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alvfr · 2 years

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PART 1 [PART 2]

I was in the middle of writing Chapter 84 of The Skeptic when my brain malfunctioned and wrote this instead. Kind of like it, so I'm posting. Not expecting much feedback since it's original work, but would still love some <3

Rating: T

It all started when Old Man Thompson’s body disappeared.

Died on Monday, buried on Thursday, but gone by Friday morning. Old Mrs Thompson had nearly tumbled straight into the open grave when she went to check on the flowers – the deer went crazy for them this close to winter – and the physician had to administer quite a strong shot of brandy to calm her nerves. Her scream had woken up the surrounding neighborhood though and by the time the Watchmen got there, the ground had been trampled muddy from all the people coming to see it for themselves.

A hole in the ground and an empty casket.

Most of the town was too young now to remember what an open grave meant, but the elder ones knew.

So they touched iron and spat on the ground. like their parents taught them back in the day. Some of the younger ones had heard stories as children, but could not fathom the gravity without first-hand experience. In any case, the Watchmen managed to shuffle most people away and tried to examine the scene for clues. Perhaps the graverobber was of the considerate kind who left behind identifying paraphernalia, like an embroidered handkerchief or maybe even a business card? No such luck.

Interviewing witnesses – all of who gave contradicting stories of what they thought they had seen or thought they maybe had overheard in the pub – took most of the day. So it was not until Saturday morning that the sergeant of the Watch knocked on Flo’s door. The crows nesting in the surrounding trees had given her plenty of warning when he approached, so she flung the door open on his second knock, causing his fist to hang awkwardly mid-air.

He was two heads taller than her, with dark hair and sun-weathered skin. Deep worry lines etched on his forehead, accentuated by the smudges of dirt still on his face. Probably handsome when young, but impossible to tell when that might have been.

“Good morning,” he said with a nod and snatched his cap off in hurried afterthought. The sun glinted off the pistol hanging in his belt, which shifted when he shuffled his stance on her doorstep. She could not see a horse behind him, so she supposed he had walked the few miles from the town and out here.

“Good morning, Sergeant.”

“Morning,” he repeated, followed by another nod. They both remained standing there. Her in the doorway and he on the steps, with his gaze flickering over her shoulder to the dark insides of her house. Her stare remained on him, with her arms folded in expectation. “Mind if I…”

He trailed off and did a half-tilt with his body in her direction. Flo concentrated on keeping her expression neutral because her eyes wanted to narrow and her lip wanted to curl. She did not move an inch either.

“I’m not the one for guests.”

“Right.” The pistol bobbed again as he changed to a less awkward position, both large hands coming to rest on his belt. “You’ve heard the news?”

She shrugged non-committally. Dina Deadeye had told her the town gossip when she stopped by last night, but there was no reason to let the sergeant know that.

The sergeant pressed on anyway. “Old Man Thompson?”

“A loss for the community,” Flo said automatically. It was what you were supposed to say when someone died. Old Man Thompson had used to run the general store before his leg went bad, so she supposed some of the townspeople did consider it a real loss. But you said it about anyone who passed. A custom she would never get used to but followed nevertheless.

“We haven’t had a graverobbing in almost half a century.” The sergeant was no idiot and saw right through Flo’s diversion. He shot a dark look over his shoulder like he expected something bad to come out of the forest surrounding her humble abode. His voice grew lower. “Not since the…”

The last word never came, but they both knew what he meant. Some words were too painful to say out loud, instead whispered in fear or muttered in bitter memories. Flo was not steady on the way normal people aged, but she suspected the sergeant must have been born at the cusp of the war. While his parents would not have been able to remember a time before the war. And now most of the villagers did not remember the war at all. Strange how time worked.

“Could be animals,” Flo said in lack of better things, arms crossing automatically over her chest.

“Could be, could be.” He ran a hand through his thick mane of hair, shuffling the sweaty locks on his forehead. Flo could only feel extreme temperatures, but she knew it should have been cold on this early winter morning. So if the sergeant ran too hot, it must be his own body generating heat. “Still, rather safe than sorry when it comes to this.”

Flo said nothing.

The sergeant cleared his throat and shifted around again. “Can I bother you for some tea? I’ve got this itch here, maybe brewing on a cold.”

“I don’t drink tea.”

“Well, coffee then? I could really use something to warm me up. It’s freezing today.

“Haven’t lit the fireplace.”

His face screwed up in thought, almost as if she could see the wheels turning. Why she would let the fire go out at all during this cold spot? His grimace cleared quickly though. “I’ll be happy to do so for y-”

“If you want to come inside to see if I have Thompson’s week-old corpse lying around, just ask, Sergeant.”

Her words clapped down like thunder, but her patience was running thin. Boots clicking on the hardwood, she swung aside and opened the door behind her. You could see most of the small house from where they stood and she noticed the sergeant’s eyes dancing to take in all the details. Probably looking for a pair of suspicious boots or muddied footsteps and his face grew stern when he found neither.

“I’m not accusing you of anything, Miss Crowe,” he said, sounding and looking apologetic. Or relieved, it was hard to tell.

“Yet you show up at my doorstep at the break of dawn as the first suspect.”

“It’s not like I had much choice,” he protested and his feet moved again to a new position. Hands still planted in his belt, and his dark brows pinched together. “People talk, you know.”

“And what do they say?”

His mouth opened and shut a few times while Flo stared him down. Stronger people than him had cowered under her gaze – normal people found it disconcerting, Dina told her – and she used it to her advantage.

“Just, you know, that you might, you know, know something.” He spoke in the direction of her boots. “Because, you know, you’re… They say you’re a… I mean, I heard at least, that you used to be…”

“What?”

The sergeant looked stricken. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there is a rumor going around that you might have firsthand knowledge about this kind of stuff.”

“Is that so?”

“Look, the past is in the past, that’s your business. I’d never judge anyone for what happened during the…” A small pause where both their minds filled in the unsaid word. “Spirits know I’ve done my share of things I don’t want dredged up again.”

Hurt crossed in his eyes, but he blinked it away.

“You’ve been here for as long as I can remember, kept to yourself, and never caused any trouble. I respect that.” His face cracked in a lopsided grin, revealing startlingly white teeth that seemed out of place on his otherwise unkempt appearance. “In fact, as a member of the Watch, that’s my favorite kind of citizen.”

Flo did not return his smile and it faded away.

“But I still have to follow leads, Miss Crowe. Several of them led your way.”

“Did they now?” Flo drew herself up, ready to be done with this. “As much as I appreciate your visit, Sergeant, I don’t know what you want of me. Have a good day.”

She took a step backward and started to close the door, but his large calloused hand shot out with surprising speed for a normal man.

“Give it to me straight, Crowe. Did you take Thompson’s body?”

Not a muscle moved on Flo’s face, and she resisted the urge to force the door shut. If he was stupid enough to come here in the first place, he was probably stupid enough to think he could overpower her. “Why would I want the week-old body of an old fat man with a bad knee?”

The sergeant mumbled something about how you heard strange stories all the time, but that sentence also withered under Flo’s steady gaze.

“Listen, I’m not suggesting you came out of retirement for the sake of Old Man Thompson.” The sergeant chose his words carefully with obvious struggle, still holding onto the door. This was obviously a man more comfortable with a gun than diplomacy. “Or that you’re stupid enough to choose a body that would be discovered missing sooner rather or later. But if you happen to know anything at all that might point me in the right direction, I’d be forever grateful.”

“While I’ve buried many, I have never once dug up a grave, Sergeant,” Flo said tersely. “And I’m not about to start now. Good day, Sergeant.”

He still refused to let go of the door and Flo’s gaze flickered down to his gun again without her intention. “Well, if you hear anything-”

“Well, I’m sure I won’t.”

They stared at each other, both locked on either side of the half-open door. He had dark golden eyes and the strained skin underneath them suggested a distinct lack of sleep. If she had a sense of smell, she wondered if she would have been able to detect a hint of spirits on his breath. They all had their demons – and all had their way of exorcising them.

“Please, Crowe. People are scared.”

For a man of his size and demeanor, he had surprisingly pensive eyes. She wondered if he had volunteered to come out here and talk to her or if everyone else in the Watch had simply refused. After decades of living in the outskirts of this town, few people dared to even look at her. He was one of the few.

She weighed the options, bleak as they were, to find which path would cause her less trouble. The last thing she needed was an angry mob on her doorstep if the Watch failed to find the real graverobber. A rattle of choice curse words passed her inner mind and she let out a small puff of breath.

“This was not the work of a necromancer, Sergeant.”

She might as well have slapped him. His hand fell from the door and all color drained from his face. For a second she wondered if he might faint. Some words were just too painful to say out loud. Even now.

“How can you-” He struggled for composure with uneven breaths. “How can you be sure?”

Nothing could stop her lip from curling and she closed the door as she said: “They wouldn’t dare.”

#writing #drabble #original work #graverobber #god i hope the read more work

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purpleyellow · 3 years

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characters unlocked

basic info:

Chung Minkyung/Mae

The Boyz 12th member

birthday: 1999/01/14

birth place: Seoul - South Korea

Chung Minji

TXT 6th member

birthday: 2001/05/31

birth place: Sydney - Australia

a/n: have I gone insane and made two ocs at once? kind of. actually, I haven’t made up my mind about actually going forward with them yet but I’ve had this idea for about two months and my mind couldn’t rest unless I actually wrote it down. and since I already had it typed out, I might as well share it right? (awkwardly laughs and runs away).

also disclaimer, this is 100% focused on the ocs and not on their groups, you may be asking why since I never really cared this much about backstory before... I honestly don’t know, my brain thought of it like that and that’s how this turned out.

2011

Minkyung watched the teacher leave the room from the corner of the classroom and began packing up her things as the girls around her whispered between themselves. She didn’t blame them for talking, considering this was the first time in months she had made it through the first period without her mother showing up.

Actually, some days she wouldn’t even go to school due to her day packed with auditions and art-centered classes. But this time she had, and just for a moment, she allowed herself to think she would have a normal day. Until the teacher had to answer a knock.

Walking back inside, the middle-aged woman speared a pitied glance at the girl and nodded once she excused herself. The official routine of letting her know her mother had arrived was long gone after the fifth consecutive time it had happened.

Going outside as fast as she could, so she wouldn’t hear anyone talking about her. Minkyung met her mother near the school entrance.

“Let’s go, we can’t be late” The woman rushed her, picking up her backpack and throwing on the backseat before circling her car and sitting in the driver’s spot. She barely waited for her daughter to buckle up before driving away from the parking lot. Wheels scratching the pavement as she did so.

“What is it this time?” She asked with half the excitement of her mother, leaning her head on the window as she watched the school becoming small in the rearview mirror.

“Acting gig. You got this in the bag” The older woman spoke cheerfully and Minkyung hummed. Once they stopped at a red light, her mother turned to her and brushed her a strand of hair behind her ear “Hey. I know you’re growing tired but I think this one might be it. Just blow them away with your talent, alright baby?”

“Alright, mama”

2011

Minji sat at the curb as she watched her friend jumping into the backseat of her parent’s car.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride sweetie?” The friends’ mother asked her leaning out of the window “Eliza was telling me you usually wait quite a while, I can talk to you mother and arrange a carpooling system with her”

“No, it’s fine Ms.Smith” Minji hugged her lunch box and smiled sweetly, her small feet tapping the ground in a rhythm she had made up “Mom should be arriving soon, I don’t want her to worry if I’m not here”

“Well okay, be sure to mention that to her so next time you don’t have to wait” The blond woman smiled politely before driving off.

Minji waved at them and stared at the empty sidewalk in front of the school. Checking her pink watch for the fifth time, she noticed she only had to wait five more minutes before she gave up on waiting and walked home.

The girl knew there wasn’t a big chance of her mother remembering she had a younger daughter to pick up, but still, she allowed herself to wait for an hour every day. Just in case she would show up.

After the five minutes were up, the 10 year old grabbed her stuff and began her usual walk home. The neighborhood wasn’t too dangerous and she would only have to walk six blocks to arrive, but still, it felt too cruel for the teacher to see it happening constantly.

The woman had walked half of her way to get to the girl when she saw a tall man approaching, she sighed relieved as Minji gasped surprised.

“Dad” She jumped on the man’s arms and he laughed, waving at the teacher before picking her lunch box that had fallen on the ground.

“I came home from work earlier today, I figured you’d want some company on your walk home” He patted her on the head and the girl smiled brightly “I’m sorry for not being able to do this every day”

“It’s fine. Come, I’ll show you the pet store I walk by. Oh, and there’s this old lady resting on her porch every day, she always gives me a good afternoon” Minji smiled pulling him by the hand as they made their way back.

2014

Minkyung quietly stood in the hallway as she heard her parents discussing. Earlier that day, her mother got an email confirming her acceptance into a trainee program in Korea, the multiple years of singing lessons and learning various instruments had finally given a bigger result than the acting route had.

The girl had never seen her mother more excited than after getting the news, but since she told her father about it they had been locked in the kitchen arguing about the changes this opportunity brought to the family.

“I don’t know about this, it sounds pretty expensive” Mr. Chung sighed walking back and forth.

“It’s an opportunity for our daughter to finally become someone. She worked so hard for it, we don’t know when the next one might come. This is her chance”

“She is someone already. She’s our daughter, a sister, and a student. What will happen with her studies after she’s gone?”

“She can keep them overseas, she’s homeschooled after all”

“Only because she couldn’t keep up with school and your obsession for making the girl famous”

“She wants this just as much as I do”

“What’s going on?” Minji showed up out of nowhere startling her sister, who whispered for her to keep quiet and listen.

“They’re discussing moving to Korea” Mikyung waved her off and returned to listen, but the younger slapped her arm and frowned. “Ouch, stop that dumbass”

“Why would we move to Korea?”

“I passed an audition there. Mom is convincing dad to accept it”

“No, absolutely not” Minji shook her head, walking determined downstairs only to be stopped by the older “Let me go. I’m not moving because of you”

“Minji don’t, let them discuss this, mom almost has him”

“I’m not moving. I don’t care what you want. Different from you I have friends here, I have a life. I’m not going because of you”

“Hey, stop that” Their father opened the kitchen door to stop the two arguing girls.

“No, I’m not stopping. You’ve always given Minkyung the fancy tutors and expensive courses without thinking twice. She can go on her own, I don’t want to leave our home”

“We are a family, if one of us is going, the rest is too” Her mom spoke up pointing a finger at her “And this might be your home, but Seoul is your dad’s and mine. We’d be going back to our family. No more trips during holidays and all of that. Think about it, it would benefit us all”

“No, it wouldn’t. Dad would have to leave work, and I have school and my friends. We built a life here” Minji cried out looking between the two of them. In the back, her sister leaned on the wall and watched them ultimately deciding her future.

“And you’ll build a new one in Korea too. Think about all the work your sister has done for us to have this chance”

“This is her chance. Not ours”

“Minkyung” The man spoke, shutting the two up and getting the girl’s attention. “Do you honestly want this? We would be investing a lot once you sign with them”

“Yes, I’m sure of it” She answered, it was honest. But considering that was the only thing she had worked for her entire life, there was no way it wouldn’t have been.

2015

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there with you?” Minkyung’s mom asked her again as they made it in front of the building.

“Yes, mom” The girl rolled her eyes fixing the big duffel bag under her arm “Most people leave their families for this. I don’t want to brag that mine follows me no matter where I go”

“They deserve to know we support you” The woman cupped her face in adoration and she laughed.

“It isn’t a matter of support, some people just can't afford to move around”

“Okay, but I’ll come by your accommodations later to bring the rest of your stuff and you’ll tell me everything then”

“Fine. Oh, and mom. Can you give Minji my guitar, she might have a better use for it than leaving it untouched”

“You don’t want to have at least one of your instruments with you?” The woman frowned, reluctant in passing by her daughter’s belongings to the younger.

“I’m sure they’ll have a bunch I can practice on” The girl shrugged moving around on her feet.

“If you say so. Don’t forget not to let the boys mess with you okay. And don’t stress if you don’t get along, remember this is only one phase for you to become the star you were born to be”

“Uh, okay. I have to go” Minkyung gave her a hug and walked inside the building, blushing furiously as her mother screamed good luck to her.

Walking to where a receptionist was, she noticed a boy, a little older than her, getting some credentials with her. Standing behind him, she waited until the woman asked for her name.

“Chung Minkyung” The girl said and she nodded.

“Right, the girl from Australia. I have your stuff here too” The woman said and the boy, who was puzzly looking through his papers, looked up at the mention of the Country and quickly stared at her, wondering if he should introduce himself or wait a little more “You’re both going the same way, press two in the elevator down the hallway and go to the room on the far left”

Thanking her, Minkyung picked up her things and nodded for the boy, giving him a tight-lipped smile as they walked together.

“I’m sorry, I think I overheard you’re from Australia. I’m from Canada, and my Korean is a little rusty. Do you speak English?” He smiled embarrassed and the girl nodded.

“Yeah, no problem. Mine would be too, but my mom made me take lessons as a child because speaking both languages would be good for the resume” She told him as they entered the elevator “A little TMI, I’m sorry. I’m bad at making friends”

“It’s fine” He laughed nervously and looked around before hitting him that he hadn’t introduced himself “I’m Jacob, sorry for not saying my name”

“I’m Minkyung but I guess you can call me Mae if you want to” She smiled generously at him and he nodded. The elevator’s doors opened up for them to step out.

Walking inside the room they were told, several heads turned around to stare at them and a buzzing boy came straight to greet them.

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Youngjae. Where are you guys from?”

“Uh- My name is Jacob, I’m from Canada”

“Oh, you came from the international auditions, right? In that case you can call me Eric, I used to live in LA” Eric smiled and looked expectantly at the girl.

“I’m Mae, I came from Australia” She smiled nervously and he gasped.

“Oh wow, we’re all from different places”

“Yeah um could you show us around, I’m kind of lost right now” Mae said and Jacob nodded from her side making Eric laugh.

“It’s my first day too actually” He said making both their eyes widen “But everyone seems nice, let’s introduce you to them and they’ll help us figure things out”

“How are you so comfortable?” The girl asked on a whim and cleaned her throat embarrassed after realizing what she had done “Sorry, I’m sorry. I- I suck at meeting new people”

“It’s fine” Eric laughed, intertwining his arm with hers “We’ll get along, all of us. Let’s talk to the others because they’ve been staring for a while”

2017

“Your sister is debuting today?” One of Minji’s friends, Yoojung, gasped on her left as they stood in the food court at the mall. The three of them wearing their school uniforms while deciding what to eat.

“Yeah, and my mom is a mixture of excitement and annoyance at home, that’s why I’ll stay in this place until her and dad leave for the stage”

“Annoyance?” Jisoo, her other friend asked while looking at the ice cream store “Let’s go to the parlour”

“Sure. And yes, her original plan was for Minkyung, I guess Mae now, to go solo after a while. But last month she came home exclusively to tell her she wasn’t going to leave her group” The girl said nonchalantly as if it were old news for her.

“Wow, that’s so cool” Jisoo gasped, making Minji roll her eyes.

“Why are you not going to the debut showcase?” Yoojung asked again, making her shrug.

“We were never that close, since she became a trainee we haven't talked at all. I’m sure she won’t miss me that much”

“Still, you would meet a bunch of good looking idols, I’d give everything to be there” Jisoo said in a dreamy tone and both of the girls laughed at her expression.

The three of them were slowly walking to get their sweets when a couple stopped them in the middle of the aisle, quickly handing a card to each of them and introducing themselves as scouts from an idol company.

“We’re holding auditions tomorrow and it would be lovely if you could attend, I’ll make sure to remember each of your faces” The lady smiled politely, her gaze sticking a little more on Minji than on the other girls.

They gave some more information to them and gave a quick goodbye. Looking at the card and back at the girls, Minji tried to sound as casual as possible while asking if they would show up for the process.

“Nah” Yoojung said making Jisoo nod along “But you should, they seemed more interested in you than us”

Humming along, Minji stuck the piece of paper on her pocket in the promises of deciding that night.

2019

“Hey, what are you doing?” Mae asked after coming out of her room and seeing Kevin, Changmin, and Haknyeon huddled up around a computer.

“A new group just debuted” Kevin mumbled, scrolling down what seemed to be an article and she snorted.

“So what, rookie groups show up literally every day” She rolled her eyes standing behind them and reading some of the words flying by “Tomorrow X Together, isn’t that Bighit’s new group? Wait, why are they talking about us there?”

“Because there’s a rumor that one of the members is your sister” Haknyeon said and as if on clue Kevin stopped in a picture of Minji.

Feeling like time had frozen, Mae widened her eyes and gasped, pulling Kevin away and scrolling down herself to check if she wasn’t having a fever dream.

“You never said you had a sister” Q noticed casually as she freaked out in front of the computer.

“She never came to visit us either” Kevin complained for a second and then gasped “Wait, was she missing? Did you just find your missing sister?”

As the boys began sharing conspiracy theories as to why they didn’t know about the existence of Minji, Mae turned to them with a shocked expression and waited until they fell silent to quietly mumble

“That little devil never told me she wanted to become an idol”

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tchallasbabymama · 3 years

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M’Baku’s Love- Chapter 4

Heyyyyyy y’all, enjoy chapter 4! Check out my masterlist HERE to catch up and read my other fics. Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Word count: 3052 After their kiss, Monae seemed to be avoiding him. They arrived and left at the same time almost every day, but she always found her way to her car quickly and was gone before he even stepped out the door. About a week had passed before M’Baku grew sick of it and headed down to her office to confront her on the sudden change of behavior when he almost ran over N’Jadaka.

“Yo, what’s up with you?” asked the prince.

“Nothing.”

“Nigga you walking around here looking like ‘Hulk smash’, what’s wrong?”

M’Baku sighed, not in the mood to deal with N’Jadaka at the moment. He reluctantly gave in, knowing he needed to talk to someone before he did something stupid like barge in on her in her office like he had planned.

“She is not talking to me.”

“Who, Monae? The fuck you do?” His right eyebrow lifted as he eyed M’Baku curiously. The Jabari chief rolled his eyes.

“Nothing! I just- we kissed,” M’Baku sighed. “And she has not spoken to me since.”

“All I’m hearing is you’re a bad kisser,” N’Jadaka smirked.

“...Is your cousin still here?” M’Baku deadpanned.

“Nope, you’re stuck with me and Lil Bit.”

M’Baku started massaging his temples, he could feel the stress headache creeping up on him.

“Fine,” he gave in as he and the prince ducked out of the hallway and into an empty conference room.

“The issue was not my kissing, the issue is that damn ring on her finger. Sometimes she is hot, sometimes she is as cold as the mountains. I know she is engaged, but I cannot help but want to be around her.”

“Damn, you got it bad. What happened to being ‘unattached’ while you’re here? I was just talking to Neicey, the new Black American history teacher, about you and she seems like she’s down for whatever, if you know what I mean. She might be able to help you get Monae off the brain. Here’s her number.” He handed M’Baku a slip of paper. “You do know how to use your phone right?”

M’Baku loved the prince like family, but sometimes he just wanted to punch him in his smug face.

“Yes I know how to use my phone, N’Jadaka.”

“Don't ‘N’Jadaka’ me, I’m trying to help your big ass.”

“You are right,” he conceded with a sigh and looked down at the number in his hand. “You said her name is Niecey?”

“Yup. Go talk to her, she doesn’t have another class until 3. Last time I saw her she was down by the court.” N’Jadaka said while walking backwards and disappearing through the door, leaving M’Baku alone to think about his next moves.

Of course he wanted to pursue Monae, but he knew that would be a dead end with the way she was treating him now. He decided a little fresh air wouldn’t hurt and stuffed her number into his pocket before heading outside to the basketball court.

M’Baku saw her before she saw him, and once again Monae ran straight into him. Without even looking up she knew who it was. She’d know that body and that cologne anywhere.

“M’Baku! Hi, I’m sorry...again,” she tried to laugh off her nervousness.”Anyways, gotta jet!”

“Not so fast,” M’Baku lightly grabbed her arm. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I’m not-” M’Baku cut her off with an eyebrow raise and a look that made her heart beat in her pussy. “Ok fine I am.”

“Why though?” He pulled her in closer and she backed away.

“Because that kiss should never have happened and if I’m around you too much it might happen again.”

He smirked.

“So you avoid me because you cannot keep your hands and lips off me? That is understandable, I have been told I am irresistible.”

She chuckled, neither confirming nor denying his statement.

“Monae, as much as it pains me to say this, we could just stay friends. That way you keep your honor and I get to keep you in my life without you running away every time you see me. Eh?”

Monae was quiet for a moment, contemplating the proposal. Could she really be friends with this man?

“Deal.” She reached her hand out to shake on it and he returned the gesture.

“So where were you ‘jetting’ off to?” M’Baku asked her as they walked towards the front doors of the outreach center.

“Home, actually. I know it’s early but my sister, Jazz, is in town and I want to spend as much time with her as possible before her break is over.”

“Oh, well, have fun and give her my best.”

“Will do.”

And with that, they parted. Monae headed to her car and peeled out of the parking lot while M’Baku watched with a smile on his face. Friends? Who was he kidding?

Shaking all non-platonic thoughts of her out of his head, he finally made his way to the basketball court where he noticed Niecey heading right for him.

“M’Baku, right?” She asked, clearly knowing the answer already.

“Yes, and you must be Niecey.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“I am. So N’Jadaka tells me you’ve had your eye on me...I thought you were feeling Monae for a minute there.” she laughed.

