#building the gas station and store on the corner is gonna be fun

[stormsstudios]

• Price: § 209.899 • Units: 6 • Lot size: 40x30 • Gallery ID: Boobookitee • No CC ; Play-tested • Build Time: 8 Hrs 42 min • Tray Files Welcome to the Rocklidge Apartments, a realistic, single-story townhome rental in Oasis Springs (based off of my own place irl). There is one furnished unit (my sim-self's place modeled after my own), as well as 5 move-in ready units. Each unit has a slightly different entry and backyard, but they are all the same size with identical 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom layout. The laundry is located on-site near our pet relief area which is tenant-maintained. Yay!

Happy Move-In Day and Welcome Home ♥

#ts4 #sims 4 builds #sims 4 #ts4 build #ts4 apartment #ts4 download #the sims 4 build #an actual labor of love #building the gas station and store on the corner is gonna be fun

[toothpastecanyon]

We Creatures, Chapter 2

When Alcor felt Mizar calling to him, he came to help. Perhaps, this one time, he should have stayed asleep.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

“I can’t take this anymore.”

Mizar looked over at him. “Can’t take what?”

“This walking through the-“ his foot caught on a stump, and he growled low. “We’re literally right next to a road, why don’t we walk along that?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Cause no.” Mizar flashed a grin at him. “I thought you could float, dude.”

He could, couldn’t he? Yet when he tried, he… he didn’t really feel like it. Maybe bumbling around like a human was frustrating, but it was also familiar, and he felt like chasing that feeling. He liked the idea of hiking through the forest with his Mizar, it-

He tripped on a rock, growled, and torched the thing with so much fire it melted into a lava pit. Then he turned to Mizar.

“We’re taking the road.”

“No, we’re not. It’s too exposed up there, we’ll-“

Alcor snapped his fingers, and a human car dropped down in front of them. Mizar looked at it, then up at him.

“I can’t drive, dipstick.”

“I can.”

“Really.”

“I can!” He snapped, and opened a door. “Or - I could. I don’t know. It’s been a long time, okay?”

“How encouraging.”

“Just get in.”

Mizar stayed out for a second, but she sighed and made for the car. “Great. Gonna get away from elves just to die in a car accident. Perfect.”

“You don’t want to sit in the front with me?”

“In that teeny space?” Mizar spread herself out across the back seats. “Noo thank you. Ah… this is much better.”

Alcor raised an eyebrow at her, but he looked back towards the steering wheel. The knobs, the lights… It all looked a bit more complicated than he remembered, but that was okay, right? He was literally an omniscient demon, he could handle anything a human could do.

Alcor turned the keys, put his foot on the accelerator, and… stalled. There was a snicker from the back.

“W̳̖̦h͙͎͓ạ̮t̯̞͖!͙͉”

“No, no, continue!” Mizar put her hands under her chin. “I’m loving this plan of yours, man. It’s way more fun than what I had in mind.”

He shot her a glare, and then snapped his fingers. It roared to life, and she slumped down.

“Aww, boo. You’re no fun.”

Alcor started turning towards the road. “Where to?”

“Huh? Oh, west.”

“West?”

“Yeah!” She pointed. “Thaddaway… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Uh, where exactly were you going to have us walk to?”

“Oh, the nearest desert, I guess. Elves won’t have any dominion over us there.”

Alcor was staring at her. “We’re in New York.”

“Yeah?”

“The nearest desert is across the country.”

“Yup.”

“That’d take a month to walk.”

“Uh huh.” She watched him pinch his nose. “What, you don’t like walking?”

“I don’t… this is…” He dragged his hand down his face. “Did you even have a plan?”

“Hey, we were doing my plan! You’re the one who’s improvising- uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m not doing this.” Alcor was reaching a hand out. “I’m teleporting you, okay?”

“Wait, don’t-!”

He touched her arm… and then frowned. Touched her arm again. Nothing happened.

“What?” Alcor tried again, but she didn’t budge. “Ugh, why isn’t this working?!”

Mizar slapped his hand away. “I told you, elves did something to me. Can we please-”

“Elves shouldn’t be able to override my magic.” He tried teleporting her again, and growled when nothing happened. “I’ve never had this happen to me! Why can’t I do this?”

“Why can’t you stop treating me like a fucking idiot?”

Alcor blinked. He looked to Mizar, and saw her curled up in the corner of the car, hugging her legs. She glared back at him.

“You do think I’m an idiot, don’t you? You think I summoned a demon who can teleport people places and just decided I’d rather trek for days across the country? No! The only one who’s surprised by this is you, man!”

He raised his eyebrows. “But how-”

“Do I look like an elf to you? I don’t know how they did it, but it’s not important right now! They are coming to kill me! Drive!”

“But-”

“Drive!”

He flinched, and turned back to the steering wheel. Quickly he drove up to the road, checked for cars, and swung into the far lane. There they sat in silence for a while, trees whipping past them, Alcor glancing at Mizar through his rear view mirror every few minutes. She still looked tense, but the anger seemed to fade fairly quickly. It seemed they were both waiting for an opening.

Eventually, Mizar cleared her throat.

“Uh,” she started. “Sorry.”

Alcor shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I was being rude, I-”

“You weren’t being that rude.” She gave a dry chuckle. “Besides, you’ve got an excuse. You’re a literal demon; if the worst thing I can call you is rude, you’re being pretty damn nice!”

They both chuckled at that. Alcor found himself looking at his claws on the steering wheel, stretching his fingers a little. His smile faded a bit.

“Yeah, I’m… I’m trying. I’m trying.” He glanced at her. “I’m out of practice, really. I used to be better at this human stuff, but…”

“Yeah, you got a bit snappier with humanity a few centuries back. I remember - I remember reading about that.”

“Heh, yeah… and then I got bored of even doing that, I just-” he stopped himself. “Well, I don’t - I didn’t want this to be one of the first conversations I had with a new Mizar.”

“What, you’ve had better intros? Nooo.”

Alcor laughed, and it seemed the tension in the air had cleared. The road gently curved, and he sat back in his seat, watching the trees and the road signs glide past him. There was a sound as Mizar reached forward; she was poking at the radio.

“There’s a way to get… music to play out of this thing, right?”

“Yeah, you turn this knob.”

“What does it - oh. Why’s it making that sound?”

“That’s just static, you have to choose a- hold on. Have you never been in a car before?”

Mizar paused, and then shot him a grin. “City gal,” she said. “I’ve always used the underground.”

______________________________________________________________

They drove on into the evening and through the night, on long straight interstates that almost made Alcor feel like his eyes were glazing over. He kept the radio playing something lively, kept an eye on the forests and fields they passed, and kept an eye on the woman laying still on the back seat.

They’d talked for a while, but she’d gone silent hours ago. He didn’t know whether she was sleeping; he’d think she’d dozed off, but then he’d see the glint of open eyes from a passing streetlamp, or he’d hear her quietly ask how many hours it was to the next state.

He couldn’t check her aura, either. It was strangely opaque for a human, like making out shapes in the fog - she had to have some sort of charm on her, he was thinking.

Alcor felt the dewdrop in his pocket, and made a face in the side mirror. If she was robbing elves, having something like that would certainly make sense, right?

Yeah…

They drove on. The sky was brightening. A song ended on the radio, and a morning traffic report followed it. Mizar shifted, and he glanced up to see her stretch.

“Ugh…” she grumbled. “So tiny in here…”

“Good sleep?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Mizar rubbed her face. “Oh wow, we’re really making time. Cars were a good call, dude.”

“Yeah… you want to stop somewhere?”

“What?”

“We’ve been on the road for hours.” Alcor pointed at a sign. “Looks like there’s a gas station coming up, you can… I dunno, get something to eat? Do all the human stuff you need to do?”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Are you sure?”

Mizar hesitated. “I could really stretch my legs…” she mumbled, but then shook her head. “No, no, I can do that after we get to the desert, it’s fine.”

“That’s… that’s still over a day away.” He frowned at her. “You’re really not gonna-”

“Okay! Okay, we can take a break!”

“I mean, we don’t have to right now, I just-”

“No, you’re right!” she threw her hands up. “We should just stop here, you’re right!”

Making a face, Alcor flipped on his turn signal. He could see Mizar in the back, mulling something over.

“But, uh… Alcor?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think maybe you could, you know, go inside the store? I’ll just stay in the car.”

He blinked. “Why?”

“I don’t like people, is all.” She gave a laugh. “And they don’t like me. Oh, and could you park around the back? I’d like that better.”

“Why-”

“If you can’t, that’s fine. It’s just a request.” Her legs bounced a bit as they turned off the highway. “Just a request.”

Alcor raised his eyebrows, but when they pulled into the parking lot, he did make his way around the building and park next to some dumpsters. He shut the engine off, opened the door, and watched a flock of teacup griffins that had gathered around his car stubbornly refuse to move out of the way.

“Ugh,” Alcor tried stepping between them. “These things are worse than pigeons.”

“What things?” Mizar opened the door a crack. “Oh, these guys! Oh yeah, these are all over the city.”

She stuck her hand out, and one landed on her. Alcor snorted at that.

“You’ve made a friend, I see.” A pause. “Oh, wait, no, we’re not taking that thing across country-”

“Of course not.” She waved him away. “You go buy things. I’ll stay by the car.”

Alcor stayed there for a moment longer, and then made his way into the station. It was quiet in here; there were a couple road trippers filling up on coffee, and a bored teenager at the register who barely glanced up from his phone when he came in. Alcor suddenly realised he didn’t quite know what to buy - he hesitated, and then headed towards the candy section.

Yes, this looked familiar. And some Pitt Cola, he should get that too. A lot of that. After gathering up all his pickings, he started towards the door, and-

“Sir. Hey, sir. Sir.” Alcor turned around, and saw the cashier waving at him. “You have to pay for that.”

Alcor stared at him blankly.

“You can’t just walk out without paying. I’ll get in trouble.” He mimed taking something out of his wallet. “You have money? You can pay for it?”

“Money… money!” Alcor snapped his fingers. “Oh, yeah, I remember this! How much?”

“Come over here, let me ring you up.”

With a little skip in his step, Alcor made his way to the cash register and dumped a mountain of snacks on the counter. It took a while to scan them all; Alcor turned back to the growing line, and flashed them a smile.

“I’m on a road trip,” he said. The man behind him just stared into his coffee with a dead expression. “Yeah… good talk.”

“Alright, that’ll be… two hundred and fifty three dollars. And my manager says I can’t take bills over twenty, so…”

Bills… Alcor took a second to remember what those looked like, then manifested about fifteen of them and slid them over. He didn’t quite understand the exaggerated sigh he got when the cashier started breaking a twenty, but after a moment he got some smaller bills back and was shooed away.

Alcor started ripping into a candy bag as soon as he was out the door. All in all, a successful shopping trip!

Then he rounded the corner, and something immediately struck him as off. Different. He slowed as he approached the car, noticing the teacup griffins had abandoned the ground; he found them up on the roof, shaking and shrieking at him as he passed by. There was a bit of blood by the car, too - blood and feathers.

“Mizar,” Alcor breathed, then dashed forwards and threw open the door. “Mizar! Are you-!”

He froze. Mizar was still there - thank the stars - and staring at him with a startled expression. She was holding a burrito in her hands, and he pointed at it.

“Where did you get that?”

“Get what?”

“That burrito.”

“Burrito?” Her eyes darted towards the dumpster. “I… found it?”

“You- what?” He watched her stuff the rest in her mouth. “Wait, don’t tell me you-”

“Hey, let’s see what you got!” She grabbed one of the sodas. “Pitt… cola. Huh. I should try this!”

Alcor frowned at her.

“Oop, there’s that face again. The face where I gotta ask what’s wrong.” She tried unscrewing the top, then shook it and tried again. “What, I got something on my face? I killed your dog? What’s, what’s up?”

He shook his head. “What’s up is… I don’t know. You’re just very strange, you know that?”

“Hmm, if a demon tells me I’m strange, that’s gotta be some sort of compliment, right?” She smiled with her teeth. “Aren’t you the guy who said you’re out of practice with human stuff?”

“Hmmph…” He stepped back. “I guess.”

“Come on, big guy.” Mizar started trying to open the soda with her teeth. “Let’sh get o’ the road a’ain, eh?”

Alcor hesitated, and then sighed and got in the driver’s seat. There was a distinct stench when he got in - maybe his nose had gotten used to the smell of sewage while he was driving, and it suddenly hit him coming back. He glanced back at Mizar and found not a stain on her - even her socks were pure white.

Strange.

“Ack!” There was a pop as the soda exploded all over her face. “What the fuck, It’s all over me! Alcor!”

Alcor snorted a bit. “Oh, I can make a towel! Hang on a sec…”

After a little bit of cleaning up, they pulled out of the station, and hit the road as the sun crested over the distant hills. The light fell on the dumpsters, on the griffins nervously drifting back to the ground… on hooded figures, watching from the treelines.

They watched Alcor’s car pull onto the highway. Then they rose, stepped into trees, and melted through the bark.

#transcendence au #alcor the dreambender #magic lore #worldbuilding #toothwrites

[americanegg]

egg’s digestible guide for attainable rides: cyberpunk 2077

(cheap to mad expensive) post then later a (free quest cars) post

Car Model >  €$ (Fixer). All details about each are my own experience. Location of vehicle by district and waypoint.

(Reminder that if you’re short on eddies you can do Gigs, Sidequests, and “Assault in Progress” mini quests to get rich and level up.)

1. Thorton Galena G240 > €$ 13,000 (Regina)

Rusty hunk of junk but functional, especially after your car gets bodied in the beginning of Act 2. Located in the garage of your apartment building.

2. Makigai MaiMai P126 >  €$ 14,000 (Wakako)

Small. Super fucking small but decent and could turn into a red bullet on the highway at the cost of absolutely no control on your turns. Located in the southern part of Charter Hill, Westbrook sitting neatly in a small parking lot.

3. Mahir Supron FS3 >  €$ 16,000 (Reyes)

Sort of van type situation but compact. Cheap and definitely made of plastic. Like it says that in the lore. Located East from Hargreaves St waypoint in Arroyo.

4. Chevillon Thrax 388 Jefferson >  €$ 17,000 (Padre)

It’s a smooth ride, I’ll give Padre that. Long in length and takes years to turn with but it’s not made for street racing so it’s still decent for traffic and looking like a corpo. Located directly South of the Pumping Station waypoint in Wellsprings.

5. Villefort Columbus V340-F Freight >  €$ 19,000 (Dino)

Another van-type situation with plenty of seating. Could drive your kids to soccer with this one and get there in one piece. Average vehicle overall but can go 210mph if needed. Located SouthWest of the Downtown Central waypoint and sitting in a parking lot.

6. Thorton Galena “Gecko” >  €$ 21,000 (Dakota)

Found in the Badlands this is a great choice for rocky roads at 100mph. Go crazy and go stupid outside the city with this bad boy. Shred rubber and whatnot. Be wary of turns and speed in rocky areas as you can make as much airtime as a dirtbike on a ramp! Located SouthWest of the Old Turbines waypoint in the Eastern Badlands.

This is where Street Cred Level will come into play along with your pocket full of eddies:

(cred = streetcred level)

7. Kaiba Kusanagi CT-3X >  €$ 22,000 > 12 cred (Wakako)

Right after Jackie’s Arch, this is my favorite ride in the game. She’s sleek, perfect for bypassing traffic, and very well-designed. Located in an abandoned parking lot in Japantown, Westbrook directly NorthEast of the Skyline and Salinas waypoint.

8. Archer Quartz EC-L R275 > €$ 29,000 > 12 cred (Regina)

Another great set of wheels for burning rubber and kicking up sand in the Badlands, if you have the eddies for it. Located South of the Offshore St waypoint in Northside and immediately next to a Neutralize the Perps mini quest.

9. Chevillon Emperor 620 Ragnar >  €$ 32,000 > 12 cred (Dino)

First of the heavy duty SUV you acquire at 30k eddies. Didn’t drive this one very much since I’m a small and sleek kinda dude but if you need to ram a taxi or show off to your video game girlfriend your chunky ride, here is the car for you. Located in Corpo Plaza SouthWest of Arasaka Tower waypoint or NorthWest of Reconciliation Park waypoint.

10. Villefort Cortes V5000 Valor >  €$ 37,000 > 12 cred (Padre)

If you want to look like an asshole you can check this one out. Pretty much a bougie limosine type situation. Long car so long turns my guy. Located in Wellsprings, Heywood sitting in a parking lot West of Berkeley & Bay waypoint. 11. Thorton Colby C240T (aka Thorton Colby C125) >  €$ 39,000 > 20 cred (Regina)

Vehicles to pick up your gf/bf and go to a drive-in theater with? This one. Smooth ride with plenty of seating to do you know what at said drive-in theater definitely not watching Bushido 3. Located Northside, Westbrook South of the Docks waypoint in a small parking lot in front of the Ded Zed clothing store.

12. Thorton Colby CX410 Butte (Green) >  €$ 43,000 > 12 cred (Reyes)

Imma be honest... I’m a slut for Thorton car models. This one is straight up satisfying to my ears and eyes. Located in the parking lot of PieZ waypoint in Rancho Coronado, Santo Domingo.

13. Thorton Colby “Little Mule” >  €$ 49,000 > 12 cred (Dakota)

Truckin and fuckin around the Badlands? This is definitely the car for you!  Located near the Sunset Motel parking lot in the Eastern Badlands.

14. Quadra Type-66 Avenger >  €$ 55,000 > 20 cred (Dino)

Remember those Need for Speed games? No? Well imagine it for a second and look at this preem ride. Got that image in your mind? Now look at your wallet. Located West of Metro: Republic Way waypoint tucked under the Empathy club building.

