#this is like. half a year after dream gets taken from sam.

[bettystonewell]

hi beth, dying for more aussie!reader pls pls pls!

Oh Anon, I don’t think you know what you’re asking ❤️ I’d love to write more aussie!reader, but it will take me a while to write something new for her. In the meantime, are you familiar with my first work Abducted that features the reader from Blowtorches, Boots & Bugspray? Her nickname is Glowworm (she’s became an OC to me), but you don’t find out why until chapter 14 of 47 on AO3. You can also read it on Wattpad

I’m going to drop the first chapter here for you now ☺️ Be warned if you go down this rabbit hole, it’s currently unfinished and rougher than my newer stuff in terms of grammar and details, but she is and will always be my baby (currently sitting at 330k words) - enjoy!

Abducted: The Mark of Cain

Pairing: Dean x Aussie!Reader

Summary: You knew you were screwed. Everything had been off since the moment you’d woken up in that hospital after your night out. But it wasn’t until you were accused of international fraud and taken to the local police station that it became clear, you were well and truly fucked. At least Agent Smith seemed to believe you and had an inkling as to what the wounds were on your body. You had been given fresh hope and the end was in sight. Or was it?

Chapter Word Count: 2.8k words

Tags/Warnings: ret-gone, slow burn, eventual SMUT, strangers to lovers, mystery, language, Aussie slang and references (to the point it becomes crack in some places), Dean bears the Mark of Cain

A/N: The slang Cadbury appears in this chapter and has scratched a few heads. Yes, it’s a chocolate brand, but our reader is the same age as Sam and knows it as someone who can’t handle their alcohol. Cadbury used to have the slogan, a glass and a half of full cream milk. So if you’re a Cadbury, you get drunk easy✌️

Series Masterlist || Next Chapter

December 2013 

“Wait here. The feds will be with you soon,” Officer Tubby said. 

Tubby wasn’t his name at all, but it suited him just fine in your eyes. His rotund shape reminded you of a Teletubby, it was just a shame he didn’t have the personality to match. While giving him the title didn’t make up for the rough treatment you’d endured by his hands, it gave you some satisfaction, even if you’d never say it out loud.

As he forced you down into the chair, your cuffed wrists followed you, thumping onto the scratched wooden surface of the Interrogation Room’s centre table. “Maybe you’ll give them a straight answer.”

“The feds?” Who were you expected to answer to now? 

“The Bureau,” he said. 

‘The Bureau?’ Right... Because that explained everything. You stared at him confused and he stared right back. 

You had come to the realisation that this wasn’t a dream a couple of days ago, although waking up in a foreign country after a night out clubbing would suggest otherwise.

But dreams couldn’t hurt you. Dreams didn’t continue for as long as this situation had and there was no way your mind was capable of coming up with something so elaborate in the first place. At least you thought.

Your memories from that night were that you hadn’t been drunk. Tipsy maybe, but not intoxicated as everyone you met here so far had been suggesting. On the other hand, the condition of your body agreed with them. How else would you have wound up with these strange clusters of cuts in stranger still places, had you not been so? 

There was one on your chest, your back, both arms, both legs, your left shoulder, your right, and the list went on. For every body part you could name, guaranteed there was at least one grouping of cuts, healed, or trying to heal like your wrists were. You couldn’t count how many times the handcuffs that covered them had reopened and aggravated them further. 

The cuts were as individual in their placement as other imperfections that already plagued your skin from years of living. Just bigger, finer and made up of strokes as if they were letters from a foreign language you had no hope in hell of reading.

“The F. B. I...” Officer Tubby spoke again, more irritation in his voice. His hands moving in a motion that you recognised as an ‘ain’t it obvious’ kind of way. It wasn’t obvious to you.

You didn’t speak back this time, rather you continued to stare at him, a pleading look in your eyes. Surely this was just a sick joke. Surely your family would burst through the door at any minute and shout “April Fools” or something of the like. However, it wasn’t April. It was the middle of December and very, very cold.

Officer Tubby glared at you one last time, then left out the door, slamming it shut behind him. A thunderous bang pierced your ears, and the sound shook the tears you’d been holding. They’d been trying to escape the confines of your lashes for days.

You sat alone in that room for what felt like an hour, but it was really only a few minutes. The sound of the clock on the wall behind you, tick, tick, ticking away, and you, trying to hold back the sniffle that you had gained through your tears. That was until the door opened and closed again, and all upset switched off. There was no hiding your stained, sticky skin, but there was no way you’d let any of them see you cry.

The person who joined you was new, serious, and much younger than the other officers you’d met during your time at the police station. He was very tall and wore a black suit and tie. Hair, dark blonde. Eyes, piercing green, gazing at you, trying to read your expression as you did the same to him. In his hand was a clear zip-loc bag. The contents resembled the small purse you had been carrying that night.

“Miss?” he said, reaching into his suit jacket to pull out a small black wallet. His American accent was low and stern, but also kinder than Officer Tubby had been. “I’m Agent Smith. FBI. I’d like to ask you some questions.”

The black wallet in his hand flipped open, revealing the letters FBI in large navy blue writing. A small photograph matching his profile on the right of them. You’d only ever seen these in the movies and did not know what you were looking at. Were you supposed to do something? Take it? Look at it? 

When you did nothing, Agent Smith cleared his throat and mouthed what appeared to be an ‘okay’ in a tone that you would normally take to mean as awkward. He tucked his ID back inside his jacket as he pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. “Is this yours?” he asked as he placed the zip-lock bag down and took out your purse.

All you could do was nod.

He unzipped the purse and pulled out the contents onto the table. You could see your phone. The battery had to be dead by now. A pair of earphones. Your driver’s licence and credit card and a couple of coloured Australian banknotes. Your favourite lip gloss and a small bottle of perfume you took on nights out. Plus your house keys and the ticket stub from the club you’d been to that night.

Agent Smith put his pointer finger on your driver’s licence and pushed it across the table towards you. “Is this yours?” 

Once again, you nodded.

“Answer the question,” he snapped.

“Yes,” you said, finally finding your voice again. “That’s me. That’s my licence.”

“Okay… Well, the guys out there,” he pointed to the door behind him, “the officers, the detectives. They’re telling me it’s fake. This licence, the credit card you see there. All fake.”

“Well. Ah... They’re not American. But they’re not fake.” 

Agent Smith pulled your licence back towards himself and collected your things. He placed them back in your purse and closed the zip-loc bag.

“The detective also told me he did a trace on you. Back to Australia. Called the Australian consulate in DC.” Agent Smith seemed to take his time. “You... You. Don’t. Exist... No one with your name, date of birth, or address according to what’s written on your cards exists in Australia. You wanna explain what’s up with that?”

Agent Smith waited for you to respond, but you couldn’t. You’d already told the detectives, the officers and the hospital staff everything, and no one had believed you. So why would he?

“The detective said you gave him your parent’s details, a phone number to call them back in Australia... But they didn’t know who you were. Never heard of you... So... Who. Are. You?” The three words you’d heard repeatedly these past few days left Agent Smith’s mouth.

How many times had you been asked that? How many times did you have to go over your story before someone believed you? You didn’t know how you’d found your way to ‘there’s no place like home, Toto’ Kansas. You couldn’t even point it out on a map, let alone name all the states of the US. And you would have remembered if you’d taken a vacation to the United States.

“What’s the point? I’ve been over it with all the others. Here, at the hospital. No one believes me.” You lowered your eyes down to your hands, your wrists still wearing the silver handcuffs. “Look. I just want to go home and put whatever this is behind me. If I could just call my family myself. They’ll confirm who I am, and I can get out of everyone’s hair and find my own way back to Sydney.” 

Agent Smith’s expression changed, his green eyes softened, and a nod moved his head. 

Did he believe you? 

He pulled out his cell phone from somewhere inside his jacket and placed it on the table, the numbers on the screen already lit up waiting to be dialled.

“I assume you know the number you need to call? What is it?”

You recited your parent’s home number to him, remembering to include the international area code, +61, for Australia while Agent Smith entered the numbers as you spoke. He then pressed the speaker button on his phone and leaned back in his seat as the ringing sound of the phone filled the room.

A few short rings later and you heard the voice of your dad answering the phone. “Hello,” he said in that kind, familiar way you’d always known.

“Hey, it’s me.” 

“Who’s this?” The tone of his voice had changed with a hint of confusion added.

“Dad, it’s me. Your daughter…” Agent Smith was listening, but his face was unreadable. “I’m um, I need your help..”

“You people need to stop calling us!” your dad interrupted, before the line dropped dead.

You sat there in shock as the tears fell once again. “I... I don’t understand.” 

Agent Smith leaned forward in his seat, his left hand rubbing over his mouth and then onto his chin as he continued to watch you. “Look. Let’s say I believe you. That this ID here,” he rested his hand on the zip-loc bag, “is real, and that’s your real name written there. How did you get here? Australia is a long way from the States. And I don’t see a passport.”

“That’s because it should be back home in my apartment, where I left it! No one carries their passport around with them all the time.”

“So how did you get here, then?” Agent Smith asked, kinder but still firm. “Tell me the last thing you remember before you woke up in the hospital... Humour me.”

Even though you knew his meaning perfectly well, through a hint of sarcasm and a sudden spike in confidence, you answered his question literally. “The last thing I remember was getting on the train at Central station IN Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. I can give you the address if you like?” The corner of Agent Smith’s lips upturned at your question. “And before you ask, I’d been out clubbing. With my friends…”

“Clubbing? So you’d been drinking?” he asked.

“Yes. But I wasn’t drunk,” you said. “I’d been dancing too. Tipsy maybe, but not drunk. I’m no Cadbury.”

Agent Smith didn’t hold back the smirk this time.

‘Arsehole.’ You had been trying to hold back the slang, especially because Officer Tubby had been mocking your accent since you’d arrived at his station. 

“I left my friends around six and went back to Central to take the first train home,” you explained. “I put my headphones in and zoned out like usual... I mean, sometimes, I fall asleep on the train. So maybe that’s what happened... But the next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital, my whole body hurt like hell, and I’m being told they found me on the side of some random US highway, unconscious.” 

Agent Smith looked down at your hands still in the cuffs. Your right sleeve had ridden up, exposing the injuries on your wrists. “Those cuts under your sleeve there. The hospital notes said that they’re all over your body?”

“Yeah…” So far only the hospital staff had been interested in your wounds. Officer Tubby and the other officers, they hadn’t cared, but Agent Smith did. Why? 

“Do you mind if I take a look at it?” He gestured towards your hands and you moved them towards him, giving him your permission. 

He took a small flask from the inside of his jacket and popped the lid open, squirting a small amount of clear liquid onto his hands before rubbing them together. “Hand sanitiser,” he muttered before taking your hand in his.

His fingers were still wet when he touched you, but the coolness of the drying liquid offered little relief to your inflamed skin. 

Oddly, he sighed, relieved at something, but you didn’t know what. “And they’re all the same as this?” he asked, as his calloused fingers brushed over the strange cuts.  

“No. I mean, they’re similar I guess, but they’re all different. The ones I can see anyway.” You watched him as he continued to study your wrist in silence. “Do you know what they are? They kind of look a bit like letters don’t you think?”

“They are,” he said. “They look Enochian. A very old language.”

‘Enochian? What the fuck is that?’ You wanted answers and by the sounds of it, he at least knew what the cuts were on your skin, or what they looked like anyway. But why were they there? Who cut you? How did you get here? Maybe he knew how you got here and he’d just been playing dumb. You were. Stupidly, you felt hopeful for the first time since arriving in the States.

“Soooo. These cuts, do they mean something?” you asked.

“Maybe.” He looked away from your wrist and back up to your face. “But I can’t do anything for you here. I’m going to need you to come with me.”

“You mean, I don’t have to go back in that cell?” 

“Well, not if I can help it,” he stated as he stood up from his seat. “I’m going to help you, but I’m going to need you to trust me.” And with that, Agent Smith picked up the zip-loc bag holding your purse in one hand and strolled over to where you were sitting.

He placed a hand on your upper arm and helped you to stand up and away from the table. Gripping tighter, he then escorted you towards the door. As you both reached it, he leaned in close to your ear and whispered, “Just play along.”

‘Just play along?’ 

As Agent Smith pulled the door of the interrogation room open, you had to squint your eyes as the bright lights of the outside hallway invaded your sight. A stark contrast to the small room you’d spent the last hour in talking to him.

As soon as you had entered the hall, Officer Tubby, who presumably had been watching your entire conversation with Agent Smith through the one-way mirror, approached you. “Where do you think you’re taking her?” he demanded, visible anger written all over his face. “She’s staying here until Homeland Security arrives tomorrow.”

“Sorry.” Agent Smith stated. “I’ve got strict orders to bring her back to my superiors. She’s assisting us with investigations into a recent case. Homeland Security will just have to wait.”

First the local police, then the FBI, and now Homeland Security, whatever the fuck that was. Why were they treating you like some kind of criminal?

Still holding your arm only tighter now, Agent Smith guided you once more and hurried towards the exit. Officer Tubby and his colleagues following close behind you. “Who’s the name of your supervisor?!” Officer Tubby screeched.

Definitely not a Teletubby…

“I need to call them before you leave here with her...” But you didn’t hear the rest of what he said as you and Agent Smith hurried out the front door and down the street.

“Keep walking,” Agent Smith said as he released the grip of your arm, moving his hand to the middle of your upper back to guide you down the street, away from the police station.

The light of the sun, which you hadn’t seen in days, made your eyes struggle to adjust, and your body still ached from the ordeal you had been put through. But you were relieved to be away from those officers who’d been holding you captive all this time and in the presence of Agent Smith who at least held some form of promise that you might get back home. To your family.

The two of you rounded a corner into an alleyway, used as a one-way street with just enough room to park a vehicle without hindering traffic. You knew this because you saw a sleek, black old-fashioned car parked about fifty meters away. The silver cursive logo of Chevrolet was written just below its hood.

Agent Smith led you to the passenger side, opened the door and encouraged you to take a seat on the black leather bench. He then darted around to the driver’s side and in a matter of seconds started the engine. The car roared as it came to life before settling into a rhythmic purr as Agent Smith manoeuvred it out of the alley, into the busy street and past the police station you’d been in minutes before.

As the car picked up speed, you looked towards Agent Smith and saw him removing his tie. When he returned your gaze and smirked at you, the realisation hit. “You’re not really an agent... are you?”

“Nope. I’m Dean... Dean Winchester… I believe this belongs to you.” And with that, he handed you the zip-loc bag containing your purse and other processions. 

Series Masterlist || Next Chapter

And that’s how Glowworm met Dean.

Let me know if you guys want me to bring the full story here to Tumblr ❤️

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[joshsindigostreak]

Running Through the Garden

Chapter One

“Rosemary: Remembrance, your presence revives me.” - Language of flowers.

Werewolf!Danny x Werewolf!OC

Authors Note: Hey y’all!!! Hope y’all enjoy this first full chapter of Danny’s story! I’m having a blast writing him 🥰

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: Brief SMUT, 18+, m!masturbation.

The drive back to Sam’s house was a quiet blur for Danny. He replayed the memory by the lake over and over again, trying to figure out where exactly Ivy had run off to, even if it was futile effort knowing her. If Ivy Phillips didn’t want to be found she simply wasn’t, which was why he hadn’t seen her in the years since they graduated. Ever since the morning she left there had been no trace of her. No social media, no LinkedIn profile, nothing; she never showed up in any tagged photos of their mutual friends either. He only knew that she was alright because their parents had mutual friends and there had been light chatter between the parents about their kids. She didn’t want anything to do with him and made it abundantly clear. 

But he could never figure out why she distanced herself. Things between them had been great, and Danny saw a future with her that he had never seen with anyone else, but those plans had been halted since that fateful morning when he woke up alone to a cold bed. 

Sam had tried to get his attention a few times but eventually let his friend have some time to himself. He never took it personally when Danny was quiet the morning after a Full Moon, as he knew that he was probably exhausted and just needed a proper shower and a nap. Over the years Danny had essentially taken over one of the downstairs guest rooms. To make it less obvious as to why he was sleeping at their house, Sam would come up with various half truths to convince his parents that Danny was just a little codependent on him and loved being with their family. When they were teens, Sam snuck Danny into the house some mornings, terrified his parents would catch on and see his disheveled friend and figure out he was a Wolf. 

When they got back to the Kiszka Manor, the monthly routine continued with Danny making a bee line for his usual room. It was the only guest room with its own en-suite, which allowed the young Wolf to have even more time to lose himself in his thoughts. 

The scalding hot spray felt heavenly in his sore body. He watched the excess dirt run off his body and down the drain as he scrubbed at his hair and scalp. Mid-lather those giant green eyes flashed in his mind again, and he almost groaned at the memory. He was convinced he’d never see them again. Another memory of her familiar scent flooded his brain and his hands stopped what they were doing in his hair.  His eyes fluttered shut as he got lost in it.

  Ivy was Spring personified. She always reminded him of how the earth would smell after an early morning rain, when flowers would just start to open up as the Sun peaked out from behind the clouds. Memories of waking up with his face buried in her fiery hair trickled in, when his first thoughts of the day would be about her and he’d pull her even closer. 

Danny tilted his head back under the shower head to rinse out his shampoo. It had been a long time since he had thought about her. He decided years ago that dwelling too much on memories of her ruined his entire week and he couldn’t keep putting himself through it. But after last night he couldn’t help it. He had seen her for the first time since the last month before he graduated, and it almost felt like a dream. 

His skin prickled and he realized that the adrenaline from the Full Moon was still coursing through him. He tried distracting himself with his conditioner routine, but it was no use. Leaning against the shower wall, Danny wrapped his left hand around his aching cock. He didn’t even try to muffle the groan that escaped his full lips. He missed her so fucking much. There had been others before and after her, but no one felt as good wrapped around him as she did. Memories of being tangled together in his dorm, waking up together in the forest around Lake Champlain after a Full Moon, being locked in a bathroom together at a party and lifting her onto the sink while she sucked bruises on his neck and undid his belt, the taste of her core filling his mouth and him wanting to drown in it, the way she would shake underneath him when she came, the way he would shake above her with his forearms bracketing her head and his fingers tangled in her hair. His brain couldn’t focus on just one image before flipping to another one. 

His hand worked his swollen cock even faster, squeezing the head every few strokes while his bottom lip sank beneath his teeth. His right hand was braced on the shower wall, and his head tilted to the side to rest on his arm as he got closer and closer. He missed her so fucking bad. He missed how they’d always end up at the apartment she shared with her roommates after a Full Moon and they’d wash the grime and outdoors off each other in a shower that was barely big enough for two people. 

A wave of emotion mingled with the pleasure flooding his system. Those green eyes, always looking at him, looking through him, the only Wolf to never treat him like the future Alpha he was. He was just Danny to her, and he loved that. There was never any pressure between the two of them. They were just two college students trying to figure out how to be adults. He never had to worry about Duty with her. She was never intimidated by his mere presence like other Wolves around campus, or back home. 

Danny’s mind finally settled on an image, a memory, of them facing each other on the soft forest floor, the sun barely peeking through the trees. He felt her hand on his face before he fully opened his eyes, and when they fluttered open those green eyes that he loved so much were warmly staring at him. Her thumb gently brushed over the dried blood near his mouth, and he noticed she had a matching stain on her face as well. That was who they were, at their most vulnerable, bare to each other in more ways than one, all alone except for a few birds in the trees above them. 

His length thickened in his hand, and with a few last pumps and a low groan he found his release. He kept his eyes screwed shut as he worked himself through his high, trying as hard as he could to make it last while focusing on the sleepy smile on her face. As he slowly came down and his hand slowed, he shuddered as the last shockwave of his orgasm pulsed through him. His eyes fluttered open and he saw his release dripping down the tiled wall, and the reality of the last few minutes hit him. 

He had just jerked off over his ex in his best friend's guest shower. 

Danny was grateful for Sam being a human and being unable to hear what he had been up to from wherever he was in the house. 

The Wolf sighed and used the shower head to rinse his mess down the drain, and finished his shower in silence. 

~!~

Later, after sleeping most of the morning, he finally got properly dressed and grabbed two bananas out of the kitchen before going to the one place he knew Sam would be: the basement. 

Sam's “office” was in the far corner of the underground level, hidden behind his own stacks of books and artifacts. In the years that the house existed, this particular corner still wasn’t as renovated as the rest of it, but Sam did his best to make it homey and definitively his. A few posters had made it down to this level from, including a standard Redwings poster that he snagged from a book fair in third grade, and one of those artsy “anatomy of a bass guitar” prints with certain parts crossed out and corrected with a black sharpie, and an old Lakewood University print bought right before they graduated. 

But as Danny made it past the final stack that hid his best friend from view, he was greeted with one of the few normal and comforting images in his life: Sam hunched over his hand-me-down desk scribbling into a black journal before popping the pen he was using between his teeth to quickly type something on his laptop. 

The Wolf  lightly rapped his knuckles on the wall to his left and Sam looked up at him with wide eyes and his pen still in his mouth. 

“Did you sleep enough?”

Danny looked at him incredulously as he took a seat in the chair that sat directly in front of Sam’s desk. 

“Yeah, why?”

Sam gave him a knowing look, “because you look like shit.” 

Danny rolled his eyes, “I’m fine. It was just a more intense Full Moon than I anticipated.”

Sam knew his best friend was lying, “sure it was.” 

“I’m serious.” 

“…and I’m the governor of Oregon, Daniel.” 

Danny dropped one of the  bananas on the desk as Sam sat back and folded his hands on his lap. He kept the other in his hand and began peeling it without another word. 

Sam ignored his intended snack, “but seriously what’s up?” 

Danny knew he couldn’t keep anything from him, “I saw her last night.”

Sam stared back at him blankly, “…who?”

“Ivy.” 

At the sound of her name, Sam's face hardened and he made his chair squeak by him adjusting how he sat.  He wasn’t the biggest fan of the She-Wolf, as she had utterly broken his best friend's heart and essentially abandoned him years ago. She hasn’t been around to see Sam pick up the pieces and help Danny move on.

“‘You sure it was her?”

Danny gave him a flat look as he chewed his banana, “red fur, green eyes, and a scent that has haunted me since junior year. I would always know if it was her.”

Sam sat there silently, wondering what the hell she was doing in Michigan in the first place. From what he could recall she was from Texarkana, and had seemingly gone back there when she disappeared right before graduation. At least that’s what the Instagram chatter implied. She had a mild twangy accent that Danny went stupid over. 

