s big red brown puppy eyes won him over.

Henry was impressed.

Thomas and Lacie were both hired, Lacie for robotics and complex machinery, Thomas as a handy man and production analyzer.

Wally Franks was hired nearly on accident, but Joey would always call him the best person to break a window. He fell in through the half set pane, and his specific accent completely floored both Henry and Joey. He was a good young man, with a dazzling special grin and wonderful, bouncy, dichotometric personality.

Though they had not really needed the assistance, they offered him the janitorial job, which he accepted with a shrug and wink, leaving their presence with a special, “Well, I’m outta here!”

(In a slow period as they were filling out paperwork, Henry’s hand wandered onto Joey’s knee.)

(Joey’s blush went unnoticed.)

(Not really.)

Grant Cohen was hired instantly, Joey relaxing and practically vibrating when the accountant showed his skill. Numbers were his specialty, and he had a knack for solving any little problem that proposed itself. Johan was delighted, Henry rolling his eyes and grinning at his business partner’s simple happiness over such a small matter.

Shawn Flynn was someone special. A right down cursing and energetic blackguard, he never ceased to make Johan and Henry howl and guffaw with laughter, his special positivity blazing from his unique swears and beautiful smile. Yeah, he wanted to apply as a toy maker. Mhm, knows every stitch in the salmonella filled book. Of course he has fookin’ samples!

Joey put the little Bendy in his pocket, adoring it’s special miniature size, and Henry’s Boris ended up on their shared desk.

Norman Polk was their last hire for the time, a special bright intelligence simmering out of his eyes, and he introduced himself as a projectionist. He knew what he was doing. He knew how to handle the reels and the stands. He was a special find, not only knowing how to man the projectors, but knew their maintenance in and out.

Johan and Henry were ecstatic. They did not get any new drawing hirees, but between the two of them, it was perfect. Nothing more, nothing less than wonderful.

Hours spent early in the morning or evening with Wallace telling them that everyone had gone home already. Johan’s arm wrapped over Henry’s shoulders a drunken night after animations were completed, Henry splaying himself over Joey with the migraine that followed the morning after. People noting they leaned toward each other, in more ways than one. It was a glorious time, Diane hardly noticeable as Henry managed to schedule himself better, finding out how to time himself correctly. Joey always reminded him of his girlfriend when it got too late, and it was always a bittersweet moment for the both of them when he went home.

Joey would often stay up late, so late, until the wee hours of the morning, escaping to the workshop literally beneath his feet to draw, trying to remove something (the thought of Henry) out of his mind. He always woke up with a blanket over his thin shoulders, and a note from Henry telling him to ‘sleep at normal goddamn hours!’

Johan accumulated an entire drawer of these notes.

Henry would stand behind him as they spoke of other episodes and new ideas, his arms wrapped around his shoulders as Johan sat and talked, so full of wonderful new ideas.

Henry could almost sense his teal eyes go green with the envy of Joey’s plans and stories and concepts. He forced the jealousy from his system, making himself feel happy for their success. Theirs, together.

Damn Joey and his infinite ideas.

His beautiful mind and heart, so kind and open.

Oh, Henry could play on him.

He knew how Joey would gaze at him, dreamy and loving.

So useable.

He began to speak of Diane and Linda more often.

Joey pushed back slowly.

Hired Bertrum without consulting Henry, but asking Lacie.

Henry’s blood was hot at the action, but he was a patient man. He could wait, and he hired Johnny, a sleezy but excellent organist. Johan did not trust nor like him, but Henry had already hired him, so he bit back his concerns, trying to ignore the way Johnny eyed his pride pin. He turned to Bertrum as a safety.

Bertrum was like an uncle to Johan, the younger man easily accepting him as such a figure.

Called him Uncle Bertie after a few months, the first time Henry hearing it in the late summer. He mentioned it to Lacie, who shrugged and said he started calling him that in the early spring.

It made him furious. He held his cool, though, and simply laughed it off.

He will get his revenge soon enough.

He thought he had it at one point, when they went to a meeting of their investors.

He thought it would be the end of anything pleasant between Johan and Bertrum.

“Ah, yes,” Joey grinned, “This is Bertie Piedmont.”

Henry held back a smirk at the pink flush on the park maker’s face, the reddish shade so contrasting with his olive skin.

“Bertie?” one man snorted. Joey’s eyebrows shot up and he laughed. “What?”

“He is my uncle, apologies,” Joey shrugged. “He is Bertrum. Force of habit.”

Henry was stunned at the understanding on their investors faces.

“But you don’t look anything like each other,” another pointed out.

“I’m adopted,” Johan stiffly replied. The man who made the comment blushed and hastily apologized. Joey waved it off. “Now, let’s discuss this - we’ll do a bid.”

They returned to the studio with metaphorically much fuller pockets.

A shriek interrupted everyone’s work the next day.

Sammy looked over at Henry.

“Was that Mr. Dre-”

The shriek repeated itself, but was suddenly cut off by howls of laughter.

“Henr- AHAHAH! HEN, HELP!”

Henry rolled his eyes and got up, making his way to where the voice was coming from on the lower levels.

Sure enough, Joey was there, on the floor, his wrists held down by a smiling Lacie and his sides being tickled by Bertrum.

The long man writhed and guffawed and was on the verge of tears from laughing so hard.

Henry felt a grin cross his lips, and he leaned against the wall. Joey somehow managed to notice him, his face darker than ever, and he called out to him.

“Please! Henry, help!” he gasped, tears leaking out of his eyes between fits of giggles and laughter. “Henry!”

“Oh, I’ll help alright,” he answered, his grin growing as he made his way to them. He leaned down, sitting beside Lacie, and gently brushed his fingers on the underside of Joey’s chin.

His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath, before his laughter erupted louder than before.

He shook from the abuse, no longer able to even laugh, and he choked on every breath, his face dark maroon and his eyes streaming tears.

Henry smirked. This was a good enough revenge for now.

They let him up about three minutes later, and as he sat up, he instantly flopped back down, trying to catch his breath.

Henry lay beside him on the floor, wrapping an arm around him. Joey put a hand over his.

Bertrum and Lacie retreated to the other room, Bertrum saying, “You and I need to talk, Joey.”

Joey nodded, eyes closed and face flushed, and he leaned his head on Henry’s golden and pink curls. Henry listened to him breathe, his own breathing unintentionally syncing up to his.

Eventually Joey pushed himself off the wooden floor, extending a hand to Henry. Henry took it, standing as Joey tugged him up, their combined effort leaving them sprawling back, Joey landing on a chair with Henry pressed to his chest. Henry felt his, Johan’s, breath hitch.

He grinned, pulling himself back off of him.

“See you, Joey,” he hummed, making his way back upstairs. Joey blushed even more, simply so stunned by all recent events that he just sat in the chair for another five minutes, getting up with a, “Well then.”

He stumbled into the room Bertrum was waiting for him in, and the older man smiled gently when he saw him. He wrapped an arm over Joey’s tall shoulder, pulling him down to sit with him on a couch. He laughed quietly.

“Johan, Johan,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Had you been anyone else, I literally would have crushed you like a bug.”

Joey laughed nervously.

“C’mere, you insolent nephew,” Bertrum tugged him into an awkward but comforting hug. Johan sighed, smiling and relaxing into the touch. “Love you, Joey.”

“I love you too, Uncle Bertie,” he replied, hugging him tighter. Lacie’s arms wrapped around both of them. They looked up at hir with gentle smiles. “And you, Aunt Lacie.”

“Yeah yeah, cut the sentimentalities,” she muttered. Bertrum rolled his eyes. They stayed like that for a long time, Johan trying to hold onto every moment like it was his last.

Disney was gone.

What had he done?!

What if he lost his temper and deleted someone in his studio!?

What if he deleted Bertrum or Lacie?

What if he deleted Henry?

He would not be able to live with himself.

His heart ached as he felt his humanity slowly slipping through his fingers like sand.

Other names had joined Disney’s, pinned to the side of the binary computer.

Who else would he remove from life, remove from the entirety of the world?

That would be in the future. Right now, he was in Bertrum and Lacie’s arms, his family, the whole studio was his family, the only family he ever had, and he swore to never delete any of them. He would do his best to hold onto himself.

Despite how much he detested every breath he made.

He hated that he was continuously living.

He did not deserve it. Only good people deserved to live.

He was anything but good.

Disgusting.

Joey Drew, the man who did not exist, would be better than him.

“Johan? Are you okay?” Bertrum’s worried - no, not worried, concerned - concerned voice asked, pulling him out of his mind. Joey hummed in question. “You’re crying.”

“I’m fine,” he murmured. “Just tired is all. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

“Are you sure?” Lacie asked, putting a hand on his forehead. No temperature, but he leaned into hir touch. “You don’t have a fever.”

“I’ll take a nap,” he replied, getting up. Lacie and Bertrum exchanged a look. “Good night.”

