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echoe-back-from-the-void · 9 months

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Crowley X Male Reader ~pt2

Because I had to write part two to this budding relationship. Look for pt one on my account. It’s not far.

| 1 | two | 3 | 4 | 5 |

I heard the loud noxious music before I entered the vehicle. The windows were down so I could only assume it was to air out the sulfuric smell crowley gave off. He was sitting in the backseat with his arms crossed as he tried to yell over the music.

I allowed myself a smile knowing they couldn't see me yet as I still flew over the car. I pulled my wings in and fell to the road and landed into the back seat beside the grumpy demon. The radio began to blitz between static and incomprehensible rock.

Dean grumbled over the static as he began to twist and turn the knobs on the radio. "Oh come on man! That was Zeppelin!" He said in aggravation.

My lips quirked at the corner into a small grin. They didn't use to do that. Through spending more and more time with the Winchesters I had more chances to see life and experience it outside the battlefield. In a way becoming more human.

My life had always been one war after another. There were not times for laughter or joy. Only fear as it clouded my nose and I prayed for the soldier beside me to survive this hell. There was that one Christmas when we crossed our trenches and dance and sung and drank until we would wake up the next morning and kill the same men.

"Seriously M/N, even Cas doesn't fuck with the radio!" Dean continued to grumble, finishing off with a glare through the assistance of the backup mirror. "Fix it!"

I nod and twist my frequency to stop fritzing the radio. Instead of zepplin playing there is Frank Sinatras voice as he begins to sing the opening stanza to Come fly with me.

"Frank Sinatra?" Sam asks in confusion.

"I heard this song when it first aired in 1958, during the Vietnam war. After the war I had to meet him, and did." I paused, "he died while I was off fighting in Kosovo Conflict." I admit sadly.

"How could you have heard this if you were in Vietnam?" Dean asked in confusion. "I mean I get you had radios but wouldn't that have been too far?"

"I would play with the frequencies, bounce signals. Everyday I saw my soldiers say 'we are in hell'. So I gave them radio. I amplified signals from home so they could listen to music, all along the watchtower was a favorite, it ain't me by CCR, we gotta get outta this place by the animals. It was all I could do to help." I lean back into the backseat and smile to myself. "I even think one of them caught on. He would follow me around asking me questions." My lips thin into a tight line. "I was sad to see that one go." I said creating a somber mood as come fly with me began to sizzle in the background.

I turned to the side to see Crowley when he bumped his leg into mine. "So frank Sinatra?"

I nod and began to talk with Crowley. Not noticing of how the once staticky version of come fly with me became clearer again and went on to play strangers in the night. Sam and Dean share a uncomfortable look as they both look at the back mirror to see Crowley and Mars having a pleasant conversation. The Angel has a small smile when Crowley speaks.

Dean coughs into his hand while turning down the music. "Not that I don't like this blast from the past, but driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole." Dean says loudly gaining the angels attention.

Sam slaps his brothers arm. "Dude! You can't just say that to an Angel."

"Why not! My car!" Dean protests. "Besides he has wings, he doesn't need car rides to get places so he doesn't have jurisdiction on the music." Dean argues.

The brothers begin to bicker more and it brings a fond smile to my face. Crowley taps my leg and I turn to him again. "What would you say we just go to the destination and let these two chuckleheads chit chat?"

"Are you offering me a ride?" I tease lightly. As soon as it leaves my mouth I blink in confusion. Where did that come from? Maybe the Winchesters have made me more human than I thought.

"If that's what your asking, tall, dark, and scary." Crowley offers and puts his hand on my shoulder. Soon we're standing outside a park. Crowley takes a seat and I choose to sit beside him.

I let myself relax and lean against the bench's arm rest. "So what is the monster this time?"

"A nest of vampires, they've been draining men. Most of them last seen coming out of a gay bar." Crowley says bluntly.

"I forget how much our world changes." I shake my head, "how many would you say occupy this nest?"

"10 or 12."

I think it over before standing. "Then let's go."

"Go? Go where?" Crowley asks in confusion as he stands as well.

"Deal with the nest? I can handle most if not all. I need someone to guard the exits." I respond bluntly I close my eyes and focus, finding the nest easily. "It's not far. It's the old roller skating rink."

Time skip ~~~

I walk into the building with Crowley, he chooses to stand by the door as I walk further toward the rink. I whistle and it echoes; slowly people began to creep out of dark corners. The lights begin flickering and music plays through the over head. Puttin on the ritz began to play and I couldn't stop from tapping my foot.

"Who are you?! Why are you here?" One of them asks.

I stop tapping my foot and turn to the vampire. "I'm here to— dispose of you." I tilt my head. "I have nothing against your kind but I really must kill you. I'd rather be the one doing it than the hunters that accompanied me here. I hope you understand." I say before lunging and pushing him to the ground as his head is ripped from his body. His nest mates begin to hiss as their fangs drop and they lunge for me. I dance between the bodies sometimes dismembering them as I go.

A brave vampire wraps it's hands around my throat and growls threateningly as spittle flies onto my face. I raise my eyebrow and break it's arms before crushing its head under my boot.

The vampires begin to back away from me in fear and realization they cannot win.

"Running is futile, Take your death standing and fighting." I demand in anger. "I've led soldiers with more bravery then you lot." I swing my arm and my wings follow as they decapitate three vampires at a time. The blood outlines them enough to become visible. There are five more alive and I make quick work of four. The last one kneels before me in a pitiful state. It's right arm severely broken as it begs for mercy. I put my boot on the coven leaders broken shoulder and grip his head tightly, snapping his neck while simultaneously ripping it from his body.

I throw the head behind me and flick my wing and the blood flies off leaving my wings untainted and invisible again. Crowley claps his hands in appreciation. The music dies down and I hear banging before Sam and Dean burst into the entrance.

"Hello boys, you just missed a most delightful performance. Nearly brought me to tears." Crowley says sarcastically.

Sam and Dean examine the state of the room and Sam is disgusted by the amount of mutilated corpses while Dean is morbidly interested in how I managed spill so much blood. I ignore them in favor of cleaning my hands with my ever present handkerchief.

"Clean up on aisle— everywhere." Dean jokes and pats my shoulder. "Nice job."

"Dean, he is literally the god of war." Sam says pinching the bridge of his nose while avoiding looking at the bodies.

I snap my fingers and the bodies and blood clean themselves, "better?"

"Much." Sam says making dean snort.

I roll my head and stretch my hands above me. My wings flex as well and stretch out. "That was an okay fight, ghouls put up more effort." I complain.

"I'm sure you'll find a fitting fight soon enough." Crowley said soothingly.

His tone made my ears buzz and I smiled back at him. "I hope."

Crowley then left for demon business and I wished him luck.

Time skip ~~~

The brothers had continued to search for the horsemen rings; regardless if I did not agree with locking my brother back in the cage.

War, of course, bowed in my presence. The brothers asked if I was his boss as the god of war and I lifted my lip in a snarl. "He is a cockroach, starting feeble conflicts that lead to all out war. As a god of war I do not start wars, I fight in them. In a way he thinks he is serving me but his interferences have always angered me. I would be glad to be rid of him."

Famine did cause trouble among the brothers, leading Sam to nearly relapse on his demonic diet. It was amusing to see Castiel gorge himself on White Castle burgers. But I did not appreciate famine forcing him to eat raw meat like a dog. And for that I was the one to kill famine.

Pestilence made me angry. Of all my brother's creations among the demons. The horseman pestilence was the most obnoxious. There is already enough sickness in the world. Castiel killed him at the last moment. I would've ended it but I was off with Gabriel while we watched from afar.

Death, I had no qualms with. I much appreciate him and his reapers. When Dean and Crowley located him in Chicago I flew in with excitement. With a flutter I was standing in the Chicago Pizza shop while Dean was sitting in front of death.

Dean turned over his shoulder, "M/N."

"Death." I said with soft familiarity. "It's been long, old friend." I smiled before walking closer.

"M/N, what're you doing here?" Dean asked in confusion because he hadn't seen me since I killed famine.

"Winchester, you're dismissed." I asked politely.

"No, not until we get his ring!" He demanded in aggravation. Nearly leaving his seat with his shout.

"Winchester, stand outside with Crowley before I drag you out." I demanded without raising my voice.

Deans throat bobbed as he was reminded I was not to be taken lightly. He left silently aside from slamming the door harshly like a petulant child.

I released a breath as I tried to calm myself before taking deans abandoned seat. "I have told them I do not like this plan." I leaned my elbow against the table. "I will deal with my brothers when the time presents itself. But the winchesters are impatient, they want him caged yesterday."

"They are mortal, (male nickname, preferably embarrassing in context)" Death said smiling.

I looked away to hide my embarrassment. "That's not the point." I shook my head before becoming serious again. "Are you happy to be back? My brothers haven't chained you or anything?"

"No chains, I'm free to do as I wish. And I wish to enjoy the fast food of this time. Have you had the deep dish pizza?"

I smiled seeing death speak with excitement about the food he'd like to eat. Those who do not know my friend would not assume he's excited. But as we have been friends since my creation, even I could see how he smiled and would speak with enthusiasm.

"It's all molecules to us."

"Lies." Death said in jest before some cheese cake appeared before me. "Very same from Venice."

"You spoil me." I said smiling and eagerly dug into the slice. While most angels would only taste molecules. After years of passing for human during wars, I could pick out flavors and tastes while ignoring its components. "I almost forgot what cheesecake tasted like." I ate another bite before speaking again. "Did the owners change the recipe?" The soldier I mentioned earlier, the one who had me figured out. His children and descendants are the owners of this restaurant in Venice. Of course when the boy figured me out he would ask questions, most I answered. He saw my displeasure at eating rations so he would eat with me so as to conceal my lack of appetite. One day he made me a cheesecake. While I couldn't taste the flavors then, I have always appreciated it. The recipe was passed down and his family started a restaurant.

"No, regretfully the owners passed and left the restaurant to their children. Only one of them has real talent for food."

I hummed. "That is regretful. I'll have to visit the family at some time to pay my respects."

"You could always visit him." Death said raising his finger off his cane as he motioned up.

I scoffed before leaning back against the chair. "Jupiter would be angry if I were to visit home. I haven't been to heaven since the Vikings migrated. Most of the angels have forgotten me or deny my existence. I may be an archangel but heaven is no longer home." I dropped my head to my chest to hide my sullen expression. I missed the garden, the gates, the warm gooey feeling of the sun. I miss the angels, the cherubs I would take care of. It was by chance I came into contact with Castiel.

"But have you not visited at least once in the last millennium? Not even the gates at least?" Death asked in worry.

"No, not once. I've been busy with wars and conflicts. I fought for the Roman's all those years ago but I am still leashed by that—" I bit down my anger with a contemptuous sigh. "My mark has not changed from the day I received it." I said the word received with as much sarcasm as my monotone voice could manage.

Leaning back in a more controlled voice I continued. "Heaven has been peaceful for so long that while I feel nostalgic for its warmth, I have not tempted fate. Infighting only began after my brothers were freed. I have Castiel giving me updates whenever possible. If the fighting becomes more aggravated then I will take action regardless of him." I said reluctantly.

I looked at the clock and realized we had been talking for so long that my whole cake was barely crumbs and the pizza was much the same state. I turned to the window and was unsurprised to see Dean pacing outside while looking at the sky every couple seconds. Crowley noticed my stare and with a smile he twinkled his fingers in a wave that made me feel—something.

Death mumbled something into his napkin and I was too distracted to catch most of it but what I did made my grace burn in embarrassment.

Death chuckled before leaning over the table to present the silver ring with swirling white stone at its center. It was not my first time seeing his ring but I was surprised that he would present it to me.

"Understand, that while I could give the Winchester some horrible impossible task to earn this, I give it to you in hopes you do not have to use it. I know how you miss your younger brother, and I wish you the best in controlling him and keeping him out of his cage. Until next time my friend." Death finished his last sentence by standing and placing his hat back on his head and vanishing.

I smiled sadly at the open air he had just occupied. "Goodbye friend."

I stood from the table and left the pizza parlor at a leisurely pace. When I opened the door the first thing the oldest Winchester did was pounce on me for answers.

"So did you get it, did you get the ring? Is he on our side? How do we lock up your brother?" Dean fired off in rapid succession.

The last question made me clench the ring tighter in my first and even Crowley winced. I stared down Dean and spoke in a even tone. "Death is on no one's side, he is an entity older than time. He does not take sides."

"But you two are all buddy buddy?" Dean said bluntly.

"I am an archangel and god of war, death is not new to me. I have known him since my creation. We are not buddy buddy." I answered spitefully.

"But what about your brother, you got the ring that means we lock him up now, right?" Dean asked oblivious to my growing anger. I had kept my temper as we collected the rings but it has been building since the first time the Winchesters suggested it.

"Squirrel, you may want to step off it." Crowley said informatively. But it was already too late as my anger had loosened my lips.

"You sound no better than Michael," I spat hatefully. "No wonder you'd be his vessel." I grit my teeth as I tried to control my temper and refrain from killing my father's favorite toy. I held the ring in front of Deans fearful eyes before bringing it to my chest where I felt it brush my necklace before joining it beside my dog tags and godly weapon. "No matter if you beg or plead, you will not have this ring so long as you continue to speak ill. You may kill me or die trying and you would still not pry it from my neck." I threatened harshly as I towered over him making him shrink into himself. "Sam is as much your younger brother as Lucifer is mine. I do Not comment on his binges in the past or his blood purity. So do not spite my brother as if you know him." I spoke venomously before leaving in a riled flap of my wings. I left with such force that the Winchester was knocked over and scrapped his hands on the concrete sidewalk.

I flew circles around the state as I watched for monsters, swooping down and swiftly ending each one I came in contact with. There was no hesitation and no seconds wasted on banter or baiting. Soon I had cleared the whole state of every monster aside from the rare few species I let live. Beneficial species mostly.

Still the anger inside me continued to grow and I took off to the nearest battlefield. The nearest being across the world in a conflict I didn't care to acknowledge before I wiped out the opposing side with my godly weapon. Some bodies made out with whole corpses while others were butchered beyond recognition. My once clean attire and skin were stained with various bloods of monsters before being bathed in the blood of those dead on the battlefield. The viscous liquids dripped off me in fat splatters on the ground. The scent of ozone and iron was overpowering any other smell, I couldn't even taste the cheesecake through it all.

I threw my head back before screaming in anger, anger at the gods, at my father, at my brothers, at humans, at fate, destiny and everything between it. I never hated the sun til that second. Wishing it would explode and end it all. Grace exploded out of me in time with my anger, burning the corpses and scorching the ground black. My wings stretched like they were trying to rip themselves from my body and leave me flightless.

I sank to my knees in exhaustion, my wings, now sore, wrapped tightly around my frame as if they could shield me from my anger, my hate, my sadness.

God created us first, like some science experiment or lab rat. We are flawed to a fault. Archangels being the first off the shelf, we are emotional to a point of destruction. We feel so much stronger then our lesser angels. We feel pain and sadness like a disease. Our anger could level continents without control. Our love is near obsessive. We feel so much stronger and have so little understanding of our own emotions that it cripples us. Michael being father’s pet, Lucifer becomes the betrayer. Gabriel left because he was so saddened by their fighting he couldn’t cope. Raphael feeling so neglected compared to Michael that he took over heaven and the angels to garner favor with father.

In a way I am better than my brothers. While I have always felt just as deeply, my duties and my control keep me from acting on those emotions. I was the perfect doll, as much as I may feel I did not outwardly show it like my brothers. I have the perfect military temperament, as I’ve been told by many throughout my time in war. But this was the straw to break the camels back as they say.

I don’t know how long I sat there as the ground began to radiate with my grace. Providing a beacon for any nearby Angel to find me.

“Big brother?” A soft timid voice asked from afar. I raised my eyes to see my brother, Gabriel. He was shifting from foot to foot as his wings moved erratically behind him.

I smiled reassuringly before trying to stand, I stumbled slightly before trying again. When I was standing straighter I opened my wings from my body so he could come closer.

He sped toward me with a smile and trapped me in a hug. I smiled softly into his hair. My love of my brother is what causes me pain but I would not stop loving them regardless. I rested my head on his while we hugged.

#supernatual #crowley #supernatural fluff #Angel of war #fergus macleod #romance #angel #frank sinatra

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chironshorseass · 2 years

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honestly tragic we never got so see percy fight (and win) against Mars. Imagine defeating the same god in different versions TWICE!

ahh yes. the legendary story of perseus jackson, the godkiller.

percy did not kneel for mars when he was at camp jupiter. mars, the protector of rome, second to only jupiter, and percy!!! did!! not!!! kneel like the rest!!! percy also says something along the lines of "i fought you before" but he doesn't remember, and as mars, the god tells him that he could not beat him. as ares percy could've won in the fight maybe, but he could never win with him as mars. so imagine if percy's like "bet." and challenges him to a duel and they swear on the styx to not go against the other in any way shape or form after if they survive...... and mars laughs bc duh, he'll just kill that little shit who dares go against him. whatever. so he agrees LOL and the romans see all this unfold w horror, but they cant do anything. another LOL.

they fight and percy fucking beheads him and after he regenerates (bc he's a god) he can't curse him LOL. BUT mars doesn't need to bc the romans all attack percy, and he fucking dies, but since the doors of death don't fucking work he comes back from the dead à la centurion gwen. so, funny story. That Happens, and still frank asks him to join his quest to return the eagle or whatever, reyna and the senate discuss this, and percy's like "uhhhhh did y'all just kill me and now y'all want me to help rome survive?? ok awkward. i'll only do it because i like frank and hazel and they'll probably die without me xo u can all go to hell." off they go on the quest. hazel tells percy first about pluto's curse and that she's from the 40's bc she just trusts him a lot and also because he can relate since he also died and came back. frank is a bit scared of him but they quickly reconcile.... like it's ok. u beheaded my dad, but he can be a dick i get it :) and the funniest shit ever is that, when the eagle is retrieved, the romans make him praetor.

*camper voice* then he steps down from his role as praetor because "eh, it's no biggie" and proceeds to fall into tartarus with his girlfriend. even funnier story..... the primordial goddess of misery tries to kill him but he flips an uno reverse card and kills her instead by making her choke on her own tears. haha. yeah that's what i heard, anyway. they don't call him perseus jackson the godkiller for nothing. um so yeah i think even monsters and gods are scared of him and yeah he could've already died and started another war in the process, but nepotism is strong and so is his daddy. also, who knows? maybe he's impossible to kill. maybe he's a god himself. oh!! rumor has it that poseidon and sally jackson had another baby together. yeah i know what u think, but she's hot. i saw her with mine own eyes. let's pray for the future of mankind, amiright?

#idk what this is but i think upped hoo's game if this had happened #anon #powerful percy jackson #dark!percy #mari’s ted talks #percy jacskon #godkiller

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missgeniality · 3 years

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A Date With Destiny (m)

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves, alone - we find it with another.” - Thomas Merton

➺ Pairing: Jungkook x Female Reader

➺ Trope: Strangers to Lovers, Idol!AU

➺ Genre: Fluff, Smut, one comedian in the mix

➺ Rating: 18+

➺ Word Count: 11k

➺ Summary: You are a boss lady in the tech industry travelling to world for work. He is a chart-topping artist touring the globe to perform in front of millions of fans. In the cosmos of life, you are not likely to cross paths. Luckily, fate has a different plan for you two.

➺ Warnings: dom!jk, unprotected sex (sex is cleaner when you pack your weiner!), hickeys galore, lot of spit, oral (male and female receiving), balls receive attention, throat fucking, cum eating, edging, masturbation kinda?, cum play, pussy slapping, pussy sniffing, fingering, squirting, spanking, pain kink?, tit slapping, reader teases a bit but this man is a tease maestro, cum stuffing (is that a thing even?), Jungkook’s THIGHS need their own warning

➺ Author’s Note: @ppersonna is an angel among us peasants. Thank you so much for all your help with this! This is my first attempt at writing, and the tiniest feedback goes a long way! Hope you enjoy!

When you die, the first pit stop you make is to the coffee gods.

Without coffee, this whole month would have been a disaster. Back-to-back meetings, daily flights, countless documents being read, it’s a miracle your eyes are open and fully functioning.

Being the Chief Technical Officer of a well-established company at your age had been anything but a cakewalk. You had strived hard and crossed many boulders to come to where you are. But if reaching that point required huge amounts of effort, now your work is tenfold.

“Why can’t I just get longer flights so I can nap in them?” You mumble into your nth cup of coffee - not keeping count is for your own sanity.

“Because longer flights apparently have crying children. You, our resident baby-magnet hypothesized that shorter flights equal more time in hotel rooms ‘sleeping’. Guess who sleeps in said hotel rooms? Everyone but you.” Your personal assistant and part-time truth-spouter Jake offers helpfully.

“Past me was such an idiot.” You shoot back, wondering if you could inject the espresso right through your veins.

Jake pouts. “Woman, you take on jobs that an intern could do. If you weren’t such an unnecessary perfectionist I would be on the beaches of Thailand, getting sensual massages and eating some pretty pussy. But here we are, on our way to Seoul. So quit your whining because clearly, I have lost more.”

“What if I wanted to do that too?”

“Can I watch?”

“Right.” And that was the end of the conversation.

Passengers on flight KE654 from Bangkok to Seoul are requested to report for boarding at Gate 45A. First Class passengers will be boarded first, followed by Business class and lastly Economy. Please keep your boarding pass ready for checking.

Jake stands up, groaning. “This is where we say goodbye. Do you wanna pretend like we’re strangers and have a hot one-night stand when we land?”

“Sometimes I think it’s your natural response to flirt with a breathing being. Do you ever accidentally just, you know, flirt with a tree?” You try to sound sarcastic, but you’re genuinely curious.

“If a day comes when a hot specimen like me has to flirt with a tree, humanity is doomed. Catch ya later!” He blows you a kiss before leaving for the restroom. You shake your head in awe, a small smile finding your lips. He knew how to get your mind off things.

For all his flirting, Jake’s interest in you is perfunctory. He looks after you, keeps you from starving or gouging your eyeballs out, and calms you when things are too hard. He’s seen your worst. You’ve seen him drunk out of his mind, bailed him out when he “accidentally” smoked up, and heard every new pick-up line his ingenious brain churned out. Basically, you’ve seen his worst as well.

You take a look at your boarding pass. 3C. Jake would be in business class, and you in first. Not your choice, the company makes the rules. It's for the better, he says. Apparently, he can ‘prowl for his hunt better’, without your judgmental glare. You nearly vomit on him just for his choice of words.

Entering the flight, you stash away your hand baggage the first place you find the room and head to your seat and-

Holy. Shit.

Jeon Jungkook is sitting on your seat.

Jeon Jungkook is on your flight?

BTS is on your flight?

What are the odds?

Granted, you’re not a 16-year old obsessive fan, collecting photocards and waving light sticks through the screen, but even in your adulthood you’ve admired their music and shows, routinely keeping up with their discography.

Hell, you even learned Korean years ago to better understand their songs. Maybe you are an obsessive fan.

But you can’t approach them like that. They no doubt want some privacy and not be recognized. God forbid you approach Jungkook with crazy eyes, just to be escorted off the plane for stalking. While you liked their work, you had your own, and getting thrown off this flight does not help you there.

So, you’re just gonna have to speak to him like just another passenger.

BTS who?

Biggest boyband who?

You only listen to Frank Sinatra.

“Excuse me?” You call out, a shiver of a whisper leaving your lips. You immediately chastise yourself for being so star-struck.

Big, round eyes glitter under the bucket hat. The softest ‘huh’ throws a lasso over your heart, and holds it captive. He adjusts his hat, inked fingers making a brief yet lasting appearance. The epitome of tenderness, you muse as his eyes flit here and there to figure out the situation. After finding no one to help him out, he gently offers “Yes?”

You feel extremely guilty for marring his serene face with creases of trouble. “I think this is my seat. See, 3C.” you say, pointing to the seat and then to your ticket for good measure. Did he suspect you recognize them? No. Do you look like you’re over-gesticulating? Totally.

“Oh.” His brow distresses further, the sight has you ready to give the man your seat and hide in the bathroom for the rest of the flight. “But even I am 3C.”

His ticket shows the same characters as yours.

Huh?

With both your faces contorted in confusion, an air hostess comes forward to help.

“We both are booked on the same seat. How does that happen? Do I need to catch another flight?” You suddenly pour out, remembering the countless commitments you have in Seoul that would go down the drain if you don’t make it by tonight.

She's quick to reassure you. “Do not worry ma’am, I’m sure there must have been an error in the printing. I’ll be right back.” At the same time, Jungkook is approached by someone, probably one of their staff, to discuss the issue.

The air hostess returns smiling. “Ma’am, you both were booked on the same seat but this adjacent seat was left empty. We are extremely sorry for the error. You may take 3B.” She reiterates the same message to Jungkook in Korean, who then looks mighty relieved.

Goddamn, his eyes got bigger. How much bigger can they get?

“All okay then?” He glances sideways, smile irradiating your senses and waking you up better than all the coffee could.

“All good. Sorry for the trouble.” You add, even though it isn’t your mistake in any way.

“No no. No trouble” He beams back.

Aw, you are in trouble.

As the flight is about to take off, you can see the rest of BTS in the rows ahead of you, with some other staff members taking up other seats. There’s one old man with a scowl on his face, whom you can’t place with the BigHit group. Great, no crying kids. Unless the frowning grandpa snores to the heavens, you can actually catch a good four-hour snooze. Take that, Jake. Hope a kid blows snot in his face.

Looking at your neighbor, you find him busy searching for a good video game on the screen. The other members seem to be using this flight to catch a nap, except him. You always wondered whether their on-screen persona was real or not. Now you could say at least one of his characteristics is true.

Turning away, you bring your focus back to the document at hand. The schematics for a new product your company was launching. You had spearheaded its conception and looked over every single detail in its manufacturing. The Seoul branch is one of the main players in its production, and your last stop before heading back home. You must have every word in this file burnt in the back of your eyelids to make this deal smooth.

Reclining your seat, and putting your legs up, you got down to business.

An Angel was calling you.

You want to wake up, but you couldn’t, fearing the Angel would stop singing to you. Something is poking you, but the voice just drowns it all out.

Wait...

Fluttering your eyes open, you see Jeon Jungkook staring right at you.

“Hi... They, umm--Food? Want to eat?” the Angel utters. Jungkook utters. Tomato, to-mah-to.

“Oh!” you exclaim, wiping non-existent drool on your face. His palm on your shoulder quickly retracts at your exaggerated attempt to hide your embarrassment. “Thank you so much.”

Then, he does that thing. He smiles. Eye scrunch and all.

Fuck the coffee gods. When you die, you want to meet the Grand Master and ask him what crack he was on to hand over so much power to one man’s smile.

The food is placed on your table, and you thank the hostess graciously.

“Do you need anything to drink?” She asks, to which you only shake your head. There was enough caffeine in your system to shoot a horse to the moon and you were still drowsy. There was no need to catalyze this process with booze.

“Your Korean accent is pretty good.” Your next-seat resident comments. Ah, you had conversed with the hostess in Korean.

“Thank you very much.” You giggle, roleplaying an acne-prone teenager talking to her hunk of a crush.

“Have you been speaking for a long time?” He pops a huge morsel of food after asking. Well, that’s another on-screen quality found to be accurate.

“Six years now. Comes in handy for my work.”

“Oh! Did you have to learn it for work? That’s fascinating.” Another mouthful went in. You didn’t even know it was physically possible to hold that much rice using chopsticks.

“Uhh.. no..” You tussle your hair, trying to stop your cheeks from turning beet red, “I just listened to some music and consuming more content.. and subtitles are a bore, plus I needed a hobby at the time so..”

Your unnecessarily long explanation was cut short by Jungkook’s child-like laugh, enjoying the pickle you were putting yourself in.

“Hey! I just didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable situation, that’s all.” you try to be cross, knowing it’s inconceivable since God himself seems to have given him whatever he wanted. If big ol’ Almighty can’t stand against his charms, you are but a mere pleb.

He looks at you kindly. “Thank you, that was very thoughtful. I’ve been speaking to so many foreigners trying to get across to them I got surprised when you spoke so fluently.”

He went back to chomping on his food like it was his last meal, completely unaware of your staring.

You both speak for a long time. He explains their latest shoot and fan meeting, and you listen to him pour out his love for his job and fans as much as he could articulate. The rest of the emotion is portrayed by his now widest eyeballs (they cannot get any wider, you confirm by asking him - a request he apparently gets a lot) and intense gesticulation. It is very gratifying to listen to his past schedules, and you slip in a quick prayer for not having a job where you had to maintain public appearances while having a schedule as persevering as theirs. Sure, you had a ton of commitments. But can you throw your hair in a bun and aggressively scowl at a monitor and still meet your target? Fuck yeah.

You went on to tell him about yourself - your job, your travels, the reason you were in Seoul. He listens to them with rapt attention throwing in appropriate questions without interrupting your flow. He gives the right amount of sympathy; just enough to show that he understands why you have three sets of nightwear and a futon in your office, but not too much where it seems like you should “take a break” and “think about the joys of motherhood” - as you are often told.

