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irisintheafterglow · 5 months

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in a world of boys, he's a gentleman

summary: a creep walks up to the shake stand window. your favorite customer scares him off. (college au!iwaizumi x you)

wc: 1.9k

cw/tags: college!au iwaizumi, creepy dude but he gets scared off don't worry, buff iwa gets nervous around you

note: so there's a protein shake stand like right outside my school's gym and that's where the inspiration for this little brain fart came from. also this is wholeheartedly dedicated to @shotorus my favorite iwa simp. i really hope you like this, it's my first time writing for your man but it most definitely will not be the last :D

likes, replies, and reblogs are appreciated <3

You didn’t anticipate finding a gym crush outside of the student rec center. Yet, there he was, every day at 5:00 passing the stand and every day at 6:30 ordering his usual, strawberries and bananas with chocolate protein powder. It’s a wonder how strictly he stuck to his schedule and you made it a point to have his order queued up in the system by the time he got to the window. To your detriment, it seemed that your infatuation had become obvious enough to your usually-oblivious coworkers.

“At this point, I think you took this job just to ogle him,” one of your friends points out as she runs a colander of fruit under the faucet. You give her a lighthearted glare and she flicks a few water droplets at you. “I’d guess you like seeing him more than the tips that other guys put in the jar. You really do so much for this company,” she says patronizingly and you roll your eyes. She had a point; you tended not to notice the phone numbers written on dirty napkins or social media handles hastily drawn on dollar bills. None of them interested you. None of them, except for the dude with a body like a Greek hero that made you want to get kidnapped by some mythological being.

“I just think he has a nice physique; is that such a bad thing?” She shoots you a skeptical look and you turn away sheepishly to check the clock. Thirty seconds to 6:30. “He should be here in a little bit,” you say quietly to yourself, hoping she doesn’t hear. It’s a nice sentiment, but ultimately futile.

“You’re counting down the seconds? Man, you’re worse than I thought.” She pats your shoulder sympathetically as she passes behind you and you lean your hands on the register counter.

“As if you’ve never had a gym crush before,” you fire back.

“You’re supposed to actually be inside the gym to have a gym crush,” she reminds you and you groan. “Why don’t you just switch your shift so you can see him while you workout?”

“I tutor before this, remember? Plus, I need to be able to charm the evening regulars so I can keep paying rent,” you admit. She nods in understanding and a glance at the clock shows ten seconds until 6:30. Your other usuals had come and gone for the day: the guy in the blue tank top that only seemed to work his forearms and biceps, the girl with the silly socks that had the most muscular calves you’d ever seen, the two frat bros with their backwards caps and arrogant voices. It hits 6:30, however, and your favorite regular isn’t behind the glass. He isn’t anywhere around, you realize. You can’t help the frown that draws the corner of your mouth down and, when you look to your coworker for support, she merely shrugs before grabbing a tub of powder from the top shelf. “It’s odd that he isn’t here yet.”

“Only you would think that,” she teases and you refocus on pulling up his usual order on the payment screen. “Maybe he got sick. There’s that frat flu going around right now.”

“Why would he be in a frat, though? And also, he’s definitely the type to wipe the hell out of every machine he uses.”

“If he uses machines; personally, he strikes me as a free weights-only kind of guy.” Before you can reply, a knock on the glass startles you back into customer-service mode. The man in front of you looked relatively normal, but the way his eyes looked you up and down several times made your stomach queasy. It wasn’t the first time creeps had checked you out through the window, but maybe you were feeling a little extra vulnerable waiting around for a regular who didn’t even know your name. Avoiding the man’s intrusive gaze, you shakily pull up his order, swipe his card for payment, and let him know that his shake would be ready soon.

“I have a question,” he says slowly before you can run and hide in the back. “What time are you out of here?”

“I’m not done for a while,” you state vaguely, praying that he wouldn’t ask about the remaining two and a half hours of your shift. “I work until closing.”

“I can come back and get you when you close.” His voice makes your skin crawl and his eyes feel like knives on your body.

“Excuse me?”

“Let me take you out to dinner. A nice looking person like you shouldn’t be alone at night.” Your heart drops into your stomach and your feet remain rooted to the floor, terrified in place. Was he gonna try to do something after you were off?

“Look, I’m not interested in any–”

“Hey, man. Are you done ordering yet? You’re holding up the line,” intrudes a voice that feels like a warm blanket wrapping around your shoulders. Somewhere between his usual order time and the creep asking you out, your favorite little crush came to stand in line to pay. His shoulders seemed extra broad today and the muscle of his biceps flexed under his compression shirt as he crossed his arms over his chest, staring daggers down at the guy who was freaking you out. He’d never looked so handsome, all sharp jawline and flexed muscles and piercing eyes. The creep recoils and scurries away, allowing you to take a deep breath that helps relieve some of the tension in your forehead. By pure muscle memory and running on adrenaline, your fingers swipe over the tablet and pull up his usual order before he can even say hello.

“Strawberry and banana with chocolate protein powder, right?”

“Yeah, that…that’s mine,” he says, slightly taken aback by the lingering expression of panic on your face. While he eyes you warily, you swipe his card and hand him his receipt, suddenly desperate to just disappear into the back for the rest of your shift. “Hey, are you okay?”

“What? No, yeah. I’m fine, totally fine,” you lie and give him a weak smile. His eyebrows furrow slightly and you can feel him try to analyze you, but not in the dehumanizing way as your previous customer. His eyes searched your expression worriedly and you caught him biting skin from his lip in concern. “It’s just that the guy before you was being a little weird.” Calling him “weird” was an understatement, but you didn’t want to inconvenience him more than you already have. “I’m fine, really.” He watches you for a moment more and then nods, murmuring a thank you under his breath and finding a spot to wait for his shake.

“This fell on the floor by the trash can,” he says plainly when he walks up to the pickup window after you call out his drink. The creepy guy hadn’t left the area yet, so your fight or flight instincts were still going haywire. Your gym crush, however, momentarily takes your attention by subtly sliding a dirty piece of paper across the counter to you as he picks up his cup with the other hand. “Thanks; I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before you can blink, he’s gone, leaving you with a cryptic folded message that makes your head spin. You sputter out an awkward farewell and hastily unfold the piece of paper.

I’ll be studying in the computer lab until the stand closes. If he’s still bothering you, come find me and I’ll walk you to your car or your dorm or wherever. -Iwaizumi Hajime

A sturdy rectangle of plastic falls from the paper and you stare at it in disbelief. It was an ID card for the university’s after-hours patrol division with his picture, full name, and student number printed on it. Iwaizumi, you echo mentally, you’re too good to be true. And, true to his promise, he’s a respectful distance away and stands with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants at 9:00 when you lock up the shake stand. You’d lost sight of the creep an hour after Iwaizumi picked up his drink, but the paranoia didn’t leave your body and you’re only able to relax when he approaches you.

“This is yours,” you say, handing him his ID card with a small smile. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

“Of course. I’m sorry you had to deal with him,” he replies regretfully, uncomfortably adjusting his water bottle tucked into the crook of his elbow. “None of the guys at the gym like him. He’s always hitting on girls and giving them weird looks.”

“Looks like he was forced to look outside the gym, then,” you laugh lightly, feeling the tension release from your shoulders as you walk next to Iwaizumi in the direction of the parking lot. “Did your drink still taste okay? Or did my nervousness make it taste funny?” When he chuckles, it sounds like sunshine.

“It was just as tasty as it always is, thank you. You’ve really figured out how to make me the perfect drink every time.”

“Anything for my favorite customer,” you say without hesitation and your face feels like it’s been lit on fire. To your surprise, however, it seemed that Iwaizumi was just as flustered by your words. His eyes widen and his pretty mouth gapes a little bit, blinking rapidly to fix the short circuit in his brain. “I just hope he doesn’t come around here again. He makes my stomach churn.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he forces out and he’s silent for a while until your car is in sight. “Hey, sorry if this is super off-base, but do you wanna workout with me sometime? I can change the time I go but, if it means you don’t feel scared by that guy anymore, I’ll gladly rearrange my schedule.”

“You want me to workout with you?”

“I’d like to meet you for lunch sometime, too, but I figured I’d start with baby steps,” he admits, running a hand nervously through his hair while you fish your keys from your bag. “If you don’t want to, that’s totally fine–”

“No, no, I’d love to,” you reassure him and he looks visibly relieved. “I’ll change up my shift so you can still go around the same time you usually do, and I can just meet you outside. I’ve been needing a new spotter since mine picked up extra shifts in the library.”

“Great, yeah, awesome,” he says, a little dumbfounded by how eagerly you would give him a chance. If he was being honest, he’d wanted to ask you your name for months since you memorized his order, but he didn’t want to come off as pushy and ruin his chance with you. “Do you, uh, mind if I give you my number? Or I can give you a social media handle too if you’re not comfortable sharing your number.” God, he’s so good. He is so, so good. “Can you let me know you get home safe?”

“I will,” you promise. “Thank you for everything, Iwaizumi.”

“You can call me Hajime, if you want,” he offers softly and the fondness in his voice makes your heart flip. “Iwaizumi is fine too. Anything is fine.”

“Right,” you smile. “Well, goodnight, Hajime. Get home safe.”

“You too. Talk soon, okay?”

“I can’t wait.”

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

#iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi x you #iwaizumi x y/n #iwaizumi hajime x you #iwaizumi hajime x reader #iwaizumi hajime x y/n #haikyu x you #haikyu x reader #haikyu x y/n

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somethinginthewayiam · 1 year

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Party at the clubhouse

(pic off tumblr)

pairing: Chibs Telford x plus-size reader

words: 1730

warnings: there is 18+ content throughout (minors DNI), alcohol, shit-talking

Summary: you go to your first party at the SOA clubhouse and show off a hidden talent

link to my masterlist and previous parts

It was your first time being invited to a party at the Sons of Anarchy clubhouse. You didn’t know how to dress for that, you weren't a fan of short skirts or dresses because of your big thighs and too insecure for an in-your-face cleavage.

You just decided on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Your big boobs made everything look at least a little bit sexy. As soon as you arrived at the clubhouse, you noticed that you're overwhelmingly overdressed when you saw all the cool biker groupies in barely any clothes. Lyla called them croweaters.

You were relieved to find Lyla outside the front door. She was wearing a really short dress that ended right underneath her ass. It looked great on her body; she really could wear anything.

She greeted you with a hug and pulled you inside to get you a drink. The air inside the clubhouse was heavy with cigarette smoke and the smell of sweat, liquor and...was that puke?

At the bar, you found Bobby sitting and drinking with Happy and Tig.

"Hey, boss", you greeted him and pulled him into a side hug. "Hey doll", he greeted you back with the nickname he gave you on day one and that he used every time he was at the office with you. You didn't mind it, you found it endearing and he kind of reminded you of your dad. Although you would never let him know that.

“Want a beer?”, Lyla asked you as she walked behind the bar and pulled a few bottles from the cooler. “You can give us all a round”, Tig said and pushed his empty bottle towards Lyla. “I help you”, you said and walked around the bar. You stored your purse underneath the counter in an empty spot and started opening the bottles with a swift and skillful motion.

“Gentlemen”, you said and put the three bottles on top of the wooden bar top. “Thanks, doll”, Bobby said and grabbed his new drink. “For the lady”, Happy pushed a ten-dollar bill towards you. You grabbed it with a laugh and stored it in your bra. “Thanks, sugar”, you thanked him with a wink and for the first time ever you saw something like a little smile on this guy’s face.

“Doesn’t look like I’m needed here”, Lyla commented with a laugh and walked around the bar with her drink, taking a seat next to Bobby.

“I used to job at a bar back home, always got good tips”, you told them and took a sip from your beer. The cold liquid was a nice refreshment in the thick, hot air inside the clubhouse. It had gotten quite hot at the end of June, even during the nights.

“I wonder why”, Tig said and looked shamelessly at your boobs. “Must be my winning personality”, you said with playful innocence.

“I see we hired a new bartender”, you heard Jax’ voice as he came over. Behind him was Chibs and as soon as you saw him, you felt a little flutter in your stomach and even further down.

“What gust of wind brought you into my little joint?”, you joked and used the dishtowel behind the bar to wipe over the counter, adding to your joke.

“I’d like a beer, sweetheart”, Jax answered with a sweet smile and leaned against the end of the counter. You took another beer from the cooler, popped the cap off and slid it over to him. You were relieved when he caught it in his hand and it didn’t slide off or fell over, spraying everyone with beer.

“And what can I get you, stranger?”, you asked Chibs as he sat down right in front of you. “Jameson, neat”, he told you and put his elbows on the counter. “A man with class, I like it. Coming right up”, you told him with, what you hoped was, a flirty smile.

You turned around, grabbed one of the tumblers and put it on the counter. Then you grabbed the bottle of Jameson and poured about two fingers worth of liquor in it. “There you go”, you said and put the bottle of Jameson back on the shelve behind you.

“Thanks, darlin’”, he said and shot you a light smile before he grabbed the glass to take a big sip. Something in your stomach jumped again at his words.

“Just FYI, I’m accepting tips”, you said to distract yourself and shot Happy a wink, which he answered with a little nod. Chibs looked over at Happy and back to you, furrowing his brows just for a split second and then it was gone again. You almost didn’t see it, but you did.

The men chuckled but pulled out their wallets. “We never had a prettier bartender”, Tig said and shot an air-kiss in your direction. “That’s true”, Lyla said and moved a five-dollar bill over to you. “Buy yourself something nice, baby girl”, she winked at you which made you laugh.

You collected the money off the counter and stored it in your bra. “Keep it coming, still enough space in there”, you joked and took a sip form your beer again. Some of the guys blatantly stared at your boobs after your comment. Tig even put his chin on his hands that were resting on the counter to have his eyes at your boob level. “Yes, very lovely”, he said, keeping eye-contact with your breasts.

You took the dishtowel and snapped it at him. “Hey, eyes up here”, you said and motioned towards your eyes. “No, thanks”, he simply stated and kept looking. You had to laugh; it was too absurd.

Ever since starting to work for the M.C. and being around the club, you had been called beautiful and flirted with more times than your whole life and you actually started to believe it. At least, a little bit. You knew these guys loved to flirt, but they didn’t have to do it with you and they still did. You just wanted to believe that they didn’t just talk to any woman like that, truth or not.

You stayed behind the counter for a little while, handing out drinks to people. Jax and Tig had moved over to the couches across the bar to talk to other people. Chibs and Happy had moved over to Bobby at the end of the bar and talked there.

"You trying to be one of the guys with that outfit?", someone you didn't know joked as he suddenly appeared in front of you. He must be a visiting member of a different charter because he was wearing a kutte as well but didn’t have Redwood Original on it. He was quite the heavy fella.

You noticed that some of SAMCRO were looking over at you as they had heard the comment, but you were used to being made fun of because of your appearance and came prepared.

"With those tits, barely", you said as you looked down at your own body, grabbing your boobs through your shirt. "But I see you’re a close second on the boobs-scale", you said as you nodded at his man boobs which made some people around laugh as they had started to follow your little conversation. With your comment you had managed to avert their attention off of you and over to Mr.-big-mouth, just like you wanted.

"Aw, Little-Miss-Hurt-Feelings can't handle a little joke?", the guy taunted, getting annoyed that people suddenly were laughing at him and not with him.

"I think she showed ya that she can handle a joke, son. Looks more like you can't", Chibs stepped in, his face was all serious. The guy made a step forward towards Chibs like he wanted to start something, but Chibs didn't move an inch, he didn't even flinch. You quickly came around the bar.

"How about a little bet?", you pushed yourself in front of Chibs and in-between the two men who were still having a staring contest.

Your whole body was pressed against Chibs’ front as he was standing very close to the guy but you tried not to be distracted right now.

"Let's play a round of pool. If you win, I take my shirt off as you apparently find it so hideous", you suggested and his eyes dropped down to you at your words.

"And if I win, you owe me a hundred bucks. You can keep your shirt on ‘cause no-one wants to see that", you continued, feeling a little brave with the alcohol in your system and knowing that SAMCRO would have your back. "Alright", the guy just nodded and walked over to the pool table, scaring away the people that were playing a game right now.

"Y/N, you don't have to do that, we can just kick him out", Jax intervened, who had come over from his conversation when he had noticed the altercation and stopped you from going over to the pool table.

"Jax, don't keep the lady from her purpose", Tig put a hand on Jax's shoulder pulling him out of the way and ushering you over to the pool table.

To put it quite simply, you utterly destroyed that guy. He even made the mistake of asking you for a rematch and got humiliated a second time. The little lesson you had to teach him brought you 200 bucks.

"Huh, it's been a while since I played for cash but it was fun", you said after collecting your prize and the biker and his friends moved over to another corner of the clubhouse to lick their wounds.

"Who are you?", Juice asked surprised and spoke for the entire group. When you looked at them one by one, you got a little self-conscious.

"We had a pool table in our house and growing up with three brothers and their annoying friends...", you shrugged your shoulders.

"Nice one, lass", Chibs winked at you before he turned around to get himself a beer from behind the bar. There went your stomach again.

“But now, you’re gonna meet your match”, he announced when he turned around again and grabbed a cue off the pool table. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. “And that shirt bet’s still on”, he said, winked at you before he bent down to take the first shot.

next part Late night

#sons of anarchy #soa #chibs telford #chibs telford x plus-size reader #chibs telford x reader

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writingcold · 8 months

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Hello! Welcome to Chapter Ten! Last chapter was a bit sad. We are approaching the end of what I consider to be Act 1 of Bootleggers and Wildflowers. We’ll be turning a corner at the end of this chapter, so hold tight. A lot happens.

If you’re just joining us, here is the master list so that you can catch up.

As always, thank you from the very bottom of my heart goes to @lvnterninthenight @gardensgatedaisy and @whitesuitjake for their support.

A special thanks to @thewritingbeforesunrise and @way-to-go-lad for the support you give every week reading my little (not so little) story. Love you guys.

This is a work of fiction, and is totally mine. Please do not take it for your own personal use. I’ve put in hours of research, hours upon hours of writing, re-writing, screaming, yelling and vomiting over this epic of a story. But it is mine.

Content warnings: Arguing, threats of violence. 18+, more mature content.

Word count: approx. 8500

Chapter Ten: Debt and Realization, Learning, Protection, End of Act 1 - Cora POV

Cora walked up the hill towards the house, farm register and an envelope full of cash in hand. Kilbourne sat on the porch, pipe tucked in his meaty hand and a smug smile plastered on his blotchy face. She needed to survive this and there would be cause for celebration. Jake promised that they would celebrate together.

“Whatcha doin’ up here, girl?” he drawled once her feet touched the steps her father had built.

She opened the register to the last entry and set the book down on the little table at the man’s side. “Ninety seven dollars and twenty six cents is the last of my father’s debt to you. You will find it in here - all of it. Please count it if that will satisfy you, Mr. Kilbourne.”

His beady eyes froze on the money before him. An ugly sound escaped his mouth that made her skin crawl. She pressed her hands behind her back and tried not to fidget while he greedily counted each bill and coin. With a snide scoff, he tucked the money back into the envelope.

“All right, then,” he grumbled. “Now you can start paying off your family debt.”

Cora froze as the man rose to his feet. Her insides twisted as he walked into the house only to return with another register. He held it out for her to take with a smile. Her stomach churned and threatened to expel due to the man’s vileness.

“I am unsure of what debt you mean,” she whispered, opening the book.

“Rent, each time your family went to town and back in my wagon, water… It’s all there. You’re smart, right? At least that's what your father thought of you. It’s everything that you needed from here, my farm over the past twenty six months.”

The ugly laugh that he released made her want to strike him.

“We had agreed that rent was deducted from our work for you,” she said sharply.

“No, girlie. You said that,” he smiled. “I never agreed to it and your mother knows it.”

“This is almost five hundred dollars,” she whispered.

“Sounds about right,” he chuckled as he sat himself down once more.

She could not hide the fury of her anger, nor the tears in her eyes. He started laughing as she walked away in a daze. Her heart dragged behind her like a child’s pull toy. Everything she wanted for her family, for herself, was evaporating before her eyes. Even with the wage she made in the Tiger, it would be another year before she could pay it all off, plus the current rent and expenses.

Opening the door to the cottage, she slowly entered to find her mother making the evening's biscuits. Cora could not hold her stomach any longer. Dashing back out, she vomited into the grass. The tears were coming hard and fast. Her body shook with heated anger. She wiped at her mouth when she heard Matthew step behind her.

“Cora?” he asked, reaching out and touching her back.

Drawing in a hard breath, she steadied herself. She made eye contact with her brother before going back to find the rest of her family waiting as her mother moved by the woodstove.

“You knew,” she whispered. Clearing her throat, the heat hit her first, followed by the anger that jostled her belly. “You knew about this and did not tell me.”

“Knew about what?” Rosemary asked, stirring the soup and deliberately not looking at her.

Cora threw the register down on the table with a loud slap. Her mother’s eyes flicked to her and the book before returning to her task. There was bitterness in her features.

“I do not know what you want me to say, Cora.”

“You made us indentured servants with no way to ever leave this hell, Mama!”

“Stop,” her mother warned.

“No! I will not stop. You have killed this family. Kilbourne has made it so that no matter what - we will always owe him in some manner or other.”

“I did it so we could survive.”

“Barely!” Cora seethed, her skin feeling like it was about to burn away. “We’re barely surviving. And that man continues to prey on us because you let him.”