“What would she be doing up here, in this town especially?” He verbalized his thoughts anyway.

 

Danny shrugged, “no idea but she was definitely out there last night.” The Wolf put gis resting bitch face to good use so Sam wouldn’t pick up on the glimmering hope that was producing butterflies in his gut.

“She was probably just passing through,” Sam offered. 

“Wolves don’t just pass through anywhere, and you know that,” Danny replied in a flat tone. 

He was right, unfortunately. While Wolves weren’t nearly as territorial as they had been not even a century ago, pack territories still remained internally governed and guarded. The section of the forest that Danny Ran around was put in place by his father as a potential future location to expand the territory when Danny took his place as Alpha. It was adjacent to the territory the family already occupied, so there was little fuss with Danny using it as his own for the time being. However the longer and longer he went without taking responsibility for his Pack, the more worrisome his parents and other Pack members became. But in order to do that, Danny needed to complete a Mating Bond with someone, and the young wolf had been extremely picky ever since he had returned home from college. 

Danny seemingly had the same thought run through his head, and his eyebrows raised, “if she’s here…then she had to have had permission by a neighboring Pack to Run in their territory…and that patch of forest does butt up right against the Reynolds’ territory.” 

Now it was Sam’s turn to raise his eyebrows, “the chances of her joining neighboring Pack are so-”

“Slim, I know, but that couldn’t have been a coincidence.”The logical side of Sam’s brain threatened to interject, but he kept his mouth shut. The Wolf continued, “I could text Jason…he’d know if there were any new Pack members.” Jason Reynolds being the nephew of the Reynolds Alpha, of course. He was a few years older than Danny, but had always maintained a quiet friendship with him as their fathers were allies. 

  “Danny.”

The gentle giant had stood up, turning to leave, “what?” 

Concern riddled Sam’s features, “just…don’t get your hopes up, ok?”

Danny truly appreciated where Sam was coming from, but he was too anxious about the possibility of Ivy being this close to him. 

He looked down at the abandoned fruit on the desk, “eat your damn banana, Sam.” 

Sam’s eyes followed him as his best friend disappeared in the stacks and left the basement. A sigh left his lips as he rubbed his own exhausted eyes. Being best friends with a Werewolf was not for the weak. 

~!~

However, across town there was a red headed She-Wolf curled up in her bed, not wanting to face the reality of the previous night. She had seen him for the first time in years, and her own heart and body betrayed her by how it responded by merely being in his presence. She had tried her best to not let him know that her body was thrumming with adrenaline not because of the Full Moon, but because of Danny himself. Years had gone by and she still felt the rush and magnetic pull to him like she had that very first day of junior year. His Wolf form was still so gorgeous and dignified, with his thick black fur and dark hazel eyes. Trotting around that pond like he owned the place, following her in a reverence that no other Wolf had shown her. But at the sound of her brother’s howl, she bolted, just like she always did. 

She could have stayed. 

She wanted to stay. 

She should have stayed. 

But she didn’t. She let the panic and apprehension govern her actions and she took off into the trees without looking back. With each step her paws took she felt her heart crack even more. Running from him felt so unnatural and just plain wrong, but it was how it was to be. Running to him at this point in their lives led to an unknown she wasn’t ready to face. If he chose her like he had promised years ago, would they themselves change along with it? She knew how her mother had changed for her father, and she always resented the mere idea of being a “Luna,” as the older Wolves referred to her future role. The title made her face crinkle as she thought of the word. She hated it. She never understood the reason behind it, no matter how many other Wolves tried to explain to her that it was the highest term of endearment in their species one could call their Mate. It felt old fashioned and suffocating to her. As soon as her parents had Bonded, her mother’s life and ambitions were abandoned to give her father children, Ivy’s older brother Derek being born within a year of said Bonding. Her mother was rarely referred to by her own name afterwards, even by the other Wolves in the pack.

 No longer Alyssa Burke, now Phillips; just Luna, or Mom. 

Ivy refused to let that happen to her. 

But on the other hand, Danny was Danny. 

The one Wolf who had held her so gently as if he was afraid she’d break at any moment, the only Wolf to hold her in such a way. The first time his eyes locked with hers all of the breath had left her lungs and she had nearly dropped her books in front of the entire quad. She wasn’t even supposed to be going in that direction on campus, but something deep down told her to walk towards the little grove of trees at the edge of the quad, where a lot of students would hang out on the stone benches that sat under the leaves. That's where he was., quietly conversing with a skinny male with long brown hair.  But it was a sudden gust of wind that made him snap his attention to her. The breeze had rushed past her, sending her fiery hair over her face, and by the time she got it behind her ears she could feel his stare. 

He sat there, stock still on that bench, completely ignoring his friend while he looked at her. Ivy herself halted in her tracks, nearly tripping over a slightly raised brick. To them, at that moment, they were the only people on that quad. The tiny voice got louder in her head, “go, go go,” it called so loud her ears started ringing. Her own feet acted before she could make a decision, and she shoved past an obvious human that was in her way. 

Ivy rolled over and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memory that plagued her mind. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to get her body to finally sleep. It took several minutes but at last she felt herself drifting off, the last thing she felt was a few tears sliding down onto her pillow, staining the fabric under her cheek. 

To be continued…

Tag List:  @dannyandthekiszkas , @readyforthegarden , @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine , @wideminded-dreamer , @runwayblues , @wildbluesorbit , @llightmyllovee , @rhythm-of-space , @sacredthefran , @writingcold , @alwaysonthemend , @wetkleenex-gvf , @josh-iamyour-mama , @lightsofthe-living-gvf , @kakejiszkas , @sacredthethreadgvf , @losfacedevil , @jakekiszkasbuttsweat , @shutupdevvie , @hearts-hunger , @gretavanfleetposts , @ascendingtostardust , @mackalah , @andromeda-raine-gvf , @jake-kiszkas-smirk , @gracev0609 , @sacredjake , @earthlysorrows , @gvfpal , @myownparadise96 , @itsafullmoon , @gvfmelbourne , @twistedmelodies , @that-witchy-pan , @gold-mines-melting , @texas-bbq-pringles , @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface , @sadiechar, @char289 , @stardustvanfleet , @sunfl0wer-power , @holdingup-fallingsky , @bladenotblaze , @gretavanlace , @lipstickitty , @jjwasneverhere , @josiee-gvf , @peaceloveunitygvf , @exokpopfreak, @gretavanhockey , @gretavanazula

[gretavanmoon]

an omnipresent force • ch 5

Chapter 5 - DARK ABDUCTION

Jake x female reader

Words: 12K

A/N: Semi-AU// Set six years in the future, the world has decided to cast humankind aside, starting with the poisonous entities that are destroying her the most.

*So sorry it took me a damned month to write this LOL I love you all

Warnings: Dystopian Horror, Cursing, Suspense, Feelings of Fear and Uncertainty, An Apocalyptic World, Violence (& mention of firearms), Mentions of Smoking, Kidnapping, Blood, Death & Dying, Lying, Attacks, Deceit, Panic, Mental Anguish. Smut: Kissing, Heavy Pining, Heavy Touching, Mentions of Sex

JAKE

“Wait, you two kissed?” Sam places his hand harshly on my shoulder as his tired eyes delve deeply into mine. I see the tiniest hint of a smirk poking at his mouth, and I immediately regret my decision to let the admission of what happened last night slip. I’m struck silent for a second as I bite my own tongue for telling my brother what happened on the wall by the koi pond, but he perseveres. “Answer me, asshole! Tell me what happened!” His hand shakes at my shoulder as I glance around to be sure we’re away from the rest of the group, but I feel Danny’s presence suddenly hovering at my back.

“Wait, what happened?” he says with a monotone grunt, sitting down beside Sam and I with a plate full of canned something. “Who kissed somebody?”

Jesus Christ.

We’d all awoken from the restlessness of sorry excuses for sleep nearly an hour ago, buried up under old, musty quilts and blankets from the home Odin had us hiding out in. I fell asleep with Y/N’s hand in mine as we laid head to head on the dusty cushions, trying our best to calm our minds enough to sleep. We knew we needed it, hell, even if we didn’t fall into unconsciousness, just resting our bodies enough to relax was helpful enough. My mind had raced all night long with half-asleep dreams of Josh… of my parents and my family, all my dark daily thoughts even darker then under the cover of nighttime and complete silence. 

But her warm hand in mine gave me some type of solace, though she is still yet unfamiliar and more or less a stranger to me, that kiss on the wall felt like more than just two humans begging for physical touch after so many months without it. Deep down I knew that my body was acting more powerfully than my mind, taking whatever it could get just to feel something again, but after sitting with the memory of the feeling of her lips on mine all night long, I started to think it felt like something different.

Luckily Y/N had taken off to the woods to do her business, giving me a second of reprieve to sort my thoughts out while Odin and the brothers made some type of breakfast over the fire in the backyard. Sparrow was still deep in sleep, resting peacefully in the bedroom across the hall from us. 

“Jake kissed Y/N!” Sam belts to Danny in a loud whisper, earning him a swift slap of the back of my hand across his stomach. “Ow, fuck! What, you didn’t want him to know or something?”

“No, I don’t care that he knows, it’s just… not a big deal–”

“Not a big deal? Jake, this is like the first episode of a soap opera, man!” Danny exclaims with a toothy smile. “Need some romantic drama in my life, tell us what happened,” Danny orders as the two of them sit beside me with expressions of extreme interest. For a split second, it feels like we’re 16 again, telling each other stories about girls and hookups and how we managed to sneak out after midnight without getting caught.

“No drama to it, Daniel,” I begin to reluctantly explain, running my hand over my mustache. “Just… kinda happened, I dunno.” I stare back at the both of them, all three of us haggard, dirty, unshaven and feral… looking outwardly worse for wear than we ever have in our lives. I make a mental note to re-think what Y/N even sees in me, right now.  

Their eyes are trained on me, their jaws hanging slack as they wait with bated breath for the dirty details. It feels private, but also…eh, they’re going to learn about it eventually, I guess. I’ll keep a little bit to myself, but feeding into them will make for some unexpected entertainment. 

“Just happened…” Sam repeats. “I mean was it, good?” he asks, swallowing down his excitement. You’d never guess that we’re thirty-something year old men having this discussion right now. 

I feel my chest bloom with the memory of it, remembering everything about how she felt pressed against me, how she tasted, how she sounded when I let my hands wander…

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was… really good,” I can feel my cheeks blushing. “We just…” I throw my hands into the air and try to down play it all, but they know me too well. The bite of my lips between my teeth is doing all it can to keep me from relinquishing every detail to them, simply so I can relive it, myself.

“Fuckin’ come on, Jake. I didn’t realize you guys were that close…” Danny tries to urge me.

“We’re not, I mean, we were locked up in the same pod, she was a damned fan, for fuck’s sake,” I breathe, checking our surroundings again as I whisper. “She saved me, back at the sink hole…” I recount to them. “Got me out of there. They’d just hit me over the head when I was trying to save her Paps, I was passing out. I wouldn’t have made it out if she didn’t–”

I watch them adjust themselves as they listen, huffing through deep breaths of imagining what my negative memory might be going through. 

“I mean of course I’m… ya know. It’s been some time since I’ve—,” I try and explain without saying, earning understanding nods from them. “But things got a little…handsy, I guess.”

“Oooo!” Sam squeals, rubbing his hands together.  “You lucky motherfucker! What else happened? Did you do it?”

“God, no, Sam, we didn’t do it, you fuckin’ idiot,” I bite back as Danny laughs loudly. 

“What?” he howls. “I’m trying to live vicariously here!”

“Nah man, she’s like… really nice. It was really uhm, not just physical, I guess. We talked and stuff. She feels like…” I raise my hands and squeeze the air as I realize I’m having a hard time explaining to them exactly what I feel. Of course my body is feigning for more human touch, any type of connection I can get my hands on. I’m ashamed of the thoughts that plagued me on the couch last night, but I remind myself that it’s normal. And, after hearing what she had to say about a little touchin’ and squeezin’...

“She feels good. I don’t know how else to explain it. Just, really good. All the way around.”

“So there’s mutual attraction?” Sam asks, nearly begging for more detail.

I fight back another smirk. “Oh yeah. M’sure of that.”

“I saw her looking at you last night,” Danny adds quietly as he pulls food into his mouth. “She got those googly eyes.”

“Of course she did, Daniel, do you not remember being on stage? It hasn’t been that fucking long ago…” Sam bickers.

“No,” Danny laughs, “not that kind of eyes. She was looking at you. Like, really looking. With concern and empathy…while we were listening to Sparrow talk.”

All I can do is nod, remembering that I’ve caught her looking at me like that, too. A few times now. And each time it sends a surge of some type of emotion that I don’t have time to think about right now straight through my body like an electric shock. It’s funny, I’ve had my fair share of what you’d call crushes in my lifetime, some evolving into serious, years-long relationships and some fizzling out before I even had a chance to think twice about them. 

But never have I felt like I didn’t want to eat the food in front of me when I’m nearly starving, simply for the fact that the emanating peace I’ve felt in my chest and stomach for the past few days takes up enough space that I don’t need sustenance. Because she fills me. She’s making my heart race for a reason that I don’t yet understand, and I’m teetering on the edge of feeling guilty about it, as my heart should be racing with worry and concern for my family, instead. 

“Well,” Sam breaks the silence, “I hope that things stay moving forward for you, brother. Nothing like a little romance during the fucking apocalypse.”

Just then I hear her giggle from the back side of the house, causing my head to dart that way as I long to hear it again. I toss the pebbles that I had mindlessly picked up back into the murky koi pond and stand with Sam and Daniel, and we begin to make our way back to the fire to see what the day will hold. 

I catch her eyes as soon as I round the corner of the house, bright and rested as I assume she got better sleep than I did. Her face immediately turns the prettiest shade of pink before she shyly breaks her gaze, tossing a few pieces of hair behind her ear. That familiar knot pulls at my stomach, making me forget how to breathe for a second as I watch the too-bright sun bounce off her features. The day is already beginning to feel strange as the wind begins to shift from the warmth of the night into the freezing cold of the day. 

“Where is Odin?” Danny asks the brothers as they work to prepare a makeshift meal. 

“Went to sit with Sparrow until she wakes up,” Robbie answers as he stirs whatever is in the pot that hangs above the fire. “Want some?” He holds the wooden spoon out to me as I realize it’s some kind of oatmeal, and I immediately feel my stomach churn with hunger. Maybe I do need real sustenance, after all. I nod, grabbing two bowls from the stack and letting Robbie fill them for Y/N and I. 

I pass the bowl off to her as we both take our seats on a rock by the fire. “Awfully kind of you to think of me, Jacob,” she says sweetly, taking the hot bowl from my hand. 

You’re the only thing that’s been on my mind since last night, if we’re being honest…

“Sharing is caring,” I blurt, making her giggle again. 

“Do we have a plan? Are we making moves soon?” Danny asks, turning the bleak cheeriness of the morning straight into business. We always leave it to him to keep things on track. And honestly, if it weren’t for him naturally doing that at every single turn, it’s hard to tell where we would be today.

“As soon as Sparrow wakes up, and we see that she’s ready to share again, we will define a more detailed plan,” Josiah explains. “For now, Odin wants you all fed and for us to gather necessary supplies from the house. I found some backpacks and camping gear in the upstairs closet, we can fill them with whatever we need.” 

I tilt the bowl up and let the soupy oatmeal fall into my mouth, and as it burns my lips and tongue I feel nothing but gratitude for it. My mouth waters and my stomach churns again as it thanks me, my mind suddenly feeling a bit of clarity as the food hits my stomach. 

“We also need to hydrate. All of us,” Robbie adds. “I think these people were preppers before we even knew the world was ending… I found a ton of canteens and potable water in the basement this morning. Firestarters, water filters, hot hands, oil lamps… take whatever you want but make sure it doesn’t weigh you down. There’s also still a ton of clothing in the closets. Grab whatever you can.”

“We also need to remember that we’re being hunted,” Josiah says grimly from behind him. His eyes seem dark in the sunlight, a stark contrast to his brother’s cheery disposition. “Hunted by the ones who Robbie and I ‘work’ for.”

“Worked,” Robbie corrects him, glaring behind him to meet eyes with his brother. My gut suddenly falls as a worrisome thought flows through my head, one that hopes to the heavens above that these men aren’t actually luring us somewhere. I know Y/N, Sam, and Danny have the same thought, but it’s quickly extinguished as Josiah explains his demeanor. 

“Right, worked. Sorry. I’m just…” Josiah works his hands over his face and licks his lips, letting out a large breath of air as he shakes his nerves away. It hadn’t dawned on me that these two men have put everything out on the line for this, for us. To help save us, keep us protected. They are just humans like we are, just a couple of guys who agreed to fight the good fight. Of course they’re feeling just as overwhelmed. 

“We haven’t forgotten that, Josiah. And I don’t think you know how much we appreciate you both for coming out here and helping defend our asses,” Sam says through full mouths of his oatmeal. The other three of us agree and nod.

“We’re not gonna let these motherfuckers win,” Robbie growls. “They mistreated us for far too long. Lied to us, and we played their games, but we caught them up. Now we know how they operate. We’ll be damned if we let them take anything more from us.”

“Your family, are we searching for them, too?” Y/N asks from beside me. 

Robbie and Josiah share a sullen glance before their eyes land back on her. “No, we lost them all to the rash. Dad was able to stay with us for a while, but. It got him in the end,” Robbie says, tossing a few pieces of broken sticks into the flames. 

“Neither one of us have even shown any symptoms. Then we got picked up by these scary fuckers, they agreed to give us shelter and a lavish life in safety from what has happened to the world. Not sure why we agreed, we felt desperate at the time, I guess,” Josiah adds. “They said they would make it worth our while to come and work for them, and before we knew it we were in too deep. But we did learn nearly everything there was to know about how their world intersects with ours, and then we learned about you guys being found. Made all the musical ties ourselves, realized all the lyrics, knew that you’d be in grave danger, and we were right.”

“I still can’t believe you two were fans, too,” Danny breathes. “Feels strange.”

“Yeah man, big time. Used to play you guys all the time while we were overseas, bugged the shit out of everyone until they all started singing along. Took some time, but we converted them,” Josiah went on. 

“Wait, overseas?” I implore. 

Robbie clears his throat. “Yeah, we were both in the military. I was Air Force, Joe was Marines. We were both stationed separately when Starcatcher came out, but I remember we got on some shitty Zoom call and talked about it for like an hour. We were hyped.”

“Oh yeah!” Josiah yelps. “That was killer, I remember that. Fuck I played that shit over and over, got the whole squad turned on to you guys. Playin’ fuckin Highway Tune on jukeboxes in random bars in Germany… ah, what wild times.”

I feel a genuine smile warm through me as I realize that our music really did tie bonds between people, and they found comfort in it even while they were living in what most likely was their own versions of hell. Even now, months after we realized that our dreams had come to a quick and forced ending, it feels good to hear the stories of days past, when it truly did mean something to someone. At least we all will always have that. “So that’s why they hired you guys… you had experience in this shit…”

They both nod. “Yeah, somewhat. We ended up coming back home around the same time, I got an MP job, and Joe stayed with Special Forces for a while. Got out and got some civilian jobs or whatever, then the world ended,” Robbie says with a twist of his neck. 

I gulp down the strange sadness that has washed over me, and I feel Y/N’s side press a little harder onto mine. 

“Bet that was tough…” I mutter. 

“Yeah, ya know. We didn’t hate our lives, but it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows. The thrill of the job is what we got addicted to, but it felt like a prison most days,” Josiah goes on. “Now we deserted our posts as work hounds for those motherfuckers, guess we’re a couple of renegades, now.”

Danny’s eyes shoot open as he glances to them, then to me, realizing yet another connection that hadn’t even dawned on any of us, yet. Son of a bitch, Josh…how in the fuck did you do this? 

I shake my head in disbelief, feeling Y/N exhale hard as she makes the connection, too. It’s quiet for a minute or so as a heaviness falls over us.  

“Till Valhalla?” I finally ask, unsure of how else to propose it. 

Josiah purses his lips, offering me a stern look. “Or is it Alas, Babylon?”

I huff through my nose, breathing a quiet “fuck” as I place my bowl down onto the rocky ground, running my hands over my face. They’ve realized it, too. As the minutes tick, things become more and more unreal. Or more real, depending on how you look at it. I’m awestruck at how our words are still coming to life at every turn, realizing now that these two brothers are our Barbarians. 

“Well, thank you, guys… for all of it. Really,” Sam says with a little conviction as we all add in our words of agreement.

“Ah, no need for that. But it’s appreciated,” Josiah says as he stands up and elbows his brother. “We’re just out here still doing what we do best, huh?”

Just as the conversation starts to lighten a little, we hear the back sliding glass door open as Odin gently bounds through, giving us looks of intrigue as his one orange eye glistens in the sun. Behind him in hand, is Sparrow. 

“Good morning, everyone. I trust you all got some rest,” his voice is low and graveled as he uses caution to lead a tired Sparrow outside into the cool wind. 

“Got enough, I suppose,” I say, standing to greet them. “How are you, Sparrow?”

Her aura seems to shift as she moves, the air around her almost glittering in a dusty haze. “Well, Jacob, thank you.” It’s like the breeze warms as she speaks, blowing across us with a new wave of positivity and calmness. She emotes some kind of invisible tranquility, almost immediately filling me with a new gumption to keep going, keep fighting. I can hardly fathom the emotion, but I feel a warm buzz of stamina begin pulsing through my veins. She makes me feel like I’m…alive. 

Odin leads her over to take a seat on a bench as she hobbles across the gravel with her hand clutched protectively over her sword. 

“Is she…limping?” I hear Y/N whisper quietly in my ear, again furthering that the visions of her in Josh’s dreams were spot on. 

I nod slowly as she begins to relax onto the seat, stretching her back and raising her arms high above her head. “My friends, my sincerest apologies for bestowing that news upon you with such haste last night, but I thought it prevalent to our situation, and urgency became paramount. And then, my slumber afterward is always overpowering, and again I am sorry. I simply can never fight through it…” 

I feel Y/N rise from her seat beside me as she wraps a blanket around herself, making her way over to sit beside Sparrow. “It’s alright, you don’t need to be sorry. I think we are all grateful that you’re here, and willing to help us, right guys?”

“Right, absolutely,” we all viciously agree. At this point, I’m chomping at the bit for her to continue, to feed us more information that I know she is holding inside her. But I’ve learned that patience is key. 