During the conversation, you digress a little to take in his slight features. The apple of his cheeks, in full display, when he tells you about how he pranked his members. The light pout of his lips when he talks about the times their path seemed too far-fetched, when every single obstacle felt like the end of their career. The stars in his eyes when he speaks of how he feels during tours, meeting the endless number of fans, the drive that keeps him going. They all make an endearing package. Eager to please, you kept the conversation going with gusto. The meal is followed by a snack break, after which you had effectively exhausted all conversation topics that could be brought up with near-strangers.

A quick alcohol break later, (yes, you caved, the catalyst was welcome) you both doze off, seemingly exhausted from recollecting respective timetables. He wakes up soon after to play video games and talk to the other members. But you fall into a deep slumber, with an Angel’s chuckles in the background guiding you through the sleep.

Jungkook wakes up to see his character dead. The video game was forgotten after his conversation with you began.

He spent an inordinate amount of time talking to you. And now that you’re asleep, he is only thinking about how much he enjoyed the conversation. Jungkook is not a speaker. His introversion leaves much to be desired in that department. Most of the time, his members cover for him, play the role of dutiful wingmen, and introduce him to their friends. And still, it took him a long time to talk freely.

But something about you made him open up.

Maybe it was the way you listened to him, lips slightly parted when you were absorbing every single word he let out. Maybe it was the questions you asked, treading lightly and skirting any personal questions. Maybe it was the fact that you pretended to not know him at first, mindful of his privacy. The butterflies in him could be explained by this.

But.

It could also be how graceful you looked, even though you’re dressed in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. It could be how you carried yourself, with great elegance and poise, even though your work was taxing. It could also be your toe socks, and your glee when he showed you his.

Your personality is infectious. He already misses you, despite you being inches away, desperately wants to exhaust every second of this journey engrossed in you.

He wonders if you feel that way too.

Speaking of whom-

A snicker escapes his lips when he turns to face you.

In your sleepy haze, Jungkook sees that a) your mouth is wide open, b) your hands mindlessly fiddle with the reams of pages on your lap, and c) your eyes scrunch as sunlight pierces through the flight to bounce off your face. Cute, he muses, trying to locate the source of the criminal rays irking you.

The window letting the sunbeam in is beside an old man sitting on the other end. He is eyeing the magazine in his hands with abject disapproval, like the booklet had sullied him and his family.

Gathering up the courage, Jungkook calls out for the man.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you mind pulling the window shade?” He asks, in the sweetest voice that his hyungs would melt at first listen.

Puppy eyes are met with the geezer’s piercing glare, making Jungkook wonder if he accidentally said something strikingly offensive instead of what he thought he said. About to backtrack his words and try again, he gets interrupted by the man letting out a big grunt, after which he continues in his endeavor to telepathically set fire to the magazine. He does not forget to give a nasty side-eye but completely refuses to comply with Jungkook’s request.

“And my team thinks my glares are spooky.” You pique, having witnessed the whole interaction, “I ought to have him on board”. Jungkook snorts, and you take that to be his agreement.

Pausing, you throw caution in the wind and add, “Thank you though, that was very sweet of you.”

He eyes you demurely. “No problem, you looked like you needed the rest.”

“Listen, I-”

“So I was think-”

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the Incheon International airport. Please ensure your backpacks and suitcases are stowed away in the overhead compartments or underneath the seats ahead of you. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you.

High-quality curses almost make it to heaven (speakers). The announcement dissipates all the courage you had mustered, feeling a rush exit your body. You had almost asked for his contact - and by the looks of it, he had wanted it too. Or maybe your hair is a rat's nest and he was just going to point that out. Guess you will never know.

You shyly smile at each other before going about following the instructions. Your half-read document gets stuffed back into its bag, to be read once you have no distractions in the form of eye candy armed with saccharine speech. Well, you have Jake to distract you plenty, but you can shoo him away by threatening his paycheck.

As the flight descends, you look over to your neighbor - one last time, you guess - and surprisingly lock eyes with him. Anything that had exited you comes rushing back, veins in full alertness. A moment’s awkwardness later you both burst out laughing, each doing their best to hide their crimson cheeks. You find one more online fact to be true - Jungkook’s peak happiness laughter, eye crinkle and nose scrunch, can melt your whole entire heart.

“Hey mami, come here often?”

“For the last time Jake, I will not hesitate to donate your bones for science.”

“Well, I heard bone, it's already a win for me.”

You let out a sigh of exasperation. There is no reforming him.

“How was the flight?” Jake questions as you approach the baggage belt. Looking out for your somber black suitcase, you try to play it off like you did not spend the whole time in the company of a stranger who is on the fast track to your heart.

“The usual. Sleep, eat, read needlessly printed out documents that could have been shoved into on email, repeat. What about you?”

As Jake starts an account of his flight experience in exorbitant detail, you took the opportunity to try and find your ride. Once you locate it and get in, you catch the end of his sermon.

“-and the name of the book will be ‘How to manage a farm - ‘cause chicks gon’ be crazy!’. What do you think?”

“I think it was a good idea I chose to zone out.”

“Y/N come on! It’s a self-help book for poor souls born without my raw charisma. Men and women out there want me, but I can’t satisfy them all. I will just resort to making more of me! It will have pointers, DIY’s and pick-up lines crafted by yours truly - wanna hear one?”

You throw your bag in front and turn to him. “Do I have a choice? Go ahead.”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he starts. “Am I cute? Squish my cheeks. Am I hot? Clap my cheeks.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Points for creativity. You’ll still get wine splashed at you.”

Jake was not one to give up. “‘It’s good we don’t need eye condoms, or you’d be on your way to delivery.’”

“Just… don’t have kids, okay? This gene must be stopped, right here.”

“Okay, this one is my all-time favorite. ‘Rack so big, I don’t motorboat, I motorship.’”

That’s it. The guffaw itching you since the start of this conversation is out of its cages, populating the air in the car. Wiping stray tears from your face, you face Jake, seeming very pleased with himself. Undoubtedly, he is coming up with absurd scenarios to ease your nerves. No book is in the works (one could only hope).

“Thank you, I feel much better now. You can stop coming up with these.”

The goof has the gall to look appalled. “I was going to cut you ten percent of my book commission but I guess that’s out. Hmph.”

“I’m at the receiving end of all these pick-up lines. I should make twenty at least for all the nuisance I’ve put up with.”

“All right mami, we’ll shelve this for later. Here’s the schedule for today. You have a 10 a.m. breakfast meeting with Dr. Park Shin Young, Lead Research Scientist of the project. Then you have a bunch of seminars to attend, which will go on all afternoon. There’s a bar right beside this venue.”

“How is that pertinent?”

“So you know where to find me.” He continues, unperturbed. “After which there’s an evening meeting with the whole team to demonstrate the product and a marketing meeting right after.”

“Am I required for the marketing meeting?” Your expertise is limited to the technical field. PR work isn’t your cup of tea, but they stubbornly demand your presence.

Jake exhales. “We’ve been through this. You CAN doze off during the meeting, but you have to be there. Just pretend you’re a college student, sitting in one class, completing assignments for another.”

“But if I’m there I feel the need to pay attention.” you whine.

“Clearly you weren’t one of those college students,” Jake says, perusing through his diary, “Stop being a pedant and do one of those things people do. Loving their jobs and whatnot.”

Before you can retort a reply, the driver pulls up to your destination and you exit the car.

Eleven at night is when you finally check in to the hotel. The tedious day warrants your heels coming off before you even reach your floor. There’s an irritant drumming, from the balls of your feet right up to your temples, that beg for your attention. Setting your footwear on your bags, you massage your feet for temporary relief as the lift took you closer to a more permanent one.

Once your suitcase gets parked in the closet, you head to the bathroom to soak your day away with the bath bomb kit you were gifted in one of the seminars. The ball fizzles as soon as it hits the water, dispersing in tiny bubbles and a heady aroma of vanilla and lavender. The soft amber tones of the walls, the lambent gold lighting, and the ambrosial air put all your senses at ease. You sink in; the bathwater permeating warmth through your skin. Crackling bubbles with every move; the water teases your neck, soothing the laceration with every lick. Every pulse point on you is enhanced - you let yourself float wherever your mind takes you.

A familiar face makes its presence known. You allow yourself to think about him, after pushing his visage away all day. Something about him… felt like home. Soothing, comforting, always speaking in dulcet tones unless something humorous pulled out a loud laugh. Even that wasn’t jarring; it was the exact opposite. Felt like sunshine filled your lungs every time he cracked up. Made you want to keep talking to him, keep him amused and entertained. You can’t imagine he converses with every stranger like that.

But maybe he did; maybe this is some unspoken celebrity culture you were unaware of.

All you know is that this was a once in a lifetime experience. There’s no way you are encountering another personage ever again. There’s no way you’re encountering him again. Luck can only thrive so far.

So when you exit the bathroom, clad in a towel, remnant bathwater dripping from every end, the last thing you expect is Jungkook, spread out on the bed, casually flipping through his phone like it’s his own abode.

“J-Jungkook?”

Y/N. In his room. In a towel. Dripping wet hair. Emanating a delectable aroma.

Y/N. In person.

He is dreaming. He has to be. He's been thinking of you ever since the flight, so now he is delusional. Nothing else. There’s absolutely no chance that you’re in his room, let alone… like this.

Right?

“What are you… what are you doing in my room?”

Wrong.

Jungkook knows he should say something. He should not be gawking at you like he is doing now. But God. You look so pretty, eyebrows arched up in confusion, jaw about to be unhinged, hands fluttering around not knowing what to do.

He forces his body to action.

"Y/N!" He exclaims, finally averting his eyes to face the wall.

Pause.

"Wait, what do you mean MY room? This is my room!"

You’re baffled. "Huh? How is that possible? This was given to me!"

“I really don’t know, Y/N, there must have been some confusion! Please, you have to believe me!”

Jungkook wants to turn around and face you. He desperately wants to clear the air. He can see that this looks bad. He obviously looks like an enamored creep, waltzing into your space. You probably think he does this all the time. Many a time people have misunderstood him, his celebrity status not earning him many points. You must think the same.

And now you’re going to tell him to get out and never see you again, he hypothesizes. His brain is working overtime trying to remedy the situation, without noticing your now relaxing demeanor.

“Oh, okay.”

“I’ll fix this, I’ll go to the reception and fix this. You don’t worry, I didn’t see anything, you can trust me, I’ll go an-”

“Hey, hey,” your tone gentle, “it’s okay, trust me. Just, let me get dressed and I’ll come down with you.”

Your soothing response almost has Jungkook on his knees. Whoever orchestrated this meet, he is just thankful for this good turn. Anyone else would go berserk, and rightfully so.

But you’re not anyone else.

He isn’t just anyone.

Technically, he isn’t a stranger, you try to justify. You should have been more shocked, enraged, or at least doubtful of his intentions. But you weren’t. You had accepted his explanation, let him stay in your room while you changed in the bathroom, and now are en-route to the main desk to rectify this error.

The air around you two is strained; he won’t even look you in the eye. Any question you have is replied to concisely, leaving no room for a chat. Nothing to disperse the tension between you two.

Like now, in the elevator, Jungkook has done the math and maintains the maximum distance between you. Opposite ends of the diagonal of this lift, his peripheral vision probably barely picks you up. However, his evasion helps in a way--you are able to study his full form.

He is dressed casually, and any lesser man would have seemed casual enough. On him, it is a whole new game. Ripped jeans hugging his sturdy legs, the slashed fabric allowing you a peek of his dangerous thighs. A plain white t-shirt tucked in to show off his lean waistline. The only thing holding you back from having a full-blown wet dream, wide awake, is his chestnut overcoat, saving his modesty and yours.

Jake was right, eye condoms are the need of the century.

To be fair, Jungkook had the worse end. He saw you scantily clad, post-bath glow and everything. You wonder what is going through his mind.

Definitely nothing like the debauchery unfolding in yours.

He has probably seen his fair share of women, and one hot to trot lady isn’t anything new. If anything, him dodging you is a sign of his civility, something you are lacking apparently--ready to jump his bones.

Stop thinking about his thighs, you whore. Get back home and trusty old Vlad the Impaler will take care of you.

The employee’s jaw almost hits the desk as Jungkook explains the situation.

“Ma’am, Sir, we are extremely sorry about this confusion. We usually keep another key for family members, but somehow you got them both. We are deeply apologetic.”

“Yes, it’s okay, I’d just like my room key now and-”

“We will give you the best of our service to make up for this disorder. Not that we didn’t plan on giving you the best anyway, but now it will be top-notch! Please allow us to have your room cleaned again ma’am. Kyuyoung-ah! Get the people to prep 5338 and set 5337 again, and add more flowers!”

“Hey, that really won’t be necessary, we can just go back and forget about all thi-”

“And!” She continues, relentless, fully intent on doing her job, “Here are coupons for our round the clock pub! The ambiance is phenomenal, and our bartender makes a mean drink! You can use the facility for free during your stay. Hope this compensates for our gaffe. Once again, we are extremely sorry!”

She extends two passport-sized coupons that you hurriedly grab, wanting this quandary to end.

The walk back to the elevator is less tight-lipped, only because Jungkook starts his deluge of apologies. Even though you had felt the same way on the flight, he was going overboard. You quickly assuage him and deflect his concerns.

“It’s okay, Jungkook. It really is. I know it was a mistake.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t have just walked in like that. I should have checked.”

Your expression is the visual form of a question mark.

“Do you go around making sure your hotel room doesn’t have a surprise occupant?”

You’re taking this too lightly; it's obvious you are doing it for him. He can only laugh, broad delicious shoulders loosening in relief.

After a delay, you add, “You can’t help it if fate wants us crossing paths like this.”

The quip makes Jungkook lose a beat. He cocks a brow in surprise - at that juncture, his features lose all boyish charm and turn unquestionably irresistible.

Then, in a flash, the expression is replaced by his usual grin, back to his boy-next-door spirit. Are there world records for this speed? Jungkook needs to sign up to one.

Collecting the stars floating around your head, you return the favor, thankful that the barrier is now broken.

After a quick break of courage gathering, you turn to him. “How come you’re staying in this hotel? Thought you’d be home.”

A thought is building in your mind; that this is too personal a question. But before you can take it back, you hear a chime. Jungkook moves. And somehow, you are moving with him.

The elevator door opens, and people walk out.

But that’s not where your attention is.

You are focused on the sole patch of your body in contact with Jungkook’s arm.

The palm of his hand sitting at the small of your waist is what had guided you away from the elevator. Even through the fabric of your t-shirt, his hand is sending goosebumps all over your body. The air feels twenty degrees too hot for you.

Jungkook is simply being his chivalrous self, while you are ready to get arrested for public nudity.

Woman, you are a disgrace. Get laid.

Jungkook will high five himself once he gets to his pad.

Is it right to get so euphoric about the smallest act of intimacy? That too with a near stranger? He has no answer. You are special to him; that much he knows. And someone up there agrees with him as well, letting him run into you again (albeit under crude circumstances; he’ll take what he gets). In this proximity, he can hear the slight gasp that escapes you once you recognize his hold, feel your muscles tense, smell the flowery fragrance you still carry. The fragrance that takes his mind on a rewind routine; one he forces to a halt. He feels lewd for taking pleasure in that misfortune, but he can take pleasure in the present.

Entering the elevator, Jungkook has taken note of one thing: the roles have been reversed. On the downward voyage, it had been him avoiding you. Now, even with the closeness, you refuse to meet his eye. Something on the carpeted floor has your unrelenting attention. Letting his gaze dip to you, he bit back a smirk. Good to know you are as affected by him as he is by you.

“It’s a shoot.”

You relent, looking up to him. “Huh?”

“You asked me why I’m here, it’s a shoot. The site is close by, so we don’t waste time traveling. Once the shoot is done, we will get back home.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

You beg your grey matter to find some topic of conversation to halt the blood rushing to your cheeks. The atmosphere is frozen again, but not like last time. Any unease earlier present has drifted. The tension that once kept you from closeness now keeps you from moving apart. His hand sits unmoved, continuing to rest on your hip. Jungkook can hear the loud thudding of a heartbeat, but he cannot discern whether they are from his heart or from yours.

Continuing after a pause, “I will be here for a few days now.” he adds, the suggestive hint of the words masked by his innocuous smile.

“Ah.” You lamely add. You ought to kick yourself - but at this closeness, you might hit him too.

The span of your separation is contracting, even though none of you move. Like the land underneath you is shifting, because even Mother Earth can’t handle the sexual tension in this confined space.

“Ma’am, Sir, you’re here!”

The booming voice of an employee disrupts the scene. You jump, wondering how you didn’t hear the door open, while Jungkook takes a graceful step back unscathed.

“Your rooms are ready, please follow me.”

The walk back is quiet, except for bashfully exchanged glances and racing pulses. When you finally reach your respective rooms, he speaks again.

“Want to accidentally cross paths with me at the bar?”

The heat reaches your ears. A moment of silence prompts you to look up, and you are held hostage by his eyes. His gaze flickers, intense and probing. Then, as if it never happened, his eyes narrow and his smile softens, harmless and easy. Again, this has to be witchcraft.

“Maybe we’ll let destiny decide. Hasn’t failed us so far.”

Now, alone in bed with nothing but your thoughts, you wonder when it will ever happen again.

Three days. Three days before it happens again.

Three days filled with conferences, a ton of files, and a lot of battery acid disguised as coffee. Apart from the success of your work, the highlight of your time is when Jake tried to fix his shoe heel at a meeting and ended up gluing his fingers together. In a quiet room filled with immersed employees, he had yelled, “Superglue, my ass!”.

The punctuation was not vocalized.

Tonight was your last night in Seoul. It was supposed to be a night to yourself, but an office party pulled you out of your cavern to get dressed. You put on an elegant dress, a black and silver number, only to find the ‘party’ was the most monotonous excuse of networking. High-end businessmen exchanging cards over non-alcoholic fizz was not your idea of a party, so you quickly excused yourself.

The coupon still weighed heavy in your purse, carrying memoirs of the last time you saw him. You had wanted to go earlier, but always held yourself back. What if he wasn’t there? What if you missed your chance? Why did you have to sashay away with a cool statement that night instead of clawing your way through the lust-filled air and settling things then and there?

You supposed a drink at the hotel bar on your last night couldn’t be a bad thing, even if Jungkook didn’t show up.

So here you are, sipping on your wine and trying to appear nonchalant as you look out the window overseeing the city’s skyline. One ear is trained to the door of the pub, the slightest peep from that corner alerting your antenna.

So far, no sign of him.

This won’t work, you tell yourself. Second time’s a charm, third time’s pushing it too far.

But as you wave the bartender to top up your drink, the corner of your eye catches movement; one, two, three heads appear through the door. Signature multichromatic mops of hair make their way in, forcing your pulse to marathon mode.

And then you hear it.

You hear his trademark cachinnate echoing through the structure. Multitudes of contrasting sentiments fill your gut. Are you sensing relief, that fate served its purpose without fail? Or is it the anticipation of how events will unfold? A sense of titillation, that a three-day old bond makes you feel more than year-old relationships you’ve had? You pry your eyes from that direction, trying to appear aloof when you are anything but.

When you think you’ve gathered your composure, you look up. Like a hare falling for its bait, you are trapped, because he is looking right back at you.

Jin and Jimin are laughing about something that happened on set today, but Jungkook only has eyes for you. He can’t believe his luck.

The past few days, his schedule had no give. After every shoot, the only thing he remembered was taking off his shoes and falling into a deep slumber.

So today when the shoot wrapped up earlier, Jungkook grabbed his trusty wingmen and open bar enthusiasts to utilize his coupon, and possibly test his kismet.

“Wasn’t she on our flight?” Jin observes, tracking Jungkook’s sight.

“Oh yeah! Dude, is she the one?” Jimin keenly notes. “How do you keep bumping into each other like this?”

Jungkook downs his whisky, the burn felt from the throat to his diaphragm. “I don’t know, hyung. I don’t know what to do.” Beckoning the bartender for a refill, he tears away from your sight.

“Okay, liquid fortification is all good but how about,” Jin stops briefly to pluck the coupon out of Jungkook’s hands, “we handle the drinks department while you attend to her?”

Jimin nods in assent. “The worst thing you could do is spend time with her slurring and garbling while she ditches your sorry ass.”

“Hey! I won’t do that. Just, ” Jungkook gulps, “I don’t know... We’ve met like, hardly a few times. It really doesn’t make sense. What if we’re not on the same page?”

Jimin frowns, and even Jin seems unhappy with his reasoning.

“Things don’t have to make sense. You’re two consenting adults. You like her. By the way she’s eyeing you right now, I’m sure the feeling is mutual. You said it’s easy to talk to her right?”

Jungkook pouts, but sees his point.

“Then go with that. Don’t chart out a plan, just go with your heart.” Jin adopts a soft smile of encouragement.

“Meanwhile we will grab the others and exploit this coupon to the full extent!” Jimin gleefully appends.

Jungkook’s eyes crinkle as he laughs with the other two. They are right. Carpe diem, right?

Finding you again, his breath hitches. You look beautiful. The sleek black dress with silver embellishments over the torso. It hugs you in the right places, accentuating your already alluring frame. Your shoulders bare, elegant collarbones waiting to be tasted. Hair tied up, exposing the delicious curve of your neck, a stretch Jungkook wants to pepper kisses onto, without missing a spot. You look exquisite against the backdrop of the night.

Carpe noctem it is.

“Did you really dress up to use the coupon?” The tongue-in-cheek query breaking your line of thought.

A breathy chuckle leaves your lips, hopefully masking the frenzy in your heart.

“I had a party. A very dull party. Figured I preferred my own company over that.”

“Do you prefer your own company over mine?”

He’s still standing, tall frame waiting for your permission to occupy the next seat. God, he looks amazing.

“Not at all.” The words leave huskier than you intend, but they convey the message.

He takes the seat, a mere step away, his cologne wafting over to your side. The alcohol buzz makes the scent feel stronger, every bone in you wanting to dive in nose-first.

Apparently you have been staring, because he nervously chuckles “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Should you go the modest route or fuck it?

Fuck it.

“You look... great today,” is all you get out. Stupid brain spewing half-baked goods.

Understatement of the year. He looks like sin incarnate. All black attire highlighting his golden skin, the dichotomy of his whole look has you understandably tongue-tied. Black jeans - no rips, sadly- with a dark grey high-neck t-shirt, tucked in of course, because pain is the only constant for you. A black trench coat is thrown on top to seal the look. The obsidian outfit sends desperate need through your body, an intense desire to rip it all off surging through you. Somehow, through all these layers you can sense his fit body, his rippled muscles, his sturdy pecs, like they have an aura of their own.

“Ah, thank you. You look amazing as well.” Halting a moment to sip his drink, he resumes. “Sucks that you dressed up for nothing.”

“Well, you liked it. So it's not for nothing.”

If looks were potent, Jungkook’s own could set you on fire. Gaze coolly raking over your figure, the tick in his jaw betrays his reaction. A chill passes through every part of your body under his intense scrutiny.

“Are there other things you would wear… if I liked it?” He carefully treads.

“There are certain things I’m wearing right now that I’m sure you would appreciate.”

If not for the shrinking distance between you two, you couldn’t have caught the low hiss. His animalistic need, usually kept well under control, is raging against its bonds, screaming to let go. Your exquisite gown, flowing down your curves, accentuating the swell of your ass - God save this dress from his feral hands. Against his will, he restrains himself. He would make this a lasting encounter.

“How many drinks have you had?” He needs you to remember every single moment.

“Two glasses of wine, don’t worry. You?”

“A shot of whisky, that’s all. Haven’t even finished my second drink.”

Gone were his cherubic appearance and dimpled smiles; the man in front of you is oozing pure sex appeal. His clenched jawline, furrowed brow, and perfectly placed tresses add to his raw masculinity. The cusp of your thighs is damp; if this is his effect here, what will it be behind locked doors? You wonder whether this is the same man that gushed about old-era video games in the flight.

“Well, if you are wearing them for me, I’d be a fool to miss them.” he brings you back to the present. Twinkling eyes match your eager ones as you give a small nod.

Every step you take shoots a thrilling tingle through your spine. Every inch of distance closed forces you to close the next with doubled speed. Every foot forward adds to the thick air, laced with hunger, desire, and an inordinate amount of trust placed in the hands of a stranger.

The first time you two walked back to the elevator, his move had caught you unaware.

Now, the arm wraps around your entire waist, body flush against his, yet you yearn to get closer.

Last time, you couldn’t match his gaze, skin burnt a crimson hue.

Now, your eyes are locked together, any movement in your surroundings be damned.

Michael Jackson rising from the dead and performing Thriller wouldn’t tear you away from your current view (sorry MJ, maybe next time).

When the doors close, he places a palm on your bare back, bringing you to his chest.

“I’ve wanted this so bad, ever since I met you. It’s insane.”

The hand caressing your back makes you sigh. “Not if I wanted the same.”

His grip tightens. “The things I want to do to you...” eyes searching yours, ”tell me you can handle it.”

“Oh baby,” you drawl, “I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever it is,” your lips hover on his, “I can take it.”

The elevator doors opened too soon for your liking, and Jungkook drags you through the corridor. You’re practically hanging on to him, feet barely responsive, the faint buzz of wine making you giddy. His hawkish gaze soaks in everything you do, memorizing every response to his touch.

You lean over to lay wet kisses on his neck. Pleasure searing through his veins, Jungkook’s knees almost buckle. He pushes you against a wall and locks you in with his form.

“Uh-uh-uh, honey,” he tsks, “you’re not making this easy on me?”

You pretend to ponder. “Well, I didn’t plan on making it easy.”

He smirks, all sex, and the wetness between your legs is making its presence known. Leaning into your ear, he whispers, “Unless you want me to have my way with you right here…” and all your brattiness dissipates.

Satisfied, he grins. “Your place or mine?”

“Hmmn, depends.”

He cocks a brow. “On?”

“Am I gonna be able to walk tomorrow?”

That damned smirk. “Your place it is.”

Jungkook’s lips are on yours the moment your door is locked. He cages you against its frame, teeth clashing and biting anything they find. You let your hands roam all over, searching for something to hold on to. A throaty sound leaves Jungkook when your digits card through his hair and tug on it, a sound you gladly swallow.

Time seems to have taken a break. Your thoughts are blank. You chase the kiss like it's the only thing you know, the only thing you’re born to do, your sole mission in life before you die. The bruising pace Jungkook set is eagerly matched by you. Gravity is slowly losing its meaning, and you’re nothing but a stray entity floating in space. And this kiss is your only source of air.

Jungkook pulls you towards him, closing the nonexistent distance between you. Heat rises from his chest, the feeling is hypnotic beyond reason. A taste of you has ruined every other flavor. He kept his eyes half-open, sneaking peeks at your flushed face whenever you come for air. His fingers explored your body, grabbing your ass and pulling you into him. Your clothed crevice jolts at the friction, hips hounding for more.

The moan that leaves you gets muted, because Jungkook takes this opportunity to take control. Tongue forcing its way in to explore every corner of your mouth, it melds with your own muscle. If this were a dance, it would be a fierce tango, oozing with sexual tension. Breathing is now trivial, this kiss is imperative.

Jungkook’s hands grab your hips and twirl you, both of you now facing a full-length mirror. You can witness your neckline being abused, mulberry blossoms left in place. The sight has your sex clenching, and lips liberated, you couldn’t stop yourself from mewling.

“Fuck, Y/N. I’m going to make you scream so loud, the hotel reception will hear you.”

With your head spinning in lust, you try to form your words right. “An- And what? Discuss how a second room for you was - oh god - was useless?”

Jungkook pauses to admire his craft; your neck, shoulders, and collar are now littered with bruises, like a garden of hyacinth at his disposal. The view is maddening, your lusty gaze locked on to him in the mirror. His mane is tousled, no doubt your handiwork, and his hand is tracing the outline of your dress.

“That cursed day,” He chokes out, “You were so fucking hard to resist you know?”

You turn back to face him, hand reaching back to undo your halter neck, “You have me now.” Stepping back, you let your gown fall.

He froze. You are standing in front of him, robed in only your black lace-embroidered strapless bra, and matching panties, each adorned with a white bow. The swell of your breasts barely caged in the cups, making Jungkook drool at sight. All the wind was knocked out of his lungs; you look like a prisoner’s last meal, waiting to be devoured.

“On your knees.” he commands.

Not a second is put to waste. You begin undressing him, unbuckling the pants and aggressively pulling them down. Next come the boxers, and you are faced with-

Wow.

You mean this in the nicest way, but, what a dick.

He is already hard, the mushroomed tip angry and red, leaking a drop of precum begging to be tasted. The girth exceeds your expectation, already visualizing the delicious visual of your cunt stretched thin. He is going to reach places even Vlad the Impaler couldn’t; you are already brimming with anticipation for the final act.

And his thighs. Nothing angelic about them. Taut. Muscular. Sinewy. Something uncivilized in you wants them to trap your frame between them, caging you, pinning you down. You press kisses on his inner thigh, letting your tongue poke out when you hear him exhale. A sharp bite shocks Jungkook, but you only smirk.

“Wanted to do that since I saw you.”