“We have a roof over our heads, work for our hands and food in our bellies,” her mother remarked coldly.

“Scraps and mercy provided by others is what we survive on. That’s not living. These boys will be paying for this mistake until that bastard is in the damn ground.”

“Cora,” Rosemary scolded.

She grabbed the register and her coat, unable to quell the fire in her gut. She flew out the door to the boys calling after her. Cora could not stop. The fury burned into her soul and felt as if it would kill her right there on the trail. The chill in the Mid-August air did nothing to temper her. Instead, it compelled her feet to move faster into the night. She knew it wasn’t fair to put it all on her mother, but she had positioned the family into never being away from the shit heap that was Mr. Kilbourne.

She reached town in under forty minutes. Cora went right for the dancehall. Jacob had said that Saturday night required all of them to be in the hall and the Lantern. She had no idea of how to get down to the speakeasy except for the hall in the back. She found it easy to hide as she made her way towards the back corner, swaying with the dancing couples and crowded tables. As one of the dancing girls made her way out from the dressing room hall, Cora grabbed at the knob and slipped through before anyone could see her.

Straightening herself, she took a moment to realize that she was indeed right - the dressing room for the girls was directly up the stairs, while her Tiger was straight down the long hall that moved to her right. At the head of the stairs going down, however, there was a very stern faced gentleman that had her in his sights.

“Sorry, miss,” he said, his voice was rough like it hurt to talk. “No exit back here.”

“I need to see Mr. Jacob, please,” she said quietly.

The man shook his head. “Sorry miss. You won’t find him back here.”

Rolling her lips in her mouth, she started to shake with the pent up anger. “Sir, the whole damn family is downstairs. I need to see Jacob. Now. I’m Cora… I work right down that fucking hallway… I’m the box manager-”

Her voice failed as he gave her the strangest look with his hands raised.

“Give me a moment,” he replied. “Stay right there.”

She watched as he went down the steps, disappearing for a moment. She wiped at her face, sure she looked destroyed, perhaps a bit wild.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” the man was saying as he was walking back towards her. “I’m unsure-”

“Miss Cora,” Daniel said warmly. “Marcus, I’ll handle it from here. Thank you.”

“Mr. Daniel, please. I need to see Jacob,” she insisted as he offered her his handkerchief.

He asked nothing of her as he guided her down the stairs, instead offering her a comforting presence for the moment. He held the door for her to step through. They had talked about the Lantern, but it was nothing like what she expected. The jazz band was loud and snappy. The expanse was lavish, nearly mirroring the dancehall above, with a stage on one end with a place to dance, but a long bar and tables made up most of the space. The room’s finishes were all expensive and those occupying the tables were, for the most part, all people of means that expected nothing less.

Cora’s heart clenched to see Jacob at a table with Joshua, dressed eloquently in a black pinstripe suit. Samuel sat close to Susannah, with his arm draped protectively across the back of her chair. Molly was on the woman’s other side, chatting away with the biggest smile. She seemed happy just to have her closest confidant returned to her side.

The moment seeped into her mind as she glanced down at herself. She invaded Joshua’s sacred space where reputation was key to his business. Her presence was wrong. She knew it the moment that he looked up at her when Daniel had moved to Jacob’s side. The pinch in the corners of his eyes made her want to disappear like a speck of dust on a pristine table. Just as she started to step towards the door for a getaway, Jacob was on his feet, eyes trained on her out of concern. Joshua, however, looked as angry as she had ever seen him.

“I’m so sorry,” she was babbling by the time he reached for her. “Sorry, this was a mistake.”

“Cora,” he whispered, arm wrapping around her shoulder. “Not a mistake. Let’s just get you out of here.”

The warmth of him made her want to fold against his chest. He took her hand, leading her back up the stairs and past Marcus with a smile and a nod. Instead of the dancehall, he guided her down the narrow hall, past the Tiger and out the back with a key in the heavy bolt lock. Once outside, he looked back at her as if searching for injury.

“What happened? Are you harmed?” he asked, smoothing her hair back behind her ears.

“No, not hurt. Just stupid, apparently,” she sighed.

He looked confused. “What happened?”

“We can’t celebrate yet,” she squeaked and was all she was able to manage before it all rushed back at her at once.

He wrapped her up close with a hard breath. “Come on. I’ll make us some coffee.”

Jacob held her to his side all the way to his home. Inside, he took her coat before moving back to the kitchen. Cora watched as he added a few pieces of split wood to the stove, stoking the fire first. He filled a coffee kettle with water from the tap and set it up on the cooktop to boil.

“What happened with Kilbourne?” he asked.

“I gave him the last of the debt along with the register to show that we were square,” she started. She wrung her hands together, deeply embarrassed to be discussing this with anyone, let alone Jacob. “He then gave me this.”

His eyes went to the dark brown leather register in her lap. She licked at her lips as fresh anger prickled in her belly.

“This is the current debt of what my family owes for rent, for seed, for water, for everything they ever extended to us, regardless of prior arrangements, agreed upon or apparently assumed.”

“That sick fuck,” he cursed as he grabbed the book away from her.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know who else to talk to - where else to go. If I stayed at home, I was going to say something to my mother that-”

His words were near silent but Cora could feel the danger that was coiling within. It was unlike any of the bouts he had shown during her short time in the store. His face grew like stone as his eyes traced over the entries. The storm brewing would be a torrent of tornadoes and blizzards combined.

A calm suddenly breezed in and the air around him seemed to still. He looked upon her and smiled. Cora could not help but to feel concerned over his state. Turning, he stretched for a tin and the percolator basket for the coffee pot.

“Jacob?” she asked quietly as he was searching another cabinet.

“I do not want you to worry about Mr. Kilbourne. He is a man who needs a man’s touch, and so he will have it,” he remarked coolly as he set some crackers on a plate. “I want you to be ready to move into the house on Park street.”

“I can’t do that if I’m paying-”

“Just be ready,” he remarked, his tone firm.

He dropped the metal basket into the boiling water and put the lid on the kettle. He paused, waiting for the low thrum of the perk before moving over to the cold storage on the north wall. He sliced some cheese, eyeing the coffee pot as it sputtered and choked. He turned and retrieved two cups from the cupboard with saucers. Back to the cold storage and he produced a small jar of cream. He grinned a bit as he went to one more cupboard and took out a small covered jar.

Cora stood up as he started putting everything on a tray. He enjoyed doing this. He enjoyed serving those he cared about. It was evident in the Sunday meals and even this tiny coffee and snack treat, he seemed to take pride in feeding, caring. He found a towel to wrap around the handle of the coffee pot and poured it into another carafe before finishing his tray.

“I have some new records. The victrola is in the front parlor,” he motioned for her to follow. “Or, I’m sure I can find something on the radio we could listen to.”

The parlor was very masculine, lined with heavy bookcases that were filled to the brim with all different authors and organized in no particular order. The couches were functional while the rugs were dark and adorned with gold and shades of red and black. There was a piano near the window that her eyes paused on. Somehow, she could see Samuel sitting there, playing more than any of the other men. Jacob set the tray on the sideboard before moving to the opposite side with a huge smile.

“I got these delivered to the shop weeks ago and I’ve not had a chance to listen,” he said with a glee in his voice she had never heard before. “This is Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra. There’s this trumpet player - Louis Armstrong. He’s just fantastic.”

She grinned as she poured out two cups of coffee. She held up the jar of cream and he nodded. She held up the small jar that turned out to be sugar cubes. He held up one finger. Cora grinned as she stirred his cup before moving towards the deep red velvet of the couch, setting the saucers down on the table. Retrieving the crackers and cheese, she sat down just as the music sprang to life. His eyes twinkled as he sat down next to her. She handed him his cup and saucer as he sat back, eyes closed and already lost in the beat.

Like in the movie house, Cora could not look away from the joy he exuded. This was his love. This was his passion. He could shed the hardness that he had to be for the world and allow himself the absolute pleasure of the moment to reside in his skin and show the wonder that it held for him. She sipped her coffee, absorbing as much as she could as he seemed to see each note and turn of the music. He wandered out of his haze, looking at her with a shy smile.

“Do you like it?” he asked before taking a drink of his coffee.

She nodded.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I like seeing you when you truly enjoy something. I like seeing you like this.”

He took her cup and set both down before standing up and offering his hand to her. “Dance?”

She grinned as he fitted his frame up against her. He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth before he started to move them. She lost herself in his gaze. Her heart was swelling with her as her words and thoughts started to stitch together a want that had lingered in the back of her mind since the night in Susannah’s kitchen. She leaned forward, kissing him until he let her suck in his bottom lip. She could taste the coffee, tobacco and whiskey. All marks of him. Her core fluttered as the stitched together thoughts itched at her brain, begging her to let them out. He brushed a finger down her cheek, flashing a crooked smile before he leaned back into her. This time, he tasted her mouth, pressing his tongue into her, deeply kissing her and sending the shock through her system.

“Jacob,” she whispered against his cheek. “Teach me to touch you.”

He cursed softly before kissing her hard. He brought his hand up to cradle her face. She struggled to stay in step, forcing herself to not yank herself away as he robbed her of her senses. Fighting her way back, she forced her confidence to the fore, bringing her hands around and down the lapels of his vest. She felt the edge of each button with her fingertip, pushing them open.

He broke the kiss to look down at her hands. Cora took the moment to tug at the suspenders across his shoulders, sliding first one, then the other so that they hung at his sides. He captured her fingers, stilling them in her work as she reached for the tie at his neck. She tried to kiss him again, but Jacob moved away. She tried to step back from him, but he kept her in place. His eyes studied her for a long moment.

Jacob took her hand and moved towards the stairs of the second level. Cora had not seen the upstairs. This was personal space for all four men of the house. At the top of the stairs, they walked to the north corner. He stood at the open door to allow her to pass. She did not hesitate to walk into the dark room, pausing only to allow her eyes to adjust to the soft electric lamp glow when he snapped it on.

There was a large, four poster bed of wood that was stained dark that dominated the room. The dressing table, dresser and wardrobe all matched in the same blackened wood. Cora allowed her fingers to drift over the satiny finish of the intricately carved footboard of the bed. A good sized fireplace was on the inside wall and another door was caddy corner to the entrance, leading to a washroom.

She watched as he closed the door behind him. Jacob’s face was quiet as he turned back to her. Instead of going to him, she walked around his room, her eyes moving over the pieces that were his, that he chose to keep close to himself. There were framed photographs on his dressing table that drew her. One of him standing with Joshua when times seemed to be much easier, perhaps when they were in their early teens. The easy smiles and love was so apparent. Next to that, was a man and woman who could only be his parents. It was easy to see each feature blended to create the man that stood behind her. A third picture was more recent, perhaps prior to being in Kingsford, standing in front of a familiar sign that marked the Kiszka Wagner Mercantile with Joshua and Jacob on Sam and Daniel’s flanks. They were stone faced, each of them. Their dark eyes were hard as if the task before them was not going to be easy.

She felt him move across the room as her finger slid down the edge of the last picture. This was how she had first seen him. The seriousness that played in his eyes. The gravity that pulled at her from behind and the beauty of his younger picture made her smile. He touched her shoulder, a silent whisper for her attention.

“These were from home?” she asked, voice soft.

“This was in Frankenmuth,” he answered, pointing at the younger picture. “We were about fifteen there. And that one was in Detroit. Nearly three years ago now.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. He pressed a kiss to her temple, his hand cupping her cheek as she turned towards him. Cora continued her work, untying the tie before unbuttoning the shirt until it met the edge of his pants. All the while, he watched on. His eyes gentle, his mouth still. Her fingers dipped just into the ridge of the pants to unbutton them and untuck the shirt. He released a soft breath as she lifted her gaze to meet his for a moment before she unfastened the rest of the buttons to remove the shirt completely. She took it from him and walked away, hoping that he would follow. She lay it across the foot of the bed, listening for his footfall behind her. Turning, she found him inches away, his mouth moving towards hers. He kissed her deeply as he brought his hands to hers, threading the fingers together the way he had the night in Susannah’s kitchen. He looped her hands back behind him, placing them directly on his bottom. He squeezed a bit as he shoved his tongue deep within her mouth. He exhaled softly as she followed suit, more firmly as he bought his own hands around to grab the edge of his undershirt. He leaned back for only a moment to rip the garment up over his head before returning back to her kiss.

He moaned as her fingertips slid a bit between his legs. She smiled at the discovery and repeated the motion with her pointer fingers, finding the crease between his bottom and thighs. His skin felt hot through the fabric of her dress. She felt her own breath quicken as his hand came down onto her clothed breast. She wanted him to touch her again. She reached back, unhooking the latch on the back of the blue number. He was quick to lower the zipper to allow the garment to pool at her feet. She stepped out of her shoes as he followed suit. Quickly he tugged her around the other side of the bed palming her hip and breast as he lowered his pants.

They slid onto the bed together. He lay flat, guiding her into the hollow at his side. He took her hand, planting it onto the middle of his chest. She rose up, eyes on him as she leaned into his kiss once more. He moved their hands down, crossing his belly and onto the outside of his underpants. He undid the tiny button to allow the flap to fall open. Beneath her hand, she felt him, felt his length, his width, him. He breathed out hard as she pressed her palm to him through the fabric. He was not totally hard, but growing. She had to see, had to see what she was feeling. It was not like she did not know what she was looking at - she had changed the boy’s diapers and potty trained them, but this was the first time she had seen a man. She could not help the sigh that escaped her, nor the need to lick at her lip. He smirked as she looked back at him.

“You like what you see, Cora?” he asked, his voice a ragged whisper.

She nodded as he drew himself out of his breeches. He held out his hand for her. Once more, he guided her, wrapping her fingers around him, giving a light squeeze at the base, only to bring up gently to the head, squeezing again before moving back down. She listened to how his breath grew heavy and quick as she moved with him until he let go of her hand to allow her to explore. He brought his hand up to touch her face, and plant a heated kiss on her mouth. But it was brief, she wanted to see what she was doing to him, not hide her eyes with kisses. His lip dropped as she turned her gaze back to his cock. He reached for her breast, sliding his fingers into the slip, brushing against her sensitive nipple, giving it a pinch that she was not ready for. She yelped but he was quick to smooth it with a hot palm. She could feel her own want pooling between her thighs as his dick began to weep. He reached down, bringing her hand up, collecting the thick moisture across her palm only to continue the up and down pump, this time a little bit rougher, faster.

“May I touch you?” he asked.

She leaned forward, blocking his hand. “I’m learning you.”

He hummed as she lowered her chin to his chest, her mouth brushing across his peck. She was rewarded with a sound she was not expecting - pleasure. She planted small kisses across the muscles of his chest, eliciting soft coos and whines. His fingers threaded into her hair, unwinding the braids until her hair became free in waves against him.

“So beautiful,” he whispered as the perfume that had been caught in her hair wove through the air around them. “I have imagined what your hair looks like loose.”

She looked up at him. He beckoned for her to kiss him once more as he once again took her hand in his, taking control over how she was pumping him. She felt his jaw clench and quickly turned as their hands moved beyond the back, brushing over his balls then back up, rounding the tip to slide back down. His eyes were starting to grow heavy. His mouth was becoming slack as they moved faster, tighter against him. His breath caught as he tipped his head back. Cora’s gaze froze as he came, his face beautiful to her as he gasped and smiled and blew out a held breath before leaning for her to kiss her deeply. Her heart thundered in her chest. She had brought him pleasure and it radiated it outward from him, consuming her in a way that she had not expected.

He helped her up off the bed and led her to the washroom off his room. She rinsed her hands while he washed his body. She smiled at him softly, taking in his sudden shyness.

“I should get you over to Susannah’s,” he whispered, looking at her through the mirror.

“And if I say I don’t want to go to Susannah’s?” she asked as she turned towards him, hands drifting across his bare shoulders. “I want to stay here. With you.”

His sleepy eyes drifted closed for a long moment as he stepped closer to her, fitting their bodies together. He slow-stepped her back to the bed, pushing the covers back and dragging them both in. She sighed as he brushed her hair back, tangling it around his fingers to brush across it with the pad of his thumb.

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep,” he sighed, pressing little kisses under her eyes.

“I want you to stay-”

“And risk my reputation as a gentleman?” he snickered. “I’ll stay until you are asleep. I won’t be far.”

“Why? Why won’t you stay?”

“Because once I’m able to have you at my side all the time,” he whispered into her hair, “I won’t ever let you go. I don’t want to have to send you back to your mother’s. I don’t want to have to send you to Susannah’s, or anywhere other than with me.”

Chapter Ten: Pt. 2, Jacob

Jacob waited until midday on Tuesday to drive out to the Kilbourne farm. He parked in front of the cottage and was greeted by Jon and Georgie who were reading under the large maple tree.

“Cora’s in town,” Georgie said, his eyes full of sparkle.

Jon’s face was a little more cautious. “She’s all well, right?”

“She’s fine, Mr. Jonathan. I’m here to speak with Mr. Kilbourne,” Jacob said with a nod. “You’re doing your studies?”

Jon nodded, but Georgie pouted. “I’m tired of this book. Cora says I have to read it anyway.”

Jacob smiled. “Well, if she says you have to, then I would. I’m sure there’s something even better on the horizon. Besides, I don’t think you want her mad. It might be scary.”

Jon laughed with a nod. Jacob got the boys started again before walking towards the barn. He caught sight of Matthew and Rosemary out in the field, taking down hay. Kilbourne was standing by the thresher, his back to Jacob. Fighting the urge to rush the man and push his bug eyed face into the engine, he instead walked forward, hands clenching and unclenching.

“Mr. Kilbourne,” Jacob called as he drew closer.

“That be me,” the man replied but made no effort to move from his place over the engine.

“I’m Jacob Kiszka. I’d like to speak with you privately if I may.”

The man glanced over his shoulder at him. Jacob noticed that the engine had thrown a belt, causing it to snap. The man was trying to melt the ends to create a new seam.

“This is as private as I get,” the farmer scoffed.

“All right then. I wish to speak to you about the Janas debt,” he said, moving to the other side of the machine, so as to look the man in the eye.

“Not your business,” Kilbourne remarked with a huff.

“It is, actually,” He opened the leather register so that the man could see what he was doing. “I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Janas’ debt register before Miss Janas paid you off.”

Kilbourne seemed like he was ignoring the conversation, with the exception of how the very tops of his cheeks seemed to warm

“I found it interesting so I went to both the bank and the county registry clerk’s office to verify land values and to my surprise, you underestimated the cost of the Janas acreage by more than half.”

“I was going off prices of when the debt was incurred, not current market-”

Jacob whistled through his teeth. “Then you were really off, by almost two-thirds.”

He continued to explain the total cost of debt incurred, even with interest would have settled ninety percent of the debt with the land values of when the debt was first accrued. The value of the house and surrounding non-farm acre covered the remaining ten percent, indeed overpaying the farmer by eight hundred and forty nine dollars.

“So, according to this new register, the family owes you four hundred eighty seven dollars,” Jacob continued, despite the man’s complexion turning blotchy. “Doing the simple math here, Mr. Kilbourne, it is not the Janas family that owes you money, but the other way around. Three hundred and sixty two dollars to be exact. And in regards to the payments that they have been making to you in the form of labor over the past twenty six months, going off fair wages for women that is, two sets of hands at a dollar a day, each, for twenty two months, as Cora went to work for my family store in May, comes out to one thousand, four hundred and fifty eight dollars, plus another four months of wages for Rosemary, brings that total to one thousand, five hundred and seventy eight dollars. The grand total of your debt to the Janas family is one thousand, nine hundred and forty dollars, sir.”

“I don’t owe them shit,” Kilbourne bleated. “Those spoiled-”

“Are you sure you want to travel this path, sir?” Jacob cut in, his voice low and threatening. “I want you to consider. My family owns the general store that sells your dairy products. We have majority stock in the butcher shops you sell your beef from. We are invested with the other businessmen of this community as well as the surrounding towns. One word from my family, and you are done in this entire region.”

“Just because you’re fuckin’ that little one, doesn’t mean you have the right to talk to me. Besides, what’s the word of a made family,” the farmer scoffed.

Jacob’s hands clenched, his knuckles popping under the strain. His eyes hardened as he held the man’s fear filled eyes. “True. Unless you don’t mind a little Chicago lightning coming your way, I would back pedal that statement.”

Kilbourne turned nervous. His beady eyes were shifting from Jacob to the torch in his hand to the heavy wrench that rested on the tractor seat.

“You know who I am, Kilbourne. I have friends who would not think twice about butchering your lazy ass where you stand and sprinkling your nasty excuse for a carcass all across the county,” Jacob continued, his features like stone. “If it was up to just me, seeing you as a slime that takes advantage of a widow and her children, I’d fucking make it nice and slow, giving you a slice for every dollar you owe them. I’d let you bleed out and wait until you beg for help, then mash your sick ass balls into the dirt, you pitiful fuck. The choice is yours.”

Kilbourne was visibly shaking. Jacob tossed the register up on the tractor’s seat with a snort.

“Be aware, I have all the documentation of that journal, as well as Mr. Janas’ debt register logged with the county clerk. The debt is settled and the Janas family will be leaving the rat hole you’ve kept them in. Do you understand me? You breathe a single word of this, whine about my visit, or say anything against the Janas family, I will return out here to collect the almost two grand from your flesh.”

