#this laptop was running like it was on dial up...but we got here.......

[gnabnahc]

A Day in the Life of Bang Chan 💫

Happy 27th Birthday, Chan! 💕 Thank you for always being the most shining star in the galaxy ✨

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[borathae]

↳ Index [Snippet #57 - Tentacles]

“When you and Jungkook test out your new tentacle dildo.”

Genre: married life!AU, Slice of Life, Smut, Fluff in the beginning

Warnings: domestic sweetness, they’re couple goals, Bamie being their cute son, Kook being a dork, the next warnings are for the smut, switch!Kook, switch!Reader, but the D/s dynamic is very minimal, this is about a couple in love taking turns to make the other feel good, but he calls her Mistress when he gets really into it, pussy fingering & clit play to get her ready, making out, being totally lost in the moment, use of a tentacle dildo, sharing of said dildo, they take turns with it, use of lube, first she penetrates her pussy with it, then he fucks his ass with it, hand job, nipple play, neck kisses, some drool, mutual masturbation, praise, dirty talk, wet & messy orgasms, squirting for both, cuddly aftercare, they’re in love <3

Wordcount: 6.5k

a/n: anonie, your enthusiasm about this wip made me finish it, hehehe, so this one's for you <3 honestly it’s so horny, enjoy besties 🧡 i fucking love this koo so much omfg my comfort koo for life <3

You are using your laptop by the kitchen table for a change. A bowl of salted peanuts and a glass of white wine is keeping you company. You can hear Bam playing with one of his squeaky toys in the living room. The constant squeaking should annoy you, but it doesn’t. It has become part of your life, serving as a nice background reminder that Bam was happy. 

You take a sip of the white wine, scrolling down the webpage you currently find yourself on. 

“Doing some online shopping?” Jungkook asks, coming into the kitchen to get his workout drink. He spent the afternoon drawing in his hobby room and plans on doing his boxing workout now. 

“Yeah, just browsing for some stuff”, you answer him, not looking up.

He comes up behind you, bending down to kiss your neck and hug you. Such affection is a daily occurrence from him, which means that you don’t let it distract you from your shopping. It is still really nice and exciting, don’t misunderstand.

“That’s nice. What stuff?” he asks.

“Just some more lube and toy cleaner. We’ve run out. Hey, do you think that we should get a tentacle dildo?” 

Jungkook falters. He finally looks at the screen, eyes widening at the rows of silicon dicks looking back at him.

“Oh my god, you’re doing dick shopping in our kitchen?” he gasps.

“I guess”, you say and chuckle at his use of words.

“What the hell, baby?”

“In my defence, I only wanted to get lube and cleaner first, but fell down a rabbit hole. Remember the alien dick conversation we had?” 

“I guess? I don’t know. Not really, no.”

“Either way, I got a tentacle dildo on the front page and now I’m here. On the fantasy dildo page, thinking how hot it would be to own one. Should we get one?” 

“Wait a minute. I need to sit down and see the options.”

And like that, his boxing workout has to wait as you and he spend a good hour deciding on which tentacle dildo to get.

Jungkook is home when the package arrives. You are still at the restaurant, working hard.

Jungkook is working on a tattoo in his room when the doorbell rings. He tells Bam to stay and hurries to the door to check who was interrupting him. He thanks the postman and wishes him a good day, then he hurries to the living room.

He takes out his phone and dials your restaurant’s number. Then he stands by the living room window, looking outside with one hand on his hips. 

“Hello, you’ve reached ___’s Bistro, Joe speaking. How may I help you?” one of your employees picks up.

“Hey, Joe. Here is Jungkook speaking. Can I talk to ___, please?” 

“Yo hey, Jungkook man. Yeah, right away”, he says and calls out to you, “hey, ___! Jungkook’s asking for you!” He speaks to Jungkook again, “she’s on her way.”

“Thanks, man.”

A few moments of silence. The restaurant sounds busy in the background. 

“Thanks Joe. Hey, sweetie”, you suddenly say.

“Is Joe gone?”

“Yes, he’s back to working. Why?”

“Baby, I need you to come home immediately.”

“Why? What happened? Are you okay? Is Bam okay?”

“The dildo arrived.”

“Wow okay. Thanks for making me have a heart attack. You can’t just say that to me after calling the restaurant. I thought that an emergency had happened.”

“This is an emergency. I really wanna open it and look at it.” 

You laugh, “you’ll survive.”

“No, I won’t. Please sweetie, come home.”

“I would love to, but the restaurant is really busy. It’s probably gonna get late today.”

“Nooo babyyyy, why would you say that?”

“I’m sowwyyyy, I swear I don’t want it either. But it’s Friday and payday for most. People want food.”

“And I want my wife.”

“Just play your Sims until I’m home.”

“No, I’ll sit by the door and whine. Like a dog.”

You laugh, “okay do that, puppy.”

He grins, “please don’t work too hard.”

“I’ll try. You can open the package already if you want to.”

“No, I wanna do it with you.”

“Okay, okay.” More noise in the background. “I really gotta go now. We got more customers.”

“Yeah, okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The call ends. Jungkook huffs out air in frustration. Never in his life has he missed you as much as he misses you right now. For just a second, he even considers driving to the restaurant just so he can watch you work. 

Bam stubs his leg. Jungkook looks at him and pets his head.

“I know, Bamie. I miss her too. Stupid payday, it’s always busy then.”

Bam whines, showing Jungkook the tennis ball in his mouth.

“Should we play some fetch? Okay, let’s go to the beach.”

Jungkook stays down by the beach until Bam is basically tired enough that he barely manages to get up the stairs. Jungkook cleans him in the garden and prepares cold water for him to drink as he makes dinner. 

He texts you if you want to eat dinner at home to which you say that you already ate at the restaurant. So Jungkook makes himself a quick meal, eating by the table while Bam eats his dinner as well. You text him again as he eats.

-          Wifey ♡: It’s still busy here :( I’m sorry…

-          Jungkook: Don’t apologise ♡  I’m sorry that it’s busy :( sending you lots of energy ♡

-          Wifey ♡: Yay thank you ♡

Because it will still take you some time, Jungkook decides to go for one last digestion walk with Bam. Afterwards the poor Doberman is so tired that he falls asleep on Jungkook’s lap during his night time routine. Of course you and Jungkook have a night routine for Bam, which consists of wiping down his fur, moisturising his paws and brushing his teeth. Jungkook leaves out Bam’s “jammies” tonight, sending him straight to his crate. Bam merely manages to snuggle up against his emotional support dinosaur plushie and then he is already fast asleep. 

“Sleep, my baby. Daddy loves you so much”, Jungkook whispers and sends him a hand kiss, afterwards he leaves Bam’s room. Just in time with you arriving home. Jungkook hurries to the door and sits down. He has a plan. To make you laugh.

Not long after he sat down, the door to the garage unlocks. You step inside and stop, eyes falling to Jungkook sitting on the floor and whining. 

“Seriously?” you say, having to laugh loudly. You stumble, knees giving up and so you end up on the floor as well.

Jungkook laughs with you, closing the distance to touch your arms.

“Did you actually sit here and whine all day?”

“Of course I did”, he jokes, only making you laugh harder. 

You hug him, muffling your happiness in his shoulder. Jungkook hugs you back, feeling on cloud nine. Making you laugh will never ever lose its magic.

“Oh god, you. This just wiped away all of the stress I felt.”

“I’m glad. I guess I don’t have to ask how your day was.”

“It was stressful, but not bad. Still glad to be home now and to have three free days ahead of me.”

“I know, me too.”

“How was your day?” 

“Lonely without you, but still good. I was at the beach with Bam almost all day. He’s basically dead in exhaustion. He even snored when I left the room.”

“Aww Bamie, so cute. Our son. I bet he had such a good day running around.”

“He did, yeah.”

You and he stand up together, exchanging a loving kiss. He helps you out of your jacket and carries your bag for you. 

“So did you really wait with the package?”

“Of course I did. I wanted to look at it with you.”

“You really didn’t have to.”

“No, I wanted to. It’s important to me that we unpack it together.”

“You’re cute. Let me just wash my hands real quick. I feel disgusting.”

“Okay.”

You join him in the living room in comfortable clothes. You sit down next to him. 

“Ready?” 

“So ready.” 

He takes the package and scissors. You scoot closer, watching him open the box. 

Some packing peanuts, the receipt, the toy.

“Wooaah”, you and he gasp at the same time, eyes widening.

“This looks so realistic.”

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be.”

“Take it out of the package, I wanna touch it.”

You and he hold the toy together.

“Wooaaah.” 

It is purple in colour and with a good length. Around twenty centimetres with a growing girth. The tip is just a little thicker than Jungkook’s thumb, while the base is around the size of his wrist. The silicon feels soft and very high quality and it has no scent to it, which is always a good sign. 

“Run your thumb over the suckers, they feel so realistic”, he says.

“They do. Wow. Do you think that we can feel them?”

“I hope so. That’s lowkey the point.”

“Me too. It’s actually so long. My cooch is not gonna handle that well.” 

“Yeah, it’s big. I feel like I’m gonna struggle too.”

“Right. We can take it slow.”

“Definitely.” He glances at your face. “Should we do it tonight?”

You meet his eyes. 

“Okay no, you don’t want to. That look told me everything I needed to know.”

“Sorry, I’m really tired.”

“Don’t apologise. We looked at it, that’s already enough for me. Whenever you’re in the mood.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, sounds good. Should we shower and then watch a movie and cuddle?”

“Yes, this sounds amazing. I’m sorry that I’m not feeling it tonight.”

“Apologise again and I’m biting you.”

You chuckle, “okay fine.”

It is around four in the afternoon the next day when Jungkook seeks you out. He was in the garden before that, while you lounged on the beach. He sits down next to you, calling your name. You open your eyes.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey, you.” He rubs your arm. “Baby?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if maybe you are in the mood?”

You sit up, “you’re horny? Now?”

“Not horny, just really curious.” He pouts. “I just wondered, you know, it’s been almost a day and yeah. Yesterday, you said you wanna do it tomorrow. And today is tomorrow and yeah.” 

“Did you already clean out and everything?”

“No, I would do it now if you said yes.”

“You know what? I am down, actually. Once we’re ready, it’s gonna be later anyway, so why not start already? Should I clean out downstairs?”

“Whatever you want. I’m flexible.”

“Then let’s do it like that.”

“Yes, I’m so happy right now.”

You and he pack up and then go home to get ready.

You meet in the bedroom again, cleaned out and so ready. Bam is officially in his crate and the door is locked because you don’t want to be disturbed. Slow RnB music is playing and you have the thin curtains drawn closed to shield away some of the sunlight.

You are naked, laying out your waterproof sheets, when Jungkook comes outside.

“Oh. Hey. Yay, matching outfits”, he greets you.

“You’re looking good in it, my handsome.”

“Says the right one, my beautiful”, he flirts back and closes the distance in confident steps. 

It is so sexy to be naked together when the near future offers pleasure. He connects his hands with your waist, running them down to your hips. His big, brown eyes race over your face and tits, sparkling in adoration.

“Hey”, he rasps.

“Hey”, you coo.

“You’re so sexy”, he says in a breathy whisper.

“Thanks. You’re so sexy too”, you say and run your hands from his abs up to his pecs.

“It feels good how you touch me.” 

“Your body is perfect.”

He looks at your lips, “I’m really excited. How are we gonna do this?”

“I guess I go first and you go second? Because, you know, ass to pussy is never a good idea.”

“Right. We can’t have you catching something. Let’s have you go first. What do you need me to do to get you there?”

“Just kiss me and let me feel you on top.”

“Come here”, he says and fulfills your wish enthusiastically. He kisses you, picking you up just to lay you down on the sheets and climb on top.

He gives you a moment to catch your breath. The way he looks at you makes you feel like the most beautiful person to ever exist.

“Is this comfy?” he asks, touching your thighs gently. You have them around his hips to keep him close.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.”

“Let me know if you don’t want me to touch you somewhere. I’ll let my hands wander, yes?”

“Yes, don’t leave anything out please. Can I touch you everywhere too?”

“My body’s free real estate for you”, he jokes, making you laugh.

He smiles, chuckling, and kisses you. 

“Idiot”, you murmur between kisses, fingers running through his hair.

“You love it”, he answers you, right hand running along your side. 

“Mhhm, love it.”

“Baby…”

Perhaps it’s all the years together, but it is so much fun to turn each other on. It’s so easy and exciting and damn, do you love doing it. Today it’s especially nice because it’s such a perfect day for spontaneous sex. 

The sun is warm and enters the bedroom in a yellowish glow because of your curtains. You are trapped in a cozy, sensual atmosphere, floating on the growing clouds of attraction. You left the balcony door open to let in the salty ocean breeze. The rushing of waves joins the music as much as the occasional call of a seagull does. This is paradise and it’s your daily life. 

The realisation makes you pull him so much closer. His back ripples and tenses, his throat produces the loveliest of sighs. His skin feels like heaven. Soft and warm and so his’. Perhaps it is impossible to understand but you know the sensation of his skin these days. You could recognise him just by touch. 

Jungkook runs his right hand from your shoulder down to your hip. He holds you there, pinning you down with just enough strength that you notice it. He is gentle in it however, giving you a tender roll of his hips which naturally grinds his dick over your tummy. He is already so swollen and hard.

“Fuck, Kook”, you break the kiss, gazing up at him with heavy eyes, “I need you to play with my pussy. I can’t do long make out sessions today.”

“Anything you need”, he says and puts two of his fingers into his mouth to get them wet. 

Once happy with the results, he slips them between your legs, rubbing them up and down your sweet warmth. He is propped up on his hand for now, arm tense and keeping his weight up with little struggle.

You exhale in relief, eyelids fluttering. He lowers himself to his elbow and cups your cheek, making it so much better. 

“Is this nice?”

You nod your head, “I love this moment.”

“Me too. You’re so beautiful in this light.” He traces your eyebrows and caresses your left temple. “My goddess.” 

“Kiss me, I mean it.”

Jungkook moans softly, letting you pull him into a kiss. You control the tempo and intensity and he is so happy to follow. It feels so good. It’s been years since you shared your first kiss on top of the ferris wheel and it still feels as exciting as it did back then. Perhaps even more exciting because each kiss, each eager touch and tender lick is filled with memories of your life together.

Jungkook feels light-headed. He takes your left hand and pins it above your head in sync with his hips rolling against your inner thigh. He is leaking all over your skin because he is already rock hard. He gets hard so easily with you. He swears it’s because he loves you so much.

You run your right hand down his back until you can grab a good amount of his buttock. It makes him growl into the kiss and chase your thigh in a needy thrust. You love it so much. Being under him, having him hold your hand and fuck your thigh and goddamn, having him rub your pussy. You love this so much, leaking onto his fingers.

“More.”

Jungkook hums in understanding and buries his wet fingers in you. He is slow in it, so as not to hurt you.

A gasp breaks the kiss. You look at him with the neediest and sexiest face he has ever seen.

“Is this good for you?” he speaks in a low purr, eyes totally smitten for you.

“So good, ah.”

“Mhhhhm, I love your pussy”, he purrs and kisses you deeply. It is his turn to control the tempo, the intensity and fuck, is he passionate with it. 

If you weren’t already entirely engrossed by him, you would have started to be right this moment. He tongue kisses you like he is doing it professionally, all while he curls and scissors his tattooed fingers deep inside you. And because this fucking bastard is amazing, he rubs his thumb up and down your clit, including a circle whenever he is right on top.

You swear that you will melt into a puddle because of him. These are the moments where you love his perfectionism. He is so stern with himself all the time, but it results in him having perfected pleasure. He touches you like it is his destiny and god, you might lose yourself.

You break the kiss, choking out your words.

“Stop right now. Stop.”

Jungkook freezes up.

“Pull your hand away. Now.”

“Oh my god, what’s wrong?” he gasps, doing what he is told. He even sits up, panicking enough that his cock goes a little soft. 

“Fuck this was close, what the heck.”

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Please don’t tell me that I hurt you.”

“No, I almost nutted.”

“Wow okay, then say that and not be so cryptic. I was so scared”, he pouts.

“Sorry, are you okay?”

“No, I need you to kiss me.”

You snicker, getting on your knees and closing the distance. You kiss him like this. Kneeling with him as your arms snake around his body and your tits melt with his pecs. His cock is between your tummies, getting rubbed so good that he grows hard again. 

And Jungkook forgives you instantly, cradling you in his strong arms. He towers over you a little, resulting in you having to crane your neck and lean into him. He loves it so much, feeding you his needy sighs alongside his tongue. 

Fuck, he is so into you. He growls and grabs your ass with both hands, doing it with such passion that you whimper and tremble. You twist his hair at the back, getting him dizzy and short of breath. 

In return you feel light-headed and ready to crumble into a pile of horny mess. The way he is kneading your buttocks feels so good. Possessive and rough, which means you can feel it in your pussy as well. You press yourself so much closer to him, turning him on unbearably.

If this continues, he might ask you to forget about the dildo and fuck him instead. And because you and he are basically connected, you break the kiss just to mention said dildo.

“I need to sit on the tentacle now or I will never escape you.”

He chuckles breathily, “fuck, why are you so good at reading me?”

“Because I’m obsessed with you”, you flirt, sending his pulse into a frenzy. 

He gives you his best and most loyal puppy eyes ever. You peck his lips and wiggle out of his arms. 

“Are you excited to watch me?” you ask, getting the dildo ready. You put it into one of your strap-on harnesses and strapped it to a pillow to make it easier to ride. 

“I’m so excited”, he confesses, watching you smear lube all over the purple tentacle. “Getting it wet sounds so sexy.”

“Right? I’m so curious how it’ll feel. Now silence, I need to concentrate.”

He gasps dramatically and holds his breath with his eyes big and his cheeks puffed out. He makes you laugh, setting him off too.

“You can breathe.”

“Just making sure.”

Giggling and laughing, you position yourself over the toy. Jungkook watches you, laughing and giggling just as much. How fucking good it feels to laugh with you during sex.

You get serious once you start playing with the tip however, taking your lower lip between your teeth and looking down at the toy. 

Jungkook shares in your silence, breathing heavily because the view is so arousing to him. 

You lower yourself, taking the toy easily. Just the tip. Down. Down. Down until the stretch comes. Stop.

“Fuck, this is… Woah fuck…” 

“Is it good?”

More. Deeper.

“It’s intense. Woah” you writhe and reach down to touch your own tummy, “woah, this is deep. Oh my god.”

Jungkook presses his thighs together, mewling needily. Knowing that you are stuffed turns him on so much.

“Please try to move”, he begs and you do.

“Fucking hell, urgh”, you get out, throwing your head back and twisting the pillow. “What the fuck is that?”  

“Is it good? Does it hurt?”

“It’s like I’m getting impaled by an alien or something”, you moan, rolling your hips on the purple tentacle needily. You try to lift your hips as well, resulting in your puffy cunt to slurp up the tentacle greedily. It sounds so wet and sinful. Looks like actual pornography.

“Baby, oh my god”, he whimpers, having to touch his own nipples because it excites him so much. He rubs his hands over them, all while his thighs are squeezing his balls for stimulation. He can’t stop looking at your pussy and how she gets impaled by the tentacle. She is stretching so much, weeping and slurping happily and Jungkook swears he will pass out at the view.

“Ah, Jungkook”, you moan, arching your back sensually, “Jungkook…baby…Jungkook…”

He can’t do this. He can’t just watch when you moan his name like this. He closes the distance and calls your attention by rubbing your arm. 

You peel your eyes open and lift your head, gazing deep into his eyes. 

“Does it make you think of me?”

“It feels so nice. Koo, I keep thinking of you as my alien lover.”

He moans. You whimper his name and drop down on the tentacle. It squelches sinfully, stretching your pussy addictively well. It doesn’t hurt, it just feels intense. This is the kind of stuffing that satisfies you to the very core. The kind of stuffing you want to keep chasing and chasing and chasing.

“Jungkook…”

He runs his eyes over your body, chest rising and sinking in a shaky breath. He lifts his hands, running them along your curves without actually touching you. The ghost of it tingles, making you crave his fingers on you.

“I really wanna touch you”, he whispers, eyes glued to your stuffed pussy.

“Please, do.”

He rests his left hand on your waist and slides his right hand between your legs. His fingers part your folds, finding your clit easily and picking up a sensual rhythm.

“Kook”, you moan shakily, resting your hands on his strong pecs. The toy feels a million times more intense now that he is touching you. The suckers keep grinding against your entrance, sucking and stimulating it sinfully well.

“You’re so soft”, he whispers, eyes racing between yours. His fingers draw circles on your clit, knowing exactly how much pressure and what speed you love. Of course they know. He touched you a million times before. Your body is a landscape he knows how to explore blindly. And he won’t ever grow bored of it, tingling in pleasure each time he rubs your clit.

With shaky fingers, you touch the nape of his neck. You pull his face down, moaning when your foreheads touch. The eye contact remains, the tension is electric.

“Sweetie”, he sighs, sliding his left hand to the small of your back. He loves how you tense as your hips dance on the toy. 

“Koo, it feels so good”, you whimper, grasping his neck.

“I know it does. I know. I’m so happy. You’re so beautiful, my sweetheart.”

“Oh god, it feels so good.”

“Enjoy it. Focus on it. You deserve it.”

“Kiss me.”

Jungkook claims your lips as his’, moaning with you as you sink into the kiss. You convulse around the toy, grasping his face. His fingers speed up on your clit, sending trembles through your legs. 

The kiss breaks just barely, but you needed to moan and gasp for air.

“Am I doing good?”

“Really, ah, re-really good.”

“God baby, I wanna live in this moment forever.”

“You’re gonna make me cum.”

“Good, so good. Focus on it, baby. Focus on the toy. How it’s inside you.”

“I can feel the suckers everywhere”, you mewl, twitching, “ah, Koo.”

“Good girl. Taking my tentacle so well. Mhm? Are you taking my tentacle well?” he taunts, wanting to play into your fantasy because it will get you off. 

“Koo…” you whimper breathily, eyes going just a little cross. 

“Good girl, such a good girl.”

Your hips have no true rhythm going on. All they are doing is rut and squirm and chase the orgasm. Your entrance is already so sensitive because of the tentacle. Your pleasure spots inside are throbbing and burning in ecstasy. And your clit pulsates each time he runs his skilled fingers over it. 

His eye contact. The close proximity. His hand on your back. His dirty talk. The moans he shares with you. It is all too much. You are completely and utterly submerged in this moment. You exist for nothing but him and the pleasure you create together.

“I’m cumming.”

“Cum for me.”

“Koo.”

He moans into your mouth because you pull him back into a kiss. The moan turns into a throaty purr as you begin sucking on his tongue because this is all that you can manage during your orgasmic shakes. 

This high is intense. It really, genuinely, weakens you. To the point where you fold in on yourself and your legs press together. You fall against Jungkook, forcing the kiss to break.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.”

“I’m here, hold onto me. I’m here.”

“Jungkoooooook”, you mewl, reaching between your legs to press his fingers closer. Your knees are twitching, legs squeezing together and walls throbbing around the tentacle. This isn’t over. This orgasm has layers to it, hitting you over and over again.

“Good girl. You’re doing so well. Cum on my tentacle, such a good girl.”

You sob, “ah-a-ah.” And then it happens. You squirt, messying the toy and your thighs. Truly, if Jungkook wasn’t holding you, you would have already collapsed.

“Oh my god, Yes baby. Yes. Squirt for me. This is so hot. Fuck, yes give me everything.”

His words help you ride it out. And it is glorious. To know that you have someone like Jungkook helping you through it, makes it so much better.

He rubs your clit until you pull his hand away. Brought to your limit, you instantly have to slip off the toy. The tentacle squelches loudly as it leaves you, flopping to the front. It glistens sinfully. Big globs of your orgasm are sticking to the suckers. 

“I can’t, ah”, you get out and plop down in the mess.

“Breathe, baby. Breathe”, he talks you through the aftershocks, cradling your face with both hands. 

“This was really intense.” You gulp, eyes glassy. “I’m shaky.” You exhale weakly. “Can I get a hug, please?”

“My baby, you cutie. Of course, come here”, he hugs you against him, rocking you softly. “Let me hold you, babygirl. I’m here.”

“Oh god, Koo.”

“Just lean on me. I’m here.”

His loving embrace helps so much. Because of it, you manage to come back safely. Oh, it is so comforting to be loved by him.

You lift your head, gazing at him. 

“Hey, do you feel better?” he whispers, caressing your cheeks. It doesn’t matter to him that some time has passed. As a matter of fact, sharing this tender moment with you felt like paradise to him.

“Yeah, I feel happy. I can’t believe this just happened.”

“Me neither. I haven’t seen you this twitchy in some time.”

“I don’t know what happened. It felt so good.”

“It did?”

You nod your head. He exhales shakily.

“Not gonna lie, this makes me really needy.”

Your eyes glimmer.

“Do you wanna ride it?”

“I do. I really fucking do.”

“I’ll clean it.”

“Don’t.”

Your heart flutters.

“Fucking don’t clean it. I wanna know that I get to have you inside me. At least something of you.”

“Koo”, you get to your knees, cradling his face, “Koo, please ride it. I can’t wait to watch you.”

He nods his head and slips out of your touch. You scoot back a little to give him space.

“I hope I’ll like it too.”

“I’m sure that you will. This toy is definitely your style.”

“Fuck, I’m so excited.”

“Do you need me to prepare you somehow?”

“No, watching you get off was everything I needed. Besides, I’m wearing a plug.”

“That’s so hot.”

Jungkook reaches behind himself and pulls out the plug. He groans softly, leaking onto the sheets. 

“Thank god we put the sheet down”, he says. 

“Definitely. First me, now you. We’re so messy.”

He chuckles, putting aside the plug. He takes the tentacle and positions it under himself.

“I’m so ready to sit on it.”

“You will love it so much.” 

He picks up more lube, spreading it on the toy.

“It’s so warm from you. And messy. I can’t wait, fuck.” 

“Me neither, baby.”

He circles his loosened rim, staring down at himself. His lower lip is between his teeth, his brows are furrowed. You don’t want to breathe, gawking hungrily. 

He lowers himself. The tip slips in.

“Ah.”

“Relax. Take it easy.”

More. He manages around seven centimetres and stops. A groan leaves him, followed by a “fuck”, and his head rolling back. 

“Is this a it’s good fuck or a it hurts fuck?”

“An it’s more intense than I thought it would be fuck.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” 

“I get you now. Oh my god what the fuck”, he chokes out, touching his tummy to check how much he takes.

A little more and he stops again, grasping the pillow for support. It squeezes his pecs together and makes his arms tense.

“___”, he moans, cock twitching and lungs working overtime to breathe. 

You close the distance and hold his waist. He rolls his head to the front, meeting your eyes. His gaze is droopy and entirely smitten for you.

“I’m right here, baby. Just look at me when it gets too much.”

He moans your name, eyes fogging up and hips dropping further down on the slickened tentacle. Five more centimetres, and his mouth falls open. Not for long because he has to bite his lower lip in sync with him trying to rock on it. His brows tremble because they can’t decide whether to lift or furrow.

“Intense?” you ask, rubbing his waist.

He nods his head, rolling his lip between his teeth.

“Keep looking at me, baby. I’m here.” 

He whimpers softly, cupping your cheek. 

“I don’t know if I can slip off”, he confesses.

“Hurts?”

“It’ll feel so good. I can’t do this.”

“Just try, baby. For me.”

Jungkook furrows his brows and obeys. He slips off the toy. 

“Ah!” He yelps and flinches. “O-oh my god. The texture.”

“It’s intense, isn’t it?”

“Yes” He squeaks, closing his eyes. He drops back down on the toy, lifting his hips instantly to pick up a needy rhythm. 

“Just listen to you getting fucked. Your hole sounds so stuffed right now.”

“It feels so good. I feel every sucker. Ah. The girth. My hole is so….ah….filled.”

“That’s right. It’s so stuffed with me.”

He whimpers, legs shaking.

“Isn’t that right? You got my orgasm deep inside you, baby.”

“Please.”

“It’s coating your insides. I’m making you mine.”

“Please, shut up”, he keens, trying his hardest to cover your mouth with his hand. His palm is so warm and just a little sweaty.

You giggle, kissing his shaky fingers.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like me talking dirty to you?”

“Don’t want this to end. No orgasm. Not yet. Please.”

“Okay, okay sorry. Then let me watch you for a while.” You dance your hands over his body. “You don’t mind me touching you as you get fucked, do you?”

“Please”, he breathes out, dropping his head in defeat, “don’t stop touching me. It feels so good.”

He slings his left arm over your shoulder, using your other shoulder as his headrest. You rub his back, sliding your right hand to his cock. 

“___”, his voice is squeaky and entirely drenched in pleasure. His hips tremble before getting so much sloppier on the tentacle.

Jungkook knew that you weren’t lying when you lost it on the tentacle, but he didn’t think that it was actually this intense. He has a very sensitive hole, even normal stimulation with your strap feels intense. To have something so intensely textured pound him over and over again is actually deeply overwhelming for him. He can feel each sucker his hole swallows, he can feel them trying to stay inside when he slips off and he can feel them digging their way back inside when he drops down. Because of its shape, most of the stretch stays by his hole. And there is always this one sucker which seems obsessed with his prostate.

“I get it. ___ my love, I get it.”

“You do? Do you like it?”

“Love it. Goddess, I’m yours. Please don’t ever leave me.”

The toy has him clingy. He must love it a lot. He only gets this way when the pleasure has infiltrated his brain as well and the only thoughts occupying his mind are thoughts of you. 

“I’m not leaving you, Koo. Feel it, this is me making you mine. You’re on my mind”, you promise him, twisting your hand around his tip. 

“___.” 

He drops on the toy and stays down, hips suddenly rutting back and forth vigorously. You know this motion, you know the urgency of it. He turned cock dumb, trying oh so desperately to make himself climax. The only thing you can do is keep your hand still and talk sweet to him.