“Monae? She is engaged. So, would you like to go to dinner tonight? You pick, my treat.” he tried to play it off and change the subject. Luckily it worked and her face lit up at his proposition.

“Ok, it’s a date.”

_______

“Look, she is a nice girl, but she was so...dull. I had to try way too hard to engage her in conversation.”

“Maybe she was nervous?” Shuri asked, only halfway listening as she examined the communication device designs her highschool aged students came up with.

“For what? It was only dinner,” M’Baku sat down in a huff.

“Some people get nervous around people they like, M’Baku, it’s normal,” the princess said defensively.

“Ohhh, the plot thickens,” said N’Jadaka as he entered the room. “They didn’t like the flowers?”

M’Baku and Shuri answered at the same time.

“What flowers?”

“Shut up!”

“My bad cuz, I thought that’s what- you know what? Imma go-”

“Actually I would like to talk to you after we discuss the princess and her crush.” M’Baku added teasingly.

“They’re not- ugh, fine.”

“How did you meet?” M’Baku asked her, desperate to talk about anything other than his boring date with Neicey.

“I met them at a conference for Teens in Tech at UC Berkeley. They’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, but they barely know I exist and I didn’t send the flowers because I chickened out. There, happy?” she rolled her eyes and went back to her work.

M’Baku grinned, finding her nervousness a nice change of pace from her usual arrogance.

“Ah, young love. I do not miss it,” he mused.

“Oh like your situation is any better? At least my crush is single.”

“At least I can talk to mine,” he said under his breath.

“Not without her fiance coming up to the Center,” Shuri pointed behind M’Baku to a tall thin man in a nice suit heading down the hallway towards them.

“Derrick, my man. How’s it going?” N’Jadaka put on a fake smile and tried to dap him up, but Derrick wasn’t on the same page so it ended up being more of an awkward fist bump.

“Going good, going good. Just here to see my girl,” he turned and stuck his hand out to M’Baku. “I don’t think we’ve met. Derrick Jones, attorney at law.” M’Baku stared at his hand a little too long before shaking it.

“Lord M’Baku, Chief of the Jabari,” he introduced himself with a sly smile.

“Oh a chief? That’s awesome man, I bet all this is boring as hell to you huh?”

“Quite the contrary.”

“Cool...cool...well, I gotta go find Momo. See you all later!”

Shuri gagged as he walked away and they all looked at each other in disgust at the nickname.

“‘Nae’ would be so cute, but ‘Momo’?...For an adult human? Absolutely not, I don't know how she stands that man.” Shuri rambled on about her disdain for Derrick. “Did you see how he deflated when M’Baku introduced himself with his title? He thought being an attorney was such a big deal? Ha!”

M’Baku couldn’t help but laugh and agree with the princess. Even without Monae in the picture the man was insufferable.

“And he didn’t even acknowledge you.” N’Jadaka added, shaking his head.

“Nope, just the men.” Shuri smiled sarcastically before turning to the chief. “If it’s not clear already, I’m on Team M’Baku. Fuck that guy, Monae deserves better. Even if it's not you, she doesn't deserve...that.”

“I agree...and thank you, I knew I would grow on you eventually.”

“Yes well it would’ve gone quicker had you not insulted my intelligence when we first met. This ‘child’ can hold a grudge.”

“Oh I am aware.” They smiled at each other before M’Baku’s assistant found them and interrupted.

“Excuse me, M’Baku?”

“Yes, Deontae.”

“There’s a phone call for you from Abiola, he says it’s urgent. Something about a snow bank...”

“Ah yes, thank you. Udakus, I will see you both later.” M’Baku saluted them in jest and was on his way to handle his business when he overheard two people arguing in a conference room.

“You don’t have to! I make more than enough money!” said a man whose voice M’Baku couldn't quite place. He continued down the hall with Deontae typing away on his tablet, but stopped in his tracks when he heard the other person. They both looked up at each other, recognizing Monae’s voice immediately.

“But I want to! What part of that don’t you get? I like being here with these kids a-and these people. The Wakandans are amazing and-”

“I’m sure they are sweetie, but this neighborhood is dangerous and I don’t like you being here. Do you know how many kids are probably downstairs trying to break into my car as we speak?!”

M’Baku rolled his eyes and he and Deontae shared a look. No matter how nice his car was, it wouldn’t attract anywhere near as much attention as the Wakandan technology in the Center.

His disdain for Derrick grew as he realized he had just mentally defended the useless gadgets of the lowlanders.

“Nobody wants your stupid car Derrick! There are literal hovercrafts in this building, nobody cares about your Audi.”

Deontae stifled a laugh.

“Wow, so it's like that? Why are you lashing out at me?”

“I’m not lashing out at you, I just want to keep my job that I love and you didn’t even ask me about moving first!”

“I figured if you didn’t want to go with me we could do long distance. LA isn’t that far-”

“Yes it is.”

Derrick let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m taking this job whether you're coming or not. You need to figure out your priorities.”

Deontae’s jaw dropped and he wasn’t able to pull it back in time when the door swung open and Derrick pushed past the two of them. When Monae looked up and saw them her face turned to stone. She was horrified that they had just witnessed her in such a vulnerable state.

“My apologies, we were just walking by and-”

“We didn’t hear anything!” Deontae forced out. M’Baku gave him a look and he shrugged. He wasn’t good under pressure.

Monae wiped her eyes and M’Baku felt so helpless. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and make everything better...that and beat Derrick senseless.

“It’s ok, we were uh, pretty loud,” she said, avoiding eye contact with M’Baku.

“What do you need from me?” He asked her, his voice soft as a pillow. Deontae’s head tilted to the side as he took in the scene before him.

She thought about it for a moment, not able to say what she really wanted, which was to crawl into his big strong arms and never leave.

“Just some time,” she sniffled and cleared her throat. “Are we still on for lunch?”

“Of course-”

“Great, see you then!”

Monae breezed right past them and towards her office, and Deontae turned to see M’Baku’s dejected face.

“Wooooooow,” he started with a laugh. “Woooow… you like her don’t you?”

“Keep your voice down,” M’Baku whisper yelled, looking around for any possible prying ears.

“You got good taste, I’ll give you that. Shitty circumstances though.”

“Yeah, tell me about it…” M’Baku’s shoulders slumped as they made their way back to his office.

--------

“You have barely touched your burrito.”

Monae looked down at her plate and noticed he was right.

“I guess my appetite isn't too big today, too much on my mind.” She sighed and pushed her plate forward.

“I know it might be weird, but as your friend you can always talk to me about anything.” M’Baku knew he didn’t want to talk about Derrick, but he would do anything to make her feel better.

She looked at him for a few moments before she began. “I don’t know how much you heard, but Derrick got a job in LA and wants me to move with him. He’s always hated that I work here for some reason...I just wish he would have discussed it with me first, you know?” She twisted the ring on her finger and bit her lip nervously. M’Baku nodded to show he was listening, but his eye kept being drawn down to her ring. That little silver band with the fancy rocks in it that meant so much to her.

“He just- he means well, he does. He wants what’s best for me-”

“But should that not include what you want?” he asked in earnest, trying very hard to remain friendly. “If he is to be your husband, ask yourself if you can marry a man who doesn’t listen-”

“M’Baku”

“-to what you say you want. What do you see in him? He treats you like a child-”

“M’Baku, stop! Ok, I didn’t ask for this. It’s more complicated than that.”

“It doesn’t have to be…”

She looked at him as a tear escaped.

“It’s been seven years M’Baku, I can’t just throw that away!”

“So you would rather waste a lifetime being miserable all over seven measley years?”

She stared at him with a silent fury in her eyes.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” Monae called the waiter to bring her a to-go box and her check, refusing to let M’Baku pay for her this time.

“Monae, I-”

“Don't bother. I’ve had enough men telling me what to do for one day.”

M’Baku had never meant to make her feel that way, and as she left the restaurant his heart sank.

The walk back to the Center was a blur, as was the rest of the day. M’Baku couldn’t get her words out of his head. He decided to give the one person he knew he could come to with this a call, hoping they would answer.

“My son, how is America treating you? You have not seen any police have you?”

“Just in passing, mama.”

“That is still too close for my liking with those killing machines they carry everywhere. Are you eating? You look thin. I will send some stew with the king next time he goes to the Center.”

M’Baku smiled warmly at his mother’s unnecessary concern. He was eating just fine and hadn’t lost a single pound, but he would never in his right mind turn down his mother’s cooking.

“Thank you mama, I would love that. How are things?”

“I will be happy when you come back and I can retire again. The council is driving me crazy. This week the big issue is snow bank height. Can you imagine? Arguing over damn snow banks.”

He chuckled, missing his mother’s animated voice.

“Now, you have not called me all week. What is wrong?” she abruptly changed the subject.

“Why does something have to be wrong?”

She sucked her teeth and he could already picture the look on her face. It’s the same one he gets when he senses bullshit.

“M’Baku, I raised you. I know you, now talk to me.”

He let out a deep sigh, contemplating how much he should tell her.

“I met a woman here, but she is engaged to a man who does not treat her well.”

“Engaged? M’Baku I raised you better than that-”

“I know mama, but I did not know at first. Apparently here the women wear rings to signify they are betrothed.”

“Just the women?”

“Yes, it is quite an odd culture.”

“I can see that...well son if you truly have feelings for her and this man does not treat her the way she should be treated, what would it hurt to make your feelings known?”

“That is the thing, mama. She knows, we-” he sighed, knowing this wouldn’t go over well. “We kissed.”

There was silence on the other end of the line before a slow chuckle turned into a belly laugh, leaving him confused and speechless.

“Mama, are you done?”

“I am sorry son,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You just reminded me so much of your baba. You know, we were in a similar situation. He was in your shoes, and I was the young lady. What is her name?”

“Monae.”

“Such a pretty name, I am sure she is just as beautiful.”

“Even more so.”

“Hm, I bet. Anyways, long story short, your baba stole me from my betrothed.”

“He what?!”

“I was supposed to marry Hodari-”

“The head fisherman?”

“That is the one. Our parents had arranged for us to be married, but my heart was not in it. Then along came your baba, all tall and handsome, and I never looked back. My point is, if it is meant to be then it will be, but you cannot just give up if you truly think she feels the same way you do.”

“I do not want to give up, mama, but I do not want to push her away either.”

“Then let her come to you.”

Next Chapter

Taglist: @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @devnicolee

#cecewritessometimes #black panther fic #m'baku #m'baku x oc #black!oc #m'baku's love

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marsjars · 3 years

Text

guys i just had the most amazing dream what. so i was tortured for violating a copyright law (which was me drawing a pineapple on a birthday card) and i begged one of the guards to shoot and kill me, and he did, because i had been crucified and blinded and stuff whatever. that part wasn't very important; i just needed to die so i could become a ghost! the way ghosts worked was that they needed to die with an intense negative emotion, and mine were rage (against capitalism) and fear (of death).

for a while i just stayed in my body, looking around and stuff, and then i started wondering around. if i really tried, people could see me and interact with me, but they only recognized me as vaguely resembling the missing person in the news. i visited my family and friends to tell them i was ok, but it just freaked them out so i stopped.

eventually, i found my way into a ghost community. they lived in underdeveloped and scarcely populated areas, posing as the poor and homeless and such. but behind that was an entire culture, and even a religion. i went to a ghost drag show and a ghost sermon, which was really weird and i didn't vibe with it. it was centered around one ghost, who apparently had been reincarnated many times and was teaching the way to be reborn, but ghosts couldn't be reborn, they just faded away eventually.

i left the ghost town (ha) and was walking along with a large group of people through a neighborhood in some kind of parade. a short, blond man came up to me and we started talking. he was holding some kind of instrument, which looked like a sound board or something. he introduced me to his friends, a tall man with long hair and a really pretty woman with purple hair. they were all around my age and i think they were cousins. the men left me alone with the woman, and then i realized i wasn't forcing myself to be seen. i confronted the woman about how she knew i was a ghost, and she laughed before telling me she was some kind of witch, and so were her cousins.

she said she had seen me in the parade and thought i looked interesting. after talking to me, she had taken a liking to me (and i had to admit i look a liking to her as well). she asked if i wanted to come with her and her cousins and tell them about myself. i told them how i died, and they told me about their uncle, who wanted to find a way to cheat death. with my help, the woman said, i could keep from fading away, and they would become immortal. as i had a crush on the woman, her cousins were cool, and the other ghost religion was wack, i decided to help them.

we ran into some trouble with other witches, and a side plot was that i was getting weak from being away from the site of my death, meaning i couldn't manifest myself. i had a budding romance with the woman, the uncle was about to arrive, or "wake up" as i overheard them say, and there were tons of cool and weird world building details, like the economy, but then my alarm rang :(

#dream #death ment #death tw #yeah it was so cool why the fuck do i have an alarm its saturday #long post

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layce2015 · 4 years

Text

The Last of Us Part 2 (Joel Miller x Reader)

What If (y/n) Died pt. 3

The Last of Us Part 2 Masterlist

Joel was able to fix the radio and started to listen to the transmissions that was going on between the WLF. He knows he should be resting but even if he tried he'd still get no rest as everytime he closed his eyes, he would see her bashed in head. It had been weeks since the event happened but it still felt like it was yesterday when he danced and reminisced with her about their wedding.

So he sat and listened through the radio and decipher their conversation and look through the map Ellie found when they first got there. He also flipped through the pictures of Abby and her group that they found when they went to the TV station and tried to listen for their names. He had it mostly figured out when Ellie came in to check up on him. "Have you even slept?" She asked him, concerned. "Couldn't sleep." He mutters as he looks through the map and listens to the transmission.

"How'd you get it to work?" Ellie asked, gesturing at the radio. "Just a loose connection was all that was wrong with it. Antenna." He replied and she gives a slight nod. "Anything about Abby?" Ellie asked him. "No, not yet." Joel replied then a voice comes through talking about a lone male shooter in an old suburb area that was not far from this theater. The two share a look then they get up, grab their bags and head out.

The two traveled over and fought off many WLF soldiers and found out that the lone male trespasser was actually Jesse. "What the hell are you doing here?" Joel asked him after he pulls the two into safety. "You think I'd let you guys do this on your own?" Jesse asked them. "Please tell me Dina didn't come with you." Ellie said, worried. "No, she stayed to help Matia watch Ethan and Aiden." Jesse replied. "I'm alone."

"Oh God." Ellie groans and Joel sighs at this. "Hey, give me shit about it later." Jesse said then he shows the two a truck he spotted nearby. Then three took out some soldiers, stole the keys and climbed in the truck.

Jesse started the truck just as more soldier came in. Joel and Ellie then started to fire at the oncoming threat as Jesse swerved their way around the neighborhood until they ran into some infected. They fired at them and killed as many as they could until Jesse drives them into a lake and they crash into it, climbed out of the truck and swam back up to the surface.

Once they made it out, safely, the three made their way back to the theater and began to rest for the afternoon, or at least Ellie and Jesse did. Joel still stayed up and listened to the radio transmission to hear about any of Abby's people.

Eventually, something interesting came up. Joel overheard a transmission about a woman, Nora, and her unit were assigned to a hospital and they were packing up their stuff and getting ready to leave. Joel stands up and grabs his bag then starts to walk put of the room and down towards the front door.

Ellie noticed him leaving and she goes over to him. "Where you going?" She asked him. "Got a lead to the hospital. This girl, Nora, is there and I have to get to her before they leave cause their packing up and leaving soon." Joel replied. "I wanna come with you." Ellie said and Joel looks her over.

"What about Jesse?" Joel asked her. "I'll let him know and he can stay here and rest." Ellie said and Joel nods. Ellie goes to tell Jesse their plan and her and Joel head out.

It was a long walk but they eventually made it to the hospital. And all it took was to fight their way through infected and the new factions, the Seraphites, which they knew the WLF were fighting. But they made it and snuck their way through until they finally found Nora, and even better she was alone.

"Don't scream." Ellie ordered as her and Joel aim their guns at her. She stops and looks over at them, shocked, then Joel gesture at her with his gun. "Put that shit down." He said, firmly, and she sets the box down then turns to them, her hands raised up.

"You remember us?" Ellie asked her and Nora looks at her and a look of recognition flashes across her face. "Yeah...you remember us." Ellie said, in a soft growl. "What do you want?" Nora asked us. "Where is Abby?" Joel asked, in a low voice.

"I don't know." Nora replied and Ellie takes a couple steps forward, her gun still trained on Nora. "You two shoot me... the sound will have every solider come running." She said, who flinched back a bit. "You'll still be dead." Joel growls.

Nora looks between them. "We coulda killed you two." She said. "Maybe you should have." Joel mutters in anger. "Or maybe you should've stayed the fuck out of Jackson." Ellie said, angrily.

"Where is Abby?" Joel asked, angrily, as he stepped forward, aiming his gun at her, she flinches back. "Do you still hear her screams?" Nora asked, making Ellie and Joel stop in their tracks. "What?" They said, confused. "I still hear them. Every night...." Nora said, shakily, and Joel tightens his grip on his revolver.

Then Nora starts to stand up a little bit taller and glares at them. "Yeah...yeah, that little bitch got what she deserved. And you, old man, should've died with her." She said, in a firmer voice, and anger flared in Joel's chest. Nora tried to attack him but Joel was able to stop her and knocks her out.

Joel and Ellie share a look before they pick her up and take her into a different part of the building. They tie Nora up to a chair once they found a room that was away from prying eyes and listening ears.

Once Nora woke up, Joel began to interrogate her on Abby's whereabouts. At first, she wouldn't give any information until Joel started to use his tactic of interrogation, which of course was using violence. He found a pipe nearby and used it on Nora to get her to talk.

Every hit the pipe made, Nora would cry out in pain but Joel didn't care. This woman helped on the death of his wife.

Ellie, on the other hand, was startled on how violent Joel was becoming. She has seen him do horrible stuff but this was going over the edge as she watched in shock and horror as Nora's face was becoming bruised, bloody and busted. Which it weirdly reminded Ellie about (y/n)'s face when she died.

This made a conflict within Ellie, one one hand Nora deserves this but on the other hand she wasn't the one who swung the club at (y/n). And Ellie started to wonder if this was worth it and she began to worry about Joel.

Eventually, Nora told Joel and Ellie where Abby was hiding so the two made it back to the theater. Joel knocks on the door and Jesse opens it and lets them in. Joel tells Jesse about the information that Nora gave them while Ellie glances at them then she walks off, upset.

Joel noticed this and gave a worried look towards her as he talks to Jesse about their next plan. After he talked to Jesse, Joel sighs at this then starts to walk over to the theater and picks up the guitar and starts to play, trying to keep his mind busy.

Jesse walked over to Joel, who had fallen asleep in the theater chair after he finished playing guitar, and starts to wake him up. Joel wakes up and looks up at him, Jesse tells him that as far as he knows Tommy hasn't found Abby but that the three of them should make their way to the aquarium in case he makes it there.

Joel agrees and the two men go to the lobby area and meet up with Ellie before the three head out.

They make their way through the city when they see a Ferris Wheel some distance away. Ellie shows them that the aquarium is right next to it and they make their way to it. After fighting some infected and a few soldiers, they make it to this old mall area where they overhear some of the soldiers talking about a sniper. Some of the soldiers left to go help out with the sniper problem while Joel, Ellie and Jesse make their way up on the upper floors of the mall.

Joel noticed them using boats and got the idea that they need that boat to get to the aquarium. Joel turns to the two and was about to go over the plan on stealing that boat when Jesse said. "They're talking about Tommy. We have to go save him."

"Okay, well you two go ahead. I'm going to the aquarium." Joel tells them and Ellie furrows her brow at this. "What? You've got to be kidding me, Joel? We've got to get Tommy and get out of here." She said. "He'd probably be gone by the time we get there." Joel said and Ellie gives him a confused look.

"Look, the best way to help Tommy, is by going after Abby..." Joel said, determined. "Are you kidding me, Joel?" Ellie asked, angrily. "Yeah, man. This is fucked up. I mean, thats your brother out there." Jesse said and Joel looks between then before he lets out an exasperated sigh.

"You two listen to me...." he started to say but Ellie shakes her head. "No, Joel, I'm done listening! We are going to get to Tommy and start making our way back to Jackson." Ellie said. "No, we're not!" Joel said, his voice rising in anger. Then he gives a harsh look to Ellie. "I thought you wanted to help me?" He asked.

"I did, but after everything I've seen....I'm starting to wonder if this is worth it." She said then Joel scoffs at this. "Whatever....you two can go after Tommy, I'll make my way to the aquarium." He said and he starts to turn to leave but Ellie grabs his arm.

"Joel, why the hell are you so determined to go after Abby? I mean, I know she killed (y/n) but...is this really worth it?" Ellie asked and Joel turns back to her, sharply. "Yes!" He said, roughly. "Why? You're gonna get yourself killed!" She said. "Because it's all my fault!" Joel yells and Ellie's eyes widen at this.

Joel let's out a heavy sigh before he said. "I failed her. I failed to protect her." He looks down and closed his eyes, trying to keep back the oncoming tears. "Joel, it's not your fault. You did all that you could." Jesse said but Joel shakes his head.

"It was suppose to be me...that woman was about to shoot my leg, but (y/n)....s-she pushed me out of the way and got hit instead." Joel said, shakily. "She wanted to protect you." Ellie said, softly, but Joel shook his head again. "It was my job to protect her, I promised her that. And I failed her." He said then he looks back towards the two as a tear runs down his face.

"So I'm going after Abby...to avenge (y/n). If you guys don't want to come with me then that's fine, just meet up with me at the aquarium." Joel said and Ellie gives him a sad look. "Well, I hope you make it." Ellie said then she walks over to Jesse and the two start to head for the marina and Joel goes down to grab a boat and make his way to the aquarium.

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zrtranscripts · 3 years

Text

Season 9, Mission 4: Out of the Past

Heist

[birds twitter]

AMELIA SPENS: Okay team, let's go over this one more time. General Bakari has sent Abel a distress call from a remote Tunisian base, Red Scorpion, which is probably home to red fungus and definitely home to one Ernest Van Ark.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, despite the fact that you, you know, um, what was it? Oh yes, blew him up with a rocket launcher, Five! That's... [laughs] It's typical! My luck. We get Janine back safe, and oh, who pops up but the devil himself?

AMELIA SPENS: Bakari wants a team to sneak something out of Red Scorpion. Our hope is that it's a red fungus countermeasure. To get there, our team needs to infiltrate New Agadir, a city in the middle of the desert, while posing as Death's Hand, a mercenary group whose greatest hits include assassinating a blue chip CEO using a neurotoxin-tipped knitting needle and overthrowing at least three heads of state.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: This is all so exciting! Proper Mission Impossible stuff!

AMELIA SPENS: Peter, remind me why you brought the new person along. It's Frances, isn't it? From the Hebrides?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: I wanted to try a run. Janine said I could come because it's a low-danger assignment, and because I promised to stop asking to be on the Tunisia team if she let me. I overheard Sam talking about the mission.

AMELIA SPENS: Marvellous. Janine should add “make Sam keep a secret” to her bucket list. [sighs] At least you're not pestering me to let you go. I've already had to veto Jody's involvement. I need her here working with me to train runners on McShell tower protocol.

PETER LYNNE: [laughs] I bet she was thrilled about that.

AMELIA SPENS: Anyway, our problem is getting a team to Tunisia. The information in Bakari's transmission enabled us to contact the Maghreb Protectorate, a government which operates in what used to be parts of Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Another government, that's incredible!

AMELIA SPENS: Yes, well, they're no use to us yet. They have no jurisdiction over New Agadir, and besides, our governments do not yet trust each other enough for them to provide assistance. Our team can't risk crossing Europe - too many unknowns - and our few ships are all either exploring or acting as repeater stations for overseas agents - too far out to be useful.

All we have left are small coastal merchants. I've found one scow captain willing to take people to Tunisia, but he's cautious. He wants the latest nautical charts. Pre-apocalypse, obviously. Not a lot of hydrographic surveys since Z-Day. You're approaching the London home of Horatio Brewer, famous British investor. Should have what we want.

PETER LYNNE: Are we sure about that, Amelia?

AMELIA SPENS: Fairly. Mr. Brewer was a keen yachtsman. Old Ministry intel says he planned to escape Z-Day by sailing to a second home on the Tunisian coast. Had all the prep work done, then his neighborhood turned gray. We think zoms got him, but he was keeping his preparation safe in a basement vault.

PETER LYNNE: Great. So basically, we're looting a dead man's travel plans. Lovely. Um, see that street across the park, Five? That'll be his, so better hurry while it's still light out. Come on, everybody. Run!

[birds twitter]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Wow, this is a classy street. Look at the mansions. That one's got ivory cherubs carved over the gates.

PETER LYNNE: Neighborhood's in pretty awful condition, though. You've got overgrown gardens, smashed windows. No sign of V-types though, thank God. Dearg made me a prototype one-man burn cube, Five, sewn right into my chest. Anti-P-type measure. Got the trigger, but not massively eager to try it.

AMELIA SPENS: Maybe not, but it's the only reason I'm letting you near Tunisia.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: So Amelia, who exactly are these Death’s Hands people? Will they be tough to impersonate?

PETER LYNNE: Frances...

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, they're a nasty bunch. Former special ops, freelance since Z-Day. Bakari says they've been traveling the world as hired guns. Their rep gets them a lot of private security gigs. He's given us contact details for the real team, so we can lure them out of our operation’s way.

