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creativeashproductions · 4 years ago

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Elysium // Luke Patterson

Summary: The boys of Julie and the Phantoms need a hail Mary to dethrone Downslide from opening for Panic! At the Disco. While Willie is done to help his blue eyed crush and his friends there’s one issue: Willie can’t drive the bus. Moving a bench is one thing but driving an entire tour bus? There’s only one person who can and Willie’s not sure where she is after year of no communication

Warnings: Swearing, angst, talk of death (it’s a ghost show, why is this a warning??), mention of assault, violence, and fluff.

Words: 11.5k

A/N: This is why I haven’t posted much in the last week. I’ve been writing this massive fic that I refused to turn into a series. My god, 11k words. I don’t think I’ll be doing this again. Enjoy and comment if you figured out who Rudy is!

Masterlist

There wasn’t much in the afterlife that you enjoyed after time spent in the limbo between the living and dead. Listening to songs before they were released lost its appeal just as much as dancing on stage with the ballet companies around the world, of being an unseen extra in shows and films being filmed.

Then you found a purpose a couple, well it could be more than a couple, years ago when you found a lost soul. William Young, Willie to his friends, had been sitting on the curb staring at the pavement entirely still as he had for two days.

The time from the last breath you took to walking the streets of Los Angeles was a blur in all honesty. The years bled together as you stayed stationary in a world that kept on spinning and changing, growing up. You had watched your friends hit new milestones you could only daydream about. Friends that graduated college and built new lives on the ashes of memories that included you.

Today’s walk was an attempt to escape your friends’ greying versions standing in front of a once vibrant sculpture. It happened every single year, but this one hurt the most. Listening to your friends recall stories of all the adventures you did together.

From being drunken idiots jumping off cliffs into that one lake the summer of freshman year. Or making a bonfire on the school’s roof with all the entryways blocked, rather stupid with the exits being blocked as well. Sneaking into concerts and stealing that one car that came close to sending you to boarding school.

The rebellion that still lived in you had mellowed in the five individuals with the adult responsibilities of family and work. Martha had removed all piercings but her lobes while Chase quit dying his hair colour. Jordan now had three children and a bought house.

Seeing the group no longer young had made your feet swiftly move from the memorial for a walk. The only thing that stopped you in your tracks was tripping over something in front of you.

“Ouch.” You hissed rolling onto your back with a moan of pain that faded with the sniffles.

Curled into his knees, sitting on the curb was a teenage boy about your age. Long hair curtaining his profile you found your eyes grasping the cracked helmet that spoke for itself abandoned by his side.

“Your kinda a hazard there.” You simply spoke sitting down next to the distraught teenager, “Heads up, I suck at comforting people.”

At his silence, you spoke once more, “I’m digging the tie-dye. Did you do it yourself?”

“This is some kind of stupid coma dream right?” The boy’s voice was husky from crying and disuse, “I’m probably in some kind of hospital with a tube down my throat.”

“I’d say yes, but it would be a blatant lie.” You spoke twirling a loose thread on your jeans while the stranger gazed at a spot on the street.

His dark brown eyes bloodshot as he remembered the car honking mere seconds before he heard the sound of a thud. He recalled struggling to breathe with his broken ribs and his screams being illustrated with bloodstains.

He remembered thinking how he had just bought that board a week ago with his allowance.

“Am I really dead?”

“Yes. We’re are a couple ghosts in a lively city.” You informed him with one handheld in the space between your ethereal forms. The teen hesitantly placed his hand in yours with a firm shake.

“William but call me Willie.” He softly told you, catching sight of the patch on your jean jacket—one of many from both when your grandma owned it and then when you did.

“I’m Y/N. Let’s blow this disappointment. I’m gonna teach you everything you need to know.” Brushing off the invisible dust on your jeans, you held your hand out to him, “We’re about to make the afterlife our bitch.”

A stark contrast to his former hesitance he immediately grasped your hand to tug himself off the curb. The forlorn skater didn’t question the board in your hand or how he could possibly even touch his own board. He didn’t wonder how it wasn’t in pieces like it had been when he first got hit.

That rebellion that ended your life flared again in the presence of your best friend with crashing Justin Bieber’s house. Of rearranging items in classrooms to freak teachers out and sitting in the cars turning the radio on and off. Haunting the living until the friendship fractured under the influence of a powerful ghost.

Caleb Covington had bewitched the skater with promises and extravagant gifts until Willie had taken the offer.

“He’s not like you said he was! I think you should give him a chance!” Willie cried following you around the place you had taken to be home.

“Willie he’s a bad guy! He butters you up until you give him what you want! That’s when you see his true colours. All he wants is your soul to power his magic and spread his reach!”

“I got to talk to my sister!”

“Your sister is five years old! It’s not Covington that gave you the opportunity. She won’t remember the experience as anything other than an invisible friend!”

“There are so many people at the Club that we can talk to. Aren’t you tired of the same routine and people we see?”

Willie’s pleading brought your full attention to the skater avoiding your gaze, “William Young…you took his offer.”

Willie tore his gaze from the art on the wall to find yours blatantly glaring at him with a bucket of random colour in your hand.

“The Club is going to France to tour around the country for a while. I’m dead, so I might as well make the best of it. Besides who gets to skate through the Louvre!” Willie beamed, watching as a small smile, found its way on your face at his excitement, “I’m sure Caleb would let you come to the Club tonight!”

“Willie, you are my best friend, but I’ve already seen the Club. It’s not my style, and I want nothing to do with it.”

That interaction was one of the very few speckled through the years when Caleb discovered who you were. No matter his offers, you never took the deal and when he saw how close you and Willie where he kept the skater busy. The Club didn’t appear in Los Angeles for a long time until Willie’s distance seemed too great to bridge.

“So, you need a way for the slot to be empty?” Willie asked the trio of ghosts all spread around the area.

Unfortunately for Luke, the only person they could get help from was from the very guy that placed them in a predicament. While Alex was the one spearheading the conversation with the long-haired skater Luke was glowering in his direction.

“The Orpheum was the thing we never got to do. We spent hours practising and performing with one goal-“

“Play the Orpheum and get distance from our parents. Well, at the time that streetdog and becoming legendary was my main focus.” Reggie recounted the feeling of suffocating in a house filled with fighting. A home he wished still stood, now dead all he wanted was to see his parents.

“We almost did it too.” Luke pouted relaxing his glare at the skater who openly sent apologetic gazes at Alex’s bandmates.

“So, we need to get rid of the opening band.” Willie nodded to himself, thinking about ways before he caught sight of the abject horror on the band. The skater’s eyebrows raised, “I know I deeply fractured the trust, but I’m not suggesting murder.”

“Okay. Good.” Reggie whistled relaxing his tense posture while Luke grumbled under his breath an insult that in turn got Alex’s arm into the guitarist’s ribs.

“Your best bet would be getting the bus out of LA. The band will probably celebrate the upcoming gig.”

“Could you make the bus disappear?” Alex hesitantly questioned shifting in his now vintage sneakers. The blonde-haired drummer flushed slightly under the endearing smile from the skater. The feelings create a confliction within Alex under Willie’s issue, leading them straight into a madman’s hands.

“I can move a bench, turn sirens on, but a bus is outside my paygrade.” Willie openly admitted showing his hands deep in his pockets, “The only person other than Caleb that has enough power-“

“-is he just as evil?” Luke demanded crossing his arms to glare at the male that had unfortunately caught the interest of Alex.

However, Luke couldn’t blame Alex for falling for this guy because well, Luke saw the teenage ghost’s appeal. Willie was attractive, but he wasn’t the type of person Luke would fall for. Plus he had initially made Alex incredibly happy, and Luke would never blame Alex for that.

“She is as different from Caleb as one can be. She uh…she taught me everything about being a ghost. Actually, found me where I died.” Willie cleared his throat as the guilt and sadness reared its head from deep within him. The guilt of leaving his little sister to grow up without him and the sorrow of not growing up with the girl.

It wasn’t often Willie allowed himself to remember the little girl, barely five when he died, who was always dancing. His little sister adored the colour purple and anything shiny and more than once Willie had let her dress him up. Willie’s greatest regret is that he’d never have that interaction with her. God, she’d be around his age now and in high school.

“Okay, so where is she?” Reggie clapped his hands, bringing the skater out of his thoughts and back into the present.

Luke saw the hesitation in Willie, “There’s a catch, isn’t there?”

“Kinda?” Willie trailed off bouncing on the balls of his feet, “I haven’t seen her in years now. Last time I saw her we fought about the whole joining Caleb thing? I’m not even sure if she’s still in LA.”

“Of fucking course,” Luke grunted shoving both hands in his hair taking a few steps away from the other ghosts.

First, he dies, then he gets caught up in some bullshit revenge plot, then makes a deal with the devil without realizing it, and now their one chance is going up in flames. Luke Patterson was livid with the universe and the shitty hand he had been dealt, but at least he had his friends with him.

“It can’t hurt to look for her?” Reggie innocently offered with a shake of his shoulders, “It’s not like we have any other option.”

“Did we ever even have options?” Luke hissed, causing Willie and Alex each to flinch with the different guilt they carried.

Alex was guilty of going to Willie for help when getting back at Bobby was the biggest thing. Willie was guilty of ignoring his instincts on keeping Alex as far from Caleb as he could be he just wanted to impress the drummer. It’s not like Willie had many options for dating, and well, Alex was the first to get his entire focus.

“Dude. Stop. No one saw it coming.” Reggie bumped his hip against the annoyed guitarist, “Let’s find this ghost and get our shot at playing.”

The quartet of dead guys didn’t have high hopes of finding the girl in question, but it seemed the universe took pity on Luke Patterson. Just two hours into their search on the edges of the city limits an individual was walking.

The person’s stature leaned against a smashed concrete wall of the skeleton of where a building once was. The only thing the group could make out was a faded jean jacket with splotches of colour. Her ankles crossed as her back leaned against the cement, oozed laid back confidence. Coming closer, Luke noticed the sunglasses perched on top of her head and the lips painted dark.

“What do you need Willie? I heard you were looking for me.” The husky voice drew Luke in the most. The lead guitarist of Julie and the Phantoms enamoured with the girl.

“How’d-“Willie’s question was cut off as you simply tapped your right index finger against your temple.

“How do you think you managed to get here?” You inquired pushing off the cement to stride over to the group. To Willie’s surprise, he was tugged into your embrace before swiftly pushed away, “Come on. We should head in before someone catches us.”

In the dark as much as the other three ghosts, Willie dutifully followed you past the pieces of cement littered around the area. Gasps of surprise sounded as the once empty space became filled with buildings. It was not as extravagant as the hotel the Club worked out of, but it was hidden from the living and dead eyes.

“Where did this come from?” Reggie gasped astounded by the people once hidden from his view, moving around the area.

“This is Elysium. Don’t judge the name I lost the right in a poker game with Susie and Rudy. I’m Y/N.” You informed the group leading them to the gate where two people stood stoically guarding it, “Rudy was hellbent on calling it Valhalla.”

“This is Luke, Reggie and Alex.” Willie gestured to the awed trio of musicians only lingering on the blonde. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see the attraction between the skater and the blonde; finding a date in the afterlife was a lot harder than the living.

Nodding a greeting to the two ghosts, you lead the group to a building painted a pretty turquoise blue colour. The sign above the double doors a stark white with calligraphy writing simply stating Elysium Management. It was a building set up like an administrative office of three stories, and you led the group right up to the top floor.

“Just a heads up…Rudy is a little suspicious of people.” You admitted standing outside a door with a nameplate the only descriptor, “He’ll come off a little gruff and rude, but when you get passed that he doesn’t shut up.”

“I can hear you through the door dumbass.” The words were called out from the office door opening.

The man standing in the entry wore a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His honey-brown eyes lit up with a teasing look before it shuttered at the sight of four strangers behind you. Rudy had valid reasons to not fully trust people after the shitshow in his hometown when he was alive.

“And you’ve brought strangers.” Rudy deadpanned with a sigh concluding his sentence as he stepped back into the office. It appeared like the world repositioned itself on the young man’s shoulders once more.

“I should be done within the hour. We can go over everything.” You informed your business partner and friend. Receiving only a nod from Rudy, you closed the door to his office, cutting off the view from your guests.

“He’s..uh.”

“Standoffish? Rudy keeps his past to himself, all he’s ever revealed is that he’s from a town a few hours away.” You spoke, opening the door to your own office decorated differently from Rudy’s more sterile black and white aesthetic.

Your office had splashes of colour with vintage posters of both music and film framed on the walls—a plush couch in the corner with a basket of blankets next to it. Instead of sitting behind the dark desk, you chose the couch instead. As you settled in the corner, you flicked one finger bringing an extra seat over.

The motion shocking the three boys accompanying Willie who had seen the abilities himself.

“Okay so why did you want to search for me?” You questioned the skater leaning back in the seat.

“When did this all happen?” Willie countered gesturing to the office in a building settled in the middle of a ghost town. A literal ghost town.

“There’s an empty lot in LA that used to house an abandoned apartment building that Rudy and I both called home. Of course, it was torn down, and we kinda knew that there’s wasn’t a place that didn’t have the threat of being annihilated at some point.” The memories of those unknown days trickled into your mind among the more positive ones, “We wanted a home. A place to call our own.”

“A week or so later a skittish pixie of a brunette crashed into us full speed. Susie had a certain ability that Caleb desired to have under his thumb. There are so many ghosts he had manipulated into selling him their soul. Rudy and I both wanted to stop Caleb from having that chance for everyone.” You continued, “Can I show you?”

The moon shone through the light clouds as a duo wandered LA’s streets in different mental states. The only home you had known had been unceremoniously ripped down with no future plans in place. Your entire life had been in that apartment in a building you had once thought only you inhabited. You had been unaware that on a separate floor, Rudy had been dwelling.

The two teens in starkly different clothing grew close with each other through the whole being the dead thing they shared. The mission was to find another place too, use but the feeling of home being ripped away tore at their hearts. The apartment was a place Caleb Covington hadn’t been aware of.

Your thoughts threatened to turn darker as a force knocked you onto your bac—aA short brunette groaning in pain to the left of you. The girl was Gwen, who would become very important to both Rudy and you.

I’ve always been a little different than most people. I can move things short distances, but I developed a specific talent. I can get inside people’s minds to plant, remove or alter memories or simply talk and read their thoughts.

The sound of your voice in their heads freaked them out more than they would like to admit. The intrusive tickle of something in their brains unsettling as you made a more present entry so they could feel it.

“What?”

“This is why I can’t be anywhere near Caleb. The whole reason he gives people stamps and takes their souls is because of me.” You fully admitted clasping your fingers in your lap, “He couldn’t cope with the fear of another ghost leaving so added a stipulation to joining his Club.”

“How did you come to create Elysium?” Alex inquired leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees. Luke and Reggie followed his posture as the anticipation built.

“Everyone deserves a safe place. A place as far away from Caleb as possible and we do so for free. No fee is required, and ghosts are free to come and go as they please. They are welcome as long as their unfinished business keeps them in this plane.”

It sounded like a sweet deal to the group of teens, but they had other commitments, “You can tell us more, but we need your help.”

The pleading in the messy-haired brunette tore at your heartstrings like the one time Willie brought you to his house. It had been shortly before your friendship fractured, a few years ago. He had brought you to a suburb for low-income families and straight to the backyard where a twelve-year-old year danced.

The dead skater boy and the rebel sat in the patio chair on the tiny porch nestled in the postmark sized backyard. A quintet of pre-pubescent girls danced on the lawn to some bubblegum pop song. The Young girl was submissive to a more confident girl even when the venue was the Young girl’s home.

“The girl to the left is my little sister Kayla. She’s twelve now, it’s been seven years since I died.” Willie’s brown eyes saddened at the dancer who had a spark of maturity in her eyes, “I check in every once in a while. These are Kayla’s friends. The bossy girl is Carrie, and while the band is a group, she is the unofficial leader of the band Carrie’s Constellations.”

“She looks happy.”

“Kayla’s always been bubbly in personality, but she had questionable friends.” Willie outright admitted keeping his eyes pinned to the girl that had grown up in a blink of an eye. Her dark hair concealed by the gaudy purple wig; the colour assigned to the teenager.

“It’s nice that she still enjoys dance.” Willie finished reaching out to grab your hand in his and just like that Willie transitioned back into carefree, “I found this really cool skatepark I think you’d like.”

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Alex winced as the three musicians flinched as a sudden purple spark of colour lit up their midsections.

Like a tentacle, your mind reached into the quiet raven-haired boy with the leather jacket. Beyond the imagery of docile golden retrievers and steaming plates of food, you found the regret and fear in the boy. Stepping into a recent memory, you watched their experience at the Hollywood Ghost Club.

“You’ve met Caleb.” You sighed roughly pushing your index finger between your brows feeling the familiar ache.

“It was a stupid decision,” Luke spoke up, tearing his focus from the mysterious girl that ultimately had the power in her hands. The entire plan was weighing on the decision you would give, “Either we join his house band, or we don’t exist.”

“Hm.” You spoke as the kaleidoscope of colours in Luke’s eyes glittered under the sterile lights of the room. It was difficult to look away from the enthralling teenage ghost, but the emotion wafting off Willie was concerning.

“They died before they could perform at the Orpheum. We’re banking that getting the opening slot with giving them the push into crossing over.” The long-haired skater leaned closer, “I know we haven’t talked in a while, but I can’t do much.”

“So, you want to pull ’09 incident again?” You completely ignored the trio on the couch staring directly at the sheepish skater with raised eyebrows, “Only this time without the train?”

“Train?” Alex whispered, looking between the two long-time friends with interest and then next thing he knew Alex was in the backseat of a van crushed between Reggie and Luke equally confused.

Chicago, Illinois 2009

William Young and Y/N Y/L/N were complete hellions in the ghost world, creating havoc that fascinated the living population. The recent event being the highjacking of a van filled with drunk teenage boys. These boys had been the sole reason a young girl was recovering in a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The scene changed to a hospital room with Willie and Y/N watching a girl with massive bruising laid.

It had hit both Willie and Y/N hard catching the tail end of the new report, Willie thinking of how that could have been his sister. Even if Kayla was only five years old, having a sister set things more in perspective. For you it was a flashback to when you were alive and thus led you to the ICU room for the girl.

Slipping into her unconscious mind was easy but while the injured teen appeared peaceful to the hospital staff, she was anything but. The poor girl’s mind replayed the traumatic incident over and over like a movie; keeping in the shadows, you gently repainted the portrait with lighter and brighter images.

For Willie, he watched as you wavered on your ghostly feet and smoothed out the features of the girl. The heart monitor subtly changing as the injured girl relaxed, and suddenly your interference heightened her chances of survival.

“I got it.” You spoke to Willie with a heated glare on your features and when the ghostly musician trio blinked they were back in the van.

Your hands gripped the van’s steering wheel with Willie turned in the passenger seat to watch a group of living boys scream. To the living eyes in the van, no one was in the front seats but whispered words spoke into their minds.

You’re going to go straight to the police and tell them what you did. You’ll hand over the photographic evidence and demand the worst punishment. You’ll leave the girl alone, or we’ll come back to finish our job. You will pay for the hospital bills if the family agrees.

The boys trembled with the putrid scent of urine permeating the enclosed vehicle. The distant sound of a train echoed in the distance as the van stopped on the tracks. No matter how much the living boys moved the doors refused to open, and the windows remained unbreakable.

“WE promise!” The ringleader cried, slamming his shoulder against the door with the train’s bright lights illuminating the van.

“Let us go!” The other screamed, slamming his bruising hands on the window.

Alex was flinching at each slam of fists on the glass, leaving smears of blood. Knuckles broke from the window. At the very last second, your foot slammed the gas pedal taking the van millimetres from the train screeching on the tracks.

You and Willie stared at the stationary train lit up from the van’s headlights with the rhythmic flashes of the red and blue police lights. The van’s seat arrangement was different with the ringleader in the driver’s seat.

The three ghost musicians standing unseen behind the duo but in the real world out of the dreamlike memory you knew.

Elysium, Present Day

“Holy fucking shit.” Alex cussed out of breath, leaning back on the couch with shaking limbs and fear in his bloodless veins.

Luke’s eyes blinked owlishly at the boy that he had once thought could never do something as terrifying and torturous. He was afraid to even ask the outcome of the life-threatening incident you did on the assailants.

“That is the reason for the train.” You barely glanced at the shaken trio to stare at who had once been your partner in crime, “Willie, I have responsibilities here. We just opened a new division for the children we house here.”

“It would take a few hours.” Willie pleaded, positioning his hands into a pleading position turning on his charm. The puppy eyes you had always struggled to say no to as if you weren’t the type of person easily capable of staying strong.

“We’ll do anything.” Luke pleaded just as much recalling the countless times he had charmed himself out of situations, “Please help us.”

“I’ll have to make arrangements with Rudy and Susie, but I might be able to pull some strings. I’m really sorry Willie, but I’m gonna need to erase your knowledge of this place. There are too many people depending on this setup.”

Outside the Orpheum

Outside the legendary venue, three out of four band members for Julie and the Phantoms walked up to the marquee. Hopefully, the letters for Downslide would be changed into their band name just under the main act. Everything was riding on Willie and Y/N’s capabilities. Trusting the skater was challenging to do and more so someone they didn’t fully know.

“Look, don’t worry, guys. Willie said he’d get us on that marquee.” Alex soothed his friends on each side of him. All three wearing concerned expressions at the place that hopefully was their last stop before crossing over.

“This is gonna work, right?” Reggie questioned with his hand confidently sliding into the pockets of his black jeans. The relaxed posture a juxtaposition to the anxiety and nerves on his flushed face.

“It has to.” Luke’s lips pursed into a pout with his words tinged with a dialect different from his best friends. The faint souvenir from the place he spent a few years growing up before moving to LA.

Luke’s words were highlighted by the groans of pain as that flash of purple courtesy of Caleb’s death stamp appeared. All three hunched over clutched their chests breathing through the pain; Luke was the first to unfurl his form.

“Whoa!” You gasped flashing underneath the marquee beside Willie. Rushing to give Luke support without even a second thought.

When the aftershock faded, the guitarist stood straight up with a thankful smile that boarded on adoration.

“Are you guys, okay?” Willie asked, keeping back with the swell of guilt that happened, seeing the familiar symptoms of post-shock. He had felt them a time or two in the time he had sold his soul to his unfortunate boss.

“Yeah, it’s nothing we haven’t felt before,” Alex replied, rubbing his hand over the baby blue shirt he had chosen today. His blue eyes doing their best to avoid looking into the puppy-like ones of the skater, “How’d it go?”

“Well, when that opening band wakes up, they’re gonna find their bus 200 miles outside of Vegas.” Willie proudly announcing turning on his heel to show off the Downslide jacket he took from the lead singer. His fist extending to bump yours instinctively before he did so with Luke.

“With no chance of getting back in time.” You snickered in response living on the adrenaline and nostalgia of the rebellion. With Elysium, you had turned around your life, “Meaning-“

“-there’s probably a promoter upstairs right about now freakin’ out.”

“Nah. This is Hollywood, man.” Willie scoffed with a wave of his hand matching the one you supplied, “I’m sure he’s being very professional.”

As Willie finished his sentence up in the promotor’s office out of earshot of the ghosts stood a very pissed adult. His finger-wagging his finger with teeth clenched, his flushed skin a juxtaposition to the cheery blue Hawaiian style shirt. Frank Wolfe couldn’t believe how stupid his once opening band was.

“What do you mean the bus drove itself into the middle of the desert?” Frank questioned progressively growing more and more frustrated. His assistant Tasha casting concerned looks to her typically collected boss, “BUSES DON’T DRIVE THEMSELVES!”

Tasha flinched at the sudden loud growl of the sentence but more so as Wolfe starting slamming the phone into the cradle. Her fingers halting on her keyboard, going over the list of frequent acts. Unfortunately, the five acts had other commitments causing Tasha to fear tonight. The blonde lady was worried Wolfe could have a breakdown once more.

While Willie snickered to his own words, your eyes, not your mind, could read that Alex wanted to talk to the skater. With only a teasing jab of your elbow in Willie’s ribs you shuffled around the drummer to join Reggie and Luke away from the ‘will they won’t they’ couple.

“So, can you do me a favour?” Luke hesitantly questioned you with his inquisitive eyes a greener colour in the sunlight. His attractive eyes took your full attention with a simple tilt of your head, “Julie’s family means a lot to us, and could you keep an eye on them?”

“And Carlos,” Reggie interjected rocking on his polished pleather boots he had spent ages on finding for his rocker aesthetic back in the ’90s.

“-Julie’s little brother.” Luke supplied at the confusion painted clearly on your pretty features. His green eyes scoured your face as he always did that flushed both his and your faces red.

“Yeah, of course, I can.” You firmly told the two dead boys each standing tense in front of you.

You could easily see the love they held for the living family that had come to mean so much in such a short amount of time. Since first meeting them you had always gotten the feeling that their living years weren’t the best. For Alex, it was living in the ’90s as a young gay teenager during a terrifying time for the LGBTQ+ community. Reggie flinched at the raised voices, and Luke had longingly stared after the happy families milling around the Elysium.

