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ccornersstone · 6 months

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Contentment (Part 2/3)

Major spoilers for case 34 of the conspiracy and a few other cases! Underneath the cut.

soon After Arresting, Kayla Markham’s killer, Gloria had been needed of assistance to David and she hadn’t expected what she was in for when she’d finally cleared up her schedule to do so.

Gloria cleared her throat as she peered at David’s nervous expression, he scratched the back of his neck. “What is it that you needed?” She questioned.

“It’s Zoe, I need some help.” David immediately began he seems exasperated as he begins to speak. What was he supposed to do? Sure, Zoe had a history of storming off when upset but considering everything now it was concerning… and he wasn’t even sure what caused the outburst she’d had simply over decor.

“We decided for Zoe to move in with me after everything so she’s not alone, so she’ll feel safer. And I like the thought of having her right there and being able to keep an eye on her… so I wanted her to be able to make the place her own too, it’s her home now, too.” He trailed off.

“So, we went to that antique store to pick a few things, particularly decor since she’d said everything was plain so she could add her touch.” David scratched at his neck, his eyes darting around from Gloria to the side.

“She’s been a bit distracted all morning and I didn’t think anything of it, and I suggested another deer head clock and that set her off.” David sighs, pausing before continuing to speak. “ Zoe said I had no taste in home decor and a few other things I didn’t quite hear, but she left in tears and I can’t find her.” Maybe it was more relationship drama, but he didn’t know where else or who to go to about it.

“Surely, she wasn’t that upset over decorating, right? There has to be something else bothering her.” David’s voice lacked any confidence to it as if asking Gloria for some sort of reassurance in what he’d asked.

“Whatever the reason is, all things considered, she shouldn’t be out there on her own.” Gloria stated. “Player and I’ll help, don’t worry, Jones.”

“Thank God…” David’s breath had been caught in his throat and he finally released it seeming relieved and thankful for the help. “Do you think if we retrace her step’s that’ll lead us to her?”

“It’s worth a try.” Gloria agreed with a subtle nod.

Retracing Zoe’s steps had led to her handbag, which in turn led to her tablet which had been sent to Cathy to study to see if it would give them any useful information.

David seemed antsy as he stepped into Cathy’s office to see what she’d come up with. Then again, with Zoe it was understandable his concern. “Cathy, was Zoe’s tablet able to give you any idea where she may of run off to?”

Cathy gave a small nod. “It gave me a lot of things to work with, but I’m not sure you wanna hear it.” She bit down on her lip and David looks at her.

Cathy cleared her throat as she continues to speak. “Zoe was keeping a sort of digital journal as she recovered her thoughts and worked through everything and she recorded a lot… she’s tired of feeling like she’s walking on eggshells around you, of you being so focused on her and so overprotective. It’s overwhelming her, she’s trying to recover and she wants to know what happened just as much as you do but she doesn’t want you think of her as a victim, she wants to prove she’s not a victim.”

Cathy’s tone is sympathetic. “She wants you to let her be as she would’ve been before. She survived and she doesn’t want that to change anything.”

David remained silent for a few moments. “I didn’t know she felt like that, she never said anything.”

“Maybe it’s what she didn’t say.” Gloria states.

“Did Zoe say what she intended to do about that..?” David Questions.

“Well, she doesn't specify in her journal. But I noticed another folder on her tablet... ... And it's dedicated entirely to Marconi, Zoe's compiled pages of notes on him.” Cathy concludes with “the last thing she wrote was that she was ready to confront him.”

Marconi was the last person Zoe said she remembered from when she was missing and David already had his suspicions, though they were lacking but he’d get something solid if it was the last thing he did.

“I suppose that answers where we should find her.” Gloria responds with. “Let’s go pay Marconi a visit.”

And as expected when they found Marconi, they found Zoe.

Zoe stood, her arms crossed and teeth gritted before she spoke. “Will you tell me what they did to me? You have to know something! Tell me what they did to me!”

Tony stared at Zoe, dumbfounded and she shakes his head through his confusion. “Look, Lady, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t even know who you are.” He stated as he attempted to remain calm despite how the tension was rising.

Zoe’s chest constricts as she speaks, throat closing up and hot tears fill her eyes and begin to stream down her cheeks in heaps. A River that doesn’t stop flowing. “You’re lying, you have to be! Just tell me what those doctors did to me! You have to know!” She stifles a sob, her shoulders heaving as she continues on. She must of seemed like a lunatic, but she was this close… she just wanted to know what happened.

What had they done to her? What did he know? Why wouldn’t he tell her? What did they even want from her? Whatever they did, they did something. Everything felt wrong, it didn’t feel like her own anymore. She may still control her body to a degree but whatever was there was different and it didn’t feel like her own.

“Doctors?” Tony questioned, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know, maybe you need a head doctor -“

Tony’s words are interrupted by David even before Gloria can say anything. “What’s going on here?” He snapped.

Tony raised his hands in a defensive position, he turns to David. “Ask the crazy woman, Detective Jones, I don’t know what she’s rambling on about! She just came in here and started -“

“Zoe’s not crazy,” David snaps defensively. “She wouldn’t be here if you, didn’t stir up some bad memories for her. We’ll be leaving, don’t worry.”

David turned to Zoe his facial expression softening he lowers his voice. And he walks towards Zoe wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer. “Zoe, come here,” he breathes out in relief, he rubs her tense shoulders gently. “Take some deep breaths, okay? Let’s go home and you’ll tell me what’s going on, alright?” ~ ~ ~

David urged Zoe to sit down and his brows are furrowed in concern as he massages his temples before he spoke. “Zoe, I’ve been worried sick since you ran off.. tell me what happened? Why did you go to confront Marconi?”

“I’m sorry…” Zoe’s looks down, bouncing her leg nervously as her hands sit on her knees trembling slightly. “I should’ve told you, but I didn’t wanna worry you… you have so much to worry about already, but when I was doing yoga this morning something just came flashing back… while I was missing.”

David nods encouragingly as if coaxing Zoe to continue to speak and she does so.

Zoe looks down, her shoulders trembling as she took a deep breath. Her throat is tight, her eyes begin to water again as she struggles to regulate her breathing. “…It was horrible, David! I remember being strapped down… I couldn’t move anything… it felt heavy.. foggy… and There were people, a lot of people… in… in lab coats.”

“Oh, Zoe,” David’s face crumpled at Zoe’s expression and her voice cracking. “Why didn’t you tell me, Darling?”

“I needed answers, on my own. I didn’t wanna worry you any more than you already have been.” Zoe sniffles, tears streaming down her cheeks and the sob bubbles at the back of her throat. “Marconi was the only person I remember from when I was missing, so, he had to know something! And I wanted to know what!”

David nods. “And was he there, with the people in lab coats?”

Zoe shook her head. “Well, no, and… and he genuinely seemed confused.” She chokes on her own words.

“I promise, we’ll figure out whatever they did to you, Darling. But you have got to stay away from Marconi and not put yourself under anymore stress.” David says, taking one of Zoe’s trembling hands and stroking it with his thumb holding it tightly.

“I shouldn’t of done it, I’m sorry…” Zoe raises a hand to cover her face, tears race down her cheeks. “Are you sure you want me to still move it? I’m causing so much of trouble, I’m a mess… I just… I just wanted to find out.. I wanted to take care of it myself, Take care of myself like I always have…”

“Of Course, I am, Zoe. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” David gives Zoe a gentle smile and he reached out tilting her chin up to look at him with his hand. “I love you, Zoe. Remember that, okay? And just because things have happened that’s not about to change. That wouldn’t be fair to you, now would it?”

David turned to Gloria and the Player. “Zoe and I need some time alone, I’ll catch up with you two in a bit…” Gloria and Player agree and they leave to allow them to be alone.

David wasn’t about to press on about everything but Zoe’s words had been getting to him. She was clearly shaken up by whatever happened still, what could those people have been doing to her? Any number of things… but it was clear whatever they did, they hurt her. She didn’t want that.

“I understand you wanted answers, Zoe. You can’t just … run off like that now… we still aren’t sure what happened and..” David sighs, he sits down extending his arm around Zoe. “And Quite Frankly, I’m worried..”

“It’s just not safe, Sugar.” David says keeping his voice soft. “If You really want to do something, just me know? And I’ll go with you. Just so your okay.” He offered and Zoe sinks into him she buries her face into his shoulders tears dampening the shoulder of his jack, the dark brown turning a darker shade of its original color.

“It’s okay, you’re okay…” David soothed raising a hand to comb through Zoe’s hair. “Nothings gonna happen again, I promise.”

He should’ve taken her more seriously and then maybe she wouldn’t of been in this situation now. He’d pushed her to take everything into her own hands. Unintentionally maybe, but he did.

Zoe swallowed, thickly. She looks up at David. “You’d do that? Even if it was something silly.”

“Even if it’s something silly, who knows? It might help.” David says with a smile. “Wasn’t the yoga idea silly? And it’s helping.”

“You’re right…” Zoe murmured. “I thought it was silly.”

“You’re better at it than me anyways,” David says cracking a small smile, and he squeezes Zoe’s shoulder as she lifts up her head and his hand caressed her cold cheek. He moves to dry the tears from her eyes.

“…Stay, please…” Zoe’s voice is barely audible, she bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t. . . Wanna be alone. . .”

“. . . Darling, I can’t . . .” David trails off and Zoe looks up at David. Her eyes glassy and watering.

“Please…” Zoe’s eyes plead as her voice cracks. And David relents.

“I’ll stay for a bit, Alright?” David offered gently. He wraps his arm around Zoe’s back down to her waist and he rests his hand on her thigh. He rubs circles and other sorts of shapes into Zoe’s chilled skin. He gives a light squeeze and Zoe buried her face into the crook of David’s neck, her lips brush against his neck. ~ ~ ~

As if everything around DreamLife hadn’t been strange enough, maybe a murder of one of their scientists, Ernesto Vega, would’ve done the trick to solidify the trouble this organization has caused and would soon cause.

While, Rummaging around in the dumpster behind DreamLife, at Player’s request, they had recovered a camera in perfectly good condition. It was locked, so they went to examine everything. There were a few shots: the security checkpoint, forest.

“What the hell? That’s a photo of me, and Astrid too, this must be Zoe’s camera! But how could it end up out here? what would she be doing out here by the dome?”

David sighs, scratching his neck. “We should go back to my place to Talk to Zoe. Surely, she has a logical explanation for this.”

And, they do so. Zoe seems a little surprised at that, though her face lights up seeing David. “David? What are you doing back home? Aren’t you supposed to be on duty?” She questioned.

“Well, about that, we were hoping you could clear a few things up. We’re investigating a murder and, Player, found your camera in the dumpster outside of the dome.”

“So that’s where I dropped my camera, I’ve been looking for it.” Zoe said, though her smile falls slightly afterwards noticing David’s expression. “Someone must’ve found it and thrown it away.” She added.

“So you were by the dome, what were you doing out there?” David asks, he watches Zoe carefully.

“Oh, I should’ve said something. . .” Zoe’s voice trailed off. “I’ve been having these strange dreams about that place, the dome . . .”

“Walking through the forest there, but I don’t remember ever being there.” Zoe continued on. “And I decided to go out there and look at the dome myself, to see if I remembered anything.”

David nodded slowly. “And did you?”

Zoe’s brows furrowed and she looks down. “No, nothing at all! I took a few pictures, but felt more foolish than anything else, so I left.”

“I thought I would’ve remembered at least something…” Zoe murmured.

“Zoe,” David begins, his eyes are gentle as he looks at Zoe. “You should’ve told me about this, and you shouldn’t be going anywhere near the dome.”

“I know, I know..” Zoe agreed. “I promise, From now on I’ll stay away from it.” ~ ~ ~

After returning Zoe home due to her fainting spell, David and Player had discovered something rather unusual, concerning even. Dr. Vega, the Victim, had Zoe’s number. Why would he have Zoe’s number? Surely, Zoe should have mentioned something.

They head to ask Zoe about it even if David hated to disturb Zoe now. Once again, Zoe’s face lit up upon seeing David but it quickly fell once more when she realized why he was here.

“Oh, Darling, it’s sweet of you to come check on me, but don’t you have an investigation to be worrying about? I’ll be okay.” Zoe said.

“That’s actually why we’re here, Honey.” David continues. “For some strange reason the victim had your number, can you tell me why he would have it?”

Zoe’s eyes seem to widen at that, she swallowed thickly and her stomach churned. “Uhm, oh. . .” Her voice trailed off. “I gave it.. to him.” She quickly added.

“What? You gave him your number? So you saw the Victim? When?” David’s questions grew by the minute.

“This morning . . . I’m sorry, I should’ve told you.” Zoe bites her lip, looking down. “I put my hiking boots on headed out to the Dome Like i said, I wasn’t allowed in and When I saw the first person come out I was desperate to talk to someone…”

“When he came out,” David started. “What did he say?”

“Nothing,” Zoe hissed through gritted teeth. “He just brushed me aside, as if the very smell of my bug spray was offensive!” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“But, still, I insisted he take my number in case he thought of something, to call me…” Zoe added, she rubs at her eyes. “I should’ve never kept it from you . . . But It only turned out to be another dead end.”

David sighed, he gives Zoe a weak smile in response. “I understand, Darling, But you should've been upfront with us. Hiding things only makes it worse than it already is, you need to trust me.” ~ ~ ~

It finally came time to arrest the color, they had gathered all the evidence they needed and to say the least . . . David was in . . Shock.

Zoe had murdered Dr. Vega.

“Zoe?” David choked out through is own disbelief. “. . . You murdered Dr. Vega? But why?” Zoe wouldn’t hurt a fly! She was the most gentle person he knew . . What had caused her to do such a thing?

“Player, No, I can’t . . . I can’t believe it..” David shook his head and Zoe piped up finally her voice barely above a whisper.

“David, . . Player’s, Right… I can’t lie to you anymore, I should’ve been upfront… But you should've been upfront with us. You must've found my hiking boot, left behind in that tunnel.“

“But... I... don't understand… It can't be you! You weren't the only one wearing those boots!” David’s tone turns to a defensive one and Zoe’s shoulders stiffen.

“Maybe so, … what about my handkerchief? With my initials? It has me all over it…” Zoe chokes on her own words, throat constricting. her eyes brimming with tears.

“It had to of been a coincidence, Zoe.. We found things pointing to you but . . It can’t be you, it couldn’t be.” David continues on.

Zoe’s tears begin to pool out of her eyes, stinging her eyes. “And I know.. you found the rock I used to... kill Dr. Vega…”

“You’re a good cop . . . You know all the evidence points to me.” Zoe stifles a sob, her throat is tight. “I should’ve confessed immediately, David . . . But I was scared! I just want it to be over…”

“But why? Why would you do this?” David’s brows knit together in concern. His ears had to be deceiving him.

“Because I remembered!” Zoe sobbed, her shoulders heaving. “I remembered what happened to me when I went missing! And it’s all Dr. Vega’s fault!” She gritted her teeth together.

“Zoe, what do you mean?” David asks.

“I really did go to the dome to jog my memory. And while I was taking photos, I saw Dr Vega coming out.” Zoe explained through her tears that seemed to be never ending. “And . . . And I recognized him immediately! The moment I saw Vega's face, the memories came flooding back. . .”

“what memories?” David questioned, his stomach churns. “Zoe, I don’t understand.”

“Needles . . . Needles . . I was being jabbed . . Memories of scientific experiments, under the dome! Dr. Vega used me as a test subject!” Zoe’s hands rise to cover her face, despite their incessant trembling.

“A test subject?” David repeated. “You mean . . They’re running . . . human experimentation inside the dome . . ?”

Zoe took a deep breath in an attempt to regulate her uneven breathing. “Yes! I remember being strapped down, given injections... By Dr. Vega!” She swallowed back a sob building up in her chest. “I can’t tell you how awful it was . . . And . . I never spoke with Dr. Vega at the security checkpoint, I lied about giving him my number. He must've had it to keep tabs on me all these months…”

“I’m not some . . . Some lab rat . . I know. . . I’ve felt as if somethings been watching me . . I know I wasn’t crazy . . .” Zoe’s voice cracks as her eyes slam shut.

“But I did follow him to the lake, to confront him about what I'd remembered! . . I wanted to know .. I wanted someone to take accountability . . . I … I wanted to get to the bottom of what I started! I’d of been content with that!” Zoe opens her eyes and she attempts to blink away the tears stinging her eyes. “That Didn’t go well,” Zoe added.

He just laughed, saying nobody would believe a crazy woman who'd lost her memory!” Zoe hissed, she gritted her teeth. “And I had it, That's when I snapped! The rage and frustration of the past year exploded in a single instant . . . I don’t think remember much past grabbing that rock and pounding with it . . . I was mad I . . . I was scared . . I just didn’t stop . . And then I’d realized what I’d done…”

“And I panicked.” Zoe bit the inside of her cheek, sniffling. “I hid everything In the nearby tunnel.. I didn’t plan on killing him, I swear! But I’d had it!” She sobbed, her shoulders heaving.

“Zoe, I . . . This is . . A lot to take in . . I’m so sorry, but. . Player, has to place you under arrest.“ David looks away, he’s unable to look Zoe in the eyes.

Zoe remains silent for a few moments before she goes to say something. “. . . Do you not believe me . .?” She uttered.

“Zoe, of course, I believe you, Darling, I just . . . This is . . . This is a . . A lot. .” David admits. ~ ~ ~

Despite all the time being incredibly tight between the trial beginning and everything David had managed to snag a bit of time to see Zoe between everything. He hadn’t been able to see, nor was Zoe feeling able to look him in the eyes after everything that happened.

Zoe’s head had perked up nervously at the sound of footsteps approaching her and her eyes widened when she took a good look at David. She seemed surprised.

This . . . Wasn’t good. What was she supposed to say to him? After everything she’d put him through? Maybe she really should’ve stayed out of everything . . And listened . . . And she wouldn’t be in this situation. She was content with her life. What had she done?

“. . . David. . .?” Zoe’s voice is faint as the question lingered in the air, her heart thumping rapidly in her chest like a freight train. “What are you doing here?” Why was he here? Why would David wanna see her? She . . . She was a murderer! She had blood on her hands .. she hid it from him, she lied to him. How could she ever make amends for what she did? Atone for her sins.

“I wanted to see you before you go in,” David’s voice is quiet and he took a seat beside Zoe. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t come to say anything . . . I wish I could do more . . .”

Why isn’t he angry? He should be angry! He’d have every right to be. Because she was angry too. She was scared. She was hurt, she was -

“Why are you here?” Zoe repeated swallowing thickly, her hands clasped together they’re trembling but her attempts in keeping her composure are futile.

“To see you.” David repeated once more.

“Why?” Zoe croaks, her breathing turning heavy. A thick, build up of heat begins to slowly gather into the corners of her eyes. “After what I did? I don’t - I don’t get why you’d ever wanna see me again . . . I killed someone, David..”

David looks down at his lap, he takes a deep breath. “You had your reasons, you were provoked . . And Believe me, we both wish it had ended differently.” He added, his voice is soft.

“But . . I killed someone.” Zoe repeated, her voice is thick with tears as she struggles to retain her composure. “How can you even look at me? . . . I can’t look at myself anymore . .”

David’s expression softened, his brows furrow in concern. “I know, and that’s not a good thing, Honey,” he paused, before he continued. “But, that’s not like you, it never has been . . . And . . . I still love you . . No matter what.”

Zoe’s arms wrapped tightly around herself in some false attempt of self-soothing.