He stared at the ceiling of his room. The music of the orchestra played beneath him.

He looked over at the computer on his desk, feeling sickened. The computer was hooked up to the ink machine downstairs, at first just to monitor the goings on and how much ink was used, then to control it and have ink, living ink , coming from it, the life sapped from those he deleted. Oh, how he regretted it! How he hated it! How he wanted to smash both creations to bits!

But he was addicted. It was an escape, a fantasy world, a world where nothing could go wrong and everything stayed right. No bankruptcy, no fights, no competition, no sickness, everything was perfect.

Everything but him.

He was scared, he was terrified. He knew how easy it was to completely remove someone from ever existing with just two clicks, he had already done it to six people, and he knew the number would grow.

He fell asleep while staring at the blinking green line on the screen, his mind plagued by night terrors as he drifted off.

“Papa?” he woke up to being poked on the face. Aramis was looking at him, sitting on his chest with a pout. “Papa, get up, I want breakfast.”

“Jus’ a second,” he slurred, his motions slow and his head heavy. Aramis tried to pull him up, and Johan made it seem like he did, getting up with each of his child’s tugs. “What do you want to eat?”

“Cereal,” the six year old answered. Johan smiled, going to the cabinet and pulling out the box. “That one.”

Johan hummed as he pulled down a bowl, opening the box and pouring some out.

He screamed.

Maggots and blood, and were those bits of brain?!

Memories slammed into him.

“Aramis!” he shouted, turning to his little boy, tears already pouring down his face. His son’s head was on the table he was slouched on, his eyes glazed over and lips parted. Johan knew what he would see if he lifted his head, but shakily went to him anyways, carefully picking up his head from where it was pressed to the table. The bullet hole straight through his skull made his stomach lurch. Laughter escaped his lips, painful, aching, sobbing laughter, joined by a deep chuckle. He snapped to face the man beside him. “You! Murderer!”

Rico simply smiled at him, leaning the shotgun on his shoulder.

“You killed my son!”

“You let me.”

“How could I have known!?”

“He was in your arms.”

“I couldn’t protect him….”

“No. You’re weak, you’re worthless. You couldn’t even save your own child.”

“Shut up!”

“You let me shoot him while you held him.”

“Stop!”

“You begged me to not shoot, but you did nothing to stop me.”

“Be quiet! Shut up, shut up!”

“He’s dead, and it’s all your fault.”

“Please, stop,” Johan fell to his knees, the blood of his son covering his shirt. He could taste his blood and bone on his lips. “Ricky, please, make it all stop… please… please just kill me….”

“You’re sick.”

“Rico….”

A slap sent him sprawling onto the floor, his legs splayed with numbness, the polio inching into every muscle and nerve. A kick to his face made him cough numbers, the ones and zeros escaping his mouth.

He was yanked up by his messy hair, his step brother smiling at him.

“Smile back, Johan,” he said in a sing song tone. Joey forced his lips up. “Good boy.”

He slammed him back to the floor.

“Keep smiling!”

The shotgun cocked, and Johan found it shoved in his face.

“Three!”

“Rico! Please, please, wait wait wait!”

“I thought you wanted me to end it all?”

“I don’t know!” he wailed.

“Two!”

“Please no! God, please wait, please, no, wait!”

“One!”

“Rico!”

The gun fired, time slowing, Johan able to see the bullet slowly making its way to him.

He stared at the golden shell, his eyes widening, his lips parting, and

He woke up, gasping, clutching at his hearts, his other hand scrambling against his sheets, trying to find a grip to hold on to.

He stumbled to the computer, typing in the formula for the numbing solution, feeling himself disconnect with each virtual dose.

He drooped against the wall, sighing with relief as the pain vanished.

Hehe… who was Aramis again? Oh, right, his son. Dead son. Baby shot in his arms. Right. Blood. Mmm. Blood. He had blood, right? He did not like it. His blood made him feel scared for some reason. Some stupid reason. Stupid. He was stupid. Yeah. He reached up to administer another shot.

Rico. Step brother? Horrible man. Hated him. Both of them hated each other. Ricky was going to inherit everything that should have been left for him because their mother, Johan’s birth mother, wrote him out of the will. Another click, more numbness overtaking him.

Why did she write him out again?

More ones and zeros transferred into his system, relaxing more and more, a dopey smile on his lips. He was feeling much better.

He caught his reflection in his window. The rainbow on his chest glinted at him.

Oh, right! That’s why!

Gay!

He was fucking gay!

He liked men!

How fucked up is that, huh!?

Worthless!

He grinned, wide and would be painful if not for the drug in his body.

Gay means happy! Be happy!

Keep smiling!

Keep smiling!

You’re worthless, you should not own this company, even beside the man you love!

Joey Drew, what a liar! What a thief!

He would be much better than Johan Ramirez ever could be.

He would be better in every regard.

If only his workers could see beyond the mask, if they knew who Johan Ramirez was, and not Joey Drew, they would hate him, they would jeer at him, they would spit and curse at him.

He clicked thrice more, hissing as the sting hit his brain, giggling when the invisible narcotic seeped into his neurons.

He would remove it all in the morning and let the pain sink in. But right then, he did not want to remember. He wanted to not feel.

He giggled.

How pathetic.

“Joey, you alright?” Allison, Susie’s apprentice and possible partner asked him. He looked up from animating, dark circles under his eyes. “You, no offence, you look awful, Mr. Drew.”

“M’fine, thank you for asking,” he mumbled, returning to his work. Allison looked at him uneasily. He seemed drunk, in a way. But he did not show any signs of drinking or drugs. He waved her off. “I’m sure Susie is waiting for you, dear.”

She looked at him for another moment before slipping away, leaving Joey alone. Henry was not in today because he was with Diane, so that left Joey with all the work.

He was fine.

Henry had made a new character recently, an “Alice Angel”, and Joey was trying to get the hang of drawing her.

She reminded him too much of Diane.

That was probably who Henry based her on.

His heart ached with each stroke.

It took him four hours to finish the short.

He sighed, getting up with a huff, and was startled to see Johnny looking at him with a smirk, blocking the doorway by leaning on it.

“He-llo, Mr. Drew,” he said, looking over him with a meticulous laziness. Joey felt exposed, and he shifted where he stood. Johnny got off the doorpost, closing and… oh god, he locked the door. “You’re looking good.”

Red flags literally swarmed Johan’s vision as he backed up.

“Come now, Johnny, I, uh, don’t thin-”

Johnny chuckled, and he stalked over to Joey in four quick steps.

“Joey, let’s not think.”

His hand pressed to his chest and shoved him against the wall.

“You’re gay, right?” Johnny smirked at him, eyes narrow as he knocked his legs out from under him. Johan looked up at him in fear. “So you wouldn’t mind helping a guy out, hmm?”

“That’s not how being gay works!” he retorted, trying to scramble away, but Johnny’s hand held him down. “Stop, let me g-”

“Shh,” Johnny’s hand pressed to his mouth, the other undoing his belt. Joey squirmed and tried to escape from his grip, but his knee pressed to his chest and forced him to stay against the wall. Johnny rolled his eyes at his struggles. “Joey, the less you fight, the sooner I’ll let you go.”

Joey screamed against his hand.

Not again!

Please, no!

No no no no no no no n-

He could not breathe.

Johnny zipped back up his pants, leaving the choking Johan on his knees.

He leaned down to him.

“Swallow.”

He did, feeling disgusting, feeling so horrible and weak.

Johnny smirked, satisfied.

He left.

Johan gasped, still tasting bitterness on his tongue, rubbing his arms and shaking.

He saw wetness on the floor, a mix of the devil’s drink and his own tears.

He was crying, and he could not stop, his pinkened vision blurry and shuddering. He gripped his arms as he trembled, his throat raw.

He stumbled up, trying to make out what to do. Henry was out, and he would be terrified to talk to him of all people about this. Bertrum and Lacie were out scoping a site that they could use. He pulled himself up, stumbling out. Sammy. Sammy. Sammy Lawrence.

He tried to call for him, but his voice came out as a croak.

He stiffly made his way down to the man’s office. He knocked on his door. Sammy, at first irritated at the interruption, froze when he beheld the artist.

“Joey! What happened, you look terrible!” he gasped, pulling him into his office and pulling down the shades. Joey opened his mouth to speak, but he could not get a sound out. Tears splashed onto Sammy’s desk, and he carefully patted his back. He tried to sooth him with his softest tones. “There there, Joey, it’s alright. You can tell me what happened.”

Joey sobbed, burying his face against Sammy’s chest, wrapping his arms around the music director.

He told him everything, and begged and pleaded for him not to tell anyone.

Sammy clearly was appalled, but he acquiesced, scowling at the thought of someone even thinking of doing what was done.

Joey was a mess over the next few days, slowly, slowly getting better.