We all gather in around her like children being read a Christmas story, anxiously waiting to hear what new news she has to offer. I’m nervous, and I’m a little scared to know, but I also can’t bring myself to think about anything else at the moment. The newfound urge to keep going is amplified the closer I get to Sparrow, but I also could absolutely collapse with worry for my brother. 

“Alright, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news…”

Y/N

I feel the overwhelming urge to reach out and grab Sparrow’s hand, but I resist, not knowing whether or not that will comfort her at all. I’m not sure where my want to comfort her has come from, but I can’t seem to step away from it. 

The guys and I sit and wait for her news, and I’m positive none of us have taken a breath since the last word left her lips. My nerves are swirling but I suppress them, knowing that Jake, Sam, and Danny are a thousand times more anxious than I am. Paps would want me to stay strong.

“The good news is that your brother is alive. And he is safe, in some sense of the word,” she sings, her accent flowing through a hundred millenia, but all of us are somehow able to understand it. “My friends, as I’m sure you all have probably assumed by now, Joshua has been found and captured by those who rule the Tower. His mind is still his own, but you must understand, once one crosses into the other world and begins inserting oneself with the beliefs of those who inhabit there, it takes a great deal of power to begin to reverse it. The words that flowed from me last night were indeed words spoken by your brother, himself, to the people there whom he will one day rule over.”

“Wait, rule over? What does that mean?” I interrupt, my body tensing. 

“Jacob, your brother is a Seer. Even in his adolescent dreams and nightmares, he was witnessing and experiencing a plethora of occurrences that were happening in real time, in the past and in the future, in our world. You know this, now. You wrote about it, about it all. Once our people learned that Joshua possessed this gift through learning of your music, they made it their mission to try and take him for their own. To rule over them as the true one that they could believe in, the one who stands, and watches over,” Sparrow says. My chest caves and my breath hitches as it all begins to come to life again. All of our lyrics, all of our stories…

She goes on, “Of course they wanted him, they just had no idea that a mere human would be the one to possess the power to see time. Time and events being prophesied by a human man in an enemy world is… unfathomable, for them. The end of your world just happened to be the perfect time for them to act upon their plans, as our worlds cannot live while the other is struggling to stay alive. Two sides of the same coin, spinning rapidly on its axis until it begins to slow and falter. But this time, oh, this time, things are different.”

“So they wanted Josh… to be their Seer, to be the one who can warn them of what’s to come, what will work in their favor, and what will not…” Sam drones, choking back tears. 

“Correct, Samuel. Odin, have you told them of what they are doing to their elderly? With their memories?” Sparrow asks. 

Odin shakes his head. “Yes, I have.”

“Your immune elders are being used for their experiments. They are trying to wipe their memories, wipe anything and everything they have ever known to soon bring them over into their own world, and convert them to follow the Seer. A whole new population that will know nothing but following him.”

“Blind faith…” Danny murmurs from beside me, his elbow pressing into my back. “It’s their fate.”

“That’s right Daniel,” Sparrow agrees, emanating another glow of positivity around us. “Blind in the sense that they will have no recollection of how they got there, or why they feel compelled to follow this omniscient. It’s the perfect storm.”

“You said that the hooded guards are all omniscient, why can’t they use one of them? Why does it have to be Josh?” I press, remembering what Odin had said. 

“I said they are all nearly omniscient. Your brother, in their eyes, is completely so,” Odin reiterates. 

I huff out an air of disappointment for news that I partially already knew, but hearing it all said out loud has crushed me. Why? Why?

“Josh didn’t know what we were writing about was real, though! They can’t take him and claim his mind like that, they can’t take away his free will!” I yell, feeling my heartrate taking off. 

“They can, Jacob, and they have already begun the process. You heard his words last night, and I know you know they were not his own. They’ve begun to manipulate his thoughts into believing that all he claims is truth, which partially, it is. They are deeming him as a new leader, a sovereign entity of whom will lead the people to their destiny.”

“Destiny? What destiny?” Danny asks.

“If their trials are successful, and they are able to completely wipe the memories of every immune human left on earth, they will take them all as their own and the Earth will have no choice but to relinquish all its power unto them,” Sparrow barks, and I can tell that the words sting a bit as they leave her mouth. 

“But I thought our worlds can’t exist without one another,” Y/N blurts, her hand now gripping hard onto mine. 

“They can’t, my love, without inhabitants who are strong and thriving.” Sparrow stands and approaches us, her warmth bellowing toward us as she raises her hand to brush across all of our faces. “That’s why they are hunting you. You are worth everything to them. If they can erase the memories of your elders, then they will be sure they can erase the memories of the stronger, younger immunes. Wipe your Mother Earth of her inhabitants, and watch as she completely crumbles. Once they convert you all, then their world will have more than enough power to exist on it’s own, without needing the support of Earth to survive.”

She comes in closer, her aura dripping with what feels like forced happiness. “You see, they want to fully extinguish the human race from the face of the Earth. They want you as their own. Their plan is to take you all, and Joshua is their sole key to the abductions.”

Abductions. 

Suddenly, I can’t breathe. 

I can’t blink, I can’t swallow… I can’t even feel the rocks that I know are poking through the thinning soles of my boots. 

Jake’s hand slips from my own as I feel him slowly turn to me, and to Sam and Danny, all of their faces void of any real emotion at all, other than complete terror. 

“This isn’t fair…” I whisper, and I’m not sure any sound came from me, at all. It feels like my chest is made of stone, the small breaths I’m pulling in unable to expand my lungs. Josh…

“What do we do?” Jake asks us, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as his pupils shrink to pinpoints. His face has dropped to a stark white, and I can feel the terrified energy radiating from him. His eyes dart from his brothers to me, looking to all of us for answers that we simply don’t have. “What do we do?” Tears begin welling in his eyes and the rims of them turn a bright red. I can see his hands visibly shaking.

“We search. Today. We leave, now,” Odin harks, standing from Sparrow’s side as he throws his bow and arrow over his shoulder. “Into the house, pack your bags, take only all that is necessary and nothing more. Pack water, warm clothing. Josiah, Robbie, the same for you. Make sure you lock all of the doors and windows, we will return to this place eventually.”

“Where are we going? What’s the plan?” Danny asks as everyone begins to shuffle. 

“First we find your families. Get them to safety. Then we find your brother and cross him back over. That will be the hard part,” he says, punching through all of us to go and begin packing his horse. Danny, Sam, and the others jump into action and begin rushing into the house to pack their things.

I notice that Jake is frozen where he stands, the news that Sparrow has just shared still coursing through him. I fear he is in shock, feeling the effects of learning the truth about his twin fully and completely. Truly, I’m not sure what to even say to him right now, but then I look to Sparrow and she gives me a tight grin, and I immediately feel another wave of comfort and courage wash over us. 

“Jake, I know you’re scared right now, and I know this is a lot to process, but. We’re going to find him, he’s going to be okay,” I reason, taking his cheeks into my hands to try to get him to look at me. 

“How do you know that, Y/N? What if we can’t get to him, and he’s already too far gone? What if he– what if he never comes back?” I never thought I would see him cry, I never thought I would have to be the one comforting him when he did… But here I find myself…

“You wanna know how I know that, Jake? Blind faith.”

“What–what do you mean? That’s…”

My hands release his cheeks and fall to catch his still trembling hands, cold and clammy in the blowing air. “How do we ever know anything is going to work for certain, Jake? We don’t, we just have to persevere. Josh wouldn’t stop looking for you, and he’d never give up on you. None of you would give up on each other. Right? All these years, all you’ve done is trusted each other, because it’s all that you had. You seized every opportunity, together. And look where it got you. You can’t stop now. You can’t think thoughts like that now, Jake. We don’t have time for them. Every single one of you is stronger than you know, and I’ll be damned if I sit here and watch you crumble because of a little fear. You’ve overcome so much, Jake, in your lives and in your careers, because of your blind faith.”

“Kill fear,” he whispers. 

I watch as his pupils grow a bit, and his muscles relax. I wipe the tears that are beginning to freeze onto his face, catching in his lengthening beard and mustache. “Yeah, fuck fear,” I smile.

He nods, turning his head to press a sweet kiss onto my palm. “Okay, yeah. You’re right. We’re gonna find him, he’s gonna be alright, the son of a bitch.” I smile as he picks himself up, gripping my hands that are still cupping his cheeks and placing more kisses onto my palms and fingers. “Thank you…”

I push myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he finally takes his first full breath in a few minutes. “Don’t thank me, Jake. You don’t know how many times you and your brothers have comforted me when I thought there was nothing else left for me in this world. You and your music were always there.” 

I hear him laugh, his chest shaking a little against mine as I realized the words I’d just said. “I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out,” I laugh along with him as he pulls away a little, holding my elbows in his hands. 

“Hell, maybe he dreamed about you and me too, then,” he mutters, sending my heart straight into glittering explosions. What did I do to deserve spending this time with him? The person that pulled me from the depths so many times… and now we’ve found ourselves here…

“Maybe he did…” I reply shyly, feeling his thumbs grazing across my arms. 

“Hey, love birds! Come on, we’ve got bags to pack!” We hear Sam yelling from the upstairs balcony of the house, and if it weren’t for the immediate action we jumped into, I would have had time to process the fact that Sam just used the word love.

JAKE

Only all that is necessary…

You always think about what you would grab and take with you if your house was burning down, but when it actually came down to it, you always knew you’d be able to gather resources again. Meals from a neighbor, supplies from the store, fuel from a gas station… 

But when it comes down, truly, to only what is necessary… I think I’ve drawn a blank. 

The empty backpack sits open in my hands as I kneel in the closet of the stranger’s house, my eyes scanning over the clothing that once kept this person warm. Sweaters that his wife had gifted him, socks with holes he had worn in, boots still covered in mud and debris from the hike he didn’t know was going to be his last... 

I swallow hard as my eyes scan even further into the bottom of the closet, shelves full of old memorabilia, high-school basketball trophies, photo albums, old vinyl records… these were part of someone’s life. And I am taking it, because I need to survive. 

“I can’t do this…” I mutter, shaking my head of the sudden overwhelming feeling of impeding into someone’s personal space, though their earthly body is long gone from this home. 

“You have to,” I hear from the doorway, looking up to see Robbie looking back at me. “Promise you, this guy wouldn’t care.”

I huff through my nose. “How would you know, did you know him?”

“No, but I feel like if he knew that it’s the actual end of the earth, the seasons are blending, your family was kidnapped by inhabitants of another world, and you’re running around with mythical creatures while you’re being hunted and used for your mind, I’m pretty positive he wouldn’t care if you stole a pair of socks or two,” Robbie says sarcastically as he gnaws on a long piece of red candy. “Twizzler?”

I laugh again, opening the drawer that houses the underwear and socks. “Yeah, actually, thanks. They aren’t stale?”

“Fuck yeah, they are. But it don’t bother me. Just keeps my hands and mouth busy, ya know?”

I stuff two pairs of woolen socks into a zippered part of the bag before removing my boots and slipping a fresh pair on. “You used to smoke, didn’t you?” I ask. 

“How’d you know?”

“Just a guess,” I reply, reaching far back into the closet to grab a pair of the man’s old hiking boots, happy with finding we were almost the exact same size. “I would have gotten you a pack or five if I’d have known… Right before you found us, we were in an old convenience store chock full of them. That’s where Y/N and I found Sam and Danny.”

Robbie grunts a laugh as he pulls another rogue Twizzler from his pocket, handing it off to me. “Sounds like we might have to make a pitstop.” 

It does sound intriguing… A cigarette would be fucking glorious, right about now. “Might could make that happen…”

“So Y/N… you didn’t know her before?” he asks, piquing my interest.

I shake my head. “No, just in the pods. She used to listen to us a lot, like you and Josiah did, so I guess she knew me, kinda… Why?”

I see him shrug from the corner of my eye. “Just wonderin’. Ya’ll seem pretty close.”

I shrug back, pulling a hoodie off a metal hanger. “Guess you could say that.” I pop the Twizzler into my mouth and bite off the end, zipping the overfull bag closed and tossing it over my shoulder. “Kinda feel like she’s mine to protect.”

He tosses me the last candy in his pocket as I stand and face him, watching his jaw work as he chews. “Raid the bathroom, too,” he suggests. “Soap would be nice.”

—-

“Got everything you need?” I ask Y/N as everyone gathers out back again. We’re all in a slow-motion hurry, now, as the morning is slowly drifting into noon. 

“Uh, yeah, think so,” she says, zipping the oversized pullover she’d found up around her chin, and pulling a toboggan down over her ears. “It’s so hard to think about it being so hot at night, and there’s ice blowing through the air, now…”

“I know, everything is so backwards,” I agree, leaning down to re-tie my boots. 

As I stand back up, she pulls me to the side, causing me to stumble a little bit into her. “Come here…” she whispers, her hand gripped hard in my jacket. 

“Yeah, whoa, yeah?” I laugh as she catches my fall and takes me in her embrace. 

“I found something else, while I was searching the house,” she whispers, her eyes trained on my face. 

“Oh?” I ask. “What’d you find?”

She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a brand new razor and a tiny bottle of travel shaving cream. My face falls and I feel my lips flatten into a sarcastic look. “What, you got a problem with this more rugged side of me, or somethin’?” I rake my fingernails through my beard, scratching hard at it. 

She glances around and sees that everyone else is taken up by their own tasks before she wraps her hands in my jacket, pulling me forward into her and around the corner of the house. We stumble back underneath the second-floor porch, hiding in the shadows and away from the wind a bit. She grips me again, pulling me into her as she speaks. 

“No. I love it. Really suits you,” she murmurs, her eyes traveling quickly from my eyes to my mouth. I watch as her breath turns to steam as she exhales, heavy and hot even in the blistering cold. It’s strange to say, but I almost feel like she beckons me without even saying a word. 

And fuck, she is so…

“Know what else I love about it? You feel more mature to me like this, I’ve always been one to prefer facial hair.”

“So I’m guessing you hated it when I used to shave my mustache off for shows, then?” I implore with a teasing tone, leaning in and letting my nose drift over hers playfully. “I couldn’t even grow a beard until I turned 31…”

“Yeah, used to get real fuckin’ mad about it,” she smiles, lurching her hips into mine. “We all used to place bets on if you’d show up with or without one. I lost most of the time, because you always shaved the damned thing off. But I guess it’s also cool that I’m the only one who’s ever seen you like this…”

I growl a laugh, gritting my teeth and feeling the need to be near her again. I feel flushed, even in the cold blowing air, but being near her makes me forget about every bad thing that’s surrounding us. I let my cold hands snake up under her coat, searching like hell to find her bare skin. Finally I find her stomach, attaching my cold palms to it and her hips. “Yeah, actually, I guess you’re right. Just you…”

“Fuck…” she breathes, her body shivering from my touch. “Just me?”

“Just you…” I repeat, taking her bottom lip between my teeth. God, she makes me want to lay her the fuck down, right here in this freezing cold grass. My mind begins spinning with want again as I feel her body weight pressing itself into me, my hands beginning to freely do what they please underneath her layers of shirts, just as they had last night. “What’s the razor for, then? If you like it so well?” 

Her hand comes up and grips the base of my neck, squeezing hard as I allow my hands to finally grip at her tits. She lets out a pitiful sound as her head falls back a little, spurring me on to keep exploring. I can feel her nipples hardening in my fingers, and I’m fighting with everything in me to stop myself from getting too excited, but the more her chest heaves, the harder it gets to concentrate. Her lips are ghosting across mine, and I feel her warm breath landing on my tongue. I need to taste her again.

“Just giving you the option to shave, if you wanted to,” she breathes, her eyes fluttering open and closed. “If not, you can pass it off to Danny.”

Her hand comes around and grips at my jaw, forcing me to thrust my hips into her again. I feel warm all over, almost as if the wind isn’t cutting us in two. There’s no way she can’t tell I’m impossibly hard now, and if the circumstances were different…

“If you like it, I love it,” I breathe into her as our bodies begin lurching and craning onto each other, my hands still massaging at her breasts. God, what I’d give to see her…

“Kiss me, Jake,” she mumbles into my mouth, our lips already almost touching, anyway. My mouth finally overtakes hers, my tongue unable to fight any longer as it begins exploring without any warning. She reacts the same way, pressing her chest more harshly into my hands, practically begging me to feel her even more. We stay this way for a minute or so, just like we did by the koi pond, our bodies pressing and moving as I forcefully back her up against the cold block wall of the house. 

She pushes me away a little, but catches her fingertips in the waistband of my pants, giving her a split second’s access to slip her hand inside. God fucking damnit. 

I take it as it comes as I feel her frozen hand work its way into my boxers, wasting no time in taking me fully in her hand. “Jesus Christ, baby…” I all but moan as I feel my head tilt back on its own. I reach for the wall behind her to steady myself as she squeezes me, her palm soft and gentle but using a little bit of force to show me what she wants. I come in close again, kissing her like my life fully depends on it. “Mmhmm…” I moan against her, my lips vibrating onto hers. 

“Call me baby again,” she whispers when we disconnect for a second to breathe. 

“Baby, baby, baby…” I say quietly, rolling my hips into her hand. “I’ll call you anything you fuckin’ want…”

She whimpers quietly into my mouth again as she pulls at my hair, knotted and ratty at the base of my neck. I’m reminded again of the thought of what she actually sees in me right now, dirty and gritted and unclean, but then again, she probably thinks of herself all the same. Her hair is tangled, her features are tired and a little sunburnt, yet I see her as the most beautiful thing I’ve encountered in ages. All of the things that society deemed as making a person desirable have flown out the window. Because truly, none of it fucking matters. 

Her hand grips around me again as my fingernails dig into the cinderblock, pulsing and throbbing as she takes her time with her show of intimacy. The essence of her is satiating all my senses… her taste, her scent, her touch… 

Then it hits me- this is the rawest I’ve ever felt in my life. 

Attraction comes in all shapes and sizes, and when you stumble upon it, it can either knock you down or confuse you even further. I’ve always been positive in what I want; I know exactly what attracts me and keeps my attention. And I’ve prided myself on that. Coming of age also determines and filters out what you do and do not want in life, and in a lover. And I know that my vision is blurred right now with this overwhelming need to fornicate, but shit, if she isn’t turning all of my past ideals about myself and what I want on their fucking tops. 

She’s different… she’s headstrong and brave, smarter than I could ever even think about being. She’s bold, and she’s unashamed. She acts as though she comes from a time that she didn’t have any business being in. She’s fucking beautiful, taking my breath away with every stolen glance. Yet she’s reserved in all the ways that I am… thinking before she speaks, studying people before she trusts them. I can tell all of this about her, and I’ve committed it all to memory, and I’ve only known her for less than a few weeks. 

Raw, unbridled and desperate, the wind biting at our cheeks as the wetness of our kiss coats our lips and faces, her hand gripping over me still, without any shyness about her aura, at all. Her preference of privacy stunning me as she shows me that she wants me just as badly as I want her. Not because of who she knew me as for the majority of our lives, but who she sees me as right now, untamed and ravenous for one another. And I am fucking enamored.

My hand leaves her breast and travels to grip her ass, covered in layers of pants and coveralls, but I don’t care. I hike her leg up across my hip, letting our bodies become closer as the cold wind whips through the bright green trees. I glance around every few seconds so that I’m positive we’re still alone, though at this point my mind is so fogged with desire that I truly couldn’t care less if we were caught. Her body is warm and inviting, and I let my fingers grip into the muscle between her ass and thigh, squeezing and kneading the skin there as her body rolls into mine again. 

“Would it be too forward of me to say that I fucking want you?” I blurt out with a forced whisper, my mouth overtaking my mind for just a second.

She laughs a little as we separate, her pupils blown as she shakes her head quickly from side to side. “No. It wouldn’t be too forward at all,” she says, squeezing me harder than she has, yet. “I’m the one with my hand on your cock, stupid.”

Fuck fuck fuck. Shit, get it together. My body shudders as I let out a quiet grunt of aggravation, completely blown with desire as my fist pounds into the wall that’s holding us up.

I swear if we weren’t fucking leaving in two goddamned minutes…

“I swear to god, baby, I do…” I growl again, making her grip on me move at a quicker pace. 

Just then we’re surprised by loud conversation near the fire pit, a rustle of everyone gathering up again breaking us from our intertwinement. She removes her hand from my pants and I adjust myself, rolling my eyes at our interruption as my teeth grit with annoyance. We both look at one another with the tiniest bit of shame on our faces, pink and wet with the after-effects of the session. I nod to the side as I silently tell her we’d better go. 

“Wait, Jake,” she whispers, pulling me back by the hand a little. “That’s not what I really wanted to give you.” Her closed fist stuffs into my jacket pocket and drops something inside it, and I watch her coyly turn and walk away with the sweetest smirk on her lips. 

Puzzled, I reach into the pocket and feel the familiar feeling of a small plastic package in my hand. A condom. I can’t help the cheesy smile that crosses my face even if I wanted to. I pull it out to inspect it, looking first and foremost for an expiration date. 

I glance back at her, purely entertained by her bold action. “2034,” she answers the question I didn’t even have to ask. “Actually found a whole box. We’ve got all kinds of time.” She shoots me a wink as she tops back into the gravel pit, going to join the others without me so as not to raise too much suspicion. 

Truly, if she thinks we’re waiting that long, she can go ahead and keep lying to herself. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, and it’s only worsening as the hours tick. For a mere five minutes, my carnal needs completely overshadowed the fact that we’re about to go on a mission that could cost us our lives, and the fact that my brother is currently being fucking brainwashed by entities that belong to another realm completely. I punish myself, but only for a second, as I know for a fact he would go on some big tirade about how humans need sex to thrive and survive in life. He wouldn’t fault me for it at all. In fact, he’d probably celebrate it with me. 

—

“Everyone gather, here is what we’re going to do,” Odin presents himself with a commanding tone, looking each of us in the eye as he speaks. We all take our places near the extinguished fire pit, backpacks and supplies in hand as we all listen intently. I try my best to calm my nerves and take in every detail of his directions, knowing that things could change at the drop of a hat. 

“Josiah and Robbie have reason to believe that your families have been taken to another set of pods just south of here, where no sinkholes have been reported as of yet. These pods are a bit smaller, locked down just as the ones you were in, but if they are going to be anywhere nearby, we assume that it is there,” he explains. “We will travel as a unit, sleep in shifts, and take cover as much as possible under the hindrance of the treelines. The brothers will scout, but we’ve decided it best to arm you, as well.”