Kilbourne’s jaw slackened as Jacob started to walk away. He waved at Rosemary and Matthew to come to him as he continued to move. He paused to allow them to catch up. Mrs. Janas kept looking at Kilbourne who would not turn from his work. Jacob was sure that the man was probably pissing himself over the information that was just uttered.

“Afternoon, you two,” Jacob said warmly. “Mr. Matthew, I need you to help your mother. Pack up everything, get it ready to go to town.”

“Mr. Jacob?” Matthew asked, a pinch between his brows.

“All debt to Kilbourne has been settled and you will no longer be required to work here, Mr. Matthew. You will instead attend school. Cora has secured a home for you that is ready,” Jacob said with a nod. “Mrs. Janas, if it is well with you, I will bring your daughter home tonight after supper.”

“I still need to work,” she said quietly.

“Not here,” he answered, a glare back to the man who still could not face his presence. “There is plenty of work in town for you, Rosemary. I hear they are looking for a seamstress at the laundry. Or laborers at the church.”

Jacob felt the woman’s thoughts as she ruminated. He dared to touch her arm, a silent ask to stop. “I know this was not my place - at least not yet. I will not apologize, however. That man would just put you all in the ground where you stand and have no qualms about it.”

She was quiet. Jacob realized this was the root where Cora got the hesitation and need to weigh her words before speaking at times. Rosemary was nearly turning away when he reached out again to stop her.

“My Matthew did not want to borrow from that man,” she said, the discomfort of the moment radiated from her. “I put us here, Mr. Jacob. I did not do better because I do not know better. I don’t know any other way.”

“Nothing wrong with knowing hard work and trying to survive. Everything wrong with someone taking advantage of that, though,” he said, getting her to look in his face. “I will have my brother Samuel here tomorrow with a truck. Can you be ready?”

Rosemary had a wisp of a smile. The way her mouth curved was just like her daughter made his thoughts return to town. Jacob patted her arm when she nodded. “Believe it or not, I’m the same,” he said quietly. “It takes me a while to figure out my way, too.”

Returning to town, he found Cora filling flasks. There were four brown wrapper wrapped packages from the shop sitting on her chair that caught his eye before leaning in to kiss her hello.

“I was wondering if you would like to celebrate with me tonight,” he said with a grin.

“Celebrate?” she asked, her focus on the scale.

He hummed. “Your mother and brothers are packing as we speak. I plan on taking my girl out to dinner in celebration.”

She stopped, looking back around at him. “What? What did you do?”

“I had to get a few things in order, but Kilbourne will not be an issue any longer,” he remarked. “The house on Park is ready and tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow your family will move.”

“How’d you do it?” she asked as he traced the line of her waist.

“Kilbourne just needed to see reason and I gave him a way to see it,” Jacob answered, leaning back into her.

The feel of her skin sent a shiver through him. Her eyes shimmered as she smiled. There was a mischievous feeling about her shine that made him want to touch her all the more. He brushed the pad of his thumb across the ridge of her cheek and was rewarded with a wider smile and a tender blush on the skin as if it followed his touch. This creature was beyond him. He could not understand how she could allow him to breathe the same air, let alone allow him to touch her.

“Do you think it would be all right if I went upstairs to change?” she asked, returning to her task. “If we’re going to celebrate, I want to wear a new dress.”

Jacob grinned. “Molly’s probably up there now. I’ll finish here.”

She grabbed her packages and grazed a kiss to his cheek before scrambling down the hall towards the stairs to the dressing rooms. He heard her say a fast ‘hello, Marcus’ followed by her footfalls on the stairs. Jacob glanced down to the bouncer at the door who waved at him. Smiling wide, he set to finish up the flasks and retrieve the cashbox and ledger. By the time he had gotten everything into the safe in the office of the shops, Cora was moving across the front walk, her silhouette a radiant outline as the sunshine streamed in all around her in a golden tinted dance. He stopped in his tracks. She was simply beatific as she walked in, her steps full of confidence as her sleepy smile appeared.

The silk of the dress was emblazoned with flowers of muted shades of red, orange, and gold on a background of soft green with lace low on the thighs and around her neck and capped on her shoulders, leaving the arms completely bare. The simple dusty red colored cloche hat was perfect against the soft glow of her face.

“Lovely. You look absolutely lovely, Cora,” Josh said warmly from behind him. “Doesn’t she, Jake?”

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

Josh nudged him forward, even though Jacob looked back at this twin. There was approval in his brother’s eye. Swallowing the thickness of the moment, Jake could not help but feel the weight of what had once been between them evaporate. The damage that Bea had caused had been slow to heal. He did not know it would be another woman that could be the balm that soothed them both.

Chapter Ten: Pt. 3, Cora POV

“Dear lord, chickadee,” Molly whistled as Cora came out from behind the privacy screen.

Susannah stood up from her dressing table. Both women just smiled something fierce and it made her all the more nervous. This was the first of the dresses she had the nerve to actually order from the shop’s catalog. The others were more plain with work in mind, but this one - the lace, the gold, it was for Jacob. The silk made her feel like she was wrapped in luxury.

“It’s not too much for me?” she asked, before moving in front of the mirror. “I was worried that it would be a little too-”

The women looked at each other and laughed. Molly was the first to move towards her with her hands going directly to the lace that was just above the knee. Her eyes seemed to be gauging the fabric.

“See - if you wanted me to alter this to show some leg, I could chop it right here - they left a little hidden hem here with the lace,” she said, lifting the silk up to show Susannah. “But this, over all; no, Cora. This is beautiful.”

Susannah nodded. “Jacob’s not going to know what hit him. And he’s taking you out to celebrate?”

“Yes. My family is moving into the Park street house tomorrow. We’re done with Kilbourne,” she said.

“I hope that Jake told that evil bastard he was going to meet his maker if he didn’t let you go,” Molly remarked, fixing the pins for Cora hat so that her braids supported the delicate curve in the back.

“I don’t know what was said, but I’m sure Jacob did not resort to violence,” Cora murmured.

Both women laughed before falling quiet at Cora’s questioning gaze. Ready, she left her packages with Molly with the agreement she would pick them up the next day. Pushing her way into the shop to meet Jacob, she found him and Joshua standing together, relaxed in each other’s presence until she arrived. There was a gleam to Josh that she had not seen before. It made her feel welcomed. Jacob’s gaze locked upon her and did not relent until they strolled out of the shop with her on his arm.

They ate at The Boudreau. Jacob handed her the menu to select their meal, after all they were celebrating her. The waiter was unsure of what to do, but took the order when the boss was not looking. Cora laughed as Jacob seemed to beam a bit, despite the strange glances and offended looks from a few of the gentlemen.

He asked if she wanted to walk through the house before he drove her home. The owner had left the key at the bank for him to retrieve. They laughed as they walked together. She felt lightened in his presence. He was talking about how her mother - Rosemary Janas - actually smiled when he told her to be ready to move. She could only imagine the excitement Matthew and Jonathan had for attending school. Georgie would have to take a bit of coaxing, but she was sure the boy would probably impress the teacher at how easily he grasped subjects.

Jacob pushed open the door and snapped on the lights before she set foot inside. The wood floors were sturdy, barely making a sound as she walked. It was clean and warm and exuded notes of home. She let out a long breath as she draped her wrap over the newel post. There were drapes on the windows and the kitchen had a tap. The washroom was functional. She drifted from room to room, climbing the stairs and looking into what would be the boys’ rooms. For Matthew to have his own space was going to be important. The room on the main level would be big enough for two beds, two wardrobes. She was calculating as she moved. They had enough furniture for most of the rooms, but she would be able to buy chairs and bookcases to fill the space. And books. She could purchase books for all of them to enjoy.

Cora’s heart was racing. Her hand was fisted over her chest as she turned again and again. She had found a home for all of them. It may not be the farmhouse her father built, but instead was the house that they could thrive once more because of choices of her own. Jacob was leaning against the wall by the door, watching her every move with a soft grin.

“Thank you,” she said as she moved back towards him.

“For what?” he asked, taking her offered hand.

“I wouldn’t have known of these houses if you had not shown me,” she said as she stepped close to him. “You were right. It’s perfect.”

“Are you excited to be here?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her narrow waist.

She nodded as he fitted their bodies together. He danced them across the space, through doorways and into the kitchen and back out and into the sitting room and pulled her into the bedroom with a deep kiss. Spinning back out he laughed as she almost pouted, leaving her to want more.

At the end of the day Wednesday, Cora had the Tiger locked away and balanced when Jacob came to collect the cashbox. They walked together to put into the safe before he held his arm out in offering to walk her home. She laughed over the notion, but leaned into him as they walked through the main thoroughfare of the town, back towards her new residence.

The house was lit up when they moved before it. Cora could see the shadows of her family moving around deep inside. Jacob led her to the door and she paused before she pushed it open, as if unsure if she should knock or not. Georgie was at the top of the stairs while Jon was at the bottom, playing some game where they would run up and down the set to see who could move the fastest. Matthew was walking out of the kitchen towards the table, setting out the dishes for his mother.

The two younger brothers swarmed her as they laughed and played. Her mother leaned out of the kitchen to wave at her like they had always resided in the space. Jacob hung his coat before kissing her cheek and moving back towards the kitchen. Matthew smiled at her as the other two boys cat called her. Cora held her arm out for her brother who stepped close. There was a young man that settled beside her, taller by at least a few inches and growing by the day it seemed.

“You like your room?” she asked quietly as Jon and Georgie settled back into their game.

“I do. Can we fill it with books?” Matthew asked, his voice nearly identical to their father’s.

“You’re going to wind up teaching that school, you know that right?” she asked, unable to hide her joy. “At least for a little bit.”

Georgie flew down the stairs, and she was sure he missed a few but landed square on his feet before her. The excitement was brimming as Jacob leaned his frame against the door of the kitchen.

“Hungry?”

Cora felt her heart pumping as her mother carried out a plate of roasted meat and Jacob followed with potatoes, vegetables and his gravy. Rosemary insisted Jacob sit at the head of the table, while Matthew took the other end. Cora held his hand under the table while they prayed. Her throat felt thick as she found she could not eat at first. Her nerves of seeing her family in the home moved her to near tears. The boys were talking about other children that they had already met and Rosemary complimented Jacob on his brother and friend and hoped that perhaps in the future she would be able to return their kindness.

“Mr. Jacob, I did not know that you could cook,” Jonathan remarked as he reached for more to fill his plate. “I thought only women cooked.”

Jacob laughed and shook his head. “My grandparents were cooks for logging camps down through the years. My brother, Joshua, and I would spend whole summers with them. I learned from my grandfather how to make most of this stuff when I was about Georgie’s age. When we weren’t helping, Josh and I were adventuring in the woods, or working with the loggers keeping the horses in check.”

Cora could not help but to watch as Jacob began to regale them with stories about working in Michigan in the camps when their parents needed to travel to Chicago for work.

Jake reached, touching her elbow gently. “Are you well?”

She bubbled out a nervous, joyful laugh. “I’m wondering who these people are and where we are that we’re this happy, Jacob.”

He gave her a little squeeze encouraging her to eat. The boys cleared every scrap of food possible. Rosemary took the time to actually sit and watch her family be nourished. Her gray eyes were lightened, even twinkled a hint of blue once more.

“Cora, why don’t you walk Mr. Jacob out. I’ll start the dishes,” her mother said once the boys seemed too sleepy to speak another word long after the meal was finished.

She smiled as she took his coat and hat out to the porch. He lit a cigarette as he stepped outside. Her heart pounded as he touched her cheek with a thoughtful smile.

“I can’t find my words,” she whispered.

Jacob leaned forward, his mouth brushing against her cheek. “I like seeing you happy, Finch.”

His arm hooked around her waist, swaying her as she leaned against him. He popped his hat out of her hand and placed it on his head. Turning her, he was quick to press a kiss to her mouth, dragging her lip between his teeth. She laughed breathlessly as he pecked at her before letting her go.

“Kind of nice that I can walk my girl to work in the morning,” he remarked with a wink.

She watched as he strolled down the little walk to the street. Cora waved as he peeked back over his shoulder. Happy. The word had been foreign to her. It burned on her heart to watch Jacob walk down that road knowing that it was only a separation of blocks that he would be laying his head down that night, not miles. Knowing that her friends were close. Knowing that the house was safe. Her arms folded across her chest as she allowed herself the momentary grace to feel that happiness knowing that her work and the aid of friends had led to the moment.

So, our girl got her family away from Kilbourne. I hope you enjoyed today’s chapter. Let me know what you think in comments or reblogs. I love to see feedback.

I do have a tag list - you can find it here or just send me an ask.

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @whitesuitjake @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @streamingcolors-gvf @gretavanbitches @samsurfgreenbass @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatchercarol @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @kyrose11 @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @puzzle-gvf @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @brookes-so-done @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @lightmylove-gvf @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @redsierra1960 @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #josh gvf #sammy gvf #sam gvf #daniel gvf #danny gvf #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic au #greta van fleet au fic #greta van fleet x ocs #bootleggers and wildflowers

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littlenightma · 2 years

Text

Reader Meeting Unmasked Jesse Cromeans

The local cafe you worked at was experiencing a change shortage. It had gotten so severe that you and your coworkers had to tell customers you could no longer accept anything above twenty dollar bills and that, according to your manager, was unacceptable.

So here you were waiting in line that seemed never-ending, holding a bag that very well could have payed your rent for the next few months and then some. What it must be like not needing to live pay check to pay check.

You then sensed a presence behind you. The air felt too thick to breath as a shadow fell over yours, weighing heavily on your chest, pushing down until your lungs felt as if they were on the verge of collapsing.

You fidgeted slightly, eyes averting to the floor as you try to find anything to distract yourself and distracted you were as two large, polished shoes came into view, standing only inches from yours. No doubt they belonged to a man judging by the size. You swore that you could feel his hot breath skimming the exposed skin of your neck. Suddenly the open space of the bank felt too cramped.

By the grace of God, it was finally your turn. You walked up to the counter, grateful for any kind of distance between you and the stranger, and sat the bag down.

“I need an exchange done, please. Two hundred in fives and four hundred in tens.”

The woman worked efficiently, or maybe she was keen enough to know you were uncomfortable, because as soon as she left, she was back, handing you a much heavier bag and a receipt.

“Thank you.”

The moment of relief came fleetingly. Upon turning around to leave, you became face to chest with the owner of the shoes and he looked exactly like the kind of man who would wear them. He was the walking epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. His aura radiated pitch black; depth without an end; winter without a sun.

You didn’t stay to ogle him. Your feet were already headed for the door, eager to leave, although not eager enough. The stranger turned his head to glance at your departing figure with a sneer.

Your car was, thankfully, not that far away. You happily climbed in, turned the engine on, and a little too carelessly threw the bag of bills on your passenger seat. Just as you were locking your seatbelt, you spotted the dark stranger exiting the bank. His strides were long and determined; confident.

Or arrogant, you thought.

He was dressed in black from head to toe, from his well-pressed suit down to a pair of crease-free leather gloves. The man was dangerous. It was not an assumption or an opinion. It was pure, undeniable fact. No one dressed like that was merely out doing casual business.

You watched as he went to put something in the pocket of his suit and watched as that something fell right onto the sidewalk.

You wanted to pretend that you didn’t notice the envelope fall to the ground. You wanted to get back to work and forget about the man and his sneers. You wanted to, for once, not be the good, well-behaved person your parents raised you to be, but the universe was intending for a cruel day. You begrudgingly stepped out of your vehicle but not before you slammed your head into the steering wheel as punishment.

It felt heavy in your hands when you picked it up, and the thick, rectangular outline blantantly told you what was inside it. You were forced to jog in order to catch up to the man before he made it to his car. He must have heard your footsteps for he stopped mid-stride, turning around just as you held up the envelope.

“You dropped this.”

His eyes crinkled around the edges when you handed him the envelope, surveying both you and it from behind his shades. You expected at least a small look of gratitude, but the stern, intimidating expression never wavered, even as he took the envelope from your hands.

An image of you being pinned against the concrete flashed in your mind. A knife to your throat, a hand twisted in your hair and a clean shaven head lowering to meet your open mouth as you try to scream.

He reached into his pants pocket to pull out a phone, sliding it open with a flick of his thumb. He typed into it rapidly before showing you the screen.

THANK YOU

“You’re welcome.”

His way of communicating was odd. Could he not speak or did he not want to?

Back in your car, you made sure to lock your doors before anything else. Your own bag of money still laid innocently in your passenger’s seat. You gave it a searing glare.

“You are so not worth the effort.”

The man watched you speed out of the parking lot, thumbing over the envelope he purposely dropped in order to lure you into his trap. He expected you to take it and run. He wanted you to take it and run just so he would have a reason to hunt you down. The fact that you didn’t made things less fun, but as disappointed as he was, he still found himself intrigued by your honesty.

It wasn’t as if you couldn’t use the extra funds. The jeans and shirt you wore had more stains and holes than the backroads of LA and your car had to be nearing the end of its life.

He could tell he intimidated you. Even so, you still chose to bring him the envelope when you did not need to. If your intentions were not to steal the money, nothing had forced you to personally return it either.

He sent a single text to Spann.

FOUND A NEW PIGGY - J

Spann was instant in her reply.

Need dinner prepared? - S

The man could still smell your fear, but with it lingered something else, something that he wanted to use against you. Since you were so nice to return his money, he figured he should at least make a house call in order to properly thank you.

NO. THIS ONE IS SPECIAL - J

#jesse cromeans x reader #chromeskull x reader #slasher x reader #slasher community #laid to rest (2009)#jesse cromeans #chromeskull

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holmesandtheroman · 1 year

Text

The Empty Place Where Love Should Be — Abner Krill x Fem!Reader

Chapter 8

A/N: Yeah, yeah yell at me. I went through some tough shit last year. My grandfather died, I got rejected from PhD programs, I discovered some chronic illnesses I had, the Queen died... Life was a mess. Anyway my triumphant return is (somewhat) here. And, if you like, you can read the whole fic on my AO3 here.

You had gotten turned around in the grocery store unintentionally more than a few times, even though that was your regular store. You were absolutely on cloud nine to the point where you could not think straight. You had a date with Abner!

After you went back inside Coop’s Kitchen on the day of your first kiss with Abner, you both worked out the logistics of when and where you would have your first date. You had been concerned about how he would get around his mother’s grasp, but he assured you multiple times that he would find a way to get away for at least three hours the next week. He also said he wanted to surprise you with where you would have dinner. Apparently, confessing your feelings about him had made him a little bolder, and you secretly admired his growing confidence.

You shook yourself as you realized you had been staring at a six-pack of chicken ramen for several minutes. You must have looked silly, but you did not care.

You heard a bit of a scuffle on the end of the aisle and looked to find an older woman in an electric wheelchair getting her wheel caught against a wire basket that held the deal of the week. She struggled more and the basket toppled, sending plastic bottles of ketchup all over the aisle.

“Dadgum baskets!” she hissed to herself. You rushed over after seeing her struggle to turn herself to the side to pick up the items.

“Here,” you offered as you quickly kneeled and began gathering the bottles. “I’ve got it.”

The woman shook her head. “These flippin’ things. Don’t know why they put ‘em at the end of an aisle. That’s a safety hazard.”

You turned the basket upright and filled it with the bottles. “They ought to move them,” you said nervously.

“Thank you for helping me. These old legs of mine aren’t doing too good nowadays. I can barely walk and my useless son is no help,” she said, rolling her eyes at the mention of her son.

“Oh, I’m sure he does his fair share,” you remarked distractedly as you now worked to untangle the wire basket from the wheel of her wheelchair.

“His fair share of fudging everything up. I mean look around. You see his sorry behind coming to help me? No, a sweet girl like you had to come up and do it yourself.” She huffed. Under her breath, she muttered, “Useless little shit.”

You were starting to feel extremely uncomfortable in the woman’s presence, and you were quickly trying to search your mind for conversation-ending sentences. Before you could say anything, however, you heard the sharp splintering of glass behind you. You whirled around.

“Abner, you complete fuck-up! Look at what you did!” the woman screeched as you realized in horror that Abner was indeed standing in front of you, blanched as white as a sheet with his dark eyes like saucers as they stared at you.

You looked down at the shattered jar of pickles that had fallen from his trembling hands. Your mouth started to form his name in shock, but you saw him shake his head almost imperceptibly. You shut your mouth.

“Honestly, Abner, now we’re gonna have to pay for two jars! Pathetic little klutz,” the woman shouted.

You sharply jerked your head to the woman you now understood to be Abner’s mother. “It was an accident,” you snapped before you could stop yourself. You swallowed and recomposed yourself. “Let me pay for it. Please.”

“No, it’s ok—“ Abner started to whimper, but his mother cut him off.

“Shut up, you little twerp! Mouth shut when mama’s talking to someone!” She turned back to you.

“Here,” you reached into your purse and pulled out a ten-dollar bill and nearly shoved it into the woman’s hand. “Now you can buy two jars.” You turned around, seeing Abner’s form shrunken in on himself and his head hanging in defeat and embarrassment. He avoided your eye contact, but you could tell his eyes were watering. You desperately wanted to comfort him, but you knew that that action would get him into infinitely more trouble than he was already in.