PETER LYNNE: Frankly, I don't think we should be trusting Bakari. This whole thing is probably a trap, which is why, Frances, Janine said that you can't – [zombies moan] Oh, God damn it!

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Uh, isn't that the place we want? Big Georgian house covered in ivy?

PETER LYNNE: Well, Amelia, there's a horde of zoms milling outside Brewer's house, so we can't make it to the entrance.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Well, we could gain entry by the house next door. Look at the big white mansion. Its roof's half collapsed, sloping into the road. We could clamber across it, jump to Brewer's roof, and get in through his attic window.

AMELIA SPENS: You know Peter, I'm warming to the new blood. Quickly then, off you go. I've got the scow captain waiting on tenterhooks. I need this deal closed ASAP. Run!

PETER LYNNE: Amelia, we um, we got in through the attic window, followed a ladder leading deeper into the house. Now we've found a sort of private antique collection? So we're in a carpeted hall full of artifacts in glass cases.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: They've got plaques. That's a Roman bust, Celtic coins, an Egyptian amulet. That's a Carthaginian pot from Tunisia. Shouldn't these be in a museum?

AMELIA SPENS: Ah, well, Mr. Brewer was a rather avid black market trader, made a fortune trafficking plundered historical artifacts. Actually, it might make a good impression if our little expedition returns some stolen goods. Grab the Carthaginian pot, Peter.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, burglary with Amelia, just like old times. So let's see. It's a classic. We've got the pot on the pedestal, so if I just lift its case - [alarm blares] Ah. I honestly didn't think the alarm battery would have lasted this long. Um, Five, grab that pot, would you?

[zombies moan]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Uh, guys, apparently there are zoms in the house too, coming up the stairs behind Five. Six big ones in dark suits.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, that'll be Brewer's former home security. Alarm's got their attention. Hello! Still on the job, eh, boys?

AMELIA SPENS: Wish I could find staff that dedicated. No need to waste rounds, blueprint says there's a master bedroom down the corridor on your left. Brewer always left a spare key in the lock for his mistress. If you can lure the zombies in, you can trap them there. Run!

FRANCES DEMSPEY: Keep going, Five, there's the door past the amphora vases. God, how big is this house?

AMELIA SPENS: It was originally five smaller houses that were joined together behind a Georgian facade. Brewer felt he needed the space.

[door creaks open, floor creaks]

PETER LYNNE: Amelia, we're in the bedroom. There's a – ooh, four-poster bed, lovely. Uh, photos of Brewer and his family. Nice mustache. It's very Howard Hughesian. Um, Frances, you okay?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Zombies! I forgot how scary they are up close. Didn't have them on Dearg. I'm actually shaking.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, uh, oh yeah, of course. No no no, um, it's okay, Frances. See, so the key was in the door and um, here's what we're gonna do. We're all going to get behind the bed. This room's really big, so when the zoms come at us, we'll then be able to circle around and lock them all in.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: The house isn't in the best structural condition. There are big cracks in the walls, and that creaking probably means the floor is compromised. If any more bodies start stomping in here -

[zombies growl]

PETER LYNNE: See, there are the zoms and they're... coming straight over the bed, so run for the - ! No, no, no! [shouts]

[floor collapses, glass shatters, PETER and FRANCES cough]

AMELIA SPENS: Peter, Five? What happened?

FRANCES DEMSPEY: The floor gave way under the bed! [coughs] The zoms were too much weight. It just smashed down through the house, took the zoms with it.

[house creaks]

PETER LYNNE: This house is definitely unstable. Yep, uh, sounds like the whole place is coming down.

AMELIA SPENS: If you follow the corridor outside the bedroom, you'll find stairs. Take them down to the basement. It's a reinforced garage, should remain intact if the house collapses. Plus, it's where that vault is. Hurry up, you don't have long to grab those charts, and they're absolutely vital.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, also um, there's a horde of zombies chasing us. Come on, run!

[zombies moan, house creaks]

PETER LYNNE: Yep, there's the stairs, Five. Straight down, down you go.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: The chandeliers overhead are really shaking. Five, look out!

[chandelier falls, glass shatters]

PETER LYNNE: [laughs] That was close! Chandelier smashed right through the stairs. Could have done without the glass shards in my face, to be perfectly honest. Um, edge around the hole it's left in the stairs. [house creaks, zombies moan] Oh, fantastic. Amelia, we just passed the ground floor and I can hear more zombies barging into the house. So that'll be the horde from outside, attracted to all the noise.

AMELIA SPENS: Just keep following the stairs down. There are exits in the basement, but you have to reach the vault first. Run!

PETER LYNNE: Yep, yep, yep. Five, close the door, close the door! [door slams shut] Oh, good. Amelia, we've made it. We're in the basement garage, and the stairwell’s collapsed behind us. Ooh, this is a huge concrete car park. There's tons of fancy cars. There's Bentleys, BMWs... a Model T? All right, just, could you give me a minute, Five? I've just got to pick some chandelier out of my face and eyes.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: That's amazing. Your wounds, the way they're healing. Enhanced cell regeneration? The scientists on Dearg talked about it. [gasps] This is what Van Ark did to you!

PETER LYNNE: Yes, it is. Not really looking forward to meeting him again. Rather pull my kidneys out, honestly. But Janine is not leaving me behind this time. I just got her back and I won't lose her again.

FRANCES DEMSPEY: Dearg was his, you know. I was trapped there for ages. If you're going to a Van Ark lab, I can help. And honestly, I can't stay in Abel. It's funny, when we got security fixed at Dearg, first place I wanted to see was where Alice lived. But being there... a lot of older runners, they look at me, they see her. It's hard.

That's why I really came today. I needed to get out. And I guess I started to feel... if I was going to be her ghost, I might as well run, like she did. I don't want to be a ghost, Peter, and I don't want to go back to Dearg. I want to see the world, find out where I fit in.

AMELIA SPENS: People, you should get moving. That wasn't the only staircase leading to the basement.

PETER LYNNE: Over there, Five, look. It's built into the concrete wall, huge round metal door. That looks like a vault to me. Come on, run!

PETER LYNNE: Amelia, we're at the vault door. Here's the C-4. Do the honors, Five. [explosion] [coughs] Okay. Okay, right. Uh, vault is a big gray room with shelves, lots of shelves. Uh, model yachts, dusty piles of... ooh, gold. Five, Frances, look for those charts.

[paper rustles]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Hey look, found a massive file on a shelf titled Inventory. It's an index of Brewer’s deals and trade contacts. There's a whole chapter on Tunisia.

PETER LYNNE: [laughs] Gotcha! There's tons of nautical charts on this desk under the sextant. [dragging footsteps] Uh, what was that sound? Five, could you go and check behind the shelf of canned food? [zombie groans] Oh, good. Hello! Amelia, we've found Brewer. Looks like he locked himself in here after he'd been bitten, entombed with his wealth like a rubbish pharaoh.

[laughs] Oh good, we've also got a zombie wife and two zombie children in the shadows. Welcome, everyone. He's taken his whole family down with him. [more zombies growl] And that is going to be the rest of the zombies in the garage. So Five, Frances, we're gonna move towards the door. Need an exit now, Amelia.

AMELIA SPENS: There's a ramp on the west end of the car park, leads up to the surface. The shutters open from inside. Hurry, get the charts to safety, run!

PETER LYNNE: Okay Five, Frances, I think we've lost the zoms. Street looks clear behind us.

AMELIA SPENS: Well, I'd call that a success. Five even kept the Carthaginian pot. Now we've got the charts, I can have people heading to Tunisia in days.

PETER LYNNE: Janine's finalized the team. It's her, me, Five, Sam, Maxine, and uh, computer expert. Look, I-I am sorry Frances, uh, but honestly, you are safer here. We're going a long way from home, and trust me, Van Ark isn't to be taken lightly.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Wait a second, look at this. The folder I took, it's full of photos, Brewer logging artifacts he traded. Look at this Roman mosaic from Tunisia, the symbol in the corner.

PETER LYNNE: That is the endless circle from Mor Island.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: That's not all. Brewer's notes say he sold the mosaic to a military base code-named Red Scorpion in Tunisia before Z-Day. He says the commander of the Red Scorpion base scared him, told him not to record any names. Whatever that place is, it's definitely connected to the fungus, and they've known about it since way before we have.

#zombies run #zrs9 #s9m4 #zr transcript #zrs9 spoilers

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ladyvader23 · 4 years

Text

Darth Vader Visits the Pediatrician

He couldn’t take it. He was going to go crazy. He’d already killed an entire platoon of men. All because he was exhausted.

He’d always known having a baby would be hard work. He’d overheard stories about parents staying up all hours of the night simply because their baby wouldn’t fall asleep, or would need changing, or would need to be fed. He was prepared for that. He preferred to meditate anyway, to avoid dreams of her.

But he wasn’t prepared for the non-stop crying. It didn’t help that he had not one, but two babies.

And he was by himself.

They’d barely stopped crying for the last two days. He’d done everything, but nothing seemed to soothe his little ones. Luke’s cries were small, rasping whimpers that tore at what little was left of his heart, but Leia...he was certain the entire Empire could hear her. He tried to focus on getting her to stop first, because as long as she was still screaming, Luke wouldn’t stop either, but he never got her to quiet for long enough to get him to stop.

Why? Why him?

They’d been fine the first few days after bringing them home, after convincing the Emperor that they wouldn’t be a threat if they never used their abilities. But then he’d fed them one night, put them down, and was ripped from his meditation by their awful screeching.

He was coming apart at the seams. He couldn’t focus. People died just for being in his way at the wrong time. He knew the Emperor was pleased by his unhinged behavior, for now, but he’d need to get it under control before the older man tired of it and decided to intervene.

If only she were there. She’d know what to do.

But she wasn’t. It was just him, and even though he was a Sith Lord who had a reputation to maintain, he was still a man who needed five minutes to rest.

So after trying everything again for the umpteenth time, and beginning to worry that there must be something medically wrong with them, he loaded the twins into their carriers, got them in his safest (but still fastest) speeder, and booked it across Coruscant.

He needed to do this far away from the prying eyes of the puppet Senate and the Emperor’s lackeys. He wasn’t foolish enough to think he’d get a chance to be anonymous--no, everyone knew of the Emperor’s new right hand. He was impossible to miss in the suit. And he wasn’t willing to take his children to a nondescript establishment. Those were usually that way for a reason--illegal, unsanitary reasons more fitting for a bounty hunter, not two babies. He couldn’t use his own medical droids--they were cold, lifeless, cruel, a personal punishment for himself, not for sweet little ones. So he still found an office in a reputable neighborhood and parked his speeder with haste.

They’d cried the entire way. When he let go of the wheel, it was bent from the pressure he exerted on it.

He’d fix it later. First, the twins.

He unloaded them and stormed into the small, tidy doctors office, using the Force to throw the door open, a baby carrier in each hand. “I need to see a doctor now.” He snapped, a little too loudly. The babies started crying harder.

A nurse droid hovered behind a desk. There was a woman with her baby already in front of the droid, and they both turned at his pronouncement. “You will wait your turn.” the droid, ever loyal to its programing, replied firmly before turning back to the woman.

But the woman had gone pale at the sight of him storming toward her, a baby carrier in both hands. “Ah, no, I’ll wait, thank you.” She sheepishly told the droid and hurried out into the childishly decorated lobby, finding the furthest corner away from him.

The droid made a disapproving click as it turned to him. “If you’re going to scare away our patients, I’m going to have to ask you to…”

He’d stopped at the reception desk, carefully used the Force to keep Luke and Leia’s carriers hovering next to him, and evenly placed his hands on the counter before the droid. From most people, it wouldn’t have been a threatening gesture, but the droid had the good sense to back up a step, re-evaluating the situation. “I said,” Vader hissed, putting the clear threat of dismemberment behind the words, “You will get me a doctor NOW.”

As if to support his words, the twins wailed. He gritted his teeth.

The droid was silent for a beat. “D-do you have an...appoint….?”

“I am not in the habit of asking more than once, droid, so if you value your meaningless life, I suggest you…”

“What is going on here?” A male voice interrupted.

Both Vader and the droid looked up to find a human male doctor approaching. He was an older gentleman, with dark hair that was graying around the temples, and light colored eyes that darted between him, his nurse droid, and the hovering carriers with the crying babies. Unlike the stupid droid who followed its protocol a little too literally, the man had the good sense to realize what was happening, and what was about to happen if he didn’t intervene. “Ah, AZI-5, cancel my appointments for the next few hours.”

The droid, AZI-5, glanced between the doctor and Vader. “Very well. Sir, if you could sign…”

Vader was about to rip the droid to shreds with his bare hands, but the doctor quickly interrupted. “Please, Lord Vader, right this way. No need to sign in.”

Well. At least someone had the good sense to stay alive. Taking hold of the carriers again, Vader followed the doctor into the office.

The room the doctor led Vader into was brightly painted with clowns and balloons on the walls. There were a few posters showing various infant life forms and rather generic medical information about babies, and a small padded table with sanitary paper on it. Vader set the carriers on the table, whirled to face the doctor, and demanded, “Make them stop. Now.”

The doctor, who had just finished closing the door, blinked at him, then at the crying babies. “Well, who do we have here?” He was attempting to sound like the normal supposedly approachable pediatrician he probably was, but his voice was strained.

Vader crossed his arms over his chest, reluctantly stepping back to let the doctor look at his children. His hands clenched into fists. “My children. Luke and Leia. And do dispense with the pleasantries, doctor. I’m here to get them back to their normal routine, and they aren’t going to notice the difference between you talking like a normal human being and like a fool.”

The doctor was already carefully checking Luke over as he replied. “I understand, Lord Vader, but it’s better for babies development to use voices like that when talking to them. It helps them develop better language skills early on.”

He didn’t see how that was possible, but then again, he hadn’t been around babies in--well, ever. “Just make them stop crying.”

The doctor had moved from Luke to Leia, who squirmed in her carrier under the intense speculation. “When did they start?”

“Two days ago. They haven’t stopped.” He watched the doctor, using the Force to reach out and check over his daughter himself. If the man scared his children and made it worse, he’d pay. But he didn’t get the sense that Leia was more upset than she already was, so he forced himself to relax. Marginally.

“How often are you...how often are they being fed?”

He didn’t like the insinuation that he didn’t feed them himself. He did, when he was home, which was more often than the Emperor liked. “Usually seven times a day.”

The doctor nodded. “Good.” Vader bit his lip as the doctor picked Luke up, then Leia. He didn’t like others holding them, not without his permission.

“Have you dealt with twins before?” Vader couldn’t help but ask. He figured, since the man was a pediatrician, but he needed to be sure he wouldn’t do something stupid and accidentally hurt them before he could stop him.

“Frequently.” The doctor assured him. “And you’re changing them?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t allow my children to sit in filth.”

“I didn’t mean to offend.” The man must have heard the threat in Vader’s voice, because he could feel his sudden spike of fear. But his hands on the babies remained steady and calm. “They’re healthy, with no fever or signs of illness...if I may, how long have you had the babies, Lord Vader?”

He glared, bitter, fresh wounds reopening as he remembered finding his precious babes on Tatooine, in the hands of the family that had allowed his own mother to be killed. “A week.” He said, simply.

The doctor didn’t dare ask about the previous two months of their lives. “And I assume you haven’t had much experience with children?”

Vader didn’t even bother to answer such an idiotic question. The answer was obvious.

After a moment of enduring his intense stare, the doctor cleared his throat. “Ah. Have you...burped the babies after feeding them?”

He frowned. “Have I what?”

The doctor nodded, evidently pleased that he’d found something wrong with Vader’s parenting. If he wasn’t holding his children… “Can you take Luke?”

Vader did so, holding him close to his chest. The baby in his arms quieted a little, squirmed closer, but didn’t stop crying. He sent soothing feelings through their bond while he watched the doctor pull a white rag from a drawer and place it over his shoulder. Then, he turned Leia around, set her face near the rag…

And began pounding on her back.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Vader thundered, reaching out through the Force to grab the man’s throat.

The doctor’s eyes widened as he gagged, but he didn’t stop pounding on Leia’s back as he choked out, “Babies...need...burping…”

He loosened his grip, but only marginally. In his arms, Luke was squirming, sensing his father’s panic. “Explain.”

The doctor didn’t waste what breath he had to complain about the choke hold. “After feeding...you need...to burp them. Otherwise, they get...gassy, fussy...you have to do it...like this…”

Vader released his hold, and the doctor sucked in a breath just as Leia let out a massive baby burp...and threw up all over the rag.

The doctor was back in a choke hold. “You made it WORSE.” Vader thundered, horrified to see that his daughter was now sick on top of everything else.

This time, the doctor didn’t have room to speak, though he kept trying.

“What, I suppose you’re going to tell me this is part of it?!” Vader sarcastically snarled...and to his horror, the doctor managed to nod. Just as quickly, Vader released him again and the doctor began to cough. The entire time, the man hadn’t dropped Leia and…

She was no longer screaming.

She was still sniffling, even as the doctor continued on her back and she threw up a few more times onto the rag, but she didn’t cry anymore.

“It’s normal for babies to throw up.” the doctor’s voice was raspy now, but he still remained remarkably calm. At least outwardly. Vader could sense his terror, but it didn’t interfere with his actions to help Leia. “This young, they need help to do it on their own. When they’re older, they usually manage by themselves until their digestive system can handle keeping it all down.”

He stared at the doctor. Then, slowly, he looked down at a still crying Luke. It seemed backwards to do such a thing to his precious little ones. But, apparently, they needed it, and he’d had no idea. What else was he missing with them, not just because he was a Sith lord, but because he literally had no prior baby experience?

The doctor seemed to sense his distress. “It’s normal for all first-time parents to feel overwhelmed.” He tried to assure him. “It can be even more so with twins.”

He was Darth Vader. He was a Lord of the Sith. he was supposed to be better than this.

But, he supposed, Sith Lords and babies didn’t usually mix. This was uncharted territory, and as much as he hated it, he needed help.

“What is your name?”

The doctor hesitated, as though he knew what was coming. “Doctor Rawley, My Lord.”

Vader looked back up at him. “You will attend to my children in the future--at my personal residence. You will not breathe a word of it to anyone. If you do, your life will be forfeit.”

Doctor Rawley was good at keeping a calm outward demeanor, but Vader could sense the resignation and apprehension behind it. “Of course, Lord Vader. I understand.”

“Good. But for now,” he looked back down at the crying boy in his arms. “Teach me what you know.”

#dad vader series #Luke and Vader #leia and vader #luke and leia #star wars #fanfic #my own writing #inspired by my dad #who also knew nothing of babies #and also freaked out when one threw up #baby luke #baby leia #dad vader #is best vader

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yourkeeperoftherunners · 4 years

Text

Roommate?

Summary: AU You buy a condo/townhouse from a young couple without picking up on their awkwardness about the quirks of their place. Over time you get the feeling that someone is present, but you can’t see them. Their presence is surprising but oddly comforting when you’re all by yourself in a city you’re starting to become familiar with. It’s only when you’re trying to excuse yourself from an awkward “date” that you finally see your ghostly “roommate” face to face.

Rating: PG-13 (Language, Mention of ghosts, Mention of jealousy, Mention of death, Mention of violence, Light Intimacy)

Characters: Ghost!Hyunjin/Sam (Stray Kids) x Older Female Reader, Han/Peter, Seungmin, plus mention of other Stray Kids members and Itzy members.

Notes: This is an AU scenario – I own nothing. It is partly inspired by a true ghost story of a spirit that haunted an inn turned apartment complex in Los Angeles in the 1970s that was known for comforting women like a lover would. In this story, Hyunjin speaks fluent English and in his backstory, he went by his English name Sam when he was alive. (Which is his real English name when he used to live in Las Vegas as a young boy.) He is slightly aged up to 21-22 in this story. Han goes by his English name Peter in this story. Reader is 1-2 years older than the characters and has moved in from another town.

Happy Birthday Hyunjin!

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

“Please feel free to look around.”

You absently twirled the flyer in your hands as you wandered from room to room, taking in the space. It seemed to be a pretty well-kept place – spacious for a single occupant with the option to host a guest in a small guest room, decent kitchen with upgrades, close proximity to your new job, and best of all, it was under your budget. But you had to wonder what the catch was with this place.

The condominium was in a pricey neighborhood where newer establishments were charging closer to $600,000+ for brand new condos. In addition, the space you were looking at had a balcony looking out over the city. You thought this would demand a higher asking price, but apparently the couple showing it thought about asking less.

Once you returned to the entrance, you smiled at the couple before glancing out at the double doors leading to the balcony.

“What are your thoughts?” the woman asked.

You snapped your head toward her and you nodded, saying that it looked like a great place to call home. You turned to face them and asked why it was priced low for the area.

The man smiled faintly and gestured to the construction going on outside the window. “Well you used to have a money view of the stadium, but with the new buildings going up, that’s gone,” he explained. “Plus a lot of people said with there being one bathroom for two bedrooms, it does decrease the value sightly.”

“Are you the first owners?” you asked as you stepped closer to the couple.

The woman spoke up, confirming they were, but the building used to be an apartment complex where tenants rented the spaces out. “I think it was owned by the university at one point,” she explained. “But when they got approved to build another dormitory on the school campus, they were eager to sell the building to a condominium developer. We were one of the first residents to buy a place here.”

“They didn’t keep the bones of the place from what I’ve heard,” the man added. “But they said it was old – the apartments were built in the 1960s and it wasn’t up to code.”

You nodded to show you understood. A slight nagging feeling at the back of your mind told you that maybe there was more to this story than they were saying, but you decided not to press them further. The flyer was tucked into your purse and you thanked them before departing.

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

“Honey that’s wonderful news!” Mom exclaimed.

You smiled as you shifted the phone to your other ear. Despite the odd sensation you got from the couple that day, you decided after shopping around for condos or townhouses that theirs was the best option for your budget and it was the closest to work. You put an offer in and they accepted, which meant you could finally get out of the hotel you were put up in by your company.

The movers were scheduled to arrive in two days and you were to get the keys to your new home later tonight.

“Yes! I’m excited,” you told her. “My realtor said they were quick to move on the paperwork to close the deal and I should be able to move in on Wednesday.”

“Sounds like everything is falling into place,” she said. “Work going okay? You like your new team?”

“Everyone’s great so far! They took me to lunch on my first day and even decorated my cube,” you said.

“Good! Well call me once you’re in your new place. Definitely want to see pictures.”

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

“You really didn’t have to help me,” you told the intern as she followed you up the stairs.

She shook her head and insisted that it was the least she could do to help you settle in.

“I really do appreciate it Lia,” you told her. She started about a month before you did as the year long intern in Communications and Marketing. Despite being a bit younger than you, she was sharp and many were amazed by her proficiency in three languages. Sometimes you overheard her speaking in French to one customer, then switching to another line to answer someone in Korean.

“I mean, I didn’t have anyone here to help me when I came,” she admitted. She looked around the hallway and commented that when she put the address in for your complex, she was surprised since it looked familiar to her.

“Actually I thought this was a dorm building,” she corrected herself. “My friend Yeji went to university in the area and she was assigned to a dorm on this street.”

You paused and looked back at Lia. “Apparently this used to be the university dorm, but they sold the land to a developer to become a condominium complex after the school got permission to build a new dorm closer to campus.”

Lia’s lips formed a small o shape and she nodded, hoisting her box higher. “Bummer, I guess I’ll have to share with Yeji that her old dorm is gone. She invited me over once and I couldn’t go because I had finals in Canada. But I heard our friend Yena accidentally spilled nail polish on the carpet and they spent all weekend trying to get it out. She said the school was strict about dorm damage and would issue fines.”

“Oh boy,” you murmured, trying to picture two panicky girls trying to get the vibrant color off the carpet. You put your box down and fished out the keys to your new place. The key went into the lock and you turned it, the other hand opening the door.

“Oh wow, this is nice! If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you pay for this place?” Lia asked as she stepped inside and put her box down.

You retrieved yours and carried it to the counter in the kitchen, placing it down carefully. You shoved your keys back into your pocket and shared the final price you paid for the condo, making Lia’s eyes widen in shock.

“I was surprised too,” you confessed. “They said they lost their view of the stadium due to the construction and there’s only one bathroom for two bedrooms. That’s why it’s so cheap.”

Lia nodded as she walked back to the door and pointed in the direction of the elevators to the garage. “I’ll go get more boxes. May I have your keys?”

You tossed over your car keys and she caught them, promising to return as soon as possible. You turned attention back to the two you carried in, frowning when you saw one was open.

You walked over to it and peered inside, noting that everything was still wrapped in bubble wrap or packing paper. The only thing out of place was the fact that the box flaps were no longer secured down and tucked inside one another.

Lia was carrying this one when she came in, you recalled. Maybe she started to unpack it before deciding to get more boxes instead...

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

“I don’t think I opened your box,” Lia said, frowning as she tried to recall her actions.

You waved it away as nothing, telling her maybe you hadn’t tucked the flaps in as securely as the other boxes. She relaxed her shoulders and picked up some noodles with her chopsticks, carefully placing them in her mouth. You focused on enjoying your meal, dismissing the incident as nothing to worry about. The important part was getting all of the boxes into your place and making a clear path for the movers to get your furniture installed in the various rooms.

Because the movers wouldn’t come until tomorrow, you knew it would be another night in the hotel. The only rooms you could unpack would be the bathroom and the kitchen, one of which you planned to tackle before calling it a night.

Once the check came, you placed your card down before Lia could grab hers. She frowned slightly and you explained that it was a small thank you for taking her entire afternoon to help you.