“We don’t have much time,” David said, his eyes landing on the clock. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, I’ll . . . I’ll visit everyday. .” He promised with a shaky sigh before he pulls his jacket off.

In a few swift motions David wraps his thick, brown jacket around Zoe’s Shuddering shoulders. “What are y-“

“Hold onto it for me, will you?” David asks with a soft smile. Zoe gave David a weak smile in response and she tightened it around herself, her fingers digging into the fabric.

David gripped Zoe’s shoulders tightly, his fingers traced around her tense shoulders softly. The warmth of the jacket engulfed her, heating up her chilly skin. How did he look at her the same way? How could he think of her the same way, much less, still loved her? She’d done everything that gone against everything his job stood for. Why would he even still wanna be with her anymore? She Couldn’t imagine sharing a bed with a murderer.

“Just hold onto it, I can’t promise you how this is gonna go… and you’re gonna try hard, we all are . . . But all I know is it can’t get any worse, it’ll get better with time . . . You gotta reach rock bottom to be able to get better. .” David takes one of Zoe’s trembling hands and squeezes it in his own.

How does he touch her? Touch her hands? The same ones she used to . . . To murder someone. . They had blood on them. She’d scrubbed her hands raw but they were still stained.

Zoe’s eyes are locked on the floor, she’s unable to force herself to look at David.

“Zoe, please,” David’s eyes pleaded with her. “Look at me, Darling.” He tugs the collar of the jacket up and pulls Zoe closer. He places a hand on Zoe’s cheek, caressing it before his slips it underneath her chin tipping her head up.

“You’ll make it, I love you.” David leans in pressing a kiss to the crown of Zoe’s head.

How could he so blatantly lie? They both knew how this ended. It wasn’t like it was in the movies.

“I love you, too, David, I’m so sorry. . .” Zoe responded, she sniffles. She leaned in wrapping her arms tightly around him as close as physical possible and it lingered. And lingered. And lingered. She was scared to let go, to go in. ~ ~ ~

In Grimsborough’s Court the current Judge that that presided over the court is, Judge Judith Powell, as such she would be the one to handle Zoe Kusama’s Case.

With the courtroom in silence, once more, Judge Powell would begin with the concluding sentence after a few moments. “Zoe Kusama, you’re charged with the Murder of Ernesto Vega. How do you plead?”

Zoe swallows, back the lump in her throat and attempts to quiet her own tears. Without hesitation she would respond. “Guilty, your honor. I killed that monster. I regret taking a man’s life, but I don’t regret that he’s dead.”

Judge Powell paused, before she continued to speak. “You’ve made some serious accusations, Ms. Kusama. You claimed the victim conducted experiments on you, inside of the DreamLife dome.” She stated. “If proven to be true it’s a serious matter, and if you’re not telling the truth . . . That’s a serious matter to be handled.”

“And as such, I’m remanding You, Ms. Kusama, for a psychiatric evaluation due to the circumstances of this case.” Judge Powell concluded.

“It’s the truth, your Honor. I know what happened. . .” Zoe takes a deep breath. “Please Forgive me, Player! . . . I love you, David . . “

“I’m so. . . So . So . .sorry . .” Zoe sobs. ~ ~ ~

The trial had been as smooth as it possibly could have gone, it was Quite somber at the precinct considering everything.

David had seemingly walked in at the wrong time as Chief Parker was speaking to the Player. “ -if what Zoe says is true, Player, we must get to the bottom of everything-“

David stopped dead in his tracks, he gritted his teeth. “‘If what she says is true’, of course, it’s true! Zoe would never lie about something like that!” He shook his head, his eyes narrowed. “ And I for one won't sit around and let it happen! DreamLife will pay for what they did to Zoe!”

Chief Parker sighed, her expression softening. “We all feel the same way, Jones. But we must stay calm and-“

“No!” David snapped. “To hell with calm, I’m outta here.” The door slammed behind him Chief Parker took a minute to gather her thoughts.

This was going to be a long process. ~ ~ ~

Chief Parker and Player had entered the cell where Zoe was being held for the mean time, the room was a crisp white.

Zoe had been desperate to no longer be alone but she didn’t know if she wanted that anymore. It was crisp, white and padded and she could barely hear herself think. She wanted to scream or to cry but no one could hear, she didn’t hear herself and wouldn’t that just prove their point? That she was crazy?

“What are you doing here? Did . . . David send you here? Is he here with you?” Zoe questions, crossing her arms around herself.

“No, it’s just us, Zoe.” Parker confirmed. “How are you feeling?”

“I just . . . I wanted to find out what happened! It would’ve been better if I didn’t . . . My whole world has been turned upside down . .” Zoe’s voice trailed off. “I can’t believe I . . I murdered someone.”

Parker’s expression softened. “We’re not here to judge you, Zoe, can you tell us what you remember?” She asks. “We want to understand.” They needed to understand, they needed evidence to corroborate her story because they had nothing to go off.

“I used to be a social worker before everything, I just wanted to help . . . And I noticed a string of missing persons cases and . . I began to look into them . . One day, I was outside the library one afternoon, when suddenly, a dark vehicle drove up. I was grabbed, shoved inside and sedated with a rag . . It … it smelled like . . chloroform. .”

Parker nodded encouragingly. “Was it DreamLife who kidnapped you?”

Zoe blinked away her tears. “I don’t … know . . I suppose so, because I awoke under the dome, locked up with the very people I'd been searching for. . I guess I had gotten too . . . Close . .” She murmured.

Zoe continued on through her own tears. “We were all used for experiments! Dr. Vega took blood samples, poked us with injections. . .”

“Was . .” Parker hesitated, she needed to word her question carefully. “Was Dr. Vega the only one who ran tests on you?”

Zoe shook her head, stifling a sound from escaping her throat. “I don't remember. Some of it's still a blur. I'd black out for long periods, losing all sense of time. . . Everything was heavy and . . I couldn’t move . . Or . . Or think. .”

Parker moves onto to her next question. “And What happened to the other people? Are they still under the dome?”

Zoe’s eyes widened, her tears beginning to spill over more, she lets out a small sob. Her shoulders wracked as each one increases. “No! They're all... dead! Just like I would've been, had I not run... I . . I thought I was gonna . . I didn’t think I was gonna make it even after . . After I ran . .”

“How did you escape, Zoe?” Parker’s voice remains soft.

“One day, I noticed my restraints were loose. So I pretended to be sadated until Dr. Vega was out of the room... then I made my escape…” Zoe explained. “And I found a door to that drainage tunnel while I was running, then used a steel barrel to break those bars... they were pretty old and rusty.”

**Parker nods. “So you escaped the dome through that tunnel! No wonder you knew it was there!” That explains why Zoe decided to hide the evidence of the murder there in the tunnel, no one but Zoe had known about it.

Zoe sniffled. “Yes, but that's not all. I remembered now that when I escaped, I grabbed a box of papers about the experiments... but lost them in the tunnel. .”

Parker nods, that was quite the lead they needed. “A box of papers? Zoe escaped months ago,Player. But with any luck, it'll still be down there! Let's go!”

~ ~ ~

#david jeremiah jones #zoe kusama

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steveharrington · 2 years

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your neopets posting has inspired me to get back into it but i haven't played in like. 15 years lmao. do you have any tips on getting back into it and ways to rack up NP (easy games with good payout, tips for completing quests, etc.)? i looked at the subreddit but there's just. so much info it's a bit overwhelming :(

YES thank god a reason to talk about neopets <3 i agree the subreddit can be very confusing! i know things like food club and the stock market can rack up a lot of NP fast but tbh i’ve always found them so complicated (esp food club) and unpredictable and i’m not a fan of risking my money SO i’ve mostly been making money with restocking and dailies.

for dailies i highly recommend using jellyneo because they have them all compiled in one place and if you make an account you can have a customized list. the dailies i do are anchor management, apple bobbing, bank interest, coltzan’s shrine, daily puzzle, deserted tomb, forgotten shore (you need a map for this one but you can find them on the trading post or in stores for like $2k total), fruit machine, grave danger (petpet needed), healing springs, meteor, rich slorg, TDMBGPP, tombola, both kings, and trudy’s surprise. trudy’s surprise is very important to do every day without skipping because over time as your streak gets longer, you can start raking in $19k a day guaranteed and $100k by the end of the month!

game-wise the tragic aspect is that flash wiped out like 80% of the games :( fashion fever is still there and you can send score on it 3 times a day for 300 NP each time, which is pretty good considering all you have to do is drag clothes on the little kougra. other than that i really only play hasee bounce because i find it enjoyable and you can get 500 np pretty easily!

restocking is my main way of making money and it’s really not as confusing as some people make it sound. as a beginner, you probably wanna start at neopian fresh foods in neopia central or kayla’s potion shop in meridell castle. these shops stock very lucrative items for relatively low prices in bulk. in fresh foods esp you can get neggs (worth about 16k and stocking in bulk with about 20-30 at a time, so you don’t even have to be lighting fast) or even purple neggs (worth like $110k). in kayla’s the items i have the most luck with are jar of forest earth, mano root elixir, cooling balm of the warrior, and energising elixirs. i realize this probably sounds hard to remember BUT luckily jellyneo has a shop directory, so you can find specific shops and sort their inventory based on price to see what’s lucrative and what isnt. there’s more info on restocking in some guides like this one!

being part of the discord has been absolutely game changing for me because you can 1. see when shops clear and 2. learn from other people which items are lucrative just by watching them. plus it’s just fun to talk to other people about neo <3 if you wanna neofriend me my username is maggiemay726 (childhood UN everyone look away)! i hope this helps!!

#answered #anon #neopets

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orangesideirrational · 3 months

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Chapter 3- Mornings

Masterpost

(fanfic tags in masterpost)

The mornings in the Sharp Tank were almost always hectic. An average morning after a 'Big Night' (their term for a night that meant every member of the sharp gang had to sleep over) would have Alexis and Stirling fighting Astra off from stealing all the pancakes as Benny dragged a very grumpy and tired Champagne out of bed to get food before Astra stole all of it, and a flustered Mara sneaking out of Astra's room as Kate hid a snicker behind her coffee mug. Ana would bully Jake about his atrocious bedhead while Heath would chuckle loudly. Vasila's jaguar was always more active when she was tired, and she was not afraid to hiss at people who got too close to her bacon. Charlie would be a typical chipper morning person after a night of successful charging or a tired grumpy mess after a night of unsuccessful charging while Kayla chugged coffee either way and Tayrun frantically wrote his dreams down. Gooby would eat his gopher-kibble (which is a thing that apparently existed) and Harold would run in, usually last because he wasn't going to disgrace Ms. Ludam by showing himself to the enemy unpresentable, grab some toast and cause chaos while the night-owls groaned at his cheerfulness.

This morning was largely similar, except far quieter and Harold did not run in last. Harold did not appear.

This did not help Benny, who's foot had been violently tapping against the floor before he eventually just grabbed a piece of toast from the pile and escaped to his on-site workshop, which had the almost-finished scraps of two full mechanical arms on the workbench. Benny scarfed his toast down before starting (only because champagne had made him promise before he left) and finished Harold's temporary right arm.

It was nearing midday when he found himself outside Harold's door, holding his new prosthetic arms in one arm and knocking with the other.

It was a few minutes before Benny realised that Harold couldn't open the door and swiftly opened the door, revealing a tried Harold standing in the middle of the room in the same clothes he was in yesterday (not like he changed clothes much in the first place) with a tired expression on his face.

"Arm delivery!" Benny chirped awkwardly. Harold blinked at him. "What?" Benny faltered. "Your mech arms. They're probably not gonna fit quite right yet and they're only temporary while I get the proper ones sorted. They would've been done last night but Champ convinced me to sleep instead which, yeah, fair." Benny rambled, beckoning Harold closer, smiling. Harold stepped closer, but still looked confused.

"You.. made me arms?" He asked, sitting with Benny on the floor so he could attach the prosthetic arms onto him. "Of course i did!" Benny chirped, rolling Harold's sleeve up.

"Why?"

"Because you kinda need arms-"

"No, why are you letting me stay?"

Benny stopped, looking at Harold. "Did you think we wouldn't?"

Harold purposefully looked away "I don't work for Ms. Ludam anymore. That's why your rats kidnapped me." Harold stated.

Benny nodded, continuing to attach Harold's arm. "Yeah, but just because she fired you doesn't mean we were gonna just kick you out."

Harold blinked in surprise. "Oh." they didn't say anything else until Harold's new arms were fully attached.

Benny sat back on the balls of his feet and smiled at Harold. "How are they?" He asked. Harold flexed his arms out and smiled warily. "Weird. I haven't had joints in a while." He explained, and Benny nodded. "I can try to make the final arms like your old ones if you want." Benny offered, and Harold shook his head "Nah it's alright. Thanks Sharp" Harold grinned as they both stood up.

Benny was about to reply when they heard a sigh from the doorway and looked over to see Alexis standing there with a slight smile on her face. "Glad to see you've finished Benny. I'm pretty sure Harold hasn't had breakfast though, right?" She offered. Harold looked down at his crumpled old uniform and was about to deny until Benny interrupted with a grin "Eh, don't worry about looking good, you should see the kids bed hair. and Silli's pretty much always a cat in the mornings."

All of Ms. Ludam's rules were pushing him to say no. He should say no. He should learn how to make himself presentable with these new arms then steal one of their watches and go to beg for Ms Ludam's pity.

"Well if you insist then I suppose I must."

#popcross #popcrossstudios #popcross studios #fanfics #ao3 #arms are hard man #comedic timing

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littleharpethcrossfit · 8 months

Text

Saturday, 2 September, 2023.

Another perfectly beautiful morning at the Barn.

Warmup

Armando led us in a mobility/flexibility warmup for the 2nd class.

Warmup

Tabata's

4 Rounds

Good Mornings

Leg Swings

Planks

Hollow Holds

Strength

Deadlifts: 2 Reps EMOM X 12

Warmup Before Starting; Do All At 70 to 80%.

Bernie/Nathan/Chase=305 Armando=275 Robert/Tim=260 Caleb=255 Zac/Dyer/Smoothie=245 Paul=235 Coach/Rodney=215 Warren A =205 Anna=185 Kayla=155 LSU/Old Joe/Cheri=145 Linda/Shannon/Elisa=125 Faith (KID)=65 ED/Alicia/Lew/Average Dave=PJ

WOD

8 Rounds

Run 200 / Row-Ski 250 / Bike 500m

10 Pullups

15 Pushups

20 Situps

25 Air Squats

This adds up to 560 reps and 2000m Rowing. No one will ridicule you if you Partner or do Half, except if you are Robert.

ALL OF IT:

Caleb=26:24 Robert=27:21 Anna=27:31 Average Dave=27:37 Tim=31:02 Chase=31:26 Armando=33:21 Rodney=34:49 Warren A=35:37 Ed=36:03 Shannon=40:58 Smoothie=42:54 Paul=48:50

Partnered And Shared:

Cheri=17:49 Faith (KID)=23:21 Elisa=23:29 Old Joe/LSU=25:08 Zac/Dyer=25:17 Linda/Coach=25:45 Alicia/Kayla=26:14 Nathan/Bernie=27:40 Big Lew=PJ

Notes:

Great turn-out. I hope that doesn't mean you are DONE for the long weekend !!

Anna brought a delicious crunchy chewy gooey loaf of something...I know I'll name it wrong...Maybe a Breakfast Dessert Loaf (?) I know she expected some iced coffee to go with it, but alas, all the ingredients didn't come together. Fortunately the Dessert was moist enough that it didn't need coffee to wash it down.

For the first time, we now have 3 of the exact same type of time clocks at the Barn. Robert bought them all (didn't Shane help?) but not without bitter complaints because he expected the BSN discount from his rival Rogue, plus nobody thanked him, and nobody gives him the love he expects. This is a HUG HINT....

Since 12 traps with 4 different types of baits were installed in the Barn, the Terminal Rodents have absorbed the message that they are not welcomed here and have left no recent signs of their occupation. I am not pleased that they learned this without any of their tribe being murdered.

I don't know if any of my blog-ster's recall the story of the Perry's Wait-Person who repeatedly called me "Grouchy", but as a follow-up of sorts, a Wait-Person at Stoney River CARDED me last night. Now she got to meet the REAL GROUCHY !!! It's a convoluted story, but I didn't take my wallet with me because my credit card was compromised by a nice neighbor lady who wanted my card number before agreeing to meet me at a place that turned out to be Brentwood City Hall and Police Station. Fortunately, my buddy Big Lew sprung for the Buck's dinner and Jeni's ice cream after. And yes, I got my Martini and the Wait-Person wasn't happy about it at all.

Labor Day Monday we will workout at 9 AM. Several nice neighbor ladies (Hopefully not the same one's) have volunteered to bring many tasty foods, champaign and orange juice, etc, so as to create a brunch that will occur after the workout. Well-behaved dogs and children will be tolerated. Spread the word.

Sunday at 0730 and at 1 PM.

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imagine-loki · 2 years

Text

I'm Here, Chapter 3

TITLE: I’m Here CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 3 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine that Loki is curious about Tony’s new assistant. There’s something about her that he feels she’s hiding. He then realises that she is being abused by her husband. But he’s the only one that sees it. She soon confides in him and finds comfort with him. RATING: M

Loki was antsy when Kayla didn’t come into work. He tried not to let it show, but Thor noticed.

‘I know you’ve become rather friendly with her. I’m sure she is fine, just a typical mortal bug. Natasha said she was sick and would be back in tomorrow hopefully.’ Thor assured Loki.

But Loki wasn’t entirely convinced.

Kayla did return on Thursday, everyone was pleased to see her again. Especially Loki. And while she looked happy to be back, there was something more underneath. She was hurting. Loki could tell.

He waited for the right moment and got her alone just after lunch time. She was making tea and coffee for the others.

‘Hey, Loki. Do you want your usual?’ She asked, though her voice didn’t sound entirely normal. Loki couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that no one else seemed to have noticed.

‘No, thank you… Are you ok, Kayla?’ He stood beside her.

‘Yeah, course. Still a little rough after the bug I had. But all good.’

Lies.

‘Sickness bug?’ Loki queried.

‘Mmmhmm.’ She nodded, focusing on the task on front of her.

Loki then noticed when she reached up for the sugar, the sleeve of her jumper slid down her forearm a tiny bit, revealing a bad bruise around her wrist. She quickly grabbed the sugar and tugged her sleeve down again.

Loki also noticed that she was wearing a high neck jumper, even though it wasn’t overly cold today.

‘Darling, what happened to your wrist?’ He had to ask.

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. ‘Wh… what do you mean?’

‘There’s bruising around your wrist, Kayla. What happened?’ He frowned and attempted to reach for her arm, but she jumped backwards away from him.

‘Nothing. It’s fine. I probably just banged it. I get nightmares sometimes and often hit my hand against the nightstand.’

Lies. But a well-constructed lie that she said without faltering. He had a feeling she’d used that one before.

He looked really concerned for her. But he didn’t press on the matter when she tried to continue with making the tea and coffee. Though she was shaking slightly and just really off.

Kayla noticed that he was hovering next to her, watching her every single move. ‘I’m fine, Loki. Really. You don’t need to watch over me.’

Lies.

‘I’m just worried, Kayla. You’re the only one in this place that I actually like. I hope you know you can speak to me, about anything. I can help.’ He said softly and placed his hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little at first. But when he gave her a gentle squeeze and moved his thumb a bit, it brought tears to her eyes but she quickly blinked them away.

‘Thanks, Loki. I’m all good.’ She gave him a fake smile and quickly put the teas and coffees onto a tray to head away from him.

