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#fornication friday
kinokoshoujoart · 5 months
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angelbarelywrites · 24 days
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♡ slashers scenarios | first meeting (part 2)
♡ fandoms; Friday the 13th, House of Wax, Black Christmas, Scream (kinda)/ Dead by Daylight, slashers (general)
♡ characters; Jason Vorhees, Bo Sinclair, Danny Johnson, Billy Lenz, Bubba Sawyer
♡ reader; gender neutral
♡ cw; Billy Lenz, mentions of violence and general slasher activity, kidnapping, stalking
♡ notes; i didn’t include Bubba last time, so i slipped him in with the pt 2 team :v
also for ghostface i went with Danny over Billy + Stu, just because i’m more comfortable writing older characters tbh. and he’s very attractive to me. maybe i can do a college au fic of them in the future?
•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•
Jason Vorhees
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> you were lost
> utterly, hopelessly lost without a map, compass, or even your backpack
> you were out camping with a couple of new friends when you wandered off to pick flowers
> well, acquaintances more like- they weren’t particularly nice to you, but you knew one from your home town
> before you knew the sun was starting to set and you had no clue which way to go
> you’re kicking yourself for being so dumb but try to make the best of it, continuing to collect flowers and pretty rocks
> soon enough you find yourself on the edge of a lake
> that couldn’t have been good- there weren’t any lakes near the campsite at all
> maybe this was that old summer camp they’d mentioned?
> either way you turn around and try your best to retrace your steps
> but even with a full moon it’s just too dark and too dense and you’re exhausted
> holding in tears, you find a small meadow and finally sit to rest
> you’re still sniffling and rubbing your eyes when someone walks up to you
> you were so oblivious that Jason was able to get a few feet in front of you before you noticed
> he seems…perplexed to find you there
> he thought he’d gotten all of the campers
> and you didn’t really look like you belonged with those fornicators
> (or at least that’s what he told himself to justify leaving you alive)
> he’s holding his machete and soaked with your companions’ blood, but you don’t seem to notice
> “…can you take me back to my friends?”
> well he most certainly cannot do that, not if he wants you to like him- though he’s not sure why that matters
> he’s still staring so you, exhausted, do the only thing you can think to
> “…do you want a flower? I picked a lot”
> he’s delighted and takes it before finally gesturing for you to follow him
> you can’t keep up, so eventually he picks you up
> and like that you’re nearly dozing off
> you don’t even notice he’s taking you back the way you came from
> and he’s glad- he wasn’t going to give you much of an option anyway
Bo Sinclair
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> single travelers are so much easier to deal with
> so when Lester gives him the call that some college kid was stuck on the road, he’s eager for an easy catch
> you take your sweet ass time getting to the station- even though Lester drove you most of the way you let him drop you off just outside of town
> the smell of the truck was really getting to you, and you’re happy to let the dog lead you
> when he strides out you’re cooing over Jonesy and giving her a belly rub for her troubles
> he’s seen his fair share of attractive victims
> men, women, and folks that didn’t fit either category
> and he’s slept with most of them
> but you… there’s something extra special about you
> he decides right there he’s not taking care of you without at least getting a taste
> you’re not too impressed by his flirting- or at least you try and act like it
> but he catches your pink cheeks and quiet giggles as he takes you on a walk
> because of course he’s got the part down the road at his place
> by the time you get there he’s decided he’s marrying you - or maybe keeping you tied up, beggars can’t be choosers
> he’s impulsive but he’s never wanted to keep anyone before
> “hey sugar-“ god your face heats up just hearing him call you that “turns out I don’t have that part you need. It should be in by tomorrow, if you can stay the night?”
> you say yes before you can think critically- he’s good at getting folks wrapped around his finger like that
> “Good. Cause I’m just dying to show you some real southern hospitality…”
Danny Johnson
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> he knows you long before you know him
> he’s a natural nosy guy- he’s a journalist after all
> and a serial killer, of course stalking is on his to do list
> originally you were going to be a victim
> you’d make a good story, a young person taken tragically early
> but you were too cute to die just yet- he had to at least meet you, just once
> if you were a dick no one would say anything nice for your article, right?
> so he just happens to bump into you outside your work one day
> literally bump
> when you spill coffee all over yourself he smoothly apologizes and offers to help clean you up
> “What a mess- I’m so sorry sweets. Let me take care of all this”
> and you fall for it, hook line and sinker
> he’s a handsome guy, he’s used to that but he’s smug anyways
> he gives you a spare shirt of his, though you still skip work
> he buys you another coffee and you sit in his car chatting
> you’re innocent enough to trust him like that- to get in a vehicle with a strange man?
> a strange man that’d been stalking you, no less
> it’s adorable- if he wasn’t so attached he could kill you right there
> but you’re just so damn sweet, and genuine
> and you’re so fascinated by these Ghost Face killings…
> maybe you’re worth keeping around for a bit
> just a bit
> that’s what he says to himself anyways
> when you meet him as Ghost Face, it’s after you’ve already got him all figured out
> and he’s lucky that you like a bad boy
Billy Lenz
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> it’s a given that you first meet him over the phone
> you’re renting out a spare room from Mrs Mac, not in the sorority but a good enough tenant that she keeps you around
> you get along well with the girls and cook them meals, run study sessions and help clean
> it’s almost parental at times, even if you’re not far off in age
> Billy hates you at first, for taking such good care of ‘filthy piggy whores’
> he tells you just as much over the phone, but you’re not bothered
> you never seem to be bothered by his calls
> and that pisses him off more
> but you’re so so cute… it quickly becomes an obsession
> he’s in your walls constantly, watching you
> and the calls from the moaner start coming more and more frequently at times you’re home alone
> one day you just start giggling at him, tipsy “you know, you scare the girls,”
> “good i—“
> “but your voice is sooo nice. that’s why i pick up so much”
> you didn’t mean to confess that , and you hope he takes it as an awkward joke
> when he hangs up you think that maybe he did take it that way
> its not until late that night that you realize that he knew he was sincere
> before you can register that there’s anything wrong he’s covering your mouth and pinning you to your bed
> “hi there, baby doll,”
> his grin gets huge when your still horrified face goes bright red
> he always knew you were perfect
Bubba Sawyer
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> you pick up Nubbins hitchhiking one day, and he’s just dumbfounded by you
> you’re nonplussed by his rambling and you don’t squirm at his yucky pictures. you don’t even kick him out, just drop him off at the gas station.
> you’re not really his type, but you’re fascinating
> he’s gotta get you home to meet his brothers
> so he pops your tires when you go inside- all four
> when you come back out Drayton is cursing him out and smacking him upside the head
> he makes him take you back to the house to rest up while he gets you tires
> of course he intends for Bubba to kill you
> but Nubbins doesn’t pass the message along, because he’s Nubbins
> “Here Bubba! I made us a new friend!”
> you shyly greet him, but he’s an oddly calming presence
> let’s be honest you’ve gotta be okay with a lot fast to like the Sawyers
> so maybe you’re just in denial about the material
> but you tell him you like his mask- and you do
> he obviously worked really hard on getting the makeup just right- and it compliments his suit
> he stares at you a long while before taking your hand and giving you a grand tour
> well, more a tour of his favorite spots
> the chicken coup, a patch of wildflowers out back, and his room full of trinkets collected from victims
> you’re strangely enamored by this big, quiet man
> and you don’t get the sense you’re allowed to leave
> especially when Drayton comes home and goes on and on about witnesses
> but you didn’t really even have an end goal in mind on your road trip anyways
> and now you’ve got Bubba to protect you
> maybe it’s not so bad, stuck with those weirdos
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gloomwitchwrites · 5 months
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Captain John Price x Female Reader Dark Romance
Chapter Specific Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): alcohol, club atmosphere & dynamics, suggestive themes, foul language, canon-typical violence
Word Count: 6k
A/N: Part One of Dangerous Pursuit (shoutout to @glitterypirateduck for sending this idea my way)
At your place of employment, a customer delivers a bloody blow. Captain John Price makes you an offer.
Chapter Two
ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // dangerous pursuit masterlist
The booming bass of the music filters through the wall and greets you like a familiar companion. This is how your Friday nights always begin. And your Saturdays. Like clockwork, you can always rely on the pulsing, thudding beat to keep your rent paid.
It’s a necessary evil, because your day job just doesn’t fucking cut it. You were told as a child that if you just “worked hard” and “went to college” you’d have a good, happy, healthy life.
What a goddamn fucking lie.
Your student loans from grad school are shackles dragging you deeper into the muck of the earth. There are bills piling up on your kitchen counter, and you’re fairly certain your electric is about to be switched off in a few days. Not to mention all the unpaid medical bills. None of them are yours.
Even in death, your mother haunts you still. Your entire life is full of ghosts.
No one tells you that this is the reality of life. It is just one beatdown after another until you’re nothing but bloody pulp on the pavement baking in the sun.
In the moments upon waking, and the spaces right before you dream, your mind drifts to those places in your life that you wish were different. If this one thing didn’t happen, maybe you wouldn’t be staring at yourself in a dirty backroom mirror.
You always come in early to your weekend job.
Thirst is not all it appears to be. Out front, there is always a show. Sometimes it’s drag, and sometimes it’s burlesque. Other times—usually later in the night—there are dancers on poles wearing clothing that makes it seem like they’re in nothing at all. The main floor is where the public dwells. That is where they stay.
In the back—in private VIP rooms—is where the real money rolls in. Booking a private room starts at $10,000, and it’s worth every penny—at least to the customers who book them. It’s a mini-Thirst within Thirst. The walls are soundproof, the seating is spacious and comfortable, and certain illicit services are widely available. The public doesn’t have access to these services, and to even secure a room, a vetting process is required.
No one wants the Feds at the door.
You’re not one of the dancers or performers, and you certainly aren’t one of the workers who fornicate in the VIP lounges. That is not your job, and you purposefully keep it that way. The money you earn by simply making sure the liquor keeps flowing in the VIP lounges is the only thing preventing you from drowning.
It’s not like you haven’t considered it, but you’re not desperate enough to take the leap. The detachment is what appeals to you. You’re not interested in doing something that would put you into intimate proximity with the private clientele. Some of them make your skin crawl and the distance is your safety net.
The dirty mirror is doing nothing for you. Placing your belongings in your designated locker, you seek out one of the tall mirrors next to the various vanities. They’re technically for the performers, dancers, and companions, yet none of them care that you use it.
You twist and turn, checking every angle and curve. While your black cocktail dress is revealing, it’s mostly for appearances sake. You’re not on the menu, but you need to look like you are to a certain extent. The black dress is mostly to mark you as service staff, and while you’ve never had a direct problem, there have been customers in the VIP areas who know they’re not supposed to but blatantly ignore the rules anyway.
“You’re here. Thank God.” At the sound of Holly’s voice, you turn toward the blonde, dabbing off the excess red lipstick you just applied. She plops down in the chair next to you and sighs, her elbow resting against one of the many vanities. “Your regular is here.”
“Already?” you ask in surprise, and Holly grimaces. It’s a pained expression, one that says your regular is already on a rampage. “Is everything okay?” This time you speak slowly, knowing what her answer might be.
“Peachy,” she grins, but the smile is strained, and doesn’t reach her eyes.
You frown. “Tell him I’m here and I’ll be with him shortly. Maybe that’ll smooth over whatever it is he said to you.” This doesn’t seem to relax Holly at all. Her exhalation involves the heave of her shoulders as she slowly pushes herself to standing.
“On second thought,” you interject before Holly can leave. “Have one of the boys do it. Wait. No. Have security tell him.”
The relief that oozes off Holly is palpable. “I will,” she replies, her step lighter as she exits. The pounding bass smashes into your face the moment she opens the door to enter Thirst’s main floor.
Holly shouldn’t have to deal with assholes. She’s too sweet and gentle for that. The smallest emotion can send her right into tears.
And this regular of yours is particular about who serves him drinks, and which people are allowed in his VIP room. He always comes on Friday. He always books the same private lounge. He only ever wants the same girls to cater to him and his friends’ needs. And he only wants you to serve and make his drinks.