“Thank you, I’m glad I could help,” she replied. “So are you going to camp out there tonight? Or go back to the hotel?”

“I’m gonna try to get the kitchen unpacked, then I’ll sleep one more night in the hotel,” you explained. “First, let me drop you off though.”

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

You flicked on the lights in your new place and scanned the kitchen, trying to decide which box to start with. Your eyes fell on the one that was partially opened and you walked over, slowly lifting things out and unwrapping them from the packing paper and bubble wrap. Cabinet doors were opened and you began placing plates, bowls, and glasses in each one.

As you emptied boxes, you paused and grabbed your box cutter, using it to cut away the tape at the bottom, so you could flatten the box. You began to prop them up by the front door, making a note to take them down to the recycling area. Your eyes started to feel a bit heavy and you covered your mouth, stifling a yawn.

One hand reached for your phone and you checked the time. 21:39 PM. No wonder you were tired. You blinked a few times before surveying what was left in the kitchen. The only items left that you hadn’t come across yet were the utensils and cooking pots. Part of you wanted to finish what you started, but the rational side of you was saying that you should get some sleep, as tomorrow was going to be another long day.

Tomorrow, you told yourself as you turned toward the island, looking for your keys. You reached a hand out and frowned when you couldn’t find them on the counter. Odd...

You shook your head and decided to check every cabinet and drawer that you put stuff away in. Maybe in your daze you accidentally put them there. Yes, that had to be it.

You huffed when you came up empty and shook your head. Your hands patted your pockets to check for them, only to feel your phone and wallet. Your eyes drifted to one drawer you hadn’t checked yet and it was likely going to become your utensil drawer once you unpacked the box.

You slowly opened the drawer and breathed a sigh of relief, finding them in the front of the drawer, on top of a long, white legal envelope.

How did they...?

Clearly you were more tired than you thought. You didn’t recall opening this drawer, otherwise you would have noticed the envelope as well. But perhaps this was a sign you should call it a night. You retrieved your keys from the drawer and plucked the envelope out as well. Maybe you’d check it out tomorrow after you had sleep and caffeine in your system.

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

“Here?”

“Actually, can you center it?” you asked the movers, pointing to the exact place you wanted them to put your couch.

The guys nodded and carefully hoisted it higher, shuffling to the left and looking over at you for approval. You flashed them a thumbs-up and they put it down.

“We just need to unload your dresser and bed, then we’ll need your signature,” one of them said.

“Sounds good,” you replied. You watched as they excused themselves and got back to work on unpacking boxes.

This morning you finished the kitchen and now you were in the middle of unpacking the living room. The floor rug was unrolled and placed a few feet from the edge of the couch. You placed a lamp on one side table, reaching over to plug it into the outlet.

“Coming through with the bed!” one of the movers announced.

You straightened up in time and stepped back to give them more room.

“Back there, please center the bed too,” you instructed them. “The wall facing the door.” You waited until they passed you, then followed behind to watch them put the bed where you wanted it.

It took a little bit of adjusting, but eventually it was set in the perfect place and the dresser came up soon after. You scribbled signatures on the paperwork, acknowledging that you received all of your belongings and that it was delivered with little to no damage.

“Welcome home,” one of the movers commented, pocketing the pen.

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

“It’s coming along,” you said to your mom, showing her the space via video call. You sank down on the couch and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Sleeping here tonight?”

You nodded and explained you unpacked your bedding. Your eyes drifted to the front door as you remembered that your dryer was going to be ready in a few minutes.

“I’m gonna grab my bedding, put it on my bed, then grab a bite to eat,” you told her.

“Use the emergency credit card – a little welcoming treat from me and Dad,” she insisted. “I wish I could dine with you in person, but this will do for now. Pick whatever you want.”

You thanked her with a smile and bid her goodbye. The phone was tucked into your back pocket and you set off for the laundry room to retrieve your bedding.

Everything was pulled from the dryer and folded quickly, piled neatly on top of each other for easier handling. You walked back to your place and tried to make your bed neatly. You propped your pillows up against the headboard and folded down the top part of your quilt a couple of inches.

Once you finished, you grabbed your phone and turned off the lights, patting your pocket for your keys and wallet. Your eyes looked to Yelp on your phone as you looked up nearby restaurants to check out.

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

“Y/N?”

You turned your head when you heard your name, Lia walking toward you with another girl in tow. She waved, then introduced the other girl as her friend Yeji.

Yeji glanced at Lia and asked if you were the girl who moved into the condominium that took over her old college dorm. Lia nodded and Yeji turned back to you, extending a hand to shake.

“Yeah I was telling her about your place,” Lia explained. “It’s changed a lot since Yeji last lived there.”

“I probably wouldn’t recognize it,” Yeji confessed. “It was okay when I was at school. Lighting was weird and old and sometimes the door hinges squeaked on cold days, but it was all good. Some of us used to have parties in the lounges when the RAs were out or asleep.”

“Oh I saw some large rooms on my floor – I wondered what those used to be!” you exclaimed. “They’re now vending machine rooms for drinks, snacks, and electronics. Did you have a lot of friends living on your floor?”

Yeji crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to recall her neighbors back in school. Lia looked thoughtful and she raised a brow as she turned to face her friend.

“Hang on, didn’t someone from your family also go to that school?” she asked.

Yeji froze and you watched as she tried to keep a neutral expression. She shot a look at Lia and then flashed you an apologetic smile. She cast a quick glance at her phone and stammered that she needed go.

“Early meeting tomorrow for my workplace,” she claimed. “It was so nice meeting you, Y/N-unni!” She grabbed Lia by the arm and began dragging her away, the latter flashing you a confused look before bidding you goodbye.

“Here is your meal Miss,” the waiter announced. “Anything I can get you?”

You shook your head and focused your attention on your plate. Well, the recent interaction was bizarre. Yeji didn’t seem thrilled to talk about the person at her school that was related to her and she seemed upset that Lia brought it up in the first place.

Maybe this person worked at the university and embarrassed her like a parent would a child? you wondered. Or perhaps the pair could have had a nasty spat and she was trying to forget about it? Whatever it was, you didn’t feel a need to pry – it was her business after all.

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

You unlocked your door and turned the lights on. Once the deadbolt was thrown, you walked to the fridge and put your leftovers away on the top shelf.

You went through your normal nighttime routine, removing makeup and getting dressed for bed. You yawned as you put your toothbrush in the holder, a free hand turning off the bathroom light.

Your other hand rubbed your eyes as you shuffled into your bedroom and turned on a light. You moved your hand away as you noticed that your quilt and flat sheet were folded back on a diagonal, ready for you to climb into bed.

Didn’t I make my bed before I left? you thought as you slowly approached it. You glanced back toward the direction of the front door and remembered you locked the deadbolt and knob before leaving for dinner tonight. None of the windows were open or had been opened since you moved in.

Stop overthinking it, you scolded yourself. Maybe you thought you left the quilt one way then left it like this.

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

Over the next few weeks, you buckled down at work, trying to do your best and prove to your boss that she made a wise decision hiring you. Often you came in early and left late, getting home when it was dark out and often nibbling at some snacks or light food, then falling asleep immediately.

Lia didn’t bring up Yeji’s behavior during this time and you rarely saw her, guessing that your boss was keeping her busy as well. Sometimes you hardly got up for lunch, opting to eat at your desk to keep working.

“I’m not inspired!” your boss sighed during a meeting. She put down the pitches everyone had passed out at the start and looked around the table. “Honestly, this is what I get after several weeks?”

She turned and placed your pamphlet in front of you. “There’s a glimmer of an idea there Y/N, but you got bogged down in the packaging. I need you to clean this up and redo your pitch by Friday.” She turned and addressed each of your co-workers one-by-one, telling everyone what they needed to correct. As soon as she was done with each person, your co-workers stood up and excused themselves to work on the revisions.

When your boss got to Lia, the intern lowered her gaze and listened quietly, nodding to show she understood. She seemed to be getting the harshest critique, as she was supposed to pitch a big idea as her final assignment before the internship was over.

You walked slowly to your desk and groaned, messing your hair up as you sank into your seat. You heard the meeting room door open and saw Lia emerge, trying to hold back tears. Part of you wanted to check on her, see if she was okay, but then you saw your boss exit the meeting room. Time to fix the issues.

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

You bit your lip as you propped your head up with your hand, blinking to give your eyes a break from the computer screen. Most of your co-workers had called it quits a few hours ago, but it was just you and Lia left in the building. She hadn’t made much noise, other than a lot of scratching of a pen across a piece of paper. You on the other hand had typed up your revised talking points and were researching competitor companies to see if any of them had done what you were planning.

“Y/N?” Lia asked from her desk. “Is that you?”

You stopped working and answered that you were still there. She took a deep breath and you heard her chair rolling back.

She walked around the other offices and paused at the entrance to your cube.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” she asked.

You shook your head and checked the clock on your computer. 20:47 PM. Geez, why was she still here? Why were you still here?

“Lia you should head home and try to get some sleep,” you suggested. “I know all of us are upset, but trying to push out an idea when we’re stuck isn’t good. I’m starting to realize that I’m hitting a brick wall by staying here.”

She nodded and clasped her hands together. “Do you like sushi? I know a late night place near here we can go.”

You grabbed your purse and logged off your computer. She perked up slightly and hurried to get her things too.

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

Dinner seemed to calm both of you down. You discussed your original pitches and how you could fix them to meet your boss’s expectations. Lia relaxed over the course of the meal and she apologized to you about Yeji’s behavior.

“Don’t worry about it – she has a right to not talk about that part of college,” you said, waving it away as nothing.

“Oh the person wasn’t the problem,” Lia began, “it was actually her cousin on her father’s side. He went to the same school, but they studied different majors. She said he was about to graduate, but he passed away unexpectedly.”

You froze and almost dropped your chopsticks at this bit of news. No wonder the young woman tensed up at the mention of someone else from her family attending school with her – losing someone in her family during an important time had to be hard.

“Were they close?”

Lia waved her hand side to side and explained that they were civil, but not super close. Because they were the same age, his death left her shaken.

“Dying in your twenties is too soon,” she concluded. “I didn’t know the circumstances until she told me. But she wanted me to tell you that you weren’t the reason for her sudden mood drop! It’s just...thinking about him is too–”

“Too soon,” you finished. “I understand.”

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

The drive home was quiet and you couldn’t stop thinking about Yeji’s situation. Sure you didn’t know her super well or the young man who was her cousin, but it was a very sad situation for everyone involved. To die unexpectedly in your twenties was shocking and felt wrong. While you didn’t know the exact reason for his passing, you hoped it was peaceful.

You moved slowly as you got ready for bed and slipped under the covers. Today was draining, physically and emotionally. Disappointing your boss, seeing Lia get chewed out, learning about Yeji’s late cousin...

You sniffled, but couldn’t bring yourself to cry after the events that transpired. You closed your eyes and sucked in a sharp breath of air, trying to calm yourself so you could catch a few hours of sleep before waking up again. But your mind was going a million miles an hour, thinking about tomorrow, fixing your pitch...

A few seconds passed and you felt a warm sensation wrapping around your body, almost like someone was giving you a hug from behind. You knew the doors were locked and you hadn’t invited anyone over. Instead of feeling scared or alarmed, you felt at ease for some reason.

You began breathing normally through your nose and allowed yourself to drift off to sleep. Perhaps this was your body’s unique way of telling you that you needed the rest now – pretending some warm presence was helping you fall asleep.

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

“Here’s your mail and packages Miss Y/N,” Seungmin announced as he stopped by with his cart.

You accepted the packages and a small pile of letters, thanking him with a smile. Everything was placed on your desk and you turned back to face him.

“How’s your week going so far?”

He shrugged and nodded over at the cart, which wasn’t as full as usual. “Quiet day,” he confessed. “But I know once I’m done delivering stuff here, my boss is gonna send me home and I’m gonna have to listen to my annoying roommate whine about being single.”

You shot him a sympathetic look and reached for a letter to open while you continued chatting. “Sorry to hear that. He does know that there’s no rule saying he has to be paired up right now, right?”

Seungmin rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. He leaned slightly against the cart and looked around to make sure no one was looking for him. “He’s jealous because our old friend proposed to his sweetheart and she said yes, then one of our old roommates moved in with his new girlfriend, and now our neighbor is seeing some guy that looks like a fairy.”

You winced and put down the letter. “So the world’s bombarding him left and right, huh?”

“Yeah I guess you can say that,” Seungmin sighed. “Don’t get me wrong – he’s nice and he pays the bills on time, but don’t hang around him when he’s mopey and looking for love.”

You nodded to show you understood. Unlike you, Seungmin worked for the building mail room and often got sent home at various times, depending on when he was done passing out or picking up packages and mail. Your eyes wandered to a rolled canvas that you meant to ship back to your printer and you had an idea.

“Well actually, I might have one or two things for you today,” you mused. “I need to ship this back to the printer – it’s their only proof they have and they need it back by Friday. Also, I was wondering if you could check the tracking/status on a package for me? It says it’s coming soon but I kind of need–”

“Say no more,” Seungmin cut you off, a grin spreading across his face. “Let me take care of the deliveries here, then I’ll check that package for you. I’ll also get the pricing for your canvas. Do you know how much it weighs? Dimensions?”

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

Once he finished the regular mail delivery, Seungmin headed back down to check both things for you. His boss allowed him to stay longer so he could assist with your requests. In between waiting for the FedEx guy to arrive and checking pricing options for your canvas, he got a message from his roommate, asking when he’d be home.

Peter

I can pick u up. Sent 14:29 PM

Seungmin

It’s fine. I gotta stay longer – had some special delivery requests. Sent 14:31 PM

I’ll take the bus or walk. Sent 14:31 PM

Peter

Nah I’ll come over. Tell me when okay? Sent 14:32 PM

“My roommate Sir,” Seungmin sighed when his boss noticed him replying to the messages in his phone. “He’s my ride home. Told him I’m working later today.”

“Nice roommate,” his boss commented.

Seungmin hid a wince as he glanced at the security footage for the front of the building, spotting the FedEx guy entering the lobby. He buzzed the guy in and stuck his head out of the mail room.

The FedEx guy unloaded several parcels and prompted Seungmin for a signature, claiming they were received. He scrawled a quick, electronic signature and thanked the guy before carefully lifting the parcels and putting them on his cart.

He paused by the computer where he had scribbled down pricing for the canvas options before he made his way upstairs. He noticed everyone else was leaving your office and he excused himself, maneuvering around the other employees.

“One special delivery for Miss Y/N,” Seungmin announced.

You turned in your seat and beamed as you took the package from him. He produced a scrap of paper with the quotes for the canvas and you peered at his writing, trying to decide the best option.

“How about the courier? Am I too late?” you asked.

“Nah I can call him and have him come here in a few minutes,” he reassured you. “Thank you Y/N, you saved me.”

“You helped a lot,” you remarked. “I’m about to leave, can I come hang out with you until the courier shows up?”

He nodded and took your canvas. “I’ll put it in a poster tube and get the label ready. You take your time okay?”

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

“Well you got a few more hours away from him,” you teased Seungmin as you walked out of the building.

Seungmin sighed with a shake of his head as a free hand removed his cell phone from his pocket. He shot you a look before taking the call.

“I’m leaving now. No I’ll take the bus. No man it’s fine!” Seungmin groaned. “Oh okay fine. I’m out front. Bye.”

“He’s picking you up?”

“Yeah, but I told him I wanted to take the bus or walk,” Seungmin said. “He’s a student like me, but he does an internship with a radio station. Normally he does it a few weeknights and the weekends, but they thought he had midterms this week.” He turned to face you and flashed you a sympathetic smile. “If I were you, I’d probably leave before he sees you – he might start trying to use cheesy pick-up lines on you once he gets a good look at you.”

“I’m probably too old for him,” you reassured him. “I don’t mind waiting with you Seung, it’s the least I can do for you after you helped me with my stuff.”

The young man sighed as he craned his neck, spotting a black car turning into the drop off area for your building. He raised a hand toward the driver and glanced over his shoulder at you.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

You nodded and turned to head to the employee parking structure where your car was. You thought you heard Seungmin arguing with the driver, but you focused on getting to your car so you could get home right away.

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

The weekend was uneventful, with you doing a bit more decorating of your new space and chatting with your parents to let them know how things were going. Once the new week started, you focused on work again.

You heard the mail cart roll down the row and you heard a familiar voice greet you. You turned in your seat and accepted the mail from Seungmin, who had a nervous look on his face.

“Hey Seung, something wrong?” you asked.

He grimaced and slightly moved his head side to side. “I know you walked fast last week when you waited with me,” he began, “but I’m afraid Peter saw you and now he’s asking me if you’re single. I already told him that you’re older than him, but that didn’t work. I’m sorry Y/N noona.”

You shrugged and put the mail on a free section of your desk. “Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault – you don’t have control over him.”

Seungmin leaned against the cart and murmured that he knew that. He bit his lip and asked if he needed to make up some kind of excuse for you to get his roommate to drop the subject of possibly asking you out.

“I mean, I can tell him you’re not into younger guys or something,” he offered. “Look, I said he’s not a bad guy, but I think he’s trying too hard–”

“I mean, how bad is he?” you cut off.

“He’s chatty but not misogynistic,” Seungmin said. “I know some of his dates felt he was too hyper for them and they said, he’s nice, but he’s like the Energizer Bunny and it was too much to handle. Or they felt he was a bit immature. He never went far after the date – trust me, he’s not that kind of guy to put out, unless you say something.”

You leaned back in your chair and swiveled left to right slightly. Ever since you arrived here, you struggled to make friends or even find time to date. Your mom had asked if you met anyone interesting yet, which made you change the subject quickly. Part of it was due to work and you made excuses saying you were still settling into your new place.

“Um, what does he look like?”

Seungmin raised a brow at your question and you prompted him to show you a picture of his roommate. The young man pulled out his phone and unlocked it, before clicking on the Instagram app and scrolling to his roommate’s page. He flicked through the posts, then paused when he found one that he liked.

“I get why girls find him attractive,” Seungmin stated as he showed you his phone. “And by the way, that’s his skin – no filters or makeup. Yeah, I’ve been trying to figure out his skincare routine for a while, but no luck.”

You leaned forward to look at the image of the young man sporting a sharp pinstripe suit while leaning against the window sill. His light colored hair was styled back, his gaze focused to the right.

Seungmin was right, his roommate was handsome. But you detected a slight twinkle in his eye based on this photo, which made you think that he was probably more lighthearted and fun than shown. You nodded and leaned back in your chair as Seungmin put his phone away.

“I mean...how would he be if we met for coffee or dessert only?” you offered. “I’m not talking a serious date, more like an icebreaker, sorta?”

“Wait, seriously? Y/N don’t force yourself to consider a date with him if you’re not that interested,” the young man said.

You shrugged and confessed that you wanted to get out and meet more people.

“I mean, not to friendzone him right off the bat,” you began, “but I haven’t had time to meet more people, aside from my co-workers up here and you. You um, mind giving me his number?”

One of your co-workers stuck her head out of her cubicle and asked about her mail. Seungmin apologized to her and reassured her that he was on his way to her cube. Satisfied with his response, your co-worker went back inside and the young man took this as a sign that he needed to get back to work.

Seungmin straightened up and moved to the front of his cart. He took the brake off and paused before continuing his route. “Tell you what, I’ll let him know that you might be free to do something lowkey. I can introduce you over text and you guys can take it from there.”

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

Eventually you exchanged messages with Peter and decided to meet up at a trendy dessert cafe that opened near your complex. You made sure to get out of work on time and headed back to your place to freshen up.

You placed your keys on the kitchen counter closest to the door, then made a beeline for the bathroom to brush your teeth and touch up your makeup. Instead of changing clothes, you felt your current ensemble of a t-shirt tucked into the waistband of your high-waisted skirt was perfect. You swapped out your heels for flats and dug around for a casual jacket to replace your blazer.

Peter

Hi noona! Did you want me to pick you up? Sent 18:41 PM

Y/N

Hey Peter, no I’ll meet you there. It’s really close and I’d love to walk over. Sent 18:42 PM

You draped the jacket over one arm and put your phone into a smaller purse, along with your wallet and ID. As you headed for the door, you frowned when you saw the counter by the door empty. You froze, looking around for the keys, while your brain tried to remember exactly where you put them.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, you opened your eyes again and decided to check everywhere in the kitchen. They weren’t on a counter and you didn’t see them on a hook by the door, which held your rain and winter coats. You knelt down to check if you dropped them on the floor somewhere, sighing when you couldn’t find them.

I know I didn’t open a drawer, you thought, deciding to backtrack to the bathroom and your room to check again. Both places came up empty and you sighed, emerging from your bedroom to try the kitchen one more time.

As you approached the kitchen, your eyes widened when you saw your keys on the counter, along with the envelope from the previous owners, which you kept forgetting to open. Your hand reached out, then retracted from the keys. What was going on? A few moments ago you couldn’t find them, and here they were, right where you thought you placed them. Except, you didn’t remember leaving the envelope out.

Shakily, you picked up your keys and slowly lifted the envelope from the counter. It had your name on the front and you flipped it around to lift the flap up.

Inside was a typed letter from the previous owners, printed front and back. Your eyes skimmed the contents, which primarily congratulated you for buying their old place, rules about guests and parking, utilities covered by the complex, etc.

Before you could flip it over to read the other side, your phone buzzed and you dug around in your bag for it.

“Hey Y/N noona, I hope Peter doesn’t drive you insane,” Seungmin said. “He left a few minutes ago – said you were gonna meet him there.”

“Oh um, yeah, I’m on my way,” you confirmed. “Hey, if you get a quiet night in, that’s all that matters. Hope you can enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Be gentle if you have to let him down,” Seungmin warned. “I know you won’t be a bitch, but he can be a bit fragile after a failed date.”

“This is technically a meet-up, not a date in a way,” you admitted, cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear. “He didn’t dress to the nines, did he?”

“Oh no, I told him you were going to be coming from work,” Seungmin reassured you. “I’ll let you go – don’t wanna keep you.”

You thanked him before hanging up and putting the letter down on the counter. You could finish reading it later – right now, you didn’t want to keep Peter waiting.

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

“Y/N noona?”

You looked up from your phone to see the young man from the picture, this time dressed in a blue button-down shirt tucked into a neat pair of black jeans. As your eyes met, his shy expression melted away to a brilliant smile.

You extended both hands to shake his and he took them, giving them a firm shake.

“It’s nice to meet Seungmin’s roommate,” you replied.

Peter nodded and took the seat opposite you. He gestured to the menu and asked if you had ordered yet. You shook your head and explained that you were waiting for him to arrive.

“Ah you’re too sweet noona, you didn’t have to!” he protested. He picked up his menu and looked it over, biting his lip as he tried to make a quick decision. He peered over the top of the menu and asked if you were okay with cheesecake.

You shot him a quick smile and declined, explaining you had your eye on a berry tart. “But we can order different things,” you insisted. “After all, this is meant to be more of a lowkey meet-up.”

Peter bit his lip behind his menu and nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. He looked around for a waiter and froze when he saw who it was.

“Felix?”

“Oh hey!” the young man greeted as he came over. “You live with Seungmin, right?”

Peter nodded and he put his menu down. He looked at you as he asked if you were ready to order and you agreed, turning to look at the waiter.

“Felix, right?” you asked.

The waiter nodded and produced a pen and order pad. “What may I get for you?”

You pointed out the berry tart and thanked him as you passed over your menu. Peter held out his menu and ordered the cheesecake sampler, before asking if you wanted to order drinks.

“Oh I’m cool with water,” you confirmed.

“Oh um, okay then! Same here,” Peter replied. “Thanks Felix.”

The waiter excused himself and went off to key in your orders. Peter jabbed a thumb behind him and explained that he knew him through a neighbor.

“There’s this guy who lives on our floor by the elevator and he started dating Felix,” Peter explained.

��So he’s the fairy?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, Seung joked that your neighbor started seeing a fairy-like guy,” you explained.

“Hah, oh yeah, he sorta does have fairy visuals,” Peter remarked. “Funny thing is, this guy who lives in our building, he looks like the epitome of darkness and hardcore stuff. So to see him with Felix, it’s kinda –”

“A TV trope?” you offered.

Peter nodded and you fell silent as Felix returned with water glasses. Both of you thanked him and the young waiter informed you that your desserts were coming out shortly.

“Not to rush you, but are you paying together or separate?” Felix asked as he clasped his hands together.

You opened your mouth to say separate, but Peter beat you to it, saying it was one bill. Felix nodded and excused himself to check on your desserts.

“We can split if you want,” you spoke up. “I brought money.”

Peter shook his head and flashed you a smile. “No I’m not making noona pay on our date.”

Didn’t Seungmin tell him this wasn’t one? you thought, the smile still frozen on your face. Well, maybe it was a slip...

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

“You didn’t have to,” you said.

Peter shrugged his shoulders and replied it was no big deal. He pushed his hands into his pockets as he walked beside you.

The desserts were good and Peter was pretty nice. But his roommate wasn’t kidding when he described him as a chatterbug. You almost wondered how that guy got a moment to breathe with all of the questions he fired at you, all while taking brief breaks to try the five different cheesecakes he got in the sampler. At one point he tried to persuade you to try one of his, which had strawberry in it, but you declined, explaining you weren’t a big fan of the dessert. He seemed crestfallen at this revelation, but eventually bounced back and asked what you did like to eat.

