#shit i should’ve drawn jellie!!!!!

[sadevergreen]

a very productive meeting i’m sure

#folk hero au #art with jeddie #that’s supposed to be keralis in the corner but i was tired and forgot what he looked like a little bit uh #i’m sorry i love you but most of your defining features are on the front 😭 #anyways #ethoslab #bdubs #bdouble0 #keralis #renthedog #rendog #ethubs #scar #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #shit i should’ve drawn jellie!!!!! #that’s mumbos empty chair btw uhm #RIP #this was really hard- i don’t usually draw like this and the colors are still eh but ya know what #i don’t think i’m done but i think i better stop #hermitcraft au #hermitcraft

[willadisastercry]

More than ‘just a little tired’: the aftermath part 2

tw: lil bit of gore described, burn wounds, collapsing, lots of pain described, muscle relaxer used and effects described, slight paralysis ensues, emotionally heavy towards end.

Keith finally let’s his friends help him but his adrenaline is fading rapidly and everyone is still focused on fussing over Pidge. Lance is distraught with how cold Shiro is being, he doesn’t understand why no one is listening to him while he’s literally supporting Keith with his own body as he crashes. Hunk needs to look at something other than the blood and gore so he tries to find Coran’s magic cream and is just proud he only threw up once.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

“Woah, Hunk! He’s going down!”

Lance dropped to his knee as he struggled to keep Keith from falling further out of his grasp, his face now deathly pale and pressed against his shoulder as he took in large, shuddering breaths to try remain conscious.

“We’ve gotcha bud,” Hunk’s hand snaked around his waist then as Lance righted himself and they brought him back onto unsteady legs, his right not even strong enough now to put much weight on without buckling.

“C’mon we gotta go...”

With his arms slung over either boy’s shoulders and their hands hoisting his hips up by the supply pack on his utility belt, they made their way to the med bay relatively quickly, a feat of which was only possible because at some point Keith had stopped trying to keep up and allowing himself to be dragged was surprisingly a lot faster.

The whooshing of the med bay doors after what felt like an enternity was what startled Keith into opening his eyes again.

“Oh, hey guys...” Shiro said, sparing only a partial glance their way before continuing to pour over Pidge with Coran and Allura. She was awake and fighting the helping hands.

No one seemed to notice Keith’s prone form held up entirely by his friends who stood frozen in the doorway, a bit at a loss for how to proceed.

“I think I’m fine, guys! Seriously. All that’s left is already half healed and not nearly deep enough to warrant a freaking pod!”

“Maybe, but you still lost a lot of blood that will need to be repelenished...” Coran pointed, his mustache twitching as he attempted to convey the necessity of the percaution and failed.

Keith’s legs hadn’t been contributing much to the effort of keeping him standing but admittedly had some part in it because the longer they remained where they stood the more they seemed to melt into jelly.

The adrenaline had almost entirely worn off by then, leaving his body buzzing as the pain slowly intensified.

“G-guys...” Keith whispered weakly, his voice was barely audible.

“What’s—“

“Need to sit... like now...” he managed before his legs were wobbling dangerously, suddenly devoid of all the strength that remained in them.

“Alright, that’s okay. Over there, Lance,” Hunk assured, his injured leg completely useless as he transferred even more of Keith’s weight onto his hip to make up the difference while they ushered him towards one of the chairs across the room.

“Uhhhh, how much longer you guys gonna be with Pidge?” Lance questioned nervously once they’d settled Keith down, his heart clenching with fear for how grey his face had gotten, his hands never leaving his drawn up shoulders out of fear of what would happen if he did.

Hunk was already across the room tearing apart medicine cabinets for the burn cream he’d mentioned and Keith was finding it increasingly difficult to support his own body weight.

“Woah! Okkay—that’s okay, just lean against me,” Lance offered when Keith couldn’t keep himself from swaying as he narrowly avoided leaning back against the chair, nearly tilting out of it before Lance righted him and guided his head to lean against his hip.

“We’ll be done as soon as Pidge stops being difficult... why?” Shiro asked, his eyes still scanning the partially mended slash across the smaller girl’s stomach.

“Just uh, Keith is sort of not doing so well.”

Lance wasn’t entirely sure he understood why everyone was being so curt and dismissive, not tearing their eyes away from a clearly fine Pidge, who yes, at one point had been not fine at all, but was now.

And Keith wasn’t.

The blasts on his back were... bad.

Bad enough for him to be in so much pain he was forced to accept his friend’s help. Lance also figured the haunting glaze of exhaustion in his eyes and purple bruises beneath them had a good deal to do with lowering his defenses, the realization of just how tired he was sending another jab to his chest.

The material of his suit looked like it had melted into his skin, lining the edges of the puffy burns with a smokey black. Some were larger than others but there were at least a dozen and they were all bleeding steadily, the constant rise and fall of his chest making it impossible for any of them to clot.

“I’ll come check him out once—“

The burns were so deep, like little caverns carved into his skin and Lance was suddenly concerned about how zapped the nerves must be that he didn’t even realize he’d been injured this severely.

They looked so painful.

Breathing looked painful. And sitting, and talking and the way moving air brushed against them.

Shit, Keith.

“No, Shiro...”

The words came from deep in his throat, his voice low and serious, a stark derision from his usually charming vibrato.

“I think someone needs to check him out now. We’re talking about Keith here! You should know better than anyone that when he’s says he’s not okay, he means it.”

Shiro’s shoulders dropped as he straightened up, Lance couldn’t even find it in himself to worry about getting told off for his tone with how angry he was, his irritation justifying itself as he watched Keith’s breathing devolve into something more and more erratic.

The room seemed to silence all at once after he’d raised his voice. The inflection of it, shrill with fear and frustration is what got Shiro to finally look their way, his already weary expression falling further at the horror of how Keith looked against Lance. Slumped and panting, his features tight in anguish as blood dripped steadily from somewhere and collected in a now sizeable puddle on the floor.

Pidge was being forced to lay back down when surging up to see what was wrong had her keening and clutching her middle, Allura remaining at her side while Shiro and Coran raced over to the boys.

“What the fuck happened?!” Shiro demanded, his eyes grey pinpoints that bored into Lance with a sort of accusation until the two men reached the pair, both gasping simultaneously when they got close enough to take in the sight of Keith’s back.

“I don’t-I don’t understand, you said you were tired Keith!”

“Plasma blast burns... most of them 2nd degree it looks like...” Coran offered, his eyes flicking wildly as they scanned the burnt and bloody skin.

“He is tired...” Lance assured, turning his gaze back to Keith’s shaking shoulders. His trembles seemed more like spasms then, each jerk prompting a fresh gush of red from the wounds.

“He’s fucking exhausted but was too stubborn to tell anyone he was hurt...” he continued as Coran left muttering to himself in search of supplies, joining Hunk in his endeavor of locating more than just the burn cream now.

“S-sorry... really thought it was just one...” Keith explained before Shiro shushed him, crouching down to run his hand through his hair even though it was slightly damp with sweat.

His eyes weren’t open so he tensed when the hand first fell into place but soon softened under Shiro’s touch, the cold weight of the galra metal oddly comforting.

“It’s not on you, bud. I should’ve checked in more thoroughly, looked you over myself...”

Lance seethed at that, Keith was feeling guilty when Shiro was the one who had fucked up by ignoring him. He didn’t even sound sorry.

“Damn right you sh—“

“What’s that?” Shiro entreated, cutting him off and lifting his head to face the younger boy with something so fierce in his eyes that Lance had to force himself to look elsewhere.

As much as he wanted to tell Shiro how royally he’d fuck up he knew it wouldn’t be productive. Knew full well that the last thing anyone needed was more chaos.

But before Lance had to take actual precautions to contain his anger, Keith made a noise as if he wanted to respond but all that came out was a defeated whine as his chest stuttered which pulled even more at the mess of his back, sending him into a fit of flinching and hissing.

“Hey, you’re alright—“ Lance cooed, the additional hand on Keith’s neck centering him while he tried to ride out the pain without causing more “—that’s it, just take a second to calm down...”

But Keith couldn’t calm his breathing in time to avoid the waves of agony that followed such harsh breaths, eventually becoming desperate enough to clamp his lips shut and hold his breath until his heart let up with its incessant pounding.

This admittedly made the general haze clouding his mind so much worse, sending black dots dancing across the floor as he stared at it against Lance. He hadn’t realized when his hands had traveled up to clutch at Lance’s stomach but they were there now, clawing at the unwavering material stuck to his torso like glue for something to hold onto.

There were so many hands on him but he couldn’t feel much of anything other than the heat on his back and strain in his lungs as he continued to restrict his breathing. It had come to hurt so badly he was afraid to even try to breath normally again.

“-ith!”

Voices sounded so weird and distant then, like they were calling to him from across a noisy room.

“KEITH!”

It wasn’t until someone was knelt down next to him and nearly screaming in his ear that he could understand anything.

“Stop doing that, you have to take deeper breaths or you’ll pass out...”

But he couldn’t manage anything other than short and rapid inhales that weren’t nearly enough. He didn’t care if he passed out. It wouldn’t hurt so bad if he were unconscious and it had gotten to a point where he sort of wished for that kind of relief.

Coran was speaking to Shiro over them then, of which Keith had only ascertained from the way Shiro’s hand left the base of his skull to rest more on the crown of his head just as a dull and disordered humming began.

His hearing had abandoned him again once Shiro left his position, reducing the conversation to unintelligible murmurs drowned out by the rumbling in his eardrums. The static spotting his vision not letting up as the blast wounds burned relentlessly on his back. It felt like there were literal flames licking up at even the slightest movement and marring deep as the fire only seemed to spread.

The entire expanse of his upper body had gone numb with it, his arms slack at his sides and his neck weak under the weight of his head as he put all of his concentration into slowing his breathing and keeping it as controlled as possible. He didn’t even feel the hands slipping under his armpits or fingers tugging at his supply belt, only the scorching stretch of his body straightening as he was pulled to his feet.

Lance and Shiro shifted around him with care, Shiro guiding his head to rest on his shoulder when it rolled limply, Coran hovering anxiously as they struggled to lift him to his feet without jarring his injuries. In reality, it was entirely unavoidable but hey, it’s the thought that counts.

Keith really tried to hold his own weight this time, but as soon as he was upright, his back lit with a new fury that had his vision whiting. Soon he couldn’t even be certain his feet were still on the ground as his body went lax and the darkness that had been teasing him descended quicker than he could process.