“Good boy. Make yourself cum. What a good boy you are. You’re made for the tentacle.”

“My nipples, please.”

You connect your left hand with his chest, playing with his nipple. His right one is a little more sensitive so you are paying attention to it. You rub and squeeze it, tugging on his piercing very gently whenever you feel like it. 

“I’m cumming”, Jungkook whimpers and breaks with a sob. He shoots his load all over your hand and tummies, collapsing into you and scratching your upper back. 

“That’s it. Cum for me. Good boy, give me everything. Cum for me”, you talk him through it, jerking his throbbing cock. 

He sobs loudly, curling into himself because the orgasm reached his prostate. He doesn’t want to but he still spills translucent liquid all over your tummy. He can’t help it. You touch him just right.

“___!”

“Yes baby, squirt for me. Let the tentacle milk you. Good boy.”

“___, I can’t stop.”

“I know, let it happen. Don’t try to hold it in”, you encourage him, squeezing every single droplet out of him and Jungkook can do nothing more than give you everything his body can produce.

“Hurts”, he means it honestly once the high stops. He slips off the toy with shaking legs and drops into your arms.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

“I’m shaky”, he whimpers, seeking your comfort by nuzzling his nose into your neck.

“I know exactly how you feel. Lean on me, it’ll pass soon.”

“Oh god, oh god…”

“I’m here, babyboy. I’m right here.”

The perfect thing about you and Jungkook is knowing that you can be each other’s comfort and not have it feel weird. He can be dominant and strong while you are shaky and weak. And in return you can be just as dominant and strong while he is shaky and weak. This is what makes you and him so fucking perfect for each other. 

With your love, Jungkook recovers quickly. Soon, he feels strong enough to lift his head and meet your eyes.

“How are you doing?”

“Good, but vulnerable. I wanna hold you.”

“Let’s lie down.”

Your limbs tangle together so you can face each other. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are glimmering prettily.

“I don’t know what happened.”

“Me neither. There must be crack on this toy.”

He laughs weakly, “seriously. At some point it felt alive inside me.”

“Right? And the sounds-”

“So wet. I tried not to listen because it would have broken me instantly.”

You agree with a nod and snicker. Jungkook smiles softly. 

“I feel so droopy”, he confesses, dropping his hand on your cheek.

You melt into his touch, “you look droopy.”

He hums and closes his eyes. You scoot closer and kiss his nose. 

“Just think of the day I peg you with it.”

He mewls, “don’t make me think of that, I’ll pass out.”

“Sorry”, you snicker and kiss his nose a second time, “I’m so happy that we bought this toy. I definitely wanna use it again.”

“Yeah me too.” He kisses your lips, mumbling a very heartfelt “I love you” against them.

“I love you too.” 

“Wanna cuddle.”

You close the distance and snuggle into him. Jungkook purrs happily, hugging you against him.

“This was amazing”, he whispers, “it got me there so fast. I’m kinda sad it’s over.”

“I get you. I got there so fast too. Means we have to do it again soon.

“Yeah definitely.”

You snuggle him tighter, tracing mindless shapes on his back. He does the same along your spine.

“The sun’s starting to set”, you whisper.

“Nice. I love the sunset. Should we make pasta for dinner?”

“Pasta sounds amazing. And for dessert we can have ice cream.”

“Yeah, mint choco.”

“No, hazelnut choco.” 

Jungkook smiles. Even years later, your favourite ice cream flavour hasn’t changed. 

“I love you so much”, he whispers, wrapping his limbs around you to melt you into him.

“I love you too, but I’m gonna suffocate”, you whine, heart racing like crazy. 

“Take it, I need to squeeze you.”

You laugh, letting it happen gladly. He is such a sweetheart.

[arjwrites]

Take A Picture, It'll Last Longer- Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: While hunting with the Winchesters, you had picked up a disposable camera to capture some memories. Each photo represented an important point in your collective journey- all the while, hinting at a budding connection behind the scenes.  Warnings: None! Largely gn, but reader is occasionally referred to as "she." Slight language here and there, mostly just silly fluff! A/N: Another idea of mine that has been kicking around for a while. I hope the Sam crew appreciates this! <3

“Alright boys, hold up those shovels!!” You were perched on top of a neighboring gravestone, disposable camera held close to your face.

“You’re kidding, right? We are literally desecrating a grave, and you’re snapping pictures? This could be used as evidence one day!” Of course Sam was throwing sass. He could never just sit there and look pretty for you.

“C’mon, we’ve gotta preserve this stuff for posterity! Sam and Dean Winchester, in their natural habitat!” you laughed. 

Dean, in sharp contrast to his brother’s protests, instantly struck a pose, slinging the shovel over one shoulder and gazing dramatically to the horizon like an action hero. Huffing, realizing he was outnumbered on this matter, Sam limply lifted the shovel in one hand, popped a thumbs-up with the other hand, and slapped a forced, sarcastic smile on his face.

“Perfect! Now they’ll also get to witness each of your unique brands of bullshit!” 

Sam crossed his arms in a (slightly) feigned offense, looking to Dean for backup. Dean simply shrugged- “I mean, she’s got us there. That’s pretty much our bullshit in a nutshell.” 

Sam fought hard to stifle the smile that was working its way to the surface. She knew them too well. 

–

“What are you looking at?” Your voice broke the silence that had been dragging on for longer than you even remembered. The question had came out a little sassy, which you didn’t intend, but you were feeling a little defensive. There was no way Sam was staring at you for any good reason. You were nested against the arm of one of the motel couches, piled high in lore books, researching while sporting an unbrushed head of hair and last night’s pajamas. It was noon. Not your best look. 

“Nothing, nothing. Sorry.” He held your gaze just a moment longer before returning to his work, smiling down into his laptop. You hummed, satisfied, until you felt his eyes peek back up at you. 

“Hey, take a picture, Winchester! It’ll last longer!” You laughed, hiding your hint of insecurity with a bit of sass. It was a joke- completely a joke, and you thought Sam had taken it as such, until…

“You know what? You’re right. Don’t move a muscle.” Sam held his hands out as if to freeze you in your current position, turning on the dramatics as he backed away slowly before spinning on his heels to run to your side of the room.   

“Sam-”

“I said don’t move!” He taunted over his shoulder. 

You heard Sam rustling through your bag, but you didn’t dare turn to look- you figured you’d humor him and comply with the ridiculous request. Sam returned to his perch on the couch across from you, a grin adorning his face and the camera looking comically small in his large hand. He cranked the dial, lined it up with his right eye, and called out- “Say cheese!”

“Cheeeeeese!” You laughed, bathing in the blinding brightness- both from the camera’s flash and Sam’s mile-wide smile. If only the photo had been captured from your point of view- you could stare at that face forever. 

–

“Alright everyone, gather around!” Dinner was finished, the dishes were done, a fresh round of beers were cracked. What better time for you to call for a little family photo?

“Here we go again with the paparazzi,” Bobby gruffed, ruffling your hair as he passed you. 

“Excuse me, it’s called being the family historian. We need to record this touching memory!” 

“Alright alright, get over here, everyone,” scolded Sam with a lighthearted tone. Having him on your side was helpful- his long arms corralled the whole crew with ease, gathering everyone in front of the couch. You smiled a silent thank you, and he winked at you in return, sending your heart aflutter. 

While the team of men behind you figured out the ideal photo formation amongst themselves, you prepped the camera, winding the dial and propping it up on the tv stand while making sure to get the angle just right. After this there would only be one picture left on the camera- you had to make sure to save it for something really good. 

Dean stood behind the couch, arms draped over the shoulders of Bobby to his left and Cas to his right. While Dean was already cheesing, Bobby and Cas weren’t quite as natural in front of the camera- it was taking them a second to settle in. Sam, however, was sat down on the couch, arms outstretched to beckon you in. Eager to get the picture taken, you clicked the button to trigger the countdown.

“Alright, we’ve got ten seconds everyone!�� You raced over to plop yourself down next to Sam, who almost instictively wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you in as close as possible. You tensed a bit, nerves on fire due to your intimate proximity to him, but your face beamed with joy. In the last few seconds before the photo snapped, Sam pressed a sneaky, soft kiss to the side of your head, returning to his former pose just before the final flash went off. Though you were able to calm your bugging eyes in the nick of time, there was little you could to stop the searing heat that flushed to your cheeks. God, you hoped that wouldn’t show up in the picture.

–

It had been a few months since any of you had so much as thought about that camera. Life had gotten a bit busy, to say the least. The end of the world had brought with it plenty of trials and tribulations, and left very little time for photo ops. That being said, you had finally reached a long awaited moment of peace. Things had died down, and there was a brief moment for you and the Winchesters to catch your breath and lay low for a bit. 

It was well past midnight, and a quiet had fallen over the bunker- not the usual tense, fearful, impending-doom type of quiet. This was much more peaceful. Typically, at this hour of the night, the three of you would still be up researching or figuring out plans for your next move. Tonight, however, Dean had been able to hole himself up in his room for a while, trying to get some kind of sleep, which wasn’t usually an option for him. After dozing off and on unsuccessfully for a few hours, he emerged from his room, in search of something he knew would help knock him right out- a snack. 

Drudging down the hall, Dean was drawn away from his intended destination after noticing the blue glow and soft buzz still emitting from the television. Thinking Sam had left it on before heading to bed, Dean rerouted his path in order to switch it off, mumbling to himself that this was not his job. His frustration remained up until he was able to fully take in the scene in front of him. There on the couch lay you and Sam, fast asleep. Sam’s massive frame dwarfed yours as he held you from behind, face firmly planted in your hair. One of your arms curved in front of you to wrap itself around Sam’s, and the other flopped off the couch, the TV remote dangling loosely in your grasp. Dean felt far too sappy even thinking it, but he could’ve sworn he had never seen either of you two so peaceful. 

After smiling down on the two of you for a few seconds shy of creepy, Dean had a realization. He tiptoed out, careful not to disturb you two, and beelined for a little something he had recently discovered, stashed in a junk drawer. The disposable camera, long forgotten, with only the space for one serendipitous photo remaining. “Finally, you two,” Dean whispered, punctuating his sentence with the quiet click of the camera. He’d been betting on this for months, and now, you and Sam could never live it down.

[ceyanabbiolo]

CONTRACT // C.S [09]

Summary: Christopher Sturniolo, a 26-year-old billionaire CEO, agrees to a strategic marriage with Aurora Devereaux, the 21-year-old daughter of his rival, to save his company during a crisis. Raised in a cold, arrogant environment, Chris is used to control and detachment. Aurora, a final-year fashion student, is forced into the arrangement by her powerful father and struggles with the fear of losing herself. As the two navigate their unexpected marriage, they begin to confront emotional walls and develop a connection that challenges everything they thought they knew about love and trust. But with their families’ influence looming, will their bond be strong enough to survive—or will it fall apart?

warnings: argument, kissing, slightly suggestive

wc: 6474

Chapter 9: Your mine

The hotel room was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from my laptop screen and the faint glow of Milan’s skyline outside the window. It was around 6 PM, and I was nearing the end of my third day here. The same routine had played out every single day: checking up on the businesses, making sure the factories were running smoothly, handling emails, meetings, and reports. The usual grind.

I could’ve gone back to Boston today, but I decided against it. Another two days of peace, at least.

The hum of a Celtics game played in the background, but my attention was elsewhere. My phone buzzed, and an unknown number flashed on the screen, followed by a single notification: one image.

I didn’t think much of it at first. Probably spam. But something in my gut twisted, and before I could talk myself out of it, I opened the message.

My blood ran cold.

It was a picture of my fiancee, sitting on a couch next to some fucker at a party. 

Too many questions were running through my head. 

Who the hell is that guy? Never seen him before, and he was way too close for my liking. What the hello was she doing at a party? When was this? Where the fuck was she now. Why was she even there? She hates parties.

I didn’t waste a second. I pressed the call button.

One ring. Two.

Then the call connected.

"Hello?" Her voice was dripping with sweetness, fake as hell.

"Who the fuck is this?" I snapped, my voice low and sharp, the anger already bubbling inside me.

She let out a laugh, slow and smug, like she knew exactly what she was doing. "Relax, Chris. It’s Hailee."

Of course, it was her. Of fucking course.

I clenched my jaw so hard, it hurt, trying to hold back the anger that threatened to spill over.

"You’ve got ten seconds to explain what the hell you want before I block your number," I growled, every word coated in venom.

She laughed again, unfazed. "I just thought you’d want to know what your sweet little fiancée has been up to while you’re off playing businessman. Didn’t realize she was still so... friendly with old flames."

My stomach turned, an unfamiliar protectiveness taking over. I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table.

"You don’t know shit about her," I said, my voice low and lethal, each word dripping with warning.

"Maybe not," she purred. "But from what I remember... You don’t exactly like being made a fool of, Chris."

I scoffed, the anger inside me growing by the second. "Listen…" I let out a breath, trying to steady myself. "We hooked up a few times. That’s it. It was nothing more than a mutual arrangement. I made it clear to you, Hailee. It was purely beneficial, and you know that."

“I'm just looking out for you, Chris,” she said sweetly. 

I didn’t have the patience for this. I didn’t need her twisted words any longer. Without another thought, I ended the call.

I threw my phone onto the bed, frustration coursing through my veins like poison. My eyes darted to the clock — it was nearly 6 pm in Milan, meaning it was noon in Boston. Aurora should’ve been awake by now.

I didn’t waste any more time. I immediately dialed Ana, the housekeeper. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Hello, sir?" Ana answered with her usual calm voice.

"Ana, where’s Aurora?" I asked, my tone sharp, not bothering to hide my irritation.

"Oh, Mr. Sturniolo, she and her friend came in late last night, sir," Ana responded, her voice soft but respectful. "They’ve been sleeping since about 3 am, I believe."

I felt a wave of irritation wash over me. "So, they came back that late?" I pressed. "Was there any sign of her doing something... out of the ordinary before they went to bed?"

Ana hesitated for a moment before answering, "Not that I noticed, sir. They were both fine when they came in. I didn’t hear any disturbances."

I could feel my jaw tightening. This wasn’t sitting right with me. "And what about this morning? Did Aurora seem different at all?"

"She seemed... fine, sir," Ana said carefully. "I haven't spoken with her directly today, though."

I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to keep my cool. "Alright, Ana. Just... keep an eye out, please. Let me know if anything changes."

"Of course, sir. I'll let you know."

I hung up, still seething. Something didn’t add up. I had half a mind to fly back to Boston that instant, but I needed answers from her — real answers, not from some cryptic photo or Hailee’s taunting. I would wait until I saw her face-to-face. When I did, she’d be explaining everything. 

I paced the hotel room, each step making the tension in my chest feel worse. The anger was like a thick fog, clouding my mind and making it hard to focus. I hadn’t expected this. Not from her. Not from my fiancée.

The image of Aurora, sitting on the couch with some guy—someone I didn’t know—kept flashing in my mind. I didn’t recognize him, and it pissed me off even more. She looked too comfortable with him. She laughed. Her body language. It was too much.

I could feel the knot in my stomach tightening with each passing second. I didn’t know who the hell this guy was, and frankly, I didn’t care. What pissed me off was that she was there at that party, out with someone like that while I was stuck here, doing work that was technically already done. The meetings, the reports, everything—it was finished. But I wasn’t finished. Not with her.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Lila, my assistant, barely giving it a second thought. The phone rang twice, and then her voice came through, calm and professional as always.

"Yes, Mr. Sturniolo?"

“Cancel everything,” I snapped. “I’m done here. Get me on a flight back to Boston, ASAP. I want to be home by midnight.”

There was a brief pause on the other end. “Sir, but your last meeting isn't until—”

“I don’t care about the damn meeting. I’m done,” I cut her off, my frustration building. “Get me a flight. Midnight. No excuses.”

I could practically hear her sigh on the other end of the line, but she didn’t argue. “Understood. I’ll have the arrangements made.”

“Good,” I said, my voice sharp. I ended the call and shoved the phone into my pocket.

I wasn’t wasting any more time here. Work was done. There was no reason for me to stay in Milan and brood over things.

I stormed around the room, packing my things quickly, as if the sooner I got on the plane, the sooner I could figure this all out. I didn’t even know what I was walking back home, but I had to get there. I couldn’t just let this go.

I couldn’t let her be out there, in a situation like that, with some random guy I didn’t know. Whatever the hell was going on, I was going to find out. And she was going to answer for it.

I headed for the elevator, the anger simmering inside me, knowing that when I got back to Boston, I was going to have one hell of a conversation with Aurora.

It didn’t matter if Aurora and I weren't in love, but it sure as hell mattered how we both acted if this engagement was to seem real. 

An hour went by in a buzz, and by 7:30 PM, I was seated in my jet and taking off. 

I calmed myself by letting myself believe Aurora had a rational explanation for all this, and praying that the photo of her at the party didn't get sent to anyone.

The jet touched down just after 1:00 AM Boston time.

By the time I made it through the airport’s private exit and into the black SUV waiting for me, my blood was at a full simmer. Every wasted minute between Milan and Boston had given me more time to overthink, more time to get pissed off.

The drive home was a blur. I barely registered the empty streets or the cool October air seeping through the cracked window. All I could think about was Aurora — and the fact that the woman I was supposed to marry was out at some fucking party, sitting next to some random guy, while I was halfway across the world.

The gates opened slower than I had patience for, but I forced myself to stay calm. I parked, grabbed my bag, and walked up the driveway. Every step felt heavier.

As soon as I pushed the door open, a soft glow spilled from the living room.

I stilled.

Someone was awake.

Quietly, I set my bag down in the foyer, shrugging off my jacket. My steps were soundless as I moved toward the light.

And then I saw her.

Aurora was curled up on the couch, barefoot, wearing one of those oversized sweaters she loved. A thick book was open in her lap, her hair falling around her face as she turned a page, completely unaware of me standing there.

Something sharp twisted in my chest.

She looked so fucking innocent sitting there — like she hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the emotion down. I couldn't afford to let her looks cloud the situation.

"Aurora," I said, my voice cutting through the silence.

She jumped, her head snapping up. Her eyes widened when she saw me — surprise flickering across her face, then confusion.

"Chris?" she said, setting the book down. "What— you’re back?"

I nodded once, stepping further into the room.

"Yeah," I said coldly. "Trip’s over."

I watched her closely — the way she shifted, the way her hands nervously tugged at the sleeve of her sweater.

"You didn't tell me you were coming back early," she said, her voice softer now, guarded.

"Didn't feel like there was a point," I replied, my voice sharp. "Seems like you were keeping yourself plenty busy while I was gone."

Her mouth parted slightly, confusion flashing in her eyes.

"Chris, what are you talking about?"

I crossed my arms, the anger barely held back now.

"You want to explain why I got sent a picture of you all cozy next to some guy at a party?"

Her face paled.

I didn’t move. I didn’t blink. I just waited, and the longer she stayed silent, the harder it was to pretend I wasn’t already pissed off beyond belief.

Her brows pulled together, genuine confusion flashing across her face.

"What guy?" she asked, her voice small but laced with honest bewilderment.

I didn’t move. My arms stayed crossed, my stare locked on her. "Don’t play dumb, Aurora."

She blinked, like she was scrambling to piece things together. "I... I was at the party with Jen ," she said slowly, searching my face. "We danced, we ate— I don't—"

Then something clicked. Her face shifted.

"Wait... are you talking about Mason?" she asked, like the idea was ridiculous.

Mason.

My jaw ticked. The name meant nothing to me, but just hearing another man's name come out of her mouth made something snap inside me.

I took a step forward, my voice low and sharp. "Who the fuck is Mason?"

Aurora’s eyes widened slightly, taken back by the bite in my tone. She held her hands up like she was trying to calm me down.

"Nobody," she rushed out. "He’s no one, Chris. Just some guy I used to know from high school. He sat next to me for like two minutes — that’s it."

"Used to know?" I repeated, my voice rising. "And he just shows up at some party you're at while I'm out of the fucking country? And you're sitting there with him, like it’s a damn reunion?"

She flinched.

"It wasn’t like that," she insisted, her voice trembling with urgency. "I didn’t even want to talk to him. He just showed up and started talking. I barely said anything back."

I let out a humorless laugh, running a hand roughly through my hair, trying — failing — to calm the rage boiling under my skin.

"You think that makes it better?" I snapped. "You think it looks better that you’re just sitting there letting random assholes get cozy with you while my back’s turned?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away fast, standing her ground.

"I wasn’t being cozy with him," she said fiercely. "I didn’t want him there. I didn’t even want to be there! Jen convinced me to go, and I was sitting alone when he came over. I didn't invite him!"

I stared at her, breathing heavily, Fuck…I didn’t want to be the reason she gets a panic attack. My fists were clenched at my sides. I wanted to believe her. God, I wanted to believe her so bad.

But that fucking photo kept flashing in my mind — her, looking too pretty, sitting there while some guy sat way too damn close.

"You shouldn’t have been there to begin with," I bit out. "You shouldn’t even have given anyone the chance to get near you."

Aurora’s lips parted like she wanted to argue, but she stopped herself, swallowing hard instead. Her voice came out quieter. "I just wanted one normal night."

Normal. She still didn’t get it.

"You’re not just some rich girl anymore, Aurora," I said, my voice ice-cold, every word deliberate. "You’re mine, whether you like it or not. It doesn’t matter what you think or feel. To the world, you're already my fucking wife. And I’m expected to act like your husband, to handle you, to control everything about this — because that’s what they all see.”

The words hung in the air, thick and heavy.

"You’re a grown woman, Aurora," I said, my voice laced with frustration, the tension still heavy in the air. "And I really fucking wish your father hadn’t put you in this position. But here we are." I paced, my hand running through my hair, the anger simmering beneath my skin. "I hate that it comes off like I’m trying to control your life, but the reality is, we have to accept this shit, whether we want to or not. This is our life now. And you don’t get to just ignore that."

Her face crumpled slightly, like she didn’t know whether to be angry or heartbroken.

But I didn’t back down.

Not this time.

Aurora took a shaky breath, stepping toward me like she could somehow make me understand if she just got close enough.

"I would never," she said, her voice breaking. "Chris, I would never do something like that to jeopardize this. Especially not with him. I hate Mason."

I didn’t move.

"I don’t care how it looked," she rushed out, desperate. "I wasn’t sitting there enjoying it. The second he came over, I froze up because I didn’t even know how to react."

That caught my attention. My eyes narrowed slightly. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

She swallowed, her throat bobbing. Her hands fidgeted at her sides.

"I... I don’t want to get into details," she stammered, her voice wavering as she tried to backpedal. "Everything that has to do with him happened a long time ago."

"Tell me," I demanded, my tone cold and unyielding. The weight of the words hung heavy in the room, and I wasn’t giving her an inch until I had the answers I wanted. “I’m trying to understand”. 

I looked at the hesitance on her face, before she seemed to finally crack. 

"He’s not some old friend," she muttered. "He was cruel to me. He humiliated me... made my life hell back then. Seeing him again just brought it all back. I didn’t know what to say. I didn't even want to be near him."

Her voice cracked, and for the first time tonight, my anger faltered — just slightly.

But I still couldn’t erase the image from my mind.

"You could've left," I said coldly. "You could've gotten up and walked away."

"I know," she said quickly, her eyes pleading. "I know that. I just— I was stunned. I wasn’t thinking straight. And then Jen came back and I went to her. I didn’t stay with him."

She blinked rapidly, like she was trying to keep it together in front of me.

"You have to believe me, Chris," she whispered. "I don’t even look at anyone else."

For a moment, it was just the sound of our breathing filling the space between us. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, her fists clenching so tight her knuckles were white.

I stayed silent, my chest heaving, the war inside me tearing me up — anger, protectiveness, and something deeper I wasn’t ready to name yet.

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face.

"Why?" I asked, my voice low but sharp. "Why was he cruel to you?"

Aurora flinched like I’d struck her. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly looking smaller under the weight of my stare.

She hesitated, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip. "I... back in high school," she said slowly, her voice tight, "I liked him. Stupid, I know. He pretended to like me back. Asked me out in front of everyone. Told me to meet him at some restaurant."

She looked down at the floor, her fingers digging into the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

"I waited for an hour," she whispered. "He never showed. And then some girls from school—" she choked out a bitter laugh, "they showed up instead. Poured coffee all over me. Laughed in my face. The next day at school, Mason told everyone it was a joke. That no one would ever actually want me."

Silence clamped down between us, heavy and suffocating.

I felt like something inside me cracked.

The image of her — younger, humiliated, alone — made my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

I stared at her, feeling rage burn hotter in my veins than anything else tonight.

"It wasn’t just that day, there were several other things that happened with him, and you think I would ever even look at him that way?" she said, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes glistening. "I don’t care about him anymore, but it weighs on me, Chris, I hate him. I hate everything he did to me."

My jaw locked so tight it hurt. I didn't know whether I wanted to go find this Mason prick and beat the shit out of him, or pull Aurora into my arms and promise her no one would ever humiliate her again.

Maybe both, but I stayed where I was, my body rigid, my mind racing.

I didn’t have emotions. I didn’t feel comfortable. But hearing her say all that — seeing the way she shrank under the weight of it — made something deep and ugly claw up inside me.

"You should’ve told me," I muttered, my voice coming out rougher than I intended.

She shook her head quickly. "I didn’t think it mattered anymore. It was years ago. I didn’t... I didn’t want to seem weak."

Weak. Gosh, she had no idea.

There wasn’t a single thing about her that was weak.

I stared at her for a long beat, my heart hammering against my ribs, my anger still simmering just below the surface — not at her, but at the entire fucking situation. At that prick Mason. At Hailee. At myself for not being there tonight, for leaving her vulnerable to people who didn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as her.

"You’re not weak," I said, my voice low and certain. "Don’t ever say that shit again."

Aurora’s eyes widened a little, surprised by my tone. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but then closed it again.

I took a breath, forcing some of the rage back down. I needed to get a grip. This wasn’t the time to explode.

"You’re not going to any more parties without me," I said firmly, stepping closer. "I don’t give a shit if it was innocent. I’m not letting some asshole even think he can get close to you again."

Her lips parted slightly, clearly taken aback by the sharpness in my voice.

Maybe it wasn’t just the tone that threw her off. Maybe it was the intensity—the raw possessiveness that I couldn’t hide. I was done pretending it wasn’t there.

She gathered herself quickly, her posture stiffening, as if trying to protect herself from whatever was swirling between us. “So what? You cut your trip short to come and talk to me about this party?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

I shot her a glance and got closer.

“Yes,” I towered over her. “Yes, did.I may have not taken this seriously at the start, but one thing I take seriously is business, and you are very much my business, Aurora”. 

I watched her face redden and her pulse quicken.

“You still didn’t need to cut the trip short,” she said, her voice softer now. “I was doing fine.”

I scoffed, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. “Yeah, clearly.”

She let out a long breath, her frustration palpable. “Who sent you the photo anyway?”

I hesitated for a moment, weighing whether I should tell her the truth. But what was the point in lying? I couldn't hold this back forever.

“Just someone I used to mess around with,” I muttered, hoping that would be enough.

Her brow furrowed as she processed the information. Her eyes flickered to mine, confusion crossing her face, before something seemed to click. “Hailee?”

The name hit me like a punch to the gut.

I froze, my pulse spiking. “You know her?” I asked, disbelief creeping into my voice.

Aurora’s gaze softened, her lips pressing together in a thin line. 

“I met her yesterday at the party,” she said, her voice steady, though a touch of something... bitter lingered in her tone. “She was... around. We talked for a bit.”

I raised my eyebrow, “what did she say to you?” 

I watched as she looked away, clearly uncomfortable, but trying to maintain her composure. “I met her yesterday at the party,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with something darker, something... bitter. “She was... around. We talked for a bit.”

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. “What did she say to you?”

Aurora hesitated for a moment, before looking back at me. “She just said you two used to be close.”

The unease in her voice was undeniable, and I couldn’t help but let a sly smile tug at the corners of my lips. I stayed quiet though, letting her finish.

She shifted, clearly trying to process everything. “I’m just curious,” she started, her eyes narrowing a bit. “You mentioned you don’t do relationships, but she said you guys had something going on.”

I stepped closer, closing the space between us. “I don’t do relationships,” I said, my voice low and firm.

Aurora’s brow furrowed slightly as she processed my words. She raised an eyebrow. “And your... relationship with Hailee?”

I paused, taking in the look on her face. There was something almost fragile in her expression, like she wasn’t sure where this conversation would lead. I watched her closely as I continued.

“It was purely physical,” I said, my voice measured, deliberate.

Aurora blinked, clearly taken aback. She looked genuinely surprised—though, there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. “Oh...Oh, I see. Like... sleeping together?”

I nodded, watching her carefully. I could feel the tension shift in her. She was uneasy now, the energy between us was different than before. She was trying to process what I’d said, but something in her was rattled.

“Why does that bother you?” I smirked, sensing her discomfort, but enjoying the way her guard seemed to be slipping.

Aurora quickly shook her head, her voice quick and defensive. “No—no, I’m just asking.” She laughed nervously, but I could see the flush creeping up her neck.

I hummed in amusement as I stepped even closer, my hand coming to rest gently on the back of her neck. I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at me. 

“You’re blushing, ma,” I said softly, a teasing smile playing on my lips as I closed the remaining distance between us.

Her breath hitched, her eyes locking onto mine. There was a flicker of something in her gaze—something uncertain, but maybe something more. Something she wasn’t ready to admit, but I could feel it in the air between us.

“Were you guys really close?” she asked again, her voice a little tighter this time. “I mean, outside of… well, the bedroom, I guess.”

A teasing grin tugged at my lips. “Are you jealous, Aurora? Your cheeks are pink.”

She quickly looked away, her eyes flickering with something she was desperately trying to hide.

“Why would I be jealous?” she snapped, but the uncertainty in her voice gave her away.