You grabbed the packs of ramen you were staring at earlier and quickly made your way down the opposite end of the aisle. As you turned the corner, you heard a sound that was similar to a yelping puppy. You glanced behind you to see the older woman with a vice grip on Abner’s ear, his thin hands grasping at her wrist to let go. You could not hear what she was saying to him, but you could tell it was incredibly vile.

You walked to the cashier stand, ice cold running through your veins at what you had just witnessed. You were numb and scared for Abner. If she would do that in public, then what on earth was she doing at home? The memory of Abner’s black eye ran through your mind, and a pit formed in your stomach. What had she done to him as a child?

You paid for your groceries and grabbed the bags. As you were walking out the door, you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder. You turned around. Surprisingly, it was Abner.

With a defeated expression still on his face, he quietly said, “Mother wanted me to give this back to you.” He held out the ten-dollar bill you had given to the woman. You glanced over his shoulder to see his mother a good ten feet back, glaring at the back of his head. “She said that it wasn’t right to take your money when I’m the one who… who fudged up.” His voice wavered, and you wanted to scoop him up right there and take him home and save him from the horrible woman.

Instead, you gently took the ten from him, lingering your touch on his hand for a moment. “It’s ok. It wasn’t your fault.” You lowered your voice. “It will never be your fault, Abner. Everything is ok.” You searched his gaze for understanding what you truly meant, and as soon as you saw it, you pocketed the ten. “See you later. Yes?” you asked in earnest.

Abner swallowed and almost smiled. “Yeah. See you later.” His visage dropped again as he returned to his mother. You left the store, your mind racing.

You were troubled for the rest of the day. Not even binging Law & Order or face timing with your mother could get your mind off of what happened in the grocery store. Your mother had commented on you being distracted, but you brushed it off as being tired. You had told her that you had met a guy and were going to go on a date with him, but you had not told her the gritty details about what was going on with him. You did not know how to talk about it.

As you watched the Law & Order credits play for the eighth time that night, you heard your phone ding with a text message. You reached over and grabbed it, expecting it to be Ellie asking if you could cover another shift for her. When you read the text, however, you were surprised to see it was from Abner. You sat up, your eyes grazing over his words.

‘I’m sorry that you had to see me being a klutz today. I was just surprised to see you. You didn’t get hurt by any of the glass, did you? And mother didn’t yell at you? She can get kind of cranky with strangers.’

Your heart hurt as you realized that the one thing he was worried about was if you were all right. She might as well have yelled at you by the way she treated Abner. You wrote back, ‘No, she didn’t. And I wasn’t hurt. What about you? Are you ok?’

You stared at your phone as if to will him to text you back faster. You were, at the very least, glad that he reached out to you and still wanted to speak to you.

After quite a long while, your phone dinged again in your hand. Abner’s text read, ‘What kind of food do you like? I want to make sure I don’t pick somewhere you don’t like.’

He was eager to change the subject, then. You did not want to make him uncomfortable by dwelling on today, so you willingly went along with the new conversation thread.

‘I’m sure whatever you pick will be absolutely perfect!’ You added several heart and kiss emojis before you hit send. You followed it up with, ‘I’m always down for Italian….’

Abner returned with a smiley face. ‘I hope you sleep well. I can’t wait to see you again,’ came the next text.

You blushed and grinned from ear to ear. After you sent your good night text to him, you settled down on your sofa and wrapped a blanket around yourself, pretending it was Abner’s own warm embrace.

You heard timid knocks on your apartment door that could only have belonged to Abner. You put on your heels and stood, smoothing out your nicest dress. You were not dressed in gala attire, but you looked nice in your knee-length burgundy dress. Your heart raced as you went to the door and opened it.

Abner stood before you, an eager smile on his face, in one of the most mismatched outfits you had ever seen: it was a dark blue paisley oxford shirt underneath a brown jacket with tan and red checked pants. You almost giggled at the adorable sight, but you held it back lest he thought you were laughing at him. He held up a luscious bouquet of deep red roses and baby’s breath for you.

“Abner, you didn’t have to bring me flowers!” you said, genuinely touched by his gesture.

In an instant, his smile faded and his eyes became sad again. “Fizzlesticks, I knew it was too much. You’re embarrassed now,” he mumbled as he lowered the bouquet.

“No! Abner, I love them! I just wasn’t expecting them, but they’re absolutely gorgeous!” You reached out to take the flowers from him. “And they smell lovely.” He began to perk up again as you took the flowers to your small dining table and placed them in the only vase you had. “Roses are my favorite.”

“I-I would have gotten something bigger but… that was all I could afford,” he replied apologetically.

You made your way back to Abner and grabbed your purse. “They’re perfect. Any bigger and I’d have to move into a greenhouse,” you joked. He chuckled lightly in response. “So, where are we off to?”

Abner anxiously fiddled with the side of his pants. “Well, I wanted to go to my favorite place, but… I knew you wouldn’t want to go there…” he said.

You cocked your head. “Why wouldn’t I want to go to your favorite place?”

Abner swallowed and shrugged lightly. “Well, you’re there all the time….”

You looked at him, puzzled. “What’s your favorite place?”

Abner blushed hard and averted his eyes. “It’s… Coop’s Kitchen. I like it because it’s where I met you.”

You opened your mouth to speak, yet nothing came out. Your heart melted at his admission, and it was all you could do not to kiss him into oblivion.

He looked back up at you. “I’ve offended you,” he murmured.

“You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met, Abner. Take me wherever you want to take me,” you replied. You stepped out of your apartment and locked the door and then turned to him, holding out your hand for him to take.

He hesitantly reached out and clasped his cold hand around yours. “How does Italian sound?”

You smiled and gently squeezed his hand. “That sounds perfect.”

The first few minutes of walking toward the restaurant were filled with awkward silence. Abner would open his mouth to say something, but then decide against it and close his mouth. He just needed a bit of encouragement.

“So, besides coming and talking to me at the diner and reading about engineering, what do you like to do for fun?” you asked. You leaned your head against his shoulder, which caused him to blush and tense up.

“I, um,” he started. “I like to take walks… It clears my head.”

“Where do you like to go?”

Abner shrugged. “I don’t really have a destination in mind. I was just taking a walk when I first came to the diner.”

You furrowed your brow. “Wasn’t it raining, then?”

Abner was silent for a moment. “I really needed to get out of the house.” He changed the subject. “Do you like to take walks?”

“I kind of stopped taking regular walks when I moved here. I used to take walks all the time over in London,” you added. “Hyde Park was my favorite. You could walk by the Serpentine.” You laughed out loud. “You had to be wary of all those bloody swans, though.”

“Why is that?” Abner asked with interest.

“Ugh, those fucking birds would take your head off and feel no remorse in doing so. Utterly evil, they are. And you couldn’t do anything about them because the Queen owned all of them!”

Abner chuckled. “Why does she own all the swans?”

You rolled your eyes and smiled. “Something to do about eating them at banquets. God knows why they still have that rule. I would’ve liked to strangle a few of them in my day.” You held out your left arm and turned it so that an old scar was visible. “Look at that. A horrid prize for daring to sit down on a bench near the water. Isn’t it awful?” Abner did not answer. You let your arm fall to your side. “I’m just glad it was one swan and not a dozen. I’d be covered in scars.”

Abner suddenly stopped and you turned to him, concerned. He was averting your gaze again, and he had sunk down in on himself. He released your hand. He was starting to look very ill.

“Abner, what’s wrong?” you asked.

“If I show you something, will you… will you let me explain?” he asked, pain etching his features.

“It depends… you’re not like a vampire or something, are you?” you tried to lighten the mood.

Instead of chuckling, Abner looked around and found that the alley you both had just passed was empty. He quickly stumbled around the corner into the dark alley.

“Wait, Abner!” you called as you ran after him.

As you turned the corner, you saw Abner leaning against the wall with bright glowing bumps forming all over his skin. Each one was a different color, and they all seemed to grow bigger.

“Oh, my God, are you all right?” you nearly shrieked.

Abner opened his mouth to reply, but he then jerked forward and vomited rainbow sick all over the ground. You rushed over and began to rub his back as he kept retching.

“Oh, God, Abner, do I need to call someone?” you asked urgently. You looked back toward the entrance of the alley but found no one walking by. “I’m going to go get help.”

Abner spit and shook his head quickly. He sucked in air and began to breathe normally. When he stood straight again, you noticed that the brightly colored pustules were gone. He coughed, and you quickly reached into your purse and grabbed some tissues, holding them to his mouth. He took them.

“Are you sick?” you asked as he wiped his mouth clean.

He glanced down to make sure he did not get any vomit on his shoes. Abner nodded. “I told you my mother worked at S.T.A.R. Labs. She was inspired by the work they were doing and decided that she wanted to make us superheroes.”

“Us?” you repeated.

“My brothers and sisters,” he clarified. He folded the tissue in his hands. “She… experimented on us using S.T.A.R. Lab technology to access other dimensions.” He sniffed. “Some of them… died from her experimentation. Others… weren’t as lucky as me. I was the only one who could still function after she…” He looked away as a tear fell down his cheek. “It’s an interdimensional virus. The dots, as she calls them, present themselves at least twice a day and if I don’t—“ he gestured to the ground. “Expel them, they eat me from the inside.”

“Has she tried to find a cure? Isn’t there anyone at S.T.A.R. Labs who can help you?” you asked.

Abner shook his head. “Her experiments weren’t authorized by the government. She’s threatened me if I ever come forward.”

“So there’s nothing else that can be done?”

“She makes me live at home so she can document the effects it has on my body. The day I first came to the diner was the first time I left the house without her. I always made sure she took this medicine that made her sleep. That’s how I was able to leave so often. She found out what I was doing the night we were supposed to go see Anna Karenina. That’s why I…” he admitted through shame.

“That’s why you didn’t show,” you finished. Anger seared inside of you, but you stayed silent.

“I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear this. You probably want to leave.”

“Abner,” you said gently as you laced your arm around his. “I’m listening.”

He took a deep breath. “She doesn’t just make me live there for her research. I’m the only one who can take care of her. I do it because she was the one who figured out what I have to do to stay alive. She’s… she’s my mother. I have to do what she says. Or else…” he stopped, trying to hold back tears. He breathed out and continued, “Or else she hurts me when I disobey. I try really hard to do what she tells me to do, but sometimes it’s not enough.”

“Abner, you need to get out of that house,” you cried.

“She knows what’s best for me and my condition. Besides, she told me I could never make it by myself because I’m not smart enough. I’m not really smart enough for anything,” Abner said as though he had repeated it to himself a thousand times in his head.

You now understand why he was so hard on himself, why this man was so beaten down and broken. He had been isolated his entire life and hatred had been forced into him all that time. He had not had the opportunity for someone else to tell him otherwise. And all the abuse, all the hate, all the vitriol had only made him inexplicably kind.

You shook your head and blinked away tears. “Abner, I don’t know what to say.”

“You can leave if you want to,” he muttered, defeat seeping through his words. “I would understand if you did.”

“I’m not going to leave, Abner.” You reached up to brush away more of his tears and he leaned into your touch. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. I can’t even imagine how you were able to hold all that in.”

Abner did not reply. He stared directly ahead at the other side of the alley.

“Are you hungry? I imagine after all that, you must be famished,” you said as you gestured to the dulling vomit on the ground. He nodded. You put your hand on his shoulder. “I am glad you told me.”

“You still want to go on a date?” he asked.

“Of course, I do!” You reached up and kissed him on his cheek. His eyes widened as he felt your lips on his skin. “And I’m here for you to talk about whatever else you want to talk about.”

Tagging: @maximumcoffeeme @asmuo @bimboshaggy @chaoticace22 @l-wannabe-l @thedumbbrunette0-0 @lennyb0benny @ravendast @gonzosestrangedbrother @kennedywxlsh @jupiters--moonxx @glytchfic @therakshawolf @phntm-snce

#the suicide squad #abner krill #abner krill x reader #polka dot man #polka dot man x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #dceu #david dastmalchian

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beth--b · 1 year

Text

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Ever since Steve had come face to face with a demogorgon in the Byers house in 1983 he had dreamed about ways he might die. Most of them involved monsters.

After being tortured by Russians under Starcourt Mall, a slow and painful death had also featured high on the list.

Then there was Vecna. Broken limbs, more monsters, a snapped neck had all made regular appearances.

Not once had he thought he would die in an alley behind Family Video on a Saturday afternoon.

The day had started off normally enough, he'd had the open shift at Family Video, the morning a mind numbing bar of rewinding videos and shelving returns. There had been a bit of a rush just before Robbyn clocked on at 12 and then the day had picked up a little. It was about 15 minutes until he was done for the day when Eddie wandered in, Max in tow.

In the months that had passed since Vecna had been defeated Eddie and Max had bonded. They had spent time together recovering in the hospital from their injuries and ever since they had become close. Of course Steve and Eddie had also grown closer, the pair both confessing their feelings after weeks of dancing around one another.

Read it on ao3 here

As Eddie approached, Max wandered off to browse the shelves, probably looking for something to watch with Lucas later.

"Hey Stevie, ready for our movie night? Picked something out yet?" Eddie said, leaning on the counter and letting his fingertips brush against Steve's hand.

Steve glanced at their hands, hiding a small grin by ducking his head down before answering.

"Yes, I am ready. No, I haven't yet. Why don't you just pick something out while I finish up?"

Eddie rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, "You know you work at a video store yeah? How can you not have something you want to watch?"

"Exactly, I work at a video store and there are movies on all day, you can pick," Steve shrugged as he rounded the counter, the bin near the door was empty so he was going to empty it and change out the bag before he clocked off for the day. "Just let me put this in the dumpster out back and while I do you can get us a movie, grab one for Max too if she wants. I'll be back in like 2 minutes," tying the bag off he headed back behind the counter and through to the back of the store.

Propping the back door open he headed to the dumpster out back and threw the bag in. He turned back to go inside just as a guy who looked a little older than Steve came stumbling into the alley.

"Hey man, you should get out of here," Steve called, standing between the open back door and the guy who was now approaching, a scared but determined look on his face.

"You work here?" the guy indicated the open door and Steve's work vest.

"What do you want man? Nothing back here but garbage."

"Get me the money from the register," the guy started, but as soon as Steve started to move towards the door he seemed to realise that there was nothing to stop Steve locking the door behind him. "Fuck - no I mean…just gimme your wallet!"

Steve eyed the guy warily, he seemed to be on something, he was scattered and looked ready to either jump Steve and run through the open back door, or run away. Steve hoped it was the latter.

He had all of ten dollars on him, stuffed into his pocket to pay for Eddie and Max's movies. With Eddie, Robin and Max all inside he knew he couldn't let this guy get past him.

When Steve hesitated the guy pulled a switchblade out of his pocket.

Steve raised both hands, trying to calm the man who was moving steadily closer, knife still clutched tightly in one hand. He slowly moved his left hand to his pocket and pulled out the crumpled bill.

."Here man, just take it and go. Nobody needs to get hurt," Steve held the money out and the man lurched forward to snatch it from his hand.

The guy looked at the money, looked at Steve and eyed the back door to Family Video.

Seemingly coming to a decision the man rushed forward, pushing Steve into the wall as he did.

Three things happened at once.

Steve felt a burning pain in his chest as the switchblade was shoved into his chest, his assailant seemed to come to his senses at the sight of blood and began to panic, and Eddie came to the backdoor, calling Steve's name playfully.

The man who had stabbed Steve, let go of both Steve and the knife and bolted back down the alley. Eddie stuck his head out of the open door, and at the sight of Steve holding a hand around the hilt of a knife still stuck in his chest, he stumbled in shock,crying out Steve’s name, before quickly finding his footing and rushing towards his injured boyfriend.

As Eddie reached his side, Steve felt his knees buckle, sliding down the brick wall behind him as Eddie helped control the fall.

Steve could see Eddie's lips moving, feel the pressure of his hands against the wound in his chest. He was vaguely aware of Eddie calling for help, telling Robin to call 911.

He tried to focus on Eddie's voice, on Eddie's face.

Steve lifted a trembling hand and tried to brush away the tears he could now see running down Eddie's face. He frowned when red streaks were left behind instead.

"Don't…don't cry Eds. It'll be…be ok," Steve mumbled.

He was so tired.

Why was he so tired?

He was cold too, maybe Eddie would lend him his jacket.

"Cold," he breathed, voice hardly loud enough to hear.

Eddie heard though and pressed his forehead against Steve's.

"Sorry Stevie, we'll get you warmed up soon as we can. I promise."

Then Eddie was gone and someone else was there, asking him his name, what happened. Steve couldn't find it in himself to answer. He was so tired and he was freezing and he hurt. He let himself drift and then he let himself fall.

Steve woke in increments.

He was aware of voices speaking to him, he couldn't seem to remember who the voices belonged to but he knew they were people he cared about. People who cared about him.

He wanted to tell them he was alright but he couldn't seem to speak.

The voices faded out and he slept once more.

The next time he was a little more aware. He heard someone speaking to him and was able to recognise the voice as belonging to Eddie.

There was a hand holding onto his, he tried to squeeze it but he wasn't sure he managed more than a twitch.

Eddie's voice changed, grew louder in volume. Steve tried to open his eyes but they were so heavy. He hardly managed a flutter before he was pulled back into the darkness.

The third time Steve became aware of his surroundings he knew this time would be different. This time he could hear the beep of machinery in the room, the pinch of a cannula in his hand, a dull aching in his chest.

It felt like the hardest thing he'd ever done but he managed to open his eyes, wincing at the bright lighting of the hospital room.

His mouth was dry, and there was something under his nose, oxygen he vaguely recognised.

He turned his head and was surprised to see that nobody else was there. He remembered hearing voices. Hearing Eddie.

He felt sleep tugging at him, he was so tired just from looking around the room, but he fought to stay awake. He knew he was losing the battle when the door opened and Eddie walked in.

He had his head down, dark hair obscuring his face from Steve but it was enough for Steve to force himself awake a little longer.

"Eds," he called softly, voice hoarse.

Eddie looked up and dropped the book he'd been carrying, face lighting up as he rushed to Steve's side.

"Stevie, you're awake!" Eddie moved to hug the younger man but stopped himself at the last second, settling for a soft kiss pressed to the top of Steve's head.

"Mm yeah, tired though," Steve mumbled.

"I know but we should call the nurse, let them know you're awake," Eddie explained, grabbing Steve's hand and squeezing while pressing the call button for the nurse with his free hand.

Steve tried to stay awake but by the time the nurse came he was so groggy with sleep he couldn't really answer her questions. He was out before she finished checking him over.

After a few more brief moments of waking, Steve woke up the next morning feeling far more coherent.

"Morning sunshine," Eddie greeted when Steve opened his eyes.

"Hmm g'morning. What time's it?" Steve asked, reaching for Eddie with the hand not hooked up to an IV.

Eddie held on tightly before pressing a kiss to the palm of Steve's hand.

"Little after nine. Got here as soon as the nurses would let me in. You gave us all a hell of a scare."

"S’rry, didn't mean to," Steve said with a quirk of his brow.

Eddie leaned in to press his forehead against Steve's, a whispered 'I know' passing the metal head's lips.

Hearing the door begin to open, Eddie reluctantly pulled away. A nurse came in to check Steve over and change the dressing on his chest. The bed was raised so Steve was half upright and propped against several pillows.

While she fiddled with the IV, and asked about his pain levels, Steve stayed focused on Eddie, letting the older boy ramble about everyone who had visited in the past few days while Steve had been unconscious.

Once the nurse had done all she needed and confirmed a doctor would be by later the two were alone again.

"So what exactly happened?" Steve finally asked.

"You don't remember?" Eddie's brow furrowed in concern.

Steve shook his head then nodded before finally settling on a half shrug.

"Kinda? I mean I know some jackass stabbed me but not much beyond that."

Eddie nodded and finally went to retrieve the book he had dropped when he'd arrived. Stalling the inevitable discussion. Finally unable to drag it out any longer

"Well you are right about being stabbed. Hopper caught the guy too, was off his tree and trying to get money for his next fix. Not sure if that makes it better or worse. Anyway, you got stabbed on the right side of your chest, luckily not the left or you probably wouldn't be here talking to me," Eddie paused, taking a deep breath before he continued, "You lost a lotta blood baby. Blade knicked your lung and you went into shock. I thought I was gonna lose you."

Steve leaned forward as much as he could, tugging at Eddie, trying to pull his shaking boyfriend into his arms. Eddie moved into Steve's embrace and let himself be pulled onto the bed. Careful not to jostle Steve, Eddie moved so he was beside the younger boy, leaning his head against Steve's left shoulder.

Once Eddie had calmed down he finally started speaking again.

"Anyway, once you were at the hospital you were taken into surgery, the wound was repaired and so was the internal damage. They doped you up to keep you calm and asleep for the first couple of days before slowly letting you wake up. I guess they didn't want you to undo what they fixed. Yesterday I noticed you twitching your fingers and you finally started waking up. You still have lots of healing to do though, but me and the kids and Buckley, we'll be there for you. Promise."

Steve turned his head so he could press a hiss to the top of Eddie's head. It had clearly been a difficult few days for his boyfriend while he'd slept on unaware.

"I'm alright now Eds. Or well, maybe not alright yet, but I will be."

"Robin will be here soon. Want to get some sleep?"

"Not yet. What book did you bring?" Steve asked, gesturing to the book Eddie had placed on the chair beside the bed.

"Oh, it's The Neverending Story. Wasn't sure how awake you'd be."

"Can you read it to me?" Steve asked, settling back into the pillows.