He assumed he had screamed bloody murder since his stinging throat was the only pain he could pinpoint as he lost consciousness, but by then he wouldn’t have been able to hear his own voice if he spoke so he wasn’t be sure. All he knew was that he’d pitched into a slew of arms like his bones had spontaneously emulsified, blissfully unaware as to how the whole room seemed to cry out when he did.

Pidge was near tears with Allura struggling to assure her that Keith would be fine, and Hunk was so startled by the commotion that he had nearly flung the supplies he was organizing on a sterile tray.

“Let’s get him settled comfortably before he comes to,” Coran ordered, his voice sharp and anguished as he motioned towards where Hunk was stood.

Together and with considerable effort the three dragged Keith’s limp body to the other side of the room, careful to keep his torso straight and his injured leg from bending so they didn’t inflame his wounds further, depositing his lifeless weight onto the table on his stomach where all of his injuries could be tended to.

“We have to get as much of the suit off as possible... some of it will of course take a little more effort,” Coran sighed as he poked at one of the darker blast marks with a wider radius than most of the other. There was a ring of molten black around it that looked like it had dripped into the pit of missing flesh from where the material of the suit had melted off. The sentry that shot him there must have been only a few feet away.

“Alaran...” Allura gasped out as she made her way to the group once Pidge had calmed down enough to be left alone.

“These are going to need extensive cleaning before we can put him into a pod.”

“I know, Princess. Let’s get started, maybe we can get the bulk of it finished while he’s still uncioncious,” Coran postured, distributing the supplies Hunk had gathered to everyone.

The task was harrowing and had everyone slightly queasy, but the urgency to complete the process before Keith woke up prevailed everyone’s gag reflexes, even Hunk’s.

Being enveloped by the black that had teased him so long wasn’t as bad as Keith had imagined it would be. It was warm like this, more absent of cold than possesing a distinguishable heat. Pleasant. Peaceful even. A more than welcomed improvement to the inferno he was slowly being consumed by when he was awake and alert.

Sounds started coming back to him slowly as his body recovered from the shock of his plummet in blood pressure. His friends’ words sharpening gradually to where he could almost make out what they were saying.

“...suction... yes, that bit has to go as well...”

He still felt floaty and numb from the pain but knew he was laying on his front and could feel a sensation of tugging and pulling on his back.

“...keeps moving... waking up...”

It wasn’t so much painful as it was uncomfortable in his state of semi-consciousness.

“...dangerous to... sedative before a prolonged stay in the pod...”

His brain was just too fuzzy, still replenishing the blood supply to his brain.

“...looks like he’s in pain...”

Each moment he remained in limbo he grew more restless.

“...Coran I can’t... this piece... tearing the skin...”

The in and out of everything was making him anxious, he’d rather just be entirely out or entirely conscious.

“...should will help with any discomfort...”

Whatever was meant to help wasn’t. He was aware he’d probably been given some sort of drug or medicine but still he couldn’t relax.

It didn’t matter that he was utterly exhausted, his body was reacting to the anxiety bubbling in his stomach whether he had the energy to support such a reaction or not.

“...easy Keith...”

That’s the thing, he couldn’t take it easy. His mind was wired and his body was going into shock once again as things clarified and he woke up more.

“You’re alright number four... steady now, just breathe...”

If he thought it was hard to breathe before it seemed like it was absolutely impossible now.

“-us? Keith...? Keith, can you hear us?”

He could. He could hear everything now. It was all so loud and piercing, everyone’s voices, the tools clicking, his heart beating, the tear of medical supplies packages. Everything was so crisp and right there, the smallest noises sending tingles down his spine that made him want to cringe and he struggled to surpress the urge to.

“Quiznak! Coran I’m gonna hurt him if he keeps squirming!”

He was panting now, his mouth hung open against the towel folded under his face that was catching the blood still leaking from the wound under his eye. A hand came down on the back of his neck and he jumped.

That did it for the pain that seemed to have been numbed, not gone, just too far away for him to register. It was just as close as all of the sounds were now.

Hands clutched at his shoulders and forearms and hips as he wailed, pushing him flat so his flailing didn’t make it worse. He sobbed loudly and unabashedly as the pain surged its way back to the forefront of his awareness, a strange warmth similar to the one he’d felt when he had passed out taking the edge off but not staving it much.

“Keith! Listen to me, you have to relax. I know this is torture, but you’re only going to make it worse if you keep struggling,” Shiro urged, his voice the closest.

Shiro was right, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t in control of his movements anymore, because if he was he would listen. He didn’t want to hurt anymore but his body didn’t seem to give a shit.

“Coran,” Allura said sadly, her eyes looking at him with a sort of heart breaking resolution.

“Okay, Princess,” he agreed, his expression falling dejectedly.

“What-what is it? What just happened?!” Lance asked worriedly, knowing something had seemingly been decided but no idea as to what.

“We’re going to have to give him a muscle relaxer to keep him still, but it won’t take away his pain. We simply cannot risk putting him in a pod while medically sedated, we couldn’t be sure he would ever wake again if we did.”

For the second time that evening a collective silence fell over the room, one filled with such aching and regret and fear that it was as if it wasn’t silent at all.

“Do whatever you have to,” Shiro advocated, handing the tools he’d been using to Hunk.

“But he’ll be in pain Shiro?!” Lance noted desperately, his indignation back in full force.

Shiro just looked at him sadly and moved to drag a stool over to the other end of the table where Keith’s head was, his face twisted up as his sounds of pain continued.

“How can you be so heartless? It wouldn’t be so painful if Allura had partially healed him too! If you had given enough of a shit to notice sooner! To notice at all!”

The sound of Lance yelling bore into Keith’s skull sickeningly, his body unable to contain the shiver that overtook his muscles at how bone deep the sound irked his now oversentive ears.

“Lance—“

“No, Allura. He’s right, this is my fault. I was too focused on the fact that Pidge was hurt to notice that he was too and now he’s worse off because of it. I didn’t listen to him when I should’ve. Administer whatever you have to Coran, I’ll help him through this, it’s the least I can do right now...”

Coran didn’t have to be told twice, skillfully pulling liquid from a vile with a syringe that he poked gently into Keith’s neck.

Hunk nudged Lance’s arm to break his death glare at Shiro and get back to freeing one of the wider wounds on his shoulder as the medicine took affect almost immediately.

“Sh-sh-shir-Shiro...”

“I’m right here, shhhh, don’t speak. Just relax, I’ve got you,” Shiro soothed, grasping Keith’s hand tightly as he took shuddering breaths that grew more and more shallow as whatever control he had left over his body slipped away from him.

With some last few twitches he sagged completely into the table. The hand clutching Shiro���s released its grip and the older boy started to thumb assuring circles into the limp appendage since he could still feel it.

“This is gonna suck, but just focus on me okay?”

Keith couldn’t nod, couldn’t move his exhausted body at all now, so he sighed instead. The tears that had welled at his eyes falling defeatedly and mixing with the blood staining his right cheek to make a slightly pinker mess on the towel beneath him.

“Just focus on me...”

#voltron fandom #keith angst #keith voltron #keith whump #lance and hunk to the rescue #protective lance #bad shiro #voltron fic #voltron whump #voltron fanfic #voltron pidge #hunk is here too #he doesn’t throw up this time #vld #whumpee #emotional whump #whump fic #voltron #burn wounds

[burlybanner]

Merge (ScienceBrosWeek2019)

Summary: Some secrets are better left unsaid - and some are better cracked wide open Disclaimer: This is different from my usual style and I’m not sure where this story is going. So I’m not sure when I’ll continue. But keep me honest; it’ll happen eventually.

Disclaimer deux: I struggled with getting chapter the way I wanted, and the theme fought me tooth and nail. But it is what it is, and I don’t want to get too far behind. So - read at your own risk!

Unbeta’d.

Reference: Dust(1), Drip(2), Bitter(3)

**

Bruce woke, remembering precisely why he didn’t like drinking with Tony. He vowed this time (why was there always a “this time”) to leave the whisky on its designated shelf where it belonged. He squinted and rubbed his thumb and forefinger beneath his eyes, still feeling the heaviness of his mind and limbs with Tony’s body draped around him.

“You awake?”

Bruce grunted. “Yeah. I guess.”

“What do you want?”

“Aspirin, coffee, and donuts.” Not that he expected the donuts. But still. He’d seen them yesterday and couldn’t get them out of his mind. 

“Side table. Check the drawers.” Tony yawned and rolled off of Bruce like a cat. Bruce glanced over, watching Tony tap his wrist twice, then his jaw. “Hey. Who’s on the donut run today?” Pause.  “Really?” Another pause. Two gestures on his wrist. “Can you grab a dozen sorted for me and bring ‘em down?” Pause. “But if you don’t w--” Long, long pause. “Okay, okay. See you.”

Jaw tap.

Bruce stared at him, hand hovering between the table and the bed. “What was that?”

Tony smirked, tapped his wrist and middle knuckle. “SIberNet. Spelled SI, for Stark Industries. The evolution of telecom patented by yours truly.”

He continued staring. “You fucking scare me.”

“I’ve always scared you. But then, we have a mutual scare pact.”

Bruce pursed his lips and conceded Tony’s point. He found Ibuprofen and bottled water in the side table, then palmed two tablets and scowled at Tony before quaffing half the water. “I bet they’re all connected to SINet, or whatever you’re calling it.”

“SIberNet. Everyone’s connected, but not everyone has access to all functions. Just the higher ups.”

Bruce finished his water and shook his head. “But of course you have access to everything.”

“More or less.”

“Emphasis on the more?”

Tony smiled.

Bruce sighed heavily and felt a stronger ache in his bones. “I’m gonna go take a piss,” he muttered. His head hurt, partly from the hangover. “Grab some coffee. Maybe take a shower.”

“Make it fast, donuts’ll be here in less than ten.”

To his credit he barely tripped from the bed. Even now, in the light of day (was there sun? How did they survive without the sun) the puzzle seemed unsolvable. Too many pieces were missing and until he felt warm, clean, and headache-free Bruce didn’t expect many answers from Tony, or his own sluggish psyche.

But donuts would definitely help.

Tony gestured to Bruce’s clothes. “Wanna put something on?”

“What for?” Was his body that repulsive, that Tony couldn’t bear the sight of him sober--? “You’ve seen me naked. I’ll grab a towel after I shower.”

Tony’s face softened, revealing too much vulnerability. But Bruce’s hangover was having nothing to do with introspection. Not this early in the day. 