The stare that meets you is practically challenging you to try that again, and perhaps reap some delicious consequences.

You bring yourself back, giving his cock the full attention that it deserves. Looking up, you see his half-lidded eyes, assertive and arresting, compelling you to go on.

You bring your palm up to him. He raised a brow in question.

“Spit for me.”

Jungkook almost busts his load when he hears you. “Fuck, so dirty.” he garbles out. Rolling his neck in an attempt to divert his blood, he takes your hand and drops a thick glob at the center of your palm.

A throaty moan arises from you, and his dick is harder than ever.

“Go on baby, show me you can suck dick like a champ.”

You give him a confident look; you’re about to rock his world. Starting with small licks, you tease the slit and taste the pre-cum lodged in it. Meanwhile, you work the spit along the shaft; you spit on it again, the original amount insufficient to cover the length. You can feel his dick twitching against your attention, eager to be sheathed. Interspersing with some long drags on the underside, you zero in on the pinched skin under the head.

Jungkook is staring at your jerking him off. The sight of you, clad in lingerie is blowing his mind. If that was not enough, the mirror in front is providing a sumptuous secondary perspective. The smooth stretch of your back, the swell of your ass, the panty fabric barely able to cover the expanse, everything on you is making him short circuit. Seeing you on your knees, your deferential nature stirs something in him. If he doesn’t control himself, he will bend you in half and ride you to sunrise. He doesn’t want to scare you, but fuck, his depraved early man instincts are telling him otherwise.

“What are you- ohhh, holy shi-”

Instead of slipping his cock fully into your mouth, you hold it up, and pay careful attention to his balls. Jungkook’s hands come to rest on your head, a telltale sign of his unraveling. With a smile, you let your tongue swipe through every nook and corner till they are coated in saliva.

“You think you’re such a fucking tease, ” He grabs you by your now unraveled tresses and pulls you back, “Ease up baby, your throat is in for a treat.”

In one quick swoop, he lodges himself at the base of your throat, provoking your gag reflex, but you restrain the urge to pull back. Breathing through your nose, you suck and swallow whatever you can; his girth isn't giving you much to work with.

Jungkook growls. “Such a tight fit. Like you’re meant to be like this. Forever.”

The last word slips out unwittingly.

Alarmed, his eyes flit down to gauge your response, but all you are doing is looking back at him.

Fuck, your dovelike eyes are captivating. They look so angelic, a complete contrast to the perverse posture you are in. Not an ounce of displeasure in response to his words. Pure, unadulterated affection for him. Only for him.

“God, you’re going to be the death of me.” Jungkook husks. “You’ll do anything for me, you said?”

Muffled whimpers impart your compliance, and you bob your head up and down for good measure. The tip of his cock hits every ridge of your throat, the vibration releasing more fluid down.

“Pleasure yourself, baby. Touch yourself, but don’t you cum.”

Your brow distresses further, a disgruntled whine leaving you and reverberating around him. Already so turned on, the lightest friction would make you combust.

Jungkook’s teeth clench. “Edge yourself for me, sweetie.”

It's like your body is tuned to his command. Slipping two fingers under the band, you part and slide them on either side of your throbbing nub. Despite you avoiding any pressure point that might push you over the edge, the pleasure threatens to tip you over.

You look over for his approval. Swallowing, he nods. Your self-stimulation is making him dizzy. It's time to get serious.

“Such a good girl. Don’t stop, okay? I’m going to fuck your throat raw.” Starting with mellow jerks, “Hope you don’t have to speak anytime tomorrow.” he rasps.

The carpeted floor grazing your knees only adds to the revelry. You’re not in control of yourself anymore. The back of your gullet is aching as Jungkook shoves into you again and again. An amalgamation of his salty juices and your dribble lewdly coats your chin and neck; you must look ravished. Everything with Jungkook feels augmented; every single motion of his making your sex clench.

He is close - you can feel his grip on your hair tightening.

“Can I cum on you?” words slither through his clamped teeth. You frantically nod.

With a loud grunt, he pulls you off and releases all over your chest, a stray pump landing on your chin. Thick liquid, dripping from your jaw onto your collarbones and breasts, the whole scene is filthy good. Your unfilled cunt is aching to be replete with the cum.

Post-orgasmic glow is dazzling on him--hair drenched in sweat, tufts sticking to his forehead. His breathing is heavy and resonant as dilated pupils take in your soaked state. Bending down, he crooks a finger under your chin, anchoring his attention on your dewy stare. The onyx embers in his eyes bore into yours, studying for any hesitation in them. A microscopic moment of tenderness, unspoken words exchange between you.

Satisfied to find only searing hunger, his digits collect the beads of cum on your jaw, pushing them back into your mouth. Your eyes roll skyward, relishing the briny taste, nearly asking him to do it again. Leaning further, he grabs the wrist of your hand that is thoughtlessly rubbing your sex - you didn’t even realize you were still doing it. You feel drained, like you orgasmed vicariously through him.

“My turn.” He wears a devilish expression on his archangel eyes.

Lips connect once again as he pulls you up. If he tastes himself, he is relishing it, with his tongue exploring the deep cavern. With wobbly ankles, you let him guide you to your bed, dropping on your back. He follows you, pouncing on you, plunging into your mouth again like a beast hungered. Bodies melting together like an icicle under the summer blaze, your hands hunt to frisk his skin. Realizing he is yet to undress, you yank at this t-shirt, attempting to liberate him from the offending fabric.

“Tsk, greedy.” he bit your ear, soothing the sting with a kiss.

“Cruel is what it is.” You huff, like everything he’s doing is not a blissful affair.

How do men do that? Violently ripping their shirt off and leaving a messy mop of hair in its wake, nevertheless looking like they could walk a runway the next instant. Jungkook was no exception. The moment he pulls his shirt off, you are rendered speechless.

Chiseled chest like the work of an artisan. Droplets of sweat race down the paths traced by the sculpted abs, an intense desire to taste them forming in you. He is a mesomorphic dream who puts Greek gods to shame. Swallowing, you let your hand trace the outline of his pecks, feeling him shudder against your touch.

“Jungkook, please.”

Who was he to deny you?

Leaning up to you with a wicked smirk, Jungkook drops a thick line of spit right on your hardened nipple. The concoction of his cum and spit soaks through the lacy material. A lone finger circles, avoiding the spot that requires the most attention. You arch your back, begging him for more, just more of anything. The wet fabric amplifies the emptiness in your cunt.

“Aww,” he coos, clearly amused by your neediness, “undo this for me, sweetness. Let me see you.”

Moving at lightning speed, you unhook the bra, swinging it away to a corner of the room.

“Oh no.” He mock-frowns, veins bulging on his arm as he controls himself. “Look at these tits, fuck.” Mind reeling with ideas, filthy ideas, of all the things he wants to do to you. “You’ve ruined everything else for me.”

You tremble. “Good, so have you. Want you for myself. Want you,” pulling him close, “to do your worst.” you end with a whisper.

Jungkook’s jaw tightens. “Careful what you ask for,” he grits before diving headfirst into your bosom.

He licks and laves and bites and laps--your breasts are on fire. Continuing his marking spree, new blemishes make an appearance on your torso. Nibbling on one nipple, he pinches the other; pulling moan after moan from you.

Your hips barely touch the bed, bucking up in response to Jungkook’s sinking teeth into your ample bust. He has decided to not leave an inch without his saliva, and like a man on a mission, covers every part with rapt attention.

“Yo- You don’t have to--oh holy fuck--you don’t have to, cover me in marks you kno--ohh my go-” The sentence is spastic, piercing mewls breaking your flow of speech and thought.

“These fucking tits,” roughly clasping your pert breast in his large palm, “they look so much better like this.” The proud smile he shows has not the slightest hint of regret.

Catching a break, he twiddles your nipples, letting his other hand sit on your covered sex. He is teasing you; you recognize that. Just giving you opportunities to disobey, to take all the pain he has to offer.

It’s a good thing you like the pain.

You slowly roll your hips, trying to grind against his palm, taking whatever help you can get.

A sharp smack lands on your clit, shooting your eyes open - you don’t even know when they closed. Jungkook’s hand is soothing the site of the blow, the pain converting to pleasure under his touch.

“Patience, sweetness,” the gravely whisper sending tingles down your spine, “such a good girl for me.”

You give him a slight nod - he smacks you again, once, twice, thrice, without a break. Your entrance is smarting, but you want to give him everything. Biting your lips to stop the labored moans escaping, you clench your eyes and savor the burn.

Your show of obedience has Jungkook’s heart thronging. Fuck, he was enjoying toying with you. Playing you like a fiddle. You produce every tone he desires in the form of wanton melodies, he wants to play them over and over again like his favorite song.

“How are we doing?” he asks, a shit-eating grin plastered on him. Before you could answer, his fingers shallowly enter your soaked pussy, still hampered by the cloth.

“You- fuck, you said I was the tease here?” Your hands are at his wrist, begging to pull the scrap of cloth aside and have his way.

He comes to face your sopping mound, pausing only to speak “Never said I wasn’t,” and starts pressing soft, feathery kisses. “That day, seeing you dripping in that towel, I dreamt of having these legs around me.”

“I swear, at least take it off - oh Jungkoo-”

Without warning, he kneads your ass and pushes you into his face.

You feel like you’ve been on the edge for hours. The suckle on your engorged clit along with the abrasion of the lace gets you so close. So damn close. So, so clo-

The tightness in your belly finally snaps and you howl, gushing your vat of arousal onto his face. The high was more intense than you had imagined, so high that you wonder if you will ever find your way back to reality. You feel like a rock in space, aimlessly floating in the vast nothingness.

You dimly notice Jungkook toying with the lacy hem of your panties, pulling it back to snap it against your hip. The sting is soon forgotten, along with your panties flung across the bed, as he parks himself back between your legs.

“You smell incredible.” He approves, taking a long whiff of your honeyed center. “Look at you, so messy.” He licks a long stripe along your crease. “Messy girl, I should clean you up.”

“Wait Jungkook-” you oppose, lids heaving in pleasure. “I need you inside me, please. I can’t take -oof”

Gnawing at your sodden folds, he let his nose press against your clit. “You’re so fucking tight, you think you can take me?” He shakes his head. “Gotta stretch you out, gotta make me fit.” He presses his tongue against your nub, feeling it throb in anticipation. “And I think you can give me one more.” He ends, before invading your drenched channel with two fingers. You are putting up with his torments the best you can; walls fluttering against his lips, legs entwined behind Jungkook’s back trapping him between your thighs.

“Ah! God - I, I can’t-” Your eyes are screwed shut, hands bunching the sheets in your grasp.

His fingers fluctuate between scissoring motions, their lengths opening you up for him and curling inside, fingertips finding the rough patch inside. He adds a third finger, pussy straining to accommodate them all. Your thighs clench in the burn, and he groans into your pussy at the pressure. Increasing the pace, he pumps into you harder and faster, sucking your puffy lips in tandem.

“Please, please, harder - let me cum - please oh go-”

“Fuck yeah baby, your pussy is just sucking me in. You like that? You like me shoving into your cunt?”

“Uungh yes yes I love it!”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Or are you such a slut for pain? Tell me, tell me you’re a pain slut.”

“Fuck, Jungkook, don’t you stop- I am! I am a pain slut! Your pain slut!”

“Goood girrrll,” he husks out. Even though he is taking charge, your words are what control him. “Only mine. My pain slut will come for me now.”

A spray of cum ejects out of you, coating Jungkook’s chest and inundating your legs. The coherent part in you recognizes that you just squirted, but the neanderthal side shuts all recognition of anything that is not Jungkook’s cock. Even after two climaxes, you are hungry to get more. More of him.

If you don’t fuck him now, you will lose your capability to reason.

Limbs still heavy and reeling from the ravaging, you pick your pieces and drag Jungkook to the headboard.

“I’m going to ride you.” you declare and straddle him.

Jungkook is staring fixedly at your still-leaking cunt. Running his tongue over his lower lip, and licking the remnant syrup of your release. You position yourself, letting the drippage fall directly on his erection. He twitches, eyes still feasting on the mess you are making.

Finding purchase on his shoulders, you lower yourself. Jungkook’s breath staggers as you drag your inner lips along his hard shaft. You repeat this motion till your fluids drip to his balls.

“Y/N, I swear to God, if you don’t stop with this-”

“You’ll do what?” you challenge, an eyebrow raised in response to his threat.

He grabs you by your waist, jerking you up before bringing you down on his dick. Your cunt, creamy from his earlier ministrations, gives no resistance to his hardness. His cock twitches inside as you bottom out. Pulling you closer, he bites your lip and tugs at it.

“I’ll do this.”

A sharp spank makes you clench around him, the supple flesh of your ass ricocheting in response.

“Go on baby, ride me.”

The low-grained command sets you in motion. Slowly gyrating your hips, you feel every ridge of this length inside. Jungkook’s grip on your waist tightens, and you’re sure you will see evidence of it tomorrow. Your grasp on his shoulders isn’t faring any better.

“You’re so tight, fuck, and so wet. Who made you like this, huh?” A second spank punctuating his question.

“Oh God, you-”, you barely manage to recognize your own voice, “You, Jungkook! Only you!”

“That’s fucking right, only me.”

Hips snapping, he meets you halfway. Both of you are lost in each other, lewd sounds of your skin slapping and juices quelching barely muffled by your desperate whines and moans of passion. Eyes locked in like magnets, neither of you could look away.

Jungkook pulls back a little, slapping your jiggling tit. Your sex clenches, and the following slap has you lodging yourself in the crook of his neck, searching for a reprieve.

“Want some help?”

One swift move and you are on your stomach, face pushed into a pillow, and ass out. A final spank lands right in the middle, and you can feel it pulsate everywhere. He pushes back into your glistening core, taking control of your pleasure and pain. One hand carding through the nape of your neck, pushing you down, the other hand grabbing your waist and setting the pace. The new angle hits deeper, you feel so full.

“Jungkoo--unghh I need to cum! Need to- umph- cum so bad!” You are wailing at this point, shame lying somewhere near your flung clothes.

“Fuck, babe, me too. Go ahead and play with yourself, nice and slow.”

It takes a few swipes for the tightness in you to detonate. Tears flood your face as you unravel, your orgasm crashing into you like waves of a tsunami. You clench tight, wetness flows out of your hole as Jungkook pumps in and out, chasing his high.

He comes undone soon after, ropes of his ejaculate filling your insides. He stays in, plugging you as if to not allow any of it out. But as his member softens, he gives in, turning you on your back to meet his face.

Butterfly-soft kisses are exchanged after the blazing encounter. He asks you if you’re okay between breaths, a tender murmur you almost miss, as if you weren’t screaming your lungs out moments ago. Nuzzling into his neck, you confirm.

A snort disrupts the silence. Looking up, you see Jungkook chuckling.

In response to your cocked eyebrow, he says “Want to talk about what a freak you are?”

“Want to talk about what a hypocrite you are?”

“Hey, you asked me to spit on you!”

You mock-gasp, hand on chest for the extra effect. “My breasts need medical attention after your attention! Freak!”

Laughter echoes in the room as you two tumble in the blankets, and you feel his release seeping out of you. Turning to him, you pout, “Your mess is leaking out of me.”

Jungkook gets up to leave the bed, and you expect a wet towel coming your way.

What you don’t expect is him parting your legs, gunmetal eyes following the rivulets escaping your abused hole.

“Your cunt smells so good with my cum on it,” he purrs.

He gathers the escaping thick liquid and pushes it back into your quivering core.

Jolting with oversensitivity, you try to stall him but he is fingering you with a vengeance. The ache and soreness soon dispel, bringing forth a new wave of ecstasy. His unrelenting stare concentrates on the mix of fluids on his fingers. With a few strokes on your sensitive bundle of nerves and fingers stuffed inside, you come again, legs shivering and pussy overflowing, his juices intermingled with yours.

You are dazed; you’ve lost track of everything. The room is spinning in front of you and your body feels like lead. All you can manage is to arch your neck, and plead, “No more, you freak.”

Jungkook giggles, eyes crinkling in good humor. Ah, the duality of this man is a force to reckon with. You can’t believe this is the same man that fucked you into your bed like a primordial beast. There’s no way you can move anytime soon.

After a clean-up interval, you are wrapped in each other's arms, melting into the embrace. His musky fragrance putting you at ease, you tuck your in the nook of his neck, basking in the aroma. Hands pressed against his broad chest, exuding warmth for you. His hand cradles your head, snuggling in closer till there is no space to cover. Sweet nothings whispered into each other’s lips, tender kisses exchanged in place of the scorching ones that had passed. You drift in and out of your slumber, fearing the sun would ascend too soon and break you apart.

A dim glow from the other end of the bed wakes you up. On turning you find Jungkook, dressed in his now-wrinkled clothes, seated on the edge. His gaze, pensive. You lay a hand on his thigh.

“Oh, did the light wake you?”

The alarm on his face makes you smile. “No, your absence did.”

The corners of his mouth turned up, eyeing you with softness.

“I have an early schedule. I didn’t want to wake you, but, ” he lets his palm rest on yours, “I also didn’t want to leave without it.”

Neither of you know how to walk away from this. The silence is deafening, unuttered sentiments hanging in the still air. Jungkook’s chest is heavy.

This is insane. He wants to lay you against a bed of flowers, treat you like the delicate petal you bear resemblance to, worship your body till the sun succumbs to your blazing passion. How is he to explain that his heart is beating through his chest for someone he knows for mere days? He rifles through his memories for a similar instance.

He finds none.

Maybe you don’t feel the same way. Maybe, you are blissfully unaware of the tumultuous emotions lurching in the pit of his belly. He can’t assume you will echo his lovesick needs, but he can’t let go.

You inch closer.

Fervid feelings die hard. He probes your eyes searching for an intensity matching his.

You let your lips convey the answer.

Passionate as ever, you draw him into the kiss. His lashes flutter against your rosy cheeks. At the moment, there is no dominance in him. Almost like his tongue, dragging across your swollen lips, is healing the brutality of last night. If you pull back, he comes after you; an incessant tug of war no player wants to win.

“Please Jungkook,” you choke between kisses, “Please tell me this isn’t the last of us.”

He is hovering on top of you, the galaxy in his eyes twinkling at your words.

“Please, I don’t want this to end.” You continue against his lips. Head versus heart, you fought a losing battle; how were you to stall the inevitable? Fueled, you plunge your tongue into him, determined to make your ardor known. The void of ferocity is filled with slow sensuality; like he is the sole reservoir to quench your thirst.

“Y/N”, he breathes out, “I feel like I know everything about you and nothing about you at the same time.” Resting your foreheads against one another, he continues. “I’m not about to let fate decide when we cross paths again.”

A grin finds your lips. “Destiny really pulled its weight here, didn’t it?”

He wordlessly nods, not wanting to break the tranquility in place. However, it is short-lived; his phone’s ringer makes sure of it.

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.” Something the speaker says turns Jungkook scarlet red. “I said I’ll be right there!” he yells before ending the call.

“The members are asking why I wasn’t in my room.” he clarifies, waggling his brows. You join his laughter, happy to have just the simple moment with him.

After exchanging numbers (and a photo for keepsake), Jungkook presses one last kiss, lips promising to find each other again. Somehow, you don’t say goodbye. You just stare at his disappearing body, confident that the next encounter is not far.

Jake is babbling about his night, how he managed to ditch the god-awful party and hang out with some overenthusiastic college-goers who paid for his drinks with their trust fund dough. This is usually the time you ask him if he’s proud of mooching off of children, but today his exaggerated narrative is cracking you up.

His forehead creases. “What’s up with you today? You haven’t vowed to skin me alive even once.”

“You like it when I threaten bodily harm?”

“I’m kinky like that.”

You just shrug. Erotic images make a fleeting appearance in your mind, but they are interrupted by your flight announcement.

“Aren’t you glad this is over? You can go back to overworking yourself in your office instead of a hotel!” Jake remarks, throwing his bag over his shoulder. “At least your back won’t break in the travel.”

Thinking over your experience in the city, you confess “Actually, I look forward to returning here.”

A thought slips in, curving your mouth into a smile. You quietly add,

“And yeah, my back was broken all right.”

Thank you for making it to the end! Please do let me know what you think!

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fific7 · 3 years

Text

Ticket to Ride - Part 3

Billy Russo x Reader

A/N: Inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. This takes place in my S1 Punisher AU with Arrogant!Billy in attendance, in which he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including unprotected and oral, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My photo edit)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕖'𝕤 𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕔𝕖, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕞𝕖

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy slammed the door of his hotel room closed behind him. He was fuming.

Damn!!! Damn, fuck, damn, fuck, fuck, fuck! He stormed across the room and threw himself onto the bed, hands linking behind his head on the pillows, glaring up at the ceiling. Apart from anything else, his male pride was injured - he was an ex-Marine for fuck’s sake! And he’d been outsmarted by a... a.. civilian!!

Lying there for a while, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. Micro couldn’t track her phone this time, and fuck knows where she was headed. Or... had she gone somewhere else? Or just moved to another location in London?

His gut told him she’d gone somewhere else. Those apartments she’d been staying in were for longer-term lets, not just one or two-night stays. Maybe she was using that as a base of operations like he would’ve done in the military. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. He sat up suddenly, taking his phone out of his pocket and opening Google Maps. He searched for Wood Wharf and when it listed up, he moved the map around with a finger and within a couple of seconds spotted what he’d been looking for - City Airport.

Billy grinned. He was back on her trail, he just knew it.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Frank jolted awake, and after a few seconds realised that his phone was ringing. He grabbed it, screwing up his bleary eyes as he tried to read the time and who was calling. Shit, it was 1 a.m.! And it was Micro. What the hell?

He accepted the call, hearing Micro’s muffled voice saying, “Frank?” “Yeah, yeah... what’s up, Micro? And you sound like you’re underwater.” There was a slight pause and a swallowing sound, “M’eatin’ a donut. Sorry. Look, Russo’s just texted me again - this time he wants me to search for her on flights outta London City Airport. I said ok... but....” his voice trailed off.

Frank sighed. He hated this, he was stuck slap bang in the middle of all this shit between Billy, Karen and Billy’s girl.

Billy - he could kick his dumb ass for ‘messin’ around’ with Madani. Karen - he really didn’t want to upset his girl. And Billy’s girl - he felt sorry for her that she’d had to put up with Billy’s recent bad behaviour but.... he’d been so relaxed and happy since the two of them got together. So... he’d give his idiot friend a break... but only a small one.

“Yeah OK, Micro, go ahead with what he asked ya to do. Let Russo know once you got an answer for him, then you tell me. And if Karen ever asks, you didn’t call me ‘bout this till a helluva lot later this mornin’. Got it!?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Stepping out of the lift onto the landing of the 20th floor, you were met by a view across the harbour and a symphony in red - carpets, walls, doors.

(My Photos - Dec 2014)

The W was even better than you’d imagined, and as you reached your room and opened the door, you loved the view you got all along the beach from the big picture windows.

After you’d unpacked, you dropped a quick text to Karen just letting her know where you were, then left your room to go and have a walk around the local area, called Barceloneta according to your online guide book.

There was a cooling sea breeze, the sun was shining and you turned your face up towards it.

The W Hotel was right at the far end of the beach, and you had a pleasant stroll along it until you reached a busy street called Passeig Joan de Borbó, which ran parallel to the marina known as Port Vell. You passed several restaurants and decided that you’d have an early lunch in one of them, rather than eating at the hotel. You could have dinner or even room service there later on.

Sitting at an outside table, looking at the yachts moored at the marina, watching all the people strolling by on the wide pavement, sipping at a glass of wine.... you gave a happy sigh and relaxed back in your seat.

Billy would never find you here.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Touching down in Barcelona, Billy watched the airport buildings rushing past as the air brakes were applied and the plane began to slow down. He was impressed with how short a flight it was from London; it was only a few hours since Micro had messaged him with the search results and he was here already.

He made his way through Passport Control and headed for the taxi rank, joining the queue and eventually being waved towards one of the waiting cars by the attendant.

Half an hour later, he was checking into the W. He felt excited, pleased, a thrill of anticipation - he’d caught up with her this time. Now all he had to do was dump his stuff in his room and stake out the lobby until she inevitably showed up.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d walked up the full length of Joan de Borbó until you’d reached a new area of town called El Born. There was a lovely park - it had been built over a citadel from long ago when Barcelona had been occupied by invaders - and it was full of narrow little streets and cute artisan boutiques. Stopping for a coffee next to an old market building - the Mercat del Born - which had been converted into a cultural centre, once again you just enjoyed the sunshine and watching the world go by.

You looked around at the beautiful buildings; how lovely it would be to live in an apartment in one of these like the locals did. Most of the buildings had ‘Juliet balconies’, not especially spacious but enough to be able to step out of your apartment, maybe sit and enjoy the fresh air if you had room for a little chair. Some of the balconies had lush green plants in big ceramic pots on them, and you thought that sitting out there in amongst them would be like having your own little cocoon from the outside world.

You had a leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood, taking an interest in the small stores, tapas bars and old buildings. At the far end of the Passeig del Born you admired the huge Santa Maria del Mar, a church which your guide book told you was a fine example of Catalan Gothic. This opinion you agreed with - it was a beautiful church and you ventured inside to quietly look at its impressive yet simple interior.

You came out and turned onto Carrer Montcada, where the famous Picasso Museum was located. Not that you were going to go and check it out - your guide book had given some ‘best times to queue’ and spending time in a line of tourists was not your idea of fun - but you wanted to see if El Xampanyet, a famous tapas bar, was still open so you could have a glass of cava. Unfortunately it wasn’t, it had closed a couple of hours earlier and wouldn’t reopen for another couple. Sighing, you decided to walk along Montcada which would take you to Carrer Princesa, you could walk down it and cut round past the Mercat del Born again, back to Barceloneta and the W.

You were feeling a little peckish and the thought of some chilled cava and something to eat was really appealing.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy felt his eyes slowly closing. He shook himself awake behind his newspaper, he couldn’t risk falling asleep but what with his disturbed night’s sleep and then his dash to Barcelona was making even him - an ex-Marine who could function on little or no sleep - feel really fatigued.

Sitting in one of the comfy sofas in reception for the past hour or so was not helping, the quiet hum of voices and people entering and leaving by the revolving doors was soothing him into a drowsy state. The newspaper he’d been pretending to read was in Catalan, totally impenetrable to him so he’d had to resort to just looking at the pictures, not the best at keeping his mind active.

He heard the ‘swoosh’ of the revolving door again, looked up and then froze. It was her!! He peeked round the edge of his paper.

She was heading for the lifts, looking in her bag for her keycard as she walked, she needed to swipe it so she could go up to her floor.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The lift doors opened and you stepped inside, running your keycard over the reader and hitting the button for floor 20. The doors began to close but then suddenly sprang apart again as someone hit the Call button, and you looked up with the usual polite but disengaged smile that people give each other in lifts.

Billy Russo was looking back at you, a small smile on his face as he hit the ‘Close Doors’ button.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

She’d shrank back from him as soon as she’d realised it was him. Billy was incredibly hurt by that. He wasn’t going to harm her!!! He reached a hand out towards her but she moved even further away from him, right into the corner of the lift.

He said her name, then, “Sweetheart.... please! Just hear me out. That’s all I want to do - talk to you.” She glared at him, “Talk!! You want to talk? Ha!! And why would I want to listen to you!?” Billy grabbed her, getting her in a bear hug, kissing her hard and hungrily. He could feel her struggling in his arms but then she began to relax the tiniest little bit, so he just kept on kissing her passionately.

There was a ‘ting’ as the express lift reached its requested floor, and the doors opened onto the landing. There were two elderly ladies standing there and as Billy’s lips broke away from hers, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at them as they stared. “Ladies,” he nodded, firmly taking his girl’s arm in his and pulling her along with him as he got out of the lift.

“That’s not talking!!” she hissed at Billy.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were towed along behind Billy until he stopped outside your door. So.... he even knew your room number. Why hadn’t Karen given you the heads-up this time? You were feeling very uneasy. Billy was on a mission, that was clear.

He’d grabbed your keycard while he was kissing you in the lift. Why hadn’t you struggled harder? Because you’d missed him, of course. You didn’t like it, but you couldn’t deny it.

Now he swiped the keycard against the reader on the door, opened it and bundled you inside, closing the door firmly behind him. He let go of your arm and strode into the room past the centre-located bed which faced the huge window and made his way over to it, looking out at the view it gave of the beaches and the city.

(My Photo - Dec 2015)

He sat on the window seat and turned towards you, “Please... let me explain. Have a seat.” Reluctantly you sat at the opposite end of the long seat, but then stood back up again. You needed a drink. Picking up the bottle of gin from the small table by the window, you walked over to the mini fridge and opened it, taking out a small bottle of tonic water before retrieving a glass from the cupboard above it. You walked over to the large unit under the wall-mounted TV and put it all down, then prepared a G&T for yourself and took a large gulp.

“Nothing for me?” asked Billy, with his best puppy-dog eyes and pout. Heaving a sigh, you went back over to the fridge and took out a bottle of Estrella Damm beer for him, popping the top off it for him. Picking up your G&T on the way back to the window seat, you handed him the beer and sat down.

