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lycanlovingvampyre · 1 year

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MAG 185 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: cutting the jasmine in my garden.

"So when she turned and saw them standing there, so official in their vests and helmets, what else was she to think? Ah, thank goodness, it flitted through her mind as Tina felt herself relax, whatever it is, someone is taking care of it. Because that’s what they were for, to take care of these problems, to shuffle people away for their own protection, and keep the world working as it should be." There is an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, when Will and Carlton drive the car of a friend of the Banks' family somewhere to meet up, and being two black young men in a nice car, they of course get pulled over. Will already knows what this means, but Carlton (while being black has still lived a rather privileged life because of his dad's wealth, private school, country club, a butler etc.) was super oblivious about the officer's suspicions and intentions. I always have to think of this episode when I think about MAG 185.

"This did not happen to people like her." I mean, I do think MAG 185 isn't about the typical racial profiling per se, more about it happening to people who think of themselves to be so privileged and safe from police brutality, that they never would have guessed it could also happen to them?

"It had all been there, all of it. Her life, her loves, her choices, her mistakes. No details spared, no nasty inference ignored." That's one of the domains, that can't be sorted that easily. This is clearly Eye, and even before Tina was arrested she felt like being watched. Then the identical looking police men who arrested her sound like the Stranger. That thing with the world just carrying on without her and even if there are people noticing, they antagonize her like the girl hurling a stone at her and the father quickly shooing her away in terror could be Lonely?

"'None of these things are illegal,' she had said." And Spiral?

Hmm, I mean yeah, that statement had rather few fantastical things happening which makes it seem more realistic and not like a supernatural, impossible twisting of reality.

MARTIN: "No it’s just… Is that how these creatures see us now? As one of them?" JON: [Amused] "I forgot that’s a new experience for you." MARTIN: "Excuse me?" JON: "You have to remember I’ve had this for years. Right from the start, it’s always been ‘Archivist’ this and ‘Archivist’ that. All these weird, awful creatures assuming I’m ‘in’ on all the secrets. Even when they were trying to kill me, they treated me like I was a… a peer." Hm yeah, we know it because we're seen primarily Jon's story, but there are big chunks of information missing for Martin (especially S3 and 4). Even though he was there when he was been addressed as "Archivist" for the first time. Or for the first two times? Elias singing "dear Archivist" at Jon's birthday, and then when Prentiss texted him (lol, that sounds funny...)

JON: "Not all of them. And now? Sure the power’s shifted, it’s all politeness and respect, but it still feels just like more of the same. I guess I just stopped caring at some point. Besides they are technically right, I am one of them. To a degree." Yeah, in the beginning they were like "Ohhhh, did I hurt the poor young Archivist? What'cha gonna do? You're gonna cry? Gonna run to Elias?". Then after the coma it's suddenly "What are you doing... Stop it!" and now they're full on Schrödinger's douchbag with "Pls don't kill me, I didn't mean it! It was just a joke!"

MARTIN: "It’s not the same. I’m still just your ‘plus one’." JON: [Amusedly] "Don’t put yourself down. It’s not your fault you’re a bit overshadowed. I am such a very big deal after all." MARTIN: "Oh, very big arse, more like it." Lol

JON: "Either way, even if I wasn’t here, I don’t think you’d be in any danger. Not anymore. I wasn’t sure when we first started out, I hadn’t properly, er… looked into it, as it were. But now I’m certain." Still, I think Jon actually did mean the "I won't let it [harm you]" in MAG 161. He would have fought tooth and nail if he had to in order to protect Martin.

MARTIN: "I’m one of them." JON: "One of… us." MARTIN: "That’s not as comforting as you think it is." JON: "Doesn’t mean it’s not true though." Still a bit in denial^^

MARTIN: "Even though I didn’t ask for it? Did nothing to deserve it?" JON: "‘Deserve’. Huh. Now there’s a word that always causes trouble." MARTIN: "Don’t be patronising." JON: "I just mean that nobody here deserves the position they’ve found themselves in, not really. I suppose a few may have asked for it, sought it out even, but far more didn’t. They just made the wrong choices for the right reasons. Or even the right choices. But ones that still led them here in the end." NOT REALLY! Also, yes, more philosophizing about morals, I love that shit!

INSPECTOR: "Argh! Look, you can’t know if they’re all guilty, alright? It’s just about evidence…" Right, so if that one's here in this domain, then was Tina in the statement really that innocent? "None of these things are illegal" can mean a lot of things.

INSPECTOR: "Hey, fuck you, you scrawny little tit! What the hell do you know?" Luckily, there are a lot of awful people out there who, sooner or later, will show their true face in public (And then this becomes a whole new problem when the majority of society can’t understand why that was wrong...). Also, we got a bit of physical description of Jon there! I never really gave anything to Nikola's "little Archivist" in MAG 97, I thought she meant it in a belittling way. But Jon get's called "little" again, so I guess there's something to it xD Also, we knew he's not the fittest since he gets tired from carrying a metal pipe around, but another confirmation here, boy's scrawny!

MARTIN: "No, you were right to. That’s… that’s a lot of power to have to deal with. Lot of responsibility." JON: "Yes, thank you, Uncle Ben." MARTIN: [Chuckle] "Pop culture? Really?" JON: "I’m allowed to know what Spiderman is." Even if Jon embodies this old fashioned dark academia look, I don't think that's him at all and people just misjudge him. He's been a bookworm in his childhood after all!

MARTIN: "Not helping people is still a decision, isn’t it?" JON: "Well, you saw Jordan, I’m not sure ‘helping’ is –" MARTIN: "I know, I know, not the right word. Ignoring them then." JON: "Yes. It’s a choice I’ve been making a lot recently." MARTIN: "I guess we should get used to it. Knowing that all these awful things are happening for our benefit." JON: "Maybe it’s better if it never gets comfortable." MARTIN: "Maybe." Huh, that's a thought you can convert to rl. The luxury we live in first world countries is sustained at poorer country's cost. And it's so hard to fight this, to try and get resources, which were traded fairly or get them locally. And if you can find something like that, then you need to be able to afford it because these things are of course a lot more expensive than the exploited thing.

Heh, how that familiar Lonely squealing already starts and Martin immediately noticing^^

That is a really cool cliffhanger. Not only teasing Martin's domain, but Martin and Jon being separated in a Lonely domain, again!

@a-mag-a-day

#a-mag-a-day #mag 185 #tma #tma spoilers

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ausetkmt · 1 year

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Upworthy: The four magic phrases to use when you’re stopped by the cops

Whether it’s a traffic stop that turns into “We smell something in your car” or a “driving while black” situation, you have rights when you’re pulled over, and it’s for the best if you actually use them. So how does this work, anyway?

Well, you have rights when you’re pulled over. These have been established via case law, and ultimately, some stem from the Constitution itself. In order, here are the magic phrases, along with some graphics to help you remember.

1. “Am I free to go?”

In any situation involving the police, you can ask this question. Some people ask it slightly differently: “Am I being detained?”—which is a version of the same question. Basically, if they’ve got nothing on you, they have to let you go. If they answer no to that question, you are in fact not free to go. In that case, you are suspected of doing something, and it’s their job to try to get you to admit to it or to say a bit too much and incriminate yourself.

2. “I do not consent to any searches.”

One of the trickiest things that some law enforcement folks try is to talk you into letting them search your vehicle—or house, for that matter. “So if you haven’t done anything, then you’re ok with us searching your car … right? I mean, if you’re innocent. We’ll go easier on you if you let us.” Do NOT give up your rights that easily.

Are you certain your buddy didn’t leave a bag of weed in the glove box?

Are you sure your boyfriend took his target pistol out of the trunk after he went to practice shooting the other day?

Are you absolutely certain that the body in your trunk was removed and buried in that farm field … whoops. Did I say that last one out loud?!

The point is, don’t give up your rights easily. And believe me, cops are gooooood at trying to play psychological games. Which leads to #3.

3. “I want to remain silent.”

You have that right, and if things start getting thick, you need to use it.

“We clocked you going 60 in a 50, but when you opened your window to give us your license, we smelled marijuana.”

The correct answer to something like this is, “I want to remain silent.” The temptation is to say, “Yeah, my buddy and I smoked in my car this morning but I wasn’t driving, blah blah blah”—but then you’re already nailed.

Time for them to get the dogs and search. Congratulations, you’re on your way to the pokey for the night.

4. “I want a lawyer.”

If you’ve reach this particular point, then you’re in deep doodoo anyway, so go ahead and ask for one, and say nothing until he or she arrives.

Remember these four things. It will be hard in the moment, with your adrenaline pumping, your freedom in question, and when you’re possibly in physical danger, depending on the cops involved and your skin color.

"Am I free to go?"

"I do not consent to any searches."

"I want to remain silent."

"I want a lawyer."

Perhaps a word involving the first letter of the four statements will help you remember: FoSSiL (Free, Searches, Silent, Lawyer)

Or maybe a mnemonic:

— Fiscal Suns Scramble Lives

— Fresh Sushi Smell Lemons

— Flexible Straws Sell Lobsters

— Free Subjects Steam Lobsters

The clip below is a shortened version of a much longer one that explains your rights, detailing what you can and cannot do in these situations.

Note that the order of the above is a bit different than in the clip, but the principles are the same.

Good luck out there!

#The four magic phrases to use when you’re stopped by the cops #cops #protect your privacy #self defense

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spicedeluxe · 2 years

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TEASER | BULLET HEART

A RESIDENT EVIL 4 FANFICTION WHERE YOU, [NAME], HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS MISSION. THIS ‘INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS’ MISSION IS ALSO YOUR FIRST BIG MISSION AS AN AGENT FOR USSTRATCOM. THIS WAS YOUR PROVING GROUNDS AND YOU DAMN SURE WEREN’T GOING TO MESS THIS OPPORTUNITY UP.

WELL, YOUR NEW PARTNER PROBABLY WOULDN’T LET YOU.

RINA’S NOTE: my first post!! hello all my cool cats and kittens. welcome to my brand spankin new resident evil 4 reader insert. i am going to heavily follow the story as much as i can, though outcomes will be different with you involved of course. this came to me after living under a rock + me not being into re as much anymore...then learning capcom was making a remake. i fell to my knees immediately. forgive me if i forget things from re i am a little rusty from y’know. leaving the fandom for so long—

originally this had a female reader in mind but i decided to make it gender neutral so everyone can be involved! to give a little insight, reader (you) is 25, has only 1 or 2 years of experience in usstratcom and tired of the bullshit being thrown at them. this is a various x reader and this is short yes but I HAD TO POST SOMETHINGFGG

RESIDENT EVIL © CAPCOM (pls don’t sue im broke i live off ramen noodles)

Case File #6710, otherwise known to you as the biggest mission you’ve ever been assigned by the government. You’ve taken on simpler missions before, usually getting intel or infiltrating certain places. It pales in comparison to what you’re taking on now.

The President’s daughter, Ashley Graham, had gotten kidnapped at least seven hours ago. Not only was the President himself a mess, but it sent USSTRATCOM into chaos, passing out the mission to as many agents in the agency who’d they think would be able to complete this as soon as possible.