I leaned in closer, dropping my voice to a near whisper. “I don’t know. Maybe because you care more than you’re willing to admit.”

I stepped in until her back pressed flush against the wall, her breathing shallow. The air between us practically crackled.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” I said, letting my gaze fall deliberately to her lips before meeting her eyes again. “You think about it, don’t you?”

Her chest rose and fell a little quicker, her eyes darting to the side.

“Think about what?” she asked, voice soft — almost too soft.

“The kiss,” I muttered, my voice rough against her ear. “The way your body reacted to me. You think about it when you’re alone, don’t you?”

She swallowed hard, her fingers trembling slightly as she clutched the edge of a nearby shelf. I caught the moment she faltered, the moment her defenses slipped — even if she tried to hide it by shooting me a glare.

“You’re not fooling me,” I said, my mouth brushing her ear, the words a low threat and a promise all at once.

She didn’t answer — she didn’t have to. I could feel it — the way her body leaned toward me without even meaning to.

I slid my hand into her hair, gripping it just tight enough to pull a gasp from her lips.

"You can pretend all you want," I murmured against her mouth, "but your body’s betraying you, ma."

The last shred of my self-control snapped when I caught the look in her eyes — wide, vulnerable, and begging without a single word.

Without another second of hesitation, I crushed my mouth to hers, kissing her fiercely, claiming her like I'd been dying to. She gasped into me, and I took full advantage, deepening the kiss, pressing her harder against the wall until there wasn’t an inch of space between us.

My hand gripped her waist, possessive, grounding her to me as she trembled under my touch.

I didn’t stop there — I let my mouth trail sloppily down her jaw to her neck, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin. I heard her breath hitch, then a soft, desperate moan escape her.

"Chris…" she whispered, breathless, the sound of my name almost wrecking me.

My hand slid up, cupping the soft curve of her breast through the thin fabric. My mouth tugged at the V neckline of her sweater, my lips dangerously close to exposing more. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her chestline, the temptation gnawing at the last of my sanity.

I should stop. I knew it. But the way she submitted to my touch — the smell of her skin, like fresh roses — drove me insane.

Her small hand gripped my arm, grounding herself, but not pulling away.

I pulled back just slightly, searching her face. Her lips were kiss-swollen, her hair a beautiful mess, and her eyes — wide, vulnerable, uncertain — locked with mine.

I kept her pinned lightly against the wall, our bodies pressed together. “Did that feel like business to you, ma?” I asked roughly, my thumb brushing her waist.

The blush crept up her neck again, warm and unfiltered. She shook her head shyly, her voice caught somewhere in her throat.

I exhaled sharply, trying to reel myself back.

Reluctantly, I stepped away — but kept a hand on her waist, not ready to let her go completely. I dragged my eyes down the faint marks I'd left along her collarbone and smiled, 

“Go to bed,” I said, my voice low, a bit softer now. “It’s really late.”

She blinked up at me, still dazed, then nodded, the faintest smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Yeah… it is,” she whispered, picking up the book she had earlier, clutching it tightly to her chest as she made her way down the hall.

But just before she disappeared, I called out.

“Aurora.”

She paused, turning back, cheeks flushed, lips parted slightly.

“Yeah?”

I held her gaze, serious now, needing her to understand.

“To answer your question,” I said slowly, “just know... I’d never cut work short for her, or for anyone of that matter. So no, we weren’t close.”

I caught the realization flicker in her eyes — then turned and disappeared down the hallway into my room, needing a cold shower and my own hand to deal with the ache between my legs she left behind.

The next morning, I woke up later than usual — closer to eleven. I hadn’t gone into the office; as far as everyone knew, I was still in Milan.

Dragging myself out of bed, I expected to find Aurora in the kitchen, maybe eating a bagel or picking at something. Instead, I walked into the dining room to see both my brothers shoveling down the food my chefs had laid out.

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “What the fuck are you two doing in my house?”

“Wow, real warm welcome,” Nick said around a mouthful of pancakes.

Matt snorted into his drink, trying not to laugh.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a can of Pepsi from the fridge.

“Heard you cut your trip short,” Matt said, taking a slow sip of apple juice. “Why?”

“Finished early,” I said, keeping my voice casual.

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Finished early? Since when do you not milk a whole week out of those trips?”

“Didn’t feel like it this time,” I muttered, popping the tab on my drink. 

Nick exchanged a look with Matt as I cracked the Pepsi open.

Matt leaned back in his chair, glancing toward the hallway. “Where’s your girl?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Mind your business.”

Nick smirked around a mouthful of pancakes. “Touchy.”

Matt grinned. “Didn’t say anything. Just asking where she’s at.”

“She’s sleeping,” I said shortly, popping the tab on my drink. “Or reading. I don’t know. Why do you care?”

Nick shrugged innocently. “Just making conversation, man. You don’t gotta bite our heads off.”

Matt snorted into his juice. “Yeah, God forbid we ask about Sleeping Beauty.” 

I shot him a warning look, but before I could tell him to shut the fuck up, Nick leaned forward on his elbows, studying me way too closely.

“So you finished early in Milan?” he said, dragging out the words. “Didn’t feel like hanging around? Since when?”

I took a long sip of Pepsi, not answering right away.

Nick smirked like he already knew the answer. Matt raised his eyebrows, exchanging another look with him.

"You," Matt said slowly, grinning, "cut a trip short for a girl?"

I slammed the Pepsi can down on the counter a little harder than necessary.

"Drop it."

Nick held his hands up in mock surrender, but the smug look never left his face. “Hey, man. Whatever you say.”

Before I could tell them both to get the hell out, soft footsteps sounded from down the hall.

Soft footsteps padded down the hallway.

Aurora.

Wearing a loose pair of light grey pajama set. Her hair was slightly damp, pushed back from her face like she’d just washed it, her skin fresh and glowing from her skincare.

As soon as she stepped into the dining room, her eyes landed on Matt and Nick — both frozen mid-bite, staring at her like they'd seen a ghost.

Aurora blinked, clearly caught off guard by their presence. She shifted her weight awkwardly, her brows furrowing in confusion.

“Uh...hi, morning,” she said hesitantly, giving them a small, awkward wave with the hand not holding her mug.

Matt just blinked at her.

Nick nearly dropped his fork.

I bit back a smirk, watching the whole thing unfold.

She looked so damn cute like this — sleep still clinging to her, skin soft and dewy, voice a little raspy from just waking up. She didn’t even have to try, and somehow it made it even harder not to stare.

Aurora shuffled toward the coffee pot, her cheeks flushing slightly as she turned her back on them, clearly trying to pretend like this wasn’t awkward as hell. 

Nick leaned toward Matt and stage-whispered, "Is it just me or did Chris just smile?"

Matt answered just as quietly. “Real big. Like some Disney prince shit.”

I shot them both a death glare. Matt pretended to cough. Nick suddenly found the butter on his pancakes very interesting.

Turning back to Aurora, I kept my voice low, just for her. “You eat yet, ma?”

She blinked, a little startled by the nickname in front of my brothers, but shook her head.

Nick elbowed Matt under the table. “Ma?” he mouthed dramatically.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, flushing a little, and shook her head.

I pushed out a chair. “Sit.”

She obeyed without a word, sliding into the seat beside mine, her knee brushing against mine under the table.

Nick watched the whole thing like it was the most entertaining thing he’d ever seen in his life. Matt, for once, had enough sense not to say anything.

But even I could see it written all over their faces: They were never gonna let me live this down, and for the first time, I didn’t give a fuck.

“So Aurora”, Matt started. “how are you?”.

I shot Matt a quick glance, narrowing my eyes slightly. What the hell was he getting at with his line of questioning?

Aurora met Matt's gaze, offering a soft smile. "I'm fine," she said, her voice gentle but steady. "How about you?"

"Good, good," Matt replied, nodding thoughtfully. "How are you finding everything here so far?"

Aurora’s smile never faltered. "Everything’s been okay," she said, her tone polite, as if carefully measuring her words.

Nick then chimed in, breaking the quiet tension. "You're a design student, right?"

Aurora nodded. "Yeah. I am."

A strange silence hung in the air for a moment, like everyone was waiting for something more, but no one quite knew what. The awkwardness was palpable, and I couldn’t help but find the whole situation oddly amusing. I leaned back in my chair, a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips, watching the way they were trying to make small talk, as if they weren’t fully sure of what to say to her.

"I have to get going," Aurora said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I have some things to do. Enjoy."

She stood up from the table, her movements graceful but just a little too quick. I could tell she felt out of place—she didn’t like being the center of attention, especially under my brothers’ watchful eyes.

She glanced at me, a brief, almost uncertain look. I gave her a small nod, letting her know it was fine. Without another word, she disappeared down the hallway, and a few seconds later, I heard the soft click of her bedroom door shutting.

The second she was gone, Nick leaned forward, dropping his fork with a loud clatter against his plate. "Bro," he said, smirking. "She’s cute."

Matt snorted, reaching for another pancake. "Way out of your league, too."

I shot them both a dry look. "Don’t start."

Matt held up his hands innocently. "Just saying. She’s...different. Not what I expected when you said you were getting married."

Nick nodded, mouth full. "Yeah, like, she’s actually nice. Thought you'd end up with some stuck-up heiress."

I took a long drink of my Pepsi, ignoring the way they both stared at me like they were waiting for a reaction.

"Arranged or not," Matt said, nudging Nick, "you lucked out, man."

I stayed silent, my jaw tight.

Matt leaned back in his chair, eyeing me. "You like her," he said bluntly, like it wasn’t even a question.

Nick laughed under his breath. "Yeah, you definitely do. Never seen you look at anyone like that."

"Cut the shit," I muttered, tossing my empty can of Pepsi into the trash. "It’s not like that."

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Sure it’s not. You were basically eye-fucking her the entire time she was sitting here.”

I shot him a glare. "Watch your mouth," I said, my voice low, protective without even meaning to be. "I was just making sure she was comfortable. You idiots were making her uncomfortable."

Nick held his hands up, grinning. "Hey, we're just saying. It's new seeing you like this. Mr. 'No Relationships' acting like a fucking husband already."

I leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over my chest. "I’m being respectful."

Matt smirked. "Respectful? Bro, you looked like you were two seconds away from dragging her back to your room."

I gave him a sharp look. "Matt. Don’t talk about her like that."

Matt just rolled his eyes, clearly not taking me seriously. "Didn’t say anything about her," he said lazily, picking up his fork and poking at his pancakes again. "For an arranged thing, it’s not bad," he added with a shrug.

Nick nodded. "She's sweet. She didn’t even roast us for showing up uninvited."

"She’s used to it," I said without thinking. Then realizing how that sounded, I added, "High society bullshit. She’s been around it her whole life."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but still. She's... real. Not fake like the other rich girls."

"Don’t call her a rich girl," I snapped before I could stop myself.

Both of them froze for a second—then broke into matching grins.

Matt whistled low. "Man’s in deep already."

I shook my head, pushing off the counter. "You two need to get out of my house."

Nick laughed. "Not until you admit you like her."

"Not happening," I said, walking past them. "And wipe those stupid looks off your faces before I throw you out myself."

READ ALL RELEASED CHAPTERS HERE!

[a/n: ya'll i think I should start with the mega juicy stuff soon. Hopefully new chapter soon! like & reblog. mwahh] – ceyana

[i-heart-yellowstone]

40 - State of Emergency

Part 41

Raised Fair Share of Hell

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Alissa’s pov

Pressing my phone to my ear it went straight to my daughter’s voicemail inbox making me sit my phone down and grabbing one of the glasses near the living room bar, throwing it harshly against the nearest wall.  “Argh!” 

“That glass belonged to my father’s grandfather.” Beth spoke typing away on her laptop while sitting on the living room couch. 

Stomping my boots on the wooden floor I glared at my sister in law, not in the mood for her snarky joking at the moment.  “Bethany, I’m in no mood.  My daughter hasn’t called me back yet and she said she would after she checked on her boyfriend in the hospital.” 

“Are you sure she isn’t occupied with sharing his bed?” She raised a glass of whiskey while taking a drink. 

Gagging at the thought I felt immediately uncomfortable at the thought.  “That’s disgusting, Beth.  And my daughter wouldn’t immediately lose her virginity to that boy like you did to your husband.” 

“Kayce got you pregnant on the first go-around.” She smirked in my direction before the front door opened and my husband walked into the living room holding up his phone.

Rushing over to his side I clasped my hands together hoping he had some good news.  “Have they heard anything about our girl?” 

“Nope.  The whole Bunkhouse gang has tried calling her.  Dad, your mom, your sister have too and got nothing back.  We’re starting to run out of options here.” 

Running my hands through my hair I paced back and forth in the living room in front of the grand fireplace.  I know it had only been 24 hours but it was still too long for her to not tell us if she was okay and give us an update on her boyfriend.  “We gotta call our dude in Texas.  He can go to Tech and see if she’s there.  Because we know it would be hours before we ever get off the plane if we left right now.” 

“Jimmy?” Kayce raised a brow hearing me say the great state of Texas. 

Shaking my head, I slumped my shoulders, taking my phone off the coffee table.  “Call him.  But he’s not the only guy we know in Texas.” 

“Please not that childish horse trainer, Lissa.” Beth put a hand to her forehead groaning at the memory of when she had to go ask for his help and he nearly had her play strip poker with him. 

Looking over at her I switched my focus to my husband who was waiting for an answer.  “Travis.” 

“Oh geez.  I guess we don’t have another option do we.” Kayce removed his hat, running his fingers through his hair, taking out his phone searching for his number.  He put the phone to his ear dialing the Texan.  “Travis, this is Kayce Dutton. I need you to go to Tech and see if my daughter is there.  She’s not answering any of our calls here.  Give me a call when you find her.” He put the phone away draping his arm around my waist when I walked over laying my head on his chest hoping she would be okay. 

Kayce, Tate, Madeline and I were sitting in the stands in the arena with John getting ready to watch our oldest daughter perform in her segment of the rodeo show today in Texas.   Ever since she was in middle school we had started letting her practice with Travis Wheatley.  

John had bought horses from him and he had shown them on the road to provide our ranch with some extra money if we ever needed it.  Now he's been teaching my daughter the rodeo life ever since.  Currently in her sophomore year of homeschool she had begun making a title for herself on how good she performed ‘County Rodeo Queen’. 

I could see Travis talking to our daughter who was sitting on her horse inside the shoot waiting for the buzzer to go off.  I could imagine he was telling her what he told her the first time she was really nervous.  “It’s just you and a horse doing a job tryin’ like hell to not let the other down.” 

The buzzer went off and at the same time a caff and my daughter bolted out into the dirt arena.  She chased after the small animal reaching down with her freehand to twirl her lasco, throwing it out and having it wrap around the cattle’s back legs.  “That’s another impressive time slot for Faith Dutton from Montana.” The announcer declares and the crowd cheers proudly. 

“That’s our girl.” Kayce grinned in my direction while holding up Madeline so she could see over the crowd. 

Madeline clapped her hands at the age of six. “Sissy.” 

Tate and John were talking about the rest of the show while I made my way down to the shoots seeing my daughter talking with Travis until he saw me coming up to them.  “Alissa, hey.  Have you talked with her about what she wants to do once she’s done with school?” 

“Not really.  We’ve just been letting her try out new experiences.  Why do you ask?” I crossed my arms over my chest. 

The horse trainer chuckled looking over at my daughter posing with a little girl who wanted to pet her horse.  “She’s got a future in this business.  I mean she’s literally becoming Queen Rodeo from Montana.” 

“That’s a big compliment coming from you.  I’ll talk with her about it if she mentions it.  But Kayce and I agreed we’re going to let our kids choose their paths in life.” 

Travis nodded in understanding.  “Well I’ll be here if she ever needs anything.” 

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.” 

Texas Tech 

Caroline was sitting on her bed inside her dorm room until the door was suddenly kicked opened where it nearly broke from the hinges by the force of the impact.  She jumped up into the air with a shriek, grabbing her lamp off her desk ready to hit someone with it.  “Ahh! What the fuck?” 

“Where is she.  Where’s Faith Dutton?” She watched an older guy stomp into her room completely dressed in cowboy clothing and his hands clenched into fists. 

Caroline held the lamp tightly in her hands.  “Uh hello.  I’m not answering any questions until you tell me who the hell you are.” 

“Travis Wheatley, I’m a family friend of the Dutton’s.” He introduces himself seeing the lamp in her hands.  “I’m not here to hurt you. I just need to know where my little Rodeo Queen is at.” 

Caroline lowered the lamp.  “Um…she left with an older guy at 8am yesterday morning.  But she hasn’t come back yet.  I assumed she'd just been in class all day.  Why did something happen to her?” 

“How old was this mystery guy?” 

She ran a hand through her hair.  “Elderly looking age.” 

“Thank you, young lady.” Travis took out his phone shutting the dorm door behind him taking his phone call out into the hallway.  “I need to put out a missing person report on an eighteen year old girl that has brown hair and green eyes.  Her name is Faith Rae Dutton and she was last scene with an elderly guy leaving Texas Tech at 8am.” 

“We’ll start the investigation, sir.” A 911 operator responded back to him. 

The door behind him got flung opened causing Travis to shift his attention to the teenage girl.  “Hey! Are you going to look for her?” 

“Yeah.  I am.  Why the fuck do you want to know?” 

Caroline snapped back at him.  “I wanna go with you to look for her.” 

“You just told me the description of the guy.  I think I can handle this on my own.”

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest glaring at the taller cowboy in front of her.  “I know some guy who is related to the guy I gave you a description for.  My roommate is dating a boy named Cooper Norris and his father works on the oil rigs.”

“What’s this guys name?” Travis asked. 

She scratched her head thinking quickly.  “Tommy Norris, I think.”

 

“Okay then let’s go.  Find me his address cause we’re driving to his fucking house to make sure he ain’t hurting my little rodeo buddy.” Caroline grab her keys chasing after the cowboy who was stomping out of the building, clearly on a mission. 

[perlapulido]

A Hero's Hart

Summary: Ruby has been with the Harts since Henry and Piper were born. Helping them around in Swellview on her weekends off from her work. However things go a bit off as she notices Henry's weird behavior. Will the truth come out? Or Does she get her memories wiped?

Ch10

Piper was in her room video chatting ger friends on her laptop hearing a knock at the door. "Its open." Said Piper keeping her eyes on screen. Ruby opened the door walking in and sat on her bed pulling up her thigh boot. "Piper did you take my lipgloss and eyeliner again?" Said Ruby looking at her. "No. Why?" Said Piper turning away from the computer to look at her. "Because Zane is taking me to Montegos for our anniversary and i want him to make him jealous." Said Ruby adjusting her other boot. "Why do you want him jealous?" Said one of piper's friends. "Zane gave those explosion gift boxes with picture we took over our three years of dating and got me a light up galaxy rose in a glass case. So i want to look great enough for other guys to drool over me." Said Ruby. "Oh." Said the four girls. "Hey while your over in Montego's sneak me their mountain lava Truffle." Said Piper. "You want to be in sugar coma . . . no. Now give me back ehat you stole from my room or I'll have you spring clean and declutter the basement and crawlspace in my closet." Said Ruby. "We have those since when?" Said Piper. "Since i lived here to change yours and Henry's diaper." Said Ruby. Piper pulled her drawer to her desk taking out the gloss, eyeliner, and crystal necklace. "Ask first and dont ever take my crystal especially this one." Said Ruby. "But this ones cute." Said Piper as the girls agreed. "This crystal is supposedly cursed so i need to head out of town to have it reversed. Be lucky nothing bad happened." Said Ruby stroking Piper's hair down seeing it was getting poofy. "Is my hair frizzy? I gotta use your shower or I'll look like Jasper." Said Piper. "Go ahead and dont take my stuff without me knowing." Said Ruby walking out as Piper hanged up on her friends. She put away her things in her purse and looked at her crystal was barely glowing like it's dying.

Taking her phone out and hit a speed dial waiting. "Madame Labeuf's Shop. I knew you'd call. Please leave a message after the chimes."  Said a voice then sound of chimes went of. "Hey Giavanna. Remember me? We havent talked in five years. Listen i got a issue that i need your help with. Call me back." Said Ruby hanging up. She sighed running a hand through her hair and reached for her laptop going online just Henry knocked before coming in. "Hey Ruby. Is the tie in or out?" Said Henry. "Out." Said Ruby not looking up. "Sweet. You ok?" Said Henry noticing her zoning into the screen. "Not really. But don't worry about it. Damn it!" Said Ruby. "What's going on? You never talk like that if somethings seriously wrong." Said Henry closing the door. "Im trying to get a ticket to New Orleans but they wont be available for another four months." Said Ruby. "Are you leaving again?" Said Henry. "I have to or otherwise Dragon Lady will be gone for good." Said Ruby showing him her crystal barely showing a glow. "Maybe Schwoz can help." Said Henry. "No. This crystal is from Ancient underground cave called Devil's Eye. Schwoz doesnt know about this kind of stuff but a lady who does. I left a voicemail before you came in." Said Ruby. "Henry, Ruby. Your dates are here!" Said Piper. "Im sure you'll figure out something come on." Said Henry walking out. "And your gonna tell Ryan and Schwoz about this aren't you?" Said Ruby after grabbing her purse. "Oh yeah." Said Henry. "Don't cause ive tell the whole story of how i became you know who and you boys will zone out." Said Ruby. "True but Charlotte would totally listen." Said Henry seeing Zane and Bianca. "You two look great." Said Ruby. "We should say the same thing to you." Sais Zane. "So your Ruby Hart? Its nice to officially meet you. I saw your Princess Mia cosplay and Harley Quinn." Said Bianca. "And i heard so much about you from Henry." Said Ruby. "You dont mind being a double date right?" She says. "No. It sounds nice to get know Ruby and Zane." Said Bianca. "Well then ladies first." Said Zane stepping out of the way for Bianca and Ruby. "Sit in the back. I have baby pics and videos of Henry." Said Ruby quietly. "What?" Said Henry behind them. "I told her to sit in the back with me." Said Ruby. The girls went to the back as Zane and Henry were in the front heading to the restaurant.

"Then me and Chloe were attacked by this weirdly dressed bad guy until Captain Man came." Said Bianca. "Where you girls ok?" Said Ruby. "Yes. Captain man beat up the guy until he peed and ran off. Later Henry showed up and said he got jumped making him late." Said Bianca. "Hey as long the both of you had your dance." Said Ruby as the car was pulled over. Zane got out as Ruby was half way out until she pushed back in. "No. Im the boyfriend and im supposed to treat you like a princess." Said Zane slamming her door then opened it reaching her hand out. "Your a dork." Said Ruby taking his hand. "We'll meet you two inside. I need to talk to Zane." Said Ruby. "Cool." Said Henry. "What's going on?" Sais Zane opening the door for her. "I know we're just getting back together from working. But i have to leave Swellview for a few days depending on my issue." Said Ruby. "What issue?" Said Zane. "I was planning a girl's weekend in New Orleans for Lola and Sara since we barely have time for ourselves and how the crimes been really weird lately." Said Ruby. "I get it but they're booked." Said Zane. "Big time." Said Ruby walking downstairs. "I can figure this out. I want you and Why is that man pretending to be girl?" Said Zane looking at Ray and Schwoz. "Are you that serious over stupid meat?" Said Ruby looking at Ray. "You know those two?" Said Zane. "Thats Ray and Schwoz." Said Ruby. "Uh no. Im Henry amd Bianca here." Sais Ray. "No your not." Said Zane. "Oh yeah then who are you dude?" Said Ray. "Im Zane. Ruby's boyfriend and i know you Mr. Piggy." Said Zane. "Zane, thank you for doing repairs on the kitchen and the banister to the stairs. Your table is this over in the booth above our priceless paintings." Said the host. "Thank you Harvey and my Nephew and his date will be here." Said Ruby smiling then glared at Schwoz and Ray.

Zane lead her to their table and took a seat looking at the menu ignoring the argument out in the hall. "Let me see if i can have someone help you get three tickets for New Orleans. Hey Mrs. Jimenez. Is your son there?" Said Zane. Ruby looked through her choices and saw Ray walking in with Henry. 'Desperate much.' She thought as the waiter stopped at their table. "What would you like?" Said the waiter holding his notepad and pen. "Im going to have the Penne Bolognese. Babe?" Said Ruby. "Yes?" Said Ray from across the room. Zane, who was still on the phone, turned to look at Ray with an insane anger expression while just smiles seeing it didnt faze him like Henry avoiding to look back. "Same with a single lave truffle for us." Said Zane looking at the waiter. "Coming right up?" Said the waiter after writing their order and went to the kitchen. "Ok thank you Dice. Bye." Said Zane hanging up. "Ok your good by tomorrow." He says. "Thanks Zane. I owe you one." Said Ruby. "Hey being with you tonight is worth it." Said Zane aa the waiter came over with their water. After a few minutes go by when Ruby noticed Ray looking at two men next to their table as Henry looked too. "So after dinner what do want to do?" Said Ruby when Ray and Henry left to blow their bubblegum. "We can have a small movie night at your place." Said Zane. "Yeah. Not a good idea. Piper cooked dinner and it will turn up bad." Said Ruby as the men were faced with Captain man and kid danger. "Speaking of bad." Said Zane as the fight began. "Lets sneak out from the back." Said Ruby as Zane pulled her away from Kid Danger tackling one of the men into their table smashing it in the process. Zane grabbed her hand leading her to the kitchen while Ruby mouthed Henry that they'll be at the house before she dodged a plate of someone's food close to her head and caught up to Zane who was pulling her down the small hallway towards the kitchen.

[notasouleater]

Take A Sip From My Cup Chapter 3

Chapter 2 Chapter 4

Ao3

Notes: 3,252 words. Where do they keep coming from. I don't write long form I don't understand

Odaiba Station was a long walk after work. Far out of Wizardmon’s way, and Gatomon’s too, so he really insisted on not wanting a ride. It was fully abandoned for years, covered in moss, and eerily quiet away from the city. Well worth the walk.

Wizardmon worked his way through the abandoned buildings, his own desire paths now covered in snow that muffled his steps. The wind was making the already frigid environment even colder, so he headed to the lee side of the main building, not heading inside but sitting in what was once a window, hidden under the overhang of a sky bridge. It was a nice spot, protected from most of the snow and chill, but allowing him to look out over the space.

He pulled out his laptop and began to work. He let the atmosphere around him give him inspiration with its haunted feel. Completely silent except the muffled wind and… footsteps. Wizardmon’s head darted up to take in the figure making its way steadily towards him. Then he broke into a soft smile.

“Mr. Ishida!”

“Wizardmon! I was hoping to see you here,” the older (not old!) man called back, coming over to sit with him. “You don’t come out as much in the snow.”

“It is a bit more difficult to walk,” Wizardmon conceded, before interrupting himself with a sneeze.

“You sure that’s the only reason?”

Wizardmon waved off his concern, “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Mhm,” Mr. Ishida hummed, eyebrow raised. “You’re not invulnerable, you know.”

“You sound like Gatomon. A few sneezes do not mean anything.”

“If you say so. How is your friend?”

“She is the same as ever.”

Mr. Ishida raised an eyebrow at that.

“She is well .”

“Still banning you from drinking hot sauce at work?” Mr. Ishida grinned.  

“She’s getting close to banning even mixed drinks now,” Wizardmon sighed. “To prevent me from ‘corrupting the youth’”

“I mean, with what you’ve told me about the kids-”

“I encourage experimentation. Supervised experimentation.”

Mr. Ishida laughed. “You should teach them some of your street magic.”

“I have already promised them balloon animals,” Wizardmon responded with amusement. “Though perhaps they will take an interest! And how are things at your profession?”

“Ah y’know Fiji, working me to the bone. I’ve been pitching an anniversary newspiece though, history of the station, and I’m hoping we can film around here for it.”

“Will you report it?”

“Bah, ask me if they decide to actually run it,” Mr. Ishida huffed. “Though in other news, you won’t believe what I’ve got!”

The man gave a mischievous grin as he reached into his work bag, pulling out a bottle.

“Burn unit?” Wizardmon read off the label.

“It’s a new green sauce! We got samples at work and it’s pretty good. Here-” Mr. Ishida opened the bottle and held it out towards him, “try some.”

He took some sauce on his finger and tasted it. Spicy! And a little sweet. 

“Excellent,” he nodded. “Thank you Mr. Ishida.”

He groaned. “That makes me sound so old. How many times have I told you to just call me Hiroaki?”

“Numerous.”

Mr. Ishida just shook his head. “Anyways, if you like it you should keep it, they gave me more than I really can use with just my son and me, even if I like it.”

“Oh…” Wizardmon took the bottle. “Thank you. Hiroaki.”

He just laughed in response. 

-   -   -   -

Wizardmon was definitely sick.

He hadn’t wanted to admit it. He woke up to an alarm that was much too loud, a sore throat, and aching muscles. He shut off the alarm, but leaned back instead of getting right up. He was still so tired, and just wanted to rest for a few minutes before getting up. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again it was two hours later.

Crap.

He had several texts from Gatomon, as well as a missed call he scanned over while hurrying across his room. He dialed her back, balancing as he tried to change into day clothes at the same time as holding the phone.

“Hello-”

“Wizardmon!” she hissed, “where are you?”

“My apologies,” he croaked, and oh he needed water, “I had alarm trouble. I should be there in no more than 30 minutes.”

Silence.

“Wizardmon. Are you sick? ”

“No, I am-”

“You sound like shit, and you told me you usually wake up before your alarm,” she insisted. “Did you sleep through it?”

He hesitated. “I may have… fallen back asleep,” he admitted.

“You’re definitely sick. Don’t tell me you were planning on still coming in.”

“Of course I am. It’s not that bad, and I can’t leave you alone .”

“Pumpkinmon and Gatsmon are already working today. They should-” she sighed, “they should be adequate. They aren’t completely useless, you know.”