By the time the bill came, you tried to put down your share of the tab, but he shot you a look as he tugged it closer to him. You gave up and thanked him, planning to walk home and take it easy the rest of the night. But he insisted on walking you home.

You had to give him credit for being a gentleman and making sure you got home safely, but honestly, you were ready to curl up in bed and be a bit anti-social. Seungmin was right – his roommate was sweet, but a bit too energetic for you to handle. Once you reached the gate that blocked out non-residents from entering without a key, you turned and thanked Peter.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your door?” he asked with a slightly concerned look.

You waved it away as nothing and explained your place was secure past this point. One hand slotted the key into the gate’s lock and you turned it, pulling it toward you. You stepped through and glanced back briefly at Peter.

“Hey it was nice meeting you,” you told him. “Next time, how about you, me, and Seung hang out and get coffee. On me, by the way.”

“Oh um, ye-yeah! Yeah that’s cool,” he said. He tilted his head and murmured, “I um, I ruined it, didn’t I?”

“Sorry?” you asked as you backtracked, holding the gate open slightly.

“The date?” he said.

“Peter...I’ll be honest, I thought Seungmin told you it wasn’t really a date,” you confessed. “See, I wanted to meet new people and I thought it would be cool to meet Seungmin’s roommate. I’m sorry there was miscommunication.”

Peter blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah he did tell me it wasn’t a big deal,” he replied, “but I’ll admit I was a little hopeful. I don’t wanna seem desperate, but I like the idea of being with someone and showing them I care, you know?”

“I get that,” you said. “I had a good time tonight and I would like to meet up again as friends, if that’s okay. Right now, I’m not in a good space to date, if you get me.”

He nodded and raised a hand to say goodbye. “If the coffee hangout still stands, I’d like that. I think Seungmin would like that too. Thanks again.”

You bid him good night before slipping through the gate and heading to the elevator leading to your floor. You quietly congratulated yourself for handling the situation well, as the young man seemed to understand where you were coming from and realized that a friendship was possible. Once the elevator reached your floor, you stepped off and made a beeline for your door.

You immediately took your flats off at the door and arranged them under your coat hooks. One hand reached up to place the keys on the empty hook over your head and you felt a warm presence touch your hand, taking your keys from you to put on the hook. You slowly averted your gaze from your flats, spotting a second pair of feet beside you. Gradually, your eyes traveled from the black boots, the long legs, the broad shoulders, and the angular jaw of a young man in his twenties.

You took a step back in shock as you watched the young man place your keys on the hook and you blinked a few times to make sure you weren’t imagining things. At first glance, his face reminded you of Yeji’s, but you noticed his brows were fuller and he had a small beauty mark under one of his eyes. Then you remembered Yeji’s cousin who died before graduation. Could this be...?

“Are you...?” you whispered.

“The guy who died here? Sam Hwang?” he offered.

You raised a brow in confusion. Sam? “Um, Yeji never told me your name.”

Now it was his turn to look confused. “You know my cousin?”

“Um kind of?” you confessed. “My friend introduced us. She only revealed she lost a cousin who went to the same school, but that’s it. No offense...but what is your birth name? You don’t look like a Sam to me.”

His eyes closed, giving him a cute eye smile as he laughed lightly. “Hyunjin. Jin or Jinnie is fine with me.”

You straightened up and stared at the young man. He had a faint glow around him and you suddenly remembered some of the odd things that took place: the box being opened, keys misplaced, bed turned down, and the warm hug after your rough night.

“You were behind all of those things, weren’t you?” you asked in a soft voice. “Was this your dorm room?”

He nodded and glanced over at your kitchen, gesturing to the area where you placed your bar stools. “How about we sit and talk?”

You agreed as you walked around him, eyes barely leaving him as you took a seat. The letter from the previous owners was within reach and you moved it closer, remembering the other side you forgot to read.

Hyunjin took a seat beside you and watched as you skimmed through the second side of the letter. He propped an elbow on the counter and rested his chin in his hand. “No they didn’t see me, but sometimes I played a few light jokes on them,” he spoke up. “They were pretty nice. Kind of got nervous when they left, but then you moved in and you seemed like a good person.”

You tore your eyes from the letter and put it down on the counter, turning to look at your ghostly companion. You struggled to find the words to ask the question you had been wondering for a while, but wondered if that seemed rude. Almost as if he could read your mind, Hyunjin reached over and rested a hand on top of yours.

“It was a misunderstanding,” he said in a soft voice. “A friend of mine left a party with a frat president’s ex and the guy thought it was me. He came over looking for his girlfriend and pushed me around. I hit my head pretty hard and, well, things got fuzzy and I remember blacking out. Eventually I realized I didn’t make it and...”

“Please tell me he got jail for what he did to you,” you whispered.

Hyunjin shrugged and explained that he never knew what happened to the frat president. “I felt like I couldn’t leave and eventually the school sold the building. What you heard about wanting the dorm on campus is only part of the truth – they didn’t want to advertise a dormitory where a student was killed.”

You swallowed hard as the news sunk in and you stared down at your hands. It was a lot to process at once and you closed your eyes before taking a deep breath. Hyunjin watched you and gently rubbed his thumb on top of your hand.

“I’m so sorry Hyunjin,” you said after a moment.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said. He cast a glance at the door and allowed a faint smirk to cross his lips. “So, that date didn’t go so well, huh?”

You snapped your head up and glanced at him in confusion. He snorted and explained that he heard you speaking to someone on the phone about a date tonight.

“Care to explain why you keep hiding my keys?” you asked with a teasing smile.

Hyunjin blinked and looked away, suddenly looking bashful. “Well...wait, I asked you first!”

“Were you jealous?” you teased.

“Ah...maybe. Fine, yes,” he huffed. “I thought noona seemed nice and I started to enjoy your company. Originally I hid your keys for fun, just to see if you could figure out that I was here. But then when you talked about seeing someone else, I sort of felt...I don’t know? Sad? Jealous?”

“I wasn’t going to bring him home,” you reassured the ghost. “Also, it wasn’t a date. The guy seemed interesting and I wanted to meet him after hearing so much about him from his roommate.”

Hyunjin tilted his head and asked if you planned to see the guy again. You raised a brow at him and replied that it would only be as friends.

“Relax Hyunjin, no boy’s coming home with me for a long time,” you promised. “Actually, speaking of which, I really wanna go change and curl up in bed.” You moved to get off your stool and Hyunjin slowly rose from his.

“Do you want space tonight?” he asked. “I’m sorry about that one time. You seemed down and I wanted to make sure you were all right and getting enough sleep.”

You turned to face him and flashed him a soft smile. “No, don’t apologize. I didn’t know I needed someone to comfort me until you did. Thank you.” You glanced over at your bedroom, then back at the ghost. “You mind cuddling tonight?”

#Stray Kids Hyunjin #Hwang Hyunjin #Hwang Hyunjin AU #Skz Hyunjin #Happy Birthday Hyunjin #Hwang Hyunjin Day #Itzy Yeji #Itzy Lia #Lee Felix #Kim Seungmin #Han Jisung #yourkeeperoftherunners original #number 2933

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malgal7777 · 3 years

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Hiking with Tracy 2021: Weekend 3, the Lost Weekend

As I went back to re-read my blog I noticed I had cut off my WHOLE weekend of 4/17!! This is my 20 mile walk from the Emeryville Marina to the Richmond Marina and back via the Bay Trail along the water & Hwy 80. So let me try to reenact my journey!

The theme of this hike was “Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around” - Once again I tip my hat to the great Jerry Garcia. Not sure if you all figured it out, but I love Jerry. I came to the Bay Area to follow the Grateful Dead’s music and I never left.

This particular hike was absolutely beautiful. I wish it wasn’t so I can mix this blog up, but sorry folks, you live in a beautiful area. Even along a dirty highway, there are things of beauty all around you. Take for example this hike, wildflowers everywhere. Even popping out of the sidewalk. I'm reminded of Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park...”Life refuses to be contained...it just finds a way”. And sure enough, Sunflowers out of the sidewalk!

Since I was next to a highway, I went with headphones this time around. One of my positives during this pandemic is my rekindled love for music radio stations. I love listening to a radio station and I definitely have my favorite DJ’s. My personal favorites this past year were: WWOZ - a local New Orleans station; KCSM - a Bay Area jazz station and KXT - out of Dallas, TX. These stations literally kept me sane during the lockdowns. I highly recommend them, especially if you’re cooking, doing chores or working in the garden.

This particular morning I went with WWOZ. And what a good decision that was. Ron Phillips was spinning his favorite Saturday morning tunes and I was going down the road feeling BAD (as in good)! Irma Thomas, Anders Osborne, The Subdudes and a little known singer/songwriter out of New Orleans, Chris Smithers. If you get overwhelmed and about to burst...stream Chris Smithers “Let it Go”. So funny. Anders Osborne is a name my friends have been trying to get me into for a long time. And I’m a bozo, definitely missed the boat on this one! From his new album, try this song: Welcome to Earth.

Ok, so I digress! Back to the walk. In one of my last posts, I mentioned the people I meet. Well this am was a doozy! As I was grooving to the sweet sounds of the Crescent City I was approached by a group of ladies. They had a question for me: What’s more important in a relationship: Love or Economics? My first response was “Wow, you ladies don’t mess around for a Saturday morning! Going deep on me”. But, because I’m me, I had an answer. Now usually I would have said Love, Love, Love. Hands down right? But they caught me at a weird time. I have been obsessively thinking of a comment I overheard from another group of ladies while doing my Diablo hike. One of them had commented “I have no desire to marry just for love. Forget that, I need to be economically stable”. My reaction was pity for this poor girl. I literally felt sorry for her. The more I thought about it (obsessively for two weeks) I came to realize, she didn’t necessarily say she wasn’t going to work, she just wanted someone with their shit together and would contribute to their family being comfortable. What’s wrong with that? Is being comfortable taboo now? So when my Bay Trail friends asked me, that’s how I answered. Love was great but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable, isn’t that love after all? I obviously made one of the women very happy. She loved it. The other two nodded and smiled, they were on Love’s side. So we said our goodbyes and I felt like I had gotten a weight off my shoulders. As I was walking away though...I asked myself...But didn’t YOU marry for love? And sure enough, I did. Bob & I didn’t have a pot to piss in. And while we’re not the Rockefeller's, we’re comfortable enough for us. I love him dearly and love has to be the basis that you build your financial future upon. If you don’t have that, it get’s ugly when $$ is involved. The best part of this moment was that song “Welcome to Earth” was playing as I was coming to this realization and the last line is literally “Love is always the answer”. The Universe works in mysterious ways! But, where were the ladies...I wanted to change my answer??!! No where to be found. Man, I blew it. I would now obsessively think about this for the next 20 miles. Told you I was a bozo.

By this time I had reached The Albany bulb. A Bay Area gem to the north of Golden Gate Fields. There’s a great beach and then it jets out into a peninsula which is covered with art installations all over. I’ll talk more about that later, since I came back on Sunday to finish my 25 miles. This morning though I watched a group of swimmers about to enter the freezing bay waters, no wet suit mind you! CRAZY and No Thank You! Brrr. Next Stop, Point Isabel, dog heaven. A large open spaced off-leach dog park. I go there all the time. If you have a dog, you should take them. They will love you even more than they already do.

Now past Point Isabel is where the trail gets interesting. You start to wander away from the highway and are now among the prettiest beaches and marshes. It’s an interesting view of the Bay Bridge and you can no longer see the Golden Gate Bridge as you veer north of it. You now start to come upon single family homes along the trail. You’re instantly reminded of Cape Cod. A ocean view from Richmond, CA. The best part is once you see this neighborhood you know you’re close to the marina. And sure enough, I turned the bend and there in front of me was the Ford Assembly plant, my 1/2 way point. But, it’s a very cruel joke. You see the plant across the opening of the marina, it’s literally right there!! Then the realization hits you in order to get to it you need to go around the WHOLE marina. And as you continue to walk and go around another bend, the sidewalk gets longer and longer and longer. The Richmond Marina is HUGE. Lovely though. Large green spaces with people doing yoga; a ladies bootcamp class along the water; boats coming and going from the marina and two pretty cute restaurants also along the water.

I finally made it to the Ford Assembly Plant and now Richmond Ferry Terminal. The assembly plant hosts seasonal events, we’ve been to the women’s roller derby ones. Nothing like watching tough chicks bully each other on roller skates. Then there are a few businesses strewn throughout the building. Dolls Kill, which I believe is a clothing business for those on the freakier side of the spectrum. And Mountain Hardware! Quality clothing for the outdoorsy types. I should have gone in and gotten a windbreaker. The wind was pretty brutal.

The best part was of course the Rosie The Riveter museum. A museum dedicated to the women that left the kids at home and joined the workforce to help build ships during WWII. This whole area was built for the war effort. Richmond grew from 25,000 to over 100,000 within three years!!! Can you imagine? How does any town build the infrastructure needed to maintain that population? Grocery stores? Clothing? Schools? Highly recommended. It’s a suggested donation, so don’t be cheap, donate. You won’t be disappointed. I once brought Charlotte and a couple of her Girl Scout troop there to meet a real life “Rosie”. She told the girls her story and it was of course about LOVE! The trials and tribulations of her and her partner as he was fighting in the war and she was here making the ships that would keep him safe. Man, where were those 3 ladies!!

The way back was pretty much the same. I made it! Now onto Sunday, 4/18. The Albany Bulb! A Bay Area gem. Bob & I have been coming here for years. Way back when it was a landfill full of broken concrete slabs and rebar. Some artist types took it upon themselves to start living there. They kept the concrete slabs and rebar and started to make installations out of them. Giant sized figures; rows of wooden paintings; mazes and one guy even built a concrete castle along the water facing the Golden Gate Bridge. Best real estate in the Bay. They exemplified the phrase “one mans trash is another man’s treasure”. Of course the stuffed shirts got wind and kicked them out. But gave the stuffed shirts an idea...Hey, why not make a park out of this dirty unused lot? Duh. So before you harass your kid for taking art classes, remember it’s usually the artists who push the rest of society in the right direction.

It’s also a great place to bird watch and now the wildflowers are a blooming, so it’s quite serene. If you’re looking for some inspiration, this is the place for you.

So my posts/weeks are a bit out of order. Oh well! It’s my blog and I’ll create chaos if I want to!

I’ll end on this note: Love is ALWAYS the answer.

So sponsor me (hehehe): https://runsignup.com/tracyalbert/Donate

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fallout4holmes · 4 years

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Nuka-World 4

Holmes woke up not long after sunrise. I made sure he ate something, and we came out to see Gage waiting at the bar. "The Overboss wakes," he greeted, standing up. "Well, you came back in one piece. That's a good sign. Everything all peachy with our friendly neighborhood psychopaths?"

"'Peachy' isn't quite the adjective I'd use," Holmes said as he lit a cigarette. "The leaders have their doubts, but are willing to give me a chance."

Gage winced, "Hoo, boy. Not exactly what I was hoping for."

"Most of their doubts seem to come from the fact that this is your idea."

"Damn, they ain't gonna make this easy," Gage grumbled, and put a confident face on. "Ok, time to roll up your sleeves, boss. There's work to be done. See, this place is huge. Divided up into sections. Parks, whatever the hell they called 'em back in the day. We need to take 'em all back, one at a time."

"You hope that having more space will prevent the chance of someone… doing something rash."

Gage chuckled, "That's one way to put it. Every section we secure gives us a little more breathing room, and more resources. And it'd be good to have a few less threats surrounding us, too."

As much as I hated to admit it, it made sense. Gage was smarter than he looked. Spending time away from raider central might also be something Holmes and I could work to our advantage, assuming we survived.

Gage continued explaining, "You stake a claim, plant a little flag for one of the gangs, and that settles it. That park is theirs for good. Who gets what, that'll be your call. Whoever you hand it off to will appreciate it, but the others might get a little jealous. You know how it goes."

To say I was skeptical would be an understatement. "Plant a flag? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," he shot me a hard stare and focused on Holmes. "Look, you leave it up to anyone else, the gangs'll all just fight over who deserves the space. Lot of these idiots can't read, so it needs to be as plain as day for them to get on board. They know what to watch for. So that's it. Nice and simple, right?" He grinned, "And hey—we're in this together, so I might as well go all-in. You want me watching your back, you just say the word."

"No thanks," I fumed.

Gage ignored me, but made his case to Holmes, "C'mon boss, you gonna turn down another gun?"

Holmes was unimpressed, "At this moment, yes. My partner and I are equipped to handle whatever this park may throw at us."

Gage shrugged, "Suit yourself. Change your mind, I'll be around."

Holmes took the sack of flags Gage had whipped up and we headed out.

“Are we really doing this?” I asked in a low voice as we walked.

“Clearing out the parks could be of use to the traders in the long run,” Holmes murmured back.

“Not if they’re populated with raiders,” I grumbled.

Holmes didn’t respond, and I started to get concerned as he kept walking all the way to the front gate. “Holmes. You think they’re going to let us…” Holmes walked right out the front gate of the park without anyone saying a word. “... never mind.”

Of course, it wasn’t hard to see why the raiders weren’t worried about us flying the coop. The collapsed remains of a highway decorated the vast emptiness in front of us, the dust of a post-apocalyptic parking lot, mountains in the distance.

My fingers brushed his, "Long walk back home."

The corner of his mouth quirked in the smallest grin. “Indeed. Come, we can talk without fear of being overheard if we stay outside the walls.” He started moving, following a walkway around the east side of the park. I followed close behind. “Hopefully we can find something in these other parks we can use to our advantage,” he said. “I also need more information on the threats Gage mentioned.”

“How about giant crickets?” I asked and drew my gun as three of the overgrown insects leaped straight for us.

“Not exactly what I had in mind,” Holmes said as he slashed at them with his blade.

Hopping horrors dispatched, we kept walking. “Wonder what other delightful surprises we’ll find,” I joked.

"Have you given any thought to Dr. Bridgeman's idea?" Holmes asked.

"Killing the leaders and hoping the rest of the raiders spontaneously give up?"

He chuckled at my skepticism. "She's at least correct in that the leaders will have to be killed."

"And all three live in places with only one way in or out."

"Perhaps we can turn them against each other somehow."

"All three at once?"

Holmes was pensive. I let him think.

“You realize we’re walking right toward the kid’s park?” I asked after a bit.

“What gave it away, the ferris wheel or the giant lollipops in front of the gate?”

“Don’t get snarky just because you’re in a bad mood.”

We walked through the gate to the Kiddie Kingdom. Right on cue, a voice came on over the ancient PA system, “Well now, friends, it seems we have another uninvited guest to the park.”

I sighed, “Sherlock, if we have to run through another goddamn gauntlet, then you’re sleeping on the sofa.”

He smirked as he drew his gun and I followed suit. “You don’t use the bed unless I’m in it, Nick.”

“It’s the principal of the thing.”

The voice over the speakers was still talking, a ringmaster to whatever twisted circus we’d just stepped into, “Up! Up, performers! It's time for another show! Though I doubt you'll even make it to the Theater, stranger.” We started moving further into the park, and Holmes’s Pip-Boy started clicking real fast. “Shall we take bets on where this one shuffles off? What do you think, friends, the tunnels? The Fun House?” The voice laughed maniacally, and ferals shambled out of the rust.

“That your geiger counter doing cartwheels?” I shouted to my partner as we fired on the ferals.

“Yes! And I don’t think it’s just the ferals!”

First batch of ferals down, I realized Holmes was right. There was a haze across the park, a radioactive mist. “It’s got nothing on Far Harbor’s fog,” I grumbled, “but we shouldn’t linger all the same.”

“Valentine, look at these ferals. They’re wearing face paint. It’s fresh, recently applied.”

“How the heck does a person get close enough to a feral to paint its face without losing a limb in the process?”

“Let’s find out,” he said, and headed further into the park.

Kiddie Kingdom may have delighted little kids back in the day, but now the confined walls and maze-like streets made navigating it difficult for two adults. Regular attacks from desiccated irradiated clowns didn’t help, nor did the mocking voice that followed us everywhere.

“Do you enjoy that lovely glowing mist?” the voice laughed as a feral knocked Holmes under a mist-sprayer turned deadly, “Feels great to us! Why, we've got sprayers all over Kiddie Kingdom to keep you cool and irradiated.”

I ran forward to help, shoving Holmes out of the way and blasting the feral in the head. It ain’t often I’m glad to be made of metal, but not having to worry about rads is definitely a perk. Holmes was already taking a RadAway when I turned back to him, a distance from the sprayers. “You alright?”

“I’ve been better,” he shrugged. “The man in charge here is a ghoul.”

“Yeah, figured as much. He said something about tunnels when we first got here, they’re probably lacking the mist sprayers.”

“Might be just as irradiated for other reasons,” Holmes nodded, “but worth investigating.”

“Where do we start?”

Holmes nodded over my shoulder, “Let’s try the Employees Only entrance over there.”

“Wise ass.”

The door was locked, but that’s never stopped Holmes before. If they wanted to keep people out, they should have bought a stronger lock. Once upon a time the tunnels would have been used to get employees where they needed to be and fix what needed fixing, without ruining the illusion of a fantasy world for the kids on the surface. Two hundred years later, a pair of old relics made their way inside, expecting the usual sorts of things one finds in tunnels these days; radroaches, ferals, mole rats of unusual size.

The bunk beds were a surprise.

Journal entries on a terminal answered a lot of the big questions. The employees of Kiddie Kingdom before the War had enough foresight, given the state of the world at the time, to make an emergency plan for just in case the world ended. And it paid off--they gathered everyone they could, employees and park guests alike, underground into the tunnels when the bombs fell. They were doing alright for themselves, until a radiation storm tore through. Lots of folks died from the radiation, and the rest became ghouls. They kept going, doing their best to defend their settlement and newfound family.

Then a hundred years later, some started to turn feral. They called it "The Affliction," thought it was an illness. Maybe it is, in a way. No one really knows what makes a ghoul go feral, but living near a radioactive water supply for a century probably didn't help. Now it seemed the only sane one left was the guy running this deadly show.

We made our way through the tunnels and overheard him talking, irritated. “What are you doing out of costume again? You know Nuka fires people for breaking character.”

A feral growled.

Holmes and I crept closer and got a glimpse into a windowed maintenance room. A man in a magician’s tuxedo and top hat was putting makeup on a ghoul. His back was to us, but he sounded just like the ghoul over the speakers.

"Yes, of course I'm kidding," he said to the feral, "but seriously, the clown make up helps scare the invaders off and there's a new one in the park."

The feral growled.

The magician sounded puzzled, "No. No, I don't think that's going to work this time. There's something different about this one."

An angrier growl this time.

The magician growled back. "See?" he said, irritated, "I can do that too. Now stop squirming."

The feral growled. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought it was apologizing.

The magician certainly thought so. "Sorry. I know you can't help it. We just have to hold out till she gets back with a cure. Then we'll drive the Raiders out and get the farm back in order."

Holmes and I shared a look. A cure? For ferals?

The magician continued, "We'll fix this. I promise." He put down the face paint, "There. Back in character. I need to prepare some more surprises for our visitor, so I'll leave you to find your way out."

That was our cue to get moving.

"A cure for ferals, Valentine!" Holmes's voice was hushed but no less firm. "That man is waiting for a cure that doesn't exist, and will probably keep doing so for eternity."

"All the folks here thought going feral was some sort of disease, makes sense they'd want a cure. Sounded like someone went out searching for one."

"If we can find him, perhaps we can talk some sense into him."

I frowned, "Hold on. I'm all for being noble, but I'm not keen on the idea of fighting more ferals and you getting a green suntan."

"We both know radiation doesn't cause super mutants--"

"I'm referring to how sick you're going to look dying of radiation poisoning!" I was irritated, thought I could hear the gears in my jaw grind.

“I’m not fond of the thought either. Yet, if we don’t have some evidence for our activities out here, we will attract suspicion from the raiders. The magician will have to leave eventually, and I would rather convince him through reason than violence.”

I sighed, “Alright. I don’t like it, but I guess you got a point. It would look bad if their big tough leader came crawling back without finishing the job he set out to do, and if they decide you’re the wrong man for the job, they'll put a bullet in your brain, or a collar around your neck. I don't even want to think about what they'd try to do to me."

He nodded, “We have to follow Gage’s plan, at least until we have the opportunity to contact the Commonwealth.”

“What’s that going to do?”

He grinned, “I have an idea.”

“You gonna share it with me?”

“Once we’re out of this death trap carnival. The first thing our ghoulish host said when we entered the park was that we would never make it to the theater, and the only place in this park with a theater is the castle. That's where he's waiting."

We exited the tunnels just in time to hear an ancient recording announce that tickets for Oswald the Outrageous’s magic show were sold out. At least we had a name for our tormentor. He was certainly living up to it.

Holmes was right; King Cola’s Castle was the park’s stage theater, where they’d put on a couple shows for the kids. One was a play, the other was a magic act. Now the magician was waiting for us on the stage, skin glowing under the brim of his hat. I’d heard stories about sentient glowing ones, dismissed them as just tall tales and rumors. Guess I was wrong.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d make it this far,” Oswald said as we entered. “I can tell you're different than the usual invaders, so I'll not bother with the usual tricks and illusions I use to scare off the superstitious.” Holmes and I kept walking, slowly getting closer to the stage while the showman had his moment, “When the bombs fell, everything changed. We changed. And somehow I received a gift. Actual magic. The stuff of legends. Perhaps you'd like to see some?”

Holmes and I shared a look and started moving faster.