Shockingly enough, it fell into your court. Once you were given this file (which was already incredibly detailed, how?!), you didn’t exactly know what to say. “Thank you”? “I appreciate it”?

To top things off, you weren’t the only agent assigned to this case. You were going to be accompanied by a man named Leon Kennedy, who was a veteran and is FAR more experienced than you are. They must have figured you not only could be his second set of eyes, but provide extra offense if necessary.

You’d like it better if it was someone you knew. You’ve never met this man in your entire life. You two weren’t even in the same branch. All you’ve ever heard was your coworkers gossiping about him. How “he’s so mysterious” and “easy on the eyes”. Some people even said he was a jerk.

When you met him, he was quite the charmer. He insisted you simply call him Leon instead of any formality. Every time you’d let an “Agent Kennedy” skip, he’d shake his head and chastise you.

He’s….nice. But he was also quite the looker! When you first met him, your gaze would always linger a bit too long on him. You could only pray to whatever god that was out there that he didn’t notice.

What made things worse is that in the days leading up to the mission, you just kept seeing him around.

Oh, you need to get a report? No problem, Leon’s bringing it to you.

How about grab some coffee? That’s funny. Leon’s getting his coffee too!

In a meeting and people are coming into the room? Hey! Leon’s here to participate.

It was driving you nuts. Some kind of Baader—Meinhof phenomenon, some curse, whatever you’d like to call it. Guess the Earth just wanted you to suffer.

That’s not really important though.

The two of you would take a flight to Europe and rescue Ashley. They informed the both of you that she had been in a rural community in Spain and that you’d reach it with the assistance from local police officers. They also requested for you two inform your support what occurs on the mission.

You were nervous, rightfully so, this big mission coupled with a new partner had just given you the chills all around. It simply gave you more of a reason to prove yourself…

Don’t fuck this up, [Name].

#leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy imagine #ada wong x reader #ada wong imagine #will post the actual beginning soon #i have been revising that chapter like fucking crazy #my blog is all quiet!!#luis sera x reader #luis sera imagine #resident evil x reader #resident evil 4 x reader #resident evil 4 reader insert #idk what else to tag lmao #BULLET HEART SERIES

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bizarrequazar · 1 year

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GJ and ZZH Updates — December 4-10

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

12-04 → Umbrella (Sophie’s husband) posted an essay saying he will be quiet for a while.

12-05 → Peng Lihu’s account was muted for 180 days for violation of relevant laws and regulations.

→ HBW (big Zhang Zhehan anti)’s main Weibo account was deactivated by Weibo. He is still active on side account(s) where he blamed CPFs for reporting him.

12-06 → Official day of mourning for Jiang Zemin.

→ Animals Asia made a tweet (with art by @brilcrist) celebrating the completion of Sheena’s charity drive.

→ A paid account on Weibo posted a photo of a man taken during state funeral saying that “it might be Zhang” but that he wasn’t sure (obviously to avoid liability himself), later deleting the photo and saying he was mistaken. Zhang Sanjian supporters subsequently spread the photo claiming that it was Zhang Zhehan. In case it needs to be stated, drawing attention to oneself during a political day of mourning is a huge taboo; there’s a reason celebrities and even social media and entertainment sites were completely quiet during this period.

12-07 → The Chinese police’s official Weibo posted a PSA spoken by Gong Jun warning people about falling for gambling scams during the World Cup. [text translation] Whalers messaged them claiming Gong Jun is a criminal, ships m/m CPs, etc., to which the police responded by pinning the video to the top of their profile.

→ The brand posted a notice that their event that was supposed to happen on 11-23—the one that people had to pay 20k RMB and give their personal information to be eligible for—had been postponed because of COVID restrictions without a definite new date, and winners would be sent a gift as compensation. (Restrictions have actually loosened because of the protests.)

→ The Instagram posted a video of “Zhang Zhehan” playing guitar.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted his schedule for December: No public schedule at this time. Caption: “The end of the year is approaching, and the winter is getting colder. Boss @ Gong Jun Simon’s December itinerary has been delivered, everyone remember to wear a thick coat ⛄️” BGM is Hero performed by Joey Misquita. Marketing accounts subsequently reported that Gong Jun will not be having any live events this month, to which the chief editor of GQ magazine replied “?????” and “There will be more extraordinary red carpet moments,” so it’s probably safe to say he will be making an appearance during their event later this month.

12-08 → MUJOSH posted a video with the text “Hey It's me M1129 Gong Jun We haven't met in a long time After the deep sea, the dangerous adventure still continues...”, teasing a new ad campaign that would release at midnight on 12-09. Caption: “After the rainforest mirroring, we finally regained contact with M1129. It turned out that his adventures in the new wood world never stopped... 😎”

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ MUJOSH posted a teaser image. (1129 kadian) Caption: “Long time no see, M1129, how is it going? The signal is intermittent, and the video function is still being repaired... Don't worry! Let’s have a little surprise first, the countdown is 1 day~ Rub your hands together and look forward to it”

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Fresh posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun.

→ Honor posted a shorter cut of their previous commercial featuring Gong Jun.

12-09 → MUJOSH posted a photo ad announcing their new ad campaign with Gong Jun. Caption: “The new chapter ‘THE(RE)SET Magic Night New Way’ opens and the video is fully restored, M1129, we finally meet again! Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a long time! Isn’t @ Gong Jun Simon so handsome? Hint 😎: No sleep tonight... 😎”

Four minutes later, they posted five photo ads featuring Gong Jun. Another four minutes later, this was followed by an additional three photo ads.

→ Colgate posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun. They later also posted a photo ad.

→ A Japanese newspaper included an advertisement for The Blooms of Ruyi Pavilion which will be airing there soon, with large text on the side advertising that it features “the big hit Word of Honor’s Zhang Zhehan.”

→ MUJOSH posted a behind the scenes video from the photoshoot.

→ Charlotte Tilbury posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a douyin of more MUJOSH behind the scenes footage. Caption: “Please enjoy boss @ Gong Jun’s ’mirror‘ show!” BGM is Fighting For A Reason by Black Red Gold.

→ QuelleVous posted about Summer, a con woman and friend of Xie Yihua’s who scripted the 05-04 deepfake video. Flora later followed up explaining evidence that one of Summer’s accounts is used primarily to exacerbate strife among whalers, trying to divide the fandom further.

12-10 → Gong Jun posted the Honor commercial from the previous week to his Weibo.

→ Gong Jun posted twenty travel photos to his Weibo. Caption: “Destination station: Lugu Lake” He later posted ten of the same to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “Let's go, ge will take you... To play!” and ten to his Instagram, caption: “Waiting for a long time, because I have to add a frame before each post.. 😓 😓”

→ MUJOSH posted another behind the scenes video.

→ Kangshifu posted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news thread

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

#Zhang Zhehan #Gong Jun #Word of Honor #woh cast #lld timeline

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erickxng · 1 year

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[Cis Male He/Him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ERIC KANG]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [BRIAN TEE]. You must be the [FORTY] year old [AURORA BAY HOSPITAL SURGEON]. Word is you’re [VALIANT] but can also be a bit [IMPULSIVE] and your favorite song is [HARVEST MOON BY NEIL YOUNG]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE].

Trigger Warning: Gun mention, attempted murder

GENERAL DETAILS.

BIRTH NAME: [REDACTED], changed to eric kang five years ago AGE: forty DATE OF BIRTH: 14th of march 1983 PLACE OF BIRTH: [REDACTED] ETHNICITY: korean GENDER: cis male PRONOUNS: he/him ORIENTATION: panromantic / pansexual RELIGION: n/a OCCUPATION: emergency surgeon

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS: valiant & altruistic NEGATIVE TRAITS: impulsive & confined MYERS BRIGGS: ISFJ

THE RUNDOWN.

Eric Kang, born with the name [REDACTED], and grew up in [REDACTED], expected to live an average life. As you can probably tell by now ‘Eric’ isn’t his real name, in fact he’s only been using for 5 years. Why? It’s a long story. Eric Kang as a person didn’t exist until the year 2018, anything pertaining to his old identity has been almost clinically-wiped. The details of this new identities being past would be completely fabricated. Now don’t get Eric wrong, he didn’t do anything wrong to have to live like this, in fact, the singular event that lead to this situation involved him being a hero. But life doesn’t plan out the way you expect it sometimes. Eric Kang, a very long time ago, worked in a very large Hospital in [REDACTED]. He had a steady girlfriend, and was saving up money to buy a wedding ring to propose in the very sappy fashion we all know and love. He had a condo, a loving family, everything was going well for him. That would be until the night that changed his life. It was a busy night at work, a rain storm has caused collisions on the street, so a steady influx of patients would be coming in. That unfortunately mean that patients with less severe reasons were forced to wait, and became disgruntled. Unfortunately, an assumed patient decided to take his complaint too far. This event for Eric started when he heard a weapon fire, and a barrage of shrieks coming from the waiting room. Eric, a person who had a habit of jumping into danger at the fear of others getting hurt, found himself sprinting out into the waiting area to analyse the situation.

What he remembers next, is jumping in front a patient to stop them from being in the line of fire. Eric would learn later on after the police arrived that the shooter was not a patient, but a local gang member that was sent out on a hit. The doctor who had thad a natural instinct to save people, now had inadvertently stepped into a dangerous situation. The hit failed, and he was now in real danger. After that, things started to happen pretty quickly. First of all, he had to get out of town for while, witness protection in [REDACTED]. It was only meant to be for a while until things cooled down. Unable to speak to his family and friends, Eric waited and waited. It would be several months before Eric learned from the police that he was very much a target, and he could never go home. Not only that, he would be provided a new identity and a new location to keep him safe. This did not go over well at all with Eric, who had a wedding ring in his work bag that day, and was preparing to propose later that night. But once again, sometimes in life you simply have no choice. Eric found himself in this small corner of the world, far from home. Far from his family, friends, and his beloved fiancee. Perhaps the only semblance of normalcy since his entire identity had been stripped from him, was being able to go back to medicine. He was allowed to work in a hospital again, but much smaller. He was ordered to keep a low profile, and to absolutely not ‘be a hero’ with the exception of medicine again. Over the past five years Eric has adjusted into his new life, but that’s not to say it’s any easier when reflecting on his past. Until it is safe to go home, he is much safer as ‘Eric’ than he is as [REDACTED].

CONNECTIONS.

current connections.

Cherisa “Cherry” Koch: Housemate Katrina Beaford: Fellow cat lover & Friend

wanted connections. ( wip )

///: ///

#aurorabay.intro

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bookwyrminspiration · 2 years

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actually yeah if you wouldn’t mind talking about what to expect from a crash, that would be helpful. but you don’t have to

I don't mind at all! I think it's useful information to have, and there are some things I wish I'd known to pay attention to/to do before I got into a crash. So for background, a few months ago I got into a car crash as a minor in an intersection that was the fault of the other driver, resulting in no injuries, which totaled my car. Police were called and statements taken, then insurance dealt with. This obviously is not all crashes, but this is the perspective I have.

