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ais-n · 6 years

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hiyya Ais! How are you? I hope you're doing well

Hey! I’m alright, how are you? Hope you’re well too! :)

Oh wait I almost dove right in without the obligatory

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ICOS SPOILERS! :D

I actually had that scene written out at one point, or tried to. I have a pretty strong image in my mind of highlights of what happened… but when I tried writing it out, it just didn’t sound badass enough in the wording I was using so I kind of just gave up and relegated it to my mind lol

(More beneath cut - cut for long ass length + spoilers.... includes a scene I’d originally written of Mrs. Hensley detailing a lot more stuff she saw.)

BUT FIRST! A word from our sponsor for this post: Tangent!

I have a lot of things relegated to my mind that I start writing some scenes for and don’t like it and stop midway, or don’t even write at all. That includes lots of the things that happened to Boyd during his stay in Janus’ custody.

They did not treat him well. There are things I’m pretty sure happened that I kept thinking, maybe I could find a way for them not to happen because it’s kind of fucked up and I feel bad for Boyd. So I didn’t have it specified when writing the scene, and we never had Hsin talk to Boyd’s doctors to find out anything further about what sort of stuff he dealt with, in case I could imagine scenarios where it didn’t occur. But every time I think about it, I think it probably did. Which is just like. Ugggh. They were assholes, man, messing with his mind. It’s not necessarily things he hadn’t had to deal with before, but the way they fucked with his head too in the process of it was really shitty.

One line Boyd says is the closest it came in story to specifying anything - where he said

"How do I know?" There was a rawness in his voice that was temperedby the oppression of the room. "At first I could tell something was wrongbecause when I thought back later it felt like a dream. But they've beenupgrading the program. Everything has felt more real. Even touch, pain...She's been taunting me with it. How do I know that's not happening now?"

I know I’m still being vague, mostly because part of me is like, maybe I can still imagine scenarios with them being a little less dickish?? But also because idk if anyone is even curious or not about that whole aspect of the thing, since the question wasn’t about what was up during his whole stay, it was what was up during the abduction itself.

Anyway, see below for what I do know. Also, the bonus scene I originally wrote of Mrs. Hensley talking to the police before I decided she’d be too shady to even do that much! Yay? lol (If you want to skip straight to the hensley scene, scroll till you see the bolded title for that)

So, in the various scenarios about how it could have gone down, there were a few things that stayed pretty common. I’m including Mrs. Hensley’s description to the cops below because it’s probably still pretty accurate for how it would have looked from the outside maybe? Except the laughing bit - I don’t remember what that was about, unless it was Dana who unmasked herself. The irony of his life now in danger over the person he had saved in an attempt to feel like a less terrible human being would have been too much. I don’t know if later I decided she wouldn’t have physically been there, though. Not sure on that.

Also fun fact: originally I wanted them to have scrawled a message on the wall in blood - I forget what it was going to say. But then we decided that the place should be blown up, at which point no one would be able to see anything, anyway. That’s ultimately why the Hensley thing below was cut - not only because she was a narrow-minded nosy old lady who wouldn’t want to talk to cops because she refused to get involved, but also that version assumed the cops could just walk into the house and see the aftermath, and blood would be visible.

ANYWAY ok so some of the things I had thought would happen were--

At one point I thought they got him by the door initially... He walked in, was super tired and distracted, but something felt off and his hair stood on end. He went to his alarm system to seemingly input the code so the alarm wouldn’t go off, but he planned to input instead a distress code which would alert the Agency that something was wrong. Before he could finish, he was attacked by a group of people. They fought and wouldn’t let him close to the alarm system again. At one point during all of this, he tried to grab his cell phone which he had set down prior to realizing anything was off. He tried to call Kassian’s number, but only made it to the screen to call before he was thrown down, and the phone skittered out of his hand and landed under the couch. That version was going to have Danny find it, and realize Boyd had been trying to call for help but was interrupted.

Another version had it start in the bedroom, and I think that’s probably what ultimately happened. They probably wanted to lure him in as far as they could. In the original-original version, I was thinking Boyd was asleep when they got him, but in the version that ended up in Fade, obviously he was awake because he only planned a quick stop.

So I think probably what happened was something along the lines of the scenario I most often imagined:

He came in, didn’t realize anything was wrong because they were doing a good job of hiding and not being anywhere near him plus he was extremely distracted and in a hurry because of all of the JG shit and also wanting to get back to Annadale. His mind was completely occupied by getting back to Danny, and maybe having to tell him about Sin. He input the regular code which disengaged the alarm system, he set down his phone and probably other crap like his wallet or whatever on a table in the living room, and if he had a bag with him he would’ve dropped that too. He went quickly into his bedroom, pulled out a duffel bag, and started to throw shit into it in a hurry. That’s the duffel bag Danny later found partially open.

While there, Boyd sensed something was off. He slowed what he was doing, discreetly reached for his gun, and slid back to hide crouched in the shadows between his bed and the wall. He waited until he heard quieted movement, and then saw some people enter the room stealthily, looking for him. I imagined he waited until he had a good angle, then leapt out and probably slammed dude’s head into the door or something else. Incapacitating or killing that guy.

He then rolled into the hallway and started shooting other people who were on their way to get him. That started the fight, with the Janus ops ducking for cover, and returning the attack. Boyd probably realized he had no idea how many people were in his home but there were probably too many for him to take on alone, so he tried to focus on attacking the people who were in his way to freedom. I suspect he tried first to run out the back door, but there were people waiting so he had to run past them into the living room. (He may have ended up briefly in the kitchen trying to get to the kitchen window, I forget)

There, the real fight began. Boyd used anything he could find as a weapon, picking up things around him to throw at people or to knock them into furniture or over obstacles. But they were attacking him too. He was punched and kicked, he hit his head at one point, they kept ganging up on him and overpowering him, but he kept twisting away. At some point, they got his gun from him and threw it out of his reach, then wouldn’t let him get back to it.

Here, he probably thought about trying for the distress code, maybe angled toward the wall unit, realized quickly he didn’t have time, probably went for his phone to try to call Kassian for help, but it was knocked out of his reach and they crushed it so he couldn’t call anyone. Around that time he probably backed up, realizing he was overpowered and outnumbered. He was injured, he’d killed and incapacitated people but it wasn’t enough. There were too many more, and they were backing him into a corner.