Things seemed to finally start looking up, though he did not fire Johnny. He was scared of the questions that would follow. He did not want anyone else to know.

Sammy would be there for him when he needed.

His computer was always ready to give him another boost of impossible drugs.

His nightmares became more frequent, more souls deleted, more strain in the studio between workers, and he could only watch things fall apart.

Henry seemed to cause so many of the rifts and strifes, and Joey did not like it. Henry caused fights and arguments and splits, but Johan could do nothing about it. He could only watch the damage.

Henry and Diane became engaged.

Joey felt like vomiting, but he congratulated him, went up to his room, and just numbed himself like he always did.

Henry’s marriage approached.

The night before.

Joey was going to be his best man.

He and Henry had a bottle of strawberry champagne, another two bottles drained by their feet in the hotel room.

Henry was going to be married.

Joey was drinking to numb himself. The alcohol was jarring to his system a system already used to and addicted to the virtual version.

Henry was on his lap Joey playing with his hair between glasses.

Henry’s lips latched onto his neck and collar, and he gasped, shocked.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, confused. Henry chuckled, licking Joey’s neck, making him squirm. “Henry, you’re going to be married, tomorrow!”

“Exactly,” he muttered, continuing to kiss his neck. “Joey, this is the last time you can be with me. Do you want it?”

“I… Henry….”

“Joey.”

“I can’t…” Joey gasped, gripping Henry’s shoulders. Henry froze. “I won’t let you cheat on Diane, no matter if I want something or not.”

“Johan,” Henry chuckled, kissing him in that one sweet spot that would melt him, that one place no goddamn person would even think of, right under where his jawline met his ear, making him moan. He nibbled the spot, Joey gasping and wriggling under him, one hand tightening on Henry’s shoulder, the other tangled in blonde and strawberry curls. “She’s not here right now.”

“Henry, it’s not right,” he breathed, pushing him back. “You can’t do this.”

“I can and I will,” Henry pouted, eyes narrowed. Joey smiled at him sadly. Henry kept up the unspoken staring contest for some time before sighing and lowering his head. “You’re right.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“Sorry.”

Henry got up, picking Joey up. Joey tucked his head to Henry’s heart, listening to it beat.

“We don’t need to have sex, you know,” Henry murmured, taking them both to the king size bed, gently putting Joey down and slipping on after. Joey’s hand came to rest on his cheek. Henry leaned close, their breath mingling. “Can I kiss you?”

“Henry….” Joey whispered, closing his eyes. “I love you.”

Henry swallowed roughly, and pressed his lips to Joey’s.

Johan whimpered, wrapping his arms around him.

They laid down, their lips still in the kiss, arms wrapped around each other, tears silently making their way onto silk pillows. Johan shook with silent sobs. Henry trembled with locked emotions.

“I love you, too.”

They woke up in the middle of the night, sobered up, tangled together, their foreheads pressed together, and neither wanted to let go.

They kissed again, trying to hold onto being together.

As the minutes ticked by, the wedding became nearer and nearer, and it ripped out Johan’s heart. It was not fair, they both knew it.

“Joey, you know why we can’t be together.”

“I know.”

“We’d be killed for it….”

“I know. Henry, I’d die for you….”

“Joey… don’t make this harder than it needs to be….”

“You’re going to be married soon, Henry, I know, I hope you can be happy with her….”

Their kisses lasted until the afternoon, tangled together, weeping silently over the pain of the stigmas and laws tearing them apart.

Joey took him to the altar, giving away the man he loved more than anything in all the universes.

He mouthed the words with Diane, tears in his eyes as he whispered, “I do.”

He spoke, his eyes trained on Henry, Henry’s on his, as he spoke of how happy he was for him, how much he wished the best for him, how much he was glad to have met him and how special he was to him.

So special.

Henry went on his honeymoon, leaving Joey alone again in the studio. He numbed himself every night, pumping his code full of the addictive chemical.

When Henry came back, he did not say a word to Joey.

It hurt.

So much, it ripped at whatever was left of his heart, it clawed at his brain and thoughts, it hurt.

Henry still caused problems with the other workers.

He would argue and mess around with parts and music.

Tension rose.

He still refused to talk to Joey.

Johan let him get away with it.

Complaints rose.

Especially from the junior animators he hired in Henry’s absence.

Johan tried to keep the peace, but he did not talk to Henry, he would wait for him to come to him, holding himself back from causing a scene.

Until he gave in.

Joey confronted him.

“Henry, we need to talk about what you’re doing.”

“My job?” Henry cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms. His golden ring glinted brightly. Joey swallowed roughly. “I do it.”

“Yes, but people are complaining about how you act,” Johan bolstered his courage. “You’ve been very… aggressive as of late, though it’s gotten worse after your marriage.”

“Johan, Johan,” Henry chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I own half this company, I can act as I please.”

“Henry, that’s just another reason for you to act properly,” Joey insisted. Henry scowled. “Be a role model, not only for this company, but for your daughter!”

“You know nothing about being a father,” Henry snarled. Joey felt his lips twitch, snaking into an incredulous grin. “You don’t!”

“Henry, I helped you raise Linda,” Joey smiled, his eyebrows joining in pain as he recalled a small hand in his. He choked, tearing up. “I had a son, too.”

Henry fell silent, the retort on his lips vanishing.

“I know what it’s like to want to give your child everything,” he whispered, smiling as he remembered Aramis’ smile when he gave him gifts and candies. “My sweet little boy….”

“What happened to him? Is he with his mother?”

“He’s dead. He was going to turn six this year.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Henry froze, looking at him with some horror. “Wait. How old are you, again?”

Joey could not breathe.

“Johan! Answer me!”

“Twenty one,” he whispered, biting his lip. Henry stared at him. “Aramis… he… I… they tried to fix me. Tried to make me not gay. Thought that if they… if they made me… h-have… have a child… thought it would fix me. I was sixteen.”

“Joey….”

“I’m fine.”

He was high as a kite that night, giggling to himself as he continuously pumped himself full of the numerical drug. Another two names joined the lengthy list of deleted lives, the number raising to twenty seven. The ink machine rumbled with contentedness beneath him.

He still giggled as he cried.

He hated the addiction.

Joey Drew would be a better person, at least he would probably kill people in their face rather than removing them from existence while cowardly hiding away.

The resignation killed him.

Henry left.

Henry said something about putting more time into his family life and school work.

Henry did not meet his eye as he said it, stuttering on the word family.

He twisted his ring uneasily.

Joey nodded, he knew that Diane wanted Henry to quit, she had even voiced it in Joey’s presence. They both knew the real reason.

“I love you,” he whispered as he hugged his best and closest friend for a final time.

“I love you, too,” Henry choked out, gripping him. They stayed like that for a long time. Henry pulled away. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, of course, feel free to come by whenever you want.”

Joey knew he would not, as did Henry.

Joey did not drug himself that night. He just cried. He cried and cried until the morning light dried his tears.

It was his twenty second birthday, and he cut his arms this year as well, the even eleven and eleven on each arm, adding a new snick on his left arm.

Perfectly even.

Nothing right, nothing good.

Joey Drew would be a much better person than Johan Ramirez.

Joey Drew would not be a coward.

Joey Drew would not be sick.

Johan Ramirez was disgusting, a fraud, a freak, a liar.

Joey Drew was his mask.

People liked Joey Drew. They liked Bendy the Demon. They liked the moving ink.

Johan Ramirez? No one even knew him.

[aryathesuper]

This Is Our Song

Okay, so @177-8 asked for this like -- Jesus, dude, this was ages ago -- and somehow I’m only just now getting around to posting it? It’s gonna be a lot longer than I thought, though, so here’s at least your first piece. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Jinx!”

Beca clamped her mouth shut on instinct, glaring at Cynthia Rose while Chloe looked on like a delighted child. Within moments, Stacie poked her head around the corner, grinning from ear to ear.

“Did you get one?” She looked around the room at everyone's expressions. “Beca? Yes!”

“Who'd she get?” Ashley called from somewhere upstairs, and Stacie scampered off before Beca could raise her middle finger.

“Are you guys playing that goddamn game?” Aubrey called from the kitchen, making everyone laugh. “Are we five?”

“Close!” Chloe called back, and Beca sat back in her chair, looking disgruntled but amused. She gave Chloe a pointed look, one that clearly said free me, but Chloe just shook her head and gave her a sweet grin that made her stomach flutter.

It was weird, but kind of awesome, to have the Bellas under one roof again. Somewhere between “I hit big shot status” and “That's a lot of zeroes on my paycheck,” Beca had thought, again, of the girls who had become her family. She had emailed them all on a whim, and, surprisingly, each one had replied. And so, working with the ever-efficient Aubrey Posen, and the always-excitable Chloe Beale, Beca had worked to pull the Bellas from all corners of the States, and, in Amy's case, Australia.

That was a conversation not to be forgotten.