He took a large swig of the beer, and began, “Sweetheart, I....” but you cut him off. “If you dare to say ‘it’s not what you think’, I’ll chop your balls off, Billy.” He winced, and you shot at him, “What’s her name?” Billy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but again you beat him to it, “And don’t give me any bullshit. I’m not stupid.”

Billy sighed, taking another drink of his beer, “I know you’re not, sweetheart. But I swear I didn’t cheat on you, it was just about getting information.” “What. Is. Her. Name!?” you ground out. His head went down and he said, “Dinah Madani. She works for Homeland,” but not meeting your eyes. “Okay, Russo. Now we’re getting somewhere. What exactly did you get up to with Mizzz Madani?” “Nothing! I swear!” You stood up abruptly, and Billy - who’d been leaning in towards you - rocked back a bit. “Oh, fuck off Billy!” you yelled, “I can smell the guilt off you!”

You were getting angrier and angrier, “You say you wanna talk and then all you do is lie! Get out! Go on - just get out of my room!”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy opened his mouth to say something placatory but seeing just how furious she looked, he decided that a tactical withdrawal was probably the sensible option.

So instead he drained his beer, stood up and began walking to the door. He stopped and turned halfway across the room, gazing at her, “But I do need to properly explain all this to you, angel. Let’s talk later, okay? Please - just give me a chance.”

She nodded, “OK. Tomorrow morning.” He walked to the door, feeling defeated, and left her room. At least she was gonna give him another shot.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The door closed behind him, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Truly, you hadn’t been sure how he was going to react when you told him to leave - Billy had a temper on him. You really didn’t think he’d physically hurt you but he always had that air of danger about him. And you’d been so angry yourself, you’d kind of lost yourself in it.

He might be dangerous, but he was a cowardly little shit when it came to telling the truth. You thought back to what he’d said - ‘Nothing, I swear’ - yeah, a likely story! He must think you were so dumb!

Picking up the room service menu, you had a brief look through it then ordered a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee. While waiting for it, you got your laptop out of your bag and opened it up.

Sorry Barcelona, I haven’t seen even half of what I’d intended to and I’d been so looking forward to exploring.

But instead, I’ve got to love you and leave you.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy stepped out of the walk-in shower wearing one of the hotel’s fluffy white dressing robes, and headed to his mini-bar. He needed another beer. And some food. He flicked through all the stuff lying out on the unit, finally finding the room service menu and ordering a steak and a coffee.

He sat on the window seat while he waited, propped up against the wall with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He was feeling guilty, uneasy and really not pleased with himself. Telling her the truth was turning out to be more difficult than he’d thought. He wondered out loud, “Why is that?” but in fact he damn well knew why. The way he’d been carrying on with Madani was wrong. Even if he’d only been intent on getting information, it was just like Frank had said - cheating - and he knew it. Even if, in Billy’s book, there was Cheating Lite and Cheating For Real, and his overstepping had only been into Lite territory. Was it really that bad?

Who was he kidding? Unsurprisingly, his girl didn’t like to share.

So one thing he knew for sure was that when - if - he ever told her the complete truth, his angel was going to be very, very unhappy with him indeed.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d ordered a very early room service breakfast and after you’d eaten it while enjoying the view, your belongings were quickly stowed away and you took the lift down to the lobby. After checking out - and assuring the receptionist there was nothing wrong, you just had to leave earlier than you’d anticipated - you were on your way to the revolving door when your phone vibrated.

Karen: Billy got Micro to track you down again, sorry hon! He knows you’re in Barcelona 😳 he’ll be heading out there.

You: Yeah, he’s already here! Caught up with me yesterday evening. Agreed we’d talk this morning. But I’m in a taxi on the way to the airport 😉

Karen: 😂😂😂

Once outside, one of the guest services guys waved up a taxi from the nearby rank for you, and wished you a pleasant journey. The taxi driver asked you which terminal you were headed to, and then you were on your way.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Barcelona

(My Photos - Dec 2019)

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @ourloveisforthelovely @swthxrry @odetostep @supernaturalcat7 @obscurilicious @strawb3rrydr3ss @bruxa0007 @aleksanderwh0r3

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

#billy russo #ben barnes #the punisher 💀#billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfiction #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic

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evil-moonlight · 2 years

Text

Thank you so much for the tag @pequenaroo. <3 <3 <3 I appreciate you a lot!! I've read yours and it fascinates me just how cool you are of a person. I am glad to get to know you. <3

Nickname: I am usually called Jin, Rej, Rejin, Ren, Renj, Renji, Rere, Michi, Mich, Din, Den.

Star sign: Cancer

Height: 5'0 💁‍♀️

Time: 11:55 AM

Birthday: June 23

Favorite bands: Kodaline, Sleeping At Last, IV of Spades, Cigarettes After Sex, Coldplay, Eraserheads, Radiohead, Ben&Ben, etc.

Favorite solo artists: Birdy, Hozier, Lana Del Rey, Zild Benitez, Lauren Aquilina, Adele, Ruth B, Kacey Musgraves, James Bay, Moira De La Torre, Aurora, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, etc.

Favorite Foods: Lechon, Adobo, Crispy Pata (so filipino mode XD), takoyaki, sushi and sashimi, fried and steamed siomai, carbonara pizza, anything as long as it's food lol

Favorite colors: Black, golden yellow, pink

Last thing I googled: Steps on how to do the pixie cut hairstyle (done at home).

Last show I watched: Ghost Doctor (Last show I rewatched, Bad and Crazy / currently watching, Dangerous Partners)

Last movie I watched: Once again, I'm stuck with rewatching. Last movies were Atonement, The Merciless, Hwayi: A Monster Boy (yes, rewatching these at the same time is possible).

Lucky number: 4 (no reason)

When did I create this blog? Around September last year (I guess). That was when I was searching for Killer and Healer script/novel translated in English, and since I found excellent reviews instead, I ended up creating this blog 'cause I too wanted to write.

Do I have any other blogs? Yes, unfortunately — I cannot access that anymore because I made that one around 2012 (when I used to be a feral kpop fan) and I was too young and too dumb to even memorize my password. Lmao.

Do I get asks? Yes, sometimes. The first one I got was when I was asked if I'm a human or not (but that idiot is a close friend of mine, lol) and I had to really analyze myself just to know the answer like I always did back in college days while solving accounting problems. Af. It was the hardest ask ever! xD

Why did I choose my URL? Evil (because I want to always be reminded about Beyond Evil) and Moonlight (because the word reminds me of Jiang Yue Lou and Chen Yu Zhi from Killer and Healer).

Blogs you follow: woah, didn't expect it would already reach 290 Tumblrs. (majority of them come from the merciless evil devil from hell megafandom, BL, and minority are the poetry enthusiasts)

Dream trip: I'll start with the local tourist destinations here in the Philippines, apart from my own, another Southeast Asian country would be Thailand (just because I'm always mistaken as Thai, lol) then I would love to travel around some parts of East Asia particularly Japan and Taiwan, and the most interesting part is visiting Europe (UK, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands — Amsterdam (the Anne Frank House), Finland, Greece, and Spain (because one of my best friends is currently living there), actually I want to visit the whole Europe. XD), also Algeria, Morocco, and New York City (at the public library where Ash died peacefully reading Eiji's letter 😭, like I'll be having a Bananafish adventure).

Instruments: used to play guitar, and now I'm starting to learn ukulele, and would love to try the piano in the nearest future.

Average hours of sleep: weekdays would be 6-7 hours, weekends would be no sleeping schedule or if I'm lucky enough, 3-4 hours (I know it's not good for the health but)

How many blankets do you sleep with? One is enough.

No pressure tags: @inescated @sashkitty @kimsunho @lamaladelcuento @we-will-fall-in-hell-together 💖

#tag game #it's ALRIGHT if you don't do yours it's okay sweety but i would love to also get to know my mutuals on a personal level #but PLEASE don't pressure yourself with this tag okay? 💖💖💖

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awrestlinggirlwholoves80sbands · 3 years

Text

Laid out cold, now we're both alone (part 2)

A/N: Hello, this fic is very important to me because I tried my best to give justice to such a cool idea and I hope I did a good job. Plus I don't do multichapter ofter, so this was a challenge.

I wanna thank the lovely @livdonna for proofreading my work, you're literally the best <3.

P.S. If you want to get tagged in the next chapters, let me know.

Summary: Nikki visits Mick to give him a very important task.

Warnings: Major Character Death,Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Drug Use, Angst, Overdose.

Pairing: Nikki Sixx x Tommy Lee

Chapter 1

Taglist: @slashscowboyboots @witchytombstonesmile @arnold-layne @emometalhead @i-dont-like-rice @nikki-sexx @smokeandmirrorz

Mick was supposed to not give a shit about Nikki. He and the stupid drummer had tormented him and his wife for months on ends, making the whole tour a living hell and he didn’t need to have even more things to worry about. So what if his bassist decided to get addicted to heroin? He was a fucking dumbass but it wasn’t his problem. He would end up killing himself and it wasn’t like Mick could have done something, not when his whole body was torturing him.

The only problem was that he cared, deep down. He cared about the fucker and hearing the news that he was gone forever hit him. He lost one of his friends and the band all together in a day, what would have happened? He hated to admit he was scared about the future, it was hard to imagine Motley Crue without Nikki.

He sighed, turning off yet another discussion about his death. They didn’t call him yet but something was telling him that they had to release a statement soon. Doc was probably freaking out somewhere crying for all his millions of dollars lost.

“Fucking Nikki, you had to die at the worst moment, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… sorry about that, man” A voice incredibly similar to Nikki said, making Mick jump up.

Nikki didn’t feel anything, one moment they were in the ambulance and the other they were on the beach. He was confused for a moment before he remembered that Mick had a beach house, and stared at it for a bit. He didn’t know much about the guitarist, maybe almost nothing but he respected him so much. He was one of the strongest dudes he had ever met.

The weirdest thing about all of this was probably how he was only able to feel certain things, no cravings or sand under his feet as he was walking, yet he would still feel guilt, fear, love, worry… it didn’t make sense but he wasn’t in the mood to question the universe’s rules.

People can’t see you until you decide to show yourself. You have to remember or otherwise they can’t hear or see you.

The voice still freaked him out, but at the same time he was grateful for it to be there… it made him feel less alone, which was great considering how he felt lonely for his entire life.

“You’re not alone Nikki, I’ll always be there with you, through highs and lows”

“God it sounds like a marriage vow, T-Bone”

“Well if I could I’d marry now…”

He shook his head, trying to get the memory out. It wasn’t the time to be sentimental and risk fucking everything up, so he walked ( more like flew) through the front door and found Mick sitting on the couch.

“Fucking Nikki, you had to die at the worst moment, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… sorry about that, man”. The bassist hoped that he was heard, otherwise it would have been pretty embarrassing.

Mick visibly jumped at hearing Nikki’s voice and quickly turned around to look at him. From his widened eyes and confused expression, he knew he probably looked fucking transparent.

“Okay first of all why the hell are you here talking to me if you’re dead? Then why the fuck can I see myself through you ?”

The black haired man just realized that he had no idea how to explain everything and be believed, he just went along with whatever the voice in his head was saying, but now it was different. He fumbled with his hand and realized he couldn’t feel them, while he tried to come up with the best way to explain to his friend how he was a ghost and why he was there.

“I died… I have no idea how I came back but I have unfinished business and I need to talk to you!”

The guitarist looked at him up and down, clearly skeptical. However, there wasn’t much arguing… Nikki’s ghost was literally standing in front of him.

“Okay I have no idea if this is a dream, I’m dead or in a coma, or simply I drank too much but now I’ll grab some vodka and you’ll spill your little secrets as you like”.

Nikki smiled a bit… He honestly felt normal for the first time since he was brought back. Having Mick joking was so familiar, usually Tommy was the aim of his jokes and they all laughed because they were all so unexpected…

Tommy. Thinking about him still hurt, again he wondered if he was okay and how much he missed him… but it wasn’t his time now. He had other things to talk about as Mick came back into the living room with his glass.

“Mick… you gotta promise me that you won’t let Motley Crue die, that you will fight to keep the band’s legacy.”

The older man looked at him surprised, rolling his eyes.

“Well that’s a bit hard when our bassist and songwriter died!”

Rage and resentment were heavy in his voice but there was more : fear and sadness. Nikki felt guilty and he fucking hated it, it was so unlike him but he couldn’t help it… Mick cared about the band as much as he did. He always said the band was his life, before heroin came into the picture, but it was also Mick’s and he probably destroyed everything.

“You will find another one, another bassist who is also a songwriter…” The words felt so foreign coming from his mouth. They even hurt a bit but they were necessary.

“I know you care about this band as much as I do, Mick. I know how much you’ve worked your ass off in shitty bands, trying to find the one that was going to break… I might be dead but Crue can’t have the same fate”.

Mick scoffed, taking a long sip of his vodka.

“It’s not easy, it’s not like we can find the perfect match like we did. Plus, everyone will probably hate him for replacing you!”

The frustration was almost tangible, but there was something else… Mick was scared, he knew everything was about to fade away because of Nikki’s actions, he was already looking at the boat sinking. Nikki started to panic because his band had to live, even in his death! It was pointless and selfish but that was the only thing people could remind him of.

“If you give up, then Vince and Tommy will do the same! I know that you think no one will take you, but the truth is they will. Crue is what it is because of our vision, you are part of it and I’m asking you to keep it going. Think of this as my dying man’s wish… even if I’m already dead”

The older man’s grip on his glass got tighter, his eyes lost in thought as he was pondering Nikki’s words. It was hard to take in, hell that was an understatement, it was fucking insane and probably wouldn’t work but the bassist needed to have this false hope.

“It’s so fucking weird, you know? To realize you’re fucking dead yet here talking to me.”

He was deflecting, Nikki knew it, but didn’t want to push it too far. He learned to know Mick, he kept his promises and he was a hard worker and with a good dose of luck and jokes, you got him to your side.

“Yeah, do you remember how I said you weren’t going to make it in that interview? Well, karma hits like a bitch!”

“Mick might not make it , he drinks a little too much and it looks rough” Mick quoted, trying to imitate Nikki’s voice.

“Yeah and then you said something like I heard what you said and you’re dead, fuck I guess you were right” He laughed but Mick didn’t.

Oh c’mon so what if he was joking about his death? It’s not like anyone really cared about him. They just saw him as a burden, which he was. Not his mom, nor his band or his Tommy would have really missed him… they would eventually move on.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” He said annoyed but his lips formed a small smile.

“I know, I know. Mick… please promise me that. If Crue is going to end, then my whole life didn’t mean anything! Ple…” He stopped himself, he was so fucking close to begging but he couldn’t. Nikki Sixx didn’t fucking beg, not in life or death.

“I’m thinking about it!”

He really meant the first part. He spent all his teenage and adult years creating the band of his dreams and making sure they conquered the world. This band was his escape; his attempt at redemption after his shitty childhood. Nobody loved Frank Feranna but he didn’t care, he would become Nikki Sixx and be super fucking famous!

He didn’t need anyone’s love, except that he did.

“ I love you, Nikki.”

“ No you don’t, nobody does, T-Bone”

“Well I fucking do. You gotta pass on my dead body before you’ll hear me not saying it over and over”

His heart might have stopped, but he still felt the big wave of nostalgia hitting him. He couldn’t do it, he would have never been ready to see him again.

“Okay, I will. But listen to me, it won’t be easy and I’m an old man with a fucked up back, so don’t send demons against me if I fail!” The little spark of determination in his eyes relaxed Nikki, he was on board.

“I fucking knew you were the best, Mars! If I wasn’t dead I’d probably tattoo your face on me as a thank you!”

“Oh gross, never say that again!” He pretended to be disgusted but his eyes betrayed him, the small softness in them told Nikki he felt touched.

“Who knows, maybe in hell they have tattoos for the ghosts. God we used to hate each other and now we are two peas in a pod.”

“I still hate you.”

“Ugh, you crushed my heart Mick”

The guitarist flipped him off, rolling his eyes. Nikki desperately wanted to keep talking, if he did then he could have pretended nothing changed, right? He didn’t have to face Vince and Tommy and go through the light… everything would have stayed the same or he could fool himself that it would.

I think it’s time to go to the next person.

The voice was demanding yet still calm. Nikki knew that he couldn’t stay forever, they had to prevent spirits from just lingering into the real world like that, it made him a bit angry but he understood it. It wasn’t like he could have done much anyway…He was just a shell of what he used to be.

“I gotta go Mick…” He wanted to punch himself because he sounded so fucking pathetic, but the other man gave him a compassionate smile.

What he fuck are you, a little small puppy? Oh look Frankie is scared to leave his illusion of a family.

Mick walked him to the other without saying anything, but before turning the handle, which was pointless because Nikki could have just passed through the door, he broke the silence.

“Try to give us some signs, okay? Show us that you’re there… but don’t you fucking dare spill my vodka or I’ll make you two times dead!”

“Oh that’s exactly what I’ll do, thanks for the suggestion!”

He stepped outside and looked at Mick one last time.

“You promised, alien. You gotta do it!”

“Yeah yeah, you better repay me when I come to join you there…” And with one last look, Mick closed the door.

Nikki felt all of the weight crushing down on his body, even if it was made of air. He simply stood still, his mind racing like a freight train, trying to take everything in but also getting ready for his next move… being overwhelmed was an understatement, he felt peeled down like an orange and this was only the beginning. He felt like a fucking coward but he just wanted to get over it, was it that bad to accept his fate and disappear without facing anyone?

You are going to abandon him again? You know why you need to talk to Vince, and you know this will be your last chance to see him, asshole!

He went to kick the sand, but he couldn’t touch it. God, how frustrating was that!

So where are we going next?

Nikki would have wanted to scream at him, give him the middle finger and just run away but it wouldn’t have been helpful, would it? So he forced himself to be as neutral as possible.

“Vince Neil. Take me to his house.”

#nikki sixx #Tommy Lee #mick mard #vince neil #motley crue #motley crue fanfiction #80sRock #80s rock band #fanfiction #my writing #tommy lee x nikki sixx

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a-sour-nectarine · 3 years

Link

Summary:

The memories froze him. He didn't realize that Obi-Wan was calling his name, increasingly urgent, or that the water had reached his hips. It was cold, not as cold as it had been back on Kamino, but still just above freezing. He could almost imagine the crimson light of the clock, the sneering face of the trainer. The trainer hadn't been inherently cruel, but years of torturing little boys did something to the psyche.

So Cody suspected, at least.

Finally, a cry of "Cody!" woke him from his reverie. Obi-Wan was sobbing on the other side of the chamber, in a way Cody have never seen him cry, hand gripping his hair tightly enough to stretch the skin above his ear.

The water was up to his chest now, and rising fast, and the panic was still tight in his chest, but he made himself look Obi-Wan in the eyes. Before he did though, he caught his own gaze. His face was smooth in the crystal, no scar marring his temple. He absently wondered how anyone would be able to tell who he was, stuck in a child's body with no scar.

Notes:

Everyone shut up, I was supposed to post this last night, but I fell asleep. I am aware that it's Monday. Don't want to hear it.

This is my fourth and final submission for Codywan Week 2021! I really tried to do all seven days, but for my first ever event like this, I don't think I did too bad.

Prompt is an alt, Sith/Jedi Artifact Shenanigans.

"Um, commander?"

"What, Waxer?" Cody said irritably, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Day three in the remains of this stupid temple, and Cody, General Kenobi, Waxer, Boil, and six shinies, all yet to be named, had been grating on each other's nerves nonstop.

"You might want to... um... check in a mirror."

"Lieutenant, unless you have a mirror with you, that's not gonna happen."

"I just, um. Hold on. I'll take a picture, send it to your HUD."

Seconds later, said picture showed up in front of Cody's eyes. "Oh, Force."

A sleepy voice from the back of the room piped up. "Force what?"

Cody removed his helmet and shared a look with Waxer. That was not a brother, but it didn't quite sound like the General either, meaning....

"Hey, General, you might wanna come over here." Waxer shrugged at Cody as he called out. Sure enough, the figure making it's way over to them was not the General, or, at least, not the General they were used to. He looked like a cadet.

Well, so did Cody, so who was he to judge?

"Oh, Cody!" Obi-Wan exclaimed once he noticed the commander's state. He didn't seem to be able to stop the smile pulling at his mouth.

"Ah-ah, speak for yourself, General."

Obi-wan squinted down at his robes, which were the same as the ones he went to sleep in. He was drowning in them, looking only slightly less ridiculous than Cody did in his oversized armor. "Well, this is unfortunate."

Boil snorted. "Maybe one of you is small enough to fit through that hole now.

The General lit up. "Brilliant, Boil. Someone boost me up."

Boil snorted again, but followed him to the far wall. It had been pretty destroyed in the explosion, though still pretty effective in keeping the ten of them trapped. But maybe, now that Cody and Obi-Wan were smaller...

"Wait, wait, we aren't going to address the fact that we are– small? What caused it?"

Obi-Wan's lips quirked up in a smile, and Cody noticed how much more expressive he was when clean-shaven. "Well, I suspect it was caused by the artifact that also triggered the explosion that trapped us here. So, personally, I'd rather worry about it later." He held up the small slate of rock, carved with languages none of them could read.

Cody gaped for a second. That was pretty good thing to say if Obi-Wan wanted all the men to immediately lose faith in either himself or Cody. They had never disagreed in front of the troops, no matter how minor the issue. Equally unusual, he felt the urge to snap back. It was like he was four all over again— Oh. He was, wasn't he?

"Alright, but if you make it through, expect me to follow."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Obi-Wan chirped, grinning like he had just won some huge award.

Turned out that they both did fit, though Cody had to get shoved through and his shoulders got a little scraped up. But it was worth it for the first breath of fresh air outside.

Obi-Wan turned to him, eyes wide, and laughed. "I was honestly not positive that would work."

Cody couldn't help but join him in his laughter, breathless and a little manic, before a voice called out from inside the rubble.

"Will you two grow up and go find a damn signal?"

That was definitely Boil, no one else would speak like that to their COs, even if their COs were children. Cody couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah, old man. We're going." Cody really was just content with losing all respect, wasn't he. Eh, he was four, he was allowed to be petulant. Besides, he doubted that the eight people still trapped under the debris would be telling anyone else. Not because he trusts them, hells no, but because the situation was almost as embarrassing for them as it was for him and Obi-Wan. After all, they were the ones whose shebs would be saved by children.

Obi-Wan held out his hand, and Cody took it without a second thought, not that he had time to. The Jedi took off the second he had a hold on Cody's fingers. They ran up to the closest hill they could find and surveyed the landscape. Nothing but red grass and blue flowers and crumbling old ruins as far as the eye could see. It was almost beautiful.

Until it started raining.

A couple of light drops of water was all the warning they got before the sky opened, absolutely soaking them immediately. Cody groaned and took off again–-still attached to Obi-Wan–-towards the nearest gray, stone building that looked like it still had a ceiling. As soon as they made it inside, they heaved out twin sighs of relief. The building wasn't completely waterproof, but it was good enough. They made their way into the middle of the floor, where there was the least amount of leakage, and Cody shook himself savagely. The rain outside was not slowing, in fact, it seemed to only get heavier as time went on. Lightning flashed every few seconds. The thunder was constant, but could barely be heard over the sound of the rain.

And then the walls came down.

Not "came down," as in they fell. "Came down," as in a separate set of walls dropped in from the soggy ceiling, completely (and separately) entombing Cody and the General. The walls were some kind of clear glass or crystal, faceted and almost completely transparent. The wall between them had gaps in it, sort of decoratively symmetrical.

"Uhh, Commander?"

"Yeah, sir, I noticed." Cody pounded on the wall, and it didn't even crack. Not glass, then. His enhanced strength would have taken care of glass that thick, child body or no.

In spite of the situation, Obi-Wan giggled, his voice echoing oddly from the other side of the crystal. "Cody, please don't call me "sir," it feels strange. I'm eleven."

"How can you possibly know how old you are?"

"No scar on my thumb. I rub it when I'm nervous, but right now there's nothing to rub."

"How do you know you aren't– I dunno, nine?"

"Just a guess, I suppose. I feel too tall to be nine. You, on the other hand, look younger than that."

Cody quickly crunched the numbers in his head. "S'pose that would make sense, if it's relative. I'm developmentally about 10 years younger than you. Twenty-four to thirty-five, eight to eleven."

"You're ignoring the fact that we are trapped."

"Yes, I am."

"That doesn't change the situation."

"I'm aware. But, as previously stated, I am eight years old. Four, actually. I'm trying not to panic. How are you calm?"

"Oh, I'm not. I'm actually fighting off a panic attack, if I am to be frank. This is almost exactly how Qui-Gon died, with me trapped on the other side of a ray shield. I just keep talking because it seems to distract me."

Cody cursed himself. He knew that, and it should have occurred to him that this was probably Obi-Wan's worst nightmare. He kicked his feet along the bottom of the wall, and noticed a particularly concerning fact. The crystal was growing. Not just randomly growing, it seemed to be specifically growing to cover the holes in the wall, creeping up and up. And, as if that wasn't worrisome enough, Cody's feet were wet. Not from the rain, but from the water seeping up from the floor. It was rapidly climbing higher, just a little below the level of growing crystal. The sound was rather pleasant, Cody noted, but he also noted that Obi-Wan's side of the little prison was completely dry.

The irony was not lost on him. And the irony was pretty kriffed up.

And it got worse once Obi-Wan noticed. The Jedi just let out a hysterical little laugh, and started pacing. "Wow, how wonderful."

"Hey, Ge–Obi-Wan, it's okay. It's okay. It's really slow."

Obi-Wan stopped pacing and stretched his hand through a hole at shoulder height, yet to be covered. Cody didn't even think before he grabbed the boy's (man's?) hand.

"It'll be okay," He repeated. "I'm fine."

The water was about knee high now, and the row of crystals at shoulder height were starting to close off. Cody pushed Obi-Wan's hand back just before the crystal could trap it there, and Obi-Wan let out a pained sound, pressing up against the wall. It hurt Cody. Hurt him more that being trapped, than the memories he had at this age, the memories that this water chamber was starting to dredge up.

Watching his brothers take their turns in the tank, none coming out conscious. "It's for your training," the longnecks had said. It felt like torture to Cody. Though, he supposed, maybe that was the point. It's hard for torture to frighten you if you have already experienced worse.

His turn now, he pulled on the breathing mask and stepped into the tank. It started filling up from the tubes in the sides, and the cold water shocked him a little. He watched the blinking, red light outside on the wall, until it counted up to three minutes. As soon as it hit three, he took a deep breath and shoved the mask off his face, and the clock started counting down again. Could he make it?

No. He woke up later in the medbay.

Like he always did.

So Cody suspected, at least.

"It's alright," he said as the water carried him up, up, toward the top of the chamber. It wasn't nearly far enough away.

"I'll be fine," he called as he felt his head press against the ceiling. Too soon.

"I'm okay," he lied, then took a deep breath, right before the water covered his mouth and nose.

The clock ticked down, 2.59, 2.58, 2.57...

He sank back down, keeping his eyes open and on the crying boy leaning on the wall. Cody smiled and pressed his hand against the crystal.

1.46, 1.45, 1.44, 1.43...

Obi-Wan frantically pushed his own hand against Cody's through the wall. His other fist pounded at the crystal, to no avail. Cody's lungs were starting to burn.

1.03, 1.02, 1.01...

Cody's vision got darker, but he kept his gaze on Obi-Wan. Through the water, he looked distorted, but his eyes were unmistakable. Blue, bright with tears, creased with grief. Cody thought that it had been a while since he had seen those eyes smile. He hoped they would again, maybe after the Wars. Long after Cody was gone. He hoped this wouldn't break Obi-Wan beyond repair. His gaze really did go black now, and the clock in his memory blinked just twice more.

0.01, 0.00.

He felt a satisfied smile pull on his lips. He made it.

~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan saw Cody's eyes close, and he cried out. "Cody! Stay with me!"

He couldn't ask that of him. It was selfish and impossible. But Obi-Wan felt so small, so helpless. It was just like when Qui-Gon had died, and he could do nothing. Nothing.

"Not nothing," a voice chided. "You can change it, this time."

A different voice swirled around him. "He must learn."

The first voice pressed in. "This will only break him. You are strong, child. Use it."

The soft voice was right. If he lost Cody right now, he would shatter. There would be no Obi-Wan Kenobi to put together, not like there had been last time. He would never come back. Maybe that was what the Code aimed to prevent when it forbade attachments. He had never been good at staying away from those he loved.

But there was no way to get to Cody.

"The power. It is yours to use, young one. Focus it."

"What power?!" He yelled, sounding like a child, even to his own ears. He was a child, actually. No response. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and placed his hands on the crystal wall, tears slipping down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. And he focused. It was like meditating, but more. He felt it. Power. Flowing through his very being. That was what the voice meant. It felt like an ocean, pushing and pulling at him, flowing through him. He waited, waited....

And pushed.