“Birthday suit yourself, Brucie.”

Bruce rolled his eyes and shuffled from the room.

His mind calmed after leaving Tony’s bedroom. It wasn’t horrible sleeping with him but Bruce wanted more, so it heightened his anxiety. Luckily he didn’t need to feel anything in the front room and his mind could blunt its sharp edges. 

Bruce shuffled to Tony’s window and its great view; also luckily, Tony hadn’t bothered shutting the curtain the night before. He felt like Alice in Wonderland - like he was still dreaming. But Bruce’s mind was not savvy enough to conjure waterfalls, slick mossy crags, and winding jungle vines. His mind wasn’t nearly quiet enough to recreate this joy. 

Bruce placed a hand on the glass and briefly shut his eyes. The hum of the cave filled him but so did the urgent need to piss. His physical body forced him to leave Eden behind, to relieve himself. 

While pissing his mind roved over Tony’s opulent bathroom, top of the line of course. He glared at Tony’s walk-in shower with the perfect, pristine jets and high level stonework. He knew he said he’d shower but he needed to ground himself more, and...no. Peace first. The shower simply reminded him of the future and he needed more of now’s peace.

He left the bathroom with the sole intent of making coffee and staring into perfection. Tony would either join him, or wait, it wouldn’t matter. He just...needed this. Right now.

“Tell me when, I’ll show you around.”

Bruce squawked, visibly jumping after hearing a not-Tony voice in the corner. How long had he been there, sitting, not staring at Bruce at all? Quiet, proud, and waiting. Calmly staring into the abyss. Lost in his own mind’s prison.

“Hey, Bruce.”

“Jesus - you motherfucker - you...” Bruce closed his eyes, put a shaky hand to his chest. “You know better than that. You know.”

“Yeah, well. Guess I figured you’d notice.” James Rhodes chuckled, folded his hands over the handle of his cane. Bruce’s eyes drew to the ornate pattern of the platinum handle, a twisty network of vines and fauna drawn down into an obsidian shaft. He thought if Rhodes were a Disney villain, that this would be the cane for him. But he shot the image from his mind. No Disney villain would be as classy.

“Maybe I would’ve, if I weren’t so hungover.” A chill reminded him of how very under-dressed he was, and he finally understood Tony’s vague question, regarding his clothes. 

He hated how nervous he felt.

“It’s been a while, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Rhodey used his cane to push up from his chair, slowly limping his way to join him. Bruce frowned, eyes instinctively shifting to the rhythm of Rhodey’s shuffle. Rhodey’d either just finished his morning exercises or his other leg had been overcompensating, due to the prosthetic. Bruce wondered, absently, when the last time Rhodey had seen an orthopedist. 

“Kinda makes sense Tony has the best view.”

Bruce took a second to drink Rhodey in before sharing the pristine outskirts with him. A dark chuckle died in Bruce’s throat. “It wouldn’t be Tony otherwise.”

“Heh. True.”

His fingers slowly stroked the glass but he didn’t have the strength to stare at Rhodey directly. Instead Bruce watched the other man’s reflection, as Rhodey’s reflection watched him. “I’m sorry,” Bruce said, unable to find anything better to say.

Rhodey nodded. He shifted his stance as his left hand massaged his cane’s handle. “Nothing to be sorry about, really. It happened. We happened. Other things happened to us. It’s life, man.”

“Still.” Softly, tentatively. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Rhodey’s. Bruce felt tendons jump, then relax. The ground they shared was uneven at best but not broken; Bruce felt some relief in that. 

“It wasn’t fair. I...I ignored you. Didn’t know how to talk to you. Twenty years of friendship, and I--”

“Thirty.”

“Pardon?”

Rhodey’s expression turned wistful and he stared at the carpet. “You...always forget to include your fugitive years, Bruce. You’ve known me and Tones for over thirty, not twenty. But I get it. Happens to POWs a lot.”

Bruce’s face fell and he blinked once, twice, rapidly. He felt his mind shift but he forced his expression to remain neutral. “Oh. You’re right. Of course.”

Then Rhodey reached for him, and Bruce couldn’t tell if it were from pity or love but both equally soured his stomach. “You wanna sit?”

“Sure.”

Bruce sat at the place he’d been the night before, feeling painfully naked and cold. 

“Here.” A cup of coffee was pressed into his hands and an apple fritter suddenly appeared within easy reach. 

“Thanks.” Bruce took a sip of the coffee and a large bite of the donut. A small smile curled his lips. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget? Six sugars, a tablespoon of cream, and a bunch of donuts. Every Saturday for years. It was your go-to breakfast.”

“Go-to hangover breakfast.”

Rhodey snorted. “Well. We didn’t do Friday nights halfway.”

“No,” Bruce sighed. He slouched deeper in the chair, letting his toes curl into the carpet. “We didn’t.” The silence lingered but Bruce didn’t feel pressured to fill it. Rhodey grabbed his own cup of coffee and filled their silent space with little posh sips, while they enjoyed watching the cave’s waterfall. 

“Did Tony tell you about the clouds?”

“What? Out there?” Rhodey nodded. “You’re joking.”

“Nah, I’m serious.” Rhodey smiled and drained his coffee cup. “More like condensation, though. The atmosphere builds up and makes its own clouds. Gets so humid, it feels like a misty rain. Pretty incredible.”

Bruce shook his head, enjoying their easy conversation. He didn’t...he honestly didn’t believe they could return to this. They’d barely spoken for five years. Really ten, since when he got back he’d been too mentally unstable and...well. 

Things.

“I tried.”

Bruce finished his fritter and found the donut box. He poked his finger around the stacks until he found a jelly filled one. “Tried what?”

“Finding you.”

He’d just bit into the thing when Rhodey dropped him into the painful present. The jelly soured in his mouth but he finished chewing it. Swallowing felt like swallowing marbles of sand. “It...ah. You couldn’t. It wasn’t. It--” Bruce tried again. “There weren’t any drones, like we have now. Facial recognition software was shit back then. And I was really good at hiding.”

“But I found Tony. I should’ve found you. I’m...sorry I couldn’t.”

Bruce shook his head like an animal shaking off a collar. “No, don’t. It’s not--”

“No. Remember it wasn’t just you and Tony, and me and Tony. It was me and you, too.”

He couldn’t say anything to counter because it’d just make it worse. Sadness threatened to overwhelm Bruce but he hid it by taking another bite of donut. He had to spin it, though.  “Can’t really change the past,” he said, mouth full of jelly. “We both got hit hard, y’know? It changed all of us. Everything did. We changed.”

Rhodey nodded. “We did. If we hadn’t, you would’ve known about this place when I did. You would’ve been a part of it.”

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand over his rough skin. He needed a shave, badly. “I don’t know, Rhodey. I don’t...this is too much. All of it. I don’t know what it is, but now I’m culpable. What--what’s the end goal really? What’s the purpose? What’s my purpose?”

“Well,” Rhodey sighed. He cocked his head, peering at Bruce. “It’s always been the three of us, you know that. If one of us doesn’t make it, it doesn’t work. It would’ve never worked without you. Tony’s mind would’ve been worried. I would’ve worried. We had to have a consensus.”

“Merging of the minds?”

Rhodey shrugged. “If it makes you feel better.”

“I haven’t said yes.”

“Haven’t said no either.”

Bruce finished his donut, allowing it to settle the fear building in his stomach. “But if I do? If I walk away?”

“Nothing will happen. But I imagine we’d get shut down in a few years or we’d move up our time table. Either scenario’d probably hurt us.”

“I...shit. Rhodey, I need to know. I can’t make any decisions without knowing the big picture.”

“You willing to hear it all out, Bruce? From start to finish, without bolting?”

“What choice do I have?”

“Fair.”

“I mean...” Bruce grabbed another donut. A cruller. “Tony wouldn’t’ve dragged me out here on the guise of a two week business trip without good reason. I’d like to hear out this fucking grand plan. Besides I’m guessin’ it’s already in place. It’s just...hovering. Waiting on me to--what? Agree?”

“Probably.”

“And that’s what I’m afraid of.” He peered at Rhodey and swallowed uncomfortably. “So level with me, then. Are...are we the heroes? Or...the villains?”

Rhodey shrugged. “To be determined, I guess. You know as well as I that history’s written by the survivors.”

“ ‘You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ “

But Rhodey didn’t respond and Bruce followed his gaze back to the cave. They’d lobbed that phrase at each other for years, laughed at it, used it as a barb whenever one of them messed up in a major way. But it never seemed more apt, than now.

Bruce sighed. “I’m going to take that shower now.”

“Mm.”

The rest of the day would probably break him, but he was used to being broken.

#sciencebrosweek2019 #sciencebrosweek #science bros #james rhodes #bruce banner #tony stark #ah a wild rhodey appears #again the fic with no name #stumbling in the dark with this and hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train #@sciencebrosweek

[kpopthings]

La La Land

genre: fluff

pairing: xu minghao x reader

synopsis: minghao kept his promise. he stayed beside you like how he said he would.

words: 2.1k

closed

The first time you saw him was in a small vineyard, the colors of grapes varrying from red, purple and green, the sky being a rich blue with not a single cloud to taint it. The grass looked greener than normal with an aroma that almost made you feel at ease. And somehow you found yourself so drawn to the place that you didn't realise it was a dream.

"Hello there," the voice almost made you jump, your eyes darting from the scenery to the boy standing behind you, a chuckle resonating from his lips, "sorry if I scared you there."

You looked at him curiously before looking back at the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

You nodded your head, "is it yours?"

He shook his head in response, "nope, I just woke up here like you did."

"Do you know how we got here?" Again, he didn't.

"Do you thi-"

"Now enough of the questions," he cut you off, placing his hands on your shoulders to stop your anxiety, "the sun is out, the view is nice! how about we go do some exploring?" You looked at him skeptically, suspicious of his intentions, "I'm not a serial killer if that's what you're thinking," his hands then went to each of your hands, "Now come on, Let's go have some fun!"

You stayed back a bit, weighing down the pros and cons as you pressed your heels down the ground. Seeing your hesitancy, the boy's gaze softened a bit.

"Or we could stay here if you want," he said, smiling as he let his hands fall to his sides, standing right beside you, showing you that he won't leave you behind. You smiled at the gesture before nodding. A small whoop of joy escaped his lips as he took your hand excitedly, leading you through the vineyard. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah," you replied timidly, watching your steps cautiously while the strange boy continued leading you, the grin never leaving his face as he walked. He stopped by one of the hedges, taking out some grapes before handing them to you.