“Are there gonna be male dancers?”

Beca rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as Chloe tried to stifle a laugh behind her. “Amy, I'm renting a lake house, not a strip club.”

Amy's disappointed sigh crackled through the phone. “The big BM can't rent a strip club?”

“Not for a whole week, Amy!”

“What about for a night?”

Beca sighed and Chloe's laughter burst free. Aubrey slapped a hand to her face and shook her head. “I'll think about it — Chloe, you are not helping.”

Amy gasped. “Ginger's there? Help me out here, Chloe!”

“Oh my god. I'll think about it, Amy.”

“Then I'm in!”

“Of course you are. I'll send a ticket.”

The lake house itself was huge, and although Beca had not told the girls how much exactly she was spending to pull them together for a week, it did make a sizable dent in what was a fairly sizable bank account. Aubrey was the only person she had told, and that in itself was an accident; she had mentioned it in passing as they were discussing plane tickets and when the girls were landing. The blonde had frowned at her, but remained quiet nonetheless, knowing that Beca had wanted to do it.

And now here they were, barely a few hours in, playing this ridiculous game. It was, Beca supposed, a bit of a Bella tradition, trying to get each other, so she tolerated it, but that didn't mean she couldn't come prepared. Beca got to her feet without a word, moved to the kitchen to retrieve a can from the fridge, winked at Aubrey on the way back out, and then returned to Cynthia Rose, tossing the can into her lap. Only then did she speak. “I already bought Coke. Your jinx is null and void.”

“That's cheating!”

“No, that is a loophole.”

CR looked semi-impressed. Chloe looked slightly disappointed, but amused all the same. Lilly said something indistinguishable from her corner that Beca was not sure she wanted to hear. She took in each of their expressions and could do nothing more than laugh, feeling something warm slot into place.

Yep. This was what she had been missing in L.A.

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

“Beale, damn you, give them back!”

Chloe laughed, bouncing on her mattress to maintain her balance, holding Beca's headphones out of her reach while they roughhoused in the room Beca had chosen for the duration of their stay. Chloe bounced again as Beca clambered up onto the bed, laughing as Beca took a swipe and missed. “C'mon, shortstack, come get 'em!”

“You are two inches taller, you have no right to — oof!”

Beca lost her footing and tumbled into Chloe, knocking them both into the mattress. Beca's headphones went flying, but neither woman paid attention; Beca landed on Chloe's chest, their lips a half-inch apart, and for a moment, they just gazed at each other.

“Hi,” Chloe said, grinning and breathless.

“Hi yourself,” Beca returned, smiling. Chloe wrapped an arm around her middle and stroked lightly up and down her back.

“You know, for a while, I thought maybe you'd forgotten. About the Bellas, about me.”

“Not in a million years. Bellas for life, dude. And how can I forget you, when I skype you at least once a day?”

Chloe chuckled, and it warmed Beca all the way through, like hot chocolate after being out in the snow. Before she knew it, more words were pouring out of her mouth.

“I miss you, dude, like, all the time.”

Chloe's eyes brightened. “You do?”

“Yeah, I ….” Beca faltered, trying to find the words to describe the crushing loneliness she had been feeling, especially in the mornings, waking up with no redhead to greet her good morning, no Stacie to steal her favorite cereal. All was quiet now when she padded softly through her house, and the quiet was almost more than she could handle.

Before she could express this, Amy's voice startled them both. “C'mon, Bhloe, bonfire!”

“Yeah, let's go, aca-bitches!”

Beca hesitated, looking toward the door, and Chloe's fingers stopped tracing lines up her spine. She looked back at Chloe, conflicted. “I don't—”

But Chloe smiled fondly at Beca, and the brunette lost her train of thought. “Later,” she said softly. “I'll come by later. Let's go hang out with the girls for a bit.”

There was a crash, and they heard Amy cry, “S'mores!”

“Better tame Amy too,” Beca said with a reluctant sigh, “before she smashes any furniture.”

Chloe chuckled and pulled them both up. Taking Beca's hand, she led her from the room.

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

The fire was warm against Beca's face.

Around her, the Bellas talked and laughed under the stars. Behind them, the lake gleamed and winked at them as the moonlight reflected off of the water. Beca was sitting cross-legged on the ground, listening to the sounds of the night and the Bellas' collective chatter. Chloe was laying with her head in Beca's lap; the small brunette found herself idly stroking back locks of fiery curls as the night wore on. Chloe was humming contentedly to herself; Beca didn't recognize the tune, but Chloe's voice soothed her nonetheless.

Eventually, softly, Beca said, “This is nice. Just having the time to do this.” Chloe hummed her agreement. “I miss the noise, sometimes. And all the improvised singing.”

Chloe chuckled. “We were pretty good at that, weren't we?”

Beca nodded. “It's one of those things I never knew I'd miss till it was gone.”

“I miss it every day,” Chloe said softly. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Chlo.” Beca grinned and poked her nose with the tip of her finger, causing Chloe to wrinkle her nose and swat at Beca's hand. “Even if you did invade my space more often than not.”

“You loved it,” Chloe teased. A beat, then, “This is okay? I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?”

Beca shook her head. “You're fine. I actually really like this.” She twisted a strand of Chloe's hair between her fingers, watching the firelight change and twist its colors. “I miss this, too. Being able to be your best friend up close.” It was more than that, but she wasn't sure how to properly voice it. It made Chloe smile, though, so she tried. “Like, I miss all the things we used to do. Sharing blankets on the couch. Studying together. You staying the night in my room when Amy was gone. Late night coffee runs.  Even just … talking. I never expected to miss it like I do.”

Chloe just smiled. “I miss that stuff too, Bec. It's not the same through a computer screen.”

“It's not.” Beca sighed and glanced up at the sky. “I wish there was a way we could be closer.”

Chloe hummed. “Well, we've got this week.”

Beca smiled at that. “Yeah, we do.” Chloe smiled and laced her slim fingers through hers, so Beca idly stroked the back of her hand with her thumb.

“Oooooh, Bhloe's getting cozy,” Amy called over the fire. A few of the girls snickered, and Beca rolled her eyes at their antics. Ever since their time at Aubrey's retreat, almost all of them referred to Chloe and Beca by Amy's ridiculous pet name, but neither of them minded. Chloe thought it was cute, actually; Beca thought they were all ridiculous. But these were her girls, so she went with it.

And it wasn't so bad that she had something, small though it was, that connected her and Chloe, just the two of them. She found that it was something she liked a lot, probably more than she should.

But that was a thought for another time, because suddenly she was being tossed over Amy's shoulder and the Australian was charging for the lake. A shriek behind them told her that Chloe had been unexpectedly picked up too.

“Amy!” she screeched, pounding on the other woman's back as her feet hit the dock and she heard the wood creak and knock together.

“I think you two need to cool down!” Amy said with glee, and without further ado, launched the brunette into the lake.

The cool water startled Beca's body after the warmth of the fire, and she came up sputtering in shock and surprise. Beside her, Chloe came up in a halo of fire and water, coughing but otherwise looking okay. The duo looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Up on the docks, the rest of the girls did too.