The crystal around him shattered. Shattered like Obi-Wan, because he surged forward and Cody was in his arms and he was him again, filling out his armor, scar across his temple but he was still and cold. Obi-Wan lowered Cody to the ground, brushing the shards of crystal away with his mind, and cried again. "Cody, Cody please. Wake up." He gulped in a breath of air. "Commander, wake up! That's and order!" And he used the power and he pushed the water out of Cody's lungs, but he still didn't stir. He heart had all but stopped, and he wasn't breathing. Obi-Wan used the power again and gathered the Force around Cody's lungs, breathing for him, in--out--in--out--in--

That's when Obi-Wan noticed the crystal in his hand. He would have dismissed it, thrown it with the rest of the shards of crystal littering the floor around him, if not for the glow.

"It is for him. This was as much his trial as it was yours."

The sense of desperation flooded him again, and he fought back tears. What use would Cody have for the crystal if he was dead? But he pressed it to the commander's chest anyway.

"Cody, don't leave. Please wake up. You have to wake up."

And then it was like Cody had heard him, because he coughed and shivered. Obi-Wan released his grip on the Force, because he didn't need it anymore, because Cody was breathing on his own. He squeezed his eyes shut and the scar on his temple stretched. Obi-Wan sobbed in relief and pressed a kiss to Cody's forehead, because he was alive, and they had passed whatever test they had been given, and they were alive.

And that would do for now. That would be enough until they had to go find help, until they had to get the squad out, until they found someone who could help.

Because Obi-Wan was not going to lose anyone today.

#codywanweek2021 #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #there were many external factors that influenced this fic #its far from my best work #but kinda interesting at least

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a-cure-for-writers-block · 4 years

Text

#100 Song Lyric Prompts

No one specifically requested, but I wanted to do this so bad! Here we go...

“Will nature make a man of me yet?”- The Smiths, This Charming Man

“If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free Bird

“When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down, I'll crawl home to her.”- Hozier, Work Song

“I don’t think that we should be alone together, when we’re in a room you get my eyes, you open your mouth I’m hypnotised”- The Neighbourhood, Single

“She looks as if she’s blowing a kiss at me and suddenly the sky is a scissor”- Arctic Monkeys, That’s where you’re wrong

“You think you want to be alone, just wait until you’re crying on the shower floor” “They’ve got a pretty face, but they’ve got a pretty empty head.” “But how the hell do you fall in love, the last time I checked you can’t fall in slow mo”- LANY- The Breakup *There were too many good ones in this song, I couldn’t help myself*

“I know it’s mad, but if I go to hell will you go with me or just leave?” - Panic! At The Disco, Do you know what I'm seeing?

“I don’t know who’s protecting me, but we hit it off”- Drake, Sandra’s Rose

“Do me a favour and break my nose, do me a favour and tell me to go away?”- Arctic monkeys, Do me a favour

“Baby just came back around, said she needs time to explore, said I can’t love her no more”- The Neighbourhood, Baby came home

“Just one mistake, you say you’re not in love no more, but was it really love if you can leave me for something so innocent is this the end?”- LANY, Thick and thin

“You can have Manhattan, I know it’s for the best, I’ll gather up the avenues and leave them on your doorstep. I’ll tiptoe away so you won’t have to say you heard me leave.” “You can have Manhattan, the one we used to share, the one where we were laughing and drunk on just being there. Hang onto the reverie, could you do that for me?”- Sara Bareilles, Manhattan

“You don’t love me, big fucking deal, I’ll never tell you how I feel.” “I'll send my best regards from Hell”- Marina and the Diamonds, Starring Role

“I been writing these songs ‘bout how I can’t be with you. I don’t want to be a monster, but I’ve been here for days, drinking too much now I want you, can’t get you off my brain.”- Henry, Monster, Eng. version

“Change lives, get better, yeah that be the plan” “That’s why you see me winning, yeah, even after I lose”- Jay Park, Ask bout me

“Love is not looking over shoulders, Love is you should trust what I told you” “Love is not struggling to say I love you”- 6LACK, Disconnect

“All these people taking miles when you give them an inch, all these followers but who's gonna follow me until the end?”- Drake, Emotionless

“She’s in the rain, you wanna hurt yourself I’ll stay with you, you wanna make yourself go through that pain, It’s better to be held than holding on,”- The Rose, She’s In The Rain *Absolutely love this one, don’t @ me, I will die for the The Rose**

“Sex by the fire at night”- Bruno Mars, That’s What I Like

“I’ve got the good side of you, sent it out into the blue.”- Troye Sivan, Good Side

“Standing by the window, rain falling, I want to have you full in my embrace and tell you, even when I’m born again and love you, even then, will you be with me?”- KREAM, 선물 Gift *Translated*

“It all passes, Someday, For sure, Certainly”- RM, ft. NELL, everythingoes *Translated*

“Please stay as long as you need, can't promise that things won't be broken, but I swear that I will never leave. Please stay forever with me”- Sleeping With Sirens, Scene One- James Dean & Audrey Hepburn

“When you move, I'm put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“Wake up and smell the coffee, is your cup half full or empty?”- Billie Eilish, come out and play

“Am I a bad person? Or am I just in pain?”- DEAN, Sulli, Rad Museum, Dayfly *Translated*

“Kiss me on the lips, a secret just between the two of us, deeply poisoned by the jail of you, I cannot worship anyone but you and I knew the grail was poisoned but I drank it anyway”- BTS, Blood Sweat & Tears *Translated*

“When the sun sets and darkness comes, I only remember your warmth, where the stars wrap around us. I’m going there, I’ll be there”- SEVENTEEN, Highlight *Translated*

“I don't ever wanna feel like anything I do ever had a fucking resonance or meant a thing to you.”- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, I Hate You

“You can’t take this away from me, the way I hit the melody, the waves bring clarity, running through me”- Tom Misch, Del La Soul, It Runs Through Me

“It was a lie when they smiled and said you won’t feel a thing”- My Chemical Romance, Disenchanted

“The fog has lifted and things get clear, all the lies pass by like a reel of film. I hate you”- EXO, 내가 미쳐 (Going Crazy) *Translated*

“I’m sorry- no, I’m not sorry, I’m just getting started and my life’s a party”- DEAN, Eric Bellinger, I’m Not Sorry

“Ain’t it fun, living in the real world?”- Paramore, Ain’t It Fun

“Ready or not, we are coming back- yeah, we’re over, we can tell you ‘bout what you need. You can look it up when you’re older”- Evergreen, Cargo Cult

“You, you got so much potential, every moment spent with you I bet was always eventful”- Aminé, Kehlani, Heebiejeebies- Bonus

“Could you imagine the taste of your lips if we never tried to kiss on the drive to Queens? 'Cause I imagine the weight of your ribs if you lied between my hips in the backseat”- Halsey, Roman Holiday

“Forever isn’t for everyone, is forever for you?”- Arctic Monkeys, Snap Out Of It

“Wish you good luck being lonely, I’mma push red every time you phone me. You vow to be a memory”- Ella Mai, ft. Ty Dolla $ign, She Don’t

“I’ve been dazed and confused from the day I met you, yeah I lost my head and I’d do it again”- Ruel, Dazed & Confused

“I just want you closer, is that alright? Baby let's get closer tonight”- Paolo Nutini, Last request

“You have no idea how pretty you are when you wake from sleep, you have no idea how beautiful you look as you get ready for bed”- Zion.T, No Makeup *Translated*

“I was thinking I could fly to your hotel tonight, baby, ‘cos I can’t get you off my mind”- Shawn Mendes, Lost In Japan

“She's soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand, she takes care of me, baby, she helps me be a better man. She's so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes, she's exactly what I need”- Jeremy Passion, Lemonade

“And her lips are like the galaxy's edge and her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place”- Arctic Monkeys, Arabella

“It's how you look, not how you feel. A city of glass with no heart”- Queens of the Stone Age, If I Had a Tail

“I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife”- Hozier, Take Me To Church

“Bitter and hardened heart, Oh, aching- waiting for life to start”- Keane, Bend & Break

“When you move I'm put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“She said, ‘Baby, I'm afraid to fall in love, 'cause what if it's not reciprocated?’ I told her, ‘Don't rush girl, don’t you rush, guess it's all a game of patience.’”- Pink Sweat$, Honesty

“Share a casket with you, we’ll be buried alive, me and her playing truth ‘til the day we die.”- Granata Ft. Phoniks, You Dont Need Me

“And hope that I had survived yesterday, and today is jealous of tomorrow.”- Emeli Sandé, Breathing Underwater

“Heaven if you sent us down so we could build a playground for the sinners to play as saints, you'd be so proud of what we've made.” Stephen, Crossfire

“Tell me how do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night? How do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night?”- blackbear, make daddy proud

“If anyone looks perfect, you look perfect next to me.”- Nick Wilson, Obsolete

“When I meet you after time passes, I’ll know (you were my future), I’ll know (I was your yesterday). When I meet you after time passes, I’ll know (you protected me), I’ll know (I desired you).”- SEVENTEEN (Wen Junhui & Xu Minghao), My I *Translated*

“I need my sex n’ drugs, I need my money first, bless me with all my sins.”- Abhi The Nomad, Ft. Harrison Sands & Copper King, Sex ‘n Drugs

“Naked and fallin' in love, look here I got you. Safe where there's no one to judge, keep it insightful.”- Keiynan Lonsdale, Preach

“All alone, all we know is haunting me, making it harder to breathe, harder to breathe.”- The Neighbourhood, Leaving Tonight

“Now I see you get off of the subway, haven't seen you in months but it's okay. I'd forgotten but I feel the same, hate that I still wish you were...”- Claud, Wish You Were Gay

“A perfect stranger lying next to me, he's playing God with broken figurines. He keeps calling me his little queen and I believe.”- Jake Wesley Rogers, Little Queen (This song deserves way more recognition, make sure to give it a listen!)

“Hell is so close to Heaven, hell is so close to Heaven. Hold on don't look back, you know we're better- we’re better than that. Lost and thrown away, you know we're better- we’re better than that.”- Sleeping With Sirens, The Strays

“Alone tonight, I’m drawing my dreams across the sky farther than I can imagine- She wants it.”- CIX, Movie Star *Translated*

“Yeah I mixed words and some whiskey on the flight just to make sure I landed on time and I wrote me a song I could sing just in case I forgot everything.”- Marc E. Bassy, Last One I Love

“Don't ask questions you don't wanna know, learned my lesson way too long ago.” “Deadly fever, please don't ever break, be my reliever 'cause I don't self medicate”- Billie Eilish, my strange addiction

“And it's worth it, it's divine, I have this some of the time.”- Hozier, Cherry Wine

“And I realize you're mine, Indeed, a fool am I.”- Queens of the Stone Age, No One Knows

“Look in the mirror ‘til I forget everything I know, everything I did was just a way to make the time feel faster.”- Miya Folick, Stock Image

“Do you feel how I feel? Are you numb? Do you tread crystal waters, bound to be stung? Are you scared? If I see you, we're upon, will you dye your hair dark so you're no longer blonde?”- Isaac Dunbar, Cologne

“Tell me; To you I’m bad & hurtful. Because I’ve been busy, you’re hurting. Bad, bad, bad, I’m bad, bad.”- Crush, NAPPA (나빠) *Translated*

“Just for the record, the weather today is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of: A. Indifference or B. disinterest to what the critics say.”- Panic! At The Disco, London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines

“‘Cause you don’t say what you feel, I'm the one driving but you take the wheel. You wanna wait, 'til we're older, I'm the one who started this, but now I just want closure.”- Ieuan, Closure

“Our names carved in the pavement, sealed by what's left of our handprints, now. I told my mom, she'd love to meet you, but it's too bad she won't get the chance to.”- COIN, Malibu 1992

“I'm running outta time to hold you close, running outta time to be your man. I'm just lost in this moment, I've been zoning.”- blackbear, 4u

“Standing on your mama's porch, you told me that you'd wait forever. Oh and when you held my hand, I knew that it was now or never”- Bryan Adams, Summer Of ‘69

“I'll go out, grow my hair too long, sing your least favourite songs at the top of my lungs. I'll go out, kiss all of your friends, make a story and pretend it was me who made this end.”- The Vamps, Hair Too Long

“Getting my mind right, I'll wait 'til the time's right. I'm meaning to tell you why it's hard to sleep at night. There's nothing to fear now, girl, we should be here now. So why don't you hear me out?”- Jeremy Zucker, Ft. blackbear, talk is overrated

“We haven't spoke since you went away, comfortable silence is so overrated. Why won't you ever be the first one to break? Even my phone misses your call, by the way.”- Harry Styles, From the Dining Table

“Look overhead at the stars and the ocean, foggy emotions, moments, erosion. This supernova could cause a commotion, my minds of the notion, you'll still be my motive”- Ansel Elgort, Supernova

“I love that new dress you bought, yeah, you sure look nice. Heard you liked that new restaurant, you know, I've been there twice. And the way that you switch up your hair, all of the moments we've shared, strolling the streets back in Rome, oh, how I wish I was there. It ain't fair.”- Ruel, Face To Face

“Welcome to your life, there's no turning back. Even while we sleep we will find you acting on your best behaviour, turn your back on mother nature.”- Tear For Fears, Everybody Wants to Rule the World

“I'm wide awake, not losing any sleep, I picked up every piece and landed on my feet. I'm wide awake, need nothing to complete myself, no.” Katy Perry, Wide Awake

“If you don't realize, all of the things your life can do you will be left behind, swept up by the storm of those you knew.”- Meltycanon, thankful

“I always knew that we'd be by each other's side forever, now our time has come and I'd be satisfied if we died together. Yeah, our climate's fucked, we might as well enjoy the weather, our time is up and I'd be satisfied if we died together.”- Samsa, Anthropocene

“There's still so much to say, I'm faded, broken, pretending you're on the line, wasting my time. Sinking deeper, watching you spend your night, like I'll be fine and I'll be over this.”- NYK, Faded

“I’d rather go to hell, than be in purgatory, cut my hair, gag and bore me, pull this pin, let this world explode.”- My Chemical Romance, Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

“I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land.”- blink-182, Wishing Well

“Let go of your baggage, but don’t think I don’t understand it’s probably a challenge,”- Isaac Lewis, Fly

“It's been a long night in New York city, it's been a long night in Baton Rouge. I don't remember you looking any better, but then again, I don't remember you.”- John Mayer, Who Says

“They say that love kills, it ain't quite what it seems, don't be shocked when you lost what you called ‘meant to be’.”- StayLoose, Bryce Fox, Sociopath

“When they come for You, I will shield Your name, I will field their questions, I will feel Your pain.”- Kanye West, Ultralight Beam

“Two steps forward, one step back and it won’t be long til my heart attack, yup! And common sense falls second place to the way it feels when you kiss my face, yup!”- The Band CAMINO, 2 / 14

“Leaving empty souls when he avenged, evil spirits flowed, he drank the blood like lemonade.”- Morcheeba, Blood Like Lemonade

“Your smile will become a classic; the brilliance of sunlight, the haziness of the moonlight exist for the sake of promises.”- WayV, Moonwalk

Dear God, I hope you got the letter and I pray you can make it better down here. I don't need a big reduction in the price of beer, but all the people that you made in your image- see them starving on their feet.”- Lawless, Sydney Wayser, Dear God

“Down below, sandy, like the ocean floor, quiet, like I like it; here I'll never be alone.”- slenderbodies, anemone

“I love everything, fire spreading all around my room, my world's so bright, it's hard to breathe but that's alright- hush.”- Sub Urban, Cradles

“I'm telling myself, I'm telling myself, ‘I don't need you anymore’.”- Lia Marie Johnson, Cold Heart Killer

“So I moved to California, but it's just a state of mind, it turns out everywhere you go, you take yourself, that's not a lie. Wish that you would hold me or just say that you were mine- it's killing me slowly.” Lana Del Rey, Fuck it I love you

“See, she knows that I love her, but I don't think she'll stay and she knows that I need her, but my love's lost its weight. Spend my days longing for something real, spend my days stuck in the way I feel.”- JOBA, Sad Saturdays

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my-random-ocs · 3 years

Text

Percy Jackson and the Olympians OC Masterlist

(Now with new characters and faceclaim changes)

Come Hell or High Water; Patchwork Family

Name: Andromeda Blue ‘Andy’ Hernandez

Story: Come Hell or High Water, Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Scarlett Estevez and Isabela Merced

Godly Parent: Hades

Love Interest: Leo Valdez

Summary: Andromeda Blue Hernandez. A special name for a special girl. The twelve-year-old is in what feels like her millionth school in the past few years. Her only real friend is Percy Jackson. He’s the only one that will sit with her at lunch, who doesn’t care about her ADHD and dyslexia. He’s the only one that is just as much a loser as she is. Then Percy blows up a school- not his fault- and Andy is taken to a camp for ‘special’ people.

Name: Calliope ‘Callie’ Ayelen

Story: Come Hell or High Water, Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Sadie Sink and Abigail Cowen

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary: Callie Ayelen always knew she was different. Dyslexic and ADHD, she had never really fit in with the other kids. All except one: Percy Jackson, Callie’s next door neighbor and best friend. Ever since they were five-years-old, and Callie moved into Percy’s building, the pair had been through everything together. And when they find out they’re demigods, arrive at a camp that thinks sword fighting is okay to teach to children, and Percy’s mom is kidnapped, well, they’ll get through that together, too.

Name: Danaë Gray Hernandez

Story: Come Hell or High Water, Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Sofia Carson

Godly Parent: Boreas

Love Interest: Travis Stoll

Summary:

Name: Darshini Bahl

Story: Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Godly Parent: Minerva

Love Interest: Frank Zhang

Summary: The daughter of the goddess of wisdom and a mortal man, Darshini Bahl always knew she was different. And unfortunately, Camp Jupiter was the same. Being the only daughter of Minerva, Darshi felt ostracized at the place that was supposed to feel like home. Except from the Fifth Cohort. She always felt safe with her best friends. Then the war against the Titans came, and Darshi wasn’t as safe as she thought she was. But she got through it, and she started living her life again. Then, barely three months later, one of Darshi’s best friends goes missing, and eight months later, a son of Neptune carries Juno herself into camp, followed by gorgons that refuse to die. That same day, Mars himself issues a quest for Darshi, Percy, and three others- including newbie Frank Zhang, who she may or may not have a crush on- to go to the land beyond the gods and rescue the god of death. Well, Darshi’s summer was going to be boring.

Name: Libertas ‘Libby’ Kekoa

Story: Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Auli’i Cravalho

Godly Parent: Neptune

Love Interest: Jason Grace

Summary: Libby has always been the pariah of Camp Jupiter. Claimed by Neptune as soon as she got there, then stuck in the fifth cohort with all the other so-called losers, didn’t make her very popular. But still, her life was good. She had a few friends, she enjoyed war games, and she even had a boyfriend. She was happy. Then her boyfriend disappears, and another boy shows up eight months later. Libby knows this can’t be a coincidence, especially when Percy Jackson ends up being a child of Neptune as well. And when Mars himself tells Libby, Percy, and three others to go on a quest to Alaska to get the Legion’s missing eagle- something no one has survived- Libby knows something is going on.

Name: Nathaniel ‘Nathan’ Castellan

Story: Come Hell or High Water, Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Jared Gilmore and Joe Keery

Godly Parent: Hermes

Love Interest: Annabeth Chase

Summary: Nathan liked Camp Half-Blood, he really did. He liked his siblings. He liked Capture the Flag, and archery lessons with Chiron. Then after Grover, Annabeth, and newbies Percy and Callie got back from returning Zeus’ lightning bolt, it all fell apart. Luke betrayed his friends, the camp, and worst of all- his little sister. And now everyone is looking at Nathan like he’s going to betray them, too. But he won’t, he swears. Come hell or high water, he will do anything to protect his home, and his family.

Name: Poppy Bloom-Chase

Story: Come Hell Or High Water, Patchwork Family

Faceclaim: Anna Cathcart and Kaylee Bryant

Godly Parent: Persephone

Love Interest: Piper McLean

Summary: When Poppy’s mom married Annabeth’s dad, neither girl was happy about it. The only good part was now they had each other. And even if Poppy didn’t consider Frederick her father, and Annabeth definitely didn’t consider Lisa her mother, the girls did consider each other sisters. And, as sisters, they made a pact to stick together. To them, that meant running away together, going to camp together, training together, and yeah, going on a dangerous quest to get an egotistical god’s lightning bolt together. Or, Poppy thought they would go on the quest together. But then Annabeth leaves her behind for Nathan, Grover, and two newbies with highly unusually parentage. But the Chase sisters have been through a lot, and if they can get through this, they can get through the coming war.

Miscellaneous

Name: Adelaide ‘Ada’ Kennedy

Story: Battle Cry

Faceclaim: Holland Roden

Godly Parent: Alala

Summary: Ada didn’t know what to think. One minute, she was having dinner with her family, and the next, everyone just collapses, snoring, like they’re asleep. Or, almost everyone. While Ada’s dad, step-mom, and step-sister were unconscious, Ada herself remained standing. But no one else in all of Manhattan is awake. So, naturally, Ada thinks this is the apocalypse, arms herself with her dad’s baseball bat, and goes out exploring. What she finds- a large group of demigods in the Plaza Hotel- is nothing short of the most abnormal thing Ada’s ever experienced. Then they tell her that if Ada is awake, she must be a demigod, too. And it turns out, her assumption about the apocalypse wasn’t far off. Greek mythology is real, Kronos has risen, and Camp Half-Blood needs all the help they can get. Fighting in a war was definitely something Ada never saw coming, but she is anxious to show this egotistical titan what a pissed off teenage New Yorker with a bat looks like.

Name: Alessandra ‘Alessa’ Lupo

Story: Gods We Choose

Faceclaim: Shelley Hennig

Godly Parent: Lupa

Summary: When her mother took in Percy Jackson, Alessa didn’t know what to think. Percy is nothing like any demigod she’s ever encountered. First of all, he has no memories, and keeps asking about some mysterious girl. Secondly, he’s a son of Neptune, something that hasn’t been heard of in decades. Her mother ignores her questions, instead sending Alessa with Percy to Camp Jupiter, hoping that the daughter of Rome’s protector will give Percy some credit. So, she goes. And when Mars issues a quest that includes Alessa, she goes. She has no idea what’s going on, but she has a crappy boat, three outcasts, and one week to figure it out.

Name: Ariadne 'Ari' Sideris

Story: To Hell and Back

Faceclaim: Madelaine Petsch

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary:

Name: Arzu Aman

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Iman Vellani

Godly Parent: Amphitrite

Love Interest: Leo Valdez

Summary:

Name: Aurora Gonzales

Story: Afraid of Heights

Faceclaim: Paris Berelc

Godly Parent: Hades

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary:

Name: Bela Bradbury

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Danielle Rose Russell

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary:

Name: Brynhilde ‘Bryn’ Chase

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Brec Bassinger

Godly parent: Freyja

Summary:

Name: Colin Michaels

Story: Dissonance

Faceclaim: Elliot Fletcher

Godly Parent: Persephone

Love Interest: Malia Tate

Summary:

*crossover with Teen Wolf

Name: Damon Ciel

Story: Firestorm

Faceclaim: Peyton Meyer

Godly Parent: Zeus

Love Interest: Lucy Vitale

Summary: When Damon’s mom was killed by a vampire, he tried telling people what really killed her – his social worker, the police officers, the therapist he was required to see – but no one believed him. So, he left. He resigned himself to always being alone, until one night, he was attacked in the alley he had made his home. He thought he was a goner, but then two teenagers came to his aid and turned the monster to dust. Thalia and Luke told Damon all about the godly world, and about monsters. They decided to take Damon under their wing, being their own little family. And when they found Annabeth a few weeks later, their family grew. Soon, they were found by Grover the satyr, who was tasked with taking Thalia to Camp Half-Blood. But Thalia didn’t make it. So, Luke, Annabeth, and Damon spent their years at camp, a little family that was missing a member, and thought it would be like that forever. Until Percy Jackson comes stumbling into camp in the middle of the night having just killed the Minotaur.

Name: Dawn Guerra

Story: My Head is Bloody (But Unbowed)

Faceclaim: Nicole Maines

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Leo Valdez

Summary: Dawn did not want to be at the Wilderness School. Not an uncommon sentiment among its students. She wanted to be home with her mom, get through high school without being outed – again – and maybe, just maybe have a good life. But all that becomes pretty impossible when a not-so-human tornado attacks her and a few of her classmates. Then she learns that she’s a demigod, the daughter of a mortal and a god. And she has to go on a quest with those same classmates including her least favorite: Leo Valdez.

Name: Genevieve McCall

Story: Force of Nature

Faceclaim: Vanessa Morgan

Godly Parent: Chloris

Summary:

Name: Ghaziyah ‘Zia’ Banerjee

Story: Rise Up

Faceclaim: Naomi Scott

Godly Parent: Aphrodite

Love Interest: Stiles Stilinski

Summary: Zia grew up at Camp Half-Blood, ever since a monster killed her father, leaving her and her older sister orphaned. It was her home. She loved mythology lessons, monster fighting class, and capture the flag. She loved her siblings, and her best friend, Annabeth. She even gained a baby niece. Everything was perfect. But when a war begins, suddenly everything Zia built starts to crumble.

*crossover with Teen Wolf

Name: Hayden Castellan

Story: My Brother’s Keeper

Faceclaim: Chloe Grace Moretz

Godly Parent: Hermes

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary: When Hayden was brought to camp when she was seven, she thought that was it. She spent her days learning how to use a sword, playing capture the flag, and hanging out with her brother Luke, and best friend Annabeth. She was happy- who wouldn’t be at Camp Half-Blood? There was just one thing: Hayden desperately wanted a quest, a chance to prove herself. Annabeth wanted one, too, but Hayden was less vocal about it. Then Percy Jackson comes along, and Hayden finally gets her shot.

Name: Hope Guerra

Story: My Head is Bloody (But Unbowed)

Faceclaim: Danielle Campbell

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Jason Grace

Summary: When Hope was a child, her father drilled two things into her head. One: remember to keep your wrist straight, otherwise you jam it when you try to punch something- or someone. Two: never, ever, under any circumstances, give up hope. It’s why he named her Hope. She’s lived with that mentality her whole life, but when her boyfriend disappears into thin air, Hope has a harder time believing in it. But her father also taught her determination, and Hope is determined to never lose hope.

Name: Kalinda ‘Kali’ Harper

Story: A Light in the Dark

Faceclaim: Virginia Gardner

Godly Parent: Apollo

Love Interest: Annabeth Chase

Summary: Kali and Rue Harper grew up more like sisters than cousins, which was good considering they were each other’s only friends. Then they get expelled from their fifth school, and start to attend Meriwether College Prep. Their first day, they meet Tyson the (literal) giant softy, and Percy Jackson, a boy who is just like them- ADHD, dyslexic, and kicked out of more schools than they were. Naturally, they all became best friends. On the last day of school, Kali and Rue think they’ve finally made it a full year without getting expelled. Of course, that goes out the window when they get attacked by a group of Canadians. This is why the Harper cousins don’t do gym class.

Name: Leda Martin

Story: The Right to Call it Home

Faceclaim: Zoey Deutch

Godly Parent: Minerva

Love Interest: Ocean Carter

Summary: Instead of living at Camp Jupiter, with its barracks and war games and hot meals, Leda lived in a rundown apartment with three of her friends, surrounded by other friends- siblings, more like- in the building. There are few who do not pass Lupa’s training, but Leda was one of those few. Long ago, she decided, fine, if the people of Camp Jupiter didn’t want her, then she didn’t want them either. So she and the other rejects protect San Francisco, depending only on each other. Leda was doing pretty well for herself, she thought, until three Roman demigods show up at her doorstep, telling her that Camp Jupiter has ordered her to join the quest to free Thanatos. Leda didn’t exactly want to go, but doesn’t see much of a choice. So she joins the son of Mars, the daughter of Pluto, and the children of Neptune, Leda’s mother’s sworn enemy, on their way to the land beyond the gods. Well, this should be fun.

Name: Lilith Torres

Story: Golden Death

Faceclaim: Cierra Ramirez

Godly Parent: Thanatos

Love Interest: Jason Grace

Summary:

Name: Lita Castellan

Story: Dissonance

Faceclaim: Kristine Froseth

Godly Parent: Hermes

Love Interest: Ethan Nakamura, Scott McCall

Summary:

*crossover with Teen Wolf

Name: Liv Berglund

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Eliot Salt

Godly parent: REDACTED

Summary:

Name: Lucy Vitale

Story: Firestorm

Faceclaim: Meg Donnelly

Godly Parent: Hades

Love Interest: Damon Ciel

Summary: Being an unclaimed camper wasn’t easy. Stuck in the Hermes cabin with all the other unclaimed and overlooked, it would have been easy for Lucy to fall through the cracks. But she had bright spots, like her mom, and her best friends Grover, Damon, and Annabeth, and her pseudo-big brothers, Luke and the Stolls. She was okay, and she was determined to stay okay. But when Percy Jackson comes to camp, dragging an unconscious Grover with him, and bringing a bucket load of problems, everything changes. And when she’s claimed? Lucy tries to stay optimistic, but as time goes on, it gets harder and harder.