We were too late. Like a wizard summoning a creature, and all the over-the-top theatrics he’d need to do it, Oswald commanded, “Up!” and an army of ferals rose from between the seats. “No matter what you do, I can heal my friends, and we will protect what is ours!”

“Damn it,” I shouted, “we’re not the ones you should be fighting!”

You don’t get a whole lot of chances to chat when a feral’s trying to chew your limbs off, so Holmes and I focused on the fight, just trying to get through until we could reach the mad magician.

“Well, it seems your asinine assault won't be dissuaded,” the glowing ghoul finally decided. “Then I guess it's time for our final act. Join me on the roof of King Cola's Castle and we'll see an end to this production.”

And he was gone in a puff of smoke.

“Holmes,” I grumbled, “it takes a lot to get me angry. This guy’s done it.”

Holmes nodded, “All of this unnecessary drama is certainly exhausting.”

I laughed a little, couldn’t help it, “Yeah? That’s funny coming from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we manage to convince him to see reason, the two of you could compare notes. It’s a shame you didn’t bring the Shroud outfit.”

Holmes rolled his eyes and tried not to smirk.

Oswald waited on the roof, like he’d said, a serrated sword in hand. “I'm not going to let you kill any more of my friends. This is our home, not yours.”

“We’re not the ones who just summoned an army of ferals to attack us,” I said. “Only thing we’ve done since stepping foot in this place was defend ourselves.”

“You invaders are all the same! You come in, steal whatever you can, kill the ‘monsters’ so you can take our home!” He sneered, “How many so-called ‘ferals’ have you needlessly slaughtered while ignorantly thinking you're doing the world a favor?!”

“Oswald,” Holmes said, and the man jumped. I imagine it had been a while since he’d heard his name said by something that wasn’t a recording. “We read the terminals in the tunnels. We know the radiation changed you and your friends, but you turned this place into a home… until your friends started getting sick. Are you the only one left?”

Oswald was suspicious, but when he answered he just sounded tired, “Over time, the illness took the minds of my friends... and those that we love.” Determined, he stated, “I am going to find a cure, and fix my friends before someone like you comes along and exterminates us all.”

“In two hundred years, no one has learned what causes a ghoul to turn fer- to get sick,” Holmes tried. “The only thing that is certain is that they don’t change back. It’s too late.”

“You're wrong!” Oswald shouted, angry, “Rachel is going to find a way to cure them, we're going to fix this!

“Who’s Rachel?” Holmes asked, alert.

Oswald calmed a little bit, but was no less defiant, “My beloved left this place years ago to find a cure to this disease. In return, I swore that I'd keep our people safe by defending our home. When Rachel walks back through those gates with the cure in hand, then you'll see, everyone will see, that I was right!”

“What if she never returns? How long are you going to wait?”

“I will stay here for as long as it takes. I've already watched two hundred years pass, what makes you think I can't wait two hundred more?”

I put a hand on Holmes’s shoulder, “Let the immortals talk this one out,” I said softly. He was about to protest, but Oswald was finally paying attention.

“I’ve never seen anything like you before,” he said.

I shrugged, “I imagine synths don’t make it out this way much. I don’t doubt for a moment you’ve got the fortitude to wait for eternity. You’ve done good, keeping this place safe. But I gotta ask… if you’re here defending the castle, who’s left to save the damsel in distress?”

He was alarmed, “Distress?”

“You haven’t heard from her in years. What if she needs your help?”

He shook his head, “I told her she shouldn’t, but she insisted… if I hadn’t been here, the raiders would have taken everything, killed all of our friends, family…”

Holmes stepped in, “Even if she’s safe, no one has been able to find a cure. To the best of my knowledge, no one’s ever tried. Such a discovery might well take two hundred more years, and if Rachel is going to succeed, she’s going to need help.”

Oswald was quiet for a long time. “Maybe you're right,” he said, subdued. “If Rachel is still out there, I'll find her and we'll search for this cure together.” He straightened up, “I'll gather what remains of my friends and we'll leave this place. Don't worry about the radiation, it will no longer be a burden to you and your kind…” he looked at me, “though I suppose it never bothered you at all, did it?”

“Nope,” I said. “Word of warning, if you see anything that looks like me, minus the fashion sense, it’s probably not friendly.”

He nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind.” He handed Holmes his sword, “Here, you should have this. Consider it an apology for misjudging you. Farewell.”

And he was gone, in a puff of smoke.

“Alright,” I lit a cigarette, “I’ll admit it. That trick’s neat.”

We both knew this Rachel was probably dead, but it didn't seem like telling Oswald that would have helped. And who knows? Maybe she really is trapped in a tower, waiting for rescue.

It's a pretty thought, anyway.

#fallout 4 #fanfic #nuka world #nick valentine #sherlock holmes #crossover

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andvs · 4 years

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◊ ♫ ◊— look what the cat dragged in! that’s ANDREA DE LUCA and SHE is an around 24-year-old REGULAR to the store, but they’ve been in the neighborhood for 1 YEAR & EIGHT MONTHS. I think they are a FASHION DESIGNER and I overheard them listening to UNSTEADY by X AMBASSADORS, and, I dunno man, it seemed pretty fitting. Like, call me shallow but I look at them and think of SOFIA CARSON and FEELING ALONE IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, FALTERED SMILES BEHIND DESIGNER GLASSES, and THE SOUND OF HEELS AGAINST MARBLE FLOORS.

tw: drug abuse mention

hi !! my name is courtney and this is my human elite trash bag andrea !! she is gio’s little sister (she was adopted but that’s another story hey) and she will ! judge you on what kind of clothes you are wearing :/ she’s that :// kind of person :/

name: andrea eleanora de luca nickname(s): the only person who would call her andrea is her mother, and only when she’s in trouble, otherwise it’s just andy :// sexuality: bisexual queen family: bart & samantha de luca (parents), aldo de luca (brother, older), giovanni de luca (brother, older) & beckett liao (nephew, younger)

she was only a few days old !! when her birth parents died,,,, supposedly,,,, and the de luca’s adopted her, probably for some pr stunt :/ or genuine kindness out of their hearts :/ but nevertheless, a spoiled life with a silver spoon in her mouth was what andrea grew up to knew, with her big brown eyes and adorable smile, it meant she was able to get away with more than what her brothers could ://

even from a young age, andrea was always so headstrong and competitive, she got what she wanted and it didn’t matter how she got it. in primary school she was always picked first in sports, she was ahead in her class, she was a mini regina george without everybody fanning over her rip andy’s rights ://

with the de luca’s being nothing more than successful, it drove andrea’s need to be better than everybody around her :// sorry if you went to school with her :// with her father being a senator, andy knew she had to at least live a pristine life, keeping things behind closed doors - so she learned, she studied hard and focused on school, aced every test, just to get her father’s attention. she kept her addiction to adhd medication a secret, her string of broken hearts and lipstick stains in the closet; all with a flutter of her eyelashes and a pretty smile.

fitting right into the de luca’s world of politics and high society, andrea got accepted into law school and it was there that her drug addiction came to a head; finally finding the confidence to confide in her mother who quietly sent her to rehab for a few months before college started on the condition that if she relapsed, she would be sent back home indefinitely. to be honest, andrea would have rather been locked away in a remote island than to go home.

she had a taste of freedom and she wanted more. andrea completed her stint at rehab and now that she was out of the house and away from the crushing pressure of being senator de luca’s daughter it was finally time to thrive and find out who andy really was. and she... really did not want to be a law student...... yikes. but still ! andy stuck it out because she ! was not going to be the second child to disappoint their parents !! when she was around 21 she met who she thought was the love :/ of her life :/ can i call double yikes??? im calling it

charlie was everything andrea thought love to be. he was charming, funny, smooth - awkward at the best times; andrea couldn’t help but love him completely. their love was a whirlwind of emotions - they talked about everything from how many kids, to what pets they wanted, talking about saving for an apartment after law school.... y’all they even got engaged :(((

planning a wedding while ??? still going to law school while deciding if you even still wanted to be a lawyer was just stress on stress .... for charlie apparently; on the day of what was supposed to be Andrea’s best day was probably one of the worst, because she was left at the alter by the person who she thought she was plannign to spend the rest of her life with ! standing there staring at an empty spot where her fiance was supposed to be with her entire family ? and high society friends ? staring at her ... embarrassing

shortly after, andy dropped out of law school and moved away. and she kept moving

she settled into new york, she went back to school eventually and worked on a fashion degree & she’s now (soon to be) starting her own fashion line ??? if she gets her shit in line !! we love a girl who has goals

i want to say gio and andy were close as kids but sudhejfkds lets be real andy was a spoiled kid who really only mellowed out in her late teens and by then it was prob too late !!! she lowkey misses him and wished she had someone to turn to ://

personality !!

she can be in a room full of people and still feel alone, she second guesses herself & who she is but ! she is still from a prestigious family so andy is outwardly elegant, poised, always with a smile on her face. she can be easily angered but since rehab she’s worked on letting go of a lot of shit that has the potential to ruin her. she knows her way around politics and a debate, though with her competitive streak comes her need for other medications she’s not prescribed so she tends to stay away from that.

in saying that though ! andy can also be manipulative to get what she wants, she’s blunt & can be overly sarcastic and critical of herself & others. especially if you have no dress sense.

in the last year or so she’s def more vulnerable and keeps more to herself, she used to revel in the spotlight but now she just kind of ? shies away from it from the last time she got bad publicity for being left at the altar :/

wanted connections !!

best friends - someone who knows allllll of this mess and can still !! put up with her shit would be !! amazing. i’m talking best friends who can potentially live together in an apartment doing !! best friend things !! g vie me

child hood friends - someone from andy’s childhood who probably ran in the same social circle as her. their families would be friends ?? u know. doctor fams, lawyer fams, ... rich fams. they don’t necessarily have to be friends now but !! someone who knew what andrea used to be like would be nice

enemies - hell fuckin yeah. someone andrea just cant stand, y’know, it can be completely one-sided on andy’s part & your characters just caught in the crossfire, or it could go both ways. idk maybe they both went to school together skdkg f

exes: since andy was a teenager & after she got left at the alter, she left a string of broken hearts wherever she went. i’m feeling if this was after that whole thing, bc andrea’s kind of... hating the idea of love, she could have rlly done a number on your character etc.

anything ! everything ! talk to me i love u all !

#fr.intro #i am.... finished #yes #this is her #tw: drug abuse

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alphacrone · 4 years

Text

for it's better to burn out than to fade out of sight (2/?)

rating: T pairings: Yuki & Tohru (platonic), Tohru/Kyo, Yuki/Machi, other canon pairings & friendships summary: In the end, it wasn’t sadness Yuki felt, when Tohru Honda had her memories erased. No, it was anger. And anger he could work with.

<< read previous chapter || read next chapter >>

ii. well, i've got open eyes & an open door

***

Living with the Hanajima family was...stifling.

No—not stifling! Tohru was so grateful to them for taking her in and for treating her so kindly. Saki’s parents had always been so welcoming to Tohru, and she considered Megumi to be her own younger brother. Even Misa, Hana’s grandmother, to whom Torhu rarely spoke, had doted on her the first night she spent living there, serving her tea and odango. The love and generosity of the Hanajima family was overwhelming, but it soothed an ache in Tohru’s chest she hadn’t realized was there.

But...the guilt was suffocating her, especially at night, after Hana had fallen asleep and Tohru was left alone with her thoughts. Hirofumi, Hana’s father, already worked so hard to support his mother, wife, and children; surely Torhu was just an unneeded burden in an already full house. She offered to cook, but the kitchen was Misa’s domain. She tried to take over cleaning duties, but Yumi, Hana’s mother, would bat her away with a playful smile, telling her she already worked too hard at her job. Feeling desperate, Tohru even approached Hirofumi about paying rent or utilities, but he’d just given her a stern look and said, “This isn’t a boarding house; you’re our guest.”

Their kindness brought tears to Tohru’s eyes, but with every grain of rice in her bowl and every inch of space she took up in Hana’s bed, Tohru could only see the growing debt she’d never be able to repay. At least with Grandpa, she’d done the housework, and she’d likely continue to do the same when Aunt Mie and her cousins moved in. Her time living in the tent had been cold and dark and oftentimes scary, but the independence Tohru had come to know had kept her spirits lifted. It all seemed a blur now, weeks out in the woods on her own flowing into tangled memories, but the one constant she’d known was the sense of peace that came from the knowledge that no one was burdened by her existence. She took care of herself so no one else had to.

Was it lonely? Uo had asked, after she’d calmed down that day in the classroom.

No, Tohru had answered, and it was true. Perhaps the spirit of her mother had been all the company she’d needed, but her memories of the tent always came with a sense of companionship, a sense of safety that surely wasn’t warranted. It wasn’t lonely .

Still...something didn’t sit right with Tohru when she thought about it too hard. Those first nights had been clear in her mind, the wind threatening the walls of her tent, the howls of stray dogs nearby, the scuttling of bugs across her skin—it had been difficult, but she’d persevered. After that, though, her time camping felt like a dream, warm and hazy and golden. She remembered the shuffling of papers; the tinkling of windchimes; a cat’s hiss; a boy’s soft laugh. Happy dreams, Tohru supposed, that kept her going during that time.

She hadn’t been lonely alone in the woods...but she should have been.

***

“I heard you ate lunch with Prince Yuki yesterday, Tohru,” Uo said as they stretched before gym class. “Those fanclub girls are not happy about it.”

“Eh?!” Tohru was taken aback. “Yes, Sohma asked to eat lunch with me yesterday, but it’s just because he saw I was sitting by myself. He was being nice.”

“You think so?” Hana asked, picking at the chipping black paint on her nails. “That’s not something Sohma does often.”

Uo nodded, hands on her hips. “Come to think of it, the Prince always eats lunch by himself, no matter how many girls pester him. He doesn’t even sit with his cousin.”

“O-oh? Really? Well…” Tohru tugged on the end of one of her pigtails, face growing warm under the scrutiny of her friends. “Maybe he thought I was lonely. He was very nice, we talked about gardening! Did you know Sohma likes to garden?”

“What is he, an old lady?” Uo snorted. “Well, just...be careful, Tohru. The Prince might be nice, but his fangirls are rabid .”

“His waves are...unusual,” Hana commented, more to herself than to her friends. “I don’t know what to make of them.”

“Unusual?” Tohru tilted her head to the side. “Have you...said that before? About him?” Something about it rang familiar.

Hana raised an eyebrow. “I have. But I still do not know what it means.”

“Maybe he’s like you, Hana,” Uo teased, poking Hana’s cheek with her index finger. “Maybe he’s got some secret powers.”

“Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful!” Tohru exclaimed. “Hana, you’d have a friend like you!”

The corner of Hana’s twitched up into the ghost of a smile. “We’d have to be friends, first.”

“Then let’s make friends with him!” Tohru continued, clapping her hands together. “Maybe he can sense waves, too? Can you sense your own waves? Are his like Megumi’s? Or maybe it’s something totally different!”

“Alright, alright, calm down, Tohru,” Uo said, patting her on the head. “It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with his waves if he turns out to be a shitty friend. One step at a time.”

“Roger that!” Tohru drew herself up into a very serious salute. Hana laughed softly. “Friends first, waves second!”

“Maybe if we’re friends with him, he’ll give us produce from his garden…” Uo mused, stretching her arms over her head. In the distance, the gym teacher yelled at them to get into formation for a run around the track. “My old man needs more greens in his diet.”

“Tohru makes a delicious sukiyaki,” Hana commented casually. “I’m sure it would be even better with garden-grown vegetables.”

Uo snorted. “It’s not cold enough for nabe, Hana. You just want the meat.”

“Guilty as charged,” Hana said.

Tohru laughed with her friends as they began their run with the rest of the class, but a new spark had blossomed in her belly that she couldn’t ignore. If there was something about Sohma, then she had to get him and Hana to become friends. Hana had spent her whole life feeling like an outcast because of powers she’d had since birth. If there was someone out there like her...

Tohru had noticed it when they ate together, talking lightly about soil and sunlight, but Sohma had the saddest eyes she’d ever seen. They reminded her of the clouds before rain, dark gray and full to bursting. No matter how politely he smiled or how kindly he asked about her day, there was an intense sorrow in his gaze that broke Tohru’s heart.

If he had powers like Hana then maybe, like her, he’d be alone for a long time, too.

***

“Oi! Sohma!”

Tohru held back a meep of surprise when Uo shouted at Sohma from across the classroom the next day during lunch. She’d intended on approaching him herself, after he finished talking to Mayu-sensei, but Uo had beaten her to the punch. Mayu-sensei waved him off, giving Uo an amused smirk, and Sohma approached tentatively. Tohru couldn’t totally blame him; Uo and Hana looked scary when you didn’t know them.

“Is something wrong, Uotani?” He asked, head tilted.

“Nope,” she said, then patted the empty desk next to her. “Wanna eat with us?”

Sohma looked taken aback. “Only if you want to,” Tohru added hurriedly. “If you’re busy or already have plans with friends-”

“No,” Sohma said, still looking uncertain. “I would like to join you. Let me just...grab my lunch.”

Tohru beamed, relief flooding through her body. “Okay!”

“What are the waves saying?” Uo asked Hana, leaning back in her chair. Hana mused for a moment as Sohma ducked down to pull his lunch from his bag.

“I still can’t tell. There’s something...more. Something old.”

Uo’s eyes lit up in that terrible way that Tohru knew meant teasing was on its way. “You think he’s, like, a 30-year-old pretending to be a high schooler?”

“Older than that,” Hana said.

Uo gasped, awful grin widening. “50?”

“50 what?” Sohma sat down next to Uo, lunch in hand. Tohru could feel her face turning pink; if he’d overheard what Uo said-

“50 yen—Hana found a vending machine in the neighborhood that sells Calpis for 50 yen. It’s either a bargain or, like, cursed. Like an urban legend.”

“Oh.” Sohma didn’t seem to know how to react. “I’ve never had Calpis, but my cousin, Haru, really likes it.”

“Do you have a lot of cousins, Sohma?” Tohru asked. “We all know Kyo, and now Haru…”

“Yes,” Sohma said around a bite of katsu. “Our extended family is very large, so I don’t have any immediate cousins, but there are a lot of relatives my age who I’m close to.” He cast his eyes down, and Tohru wondered if he didn’t like to talk about his family.

“That’s so fun!” Tohru said, despite herself. “Growing up it was just me and Mom, so I never had any cousins to play with. I mean, I have cousins, but I’ve never been close with that side of the family…” She trailed off awkwardly, remembering that soon she'd be sharing a house with cousins she didn't know.

“Do you have any siblings?” Hana asked, and Tohru shot her a grateful smile.

Sohma nodded, mouth curling into a grimace. “An older brother.”

“Ooh, really?” Uo asked, that teasing glint back in her eyes. “Do you look alike?”

“Yes,” Sohma sighed, and Tohru thought she heard him mutter, “ Unfortunately .”

“Ha!” Uo rubbed her hands together. “Do you know how crazy the girls around here would get if they knew there was a second, older Prince out there?”

Sohma flushed. “We may look alike but we are...very different people.”

“Different how?” Tohru asked. It was hard to imagine someone out there with Sohma’s face but a completely different personality. Was he mean? Outgoing? Aggressive?

“ Kyon-Kyon !” Uo shouted, tossing her eraser at the other Sohma in the class. “Do you know the Prince’s brother?”

Kyo chucked the eraser back at Uo, a little too hard, but managed to miss. “Don’t throw things at me, woman!” His eyes moved from Uo, to Tohru, then over to Sohma, and a disgruntled frown settled over his features. “What do you want?”

Uo turned in her seat to better face him. “Do you know Sohma’s brother? He’s your cousin, too, right?”

“Ayame?” Kyo asked, spitting out the name with disgust. “He’s an annoying bastard, is what he is. He never shuts up .”

“Really?” Uo cackled, tilting back in her chair. “Tell us more.”

“What the hell? No!” Kyo growled. “Make that idiot next to you tell you about Ayame; it’s his brother.”

Yuki shrugged, bringing rice to his mouth. “He’s not wrong. My brother is loud and inconsiderate.”

Uo laughed again and slapped Sohma on the shoulder. “That’s rough, man!”

Tohru tittered, wondering if she should divert the conversation away from family, when she caught Hana’s gaze pierce over her shoulder. Tohru turned, and saw that Hana was staring at Kyo, who’d gone back to napping against the windowsill. The look in Hana’s eyes was uncertain...confusion, maybe? Intrigue?

“Hey, we got some time before class, right?” Uo asked, leaning over to rummage through her bag. “Who wants to play daihinmin?”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Tohru said, grateful for the distraction. “Sohma, would you like to play with us?”

Sohma looked vaguely bewildered. “Oh...yes, I would like that. But I don’t know the rules.”

“Don’t worry, I always forget them!” Tohru assured him. “Hana’s good at explaining it.”

Sohma cracked a smile—a true, genuine smile—and nodded. “Sounds fun.”

By the time class started, Tohru was losing miserably, but Sohma was more relaxed than she’d ever seen him before, even as Uo teased him and Hana stared unnervingly. The site made her smile so hard, she thought her face would split in two.

***

Tohru didn’t mean to overhear the fight. She’d left her notebook in class and had run back to get it. But as she headed back to where Hana and Uo waited, she turned a corner and stumbled upon the two Sohma cousins locked in a heated argument. A part of her was curious, and another part worried, so she ducked back behind the corner and listened.

“-doing, talking to her? Are you trying to make Akito mad?”

“Akito can’t get mad if he doesn’t know. Are you going to tell him?”

“Fuck, no!” Kyo hit the wall next to Sohma’s head. “But he’ll find out, he always finds out. You think it’ll stop with him pulling us out of this school? You think he won’t hurt her, just to spite you?”

“I’m not stupid, cat ,” Sohma hissed, grabbing Kyo by the front of his shirt. “I know better than anyone what Akito can and will do. But I’m not going to let fear of him keep me from being happy. Not anymore.”

Kyo growled and aimed a punch towards Sohma’s face. Tohru gasped, but Sohma was quick, and dodged out of the way just in time. There was a loud clang as Kyo’s fist collided with the locker where Sohma’s head had just been.

“If she gets hurt,” he hissed, voice low and deadly calm. “I will kill you, damn rat.”

“If she gets hurt,” Sohma replied. “I’m not the one you should kill. Get your priorities straight.”

Before Kyo could reply, Sohma walked away, head held high. Tohru watched him disappear, then saw Kyo sink to the ground, cradling his hand. The locker he’d punched was dented, and Tohru could see specks of red forming on Kyo’s knuckles. Despite herself, Tohru hurried forward, sinking to her knees in front of Kyo.

“Are you okay?” She asked, reaching out to look at Kyo’s hand. He snatched it away, face growing pale.

“How much did you hear?” He demanded, eyes narrowing. “How much?!”

“A-ah, well,” Tohru pulled her hands back and settled them on her lap. “Something about a person named Akito? And you’re afraid Akito will hurt someone else? I didn’t really understand what was going on, but you two were really angry about it…”

Kyo’s shoulders sagged, and he seemed to deflate. “It doesn’t involve you, so don’t go poking your nose into places it doesn’t belong, okay?”

“Y-yes! Okay,” Tohru nodded.

“I’m serious,” Kyo said. “Akito...Akito is dangerous. Me n’ Yuki can handle him, so don’t try to get involved with this. You’ll just get hurt.”

Tohru couldn’t help but feel warmth towards Kyo. He was worried about her. She’d thought he had a softer side to him that he didn’t show to other people, and she was right. “Okay,” Tohru repeated. “But the person you’re worried about, will she be okay? Should we go to the police?”

Kyo almost smiled. “Nah, she’ll be okay. I’m watching out for her, so she’s got nothing to worry about.”

“That’s sweet,” Tohru said, beaming. “She’s lucky to have her own guard dog, huh?”

“Cat.”

“Huh?”

There was a light flush on Kyo’s face as he muttered, “I’m more of a cat than a dog.”

Tohru laughed. “I can see that! You’re skittish around people, until you warm up to them. And you nap in class a lot .”

Kyo huffed and gently bopped Tohru’s head with his good hand. “Yeah, yeah. You better get going, or wave girl and the yankee will tear apart the school looking for you.”

“Oh, you’re right! They’re probably worried I’ve been gone so long!” Tohru stood and brushed off her skirt. “I have bandaids in my bag, if you want to come with me. We could patch up your hand.”

Kyo waved her off. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I heal quick.”

“Okay. See you later, Sohma,” she said, waving as she began to turn.

“Kyo.”

“Hmm?” Tohru paused and looked back. “What?”

“Kyo,” he repeated, not meeting her eyes. “Call me Kyo.”

“Okay,” she said. “Okay. See you later... Kyo .”

Tohru ran off to meet her friends, heart feeling light. Maybe, just maybe, she’d befriended more than one Sohma boy today.

#fruits basket fanfiction #fruits basket #fruits basket spoilers #furuba manga spoilers #yuki & tohru #anna writes things #x-posting from ao3

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lezliefaithwade · 4 years

Text

Being An Actress

I remember the moment I decided I wanted to be an actress. I was walking across the parking lot of my high school after an undoubtedly stellar performance as Portia in an all-girl production of The Merchant of Venice when my father turned to me and said, "Do you think you might want to do this for a living?" At the time I remembered feeling a little insulted. My grades were excellent. Didn't my father think I could be a lawyer or a veterinarian or a psychologist? It wasn't that I didn't love to act, but everyone I knew who wanted to be an actress was either egotistical or unstable. Not that one was mutually exclusive of the other. What did this say about me? No one in my family acted, although my Grandmother often hinted of an unsubstantiated family connection to Hermoine Gingold. Occasionally my parents would take us to see a play or listen to a concert, but only to help make us well-rounded individuals. When someone would go on about the Sound of Music my father would roll his eyes and say, “How can I take a nun singing on hilltops seriously?” And I found myself admitting that he had a point.