“But-”

“Do you want to set a bad example? As the Staff Safety Officer? For the kids? ”

“...that was a low blow.”

“Good. I don’t want to see you again until you’re fine,” she ordered, “and if I do I will be taking you right back home. You know I can.”

He sighed, but he was too tired to actually argue. “Yes, I am familiar with your wrestling skills. Alright. But call me if there are any emergencies.”

“You are off-duty -”

“Gatomon.”

She sighed. “Fine. But it will be. Fine that is. Get some rest.”

With that she hung up the phone and he was left to his own devices. Well. His and Tailmon’s devices. His throat still hurt.

Alright then. Priorities. He gave in and went first to his medicine cupboard, pulling out cold n flu medicine on his way to the kitchen where he got himself water. His throat still felt rough after, but better. The breakfast for Tailmon, weaving through his feet as he went to her bowl, then breakfast for himself. He settled on the couch with a quickly toasted bagel, deciding that just because he wasn’t going into work didn't mean he couldn’t get anything done.

This plan immediately failed.

Tailmon was taking advantage of his being home, and planted herself right in his lap, covering his computer screen and twisting to continue doing so no matter how he tried to adjust. He was finally able to settle leaning over the armrest and onto the table which he slid over for that purpose, but found himself unable to focus. It was hard to understand what he was doing, and the longer he stared the more the screen hurt his eyes even on the dimmest setting, pixel art bleeding together in front of his eyes. He gave up barely 20 minutes in.

He looked down at the cat curled contentedly on his lap, definitely smug now that he’d returned to a sensible seated position. “You were also attempting to get me to rest, huh,” he murmured.

It was, he had to admit, unusual the amount of attention Tailmon was giving him. She was usually pretty happy with just sitting near him, taking his lap only when she wanted attention. Now though she was firmly planted and purring, clear she wouldn’t be moving even when he stopped petting her. He scritched under her cheek, looking into her face as she moved it into his hand.

“Does this remind you of how we met?” he wondered.

It’s a memory that sits sharply against all the events around it. He remembers being wheeled away and spotting the scraggly white cat near his car, blue eyes burning into him. Then he’d spotted her hanging around his apartment building later, easy to recognize. He’d asked around, but no one else had seemed to have ever even seen her besides him. He’d felt almost like the cat was checking in on him. Soon enough he was feeding the stray, then caught her to take in to a local shelter. He’d meant to leave her there after getting her vaccinated and spayed, where she could find someone that could properly care for a pet. But she’d started yowling the second he tried to walk away, and he couldn’t do it.

He didn’t think he would make a very good pet owner, but he’d pulled himself together to do all the research he could and do right by her. She trained him herself, really, where he was lacking, batting at him until he got up to make food for them both until it became routine. She was a proud creature, and he certainly thought she had the right to be so.

Wizardmon yawned as pet Tailmon, pulling him back to the present.

“You’re a good cat,” he said, hand slowing.

The longer he sat there the more he felt the ache in his bones, offset by the pressure on his lap. It’s not like he was getting anything done anyway, not with a cat on his lap, and he felt his head drift down to rest on the back of the couch. His eyes slid shut, and soon enough the low sound of Tailmon’s purring carried him off to sleep.

-   -   -   -

“Glad to see you’re sounding better.”

“Do you mean looking?”

“No.”

Despite the light teasing, Gatomon looked very pleased to have Wizardmon back in the shop again once his cold had worn out. He was also pleased, not ever particularly fond of rest.

“Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon were thrilled when they heard you would be back in today, you know. They insisted on taking an extra shift.”

“Ah, well I did promise them balloons. Though, since I did not know they would be here today-”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s why,” muttered Gatomon. 

“What do you mean?”

She just rolled her eyes in response, and went back to what she was doing.

“How are the sprites going, by the way,” she asked as she passed him behind the counter.

“They are going forward well,” he responded, “though I might ask you to look at some to see if they are clear.”

“Which ones?”

Wizardmon reached over to pass her a cup, waiting until she was done calling out to the customer in question. “Jackalopes and Nightcrawlers.”

“Hmm. I don’t know what that second one is.”

“Pants.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll see. Though I am trying to figure out the balance of popular figures to more unique ones.”

“You know what everyone knows? And loves?”

“Is it ang-”

“It’s angels,” she said resolutely, before giving him a sly look. “And you know the horror fans would love what you could do with them.”

He raised his eyebrows, amused, “not that you would know about scary angels.”

“Now listen here,” she said, leaning in with a fighting smile when the door rang, and she looked up to it with a knowing look. Gatomon stepped to the side as Wizardmon turned around just in time to see Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon barreling towards him.

“Wizardmon!”

“You’re back!”

He surveyed the teens' bright faces with confusion. “I was only gone a couple days?”

“And we missed you SO MUCH!”

“Yeah! We made a bunch of cool new drinks, but Gatomon wouldn’t try ANY of them!”

“You’ll try them, right?!”

Wizardmon took a second to process the rapid-fire he’d just been hit with. “What… kinds of drinks?”

“Imaginative ones,” said Gatomon.

“Oh all sorts, ” said Gotsumon with extreme eagerness. “Do you want hot or cold first? Sweet? Sour? Rich?”

“Well-” started Wizardmon.

“Ooh yeah,” Pumpkinmon lept in, “and you have to tell us what you think!”

He felt like his head was close to spinning. “You are aware we are supposed to be working right now, correct?”

“Aww, c’mon boss,” whined Pumpkinmon, gesturing around the shop, “there’s no one here right now, it’s the middle of the day!”

“And we’ll get right back to it if someone comes in!” agreed Gotsumon.

Well. They weren’t entirely wrong, it was a pretty slow part of the day, with a while before the after-work rush. He looked to Gatomon, who shrugged.

“You said you had something ‘hot and sour’?”

“Ah yes, the Green Dragon ,” intoned Gotsumon. “At once.”

- - - -

“What do you think?”

Wizardmon considered the sample cup in front of him (they’d quickly switched to the tiny cups when he realized just how many drinks they wanted him to try), pointedly ignoring the phone camera Pumpkinmon clearly thought they were hiding better than they actually were.

“It is very… pink.”

“But the taste?” asked Gotsumon eagerly.

“It tastes pink.”

“How can something taste pink?”

“What did it taste like to you?”

“Dreams.”

“On the scale,” interrupted Pumpkinmon, “where would you place it?”

Wizardmon considered this. “Between the Lemon Cake Latte and the Lava Explosion.”

Gotsumon pouted, “aw c’mon, I thought it was better than that.”

“You have to remember this is the guy that put the Scented Candle Tea in the top spot,” said Pumpkinmon.

“It is hardly my fault if you don’t understand good tea,” said Wizardmon, “and I believe this one would still cater to-”

He was interrupted by the ringing of the front door, and turned to see Kari walking in.

“Gatomon!” he called to the back, trying to figure out how he was going to distract the other two when Pumpkinmon piped up.

“Ms. Kari!”

Wizardmon sent a confused look to Gatomon as she emerged from her office, looking quite put upon.

“We’ve failed on that front,” she muttered to him.

“I was not here,” he responded. “I did excellent on that front. You owe me balloons.”

“ Hey, I didn’t completely fail” she whispered, before returning to normal volume, “they just spotted my cousin who is from out-of-town before I did the other day and she introduced herself before I could! And it’s so nice my horrible other cousin isn’t with her like I feared, such confusion the first time she came by!”

“Ah of course,” agreed Wizardmon, who was 99% sure no such cousin existed, “we were keeping the teens away from family drama.”

“Yeah, he’s terrible,” joined in Kari, beaming.

For their part Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon seemed to have barely been paying attention to the lie being woven around them, much more focused on trying to get Kari to try a Flamingo Drink.

“Ms. Kari! You have to try this!” called Pumpkinmon.

“I said no serving things to customers that haven’t been tested,” said Gatomon.

“Wizardmon tasted it!” responded Gotsumon as at the same time Wizardmon raised an eyebrow and said “ did you now. ”

“Oh I don’t mind,” grinned Kari. “Not like I’m paying for it.”

She accepted the cup from Gotsumon, who beamed, watching eagerly as she took a sip.

“Huh,” she said. “Tastes like pink.”

“What does that even mean ,” whined Gotsumon.

“It just tastes like pink,” shrugged Kari. “I like it.”

“Impressive, given you usually go for the bitter coffees,” said Gatomon.

“A glowing review then. You guys should sell it.”

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon’s eyes went giant. “Can we really??”

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves,” said Gatomon, “you know Myotismon would blow a gasket if we served drinks not on the standard menu.”

The teens drooped. Wizardmon sensed an opportunity.

“However,” he said. “That is only if he finds out.”

“Wizardmon-”

“I mean it could work,” Kari mused. “Just put it on a little special menu sign and hide it under the counter when his people come in.”

“You would encourage this,” hissed Gatomon, before turning to the pair still pleading at her. “Your little puppy eyes won’t work on me.’

Wizardmon stepped in. “I have a possible suggestion. Why don’t you just try it?”

Gatomon gave him an exasperated look, but he looked back reassuringly. Trust me , he thought, winking. She held for a moment, then relented.

“Fine. But only because these two had it first.”

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon cheered as she took the cup from Kari, sniffing it suspiciously before taking a drink. There was a moment after it hit her mouth where her eyes absolutely lit up. She took a moment of deliberation before sighing.

“Again. You understand what deep shit we’re in if word gets out.”

“I know you want this to be the best shop it can be,” said Wizardmon.

Gatomon sighed. “Fine.”

“YEA-”

“BUT- if we get in trouble for this, it’s on you two, you understand?”

The pair nodded vigorously, Kari giggling in the background.

“Y’know cuz, I think this will be good for you! Take back some control!”

Gatomon glared at her, though the effect was ruined by the still cheering teens. “Were you buying something?”

Kari pointed to the still slightly filled blender behind her with a cheeky smile. “I’ll take a Flamingo Drink please.”

-    -   -    - 

They were closing up when Wizardmon heard Gatomon sigh.

“You know this whole new drink thing is going to turn into a mess.”

“A mess can be good if you’re tired of things being clean.”

She gave him a very unimpressed look.

“I think you enjoy the solving,” he said, giving into clarity. “You like doing a lot more than just listening. And you like doing things that make your shop better.”

“But it’s not mine, not really, is it?” she said, bitterly. “Might as well accept that before it all comes crashing down again.”

It hurt when she said things like that. She had so much fight in her, but she couldn’t lift up a hand for the one battle she needed most anymore.

“I wasn’t being entirely kind when I supported their idea, you know,” he tried instead. “They’re unlikely to run back to their boss if they’re outing themselves doing it.”

Gatomon smiled at that. “Ha, I should’ve known you would have something sneaky like that.”

She hesitated. “I do have to admit you all are on to something. I do miss creation…” 

She shook off the thought. “Nevermind that. It’s time to go.” 

They went outside, and when Gatomon nodded towards her car, he didn’t argue. Given he’d just been ill it was not a fight he thought he would win. They drove along in quiet companionship, listening to the quiet tones of the radio. When Wizardmon got out at his apartment, Gatomon stopped him before he could say goodbye.

“Wait. I have something for you.”

He watched with curiosity as she rifled through her bag before pulling out a bundle of fabric she held out to him. He stared at it.

“Well?” She looked distinctly like she was trying to power through her own discomfort. “Take it.”

He reached out, a wide, beautiful scarf unfolding under his hands. The yarn was a deep indigo, with bits of pale code patterned into it. He couldn’t quite tell under his gloves, but it looked soft. And warm.

“Gatomon… this is for me?”

“Of course it is,” she huffed. “You certainly need one.”

He couldn’t stop looking at it. “It is lovely.”

“Yes, well- consider it a business expense. So you stay healthy.”

He smiled up at her. “Thank you for this gift.”

Her eyes went wide, then she looked away. “You’re welcome,” she mumbled, before clearing her throat. “I’d better see you wearing it next time you’re outside in the snow, you understand? Good night, Wizardmon.”

“Good night Gatomon.”

Later, after he’d eaten, and Tailmon had yelled at him until he went to bed, he was sitting up and thinking as he stared at his cat on the end of the blanket.

“Tailmon,” he said. “I believe things may be changing for the better.”

[sparkletastic-cookiedough]

Your tags gave me inspiration…

“Father.” Nico and Hazel marched into Hades throne room. If they weren’t his kids, Hades would’ve smited them. Only his family had the privilege to act like that.

And Percy Jackson, but that was a different situation. Killing Percy would be asking for war, and, more importantly, Nico would be sad that his dad attacked his friend.

Hades tried his best to look impassive. “Son. Daughter. What brings you to my domain?”

Nico looked Hades in the eyes. “Do I have another sibling?”

What.

“Where would you get such an idea? Did you forget the oath I made to not have anymore children?”

“Well, your brothers both broke the oath, so…” Hazel said.

“My brothers” Hades spat, “are fools. I have no living demigods but you two.”

Hazel turned to her brother. “Maybe he’s a different pantheon, then. I told you not to jump to conclusions.”

“Sorry, Father.” Nico said.

“You are forgiven, my son.”

“Maybe we should get Annabeth’s help on this. She and Percy are always the best to talk to about other pantheons.” Hazel said.

Hades frowned. If only his precious children would come to their father with their problems. Hades wanted to help them, give them fatherly guidance. But his children were running off to other demigods? Hades had a brief thought of smiting the child of Athena for keeping away what was rightfully his, before brushing it off. Nico would be sad.

“I might be able to offer my assistance.” Hades said casually.

“I don’t want to bother you, Father, I’m sure you’re very busy.” Nico said.

“You’re already here, and I’m offering.”

“It’s not that important” Nico dismissed.

“So unimportant you came marching down into my throne room demanding answers?” Hades raised his voice.

“I already apologized for that! Gods, you’re so-“

Hazel interrupted before Nico could insult the lord of the dead. “Nico found someone who claims to be the ghost king on the internet.”

“Son, you cannot believe everything you read on those forums” Hades explained as though Nico was five.

“There’s more than that, though.” Nico turned on his laptop and showed the messages to his father.

DeadTired: Are you my brother?

TheGhostKing: ??? I don’t think so??? Then again, I did discover a sibling by complete surprise once, so there’s always a chance.

DeadTired: I get that, same thing happened to me.

TheGhostKing: Dude, maybe we are siblings. Is your dad an incredibly powerful man with delusions of grandeur and a creepy basement?

DeadTired: you really shouldn’t insult my father like that.

TheGhostKing: and you’re half human too?

DeadTired: yep.

TheGhostKing: another sibling, dang. It’ll be helpful to have more people that can fight baddies with me. High school is tough when you have to save your town from the latest wack job.

DeadTired: and the adhd and dyslexia sucks too

TheGhostKing: how did you know???

DeadTired: runs in the family. Me and my sister have it. By the way, where are you training? I haven’t heard of any siblings in either camp, but with the wars I might’ve missed something.

TheGhostKing: what wars?

DeadTired: …oh no. How old are you, again?

TheGhostKing: 19

DeadTired: you’re still alive, and you haven’t been to camp??? Hold up, I need to have a talk with my dad.

TheGhostKing: k.

Hades read through the messages. On one hand, it could be a demigod from the Norse pantheon or something. On the other hand, Hades got a distinct feeling of dread.

“I might know who this is.” Hades said. “I’ll call him” Hades reached into his pockets and pulled out a rotary phone (he had very large pockets).

“Now while I’m more familiar with sending physical messages, I believe texting is more polite these days, yes?” Hades looked up at his son for confirmation. Nico nodded, stunned at his Dad’s absurd decision to use ancient technology. If Nico could adapt to the times, so could his dad.

It would at least be less ridiculous than this- Nico watched as the king of the underworld spun the dial on the phone wildly, typing a message in the most inconvenient way possible.

Nico didn’t even know it was possible to send a test using a rotary phone. It probably wasn’t- but Hades had magic and whatnot.

The sound of the dial echoing around Hades’ massive throne room was the only disturbance for several minutes. Nico didn’t dare leave- his dad would be passive aggressive about it later if he did.

Finally, Hades inputted the last of the numbers.

Hades smirked, proud of himself. Whether that was since Hades thought he was with the times, or if this was some elaborate ruse on his children, Nico would never know.

“I have invited someone for a chat. I suspect he may be the friend you met online. He should arrive shortly.”

“You’re being very polite.” Hazel noted. Indeed- usually the gods wouldn’t ask for people’s presence like that.

“You seem surprised. Am I not normally courteous to you mortals?” Hades spoke with a bit of an edge to his tone.

All the answers Nico could think of were the wrong ones. Sure, Nico was sassy at times, but he actually did have self preservation, unlike Percy.

“If only Grandfather was as polite as you. He could’ve asked permission first before trying to take over the world.” Hazel expertly defused the situation with a joke.

While yes, their grandfather was a touchy subject, mocking the guy seemed to be a dead-certain way of relieving tension at a family reunion.

Hades laughed, a deep thing that made the earth shake beneath them. “Perhaps,” he started, losing his speech briefly in laughter before collecting himself again, “he could’ve asked permission before eating me alive.”

Nico laughed at the joke, pretending it was hilarious instead of uncomfortable.

The laughter eventually died down.

“What now?” Nico asked.

“We wait. I have a game of Scrabble, if you’d like to play? Athena has been raving about board games lately, and I’d prefer to play with someone whose company I actually enjoy.”

“I’m dyslexic.”

“Right. I’m sure I have some game you like…”

Nico picked the least offensive option. His dad was far too competitive to play monopoly or uno, and he’d rather crawl through Tartarus again than play cards against humanity with his dad.

Hades and his children all sat down for a round of Candyland.

//-\\-//-\\

After hades was sent back to the Candy Cane forest for the third time, (Nico was definitely cheating) a someone knocked on the door.

It wasn’t just any door, it was the one Hades had told his children explicitly never to touch. Hazel had her theories as to where it led, and most of those were unpleasant in one way or another.

Hades immediately stood up, and answered the door.

As it opened, green smoke poured out. Hazel peeked behind the forbidden doorway- the space flickered between a dark red sky, complete black, and a strange expanse of green and purple.

It hurt Hazels eyes to look at the shifting landscape, so she instead turned her eyes to the stranger at the door. He appeared a few years older than Nico, but that didn’t mean much with the Gods regularly shifting their appearance. His dark hair and impish grin made him look a bit like Percy. Something about his eyes though reminded her of death, something Hazel was fairly familiar with.

“Sup?” Said the man in the doorway to Lord Hades, King of the Dead, God of the Underworld.

Hades bristled a bit at the lack of respect, yet he didn’t smite or threaten the doorway guy- which pointed to Doorway guy being either a god or someone with enough power that he can afford to disrespect the gods like that.

Another point where he’s similar to Percy.

“I thought Princess Dorethea was teaching you manners- like the proper way to address a king.”

“Yeah, but you know I don’t like those stuffy titles and whatnot. If I don’t have to use them, I don’t.”

“Hm.” Hades grunted. Hades actually liked titles quite a bit, they made him feel important. He also enjoyed formalities to an absurd degree. He was the kind of guy who wore three piece suits to bed.

There was also the fact that Nico and Hazel knew quite well: Hades was just as petty as the rest of the gods.

A wide smirk spread across Hades face. “Son, Daughter, I would like you to meet High King of the Infinite Realms,” the doorway stranger rolled his eyes. “Child of the Veil, Guardian of doorways,”

“That’s enough” Danny looked embarrassed, as though Hades was showing off his baby photos.

“Traverser of Timelines, Hero of Amity Park”

“Seriously Hades, we don’t need to be here all night!” The guy lept at Hades.

“Breaker of the Flaming Siren, Weilder of Fear, Bearer of Mortality,” Hades continued on, dodging the kids attempts to silence him in good nature.

The guy was quite speedy with good reflexes, but Hades was a god who could turn into shadows. Eventually, the guy tired himself out.

“Please, oh great god of death, end this suffering.” The guy said, before lying on the floor and accepting his fate.

Hades, pleased with having made someone else beg for mercy, finished the titles with a grand “Danny Phantom.”

Danny waved from his position on the floor.

“I’m Nico.” He introduced himself, rather than letting his dad do it. Nico knew he didn’t want Hades to list off titles, since his dad would sneak in titles like “cleaner of bathrooms”, complete with paperwork to back it up.

“Let me get this straight.” Said Hazel. “You’re… a half-immortal kid who’s gone on some cool missions, and your kind-of-parent is the fabric between life and death, and the space between realities?” She summarized, having paid attention, since someone had to.

“Pretty much, yeah. I was a normal kid until a lab accident, and now I’m half ghost. Evil ghosts tried to invade my town, so I beat them up. Then I beat the king of ghosts, and now I’m the king of ghosts.”

“Sweet” Nico said. “I also beat up a ghost king- different ghost king- and now am the ghost king. Hades is my dad.”

“Wait… you wouldn’t happen to be DeadTired, would you? Cause otherwise there are three people who are Ghost Kings, and I don’t think I can keep up with that.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Nico said.

“Nico freaked out and thought you were our sibling.” Hazel explained. “So he went to dad, and dad sent you a message.”

“Sweet. Well, now we know why there’s two ghost kings.” Danny said.

“How does this power structure thing work anyway?” Nico asked. “Like, if we both gave orders to a ghost, whose orders would the ghost have to follow?”

Danny laughed. “Ghosts? Following orders? I wish. Sure there might be laws and protocol, but they don’t matter that much when no one follows it.”

“They don’t just… obey your commands?”

“That would be so awesome if it worked. I could just command the ghosts to not attack people! But no, they have to go around fighting people, or trying to kill me, or feeding off human joy.” Danny rolled his eyes.

“Sounds more like monsters than ghosts.” Hazel noted.

“Yes, your definitions of ‘Ghost’ are a bit different.” Hades responded. “Daniel”

“Don’t call me Daniel.”

“-actually fights something more similar to physical manifestations of primordials. It’s a bit complicated.” Hades explained.

“Dang. You must be pretty powerful then.” Nico stated with a bit of awe.

“Sure, I guess. But you kinda have to be when dozens of ghosts keep trying to attack you. Your dad is one of the only ones who doesn’t bother.”

“His realm interconnects kingdoms of the dead, thus I qualify for ghost citizenship.” Hades said.

“Do I qualify for ghost citizenship?” Nico asked. “Shoot, will I need to pay ghost taxes?”

“You can be tax exempt because I say so.” Danny informed Nico.

“Wonderful that you give tax exemption to my son but not me.” Hades grumbled.

“You’re a god of wealth, you can pay taxes.”

“Maybe I’ll use my son to commit tax fraud.” Hades contemplated.

“Dude.” Danny’s eyes flared an acidic green. “Don’t talk about tax evasion in front of the tax enforcers. That’s tax evasion 101. Thats like keying a policeman’s car. It’s stupid.”

“Don’t threaten me, boy.” Hades sneered. The ground began to shake.

“Or what? Wanna go up against the ghost who beat Pariah Dark?” The temperature dropped to a chill. Nico could see his own breath.

“Child, you have no idea what you’re up against. I have power beyond what you can fathom.”

“So did Undergrowth, and I showed him who was boss.”

“Speaking of wealth” Nico interrupted, “they’re opening preorders for the Mythomagic video game, and you technically abandoned me in a hotel for years, meaning you owe me like eighty birthday presents.”

Danny glared. Hades sighed, and handed over his credit card.

“Get out of my sight.” Hades commanded.

Nico grabbed Hazel and Danny’s hands and shadow traveled away.

Back on the surface, Nico stumbled to the ground.

“You really shouldn’t antagonize the gods like that.” Hazel suggested to Danny.

“I could’ve taken him.” Danny shrugged.

“Hazel” Nico groaned from the floor. “I want my laptop, but I don’t want to stand. Grab it for me?”

“You’re lucky you’re my brother.” She retrieved Nico’s gaming laptop.

“Shh, I’ve only played Candyland all day. I’m ready for some real games.”

“You got Doomed on there?” Danny asked.

Nico grinned, excited to have finally found a fellow gamer.

//-\\-//-\\

Nico couldn’t believe it.

How dare some completely mortal person take the username TheGhostKing on twitch before he could?

Look, the human probably thought they were being funny, and they didn’t know that there was an actual ghost king with a throne and everything. That ghost king being Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades.

It wasn’t fair. It had taken Leo ages to manage to get a streaming setup for Demigods that didn’t attract monsters. Nico had set up an account as quick as he could, ready to showcase his gaming prowess to the world. (Nico did spend decades in a casino after all. He was an amazing gamer).

And yet, the title that was rightfully Nico’s had been taken.

Nico sent a message to the user, ready to fight for his claim. This could only go well.

//-\\-//-\\

Danny Fenton had no idea who was messaging him about being the actual ghost king, but they were a liar.

After all, Danny was the ghost king, he had won the title through combat fair and square. It came with a few responsibilities, sure, but Pariah Dark had been sleeping on the job, and no disasters had happened.

So he meant no disrespect to DeadTired22, it was probably just some weird kid pulling a prank on him.

But some of the things DeadTired said were… interesting.

DeadTired: I am the ghost king, I have a throne and everything.

TheGhostKing: I know the actual ghost king, and he said you’re lying.

DeadTired: Dude, I know this is probably some joke to you. But you, a foolish human unaware of your place in the universe, shouldn’t joke about things beyond your comprehension, lest you anger the very forces you imitate.

TheGhostKing: Bold of you to assume I’m human.

DeadTired: Who are you then? Midas? There’s a difference between “Ghost that is a king” and “king of ghosts”. I am the second. We are not the same.

TheGhostKing: Eh, why not spill to strangers on the internet? It’s not like you actually know me irl…

TheGhostKing: I’m actually only half human.

DeadTired: …are you my brother?

[mspi]

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Oh no you don't

Myself? I was without my family, my bf was in another city, and I made a dumb decision to think I could trust coworkers. My horrible B.

My idiotic self was trying to build computer systems that would catch the eyes of a young generation. More affordable than laptops, yet portable like a backpack. They'd be personalized for the client depending on their wants & needs for work, studies and gaming.

This is back in 1997ish days. Earning my A+ certification would've been easy to get more ppl to listen to me. Oh yeah, I was an Asian girl working in a retail store being ignored. Until a shopper asked how much I knew about computers and where mine came from.

My answer shook the both of us. I said I built my computers for gaming, studies, and practice. Her: Why aren't you working for Apple? Me: 🤣 I could use their help. Maybe I should read more about their founders for tips.

Decades later, after reading the Steve Jobs biography, I see that one of my old jobs were run similar to what Mr Jobs had built. It wasn't a happy place as I was the only one not 🚬 throughout the day or cursing like a sailor at our lawyers, managers, or HR.

People need to cool it by picking up healthy habits. Exercise relieves stress better than 🚬 breaks 4x an hour. I had to go around the block for fresh air.

Here's a sign that things are bad. My roommate who was a BIG fan of one of the founders would've turned down meeting him at one of monthly company pub gatherings. They said it can't be so great if they've shrunk me from the stress.

###

Oh FLASHBACK

There was a cool looking chill bar around the corner from our condo. I was a bit jelly that the roomie went with our neighbor upstairs for some drinks. All I'd want is a Cosmo or Irish Coffee.

Next realization:

They called me to leave the door open. I left the 🚪 open and they rushed in to a bathroom to 🤮🤮🤮 in the 🚽. 🤷‍♀️ Maybe I'm out of my league with the 🍻. Nah, I'm a cocktail gal. Talking sips of 🍺 from the ex at clubs and sports events was all I could handle.

Darn am I happy I learned from living with the old bestie to remember to eat before drinking. Ooooh, that explains the big dinners before we went cray clubbing downtown.

More 🤦 -- They knew our limits before I understood that I was 🤢 pukey like. There was a kicking drink I had a few gulps of that they pulled away from me after they had done the same. Thank goodness the front bathroom had a 🛁. I rushed there and 🤮, then they came in after and we were supporting each other through the icky mess.

Why'd I make that the time I believed I could trust them? We're talking about not wanting to let that catch go.

If they can make it through that + they knew of the MS and possible cancers that would be coming 'round, I believed I caught a keeper.

It's so much more than that experience. We had so much in common with enjoying our careers and hobbies. 🤓 Jokes didn't phase us. Forget that I thought they got the position I was going for in the university's IT dept, they deserved it and were healthier to do what was physically needed to reach and climb through.

Yes we met through work. My former manager told them to say hi to me studying in the empty library. Awkward.

It could be the best luck for me career wise. What I was doing in the library was trying to decide my major. Programming back then was a bore during the dial-up internet days.

When I caught a sparkle in their eyes was when I let them know who I was working for. Maybe it could've been a geek 🤓 dream connection. Ohh I was with AtHome who provided Cable Internet for North America through our cable partners nationwide and beyond.

###

Diff types for diff people

I'm thankful I'm not supposed to drink like I did when I was younger. There's a way good reason what might happen. My meds might lose their efficacy.

-- dnagirl

11.01.2025

[charcherry-weekly]

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 220

Hey there, Mage of Light Nick Card here. Its been raiiiining lately. We got news to focus on though.

Heated Fights on Dawnsring!

Early this week, a new desertian combatant made their debut in the Dawnsring Divine Combat Circuit's Light League. Reportedly they're a 3 in 1 type of fighter, with three different identities and 3 different combat styles. Together they are known as the Light of Hope. The members of the Light of Hope system include Heir of Hope Whirlwind of Prospit, denizen-made construct the Acting Monarch, and Thief of Light the Dungeon Mistress. Short, medium and long distance ranges respectfully. Their first match was against the Patchwork Terror, an elderly seamstress with a perchance for crafty tricks. She made use of a magically animated plush toy that appeared to resemble the late timespace monster chronos. The Acting Monarch took center-stage at match start, but soon swapped out for the Dungeon Mistress. She made use of distracting elements to set up for the Whirlwind of Prospit to strike! The match continued on with some back and forth, copious amounts of front swapping, some string cutting, and finally a finishing blow from the Acting Monarch, who claimed victory for the Light of Hope by shoving the Patchwork Terror and her plush out of the ring!