And so the night wore on.

~~~~~~~~~~~

So, that’s that. Any requests or prompts from you guys? I wanna get back into writing again! And a part 2 may come soon!

[writtenbymatthew]

💍 - Xena

click to read these long ass stories !

Xena and Matthew are drunk and get married, either purposefully or by accident.

There was no greater shame than waking up in the arms of another without recalling the events that ended you up there. To Matthew, however, the greatest shock presumably came from realizing his clothes were still on. Why would he ever end up in a bed, with a blonde, only not to be bare butt naked? Slowly but surely his senses woke from their slumber as well and he recognized the peaceful face beside him. Ugh, of course. “Why are you all wrapped around me, Lainee? Damn it, woman, how am I supposed to escape now?” He huffed and puffed under his breath, wriggling from underneath a maze of blond locks and supple fingers until the tiniest of stirs next to him spooked him and forced him to swallow back everything he’d just said. Not such a big mouth when there was a chance little miss-meaningless-childhood-kiss could hear what came out of it, apparently.

After a cautious but creatively successful (tickling her nose with a feather plucked from those cheap motel pillows really did make her move her arm. After the second try, at least.) attempt to climb out of the bed while remaining the only one awake in the room, Matthew looked back over his shoulder. The scene of the pale body, spread out and tangled up in tulle and crisp, ironed sheets beared resemblance to a crime scene. But what more could he have possibly stolen from her? Like a thief in the night, he had acquired both her heart and her innocence once before and he would be able to still milk that fact for double the amount of years. Had his intoxicated ego try to reclaim what was his’ just to inflate his self-esteem a little bit? He chuckled to himself. Yeah, that must’ve been it. There was only one detail standing between his theory and reality, the brunet realized while passing by a speckled mirror: why the fuck was he wearing a bow tie? And why did it match his dress pants?

He had to find answers. Or, if there was no other option, someone else who held the answers for him. Of course, knowing his luck, his phone wasn’t anywhere near the nightstand nor knocked under the bed. It took him three times checking the medicine cabinet, an in-depth search of the closet drawers and all four corners of the room, to at last, by accident stumble over a bag. His heart? Dropped. Peaked. Was as alerted as that time his front door opened during one of his solo karaoke nights. But as luckily as he’d been to find just his mother standing with a giddy smile on her face, as luckily he was now, finding out all the contents had landed with the softest thud on a carpet floor. And iPhones, as creepily clever as they are, both lit up from the sudden movement. Making himself comfortable in a threadbare couch, he scrolled through his new messages, only to find there were none. Oddly enough, LRSOA’s life of the party had an unfamiliar low amount of notifications waiting for him which he could eventually pinpoint to having no signal. What did he find? Time to clean out his phone storage room which led him to a series of pictures of him and Lainee Xena looking like fucking prom royalty for some reason. Zooming in, he couldn’t believe his own weird smile directed at her and his hands around her waist and- oh, bingo!

By the timehis hands got hold of the old camera he’d seen himself holding in the pictures (and that must’ve rolled out of Lianee’s purse earlier), a few things had come back to him already. One of them the fact that that camera definitely had been fully charged on Saturday-morning. So the red blinking light signalling the battery was dead at the moment could only mean one thing. Eager to refresh his memory, he knelt to the ground in search of its black charger and the least damaged-looking socket in this room. “Come on,” He grumbled, slapping the top as if that would speed up the charging process enough to start rolling the tapes. The brand’s intro tune alerted him when the videos were finally ready to be watched. The first little previewcatching his eye had a time-stamp of 10PM in the bottom corner which probably meant it wasn’t the first but the sight of Lainee just drew him in. She was wearing the softest shade of pink and gave the dress’s fabric the illusion of being see-through. It had long, puffy sleeves and flower details on the front. Though Matthew would’ve never picked that one out for her, it was a clear fit. Thetulle of the dress made her innocence stand out and involuntarily, a smiletugged at his lips when he watched her twirl around in it just once. “Nowthat you look like a princess, we’re all ready to crash into the castle, aren’twe?” He heard himself ask and refer to an old, fancy-looking building that onlynow came into clear view. There was a remark on his suspenders before thefootage cut off altogether and Matt was left with only 31 other videos to fillup the holes in his memory.

Bit by bit the pieces fell together. Waving around his dad’s credit card was the biggest giveaway and the plan this duo had cooked up wasn’t all that bad, to be honest. Play a good old prank on that grey fool by stealing his credit card and misusing it for purchases Matthew would never be suspected of. It started out with that tux and its accompanying dress, then a variety of dessert tables (wedding cakes, of course. Just to be sure to dodge all and any suspicion.). Judging by their moans, they sounded even more delicious than they looked and Matt even quietly laughed when he watched Xena reach out of frame to wipe away a bit of custard cream from the corner of his mouth. Which he had only reciprocated by smudging some chocolate sauce on her nose instead. In the fancy venue they’d hired last minute, Matt had grown tired of their little confetti canon fight and lay down, admiring the accidental party he’d created. Turning his head and the camera from the ceiling to the right, he said, “We’re not going to get anything out of it like this. We should invest in something worthwhile. Like… Inviting people so they would bring gifts! Or maybe something that we can pawn once all of this has blown over. What do you think, little love?” And even without seeing it on tape, he knew his grin matched hers when she replied the only acceptable answer, “both.”

A few more lose frames here and there, all too cozy for the public eye, and suddenly Matthew found himself sitting on the edge of the settee, wondering what would be on the end of this tape. He was absorbed in finding out what his own announcement from last night would be all about. Something worth hyping up strangers in a country-club setting for, anyway. “Ladies and henpeckers, I just broke a crystal glass to get your attention so you’ll better bloody listen.” A drunk Matt shushed the crowd, one hand tightly clasping the microphone, the other seemingly stuck on Xena’s hip. “You know what? I’ve known this girl since I was, I don’t know, like 10, maybe? And I-” 

A hiccup started interrupting Matthew’s speech but by turning up the noise a little, it was not entirely impossible to follow. “I’ve forgotten many faces over the year but I could never get rid of this one. From the first, right up until the last time I saw her, she could haunt me in my sleep for nights on row and guess what, man?! I never even minded! At least she was there in the night, whether I wanted- needed her to be or not. Wait, wait, we should go to the beginning. To when I first saw you and the second and the third time and- fuck I think it took me till like the seventh time to be able to stay cool around you, Lainee baby. You always looked so pretty next to the jukebox, lost in your own rhythm till someone paid you some attention and music and then- you came alive. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Yeah, yep, I thought you were cool. Too cool for me, that’s for sure.” He breathed in for some air, trying to pick out the right words from the pile in his head. But it didn’t work until he pulled her close into his chest. “Listen, you make it beat so freely, I’d start to wonder if it was ever in a cage in the first place. I always had a good time with you. A good good time. Nothing bad really happened. Well, that one shitty thing did but- but! I want more good times. I want to go back to how sweet you and I were and not turn things sour this time around. So what do you say, huh? Do you want to marry me?”

No one yelled “What?!” as loudly and filled with disbelief as Matt just did. No one except perhaps the girl, in the dress, in the bed where they’d slept. Their eyes met. Their shock was mutual. Their reasons, however, were not. “How could you let me do this?” He lashed out, not even caring about her explanation about how he’d bought rings behind her back, thinking they were perfect to be pawned. Guided by the clattering sounds of a failed marriage, Xena had to duck to dodge the ring he’d thrown back at her. Like she’d once thrown her dancing shoes away when he’d won the war and he’d (more than) once thrown the towel in the ring when there was nothing left to battle. Perhaps, she would’ve never married Matthew after all this but he never even asked. He just made her out to be a problem, one he needed to get rid off as quickly as possible. Right when she had had the slightest feeling that he wasn’t that bad of a guy, after all, Matthew Bay provew he could be so much worse.

“Don’t you get it? There is no you and I, Shaw.”Matthew, who was throwing an exaggerated tantrum, had not expected her to respond to hisrhetorical question. “Only us. Right?” Her naive hope for him wasbaffling. Her way of dealing so well with a hungover him even admirable. Buther loyalty and trust in Matthew was simply misplaced and the brunet feared hewas the only one who could (and should) put her back in her place now. “Isthat the kind of rubbish I sold you last night? Oh my god.” His hands palmed his face, rubbing it in disbeliefand exasperation while he sank on the corner of the motel bed. A loud laugh ofridicule erupted and as quickly as it came, it abruptly stopped again. His hands clasping the old camera, that had recorded them from the start, turned white from the strain. This was something he could no longer contain. So barely turning to look at her, he said those words he should’ve said years ago before casting her away. “I may not be exactly sure what my future will look like. But I do know one thing, and that’s that you’re not in it.” With an unwavering force he broke open the cassette and pulled out the recording tape. Pull and pull, creating a violently whirring sound that overruled either of their tears, until it was nothing more than a pile of plastic memories left to be forgotten on the carpet floor.

Xena and Matthew are drunk and get married, purposefully or by accident.