"They're delicious, try some!" You looked down at the small violet spheres before popping them in your mouth. The sweetness melting in your tongue, a sound of satisfaction escaping your lips as you ate the other. "They're good, right?"

You hummed in response, sighing to yourself as you looked at the sky. The sun becoming brighter than normal as you shielded your eyes with your hand.

-

You groaned as your eyes fluttered open, a ray of sunlight peeking out your curtains as you sat up. Your body not being able to sleep again as you checked the time. Exactly two hours before uni starts. Another groan escaped your lips at the thought of the day ahead.

Great, just great.

-

You returned back home at around 9pm, your back aching due to slouching for the whole day, and the fact that you had to carry boxes  in work didn't help you that much. Not to mention the essays and projects you need to start. You grumbled under your breath as you sat down your couch, pen in hand before writing away.

You were done at around 11pm, your hand aching as you decided to call it a day. Body automatically slumping down the warm mattress of your bed as you curl up under your blanket. Your mind drifting to a dream as you sighed in contentment.

-

You found yourself in some sort of spaceship, your body floating on air while you examined your surroundings. A bunk bed sitting on one corner, a book shelf on another with a strap to hold everything in place, splatters of red and blue paint floated by you in blobs as a medium sized canvas lay by one side with a few brushes hovering beside it. You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion as a blob of paint flew towards you, your finger coming in contact with it before it divided into two. While being too preoccupied with the paint, the air suddenly felt heavier and your body began to fall, coming in contact with the ground as the door opened.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" A voice said as someone walked closer to you, helping you sit up while you rubbed the back of your head. "If I knew you were awake I should've warned you."

As you stood up, you looked down on the floor to see the paint splatters now taking place on the floor.

"Sorry about that, I was painting something when the gravity thingy kind of malfunctioned for a bit."

"Where are we?" You asked.

"Right," you heard him say, "from the looks of it we're in some kind of a spaceship."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Now now, there is no need for sarcasm, I just told you what I know," he said. "My name's Minghao by the way," he stretched his arm out for you, "what's yours?"

"Y/n," you said curtly, taking his hand in yours as you shook it.

"I didn't caught your name before," he thought out loud while nodding to himself, "you kind of disappeared before I had the chance of asking."

"Well it's nice to meet you Minghao," you said.

"You too, y/n," he replied back, smiling at you. His hand left yours as the both of you just looked at each other, "Want to see what I'm painting?"

-

So far, life has been quite shit. You almost failed a test in one of your subjects if it wasn't small bonus points saving your sorry ass you'd be getting extra classes. Your parents weren't helping either, them constantly pressuring you into getting a job after uni and nagging you about your grades. It was suffocating, you prayed that one day everything will just end. And so you always looked forward to night time. The chance to be able to see Minghao again made your heart flutter and your shoulders to seem a bit lighter. You hoped for each night, awaiting another adventure with the black haired boy, whether it may be travelling in a pirate ship or flying across the universe. Every moment made you keep fighting, going through the whole day knowing you'd have something to come home to every night.

He became your rock, a beacon to your slowly sinking life, he became one of the only things you fight to live for.

-

"So, what's our plan for today?" You asked, seeing yourself in an island with Minghao sitting beside you.

"Stranded," he answered simply, "today we are stranded." He kicked a bark of wood before standing up from the sand. "We should probably explore the island, see what we're dealing with here."

You nodded your head at his suggestion, following behind him as he led the way deeper into the trees. You felt the air become more humid as you stopped by a clearing. Your heart becoming heavier as you saw the small tree house on one of the trees. It was something you use to have, buried deep in your memories as the thought of it haunted you. It reminded you so much of who you use to be. The feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed your whole being as memories of you staying in there made your head feel slightly dizzy.

"Let's go inside," Minghao said, pulling you to his side. Your feet feeling like jelly as he continued to tug on your arm. "Are you okay?"

Snapping out of your daze, you nod back in reply, slowly walking towards Minghao hesitantly before he helped you climb the ladder. Once you reached the top, you couldn't help but let your eyes wander around the small space. Old knick knacks scattered around the shelves, eyes travelling down the small figurines you use to make, the old children's books you use to read were stacked up in their own little corner with the paintings you use to make stuck to the wall. The pictures looking like indefinite shapes and creatures, you stared at them in wonder, eyes scanning the pictures and wondering where the years have gone.

"You have so much to live for, you know?" Minghao's voice startled you, making you turn to him as he smiled at you. "You have so much to offer to the world, you just don't know it yet."

"What are you talking about?" You asked.

"Everything, you can't sleep forever y/n. The real world isn't in here, it's out there," he pointed towards the window, showing you snippets of memories of your achievements. That time you won first place at an art contest where you got your first medal, when you graduated highschool, when you passed your tests, it was all being shown. "Your body is slowly going down and I am here to give you a choice, stay here with me or go back to the real world, to your life." Minghao stated, making you even more confused.

"I don't know what you're saying," you said, looking down in confusion.

"I know what you've been doing y/n, it's not healthy, you shouldn't force your body to sleep with those pills, it's not okay for you. Now you have to choose," he said. "As much as I'd like it if you stay with me, I can't be that selfish. This isn't your world."

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

"It's okay, the real world is a mess and I'd be fine with whatever you choose." He stated, looking at your eyes with the same softness he gave you since the first dream. "If you choose to stay we could go horseback riding with some unicorns, or visit the planet Mars and meet some cool martians." He gave you a smile, it looked so gentle it made you want to stay. "And if you choose to leave, that's okay, I'd get to watch you conquer the world and just amaze everyone with just being yourself, something only you could do."

"But I won't get to see you again," you croaked out as Minghao slightly shook his head.

"No, you won't... But I'd get to see you, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines when you finally achieve your dreams." Minghao wiped off some of the stray tears that escaped your eyes with his thumb, his palm resting on your cheek, "you have a lot to offer the world, y/n." He said, standing beside you like he did back in the vineyard when you first met, "I'll be right here."

You sighed, trying to calm your breathing as small sobs escaped your lips, "I guess it's best if I go then."

Minghao gave you a proud smile, "that's my girl."

He helped you climb down the small house, walking you deeper in the forest before you stopped by the other side of the island. A small plane was there waiting for you. He settled you down the pilot seat, putting the seatbelt on as he stepped back.

"I don't know how to drive a plane," you said before he could shut the door.

He chuckled at your cautiousness, "this is a dream, I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out." As he closed the door, the plane began to roar in life as it began to hover up the ground.

You saw Minghao take a step back, waving his hand up the air as you silently said goodbye. The island slowly turning into ashes.

-

You woke up with a heavy feeling sitting on your chest, the ends of your hair sticking to your forehead due to sweat as you turned to your clock, an hour before uni starts so you quickly changed out of your pyjamas to a casual outfit. You decided to head to the cafe one of your friends work at to help you start the day.

"You looked horrible," Jun said, greeting you by the counter.

"Had a bad dream," you answered simply.

"Wanna talk about it?" He cooed, making you scrunch up your nose.

"Just give me some coffee," you said.

"Okay, by the way want to meet my new friend?" Jun said excitedly, making you look at him weirdly.

"It's six am, my social skills don't work until lunch."

The boy only shook his head, "nope you need more friends." He stated sternly, "Now come on, he isn't that bad." He practically pulled you over the counter and led you to the breakroom where someone was sitting by one of the tables doodling on a piece of paper. "Hey loser, I want you to meet someone!"

Once you saw who it was, you couldn't help but smile in joy, taking his hand in yours as you introduced yourselves to one another.

Minghao kept his promise. He stayed beside you like how he said.

#kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #seventeen imagines #seventeen #seventeen scenarios #xu minghao #the8 #minghao imagines #the8 imagines #seventeen the8 #seventeen fluff #xu minghao imagines #kp: camille writes #kp: seventeen

[kpopmoonz]

Movies, Kisses, and Lipstick Stains 

Summary: You were invited over to visit Seventeen’s dorm for movie night and catch up with the members who you haven’t seen for quite some time due to theirs and your busy schedule. Which is also why your boyfriend Vernon has been nothing but clingy and handsy with you the moment you arrived. disclaimer: gif not mine full © to owner. 

 Word count:1126 

 A/n: Hello! I enjoyed writing this so i really hope you guys like it! However, the title may seem suggestive, but i just wanna say that this (to my dismay) ain’t smut... i hope you guys still enjoy though... that’s all!! Till next time :)). 

|| Masterlist || Ask me anything ||

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

 Imagine though... 

 “Y/n, you alright with watching this?” S.Coups asked raising the cd case for you to check also mentioning that you were their guest so you got to chose.  You nodded a “yes” half heartedly as you tried your best not to melt under Vernon who was planting soft chaste kisses on the back of you neck. 

 “Yah! Stop it.” You scolded him in a whisper as the movie started to play. “It the others see!” You added earning a soft chuckle from the boy behind you. 

 “And so what if they see? The hyungs know we’re together anyways.” Vernon replied, whispering into your ear causing shivers to run down your whole body. 

“Yah!” You exclaimed, hitting his thigh and catching the attention of some of the members. You silently apologized to them, before turning around to glare at your boyfriend who just flashes you a wide grin before kissing your cheek. 

 “I just miss you, that’s all.” He whispered before you turned your attention to the movie that has been playing for 5 minutes now. “I’ll behave…” he mumbled before leaning his head to rest on your shoulder and wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you closer to him. 

 Half way though the movie you’ve started getting uncomfortable and decided to head for the kitchen for a drink after seeing a number of other members have been coming in and out of the living room as well.

“I’ll get a drink.” You whispered up to Vernon who released you when you tapped his arms that rested on your belly. He follows you with his eyes as you made your way to the well lit kitchen before turning back to the seemingly interesting motion picture everyone was drawn to. 

After awhile he noticed how you were taking too long and thought you actually got lost despite the kitchen just being across the hall from the living room. “Y/n?” He called, his voice above whisper as he knew he was out of earshot of the members. 

There at the corner of the room, he found you leaning against the counter, with your phone in hand and a glass of water in the other. “Bored are we?” Vernon smirked walking towards you. 

 You jumped at the sound of his voice, but instead of blushing, “why? Would you be offended if i said i was?” You replied, tilting your head and raising your eyebrow suggestively. 