“Did you ever find out what your unfinished business was?” Reggie inquired fixing a strand of his dark hair that had fallen onto his blemish-free skin. Your smile faltered at his question; nonetheless, you answered.

“I did.” The two words carried a sense of pain with them. Your eyes unfocused recalling the euphoric feeling of seeing the breathtaking white light of the peace exuding from the beyond and the agony of denying crossing over.

“How-“

“Hey! Y/N!” Willie called out to the young denim wearing ghost with his beaming grin, “Don’t go stealing buses without me!”

Luke swore he could see your laughter in the air, just as endearing as the smoky quality your voice carried.

“Don’t go glitter bombing criminals.” You returned as your best friend dropped his board to skate off to wherever he was needed. It was bittersweet to reconnect with him knowing that it could be the last time.

When Caleb found out, not an if but a when Willie had a hand in helping his desired band it was high chance Willie would be gone. Caleb was all too powerful, and when he was betrayed, it never ended well.

“I need to get back to Elysium. Susie’s arrival is tonight. Good luck with tonight.” Your words were accompanied by a hug for each of the boys. The one with Luke lingering the most, “I wish you could play for the kids.”

“Yeah. Me too.” The brunette, messy-haired boy’s words carried a hidden desire simply to be in your space more. The teenage ghost helps those in limbo while wearing a jean jacket with patches from many decades. The jacket creating an unknown time you had lived.

“Goodbye, boys.” You told the trio before you poofed away from the busy streets of Hollywood where the band had come full circle in death.

“Are you guys, okay?” Reggie inquired his best friends, forgoing his casual personality for the layers underneath. His blue-green eyes filled with only concern.

Alex and Luke shared a lingering look, “Yeah. We’re okay.”

The dining hall was filled with long tables and chairs populated by the ghostly forms of everyone currently living at Elysium. It was reminiscent of a British book turned film series of youth with magic abilities. The series had been a favourite of a former resident.

“Incredible.” Susie breathed staring at the joyful people having a place to call home. Making the limbo between life and death more bearable.

“We’ve done well. You smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist, “It’s so nice to have you back.”

Elysium was so much more than you could ever hope for. It kept growing and growing with more ghosts. Since the founding of the haven, new developments continuously happened with one resident’s unique ability.

Harvey had joined the haven a year into the founding bringing the ability to gift the residents with the capacity to eat. During his life, Harvey had been a renowned chef and the dream to make food it carried into his death. As long as Harvey cooked the food with his volunteer staff ghosts were able to eat it.

“Harvey has outdone himself again,” Rudy announced his arrival at your side with his arms crossed, displaying his corded muscles. The constellation of moles on his face standing on his pale creamy skin.

“Rudy!” Susie squealed, throwing herself into his arms with the same glee that came each time. Susie and Rudy since their first meeting had a special bond as chosen siblings who bonded over heartache.

Rudy had died, leaving his best friend and his strawberry blonde girlfriend in the living world back in their dark hometown. It was just one tidbit he had revealed throughout your friendship. The only physical connection to his living friends was the three picture on his desk of a group of people.

The first picture had a lean version of Rudy with his arms thrown over a Hispanic boy with a crooked jaw and glimmering brown eyes. The Hispanic boy had his arm around a pretty brunette girl with deep dimples and wavy brown hair. The two boys wore a sports uniform of some kind holding lacrosse sticks.

The second picture had Rudy and the Hispanic teen again but with a beautiful petite strawberry blonde. Along with them was a brunette with blunt chin-length hair and hardened features besides a shorter blonde male with blue eyes.

The last picture was of Rudy with the same Hispanic boy wearing graduation caps and gowns with two beaming adults. The male adult wore a tan shirt adorned with a star on his left pec and dark brown pants. He had to be Rudy’s father with similar features. The woman was of Hispanic descent with laugh lines, and thick dark curly hair pulled into a half do; obviously the Hispanic teen’s mother.

The pain in Rudy’s face each time he saw the pictures closed off a desire to ask him about the people.

“Hello, Susie.” Rudy chuckled, wrapping his arms around her small stature, “How was Europe?”

“Why don’t you ask the five newcomers I found before Caleb?” Susie teased gesturing to the ragtag of new ghosts immersed in conversations.

“Family?”

“A boarding school had a fire. Those five were in the fire when it happened and the only victims out of seven that didn’t cross over.” Susie’s tone faded into a melancholy tone with her small arms wrapping around her middle. Faded brown eyes staring at the younger of the five seeing herself in them.

“That’s terrible.” You whispered, staring at the table with one finger picking the patch of a band from the ’70s, “I can’t imagine how scary that could have been.”

“Yeah.” Susie softly spoke, pushing a strand of her hair off her temple just as equally sad for the way that death had no qualms of how it took.

The youngest ghost in Elysium had been a three-year-old toddler who passed over quickly when he was found by the deceased mother. The two had been separated at death and luckily shared the same unfinished business of finding each other.

“Miss Reynold’s has twelve spirits that finished their business.” Rudy softly informed his two partners. Soft smiles formed on their faces at the happy news of Elysium’s goal being accomplished again.

“May they find everlasting peace and serenity.” Your words intertwined with Susie in perfect sync of the motto coined after the first crossover, “I suppose the Serenity will begin planning?”

“Have the Serenity ever not performed their duty?” Rudy raised one dark eyebrow with a rhetorical question. E/c and faded brown met recalling the countless times Elysium had hosted a celebration for those who found their unfinished business.

“That is-whoa.” You gasped stumbling at the scream echoing in your mind accessorized with the vintage sound of a band.

Calloused hands grasped your shaking form from collapsing onto the ground from a proverbial psionic shove. Agony slammed your brain flickering into an old fashioned club filled with people in both colour or black and white attire. You caught sight of baby pink, deep royal blue and bright red suits. The pained screams of a skater in a dark room overtaking the music in the Club.

“No.” You whispered clenching your hands on your head, feeling the dread building in the pit of your stomach.

The joyful voices in the hall muted while your body flickered with the deep instinct to leave the haven for the one place that utterly terrified you. It was the familiar touch of Susie and Rudy that kept you from finding the one person that meant the world. Willie’s soul was on the cutting board, and Caleb obsession with performing was the only reason Willie still existed.

“Willie.” You whimpered tears rolling down your flushed cheeks, feeling the panic in the skater’s mind.

“Susie help me.” Rudy stonily spoke ushering the distraught girl from the busy hall into an empty room.

Your shaking body finding purchase on the plush sofa with Susie holding one hand in hers and Rudy brushing the sweaty hair from your forehead. It wasn’t often your psionic abilities left you in such a state, but the distance proved difficult.

“Shit.” Rudy grumbled frowning, “This is bad. Y/N, we need to get you to Willie. You’re flickering, and the distance isn’t helping.”

“You want to take one of Elysium’s strongest ghosts straight into Caleb’s domain? You know how much he wants her in his Club.” Susie hissed to the co-founder of the haven they had to take extraordinary measures to protect, “It won’t work! You’re throwing her to the dogs!”

“Susanne I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t necessary. Besides, we always have a plan.” Rudy retorted narrowing his whiskey eyes at the younger girl, “I’ll take her to get Willie, but you need to stay here to make sure everything runs smooth.”

“Are you sure you can-“Susie cut herself off with a nod as Rudy displayed the reason he could do it, “Okay, yep, you can do it.”

Rudy came back into her vision in his signature position with one eyebrow raised, and his arms crossed. The reason why Elysium worked so well was Rudy’s ability to erase an object from the view of anyone. He could make himself invisible to anyone and in practice, developed it to hide items and location. With his ability, Elysium was permanently hidden to anyone outside of his power. Illusions were his unique ability.

“You aren’t the first person to doubt my capability.” Rudy informed the other ghost reaching one hand out. With his fingers caressing your temple, he snapped his fingers, transporting you and him away from Elysium.

The empty room of Elysium’s dining hall was exchanged for the business streets of Los Angeles, bringing an improvement in your body. Pushing away from Rudy, your eyes frantically scoured the unfamiliar area for any hint of Willie.

“He’s close.” You exclaimed closing your e/c eyes to focus solely on your sixth sense kicking in. Rudy’s gasp snapped your eyes open to see his eyes pinned on your feet where a glowing neon purple smoke wisped.

“What is that?” Rudy demanded crouching to touch it, but it was like nothing was there. His whiskey brown eyes meeting your confused gaze.

“I have no clue, but I feel like I have to follow it.” Robotically your feet started walking following the smoke through the streets.

Rudy was silent as you came upon a park swallowed by the darkness of the night with the moon barely showing through the clouds. The odd purple smoke the only offering of light so far from the path with street lights.

“Of course we have to go through a park.” Rudy grumbled, “Nothing good ever happens in wooded areas at night.”

Lifting your eyes from the smoke, you looked at a deeply unsettled Rudy lost in the past only he knew. His mind recalling traipsing through the forest with his asthmatic best friend in the middle of the night. The last night before the unknown took over his life. Oddly enough dying and returning as a ghost was the most normal with everything that happened with his friends alive.

“You can go ba-“

“We’re not splitting up,” Rudy growled plainly scowling at your hesitant features. Rudy’s slammed the door closed on his past life.

Sensing unease Rudy’s calloused hand reached over to slide into yours in platonic support. You continued your mission, unaware that three certain ghosts in breathtaking suits were searching for you.

Alex, Reggie, and Luke, affected by the purple jolts, failed to find the one place where their plan B could work. What Julie hadn’t known was that the guys had a plan just in case the Orpheum wasn’t their unfinished business. The three would go to Elysium to accept their fate and ensure Julie believed they crossed over.

With no Elysium in sight, the boys returned to the Molina garage hoping that one thing would go their way: Julie would go straight to bed.

The glow purple smoke trailed through the city park into an older part of Los Angeles before it stopped. Where the smoke stopped was a vast empty space surrounded by trees.

“Well, that’s a little anticlimactic.” You grumbled crossing your arms, “Willie’s somewhere here. Do you think Caleb has an underground lair?”

Rudy cast an unamused expression at you, “From past experience. No, that’s not likely. He probably has an apartment downtown. An underground network of caves in the woods is more shapeshifter style but still not true.”

“One: You’re rambling. Two: What the hell kind of life did you have?” You questioned furrowing your eyebrows at his rather odd piece of information.

“An old one.” Rudy spoke, staring ahead, “Besides, I think we should check out whatever building is hidden from our sight.”

“Hid-“Your mouth halted when Rudy roughly gripped your shoulders to twist you to face the empty space.

“Close your eyes. Trust your senses.” Rudy spoke softly, “Or pay attention to the slab of concrete in the middle of an empty space with well-kempt grass.”

Your palm slammed your forehead with a resounding thump in the night with distance lights from surrounding buildings. Rudy squeezed your shoulders as he stepped to the side once more in turn, closing his eyes.

“Walk in my mind.” Rudy stated for the first time in your friendship, allowing you to look in his mind. Your hesitance was met with another squeeze of comfort in his calloused grip.

Your tired eyes closed as your mind timidly stepped into the rather breathtaking mind of Rudy, who felt guilt the most. While Susie’s mind was like a summer day spent at a lake with brightness and gorgeous field of flowers, Rudy’s mind was different.

It was dark in Rudy’s mind but not as if evil, but as if he had been touched by the darkness and painted permanently. There’s was the odd whisper of childlike laughter intermingled with the full adult laugh of a woman; the laughter overshadowed with the sound of funeral music. You felt the lose near that memory. Rudy’s mind was painful to be in and drowning in the feelings he had.

Your breath caught seeing a door you assumed was of his childhood room with a name you couldn’t pronounce for the life of you.

“My parents named me after my mom’s dad.” Rudy spoke through his mind with a soft smile on his face, “I couldn’t say it, so I called myself Mischief. I stopped using it when my mom died, and I went by a shortened version of my last name.”

Your eyes watched as the door disappeared, and the reason you were in his mind came back to the forefront. Your eyes watched the image forming of a vintage hotel rippling in the air before it solidified. The size reminded you of a castle, and it felt like you were storming it.

Without any more mental interaction, you stepped out of Rudy’s mind back into the real world. The very same hotel in plain sight to both Rudy and your surprised elation.

“Honestly didn’t think that would work.” Rudy breathlessly laughed, staring at the hotel once hidden to them. A dark comparison to Elysium.

“How do we play this, Rudy?” You inquired looking over at him, “This is very different from stealing cars and scaring teens.”

“Easy. We blend in.” Rudy responded, holding one hand out to grasp yours in which you noticed your attire had changed, “Perks of illusion? I can alter our own perception of ourselves.”

“Oh, wow. That looks expensive.” You replied, staring at the diamond bracelet on your wrist matching the necklace you wore.

Rudy’s attire had changed from his normal button-up with the sleeves rolled to be layered under a charcoal grey vest and jacket. Sleek matching pants to his coat and the dark black-tie matching the elegant black dress you wore. He had taken pity on your footwear to fit your ability to walk and for the fancy place.

He even had diamond cufflinks that matched you, but the wedding rings on your fingers took you aback. Your widened eyes staring at him.

“Tonight we’re Mr and Mrs Martin,” Rudy spoke choking on the last name he gave as it was the upscale name toppled from his lips.

“Okay. This is a test of our abilities.”

“This is if our plan A of being invisible doesn’t work. The one thing we know for sure is that Caleb has never seen either one of us.” Rudy soothed your nerves with a half-smile,” Let’s get Willie out.”

Your arm slipped into the crook of his to walk to the front door, “I feel like a spy. I feel like that Naomi Roma-“

“It’s Natasha Romanoff. Have you ever seen one of the marvel movies?” Rudy demanded walking up the entrance with a pained smile, “You’re like my best friend and when he wouldn’t watch Star Wars! Never caught one of my references!”

“Okay! Sorry, we can watch the movies when this over.” You grumbled as your heels clicked in the foyer of the hotel. The inside made you feel like you were sent back in time to the roaring ’20s.

“Oh damn, this is nice,” Rudy whispered, staring at the chandelier in the extravagant lobby of the last place you wanted to be.

While on the outside the two ghosts appeared cool, calm and collected they were anything but. Both a wreck inside from the perilous errand they had done that could very well be the ending of Elysium. Rudy nudged you to begin finding Willie with your mind, but you didn’t need to.

That same glowing mist was on the ground pulling you in the direction of a dark hall away from the route to the Club. Rudy kept his eye out, a characteristic carried into the afterlife from his time with the FBI, as you followed the mist. The hall continued to get more and more dark as the walk continued.

Finally at the end was a blood-red door.

“I swear to god if he kills his Club members, I’ll lose it.” You hissed to your arm candy, “What if he’s really H. H. Holmes disguised as a former magician? His door is blood red!”

“Have you been using your serial killer colouring book again?” Rudy demanded stuttering his steps to place his whiskey brown eyes on you. The sheepish expression on your face was enough of a response to gain the look of disbelief could have sent you into hysterics had the time not been too serious.

With a grin belying the situation, you twisted your wrist to open the door to hopefully where Willie was being held.

“What a cliché. He’s keeping Willie in the basement?”

“Will you shut up!” Rudy hissed right back with a clenched jaw entering the somewhat unfinished basement. It was cold even to your dead standards where the cold didn’t bother that much.

At the bottom in front of a desk with only a small lamp as illumination sat a vacant-eyed Willie painstakingly detailing a fabric. The lush purple velvet fabric was bougie, to say the least, and rather outlandish for the skater.

“Willie.” You softly coaxed the teen to glance up from the fabric you found to be something Caleb would wear. Willie’s brown eyes barely met yours before they returned to the sewing needle in his hand and the tiny beads in the bowl.

“Caleb is actually forcing him to be his personal seamstress?” Rudy scoffed,d stepping right up by your side to look at the work.

Both trying unsuccessfully to coaxed Willie out of the stupor he was engaged in the sudden poofing wasn’t heard.

“Mrs. Young taught both Willie and Kayla how to sew. She’s quite the seamstress, reminds me of my old one.” Caleb wistfully responded with a smarmy smile on his face, “Well if it isn’t little Y/N and whoever she brought. Nice threads.”

“Let him go.”

Caleb’s index finger caressed the corner of his mouth so gently to ensure the stage makeup didn’t budge. His clear ocean blue eyes turning thunderstorm navy as his lips parted in such a bone-chilling sinister grin.

“Let him go? He tried to take my new house band from me. He thinks that those boys not crossing over is his punishment. I think that adorable but so very wrong.” Caleb shrugged, dragging his finger down the bicep of his puppet.

“What can we do to- “

“You see after he’s done fixing the tuxedo jacket I’m going to tie him up on the table and slowly strip away his soul piece by piece. No, Willie won’t get the quick and easy zap erasing him. I’ll personally see it’s the most painful thing he experiences and I’ll do so happily.”

“Willie! Wake up!” Rudy shouted, shaking the skater’s shoulder frantically with his focus never entirely leaving the mad man. The whiskey brown eyes panicking at the odd displaced feeling of reliving his living life.

“That won’t work.” Caleb chuckled crossing his arms, “It’s rather amusing you think you can beat me. I’m Caleb Covington! I’m persuasive enough for hundred of memberships to financially benefit the Club.”

“And I’m Y/N Y/L/N bitch.” You snarled viciously throwing your mind into the nefarious narcissistic mind of the washed-up magician.

Caleb Convington had started to bore his audience with the same tricks at every previous show. The lack of interest depleting the attendance numbers and severely hurting the financials. So Caleb decided to broaden his talent by copying the likes of Harry Houdini.

He had a knack for both the dramatics and swindling his audience to be tricked by the illusions he created. The heightened popularity increased Caleb’s thirst for status and fame, so he overestimated himself.

Surrounded by adoring fans and journalists, Caleb had his assistant lock him in a safe with no key, to the audience’s knowledge, and push the safe into the river. Unfortunately from the infamous magician and escape artist the safe warped due to the material it as made out of. Caleb Covington died drowning in a safe at the bottom of the river.

You flinched feeling the emotion at the time Caleb had died and the feeling of disappointment at not leaving a legacy. Your continued your trek in the struggling mind of a man who viewed himself as invincible. You caught glimpses of a young Caleb with his family and the moments of tragedy that shaped him.

You saw his first taste of power in death and the content since the first time he erased a ghost from existence. It sickened you more as you reached the point where Willie came into Caleb’s path.

I’m unique, Caleb. Unlike you with the illusions and empty promises, I have real power that you could only dream of. Hearing your thoughts and planting my own words is just the tip of the iceberg.

Caleb screamed in response holding his aching head as you cruelly ripped every memory of Willie from his mind. The screams echoed not only in the basement but through the hotel the Club worked out of.

“Stop!” Caleb pleaded, shaking his head back and forth. The anguish was un-fazing to both the lucid people in the room. Rudy too busy trying to wake your best friend from the trance he had been placed in.

“I can alter memories. Remove them and even plant memories of my own design. You may take from people, but I give to people. I refused to give you anything.” You circled the man seeing double from outside and inside his mind.

I’m everything you wish you could be.

Your last action in his mind was searing a burn that flashed across his entire body from a nerve stroked. With the heat equivalent to magma in his veins, you burrowed to where Caleb controlled the souls. With a smear of your fingers, Willie’s soul was released from Caleb clutches.

“C’mon. Get Willie.” You told Rudy sending Caleb into an empty trance as if he was no more than a wax figure. Rudy eased the skater up from the desk while you exchanged Caleb to sit on the chair holding the needle, “We need to leave. I’ll get rid of any speck of Willie in memories.”

“I didn’t even get to punch the guy.” Rudy pouted, dragging his feet up the stairs away from the magician.

“That’s a good thing. I’m sure Caleb would be more pissed about his nose being damaged than losing Willie.” You scoffed helping the man urge Willie to walk up the stairs and then down the hallway to the entrance.

As you walked you brushed the minds of every individual in the building, all members in attendance, you gently removed all traces of Willie. By the time you reached the edge of the park, you had relaxed.

“We should get him to Alex, they didn’t crossover. I can still feel their imprint.”

“He’d be safer at Elysium to lay low.” Rudy replied, keeping on eye on the skater and on anyone he could see.

With only a nod, you ushered the ghost to teleport both the skater and himself back to the safe walls of Elysium. As he did so, you reached out with your mind to the blonde-haired sweet male in adoration with your best friend.

Clicking his place was easy enough for your draining power after the taxing bond with Willie’s absent presence. Instead of walking as you would generally choose you poofed on the cement pad in the backyard of a home. The surrounding skirt of the backyard encased with plants and flowers.

“Hello?” You called out in the darkness. The soft, mumbled words had your feet moving in the direction.

Standing in a circle mesmerized at the purple tattoos lifting off their skin was the boys of Julie and the Phantoms. The teenage beautiful Puerto Rican girl stood across from Luke with Reggie and Alex on each side.

“Alex?” You called out to the boy wearing a baby pink vintage tuxedo that complimented his skin and hair exquisitely. The outfit definitely screamed that Caleb had something to do with it, especially with the missing fanny pack.

“Y/N?” Luke gasped turning to see you in incredibly fancy attire matching his gorgeous blue suit modified to having no sleeves. The anticipation of eating at you to find Reggie rocking a red suit with butterflies on the fabric.

“I’m sorry you didn’t crossover.” Your words soothed the sad teenagers that had accepted their fate only to have no control again. An introduction was brought between you and Julie when the living girl elbowed Alex.

“Not that we mind but what are you doing here? How did you get here, and why are you dressed up?” Luke inquired, pushing his hands into his suit pockets, engrossed with your gorgeous appearance.

“Well when you crash a fancy Club with a narcissistic founder…any means to blend in is necessary.” You responded, “As for your second question.”

Your finger tapped your temple before continuing to speak, “I’m here because Alex deserves to know. You all do.”

The boy in baby pink frantically stepped forward, “What happened?”

“Maybe it’s best, I just show you?” Your brows furrowed to your own question accompanied by your lower lip being bitten by your teeth. The red lipstick not budging as it was an illusion as well.

“Hu-“Reggie grunted as he spiralled with his two dead bandmates into the scene that had sent you on your determined mission.

The rough action of being drawn into your memories as jarring as the first time and just as scary. The maniacal magician pacing the dark basement simply to heighten his dramatic speech. Alex’s heart clenched at the vacant look in the skater’s eyes with the faintest tinge of purple in the gorgeous brown.

“I feel like I got carsick.” Reggie moaned leaning over to clutch his midsection once you released the ghostly trio. Reggie would often gain a look of disbelief and horror from the blonde drummer, but his entire brain was centred on Willie.

“Rudy took Willie back to Elysium where he’ll be safe. If you want, you can join us.” The words were offered to both the dead and living currently in the room.

Opting out, Julie retired to her bedroom to calm down from the rush of performing at the Orpheum of all places. Besides she felt like going to Elysium was best for the three boys, and maybe they would move there. Julie would miss them, but she knew they’d always come back.

Susie was quick to hug you tightly as you stepped through the gates with the dead members of Julie’s band. The boys changed out of the tuxedos they had dropped off at a donation centre, Reggie had wanted to burn them. After living on the streets for a short while, Luke understood the need for clothing, so the clothing was taken to shelters.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. Rudy told me you overexerted yourself again.” Susie spoke with a deeply furrowed brow oblivious to the puppy dog look from the bassist in red flannel.

“If I didn’t, Willie would be gone.”

“You’re pale yet flushed cheeks. I can see you have a fever. You need to rest.”

“I need to soothe Willie out of the trance that psychotic prick put him in.” You scoffed shaking Susie’s hand off your shoulder to sidestep her, “I’ll rest when he’s fine.”

“I-“

“At least gab something from the cafeteria for energy.” Susie’s brown eyes dimmed at your typical brush off. The same routine of overusing your powers and not recharging correctly, “He’s in Cottage A!”

The boys were on your heels as you power-walked through the streets of the ghost city with one location in mind. The living streets with homes of all style and colours appeared passed the bakery, the school and the clothing stores.

“You can eat?” Reggie whispered as a little ghost girl licked an ice cream cone walked by.

“Harvey adored cooking for people when he living, so he continued in death. Harvey can make food for ghosts, and so can his staff if they work in his kitchen. His pastry chef provides baked goods to Flora’s Bakery and makes the best ice cream.”

“Oh my god.” Reggie practically squealed wholly flabbergasted by the almost perfect place you created, “How do you pay for things?”

“We don’t. What Harvey doesn’t grow in his garden, he can make ingredients out of thin air. We all have some kind of job we do. Everyone has a role in fulfilling to keep Elysium running.” You simply spoke keeping your eyes on the cottage with the robin’s egg blue door.

As if he knew Rudy flung the door open elated to see you standing there. Both of you still wearing the illusioned attire. IN milliseconds he wiped the illusion away, returning you back into your street clothes.

“How is he?”

“No change.” Rudy replied, following your steps in the living room. The skater was staring blankly at the wall.