That was when he realized he couldn’t reach the doors, he couldn’t call for help from the Agency, so his next best measure was Mrs. Hensley. He had seen some movement at her place before he’d walked in - birds flitting around mostly, but maybe she was awake. If anyone would see this, it would be her. She hated him. She was nosy and watched him. Surely she would help him. Surely she would at least call the police if something dramatic happened.

His curtains weren’t quite fully closed in his living room so he hoped she was watching. He ran at the window, planning to grab a lamp to break it or maybe he would just leap right through it. He hoped the sound would wake the neighbors, it would scare away the attackers, or at least bring eyes to this. Something.

But on his way there, they tased him. He fell forward and cracked his head on a table, making him bleed pretty profusely. He couldn’t move while he was being tased. They flipped him over, and may or may not have had a short conversation with him. When they briefly let up on the taser, he tried to get away but they just did it again. While he was unable to move, they pulled drugged him. When they let up on the taser that time, he struggled to a stand. He was already starting to lose function but he still tried to get away. They stepped back and watched him, because they knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He made it to the door, but all he managed to do was streak a bloody handprint down it before he fell down. Blood pooled beneath him, led to another bloody handprint, and then he passed out.

The taser was the blue flashing light that Mrs. Hensley describes seeing.

All told, Boyd probably killed or incapacitated over half of the people Janus had sent, but he couldn’t get away. There were too many of them, and he had no warning, and they kept blocking his exits. He might have had a chance without the taser and the drug, but they knew to over-prepare for him so, really, he didn’t have a chance at all. That’s why so many bodies were brought out. It’s also part of the reason why he wasn’t treated well. He wouldn’t have been treated well regardless, but the combination of killing/hurting so many people for so many years on so many missions with also getting so many people during the abduction itself, while also having a known history as being a Janus slave, technically, through Aleixo - it wasn’t pleasant.

In terms of what he was thinking during the attack, at first he was surprised by the sheer ballsy absurdity of attacking him in his own goddamn home, but then it was more of an “Oh fuck” combined with “Like fucking hell I’ll let you do this!” He was angry more than anything, because he didn’t have time for this shit, and he wanted to get back to Sin. He was also scared, probably, because he didn’t know if them targeting him like this meant Danny or Kassian or anyone else was being targeted at the same time, too.

Honestly, that’s what he was most worried about during the whole thing, and probably was his last thought before he was taken away. He was concerned for Sin, Kassian, Ryan, all of them. He was more worried about them being in danger at that same moment, than he was about what was happening to him or what would come next. He wanted to get away so he could get away, but mostly also so he could get away and report this to the Agency and the others to send squads out to everyone else to make sure they were safe. He was probably freaking out about Danny’s safety especially. If he’d been able to escape, he would’ve alerted Carhart and his mother and Kassian about the whole thing and then gotten his ass down to Annadale ASAP, probably calling Danny freaking out the whole time until Danny picked up. But Danny was driving up at that time so who knows if they might have passed each other on the road without realizing it.

So here’s the Hensley excerpt I mentioned... as I said, this scene was written before we changed the way a lot of things were done, but I thought you may still find it interesting to see what she probably would have seen, if she’d seen more. Or if she did see more but just didn’t tell anyone further details. In this scenario, she was out talking while Danny was there trying to figure out what happened to Boyd. I can’t remember but in this version, he may have come after the police already had it cordoned off as a crime scene, and this might have been him eavesdropping to figure out wtf even had happened. If it wasn’t that, then it must have been him coming back to learn more. I can’t remember. It doesn’t really matter, since ultimately the way it went down changed. But anyway here you go:

HENSLEY EXCERPT

"What's all this? What's all this now?" a woman's reedy voice rang out through the background noise of people talking and the house being examined.

Two officers on the edge of the scene looked over. They exchanged a look and without having to say anything, one of them raised his eyebrows slightly and tilted his head in her direction, as if to say "you take her; it shouldn't take long." The other one frowned slightly, glanced the little old woman over, and then headed in her direction.

She was elderly, well into her seventies and likely later than that, and she was storming out of the house across the street. She had on a worn pair of slippers that were too large for her feet and she was clutching a terrycloth robe tight across her bony chest. Her flyaway grey hair was short and the scowl etched on her face only deepened as the officer approached.

"You're scaring my birds! Making such a racket clear in the morning. What's all this?" She gestured sharply to the squads flashing their lights in Boyd's driveway.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step back," the officer said in a clear, authoritative tone. He held his hands up and stepped toward her even as she drew herself up to all of her five feet.

"I know my rights!"

"I'm sure you do, ma'am--"

"I don't have to listen to you! I haven't done anything wrong. I'm trying to keep watch on my neighborhood and here you all are, disturbing the peace--"

"Just back up past that squad right there and we can talk."

The woman gave the officer a death glare and harrumphed as she tightened her robe even further. Whether she listened to the officer or determined she was at the prime place to see better, standing on the edge of the curb across the street, it was hard to tell. Whatever the case, she complied with the command.

Her sharp brown eyes shifted past him and zeroed in on Boyd's house.

"You're here because of that miscreant over there, aren't you?" she asked archly.

"What's your name, ma'am?" the officer asked, pulling out a pen and a small brown notebook from his vest pocket and flipping it open. He looked up at her as she scowled.

"Lenora Hensley. What did that boy do now?"

"You live here?" The officer flicked his gaze between her and the perfectly manicured house behind her.

"I do," she said, pulling herself up to her full height again. "I won best in the neighborhood twice and Cedar Hills Favorites five times in the past ten years, I'll have you know. I take good care of my place, unlike them." She gave a disgusted look at the grass at the Beaulieu residence, which had overgrown the neighbors' lawns by a half an inch.

"You know the people across the street?"

"Of course I do." She sounded insulted. "I've lived here my entire life. I knew them since they moved in." She crossed her arms and scowled. "They had such promise at first. But look how all that turned out. Cop cars at five in the morning! What is this neighborhood coming to? I tell you, I saw this coming long ago."

"Saw what coming, ma'am?"

"This hullabaloo!" She waved her hand at the squads, her lip curling. "I knew it the moment he started acting strangely."

"Who did?"

"That Beaulieu boy. The one who's missing."

The officer looked up at her sharply at that, his eyes narrowing faintly. "Ma'am, we haven't yet canvassed the block. What makes you believe he's missing?"