Shit. I’ve fired a gun maybe twice, three times in my life? But when it comes to life or death…

The brothers bring us firearms that they’d found inside the home, passing them off to Danny and I. I throw it across my back and hope to the heavens above that muscle memory would kick in, had I need to actually use it. 

“I don’t believe that you will actually need these, as I will be with you always and our most dangerous threat are the hooded guards, of whom I can put to sleep with an arrow,” Odin goes on. “And I’m sorry, we can’t risk the sound of gunshot giving away our location. The smoke from this fire was already too much.”

We all bid a silent goodbye to the house that gave us the shelter we needed, and took off on foot from the coverage of the yard and nearby woodline, watching and waiting for the next threat to come our way.

Y/N

Was I too forward? Did I say too much? Did I move too fast… was the condom overkill?

A million and a half questions are rolling through my mind as we all traverse the heavy trails, making our way south to the other set of pods. We know it will be about a day’s travel, but luckily, with the guidance of Odin and the newfound spirit Sparrow had instilled in each of us, we know the journey will be fruitful. Treacherous, and probably a bit dramatic, but fruitful. Now that we have a better idea of where our families are, and likely Paps, I have a bit more pep in my step to get to him. And to Josh. 

Of course it wasn’t overkill, he reacted exactly how I expected him to. He even said he wanted me. Hello? Me?? I don’t even know what is happening between Jake and I, it’s difficult to even fathom. Just months ago he was an image on my phone screen or a video on my stupid tikok feed, but now. Now… 

I find myself wanting to text my friends again. Say, ‘You are never going to fucking believe this. Like, you’re really not…’, and they really wouldn’t. It’d be too good to be true. It’d take convincing, it’d take proof, it’d take receipts. I can hear them all squealing through voice memos, sending long strings of mismatched letters that don’t form words, immediate facetimes so they could watch me explain myself to their faces. Listen to every detail that we had all envisioned at one point or another in our lives.

But it’d never happen. I don’t even know if they’re all alive. 

“Watcha thinkin’ about?” I hear Sam’s voice suddenly startle me from watching my feet walk across the ground. 

“Oh, ah, nothing. Just…my friends,” I say to him, giving him a sullen smile as I pull my jacket closer around me. “I was thinking about what they’d say if I could tell them that I ended up meeting up with you guys. If they’d believe me.”

“Hm,” he laughs. “You think they would?”

“It’d take some convincing, but, I think they’d know I wouldn’t make something like that up,” I grin, pulling a few pieces of tree limbs away from my path. 

“Crazy that we all ended up here,” he says. “Crazy how we all found each other.”

“I know,” I breathe, glancing to Jake ten or so steps ahead of me. “I never even thought I’d even get to have a conversation with any of you, let alone–”

“Sneak off with one under a porch?” he cuts me off. 

I– oh fuck.

“Sam, what– what are you talking about,” I stutter, my face falling into a deep dark shade of red. Oh my god, if he saw us…

He lets out his classic guttural ha-ha laugh as a particularly harsh wind rips through us. His loud laugh causes Jake and Danny to whip around and look at us, and I shoot them and Sam a deathly glare. But I know that Jake probably notices the worry on my face. 

“I’m not gonna rat you out, don’t worry,” he goes on. “I didn’t see anything… just… watched you sneak off. That’s all. The rest wasn’t my business.”

“The rest?” I squeak, trying to stay quiet. “Sam!”

He’s gritting his teeth together in a huge, shit-eating smile, hissing annoying little laughs as he pulls sticks free from our way. I feel like I could trip him and watch him eat dirt right now, the little twit. Jake keeps turning around and glancing at us; he knows his brother is digging himself a cute little hole to jump into if he isn’t careful. 

“What the fuck do you think happened?” I press, kind of wanting to hear what he has to say. 

“Hey, I said it’s none of my business,” he goes on, puffing his cheeks up with air as he avoids laughing again. “My brother’s love life isn’t any concern of mine.” 

Will you please quit using that word, Samuel…

“God, can you just, not? Please?” I bark in a quiet tone, completely enjoying this back and forth with him. “I already feel weird enough…”

“Why?” he asks way too quickly. 

“Because,” I bite. I toss my hands up, trying to get him to understand. “I was, ya know… A fan, and stuff, and now it’s like..” 

“Oh whatever,” he interrupts me. “Hey Y/N, the goddamn world is ending and all our loved ones got killed by a flesh-eating rash. Yours did, ours did. There’s no such thing as levels of hierarchy anymore, if that’s the way you’re looking at it. We’re just fucking humans, ya know? We’re all just out here trying to survive this shit. Please don’t think like that…” he says a little confrontationally. “We could run into freaking Taylor Swift right now, and she’d still be trudging along in this damned frozen jungle just as we are.” 

I giggle at his comparison, as corny as it is, feeling just a little more at ease. “You’re right, you’re right. Just. Strange, I guess.”

He shrugs. “It is strange, Y/N. Nothing about anything that has happened in the past year is anything close to normal. But… maybe you were meant to run into him in the pods. Maybe it was meant to be this way, who knows?”

I nod, glancing again up to Odin and Sparrow on the horse to make sure they haven’t noticed any threats. 

“You guys are cute together, too,” he adds. 

I roll my eyes. “Ugh, Sam, don’t make me gag. I will shove you down onto this thorn bush.”

“I’m serious,” he laughs. “I don’t mean to poke fun at you. I’m just saying, maybe this is a really, really good thing, Y/N. He seems… I dunno. Excited. Even while worrying about Josh. It’s like you come around and he’s instantly relaxed. I think you have more of an effect on him than you realize.”

“HOLD!” Odin suddenly says from the front of the group, holding his fist high in the air as everyone freezes where we stand. My heart begins pattering as he slowly hops down from his horse, leading Sparrow to do the same. I watch as he pulls his bow from his back and loads it, Sparrow doing the same as she pulls her sword from it’s sheath at her side. 

“Fuck, what’s happening, what’s going on?” I whisper to Sam as he instantly grabs onto my shoulder, quietly leading us nearer to the front with Danny and Jake. 

The brothers bring up the rear and have their weapons drawn and ready. I don’t hear anything, and I don’t see anything, but I do feel Jake’s hand land forcefully on my hip as we gather in a protective circle. 

“Do not fire your weapon unless we say so, got it?” Robbie says to Jake and Danny as he passes, and I feel my heart drop. They both nod in understanding. The brothers exchange a few hand signals as they quickly dash off the trail beside us, keeping eyes with Odin as they scout around. 

“What did they hear?” Jake asks us, and we all shrug as our eyes stay trained on our surroundings. The wind has settled a bit, but the sun is bright and hot as it shines through the leaves of the trees. There’s bits of ice on the tall grasses beside us, and I feel myself become disoriented with the way the weather is working, again. 

I feel my heart pounding in my ears as my eyes scatter around the thick woods, Jake’s hand clutching mine protectively, now. I hear cracks in the trees, I hear steps that don’t sound like steps. High up, and down low. Sparrow backs up toward us, her dusty light following her as the wind floats her long hair into the air. 

A fast glance from Odin tells her something I cannot read, and he quickly hops back onto his horse, kicking his leg into its side as it takes off just off the pathway. They’ve disappeared and we’re still left clueless, the brothers back from their scout and closed in, just as confused as we are. 

“What was that?” I ask Sparrow quietly, my hot breath floating like smoke across the air. 

“More guards, they aren’t very close, but we can sense when they’re near,” she replies. “Their tactics to find us are becoming more clever, as they are now being told that you’re missing from the pods. And that Josiah and Robbie have turned on them.”

“They can come and fuckin’ get us, if they want us,” Robbie snarls as he readjusts his weapon. “Pardon my language, Ma’am.” 

I watch Sparrow smirk, giving him a look that says she is the last one he should worry about offending. 

“Come, let’s continue on,” she says as she draws her sword and keeps it protectively at her side as we keep going. “Odin will alert me if anything is close.”

It feels like my feet don’t want to move without me actively telling them to, now. The fear that’s beginning to settle in my bones has grown tenfold after that scare, and without me being able to see Odin. He has become a wall of peace and protection for us in the past few days, and it feels strange not having him in my line of sight. 

But still yet, Jake’s hand clutches mine, and to me, that feels more safe than anything else in our crumbling world. 

We walk along for another silent twenty minutes or so, clumped together and anxious along what used to be an old worn-in path used by hikers and bikers, now very much overgrown and succumbing to the wild again. Thorns catch on my clothing, and rocks and dirt scatter as I step, but we keep along, our eyes watchful and patrolling as we head south. I wish to god Odin would reappear. 

As we walk in the quiet, my mind drifts to Paps and what he might be doing right now, what they might be doing to him. Watching him be ripped away from me might be one of the most aggravating and terrifying things I’ve ever had to witness, and even though I know he is the strongest man I know, deep down I know that he hides his fears. 

If they really have taken him as a pawn for their testing, will he still have his memory? Will he remember me at all?

I feel a shudder as the frigid air envelops me and bites at the tip of my nose, making me feel like I’m frozen to the core. This cold feels different, especially with the sun shining so brightly. It doesn’t feel like it used to, it almost seems as though the debilitating feeling of fear is sewn into it, nefariously making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body doesn’t shake with the chill anymore, but it shakes with the unending fear of not knowing what the next second of my life will hold. What the earth will be doing. If we will be alive tomorrow or not. And the most terrifying thought of it all, is that there is nothing we can do to change it.

The wicked shiver chills me down to my soul…only time will tell.

I miss Paps so badly, and I want nothing more than to get to him. The possibility of their family being in the same pod as Paps is likely, which makes me feel a little bit better, but what are we going to do when we get there? Ambush the place? Sneak in a back door while we try not to get caught?

Surely Odin and Sparrow have thought it through, and I’m sure that the brothers have some sort of plan as to how to infiltrate the building. Or maybe, we’re just flying along with no plan at all. Because truly, none of us know the reality of what we're walking into.

Sam and Danny trail behind me, steadfast and courageous, truly grown into the men that I always envisioned they might have. I know they are just as worried as Jake is of what state of mind we will find Josh in, but I think they are holding it together for him. They don’t want to speak- yet- and bring such a horrific reality to life. If Josh is too far gone, and his mind is not his own anymore, will we have to leave him behind for the safety of ourselves?

I can’t even fathom that thought, right now. There is no way that will be our new reality. Starting a new life without Josh is just…

The sun has begun to slip behind the trees, and I know that the heat will return soon and we will all be sweating in the night air instead of freezing. I’m ready to feel a little relief from this new shiver that’s taken up shop in the deepest tissues of my body. In the back of my mind, I hope that Sparrow’s ability to make us all feel more at ease doesn’t take away from her energy source; she doesn’t know how badly we all need her.

Just as my mind feels as though it’s completely shoved full of too many unanswered thoughts, heavy cloud coverage moves in over the sun and begins casting strange shadows across the thick woods around us, and suddenly, my wicked shiver turns from a physical feeling into a subconscious gut suspicion of uneasiness. 

The wind hasn’t blown in minutes, now. 

I slow my steps, glancing around through the trees as darkness begins to shower us, faster and faster. Odin isn’t back yet, and the air feels as if it is standing still and creeping in around us. Something isn’t right. 

Suddenly I get the urge to pause and listen, stopping myself in my tracks as Sam bumps into me from behind. “Whoa, what’s–”

“Shh,” I hold my hand up to him, watching as Jake has noticed I’ve stopped, too. 

“You’re right, child, something feels wrong,” Sparrow says quietly from in front of Jake. Her hand grips her sword more tightly as she cranes her neck all over, looking up and around and through the woods. My chest tightens as I feel as though I’m preparing myself for something, something that has intention to hurt me. Hurt all of us. The feeling that I had when Paps and I had driven the truck into town and were stopped by those creatures has come back full force. Like a dark black cloud is hanging over me, and there is no way I am ever going to wash the feeling of dread from my psyche. 

Within seconds, the sunlight is almost completely gone. Jake’s hand takes mine again as we all press together in a terrified huddle, the brothers at the edges with their weapons drawn. “What is this? What’s happening?” Jake relents. I feel myself beginning to panic, my head darting side to side erratically as I begin to hear unfamiliar sounds coming from the forest. Not birds, not animals… there is no wind to rustle the trees, and there is no way of seeing what is now surely closing in on us. But I can feel it.

“Stay close, everyone, it seems as though we’re surrounded…” Sparrow says a little more loudly now. Her voice is panicked for the first time since we’ve met her. “Odin, Odin, where are you?” she says to herself, drawing her weapon higher. 

It’s dark, now. Pitch black. The world feels more hollow than it ever has. My skin feels like it could fall from my body as my depraved mindset becomes more and more dreadful. I know that whatever is surrounding us in the shadows is draining every ounce of happiness from my body, and try as I might, I can’t form one positive or uplifting thought. 

“Don’t let it consume you, my loves, don’t let it…” I hear Sparrow's voice as a loud hum begins to eat away at my ear drums, deafening me to almost totality. I grip onto Jake’s hand as we all crowd in together, writhing under the feeling of being so suddenly enclosed and debilitated. I can’t even see what’s around us. Not even Sparrow’s overwhelming power of comfort can match whatever it is they are putting onto us. 

“We should run!” I hear Danny suggest, the drone of the hum making him sound like he is a million miles away. “Let’s go!!” 

I feel him pull away from us as I begin to become disoriented, weakening as the seconds tick. “Jake.. I–” I can hardly form any words as I feel like all my energy is depleting. His hand is still latched tightly onto mine, and I begin to see spurts of light through the darkness of my vision, blurry and bright as my eyelids get heavy. 

“Y/N, no!” I hear his voice in my ear, the sweetest sound I have ever heard. “We’ve got to run, we’ve got to go!” Suddenly I feel as though every emotion has been ripped away from my body. 

Where is my gumption? Nothing matters, we’re all going to die, anyway. 

“Sweet Y/N, run!” Sparrow urges me, too, as I feel Jake begin to pull me along just as I had pulled him through the building as it crumbled into the sinkhole around us back at the pod. 

I can’t move, just leave me here. 

I feel my knees hit the dirt at the same time that I feel many sets of unwelcome hands all over me, burning through my thick coats and jackets as they touch me. The hum grows louder and louder, and my blood grows thicker and thicker. Just leave me…

I’m being pulled two ways- one way with the burning hands and one way toward the man whom I have come to adore so intensely, but I could somehow care less who ends up with me. I don’t even mind one way or the other. My endurance is gone. 

Jake squeezes my hands in the darkness, pulling me with everything in him as I feel Sam and Danny join him in his attempts. “Don’t let go of me, Y/N! Do you hear me!” he screams, his voice so worried and terrified. Why are you so scared, Jake? Why do you care about me? “Don’t let her go, Danny! Don’t let her slip!”

“She’s ours, now, you all belong to us…” I hear the crippling voice of the hooded guard say from behind me. I recognize the sing-song voice from their first attempts at taking us, like sirens luring us into the deepest depths of the night. “There’s nothing you can do, your world is a star defying time… you must come with us…”

Everything is blurry, nothing has shape. The burning hands are gripping at all points of my body, now, as I feel like I’m being ripped in two. I hear Sparrow’s shrieks in the distance, and I feel Jake’s grip on my hands begin to weaken. 

“Sam, Sam, get up! Let’s go! I– I can’t hold you both–”

His hands feel like my only anchors to the earth, sure and grounding, but I can’t find the strength to even try and hold on to them. He’s slipping from me, and it’s then that I realize he’s being pulled by them, too. 

We’re being taken. And there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

“Y/N, baby, please!” I hear his honeyed voice again, still so perfect even when he’s terrified. Don’t be so scared, Jake… you shouldn’t even be worried about me. I mean nothing to you. 

“Let GO of me!!” he yells, but it’s no use. He’s ten paces away from me now as I realize that our hands have finally separated, and the burning hands are still holding me. His screaming voice is nothing but a howl in the distance. “Y/N!!!”

My body feels limp and lifeless as the burning hands hold me upright, pulling my body across bushes and grasses and limbs, my legs and feet falling behind me. But I don’t even care. Why don’t I care? Death is probably soon, anyway. Nothing matters.

The eyes of the creatures taking me are burning a bright red, the drone of the hum still prevalent in my ears. 

Again I hear his voice calling out for me across the hillside, bouncing off the treetrunks and cutting through the warming air as the sound of it warms my soul and kills it at the same time. I want him, I need him… he’s the only thing that’s kept my head above water… But our magnets have somehow lost their polarity. I dig down deep and plead with myself, and whoever in the heavens above will listen to forsake me this one time, and bring me out on the other side of this. I have to help them, I have to find Paps… 

Jake…Please… Don’t let them keep me…

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[neverwanttofallasleep]

A Need That Goes Unspoken - Chapter 3

Word count: 4,797

For pairings, warnings, and disclaimer - see Masterpost

thank you again @writingcold for your support x

a/n: please bear with me if the next few chapters take a bit longer to get out. life is happening - sorry! i will definitely finish this story and i'm still writing as we speak. just gotta make more time x

(this chapter contains explicit sexual content!)

You stare at yourself in the mirror for a long while. You turn to view every angle of your body, just to double-check you haven't got anything twisted or any strings tucked in. Although you and Sam are seemingly in some kind of ceasefire, you’re reluctant to give him any ammunition to tease you. You think you know where you stand, but one wrong look, or in this case one nip-slip, and you might be back to being the recipient of his juvenile bullying again.

Last night, Alex had practically force-fed you some grilled salmon and vegetables, and fussed over how much water you were drinking, before Eloise had given him the stink-eye and told him to back off. As you tried to help clear the plates, Josh shooed you away. Everyone was at your disposal, offering you cups of tea or medicine or shoulder rubs, which you bashfully declined. The only offer you did take up was a cigarette with Jake, which you held between your shaky fingers as the two of you hid sneakily around the side of the house.

You’d decided that after this, a shower would do you some good. Relax your muscles, wash your hair. Rinse the adrenaline and sweat from the accident off of you. Jake had agreed.

“I think a shower is a good idea.” He’d hummed, plucking the smoke from your fingers and taking a drag. “Ellie always encourages hot water after a sickness or injury.” He smiled dreamily. “She’s gonna be such a good nurse.”

You grinned. “Of course she is. You picked a good one, Jake.”

He smirked, looking you dead in the eyes as he handed you back the cigarette. “Honestly, I still can’t believe she picked me, y’know. Three years later and I still feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.”

You shook your head as you exhaled the smoke. “She’s as lucky as you are. You two were meant for each other.”

He frowned. “It’s gonna be harder this year. She was only like half an hour away when I was at home. Now I’m gonna be all over the place while she’s stuck in Saginaw.”

You petted his arm reassuringly. “You’ll visit each other. And you’re both living your dreams. At least she’s not dropping out like Alex.”

He huffed a laugh. “God, yeah. I’d never want her to do that. I’ll just miss her.”

You felt so warm for Jake. When you were around him and Eloise, you could feel the love rolling off them in literal waves. It was like watching a romance novel come to life.

Jake had taken the smoke from you again. “Stop hogging. Alex’ll have my balls if he catches us.”

You’d giggled.

He’d stomped on the butt a minute or so later, and peeped his head around the corner to check for your aforementioned brother before waving at you to follow him back into the house.

Josh, who was washing the dishes, had given you a ridiculously obvious stage wink as you both returned inside, but luckily, Alex was back in the garden with Danny and Ellie.

Phoebe gave you a soft smile from her post by the sink, dish towel in hand. “How are you feeling now, Y/N? Better now that you’ve had something to eat?”

Phoebe is the sweetest living creature. Like an angel, or a faerie, plucked from the sky and put onto earth. She looks like one too. Long, golden curls flowing down her back, always jingling with sparkly jewelry and radiant in floaty summer dresses. She definitely doesn’t act like she’s 17. You believe she was surely reincarnated from an old soul, ridiculously wise beyond her years.

She and Josh have a special relationship, which is unsurprising for three reasons. One, everyone loves Josh. Two, everyone loves Phoebe. And three, Josh, despite his chaotic theatricality and the fact that his head is often stuck in the clouds, is a fierce protector of his brothers, Danny included. Anyone that enters the Kiszka orbit must first go through Josh, and he can be a force to be reckoned with, when he wants to be. 

This is true for Jake, too, in a different way. He’s a quiet observer, and he’s too kind to ever really show contempt for anyone. Despite his shyness, he’s extremely attentive, always noticing things that others miss. He’s the calm to Josh’s storm, which makes perfect sense, when you think about it.

Both twins (and you assume Sam, although you weren’t paying any attention to him) took a shine to Phoebe the moment they met her, which was, coincidentally, the night Danny met her, too. You knew that for a fact, because you’d been there. It was at one of the band’s gigs in a dive bar, about eight months ago. Alex had dragged you along, sneaking you both through the back, much to your dismay. Once you heard them play properly, though, you had to admit they were quite good. Phoebe had been twirling around to the music like some sort of Stevie Nicks-esque goddess, and Danny couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He’d offered her a drink and introduced her to his brothers, to their great delight, and the rest is history.

Despite your being estranged from Danny and the Kiszkas and not getting to see much of her, the times you have spent with Phoebs are imprinted on your brain like a tattoo. She is endlessly kind, creative, sweet, and smart. You envy her, but you love her.

You’d nodded in response. “Yeah, dinner definitely helped.”

She’d smiled sweetly at you. “Let me know if I can do anything for you, babe.” 

“Thanks, Phoebs. Still sore, but, you know. I’m actually about to have a shower, so hopefully that’ll help.”

Josh had gestured his head toward the bathroom as he pulled the plug from the sink. “Sam’s in there now. But we’re gonna head back outside, so it’s all yours next.”

You’d nodded.

Jake grabbed a couple of seltzers from the fridge and Josh followed him outside like a little puppy. Twins, you’d smiled to yourself. Like magnets. 

Phoebe dried the last plate and stacked it next to the sink, hanging up the towel neatly, humming to herself. Not a care in the world. As she went to follow the boys outside, she turned back to face you, where you were still standing dumbly in the middle of the kitchen, off in your daydreams.

“Things still tense with you-know-who?” She’d asked you. Her voice is lilty, like a wind chime.

You shrugged. “Yeah, think so. Who knows, maybe we’ve trauma-bonded.”

She’d giggled. “Nothing brings people together like fear.”

You heard some semblance of truth in her words. Knowing Phoebe, she probably wasn’t being sarcastic. She has a very optimistic view of the world.

“I’ll be outside if you need me.” She’d smiled, and flitted out the door.

You’d sat in your room until you heard the sound of the bathroom door open, and the door to the bunk room close. You grabbed some fresh pajamas and strode across the living room, reenergised from your food, and anxious for the steam to relax your aching muscles. 