“Willie!” Alex cried, rushing over to kneel beside the boy that had so swiftly stolen his heart without him realizing. The emotion in his word didn’t get a microscopic flinch from the formerly so-called enemy.

“Everyone be quiet.” You demanded forcibly staring each person in the room down for a mere second. With the desired silence continued, you ignored the headache forming in your head to step into the skater’s mind.

William Young was screaming to be released by the prison of his own mind Caleb had forced him into. He had felt the restriction on his soul lifted and the mist of purple leaving his brain, but he was still stuck.

He could barely breathe with the weight on his chest. Willie didn’t like feeling stuck in one place as he was a wanderer at heart. It was a reason why he had joined the Hollywood Ghost Club with the promise of travel.

Willie come back

In his mind, the sound of your voice firstly grounded the young man as a mirage of your form flickered. Your eyes screamed worry while the smile was one of relief.

Caleb can’t hurt you anymore. Come home.

The spectators watching see your flinching wavering expression and the tensing of Willie’s facial muscles. Everyone sat on the edge of their seat as the two pairs eyes opened in synch of the yells of hurt.

What they didn’t expect was your eyes to roll into the back of your skull and you to collapse onto the floor.

“Y/N!” Willie cried, stumbling off the couch onto the cold floor where your body lay prone, “Wake up!”

It seemed everyone forgot the little detail of being dead.

“She’s fine.” Rudy remarked, shaking your arm with such gentle care matching the four guys’ care in the room.

Your eyelids fluttered open under the bright lights of the unused cottage still waiting for an owner.

“Susie was right.” You grumbled allowing Willie to help you sit up against the blue velvet couch. Your mussed hair adorable in the eyes of the guitarist utterly enamoured with everything about you.

“She usually is.” Rudy mused, thinking of the many times she had proven everyone wrong, “She punched me for not bringing you home.”

“Gotta love her.” You snorted turning to face the four ghosts awkwardly gazing around the room. It was barren of personality with the lack of inhabitants. The yearning quickly found in the boys’ eyes, “You know this isn’t the only cottage in need of people.”

“What do-“

“You’re welcome to live here. I know you three live in that studio, but here you can have a real bed. You can eat and having your own place. You can come and go as you please.” You offered without looking, Rudy.

“I don’-“

“If you don’t want to live here, it’s okay, but the option is always there. Willie, we make plans for a skatepark-“

“Oh, you had me from the start.” Willie beamed tugging you into his arms, “I missed this. I missed you.”

“Me too.” You murmured into his warm embrace equally relaxed at knowing he was safe again. Your eyes clashing with the soft blue had Ideas songwriting already filled with lyrics of a pretty girl wearing a jean jacket with patches.

The lyrics turned into songs both in the studio and the cottage that Luke, Reggie and Alex accepted in Elysium. It had been a spirited discussion with Julie on moving to Elysium, but the boys were always there when she wasn’t in school. Often Elysium hosted a concert for the residents with the visitation of Julie.

Your reciprocated attraction with the messy-haired hazel-eyed guitarist flourished into a serious relationship. Luke took on the role of teaching how to play the guitar and songwriting. Alex took of mediation while Reggie worked with Harvey.

Willie quickly took on designing the skatepark he taught at while also taking a position at the ghost school.

“Morning.” The soft whisper roused your sleep into the golden glow of the morning light and chirping birds.

The growling aspect of his voice coming from only just waking up. The sight of Luke’s bleary eyes was heartwarming.

A year into moving into Elysium, Luke had asked if you’d like to move in as he was the only one in the original house. Alex had moved into the little cottage with Willie three months into the relationship while Reggie was going back and forth between Susie’s room and his own place.

“Morning.” You hummed leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

“You know I thought my life ended when I died. That I could never find someone and have a family. That I couldn’t share my music with the world. I was wrong.” Luke murmured as he cupped your cheek in his hand, “The band is growing more and more each day. I found the love of my life, and we have a family with everyone. I haven’t felt like I had had home for so long, but I get it now. You’re my home. I love you.”

Your cheeks warmed up at the adoration Luke displayed in his expressive hazel green gaze just as it had since day one. The awe fell from his lips before you pressed a kiss to his lips, only one of the many in the eons to come.

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mimisempai · 3 years ago

Text

Wait for me on the other side 1/8

Summary:

Mobius, a watchmaker, and Loki, a teacher, realize that they are separated by two years of time when they exchange letters from different years in the mailbox of the house on the cliff where Mobius lives. As the two lonely hearts feel they have found their soulmate, will they ever meet?

or the Lakehouse AU that nobody asked for.

Notes:

This is my very first multi-chapter AU. I hope you'll enjoy it. Chapters will be released on a weekly basis.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32948254/chapters/81773392

3772 words - rating G

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (End)

When two people "connect" the bond between them can be so pure and simple as to stir hearts in heaven.

When they connect in all the right places at all the wrong times, heaven weeps for broken hearts. To heal these broken hearts, heaven breaks time.

—Blithe Spiritus

Loki took one last look through the rearview mirror at the cottage on the edge of the cliff, which was getting smaller and smaller as he drove away.

Shifting his gaze forward, his face slid to the crate on the passenger seat, where Croki, his pet alligator, was sitting.

"I hope you will like your new home..." Loki sighed.

Then suddenly, he braked abruptly, holding back the cage with one hand as it slid forward. Then he backed the car up.

"Shit. I'm sorry Croc'"

He walked over to the mailbox. He put his hand through the window, opened the mailbox and put an envelope inside. Then his long fingers pulled the red flag in a vertical position, to indicate that there was mail. All this under the eyes of Croki who followed with attention all his gestures.

He tapped the top of the cage, "Come on, this time we're off for good."

He rolled, speeding up, refusing to look at the sign for the tiny village his home was in, New Asgard. Loki rolled east, the cliff behind him, then passed a sign: New York, 35 miles.

The traffic became heavier as he approached the city.

After maneuvering through the various streets and making his way through the New York traffic, he stopped in front of an apartment building on a busy street. It was a very recent building, cold and sterile. The contrast with the tranquility of New-Asgard was striking.

He parked, got out of the car and took a moment to absorb the change in his surroundings. Then with a sigh, he began to unload his things.

**********

Loki stopped at the steps in front of the entrance to the imposing establishment - September High-School. He inhaled deeply to give himself courage before moving forward, climbing the few steps and pushing open the heavy door. He entered and walked to what appeared to be the front desk where a busy looking secretary was standing.

Loki asked softly, "Excuse me?"

"Just a minute, okay?"

Loki waited a minute, politely, then tried to get the secretary's attention again.

"Ahem... Excuse me, I need to..."

She handed him a stack of paper, while saying, without looking at him, "Just fill this out and wait for me there, okay?"

Loki handed it back to her.

"No, I'm Loki Laufeyson. I'm a new teacher. I was told to report here."

The secretary looked sheepish, "Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. You need to find Principal Romanov. She should be around here. A woman with red hair, dressed in black, you can't miss her."

He did indeed find the Principal in the hallway that the secretary had pointed out.

Natasha Romanov may have looked young to be a high school principal, but everything about her demeanor, her head carriage, her attitude exuded confidence and authority. She walked quickly down the hallway and Loki, though tall, had a hard time keeping up with her.

The principal handed him a large stack of files as soon as they arrived in her office.

"You will be in charge of the sophomores, this morning you will have three classes to teach and three this afternoon."

Loki repeated to be sure, "Three?"

"That's a quiet day, for a first day."

Loki looked a little dazed, he didn't think he was going to jump into the deep end and thought he would have some time to adjust.

The principal turned around, as if she sensed his hesitation, "The teacher you replaced let us down without notice, and it took us a while to find the right replacement, the students lost a lot of time for their final exams. We have to do our best to make sure they pass."

They walked past a student who was sitting alone on a bench, looking sulky. Romanov motioned to a supervisor.

"What's he doing here?"

The supervisor replied, "He was grounded because he took apart a computer to prove Professor Banner wrong and has to do an hour of gym under Professor Odinson's supervision. However, I can't leave the place unattended, and I was waiting for my backup to take him there.

"Peter get up," said principal Romanov in a sharp tone.

The young man stood up, a sulky look on his face.

"Professor Laufeyson, take him to Professor Odinson in the gym and then you can begin your lessons in this class."

The principal pointed to the door of the classroom in question, then turned and walked back to her office, not waiting for an answer.

"Well come with me, Mister...?"

The young boy followed his lead and replied with a pouty tone, "Parker, Peter Parker. »

"Then let's go Mr. Parker, the computer dismantler." replied Loki with a wink. He knew he couldn't condone what the young man had done, but he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Seeing that the professor didn't look reproachful as he said these words, Peter lost his pout and got a small smile.

"Although I'm curious as to what could have caused you to disassemble a computer."

Peter seemed to come back to life, explained to an amused Loki, that Professor Banner, who taught biology, had said that nothing could compare to the complex construction that was a living being and Peter had wanted to show him the opposite by dismantling the Professor's laptop.

"But I was about to put it back together though, I don't understand why he got so upset."

Loki couldn't help but laugh.

Peter's face frowned because they had arrived at the gym.

They walked through the door and there a giant blonde man came striding in, "Peter Parker, it's been so long! Tell me what you've been up to again." he ruffled Peter's hair who tried to shy away from it, then he held out his hand to Loki who had to hold back a wince at the strength of the professor's grip.

"Professor Odinson, but call me Thor. Nice to meet you. New professor?"

"Yes, I am the new literature professor, Loki Laufeyson, but call me Loki. I'll leave this promising young man to you," He winked at Peter before continuing, "as for me I'll be teaching my first class."

"Welcome here, and good luck!" threw Thor at him before turning back to Peter, "Go change, we'll start with 10 laps running around the basketball court."

Hearing Peter's grumbles, Loki smiled as he walked away.

A few minutes later, he stopped outside his classroom door and took a deep breath.

"It takes a little time to adjust, but most of the students here are exceptional and the teaching staff is really, really nice."

Loki turned to see who had just spoken.

He found himself facing a black man, taller than him, and very impressive. But despite his imposing nature, his smile and eyes were very warm as he held out his hand. "Heimdall, art professor, welcome."

Loki grasped it and replied, "Loki, literature professor."

Heimdall gave a small nod in the direction of the door, "Good luck." then walked away.

Loki, surprisingly relaxed following this little interlude, walked through the classroom door with a confident air, placed his belongings on the desk and with an engaging smile on his lips addressed his first students, "Hello, I am your new literature teacher and I hope we will work well together."

He paused, letting his gaze roam over the entire class before continuing,"O Captain! My Captain! Who knows where that came from? No one? No idea? It's-"

A young boy raised his hand at the back of the classroom.

"Yes Mister...?"

"Keener, Harley Keener."

"All right Mister Keener, I'm listening."

"It's a Walt Whitman poem about Abraham Lincoln. And it's plagiarism of Professor Keating's introduction played by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society."

Loki didn't lose his confidence at all and replied, "Thank you Mr. Keener. I'm not going to apologize for the plagiarism. I didn't expect anyone to contradict me since this film was released long before you were all born. Thank you, Mr. Keener, for setting me straight. I won't ask you to call me Captain, Sir, or Professor, but simply Loki. Yes, Mr. Keener, Loki, as in the Norse god of mischief... "

The whole class, including Harley, laughed and Loki thought that it wasn't such a bad start.

But he still felt exhausted at the end of the day, and he slumped into the chair at his assigned desk in the teacher's lounge. He leaned in and put his head back, closing his eyes.

"So they've worn you out already?" it was the deep voice, which he recognized as Heimdall's. He opened his eyes to see that the art professor had sat just at the desk next to him.

"Yet the Famous Five keep talking about Loki, the new professor who is super cool. It's been a long time since I've heard a literature professor on such good terms." It was Thor who came to join them and pulled a chair to sit in the space between Heimdall and Loki.

"The Famous Five?"

Thor chuckled before answering, "They're called that because they're always stuffed together, probably five of the smartest minds in this elite school, and as a result always going out on the town to..."

"…the benefit of science." finished Heimdall.

"That's their argument every time they get busted," Thor clarified.

"Who are they?" asked Loki, curious.

"There's Peter who you met this morning, he's in the same class as his two childhood friends Ned and MJ. There's Harley who talked about how you put him in his place, when he thought he had fooled you. Captain my Captain huh?"

Thor chuckled before continuing, "and finally Kamala Khan, the newest one, a little brunette, a ball of energy who always wears a big red scarf, summer and winter and who the other four have taken under their wing."

"Interesting..." replied Loki, thoughtfully.

"Wait until you're the target of their prank and we'll see if you find these kids interesting." said an unknown voice behind him.

"Bruce my friend! Were you able to fix your laptop?" exclaimed Thor with a laugh.

Loki turned around, only to find himself standing in front of a man who was a little older than him. He stood up and held out his hand, "Professor Banner, I presume."

"Am I that famous?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow as he shook the outstretched hand in a firm grip.

"It's mostly that I had the pleasure of taking Peter Parker for his grounding to Thor." replied Loki

"That brat..." harrumphed Bruce. "He's smart... but his habit of proving he's always right..."

The other men laughed in unison.

"So boys? Are we having fun?" a young woman with short blond hair stepped forward and held out her hand, "Carol Danvers, homeroom teacher at this crazy school."

"Nice to meet you," Loki replied, shaking the outstretched hand.

Unaccustomed to being around so many people and especially such friendly people, Loki felt a little overwhelmed and suddenly the fatigue of this first day seemed to fall on his shoulders to the point that he had to stifle a yawn.

Thor patted him on the back and said, "I have an excellent remedy for that."

"What is it?"

Heimdall and Thor high-fived each other and said in unison, "The Bifrost."

At Loki's look of complete incomprehension, Carol explained, "It's a bar two blocks away, good burgers, good beer and for good company, that's us." she finished with a wink.

Loki realized they were inviting him to come with them but he hesitated and finally replied, "Thanks. I better not drink tonight. I'm dead."

Bruce retorted, "We're all dead."

"Yes, but I still have a lot to unpack."

They nodded, and did not seem disappointed by his refusal, even rather understanding. Loki really wasn't used to this kind of company.

Heimdall put his hand on his arm and then said softly, "Next time, then."

Loki, not understanding why his throat was tight, simply nodded.

A little later, they separated in front of the school gates. Loki on one side and the group on the other.

" Bye Loki!"

"See you tomorrow Captain!"

Loki lived only three blocks from the school and soon arrived home. When he entered he realized how sterile and cold his large apartment seemed.

He had not yet had time to unpack all his things and the boxes were scattered everywhere. The first thing he had unpacked was Croki's terrarium, which took up a whole room.

As he closed the door, he heard Croki's typical little paws coming and rubbing against him as usual. He patted his head and headed for the kitchen. Croki was a Cuvier's Dwarf caiman. Loki had once wanted to get a dog, but in the animal shelter he had immediately felt a connection with the animal, perhaps because he was different, like himself.

Loki opened the refrigerator which was desperately empty except for Croki's fish ration. He put it on a plate and put it on the floor while commenting, "Need alligator food. And human too."

He was going to have to do some shopping tomorrow.

After snacking on a bag of chips, exhausted, he took a quick shower before going to his room.

"Good night Croki."

His room was as functional and depressing as the rest of the place. He went to stand in front of the window. Outside it was all stone buildings. It was very difficult to even see the sky. He sighed, "What a view..."

He pulled the blinds and went to bed. Once his head was on the pillow, he fell asleep very quickly, which prevented him from thinking too much about everything he missed.

**********

A red pickup truck passed the New Asgard sign before parking at the side of the path that leads to the house. Its back end was filled with furniture and moving boxes. A mustachioed man with gray hair got out. He walked toward the cottage on the edge of the cliff and stopped, hands on hips, contemplating the view.

He opened the door, looked for the electric power meter. He turned it on and went to turn on the light in the entrance and then in what seemed to be the living room.

Mobius examined the place, satisfied. There wasn't much. A stereo, some books, an armchair. But the bare and cosy furniture matched perfectly with the austere beauty of the small cottage. He looked out the window at the cliff. He was going to like it here.

It took him a good four hours to unload his pickup truck by himself and install just about everything he had brought. Once finished, he grabbed a cold beer that he had put in the cooler and while drinking it quietly walked around the house before getting in the car to go shopping at the local grocery store that he had spotted on his way in.

Once he had gone around the store, with his groceries in his arms, he went to put them on the counter.

The young owner and his wife were behind.

"Hi, are you new around here?" the owner asked him.

Mobius smiled and replied, "More or less. My name is Mobius."

The owner replied, "My name is Clint and this is my wife, Laura."

Laura smiled and added, "You're going to like it. Especially now that the weather is getting warmer." Then pointing to the groceries, she added, "We'll get you some boxes for all that."

"Oh thanks." replied Mobius.

Laura fetched an empty box from a high shelf. Now that she was no longer hidden by the counter, it was obvious that she was pregnant. Clint rushed to her. "No, honey, let me."

Mobius looked at them, feeling moved and at the same time fully aware of his own loneliness. He paid, took his box and left, but not without promising the young couple to return.

He parked in front of the small road with his groceries in the back of the truck and noticed the mailbox with its flag up. He stopped and opened it. There was an envelope.

For the new tenant.

He took in the groceries, put them away, made himself a sandwich tray and taking the letter, he went to sit on the armchair in front of the bay window. He put his tray on a small table next to it, opened the letter and started to read.

Dear new tenant.

Hello and welcome to your new home and congratulations, blah blah blah. You have made an excellent choice, New Asgard is a wonderful place and this house is a gem, as you may have already noticed.

I'm sure you'll love living here as much as I do.

By the way, I'm the former tenant, Loki.

Mobius looked perplexed but also pleasantly surprised.

The post office forwards my mail normally, but if something should happen here, because the post service is what it is and we are never safe, my new address is below. Thank you.

Mobius turned over the letter.

P.S.: Sorry for the pawprints leading to the front door. They were already there when I moved in, as well as the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner.

Mobius stared at the letter in amusement and could not help but check the end of the letter.

He went to the front door. The floor was clean. Inside and out.

"What did he talk about?" he scratched the back of his head before heading for the ladder that led to the attic. He opened the hatch, poked his head through and looked around. It was empty. No box.

Mobius went back down, shrugged, crumpled the letter and threw it away.

He finished his meal and went to bed.

The next day, in his clock store, while repairing an antique watch with an extremely complicated mechanism, he couldn't help thinking about the letter and its more or less strange ending when he was interrupted by the doorbell indicating that someone had entered the store.

He put down his tools, wiped his hands, and headed for the store.

"Hey Mobius! I made lunch, shall we share?"

It was the bubbly and somewhat invasive, Sylvie. The owner of the antique gun store right across from him.

He replied, annoyed, because she had interrupted his work that he loved, "I can't, I have urgent work to finish."

"Oh come on Mobius, there's nothing urgent about an old watch."

"It is to its owner."

She made a disappointed pout, "Well, okay..." she sighed and headed for the door, then turned abruptly. "Is it true you bought a house? Where is it? How is it?"

Mobius rolled his eyes, used to Sylvie's chatter.

"It's an isolated cottage, in a small village called New Asgard."

"You're sick to isolate yourself like that!"

"It's what I want and I already feel at home there. And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to my work, which is not urgent." He walked briskly toward his studio, annoyed by the criticism of his choice, and didn't even hear the door close.

In the late afternoon, after his day's work, he decided to repaint the faded fences that lined the small path. The manual work, like his work on watches, helped him to clear his head.

A few hours later, as the day was getting darker, Mobius was kneeling on the steps and applying a new layer of paint to the weathered planks. He finished, satisfied with the result, and began to put his equipment away.

Behind him, a small dwarf alligator trotted along the path. Mobius didn't notice it at first. The alligator sped up and before Mobius could react, he stepped into the paint and left footprints behind him. "Hey!"

Mobius tried to catch the alligator but it ran back inside the house whose door Mobius had left ajar. Mobius was about to follow him, wondering what an alligator was doing here and if he was dangerous, when he suddenly stopped.

On the ground in front of the house, there was a trail of paw prints.

Mobius rushed to the garbage can and searched with determination through his trash when he finally found what he was looking for: Loki's letter.

He stared at it.

Sorry about the footprints leading to the front door. They were already there when I moved in, as was the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner.

He remained for a long moment staring at the crumpled note.

*********

Loki went out to have lunch at a place he had spotted not far from the school.

Finding the weather warm, he opened his coat and continued walking.

When he arrived at the place, he sat down on a bench and started to unwrap his sandwich, a book in his hand. He enjoyed this moment of calm, even if the place was crowded on this beautiful day.

Once finished eating, Loki closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sunlight warm him up. Just aware of the surrounding sounds, the water of the fountain, the splashes and laughter of the children playing there, an old man grumbling about global warming, the pigeons landing not far away, hoping to get some crumbs from those who like Loki had decided to have lunch here.

Suddenly, a horrible noise, a high-pitched squeal and a horn made Loki sit up. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked around.

A few meters away, in front of Loki, a double-decker city bus was trying to stop. It was going pretty fast, although you could tell the driver was trying to brake.

Loki registered it all, the noise, the bus, before noticing the gray-haired man standing directly in the path of the bus. There was nothing to be done, it was inevitable and almost immediate, the man was hit by the bus, and Loki, horrified, saw his distant figure fly ten or fifteen feet into the air before crashing to the sidewalk. The faint sound of the impact reached Loki half a second later, due to the distance.

Loki automatically took out his cell phone and dialed 911. As he walked towards the impact point, he gave all the information to the rescue workers, trying to remain calm.

Once he hung up the phone, he started to run towards the lifeless body.

_______

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (End)

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd and english is not my native language I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless🥰

#Lokius fic #alternate universe #loki series #loki #mobius m mobius #slow burn #time travel #thor #bruce banner #heimdall #natasha romanov #carol danvers #peter parker #harley keener #ned leeds #MJ #kamala khan #croki

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dailytomlinson · 5 years ago

Text

Louis Tomlinson - WIRED

How to pronounce Louis Tomlinson name? Well I just did that for you. Before, well before i was on the XF, all me friends from back home called me Lewis - I mean my name is Loui-e but they called me Lewis, that's what I was known as, back home. Then on me first audition Simon called me Louie, and I wasn't about to correct him, you know what I mean?

How old is Louis Tomlinson? I'm getting older, feels like i'm getting older. I'm 27, I am.

How is Louis Tomlinson? Yeah, I'm doing all right, fanks, I'm doing alright, that's a random google one. What does google say in response to that, I'd love to know.

How do I meet Louis Tomlinson? Come to tour, come to tour, and I'll meet you there, hopefully.

What's Louis Tomlinson favorite food?

I eat a lot of rubbish food, probably burgers. I eat a lot of McDonald’s, but in terms of the ultimate burger, it probably has to be In'N'Out. That is a proper burger.

What's Louis Tomlinson Zodiac Sign? There's a lot of talk of this while I've been doing promo in America, you guys love the zodiac stuff. Capricorn, I am. I was told recently about some of the characteristics of the Capricorn, think I may have like two of eight. What's Louis Tomlinson phone number? That is a question I won't be answering. Me number's got out quite a few times. and I like me own privacy, so unfortunately I'm not gonna give you that.

What kind of dogs does Louis Tomlinson have? I’ve got two. I’ve got a golden doodle and a labradoodle. Bruce and Cliff. They’re quite different dogs, the two of them. Bruce is like proper well behaved, good lad, proper like a pretty dog, you know what i mean? And cliff, he’s big he’s clumsy, he’s a thief cause you know everyone says dogs shouldn’t go anywhere near chocolate and i think maybe two or three easters ago he stole a full easter egg, a full easter egg, which I was worried about but i found out after that as long as they don’t eat their bodyweight in chocolate, you’re alright, so he lives to fight another day. Is Louis Tomlinson British? Too right, good to know.

Is Louis Tomlinson on tour? Not yet, glad you asked. About to go on the road next year. Tickets are on sale, go have a look.

Is Louis Tomlinson a football player? Yeah, me local club Donny Rovers, where I’m from I was lucky enough one year, I mean it was a bit of a PR thing on there but also I’m fairly decent football player, they signed me onto the box for a year, I was in the back of the program every game day, I got a squad number which i've got tattooed on me hand, 28, it was a good time to be around.

Is Louis Tomlinson Vegan? I’m not a Vegan, I mean, in England we’re doing all sorts at the moment, like vegan sausage rolls, which feels like a contraction to me, but I’m not a vegan, no, but respect to everyone who is.

What is Louis Tomlinsons favourite color? Red, I love red. Often try to incorporate that into pretty much anything I do really, creatively and also me football club, Donny Rovers, they play in red so that would be why.

What is Louis Tomlinson Just Hold On about? You know it's another one of those songs that's saying you know regardless what happens in life you just gotta try and be hopeful, really.

What Is Louis Tomlinsons middle name ? That'll be an obvious google answer, it's William. Don't use it that often, I imagine some of me fans know that that's me middle name, bit of trivia for you.