Name: Lyssa Taggaro

Story: Fault Lines

Faceclaim: Ariela Barer

Godly Parent: Gaea

Love Interest: Leo Valdez

Summary:

Name: Malia Chase

Story: Our Time

Faceclaim: Kathryn Newton

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Seth Kline

Summary: When Malia Chase was thirteen, her school was attacked by something the goat- sorry, satyr- called a monster. She was brought to Camp Half-Blood, where she learned her flake of a biological mother was really some goddess, though no one knew who it was. She went through her first couple years at camp- and a war- unclaimed. She was starting to lose hope when Percy Jackson, her friend and her cousin’s boyfriend, goes missing, and on that same day, Malia is claimed.

Name: Nova Jackson Black

Story: Light

Faceclaim: Kaylee Bryant

Godly Parent: TBD

Love Interest: Cedric Diggory, Leo Valdez

Summary:

*crossover with Harry Potter

Name: Ocean Carter

Story: The Right to Call it Home

Faceclaim: Britt Robertson

Godly Parent: Neptune

Love Interest: Leda Martin

Summary: Ocean was used to being the weirdo of Camp Jupiter. Being claimed by Neptune and shoved into the loser fifth cohort didn’t make her very popular. Eventually, she decided she was done. They didn’t want her? Fine, then, she didn’t want them. She hung out in San Francisco, protecting it with her friends, fellow demigods who also didn’t make the cut at the elitist Roman camp. She made friends with Leda Martin, the only daughter of Minerva in existence. Life was fine, good even. Until three people show up on her doorstep, saying she is part of a quest to find the god of death. Well, Ocean would be lying if she said she didn’t like a little danger.

Name: Rhiannon Aldric

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Crystal Reed

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: TBD

Summary:

Name: Runa ‘Rue’ Harper

Story: A Light in the Dark

Faceclaim: Olivia Holt

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Name: Sage Nakamura

Story: Better Than Revenge

Faceclaim: Arden Cho

Godly Parent: Nemesis

Summary: Sage and Ethan came to Camp Half-Blood when she was seven and he was nine. Even though they were claimed almost immediately, Nemesis didn’t have a cabin, so the siblings were stuck in the Hermes Cabin. Both of them hated it. They hated how other campers looked at them like they were evil. They had that in common. They had a lot in common, besides the whole eye situation. Another thing they didn’t have in common: Sage had friends, however few, and Ethan didn’t. And when Luke came to the Nakamura siblings, telling them of how he was going to raise Kronos, make the world a better place for forsaken demigods like them, Sage knew where her loyalties lay. She stayed at camp and Ethan threw everything away for some Titan. Sage wanted nothing more than revenge on Kronos and his army for taking her big brother away from her, and she was determined to get it.

Name: Seth Kline

Story: Our Time

Faceclaim: Dylan Sprayberry

Godly Parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Malia Chase

Summary: Seth grew up at Camp Jupiter, but unlike most of his fellow campers, he was never claimed. He had absolutely no idea who his father was. Then one day, a boy named Percy Jackson shows up at Camp, and rattles everybody. Rumors about the graecus fly through the camp, and after a particularly odd war games, Mars himself is issuing a quest for Percy, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, and Seth. And then Seth gets claimed.

Name: Sybil Rhys

Story: Untitled

Faceclaim: Sophie Turner

Godly parent: REDACTED

Love Interest: Percy Jackson

Summary:

Name: Theodora ‘Teddy’ Drake

Story: Promises Kept

Faceclaim: Natalie Alyn Lind

Godly Parent: Bia

Love Interest: Leo Valdez

Summary: The day her sister died was the day Teddy’s life fell apart. Before that, life was great. Both girls lived with their dad in Boston, they went to school, and Sam went off to some mysterious camp in the summer. On August 18th, 2009, Sam dies, and Teddy is never given an explanation as to how. Then on September 30th, Teddy’s father dies in a car accident. On December 17th, Teddy and her classmates are attacked on a field trip to the Grand Canyon, taken to a place called Camp Half-Blood, and learn that they are the children of Greek gods. And Teddy finally gets her explanation.

#pjo #pjo ocs

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tyrantisterror · 3 years

Link

I did a four part series of trivia posts when ATOM Volume 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! came out, and that was pretty fun! You can see that set of trivia posts here if you’d like. I thought it’d be fun to do another now that ATOM Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! is out - just one this time, because a lot of the trivia I talked about with Volume 1 still applies.

I’m gonna divide this into two sections: non-spoiler trivia, for things that really don’t give a lot of plot points away, and spoiler trivia, for things that DO give away major plot points. I recommend not reading the spoiler trivia until after you’ve read Tyrantis Roams the Earth!, for obvious reasons, and will put the spoiler trivia under a cut.

Ok, let’s go!

- So if you read ATOM Volume 1, you probably noticed that the book is split not only into chapters, but “episodes,” which consist of four chapters a piece. It’s kind of a nod to how the series owes a great deal of its DNA to various monster of the week shows, with Godzilla: the Series and The Godzilla Power Hour being obvious influences. It also allowed me to pepper in some illustrations and cheesy b-movie style titles into each volume.

- The first “episode” of Volume 2, Tyrantis in Tokyo, pays explicit homage to the giant monster movies of Japan, perhaps even moreso than the chapters that came before it. Given how much Japanese media influenced ATOM - from tokusatsu like the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises to anime like Digimon and Evangelion (hell, the title of this episode itself is a tip of the hat to Tenchi Muyo by way of one of its spinoffs) - it kind of felt obligatory that Tyrantis visit Japan and pay his respects.

- Tyrantis in Tokyo also fits in a tribute to another staple of Atomic Age pop culture: Rock and Roll.

- Kutulusca, the giant cephalopod that appears in Tyrantis in Tokyo, is one of the oldest kaiju in this series, dating back to the first iteration of Tyrantis’s story that I put to paper back in 2001 or so. It’s changed a lot since then, but its fight with Tyrantis goes more or less the way it originally did.

- Old Meg, the giant placoderm/shark, and Nastadyne, the bipedal beetle, both owe their existence directly to Deviantart’s Godzilla fandom. Old Meg originated as a dunkleosteus monster I submitted to a “create a Godzilla kaiju” contest held by Matt Frank, while Nastadyne is based on a Megalon redesign I made during the “redesign all the Godzilla kaiju” phase of DA’s kaiju fandom.

- The second episode, Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace, gets dark as we visit the USSR, which had enough REAL horror with atomic power in its history to make creature features seem a bit defanged by comparison. It’s probably the episode with the strongest horror elements - ATOM’s always been influenced by Resident Evil, and this is probably where that influence shows the most strongly.

- It also features the first fully robotic mecha in the series, the mighty Herakoschei! Its name is a combination of “Heracles” and “Koschei the Deathless,” with the former part being added by its Russian creators to make it seem a bit more international as they offer it to the U.N. in hopes of gaining aid for a very extreme kaiju problem they’ve developed.

- Most of Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace takes place in the Siberian Monster Zone. Its name is a reference to the Lawless Monster Zone in Ultraman, which is such a cool fucking name I wish that I wish I could go back in time and steal it.

- The next episode, Tyrantis’s Revenge, is... full of spoilers, so we’ll move on for now.

- The penultimate episode, Tyrantis vs. the Martian Monsters, is a love letter to MANY different sci-fi stories that involve life on Mars, though the most prominent of them is of course The War of The Worlds (one of my top 3 favorite books) and its various adaptations. From its tentacles sapient martians, the tripodal leader of the titular monsters whose name includes the word “ulla” which is uttered by said sapient martians, the plant monster made of red vines, the cylinder-shaped spacecraft the Martian monsters are sent to earth on, the copper-skinned stingray-esque flying martian who shoots lasers from its tail, and the fact that every chapter title in this episode is a quote from the book, the H.G. Wells influence is STRONG.

- The final episode, Invasion from Beyond!, is shamelessly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, although there’s a dash of “To Serve Men,” Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and The Day the Earth Stood Still mixed in as well. It’s also sort of a tribute to my first “published” bit of a kaiju fiction - a rewrite of Destroy All Monsters that included EVERY Godzilla monster that had appeared at the time, which my middle school self wrote back in 2002 or so for Kaiju Headquarters, a kaiju fansite I’m not sure exists anymore. Invasion from Beyond! is just as ambitious (but hopefully better executed) as my DAM Remake, with dozens upon dozens of different kaiju duking it out, earthlings vs. aliens.

- There were three different documents I made to outline the final battle of Invasion from Beyond! It’s the largest episode of the series so far and more than half of it is that fucking fight. My inner child is pleased, though, so hopefully you will be too.

Ok, that’s all I can share without spoilers. READER BEWARE WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW THE CUT!

JUST MAKING SURE you know that SPOILERS will follow from here on out. Read at your own peril! YOU WERE WARNED!

(I’m gonna start with lighter ones just in case you scrolled too far and want to turn back)

- There’s a number of explicit Spielberg homages in ATOM Volume 2, from a “we need a bigger boat” joke during a chase with a giant shark to the fact that Invasion from Beyond! opens with a group of people flying to an island of monsters to review whether or not it should get more funding.

- When Tyrantis appears in the first chapter, I snuck in modified lyrics of The Godzilla Power Hour’s theme song. “Up from the depths”... “several stories high”... “breathing fire”... “its head in the sky”... Tyrantis! Tyrantis! Tyrantis!

- The two rock bands in Tyrantis in Tokyo have real life inspirations ala Gwen Valentine, albeit a bit more muddled than hers. The Cashews are inspired by The Peanuts (see what I did there), while The Thunder Lizards are a mix of The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. I wanted The Thunder Lizards to be more akin to the myth of a famous rock and roll band than the reality - less the real Beatles and more the Yellow Submarine cartoon version of them.

- The song The Thunder Lizards write for Tyrantis was written to fit the tune of “The Godzilla March” from Godzilla vs. Gigan, though ideally if someone made an actual song of it it would be its own song. I got the idea from Over the Garden Wall, which used the Christmas song “O Holy Night” as a a starting point for “Come Wayward Souls.”

- Perry Martin, UNNO reporter and peer of Henry Robertson, is a nod to Raymond Burr, with his name being a combination of two of Burr’s most famous roles: Perry Mason, and Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956).

- Dr. Rinko Tsuburaya is a few homages in one. Her name comes from Rinko Kikuchi (who played Mako Mori in Pacific Rim), while her last name is obviously in homage of Eiji Tsuburaya. Her being the daughter of an esteemed scientist is inspired by Emiko Yamane from the original Gojira.

- Nastadyne’s Burning Justice mode is named after a similar super mode from various Transformers cartoons, though it’s more directly inspired by the Shining/Burning Finger super move from G Gundam.

- Martians sending kaiju to different planets via shooting them out of cannons (with or without cylinder spaceships around them) is another War of the Worlds shoutout. So is martians living on Venus after their homeworld was made uninhabitable, actually.

- Kurokame’s vocalizations are described as wails in explicit homage to Gamera. His name can be translated as either “black tortoise” (a reference to the mythical guardian beast Genbu, which can also be construed as a Gamera reference thanks to Gamera: Advent of Irys implying Gamera and Genbu are one and the same) or a portmanteau of the Japanese words for crocodile and turtle - “crocturtle.”

- Burodon’s name is just a mangling of “burrow down.” It also sounds vaguely like Baragon, who Burodon is loosely inspired by. AND, since Burodon is sort of a knockoff/modified Baragon, that kinda makes him a reference to various monsters in Ultraman!

- The final battle of Tyrantis in Tokyo is sort of a hybrid of the finales of Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters.

- The Japanese kaiju teaching Tyrantis the art of throwing rocks at your enemies is both a joke on the prominence of rock throwing in Japanese kaiju fights AND the tired trope of an American hero learning secret martial arts from a Japanese mentor ala Batman, Iron Fist, etc. In this case, the secret martial art is throwing rocks at people.

- When introduced to Herakoschei and its pilot, we are told that the strain of piloting this early mecha is so intense that many pilots have died in the process, with the current one passing out on more than few occasions. This is of course a Pacific Rim homage - sadly, no one invents drifting.

- Herakoschei’s design is a loose homage to Robby the Robot and Cherno Alpha, because big boxy robots are cool.

- The Writhing Flesh and ESPECIALLY Pathogen are both hugely influenced by Resident Evil and The Thing. Giant body horror piles of raw flesh, tendrils, mismatched mouths and limbs may be a bit outside the main era of monster design ATOM homages, but they fit the themes and bring a nice contrast.

- I came up with Pathogen long before Corona but MAN it definitely feels different in 2021 to have a giant monster whose name is a synonym for disease driving other creatures crazy in a quarantine zone than it did when I plotted out the story in 2016.

- The chapter title “Hello, Old Foes” is a riff on “Goodbye, Old Friend”

- Minerva, the kaiju-fied clone of Dr. Lerna, is meant to be an homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which is a genuinely good giant monster flick. I am sure many of you will also believe I included her because I’m a pervert whose into tall women, but you’d be wrong! I included the seven foot tall Russian mecha pilot Ludmilla Portnova because I’m a pervert whose into tall women. Minerva’s inclusion was just coincidental, I swear!

- Since Promythigor is a play on the archetypal ape kaiju to contrast Tyrantis as a play on the archetypal fire-breathing reptile kaiju, their fight has a lot of nods to King Kong movies. Promythigor attempts the famous jaw-snap maneuver of Kong (with less success), J.C. Clark paraphrases the “brute force vs. a thinking animal” line from the King Kong vs. Godzilla American cut, and Tyrantis slides down a mountain to knock Promythigor off his feet in a reversal of Kong doing the same in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

- Tyrantis sliding down a mountain on his tail doubles as a Godzilla vs. Megalon homage.

- Though Promythigor is the archetypal Ape and Tyrantis the archetypal Fire-Breathing Reptile, I think it’s fun to note that in some ways, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in their matchup, and Tyrantis the Kong. Promythigor has a slight size advantage, was scarred by humans performing unethical weapons technology, and is associated with violent explosions. Tyrantis is a good-at-heart prehistoric beast who humanized in part by his unlikely friendship with a human woman.

- Of course, in the context of the famous quote from the American cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla, they remain in their archetypal lanes. Promythigor is the more intelligent of the two (though not necessarily wiser), and Tyrantis is in many ways a brute reptile. Their battle is a rebuttal of sorts to the assertion that Kong is the “better” animal because he is closer to human. Promythigor’s near human creativity and emotions don’t make him the kinder/more benevolent monster, but instead fuel a very self-centered and destructive attitude that makes him the far more dangerous threat. On the other hand, Tyrantis, who is less intelligent, limited in communication with others by his reptilian mindset and instincts, and simple in his thoughts and desires, is nonetheless a sweet creature that is easily dealt with when others consider his animal needs and mindset. There’s a quote from Hellboy I love that probably sums up all of my writing thus far: “To be other than human does not mean the same as being less,” and that’s what the matchup between these two in particular tries to illustrate: the “less” human Tyrantis is nonetheless more benign than the “more” human Promythigor.

- Kraydi the psychic lizard began life as a soft sculpture I made of the Canyon Krayt Dragon from The Wildlife of Star Wars. The sculpture didn’t look much like the illustration, but I liked how it came out, and so I made it an original monster named Kraydi (see what I did there). Figuring out an explanation for that name in ATOM’s world was possibly the most difficult kaiju naming task in the series, but it worked out in the end.

- Kraydi and Promythigor having psychic powers is a result of my time on Godzilla fan forums in my middle school years. Most of the forums had OC kaiju battle tournaments, and SO many of those kaiju had a wide array of beam weapons and psychic powers just to win the tournaments by beam-spamming and mind controlling their foes into oblivion. There’s a special kind of rage you get when your original creation is beaten by “Fire Godzilla” because he has a genius level intellect and the power of unstoppable telekinesis. Kraydi began as (and still is I suppose) my attempt to do a psychic kaiju well, while Promythigor’s villainy being tied to psychic powers being forced on him is sort of my passive aggressive commentary on people foisting powers on a monster without any real thematic reason for them.

- Henry Robertson and Dr. Praetorius chewing out the laziness of people giving kaiju completely unaltered names of mythic beasts will probably be seen as a jab at the Monsterverse and/or the numerous writers in the kaiju OC scene who do the same, but it’s ACTUALLY a jab at my past self, who had DOZENS of kaiju whose names were just Greek mythological figures verbatim. There are dozens of kaiju named Hydra, Scylla, Charybdis, Chimera, etc., past me, try to make the names stand out! Oh wait you did. I mean, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, you still went with “Mothmanud” as a canon name and never came up with something better, but, like, good on ya for trying I guess.

- Dr. Praetorius takes his name from the evil mad scientis in Bride of Frankenstein, who basically has all the wicked traits that Universal’s Frankenstein downplayed in their take on Dr. Frankenstein. Ironically, ATOM’s Dr. Praetorius is a bit less evil than his fellow mad scientists in ATOM. I really like how his character turned out, he surprised me.

- Isaac Rossum, the pilot of the USA mecha Atomoton, is named for Isaac Aasimov, whose robot stories are to robot fiction what Lord of the Rings is to high fantasy. His last name is a reference to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is where the word “robot” came from.

- The unfortunate pilots of MechaTyrantis in ATOM Volumes 1 and 2 are all nods to Jurassic Park. John Ludlow = John Hammond and Peter Ludlow, Ian Grant = Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant, Dennis Dodgson = Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dodgson.

- A good way to pitch Invasion from Beyond! would be “what if the staff and monsters were able to fight back when the Kilaaks tried to take over Monsterland?”

- Ok, here’s a fun joke that no one will get but me because it requires a very specific chain of logic based on some obscure and loosely connected nerd bullshit. There’s a rocker in ATOM’s universe named Sebastian Haff, right? One of his songs, “Darling Let’s Shimmy,” is referenced right before a mothmanud larva emerges from the ground in both ATOM Vol. 1 and 2. Ok, so, in the Bubba Hotep, an aging Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff claims he is actually the real Elvis Presley, having changed places with the real Sebastian Haff as a sort of Prince and the Pauper deal that went wrong. Got that? Ok, so, in UFO folklore, a common joke is the theory that Elvis didn’t die, but was rather abducted by aliens (or he actually WAS an alien the whole time - the whole “Elvis didn’t die, he just went home” joke in Men in Black is a good example of this). Ok? Ok. So, in ATOM’s universe, we can surmise that their equivalent of Elvis, whose name is Sebastian Haff, WAS abducted by aliens, and that his song “Darling Let’s Shimmy” is subconsciously influenced by his repressed memories from his time aboard the Beyonder spaceships, which is why it accidentally awoke a Mothmanud larva in Volume 1. There’s a lot of bullshit jokes I put into ATOM, but this is perhaps the bullshittiest of them all.

- One of the most common bits of feedback on ATOM Volume 1 I got was “I kept waiting for something to eat Brick Rockwell, he’s such an asshole.” And I had to smile and go, “Oh, yeah, guess he never got his, huh?” the whole time without letting on that he was going to die here all along!

- Dr. Lerna and Brick Rockwell’s nature as foils to each other is probably most apparent in Invasion from Beyond!, where both are given fairly similar situations - a nonhuman approaches them with a solution to a global crisis - and react to it very differently. I worry that some people may think they both made the same choice and got different results, and that that’s hypocrisy on my part, but I hope I wrote it so you can see how their choices and situations actually differ in key ways, and why their decisions, while similar on the surface, are ultimately very different, and thus result in almost opposite outcomes.

- So, when I planned out this book in 2016, I swear I didn’t know about the Orca from 2019′s Godzilla King of the Monsters. Having the plot hang around Dr. Lerna deciding whether or not to use a sonic device to rouse all the kaiju to save the earth was not INTENDED to be a Monsterverse reference - it came about from me looking at Pathfinder’s take on kaiju, who are all explicitly influenceable by music, and thinking, “Oh, wow, music and songs DO have a major connection with kaiju in a lot of media, I should do something with that.” Whem KOTM came out a few days after Volume 1 came out I realized I was kinda fucked here, because the comparison was definitely going to be made, but I’d also set this all up already and you can’t just change suddenly to avoid looking like a copy cat and make a good story, so... I dunno, I leaned into it a bit, but it is what it is.

- While most people will probably think they’re a reference to the Reptoids of UFO folklore, the Reptodites are more inspired by the Dinosapien of speculative evolution fame and, even morso, by the Reptites from Chrono Trigger. Me wanting to avoid the “lizard people control the government” conspiracy theory trope is one of the main reasons why Reptodites have this non-interference clause with humanity.

- Lieutenant Gray is a bunch of different humanoid aliens rolled into one - a little Hopskinville goblin, a little classic gray, a little this one weird alien with five-fingered zygodactyl hands, etc.

- There’s some Beyonder Mecha in this volume that are basically kaiju-fied versions of the Flatwoods Monster. The species that built them ALSO engineered the Mothmanuds, because connecting Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster is fun!

- Pleprah is, obviously, a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

- Tyrantis’s brush with death, in addition to being so very anime, was inspired by my dad outlining how mythic heroes often have to travel to the underworld/land of the dead before they can finish their journey. It’s one of the plot points that I’ve had planned for this series since middle school.

- I’m sure some will view it as hackneyed and corny, but as a person who’s battled with depression for decades, having Tyrantis’s choice to live be the big heroic turn of the finale was very important to me. Tyrantis incorporates elements of a lot of imaginary friends I made as a kid, and in many ways he’s kind of the face of my more positive side in my head. He’s been telling me to choose to live for a while, and while maybe to an outsider it may seem hackneyed, it’s just... very Tyrantis. He chooses life and kindness in the face of pain and struggle. That’s Tyrantis.

- Tyrantis’s powered up form is called “Hyper Mode,” which is another Gundam reference. Originally it was a lot gaudier and involved him turning gold like a fuckin’ Super Saiyan. I opted for something a little more toned down here.

- Also, speaking of KOTM references, I decided to make Hyper Mode Tyrantis’s final duel with Pathogen be a sort of foil to Burning Godzilla’s final bout with Ghidorah in KOTM. Instead of ravaging the city, Hyper Tyrantis’s pulse of energy rejuvenates his fallen allies, and as a result he is “crowned” not out of fear for his supremacy in the wake of killing a powerful enemy, but in gratitude for his kindness. See? Leaning into it!

- And now I can finally reveal that Yamaneon is ATOM’s equivalent of The Monolith Monsters - that is, a kaiju that is also a mineral. I took the “strange continuously growing rock” thing in a very different direction, though, as unlike The Monolith Monsters, Yamaneon is actually alive.

- At various points in the pre-writing process, either Promythigor, MechaTyrantis, or both were going to die fighting Pathogen. I ultimately decided to let them both live, with MechaTyrantis even getting his flesh and blood body back, because I think it’s more interesting and thematically consistent that way. They get a chance to heal their wounds by changing their ways.

- The Great Beyonder and Dorazor both almost didn’t make the cut, as I felt they didn’t have the same pull as villains that Pathogen, Promythigor, and MechaTyrantis did. But then I thought that could actually be the gag - build them up as the final boss, only to have Pathogen take their crown. I want to explore post-face turn Dorazor a bit more, though. We’ll have to see about that in a later volume.

- Volumes 1 and 2 make up what I call “The Ballad of Tyrantis Arc” for ATOM. I call it that because Tyrantis’s storyline in these two volumes was patterend after Chivalric ballads like Yvain the Knight of the Lion. Tyrantis, a heroic warrior who is kind but dumb of ass, learns of strange goings on outside his home and investigates. During his journey into the unknown he falls in love with a powerful woman, whose favor he tries to win. Through happenstance he is separated from his love and, distraught, wanders around fighting various foes to prove his worth, before finally returning to his love a better hero. Invasion from Beyond! could even be seen as a sort of Morte d’Artur, with Tyrantis and a bunch of other kaiju heroes (including Nastadyne and Kemlasulla, who are built up as Hero Kaiju of Another Story) take part in a huge battle that threatens their idealic kingdom (of monsters).

- Volume 2 isn’t the end of ATOM, but it’s designed to work as an ending if you want to tap out here. As a reader I feel a definitive ending is important, but as a writer I’m always tempted to revisit my beloved characters, so I feel giving closure while leaving a few doors open for possible future adventures is a good compromise between these positions. There will be more ATOM stories, some (but not all!) following Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna, but if you want to know that Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna get an ending and the resolution to their arcs such a thing promises, here you go. An ending, if not THE END.

#The Atomic Time of Monsters #A.T.O.M. Trivia

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maraudersandlily20 · 4 years

Note

Characters playing among us as a prompt?

Marauders Play Among Us (feat. LilyPetal, AliceInWonderland, and more)

(Youtuber Marauder AU)

PadFoot: Hello Everyone, and welcome back to another week of gameplay. Today, the Marauders are joined with some of our best friends from different platforms: LilyPetal, Marchinnon, Dorky, AliceInWonderland, and FranklyFrank

LilyPetal: Hello!

Marchinnon: Happy to be here.

Prongs: Yes, indeed, we’re lucky to have them on our gameplay this week. Because today we’re playing Among Us. That’s right. The boys and I have been playing this game nonstop for the past week and figured it was about time to show you all how terrible Wormtail is at it.

Wormtail: I resent that.

PadFoot: but he doesn’t oppose, because he knows it’s true.

Prongs: We all know the rules, it’s like Mafia or Werewolf, just online. Basically there are killers and innocent people and the innocent people have to guess who the killers are before they themselves get killed. It can be tricky and has started many many fights between us boys since we started playing.

Wormtail: Prongs didn’t buy me dinner because I killed him one time.

Prongs: I stand by that decision.

Moons: Alright boys, that’s enough chitchat, huh? So, as you all know, the Marauder boys all live in one house. In order to make things a bit more fair, we have all chosen a different room in the house so we can’t cheat. Hopefully March and Dorky will do the same?

Marchinnon: Dorky is in the kitchen, I’m in our bedroom.

Moons: Noted. Alright then, we’re playing the smallest of the maps, since it’s Frank’s first time and we wanted to go easy on him.

FranklyFrank: I hate all of you. Let’s do this.

5-4-3-2-1

*Mics/Cams are muted as the game starts*

-Sirius POV-

Pads: Okay, so I’m a crewmate. That means I get to run around and do some tasks, which is fun. Sometimes, (oh there’s Frank and March, leaving weapons), sometimes I get so tied up in tasks that I get annoyed when people find dead bodies cause it stops me from doing my tasks.

-Remus POV-

Moons: 100 pounds that Pads isn’t it. Look at him. He’s just running around doing tasks. Yup, there’s the task bar going up. Can’t be Pads.

-Frank POV-

FranklyFrank: How the fuck do I kill someone? Where’s the... how do I... shit.

-Marlene-

Marchinnon: Okay, so Frank has been following me around quite a bit, which is a bit sus, to be frank. But I’m going to medbay, so hopefully he doesn’t kill me while I do my scan.

*Frank stabs Marlene*

Marchinnon: BITCH! That devious bastard. I hate him. UGH!

-Dorcas POV-

Dorky: Okay, I can hear Mars yelling, meaning that she’s definitely dead. So she wasn’t the killer. I’m gonna go and find her body hopefully.

-Lily POV-

LilyPetal: pew, pew, pew. Yes! Okay, on to O2. Here we go. Okay, hi Prongs. Please don’t kill me while I get rid of these leaves. Thank youuu.

*James shoots Lily*

LilyPetal: NO! I... I trusted you! Ah Frank, find my body. Come on, come on buddy. Find itttt! Wait, no, Frank where are you... You just walked over my dead body. Okay, It’s definitely Frank and James. Pricks.

-James POV-

Prongs: I just had to kill Lily, which may mean she won’t go out with me for dinner later tonight. A real shame. Maybe I’ll take Pads.

*BODY WAS DISCOVERED*

Moons: Shit, two already?

Dorky: I found Mars’s body in Medbay.

Prongs: Okay, where was everyone? Wormy, where are you?

Wormtail: I’m, uhhh, I’m in reactor.

Prongs: Close to Medbay, then, wouldn’t you say?

Wormtail: sod off Prongs, I’m doing the button pushing task where it plays and you have to copy it. This is my third try.

PadFoot: Worms, that really isn’t that hard.

Prongs: Alice, where were you?

AliceInWonderland: I’m in shields.

Prongs: Franky?

FranklyFrank: I’m in Nav.

Moons: I can vouch for Alice, I’m in shields too. She hasn’t killed me yet.

AliceInWonderland: Yet?! What is that supposed to mean?

Moons: I’m saying you’re fine, Alice, you’re not sus yet.

AliceInWonderland: Jesus.

Prongs: Well, I’m in storage.

Moons: and we don’t know where Lily’s body is yet.

*Lily and Marlene are muted because they’re dead*

LilyPetal: FUCK ALL OF YOU. James, I will never forgive you for this. I want that to be known.

Prongs: Well, I don’t know if there is enough info this time.

LilyPetal: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Moons: Shall we skip then?

PadFoot: Yeah, let’s skip.

*Next Round Starts*

-James POV-

Prongs: I can feel Lily’s anger. She’s not even here, and I can feel it. I’m so screwed.

-Lily POV-

LilyPetal: I’m gonna haunt this bitch for the rest of the round. Fuck tasks. I’m just gonna follow him.