"Of course," Eddie moved enough to pick the book up before settling down beside Steve once more and opening the book.

Steve closed his eyes and let himself relax, letting Eddie's voice soothe him and drown out the beeping of monitors and the general noise of the hospital outside the room. He'd nearly lost his life because of a simple case of wrong time, wrong place, now he intended to enjoy the time he had with the person he loved.

#febuwhump #febuwhumpday20 #steddie #steve harrington whump #hurt steve harrington #stab wounds #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things fanfiction #my fics #tw stab wound #tw hospital #happy ending

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slashyroguefics · 9 months

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AU-gust 2023 Day 18: Alternate - Theatre

Every month Hannibal took himself out for the evening.

He didn’t go to his usual haunts: no operas, expensive restaurants, or even the symphony.

No.

Hannibal went to the movie theater.

His local theater, Cineplex 13, showed a different play or opera event every month that rarely drew many. He’d been the only one in the theater to watch La Traviata, which had almost felt like being in Florence for the real event save for the sticky seats. Hannibal always bought himself water and nothing else, sitting in the seats while he was immersed in the music.

This month they were playing Hamlet, which may draw a crowd but he’d made sure to get a good seat and so far there were only two others in there with him. He parked outside, happy to see so few cars, and headed in to print his ticket before grabbing a water bottle. The man working the counter had his back turned when he walked up, standing behind a woman obviously ordering popcorn, and when the theater worker turned around he froze.

The young man behind the counter was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his entire life. He smiled, handing the woman her popcorn, and she said something that made him laugh. Hannibal’s heart skipped a beat, and when the woman left he found himself at a loss for words.

“What can I get you?” the young man, whose nametag read WILL, asked.

He swallowed, letting out a breath before he smiled. “A bottle of water, please,” he asked.

“That’s all?” Will asked, “We got a lot here.”

“I…I’m unsure if I’d enjoy anything among what’s offered. Do you have a recommendation?”

Will blinked and looked as if he’d never been asked such a question. “Um, I guess the pretzel bites? If you like pretzels and cheese, of course, I…”

Hannibal fully knew he would not let a single bit of the ‘pretzel bites’ touch his tongue, and yet he said, “Pretzel bites, please along with the water,” anyway.

Will came back with both, and said he owed a little over ten dollars for both. Hannibal saw a tip jar against the cash register and put in a fifty dollar bill before he left. Hopefully it would go to Will, or at the very least, part of it would. He threw the pretzel bites away the minute he got to his theater and headed inside where he spent nearly three hours immersed in Hamlet. The crowd was sparse, which surprised him, and when he left he couldn’t help but look over to see Will once more.

There was a crowd now, and Will seemed a bit overworked but he still looked quite handsome. Hannibal tried not to linger and left, thinking he may not see Will for quite some time.

But something made him go back the very next day at the very same time.

Continued in: AU-gust Writing Challenge 2023: Chapter 18 - Theatre

#au gust 2023 #hannigram au #hannigram fanfic

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aubzikins · 8 months

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Coffee On Us Chapter 1

Possibly another fic, *shrugs* Who knows. Thanks to Leo and Rah when we were discussing my coffee habits lol!!! This is pretty much unedited by anyone so if there are mistakes, just let me know! Thanks yall!

Stray Kids Coffee Shop AU A Mystic Coffee Shop appears when Anise needs it the most. She meets 8 gorgeous amazing men who end up needing her more than she needs them possibly. Completely fictional and just something about some strangers I know of haha

Anise is newer to the area and with her new stressful job, her insomnia is kicking her ass. When walking to work one day, Anise stumbles across "Oddinary Coffee". The name itself grabbed her attention and she walked inside.

When she walks up to the counter there was a guy right there ready to take her order. He had a gorgeous smile and looked like he should be a model more than a Barista. Anise looked at his name tag that is the shape of a puppy and saw that his name was Seungmin. "Hello Welcome to Oddinary Coffee, what may we make you?"

"What would have the most caffeine but is still sweet with the taste of coffee still?" Anise asks.

"That would be our Iced Brown Sugar Espresso. Comes with 4 shots of Blonde Espresso and some brown sugar syrup. We can add a little bit of milk of your choice. I really like it with some oat milk." Says another gorgeous guy. His name tag is in the shape of a fox and has Jeongin printed on it.

"Sure, I’ll try that one since you recommended it!" Anise smiles.

"Awesome! Since you're new to our shop, the first drink is on the house. Please enjoy!" Seungmin says, smiling.

Anise was caught off-guard by this. "Are you sure? How did you know I was new?" She asks.

"We know all of our customers, and yes we are absolutely sure. We are pretty confident that you’ll be back again. That's how good we are... I mean our coffee is." Seungmin says with a smirk.

“I see…” Anise giggles and then pulls out a twenty-dollar bill and puts it in the tip jar.

“We will have your drink right out to you here shortly, feel free to find a spot to hang out and ill bring it out to you,” Jeongin smiled and motioned to the seated area.

“Alrighty, thank you very much!” Anise slightly bows and moves over to a seat in the corner of the cafe. She sits and watches the two guys behind the counter and notices that they look over at her a few times and whisper from time to time. She brushes it off and looks at her phone to check her work emails.

She usually works from home but since she moved to a new house closer to her work, she tries to go into the office on Mondays. It doesn’t help that there was a big meeting today at the office. She left the house early enough to have some time.

Within a few minutes, Jeongin walks over and hands Anise her Iced Espresso. “Please let me know if you like it, this is my little hidden gem of a drink. Also, we hope to see you again soon!” Jeongin slightly bows and walks away.

Anise tastes the drink and immediately smiles. It tastes just like an oatmeal cookie, which is one of her favorite cookies ever. She walks over to the counter and puts another ten-dollar bill in the tip jar, looks up at Seungmin and Jeongin, “Thank you, this is absolutely delicious, I will for sure be back!” They both have huge smiles on their faces and nod to her.

Anise walks out the door sipping her coffee and is already starting to feel energized. Within 10 minutes, she is walking up to her office building feeling like she got a whole night’s worth of sleep. During the meeting, Anise finishes her iced coffee while listening to everything coming up on the company’s schedule. Realizing that she is going to start having a lot of late nights for the foreseeable future, she is grateful that she found a good coffee shop.

She tries to pull up the shop on her phone, but nothing appears. She shrugs thinking they just might be a little old school and just relying on word of mouth. After the meeting ends (three hours later), her director tells her that she can go ahead and take the rest of the day off and enjoy the rest of the day before the chaos starts the next day.

Anise thanks her director, packs up her items and then heads for home. She decides to stop at the coffee shop to get the hours and ask if she would be allowed to maybe come and work on her laptop in the shop from time to time. When she gets to the shop, it’s after 1 pm, the shop is empty for the most part. She goes up to the counter and there is another gorgeous guy working behind the counter.

“Hello there! Welcome to Oddinary Coffee, what can we make for ya?” This man has a name tag in the shape of a Quokka and his name printed as Han. He smiles at Anise with the biggest grin.

“Hello Han, I was wondering if I could have just a hot English Breakfast Tea?” she asks.

“Sure thing! Also, the tea is on us, I was told that you left quite a bit of monies in the tip jar this morning, so Innie and Minnie put it on your tab.” He smiles.

“Huh? How did you know that was me? I didn’t see you this morning.” Anise asks, a little confused.

Han holds up a post-it note that has some writing on it: Beautiful, long curly black hair, freckles, button-nose, ice blue eyes. Ask for a name for the tab. “They left this post-it note so we could get your name,” he says smiling.

“Oh, um wow…” Anise says, taken aback by the post-it. Beautiful? She thinks to herself. “My name is Anise. Nice to meet you, Han. I am assuming Innie and Minnie are your nicknames for Jeongin and Seungmin?” Anise asks.

“Yes, sorry about the post-it, probably shouldn’t have shown you that. It probably came off creepy. Sorry again. They said you might come back in tomorrow for coffee so we wanted everyone to know what you look like so we can get your name… and now I feel like I’m rambling. Sorry.” Han says as he rubs his hand on the back of his neck.

“No worries, I understand but the monies for the tip jar was for Seungmin and Jeongin, not to start a tab for me. I would prefer to just pay for my drinks.” Anise looks at Han and smiles.

“No can do, Anise. I am under orders from the manager and owner of the shop that you have a tab.” Han says nervously.

Anise looks at Han and sees that he is nervous. Rather than get him in trouble, Anise smiles and then pulls out a wad of cash and puts it in the tip jar. “You said that I can’t pay for drinks but you did not say that I could leave a tip.” Anise looks at Han whose mouth is agape and looks a little flustered.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Han says panicking.

Suddenly another guy walks out from the back of the shop looking concerned. “Hannie, are you okay? What’s going on?” The man asks, looking between Han and Anise.

“Everything is fine Minho; Anise here just didn’t like that her drink is on us, so she put more cash into the tip jar.” Han explains.

Minho looks up at Anise and smirks, “I guess we will have to get rid of the tip jar for the future.”

“Sounds good to me!” says another man who is painting some art on the coffee shop’s front window.

“See, even Hyunjin agrees,” Minho smiles as he grabs the tip jar and puts it below the counter.

Anise is just staring at all three men processing what just happened. She finally speaks up, “good thing I already put quite a bit of monies in there.” She smiles.

Han hands Anise her tea and she thanks him. “By the way, what are your guys’ hours and would I by chance be able to bring my laptop and maybe work for like an hour or so here?”

Minho smiles, “We are open 24/7 due to some of our customers’ work schedules, and yes of course you can work from here. We will provide you with a secure password for the Wi-Fi whenever you come in.”

“Wow, that's awesome. I'll keep that in mind when I have late nights.” Anise smiles. “Thank you for the tea, I will see you all again, I’m sure. Have a good day y’all!” Anise heads out the door to head home.

After Anise walks out, Minho looks at Hyunjin and Han and smiles. “I like her, this should be fun.”

#stray kids #fanfic #fanfic newbie #multifics

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slashyrogue · 2 years

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Au-Gust Day 18: Theatre

Every month Hannibal took himself out for the evening.

He didn’t go to his usual haunts: no operas, expensive restaurants, or even the symphony.

No.

Hannibal went to the movie theater.

“What can I get you?” the young man, whose nametag read WILL, asked.

He swallowed, letting out a breath before he smiled. “A bottle of water, please,” he asked.

“That’s all?” Will asked, “We got a lot here.”

“I…I’m unsure if I’d enjoy anything among what’s offered. Do you have a recommendation?”

Will blinked and looked as if he’d never been asked such a question. “Um, I guess the pretzel bites? If you like pretzels and cheese, of course, I…”

Hannibal fully knew he would not let a single bit of the ‘pretzel bites’ touch his tongue, and yet he said, “Pretzel bites, please along with the water,” anyway.

There was a crowd now, and Will seemed a bit overworked but he still looked quite handsome. Hannibal tried not to linger and left, thinking he may not see Will for quite some time.

But something made him go back the very next day at the very same time.

There were no showings of Hamlet or anything that wasn’t a film he knew he’d abhor but he bought a ticket to “Fury Forever” some horrible car chase themed monstrosity heading up to the snack counter in hopes to see Will.

He was disappointed to not see Will and bought his same water, heading for the theater.

Perhaps Will didn’t work often, which would prove difficult if he wanted to see him. He was halfway there when he spotted someone coming out of the theater beside his with a broom in hand laughing with a young woman.

Will.

He had different jobs, of course he did, and that meant Hannibal may not see him always at the counter. Hannibal paused, watching, and when Will parted ways with his coworker noticing him he froze.

“Hey,” Will said, “Back already?”

Hannibal smiled. “I…I suppose I had thought of broadening my palette.”

Will laughed, and looked over at the theater. “Fury Forever?” he laughed, “I didn’t think that would be your thing.”

“It…isn’t,” Hannibal admitted, “I wanted to see a film but the others…”

Will grinned. “I’d recommend, “Splatter,” he said, “It’s only a few theaters down and…it starts in five minutes.”

“I thought it was against the rules to go into a theater not your own.”

“It is,” Will said, “But I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“Are the seats not hand picked?”

Will frowned. “True, I…hey come back with me to the front.”

Hannibal frowned. “But…”

“C’mon.”

Hannibal followed, unsure why, and Will brought him to a kiosk where he pressed some buttons and a seating chart popped up. It was barely full, as it was still mid-morning, and he looked up at Will. “Is this…”

“Pick one,” Will said, “I’ll just say you wanted yours refunded, it’s fine.”

Hannibal smiled and pressed the screen. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“You’re rather adept at the system for someone who’s worked here a short time.”

Will smiled, blushing. “It’s not that hard,” he said, grabbing the printed ticket that he tore, “All set. Enjoy.”

Their fingers brushed when Hannibal grabbed the ticket, and he licked his lips. “If I don’t…I know just who to complain to.”

Will laughed. “I’ll be here.”

He headed for the Splatter theater, feeling warm all over, and looked back once more to see Will watching him. Will looked away, and Hannibal smiled again.

Perhaps he needed to broaden his palette even further in other ways.

And, if he was lucky, Will would help with that too.

#au gust 2022 #au-gust 2022 #hannigram au #theatre

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lgg5989 · 2 years

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Donut Miss Me - Carole&Goose

A/N: This is a Carole x Goose fic because they deserve more attention! Planning on having multiple chapters to this fic, and like all the rest of my fics, please comment if there is something you want to see a chapter written about!

Also on Ao3!

---

Nick was sitting on his bunk, he was leaned up against his pillow, pen tapping lightly against his mustache, a notebook propped up against his bent knees. He was contemplating what he should write home, a small bout of writer’s block kept his pen from touching the paper. He was glad that he didn’t get to call home often because Carole would be able to tell that something was up just by the tone of his voice.

He thought that he had a good start so far, Carole, was written across the top of the page in his chicken scratch. Letting out a deep sigh, he pulled the picture he carried of her in his wallet out. She was so beautiful, her blonde hair held back by a headband, a powdered sugar donut held in her mouth, and chunky sunglasses covering her eyes. He smiled at the memory of that day, he had taken her to a car show not far from their hometown of Graysville, Tennessee. Mornings didn’t agree with Carole and stopping at the gas station had been her idea.

“Nick, you are buying me breakfast, even if its just gas station donuts,” she said sassily.

He rolled his eyes at her antics, “Honey, its not that early,” he said glancing at the clock on the dash of his car, chuckling, “Its seven thirty, once I go into the Navy, I’ll have been up for hours by this time.”

Carole laughed at him, “Well you aren’t in the Navy yet, and neither am I, so that means breakfast!” she said as she looked at him with a radiant smile on her face.

Regardless of what he thought, he rolled the car into the gas station parking lot, he needed to top off the tank anyway. He pulled up to the pump and walked inside with Carole next to him, she started browsing the aisles while he paid for their gas. He found her standing in front of the snack cakes, a bag of donuts and a hot coffee in her hand. She was sporting her usual Carole look in a black tank, cut off shorts, and converse sneakers. Nick couldn’t get over how lucky he was to be with her.

“Here honey,” he said, handing her a ten dollar bill, “I want change this time though,” he added, raising his eyebrows at her as she gave the cutest pouty face he had ever seen.

He made his way back out to his car, he wasn’t driving anything fancy, just his family’s Chevy Impala. As he turned around from putting the pump up, he saw her step out of the gas station, picking a powdered sugar donut from the bag and placing it between her lips before reaching up to place her sunglasses down on her face. Nick reached into the front seat of the Impala and grabbed his camera, quickly snapping a polaroid of her.

“What did you take a picture of already?” she said, sounding amused, “We haven’t even gotten to the show yet.”

“A certain beautiful woman eating a powdered donut,” he said back, his voice overexaggerating the word beautiful.

He handed her the picture to shake, and when it finished developing he placed it in his wallet where he knew it’d always be.

He turned the polaroid over, taking in Carole’s script on the back, Donut miss me too much, she had written before he left for the Naval Academy years ago. He was always surprised at how nice the writing still looked after all the years in his wallet. He admired her beautiful face for a few more minutes, and the only thought that crossed his mind was that he missed her. His life in the Navy was fun, but life with Carole was like living in a dream. She was fiery and full of life, and being separated from her had been hell, and as much fun as he was having couldn’t make up for how dim things seemed without her fire.

I miss you. None of these guys understand my humor like you do. We’ve started to fly more than we sit in the classroom which is nice, but the boys make even more fun of my accent over the coms. They gave me my callsign, I’m just not sure how I like it. Goose. They heard me laugh for the first time and someone said that I sounded like a goose’s honk. I guess it could be worse.

You know I am prepared for the physical requirements, but the learning is starting to wear on me. If I don’t know what I am doing, our lives are at risk, just like how his flying can put our lives at risk. I want us to be friends, to know that the other will always make the right decision for the both of us. I’m tired and rest doesn’t always come easily. I wish you were here, I would give anything to have you wrapped up in my arms tonight.

Nick smirked at his innuendo, he was sure it would make Carole blush. After a moment he sighed deeply, hopefully Carole wouldn’t worry about him too much, while these topics were heavier, she was the only one that he wanted to discuss his feelings with. The truth that he wasn’t ready to admit to himself was that he was feeling insecure about his choice to join the Navy. He had always thought of himself as a tough guy, but with the mental and physical challenges that flight school was throwing at him, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

I met a pilot that I think has my back, Pete Mitchell, callsign Maverick, but I call him Mav. He’s the best pilot I have ever met, even if he is a little cocky. He reminds me of you, a little over the top, but the best friend you could ever have. We have been paired for the past week of training and I think I want to request to be his RIO permanently. He has had a rough life, hasn’t said much about it but I get the feeling that he doesn’t have anyone in the world.

I know that mom and dad are still upset with me, even though it has been a few years, but give them my love if you see them in town. Don’t let them be too hard on you. You are the one who encouraged me to follow my dreams and you shouldn’t be punished for that, especially since they couldn’t support me.

Nick was the youngest of two boys in the Bradshaw’s family. His parents had been upset with him joining the Navy because his older brother, Danny, had already joined a few years ago. Their mom was worried that she would lose both of her sons in combat, and had taken that worry out on Nick when he told everyone he had been accepted to the US Naval Academy, they hadn’t spoken since.

Do you think you will be able to make it to Florida for our flight school tap out ceremony? I would give anything to see you. That picture I have of you, in the red dress you got in Nashville, has been keeping me going, but its nothing compared to the real thing.

All my love,

Nick

He signed the letter with his name and folded it up neatly before slipping it into an envelope and writing their shared address on it. Carole was still living in Tennessee working as a teacher at the elementary school in their hometown. They shared an apartment just off the town square. When Nick was away, he would send most of his money to Carole to help pay the rent and to save for a house, only keeping what he needed to live on.

As excited as he was about potentially seeing Carole for graduation, he was also nervous. A few weekends ago he had gone to the jewelry store and picked out an engagement ring for her. He didn’t pick out anything too big or showy, Carole liked things to be simple and classic. It was a one carat princess cut diamond settled on a thin gold band and he knew she would love it. Once he had the ring, he felt his whole personality shift from the fun, carefree guy, to a nervous wreck. He only hoped that she wouldn’t be able to tell before he could pop the question.

—

Carole had been expecting Nick’s letter any day now. Usually it would be a week or so between their correspondence due to Nick’s busy schedule and her fast paced job. As she made her way to the mailbox after work, she jumped with excitement when she saw the familiar brown envelope sitting in the mailbox. Grabbing it quickly, she made her way back inside, a lightness in her steps.

She sat her things down on the counter before making her way to the couch, plopping down on it as she tore into the envelope. Inside she found a notebook piece of paper that was covered in Nick’s handwriting, or what could barely pass as handwriting. A smile covered her face as she read the letter, life at home was not easy while he was away and she found herself desperately missing his humor, it always made her tiring days better.

When she had finished Nick’s letter, Carole moved from the couch to get a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen. She made herself a cup of tea before sitting down at the counter to write her reply.

Nick (or should I say Goose?),

Honey, I love you, but those boys picked your callsign perfectly. I have been thinking that your laugh sounded like a goose for years, I just didn’t have the heart to tell you.

Carole laughed at herself. She loved Nick to death, but the man’s laugh was obnoxious, and one of the things she loved most about him. Looking over his letter again, she continued writing her own.

Nick! You are so bad! Yes, we both know that you are in shape. I’m sorry that the classroom work has been wearing you down. You worry because you care and that will mean something to the right pilot. He needs you just as much as you need him and I think that becoming good friends with him is your best bet at staying safe when you’re in the air. I know that it would make me feel better knowing that someone had your back like you have theirs.

I wish I could be there with you. There have been quite a few nights here where storms have kept me up wishing that you were here to hold me close with every thunder crack. I will never admit to how many nights I have slept with the light on since you’ve been gone. I don’t think the separation will ever get easier for us, but just know that I love you and I am thinking of you always.

Carole, the grown woman that she was, had a fear of thunderstorms and a bit of an overactive imagination. When Nick was home it was never a problem, his presence always helped to calm her nerves when there was a storm raging outside, and at night she felt safer when he was laying next to her in bed. She was an independent woman, but who didn’t want to feel protected every now and then?

While she worried about Nick’s safety, she knew that he would always come home to her. Nick Bradshaw had been head over heels in love with her since the day they met and he wouldn’t leave her or this world without a fight. She smiled to herself as she held her tea cup to her lips, staring out the door to the patio, Nick was the best man she knew.