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

He treaded carefully for the next week or two, just spending time with her again and having some laughs.

As usual when it was a movie night for the team, they offered Kayla to join. As they always did, even though she always said no.

But tonight, she said yes. Surprising the team but making them happy. No one was more surprised than Loki though when he heard her agreeing to Tony in the lab.

‘Ross is away with friends for the night, so.’ She shrugged and smiled, a genuine smile that Loki loved to see.

She got settled on the sofa next to Nastasha and Thor. Steve and Clint were sorting out popcorn and other snacks for everyone. Then Kayla noticed Wanda looking over the back of her with a shocked look.

But it became clear why, when Loki came into view and stood on front of Thor.

‘Brother! You’re joining us for a change?’ Thor beamed happily.

‘Move, brother.’ Loki drawled.

Thor frowned. ‘No. I’m sitting here.’

‘I want to sit there. So move.’ Loki snarled.

Thor huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn’t want to argue with Loki. Since he was pleased he had decided to join them. So he got up and went to sit elsewhere.

Loki sat down next to Kayla just as Steve and Clint began handing out bowls of popcorn and crisps for everyone.

‘I thought this wasn’t your idea of fun, sitting in the dark with a bunch of mortals?’ Kayla teased and smirked at Loki.

Loki shrugged. ‘Well, perhaps the company tonight is a bit better than normal.’

‘I’ll take a bit better as a compliment.’ Kayla grinned.

Kayla really enjoyed her evening with the team. They watched a movie which was good, then they all had a few drinks and talked well into the night. Loki kept quiet mostly, just observing. Mainly observing Kayla. He enjoyed seeing her smiling and laughing.

She noticed him watching her a few times. ‘Do I have something on my face?’ She asked him.

‘No… no.’ Loki looked sheepish at being caught staring a bit too much, but he couldn’t help from blurting out... ‘I just enjoy your laugh and seeing you smile. When you smile genuinely, it reaches your eyes and they twinkle so brightly.’ He said quietly, so just she would hear amongst the conversation of the others.

She blushed and was a bit stunned at his words. No one had ever said something so beautiful about her before. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Before she could respond to him, Steve asked her a question, dragging her away from looking at Loki. Though she could feel him watching her from the side.

When it was the end of the night, it was almost two in the morning. Kayla was just glad that Ross was away for the night, so at least she didn’t need to worry upon returning home.

‘Thanks for a good night, guys. It was really great.’

‘It was good you could join us tonight.’ Wanda smiled.

‘Yeah, you’re part of the family now. Welcome here always.’ Steve said kindly.

‘Thank you.’ Kayla smiled brightly.

‘I’ll get you a car home.’ Tony offered.

‘No, it’s ok. I’ll walk, it’s only ten minutes and it’s a nice night.’ Kayla said as she grabbed her handbag.

‘You can’t walk home alone.’ Loki said, frowning. ‘It’s dark.’

‘I’ll be ok, I walk here and home every day, even in the dark evenings.’

‘Loki’s right, not at this time of night.’ Clint said. ‘I can’

‘I’ll escort you home.’ Loki interjected quickly and walked over near Kayla, putting his arm out for her to go out the room first. Not giving anyone else a chance to take her home.

‘Do we trust Loki to walk her home?’ Bruce asked quietly when they left the room.

‘He won’t hurt her. He likes her, they are good friends.’ Thor said defensively.

‘He seems to be getting too cosy towards her. Which is a worry.’ Tony said with a frown.

‘Isn’t it good that Loki is making friends?’ Vision asked.

‘Yeah… but she’s married. He seems too into making friends with her.’ Steve said.

‘Ah.’ Vision nodded, understanding.

‘I never realised you walk home in the evenings, I thought Stark had one of his cars waiting out front to take you home.’ Loki said as they stepped out into the night.

‘I enjoy the fresh air and the exercise. It’s no big deal.’

‘Does your husband not worry about you walking home alone?’ Loki queried.

She paused for a moment before answering. ‘Uhm, no not really.’

Truth.

‘He doesn’t need to worry, it’s safe enough walking home from here.’

Lies.

Whilst the city was reasonably safe, it was just like any other city where there could be dangers lurking. She often did feel on edge walking home, but she didn’t want to be a bother to the team and have them sort a car for her every night. And it did mean it got her out of the house for longer if she walked.

Though she did often wish that Ross did worry and would at least have her call him when she was walking home. She did that the first night, called him to speak on her walk home. But he was annoyed with her wanting to stay on the phone the whole time and just hung up on her.

Of course, she wouldn’t tell anyone that.

But since that movie night, Loki insisted on walking her home every evening after she finished. And whilst she was relieved to be escorted home, she had him leave her at the end of her street when Ross was home. As she claimed that he wouldn’t be too pleased that another man was walking her home.

Loki obliged to her wishes. Though it didn’t make him feel any better about the man.

Kayla knew deep down that Loki knew something wasn’t right. And the fact he never questioned about her asking him to do that, made it pretty obvious.

Loki was desperate to know why she would stay with someone who was clearly making her unhappy. But he didn’t want to upset her, so kept quiet for now.

#Loki #Angst #Submitted fic #I'm here #chapter 3 #Fanficshiddles

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moon-light-jukebox · 3 years

Text

see? - [Reid x Reader] - Chapter 3

masterlist

previous chapter // series index // next chapter

Summary: Months after Reader left, Reid has tried to put his life back together. He’s never stopped trying to find Reader, but he may find her in the worst way possible.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k for Chapter 3

Content Warning: Normal Criminal Minds stuff. Mentions of drug addiction. This series has a villain, and he harms women. There is no s*xual assault, but there is brief talk of torture, and then the death of the victims. Spoiler: Our unsub targets pregnant women, one of the infants does not survive. Reader and her baby are fine. I don't go into detail, but if you need to skip this, I understand.

A/n: How can I ever thank you all enough for being so patient with me? That being said, this chapter does end on a cliffhanger that you probably saw coming if you read “River” by @yours-truly-r. She shared this plot with me, so this is my version. I’ll try my best not to make you wait too long for chapter 4. Chapter 3 & 4 are in Spencer’s point of view, but the remainder of the series will be in Reader’s POV.

-- Linear Progression --

(Spencer’s POV)

The night we came back from my first case with the BAU, Morgan declared that he was going to a bar near his apartment to "get lucky." When I pointed out the fact that it was almost 2 am, he had told me, "time is an illusion, Pretty Boy."

That was the first time he called me pretty boy, along with the first time I tried to explain a theoretical concept he had no interest in hearing.

He was right to a degree. The way we understand time is an illusion. Time doesn’t happen in the linear way that we as a society perceive it to. The physics of time are still widely debated, but the running hypothesis is that everything that has ever happened is still happening right now. Every single moment in time is happening all at once, and it always will be.

Morgan didn’t “get lucky” that night, but he did give me a ride back to my apartment. I think that was the beginning of our friendship; I had never been able to understand the social constructs of relationships and friendships, but I think he felt some sort of responsibility for the skinny kid with glasses who was babbling about the physics of time at 3 am.

My friendship with Derek Morgan was one of the most important of my life.

Which is why I wasn't going to murder him for banging on my door at 7 am.

“Open up, Pretty Boy!”

Grumbling, I got out of bed and padded down the hallway towards my living room where Morgan was pounding on the door so hard, I was concerned it was going to fly off its hinges.

“If you break my door, you’re gonna fix it,” I muttered out when I finally pulled the door open.

The man who was the closest thing to a brother I had just smiled at me. “I restore houses, kid. It’d be an improvement.”

Smirking, I waved him into my apartment. In the months since…Since February, Morgan had made it a habit of coming by several times a week whenever we were in town. I don’t know if the rest of the team knew he did it, I don’t know if they were as worried about me as he was, but it wouldn’t have surprised me.

“Coffee?” I asked, making my way into the kitchen.

"We'll grab some on the way," he said, flopping down on my couch. "We have a case; I told Hotch I'd swing by and get you. It's wheels up as soon as we get there and finish the briefing."

I frowned. “I didn’t get any message.”

“I know. I asked Garcia to let me wake you.” He turned his head around to look at me. “You haven’t been sleeping, kid.”

He wasn’t wrong. “It’s…I’m trying, Derek.”

I didn’t need to say it, because he knew it. Much like time, recovery isn’t a linear process. You start, you stumble, you go back, sometimes you go up then down. It’s an imperfect journey because there isn’t a finish line; addiction can’t be beaten, only beaten back.

Derek Morgan had been beside me through every step of my recovery.

Lumbering off the couch, he walked over to stand before me. “Reid, you’re doing the best you can. Everyone stumbles.”

I shook my head. “It’s different. I can…I can still see it. I can still see it all, Morgan.”

I could still see the look on Ben’s face when he found the vials of Dilaudid I had hidden all around my apartment. I could still remember the look on Hotch’s face when he told me she was gone. I could still see the anger on Garcia’s face when she refused to help me find her.

Most of all, I remember how y/n looked when I told her I would kill her, give up her precious life, for one more moment with Maeve. Every morning, right before I wake up, that memory flashes behind my eyes.

I’ve called in every favor I’m owed, reached out to every connection; no one could find her. She vanished.

I quickly realized the only way she could vanish like that is if she had help from inside the bureau, and if I had to guess, I’m sure I know who helped her. If she went to all these lengths, she didn’t want to be found, least of all by me.

"We'll find her, Spencer," Morgan said gently, pulling me from my thoughts.

He said the words to comfort me, but even he knew they weren’t true. No one would find y/n y/l/n until she wanted to be found.

Nodding my head, I made my way back towards my bedroom to get ready for the case.

Making amends is very big in the recovery process. I wanted to make amends to y/n, and while I wanted that to be in the traditional sense, I settled for a symbolic one.

I tried to make myself into the man she thought I was before that night. Every time I felt the itch crawl up my spine, I thought of her face. It didn't make the craving go away; it just made it easier to bear.

I didn’t deserve to have her back in my life, but I wanted to be someone who did.

After I had finished getting ready, I made my way over to my bedside table to pick up the coin I carried with me everywhere, running my fingers over the edges before placing it in my pocket.

Two hundred and forty-seven days sober, and each one of them was for her.

We never made it to the bullpen that morning. Hotch called and informed us that it was wheels up "immediately," and that we would debrief on the plane. Morgan and I were the last members of the team to arrive. He took a seat on the couch beside Callahan while I opted to sit at the table across from Hotch and JJ.

“Garcia is going to be out for the remainder of the week. She has the flu,” our unit chief informed us, his eyes fixed on the tablet in front of him.

Morgan toyed with his phone, no doubt trying to text his ‘baby girl’ before take-off. “Who is going to be running things from here since she’s out? Kevin?”

Hotch nodded, but I couldn’t help but notice he seemed distracted. “He’s the most familiar with Garcia’s systems.”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days,” Rossi muttered just a bit too loudly, earning a mock glare from Hotch, a confused look from Kate, an eye roll from Morgan and JJ, and a soft huff of laughter from me.

“Let’s get started,” Hotch ordered, drawing all of our focus back to the present. “The Oregon State Police have requested our help.”

I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at the tablet in front of me, further proof Garcia wasn’t on this case. Despite how mad she was at me over Y/n, she still always accommodated my wishes for paper files.

The state police?” Morgan asked. “Not the locals?”

"No," Hotch answered, right as I brought up an image on my screen. "He's not sticking to one county."

I heard a strangled gasp from JJ, but I didn't need to look up to know why. “How many?” I asked.

“When the original request was made two women had been abducted. Both of them were pregnant, days from giving birth, and both from the same town of Silverton, Oregon. The first victim was Iris Jenkins. She was a 31-year-old woman, and she was 40 weeks and 2 days gestation when she was taken by the unsub. The M.E. estimates he held her for less than 24 hours before she died.”

“The baby?” JJ asked, her voice thick with emotion.

“He was left outside of a local hospital in Silverton. He was completely unharmed. The next intended victim is Nancy Williamson. She was abducted outside her workplace. Also 40 weeks pregnant with a boy.”

“Could that be a coincidence?”

Hotch still didn’t look up from his tablet. “It could have been before the latest victim.”

“But Nicole Williamson escaped?” Morgan asked. “That’s lucky. Did she give a description of the guy?”

“No, she said he kept her blindfolded and bound to a chair.”

That caused me to pause. "That doesn't make sense. Why would the unsub blindfold them if he plans on killing them anyway?"

Rossi spoke for the first time. “Psychological torture? Sensory deprivation?”

I thought about that as I swiped through the crime scene photos; pausing when I saw a photograph of a letter on the screen. "He makes them write letters?”

“Just the first victim and the third. The one that got away was only held for 12 hours.”

I frowned. “Is this blood? Or just red ink?”

“The first is red ink, the second letter is still being processed.”

It was obvious based on the letter spacing and how many loops were in the letters that a woman wrote this letter. Based on the contents of the letter, I could also assume she was under duress.

Hotch spoke again, pulling my focus. “Morgan, I'd like for you and JJ to drive up to Silverton. Visit Miss Williamson and ask if she's up for a cognitive interview, then visit the M.E., ask him if he remembers anything about the first victim.”

“Where was the…” JJ’s question trailed off when he got to the same image Kate’s hand had been frozen over for the last 47 seconds, the same photo that was described in the incident report that Hotch had on his screen.

My unit chief, my friend, cleared his throat before he spoke. “Kayla Whitmore was found an hour ago in Eugene, Oregon. The autopsies are already underway, and the scene is being processed.”

“The cause of death seems pretty apparent,” Morgan said with a look of disgust on his face.

"The time between this most recent kill and the last abduction is much shorter. We need to move fast," Hotch said, his voice grave. "Kate, I'd like for you to come with me to the FBI satellite office in Bend, that's where we're landing. Kayla Whitmore's credit card was used to buy gas right outside the town limits. Rossi, I'd like for you and Reid to ride out to Eugene. It should be undisturbed."

"I already don't understand this guy," Rossi muttered. "The first baby survives, the third doesn't. The second victim is blindfolded, but it doesn't appear the others were. He makes them write their own letters. Then he uses the third victim's credit card. This behavior…it's erratic."

“Is the message on the wall the same in both crime scenes?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.”

The media hadn’t named our unsub yet, but I was sure it wouldn’t be long, especially once word of Kayla Whitmore reached the public. This type of violence always draws attention.

Rossi was moving around the room, silent, but his eyes moving rapidly over everything. “He’s a cocky son of a bitch, I’ll give him that.”

I nodded. “Do we have the original note?” One of the deputies brought over an evidence bag, inside of it was the wrinkled piece of paper. “Have we analyzed this yet?”

The man nodded. “It’s red ink, just like the last.”

"It makes sense; blood might start to coagulate and make it more difficult to work with. Rossi, come here." I called, offering him the note.

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked,” he read. “It sounds biblical.”

“It is. It’s Psalm 82, verses 3 through 4.”

“Was the first note biblical?”

“The first victim was made to write, ‘Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.’ That’s from Ephesians. There are similar themes in both letters.”

“So, he’s perverting the bible to fit his own fucked up narrative? How original.” The older man handed the paper back to me. “We have to find out how he’s choosing them.”

My gaze moved over to the right wall of the room. "Did the unsub leave any prints when he wrote on the wall?"

It wasn't the first message I'd seen written in blood, but I don't think it's something you ever get used to. “’Do you see this, son of man?’ could be another biblical reference. It’s Ezekiel chapter 8, verse 17. “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.’”

“So, are the children abominations? Or the mothers?” The deputy said quietly.

“The mothers,” I answered. “He doesn’t harm the children. I think it must go against his…moral code.”

The deputy scoffed behind me, and I was inclined to agree; the idea that someone could do something like this and have a moral code was almost impossible to imagine.

But devils hide in plain sight all the time.

“His rage is escalating,” I pointed out.

I heard the deputy ask Rossi what that meant.

“This guy is a bum,” the man who developed the art of profiling explained. "He can't get a girlfriend, and he has this idea in his mind that it’s the women’s fault. He thinks women owe him sex, love, whatever he wants.”

I walked away from the wall, turning to face the two men. “He thinks they’re dirty, unclean. It’s why he makes them write the note. By making them say they deserved what he did to them, he’s humiliating them even after death.”

The deputy’s face was pale as he survived the scene around him. “Why does he make them leave the messages in their own blood?”

“Only one message is from them,” I replied, gesturing to the evidence bag. “The message in the blood is from the unsub.”

Before we exited the room, I turned back to that message again, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Both victims had been discovered in the exact same way. The women were naked, stabbed multiple times, but with no signs of sexual assault. They were positioned in the middle of the blood-soaked mattress, their arms spread wide.

He had left the same message on the walls of the room, written in the blood of the woman he killed.

“Do you see this, son of man? Do you see?”

“The media is calling him The Prophet.”

Rossi scoffed. “I bet it was that wet behind the ears deputy who leaked the note and told him the kid’s biblical theories.”

Rossi and I had arrived at the FBI office in Bend, Oregon about an hour ago. Kate and Hotch had already set up; JJ and Morgan were on their way back from Silverton now.

“So, what do we know about this jag-off?” Rossi questioned, staring at the evidence board.

Hotch came to stand at the head of the conference table, his eyes sharp, his voice clipped. "Reid, Dave, what did the M.E. say about the Eugene autopsies?”

"He said he suspected it was a botched c-section. Kayla was just over 40 weeks pregnant, but he said it's not uncommon for first-time mothers to go up to 42 weeks.”

“I know that’s right,” I heard JJ mutter from the speaker placed in the center of the table.

“Indicates a lack of medical knowledge,” Morgan offered. “Because we know this guy isn’t squeamish.”

I agreed with my friend but didn't comment on it; my mind already on another topic. "What's interesting is that Kayla had an anterior placenta, meaning it attached to the front of her uterus. Usually, the placenta attaches to the posterior wall, meaning it's more towards her back. Because of the unusual placement of the placenta, I think that the death of this fetus was accidental."

“It wasn’t a fetus, Reid,” Kate snapped. “It was a baby.”

I cleared my throat, meeting her angry gaze. I knew Callahan was the guardian of a young girl, and based on my years working with fellow agents who were also parents, I knew it was best not to argue about definitions and semantics. "I'm sorry, Kate," I murmured.

Her gaze softened. "It's fine. Sorry. This case is just…this is a lot." She looked down to swipe across her tablet screen. "This child was a boy too?"

I nodded. “All three of the victims were pregnant with boys.”

“So, he wants boys?”

Rossi turned to Kate. “He wants mothers of boys. Probably his way of killing his mother over and over again.”

“But how does he know the babies are boys?” JJ asked.

“So, what do they have in common?” Hotch asked. “Let’s add Nicole Williamson into the mix too, what do we have?”

“There were quotes from the bible in the two complete notes. Those specific verses are often referenced when they speak about protecting children,” I said, my eyes moving over the files. “The women were all in their 20’s. They were all at least 39 weeks pregnant, and...huh, there’s not a father named in any of the medical charts.”

“But how does he know that!” JJ huffed again in frustration.

“And are we sure this unsub is a guy?” Callahan questioned. “There was no sign of sexual assault.”

“If we follow statistics, women take babies, and men take children. With that in mind, it would be safe to assume this was a woman, but the amount of rage we’re seeing makes me think it’s a man.” I turned my back to the team, my eyes moving over the crime scene photos. "The letter was written under duress, but the language is very misogynic. Based on the information Kevin gathered about Kayla's online life, she had a normal amount of self-esteem. It's out of character that she'd talk about herself this way. By all accounts, she was excited for the baby. It's also incredibly difficult to stab someone 54 times. All the women would have fought him until the end. He'd have to be stronger to subdue her. It's a biological instinct, mothers' will stop at nothing to protect their children."