With a win under their collective belt, the Light of Hope managed to attract the attention of the DSPAN tv channel, who then proceeded to obtain the broadcast rights to their matches, as well as for Time Trancer, so that their bouts can be broadcasted on a new substation of DSPAN known as DSPAN-DR. Do note that this new channel is a payed channel, in contrast to standard DSPAN, which is always free to watch. Monthly fee is 50 credits per household, with an initial receiver setup fee of 10 credits per device. For those who don't wish to pay to watch new matches, DSPAN has also partnered with NABC to broadcast the fights on neo alternia, desertian territories, and other places that may pick up the NABC-2 channel. These will not be live and instead will be on a time delay of sorts and will be dubbed in alternian for localization reasons. Desertian viewers can access english closed caption subtitles for this channel. Other desertian and neo alternian dawnsring fighters are encouraged to contact DSPAN if they wish for their fights to be aired, via the email address dr-viewer-contact@dspan.desertia.robotics . Please note that this email address (much like everything else on the .robotics domain) cannot be reached from the vanilla timeline for unknown reasons.

On thursday, a second desertian fighter joined the fray, under the name NullPointerException. Reportedly she is a nonplayer with an expert grasp on weaponized sylladex usage and uses a combat exoskeleton to increase her fighting capabilities. NPE's first match was against The Light of Hope, who certainly didn't go easy on her! However, NPE had the element of surprise on her side, as she made excellent use of the classic Random Bullshit technique, engaging in comedic antics during the entire match. Reportedly she also tried to throw a nokia brick phone at LoH, only for the Acting Monarch to hit a home-run with their scepter! A very lucky audience member managed to catch the phone and even got it signed later on! Upon retrieval however, the phone rang in classic nokia fashion and played the catchy ditty from the level 1 ending to the flipjam fanventure Dial-In Mishaps upon being answered. At some point, NPE wound up using a ThinkPad laptop as a shield, and a computer keyboard as a smacking device. NullPointerException managed to win against Dungeon Mistress by knocking her out of the ring with the keyboard. After the match, the two (plus the other two) desertian fighters shook hands and returned home. The next day, a new memo was set up for fighters and fans to discuss things at #dawnsring-fighters. All currently contracted desertian fighters are present there, willing to field questions from their dear viewers and enthusiasts alike, within reason.

Reportedly, there are plans for a state-of-the-art movie theater to be built in Desertia Town, for the purpose of hosting dungeon crasher movie nights and likely free screenings for desertian residents to enjoy at all other times. Do note that it is in deep planning phase and may take a significant amount of time to be designed and built. In the meantime however, movie night will continue to be hosted online in the #movie-night-group-chat when it is scheduled.

Classified ads

Rail engineers wanted! Contact theUnderground for details.

Do you need therapy? Have you been impacted by the cosmic creation game in some manner? Do you have weird problems that likely have supernatural factors? Contact Dr. Winters at 555-555-0125 (new number) to schedule an appointment, new client slots open in October.

Do you have an Important Quest Item that's not for your quest? Are you missing the one you're supposed to have? MacGuffin's is your one-stop shop! inquire by contacting @dicelibrarian on tumblr.

Do you want an ad here? Contact lavenderSiren to get an ad for whatever. If you don’t write it yourself, you risk the newsletter writer writing it instead, do be warned.

This week’s known market stands in Desertia Town:

DTA train ticket stand

Katie’s potion stand (Not available to plitlanders due to regulations, available to all others however)

shinyjiggly pokesnacks stand (also has a Unity Village location!)

Candy stand

Costume stand

Progress is inching along for HyacinthHeld, now finally to a point with significant level design. Admittedly I've been distracted by news elsewhere of the pokemon mega-leak, particularly internal documents that are close enough to canon to have impact upon the pokemon world as we know it. No comment on the apocryphal legends deemed unsuitable for a young audience, you know which ones they are. I will say however, you might want to consider seeking out the keys soon. Analysis from recovered files has revealed that there may be a key present in the Alchemy Factory department. Stay safe out there. https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/457/charcherry-weekly-issue-220

[or-something-better]

November 18, 2022

Nightly RP              (Ruby write this outline)

Sam

Sitting on the sofa in Ruby’s apartment, I balance my laptop on its arm and try to jot down notes from the research page I’m looking at. So far, I’d been able to connect a few of the dots that Charlie had given me a couple of months ago and I was starting to get a little more excited that she might really be on to something.

Ruby

Standing in front of the open fridge, I turn to Sam.  Anything, in particular, you want for lunch?

Sam

Not really paying attention, I answer without even looking up. Uhhh, whatever you want is fine…

Ruby

Mumbling to myself Of course it is. Grabbing the covered bowl already in the fridge, I set it on the counter. Tuna it is.

Sam

With pickles…

Ruby

Oooof course…

Patience

after having several visions of Sam standing over Ruby with a knife it's time I call Sam. dialing Sam's number and hearing eye of the tiger play

Sam

My phone starts to ring, and I have to juggle everything in order to bend forward and scoop it up off the floor. I can see from the caller ID that it’s a call from Patience and right away feel a rush of worry. Hey, Patience, What’s up?

Patience

Hey Sam do I've had this vision 4 times now and really feel like we should meet up. I can't tell where it's but it's dark and you are standing over Ruby with a knife and I'm really afraid of what this means

Sam

Patience, slow down…slow down. This is a vision you had? You gotta know that it’s pretty much a sure thing that I won’t be doing anything like that, right?

Patience

I don't know Sam they've been pretty close lately to being right. I just don't know what to think

Sam

Alright, alright… want to meet and talk about it some more, maybe you'll feel better. I'm at Ruby’s right now, is it okay if I bring her?

Patience

Yes Sam I think we should and yes please bring her. I really want to see you both together

Sam

Okay, great. Meet us at the park in Beloit near the college. There are some benches near the west end, we’ll meet you there.

Patience

Thank you Sam be safe hangs up my phone and getting ready to leave

Sam

I hang up the phone and think about what she’s just told me about her vision.

Ruby

Waiting for Sam to explain……I finally ask.. We got trouble?

Sam

That was Patience, she’s had one of her visions and says it included you and me. She wants to meet, feel like coming with?

Ruby

Puts everything back in the fridge Sure.

Sam

I get up and go get dressed. Coming out of the bedroom, I look all around the living room and then yell out for Ruby. Hey, have you seen my shoes?

Ruby

Already holding his shoes out to him with them hanging off my first two fingers, I smile, without a word.

Sam

I hold up a finger and try not to grin. Don’t you say it… I take the shoes and quickly sit down and slip them on.

Ruby

Once Sam is ready, I quickly pop us to the Park to wait for Patience.

Sam

I see Patience coming towards us and I stand up to greet her. You made it…

Patience

running towards Sam and Ruby I grab them both for a group hug I'm so happy to see you both maybe you help me make sense of these visions

Ruby

Have a seat Patience, I offer, standing up too.

Sam

Hey, it’s okay… Here, sit down… we’re gonna figure this out, honest.

Patience

Thank you Ruby

Sam

I glance over at Ruby and give her my best It’s okay look. Patience, Why don’t you just tell us exactly what you saw, don’t leave anything out, okay?

Patience

Ok so the vision I have had 4 times now all with you Sam standing over Ruby holding a knife ready to stab her in the chest trying to catch my breath from running"

Ruby

Do you see anything around you? What time of day do you think it was?

Patience

as I'm telling them another piece of the vision comes to me I can see clearly as I walk around Sam seeing Ruby lying on the ground I shake myself out of it

Sam

When it becomes clear that she’s seeing something else, I squat down beside the bench and take hold of her hands. Try to stay with it…

Patience

Sam you and Ruby are in a forest the clouds open up a bit and with the moon I see you standing over her ready to stab her in the chest Sam you stabbed her in heart

Sam

Looking up at Ruby, I can see that she’s as disturbed by this as I am by all this. What the hell was going on?

Ruby

Starting to pace, my frustration builds What is it with this bunch? It’s one disaster after another. There’s never a lull in between crises! Is there a curse on this crew? Is it impossible to have a quiet, uneventful week? Hell, even a couple of days would be a fluke.

Sam

I stand up and walk over to Ruby. Hey, Hey, you know this isn’t a real thing, right?

Ruby

Looking at him bewildered. What do you mean? Every vision Patience has had has happened. Maybe not exactly as seen, but they happened.

Sam

I know that this all sounds… bad. But I’m also sure that nothing like that is ever going to happen. It’s just not. I look at both of them and can see that neither are in agreement with me. Okay Look, how about this, let’s go back to the Bunker and get the others to listen to the vision and see what they all think. Yeah?

Patience

I'm really sorry you two but I had to tell you I agree Sam picking up my bag

Ruby

Whatever you say, Sam. I reluctantly agree with him. Let’s get this over with. I pop the three of us to the bunker.

Charlie

sitting at the map table on my laptop when I see Sam, Ruby and Pay appear hey guys

Patience

sitting at the map table with group hey Charlie

Henry

Hi

Patience

wringing my hands not knowing what is going to happen

Meg

just sitting down with a beer well howdy guys. seeing their faces what's wrong now??

Ruby

Now what would make you say that? I ask sarcastically.

Meg

Cuz you guys look a little freaked...? shrugging

Patience

Ok as I try and sit still so I've had this vision four make that five times now. At first I could only see Sam standing over Ruby with a knife and she was lying on the ground. Then I saw them surrounded by lots of trees   this one I felt like I was there and watched him stab her in the heart.

Henry

That’s ridiculous Sam will never hurt her

Meg

knowing that it would not happen that way, I smile a small smile to myself yea, I don't think that would happen. Ruby would easily woop your ass first! chuckling

Ruby

I grin at her remark

Charlie

smirking while I don’t disagree with you Meg, patience is always spot on. I’ve never seen her have a vision that we haven’t seen happen… I think we need to be worried

Sam

Look, I agree with all of you that I’d never use a blade against Ruby. I get up from the table and pace as I think and speak. But we’ve also seen Patience’s visions come to pass over and over again. I think we just need to find a way to SEE more of what’s coming to her.

Ruby

That would be a good place to start.

Sam

That gives me an idea that might actually help us. Patience maybe between all of us we can come up with a way to… I don’t know, Boost your gift maybe?

Patience

That sounds good to me whatever we need to do to figure this one cause I must say I am NOT liking these visions

Sam

I look around at the others hoping that maybe I’ve hit on something. I’m worried that time might be a factor here, guys. What do you all think?

Charlie

I think you might be on to something… I mean Missouri used to touch things…. And I’ve seen patience do that before…

Meg

shrugging and taking a sip of my beer I have nothing better to do. I'm game. looking at the others

Patience

I think you're right Charlie maybe I can do that again here

Henry

That sounds like an idea. Let’s try that not sure how phsycs do things

Patience

trying to relax sitting at the map table

Meg

thinking of how to help, and who might be responsible for this fucked up vision, I offer well, maybe it could be lucifer...?

Henry

Spell ritual maybe. I’m not really good at this stuff.

Ruby

Turning to Patience When you think about the vision, do you get a feel for any location?

Patience

I feel like it's really close by, but can't tell where

Ruby

I may have an idea that might help. Turning to Sam  Sam, do you have a map of Kansas?

Sam

I go over to the roll top desk and look through the maps in the drawer, pulling out one of Kansas. Here use this Ruby.

Ruby

Taking the map from Sam, I spread it out on the table in front of Patience Ok, calm yourself and clear your mind. Let all thought go. With your hand, hold it over the center of the map. When you’re ready just let your hand guide you.

Meg

sitting up a little straighter and leaning in a bit to see better

Ruby

Close your eyes

Patience

holding my hand over the map I closed my eyes and relaxed I can feel my hand moving on on it's own then I feel a tug and my hand drops to the map

Ruby

Seeing Beloit below Patience’s stilled hand, I quickly look at Sam, worried.

Sam

When I see where Patience’s hands stops, I can’t keep, Shit from escaping my lips.

Patience

worried as I see the look on Sam and Ruby's face what what's it mean?

Henry

Huh?

Charlie

giving them a look, as Beloit is familiar and I know Sam and ruby have had dealings there in the past

Sam

I think maybe we really are in trouble here.

Charlie

If it’s that close, shouldn’t take us too long to get there…. Right?

Sam

Hang on… I go into my room and pull out the notebook I used when I’d originally been looking for a safe place to stash Ruby. Inside was the City map of Beloit, and I take it back out to the rest. Here Patience, see if you can make it work on this one… I unfold the city map and lay it on the table.

Ruby

Giving Patience a look of encouragement, This should help us pinpoint the location even further. A little nervous, I watch as Patience’s hand moves once again.

Patience

still relaxed I closed my eyes and hold my hand over the map. Again feeling my hand moving on its own. Then my hand drops to the table.

Meg

standing now, concerned for Ruby and Sam

Ruby

Seeing it's not inside Beloit, I have a sense of relief It's outside the city at the State Park.

Sam

Relieved that the place we’re looking for is nowhere near the apartment.

Henry

We have a place to start I guess

Meg

nodding at henry sure do.

Ruby

A thought occurs to me. Patience, what if I were to stay behind? If I’m not there, Sam can’t kill me, right?

Patience

looking at Ruby I answer her Ruby I wish it were that simple but I have tried in the past but the visions just readjust themselves to get the exact same results, I'm really sorry

Sam

Ruby, I’m not doin’ this…Getting my go bag together, I grab the keys to the Charger and head outside. Opening the trunk, I drop my pack inside and leave it open while I get in and start it up.

Charlie

Well… getting up to grab my go bag we won’t find out much sitting here …. grabbing the keys to my bug I head out to the garage

Ruby

Following Sam out, I take shot gun

Sam

Charlie, just follow me. I know exactly where we’re going.

Henry

grabs my bag and gets in Sam’s car hope it goes well

Charlie

nodding take the lead then

Patience

getting my go bag and following Sam and the rest to car dropping my bag in the trunk should I ride with you and Ruby?

Sam

Yes, so we can maybe narrow down where we're going

Patience

That's my thought as well

Meg

stashing a couple knives up my sleeves, I catch up to them

Sam

Once everyone is inside, I pull out and head for the freeway exit. The ride is quiet, and the sun is starting to set as we pass the first Beloit exit. I can feel the tension in the car and can’t be sure that I’m not the one who’s putting it out. I reach over and squeeze Ruby’s leg, smiling to try and let her know that everything is going to be fine.

Ruby

I return his smile with my half-hearted one, I know he means well. I still can’t help but be nervous. I’ve never doubted that visions are real.

Henry

We will stop whatever comes

Charlie

I follow closely behind Sam, keeping my eyes on the charger, thoughts racing about what is to come

Sam

When we reach the area Patience pointed out on the map, I look back at Patience in the rear view mirror. I’m just going to drive slowly through this area. Patience see if you can feel anything that might lead us in the right direction.

Charlie

noticing Sam slowing down, I match his speed and stay close

Patience

After a while of riding through sitting in the back seat watching as the trees go by when I start to feel strange  STOP SAM WE'RE CLOSE trying not to yell but did anyway

Sam

I pull the car over underneath a large tree and stop.

Charlie

seeing the brake lights on the charger, I pull over behind Sam and look around at the setting sun

Meg

getting out of the car, I look around

Henry

gets out of the car, what now?

Patience

getting out of the car looking around

Sam

As the sun slips below the horizon, I watch Charlie pull in right behind me and I get out of the car.

Ruby

Getting out of the Charger into the darkness, I look around at what the headlights show.

Sam

Charlie, Patience had a feel about this area.  How about we split up and see what we can find? Patience you and Henry come with me. Ruby you stay with them and away from where I am, agreed?

Ruby

That's a good idea Sam.

Charlie

I think that’s a good idea… I’ll take Meg and ruby… I think it’s best you and ruby aren’t together

Henry

That’s good with me

Patience

standing next to Sam and Henry good with me

Charlie

I’ve got radios in my trunk if you don’t…

Sam

Good Idea. Henry will you man the radio for us?

Henry

Sure

Ruby

Do you get a feeling for any particular direction Patience?

Charlie

going back to my bug I grab a couple of radios, making sure they’re both turned on and charged I pass one to Henry

Meg

looking around the wooded area, waiting to start our search

Charlie

Meg, I’ll let you take the lead on our side passing her the radio

Patience

with the strange feeling I point  over toward the bunch of trees to the south ( I think)

Sam

I look off in the direction Patience indicates. Let’s come at this from two sides… meet in the middle. That way if we flush anything out it’ll be between us.

Henry

takes it thanks

Ruby

I turn on my flashlight and wait to follow Charlie.

Patience

Sounds like a plan

Meg

taking the radio, I smirk at Charlie that's cuz I'm awesome.  Let's go. walking slowly away from the other group

Charlie

following behind Meg I keep my eyes peeled for anything strange

Sam

Pulling out my flashlight, I lead my group off to the left, through the woods.

Patience

walking  as quiet as mouse

Sam

I was moving slowly, trying not to make a whole lot of noise. Patience just let me know if you feel anything…

Charlie

a small rustle can be heard in the woods close by

Henry

follows Sam like a duckling. Hoping it’s nothing to bad

Patience

I will Sam promise

Sam

Suddenly I hear what sounds like snapping wood off to my left. I hold up my fist to signal the others to stop. With only hand signals, I let Henry and Patience know that I heard something and that they should stay right here. I point to myself, pull the demon blade from my jacket pocket and then head off alone to see if I can find the source of the noise.

Charlie

Anything yet, meg?

Henry

waits for Sam to come back

Patience

not happy with staying behind but I agree to stay behind with Henry

Meg

Not yet. staring around as I walk

Charlie

…..coming up behind Ruby, I cover her mouth and knock her to the ground without a sound, and drag her off further into the forest

Ruby

Something grabs me from behind and throws me to the ground. I fall hard, hitting my head on a rock in the middle. I lose consciousness.

Charlie

Turning I look for Ruby Ruby?? Meg??!!! Where’s ruby?!?!

Meg

something comes out of nowhere knocking me down

Charlie

scrambling back to my feet I run over to Meg and extend my hand to help her up

Meg

dizzyingly looking around what the hell was that!? taking Charlie's hand, I stand up I don't see her.

Charlie

Me either… we need to tell the others…..

Meg

Shaking my head to clear it yea. Let's go.

Sam

Moving cautiously through the woods, I’m listening intently for the slightest sound.

Ruby

seeing ‘Sam’ in the distance I decide now is the time to move, running up behind him i grab him by the hair and pull him backwards, slamming him into the ground

Sam

The attack catches me off guard, and I spin around hitting the ground flat on my back. Rolling to the right, I use a tree to get back to my feet.

Ruby

lunging again I throw Sam towards another tree close by, my claws extended

Sam

Dropping the flashlight, I grab the arm that is clawing towards my face, and bend my body forward with enough force to throw the person to the ground. As I step back, breathing hard, I see that the person on the ground is Ruby!!

Ruby

with a snarl on my face I try to attack again

Sam

I glance up just as the moon comes out from behind a cloud to shine its full light on Ruby as she gets up and runs towards me. In the silvery moonlight, I can see her clearly.

Ruby

raising my arms I try to strike again

Sam

With a sudden rush of relief, I jump forward taking the attack to her! Grabbing her arm, I sweep my leg against hers and knock her to the ground. In one fluid movement, I straddle her prone form and before she has a chance to recover, plunge my Blade deep into her heart with all the force I have.

Ruby

screams out in pain, until the sound ends

Sam

Blood sprays from her death-wound and I look up just in time to see the others come running with looks of horror on their faces.

Meg

seeing Ruby on the ground dead, Sam holding the knife seriously!?? That's what we were trying avoid!! How could you!!?????

Charlie

I come upon the scene just as I see Sam pull the blade from Ruby’s chest What did you do?!?!

Henry

comes running not wanting to wait any longer you promised to not

Patience

walking up to the others with Henry SAM W'WHAT HAVE YOU DINEY

Sam

Standing up, I pull my blade from the body and all can now see it’s true form. It wasn’t Ruby. This was a shapeshifter that had just taken her form. I wipe the blood off the blade and walk over to the others.

Ruby

Stumbling into the open with the others, I hear them accusing Sam and see them surrounding him. Stop! It’s not what you think!

Charlie

my shoulders sag in relief hearing Ruby shout

Henry

How you know?

Patience

relieved to see Ruby I run to her. Oh Ruby I was so scared

Meg

relief washes over me as Sam tells us it's a shifter seeing ruby I relax

Sam

I smile and reach out and take hold of Ruby’s hand, turning her wrist up to the moon light. The shifter didn’t have this mark. I pull back my sleeve to show them that we have the same scar on our wrists. Looking directly at Ruby, I nod to her. I knew it wasn’t you.

Ruby

I punch Sam's shoulder Smart ass

Meg

That was insane! Shaking my head and putting my knife back in my sleeve

Patience

I knew there had to be an explanation.

Charlie

I’m just glad it wasn’t Ruby…. I don’t know that I can talk anyone into bringing you back next time Sam ….

Sam

Charlie... let's not test that out

Charlie

grinning agreed

Henry

grabs the legs we probably should hide the body

Meg

looking at the body good idea. You take the legs, henry.

Sam

Let's them take care of the clean up, picks up my flashlight and heads back towards the cars.

Meg

Grabbing the hands I start walking backward we need a shovel.

Ruby

The animals around here will probably take care of it

Henry

starts walking forward ugh this is heavy

Patience

sighs of relief as I watch Henry and Meg hide the body

Meg

grunting with the effort let's set it over here. jerking my head toward a large trunk of a tree

Sam

I slip my arms around Patience's shoulders Your vision was right again, well, basically. I think you're getting the hang of it all

Henry

Ok drags it to the tree

Meg

I pose the body in a sitting position, then return to the group thanx buddy.

Henry

Yup returns to the group

Patience

Thank you Sam I am really working on them I'm just happy now that you and Ruby are both safe, by the am I ridding back with you guys?

Sam

Absolutely

Charlie

holding up keys well I’m ready to go home and get back to my game

Patience

Whew what a night. Next time I am not waiting so long to say anything

Henry

hops into Sam’s car

Patience

hops in Sam's car with Henry

Sam

Heads back to the Bunker, happy that everything worked out so well.

Meg

I'll see you guys later. waving at the group

………………………………………….

Point 1

Sam is in ruby’s apartment seated at the table looking at his laptop when his phone goes off. It’s a worried Patience asking for help. She tells him she’s had a partial vision that shows Sam standing over Ruby (who is lying on the ground), ready to stab her in the chest with a large knife. She can’t tell where they are, but it’s after dark. She tells him she has had the vision four times now but that it is still only a partial vision. She wants to meet.

Sam asks if she would like Ruby to be there, too. She agrees.

They plan to meet up at the local park. Sam and Ruby have a bit of small talk while waiting for Patience to show up.

Sam has filled Ruby in as much as he can and Ruby is anxious to find out more

Point 2

Patience is understandably upset with her vision. She tells them that she’s had this vision four times and it’s always the same. She is concerned and doesn’t understand why more is not showing up.

Sam asks her to go through the vision from the beginning and tell him and Ruby everything that she has seen.

During her telling them the vision, she gets another small piece. The background starts to become clearer. She sees Sam standing in a forested area with lots of trees and Ruby is lying on the ground in front of him. It’s after dark, clouds open up and the moonlight shows Sam, standing over Ruby, raising a knife and stabbing her in the heart.

Point 3

Ruby is concerned about the vision. Sam suggests they go to the bunker and see what the rest think. Patience agrees and grabs her bag. Sam says they should try to figure this one out.

Point 4

Seated at the bunker table, the group go over the vision. Henry says that is ridiculous, Sam would never hurt ruby.  Meg agrees commenting on how ruby could and would kick his ass if he tried. Charlie listens and agrees with Meg but reminds everyone patience is usually spot on with her visions. Sam says that they need to find a way to help Patience ‘see’ the rest of the vision. Ruby agrees that that should be the first thing they do.

Sam tells Patience that maybe between all of them, they can figure out the vision and as quickly as possible. Patience agrees.

Point 5

The group starts throwing out ideas. Meg thinks Luci is behind it. Henry thinks maybe it’s a ritual of some sort. Ruby asks Patience if she can get a feel for the location. Patience tells them she knows it’s nearby. Ruby helps her use her intuition to find the location. She tells Patience to hold her hand over the map of Kansas. Patience centers herself again. She holds her hand over the map. As she moves her hand over it, she feels a tug, allowing her hand to move freely. It stops over the city of Beloit. Sam and Ruby look at each other with concern. Charlie gives them a knowing look. The rest talk about it being close by and they should be able to get there quickly.

Point 6

Sam gets a map of Beloit and they have Patience try one more time. When her hand stops, it is outside the city (bringing relief to Sam and Ruby) in a forested area. That would match with what Patience saw. She centers over Rock Cut State Park, south of Beloit. They now have a place to start. They will try to find the location once they get to the park. Ruby asks Patience if she should stay behind. If she’s not there, how can Sam kill her? Patience tells her she’s tried that in the past but unfortunately, she can’t beat the visions. It would just readjust for the same result.

Point 7

Everyone gears up and gets ready to leave. It takes a little while for them to get there. The sun is starting to set. Sam can see Ruby getting anxious. He puts his hand on her leg to reassure her and smiles at her. The smile she returns is more of a grimace. Henry and Charlie reassure them that they’ll stop whatever is coming. Once they get to the park Sam suggests they drive through it to see if Patience can pick up anything. After a while, she tells Sam to stop the car. She feels they are near the location.

Point 8

It is after dark now. Sam parks and everyone gets out. They divide into groups.  Sam Patience and Henry in one group.  Ruby Charlie and met in another. Patience points in a direction where she gets the greatest feeling. Sam suggests they try coming to the area on two sides and then meeting up at the end. They will keep in touch with radios. They carefully and quietly move forward.

Point 9

As they are walking, Sam thinks he hears something. He tells Patience and  Henry to stay there while he checks it out.

Meanwhile, the other team moves forward when, after a short time, something runs through them pushing them down. Ruby is pushed back into the bushes and hits her head, knocking her out. Meg gets back on their feet and looks around for Ruby. She’s nowhere to be found. She and Charlie start to panic a little.

Point 10

Sam is looking around, knowing he heard something. He’s holding his flashlight out in front of him in one hand and the demon knife in the other, just in case. Suddenly, he’s jumped from behind. Something has latched onto his back and is trying to claw at him.

He struggles to get it off him. Finally throwing it to the ground, he sees….Ruby. He glances up and sees the moon, just like Patience said. She gets up and charges at him again, arms raised, hands clawed. The moon comes out from behind the clouds, and he gets a good look. Suddenly feeling relieved, he rushes forward knocks Ruby down then stabs her with the demon blade, killing her.  He hears the others, and looking up, he sees everyone, coming through the brush. Ruby isn’t with them.

The group panics that Sam has actually killed Ruby. The others circle Sam and ask how could he kill Ruby. Suddenly Ruby comes up behind the others telling them it’s not what they think. Sam tells them it was a shapeshifter that looked just like Ruby. He smiles and lifts her arm showing the others her blood spell scar in the moonlight. The shifter didn’t have one.

Henry and Meg hide the body in the underbrush.

[whirlybirbs]

               (   another gif by @unearthlydust​ from this beautiful set !   )

✪   —   VACANT MIRRORS  ;  B.B.  |  3/?

summary: you find out about bucky’s past, he finds out about yours. 

pairing: bucky barnes / f!reader

tags: set before & during tfatws, friends to lovers, therapy positive, trauma healing techniques, ptsd mentions, the normalization of anxiety disorders, and a good ol’ slow burn

word count: 6.4k, va va voom

a/n: oh look out here comes the plot, charactization, and growth between to pals who are maybe starting to feel a little something begin to take shape. but ignore that, there’s danger afoot. no spoilers for tfatws here!

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“You know I have to ask these questions. It’s part of the check-in.”

“Yeah,” you fire back, flat enough to warrant Dr. Hart’s scowl to grow. You can’t see it over the phone, but you know the way her words whip around you means she’s upset, “I know.”

“If you’re not following the action plan set out by the judge,” she begins, leaning forward as her tone drops into a scalding hot sort of seriousness on the other end, “You will go to prison. You know this. So, do you want to spend ten years of your life behind bars? Are you trying to get yourself locked up? Come on.”

You can’t look up from your computer’s screen. Or maybe you can, but right now, there’s a dangerous mixture of anger and guilt and frustration boiling under your skin.

“I’m trying.”

“Trying isn’t good enough for the GRC,” Dr. Hart snaps, “You know this. They’re giving you a chance — they know you’re talented. You have the ability here to go straight, to earn a living, to finally make up for those years of blackhat work.”

“Everything I did,” you fire back, ripping your eyes up to meet Dr. Hart’s, “Was for others. I didn’t get a fucking penny.”

“You’re not Robin Hood,” she shakes her head as her tone softens, “We all make mistakes. But, everything has a consequence. You know this. And this conversation isn’t even considering the other charges.”

“You know the extortion case would never hold up in court.”

Dr. Hart sighs raggedly. “And I don’t intend on ever seeing it play out in court, because you’re going to follow the conditions of your pardon.”

“The GRC is a bunch of fascists—”

“Enough,” she snaps, “If you want to go and appeal your case with the judge, be my guest, but I can almost guarantee you’ll be perp-walked out of that Federal courtroom in cuffs.”

She’s right.

Dr. Hart is right.

Your knee is bouncing, up and down and up and down. You’re wound up around yourself, arms crossed tight, brows knotted. With a shaky exhale, you just nod. You breathe, and you remind yourself that she’s right. She’s right, she’s right, she’s right. It’s not worth it. Dipping yourself back into that world, the layer of the web beneath the surface, isn’t worth it.

The GRC is your way out.

Just be a good little girl and do as you're told.