When I was four I appeared on Romper Room for an unprecedented two weeks. At the time my best friend, Mary Lou, had been selected for the local cable network but her incredibly shy demeanor had her mother worried.

“She’s gonna sit there like a sack of potatoes.” Mrs. Dean told my Mother who quickly suggested that I accompany Mary Lou for moral support.

“What do I have to do?” I asked my mother as she was tucking me into bed.

“Just be yourself,” she replied. My mother knew exactly what that meant. Naturally loquacious I kept things hopping on the set by constantly commenting on the camera man kissing the teacher. When asked what my father had in his garage, I remarked that it was presumptuous to even assume we had one. There was some discussion about a third week, but Miss Dawson put her foot down and said I was stealing the show.

Soon I was taking dance classes and skating lessons. My first stage appearance was as a rabbit in the famous ballet, Bugs Bunny's Birthday Party. I was excited because we second tiered rabbits were going to eat sandwiches on stage. Then disaster struck. The sandwiches were going to be peanut butter and I hated peanut butter. Teary eyed I complained to my mother who told me to grin and bear it. “That’s acting,” she said.

In grade four I wrote a play about a pair of motorcycle lovers and sang Baby Driver while they straddled their desks and rode off into the sunset.

“Hit the road and I’m gone.

What’s your number?

I wonder how your engine feels?”

“Okay,” Mrs. Orcutt interrupted, “I think that’s all the time we have for that today.”

After my father gave me his blessing to pursue a career on the stage, I decided to explore all of my options. I auditioned for an amateur theatre company and played bird #4 in Aristophanes’ The Birds, and a milk maid in Galt MacDermot’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. Not exactly earth-shattering roles, but I knew there was a pecking order (no pun intended) and that dues must be paid. In Niagara Falls, where I lived as a teenager, there were two amateur companies. The youth group that took over the Firehall Theatre in the summer months of July and August, and the adult group that staked their claim the rest of the year. The youth company was run entirely by a handful of 18 to 20-year-olds who took themselves very seriously. We stretched ourselves artistically, which is really just another way of saying that were out of our depth. I remember as Bertha in Pippin I had to say, "Men raise flags when they can't get anything else up." At the time I had no idea what that meant but I certainly enjoyed the response I got every time I said it.

The amateur theatre company in the neighbouring city of St. Catharines were doing large scale musicals with professional directors and a cast of a thousand. Even I could tell the difference between Garden City’s production of West Side Story and the Niagara Falls Music Theatre Production of A Shadow Box. We told ourselves that we were doing something significant for the five or six audience members who sat in the dark to watch us perform. “At least they can appreciate art.” we told ourselves, ignoring the occasional snore beyond the footlights. When someone who had seen our production complained in the paper that “…smut didn’t belong on stage.” I was devasted. “Some people just don’t know a good thing when they see it,” I ranted, “It’s a Pulitzer award winning play.” I forgot that we weren’t Tony award winning actors.

Anxious to spread my wings and get a taste of the real thing, I auditioned for a one-act play festival at the nearby University and managed to get the part of an uptight bible thumper in an original musical called A Hundred Bucks a Week. It was the story of a topless shampoo parlourist who castrates a guy with her teeth. Did I mention that it was narrated by a cat? I still remember singing:

“We all must be as babies in the garden.

Smiling with our mouths all bright and new.

Innocently smelling lovely roses.

Not prying with our fingers in dog doo.”

Needless to say, my father was a little shocked when an actress appeared on stage topless while I sang my heart out in a futile effort to convert her. This time as he walked me across the parking lot to the car he suggested that perhaps I should seriously consider journalism at Carleton. “Impossible!” I stated dramatically, “I’m an actress.” And I actually believed it.

I arrived at University wearing vintage clothes with frizzy hair and John Lennon glasses. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be Doris Finsecker from Fame or Janice Joplin. My dorm room-mate was an engineering student who was the first to know of a kegger and had never seen a play in her life. She often returned to our room late at night reeking of booze and sludge water after spontaneous dips in the Detroit River.

At theatre school I was told I couldn’t dance, I couldn’t sing, I had speech impediments and a wandering left eye that would completely destroy any hopes of a career in film “Too bad you didn’t have it looked at when you were a kid,”one professor told me, “It’s easily treatable if caught when you are young.” At the age of five I was a frequent visitor to Sick Kids Hospital for my eye and wore a patch over my glasses for a year. It didn’t cure me. So much for trusting the knowledge of my professors. Strike one!

I began to sink under the pressure of looks and expectations. While the rest of the women in my class wasted away proclaiming to have eaten nothing but broccoli over Thanksgiving, I gained seven pounds over a new found love of peanut butter and developed a bad attitude towards anyone who encouraged me to “feel space”. When my teacher overheard me mutter under my breath one day that I hated improve she called a class meeting to discuss why I hated her. Everyone stared at me shocked and disappointed. Why was I resisting the pu-pu platter of techniques spread out before me? “You’re a very stubborn actress,” the teacher announced, “but I’m going to break you.” That was strike two.

At my first semester tutorial I was told that I had talent, but I wasn’t tall, thin or pretty enough. “You have the face of Sally Field,” the department head told me, “but the body of Kathy Bates.” Strike three. I went home for Christmas and announced to my father that I was dropping out to focus, instead, on getting into a proper theatre school in New York. After all, I reasoned, it’s where I really wanted to be anyway.

There is probably nothing quite as depressing as returning to your hometown in the middle of winter when all of your friends are away at school having the time of their lives. The overall perception is that you have failed. It didn’t help to think that I had willfully brought myself to this point in time. The phrase, “small fish in a big pond” kept going around in my head. While my best friends were acing all of their classes and dating interesting freshmen, I was eating cookies, and counting the days until everyone would return to amuse me. In the meantime, I moped around the apartment, wrote letters to theatre schools and read a lot of plays.

“You have to get a job.” My father announced and for the first time I was forced to slog my way through the want ads in a half assed attempt to find work at either a wax museum or a fudge shop. Completely unqualified for anything except theatre, I was forced to become a chamber maid at a tacky little hotel near Clifton Hill. Picking up after the kind of clientele that honeymoon in tacky hotels in Niagara Falls is enough to get one thinking seriously about their life choices. Maybe Dad had been right. A career in the theatre wasn’t looking so good anymore. Something had been tarnished from University and I couldn’t pretend that my trajectory to success was going to be one clear straight line to the top. I’d hit rock bottom and was picking up the condom rappers and dirty Kleenex to show it.

There have been many times in my career when I’ve been very close to throwing in the towel and becoming a real-estate agent or a tour guide. At each one of those moments of genuine universal surrender something miraculous always happens. That year it was a letter of acceptance from the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. By now my father, less convinced that I could make a go of it, made me a deal. If I could find a place to live in Manhattan within a week, he would allow me to go. So, I boarded the train in Buffalo and headed for the Big Apple.

I arrived in New York at around 2:00 PM on a very, very hot day in August. I walked straight to the library, took out the Village Voice, circled an advertisement seeking a room-mate for a four-bedroom brownstone on the Upper West Side, was interviewed at 7:00 PM and secured my living accommodations within twenty-four hours. It didn’t matter to me that I had no idea who the three men I’d be living with were. The place was nice and the price was right. I think I heard my father drop the phone when I called to tell him that I had accomplished the impossible. Studying in New York proved to be the best and possibly the worst thing that ever happened to me. I developed a philosophy of acting that has served me in every way, but it also created a high standard that hasn’t always been easy to live up to.

_________________________________________________________

A few years ago, I was invited to direct a production of Blue Stockings at the same University I had so unceremoniously departed from those many years ago. Parallel universes collided as images of my past kept imposing themselves on the present. There was the quad I had been initiated in. There was the building where I’d slept and laughed and cried. There was my window with the view of the cemetery and McDonalds. There was the library where I looked up the address of every theatre school in New York. There was the theatre I did my practicum in, all pretty much the same as the day I left it. The walls, hallways, buildings hadn’t changed, but I had. I didn’t need reassurance anymore. I didn’t need someone to tell me what I wasn’t or couldn’t be. If only we could teach students the value of tenacity and resilience.

I enjoyed directing that class. I hope I encouraged and inspired them. I was happy when they came to rehearsals in sweats and tee shirts, less concerned about how they looked than we had been. More confident in their choices. More involved. On Opening night after the cheers and flowers and the congratulations, it felt good to climb into the car and head for home. I’m not cut out for institutions. I don’t like the brick and the neon and the bureaucracy. Still, it was good to make my peace with that time in my life. On the four-hour drive to Niagara I was thinking about the young people I had just worked with making the transition from student to actor. Maybe some of them will end up in New York. Maybe not. The thing about acting is it can take you anywhere…from Romper Room to the stars with a few tacky hotels in between.

#actress #new york #university #self esteem

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hines2goldenboy · 4 years

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Nipsey’s Homegoing.

I should start by saying that I’ve always had a habit of turning in my homework assignments late, but with that being said it’s been a year and nine days since they laid Nipsey Hussle to rest. I am proud yet devastated still to say that I witnessed the event during the burial of Nipsey at Angelus Funeral Home which is why it took me a year to write this essay on the series of events that have taken place post-burial and burial due to disbelief and observing the “Nayborhood” of which young creatives and artists of African Americans and Spanish American descent called Leimert Park. Since then the Los Angeles community, especially the Crenshaw, Leimert Park community has taken initiative to make sure his legacy is remembered in the same magnitude as when the sudden death of Tupac Shakur passed.

It all started with a staph infection on my right index finger. I was at Ten Goose Boxing gym around the Van Nuys area and what I thought to be a callus was a staph infection. I called the ambulance and the paramedics said fuck me to me…. “We only help with real emergencies'' quotes the paramedic. I wanted to say “fuck you!” but due to my overly polite and gentleman-like nature, I decided not to say that towards the young man. I was in excruciating pain to the point where I could barely go to sleep at night, and it was going on for a week straight! Yeah in all reality fuck that paramedic and word of advice never put on boxing gloves that someone before you use without tape on your hands. There is a side of me that understands that everybody has a job but also that's where the nativity part as well. The part that doesn't want to question the authority of someone more qualified in a specific field or area of knowledge that I am not, but then again withholding the rebellious nature quote on quote smart ass tendencies of mine might have saved me from a traumatic experience, and more than likely saved my life. The situation itself was a tragedy for the ones who grew up in the Crenshaw community, and the ones who lackluster in the leadership and entrepreneurship of the young mogul who was only thirty-three during his untimely death Nipsey Hussle.

I was living on 69th and Crenshaw during the time of his pre-execution. During that time I was homeless and had no other place to go. Luckily for me, I found a nice and stable living condition suited for me. The only thing I had to do was share a room with a young man by the name of Tyrik, in which afterward we ended up splitting ways on a bad note. Hey, you win some and you most certainly lose some. I’m still learning as I go but then again my learning experiences since I’ve started living in Los Angeles have mostly been a learning experience. Some filled with heartbreaking remembrances from the past. As I decided that I wasn’t going to lie around in my misery any longer I finally made the trip to Dignity Hospital. At the time I wasn’t driving in terrible L.A traffic so I usually take the Metro buses and trains almost everywhere I go, occasionally an I take an Uber depending on how much money I have because in my personal opinion it’s been really hard to maintain employment plus I never really been an expert on saving money. I spend it as it touches my fingertips. As I was riding the bus down Crenshaw I saw a group of people in the Crenshaw & Slauson shopping district as well as Leimert Park. At first, I was wondering what could be going on today but then again I paid it no mind because yet again I was in pain. After I left the hospital bandage up I went explore DTLA ( Downtown Los Angeles) until 7 o'clock then I made my way back home. I stopped at a McDonalds to get some water and I overheard a group of people stating that Nipsey Hussle has been killed. I couldn’t come to believe it to be true the first time I heard it so I asked the clique who was standing next to me y at the soda machine. I asked the young lady from the group if it was true if Nipsey had been killed and she told me “ yeah Nipsey got shot earlier today”. I couldn't believe what I heard. The feeling was similar to when Malcolm X was assassinated. It was like they killed Malcolm. I couldn’t believe it. It was a sad walk home. When I got the channel was on the news and broadcasters weren’t wasting time to tell the breaking news Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed in his store. It was such a tragedy for me to watch. A man business mogul was shot and killed in the same community he was trying to uplift. I was deeply saddened by this. During the next following day, there was a memorial site built in his name on the corner of Crenshaw & Slauson. I saw art & graffiti murals, bottles of empty Hennessy, and fans wrote letters to the late rapper. I would say it was peaceful to get together. I have spoken with motivational speaker 19 keys and some notable NOI members like Rizza Islam. I left the memorial and walked home because it was right down the street from where I was staying. When I got back home my roommate asked me if I was alright. I responded comically and said, of course, I’m alright why? That's when he told me there were just shooting at the memorial site.

The next following day the neighborhood had certain sensitivity in the air. I talked to a woman who told me that some people in the Rolling 60’s gang who are affiliated with Nipsey were looking for the executioner who was soon to be identified as a now 30-year-old gang member Eric Holder who was arrested by authorities after a two-day manhunt. She told me to be on high alert because they were on a search for him. The next following day it was reported that several of his family members were murdered at various times as acts of retaliation. When first hearing about this tragedy I can admit that I was heartbroken due to the perspective of the unbreakable black on black violence. Although Nipsey Hussle had a beautiful viewing and memorial his death is one of many in this longtime epidemic of black on black crime. A cycle that seems never-ending. I would like to take the time to learn something from the falling of Nipsey Hussle. If there's one thing I learned it's that community coming together is necessary for advancement. Whether that be for the development of the inner city or the inner being. Ermias death did not go in vain due to a man pulling the trigger. In the end he finally brought back to the district where all started. It brought life to what it's about to become to Crenshaw. Change.

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nickelkeep · 5 years

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‘Cause My Monsters Are Real

Main Pairing: Dean/Cas (there are a lot of background pairs) Rating: Teen+ Word Count: 7900 Warnings: Angels are Dicks. On Ao3

"Later Lenore!" Sam waved to the vampire as Dean nodded towards the kitsune Amy. The brothers walked towards the exit of Singer Protection Agency, looking forward to starting their weekend hanging out with their friends at the Ghoulhouse. It was a creature comfort, doing the same thing every Friday night, unwinding after a long week of protecting their charges.

They left the building and headed the few blocks towards the restaurant, enjoying the sounds of the kids enjoying the last bit of daylight before the sun went down. A few people waved to them on their walk, having known the pair since they were kids in the neighborhood. It was a close-knit community, and the boys liked keeping it that way.

Dean opened the door to the Ghoulhouse, letting Sam in first. A cheerful voice behind the counter greeted the brothers. "Hiya, boys! Your table is waiting. Charlie's already back there with Dorothy." Their adoptive mother, Ellen, smiled at them. "Sending back two phantsmales for you?"

Sam smiled and nodded while Dean spoke up. "Yes, please. It was a long day. The girls decided to watch some scary movie before bed, so they kept us on our toes."

"You got it. Go, sit, and relax. Jo'll be around with them in a sec." Ellen winked at them before setting off to make their drinks.

The brothers made their way back, finding the phoenixes sitting next to each other at the corner table. They were pressed up close and whispering, only separating at Sam and Dean's approach. "Hey, guys!" Charlie beamed up at them, before noticing how tired they were. "Long day?"

Dean plopped in the seat next to Charlie while Sam took a place a few down from him. "You have no idea, Red."

"It was ok." Sam chimed in. "Early shift was easy. Magda and Emma decided to go to the movies."

"Yeah, it was later in the shift that sucked." Dean rolled his eyes. "They went and saw some scary movie. Something with a clown, which left me without a partner." He glared at Sam.

"Hey, I was perfectly fine. Just become that which you are afraid of." Sam shifted into a clown before shifting back to his standard form. "Still, of all things."

"Please don't shift like that again." A warm southern drawl came from behind Sam. "You're gonna scare the missus." Benny and Andrea joined them at the table. "You would think they'd be afraid of Vampires, but no it's clowns. Something we can be afraid of too."

"I think you meant that you can be afraid of Benny." Dorothy chimed in, causing the whole table to laugh.

The table finished rounding out with the addition of Rowena and Jo after she brought the drinks from the bar. They were relaxing when and happily chatting when a familiar and well-loved face appeared.

"Garth!" Dean raised his glass toasting the werewolf. "Long time no see! How's fatherhood treating you?"

"It's great," Garth responding, grabbing a chair and sliding it over. "Bess is in her glory, and the little one is doing awesome. I love her so much." He smiled a toothy grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm not here about me, though. I debated coming at all, cause I know how sacred our Fridays are, but I figured you'd want to be prepared."

Sam leaned around Rowena, his arm draped over her shoulder, "What do you mean he'd want to be prepared?"

"You too, Sam. This affects both of you. It literally just happened." Garth hung his head like a kicked puppy. "So, I was back in today, filling out my paperwork to start back up on Monday. And I overheard it."

"Spit it out, Wolfman." Dean leaned his chair back on two legs, foot resting on the table.

"Magda's getting her own room. Emma's getting a new person in the room. They're splitting you two up." Garth looked pathetically at Dean. "You're getting a new partner."

Dean instinctively kicked out, sending him backward and onto the floor. "Ow. What?"

"I'm sorry man, I'm just repeating what I heard. Their guardian took in another kid, I guess they figured it was best to put the kid with Emma than to give the kid her own room." He looked at Sam. "And you've done so well with Magda, they didn't want to separate you from her."

Charlie offered her hand down to Dean as the whole table went quiet. Dean took it and got back to his feet, setting his chair back up. "Are you sure, Garth?"

"I swear on Bess and my pup, Dean."

Dean and Sam locked eyes. The pair of them had been assigned as a team to a bunk bed once Sam was old enough to start working at the protection agency. While Dean had worked solo before Sam joining the force, Sam never worked alone. This was going to be a challenge for them both.

Sam spoke up first. "You know we won't ever shoot the messenger, Garth. Thanks for warning us. It gives us the weekend to prepare for Monday."

"Like I said, I really debated coming. But if it were me, I know I'd want to be told."

"That's probably why they said it within earshot of you." Dean nodded before clapping him on the shoulder. "So you sticking around, or heading home to the missus?"

"I need to get home, but I can probably start really joining you all again next Friday." Garth stood up and slid his chair back to the other table. "Take care, and I'll see you two on Monday."

Dean slumped back in his seat as Garth exited the Ghoulhouse. Both he and Sam had lost their spark for the evening, and no one contested it when they said they were heading out for the night.

The following Monday, they were met at the door by their boss - and adoptive father - Bobby. "Mornin' boys. I'm pretty sure you know what's going on, but let's make it official." He nodded his head towards his office.

Once they were inside, Bobby held up his hand to keep them from talking. "Look. I didn't want to split you two up. But the kid that's coming already has a monster assigned to them. We didn't expect them to put her with Emma. You know we can't rip monsters away from their kids." Sam and Dean nodded solemnly. "I did make sure that you two still are set up next to each other. Least I could do."

"Anything you can at least tell me about the new monster or their kid?" Dean slouched back in his chair.

"About the monster. All I know is that their name is Castiel." He slid a folder over to Dean. "He's got a clean record, and has been with this child since birth, much like you and Emma."

Dean picked up the folder and opened it. "It's all blanked out?" He tilted it to show to Sam, who was leaning over. "What is he? Freaking Green Ops? His child gonna hurt Emma?"

"I don't know, Dean." Bobby took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. "The only thing I know is that if there's anyone in this building that I trust to hold up against him, it's you."

"So is this mine and Dean's last day working together?" Sam inquired, leaning forward in his seat.

"We'll still work together every day, bitch."

"You know what I mean, jerk."

"Freaking Idjits." Bobby put his hat back on. "Yes, now go get to your station before I put you in your own nightmares."

"That threat has never worked with us, old man," Dean winked before rushing out of the office with Sam.

Their last night working together, Sam and Dean set up under the bed, relaxing and listening to the girls chat before they drifted off to sleep. They were happy and excited to have another sister join their family. Emma and Magda had spent the day with the girl, her quietness chalked up to her nervousness

"You just like to talk a lot, Emma," Magda said through a yawn, nestling down into her pillow.

"I do not." Emma retorted. "I just have a lot to say."

"You won't forget me, right?"

"Mags, you're going to be right across the hall."

"I know, but ever since Jody and Donna adopted me, it's been you and me together," Magda paused, "It's going to be weird on my own."

"I know, but it'll be ok. If you have a bad dream, you can come back and share the bed with me. I'll chase them away for you."

The brothers snorted at that comment, the girls oblivious to their presence.

"Promise, Emma?"

"I promise. Now get some sleep. We have to help Claire move in tomorrow."

Sam and Dean smiled at each other and became more alert, ready to protect the girls at a moment's notice.

To the surprise of the brothers, both girls had a peaceful sleep. They were unsure of who to thank, or if they should be thanking anyone. They returned back through the portal as the sun rose in the human world, signing off on their day's paperwork, before leaving for the day.

The next morning, as promised, Sam had his own station set up next to Dean's. It hadn't sunk in that they wouldn't be protecting as a team any more until that moment. Sam started moving a few of his personal effects over when a new scent caught his attention.

The same smell caught Dean's attention, as he looked up from his desk and saw a tall, attractive, brunette standing at the entrance to the portal bay. Dean looked back to Sam, and mouthed Is that him? and was met with a small shrug.

As the mystery man came closer, the brothers could make out that he was wearing a tan trench coat over some kind of suit. They shared another look, their heads tilting in confusion as he approached them. "I'm looking for Dean Winchester?"

Dean stood up from his seat and extended his hand. "That would be me. You must be Castiel."

"Yes." The new guy drew out, his hand taking Dean's and shaking it. "I understand we're to be sharing a portal."

"Yeah, we'll be working together." Dean shot a quick look to Sam, who remained silent but was clearly perplexed. "I understand Jody took in your kid, Claire?"

Castiel leaned in and squinted his eyes, as though he were evaluating Dean. "How do you know so much?"

"Our kids were talking last night." Sam cut in. "Hi, I'm Sam. Up until today, my kid Magda was Emma's bunkmate." He offered his own hand.

"I see." Castiel shook Sam's hand before turning back to Dean. "How soon can we cross over? I need to get to Claire as soon as possible."

Dean picked up a device on his desk and tapped it awake. "We should be able to cross over in a few minutes. They're getting ready for bed now." He turned it to show to Castiel.

"They're in bed, why can't we go now?" Castiel shoved his hands into his pockets.

"We're supposed to wait until lights out."

"The portals cannot be detected by the kids. They do not glow, they do not absorb light. We can go now."

Dean shook his head. "Look, not to be rude, or put down the last place you worked, but we have rules here. And our rules say when the lights go out, we can open the portal." Dean fidgeted with the scrying glass in his hand. "I know Emma, the best. Unless your girl sleeps with the light on, which Emma cannot do, the lights will be going out any moment now."

The scrying glass went dark. "Now, can we go?" Castiel asked, moving to stand behind a white line.

"Yeah." Dean sighed. "You gonna be ok, Sammy?"

"It's Sam, Dean." The younger brother winked at his older brother. "And Magda is almost ready for bed. I'll be going soon myself."

"Alright, then." Dean flipped a few switches and hit a button, causing the machine to whir up and their portal to open. Before he could say another word to Castiel, the monster was already through. "After you, jackass."

Sam laughed. "He's allowed to be nervous. His charge literally just made a huge change, Dean. Don't tell me you wouldn't be freaking out if Emma weren't going through something similar."

Dean opened his mouth to say something before shutting it. He glared at his brother. "Not cool." He walked up to the portal and waved to his brother before stepping in. "See you in a few."

As Dean came through on the other side, there was no sign of Castiel. He still wasn't sure what kind of creature his new partner was, and it was considered rude to ask. He thought back of when he first caught Castiel's scent, and he realized he couldn't determine his creature type from the smell either.

Dean walked back to where he and Sam had long ago made a makeshift camp out of forgotten books and toys, hoping that Castiel had found it and set up for the evening already. The spot was empty, but Dean shrugged and sat back and relaxed, listening for both Emma and Castiel. He pulled out the crossword puzzle he had been working on, cursing himself for forgetting to ask Sam what an eight-letter word for someone who returns is.

After about a half-hour, Castiel finally showed up. "Do you not check the perimeter?"

"Nope." Dean didn't bother looking up from his crossword puzzle. "Do you know a seven-letter word for an idealized person?"

"Eidolon," Castiel responded, not missing a beat. "Why don't you check it?"

"Because this is a safe place, Cas." Dean put the paper down and looked up at his new partner. "Emma has lived here her whole life. I have been assigned here almost my entire time as a protector."

"So you've gone lazy. You're not the great Dean Winchester I've heard of?"

"First, rude. Second, you've heard of me?"

"A lot of people have heard of the Winchester Brothers. You two are some of the strongest Protectors out there. I feel guilty about splitting you up."

"Not your fault, Cas." Dean put the paper on the makeshift table in the middle of the camp. "You didn't choose to put Claire in the same room as Emma."

"True," Cas nodded, "But all the same, I feel–" Cas paused. "I'm sorry, hold that thought. Claire's having a Dream."