You only know him by his first name, Dimitri. His last name is completely unknown to you, and you don’t dare ask around or try to find out. Is it possible to learn that information? Yes. VIP clients are always vetted, but the owners of Thirst keep that information close.
Dimitri bleeds violence. Every action and word are laced with the threat of brutality. This man is attached to you, has been since your first day serving him. While Dimitri has never been cruel or touched you inappropriately, his gaze is a heated one, and never welcome.
He sounds American, but over the course of several months, you’ve noticed little nuances to the way he speaks. There is a slant to his vowels that leans toward a Russian accent, but you can’t be sure even if his name gives that impression.
But it’s also none of your business.
You tell yourself that every shift you work at Thirst. The things you see and hear stay. They don’t follow you out the door. They don’t follow you home.
Maybe that’s why Dimitri always asks for you. You’re consistent and you don’t ask questions. But you also know better. There is no reason for you to stick your face somewhere it isn’t wanted.
Smoothing out the front of your cocktail dress, you inhale deeply, attempting to soothe your nerves. Closing your eyes, you hone in on your heart, counting the beats until they don’t seem so loud in your head. When you open your eyes, you curve the corner of your lips upward, pasting on that customer service smile.
You just need to fake it for a few hours, and then you’ll be walking out of this place with a stack of cash in hand.
The thudding bass of the main room swells in volume when you open the door. You don’t even glance at the main stage to see if anyone is performing. Instead, you keep your gaze sweeping over the tables. Most of them are full, which is a good sign. Walking right by all of it, you aim for the bar, slipping behind it to snag a clean cocktail tray.
Chase, Bree, and Damon all man the bar, working with and around each other in a fluid dance that’s as natural as breathing. Chase notices you grabbing a tray and waves while topping off a beer.
With tray secured, you head for the VIP door. It’s not clearly marked, and that’s on purpose. It blends in with the dark, giving guests an extra layer of privacy. Greg, one of several security personnel working tonight, opens the door with a nod. When it shuts behind you, the thudding bass becomes a low hum.
Just like the VIP rooms, the main hallway that connects them all is also soundproofed. The lights overhead are evenly spaced, but are low, creating long shadows all the way to another door with a glowing red “EXIT” sign above it.
Dimitri always books the room down at the very end on the left, like he wants to by close to the emergency exit in case he needs to use it.
Approaching the correct door, you punch in the code to unlock it. Each door has its own code, and the code is reset with each new guest. The owners thought of everything, but it’s not surprising given some of the fuckery you’ve seen go down in these spaces.
You hear the whirl of the lock disengaging, and then you enter into a small server station. It’s a tiny space, extending out along the wall with a storage room at the end. It’s blocked off by a curtain that separates the two spaces. As of now, Dimitri has no idea you’ve entered the room.
You set the tray down and mentally prepare yourself. Deep down, you know Dimitri is a dangerous man, and you always tiptoe around him because of it. You never do anything that might upset him, and you always take careful measure of his demeanor.
The moaning greets your ears even before you push back the curtain.
The VIP room starts as flat flooring. As you walk across its shiny surface, it rises, requiring you to step up onto a large platform. There are three sofas in total, all angled around a flat table that comes up to your knees. Sitting on the sofas are Dimitri and his four guests. Of the four, you only recognize three. They’re the trio who always tag along.
Abram. Nikola. Lev.
You never asked them their names. You never cared on wanting to know. Dimitri is the paying customer. They simply cruise by, consuming the women and booze Dimitri supplies.
The fourth is a new face, and you immediately pick up on his nervousness. He’s older, perhaps in his late fifties, with a balding head, and slight belly. He’s not wearing a nice black suit like Dimitri and his crew. This man looks like a professor or even a stereotypical watchmaker.
He is completely out of place.
There are three women in the room as well. Olivia dances against a pole behind the sofas on a raised platform, Addie is on her knees between Lev’s spread legs, and Megan is perched in Dimitri’s lap. You deliberately keep your gaze on Dimitri’s face instead of Megan’s bouncing body.
Club music pumps from the speakers but it’s not overly loud. The lighting on the stage is red, and you never get used to it. Dimitri likes it like this. It reminds you of dark, congealing blood.
Dimitri’s gaze immediately draws to you the moment you walk up to the stage. He never breaks away once. His arms splay out over the back of the couch even as Megan writhes on him. He doesn’t touch her. Doesn’t even glance her way.
You have his full attention, and it’s awful. Degrading, like he wants you to watch Megan fuck him.
“Dimitri,” you say in greeting, keeping your tone cool and neutral.
“Sparrow,” he replies cooly, the corner of his mouth twitching as it turns upward.
Sparrow. The pet name Dimitri always uses with you is affectionate and yet sounds like a threat when it rolls off his tongue.
“Do I need to ask?”
“You know what I like,” he says slowly. It’s nearly a croon, like he’s attempting to seduce you.
Indeed, you do know what he likes. Dimitri is specific, and he always orders the exact same thing. He never waivers.
“We don’t need to do this dance every time, Dimitri.”
You’re playing into your role, but the words taste sour in your mouth. It makes you appear flirtatious and interested when you’re the exact opposite.
“But I enjoy our dance, Sparrow. Don’t you?”
No, Dimitri. I fucking hate it.
Your face hurts from smiling. “I’ll be back soon.”
Dimitri’s gaze is smoldering. “I look forward to your return.”
The entire walk to the curtain is like slowly melting ice. You feel Dimitri’s gaze latched on your back. It’s a wet horror of a sensation, like the slimy texture of a slug sliding up your spine.
When you stand on the other side of the curtain, you have to take a moment, inhaling sharply and exhaling slowly in repetitions until your heart ceases its insistent hammering. Dimitri always does this to you. It’s like he has completely control over you even when he doesn’t.
Calmness seeps in, and you step out into the quiet hall, heading for the main room. You’re not exactly peaceful, but you’re not shaking anymore which is better than nothing.
At the bar, you enter in the same order you do every Friday. It’s a waste of time for you to go to Dimitri and then back again. It’s a fucking power trip. He indulges himself, and you’re only option is to give in.
Once everything is in the system, you start pulling bottles. It’s a habit to prep these things in advance. It’s mostly to bring Dimitri what he wants quickly and then making yourself scare.
Behind the bar, Chase grabs several slightly chilled bottles of vodka. They’re top shelf and Russian-distilled, selections Dimitri made himself on the first night. He’s never strayed from it. There are also several bottles of champagne and tequila you pull, along with salt and lime for shots.
Chase deposits the vodka next to the champagne and says your name over the music. You glance up at him and immediately noticed his “I’m sorry I have to tell you this” smile.
“What it is?” you ask.
“Sara called out. Sick kid.”
“I’m guessing we need coverage?”
“Booth section in the back.”
You glance over and frown. They’re all full. Some already have drinks in front of them while others have nothing at all.
“VIP comes first,” you shrug, hating that you have to say it at all.
Chase waves away your words as if it doesn’t bother him. “No rush.” He winks. “I’ll keep an eye on the tables.”
The last items you collect are Dimitri’s cigarettes. Thirst provides a plethora of services, and one of those is freshly rolled cigarettes served tableside. There are cigars as well, but those are not done in house. In the back room where the wine is stored, you carefully weigh out and divide the tobacco and flavor additives, collect the correct sized rolling papers and two crystal ashtrays.
Once you have everything, Chase steps out from behind the bar and follows you back to Dimitri’s private room, carrying the things you can’t. Usually, you only bring yourself because it’s what Dimitri prefers, but if you have to cover for Sara, this entire affair needs to be done quickly so you can go to the floor.
Under the blood lights, you notice the way Chase awkwardly stares at the wall to avoid the pumping movement of Megan’s hand. She is no longer in Dimitri’s lap but next to him. While this is nothing new for you, it is Dimitri’s harsh gaze that gives you pause.
Chase seems oblivious to Dimitri’s fury. Those dark, cold eyes are like spikes on knuckles, meant to shred skin. Dimitri is a walking threat, and you need to get Chase out of here fast.
Clearing your throat to snag Dimitri’s attention, you roll his cigarettes quickly, presenting them to him with a soft sway of your hips. It’s a diversion, and Dimitri appears to seize it, placing a cigarette between his lips.
You strike a match and light it for him. When he inhales, Megan takes the liberty to remove it as he releases the smoke. The exhale is slow, but it’s clear that her action upsets him by the soft curl of his lip and the way his hand forms a fist.
“Thank you.”
“Do you need anything else from me before I return?” you ask, keeping your professional demeanor intact.
Dimitri inhales and then exhales a rolling cloud of smoke. “I always need you, Sparrow. But I can wait until you come back to me again.”
The fact that you keep it together at all is a miracle. Dimitri’s behavior tonight is…odd. And even Chase notices because the moment you’re out of the room, he comments on it.
“That guy is fucking weird. How do you do it?”
“I think about the money,” you reply flatly, because it’s the truth. The money is the only reason you put up with Dimitri’s bullshit.
As the two of you enter the main you, you take stock of Sara’s section along the wall. Booth seating is one step down from VIP. They are relatively private and can be closed up if the people in them so wish it, but they’re also incredibly comfortable and have the best views of the stage. People always think that front row is the best row, but it’s not. Not at Thirst.
You begin at the far end, checking in with each table, making sure that all the items they currently have are in the system while also taking additional orders. Just like VIP, booth seating requires a flat fee for the space, and then a minimum monetary order to keep the booth for the evening.
Everything is fine. Everything is great. Everything is usual.
Until it’s not.
The final table closest to the VIP door brings you to a dead halt.
It’s three men. No. Scratch that. Four? They all have drinks in front of them but there is a fourth drink—whiskey—with no companion. This trio are also severely underdressed. They’re not dirty or unkempt, but lean toward the casual side like they’re at their local dive bar.
The drinks in front of them aren’t nearly enough to cover the minimum. They will need to order more or you’ll have to ask them to leave. It’s one of your least favorite things to do.
“Evening, gentlemen.”
To your left, the one with a short mohawk grins. It’s disarming how handsome his smile is. He looks like trouble. “Evening,” he replies, the Scottish accent startling you for a brief second.
Next to him is a man with dark eyes and hair. He smiles too but it’s much softer. Cozy is the word you’d use to describe him, like he’d be the boyfriend who does things for you because he wants to and not because he has to.
The other man, the one to your right, is an older gentleman. He isn’t nearly old enough to be your father. He may have ten to twelve years on you at the max. Of the trio, he is the most relaxed, with one arm draped over the back of the booth cushion while he nurses a beer.
He’s wearing a black windbreaker and beanie. His facial hair is neatly trimmed, starting at the sides of his face only to stop near his lips, coming up over his top lip to form a mustache. There is a small spot beneath his bottom lip that isn’t touched. It’s…a statement, but you like it. It’s unique and suits him.
The other two are dressed similar to him but neither of them wears beanies. Their casualness throws you off, makes you question their intentions. The people who frequent Thirst do not show up in windbreakers, jeans, and boots.
The older gentleman turns to look up at you, and your heart momentarily flutters. His eyes are a lovely shade of blue that draw you in to their depths. You feel yourself falling, moving toward them, only realizing what you’re doing when he speaks.
 “Evening,” he answers, and the roughness of his voice is like sugar on the tongue.
You want to fall into him, to hear him speak soft nothings into your ear. But that momentary desire is quickly squashed.
Instead, you keep a professional tone, presenting one of the menus. “Booth seating requires a minimum purchase amount. You have not met the requirement.” Using just the hand you hold the menu with, you open it up, revealing the lists within.
Those blue eyes slowly draw away from your face, glance down at the words on the paper, and then promptly return to you. “Can you make an exception?”
Fuck. His voice is lovely.
“I’m very sorry, but I cannot.” You shift on your feet, turning your body toward him without thinking about it. “But I am more than happy to help you make a few selections to get you there.”
The corners of his mouth pull back as he glances at his companions. “On me.”
“Would you like me to go over your options?”
“I didn’t catch your name,” he replies.
You give it, and apologize for not stating it earlier. That’s something you always do when you greet new guests. That’s common sense, but apparently all that went right out the door when you came to their table.
He says your name, and you immediately form a core memory. The sound of it rolling off his tongue is luscious. Sinful. There is no reason for him to say your name like that. And why do you like it so much?