“So, I’m going to ask you again,” Dr. Hart begins, pen clicking alive on the other end of the phone call, “...Have you engaged in any illegal activities online in the last seven days?”

                                                       ◦   ◦   ◦   ◦   

Inessa Sidrova’s photo stares up at him from its place on the speckled marble counter, stacked neatly next to his notebook where her name is scrawled in chicken scratch — between two other names: Zemo and Henrikson.

His laptop, technically on loan from the FBI, sits beside both.

(When Barnes had agreed in that closed doors meeting to the conditions of his pardon, a certain FBI agent by the name of Jimmy Woo had been rather insistent that Barnes needed a personal computer in order to carry out his portion of the conditions insofar as tracking down the remaining HYDRA pawns in the States. Woo had also insisted, to the agreement of Dr. Raynor, that a personal computer would help better acclimate Barnes to the new world he’d been dropped into.

Woo was even nice enough to take an hour of his own time to show Bucky enough to get started — but was whisked away for some investigation out in New Jersey.)

Bucky rubs the cold vibranium of his left palm into his eye, then exhales long and slow.

He’s done all he can. And still, no leads on the woman.

Rounding the kitchen island, he digs his cell from his pocket. He goes back to staring at that text — the one he’d laughed out loud at the moment it lit up his phone — and he can feel that ol’ bite of anxiousness creep into his arms. His fingertips tingle.

On the television, a laugh track plays over a clip of The Three Stooges. Blue eyes flick upward, and he partially wishes a ladder would put him out of his own self-induced misery.

Outside, the antics of a Saturday night in Brooklyn roll on.

In the last few days he’s parsed through his thoughts enough to realize it’s not telling you that scares him — no, it’s telling you the truth. The whole truth. All of it. After all, the good comes with a lot of bad; the sort of bad you chain in a chest and sink in the ocean. And Bucky finds that, even still, the good is questionable at best. The good is… small. Microscopic. Completely and totally tainted by the fuckin’ decades of brainwashed, war dog bullshit.

He groans and drops his head back against the wall.

He tries, for the next twenty minutes, to formulate some sort of reply to your text message. But, half the battle is figuring out what to say, and the other half is actually typing it out. This whole flip phone purchase was really starting to sting like regret — and as much as Bucky loved technology back before the war, and all the magical possibilities it held, he can’t help but feel like an ornery old man now.

It’s the change. Steve was right. Too much change.

He can’t find the space button and he can’t figure out how to delete the random 3 he’d accidentally punched in — so, with a grumpy huff of disapproval, Bucky simply dials your number.

You pick up on the third ring.

“Don’t you know it’s Saturday?” your voice is a welcomed sound, “The History Channel is running a bunch of old war documentaries you might enjoy, grandpa.”

Bucky snorts, fiddling with the hem of his hoodie. “What makes you think I’d wanna watch that shit?”

“Everyone knows that old men like two things,” your voice is light, half-distracted from the sounds of it, “World War Two, or grilling. And honestly, you don’t strike me as the grilling type.”

“I like a good burger.”

“Yeah?” you snort, and Bucky can hear you shift your phone from one ear to the other, “Is that why you called? To hint at being hungry?”

“No,” he exhales, looking out the window, “No, I was trying to reply to your text but I can’t find the fuckin’ space button. Calling is easier.”

“Oh my god—”

“Shut up,” he barks with a laugh, sitting up, “Don’t even start — are you hungry?”

“Almost always, why?”

“Got any plans tonight?”

“... You do know who you’re asking, right?”

Bucky grins, a little boyish and a little tired. “Good point. Loser.”

“Oh, shut up. You’re the one calling me to hangout,” you snort, leaning to prop your feet up on your desk and lean back. Your chair wheels backwards, far enough for you to get a good look down the street. It’s a nice night, cool enough, and it seems like the whole borough is awake, “But, I’m only hanging out if you tell me what the fuck is up with court mandated therapy. I can’t wait another three days.”

Your anxiety has been pricked the last few days over it.

“... Do I get to pick the place?”

You roll your eyes. “Fine.”

“Great,” he exhales tightly, “I hope you’re in the mood for sushi.”

                                                       ◦   ◦   ◦   ◦   

Izzy’s is busy, but there’s privacy in the bustle.

Bucky had buzzed your apartment’s ringer and you’d flown down the stairs, looking… alive. The sort of alive that was new — like a fresh bud beginning to bloom in spring. It had made him grin, and he’d watched you push a tress of hair behind your ear as you decided it was warm enough for no jacket tonight. The light of the crosswalk sign lit you up like a star.

He was sweating.

Dr. Raynor was right — that was it, of course it was — that it was getting too warm for his usual outfit. So, he’d settled on the next best thing: a sweatshirt that was big enough and black enough that he could bury himself in it. His hands are tucked neatly into the pockets.

No gloves tonight.

He feels naked.

He shoulders the door and holds it open with the toe of his boot as you duck towards the back of the restaurant. There’s a booth in the back by a large bamboo plant — you weave through the place with a new found confidence. There’s anxiousness in your shoulders but it melts when you look back at Bucky. Like a watchful guard dog, he nods.

You settle into the booth, toss your jacket in the corner, and smirk.

“I get out sometimes,” Bucky remarks before you can even say anything. He shifts in the booth and reaches up to scratch his cheek with his right hand, “Not often, but I do.”

“I didn’t say anything...”

“You were going to,” he nearly smirks back, his brows raised as he adjusts the chopsticks on the table, “I know that look.”

You snort, nudging his boot under the table. That works a huffed little laugh out the man across from you. Almost immediately you can sense anxiousness rolling off him — it’s the tightness in his mouth that gives him away, the way he’s fussing with the soy sauce dish and trying to get it to line up perfectly with the marbling on the table. Worry flashes in your eyes.

“Bucky.”

He raises his head.

“You alright?” you ask quietly.

“You have to promise not to flip out.”

Your brows knot tightly — but before you can even question what the fuck he means, he’s casually dropping his other hand onto the table.

And you almost don’t notice at first. Your brain fills the gaps in, figuring it’s his glove. But, then you blink and his hand catches the light and you realize it’s not leather. It’s glittering obsidian, garnished with gold, and it’s moving. Flexing. Seams bending and warping and there’s a gentle hum coming from the appendages and you squint because he’s tapping his fingers on the table and there’s a metallic tik-tik-tik that meets your ears.

Then, your eyes jump to his face.

He looks pained.

You’re confused.

And then you’re not.

“You’re —”

You slap a hand over your own mouth. You have to promise not to flip out. Your eyes are eighty miles wide and your jaw is falling open and you’re leaning forward, whispering in a rushed tone because what the fuck.

“You’re that Bucky?!”

Oh, you feel stupid.

The hostess appears, suddenly. You snap backwards in the booth, Bucky tucks his hand away, and you both muster forced smiles to the waitress. She’s young. Pretty. Her name-tag says Sarah.

She asks about drinks.

Bucky gets a beer.

Slowly, you knock your knuckles against the table and drop your head into your hand. The look on your face is exhausted. “Do you guys have Mai Tais?”

The answer is yes. And you’re glad. Because you’re going to fucking need it.

The two of you are quiet until the drinks come — avoiding one anothers gazes for completely different reasons. Bucky is sheepish, a bit mortified, like he always is when people recognize him. It’s why he shaved his fuckin’ head. It worked well enough but… the arm was usually a dead giveaway.

Meanwhile, you’re wondering if you could shave your own head and disappear. Because there’s no easy way to explain the weird elation swirling in your chest right now.

Bucky’s first to speak. His beer is in his good hand. He inhales quickly, eyes darting to you as he leans forward and whispers incredulously. He speaks quickly and his words are pointed with an edge of curiosity.

“...What do you mean ‘that Bucky’?”

“Y’know, I knew there was a reason you acted like you needed a senior citizen discount. And you know exactly what I mean,” you rush out all while waving your Mai Tai and jabbing the side with the umbrella towards him, “Listen, this is a lot to take in, Mr. Avenger.”

“I am not an Avenger—”

“You helped reverse the Snap. You’re the Winter Soldier. That makes you an Avenger—”

Bucky’s shaking his head, eye screwed shut tightly because the sudden equation to his past self being considered a hero is like being socked in the mouth. He stutters over his words and shakes his head more vigorously, like he’s trying not to hear what you’re saying.

“I am not the Winter Soldier. Not anymore. And it’s not like I’m not on the fuckin’ roster, doll—”

You hold a finger up, stopping him there, and take a long sip of your sunset colored drink. You swallow. You exhale. Bucky swigs his beer.

“One, don’t call me doll,” you say curtly, then raise a second finger. You lean in and squint, “Two… Christ, the haircut really makes a big difference, doesn’t it?”

“That’s what everyone keeps saying,” he sighs raggedly, dismissing your scrutiny.

You puff your cheeks out and exhale. Leaning back in the booth, you try not to feel so fucking insane.

“...I can never have you over now.”

Bucky’s brows narrow quickly and his eyes snap to yours. “What?”

“I can’t have you over,” you explain slower with your eyes rooted to the soy sauce in the corner, “Because I don’t think I could ever handle you seeing my signed and framed Captain America poster from his USO tour in 1943.”

Bucky’s face is deadpan. “You’re kidding.”

“I really wish I was,” you gripe, “It’s an original.”

“...You’re a Cap girl,” he says suddenly, leaning back with this look in his eye. It’s less of a question. You can’t pin it down. It looks like he's damn near traumatized.

Bucky thinks — honestly — that this is the cherry on top. Every girl back then was a Cap girl, too. It figures, now, in this new century where he’s making new friends that… as per usual, Steve gets the cake. That fuckin’ pint sized bastard.

He’ll have to tell him about this.

You yank your eyes up to Bucky’s face. His mortification is shifting to surprise to amusement. You’re fast to sit up, mouth opening to fire a retort — but Bucky’s suddenly really enjoying the look of pure horror on your face at the insinuation. He’s smirking. Plain as day. He swigs his beer.

“No, no—” you raise a finger, “No, stop it. Don’t make it fuckin’ weird, Bucky, it’s not like I have his name tattoo’d on my ass. And I knew a girl in college who did.”

His brows rise sharply and you’re finding you’re regretting everything that’s coming out of your mouth.

“Stop looking at me like that,” you guffaw, gesturing for him to show you his hand again, “I wanna see.”

Bucky sighs and plucks his hand from his hoodie pocket.

With a sort of tenderness Bucky wasn’t prepared to handle, you take his metallic hand into your own. There’s an immediate twinge — one that’s procured by flashes of violence from years of being a walking weapon. He breathes, and he reminds himself that this arm is not the same that tethered him to HYDRA all those years ago.

This arm is his, it is not him.

The sensation is different. He isn’t used to anyone touching him like this; he’s used to the feeling of flesh on the other end of a punch, or a throat caught in his palm. Not the gentle pass of your fingers, delicate and purposeful, over his knuckles.

You turn over his hand, eyes alight with curiosity — and Bucky, desperate to stamp out the hotness growing in his gut, moves quickly to flick your nose.

“Ow—”

“Don’t stare,” he says coyly, “It’s rude.”

The waitress is back. His hand is tucked away, and you wrestle the stupid expression off your face long enough to order a plate of assorted maki rolls and some fried tofu. Bucky orders what seems like his usual — shrimp tempura and spicy tuna rolls.

The waitress, Sarah, disappears with a smile.

You’re grinning.

“So… Does this make me the sidekick?” you whisper playfully.

“Shut up,” Bucky laughs, his lips almost darting into a smile.

You cock your head, pushing your chopsticks across the table with a horribly coy look on your face. It’s comical. “...I think this makes me the sidekick.”

“It — stop it — it does not make you the sidekick,” Bucky says slowly as he sips his beer and pins you in the booth across from him, “I’m not a hero. You’d have better luck asking Cap on that one.”

You grow silent. There’s a question hanging on your tongue. You’re wrestling with yourself — Bucky can see that much. He frowns.

“Spit it out, Goose.”

You blink. “Was that a Top Gun reference?”

“You wanted to be the sidekick.”

You wave it off, blinking into your Mai Tai. Your voice is quiet. Even as you speak, there’s a hesitancy akin to walking on eggshells. “What happened to Cap? Is he… alive? He’s gone off the grid. It’s, like, this massive conspiracy theory online.”

“He’s upstate.”

You blink.

“That’s ominous.”

Bucky shrugs. “Someday I’ll take you. It’s… nice.”

You go quiet. You freeze, drink halfway to your mouth. Bucky can’t help but smirk at that. His laugh is more of a scoff than anything.

“Relax, Miss America.”

“Shut up — do you mean that?”

“What, that I think you’re in love with Captain America?”

“No, you bastard, that you’ll take me. To meet him.”

Bucky’s words are easy. They roll off his tongue without a second thought. He feels… okay. Like this part is okay. Not as bad as he thought it could be. His anxiousness isn’t as heavy now. He feels like he isn’t losing you. But then again, he hasn’t gotten to the bad part yet.

“He’s my best friend,” Bucky explains plainly, “And so are you.”

The admission is warm. As easy as breathing. Two months in the making.

“Your only friend,” you say quietly, offering the joke as a cover for the softening tone that dances over your words. It’s affection, you realize, as you mimic his shrug, “But, go on.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Bucky chirps, “But, yea, I mean it. He’d like you.”

You raise your chin, wiggling a bit in the booth. It’s pride — and as much as Bucky likes the look of it, he can’t handle the ridiculousness that comes along with it. But, it’s sort of comforting. He knows this playfulness, this easiness, it’s all because he’s him. You trust him. In.a way, it strikes Bucky with guilt. There are wall of his still built up high. Maybe they’re slowly coming down, but… he’s like a stray dog, slow to trust.

“Safe to say,” you breathe, “I have a few questions.”

“I figured as much.”

You sip your drink and swallow. You raise a hand. “But — I wanna know the boundaries. I don’t want to… I don’t want to pry about shit I have no business knowing, alright? It’s your life and even if we are friends, I don’t need to know everything.”

The relief is almost immediate. He thumbs the label of his beer.

“Ask anything. But I can’t promise I’ll be able to give you the answers.”

“And I’ll leave it at that,” you say sternly, propping your elbow up on the table and offering your pinky finger, “Until you want to talk about it. Promise.”

He crooks his pinky in yours, squeezing gently. You smile.

Sarah comes back with the food, and then Bucky offers his usual half-exhausted, half-amused smirk.

“You get three questions now. Then, we shut up and eat.”

You fold your hands neatly over themselves, eyeing your food as you try your best to sort out what questions come up with the most urgency. There’s… a lot. I mean, everyone knew about the Avengers — and everyone had their opinions. The Sokovia Accords, Lagos, the Blip… and SHIELD. Years of bullshit culminating around those who were considered the heroes. The kickback usually ended up on everyday citizens like you. After the initial amazement, the reality of it all set in.

But, to Bucky’s point, he wasn’t really an Avenger.

Nowadays, there really wasn’t a team at all. No up-state compound, no leader, no Stark and no Rogers.

You’re sure the GRC will try — that the military will try. Morale and hope and blah, blah, blah.

You narrow your eyes. “How old are you?”

It’s quick. “One hundred and six.”

“How’d they keep you alive that long?”

There’s a wince that flashes across his face like he’s been stabbed with a white hot poker in the ribs. You see a twitch of irritation bubble across his lips. Not with you. No, it’s that this question is still hard for him to answer. Bucky exhales sharply.

“Next question.”

You feel a pang of guilt flare in your chest. You move along.

“Who kept you alive that long?”

“The Russians. HYDRA, if you wanna get specific.”

You exhale and settle on the fact you now have more questions than answers. But, you nod and snatch up your chopsticks. Enough of the twenty questions game.

In all honesty, it’s not like Bucky’s existence was common knowledge. The Winter Soldier was known mostly, sure, to those who had floated in the same circles as him when he was nothing but a rabid cur on a choke chain. He can’t help but be a bit thankful for the minor erasure of his new self — sure, in the eyes of the U.S. government he was a high-level threat to be reintegrated as soon as possible and surveyed at all times. But, to the average New Yorker, he was just another person. Everyone was so used to seeing the heroes in their costumes with their bigger than life personas and…

Bucky was just Bucky.

Even he didn’t really know who that was. He was starting to.

His pardon had come with some flak from some of the more political news outlets but… somehow, the details of the Winter Soldier’s exact crimes were being kept silent. Probably to avoid panic. And, even then, the connection between the newly alive James Buchanan Barnes and The Winter Soldier hadn’t been made yet in the public eye. He was glad.

The haircut definitely helped.

It’s like he was a walking classified redaction.

Bucky has a sushi roll in his mouth when he finally speaks. “For such a Captain American fan, I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me.”

“Oh, you’re really not gonna let that go, huh?” you say as you chew, covering your mouth. You swallow and waggle your chopsticks at him, “Listen, it’s been a while since I’ve… y’know, had my Avengers phase. That was years ago. It was at its peak when I worked for SHIELD. And besides, you’re kinda new to the whole superhero scene.”

Bucky frowns. “You worked for SHIELD...?”

“For a year,” you say tightly, “Back before the collapse.”

“Only a year?”

“It was for my graduate program,” you wave it off, “I won out on the most competitive internship NYU had to offer. I was working within their cybersecurity division. I will say I spent more time trying to sort of email phishing scams than anything else, though. I’m sure they saw my record and wanted to keep me away from the juicy stuff.”

Bucky squints.

You offer a sheepish shrug.

“I got into trouble when I was younger,” you sip your drink and sigh, “I always liked computers. I used to spend all my time on forum sites just… reading and talking to people and figuring out how these sites actually worked, so learning how to write my own code was just the next step. When I was fifteen, I learned how to tap phones. At sixteen, I was hijacking my neighbor’s internet conenctions and remotely controlling his laptop.”

“Sounds like a good time.”

“Yea, well, he was a sitting Senator who was having an affair with the nanny,” you mutter, “And I was stupid enough to try and blackmail him for cash. I wish I could say I learned my lesson.”

Bucky exhales long and hard at that, like he knows where that snap of misguided judgement goes. It’s not like he’s passing judgement onto you, but… like he knows the feeling. And you manage to not feel so small, then — telling him this is easy. It’s not your favorite part of your life by any means, but Bucky is listening. Really listening.

He fiddles with the paper wrapper of the chopsticks.

“So, less a Goose and more a Kevin Poulsen type, huh?”

You snort. “For an old man, I’m surprised you know who that is. But, I wasn’t hacking into the Pentagon at seventeen. I was too busy doing community service.”

“HYDRA had their eyes on him in the 90s,” Bucky mumbles through a bite of spicy tuna, the memory popping into his mind and flying out before he can stop it, “I remember… I thought his username was stupid.”

“Oh, you didn’t like Dark Dante?”

“Like I said,” Bucky chortles, “Stupid.”

“You wouldn’t have liked mine, then,” you smirk lightly, “It’s worse.”

Bucky raises his brows, somehow doubting that entirely. “Really?”

“...I was hackrabb1t for a long time. Y’know, with a ‘one’ for the ‘i’,” you cringe, “People kept thinking I was a furry.”

There’s a pause. Bucky’s face is set in an unreadable emotion. It’s confusion mixed with amusement mixed with… something else. When he speaks, he clears his throat and tilts his head.

“It’s clever. But,” a pause, “What is a furry? I’ve been seeing that word all over PlentyOfFish.”

Your jaw flies open. You raise your hands as your head reels around. Bucky has a look on his face like he knows, he knows he shouldn’t have asked and he definitely shouldn’t have given you enough context to know where he’s seen that phrase before, because now you’re looking at him like he has seventeen heads and they’re all on fire.

“Y’know what, nevermind—”

“—Oh, no, no, there’s way too much to unpack here,” you lean forward, “You’re on PlentyOfFish?”

“ChristianMingle wasn’t really my speed — stop laughing.”

“Shut up — stop it, stop — this is too much,” you say with a high voice, “If you get catfished, I’m not helping you track the person down…”

“—What the hell is a catfish?” he nearly cries, raising both hands in a desperate shrug, “I don’t even know what any of these words mean.”

“Oh, you sweet, naive, innocent, man—”

“No, no, no, no,” he chirps, raising a finger with a deadly look of seriousness on his face, “No, I am not naive or sweet or any of the above. I’ll take ‘cute’, sure, but none a’ those.”

“Is that what the furries call you on PlentyOfFish? Cute?”

He drops his head back against the booth and stares at the ceiling.

“Our friendship was a mistake, rabbit.”

You choke out a laugh. “Shut up, you walking claw machine.”

You’re both laughing now — quieter but sustained and everytime you think you’ve calmed down enough to sip your Mai Tai, you just have to look at the distraught, scruffy man across from you to break into another fit of muffled laughter. Finally, after what feels like forever, you both manage to calm down enough to finish the plates in front of you.

There’s a warmth that’s settled in Bucky’s chest — it’s eaten away at the usual jitter in his legs, the anxious twitch of his fingers. It’s a different emotion. Acceptance, maybe. Comfort. Affection.  

Then, while you’re piling the last bit of sushi rice into your mouth when your phone, set on the side of the table, begins to go off. It hums erratically, dancing in a circle, and all you do is stare at the name flashing across the screen. You’re smiling, hugging her. It’s from Jaimie’s wedding — out in some big, wide open orchard with the sun setting behind you. The picture there is old; you were both different people then.

Before… everything.

MOM Morristown, NJ

You scowl and stare.

Bucky blinks.

“You gonna get that?”

Quickly, you snap out of it. You reach and silence the buzzing with two quick taps. Quietly, you offer up a somber sigh.

“I never do.”

Bucky frowns again, this time with a worried look that digs deep into his eyebrows. You ignore it on purpose, pushing your plate away and leaning back in the booth. He knows what you’re doing — you’re avoiding his gaze, and therefore his own questions.

“Rabbit.”

“Oh, is that my new nickname, then?”

“It fits,” he chirps before crossing his arms, strategically hiding his metallic hand, “What’s up?”

You grow quiet — then it spills out.

“I can’t talk to her.”

“Why?”

You chew your lip. You bite your tongue and you hold back on the finer points of your anger — ones dredged up by the still present sting of your check-in with Dr. Hart this afternoon.

Here it comes.

“As a part of my pardon, I was ordered no-contact with my family,” you exhale, controlling the level of your voice, reciting the court papers you’d read over and over and over, “It was deemed that further contact would impact my progress towards reformed behavior and judgment.”

Bucky’s eyes are wide. His jaw is tight.

“What the fuck do you mean ‘pardon’?”

It’s your turn to cross your arms now, to ignore the sting of his look. It’s the kind that screams disappointment more than anything. You hate that you’re getting it from Bucky of all people.

“Like I said, I didn’t learn my lesson when I was a kid,” you shirk, “Last year I was arrested on a number of counts — I’d been evading the FBI, CIA, all of them, for years. I was doing it all for people like me. The ones who got left behind.”

Bucky’s tone is flat. It’s serious. His next sentence is less of a question, more of an order. The cadence is rhythmic and it reminds you of your brother the night he found out about the first time you’d been arrested; you decide, then, that Jaimie and Bucky would have gotten along.

“What did you do?”

“Whatever I could,” you wave your hands, “Identity theft, falsified documents, insurance fraud. Anything. There were people, like me, that in a blink, lost everything. Accidents, deaths, evictions and no one did anything for us. The insurance agencies wouldn’t cover damages related to The Snap. Life insurance policies, social security… It all got snatched up by people at the top while the system collapsed around us. I had to pay for my brother’s funeral out of pocket. And there were hundreds of thousands of people just like me, just trying to get by. And everything failed us.”

Bucky is stuck in silence. It’s like mud, dragging him to the bottom of a pond — the sort that’s dredged with misery. In an instant, his veins are on fire with an anger he hadn’t felt in a while. It manifests itself in the tightening of his jaw. He rubs his face and props his elbows up on the table.

“Why won’t they let you see your family?”

You fiddle with your napkin.

“My brother… His wife was on maternity leave when she disappeared in the Blip,” you mutter, “She came back to no job, a dead husband, and no home. Their apartment complex had been abandoned. She’s trying her best to make ends meet. She lives with my Mom in our old home. Neither of them can find work. They… The court thought that I’d be influenced to do something if I was around them.”

“What, like help?”

“They see me as a criminal,” you manage, “But I’m useful, so they’re keeping me around.”

Silence falls between the two of you once more — and the sad look on your face makes Bucky’s chest tight. He can see anxiety beginning to spill over; you’re wringing the napkin, fiddling with the edges. Suddenly, Bucky realizes you’re feeling exactly how he was an hour or so ago.

Your voice is soft. “I’m sorry. I was going to tell you.”

“Looks like we’re two birds of a feather,” he says, knocking the toe of your sneaker with his boot, “Listen, we all do stupid shit. I’ve got a lot worse weighing me down. I get it.”

You look up, sadness glistening in your expression like sun off a lake. It’s harsh. He wants to look away.

He doesn’t.

“... So, that means you’re good with computers?”

                                                      ◦   ◦   ◦   ◦  

That’s how you find yourself in Bucky’s Brooklyn apartment at almost midnight, wandering behind him in the long halls and watching curiously as he digs his key from his pocket and shoulders the door open.

It’s a small apartment. One bed, one bath, a kitchenette and that’s really it.

For its size, it’s hardly lived in.

You suppose it makes sense — Bucky didn’t have a lot of personal belongings, and with the hints he’d dropped about his life before The Blip, you were beginning to understand that he may have never really had that much to begin with.

There’s a blanket on the floor by the television and a single couch pillow. It’s tucked in the corner, behind a small sofa. There’s a chair in the living room, one from an old dining set. At the kitchen counter, there’s a stack of papers and a single laptop. Even though all the kitchen’s wares are older models, the bones of the apartment are good. Bare, but good.

You stop in the doorway to the bedroom and stare at the untouched bed. The sheets are tucked tightly in the corners — there’s something militaristic about it. Across the hall is the bathroom. It’s small. You can see a few amenities scattered across the sink’s top.

Being in here feels something like an open wound.

It was lonely. Quiet. Cold.

“We need to make a trip to HomeGoods,” you mumble as Bucky flicks on the lights, “I get the whole minimalist thing, but sheesh.”

“I don’t have a lot,” he says, kicking off his boots by the door and shrugging off his jacket, “And I don’t need a lot either.”

You watch as his shoulders sag a bit, like he can finally let down his guard just a little in his own space. It’s endearing. You perch yourself up on the kitchen counter as your eyes follow him; he moves to fling open a cabinet and grabs a mug. Then, he hesitates.

“You want tea?” he asks over his shoulder.

“Tea?”

“Dr. Raynor said,” Bucky reaches for a container of tea bags from the top shelf. His henley lifts enough to flash a bit of skin along his lower back and you swear you see a scar, “It would help with my anxiety.”

You swing your legs a little. “Then sure.”

“You can use my Captain America mug,” he chirps, laughing a little to himself, “Seeing as you’re such a big fan…”

“God, I regret even saying anything to you,” you spit as you hop down and lean around him to get a look at the mug, “Did you seriously buy that?”

“It was a gift.”

“Bullshit.”

Bucky snorts as you shake your head and wander backwards, eyeing the rest of his apartment with a bit of astonishment. It’s really nothing impressive — but, you suppose it makes sense. Whatever meager disbursement that the government was willing to give Bucky for his efforts in fixing the Snap was better than nothing.

Your gaze hangs on the blanket in the corner.

He watches you; and he notes the sore sadness that dissolves your posture at the sight of the nest in the corner. A bit of shame colors his cheeks as he heats up the water. When Bucky speaks, it’s slow.

“The bed was too soft. I couldn’t sleep on it,” he shifts from foot to foot and focuses on taking the tea bags out and methodically wrapping the strings around the handles, “Dr. Raynor said that’s a typical thing for soldiers to experience when they come home from war.”

You’re quiet for a while after that, only speaking when he rounds the counter with your tea. He offers it up with a tilt of the head.

“You never got to come home, though, right?”

“No,” comes the short reply as you both watch the lights outside the window, “No, I didn’t. Not until now.”

You nudge his arm with yours. You lean a bit. Bucky leans back.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he manages after a sigh and sip of the tea, “I can’t just feel sorry for myself anymore. I’m trying to fix the wrongs I did — and that’s why I need your help.”

You quirk a brow. He reaches around you and grabs the stack of papers on the counter. With a steady grip, Bucky presents the photo of a woman who looks strikingly familiar. You can’t place her face, but there’s something about her that feels like a slap across the cheek. She’s young here, in a faded photo with tattered edges. Beside her is a man who is laughing. The photo is candid, and they’re both beautiful. They’re both  wearing a uniform — but you can’t place the era or location.

You turn to Bucky for answers.

“Back in the 70s, at the height of the Cold War, HYDRA was working in tandem with the Russians to spy on American forces,” he offers easily, staring out the window, “The American HYDRA cell hadn’t yet been planted. This man, Andrei Kuznetzov, was a spy. He was feeding the Americans information on the Russian nuclear program. His wife, the one in the photo, was ordered to kill him. She refused.”

Bucky’s fingers twitch.

His words are soaked through with pain.

“I,” he continues, “killed him.”

You hold your breath. Then you spare him a mournful look.

“Inessa Sidrova went on to help form the same HYDRA cell that ended up taking over SHIELD here in America,” Bucky mumbles, “She’s dangerous. There’s others like her, ones who I helped create, all over the world. But, she’s my top priority. I just haven’t had much luck tracking her down.”

“That’s why you need my help.”

“I’m 106 years old,” Bucky deadpans, “The microfiches at the library were getting a little tedious.”

“But,” you chirp with a sly smirk, “You figured out how to set up a PlentyOfFish account?”

He shoulders you again as you sip your tea and laugh.

“Shoulda never said anything,” Bucky grumbles, “Dr. Raynor thought it was a good idea. Y’know, to get back out in the world.”

“I can promise you,” you say with a stern shake of the head, “The metal arm will get you plenty of chicks and dudes in due time.”