As you went to grab the bathroom door handle, the door next to it opened, too. You saw Sam properly for the first time since he left the truck. His hair was wet, once again, and he was wearing pajama shorts and a white t-shirt. He didn’t look great, if you were honest. He had circles under his eyes he was moving very stiffly, as you imagined you were, too. You made steady eye contact, and held it for a moment, unsure how to proceed.

“Are you okay?” You’d whispered.

“Been better. But I’ll live.” He turned his body further toward you and gave a weird, small smile. “You?”

“I’m fine. Alex has been fussing over me but I’m really okay. Just a headache and sore all over.” You gestured to the back of your head. You were word-vomiting, because you didn’t know how to navigate this. This might have been the first civil conversation you and Sam had shared in three years, if you didn’t count the one in the truck earlier. 

You’d looked him up and down. “Did you get hurt?”

He gave an extremely small, reluctant nod. Barely a tip of his chin. “There wasn’t a headrest on my side.”

You’d felt your face drain of color, and you gasped. “Your neck! Sam, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He frowned. “Couldn’t really feel it at the time.”

You were feeling so, so guilty. “I’m so fucking sorry.” You’d had to hold back the urge to place your hand on the side of his neck, to soothe him in some way.

“It’s alright, Y/N. Wasn’t your fault. Could’ve happened to anyone.”

You’d shaken your head. “I know. But I should’ve been paying more attention. Braked earlier. Checked to make sure you were alright after. I was so useless.” You felt a tear beginning to slide down your cheek, and now you had another emotion to contend with. On top of feeling like the worst person on the planet, being the one person Sam disliked so much, and also getting him into a car accident and giving him whiplash, now you were embarrassed for crying in front of him.

“We’ll be fine.” He’d tried to smile at you, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

He’d padded away to the fridge to get himself some water as you quickly shut yourself in the bathroom. You were so conflicted. There was a part of you that wanted to scold yourself for worrying about Sam. He was going to be fine, just like you. No blood, no permanent injuries. Just a shitty thing you went through together, and that didn’t change the fact that he was a dick to you. But another part of you wanted to comfort him, share his pain. You did, after all, go through it together. And you did, unfortunately, still care about him, and want for his safety and happiness. You hated that. He obviously didn’t give a fuck about you, so why did you give a fuck about him?

You’re thinking the same thing now, as you stand in the same bathroom, staring at yourself in your bathing suit. Yesterday was horrible, but it’s over. You’re still sore, but it’s starting to fade. Would you and Sam go back to being mortal enemies now that a new sun has risen? You hope not, but at the same time, why wouldn’t you? Would it feel more normal if he started picking on you again? It’s not like you’ve made any kind of incredible, emotional breakthrough. You checked on each other last night, did your due diligence. Maybe that’s all it was.

A moment later, you get your answer.

“Can you hurry the fuck up in there? Some of us also need to use the bathroom.”

Your face immediately drops into a sneer. “Can’t you go upstairs?”

“No,” comes the reply, affronted.

You huff, pulling your dress back over your bathing suit, and swing open the door.

“You need to learn some patience.” You spit at Sam. God, maybe the prospect of a truce and then having it pulled out from under your feet was making you more fiery than normal.

“You need to learn how to be faster in the goddamn bathroom.” He fires back, looking you up and down with a nasty smirk. “This isn’t a fucking sorority.”

“Fuck you, Sam.” You growl and push past him, back to the safety of the sunroom.

Christ. Ceasefire over. This is war.

You get a hard ‘no’ from Alex as you begin to pull the cooler out of the back of Jake’s Jeep.

“Don’t you dare. You’re not carrying anything.” He scolds you, attempting to pry your fingers from the handle.

“I’m fine.” You groan. “Sam’s carrying a chair.” You add under your breath, not wanting to draw his attention.

“Sam’s not my sister.” Alex clips back. “If he wants to end up in a neck brace, that’s his prerogative.”

You smirk at that, finding the image of Sam in a neck brace crudely satisfying.

You relent, dropping your hand, and begin the short trek through the grass onto the sand.

You fucking love the beach. Like, insanely love it. If you had to pick your top three places on earth, it would be, in order: the beach, the Eiffel Tower (having never been, but you’ve always wanted to), and the Frankenmuth library.

The beach at Oscoda, on the shore of Lake Huron, which is so expansive it could easily be mistaken for an ocean, is your absolute favorite. You must’ve really blocked it out of your memory, because looking at it now, it’s even more beautiful than you remember. Sparkling blue water, almost-white sand, the little pier stretching out into the shallows. There are small children splashing about and parents sitting under umbrellas. It’s like heaven.

You hear Josh call from behind you. He and Sam are pulling things out of the cooler onto one of the picnic tables under the trees, which must have a perfect view of the water.

“Drink, Y/N?”

“Just one!” Alex calls from the car.

You roll your eyes, and Josh winks.

“Yes, please. Did we bring seltzers?” You ask, and he grins, pulling one out and walking toward you.

He hands you the drink and you both turn back to look over the water.

“Gorgeous, isn’t she?” He muses.

“I forgot how much so.” You reply dreamily.

Josh smirks at you cheekily, tugging at the hem of his tank top. “Race you in?”

You shriek and giggle as you slide off your sandals, whip your dress over your head, dump it onto the sand and your unopened can and sunglasses on top of it, and sprint for the water. Josh is barely a hair behind you, and as you both splash deeper into the waves, he grabs your waist and pulls you under with him.

You spend an extremely pleasant moment fully submerged, the ice-cold water piercing your skin in the best way possible, before emerging and whipping your hair back out of your eyes. Josh does the same.

“Oh, it’s so much warmer today!” He exclaims.

“Warmer?” You reply, shocked. “It’s freezing!”

He shakes his head. “It’s perfect.”

You grin, splashing each other and swimming around.

In your peripheral, you see Jake and Danny running for the water. They came with the girls in Ellie’s car, while Josh drove Jake’s, and must’ve arrived minutes after you, but they’ve certainly wasted no time. They shove each other as they approach, and eventually Danny’s sheer size causes Jake to tumble forward under the waves.

You all laugh as he pops back up, performing a much more impressive hair flick than Josh.

“This is what summer’s all about!” Danny declares. He paddles up to put an arm around your shoulders. “So glad you came, Y/N. Wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

You blush. “Thanks, Danny. I’m glad I’m here too.”

You look back toward the table. You see Alex and the girls heading toward your group, their feet just barely in the water. You’ve managed to get quite far from the shore in a short amount of time, but you can still just make out Sam, sitting at the table, sunglasses on. You wonder if he’s looking at you, before shaking the thought away. Why would he? Perhaps to make a mental list of things to tease you about. You scowl.

You all spend an enjoyable amount of time splashing around in the cool water. After a few minutes, you become completely acclimatized, and it now feels like a very pleasant temperature.

Danny and Jake get Phoebe and Eloise up on their shoulders and the girls have a very impressive chicken fight, with Ellie ending up getting thrown off, laughing all the way down. As he pulls her up out of the water, Jake complains that Danny has a height advantage, to which Ellie wraps her petite arms around Jake’s neck and says, “You’re the perfect height for me, baby. Wouldn’t want you any other way.”

Jake looks absolutely smitten with that, and they begin kissing, while Danny and Alex cat-call, and Josh makes fake gagging noises.

“Okay, food and drinks time!” Phoebe proclaims, and everyone follows her, trudging back toward the shore.

You hang back, wanting to enjoy the serenity alone for just a bit longer. You lay back and float, closing your eyes, and letting the gentle current pull you around a little. You think about Sam. You try not to, but that just makes it worse.

You hate that after all these years, less than two days in his proximity has brought back all these feelings. You want to hate him, because he hates you. But you can’t. You can’t erase the memory of the boy who gave you his ice cream when yours fell out of the cone, the boy who helped you ride a bike for the first time, the boy who let you have the bottom bunk even though he was scared, too. He’s still in there, and you saw a glimpse of him yesterday, when he put his hand on your knee and waited for you to breathe normally again. You’d never admit it to anyone, hell, you can barely admit it to yourself, but you know you’d do anything for another glimpse.

You hear Alex and Josh calling your name from the table and you bring yourself upright again.

“Coming!” You call back, as you begin to wade your way back into shore.

You catch Sam’s eye as you walk through the sand, sliding your sandals back onto your feet. At least, you think you do. It’s hard to tell with his sunglasses on. He has a very strange look on his face.

“What, no snarky comment?” You snap at him. “Not gonna tell me I have a wedgie or something?”

He schools his expression into something disdainful, and does something extremely childish. He pokes his tongue out at you. 

You have to bite back the giggle that threatens to burst. You won that round.

You sit down at the table next to Danny and run your eyes over the spread in front of you. Another one of Josh’s famous cheeseboards, this one supplemented with fruit and cured meats, too. Your mouth waters. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot something, and you break out into a huge grin.

“Josh!” You exclaim, reaching for the jar of pickles. “Thank you! When did you even get these?”

Josh gives you a funny look, glancing around the table before giving you an equally enthusiastic smile.

“That’s my little secret.”

You grin as you twist the top open and pull out a spear, taking a huge, crunchy bite. You hum with contentment, your eyes slipping closed.

“Fuck, yeah.”

Everyone chuckles. Well, almost everyone.

Your little group spends a very pleasant couple of hours down at the beach. You all take another dip in the water, sunbathe a bit, and polish off the snacks. You help Danny and Phoebe build a ridiculously lopsided sand castle, before the water rises and a small wave pulls it all down.

Every time you try to sneak a glance at Sam, his eyes are on you, accompanied by a scowl. You quickly look away. He’s quiet and stays under the trees for most of the outing, and you can only assume he’s trying to behave in front of his brothers, while making his mental list of ways to torment you later. He’s impossible. 

As you help Josh pack up, you can’t help yourself. You sneakily stare at Sam as he walks, alone, down to the water and submerges himself. You try not to look as he reemerges, face to the sky, as the water streams in tiny rivulets from the tips of his hair down his golden chest. You wish he didn’t look so damn good. And you wish you didn’t feel a pang of guilt and empathy when you notice how stiffly he’s still moving.

You let yourself dry out in the sun on the back porch when you return home. The girls sit by your sides, towels splayed out underneath you, as you let the rays warm your face and body.

Alex wordlessly places a bottle of sunscreen on the decking next to you, and you give him a dirty look.

After a little while of tanning and gossiping, Jake appears at the back door, drinks in hand.

“Ladies.” He offers, holding the glasses out for the three of you.

“Did you make us cocktails, baby?” Ellie exclaims as he leans down to give her a kiss.

“Sure did.” He brushes her hair back from her face. “Anything for my girl. Girls.” He blushes.

Their love-fest would almost be nauseating, if it wasn’t so damn perfect.

After your reluctance to come on this holiday, and the traumatic events of yesterday, you’re actually surprised at how happy you feel to be here, now. Sam could sulk in his bedroom and give you dirty looks all he wanted, but you’re resolved not to let it ruin your trip.

After another late dinner and a few rounds of beer pong in the backyard, everyone starts to say their goodnights and head off to their respective rooms. There seems to be a sleepy, sunkissed aura around the house. You do your rounds, thanking everyone for a lovely day (except Sam, obviously, who’s been mysteriously absent since dinner and presumably already in bed).

You decide it’s finally time to shower and wash the sand out of your hair, so you grab your pajamas and pad quietly through the dark living room. Not a second after you’ve shut yourself in the bathroom and pulled your dress over your head, there’s a knock on the door.

“Occupied!” You call.

The door opens anyway, and Sam steps into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaning back against it, eyes on you.

“What the fuck are you doing?” You whisper-shout at him, covering your bathing suit with your arms.

He doesn’t reply, and you cannot, for the life of you, deduce the look on his face.

“Sam, this isn’t funny. Get the fuck out. I’m trying to shower.”

He’s silent, but he takes a step toward you, crowding in on you in the small space. You feel your pulse begin to quicken, a sneer plastered on your face. You feel… afraid? What is this?

“What are you doing?” You say again, but again he doesn’t reply. He is staring at you with so much intensity, you start to feel claustrophobic.

“Why were you staring at me at the beach? Have you been cataloging horrible things to say to me?” You smirk, mostly to yourself. You know you were right.

He doesn't respond, but you see a flicker of a smile on his mouth. He’s so close to you now. Your toes are almost touching.

“Why do you hate me, Sam? What the fuck happened to us?”

He takes a step closer to you, but he still doesn’t say anything.

You feel your heart begin to race. Is he about to hit you? Scream in your face?

“What are you doing?” You ask quietly, for a third time.

He steps even closer, his knee bumping your thigh as he plants a foot between yours.

“Sam, what’s going on?” Your voice is barely a whisper now. You feel a strange fluttering in your throat.

Sam does something completely unexpected. He places a hand on your chest, pushing you back until your ass hits the bathroom counter. You just stare at him. He lifts other his hand to your chin, ghosting his fingertips across your bottom lip. You let out a small gasp. In the millisecond that your lips are open, he crams his two middle fingers into your mouth.

“Can you just shut up for. One. Fucking. Second?”

Your eyes are wide as saucers, staring into his. You nod.

He breathes a deep sigh, as if what he’s about to tell you is physically painful for him. As if he hasn’t physically restrained you. “I was staring at you at the beach, because…” he frowns, and runs his eyes down your body. “Because you look so fucking hot in that bathing suit."

You take in a sharp breath around his fingers. You don’t know how to react to what he’s saying. He thought you were hot?

“Did you wear that just to spite me?” He’s almost growling at you.

You shake your head. Your saliva is starting to drip down your chin, but something about it is obscenely erotic. Your heart is hammering in your chest. You don’t have a single clue what is transpiring between the two of you at this current moment. All you know is that you don’t want him to remove his hand. He’s completely invading your senses. Everything is just Sam. Sam. Sam.

“I fucking hate what you do to me.” He breathes, looking down at the floor.

You just stare at the top of his head. It’s as if he’s forgotten that you can’t respond. You can feel the redness burning in your cheeks, sweat beading on your neck, heartbeat thundering under his palm. Your arms have dropped, limp by your sides.

He looks up at you again. You can see that his breathing has sped up. His pupils are blown wide. Is Sam Kiszka turned on by you?

“You are so fucking beautiful.” He says it like he’s angry about it.

You don’t even recognize the sound coming out of you when you whimper, and he withdraws his fingers from your mouth. They’re dripping with your spit, and he slides his hand down to wrap them loosely around your throat. His eyes flick between yours, and for a split second, he looks earnest.

“Do you want this?”

You don’t even take a second to think before breathing, “Yes.”

His mouth crashes down on yours, hard. It’s all teeth and tongue, and before you can even blink, you’re reciprocating. What the fuck is happening? You’re so turned on, every part of you that connects with him is tingling.

His grip on your throat becomes tighter, and his other hand slides down your stomach to grip at your hip, his long fingers digging into your skin. It hurts deliciously.

You flail your arms until one of your hands is knotted firmly in his hair, the other gripping the nape of his neck.

You make a small noise into his mouth and he hums in agreement. Roughly, and without ceremony, he slides his hand down to palm at your breast, as his lips drag across your jaw and down your neck. He bites down, hard. You whimper.

“Fuck.” He murmurs into your skin.

You can feel his erection pressing into your hipbone, and in a startling moment of clarity, you realize that you’re kissing Sam. Your Sam. This can’t be real.

He slides the hand on your hip around to grab a handful of your ass, as the other pushes into the front of your bikini bottoms. He roughly circles your clit with his fingertips as he brings his mouth back to yours, sinking his teeth into your lip. You clench your jaw to keep from whining.

You grip his forearm as he continues to touch you, sliding his fingers through you before pushing them inside. He pumps relentlessly as his thumb takes over your clit, his eyes darting between yours.

You moan, throwing your head back and lowering your arms to grip the edge of the counter. Fuck, this feels so good.

You want to touch him, too, but you can’t. You’re too wrapped up in your own bliss.

You feel yourself begin to clench around his fingers and you lean your face down into his neck, moaning breathily into his ear.

“You gonna come for me?” He grunts.

You make an affirmative noise in the form of a whine as you unravel, your limbs shaking and teeth sinking into his collarbone.

You lean against him, panting, for a few moments, before he abruptly removes his hand from you. He wipes his fingers on his jeans and steps away.

“Do you want -” You begin, but he cuts you off.

“No.” He frowns, turns, and leaves.

You lean back into the counter, pulse still racing, legs heavy, as you try to piece together what’s just happened. Sam just gave you the fastest orgasm of your life, and then walked out, with no explanation.

What the fuck was that?

@ohgodthefeeling-gvf @profitofthedune @sinarainbows @klarxtr @jakesgrapejuice @gretavangroupie @mackalah @clairesjointshurt @writingcold @alwaysonthemend @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @hi-hi-hello11 @dont-go-home-without-me @gvfpal @freefallthoughts @m0uthfl13s @violet-hayes @godly-sinsx

Message me if you'd like to be added/removed from my tag list!

[deviousdevilx]

Terry's survived the yacht's explosion only to disappear shortly after as the media hounds him for answers. 

A year passes.

Daniel is busy with Miyagi-Do, and is sadly finalizing his divorce with Amanda, an amicable divorce now that Sam left and Anthony is in his final year of high school. 

Even though they are in the process of divorce, Daniel stills lives at home. One summer evening he comes home alone, it's dark, Amanda had gone to Ohio, Anthony is out with friends. 

He doesn't notice the man sitting in the semi-dark as he goes about his business, and fetches a drink in the kitchen. 

"It's been a while hasn't it Danny boy?"

Cold dread runs down Daniel's spine recognizing the voice. No, no he was suppose to be dead, sure he survived a goddamn explosion for the cancer surely would have taken him months ago. 

No, no, this is a dream. A nightmare!

Daniel surely turns to face the voice. 

There sitting in a chair, was Terry Silver. Looking very alive, and frankly very healthy. 

"How?" Daniel asks in a barely audible whisper. 

"What was ailing me all those months ago is long gone. Took every connection I had, half my fortune, but now I have a clean bill of health. No even better, reversed some aging too. Incredible what science can do eh Danny boy?"

Suddenly the panic and fear was overridden by a burst of rage, "Get the fuck out of my house."

"Is it yours though? I recently heard that you and Amanda are getting a divorce! A total shock given how lovey-dovey you two always seemed to be, well until I came back. Almost destroyed it back then, I would say I'm sorry but I won't. I'm not." 

That flicker of rage, that burst of fury was snuffed out as Daniel watched Terry rise from the chair and approach him. 

"What do you want? Revenge for losing the Sekai Taikai? For fuck sakes Terry it's over, I---"

"I'm not here for revenge or about karate, I cam here for the sole purpose of getting what I really wanted."

Daniel knew he was not about to like the answer. 

He starts to back away.

Terry is inches away, damn that man could move so fast, Daniel felt woozy and tries to turn to leave but feels Terry's tight gripe on his arm. 

"I came back to get you Danny boy, I was given another chance and I won't be wasting it again." 

Sadly Terry finds himself forcefully subduing Daniel who lashes out in a panic. Brave but ultimately foolish. Terry was bursting with new strength and energy. Daniel never had a chance to escape once he was in Terry's clutches. 

Later, Anthony returns, seeing his dad's car in the driveway, he expects to find Daniel inside. He isn't. Anthony walks around, looks outside even. Nothing. 

At first he isn't overly concerned, maybe Johnny picked him up, or Chozen. 

Entering the kitchen, Anthony nearly drips over something. A shoe.

His's dad's show. Just one of them. Then he sees the house keys on the counter. His dad wouldn't leave those behind if he went out, right?

Feeling worried, Anthony calls his mom. She may be in Ohio but maybe she'd have some insight. 

"Anthony it's late honey why are you calling?"

"Dad's car is in the driveway, and I found one of his shoes in the kitchen, and his keys are still here too." 

Daniel LaRusso went missing!

This yacht was far superior to the last one. The last one that John Kreese blew up. Meant to have killed him, but ended up only killing John and his crew. A tragedy. Terry of course explained it had been a tragic accident. Only he knew the truth. 

He lights a cigar, and pours himself a drink, before looking up to offer a drink to his companion. Oh Daniel looking so ravishing now he was wearing proper colors. A fitted suit, perfect for his Danny boy. 

"No." Daniel says curtly. 

"Fine," Terry knows his boy with pout and sulk for a while. 

Try to escape. He could try, but Terry would chase him down and find him every time. 

Terry now had come into possession the secret to immortality. Daniel would join him in that immortality, and maybe they could rule the world together someday when Daniel finally accepts his love. They did have eternity after all.

[apocalypseornaw]

Soulmate AU Series- Benny

Benny Lafitte x Reader

You and your soulmate have the same tattoo

@decadentstrangernacho I swear I didn't forget this!!!

An anchor of all things, marking your right wrist from the day you'd turned eighteen. Your soulmark, the one sure way you had of knowing who your soulmate was should you ever meet them. What a crock. If the myth was true and Zeus was the one responsible for splitting souls in half and forcing them to try to seek out their missing part you wouldn't given him the satisfaction of playing into the game.

You wore a leather cuff around your wrist, covering the mark. You knew for a fact someone could be happy without ever meeting their soulmate, hell you'd seen first hand the pain Sam had gone through when his mark faded after Jess, the pain Bobby had still been in from Karen's death and how insane John went after losing Mary.

Most hunters had taken to covering their marks, whether with cuffs like you and Dean or in some other way. Your life was destined bloody, brutal and short. Why drag some poor idiot down with you?

When Dean got blasted to purgatory you and Sam ended up splitting ways for a few months. He needed a break but you knew if you ever stopped hunting and gave yourself time to break you may not ever pull yourself back together.

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

Almost a year passed when one night while you were crashing in one of Bobby's many cabins you got a call from Sam saying you needed to meet him as soon as possible. You never would've dreamed Dean was waiting with him.

You and the boys quickly settled back into the routine the three of you had gotten used to over years of hunting together. It worked so why try to fix it?

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

One night after a particularly bloody hunt you were washing your hands in the sink of the hotel the three of you had picked while Dean waited for you to stitch his arm. You glanced up and realized he was standing in the doorway, holding your bandana to the wound but his eyes were glued to your bare wrist "Dean, you good?" You asked him as you dried your hands off. Sam had already put your shoulder back in place and cleaned up well enough to go after food so it was just the two of you.