“Along with our extensive selection of alcohol, we offer food, freshly rolled cigarettes, as well as the finest cigars.”
Mohawk whistles lowly. “Simon is gonna hate missing those smokes.” He nods and then looks up at you. “Get me a scotch.”
“Preference?” you ask.
“Nah. You pick it for me. Meet that minimum.” He winks. “Isn’t that right, John?”
John grins. “Careful, Soap.” He turns that smile on you and you feel your cheeks heat. “I’ll have the same. And a cigar. Pick for me.”
Soap snorts and then leans in to whisper something to the man next him. John’s gaze is still fixed on you as you start to walk away from the booth, but you notice a small flicker, a quick snap to the VIP door before looking back at you.
Odd.
You return with the two glasses of scotch and the cigar on a silver tray. You trim and prep the cigar in front of John, and then present it to him. “Would you like me to light it?”
“Is it extra?” he asks.
“I can certainly make it so.”
Along with other things.
“Do it,” he says, taking the cigar from the tray and placing the end between his lips.
Lifting the matches, you remove one and strike it sharply, the little flame igniting in the dark of the club. You hold it out and John leans in. The movement is like two lovers meeting in wanton anticipation.
He puffs on the end until the cigar glows red and smoke seeps out from around it. John leans back, and removes the cigar from his mouth, the smoke curling upward slowly.
“Thanks, love,”
“My pleasure,” you reply, and it takes all your control to make it sound like that one word—love—didn’t just turn you on.
His gaze flick upward and lock with yours. They’re heated, almost interested, but you must be mistaken. You’re the one acting like an idiot. This is all in your head.
You gently dismiss yourself and move away, preparing to go back to Dimitri’s VIP room. On the way back, your heart is thudding and your palms are sweaty.
What the actual fuck is wrong with you? This behavior is absurd. You’re like a goddamn teenager swooning over their crush. This is unlike you, and you want the feeling gone.
As you enter Dimitri’s private room, you head for the table, removing the empty bottles and glassware, taking them back to the small service area. When you return to empty the ashtrays, Dimitri’s demeaner is entirely different.
This man has always been terrifying but this is horrific. It is not a lurking darkness but a present threat. Dimitri’s gaze is fixated on the man who appeared so nervous earlier. All of the women look fearful and on edge, their bodies rigid with tension. Even Olvia who dances on the stage isn’t really working anymore. She stands behind the pole as if that thin metal will protect her.
You’re immediately alert. Vigilant.
“Say that again,” snarls Dimitri. The man mutters something and Dimitri’s lips curl back to show his teeth. “Louder!”
The man looks down at his feet, shaking. Dimitri sneers and then leans back against the couch, shaking his head. “Can’t even admit when he’s a snitch. How am I supposed to trust you then?”
“I didn’t. I promise. I—”
“Shut up!” screams Dimitri. He smashes a half-empty vodka bottle against the table. The glass shatters, and little shards of crystal go flying, chilled vodka splattering everywhere. Megan and Addie shriek, shooting out of their seats and congregating near you. On stage, Olivia looks stricken.
Her eyes are wide, and she cowers behind the pole. You try to coax her with your gaze, silently imploring her to come to you.
“You’re a liar, Legasov. A fucking liar!” Dimitri wields the broken bottle top like a weapon, slashing at the man’s face.
It strikes true, and even under the red lighting, you notice the arc of blood. That is when Olivia moves, nearly tripping off the stage as she runs to you, Addie, and Megan.
“Go,” you whisper at them, pushing at their arms toward the door. “Go.”
They start to move, and you with them.
“Stay here, Sparrow!”
Dimitri’s shout is a blow. You are facedown in the dirt and dragged back over gravel. Slowly, you turn on your heel, facing this demon.
He places his hand on the sofa next to him. “Sit.”
You shake your head.
“I wasn’t asking,” he says, and his voice is almost light, airy. Like he isn’t mad at all. And that is fucking terrifying.
On shaky legs, you go to him, sinking down on the sofa. Dimitri leans in with a gentle smile that is so at odds with his body language. The backs of his knuckles hover just shy of your cheek. “I have a question for you, Sparrow. I’m seeking some advice.”
“What sort of advice,” you murmur, swallowing. The salvia sticks in your throat.
“How should disloyalty be rewarded?” Dimitri points at the cowering man. His hands cradle his face, and blood pools between his fingers, dripping.
When you don’t answer, Dimitri’s head tips to the side, his lips pursed in thought. “What’s the saying you Americans love to use?” Dimitri’s wrist snaps back and forth like he’s knocking on a door. The broken vodka bottle moves with it. “About getting stitches.”
“Snitches get stitches?”
Dimitri laughs. “That’s the one! It sounds so cute when you say it, Sparrow.” His hand hovers just shy of your skin and you don’t dare move. You don’t want him to touch you or even to close the distance.
“But they don’t always get stitches, do they?”
That’s when you notice the gun on the table.
“Go, my Sparrow” murmurs Dimitri. “Don’t come back to this room unless someone fetches you.”
You bolt up so fast you almost knock your knees against the table. You don’t even glance at the cowering man as Lev reaches over and grabs the man by the throat. You don’t glance back even as he starts begging for his life.
As you stride up to the door, the fear starts to give. It starts to melt like ice in the sun. Deep down, you understand that Dimitri has made you an accomplice in this. You step back, let the door slam loudly, and then you turn on your heel, moving to the edge of the curtain, watching through the small break between the curtain and the wall.
The man in question is on his knees before Dimitri. Dimitri presses the barrel of the gun to the man’s head.
“Stitches aren’t nearly enough.”
But there is no loud shot. No slumping of the man’s body as the bullet exits the chamber.
Behind the man, Nikola steps from the shadows, holding a baseball bat. He swings it round and round in slow sweeps until he doesn’t.
Until he brings it up over his head only to bring it down in a powerful blow.
You hear the crunch.
See the head of the bat return to it’s peak. See it come right back down again.
You bear witness. Watching Dimitri and the others observe Nikola’s brutal beating.
You taste blood in your mouth, and you realize you’ve bitten the inside of your cheek.
When Nikola stops swinging the bat, that is when Dimitri steps forward, and uses the toe of his boot to kick the dead man’s shoulder.
“Clean up this mess.”
He steps off the raised platform and you bolt for a dark corner, sliding down until you make yourself small. You hear his heavy footsteps before you see him. Dimitri throws back the curtain and strides out the door without a backward glance.
The three men beyond the curtain talk in another language, but their voices are distant. Slowly, you unfurl, checking to see where they are in the room. They’re still on stage, surrounding the bloody mess on the floor.
Fingers shaking, you silently slip through the door, nearly sprinting to the main room.
When you emerge, you aim for the employee door, needing to isolate until you can calm yourself. Glancing up, John is looking right at you, face grim. Your gazes lock, and his eyes widen slightly as if he’s recognizing the terror on your face.
You promptly look away, bursting through the door, collapsing onto one of the stools. Your breathing becomes a beast, all hulking gasps and harsh tears. Everything comes roaring forward like a monsoon, and you are bending like the trees to its emotional battering.
The door opens and you whirl around, tears stinging your cheeks.
“Get out!” you bark through the tears, not really seeing who is standing in the open doorway. You blink rapidly, some of the tears giving, clearing your vision.
It’s John and a man in a fucking skull mask.
“Watch the door, Simon,” says John over his shoulder.
The masked man only nods, slipping out like a shadow, closing the door behind him. You’re instantly on alert. A frozen deer sensing danger.
“Are you with them?” you mange to say through a hiccup. You’ve shifted on the stool, poised to run out to the back parking lot if you need to.
John takes a step forward. “With who, love?”
You want to like it when he calls you love. Really, you do. But right now, all you can think of is Dimitri calling you sparrow.
“Get out. Get. Out.” He doesn’t budge. “This is an employee area and you—”
“—You’re shaking.” He strides forward with purposeful intent, his gaze focused on your hands. Instinct kicks in, and you draw back. John immediately stops and puts his hands up. “I won’t touch you. Promise.”
“What do you want?”
John places one hand on his chest, keeping the other up. “My name is Captain John Price. I work for the Special Air Service of the British Army. I’m here wanting—”
You shake your head. “Oh, fuck,” you mutter, rising from the stool, backing away from him. “Fuck—just…leave me alone. Whatever it is, I’m not involved.”
He’s on American soil, which likely means he and the people sitting at that booth are together. Is the federal government involved? They have to be. Why else would he be here.
John matches your steps. “I simply want information. That’s all. I’m not after you.”
“Respectfully, go away.” Whatever heated thoughts you had about John Price are quickly flushed from your head. Survival is the most important thing. Him being in this room with you puts a target on your back.
“Just talking. That’s it. Talk to me and I’ll go.”
“About what?”
“About the man in your VIP room.”
“Which one,” you snap. “There are several.”
“Dimitri Radovic.”
Of course, it is. You know it is. Why would it be anyone else?
“I don’t know what kind of information I can offer you,” you reply, extending your arms. “Dimitri and I don’t talk, and you need to leave.”
John’s eyebrows rise toward his hairline. “But you’re on a first name basis?”
“Fuck you,” you snap, anger replacing everything you’re feeling.
“Not until I get what I came for.” Is he flirting you with? Or is he simply trying to rile you up? John’s tone softens. “Did he do something to you? Is that why you look so frightened?”
You look at the ground, unable to form the words as a lump forms in your throat. “Get out,” you whisper.
“I’m not your enemy.”
When you glance up, John is right there. He is so close and yet you don’t feel threatened. “But you can’t help me. And I don’t want it.”
John reaches into his jacket and presents a small piece of paper. It’s not a business card. You unfold it, revealing a phone number.
“If you realize you need my help, call me.” He retracts his hand and your gaze locks with his. Those blue eyes drill into your soul, swallow you up until all you can think about is him. “Paid out by the way. Left you a generous tip. Have a good night, love.”
John walks backward, knocking on the door once he reaches it. The skull-masked man appears, and John exits through the opening.
With his leaving comes a wave. The force of it slams into you. You sink to the floor, cradling your face in your hands, the tears welling quickly. At some point, you manage to scrape yourself off the linoleum, dragging yourself to a mirror to fix your disheveled appearance.
The rest of the night is a dull drone of noise. You hardly hear anything or anyone, moving through the motions just to stay sane.
By the end of the night, you’re ready to collapse.
“Walk you to your car?” asks Chase, tossing a rag into the linen bin.
“Please,” you sigh, wanting the familiar. Chase is someone you’ve known for a while. You trust him.
“Everything okay? You seem off?” he asks.
You open your mouth, a vague reply forming on your lips, but when the two of you exit through the side door into employee parking, you come to a halt.
Chase nudges your arm with his elbow, noticing your abrupt shift. “What is it?”
“The van,” you answer. It’s black with tinted windows. There are no markings and no signs of a license plate.
Chase squints and shrugs. “What of it?”
It’s parked right next to your car. Chase starts walking in that direction, and while your feet don’t want to move, you force them anyway. You purposefully stay to Chase’s left, keeping him between you and the black van.
When you reach your car, Chase leans against the trunk as you fumble with your keys. “You know,” he says. “If you ever want to grab a drink—”
You glance up at him and your mouth falls open. “—Chase!”
The metal pipe comes down fast and Chase doesn’t see it coming. He drops like a stone and his assailant is on you, placing a sack over your head. You lash out but this person is so much stronger. When you hit something on their body, you hear a grunt before they strike you. You whimper, staggering slightly, as their large hand grips your upper arm.
They shove and pull. There is no light. There is only hard metal as you’re half-pushed half-thrown into the back of the van.
This is not John Price’s doing. This is someone else.
With the world dark around you, and the sound of the van roaring to life, all you can think about is John’s offer. If you had said yes to him, if you had talked to him, would you be in this van right now?
Or, would you be safe?