“Good to know,” Bucky replies as his words lilt with a playful sort of questioning that you purposefully ignore. You’re not feeding his ego today. Maybe tomorrow, after you take a crack at figuring out where this woman is.

It’s going to be a long night.

[electionfraudking]

(Takes place several hours before xigbar is brought to bfd)

Xigbar brought the cloak this time. Leaving it behind before was a mistake he wouldn't make twice. Blanket was NOT fuckin' enough.

He hauled the last of the bodies up from the sort of. Morgue/freezer setup Showie had up to the makeshift lab he'd put together under the Kins Storage. He didn't know how far underground he was, but it had to be pretty deep. All the better for human experimentation, he supposed. Not like that's an above ground activity.

He dialed her number on his phone, and she picked up instantly.

“Hey.” She said.

"Hey, doll. Finally got all the bodies down here."

“Great. And you brought the cloak?”

"Yeah. Not doing this without it again. The blanket was nowhere near enough."

“Ha-ha. Got you to admit you didn’t bring the cloak last time even though you said you did.”

"Boooooooo. You suck. Run me through the steps again?"

“You got the body all laid out, yeah?”

"Well. More or less. Kinda just flopped. Carrying a bunch of bodies down here is hard work, okay? Leave me alone." He didn't mean it do NOT leave him alone.

“Okay, okay. Pick one and get it in a separate area. For this experiment we’re gonna revive them over and over and over to see what happens. Run your choice by me, though. No one valuable.”

"Well, the options today are…" He checked the bodies. "Jeremy Heere, Sasha Waybright, Default Mii, Qifrey, and Stede Bonnet. Figured it'd be a good idea to start with the freshest ones."

“Ooooh-kay,” She said, and he heard a tapping noise.

"What's that sound?" He asked.

“Stanley brought me my laptop! I’m taking notes!” Her voice sounded bright. “Anyway, let’s start with,,,,, Stede. Not a teenager and not a non-human. Looking at his historical file there is little of value to lose, memory wise. Additionally, he was in team We Cause Problems.”

"Damn, alright. So I just kill and revive him over and over? How many times, do you think?"

“Take notes each time, maybe ask a set of questions? Record his responses as you go. Maybe,,,, Do you know where you are, do you know who i am, do you know who you are, etc? And keep an eye on his physical form as well. Uh- the kins, they put everyone in hospital gowns, yes?”

"Yeah, they're in the hospital gowns." He looked over the bodies and shook his head in disappointment. "Man, I was hoping Sasha was gonna win that round. I like her. Kid's got guts."

“Well, nothings permanent when you have necromancy!” She said brightly. “We can exclude her from the subject pool and- oh, here’s an idea. Start with her, she’ll be our control. Bring her back once and then set her aside.”

"Works for me." Xigbar grinned. "Perks of being named vice showrunner, huh?" He pulled Sasha aside and set her up to be resurrected.

“Oh, definitely. When this is through we can make you a bracket and switch places.”

"I could make you election fraud queen- we can have matching sashes."

“Maybe that’ll happen in the couple battle? That tournament runner and I had a very nice chat just last night.”

"Ha- why does that make me nervous?" He pulled on the cloak. Gonna remember that every goddamn time now. Hell, he even brought a couple spares.

"Going silent for a minute. Gotta do the thing." He set up the sigil and then lit it. He heard Showie quietly counting down on the other end of the line.

“Okay, get ready~” She said.

The room filled with frigid wind. Most of which went around the cloak, like it had a- No Shit, Xigbar, of course it had a force field. Not like that was Showie’s specialty or anything.

She waited a few more seconds until the real cold hit, then said, “Well, it probably makes you nervous because we were talking about you!”

"You wha-" the words were stolen from his lungs when the Real cold hit. Damn you, Showie. Why does he even work for you. You suck.

“Oh, it was nothing bad,” She said, and he could hear her grin. “15 more seconds until Sasha begins moving!”

"Then why did you say it like that?!" Oh. Cheat code. Breathe THROUGH the cloak. The air is still cold, but it doesn't straight up hurt like that.

“Say it like what?” She said innocently.

Sasha begin to writhe, 15 seconds after that, the air returned to normal and she sat up, gasping.

“The questions,” She reminded him. As if he needed reminding.

"Swear to god, I'm gonna-" Ough. This woman. Xigbar cleared his throat. He grabbed his notepad off the table. "Hey, kid. Can you tell me who you are?"

"S-Sasha Waybright," she responded. Still seeming a bit out of it. Xigbar wrote it all down, the name and her condition.

"And do you know where you are?"

"It was…" Sasha put her face in her hand, like she had a migraine. "Some kind of tournament. White Boy Bracket? I was in a round and-" she looked up, pale. "I died?"

"Sure did, kiddo. But hey, who cares, right? Not like you're still dead!" Never talk to children again.

“That was a bit insensitive,” She said, “Check her physical condition? Mark down any changes you can see and then ask her if anything feels different.”

"Hi, yeah, no?" Sasha snapped, shakily getting to her feet. "No one's checking any of my physical conditions, thanks."

"Kid, chill. You're not getting touched. Just trying to make sure you didn't get fucked up in the resurrection, like some people. One guy didn't have a mouth for a while."

Sasha didn't look convinced. Still, she held her arms out in a T and turned.

"Great. Thanks. Not seeing anything unusual."

"Yeah, no, I could've told you that."

“I did say to ask her.” Showie said.

"Yeah, well, nothing's weird." Sasha rolled her eyes.

"See what I mean?" Xigbar laughed. "The kid's got some balls! Fuckin' love that! Just mouthing off to the Showrunner like it's no biggie!"

“Yeah, well,” Showie said, “There should be a room off to the side. New clothes, food, place to rest. Put her there.”

Xigbar gestured with his head the direction she was supposed to go in. Sasha rolled her eyes again, but went into the designated room.

“Alright,” Showie said, “Pretty successful control. Personality seemed intact, yes?”

"Most personality I've seen from a kid her age in a while." When it came to personality, Roxas and Xion were Not It. At least, not for a while.

“Oh, you should meet Annabeth. Percy, too. But they’re both solidly off limits. If Percy lost, I think I’d rig it. Anyway, onto Stede.”

"Right. So, rinse and repeat with what happened with Sasha, then just kill him again? Just to confirm."

“Yes. Avoid too much blood loss or head trauma, though, Blood loss would only frighten the others once it was their turn. Head trauma could muddy the results.”

"Cauterizing shot through the heart. Got it."

She hummed in agreement. He reset the ritual, this time using Stede, and relit it. Time for cold again. "So if the conversation wasn't 'that bad', then why did you say I should be nervous?" He chuckled.

A sort of evil giggle, “Oh, you don’t need to be nervous.”

Chuckle revoked.

"Okay, now I am nervous."

“No, no it’s fine! We just- you know, I didn’t really have anyone to talk to, so we talked! And it was fine! Now, the cold.”

He was ready this time.

"... You can talk to me-" That came out way more pitiful than he meant. Good job beating the poor little meow meow allegations, Xigbar.

“Not about this,” She laughed, “Anyway, did you put all of Team We Cause Problems into the match? Sasha, Stede- Virgil?”

"Nah, just Sasha and Stede. If I'm going purple, it's gonna be that Afton guy."

“Oooooh,” She said, “Oh, the effects of degradation on him would be fascinating. You know he’s already a living rotting corpse? That’s why he’s purple, he’s decayed! We might even do him a favor, reviving him. Set him right.”

"You want me to save him for when you get back, then? So you can see?"

“Hmm. Yes.” She sounded pleased, “It'll be interesting. He moving now?”

"Yeah, doin' the floppy thing." Don't make a dick joke. Don't make a dick joke. Don't make a dick joke.

“Pfft,” She laughed, “You know what else?”

"What? Did you just-?!"

“Oh, you know! Ah! He awakens!” She said, apparently she had the timing memorized, because Stede did, in fact, Awaken.

"Hang on- did you seriously just make a dick joke-"

“You walked right into it! Now, pay attention to our guest.”

Dear fucking god he was in love.

"Right, ah-" he cleared his throat, and rattled off the questions.

When Stede answered accordingly, Xigbar wrote everything down. Then, without giving him a chance to react, shot him right through the heart. Stede was dead before he hit the ground, and not a single drop of blood spilled. Goddamn he's good.

"Goddamn, I'm good."

“Yeah, yeah. Bring him back. Pretend like the first one didn’t happen, but ask him if he’s seen you recently.”

"Alright, fine."

Run through of the ritual again. Did it Have to be this cold? There is no reason anything should be this cold. Christmastown wasn't even this cold. Stede still answered appropriately. Seemed a little frightened.

Now for the good question.

"Have you seen me at all recently?"

"Y-yes, you just shot me."

"Oh, did I? My bad."

Bang.

Xigbar laughed like it was the best joke he'd seen in forever. It kinda was. I mean, the look on that guy's face? Absolutely priceless.

“Okay, okay, look him over for non-arrowgun damage and then bring him back,” She said, trying not to laugh, “Just turn him over with your foot or something.”

"Alright, alright, just- give me a second-" He needed to calm down. "Fuck, I wish you were here. You should've seen his face when I shot him!"

“I wish we could do video call, but then-” She paused, “But then tu-sais-qui would be able to hear you. And I don't mean, you know. Mon ex-mari. If only I had headphones.”

"Ah, well. When you're here, we can do this again."

Xigbar nudged Stede over, looking him over for wounds. "Well… He's missing an eyebrow, but nothing else."

“Oh, weird. That’s new. Mark it down- that’s near the head, so. Hm. Carry on.”

"Right."

Ran through it again. Still cold. Less bad though. Getting used to it?

From the get go, Stede looked scared. Especially once he laid eyes on Xigbar. Good. Be afraid. Xigbar had barely even opened his mouth before the guy took off running. He made it past him, but not much farther before he slipped and fell. In a moment of total clarity and definitely not panic, Xigbar may have. Accidentally slipped and shot Stede perfectly through the heart again. Whoopsie.

"Oops."

“What happened?”

"So. Totally normal, but uh- I may have jumped the gun. Literally. He tried to make a run for it. Knee jerk reaction, I killed him again."

“Oh. Well. Try not to do that,” She didn’t sound mad, “But we have the answer to at least one question. He definitely remembered you.”

"Tell me about it." Xigbar kicked the body- wait. No wonder he fell. "Dude's got two left feet. No wonder he ate floor."

“What, literally? Bizarre. I wonder if it’s just the degradation or if it’s how soon they’re happening, one after the other. Uh, hm. How unethical are we willing to get?”

"Doll, I'm willing to do a lot more than you'll make me. I'm ready to get downright heinous in here."

“Nothing heinous, just… perhaps a bit psychologically cruel? It would be interesting to see what would happen if we spaced the deaths out a little more. Once a day? Once a week? But I- I wouldn’t want to leave them in that sort of consistent, unending fear. Can you kill subtly? I don’t want them to see it coming. Perhaps we can hook them up to some sort of drip? We do have a hospital room adjacent to the lab… we could tell them that they’re hurt, that it’s a sedative? Pretend they’re in a hospital, so they don’t run? And of course I would work to undo any degradation they experienced once I got back.”

"... Good fucking lord." He needed a second. "You have no idea how hot that was, oh my god."

“W-well now I’m worried, was that worse than just killing them? I don’t want them to, like, sit in the fear!”

"No, no, you're fine. Just. Wow. I wanna study your brain." And also maybe. Yeah. Please laugh.

Small laugh, “That’s not very reassuring. I-is that a good idea or should we think of something else? Or, in either case, who should it be? Our test subject I mean.”

“Hm,” He checked his notes, “Washington?”

“Oooh, yes. I wouldn’t mind getting unethical with that creep. That came out wrong.”

"HA! You can get unethical with me anytime." The floodgates are open. Here come the sex jokes.

“Just revive him!” She said, laughing, “We can do this later!”

[ramblesanddragons]

Your hot drink is stirring itself.

You watch in shock as it does so and resist the screaming in your head telling you to run. You resist calling your partner because that would be admitting that they were right, and the place was haunted. They were right of course but you’d deal with the playful “I told you so” later. You have to focus on the right now. It takes several deep breaths before you decide how you’re going to handle this.

You start by clearing your throat and the stirring stops, the spoon dropping onto the saucer with a clatter.

“Um hello?”

No response.

“Hey, I didn’t scare you off, did I? Look I just want to talk.”

The radio in the kitchen buzzes and you follow the sound. You adjust the dial until you hear the faintest of noises.

“He-o”

“Hi there. So, turns out my spouse was right. Go figure. Do you have a name? I feel bad just calling you The Ghost.”

The radio buzzed. “Martha.”

“I guess you know our names by now. I’m sorry if we’re disturbing you.”

You got a bit of non-descript static in response. The worse thing they’ve done so far is they keep moving where you keep the bread. A few doors have shut too but it’s less slamming and more a gentle push.

“Is there a way that we can make our stay here better for you? Because this...this place is all we can afford. The housing market was a nightmare. I think I know why we got a semi-decent price on this place now.”

“L-lonely,” Martha said.

“Oh, we can fix that. I’m working from home right now. Probably will be for a while. We can hang out when I’m not on a call.”

“Do...ou..lke..scrab...?”

“Do I like... scrabble? I love scrabble.” You picked up the radio and placed it on the table next to your laptop. There was a sound almost like a relieved laugh. “Let me go get my game.”

[tex-was-taken]

So I caved and decided to make an OC for COD. Why? Because why the hell not.

TeX

"At a press of a button, I'll be the one laughing here."

Picrew used (I WISH A COULD DRAW)

Meet 141's target new recruit: Angelo 'TeX' Salvador.

He is Task Force 141's new fillipino cyber expert and excels as a frightening hacker. Unlike the operatives in the team, he is unable to take arms on the field due to missing a leg the frontline.

But that doesn't mean can't put his skill to use!

Short story ahead!

Once a soldier, always a soldier. But in Angelo's case, losing a leg meant he couldn't fight in the frontlines anymore. Nowadays, he is a freelance hacker who takes on contracts from even the shadiest of people, all for the fun and money.

As long as they don't involve the government that is.

"Here's your coffee, Angelo." A waiter approached the table where Angelo sat, holding a cup of hot liquid and offered to the man. "Busy as always, huh?"

"You betcha, salamat." He takes the cup in his hand, the warmth absorbed into his hand as the aroma of freshly brewed java filled his nostrils. "Got tons of report to analyse and send off. Can't waste time, and besides why not enjoy it with the best coffee in town?"

The waiter chuckled, "The best indeed. Anyways, howl if you need me."

RING

Before he said anything, his phone began to let out a buzz. Every second, it vibrates. Angelo frowned to see the name that popped on the screen, 'Annoying', he was hoping it was someone completely different.

He sighs, picking up the phone.

"TeX, have you gotten our information yet?"

Of course.

Straight to the point.

"Their systems are slightly outdated but their security is hardcore." He responded, observing his screen as the loading bar continued to increment.

"So you can't get crack it?" The voice sounded disappointed. "Such a shame, I thought—"

"Now hold on a minute, buddy. I didn't say I gave up, didn't I? Took a couple of days to break their encryption. Had to sacrifice a shit tons of resources to keep them from tracing me."

"Cut the bullshit, TeX. Our deal?"

Angelo rolled his eyes. Quite a persistent fellow. "Yes, I have it here. Will have a drop point ready for you in a few hours." Twirling a USB around his finger.

"Good. You'll have your pay as soon as the exchange is made."

"Pleasure doing business with ya." Angelo smirked, the files finally ready to be transferred. The call ended and he sets the phone done next to the laptop, plugging the drive into the port. "What did this guy want anyways..." he uttered as he browsed through the files.

It didn't take long to realise what he had stolen.

Reports, logs, secrets, and Operative information. A file drew his attention as it was clearly out of the ordinary in a directory full of sub directories.

Read me

...

A bright red laser appeared on his chest, moving carefully towards the top of his head like. Even if he moved, he wouldn't get away with a leg like his.

He was caught.

"Ah shit."

He clicked his mouse on the text file, reading what was saved as he felt sweat dropping from his temple. He never felt this pressure since he was a soldier.

The fear running down his spine as he is in enemies sight.

Not bad. Your actions haven't gone unnoticed but I'm impressed you made it this far. We had our eyes on you for quite some time now, TeX.

You got two choice.

Angelo read the next lines, it looks like he will have to decide what comes next. Surrender and confess to his crimes or...

He slowly picked up his phone. Dialing the number that was on the screen and waited.

"So?"

Angelo drew his sight towards the source of the light.

"I'm in."

[reidgraygubler]

out of the ordinary (chip taylor/reader)

Title: Out Of The Ordinary

Request: no

Couple: Chip Taylor/Fem!Reader

Category: smut/angst

Content Warning: SEXUAL CONTENT (penetrative sex, fingering, oral (fem), sex while someone is injured, breeding kink, groping, praise kink, multiple orgasms, hair pulling), swearing, blood and other bodily fluids, graphic descriptions of violence(!!!!), mentions of sexual acts, 68 Kill Spoilers, mentions of a dead partner, mentions of drugs (unknown), guns and gun violence, talks about kids (in the very far future),

Word Count: 9,562

Summary: Reader works at a hotel where she sees a lot of things out of the ordinary… Including a man running across the parking lot wearing nothing but a small towel around his waist. If only she knew her day was about to get weirder

A/N: day three of what might have been the biggest mistake of my life. But i had fun! Idk how april does it bc i was struggling. Anyways, here is some chip smut. I didn’t edit this too super well, so please pardon any of the editing errors/grammatical issues. The next ones will/are beta’d and edited… thank you so much for sticking with me on this! Tomorrow is something i had a lot of fun writing!  Here is the masterlist for 7days 7fics! And here’s my main masterlist! Thank you all for the love and support! 

{***}{***}{***}

I wish that even though I lived in a small town, in the middle of butt-fucking nowhere, I would see normal things. You know? Things that happen in small towns in the middle fucking nowhere. But, because it’s in the middle of nowhere, and the highway goes right through the middle of our town, we get a lot of… interesting guests. Which makes my job a little entertaining, sometimes. 

Sitting behind a window at a tiny, run-down hotel early morning to mid-afternoon was what I did for a living. 90% of the time I spent my time just sitting there, reading a book/magazine, messing around on my phone, or working on an assignment for my class. That other 10% is checking people in or out of their rooms. 

My day was so close to coming to an end. 11:30… I just needed to be here for one more hour, and then I can go home and go to bed. And, surprisingly, nothing weird had happened. It was a successful day, praise the fucking Lord or whoever is watching down. 

Until, I jinxed myself…I thought I had hit the one allotted out of the ordinary thing for the day. That was until, as I was finishing up this essay, and I heard something from out in the parking lot. When I looked away from my laptop to investigate. And what I saw was not what I was expecting, at all.

A tall man was running across the parking lot, coming right towards the check-in/out window. Now, you might be wondering why this was out of the ordinary. Well, you see, he was running across the parking lot wearing nothing but a face washcloth around his waist. Let’s just say it left little to nothing to the imagination. 

“H-hey! Hi,” he spoke, coming right up to the counter. I was more than happy that there was a counter and window between the two of us. I’m happy he was attractive, in all sense of the words. He was very attractive.  “Do… Do you have a phone… That I could borrow?” he asked, looking at me with actual worry and terror in his eyes and face. I stared at him with a raised brow.

“What happened to the one in your room?” I moved away from my laptop and leaned on the counter beside it. He looked over his shoulder at the room he stayed in. I cocked my head to my shoulder and stared at him. “What room number are you?”

“Uh, that… That doesn’t really matter? Um, I’m running late,” he cringed as he looked back at me. I blinked slowly before looking down at the clipboard with the most recent check-ins. 

“Sure,” I looked right at the last name and noted the time he checked in, “Mister Delacroix?” I slowly looked back at him.

“Chip,”

“Well, listen, Chop,” I paused my words as I walked over to the door to let him in. I was just happy he didn’t correct me when I called him the wrong name. I could have corrected myself, but I was just annoyed that I’d probably have to take care of the mess in his room.

“The owner’s son texted me, telling me that the people in your room had a rager last night… So, if I have to go clean that room and see cum and piss all over the room, and a coke tray on the counters, I’m charging you double,” I looked up at him as he entered the office. He was a lot taller standing in front of me. I don’t know why I thought he was shorter. Maybe its because he was standing on lower ground and I was inside.

  “I… Rager?” He stared at me with a confused crease in his brow. I stared at him before slowly nodding. “Do… Do you know who came over? Do you know who it was?”

“I… Uh, I’ll have to ask the owner’s son. But, by the sounds of it, it was a little rough. I’m surprised you’re still up and walking without a limp,” I chuckled. I slowly looked up and down his body, taking in how he looked. He was slightly muscular, and though he had abs, his tummy was slightly pudgy. Which I could get with. I could appreciate a bit of a tummy on a guy like him. 

“Listen,” he started, his words showing more urgency than before. I looked up, away from his body and at his face. It was probably his urgency that got my attention because I definitely almost went a little lower than the towel. “I need to know-Do you have any clothes? This is slightly distracting,” he looked at me. I wasn’t too sure if he was talking distracting for me, or for him. But I do agree, it was very distracting.

“Uhm,” I furrowed my eyebrows as I pulled my stare off him and went to look for the lost and found box, “There’s not much in here, but I’m sure there’s something,” I glanced at him as I placed the box on the counter. 

“Right, thanks,” Chip looked at me before going to dig around in the box, “Do you know who came to my room last night?” 

“I think… Hold on,” I muttered before rushing to the counter, shuffling some papers to find a random sticky note with some sloppy hand writing, “Christ, I forget he doesn’t speak english,” I shook my head as I stared at the writing. “Some goth chick and her boyfriend, or whatever. Uh, yeah, he told me about it this morning before he left. Like, 6 other people I think,” I swallowed roughly and shook my head, “It sounds like they roughed the place up?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he looked away from the box for a brief moment. I watched as he pulled out a white and red t-shirt (that was left behind by a group of younger women) and a pair of sweat-shorts. “Great, now I gotta go back to that fucking gas station. Fucking fuck,” he muttered to himself as he dropped the towel to the ground. I widened my eyes and couldn’t help but stare at his ass.

“Gas station?” I asked, keeping my eyes on his body as he turned to face me. That was when I got a view of the full frontal package. I swallowed roughly.

“Are… Are you going to turn around?” he looked at me with nervousness in his eyes as he held the pants and shirt close to his body, lower towards his crotchal region. I smirked, raising an eyebrow and cocking my head to the side.

“Nope,” I looked up at him with a smile. When I noticed that he wasn’t going to move to get dressed, I dropped my shoulders before turning around.

“Which gas station are you talking about?” I asked, looking at the ground. I wasn’t entirely sure why I asked which gas station it was he was talking about. There was just one gas station in the whole town, and I knew he was in a bit of trouble.

  From behind me, I could hear Chip muttering strings of profanities to himself. Part of me wondered if he needed help with anything, or if I was just a disposable person in his day. Probably the latter. 

“The one down the street,” his voice was low. I wondered what he was thinking about and what his urgency was all about. “You can turn around. Can I use the phone,” he asked as I turned to face him. I looked at him and held back a laugh. Which, in turn, earned a glare from him. 

“Yeah, yeah, you have to dial 1 before the number you’re calling,” I went to move the phone closer to him, nearly pushing/pulling everything off the counter. 

“Thanks,” he looked over at me before picking up the phone and dialing his number. I watched as he turned away from me. He wasn’t on the phone for very long, and it didn’t sound like it was a good call. 

“I… I gotta go. Can I use your car?” Chip asked as he looked out at the only car in the lot. I followed his gaze at my shitty 2001 Saturn. I furrowed my eyebrows before looking back at him.  

“I can just give you a ride, you know… And, it’d probably be better if you had a partner with you. That phone call didn’t sound good… At all. And, no one will take you seriously dressed like that,” I nodded at his attire. He looked down at what he was wearing before looking back at me. “Back up just in case? No one will notice I’m gone,” I let out a dry laugh. 

“It’ll be dangerous,” he looked at me with worry in his eyes. I shrugged before looking at the ground.

“I could use a little danger in my life,” I laughed before looking back at him, “I’ve been sitting in this stupid office, doing this stupid job since I was 16. The hundreds of people I’ve seen is crazy. This job is boring, I need something risky.” I explained when I noticed he needed more information.

“You could die,” he pointed out. I shrugged like it was no big deal.

“I could die just sitting here. Let me help you,” I stare at him with wide eyes. He looked at the ground and sighed. I could tell he wanted to fight with me, to get me to stay. But I could also tell he really needed help, and really needed to get out of this stupid town and state. 

“Fine, you can come. But, you can’t ask any questions,” he pointed at me. I smiled before closing my laptop and grabbing for my car keys.

“Fine, let’s go,” I looked at him before pushing past him and leaving the office.  

Chip was close behind me, still muttering to himself. From what I did hear, I heard the number 68,000 and then the word dollars. 68,000 dollars??? And he’s in a shit town like this?! What the fuck? What the fuck am I getting myself into? Fuck, this is a mistake… Fuck. 

The ride to the gas station was quiet. Chip must have been thinking of what he was going to say or do when he got there. Let’s just hope it wasn’t Monica there. Bitch is crazy.

“Stay here, I have a feeling what I need isn’t here,” he muttered as he got out of the car. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“W-w-wait, you don’t want me to go with?” I asked as I slipped out of the car too, “Listen, I know the family that owns this gas station. They’re crazy. They’re nuts.”

“I got it. Just… just wait here,” he looked over at me one last time before going in. I stared at the door that he disappeared into before slamming the door shut. I leaned against the side of my car, patiently waiting for Chip to come back out. 

I don’t even know how long he was in there for. But, it was a very long time. Worry took over as I began to overthink things. That dumb bitch probably killed him. 

My worry melted away once he stepped outside with nothing but shame on his face. I raised an eyebrow, watching as he walked closer to me and my car. 

“You look like you saw a ghost or something,” I chuckled as I pushed myself off my car and back around to the drivers’ side of the car.

“No, no it was much worse than a ghost,” he muttered before getting in the car himself. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked towards the doors of the gas station. 

“Whatever,” I shook my head before slipping into the car, “Where to now? Monica’s trailer?” I raised an eyebrow as I glanced over at Chip. I watched as he pulled something out of his mouth and wrinkled his nose. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he looked over at me before looking around my car. 

“Do you have a plan? Or… Or a gun?” I asked as we got closer to the trailer park. He looked at me with a little terror in his eye. No plan or gun? Seriously? Good thing there’s a gun in my glove box. “You can’t go to these guys with just luck, Chip. That’ll get you killed,” I glanced at him as I reached over for the glove box, pulling it open and pulling out the gun.

“What the fuck! Where did that come from?” he asked, watching as I placed the gun on my lap. I glanced at him as I pressed down on the gas, speeding down the highway. “Jesus! Slow down,”

“You’re the one who fucking lost $68,000 to fucking Monica! You go in and get her money-”

“It’s not her-”

“It’s her money now, Chip. Jesus, she stole 3 of my bikes when we were little,” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Chip looked at me again and nodded. “You’re lucky you have help,” I muttered as I kept my eyes on the road. 

“You know this bitch?” Chip stared at me. I swallowed roughly and nodded.

“She’s my, like, second cousin. My Dad’s niece’s kid,” I shrugged before shaking my head, “She’s a cunt. A fucking cunt,” I scoffed as I remembered my childhood with her. Chip was silent as I pulled into a driveway and parked the car. 

“Oh good, looks like there’s a metal baseball bat in the yard,” I smiled at him. Chip looked at me with wide eyes, actual terror sitting in his eyes. I watched as he unbuckled his seatbelt and rested his hand on the latch to my car. He stayed still for a moment before turning to face me. I could tell that there was a moment of hesitation. I don’t blame him, do be honest. I hesitated to bring him here. Taking him here is basically signing his death warrant.

“Stay… Stay here… If I’m not out in an hour… Call the cops,” he looked at me before slipping out of the car. I watched as he walked up the driveway, picking up the metal bat, and walked towards the door. I almost got out of the car and went after him, but I didn’t. I’ll listen to him. He must have a plan worked out if he didn’t need my help yet.

I swallowed roughly, watching him knock on the door and wait for it to swing open. And when it did, a familiar looking guy stepped out of the trailer. It was obvious he was sizing Chip up, mocking him as he spoke. Chip looked over his shoulder at me, silently pleading for help of some sort. I shrugged, pretending like I didn’t understand what he was asking for. 

A bell ringing came up the driveway and passed me. A familiar blonde riding a bike rode up the driveway. 

“Oh, you again,” Chip spoke out loud at the blonde woman. Amy… Of course. Of course she shows up. She’s probably the one who told him where that bitch, Monica, even lived. I was just happy she didn’t even see me when she rode past me. I didn’t want to be a part of any of that bullshit.

Then he was pulled into the trailer. 

“Fuck, this… This isn’t going to be good,” I muttered as I slouched down into my seat in the safety of my car. I wished there was something more that I could do to help him. Because just sitting here for an hour and waiting to call the cops won’t help me or him, specifically Chip. Fucking around with Monica and her… I don’t even know what to call the people she hands out with. 

I grabbed for my gun again, pulling out the magazine and looking at how much ammo I had. Just as I put my hand on the handle to get out, a loud bang came from near the trailer, causing me to nearly jump out of my seat. I sat, frozen, paralyzed in my spot, staring at the trailer. They’ve just killed Chip. Or, Chip just killed them 

“I don’t know what… What do I do…” I whispered to myself as I stared at the door from the safety of my car. I wasn’t prepared for this at all. What I should have done was follow my own advice to Chip and come up with a secondary plan… I can’t exactly go in there guns blazing… Unless, that’s exactly what I do. They won’t expect Chip to have a partner with him. 