What movies has Louis Tomlinson been in? I haven't been in a movie other than that One Direction movie, starred in that. When I was really young I did the odd bit of extra work here and there, there's one really tragic clip online of me I think about 14 years old, I don't have a line but I look petrified.

Who is Louis Tomlinson best’s friend? Probably me ginger mate, Ollie, goes everywhere with me, lives with me most of the time, hears the songs first, most of the time. Went to school with me, I’ve known him for 10, 12 years now? Wow

Who is Louis Tomlinson X-Factor Judge I was an XF judge, also been on the show as a contestant. I was in this band called, One Direction, they were pretty big.

Who’s Louis Tomlinson Miss You About? Miss You was originally written, I was bouncing between different parties, all the night life LA has to offer, and there was moment where I felt like I was going along with enjoying it so much, and that’s kinda what that song is about

Who did Louis Tomlinson play for? Me Donny Rovers, but if we’re going far back, me sunday league team and local area was the first team that I joined, called Tickhill Juniors [FC], I think they’re still going. In fact, I got a mildly cheeky e-mail from them pretty recently asking for some funding. So, I’ll be in touch. Where was Louis Tomlinson born? I was born in Doncaster, probably best place in the world. If you haven’t been, you should go. Great holidays, absolutely love where I come from, great people where I come from, great night out as well.

Where does Louis Tomlinson currently live? I live between LA and London, and also try to get to Doncaster as much as I can. Quite a adjust jump. It’s forever hot here in LA, we’re about to get to November, and I’m red dot, and I’m just a true Brit, you know? When it’s Winter, I want cold. Where is Louis Tomlinson right now? Here, doing this little piece of camera for you!

Where did Louis Tomlinson go to school? In Doncaster there was a school called Hayfield School, went there 90% of me school life. Now I failed my A-Levels and didn’t have me back in, which was a bit unfair of them, so then I went to another school for a year and then I’m at the X-Factor.

Where did Louis Tomlinson audition? I auditioned in Manchester, when did the X-Factor. Basically, long story short, the judges see thousands of people, you know, across have many days. So I wanted to be the star of the auditions, so I started queuing up at like 4am because I wanted to be one of the first to be seen, figure I’d have a better chance then and I was right.

When was Louis Tomlinson born? Christmas Eve, 1991. Good times to have birthdays, everyone’s in a good mood.

When is Louis Tomlinson going on tour? My tour starts March next year and goes all the way to June? July? Super excited to be going on tour, feel like I’ve been waiting all me solo career for that moment. So pretty excited about that one.

When Louis Tomlinson Valerie? I’m imagining you talking about when I started with the band and got on our first tour and did a cover of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie, maybe you’re asking when I’m singing that again and the answer is I don’t know.

When did Louis Tomlinson perform JHO? I performed it a few times, it comes out off the top of me head 2017. My first performance was at the XF and I hadn’t done a solo performance on me own and the XF was always a big performance for us as a band so was good to be back and do that on my own was both exciting and nerve-wrecking.

Louis Tomlinson CUTE I’m not making this, Im sure I can read it. Louis Tomlinson Cute, I don’t know how to react to this one other than say ‘Thanks, love’

Louis Tomlinson Tattoos That I have many of, quite a few stupid ones. Trying to look which of me latest was, probably this horrible one [Robbie’s X on his right arm] I got at the XF. Not even straight lines, pretty bad.

Louis Tomlinson eye color I got blue eyes, not gonna lie. Me eyes do change color, when I wear a blue top it looks bluer. Planned well today, but normally, blue

Louis Tomlinson hairstyles Ain’t had that many of them to be honest. I’ve had three in rotation for the past nine years. What’s pretty funny about me hair though, from being in a band like One Direction, I’ve almost forgot how to do my own hair. It’s pretty tragic, innit? I’m lucky to have someone to do me hair, but there’s times where I got a night out and I’m looking at me hair and thinking ‘I don’t even know where to start?’ so I just put a cap on

Louis Tomlinson One Direction That’s the band I’m in, was in, whichever way you look at it at, don’t really know what else to say about that good time in me life. Hopefully we come back.

Louis Tomlinson Back To You Yeah, that’s the name of one of me songs. So I assume you bang that into google and my song will just pop straight up. Give it a listen if you want, did it Bebe Rexha, did the music video in Doncaster, where I’m from, so again, that’s special for me.

#wired #louis tomlinson #061119 #quote #wmi #transcript

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dafukdidiwatch · 4 years ago

Text

Se7en

When murderers need to collect the entire set.

Overview: William Somerset is one week to retirement when he gets partnered with David Mills, a hot-headed rookie detective wanting to make it big. They start an investigation for a serial killer who killed based on the 7 Deadly Sins.

I’m just going to jump in and just start saying stuff because I got a lot to say.

This movie has a very dark feel to it, but something I would describe as “artistically creepy.” The intro credits some very unnerving things like torture photos over tiny ass condensed writing, slicing the tips of someone’s fingers, this static/jumping feel like the movie reel is about to fall out. And it continues on in the film with the end credits. They roll up. God that feels so wrong.

But it also has this, high quality art feel to. Like a lot of classical music playing, poetic and philosophical lines, stuff that would make me think these are two pretentious people saying this and not cops. Which I guess would make a better juxtaposition with the gruesome murders.

I feel so sorry for Morgan Freeman here. He just wants to retire and take a break from all of this. But we did have to put up with a Lot of police cliches. Like “One Week to Retirement”, “New Rookie Detective Partnered with Older One”, “You’re a Good Cop, You Should Stay” just to name a few. After a while you do get used to it, or I guess a better way of putting it is that the movie makes the cliches its own. Plus when

There’s also a lot of little funny moments too. Like Mills can’t understand Dante’s Inferno so he just gets the Cliff Notes version of it and uses that to impress Morgan Freeman.

Lots of swearing in this film from Mills. I don’t know why it felt so off-putting hearing Brad Pitt say “Fuck” all the time. Maybe because he just kept saying it over and over with no other substance to his lines? Just a small thing.

Also, we got some focus on the reasoning some of the victims were targeted. Like the high profile lawyer for Greed and his drug dealer client for Sloth was the ones with the most background. Lust was just a prostitute and I have no idea who the hell Pride was outside of “beautiful woman.” Plus Gluttony was just a fat guy, no outside Like if it was more interconnected on how these people know each other and how John Doe knows them that would have been cool.

But it just felt like these people were chosen at random. Like the drug dealer criminal who was Sloth, just what exactly did he do in his life that was slothful? Unless it was using drugs but his other crimes don’t really match up to that do they? It just feels like their lives didn’t really matter, or just passes the bare minimum of being a deadly sin, as much as it was their death that was the focus on.

Not to say that the movie didn’t have interesting crimes/deaths. Honestly the first murder Gluttony really set the bar with having the mad tied, veiny, in a dark room with food. Like that was cleverly done. And Sloth honestly freaked me right the fuck out, that shit was horribly well done. And Lust, thankfully, we didn’t see but the implication was well enough to know what just happened. It was horrific, gruesome, creative, and what we should have in a horror crime thriller like this.

Now at the end John Doe the murderer has literally played everyone this entire time. But he also literally betrayed his own beliefs here to fuel his desire to be someone remembered. He killed Tracy. What the hell sin did she commit? I know that he’s supposed to be Envy and was “envious” of Mills, but he just said in the scene before that he kills sinners and those who deserve it. So yeah, his entire thing is less “Acting and judging people” and more of “want to be remembered for sick crimes.”

And the end with Brad Pitt finding out about his murdered wife...like, Brad Pitt visually showed grief and anguish. But verbally.....yeah he sucked. A lot. It sounded so bad I’m sorry I couldn’t take it seriously. And it was at the climax too so yeah, took me out the mood there.

Overall: The movie was good, I kind wish it didn’t have a downer ending. John Doe got what he wanted, was always winning the entire time, and now they just have to live with the consequences of it. The investigation was good, and there are a few funny bits that still make me laugh. But I couldn’t help but compare this movie to the other “7 Deadly Sins Inspired Murders” stuff that I have seen. Criminal minds has a really good 2 parter in season 2 where you can actually see the motivation on why the victims where chosen. And there is a fantastic book called The Dante Club which is Dante’s Inferno-based murders while the book was being translated into English in the late 1800s. Still, the movie was good. But it might be a while before I watch it again.

#dafukblog #dafuking films #week 25 movie #seven #seven movie #morgan freeman #brad pitt #dantes inferno #7 deadly sins #seven deadly sins

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argylemikewheeler · 5 years ago

Note

Will and Nancy’s reactions to finding out ab Mike jumping off that cliff at the Quarry in season 1 (this would probably be after season 2 ??? Idk but Dustin is the one who says it infront of Will and Mike is like oh yeah fuck that was a thing that happenednoimtotallyfine)

[this is inherently dark so tw for talking about, you know, almost dying. but i try not to get too dark. short and semi-sweet.]

The first time Mike ever heard anyone say it out loud, it was followed by the deafening shatter of one of Mrs. Byers’ dinner plates on the kitchen floor.

“Yeah, Mike’s tried that– he’s jumped clear off the cliff at the quarry. El saved him though, so… Obviously no death.”

They’d been reminiscing all afternoon before, during, and after lunch. They were graduating high school in four days and could barely remember the time as it passed by them. Dustin was recollecting that first fall with El– every strange adventure they’d brought her on, as if everyone forgot; although, Will and Max liked the recaps. The story always changed a little every time with their dynamic story telling. This time though, Dustin apparently added a whole new detail. It’d laid buried for five years.

The plate shattered by Will’s feet, his hands open and grasping at his chest. Mike whipped around in his chair at the sound, reaching out for Will and pulling him toward the table by his waist.

“What’s wrong, Will?”

“What’s wrong?” Will had the habit of repeating things he assumed Mike should’ve known the answer to. This was one Mike really didn’t know; he didn’t feel guilty for his ignorance.

“You know El saved us at the quarry. That’s the whole story there.” Mike shrugged it off and let his arm loop around Will’s hips, keeping him beside his chair. Mike tried to encourage nonchalance onto the other mortified faces at the table. “Hey, some of you were there. Stop looking like that! Dustin’s fine.”

“I’m not worried about Dustin at the moment.” Will said slowly. “Michael, you jumped off a cliff?”

“It’s not like that, Will. I didn’t try to like, die, or anything.” Mike scoffed. He placed his hand on Will’s stomach, trying to soothe the undoubted stirring inside of it. “The asshole said if I jumped Dustin would be fine, so I just did it– but El was there.”

“But you didn’t know she was there… right?” Max said, leaning forward on the table. “That’s never part of the story.”

“Not helping, Maxine.” Mike sighed, glaring at her.

“Hey, she has a fair point.” El chimed in. She wasn’t looking at them, instead staring at the shards of ceramic on the floor and carefully lifting them from the floor to the trash without lifting a finger. “I ran up just in time, Mike.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Mike, how could you not tell me about this?” Will began fretting Mike’s curls through his fingers. He knew he had upset Will now; curl touching either meant Will was absolutely and undeniably flirting with him, or he was trying to calm himself down with the repetitive and never ending motion of smoothing down his mop of hair. And Will didn’t seem to be in any kind of mood at the moment so, there was little left to interpret.

“It wasn’t important.”

“Not important!” Will repeated again. “Michael, you could have killed yourself!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t.” He said, almost laughing. “We’ve faced a lot worse, Will. I mean, the mall? Or how about nearly being eaten alive when–”

“I won’t let you turn this into a joke.” Will said firmly. It was the special tone of voice he saved for when Mike really needed to understand he was serious. Mike didn’t hear it often; he was typically pretty aware of Will’s moods. That day though, he was missing all his marks.

Mike didn’t want to engage with the conversation and in turn, refused to engage with Will or any of his sudden fear. He wasn’t trying to be a bad boyfriend, he was just trying not to remember being such a sad child.

“It’s not a big deal, Will. Really. It was a blur of panic– I thought they were going to kill Dustin.” Mike explained earnestly. “I didn’t know what else to do. I was so fucking worried about everyone. For someone to give me some kind of direction on how to stop the bullshit around me was a no-brainer. I’d follow it, end of story.”

“You’d let Troy walk you off a cliff?” Lucas said, mirroring Max on the table.

“Did you all not hear the part where he was going to kill Dustin? Because, I mean, I will never get that feeling off my chest for the rest of my young adult life. Thank you very much.” Mike quipped, tilting his head back to look more directly at Will. His hands still stayed in Mike’s hair. “It wasn’t anything you’re thinking, Will. I promise.”

Well, it kind of was. But Mike didn’t really consider that until years later when high school got heavy and dark and he realized it was all familiar. He hadn’t meant it like that at the time. He had never thought anything would actually come from it; he’d jump but like, he’d be fine. He didn’t even consider the aftermath of jumping…

Okay. So maybe, in that last moment he did think of it. The aftermath just didn’t scare him.

“We’ll… We’ll talk about it later, okay?” Mike said, letting his head rest against Will’s side. “You’re ruining Dustin’s flow. He loves telling this part.”

“Okay. Sorry, Dustin. You were saying.” Will waved him on with a reluctant smile. He moved Mike’s plate back on the table and sat across his lap, hands going back to his hair.

—

After everyone had gone home, Will offered to take them for a drive. Mike was lounging on Will’s bed, one of his strange art picture books open on his lap. He knew the conversation was coming. It wasn’t going to be a drive with the intention of parking. No,it was constant motion to stop either of them from avoiding the issue.

Mike didn’t even bother putting on shoes as he walked out to Will’s car, taking one of Will’s sweatshirts to fight off the damp air of Hawkins’ June evenings. Will waited until they were at least on the main road before asking Mike anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Will muttered. His shoulders fell and his grip loosened on the wheel. “I mean, Michael, that’s big. That’s scary. That’s–”

“Not something I like to talk about.” Mike said shortly. “You don’t get to be mad at me, William.”

“I’m not mad! I’m… I’m not mad, Michael. I’m not.” Will reached over and grabbed Mike’s hand, unable to look at him. “I just don’t know why you kept this from me. From any of us. I’m just worried you’re not okay. You… You jumped, Mike.”

“I know! I know I did.” Mike twisted Will’s fingers gently between his own. Never before had he thought about that dark afternoon while so close to Will. It was strange, considering Will was the last thought he had before stepping off. “I figured, you know, if they found me it’d just be connected to what happened to you. It could all go away. They’d make up a story and it’d be over.”

The engine hummed in the silence, somehow sounding quieter just to leave Mike more vulnerable. He knew he had to speak again. Will had no place following such an announcement.

“Look, I didn’t really think anything was going to happen. Like, I could figure it out, but it wasn’t something I really understood until later. I was just really confused and scared, Will. I was for a long time.”

“Does your sister know?” Will asked, finally looking between the road and Mike quickly. “Mike, does your sister know?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, crossing his ankles stiffly. “And we talked about it. She’s fine.”

Except that she wasn’t. Mike remembered the conversation well. It was the same Christmas after Will was found alive. Mike had watched the color leave her face as she rushed across the kitchen to him. He was just in the archway, speaking as if the words were weightless, only to have them– and Nancy– come crashing into him.

She nearly crushed Mike as she held him to her, telling Mike that he was so so stupid sometimes but that she loved him to the ends of the earth and all the way back. Mike didn’t know anyone cared that much. He didn’t think anyone would have noticed. He felt alone on that cliff and thought he would be that way when he floated back to land again too.

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Mike.” Will couldn’t hear Mike’s memories– it would have been so much easier if he could. He was speaking just from his own heart. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He squeezed Mike’s hand.

Mike’s hands had gone numb; he hadn’t even realized Will was still holding his.

“Me too.” He nodded, swallowing an argument. “I’m okay.”

“Promise you’ll talk to me next time– any time, actually. I know it’s not my place to pry but… I can’t learn about this years later, Michael. I can’t. And you can’t keep that secret buried that long.” Will said firmly. “I love you, Michael. And that means that I love the really difficult stuff too. So let me know the hard things so I can make sure that I… so that I can love you correctly.” Will wasn’t crying, but Mike could tell when he wanted to be.

Mike grabbed Will’s forearm tightly, trying to hold as much of his as he could. Will’s eyes fought to stay on the road as Mike clambered to kneel in his seat. He leaned over and grabbed Will’s face, but kept it still and angled toward the road– he wasn’t trying to crash the car.

“I love you– I love you so muc– I love you, Will.” Mike kissed Will’s cheek, temple, and hair in every which way and order he could figure. “… I love you.”

“I’m always here to listen, Mike. Even for that kind of thing. I don’t care what’s going on with me.”

“You were nearly dea–”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m here.” Will turned away from the road, kissing Mike shortly. “Always.”

“Thank you. For listening.” Mike hadn’t said anything, but it was still a comfort; Will always was. Mike rested his head on Will’s shoulder and gripped his arm tightly.

Whatever happened on that cliff was still buried– Mike wasn’t ready to push all those years of laughter and jokes about it aside and face it head on. It terrified him more to know that it was only a shallow grave, but at least when it was uncovered, by him or anyone else, Mike wouldn’t have to stand in the hole alone. He’d have someone there to reach up and grab him, tug him out– maybe even make him stay in there until he figured out how to scale out himself.

Will had survived and so had Mike. They both barely knew how, but maybe that was the whole point. Uncertainty kept them honest: kept Will talking about things he remembered about the years he’d forcibly forgotten– or been made to forget; kept them living moments they thought weren’t meant for boys like them; kept Mike thankful to have friends that spoke “I love you” like a nickname; and was maybe meant to keep Mike from denying the shortest and darkest moment of his life that would’ve made his entire boyhood very short and very dark.

Will had survived– came back from the dead, actually. Maybe it was about time Mike did too.

#byeler #Byler #mike wheeler x will byers #stranger things writing #this is just VERY angsty #depression ahead btw #to post #prompts #i didn't want to go too hard on this one #maybe i'll do a prose piece about this side of mike's depression #it hit too hard and close to me today but i wanted to finish this OLD wip

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shooter-nobunagun · 5 years ago

Text

Quarantine UST 4

//Probably gonna have sexual content scattered throughout the chapters...warning, ero content this time includes some masturbation (though not super explicit)

The ocean breeze felt wonderful, Sio enjoying the cool, briny mist as the car zipped along the shoreline. At last they were taking some time to get out of the house, and although the beaches were closed, it was much better than spending yet another day cooped up inside.

“Aaah, this feels soo nice...it really is too bad we can’t go down to the beach itself.” Sighing, the sniper rested her head against the window, letting the wind blow through her hair. There were few other vehicles along the road, and though Mahesh jokingly suggested to Adam (who was driving) that he should test the limits of this car, they only sped up a few times on straight stretches when nobody else was around.

The car wasn’t exactly designed to be sporty, but Adam revved the engine a few times as he shifted the gears with amazing accuracy, Sio shrieking with delight as they blew down the straightaways. “Who would’ve thought you’d also be a speed freak,” Mahesh teased in good humor, the sniper blushing but she wouldn’t deny it was thrilling.

“W-Well, it’s not like I’d go around doing that, normally...besides, Tokyo’s no place to drive, not with all the public transit. Not that I can drive anyways...”

“Sounds like London, honestly. Though I suppose if you had a motorbike it’d be a tad easier to get around. Like Adam—you had one back in London, didn’t you?” Jess queried.

“And so what if I did? ‘S not like it’ll do us any good out here.”

“No, but maybe when the opportunity comes up you can take Sio-chan for a ride; I’m sure she’d enjoy it.” The sniper turned red as a tomato at that comment, and Adam made an odd noise in his throat.

“A-Anyway, we can worry about that later; is there a place where we can get out for a bit? Or are they all closed?” Sio desperately changed the subject, not wanting to get into yet another fit of ‘why do I feel so hot when talking about Adam’.

“According to local news, we may be able to get off and walk around the trail head, so long as we have masks and maintain distance,” Mahesh reported. As soon as they parked to a stop Sio opened the door and breathed in the fresh air. Adam’s driving was impeccable, especially for stick-shift, but she had to admit the winding hills of San Francisco were making her just a touch carsick.

“Oy squirt, don’t forget your mask; can’t be careless,” Adam chided as he handed the sniper hers, “let’s not get complacent.” Sio blushed with embarrassment, but was grateful Adam didn’t make snide remarks anymore. In fact, ever since he granted her permission to call him by his real first name, he seemed to have mellowed out quite a bit. There were several instances where they’d even been able to have small talk, mostly during times like cleaning up or when she insisted on helping with cooking (so she could learn was her argument), but it no longer felt as forced or awkward.

‘Hopefully this quarantine will get him to open up a bit more...’cause Adam, he’s really not a bad guy once you get to know him...sure he’s a little rough around the edges, but who doesn’t have something they’re trying to improve?’

“What’re you thinking about, Sio?” The blonde suddenly appeared in her view, Sio jumping back a bit on instinct; luckily ever since that discussion, she’d been a lot better about giving the girl her space. After that outburst, Adam called for a squad meeting to lay down some ground rules, including very explicit warnings that harassment of any kind, malicious or otherwise, was not to be tolerated.

‘An’ I don’t give a shit if that’s what you’re used to, but I will not condone any such behavior moving forward, pandemic or not; do I make myself clear?’

The other three members nodded solemnly as their leader gave them all a stern look. Both Jess and Mahesh were unusually serious for once, perhaps even remorseful as Adam lectured them on their unsavory behaviors. The sniper couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty; but afterwards, when they were all going to bed and both came by personally to apologize, she knew she’d done the right thing.

“Ah, n-not much...just once again, kind of amazed at how Adam can do...well, pretty much anything,” the girl muttered. “Stick-shift, motorcycles...that’s so cool. Maybe I’m just too young to learn about all these things, right now...”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say that, dear. You were in your last year of secondary, correct?” Sio nodded. “He’s not that much older, you know. Adam, I mean. If I recall, they picked him up right after he got into university, a year or two before we discovered you.”

Sio’s eyes widened in surprise. So Adam really wasn’t that much older than her, though he sure acted way more mature. “Really? I didn’t know that...I’d always assumed, he’d been with DOGOO forever...”

“Some people grow up faster, depending on their circumstances. That’s all there is to it,” Jess shrugged. “I’m actually one of the earlier members of DOGOO...well, the first among the Second Platoon, anyway.”

She turned around in shock. “Wait, you’re the first member of the Second Platoon?!”

“Sort of. It’s a bit...complicated,” the blonde suddenly looked hesitant. “...If you must know, there was actually a ‘first iteration’, so to speak. Before any of us came along...well, technically that’s not true; I was with DOGOO pretty early on, but not as part of the Second Platoon...”

The sniper stayed quiet as the blonde muttered to herself. So, there had been an earlier version of their platoon? ‘But then what happened? Where are they now? Are they still with DOGOO?’

“You know old man Capa, right?” Sio nodded. “He, along with e-gene holders William Tell and Christopher Columbus...comprised of the original Second Platoon. But then...”

“Then...?” She definitely had not forgotten (nor forgiven) Capa’s trespasses, but she’d only ever heard of William Tell in passing, and Sio didn’t even know Columbus existed. “But Capa’s retired now, isn’t he? Did those two also retire?”

For some reason Jess grew somber at her question. “...William Tell is now part of the Special Squad, same as Hunter and Galileo. And Columbus...he—”

“Oy, what’s the hold up you two? Don’t fall behind!” From far ahead, their leader’s voice barked at the two girls.

“Nevermind. I’ll tell you that story some other time. Let’s go before he loses his temper, again.” Jess rolled her eyes as the two picked up the pace. Sio was dying to know just what happened, but given Jess’ reaction, it was probably better she didn’t pry anymore.

“Doesn’t he ever stop yelling at people?” Sio grumbled as they finally caught up with the guys. “Seriously, and here I thought we were making some progress on being civil with each other...”

“Adam’s not the type to have a heart-to-heart, but I must say, you must be doing him some good. In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him quite so relaxed as when he’s around you.” Jess winked, causing the sniper to blush. “Seems to me you’ve got a secret touch around him...”

“J-Jess-san...! I-I don’t, I don’t think so...” Her cheeks were still pink though, even as they wandered around the trail, everyone else taking in the sights of the ocean.

“Hmm? Really...well, regardless he’s definitely loosened up a bit. Less scowling, and I think I actually saw him smile the other day! Or was that just a smirk,” Jess mused as the two girls walked along the path.

‘It can’t be; I-I mean, it’s only because now we’re taking a break from all those battles and stuff that he can relax, so naturally it’s a lot easier to chat with him...isn’t it? Why would he be particularly nice to me?’ The sniper continued to be lost in her thoughts as the group hiked along the cliffs. She hadn’t been paying much attention, but now that she thought about it, Adam’s behavior towards Jess and Mahesh hadn’t changed that much (he was still griping about their lack of modesty), but she definitely noticed a change in his tone of voice and words around her.

No way...it can’t be true, are we becoming...friends?!

Even Asao-san brought it up last night, after the sniper spent a solid 30 minutes regaling about how Adam taught her three different ways to make eggs. ‘So, I see someone’s getting cozy with their leader, yeah? Good thing you guys aren’t regular military—’cause I’m pretty sure fraternizing with your squadmates would be a big no-no’ her friend had teased, which lead to another 20 minutes of sputtering and denial.