“Drink with me,” Matthew offered her a plastic birthday cup that he’d found in a kitchen drawer at home. Presumably collecting dust there since his 10th birthday but what better day to make use of them than on this sunshiney day with his little blonde lighting up his afternoon, by his side? “It’s nothing too strong. You’ll like this, trust me.” Uncorking the bottle of rosé, the sweet smell of bubbles and potential yesses filled his nostrils. He may not have thought of bringing fancy glasses but he did reach a little deeper in his pocket to get the actual good brand for today. Matt poured her almost double of what he poured for himself. The pink liquid was just too sweet for his taste. But then again, so was Lainee.

As planned, the innocent girl couldn’t quite hold her liquor ( how could anyone who wasn’t used to drinking, hadn’t eaten much more than strawberries and bathed in the warm sun all afternoon? ) so Matthew played the gentleman he was and helped her up from the grass in the narrow backyard. It wasn’t much but it had always been enough in his eyes. It was part of his home after all, worn-out soccer balls and white, plastic garden chairs included. “Sit. I’ll get the birthday girl something to eat.” Her giggles made him laugh as well and he lingered for a minute, only to ensure sure she was alright, of course. Perhaps he had given her too much. Not only alcohol-wise. But by now he wouldn’t be able to tell until she would one day leave with all of it.

Climbing on an upside down beer crate, Matt reached on top of the kitchen cabinets to pull out his gift. He’d remembered how long the bus had seemed to take, this morning, after he’d left the shop. It had left him there, waiting for what seemed forever, with a stuffed little dog, a box of cookies and his own wandering thoughts on why he was trying to woo this girl so much. “I’ve given her plenty of good times, you know? And fuck, when is my time coming?” Matt had raised an eyebrow at the small pup beside him before chuckling, “I’m really leading a dog’s life here.” Upon coming to this sobering conclusion, he’d strolled back into the shop to buy the alcohol with one of his older’s cousin’s ID’s and at last, went home.

“Lainee, close your eyes!” He yelled from behind the frosted glass door onto the porch. “Because I’ve got a surprise for you. Are they closed?” Only after her confirmation, did the lad, carefully so, tried to bring out a small platter filled with cookies and the fluffy, husky-looking dog sat upright in the corner. “Alright, you can look now.” Matt said as he held out his camera, focussed on her expression. Always making sure she got used to him filming her and how her smile turned into a focussed frown, reading the words that the alphabet cookies spelled out. Then, in one swift motion, her frown stared right back at him as she said his name. Cautiously. Not sure what to think, probably. Which fifteen year old girl would when there was a sweet marriage proposal laid out in front of her? 

Matthew knew it was time to swoop in, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and the thing is, I have so much fun with you. And I know you’ll think we’re too young. We are! But one day, we won’t be. And when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” He quoted Harry’s words to Sally, kneeling down in front of her and putting the camera aside for a second so he could no longer hide behind its lense. “So what do you say?” He shook with the cookie box, urging her to spell out her answer to his question but before she did that, she flung her arms around his neck. Not only did that almost make him stumble over but she pressed right into the bulge in his pants. “It’s not what you think, I swear.” He scraped his throat uneasily, his hand already reaching down as she slowly returned the distance between them. “I just didn’t want you to say no, you see?” Matt smiled sheepishly, pulling out all the broken O’s and crumbling N’s he’d taken out of the box before. 

Much to his surprise, she had grabbed one of each letter in his hand nonetheless. While flicking the N in her mouth and putting the O on the platter, she reached elbow-deep into the box until she triumphantly pulled out a K. Even now, three hours and two discarded outfits later, he could still hear her say “Some day.” On his bare feet, Matt sneaked into the kitchen of his empty house, feeling almost as thirsty as he felt guilty after sex. Looking at the platter, he knew there was only one thing he could do. So by the time he had worked Lainee out of the door before his mum returned from work, he’d eaten them all.

BONUS

If little Matthew would’ve ended up accidentally marrying Lainee, it would’ve been out of honour. It would’ve been because a group of guys, or perhaps even only one asshat, started showing the wrong interest in her, that Matt would step up and claim her as his own. Of course, women are no one’s property until... well, he realizes they can be. And with four shots down his throat, the idea to rent a priest and host a mini wedding in a bar that lines up arcade games on one side of the wall, suddenly seems like an epiphany. However, in the morning, it would yet again just add to his misery.

[sacred-arrow]

If It Were Me Chapter 3: Towards the Western Land

Y'all. This is purely shit. Like a pink troll just came up to you, bent over and shit glitter EVERYWHERE. Yeah. That's what happened to this chapter. Tagging my girls because they are my rocks and my muses. @inunanna @lacyjaybird @keichanz @adorableears7 @kags09 @inukag-4ever Also, @gypsin @shardetector @grapefruitwannabe @artistefish @mmhinman @mustardyellowsunshine @kagomeforever and all the others that showed any interest in this syory. I hope y'all enjoy. My cell does not allow italics or bolding on this one. 😡 so it may be slightly confusing. I'm posting this via my cell, while I wait on help to arrive and jump start my car.... 😂 I'm a moron most days. Anyway, on with the chapter. ---IIWM--- Previously on If It Were Me: Kagome shook her head. “I know a mountain that holds the castle of the Lord Inu no Tashio. The people of the castle concealed it after his death, and rumor has it, it’s now abandoned.” Inuyasha’s ears perked up as he stood. “Take me to it.” She shook her head. “It’s too dangerous.” “So. I have some weird blood flinging power and you have your sacred arrows. We’ll be fine.” Kagome sighed. “Do you really think this is wise?” “I’m the son of the Lord of the West. You’re the Guardian of the Sacred Jewel. I think we got this.” He extended a clawed hand to her and she gratefully took it. “Fine. Let’s go. It’s a three day travel. I warn you, the terrain is tough for someone who is not used to this climate.” She stepped towards the West, Inuyasha following close behind her, hands shoved in his pockets. “Will you be okay, yer shoulder and all?” Kagome cocked her head to the side and smiled with a nod. “It keeps getting better each moment. Crazy how fast that medicine is working.” “Good. Then let’s do this.” He wanted to see the castle his father inhabited, and maybe learn a few things about his family and his demonic side that his father never told him. Plus, a few more days with Kagome wouldn’t be so bad, though hell would have to freeze over before he would admit to such a thing. The priestess in mind kept a steady pace ahead of him with a smile on her face. Kagome was happy he was staying a bit longer too, but he didn’t need to know that either, thus his ego would get to big. Giggling, she peered over her shoulder to see him looking at her. When their gazes locked, they both blushed and averted their eyes. It was going to be an interesting few days. Thus, their journey has just begun.   ---IIWM--- Towards the Western Lands Two days on the road with Kagome were a little more difficult than Inuyasha had imagined. Being a male, and only having an older brother, he had forgotten that women had very specific needs. Even though his mother was very much a woman, he didn't exactly take notice of her feminine hygiene. The duo had camped out near hot springs both of the previous days because Kagome was determined to smell her best while in the company of a man. Kagome had pinched his right, upper arm flab- or Bingo Wings, as some people liked to call it- when he huffed for the fourth time that morning. His arm still hurt so Inuyasha decided it was best not to argue with her. The half-demon honestly had no idea why she was so worried. He actually thought the pure priestess smelled great, like the forest and sunshine. How does sunshine have a smell, idiot? Inuyasha shook his head. If he had said that aloud, Kagome would either have accused him of being mental or a pervert. Clearing his throat with a cough into a closed fist, he settled on not saying a word as Kagome scouted for the perfect campsite. Kagome stopped mid-stride and pointed to a large tree off to the far side of the dirt road. “That looks like a nice spot, what do you think Inuyasha?” Sighing, the half-demon stretched his arms and laced his fingers behind his head. “We’re stopping again, wench?” Kagome shot him a glare over her shoulder causing him to shrink back slightly -a habit he developed dealing with his mother’s temper- and throw his hands up in mock defense as he nodded.  “Fine. It's fine.” Inuyasha had learned that Kagome had a temper that rivaled with his mother's. He walked to a nearby tree and sat down cross legged. Inuyasha noticed his uniform was beyond dirty and his hair had collect enough twigs and leaves to construct a fire pit. Kagome made her way towards him and set down her bow and quiver. Settling beside Inuyasha, she reached out and undid his hair tie. As a reflex, Inuyasha jumped away from her. “Oi, what are you doing?” “I am removing the various items that have collected in your hair for the past two days. The sun will be setting in about an hour. So you can go wash up first and I will clean your clothes. Maybe your father’s castle will have something for you to wear.” Giving her a look that screamed, should I trust you, Inuyasha saw her blue eyes light up as she smiled which caused his accusations to dissipate. Leaning back into her touch, he cast a golden glance over his shoulder.