I'll try and go mostly in chronological order, but if you have questions about any part please don't hesitate to let me know so I can answer it to the best of my ability! I've mostly explained things from the perspective of getting in a crash with another vehicle, but the questions are easily adaptable to other situations

(this is long, like 3.7k words long, so I'm putting it under a cut, but hopefully it's helpful!! and it's in sections to break it up)

Immediately After

So you've just gotten into a car crash a few seconds ago, the very first thing to determine is are you okay? Can you move? Are you in any immediate danger where you are (e.g. the car is on fire)? If you are, that's great, and you can move on to assessing the car. If you aren't, gauge the severity and whether you're going to need emergency services. If you do, contact emergency services. Or if you need to get out, get out.

Let's say you're okay and in a condition where you can move around and assess the car. First look inside the car: did any of the airbags go off? If so, how many? If a lot of them have gone off, you may have trouble getting out of the vehicle because they are hard and may partially block the door. They're also going to stink, and there's going to be a vague smoke in the air. It's possible you won't be able to see anything to do with the car until you get out. When I got in my crash, all the airbags went off and I couldn't see anything at all.

If you can get out of the car, then you can assess the outside. This is where you'll determine the severity and whether or not it's in a drive-able condition. If it isn't, don't worry about moving it. If you could drive it, then look around at where you are and see if you're blocking any traffic. If you are, you can consider getting back in and driving to a spot out of the way so you can deal with your situation without being in the way of or in traffic. If there are nearby parking lots, those work well. I was unable to drive away due to totaling my car, so I just left it where it was, and that is okay.

Medical Aid

A consideration is whether or not to call the police. If the crash looks bad, you may want to to have statements to give to insurance. Also, look into what kind of car you have and whether it has a feature to automatically contact authorities in the event of a crash. I crashed in a 2017 Subaru Outback and was very surprised when the dash loudly announced "Crash detected!!" then started dialing 911 for me before I'd even registered what'd happened. If you have a vehicle that does that, the person will start talking to you on the phone and contact people on your behalf to send to the scene.

In the event police show up on the scene (you call them, another person calls them, your car calls them because that's something they can apparently do), they may also have emergency medical personnel. For me, this was a firetruck. There will be several people in bright vests asking you if you're injured, so that's why it's nice to have made that assessment earlier. If you are, you can tell them so and let them treat you--depending on severity of the issue you may be transferred to a hospital or something and deal with all the insurance claims later. I cannot detail how that part works out as I didn't need medical, but whatever the process for a hospital is, that's probably about how things will proceed.

If you deny medical help, like I did, you'll need to sign off saying that you did so. You will likely be asked a few questions before doing so including what happened, your name, age, whether or not you could be pregnant, and if you're hurt. These are basic questions, easy and quick to answer. After that, if you're not receiving care, they can leave and you can deal with the police.

Police

The police are going to want to see your information and have you tell them what happened. They'll want to see the paperwork for the car (most people keep it in the glovebox, but ask your parent(s) where it is so you know)--and don't worry if you don't know exactly what paperwork to grab. The police know what they need, so they can figure it out. They'll also want your license (make sure they give this back to you when they're done).

And then we start to get into the questions

On Scene Questions

Police are going to ask less questions than insurance, but they still have some questions. Mainly, what happened? This will be broken into smaller questions. Where were you going? Was anyone else in the car with you? What direction were you heading (north, south, east, west)? Did something distract you? Are you under the influence? Was the road in a certain condition (if it's raining, icy, snowy)? Where did you hit the thing/other vehicle? They probably won't ask you all of this directly, but will instead get most of it from your story. Just detail what happened at the crash, why it happened (if you know), tell the story. If they're missing essential details, they'll ask you for them and help you figure it out if needed (e.g. I'm awful with directions and road names, so they helped me detail what direction I'd been facing).

Keep in mind, car crashes happen all the time. You may be entirely out of your depth, but the officers won't be.

They'll likely also ask you about the vehicle. Who does it belong to? They can see this on the paperwork, but will probably ask you to confirm. After all, you're right there and probably know more things than a piece of paper.

Essentially, you're going to be asked what happened, where you were going, and who you are. They'll write this all into a report and tell you how to access it if you need to. It may take a day or two before you can, but it'll be there.

Going Home

So you've gotten in a car crash. You've answered a bunch of questions. You want to be not there anymore. Before you leave, you'll want to exchange insurance information with the other driver. You can just take a picture of each others paperwork. You may want to exchange phone numbers as well for insurance purposes. If you do, give the number that will most likely be dealing with the insurance. For me, that was my mom.

Now that you have that, if your car is in functional condition, you can drive home. Simple as that.

If your car is not in functional condition, it's a little more complicated. You'll have the opportunity to take everything out of the car that you need to, and you may find things you didn't even realize were in there. I personally didn't have a lot, but I had my backpack (I was driving home from school), the garage door opener, and a crate full of things like jumper cables in the backseat. If you have parking passes on your windshield or anything, take those as well. If you're able to, get the license plate off now, but you probably don't have the tools to so don't worry about it. You'll have the opportunity later.

Afterwards your car will be towed. The police can take care of that and contact who needs to be contacted, upon which the car will be removed from the area. They'll either tell you where it's being taken, or tell you how to find out. That way, you can go down there later and take anything you didn't get the first time (like the license plate)--your parents may do this part. Mine did, and that way there's another set of eyes looking for things I might've forgotten in the stress of the moment.

Then there's the matter of getting home now that your car is gone. If you have someone who can come get you like a parent, that's great! They can come a get you and police will leave and you can go home to deal with insurance. If you don't have anyone who can (I didn't), the police may be able to give you a ride. I got driven home in a police vehicle because that was what worked for my situation. You may also be able to call an uber, or take the bus, or walk home if there's no other option. My point is there are options, and you'll be okay.

(note: it's possible you'll have another person present with you throughout the process. If you call your parents early on, they may have time to arrive and help. If you were with another person, then they'll also be able to answer questions. Witnesses may even step forward to help. When I got in my crash an older guy helped me for a few minutes when it first happened to ensure I wasn't hurt, then left me to it. Later on, the school nurse walked down to the intersection to be an adult present because her daughter had seen the crash and let her know about it and I was alone).

Insurance Questions

Now you're home. Congratulations! Please drink water and feel free to collapse and do nothing for a few hours. Or if you need to do things to take your mind off of it, do so. You can expect the event to play in your head a fair amount now, as with any traumatic thing.

As a minor, odds are you're not going to have to do the initial insurance contacting, you'll have to answer many questions though. They'll have some different questions from the police. This will probably happen same day as the accident--for me it was only like two hours later.

Expect to be on the phone for a while, and during this part you'll once again tell the story. More detail is better this time to get the full sense of the accident and who is at fault. They also are insurance, so they didn't see the scene and will be getting their understanding of everything from you.

Questions are something like: what happened? Where were you? What street(s) were you on? What street was the other vehicle on? How many lanes are in those streets? What direction were you going? Where was the point of impact? What's was the damage to your vehicle? What was the damage to the other vehicle? Did you have time to take any evasive maneuvers like hitting the brakes or swerving? Did you see the other vehicle swerve? If you were at an intersection, what color was the light? Did you see the light the other vehicle had if that's relevant? Was the vehicle towed? Were you injured? Was anyone with you? Do you have a dashboard camera? What was the weather like? Were you on an incline? What's the speed limit in the area? How fast were you going? Did the other vehicle look like they were trying to evade someone/thing? Do you know how many people were in the other car? Who was the other driver (age, sex, observable things)? Were there any witnesses? Were there other cars present? If you look at a map of the streets, where were you when you first saw the other vehicle/the object/the danger?

Essentially, they're going to have you answer a bunch of questions. Answer them the best you can, and be assertive in your answers. If something happened, say it. Be clear. I know the situation is scary and that you don't want to say something and get in trouble for it, but they just want the information and the more confident and assured your answers are, the more they'll believe you and everything will be easier.

Afterwards, they'll assess and determine who/what they think was at fault so they can determine how much money to give you for your troubles. For example, my insurance determined the other driver to be 100% at fault for the accident so my family was reimbursed for the value of our now destroyed car in the current market. They do some funky calculations, but this is stuff your parents will be dealing with.

The other person's insurance may call you as well and ask you to give a statement to them as well, the same as what i just described. it's possible the other insurance will determine something different than yours based on different information. For example, for me the other person's insurance made a different call because the other driver gave conflicting information (they lied). This is why it's important to know your story and be clear with it so you can contest against incorrect information. That sounds like more work than it is, what I'm basically saying is just be confident and straightforward with your story.

As a minor, all that will be expected of you is answering questions. Logistics of dealing with claims and buying a new car (if you do) and loans and reimbursements and such will fall to your parents.

What to expect following

Okay, now you've gotten in a car crash and dealt with insurance. It's possible they'll call you back wanting more details, but you know how to do that now. Now you've gotta look for a few things following the crash

Over the next few hours to days, pay attention to your body. You were pumped full of adrenaline and that can make some injuries undetectable. Areas to look out for are the wrists (from holding/bracing the steering wheel), right foot (from slamming the brakes), tailbone (it's not very padded when you're sitting down. you can check right now, it really just sticks out), chest (from the seatbelt), neck (whiplash can occur from the sudden stop), and chin-chest (where the airbag hit--they are not soft).

That's not to say any pain at all is an emergency, just be gentle with yourself. It may hurt to take a deep breath for a few days and your wrists may ache. You may have a bruise or two, maybe a cut. Minor injuries are normal, but if you notice something more serious please seek medical attention. You may not have noticed it immediately and it could need addressing--it's not a bad thing to have not noticed it, it's 100% understandable and even expected, so please don't be embarrassed about deciding you need to go to urgent care or something.

Aside from medical things, you may need a rental car. That's something for your parents to worry about, and if you're driving yourself again immediately afterwards, please try out the car around your neighborhood before going places. Being more jumpy on the road and in an unfamiliar car can be uncomfortable, so familiarize yourself.

You may instead be driving a different family car. Either way, you may be driving a car you're not familiar with, so please get a little familiar with it.

Your mind will also probably focus on this traumatic event for a while. I know for the rest of the day the moment of impact kept playing on repeat in my head and I'd just watch it again and again. Be gentle with yourself. These are traumatic experiences and your brain is adjusting.

You also have to decide who you need/want to tell. For example, I needed to tell my parents because it's their car and I can't deal with all this stuff on my own. I wanted to tell my partner (who has also been in a car crash, so they made an edit of our two totaled cars next to each other with a heart because they're in gay love if you want to see that <3) because they're a huge support for me and I wanted to let them know. I didn't tell anyone I knew at school because I'm a private person--however, some people had seen the accident because it happened literally 20 seconds away from the school building. In that instance some people found out that I didn't necessarily mean to, but it was okay. Everyone was very concerned and nice about it because they wanted to make sure I was okay. i also told all of tumblr because I like you guys

You'll also probably have more anxiety about driving/being in cars in general. You may get triggered while driving and start thinking about the crash. You'll be more alert on the road and more things will make you uneasy. There's no one simple way to deal with things like this, but I personally have found exposure to be the most helpful (I'll talk about that more in number three of the next section)

Things I personally suggest

Okay, now that we've gone over mostly everything (I've probably forgotten a thing or two, but this is still pretty detailed) that's involved in getting in a crash (from my experience), here's a few things I wish I'd done or known to look for when I got in my car crash.