Chapter Two
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bettyfrommars · 11 months
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I'm on Fire//older!biker!Eddie Munson x fem!artist!Reader//90's au//Part 9
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🚨18+Only, mature themes, violence, mentions of violent past, angst, blackmail, stabbing (not reader), brass knuckles, biker!Eddie, biker!Steve, bleeding, mention of blood, longing, mutual pining, knife wielding, biker gang, threats, sexual tension, bandages, relationship drama, reader thinks she's been cheated on, fear of loss, eventual smut (not in this chapter) Word count: 9.4k
Summary: Most of part 9 takes place within the span of one evening, with the exception of a flashback to the previous day. While you're trying to get a hold of Eddie, hoping for an explanation, he decides to take matters into his own hands, and ends up taking on several members of a rival gang. In the aftermath, you rush to Eddie's aid, and at the end of the day, a familiar foe brings you comfort. Another ST character is brought into the fold, as well as mention of others soon to appear.
Series Masterlist
A/N: OOF, I had planned to bring some other ST characters into this chapter but this one got too busy, so I decided to save them for the next one. The new character Astrid was created by I'm on Fire fan and friend @texasblues and I hope I did her justice. You can read more on her and biker!Steve here I know a lot of you have been hoping for some soft Eddie and reader moments, and they are coming, I promise, along with our regularly scheduled smut. Also, I meant to get this out an hour ago but decided to re-write a scene at the last minute 🙃Love you all.
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I'm on Fire Part 9: Fade into You
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10:25 on Friday night, after the photos arrived
There came a soft knocking at your door, and then there was Katie’s voice, asking if you needed anything. You were about to answer, “yeah, a new life,” but you settled for a bland no thank you.
You were on the floor with your back against the bed, cheeks wet with tears, looking down at the phone in your lap. To the left of you was the stack of incriminating photos, but they were face down now on the beige carpet—you couldn’t look at them anymore. You’d already gone to the bathroom to dry heave a few times, but then you realized you wanted to give Eddie a chance to explain himself, but per usual, you couldn’t get a hold of him. You considered that he was at Wayne’s house, and you thought about getting that number from Robin, but even in your distressed state, you’d didn’t want any drama to possibly interrupt time with his uncle.
And so, you waited. You waited for Eddie to get the message you’d left on his machine and call you back and tell you that the photos weren’t real, that none of this was, that it had all been a bad dream that you’d wake up from any second now. “Good morning baby. You were screaming in your sleep like you were having a horrible nightmare.”
Wanting to torture yourself a bit more, you grabbed a photo off the top of the pile and turned it over: it was one of the ones with him and Erica, and it made you shiver. He barely had any clothes on. Had they just fucked and she was saying goodbye to him? She held his face as they kissed, and he had his hand on her stomach. There was another one of her inside his apartment, coming out of the hallway, smiling, while Eddie stood near his dresser. As damning as these were, you wondered why whoever took them hadn’t just snapped photos of them in the act? Eddie was a cautious guy and would most likely think to close the curtains for the fornication portion of the evening, but still—something felt off to you.
You told yourself it was just your foolhardy naivete and lack of self-respect that had you trying to make excuses for him, even now.
You tossed that photo to the side and picked up another, your eyes narrowing on the woman who had her arms around Eddie that same night he made you cum under the cherry blossoms. Her hair was a bright, candy red; she had it up in a high ponytail, and she had a tattoo on her upper arm. He was on the edge of his bed facing the window and she was on her knees behind him, arms crossed around his neck, hugging him from behind. She was really pretty, and she was smiling---so was Eddie, for that matter, like he wanted her to be hugging him; like he was happy she was there.
A sob hitched in your chest, wanting to die all over again, but then you continued to examine the photo as if you could think your way around the fact that he clearly had a woman he liked in his bed at an ungodly hour. The photos of him kissing Erica in the hallway made you sad too, but the ones with the red head made you sick, because he not only invited her in, but he wanted her there. He looked very relaxed and comfortable, like maybe they’d had a thing going for a while---like they were close---and that tore you up more than any quick kiss in a hallway with a groupie like Erica would.
There was also something off about the photos with the red head, but you couldn’t quite place it. He still had his leather on over that white t-shirt and he was turning to her as if in surprise? Maybe he hadn’t expected her to lunge across the bed and hug him like that? Your mind was racing on fumes at this point, and your internal tires had no more tread.
What would his excuse be? That the woman was just a friend? But then, why was she on his bed hugging him at 2 in the morning? Wearing a skimpy tank top and tiny shorts? Did she spend the night with him? In his bed??
You shifted your eyes to the phone, willing it to ring, and then, as another tear slid down your cheek, you clawed at the receiver and yanked it up to call his place again.
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12:43am much earlier that morning
Eddie noticed a big rig parked in the lot when he got back from dropping you off, but it was over near the heavy equipment garages, and he figured one of the guys dropped it off, or it was waiting overnight to be repaired. Maybe it was one of the truckers he knew just pulling into the lot for a quick snooze? The semi truck was an expensive, privately owned red beauty with polished chrome, and it wasn’t carrying any freight. He looked around with caution, just in case, before entering through the garage space below his apartment and locking the door.
He appreciated having the top floor apartment all to himself, and living at work was on brand for him, but he hated having to come through the garage to get to his place; he yearned to smell something else besides motor oil and brake fluid right before bed. Thankfully, most of the car repairs and servicing happened across at the parking lot at the main garages, and the space below his apartment was used mostly for specialty work on custom build bikes. At the other side of the garage, across from the stairs, was a door that led to the clubhouse used by the Coffin Kings for meetings and socializing, and Eddie hadn’t been doing much of either. Not a single part of him missed his ex, but he did miss the house they’d shared together for less than a year before everything fell apart. There was a farm house out in the country that he had his eye on, and if it ever went up for sale, he’d be the first one in line, but until then—this half-assed studio above a garage would have to do.
He wondered if you ever thought about where you’d want to live. Did you prefer houses or apartments? Did you tend to move around a lot, or would you make Hawkins your home for a while? He wanted to ask you these things, but didn’t want you to feel like he was trying to interrogate or pressure you. His ex always accused him of trying to smother her and “dim her light” and the experience had made him extremely cautious about the words that came out of his mouth when he was around you. He didn’t want to get shouted at or told he was doing it wrong. In his heart, he knew that you were nothing like his ex, but the aftershocks of some traumas had a way of digging their heels in.
He flipped the round lock at the middle of the metal doorknob and hooked the security chain before heading for the stairs. That was when he cocked his head, noticing with a prickle on the back of his neck that the hallway light was on upstairs.
He never turned on that hallway light. Ever.
And then he heard footsteps up above in his apartment.
Goddamn, Eddie thought to himself, he was way too fucking exhausted for this, whatever it was. He just wanted to tug one out to the smell of you that still lingered on his shirt and then pass out, but no. His life was basically a circus, but with no really cute acrobatic animals to love on.
Was it Erica again? She didn’t have a key to his place though, and he couldn’t see her trying to break in, she might ruin her manicure.
With a heavy sigh, he put his palm on the handle of the knife sheathed at his hip and made his way up the steps, ears trained for any more movement from up above.
“Anyone here?” Eddie called out, hoping against hope that no one answered.
He got to the top of the stairs and waited, ears perked, listening to his own breathing, when all of a sudden:
“SURPRISE!”
Eddie’s knife came up with his hand reflexively, his back going flush against the wall at the top of the stairs, as a redheaded woman popped out of his apartment and into the hallway wearing a Michael Myers mask, brandishing a large kitchen knife.
“Oh, shit,” Eddie said on an exhale, lowering his weapon, his heart in his throat. “You crazy? I almost stabbed you.”
Max was laughing, wheezing, tongue pressing out between her teeth as she pulled the mask up and let it rest on the top of her head. “I wish you could’ve seen your face!” She crossed her arms at her stomach and bent over, winded in a laughing spasm. “Damn, that was so good. Did you shit yourself, Munson?”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Eddie pushed off the wall and crossed the distance on the wood floor in his heavy boots, wallet chain slapping against his jeans, and then gently took the kitchen knife from her before they exchanged a tight hug. He told her it was good to see her, and then, “how the hell did you get in here, Red?”
She pulled the mask off the top of her head as she followed him into the apartment. “You gave me a key, remember? 4 or 5 years ago, when Lucas and I broke up for a week and I needed a place to crash. That was before I had my rig.”
Oh sure, now he remembered. That was back when the apartment operated as a bit of a flop house for bikers who were too black out drunk to drive home, back when Eddie lived in Chicago for a stint. Lucas, who Max affectionately called “her old man”, was also a patched Coffin King member, but for the Indianapolis chapter. They weren’t married yet, even though Lucas had asked many times. Max had a bad taste in her mouth when it came to marriage, she felt like it was a curse, and so they compromised to be committed. They lived together, they had two dogs and a calico tabby cat that were their babies, and they were close enough that Eddie and Steve and Robin got to see them a couple times a year. Max had been an independent long-haul trucker for the past couple years; she loved the freedom and the power she had behind the wheel.
“Is that your new rig out there?” Eddie asked, unhooking his chain to put his wallet on the dresser.
Max put her fists on her hips, the mask still in one hand, and batted her eyes proudly. “Yep, that’s my new baby Big Red. She’s beautiful, right? Look---” she paused to pull her arm across her body to show Eddie her bicep. “---even had Steve put her in a tattoo for me.” Inked on her skin was her red rig surrounded by daisies. On the inside wrist of that same arm was the outline of a heart with the lettering: L.S + M.M. She was in a tank top and a pair of jean shorts, exposing the bursts of color from other tattoos on her ankle, thigh, and inner forearm. And of course, she had a lower back tattoo.
“You changed your hair,” Eddie said with a tip of his chin as he went around to sit on the bed facing the window to take his boots off. “I like it.”
“See, now,” she threw the mask on the sofa in front of the TV. “It only took you a few minutes to notice I changed the color. It took Lucas days.” It was a much more punk, bolder red than what she’d had her whole life, and so she was a little self-conscious about it, and it felt good to hear his compliment.
Eddie finished untying the first boot as he felt her crawl across the bed toward him, and before he knew it, she had her arms around him in a playful hug. “Eddiiiiiieeee I’ve missed youuuuuuu,” and then she swayed back and forth, taking his body with her.
He patted her arm, grinning; the kids always made him smile. Even though they weren’t kids anymore. Max was...what? 26 or 27 now? “I missed you, too, weirdo. You need to come around more often. Robin said she invited you two to the barbecue a few weeks back?”
She released him to jump off the bed and take a few steps over to plop down on the sofa with a bounce. “Ugh, I was taking a haul to Denver that weekend. I told Lucas to go, but he said he didn’t want to go without me, which is kinda sweet, I guess, but still.”
Eddie shrugged out of his leather with a cringe, his shoulder muscles aching, and then he got up to walk to the kitchen portion of the studio. “Beer? Soda?” He asked, rolling his neck.
She was flat on the sofa, so he couldn’t see her face. “You got any whiskey?”
As a matter of fact, he did, so he poured her a finger, and got himself a beer, and then went to sit in the old green armchair across from her that he had picked up at the Goodwill.
“So,” she sat up to take a sip of her drink with a clench of her teeth and a hiss, eyeballing him. “You gonna tell me who the girl is?”
Eddie looked dumbfounded. “Wait. What do you mean? How did you know?”
Max gestured to the collar of his shirt. “That’s not exactly your shade of red.”
He was still confused, but then he tucked his chin and pulled the front of his shirt out to see that there were two places where your lipstick had smudged, and a smile immediately jerked across his mouth.
“Oh, I know that look,” Max gave an open mouth grin, lifting her eyebrows a few times. “Hearts are gonna be breaking wide open all over the state tonight: Eddie Munson is in love.”
He tried to give her a stern look, but ended up falling miserably as he took a swig of his beer, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. “She’s...we’re just...it’s still new, but…”
Max cackled. “Eds! I need to know everything,” she coaxed, leaning forward. “Do not leave out a single detail.”
He cleared his throat and gave her the cliff notes version of his time with you, proudly showing off the painting you had done for him when he got to that point in the story. He left out the bits about Charlene, because Max was very protective, and he didn't want her to worry.
“Aw, dammit,” Max slapped her forehead. “You mean I would have met her if I’d gone to the barbecue? Now I really am bummed,” she took another sip of her whiskey. “Hey, did you hear about Suzie?”
Eddie cocked his head. “Dustin’s Suzie?”