‘Yeah, well, didn’t the Commander say this would be a good opportunity to get to know each other and strengthen bonds? I’m just doing that,’ Sio thought to herself, though that didn’t exactly explain why her pulse increased and her body got hot whenever she stared at Adam or thought about him too much. ‘And yeah, I’ll admit he’s...pretty hot, and physically I find him attractive...b-but that’s completely normal! I’m a growing, girl, I have...needs...’

As if on cue her loins throbbed slightly, to Sio’s horror. Ever since she discovered masturbating, it had become something of a nightly activity for her; doubling as both a sleep aid and stress reliever. (And also, hey, it felt really fucking good.) Groaning, she forced herself to act normal and tag along with the rest of the group, though she was definitely going to need some ‘alone time’ as soon as they got back. ------ “Phew, that was a pleasant outing...see Adam, going out every once in a while isn’t going to kill us,” Jess commented as they finally made it back to the house, after stopping by for some takeout from a seaside shack. According to the Brits, the fish and chips were almost as good as any chippy establishment in London. Almost. Naturally Sio, not being familiar with British food, found it to be extremely tasty, and even Adam begrudgingly admitted that Americans could do a few things right, on occasion.

“Why’s it in pieces though, it’s better when the fish is whole...”

“Next time we should try curry; I’ve heard this area’s got a ton of Indian restaurants,” Mahesh suggested. “I’d be curious to see if any of them can actually do ‘Indian spicy’...”

“I, Indian spicy?” The sniper shuddered a bit at that description. Japanese people weren’t exactly the best with spicy food, despite wasabi. “Not sure I wanna find out what that means...”

Mahesh winked at her. “Well, you’ll just have to find out for yourself, Sio. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” The sniper doubted that, but Indian curry did sound good. Hopefully there would be milder options as well.

“What should we do about dinner? Do we want to do delivery again, or is our esteemed leader going to grace us with his home cooking?” The Indian managed to once again dodge a fork from the silver-haired man. “Hey now, I’m being serious! You’re becoming quite the cook, Adam. It’s a wonder we went all this time without sampling any of your dishes.

Adam grumbled, but Sio noticed his ears were turning slightly pink. Was he...bashful? It was bizarre to see their acerbic leader act so shy, but it was nice for a change, she decided. And kind of cute.

“Do you know how to cook, Mirza-san?”

The Indian turned to their sniper with a start. “Me? Cook? Oh, well I can...but I have to admit, ever since I joined DOGOO I haven’t had much time. Or a reason. It’s a lot simpler when someone else prepares things for you...”

“Like your servants?” Adam snorted, hinting at the Indian’s wealthy background. “You just snap your fingers and someone comes running, eh?”

“I’m not that dependent,” Mahesh’s gaze narrowed, slightly offended. “Just because I grew up with hired help doesn’t mean I can’t do things for myself. I just prefer doing things in the most efficient manner. In any case, if you are interested in trying my cooking, Sio-chan, I’d be happy to make something.”

“O-Oh, well, I don’t want you to go out of your way or anything—”

“Nonsense; after all, it seems like we’re all using this time to try new things, no? Plus it might be nice to give it a go...maybe we can even have some kind of group cooking night.”

The rest of the platoon murmured in agreement, though Sio was a bit nervous. She’d barely just managed to cook eggs decently, there was no way she could whip up something as fancy as Adam or probably even Mahesh could.

“Well, you can count me out, unless you want food poisoning,” Jess commented dryly. “I’m not going to deny it, but cooking is definitely not one of my stronger skills...”

“You can be my sous-chef,” Mahesh gave a cheeky grin, which was met with a napkin to the face. “Oof, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Just leave the actual cooking part to me. So, it seems we’ve decided then? We’re cooking?”

Sio nodded, starting to warm up to the idea. It might even be fun, if everybody pitched in. “I-I mean, I can only make eggs, but...I’d be happy to help.”

“You can never go wrong with eggs. Don’t worry Sio-chan; now, to make sure I don’t decimate your taste buds with vindaloo...I guess I’ll make tikka masala as well. What’re you thinking of cooking, Adam?”

Their leader gave a noncommittal grunt. “Eh, don’t expect anythin’ fancy. Probably Shepard's pie tonight, glazed carrots.”

Even though they’d just eaten lunch, Sio’s mouth was watering just at the descriptions of those dishes. Dinner was bound to be good tonight; she couldn’t wait to try and sample some more Indian and British cuisine, and vowed to do her best to make enough fried eggs and toast for everybody.

“By the way, do you think we can do something before dinner? I kinda wanted to try some of those board games we found...”

“Oh, that’s a brilliant idea Sio! I think we’ve earned a bit of entertainment. One can only watch so much Netflix...” The group had played a few card games already, but board games were the next level. Sio wasn’t familiar with any of them beyond Monopoly, but the other members assured her there were much better prospects.

“Mirza, Beckham, how about you two clean up for a change; Ogura and I aren’t your servants,” Adam gave the two a knowing look. “Speaking of which Ogura, you wanted me to spot you today at training, right?”

“O-Oh! R, Right, I almost forgot...thanks.” The petite girl quickly changed into her workout clothes and the two trooped into the exercise room, Mahesh and Jess staring and waiting until the two of them disappeared from view.

“...Oh yeah, there’s definitely something going on between the two. I’ll bet you a quid before the end of this quarantine they’ll be shagging.”

Mahesh laughed. “That’s a pretty bold assumption; I don’t doubt they’ll get together eventually, but in only a few weeks? That’s pretty quick...for both of them.” It was pretty obvious that Sio never had a boyfriend or even much friends before all this, and despite how secretive Adam was with his private life, Mahesh was pretty sure if their leader ever had a lover, he’d have caught wind of it by now. “I have a pretty good hunch this would be a first time for both of them...and given that neither of them are great with their feelings...”

“You don’t trust my feminine instincts?”

“I never said that. In any case, you’re on.” ------- “Ugh...twenty-seven...twenty-eight...twenty...nine...thir...thirty!” Heaving a sigh of relief, Sio let the weights clash onto the stand, her arms feeling like limp noodles after that rep. Her limit had increased by 5 lbs since the beginning, and she could now do 30 reps without stopping, but that was nothing compared to Adam; last time he did 50 reps with almost twice the weight, and barely broke a sweat. “Whew, my arms are gonna be sore tomorrow...”

“Not bad, Ogura. You’ve improved; I can tell your form is much better than when you first started,” Adam nodded in satisfaction as they switched spots. “This should help with your accuracy, so you can better control your shots—instead of firing all over the place.”

“H-Hey! I’m not that bad anymore...not that I’m hoping for an attack to prove my point,” Sio muttered, helping Adam lift the bar up as she spotted for him.

“No, you aren’t...but you’ve got a ways to go, squirt,” he grunted as he started his set. “If we let our guard down for even a second...I don’t wanna think about that.”

“...Do you think this war is going to be that bad?”

Adam eyed her with a stare as he lifted the weight. “...Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not something I like to think about...but I’d rather prepare for the worst case scenario, in case this does end up being some long-term fight.”

Sio nodded. “Yeah, you’re right...heh, it’s strange; out of everyone, I probably have the best e-gene suited for warfare and strategy...and yet, when I really think about it, like, it hits me—holy crap, we’re actually fighting against freaking aliens from outer space, who really are out to just destroy us all. How the heck am I supposed to figure that out...” The sniper grew melancholy as she recalled that conversation with Asao in the hospital, right after Taiwan. “...Even now, I still can’t believe...this is happening. That, this is the state of our lives, now...”

“...Do you regret joinin’ DOGOO?”

“Huh? W-Well, no...I,” the sniper paused, looking away slightly. “I...even though I was scared, I also knew in my heart it was something I wanted to do. No, it was something I needed to do,” she emphasized. “If I just went back and pretended nothing changed...I’d never forgive myself.”

“Heh...a sense of...duty, ‘ey?” Adam let out a breath as he finished the rep, Sio helping him return the bar to its resting place. “I think that’s what drew most of us here, in the first place. No matter what folks say about other motivations or whatnot...in the end, if you don’t have that kind of inner conviction, you wouldn’t have lasted this long in the first place.”

“Mn.” Though he wasn’t directly complimenting her, for some reason, hearing his words made her feel warm. “You definitely have that, Adam-san.”

“Oh, uh...sure.” If the sniper was looking his way, she would’ve seen a slight blush on his cheeks; but as it was she was busy wiping down the equipment and looking at the pull-up bar with dread. “Anyway, let’s see if you can get more than 5 today.”

“Aww, seriously? I just did a bunch of weights too...” She whined, but one stern look from Adam and she sighed, and got into position. “S, Seriously...h-how do, people, do...this...! O-One...!”

“Less talking, more breathing. Don’t waste your breath; remember your breathing patterns,” Adam coached, as Sio strained to lift her chin over the bar. “C’mon, yeh that’s it, three more to go.”

After the fifth one Sio gasped as her hand slipped, her grip too weak to hold on. “Whoa—!”

“Careful—!” Adam caught her just in the nick of time, Sio squinting her eyes open. “You alright, squirt?”

“Un...y-yeah, sorry about that...guess I’m pretty tired out.” She laid there for a bit, palms stinging from exertion. Adam nodded, but interestingly he didn’t set her down, instead letting her rest in his arms for a bit.

There was something soothing about it, being held by someone; granted this wasn’t the first time he’d held her, but that had been during a mission, with plenty of stakes and yelling. This time though, Sio became acutely aware of everything else; including how strong his arms were, and the sound of his breath, the heat from his skin, his heartbeat... Suddenly those odd tingles came back again, Sio now squirming with the uncomfortable realization that she was feeling ‘this’ again.

‘Seriously body, you do this to me now?! Screw you, hormones...’

“A-Ah, I’m feeling better now...thanks,” she stood on wobbly legs as Adam set her down. “Well, at least I did five...”

“Yeh. Anyway, if you’re tired, you can go up and take a shower first. I’m just gonna finish up here,” Adam launched himself up onto the bars.

“O-Oh, it’s okay, I can wait. I mean, it’d be rude of me to not finish spotting for you, since I asked you first...”

There’s not much to spot for pull-ups, Adam thought, but he didn’t say anything. If the squirt wanted to hang around, it was her choice. Though, he felt a bit self-conscious with her just staring at him; for some reason he felt like he had to impress her, even though he was dead tired himself and suddenly 15 seemed almost impossible.

But his pride would never let him live it down, and so 15 pull-ups it was.

As Adam forced himself through the punishment of 15 reps, Sio sat on the bench and watched him. His form was nearly perfect, barely even a tremble as he lifted and lowered himself at an even rate. ‘Damn, I wonder how long it’ll take before my muscles are that strong...speaking of muscles, holy crap his arms are so buff! No wonder he could carry me like that...also those abs...’ She tried not to stare so intensely, but it wasn’t her fault all holders had to wear what were essentially crop tops underneath their armor.

‘I wonder what they feel like...’ Her head flushed and Sio felt her heart rate speed up. ‘No no, stop thinking horny thoughts! Bad Sio!’ To her relief, Adam finished his set, and she could finally head back up to to the privacy of her own room.

“O, Otsukaresama desu; thanks for helping me out today, Adam-san.”

“You did well, Ogura. Who knows, maybe we will get called to action and you’ll get a chance to prove me wrong with your aim,” he teased, grinning slightly as he wiped off the sweat.

“What?! Oh just you wait, mister, I’ll show you!”

Adam chuckled to himself as the girl stomped off with a huff. She really was too cute not to tease. Admittedly he did feel a little bad for always bursting her bubble right at the peak, but he couldn’t help it. Her reactions and those pouty lips were just too good.

‘An’ since when did you start caring so much about that squirt, ‘ey?’ He took a long, hard look at himself in the mirror. ‘Or is it because that’s the only way you know how to defuse the situation before you get too close—’

No. Those were dangerous thoughts. While not strictly forbidden, common sense said fraternizing with one’s teammates was always a risky affair. Adam shook his head and got in the shower, making sure to turn the tap to cold. Not only was it hot, but a certain...other part of his body was stirring, especially after holding the girl. The feeling of her warm, heavy weight in his arms, the soft skin and even a certain scent; not sweat, but a distinctly human odor...

Adam groaned softly as he took hold of his member. It was already hot and stiff, despite the cold shower. ‘Shit, so much for that...you really are a pervert, aren’t yeh?’ But he couldn’t help it; it’d been weeks since he’d been able to let off any steam, and staying in close quarters with everybody else 24/7 made it hard to ensure much privacy.

Hoping nobody needed to use the toilet, he started stroking himself; water poured over his throbbing length as his hand squeezed and pulled, Adam biting back another moan as he slowly jerked himself off. The sniper had definitely been staring at him when they were working out. ‘Don’t think I didn’t notice those wandering eyes, hanninmae...’ Initially, he’d been a bit surprised she’d be so bold; but then again when she’d walked in on him the very first time before their first mission, she hadn’t looked away, either.

‘Does this mean she’s...interested? Or am I just another body to her?’ His jaw ached from trying to keep his voice down, Adam trembling as he edged towards his climax. ‘No, it’s only...natural, when you spend so much time together, with the same people...it can’t be...’

But what if she is? A little voice rang in his head and Adam, already hazy with lust, decided to indulge that fantasy a bit. What if Sio Ogura really was interested in him, beyond just teammates or even friends? At this point, he didn’t doubt that they would be on friendly terms after this quarantine, but anything more?

Is this something she wants? Is this something I want?

To go from comrades to friends, to something more than that... Funnily enough, the thought of entering a relationship with her made him even harder than simply thinking about her lithe, slender body. ‘Impossible...am I...actually falling for her?!’

“W-Well, that’s why I’m learning now, aren’t I? So I can do it myself.”

“Th-thanks for helping me, again...heh, it seems like that’s all I’m doing these days...”

“You definitely have that, Adam-san. Conviction.”

“Guh—! Fuck...!” Hand pumping rapidly, Adam came hard as those large maroon eyes firmly embedded itself in his mind, along with that rare, shy smile she only showed around him. So cute. She was so cute whenever she tried so hard, determined to prove him wrong and do her best to improve...well, anything. A sudden rush of heat bloomed from his core, a low moan tearing from his throat as the last of his spunk shot out, chills running up and down his spine.

The effect one petite sniper could have on him...

“Shit...oh fuck...” Heaving, he rinsed off the mess from his hands and the shower walls, before finally turning off the water. The post-orgasm haze was settling in, causing everything to be slightly out-of-focus as Adam slowly towelled off. “Goddammit Adam, you��re really fucked now...”

Even as his mind argued with himself that it was just because he needed to relieve some stress, and she did have a pretty nice body, Adam knew in his heart that wasn’t the real reason. No, before his brain even realized it, his heart had already made the decision; perhaps even before all this virus business.

He was falling in love the Sio Ogura. And there was nothing he could do but take it and run with it.

#documentation #//a bit shorter than i usually would like #//but i don't want to force the pacing

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astronomyparkers · 6 years ago

Text

Silence {IX}

Warnings: Language

Pairing: Vigilante!Tom Holland x reader

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: as usual, I seem to be sticking to my three months between update schedule, and for that, I apologize. School has been hectic and my university is trying to shut down my program so we’ve been fighting with administration (ya girl wrote a three page letter to a bunch of news outlets and got news crews to come to our school to film and do stories) and it’s been stressful but!!! I’m heading into finals which means I’ll be done soon!!! So hopefully my next update will be sooner lmao. As always, let me know what you think! And I apologize in advance for that cliff hanger. Also, because I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as I could, I didn’t have a beta or proof reader so...apologies for any errors in grammar. And a reminder: I DO NOT HAVE A TAGS LIST!!!!! THE REASON WHY IS IN MY FAQ!!!! ANY/ALL MESSAGES REGARDING THIS WILL BE DELETED!!!!

{masterlist}

Tom’s bedroom was, unsurprisingly, dark and unrevealing. His walls were a dark grey, which his bedspread matched. There were no pictures on the walls or dresser, no personal items on any shelves. It struck you as vacant, like a place he was occupying. Not anything that he would consider home.

You looked over at his sleeping form beside you. He was more relaxed as he slept, younger looking. His dark brown eyes were closed, but there wasn’t a scowl on his features. His face was smooth and soft against his pillow, his hair a mess of tangles (half from sleep, half from you pulling on it). Even with the storm raging outside, rain pelting the windows, you could hear the quiet noise of his breathing, see the rise and fall of his pale chest in the dark. The only things breaking up his smooth skin were the various scars scattered around, from wounds long healed. The mark that troubled you the most was the long white scar by his hairline, barely visible, usually covered by his hair or his hood. You had a suspicion you knew where it was from.

And then there were the marks that you left. Dark purple bruises along his neck, his collarbones, his chest. There was no mirror in his room, but you suspected that you looked the same. Now that there were no secrets or barriers between you two, you saw no reason to hide yourself from him. You hadn’t even realized that you wanted this until he was carrying you to his room, laying you back on his bed, asking if he could take off your shirt…

You shivered at the memory. Between those thoughts running through your mind, and the rain pounding on the window, it was clear that you were getting no sleep that night. With a sigh, you sat up in bed, careful not to disturb Tom as you climbed out. You crept quietly to the pile of clothes on the floor, pulling on your underwear and Tom’s shirt, which was so much more comfortable than your work dress. Once you were (partially) dressed, you crept quietly out of the room. Now that you were awake, you were dying for a glass of water.

You made it to the kitchen and filled up a glass at the sink before being caught. You were looking out the window above the sink, and didn’t realize you weren’t alone until you heard Tom speak.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

You jumped, spilling some water on yourself. “Jesus—I get you’re the Silence, but try not to sneak up on me, alright?”

“Sorry.” Tom chuckled lightly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“And I didn’t mean to wake you.” You said sheepishly, grabbing a dish towel and drying your shirt.

Tom shook his head and made his way around the kitchen island. “You didn’t.” He grabbed a glass for himself and began filling it. “I don’t sleep very well, anyways. I always wake up.”

You just nodded, unsure of what else to say. Tom could obviously sense your hesitation, as he kept walking until he was right in front of you, placing a hand on your waist.

“Why don’t you come back to bed?” He suggested, his voice low and thick. “You had a long day. It’s still early.”

“I don’t think it would help, really.” You admitted, pulling away from him a bit. “After today…I can’t turn my mind off.”

“No, I bet you can’t.” Tom chuckled dryly, sighing a bit. “Always thinking…”

“William knows I know.” You looked down at the glass in your hands, trailing your fingers over the rim. “He knows that…I know you’re different people, that he’s been lying, and that he’s the bad guy in all this. And he…” You swallowed hard, unable to keep the fear out of your voice. “He was in my home, Tom. He was looking for me.”

Tom raked his teeth over his bottom lip before licking it nervously. “I know this is…a lot to think about, but there’s a good chance that—”

“—that William was the one who sent those hit men after me.” You finished. “I know. I thought that too.”

“Of course you did.” Despite everything, a chuckle worked its way out of Tom. “You’re smart, curator. Too smart for your own good.”

“Not smart enough.” You set the glass down with a sigh. “I realized all of this too late. I-I was practically inviting him into my life, and he was just using me to—”

“Hey.” Tom took your hand, squeezing it gently. “You didn’t know. It’s alright.”

“But it’s not.” You protested. “He was using me to get to my files. And now that I know, he’s—”

“Now that you know, we can take him down easier.” Tom brushed his fingers through your hair, moving it out of your eyes. “He can search your apartment and your office all he wants. You’ll be here, safe, out of his reach. And you brought the Holland file here, didn’t you?”

You gave a small nod.

“That’s what he wants.” Tom said in a soothing voice. “That’s what’s incriminating for Holland Enterprises. And it’s here, safe and sound. So are you. And it’ll stay that way.”

You pulled away from him, looking at him with a raised brow. “You want me to stay here? Not doing anything?”

“Of course.” Tom said brusquely. “This is a family matter.”

“He tried to kill me.” You reminded him. “I’m a part of this!”

“If you step foot off these grounds, you will be in danger.” Tom’s voice was firm. “I’m not allowing that to happen.”

“I’m part of this now.” You said, your voice equally low. “I can’t just sit on the sidelines—”

“I’m not discussing this right now.” Tom cut across you. “I’m serious, Y/N. You’ll get hurt.”

The argument wasn’t over, but you knew that you weren’t going to get anywhere when both of you were like this. “Fine.” You sighed. “What will you be doing, then?”

“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing all along. I’m going to take down Corewell, and Holland Enterprises with it, if I have to.” Tom replied. “Even if it means I have to…get rid of my father. My…brother.”

Your eyes widened when you heard that. “Tom, you don’t think…you really—”

“I’ve killed before.” He half shrugged. “This wouldn’t really be any different.”

“That’s not true.” You shook your head. “This is your family. Despite everything that’s happened—”

“William set me up without so much as a second thought.” Tom cut across you coldly, sharply. “And my father didn’t notice. Family doesn’t matter.”

“What about…after it’s over?” You couldn’t bring yourself to discuss Tom killing anyone anymore. “Will you keep being the Silence?”

The fight seemed to go out of Tom, and he slumped back against the counter, his face falling. “I don’t know.” He admitted in a low voice. “This is all I know. I…I don’t really remember how to be anything else. How to be…Tom.”

You cupped his cheek slowly, stroking your thumb over his cheekbone. “You’re Tom to me. To Harrison. To Jacob.”

Tom just nodded. “Yeah. I guess.” He cleared his throat and steadied himself again. “Let’s go back to bed, curator. Come on.”

It was easier to fall asleep once you had talked through your worries and fears with Tom. You slept through most of the morning in his arms, but when you woke up, you were alone.

There was a folded stack of clothes at the edge of the bed, all with the tags still on them—someone had gone shopping. You showered quickly and dressed in a pair of jeans and plain t-shirt from the pile (which, honestly weren’t the best fitting clothes you had ever worn, but they were decent enough) before going back downstairs.

Jacob and Harrison were in the kitchen, drinking something from mugs as they talked quietly, tensely. They stopped once you entered the kitchen.

“Hey, Y/N.” Harrison smiled brightly at you. “How did you sleep?”

“Okay.” You shrugged and sat down at the counter. “Who went shopping?”

“I did.” Jacob answered. “We didn’t really want to go back to your apartment, but you needed clothes, so…do they fit okay?”

“Pretty decent, yeah.” You smiled gratefully at him as he handed you a cup of coffee. “Where’s Tom?”

“Tom is…” Jacob glanced at Harrison. “He’s, um, doing some training—”

“In the gym?” You began to stand up. “I’ll go see—”

“No!” Harrison and Jacob both yelled at the same time, making you freeze. “He’s just—he’s—he had to go—”

“He left?” Your brow furrowed as you looked between them. “Without telling me?”

“He didn’t want to wake you.” Harrison said it apologetically. “He left to try and find William about an hour ago.”

You set down your coffee cup. “Right. I’m going after—”

The moment you moved, Jacob and Harrison moved to stand in your way. You looked between them, realization settling in.

“You two aren’t…going to let me leave, are you?”

Harrison grimaced. “Sorry, love, but—”

“We have distinct orders from Tom not to let you leave.” Jacob finished for him. “It’s not safe.”

“You’re holding me captive?” You raised an eyebrow and laughed once. “Really?”

“Not really captive, exactly.” Harrison had the decency to sound sheepish. “You can go anywhere you want in the manor, and go out in the grounds. You just can’t—”

“Leave.” You cut over him. “So…you’re holding me captive.”

“Well, that’s not really a nice way to say it.” Jacob sighed. “Think of it more like…a vacation.”

You laughed incredulously. “A vacation? I can’t take a vacation, Jacob! I have a job! Friends! Family!”

“You and the Holland file need to stay here until it’s safe.” Harrison said firmly. Then he softened. “I know it’s not ideal. I know. But it won’t be too long before this whole matter is done, and then you can leave. Until then…” he handed you your mug back. “Why don’t you go upstairs, grab your jacket, and we’ll go take Monty for a walk?”

You knew there was nothing else you could say or do. And, on some level, you knew they were right. You were safe here. The Holland file was safe here. If those two factors were different, then leaving would be necessary. But they weren’t.

Still, Jacob and Harrison kept you under careful watch the entire day. They kept you busy with walks, movies, training, and more, until you finally called it a night and headed back to Tom’s room.

You collapsed on the bed, exhausted. At the beginning of the day, you wondered if they kept you so busy so that you wouldn’t think of leaving, but now you knew the truth. They kept you busy so that you would be too exhausted to leave. Right now, all you wanted to do was change into some pajamas (Jacob had bought you some with the print of Van Gogh’s Starry Night on them and they looked ridiculously comfortable), climb into bed, and fall asleep.

You did just that, except—as usual—sleep didn’t come to you. You sighed in frustration as you sat up. Something just…didn’t feel right to you, and if you had learned anything these past few weeks, it was to trust your instinct.