One, I suggest you, as soon as you are able (a break before is fine), make a detailed recorded account of what happened. Everything you know. Either write it down, type it up, record yourself talking, whatever works. Everything that happened, take record of it. The street, the weather, if you hit the breaks, take the crash and break it down as much as you can in that recording. This way, as time goes on and you're giving more and more statements and talking to people, you have something concrete to reference. I remember enough about my crash to answer the important questions, but as time goes on there are parts that I'm not as sure of anymore (like how many other cars were on the road with me) that I wish I could double check. having a detailed account helps keep track and answer questions

Two. On the scene of the accident, if you can remember to, look at how many lanes are in the roads. if this applies to you, look at the light to commit it to memory because lights change and this is your chance. For me, I did so accidentally out of disbelief like "but I thought I had a green!" so I looked a few moments before the impact and saw that yes, I did have a green. That's one of the most important things, so hold onto that knowledge tighter. It also helps be confident when answering insurance questions, because while I don't know how many other cars were on the road I know without a doubt I had a green light because I looked as it happened. Also if you can see what kind of car the other driver has, color and brand and such. Essentially, on the scene commit as many of the small details to memory that answer the example questions I gave you and be certain about them. no matter what you forget you know those things are true so you can fall back on and rely on them.

Three. Expose yourself to driving again, preferably sooner rather than later. I know that it sucks to get back on the road, that the last time you were you got in a crash. But if you don't do it again, it'll build up into this huge insurmountable thing in your mind that's so much worse than it is right now. Give your mind an experience that doesn't end badly so it doesn't keep making those scary situations in your head. If you push through that anxiety and drive somewhere again, you're showing yourself that you can drive and that it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. Doing it sooner prevents the anxiety from getting a foothold. For me, this was driving back to school the next day. I had somewhere to be so I drove there and proved to myself that I still could do it, that while bad things can happen there's not something to be afraid of. Exposing yourself to driving again (and specifically in the same place) can be extra anxiety inducing, but it helps you get back on the road. If that's not your goal, don't pay as much attention to this, but I drive myself most places so it was crucial for me. For others, you can rely on others to drive you places until you work yourself up to being able to drive again and that's okay too. There's no shame in it.

Final Note

You're going to be asked the same questions over and over again, just letting you know out of the gate. I've told the story so many times by now, and I'll undoubtedly tell it again. It's just how the system works. But it's manageable, and you'll get through it. Keep your story clear and keep moving forward. You got in a crash. Okay. That sucks. You're still here though and it's not the end of the world, you've still got tomorrow. You'll get through it

This turned out to be a lot longer than I meant for it to be, but hopefully it helps with some of your anxiety to have a more detailed explanation of about what will happen. This is based on my personal experience getting in a car crash by myself as the driver as a minor. Not all crashes are like this or will play out like this, but these are the things that freaked me out not knowing about before, so even if you don't ever get in a crash (hopefully!!) you now have a better idea of what to expect.

You'll be okay, and I believe in you <33

#quil's queries #solreefs #tw car crash #driving #driving tips #car crash #i remember my first thought when I got in the crash was 'did that really just happen?'#and then 'aw fuck that just happened'#because if that just happened that meant I had to deal with it #car crashes are fast paced #you can't put off dealing with them until later #which I especially hated because I didn't know what was going to happen #I didn't know what to do #so hopefully I have eliminated some of that uncertaintly in you #with this. very long explanation of car crashes #if you or anyone else has any questions please don't hesitate to ask!#whether that's about the process #or about my own crash #i don't mind talking about it :)

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xtruss · 11 days

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Houston, Texas: Where Asylum Cases Come To Die! Some Immigration Lawyers Relish A Challenge

— By Dan Halpern | April 14, 2024 | 1843 Magazine

So this is what I want you to say: that you fear you would be killed.” It was early March and Laure Dachelet, a lawyer based in Houston, Texas, was preparing a client who was about to present his asylum case before a judge. “I mean, they threatened to kill you several times. They put a bomb in front of your house. So the intention to kill you was pretty clear. You need to say so.”

The client, a 30-year-old man called Farid, nodded gently. It had been a long wait to get to this point. Farid had fled Afghanistan in 2014 and, after a perilous three-year journey to America that took him through a dozen countries, applied for asylum in 2017; he had yet to see a judge, seven years later. Until 2014 he had worked as a translator for the British Army and the Afghan national police at a military base outside Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province. Driving home one night, after his last day at work, he was stopped by Taliban forces.

“The Taliban beat me and then let me go,” was how Farid had initially described the incident. With Dachelet’s prodding, a longer narrative emerged. The Taliban had accused him of working with the enemy. Farid insisted that he was coming back from a doctor’s appointment. They beat him and interrogated him, but Farid stuck to his story and finally they let him go. Days later the Taliban found proof that he had worked with the British. They told Farid’s father that they would kill his son when they found him, then they bombed Farid’s home.

The Taliban Found Proof That Farid Had Worked With The British. They Told His Father That They Would Kill His Son When They Found Him, Then They Bombed Farid’s Home

Dachelet, who had previously been a judge in the French family courts, explained that the judge would try to suss out whether Farid was telling the truth. She would evaluate his demeanour, watch for whether he answered or avoided questions, check whether his story was consistent with his written declaration and documents. That was always the danger for an asylum-seeker: an applicant could have all the boxes ticked, but a judge was free to decide he was lying. The more detailed your story, the more likely a judge is to believe it. But asylum lawyers need to weigh up carefully how much information their clients provide. The more they offer, the greater the possibility that under examination they will confuse or misremember events.

Farid mentioned that before they took him to be interrogated, the Taliban had covered his face with a scarf. Why had they done that, asked Dachelet?

“In Islam, in the religion, if your clothes are bloody, you cannot pray on that day, you will need to change your clothes,” said Farid. “So they didn’t want to get blood on their—”

Dachelet interrupted. “Why were you bleeding?”

“Oh, because they hit me with the back of the gun.”

“OK, this is why we need to be more detailed,” said Dachelet. “You need to say, one of them hit me in the face with the butt of the AK-47 and I started bleeding. You talk about the scarf, and the blood, and we don’t really make the connection. I know your story, you know your story. Let’s pretend the judge and the attorney for the government don’t know your story.”

She asked Farid what date he arrived in America. He thought about it before replying: “2017. August, or September.”

“July,” Dachelet said.

“July? I don’t think it was July,” Farid said.

“July is what we said on your declaration,” Dachelet said.

This mistake was concerning. A judge is on the lookout for inconsistencies in an applicant’s story – the de facto rule is that three mistakes like this can be grounds for rejection. One judge may have some sympathy for the argument that no one can remember every date and detail of their life story perfectly accurately; another may have none.

In this case, Farid’s mistake might have resulted from his confusion over how dates are formatted in America – with the month before the day – which is different from how other countries do it. But it’s exactly the kind of thing some judges could use to deny his claim. He would need to stick to July.

Dachelet explained that, in order to grant asylum, the judge would need to be convinced that Farid was likely to face persecution if he returned home. “What makes you think you might be in danger if you went home?” she asked. “This all happened ten years ago, don’t you think they’ll have just forgotten about it?

A Judge Is On The Lookout For Inconsistencies In An Applicant’s Story – The de Facto Rule Is That Three Mistakes Like This Can Be Grounds For Rejection

“When the Taliban took over, they announced that they were forgiving all the people, wherever you worked…[They said] we are forgiving them, they can come, they come and be peaceful,” Farid said. “A lot of people went back. Most of them disappeared.”

Farid’s case seemed undeniable. He had a terrible story, a credible fear that he would be persecuted if he were deported, both for who he was and what he had done; he had documents proving what he said was true. He had been in the country for seven years, working long hours as a truck driver, a lawful contributor to society, if not yet a full member of it. But Houston is where asylum cases come to die.

Nationally, immigration courts grant asylum in about four out of ten cases. Houston’s courts, in common with those in Charlotte, Atlanta, Kansas City and a few other places, grant asylum in one out of ten. San Francisco’s courts, by contrast, approve seven out of ten asylum claims, while New York’s courts approve six out of ten.

These disparities can be partly explained by the fact that different kinds of migrants tend to settle in different cities. More Central Americans, for instance, come to Texas; more Asians come to California. Their cases for asylum tend to be very different.

Whether or not a case is successful can also depend on the judge. A national study of disparities in asylum adjudications found, for example, that Colombian applicants who brought their cases in Miami were granted asylum by one judge in 88% of cases, whereas another – in the same building – granted it only 5% of the time.

On the one hand Farid was unlucky. According to his lawyers, the judge who would be presiding over his case had previously rejected nine out of ten asylum applications (although the huge majority of her cases had come from Central America and Mexico, whose citizens have very low rates of successful applications across the court systems).

On the other hand, he was lucky that his case had been taken on by a law firm with an impressive record in asylum cases. Dachelet works for Political Asylum Lawyers, which was founded in 2020 by Brian Manning (above), a former asylum officer. It is unusual among immigration law firms: although most take on asylum cases, very few are dedicated to them. Manning told me that out of the 39 cases the firm has seen to conclusion over the past two years, only eight have resulted in deportation.

Manning grew up in Oklahoma and came from a background much like everyone he knew: white, Christian and conservative. He played high-school football and went to church on Sundays. Most of his contemporaries stayed in their home state. But in his third year at university, Manning spent a semester in St Petersburg, Russia, and felt the world open up. He finished law school, got married and joined the foreign service, working in Croatia, Bulgaria and Chile. He and his wife adopted two boys from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although the couple loved living abroad, they wanted to raise their children in America, near their families. Early in 2017, as Donald Trump took office, they returned home.

Asylum-Seekers Typically Have No More Than An Hour To Convince An Asylum Officer That They Face A Significant Risk Of Persecution If They Return Home

Manning yearned for a career where he was “actually helping people and doing a good thing”. In Bulgaria, he had visited a camp for Syrian refugees, which had given him the idea to specialise in asylum law. He got a job as an asylum officer, working for the immigration service in Houston. He spent his days conducting “credible fear” interviews: one of the first steps in the asylum process. Asylum-seekers typically have no more than an hour to convince an asylum officer that they face a significant risk of persecution if they return home. If they pass, they can apply for asylum. If they fail, they have a right to appeal against the decision before a judge.

It was a tough job. “You’re hearing stories all day about torture and terrible things happening to people,” he said, “and you either think that they’re lying to you, which is frustrating, or you believe it, and you’re like, this is how this person had to live? This is what this person had to go through? My God.” Asylum officers typically burnt out around a year and a half in, Manning said, many of them suffering from a sort of secondary ptsd.

Most of the people he interviewed were from Central America, and described terrible poverty and violence: “You won’t join my gang? We’re going to kill you. You can’t pay my extortion fee for your shop? We’re going to kill you.” But as tragic as their stories were, most of the applicants were unlikely to satisfy the authorities handling their claims. People seeking asylum in America must demonstrate that they have suffered or were likely to suffer persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group.