Hotch had pulled out his phone before I finished speaking, dialing Kevin Lynch to give him the criteria of the person we were searching for. "We need women in the Bend, Oregon area that are close to giving birth. There will not be fathers listed on the medical charts. She'll be at least 39 weeks into her pregnancy."

“Alright, so that would leave us with…” Kevin wasn’t able to finish his sentence before an alarm started blaring over the speaker, almost drowning out Kevin’s yelp of surprise.

“What is it?” Hotch asked. “Did something happen?”

"I…I don't know, sir," Kevin answered after he had finally gotten the alarm to quiet. "I was running the search, and…it triggered some sort of system-wide alarm. It completely locked me out of Penny’s system.”

Morgan clicked his tongue. “That doesn’t make any sense. Penelope wouldn’t set some alarm without a reason.”

“Wait. Kevin, was there any sort of message that came up when you triggered the alarm?” Hotch asked, his tone urgent.

There was a weird tension on Hotch’s face while he waited for Kevin to reply. “Yeah, uh, just a dialogue box that says ‘Nightingale.’”

“Nightingale?” Kate asked. “Isn’t that the…”

Hotch didn't reply; he hung up abruptly while Kevin was still speaking. I felt a chill run down my spine when I noticed his hands trembled slightly.

“What is it, Hotch?” Rossi asked urgently.

But he never got a chance to answer; a deputy stormed into the room. "We just got a report of an abandoned car outside of a grocery store about half a mile from here. It's registered to a young woman, and there was an empty infant car seat strapped in the back."

Hotch took the paper from him but didn't look at it. His eyes were screwed shut, and his shoulders were tense.

I heard when the voice spoke on the other end of the line. I heard the deep breath Hotch let out before he spoke.

“Penelope, I need to know where y/n is.”

----------

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gifted-burnout-archive · 4 years

Text

The Games We Play

1. Good News, Ruined.

Word Count: 7.8K+

Author’s Note: I had a flood of inbox requests surrounding Luke Patterson x Reader, enemies to lovers/fake dating/all the good stuff, and decided it was too good not to make something bigger. this chapter was sooo fun to write, and obviously with the whole thing being in an AU universe, I get to change a bunch of shit without consequence... So thank you for reading, I hope you love it, this is my nonsense.

Warning: none.

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Parents tend to assume things of their children, the practise usually implemented by those who believe ignorance is bliss, especially when it’s easier to assume your kid is studying, or asleep in bed, or catching up on their reading list. Why worry about what your kids are up to after hours when you could share a bottle of wine and fall asleep on the living room sofa watching some shitty Hallmark movie? Enjoying the perfect ideal, even if it isn’t, in fact, real.

It was this sort of behaviour from the likes of Luke Patterson’s parents that led to him sneaking out pretty much every night of summer.

This was, of course, on top of lies about study groups and volunteering work and classical guitar lessons with his school teacher during the day, and it had been going on a lot longer than just the summer. But could anyone really blame the boy when he once again climbed out his bedroom window that last night of the summer, armed with his guitar on his back as he grabbed his bike and started off in the warm August air?

The soft breeze rushed through Luke’s hair and sent his flannel overshirt billowing behind him as he rode down his street, destined for the other side of town, to the other reality he had created without his parents’ knowledge, the world glowing under the last traces of another beautiful sunset. The reds and oranges gave way to tinges of green and the endless expanse of midnight blue the later hours welcomed, street lamps slowly flickering to life as shadows grew and Luke took a hard turn left onto an underpass, pedalling as fast as he could.

He was already late, he was usually late, but that night his mom and dad had demanded a family meal before he began his senior year, something about tradition or memory-making he had been too preoccupied to listen to. His year wasn’t going to be great because of family albums over his dad’s famous chili, though it was very good chili: no, his year was going to be great because of the people waiting for him at the end of his bike ride, and the news that waited with them.

Luke’s summer hadn’t been spent studying like he told his parents, and it hadn’t been spent the way many of his classmates enjoyed their time off school. Luke’s summer, and the majority of his Junior year before, had been spent in a garage in the LA suburbs, one that belonged to the Molinas. He had spent every spare moment there writing, practising, rehearsing, because Luke’s end goal in life was nothing like his parents had planned for him:

Luke was going to be a Rockstar, and the way to that wasn’t school. It was Julie and the Phantoms.

As he pulled up to the familiar residence about fifteen minutes later, legs aching from the high-speed ride over, Luke couldn’t help but smile. Ray and Carlos were out on the porch playing a game of cards under string lights, and it looked like Mr Molina was losing quite spectacularly to his ten-year old son.

“Hi Mr Molina!” Luke called with a wave, distracting Ray for long enough that Carlos managed to sneak a peak at his dad’s hand and plan accordingly.

“Luke, it’s Ray. Please.” Ray corrected, for the one hundredth time, but Luke was a polite kid, and while he wasn’t one for following his own parents’ rules, he was too respectful to ever start his friend’s dad by his first name. “Everyone’s in the garage, they’re waiting for you before they check the website.” Ray called over, and Luke nodded with a bright smile, waving a hurried hello and goodbye to Carlos before rushing towards the garage at the far side of the house, pulling off the straps of his guitar case and bringing it to his front.

The front pocket was stuffed full of scraps of paper, possible lyrics for new band music, which was required since they had managed to get on the YouTube trending page a few months before, and had begun playing the LA music circuit with high levels of success. The band had only been formed, properly at least, for the last year, and their sudden success was calling for them to be scooped up by a record label any day now.

That’s what the team were congregating for that night, Luke entering the converted garage, their studio, to find his bandmates huddled on the couch with their closest friends. In the couch’s centre was Reggie, Julie and Alex: to the blonde’s right was his boyfriend Willie, to Reggie’s right was his girlfriend Kayla, and Flynn paced on the other side of the coffee table, only coming to a halt as six pairs of eyes came up to find Luke fixing his hair from its windswept state after biking across the city.

“Where the Hell have you been?!” Flynn exclaimed, wide eyed and all gestures. She was a Junior like Julie, and perhaps the band’s number one fan: it made sense, she was kind of their manager. “The site is going live any minute now, and we’ve been waiting almost an hour for you to show up!” She hollered, Luke coming forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, the younger girl scowling at him as he did, but she stopped talking, allowing the boy a word in.

“My parents wanted a family meal, I got here as soon as I could.” He explained to the anxious faces, his eyes travelling down to the laptop sat on the coffee table that they all seemed rather focused on. “Is this it?” He asked, and Julie quickly nodded, turning the laptop, displaying a countdown on a website, to face Luke.

48 seconds… He had arrived in the nick of time.

“Will you read it first?” Julie asked in a quiet voice, Flynn taking the girl’s space on the couch behind her, squishing herself between Reggie and Alex. “You take bad news best…” It wasn’t actually true, but it seemed like Luke had been nominated for the task of finding out whether they had hit the jackpot, and looking at his friends’ all tucked onto the three-seater couch, Luke couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Alright.” He said with a curt nod, taking a seat at the opposite side of the coffee table as Julie sat herself back down, now on Flynn’s lap as the two girls hugged onto one another in fear.

23 seconds…

“This could be it…” Reggie muttered; his hand interlocked with Kayla’s. She and Willie had come along as emotional support for their boyfriends, and it was a good call: Alex was as pale as a sheet, and Reggie looked like he might vomit. “Imagine… If we’re in this competition, if we qualify… Guys, we could be signing with Fall Down.” He continued, the seconds ticking away as a silence filled the air after the bassist’s words. He was right, sure, but it was too hopeful.

The competition was country-wide, and thousands of bands had sent in their entries. It was quite literally a one in a 100,000 chance they would make it, that they would be one of the twenty bands picked for the competition.

After all, the tagline was quick to remind that ‘only the best’ would get into the Fall Down Records’ Battle of the Bands.

“3… 2…” Luke counted down, and as countdown finally hit zero, Luke refreshed the page.

Instead of the list Luke and his friends had expected to appear, instead he was greeted by a video, and the boy quickly pressed play, turning up the volume to let it play around the room.

“A very big hello from Fall Down HQ in Los Angeles!” The laptop spoke, and Luke looked up at six confused faces, quickly adjusting the laptop and sitting himself on the table so he could watch along with his friends. “I’m Trevor Wilson, and I’ve been given the honour of sharing the Fall Down Records’ Battle of the Bands line-up with all of you, across the world. But first, a quick reminder of the rules.

“This competition looks for the very best young artists in the US, the twenty top finalists getting a chance to join in our televised six-week competition. Each week our contestants are given a new theme to perform for, and each week three bands are eliminated by judges’ and audience vote, until the Final Four Battle it out for glory.” The video explained, but this wasn’t new information to the seen friends watching with desperate hope. “And the grand prize? The victorious band will be leaving with not only a multi-album record deal with Fall Down Records, but their very own World Tour and $1 million for each band member! I cannot make this up, and I can’t stress more when I say that the band winning this competition are going to be changing the history of music, with Fall Down Records and me, Trevor Wilson, by their side.

“Now, enough of me talking. Let’s get to what you’re all here for, the big announcement. Thanks to everyone who submitted their auditions, don’t give up hope on just yet… But viewers, I give you your top 20.” The video disappeared, the website suddenly coming to life with the full list of finalists, and Luke jumped into action to begin scrolling down as everyone leaned forward, instinctively, Luke’s finger moving as fast as it could past other acts.

Finalists came from all across the country, from all music genres: they scrolled past Idols, a country trio from Nashville; Rallico, an R&B group from New York; Everest, the folk-pop band from Montana. Luke’s finger continued to scroll, through videos and bios on each of the bands, and he counted as he went through to himself. 11, 12, 13…

“STOP!” Kayla shrieked suddenly, Luke moving his hand from the mousepad in surprise, his eyes finally focusing on the screen, the haze of scrolling quickly subsiding. He had to blink once, then twice, just to be sure, glancing back at the shocked faces of his friends beside him, making sure they were all seeing the same thing.

NUMBER 15: JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS. FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

“Oh my God…” Alex breathed out, the first to speak as he clutched onto Willie’s hand, and one by one, the faces on the couch went from looks of worry to ones of ecstatic joy.

“Oh my God!” Julie yelped, jumping off of Flynn’s lap and flapping her hands, unsure what to do for a moment, but Reggie quickly stood up as well, and the pair embraced in a tight hug. It took a few moments for the rest of the room to process, but the moment everyone had…

Carlos and Ray heard the screaming from their cosy spot at the front of the house, whooping and yells of triumph echoing across the cul-de-sac as the kids celebrated their achievement.

The hugs and bouncing and complete inability to stay still probably lasted a solid seven minutes, and by the time Luke was coming down from the high of the news, Julie was disappearing round the corner to tell her dad and brother, Reggie was spinning Kayla in his arms, and Alex had found himself in a rather heated kiss with Willie. His eyes went back to the laptop, and he removed himself from a hug with Flynn to sit back on the couch, scrolling back up to the top of the finalist website page.

“What are you doing man?” Reggie asked, Kayla jumping off his back and taking the bassist’s hand as they walked over to Luke, the boy pressing play on the first of 19 videos, the audition tapes of the other competitors.

“We’re up against all these other groups, the competition starts in a few days… I want to see what we’re up against.” Luke explained, the words pulling Alex and Willie over to the laptop too. The five pressed play on the first video, Luke leaning over and turning the volume up as high as it would go as the first band’s music began to play. “Willie, can you go get Julie?” The raven-haired boy nodded, squeezing Alex’s hand one last time in celebration before rushing towards the Molina residence to collect Julie and Flynn.

“I can’t believe we actually managed this…” Alex scoffed in disbelief, running a hand through his hair and glancing over at his friends with the brightest of smiles. To think, the three had met at the age of 10, that all those days of mindless rehearsal led them to Julie, which led them to this?

“You guys deserve it.” Kayla commented with a smile, glancing down at her watch with a frown. “Shit, I forgot about curfew…” She muttered, pressing a kiss to Reggie’s cheek. “I need to get home; I’ll give Willie a lift too. See you tomorrow babe?” She asked Reggie, who nodded fast as Willie came back with Julie and Flynn. “Curfew, Skater Boy.” She reminded Willie; whose eyes widened before muttering a soft curse to himself.

“Right.” He sighed, waving a quick goodbye to his boyfriend and friends before slipping out the door with Kayla. Flynn watched them go, giving Julie and quick hug.

“This seems to be a band member meeting now, and I need a ride. See you tomorrow, alright?” Flynn asked, and Julie nodded, the pair sharing another hug before Flynn too disappeared through the garage doors, leaving the band to themselves.

There was a comfortable silence, as they all looked at one another, as they all came to terms with the sheer insanity of what was happening. Out of thousands upon thousands… Out of millions of applicants, Julie and her Phantoms had managed to snag a spot in the country’s biggest competition, managed to get themselves a chance at a record deal, at a world tour, at millions of dollars…

“So,” Julie said with a grin at her three best friends on the couch, the boys looking to her for their next move. “These other contestants…” She made her way over to the couch, sitting herself between Luke and Alex quite comfortably and taking charge of the laptop from Luke, who was happy to hand over control. “Why don’t we break this down?”

“Well,” Alex spoke up as he peered over Julie’s shoulder, the girl clicking on the second contestants’ audition tape, the sound of soft banjo filling the air. “If we want to win… We need to be looking for the biggest threat across the board, not just in one category.” He said, his friends looking over in slight surprise. It was undoubtable that of the guys, Alex was the smart one, but his smarts weren’t something he used very often to begin with. He coughed and ran a hand through his hair, sitting up a little straighter. “I just mean, the competition is a new theme every week, right? Well, we’re a band with a pretty wide range. I mean, Reggie with his banjo is just a start.” The blonde gestured across the couch, the compliment causing his friend to grin and wave. “If we’re optimistic here, planning the hypothetical that we make it past week one-”

“The band that’s going to be the hardest to beat is the one with range, like us.” Luke finished for his friend, clicking onto contestant number 3, the audition tapes only 90 seconds long, and gesturing to Reggie. “Get a pen and paper, we need to start writing notes.” He decided, and Reggie pouted.

“Why do I have to do it?” He asked, and Julie let out a laugh.

“Luke taking notes would be a waste of time, his handwriting is worse than a doctor’s, and Alex and I have thinking to do.” She explained simply, but it was enough for Reggie to grumble his way over to a dresser on the far side of the room they kept stocked with stationery in case inspiration struck, coming back over and sitting on the ground, getting into position to write.

“Back to contestant 1.” Julie instructed, the four beginning their first bout of research.

It was well after midnight when the band were only just reaching the end of their list. Alex was pacing as he listened to the audition tapes of their competitors over and over again, Luke and Julie both huddled over the laptop as Reggie jotted down notes.

They all should have gone to bed over an hour ago, what with their first day of school that morning, the last first day of school for the guys, but there was too much excitement, too much energy buzzing through them, and this research was the best way to channel it.

Where other subjects were not their strongest suit, everyone of the kids in that room excelled at music: not just playing it, but understanding it. This was a competition, and from what extensive knowledge they shared on Fall Down Records, this was not about looking for one-hit wonders or kids with untapped potential. It was about finding stars already in the making and pushing them forward.

This was good news for the four kids, and bad news for some of their opposition. It became clear in the first half of the tapes who was and who was not going to last long in the competition, a clear divide that didn’t seem like it would change any time soon. Alex was walking around the room that night trying to figure out just who would be going home in the weeks to come, and where Julie and the Phantoms would fall into the grand scheme of things.

“Final video.” Julie announced, the blonde looking over and deciding it would be best to sit himself down, at least for the watch through. Reggie too seemed intrigued as to who their last challenger would be. As Julie clicked her way onto the video, she was confused for a moment when presented with a black screen, wondering if she had accidentally turned her computer off.

Suddenly, a noise, unlike any Luke or Julie or the guys had heard in the last few hours of investigation. Accompanied by bongo drums and maracas, they were all expecting some sort of island breeze music, quite honestly, and Luke was about to pause and check the band’s name once more when the odd noise was suddenly replaced by a much more familiar one: an electric guitar coming in with the drums. An image finally flickered to screen, unlike the other videos of live performances across the country or awkward homemade recording sessions, this band had opted for an old, grainy video quality, a sepia coloured moving picture of hands beginning to play along on the guitar.

“All that I want is to wake up fine. Tell me that I’m alright, that I ain’t gonna die. And all that I want is a hole in the ground, you can tell me when it’s alright for me to come out.” The first few seconds were enough to leave jaws hanging, and though he would later deny it, Luke’s was on the floor.

The sound was so different, such a bizarre mix of percussion and pop and rock, with such a happy sound despite the bleak lyrics. It was impressive, to say the least, and suddenly the picture before them flashed away to reveal the band on a white stage, all dressed in block colours, and Luke scanned over the set up: they had a guy on drums who was dressed from head to toe in blue; a girl in all green on a beatmaker surrounded by the odd percussion they had heard at the song’s beginning, the funny noise revealed to be a marimba; the second guy was on guitar, though it wasn’t quite clear if he was lead or rhythm, and adorned in orange; and then finally…

“Hard Times.” The three other bands members sang, introducing the chorus for their front woman.

“Gonna make you wonder why you even try. Hard times, gonna take you down and laugh when you cry. These lives, and I still don’t know how I even survive. Hard Times, hard times.” She sang in a vision of block colour red, in a short tennis skirt and crop top beneath an oversized blazer, a pair of opaque red cat-eye sunglasses perched on the edge of her nose. The hands from the opening shots of the guitar playing had been her, the instrument a bright red that matched the outfit she wore, and Luke quickly realised that everybody’s instruments matched their clothing colour.

“Marimba…” Luke heard Reggie mutter under the music, only for them to be silenced by the chorus’ final line.

“And I gotta get to rock bottom!” The distortion on her voice as she half sang, half yelled the line was jarring and enchanting and Luke had to let out a bated breath as she continued, lifting the mic off its stand and walking to the boy in orange, passing the guitar duties over to him as she began to sing again, the camera focusing in on the girl in green’s ability on the beatmaker, her fingers dancing over the buttons as they brought in the bridge.

“Tell my friends I’m coming down. We’ll kick it when I hit the ground.” Another drastic change to this soft head voice, paired with the instrumental making it feel like, for a moment, they had all been sucked into a dream. “Tell my friends I’m coming down. We’ll kick it when I hit the ground… When I hit the ground. When I hit the ground. When I hit the ground.” The final note hung for a moment in the air, everything else going silent to let it resonate as the singer hung onto the boy in orange by the shoulder, her hand rising up to pinch his cheek before the final chorus hit.

“Hard Times.”

“Gonna make you wonder why you even try. Hard times, gonna take you down and laugh when you cry. These lives, and I still don’t know how I even survive hard times. Hard times.” The whole band sang the final chorus, their front woman spinning across the stage and singing in harmony with the girl in green, red’s voice riffing on the last notes as the beatmaker brought the snippet of music brought to a close, the screen going black as the music continued to came to a halt. “And I gotta get to rock bottom!”

And there it was… Their main competition.

Luke couldn’t drag his eyes away from the black screen, still trying to get over what he had just heard: while he was more partial to the music he made with his own band, there was undeniable star power in just that song, and four talented musicians to accompany it… Not to mention their lead singer.

He didn’t think he’d go into the contest attracted to a rival band member.