Getting out of bed, you walked over to your bag in the corner of the room, pulling out the Holland file. You then climbed back into the bed before opening the file.

You expected to see the usual front page, which was a bio on the main donor. For the Holland file, that meant a bio of Dominic Holland. What you saw, however, was a bio of Orson Hoene, a donor from two years ago.

Cold dread washed over you as you flipped through the contents of the file. You had grabbed the file when William surprised you at the museum, and in your rush, you must have grabbed the wrong one…which mean the Holland file, which contained all the incriminating information that William was after (and willing to kill for) was still in your office at the MoMA.

You tried to steady your breathing as you sat back, sinking into the pillows. You almost wished you could really sink back, falling into the headboard and the walls like Alice fell down the rabbit hole. She went from her boring, every day life to a strange new world, but you wanted the opposite. You wanted to fall back from this strange world into your boring life. You missed it.

After a few closed eye, steadying breathing minutes, you sat back up. There was no time to wish for the life you had before. This was the life you had now, and, despite everything, you wanted to keep living it. That meant staying in the safety of the manor, with the file…

You bit your lip. The file. It wasn’t here with you, in safety. It was back in your office, a place William had probably searched by now. It would be a miracle if you went back and found it still there…

But there was a chance. After all, it was nearing one am; the museum wasn’t open. Only someone with keys would be able to gain access, top security clearance that only a handful of people had. And you were one of them. William was not.

That settled it. You had to go back for the file, and you had to do it now.

With a sigh, you pushed back your blankets and dressed again, in black leggings, a hoodie, and sneakers. You had a feeling that your usual uniform of a dress and heels wouldn’t work for this situation. Then you tucked the Hoene file back into your bag, making sure you had your museum keys, ID card, and the gun from the day you met the Silence. You hoped you wouldn’t need it, but…better safe than sorry.

Escaping to the garage was easier than you expected. Jacob and Harrison must have trusted you not to leave, because no doors were locked, and they were tucked away in their rooms. You crept down the stairs with your shoes in your hand, waiting until you were down in the garage to put them on. Then you grabbed the keys for the sleek black car (Tom’s motorcycle was still missing), starting it and driving up and out of the garage as slowly and quietly as you could. When you drove away from the house, the lights were still off. Harrison and Jacob hadn’t noticed you’d left.

At this time of night, the traffic heading back into the city was much calmer than you were used to. You drove in silence, the radio off so it wouldn’t distract you. When you pulled up to the museum, you parked on the unusually empty street, hurrying to the locked front door. You unlocked it with your keys and walked pointedly to your office. You were used to hearing the echo of your high heels as you walked along the tiled floors, but in your runners, all you could hear was the sound of your own breathing.

You went through all the motions quickly, scanning your key card to gain access to the employee area, walking down towards your office, unlocking the door. You didn’t even bother to flick the lights on before heading straight to the filing cabinet, unlocking it and pulling it open. You thumbed your way through the file folders as fast as you could. Something about being here, so late at night, made you feel…uneasy. Especially when you went through all the H’s in the cabinet without finding the Holland file.

“Where are you?” You asked out loud, a frown plastered on your face. You didn’t expect an answer, of course. And yet…

“Looking for this?”

Whipping around, you saw William seated at your desk, leaning back in your chair. In one hand, he held the Holland file. In the other, he held a gun, which he was pointing straight at you.

You felt a cold sweat break out over your skin. You fought to breathe, tried to think of something to say, but no words came to you.

“I have to admit, your research is very thorough.” William said, almost in admiration. “Such a smart woman. It’s a shame I’ll have to kill you.”

The click of the gun cocking echoed like thunder through your silent office.

{part X}

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mxliv-oftheendless · 5 years ago

Text

Green Wounds, Ch. 2

And we’re back! I’m thinking I’ll post the chapters every Saturday, because I’ve got like, at least half the story done at this point, so posting every week gives me time to work on it while also letting me focus on college stuff. I’ll tell ya tho, I’ve been excited to post this all week!

Enjoy the chapter!... Well, enjoy it as best you can. Things get pretty... pretty bad for Starchild near the end. On the bright side, his look in this chapter is his bitchin Dynasty-era costume.

As the years passed, Ace’s ambition called him away from Starchild, and towards the temptations of the human kingdom, while Starchild, the strongest of the faeries, rose to become protector of the Moors.

A black form flew through the morning sky, twisting through the air and bursting through the clouds. The form drew his wings around himself and twisted into a spiral, higher and higher into the air, until he spread out his wings and floated in the sky.

It was Starchild, now a fully-grown faerie of twenty-six years. He had grown from a young boy into a rather good-looking man (according to the water nymphs anyway). His long, curly black hair cascaded down his back, blowing slightly in the morning breeze, and perhaps with his black hair and splendorous wings and his purple tunic and black pants, along with the black star on his white face and red lips, he would make for a rather intimidating man. But one only had to look at his eyes, which were bright as they looked down at his home, and the smile that graced his red lips to know that they had no reason to fear this man.

Well, unless they threatened the Moors. Then they might as well pray to whatever higher power they believed in that Starchild would show mercy.

But right now, Starchild had no reason to be the fierce protector of the Moors that he was. Instead, he was just another dweller of the Moors on his morning flight.

Starchild leaned forward and went into a dive, flying expertly over, under, and between the various rock and cliff formations. At this point he knew the Moors so well he could have flown around it with his eyes closed… if he hadn’t tried that once and nearly broke one of his wings. Gene had given him a serious scolding over that one. So he kept his eyes open and continued flying, past many dwellers of the Moors, and if he hadn’t been flying so fast he would have shouted a good morning to them.

He passed by a waterfall and flew to be down over the surface of the crystal blue loch, and below him he saw the water dwellers break the surface, diving above the water then splashing down again, and Starchild could feel the spray of the water as they dove back down. Smiling brighter now, he did a few twists and loops in the air before tilting himself up, soaring higher and higher above the Moors. He flew through the clouds, feeling the cool water on his face and hair, until he broke through the thick layer and was above everything. He was so high up that nearly all the clouds were below his feet, and he saw nothing ahead but the bright sun against the morning sky.

Starchild closed his eyes and floated there for a long moment, taking in long, deep lungfuls of the clear, crisp air and feeling the warm rays of the sun on his face. He loved it up here, almost as much as he loved to fly. There was nothing in the world like flying; being free from the ground to soar weightlessly through the air, made even better by his strong, dependable wings. When he was in the air, he could leave everything behind; could forget his duty to the Moors (even though he wore his title with pride), whatever was happening on the ground, and could forget…

The smile faded as Starchild thought of Ace. And it was the thought of Ace that made him remember he couldn’t stay in the air forever, despite how much he wanted to. He leaned forward and flew down back to the Moors.

Starchild often wandered alone, and sometimes wondered where Ace might be, for he had never understood the greed and envy of men. But he was to learn. For the human king had heard of a growing power in the Moors, and he sought to strike it down.

It was while Starchild was wandering through the Moors one day that he saw it. He was up on a cliff, looking out at the dark, cloudy sky, and he would wonder later if the dismal gloom had been an omen for what was to come.

Then, between the edge of the Moors and Jendell, he saw a huge cloud of dust, slowly inching toward the Moors. He squinted, and through the dust he could see strips of cloth being held up on sticks. Flags; human flags.

Starchild’s eyes widened, and he spread his wings and took off towards the edge of the Moors.

-*-

When the army had approached the standing stones, King William raised his gauntlet-clad arm. “Halt!” his generals yelled, and the army stilled.

King William looked out at the Moors. There was no sign of any of the odd… things, that dwelled in the kingdom, or any of the terrifying giants made of trees that were rumored to guard the borders.

King William spurred his horse forward, and turned it to look out at the army. “There they are!” he shouted. “The mysterious Moors, where no one dares to venture, for fear of the magical creatures that lurk within. Well I say: crush them!”

The knights and soldiers cheered in agreement, the flag-bearers waving the flags in the air.

Suddenly, King William heard the sound of flapping wings. He turned around, just in time to see a human-like man with large black wings swoop down and land on a boulder between two standing stones.

On his boulder, Starchild stood up and looked out at the distant human army. What had before been a bright face with sparkling eyes and a perpetual hint of a smile was now dark and stormy, with his eyes blazing with anger and his red lips in a hateful scowl. His eyes fell on the king, and their eyes locked.

Starchild’s fists clenched. “Go now, forever!” he roared.

King William looked at him with maddening superiority. “A king,” he said condescendingly, “does not take orders from a winged elf!”

Laughter went up throughout the army. Starchild’s frown darkened; he was a faerie, thank you very much. “You are no king to me!” he spat.

For a moment, there was silence. Starchild glared defiantly at the king, daring him to attack. Then he saw King William lean his head toward one of his commanders. His voice was no longer a shout, but Starchild still heard what he ordered: “Bring me his head.”

“Battalion!”

There was a ringing of swords as they were pulled from their sheaths.

“Attack!”

The soldiers began to move, inching closer to the Moors. But even though they had shields and iron swords, Starchild was ready for them.

He clenched his fists. “Arise, and stand with me!”

The ground began to rumble, making the humans stop and look around. “Hold the line!” he heard someone shout. The rumbling intensified, until he saw some of the humans begin to stumble and even fall.

Then from out of the ground burst gigantic tree hulks. They burst through the dirt and crawled out, roaring fiercely at the army. From out of the trees behind Starchild came the border guards, riding on the backs of huge warthogs with their spears in their hands, Gene leading at the front. The ground in front of Starchild rumbled again, then enormous snake-like creatures made of earth burst from the ground, screeching and howling at the army.

Starchild looked back at the army, waiting for them to attack. For a long moment there was nothing. Then he heard King William yell, “Charge!”

The humans began to run towards the Moors. Starchild narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, then spread his wings and took off into the air. His takeoff was the signal for the army of the Moors to charge, and for a moment he hovered in the air, watching the two armies draw closer to each other. Right before they collided, Starchild swooped down and flew towards the Jendell army. He shot through the ranks, knocking soldier after soldier off their horses, distracting the humans enough for the Moors’ army to overwhelm them.

The battle seemed to last moments, when really it went on for hours. Although the humans certainly tried, they were simply no match for the power of the Moors. Gene and the other border guards knocked humans off their horses and impaled them through the chest with their spears. The tree hulks crushed many at a time with their huge fists, jumping and leaping around and roaring fiercely. The tree snakes burrowed through the ground, breaking the surface to snatch humans up in their mouths before diving underground again.

And at the forefront of it all was Starchild himself. He used his wings to his advantage, leaping into the air and tackling humans to the ground, smacking away humans trying to run up on him with his wings, and curling them around his body to protect himself from spears thrown at him. He jumped into the air and swung his fists, bringing them down on a human and knocking him down. The entire time, his face was twisted in a ruthless look, letting every human know he was ready and willing to tear them apart. He was not willing to show any mercy to these people—they, in their greed and arrogance, were trying to invade his home, and if they weren’t going to show mercy than neither was he.

But they weren’t the ones who had led the attack. Starchild flew up into the air and over the battlefield, scanning it for the person he wanted to find. Finally, he caught sight of King William. The arrogant man was still on his horse, and from the looks of his still-pristine furs and armor, he hadn’t even taken part in the battle. Coward.

Starchild’s eyes narrowed in anger, and he beat his wings faster, shooting towards King William’s horse. “YOU!” he roared.

It took only one hit to his torso to send King William off his horse, and he fell to the ground with a cry of shock and pain. Starchild hovered in the air above him, and he saw that his strike had considerably dented and damaged the king’s chest plate, though Starchild suspected it was more for show than practical use. The king lay pathetically on the ground, and for a moment Starchild snarled down at him, feeling satisfaction at the sight of the arrogant human king lying on the ground in defeat.

Then he heard someone yell, “To the king!” Soldiers began to run towards the king, aiming their swords up at the faerie. Well, Starchild was not going to let it be that easy. He violently beat his wings, sending powerful blasts of air at the soldiers and sweeping them off their feet.

“You will not have the Moors!” Starchild yelled as he flew down towards the king, until he was leaning over him. “Not now, not ever! You—ah!”

King William had flung out a hand to push him away, and the iron of his glove landed right on Starchild’s bare chest. Yelping in shock, Starchild flapped his wings and flew back, placing a hand over his burnt skin. As his skin healed, he looked back up to see what was left of the Jendell army finally retreating, running back the way they came towards the human kingdom. He even spotted soldiers lift King William off the ground and onto a horse, then get on horses of their own and ride away. The tree hulks slammed their fists down on the ground one last time, roaring after them.

Behind him, Gene rode up beside him, growling questioningly at him. Starchild turned and nodded, letting him know he was all right. Satisfied, Gene bowed his head to him. Starchild bowed respectfully back, then turned to look back at the retreating army. He blew out a sigh, allowing himself to relax.

They had won. The Moors were safe again.

-*-

When Ace had gotten the opportunity to work in the castle, he leapt at the opportunity and never looked back. He began as a kitchen boy, as far away from the king as possible, but stayed patient. That was the key; having patience. Good things came to those who waited. And eventually, he rose through the ranks of the servants, proving time and time again his strong work ethic and unwavering loyalty, until finally he was one of the personal servants of the king himself.

This, of course, meant that he’d had to stop visiting the Moors, and Starchild. Sometimes, when his luck was bad, Ace would think about Starchild, the starry-eyed faerie he’d shared more than a few kisses with. But he couldn’t mention that he’d been romantically involved with a creature of the Moors, or else everything Ace worked for would go up in smoke. There were times where he missed his Starshine, but surprisingly, these moments didn’t happen as often as Ace thought they would. So much the better; this just meant he could better focus on his goals.

One day, when Ace was twenty-six, King William amassed his army and left for the Moors, decreeing that after so many years, he would finally live up to the promise he’d made to Jendell: that he would invade and take the Moors for their people. For a short moment, Ace considered trying to find a way to warn Starchild that the army was coming, but by the time he made his decision, the army was too far gone. So he’d simply shrugged and carried on preparing the king’s chambers for when he returned. He didn’t know of any way to contact Starchild anyway, and besides, he was sure the creatures of the Moors would be able to defend themselves.

The army was gone for four days. Then on the fifth day, they returned. Ace was able to figure out the outcome of the battle when the king’s head generals burst inside the king’s chambers, with soldiers behind them carrying the king. The king was completely stripped of his armor, and his chest appeared to be wrapped in bandages. If the king had been any younger, there would perhaps have been a better chance of him surviving. But as it was, King William was an old man, and so the palace healers gave him a month before he passed.

It was late at night, now. The king’s generals were standing around his bed, while the king himself lay propped up on pillows. Ace kept quiet and out of sight, drifting around the room lighting candles, and listening to what was being said.

“When I ascended to the throne,” King William began, and his voice sounded raspy and pained, “I promised the people… that one day… we would take the Moors, and its treasures. Each of you… swore allegiance to me… and to that cause…” The king began to cough violently.

Ace immediately went over to the bed, grabbing another pillow and propping the king’s head up. “Your majesty,” he whispered. Once the king’s coughing fit had passed, Ace respectfully stepped back, listening as the king began to speak again.

“Defeated in battle… is this to be my legacy? I see you waiting… for me to die… It won’t be long… but what then? I will choose a successor… to take the throne… and care for my daughter. Who among you… is worthy? Kill the winged creature… avenge me… and upon my death, you will take the crown.”

King William’s words never left Ace’s head. When he was dismissed to go back to the servants’ quarters, he went over to the water basin and splashed water on his face. He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror, thinking and turning the king’s words over in his mind.

-*-

The next day, Ace worked faster than he’d ever had in his life. Normally he worked slowly and efficiently, making sure all his duties were done perfectly, and asking for extra work, and so it was normally in the evening that he finally finished. But today, he worked quickly and didn’t ask for extra work, and so it was the early afternoon by the time he finished. As soon as he was dismissed, he threw on his hooded cloak and left the castle, making a stop at an apothecary before eventually leaving the kingdom altogether.

It would normally take a person the entire day to reach the border of the Moors. But years of trips there had allowed Ace to figure out shortcuts, and so it only took him a few hours. He didn’t stop walking until he came to the old spot where he and Starchild would meet each other. Grey clouds had taken over the sky, blocking out the sun and casting a dim light on the forest and standing stones.

Ace lowered the hood of his cloak and looked around, walking cautiously towards the entrance to the Moors. “Starchild!” he called. Silence. “Starchild!”

Still, he heard nothing. Ace waited for a short while, but when he saw no sign of the faerie he turned around. This trip had been for nothing…

Right after he thought that, he heard a rush of air and feet land on the ground. He whirled back around. There behind him was Starchild. Since he hadn’t seen the faerie in years, he took a moment and looked at him. He hadn’t changed much, but had grown taller. He still wore purple clothes. On his face was an odd look; to anyone else, it would have been rather stony, but Ace knew it was just an act, an act he was struggling to maintain.

“So,” Starchild said to him, and Ace got the impression he wasn’t sure how to react to seeing him again, “how is life with the humans?”

Wasting no time, Ace stepped closer to him. “Starchild, I came to warn ya… they’re gonna kill you.” That caught Starchild’s attention, and he continued, “King William’s men… they’ll stop at nothing to kill you and take the throne.” He held out his hand. “Let me help you… I’ll keep you safe.”

Starchild tilted his head and frowned slightly at him, and for a moment he didn’t reply. “What makes you think you can keep me safe?”

Ace exhaled urgently, and kept his hand outstretched. “Please… you gotta trust me, Starshine,”

Starchild’s face immediately softened at the nickname. He looked down at Ace’s hand, unmoving. Ace waited patiently. That was the key; having patience.

And his patience was rewarded when Starchild reached out and took his hand.

They spoke of many things, and the years faded away, and Starchild forgave Ace, his folly and his ambition, even sang for him again, and all was as it had been long ago.

“Mmph!” Ace let out a laugh as Starchild eagerly pressed his red lips to Ace’s. They were in a remote part of the Moors near the back border, sitting on the bank of a small lake while fireflies dotted the night air. It was a spot no one else knew about, only them. “Gotta warn me when you’re gonna do that, Starshine.”

Starchild broke away, laughing sheepishly. “Sorry,”

“Hey, I didn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it.” Ace kissed his cheek, then picked up his waterskin and handed it to him. “Thirsty?”

Smiling in thanks, Starchild took the waterskin and took a drink of the fluid inside. He handed it back to Ace, and his eyebrows furrowed as he swallowed. “What is that?” he asked quietly.

“Light ale,” Ace answered easily. “Humans drink it. Good stuff, right?”

“I… I suppose…” Starchild moved closer to Ace until their bodies were touching and leaned his head on Ace’s shoulder. His eyes began to slowly droop closed, until they had shut completely. Starchild’s body relaxed, his wings sinking down to slump lazily on the ground, and within moments he was sound asleep.

Ace looked down at him and placed a hand on Starchild’s cheek. He was a little surprised; the man at the apothecary had said the sleeping potion would work quickly, but he hadn’t expected it to work that quickly. He slowly laid Starchild down on the grass, the faerie’s back facing upward.

“Starchild?” he said aloud, just to make sure. No response. He was completely out.

Ace reached into his bag, and pulled out a long-bladed knife. He closed his hands over the hilt of the knife and placed it so the tip of the blade was just above Starchild’s upper back. He took a deep breath, and slowly blew it out.

“Kill the winged creature… avenge me… and upon my death, you will take the crown.”

This was it. This was the moment, and Ace had to seize it before it was gone. He hadn’t expected to get very far in life, being a peasant boy, and up until now he’d been content as a personal servant to the king. Even if he admittedly had been hoping for more, he wasn’t a fool. It was the farthest he’d thought he would ever go… until last night. Last night, the opportunity had presented itself for him to go even farther. And he wasn’t going to let it pass him by.

“I’m sorry, Starshine,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. Then he lifted his knife above his head, ready to bring it down in one killing blow.

His arms shook, but no matter how much Ace braced himself, they didn’t come down. Finally Ace moved away, falling onto his back. He tossed his knife away, breathing heavily. He couldn’t do it. Despite how much he wanted the throne, to be king… he just couldn’t kill Starchild.

Ace turned his head. Starchild was still sleeping peacefully, and he didn’t have to see his face to know of the tranquil look he was sure to have. He was absolutely still and unmoving, even his wings—

His wings.

Ace reached out and ran his fingers over the smooth black feathers as an idea formed in his mind. He couldn’t just return and simply claim he’d killed Starchild. Even if he’d been able to bring himself to kill him, he would have had to bring back proof.

“Your ring… Iron burns faeries.”

Ace turned and reached into his bag again and pulled out a long iron chain.

-*-

The first thing Starchild felt when he woke up was pain. He opened his eyes and sat up—and immediately regretted it when his upper back screamed in pain. “Ah!” he hissed. He looked up to see where Ace was; there was no sign of him. He was alone.

The next thing that Starchild noticed was that he felt… lighter. But far too light… like something had been taken away. His stomach plummeted as dread set in. No, no, no…

Starchild reached his hand over his shoulder, ignoring how his back screamed in protest, and ran his hand over his back. He felt the material of his tunic, then the holes that were supposed to be there…

But his fingers never touched the glossy feathers of his wings. Now panicking, Starchild twisted his head around to look.

All he saw was his bare back. His wings were gone.

Starchild’s mouth fell open, and a series of strangled, shocked noises fell from his mouth as his mind raced to catch up. His wings were gone. And Ace was gone. Which meant…

Tears flooded his eyes, and he began to cry. No… no, it couldn’t be true. But it was.

Ace had taken his wings.

Salty tears streamed in rivulets down his face as he cried. There was another pain now, a pain in his chest, and somewhere in his mind Starchild realized his heart was shattering. He lifted his head and let out a long, heartbroken wail.

His arms gave out and he collapsed back to lying on the ground. He stayed like that for what seemed like ages, his back throbbing in pain and his body wracked with sobs of grief, mourning the loss of his heart and his wings.

-*-

Damn wings, Ace thought briefly as he shifted their position slightly. He’d had to tie them together with rope, wrap them in a tarp, then heft them over his shoulder. There were a few times as he was walking back to the front border where he could have sworn he felt the wings twitch. But that was ridiculous, and besides, he was too busy thinking about how his shoulder was suffering under their weight. He’d never realized how large and heavy they were; perhaps that was because they always looked light as… well, a feather on Starchild. Couldn’t Starchild have had lighter wings? And the smell—he’d never known before what burning feathers smelled like. The wings had stopped smoldering, but faint traces of the stench still lingered in his nose. He decided he hated it.

Dawn had broken by the time he arrived back at the front border of the Moors. He knew of a way back from the hideaway that he could take without being spotted by a creature, but he’d been extra careful this time around. He glanced around briefly, then went for the wheelbarrow he’d stashed behind a thick patch of bushes. He set the wings in the wheelbarrow and covered them with a tarp, then let out a groan of relief as he rolled his shoulder. It would definitely be aching for a while. But the ache would be worth it.

As Ace turned to leave, a sudden loud wail in distance made him stop and look back. For a moment, he felt a flash, just a flash, of guilt.

Then it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Ace lifted his hood over his head and set off. When he became king he was going to have to work on not being so soft-hearted. But for now, he supposed he could allow himself to feel guilt just this once. It was better this way, he said to himself.

-*-

King William was still asleep by the time Ace returned. He wasted no time in barging into his chambers, marching up to the king’s bed, and throwing the bundled up wings at his feet. King William startled awake and turned his head down to look at the bundle. He looked up at Ace. “What is this?” he rasped.

Ace bowed his head and removed the tarp, revealing the black wings. “I have avenged you, sire,” he replied.

King William sat up as much as he was able, eyes widening in incredulity. “He is vanquished?”

For some reason, Starchild’s wail echoed in his ears. But Ace nodded all the same.

For a moment, King William’s eyes turned from him to the wings, then him again. Then he smiled, in what looked like amazement, and gave a laugh. His laugh was weak, but when Ace heard it, he knew right then that everything he’d done had been worth it. “Oh, you have done well, my boy,” he said, and the feeling Ace got from seeing that look of approval was more intoxicating than seeing any of Starchild’s bright smiles. “You have done what others feared to do… You will be rewarded.”

A part of Ace wanted to pinch himself, to see if he was dreaming. But it was a very small part. The rest of him was savoring the feeling of sweet victory. After so many years, years spent working himself to sometimes-exhaustion, bearing the looks of superiority from nobles, and repeating to himself over and over again to be patient, he had finally reached his goal. Even as a boy, he’d always thought becoming the King of Jendell would only ever be a fantasy… if only his boyhood self could see him now.

“I will do my best to be a worthy successor, Your Majesty.”

#green wounds #chapter two #as before I got the photo off google images #well actually I switched to ecosia bc ecosia plants trees #so ecosia images I guess #little starchild's all grown up!#we get to see him kick some human ass!#gene does too so shout-out to him too!#also king William is supposed to be bill aucoin #hoo boy ace is... he's going pretty dark here man #jeez the scene where maleficent woke up after Stefan stole her wings just tore me up #it's honestly worse than if Stefan had just killed her #I hope I managed to inject some of that into this #poor starchild #maleficent au #kiss au writing #my writing #hope you enjoyed!#stay tuned for chapter three!