During the two years he worked as an asylum officer, Manning was depressed by the quality of asylum lawyers he met, most of whom, he said, were lousy, lazy and ineffective. Not that he encountered them that often. Asylum hearings are civil not criminal proceedings, so the government is not required to provide a lawyer, and few applicants can afford one. Sometimes asylum-seekers were helped by lawyers from non-profit organisations, who were generally excellent, said Manning, although there weren’t enough of them.

It was this feeling – that there were deserving applicants who were being let down by the system – that drove him to start his own firm. Manning felt that his experience playing for the other side, so to speak, could help his clients navigate a system of Byzantine complexity. He reckons that specialising in asylum law makes it easier to stay on top of the frequent changes to the law, something that a firm with a wider range of immigration issues might find challenging.

One piece of advice he gives his clients is knowing when it’s OK to admit you’ve lied. Because you can apply for asylum only once you are in America, and can’t get a visa to ask for asylum, many refugees claim they are coming for a holiday, even though they fully intend to overstay their tourist visa. “This kind of lie is not held against you at an asylum hearing,” Manning said. “But it is a problem if you say at your asylum interview that you’ve never lied in connection with a us immigration matter.” That is, you can lie to get here, but not lie about having lied. This is a favourite technique, he said, of asylum officers looking for excuses to reject applicants.

Manning Shares His Tips On Social Media, Including TikTok And Instagram. He’s Doing It To Attract Business, But Also To Help Those Who Can’t Afford His Services

Manning shares his tips on social media, including TikTok and Instagram. He’s doing it to attract business, but also to help those who can’t afford his services. The videos are professionally made, with choppy, attention-grabbing edits. “What if I told you you can pretty much win your asylum case before you ever set foot in the asylum office for your interview?” he says in one video, which takes viewers through creating an “asylum roadmap”. Most asylum officers are overworked and stressed, said Manning. They appreciate being presented with a package containing all the necessary information and legal reasoning: a written narrative, evidence to support it, and a description of the political conditions in the applicant’s homeland. It works, says Manning, “because you’ve done much of their work for them”.

Farad’s hearing took place on a Monday morning. He had the dates right this time, told his story clearly, and addressed the questions from the government lawyer directly and honestly. But there’s no such thing as an open-and-shut case, especially in asylum law. “I still get nervous, I’m certainly emotionally invested,” Manning said. “That’s natural for anyone working with these kinds of high stakes, or working with so much trauma. Did I cover everything I need to cover? Did I prepare enough for any surprises? I’ll go over it and over it.”

The hearing lasted just under an hour. “I’m inclined to grant the application,” the judge told Farid. The lawyer for the government said they would not appeal. It seemed done and dusted. Except it wasn’t, quite. Farid’s biometric information (including his fingerprints and photographs) were missing from the government’s file. Somehow, in the seven years he had been waiting, they had been misplaced. The judge couldn’t grant asylum until Farid made an appointment to have his biometric information recorded again. To get an appointment, he was told, he would have to wait only another few months. ■

— Dan Halpern is a Feature Writer ✍️ For 1843 Magazine | Illustrations: James Wilson | Images: Getty, Reuters

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freewayinsurance · 2 years

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What Happens When Your Car Insurance Policy Lapses and You Have an Accident?

Driving without car insurance is never going to be a good idea and having an accident while uninsured is pretty much as bad as it gets. You’ll most likely be out some significant money and your ability to buy auto insurance at a normal rate may be in jeopardy. You will face a citation – and depending on the severity of the accident and whether or not you were at fault, you may even be looking at some time behind bars.

The financial ding you will take – especially if the accident is your fault – will be significant. In some states, even if the accident is not your fault, if you are driving uninsured the ramifications are surprisingly harsh.

Known as the “No Pay, No Play” law in Alaska, California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota and Oregon, uninsured drivers who get into an accident cannot collect certain amounts of money from the other driver’s insurance – even if the accident is not their fault.

For example, in Louisiana, uninsured drivers cannot collect the first $25,000 of property damages and $15,000 of personal injury damages if they get into an accident, regardless of whether the accident was their fault. More states are seriously looking at implementing variations of the “No Pay, No Play” law.

If your policy lapses for even one day because you failed to pay your car insurance premiums on time and you get into an accident, it’s going to an expensive mistake.

Don’t I Have a Grace Period to Pay My Car Insurance?

The grace period after a car insurance lapse can vary greatly from one insurer to another. And state laws differ. You could have as little as a one-day grace period or as much as 30 days. On average, you might have ten days. But in some situations, you’ll have no grace period whatsoever.

What if you don’t know exactly how much grace period you have? Insurance companies don’t always go out of their way to publicize that information. What if you let that extended time get away from you? It can be dangerous to rely on grace periods to pay your policy because they’re too easy to miss.

So What Happens if My Car Insurance Policy Lapses?

If you’re a good customer, your insurance agent might reinstate your coverage as soon as your payment is received. But if you’re already a high-risk customer because of your driving record or other factors, your insurer might refuse to reinstate coverage.

Even if you haven’t been classified as high risk, a lapsed policy payment might put you in that dreaded category. And you could be required to pay your insurer a financial penalty for reinstatement.

If you get stopped by the police before your policy is reinstated, you might have to pay a fine or even get your license suspended. And even if you’re only without coverage for a day or two, an accident over that period could be financially ruinous if you’re the at-fault driver. So lapsing is to be avoided at all costs.

5 Ways to Deal with Insurance Policy Lapse After an Accident

If you think being an at-fault driver in a car accident is bad, the aftermath can be worse. That’s when your insurance agent gives you the bad news that you no longer have coverage. Here’s what to do (or at least try) if you get into a car accident with lapsed coverage.

1. Immediately Make the Policy Payment if You Still Can

At least that will put you in better graces with your insurance company when you must make your claim. And if they accepted your late payment, you might have a case for being covered.

2. Call Your Insurance Agent

You’ll do this as soon as you’ve made your late payment. If you’ve been a good customer for a number of years, your agent might accept your claim even if you were technically not a customer when the collision happened. Make your case and cross your fingers.

3. Stay Honest

The temptation might be to fudge certain details, such as when the accident occurred. Not only is that ethically and criminally wrong, but the police report which you must send your insurer will contain different information. The best way of getting your claim rejected is with an attempt at insurance fraud.

4. Consult a Lawyer

That’s an option if all else fails. Yes, it’s likely to be expensive, but if you’re looking at the probability of being financially responsible for thousands of dollars in damages and even medical costs as the result of a fault accident–not to mention potentially stiff legal penalties–you might not have many choices but to fight.

5. Avoid the Risk of Car Insurance Lapse Before it Happens

Here’s the best tip of all: always pay your car insurance premium when due. If paying online, consider setting up auto-pay, so you don’t even have to think about it. If you’re usually late because it’s a financial challenge to pay bi-annually, see if you can set up much lower monthly payments. And never ignore due date notifications from your insurer.

Find Affordable Car Insurance Quotes Online Today

We’re here to help. Call your independent Freeway Insurance agent at (800) 777-5620 or get a quick quote online. You can also find a Freeway office near you.

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ygreczed-3 · 3 years

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The Walking Dead/Detroit Become Human AU

(so basically I was tempted to make a post to apologize about the mess my blog has become lately - feels like I’m posting AUs, artworks, sketches and comic updates in such a chaotic way… I’m really sorry about it ahaha 😅 Hopefully it will get better soon)

So this post is me drawing for hours and forgetting to eat on my break day (I finally did !!! Don’t worry ahaha) because I became obsessed with an idea again. Also I like to make concept arts and storyboards as if I was working on a professional project for a TV show/animation. I find it fascinating ! This time I don’t really have any plot or finished story, I just wanted to draw these scenes badly so… I just did.

I’d like to draw your attention to Connor’s curly hair and Hank’s design (strongly inspired by Kristoff from Frozen). I just LOVE these details.

⚠️Remember this is NOT a new series. Just me having fun with characters and a universe I like (aka The Walking Dead) !

Anyway, more ideas below 👀

*POW*

Hank open his eye again. The walker was shot in the head. Hank pushes the walker away, it falls dead on the concrete.

Looking up, he sees Connor with a gun.

Hank : Jesus… Thank you. I thought I was…

Connor : I wouldn’t have wasted a bullet for you if it wasn’t for your kid back there. Your car, does it work? Hank : … Yeah… I just… I was looking for some gas when… well… Can I drive you somewhere? Connor : Not really, I’m looking for someone.

___________________________

Hank and Cole are walking in a gas station with jerricans and pour what’s left of gas from the pump.

Cole : Dad, that mister from earlier, do you think he’s gonna be okay ? Hank : I think, pumpkin. He was the one helping us. Cole : Being alone sounds dangerous… He should have come with us. Hank : …

___________________________

It��s nighttime, Cole is sleeping in the backseats with a blanket, Hank is sleeping in the driver seat. He wakes up brutally as he hears something tapping softly against the car window : the young man from earlier. He rolls the window down.

Hank : You ? Connor : I’ve looked around the whole city. Now it’s too dark… I need a safe place to have some sleep, I was thinking you could let me in. You owe me after all. Hank : … Yeah sure. Get in.

Connor gets in the car. He takes his bag off and keeps it by his side, out of Hank’s reach. He takes his coat off but keeps a gun near him. Hank stares at him with narrowed eyes.

Hank : … You’re safe here, really. You can trust me. Connor : Sorry, but I only trust myself.

___________________________

It’s dark outside, Hank can’t really sleep with the stranger next to him. His guts dictate him to stay alert. He watches carefully as Connor turns his head to him, half-opening his eyes.

Connor: Can’t sleep ? Hank : … Well you were right… I don’t know you. What about you ? Did you sleep a little ? Connor : … No. I’m too… cautious. My brain won’t let me sleep with a stranger next to me. Hank : … My name’s Hank. You ? Connor : What the hell are you doing ? Hank : We agreed we couldn’t sleep next to strangers. I’m introducing myself. Connor : It won’t make it any better… *after a silence* I’m Connor. Hank : Nice to meet you. Connor: … Where were you before ? You… you act like a newborn in this hell… Hank : … I had a neighbor with one of those bunkers… with tons of food, water, enough to live for months. We… We were hiding there with her until… until a few weeks. Connor : What happened ? Hank : She thought she had heard a chopper. Thought someone was out there to rescue us… she opened the hatch and she was… attacked by those things… Connor: … the kid… he’s yours? Hank : Yeah… Cole. Connor: … Where’s her mom ? Hank : He’s never known her. Connor: Sorry. Hank : Don’t be.

*silence*

Hank : I think… I’m starting to relax… we should try to sleep huh ?

Connor is already sleeping.

___________________________

Connor takes his backpack as Hank and Cole take a breakfast with some fire.

Hank : You sure you don’t want to eat anything ? Connor : No thanks, I have my own stock. You should save your food for your kid. Hank : … Hey, if you ever need to find us… after you’ve found what you’re looking for, I have a police radio. Frequency 58,7 kHz. Connor: I won’t need it but- thanks. Good luck.

Connor leaves.