He shook his head almost as if he had been in a trance "Yeah, I'm good sweetheart" you narrowed your eyes "Either you're lying or having more ptsd from purgatory. Which is it?" He shrugged "I'm exhausted and starving" you laughed at his words "See? Easy enough to tell me what's really wrong"

Dean didn't want you to know he was staring at your soulmark because for the last year he'd been staring at the matching one. Hell you still didn't know exactly how he'd gotten out of purgatory. He'd told Sam the entire story and even introduced him to Benny the weekend you'd gone to help Jody out but happened to leave out the part about Benny being your soulmate. How the hell should he approach the fact when he knew that your aunt had gotten killed by a nest and that was when Bobby had found you? Hell you'd hated the soulmark since it first appeared, even trying to get a tattoo over it.

He sat still while you put three stitches in his arm then cleaned the wound about the time Sam came walking back in the door. Sam wanted to tell you about Benny but would he if he knew?

You laid across the backseat of the impala laughing as Dean purposely sang along badly to the radio just to make Sam groan. You weren't sure where the three of you were headed because both of them were being dodgy about it but you didn't care. You trusted them fully and if they said there was a case, there was a case.

You'd almost dozed off when you heard Dean's voice and thought at first he was talking to Sam but then he said "Yeah, we'll meet ya there" who? Were the three of you backing another hunter? And what was bad enough to warrant four sets boots on the dirt?

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

About an hour later you felt the impala lurch to a stop and sat up to see where you were. It looked like you'd headed south, were you in Louisiana?

The impala was parked in front of a gumbo shack. You motioned towards it with your hand "What are we doing here Dean?" He glanced back at you and shrugged "Don't know about you but I'm getting hungry. Figured we'd stop for a bite"

You weren't sure what the two of them was up to but you noticed him and Sam exchange a loaded look. "Is something going on?" You asked and was met with two innocent shrugs that were anything but. You wanted to argue more but your stomach growled and Dean grinned victoriously.

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

You followed the two of them into the doors of the gumbo shack. Music played from an old jukebox but whatever was cooking smelled amazing. You spotted a pretty brunette woman at the register who greeted the three of you warmly and said to sit anywhere.

You picked a corner booth, giving the boys the wall and putting your back to the room. Any other time you'd insist on your back to the wall but with them you knew you were safe.

You felt a familiar prickling at the back of your neck but ignored it when the pretty brunette walked over. Her name tag said Elizabeth and you could see Dean's dimples he was grinning so hard. "What can I get for you three?" She asked, her accent telling you she was from around here. You glanced at the menu then back at her "It all looks good. Any recommendations?"

She smiled warmly "looking for a sandwich or something filling?" You cut your eyes at Dean "We've been on the road a while so I'd say something filling" she nodded "Then I'd say the gumbo. It's my favorite" "All we needed to know. Three gumbos" she wrote down on her order pad then looked at the boys "Drinks?" "Tea" all three of you echoed. She laughed "Love an easy table. Roy will bring it over if I'm busy"

You watched her walk off then glanced back at Dean "If you don't try to get her number I am" he laughed "You're always eager on the button to bust me aren't ya?" You shrugged with a grin.

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

While you waited on your food you glanced around the inside of the restaurant. There were a few other patrons but your eyes landed on the man at the grill. He was around Dean's height, maybe a couple inches shorter but damn was he broad. He turned as if he could feel his eyes on you and when his blue eyes locked onto yours you felt your face warm. He was really good looking but you hated getting caught checking someone out.

The moment didn't go unnoticed by Dean who whistled low "Sweetheart are you claiming everyone in here today?" Refusing to let him see you blush you rolled your eyes "Why not?" He laughed and poor Sam looked just done with you both.

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

You were emailing Garth when you felt a shiver go up your back and looked up to see the man who'd been cooking was sitting bowls down in front of Dean and Sam. You met his eyes and he gave you a warm smile "Enjoy darling"

He extended his right hand to place a bowl in front of you but his sleeve was rolled up to his elbow exposing his wrist and the anchor marking. You froze staring at his wrist as the prickle ran across your back again.

You looked from the man to Dean, realization sitting in that this was your soulmate and he was a vampire. He gave the slightest shake of his head and you felt like you'd been dipped in ice water. He knew, both things. You felt tears spring to your eyes and looked at Sam but he looked just as guilty. "Guessing you still haven't told her?" The man asked and you started to shake your head. The two people you trusted had lied to you and apparently whatever God was responsible for soulmates had a sick sense of humor.

You stood up, shoving past the vampire and headed for the door. You felt like you were going to be sick.

“Why did you think springing all this on her was a good idea Dean?” Sam and Benny both had been under the impression he'd told you everything but it turned out he hadn't told you anything.

Dean shrugged “She couldn't attack him in a restaurant Sammy! I mean we know her thing with vamps, was there any good way of her reacting here?” Benny shook his head, feeling oddly protective of you even after only meeting you once “She shouldn't have found out like that” he snapped.

Dean cut his eyes at him, raising an eyebrow but Sam laughed lightly “He's met her now, it's his instincts to protect her” Dean nodded slowly “Soulmate shit is weird” then added “Sam track her phone we gotta find her”

Ok maybe storming off on foot in a town you didn't know with no money and only a handgun was a bad idea but how could they hide this from you?

You unsnapped the cuff as you walked, staring at the anchor. Why a vampire? And how had Sam and Dean met him and why hadn't they taken care of him before ever having the chance to find out he was your soulmate?

You shook your head and snapped it back. You needed to call them but you were still pissed.

—-------------------

You weren't sure how long or how far you walked before you heard the familiar rumble of the impala's engine pulling up next to you.

You stopped walking and heard Dean's voice “Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Please just get in and I'll tell you the entire story” you spun to face the car and realized it was only him “Where's Sam?” “With Benny. Now please get in”

You were hurt yeah but deep down you knew you could trust Dean with your entire life. You could give him the chance to explain even if it had better be the mount Everest of explanations.

About an hour later you and Dean were pulling up to a small cabin. When he parked you hesitated, picking at the cuff on your wrist “All I'm promising is to introduce myself. I trust you enough to trust him” he nodded “All I ask”

You climbed out the car behind Dean and followed him to the porch before realizing Sam and Benny were sitting on it watching the two of you. They stood as you got closer.

Dean looked from you to Benny before formally introducing the two of you. You took a deep breath before extending your hand. The moment Benny shook it there was a feeling like electricity that hit your mark. He must have felt it too. “Darling I didn't know Dean hadn't told you about me. I wouldn't have agreed to ambush you with this. I don't expect anything from you I just wanted to meet you once Dean told me about you, after he saw my mark or well after he saw my mark and fully trusted me”

—--------------

Like you'd noticed before he was good looking, broad with bright blue eyes and a crooked smile that made your heart flip and that accent was a killer. You almost forgot about him being a vampire, almost. “I didn't mean to react like that but me and vampires don't have a good track record” he nodded “Sam filled me in on your aunt”

You reached for his right hand and he gladly gave it to you, watching as you lightly traced the anchor on his skin “I have no clue why a hunter and a vampire were chosen for each other” he shrugged “When I was human and even after I was turned I figured I didn't have a soulmate because there was no mark but then this showed up”

You looked up at him “When?” When he told you how long the mark had been there you laughed “That was when I turned eighteen. So your soulmark showed up while you were in purgatory?” He nodded “Didn't figure I'd ever have a chance of meeting you until Dean landed there”

You realized you still had his hand so you dropped it gently before offering him a smile “Guess you're not that bad. You helped Dean, you don't feed off humans and you're not ugly” he laughed at that “And you're downright beautiful”

You shook your head “Easy Lafitte on the sweet talk” “Yes ma'am” he teased and you shook your head “I can offer you my friendship, if anything more comes we'll cross that bridge when we get to it but for now we can get to know each other” he smiled “I'd like nothing more”

[spnfemslashbang]

2024 Reverse Bang Masterpost!

And so we come to the end of the event. Many thanks and congratulations to the artists, writers and betas who contributed this year!

We had eight teams finish this year. If you haven't gotten the chance to see what they created, look under the cut, or check out the AO3 Collection.

The Perfect Woman by @friendofcarlotta based on art by @kayliemalinza (Daphne Allen/Carmen Porter, M) When Daphne Allen discovers that her vanished husband Emmanuel is in fact the angel Castiel and is happily dating a man named Dean Winchester, she decides to take revenge. Step 1: Create a living replica of Carmen Porter, Dean Winchester’s perfect woman from a past djinn dream. Step 2: Watch Castiel’s relationship with Dean fall apart and dance on its ashes. What Daphne didn’t consider is that Dean is immune to Carmen’s charms these days — and that Daphne herself is not.

2. Dark Magic by @father-salmon based on art by @hawkland (Amara/Rowena Macleod, E) They’re the two most powerful women in the universe: Rowena, Queen of Hell, and Amara, the Darkness. Surely, they would be even more unstoppable (and sexy) together. When the Empty refuses to go back to sleep, marking its claim over Jack, it’s up to both of them to take it down. Amara has been on the front lines keeping it at bay, while Rowena’s magic holds the key to its eternal slumber. After that, what’s next? Their previous connection has shed new light on their relationship. Amara feels untethered now that she is no longer fighting for a place in the world but it’s Rowena that shows her that more adventures await. If they could just open their eyes.

3. stripes (old habits die screaming) by @dothwrites based on art by @kayliemalinza (Amara/Rowena Macleod, E) When Amara defeats Chuck and the Winchesters, she takes on Rowena as a new pet. Too bad Rowena likes to bite the hand that feeds. Too bad that Amara enjoys punishing Rowena for her infractions. Too bad Rowena kind of likes it.

4. The Life that Wakes Me In the Night by @doctorprofessorsong based on art by @mbqnoyolo (Missouri Mosely/Mary Winchester, E) Mary Winchester left hunting behind for the apple pie life, but it turns out hunting isn't quite done with her. When she starts experiencing disturbing visions, Mary seeks out the help of a local psychic, Missouri Moseley, in an attempt to contain them so that she can get back to her life. Unfortunately, she instead draws Missouri into a case. They're forced to hit the road...but can they outrun Mary's past?

5. and when i call, you come home by bee pinoruno based on art by @sagee-sketches (Donna Hanscum/Jody Mills, G) After Jack brings back the world, all seems to be right again... except Jody and Kaia are missing. Donna, after getting help from Sam, who's consumed with grief after Dean's death, sets out to rescue Jody, Kaia, and several others from where they've been trapped in the Empty... and learns a bit more about herself along the way.

6. Lions Paw by @mbqnoyolo based on art by @kayliemalinza (Ellie & Portia, T) After the nightmare at Cassity Ranch, Ellie heads south for more goofer dust. Having Crowley's hellhounds on your heels makes for a rough road trip and along the way she has a run in with one of the Things That Go Bump in the Night. But things don't turn out the way she had expected them to.

7. Girl's Night by @sapphicmoonlightlilith based on art by @celestialminion (Rowena Macleod/Mary Winchester, M) “This might be the nicest date you've taken me on yet,” Rowena started, half smiling at Mary, who had just returned to the table they were standing at with a few drinks. Taking a sip of the one clearly for her, she paused for a moment and examined Mary, who looked distracted. “What's the catch?” “What do you mean, what's the catch? We're on a date, it's fun. It's a gallery opening, you love those.” Mary said, staring at a group of women a few tables away. “No, you've never taken me on a date like this, and we've gone on several.” “Maybe I decided it was time to impress you?” “No, you had your chance to do that before you tried to take me to a bar that was literally called The Drainage Ditch. My standards are unsurprisingly lower now.” Rowena said, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Maybe I-” “This is a hunt, isn't it.” “I can explain.”

8. are you dreaming (is it me you're seeing) by @astralpenguin based on art by @mbqnoyolo (Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak, T) When Kaia falls asleep on Jody’s sofa after getting rescued from the Bad Place, she’s alone inside her head for the first time in all her life. Until she isn’t

[deconstructthesoup]

Fantasy High Adventure Time AU

And I am back at it again with the self-indulgent nonsense...

Okay, so, yeah, this started with my post where I noticed the stark similarities between Marceline and Fig. Which, of course, sent my ADHD brain spiraling, and I decided to actually COMMIT to this.

Also, fair warning, this isn't gonna be neat and organized like my others, this is just gonna be *wall of incoherent text*. If I could draw, this would be entertaining, but, uh... YEP!

*clears throat*

So... Fabian and Kristen are the only two humans living in Ooo, and while they both arrived on its shores in different circumstances, the two of them were both taken in by a goblin family who'd left the goblin kingdom and taken up residence in one of the destroyed cities. Eventually, the two set off on their own, along with their adoptive brother Riz, to pursue a life of adventure and heroism just outside of the Candy Kingdom.

All of them have pretty different motives for going into the hero business, though it mostly comes back to just wanting to stick with each other. Fabian's in it for the adrenaline rushes and the glory, Riz is in it for the detective skills and putting bad guys away, and Kristen's just in it to help others out. Riz is, of course, the braincell amongst the three of them, and he's usually there on the sidelines rubbing the bridge of his nose while his siblings are getting themselves tangled in romantic subplots.

The three of them mostly answer to Adaine, aka Princess Buttercream---a girl who was mutated into a candy person after nearly dying in the aftermath of the Great Mushroom War, and has since built herself a kingdom dedicated to peace, learning, science, magic, and sweets. She's incredibly intelligent (and, unlike Bonnie, actually has a lot of interest in magic) and a very capable ruler, but she does occasionally get herself into scrapes---so, it's a good thing she's got three intrepid heroes watching her back.

Not too far away from where Fabian, Kristen, and Riz live is the Thistlespring residence, where their friend Gorgug lives---a shy half-giant who has a passion for tinkering and dreams of adventuring, but is held back by his fear of his giant fury taking him over. The heroes still visit him constantly and encourage him to try as best as he can, eventually giving him the confidence he needs to start making his own path---and to finally ask out the girl he likes.

Another close friend of the heroes is Figeroth the Demon Queen, a devil-may-care rock star with powers that come straight from the Nightosphere. She, too, remembers what life was like before the Great Mushroom War, but she doesn't really think back on it as much as she maybe should. Fig and Adaine are best friends, and have been since they met in the wastelands of the ruined planet... though their relationship's been a little bit strained as of late, mostly due to Fig's long-ago breakup with the former princess of the Fire Kingdom and the current librarian of Wizard City. Adaine's been trying to get them back together, and while Fig and Ayda are talking again... there's still a while to go.

The Candy Kingdom is constantly under attack by the Ice Queen, who at the start of the story just appears to be a wicked witch who plans on imprisoning Adaine and taking over Ooo... a witch that, unfortunately, Fabian has a bit of a thing for. But after some digging, Fabian, Kristen, and Riz find out that the Ice Queen is actually Adaine's older sister Aelwyn, who's been driven mad by a crown that their father had uncovered in the days of the Mushroom War. Aelwyn has forgotten almost everything---including her best friend and girlfriend, Sam Nightingale---but she still dimly remembers her connection to Adaine, even if Adaine was too young to fully remember her. (Oh, yeah, also, Aelwyn's, like, twelve years older than her in this.)

This is all I really have so far, though I've got a couple other snippets---Ragh also starts out as an antagonist but grows into a solid ally and Fabian's love interest, Tracker and Jawbone are part of a group of werewolves who are descended from some of the original humans, Ostentasia is an LSP equivalent---but, yeah, this is all I can get out right now.

...I gotta go to bed.

[quietwings-fics]

Savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandom: Supernatural Ship: Samifer Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 08, Lucifer in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Sam Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Worship, Established Lucifer/Sam Winchester, Lucifer Loves Sam Winchester, Feels, Kissing Wordcount: 1783 Summary:

Lucifer has taken on lost causes before. He will make Sam understand what he's worth, even if he has to tell him a thousand times.

Prompt:

"If you are still taking prompts how about a scene with lucifer worshipping sam like hes heavenly gift - basically just luci giving sam a self-esteem boost (because tbh sam really needs one)"

When Sam says that he is unholy, it’s resigned. 

Deaths around me since I was born, he presents as evidence, without Dean or Dad vouching for me, I think I would’ve been shot before I turned eighteen. Always knew there was something wrong, deep down. Demon blood rotting my veins.

He doesn’t list Lucifer as one of the reasons he’s damned. Not to his face, if he does believe it, but Lucifer doesn’t think so. They’ve spent too long entangled. Sam knows his sins as well as his punishment, his part in the grand play and how few scenes he was written to be in before curtain call. Blame grows like vines up a wall, reaching higher and higher for who was actually at fault. Sam was going to be Lucifer’s from the moment he fell, but Lucifer was always going to fall. Placing the onus on God is harder for someone who never met him. (Lucifer speaks as someone who can’t despite that. Even closing his vessel's eyes can make him feel trapped, and he still loves the God who caged him.)

So, the vines reach nowhere before they’re torn down by Sam himself beside the tall stone. He takes their straining bodies and wraps them around himself to mimic chains when no one else will bind him. He leads himself to the gallows to choke for betrayals he had no control over. He thinks he’s to blame for being a baby who smiled at a stranger over his crib before the sour taste of sulfur splashed on his tongue. Someone has to be punished for it. 

If a stay in Hell couldn’t make him feel pure, how does he think tearing himself apart will?

Sam is stubborn, but he was made in Lucifer’s image and they both learned from hardheaded older brothers how to stand their ground. As many times as Sam tries to tie his own noose, Lucifer will sit beside him and undo the knots without judgment. 

After all, Sam threw him back into Hell, and Lucifer still loves him. He can’t blame Sam for anything.

His greatest crime, Sam always claims, was freedom. He knows this, taught to him by Heaven’s sifted memories and his brother’s scowl at his happiest moments. Lucifer is hungry for every minute of Sam’s life that he missed, and though most scars are ones Sam will tell stories about in detail, (“-two of them coming at me, with claws as long as my forearm, and one got lucky-“) Lucifer had an easier time wrangling the horsemen than he does getting Sam to tell him about Stanford. 

It’s strangely easier for Sam when Lucifer wears another face. With long blonde hair falling around his shoulders and soft brown eyes and a mole between his brows that Sam will press a kiss to, he’s allowed to hear about that secret life. Sam doesn’t call him Jessica anymore, but when he tells Lucifer about her, he holds him like he's half-memory, half-dream. He talks about his other friends, faces that, if he’s lucky, he hasn’t seen in years, and if he’s not… Lucifer still has yet to drag that out of him, even though he knows already about the devils on Sam’s shoulder before him. 

Lucifer kept track of exactly how long he was locked away, on Earth and in Hell. On Earth, he measure it against the rise of man’s empires. As for Hell, humans haven’t bothered to invent a number that high. Most of the stars he watched be created and grew alongside are now younger than him by millennia. 

So it is not lightly that Lucifer tells Sam that freedom is never a sin.

He’s not sure Sam believes him. 

Sam will take on every burden tossed his way. Most people seem happy to let him. Lucifer will not see him crushed. He’s too lovely for that. Too important. (After all, he’s Lucifer’s entire world. That must mean he’s the center of the universe, more gravitational pull that the sun.)

It has to be like this: in the shade of the Bunker’s main building, where the grass grows a deeper shade of green than the other side because the soil is better for reasons Lucifer is still puzzling out, Lucifer pushes Sam into a wall and kisses him. Sam makes a noise, surprise, but he came out on Lucifer’s invitation for some fresh air and he doesn’t push him away. There are dandelions growing in the crack between the cement and the ground it sticks out of. Lucifer nudges Sam’s feet gently to the side so that he doesn’t accidentally step on one. 

“If you wanted somewhere we could make out in private, my door has a lock,” Sam says as Lucifer breaks the kiss to let him breathe. His lungs expand and deflate in a strong, steady rhythm. His heart beats calmly. Lucifer listens to it. He’d gotten used to spending entire nights keeping track of Sam’s heart, fear gripping him every time it would skip a beat or weaken. The trials would have taken everything from Lucifer. He is sick of his Father’s ultimate sacrifices or how Sam always seems to be the one who must lie down on the altar. 

“That’s not it,” he says. He kisses Sam again for the easy joy of it. Sam melts into him. He has mostly recovered thanks to Lucifer’s attention, but sometimes, the weakness will strike back again. Sam’s gotten very used to leaning on Lucifer. “I want you to understand something.” Sam’s mouth curves into a smile. Lucifer lifts a finger to trace the dimple that forms. 

“What?” he asks. 

“How good you are,” Lucifer says. He can feel the words rip through Sam worse than any barb, and that hurts. He’s more used to insults than praise, no matter how Lucifer tries to make up the difference. 

“Lucifer, that’s not-“ Sam tries for the first time to push him away, and though Lucifer allows distance between them, he doesn’t let Sam run from this. Not when he needs it. Instead, he runs his fingertips gently over Sam’s skin while he’s kept at arm’s length. Sam relaxes under his touch, never fully, but Lucifer is still reintroducing him to all the love he’s allowed to have. He trails his touch up Sam’s arm to the hand keeping him at bay, firmly clasping Lucifer’s shoulder. Lucifer wraps his hand around it.

“This world doesn’t deserve you as its savior,” he tells Sam. Sam shakes his head, and Lucifer wonders which part he’s denying more, that he’s too good for the world or that he ever even saved it. They were both there in Stull, two parts of one whole, but somehow it’s only Lucifer who remembers it for the victory it was. “It’s lucky that you don’t care. That all it would take is one decent soul to convince you it’s worth it. They don’t even have to be pure. They just have to be trying to do better, and you’ll walk into fire for them.”

“That’s just my job,” Sam downplays. 

“No, your job is to hunt. No one makes you care. You’ve chosen to do that all on your own, no matter how hard it is.” Because it is hard, even for Sam. He’s as human as the rest of them. He gets frustrated and angry and hurt. He extends kindness anyway. 

Lucifer should know. Who else would find the devil half-dead on their doorstep while trying to close Hell and still bring him in from the cold? Who else would have given him a second chance he never earned?

Sam’s grip on his shoulder falters. Lucifer leans back in until his mouth meets Sam’s again. 

“I wish I could share how I see you, Sam,” Lucifer says. “You shine so bright.” Sam laughs bitterly like Lucifer’s told a poor joke.

“I went to Hell,” he argues. “I couldn’t even finish the final trial. There’s nothing pure, nothing bright, about me.”

“Hell tried to snuff you out. The trials tried to burn you until there was nothing left. You are so much more beautiful for having survived them.” And beautiful makes Sam flinch. Something Lucifer knows for certain: before him, no one had ever called Sam that, except maybe as a joke. Handsome, sure, and he is, but he’s beautiful, too, and Lucifer needs him to believe that. He will, one day. Lucifer is nothing if not persistent.