 By this time, Vernon was right in front of you, smiling but you noticed how his eyes were darker than usual. “Mmm, actually i think i’m glad you’re bored.” He whispered, His voice was now all deep and husky, “cause it means it’s my turn to entertain you” With that, he closes the little gap between the two of you. 

In a desperate yet hot kiss you felt your knees buckle and your legs turn into jelly, but before you could fall, Vernon’s hands flew to your waist preventing you from disconnecting you lips. You mind started to get foggy as you both got deeper into the kiss, but when you felt Vernon’s tongue enter your mouth you pushed him off in panic. Confused Vernon frowned down at you, and with red cheeks you pointed at the members who were staring at the telly. 

 An “o” formed Vernon’s lips before getting an idea. He placed a finger on his lips signing you to be quiet before he pulled you out of the kitchen and into his shared room with a few other members. As the door closed the two of you returned to your earlier activity and a little more. 

 Outside the heated bedroom the members collectively let go of their breaths. The movie was long forgotten when they heard the door click. Upon realizing the whole group felt the same heat from both you and Vernon, they started a group discussion. 

Minutes later, the group’s discussion still hasn’t died down until the ‘95 line plus Woozi and Wonwoo all stood up to get out of the room, “Of you guys don’t quiet down someone will hear.” Jeonghan remarked as he sleepily followed S.Coups to the kitchen.  Seconds after, you were standing at the entrance of the living room with your hands in your hair. 

“What”re you guys up to?” You questioned, as you found majority of the boys huddled in the middle of the room while the movie was paused behind them. Looking at the members, they seemed to have frozen as they stared back at you with gaped mouths. “Oh, we decided to take a break.” S.Coups finally spoke from in the kitchen behind you. “Oh.” You mumbled finally getting your hair into the most decent ponytail you could at the time.

‘I hope i look decent enough’ you thought as you shrugged and moved to get a drink from the fridge. Not too soon after, you’ve had a glass of juice and the door you came out of opened again, Vernon came out of the room looking way more decent than the last you left him and as he passed you on his way to the living room he sent you a wink. You blushed and stared down at your glass feeling the butterflies tickle your stomach, but all that was replaced with panic when you realized the usual lipstick stain you left on cups and glasses weren’t on the rim of your glass right now. 

 Alarms rung in your brain as you quickly dropped the glass on the counter, the thud it made caught Jeonghan and s.coup’s attention, but before they could ask you about it you were out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

 “Shit, too late” you cursed seeing your boy was already pinned by his two pesky hyungs, Hoshi and Jun. “Kkkkk, so Vernon-ie~ you and y/n have been busy huh?” Hoshi asked him a smirk on his lips.

 “Huh? What?” Vernon replied, trying so hard not to smile as he knew it could blow his cover. 

“Oh i’m sure you know what we mean.” Jun chuckled gesturing for the younger to wipe the corner of his lips, which he did, bringing his fingers to his view, he found they were stained with you lipstick. It was only then when he realized he’s been caught. You were both still embarrassed, Despite the fact the members knew you and Vernon were an item,    and wished the earth would just swallow you up in that situation. 

 “Alright you two that’s enough.” S.Coups called having Joshua and Wonwoo drag the two performance members away from the young boy. Vernon saw this as chance and went to check his face in the mirror. Seeing his lips that was messily stained by your lipstick all he thought of was ‘whoops.’ 

 End…

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

 Bonus:

 On the way back to your house, it was the first time you spent the walk in silence “sorry for troubling you earlier” you finally spoke as your house started getting in view. You heard Vernon chuckle beside you and then he took your hand in his. “It’s alright” he tells you bringing the back of your hand to his lips, “at least now they know you’re not the angel the see you as” he teased after lightly kissing your skin. You were once again red, not just from his sweet gesture but also from the embarrassment coming back to you. “Yah! It’s your fault! You should’ve cleaned up better!” You frowned, pulling your hand out of his. He chuckled again before turning you around to face him and planting a sweet yet quick kiss on your lips before jogging back to their dorm. 

disclaimer: gif not mine full © to owner. || Masterlist || Ask me anything ||

#vernon scenarios #vernon imagines #vernon imagine #hansol vernon chwe #vernon #hansol imagine #choi hansol #hansol imagines #seventeen kpop #pledis seventeen #seventeen scenarios #kpop #korean #imaginetheseidiots #svt17 #seventeen imagines

[westywrites]

Nothing Nor All

Part 3 

First - Previous - Next 

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the sun came up and a sliver of light shone down into the shelter. When it did, we silently flew out into the cold morning. A strange thing about not being able to touch things is that it almost applied to temperature. The cold barely felt like anything though we could see our breaths in the air. We decided during the night what we were going to do. A quick flight up high to see the world, finding the road and following a distance up. Then finding a store and stealing some paper and pens and writing letters to our parents to drop off at my house. And then getting as far away from here as possible. Everything went smoothly and honestly stealing by turning invisible and walking through walls was fun. We sat in a tree to write our letters and it was a very tear filled time. Telling your family they'll never see you again is hard. I ended mine by telling mom to send Riley's to her family. Invisible above the house I'd never enter again was when I lost it most.

Riley, what if we just went in? It was stupid but if Riley wasn't there I would've.

No way. We'd end up dead. She looked at me and even though we were invisible I could see as much of her as could of me. She had a concerned look on her face. We can't die just yet.

I know. I bit my lip. God I wish this was all a dream.

Well it's not, so suck it up buttercup. Riley knew that would make me smile a little.

I wonder what those people in the white van are doing? I tried to get a closer look but we were too far up for me to see much. We floated down quickly when the van left and dropped the letters on the doorstep, held down by a small rock. I pressed the doorbell and quickly we flew off the doorstep. We teleported across the circle of the cul de sac and finally noticed the large devil's trap drawn in it.

If we hadn't teleported that would've trapped us. Riley's mouth had dropped open.

Who the hell drew that? I looked around and saw no one. Was it a Halloween thing?

No, the people in the van. Riley and I thought in unison. It felt like someone hit me in the stomach or told me my mom was dying. Thinking in unison was the worst that had happened to us yet.

That was- Riley seemed at a loss for words.

Horrible. I squeezed her hand. I sincerely hope it never happens again.

You know it will. She looked around quickly. We need to get going. We flew up even higher than before and set off faster. We flew in a random direction and just kept going straight. After a little bit I decided to try something. A moments thought and I made my face solid, I could finally feel the wind.

What are you doing? Riley slowed us down.

I'm feeling the wind on my face. I looked at her, she looked upset. What's wrong?

You know what's wrong. She glared at me. Keep your wind to yourself; you solidified both of our faces.

I don't know how. We slowed down some more. I'm sorry Riley, I've just dreamed of the feeling of wind on my face as I fly. Well, you know, I've just about always dreamed of it.

Whatever, it's ok. I knew it wasn't a big deal and she was upset about something else.

Riley it's ok to be upset. I know you're scared but I'm pretty sure we're okay for now. I gestured to the sky. There's no one up here but us.

Something isn't right. She looked over her shoulder. The people in the van, the trap.

I know, you've been thinking about it since we left. I looked around too. That's exactly why we need to keep going. We sped up and kept going but Riley's persistent anxious thoughts were getting to me. The clouds below began to look like they hid danger, every bird we passed an enemy.  

Fuck, Riley. I stopped us. You're freaking me out.

I'm sorry. She was pissed. I can't help it. I do have a thing called anxiety you know.

I know, you've been doing so well. I looked down. I'm sorry, I'm super stressed. I can't imagine how you feel.

Actually you sorta can, you're in my thoughts and definitely absorbing my mood.

Yeah, I suppose. I gestured to the clouds. Can we look below? I'd feel so much better and think you would too.

Yeah I guess. Riley's nerves racked through both of us. I was shaking from head to toe and the descent to the clouds was a slow one. We broke through and everything was clear. There was a beautiful view of a river running through a forest and it calmed us both some. Just as we were going up again something moved in the trees.

Did you see that? Any calming effects of the view were gone and Riley was nearly having a panic attack. Her fears proved true when something dropped through the clouds on either side of us and the thing in the trees began to rise. They were humanoid figures holding metal devil's traps. We tried to moved forward or up but we were stuck. Another sank from above us. With all four we were entirely trapped. They got closer and closer and all we could do was watch. One reached forward and injected me with something, another injected Riley. Within seconds everything faded and the only thing I focused on was continuing to hold Riley's hand.

I woke up to searing pain all over the right half of my body. It felt like something sucked the breath out of me. Panic overwhelmed me and I flailed forward. A cold, heavy weight pressed down on me. Chains. I reached out searching for Riley. The chains struggled to hold me down, they pinched my skin but it was nothing compared to the pain.

Riley! I tried to form coherent thought. Where are you? I need you. Help.

Help. Riley echoed me. It hurts. It hurts. She made a strangled sound. I can't. You're right beside me! I can't move, it hurts. I tried to turn my head but a chain wrapped across my forehead made that impossible. I reached out and closed my eyes but I could still see. I saw a totally different angle of the room, there was a person in chains lying next to me. It took me a moment to realise that I was looking at myself, through Riley's eyes. I reached out my hand and watched it move to meet Riley's. Instant relief the moment our hands touched.

I just looked through your eyes. I slid the chain over my forehead. What the hell? That was really...

Cool? Riley smiled. If that hadn't happened we'd still be, well you know.

I was gonna say messed up. I returned her grin. But cool works t-. I was cut off mid-thought by the door being thrown open.

"Well look at this! My dear freaks of nature have awoken," a lady with a cruel voice spoke. "Sorry about the chains but you two gave us some great issues on the way here." She snapped and the chains seemed to melt away. A fear like I've never experienced washed over me and Riley thought a quiet apology. We both sat up and got a good look at the spokesperson of our captors. She looked like a mean librarian-ballerina crossbreed, with a high bun pulled too tight and dramatic makeup that contrasted her gray suit. She took a few hesitant steps closer and I noticed the cuts on her hands and throat.

"Wh-what happened to your hands?" Riley and I asked, both cursing the obvious fear in our voice.

"Even in your sleep you can be vicious my dears." She tsked at cuts. "I wasn't quite as careful as I should've been." Her skin on the hand she held up looked colourless, like it should belong to a dead person. "You're even more powerful than I thought." She looked directly at me as she said that.

Shit, I did that while I was knocked out? I looked towards Riley for reassurance but she was no help. At that moment she couldn't even form thoughts that were more than random sounds. Her panic ran through both of us and it pained me to realise it was probably worse for her.