“They used… A marimba?! A marimba…” Reggie exclaimed finally, the first to talk, or rather yell, the leather jacket-clad boy jumping from his seat with his arms stretched in front of him in exasperation. The majority of their night had provided information on bands that gave them a challenge for first place, but confidence they might just grab it. And now? Now they had more than competition, but a threat to the biggest break of their lives.

“Electra Heart…” Alex read the band name out loud, frowning a little as he said it, something about the words seeming familiar. “I feel like I’ve heard of these guys before.”

“Maybe because they’re from California as well?” Julie suggested, pointing to the end of their title card as Contestant 20, stating the band were from San Diego, just two hours away from where they all sat.

“Watch out.” Reggie muttered, turning to face his friends once more and waving a hand at Luke. “Patterson’s smitten.” He muttered, the words knocking a frown on Luke’s face as he straightened up and closed over the laptop, putting the voice of the mystery girl to the back of his mind.

“First off, I’m not. And second? This is a good thing!” Luke exclaimed, though it was clear to everyone he was changing the subject. “The contest starts in two weeks, and we have the upper hand. We submitted Bright as our audition song, and it’s great, but that wasn’t even our best performance of it! We literally ran out of time to submit something better!” He reminded them all, drawing their minds back to the start of the summer. They had done their very best to piece together the audition tape, but Julie had suddenly gotten sick and they lost a week or so of their schedule. They ended up submitting a draft version, and still got in. “That is probably their top tier, and we know we can match and beat that! Right now, they’ll think they have this in the bag, when they don’t.” He got to his feet, walking over and hooking an arm around Reggie’s neck. “We’re going into this prepared, and ready to blow the show’s socks off, yeah?”

“Yeah!” His bandmates chorused, Julie standing up and prompting Alex to do the same, the four congregating in the centre of the studio. She was the first to hold out her hand.

“Legends on three.” She called; smiles shared amongst the band.

“One.” Reggie went first.

“Two.” Alex next.

“Three.” Luke finished, four hands stacked atop each other, four teammates ready to try and take on the impossible.

Sleep didn’t come to Luke that night.

He opted to cycle home despite the late hour, and clambered into bed at around 3 am while Reggie opted to stay overnight in the studio, too lazy to take himself home, not that it was an uncommon occurrence. Since Alex has started living with the Molinas, Luke and Reggie found themselves crashing more and more often.

But Luke cycled home anyway, mainly because he wanted the chance to think in private, to be alone as he planned their success now the competition slot was confirmed. It was the opportunity of their lifetime: he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. No matter how beautiful the lead singer of Electra Heart was.

She weighed on his mind from the moment he saw her well past sunrise, and as the light flooded in through Luke’s curtains with the boy getting no sleep, he opted for a shower before his parents got up for work, and hopefully getting to avoid talking with them as much as possible until Kayla came by to pick him up, always with Julie, Alex and Reggie in tow.

That was another thing: how would he be suddenly breaking the news of his rock band on global television to his parents, who have yet to find out how he really spends his free time?

As he stood under the hot water that morning, washing away the adrenaline and sweat from the night before, he couldn’t help but hum the girl’s song: why was it so catchy? He tried to rinse it away with his fatigue and the aches in his legs from the biking to and from Julie’s, but it wasn’t budging, and neither was her face. In an act of defeat, Luke clambered out the showered, and shoved his earbuds in as he dried himself off and got dressed for the day, drowning out her voice in his head with the loudest music his phone had available.

As Luke continued about his morning, shuffling around the house as he sorted his laundry for the week and got his bag ready for classes, it was only once his dad yanked on of the earphones out of his ear that Luke figured he might have had the music too loud.

“Lucas, you play that music any louder you’ll be deaf by year’s end.” His father muttered, gesturing for his son to take a seat at the table. Luke glanced at the clock: it would be another twenty minutes before Kayla showed up in the car, and he decided it wasn’t the morning to start an argument.

“What’s up?” He asked, reaching over and grabbing an apple as his father sighed across the table, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands. Luke took a bite, the flavour and scent filling his senses, only for that damned ear-worm to return.

“Luke, your mother and I are worried…” His dad began, and Luke frowned. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, it wouldn’t be the last. His parents had been set on sending him to college, or some sort of naval academy by Christmas, and Luke had continued to adamantly refuse. His grades were still doing well, perhaps thanks to the amount he copied off of Alex, and with his plan being the band anyway, it’s not like he needed school that badly anyway. “We want you to explore your options, to at least give some thought to your future.” His dad continued, and Luke took another bite of his apple, the song rattling in his head.

“I’m just fine.” Luke assured with an insincere smile, getting up from the table and heading back towards his room to grab his school bag. Perhaps he would just walk further down the road, get picked up on the Main Street.

“Son, come on now.” His father was a quiet, stern man, so while the words alone would have been a plea, the tone twisted them to an order, and Luke stopped just before his bedroom. “There’s an open day in a few weeks, all we ask is you go to it. No commitment, just attendance.” He continued, and Luke glanced back, shrugging.

“If you’ll get off my back about it then yeah.” He conceded with a roll of his eyes, quickly opening his room door and slamming it shut behind him, ending the conversation before his father ventured into small talk.

He waited in there, picking at his apple as he hummed the song from the night before, until a horn sounded outside, Luke then scooping up his school bag and rushing out the house as fast as he could, shouting a quick ‘goodbye’ as he slipped round the front door and closed it firmly, letting out a heavy breath.

He took a moment to compose himself before starting a light jog down his front lawn’s pathway to the car waiting at the bottom of the drive, chock full of his friends. Reggie was driving, Kayla and Julie sat tucked together on the front bench of the old vintage, while the back seat of the convertible was occupied by Alex, Flynn and Nick, who waved Luke over to the space free beside him.

“You know Kayla, the more people we pack in this car, the more likely it is your dad takes his car back.” Luke commented as he jumped into his tight spot in the back, sharing a fist bump with Nick as Reggie sped off in the direction of school.

“My dad gave up rights to this car the moment I started filling the tank, Patterson.” Kayla called back, Luke smiling and letting his head loll back as they raced along the back streets towards school. He could say he never felt more at home than with his friends, in moments like this.

“Like, shit, I forgot to congratulate you.” Nick called over the chatter in the car, garnering his friend’s attention with a dimples smile and tousled hair from the wind. Despite only the year separating them, Luke thought of Nick as a little brother, and the comment made him grin and pat Nick’s shoulder.

“Congratulate me when we win Battle of the Bands.” Luke corrected, leaning closer to make sure the front seat didn’t hear his next words. “And I’ll congratulate you once you finally ask out Julie, alright?” He posed the offer, Nick’s cheeks turning bright red. Luke chuckled it away, sharing a glance with Apex from across the backseat.

When they all got thrown into the same music class three years ago, it was pretty clear to Alex and Luke that Nick likes Julie, and vice versa. They had been trying to set the pair up ever since, with minimal levels of success. But with the impossible seeming to occur everyday now, who knew what might happen?

Reggie sped through a stop sign and near drifted round the corner into the parking lot, sending everyone in the car but Kayla grabbing for stability, whether it were the dashboard of the door or the back of seats, but they didn’t hit anything, and Reggie pulled into the assigned parking space the car had kept for the last year or so, right in front of the school quad.

“I can’t believe it’s the first day of our last year…” Alex remarked as everyone gathered their things and clambered out the car. They had become a collective over the past few years, a friendship group not easily frayed or broken, and as they walked in almost a clump across the school lawn, with Julie in the lead, it was quite difficult to not notice the rest of the school’s eyes resting on them.

Word must have gotten out about their good luck.

“What are you guys going to do without us when we’re gone?” Reggie asked with a grin, his arm sling over his girlfriend’s shoulder as the pair sauntered in the group’s centre, and Flynn turned back from her place beside Julie.

“Maybe get some school work done for once.” She clapped back, earning a chorus of chuckles and tones of agreement from amongst the group.

Luke was hanging back in the rear, taking a moment just to observe his friends, a habit he had gotten into over the summer: this was the last year they would, theoretically, all be together, and Luke had no intention of wasting any of his time with them.

“Hey, uh, Luke!” A voice interrupted his thoughts, the brown-haired boy spinning on the spot to come face to face with one of his classmates. She wasn’t someone he knew very well, granted, but he still smiled and took a step towards her, laying down the infamous charm.

“What can I do you for?” He asked with a dopey grin, which later turned to a smirk when she blushed profusely at his words.

“I was just… uh… Congratulations! On the contest, everyone’s talking about it.” She paused, rummaging in her bag and pulling out a slip of paper, Luke pulling a hand out of his pocket to accept the offering. “If you ever, I don’t know, if you’re ever free and wanna go out for a coffee or something…” She trailed off, and Luke examines the name and phone number.

“Well, Sara,” He read her name out, looking up at her as he spoke. “I’ll send you a text, maybe?” He suggested, taking a few steps back when he heard the sound of Julie shouting his name.

“Uh, yeah! Cool! See you around!” Sara beamed, waving him off as Luke turned to catch up with his friends, the interaction boosting his ego a little more as he went into day.

In fact, by the time lunch had come around, Luke’s day had been rather jammed packed with words of praise and offers of phone numbers, and it seems like his band mates had been experiencing the same thing. When Luke arrived at lunch after a gruelling lesson with Mr Norbert, glad that the rest of his day would consist solely of music, he found his friends at their preferred lunch table, each with a collection of notes falling from their pockets.

“Am… Do I need to act more gay? I thought people knew I was gay.” As Luke sat down, Alex asked the question to the table, Willie’s hand rubbing his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked as he set down his tray and took a bite of his sandwich.

“Four girls… Four girls have tried to ask me out today! And I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that? Did they not know I was gay in the first place?” He questioned again, head frantically searching for an answer as the boy’s anxiety began to build, only to be wheeled by Willie’s lip pressing to Alex’s cheek.

“Join the club, guys.” Carrie spoke up from the end of the table, a vision in pink as she and Julie shared notes from a previous class. “I’ve literally been receiving Instagram DMs for years, all the Dirty Candi girls have. The amount of guys that think they can ‘make you straight’.” The girl involuntarily shivered and let out a sigh. “This is just the beginning for you four. The amount of fan mail thanks to the competition will be huge.”

The Dirty Candi girls had been a group as long as Julie and the Phantoms has, but their music was so different there was no need for competition. They all just sort of became friends instead, and when it became clear the girls wouldn’t be allowed to audition for the Battle of the Bands because of Carrie’s dad’s position at Fall Down Records, there was a mixture of sadness and relief. No hard feelings were had, and no hard feelings would happen, because the last thing the friends wanted was to be compared with one another. They were all talented.

Plus, Dirty Candi performed on Ellen, so if anything they were currently the more well-known.

“In other news.” Flynn spoke up, pulling her eyes away from her phone to address the group. “There’s a new transfer student.” She announced, and glanced over at the clock on the far side of the cafeteria. “We should all be meeting them in about half an hour.” She said decidedly.

“How do you know?” Reggie asked with a mouth full of pasta. He had a semi-circle of clutter around him as he tried to eat and copy homework all at the same time, the boy quite aware of how lucky he was to have better-prepared friends than him.

“Mrs Harrison was our free period supervisor this morning. She got a call, disappeared from class and didn’t come back for twenty minutes.” Nick spoke up on Flynn’s behalf, the girl turned back to her phone to feverishly type away at the screen. “Mrs H has to welcome all the new music students.” He added quickly, glancing across the table as Julie nodded in agreement.

“They’re a senior, or we would have seen them in classes this morning.” The band’s lead singer stacked on top of the Juniors’ theory, and Carrie quickly got her attention back to point out a mistake she had made on the maths coursework.

“New students come in every year.” Luke remarked, brushing off the fascination with a wave of his hand. “Maybe we should talk a bit more about, oh you know, the fact that we’re going to be playing to millions of people on a televised game show in a fortnight!” Luke exclaimed, earning grins from around the table as they all got that hit of realisation again. It had felt like a dream the night before.

“Well, I don’t wanna spill secrets…” Carrie started, all eyes quickly on her. “But with dad hosting the show, there are some responsibilities the Wilson family are taking on… Like an acoustic jam session for the competing bands to meet each other.” She revealed with a squeak, taking a hold of Julie’s arm with excitement. “And don’t even get me started on the Halloween bash the Record Label will be holding…” She added, and Kayla hit Carrie’s arm playfully.

“You keep this up and you’ll rig the competition, C.” Kayla reminded with a meaningful smile, and the pink-themed girl rolled her eyes, but fell quiet nonetheless.

The conversation steered away from the competition for the rest of the lunch period, the friends slowly beginning the walk to music as eyes watched them pass. It wasn’t something any of them acknowledged, well, apart from Carrie on occasion, but they were the popular kids.

It was a mixture of charm, friendliness and musical success, but they had become the ‘it’ kids of Los Feliz High. None of them particularly disliked the role they had been prescribed either: the more people they knew, the more people would hear their music, the more people they could share their passion with. And it was nice, too, sitting at the top of the food chain. They had all been at the bottom at some point in time, and knowing their influence on their peers was a positive gave them all a little bit of pride.

“Quickly, quickly!” Mrs H called from the doorway down the hall, ushering the group to hurry toward the classroom, Julie and Luke in the lead as the nine kids shuffled through the door of the band room, Mrs H closing the door behind them. Their teacher quickly checked through the window to make sure no-one was on approach.

“Mrs H, is everything ok?” Julie asked, taking a step forward, and their teacher nodded quickly.

“I have a favour to ask. We’ve got a new student joining. I didn’t want to ask with other kids listening in but.” Mrs H paused, and relief flossed the faces of her students. There wasn’t any danger, just a request they usually got. “Could you make her feel at home? I. She’s been admitted to the program without an audition, I have no clue of her ability. I just don’t want her being overwhelmed, turned away again.”

“Anything for you, Mrs Harrison.” Luke chipped in, their teacher smiling and letting out a breath.

“Thank you… Right, get yourselves seated, we can have a chat more about this competition during second period, I’ll go fetch her from the office.” Mrs H explained, rushing out the door as their classmates filed in, the room becoming a hub of activity rather quickly as kids picked up their instruments and began tuning.

“How does someone get into the music program without auditioning?” Reggie asked, though there was no malice, just naïve curiosity. Unfortunately, his friends didn’t know how to answer him. It was a question they all had on their minds as they got themselves comfy in the room’s far corner, Luke collecting his guitar and Reggie’s bass from one of the storage cupboards, the pair nodding Julie over to the piano to help them tune the guitars.

It was Julie sat herself down at the grand piano that the door suddenly swung open, Principal Brown coming into the room in a dazzling magenta pantsuit.

“Good afternoon students.” She greeted, receiving a chorus of ‘good afternoon Principal’ back. “As some of you already know, we have a new transfer student joining us for her senior year, and she will be studying alongside you all part-time at the school’s music program.” The principal prefaced, quickly gesturing outside the door for Mrs Harrison to enter along side their new classmate.

“Is that…” Julie whispered, receiving a nod from Reggie and Luke.

The girl from the video last night, the front woman for Electra Heart, stood in their music classroom’s doorway, dressed like a model off a runway, a cigarette perched behind one ear. She was wearing a pair of red plaid trousers, paired with black heels and a corset style crop top, an oversized jean jacket thrown on top, all matched to a pair of sunglasses perched on the end of her nose. Her hair was in a bun, showing off the cigarette behind her ear and a collection of piercing along the earlobe. Her nails were all painted the same colour of red as her trousers, which matched the colour on her lips, which matched the outer corners of her eyeshadow.

“Perhaps you can introduce yourself?” Principal Brown asked, she too noticing the cigarette and plucking it from the girl’s ear, throwing it in the nearby trash can. The girl seemed unfazed by her actions, eyes scanning over the room until they landed on the piano, and the band members stood around it.

Luke couldn’t help but stare back, trying his best to keep his jaw from going slack. How was she here? How did she look better in person? And why in the name of God was Luke overcome with a sense of nostalgia as they looked each other over. There was something other worldly about her, something that made Luke feel like he was younger again. It was the eyes, that raked over his body as she smirked, eyes Luke had known to be timid and frantic when they were kids…

It suddenly click in his head.

“Class.” Mrs Harrison decided to speak for the student. “The is Y/N Y/L/N.”

“No fucking way…” Alex muttered standing up from the back of the class, causing confusion amongst his and Luke’s friends. The rest of them seemed to be missing something important, but were yet to figure out what.

“Y/N, why don’t you find yourself a seat?” Mrs H suggested, Principal Brown taking her leave as Y/N sauntered towards the far corner of the classroom, not pausing for even a second as she sat herself on Luke’s chair, arms folding over her chest as Luke’s gaze on her turned from one of surprise to one of raw, unfiltered annoyance, something Julie would later describe as ‘the angriest she’s ever seen’ her friend.

The pair stared each other down for a moment, Y/N the first to move and reach out an arm, taking Alex’s nearby hand in hers as he stayed standing, shocked by the revelation.

“Seven years is a long time, isn’t it?” Her voice was smooth, trained, like molasses dripping down. It stuck in Luke’s head, the words taking hold over his brain just like her song had earlier that day. Alex pulled the girl to her feet suddenly, the pair embracing in a tight hug, staying like that for a moment as the class watched on, as their friends watched on.

When they finally pulled apart, the girl turned her attention to the frowning Luke, whose knuckles were clenched so firmly that the skin was as white as bone.

It couldn’t be. How was she here? It had to be some kind of joke.

But her eyes were the same, her smirk so familiar, and the deal was sealed when she sat herself back down and crossed one leg over another, in his chair, sending a wink his way that was anything but playful.

“Well, hello there, Skywalker.”

He had always hated that nickname...

TAGS: @siennanoelle01 @epikskool @eries45 @thesweetestsinner @fangirlangioma @moviesbooksandfandoms @ohyoureaqueenbutuncrowned @saroo-hawks @charliessunset @lana-moe-fandoms @bigdesi @avngrsinitiative @emotionalbruv @lolychu @lazydaisy19 @korydickson @futuremrsb-r-main @uglypeachh @reggieandthereggies @rogersangel @izzyhogue @writerinlearning @independentgirl @delicatelukepatterson @mybrainiswhack @uhmitstori @mon-charmante @writingforphantoms @musicconversedance @mjflower @heimdoodle @kcd15 @-episkey- @billiesburritoess @walkingonshunshine @obxmermaid @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve @kristencoontz @n0wornever @simp4madi @aliciameix @kinda-just-chillin-here @jatpfan @blueyed-one @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic @ghostlyb1tch @leahstypewriter

#luke patterson #jatp au #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson x y/n #luke patterson jatp #jatp luke x reader #jatp luke #jatp #julie and the phantoms #willex #luke patterson imagine #fluffy smut #fluffy angsty smut #smut #fluff #angst #julie and the phantoms alternate universe #enemies to lovers

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destiny-smasher · 3 years

Text

DownRight Fierce Dev Update (9/2021)

Not sure if this is something folks here would want to see, but I'll share this update I shared with patrons for the original visual novel I've been working on, DownRight Fierce. It was conceived back in, like, 2014, but since just before the pandemic hit, I've been working on it as a visual novel. It's sort of like...if Street Fighter and Butterfly Soup had a kid? That was born before Butterfly Soup came out? And has been slacking off for a few years? There is a fully playable, mostly presentable demo of the prologue and first three chapters, feel free to contact me if you're interested in trying it out and providing feedback.