___________________________

Cole : What should we do now? Hank : … We need to find more food… and weapons. I’ll go downtown today. You… You’ll stay here alright? Cole : No I… I want to stay with you… Hank : I know you’re scared Cole… But it’s too dangerous. You’ll be safe hidden in the car. Cole : You’ll be quick? Hank : Back before sunset, pinky swear.

___________________________

Hank finds an axe on a bar counter.

Suddenly : *BONG BONG BONG BONG*

Hank : What the-

He runs outside and hides against a wall as walkers pass nearby, heading to the source of the ringing.

He looks up and sees Connor climbing on a ladder but a Walker is trying to grab his leg.

Hank comes and kills the monster. Connor : You..! Follow me !

On the rooftop, they see the church. It’s an automatic bell, the walkers are massively getting around the building. There is something painted on the wall that says “Find Jericho” with black paint and scribbled under it “Find 9s”

Connor : Nines… Hank : What is Jericho ? Connor : … A safe place for survivors. It’s hidden… to keep the thieves and killers away. Hank : … The church. Connor : What ? Hank : Jericho, it has to do with the bible. The message is written on a church’s wall. It’s not a coincidence, there might be… a hint in there. Connor : … But we can’t get inside with those creeps around… Hank : … Maybe they leave when the church stops ringing the bells. Connor : Or maybe we should try to lead them away with… Hank : With what ? Connor : … Your car.

___________________________

Connor : So, let me get it straight. You drive around the town honking. It will attract the creeps away from the church. I get inside the church and look for any kind of hint. When the bells start ringing I get out before the creeps come back. And what do we do with Cole ?

Hank : He’s going with you. I don’t want to have him in the car with hundreds of undeads trying to get me. Connor : … I don’t- Hank : Don’t worry. He’s a smart kid. He will do as you say. Right Cole? Cole : …Hmm. Connor: … Fine. Let’s do it.

___________________________

Connor and Cole sneak into the church. Connor kills two of the Walkers still inside the church as Cole follows him cautiously.

Cole : … Look. *he points out a book on the altar* Connor : … It’s a bible… The chapter about the Battle of Jericho… it can’t be a coincidence. *They look up and see something written with old blood on the wall behind the altar. It says “Rahab the harlot defied the King of Jericho. Here lies the key to the fortress.”* Cole : What’s a harlot? Connor : … You should… ask your father. Now… I have to read… and think. Cole : … We only have one hour left before the bells ring again… Connor : I know.

___________________________

Connor : … I don’t get it ! There must be something I’m missing ! Cole : … Connor, I found a map ! Connor : Not now Cole, I’m trying to focus… Cole : Connor, look ! Connor : Cole please I really need-…

Cole shows him the map… there is a “9s” written on it.

Connor : Nines ! Cole : Does it help ? Connor : … I don’t know-…

The bells ring suddenly.

Connor : Crap… we have to get out of here. Give me your hand, buddy.

___________________________

Hank is waiting for them : he has lit a fire and when Cole sees him, he lets go of Connor’s hand and runs to hug his dad.

Hank : I gotcha, pumpkin. *looking up at Connor* Did you find something ? Connor : I think… Hank : You think ? Connor : I have this map my brother left for me inside the church… there was some kind of riddle on the wall, and it must have something to do with this but… there is nothing noted on it. Hank : What’s the riddle ? Connor : “Rahab the harlot defied the King of Jericho, here lies the key to the fortress.” Rahab was a prostitute, she helped Joshua by hiding spies he sent inside the city… and Joshua spared her when he took the fortress. But I… I don’t see the connection. Hank : … Let me see the map.

Connor gives it. Cole sits next to his father, near the fire, and soon falls asleep. After some time thinking and overthinking it, Hank finally points to a town on the map. A city called Defiance.

Hank : Look. Connor : Defiance… Of course. The key lies in Rahab’s defiance… Defiance is a town… Fuck- You’re a genius…! Hank : Man, I was feeling like a Detective again… felt nice for a moment. Connor: You were a Detective? Hank : A police Lieutenant, to be specific. But yeah. Detective works too. Connor : … I don’t think the treasure hunt is done yet. You’re gonna need your supercop sense again ! Hank : … It’s good to see you all excited. Feels like meeting the real Connor under the survivor’s shell. Connor: It’s nice… that Cole and you don’t have that shell yet… humanity is a rare thing to find down there. Hank : … So, who is “Nines” ? Connor : My little brother. We lived together, in the same group of survivors. Our camp was attacked… we got separated. Hank : Looks like he’s smart. He solved the riddle all by himself. It took the two of us to understand the hint. Connor : He’s always been a nerd. Hank : Pffft… Well we should try to get some sleep. We should be able to reach Stoneton, then we’ll have to find more gas.

Hank gets up and carries Cole to the car seats.

Connor: … Hank…? Hank : Yup ? Connor : Can I… Can I come with you two ? I could go to Defiance by myself but… if you’re heading there too, maybe we could… Hank : What the heck ? Of course you’re coming with us. With our two half-brains we’re gonna need each other’s help to find Jericho and your brother, don’t you think ? Connor *chuckles* : Right.

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sinnoman · 3 years

Text

Letting Diavolo Go To The Human World Is The Same As Letting The Pigeon Drive The Bus… Do Not Do It!

tw: cursing. also, minus luke.

The Demon Prince’s fascination of the human world wasn’t a new thing to you. However, it did surprise you how much he did not know of the customs and cultures humans had. He’s centuries older than you can imagine and he’s never impulsively gone up there before?

When you asked him about it, he gave you wide grin. “I’ve only gone up there for conferences and meetings. I’ve never gone up there simply to have fun. I have so much work and it takes up too much time.”

You frowned a little disheartened that Diavolo hasn’t been able to experience or enjoy a trip to the human world without it being work related. You were about to suggest a proposition as Barbatos added on, “Speaking of conferences, your four o’clock meeting is about to start in ten minutes, Young Master.”

The bright smile on Diavolo’s face fell a little. “I’m sorry, MC, our weekly tea has to be cut a little short.” You reassured him it was no problem as he got up from his seat and walked you to the door. He told Barbatos to escort you to the House of Lamentation. The minute Diavolo was out of earshot, Barbatos leaned towards your ear with a strained smile on his face.

“The Young Master is able to do what he wants. However, no matter what he does, do not let him go to the Human World by himself and with no motive.”

You didn’t understand why Diavolo wasn’t allowed to go up there without being supervised. He was a grown man and the literal Future King of Hell. Surely, he could take care of himself. So a few days later you asked him if the two of you could to the Human World together and he agreed. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, you were wrong. You were so wrong!

It’s been less than twenty-four hours and now the both of you are sitting in a jail cell. Your left hand was sticky, your clothes were damp with rainwater and you were sure the guard kept eyeing you up and down as if you were insane. Diavolo sat next to you with a guilty look on his face. He mouthed a “sorry” at you, making you giggle while tearing up at the predicament you both were in. He could only laugh with you as you laugh and cry at the same time.

When the guard had told you were allowed one phone call (courtesy to Diavolo for compelling him to do so) you immediately headed towards the jail phone and punched in the number. You were a little surprised that the Devildom phone numbers worked but you didn’t really dwell on the thought.

You just hoped the person you called would bail the both of you out.

LUCIFER

Sigh…

Someone get him five shots.

When you called Lucifer to tell him that you and Diavolo went to the Human World for a day trip, he was hoping you were going to ask him if he wanted anything before the both of you came back.

What he wasn’t expecting was (in less than 24 hours) for you to tell him not only have the both of you created an unnatural phenomenon, you managed to commit three felons, crashed a car that neither of you have a license to drive and managed to get caught of all things.

When you told him that you got arrested he was debating on letting you go to prison so you could learn your lesson. Then he heard Diavolo’s voice in the back and started choking on his wine.

How in the three realms did Diavolo managed to get arrested? And how did you (the one he thought was as responsible as him) allow this to happen? What do you mean you let Diavolo drive the car? He has a butler for a reason, MC, obviously hE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE—

Was about to lecture you about the danger you put yourself (Diavolo) in and what the consequences when he heard Diavolo’s, “I don’t want to go back.”

Immediately gathers everyone to go and pick you both up. Has the bail money ready to go, makes sure he thinks of everything that can go wrong and gives it a solution and prepares to drag Diavolo out that jail cell himself.

When he gets there he gives you a glare that could soil cheese in 2.5 seconds.

When he goes to bail you both and the guard tells him you both can’t be released tonight, he snaps. Immediately threatens the guards with the unholiest torture threats you’ve ever heard. The guard ends up caring a little less about his job and a little more about his life and let’s you both go.

Diavolo doesn’t leave the cell. Father help him, his patience is running thin.

The next two hours is just him, Barbatos and Diavolo arguing.

“Young Master, for the last time. Get out the cell.” “NO!” “Can we just leave him—” “Quiet, Belphegor! We cannot leave him. Lord Diavolo GET OUT THE CELL!”

MAMMON

Impressed but at the same time mostly concerned.

When you told him what happened, his face started to get paler with each word. How did the two of you manage to do all this in less than a day? And here he thought he was a troublemaker…

Then the words finally process in his head. “Ya got in a car crash?! Human what we’re ya thinkin’? What if ya died? I don’t care who was drivin’ I’m never letting ya near a car again!”

Looking and thinking for someway to profit off of this. Then realizes, as the appointed human watcher, if Lucifer found out that he let you get arrested ON TOP of Diavolo being there with you while he made money off of it, his head would be ripped off.

In a state of fear in panic for both his life and yours, he goes to pick you both up alone.

It’s not his first time encountering the police. He’s been arrested before for illegal gambles, dealing, fights and such its not hard to guess what for. He will tell you though that he’s actually not the first brother to get arrested.

When he gets there the first thing he does is rush to you and make sure you’re okay. He doesn’t really care that Diavolo is there too. He just has to make sure that you are okay. All human parts are intact? Okay. Good. Let’s go.

Then the guard tells him that he can’t let you both leave yet because you need to be trialed.

Uh oh. Frustrated Mammon is here.

Immediately starts arguing with the guard. He gets so angry he’s about to start throwing punches. That’s until the guards throws a handcuff on him and shoves him in the cell with you.

He gets a phone call too, though.

You tell him to call Lucifer or Barbatos and then Diavolo tells him not to call either of them because he really doesn’t want to go back. Suddenly, Diavolo and him are best friends.

You command him to call Lucifer though and he bites his lip. The ringing of the jail phone has his heart pounding. When the phone connects, the words spill and he mentally cursing at you.

Long story short, Lucifer is the one that gets you both out and leaves Mammon there.

LEVIATHAN

Immediately asks you why you called him of all people. Doesn’t hesitate to try and refer you to someone else.

Then immediately remembers it’s like that this is exactly like that one anime where the—

When you told him why you got arrested he got extremely nervous, ESPECIALLY when he heard Diavolo’s voice in the back correcting you when you left a detail or two out. Not because he’s of the intensity of the crimes but, because he knew Lucifer would absolutely strangle you.

Is already panicking and looking for a solution. Is trying to remember what his brothers had done when he got arrested. (Spoiler Alert! He was the first brother out of all of them to get arrested. He punched a child in the face at an anime convention. The kid snitched and told his mom, cough cough, little shit, cough cough. Does he regret it? Nope! In his opinion, the kid deserved it.)