“Yeah,” Max scratched her arm. “Dustin finally knocked her up. She’s due in a month I think? And they’re wanting to move home, back to Hawkins. Dustin’s mom hasn’t been doing good.”
Come to think of it, Steve had mentioned this to Eddie, but it must’ve slipped to the back of his brain somehow. Steve liked to talk on the phone a lot more than Eddie did, and the past year might as well have bee a few days long for how fast it had gone by.
“Steve’s pretty excited to be a Grandpa, I know that,” Eddie added, the long-standing joke being that Dustin was Steve’s other son: they even had matching nail bat tattoos on their shoulders.
They exchanged stories a bit longer, and then Max yawned.
“You want to take my bed?” Eddie asked. “I can sleep on the couch.”
“Hell no,” Max scoffed. “The bed in my rig is way more comfortable than that brick mattress.”
“Fair enough,” Eddie stood up to walk her out. “You want to get coffee in the morning, or?”
Max scooped up her Michael mask. “I don’t think I’ll have time, I gotta hit the road in a couple hours, actually. But we’ll make a plan to come visit in a few weeks? Maybe we can all get together when Dustin comes home? That would be nice.”
“That would be really nice,” Eddie said, sincerely, putting his boots back on to escort her down to the main door.
She was out of the building and on her way across the parking lot when she spun around. “Hey, tell that new girl of yours that if she breaks your heart, I’ll break her face.”
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“I warned you.” Charlene said, a hiccup of laughter in her voice.
And then, the message continued. “If you don’t know already, that poor girl of yours just got her heart broken, what a shame. And now she has the proof that you’re nothing but a dimestore gigolo who isn’t capable of being faithful to anyone. Sleep well, lover.”
Eddie called your place first, but the line was busy. Every fiber of his being wanted to run over to see you and hold you and tell you that he was being set up. Would you even believe him? He couldn’t though; he couldn’t fathom letting her go on with this bullshit for a moment longer. The fear and anger he felt squeezed his heart like a vise as he scrambled to throw some clothes on, figuring he’d go to your place right after he was done with Charlene. He’d tell you everything: about her threats, how she was to blame for you losing your job. God, what if you ended up hating him anyway for being the reason you got fired? He’d have to risk it, he was done letting this bitch run his life.
The whole getting you fired thing was bad enough, but to actually hurt you? Make you cry?? Eddie saw red in the way he does when he’s about to rip someones throat out and send them to the morgue.
He hated this side of himself. He wasn’t proud of the thoughts he was having as he got dressed, slipping his knife into the leather sheath at his side and putting the brass knuckles in his pocket. Those weapons weren’t for Charlene; they were for the security she hired to be with her 24/7, and he was almost positive they’d have to be dealt with in order to get to her. There was a monster inside of him, deeply breed into his DNA---a cold blooded killer---and it was the tendencies of that monster that he had done his best to keep in shackles most of his life.
His father, Ray Munson, one of the Coffin Kings original founders, would’ve done horrible, unspeakable things to any man or woman who dared to threaten him or do half the things Charlene had done to Eddie. Ray Munson was a bad man. A scary man who made everyone he loved, including his young son, fear for their lives at times.
Looking back, Eddie was glad that Ray went to prison when he did and Wayne was able to raise him, because god only knew where he would be without the aid of a gentle, loving hand. In prison too, for drugs or murder? Dead? Wayne taught him patience, and how to channel his rage through boxing and long rides on his motorcycle; through work and duty and routine. He taught him never to lay hands on a woman.
Jaw muscles clenching, his entire body vibrating, a voice in Eddie’s head told him to call Steve; call someone. Bones? Thumper? Let someone know where he was going, and have them ride with him or wait for him. Let them know the address.
A voice in his gut screamed at him not to go over to her place alone, but he didn’t listen.
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After Eddie took off to go to Charlene’s the message numbers on the answering machine jumped from 1 to 6 in the dark of his apartment as you continued to call, fully justified in deserving some kind of explanation from him. The more he didn’t answer, the more it somehow confirmed his guilt, to the point that it was starting to really piss you off. To the point that you finally just screamed FUCK THIS aloud, slammed the phone down, and went to grab your jean jacket and keys, deciding to go find him. “I’m coming for you, Eddie Munson,” you said under your breath with a curse.
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As Eddie revved his bike and pulled up to the side gate at Charlene’s, flanked by thick trees, he was not shocked to find three of Lucifer’s Own, a rival biker gang, guarding the gate, almost as if they were waiting there for him, expecting him. 3 to 1 odds didn’t faze Eddie one bit, especially with the amount of adrenaline pumping through his body at the moment. He parked his chopper on the other side of the quiet street and walked across, heavy boots clapping the pavement, wallet chain slapping his thigh.
One of the guys, the shorter one with the thick head of black hair, black leather chaps, and an orange bandanna around his neck, made his way over to meet Eddie after a lone car passed between them.
His hand was up with his palm out. “Listen bro, I know we’ve got beef, but I like your uncle, so I’m gonna give you a chance to walk away.”
“I need to talk to Charlene,” Eddie said, continuing his trajectory forward.
“Bro, are you deaf? She doesn’t want to see y----”
But he couldn’t finish because Eddie cracked him in the jaw with a brass knuckle. He had exchanged his rings for the duster because it gave him more support and there was less of a chance of breaking his fingers or hand.
Knocked out, the guy sank to the ground like a wet rag, and Eddie stepped over his body, flexing his hands, ready for the next two. Both wearing their biker cuts, one was tall, young, and pale with a nose pushed flat against his face like it had been broken 8 times, and the other one was stocky with a gray beard.
The taller one started screaming and charged at Eddie, yanking a knife from inside his vest, arms flailing. Eddie dodged the first swing of the knife as it came, blocked the second attempt with his arm, chopped the kid in the throat, and then rocked him with an upper cut. The tall one stumbled back, bleeding, dazed, and he dropped his knife, so Eddie picked it up and threw it over his shoulder.
“I can take you, Munson,” the guy with the gray beard and the meaty hands said with a snort. The older members of the clubs were always tough, grisly old bastards who had seen and done a lot. He had one fist up to guard his face and the other held his knife, ready to swipe. Eddie slipped his knife out of its holster, twirled it around in his fingers a few times, and gave the guy a tilt of his chin. They engaged in a bit of a knife dance for a bit, both swiping and missing, while Eddie patiently waited until he was able to swing his long arm in a left hook to the side of the dudes head. While the guy was still stunned, Eddie jammed the tip of his knife in to his shoulder and the guy howled in pain, and then Eddie stomped his foot against the side of his knee to make him go down.
The only problem was, Eddie had lost sight of the first guy he’d knocked out, and that one was on his feet now, and hooking his arm around Eddie from behind to try and get him in a chokehold. Taken by surprise, Eddie reeled back, and the skinny kid got in a few swings at Eddie’s gut and face while the other guy held him; the guy punching had rings on and Eddie started to bleed, a cut opening on his cheek.
Eddie planted his feet and bent forward, sending the guy flying in the air over his head, crashing into the old guy who was trying to stand up.
That was when it happened: the tall kid, who was relentless as hell, pulled out a knife from his boot, and came in fast from the side to stab it into Eddie’s stomach.
Eddie grunted as it sank in, and then the kid yanked it out and Eddie’s hand flew to the spot at his side where blood was already wetting the webs of his fingers. The kid looked worried, not because he’d just stabbed someone, but because Eddie looked like he was about to murder him.
With a growl, Eddie tackled the kid to the pavement, and secured a bloody hand around his throat as he pounded his face into the ground over and over again until he turned the kid’s lights out. Eddie found his footing to stand up with a cringe and a hiss, feeling the warm wetness soak his shirt, knowing it was bad, but not wanting to look at it.
Eddie had to punch the older guy in the gut one more time before all three stopped their advances; two of them were unconscious and the older dude was on his ass trying not to puke.
The security camera above the gate was pointed right at him, and he knew that Charlene had watched the whole thing from the safety of her mansion. Eddie shook his head slowly back and forth, making eye contact with her through the lens, his chest heaving, his eyes going black. He pressed as hard as he could onto the wound, and limped over to the intercom.
He pushed the white button on the small black box and put his mouth to the speaker. “Charlene!”
He stepped back to look up, and the mechanical arm rotated the camera to meet his gaze. He screamed her name into the electronic eye so that she could see how deathly serious he was about his anger: she had never witnessed this side of him before.
He went back to the intercom and pushed the button again. “I’ll come here every night and beat all of your security guards bloody if I have to. I won’t let you hurt her anymore.”
Warm, viscous blood oozed between his fingers and he new he had to get somewhere else before he got lightheaded on his bike and crashed. It was a good thing Charlene decided to hide because he would’ve put his hands around her throat and never stopped squeezing until she was dust.
One more push on the button, leaving a bloody fingerprint this time. “If you want a war, Charlene, you fucking got it.”
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Eddie wasn’t at his apartment. His bike was gone and the windows in his place were dark, and you wandered in circles for a bit in the parking lot, letting out a few good, frustrated screams, before getting back in your car. You had the music on listening to Something I can never have by Nine Inch Nails, and a strange force compelled you to start aimlessly driving around to places you thought Eddie might be. You checked down around the Velvet Hammer again, over at The Hideout, and then up over the hill where he took the scenic route on his bike, and then wound back around to the road that let to Munson’s Garage again. You’d camp out in his doorway if you had too; you weren’t going to let him ignore you.
But then, with a catch in your breath, you saw him: one car ahead of you, he pulled out from a stop sign. You’d know that long hair and big chrome bike anywhere. The car at the stop in front of you took too long to go and you honked, frustrated that you would lose him. After another stop, you came up behind him, noticing that he swayed a little on the bike, almost losing control for a second, which was not like Eddie; him and that bike were like one entity. He took a country back road, and you kept at a safe distance, wondering why he was going so slow. You noticed after a while that he wasn’t heading for the garage—you weren’t sure where he was going until you recognized the familiar street signs from the neighborhood Steve and Robin lived in.
You turned your head lights off a few cars away, as he parked the bike crooked, and then he fell.
He just went right down flat, one half of his body on their lawn, and the other half still on the sidewalk.
“Eddie!” You yelled, slamming your car door. You were running now, panic lighting a fire in your veins. Something was very, very wrong.
You skidded to your knees once you got close to him, clutching at his big shoulders to try and roll him over.
“Eddie, Eddie? Baby? Are you okay? Eddie!” You turned him over so that his head flopped into your lap, and then you gasped at how pale his skin was. Pieces of his hair clung to a bleeding gash on his cheek, and as your hand went lower, you felt his blood-soaked shirt that not immediately visible at night in his dark clothing, and you caught the scent of a coppery tang.
There were no lights on in their house, but you didn’t think you could carry Eddie all by yourself, and you didn’t want to leave him alone to go and find a phone. “STEVE! ROBIN! HELP!” You checked his face just as his eyes fluttered open to look at you, his lips sticky as he said your name.
“It’s okay, you’re okay,” you assured him, stoking hair back from his wet, clammy forehead, rocking him ever so softly. You sniffed back tears, “you’re gonna be okay, baby, I’m here. I’m here, baby, you’re doing good. Look at me.”
One of the lights snapped on in the house. “CALL AN AMBULANCE!” You screamed to whoever had just woken up. Across the street, someone else turned their lights on as well.
Eddie’s bloody hand grabbed your arm weakly as he struggled to talk, his voice a scratchy whisper. “No...no hospital,” he begged.
You stroked his hair and kept talking to him and by then, Robin and Steve were racing toward you from the house.
“Fuckfuckfuck fuck...Eddie! Man, what happened?” Steve bleated as he scanned Eddie’s body, his eyes blowing wide when he noticed the wound. “Was is the Reapers? The Villains? I’ll go fucking ape shit on their asses!” He exchanged a dire look with Robin that made you choke on your saliva and tears all at once. Steve took his shirt off and ordered for you to press it against the wound as hard as you could to help stop the bleeding.
The last thing Eddie saw before he blacked out completely was your face, and he was so out of it, that if he had been able to speak, he would’ve told you that he loved you before it was too late.