15. Quadra Type-66 “Jen Rowley” (aka Quadra Type-66 640 TS)  >  €$ 58,000 > 20 cred (Reyes)

If you haven’t noticed, Quadra Type-66 are very good at designing cars that make you look like you shred these streets since you were a babe. Like, Baby from Baby Driver would fuck this ride up, you know it choom. Located West of Kendal Park waypoint in Rancho Coronado, no more than 2-minute walk away.

16. Villefort Alvarado V4F 570 Delegate >  €$ 62,000 > 20 cred (Padre)

Another Limo! I’ll be honest, six wheels on a car this low is crazy but Villefort always finds a way. This is the ride you’d drive to your corpo apartment to go pick up your corpo wife so you can take your corpo ride to a nearby corpo restaurant and only drink Spunky Monkey in a wine bottle. Located directly West of the Palms View Way waypoint in The Glen.

17. Herrera Outlaw GTS >  €$ 62,000 > 30 cred (Dino)

Limousine type body but god damn if it ain’t gorgeous to look at. A real sexy piece of wheels, this one. Located in Corpo Plaza, North of Ring Road waypoint. 

18. Quadra Type-66 “Javelina” >  €$ 73,000 > 30 cred (Dakota)

God am I a fan of rides that pick up hefts of sand and dirt? Yeah, I am. Do I love how this car looks? Absolutely. As a Nomad V, is this one of the sexiest rides you can get? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY. Located in Southern Badlands near the Protein Farm waypoint.

19. Mizutani Shion MZ2 >  €$ 75,000 > 30 cred (Regina)

Not gonna lie, this is the car that occupies my headspace every time I boot up Cyberpunk. Maybe it’s the name, maybe it’s the design, maybe it’s the car I would take to my honeymoon, idk. Located in the same garage as the Thorton Galena in Little China, Watson.

20. Quadra Type-66 “Cthulhu” >  €$ 76,000 > No cred requirement (Regina or Sampson)

Condition to receive for free: Sparing Samson in “The Beast In Me” side quest

Okay other than Beast which is a chonky beast this one is a very speedy beast with classic racecar features but bulky armor. The wiki literally says this ride has 666 horsepower so you KNOW this shit is gonna slap as soon as you get in and hear that engine, dawg.  Can be found in Little China, Watson in Megabuilding H10.

21. Brennan Apollo >  €$ 94,000 > 30 cred (Padre)

If you thought Jackie’s ARCH and the Yaiba Kusanagi was sexy boy you will not be disappointed. Smaller and more compact but a speedy on the highways and countryside. Side Effect is you’ll look like the coolest pizza delivery driver in Night City. Located in Vista Del Ray, Heywood a short walk away East of Delamain HQ waypoint. 22. Mizutani Shion “Coyote” >  €$ 115,000 > 20 cred (Dakota)

... Look at her. Just... just look at her. Look at those wheels, that build, the spoiler, look at her! I would own so many Hot Wheels and have her in a display case alright. Like, you know what you’re signing up for at 100k eddies for Dakota. Like this car that was originally used for scooting around the city was LITERALLY modded for the Badlands. As a Nomad this is a must-have. Located in the Eastern Badlands, North of the Sunshine Motel waypoint.

23. Thorton Mackinaw MTL1 >  €$ 128,000 > 30 cred (Reyes)

The most SUV that ever SUV’ed in Night City. Reyes calls you for this one and shit, it’s new, it’s spotless, it’s a shiny new car, and trouncing down Badlands, the streets of Kabuki, Pacifica, name it. This beaut does go maximum of around 150mph but with how big this bad boy is, it can charge through the highways but be wary of how you turn corners! Located around the block from the Red Dirt Bar waypoint to the East in Arroyo, Santo Domingo.

24. Quadra Turbo-R 740 >  €$ 129,000 > 30 cred (Wakako)

TURBO-TASTIC ride. Again, of racecar design, you can almost smell the 1980s nostalgia from the picture alone. Located in the Dynalar building/waypoint in Charter Hill, Westbrook.

25. ARCH Nazaré >  €$ 138,000 > 40 cred (Wakako)

Writing this guide up to this point I have discovered that Old Lady Wakako knows what “fucking nova” means because all the cars she offers are fucking bangers so of COURSE she would offer an ARCH bike like this bumblebee badboy. You can see all the fun bits in and around the bike to know what you’re getting into so expect some hella smooth sailing. Located on the way TO the Drive-In Theatre in the lot of the Gig: A Shrine Defiled. South of Drive-in Theatre, North Oak, Westbrook.

26. Rayfield Caliburn (White) >  €$ 157,000 > 40 cred (Dino)

Dino actually coming in clutch with this last call for vehicles he offers. Like, I had to look up what “hypercar” meant to logistically know how hype this car makes me every time I hit the gas. At high speeds the engines purr like a cat, which is a whole other satisfying experience after driving hunks of junk. Located West of the Corporation St. waypoint in Downtown, City Center.

27. Rayfield Aerondight S9 “Guinevere” >  €$ 225,000 > 50 cred (Wakako)

Um... so... this is- this is the last car from Wakako. I haven’t even gotten to the point of being able to afford this... this... work of art. I can only imagine, with the Rayfield brand, that it’s better than the Caliburn. Which I don’t even think that’s possible but once I buy it I’ll let you know. Located North of the Columbariam or directly West of the North Oak Sign waypoints in North Oak, Westbrook.

Yo, if this guide helps you or makes your day or think it’s absolutely genius or dogshit don’t forget to like/reblog! Share with your friends!

Free Vehicle Post coming soon!

Images from gamesatlas.com, cyberpunk.fandom.com, & game-maps.com

#cyberpunk car guide 2077 #thorton #chevillon #herrera #quadra type-66 #villefort #archer #kaiba kusanagi #mahir supron #i made this mainly for myself but i figured i should share #finally done with the paid vehicles #i'll do the free ones in a bit #cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #rayfield caliburn #im literally going to be referencing this until I buy all the cars #like my brain understands what my brain makes #edit: changed from 'vehicles' to rides bc i had a big brain moment

[lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie]

A Supernatural World: Chapter 2

Prev | Next

Summary: Fleeing their hometown of Miami, Florida due to it growing far too dangerous, Roman and his vampire brother Remus move to Detroit, Michigan. Remus hopes it’ll be safer here for his human (or so he thinks he’s human) brother. Roman only wishes to start anew after a traumatizing incident in his last college, hoping to make new friends and maybe even find love. They don’t know what this city or the future holds but it’s going to be quite the adventure as they explore their new surroundings and the…interesting people that live in it.

Pairings: Eventual roceit, Eventual Intrulogical, slowburn roceit, slowburn Intrulogical, romantic roceit, romantic Intrulogical. BROTHERLY CREATIVITWINS (rem/rom shippers fuck off)

WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF ABUSE, IMPLIED ABUSE, TOXIC PARENTING, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL HARRASSMENT, IMPLIED SEXUAL HARRASSMENT, POSSIBLE IMPLIED RAPE, SLIGHT BLOOD MENTION, SLIGHT MENTION OF MURDER, MENTIONS OF FOOD POISONING

Taglist: @mychemically-imbalanced-romance

(If anyone else would like to be tagged, let me know!)

________________________________________________________________

Moving to a new apartment after being on the run for so long had been exhausting but they made it and they were a lot safer now. For the first time in a long time, Roman finds himself waking up with little to no worries in his mind. He sits up and yawns, stretching his arms. He takes a deep breath and perks up a little when he smells breakfast in the air. With a rumbling tummy, Roman slips out of bed and ambles out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, finding Remus at the stove and making breakfast. Bacon and eggs sizzle away in the frying pan.

“Morning, Ree. Where’d you get that?” Roman asks, plopping down at the dining table.

“Hey, sleepyhead. I wasn’t going to go grocery shopping until some time later but I figured we could use a good breakfast after all the shit we went through to get here. So, I went out and bought a few things at the convenience store across the street.” Remus replies, plating up the food.

“I do miss having good breakfasts like this.” Roman giggles before making a face. “I don’t think I want to eat more yucky hotel food or disgusting gas station meals.”

Remus huffs a laugh and gives Roman his plate.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“I got food poisoning twice in Alabama and Kentucky.”

“Okay, fair point.” 

Remus shakes his head fondly at the memory of poor Ro throwing up in their motel room. He hadn’t meant to make his twin sick but he couldn’t exactly order anything fancy. He was trying to save up for an apartment. He did feel bad for Ro. His twin had been eager to try KFC when they got to Kentucky. Turns out that the KFC they ordered from was a bit, well, unsanitary. Oh well, at least they don’t have to worry about that now. Remus gets his own plate and sets it on the table before turning to the fridge to get juice for them both.

“So, did you sleep okay? I know I used my magic on you but it can’t always block the nightmares.” Remus says, setting the juice bottle on the counter and moving to get glasses.

Meanwhile, Roman eagerly starts eating. He makes a delighted noise and eats more.

“I did. It feels nice to wake up without worrying if someone broke in or freaking out because you thought the cleaning lady was an intruder.” he grins, taking another bite.

“That’s good. And don’t worry. I’m sure there’s no scary cleaning lady here this time.” Remus chuckles, pouring him and Roman some juice.

Roman giggles and goes back to eating, humming in thanks when Remus gives him his juice.

“I know, Ree. So, what are you going to do?” he asks.

“Well, since everything is mostly unpacked, I’m going to explore around the city and see what’s there to see. Maybe find a job too. We can’t exactly live on our money forever.” 

“True. I’m going to see if I can enroll in theatre after breakfast.” 

“Ooh, good luck with that. I know you’ll kill it out there.

“I know. Promise you won’t kill anyone out there?”

Remus huffs a laugh. 

“Promise, Ro.”

The twins share a laugh and continue talking, Roman eagerly telling Remus all the stuff he’s excited to do again. Roman used to be in theatre in high school but it wasn’t fun. He had constant pressure on his shoulders to be a star performer in their parents’ eyes. He’d spent restless nights rehearsing and practicing under his mother’s command. He’d endure other nights where his mother would reprimand him for even the smallest slip up in his plays or when he didn’t get the lead role she demanded him to get. He’d been forced into diets and dressed uncomfortably to look perfect for his parts. Theatre was ruined for him then and he endured it until high school was over.

Then there was his first year of college. Roman had been happy to have at least a bit of distance between him and his abusive home. He had tried for theatre again in hope it would go well this time. It didn’t. The professor who led the whole theatre crew was a creep along with a few techies. Roman was the poor victim who was constantly targeted, getting groped or hit on whenever he was alone with either a techie or the professor himself. At first, Roman had been clueless, thinking the groping was an accident and the flirting was all in good fun. Then it kept getting worse and worse until one day, the professor and his techies cornered Roman in the dressing room and left him a wreck with his costume torn. 

Remus found out when Roman came home crying and told him. They tried to get justice but the professor and the techies left no proof so their case fell flat and was never opened again. All they could do was leave that college. Of course, their parents didn’t side with them, accusing Roman of ‘asking for it’ and punishing him for ‘selling his body’. That’s when Remus had enough and broke out of the basement he was forced to stay in. He went to Roman and comforted him, telling him they weren’t staying here anymore. After waiting for their parents to leave the house for another drunken night at some bar, the twins packed up and left. Roman hasn’t tried theatre since. The funny thing is, that was only a year ago.

Now, Roman was feeling a bit confident and wanted to try theatre once more. He even wanted to help with costumes and makeup or maybe even make props. He also missed singing on stage so he was excited to do that again. Eager to try out again, Roman eats a little faster. He really wants to enroll and step up on the shiny stage floor again. 

Meanwhile, Remus huffs a laugh, seeing how eager his brother is.

“Easy, Ro. You have plenty of time to sign up for theatre.” he says, patting his twin’s head.

Roman smiles bashfully.

“I know. I’m just so excited, Ree! I miss the stage! Now that we’re free from our parents and those creeps, I feel like I can do theatre again without all these problems!” he exclaims, grinning.

“I know but you can’t do that if you choke on your breakfast.” 

Roman giggles.

“Right. Sorry.”

Roman slows down but keeps eating, babbling about theatre stuff in between while Remus listens along. It’s not long before Roman finishes and puts his dishes in the sink before going back to his room to get his laptop from his bag so he can start enrolling. His eager humming can be heard around the apartment and it makes the atmosphere a little bit more warm and peaceful.

Meanwhile, Remus quickly did the dishes then went to get ready to explore. He cleaned up as best as he could before getting changed into a black t-shirt, grey ripped jeans, combat boots, and a dark green leather jacket. He then returns to the bedroom and finds Roman sitting on his bed, already with his laptop on. Remus chuckles and ruffles his twin’s hair.

“Alright, I’m gonna head out now. Will you be okay with being alone for a bit?” Remus asks, watching for a moment as Roman reads through some search results.

“Yeah! I’ll call you if anything happens and Janus is upstairs too!” Roman beams.

“Good. I’ll be back later, Ro.”

“Kay! Stay safe!”

Remus gives Roman a lazy salute and leaves him to do his college hunting. He grabs his bat and his pocket knife from his backpack along with a pocket flask filled with emergency blood. Then he slips out the door and heads down to the lobby. He waves hello to Jeremiah as he exits the building, Detroit’s cool and smoggy air hitting his face. After making sure no one is around, Remus sneaks around to the back and jumps his way up the apartment building using the fire escapes there. He then climbs onto the roof. Sure, he could have taken the stairs but that wasn’t as fun. Remus takes a deep breath and walks over to the edge, taking in the view and plotting out a path.

Remus sees the bridge and the old freighter. In the distance, he can just make out the edge of Belle Isle in the morning fog. He can see a nearby police station too. Immediately, he makes a note to avoid the station for safety purposes. It takes a few more minutes but he figures out a route through a mostly empty street that leads to a cluster of small businesses and restaurants. Taking a deep breath, Remus turns and runs before leaping over a gap and landing onto the next roof. His speed picks up and he keeps moving, jumping from roof to roof.

To Remus, it always felt thrilling to go on a rooftop run. He liked the feeling of cool air on his skin and the rush he gets when he leaps high into the air. It’s almost like he was flying. He liked watching the cars and buildings rushing by him. He liked being able to explore and see new places, especially the ones with good views or creepy vibes. 

Maybe he’ll explore the burnt down mansion in the outskirts of Detroit some other time. He hears it’s haunted. Maybe he’ll explore that old tech company that shut down and became abandoned due to a lot of bad business incidents. He found some rumors online that the company was going to create an android before it fell apart and shut down. He also heard of an abandoned mansion hidden somewhere in an isolated location of Detroit. He heard rumors of the last owner being a rich CEO who was murdered by his wife and her sister. Others say his remains could be found at the bottom of his dried up indoor pool. 

The thought of it all excited Remus more. It felt nice to be in a new place so once he and Roman were settled in enough, he decided he’ll explore those places in the future. For now, he jumps to another rooftop and pauses to catch his breath. He may be a vampire but not even the undead can run without tiring. Remus decides to hop down from the roof, exiting through an alleyway and slipping wordlessly onto the street. He carefully weaves between some people and hums as he starts walking, passing by a grey haired man and his companion walking a Saint Bernard. 

Remus looks around as he walks. There isn’t much here. There’s a homeless man on the street corner, begging for change or food. There’s a stray cat sniffing at something in the garbage cans by the alleyway. There’s a small convenience store selling party decorations and supplies. Across it is an old bar with a flickering neon sign. A faded ‘Help Wanted’ sign sits in the window, asking for someone to come work as either a cleaner or to work behind the bar. Remus knew he had no skill in working behind the bar but he figured he could try for the cleaner position. Cleaning isn’t usually his thing but he’s willing to try so he can at least make enough money to pay for rent and for any funds Roman may have for theatre. Taking a deep breath, Remus steps inside.

“Oh! Welcome to Jimmy’s Bar! I’m Jimmy!”

#sanderssides #sanders sides #roman sanders #remus sanders #creativitwins #brotherly creativitwins

[yourlocalslasher]

Hello my dude! :D i was wondering if you take requests? If no, you can just ignore what i'm going to write...BUT IF YAS! Could you write something with Bo and a s/o who came from the real world? I mean i was wondering "what if, i don't know how, i ended up in Ambrose one day? Like in the movie?". So i was thinking of a scenario in which the reader ended up in Ambrose and was like "hey i know this place" and when they realise where they are (and how fucked they are) BOOM! Here comes Bo!

I- I actually really like this concept. THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS IJUHYGFGH- And I might leave it on a cliffhanger, y’never know.💀💀

You clicked the TV off, taking a sip of the rest of your soda. “Not a bad one.” Standing, you took the movie out of the TV, slipping it back into its case. House of Wax was rumored to be a shitty movie, but you enjoyed it nonetheless.

It had an interesting storyline. I mean, what better way to hide bodies than to cover them in hot wax to pass them off as art? Two psychopathic brothers who live in a deserted town...then the big reveal of the third brother. It wasn’t as bad as everyone claimed it to be.

You decided to turn in for the night, flipping off the lights as you climbed into bed. It was difficult to think of anything else but the movie. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just,...spend one day in Ambrose? Meet the characters? A horror fanatics dream.

Eventually, you drifted off to sleep, the clock reading 12:04 am.

Timeskip to a week later

Driving. You’d been driving for hours. How far away was your grandparent's house anyway? You knew you were at least close to Texas, which was a relief.

You pulled over to stretch your legs. “Goddamn” Twisting and stretching, you heard your back crack a few times. The hot metal of the car burned your arms, but you rested them there anyway.