"Now see here, I may be getting up there in age but I can put one and one together even now," she said flatly. "Don't you go believing you can treat me like a senile old woman, young man. I don't care what you think of yourself with those flashing lights--"

"What did you put together?" The officer cut in. He shifted on his feet and absently adjusted his gun belt weighing at his hips. "Did you see something?"

"Well of course I did, I see everything," Mrs. Hensley snapped. "You think I didn't notice? I saw them playing another one of their little games. I saw what happened."

"What happened?"

"He was taken."

The officer frowned as he jotted down some notes. "By who?"

"How should I know?" Mrs. Hensley sniffed and looked past the officer. "Isn't that your job?"

The officer drew in a short breath and then let it out slowly. He shifted on his feet again and glanced over his shoulder at his partner who had sent him over. His partner caught his eye and smirked when he saw the look of annoyance on his face. The officer gave him a look like he was going to pay for this later and then returned a neutral stare to Mrs. Hensley.

"Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me what you saw."

"Well," Mrs. Hensley huffed, tightening her grip on her robe and looking for a moment as though she planned to go on another rant. Her gaze flicked between the house and the officer, and her expression shifted from insubordinate to disapproving.

"I keep watch on this block, you know. I have all my life. And that boy was into something strange, I tell you. Coming back at all hours. Letting the house go to waste for months. I reported it, you know. Peeled paint and overgrown grass-- does he think we live in the Barrows? People have expectations here. Spoiled little child who never worked a day in his life--"

"Does the grass have something to do with him missing?" It was said blandly, somewhat sarcastically, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Why on Earth would it?" she asked incredulously. She looked the officer up and down with contempt. "They don't make you go through much schooling before you get that uniform, do they?"

"If the grass has nothing to do with his disappearance," the officer said flatly, "then you can leave it out of the story."

She glared at the officer, her jaw working. For a moment she looked ready to turn and walk away, but in the end she didn't. It was possible her gossiping nature got the best of her.

"I pay taxes. I pay to live in a safe neighborhood," she said sharply. "Not around some ruffian who has never learned to choose his friends wisely. That blond boy when they were younger, Louis-- he was never any good either. And then he grew up--"

"Boyd Beaulieu?"

"Yes, yes, Boyd," she said impatiently, waving a hand. "He brought home all sorts of ill mannered people. The things I saw." Her lips tightened and her eyes narrowed in disgust. "No one should have to see such things."

"What things?"

Mrs. Hensley paused and then leaned forward, darting her eyes around and saying in a stage whisper, "Homosexual intercourse." She overly pronounced 'homosexual,' making it sound like a child trying out a swear word for the first time. "And other things the good Lord never intended to be done."

The officer made a short noise under his breath and wrote something down, flicking his gaze up to her face. "So the victim is gay."

"I should certainly say so," she huffed. "What with the things he did and the way he looked." She turned a narrowed glare on the windows of the Beaulieu house. "It's a sin, what he did. The people he knew. This was a long time coming. Some people call it karma but if this wasn't his game, I know it's the good Lord righting a wrong He left untended for too long."

"And yesterday?" the officer asked, pausing in his note taking to turn his attention fully on her. "Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No more than usual at first, I thought. But what with all this." She gestured to the crime scene and shrugged. "Who's to know? I don't understand the sick games his type plays."

"What did you see that seemed suspicious?"

"Oh, well. The van I suppose," she said offhandedly.

The officer frowned, his eyebrows dragging together as he flipped to a new page. "What did the van look like?"

"Black."

The officer waited a moment to see if she would add anything and when she didn't, he asked, "Anything else?"

"What else is there to say?" she asked impatiently. "It was a black van."

"Did you get the plate?"

"No. I used to get the plates of suspicious vehicles that came through here but the police didn't care about them then, did they?"

Her voice rose, indignation flushing her cheeks a pale pink. "I saw a man stealing a cabinet right out of a garbage can eight years ago and got that plate and they didn't do a thing! You people spend all your time elsewhere in the city, not even caring about the crimes that take our neighborhood down. If you paid the taxes I pay to have civil servants ignore the good information we give over just so they can go gallivanting around where the people take advantage of the system then you would stop taking those kinds of notes too."

"What happened with the van?"

She grabbed her robe and opened it to fold one side in and the other over it, tightening it flat against her body over her loose nightgown. She huffed and shifted on her feet. "It pulled into the driveway over there," she gestured with one hand to Boyd's house.

"What time was that?"

"Oh, I'd say around 11:15 at night. It was dark and I had woken up to give Pearl her medicine. She's sick right now." She sniffed. "Probably got something from that boy's place. She got out the other day and flew over there before I could stop her. Took me twenty minutes to get her back in the cage and ever since she hasn't been quite right."

Her stare turned to steel and her voice darkened ominously. "If anything happens to her, I'll sue that boy and his mother right out of this neighborhood. Don't think I won't do it."

"And after it pulled into the driveway, then what happened?"

"Those people got out." Her eyes narrowed, this time more in thought than anything. "I thought it was a bit strange the way they moved."

"How so?"

"They acted like they didn't want to be seen-- opening and closing the doors without a sound and then sneaking in front and around back. If I hadn't been awake and looking outside, I wouldn't have known they were there. Do you know they even had their headlights off driving up to the house? That's cause for real suspicion right there, that time of night."

"How many people were there?"

Mrs. Hensley frowned thoughtfully. "Around a dozen, maybe more."

"What did they look like?"

"Couldn't say," she said dismissively. "They were all in black. They even had those, what do you call them? Robber masks. Ski masks." She made a circle with her thumb and pointer finger, holding it up near her eye. "Just the little holes for seeing and speaking, near as I could tell."

"Could you tell what race they were?"

"No, of course I couldn't. I don't even know if they were men or women. It was too far away to see. What do you think I do, sit here with my binoculars?"

The officer's lips thinned slightly but he didn't look up from his notebook as he flipped to a new page. "What did those people do?"

"I couldn't see everything but they spread around the house. Some of them paused at the front. And then I saw them go inside."

"All of them?"

"Near about. One or two stayed on the sides and there was the other in the van still."

The officer jotted notes down quickly and finally looked up again. "Did you see anything else?"