"You have no reason to be so scared." The lady forced a smile. "We don't plan on hurting either of you." It almost made me uncomfortable that she referred to us as separate beings, which was an uncomfortable thought on its own. "Now, I'm wondering what you two could do while conscious, considering your power when under the sedatives." She rubbed the hand I had damaged, making me realise that it hadn't even so much as twitched on its own.

"Did I- Can you move your hand?" Our voice sounded so small and unsure. "I could fix it, I think."

"Is that something you can do?" A greedy look flickered through her eyes. We nodded and Riley reached out her free hand. The lady seemed skeptical but placed her damaged hand in Riley's. A warm feeling passed through me and out Riley's hand. The colour returned quickly to the lady's hand and she bent her fingers slowly. A greedy smile crossed her face.

I don't trust her. The first clear thought I got from Riley. She wants something and doesn't care about us.

"My dears, you two are a creation unlike any other." She ran her hand down Riley's cheek, still smiling. "I'd love to figure out just how you work. In fact that's what we're going to do here." The door flung open again and two large figures in full body armour walked in. They both held large knives that reflected the rows of light on the ceiling and a pathetic looking pair of people with a lady crouching in front of them.

Oh fuck. I squeezed Riley's hand a little tighter. We made ourselves float into a standing position. My legs felt like jelly and I was still woozy from the sedative.

"We took a sample of your fluids when you were unconscious." The lady stood and rolled her shoulders like she had a backache. "It's peculiar; our tests showed that you are only part Nothing. But it says also that you are part All." She took a step back. "I don't think I can accept that freaks like you, could possibly be anything like me." She threw her head back and suddenly wings erupted out of her back. She smiled. "You are neither Nothing nor All. Only a vile abomination bound to cause disaster." She flapped her giant brown wings and took off, flying straight through the ceiling. The armoured people started to approach.

"We've taken it upon ourselves to learn how you work," one said in a menacing voice.

"So as to prevent a future crisis and to ensure your kind never walks this earth again,” he other continued.

"I'm not planning on hurting anyone!" We took a step back but the wall was behind us. It was made of some sort of material that we couldn't pass through. As they approached a kind of autopilot kicked in and we teleported to the other side of the room. I flung my hand out and the armoured people fell to the ground writhing.

What the hell did I just do? If Riley hadn't pulled me along and blasted open the door I probably would've just stood there until they captured me again.

We're trapped. Riley pointed out that all the walls, floors and ceilings were made of the same material that we couldn't pass through. There's gotta be a way out but I can't see it!

There's more of them coming. We thought together in fear.

Let's hide in that corner, we can turn invisible. But as I thought it I realised it wasn't possible. Around our feet was a devil's trap. We weren't going anywhere. I blinked tears out of my eyes. What do you think they're gonna do to us?

Nothing, we'll escape. We'll be fine. We both knew that wasn't true.

#west's words #writers on tumblr #original story #ghosts #demons #ya fiction #Nothing Nor All #sorry this story is kinda shit #I don't like the writing style I used for this at all anymore #I find it amusing how blunt Wess is #oh fuck #like same #so very eloquent

[marigoldhasmoved-blog]

Marigold Reacts | 4

hello and welcome to Marigold Reacts. ficlets based on those little snapshot-moments that pop to mind when i read fanfiction. largely inspired by @darkhawkflying’s work on AO3.

this time around however, i figure this is more of a dedication than directly inspired by anything i’ve seen written x) i don’t recall her putting together anything quite this dramatic. but, what can i say, my imagination has the tendency to run away with me even during the simplest scenes!

all you need to be aware of is that i treat the series’/stories as though they’re films/tv programs. i am the “cast’s” landlady and we all live under the same roof.

enjoy!

          NUT BUTTER

          It hadn’t been instantaneous. No worlds collided, no rugs were pulled and it wasn’t some sweet pop-song, ‘the minute I met you’ bullshit that sells love to a demographic who haven’t experienced it yet. If you ask Ross, he would tell you that for the first five minutes after their being introduced, Jim wanted to, “punch him in his pretty face.”

Ross maybe shouldn’t have counted Jim’s reference to his face as ‘pretty’ as a win considering not five minutes after that, Ross had been escorted to a set-medic with a bloody lip and a bruised ego.

Actions fueled by tabloid gossip that - alright, sure, Jim knew well enough to ignore on a regular day. And, yes, Jim can admit that he’d walked onto set with a few preconceived notions but Ross hadn’t helped himself at. all. by acting like an arrogant Vegas Strip prima donna. A prick.

By acting like a prick.

What had worked in their favor was all the tension they’d let simmer between them. Tension that eventually exploded when they’d bumped shoulders in the hotel lobby. And then the elevator. The corridor. The alcove with the ice machine, the emergency exit stairwell and, finally, all over Ross’ suite. It was a display of pure carnal Neanderthal biology. Except, instead of trying to eliminate the threat, Ross had gone the route of fucking it into submission. Repeatedly.

No, their love hadn’t been an, ‘our eyes locked and my soul wept and shifted and time stood still as gravity pulled me towards you’ Old Hollywood cliché. It had been a creeping thing, threaded into the seams of what, from the outside, would appear to be the most insignificant moments:

How Jim spreads both almond and peanut butter on his toast but no jam or jelly because, “it’ll ruin it, no.” Every time Jim has to climb onto the counter to reach the top shelf for the brown sugar and his t-shirt rucks up to expose the little dimples just above his waistband. The way he curls around Ross like a grumpy octopus when Ross tries to get out of bed too early - with Jim either wrapped in his blanket-burrito (and wouldn’t it be nice to one day wake up with even a corner of the comforter?), hiding from a time of day Jim deems inhuman. Or he’s all love-bites and kisses and soft looks and lazy arousal and -

          “Ah-hem-hm.”

- and Marigold cleared her throat for the third time in a row despite not actually having to. She looked at Ross then back to Jim. Then back to Ross, then back to Jim, then back to Ross, then settled her gaze to hover in the narrow space between them and heaved a sigh, “They’re doing it again.”

          “They are,” Dwight agreed, doing a turn of the games table where they’d been sat playing cards when ‘it’ occurred.

          “It’s getting a little ... weird.”

          “It is.”

          “Reminds me of possums.”

          “Oh? How’s that?”

Marigold pressed a finger into Jim’s bicep, deep enough to hurt or (at the very least) elicit a response from a normal person, “They freeze up like possums.”

          “Possums ‘play dead’, if I’m not mistaken.”

          “And what the hell would you consider this!?”

          “Zoning out?”

Deciding to ignore the statement, Marigold waved a hand between Ross and Jim’s faces, nearly smacking them with her efforts. It didn’t work. It never did. But Marigold dutifully went though the procedure she’d developed to gauge exactly how ‘checked out’ her friends were this time. More than once, she’d been compelled to hire a staff of medical scientists to diagnose the problem.

Or, more often as of late, paint their faces in theatrical makeup that could rival Cirque du Soleil and dress them in feather boas and gaudy costume jewelry.

Dwight, in all of his neatly composed curiosity, folded his arms and examined the scene from another angle. “Huh,” he summed up eloquently and took a moment before asking, “And what was it that you asked them this time?”

Marigold threw her hands up in disbelief, “Which nut-butter to buy!” because how was that a topic that triggered this - this - this trance-like-lust-cocoon that Jim and Ross fell into whenever someone so much as suggested something remotely reminiscent of a cute fucking moment they’d shared.

No. No, truthfully Marigold did not want to contemplate the hows and whys of what a spread’s role was in their romance, thank you very much.

          “It is rude or romantic? I’m honest-to-God not even sure anymore.”

          “Rudemantic?” Demelza supplied from where she stood, hovering in the doorway with the grocery list Marigold had been one nut-butter away from finishing. In hindsight, they should’ve gone ahead and bought one of each kind, called it a day. But, no, Marigold like to be inclusive and asked for Ross’ input thus causing the world to tilt sideways and rose petals and hearts and motherfucking stars to flicker into existence around them (or whatever Harlequin Romance crap entails).

Dwight suggested, “We could just go.”

          “We could.”

          “But you have something else in mind now, don’t you?”

          “Oh yes,” Marigold said, “I do.” And with a devilish grin, she hauled Demelza through the kitchen and away, likely to retrieve whatever instruments of torture she deemed fit after being rudely ignored (though Dwight couldn’t rightly say it was their fault) by her housemates.

Dwight sighed and shook his head solemnly, “Well. I supposed I could get on with my boo - ”

          “You’re helping!” Marigold announced from elsewhere in the house.

          “ - or prepare my mind for whatever atrocity I’m about to aid and abet in.”

- (some time later) -

          Ross blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room. He could have sworn it was only mid-morning when they’d last looked up from their card game.

Time really does fly when you’re having fun?

He retraced the events of the day, starting from when he was roused by Jim (in the best way possible) to breakfast on the patio to a shower that he’d shared with two sausage-dogs that didn’t understand the concept of privacy and absolutely had to make sure he was okay washing himself.

Hadn’t Mare been asking about nut-butter, he recalled vaguely.

He glanced around as if to look for her though he knew full-well she wouldn’t have stuck around if he hadn’t provided an answer quick enough. Still, she could’ve been nice and switched the overhead on before she left ...

Finally, Ross let his gaze settle on Jim who, he was startled to find, was glowering at him through stormy blue-grey eyes.

And Ross’ jaw dropped.

He let his mind absorb what he was seeing for a beat before opening his mouth, only to have to close it again with lack of anything to say.

Hell, what does a person say when confronted with ... oh wow ...

Jim’s hair was completely swallowed by a top-hat outfitted with peacock feathers and sludge-green silk fabric; his neck and shoulders were adorned in the most outrageous cloak in fuchsia and gold that Ross’ eyes had ever had the displeasure of looking directly at. And Jim’s face ... biting the inside of his cheek did nothing to stop the snorts of laughter that escaped when Ross really took it in.

His lips had been exaggerated with smears of firetruck-red lipstick that started right below his nose and swept out to his dimples; he had lime green circles, filled in, from eyebrows to cheekbones and his eyes were fringed with extra-long falsies that glittered every color of the rainbow. And his cheeks had been painted solid Barbie-pink giving him the look of an underqualified Drag Queen whose alter-ego was drawn from Keroppi.

There was no other way to put it. Jim had been BeDazzled.

Ross was vibrating in his effort not to laugh outright. Clearly, they had some kind of phantom Mad Hatter Ninja Princess sneaking around the house that needed exorcising.