"Want me to come along?" Dean stood up, ready to go on Cas' command.

Cas shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but not yet. There are things you're not ready for." Cas vanished.

"What the hell?" Dean looked around, trying to find any sign of where Castiel went. He heard the whimpers and cries of Claire, determining them to be hers as they were an unfamiliar sound. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before climbing out from under the bed to check on Emma. She was still peaceful, unaware of the Dreaming girl above her. Dean gently touched Emma's finger to confirm she was either dreaming or dreamless before hopping back down and heading back to camp.

Alone again, Dean picks up the crossword puzzle and starts working on it. The shift is weird for him. There's no Sam to banter with, there's a strange creature that he can't bring himself to hate working with him, and Emma's having an incredibly peaceful night again.

"Seven letter word for a source of terror or dread." Dean rolls his eyes. "S-P-E-C-T-E-R. Specter."

"Could also be a banshee." Cas walked back into the encampment.

Dean turned his head and was able to make out the shadow of wings behind Cas. He tilted his head and was about to ask before shaking his head. "Nah. there's an S in the first spot."

"Makes sense then." Cas sits down across from Dean and offers his hand. "I want to start over."

"Okay?" Dean took Cas' hand and shook it. "I guess I should reintroduce myself? I'm Dean."

"And I'm Castiel. My Charge is Claire. She has been through quite a bit and has been through many of these foster homes. She has trouble adjusting, so she's like a magnet for the Dreams."

"How many does she have a night?" Dean looked up towards where the girl slept, concern and empathy in his eyes.

"Usually, only one or two." Cas shrugged. "When I heard about coming here, I must admit, I was..." He trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Hopeful?"

"Hopeful?"

"I know of your work with Krissy Chambers. Sam's work with Magda, which I'm sure you had some hand in. Dreams hardly affect them anymore. Emma is sleeping peacefully above us." Cas ran a hand down his face. "I guess seeing you sitting down and just lounging, it wasn't what I expected."

"That's what you meant when you said you knew me."

Cas nodded.

"I'm going to be frank with you, Cas–"

"I thought your name was Dean?" Cas tilted his head and squinted his eyes in confusion.

Dean laughed, "That was good man. That was..." He froze. "You weren't telling a joke." Dean pursed his lips. "What I mean, is I'm going to be upfront with you. I lucked out." He points to his eyes, his ears, his nose, "My senses? I know what's coming before it hits. Being a shifter helps in this gig."

"I can see that."

"I also won't lie. I'm terrified that something's gonna happen to Emma. I was always terrified that something was going to happen to Krissy. Keeps me on high alert. Even now, conversing with you? More of my attention is on her." Dean shrugged. "I mean, I'm enjoying talking with you, but she's my first priority."

"Of course, Dean.”

The corner of Dean's mouth curled up in a smile. "You want to do a last check on Claire? I'm gonna do one on Emma. Shift's almost over."

"I probably should. I'll meet you at the portal in ten?" Cas disappeared, leaving Dean to pocket his crossword puzzle and head back up to check on Emma.

After checking that she was sleeping well, Dean headed back to the portal and waited for Cas. His new partner was just a couple minutes behind him, and together they exited through the portal as the sun started to rise in the Human world.

Back in their world, Cas and Dean said their goodbyes, with Cas heading out while Dean waited for Sam.

Sam came out a few minutes later, stretching out and yawning.

"Long night, Sammy?"

"Magda had the Dreams twice." Sam ran his fingers through his hair. "She's not used to sleeping alone. Tossed and turned all night. She cried out for Emma several times."

"Shit. Poor girl." Dean clapped his brother's shoulder. "Nothing too hard for you, though, I'm sure."

"Yeah, fighting those bastards are easy enough. It was just back to back, and making sure she was peaceful before I left." Sam looked at his desk and shook his head before grabbing his paperwork. "I'll do this at home. How was your day? Castiel drive you crazy?"

Dean thought for a second. "No, not really. I get why he was the way he was this morning. Like you said, if it were Emma, I'd probably been all riled up too."

"Did you two talk a lot?" Sam stretched again before pushing Dean towards the exit to the portal hall.

"When we could?" Dean shrugged. "I mean, he was focused on Claire. It was her first night in a new place."

"What all did you talk about?"

Dean looked up at his younger brother. "What is this, twenty questions?" Dean shrugged. "Apparently we're decently known as protectors? And he wanted to start over, cause he knows that he came across kinda curt earlier."

Sam leaned in once they were outside. "Do you know what kind of creature he is?"

"Nope, and I'm not going to ask."

"Didn't he have to go fight a Dream?" Sam tilted his head. "I mean, you offered to help, right?"

"He did go to fight a Dream. And he literally disappeared. So tell me, walking encyclopedia, how many creatures can do that?"

Sam shut his mouth and started counting on his fingers.

"Sam, seriously. It's blacked out in the file for a reason. When he's ready to share, he can share." Dean yawned. "Dammit, now I'm tired. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome. Ghoulhouse for dinner?"

"Hell yeah." Dean turned and dragged Sam with him, heading to where they knew their adoptive mom would feed them.

The next day at work, Cas brought each of them a coffee and took the prep time of their shift getting to know the brothers. He shared some of his and Claire's history, confirming that he had been with her since she was born. When Emma had a Dream, he offered to go with Dean, so he could watch the shifter's fighting style. Cas stayed back and let Dean fight, an appreciative smile on his face when the Dream was easily defeated.

Cas and Dean started talking more during their shifts over the week, and the following Monday, Cas asked if Dean wanted to tag along if Claire had a Dream. Dean quickly agreed and offered the same that Cas had done for him, to stay back and let Cas handle it. When Claire's dream hit, Cas vanished, but Dean shifted to a bird and flew to her bunk, getting up to her right behind Cas. He stayed in form, and he stayed out of the way, but watching Cas fight, confirmed what he had seen that first shift, Cas has wings of his own. Once the Dream is defeated, they both head back down, but Dean remained quiet and doesn't bring up Cas' wings.

Their weeks together turned into a month, and it hit Dean that he found a new friend, a new confidant in Cas. He has told his partner things that he has never told other people, except maybe Sam and especially not Sam. Cas had never made fun of him for his secrets nor judged him when he needed to vent. It made him smile that Cas so willingly accepted him.

There came a night in their second month together when Claire has a Dream that's so bad, it's actually two Dreams. Cas didn't see the second one about to attack him, and Dean shifted into wolf form and pounced on it. He tore it to shreds as Cas quickly dispatched the one he was fighting. Soon Claire is sleeping peacefully again, and once Dean is back in human form, Cas pulled him into a tight embrace.

One Friday night, several months after Cas had joined the crew at Singer Protection Agency, Sam and Dean joined their friends for a night of fun at the Ghoulhouse. Dean was telling Charlie and Dorothy about something he and Cas had gotten up to on his shift while Benny and Sam were conversing behind Rowena's back.

Dean went to take a swig of his phantasmale and frowned upon finding it empty. "I will finish this story in a moment, ladies. I need a refill." Dean stood up from his seat and headed over to the bar, unaware of Benny and Sam right behind him.

He flagged down Ellen and sat on the stool to wait his turn when Benny and Sam sat down next to him, pinning him to his seat. "Uh, hey, guys. Personal space?"

"Got a question for ya brotha," Benny leaned in, ignoring Dean's request. "What's going on between you and Cas?"

Ellen walked up, and Sam held up three fingers before chiming in. "I mean, I have to agree with Benny, and we hardly ever agree on anything. Why isn't he here spending time with us?”

Dean sputtered. "Uh, cause we're work friends."

Benny and Sam both turned and pointed at the table. "How many of those people started as work friends, Dean?" Sam asked. "Hell, Garth and Dorothy still work there."

"And honestly, Cher, I don't hear you talk about anyone the way I hear you talk about Cas."

"I don't know what you two are talking about." Dean shrugged. "You all are just used to mine and Sam's shenanigans, and now that it's not me and Sam, it's throwing you all off."

Ellen walked back over with their drinks. "That was probably the case, what is it, five months ago now? But the only thing we don't know about your Cas is what kind of creature he is." She reached across the table and ruffled Dean's hair. "You're like a smitten kitten."

"I don't care how poisonous your venom is, Mom, I will transform and bite you."

"You keep pretending Dean." Ellen winked and headed to help another customer.

"I hate you all right now. Are you all like this?" Dean looked back and forth between Sam and Benny.

Benny nodded. "Pretty much, Cher. Andrea wanted to start a betting pool, but Charlie said your head is too far up your own ass."

"Rowena then offered to charm you two together, but I think that was where we drew the line," Sam added.

"He's a friend," Dean slid down off of his stool, squeezing out from between Sam and Benny. "Even if I did like him like that, I don't think he returns the feelings." He started walking back towards the table.

"What's the worst that happens?" Benny asked, following along. "You find out he isn't interested."

"No," Dean replied as he sat down. "The worst is that it makes things between us weird, and I lose my friend. I like how he gets me." Charlie wrapped her arm around his shoulder before giving him a kiss against the temple.

"Aye, but Dean, if yer friendship is what it sounds like, then ye saying that ye've got a thing for Castiel isn' gonna destroy it." Rowena leaned against Sam as he sat back down.

"I really didn't want to do this, Dean." Sam threatened. "But if you don't invite him next Friday, I will."

The whole table went quiet and looked from Dean to Sam several times. The tension grew with each second that Dean neglected to answer. The older Winchester looked at his friends, each with a different look of concern or excitement on their face.

"Fine."

The table erupted in cheers as glasses clanked together.

It had taken Dean all weekend to build up the courage to ask Cas to join him at Ghoulhouse that coming Friday. He debated between making it seem like a date, or friends hanging out, or something else altogether. As he got dressed in the mirror, he recited what he was going to say to Cas when he saw him that morning.

"Cas." Dean shook his head. "No, too macho." He cleared his throat. "Hey, Cas." Dean smiled and nodded. "So, I'm pretty sure I've told you about Fridays at the Ghoulhouse? Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me this Friday." He closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. "Dammit, Sammy. I hate you so much right now."

"Nah, you love me." Sam laughed, his body leaned up against the doorframe, causing Dean to jump. "Really? That wrapped up you didn't smell *or* hear me? That's insane."

"Shut it, Samantha."

Sam pushed himself upright and entered Dean's room. "You ready to go? Sooner we get to work, sooner you can get this over with."

"You gonna make me ask as soon as we get there?" Dean's jaw dropped. "What if he says no? I have to spend all day in the human world with him."

"Yeah, I think you'll be fine." Sam pulled Dean by the collar of his shirt. "Let's go Romeo." Dean whimpered but followed along.

Once the brothers arrived and got to their stations, they were surprised to not find Cas waiting for them. They had gotten used to his punctuality, and were used to being at the agency before they were. Sam shrugged and looked at Dean. "Maybe he's caught in traffic?"

Dean shook his head before walking over to his desk to start calibrating their portal. He kept an eye on his scrying glass, noting that it was odd that Emma wasn't in her room at such a late hour. He looked over at Sam, who was also waiting for Magda to go to bed. "Do you think they went to see a movie or something?"

Sam ran his fingers through his hair. "On a school night? Jody wouldn't let them do that. I'm half tempted to go through the portal and make sure they're ok."

"How about I do that, and you stay here. You can cover for me." Dean started powering up his portal. "I know the house better than you do."

"Bobby finds out..."

"And he won't, will he?" Dean shot Sam a look, which was returned with one of Sam's own.

"FIne. Go, before someone realizes you're in there before the kids are asleep."

Dean winked, saluting Sam before stepping into the portal, and underneath of Emma and Claire's bed.

The girls' room was much brighter than he was used to, considering one of them had left the light on. Dean took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the brightness before shifting into his bird form. He darted out from under the bed and looked around at his surroundings. Almost immediately, he notices the most painful thing.

Claire is gone.

Her bed sheets are made up, but the small knickknacks that she's accumulated over the past five months are gone from her dresser. The pictures of her, Magda and Emma that were on her mirror, removed. It was like the only person who lived in the room was Emma.

And with Claire gone, that meant that Cas was gone.

Afraid that he was going to collapse, Dean landed on Claire's dresser and recomposed himself. He finally came to terms that he had feelings for Cas, and Cas was gone, ripped away from him like a page from a book. He flapped out his wings and started flying again, desperate to know why they were gone.

Dean flew down the hallway and listened for the sounds of Emma or Magda's voices, finding them in the living room with Jody, Donna, and what he assumed to be another police officer. The girls were exhausted and distraught, while their moms were both complete shells of themselves. All he had to do was listen for a few minutes before realizing that Claire had run away.

"Doug, listen, can we send the girls to bed?" Jody asked, a silent pleading clear in her tone.

"I just have one more question."

Emma patted Jody's leg. "It's ok Mom, we want Claire home." Magda nodded in agreement.

"What was the last thing Claire said to you before you went to bed last night, Emma?"

"She said, 'No matter what you hear, don't open your eyes. The angels are coming tonight.' She's always been a little obsessed with angels, especially one she named Castiel." Emma's shoulders dropped, and Dean nearly fell off the perch he had found. Cas was an angel!?

"Thank you, Emma." Officer Doug nodded to Donna and Jody. "We're keeping the cop car outside tonight, and we still have people on the lookout."

Dean hopped off his perch and flew back to Emma's room as fast as he could, transforming and sliding the bed. His legs hit the portal, and he was pulled through, landing on his ass in front of Sam and Bobby. Bobby crossed his arms and glared down at him while Sam rolled his eyes and looked affronted, as though he had been in the middle of telling the greatest story of all time.

"So, you were saying, Sam?" Bobby looked up and prepared to yell at Sam when Dean cut in.

"Cas is an angel?" Dean took in a deep breath, trying to slow down his heart rate. "Did you know? Did you let us work with a goddamned angel Bobby?"

Bobby looked around and saw all eyes on them. "My office. Now."

"No. They're sending Emma and Magda to bed. They're fucking traumatized, and you know the angels are going to send the Dreams after them. I'm not leaving my charge alone." Dean stood up and brushed his knees off. "I only came back through the portal cause I misjudged my landing."

"What happened?" Sam looked at Dean.

"Claire ran away, saying that the angels were coming for her. Or did they come for her? I don't know. But Emma's in danger, Magda's in danger. And for fuck's sake, Cas and his charge are in danger." Dean rolled his neck and shoulders. "Yell at me if you need to, but it's going to be after my shift is over. Sam, go get your portal open."

Dean waited until Sam's portal was open before jumping back through his. The room was dark, and he could hear Emma sobbing in her bed. He knew how close Emma had become to Claire, he and Cas often chuckling at the girl's conversations at night.

"Castiel," Emma sniffled, "I don't know if you're real, but Claire said you're the only good angel left." Dean moved closer so he could hear her quiet prayer. "I don't know why she had to leave, but she needs to come home. Please keep her safe. Please?"

Dean swallowed hard and climbed up to her mattress, hiding at the foot of Emma's bed. He whispered, knowing that she couldn't hear him. "Oh, Emma, he's real. And if I know him, which I like to think I do, he's doing everything to keep her safe. I just want to know who's keeping him safe." Dean blended into the shadows and moved up near Emma's head, ready to fight any Dreams that came her way.

As daylight started to break, Dean gave Emma one final check, confirming that she had finally fallen into a peaceful sleep. The angels had not been kind to her and had sent four Dreams after her that night. The number was unprecedented. The most Emma had ever had in a night was two, and that was usually when she watched a scary movie.

The angels wanted something. They were trying to find Claire or Cas or both of them. Dean hopped back under the bed, sliding through the portal where he was met by Sam and Bobby. He nodded exhaustedly, hitting the button to shut down his portal, before following after Bobby.

They entered Bobby's office, where he gestured for the two of them to sit. Sam immediately sank into a seat while Dean shook his head no. "If I sit down, I'm gonna fall asleep. Four, Bobby. They sent four Dreams after Emma."

Sam looked up. "Shit, and here I was bitching about the three that came after Magda." He ran his hand down his face. "You said Cas is an Angel?"

"He was." Bobby interrupted. "He's a Fallen."

Dean shook his head. "They're extinct."

"You gonna make me spell it out for you, idjit?"

"It's why everything was blacked out in his personnel folder." Sam smacked his forehead. "And why he can vanish. He has all the powers of an angel, just cut off from their central source."

"Where would he go, Bobby?" Dean pleaded. "If he and Claire are in trouble, where is he?"

Bobby shook his head. "You can't go there, Dean."

"Stop me, Bobby."

"You almost got branded an Outsider today!" Bobby slammed his fist on the desk. "There is a reason we use the portals, there is a reason we can only go when it's night–"

"Fuck the bureaucrats, Bobby. The guy I love is in trouble. You know I know how to get over, with or without a portal." Dean's green eyes flashed feral. "Where is he?"

Sam cut in. "Dean, you need to think about this. Yes, you care about Cas, and you've grown to care about Claire. But what if you drag the angels right to them? As a Fallen, they'll kill him on sight, and we don't know why they want Claire."

Dean snarled and started pacing. "I can't just sit here."

"Garth is tracking him. He's one of the few monsters left who's allowed to cross through without using a portal." Bobby admitted. "Technically, you can also ask Rowena really nicely if she'll go look for him too. She's not a monster, she's a witch who just prefers the company of monsters."

Sam's ears turned bright red. "I can call and ask her." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stepped outside.

"Dean, I know you care about him, but if you're gonna go find your guy, you need to do this right." Bobby walked to the front of his desk. "Sit down."

Dean sat down in the chair in front of Bobby, resting his head in his hands.

"We'll get you a temp pass." Bobby clapped his hand on Dean's shoulder "Benny's lady can probably pull you some strings, right? I can say you need it for work."

After pulling some strings, Andrea was able to get Dean a three-day pass to the human world. Rowena agreed to join Dean and use her powers to track Cas and Claire, and Garth would join them once they walked through the veil to the Human world.

"Ye know, Dean. The plus side to this whole trip, unless the werewolf has found him first, I can be the firs' ta say I've met yer boy." Rowena smiled up at him before stepping through.

Dean took a deep breath, centering himself before following.

The human world was much brighter than he remembered. He had been brought to the Monster realm when he was young, and Sam only a pup. Hunters had burned his mother alive, and when his father went after them in revenge, he was slain with a silver bullet. Bobby and Ellen had found them, back when monsters could freely move between the realms, two malnourished pups, and took them in, raising them as their own alongside Jo. Despite the assholes who killed their parents, they were raised to see the good in humanity, taking an oath to protect them.

Garth jogged up to them. "Hiya, Dean, Miss Rowena. I got some good news, and I got some bad news."

"Bad news first, please" Rowena raised her chin and squeezed Dean's hand.

"The bad news is that the angels are also on the hunt, and may have caught wind of Cas and his charge."

Dean let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "So what's the good news, man?"

"I know where they are.”

Dean lunged forward and pulled Garth into a huge bear hug. "You found them? Where are they? Can you take me to them?"

"Calm yerself, Dearie," Rowena pulled Dean back. "Did ye miss the first thing Garth said?"

"Yeah, if I take you to them, you risk exposing them." Garth looked at Rowena. "You, however."

"'Cause I'm human? Are they only looking for Monsters?"

Garth nodded. "Let's get you out of the open. We're masked at the moment, but it won't be long before my shoddy spell work fades off and they know Rowena's with us."

The three of them drove to a local hotel that Garth hadn't used yet. Once set up inside, Garth pulled up some information on a laptop. "So, I was able to trace them here." He pointed to an empty spot on the map. "They've taken up in an abandoned hotel. When I went and took a look, I saw that it's done up with all kind of anti angel warding. So I guess, your Cas is a Fallen; otherwise, it would keep him out too.

"Claire doesn't leave, ever. Cas makes a run every few days." Garth scratched at his beard. "The angels have only tried to approach it once, and one angel was instantly immolated."

"Sounds like Cas. He likes to have a plan for everything." Dean smiled fondly.

"There is one other thing. I found out why the angels want Claire. She's a former vessel." Garth leaned back in his chair.

Dean sat on the edge of a bed. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Angels are going extinct. They're looking for former vessels and anybody strong enough to support an angel possession to make new angels."

"I dunnae if that a good thing they're goin' extinct, or a bad thing that they're tryna ta make new ones." Rowena rubbed her temples. "Do ye think Cas would be against bringing Claire ta our world?"

Dean nodded. "He probably would have done it immediately if he thought it was a good thing."

"So what we need is to make sure Claire's not appealing to the angels, and bring Cas back to our world." Garth agreed. "Dean and I can look that up if you go to Cas and let him know that his boyfriend is worried sick about him."

Dean blushed. "We never actually got that far."

"Dude, trust me when I say he misses you." Garth chuckled. "And Claire knows all about you."

"Really?" Dean perked up. "I mean. That's good."

"Yer being ridiculous, Dean." Rowena smiled. "Now, either give me something only the two of you know, or something I can give him to show him that I'm coming from you."

After some prep work, Dean telling Rowena an embarrassing story about getting stuck under Emma's foot, and a quick outfit change, Garth drove the witch over to the abandoned hotel. Dean stayed behind and was looking through hunter's research for anything that could strip a human vessel of the ability to hold an angel.

After about an hour, and so many bullshit spells later, the door to the hotel room opened. Not looking up from the computer, Dean started to ask how everything went when he found himself knocked on the floor in a warm, tight embrace.

"You idiot. I left so you wouldn't get hurt, but you still came after me. What were you thinking?" Cas hugged Dean tightly, clinging to him as though he were going to disappear.

Dean returned the hug nuzzling into Cas' neck. "I was thinking that I couldn't lose you, dumbass.”

Rowena walked in and closed the door before looking at Claire. "At least they pointed out the obvious for us."

"That they're stupid? Yeah. I still want to tell Dean that, though. Cas has heard it enough from me over the past two days." The sassy blonde looked down at the two men on the floor. "Are you two going to get up? I want to actually meet Dean."

Cas pushed himself up and off of Dean, standing up before offering the shifter a hand. Dean stood and offered a hand out to Claire. "Nice to meet you."

"When I'm not sleeping? Yeah, I know what you do." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "Thanks for being Emma's protector. She's a cool kid."

Dean nodded before asking the obvious. "Why are you two here?"

"Rowena told us of your plan," Cas responded. "Claire doesn't want to be a vessel, and I want to come home. With you."

"I already know of a spell. I was friends with a witch. The feathered assholes got her when they found out she helped me. Her name was Tasha." Claire frowned. "She still made sure the spell got to me." She opened her backpack and pulled out a notebook, handing it to Rowena. "Can you make it happen?"

"I have no supplies here, but I can make anything happen when I have them." Rowena winked. "We can either bring her into the monster realm where all my things are, or we take a few days which Dean doesn' have."

"I don't have to stay in the monster realm, right? We can purge the grace or whatever it is out of me, and I can go back to Jody and Donna?" Claire asked. "I actually felt at home there."

"Aye. I travel back and forth a bit. Humans can come and go. Technically the monsters can, but it's frowned upon."

"Only Angels can't cross through," Cas responded, a sad smile across his face. "So we'll all be safe."

"Then let's go!" Claire clapped her hands together. "The longer we wait, the faster they can find us."

"You got it, kiddo." Dean took Cas' hand into his. "Let's go home?" Cas nodded and followed Rowena, Garth, and Claire out to the car.

The trip back to the Veil was quick. However, they were greeted by a small group of what Dean assumed were angels. Cas quickly stepped between them and Claire while Dean and Garth stood between Cas and the angels.

"Castiel, brother, it's been a long, long time." The angel at the head of the pack called out. "Too long. The halls of the host miss your grace."

"I was no longer your brother the day I was stripped and marked as fallen, Hester," Cas called back. "My grace is missed, but I am not."

"You insisted on protecting the humans. They're pets. Pathetic on their own."

"She was my charge. I was her guardian angel. You all chose to listen to Michael!"

Dean and Garth shared a look and a slight nod, both ready to shift if needed.

"And Heaven will fall if we don't have angels," Hester responded. "Give her over, and you can live your heathen ways."

"Ugh." Rowena rolled her eyes. "Enough. I just wanna go home and drink some tea." She cut open her hand, squeezing some blood onto a sigil she had drawn in the ground with her foot. "Angelis ad Caelum!"

The group of angels that had blocked their passage through the veil disappeared. "Good, that worked. Cas, be a dear?"

Cas walked forward and healed her hand.

"Good, let's go home. I really wasn' kidding abou' wantin' my tea."

Once back in the Monster Realm, Garth went to check in with Bobby, and let them know that Cas and Claire had been found and that Claire would be in the realm temporarily. Rowena called Sam and took Claire to her home, stating that Cas needed to rest, and the best place for him would be with Dean.

Dean stood next to the Fallen and hesitantly wrapped his arm around Cas' waist, pulling him close and resting his head on his shoulder. "You scared the crap out of me, Cas."

"I can only imagine. It hurt me to leave you that way." Cas rested his head against Dean's. "Claire and I barely had any notice."

"Come on, let's get you rested in an actual bed." Dean started walking towards his home.

"Is it comfortable?"

Dean smiled and nuzzled into Cas' neck. "I'll be in it with you."

"Are we actually going to get any rest in it?" Cas' eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"That part," Dean stopped, turning to face Cas, "Is completely up to you." He leaned in and kissed the Fallen, hoping to show how excited he was to have him home.

#spn #profoundnet #spncreatorsdaily #spn fic #destiel #ensemble cast #au - modern with magic #au - monsters exist #au - creatureverse #shifter!dean #fallen!cas #monster!cast

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