“Why do you care so much about what I think?” Sam whispers. Lucifer bumps his forehead to Sam’s, and Sam’s hand comes up to rest on the back of his neck and hold him close.

“Someone should,” Lucifer says. He shuts his eyes and thinks for ways to make Sam understand how much this matters. It goes beyond simple pride. 

And maybe that’s how to show Sam he’s serious. 

Lucifer presses one more kiss to his lips to steel himself. His grace recoils at the vulnerability of what he wants to give Sam, but he wrestles it into obedience. Sam is blinking back tears, mostly succeeding but for one or two that glance off his cheek as they escape the tip of an eyelash. Lucifer kisses the wet spots they leave. 

Arduously, he forces himself to his knees. The very concept of him rebels against it. He sits at Sam’s feet like the dandelions beside his heels. It takes everything in him to gaze upwards at Sam and see his expression. Sam’s mouth is agape. His hair falls forward into his eyes as he looks back down at Lucifer. He can’t seem to remember how to speak, and that’s just as well because Lucifer can’t either. He reaches up for Sam’s hands and manages to capture both of them in his own.

Sam is leaning back against the wall. Lucifer tips into him. His thighs lift off of his heels as he pushes himself forward. He rests his head against Sam’s stomach.

It’s peaceful. Lucifer won’t go as far as to say that he feels like he belongs there, but it’s nostalgic, in a way. He forces the air out of his vessel’s lungs. It makes the bottom of Sam’s shirt ruffle. 

One of Sam’s hands escapes Lucifer’s. It finds its way to the back of Lucifer’s head, and the uncertain scratch of nails over his scalp settles him enough that he can speak again.

“You are good,” he tells Sam. “You are good. You are good.” He repeats himself. He’s out of practice with prayer. He hopes the mantra will do. Maybe Sam can teach him a thing or two later.

Sam listens, and maybe, Lucifer hopes, he starts to believe it.

(Enjoyed it? Any interaction is welcomed. You can even support me on Ko-Fi <3)

[autisticempathydaemon]

(I’m re-typing this because I forgot some key information and I apologize in advance for any typos or confusion, I’m bad at typing)

Hi, idk if you still answer these but it looked fun to try! I hope you’ve had a good day/night, may your dreams be pleasant and your crops watered for the ✨harvest✨

* What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

I don’t currently have one favorite but “Never Coming Back” from Violet Evergarden, “The Road Not Taken” by Hoyo-Mix, “Smooth Operator” by Sade and “Control” by Loveless are currently the top 4 for the day (honorable mention to “Kapp’n Song” from ACNH) I don’t really have a reason and it’s kinda just what my brain chemistry currently likes

* What is your Enneagram type?

9?? I think, I’m not entirely sure sense I got confused trying to figure it out X~X

* Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

ABSOLUTELY!! I’m not sure if I have a reason? Maybe it’s because I can just sit and listen to something I’m interested in for a long time and just relax and focus on one thing?? I also like to listen to livestreams and other long videos, I tend to watch/listen to “AthenaP”, “EIsSocial” and a Persona 4 analysis from “Hiding in Private”.

* Tell me about your childhood imaginary friend.

My brain didn’t cook one up

* What is your go-to way to fall asleep?

Rotating like a rotisserie chicken, Comforter/Blanket on, Hugging a Plushie (usually this Peep I’ve had sense 2018 or my Wolf Build-A-Bear) and one earbud in either playing music, a rp audio (currently redacted) or an analysis video ive heard about 20 times

* If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why? (In tandem, if you have changed your name, why did you pick that one?)

I’ve been through a lot of names online due to my indecisive-ness but currently I was thinking KC/Kayce. I have a lot of memories associated with the name and I like how it sounds <3

* What is your favorite of Redacted’s audios, and why?

The Smash Tournament with the Shaw Pack, Sam Healing you after the Fight with the Two Vampires (or honestly any Sam Audio), and the Gameboi’s Anthology. I think it’s the comforting/close/intimate (in a way?not sussy intimate tho) nature of the audios

* What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? Like, not the one you hate but the one who you don’t get the hype for. (I won’t judge, I promise.)

I haven’t listened to most of the boys/stories and I tend to cater my listening to what I know I already like with little to no experimentation; so I don’t really have a boy(s) in mind that doesn’t appeal to me as of right now

* Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to.

either “Yuri! On Ice” or “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”. I watched both of these shows WAYY to many times to the point it’s concerning!! YOI which reminded me of my love of figure skating (watching and ice skating in general) and then I got into MLPFIM when the Season 2 final (Canterlot Wedding) aired and was obsessed after that for like 6yrs and still have moments of fixation for a couple days.

* Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? Like- forget dating, which dude do you want to be your best friend?

Probably Huxley, Lasko and/or Caelum.. and like all of the Shaw Pack (I’m indecisive)

* Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you’re tired, and if so, what is it? (For example, my boyfriend knows I’m ready to sleep when I start talking about space.)

If I still have energy to talk/think, Pokémon. Tired, Half-Asleep, My Own Funeral or Given the Opportunity, I will become the Yap King for about 3hrs!! Once I get my Communication Skills under wraps it’s over for Everyone! >:D

* Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo.

I don’t go to the gas station more than like 3 times a year, but probably a carbonated drink.. or lemonade if available. I’m a self-proclaimed slut for lemonade 24/7, 365.

* Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment.

If you mean the Redactedverse, then Sam, Porter (I made my own sense there isn’t an official one as of typing this) and Gamboi’s. But if you Music, then a playlist I made called “more tunes” and it has all my Emotion-Filled, Loud and Auditor-ally Stimulating Songs like “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, “Control” by Loveless and like 1/4 of 6arleyhumans Discography to listen to when I’m Under-stimulated or just Bored

* What’s your guilty pleasure media, and why?

Idk if I have a “Guilty Pleasure” but I have a “Angry Pleasure” and that’s Miraculous Ladybug. I waited 8yrs real time for some of the stuff that goes down and in their time it’s been like 9 months. I’m gonna cut myself off before I rant but damn do I have a love-hate relationship with this show

* And whatever else you think tells me about who you are!

I’m an INFP, I’m the Middle Child of 3, I have Psychological Parental Problems, I love the Stars and Anything Outer-Space themed/related, My favorite color is Blue, I’m more of a Listener then a Talker, I tend to think about my Past, I’m probably Mentally Ill (specifically, I think I have Depression, Anxiety, Autism and MAYBE BPD/Borderline Personality Disorder. gotta love multi-wielding these issues), Love the Mystery Genre and specifically I’m always down for a Murder Mystery at a Mansion, People Pleaser™, I like the Rain and Cold Weather, I prefer to binge rather than one at a time otherwise I’m probably never finishing the media in question, I own 2/3 cats (it’s complicated, their names are Lucifer, Hazel and Marbles <3), My favorite food is Ice Cream (yes it’s a food, fight me.) I’m pretty sure I gave up my dream to be a professional figure skater and go to the Olympics but I hope to ice skate more when I get the opportunity, and finally “It’s not the Heat, it’s the Humidity”.

Thank you for your time <3 (platonic heart for existing)

This was a hard one for me because I have an inkling that the boy I’m picking for you, you haven’t listened to. Ollie isn’t the most narratively interesting playlist on the channel, but I do think he’d be the most perfect for you.

First and foremost, Ollie is an openly communicative, affectionate, and supportive partner; these are really good traits when dating a Type Nine who are characterized by a desire for peace and harmony, the people pleasers of the Enneagram. When his Baby signs up for too much work or has family issues, he’s right there helping you however he can, uplifting you. Next, Ollie is definitely also an introvert, and I love that for y’all, that the home you made together is where you go to recharge. It’s a good home and a good life- no Inversion, no covert, just comfort and safety and fun.

Like, Ollie’s no werewolf, vampire, or daemon obvs. He’s just a guy, but he’s a guy who’d love your cats and introduce you to his own. He’d buy you a telescope and put it in his office so you could look at the stars together. He’d watch Yuri on Ice and Miraculous Ladybug for the first time with you because he wants to engage with your interests and is curious about what the person he loves loves. I don’t think he can figure skate for shit, but he goes with you all the time anyway no matter how many times he falls on his butt. What he is good at is games, and he hosts a murder mystery party for your birthday every year.

Song:

Hey, hey, hey, lover (hey-hey)/ You don't have to be a star/ Hey, hey, hey, lover (hey-hey)/ I love you just the way you are/ For love is just the same/ Without fortune or fame/ Just give me/ True love and understanding

This, to me, is the quintessential Ollie song, I think of him whenever I hear it. It’s cute, and the backing tracks are layered in a way I find so satisfying and I hope you find auditorily stimulating. I can imagine this playing through a shared set of earbuds or a little Bluetooth speaker while you hold his hands and help him stay upright on ice skates.

Runner-ups:

Camelopardalis is a really cute runner-up for you, because he’d be such a supportive presence for someone who identifies as a people pleaser. I also like pairing d(a)emons with people who love space, because it’s so cute to imagine them pointing out their constellation to you. Your other runner-up is, of course, Xavier who could make you an ice skating rink whenever he wants and happily would.

Note: I think you modified and submitted your entry a couple of times, so I picked the one that I felt gave me the most information to work with.

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[pomellon]

I would like to hear about your Digimon AU! I put way more thought than I figured I would have into a Digimon AU myself, similarly putting it in a 'self indulgent' category, but hey - maybe there's more interest than we think :P

Maybe! I'm glad at least someone has an interest tbh :D I feel digimon has become more and more niched in later years so it's rare I find other people who enjoy it. A shame since they've started going towards a more mature audience which has been really really interesting!

I will be explaining some terms of digimon lore for people who aren't familiar with it, but the setting of the au is similar to the Cyber Sleuth games, so a modern world with EDEN (physical interaction cyberspace network, think VR for social interactions) technology. Half the characters in this au are human and the other half are digimon, so!

Sam is an EDEN programmer whose personal laptop gets infected by a strange virus, and due to the program's odd behaviour and code he decides to quarantine it for later study instead of completely getting rid of it. Shortly thereafter he's sent to fix a bug within EDEN's cyberspace where he's attacked by a strange digital creature, only to be saved by a similar creature that turns out to be the virus that infected Sam's laptop. While it managed to defeat the aggressive monster it's very weak and injured after and Sam, now even more intrigued by the program, decides to help and nurse it back to health! This creature is Punz, a bee/leopard like digimon.

George is a Kowloon (the "graveyard" of EDEN that's full of old scarp data, inaccessible to most EDEN users) hacker who's just learned about the digimon programs that have started to appear in the depth of Kowloon. They've become popular hacking tools if they can be captured and reprogrammed, and luckily for George he comes across an injured one that is easily taken down. He does however quickly realize the program seems to be more than just a tool, having its own personality, wants and needs. So instead of reprogramming it like other hackers, George simply makes a deal with it, soon getting the creature's name, Dream, a chimera like digimon.

Karl is an EDEN user who's been affected by the EDEN Syndrome (a condition in which the person's physical body goes into a coma, while their mental data become trapped in cyberspace) and is wandering around aimlessly in Kowloon when he comes across a panda like digimon, Sapnap, who seems just as lost. Karl doesn't have many memories or a purpose so when Sapnap tells him he's been separated from his friends Karl decides to make it his mission to help him find them.

Tina is a popular streamer who likes to try out new games, meet up with fans, and generally spend most of her time within the EDEN space. One day she happens upon a small land-shark like program that she figures must be a glitched entity that has somehow ended up outside of its game. Seeing the creature injured she decides to take care of it, soon getting its name, Foolish!

All four digimon are a freelance/mercenary team in the digital world that during a dangerous mission gone wrong end up in the human world's cyberspace, separated and lost. The main plot of the au is for everyone to reunite, figure out why digimon are ending up in EDEN, and keep humans safe from the more aggressive programs that are threatening cyberspace!

[leviathanlazarus]

Reaching for Stardust - Part VI

Read Looking For Space here // Playlists here // Read on wattpad

Word Count: ~2700 (why so short?? I don't know. I wrote this what feels like ages ago lol)

Warnings: none...but buckle up for later?

This is super late because I was 1) busy writing that GVF slash mini-series 2) busy being out of town to see OUR BOYS again 3) busy writing that new Sam fic I just posted. Anyway...

---

Morning began with a tangerine sun suspended in a hazy, buttercup yellow sky. The clouds seemed to come to life as the sun got higher, moving past the orange glow in such gentle, soft movements that it was hard to even keep track of the changes, at least from mine and Josh’s spot on the porch. We were both hungover worse than we’d experienced in, well, we weren’t sure–it was hard to remember anything with our heads pounding, throats parched and stomachs lurching.

“Fuck. We fucked up,” Josh lamented with a little groan. He shut his eyes and leaned against me, a mug of coffee in his hands. “We should’ve bought food yesterday. I’d take a single saltine cracker right now.”

I felt the same. Hindsight was always 20/20. “Yeah, we fucked up,” I agreed. I tried to shut my eyes in solidarity and to just bask in the warm glow of morning but, when I did, I felt the earth spin beneath my feet. “I need Gatorade or something, jeez.” 

“I shouldn’t have suggested shots,” Josh went on, sounding off a louder groan to punctuate his statement. “It’s all my fault. Are we going to survive?”

“We’ll survive,” I assured him, though the coffee from the Keurig machine was too bitter on my tongue and too hot in my stomach. I was dreaming of an ice-cold blue sports drink from an air conditioned gas station, chased with an iced coffee loaded with cream and sugar. “Nothing’s gonna stop us from going to the beach today.”

“Tybee Island, yes,” Josh concurred. He sat up straight and brought the mug of coffee to his lips, eyes half-lidded as he sipped again despite the enthusiasm in his voice. Once half of his coffee was gone he was up and moving, shuffling away from the porch, beginning to sing to himself as he carried on into the bedroom. If it’d been anyone else, that relentless cheeriness and resilience would have irritated me, but it was Josh, so listening just made me laugh to myself.

I was still excited for our beach day, though at the moment the thought of baking in the sun made me feel even more queasy. I diligently sipped the rest of my coffee and groggily hauled myself into the kitchen to chug lukewarm tap water, which tasted so different than the water back home. I did love Savannah so far, but I still couldn’t imagine living there. In my mind, home was where our most beloved people were and that was back in Michigan. 

That thought reminded me to check my phone for a reply from Jake. He had texted back later in the night and I immediately smiled huge and delirious at the picture–a selfie taken with the help of Danny’s long arm that showed all three of the boys that I missed so badly. The text read: First birthday without Josh was weird. He sent me a text that was half gibberish did you guys go out?

I typed back, relaying that we went to the rooftop bar and got absolutely wasted and that Josh’s birthday seemed a little weird without Jake and Sam and Danny, too. As I migrated to the bedroom after Josh, I realized how it was also the first birthday of Josh’s that felt so empty after the fact–normally, the whole “one year older” and effects of whatever party we’d had trailed into the next day. I didn’t feel that at all. Was it yet another product of actually getting older? Sometimes in my head, Josh was still the same 23 year old I’d met in that poetry class, both of us so fresh and green, with him so ready to fall headfirst into something new with me. I’d been so apprehensive and fearful and now, looking back, it felt so silly. Josh was a dream come true.

The beach was also a dream come true. We had nothing to compare it to back home, not even close–the ocean right at our literal fingertips was enough for Josh and I to drop our bags and hightail it to the sea, running through the foamy waves until the water reached our knees. The sun was partially hidden by some of the morning clouds that had stuck around, but what sunlight pierced through hit hard and beautiful, turning the water into an infinite expanse of glittering blue and green that melted into the pale blue horizon. Seagulls circled overhead; pelicans coasted in the water; boats floated on by far off in their own little worlds and our little world seemed to be a seaside fairytale that I was content to live in for much longer than we actually had. 

The wind caressed our damp legs as we stepped back out onto dry land. My heart was beating fast, even faster still when I looked at Josh–the strips of white clouds were reflected in his eyes and his smile was bigger and brighter than any sun. I was sure of that. We watched each other more than what our hands were doing as we held the big beach towel we’d packed between us and spread it out in the air, trying to get it straight and taut to lay flat on the sand. Josh smirked; I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed.

“This is perfect,” he remarked once we were getting situated on the ground. He laid back, putting his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. “I could stay here forever.”

I grabbed his sunglasses from his backpack and slid them over his eyes. “It does feel like a little slice of paradise. We just need some fruity cocktails.”

“A little hair of the dog that bit us wouldn’t be such a bad idea right now, actually.” 

I laid down next to him, shielding my eyes with my hand to look at the sky. “We used to be able to drink all night and be relatively fine the next day. I miss that.”

“I think Jake, Danny and Sam drank all night. Sam sent me a video of Danny drinking straight from a bottle of tequila.”

I chuckled. “Those two degenerates have ruined our good boy.” 

“Sam singlehandedly corrupted Danny years ago, I’m sure of it,” Josh said, turning his head to look at me. His bare skin was already so naturally tan–I could imagine how much more rich and glowy he’d become with the extra sun we were getting. “He’s just good at keeping it under wraps, that Daniel of ours. Well, sometimes. Seems like the most debauchery comes out when Sam peer pressures him and Danny can’t contain himself.”

It was true–so many nights of Sam practically pouring shots down Danny’s throat himself. It seemed like Danny only tried to hold back because he knew he’d end up having to take care of Sam later on.

“I think they’re in love,” I said.

Josh laughed. “Me too.”

I sat up to retrieve a bottle of water from my backpack. “But really–none of them have girlfriends. Is it because they’re touring now? I just can’t imagine any of them not finding a girl to click with.”

“Well, we are their best groupies. I don’t think anyone else can compete with us in that regard,” Josh said, still lying flat, lounging beneath the penetrating sunrays. “But I do think the fact that they’re playing shows all over now is a factor. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to commit to someone you’re not going to see even every week.”

“Not gonna lie, I wanted Sam and Bev to work out.”

“I think he was a little too young then. It might be different now.”

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing.” I took a drink then settled back down, moving closer to Josh. “They should just be focused on the music and having fun. Relationships complicate things.”

Josh raised his sunglasses and winked at me. “Not if they’re perfect.”

I smiled. “We’re not exactly perfect.” 

“Close enough.” 

I’d considered the idea that Josh really would propose to me during our vacation. The beach seemed like a good place for it–though there were people around, we had plenty of privacy, no way to make a big public fuss about it. The weather was perfect and the whole ambiance of the ocean and sky made for a picturesque setting. He was too relaxed though–if Josh were to propose now, I would have had a real inkling. Still, the impending mystery proposal and the subsequent unplanned wedding was on my mind again.

“Where would you want our wedding to be?” I asked. “Obviously outside somewhere. We’ve already agreed on that. But where specifically?”

Josh reached between us to take my hand, still lying idle by my side. “I’m not sure, darling. I’m not privy to the venues and what have you that are in our area. Why, did you have a particular place in mind?”

“Not really. But some place quiet and open would be nice. Lots of flowers and trees and whatnot. That’d be pretty, right?”

“Very pretty. Though it sounds like we’d be waiting another year if we wanted the greenery and sunshine.” Josh squeezed my hand lightly, let it go to roll onto his side and look at me. “I don’t feel like waiting another year.”

I knew as much, but my heart still skipped a beat at hearing the words. “It takes time to plan a wedding. Even if you proposed to me right now, the planning would take months.”

“We have months as it is. But don’t worry–I’m not proposing today.” Josh leaned in and cupped my face, giving me a kiss. “It’s still going to be a surprise. And I have to get the timing right.” 

“Oh?” I quipped, reaching out for him, tugging on his hair to bring him back and kiss again. He tasted like sunscreen and coconut lip balm. 

Josh propped his head up in one hand, remaining on his side. “I know you have your bridesmaid all figured out. Kirsti would be your maid of honor, naturally.”

“And Jake would be your best man. Naturally.” 

“You’ve told your mom we’re planning on getting married, right?”

“Josh, she started pressuring me to marry you like two years ago,” I reminded him with a laugh. “Once she came around to you, she came around hard. And I’m pretty sure she’s desperate for just one of her kids to get married.” 

“Oh, that’s right! Last Christmas she asked me where the ring was.” Josh laughed too, turning to look up at the sky. “I didn’t tell her I had it already. Maybe I should’ve.” 

“Since I already know you’re going to propose, isn’t most of the surprise moot anyway?”

Josh laid back down. “Not at all. People should talk about it beforehand. It doesn’t kill the romance. It just makes things more solid.”

“You know what’s also solid? A house,” I replied, giving his nose a tap with my finger before I laid back down, too. 

“Seen any around here that you like?”

“I’ve seen some back home that I like.” I quickly considered spilling about the house from the estate sale, but I didn’t know if that was a sure thing yet. And anyway, I didn’t want to get caught up in thinking about being home when we were on vacation. Josh was so skilled at enjoying the present–I was going to do the same. 

Once we were feeling the burn from the sun, Josh and I waded back into the cool Atlantic. This time, we went far enough out until the water reached our necks and the waves were gentle and stirring around us, crashing loudly behind us; I gazed out at the blue horizon, thinking of how the ocean seemed as infinite as the sky itself, as infinite as the whole universe, really. I laughed when Josh decided to swim out even farther, kicking and paddling along until he called out that he couldn’t feel where the bottom was and I told him to watch out for sharks. He tipped back to lie flat beneath the sky and float atop the water, arms out at his sides and eventually looking too much like a dead body that I swam out and dragged him back by his hand. 

We took our damp and slightly sunburnt selves to a very late lunch at a little seafood shack afterward. It was quite literally a shack, actually, and it was situated down a curvy road, far more in the grasslands than the actual beach, but I could still smell the ocean when we stepped out of the rental car and moseyed up the wooden ramp to the doorway, where inside it smelled like, not to either of our surprises, fish, crab and fryer oil. 

After our greasy and satisfying lunch, we headed out to the shops lining the island that were even more blatant tourist money grabs than what we’d encountered downtown, and we loved it. The sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, keychains and the beach-inspired hemp necklaces and bracelets fit the energy of the island and our sun-soaked bliss; neither Josh nor I cared about how silly the purchases were. We walked out with plastic bags full of mementos and soft hoodies, our hair stiff from salt water, my heart full of undeniable happiness.

While Josh drove us back over the bridge to take us back to our temporary home for much-needed showers, I got a text from Jake: How do you like Savannah? 

I love it. It’s beautiful! We’re having the best time. Where are you guys tonight?