“Hey, are ya feeling any better?” Kagome’s smile widened. “I am.” Inuyasha arched a brow over the same narrowed eye he was assessing her with. Kagome sighed. “It’s sore, but there is no pain. The herbs are working wonders and it’s healing just fine. Now, just relax.” Still uncertain, he stared at her for a moment, before he shrugged and turned back to face the west. Kagome concentrated her power to see past his glamour where the target of her desire hid from normal human eyes. The miko was so careful with his ears and it amazed Inuyasha at her tenderness. He only had to growl once when she accidently ran her fingers over the soft fur. Giggling like a school-girl, Kagome regained her posture and continued removing the debris. She took the time to take in Inuyasha’s form. He had to be the most handsome man she’d ever met and since she spent fifty of her supposedly sixty-eight years of life pinned to a tree, that was the best she could ask for. At the moment the half demon was laid back and calm, however she knew that wasn’t exactly his personality. He had a foul mouth ninety percent of the time and honestly he had no idea how to talk to women, but he sure knew how to treat one. His mother must be an angel. Her thoughts cut short when Inuyasha leaned his head back to look at her. The glamour flickered, but when it was clear again, Kagome sighed. Those golden eyes. “Done wench? The bath sounded like an okay idea.” He muttered. “Oh!” Shaking off the mesmerizing trance his eyes put her in, Kagome pointed right. “Of course. Just go to the hot spring down the hill, and I will take your clothes to the river on our left.” “You want me to get naked and walk to the hot spring from here?” Kagome laughed. “Yes, or would you rather me walk with you, watch you strip, and then take your clothes?” Inuyasha grinned. “If ya wanted to see me naked, all ya had to do was ask.” Once his brain registered the words he had spoken, he immediately regretted them. Scare her off why don’t cha? Spending way too much damn time with Ryou. She didn’t know her face could get so hot. “I—well you see—wait—what?” Trying to play cool and save face, Inuyasha laughed, “I was kidding.” He stood and walked behind the tree. Quickly stripping, he wondered if he should give up his underwear. It dawned on Inuyasha that he probably should incase there wasn’t anything else at the castle. Did men even wear underwear in this era? “Here.” He flung the clothes around the tree. Before she could utter a single word, Inuyasha was already halfway to the hot spring. Laughing, Kagome gathered his clothes and headed to the river. Once she got there, she started separating his clothes out of the bundled up wad Inuyasha had rolled them in. A small thud sounded against the rocky shore and she spotted Inuyasha’s rosary. He had been wearing it from the time they left the village, since he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about his surroundings in her era, but he had just taken it off for whatever reason, and for that she was more than grateful. He was beautiful in any form, but who could pass up on those ears and molten orbs? Not sure what to do with the rosary, Kagome simply placed it around her slender neck. The cool beads felt nice against her skin. “Dog-boy sure has nice taste.” Kagome giggled when she recalled the moment she had demanded he sit next to her by the well. The look that crossed his face was priceless, no doubt he thought she was using the term because he was in fact half dog-demon. “Sit . I can’t believe how cliché that is.” Releasing the fang she was holding, Kagome began to wash his clothes, unaware of the red tint the rosary was suddenly surrounded in. ---IK--- The water was fucking hot. Inuyasha stood there for a moment; the temperature of the isolated spring even moreso hotter than that of a hot tub. He slowly waded in, letting his balls get acquainted with the temperature, before settling down. Finally all the aching muscles in his legs and feet gave into the relaxation and he sighed. “Oh yeah.” He dunked his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. Standing, he shook his head like a mad dog before tying it back so he could rest comfortably against a rock. Inuyasha figured Kagome would come for him before too long so he leaned against the boulder and let the calming steam surround him. It wasn’t so bad until thoughts of a certain raven haired beauty came to his vision in nothing but her birthday suit. His eyes snapped opened before he shook his head. “Oh no, not her.” He grumbled. He couldn’t be attracted to her. He would be gone in a few days, hopefully, so he could not, should not, would not get attached to her. Stop picturing her naked. “Inuyasha. I have your clothes laying out to dry.” Kagome’s voice drifted out from behind a tree and he could see her hand waving to him. “Uh, thanks. Can you throw me my underwear?” “Um, but you don’t have a fundoshi.” Inuyasha ran his palm down his face. “No, but I have underwear. The blue briefs are what my era calls a fundoshi.” How could I forget about fucking fundoshi? Kagome laughed. “Oh. These? Incoming!” The boxers made a flop on the rocks beside the hot spring. “I’ll be at the camp site. I took the liberty of gathering wood for a fire.” Before he could answer she shouted out. “And hurry up. It’s my turn.” He grinned. In a teasing voice he shouted back. “You could just join me.” Kagome was silent for a moment, but soon she appeared from behind the tree. “You don’t mind?” He gaped at her before burying himself deeper into the water. Hold up. I was only kidding. He thought, only no words would come out of his mouth. Moving closer, she motioned towards his briefs. “I’ll leave mine on too. The bandages are not in the way of my cleansing.” Inuyasha gulped, but nodded anyway and slipped on his briefs as she turned away to strip behind a rock. Kagome returned wearing the bandages that tightly supported her breasts and a koshimaki that she lifted and tied between her thighs. Inuyasha thought the thin material looked like a diaper the way she had wrapped herself up, but it was a little hard not to notice how the thin white material became see through once she waded into the water across from him. She sat down and gently began washing. Not once making eye contact with the handsome half-demon in front of her. Inuyasha had to tear his gaze away- it was like ripping a bandaid off of a hairy arm-, but once she began to clean her face and neck, he noticed his rosary against her porcelain skin. “Kagome, is that my charm?” Delicate hands stopped mid rinse as her eyes snapped open and she gasped. “Oh! I’m sorry! I forgot about it. I was- um washing your clothes and it had fallen out. I didn’t have anywhere to put it so I put it on so I wouldn’t lose it. I know how important it is to you.” She hastily shot out her excuse as she reached to take it off. Inuyasha was baffled for a moment before he let out a laugh. “Calm down. I was only curious. You can wear it. It's not like I have to have it right now. I’ll let ya know when I need it.” He didn’t know what possessed him to let her keep it on for the time being, but the words flew out of his mouth as if he was destined to say them. Kagome nodded and continued cleaning herself. A blush appeared on her cheeks and she kept her eyes cast downward. She was tempting, even for his age he knew how bad he had it for the beautiful woman. Maybe it was just lust, he was just lusting after her body. She was fit with her tight belly, decent size breasts, full hips and a round butt to top it off. Now that she was wearing something that was his, something very important to him- well, it didn’t help his case of blue balls. Lust. That was it. He was a man after all, but that didn’t stop the thoughts running through his head. Think of Sesshomaru naked. That worked, yeah- he was good. Kagome smiled. “Inuyasha?” He snapped his attention back to her. “Yeah?” She was making her way over to him and his breathing hitched. “Would you mind washing my back? I know we changed the dressing this morning, but I can still feel the hardened paste from the herbs Kaede sent with us.” He nodded and wet his hands. Careful of his claws, he slowly massaged the green paste from below the bandages on her arm and back. It was a little hard to get off, but he finally chipped the last of it away. She sunk below the surface as he moved his hands tenderly across her back. Kagome wasn’t sure how relationships acted in his time, but she thought he must be with someone at his age. “Are you married, Inuyasha?” That question stumped him and he retracted his hands quickly. “Say what now?” She turned to see a very confused look on his face. “Married. Do the wedding customs differ in your time? Many of the young adult villagers are married. Eighteen is considered an adult. We have villagers as young as eleven marry.” Inuyasha laughed. “No. They are very different. In my time, many people are still not married and some are a lot older than eighteen.” Her face twisted. “Seriously?” He nodded. “So you are not?” “No and I am not seeing anyone either.” That was a lie. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to say that. He had been seeing Haruka on and off for the past six months, but he honestly didn't consider it a steady relationship. “Oh.” Was all she seemed to have left to say. “Demons don’t marry in the way humans do. Half demons don’t either. Demons mate for life. My father mated my human mother and in doing so he was able to share his life span with her. Demons can live for centuries so now she can live as long as my father does. I’m half-demon so if I were to marry a human, I would share my life span with her, except we wouldn’t live as long as full blooded demons do. When two full blooded demons mate, nothing changes except their bond. Neither would have to share their life span to keep their mate alive. My half-brother mated a full blooded, wind demon-” “Brother?” “Sesshomaru-” “Sesshomaru is your brother?” Kagome seemed almost appauld. “Half-brother and I forgot he lived this era too. Have you ever met him?” “Only once, cold hearted bastard.” Kagome crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “He killed without mercy and left with no remorse.” Inuyasha halted all movement. “I didn’t do anything so put those veins back in yo7r forehead.” When she presented him with a small smile, he reached over to poke her in the cheek. “You can do better than that. Come on.” Kagome giggled and Inuyasha grinned as he continued to remove the remaining dried paste. “He ain't that way anymore. I mean he’s still a bastard, but he doesn’t kill now. Like I mentioned before he’s mated to a wind demoness named Kagura.” “That’s someone I’ve never met.” She placed her finger to her chin, as she thought to recall the name. “Nope, no wind demoness’ in my lifetime, but I have been passed out for fifty years.” Kagome laughed at her own joke. Inuyasha rolled his eyes with a snort as he rinsed off her back. “Done.” Kagome turned to him and smiled. “Thank you.” The half demon locked eyes with the priestess. She was missing fifty years of her life, but in his eyes it was like a blessing. He was glad he was able to meet her now and while she was still young. Does that make me a bad person for being happy she was pinned to the tree for fifty years so I could meet her by chance? Inuyasha shook his head when her voice interrupted his thoughts. “Let’s get back to camp. I am starving.” Nodding, they stood and walked back to camp after they gathered their clothes. Once they got settled around the fire, he noticed a dead rabbit lying by the rigged skewers she had set up next to the fire. “You killed it?” Kagome nodded once as she smiled wide. She looked so proud of herself. He watched her walk over to the fallen animal and pick it up. Pulling a knife from her quiver, she looked at him and