          “Think this is funny, do you, Poldark?”

To avoid Jim’s piercing glare, Ross shifted ever-so-slightly away. The movement caused him to turn toward the mirror above the mantelpiece across from them and thus to catch a glimpse of his reflection. His horrifying, sparkly, Willy Wonka-purple reflection.

          “What the actual fuck!?”

          “Not so funny now, is it?”

          “What happened!?”

Jim gritted his teeth and his tone turned menacing, “We’ve been Marigold’ed ...” he said and it was clear how he felt about that by the tremble in his shoulders and fire in his eyes. His voice dropped further until it was no more than a growl as Jim promised, “Vendetta.”

It took a few moments to take stock of everything that’d been done to them but it was what couldn’t be seen (but rather felt) that made Ross’ eyes go impossibly big and the color drain from his face. He shifted again, experimentally, noting the subtle chafing when he spread his legs a little wider.

          “Holy shit. I think she made a fairy out of my - ”

          “VEN-DET-TA!!!”

i dislike being ignored. strongly (・`ω´・) 

anyway, this is what i imagine other characters get up to when Character A and B ‘fall into each other’s eyes’ or, in Animes, all of the hearts and roses appear, drowning everything else out.

i’m always reminded of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ explanation in Family Guy (about the cutaway scenes - starting @2:30). only, instead of taking a cigarette break, I let my inner pageant diva out :)

part 4 of the ongoing series

#DarkHawk #Ross Poldark #Jim Hawkins #Marigold Reacts #ficlet #writing #my writing #Demelza Carne #Dwight Enys #AO3 #@darkhawkflying #@my-trex-has-fleas #i have no shame #lovey-dovey dorks #inspired by the phenomenal Acid Betty (love her makeup)

[brokenfuckedupgirl-blog]

First Encounter

I rushed out of the taxi, with my phone clenched to my ear by my shoulder, and my files and books held to my chest as I shut the taxi door with my butt. I side-stepped over the curb and began trotting down the side walk.

               “Just hold on. Yeah I’m outside now, I’ll be…”

Papers and files flew over my head and fell down in a heap on the floor, as my phone went flying from my ear, but my reflexes kicked in and I grabbed it just in time.

               “Whew. I’m so sorry, I should’ve watched where I was going.” I said fast as I dropped down to my knees gathering up my stuff.

               “No, I’m the one who should apologize.” I saw a tattooed hand reach for some of the papers on the left and I looked up to thank him and was met with a pale face smiling softly at me. I stare at him with my mouth agape. “Is there something on my face?” He looked with a wave of worry crossing his face.

               “Uhm… No.” I said quickly and began gathering my stuff again, “On the contrary, it’s what’s not there.” I say before I can stop the words from falling out of my mouth.  I shoot my head up to see if I offended him but was met with a chuckle.

               “Ah, so you noticed, I thought it wasn’t so obvious.” He said sarcastically with a smile.

               “It’s obvious.”

               “Shit.”

               I laughed aloud as I piled everything on top of each other and got back onto my feet.  We gazed at each other but our eyes were torn apart from the ringing of my phone. I fished my phone out of my pocked and slapped it against my ear.

               “What? Yeah for fu…” I trailed off meeting his eyes again. “Just give me three seconds, I’ll be in now.”  I felt a slight pinch of sadness for having to leave. “Sorry.” I whisper to him, “I have to go.” I began walking off.

               “Would you like to get dinner tonight?”  I heard him call, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I slipped my phone from my ear and turned back to him.  He was standing with his hands in his pants pockets, but the hesitation was spread over his face like peanut butter over jelly.

               “I… uhm…” I dropped my gaze to my feet. “Sure.” I say quietly smiling. I raised my head to gaze back at him and he was smiling widely at me.

               “Good. Uhm, thanks.  What time works for you?”

               “I’m working until six thirty, so seven, if that works for you?”

               “Seven is perfect. Shall I pick you up here?” He pointed at the building I was about to walk into.

               “No, I don’t work here, I’m just here for a meeting.”

               “How about you text me the address? I’ll give you my number, then I’ll be the one wondering if you’re going to text me.” He chuckles as I laugh silently handing him my phone. He smiles as he gently types in his number and hands it back slipping it back into my hand.  For a brief moment our fingers touch and a surge of warmth traveled through my hand. At that moment my phone rang again and a flash of anger grabbed at me.  

               “What!” I screech into the phone. “We’re half an hour early, so just shut up, you’re pissing me off.”  I shifted my gaze back to him and locked eyes with him one more time. “I have to go, I’m sorry.” I whisper as I began stepping backwards.

               “It’s okay, see you later.” He smiles as he watches me walk away.

               “I hope so.” I whisper with a smile.

“Wait, what’s your name?”

“It’s Samantha.” I smile. “Bye.” I push open the door and rush into the building, looking over my shoulder one more time to see him standing there with a smile gazing at his feet.

**

               I sigh aloud as I shifted my weight in the chair; the meeting was taking longer than anticipated, about two hours longer.  I laid my head back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling, I shoot my head up remembering my encounter from earlier this morning. I slowly grip my phone and place it in my lap and unlock it. I smile as I read the name and number staring back at me. I tap my finger at the back of my phone wondering if I should text him and what I should say to begin with. I put my phone on silent and went back to his contact and tapped the message icon.

               “Have you tried drawing your eyebrows back on?” I hit send as my heart began beating out of my chest.  A few minutes go by and I see my screen light up announcing a new message, I unlock my face and was staring at a photo of a large M drawn alone his forehead with what I presumed was a sharpie.  A loud laugh escaped my throat and I quickly began coughing, then cleared my throat.

               “Sorry, I got something in my throat.” I whispered at the boardroom of people staring at me, I quickly snatched the bottle of water in front of me and drowned myself with it. As the chatter filled the room again I looked back at my phone.

               “How does this look?”

               “Yeah that works, if you want to work for Mcdonalds.” I hit send and I see the delivered message pop up under my message, and a typing bubble formed in the bottom left hand corner of my screen.

               “Well, I do need to do something in my spare time don’t I?”

               “So if we go to dinner, you going to take me to McDonalds?”

               “Of course, I get discount there, what did you expect?”

               “Well, then how can I say no to employee discount.” I text him my work address and hit send.

               “I thought you would never send it.”

               “Where you worried that I wouldn’t?” I send the message and watch as the usual delivered pops up under my message and I wait. I watch the typing bubble pop up but then it disappears, but then it pops back up, but then disappears again, and so it goes on for about another two minutes.

               “Of course I was worried, what are you talking about?”

               “Well I’m sure you could get any girl if you go outside now, so…”

               “Probably true, but that would just be sex, do you think I would ask any of them to dinner?”

               “So what makes me so special?” A few seconds go past, and then a few minutes.

               “Are you ready to leave?” I was jerked into reality as James was shaking my shoulder.

               “What?” I lock my phone and look up at him.

               “The meeting has been over for about ten minutes.” I look up at an empty room and I jump up to my feet.  “Who have you been texting?” He smiles at me.

               “No one.” I utter out hastily.

 **

               Back in the office was I slumped over my desk with my head on my arms, but was startled with James rushing into my office.

               “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” He plopped a brown paper bag onto my desk and sat down next to it.

               “It never rang.” I stated confused.

               “I called and texted you to find out what you want for lunch, so I just ended up getting pasta.” He said as he dug around inside the bag.

               “Oh shit.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I put it on silent at the meeting and forgot to put it back on when we got to the office, but I got busy and forgot about it.”

               I unlocked my screen and saw the calls and messages from James I cleared them and saw three messages from Brian.

               “I don’t know, there is something about you that just… I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it, I’m not usually like this, there is just something about you that attracts me. I don’t want to just sleep with you, that’s not what it’s about… I’m making a fool of myself now, see what you do to me?”

               “Did I scare you off?”

               “Fuck.”

               I smile at my screen, who would have thought that him of all people could get shy and stutter and fall over his words.

               “I’m sorry I was in a meeting and forgot that I put my phone on silent. I… your message is… I don’t know what to say.” I hesitate before I hit send.

               “I know this must be a weird situation for you, and I completely understand if you want to pull out.”

               I smile at my phone.

               “Okay now you have to dish, who are you texting?” James leans over and gazes down at my phone, “Oh, who’s Brain?” He teases. I gaze up at him with a smirk.

               “No one.”

               “Do you like him?” James shoved a mouthful of pasta into his mouth.

               “It’s complicated. I would like to like him, but I don’t know if he might just use me as a fling, and his job, and there is just a whole bunch of factors that... I don’t know James.” I sigh.

               “You’re being very mysterious about this guy. When are you going to see him again?”

               “He wants to have dinner tonight.”

               “Well, go to dinner. If it doesn’t feel right then it doesn’t feel right. Don’t shut it down before it hasn’t even started.” He laid his hand on my shoulder and I sighed.

               “You better be here by seven to pick me up.”

               “I promise I won’t be a minute late.”

               “He’s picking me up here at seven.” I smile at James.

               “Well then, we should get you something brilliant to wear then shant we?” He laughs.

#confused #flirt #intense #mysterious #me #myself #storytelling #daytoday #unbelievable #wouldn't guess #omg

[gravetells]

Meet the unlikely inked pairing of Quinn & Special from AM Hargrove’s A Special Obsession #excerpt

A Special Obsession is an all-new contemporary new adult romance from A.M. Hargrove!

Rule Number One: Never let anyone get too close…

Weston Wyndham has more money on his tattooed wrist than I’ll ever have in my bank account.

Drunk, he was gorgeous, wicked, sexy, an inked god. Sober, he is the most arrogant man ever.

If he thinks I’m going to let him order me around like one of his servants, he’s wrong. If he wants me to date him after all this, he’s out of his mind. I don’t care how rich he is, or that he drives a Ferrari and a fancy truck. Those walls I put up are there for a reason … and they were built to last.

But he’s relentless, and hot, and it turns out he likes his girls a little fiery. Giving in doesn’t have to mean disaster—unless I break my number one rule.

Special O’Malley is a handful. With a name like that, she ought to be. Sassy as hell, bossing me around, but damn if I don’t deserve it.

I’m used to getting my way, dealing with difficult people, only she’s not buying any of it. Usually my money attracts women. Not Special. She doesn’t give a damn about it … or me.

There’s more than one stubborn player in this game. I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I’m not planning on giving up any time soon … at least not until I’m between her thighs, making her moan. And those concrete walls she has … I have news for her. Concrete crumbles if you strike at the right place.