"Well not at first. It was dark inside and the boy finally learned to close most of his curtains. Not all of them, though. Sometimes the far right one catches on that lamp they have so I can still see inside. That's what happened last night."

She paused and then frowned, shifting her weight and adjusting her grip on her robe. She gave the officer an odd look. "But the strange thing was after a minute there were these flashes." She held her hand up, closing her fingers into a loose fist then spreading them out quickly and repeating the gesture a few times at varying intervals. "Like that."

"Flashes..." the officer repeated thoughtfully. He wrote something down and then asked, "Did you hear anything?"

She shook her head. "That's one good thing about that house of theirs; build solidly to hold in the noise. With my windows closed and theirs too, I don't have to be subjected to more of his sordid lifestyle than I already have to see."

"What happened after the flashes?"

"Well, I think the boy turned on the light. Or someone did. All of a sudden I could see right inside and there were several of them, those people in black. They were fighting, it looked like."

The officer nodded and made a note. "With the victim?"

"Yes, he acted like he was trying to get away." Her gaze strayed to the window in question; the one with the curtain still pulled to the side. Blood could be seen spattered against the walls amongst the disarray. "What's that?" she demanded, her voice rising as a reedy finger pointed accusingly across the street. "Is that blood?"

The officer ignored the question. "Did you see anything else?"

"Well I didn't see the blood, I can tell you that much," she huffed, her hands clutching at her robe and tightening it. She lifted her chin indignantly. "This used to be such a nice neighborhood before his kind moved in... Playing his sick, twisted games where anyone can see--"

"Did you see anything else?" the officer repeated.

"Just that he looked like he planned to break the windows with a barbell-- a barbell," she added, scandalized, "can you imagine? The cost of repair alone, let alone the look of a broken window, and Lord only knows how long it would take him to fix it..."

She trailed off, glaring at the offending house and cinching her robe tighter.

The officer glanced over his shoulder as well, eyebrows shifting upward before returning to her. "Well. The windows aren't broken, so what stopped him?"

"What?" She looked over at him. "Oh," she waved a dismissive hand, "I couldn't say. One second he had it upheld," she mimicked holding something as if planning to throw it, "and next thing I know there's a bit of flashing and I could hardly see him, seeing as he was on the floor. Sometime later they came out, carrying him and several of those people in black. I don't know what happened inside but they must have been unconscious."

"And they put him in the van?"

"Threw him in like so much cargo," she said blithely, swinging her arms with her hands crooked to imitate tossing something heavy. "He was already tied up at that point."

The officer's expression tightened and he gave her a flat look. "If you saw all this, why didn't you call 911?"

"How should I know what those homosexuals do in their free time?" Mrs. Hensley demanded. "Just the other day on the news, they talked about this cruising that happens in Crandall Park. The nerve of them! Going about that business in places where children visit during the day..."

Her lip lifted in a sneer and she tilted her head, managing to give the impression of looking down her nose at the officer despite the fact that he was a good foot taller than her. She let out a huff of a breath and crossed her arms.

"Besides," she added indignantly, "I don't get involved in his strange friendships."

"What makes you think they were friends?"

"Well, because he recognized one of them." She gave him a look as if it should have been obvious.

The officer flipped a page in his notebook. "Why do you say that?"

"I couldn't see everything, what with them standing in the way and all, but I did see something toward the end. One of them lifted their mask and he looked surprised and then he laughed."

The officer stared at her over the top of his notebook. "Laughed."

"Yes, he laughed and then dropped out of sight. I didn't see anything until they came outside."

She straightened her back and glared at the officer. "So you see, it was just another strange incident at his place. I don't want anything to do with that boy. He wants to play his little games, he can. You officers will likely want to be looking for some sort of cruising van for homosexuals. You should start with the park. This may have been one of those sexual fantasy games I saw them talking about on the television awhile back."

She said 'sexual fantasy' with the same attention to over-pronunciation as she did 'homosexuals.'

"There was one story where a woman didn't know someone else set her up for the game. I expect if he didn't sign himself up that's what happened here. But if you ask me, that sick boy signed himself up. He was never right in the head, I can tell you that much. The only one worth knowing of the whole family was the dead father." She shook her head to herself, lips thinning as she tightened her robe again. "I always knew there was something wrong with him."

"What did the person look like who pulled up their mask?"

Mrs. Hensley shrugged unconcernedly. "How should I know? He was turned away. I just know he did it because I could see it from behind." She mimed reaching up to pull up a mask. Her robe fell open in the movement, revealing the worn, flower-printed nightgown beneath.

"So it was a man?"

Mrs. Hensley gave the officer an arch look. "You think a woman would want to be involved in all that?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to the splattered blood she could see from her angle.

"So you didn't see either way."

"I didn't have to see," Mrs. Hensley insisted. "No woman would get herself involved in that boy's sick fantasies! And I'll tell you another thing-- I hope he stays gone."

Her eyes narrowed in a cold glare and she leaned forward, crossing her arms sharply. "Good riddance, if you ask me. Without him our neighborhood will have the chance to return to the way it used to be. I'm only glad you didn't find a body in there or the news would be all over this. Can you imagine? A murder in Cedar Hills?" Her tone was as incredulous as it was scandalized, her thin eyebrows rising to wrinkle her forehead further. She stepped to the edge of the curb and settled an imperious glare on the officer. "You just make sure that boy never comes back, you hear? If you did your job protecting the peace, that's what you'd be focused on right now."

"I see. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hensley. If I could just get your contact information in case the investigators have follow up questions..."

They went back and forth briefly on that before Mrs. Hensley finally consented to providing her phone number provided they kept everything about her confidential.

"I want to be anonymous," she insisted.

The officer nodded and went to leave. Mrs. Hensley surveyed the scene, her gaze zeroing in on the house before shifting to take in everyone who was crowded around the area curiously. When her eyes swept past Danny they immediately returned. She met his eyes, her lips narrowing and expression turning distinctly disapproving.

Just as the officer was about to walk away she said archly, "If you want to know more about the homosexual activity, you should ask that man." She pointed at Danny, her stare clearly stained with disgust. "He used to stay around here all the time, years back. He was the one I saw most often having intercourse with that boy."

She flicked a contemptuous gaze up and down Danny's body and then turned fully to the officer. "Flaunting it for everyone to see." Her lip curled. "They have no shame."