Cleveland. So far so good. Josh hasnt been texting me much so he must be enamored with the city haha 

He is! But we miss you guys. We have so much to tell you when we get back 

Same here. Wish you guys could see the show

We’re your biggest fans. Don’t forget it ;) 

“Jake misses us,” I announced to Josh, who had a very pleased smile on his face when I looked at him. 

“I know he does,” he said while we glided over the bridge back to the city. “I miss him, too.”

-

When night fell, we were one of four other couples and one trio during the ghost tour, which took us from the starting point outside a diner, long shut down since its last dinner hour, around what felt like far more than just a couple miles of the city. The guide was a witchy woman who had the right energy and charisma to make all the stories–surely, some more exaggerated than others–come to life in the warm night and the yellow glow of the street and house lights and the abundance of Spanish moss hanging from so many of the trees surrounding our steps added to the spookiness of it all. Josh loved it, as did I, and we were wired by the time the tour ended, wanting more ghost stories–really, wanting to find some ghost stories of our own. 

But instead of ghosts, we found ourselves back at the airbnb, sipping wine with our limbs tangled together on the porch. I couldn’t see the stars–the lights of the small city were still too many and too bright to get a good view–but the brightest star of all was right there next to me. I said this to Josh and he laughed lovingly at the cliche, wrapped his arm tighter around me and pressed his wine-stained lips to my cheek: “Thank you for coming with me on this journey,” he said. 

“To Savannah or just, like, life?” I asked, happy and mutually grateful either way.

“All of it.” Josh sighed softly and rested his cheek on my shoulder. “I just wish it were longer.” 

“We have tomorrow,” I reminded him. “And a whole lifetime.”

Josh clinked his glass with mine. “Infinity.”

I ran my fingers up his back, tracing each vertebrae. “Infinity.”

---

Tagging: @jjwasneverhere @colorstreammind

Want to be tagged? Let me know here! (or just DM me lmao)

[sunshine-in-a-bottle]

I have awoken from sleep to be really silly and considered a PrisonTrio Anastasia movie AU

Quackity wants to Get Rich and Get Out Of Here. Sam wants to impress Ponk again after their failed relationship. Dream would really just like a family after a lifetime of loneliness. Together they are absolute disasters who can't be normal about each other for five minutes. Includes:

that cool dream/nightmare sequence features Sapnap and George, who were Dreams childhood friends and absolutely killed during the uprising because they wouldn't tell their captors where Dream escaped to. When Dream gets his memory back he Totally Has No Trauma About That.

yes Quackity was the servant boy who helped Dream escaped. No he doesn't have any feelings about that. Shut the fuck up.

Sam is the one who makes sure Dream doesn't get pulled off the boat, and he spends the rest of the night holding onto Dream and refusing to let go because What If Something Happens He Needs To Be On Watch

Dream really doesn't have any idea why Quackity and this pink haired guy are arguing but Quackity is obviously terrified, even if he's taking great pains to look unaffected. And yeah, Quackity is a pain in the ass, but Dream still cares about him dammit, so really it's only natural to step in between them.

Dream is the same height as Techno, Quackity realizes. Except whereas Techno is built like a truck, well muscled through years of training, Dream is half starved, spindly and lean, like a tree that should have died its first winter but just kept fucking going. He glares at Techno, and Techno is taken aback.

Dreams hair is Just Long Enough to make a small ponytail at the base of his neck, and he keeps it tied there. Quackity is strangely focused on it, keeps complaining that it looks stupid and that Dream should cut it. When he finally snaps and kisses Dream, he tugs it out of his tail and gets his fingers tangled in it, tugging every which way just to hear Dream moan.

Sam is Not jealous of Quackity and Dream dancing together. He is Not eager for the times they get to share a bed so he can cuddle them close and nuzzle them. He is totally focused on Ponk, what are you talking about?

Ponk and him have an actual talk that isn't anger or shouting or waking up to a cold bed and a letter in red ink, and Ponk reveals she's seeing someone else. They get their closure, but she's moved on, and she gives him a kiss on the forehead and asks him to do the same. She walks off to dance with Foolish at the ball, and Sam goes to search for the people he's been fixated on since they started this mess

Dream is obviously pissed Quackity lied to him and tried to trick an old lady into accepting a fake grandchild for money because yeah, fraud is cool and all, but the woman sounds obviously fucking heartbroken her kid is dead, and Quackity Does Not Want To Be Having This Conversation For So Many Reasons. Dream he's just a silly little tax evader :[ and he realized you were Actually The Prince, It's Real Don't Be Mad (Dream is still mad)

However with the power of Yelling At Old People and Other Illegal Activities, Quackity makes sure Dream still gets his family back and then goes to get really, really drunk about it because now he has to deal with No Dream No Money And Who Even Knows Where Sam Went (Probably back to Ponk, which just makes the horrible feelings worse and he is just drinking from the whole bottle at this point)

Dream… Doesn't actually want the whole being royalty part, he just really wanted to be surrounded by people he loved. Where are those people what happened to them (One is at a bar being pathetic and one is freaking out attempting to find said bar)

oh cool we're fighting Rasputin now

Sam drives a car into him, so he's dead now.

Dream and Sam and Quackity are very bad at talking about their feelings, but somehow they manage to choke out something coherent, and then they go to live at one of the Queen's summer homes, where they proceed to be very bad at feelings for the rest of their lives

[pastelbatfandoms]

Marvel dr Memories

2/26/24

Some short memories or scenarios from My MCU DR. My S.O. in that reality is Bucky Barnes.

So I had a memory where Bucky (as The Winter Soldier) and I are fighting in that building that Wanda accidently blew up in Avengers Civil War. We were at those stairs and he grabbed me by the throat with his metal arm, that's all I remember.

I also got short flashes (after watching the show again) of traveling with Bucky and Sam, this is when Bucky and I see each other again after being apart for years. I'm still a bit upset at him for attacking me but realized he was being controlled…I can relate. Him not looking for me after he got free though, I have less sympathy for.

Speaking of being controlled. I am not happy when Bucky helps Zemo out of prison. Zemo mind controlled me and manipulated me when I was young in Hydra. So seeing him and having to play the part of his lady assassin/side piece again, brings back memories I do not want.

2/27/24

I think I either went to my MCU dr or I had a short lucid dream. I was half asleep half awake and I was fighting Zemo. He had been trying to get me on his side again and I'd had enough and hit him, then he grabbed me by the throat and pressed me against a wall, I tried to get out of it by wrapping my legs around his arm and biting his hand. He let out a frustrated pained sound and let go only to grab the side of my head and slam it onto the ground. I literally felt the room or my weight turn in my cr when I started to fall and then my head hitting the ground, I woke up startled and the side of my temple hurt for a bit.

That shit was crazy, I kinda just stayed there with my eyes open for a bit like I felt a bit out of it and hazy tbh.

2/29/24

Watched Black Widow again to see if I could get any memories or resonance. Boy did I ever…Mainly feelings but I already do have memories of being in Hydra as a child and what they did…So the beginning of the movie affected me,as well as remembering them seperating myself from Natasha and Yelena as children. As well as the scene with The Widows training…As I was the one tasked to lead them and Zemo trained us. Made me nauseous and anxious watching that.

I also started tearing up when Nat,Yelena and their "parents" were talking at the dinner table. When Melina was describing what they did to The Widows how they controlled them…plus Yelena upset over the fact that their family was fake. A part of me was jealous though because at least they were a family. Besides knowing them, I had no family after my parents died in a car crash which turned out to not be accidental and I was taken.

I also remember Natasha's apartment in Budapest. I must have stayed their while she was gone, because that's the place Bucky and I talked after we reunited years later.

3/3/24

So Eric and I (Magneto) are back together…We dated when I was around 22 yrs, but then he became a villain and left after I told him I wouldn't join The Brotherhood. I felt atm that it was just a fun & playful kind of relationship not a serious one.

Boy was I wrong…so I had a scenario where I was having a breakdown because of a nightmare I had involving Zemo (and Bucky wasn't really helping) so I decided to distract myself I'd called Erik about joining The Thunderbolts. That's initially how it went and he was actually on board with it probably cause it involved destroying Hydra. Then we started talking about what was going on with me and I wondered if we could talk in person so we met up at Natasha's (after I snuck out of Zemo's place)

Erik actually gave me some really good advice when it came to my relationship with Zemo, who he does not like at all…then we started talking about the past and how he actually did like me, more than Mystique, despite the age gap he was just going through a dark time and was upset when I didn't join him.

One thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together. Which yes did cause drama with Bucky and Zemo. Zemo and I broke up, Bucky and I almost did. Then Erik almost killed Zemo…because of what he did and still tries to do to me.

Erik and I slept together again but this time it was different, still amazing but it felt like we were connected on a whole other level, we have a strong psychic link now, I can feel his energy around me even when he's not, our powers are bonded as well. It feels like the mating bond in ACOTAR.

He's the one mentor of mine that helped me develop my powers without trying to control them like Zemo did. Instead of focusing on just my shadows he helped develop my light side too.

I am still in a relationship with Bucky,which surprised me because I didn't think he'd forgive me but he did. Ours is very soulmate vibes though, warm, safe, comforting. Just as protective but in a different way then Erik. We have a long history which I won't get into here, but we've been together for 4 years and known each other longer.

Bucky pushes me,sometime a bit too much, and Erik is the voice of reason, I admire them both in different ways.

3/6/24

I had a memory/dream last night. It was with Zemo, we were taking down Hydra but I got caught, was drugged and tied down on one of those beds in the "medical" wing. The same place The Widows get taken too when they need to be worked on… I woke and started freaking out internally anyway, I would like to say that diminished when I saw Zemo walk in but it didn't as I noticed he was wearing a Hydra uniform. My eyes widened he had betrayed me…again.

I tried to protest when he stood above me, holding my head. "You bastard, what are you-" He shushed me then, close to my ear. "Relax my dear, it'll be fine." Like hell it would, I glared at him until he gave me a look and slowly dragged a hand down my leg, I tried moving away until I realized he was looking for something, he found it as he discreetly pulled a small knife from the strap on my leg and handed it to me with a nod.

I looked at him then, realizing it had been a ruse. I quickly cut the straps off me as I jumped off the table my back to his as we guarded each other. He had two pistols in his hands as he pointed them at the Hydra agents. "Zemo you betray us?" They growled. "No, I betrayed her." He looked over at me then a hint of remorse crossing his face as he then shot the agents, as I fought the other two off.

Then he grabbed my hand and we ran out into the hallway. We fought off more agents, sneaking down the hall, he put a finger to my mouth to be quite as we hid behind a wall, I looked up at him, the tension between us definitely there. Then I woke up.

3/20/24

I've been taking a break from typing up any of my memories because the majority have been traumatic and involved Hydra and or Zemo….but I did have a dream of Pietro (Quicksilver) and I playing Pokemon on the DS. We like picking each others teams to battle one another. My first X-Men memory, that's not focused on Magneto, it was refreshing!

[jackhowellfm]

connections +

FAMILY

PARENTS: carl howell and lindsay page

YOUNGER SIBLING:

HALF SIBLING:

POSITIVE TAKEN

LIKE A SISTER: there aren't a ton of people who jack trusts with the key to his place or his biggest fears, but sam has proven her loyalty ten times over. despite how much they tease each other they're like brother and sister. - sam pierce

POSITIVE OPEN

THERAPY FRIENDS: anyone that he may have met at therapy groups for depression or burn out

PARTNER IN CRIME: anyone else who likes to is an adrenaline junkie like he is, even though it probably gets them in trouble

CHILDHOOD FRIEND(S): would have to be from the LA area

BEST FRIEND(S): a close circle of friends

RIDE OR DIE: that one person that matters more to him than anyone else

TUTOR: he's not super smart and probably needs a hand

FRIENDS: people he’s getting to know better

LIKE A BROTHER: a sibling bond

FRIENDS WHO DRIFTED: were close possibly freshman year but have managed to drift apart

ROLE MODEL: someone she looks up to

UNLIKELY FRIENDS: these two you wouldn’t necessarily pair up together but they work well together

NURSING SCHOOLMATES: anyone that may also be studying nursing

NEGATIVE OPEN

RIVAL: maybe someone else who runs a youtube channel

INTIMIDATED BY: someone who’s doing everything right and getting what they want

DISLIKE: can be any reason but just don’t get along

DISTRUST: for one reason or another, could just be vibes, he doesn’t trust them

ROMANTIC TAKEN

ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN: you’re going to get whiplash from these two because no one ever quite knows if they’re together or not, seems like it changes by the week — aurora abrams

ITS COMPLICATED: abortion tw. throughout her final two years of college, after penny and emmy broke up, penny and jack would casually hook up, therefore their relationship has always been kind of sexual and flirty. when penny came back from yale with a husband, she and jack more of less avoided one another, though in recent years, the sexual tension got the better of them and they ended up in bed together a few times, the last one resulting in an accidental pregnancy. without telling anybody—including jack—other than her sister joni who attended the clinic with her, penny terminated, and has been avoiding jack since. — penny sylvester

ONE NIGHT STAND: making kurt’s teenage dream come true, these two hooked up after a night out — kurt hummel

ROMANTIC OPEN

CRUSH (FOR HIM): been crushing on them a little while now

CRUSH (FOR THEM): someone who’s doing everything has a crush on him

++WAKING UP IN VEGAS: please give me someone who goes to vegas together and get married by an elvis impersonator lol

FLIRTATIONSHIP: will they? won’t they?

FIRST TIME: he lost his virginity freshman year

FIRST LOVE: the first person to really make him know what love was

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: a good hook up never hurt nobody, or maybe it did

EX FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: anyone in the past that was a casual fling

++ = future plot, has yet to happen in game

hit me up for more plots, i’m always up for it!

[dpinoycosmonaut]

CELTICS GET OVER HUMP, END 16-YEAR DROUGHT WITH RECORD 18th NBA TITLE

by Bert A. Ramirez / June 29, 2024

The Boston Celtics and their supporters pose with the Larry O’Brien championship trophy after clinching a record 18th championship.  (Photo by Charles Krupa of The Associated Press)

The 2024 Boston Celtics didn’t only have the burden of trying to win the franchise’s first title since 2008 but also disproving the notion that their two leading stars – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – would never win together. This is because the All-Star wing duo had made the conference finals in four of their first six years together and lost in the end.

Exactly 16 years to the day a team led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen won the Celtics’ last championship on June 17, 2008, this squad led by Brown and Tatum finally won another, getting over the hump and proving many pundits wrong by dominating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to clinch this year’s championship 4-1 and capture a record 18th title.

It took all of 16 years and many heartaches, including a heartbreaking seven-game loss in the 2010 championship series to the arch-rival LA Lakers and a six-game downfall to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals, but when the Celtics finally won another title, there can’t be any greater high nor any better feeling for this bunch given the vindication that it gave.

“It means the world,” Tatum said after the Celtics received the championship trophy from NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “It’s been a long time. And damn I’m grateful.

"You know what it feels like to be on the other side of this and be in the locker room and hearing the other team celebrating, hearing them celebrate on your home floor,” Tatum continued, referring to their Game 6 loss to the Warriors two years back. “That was devastating. Now, to elevate yourself in a space that, you know, all your favorite players are in… It's a hell of a feeling. This is more – I dreamed about what it would be like, but this is 10 times better."

And he and Brown fittingly anchored the Celtics’ successful run, which finally ended a streak of 107 playoff games they have played together without winning a title, the longest in league history by any duo before finally clinching one. Along the way, these Celtics beat both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 4-1 count in the first two rounds, and then swept the Indiana Pacers in four games to make the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

And the denouement saw the Celtics end up with a 16-3 postseason record and finish with an 80-21 overall mark, which was 15 victories more than any other team in the league, including both regular season and the playoffs. That .792 winning percentage ranks second in team history behind only the Celtics’ 1985-86 championship club that finished 82-18 (.820).

In this clinching contest, Brown and Tatum combined for eight points and, together with Sam Hauser’s three-point shot, sparked a finishing 11-3 run that gave Boston a 28-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Brown and Tatum then combined for 19 more points in the second quarter even as Tatum passed for five of his game-high 11 assists in the period to keep the Celts in control.

The Celtics had erected a 46-31 lead with 7:08 left in the second quarter on a three-point play by Tatum, and when the Mavericks cut it to 48-39 a little more than two minutes later, the Celtics responded with a 19-7 spurt that was capped by a half-court buzzer-beater by Payton Pritchard, who was sent in precisely for such a possible play, to take a 67-46 bulge at the break. That parking-lot heave by Pritchard, his second such shot of the series, seemed to take the wind out of the Mavericks even as the TD Garden crowd erupted in a pandemonium

It's something taken out of Boston coach Joe Mazzulla’s playbook that told the Celtics to finish every quarter strong, and the Celts did precisely that. Over the last two minutes of the first and second quarters, the Celtics outscored the Mavericks 22-4, and that made all the difference in this game as the Mavericks never recovered and could not come nearer than 17 points before Boston took an 86-67 lead into the fourth quarter. The Celtics would then duplicate the biggest lead they took in the third, 26 points, with 3:40 left at 104-78, and Dallas coach Jason Kidd finally raised the white flag with 2:37 left and Boston up 106-85 when he took out Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Tatum had another double-double with a game-best 31 points (on 11-of-24 floor shooting but just 1-for-7 from three) and 11 assists, his third in the Finals (he also had a double-double in scoring and assists in Game 2, when Boston beat the Mavericks 105-98, and a double-double in scoring and rebounds in Game 1, when the Celtics set the tone for the series with a 107-89 blowout) on top of eight rebounds and two steals.

Jayson Tatum raises the championship trophy as the Celtics and their fans celebrate. (Photo by Charles Krupa of The Associated Press)

But Brown took the Bill Russell Trophy as Finals MVP after scoring 21 points (though he shot just 7-of-23 from the floor, his worst in the series) and collecting eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. It was Brown, after all, who dominated in the crucial Game 3, scoring 15 of his 30 points in the third quarter of a 106-99 victory by Boston, during which the Celtics took control of the game – and the series – by outscoring the Mavericks 35-19 in the period, while assuming most of the defensive job on Doncic.

That Game 3 victory afforded the Celtics an all-too-human letdown in Game 4, when Dallas scored an anomalous 122-84 walkover that sent the series back to Boston and enabled the Celtics to clinch it before a raucous home crowd.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” Brown said after being awarded his Finals MVP trophy, the second hardware he has won in this year’s playoffs after also taking the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP.

Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP, drives against P.J. Washington of Dallas in Game 5 of the Finals, which Boston won 106-88 to clinch it.  (Photo by Charles Krupa of The Associated Press)

But these Celtics are not all Brown and Tatum as most everybody sent in by Mazzulla contributed to the victory to finally nail down that elusive 18th championship banner, which has given back Boston the distinction as the team with the most number of titles in NBA history by breaking a tie with the Lakers, who won a 17th title during the “bubble” season of 2020. This included an injured Kristaps Porzingis, who was sent in by Mazzulla midway through the first quarter and had five points and was a plus-8 in 16 minutes on the floor, Hauser, who had eight points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal, as well as Pritchard, who made that miracle three at the halftime buzzer that took the air out of the Mavericks’ sails.

Of course, the Celtics’ starters after Tatum and Brown that the team’s president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, has painstakingly put together over the last three years assumed much of the responsibility, as expected. Jrue Holiday, whom Stevens acquired before the season for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III after being traded by Milwaukee to Portland, also had a double-double with 15 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal for a game-best plus-21 plus/minus rating, White chipped a front tooth and was bloodied on the way to contributing 14 points on a team-best 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, as well as eight rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block, while Al Horford, who started at center the whole series with Porzingis hobbled, chipped in vital totals of nine points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals for a plus-20 plus/minus rating.

With the victory, Horford also ended a streak of 186 playoff games without a title, the second-longest streak in history behind only the retired Utah great Karl Malone’s 193. James Harden of the LA Clippers now holds the longest title-less streak among active players with 166 playoff games.

And the championship victory also made Mazzulla, the target of much criticism especially in his first year as head coach last year because of his unorthodox ways, which include not calling timeouts even when rival teams are in hot pursuit, the youngest coach at 35 to win a title since Celtics legend Bill Russell led the Celtics to the championship in 1968 at 34 as a player coach.

Stevens’ faith in Mazzulla certainly paid off. After all, it was he who put Mazzulla at the helm after erstwhile coach Ime Udoka was suspended in 2022 for violation of team rules, and liked Joe for his dedication to his craft and discipline, his analytical mind and, most of all, his passion.

"He may have been unproven to other people, but not to me," Stevens said. "He was put in a tough situation last year. But he grew from it, and this year he got a chance to really prepare for a season." “You have very few chances in life to be great,” Mazzulla said when it was all over.

But the historic triumph means the most to the two Jays, who finally achieved their ultimate goal after having been the target of much vitriol for their supposed inability to win the ultimate prize despite reaching the conference finals together four times in the previous six years and for purportedly being soft especially in crunch time. "I mean, this is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments," Tatum said of their landmark triumph. "Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We've lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.

"So to have a big win – the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd – I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight."

"I can't even put into words the emotions," Brown, meanwhile, said. "It's just I'm blessed and I'm grateful. This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of the ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It's just amazing.”

"I just think we had passed the phase where we'd both been All-Stars and been on All-NBA teams," Tatum noted of his partnership with Brown. "Not saying that (expletive) is not important, but we'd done it. And God willing, we'll keep doing it. But it was time to start sacrificing points or shot attempts or whatever to win and have the best team in the league.

"Just our growth together," the three-time All-NBA First Teamer, who in this year’s playoffs has passed erstwhile idol Kobe Bryant for the most playoff points in history before the age of 27 with 2,711 to Bryant’s 2,694, added. "We've been through a lot. We've been playing together for seven years now. We've been through a lot, the losses, the expectations. The media have said all different types of things: We can't play together, we are never going to win. We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together."

And on top of all that, Tatum and Brown must have also benefitted from that innate Celtic culture that long-time Celtics writer Marc D’Amico calls “Celtics Basketball,” which referred to a way of life, an approach to the game and a method of building a team that has been handed down for several generations from the time of Celtics patriarch and legend Red Auerbach.

“On the court, Celtics Basketball means playing with pride,” D’Amico said. “It means playing for each other. It means celebrating each other. It means giving all-out effort. It means being unselfish. It means buying into roles. It means putting a product on the floor of which the fans can be proud.”

These 2024 Celtics, with their two Jays and their core, personified all that, and the result was an unprecedented Banner 18.

Confetti rain down on the TD Garden floor as the Celtics and fans celebrate the championship victory. (Photo by Brian Fluharty of USA Today Sports)