Find it on online at Amazon US* and Amazon UK (free on KindleUnlimited!) | Goodreads

Read an excerpt

“Good morning.” “Who are you?” he asks. “I’m the owner of the bar you passed out in last night, Mr. Wyndham. You should be more responsible about how much you drink when you go out.” His jaws click together, and he squints. Without saying a word, he flops back down onto the couch and rolls over like he’s going back to sleep. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Sleeping. Now be a nice little girl and hush. I’m tired and my head is pounding like a bass drum.” Seriously? “What do you think this is? The Holiday Inn?” “No. The Holiday Inn would’ve given me a bed.” My mouth sags open. Of all the … “Hey, if it hadn’t been for me and this couch, your ass would’ve been sleeping on the street.” “Whatever. Now, please be quiet.” “I will not. You need to leave. I have things to do.” “Fine.” He slowly stands, and I look up. He’s tall. Much, much taller than I thought last night. Probably because he was all slouched over and could barely walk. As I stare at him, he moves around me and I figure he’s going to the bathroom. Boy am I wrong. The man barely has his eyes opens as he walks down the hall, finds my bedroom, takes off his pants revealing the most perfect naked ass created, and climbs into my bed. Of all the nerve! Now what the hell am I supposed to do? This is ridiculous. I have errands to run, things to do. It’s Sunday—the day I visit my Mimi. She cooks Sunday dinner, and I spend the afternoon with her and—shit. Laundry … I need to wash clothes. All my panties are dirty, and my laundry hamper is in the closet in my bedroom. Fuck it. I’m going in anyway. Stomping into my room—my room—I go to the closet and grab my hamper, making sure I’ve collected all the dirty clothes. Then I drag it out of the room, intentionally making as much noise as possible. “Can you please keep it down? My head is splitting wide the fuck open.” “So sorry you decided to drink a truckload of liquor last night. And no, I can’t keep it down. I have work to do. Go home and sleep it off there if you want quiet.” He groans out a response I can’t understand and don’t bother asking him to repeat. What kind of person does this sort of thing? After I stuff a load of darks in, I run down to the bar to check my restaurant inventory for the food service rep who’ll be stopping by in the morning. But I do a half-ass job of it because I don’t want to leave the asshole up there alone, although I don’t know what he’d steal. A guy with a watch like that and a black American Express wouldn’t want any of the crap I own. When I get back home, the washer is finished, so I move that load into the dryer and start the next. Then I get everything out for breakfast. Before turning on the stove, I pull out my beat-up laptop and check out that watch of his. When I try to price it, I only find pre-owned ones and they go for up to fifty grand. What the hell does this dude do for a living? Rob banks? Who spends fifty grand on a fucking watch when you can get a Timex for fifty bucks? And that wasn’t even a brand new one. Maybe he stole it. Maybe he’s a professional high-end thief. Or one of those art thieves, like in that movie where the guy steals all the original pieces and replaces them with fakes. What if he killed someone and stole it off him? Calm down, Spesh. You’re just acting crazy now. He can’t have a black AMEX if he’s not a bona fide rich dude. After a few deep, calming breaths, I start to feel a bit better. Time to cook some eggs. Everything’s ready to go—butter sizzling in the pan and eggs whipped—when my guest walks into the kitchen. “Oh, good, you’re making breakfast. I’m starving.” He stretches his arms in the air and then rubs his stomach like a little kid. I’m happy to note he’s wearing his pants again. “Excuse me?” “Yeah. Three eggs, toast with butter, no jelly, and I’ll have some sausage. No links, only patties. And grits. With butter and salt. No pepper.” He plops down into a chair at my tiny bistro table for two. “Hey, can you bring me a cup of coffee?” He points to the coffeepot on the counter. “And some ice water. I’m dying of thirst. You wouldn’t by any chance have any Gatorade, would you?” No please, thank you, kiss my ass, nothing. Holding the whisk in my hand, I think about throwing it at him instead of the sink where I’m placing it. I walk back to the stove, pick up the spatula, take a deep breath, and say, “I’m sorry. This is not a restaurant, and I’m not your waitress nor am I your maid. If you want coffee or water, get up off your ass and get it yourself. Oh, and FYI, no Gatorade.” The man looks appalled. “I just thought since—” “I know what you thought.” “What am I supposed to eat?” Slanting my head, I point the spatula at him. “Cook the eggs, sausage patties, toast with butter, and grits your own damn self. Look, mister, there’s something you keep forgetting. You passed out in my bar. We carried you to my apartment. You slept on my couch. But by damn, I will not be following your orders. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I believe it’s time you leave.” He stares and says nothing for a long moment. Then he extends his hand. “I’m Weston, and you are?” Oh brother, here we go. Get ready for the name game. I can’t believe I’m going to do this. Holding out my hand, I say, “I’m Special.” There go the brows, straight on up to the hairline, and then he lets out a raspy chuckle. “Well, I like an honest woman. You sure have a high opinion of yourself.” I should’ve expected this. “Not exactly. Special is my name.” “Is that so? And what precisely is your game?” He winks. I huff out a lung full of exasperation. “No, you don’t get it. That is the legal name I was given at birth.” With brows drawn together, he asks, “Who the hell names their kid Special?” “A seventeen-year-old girl who had no business having a kid in the first place. That’s who.” He clamps his mouth shut, and I can see his tongue poking the inside of his cheek. “Hmm. Okay, Special. Do you have a last name?” “O’Malley.” “Special O’Malley,” he repeats my name, and for some reason, I like the way it sounds rolling off his tongue. That’s a first. High school was a bitch having a name like Special. The girls were nasty and didn’t bother with snide comments behind my back. They did it straight up to my face. The guys, on the other hand, were a little less obvious, but only because they wanted something from me. Dumbass me didn’t figure that out until it was too late. “That’s right.” My hands rest on my hips, a non-verbal challenge for him to make some smart-ass comment. He doesn’t. He tilts his head and stares. I’m not sure what’s going through that wealthy mind of his, but he’s making me damned uncomfortable. I stare back at him. His hair is straightened. More to the point, he’s pulled the top part into a ponytail, so the one side, which is cut super short, can be seen. Unfortunately, I am very attracted to this man. And why does he have to be so damn hot? He is a contradiction to what I’ve always assumed the rich to appear. He doesn’t have that stodgy, starchy look. In fact, he looks to be quite the opposite, almost rebellious, which draws me in. I’ve always identified with that, never conforming or fitting into mainstream. Parts of him scream wealth, but other parts are rough and defiant. It’s the sort of look I’m attracted to. He finally dips his head in a single nod, and the corners of his mouth turn up. Fuck. Me. That should not be allowed. My knees want to buckle from the sheer beauty of it, but I stand strong. “So, Special O’Malley, how about we make a deal? I will pay you if you fix me breakfast. I’m not picky. Just starving and extremely thirsty.” “It won’t be cheap.” He still smiles and says, “I’m pretty sure I can afford it.” “Okay, but just so you know, I don’t have sausage patties. Only bacon.” “I love bacon.” “All right, then,” I say, and turn back to my chore of cooking. Once I get everything going, I tell him he should shower. “You think I need one?” he asks. “You smell like you swam in a barrel of Jack.” He lifts his arm and takes a whiff. “I’ll be back.” “Towels are under the sink,” I holler to his retreating form. Jesus, that guy. I should be heading to Mimi’s any minute instead of cooking him breakfast. How did I get hooked into doing this? Because I’m an idiot, who’s drooling over him, that’s how. The food is almost ready by the time he emerges from his shower. He’s fresh smelling, wearing his black jeans, and holy shit, shirtless. Not only does he have the one tat I spied earlier, but multiple pieces of art etched into his tawny skin. Saliva nearly runs down my chin, but I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand before it has a chance. “I borrowed your toothbrush.” He says it so nonchalantly, like it’s something he does every day. My spatula stops in midair. “You what?” “I needed to brush my teeth, so I figured, yeah. You know—good dental hygiene and all. Besides, you said I smelled bad.” My hand flies up in the air, nearly knocking the pan off the burner. “Are you crazy? That’s my toothbrush!” “Calm down there, Spike. It’s only what, three bucks’ worth of plastic? I’ll leave you much more than that in a tip, if you’re extra nice to me.” He grins at me. If I weren’t so pissed, I would’ve spent more time looking at how perfect his teeth are. Spike? “That’s not the point. You should’ve asked first.” He casts a sour look in my direction. “Right. I’m glad I didn’t. Because it’s not like you would’ve said it was okay. Besides, I needed to brush my teeth.” “So, what am I gonna use?” “Hey, it’s not like I have any contagious diseases or anything. I’m not a walker.” Then he starts acting like a zombie. “Stop it. Are you always this annoying?” He stops and thinks about it for a moment. “No, I’m worse. Or my parents seem to think so.” “Can’t say that I blame them. I can’t believe you used my toothbrush.” “Christ, if you don’t shut up about it already, I’ll really regret it.” “You should. That’s just gross.” “Why? It’s no different than if we kiss.” “But we haven’t kissed and won’t be anytime in the next century.” “You sure about that?” Suddenly, his arm whips around my waist, he spins me, and I’m staring into smoky gray eyes, only inches from mine. Before I can push him off me, his delicious lips find my own, and he kisses me. His tongue pushes through the O of my lips, and he does a lazy exploration of all the secret places inside. He knows his way around a girl’s mouth. This is no sloppy kiss. When he releases me, I’m gasping for air as I smell the beginnings of breakfast burning. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asks. I shove him off me, saying, “It was awful. Absolutely the worst.” I focus on the bacon, eggs, and grits so he doesn’t see the flush that’s heated my neck and cheeks. “Just so you know, that toothbrush you used? It isn’t my regular toothbrush. I keep that one in the medicine cabinet. The one you used I scrub the shower tiles with.”

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About the author

One day on her way home from work as a sales manager, USA Today bestselling author, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast-forward. If she didn’t do something soon, it would be too late to write that novel she had dreamt of her whole life. She slammed on the brakes, made a crazy decision, and quit her job. Then she reinvented herself as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author. She fancies herself all of the following: Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker, Grey Goose Aficionado, and #WalterThePuppy Lover. If you’re around her for more than five minutes, you’ll soon notice she has a tendency to talk you ear off.

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from Meet the unlikely inked pairing of Quinn & Special from AM Hargrove’s A Special Obsession #excerpt

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