The officer frowned, looked over at Danny, then glanced at his partner. Their eyes met and the officer who had spoken to Mrs. Hensley tilted his head in Danny's direction, causing his partner to peel away from where he was standing to approach Danny. While that officer headed his way, the other one who had spoken to Mrs. Hensley headed toward the man standing at the edge of the yard who seemed to be in charge.

That was then supposed to hook up with Danny’s side of things, but then we didn’t go this route, so the scene just sort of ends randomly instead lol BUT DANNY WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE SAID?? The world will never know.

#ask ais #icos #in the company of shadows #Anonymous #long post #mrs hensley excerpt #random unfinished or unshared icos scenes

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hashtagsmitty · 6 years

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Smitty's Thailand Adventure - Day 2

Big day. My phone is saying 27000 steps. The highlights include getting a suit tailored, having a thai woman rub my naked body down for an hour, meeting Keith Urban's green beret brother, and a friendly, spirited discussion about Islam. No spoilerinos though!

I didn't sleep well, the bed was way too hard and the springs jabbed me all night. I'd told Josh 10am but I was up at 6. I read some more of "Growth Mindset" - talking about sports stars and CEOs that had fixed mindsets vs those with growth mindsets.

Josh texted me and said that he was going to meet me at 11 because he didn't sleep well, so I went out exploring. I got turned around a few times trying to find the train station on the main road. Think a giant freeway overpass with four train lines on it, and a huge station connecting them all. This one has two mega shopping centers like the Emporium attached. It didn't open until 10, so I went for a walk in the park instead.

There were heaps of people just doing normal park stuff - walking, exercising. I saw a couple kids practicing punches. There was an old woman cutting a hedge, and most of the park was well maintained - except for a set of steps I found. They were leading to a jetty that jutted out over the lake in the middle of the park, and the steps leading down were covered in bird poo. It was weird seeing the juxtaposition. There's another one in this picture I took yesterday:

I really liked the architecture of this building, and it was odd to see the rats nest of phone cabling framed in front of it. That wasn't even the worst one. It highlighted something we saw quite a bit of - lowest possible effort to look good.

I walked around the park for a while, then grabbed some food from the White Family Mart on the corner of my street. The name jumped out at me. I grabbed some godawful dried strawberries and a rice and grilled chicken packet that was way better than I expected.

Josh texted me, so I left the hotel and went back to the Emporium and walked around a bit. There was this cool shop called Another Man Story with unique custom men's accessories. Some of the stuff was cool, but it struck me as a desperate attempt at buying individuality through conformity. "Look at these unique expressions of you that anyone with enough money can buy!"

Says the guy with too many stupid expensive leather jackets.

I was looking at my leather bracelet that I made myself for like $5, and compared it to these bracelets that cost hundreds. I like mine better because I made it and it has meaning to me.

I met up with Josh eventually and we got some pad thai in the food court. I'd never had it before, and it was pretty good. I've always been a picky eater, so eating new shit is a bit outside my comfort zone and I'm proud of the small steps I'm taking.

After brunch(?) we went to a tailor Josh knew, in the first of many trips across the city. We took the skytrain - it cost about a dollar per trip. We needed to change train then walk a bit. I was boggled at how well Josh knows the city, and again reminded how screwed I'd be if I wanted to do any of this shit without him.

The tailor was cool - spoke English, very business-oriented. I ordered a 3-piece suit in grey wool, and two white shirts. It'll be ready the day before I leave.

We left the tailor after Josh finished texting one of his friends - something about organizing a business together. Josh had many words to say about this guy, and the tailor, and anyone who walked slowly...

After the tailor Josh wanted to check out a market to get ties and cuff links. I told him I'd look at one market - we went to Cambodia together a few years back, and I got burned out walking from market to market trying to save 3 dollars on some bag. He led us on a crazy whirlwind tour of the backroads and skywalks across Bangkok, until eventually we ended up at the same market we'd gone to last time we were here!

It was a sprawling shopping centre, with as many stalls crammed in as the fire code would allow. Josh described it as "an inside market with air conditioning." We wandered around looking at shirts for a while until we found the ties and cuffs place. I hemmed and hawwed for a while until I picked out a tie and some cuffs. The tie looks awesome - it's skinny and red.

We left the market and took the winding route back to a different mall - we had some meat and rice dish. Josh told me that beef in Thai was "moo". I called bullshit. The menu had "grilled beef/pork/chicken" on it. When we ordered, Josh pointed at that item and said "moo". The waiter nodded. I grabbed Google Translate and typed in moo - it came up as "swine". Sure enough, the waiter brought out pork.

As we ate, Josh told me the plan for tonight - I needed a haircut, so we planned to walk into a place near his AirBNB. We planned on meeting up with his friends for drinks and a meal, right around the corner from his place. And, I'd expressed that I wanted a massage. So the plan was dump my bag at the hotel, find a massage, get a haircut, then meet his friends for dinner.

Another quick train ride. The thing they don't tell you about the skyrail is that you gotta climb stairs to get on and off each time.

I dumped my bag. Josh warned me about the massage girls outside my hotel, and again, they disappointed by not heckling me.

We tried a couple of massage places near my hotel - the two non-dodgy ones near my hotel, anyway, ones that didn't advertise "Vip Room", "4 Hands Massage", or God forbid "Teen Love". If you need to emphasize that your "masseuses" are teenagers, you're not an establishment I'm keen to visit.

The two non-dodgy ones near the hotel were full. We caught the skytrain again, this time to near Josh's house. We found a massage place that looked OK and went inside.

We had to take off our shoes to go inside. I was wearing blundies that slipped off, and Josh had some sneaker things. I waited awkwardly inside after telling the lady that my friend was coming and he spoke Thai. Josh came in and asked for a massage for each of us, in English. Bastard.

We got led into a cubicle each. Shower curtain walls, a very small cot. I sat down and my masseuse walked in. She was a middle-aged Thai woman. She dropped down under the cot and pulled out a basket, then said "leave your underpants on" and left. I took off everything except my underpants and sat cross legged on the cot. I was nervous. What if she touched something I didn't want touched? What if I reacted in a way I wasn't comfortable reacting? I did some deep breathing while I waited.