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A woman they called Astrid showed up at the house not 20 minutes later; she was the only person Eddie and Steve trusted for such an occasion. Robin had to calm you down from mild hysterics though, while you washed Eddie’s blood off your hands in the sink, because you were worried that if they didn’t get him to the hospital that he would die. Eddie was on the sofa atop several blankets, drifting in and out of consciousness, white as a sheet. You had helped Steve bandage up his side as much as possible, but he had already lost so much blood.
Robin grabbed your shoulders, shaking you gently. “Listen, Astrid will take care of him, okay? We trust her. The boys have known her for a long time, she’s a healer. She patches up boys at the fights all the time.”
“Robin!” You whispered curtly, your bloodshot eyes filling with tears. “He needs medical attention, not lavender oil and a vinegar douche!”
You immediately apologized for raising your voice at her, but she understood.
When Astrid stepped in the front door on a sandalwood breeze, you instantly felt calmed by the confidence she exuded. She had long, black hair and honey-cinnamon skin, with dark almond eyes that seemed to hold knowledge that was somehow ancient. She had a freshly scrubbed, dewy look about her with minimal makeup, and she seemed to be a few years older than the boys; either in years or wisdom or both. She wore a long, flowing black dress with red stitching, a cream shawl, and a necklace with a sigil around her throat. She had a medical bag with her that looked like it was from the 1940’s, and Oliver ran out to hug her when she arrived, pushing his tiny face into her skirt. Steve hugged her too, and they exchanged a kiss on the mouth before everyone got out of her way so she could get to work figuring out what she was dealing with.
The whole group exhaled a ragged breath after she cleaned the wound announced that the knife only pierced his side and it hadn’t grazed any organs. He’d need stitches though, and apparently Astrid had the tools and the skill for all that. She had a whole chest full of tinctures and natural salves, as well as a stash of modern medicines like pain killers and antibiotics.
Robin used her eyes to plead with you to distract Oliver with some art projects as she did her best to corral him back to his room, and you were happy to oblige, but you kept coming out every so often to pace the living room to check on Eddie, who was as comfortable as he could be in a morphine haze. You let Katie know what was going on and she asked if she could help, so Astrid requested some extra gauze and bandages. Robin fell into Katie’s arms the second she stepped in the sliding glass door holding grocery bags, wearing cut-off jean shorts and one of Robin’s Sleater-Kinney t-shirts. Robin let go of a few sobs into her shoulder that she’d been holding in for Oliver’s sake.
At one point you came out to get a glass of water because Ollie was finally tucked in bed with droopy eyes and asking for Robin to read him a story, and you caught sight of Steve kissing the back of Astrid’s head and stroking her hair while she tended to Eddie’s cheek wound. He hovered near her every chance he got, and you wondered what was going on there.
“They’ve been close since Steve was a kid,” Robin whispered an answer to your thoughts from behind you in the kitchen, referring to Astrid and Steve. “Her mom and Wayne used to have a thing back in the day.”
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Steve was in the kitchen making coffee by the time Astrid packed her things up to leave. His worn Levi’s were cuffed at his heavy, black boots, and he had on a white t-shirt that was so thin, you could see the landscape of his tattooed skin underneath. The adrenaline of the evening was wearing off and everyone’s eyes were drooping, feet dragging.
“I’m going to close my eyes for an hour or two before I have to go to work,” Robin announced, standing up from the kitchen table. She turned to Katie and held her hand out, “come be my big spoon?”
You’d been waiting for hours to be able to touch Eddie and be close to him again, and you finally had your chance now that he was out of the woods, but just then, Astrid came around to greet you, her dark eyes bright and curious as they met yours.
“You must be the one,” she offered, her full lips pressing together in a dimpled smile. “The one who will heal his heart.”
You were about to greet her in a normal way, so her words took you off guard and made you stutter a bit. “Do I...have we met before?”
The two of you exchanged a handshake, and introduced yourselves. Astrid’s hands were soft but surprisingly strong.
“In dreams, perhaps,” she answered, as if it were a common place to meet people. There was a unique, ornate red ruby ring on her right ring finger. “But, also, Steve told me about you.”
“Oh,” you lowered your head shyly, honored that you’d be mentioned to such a trusted family friend. “Well, I’m pretty fond of all of them. They’re growing on me.”
Astrid came in close, searching your eyes with a soft lift of her mouth, holding her medical bag in front of her with both hands. “Be gentle with this one...he’s been waiting a long time for you. He’s thick-headed, but his heart has nothing but the best intentions.”
You didn’t have to ask to know she was talking about Eddie. You wondered what Astrid saw in her crystal ball about why he had lied to you and disrespected you in regards to the photo evidence of him being player of the year. You were struggling to find good intentions there. Alas, this was not the time or the place for your ego or hurt feelings; you would be grateful to Astrid for the rest of your life after how tirelessly she had worked to take care of Eddie, and you told her that.
Steve was waiting a few yards away at the mouth of the kitchen to walk Astrid out to her truck. You watched as he intertwined his fingers with hers and kissed her, holding her close as they walked, whispering words of affection in her ear.
Fade into You by Mazzy Star played low from the radio mounted under one of the cabinets in the kitchen as you were finally able to make your way across the living room to Eddie. Even though you were feeling a lot better about his prognosis than you had when you first found him, it was still hard to see the bandages and gauze wrapped around his belly. Astrid left some antibiotics and pain meds with instructions, and advised that he’d be in and out of sleep and a bit groggy for a while. He needed supervision to make sure he wasn’t getting a fever, and to keep the wound clean, but if he didn’t improve, a hospital would be necessary.
He had fresh linens beneath him, and the blood had been diligently sponged away from his skin. There was also a big sheet of painters plastic at the very bottom of the blankets to protect the couch and carpet. You stood above him for a few seconds to take it all in: his dark, wavy hair was fanned out over the Star Wars pillow case, and his mouth hung open a bit, lips slightly dry, eyelids closed, but you could see his eyeballs dancing on the inside as if he were in the middle of a lucid dream.
The area under his eye above where his cheek had been cut was all bruised, there were a couple stitches in his cheek, and your gaze trailed down the dark tattoos along his strong chest, arms, and stomach, landing on the bandaged area where the knife wound was on the left side, above his hip, cut into a large dragon tattoo with a spade tail that whipped out over his bellybutton. You knelt down and hovered your hand over the bandages, feeling the heat emanating from it as his body worked over time to repair the damage.
You watched his chest move up and down with each breath, and that was comforting to you, helping you to remember with each inhale that he was still with you. Some of his fingers were taped up; his knuckles red with bits of skin torn off. You leaned your stomach against the couch and took hold of his hand that was closest to you, pulling it to your mouth. You planted tender kisses onto each knuckle, and then to the tip of each fingertip. You had your eyes closed, holding the back of his hand to your cheek, when you felt his fingers reflexively clamp down onto yours, and you looked up to see that his eyes were open, just barely, long dark eyelashes fluttering.
“Baby?” He muttered, voice scratchy, lips barely moving. “You…okay?”
You swallowed hard smiled at him, and it was a smile removed of any pain or doubt or sadness; it was just pure happiness to hear his voice.
“I’m okay, Eddie,” you reassured him, even though you were unwilling to return the use of a pet name. “Don’t you worry about me, I just need you back on your feet.”
He looked like he was using every ounce of his strength to speak, his voice nothing but a rasp. “Baby...I’m sorry. I didn’t---”
You softly shushed him and stroked his jawline with your thumb as you held his hand. “It’s okay, it’s okay...shushhhh...just get better for me, that’s all I want. We’ll talk about it all later.”
Truly, things were not okay. But, there would be a time and a place to deal with all of that, and you were a patient woman. The saddest thing, the thing that twisted in your gut like stage fright, was the fact that—no matter how much you cared about this man, no matter how right it felt with him, there was no way you could be with someone you didn’t trust. Even if he confessed to whatever he did with those women and came clean, there would always be the lie—the lie would always exist, and you could forgive, but you would never forget.
His eyes drifted closed again, and in less than a minute, you felt his hand go limp in your grasp as his breathing returned to that of someone entering a deep sleep cycle. You stretched his arm carefully across his body, and sat there on your knees looking at him for a bit longer before you got to your feet.
When Steve got back from saying his goodbyes to Astrid, you asked him if he needed you to stay for a couple hours and look after Eddie so that he could take a nap. Steve was wide awake, though, and was about to have his fourth cup of coffee, and he asked when your shift at the Hammer was.
“Four,” you told him, checking the clock in the kitchen. “I should go check on my cat and eat something.”
Steve gave your outfit a look over his coffee cup. “And shower and change your clothes, maybe.”
You looked down, startled for some reason to see dried blood on your shirt and thigh of your jeans. You had washed your hands several times, but there was still remnants of Eddie’s blood in the moons around your cuticles and the crook of your elbow.
“Oh, I don’t know,” you shrugged. “I think some of the bar patrons would kind of dig this look, actually.”
Steve snort-laughed at that, lip pulling up to expose his pearly whites with the exception of one gold incisor.
“But really,” you continued. “I can come by before work? Just call me if you need anything?”
Steve licked coffee from his lips. “Robin only works a few hours at the hotel, and Astrid will be checking in on him later. You go do your thing. You’ve done a lot already,” Steve tilted his head up on the inhale appraising you down the end of his nose. “Alls I can say is, Eddie’s a lucky man to have you in his corner.”
You bit your cheek and squeezed the defined muscles of his forearm in silent thanks as you walked by him.
“Oh, shit, wait,” Steve called to you, patting the pockets of his jeans as he turned to you with a look of concentration on his face. “That reminds me, some dude was asking about you at the bar yesterday. He left his card for you.”
“Oh?” Your mind raced trying to imagine who that could’ve been while Steve plucked the business card out of his back pocket.
“Yeah, he said you waited on him the other day. Older guy, sick blue eyes, like a comic book character.” Steve continued as he looked at the card and then passed it to you. “He said he bought a painting from you once and he wanted to commission another one.”
You stared at the card without breathing for a bit as your brain connected the man who had tipped you a hundred dollar bill with the name...John Gregson…
Was this really happening? Was he Charlene’s husband? Surely, that was too much of a coincidence. Maybe he was a brother-in-law or an entirely different family altogether. You didn’t know of any other wealthy Gregson’s in town, though, come to think of it.
“I figured you could use the cash, dude looked like he was loaded,” Steve continued, but you were having an out of body experience as you connected the dots.
Steve lowered his head to try and meet your gaze. “Is he cool? Or should I crack his head in next time I see him?”
You snapped out of it and shook your head. “No, this is great, Steve, you’re the best,” you held the card up. “I really appreciate this, you did good. Thank you.”
You didn’t want the chance of losing the card, so you stuck it in your bra as you took one final look at Eddie before exiting out the sliding door.
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After his afternoon tennis match, John Gregson sat poolside under a yellow and white striped umbrella in his swim trunks while he read the paper. He’d hoped to enjoy some time alone, but it wasn’t long before he heard the clip-clop of Charlene’s heels on the cement as she approached him from the pool house. She had on a one-piece gold swimsuit that was low in the chest and high on the hips under a blue silk Kimono, and a wide brim straw hat. He did not acknowledge her when she sat down and continued to read his paper as he held it out in front of him.
A member of their staff followed Charlene to the table and she told them she wanted Perrier with lime as she brought out a nail file and started to work on her claws.
“Have you decided what you’re going to put in that big empty space on the wall in the den? It looks dreadful as it is.”
John licked his thumb and turned the page. “I do have something in mind, as a matter of fact. I’m having a piece of art commissioned for that space.”
Charlene stopped filing, her eyes darting up from her fingers. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
He finally turned so that her face was reflected in the mirror surface of his aviator sunglasses. “I’m telling you about it right now, Charlene.”
She put her nail file down on the table and sat back in her chair. “Which gallery are you commissioning it from? Because I promised Judith that I’d---”
“I’m not purchasing it from a gallery,” he interrupted, taking a sip of his iced coffee.
After 25 years together, what they had at that point was strictly a marriage of convenience. Convenient because Charlene would never make it on her own, and convenient for John because he had been nothing but a goofy, pussy-drunk kid when he married her, and hadn’t even considered a prenuptial agreement.