The exhaust from the truck was starting to make you sick. You turned away, staring down a dirt path that turned a corner. Why not stop? You snatched your backpack out the window of the car, throwing it on your back.

You’d brought some snacks with you, a few drinks, and an extra pair of clothes.

Walking down the short path, you saw the faint outline of a town. Thank god. Didn’t seem too far away. You headed off, the air dusty and stale.

As you neared the buildings, you felt a strange feeling of nostalgia. Like, listening to an 80′s song then coming back years later to jam out to it. You pulled out your phone, snapping pictures of anything you found interesting.

It was like a vintage town, frozen in time. But..the strange thing was...there didn’t seem to be any people? Deserted. Abandoned. The more you walked, the more you felt like you had lived here your whole life.

“Freaky..” You snapped a picture of an old diner, a weathered burger sign dangling by a thread above the door. More stores lined up the cracked road, all empty and lacking color.

You turned right, stopping dead in your tracks. A gas station. An...oddly familiar gas station. That's when it hit you.

“H-holy fuck-” Your phone was out of your pocket quicker than you could say horror movie. Snapping tons of pictures, you ran up to the gas station, excited as hell.

“Ambrose...” You read various signs on the glass windows of the station. “I-” It was impossible to contain your excitement. “I’m in fucking Ambrose?!”

Eagerly opening the glass door, you stepped inside. Dead silent. You couldn’t keep your hands off anything. You ran your fingers across everything. Taking as many pictures as you could per second, you giggled happily to yourself.

This HAD to be a movie set. As awesome as it was, there's no way it was real. Horror movies aren’t real. But that didn’t change the fact that you were overjoyed to be here.

You rushed through a second doorway, walking down a small flight of stairs. The air got cold, the smell of gasoline burning your nose. Ever so slightly, you opened a door to your right. You peered in.

There was a heap of dirty laundry by an unkempt bed, a few polaroid images hanging above it. There was a lamp on a desk, a TV behind it. Looking further into the room, you saw a metal chair with a metal worktable behind it.

They really did leave the whole set here...

You opened it more, stepping in to explore further. A huge grin plastered to your face, you poked and prodded at the various tools on the metal table. There was a fairly large cooler behind it, and you opened it for fun.

Your jaw dropped. “What the f-” You stumbled back, grasping the chair beside you. A body. It looked fresh too. Its eyes were lightly glazed over with a milky white. Blood dripping off its cheek, quickly hardened in the cold atmosphere.

This could not be some old movie prop. Props don’t bleed. You gathered your strength to close the cooler, turning away before you had more time to think about it.

You lifted your hand off the chair, gasping and yelping as you saw you had planted your hand in a fresh pool of blood. “Jesus fuck!” You wiped it off on your clothes, your heart beating loud in your chest.

Glancing over at the worktable, you examined the bloody pliers and knives resting on the edge. You tried putting everything together.

If you were actually in Ambrose...that means there's really a House of Wax. Which means this town is actually a death trap. Which means....oh fuck. If there's killing...then there's a killer.

You muttered under your breath. “Bo and Vincent...the killer brothers..” It was all coming together now. As much as you wanted to stay, meet the legends behind the kills, you knew they would just see you as another victim. Your life wouldn’t be any more special than the other victims. You had to leave.

You bolted up the stairs, trying to go as fast as your legs would take you. But you were soon stopped. A loud thud rang out, your head hitting the ground.

“An’ where do ya think yer goin’, eh?” A deep chuckle followed the rough country accent. Bo. You’d failed. You had become another kill in horror movie history. He stepped closer to you, humming to himself.

“I promise I ain’t gonna hurt ya, I swear.” Bo chuckled again, pressing his boot against your neck. What a hell of a way to die, you thought. The pressure increased, your air soon cut off.

You didn’t even have to look at him to see the smirk he had. You tried fighting it, but the more you did, the more pressure he applied to your neck. Everything around you faded, the only thing your body registered was the soft chuckle that left Bo.

“Sorry sugar, y’should know I ain’t good at keeping my promises.”

[11thstreetgirl]

Neon lights

Scene: Deserted gas station at 2am (Nasty x reader)

Requested by: @thespacecowboyyy

AN: hah this turned out weird and pretty shitty lol ~

- Fucking shit motherfucker…

I was pulled from my thoughts by the driver’s harsh words. I was dozing off at the front seat of the bus after staring at the empty road for what must have been hours. It calmed me down after a busy day like today, and even if I wanted to sleep there was no chance: Razzle’s snoring kept me awake once again.

- What is it? I muttered, straightening up in my seat. My back cracked as I reached my hands overhead to stretch. This tour life and mostly the endless sitting in a bus was starting to get the best of me.

- We’re almost out of gas.

Great. Just splendid. Nothing but empty road for miles. I wanted to strangle the man for not filling the tank before we started the overnight drive to the next city, but what good would it do? I glanced the clock on the dashboard – almost 2 am.

We drove in silence. The driver hummed quietly, he had turned off the radio so the guys could get some sleep. The show’s afterparty had been cut short as we needed to get to the next city by noon. To be honest I was glad we got out of there that fast, I was happy to be somewhere quiet with just the band, the crew and the driver. When the guys had asked me to come along to the tour as the merch seller I didn’t know what kind of circus I was getting myself into. Of course I knew they partied hard, I’d been their friend for years, but this was something else. They were like little kids on a field trip across America. Far away from home and carefree. I was glad they trusted me this much, but more often than not I ended up being their babysitter. I was starting to think that was another reason for them to ask me to come.

The band was asleep, each and every one. They smelled like booze, weed and perfume, they were snoring and talking in their sleep, they definitely were like little kids. The sight warmed my heart. Above all, I felt privileged to be here with them. They were batshit crazy but also the most lovable, friendly people ever. If they accepted you as a part of their gang they loved and protected you with all their might. Michael had been giving me some singing lessons and Sami was always telling me the little tidbits of did-you-know-information he’d read somewhere. Andy with his stories and nobody knew if they were true or not. Razzle being the die-hard prankster always trying to make me laugh. And Nasty… Nasty trying to teach me how to play guitar. Nasty always offering a swing from his beer, Nasty sneaking his way close to me just to start a nonchalant conversation that usually led to us talking all night.

But there was something about Nasty that I quite couldn’t put my finger on. He was both quiet and outgoing at the same time and even after all these years I’d known him I didn’t quite get the man. And being on tour just made the contrast higher. Lately he’d become more quiet around me as if he was trying to avoid me. We no longer had the deep, hours-long conversations we used to have and it hurt. He was after all the first one I became friends with. Every time he turned his back to me stung like hell. I missed him, there was a strange ache in my chest when he wasn’t around.

Suddenly there were lights on the roadside. As we got closer we realized that it was a gas station in all it’s glory. But as we got next to it and the bus slowed down to a stop it became pretty clear it wasn’t up for business. There were no lights inside the shop, just the lonely glow of green and yellow neon signs stating that there at least had been gas for sale. It was eerie to say the least.

- Why are we stopping? Nasty’s tired voice spoke behind me.

Speak of the devil.

- We’re running out of gas, I answered blatantly. The darkness outside was all-consuming and as the driver killed the engine it got perfectly quiet. All we could see was the road as far as the headlights lit it and the dim, greenish glow of old neon lights from the station. Nasty yawned and leaned his elbow on the back of my seat.

- That’s definitely deserted. No way there’s anyone out here, I stated as I observed the scene. A couple of cars drove past, then quiet again. Just Razzle’s snoring and Sami’s sleepy mumbling filled the air.

- It wont hurt to go and check, just to be sure, Nasty mused.

- Nasse look at it! It’s empty! I was tired and frustrated.

- We’re seriously not gonna get far with what we have left, so I think we really need to check, the driver said quietly with an apologetic hint in his voice. Damn right he should be sorry.

- You two go, I’ll stay here and try to stop a car if one comes by.

I shot the man a questioning look. He gotta be kidding me. Irritation was building up inside me by the minute. What a train wreck.

- Go on, we don’t have all night.

Nasty flashed me a grin as I groaned. It probably was cold outside, it sure was dark, and god knows what kind of predators the bushes hid. Coyotes and mountain lions, weren’t those the creatures around here?

Nasty opened the door and poked his head outside. A cold wind blew his hair around and made goosebumps rise to my skin. A fleeting thought to get something to protect us, like maybe a baseball bat, ran through my head but before I could say anything Nasty was already outside. I followed him suit. The distances seemed a lot longer out here in the dark and it didn’t take many steps to be out of the reach of the bus’s lights. No way I was going to let Nasty get far away. Determinedly he walked over to the gas pumps and took one in his hand. Just like I expected, no gas came out no matter how he held it or how hard he pulled the handle. He even kicked the machine and cursed under his breath. I just stood there watching because I knew it was no use. After poking the buttons a while and trying another pump he gave up.

- Doesn’t seem to work, he muttered. I kept all ”I told you so”s to myself. We stood there quietly. It really was cold, I hugged myself to keep warmer. Nasty seemed deep in thought. There was no sound anywhere, not a single car in sight, just the wind blowing in the bushes behind the station.

- We should check the the store just to be sure. Who knows, maybe there’s something useful inside, Nasty spoke more to himself than to me.

- Why do you think the door’s open?

- Well maybe not the front door but let’s try the back door! He looked at me with mischief in his eyes. Things were getting illegal fast there was no doubt about that.

- You gotta be kidding me.

- Oh come on, let’s have some fun while were here!

I rolled my eyes. There was no way stopping him, so I just followed him across the station. Just as I reached him a strong gust of freezing wind blew across the concrete yard. I visibly shivered.

- Here, wanna take my jacket? He offered and before I could say anything he took it off and handed to me.

- Aren’t you cold? I tried not to let my eyes linger on his bare arms for too long as I pulled the garment on. It smelled like Nasty and it made me feel strangely better. Like I was safe.

- Nah, I still have alcohol in my system.

Well of course. We walked around the corner to the other side of the building. The glow from the neon lights dimmed and it got almost dark before we got to the back door. It was lit by a single flickering light bulb that cast ominous shadows everywhere. Nasty tried the door but it was locked.

- I told ya, of course it’s not open.

Nasty tried to yank the door again just to be sure. He looked otherworldly under the bright light as he turned towards me.

- Like that has stopped me before…

- You’re not seriously going to break in are you?

- I sure am. Let’s just check if there’s anything useful! Besides, you said it yourself: it’s probably deserted. Come on, don’t be such a pussy.

I just huffed in response. Fine, if he wanted to go in to the deserted gas station that was likely haunted and/or had a murderous coyote living in it he could go by himself. I’d just wait right here.

It didn’t take long for him to get the door open with a bobby pin he had in his pocket. As much as I knew not to be surprised by anything at this point it still took me by surprise.

- Where the hell did you learn that?

- Try living on the streets for a while… he just grinned at me and sneaked inside. He disappeared into the darkness and I was all alone in the cold. I stared at the door, snuggled deeper into the Nasty-smelling jacket and listened to his footsteps echoing from inside. The quiet would’ve been soothing if only it had been completely quiet. But of course not, there just had to be something rustling in the bushes right outside the light’s reach. I changed my mind about waiting outside pretty damn fast.

At first it was impossible to see. I fumbled my way out of the small backroom into the store. The neon lights outside cast a beautiful light inside. It was plenty to see as soon as my eyes got used to the dark. Nasty was rummaging through the shelves just a few meters away, humming to himself. My heart was pounding loud and fast in my ears. I had never done anything like this before. To break into a gas station? I must be out of my mind. Nasty on the other hand didn’t seem to mind at all.

- Oh you came! I already checked the cashier – nothing there. And you were right, this place is empty. All that’s left is some canned stuff from almost ten years ago. Funny how this place hasn’t been robbed before, he kept talking and almost waltzing between the shelves.

I stood there for a moment. Every little sound made me jump so I tried to move as close to Nasty as possible. I admired the light filtering through the window, making everything seem like time couldn’t touch it. Nasty’s carefree figure danced against the light. He seemed like he belonged here, in this timeless spot, with the green painting unfamiliar shadows on his face.

It would’ve been almost romantic if I hadn’t been so scared. I took a step closer to Nasty just so that if the murderous coyote snapped onto my leg and tried to drag me into it’s den, I’d drag him with me. Suddenly he turned around right in front of me.

- Romantic huh? he grinned at me. Bloody hell was he a psychic, reading my thoughts like that? He just stood there, the grin on his face melting away. Slowly he reached for my hand. I just stared at him with my eyes wide. No coherent words were forming in my mind. The light seemed to be whispering something into my ear but I couldn’t make out the words, just a buzz.

I think Nasty heard the same alluring buzz because he moved closer. And closer and closer until all I could see was his eyes staring at me behind his hair and his lips way too close to mine. A strained sound that didn’t even sound like it came from me escaped my throat. It brought me back to reality just enough.

- Nasse what are you doing? I finally got out of my mouth. It came out more sharply than I intended. He looked startled. He leaned back and melted into the most heart-breaking puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. I wanted to say I’m sorry but he spoke first.

- It’s just that… I like you a lot. And I thought you liked me too. He turned his face downward in defeat and let got of my hand.

- Nasty I do like you, but…

- But not like that right?

- No, no I just, I just thought you suddenly hated me or something, always sneaking away from me and everything.

- I was just confused by what I was feeling. We’ve been friends for so long and I didn’t want to ruin it.

I took his hands into mine. I felt soft inside. This little moment in this timeless space made everything so much clearer, so much more simple.

- You can’t ruin this no matter what, I whispered.

He leaned closer and this time I didn’t try to back away. My heart was pounding in my ears so loud as he leaned towards, I closed my eyes and felt my heart skip multiple beats as the seconds seemed to last forever before….

TOOOOOT!

The sound of the bus horn startled us both. I jumped and hit my forehead to Nasty’s.

- Fuck!

- Come back here! the voice of the busdriver ran through the air just loud enough to hear. Nasty burst out laughing.

- We better get back.

- But… I was confused and a little hurt. Of course the moment had to be ruined.

- But what? Come on, let’s go!

He was like nothing happened. He avoided my eyes. His voice was stern and his movements sharp as he took a few items from the shelves and walked towards the door. He didn’t look at me, he didn’t say anything, he didn’t even hold the door for me. I felt hollow.

Nasty almost ran back to the bus. I tried to keep up with him but gave up and just watched as he hurried under the neon lights. They painted his hair with a green glow and made his skin look even paler than usual. The darkness around felt like it was creeping in on me. I pulled the jacket tighter around me. It smelled like home.

#ha ha what a shitty little thing i wrote #nasty suicide #fanfiction

[aesthyuckic]

AVENOIR | l.dh - SEX

(gif not mine - credits to rightful owner)

Genre: High School AU (at beginning) ; Tarot Reader!Witch!Hyuck

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: (for future chapters will bold if in use) belief contradictions, mentions of r*pe, blood, swearing, violence, mentions of abuse, slow but with a purpose

Pairings: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) x Reader (F)

ACE OF PENTACLES - opportunity, prosperity, new venture

They had been in San Diego for quite some time now. Everyday seemed the same in the way they lived. Wake up, hang out at the beach in hope of getting money from tourist, wait until sunset to work on the streets, get something to eat and preferably find a cheap motel room. It’s not at all what Donghyuck signed up for and he was starting to really regret his decision.

He looked back at the past few months with Cosimia. He found it difficult to get close to her, not just mentally or spiritually but also physically. He remembered there was one time after they had just arrived here that they were in the store, getting something to eat. When he tried to tap her shoulder to ask her something, she flinched away from him. There was that familiar sense of fright in her eyes. They always tried to get a motel room because they hated the homeless shelters and due to money, they only got one bed rooms. She would never sleep in the bed if he was there. She would lay on floor if she had to, or go outside. It was only recently that she would get in with him and even then, she was practically teetering on the edge.

He understood the weird behavior was due to what she experienced in that deceivingly happy orange house. Nevertheless, it didn’t help him because he felt like he was doing something wrong. He never asked her about anything of it, mostly because he didn’t know how. As it was, it was hard to get close to her on that level but it was easier than anything else.

People walked around them in swimsuits while eating ice cream. They sat on the warm sand of the spring day, under a big umbrella. It was good for shade but didn’t do much for the still hot air that surrounded them. The tarot card box rested next to the boy while he sat back on his hands. His sunglasses didn’t do much to keep the glare from the light reflecting off the sand from blinding him. He looked to his left to see the girl sitting on the sand who was attempting to build a sand sculpture.

He questioned how she could seem so content at their current situation. They hadn’t eaten anything, nor did they have any money as of the moment. He envied it as he scrunched his nose.

“You lied to me.” He muttered, aloud as he turned his attention to the sea to avoid eye contact.

“About what?” She asked.

“The night we left, when I asked you if we’d be okay and you said we would.” He reminded her.

“I didn’t lie. I said we’d be okay, I never stated a time as to when.”

“I hate you.”

“Please, if you hated me, you know full well you could’ve left by now and gone back.”

It was true, they had discussed it multiple times. Donghyuck could go back home, whenever, if he wished. She made it clear she wouldn’t go back with him though. She had given him plenty of opportunities to leave and continued to do so but he still stuck by her anyway.

“Besides, this is okay to me...” She mumbled.

“How?” He huffed. “This sucks!”

“It’s just much better than what it was like a few months ago... I feel freer, like I can breath and just be. Not all of us had parents that loved us.”

He noticed his blood start to boil at her words. She wasn’t wrong, in fact, she was right, she was always right. He did grow up in a loving home it’s just he was overworked to an extreme. He just hated the way it sounded like his life was so much better than hers. He had a short temper, and honestly, he had no reason to get upset about but he did. He was just stressed out from their living situation. He stood up, looking like a child who just got done throwing a tantrum.