Thanks to the support I've received on Patreon lately, I've been able to commission more outfits for the main characters, new expressions, and was able to pay Hayley to re-organize the sprites so I have some more control over mixing and matching different things. We've also implemented a new pose for Nishiko's sprite when they're sending text messages (on their antiquated cell phone).

(all of the character art so far I have commissioned from my friend Hayley Sakura-Rose12)

I ended up deciding to have that sprite made when I implemented a whole text convo with Seiko near the end of Chapter 3. (or partway through the chapter, depending on what the reader chooses - OR they can even skip this conversation altogether, potentially)

The biggest updates to DRF lately have mostly been cosmetic: adding in more facial expressions and effects.

One example of this has been incorpating a more seamless and atmospheric effect for moments when Nishiko gets lost in thought.

There will be a recurring and increasingly important component tied to this, so I'm glad Jenny helped inspire me to pursue this kind of idea. You can also see here a version of Nishiko's sprite which has been visually updated with more texture, alternate color, etc., and that's something she intends to do with the other characters when time allows (she's been very busy for like, over a year now).

Fire and smoke are key visual symbols for Nishiko's character, so Jenny has been helping me figure out ways to express this more through the UI, etc.

(my wife Jenny has worked on the UI, giving it a more gritty look, and she's modified Nishiko's sprite in this image to give extra atmosphere to the character sprites; she also took a placeholder image and did work on it to showcase a potential art style for the backgrounds; we're considering something like this, though maybe including more color, perhaps intentionally depending on the setting)

But it's not just been visual stuff. I've also been adding in extra content, and incorporating more choices and elements that affect and are affected by the stats running in the background.

I've added in new short classroom scenes to help better illustrate Nishiko's experience inbetween social activities, while simultaneously using them to imply elements regarding Nishiko's attention span, as well as flesh out the lore of the world.

I've been a bit inspired by Tuca and Bertie in some weird ways, as well, trying to build lore within my own fighting game inspired world with references that double as, well, world building (like alluding to Street Fighter antagonist M. Bison via a political dictator who existed in this universe's history), including entire chunks of conversation that go in different branches based on weird Capcom humor that also serves to establish backstory.

Nishiko and Kayla bond over love of a dumb cheesy horror flick that's essentially one big meme featuring the 90's Street Fighter cartoon. The drinks in the vending machines are all Capcom references, but serve as a means of letting the reader more manually increase a stat of their choosing - and since they're vending machines, they recur, so as the reader might get to know what each drink is, they might make a deliberate choice to increase a specific stat on purpose, in a similar way to choosing to exercise, or meditate, or study.

A convo about Nishiko's prior schoolyear incorporates Dark Stalkers references while also, again, letting the reader affect stats in a narratively retroactive way.

I've fleshed out conversations in Chapter 3 to have lots of dialogue most readers won't see in a single playthrough, as well as making more efforts to lean readers toward experiencing certain scenes or moments they might have missed earlier, while allowing the possibility of skipping or missing out on scenes entirely should they choose.

For example, the end of Chapter 3 is focused on Nishiko's relationship with Seiko. There is a text chat convo that can happen in one of two different parts of the chapter, and an in-person convo I'm currently working on (the last planned new content for the demo). Both can be experienced, or one or the other, or the can both be skipped. I don't want to make the entire social life something optional, but I do want to have there be parts like this where the reader can choose to skip interacting with a character if they truly don't want to, to help reinforce the idea that every interaction is, in a sense, a deliberate choice.

Even something like picking 'the BAD' choices is something I want to not just feel like, say, Undertale's infamous 'genocide run' but rather something that is an expression of anger at the world around the main character, which even has some specific benefits - because people don't just become jerks because they like to feel bad, but because it serves them in some beneficial way. As a slight example, if the reader pushes Nishiko to become aggressive, their 'Psycho' stat will increase, which can lead to them having even more aggressive choices later, which further increase that stat. But as that stat increase, Nishiko will become more physically perceptive to certain details about the world around them, but in material ways rather than social ways. For example, they might sense certain inklings of things that allude to later plot points earlier than someone who is more cooperative and might learn more social backstory elements. It's likely not going to be some huge, monumental difference, but it hopefully will make a second playthrough feel noticeably different and give the reader more insight into certain things.

The planned demo will feature the prologue and the first three chapters. By the end, all four main characters will be introduced, and the reader should get a pretty good idea through bits of writing and visual presentation that the choices they make won't change the primary narrative, but will affect certain details and aspects of how things play out. This is actually related to a big plot element itself that will become important later. But for now, it's been really fun adapting content I wrote over five years ago into this format, fleshing it out, and trying to work out ways to not only make that content function better in an interactive format, but also just how to lay more foundation and foreshadowing for what's to come.

While the visuals are still far from finalized even for this demo, I do have a private build uploaded for anyone genuinely interested, as I still haven't received much in the way of feedback so far. I'm planning on releasing a public demo to itchio later on when we can get the visuals to look more finalized.

#DownRight Fierce #visual novel #lgbt #indie games #game development #fgc #fighting games #street fighter

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

Text

The Little Things in Life - 1

Warnings: non-consent sex (series); nothing for this chapter

This is dark!Steveand explicit. 18+ only.

Series Summary: Your suburban life begins to show cracks and your next door neighbour, Steve Rogers, seems intent on shattering what’s left.

Note: I’m still working on Syster and BJB and all my other WIPs. This was supposed to be a one shot but I got about 22 pages out and realised that we weren’t even close to an end. Anyways, hope you enjoy a subtle Steve. Slow burn. Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

You liked to do your gardening early. Even on the weekends. You let your husband Logan sleep in; your daughter, Kayla too. You basked in the morning balm as you rooted around for stray roots and watered the leaves which looked a little too brittle in the dew. The birds sang as the neighbourhood still slept. It was a rare moment of your own.

Well, almost all yours.

You turned at the steady beat of sneakers on the pavement. You stood and dusted off your gloves. Steve, your neighbour from just across the street, stopped as he reached the end of your walk. He smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“I don’t know how you do it,” You said. “You’ve got a newborn keeping you up all night and here you are, running the entire neighbourhood like it’s nothing.”

He laughed. “Never got much sleep to begin with,” He said. “You know, if you ever get bored of the dirt and grubs, you’re welcome to join me.”

“You know I couldn’t keep up with you, Cap,” You grinned.

“Not anymore,” He said. “I hung that shield up.”

“Oh yes, Logan told me you let him toss it around.”

“Well, he tried,” Steve said. “I… you know, I’m happy I ran into you. Me and Sharon, we’re having this thing next weekend. A party for all us restless parents. No kids.”

“Yeah, she was saying the other day.” You replied. “I’m sure I could get the sitter and Logan never says no to a beer or two.”

“Maybe we could hit the felt again. It’s been a while.” He ventured. “We had to move the table but I got the cues all ready.”

“Yeah, maybe,” You said. “So she let you keep it.”

“It’s in the garage now but it’s still in one piece,” He preened. “You should pop by some time. After dinner, I like to try a few trick shots.”

“I’ll try,” You said. “I’m usually the one cleaning up dinner and Kayla. But, maybe we could do doubles sometime. Nap time, maybe.”

“I might be able to convince Sharon,” He rubbed his neck and glanced over at his house. “Speaking of, I should go check in on her. Got a serious diaper run to go on this morning.”

“See ya,” You said. “Say hi to Sharon for me.”

“See ya,” He turned and jogged across the street.

He stopped at his front door and turned back to look at you as you collected your watering can and basket of tools. He waved and you waved back. A coffee would be nice before you roused the little monster. Saturday was pancake day and she rarely forgot it.

🏠

That day you kept thinking about your neighbours. Steve and Sharon used to be your weekend buddies. You’d stop by after you put Kayla down for the night and have a few drinks. That was until Sharon had gotten pregnant and they’d both descended into full blown panic mode. Baby this, baby that! It was a peculiar type of excitement which had them both beaming and baffled.

You’d seen Sharon for lunch every now and then and at her shower. She was so swept up in it all that she wasn’t as social as before. You were glad to hear she was throwing one of her parties. She was finding her balance again.

As for Steve, you only really saw him in passing. Doing yard work or random chores around the house. He was always busy it seemed. Well, that was life.

You went about your usual Saturday routine; pancake breakfast, dishes, play time with Kayla, lunch, nap time, a walk to the park, dinner… The days only varied when you worked and most times, you did so from home. You were lucky enough to spend much of your time with your daughter, though you wished you could say the same of Logan.

He worked hard, you couldn’t fault him that. Most days, he stayed late. By the time he got home, he was so wrapped up in it that it was all he could talk about. But he was a good dad when he was there. He loved Kayla and he treated you well enough.

Sunday was lazy. The afternoon was disappointing as Logan spent much of it on the phone with his boss. You took Kayla out to the garden so she couldn’t disturb the call. She helped, or tried to help you transfer some flowers from your garden into a pot. Proud of your creation, you took her across the street and knocked on the door.

Steve answered it to your surprise. Sharon was usually quick to the punch. You greeted him with a smile.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb, I just thought… well Sharon said she liked the flowers so we brought you some.” You held out the pot.

“You can put them in your garden,” Kayla said cheerily.

“I need to make a garden first,” He grinned at her and took the pot. “Thank you. I’m sure Sharon will find a place for them. She’s just sleeping with the baby right now.”

“I get it,” You said. “We were a bit restless and just wanted to say hi. She wanted to give them to Ethel but you know she has terrible allergies.”

“I appreciate the thought,” He leaned down to talk to Kayla, “You’re getting big, kiddo. How old are you now?”

“Four,” She chimed. “Mommy says I’m old enough to go to school.”

“I would think you are,” He replied as he stood straight. “I’ll let Sharon know you came by. Oh, and… the pool table is still open.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” You offered. “Logan’s taking Kayla to a Paw Patrol show.”

“Tomorrow,” He accepted. “I’m gonna hold you to it.”

“What happened to that friend of yours; James?” You wondered.

“Bucky. He’s around now and then.” Steve shrugged. “But not as much as I like. And he prefers poker.”

“Ah,” You took Kayla’s hand before she could wander away. “Well, I’ll see ya.”

“What time’s the show?” He asked before you could back away.

“Six.” You answered.

“Then I’ll see you at six-thirty. How’s that?”

“Six-thirty it is,” You confirmed as you picked up Kayla and turned away. “Okay, you little brat, let’s go bug your father.”

🏠

You were glad Logan was getting some time with Kayla. You wished you could go with them but keeping to your new budget, two tickets were all that could be had. The upside was that you didn’t have to sit through the cartoony mascots dancing in an arena full of hyper children.

You gave Kayla a kiss on the cheek and barely sneaked a kiss on Logan’s lips before she tugged him away from you. He strapped her into her seat and gave a smile as he climbed in the front. You smiled as they left but when they were gone, you felt restless. There were only a few times you were without Kayla; at work and during your early morning gardening sessions.

You went inside and wandered around the kitchen for a few minutes. You poured yourself a glass of wine and looked at the clock. You were suddenly very grateful for Steve’s invitation. The game would keep your mind off your listlessness.

You finished your chardonnay and rinsed the glass. You stepped out the front door and found Steve’s garage door open as he ducked beneath it to wave you over. You looked down the street before you crossed and jogged up the drive.

“Hey,” You entered the cool garage. The pool table took up much of the space not occupied by the aged motorcycle Steve had been working on for years. “What’s up?”

“Oh you know, getting some practice in,” He grabbed the cue leaning against the table and another from the rack on the wall. He handed you one. “Hope you’re not too rusty.”

“You know, I’ve been playing online but it’s not quite the same,” You kidded. “What’s Sharon up to?”

“I asked her if she wanted to come out and join us,” Steve shrugged. “But she’s been on the phone with her mother all day.”

“Maybe next time,” You watched as he set up the balls in the frame.

“You want a beer or something?” He asked as he stood.

“I shouldn’t. I just had some wine. I don’t like to mix drinks… or rather, my body doesn’t.” You chuckled.

“I’m sure I’ve got some wine,” He went to the mini fridge. “Aha, pinot… grigio.” He squinted at the label as he turned around. “Sharon hasn’t touched the stuff in ages. It hasn’t been opened though.”

“Really, I shouldn’t.” You waved him off.

“Come on.”

“Is this some sort of tactic?” You teased. “To get me off my game?”

“Maybe,” He twisted open the bottle and handed it to you. “It’s open. You gotta at least have a sip.”

You tilted your head at him.

“I don’t have any glasses out here,” He grinned.

“Just a sip,” You took the bottle and drank less than a mouthful. You placed it on the metal side table against the wall and fiddled with your cue. He returned to the fridge and grabbed a tall can of beer. “Thought that stuff didn’t get to you.”

“Doesn’t, but it’s comforting,” He approached the other side of the table. “When I was… serving, the men didn’t have much to do but drink on their time off.”

“Ah,” You leaned your cue on the top of your shoe. “It’s like how tequila makes me wanna run as far as I can in the other direction.”

“I guess,” He said. “Guest’s honour. You can break.”

“Alright,” You went to the head of the table and lined up the cue ball. “Wait.” You paused as you bent over the table. “What do I get when I win?”

“If you win,” He corrected. “And, I don’t know. Twenty bucks.”

“No fun. How about… I get to try on the helmet.”

“Helmet?” He blinked.

“That old war relic you have in your den.” You said. “You know I always wanted to try it on.”

“It’s an antique now,” He said. “Rusty.”

“Like you?” You taunted.

“Like me,” He rolled his eyes. “Fine. And what about if I win?”

“Name your price,” You narrowed your eyes at the table and set up your shot.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind a touch of that green thumb,” He said. “I… wanted to do something special for Sharon. Clean out the garden, replant everything that’s died.”

“That’s not really an even trade,” You mused as you hit the ball. “But it’s a bet.” You stood as the coloured balls shot in all directions. Three solids plopped into the corner pockets. “Oh, I also get a selfie in the helmet.”

🏠

You glared at the felt. Then the bottle of wine. You should have stopped at a sip but you had gotten carried away in the game. You’d also missed your last shot and set up Steve to sink the last stripes before he set his eyes on the eight ball. He called the top left pocket and you hoped he missed. Crossed your fingers around the cue.

The clack of the balls echoed in the garage and the black ball made a slow path to the pocket. It tipped over the edge and you curse. You stomped your foot and spun the cue in your hand.

“No fair,” You pouted. “You’ve been practising.”

“And… I’m sure that online pool is quite the workout.”

“Only for my finger,” You held up your index. “So… the garden?”

“Can we start this week?” He asked.

“Sure,” You smiled. “You’ll have to grab seeds or whatever. Please, anything but rose bushes.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know where to begin but I’m sure I could ask someone at the greenhouse,” He mulled.

He went to the table and reached into the pockets. He pulled out a yellow ball and a red ball. He place them parallel at the other end.

“Or maybe… I don’t know, I know you’re busy but you could help me?”

“That wasn’t part of the bet,” You said. “But sure. I can do Wednesday afternoon. I hope you don’t mind if Kayla tags along.”

“Of course not,” He lined up the cue ball in front of you.

“What are you doing?” You stepped away from the table as he grabbed his cue.

“A trick I’ve been working on,” He said. “I saw it online and gave it a go. It’s fun.”

He bent over the felt and hit the ball. It hit the yellow ball which bounced off the red one and sent both of them into opposite pockets. He stood and smirked proudly.

“Your turn,” He rearranged the balls and you frowned.

“I can’t,” You argued. “I think I had too much of that wine.”

“Come on,” He said. “Just give it a try.”

You looked at your phone. It was already past eight.

“It’s not that late,” He urged.

“Fine,” You took your cue and approached the table.

Your shot was less successful than his. The yellow ball hit the red in but came to a halt several inches from the pocket. You shrugged and stood straight.

“See.” You huffed.

“Practice,” He positioned them again.

He came around the table as he placed the cue ball before you. He stood behind you as you relented and lined up your shot. You paused as he adjusted the end of your cue and neared. He leaned over you and helped you position the nose of the cue. He was almost flush against you, just for a moment before he backed away.

“You just gotta put some force behind it,” He said as he walked along the side of the table.

He stepped back to see the table. You hit the white ball and shakily retreated from the felt. The yellow and red split off and the latter plopped into the pocket while the former bounced off the edge of the corner.

“Close,” He said and went to the table. He shoved his hand in the small pocket. “Night’s not over til you get it.”

#Steve Rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers x reader #suburban au #au #series #fic #mcu #marvel #captain america #dark fic #dark!fic #the little things in life

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fanficanatic-tw · 2 years

Note

🎭, 👿, ☀️ annnddd 🍀 for your Kayla-darlin' ^_^

(Excited squeal) thanks for asking :)

🎭 - A Former Friend - Kayla has a few, seeming how she moved from Louisiana to Beacon Hills. The two most prominent ones are Paige (who does play a minor part in books 2/3/4) and Harry.

So Paige was sort of Kayla's friend, they werent super close but got on. Then, not long before Kayla came to Beacon Hills, Paige got in a car crash with Harry because she was driving erratically, arguing with Harry about his feelings for Kayla (because Paige was dating Harry on the down low, but he never reciprocated her intense feelings). Once the crash happened, Paige called Kayla instead of the police and Kayla felt obligated to cover it up. She helped a dying Harry switch seats with Paige, so it looked like he was driving. Since then, Kayla hasn't forgiven her. She's tried, and they've kept it civil, but she isn't really a friend and definitely a former friend. Things got awkward though because Paige moved to Beacon Hills and starts dating Isaac 😂 shit gets complicated haha. Then Harry, well, he was her best friend in lousianna and she had to bury him. They always had a 'what if' relationship but it never happened, sticking to being bffs.

👿 - An Enemy - haha oh, many. But in the first two books it's Brian Murdock. Brian started out as the typical jock just trying to get into her pants. They flirted, kissed, but evidently Kayla could not be bothered with him. Towards the end of season 1, it turns out Brian and his family are what are known as 'protectors'. Like hunters, but much more dangerous. No code. They just want to protect and preserve the human race. In the dance episode of season 1, Peter kills Brian but he comes back as Strigoi, a creature born from rage and hate. Brian's parents die in season 2 and he blames Kayla, going out of his way to torment her. Eventually, things come to a head in the end of season 2 and he attacks Kayla's car; making her crash and then violently nearly beats her to death. This is a pivotal moment as she genuinely nearly dies. She's badly injured and takes months to recover. Then in season 3, Brian is back at his games and blackmail, forcing stiles to break up with Kayla etc. eventually tho, Kayla uses her new found power on him, and turns him insane and he ends up in eichen house. Eventually; the nogitsune, sensing Stiles' murderous hatred of him, kills Brian in eichen house in front of Kayla by using a lobotomy needle thingy to stab it through his eye 😂

☀️ - Someone who Can “Turn Lemons into Lemonade” - Brain is dead, but I'm guessing this means someone who inspires optimism etc? I think for Kayla, obviously Stiles, but I think Lydia too. They have such an important relationship and connection, and they try and support and encourage each other. Lydia is Kayla's soulmate, through and through.

🍀 - Someone Lucky - well, it's definitely not Kayla is it? 😂 I would say... her aunt Jane. Kayla see's her as incredibly lucky, and the kind of person she wished she had as a mom. She had her daughter tabby, that they all dote on, and Kayla can't think of anyone else better to be a mum

Sorry I rambled 😂😂 thanks for asking lovely ❤️

#Kayla hale

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randomfandomnerd · 3 years

Text

Sunshine and Shadows- Chapter 1

Watching Nico talking to Annabeth and Percy, Will mentally slapped himself in the face. That conversation had gone about as smoothly as the surface of the moon. There was no chance of Nico ever willingly talking to him if he behaved like an overprotective mother hen, although part of him still wanted to wrap the son of Hades up in a blanket, burrito-style, and hand-feed him nutritious snacks.