“Well,” Charlene intoned as a member of their staff brought her Perrier with ice in a glass and a straw. They poured it for her and it crackled in the glass. “I’d like to know what is going in there since I’ll be forced to look at it every day.”
“You rarely go into the den, Char,” he returned with a sigh, eyes scanning the pages.
John knew about Charlene’s other lovers and boyfriends; of course he knew, he wasn’t stupid. But it never bothered him because that meant he could do whatever he wanted, too, and he hadn’t had sex with Charlene in almost 5 years.
“You don’t have to be such an asshole about this, John,” Charlene hissed across the table at him while she slipped her over-sized sunglasses on. “It’s just that I’m a big deal in the art community, and I think I should know who my husband is buying artwork from. I don’t want you to embarrass me.”
Calmly, John took another sip of his coffee. “I’ll tell you about it once she agrees to do it.”
“Cancel the commission, don’t go through with it. I’ll buy us a piece from---”
John slammed his fist down on the table, causing everything on the surface to jump, and two empty glasses fell and shattered. “Charlene! I don’t want to hear another word,” he pulled his sunglasses down his nose so that she could see his cold blue eyes, and he pointed a finger at her with each syllable to emphasize his point. “Do you understand me? Not one more goddamn word.”
Charlene’s eyes bulged behind her sunglasses.
“Telephone call for you, Mrs. Gregson,” a member of the staff interrupted, handing her a Motorolla flip phone with a big antennae.
“Yes?” Charlene frowned at John as she took the phone. Her face lit up when she realized who it was on the other end. She got to her feet, knocking her chair over, and didn’t stop to pick it up as she walked away.
She kept her voice low as she headed toward the rose garden, one hand on her hip. “I guess you got my message,” she paused while the man on the other end said a few things. “I have another job for you.”
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You weren’t able to fit a tiny snooze in that day before work because your mind wouldn’t stop racing. You got in the car only to realize you had put eye shadow and mascara on one eye, but not the other, so, you had to go back in and fix that. When Katie got home, she let you know that Eddie had been up to use the restroom and he didn’t have a fever, which was all fantastic news.
Also, she said that he had been asking about you.
“He was still tired and drugged up, but every time he opened his eyes, he’d ask where you were and if you were okay,” Katie told you. Of course, you and Katie were still both under the impression that Eddie was a lying, cheating scoundrel, and so you were taking his yearning for you with a bittersweet grain of salt.
“Did you ask Robin about it? The other women, I mean?”
“Sorry, babes, I didn’t have time. She was running late and had to leave in a hurry. I’ll ask her if she knows anything tonight, though.”
“It’s not a big deal,” you said, but also—it was a very big deal. “As soon as we know that Eddie is completely on the mend, I’ll have a talk with him. I mean, the evidence is pretty damning, but he still deserves a chance to explain himself.”
Katie leaned over and put her elbows on the kitchen island, resting her chin on her fists. “Does any man deserve it?”
You threw your bag over your shoulder as you headed for the door. “Eddie does. I hope so, anyway.”
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Shana was behind the bar that night, and Steve would be bouncing later, and you felt comforted by the promise of friendly faces a midst feeling emotionally put through the ringer and perpetually on the verge of tears. You were mad at Eddie and still hurt, but also worried sick about him. The thought of losing him put you in a very dark head space. The song Tonight Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins came on the jukebox and you thought you were going to drop a tray of drinks and start sobbing right there in the middle of the happy hour rush. The secondhand smoke was especially thick that night as you coughed into your arm and cleaned out the ashtrays at the bar.
You were chugging a Pepsi in the back room, telling one of the dancers how tired you were, and she very kindly offered you a line of blow, but you declined. On your way back out from your break, you spotted none other than Erika coming in the front door, and you cursed, taking a sharp inhale of breath, continuing on with your work, planning to ignore her for however long she was staying.
To your horror, she made eye contact with you, and she didn’t look like she was happy to see you, either, but still, she started walking over to the hallway where you were. She had on a pink glitter dress, a faux diamond studded choker, and clear, stiletto heels. She was with two other girls who were dressed similar, and you watched her wave them away to get a table.
God, you rolled your eyes internally, you did not want to be dealing with this right now. What was Erika coming over to do? Gloat? To remind you that she would always get a piece of Eddie, no matter how many promises he made you?
In a huff, you grabbed your tray and bolted to move around her, but she stepped in your way.
“I heard that Eddie got hurt. Is he gonna be alright?” She asked.
Dead ass? Really? You didn’t owe her any Eddie news. “I’m working, Erika, please get out of my way.”
“Listen, girlie,” Erika touched your arm, and you looked down at her hand as if it were covered in feces, and recoiled. “I know we don’t like each other, but there’s something I need to tell you. It’s really been fucking with me, because I do care about Eddie, no matter what you think.” She liked to jut her chin out from side to side for emphasis as she talked.
What was this bitch on about? Telling you how much she cared about Eddie? Was she for real?
You swallowed, trying to keep your composure in front of the other customers. “Erika, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of my face right now, I’m serious.”
She clucked her tongue and lifted her hands in surrender, letting you move passed her, but then she said: “Eddie was set up, okay?”
You froze; your entire body prickling with goose flesh.
Cautiously, you met her eyes again, a tremble on your parted lips, an ocean crashing in your ears.
“Did you get some photos of me at Eddie’s place?” she crossed her arms at her chest. “Yeah, well, he didn’t want me there, okay? Some guy paid me to go up to his apartment and force myself on him. Some scary lady named Charlene set it all up.”
You were listening, but you were also fading away.
“You gotta understand, I was mad at Eddie when I agreed to do it, but he’s always been good to me, and I wish I could take it back,” she continued.
Swaying on your feet, your vision became a pinwheel of color as you listened to her words, and then blackness closed in around your peripheral vision until it exploded in an electric burst. The next thing you knew, you were falling, and you hoped that the ground caught you before you tumbled in a free fall into outer space.
Part 10
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Thank you so much for those of you who have made it this far in the series, y'all make this world a joy to create, and I can't wait to see what it next for us ❤️
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my tagged lovelies:@mmunson86 @tenthmoon @notsobubblybaby @truffleshuffle12 @aysheashea @etherealglimmer @manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare @hellv1ra @ms1oftheboys @bexreadstoomuch @emxcast @lma1986 @kurdtbean @miarosso @falling-solar-system @seventhlevelofhell @whatwedontdointheshadows @corrodedcoffincumslut @lofaewrites @nope-thanks @stylesxmunson @ireidsmut @tlclick73 @lilpostatobean2 @hideoutside @munsons-mayhem28 @eddiemunson95 @micheledawn1975 @dandelionnfluff @sidthedollface2 @leilalaufeyson02 @kelsiegrin @layla-loves-ed @unfocused81
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ultrvmonogamy · 6 months
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hello n welcome to fornication friday. if u’ve not yet initiated unwed sexual intercourse, plz do so now
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shinyhappysims · 4 months
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Friday, 10:34 AM, Terra Amorosa Funeral Home, Tartosa
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Asahi: We have gathered here today to remember the life and legacy of our dear mother Gillian. May her memory live on in our hearts.
after the service…
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Diana: Hello, Nnadi. Congrats on your engagement.
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Nnadi: Diana… *scoffs* I would congratulate you on getting into Foxbury but getting a degree from a woke institution means nothing in the eyes of God. And how could you? Our grandmother died and you show up dressed like a slut, dragging around that sad excuse of a man you’re fornicating with.
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Diana: What the— You know what? I’m sick of trying to be nice to you! 5 or 10 years ago I would have been hurt by the things you say to me but now? I don’t care. Because there’s a whole world out there to explore, a bunch of things to learn, and you’re going to experience none of it. You’re only going to go to your kitchen to make ungrateful kids burnt toast for breakfast, to Sim-Mart to buy bread, not even with your own money, and then back home to have boring, horrible sex with a small dick loser who sees you as his property and thinks he’s superior to you even though he can’t even control himself when he sees a shoulder. You’re gonna have a million kids, half of which are going to grow to resent you. Then you’re gonna have an identity crisis when you’re 40 and can’t pop out any more children. And you’re doing all of this for brownie points with a cosmic being there’s no concrete evidence exists. You’re sad, Nnadi. You can take your fugly engagement ring and shove it up your ass.
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Nnadi: I— God have mercy on your soul, Diana. You will need it.
meanwhile…
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Breyonnah: Kyrah? Samaiyah?
Kyrah: …Oh.
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Breyonnah: Look, I’m not gonna try to convert you guys anymore. I realized something. I hate that it took Mom dying to realize it, but better late than never, I suppose. Mom was a good person. I think… well at least I hope, that means something in the eyes of God. You two are great people too, but I don’t want to wait until you die before I reunite with you. We’ll never agree on most things, but you guys are still my sisters, and I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.
Kyrah: An apology? You apologized?
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Samaiyah: Shut up, Kyrah. Bre… that was… oh, come here!
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lexa-griffins · 7 months
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May I suggest we rename some other days:
Milf Monday
Trans Tuesday
Whore Out Wednesday
Tits Out Thursday
Fornication Friday
Slutty Saturday
Sexy Sunday
Friday truly is the fuck day huh! 😂😂😂
Another wonderful weekly calendar ✨️
every monday is Milf Monday for Clarke as she fucks her hot milf wife 🤌🤌
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roseenhance3890 · 1 year
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Sacrificial
It was 11:30 am on a Friday afternoon and you were just chilling out in your apartment, relishing the fact that for once you had a day off to yourself and you could relax for the first time in forever. As you laid on your bed your mind began to wander to the thought of your boyfriend and what he could be doing now. You two had talked earlier that morning, catching up about each other and what the brothers had been getting up to. You smiled when you remembered that call and the sweet words of affection you two shared when suddenly a loud knock at your front door pulled you out of your state, forcing you out of your bed just to answer. “Hello? Who is it?” You called out and in response you heard the faint sound of an elderly man respond. “Hello child! I am part of a local group and I was hoping to have a moment of your time!” He cheerfully called out to you. As you opened the door to kindly tell the man that you weren't interested two large men wearing robes and religious symbols. “W-What the hell!? Let me go!” You cried out, fearful of what these people would do to you. The two men then pulled you aside, allowing more people into your house. You watched as these people ransacked your home and destroyed everything all while praising some sort of god. One of them then grabbed a bottle of gasoline and began to douse the place with it, your eyes widened in horror and you could only scream as the people continued to destroy your home. “NO PLEASE STOP-” You had screamed but was abruptly silenced with a harsh slap across your face. “SILENCE! YOU HAVE COMMITED THE SIN OF FORNICATING WITH A DEMON!” The elderly man whom you presumed was the leader in this yelled. He then continued, “Your sins will surely not go unpunished and clearly you are a temptress sent here by the devil himself to damn us all to hell!” He roared, pointing his long wrinkled finger at you. You inhaled sharply and could only watch as more people came and trashed your home. You felt your pact marks burn as your fear grew, they could sense you were in trouble and were ready to be summoned. You then looked up to the leader and instead of summoning them you gave this man before you a warning. “If you don't stop this and get the hell out of my property he will come for you. He'll kill you all!” You screamed with tears forming in your eyes, blurring your vision and causing your eyes to sting. “HA! You think we will believe your lies?! You dare threaten us?!” He yelled in response before slapping you across the face again. You were then dragged away from your wrecked home and towards the centre of town where you saw a large wooden pole, surrounding it were dozens of people, all wearing the same robes as your captors. You were then hoisted up and tied to the wooden pole, displayed for everyone to witness and torment. As the crowd began to torture you relentlessly you could only cry and beg for them to stop, warning them of your lovers rage and revenge he would surely have for you. “Please stop! I didn't do anything wrong!” You had tried to reason with them yet when you saw a camera crew filming the entire thing you knew they weren’t going to stop. Your wails of agony reached far yet it seemed to urge the crowd to continue their torture on you and after hours upon hours of torment someone approached you with a torch in hand. Your eyes widened in horror and you knew what would happen next… With tears in your eyes you looked up to the sky and a bittersweet smile graced your features as you recalled your life. You then looked down at the people who began to sing and cheer at your inevitable fate and as the flames began to burn your flesh your cries and whimpers turned into blood curdling screams as you felt the fire consume your body. You knew this was the end for you…yet you couldn’t possibly let more people possibly suffer at the hands of these monsters. And so, with the last of your strength you finally summoned him… “I summon you….” Continuation:
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deatherella · 3 months
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Delilah's Days 31
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Five of the teens went off to uni during the last week of play. Mayhem, Oregon, Pippi, Quinlinn, and Rani are off to their next adventure. I'm trying to thin the herd at the homestead and I feel like I barely got to know these kids before sending them off.