Okay, that’s it… That’s my plan… Bust into the trailer, and just go for it… But, I think… Should I wait the hour Chip told me to wait? What if he’s in trouble? Who am I kidding, he’s totally in trouble. 

{***}{***}{***}

I just wish I hadn’t fallen asleep. Because, the next thing I knew it  was morning and Chip was still in Monica’s trailer. Chip was still in danger.  

I quickly fumbled my way out of the back seat and into the front. It was even worse as I rushed to get out of the car, my body nearly falling to the ground. When I was finally out of the car, I recollected myself, hyping myself up as I walked towards the trailer. 

 I had my gun tucked into the back of my pants as I walked. I didn’t want to be quick, but I also didn’t want to be slow. Chip could be in danger, and it was a little bit my fault. He’d be out of that situation if I hadn’t fallen asleep.

My fist carefully knocked on the door, hoping someone would answer sooner rather than later. When the door flew open, Monica was standing in the door frame, looking down at me with slight disgust.

“We don’t want girl scout cookies,” she looked down at me. I swallowed roughly and nodded.

“Good thing I’m not a girl scout, Monica,” I took a deep breath before pulling the gun out from my pants. I lifted it up and pointed it right at her chest. “Where’s Chip,” 

“You want him?” Monica asked, cocking a hip as she leaned against the door frame. She wasn’t even bothered by my weapon being pointed at her chest. It was like she was used to it. “He brought you as back up? Oh that poor boy?” she looked down at the gun. I took a deep breath as I stared at her.  

She knew I wasn’t going to use it. She knew me well enough to know that I just had this stupid gun for looks, and that I wasn’t going to shoot anyone. But, what she doesn’t know is that I’m not afraid of her anymore. She may have tormented me when we were kids. But I’m taking it all back now. 

“Where’s Chip and the money, Monica,” I spoke, my voice low as I spoke. I slowly cocked my gun as I stared at her. 

“Oh, you know about the money too?” she asked before looking into the trailer at her friends and, I’d assume, Chip. “Did you hear that? This slut knows about the money,” she spoke, looking at everyone. I swallowed roughly as she looked back at me, “Is she replacing that other slut we killed last night?” 

“Just go! Get out of here!” I could hear Chip yell from somewhere in the trailer. Monica stared down at me, watching me as my hands shook with the weapon in hand. 

“Too afraid to use that gun?” she mocked in a whiny tone. I blinked slowly as I moved my finger to the trigger. Everything happened so fast, when I opened my eyes, Monica was stumbling back, her hand over stomach where blood was spilling out. Blood was being coughed up as she fell against the couch, looking up at me with wide eyes. “You actually did it,” she coughed, staring at me terror in her eyes. 

“I’m not scared of you anymore, Monica,” I spoke as I stepped into the trailer. I smiled as I looked down at her, cocking my gun and pointing it down at her again, “You terrorized me when we were kids… But not anymore… No,” I took a deep breath before as we made eye contact.

“You don’t have to do this,” she whimpered, looking at me, struggling to move as I got closer to her, “Listen, you can take Chip, and… and the money and go… I’ll leave you alone now…” 

“Sorry just isn’t going to do it, Monica, not this time… Not ever,” I shook my head, “You can burn in hell for all I care,” I scoffed as I stared at her. Blood was dripping down the sides of her lips as she pleaded with me, but at this point I didn’t care about anything she was saying. 

Chip called my name, causing me to look over at him. They really did a number on him. I wonder if they would have gotten this bad had I actually called the cops and did something last night. 

My hands and shoulders dropped as I looked at him. I didn’t even bother with the others around me, I’d take care of them after. 

Or, so I thought… One of Monica’s friends stood up and charged after me. I stumbled back, fumbling to cock the gun before pulling the trigger at him, getting him right in the head. He fell to the ground with a thud, a slab of meat just on the floor. 

“Anyone else?” I looked at the others around me, really feeling my sudden anger and annoyance come through for everyone. The people around me backed away from me. I looked back at Chip, appreciating the way he was looking up at me. Just as I went to my knees to help him, the sound of a shotgun being cocked came from behind me. I froze as the barrel of a gun was pressed right to my head.

“Whatcha doin’ there, Sweet Heart?” a woman’s voice asked from behind me. I took a deep breath as I dropped my gun to the ground. I looked back at Chip and noted how the adoration he had in his eyes slowly turned into terror and fear. “Where’s my money, Chip?” the woman asked. There was a certain fakeness in her words that scared me a bit. 

“I… I don’t have it!” Chip shouted as he struggled to stand up. I cringed as Liza pushed the barrel into my head a bit more. I swallowed roughly as I looked at Chip. 

“L-liza? H-h-how did you… How did you find me?” Chip exclaimed as he looked past me and at the woman.

“I told you, Chip, I always know where you are,” her fake sweetness really struck a chord in me, pissing me off more than I was before. “Now… Where’s my money?”

Someone from the sidelines jumped to their feet and instantly charged at Liza. It was terrifying how quick Liza was to turn and shoot the gun at the man. I quickly moved away and grabbed my gun from the ground. I felt a little bad for moving behind Chip, using him as a shield from this new woman.

“You’re so quick to move on, Chippy,” Liza spoke as she looked back at me. I appreciated that Chip actually covered me instead of cowering away like I half expected him to. “First the whore from last night and now her?” 

“I’m not a slut or a whore,” I stared at her. She cocked her head as she looked over at me. Yet, again another one of Monica’s people came after us, only to be stopped by a different person, their arm being sliced off in one swift motion. If you blinked you would have missed it. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” one of the three girls shouted front he couch. Liza turned to face the person behind her before saying something else. 

“What… What do we do, Chip,” I whispered as I tugged gently on his shirt. He looked over his shoulder at me before lifting his finger to his lips. I stared at him for a moment, watching as he thought of a plan. The level of chaos in the building was starting to stress me out. I wasn’t expecting two terrifying people to show up at an already terrifying place. 

“Go have fun with that one, Dwayne-y,” Liza pointed towards one of the girls on the couch. The guy looked over at the girl before grabbing her and pushing past Chip and I. I fell against the wall and blacked out for a moment. 

When I came too, Liza was standing in front of Chip, talking to him about something. It was eerily quiet in the trailer now, other than Liza and Chip’s voice. My guess was Liza took everyone out. But, why’d she keep me alive? Chip probably bargained for my life. I’m honestly just a bystander in this whole thing, wasn’t I? 

“You can let him run away… you can hunt him down, and kill him… Or… Or you can discipline him.. Teach him to heel or whatever he’s supposed to do,” Liza cocked her head as she looked at Chip. I took a deep breath, looking at the ground and noticed the gun on the ground right behind Chip. “So, Chip, what option do you want?” her tone was filled with that sickening sweetness, and it made me want to beat the shit out of her. 

“Violet said there’s always another option,” Chip spoke softly as he looked at Liza. I carefully moved and grabbed the gun. 

“Oh, she… She did? Well, I don’t see her here… Because she’s dead, Chip,” Liza scoffed. I took a deep and shaky breath before moving around the chair and aiming the gun right at Liza. “Oh, look who’s got the balls now,” Liza looked past Chip and at me. I stared down at her, feeling nervousness in the form of bile rise up my throat. “Are you gonna shoot me? Baby’s gonna sho-” her statement was finished short by a bullet to her head. I closed my eyes and looked down at the ground. 

“Jesus Christ!” Chip shouted as Liza’s body fell to the ground. I took a deep breath before looking down at him. “She’s dead!” 

“She was going to fucking kill both of us, Chip!” I shouted back, looking at him with wide eyes. Chip looked up at me as he stumbled to his feet. 

“Okay, okay,” Chip looked down at me, placing his hand on my shoulder to steady himself. I looked up at him with wide eyes. “$68,000… My clothes, and then we fucking ditch this fucking place,” he pointed towards the door where the creepy man from before dragged a girl. I swallowed roughly as I looked towards the door.

“Here,” I handed him my gun before nodding towards the door. Chip looked down at me, a slight glare in his eyes before he took a step forward. I followed behind him, staying close to his body. He pushed the door open and immediately fired the gun, killing the guy instantly. 

“I’m never going to sleep again, holy fucking shit,” I muttered as I looked at the horrors in front of me. He fucking ripped the girl a part. 

“Stay here for a minute,” Chip muttered before stepping away from me. He didn’t seem bothered by everything. I was impressed that he was able to step into the room more and move stuff around. One he found what he was looking for he came back beside me.

“Let’s fucking go,” he muttered, holding a shoe box under his arm. I looked at the box as I followed behind him. I could kill him right now, and take that 68grand. I could start a new life on my own… 

“Yeah, let’s go,” I looked down at the ground, “Shouldn’t we clean up the place first? Our fingerprints and DNA is all over the place,” I looked around the trailer and at all the dead bodies. Is it bad this didn’t phase me at all? 

“You’re right. Hold this,” he muttered as he shoved the box into my hands. I looked down at it with wide eyes before looking back at Chip. He had a bottle of straight whiskey in his hand and was splashing it around the room, going into the other rooms before coming back. “You think this will be enough?” he asked, looking down at me with a certain exhaustion in his eyes. I tried to look past all the injuries he had earned, but it was hard when they covered his whole face. 

“Hopefully,” I shoved the box back into his arm before leaving the building. I waited just outside as he lit a lighter and tossed it to the floor, causing the whole building to be engulfed in flames. 

“Where to?” Chip asked as we walked back to my car. I looked over my shoulder at the blazing trailer and shrugged.

“Somewhere away from here. But first, we should get you a first aid kit,” 

{***}{***}{***}

We drove for a long time. A very long time. I think we both wanted to make sure we were away from Monica’s trailer before we rested for the night. Which also meant we had to wait a long time before Chip could get the proper care he needed. It wasn’t fair to either of us that this was the case at the moment. I wasn’t ever expecting this to be what happened to me the other day when I woke up. I was just happy that after the second day of driving, he was actually okay.

“I’ll go get a room, you stay here,” I looked over at Chip. It looked like he was asleep, which I was expecting, so when he lifted his head and looked over at me I was a little confused. 

“No, no let me,” he mumbled as he fought to get his seatbelt undone.

“Chip, you look like you just got out of Fight Club… Let me go get the room,” I placed a hand on his to stop him from moving anymore. He looked up at me with a little bit of terror in his eyes, “I’ll be right back, I promise,” I kept my voice low as I spoke to him. 

“Okay, you’re right,” he mumbled before moving his hand away from the buckle. Chip rested his head against the head rest before closing his eyes lightly. I sighed deeply before sliding out of the car and towards the entrance of the hotel lobby. 

I kept my voice low the entire time as I spoke to the front desk manager. It was hard when I also looked like I just got out of a war and the manager kept looking at me like that was the case. When they finally handed me the room key, I let out the deepest sigh of relief and returned out to the car. 

“We have a room… Two days…” I looked over at Chip as I drove to a parking spot near our room. 

“Two days… Nice, nice,” he murmured and nodded. I looked over at him and watched as he slowly unbuckled. 

“You go into the room, I’ll grab the food and first aid kit,” I handed him the key before we both got out. Chip nodded before leaving and going towards the room. I made sure to be quick as I grabbed the stuff from the back.

“Should I shower?” 

“No, no, let me clean your wounds up first,” I nodded towards the bed. Chip looked over at the bed before going to sit on it. I was relieved when he laid back on the bed like nothing mattered in the world. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

 “Are you going to play nurse with me?” he asked, looking at me with a playful smirk on his lips. I laughed and nodded as I approached the bed. 

“Unfortunately, I think I’m all you got,” I laughed as I sat on the bed beside him. He sat up and moved closer to him. We were both quiet as I pulled out alcohol wipes and gauze. I looked at his face, trying to figure out where to start. Thankfully the swelling in his eyes went down, but I cracked an ice pack to help. 

“This is gonna sting,” I looked at his face as I lifted the wipe to his face. He winced as I began wiping the wounds on his face.

“Are you okay?” I looked up at him as I carefully placed butterfly band-aids and regular band-aids over the wounds. He looked back at me, a certain softness in his eyes. I was happy that he’d probably just need a few band-aids on his face instead of gauze and stitches like I’d thought. We both didn’t want to go to the hospital… 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” he whispered as he tried to not move away from my touch. I frowned looking at his face. “You didn’t have to do this, you know,” he added. I looked down at his hands and nodded. 

“Did you want to go to the hospital and tell them the truth?” I raised an eyebrow as I shifted closer to him with an alcohol pad. He cringed as I pressed it to the open wound on his hand. “Sorry,” I cringed as he flinched.

“You’re right, though… I don't think I could make up a believable lie in the hospital,” he looked at me, watching me clean the injuries.. 

“Was it worth it?” I asked, feeling a small smile grow on my lips. Chip shrugged a bit like he wasn’t too sure what I was talking about.

“Was… Was what worth it?” he asked, trying not to furrow his eyebrows. I laughed lightly and shrugged.

“The 68 grand that you risked your life for, Chip,” I laughed as I grabbed a bandage and picked it open, “Is it okay if the band-aid is pink with butterflies?” I held it up to show him the design. He swallowed roughly before nodding.

“Yeah, it was worth it,” he whispered, causing me to look back at his face. I furrowed my eyebrows when it became my turn to stare at him. “Because if I didn’t lose the $68 thousand... I probably wouldn’t have met you… And you saved my life,” 

“Oh please, don’t compare me to Violet,” I laughed and shook my head. I felt a little bad for bringing up his dead friend, but I personally felt like he was comparing me to her. Just a little bit. 

“I’m not,” he looked taken aback by my sudden statement. I shrugged, not entirely believing him. He knew that too. I looked at him, noting the cut and bruise across his nose. Who knows how long that was going to take to heal, but I hope it didn’t hurt him too much. “I’m being serious,”

“That makes me feel better,” I smiled as I began cleaning up the first aid kit we had bought when we pulled into a new town, “I should probably let you go your own way, come morning. I don’t want to get in the way of you while you’re trying to flee everything” I laughed as I clicked the first aid kit shut, “I’ll let you have my car,” 

“Please stay,” he whispered, watching as I stood and walked across the room. I almost didn’t hear him. But I was preoccupied with my thoughts, trying to figure out how I’d get home if I had given him my car to leave. I was 2 days away from home… That’d be a long way back. “I probably would die if you didn’t come with me,” he added as I turned to face him.

“I’d be pretty useless if I came with. Is your life always like that, Chip?” I asked, placing my fists on my hips. He stayed quiet. “Because if it’s always like that, running from danger and shooting guns…”

“You’ll go back home, I get it. What happened the other day was-”

“I never said that,” I cut him off, “Yeah, what happened the other day was terrifying, Chip. But, I don’t think I’ve ever had such an eventful day in my entire life. I just don’t think I would be able to do that again. That parts gotta go,”

“Consider it gone,” Chip shook his head, watching as I slowly walked back over towards him. I looked down at him, appreciating the way he looked back up at me. “Forgotten. We can… We can buy a house in… In Iowa. Have kids, have a family. Get as far as we can from that place,” he moved his legs and allowed me to stand between them. 

“Iowa?” I scoffed, wrinkling my nose at the thought of moving to Iowa. “And… You want to have kids? After everything that happened? You want to bring kids into this world?” I sighed deeply as I looked down at him. I left out the part of how we just met 4 days ago. He doesn’t even know me. 

“Yeah, but if you were their mother, I think they’d be pretty safe,” Chip laughed as he reached up to grab my hand. I stared at him, feeling my heart swell in my chest. 

“You don’t even know me, Chip,” I laughed lightly. He furrowed his eyebrows before shrugging. “And you already want to have kids with me?”

“I don’t think… I don’t think it matters. You saved my life,” he pointed out. I bit my lower lip as he brushed his thumb across the back of my hand. 

“Yeah,” I paused, taking a deep breath as I stared at him, “You saved mine too, Chip,” I smiled at him, “I think Liza might have killed me if it wasn’t for you,” I laughed lightly out my nose. And, it was true. She probably would have killed me after she knocked me out...

“Well, good thing Dwayne was easy enough to take care of,” he returned the laughter, “Can’t believe I dated that bitch,” he sighed as he looked up at me. 

“Yeah, I was about to say…” I smiled softly. Chip smiled as he carefully tugged my hand so I would fall forward slightly. 

“Kiss me,” he whispered as I braced myself on his shoulder with one hand. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking down at his lips. The cut on his upper lip had thankfully stopped bleeding. 

“Is that a good idea,” I pulled my hand off his shoulder and gently held his face. He wrinkled his nose and closed his eyes. “Chip, I’m serious,” 

“I am too,” he begged as he looked at me, “I could di-”

“You won’t die tomorrow. You’re safe now,” I smiled softly as I looked at him.

“So, what’s stopping you from kissing me,” he asked, pointing out the fact that there was indeed nothing stopping me from kissing him. 

“Why you gotta be like that?” I asked, moving my hand up his face. I carefully brushed the wound on his temple before carding my fingers through his hair. 

“Be like what?” Chip asked as I pushed my hand through his hair and rested it on the back of his head. 

“You’re so… nice. You’re not like other men, the ones who look at women like objects,” I laughed and shook my head, “You wouldn’t even hurt a fly.” 

“You do know I killed, like, bunch of people yesterday,” he asked. I smiled and nodded. He pulled his hand from mine and rested both his hands on my hips. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him.

“Okay, yeah, that’s fair…” I sighed deeply and cocked my head, “You won’t regret it, will you?” I asked, my voice hardly a whisper.

“Regret what? Kissing you?” He asked, his thumbs playing with the hem of my shirt, just barely touching the skin of my hip. I nodded lightly. “Why would I regret kissing you?” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time a guy regret kissing me,” I whispered as I looked away from him, “The last guy I dated… He dated me as a joke… It wasn’t till after we… Well, we did a little bit more than kissing, did he tell me that it was all a joke,” I whispered before looking down at the ground.  

“Nothing about me asking for a kiss is a joke, I promise,” Chip replied, his voice causing me to look back at him. He lifted a hand and rested it on my shoulder. “We don’t even have to do anything… You don’t have to ki-”

“I do… I do want to kiss you, Chip,” I whispered softly, “I’m just scared, that’s all,” I stared down at him.

“You don’t have to be scared,” he smiled softly, running his hand down my arm before grasping my hand. I swallowed roughly before moving to straddle his legs. He took a sharp breath as I adjusted myself on his legs.

“Sorry,” I cringed as I tried to get off his legs. Chip looked at me before resting his hands on my hips, keeping me in place on his lap. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, bringing a hand back to my face. I stared at him, feeling a small smile grow on my lips.  

After a moment of just staring at each other, I moved forward, closing the space between. Our lips connected, and it was the softest, gentlest kiss ever. Although my lips were still dry, his lips felt dry, drier than the sand on the beach. The blood that was on his lips dried slightly, but it didn’t bother me at all. 

Chip placed his hand on my lower back, moving me closer to his body. My arms wrapped around his neck, my body willingly moving closer to him as if it couldn’t get enough of him. I could tell that he craved me too, his other hand moving hastily around my body. 

“Is this a good idea?” I murmured against his lips. I was careful as I pressed my forehead to his, feeling a small smile tug on my lips. “You’re like… Seriously…” I stopped myself from saying ‘seriously injured’. 

“I’m okay. I’m fine with it if… If you’re fine with it,” he whispered, his hands going back to the hem of my shirt. I closed my eyes and let a deep breath of air out my nose. A small smile grew across my lips as his hand finally slipped up my shirt and up to my bra. “Please tell me your fine with it,” his voice wavered slightly with his words. I swallowed roughly and nodded, our noses brushing together as my head moved.  

“Yeah, yeah it’s… I’m fine with it…” I nodded, taking a deep breath before opening my eyes, “I’m more than fine with it,” I whispered as I looked at him.  

That was when he kissed me again. It was different than before. Because, before it was gentle and soft, like he didn’t want me to melt away. But also it was soft because we both had mild- not so mild injuries, and I knew he didn’t want to hurt me. The differences between this one and that one is, fervent and passionate, it took my breath away.

Chip’s hand on my back fiddled with my bra as he tried to unclasp it. I couldn’t help but laugh as he began to struggle. It was clear he was getting frustrated with the struggle, so when I went to help him, he let out a sigh of relief. 

“Sorry,” he muttered as he fought to pull my shirt off. I laughed and shook my head.

“No, it’s okay,” I whispered before lifting my arms in the air. Chip smiled before pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it somewhere behind me. I sucked in a sharp breath as the cool air hit my bare chest. Chip was careful as he pressed his lips back to mine, then on the side of my mouth, before trailing down my neck. It was gentle, and soft, but it was enough for me to notice him sucking soft spots on my skin. My hands went back to his head, carefully pulling at the hair on the back of his head.  

My head tilted to the side the further down my neck he went. A small gasp fell from my mouth as he attached his lips to my breast. My fingers gently pulled his hair, causing him to hum lightly. It was hard not to react to him and his touch. I needed him more than I needed air.

“D-don’t stop,” I whispered, my words wavering with each syllable. It was so hard to concentrate on anything as he placed his lips around my nipple. A shiver went down my spine, causing me to arch my back into him more. 

Chip stood up, causing me to latch on to him so I wouldn’t fall, before turning around to put me on the bed. I looked up at him, my breathing picking up slightly as he stared down at me. His lower lip was pulled between his teeth as he looked at me.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” I whispered, lifting a hand to his face. He could hear the worry in my words as I spoke, letting his lower lip fall from his mouth. “Your lip is bleeding.” I left out that it was only bleeding a little bit, but it was enough to notice the red. 

“It’s fine,” he whispered, bringing his hand to rest on my cheek. His thumb brushed against my lower lip. My body shivered slightly before I opened my mouth slightly. He smirked before slipping his thumb between my lips. I swirled my tongue around his thumb as I stared at him. 

“Good girl,” Chip hummed, resting his other hand on the mattress by my head. I swallowed roughly before grabbing his shirt and pulling him down to my face. He moved his thumb from my mouth and looked down at me.

“Please don’t make me ask more than once,” I whispered, releasing my hand from his shirt to lift it to his face. He flinched away slightly as my hand barely touched his face. I could feel my face soften as I looked at him. “I won’t hurt you, Chip. You’re safe now,” I whispered as I moved my hand from his face.

“I know, I know,” he shook his head before lowering his face to mine, lightly pressing his lips to mine. I hummed, wrapping my arms around his neck again. “You won’t have to ask more than once,” he murmured against my lips. He looked down at me before pressing his lips to mine again, slowly kissing down my neck and chest. 

Although he was quick to move down my chest, he was slow once he got to my hips. 

“Hold on,” he stepped away from me, rushing to the bathroom real quick. I sat up, resting back on my hands, as I waited for him to come back. 

“What… What are you doing, Chip?” I asked, my patience starting to wear thin as the seconds ticked by. I swallowed roughly as he stepped back out of the bathroom.

“Cleaning my face a little bit more,” he looked at me with a small smile on his lips. I furrowed my eyebrows as he came back to stand between my legs. 

“I-I’m confused,” I looked up at him. Although, I really shouldn’t be confused. I’m the one who said ‘Please don’t make me ask more than once.’ and he obviously wanted it as badly as I did.

“You know,” he smiled as he lifted my hips a little bit before pulling my pants off my body. I suddenly couldn’t control my breathing anymore, and I was left trying to control myself. “Wouldn’t want to get blood everywhere,” he looked up at me as he dropped my pants to the ground.  

I stared at him watching as he lowered to his knees between my legs. He was gentle as pressed his lips to the soft skin on my inner thigh. I took a deep breath, trying so hard to regulate my breathing. My elbows and arms gave out, causing me to lie back hard on the bed. 

“So beautiful,” Chip whispered before blowing softly at my core. I gasped and pressed my head into the bed beneath me. My hands and fingers got knotted up in his hair again, slowly pulling his head closer to my body. 

Chip laughed at me before peppering butterfly kisses over my pussy. I gasped, tugging lightly on his hair. He looked up at me before grasping both of my hands and holding them down on the bed. 

“Ch-chip, don’t stop, please don’t stop,” I whimpered pulling at his hands. He hummed before licking a stripe right up my cunt. I swear, I couldn’t even breathe. He squeezed my hands as he kept licking at me. After a moment, his lips attached around my clit, sucking softly at the sensitive bundle of nerves. 

“Fuck,” I cried out as he pulled a hand from one of mine. I didn’t even notice that he pushed a finger into me. My free hand went over my mouth as a moan fell from me. Chip obviously enjoyed that sudden reaction, causing him to moan too. The vibrations from him caused me to moan again. 

“ ‘m so close. Please, Chip, so close,” I moved my hand to his hair and pulled on it a lot harder than before. It was like I couldn’t breathe, the wind being knocked from my lungs like I was punched in the gut. “Fuck, Chip,” I moaned, my hips jerking at him. He pulled his hand from mine and placed it firmly on my stomach, holding me down. 

“You’re doing so good, Princess,” he murmured against my body. I cried out when he pressed his lips back on me. 

My mind went fuzzy and my vision turned white. I could feel my toes curling against the rough, scratchy comforter beneath me. My hands gripped his hair and the blanket so tightly I was sure my knuckles would blanch. And the only thing I could say was his name as I came.

My chest heaved as I tried to breathe. When I opened my eyes, Chip was back over me. He smiled, clearly enjoying what had just happened. 

“That was… That was good,” I laughed lightly. Chip returned the laughter before pressing his lips to mine. I hummed following after him as he pulled away from me. 

“That was, like, barely the pregame,” Chip laughed as he looked down at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and smiled softly. “If at all the pregame,”

“Well are you going to get started on the actual game or just leave me alone?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow as I stared at him. Chip laughed again before standing up right to rid himself of his jeans. I quickly moved so I was lying up by the pillows. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” He asked once he was back over me. I swallowed roughly and nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m positive. If I wasn’t… I wouldn’t have let you eat me out the way you did,” I laughed as I brought my hands to his face, “I appreciate you cleaning your face a bit before you did that though. I don’t really want the staph infection or STD,” I laughed harder than I should have. But that in turn caused Chip to glare at me.

“Well, now I don’t think I want to have sex with you,” he looked away from me before sitting up right. I stopped laughing before sitting up to look at him. 

“C’mon, Chip, I was just joking.” I moved so I was closer to him, “I’d love to get a STD from you,” I bit back my laughter as I looked at him. He glared at me again. 

“Shut up,” he muttered, looking down at the bed. I smiled before lifting a hand to his face.

“You’re the one who wants to fuck the girl you just met 4 days ago,” I pointed out as I moved to straddle his waist. He looked at me as I sat on him. “But, to be fair, I also want to have sex with the guy I met 4 days ago so it’d be a little hypocritical of me to judge you,” I shrugged. I tried really hard not to look at his cock, but it was right there… It was obvious that he was painfully hard. “Use me, Chip,” I swallowed roughly as I looked up at his face. His eyes were scanning my face as his hands were resting on my hips. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, and I was more than happy to let that happen.

What he did next surprised me. He lifted my hips up so I was hovering over him, before slamming me on his cock. A shout came from my mouth as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I pressed my face into his shoulder as I tried to breathe properly after the sudden intrusion. 

“Fuck,” I panted before looking up at him after a moment. My muscles clenched around him as I slowly got used to his size. Chip pressed his lips to mine before carefully thrusting up into me. My hips slowly moved, meeting him at the perfect spots. His lips hardly left mine, and when they did it was only for a few moments.

“Gonna fill you up,” Chip mumbled as he pressed his lips to my neck, “Gonna put a baby in you,”

“Please! Don’t stop, fuck,” I cried, rolling my hips against his. My mouth opened around his shoulder, my teeth carefully sinking into his skin. “God,” I whined looking back up at him, “Do it, please, do it,” 

“Yeah? You like that?” Chip groaned as he brought a hand to my chest. I let out a shaky breath and nodded as he massaged my breast. “Being filled with my cum, carrying my child,” he looked up at me. I pressed my lips together and nodded, feeling myself get closer to the edge. 

“Fuck, Chip, please,” I placed my hands on either side of his face and pulling him closer to my face. I pressed my lips to his as he pulled me closer to his body, my chest pressing against his. 

My breathing grew raged as he picked up his pace. His hand dropped to where our bodies met, his finger encircling around my clit. I was pushed right to the edge, calling out his name as he called out mine. His hips faltered slightly as he filled me with his essence. 

My head dropped to his shoulder and my arms wrapped around his chest. It took a while for either of us to move, the intensity of the moment catching up with us. Although, the last few days in general were catching up with me. 

“I gotta clean you up,” Chip finally whispered after a moment. I swallowed roughly before I struggled to get off his lap. 

“You really do want to have kids with me,” I laughed as we finally broke a part, “I mean, yeah I want kids too. But not for a while,” 

“I told you, we gotta get to Iowa first,” Chip looked over at me as he got off the bed. When he noticed that I was a little nervous about that, he came over to my side, “We don’t have to go to Iowa,”

“No, no, I know… It’s just… The thought of leaving… And going with you. The other day was terrifying, with everything th-What if I just left?” 

“I know you're nervous. You have every right to be nervous. If we leave, we can get as far from that place as possible. We can find a safe place and be safe… Together,” he knelt on the ground beside me. I looked down at him and nodded, “Besides, you had the most boring life in that stupid motel,”

“True, true,” I laughed and shook my head, “You’re not going to, like, murder me… Are you?” I looked at him as I carefully grasped his hand.

“No! I wouldn’t do that! After the shit I just said to you with my cock in you? You think I’d kill you?” Chip nearly fell back on the ground, causing me to laugh again. I smiled and nodded.

“Okay, I… I guess if the worst thing you’ll do to me is get me pregnant… Then I think I’m safe.” I looked at him with a small smile, “And that’s not even bad,” I shrugged as I looked at the bed in front of me.

“I won’t murder you if you won’t murder me,” he spoke, lifting his hand and showing me his pinkie. I looked back at him and nodded.

“Promise,” I whispered before interlocking my pinkie with his. 

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