Carole had her eye on Nick Bradshaw since the day they started high school together. He was kind, funny, and handsome, at least she thought he was. They had been attending the same school for only a few years and her friends had been relentlessly making fun of her crush since they found out. She still remembered the day he asked her out like it was yesterday.

One particular lunch period, she found herself listening to their commentary on his mustache, but all she could think about was his kind eyes. He had looked up a few times from his own table and caught her staring at him, and she could feel the blush slowly covering her face from being caught.

She was pulled from her admiration by Michelle’s loud voice, “I don’t know what you see in him, Carole, that mustache is horrendous. His jokes aren’t even that funny either.”

The cafeteria’s noise was in a lull when Michelle had practically announced her crush and Carole felt her face flame more red than before. She turned to her ‘friend’ and said, “Well I happen to like his mustache, and I think he is hilarious,” before getting up and leaving the cafeteria, hurrying to the bathroom.

Before she could get very far from the cafeteria doors, a warm hand grabbed her own as the owner said, “Hey, Carole.” Her heart sank, she knew that voice better than she ever thought she would, Nick Bradshaw had followed her out of the cafeteria, probably to reject her.

Turning slowly, her eyes on his feet she gave him a meek, “Hey, Nick,” in return.

His palm felt a little sweaty where it sat on her wrist as they stood there for a short moment before he continued, “I, uh, I overheard your friends,” he said quietly, the silence engulfing them feeling both tense and awkward.

Carole sighed, tears pricking in her eyes, “If you’re here to gloat about how I like you and your stupid mustache then I don’t want to hear it Bradshaw,” she choked out. She wanted to escape to the bathroom to let out the tears she was holding back.

She felt his hand release her wrist, and just as she was considering turning to leave him there, his fingers found her chin, lifting her face to look at him. “Hey,” he said quietly, trying to comfort her, “I like you too, I just wasn’t sure how you felt about me.”

Carole felt her mouth drop, the tears she was worried about moments before disappeared from her eyes. She knew that she was pretty, maybe not to society’s standards, but Nick could have his pick of all the girls in this school and she was the one he liked? A breathless, “Really?” left her mouth.

“Yeah,” he said, a small smile coming over his face, “Can I take you out this Friday? They’re doing a double feature at the drive-in.”

“Yes!” flew out of Carole’s mouth, a smile splitting her face. She tried to regain her composure, but it was impossible, “I guess I’ll give you a chance Bradshaw. You can pick me up at 7:30,” she said, the smile still plastered over her face. The guy that she had liked for years had asked her out, this was the best day ever.

“I’ll see you then,” he said, an equally giddy look on his own. The bell rang, signaling their need to go to class. He let go of her wrist, but not before planting a kiss on her knuckles. As they made their way in separate directions down the hall, she called out over her shoulder, “Don’t be late Bradshaw.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Evans,” he said back. Carole glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of him standing in the middle of the hall watching her walk to class.

She took a sip of her tea, burning her tongue on the hot liquid, effectively pulling herself out of her memories. She placed the cup down on the counter, a look of betrayal crossing her face, before she picked the pen back up focusing on her letter once more.

Maverick is an interesting callsign… Are you sure he is the one you want to be a RIO for? Maybe you should try to get closer to him before you decide to commit to that? Get to know him and what he is dealing with, be friends. I trust your judgment but I will have to meet him at the tap out ceremony before I fully trust him. He might remind you of me but I want to see for myself.

If I see them I will try to give them your love. Its been a while since your mom accused me of forcing you to leave home but I will stay vigilant, I know that their frustration is misguided. I will support you in anything honey, I hope that you know that.

Of course I will be in Florida for your ceremony, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. The drive isn’t too far so I’ll be there a few days early. I can’t wait to see you again. There was a pretty black number hanging in the window of the thrift shop last week that I had to have, I know you will love it.

Love,

Carole

xoxo

Before she sent the letter, Carole snapped a picture of the dress. It had been a little big on her, but she loved the style and knew that Nick would love it on her. It was a strapless little black thing that made her feel like a million dollars, and she couldn’t resist buying it. She had done the few alterations herself to make sure it would fit alright and it had been hanging on the back of their bedroom door ever since, waiting to be packed to go to Florida.

Carefully folding the letter with the photo tucked inside, she slipped it into the waiting envelope. Addressing it to Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw before sticking a stamp on it. The next day, on her way to work, she made sure to place it safely in the mailbox. This was going to be the longest two weeks of her life.

#goose bradshaw #nick goose bradshaw #goose top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #top gun #pete maverick mitchell #maverick mitchell #top gun: maverick #carole bradshaw

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daisys-gard3n · 2 years

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"You want to what?"

"I need to practice kissing again for Jolyne. I'm severely out of practice. I have cash, so I can pay you if you help me out." Ralph blinked at Narciso, who was completely serious as he dug out a twenty dollar bill. Ralph was almost considering on asking if he was joking with him, but Narciso has a hard time taking jokes. Most jokes seriously fly over his head, it's hilarious in other context. Hesitantly, the dark green-haired man took the bill out of Narciso's hand.

"Are...You sure you don't want to practice with a girl? What about Hermes?-"

"Absolutely not." The magenta-haired man sneered in disgust, taking Ralph aback for a moment until he recovered. "Um...Foo Fighters? I...At least think Foo is a girl?"

"No, she's nothing more than an acquaintance. She owed me a favor. You're clearly the better option, since you're more experience and I highly doubt Weather would help me on this. I wouldn't trust anyone in this prison with a ten-foot pole."

"You're asking a prison prostitute this but okaaay then. Follow me." Ralph pocketed the bill and beckoned the androgynous man to follow him back to his cell, the mismatched pattern of their boots thunking on the concrete floor as they walked up stairs and passed by other male prisoners in the men's section. Up until the two were in Ralph's cell. Sheets were covering the cell doors to give a little bit of privacy while Ralph was working with clients, no one dared to tell him to take them down because he could simply charm them away with Sympathy for the Devil. Narciso and Ralph entered the grey cell, different posters ripped out of magazines plastered on the wall to lighten up the atmosphere a bit with different photos and diagrams of plants and vegetables, a little tray of haircare products such as styling gel and specialized shampoo for Ralph's locs were on the concrete table, and a small flowerpot of cosmos sat on the desk with the desk lamp shining on it to keep it alive.

"Here, make yourself at home." Ralph sat on the thin mattress of the bottom futon, patting the place next to him for Narciso. Who strode in and sat down next to him on the bottom bunk's mattress.

"Let's start, i guess? Show me what you know so far...Pretend I'm Jolyne."

Once Raphael said that, Narciso immediately became romantic. Like a switch was flipped inside of him, his pink lacquered fingers fingers cupped Ralph's cheeks as his magenta-colored eyes literally radiated with love and affection.

"Oh, my sweet Jolyne. How I've been waiting for this moment, to truly show my affection to you. To honestly show you my adoration and loyalty to you. I want you to understand all of my feelings for you with this kiss."

"God damn, does he need the monologue too? Might put Jojo to sleep." Raphael thought as he rolled his eyes at how overly shakespearean Narciso became, sounded too much like the prison dudes who would talk with their young girlfriends through the visitation walls and gush about their feelings through the speakers. He could probably remember one time a dude literally proposed to a chick through visitation like he had a job or a back up plan after his prison sentence. Raphael was never the one to judge people for their kinks or what they were into, but romance was something he could never fully wrap his head around...He might of thought he gotten a grasp of it once or twice, but truly people were not meant for romance. Or at least...Ralph wasn't meant for romance. Pretty much tuning out Narciso's pseudo love confession to Jolyne, he eventually snapped out of it when he started to come closer to him. One of Narciso's warm hands moved to the back of Ralph's head, some of his fingers going in and weaving into his forest green locks as he eventually pressed his plump lips against Ralph's. His lips were warm and smooth, he could feel some of the minerals of the lipstick Narciso was wearing as it transferred onto his lips lightly. There was some movement, but not too much. It was more or less a little massage against Ralph's lips. Eventually, the magenta-haired man pulled away with a silent intake of breath as he opened his eyes.

"Mm, that's was alright...I can at least tell you've had a girlfriend before...You want Jojo to acknowledge your feelings, right? Put some more passion into it, girls love passion. She'll think its just a cheeky kiss from a high schooler with that."

"What do you propose that I do? I don't understand what passion means to you."

"Like...That thing you did with your hands is a nice start. Stroking her hair and cupping her face. Maybe try resting your hand on her neck and bringing Jojo closer, being more assertive. And put more movement into you lips. Kiss Jojo like it's the only chance you've got...Take the wind out of her, y'know?"

Did Ralph understand what he was talking about? Absolutely not. He just knew what girls liked when he kissed them, it was a general assumption to start with. Narciso nodded, his eyes twinkling like he was taking mental notes. It wouldn't of been surprising if he did whip out a notebook and pen.

"I mean, you can try to use tongue, but that's usually a bit of a step forward than usual. But you're welcome to try."

"Okay...Let me try again."

"And do me a favor...Please skip the monologue, I may be doing you a favor but I'm not actually Jolyne-"

"You complain a lot for someone getting paid for a service."

"I know my worth and twenty dollars isnt enough to sit through your analysis of romeo and juliet." Narciso grumbled in response to Raphael's sarcasm, making him chuckle for a moment until he felt Narciso's cold hand on the back of his neck. The other resting on his cheek before closing in on Raphael's two-toned lips. There was a lot more force behind this kiss, Anasui's mouth opening a lot more than before as he commanded the movements of their lips. The sounds of their lips smacking together was prominent, the hand on Raphael’s cheek moved away and rested where his neck and the beginning of his shoulder met in between. Slowly moving down, the coldness of his hand sending shockwaves in Ralph’s blood. He had to place his own hand on Narciso’s knee to balance himself, earning a small hum from the pink-haired man. His lips tasted like sweet...Was his lipstick flavored? It tasted like rock candy. Ralph’s senses were beginning to like this taste and it was getting a bit too much...After all, Narciso was just a weird friend who was really adamant on marrying his other friend. Before he knew it, Narciso’s tongue entered his mouth - making the kiss more sloppy, their tongues swirled together and their lips smacked against each other more and more. It caught someone like Ralph off guard majorly; it probably had something to do with the fact either he led the kisses or he was never kissed right, when the main goal of people who come to him was just to get off for the day. His heart was beating against his chest and electric shocked through his system as he had to close his eyes, it was almost unbearable to keep his eyes open. It felt like hours, of feeling Narciso’s ice-cold hands holding onto his body so gently and a kiss that was like flames. In reality, it had only been a few minutes when he finally separated, a string of saliva connecting the two together as it thinned out as the two men panted. Not wanting to be seen this way, Raphael quickly wiped his mouth of drool and opened his golden brown eyes, laughing nervously.

“Wow...Fast learner...Just like...Don’t automatically shove your tongue in Jojo’s mouth, like...Lick her lips first to ask if you cant...” Narciso nodded, seemingly being put together much more quickly than the other man was.

“I see...This is very useful information. Thank you Raphael.”

“Y’know, you can call me Ralph...Everyone else does...And you did just shove your tongue in my mouth, might as well drop formalities.”

“Understood...Ralph.” Narciso stood up from the bed, looking into Ralph’s mirror and fixing himself up quickly before bidding him farewell. Most likely to bother Jolyne in the cafeteria. As the clicking of his boots went away, Ralph looked to the mirror to see his lips had magenta smeared all over them. He was slightly sweating and panting, looking like a hot mess...It made him fall flat on his bed, wiping the rest of the smudged lipstick off of his lips.

“There’s...There’s no way I got turned on by that...What am I, twelve? Fuckin’ ridiculous...I’ll just find some broad later...Or some twink.”

Raphael couldn’t deny the flame that burned brightly in him, seemingly not being able to simmer down as his blood was pumping through his veins. His brain wouldn’t let him forget that interaction, constantly showing him pictures and making him feel phantom kisses. It was driving him insane...It was just another job, he shouldn’t be so worked up over this...

#anaralph #oc x canon #raphael 'ralph' lauren #narciso anasui x oc #ficlet

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utaheldritchteapot · 2 months

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Ultimate Weapon, Chapter 1

Ultimate Weapon, by utaheldritchteapot Chapter 1: Hit the Floor

Kira studied the movements of the bouncers as she waited in line outside the nightclub. First, they made you take off your jacket. Then, they’d do a pat check of your body for any notable bulges, whilst making you hold your phone and wallet outside of your clothes. Kira had a sheathed katana under her knee-length yellow raincoat, along with a small pistol, a P-32, in her jeans pockets, and an S&W 442 thirty-eight five-shot snub in her coat pocket, so she couldn’t let that happen. The lightweight bulletproof vest she’d thrown over her tank top, to which the katana’s sheath was attached to like a shoulder-holstered handgun, wouldn’t help her cover either.

Kira turned to the wall to hide her hands from the nearby cameras and took a fake passport out of her pocket. She counted out two fifties from a roll of fake dollar bills, folded them, and slid them into the passport, held to the page by a paper clip. She gripped it tightly in her pocket and waited patiently to get to the front.

*****

‘ID, please.’ the bouncer said, a large Caucasian man, quite overweight, with a shaved head and stubble. One of his front teeth was gold and glittered when he opened his mouth. He was dressed in a black ill-fitting suit, with a tie, and a walkie-talkie on his belt. He spoke, with a deep, gruff voice that gave the impression of a rejected drill sergeant.

Kira could rely on her face to get herself ID’d. It was a good way of giving bribes covertly. She handed over the passport, and the bouncer opened it to the marked page. He stared at it for a few moments, hesitating. Kira reached for a pocket. She could always force her way in.

Abruptly, his radio began to speak in its distorted, static-filled manner, and the bouncer put it to his ear. Kira quickly relaxed her hand and let it drop back to her side.

‘Come again?’ he said into it. His voice was slightly shaky now, not gruff like he had been before.

‘Just take the money.’ a woman’s voice replied, and the bouncer began to shake. He was scared. Quickly, he pulled out the two fifties and pocketed them, then passed Kira her fake passport back.

‘It all looks good.’ he said with a forced smile ‘Go on inside, and have a nice night!’

Kira gave him a toothy grin, and walked through the front entrance, sliding a ten-dollar bill to the ticket-taker.

She crossed through the last set of doors and entered the club. The music was deafeningly loud, nothing could be heard besides it. The people at the bar had to shout with their faces inches from the bartender’s ear to be heard. Kira appreciated this; it meant that even if she resorted to gunfire, she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone noticing.

She pulled the bill of her Marlins cap low over her face, and looked downwards to hide her face from any cameras. Not that they’d be much help in here, with the constant flashing lights. The lights were bright pink. It was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people about Kira’s age, although significantly more underdressed. Their spaghetti-strapped crop tops and short shorts made quite the contrast to Kira, who had her face hidden behind a veil of messy black hair.

Alright, Kira thought to herself, time to find the one other person in this place wearing a suit.

*****

Kira spotted her two targets over by the speakers, one Ultimate Weapon, who wore a suit with high heels and a pencil skirt, with her brown hair in a ponytail, and her bodyguard, who wore a sparkly red cocktail dress that left little to the imagination. The Ultimate Weapon’s eyes were fully red, like she’d suffered a brain haemorrhage, and the blood was pooling behind them.

Kira considered where the bodyguard could be carrying a gun, but assumed she must have at least a small one taped to her inner thigh, like a femme fatale in a James Bond movie. Any gun that small wouldn’t pierce Kira’s vest, so she didn’t have to be overly stealthy.

Kira began her approach. A ray from the strobe light reflected off the slither of the blade, catching the bodyguard in the eye, which widened with fright.

*****

‘Hit the floor!’ yelled the bodyguard, and she dived to cover the Ultimate Weapon with her body. Kira drew her katana and raised the blade behind her head like a baseball bat.

The beat dropped on the song that was playing. Kira swung the sword with all her strength and buried it halfway into the bodyguard’s throat. She’d stuck it in the jugular vein, but the steel blade stopped most of the blood from leaking out. Instead, it flooded into her trachea, which was also sliced open, and down into her lungs. The bodyguard began to choke on the blood, it flowed out of her mouth and nose, covering her face until she resembled the victim of a car crash, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. The bodyguard’s knees buckled under her weight, leaving her hanging from the blade that impaled her.

The red-eyed woman delivered a powerful shove to the small of their bodyguards' back, throwing them into the face of Kira, who staggered backwards. The target ducked down and took off into the crowd, moving in a serpentine pattern, pushing aside drunk bystanders as she did so. Kira put the sole of one of her jungle boots on the chest of the bodyguard and pushed her off the blade. It didn’t matter if she’d died or not; the blade had stuck part way into her spine, and she wouldn’t be able to move or even call for help before it was too late. If hypoxia didn’t get her, the massive blood loss would.

The target was more clever than Kira had thought. The way she moved meant Kira couldn’t get a clear shot of her without risking collateral damage. Kira wasn’t worried about her getting away, as she had studied the layout a few nights ago, in her civilian clothes. She knew where her prey was running to because it certainly wasn’t one of the two clearly marked exits.

Kira wiped the blood from her katana with the sleeve of her raincoat and returned it to the sheath. She strode casually through the crowd in pursuit of her prey, catching sight of her descending the stairs toward the women’s bathroom. She took out both her pistols, holding one in each hand, and quickly descended the stairs.

She hid herself in the right corner of the landing, next to the door. She slowly pushed the door open with her outstretched foot, attempting to bait the prey into shooting in case she’d found herself a gun. When no gunshots came, Kira kicked the door open and rushed inside. The window was closed, and there was no one there. To Kira’s left, there were four stalls, and each one had a locked door. Kira quickly scanned the bottoms of each. Either they were empty, or this was deliberate and someone was crouching on top of one of the toilets.

Kira returned her P-32 to her coat pocket, but didn’t button it shut, and took her revolver in her left hand. She shot twice through the first door, once dead centre and another slightly higher. No response.

She proceeded to the second door and repeated the process. For the third, she only shot once. She’d shot as many times as she needed to. She stepped in front of the fourth and final door. The lock clicked open.

The red-eyed woman kicked the door as hard as she could. Kira dodged out of the way but allowed herself to fall to the ground as if it had connected. Kira let go of the revolver, flicking her fingers so it slid against the dirty tiles of the floor. Now on the floor, she feigned a dazed state. She watched closely as her prey dived out of the stall, going for the gun.

The red-eyed woman picked up the revolver and pointed it at Kira’s head. She pulled the trigger, and the gun went click. She had played directly into Kira’s hand. She’d known that gun was empty when she’d dropped it.

Whilst the red-eyed woman stood there, paralysed by shock, Kira drew her second pistol from her pocket.

‘Gotcha.’ Kira said and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced her skull right between her two red eyes, stopping just short of blowing out the back of her head.

The red-eyed woman’s dead body collapsed to the ground in a heap. With the shocked expression still stuck on her face, the entrance wound leaked a small pool of blood onto the floor.

Kira stood up and made the sign of the cross with the middle and index finger of her left hand, like a child’s finger gun, and began to speak solemnly.

‘For as much as it has pleased the almighty god to take unto themself the soul of our sister, here departed; we therefore commit their body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ Kira soliloquised, and brought herself to one knee next to the body.

She pulled the corpse’s shirt open, and patted the jacket for any signs of weaponry. There was nothing. Kira then took out a flip phone and called the first number on the list.

‘Hey Nike, it’s done. She wasn’t carrying a piece or wearing a vest. What’s that about?’ Kira said into the phone.

‘I suppose she thought she was safe here. Where are you?’ said a voice on the other end.

‘In the bathroom. Bring the van round the back. We can get the body out through the window.’

‘How about that bodyguard?’

‘I killed her over by the speakers, but I don’t think they know she’s dead yet. Guess the people are too coked up in here to care.’

‘Alright, I’m bringing the van around now. Be ready.’

‘Okay, bye.’ Kira hung up the phone, then took out a rubber doorstop. It came in handy more often than one might expect, for when you wanted a door locked from the inside somewhere you shouldn’t be. She tucked it under the base of the door and kicked in deep with the side of her jungle boot. She then went over to the body and dragged it close to the window.

The window was the sort they often have in basements, just a thin strip that swings open, barely wide enough for an average person to squeeze through. It led out onto a small yard behind the nightclub, used for loading kegs of beer and other heavy freight. The only security for that yard was a padlock, easily bypassed by someone with bolt cutters. Sure enough, within a few minutes, Kira’s friend Nike had opened up the gate, and had driven a plain white van with a stolen license plate inside.

The passenger side door opened, but no one got out.

‘Going to make me do this by myself?’ Kira joked to no one in particular.

Kira flipped the latch off the window and pushed it open. She then hooked her arms under that of the red-eyed woman and dragged her close to the window. Kira had spent enough of the past few years lugging heavy loads about to be able to move her with relative ease. She slumped the body up against the wall, then climbed up onto the ledge to squeeze through the gap. She lay there on her belly and crawled forward until she could reach down and grab the body by the shoulders, dragging it up along the wall and out into the yard. She then stood up and dragged it over to the back of the van, opening up the doors and throwing the body onto the floor. She walked over to the passenger's side door and got in.

Sitting in the driver’s seat was another girl, somewhat older than Kira. She was wearing a white pullover hoodie, light blue jeans, and white Nike Air Max shoes, and had a pair of pure white angel wings growing out of her back. She kept them folded behind her back, and laid on them. It was uncomfortable, but it was necessary to stay hidden. Her hair was bleach white, but just as dishevelled as Kira’s. This was Nike.