“I’m gonna go find seashells or something.” He frowned before stomping away from their spot on the beach.

“Have fun with that!” She yelled as he continued to stomp further and further away.

She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh as she still played with the sand. She didn’t chase after him, only because they had disagreements and arguments countless times. He always came back but he only went away to think anyway. He would always come back and remain silent, which was odd for him but it’s because he knew he overreacted, sometimes he was in the wrong.

He had come back around sun set. A pout occupied his lips as he walked up to the girl that sat on the towel under the umbrella that no longer protected from the sun. He thought she looked pretty under the golden hour light which broke his pout. She noticed the few seashells he cradled in his arms. He straightened his posture as he saw the look on her face.

“What? I said I was gonna collect shells or something...” He mumbled as he walked pasted her to sit on the other side of the towel.

“I never said anything about it.” She responded.

“Yeah, but you were thinking about it.” He muttered.

He got up shortly after only to take their umbrella down as the sun set. He didn’t say anything else or even look at her as he did so. She started to help with packing and assuming Donghyuck wanted the shells he collected, she wrapped them up, gently, in the towel. She put it away in a backpack that they had to shared, making sure they wouldn’t get crushed and ruined. He was already standing up with the umbrella on his shoulder as she finally slung the backpack over one of her own.

They walked into the streets together but didn’t stray far from the place they were staring to call their closest sense of home. They went into one of the sketchy and messy alleyways to pull out a foldable table onto the side walk. They also dragged out a few milk crates for seats along with the table. Cosimia was the one to grab a piece of crumbled paper from the bottom of the backpack. She uncrumbled the piece of paper to reveal words written in red marker. She taped it to the front of the table before sitting down next to the boy.

‘Tarot and Psychic Readings, 5$’ the sign read. No one seemed attracted by it though, not this evening anyway. Countless tourists and teenagers walked pasted them on the busy Saturday evening. Eventually, a couple of people had stopped by for a reading. Donghyuck was finishing up the second one for tonight. He smiled out of politeness and bid the elderly lady a goodbye and thank you.

“Do you think we’ll be able to get a motel room tonight?” He asked as he handed the money over to the girl.

“Maybe, it’s still early...” She shrugged. “We’ll have to get chicken nuggets or something from the Loop again though.”

“Please, no,” He groaned. “It’s gas station food, I throw up every time!”

“We don’t have a lot of money right now...”

“We never do.”

It became very quiet between the two of them. Though, the sounds of the city helped the air from getting too awkward. Some conversation, muffled music and sirens kept their minds occupied. He turned his attention toward Cosimia to see a frown on her face as she looked down at the dirty side walk with her arms crossed.

“I just hate the way we’ve been living since we’ve left, that’s all.” He admitted while playing with his fingers. “It stresses me out and I thought this was going to be fun...”

“Me too,” She nodded. “But we’ll be okay soon.”

“You say that,” He started. “But I’m not sure if it’s true. Yeah, you say you can predict the future and all but how do I know you’re not lying? I’m eighteen in three months and that’s really scary to me... If things don’t get better between now and then, I wanna go home but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself. It’s not just dangerous for you, but me. We’re still kids and you’ll still be one by the time June comes around. Literally some creep could snatch you up off the street and no one would ever see you again.”

“You really don’t think I can take care of myself? If you want to leave, then go, that’s your choice but you’re not dragging me back with you if you do.”

“But-“

“No buts, Haechan, our lives were very different and you don’t know what mine was like. I worked hard to earn that money to get down here and I let you tag along. I told you earlier I was happier here, in this moment, regardless of how shitty it may be. Doesn’t that say something?”

He never sees that part of her often. The last time she snapped like that was the night they left and she had every right to. For the most part, she was quiet and calm. He thought he’d seen tears prick at her eyes after she yelled at him. He hadn’t seen her cry for months but he felt extremely guilty because of it. Maybe it was because he knew if what his eyes had told him were true, it was his fault, he shouldn’t have gotten into it like that... He meant well, though...

“The cops are coming,” She uttered. “Help me get the table before they get here.”

She was quick to grab the makeshift sign off the front of the table and shove it into the backpack. They folded the table up and rushed into the alleyway with it. They kicked their crates to the sides, out of the way. They stood in silence under the yellow light of street lamps. A dog barked in the distance but it didn’t do much to ease the thick air.

He wanted to say something but it was most definitely the worst time to do so. The cop car came from around the corner, the blue and red lights flashed down the brick walls of the alleyway. Truthfully, they could’ve better spent their time than taking down illegal setups and such. The two watched as the car slowly cruised by until it disappeared down the street.

“They won’t be back for awhile.” She informed him as she grabbed her end of the table.

They brought the table back out into the side walk and grabbed the crates to sit on once again. He noticed she was sitting further away from him before and while she was generally a quiet person, the silence given to him was scary. He could tell she was upset, unsure if it was with him or with the things he said. He got upset with her too but over stupid things, so, it was fair. Their personalities clashed often but he guessed it improved their relationship and kept things interesting.

A lady with platinum blonde hair approached their table. She was nicely dressed and with no doubt pretty. She stood tall in her black heels that contrasted with the frilly, white lace top she wore. She seemed like a tourist, only by the way she seemed so excited to be there. The young woman talked to Cosimia in Spanish. Donghyuck was only able to pick up a few words here and there. He only understood the action of the blonde sliding a five dollar bill to his friend on the other side of table.

Cosimia smiled, kindly at the lady after she pocketed the bill. She took the lady’s hand and looked up with her. Judging by the smile on the blonde’s face, she was saying sweet things. Though, everything was quick to fade when the young girl’s expression drop and she let go of the customer’s hand. Her own hands grip the edge of the table as she took deep breaths.

“¿Qué pasa?” The young women asked, seeming concerned for the girl.

“Nada, nada.” She reassured her before she continued with the reading.

She said minimum things to the customer after the weird moment. Though it was obvious something was wrong, the blonde was still sent away with a smile on her face. He wish he payed attention in Spanish class to know what she had said.

“What was that about?” Donghyuck asked.

“She’s doing to die...” She sighed. “In a place crash on the way back to Spain. Her girlfriend was going to propose to her as soon as she got back, too. I only told her the part about her girlfriend proposing, though.”

“What?!” He exclaimed. “Why didn’t you say something about it then?!”

“If I told her it wouldn’t do anything, anyway!” She frowned. “I can’t prevent things no matter how hard I try, I can only predict. Even if she did know and avoided getting on that flight, she would still die somehow. If you’re meant to die at a certain time, it happens. The only thing telling her would’ve done was change the timeline of how things happened. If things change like that, I can’t see anything.”

“How are you ever able to tell the future again if that happens to the timeline?”

“It’s like a ripple in a pond, it eases eventually. How long it takes depends on how big the thing was that caused it, you know? I don’t do it or at least, try to not do it often. I need to see what’s coming, I’m not use to things bring unclear.”

“So, did you know I was coming with you?”

“Yeah, I did. I don’t know what would’ve happened to you if I did mess with the timeline.”

“Do you know everything that will happen? With us, I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. I only see the important things and no, I can’t tell you anything. If I tell you anything I’m not suppose to I know and it will mess things up for me.”

There was an abrupt slam on the table that both startled them. They looked to see a black, gloved hand on the table. A tall, rather handsome looking young man towered in front of him. He wore white glasses with black shades despite it being night. His hair was dark and slightly wavy. His lips were plump as well. He finally took off his glasses which revealed sharp eyes. He smiled at them.

“You’re a psychic?” He asked.

“This some American Horror Story shit.” Donghyuck leaned over to whisper to Cosimia.

#haechan fic #haechan drabbles #haechan fanfic #haechan fanfiction #haechan au #nct au #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #hyuck #donghyuck #nct lee donghyuck #lee dong hyuck #lee donghyuck #hyuckie #haechan imagines #haechan imagine #haechan x reader #donghyuck x reader #hyuck x reader #hyuck nct #haechan blurb #hyuck blurbs #haechan #haechan blurbs #donghyuck drabbles #donghyuck imagines #donghyuck blurbs #nct hyuck

[thetolkiengeek]

we could turn the world to gold - a Klance Road Trip AU

we could turn the world to gold by thetolkiengeek

Chapters: 4/8

Words: 18,568

Summary: 

At twenty-four, Lance isn't where he'd expected to be, working some mindless job at a decent company, bored out of his mind and trying not to feel like the tedium was slowly choking him to death. So when he gets the opportunity to transfer to a position all the way out in California, he jumps at the chance. With all his life packed in his car, he's ready to leave.

But then, Shiro calls in a favor, and suddenly he's got an unexpected guest on his grand, solo, cross-country road trip. He and Keith could barely stand to be in the same room together in college, and he doubts that three years apart will have made a huge difference. But being stuck in a car for days on end with his ex-rival leads to some unexpected discoveries, on both sides.

---

Or, the Road Trip AU that no one asked for.

Snippet:

Lance had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, the fact that they agreed on something was a sign that he and Keith were going to get along just fine, that his fears that the next several days were going to be tortuous and horribly awkward and full of meaningless arguments, were unfounded.

Boy howdy was he wrong.

They were barely out of the state, and they’d managed to fight about pretty much everything .

Where to stop for gas, where to pee (“ Those require two completely different venues, Keith! ”), which drive-thru to hit, appropriate road trip snacks, whether or not Lance should actually be in the left lane.

“Dude, I’m telling you, stop at Love’s,” Keith said, gesturing at the blue highway sign advertising the gas station.

“And I’m telling you, not gonna happen. There’s no way in hell I’m going to a place called Love’s. It’s probably covered in Hepatitis.”

“You’re impossible,” Keith groaned, crossing his arms and sitting huffily back in the seat.

“I think you mean impassable,” Lance replied.

“If you keep camping your slow ass in the left lane where no one can pass you, then yes.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “It’s a reference to Alice in Wonderland , you philistine, and I’ll have you know I am driving well above the speed limit here.”

“Five miles is not ‘well above’ and everyone on this road, including me, hates you.”

“You say that like I care,” Lance scoffed, though he flicked on his blinker and slid into the middle lane.

To be perfectly honest, Keith’s words cut deeper than he was letting on. It was no secret that they didn’t get along, and the first couple hours of this trip alone spoke to the fact that three years apart really hadn’t changed much between them. But Lance never thought that they hated each other, not really.

Keith probably didn’t mean it beyond commenting on Lance’s driving, but it didn’t stop Lance from dwelling.

He sighed and signalled, veering off onto the exit.

“What are you doing?” Keith asked as Lance followed the signs.

“Going to Love’s,” Lance said. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

Keith snorted. “You’re so magnanimous.”

Lance decided not to dignify that with a response, instead pulling onto the sparse stretch of road with the only true landmark being this miraculous gas station that supposedly was good for snacks and had consistently clean bathrooms.

“There’s nothing else here,” Lance murmured as he pulled up to the pump.

“Hmm?” Keith unclicked his seatbelt.

“The road is empty,” Lance said. “Usually there’s like...five billion fast food places, and it all looks the same no matter where in the country you are. You know, American Gothic. This is just plain cursed.”

“You think everything is cursed,” Keith huffed. “I’m going inside for snacks. You want anything?”

Lance opened his mouth to respond, but Keith held up a hand.

“Do not say sour cream and onion because that’s not going to happen.”

“You’re no fun,” Lance pouted as he cut the engine and popped the gas cap. “At least get me an Arizona Iced Tea?”

Keith rolled his eyes and nodded before shoving out of the car.

Lance opened the door and climbed out into the late August heat, relishing the opportunity to stretch his limbs. They’d only been driving a few hours at that point, but he figured they shouldn’t push it this early in the trip. California was a long way away, after all.

He watched as Keith stomped towards the store in his red combat boots. How he stood to wear those in this heat was beyond Lance--though he really couldn’t remember a time when Keith wasn’t wearing those monstrosities. He wouldn’t be surprised if he slept in them.

Lance shifted his gaze towards the numbers on the pump, wondering how much gas would be in California, if he’d actually be able to afford it.

It hadn’t been easy, deciding to leave basically everything he’d ever known. Though his family was originally from Cuba, they’d moved to Florida when he was young, and then when he was twelve his dad had gotten a job in Atlanta, and he’d lived there ever since. He had even stayed in state for school, where he’d met Shiro, Keith, Pidge, and Hunk.

After graduating, he’d gotten a job at a tech company in the city, and he’d decided to pull a true millennial move and stay with his parents. It had seemed like the right thing at the time--he could stick around to see his younger sister graduate, keep in touch with Pidge and Hunk, who had both gotten research positions at one of the big universities in the area, and even occasionally go visit Shiro in one of the nearby suburbs.

For a while, it was fine. Great, even. But an itch had settled under his skin and the air had felt too thick, and what once had been comforting quickly became stifling. He loved his family, he really did, and he’d do anything for them, just…

The pump clicked and startled Lance out of his reverie. He shook his head, clearing away the weight of his thoughts. He’d made his decision--he was moving to California and starting at the San Francisco office in a better position. That was all that mattered.

He twisted the gas cap back on and clicked the cover shut, locking the car doors before heading into the station.

Whatever he was expecting from a gas station called Love’s, this wasn’t it. It was a large building, clean, bright cheery signs indicating that the showers in the back were vacant.

Color Lance impressed.

Not that he’d ever tell Keith that.

Lance peered around and caught a glimpse of the telltale mop of messy hair in the curved security mirror hanging in the corner. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, leaving him in the chip aisle and heading towards the bathroom.

And okay, Keith was right. Those were clean, too.

He walked out to see Keith with an armful of snacks stomping his way to the counter--because Keith always stomped everywhere, as long as Lance had known him, seemingly incapable of walking normally.

He snuck up behind him, a wicked grin pulling at his mouth, and poked him in the side. Keith jumped, squirming away.

“What the hell, Lance?!”

Lance doubled over, laughing even as Keith hit him with a glare that should have vaporized him on the spot.

Keith slid a giant green can of iced tea and a bag of chips to his side of the counter. “If you’re gonna be an asshole, you can pay for your own snacks.”

Lance pulled himself together enough, wiping at his eyes for comedic effect before looking down and gasping at the familiar green bag of Lays. “Keith, you do care!”

Keith hit him with an unimpressed look as he handed the cashier a five dollar bill.

“Can you not be a drama queen for like...five minutes? That’d be nice.”

“Can you not be a stick in the mud for like...five minutes? That’d be nice.” Lance quipped, pulling out his own wallet and handing a wad of singles to the very tired cashier.

Lance counted it as a victory that Keith didn’t respond, just frowned before grabbing their snacks and pushing out the door.

Lance shrugged and followed, unlocking the car and climbing in, starting the engine and getting the air going again.

Keith was quiet as Lance pulled out of the station and made his way back to the highway, and the only sounds in the car were the crinkle of the chip bag and Queen’s “I Want It All” playing at half volume.

“So,” Lance said, turning down the music when he had successfully found himself in the flow of traffic once more. “As much as I love road trip snacks, I’m getting hungry for, like, real food. You wanna stop at--wait.”

Lance did a double take as safely as he could.

“Are you eating...pickle flavored chips?”

Keith shrugged and popped another one in his mouth. “Yeah.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Hang on, you gave me shit for sour cream and onion, which is a completely acceptable chip flavor, I might add, and you’re eating dill pickle-flavored chips ?!”

“Yup,” Keith said, continuing like there was absolutely nothing strange about pickle-flavored chips. “Now what were you saying about real food? Because I could really go for a sandwich right about now.”

“I--” Lance shook his head. “We’re coming back to this, mark my words--jesus are you licking the inside of the bag?! Keith what the actual fuck ?!”

Keith looked up from where he had torn open the bag along the side and shrugged.

“Okay, you know what, forget I asked. I don’t want to know.” Lance refocused on the road in front of him, shifting his hands on the wheel. “But yeah, I don’t really want to stop stop, but if we’re gonna get to Louisiana by dinner, I’m gonna need milkshakes and fries. So, Mr. I-Have-a-Wrong-Opinion-on-Everything, you got a preference for where we go?”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. I-Hate-All-Good-Music,” Keith said.

“Hey hey hey, we both like Queen, so you can just step off.”

Keith snorted, ducking his head, but then he fell oddly quiet, the only sound being his fingernail tapping on the door and the occasional whisper of Freddie Mercury hitting some insane high note.

“Keith?”

Lance glanced over to see Keith biting his lip.

“Okay, so feel free to revoke my gay card or shame me all the way to New Mexico but...I just really want Chick-fil-A.”

“Oh thank god, me too,” Lance said, giving a half-nervous, half-relieved laugh.

“Why the fuck does it taste so good?!”

“Those waffle fries?”

“With the Polynesian sauce?”

Lance very nearly crashed the car he was laughing so hard.

“We’re horrible people,” Keith said. “We’re bad gays.”

“We’re going to the Bad Place, for sure,” Lance said even as he scanned the highway markers for the Chick-fil-A logo.

“You wanna borrow my rainbow bracelet to wear when you’re paying?”

“Hell yeah.”

Read the rest on AO3

#thetolkiengeek writes #road trip au #klance #voltron #vld: keith #vld: lance #lance (voltron) #keith (voltron) #klance fic #fanfiction #mutual pining #modern au

[hungergames-fanfic]

Half Human, Half Squirrel pt.2

“Littleburg used to have another name before the games. Ms. Gullard told us last year. She says it used to be the Capitol of Texas, one of the previous states formin’ the United States of America, which we now call Panem”, I say. Ari stares at me with her mouth open.