My masseuse came back. She said "lay down, back first." I lay down on my back. She said "no, back first!" I rolled back over onto my tummy. She covered my back with a towel, then unrolled the towel down to my underpants. She oiled her hands and started rubbing my back. It was nice - Thai massage is firm, more of a deep tissue massage than relaxation. She worked her way across my back, my legs, then my chest. There was a weird one where she raised one of my legs into a bent position, foot flat, and pressed it down into the other leg. It felt like my balls were getting squished in a sandwich press. Clearly, these techniques were designed for Asian men.

She finished with a neck and head massage. She couldn't speak English, but she communicated humour in other ways - she started rubbing my neck and flicked the weird lump on the side that I have. I wondered how to say "misformed conjoined twin" in Thai, which led to a mental rabbit hole about Siamese twins and whether it was a faux pas to talk about that in Siam. She massaged my scalp and flicked my quiff, then spent time straightening my hair when she finished.

I rate the massage a solid 5/7 - staring at a bare stone wall while an Asian woman grinds her elbow into my spine isn't necessarily my thing, but it was an experience and I'm glad I did it. I'm also glad none of the things I was worried about happened.

While we were putting our shoes back on outside, a sketchy white dude walked up to us. He commented on Josh's shoes and stretched his hand out to me to shake. I shook. He asked where we were from. I said Australia. He said his brother came from New Zealand and that we'd know his name. I said I'm sure I don't. He said his brother's name was Keith Urban and that his name was Greg. I said that I knew his brothers name. He said that he used to be a green beret and asked me to rate his handshake. He did his left hand, then without letting go did the right hand. I said his shake was firm. He said the green beret thing again and twisted my thumbs around. Then he wished us a good night and walked off.

We shrugged and walked on down the road towards the barber. We bumped into Greg Urban again - he commented, and asked where we were going. I said we were getting a haircut. He said "you need one!" I said "thank you!" He said "you need one because you look like shit." We kinda just walked off a bit faster. Both me and Josh were getting major sketchy vibes. Josh compared it to a foreign 5 year old who can speak fluent English walking up to you and talking to you - a distraction for something more sinister.

We kept walking. The barber was in Josh's area. He decided that he was going to show me all the street animals he was friends with. We had to cross another skybridge to get there. As we walked across this one, there was a dude laying down covering half the bridge. Josh said we should go single file. As we walked, the dude sat bolt upright. It felt like something out of a zombie movie and I almost sprinted off. Josh later explained that he was likely an opium addict, and likely at rock bottom because of it.

We walked to the barber. They were super full, so we booked in for tomorrow at 3. My fade needs a touch up. We left, and Josh started pointing out his dog and cat friends. He called them all cutesy names in Spanish, like gordo (fatso) or nino (little boy) or chico (little guy). It was weird to see this super intense friend of mine, fiercely competent and ruthless in business and his personal lives, acting like a kid in a candy store with these street animals. It was a weird juxtaposition, but it definitely humanised him a bit more. The animals were really cute too.

We sat down in W District, an outdoor dining and bar area. Josh ordered us some ribs and chips and we waited for his friend and business partner to arrive. Josh had been texting him all day about their planned business venture. Josh wanted his friend to pick one idea, develop it, and pay Josh to implement it. Josh's friend wanted to develop a whole bunch of ideas at once, and give Josh equity in his company and a place to stay in exchange. His friend was arriving early to negotiate.

Josh had been talking up the ribs all day - he said he should get a commission from the ribs lady for all the business he drove to her. They had a chat, and she agreed to send out 3 things of ribs ASAP.

Bill, Josh's friend, arrived. They negotiated while I listened. I wasn't following everything, but I asked Josh later and he said he got what he wanted. As we talked, more and more people showed up, and Josh introduced me to some of his other friends. His current girlfriend, his Egyptian friend who hates Islam, friends of friends. A Thai girl named Ben - that threw me a bit, let me tell you.

I spent the night mingling. I don't normally hang out in large groups, and definitely not with people I don't know, and rarely around people who are drinking. Further outside the comfort zone, I guess. I put aside my nerves and chatted to people, drawing on my inner extrovert. I played improvisation games with Josh and Bill. I talked about Islam with the Egyptian guy. I did my best to make myself, if not the life and soul of the party, at least a net gain to the gathering.

The ribs arrived after 2 hours of waiting. Bill and I joked about Josh's failed celebrity status. They gave us some plastic gloves to eat the ribs with. The group ordered tower after tower of beer - portable taps with 3 Liters of beer inside. They cost 650 baht, around $25.

I ended up staying way longer than I expected, and headed home around 11. Josh walked me to the station and we talked about expectation and visualization and the universe providing and the great magnet turning. We made plans for the haircut tomorrow, as well as lunch with his current girlfriend and dinner with the same group as tonight. Bill said that he was definitely going because I said I was.

I walked past the"massage parlor" again on the way home, still no harrassment.

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exo-tic-reactions · 8 years

Text

Quidditch Romance |

Sofia Pov

Currently I was sitting, surrounded by shades of blue rippling the reflections of nature. The sun had cascaded across the soft ripples in various shades of reds and oranges. My dark hair was pulled into a messy bun resting on top of my head complimenting my oval shaped banana republic glasses that enlarged my brown eyes. My green robes fluttered about in the gentle breeze as I sat by the lake with the the one and only Kris. Yes I said Kris, the pure blood that was quite intimidating…..at first sight. Honestly he’s just a puppy that suffered from RBF. Only few people knew the soft sided Kris and those few were Emily and I even if I wasn’t that close Emily she always put Kris in line.

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Speaking of the ginger with brilliant blue eyes, that could put even the lake to shame, skipped toward the tall slytherin and stood directly in front of him looking as intimidating as she possibly could. Sure she was a pure blood, ambitious and sweet, but she was still only 5'4" which was nothing compared to the over 6’ Kris wu.

Back to the point she stopped directly in front of him, blocking the sun, and glaring down at the slytherin prefect she called a best friend. I watched in amusement as Kris looked up at the ginger unamused before breaking out into a gummy smile and standing to his full heat and ruffling her locks about into a style that resembled a birds nest very well.

Emily huffed at the person she called a best friend before turning toward me with a pleading look to help sort out the tangled disaster. I patted the spot next to me knowing standing would do nothing for either of us.

“So Sofia how have you been?” Emily plopped in front of me back to me as I sat onto my knees to sort out the ginger locks.

“I'v been good. How bout you Em how’s the ravenclaw life treating you?”