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mostlymovieswithmax · 5 years ago

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Midsommar [spoiler review]

Ari Aster has released his second feature film, Midsommar for which he writes and directs and it is a vast, expansive experience that threw me through a kaleidoscope of emotions, which amazingly is something I can’t say for a large number of horror movies coming out these days. That being said however, I’m not entirely sure that I could confidently class Midsommar as a horror. I don’t know if I’d really class it as any specific genre at all. It is certainly its own beast and for that, I would commend it highly. As something that is so dense with detail I will probably be jumping back and forth to moments in the story, giving this review a somewhat non-chronological structure. I can’t possibly touch on everything, especially as I’ve only seen it once. I believe it is something that needs multiple experiences to fully appreciate and is a movie I’d love to experience again.

The talent on display in regards to basically every technical aspect of the film is to be praised tremendously. I loved the cinematography and the look of the movie; the colours and the sets were all gorgeous. Mostly set in broad daylight, this stylistic choice is not something I’d immediately associate with a movie that was going for this type of vibe. Mixed with the set designs, the look of the movie made for a visual feast I couldn’t keep my eyes off of. What made the aesthetic qualities of the movie pop that little bit extra for me was the camera work and how it moved; I think of shots like when Dani goes into the bathroom in the first act and the camera pans over the door frame and twists to show her standing in the toilet of the plane. Or when they’re driving across Sweden and the camera flies over the car and turns to end up in an upside down position, perhaps foreshadowing what the characters are in for on this journey. It’s details like this that cracked a huge smile from me as I was watching, not to mention it separates Midsommar from so many other movies that try to depict suspense and terror. Furthermore, a feature that I found to be intensely thoughtful to accompany the fantastic visual display was the editing, or more specifically the cutting of shots. Often I see movies follow a certain formula when it comes to this facet; conversations cut together with a shot of one character and then a reverse shot to show another character; wide angles to establish locations or buildings, then cutting to the inside of the buildings themselves. There’s seldom ever much of a flare to the editing of a movie but I saw Midsommar capture that charmingly to add tension or even to highlight a joke. Accompanied by the score, a lot of these shots gave off an eerie tone that made me feel pleasantly uncomfortable. I loved the low, stretched out notes of the music that went that extra step further in order to make me feel slightly distressed. The sound design was incredible and generally it isn’t a facet I’d pick up on unless it was either done very well or very poorly. There were sections where even items like cutlery or people walking would catch my ear in a noticeably pleasing way. It shouldn’t be undervalued at all; great sound design can elevate a movie so much and I’m both glad and impressed at how well it was executed here.

Midsommar’s first act may have unfortunately contained a lot of my favourite moments. It introduced the main characters and worked to convey the relationships between Dani and Christian, as well as with Christian and his friends and how they all felt about Dani. I appreciated the time put into the dynamic between Christian and his friends and how they viewed Dani, although this was sort of thrown away once they got to Sweden; I never saw any sort of resentment from them towards Dani after that. Pelle obviously felt a lot differently about Dani, going as far as to kiss her during the latter stages of the movie. I’m not sure why it was necessary to have Pelle feel this way and I don’t understand what it added to the story besides forcing some conflict into Dani’s relationship with Christian, which was being achieved on his end regardless. Along with this, we are also shown the unfortunate and upsetting demise of Dani’s family which acts as a plot point in helping Dani to decide upon accompanying Christian and his friends to Europe. Seeing what happens to Dani’s family may have been the most affecting part of the movie for me. To top it off, her reaction was absolutely chilling; I love how Aster gets such raw and believable performances in his films. Dani’s loud, pained cries made me feel for her so much and forced a deep discomfort into me that carried through as the credits and title came on screen. Something that intrigued me quite a bit during this first act is how conversations were filmed through mirrors. We would see a couple of instances of characters talking to other characters that were reflected in a mirror. These static shots that carried on for a short while added to the tense atmosphere and the conversations or arguments that were taking place, imposing a kind of separation between those we could see outside the mirror and those we see inside the mirror. The main cast we’re introduced to in America are all good and give believable and compelling performances. Florence Pugh was fantastic as Dani; William Jackson Harper was decent; Will Poulter was great and one of the stand-outs from my experience. Vilhelm Blomgren portrayed quite an interesting character in Pelle. Christian seemed to be the only one that rubbed me the wrong way because he was such a massive dick the entire time and he was never redeemed. Not to say Jack Reynor’s acting was bad (quite the opposite in fact), I just didn’t sympathise with the character. There are aspects to the characters and the decisions they make that wound me up a bit but in terms of the acting, they were more or less solid.

The secondary characters, or mainly the Swedish locals didn’t stand out as individuals to me, possibly because they were portrayed more as a collective, which is fine but I would’ve liked to have seen some character development from at least a couple of them. Now, I say it’s unfortunate that I derived the most entertainment out of this first act because after that, Midsommar suffers quite a bit from some pacing issues. This movie is almost two and a half hours long and it didn’t feel like it needed to be, especially with a plot that only allows for so much exploration. The plot itself is quite basic, but it is displayed as something so grandiose in scope that it comes across as being eminently pretentious. Could it be the insanely short production time that went into making Midsommar that makes it feel fairly lacking in a few areas? Or is this genuinely the cut that Aster wanted? Results from a quick search of the movie told me that around half an hour of its running time was cut due to the content it presented. Consequently, this will make the home video release different to some degree than the cinema release as it may come to our TV screens as a director’s cut. If this is in fact the case (and I do intend to buy the blu-ray upon its release) then could it be that we’ve not even seen the movie that Ari Aster wanted us to see? Will a director’s cut make it better, worse, or simply just longer? I for one am assuredly excited to see what the end result is.

A big problem I had with Midsommar is how early it peaked in regards to the horror. One of the first things the main characters are presented with upon arriving at this rural community is the idea of people being separated into groups depending on their age: the concept that they didn’t consider themselves adults until a certain age; that they didn’t work until they were old enough to; that they died when they reached a specific year of their life. They’re then told that a ceremony will be held the next day and while our main characters ask what it is, we see William Jackson Harper’s character, Josh smiling in a sly “I know what it is” kind of way. His friends try to ask what he knows, to which he does not divulge anything. What follows this is a scene wherein two elderly people sacrifice themselves by falling off of a cliff in front of the other members of the community. To me, this scene was beautifully unsettling for a number of reasons. Despite expecting them to jump initially, I was still shocked at how well it was executed both in relation to the story and in a technical sense. At first, the woman jumps off of the cliff, dying instantly with a bloodcurdling crunch. Of course the characters from America and the characters we are introduced to earlier from England are understandably shocked. Even Josh reels back in surprise which I found to be a little strange considering how he acted as though he knew what was going on beforehand. What did he think was going to happen if not that? We’re never told. As the old man approaches the edge of the cliff and the English and Americans clue in to what is happening, they react as I’m sure we all would to what happens as he prepares to jump. He lands in a much more awkward fashion with a smaller sound that is no less distressing. Only this time, he doesn’t die... The scene is then racked up a notch as he screams out in pain at having his leg torn off and his body broken on impact. The rest of the Swedish onlookers scream in pain with him and it is terrifying to hear. I imagine this painted a picture to most viewers that the locals we are presented with in this rural Swedish village are all somewhat spiritually connected; are able to empathise with one another's emotions in a way that makes them able to feel the sensations of those they’re close to. Undoubtedly the torment doesn’t stop there and Aster has to quite literally hammer home what this ceremony is all about. In order to put the old man out of his misery, a group of people take it in turns to smash his head in with a large mallet, causing further stress to the main characters, but stopping all of the Swedish inhabitants from screaming in agony. That whole scene… was awesome! I loved it and it stands to be maybe my favourite sequence from the movie. The unfortunate part is that after this happens, I expected everything to amp up a bit and start showing me more uncomfortable and fucked up things but sadly this wasn’t the case. In a sense, it was as if the movie blew its load on this earlier scene and didn’t focus on too many other stand-out plot beats which was pretty disappointing. For some reason, Will Poulter’s character ‘Mark’ had slept through this ceremony and as a result, hadn’t experienced what his friends had. Whether this was done for a specific reason I’m not picking up on or simply so that he could continue to crack jokes is beyond me. I will give credit where credit is due: this movie made me laugh when it wanted me to. The inclusion of comedy in Midsommar was expertly handled and never made it come across as a lame horror-comedy.

Prior to this and upon arriving in the green fields of rural Sweden, the protagonists all get high and lie around in the grass. While the comedy kicks in here, it is also notable for the reaction of Dani as she starts to feel the grief of losing her family once more and urgently tries to get rid of it. I liked this scene and how it played slightly with the visuals which foreshadowed the inclusion of drugs and their effects later on in the movie. Sadly with what happens to Dani’s family in the first act, I’m not sure it was that purposeful overall, despite liking how it was depicted. Yes, this event does explain how Dani acts for sections of the film and yes I did like seeing it act as a catalyst for why she goes to Sweden in the first place, but I’m not sure it was hugely purposeful when referring to the movie as a whole. It never came back in a way that affected the narrative or the story that was being told. It was just something that happened to the protagonist that caused her a great deal of upset. Almost as if they could have died in any number of terrible circumstances and it wouldn’t have made a difference. While I really liked the characters’ first drug trip sequence, I got worried early on that Midsommar was going to take an approach that put the trips and the drugs at the forefront of the movie, akin to something like Shrooms (which was just awful) and sure, they played a big part but it did more to enhance what was actually happening rather than fabricate a story that didn’t really take place, just to have them wake up in a field exclaiming how crazy their collective trip was.

As the characters start to become more and more under the influence through the drugs that they’re given, we see the world warp around them. Trees ripple and form faces; the food would shift; flowers would pulse in accordance to Dani’s breathing; characters’ facial features would distort. Dani starts seeing grass sprouting from her hands and feet, or vines mimicking her movements to show how she’s progressively becoming part of this society. Characters like Christian however start experiencing the drugs in a negative and more aggressive way, as if they’re being attacked by senses! There is unease and terror in how Christian experiences the festival, whereas Dani’s experience is comparatively happier. The contrast of how Dani was being accepted and Christian was being rejected was thrilling to see, markedly in how Dani’s demeanour changed as she found herself integrating with everyone else. Although I must say I’m not sure why they kept drinking that drugged water that looked like muddy urine. Christian almost refuses to drink it until he’s told “it’s spring water with special properties” which was all the information he needed apparently! What properties were they? Doesn’t matter; he drank it anyway. The moronic decisions manage to manifest more throughout the movie, however. Regrettably we don’t get to see much of Mark and Josh’s experience with the hallucinogens or even much of the festival because their time is cut short in a manner I didn’t find all too entertaining. Mark is the first to go from the original team. Due to urinating on a sacred tree, he is murdered off-screen and has his face cut off. This could’ve made for a superb scene if it were done right but the way it was handled came across as hollow. Elements akin to this could have worked to convey unease and terror, but they are implied rather than shown which can work in some circumstances but I would’ve liked to have seen something more memorable and haunting instead of seeing an after-product and thinking “okay well I guess that happened”. Show him being mutilated, you cowards! You don’t even have to show it; just possibly what happens in the lead up! It would’ve made for a far more compelling story beat! All that happens is a girl comes up to him as he’s eating with everyone and asks to show him something. His response is just “she’s gonna show me” and leaves. He doesn’t question what he’s about to be shown; he just gets up and wanders off with a girl he doesn’t know in a foreign country, going purely off of Pelle’s word that everyone there is great! What a way to force that in! Josh is next on the kill list because he took some pictures of a sacred book when he knew he wasn’t supposed to because either he’s just insensitive to other peoples’ cultures, or he thinks it’s okay as long as it’s for his thesis. After this happened I kind of dropped off. With most of my favourite characters gone and the remaining characters questioning everything less and less, not only was there not much left to ground the film in a world that would consider the things that were happening to be deeply disturbing, but also from the protagonists’ perspectives as well.

I’ll acknowledge I’ve been railing on this film a considerable amount... with good reason. But despite being heavy on the criticisms, I still consider Midsommar to be a good, even great movie! I adore films that beg me to revisit them and learn more about them with each watch. Sprinkled throughout Midsommar are a tonne of small details and I’m sure I didn’t pick up on everything; in fact I hope I didn’t. Along with strange “what the hell?” moments like putting scissors under the baby’s pillow (I think that’s what it was anyway) that I still don’t understand, there also exists things that maybe don’t need to be thought about but are still nice to see included, such as goats and cows that took the immersion into this countryside village a notch higher. Or to draw from more obvious details that add depth to the people: going back to how they would all scream in unison, for instance to empathise with another’s emotions; when Dani sees Christian cheating on her, all the girls she is with cry and scream with her, possibly to experience what she’s feeling and/or to show her that they consider her to be part of their people, which also manages to contrast with earlier in the movie wherein she’s with Christian in her apartment but she’s the only one experiencing the intense pain as Christian tries to comfort her.

Upon entering the third act I started to wonder what the actual point in Midsommar was. Could it possibly be one big metaphor for grief and how we can choose to deal with it? There didn’t seem to be that grand of a point being made, either in the relationship between Dani and Christian, the relationship between America and Europe, or just the presence or influence of cults and religion in different parts of the world; those ideas seemed somewhat surface level. So I can’t help but think it was trying to convey a more metaphorical meaning. Either that or its meaning was just “Europe’s weird, man”. In this way, the finale didn’t leave much of an impact besides leaving me feeling quite hollow and disappointed, wondering what all that had been in service to. I can’t say Midsommar blew me away with much of what it showed me. There were a few decisions made which weren’t all that original in how they were executed and there were some dumb moments that had me questioning why they were included at all. Yet I would never say it isn’t unique in what it achieves; I can’t disregard all of the jaw-dropping technical showmanship and the interesting, creepy ideas that managed to meld horror and suspense and mystery and comedy into something I simply don’t know how to categorise. I could talk for ages about this film and still not touch on absolutely everything about it. Ari Aster is clearly a talented guy and I can’t wait to pick up the blu-ray and watch it a million more times. Along with that, I am for sure going to see whatever he puts out next. These are the kind of movies I love seeing and supporting and I honestly can’t recommend Midsommar enough because it’s something I feel will resonate with different people in different ways, evoking more than a few interpretations of it. It is so worth the watch.

★★★½

#midsommar #midsommar spoilers #dir: ari aster #movie #review

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gokinjeespot · 5 years ago

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off the rack #1283

Monday, October 14, 2019

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to one and all. Thank-you for reading this. The Jee Gang gathered for a turkey dinner yesterday with the littlest 2-month-old Ashton being passed around like a hot potato because he was tired and cranky. His mom got him settled but you couldn't hear his tiny cries for the raucous noise from his cousins. The kids took over the larger formal dining room now that they outnumber us old folks. It was a nice big family affair.

Gwenpool Strikes Back #3 - Leah Williams (writer) David Baldeon (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Gwenpool tries to save herself from cancellation by holding a "Contest of Champions" in this issue. Guest stars galore. This thing is so much fun.

Catwoman #16 - Joelle Jones (story & art) Laura Allred (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). I'm glad I checked the credits on this issue since I said that I was going to let this cat out after reading last issue. I will always read a book by Joelle Jones even though this one had me befuddled with some jumping back and forth in time and the added "Year of the Villain" thing. I am curious to find out Catwoman's decision.

Loki #4 - Daniel Kibblesmith (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (pencils) Oscar Bazaldua & Victor Olazaba (inks) David Curiel & Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I love a good trickster. Loki uses a good one to defeat Nightmare. I like this Loki.

Detective Comics #1013 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Keith Champagne & Christian Alamy (inks) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's Batman versus Mister Freeze as the super villain tries to resurrect his dead wife. Batman's flame thrower costume is a cosplayer's wet dream

Doctor Doom #1 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This was a pleasant surprise. The art caught my eye but the story is really good too. There's no sign of the good guy Sorcerer Supreme from a while ago. Just good old fashioned arrogant Victor. He scoffed at a new technology to reverse global warming and is accused of being jealous of it because it was invented by Reed Richards and Tony Stark. When disaster strikes, Latveria is blamed and Doctor Doom sacrifices himself for his country. The mystery is who framed him and I will keep reading to find out.

Web of the Black Widow #2 - Jody Houser (writer) Stephen Mooney (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). What the!? Two Black Widows? Doctor Doom isn't the only one being framed for murder. I liked the clever cut-out on Nat's bathing suit.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #11 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Ze Carlos (art pages 1-8) Ig Guara (art pages 9-20) Dono Sanchez-Almara with Protobunker (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles must solve the super hero's dilemma of saving a family member or a stranger's life. His decision leads to a confrontation with the Prowler. Is it Uncle Aaron? I can't wait to find out.

White Fox #1 - Alyssa Wong (writer) Kevin Libranda & Geoffo (art) Israel Silva (colours)

VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Another Agent of Atlas super hero gets her origin story told. She's based on Korean folklore. It was very well done and almost makes me want to read the new team book. There's also a peek at the Future Avengers by Alyssa Wong (writer), Ale Garza (art), Dono Sanchez-Almara with Protobunker (colours) and VC's Joe Sabino (letters). They're an Asian version of the Young Avengers but these guys used to be Hydra agents in training. Read on if you're wondering what turned them into good guys.

Age of Conan Valeria #3 - Meredith Finch (writer) Aneke (art) Andy Troy (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I wish the art inside was a nice as the Jay Anacleto cover.

Marvel Action Spider-Man #9 - Delilah S. Dawson (writer) Fico Ossio (art) Ronda Pattison (colours) Shawn Lee (letters). The Black Cat gets caged as the kids finally work together and start to treat each other with respect. Next, things get even darker as Venom attacks.

Batman 100 Page Giant #1 - There are five superb stories in this $4.99 US one-shot and you'll feel like you just read five $3.99 comic books when you hit the last page. The only story that was disappointing was the Batwoman story mainly because she was fighting a lame villain named Lord Death Man. It was written by Steve Orlando, who has never impressed me. The other four stories more than make up for it though, especially Scott Snyder's lengthy contribution. This book is a steal at twice the price.

The Amazing Spider-Man #31 - Nick Spencer (writer) Ryan Ottley (pencils) Cliff Rathburn (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). More hints are given to the secret identity of the super villain Kindred. Definitely related to Norman Osborn. That mystery is the only thing keeping me reading this book. As if the waters weren't muddy enough, the guy in the straight jacket isn't even Norman. I hope we don't get strung along too much longer because there will come a point where I say screw it, I don't care anymore.

Batman Universe #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Josh Reed & Tom Napolitano (letters). I don't mind this time traveling if it means that we see Batman and Green Lantern team up with Jonah Hex. The chase is on as Vandal Savage gets his hands on his prize. I know I've said that I don't like time travel and Vandal Savage, but this is a Bendis book and I'm a sucker.

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #2 - Jody Houser (writer) Adriana Melo (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Gabriela Downie (letters). I think the Floronic Man chowed down on Swampthing and Ivy is next on his menu. Well, it's Harley to the rescue and the girls seek help from a fellow super villain to see what's wrong with Ivy. I'm reading this because it looks so pretty.

Powers of X #6 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva & Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia & David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The house is built and the power has been connected for a new X-verse. Jonathan Hickman has managed to make mutants relevant again for me. There are a half a dozen new mutant books coming out in the next six weeks starting with X-Men #1 hitting the racks October 16. I'll be reading them all to see how I feel about them but I can't imagine that they'll be all worthwhile.

Event Leviathan #5 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Josh Reed (letters). I'm curious to find out who Leviathan is but it's not going to have a big impact on me since I'm not a huge DC fan. I'm sure DC fans might be able to suss out the secret given the Manhunter clue in this issue but I'm going to have to wait until next issue when all is revealed.

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #1 - Kami Garcia (writer) Mico Suayan & Mike Mayhew (art) Richard Starkings of Comicraft (letters). I love new and different takes on iconic characters and this one is a killer. Harleen Quinzel is Doctor Harley Quinn, GCPD profiler, who is working a 5-year-old cold case of the murder of a hospital employee. Meanwhile there are other new murders landing on her desk. The writing is tight and the characterisations are vivid, helped by the beautiful art. Mico's black and white art chronicles the present while Mike's gorgeous colour art handles the flashbacks. DC's Black Label imprint is well worth checking out if you're a mature reader. This mystery not only looked good but made me feel good after I finished reading. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Contagion #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Stephen Segovia (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I know I said that I wasn't going to read any more of this 5-issue mini but this was on the racks with the awesome Power Man and Iron Fist cover so I snagged one after I finished reading all the others for the week. This issue was better thought out and the story flowed smoothly. Ben takes Sue, Reed and Johnny to Doctor Strange for help and the two of them go back to Yancy Street to contain the infectious bad guy. Danny and Luke are there helping the first responders and a couple of surprise super heroes show up too. The villain is briefly subdued but Doc Strange and Power Man succumb to the disease at the end. Uh-oh. The next issue teaser has Jessica Jones so that's reason enough for me to want to read it.

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shadowsfandomhellhole · 6 years ago

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Stolen Skin - Part one

This idea of Selkie!Jeremy and human!Squip hit me and I wanted to type it out.

A bit of info on Selkies for those who don't know the legends: Selkies are seals in water, but can become human on land by shedding their skin. A selkies skin is important as it allows them to go home, in some stories, mortal men would steal the skin of a selkie in order to trap them on land.

I really love mythology stuff, as well as the supernatural and mystic. Things like these always interest me and I just really wanted a Selkie au for BMC.

Jeremy swam up slowly to the surface popping his head out of the water. He looked around the shore finding it empty as it was cloudy out today. He felt a bubble of excitement as he sank back under water and swiftly swam towards shore. The white, blueish speckled seal pulled too a stop as a brown, red speckled seal caught him off staring at him worriedly.

"Jer. You shouldn't go up so often."

Jeremy rolled his eyes huffing.

"I won't be long, Michael. I'll be right back."

Michael gave a glare and shook his head.

"I mean it, Jeremy. You've been going up there too much. You know how humans are! If you're skin gets taken-"

"it isn't going to get stolen! I take care of it and I hide it well!"

Jeremy stared at his friend pleadingly. Michael stared back before sighing and looking away.

"Fine. Just be careful!"

With that the other selkie turned and swam away moving to the deeper part of the reef. Jeremy watched before continuing on his way to the shore. He carefully moved out of the water into a little crook he'd found the was well hidden from view. He shed his seal skin and smiled as he folded it carefully and tucked it safely away before pulling on the spare clothes he kept in the hiding place.

He peeked out looking around before slipping out of the hiding place and picking his way up onto the beach.

~*~*~*~*~*~

William stared out the window of his cabin lazily. He was at his desk, a few papers scattered on top of it. He was taking a break from his work to just relax. He watched the waves for a few minutes before sighing and standing. He was exhausted from working on what should have been a vacation.

William ran a hand through his hair leaving the room and heading out to the main room to slip on his shoes and head out. A walk on the beach would help relax him. He hummed softly to himself and headed down to shore line.

He walked for a bit before he paused seeing someone else on the beach. William slowly made his way towards the other, as he got closer he noticed it was a young man, probably no older then 20.

"Hello." He called out in greeting. The other jumped and turned to face him with wide eyes. William paused feeling his heart skip a beat as he met the stranger's eyes.

"H-hello..." the young man said softly, sounding nervous and almost scared.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just didn't expect any one to be here today with it being cloudy." William said. The other blinked and shifted giving a small smile.

"I like the peace and quiet... its why I came today." He said.

"It is pretty peaceful without the crowds." William said smiling as he looked around the beach. The younger nodded.

"I-it really i-is." He said. "I'm Jeremy, by the way." Jeremy said.

"William." William replied holding out his hand. Jeremy slow took it shaking it lightly.

"Do you live around here?" Jeremy asked.

"I have a cabin that I stay in when I need to get away from the city. Right up there." William said nodding in the direction of the cabin. It wasn't to far from where they were.

"Oh! I'm not trespassing am I?" Jeremy asked. William chuckled.

"Not at all." William said in amusement. "I only own that little area that surrounds the cabin." He added motioning to the area he was talking about.

"Must be nice to have a private area to yourself." Jeremy said, relaxing a bit.

"It is. When I'm not having to chase teens and children away from the rocks." William said chuckling.

"I'm guessing that happens a lot?" Jeremy asked smiling some.

"When the weather's nice." William replied. "Teenagers like to jump off the cliff sides. It isn't dangerous, the water is deep enough and there is much reef but its still a hazard. Especially when the teens tend to be drunk." He added.

Jeremy chuckled at that, pausing as he looked out into the sea watching something move in the distant waves. He shifted and turned to William giving a smile.

"I should get going... I promised my friend I wouldn't stay out too long. But it was nice meeting and talking to you." Jeremy said.

"I should probably head back inside as well... it was nice meeting you Jeremy... maybe we can talk again sometime?" William asked. Jeremy blinked before smiling more and nodded.