-Frank POV-

FranklyFrank: Alright, so I’m currently with Remus and Alice. They’re sticking together, it looks like. So, they can be my cover story. This game really isn’t that difficult. Oh, Peter’s going into Admin. I’m gonna go kill him.

*Frank stabs Peter*

FranklyFrank: Got him. Vent away, vent away!

-Peter POV-

Wormtail: NOOOOOOO FRANKLINNNNNN!!!!

-Sirius POV-

PadFoot: Alright, well, Worms is definitely dead. He’s too easy to not kill off. So I’m gonna try and find his... James? James, what are you doing? No, no, no, no, noooooooo RUUUUUUNNNN!!!!

-James POV-

Prongs: Kill him, kill him, kill him...

*James shoots Sirius*

Prongs: HA! okay, two more. Let’s go Franky boy.

-Marlene POV-

Marchinnon: I want to save Dorky, but I don’t know how. I know that Frank is gonna try and kill- OH MY GOD! Prongs just killed Pads. He killed him. No!

-Alice POV-

AliceInWonderland: I’m pretty sure it’s Frank. He just seemed a little, I don’t know... Sus. Ope, here he is now, and there’s Prongs. Okay... Little Sus, not gonna lie.

*James stabs Remus, Frank shoots Alice*

AliceInWonderland: CALLED IT! I CALLED that!

*Victory for the Imposters*

Prongs: Hell yeah, Franky Boyyyy!!

Moons: I can’t believe you won you first round of this and no one suspected you at all.

AliceInWonderland: I did! I totally knew it was him.

Moons: Well, why didn’t you say anything?

LilyPetal: James, I want you to know that we’re broken up.

Prongs: Noooooo, Lils. I’m sorry! You were just an easy target.

LilyPetal: Broken up.

PadFoot Okay, next round?

Dorky: Let’s go kids.

*Next Round Starts and everyone Mutes*

-Sirius POV-

PadFoot: Crewmate again. Okay. This time, I’m gonna call Moony so we can team up.

Moons through the phone: Hello?

PadFoot: Hey! Let’s stick together so we don’t die, yeah?

Moons: Deal.

-Remus POV-

Moons: Okay, so I have Pads following me. But I’m one of the imposters, so that’s gonna be fun. But, we’ll let it be for a bit. See what happens.

-Dorcas POV-

Dorky: ~How could I make a man, out of yooooooou~ Ope, there’s James. Hello my friend. Trying to swipe your card? I know he always does this task too fast so he has to do it like four times. So... I’m gonna kill him.

*Dorcas stabs James*

Dorky: That’s for Lily. Hopefully she feels avenged. I’m gonna turn the lights off.

-Lily POV-

LilyPetal: alright, so, I have an electrical task. Which is stressful. Because everyone dies in electrical. So, we’re gonna try to be very careful. Okay, Hi Moons, Pads. Pleasure. Just here to fix the lights. Okay they left.

-Peter POV-

Wormtail: I hate it here, I hate it here, I hate it here. Running to admin nowwww, and I hate it here. I always die or get blamed. I’m really a victim. It’s so annoying. Okay... Dorky’s in here. Gonna just check the cams.

*Dorcas stabs Peter*

Wormtail:.... Fuck.

*Dead Body Reported*

LilyPetal: HA! James is dead. Thank you to whoever killed him.

PadFoot: Yeah, cause that’s not sus at all, Lils.

LilyPetal: If I had killed him, I would have freely admitted it.

Marchinnon: Facts.

Moons: Okay, where was the body?

AliceInWonderland: Nav. I’m in here with Frank. So it’s not either of us.

Dorky: Or it’s both of them and they’re covering for each other.

FranklyFrank: I’m sus on Dorky now. That’s exactly what an imposter would say.

Dorky: coming from one of the people in Nav, where there’s a dead body.

PadFoot: Well, I’ve been with Moons the whole time. We passed Lily in electric a while ago.

LilyPetal: Complete other side of the map.

Marchinnon: Did anyone see Wormy at all?

Dorky: I saw him in Caf earlier, I was on my way to upper engines.

LilyPetal: Okay, well I think it’s either Alice or Franklin. Because they wouldn’t reveal each other out of love and mutual respect.

AliceInWonderland: Fake news. I would 100% throw Frank under the bus if possible.

FranklyFrank: Thanks babe. I love you too.

Moons: I’m voting Alice. I think it was a self report.

PadFoot: I’m trusting Moony.

LilyPetal: Same.

*AliceInWonderland was Ejected*

*Everyone Mutes Again*

-Remus POV-

Moons: Alright, so now I have Pads with me. He still thinks we’re protecting each other. But really, he’s my alibi. So... I’m gonna pretend to have a task in electrical and kill him there. Okay, yup. Just stand there for a second Pads. Andddddd...

*Remus stabs Sirius*

Moons: Don’t trust anyone, bitch.

-Sirius POV-

PadFoot: I swear to God. He really... He really got me. He had me going that whole time. Son of a bitch. I trusted him. And he betrayed me.

*Dead Body Reported*

LilyPetal: I hate electrical.

FranklyFrank: I’m in Nav, I’m nowhere near electrical.

Marchinnon: I... I haven’t seen Dorky in a minute.

Dorky: I was in Medbay.

Moons: That’s cap. I’m in Medbay, and you’re not here.

Dorky: What? No you aren’t!

Moons: I 100% am. I just finished my scan. You are nowhere in here.

LilyPetal: Wait, Moons, weren’t you with Pads?

Moons: He broke off with me at shields. I had no idea he was in electrical.

FranklyFrank: and... now you’re in Medbay? Where there’s a vent that leads directly to electrical.

*The dead are muted, but are pissed*

PadFoot: YES FRANK! AVENGE ME!

Prongs: It’s Dorky. It’s Dorky! Come On!

Wormtail: I just wanna do my tasks.

LilyPetal: Honestly, Moons and Dorky are kinds sus. If Dorky isn’t in medbay, like she says, then it’s her. But if she is, and Remus is too, then it’s probably Remus because he would have vented.

Moons: I swear I didn’t see Dorky anywhere.

Marchinnon: I... Yeah. I think that may be fair.

Dorky: BABE!

Marchinnon: I’m sorry! I’m just saying! You were in Weapons, but you didn’t run into Caf, you ran down to O2. Meaning you were nowhere near Medbay.

LilyPetal: It’s Dorky, it’s Dorky!

FranklyFrank: I voted.

Moons: Yup.

Dorky: I hate all of you.

*Dorky was Ejected*

*All Mute again*

-Lily POV-

LilyPetal: alright, so we didn’t win. Which means that we voted Alice off for no reason. Sorry Alice. My bad. But that leaves Franky, Mars, and Remus. And I’m definitely sus of Remus, because Pads was literally glued to him, and now he’s dead. And he was in Medbay, where there is a vent. So, I’m thinking it’s Moons.

-Marlene POV-

Marchinnon: I’m scared. I’m scared of everyone.

-Remus POV-

Moons: Okay, I don’t have much time left, and Frank definitely suspects me. So, I’m gonna kill him. I had to vote Dorky off to save myself, but if I win, then she also wins.

-Frank POV-

FranklyFrank: I just, fuck. I just saw Remus. And I’m almost certain that he’s the imposter. And I’m not prepared. I am not PREPARED.

-Remus POV-

Moons: Run while you can, Frank. I’m almost there.

*Remus stabs Frank*

Moons: There it is. THERE IT IS.

*Victory for the Imposters*

Dorky: YEAH MOONY!

PadFoot: I fucking hate you, you asshole.

Moons: I’m sorry, it was just too easy.

Prongs: Gotta pick better teammates next time, Pads.

PadFoot: Yeah, well, Lily was glad you were dead. So, who’s the real loser here?

LilyPetal: Valid point.

PadFoot: I’ll never get over this betrayal, Remus. I want you to know that right now.

Moons: Well, I won. So I think I’ll be fine.

*Everyone Laughs as the Video Fades*

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

Hi! If you haven’t played Among Us, either go play it, watch other people play it, or don’t read this story, lol. It’s all I’ve been doing the past four days.

Here’s a note though, for all y’all. If you’re playing Among Us with strangers, DO NOT give your information out. Not your snap, or your instagram, tumblr, anything. Just don’t. People will exploit you and I want y’all to be safe. Also, there are some real assholes playing that game. So if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, just leave the game.

I love y’all. Be safe!

#prompts #prompt #wolfstar #sirius black #remus lupin #lily evans #jily #james potter #my writing #marauders

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thesassenachswiftie · 4 years

Text

Lover Chapter 5 - “False God”

Read on AO3

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4

Summary:

Claire has made up her mind to end things with Jamie. How will he react when she makes a confession to him?

Notes:

Thank you all for following along on this journey. We left off in a pretty angsty spot and the angst is going to continue for a bit here.

New chapters every Friday, moodboard release every Monday, previews on Wednesday

Chapter 5: “False God”

Claire managed to somewhat keep it together all morning as they picked up their discarded clothes scattered about the room, grabbed a quick breakfast and got on the road. Jamie, of course, noticed the look on her face shortly after waking. When he inquired, she blamed a hangover (which wasn’t entirely a lie) and assured him she would be fine. She would not be fine, and neither would he, she suspected. He seemed so chipper, so alive, like he was ready to conquer the world. She knew she was a terrible person to do this to him, but if she didn’t do it now it would be so much worse for the both of them later. She decided to tell him when they were about a half hour from her house. That way, if he left her on the side of the road--which she wouldn’t blame him for--she’d be close enough to call Jo to come pick her up. She had made sure her phone was charged the night before if that was to be the case.

For the first stretch of her trip, she remained quiet, still blaming the hangover and staring out the window as Jamie talked about Scotland and England and all the places he’d love to take her and people he wanted to introduce her to there. She tuned out most of what he was saying. She couldn’t bear dreaming with him, and needing to mentally rehearse what she would say when the time came. She watched the road ahead of her, trying to focus on the movement of the car instead of the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Eventually, the time came--she couldn’t put it off any longer.

“Jamie, we were crazy to think that this could work” she blurted out, more abruptly than she had intended.

“I know Claire, but we might just get away with this, it’s going great so far--”

“No Jamie, I mean, this isn’t going to work. We can’t keep seeing each other like this, and what’s going to happen when you leave?”

“Have you not been listening to me for the past hour? Remember how I said I’d fly ta ya? What are you doing Claire?”

“We were stupid to jump in with an ocean separating us. We can’t just fly back and forth whenever we feel like it. It’s not realistic. We’re living in a fantasy world, Jamie. We’re living in a dream and it’s time to wake up to reality.”

“Claire, I--”

“No, let me finish. I know I’ve had a setback in my career, but I still want to be a doctor. I’m not going to be able to spend any time with you when I do eventually start my residency, whether you fly here or not. It’s not fair to you or me. It’s not fair to you that I keep you away from your family. It’s not fair to you that you have to sneak around and lose sleep on my account. I’m doing this for you, believe it or not.”

Jamie’s hands gripped the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white, his jaw tightened and his face felt hot as something within him broke. “Claire, how could ye possibly be doing this for me when it isna what I want at all?” He reached for her, knowing it would be easier to talk to her if they touched.

Claire stared out the passenger window, arms crossed across her chest, shrinking herself as far away as she could. “Don’t touch me.” she hissed. She knew she couldn’t do this if they touched, she’d be lost in him again, it was taking all her resolve to say her piece.

Jamie, ever the gentlemen, knew even something as small as a touch on the shoulder was something that needed consent, and reluctantly put his hand back on the steering wheel. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this, staring out the window like I’m not your favorite. God dammit Claire, it’s hell when I fight with you.” He felt so frustrated, he couldn’t understand how less than twenty-four hours ago she confessed her love to him and now she was doing this. “This canna possibly be what you really want. We belong together, we were meant to meet Claire, we were meant to be together. Ya really wanna leave? Go ahead, try and leave me, try and tell me honestly that’s what you really want.” He thought if he could scare her maybe she’d come to her senses and change her mind.

The tears were flowing freely from Claire's eyes now. “Yes.” she said quietly. “Jamie, I’m New York City, you’re the English countryside, we don’t belong together, we don’t fit together. If this was meant to be we’d be on the same path, and we’re just not.”

You’re not New York City, you’re my Sassenach, you don’t belong to any place, that’s what I love about you, you just belong with me. Jamie thought to himself. “Claire, I can’t let you go that easy. I love you so much, I’d die for you Claire. If you want me to fly to you every week, I will, I swear to it, tell me what to do Claire.”

Claire’s resolve was weakening, he wasn’t supposed to keep loving her, to keep worshipping her as if she were worthy of his love. She only had one thing left to say, the confession she hoped she wouldn’t have to share. The last thing she wanted to ever tell him, but the thing that might finally make him leave. “I’m not what you think I am Jamie. I lied to you!”

“What are you talking about?”

“That first night we were together, I told you Frank broke up with me… he didn’t. I didn’t even talk to him. I used you. I wanted you, I wanted to piss Frank off--I was bored and lonely and horny and I lied to you to get my way. That’s the type of person I am, I’m not this wonderful person you’ve made me out to be.”

All he could do in reply was grunt a Scottish noise of disapproval. Her confession ignited a livid fire in him, he didn’t know what to feel or how to respond. He would never have consented to sleeping with her that night knowing she still belonged to Frank. God, she was engaged to him for heaven’s sake. How could she let him do that, knowing how he felt about the situation. He had been under her spell, completely captivated by her, and he didn’t know if he fully regretted it. The final minutes of their car ride continued in heated silence. The air in the car was thick with something that felt like it would ignite and burn up fast if either of them uttered a word.

Jamie dropped Claire off at the end of her street as she had requested earlier, she grabbed her weekender bag from the backseat and softly said “Goodbye, Jamie” before shutting the door, not daring herself to look at him as she did. She walked to her house as quickly as she could and collapsed to the ground sobbing as soon as she was inside her door. She knew it was for the best, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

----------

Jamie drove away from her, glancing one last time at her figure in the rearview mirror in spite of himself. He felt betrayed, upset, confused and aimless. Above all, he felt heartbroken. They had warned him about times like these--his father, his Godfather, even his brother-in-law. “When you fall in love”, they said, “the road gets hard and you get lost in it” and Jamie was just now figuring out what they meant. He had been following her with blind faith, doing anything she asked without a thought, sneaking around--even allowing her to cheat with him, albeit unknowingly. He was still too eager, too willing. How could he forgive himself for that? How could he allow a woman to consume him so deeply, body, mind and soul? Worst of all, who was he without her, now that she had walked away?

He found himself pulling into the parking lot of a Catholic church. He didn’t attend weekly anymore, nor did his family. “The Lord kens how difficult it is ta get seven bairns dressed and ready for church and the Lord kens how much we love him.” his sister Jenny would say. He knew he didn’t need the church building to love and worship God. He also recognized that the Roman Catholic Church was as flawed and marred by sin as the worst sinner, but he still found something comforting and spiritual about visiting. Something about the waxy smell of candles and the glow the stained glass cast on the cold marble interior, made him feel like he was connected to something ancient and holy, something bigger than himself--and in this moment he needed something bigger than himself to help him make sense of this situation. He dipped his hand in the font and crossed himself as he entered, strode to the pews, and genuflected before taking a seat in the middle of the empty church. He rested his forehead on his clasped hands, elbows resting on the back of the pew in front of him, ready to speak to the only one who could listen. The one who knew him best and could help him sort through all the raw emotions that weighed so heavily on him in this moment.

He allowed the tears he’d been holding back to flow freely as he prayed: Lord, please have mercy on my soul for I am a sinner. I thought that you had made her for me, I selfishly thought that we were meant to be together. I tried to be good, I tried to respect and honor her. With her I knew heaven was a thing, I went there when I touched her. Lord, I confess I coveted my neighbor’s wife--well, fiancée if we’re being technical about it--but you of course know these things. I beg you for forgiveness for that, and I’m afraid I am guilty of a bit more than just coveting. Please forgive me for the sins I did not know I was committing. Lord, if you did not make her for me, please, please, take my desire for her from me, I beg of you. I fear even if she is a false god that I am still sorely tempted to worship this love. However, Lord, if you did in fact make her for me, and me for her, as I believe you are good enough to do, please Lord, bring her back to me. Heal her wounds and bring her back to me, I swear to you I’ll care for her, honor her and never let her leave me again. I’ll do whatever it takes Lord, please, just free me from this pain I feel. It’s too much to bear without her.

#lover #false god #outlander #outlander fanfic #outlander fic #outlander fanfiction #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #jamie x claire #modern au #inspired by taylor swift #angst #i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry

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an-angels-blessing · 3 years

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Song Prompts #1

“Will nature make a man of me yet?”- The Smiths, This Charming Man

“If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free Bird

“When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her.”- Hozier, Work Song

“I don’t think that we should be alone together, when we’re in a room you get my eyes, you open your mouth I’m hypnotised”- The Neighbourhood, Single

“She looks as if she’s blowing a kiss at me and suddenly the sky is a scissor”- Arctic Monkeys, That’s where you’re wrong

“You think you want to be alone, just wait until you’re crying on the shower floor”

“They’ve got a pretty face, but they’ve got a pretty empty head.”

“But how the hell do you fall in love, the last time I checked you can’t fall in slow mo”- LANY- The Breakup *There were too many good ones in this song, I couldn’t help myself*

“I know it’s mad, but if I go to hell will you go with me or just leave?” - Panic! At The Disco, Do you know what I’m seeing?

“I don’t know who’s protecting me, but we hit it off”- Drake, Sandra’s Rose

“Do me a favour and break my nose, do me a favour and tell me to go away?”- Arctic monkeys, Do me a favour

“Baby just came back around, said she needs time to explore, said I can’t love her no more”- The Neighbourhood, Baby came home

“Just one mistake, you say you’re not in love no more, but was it really love if you can leave me for something so innocent is this the end?”- LANY, Thick and thin

“You can have Manhattan, I know it’s for the best, I’ll gather up the avenues and leave them on your doorstep. I’ll tiptoe away so you won’t have to say you heard me leave.”

“You can have Manhattan, the one we used to share, the one where we were laughing and drunk on just being there. Hang onto the reverie, could you do that for me?”- Sara Bareilles, Manhattan

“You don’t love me, big fucking deal, I’ll never tell you how I feel.”

“I’ll send my best regards from Hell”- Marina and the Diamonds, Starring Role

“Change lives, get better, yeah that be the plan”

“That’s why you see me winning, yeah, even after I lose”- Jay Park, Ask bout me

“Love is not looking over shoulders, Love is you should trust what I told you”

“Love is not struggling to say I love you”- 6LACK, Disconnect

“All these people taking miles when you give them an inch, all these followers but who’s gonna follow me until the end?”- Drake, Emotionless

“Sex by the fire at night”- Bruno Mars, That’s What I Like

“I’ve got the good side of you, sent it out into the blue.”- Troye Sivan, Good Side

“It all passes, Someday, For sure, Certainly”- RM, ft. NELL, everythingoes *Translated*

“Please stay as long as you need, can’t promise that things won’t be broken, but I swear that I will never leave. Please stay forever with me”- Sleeping With Sirens, Scene One- James Dean & Audrey Hepburn

“When you move, I’m put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move

I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“Wake up and smell the coffee, is your cup half full or empty?”- Billie Eilish, come out and play

“Am I a bad person? Or am I just in pain?”- DEAN, Sulli, Rad Museum, Dayfly *Translated*

“When the sun sets and darkness comes, I only remember your warmth, where the stars wrap around us. I’m going there, I’ll be there”- SEVENTEEN, Highlight *Translated*

“I don’t ever wanna feel like anything I do ever had a fucking resonance or meant a thing to you.”- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, I Hate You

“You can’t take this away from me, the way I hit the melody, the waves bring clarity, running through me”- Tom Misch, Del La Soul, It Runs Through Me

“It was a lie when they smiled and said you won’t feel a thing”- My Chemical Romance, Disenchanted

“The fog has lifted and things get clear, all the lies pass by like a reel of film. I hate you”- EXO, 내가 미쳐 (Going Crazy) *Translated*

“I’m sorry- no, I’m not sorry, I’m just getting started and my life’s a party”- DEAN, Eric Bellinger, I’m Not Sorry

“Ain’t it fun, living in the real world?”- Paramore, Ain’t It Fun

“Ready or not, we are coming back- yeah, we’re over, we can tell you ‘bout what you need. You can look it up when you’re older”- Evergreen, Cargo Cult

“You, you got so much potential, every moment spent with you I bet was always eventful”- Aminé, Kehlani, Heebiejeebies- Bonus

“Could you imagine the taste of your lips if we never tried to kiss on the drive to Queens? ‘Cause I imagine the weight of your ribs if you lied between my hips in the backseat”- Halsey, Roman Holiday

“Forever isn’t for everyone, is forever for you?”- Arctic Monkeys, Snap Out Of It

“Wish you good luck being lonely, I’mma push red every time you phone me. You vow to be a memory”- Ella Mai, ft. Ty Dolla $ign, She Don’t

“I’ve been dazed and confused from the day I met you, yeah I lost my head and I’d do it again”- Ruel, Dazed & Confused

“I just want you closer, is that alright? Baby let’s get closer tonight”- Paolo Nutini, Last request

“You have no idea how pretty you are when you wake from sleep, you have no idea how beautiful you look as you get ready for bed”- Zion.T, No Makeup *Translated*

“I was thinking I could fly to your hotel tonight, baby, ‘cos I can’t get you off my mind”- Shawn Mendes, Lost In Japan

“She’s soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand, she takes care of me, baby, she helps me be a better man. She’s so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes, she’s exactly what I need”- Jeremy Passion, Lemonade

“And her lips are like the galaxy’s edge and her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place”- Arctic Monkeys, Arabella

“It’s how you look, not how you feel. A city of glass with no heart”- Queens of the Stone Age, If I Had a Tail

“I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife”- Hozier, Take Me To Church

“Bitter and hardened heart, Oh, aching- waiting for life to start”- Keane, Bend & Break

“When you move I’m put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“She said, ‘Baby, I’m afraid to fall in love, 'cause what if it’s not reciprocated?’ I told her, ‘Don’t rush girl, don’t you rush, guess it’s all a game of patience.’”- Pink Sweat$, Honesty

“Share a casket with you, we’ll be buried alive, me and her playing truth ‘til the day we die.”- Granata Ft. Phoniks, You Dont Need Me

“And hope that I had survived yesterday, and today is jealous of tomorrow.”- Emeli Sandé, Breathing Underwater

“Heaven if you sent us down so we could build a playground for the sinners to play as saints, you’d be so proud of what we’ve made.” Stephen, Crossfire

“Tell me how do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night? How do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night?”- blackbear, make daddy proud

“If anyone looks perfect, you look perfect next to me.”- Nick Wilson, Obsolete

“I need my sex n’ drugs, I need my money first, bless me with all my sins.”- Abhi The Nomad, Ft. Harrison Sands & Copper King, Sex ‘n Drugs

“Naked and fallin’ in love, look here I got you. Safe where there’s no one to judge, keep it insightful.”- Keiynan Lonsdale, Preach

“All alone, all we know is haunting me, making it harder to breathe, harder to breathe.”- The Neighbourhood, Leaving Tonight

“Now I see you get off of the subway, haven’t seen you in months but it’s okay. I’d forgotten but I feel the same, hate that I still wish you were…”- Claud, Wish You Were Gay

“A perfect stranger lying next to me, he’s playing God with broken figurines. He keeps calling me his little queen and I believe.”- Jake Wesley Rogers, Little Queen (This song deserves way more recognition, make sure to give it a listen!)

“Hell is so close to Heaven, hell is so close to Heaven. Hold on don’t look back, you know we’re better- we’re better than that. Lost and thrown away, you know we’re better- we’re better than that.”- Sleeping With Sirens, The Strays

“Alone tonight, I’m drawing my dreams across the sky farther than I can imagine- She wants it.”- CIX, Movie Star *Translated*

“Yeah I mixed words and some whiskey on the flight just to make sure I landed on time and I wrote me a song I could sing just in case I forgot everything.”- Marc E. Bassy, Last One I Love

“Don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know, learned my lesson way too long ago.”

“Deadly fever, please don’t ever break, be my reliever 'cause I don’t self medicate”- Billie Eilish, my strange addiction

“And it’s worth it, it’s divine, I have this some of the time.”- Hozier, Cherry Wine

“And I realize you’re mine, Indeed, a fool am I.”- Queens of the Stone Age, No One Knows

“Look in the mirror ‘til I forget everything I know, everything I did was just a way to make the time feel faster.”- Miya Folick, Stock Image

“Do you feel how I feel? Are you numb? Do you tread crystal waters, bound to be stung? Are you scared? If I see you, we’re upon,

will you dye your hair dark so you’re no longer blonde?”- Isaac Dunbar, Cologne

“Tell me; To you I’m bad & hurtful. Because I’ve been busy, you’re hurting. Bad, bad, bad, I’m bad, bad.”- Crush, NAPPA (나빠) *Translated*

“‘Cause you don’t say what you feel, I’m the one driving but you take the wheel. You wanna wait, 'til we’re older, I’m the one who started this, but now I just want closure.”- Ieuan, Closure

“Our names carved in the pavement, sealed by what’s left of our handprints, now. I told my mom, she’d love to meet you, but it’s too bad she won’t get the chance to.”- COIN, Malibu 1992

“I’m running outta time to hold you close, running outta time to be your man. I’m just lost in this moment, I’ve been zoning.”- blackbear, 4u

“Standing on your mama’s porch, you told me that you’d wait forever. Oh and when you held my hand, I knew that it was now or never”- Bryan Adams, Summer Of ‘69

“I’ll go out, grow my hair too long, sing your least favourite songs at the top of my lungs. I’ll go out, kiss all of your friends, make a story and pretend it was me who made this end.”- The Vamps, Hair Too Long

“Getting my mind right, I’ll wait 'til the time’s right. I’m meaning to tell you why it’s hard to sleep at night. There’s nothing to fear now, girl, we should be here now. So why don’t you hear me out?”- Jeremy Zucker, Ft. blackbear, talk is overrated

“We haven’t spoke since you went away, comfortable silence is so overrated. Why won’t you ever be the first one to break? Even my phone misses your call, by the way.”- Harry Styles, From the Dining Table

“Look overhead at the stars and the ocean, foggy emotions, moments, erosion. This supernova could cause a commotion, my minds of the notion, you’ll still be my motive”- Ansel Elgort, Supernova

“I love that new dress you bought, yeah, you sure look nice. Heard you liked that new restaurant, you know, I’ve been there twice. And the way that you switch up your hair, all of the moments we’ve shared, strolling the streets back in Rome, oh, how I wish I was there. It ain’t fair.”- Ruel, Face To Face

“Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back. Even while we sleep we will find you acting on your best behaviour, turn your back on mother nature.”- Tear For Fears, Everybody Wants to Rule the World

“I’m wide awake, not losing any sleep, I picked up every piece and landed on my feet. I’m wide awake, need nothing to complete myself, no.” Katy Perry, Wide Awake

“If you don’t realize, all of the things your life can do you will be left behind, swept up by the storm of those you knew.”- Meltycanon, thankful

“I always knew that we’d be by each other’s side forever, now our time has come and I’d be satisfied if we died together. Yeah, our climate’s fucked, we might as well enjoy the weather, our time is up and I’d be satisfied if we died together.”- Samsa, Anthropocene

“There’s still so much to say, I’m faded, broken, pretending you’re on the line, wasting my time. Sinking deeper, watching you spend your night,

like I’ll be fine and I’ll be over this.”- NYK, Faded

“I’d rather go to hell, than be in purgatory, cut my hair, gag and bore me, pull this pin, let this world explode.”- My Chemical Romance, Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

“I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand

Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land.”- blink-182, Wishing Well

“Let go of your baggage, but don’t think I don’t understand it’s probably a challenge,”- Isaac Lewis, Fly

“It’s been a long night in New York city, it’s been a long night in Baton Rouge. I don’t remember you looking any better, but then again, I don’t remember you.”- John Mayer, Who Says

Prompts 101-119

#song prompts #prompts

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

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chapter thirty three: glass caskets

On Christmas morning, Sam received a phone call from both of her parents as well as a couple of gifts from them, sent from different addresses no less. Even if her senior project would only carry on for a short time, she knew that the whole thing between them would drag on for so long. Joey also called her right after to invite her to a New Year's party with just the two of them plus Marla and Belinda if they so wished. Not only was it to be her last Christmas with Joey nearby, but her final New Year's Eve with him. Sam thought about the time that Belinda had given him too much to drink, but she had faith that he had long passed that point. He would have to serve something more at the party, something more musical than something such as that.

Another thing that she received in the mail was a Christmas card from Testament as well as Anthrax, Metallica, and the Cherry Suicides; and Dan Lilker and Scott both sent her and Marla, as well as Belinda card on top of that. Dan's was a straight postcard with a photograph of him seated cross legged next to a fiery red Christmas tree and with his head propped up in one hand.

“Mr. Blue Eyes,” Marla remarked as she perched his card on the shelf on the side of the room, right in the midst of the silver and pink garlands they had hung up in the mere two days before then. Scott and his bride to be sat at a small black table with glasses of egg nog in either hand; right behind them stood a small Christmas tree with white twinkling lights. Next to it on the shelf, strong and high like one of the skyscrapers in the heart of New York City, was a lit menorah. The golden flames from the candles shone over the room; even with a Polaroid camera at their helm, the room around them still managed to have a dark feeling all around.