“You ever been to actual Littleburg?”, I ask. She shakes her head. I’m not surprised, this is where all the rich folk live and everything is too expensive. “Our school is right outside of Littleburg. This is the only elementary in all of District 10”, I add. Daddy says that’s how the government keeps track of us but I don’t tell Ari this, I aint tryna explain 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

“that’s why it’s so big?”, Ari jumps off her seat with her hands in the air. Daddy asks her to sit down. That’s cause peacekeepers are really mean here and will stop anybody. Momma Bilmin calls it abuse of power and to never ask them for help.

Cause the peacekeepers usually pick on people who look poor, to go to Littleburg we have to dress nice. Momma Bilmin combed our hair really tight into a braid and put a cowboy hat on Ari. I think it’s to hide how skinny she really looks with her hair tamed. Momma Bilmin then turned one of my yellow dresses inside out, sew it in a couple of places and made it fit Ari. She looks so pretty and hasn’t stopped smiling since. She says I look pretty in my dress too.

Driving past our school, daddy keeps going until we reach local stores. These are old, small and a lot cheaper than those deeper in Littleburg. Passing these we start to see forests and pretty green trees down the long road. He makes a lot of sharp turns I don’t pay attention to the way Ari does. She sits on her knees, looking out the window in awe. I don’t blame her. Bloques is nothing like this, aunt Lucia calls it “one big shantytown” cause the houses are so close together there aren’t that many trees.

“Look Dora”, daddy points at some ruins.

Behind a chain link fence is a completely destroyed building scattered all over a long road. The engines and wings remind me of a plane I once saw in a book about traveling. There were so many versions of planes that I spent a whole week reading just about them. “Airport?”, I gasp excitedly. I jump off my seat and join Ari at the window. “That one!”, I point at a blue and yellow plane underneath a run down hangar. “That’s a Boeing 757, that was the first largest single isle passenger plane for a very long time. Oh!”, I point at a lost wing with a jet engine holding it off the ground, “that must of been an Airbus, those were made in a country named France” I continue.

“Dora”, daddy interrupts. He says I’m not to talk about what I’ve learned beyond Panem. “Won’t do you any good to get smart, these fields are yours, this’s what you need to focus on”, he said once.

Soon, there’s not that many trees surrounding the road, it’s stores all over the area. “Pocco’s Footwear”, “Family Donuts”, “Brie’s Electronics”, and “DDDD Insurance” are some of the names on them. Behind these are neighborhoods of houses like mine. These are made of red brick with backyards. “They’re connected to the poles, they carry electricity throughout the neighborhood”, I point at the power lines.

In no time, the roads get bigger and everyone is driving faster. “These are highways and they take us to different sections of Littleburg”, I continue. Up on one of the ramps we’re able to see a big pretty building out in the distance. “That’s Spring Hills, middle and high school but you gotta be accepted to it. Momma wants me to go there next year”, I whisper to Ari. She doesn’t say anything back but looks sad. I wish I could read her mind. Maybe I could. Maybe there’s a book on reading minds.

“Daddy will there be a book store where we’re goin’?”, I ask.

“No more books, you got enough at home”, he says.

“Momma Bilmin says there can never be enough books”, I say but nothing more when I catch his eyes on me in the rear view mirror.

Off the highway he drives into a big parking lot, surrounding it are stores scattered all around. A gas station at the entrance corner, an ice cream shop in the middle of the lot, stores connected together but with signs that say what they sell. “PBS Pharmacy”, “Make U Smile Dental”, “Petstore”, a huge one named “Bullseye” and more that are too far away to read.

“Wow, can we go there”, Ari asks pointing at the pet store. We look at daddy, he says “no”, and heads for the pharmacy. He looks tired.

“Why does he sleep on the sofa?”, Ari whispers in my ear so he won’t hear. I look at her confused. Daddy doesn’t sleep on the sofa, he sleeps with momma. If he did, was it cause of what happened last night?

I don’t notice how hot it is outside until we walk into the pharmacy. A blast of cold air hits us when the door opens making Ari scream and laugh. Even though her scream scared me a little, it’s still funny and I laugh with her. Daddy looks back at us with a smile on his face. I don’t have to read his mind to know he found it funny too.

Not wanting to lose daddy I take Ari’s hand and pull her along with me. She holds on tighter. He walks a lot faster than us so we practically jog to him. We pass a couple of isles before Ari stops running and pulls on my arm. Not wanting to lose daddy, “go, I’m gonna see where he goes and come back”, I inform.

Daddy stands in the middle of an isle, on the shelves are a lot of plain gray boxes. “Earwax Remover”, “Eye Drops”, “Antiseptic Cream”.

“Lice Remover?”, I ask scratching my head.

Daddy looks down at me with a weird look on his face. He looks mad, confused, I can’t tell and I really wish I could. In his hand are two rectangular boxes that say just that. Without a word, he pushes me and we walk out the isle in search for Ari. We find her on the floor playing with a rubber chicken, making it scream when she presses on it. She giggles every time.

“Stay here, I’m gonna go talk to the pharmacist”, daddy says just before he walks off like he remembered something he’d forgot.

The chicken continues to squeal and Ari screams in giggles. Can’t forget how loud she is when she’s having fun. To keep her company I look around the toy isle until one catches my eye. It’s not really a toy but a board game, to play you need about three people, that could be Efrain, Ari and me. The instructions say that you are given a word and then you have to act it out. Who ever guesses it wins a point. Or something along those lines. I want it and I’m too excited to wait for daddy to come back to tell him. I tell Ari to wait and run around the store looking for daddy, whom I find at the back talking to an old man.

“Good news, the vaccines you ordered will be here in a couple of days”, says the old man looking at his computer screen.

“That ain’t what I’m here for”, daddy chuckles like he’s nervous. Momma says it’s rude to interrupt people when they’re talking so I run back to Ari to see if there’s a toy she’d want too. I’m sure if we beg him just enough he’d get it for us.

When I return to the isle she’s no longer there. I run to the opposite end and spot her jumping in and out the store, playing with the automatic doors. “I leave for one second”, that’s what I wanna say when I catch her and run after her who takes it like a challenge. She spots me and screams, then proceeds to giggle away. If daddy finds out we left the store he’s not gonna let me see tonight.

Outside she runs giggling her heart out past the store fronts until she suddenly stops. I know what she’s looking at, it’s the pet store. That’s where she wanted to go when we got here. She walks inside with a look of awe in her face. I follow her in and take her hand pulling her closer to me. That’s the last time I let her out of my sight.

“Ari, you can’t do that”, I say out of breath.

“Ari? Ari-elle. It’s like you wanna say my name but some stop you”, she swings our hands. I never noticed how short she is. With the hat she looks a little taller but is still obviously short. I put my hand close to her forehead and measure her. She reaches my chin in height. She giggles to this but says nothing.

“You don’t like it? Been callin’ you that in my head for a minute. Not sure when I started”, I admit.

She giggles and gives me a hug, “no one’s ever given me a nickname before. Well momma calls me chipmunk”, “I knew it!”, I scream in her face. She jumps and opens her eyes wide. I ain’t tryna admit I thought of her as a squirrel, “I knew they called you some cute, it suits you cause you’re... cute too” my lie suddenly feels like it turns true and I freeze hoping she doesn’t say anything.

“You think I’m cute?”, Ari asks. She bats her eyes and smiles but it looks made up, like she’s happy and sad at the same time. She’s turning pink. Still holding on to my hand, she barely pulls on me but I still follow.

The isle she walks to is like a bookshelf for fish tanks. Colorful fish swim around in groups with pretty rocks and castles in their tanks. In one there are about a hundred swimming the same direction until Ari knocks the tank making them swim away. The fun is back on her face. In no time we’ve roamed around the entire pet store. From looking at individual colorful fish swim around in a small container to puppies play fighting with each other in a big glass case. We even get to pet a bunny when Ari opens up a cage that hasn’t been locked. The bunny falls asleep while I pet it. I want it, I want all of the animals in here. Daddy would say we’ve got enough animals at home though. Daddy? I gasp catching Ari’s attention.

“Ari, we gotta go”, I say pulling on her hand. By now I’m sure daddy’s stopped talking to the old man and is waiting for us with an unpleased look on his face. To be in trouble scares me and I’m almost too scared to go back.

Hiding my feelings we return to the pharmacy and walk to the back but daddy ain’t there. Quickly I call out for him and run around the entire place. Ari’s close behind still holding on to my hand really tight. I go back to the toy isle, he’s not here. I go back to the isle he got the lice remover from, he’s not here. I walk up to the counter and ask the cashier, she doesn’t look older than Eduardo, she pops her pink bubble gum and leans closer to us, looking at us back and forth.

“Y’all lookin’ for the tall cowboy with the pretty braids?”, she asks twirling her hair with her finger.

“That’s my daddy, you seen him?”, I ask practically screaming at her. She sneers.

“Yeah, I seen him”, she says. I open my eyes wide and extend my arms in confusion. Is she gonna tell me where he went or not?

“He left lookin’ for y’all, almost walked out of here without payin’”, she smiles smacking her gum. “Too fine to pass the opportunity though, called him back“, she giggles still playing with her hair, “went headed to Bullseye”, she says pointing to said direction with her pinky finger.

“We need to make sure he hasn’t left”, I say to Ari running back to momma’s car. Here it looks like he came back and put his bags on the front seat before going out to find us. This makes me nervous. If daddy is actively searching then that means he’s gonna kill me when he finds us. I ain’t tryna look like a wuss though, so I keep my worries to myself.

“Look”, Ari says pointing at the ice cream shop in the middle of the parking lot. Next to it is a white peacekeeper vehicle. “Wanna ask’em?”, she pulls on my arm.

“No”, I say thinking about what momma Bilmin would do. “We should ask inside”, I add.

We actively ignore the peacekeepers, like they aren’t there but a big boring rock in their place. They notice us though and maybe there’s a look of worry in my face, that would explain why Ari hasn’t acted up in a minute. That or she’s just as scared of daddy.

“Aye kid, what’s up?”, one says. They’re both old but not too old, maybe younger than daddy. They wear their peacekeeper uniforms but have taken their helmets off to enjoy their ice cream.

“Y’all seen Mr. Wyetka? Got a cowboy hat on, really tall, really 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 tall, like this”, Ari says on her tip toes tryna draw a line way above her head. The peacekeepers laugh.

“Even the children?”, one says. “Y’all seen Mr. Doodah”, the other one mocks in a silly version of our accent. “Hey kid, look around, everyone’s got a damn cowboy hat on”, this makes the other one laugh and point at Ari and then his head, “It’s like everyone here is born with one”, he says making themselves laugh even harder. I hope they drop their ice cream.

“C’mon”, Ari says pulling me into the ice cream shop. “Hey mister, you seen-“, she’s interrupted by the man behind the counter.

“Hey kid ya daddy was just in here lookin’ for y’all”, he says.

“You seen where he went?”, Ari asks with excitement. The man shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. This scares me more. What if daddy gives up and goes home without us? What if he finds us and is super angry? How mad is he gonna be at me?

Back outside I can’t hold it anymore and start to cry so much my body moves like I got hiccups every time I gasp. Ari holds my hand the entire time. She hugs, says she’s sorry and begs me to stop crying. I want to but I can’t stop. I’ve lost daddy and he’s out here looking for me too. He’s gonna be so mad when he finds us. “If he ever does”, I think making myself feel worse.

“Maybe we should try Bullseye”, Ari says.

“That’s a really big store, we’d have better luck waitin’ for him outside”, I say through the sobs. Ari agrees and hugs me again, tells me that we’ll find him and when we do she’ll take the blame. I don’t want her to, even if it was her fault I wouldn’t want daddy to be mad at her.

Holding hands, we walk past store fronts asking for daddy but so far no one’s seen him. Back in the petstore the man behind the counter points to the Bullseye store direction. We automatically head there and plan to wait for him outside. Ari calls the plan a smart one.

“Excuse me mister”, Ari approaches a man sitting outside the store. He’s short, bald, and greasy. He sits in front of a table and looks to be selling watches. He doesn’t look too happy to be talked to.

“Go away!”, he snaps, “If you aint buyin’ get the fuck outta here, scarin’ away my customers”, he waves us off like flies.

Ari looks around, inside the store where people are walking in and out ignoring us and him. She turns to the parking lot where cars drive past not noticing us either. She looks at me and then at him, “what customers?”.

“I said get the fuck outta here you freaky little shit before I drop kick you to the moo-, hey-llo there, you tryna buy a nice watch? One for the wife? Present for momma? Friend?”, he goes from screaming his head off to suddenly being really nice.

Ari and me look at each other wide eyed. Slowly we turn around to see the tall man staring at the short bald man selling watches. Daddy stands outside the doors giving him a cold look. His arms folded. There’s no emotion on his face and he doesn’t say anything. Not to him, not to me. My heart beats fast and for a second I think he’s gonna hit me. He puts his hand on my back and pushes Ari and me towards the direction of the car. None of us says anything on our way and I’m trying my best not to cry anymore.

I look at Ari who looks very sad too. She stares at the floor and barely holds my hand. I know why she’s upset. That man back there called her a freak, she says everyone at school calls her that and she doesn’t like it. I tighten my grip on hers and it catches her attention. “You’re not a freak, Ari you’re just different”, I say leaving myself thoughtful, “in a way.. I’m different too”, I say. She gives me a thin lipped smile that look sadder than before. She wants to cry but doesn’t, instead she hugs me while we walk.

“Hey, y’all want some ice cream?”, daddy asks.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”, Ari screams jumping up and down. She smiles wide and dances in place. This makes me laugh and I look at daddy. He looks worn out but he’s not mad. He gives me a smile and pulls me close giving me a tight hug. I hope this means I’m not in trouble.

#isadora wyetka #age 10 #arielle #polomir wyetka

[toglidethroughlife]

Maybe You’re Not the Worst (A Choices Fanfic)

Pairing: Drake x Olivia

Genre: Friendship/Comfort/Possible romance?

Summary: Olivia takes a different ride out of the Coronation Ball

Word Count: 2,981

Author’s Note: Uhm, wow. This got very out of hand. This was supposed to be a short “what if this happened” kind of fic, but each scene just led to another, and you’ll see. I’ve loved the idea of Drake and Olivia possibly coming together for a while now. There’s just so much unspoken history between them and I think it has so much potential story-wise. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy it too. 😊

Drake welcomed the cold evening air as he stepped out of the Royal Palace, eager for a change in pace.

Clearly, he had been way over his head when he thought he could go through with the Coronation Ball. He couldn’t. There was no part of him that was ready to accept that the girl he had desperately told himself not to fall in love with was going to get engaged to his best friend tonight.

He needed whiskey. And he needed to get the hell out of the palace. Fast.

After giving the attending guard his valet coupon, he was ready to sit back and maybe do a little stargazing as he waited, but a distinct voice cut through and caught his attention.

“This is the Royal Palace for crying out loud, not some cheap downtown hotel! If I don’t see you with the limo in thirty seconds, I will make sure you never step foot into the Nevrakis estate ever again!”

Drake shook his head as Olivia threatened the poor driver over the phone. He’d hate to be him, he thought.

“What are you looking at?” she suddenly snapped at him.

He hadn’t even realized he’d been staring.

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Isn’t it a little early to be leaving? I thought Liam wasn’t making the announcement until later tonight.”

Was it already over, he thought. Was she already his?

“I’m dropping out,” she responded angrily, her eyes still glued to her phone. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Huh. He hadn’t expected that.

Drake had always known that Olivia liked, possibly loved, Liam. Even as children, Olivia had resented him for “taking up all of Liam’s time” as had she claimed. Not that they’d intentionally left her out of things. They were just boys being boys. And boys thought girls had cooties. So to speak.

Part of him was curious what was causing this sudden change of heart, but the valet person pulled up his car to the driveway, and he remembered, he didn’t really care that much.

“Well, so long, Olivia.” He gave her a mock salute as he walked over to the driver’s seat.

No sooner had he closed the door to his seat had the passenger seat door opened, and his eyes widened at the occupant.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Drake asked as she slammed the door behind her.

Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Swallowing my pride.”

Drake looked at her in disbelief.

Finally, her eyes met his and her eyebrows furrowed with impatience. “Well? Are you driving or not?”

—

They drove in silence for about ten minutes, but Drake could’ve sworn it had already been an hour. He didn’t even know where he was supposed to take her. He wasn’t taking her home, he thought, the Nevrakis estate was way too far from his place. And if he brought her to his place… he shuddered at the thought. He was not going to let her invade the sanctity of his private space.

“So,” he began tentatively, unsure what he was going to say, “as much I’d love to drive around aimlessly with you… I really don’t.”

He knew he should’ve tried to sound nicer, but neither of them were in the right mood and he just wanted to get the night over with.

“Care to tell me where we’re going?”

She either didn’t hear him or was ignoring him on purpose.

He snapped his fingers as he called her name. “Olivia.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw her snap out of her dazed state, but her voice was still lifeless as she said, “Anywhere. Anywhere’s fine, just… keep driving.”

Well, she wasn’t going to be of much use, he realized. Great.

They had already driven into town, and Drake considered dropping her off at some fancy hotel so he could go home already… but then the thought of being at home, alone, was suddenly too much to bear.

So he sped past the city lights and didn’t look back, stopping only when they reached a gas station just outside of town.

“Drake Walker,” Olivia exclaimed as she grew aware of her surroundings, her voice much too loud for the enclosed space. “Are you trying to kidnap me?”

Drake chuckled dryly. “And give up my sanity? Not a chance.”

He unbuckled his seatbelt, his hand already over the handle for the car door. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, but then as if suddenly realizing who he was riding with, Drake pulled out his key from ignition and opened the car windows for air.