“Solace!”

The harsh tone of Clarisse’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“Quit admiring Di Angelo! I know you’d be more than happy to do that all day, so I’m reminding you now! You have an appointment after lunch to give Chuck a check-up DO NOT BE LATE OR YOU’LL BE GETTING AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY SPEAR!”

On that friendly note, the newly-elected godmother stormed over to the Athena Cabin to harass the campers who had offered to weave clothes for the new-born satyr. Gods help whoever stood in the way of her warpath. She adored Chuck and was determined to make his life as perfect as possible.

Will nodded vaguely, before turning back to watch the son of Hades. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault that Nico was so gods damned attractive. Nico laughed at something Percy said, the action lighting up his face, making him truly look like the angel his name said he was. He gave Annabeth a high-five before heading back towards where Will was standing in front of the Apollo Cabin.

Will noticed a blush creeping into his cheeks and quickly turned away, mortified. A moment later he felt a prod at his shoulder and looked up to see the son of Hades regarding him questioningly.

“Will? We’d better get these 3 days over and done with then, right?”

Startled, Will let out a weird laugh that sounded like a piece of machinery made by Cabin 9, before nodding, turning round, and promptly walking into the doorframe, much to the amusement of Kayla, who was sitting inside, waxing her bowstring. Embarrassed, he quickly changed from his flip-flops into something more suitable for the infirmary before emerging again onto the porch.

✧✧✧

Nico was waiting for him on the porch, leaning against a post, drumming his fingers against the railing. When Will approached him, he stood up and gestured for the son of Apollo to lead the way. The walk to the infirmary was short, thank the gods, and Will spent the time determinedly staring forwards. A few campers were hurrying around, carrying supplies. Will nodded a hello towards Jake Mason, who was with a few other Hephaestus kids. The older boy didn’t have crutches any more, but preferred to use a cane when he had to walk around. Typical Cabin 9-style it had several cool additions, such as being able to extend into a fighting staff and, if Harley had anything to do with it, probably a flamethrower somewhere. The scarily muscular 8-year-old was chatting animatedly to his older brother, but he wasn’t at his usual bouncy self. Harley had worshipped Leo, and had been devastated by his loss. It didn’t help that now, closer to the start of school, all of his siblings, save for Nyssa, would be heading home or to college for a while. Will made a mental note to hang out with him more.

The two boys reached the doors of the infirmary and Will opened one, stepping aside to let Nico in first. Once they were inside, Will made a beeline for an empty bed at the back of the infirmary.

“We save the front beds for anyone that comes in with a really severe injury”,

he explained. He gestured for Nico to sit on the bed while he fussed around, clearing some of Austin’s sheet music away from a chair before plonking himself down on it. He’d have a word later with his brother about working on his compositions in the infirmary. Glancing up, he noticed that Nico was looking rather awkward (and adorable). He kept moving his hands around, as if he weren’t quite sure what he was doing, whilst desperately avoiding eye contact with anyone. Right. Nico wasn’t a people person, and it was currently quite busy in the surrounding area. Will stood up to draw the blue curtain around their area, before turning to address the son of Hades.

“I know this is primarily for you to get some rest, but I think I should give you a general check just to make sure nothing other than your irresponsible use of underworldy powers is a problem.”

Nico scowled at him but didn’t argue, instead opting for a curt nod. Will continued,

“I’ll start by looking under that bandage on your arm”

He reached out to Nico’s arm

“Is this ok?”,

he asked. Nico paused slightly, before nodding again. As gently as he could, Will raised Nico’s arm and began to slowly unwind the bandage, revealing several nasty-looking red claw-marks gouged into his skin.

“Werewolf claws”,

mumbled Nico. Will frowned.

“These are definitely infected. I’ll check for a fever and get some ambrosia for you. I reckon these will leave scars.”

He hesitated, then leaned in and brushed Nico’s raven-black hair from his forehead. It felt soft and, to his dismay, Will found his cheeks turning pink again. Holding the back of his hand against Nico’s pale forehead, he noticed how warm the son of Hades was.

“Nico, you’re burning up!”,

he announced before rummaging around in a nearby cupboard for some ambrosia and anything else he could use to treat the wound. He noticed a rather sad-looking Aloe Vera plant. Didn’t his siblings know that Aloe Vera should be placed in direct sunlight and not at the back of supply cupboards? He placed the poor plant in the windowsill, before taking a washcloth and some antibacterial ointment from the cupboard, along with the promised ambrosia. After thoroughly washing his hands, he handed the ambrosia to Nico, who began to delicately take small bites out of it, while he wet the cloth under the tap and started to carefully clean the wound. Nico winced slightly when the cloth made contact with the infected area, but had a slightly dopey faraway expression whilst he ate the ambrosia. Will wondered what Nico tasted when he consumed ambrosia. When Will ate it he tasted the sweet lemonade his grandma made whenever he returned home to visit. He tended to remain at camp most of the time, due to his mum always travelling for work and his insistence not to attend any sort of boarding school, but every now and again, he would fly over with a satyr protector to stay at his grandparent’s house with her. When he left, he would spend most of his time wondering when, or if, he’d ever get to go back. Especially after having 2 big wars in the space of a few years. Of course, his problems were all miniscule compared to what Nico had had to go through. He’d had to face the death of his sister, being alone with only a ghost for company, knowing about Camp Jupiter and not being able to tell anyone, being kidnapped and locked in a jar by crazy giants, and then on top of all of that had to deal with everyone at camp avoiding him, because they thought that he wasn’t normal. It all made Will so angry at the world, for allowing some people so many good things, when Nico could probably count the number of times he’d been happy since coming to camp on one hand, and still have fingers left over to spare.

Nico cleared his throat, and Will realised to his embarrassment, that he was staring again. He sheepishly placed the cloth in the sink, before lightly spreading a thin layer of the antibacterial ointment over the claw marks and murmuring a prayer to his father, while wondering if it would even work, seeing as Apollo was probably at that moment in time in the middle of a long lecture from his father, Zeus, concerning Octavian, the evil stuffed-toy destroyer (Percy had treated the whole camp to a story at the campfire of how his panda pillow pet had been brutally slaughtered).

He then covered the wound with a gauze pad, finishing by gently wrapping a length of bandage around, to prevent further infection.

He turned round to clean up while giving Nico strict instructions,

“I’ll talk to Chiron and explain that you are under no circumstances to partake in any sort of training exercises. You should spend most of your time here, getting some much needed sleep, however I think it’s a good idea for you to attend 1 meal a day at the pavilion, which will also allow you to have some healthy time outdoors. The rest of the time I will provide food for you.”

Even though he was facing away, he could imagine the son of Hades glaring daggers at him.

“I can get food myself. There’s a McDonalds near enough that the shadow travel shouldn’t hurt me.”

Will sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and turning around to face his stubborn patient.

“Really? What part of ‘you can’t even summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness’ do you not get? I’m not even going to start on the ridiculous lack of proper nutrients in a McDonalds meal. What can they offer you that camp doesn’t?”

Nico raised his chin in a show of defiance

“Does Camp Half-Blood offer snazzy boxes? No I thought not. It also has an over-bearing mamma bear watching my every move. When I agreed to this, I expected gentle rest, not a prison sentence.”

He dramatically flopped back on the bed, his head on the pillow.

“I’m not even tired! Not one bit!”

Fixing his glare at the ceiling he mumbled

“This is a nice pillow. Soft and squishy.”

On that note, he fell asleep, still muttering about how fully awake he was. Amused, Will shook his head and stepped out of the curtained area into the main area of the infirmary to see Cecil and Austin chuckling in his direction. Austin was in the process of checking Cecil’s strained calf muscle and met Will’s eyes with an amused look.

“Why William my dear brother, I do believe that you have met your match. He’s just as headstrong as you are!”

Disgruntled, the senior counsellor of the Apollo cabin went to the storage closet to reorganise the medical supplies.

#heroes of olympus #rick riordan #trials of apollo #riordanverse #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo #camp half blood

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taekooktimeline · 4 years

Text

Ask

Kayla will focus more on the latest VCR’s while Sara will do so on the one where TK appear under a blue light.

Kayla: Hello! 💜I miss questions like this🥺thank you so much for submitting it, and that means a lot that you appreciate hearing our interpretation of things💜I loved this question so much🥰

Before I start, as always, please keep in mind this is simply my interpretation of things! ☺️

I agree both VCRs seem to heavily hint to deeper things with taekook. Let’s start with Jungkook’s “my time”. He has said consistently this song is about his lost childhood and growing up in the spotlight. However, I do personally think there’s a secondary meaning. I understand some are sensitive to analyzing songs, and no not every song in a member’s solo discography is directed to his lover, but here’s what made me pause - the chorus - “I can’t call ya/hol’ ya” and then, at the end, it changes to “I will call ya/I will hol’ ya”. It fits his struggles in the spotlight - the inability to reach out due to multiple difficulties (busy schedule, saesangs, etc) and eventually he is able to reach out, call, touch. In this instance, the chorus could be considered towards relationships, like a special someone. I don’t normally like Quora, but Helen Xu, an interactor on the site, is very insightful and has said something I agree with. She directly answered a question about “my time”. Below are snippets but I highly encourage reading the entirety of her answer here - https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-My-Time-by-BTS-Jungkook-is-about-himself-I-respect-and-trust-BTS-what-they-say-but-I-can-t-help-but-feel-that-this-song-is-for-his-significant-other-I-really-hope-so-tho-because-I-love-that-for-him-but

Keeping in mind this, we can examine the VCR a little more closely. Jk looks at a lot of clocks on the walls.

But only a handful are singled out and on a nightstand close by him. For me, this indicates great importance to these specific clocks.

One I am still working on figuring out is the one to the far left of Jk, right behind the phone. I can’t determine if it says 3:09 or 3:10. If it says 3:09… that’s very interesting, as it’s Yoongi’s birthday. Keep in mind, Yoongi wrote letters to only taekook in 2018 that, in Tae’s own words, made him cry for 10 mins. The members joked Jk’s letter must be a “copy paste” of Tae’s, meaning the same letter:

Jk singled out both Tae’s character, Tata, and Yoongi’s character, Shooky, to be the ones supporting Cooky directly in the ring for his 2020 B21 skit.

If the clock truly says 3:09, this is the second time Jk has directly singled out Yoongi in 2020, as well as Tae when factoring the other clock. Disclaimer - Please note this part is shaky since I can’t determine the time enough to feel confident.

But what we can deduce - as a lot noticed, 2 of the 3 clocks next to Jk show his birthday, 9/1 - 9:01, and Tae’s 12/30 - 12:30.

The fact these are singled out from the other clocks and are closest to Jk imply to me great importance to him. He picks up the third clock closest to him.

This one has the time - zero o’clock. He holds it up and smiles at it, as if he’s embracing the new time.

Zero o’clock is about starting a new day and forgetting what troubles you. For me …factoring in the two clocks being placed in a prominent position (denoting Tae’s and Jk’s birthdays) + Jk then performs “my time” right after + my suspicions that align with Helen Xu, that the song has a secondary (hidden) meaning …for me, this indicates Jk has found his time. His time has come, he’s ready/at peace and he’s welcoming it. He’s leaving his former struggles behind and will live more freely, less restricted.

The other part of the VCR was very interesting. Only Taekook paint their faces in black. I spoke to a few different people, who were firm that painting oneself with black indicated stigma, sin, being different, in their culture. It can also be viewed as their shadow, as BTS have discussed this extensively. Tae covers his eye while Jk covers his mouth. This reminded me of “see no evil, hear no evil” in the sense their differences/“sins” are not seen or spoken about by society. Society chooses to ignore what they’ve tried to show and say.

Jk paints his mouth black while Tae paints his eye.

After, both smirk.

For me, this indicates they’re embracing their shadow/difference. They are not bothered any further by society closing their eyes and mouths to their stigma. They have come to terms with it. They will no longer hide in their shadows/darkness.

They also showed the shadow closing on Tae (going backwards, reverse effect, not fully closing since the door still opens for him) and the light opening on Jk - parallels of each other, and again, they are the only two with this symbolism.

What I find very interesting out of all of this is how taekook are singled out as different from the group. There is a reoccurring pattern. We saw it at MAMA 2019. Both were in blue light then, based on standing order, both were in black. (As a side note - i couldn’t find a capture that encompassed Jin in the below blue/red light):

The others are in white while Taekook are black, still hidden, in their shadow.

We then saw them be singled out as different again in the On MV. Both were the only ones that had thorns, Tae’s on his neck and Jk’s around his wrist.

Thorns also can be symbolic of sin, just like the black paint in the VCR:

Jk even says he was cast out of society for being different.

My personal thinking which isn't necessarily applicable to the VCRs and heavy hinting: a taekook subunit is coming by the end of the year. We’ve said this consistently since about the spring, as noted in the main timeline, based on the first few vlives, some festa promo shoots and the order of the festa board.

There have been some other, more recent, indicators, but this has been my consistent stance - 1) Taekook 2) Yoonmin + Jin 3) Hobi and Joon. We’ll see! I know some have a differentiating opinion on this based on the BTS YT live with two subunits, not three + photo cards but my stance remains the same from spring. And if you disagree it’s ok! It’s only theory- it can be wrong or right. In asks I feel safer theorizing more freely since we don’t have to place as much importance on being “right”. Either way, even if I’m incorrect on the other subunit pairings, I still think Taekook will be a unit.

BH is working to normalize - to some degree - TK after years of restricting on camera interactions. Part of normalizing, for some, will be a subunit. I feel strongly it’ll happen for that reason. Whether it’s on a BTS album, or KTH1 or JJK1, I’m not sure. But I think by December or, at the latest January, the subunit will happen on one of those three (if it doesn’t happen in November for BE).

But I want to make it clear … I don’t think singling out Taekook from the group is solely for their subunit. Whether the subunit is on the BTS album or a mixtape, I feel very strongly we are getting one. But the reoccurring pattern of showing them as different from the other five members, with symbolisms of shadow/stigma/sin (and now embracing that)... to me indicates something even bigger is possibly brewing. I’ve got a lot of mixed thoughts I’m sorting through regarding the company’s stance right now so some of that conflicts and I just need to see in time where things go.

Please remember this is merely MY opinion / theory on this topic, which is subjective and open to individual interpretation. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong :) theory is theory for a reason and I know some disagree on the subunit part (so please don’t flood the asks with stances - I know this is a varied opinion💜😅). All we can do is wait.

——————————

Sara: I´ve never paid too much thought to concert VCR´s because I wasn't sure if they had enough substance...but now as I pondered I'm quite excited to share my findings. We all know Taekook were the only ones to have a blue light casted over them right? Well, this is extremely important and I’ll tell you why.

BTS have made references to the blue & red pill dilemma from matrix on multiple occasions, the first time that I recall being in their MV for “N.O.” where they take the red pill & fight the system.

In sum, if you take the red pill you face the harsh reality while if you take the blue pill you stay in a dream-like illusion, a fake and perfect one. In the music video for “Shadow” you can see Suga singing on top of the scenario covered in blue light while everyone filmed him. This is his persona. The persona, for psychiatrist Carl Jung, was the social face the individual presented to the world—"a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual" = an illusion = blue pill.

Afterwards, his shadow that was hidden among the crowd takes over and everything turns red as he faces his true hidden self = harsh reality = red pill.

What is the shadow? In short, the shadow is the unknown side. The shadow represents all the personal traits we have ignored, denied, or cut off from ourselves. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality, the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects that may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem, anxieties, and false beliefs). Being LGBTQ would fit into this last case as it’s not negative in nature. Jung’s concept is that the aim of one’s life, psychologically speaking, should be not to suppress or repress, but to come to know one’s other side, and so both to enjoy and to control the whole range of one’s capacities; i.e., in the full sense, to “know oneself.” That process is called “individuation” and a necessary step is to become aware of the shadow and integrate it’s hidden aspects into the consciousness.

At first the blinking blue light suffocates Tae who can be seen suffering, running around and hugging himself. Something in his interior wants to be set free.

At the end of the VCR Tae is finally standing calmly as he faces his truth, accepting it (red) -

That’s what Sinclair does in the book “Demian” that BTS based their series “Wings” on. He recounts his experiences with the two realms, two worlds of which he was aware at the time—one of darkness, and one of light, one of day and one of night. The realm of day was everything "good", straight, and Christian. The realm of night was the world of scandal and mystery, drunkenness and murder, deceit and illegal activity. The realm of light was the world of Sinclair's parents and sisters. Though living in the realm of light, he was curious about and attracted to the realm of darkness. He was tempted by Demian, who acted like an inner voice leading him to self-discovery and individuation. In the Below pic the black ink represents temptation and “sin”. Jk takes it to his mouth (in this 2016’s trailer for the Wings tour, other members use different symbolism like sinful apples, blindfolds, curtains, etc).

Jk takes a taste of this world of darkness in BS&T. The world of the previously unknown and denied shadows.

Dialogue from “Demian” that played in this scene from BS&T: “He too was a tempter. The evil world with which I no longer wanted to have anything to do”. The balloon is let go which represents lost innocence - surroundings covered in red.

As I said, the shadow is not always inherently negative, but it’s always perceived as such by either society, the individual, or both. The intro for “Wings” was “Boy Meets Evil”. When the lyrics give into the temptation the walls are painted red.

When performing this song in MAMA 2016 we can see the two realms on opposite sides. When we mix them we get a purple color representing the whole, the dichotomy of human nature (which tormented Sinclair until he accepted himself).

What are they trying to convey with this picture below?

Well, other members are letting their shadows be seen, but Taekook are showing us their carefully drafted public persona, hiding their truth. All of them do this to some extent, but this image implies Taekook’s real self drastically contrasts with the illusion that they create by wearing their masks. They have to conceal more than the rest, even if they already accepted themselves. What you see is a pretty lie = blue. They only show us their “good” side. Just like “Fake Love’s” lyrics (a song directed to army): “Mold a pretty lie for you”, “Try to erase myself and make me your doll”. Also, In Singularity Tae sings about silencing his voice and trapping himself into a frozen BLUE lake.

He wears a mask. The red part of his head (shadow, hidden truth) has an earring that reads “loved”. Forbidden, secret love?

Yoongi recently talked about this topic while In The Soop. He said that he talked with Bang pd nim and that, if someone has to do it (for a greater good), he himself would choose the red pill. He would sacrifice. The matrix is an ongoing theme.

About the latest VCR’s where TK have black paint, I basically agree with Kayla. They were introducing the shadow-themed section of the concert so every member was portraying the shadow in different ways but it’s definitely interesting that Taekook represented the shadow with the exact same symbolism put back to back - arguably the most visually impactful out of them - placed near the end of the VCR as it reaches it’s peak in intensity before slowly falling into quietness again. Taekook share a common aspect of themselves that is considered negative and carries a stigma and therefore - as their blue public colors indicate - is part of their red hidden shadow. They really highlighted Taekook’s scenes, so it indicates their shadow is of greater significance. It’s a bigger deal. As mentioned earlier, the black ink is related to sin.