“It’s good thanks for asking!” There was a pause. “So I overheard a certain chaser who is certainty interested in you-” Emily started.

“And? What did this certain chaser say?” I interrupted still untangling the birds nest one by one.

“Aaannnddd he would absolutely love if you would go to the game to watch.” bingo anterior motive smooth Emily.

“Emily you know that I don’t do sports. It’s not my thing.”

“Yeah but-” Emily started but this time Kris cut her off.

“Sofia let’s be honest here you are totally into Sehun but you are afraid of being hurt by the star Slytheirn player right? Well let me tell you if he wasn’t into you he would’ve stopped bugging you after week one and how many weeks has it been for you?”

“….3.” I answered dumbfounded.

Kris smirked. “Exactly. He’s into you and he’s been wanting you to come watch him at just one game but you turn him down every time Sofia. Why don’t you just go to one?”

“Well you know I’m-” I started.

“Yeah shy we know.” Em said.

“I was gonna say introverted but that works too.”

“What Em is trying to say is we know you don’t like attention but really there’s so many students that go here and you don’t even have to wear quidditch stuff or anything to bring attention.” Kris stated.

“Kris I’m bound to bring attention. Hello part veela ringing a bell? I literally freaking glow like the vampires in twilight!” I exclaimed seconds away from pulling my own hair in frustration.

“Think about it this way, you are way Prettier than anything in that retched movie. Why not embrace the inner and outer veela?” Emily stated in a matter of fact tone.

“You gotta get over the attention fear some time Sofia. Some attention is good. Besides if anyone even says anything bad about you we got your back.” Kris smiled reassuringly.

I sighed deeply contemplating my options. ‘I did like Sehun yes, but I didn’t like attention and everyone knows the star player is into me. There’s bound to be attention on me!’ I thought or at least I thought it was a silent thought.

“Just one game Sofia! We will be with you the whole time. There’s nothing to worry about. Just give it a try.” Em said reassuringly before standing up with silky untangled hair before offering her petite hand toward me. I battled with myself internally but in the hand grasped her hand and let her and Kris lead me toward the quidditch stands.

~~~

The game was in full swing with Slytherin and Ravenclaw neck and neck. We sat near the back which calmed my anxiety….just a bit. At least Kris and Emily kept their promise by staying with me although I had to listen to their playful banter about which team would win. My eyes darted from the action to the crowds nervously as I tugged my thin jacket tighter around my slightly glowing figure.

Slytherin had the goal open right in front of them and I nervously wrung my hands together watching as the ball was passed to Sehun and he scored another ten points for Slytherin. He swooped down as the cheers wring out from the green side of the stadium. He flew past each stand reaching down to high five fellow classmates and in no time he reached our section and I prayed he wouldn’t see me and drag all the attention from our fellow classmates from him to me. Of course the universe had other plans and suddenly my irises met shining mocha that brightened upon recognizing me standing with the rest of Slytherin to watch the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He smiled widely revealing all his teeth and attempting a wave before slyly swooping down to quickly high five Kris and wink at me at the same time.

‘Sly little shit that has a beautiful smile.’ I shook my head at his antics before grinning back before he swooped down back into the action. Emily nudged me before I pushed her slightly away and gained the courage to cheer for Sehun.

Suddnely a bell rung and the announcer screamed, “Huang Zitao has caught the golden snitch! Slytherin wins!”

Our section erupted into cheers and I clapped along laughing with Emily who pouted slightly before grinning. I turned to hug Kris and thank him for making me watch the game, but the prefect was nowhere to be seen.

“Prefect duties I think.” Emily answered with a hint of sarcasm to my silent question again.

“In the middle of a game?” I asked not really confused by his sudden disappearance.

Emily shrugged in reply before latching onto my wrist and tugging me down the steps rapidly to the point where I was forced to take the stairs two or three at a time. We made it to the bottom where I landed safely on the field sighing in relief at the pure luck we had. Emily let go of my wrist and smiled knowingly at me before giving my an apologetic expression before she darted through the excited Slytherin students toward the school.

I stared after her in disbelief. “Yah! Emily what the- why are you running? Come back you can’t just leave m here by myself!” I screamed in her direction and I knew she heard when she turned and gave me a sly wink before continuing her run.

I threw my arms down with a huff. “Okay that was rude! How dare she think she can leave me by mysel- ahhh!” I yelled as arms wrapped around my waist and I was lifted off the ground into a spinning hug. My arms wrapped around the lean figure, holding on for dear life. The familiar laugh of Oh Sehun reached my ears before he set me down gently and grinning down at me with now messy hair. I blew a piece of hair out of my face and that just caused Sehun to grin wider and reach up to tuck it behind my ear and adjusting my glasses on my nose.

“You’re here! You’re actually here!” Sehun exclaimed happily.

I smiled bashfully, eyes diverting to the far more interesting ground. “Yeah I I did. And you were ….incredible.” I muttered head down.

A finger was placed under my chin and my eyes were tugged like a magnet to Sehun. His smile was brilliantly bright and a hint of mischief was tugging on the edges.

“Did Sofia, the one who absolutely despised any sport, just say that I was..incredible?” He was teasing me and unfortunately my cheeks weren’t on the same page as my mind to ignore him. If it was possible his grin brightened into a smirk at the rosy flush creeping up my skin.

“Don’t flatter yourself Oh Sehun.” I punched his arm pushing him away before turning toward the school to head inside. I heard Sehun’s laugh behind me before he jogged to catch up to me, entertaining our hands together and I couldn’t stop thinking about how warm his hand was and how oddly comfortable I felt as we walked away from the quidditch field.

~~~ “Wait so Kris convinced you to come? Prefect Kris? Pure blood, Slytherin Kris? Resting butch faces Kris?” Sehun was in disbelief as we both headed to the Slytherin common room to celebrate our win.

I laughed at his expression. “Yes that Kris! I mean how many Kris’ do you know?” I teased.

He scoffed playfully. “I’ll have you know I know many people named Kris.” He sassily retorted causing the both of us to burst into a string of laughter.

“Oh my god Sehun! Why are you like this?” I managed to ask as I wiped the laughter evidence from my eyes.

“Only for you sweetcheeks.” He grinned at me cheekily.

“Smooth. Real smooth.” I muttered with a smile on my face and a roll of my eyes. We turned the corner of the hall to the common room before spotting the very person we were talking about just seconds ago and a very gobsmacked and flustered beagle line.