“Just in case,” he remarked, putting the key in his jacket pocket.

Olivia scoffed at him, crossing her arms across her chest. “Do you really think me so childish as to abandon you in the middle of nowhere?”

He smirked. “I’m not gonna let you try.”

—

Drake made a beeline for the alcohol section as soon as he entered the convenience store, grateful when he spotted the bottle of dark liquid he was craving for. He didn’t bother to look around for anything else. As he waited in line to pay, the colorful packs of candy near the counter caught his attention.

Olivia used to love those, he recalled. She used to bribe Drake with them to get him to leave Liam alone. Not that he ever took them, but she thought they were pretty awesome.

Oh, what the hell. He threw in a few packs of them as he checked out.

Back in the car, he carefully settled the bottle of whiskey in the back seat, setting it aside for later. And then as if he didn’t really care, he pulled out the candy pack and handed it to her.

“Do I look like I’m five to you?” was her response.

He bit back every urge to roll his eyes. “Suit yourself.”

He reached out to take the candy pack from her, but she held it away from his reach and opened it, popping a bright pink piece into her mouth.

Drake could not hold back the satisfied smirk on his face.

“Just drive, Walker.”

—

Drake drove into the highways on the countryside, anticipating the miles of road that awaited him. He had wanted to do this for a while now, but somewhere between losing his sister and getting caught up in court drama, he’d forgotten. He didn’t think that he would be driving with Olivia now, of all people, but she was being uncharacteristically quiet, so it actually wasn’t terrible.

He didn’t bother putting on any music. Nothing felt right for how he was feeling, and he doubted Olivia would appreciate the same. Even though she still hadn’t said anything, he knew something big was bothering her. Call it instinct or what not, but having known Olivia for as long as he has, there were things that he could just tell from the way she refused to speak.

They kept driving for another hour, until all they saw was the moon, the sky, and the sea.

“Pull over.”

Drake wasn’t sure he’d heard her right the first time.

Her hand swatted at his arm repeatedly. “Pull over, Drake.”

It was only when he had parked the car to the side that he realized what Olivia was aiming for.

“You’re going swimming?” Drake asked, still unsure as he tried to make out the entrance to the shore a few feet from the car.

Olivia was already taking off her heels.

“No, you idiot, I’m gonna drown myself.” His eyes widened in shock, but before he could get a word in, she added, “I’m kidding.”

She grabbed her clutch and opened the car door.

Suddenly, she was the one that sounded unsure. “You can… go, I suppose, if you want to.”

She gave him one last look before she slammed the car door and left.

What the hell?!

Drake watched her carry herself to the beach, heels and studded clutch in hand.

He checked his phone. There was no reception, so there was no way Olivia was gonna be able to call someone to pick her up here. Was he supposed to just… wait for her?

Then again, she did tell him that he could go. Maybe he should. He could drive up to the mountains, watch some stars, drink some whiskey…

He realized how terribly stupid his plan sounded now that he was alone.

He tried to make out Olivia’s figure on the beach, but all he saw was darkness from where he stood.

Screw it. He pulled out the car key, and grabbed his bottle of whiskey.

—

He found her sitting a few meters from the shore, knees pulled close to her chest. Her evening gown glistened under the moonlight.

Unsure how to approach, he just watched her for a while, but then she buried her face in her arms and her shoulders started shaking, and Drake was pretty sure those were her sobs he was hearing.

He pulled off his jacket and sat down beside her, nudging her elbow.

She was startled at first, but she recovered quickly. “Drake Walker, you scared the crap out of me,” she exclaimed, hurriedly wiping the tears on her face. When she turned back to face him, Drake extended his arm towards her, his jacket in hand.

“What?” was her baffled response, but he just pushed his jacket towards her, unable to speak.

“Am I supposed to wipe my face with that?” she asked again, frustration building in her voice.

Well, that made two of them.

He pushed himself off the sand with a groan, closing in on her personal space. He could feel Olivia staring at him cautiously. He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, pulling the lapels in closer around her neck. His eyes met hers and he could see her iciness melt away at the gesture.

He sat back down beside her, then she whispered something so softly, he almost didn't hear it.

“Thanks.”

Drake nodded in response, still unable to find his ability to speak.

Something about Olivia’s tear-stained eyes had thrown him off. He had never seen Olivia cry. Not in more than twenty years of knowing her had Olivia Nevrakis shed a single tear in front of him. And now she looked… broken.

Something inside him wanted to punch someone. And that was a scary thought.

He hadn’t realized he cared so much.

“I thought I told you to leave,” she said quietly, eyes looking out at the sea.

His own voice came out as a whisper at first. “You said I could.” Clearing his throat, he added, “but I figured the beach was a good place as any to have a drink.” He raised his whiskey bottle and took a sip.

He heard her sneer beside him. “Well, if you’re going to insist on annoying me with your presence, you may as well share your drink.”

She reached over and took the bottle from his hands, taking a mouthful in before he could protest. She swallowed with a bitter gulp and a heavy sigh.

“Who are you and what have you done with Olivia Nevrakis?” he asked as he tentatively reached for the bottle.

Olivia was chuckling, but he could hear the sadness in her voice. “Yes, that was… un-Nevrakis-like of me.”

She fell silent once more, deep in thought. Drake didn’t realize that his eyes were still watching her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “I don’t need your pity, Walker.”

“I don’t pity you,” he replied simply, unsure what else to say.

“Then why are you here?” Her expression was still blank as she turned to him. “You and I,” her forefinger gestured at the space between them, “we are not friends.”

His head leaned in to meet hers. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual.” He pulled away before he continued. “But, we’re both friends with Liam. I don’t think he’d like it if I left you in the middle of nowhere.”

Olivia sneered at the thought. “Don’t worry. I’m the last thing on his mind tonight. I doubt he’ll even want to see me when he finds out…”

“Finds out what?” The words were already out of his mouth before he could decide if he really wanted to know.

She let out a heavy sigh. “My parents didn’t die heroes, Drake. They were traitors. They threatened the crown and that’s why they were executed.”

Drake wasn’t sure how to digest the new piece of information. He was growing unsure about a lot of things, he found. “What? But how… that doesn’t make any sense—“

“They threatened the crown, Drake! My parents plotted to have the King and Queen killed and that’s why they’re dead!”

Olivia slumped back in her seat, Drake’s coat enveloping her tiny frame.

“I’ve lived my entire life thinking that the world owed me something, because it took away my parents from me. But now it turns out that maybe they deserved it. And I… I don’t even know who I’m supposed to be anymore.”

Drake was at a loss for words as he watched Olivia try to keep her composure, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.

He placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but she glared at the foreign gesture, so he gave her a few friendly pats as he withdrew his hand.

“If you must know, the Olivia I know would never sit on a beach and cry.”

She scoffed. “You talk like you know her very well.”

Drake let out a chuckle. “I don’t. But I do know this. That girl is strong. She’s fiercely determined, stubborn, vindictive, at times,” Olivia threw him a scowl, “but she cares and loves deeply, and the few people who are worthy of that are lucky.”

Olivia seemed to be considering his words before she said, “she sounds like a bitch to me.”

Drake was surprised to find himself genuinely laughing. “Yeah, she is. But she grows on you, and you get used to it.”

Olivia smiled at his words, pulling his jacket closer around her.

“This is the part where you say something nice about me,” Drake teased, glad to see that she was finally warming up to his company.

“Oh. Is that how this works?” she snickered, looking at him up and down. “Okay, let me see. You, Drake Walker, are an alcoholic.” She nodded at the bottle of whiskey in his hands. “You don’t have the decency to offer a lady a handkerchief, presumably because you don’t carry one. You act like a grumpy old man all the time, and your hair looks like it never left the 90’s—”

“Okay—“ Drake scoffed and rolled his eyes at her snide remarks. 

“But, maybe…” she drew out the last syllable dramatically as her voice came to a whisper, “… you’re not the worst.”

Drake looked at her incredulously, and for a moment, they just stared at each other until they both broke into laughter.

“I’ll drink to that,” he said, raising the bottle to his lips.

Olivia pulled it out of his hands before he could even finish his sip. “Give me some of that.”

She showed him the letter after, telling him about how she had received a similar one telling her to withdraw earlier that evening.

His thoughts were still on the letter when she spoke.

“You should check on her — Riley.” Her eyes met his. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you? You should check on her.”

She let out a long sigh as she folded up the letter and slipped it inside her clutch.

“I hope I’m wrong, but it just occurred to me that I may not be the sole target tonight.”

Drake let her words sink in.

“Check on her. Just to be sure.”

One thought plagued his mind as he pulled out his phone — Tariq.

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “No bars.”

Olivia nodded, understanding what they needed to do. “We should head back.”

—

Drake tried calling Riley the minute they reached town, but she wasn’t answering, so he called Maxwell instead.

“How is she?” Drake asked, having already read about what happened on social media. (Olivia showed him.)

“She’s… she’s putting on a brave face, but… I’m worried about her, Drake.”

His hands clenched on the steering wheel tightly. “I’ll be right over.”

He was already heading in the direction of House Beaumont when he realized he still had a passenger in his car.

“Olivia—“

She raised one hand at him. “I understand, Walker. You have business to attend to. You can drop me off at the hotel upfront.”

He nodded, hoping she could see that he was grateful.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay here?” he asked when they had pulled up in front of the hotel.

“Yes, my car is on its way over.” Her hand was already on the door, but she wasn’t pulling on the handle yet.

“Well, this has been quite the eventful evening,” he commented, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Let’s not do it again sometime.”

He was about to answer her with a sarcastic quip of his own, but he saw the genuine affection in her eyes as she said it. “I agree. Good night, Olivia.”

He hoped she could see through his facade as well.

“Good night, Walker.”

He watched her walk through the hotel doors before he began driving away, his heart feeling heavy as though something good had just ended.

He was probably just worried about Riley, he thought to himself, pulling his phone out as he felt it buzz in his pocket.

He would never admit to anyone that he smiled stupid as he read the message on the screen.

“Thank you for tonight — O.”

#playchoices #the royal romance #drake x olivia #drake walker #olivia nevrakis #playchoices fanfic

[thisblogisdead4good]

The Wolves Among Us (Jerome x OC) - Chapter 26

Chapter Warning: Depictions of Violence/Gore

Chapter One / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Jerome strolled down the sidewalk, taking care to avoid the more worn down portions where bits of cement had become splintered and broken off, allowing for dirt and weeds to rise up through the cracks in the way that mother nature tended to in it's never-ending attempt to reclaim the land. It was quite befitting for this part of the city to have such ramshackle structures, as it had undoubtedly seen much, much better days than these; the neighborhood was - for all intents and purposes – derelict, the majority of the buildings having been intended for commercial use for businesses that had long since relocated or failed. Coming to a stop at the corner, the boy looked out over the street, beyond the dilapidated gas station that had once operated on the other side and took in the sight of the sun as it began to dip into the waterline of the river that split the city – one hand was nestled into the warmth and comfort of his sweatshirt as the other raised a half-smoked cigarette to his lips. Sucking in as much of the burning, bitter substance as his lungs could handle, he then slowly released a wispy stream of gray from the corner of his mouth as he pulled his hand from his pocket and glanced at the watch that sat wrapped around his wrist – it was getting close to eight o'clock in the evening, which meant that most pharmacies in the area would be closed up for the night. That was a good thing, as he had reasoned that the only way that he would be able to do what Amelia had asked of him and not wind up killing somebody in the process was to wait until there simply wasn't anybody there to kill.

Craning his neck to the left, Jerome took notice of the old neon sign that jutted out from one of the buildings approximately half a block away – "DRUGS" it read, in big, red letters that were trying their hardest to light up, though they only succeeded in the occasional flicker. The boy peered over his shoulder, scanning the area as though he were making sure that nobody was watching him – nobody was, of course, as there was literally no one around save for himself and a sleeping homeless man a few blocks back. Turning, he approached the store, reaching it in a few long strides before letting out a frustrated groan as he came to a stop in front of it – a deep frown formed on his face as he rolled his shoulder. Upon closer investigation, Jerome found that the sign read "Bryden's Drugs & Liquor Shoppe", and they were, annoyingly, still open for business.

Jerome paused, reasoning that he hadn't explicitly told Amelia that he would not kill anybody, only that he would see what he could do and hey – at least he'd tried, right? Besides, he silently reminded himself, it didn't really fucking matter what she wanted; he was going out of his way – AGAIN – to help her and if she had any sense at all, she'd know to shut up and be grateful.

Climbing to the top of the small stoop that lead to the thick, foggy glass door of the establishment, Jerome tilted his head, peeking inside so as to get an idea as to how many people were there before pushing against the metal bar and stepping into the shop. It was, unsurprisingly, empty – the only inhabitant being an older gentleman who sat behind the front counter, staring at a tiny black and white television that had been situated in the corner. Jerome turned and examined the door, quickly locating the deadbolt and flipping it into the locked position before stepping forward and approaching the counter, his hand wrapping tightly around the gun concealed at his side.

Upon noticing the boy, the old man hastily pushed himself to his feet as he straightened his white coat - looking as though he had been startled by his presence.

"Hi there," He greeted warmly, his voice was deep and calm, almost tired "What can I do for you?"

"Uhhh, need to pick up a few things for a friend," Jerome replied, digging a hand into his back pocket and producing the list that Amelia had made out for him.

"Well, I might be able to help with that. What kind of things are you looking for?"

Jerome simply handed the man the crumpled up piece of paper, watching his reaction closely as his aged hands straightened it out and he took in what had been written. Flicking his eyes between the hooded figure before him and the list in his hand, a concerned expression crossed the gentleman's face.

"Forgive me for prying but these are not typically the kinds of things someone coming in off of the street asks for. The pain meds, maybe...but you've got some pretty strong antibiotics on here too."

"...And?" Jerome asked, a gnawing feeling beginning to grow within him as his thumb rubbed over the textured grip of his weapon.

"It's just that...hell, I won't dance around it – is somebody hurt, son?"

"You're the professional here, ain'tcha? You tell me – do people in good health usually come 'round here lookin' for that kinda stuff?"

The man sighed, but seemed otherwise unfazed by the boy's snarky remark.

"Well, I hate to say it but, the majority of the items on this list require a prescription from a Doctor, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't urge you to take this friend of yours in, where they can be properly assessed and treated for...whatever it is that has happened to them," He answered apologetically as he placed the piece of paper on the counter and gently slid it back towards Jerome.

The ginger eyed the parchment, though he did not move to take it.

"I get that," He nodded, "I do but, uhh, ya see...that's really not an option."

"Look, I know that medical bills are outrageous these days and I understand your reluctance but ultimately, you have to do what you have to do. And besides, there are plenty of programs out there to help people pay for these expenses so -"

"Yeah, it ain't like that."

"Then what is it like, son?" The old man questioned softly.

A growl of annoyance blew past Jerome's lips as he pulled the gun from his side, pointing it at the man's belly while he tore his hood back and revealed his face. Feeling his heart quicken with excitement, he readjusted his grip and barely fought back a grin as he watched the color drain from the pharmacist's face.

"'What is it like?' Hmmm, well, that is a hell of a question," The psychopath started, quickly glancing off to the side before returning his gaze to the frightened man before him, "I 'spose to make a long story short ya could just say that I met a girl – I mean, ain't that always the problem? A pretty, young thing catches your attention and before you know it, everything's all outta sorts."

Jerome stepped forward and climbed up on top of the counter, taking a seat and allowing his legs to dangle off of the edge in front of him – the man remained silent, but backed away so as to maintain some space inbetween himself and the maniac. The boy observed him and chuckled lowly as he basked in his terror. He hadn't even done anything yet.

"Ya see, uhhh," Jerome continued, peering down at the guy's name-tag, "Max – Can I call ya Max?"

The man quickly bobbed his head, his eyes darting between the kid's face and the gun in his hand.

"Good. 'Cause ya see, Max...I met a girl. A cute one, too - she's married, of course - but, uhm, one thing led to another and well...we fucked. Her wife found out, though, which was kinda amusing at first but then the bitch went all crazy and stabbed her. Right in front of me – with my own fucking knife, no less. Anyways, I did what I could to stop the bleeding or whatever, but now she's got this fever and she looks like hell, so I'm gonna need you to step into the back and grab me what's on that piece of paper or else I'm gonna be paintin' the walls in here with your insides. Understand?"

Max raised his trembling hands and nodded.

"There...there'll be no need for that, son. Really. Let me, uh, let me go get those things for you. I'll be right back," He stammered before moving cautiously towards the aisles of medicine off in the distance, reluctant to turn away from the boy.

Jerome held his gaze, his face flat and unamused.

"Ya got 'til the count of ten, old man, so I'd step it up if I were you – ya really don't want me to have to come back there and get ya."

With those words, Max nodded and hastily moved towards the back, the sound of bottles being carelessly shoved to the side as he searched for the proper items echoed off the walls.

"One...two...three...," Jerome counted aloud, turning slightly and fidgeting with the scanning device of the cash register for a moment before losing interest, "Four, five, six, seven!"

He fired off the last four numbers rapidly, earning an audible sound of distress from the man, followed by a loud crashing sound. The redhead cackled from his place on the counter, grinning from ear to ear as Max emerged from the back with a small bag, which he eagerly handed over to Jerome.

"Everythin' in there?" The madman grumbled, tilting his head slightly as he peaked at the bag's contents.

"Yes. Everything's there."

"Ya wouldn't lie to me, would ya, Max?"

"No, no. Everything that was on that list is there, I promise. Now please, just...just go," The man pleaded.

"You're kickin' me out? Aw – and here I thought we were havin' fun."