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Pretty much everyone at the table took their turn discussing the window. Sometimes I just don't understand my sims.
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Aged up some of the kidlets. Storm and Clive are now adults. Cillian and Wolfgang are children. Tippi, Uhtred and Verily are teens. Storm and Clive are going to stick around for a bit and add to the family fortune. Someone needs to help pay for those two or three fridge re-stocks a week.
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Friday finds the boys studying at various times throughout the day. Other people have their kids learn Cleaning first, I do Fire Safety. I'm happy to report that all infants and toddlers have been snarfed up and away from all household fires to date. Delilah worked on improving her friendships with future daddy candidates for the past couple days. Don only works Mon-Wed, and I haven't had Delilah invite anyone over while Don's there for fear he'll lose it completely and leave her. Which would be bad, very, very, bad. One of the challenge rules is to keep your husband to the end unless he dies. And so far, I'm doing pretty good at them - I've only had to use a make baby cheat to get an infant with the Daddy's that you can't get woohoo with - such as the Human Statue, the genie, and the charlatan. Which the rules say we can, the rest of them we have to meet 'em, greet 'em, and fornicate 'em.
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fandom-hoarder · 1 year
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[Reference]
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1st September >> Mass Readings (Except USA)
Friday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time 
(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))
First Reading 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 What God wants is for you all to be holy.
Brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.
What God wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,10-12
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice, let all the coastlands be glad. Cloud and darkness are his raiment; his throne, justice and right.
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory.
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the souls of his saints; he sets them free from the wicked.
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just and joy for the upright of heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord; give glory to his holy name.
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation cf. Psalm 129:5
Alleluia, alleluia! My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word. Alleluia!
Or: Luke 21:36
Alleluia, alleluia! Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to stand with confidence before the Son of Man. Alleluia!
Gospel Matthew 25:1-13 The wise and foolish virgins.
Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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18th August >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 19:3-12 for Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time: ‘They are no longer two, therefore, but one body’.
Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 19:3-12 Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body.
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’ The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’
Gospel (USA) Matthew 19:3-12 Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Reflections (7)
(i) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus turns to the opening chapters of the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, when he is put on the spot by some Pharisees regarding the question of divorce. The Jewish law made provision for divorce. The only issue of debate among the religious leaders was the grounds for divorce. One school of thought favoured very lenient grounds; another school insisted on much stricter grounds. However, both schools followed the Jewish Law in asserting that it was only the man who could initiate divorce proceedings, whatever the grounds. The woman was not free to do the same. The divorce laws gave a freedom to men that it did not give to women, and it left women very vulnerable to being cut adrift by their husbands, for the flimsiest of reasons. In that context, Jesus’ teaching on marriage was intended to protect women. It reminded men of their obligation to love and honour their wives as they would their own body. Jesus went back beyond what the Jewish law allowed to God’s original intention as expressed in the Book of Genesis, according to which husband and wife are to become one in love, faithful to each other all the days of their lives. It is a wonderful vision for married life and, yet, we all know from experiences that people’s marriages don’t always reflect this vision of Jesus. Some marriages irretrivibly break down. Jesus has a desire for all our lives, whether we are married or single; it is that we would love one another as he loves us. We don’t always live out of that vision of Jesus, but it is always worth striving towards, and if we open ourselves to the help of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord’ love, we will be empowered to give expression to this vision, at least from time to time.
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(ii) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In this morning’s gospel reading Matthew gives us Jesus’ teaching on marriage and celibacy. Even though within the Jewish tradition the Book of Deuteronomy allowed for divorce, Jesus refers back to the original intention of the Creator as expressed in the Book of Genesis, according to which the union between man and woman in marriage was to be enduring. We are all only too well aware that marriages break down. Many of us will know that from our own families. Yet if the church is to be faithful to the teaching of Jesus it must keep promoting God’s vision for marriage as the giving of a man and a woman to each other for life. Jesus also acknowledges the value of celibacy, for those to whom it has been granted, for those who have the graced capacity for celibacy from God. Jesus declares that it is a value given with a view to a greater value, God’s kingdom. It is to be lived for the sake of that kingdom, to further the coming of God’s kingdom and the doing of God’s will. Whether married or single we are all called to work together in the service of God’s purpose for our world and our lives, as revealed to us by Jesus.
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(iii) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The opening verses of today’s gospel reading are often chosen as the gospel reading for a wedding Mass. They give us Jesus’ vision for married life, which goes back to the second chapter of the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Jewish Scriptures. According to this vision, a man and woman become one body in marriage, understanding body as the physical expression of the whole person. This vision of two individual lives becoming one shared life is what couples who come to be married in church aspire to, which is why this gospel reading speaks to them. Even though, in practice, those who come together in marriage do not always stay together, the vision for marriage that Jesus articulates remains God’s will for married life. Not everyone, of course, gets married or is called to marriage, as Jesus acknowledges in the concluding part of our gospel reading. Indeed, Jesus himself was not married. Married or single, we are all called to bring the Lord’s love into the world, to love others in ways that build communion or community. Insofar as we allow something of the Lord’s love to become flesh in us, the Lord will be able to continue his work through us. He once described that work as gathering together the scattered children of God, building communion among people.
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(iv) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In this morning’s gospel reading, the religious leaders are presented as testing Jesus. They were aware that his teaching often went much further than the Jewish law required, even, at times, to the point of undermining the Jewish law. On this occasion the Jewish leaders wanted to test how faithful Jesus was to the Jewish law on marriage. They suspected that Jesus’ teaching would go against what the Jewish law permitted in relation to marriage, namely, divorce in certain circumstances. Their suspicions were well founded. Jesus’ teaching on marriage was more radical than that of the Jewish law. He called on men and women to marry for life, and went back to the book of Genesis to support his teaching. We are all aware that many marriages do not last for life; relationships break down, and people go their separate ways. That is the reality. The gospels show that Jesus knew how to accept the reality of people’s lives; he engaged with people as they were. He relates to all of us in the concrete situation of our lives. Yet, he also sharedGod’s vision for human life, including married life. He proclaimed that vision while continuing to relate in a loving way to all who could not reach it, for whatever reason. That includes us all, because none of us lives up fully to the values Jesus proclaimed and lived. There will always be that two-fold aspect to Jesus’ relationship with us; he loves us where we are, but keeps calling us beyond where we are.
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(v) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
At the end of today’s first reading, God is presented as saying to the people, ‘I gave you a land where you never toiled...’ The people are being reminded that so much of what they possess is God’s gift. That is true of all of our lives. So much of what we have has been given to us. Very often what we value most about ourselves and our lives is not the result of our own effort but has landed in our lap, as it were. We are greatly graced; we have been greatly grace, in particular, through Christ, and that is why the fundamental attitude of the Christian is one of gratitude. In the earliest letter of Paul we possess in the New Testament, the first letter to the Thessalonias, which is actually the earliest Christian document, Paul says, ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’. Paul was aware of how greatly graced we have been and that is why he insists that we give thanks in all circumstances, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is because we have been greatly graced that we can rise towards the very challenging vision of human relationships within marriage and outside of marriage that Jesus puts before us in today’s gospel reading. The ideal of mutual, faithful love within marriage, and of being single for the sake of the kingdom, is possible only with God’s grace. Every day we need to ask the Lord for the grace, the resources, we need to live as he is calling us to live and desires us to live.
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(vi) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Very often in the gospels Jesus is presented as taking a much more relaxed attitude to the Jewish Law than the religious leaders of the time. He is much less strict about the Sabbath law of rest than they are, for example. Jesus heals on the Sabbath, even though this would have been considered work and, therefore, a violation of the Sabbath Law. When it comes to marriage and divorce, however, Jesus seems to have taken a more strict line than the religious leaders of the day. They understood, from the Book of Deuteronomy, that a man could divorce his wife, although a woman could not divorce her husband. This was the interpretation of the Law that was in vogue in the time of Jewish; it left women very vulnerable. Jesus, however, goes back behind the Book of Deuteronomy to the Book of Genesis and declares that God’s original will was that a man and a human who become one flesh in marriage should not then go their separate ways. His vision of marriage was of a faithful relationship which reflected God’s faithful relationship with his people. Jesus must have been as aware as we are today that, in reality, many marriages did not last. When that happens, people have to manage their lives and find love as best they can. We can certainly never judge. Yet, in faithfulness to the teaching of Jesus, the church has to keep on proclaiming his vision of two lives becoming one in marriage, in a self-giving love. At its best, such a love is an ‘incarnation’, with a small ‘i’. It is God’s love in human form. In that gospel reading Jesus also speaks of the single life, those who are single for the sake of kingdom. That is a different expression of God’s love in human form.
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(vii) Friday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus’ teaching on marriage in this morning’s gospel reading was not the standard understanding of marriage in the Jewish world at that time. The Pharisees who put a question to Jesus to test him took it for granted that divorce was permissible in certain circumstances, as was clear from the Book of Deuteronomy. Jewish men were allowed to divorce their wives, although Jewish women could not divorce their husbands. The only question was on what grounds a Jewish man could divorce his wife. This is why the Pharisees asked Jesus if a man could divorce his wife ‘on any pretext whatever’, as some Jewish teachers held. However, in his response to their question Jesus showed that he did not accept their premise that divorce was permissible and the only issue was on what grounds. Instead Jesus went back beyond the Book of Deuteronomy to the Book of Genesis to show that God’s original intention for marriage was that a man must cling to his wife so that the two become one body for life. Jesus’ teaching on life-long fidelity within marriage would have been considered quite radical at the time. In the gospel reading, even Jesus’ own disciples declare in response to Jesus’ teaching, ‘if that is how things are between a husband and wife, it is advisable not to marry’. Jesus believed that a man and woman were capable of a love that lasted until death. The teaching of Jesus, not just in this area of marriage but in other areas as well, must have seemed too demanding, too idealistic, to many of his contemporaries. Yet, Jesus’ vision for human living, whether it is married life or single life, always appeals to what is best in us. The way of life he puts before us may be demanding but he assures us that it is what we were created for and, therefore, it is the path of life.
Fr. Martin Hogan.
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d-u-s-t-9379 · 1 year
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Chapter 27: Fighting, Fornicating, and Fucking Shit Up!
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The Fragility of Firelight (94730 words) by d_U_s_t Chapters: 27/? Fandom: Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto Series (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Trevor Philips/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Trevor Philips, Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, Wade Hebert, Ron Jakowski, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, a little fluff, Age Difference, Older Man/Younger Woman, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Whump, Kidnapping, Are we surprised there's more kidnapping?, Religious Content, Protectiveness, Trevor is pan, Ashley is Bi, no one is straight, Love Triangles, Hurt/a very little comfort, because c'mon… it's Trevor, Humor, Action, Science Fiction, Found Family if you squint Series: Part 2 of Merely Suggestions Summary: Other methods of inflicting pain had peaks; could only be distended so far before they faltered, stalled at a level that sustained in anguish. But fire? Fire has no threshold.   After the dramatic events of the previous year, Trevor and Ashley have settled into life in Sandy Shores. But the banks of the Alamo Sea are littered with skeletons and there's no telling which from Ashley's past will crawl out from the waves. This is a sequel to my first work The Suggestion of Silence. Please enjoy the further adventures of my OC Ashley and Trevor! Updates Tuesdays and Fridays 5pm GMT
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bigbagofgabriel · 1 year
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Manfuck Monday Testicle Tuesday Wed'n'bed Wednesday Thrusty Thursday Fornication Friday Suck-off Saturday and Sunday is for church.
#op
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savedfromsalvation · 2 years
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weprincessblog · 26 days
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FIXX YA FACE FRIDAYS |The Diddy Effect: Evil Secrets Of Fornication
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