Now JK’s VCR that introduced his song. “My time” by Jk is certainly about his crazy life while growing up in the spotlight. It’s not only about his lost childhood, but also about a “limited love”, losing the capacity to love freely during his teens and beyond. The chorus - the part of the song that delivers the main message - sings about a relationship with many physical limitations. The chosen words are pretty romantic: hold, touch, etc (discard fans as it’s a personal song). Since we talk about the spotlight, it can be understood that they can’t do those things while having eyes on them. He says “happy that we met each other” so it’s not about his family. He’s waiting for “the time” they’ll be able to love freely which he has promised will come (“I will hold ya and you know”). If we take the previous VCR’s into account it’s quite suspicious that Taekook’s clocks are placed right next to each other in the most important spot angle-wise. It does seem like a connection between Jk’s song and Taekook.

What does all this ultimately mean? What’s the purpose of showing these hints? Well, not sure. Could be related to them coming out in the future and finding their time to live their lives as a couple without pretending, taking off their masks and revealing their truth. For the time being a TK subunit would be neat though :P

#discussions #taekook #taekooktimeline #theories #vcrs

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silverpercabethfanfics · 3 years

Text

3 Days in the infirmary.Part 2

When Nico woke up the next morning he realized that he in fact was on Will's lap. I mean he sort of new he was gonna be there but was stilll really suprised. So this is what happened:

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" And fell on the floor.

"Nico! Are you ok?!"

"WHY WAS I ON YOUR LAP?!"

"Oh, right... You Shadow traveled to me and fell asleep on me and then I fell alseep."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!"

"U WERE CRYING FOR ZEUS'S SAKE!!!!! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO BE ALONE!!! SO SORRY I WANTED TO HELP YOU!!!!"

"Will, Nico be QUIET!!! WE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!" Kayla and Austin said at the same time.

"S-sorry." Will said Blushing.

"Let's go outside." Will whispered.

"Fine."

"You screaming my name in sleep and crying Nico. I wanted to help you! I care Nico that's my job." Will said staring at the apparently interesting grass.

"Still, you should have left me alone I can help myself! I don't care it's your job. I'm not your boyfriend! Don't help me if your job is to care for me."

"Why! Why won't you let me help you Nico?! I-I, Never mind." He said with tears in his eyes.

"I-I don't like people's help. I like being alone sometimes. But I'd rather be with you instead of alone. But I won't let myself."

"Why won't you let yourself be with me? Do you hate me?" He said with tears.

Nico turned to face Will.

"I won't let another person I care about die."

Then Nico ran off to the Poseidon cabin. He knocked twice.

"We weren't doing anything pro-" Percy yelled.

"H-Hi." Nico said crying.

"Nico! What's wrong come in!" Annabeth said with a twinge of concern in her voice.

"It's W-W-Will." Nico said crying.

"Oh my gods Nico! You like him?!" Annabeth said excited.

"I still don't understand what you mean by I'm not your type but-"

"PERSEUS JACKSON!!!!"

"SORRY!"

"Anyway about why you were crying?"

"Will things I hate him, and I said I care about him. Now he knows I like him!"

"Percy could you step out for a sec?" Annabeth said.

"Uh sure?"

"Thanks."

He stepped outside.

"Nico I'm going to teach ypu something important ok?"

"... Ok?"

" Boys are oblivious!!! Well not you, but other boys are!! So don't worry Will probably didn't get it."

"Ok. Thanks, I will leave you and Percy alone now."

So Nico went to will hoping he's as dumb as Percy with those things.

"Nico! Good your back, Will was scared something happened to you. He went looking. He'll return eventually." Said Kayla.

"Oh ok thanks Kayla. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes. He is at the Big house."

"Ok thanks."

So he went off for Will.

"I don't know where Nico is Will." Chiron was saying.

"Please! If you know anything tell me!" Will said in tears.

"Will?"

"Nico?NICO!!!!" He said running over.

"Hi." . . .

"Nico! Your here what's wrong?! Why'd you run off! I Was so so so worried!" He said hugging Nico.

"Uh ... can't really breathe..."

"Right sorry."

"I needed some time alone but I'm here now."

"Thank the gods! I thought younran away." He then kissed Nico's cheek.

"Well I'm here now." Nico said while blushing.

They went to the Apollo cabin to heal patients.

To.Be.Countinued

#annabethy #fanfic #romance #writing #percy jackson #SOLANGELO

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justlightlysedated · 4 years

Note

For the WIP ask meme: Can I ask about all of them? It’s just I am very curious and bad at choosing between things so I can’t pick one. If that is too much then talk about the one you want to talk about most. Or any you pick at random. I am literally interested in any and all of f them. I really love your writing ❤️

thank you very much!! i enjoy writing so much, esp for malex, and i wanted to talk about all of them tbh, so here you go, some plot plus a few sneak peeks!!

1. i knew from the start, you'd be the one to set me free:

--this one a teen malex fic where jesse doesn't catch them in the toolshed, and they're just smitten as hell and alex makes plans to follow michael to unm

--this one i wanted to write because i miss teen malex and they were so cute and so in love and i just wanted more of that

--here's a small sneak peek:

“See you tomorrow?” Michael asks, and Alex nods his head rapidly.

“Yeah,” he says. “I’ll call you later?”

“Definitely,” Michael says nodding, making a note to go put minutes on his phone before he goes to see Max.

Alex smiles, and Michael smiles back at him, and Michael isn’t entirely sure how long they stand there, just staring at each other, smiling, but they don’t move until another car passes by, this one quieter, but almost as loud.

“Alright,” Alex says, and takes a step backwards, towards the path that will lead him to his front door. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Michael replies and waves his hand, and Alex lifts his own hand to wave back, and then he just shakes his head and turns around, walking rapidly.

Michael watches him as he goes, and he can’t stop himself from leaning back against his truck and smiling, especially when Alex turns back, not once, or twice, but three times.

The last one right before he rounds the corner of the house that hides him from view.

Michael looks up at the sky, his smile getting wider, and he laughs a little, shaking his head, feeling like this is the beginning of something amazing, and he’s going to do everything in his power to keep it for as long as he can.

2. #nickyandjoepiningintheforest

--this one is for my 2kcelebrationfics, just yusuf and nicolo staring at each other and thinking sappy thoughts, in the forest by a campfire, as you do

--kayla asked me for anything to do with their sun and moon imagery, and two scenes popped into my head, the first one was yusuf looking at nicolo and the moon is perfectly positioned to look like he’s wearing a halo and just feeling too much, and then nicolo staring at yusuf as the rays of the sun start to caress his skin and pining quietly

--tiny sneak peek:

Their swords he can see are on the ground right by his feet, and Nicolo is concentrating on tying the feather fletching to his arrow with a thin leather cord.

His bow and quiver are lying down right by Yusuf’s outstretched hand, close enough that he’d be able to grab an arrow easily.

But he doesn’t, Yusuf relaxes even more in Nicolo’s presence, and turns a little, pressing his back harder against the tree as he leans his head fully on his arm and just stares.

It’s not often that he gets to look his fill of Nicolo, moments like these were often stolen and brief and few and far between, so he takes what he can, watching the way the fire throws shadows across his face, how he furrows his brow and purses his mouth in concentration.

He finishes fixing the arrow and sets it aside, eyes darting up to Yusuf.

Nicolo inhales sharply, seemingly surprised to find him awake, eyes widening just slightly, but he smiles immediately after, small and private and reaches out with one hand, before he stops himself, fingers clenching into a fist as he pulls his hand back.

“Go back to sleep,” he says voice low. “You’re safe now.”

3. may nothing but death do us part

--i’ve been dying to talk about this one tbh

--i just thought, what if michael and alex decided to get married right before the end of the world, and then to be even MORE dramatic, what IF they were dating other people and just break up with them and get married that same day

--basically, there is an imminent alien invasion coming, and the world is on the verge of intergalactic war, and michael realizes that he doesn’t want to die without ever having been alex’s husband, and he decides that he’s going to marry him, he just has to break up with his girlfriend first, and propose to alex, and then convince him to break up with his boyfriend, which he should do in that order, but he doesn’t exactly

4. feeling like a villain, got a hunger inside

--vampire au where michael is a vampire

--i have no excuse, i just thought, michael is a vampire who is trying to be good, but alex manes exists

--here’s a small sneak peek of this one:

Michael had been trying to be good, trying to pretend that he was satisfied with the vile, but tolerable mixture of whiskey and bagged blood, trying to be as normal as possible when he couldn’t exactly go out into the sunlight.

But it was hard to pretend when Alex was around, giving him still and thoughtful looks, like he knew there was something off about Michael, but he couldn't figure out what.

And it was only because Alex knew and Alex was willing or had been willing, once upon a time. There was nothing better in Michael’s opinion than to drink blood from someone who knew exactly what you were, and willingly put their life in your hands.

Alex figures it out when Maria puts the thick silver mug in front of Michael, pushing it over to him with a slight frown on her face. Michael swallows hard and smiles in thanks, but she’s already walking away.

They still haven’t talked since she found out the truth, but Michael can feel that she’s sort of warming up to him.

Michael looks at his mug of unappetizing blood, and slides it closer, making a face, wrinkling his nose when he feels how cold the mug is.

Michael picks it up and inhales deeply and then drinks.

He almost gags at the feel of the blood in his mouth, too thin, but at the same time too thick, almost stale tasting, only made palatable by the bite coming from the whiskey.

The whiskey makes him feel warm and tricks his mind into thinking that he’s had fresh blood, at least usually it does.

Tonight for some reason it seems like his stomach is rebelling.

Michael sets the mug down only having gotten through half of it, and he wipes his mouth before anyone can notice anything, the blood staining the back of his hand a bit red.

He swallows thickly and looks around the room to make sure that no one had noticed anything when his eyes catch Alex’s and he goes still.

Alex is looking at him like he not only knows exactly what his problem is, but also knows exactly how to fix it.

6. #theghostofchristmaspast

--the one where michael turns thirty and his twenty year old self, and forty year old self appear during a lab accident, and the one thing they both seem to have in common is the way they stare at alex manes

--three michaels and one alex sounds like the beginning of a pwp tbh

--here’s a small sneak peek:

Michael opens his eyes and his head feels like it's about to split open.

He groans as he sits up, and only knows that he's in the lab because the chair that he tries to use to help him stand up, rolls.

He manages to get to his feet eventually, and he looks around the dark room, and he vaguely remembers the lights exploding.

He groans, rubbing a hand through his hair.

Alex was going to kill him.

"What the fuck?" He hears a familiar, and yet completely unexpected voice that has him whirling around in shock.

He sees the speaker standing on the other side of the room, and there is just enough light that he can recognize the enormous brown hoodie he barely took off during the coldest nights when he was twenty.

Michael scoffs and rolls his eyes at him, “So that definitely wasn’t a drug induced nightmare then.”

“Nope,” another voice says from behind him, and Michael doesn’t have to turn around to know that there’s going to be another version of himself standing behind him, with a fuller beard and grey streaks in his hair.

“But you may want to lay off the acetone consumption, just a little.”

7. #shadowhuntersau

--where alex is a warlock and michael is a shadowhunter, and the year is 1885

--i’m actually also planning a second part to this where michael finds himself in 2018 after a portal accident, and alex is still in love with him

--i was actually working on this one for the remix fest, but then stuff and things happened, and i put it away, and then i reread it and was like, who wrote this????

--small sneak peek:

Michael stumbles back into the night table rattling the candle holder and making the flame flicker, and sputter out, plunging the room into darkness, the only light coming through the open window not doing much to brighten up the room.

But Alex doesn’t really pay attention to that as he stares at Michael letting the glamour fall from his eyes which allows him to see much better in the dark, and he can see the way that Michael's chest expands in his surprise.

Alex's eyes shine and unearthly blue, almost white, and he takes a step closer, and isn't really surprised when Michael flinches backwards, almost climbing up on the small night table.

Alex closes his eyes, pushing down the part of himself that is slightly disappointed, and he makes to move backwards, but before he can actually move however there are hands arresting his movements.

Alex’s eyes flutter open, and Michael is staring right at him, from too close to be considered anything short of intimate, eyes boring into Alex’s as he leans in closer.

He stops just shy of brushing Alex’s nose with his own, breaths hitching, eyes boring into Alex’s, something that seems to be childlike in wonder swirling in his eyes as he keeps looking at him.

Alex swallows hard, feeling like he’s frozen, and Michael moves his hands, fingers sliding across Alex’s cheeks, to brush lightly beneath his eyes.

Michael smiles, one corner of his mouth lifting higher than the other, and he breathes out, “Beautiful.”

8. the one where alex is a dreamer

--basically the only thing from trc that i took was the idea of dreamers

--an au where alex dreams up things that michael needs

--this one is for christi and christi only

--here’s a small sneak peek:

By the time the first semester is almost over, Michael Guerin is always lacking on school supplies. It's something that's become a constant to hear his voice hissing in the back of Calculus, asking to borrow a pencil.

Alex isn't very much surprised when he wakes up one morning and there is a shimmering pencil case sticking out from beneath his pillow.

Alex pushes it fully beneath the pillow and ignores it until he's getting his bag out of his closet to leave and debates whether or not to take it with him, but he already knows if he doesn't tomorrow night his subconscious won't be as subtle.

9. #projectfreelife

--this one is an au where alex gets hurt during his first tour, but instead of going to roswell, he’s recruited into project free life, a group whose main purpose is to integrate aliens into human society, he’s been working with them for a few years with his own team made up of, charlie, forrest, arizona, and steph, when they’re sent to roswell to deal with a black out they’re sure is alien in origin, since it’s the first time something that serious has happened since project shepherd was disbanded, their target, max evans

--small bonus: nora is most definitely integrated since caulfied was part of project shepherd and when it was disbanded it became a part of project free life, much to jesse’s chargrin

--small sneak peek:

"Okay," Charlie says, turning the laptop so that they both can look at it. "How do you want to do this?"

"Isobel is fully integrated, even married, and involved in various events in town," Alex starts. "So I think we should focus on Max and Michael."

Charlie nods her head along in agreement, so Alex continues hoping she agrees with that as well.

"You can take Michael and I'll-"

Charlie holds her hand up shaking her head, "No, I think I should take Max."

Her tone is serious, like she's thought this all out, and Alex frowns.

"Are you sure?" He asks, trying not to actually whine in protest.

She nods her head, "I know you went to highschool with them both, but I have a less conspicuous way to monitor him."

Alex raises an eyebrow in question.

"His partner," she says, voice tight with tension. "Jenna Cameron."

Alex gives her a look, "As in the sister you've been avoiding?"

Charlie just gives him a matching look back, "Yes. I think it's time for a little reunion, for both of us."

She presses a button, and the screen flashes to a picture that Alex has no idea how they got, of him and Michael, both holding guitars in their hands, Michael staring at Alex with a besotted expression.

"Fine," Alex says, pushing away from the bed. "We start first thing in the morning."

"Is he the reason why you haven't come back home?" Charlie asks, voice burning with curiosity, ignoring his obvious dismissal.

Alex just ignores her as he heads into the bathroom.

10. part one: the calm before the storm

--okay, i haven’t written anything but a few plot points for this one, but it’s an au where liz, kyle and alex all work for jesse (he blackmails liz by paying for her education after her scholarship falls through) as monitors integrated in the life of three suspected aliens, meaning that alex and michael are together, but they’re not living together, max and liz do live together and are engaged, and kyle and isobel are married

--think of an orphan black like situation, but with aliens instead of clones

11. #kinginwaitingmichael

--where michael is the king in waiting, but goes into a witness protection program after an assassination attempt, and he ends up falling in love with alex, who doesn’t realize that he is the king to be, until he foils another assassination attempt

--small sneak peek:

Isobel knows that they’re in trouble the first time that she sees Michael smiling at Alex.

Ever since they'd turn twelve and started their lessons on etiquette and how to act in public and with their subjects in a way that doesn't show preferences, Michael's smiles, while not unkind or fake, have always been brief or heavily sarcastic.

Michael smiles at Alex with his whole body, swaying towards him like he can't help himself, lips stretched too wide, showing all of his teeth, eyes sparkling and light..

And the most terrifying part for Isobel is that Alex doesn't act surprised or like the smile is something new.

He just blushes, a pink flush that works its way across his cheeks and down to his neck, and he smiles back at Michael, something sweet and vibrant, and places his hand over Michael's resting across the back of the booth they're sharing.

They keep talking, but mostly just stare at each other, almost like they're caught in their own little bubble, not paying attention to their surroundings or even the fact that they aren't alone.

Isobel tries to catch Michael's attention, but fails, so she reaches out with one hand, and tips over the half empty milkshake they'd been sharing.

The liquid spreads across the table and drips down the edge, landing on Alex's lap.

Alex jumps, and turns to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Isobel says without much sincerity, munching on the fry that she'd stolen from Michael's plate.

Alex just rolls his eyes and leans in to press a kiss to Michael's cheek.

Michael, who had been glaring at Isobel, turns a totally besotted look to Alex, all big lovesick eyes and wide grin.

"Be right back," Alex says as he slips out of the bench and away from Michael's grabby hands.

Isobel waits exactly five seconds, staring at Michael watching Alex walk away, and then she kicks him hard in the shin.

12. runaway until the last time, we're gonna lose forever

--well everyone knows this one is my sort of doctor who au that i’m writing for tove

--i just love space and time travel and malex, and just put all of that into a blender and this is what came out

--here’s a small sneak peek:

Maria takes a second to calculate in all of the ways that this Alex looks different than the one she had last seen on a cruise spaceship, and she sways, feeling lightheaded.

Alex steps forward immediately, and helps her sit back down.

“Hey, are you okay?” he starts asking. “What happened? Are you here by yourself-?”

He stops speaking as the ship’s alarm sounds, the soft purple light filling the room again.

“Emergency Protocol One, Revision Eighteen has been activated.”

Maria sees how the words affect Alex. His concerned and open expression closing down immediately, as he turns towards the console, pressing a few buttons and turning the alarm off, before he pulls up the ships video log, which Maria didn’t know existed, and she sees in reverse everything that happened.

Alex freezes the frame on Michael’s face right before he’s teleported away.

He frowns a little, and turns to Maria, “How long has it been for you? Since the Atlantis Cruise, I mean.”

Maria can see that he means the time that she’s marked in her calendar, which surprises her enough that she actually answers.

“Almost five months.”

Alex nods his head once, and then he turns back towards the console.

“Okay,” he says. “So I can trace back the signal that they used to get him, which could always lead to a dead end, but it’s early enough that they wouldn’t have moved him far. If these people are smart, they would create some type of temporal rift so that the COSMIC won’t be able to actually land at the same time that they took him. And if they know anything about him, about me, well, I’m sure they’re prepared to face an army. You know what that means?”

He says, turning to Maria who has been staring at him unblinkingly the entire time that he spoke.

“That it’s time that you meet your replacements,” he’s grinning as he says it, which takes the sting out of the words, and there is something about his eyes, that Maria can’t quite put her finger on. Something about the way that he looks at her, like to him she’s been gone for a really long time, something fond and nostalgic.

Which is kind of scary given the fact that he doesn’t look any older than thirty-five.

“You mean, the other traveling assistants?”

Alex's smile turns soft and fond, “Exactly.”

13. of guitars and hauntings

--this one is an au where michael moves into the old manes manor, that is ridiculously cheap because of rumors that it’s haunted, which turn out to be true when he gets woken up during the middle of the night by the sounds of a guitar being played in the attic, and that’s how he meets alex, who turns out to be perfect for him in every single way, except for the fact that he’s been dead for over fifty years

14. late dawns and early sunsets

--a zombie apocalypse au set to the song, early sunsets over monroeville by mcr, so v v angsty, without a happy ending, but that is par the course for zombie aus tbh

#malexsneakpeeks #this turned out into almost a full fic length #i have more written to some of these than i originally thought tbh

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