"Please. I've given you what you've asked for. This doesn't have to go any further. I won't report anything, just...please."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jerome sighed, rolling his eye's dramatically, "But uh, just one more thing."

"What's that?" Max asked.

Without warning, Jerome raised his weapon, pressing the barrel between the man's eyes and mercilessly pulling the trigger – he watched with morbid joyfulness as the bright, fresh blood and bits of brain matter splattered across the wall behind where the man had once stood.

"Nothin' personal, buddy," The boy mumbled, giggling a small amount as he hopped down from the counter and stepped over the old man's corpse.

And it really wasn't personal, at least not in the way that the man had brought it on himself, because truly, he hadn't. Sure, Jerome had enjoyed toying with him and watching the fear and surprise cross his face in the seconds before he had pulled the trigger, but he had gotten the distinct impression that Max had probably been a decent enough guy, though Jerome cruelly considered how that had done nothing for him in the end.

Strolling back towards the front of the store, the boy stopped only to grab a bottle of water out of the cooler, taking a look back at the puddle of blood that had slowly begun to spread across the linoleum before he unlocked the door, pushed it open, and stepped out into the night.

A/N: Hey! So, uhm, surprise, surprise – Jerome killed somebody. Not really a shocker, I know, and I might have had a bit more fun writing this chapter than I should have, but I do love writing Jerome when he's being an evil shit, even if I'm not so great at it. I'm trying, though – an effort is being made, I promise. I'll freakin' get there =P. Anyways, this chapter, ideally, is kind of supposed to give a little insight into what's goin' on in Jerome's head in regards to Amelia – we see that he's acknowledging that there's something there, and we also see that he's actually almost...I dunno, angry, about it, too, as it's got him a little fucked up. I imagine that Jerome would perceive any kind of real...attachment type of feelings that he might be developing as being deeply, deeply disconcerting and be vehemently opposed to them as all they would do, in his opinion, is distract him and stir up trouble where he doesn't want it. And so, I mean, while he does try to put himself in a situation where he can uphold what Amelia had asked of him and NOT kill anybody, the moment he is given the opportunity to kill the man or leave, he opts to kill the man...almost to spite Amelia, even. Like, I'll probably touch more on it a little bit in the future, but make no mistake that what he did to Max was definitely inspired by this nagging feeling that Jerome is experiencing, like this need to prove that Amelia does not have a hold over him and that he's still his own person. I dunno, boy's got some conflict happening inside him is really the point I'm making, I guess. Moving on though, we're getting towards the end here – of part one anyway, I have a whole slew of idea's for a part two that I'm currently working on sorting through and I'm super, super excited to get there. Shit's gonna get interesting, is all I'm sayin' – well, hopefully, anyways, guess you guys will be the judge of that when we get there. Anyways, as always, thank you for reading and I apologize for any errors I may have missed. Also a huge thank you to everyone who has sent in Reviews/Feedback – you guys really know how to pick me back up when I can't find the motivation to write or do shit, so thank you so much for your kind words. I really, really appreciate you guys!

#jerome valeska #jerome valeska fanfiction #jerome valeska x oc #gotham fanfiction #jerome gotham #gotham joker #gotham tv series

[grgop]

Arrival on Dugi otok: The monastery and the locals in Zaglav

Zadar’s archipelago. The trip started in Zadar and ended up in Zaglav on the first day.

I took the bus **from Zagreb to Zadar **at 6am and planned to get on the first boat that goes for **Zaglav **afterwards. While almost missing the bus in the morning I managed to get there in time and bought the ticket for my catamaran. The ticket for the non-islanders was about 20 -25 HRK (around 3 Euros) for one direction. Soon enough I was aboard the catamaran whose trip to Zaglav took around an hour and 15 minutes. During the trip I had the pleasure to talk to one of the locals from Sali who shared some tips on the DOs and DON'Ts on the island.

On it’s way to Zaglav we went beneath the bridge that connects the islands Ugljan and Pašman passing by the town of **Kali **(another place on the list to visit). Then you find yourself surrounded with multiple islands I couldn’t remember the names yet the last one to the west had numerous hills, so long you couldn’t see its end. Of course it was Dugi otok (the Long island). I’ve never been so far to the west in this area and the inner Indiana Jones for exploring and adventures was waking up.

This was my printed map of the island. I removed the names of the wanted locals for the interview and where to find them in each place due to privacy.

Soon we reached Sali and headed then few minutes to the north to Zaglav. I took all the stuff I had and I had several bags and a luggage. Just before we reached Zaglav I had two phone calls from my local saviours. One was from friar Izak, the monk from the monastery, who was waiting for me and my stuff with his squad in his car. The other one was Goran, the guy responsible for delivering the bakery products across the island throughout the year in his van. He was the one who helped me with the vehicles by lending me his old car to use for four days. Just when I stepped on the island he was there at the gas station tanking it up fully. Yes, full till the end. I gave friar Izak and his fellas my stuff and met with Goran and his family to take me up to the monastery.

Here it was where I earned the name „The Baker“ in the next couple of days. It started with his wife asking me „So, are you a baker?“ and later on several locals who’d see me coming by car (as Goran does) would frequently ask me „Are you a baker?“. In the end I gave up and said „Yes, I am a baker“. The second name that followed me was “The Journalist guy”.

We went uphills. Now here is a thing with the most places on Dugi otok. The core of these villages is mostly on the hill, not next to the sea. People went down to the coast much later. The monastery was at the end of the road on the hill. Also, the roads are only for one vehicle at the time which was interesting as you had to be careful if someone from the opposite direction was coming from behind the corner and then one of you two would have to somehow the way to step aside. That was done either by going backwards or finding a quick spot to move aside. Not to say that many of these roads or streets were pretty narrow and at some points you were surrounded with the stone fence wall. All of this makes it easy to damage your car. In the beginning I was more careful with it but then grew confidence because simply the things like that are just normal there and you gotta accept it. Again, you can’t do this in Zagreb without bad consequences.

**The monastery of St Michael **

The entrance as seen from the center of the yard

Voila, there we are at the monastery. Somehow typical Dalmatian look or actually Mediterranean. Bell tower, local graveyard and the monastery with its yard and garden just at the end of the street. Soon arrived friar Izak and the other dudes. Passed through the gates in the middle of the wall and entered the yard. It was guarded by two cats.

The Franciscan monastery and the church of St Michael were built back in the mid-15th century by the Franciscan order of the Glagolitic monks. Glagolitic is one of the old Slavic scripts, somewhat similar to Cyrillic, that was preserved in Croatia mostly on the islands and some northern areas within the religious context and local or folk language. The monastery today is of course an expanded version of the original one.

The monastery and the church as seen from the bell tower

When seeing all these stuff inside the yard and this whole idea of being in the monastery I quickly returned in my head to Robin Hood games where you had to sneak and climb around monastery’s walls and hallways. It would have been awesome if I had visited it with my friends back in the childhood though even now it could serve as a cool film location. But the best impression of the monastery and its surroundings is surely early in the morning when it’s fresh and enjoyable to be outside, the shadows are soft, relatively quiet, you can hear the animals and prepare for the day with pleasure. I tried doing some exercise in the morning but failed.

The look from the entrance into the yard. My window is on the second floor in the middle.

When you say „a monastery“ you might think of the medieval buildings where they still use the candles but man, I got 5-stars room with my own bathroom. So there were now three of us residing in the building and each of us had our own room upstairs. Once you enter the monastery you are in the hallway where to your right is a small library. Straightforward you got one SOS restroom and then the stairs to our rooms. The hallway there was filled with some large paintings of religious content and Glagolitic engravings. Back downstairs, to the left, one enters the „living room“ where they can watch TV and turn on the oven when necessary. Few steps behind and you enter a modest kitchen with plenty of food. Oh yes, they said I just pick up whatever I want and they had lots of stuff. Even better, behind the kitchen in the basement they had a pantry. It felt like Goku being on King Kai’s small planet with whatever you want.

Some hallway paintings of…well… someone

The look from the windows on the other side towards the north. What you probably see are the islands of Krkata (the closest one), then Iž and maybe far away Ugljan or Sestrunj..or something else, who knows, so many islands…

One part of my room…the rest is in the mess but there’s a table behind me, the window and to the left is the small hallway with the wardrobe and separated bathroom

The view from my room taken in the evening

Soon enough I was welcomed with the lunch. They have a lady who cooks and cleans for them every day and this was also covered so that I don’t have to spend money aside. As you can see this all was really way more than I expected.

Friar Izak taking care of the stuff in the kitchen

This was probably the only lunch I had with them as I spent every next day somewhere else waddling around. We made some rules about breakfast around 7am and had dinner together in the evening. Even though they usually go to sleep by 10pm we used to talk about different topics until midnight.

The first photo is of the monastery’s yard. The second one from the Church’s interior

And what about friar Izak? He definitely is a guy with lots of energy and ideas. Born in Zaglav in 1936 but spent most of the time away from the island he is a a big church musician, conductor and a researcher of the Glagolitic heritage. He is also one of the founders of the mixed choir “Bašćina” (Heritage) and several years ago revived the real Renaissance Zaglav liturgical singing. He is fun to talk to and throws the jokes all the time. More about the conversations and his stories in the upcoming posts.

Zaglav: An afternoon in the bay of Triluke (Three ports). Meet the first locals.

After lunch I decided to go down to the village on the coast. Grabbing my camera and other stuff I took the path that goes to the bay. I had it in plan to meet with Zvonko – the young gas station owner whom I reached few days earlier. He knew I’d come and so he helped me to find the potential candidates for the interview. But what about Zaglav?

The road down to the bay of Triluke

It’s a village in the southern part of Dugi otok between Sali and Žman. The records say it was inhabited in 15th century and many of the locals are the descendants of people who flew before the Ottomans. The population of Zaglav is around 174 people though there used to be 300-500 people just few decades ago. I’d say today it’s even less than 170 but we will find out more in 2-3 years. People there mostly live from tourism, sailing and fishing with some small agriculture part. Some work in Sali or move to Zadar or other places on the mainland. Zaglav has a relatively good boat connection with other places and the mainland. Here used to be a ferry port before they moved it to Brbinj. I didn’t go around the whole village on the bay but down there you can find a few restaurants and the gas station also serves as a small store. **This gas station for the cars and the boats is the only one on the island. **

So while walking through this street downstairs I met Zvonko and his dog at the gas station and soon was introduced to the other local dudes who gathered nearby and enjoyed some drink. There I met my future companion and help for the upcoming days - Mirel. After receiving a welcoming drink and introducing myself Zvonko took me to our first star - his father who was repairing the fishermen’s net. Here comes the summary of the interview I had.

Mr Špralja the Sailor

As I approached hime while repairing the net he started explaining me the type of the net he uses and what kind of fish it can catch. He learned the skill from his father and grandfather. Being in pension for many years and not being able to move a lot his main hobbies are repairing and maintaining the nets plus doing some work with agriculture. Right now he had problems with the holes made by the dolphins but as he said - it’s gonna take him around a week to finishing repairing this net around 100 meters long.

His family came from Bakar to Zaglav and** Kornat island** which is the story many other locals shared.

He had spent over 30 years sailing around the world going twice around the equator and visiting all the continents and ports except for Australia and New Zealand. He told me the only experience he remembers most that scared him was during their trip aboard the Jordan Nikolov ship on the Atlantic ocean during the stormy weather where he had to go down inside the ship and make sure to have the gas ventilation closed. As he added “There are no good things on the sea, only the bad ones.”. Also, he believes the young sailors nowadays have it much easier as they don’t have to spend a whole year on the boat and vehicles (technology) is much faster and precise.

Speaking of the food and how it used to be back then he started with the meals they got on the ship. As there used to be 30-50 crew members they had two cooks and one assistant adding that the food was “solid”. On the island, back in his youth days, the main food was fish. The meat as we eat it today was not available and couldn’t be bought easily. You would use what you had of your livestock which included lamb, goats and mutton. In winter they used to fish for the smaller fish, 30-50 of them weighing around a kilogram. In spring there was more of the bluefish such as mackerel or chub. Cuttlefish or an octopus were also options. Dried octopus, he added. They didn’t have much of the potato and people mostly ate collard greens. Berries and beans were also popular. The problem was that the fields on the island were not as rich and potent for the agricultures as it is on the mainland and there has never been much of the freshwater. Those families who had some livestock such as goats or sheep would make milk and cheese. For breakfast you had milk and cheese, fish or some other meat for lunch and for dinner different types of greens.

Repairing the net where two bigger holes were made by the dolphins

What about games and how they used to play as children? The hide and seek obviously never gets out of fashion, no matter the generation. Among other games football was popular, played in the “Old village” upon the hill. However, there weren’t balls like today so they used the the ones made from rags. During the carnival and masquerade there is a custom of setting a fire etc.

And schools? He told me there was around 10 of them in the generation that went to school in Zaglav and Sali that had up to 7-8 grades. Those who wanted to learn a foreign language would have to go to Sali. There he learned a bit of German and his knowledge of English came through navigation around the world. In the end, he forgot almost everything since he returned to the island.

Finally, he believe young people will have an easier life as there are much more opportunities than in his days. Tourism is the number one industry. The problem with the agriculture he sees is that it’s not enough today to earn for a living and many fields were divided into plenty of smaller parcels and those who own them stopped carrying for the land. He concluded again that only with the tourism he can see the youth prosper.

Afterwards we visited three more people whom I asked similar questions. However, I will share the story of the last ones – an old couple living alone in their home. The story of Marjan and Vera Špralja is one of the sad ones you are going to hear.

Life story of Marjan and Vera Špralja

I met them upstairs on their terrace enjoying the snacks and soft sunlight. Though at first a bit reserved and silent soon they warmed and opened up. Quiet simple and modest people who had experienced a lot. Both over 80 years old.

We started with the family background. They came to Zaglav from Kornat island though their ancestors came to these areas from the mainland around Bakar town. Marjan was the eight out of ten siblings and probably the only one who stayed on the island whereas the other went to different places and countries looking for the better opportunities. One of his brothers is living in Australia. They stayed here on the island as the simple shepherds and fishermen. They spent 20-30 years living in the Old Zaglav upon the hill before moving to the bay. They also spent most of their lives on Kornat island. Further on, they explained me the name of the bay – Triluke (Three ports) and the division between the village „up there“ and „down here“. Up in the Old Zaglav (S_taro selo_) there are mostly seniors living, not many of them…while the bay is filled with younger members of the community, families with children.

Speaking of the past they reminded me that once there lived around 400 people in Zaglav while today there might be not more than 50-60, he guessed. The school that used to be open is now closed. This also comes from the fact that families in the past were much bigger with 5-8 siblings. The same case was with my grandmother.

I wondered how the two of them had met. They happen to meet each other back in the elementary school. They said they finished only 3-4 grades and have the essentials skills for living – writing, reading, driving the car and the boat…and some knowledge about the agriculture. There were no teachers, they said. The one teacher used to come twice per week to teach the locals.

We moved to the stories of being on the sea. Marjan is an experienced fisherman and we would have needed an extra day to listen to all of it. The biggest enemy he’s always encountered was the stormy weather at the sea and the wind. One time, during such occasion, he was forced to jump from the boat into the sea in order to push it to the shore otherwise the boat would have been lost.

However, the biggest tragedy they have encountered is with their children. Their son died at the age of 19 losing battle to illness and their daughter (50) is fighting the similar battle laying immobile in the hospital. “Misery and sorrow, that’s our story.” Vera told me.

She moved on saying “We had the sheep on Kornat island, we were fishing, we had a vineyard…and I had been working at Mardešić Fish Factory in Sali for 26 years. And ill children. Nowadays people complain they have no time for anything. They have one child and still busy all the time.” - “Yeah, they waste their whole day trying to put on the make-up”, added Marjan. “We also got up earlier than people today.”

The house they live in was built by Marjan himself. They sold one house to a cousin who took care of them since they won’t have any heirs - otherwise they would keep it for their children. Vera is today suffering from several pains and the similar goes with Marjan. Apart from the cousin who visits them sometimes they have no one else on the island who can help them. The hard life and problems took toll on their health.

We came back to childhood they also described as a misery and famine. Marjan explained there was no such luxury as today to have smoked ham and cheese on your table along with other food we throw away recklessly…but dried figs mostly. Vera carried on pointing me the oranges, olives and lemons they have in their garden. They are happy as they get the fruits from those trees three times in a year.

We ended up our conversation with them asking me about my background and how come I ended up on Dugi otok. They thanked me for visiting them and I was thankful them having shared their time with me.

We are done with the interviews in Zaglav. I came back to the gas station where I met Mirel leaving in his car. He gave me a book about Dugi otok and NP Kornati. As I found out Zvonko had told him to watch over me and help me getting around. Sounds like Sam and Frodo thing. We made a deal to visit Sali in the evening and go for some pizza.

I returned back to the monastery and spent some time talking to the monk-dudes.

Dinner with cheese, bread and wine with my fellas from da monastery

More about the upoming evening in Sali and visiting the cliffs of Telašćica near Fort Grpašćak in the next post!

Grgo

#dugi otok #dalmacija #dalmatia #zaglav #samostan na zaglavu #samostan sv mihovila #monastery dalmatia #long island croatia #interview #the locals #documentary #photography #video #tradition #customs

[musicalmelody001]

So, like, back on that crutches thing nobody cared about...