crouched down before turning her back. “Oi, woman, what cha doin’?” Kagome glanced over her shoulder. “I have to skin it and gut it so I can cook it.” He walked over to her and looked at the animal. The priestess brought the knife down to skin it. “How do you cook food in your time?” “A stove mostly.” Her confused expression caused him to elaborate. “It’s a device used for cooking. You can cook on the top of it or inside of it. Really, it’s not as complicated as I make it sound.” Either she didn’t care, or she was too confused to care, and she turned away and finished her task. Soon she had the rabbit skewed and roasting over the heat of the fire. “Damn. It actually smells good I don't think I’ve ever had rabbit like this before.” “I'm glad you approve so far. Wait until you taste it. I use to cook quite often. Rabbit stew was my specialty. However, I had the tendency to cook enough for the whole village.” She rotated the rabbit. “I’m not used to cooking small proportions. So the village started to contribute once a week for me to cook the stew. Other nights we would eat rice balls and fish.” “That river that runs in front of the village must be a nice accommodation for you.” He tried to continue the small talk. “It is.” She pulled the rabbit up and took a small taste. “Perfect. Here taste.” Kagome pulled a small piece off the side and extended the offer to him. Inuyasha didn't  move at first, but then Kagome huffed and moved closer until she was directly beside him. A faint blush crossed their features as she offered him the bite once more, this time he accepted it as he opened wide. Kagome placed the piece in his mouth. When his tongue accidentally touched her thumb and pointer finger, Kagome jumped at the sensation. Inuyasha tried not to let her see him grin. The two ate in utter silence. So much for the small talk. Inuyasha thought. He finished his portion of the meal and stood to grab his clothes hanging from a nearby branch. The damp underwear was a little uncomfortable in his uniform, but he would have to make do. He did not want to know what a fundoshi was that men wore in this time. Soon, Kagome yawned and settled back against the trunk of a large tree. Inuyasha had decided in order to watch over the miko better, he would perch himself in the same tree so he could see farther distances and hear better from each direction. Kagome set her weapons in her lap and wrapped her arms around them loosely. “Goodnight, Inuyasha.” The half-demon grunted in response. Sleep was looming over him and he gave in to the temptations before he even realized Kagome had fallen asleep minutes before. His last thoughts were what a catch the pure priestess actually was. ---IK--- Kikyou was dreading looking for Kagome. She honestly did not want to kill her cousin, but now that she was awake, Naraku would do anything to get rid of her and whatever demon had come to grab her attention. She wasn’t even sure if Kagome was still alive, if the aura of the demon she had sensed was actually as powerful as she thought. In all honesty, Kagome could be dead already. Which would save me the trouble. Kikyou wasn’t sure what possessed her to hate her cousin so much. The pure priestess was a gentle soul, so full of life and love. Maybe Kikyou was jealous, as Kaede had always put it. “Ye really crossed the line Kikyou. Going after Onigumo the way you did.” The young girl had told her sister after Kagome had caught them kissing one afternoon. Of course Onigumo had denied the act, but he knew Kagome was no fool. “Ye are just jealous that Kagome finally found love and it had nothing to do with the sacred jewel.” Oh but it did, dear sister. The jewel was Onigumo’s target all along. When Kagome had found him that fateful day, he had no idea who she actually was, but after a few weeks with her, realization struck him. Kagome was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama and he wanted it, no he desired it. The whole falling in love and spending the rest of his life with Kagome was a lie. He never wanted the guardian, never wanted a life with her, he only wanted the jewel she protected. Or so he had told Kikyou. When Onigumo and Kikyou met, all he could do was fawn over her. Onigumo used Kagome, used her for his own selfish reasons and love had nothing to do with it. He had promised Kagome that he would love her forever, but only when she became a free woman. However, he swore to Kikyou that each day he was with her he loved her more than he could express. She believed him and that was her downfall. They advised a plan to get rid of Kagome so Kikyou could have everything she wanted; Onigumo, and the true love of a man. She didn’t need to possess the jewel anymore, but he did. Onigumo wanted to possess the power it held so he could reign supreme in all the lands. The only thing in their way was Kagome. He told Kikyou to kill her, to get the pink marble and they could finally be free and live together like man and wife. The older priestess had agreed to the whole thing and went to her cousin begging for forgiveness for the actions she had displayed with Onigumo. Kikyou’s apology was nothing but a ploy to get close to Kagome, but being the woman Kagome was, her heart far bigger than most, she forgave the older priestess. Kikyou took her chance to take the sacred pearl, but failed in the end. When Kikyou escaped empty handed, a thought struck her like a lightning bolt; she could give Onigumo the powers he wanted without the jewel. The priestess dabbled in black magic, mixing herbs and other various items until a large cloud of purple smoke rose from her mixing bowl. Kikyou poured the contents into a small tin, and went off to find Onigumo. He was resting under a tree when she approached him. Standing he reached a hand out to her. “Where is the jewel?” “I was unable to get it.” He had a scowl on his face. “You told me you would get the jewel, Kikyou. Do you not love me? Am I not worth this small task?” She nodded eagerly. “Of course, which is why I brought this.” She shifted her haori and brought forth the covered tin. “Drink this and I can give you the power of 1000 demons.” Onigumo snatched the silver tin up and downed the contents. Kikyou pulled a small blade from her haori and swiftly plunged it deep into his chest, directly into his heart. He let out a vigorous scream as she had begun to chant, a white ring surrounded them. Onigumo was on his knees, the deep, red blood dripping from his wound and her hands. The light disappeared and a swarm of demons came rushing forth from the sky. Kikyou fell back out of the way as Onigumo absorbed them into his body. “Onigumo, your body is restored.” Kikyou announced. She stood and walked to him. Placing her hand in the center of his back, she ran her fingers over a large spider-shaped scar. He stood there, adjusting to his new flesh. His eyes blood red, his hair grew far too long and the color of midnight, and his voice became ever so empty. “You know what I need?” The voice was deeper, colder, evil. "Yes, Onigumo.” “Call me Naraku.” He laughed and pulled her to him. Quickly she fell into his arms as he kissed her passionately. Naraku had pulled her to him, turning to press her against the tree. He gently pulled her hakamas down running his hands up her now bare thighs. Bracing Kikyou against the tree trunk, he brought her leg up to wrap around his narrowed waist. Once situated, he entered her, quickly thrusting into Kikyou’s warm body as she used his shoulders to steady her balance. Soon he had both her legs around him, pounding vigorously inside of her lithe body. Both gave a cry of pleasure as Naraku dropped her slowly to her feet and pulled free. It ended as quickly as it happened. That was also the night he had taken Kaede’s eye. The once young child had tried to protect Kagome from Naraku who had shaped himself into Kikyou’s form. Kaede knew something was wrong with the person before them and she attempted to shoot an arrow towards him. Naraku laughed at her attempt and shot forth a cluster of tentacles from his arm which Kaede desperately tried to dodge. Kaede cried out as they impaled her, tearing a gash into her shoulder and eye. Kikyou had been oblivious to his plan and her young sister had paid the price. “And all of it was for the stupid Shikon no Tama.” She muttered. Shaking her head the dead priestess kept walking to Kaede’s village. Kikyou needed to pay her sister a visit, and if Kagome was there, so be it. ---IK--- “Inuyasha? You awake?” Kagome’s voice came out a little louder than she meant for it to. Inuyasha woke with a start, falling from the tree branch he was resting on. “What the hell, wench?!” Kagome suppressed a laugh as he stood rubbing his sore backside. “It’s time to get going.” She nodded towards the mountains in the distance. “We should be there before dark.” Inuyasha grinned. “We can get there faster if you climb on.” He knelt down and waited for her to move. “Are you sure?” She cocked her head and placed her bow and quiver on her back. “Yes, now get on, we ain’t got all day.” She could tell he was getting a bit irritated, so she climbed on, minding his long hair and held on tight. “Alright. Hold on!” With that, he pushed off the ground with a powerful thrust causing the beautiful woman on his back to gasp. Oh I’m going to enjoy this. He gripped her thighs firmer as she held on to his shoulders a little tighter. Kagome squealed with delight as Inuyasha bounced off towards the West. She opened her cerulean blue eyes only to narrow them as the wind whipped her in the face. However, she was still able to experience the beauty around her. It was sight Kagome had never seen. From the height in which he was jumping to, the miko was able to get a whole new outlook on her homeland. The leaves were multiple shades of green and moved fluently with the gentle wind. The sunlight ricocheted off the water producing a sparkling diamond like effect. She was in awe. Kagome's left hand tightened on his left shoulder as her right arm extended up in the air as if giving the sky a high five. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Kagome gave off an excited whoo-hoo as she threw her head back. Inuyasha almost missed his next landing, but as he glanced over his shoulder and witnessed the pure joy etched across her face, he smiled. The sun was hitting her just right, making her glow like one of her sacred arrows. When Kagome finally opened her eyes to look directly into his golden orbs- a mega-watt smile plastered across her face- he couldn't help think--- Kagome was the greatest, fucking woman he had ever met. He just wasn't sure what exactly how he was supposed to assess the feeling he was starting to get the past few days. A matching blush spread over the bridge of their noses and they both turned away. However, neither one released the grip they had beneath their fingers as if they truly didn't want to. The spark that had ignited between them was starting to grow and no one would be able to extinguish it. Ever. ---TBC---