Trapped against the wall was the Gryffindor prefect Suho who was very close to Kris. The two prefects were inches apart and quite flustered from the red hue casting onto both boys’ faces. It was ironic considering both boys seemed to be mere enemies…to everyone else.

I caught Kris’ eye and winked at him as he scoffed and leaned away from Suho. “We were just talking that’s all geez guys!” Kris muttered with zero confidence in his voice. I smirked at his obvious bluff, I knew exactly what they were doing. Kris and Suho may see like enemies to everyone else, but there is no way he can hide this from me or Emily for that matter. Sehun rolled his eyes before gently tugging me past the gawking beagle line, a flustered Suho, and glaring Kris as I snickered at his terrible secret keeping skills. Sehun muttered the password to the door before slipping us both inside the common room before he jumped in fright at the loud cheers, party poppers, and excessive banners that were cheering for Slytherin in honor of his win.

I grinned at our house enthusiasm and sneaking a knowing look at Sehun. “Shouldn’t you be used to this? I mean we do this every single time Slytherin wins.”

Sehun shot me a pen unamused look before being pulled to cheer with the rest of the team. He managed to mouth I’ll be back before he disappeared into the crowd. I shook my head before making my way to the couch and taking a seat next to Brooklyn and Lisa. We quickly engaged into a conversation about the game and the two girls were shocked at finding out I went to the game and teasing me about coming in with Sehun. We poked jabs at one another before Lisa was called off to another corner and bidding a see you later before she too disappeared into the crowd with Brooklyn in tow.

I sighed leaning back and just watching the crowd of Slytherin jump around and dance to the music that was now blasting my house by Flo. Rida. I jumped slightly as the cushion sunk under the weight of another body and I turned to find Kris sitting beside me and I couldn’t just let the whole scene five minutes ago go.

“So how was your make out session? What did the beagles say?”

Kris shot me an unamused look and decided to take a sip of the mysterious dark liquid in his cup.

“Oh the silent treatment? Wow immature Kris.” He continued to ignore me. “You know you really suck at secrets.” That caught his attention as his attention wa suddenly shifted from the crowd to me. “What?”

“You heard me. You suck at secrets mr. prefect.”

“How so?” His eyes narrowed at my claims.

“Well for starters you disappear in the middle of the game and except us to believthe prefect duties excuse? And how convenient that Suho is always disappearing at the same time. Especially during breakfast and dinner and during break.” Kris looked gobsmacked that I had figured it out.

“Oh don’t worry only me and Em know…and the beagles…and Sehun.” I snickered.

He rolled his eyes for the fifteenth today before his eyes scanned the crowd and suddenly a smirk rose on his face.

“Lover boy is watching.” Kris attempted to change the subject as hi nodded toward the crowd. To bad for him I wasn’t taking the bait.

“Suho ain’t here though.” I feigned innocence. Kris turned to glare at me as I grinned at him.

“Did I ask?” He replied making me laugh loudly.

Before I could retort a hand was extended in front of me and I followed the arm to find Sehun in front of me. I grinned at him and grasped his hand letting him pull me upright. He spun on his heel and lead us through the crowd but that didn’t stop my teasing grin at Kris and I caught him sticking his tongue out at me in reply.I laughed in reply to that before suddenly finding the noise fading away and suddenly the fireplace was in view.

“Sorry about that I just wanted to be able to hear you and just relax.” Sehun sheepishly admitted.

My head cocked to the side. “Don’t you want to celebrate with your team?”

Sehun shook his head and his hand ran through his blonde hair. “Nah they don’t mind. I want to celebrate with you.”

I grinned slightly before inching closer to his figure on the couch. “Are you sure? Don’t you like to party? Why would you choose me over the party? I’m just plain Sofia.”

Sehun turned to me with a strong affection in his eyes that were locked onto my own. “Sofia of course is choose you over the party. We win too many times anyway and I’ve partied enough this year that I can spend time with you, where I’d rather be.”

I rolled my eyes at his obvious cockiness, but didn’t dismiss the sweet comment either. “Sehun there’s only been like 4 games this year and Slytherin has played twice.”

“That’s besides the point.” He dismissed my teasing jab. “Sofia,” he had a serious expression on now. “I love spending time with you.”

“Why?” Was my immediate response, fueled by curiosity.

“Well you are beautiful to start with. And your smart and quick witted. I love how you are ambitious and work very hard. I love how you sass me and won’t take anyone’s crap. I love how you are introverted, how you prefer to stay in and read to going to a game. I love how you came to watch me and stepping out of your comfort zone. I love how you are honest and have the purest intentions. I love your hair when it’s in a bun and when you where your glasses, not that you aren’t just as stunning in contacts.” I rolled my eyes at that. “But I love how you came to watch me even though you despise sports. I love that you are part veela even though you hate it, because that’s what drew me too youI’m crazy about you Sofia, why wouldn’t I spend time with you?”

I was speechless. “I never knew you felt that way about me Sehun.” I whispered too afraid to raise my voice. Sehun grabbed my hands in his asking me face him. His eyes sparkled as he looked into me. His eyes flickered down to my lips and back up to my eyes as the silent question lingered between us. I smiled and gave my permission with the smallest nod and suddnely I was engulfed in a warmth that started from my chest and spread outward. His hand cradled my head as he gently caressed the skin on the back of my neck. My eyes fluttered shut and a pleased hum escaped me as his arm pulled me closer to the warmth.

His lips caressed mine slowly, no rush evident. All that see,ed to be there was savoring this moment as the sweet taste of his lips on mine made my mind fuzzy. My stomach erupted with butterflies and my heart began to beat like a hummingbirds wings. My skin tingled under his soft touch. My mind began to get dizzy from lack of oxygen and he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine, panting softly.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” He whispered as his hand massaged the back of my neck.

I held his hand in my lap smiling as he reached up to hold our hands to his lips. He kissed my hand before lowering our hands again and leaning forward again. He stopped inches away and I closed the distance pressing my lips to his soft and sweet ones again as he held my closely and surrounded my whole body with warmth that I didn’t know I had been craving until now.

~Allie

#exo scenarios #oh sehun scenario #exo harry potter #admin allie #sehun fluff #slytherin #exo au scenarios #sehun au #harry potter au

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