It's been a while. It's the end of the 4th week, and those estimated 2-3 weeks to heal were a LIE. My foot still hurts pretty much on the same level as it did on the third day- a fuck ton better than the first, but still an issue walking. Granted, I only used the crutches for 6 days before I got tired of using my entire lunch break walking TO the bathroom. So, like. Still hurts. Except, oh yeah. Some fun stuff. Someone hit my car the second week, and I walked without my crutches to the nearest store (two city major intersections) in heavy-ass rain to get some ducttape to put back together the pieces of my bumper that I had JUST replaced out-of-pocket. I wasn't gonna buy a new fucking bumper less than a month after getting this one. Fuck that. Then, THIS WEEK. This week started off with a bang if that bang is a gun that shoots you in the face with bullets that explode into fireworks that spell "Fuck You".

Monday, I woke up super late and instead of arriving 30min early as I prefer, I showed up 6 minutes late. Which is TECHNICALLY a fireable offense. Later, my co-worker asked me to drive her to her friend's house after work. Her car was out of comission and would otherwise walk home - 13ish miles. So I drove her to the opposite edge of the city, the long way around because of course the gps is messing up. I finally get her to her friend's house, and turn on the gps to head home. It's about 40 minutes since we left work, but GPS says 22min to home with light traffic. Sounds good. Wanna eat some ice cream. Monday was expected to be -and WAS- the worst/bussiest/most aggrivating day of the quarter, possibly TWO quarters. All the fucking stars alligned for the day from hell for the whole department for eight solid hours.

Anywhoo, heading onto the only highway for miles -because we're inthe middle of nowhere and there's just green everywhere outside of that one main street a mile back that had a neighborhood and like three businesses, and about a mile or so down the road I notice a bunch of heat in the cabin. Coming from the air vents. And a slight smoke smell. While the ac/heater was completely off. I take the upcoming exit, and pull over in a church parkinglot that suddely shows up amongst the freaking endless trees. Turm off the car. Get outside. Pop the hood. A WALL of heat blasts me, and I feel it as I hover my hand over the engine. Okay, no big deal, I'll let it cool. But, I'm out of gas. Might have trouble getting home.

Remembering the oil leak from last month, I check the dipstick. Looks dry, might be out of oil too. I pull out my phone to google the nearest gas station. It just barely see the words "3.4 miles", then my phone fucking shuts off on me, and it's useless now. Close the hood, lock the car. I walk over to the church. Lights off, doors locked. Parking lot empty. I walk around the side and see a few cars. I walk to another door. Locked. Dark inside. But there's an intercom on the side. I assume the people there must be employees working on something durring the week, like at the church I used to go to as a kid. I push the button and offer a hesitant "Hello?" No response. Great. I turn around and take a few steps away from the door, try to get my phone to turn back on. Not responding. After a minute or two I hear a click behind me. A big, burly dark-skinned dude (for reference for my comparison, my family are all around 6ft and a nice medium tan, except me, 5'3" and whiter than printing paper) has the (completely clear glass) door open the tiniest little crack and just looks at me, "Can I help you?"

"My car broke down, is there a gas station near here?" I ask. He gestures down the road blocked by trees, "That way," and closes the door.

I stare out to the road for a bit. That was... So... Not what I was expecting. Or that helpful, really. So I head back to my car, grab the 1gal gas tank in my trunk, and inspect my windows after noticing the broken glass on the ground. Not from my car, but it still does not instill confidence. I pull out the pepper spray from my purse and have it casually resting in my hand, locked, the loop around my wrist. I take my flashlight from my glove box and put it in my purse, just in case. It's hot now, but I drape my cardigan across my sounder, and start heading down the road.

And down, and down. Down a steep hill, my ankle starts screaming as I loose sight of the church between the trees, and I keep going. I pass the higjeay, go underneath it and keep walking in the same direction. And keep walking. Pass a pair of 2ft wooden crosses sticking out of the grass on the side of the road, with fresh flowers, and a small child's toy next to one of them. I feel a sudden chill. I keep walking. Further, I cross a road and keep going, no cars, no buildings, but also no trees now. Just grass. I keep going. The hill gets steeper, I see what MIGHT be the corner of a gas station on the horison, on the second peak ahead. I l

Keep walking, and the hill reaches small flat section before sloping back up. More grass, but now more trees. I see the edge of a biking trail in the distance to my right. Assuming that means a freaking TOWN, I keep going. Up more. Some dilapidated houses that may or may not still be in residence. An empty box of diapers in the middle of the road, that I carefully approach, looking both ways down the empty road, and check for animals before moving it to the side and off the road, placing it by a cinderblock nearby so it doesn't blow back into the road and cause an accident, hopefully. I keep walking. I reach some train tracks and stand there for three minutes, completely confused as to WHAT THE FUCK these road markings are supposed to mean.

The sun is setting and I can see the maybe-gas station not too far away, so I take a picture and keep walking. My ankle REALLY hurts. I finally make it to the gas station, the sun is lower, and I go inside. I pre-pay for a gallon of gas, and an item on the recipt I did not get. I ask and am told it is a fee for using a card, I don't believe him but don't care anymore. I want to go home. I'm told a pump. The pump does not dispense gas. I try again. No response. The screen says "see cashieer inside to pay". I head inside. I say it doesn't work. Clerk says it does. I confirm the number, and go back outside. I try it again. No dice. I hit the button a bit harder, pull the lever. Nothing. I roll my eyes again. Go back inside. Am told that I am not doing it right, that I need to press the button first. Go back outside, try three more times. Go back inside. Ignored. Go back outside, paranoid now that cars are starting to arrive that maybe it will suddenly work, and someone else will get the gas. I try again. Nope. I see someone walk up from behind me in my peripheral, and I think they try to ask me for change, but I ended up screaming frustratedly at the same exact time so they leave awkwardly.

I try AGAIN. Nope. No gas. Not flowing. I go back inside. The clerk is glaring like he never wants to see me again. I say it doesn't work. He says I already got the gas. "Bull shit! It hasn't done a fucking thing!" He goes outside with me to the pump, yelling at me, hits the side of the pump, and it starts working. What the fuck. Who gives a fuck, I'm so done. I get my gallon of overpriced gas, and start to walk away as I realize I forgot the oil. I'm not going back inside. I see a small convience-like store a block or two down. Walk to it. Am asked multiple times for change and/or cash. Repeately advise that I do not have any.

I get inside, and honest the food they're selling is probably SO sketchy but I'm starved. I skipped breakfast AND lunch, so at the moment it smells so good. I just want to get home and eat. But I only have a few dollars in my account, except for the money for my car payment that I'm expecting to go through any day now. I find some oil, more than I wanted to spend, and head back to the car. It's mega dark now. No stars. Just dark. There's a few street lights here by the stores, so I continue. Reply a few more times that I do not have cash to give.

I make it to the sidewalk where majority of my journey resided, and continue down the street. I put on my cardigan. Now I'm going uphill, and my ankle is asking how I want to die, because it's screaming. I don't know how long it's been. But it's dark and it's SURELY not 6pm amymore. When I reach the intersection back in the place with no trees, a car I had seen doing past me earlier had turned around, and pulled over. No cross-traffic. Sitting at a stop sign in my path. Inside the extra-long sleves of my cardigan, I palm my pepper-spray, and leave my thumb resting lightly on the safety lock. I stop about six or seven feet away from the stop-sign, hesitating. The passenger window rolls down a bit, but I can't see who's inside. "You need a ride?"

I hope that the person is well-meaning, and decline, saying I'm almost to my car. He asks if I'm sure, and after two more refusals he drives off. I continue.

A bit further, another car comes. They're heading the same way, but on the empty road they slow down, rolling down a window to shot accross the three uninhabited lanes, and ask if I need a ride. I decline once again, wishing that I didn't have to walk anymore but also paranoid once the sun sets, and continue walking. A bit later they slow down again, suggesting I get inside. I say I'm fine. I walk further to see they'd driven foreward then turned around, this time having opened the side door. I avoid eye-contact and walk a bit faster. I don't see them again. I pass the crosses and feel a shiver down my spine as my eyes tear up. I hurriedly walk away and the feeling passes.

I reach the highway and my eyesight is blurring. I'm exhausted and my balance is off, repeatedly stopping to steady myself to keep from falling onto the grass or into the road. I reach the last peak, and the lights stop. I'm walking on the sidewalk on the left side of the road now, and grab my flashlight, illuminating the way in front of me mostly to be visible to oncoming traffic as I cross an unmarked intersection.

Finally. In the distance. The church. The parking lot. My car that I left unattended for hours, most likely. I approach, checking again for broken windows and find none. The wind is strong and almost knocking me over. I unlock the car and put my things inside, sans the pepper spray, flashlight, and gas. Closing the door, pop my gas flap and begin the slow process of figuring out how the fuck to put the gas in my car with five pieces of plastic that combine to make a nozzle, and no instructions. Eventually the can is empty, and I put it back in the trunk. Now the oil. Grab the oil from inside, loop the pepper spray around my wrist, and turn on the flashlight to pop the hood. There's STILL residual heat coming from the engine. I put the hood all the way up and open the screw-top thing for the oil. No funnel, just gotta pour carefully. Empty the whole quart, hope it's enough to get home safe. Sudden gust of wind, the hood falls on me. Pissed off, I open it back up and curse, putting the screw-top thing back in place. Close the empty bottle of oil and throw it in the cab. I'm so done. Get back in my car. Almost out of gas. Drive down to the shitty gas station and get more gas, after an unpleasant encounter with the clerk. Hope that three gallons is enough to get home because now I'm, like, a dollar short for that car payment. Vaugely hoping that it'll wait until midnight when I get paid. Get back on the highway, phone plugged in and gps open. A few miles down, the cab is hot again. Ac/heat still off. Obviously it wasn't just the oil. I crack the windows to get rid of the heat and smoke smell. Stop at an autozone, they're about to close. I get some engine coolant that my car says it's out of. REALLY short for that car payment now. Sit outside as the nice autozone worker looks at my car and shows me where to put the coolant, and instructs me to wait AT LEAST an hour and a half after turning off the car before adding it. Tells me that it might not be what is causing the heat and smoke smell, though, just help with the overheating engine. I sit on the curb looking at my car with the hood up as the nice autozone people (who know me -and my car year make & model- by sight when I walk in the store these days. Honestly, after the sixth trip in Febuary, I got a rewards card because why the fuck not) close up for the night around me. One on them comes up to me and asks if I'm waiting to add the coolant. I honestly reply that I'm just debating drinking the coolant instead. I feel bad when he looks a bit upset. He's always so nice. I get up, decide I might as well go home and add the coolant in the morning. Head home following the gps. Drive for fifteen minutes before I notice I'm passing the SAME AUTOZONE and heading the opposite direction this time. Am pissed and woreed about gas. Finally get home, leave my shit in the car, and head inside. Check my phone. It's fucking 11. I'm so fucking done. My ankle fucking hurts. My car's still fucked up and I'm still broke. I check my bank account and see the car payment hasn't gone through yet. Hopefully it'll wait until tomorrow when I get paid. Force myself to eat a few bites of food becore going to bed.

In the morning I wake up early. Check my account, and sometime between when I got home and when I got paid, my car payment bounced. $25 return fee. Fml. Almost get into a wreck. Car's still blowing hot air with a hint of smoke. I'm late for work somehow. Life sucks. I tell my coworker I don't want to drive her there again. She gets pissed. My ankle throbs. This is my week.

So, like. Hope this was entertaining? Idk. Half wanted to vent, half wanting to see if anyone else knows WHAT THE FUCK those street markings are supposed to mean. They're too uniform to not be deliberate!

#my posts

[briirens]

Secret Valentine here! xoxo @hiyoris-scarf

I was honestly gonna write you angst, cos I’m bitchy like that, but I decided against it at the last minute. Instead, I decided to write a little thing from a middle of a fic that could happen. So, dear friend, you are left in the dark about the beginning and end. 

Love you babe! <3

Happy Valentine’s Day, Scarf!

The stupid air conditioning still continued to blow some cool air, not too cold as they would like. Dust kicked up behind them as the afternoon began its descent to the western horizon, creating a watery display of warm hues. And the air didn’t seem too hot anymore, as it slowly began to shift towards a muggy, chilled blanket. Everything was quiet. Okay.

“How did someone like ya learn how to steal a car?”

His voice broke the silence, causing the girl to shift slightly. People were always surprised to hear about her secret life, not believing that someone of her tier could ever do something so… vigilante like. The wrapped of the sticky bun crinkled loudly, and her pale pink lips pressed against the glazed coating softly. A dull hum emitted from her, as she took a small bite and chewed slowly. Maybe he would get annoyed from how slow the pace was and give up. Who would ever want to learn about her dull, boring life?

“I’m being serious! Y-You come from this fuck rich family, tag along with a badass, and then you stay silent.” Yato pressed, stealing a few cautious glances of her. “Someone like you doesn’t do something like this.”

Hiyori pressed back against the car seat, rolling her eyes. He never knew how to give up, how to grab the hint that she was not interested in answering questions about her life. Tilting her head towards the window, her hand hurriedly found the window button and soon the glass was half way down. Fresh, dry air slapped her face and it caused her to wince slightly.

“If you must know… You find a lot of things out while watching television, and reading books.”

A smirk tugged at his lips as his haunting blue eyes stared at the road, not peeling away from the endless strip of dust and dirt. From the bright glow of the headlights, a sign was quick to be pointed out as a marker and indication. There was a town in a few miles, nothing too bad. As long as there was a gas station and a hotel parking lot, they were good to go.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed of telling me shit, ya know? Find it amusing a girl like you could break into a car. Shocking, even.”

Hiyori’s head turned to his direction as soon as he said that, scowling lightly at the male. She could have fun too! It just sucked that her parents forced her into some type of mold, something that she did not want to be. Yato’s stories were far more interesting than hers. He based his philosophies off of experience, while she could only build character off of morals shoved down her throat. Life had lost its luster, and maybe that’s why she decided to become self-destructive.

“People always think that I am so spoiled girl who doesn’t know much about life. That I don’t know how to live it. While my parents forced me to study hard, I could only eye the kids who got to walk around and about with friends.”

“If it makes you feel better, at least you have parents who care about your character. My old man could careless if I knock someone up or die out here. Long as I stay outta sight, rules don’t apply.”

Those words really sunk into her brain. They were two people from two different worlds. While her parents handed everything to her, he had to fight for survival. For him and his foster brother. She never had to worry about something like that. This was his reality. Driving through the middle of nowhere just to get his only familial link back.

And the rest of the car ride was in silence, both not wanting to touch base on what was really going on. No matter how fun Yato wanted to make the trip, nothing could beat the atmosphere that hung over them.

While he pumped gas into the car, and switched out the license plate, the brunette made her way inside the little shop. The bell rang out to alert the clerk, leaving Hiyori to inhale the musty air of the run down establishment. Pacing through the different aisles, she dumped a few food options into the rusty metal basket before pulling out a couple of bills from her back pocket. The cashier let his eyes linger on her for longer than he should have, something she had noticed. That uncomfortable feeling set in. She didn’t even wait for the change, as her hand instinctively slapped the money on the counter before she rushed out of the store.

Yato didn’t say anything when she hurried to the car, even going as far as raising an eyebrow as she settled onto the passenger seat. And as much as he wanted to beat whomever made her uncomfortable inside, he knew that starting shit was the last thing he needed. She was an escaped mental hospital patient, he was being sought after by child services, and they both stole a car. Putting their faces on the map would get them caught in an instant.

Luckily the hotel wasn’t too far from where the gas station stood, giving them easy access to the parking lot. Hiyori simply didn’t know what was on the male’s mind, but she had to trust him. She did so far.

“Come on.”

His voice was stern, somewhat, with the notion for her to follow him. Yato wasted no time getting out of the car and sneaking around the building they had parked next to, leaving the female to stumble over obstacles in the dark behind him. It was annoying, really, and she opened her mouth to say that until she rounded the corner.

The soft glow of the pool captured her attention, and her roadmate was already shirtless in the water. An eyebrow shot up but she nevertheless moved to sit next to the edge, kicking off her shoes and dipping her feet in the lukewarm water. Her eyes followed the mass that swam to her, his hand gripping the edge while he breathed heavily. The brunette did think much of it, going to tilt her head back to look at the stars until a hand wrapped around her ankle. Soon enough her whole entire body was wet, and her clothes were hovering over her skin. Hiyori let out a breath of shock, her hands immediately clinging onto Yato.

“WHAT THE-”

“Shush, it’ll warm up if you swim around for a bit.”

Taking note of that fact, Hiyori quickly pulled her hands away from his skin and began to coast backwards. A small smile curved as she moved the water around her, before instantly coming up with an idea.

SPLASH!

Yato stood there dumbfounded, blinking before smirking evilly. A splashing war broke out between the two, in which they were too blinded by water to see that their bodies magnetically pulled together. And it was when their hands collided that they realized the small space between them, ignoring the fact that their heads were tilting towards each other.

“You know, you’re not the average girl.”

“And you’re definitely not the average guy.”

“I never asked to be.”

He cupped her cheeks gently, before swooping down and pressing his lips against hers. As first, she was too shocked to even do anything. But once her boldness and adrenaline kicked in, their arms wrapped around each other and the kiss became more passionate.

It didn’t matter that she was with a guy who did many illegal things to survive. It didn’t matter that she was a girl who tried to end her life by walking in front of a bus. Their pain slowly washed away, just like the makeup that was running down her cheeks. Together they created a spark that could never be dulled, put out, or unseen. They created a passionate fire.

“Sorry for that..” Yato said awkwardly, once they pulled away for air. “Didn’t mean to-”

“It was nice. I enjoyed it.” She cut in, smiling softly before ruffling his hair. “Now race you to the other side. Whoever loses has to take care of the clothes.”

“Challenge accepted.”

#noragami #NoragamisecretValentine #yatori #yato #hiyori #this is probably very shitty #but it's in the middle of a fic au #>:3