*****

‘Who’d I just kill?’ Kira asked, relaxing in her seat. Her heart was still pounding from adrenaline.

‘Her UW designation is ‘Red Eye’, but she was going by Naomi Enjouvin. She doesn’t show up on cameras, motion sensors, or any other kind of electronic recording, tracking, or detection device. Fortunately, you have eyes, so it was probably a breeze.’ Nike replied.

‘Lame power for an Ultimate Weapon. What did she do to deserve death?’

‘Not much, she’s mostly just a spy with a gimmick. But she’s a UW, working for the CIA. For you, at least, that should be reason enough. It’s more than enough for me.’

‘You know, that bodyguard she was with didn’t pull a gun or anything. Considering what she was wearing, I doubt she had a vest. I thought she was gonna pull a twenty-five from her garter belt or something. But no. She just shielded her and took the blow.’

‘Well, I suppose I could have been wrong.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We aren’t supposed to have relationships with people. But if she wasn’t a bodyguard, it’s possible she was Red Eye’s girlfriend. I know for a fact she wasn’t a Weapon.’

‘Is it possible they are making more of them? Ones you wouldn’t recognise?’

‘No. They can’t do that.’

‘So what you're saying is I killed an innocent woman?’ Kira said, turning to face Nike.

‘You had good reason to be wary of her. I just happened to be wrong.’

‘Oh my god.’ Kira replied, covering her face with her hand.

‘Don’t think too hard about it. You’ve killed plenty of people. She was just collateral damage. You’ll get over it.’

‘How can you be so-’ Kira uncovered her face in preparation to hurl an insult, but Nike interrupted her midway through speaking. She recognised exactly where this was going.

‘Kira, this is the fourth time we’ve had this conversation. You always get over it. There’s Smirnoff in the glove compartment.’

Kira went quiet after that. She knew she couldn’t win an argument against Nike. Everything she said was true; Kira had killed people she hadn’t meant to in the past, and it took a while, but in the end, she got over each one.

As Nike backed out of the yard, Kira reached over to the police frequency scanner on the dashboard and flipped it on.

‘Yeah, Lucky’s, the Irish place. One of the bartenders said they saw a suspicious white van parked in the yard, with someone in a yellow coat taking something. They don’t know what it was, but they think they were probably stealing kegs.’ said a woman’s voice.

‘Alright. I’ll send the nearest patrol car over to check it out.’ said another.

The two sat in silence until Nike stopped the van at a red light.

Nike turned to Kira and said ‘When we get back to the motel, I want you to take the van and dump it somewhere. I’ll take care of the body.’

*****

Nike pulled the van into the parking lot of the Sleep EZ motel. She put her hand on the door handle but stopped herself before opening it.

‘Kira, you’d probably better clean yourself up before dumping the van. You’re covered in blood.’ Nike said, gesturing to Kira’s coat.

This was true. Blood had splattered all over Kira when she hacked into the girlfriend’s throat with her katana. It was on her face, in her hair and all over her coat. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she could even taste it in her mouth.

‘Alright, I’ll wash myself with the hose. You want help with the body?’ Kira replied.

‘That’d be great, thank you.’ said Nike, giving a small smile.

They opened the back of the van, and Kira picked up the body by the shoulders, hooking her arms under the arms. Nike took the legs. This way, if any blood leaked out of the bullet wound in Red Eye’s head, it would spill on Kira’s raincoat. They lifted it and took it up the stairs. Once they reached their front door, Nike dropped the legs and unlocked the front door of the room. Kira dragged it inside and dumped the body on the bathroom floor.

Kira turned to leave, but Nike stopped her.

‘Kira, one last thing.’ she said ‘Can I borrow your katana?’

Wordlessly, Kira unbuckled the sheath from her belt and carefully passed it to Nike, who took it from her.

‘Car keys.’ Kira said, and Nike took them out of her pocket and tossed them to her.

In the parking lot, Kira found the hose meant for those cleaning the vomit and other filth off the ground and hosed herself down with it, washing the blood off of her face and coat, and pouring a little into mouth to wash the taste out. She then left to drive the van into the nearest river.

*****

Back in the motel bathroom, Nike took out a pair of long scissors and cut off all of Red Eye’s clothes, tossing them into a trash bag. She then picked up the body in a bridal carry and dumped it into the plastic bathtub, which was lined with heavy-duty trash bags she’d placed there earlier that day. She took out the katana and began to hack into Red Eye’s body with it like it was an axe. Nike had surprising upper body strength for a woman of her size, and within half an hour, the body lay in pieces.

Nike then took a Gillette blade from a pack and slashed her wrist open longways. Blood poured out, turning from red to colourless in mid-air. Within moments, the room stunk of chemicals. Once the remains of Red Eye were covered in liquid, Nike wrapped a belt around her forearm to cut off the blood flow. She then wiped the remaining blood away with a towel and took out a stapler. She stapled the wound closed, using eight in the process.

In the bathtub, the colourless liquid was turning red. The blood had become an equivalent weight of itself in acid. Blood is dense, so there was more than enough to cover the body. Slowly, the remains began to dissolve. Nike left the room, closing the door behind her. It’d be a while before she could take the trash bags out and let what was left run down the drain. The solids she’d gather up and put down the food waste disposal in the kitchen.

#creative writing #writing #fiction

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httpknjoon · 2 years

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friends with history | ksj; 2

plot | You and Jin broke up. It’s a mutual decision. Another decision you shared was to stay friends, considering you two are in a single friend group. It’s easy, you thought. Both of you just have to act like you did not have a seven-year relationship while you hang out with your other friends every Saturday with your new dates.

chapter summary | Chocolate milk, dinner night, and a couple of announcements.

words | 3.5k

genres | tiny fluff, angst, exes!au

pairing | seokjin x reader

warnings | like a single curse

note | will definitely be followed by like a 2.5 chapter or something like that. anyways, enjoy reading! i would love to hear some thoughts from you :))

main masterlist | previous | series masterlist

“That would be two dollars.”

Jin slipped a hand in his pockets to get his wallet. He smiled at the cashier as he handed her the bill. After declining the offer to put the item in the paper bag, Jin walked out of the convenience store with a chilled, chocolate milk in his hand. He eyed his wristwatch before hopping back to his car and placing the bottle on the passenger seat.

Unending streetlights were greeting him as he passed by them. The glowing moon was starting to make its appearance in the lead-colored night sky. No traffic was ahead of him, making it easier and faster for him to reach his destination. He exhaled with how peaceful everything seemed to be, even though it’s surely not. He knows that maybe a couple of hours later he will feel the opposite of what he feels now. His foot pressed the brakes smoothly as he stopped in a parking lot in front of a building.

Should I text her? Should I just go there? Or maybe I’ll just wait here?

His teeth tugged on his bottom lip as he stared at the entrance of your company building. He clutches on the steering wheel while his legs shake up and down unconsciously. He picked what he thought was the best choice: to send a message. Although he was unsure if you still have the same number, he began typing with unclear thoughts.

Good evening– Too formal.

I’m here outside– Too cold?

Jin bit the corner of his thumb as he tried to think of a message starter. Maybe I should just call? No. What if she’s busy? She also hates receiving calls without notice. He simply rests his chin on the top of the steering wheel with thoughts running inside his mind. He kept his sight on the entrance of your building.

Maybe he’ll just wait for you.

He just doesn’t want to do anything wrong after a month of not having anything with you. He noticed how inactive you were everywhere. Even in your group chat. Nonetheless, he was glad that you did not block him in any of your social media accounts. The same photos were still posted on your Instagram feed. None were archived nor removed. Your last post was a snap of a meal he cooked for you three months ago. With a caption: My freelance personal chef made me this! His lips curved into a smile when he remembered that moment.

“A perfect ten just for the inviting aroma!”

Like a little seal, you clapped your hands together as you inhaled the smell of his meal. Jin just shakes his head with your cuteness. He placed a fork beside your plate. He waited for you to finish typing in your phone before speaking,

“Food was supposed to be eaten.”

You held the fork and winked at him, “I just want to share with everyone I know that I have a personal chef.”

Jin simply chuckles and points his index finger on your plate, “Eat.”

After having your first mouthful of his spaghetti, you were squirming on your seat. He simply watched you with a smile. Even though you have the same happy gasp or humming tone every time he cooks for you, he always found you adorable. Sometimes, you would even try to say something. But with your mouth full, you were indistinct. Jin will just nod and giggle at whatever you said.

“Teach me your recipe,” you told him after consuming water.

“Baby, it’s just basic spaghetti and meatballs.” he grinned while you rolled your eyes.

“You know, when you say it like that, you sound cocky,” you uttered. “I tried the recipe from that link you sent me before. It didn’t taste anything like this.”

“Well, maybe you should add little emotion to it. Like, love– Oh!”

He caught the table napkin you threw at him before he can finish his teasing. He laughed at your sulking expression.

“That’s bullshit. You’re just saying things because you don’t want to share your very own recipe. If you won’t teach me anything, you would cook for us, for me in our whole remaining lifetime.” you tried scaring him.

But he just smiled and wiped the tomato sauce above your upper lip with his thumb, “It’s fine. I don’t mind cooking for you as long as I can.”

Too lost with recalling that event, Jin did not notice you walking out of the building. He just heard a couple of soft knocks on the passenger side. When he tilted his head in that direction, he saw you standing there with your bag clung to your shoulder. You just nod at him before he opened the lock. The familiar vanilla scent entered his nostrils as you sat on the seat.

“How long have you been here?” you asked, removing your bag from your shoulder and placing it on your lap.

He doesn’t know. He lost track of time ever since he arrived.

“Not too long.” he just replied before turning the key, starting the car.

“You should have texted me. I was already free an hour ago.” you expressed, still using the same bland tone you used earlier in the morning. “Anyways– Wait, where can I put this?”

Jin cocked his head in your direction to see what you were talking about. You were holding the bottle of chocolate milk he bought before he picked you up. It seemed like it was no longer chilled. He looked at your plain expression first before he glanced back to the road.

“Uhm… I bought– It’s for you,” he stuttered as he felt blood rushing through his ears.

“For me?”

He felt his heart beating faster when your voice did not even sound surprised nor curious. Just plain and impassive. He swallowed the imaginary lump in his throat before he explained,

“Ah, yes. I saw you buying a cup of coffee earlier. It will probably make you have trouble sleeping later. I thought… Uhm, maybe your favorite chocolate milk will help you to have a good sleep.”

Silence took over for a few moments, making Jin more anxious as he felt sweat forming on his forehead even though the car was airconditioned. The heavy beating of his heart was too loud for him to look at your reaction.

“Uh, thanks,” you spoke out softly and almost inaudibly.

“No problem.”

Another minute of uncomfortable silence passed by again. Jin felt like he was stuck in a small box. His moves were limited and he cannot breathe properly. Until you clear your throat to break out the silence.

“So… About the dinner.” you began. “How are we going to tell them that… that we broke up?”

Straightforward as always, Jin thought. One of the innumerable reasons why he liked you in the first place. You were always direct with your words and actions. You always have the heart to confront people around you. You present yourself as an open book and never hide behind a facade. Whatever you’re feeling, it shows.

“Jin?” your cold calling of his name pulled him out of deep thought.

“Yes?”

“I said, should we tell them after or before dinner?” you repeated.

Is that even a thing? It’s crazy to think that you two still have to prepare for this. Like you two were some A-listers celebrities who need to share such a thing with the public. He wanted to ask you but it felt like a dumb question to ask. You seemed pretty ready to announce it to everyone. He wondered if you already told your family. How did they react? Did they respond well? Did you even tell them the reason why? Between you two, he is aware that you are the one who has the guts in everything. He still hasn’t told his parents about anything because how would they react? They already considered you as their daughter since Jin is the only child. He knew how much they love you.

“Jin, I need you to answer. I am not a mind reader.”

Again, you snapped him out of his thoughts. Finally, you had some emotions with your tone. But, it was a tone of slight annoyance.

“I’m sorry,” Jin spoke out. “We… We can tell them after dinner.”

You nodded as you chewed on your bottom lip. It became quiet again until he stopped the car in front of Younhee and Hiro’s suburban house. He was removing his seat belt when you noticed you not moving from your seat at all. Your eyes dart at your friends’ home outside your window. He can see your chest heaving slowly while your finger slightly shakes on your lap. He wanted to reach for your hands but stopped midway, thinking if it was the right thing to do. Silently shaking his head with his conflicting thoughts, he placed a hand on your yours. He almost shivered with how cold it was. You turned your gaze at him and he remembered the same eyes you have when he picked up his things from your house a month ago.

“Let’s go?” he tried to say it the softest that he can.

He can tell that you were having second thoughts when you pursed your lips and looked back at the house then to your hands. He knows you too well to notice that small habit of yours, fidgeting on your ring finger. He winced when he also noticed that it was empty. Like you would keep the ring.

Jin cleared his throat, making you look at him again, “We don’t have to tell them now if–”

“No.” you cut him off with your voice stern. You ran your palms on your cheeks as you breathed out, “Let’s… Let’s just do this now.”

You said it like you were already desperate to get it out of your chest. He watched as you clung your bag back to your shoulder even though he told you that you can leave it in the car. Every step to Younhee and Hiro’s front yard felt like a step to deep, heavy mud. Jin gulped as he walked by your side. He took a glance at you, only to see you looking more nervous. The waves of laughter and chatters inside the house didn’t help. So, he stopped and turned to you, who paused too. He tried to read anything from your expression. Your eyes were purposely avoiding his while beads of sweat formed on your forehead. Your lips were red from all the biting you did while spacing out. Ever since he saw you earlier this morning, he already knew.

You’re tired. You’re worn out. He just wants to–

“What?” you asked him with eyebrows scrunched together.

“We don’t have to do this tonight if–”

“I told you, I’m fine, Jin. I want to do this today— tonight! So, let’s go–”

He just went for it. He wrapped you in his arms and he immediately felt your body tensing down. You did not say anything except a couple of sighs. Jin ran his hand up and down on your back, hoping to calm you down. He doesn’t know if this is the right thing to do with an ex. But he was your friend too. He was your friend first and he cannot stand seeing you like this.

“Oh, gosh. The lovebirds are here!”

Still having you in his arms, Jin turned at the front door. Two of your friends, Kaori and Nico, stood there.

“Come on in! The dinner’s almost ready!” Nico said.

Jin simply nodded while you slowly moved a distance from him. The other two walked back inside. He looked back at you again, you tried taming your hair and fixing your face with no mirror. You locked your eyes with him.

“How do I look?

Still a bit tense but more relaxed. Jin smiles softly, “Good.”

You walked ahead of him and he quietly followed behind. As soon as both of you got in, you were greeted by your friends. Some are still wearing their work clothes too like you. The dining table is all set, only waiting for the food to be served. Jin sat on the solo sofa in the living room while Anne and Younhee chats with you on the spacious orange couch. He tried to avert his focus on some type of movie Kaori played on the TV. But when he heard you chuckle, even it was short and almost forced, it still plays like a melody to his ears. All of the dialogues in the movie became indistinct while he hid his interest in listening to whatever topic you and your other friends have.

You only let out gasps and small chuckles with their stories. Jin wanted you to tell something about yourself since he wants to know how are you, especially this last month. Because when he asked you about it earlier this morning, you answered way too far from his question.

“How… How are you?”

“Off to work.”

He was supposed to get his coffee in the same shop you came from, which surprised him when he saw you there since you once said before that you hated that shop. But decided to just go back to his house. He thought of ordering some fast food breakfast again, just like what he’s been doing since you broke up. He lost interest in cooking outside his workplace. He rarely goes out either. When Hiro and Nico invited him to have some drinks a week after you two ended, he lied, saying he was busy at work. The truth is he was just spring cleaning at his house for the first time in his years of living there. Simply because he doesn’t feel at home in his own house.

The moment he got home after taking his things from your place, he noticed how uncomfortable his bed was. He found it weird like he was laying on a stranger’s bed. His blankets were too thin while his pillows are too soft like marshmallows. He felt like drowning when he rests his head on it. He was so used to the mixed smell of lavender and vanilla of your fabric conditioner that he became new with his usual one. He almost turned his place upside down with the amount of cleaning he did. In the corner of his bedroom, he has a box filled with your (probably) forgotten knick-knacks, a couple of lipsticks, and even some clothes. He never dared to message you about it.

“Dinner’s ready!” Hiro’s voice was heard from the kitchen.

Everyone stood from their places and walked to the dining table. Since you’ve been doing this for years, all of you already have some unspoken designated seats. Kaori and Nico sat on both ends of the table while Hiro, Yeonhee, and Anne sat together on the same row, leaving you and Jin sitting together.

“What’s with the one space apart?” Anne pointed out the blank space between you and him.

Jin looked at you silently and you nodded like you were letting him be close to you. After he took the space, everyone began telling stories again. You two laughed with their jokes and tried to get along while saving your so-called announcement for the last. When their plates were almost empty, Younhee went back to their kitchen and came back with desserts.

“Oooh, this tastes good! What is this?” Kaori asked since she’s the first one to dig in the tub.

“Oh, it’s a gelato I’ve been craving for some time now,” Younhee replied while Hiro stood beside her.

Jin reached for an empty cup while you stared at the cold dessert with curious eyes. He asked you if you want some but you answered with a short wait.

“What’s the flavor?” you asked your friend.

“Sweet corn!” Younhee replied again.

Hearing that, Jin felt your eyes on him. But he just continues scooping.

“Jin,” you called him like a warning.

But when he filled the cup, he handed it to you, “It’s for you.”

Your lips formed a thin line as you accepted the cup. He stopped himself from smiling when he sees you smile after tasting the gelato. You unconsciously left the same cream above your lips. Instead of wiping it himself, Jin gave you the table napkin. You cleaned up your lips and looked at him. Not in a good way. But in a way that translates like we should tell them now. The warm feeling in him faded, now replaced with coolness starting from his feet going up. Although his heart beats wildly, Jin sighs and nods.

“Uhm, guys.” Your voice was careful as you called your friends’ attention. “We have something to tell you.”

Jin avoided the confused eyes of your friends. Underneath the table, Jin noticed your hands shaking on your lap. His hands felt cold but he still chose to hold yours too. It got your attention to him.

“Oh, um, we’re announcing something too!” Younhee exclaimed, breaking the eye contact between you and Jin,

“Oh, okay. We have some announcements now.” Nico quipped. “Who should go first?”

You and Younhee eye each other. She smiled. It seemed like a piece of great news. Seeing this, Jin felt your grip tighter on his hand. He knew you were having second thoughts now. But Jin squeezed your hand tighter.

“Let’s play rock paper and scissors!” Kaori recommended.

Anne joined in, “That’s a bit childish. But yeah, let’s do that!”

Younhee was quick to agree with Hiro supporting her. She placed her fist in the center. You looked at Jin and he nodded. With both of you unsure of what to do, he just decided to go with the flow. You two stood and you put your fist in front of Younhee’s. Like a tournament, everyone chanted the rock paper and scissors line. After two tries, she won.

“Okay, to our couple who won, Hiro and Younhee, please declare your announcement,” Nico told them like he’s introducing a royalty, making everyone laugh except you and Jin.

The two looked at each other with wide smiles before turning to everyone, “We’re having a baby!”

What the fuck?

Jin did not expect that kind of announcement. Yes, it’s a good thing. But, he thought maybe it’s some kind of promotion or another success with their other things. It’s a fucking great news. How are you going to tell about your breakup when such an event happened? Everyone ran to the couple and hugged them while Jin looked at you. He can see your glassy eyes as you bit your inner cheek. Jin squeezed your hand again, hoping to give you some encouragement even though he already felt messed up himself. You shake your head at him.

“I… I can’t.” your voice shakes and your fragile image from a month ago flashbacked on his mind. “I can’t do this.”

“Let’s just go?” Jin asked, not caring about the consequences of it. He can only think of you at this moment. You looked down and nodded. Tears were already dripping down your cheeks when he pulled you up from your seat.

“Where are you two going?” Nico called out. “Don’t you say you can’t stand losing to that–”

He paused when you turned around. Their smiles faded when they saw your expression while Jin looked down.

“What happened?” Younhee, being the motherly figure she is, worriedly walked to you two.

But you spoke out, “No, please.”

Jin watched you wipe your cheeks with the back of your hand. You cleared your throat as you tried to fix your posture in front of them.

“We don’t have to tell them now,” Jin whispered but you just shook your head again.

“Tell us what?” Kaori asked, shoving a bite of gelato in her mouth.

“Webrokeup.” you announced so quickly that it became inaudible.

Anne broke the silence, “I’m sorry, what? I think I misheard that. You did not say you broke up, right?”

Instead of answering, you avoided their gaze. So, Jin answered, “Yes, we broke up. A month ago.”

Just like an audience to a show, your friends gasped loudly. Younhee covered her mouth while Hiro supported her from her back. Kaori almost dropped her cup. Annie’s eyes widened. Nico’s eyebrows were raised above.

“Is this a prank?–” Kaori spoke out. But her brother, Hiro, shushed him. “I’m just asking. Maybe they are just playing–”

“No, it’s not a prank. It’s true. We already broke up.” you finally spoke.