"I'd like that." He said, before he glanced back at the sea and headed off. William watched the strange going man rush off before he turned and headed back to his own place.

~*~*~*~*~

Jeremy paused once he was out of sight of the man he'd met. He peeked out from his hiding spot watching William jog up to the cabin and head inside. He let out a shaky sigh. He hadn't expected to meet with a human, but at least nothing bad happened. Jeremy looked to the water and saw another silhouette had joined the first. He bit his lip and quickly headed towards the cliffs care full to stay out of sight as he made his way to the little hiding spot in the rocks.

He dug out his skin and slipped it on before diving into the water and speeding off towards the other two who were quickly making their way over to meet him. Michael made it to him first and swam around him.

"are you OK? That human didn't hurt you did they??"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No. I'm fine. We just talked. He was... nice actually."

"nice? A human was nice? That's a load of bullshit! He was probably just trying to trick you!"

Jeremy looked over to the other selkie, a light grey selkie weigh a red stripe going from head to tail.

"he seemed nice enough to me. Look I'm fine OK? If he meant harm, he had a clear opportunity to hurt me, Rich."

Rich snorted and shook his head.

"You have to much faith in those creatures, Jeremy."

"You need to be more careful, that human may have seemed nice but what happens if he isn't?"

Michael spoke up as he moved to Rich's side. Jeremy sighed and looked down. Before swimming passed them.

"I'm being careful... I'll be fine. You two worry too much."

Rich huffed and shared a look with Michael before they both followed after Jeremy.

"what ever you say, man."

~*~*~ a few weeks later ~*~*~*~

Jeremy sighed as he swam towards the shore Rich and Michael following close behind him. They were trying to convince not to go up today.

"After what happened to that selkie in the reef I think our concern is valid, Jeremy."

"Rich is right. We just want you safe Jer."

"I know! But you both don't need to baby me! I'm fine! I can handle myself!"

Jeremy turned on them eyes narrowed. His tail flicked irritably. He loved his friends but ever since he'd started to head up to meet with William and chat with him, Michael and Rich had been more overbearing then usual.

"We aren't saying that you can't! Were just worried that you're pushing your luck with meeting this human so much Jeremy!"

"Micha. I'll be fine. Seriously, if Will was a danger to me, I'm pretty sure he'd have done something. Besides, I'm not even meeting him today! I'm just going up for a walk."

Michael gave him a look before sighing and floating back in defeat. Rich did the same with a sigh.

"Alright. Fine."

Jeremy let out a sigh and whined quietly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I appreciate your concern. I do, I just... I just want you to trust me."

"We do trust you, Jer. Its them that we don't trust."

Jeremy looked at Rich.

"then trust me to know what I'm doing."

Rich stared at him before nodding. Michael hesitated before giving a nod of his own. Jeremy gave a nod himself.

"I'll be back in an hour or so."

Jeremy turned and continued swimming this time on his own as the two others watched.

Once he made it to his usual hiding spot he shed his skin and tucked it away before heading off to walk along the beach, not once noticing the figure slipping from their hiding spot and snatching up the skin and vanishing along the cliff side.

~*~*~*~*~

William stretched as he finished his work for the day and leaned back in his chair. He looked out his window and hummed to himself. The passed few weeks had been nice. His little talks with Jeremy were nice. He found the young man's company rather enjoyable even if they never could talk long.

William shifted, he briefly wondered if he'd meet Jeremy again today if he went walking. He smiled at the possibility and looked at his completed work. Making his decision he stood up and left his study and headed to the front door. He slipped on his shoes and stepped out. He locked his door behind him and headed down the path to the beach.

~*~*~*~*~

Jeremy stretched as he made his way back to his hiding spot. He'd ended up cutting his walk short, only talking a 30 minute walk instead of an hour. He had thought about lingering longer, to see if he would meet Will but had decided against it. The selkie sighed softly and ducked into the small space and dug around the rocks. He frowned when the space came up empty and tilted his head glancing around.

Jeremy dug around more checking around the rocks before panic slowly set in. He bit his lip as he ducked out of the space and looked around.

"No no no no no..... where is it?" He whispered. It had been in the little cubby! It had to have been! He turned and dived back into the space digging around more as he double checked. Coming up empty handed he whimpered. Where was his skin? His search turned frantic as he held back a distressed cry. He spun around and rushed to the shallow water splashing into it and frantically looking through the water. Maybe the tide came in and caught it, it had to have.

Jeremy swallowed tearing up when he didn't see his skin. He turned back to the rocks and steppes back onto the beach looking around.

"No. No! Where is it?!" He was in full on panic mode as he threw himself into the sand digging around frantically. "Please please please! Please be here!"

About half an hour into searching and turning up nothing Jeremy let of a cry of dismay. His skin was /gone/. Stolen. How had he let this happen? He'd been so careful in keeping it hidden in making sure no one knew! Michael and Rich were right. He shouldn't have come up today. Now his skin was gone and he was stuck here. He bit his lip as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Jeremy trembled and let out a sob, slumping where he sat. How could he have been so stupid? He should have made sure the coast had been clear before getting on land! Now some human had his skin, and he was trapped. Another broken sob left Jeremy and he curled into himself. He wanted to go home.

"...Jeremy?"

The selkie jumped and spun scrambling back at the sudden voice. He looked up and saw William standing near the cliff side. The human was watching him with concern and seemed to have stopped mid step.

"W-will..." Jeremy choked out. Will frowned more and carefully picked his way along the sand and rocks towards him. Jeremy flinched and William stopped, taking a a step back as he raised his hands.

"Easy, Jeremy. Are you alright? I heard a cry, are you hurt?" William asked softly. Jeremy stared at him before looking away and shaking his head.

"I... n-no... I.. I'm fine I just... I... can't..." he curled up again letting out another sob. "I-its gone! I-it was r-right here a-nd... and now its go-one!" Jeremy sobbed out. A part of him screamed for him to shut up. That there was a possibility that Will had taken his skin, and that his concern was likely just an act. But another part of him hoped that Will was actually concerned, and that maybe he had found the skin but didn't realize it belonged to a selkie. He knew the latter was unlikely but he didn't want Michael and Rich to be right about Will.

"Gone...? What's gone?" William asked moving slowly towards the clearly distraught man. Jeremy didn't react or even show signs that he'd heard William's question as his sobs got worse. Will got to him and knelt a his side. "Jeremy. Breathe. You're going to hyperventilate. You need to calm down." He said keeping his voice as soothing as he could. Jeremy shook his head his breath hitching with each sob as he Charles into himself more.

"N-no! I-it's gone! It's gone! I left it here! Someone stole it! It's gone and it's my fault!" Jeremy sobbed out. "I n-need it, Will! I n-need it to go home!"

Will frowned and wrapped his arm around the smaller man's shoulders and pulled hun into a tight embrace hushing Jeremy quietly. Jeremy whimpered and flinched, before latching onto Will and curling into him.

"Shhhh, its alright. Just take it easy, Jeremy. We'll find what ever it is that you lost." He said. What ever it was that Jeremy /had/ lost. The words seem to held calm Jeremy as he hiccupped and let out another sob. Soon Jeremy went limp against him exhausted from his crying. William rubbed his back lightly looking down at him. "....can you tell me what it is you lost?" He asked softly. Jeremy sniffled and shook his head with a whimper.

"I-important...its just re-really important." He whimpered. He was obviously scared to say what exactly it was. William shifted and sighed nodding.

"Alright." He said.

"...ne-need to f-find it... can't go... can't go h-home with out it." Jeremy mumbled brokenly. "I wanna g-go home, will..." he whimpered. William hushed him softly. He frowned and sighed.

"You'll be able too. I'll help you find what ever it is. In the mean time you're welcome to stay with me." William offered. Jeremy looked up at him a frightened look in his eyes before he bit his lip. He glanced away before looking back up at the other.

"Y-you'll pro-protect me?" He asked quietly. William tilted his head in confusion. The look of concern in his eyes turning to worry.

"Yes. Is something wrong? Does that have anything to do with what you lost?" William asked. Jeremy nodded and pressed into the human's chest. William tightened his arms around Jeremy. "Then yes. I'll protect you. I wish you'd tell me more, but I won't push... come on. Let's head inside, you much be freezing being drenched." He murmured softly. Jeremy sniffled and nodded.

William stood slowly, pulling Jeremy up with him. Jeremy trembled and rubbed at his eyes casting a glance towards the water as William started to carefully lead him to the path.

~*~*~*~ End of Part One ~*~*~*~*~

This was supposed to be a one shot but as you can see, its not any more.

I have the next Hanahaki series drabble in progress, as well as the next Dragon Tamer drabble. I also have another think I'm workin' on which will be another drabble for another au. So expect part two of this too be out once I've posted the Hanahaki and DT drabble.

#Shadow Writes #Selkie Jeremy #au #be more chill #fic #selkie rich #selkie michael #human squip

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bitch-for-a-rainbow · 3 years ago

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I have never liked William. That’s something I believe I’ve spoken on at great length but like…

I at least expected someone to be kinda sad about his death. Kara wasn’t even that upset. Just “Oh no! William’s dead. Anyway, back to the REAL plot.”

I’ve got multiple wips where William is killed off or injured, because as a uniquely vulnerable narrative foil to Kara I think he had the potential to be very interesting. Originally, Nia was shaping up to be the walking, talking proof of what Kara as a reporter was and what she couldn’t be. Then Nia was Dreamer and then William was pushed into that role, albeit with very little grace. And I would have been down for that— EVEN WHEN HE WAS AN ASSHOLE. Having him exist in the periphery, a regular human risking his own life for the pursuit of something bigger than himself, throwing himself at giant and incredibly dangerous threats like Leviathan and Lex Luthor for the sole purpose of “because it’s right” is a really interesting parallel and contrast for Kara. When Crisis happened and stripped him of his entire personality (and don’t even get me STARTED on what they did to Andrea, jesus christ), I still think it could have been salvageable. He could have taken up the spot that Lena once filled— Kara’s friend who didn’t know what was going on. Someone to give the audience the perspective of a laymen to all of the batshit events that the superfriends barely blink at. A chance for Kara to act like a reporter again. A delivery mechanism for more of Kara’s incredibly poor attempts to lie (or even her successful ones, a chance to see exactly how terrifyingly effective her disguise is and what a dishonest person she is— however much that behavior is warranted) And I was perfectly content having him never find out (I preferred it, in fact). Again, as a regular person doing regular things and assuming the people around him to also be regular, William would make a wonderful contrast.

And sometimes it felt like the show forgot that Kara’s job actually was dangerous at times. When President what’s his face kidnapped her at the end of S4, he didn’t know she was supergirl. He did it solely because she was a reporter who saw something she shouldn’t have. I mean, what if Lena had gone instead? What if Nia had gone? What if William had? (I personally quite enjoyed that section of the episode: it felt like it had real stakes. Frankly I enjoyed almost all of that episode)

William was a natural contrast to the persona of Kara Danvers. He was in the position of investigating people just as dangerous as Kara was, without the safety net of near-invulnerability. And with that beautiful set-up the show did what?

Fuck all. And if you say, but he died because he messed with Lex Luthor

No he fucking didn’t. He died because he happened to be nearby plot-device child (I could also call her lost potential child or this was looking to actually be good and then the plot line jumped off a cliff child) and the show wanted to artificially raise the stakes before the finale. William got fridged like the wife in a bad crime novel.

Compare two scenes: the scene where Kara found James shot by Eve (bleeding but alive) and the scene where Kara finds William’s corpse. In one of those scenes we get a shot of her in a panic clutching at his unconscious body, and in the other she says, and I quote “Oh No.”, has no discernible emotion on her face, and sort of pats his chest before checking for a pulse very slowly. (Another thing, why does she need to check for a pulse. She can literally look at his heart.)

Kara may have been closer to James than she was to William but James was alive dammit. William was dead. She didn’t look to broken up, and neither did anyone else in that room who called William their friend.

William fucking died. And no one cared.

You don’t always have to like your characters— God knows the show runners clearly don’t— But there is a level of respect to give them. And it just wasn’t there.

I don’t know how to explain it, but even though I hate William as a character and as a plot device, something about his death feels close to disrespectful?

Of course there’s the general disrespect towards to audience by making him the main focus of the last season and giving him completely nonsensical arcs to get the Superfriends to interact with him. But there also seems to be a disdain from the writers towards the character itself?

I think it really lies in the way he was shoehorned in the entire season. If the writers truly held William in high regard, then he would have been organically able to create bonds with the Superfriends.

That aside, even his death was ridiculous. His last action sending a guilt-tripping video to Andrea? The way his death barely caused any personalized trauma to the Superfriends vs. just the general trauma of seeing someone die? The total lack of fanfare?

The audience already disliked William because of his unnecessary screen time, and now on top of that, his death held no impact. I really don’t like William, but even he deserved better than to have the creators make us hate him even more, than die for no fanfare whatsoever.

Imagine if William was a good person—a journalist who supported Kara instead of overtaking her, a man who didn’t verbally abuse women multiple times, a person who accepted that he didn’t have to be the forefront of everything and instead functioned as a minor support. If William showed up once every few episodes with just a line and a baked good, I think I would have liked him. But the writers took his character in the worst direction possible, and it shows.

In general, the plots, the character interactions, everything about S6 has felt disrespectful to the core of this show, and William’s death is no different.

#not even touching on the ludicrous way he went out #an email #a goddamn email????#i tried so hard to care about William #I really did #and then he died and i thought #oh. am I supposed to be sad?#don’t even know why I try #supergirl #william dey

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alwaysbemymaybe-phff · 7 years ago

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Chapter 10

Between the Earth and the Sky

“Did you eat something bad from last night?” Bella asked Harry as they aboard a rented boat on their way to Phi phi Islands. “Or are you just nervous?”

Harry couldn’t talk. After his revelation the previous night, he couldn’t talk let alone look at Bella. He forced himself to smile. He didn’t sleep properly last night- he couldn’t especially when Bella is just sleeping peacefully beside him and he couldn’t do anything but stare at the calmness of her face. I can’t understand how it had gotten into this. His mind is in a havoc. Who told you to fall in love? But still, he couldn’t push himself to stay away from her or lie to her and tell her that they can’t be friends anymore.

Can’t be friends? His mind scoffed and Harry sighed making Bella look at him. “I think I’m getting sea sick.” He reasoned out.

Bella gave him a half smile before looking out into the horizon once again. She notice the weirdness of Harry’s actions since last night- and how he looks at her in pure shock and fear whenever she comes near him. Like I molested him or something. She thought and she smiled. The hell is wrong with him, really?

They arrived at Phi phi Island and checked in on one of the cottages in Nuat Thai Hotel. “It’s a bit expensive but it gives us more privacy..” Bella trailed off dumping her bag on top of one of the twin beds. “Well, you. It gives you more privacy.. We don’t have to fear you bumping into anyone on the way to the kitchen because we have our own.” She said smiling towards Harry who’s busy looking at the sunset outside.

Harry is in awe. The view is magnificent; the orange sky, the calm sea, the peacefulness of the place. He would love to think that he’s in heaven. He felt Bella stand beside him and look out the window as well and he whispered, “It’s so beautiful here.”

“I know.”

To be safe, both just ordered room service and stayed inside their room planning to go out extra early the next morning. “Come on. It will be fun.” Bella urged Harry who gave her an astounded look in return. “You can just do the low cliff.”

“And make me look like a pussy?”

“You said that.” Bella smirked and Harry narrowed his eyes at her in return. “Fine. You can just stay here in the room.” She sighed leaning back on her chair.

Harry sat back looking at Bella with utmost focus. Seriously, it looks like she has more balls than you. He thought and he so wanted to curse the voice inside his head so much for the not so needed observations. Grandma will kill me if she knew that I will do it. She’s on her last year on the throne and here I am doing risky things. He reasoned out. Well, you should of had thought that before you boarded a plane to Thailand.

Finally, Harry sighed and nodded at Bella who did a happy dance in return making the prince laugh. “You’re so silly.” He said and the woman poked out a tongue at him. “Child.”

“Shut up.”

Before dawn, both rode a boat for 15 minutes before they reached the bottom of the cliff. Harry looked up at the rocks that they would have to climb before hearing Bella calling him and telling him to hurry up. It is a 40 meter climb and a 20 meter inclined trail and one part of Harry’s mind kept on fighting the other half for agreeing. Why did you have to think with your dick instead of your brain? It continued to rant out until finally, they reached the very top of the cliff overlooking the ocean just as the sun rose. It is suddenly silent inside his head because before him is a completely new world and he feels like he is standing in between the earth and the sky- it is breathtaking. He smiled and looked straight at the rising sun. A new beginning. A new day. He thought before he looked beside him and saw Bella sitting on one of the rocks looking at the view as well with a smile. However, Harry noticed her stance; her hand on top of her chest as she gave out heaving breaths and her eyes slightly tearing- she looks like she’s in pain.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked walking over and quickly, Bella held her hand up and smiled up at him weakly. “Are you chickening out now?”

Oh how I wish that was it. Bella thought as she shook her head. “I hadn’t done my cardio in a while.” She lied before she sucked in a huge breath and stood up from the rock she was sitting on. “Let’s go?”

Both stood at the edge of the cliff looking out into the horizon. Harry breathed in deeply before taking a peek at the drop; he shivered as the hairs at the back of his neck stood. “Is this safe?” he asked looking at Bella who’s standing beside him with a serene look on her face.

“Are you scared?” she asked looking at him as well and they stood there in silence whilst looking at each other.

Blink, God damn it. Harry bit his bottom lip and looked back at the horizon again. “I’m not.” He said in a small voice and he suddenly heard Bella giggle beside him making him look at her again. “What?”

“Don’t worry.” She smiled up at him. “I won’t tell anyone.”

The prince scoffed still doubting his decision to come. Too late to back out now. He thought biting his lower lip again but still he couldn’t push himself to jump. Yes, he did have training in the army but it was a relatively safe training- they had medics waiting if there is an accident. Whereas here, they have nothing but the sea and a boat. It is not until Harry felt Bella’s hand reach out and intertwine into his that he snapped out of his reverie and he focused once again on her.

She tilted her head on the side with a concerned look on her face. She whispered, “I’m here.”

And Harry suddenly had the strength to jump.

It was a rush and after both resurfaced with a gasp for air, both gave out exhilarated laughs. Kiss her. Harry’s mind urged once again as he turned and looked at Bella who had a huge smile on her face. Come on, you’re holding her hand already, and you love her. Just kiss her. It urged again. I can’t. He pulled his hand away before starting to swim towards the boat that awaits them.

Bella furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before following Harry back to their transport. It’s like his eyes would be glazed and then he would suddenly stay away. She thought as she waited to be pulled to the boat. Why is he acting so weird?

But even as they got to the shore, Harry couldn’t push himself to talk to her. It’s not because he doesn’t want to but because he cannot risk leading her on. He’s technically still with Meghan. He is still with Meghan and they’re just currently in a fight. And so, the whole day, he avoided Bella as much as he can and did his own thing around the island while Bella did hers as well. Although, it did bother Bella. She couldn’t shake off the thought that she might of done something wrong.

When night came, both lay in bed in silence. Not talking. Not even doing anything. Both are just staring off into space. Harry, busy with his guilt while Bella is busy with trying to figure out what’s wrong with Harry. The silent room is only disturbed by soft knocks on the door and Bella sighed standing up from her bed since Harry cannot answer the door.

“Is Prince Harry there?”

Bella immediately recognized the man as Harry’s PA, Troy. Figuring that it would be no use to lie, Bella only stepped aside to let the PA get in. She didn’t bother following to the room as she also figured that Harry might be having a good wash down so she stayed in the small living room and sat on one of the chairs. After almost 5 minutes, Troy came back out and gave Bella a stiff nod before going out of the cottage.

Prince William begs that you avoid upsetting the queen further. Harry scratched his head in irritation finally figuring that his tropical vacation is over. But with his current state of mind, he couldn’t accept it. He didn’t want to leave yet. Blinking, he saw Bella get in the room with a concerned look on his face and he just gave her a small smile. “It’s fine.” He said and Bella nodded still not believing him. “Hey.” He called unto her as he watched her sit down on her bed. “Would you like to escape here?”

“What? Escape?” Bella asked in a whisper. “Aren’t you in enough trouble yet?”

Harry just gave her a determined look. It’s now or never. He thought and he nodded. “Please, I really just want to live life.”

Bella sat there for seconds looking at the prince astounded before finally sighing. “Well, I’m not going to be a hypocrite and tell you to be careful when I just pushed you to cliff dive.”

It seems like Harry had planned too much for the past week- and those plans would probably lead him to trouble. And yet, he climbed out the window of their room like a teenager about to go on a party without his parents knowing. “Come on. I’ll catch you.” He whispered at Bella who peeked out the window to check if he’s fine. “You won’t get hurt, princess.”

She rolled her eyes before climbing out of the window slowly until she lost her footing and came fell down onto Harry’s stretched arms with a yelp. “Thanks.” She mumbled stepping away from him- both blushing at the interaction but their heads quickly snapped back to the cottage when they heard Troy calling for Harry inside. “We got to run.”

And run they did towards the busy part of the island where a bunch of restaurants by the sea are. By the time they are in the middle though, Bella felt her chest tightening up and she abruptly stopped taking in a deep breath and putting her hand on top of her chest as a natural reaction- Harry noticed Bella and he stopped. “You really need to do your cardio.” He laughed.

And Bella can only smile back.

It took a really really slow walk before Bella’s heart finally settled and they went in on an open tiki bar meters from their cottage. “Would you like some alcohol?” Harry asked Bella who sat beside him with a faraway look on her face. “Bella?”

Bella blinked, “No, thanks. Just pineapple juice.” You almost had an attack! In all honesty, Bella felt like she was about to faint when they ran and currently, she’s scared. She didn’t want Harry knowing. He cannot know.

They sat there quietly, Harry bothered by his feelings and Bella bothered by her sickness; although, Bella would often glance at Harry and wonder about his weirdness for the past two days and yet she drew into a complete blank. Maybe he’s just thinking about Meghan. She thought but sighed when she felt her stomach twist due to jealousy. Stop it, human.

Harry started after almost an hour and a half of silence, “Did you know..” Bella looked at him with a questioning look on her face not really knowing what to say. “Meghan and I fought because of you?”

Wait. Should I feel bad?

“I mean, we’re just friends. I’m comfortable around you, I trust you, and I am happy with you.” He continued and Bella nodded figuring that he’s probably drunk talking. “But her, I don’t know. I’m confused.”

“Why are you confused?”

“I used to see her as my balance- my peace.” He answered before taking a long swig of his scotch. “But lately, it’s always just a knife fight with her. I don’t understand. We’re ok for a few weeks and I would actually think of marrying her but then one small thing blows up into something big for her and we fight.”

Bella bit her bottom lip and nodded, “I’m not really experienced with relationships but maybe she’s waiting for you to pop the question?” she asked trying to be innocent when inside, she feels like her heart is crushing into pieces.

Harry shook his head, “Marriage is a huge thing.” He said swirling his glass around. “How will I ask the question when we fight more than an old married couple do. I want a normal married life- not one where I just married someone to breathe on my neck- I have the whole world to do that.” He sighed and drank the remaining of his glass before raising his hand for another one. “I just don’t think that it’s still going to work.”

They remained quiet as the bartender prepared his drink; Bella watched Harry struggle with his decoy glasses. She looked down on her own drink and sighed. Well, at least you probably won’t even make it out of 30 alive. She thought but still she felt bad about Harry. She wants him happy- she feels sad when she sees him this bothered.

After a few more drinks, Harry is too drunk to even stand properly and so, Bella had his arm slung on her shoulder as they walked back towards their cottage. Well, stumbled as Harry tripped on his own feet and fell on the sand taking Bella with him. He laughed turning to lay on his back while Bella did the same; however, Bella tried to get the sand off of her face by wiping it. She breathed in deeply and stared at the starry sky already tired.

On the other hand, Harry feels like he’s on top of the world. Drunk but still on top of the world. His mind is already numbed by the alcohol and he’s not thinking- at all. And so, he propped himself on his arms and hovered over Bella’s face who looked back at him with furrowed eyebrows. There’s no subconscious stopping him as his hand traced her face- his eyes staring at her intently in the eyes. His heart beating fast and his breath getting heavier.

“Do you know what’s more fucked up though?” he asked in a low whisper- just loud enough for Bella to hear and Bella was about to open her mouth to ask ‘what’ but his lips enveloped hers- his hand resting softly on her face.

Bella closed her eyes and she felt her heart skip a beat. She didn’t know how to react or even how to move. And although he’s drunk, the kiss felt right- like it should happen and that there’s nothing wrong with it like he’s not a prince, he doesn’t have a girlfriend, she was not dying- it’s like living in a parallel universe where everything is perfect. The stars aligned.

And yet, even the stars couldn’t prepare her for what he whispered when he pulled away.

“I love you, Bella.”

A/N: Please leave a review or something! :) I would like to know if your guys are liking the story or not. :)

#royalfanficcentral #phff #prince harry #prince harry fanfiction

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