“So moody and morose,” Belinda remarked. “I love it, though. I can see them doing that without the flash of the camera, too.”

“Yeah, I can, too,” Sam added as she picked up the next Christmas card. Meanwhile, the Cherry Suicides had a photograph of the four of them in cherry red bikinis and with Santa hats, each of which had the Star of David embroidered on the fronts, atop their heads; Zelda and Rosita both had knives holstered to their hips while Morgan and Minerva had knives holstered to their ankles and fake blood splattered across their legs and their stomachs. Zelda also held a black and red sugar skull in one hand with a snowflake imprinted at the crown.

Metallica on the other hand dressed in Santa outfits: James and Kirk both had put on pairs of black sunglasses while Lars stuck out his tongue to the camera and Jason stood there with his arms folded across his chest.

“Hey, you know, at least the girls have the Star of David on their hats,” Sam pointed out to Marla and Belinda.

“I know, right?” said the former. “And Scott and his girl have the menorah behind them. How 'bout Anthrax and Testament?”

Belinda picked up Anthrax's Christmas card, which had nothing more than the four of them bunched underneath a Christmas tree on the ceiling. Charlie and Frank had their backs to the wall while Dan hunkered down in front of them: it took Sam a few seconds to realize that they were imitating a family of three carrying in a tree. She turned it over and burst out laughing at Joey's black and white picture, of him standing there with his arms folded across his chest and with a nonchalant expression on his face. She laughed even harder at the “Merry Christmas from Anthrax” printed on the side of the card as well.

“I actually like that one,” Marla chuckled.

“I do, too!” Belinda laughed with them. “Now how 'bout our five boys from California?”

Sam picked up the final Christmas card, the one that looked as though there had been more effort put into it and not a mere Polaroid photograph plastered on a piece of cardstock of the same size. Chuck sat in a big comfy looking chair at the center of it all with his bare brown legs out for them to see, and a pair of feathers which dangled from either side of his head. Next to him was Greg and Eric, the former with no shirt on and a gift wrapped present nestled right in between his cross legs, while the latter adjusted his dark red velvet Santa hat, which appeared to be too small for his head. Louie posed at the back with a big golden star held up above his head as if he had just found buried treasure. Alex meanwhile sat off to the side with his black hair tousled over his shoulder and a wreath of holly upon the crown of his head.

Sam took a second look to find that right in the midst of that holly was his yarmulke.

She turned it over to find, written in slender scarlet red ink, the words “Seasons Greetings from Testament. Love, Chuck, Eric, Alex, Greg, and Louie.”

“That's actually a really cute picture of them,” Belinda remarked as Sam turned it back over.

“Wait, what was that other thing back there?” Marla stopped them right in their tracks. Sam turned it back over and indeed, there was a little note at the bottom of the cardstock, one written in graphite.

“What's it say?” Marla asked her.

“'Meet us up in Ithaca New Year's Eve for dinner. Eric.'”

“Again?” Belinda was stunned.

“Apparently so?” Sam shrugged her shoulders at that. “I haven't heard anything from the fan club about anything, though.”

“Which means we're probably gonna have to leave here like early in the morning,” Marla pointed out. “Four hour drive to Ithaca from here.”

“Not necessarily, Mar,” Belinda pointed out. “We can leave here like the middle of the afternoon, meet up with them for dinner and then bounce on down to Joey's place for the party.”

“Does it at least say what time?” Marla asked Sam.

“No, it just says meet them for dinner. Yeah, I'm thinking we should leave at like two o'clock here.”

Sam kept this on her mind over the final week of quite the hectic and intense year before the time finally came for them to leave for upstate New York once again, the second year in a row they did. She wondered what Testament had in store for them as she and Belinda climbed in Marla's car, wrapped in heavy winter coats and their big boots. Joey called that morning and told them that the lake effect snow had already begun to fall.

Before she started up the car, Marla set a black velvet beret atop her head, much to Sam's surprise.

“Whoa, where'd you get that?” she asked her.

“Rosita sent me this,” Marla replied, “it came in the mail the day after Christmas. I forgot to tell you.”

“Oh, it's alright. I dig it.”

“I do, too!” Belinda chimed in.

They reached the highway in no time and before they left Hell's Kitchen, the first snowflakes began to fall over them. Within no time, the sides of the road would be utterly blanketed with pure fresh white snow. Another thing that Sam was going to miss while out in California: the New York snows, even with how seemingly unforgiving they were; their memory and the feeling of it all etched its way into the very fabric of her mind. She thought back to when she first met Charlie and she told him and the barista about the snow in Carson City. She thought for sure that the snow in Carson City was unique, and yet New York had shown her another ballpark for it. Something haunting and beautiful about the skyline against the incoming blizzards, and then there stood the forests in the upstate area, especially as they were when at night.

Four hours, and by the time they reached the turn off for Ithaca, the lake effect took hold all around them. The sky overhead had been gray up to that point, but the white glare of the snows had brightened everything above them. Sam peered out the windshield to the pure white sky as flakes the size of silver dollars pelted the rooftop and the road before them.

“I hope we can actually get there,” Marla confessed at one point: it didn't help matters that it was getting late and the pure white soon gave way to dark gray again as well as cavernous royal blue. But lucky for them, Sam soon recognized the outskirts of the whole Finger Lakes area, even against the snow and the incoming darkness. The outside of Ithaca soon followed, as did that familiar narrow piece of road that led back to the hole in the wall. Right there across the street, at that restaurant, she spotted Eric and Chuck congregated outside the front door, underneath the awning away from the snow and under the golden lights as well: Sam recognized them even in the darkness.

“The men of the hour, I see,” Belinda remarked, and Marla took the parking spot right in front of them. Eric nodded at Sam and she gave him a pretty little wave. She climbed out first and Chuck turned around and greeted her with a big sweet smile.

“Hey! There are our girls!”

Belinda climbed out from behind her and, careful not to slip on the fresh layer of snow on the blacktop, the two of them hurried up to Chuck, who held both of them close to him at the same time. Sam then embraced Eric, who seemed warmer and softer than she initially remembered, and Belinda followed suit.

“Thank you for that Christmas card, by the way,” Sam told them.

“Nothin' to it, Sammich,” Chuck said as he put his arm around Marla.

“And you should've seen Exodus' Christmas card, though,” Eric assured her. “We got nothin' on them.”

“So what'd you guys want while we're here?” Belinda asked him.

“Oh, nothing,” Eric said with a shake of his head. “We just wanted to have dinner with you girls.”

“I also wanted you girls to meet someone, too,” Chuck added with a little smile on his face. Eric held the door for them: no one else in there except for Alex, Greg, Louie, and a blonde woman at the booth on the far side of the room. The three of them stood before the table and Chuck beheld the woman as if she was a bit of unearthed treasure, with her golden blonde hair, her bright eyes, and smooth skin.

“Sam, Belinda, Marla—this is my girlfriend Tiffany,” he introduced.

“The infamous girls,” she declared as she took each of their hands. “Or am I confusing you ladies with the punk band?”

“The Cherry Suicides? Maybe,” Sam replied, and that coaxed a laugh out of Louie.

“Alright, kids, let's eat,” Eric coaxed them; Sam and Belinda took their spots next to Alex, while Marla sat down next to Chuck and Tiffany.

The sun had gone down which gave the otherwise vacant restaurant a much more homey feeling to it. Their waitress showed up with cups of coffee, and a cup of hot chocolate for Alex.

“I just want you guys to know that the heater's been acting up lately,” she told them at one point.

“Huddle in like a bunch of penguins,” Greg joked, and they did just that right as a grating sound overhead caught their attention. A gust of warm air billowed out of the vent before it dissipated, and their corner of the room fell cool again. The fact the place was empty only added to the feeling.

“Man, remember how crowded it was in here last year?” Belinda asked her in a low voice. “When you and I were here with Joey?”

“Oh, yeah, I know, right?” Sam agreed with her; they had to shout across the table to each other. This time around, a whisper could carry over to the other side.

“I like you with black hair, by the way, Marla,” Greg spoke at one point.

“I like the little streak at the front, too,” Alex remarked with a gesture to his brow.

“It was Sam's idea, actually,” she explained to them. “She had been wanting me to dye my hair a whole bunch of colors but I told her that would've been too much work. I like the single stripe myself.”

“Imagine if Alex dyed those grays bright blue himself,” Chuck joked.

“Or if they changed colors, babe,” Tiffany chimed in.

“Ooh, yeah! They changed colors like during one of his solos.”

“Song changes tempo,” Eric cracked before he took a sip of his coffee.

“Or when Louie pulls a Zelda,” Chuck added. Sam and Louie himself both burst out laughing at that, while Alex paid more attention to his cup of cocoa, which was piping hot even when their food came to their table.

“I kinda like doing this,” Marla confessed at one point as she held a French fry close to her mouth. “Spending New Year's together.”

“Sam's ahead of the curb, though,” Louie told her with a nod of his head, “she and Belinda spent the last one with us, too.”

“It was mainly her, though,” Belinda pointed out.

Just the bunch of them there in that little corner of the restaurant where no one could bother them, except for the waitress who brought them refills and even offered them dessert of key lime pie or a hot fudge sundae.

“Wanna split a piece of pie with me and Bel, Alex?” Sam offered him.

“I dunno—I've barely touched my cocoa,” he confessed.

“Trying to watch his girlish figure,” Chuck laughed and at that point Alex bowed his head and laughed himself.

At one point, Chuck, Tiffany, and Marla all stood out of the way for Eric, who bowed out of there and into the darkness.

“Where's he going?” Marla asked them, even though Chuck and Tiffany didn't sit back down.

“Something important across the way,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye.

“I'll help pitch in,” Sam told them.

“Oh, no, we got it, Sam sweetie,” Tiffany promised her. The front door opened again and Eric poked his head into the restaurant.

“Hey, Chuck!”

“That's my name, don't wear it out.”

Belinda giggled at that.

“Louie, too—you two fellers in particular—better get your asses across the street quick. It's hella important.”

“Oh, shit—” Louie drank down the rest of his water and then he slid out from the hard booth seats.

“Want me to warm up the van?” Greg called out to him.

“Yes!”

Eric bowed back out to the darkness while Tiffany to the register at the front of the restaurant. Louie slipped on his jacket as he ducked out of there after him. Greg soon followed suit with the keys to the van jingling in his jeans pocket.

“I'll warm up the car, too,” Marla told Chuck.

“Oh, yeah, definitely—go get warm.” Belinda then stood to her feet and followed Marla to the front door. That left Sam and Alex there in the corner.

“We'll leave you kids here alone so you can finish your cocoa,” Chuck told them with a wink and a nod, and then he followed Marla and Belinda to the front door. The rest of the cafe had fallen quiet in their wake; and Sam turned her attention to Alex, who had taken off his coat and showed off a little bit of his chest from under those little pearl buttons. The thin black fabric hugged his lanky little body: nineteen years old, and he still had that stubborn little tummy on him, but she could tell he had slimmed down a bit over the last few months. He gave his black hair a toss back and he showed her a quaint little smile.

“Hey you,” she greeted him.

“Gonna be you and me for a little bit,” he remarked as he set his left hand down by the cup of hot chocolate.

“Just like last year,” she recalled; she glanced down at his mug. “That's got to have cooled down by this point. It's been over thirty minutes.”

“Kinda. It's one of those real heavy mugs where the heat gets trapped in it. That, and it was scalding hot when the waitress brought it. Glad I didn't take a drink yet.” He set his hand on the side and then shrugged his shoulders.

“So I hear you're heading out to California soon?” he said with those sharp eyebrows raised a bit, to which she nodded her head.

“Yeah. It's for school, but yeah—I'm going out there with my counselor the last day of July.”

“Wow.” He knitted his eyebrows together at that. “Well—and you heard this from me, too—and I think Eric and Chuck'll both agree with me on this, come to think of it—but Testament will be making our new album at the crack of New Year's Day, exactly the same as this past year with our debut. No exaggeration, we looked at our contract just two days ago and went 'shit, we gotta make another one?' I guess we're going to be at the same place as before.”

“The hole in the wall?” Sam recalled, stunned.

“Yeah. That's according to the text. I don't know if we'll be there by the time you leave—July, you said?”

“Yeah.”

Alex pursed his lips. “Yeah, I have no clue if we'll still be there by the time you go out there. I hope not because we know what we've got ourselves into at this point after the first time. We record, release it into the world, and then we go out on tour to promote it.”

“Like no time to rest,” Sam remarked.

“Not really, no. I will say this, though, it does get me out of my parents' house.”

“I hope you guys don't have to go all the way to New York just to start putting together an album, though,” she confessed.

“Yeah, that's probably the one drag with that,” he said as he rubbed the tip of his nose, “is we have to go far just to lay down tracks and whatnot. I do like New York, though—you know, my parents hail from here so I feel weirdly at peace whenever we go down to the main city. I hope we can do more back home in California to be honest. I can hope all I want to, but I haven't heard anything from Aurora, though.”

He leaned back in his seat and rested his hand back upon the surface of the table, right next to his cup of hot chocolate. Sam gazed on at the side of his face and the stoic expression there. He then cleared his throat and turned his attention to her.

“Have you—spoken to Aurora at all?” he asked her in a low voice. “Because I know the two of you are friends and all.” Sam shook her head.

“I haven't spoken to her since your birthday,” she told him.

“Oh, wow.” He was taken aback by that. “Oh, man, that sucks.”

“Yeah.” She nodded and rolled her eyes a bit. “But Belinda saw her recently, though, and she and Emile were shopping for baby clothes. That was a couple of months ago, like October. You know what I can't believe is how she made your day all about herself. I didn't think she could be so selfish.”

“Were you able to do anything about that?” he asked her, and she shook her head. It was there she hoped that Osegueda had been the one to do the trick on Aurora; maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have been so egotistical on the day that was supposed to be about Alex. At least she had a laugh about that.

Alex himself meanwhile tilted his head to the side a bit; Sam followed his gaze to the other side of the room, but she had no clue as to what he looked at over there.

“What's up?” she inquired right into his ear, and he turned his attention back to her. He flicked his head a bit so his fine black bangs covered part of his eyes.

“You got any spare change on you?” he asked her.

“Yeah.” She opened her purse and took out her wallet from the bottom there. Then she paused. “Why? Do you need any change?”

“There's a payphone right over there,” he stated and he pointed to across the room; indeed, there stood a white and silver payphone on the wall right next to the front door. “Go call her.”

“Right now?” she asked him, stunned.

“Yeah. Samantha, it may be the last time you ever get to talk to her. She's gonna be a mom soon and you're gonna go out in the wilderness for who knows how long.”

She frowned at that.

“Besides, it's Christmas and she's—she's—fucking growing a baby.” He almost grimaced when he said those last few words. “She's probably not doing anything right now.”

“Except growing a baby,” Sam joked.

“Except growing a baby, right!” That brought a laugh out of him. She let out a long low whistle and then she took out a pair of quarters from her wallet, and she climbed to her feet. Alex took a sip from his hot chocolate as she made her way over to the other side of the room to the phone. She picked the receiver off of the wall and she slipped in both quarters into the slot. She dialed their number and waited a few seconds. She expected Aurora to answer it given she was always so assertive herself—she helped organize full on tours for three bands after all.

“Hello?” She was greeted by a man's voice instead.

“Hi, Emile—it's Sam.”

“Oh, Miss Shelley!” he proclaimed. “I was just thinkin' about you and Aurora and I were gonna send you a Christmas card.”

“Aw—oh my god, that's so kind of you,” Sam sputtered out at that, and then she caught herself. “Um—is Aurora around at all?”

“Yeah, she's right here. Only three months along and she's already showing!”

Sam sighed as Emile handed the phone over to Aurora.

“Sam I am! I haven't heard from you in so long! How's it going?”

It was right then, by the mere sound of her voice, that the Aurora Young who answered the phone there was not the Aurora Young whom Sam met the first week in New York City. This Aurora Young had a high grating whine to her voice and, by the sound it, no sense of logistics at all. Her sense of culture gone and the soft gentle tone to her voice now given away to a loud rattling shriek of sorts. Locked away in her new home, her new nest, for a great length of time and Sam could tell that she had lost her mind.

“Um—things are going,” Sam sputtered out. “How about all of you? I mean, the two of you?”

“Oh, my god, things are just wonderful, Sam! Emile and I have the room set up for the baby and we're making everything for kids now. You know, I didn't think I would have kids some day, but I just love it, though! He and I are planning on having at least two more after this first one. I love it. I love every minute of it.”

Sam closed her eyes and bowed her head a bit. Her best friend had become someone else.

“Is everything okay?” Aurora asked out of the blue. “Are you there?”

“Yes,” said Sam as she raised her head. “I want—to talk to you—about something.” She cleared her throat.

“Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead—” In the background, Emile echoed that in song, much to Sam's grimacing.

“I wanted to tell you that—you know when you announced you were pregnant, it was during Alex's birthday party?”

“Yeah?” Aurora had a bit of reluctance to her voice.

“Well,” Sam tried to keep herself calm all the while, “—it was during Alex's birthday party.”

“And?”

“It was during Alex's birthday party,” Sam repeated. “Well, it was supposed to be about him.” She clenched her free fist down by her side and she let out a shuddered sigh. She could feel herself quivering and quaking at the very notion of Aurora being so dense right then. It was so unlike her, and she knew that Aurora was so much smarter than that, and yet it felt as though she had grown dumb within a matter of a quick flash and a whir. Her best friend, now a different person altogether. If only she could see what Sam saw through her eyes. If only she could understand what she was trying to tell her.

“Sam, what're you—”

“How could you have been so selfish, Aurora?” Sam interrupted her, furious. “That day was supposed to be about him!”

“Sam—I wanted to surprise everyone there.”

“Do you even understand what I'm trying to tell you?” Sam demanded, heated. “That day, the twenty ninth of September, was the day Alex Skolnick came forth on the earth's surface with a guitar in one hand. It was supposed to be about him and you made it all about yourself.” She trembled a bit from the feeling. “I can't believe you did that, Aurora. That was just—that—that—fucking—” She could hardly talk.

“Sam, be happy that I'm going to be a mommy soon,” Aurora scoffed. “We're supposed to be due—let's see, I'm three months along—what's it in six months?”

Something inside of Sam snapped right then. Her best friend, once open and diligent and humble and smart, had become a complete husk of herself. Add to this, she still made it about herself.

“No, stop!” she said in a loud voice, such that it shut Aurora up. Her hands shook and her heart pounded inside of her chest, but she persisted especially with the silence that surrounded her. “No, Aurora. I can't be ever happy for you and Emile when all you do is make every last little thing about yourself. You also didn't even thank me and Alex for being in your wedding, either, for god's sake! When you got knocked up, your brain did, too, apparently. Jesus, what the hell happened to you, Aurora? You are supposed to be my best friend, for crying out loud! You and I were inseparable even when I lived in the Bronx and you in Brooklyn. But no, instead you get married and you left your own best friend at the curb because apparently she's not as willing as you are to spread your legs to the next guy who smiles at you. Whatever. Have your baby. Have a million babies and let your uterus fall out, I don't care. When you bleed out of control, think of me. Merry fucking Christmas.” She slammed the phone down and turned away from the wall with a flushed feeling in her face. Her heart hammered in her chest all the while she strode on back to Alex.

He looked on at her with the cup of cocoa still right next to his hand.

“Congratulations, you're the thousandth person to say I was born with a guitar in one hand,” he said with a straight face once she came into earshot.

“Wait.” She hesitated right before the table. “You heard me?”

“Heard the whole thing,” he told her, and he giggled like a little boy. And then he straightened himself up. “But—damn. I can't believe she actually wasn't willing to listen to you and talk things out.”

Sam shook her head and she returned to her spot right next to him at the table. She wanted to cry but no tears came forth in her eyes. She also couldn't bear the thought of crying before a boy she didn't know too well, either. Instead, she just propped her chin up in the palm of her hand.

“I don't know what happened to her, Alex,” she confessed; she glanced over at him, and she brought her attention to his waist, still slightly full, and then the rest of his body. Even sitting there, he looked graceful. “She's—completely different person from when I first met her. I almost don't even recognize her anymore. I remember, it wasn't even that long ago, we were sitting in this Vietnamese restaurant eating pho together and she was telling me about her Korean heritage, all the little rituals they do and everything. Come to think of it, that was the last time she and I had a genuine intelligent conversation with each other.”

Alex shook his head at that. Sam sighed through her nose and she leaned back in the seat next to him. His long lanky fingers twitched a little bit on the surface of the table. A guitar player with too much energy.

Indeed, he brought his hand closer to his face and he pulsated his fingers a bit.

“You alright?” she asked him.

“I get cramps in my hand sometimes. 'No pain, no game' as it's often referred to as.”

He then picked up his hot cocoa and, after he blew on the surface a little bit, he took a sip of it. She glanced down at his body again.

“You look really good, by the way,” she complimented him.

“You think so?” he said as he set the cup down.

“Yeah. Your tummy's not poking out so much. Within time, you'll be all willowy and thin as a rail.”

“I've lost a little weight,” he said with a gentle little pat of his stomach, “not much—like, seven or eight pounds, but I do feel it. I remember it wasn't even like a year ago, I had this roll on my waist and it hung over my jeans. It's just that I like to eat, though.”

“Don't we all?” she laughed.

“I kinda want to be the type of musician who's real thin but there's something graceful about him, though. Like how Cliff was—he was like this classically educated musician and so thin and elegant. Or like David Bowie about ten years ago—minus the whole 'thin white duke' thing of course. Something radically different from your typical coke nosed rock star, you know?” He then cleared his throat. “You said you and Aurora had pho together. You know, I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my whole entire life and I've never eaten pho before. There's a whole Asian sector up there, too. Can you believe that?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I always wanted to try it, though, just because it looks yummy. There's so much I wanna try out, too.”

“So much to eat and so much to do. All the world's a stage, after all.”

“Right?” He had a twinkle in his eye when she said that, the first time she had seen a twinkle in his eye.

“The only drawback is I imagine getting very fat because of all the tasty food you're eating.”

“Watch, I'll have this big round Buddha belly on me by the time I'm my dad's age—like around fifty.”

“You can rub it for good luck,” she joked, “seeing as you'll be like Buddha.”

“Yeah, I'll be like 'hey, want a bit of good luck? Come rub my belly'.” And she burst out laughing at that. Without another word, Alex downed the rest of his hot cocoa, which apparently had plenty cooled off enough at that point. Indeed, she pictured him a little bit on the round side, and his handsome face made even more lovely with some extra pounds. Joey had the round face himself, and there was something so precious about it as well, except Alex had that milky soft skin just like the full moon at night. Soft and round, just like the full moon.

Sam then climbed to her feet so she could let him stand up and put on his coat once more: tall and growing slim, made even slimmer and more graceful with that dark peacoat wrapped around his body. He lifted his hair out from underneath his coat collar so it all sprawled out over his shoulders.

She led him out of there and into the cold darkness that fell over Ithaca: the sole lights out there came from the tail lights on Testament's van that awaited him at the curb. Right up the block stood Marla's car, ready to take Sam to see Joey down in Camillus for the New Year. She turned to Alex as he rubbed his hands together to better keep in the warmth.

“I will say this,” he started again as he adjusted the lapels of his coat, “seeing as you'll be closer to us, if and when you come out to California, we should see each other more.”

“You wanna take me out on a date?” she teased him with a giddy little chuckle.

“No, no, no,” he said with a lopsided grin on his face. “I mean, when the dust eventually settles on our end, like when we can finally take a little bit of time off and get the chance to breathe, you and I should hang out together.” He glanced off to the side. “If I'm honest, Samantha, I kinda like hanging out with you.”

As soon as the words left his lips, the first flurries from the lake effect fell over their heads. He glanced up to the sky: the little tuft of gray over his brow resembled to one of those few little snowflakes around them. The darkness that enveloped around them meanwhile made him resemble to a ghost.

“You know what?” she stated as she tucked her hands into her coat pockets. “I like hanging out with you. You're easy to talk to.”

“Well, I dunno 'bout that,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a slight roll of his eyes, “I'm still trying to figure out as to how to interact with people on tour. I just come to you because you're familiar to me. I recognize you as Samantha Shelley, the girl whom Cliff dated for a bit before he was killed, and also the first member of our fan club. You're familiar so I can admit that I am at the very least, a little comfortable with you.”

“You're also aware of other people, too,” she added, “like—you don't make things about yourself. At least not in that way.”

“Growing up with parents who studied social science for literal decades will do that to a guy,” he said with another shrug of his shoulders. More flurries floated down from the pitch black sky and he gazed up once more: the shadows accentuated the depth of his eyes such that he in fact resembled to a creature from another world. Indeed, therein lay something ancient and shadowy about Alex, as if he was a time traveler from the distant future who had come to guide her, or a dark prince. The touch of gray upon his head only added to the feeling.

“Sam!” Belinda called out from the backseat of the car.

“I gotta go,” she told him.

“I do, too.”

“Um—will I see you soon?” she asked him.

“I hope we can see each other again soon,” he said with a thoughtful expression on his face, “in the mean time, you take care of yourself.”

“You, too—and Happy New Year, too.”

“And Happy New Year to you, too!”

They parted ways, and Sam bowed into the front seat next to Marla, who had switched on the heater full blast. More time with Alex and she could finally uncover yet another glimmer from beneath the cool demeanor. There was a young boy in there: she had to coax him out somehow.

The darkness had fallen over upstate New York, but Marla had hope that they would reach Camillus in no time. Granted, the snow forced her to slow down a great deal but the lights of the Syracuse skyline glowed through the low clouds all around them. Sam thought about that little encounter she had had with Alex back there, and she couldn't stop thinking about it.

“Not the first time I've had to do this,” she assured Sam and Belinda; the former thought back to when she, Frank, and Charlie had to rescue Joey from the side of the road. And now she was going to see him again, that time for the real stroke of midnight for the New Year.

Indeed, they finally reached Joey's place a block away from the art shop, closed up for the night; Sam thought about the stained glass window she wanted to make of Joey, and she wondered if Belinda had finally used her powers of recommendation and convincing to snag her a spot in the realm of art glass for the next quarter. At that point, however, it was almost nine o'clock at night, which meant the party would be starting late.

The warmth from the heater and sitting close to Alex that whole time had left Sam feeling all manner of cozy. By the time they made their way into Joey's apartment, she already could feel her eyelids sinking low. But she had to stay awake for him. She had to be next to him at the stroke of another brand new year there in upstate New York.

She opened her eyes at one point, and she found herself seated upright on his couch. Joey took his seat right next to her, while Marla and Belinda giggled about something in the next room.

“Joey,” she breathed out, and her voice broke. She cleared her throat. “What time is it?”

“About five minutes to midnight,” he told her with a glimpse down at his wristwatch. “I've just been waitin' for you to wake up for the past two hours.”

“I don't even remember falling asleep,” she admitted with a shake of her head.

“You just walked in through the front door and collapsed on the floor. Marla and I put you here because we knew you would wake up. Just when was the only question about it.”

He then cleared his throat, and his brown eyes wandered over to the kitchen doorway behind them.

“I like watching you,” he confessed in a low voice. “You look so soft. I wish you could see in you what I see in you.”

“You know, it's funny, I—feel the same about you. I wish you could see in you what I see in you.”

He ran his tongue along his dark lips. Their last New Year together. Not a shred of mistletoe for Christmas but the feeling of her leaving in a few months time served to be enough for them.

“Two minutes now, Bel!” Marla proclaimed from the kitchen.

Sam lifted her head from the top of the couch. If she was going to be closer to Testament from that point onward, she had to give Joey the one thing he so desired. She had to give to him what she couldn't give to Cliff when he was alive not even the year before.

“Shall we?” Joey offered her as he lingered closer to her.

“Sixty seconds now.”

Sam sighed through her nose and she brought her face closer to him. That soft soapy musk on the side of his neck. The even softer aroma embedded in the roots of his black curls. The softness and smoothness of his skin. She left it all for him, and now she was about to leave him come the summer time.

She lingered closer to his face.

“Thirty seconds.”

Joey ran his tongue along his dark lips again. He put his arm around her: and she realized that Chuck had put his arm about Marla but not her at the restaurant.

“Let's make this count,” Sam told him as she gazed into his brown eyes, as dark as the snowy night outside there.

“Every last part of it,” Joey added, and his soft expression hardened. She had been sitting next to Alex for the better part of an hour, but she needed him to be present.

“Fifteen.”

She closed her eyes. Like waiting for Christmas itself to come.

“Ten—nine—eight—”

She relaxed every inch of her body and the mysterious man in her dreams burst into mind, albeit for a fleeting few seconds.

“—four—” Marla joined in with Belinda. “—three—two—one!”

Joey pressed his lips onto hers almost immediately, and Marla and Belinda clapped in the brand new year. A brand new year of brand new adventures, especially for Sam as she drank down some more of Joey's venom. Something to take along with her out to California and put on display for all the world to see for itself.

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