He voices his anger when he realizes that he has to use manga money to bail you both out. How could you do this to him? He thought you were his Henry. Turns out you’re just a fish…

He blogs and video records the minute he gets up there. It’s going to go viral, he just knows it. Then he gets a message from Lucifer with a smiley face and a link to his blog and he’s panicking. He has to get you two out of there. NOW!

Simply just throws money at the guard, not really caring if you two can’t leave just yet. He’s getting you two out of there one way or another before Lucifer gets here. Listen MC he doesn’t care that he’s making things worse, he refuses to die without having his 93849281849th Ruri-Chan marathon.

Then the dilemma of Diavolo not wanting to leave hits him and his patience is running thin. Why of all people did you have to get arrested with the person needed most in the Devildom?

It becomes too late when he finally manages to start convincing Diavolo to come back home. Lucifer walks through the door.

And Levi summons Lotan.

SATAN

Mr. Agent of Chaos #1 is so proud and impressed with you.

Don’t get him wrong, he was worried about you. Getting arrested and caught for your crimes is a big deal. Yet, you managed to commit three felonies before you got caught? Love, he’s invested.

He has so many questions for you. What felonies did you commit? What was your favorite felony? How’d you get caught? What do you think was the first mistake you made that got you behind bars? If you could do this all over again do you think you would get caught? Here, let him get a pen and paper so you can tell him every little detail of what happened so he can make it fool proof for you.

Then, he here’s Diavolo say he’d be glad to provide the details of what happened and now he realizes what the big issue is.

Oh he can’t wait to hold this against Lucifer’s head. Wait, let him go tell Belphie!

He has everything prepared and is ready to bail you out. You knew he was reliable.

If you see him take a picture of the two of you curled up together in the cell. It’s for research purposes. Totally not for Belphie and him to hold against Lucifer. You can’t tell him to delete it, his printer is already making hundreds of copies.

Turns out Satan isn’t as reliable as you thought. This is because five minutes and a broken desk later, he’s thrown in cell too.

He knows he should get a call too but the guard doesn’t tell him he gets one. Starts cursing so quickly you can’t even make out the words he’s saying.

When Diavolo tells him it might be better that he doesn’t get a phone call, it clicks in his head. Who needs to be bailed out when you can just escape, duh.

He doesn’t even get to the good part when he sees his brothers, Simeon, Solomon, and Barbatos walk through the door. Turns out Belphie’s sleep talking doesn’t have a filter.

He gets a little upset after this whole ordeal. He didn’t even get to try his escape plan…

ASMODEUS

Honey, he can’t relate. It sucks to suck.

Like Lucifer, he has never been arrested. He’s been close to but whenever that happens he just distracts the police from doing it… wink wink.

He knows and seen how stingy police can be with arresting people so he immediately feels for you. And when you’re telling him why you’re in a jail cell, he immediately starts getting ready to come charm you out of that cell. Then he hears Diavolo’s voice.

On second thought…

He immediately has thoughts on how Lucifer would react if he found out he were some how involved in this. Yeah… no, he rather have skin blemishes for the rest of his life.

No matter how nervous he is, he marches his perky butt up there and goes to get you both.

When he gets there he immediately goes to baby you. Checking for any injuries and makes comments on how you’re wet and such. Then he takes in his surroundings.

You’ve been here for how many hours? Oh no. Honey, look. There’s rust everywhere, unidentifiable liquids on the ground. Ew, is that a dead roach caught in a spiderweb? Why were you sitting on the small bench they had? Do you know how many gross people sit on it too? Don’t even get him started on the smell of this cell. Once the both of you go home, straight to the bath.

He goes to pay the bail but then the guard tells them they can’t leave just yet. He knows it’s time to work his magic.

You owe him. The guard is grimy and smells like he hasn’t showered in months. Not only that they’re very persistent at about their job. Charming them is taking longer than he originally had planned.

And then he realizes that Lord Diavolo does not want to leave. Oh boy.

Explains that Lord Diavolo can go anywhere he wants after this, he doesn’t care. That was until you interrupted him saying neither of you can leave without him. He really starts to stress. Why did this have to happen to him?

Somehow and in someway, the both of you manage to convince the redhead to go home. When you get to the House of Lamentation, he’s pulling you straight to his bathroom.

BEELZEBUB

You made him drop his macaroons… his macaroons. He just got them… :(

He is so confused on how you managed to do all of this in a short amount of time? Then he realizes what you just said and he starts stress eating. Poor baby, you kinda regret calling him because it really stresses him out.

“What do you mean you got into a car crash? Are you okay? Are you sure? Don’t worry I’m coming to get you.”

Then he hears Diavolo’s “take your time” and now he’s really stress eating. Not only does he have to bail you out, he has to bail out Lord Diavolo too? Oh boy, the amount of stress you’ve given him is making him have stomach tremors.

He was thinking about getting the both of you alone. Then he started having thoughts of all the human world food and realizes he wouldn’t be able to go alone without getting distracted. So, he brings Belphie to keep him on track.

His frown grows deeper when he sees the two of you curled into each other in the corner of the cell. He ignores how Belphie’s laughing and taking pictures of you both before walking over to you two.

He didn’t bring any bail money. Like Levi, ignores how the guard is saying that they can’t let the both of you leave. Simply pushes the guard off of him when they try to stop him. He also rips the bars from the ground and throws them aside. C’mon, we’re leaving.

Then Diavolo doesn’t want to leave and that’s where Beel gets upset. He’s hungry, Lord Diavolo. He doesn’t have time to be fooling around. His stomach his about to make earthquakes.

In less than three seconds, he’s now playing tug-a-war with Diavolo. Trying to ignore the empty promises of royal dinners the Prince is throwing at him.

“Lord Diavolo, we’re leaving!” “I will let you have anything you want to eat from the Palace is you let me stay!” “WE ARE LEAVING!”

BELPHEGOR

He knew he should have slept through the phone call.

He was actually wondering where you were. You missed their daily nap session. If he wasn’t too tired, he would have gone looking for you earlier.

When you explain to him what happened there’s two opposing sides to his thought. On one hand he’s like “What do you mean you committed three felonies?” in an amusing way. Lowkey is kinda proud. The most he’s been arrested for is fight with some mom who told him he couldn’t sleep at some park with his pillow.

On the second hand he’s like “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU COMMITTED THREE FELONIES?” He’s stuck on the part on how you could have died in less than 24 hours. He’s more angry at the fact you’re making him worried about you then at the fact he has to go pick you up.

When he went to go get Beel so they could go pick you up, Mammon overheard and started making a whole commotion. You can only guess what happened next when eight demons, a sorcerer, and an angel showed up at the police station.

When he sees not only you behind bars, but Diavolo too, he’s really wishing he slept through your call.

He snaps when the guard tells him he can’t go home with you just yet. Starts picking a fight the guard. It’s a screaming match before it turns into fist fight. He’s not leaving here until he makes a point Lucifer. He’s winning this fight one way or another! You can’t stop him!!

When he hears that Diavolo doesn’t want to leave, he doesn’t care. He drags you out the cell and leaves the Prince there. Lucifer can deal with him. He just wants to go home.

When you guys do finally get to go home, he’s covered in scratches and a couple of bruises. He’s using you as a body pillow tonight whether you like it or not.

DIAVOLO

He’s so happy.

He doesn’t care that he’s committed serious crimes and is now sitting in this jail cell. He also doesn’t really care that it could potentially hurt his reputation as a ruler. He’s so happy he’s got come up here and do things he’s never done before. And he’s most happy that he got to do this with you!

And although it’s mostly his fault, he pretends as if none of it matters and keeps reliving the moments in head. (He’s sorry, truly. But when he gets so excited he just simply forgets about everything else and focuses on what he wants to do. Laws and regulations; out the window. It’s Diavolo time!)

At first you were more than a little upset with him. But then he couldn’t contain himself and started telling you about what happened today as if you weren’t there. The words are coming out his mouth so fast it gets to a point where he gets all tongue tied and he’s barely saying words.

He tells you every single detail all over again and every emotion he felt within that moment and thought he had too. And the more and more he speaks, that anger you felt diminishes. You’re happy that he’s happy and enjoyed himself although this day hadn’t particularly gone to plan.

Even when Barbatos and Lucifer come to pick you both up, he’s smiling through it. Especially when they both are lecturing you, it goes through one ear and out the other. He’s glad he was able to experience this.

Oh and don’t think it’ll stop here. He basically tries to convince you to go with him again.

BARBATOS

Longer sigh…

He warned you.

He told you not to do it and look what happened. He hopes you learned your lesson.

He also knew this was going to happen regardless of his warning. He tried preventing it, really. But no matter what alterations he made to the timeline, you both still ended in a jail cell.

When you told him what chaos the both of you have caused in less than a day, his anxiety spikes. You let Lord Diavolo drive a car? Of course he’s going to tell you he knows how to drive. Just because he tells you doesn’t mean he actually knows MC—

He’s upset with you but at the same time he feels for you too. He knows how his Young Master gets when he’s too excited. There’s nothing stopping him, he’s really the definition of one-track minded.

He tells you to give him a few seconds to gather a few things before hanging up. You thought it was going to take a half hour at most but then Barbatos is walking through the station door three seconds later.

The guard lets the both of you go willingly and with no money. You suspect it’s Barbatos doing and when you ask him about it, he acts as if he knows nothing.

Actually, he covers the entire mess completely by altering time. He can’t have people finding out Lord Diavolo had gotten arrested by human authorities, can he now? Nothing pops up when you search for news reports on the web.

He lets Lucifer deal with your punishment as he deals with Lord Diavolo’s. However, he does lecture you about it the next time he sees you. Oh, and the two of you alone together? Never happening again.

SOLOMON

You don’t get to finish your explanation before he’s laughing in your face.

Mr. Agent of Chaos #2 is so amused by this, he wants to hear exactly how you got yourself in this mess. He’s even more surprised that you allowed yourself to get caught. You have pacts with seven demon lords and you thought to not use any of them?? This is more entertaining than Asmo at a frat house.

WAIT DID HE JUST HEAR LORD DIAVOLO’S VOICE TOO?

He starts laughing even harder. The Demon Prince got arrested too? This is comedy gold. Wait a little while longer, he needs to document it for future references. Quick question: what type of unnatural phenomenon did the two of you create? Describe it to him.

He knows what the police are like but never has had to deal with them himself. He can’t be shady if he hasn’t avoided the police for a decade or so. What? He got tired of paying taxes…

He goes alone. When he sees you and the large demon smiling at you he starts to laugh again. It’s to the point where he’s wheezing and bending over. He wipes tears from his eyes afterwards. This is priceless. Please let him take a selfie with the both of you in the back.

He goes over to magically open the cell until the guard tells him he can’t do that and you guys can’t leave. He looks over at the guard and mumbles a few words in latin. Now the guard’s a duck, great. Nice going, Solomon.

When Diavolo tells him he particularly doesn’t want to go back the Devildom, Solomon doesn’t care. He can do what he wants as long as he can take you back with him. But when you tell him to help you convince the Prince to go back home, he sighs.