Jin felt you letting go of his hand. Everyone watched as you hugged Younhee. You whispered something to her and she replied with,

“Yes, of course, it’s fine.”

You walked back to Jin and mouthed, “Let’s go.”

With no question, he nodded while you walked out with your bag. But, he gave a hug to both Hiro and Younhee while saying his congratulations to them. He also apologized and they just showed a small smile. He simply nods to their other friends, who are still surprised and just watched everything. Expecting to see you waiting for him outside, he was greeted by nothing but the warm summer air. Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked around the place until he felt his phone dinged in his pockets.

From Y/N

Thank you for the drive. I’m taking the bus. Take care.

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd @cixrosie @victoryscreech61 @moonchild1

TAGLIST

@jnshjjt @lilachaeyo @bringmetheksj @effielumiere @claricedelune @arisud @kianamj @teamtardis-notdead @circleroomtalk @rjsmochii @akshstudios @sojurnmichael @tan-dulset @agustdxjiminx @my-current-mood-is @cestlabellemort @nadiaislas @mrsdoradominguez-barnes @betysotelo18 @kissme-ornot @ccygll @dopedreamfireparty @satorinnie @delusionalsnack

#bts angst #bts fluff #bts x reader #bts established relationship au #bts exes au #bts imagine #bts series #jin angst #jin fluff #jin exes au #jin imagine #jin series #friends with history ksj

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poisonedapples · 3 years

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Patton’s Home For Traumatized Kids - Chapter Five

Bad Memories Don’t Erase

Chapter Summary: Roman tags along with Logan and Virgil to hang out at their friend’s house.

First Chapter Previous Chapter Story Masterlist

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, stealing, and one inappropriate joke

Word Count: 4,008

Taglist: @shade-romeo, @grayson-22, @pixelated-pineapple, @acrobaticcatfeline, @astrozei, @edupunkn00b, @princey-7258, @eternalmoonlight19, @remy-the-lemon-berry, @look-ma-im-on-tv, @mariniacipher, @bigwendymonster, @nonbinary-octopus

Notes: This chapter’s a little short, but the next one is gonna be really long, so hopefully that makes up for it

On Sunday the next day, Patton finally took Roman to buy his gym clothes. Roman was trying to hide a goofy smile while sitting in the back seat, desperate to not get his hopes up while also ecstatic his plan was working so far. He was going to have Patton stay in the car while Roman shopped for clothes! This had never worked on his dad before!

By the time Patton finally parked the car in the parking lot of the store, Roman’s chest felt weighted from his anxiety, waiting to see Patton’s final verdict. So long as he didn’t change his mind now, then Roman was in the clear. He hoped to be in the clear.

“Alright, kiddo,” Roman’s heart stopped as Patton pulled out his wallet and gave him some money. “Forty dollars should be more than enough for some pairs of gym pants and shirts. Give me back all the change when you come back, okay?”

“I will! Promise!” Roman wanted to jump for joy. It was working!

“Text me when you’re checking out so you don’t surprise me, and if you see something else you might want, just text me before you buy it so I know. Tell me if you have any issues, okay?”

“Okay!”

Patton smiled. “Go on then, kiddo.”

Roman practically leaped out the door to skip his way to the front entrance of the clothing store, two twenty dollar bills crumbled in his pocket. He got away with it! No parents staring him down while he changed outfits!

Roman walked into the store and tried to hide the skip in his step. With no parents to watch him, he could buy what he actually wanted to wear, no tight pants and scoop neck shirts. No, Roman wanted to look like his real goal. His goal of being a blob of cloth that vaguely resembled a human.

Granted, he’d mostly gotten there. His aunt replaced all of his wardrobe, so his current clothes were a lot more comfortable to wear even if they weren’t very fashionable. Mostly bright colored t-shirts and pants, maybe some shorts if they were able to reach down far enough. Maybe once he was more comfortable with himself he could actually test out more styles, but for now, oversized clothes were all he could handle.

Roman’s walk sped up slightly when his eyes landed on the men’s athletic section. He had to be quick with this, he didn’t want Patton getting impatient and coming in to check on him. Roman looked through the shorts and shirt sizes, easily finding a size up for a couple shirts while heavily struggling on the shorts. Roman groaned. It was always the shorts that caused the issue, they were always too high up. What if he was sitting down and the pant leg rode up too far? No, Roman refused to get something like that willingly.

Roman took all the athletic shorts that could fit him and held them up in front of his legs. Most of them only made it to his lower thigh, but he managed to find two shorts that made it to right below his knee. Roman smiled and bounced on his toes, grabbed his items and rushed to find a dressing room. Once he did, he rushed into the first empty area he saw and locked the door. The mirrors on the walls and gaps in the door made it hard for him to change comfortably, so instead Roman tried to press himself against the very corner of the room when he was changing.

Between the six shirts and two pants Roman found, he was pretty happy with most of his choices. Thankfully, the long shorts looked fine, so Roman hung them up on a hook with a sign over it saying I’m buying this! and considered it a success. However, when it got time to look at the shirts, only three of them were good enough for purchase. The white one he grabbed was practically see-through, and the other two had a scratchy inside material that Roman couldn’t stand, so they got put on the reject hook while the other three passed the test.

For a rushed shopping visit, Roman was pretty pleased with his choices. Two shorts might not be enough for five days worth of classes, but maybe Roman could keep one pair in his locker until it started to stink. Which might be a little gross, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Roman exited the dressing room and put his rejected shirts on a rack outside, carrying his other items to the checkout area. Before he got in line, he looked at all the price tags and added them up in his head best he could. The shirts were about six dollars each, and the shorts were a little over five after tax. Which means, adding up the extra cents, he’d have to pay twenty nine dollars for the clothes in total. Considering Patton gave him forty dollars, this was plenty.

Roman hesitated for a second. He stuffed his hand into his pocket to feel the money in the palm of his hand while he thought about his options. If he told Patton the truth, Roman would give him eleven dollars and there would be no issues. Patton might let him do this again next time they go shopping, too. But also…Roman had no backup plan. He was stuck with Patton with nowhere to go if things went wrong.

His aunt told him that Roman could always go back to her house if a guardian was abusing him, and he had every intention to take her up on that offer the second the opportunity arose. But even if Roman walked to her house on foot, he had no money for food during that trip. She lived so far away from him now, there was no way to get to safety without a dollar to his name. But if he stole some from Patton, then Roman could have a serious issue on his hands.

Roman slowly walked up to the check out area and handed the teenage worker the clothes. As she scanned all the items with a satisfying beep, Roman felt himself getting antsy. There’s no guarantee Patton will let me do this again. I’ve already gotten away with so much, and the more time I spend around him, the more danger I’m in. But if Patton notices I stole from him, he could be furious. Is there even a right answer here?

“Twenty nine dollars and thirty two cents.” The cashier said cheerfully. Roman handed her the money and she put it in the register, then handed Roman a bunch of coins, two five dollar bills, and a one dollar. She smiled. “Would you like a receipt?”

“Uh, no thank you.”

When the receipt printed, the cashier tore it out and threw it in the trash behind her. “Have a nice day.”

“You too.” Roman squeaked, rushing away from the register to stare at the money. Apparently they ran out of ten dollar bills, because the money was split perfectly for taking without it being obvious. Roman considered this a sign to take his chance. He put a five dollar bill and a quarter in his left pocket and shoved the rest in his right. It wasn’t much, but he could build it up. This was only the beginning.

Roman walked out of the store and tried to act normal instead of anxious. Worst case scenario, he’d say he forgot to bring out the rest and give Patton the other bills. Giving away the quarter also would be too obvious, but he could get away with stealing that at least. When he made it to Patton's car, Roman opened the back seat and tossed his clothes next to him.

“Hey, kiddo!” Patton greeted, “Got any extra cash to give me?”

“Uh, yeah, here.” Roman dug into his right pocket to grab half the money and handed it to him. Patton put the coins in his pocket and put the two bills in his wallet. He didn’t seem to consider how much Roman gave him, instead he started backing out of the driveway and got distracted while reversing. Roman let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He felt the five dollars still stored in his pocket. He got away with it. For now.

***

“We’re home!” Patton announced as he and Roman stepped inside. Logan and Virgil were both lying on the couch, and Logan perked up from his spot.

“Wonderful. We wanted to ask both of you a question.” Logan said.

Patton seemed intrigued. “What question?”

“Can we go to Janus’ house, Pat?” Virgil asked.

“Oh, of course, kiddos! Do you know when you might be back?”

Virgil thought about it. “Probably at six before dinner.”

“Perfect! Just text me if that changes so I don’t worry, okay?”

“We will.” Logan reassured, “And Roman, would you like to come with us?”

Roman tilted his head to the side. “Me? I don’t even know who Janice is.”

Virgil sunk into the couch more. “Friend of ours. Has a snake, talks a lot about philosophy and books. Acts like a tired underaged wine aunt.”

“Right, well, still. Isn’t it a little strange for me to tag along to a stranger's house?” Roman pointed out.

“Janus wouldn’t mind, I’m sure.” Logan said. “Of course, you don’t have to, we simply figured you would like the invitation so you’re not the only one left out.”

Roman’s eyes widened when Logan said that. Wait, shit, if Logan and Virgil are going to this girl’s house, then Roman will be here. Alone. With Patton. Until six in the afternoon.

Roman’s mood change was almost instant. “Well then, perhaps I should go! Make new friends and establish bonds, or whatever!”

Virgil smirked. “Sweet. It’s a short walk, just a block away. Just let us grab our shoes and we can head out.”

“I’ll tell Janus we’ll be bringing a third party.”

Roman let out a breath of relief. As Virgil and Logan grabbed whatever they needed, Roman set his new bag of clothes in his room next to his backpack. He’d have to remember to put some boxers in there before tomorrow morning, too.

Roman felt the five dollars in his pocket again. He took the money and hid it deep in his backpack in a hidden pocket he hoped wasn’t too easy to find. Satisfied with that for now, Roman stepped back outside of his room and waited for the others.

Once everyone was situated, Virgil called out to let Patton know they were leaving the house and then closed the door. Logan and Virgil did most of the talking as they walked while Roman just listened, following behind them and letting the two lead the way.

“Oh, and Roman,” Logan suddenly said during a point of silence, “Another one of our friends may also show up later at Janus’ house. He said he might be coming, so we’ll see.”

Roman shrugged. “Sounds fine to me.”

“Alright.”

No one said anything else after that on the walk. After a while, Virgil and Logan stopped in front of a house and started walking up the driveway to the front door. As Virgil knocked on the door, Roman stood awkwardly off to the side until someone answered.

It wasn’t long before the door swung open, showing a teenage kid with a large birthmark under his left eye. He rested his elbow on the top of the black and yellow cane next to him and smirked. Was he the brother, perhaps?

“I’ve been expecting you.” He said menacingly.

“‘Sup, fucker.” Virgil greeted.

“Hello, Janus.”

Wait, what? Against his better judgment, Roman forced himself to stand in front of Logan to face Janus. “Wait, your name is Janice?” He asked.

Janus put his hand on his face. “Janus. It’s Janus. J-a-n-u-s, not the old lady name Janice.”

Roman felt his face grow hot. “…Oh. Well, uh…”

Janus rolled his eyes and held the door open wider. “Just come inside.”

Virgil was the first to step in, with Logan following after while Roman hesitated. He made an awful first impression, maybe he should just walk around the block for a while instead-

“Come on, my arm is tired.” Janus coaxed. Roman felt too awkward to walk away, so he instead sucked it up and stepped inside the house with everyone else.

The house was quite nice. The walls were painted dark and the carpet was red, but it looked nice in a Victorian era kind of way. On the living room coffee table were piles of fabric and a sewing machine, seemingly making something that looked like a suit. Janus took the cane he was holding and threw it onto the couch. Well, apparently it was just a part of the outfit.

Virgil motioned to all the fabric on the table. “Fuck are you making now, dude?”

“I’m making the refined villain look of my dreams.”

“Nice. When do you think you’ll finish it?”

“Possibly tomorrow. I’ll start on it again after school.”

“Do you make your own clothes?” Roman asked, hoping to distract himself from his previous embarrassment.

Janus smiled slightly. “Less clothes, more costumes. Mostly for myself, but sometimes I make them for the high school’s theater when I’m feeling generous.”

“Oh, that sounds fun!”

“Wanna see Janus’ costume closet?” Virgil asked.

Roman shrugged. “If he wants me to.”

“Oh yeah, just talk about me like I’m not here.” Janus rolled his eyes and motioned for everyone to follow him. He had a downstairs family room with a closet off to the side. Once everyone was downstairs, Janus opened it and let Roman look inside.

“…Woah.” Roman looked at all the costumes, astonished and full of wonder. A lot of them were very extravagant, like they were specifically designed for a dramatic person, so Roman felt a calling toward them. He took a few of them off their hangers to look at; roaring twenties inspired suits and a black dresses with fancy gold finishes. Roman ran his hand on the fabric like they were fancy relics.

“They are quite high-quality.” Logan said, “Costume design is certainly one of Janus’ greatest skills.”

“I can see that.” Roman whispered.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Don’t make his ego bigger than it already is.”

“Oh no, please do continue, I’m designed to be the center of attention.” Janus smirked.

Roman laughed and put the costumes back on the rack. It seemed like him and Janus were pretty similar in personality, just on opposite ends of the spectrum. Both dramatic artists, except one likes to add that with tons of sarcasm. He could see them getting along quite easily.

“Also, Janus,” Virgil said while looking at his phone, “Rat bastard says he’s coming over. He’ll be here in ten.”

“Ugh, fine. I was getting used to the silence.” Janus sighed.

“…Who’s rat bastard?” Roman asked.

“Friend of ours.” Virgil replied, “You’ll meet him in a bit. He’s a rat bastard. Smells vaguely of cheese.”

“…Attractive.”

“You get used to it.” Janus shrugged. He then smirked at Roman like he got an idea. “Would you like to see my snake?”

Roman’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

Janus led them all upstairs to his bedroom, Roman following last in the line so he could keep Janus’ door cracked open. As he stepped inside, he noticed a very large cage on the wall to his right. It was very long with lots of wood decorations spread across the container, with a fluorescent lightbulb above it. Roman looked around in the enclosure to try and spot the snake.

Before he could find it, Janus opened the top and stuck his hand in the cage. The snake climbed up his hand onto his arm, and as Janus stuck him out for Roman to see, Roman jumped back.

Janus rolled his eyes. “He’s a corn snake, he’s not known for hurting people.”

Roman still looked at it from a distance. The snake was large enough that Janus had to hold him with both hands, as well as being a mesmerizing yellow color. Roman never had a friend with a pet snake before. “…What’s his name?”

“Lawrence.”

“Nerd.” Virgil called out.

Logan smiled. “I think it is a wonderful name. Lawrence Kohlberg developed the theory on moral development, the very basis for ethical behavior.”

“Nerds.”

“You’re very mature, Virgil.”

Roman ignored them. “I think he’s cool. How old is he?”

“About five. I’ve had him for a while now.”

A buzz came from Virgil’s phone, making him check it and read the message. “Rat bastard says he’s outside your door.” He announced.

Janus didn’t seem rushed. “He can get in on his own.”

Roman laughed, and Janus set Lawrence back in his enclosure so he could bask underneath the heat lamp. Roman still watched his movements from inside the cage. “I wish I had a pet.”

“Patton would get you a dog in seconds if you asked.” Logan suggested.

Roman shook his head. “It’s fine, I won’t ask.” He didn’t really know what kind of pet he even wanted, and besides, it’s not like he’d be able to keep it once he leaves Patton’s house. There was no point.

Suddenly, a loud stomping came from the stairs outside Janus’ bedroom. Roman yelped and ran to hide behind Janus in the corner of the room, but the others didn’t react.

Roman sputtered. “What the-”

Before Roman could finish, a large bang came as someone kicked open the door and let it smack into the wall.

“I’m back by unpopular demand!”

“Hello, Remus.”

Roman completely froze up at the sound of that name. He turned around to look at the person that just busted down Janus’ bedroom door, a kid with messy hair and peach fuzz for a mustache, ripped jeans in the summer with a cast boot on his right foot.

Roman felt himself choke on air as he processed what was in front of him.

“Slugs are goopy like jello! So jello is made of slugs, duh!”

“Remus, that’s gross! No one would make food out of slugs!”

“What’s up, fuckers!” Remus announced. “I’m back from the pits of hell! Also known as the emergency room.”

Roman didn’t say anything, only stared at him in disbelief. Remus’ voice was a lot different now. He’d hit puberty, so the pitch had dropped a lot from what Roman was used to. A tuft of his hair was white, also. Roman couldn’t tell if it was dye or a condition.

That piece of hair and Remus’ mustache were the only things that made them both look apart now.

“What actually happened?” Logan asked. “You never told us specifics.”

“I broke my foot sucking too much-”

“Remus.” Janus warned.

“Fine, fine. I tripped trying to run up some steps and my fall didn’t look badass at all. Don’t tell people that though. If anyone asks, I broke it running from the cops.”

Janus nodded and smirked. “Noted.”

“We brought a third foster brother, also.” Virgil noted. Roman stopped breathing.

“Oh, really? Shit, I fuckin missed everything!” Roman looked in the corner trying to avoid Remus noticing him, but it was never that easy. “Why hello, welcome to our humble- …Oh, fuck.”

Remus tilted his head to make eye contact with Roman, and the surprise on Remus’ face was something Roman would never forget. He seemed genuinely baffled, like nothing in the world would have prepared him for what he saw. Roman wanted to cry.

I wanted to leave behind these people.

“…Roman?” Remus finally said, “Dude, holy fuck, I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Wait,” Virgil staggered, “You know each other already?”

“He’s my fucking cousin!” Remus exclaimed. “Come on, look at us, we’re only a little related but we look like twins!”

Logan turned to Roman. “Is this true?”

Roman could feel the tears ready to burst. His throat was scratchy, but he tried to talk anyway. “…I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Come on, Princey, don’t be shy!” Remus teased. “We used to be best friends, let everyone believe we were twins until our moms called our shit out. Absolute bastard children- …wait. Wait a fucking second.”

“What is it?” Janus asked.

Remus turned to Virgil and Logan with a shocked and confused face. “…You said he’s your foster brother?”

Logan nodded. “That is correct.”

Remus turned to Roman, seemingly at a loss for words. “…Dude, the fuck? What happened?”

Roman looked at the floor, gripping onto his arm so hard it’d be a miracle if there weren’t marks later. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I mean, I know I haven’t seen you since your mom fucked off to Neverland, but what happened to your dad? He’s still alive and shit isn’t he? The hell happened?”

“I said I don’t want to fucking talk about it!” Roman seethed, grinding his teeth together as he practically growled out that sentence.

Virgil flinched violently. “Roman-”

“Whatever!” Roman pushed Remus off to the side and kicked the door fully open, storming his way down the stairs despite the sounds of people yelling for him to come back. Roman stomped out the front door and took a sprint for it down the block, not caring if he had to be alone with Patton, so long as he wasn’t here.

“I bet you would eat a slug!”

“No I wouldn’t! Liar!”

“Boys, boys!” Roman’s mother laughed, crouching down to meet their eye level from their place sitting in the grass. “No eating slugs. Be nice to the bugs or we’ll go back inside.”

“Yeah, Remus!”

Remus huffed. “I’m not doing anything!”

“Not yet!”

Roman’s mother laughed again. “I’m going to help Uncle André with dinner. But I better not hear a fight, okay?”

“Okay!” Roman promised, watching as his mom went back inside his uncle’s house into the kitchen. Roman and Remus continued to play in the grass by looking at bugs and telling stories to each other, making Roman smile more than he has in a long time. He always loved going to Remus’ house. His dad never came with them, so he and his mom were always happier.

“How come we never go to your house?” Remus eventually asked after a few minutes of playing. Roman stuck his tongue out.

“‘Cause our house is tiny and the backyard isn’t as cool.”

“Still! When you come over, you never bring Uncle Theo!”

“Good!” Roman defended, “Dad’s boring so he doesn't getta come!”

“I like him! He’s fun and nice and always brings chocolate!”

“He’s awful!” Roman covered his mouth after he blurted that out. Remus gave him a look.

“He’s not awful!”

Roman looked over to the glass sliding door. His mom was in there, he could see her, but she couldn’t hear him. Maybe he could get away with it. He could tell Remus a secret and his mom would never find out.

Roman hesitantly took his hands away from his mouth. His tone grew to be a lot softer. “…He is, though.”

Remus tilted his head to the side like a dog. “What makes him awful?”

“…Promise not to tell anyone?”

Remus leaned in closer. “Uh huh!”

“No one at all, ever?”

“Triple quadruple promise!”

Roman looked back at his mom. She wasn’t paying attention to him, seemingly talking to his uncle and pouring juice into cups. Roman hesitated for a moment. “…My dad-”

“Boys! Dinner’s ready!” Roman’s mom called out, making Roman jump almost a foot in the air. Both of them got off of the grass to walk inside, but before they did, Remus turned to Roman again.

“Your dad what?”

“…Nevermind.” He missed his chance. Remus would never find out, and Roman never told anyone for another five years.

Roman ran faster down the street at the memory, fighting back the tears in his eyes. It was fine. Roman was fine.

He never wanted to talk to Remus again.

#roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #thomas sanders #ts roman #ts patton #ts logan #ts virgil #ts remus #ts janus #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #foster au #implied past abuse #past abuse #stealing

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