He threatens Diavolo about calling Simeon to come get him and the redhead is glaring at him but still walks out the cell. Great! Now everyone can go home!

So about that the phenomenon….

SIMEON

Three words: What the fuck?

How did any of this happen? When did any of this happened? What do you mean it happened today? The day’s barely ended! You got into a car crash? Are you okay?

Voices his concerns, deeply. Makes you feel so guilty about what happened today you start crying while the jail phone is pressed against your ear. Diavolo can only rub your back as he listens to Simeon thoroughly explain to you on why what you did was wrong and that you’re lucky he isn’t Lucifer.

He then hears Diavolo’s “Maybe calling Simeon was a bad idea.” Oh. Now he’s really upset. Doesn’t understand how Lord Diavolo allowed this to happen. You could have died, he’s not ready to see you in the Celestial Realm just yet! He tells you to pass the phone to the Demon Lord and you can’t imagine what Simeon is telling Diavolo that’s making him so pale. It’s your turn to rub his back.

When you get the phone back, Simeon tells you to sit tight and he’s coming to get you.

When he does get there, the frown on his face makes you feel even more guilty than on the phone. You could even Diavolo go stiff beside you.

When the guards tells him that the both of you aren’t allowed to leave, he’s super close on letting the both of you suffer the consequences. Yet, he tries to make the guard more lenient by guilt tripping him too.

When he hears that Diavolo doesn’t want to go back, it doesn’t take much for him to convince the Prince to go back home. All he does is glare at him and the redhead is walking out the cell with nervous chuckles.

When the three of you go back to the Devildom, he makes the both of you explain to Lucifer and Barbatos as to what happened within the last hour and why he had to go and pick you up.

TAGS: (sorry this is really long.. also don’t mind the grammatical errors I wrote this on my phone and actually less than 24 hours)

@beels-burger-babe

@mammonsemptycreditcard

@obeythebutler

@minteyeddevil

#obey me shall we date #obey me! shall we date?#obey me brothers #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me solomon #obey me simeon #obey me headcanons #otome game #crack headcanons #crack taken seriously #crimes #diavolo please why can’t you just behave?#diavolo and mc adventure number one #a study of firsts: a series

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feralrunaway · 3 years

Text

The Predicament

Prompt: from @october505, I can't get the thought out of my head where Mike is a younger alpha trying to deal with your heat for the first time. Walt, and maybe Sy (both alphas too) are there to guide him through. Just a/b/o stuff.

Characters: Alpha!Mike, Alpha!Walter Marshall, Alpha!Captain Syverson, Fem!Omega!reader. Whew get your holes ready.

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: a/b/o dynamics, swearing, smut, penetrative sex, oral sex (m receiving), size kink, knotting, bodily fluids, like a lot of them, just...so much come

A/N: Okay y’all. I’ve never written an a/b/o fic before so please don’t judge too harshly. If I got some details wrong I’m sorry, but this was certainly fun to explore! Written from the reader’s perspective to fit the prompt, however there are size and gender specifics mentioned, so I apologize that it isn’t entirely inclusive. Credit for Mike calling Walter “Boss” goes to @hope-to-hell.

When you’d purchased the little fixer-upper ranch home, you’d seen an opportunity to gain a little independence. A way to work toward something that belonged to you, that you could make fit your needs. Maybe it had been a small defiance on your part, to show that you could still do what anyone else could, despite your status as a small omega.

It turned out to be quite a different story though. The little house needed far more work than you had expected, and you quickly realized you were in over your head. It was time to hire out some help. A lot of help. A few newspaper ads and phone calls later, and you’d found what seemed to be the perfect crew.

The three large alphas had started their own construction business, looking for jobs to showcase their work and get their business off the ground. They were relatively new to the area too. A retired police detective and army Captain, both gruff, hairy, and in their 30’s, as well as the younger one, fresh out of college in his mid 20’s with an English degree and no idea what to do with it yet. After they’d offered to cut you a deal, being one of their first customers, you’d agreed to hire them quickly. That was how you’d found yourself in this predicament.

—————

Your heat started slowly. At first you barely recognized it as what it was. You’d been outside in the summer sun the last two days, supervising the work the three men were doing on your home, so when the sweat began gathering at the back of your neck, you hadn’t given it much thought. And when that sweat had turned to a full body flush by the second afternoon, you figured perhaps you’d had a bit too much sun, and excused yourself inside for a cool drink.

It helped. Briefly.

Thinking you’d cured your ails, and eager to get back to proving you could be helpful, you made your way to the open front doorway where the three large men were currently arguing over the length of screws needed for the porch boards.

“What’s the prob...lem...uhm…?”

You stuttered over your query as you drew closer, the force of their gathered pheromones hitting you like a brick wall. The sheen of sweat coating their large bodies only amplified the scent, and your head immediately began to swim. Something stirred low in your belly as all three turned to look at you.

“I, uhm...how’s it coming out here? I…thought I’d...check…” your speech slowed as your core heated further and you realized exactly what was happening. Their stares intensified as their bodies turned toward you.

“You feelin’ alright darlin’?” the Captain asked, taking a step toward you, only to stop abruptly as his nostrils flared and his pupils dilated. His look of concern quickly changed to one of hunger. A quiet growl rumbled from his chest unintentionally, causing a shiver to course through your body. You hadn’t noticed the other two drawing nearer, but you heard Walter’s deep baritone wash over you.

“Go back inside, omega.”

The command had you baring your neck on instinct before you caught yourself, a breathy sigh escaping your lips.

To your right, the younger one, Michael, rested his forearm against the doorframe, leaning closer. “I don’t know, Boss...I think I like her right where she is.”

Walter’s large hand gripped the back of his neck, causing Mike’s eyes to widen slightly as he was pulled back. He growled at the larger alpha but didn’t fight, his eyes still trained on you. The Captain still hadn’t moved from in front of you, his eyes intense and dark. When he spoke, his voice was gravel, as though he was fighting with himself to pull the words from his own throat.

“Inside. Lock the door.”

You were grateful for the repeated command, because you didn’t think your feet would have moved on their own. After an eyeful of the three men, their sweat covered muscles, and the two beards that screamed virility, you’d had to fight every instinct within yourself not to beg them to help with your current predicament. You barely managed to close the door, glaring at the lock as you turned the tumbler.

———

“We clean up, we leave. No lingering,” Walter barked out, tension clear in the tendons straining in his arms as he gathered up supplies.

“Boss.”

“No, Mike. Walt’s right, time to go,” Sy stated, struggling against his baser brain to do what needed done. “We’ll come back in a few days to start working again.”

“A few days?? You’re just gonna let her suffer in there? God she smells so fucking good. She needs a knot right now.”

Walter let out a low warning growl, but Mike’s instincts were weighing over his reason. He growled back, almost instantly receiving a smack upside the back of his head from Sy.

“Walt could knock you flat in half a minute. Now get your head on straight Mikey. She’s an unclaimed omega.”

“I’ve been with omegas before.”

“You’ve never taken an omega in heat before. You’d lose your yourself quick and probably do something stupid, try to bite her.”

“I would not, come on. You scented her, I know you did. She needs us.”

Listening to them from the window, your heat-addled brain agreed vehemently with Michael. You didn’t want them to go. They could fix this for you. Why were they leaving?

Get it together, you chastised yourself, letting out a heaving sigh. They were right. You should just lock yourself up in your room and let this pass. That sounded like the right thing to do. That sounds like torture.

You nearly keened as you heard the doors of their truck slam shut and the tires crunch over gravel as they drove away.

————

As it turned out, a few days only made it worse. Their scents were everywhere, marking each area of the house they’d been working in, driving you absolutely insane. Everything was too hot and you’d reduced yourself to wearing nothing but a thin camisole and panties. Your fingers gave little to no relief in your heat. You wanted one thing and one thing only. Well...three things. You were nearly feral by the time they returned.

When the sound of voices came from the porch, announcing their arrival, you would have ripped the door off its hinges in your haste if you could have. As it were, seeing Walter standing in the opening with his fist raised to knock, biceps bulging under his thin grey tee, you were reduced to a single word.

“Alpha.” The word was nothing more than a broken whine.

His eyes darkened, seeing you no more well off than they’d left you, hair mussed and the scent of your slick heat strong around you. “Fuck.”

“Told you she needed us,” Mike growled as he shoved past Walter and strode up to you. His hand captured your chin, tilting your head to nose at your neck, dragging in a lungful of your scent. “I’m going to help you, little one. Would you like that?”

You could only manage a small whimper, nodding your head as your thighs coated with your arousal at his nearness. Your hands unconsciously gripped at his shirt, pulling uselessly at his larger frame. He chuckled darkly.

The Captain belatedly joined the other two in the doorway, surprise coating his features as he took in the sight and scent of you before his chest heaved in a large breath and he groaned.

“Fuckin’ hell. She still not out of it?”

“Not even close,” Walter gritted out, the clear outline of his erection pressing against his jeans. “It would seem we did a disservice after all, leaving her here.”

“Damn right we did. I suppose Mike had the right of it after all,” Sy said, moving closer. His large frame crowded close to you from behind, his beard tickling your cheek as he drew in a deep breath of your scent. You could feel his hard length press into your back as he leaned into you. “You smell so fuckin’ sweet little peach. Shouldn’t’ve made you suffer here all alone.”

Mike’s hands were exploring your body lazily, but he glared at Sy when he touched you, earning a rumble in response from the bull of a man. Walter, easily the largest and most dangerous of the three, seemed to exercise the most control of himself, although even he seemed to be losing the battle. “Enough. She chooses if she wants this.”

The aggression in the air was doing nothing to tame your desperate need to be fucked, so you dug your nails into Mike’s chest through his shirt. “Need you. Now. All of you.”

“Mmm feisty. Don’t worry Sweetcheeks. No more waiting,” Mike said, lifting you up, which allowed you to wrap your legs around his waist, pressing your still-clothed core against his aching bulge. “We’re gonna take good care of you.” He started toward the stairs that would lead to your room, the other two close behind.

Bodily tossing your small frame onto the bed, Mike roughly pulled his shirt over his head, his plush lips stretching wide over white teeth in a wicked, feral grin.

Leaning over you as his hands gripped your shirt and pulled it up, he murmured, “I’m gonna fill you up babe, gonna give you everything you need.”

You could only whimper in response, too far gone in your heat and the excitement of having the three of them there. You arched up as he freed you of your shirt, exposing your breasts to him, begging without words. As he took one into his mouth, a large hand snaked into your hair, tilting your head up to the Captain’s awaiting mouth. He kissed you harsh and deep, tongue tasting you, and you gripped the back of his head to keep him close. Another large hand gripped your other breast before trailing down to your soaked core.

You broke the kiss with Sy, a whine escaping your lips. “No more teasing. Please. I need...now.”

That earned a collective sound of want from the men surrounding you. Mike pulled back, shucking out of his jeans and boxers, his length jutting proudly as he took himself to hand. Walter’s exploring hands went to your panties, tearing them from your body, only to be quickly replaced by Sy’s thick fingers pushing into you.

“God damn Sugar, drippin’ wet for us. You need a knot in you?”

You whined and nodded pathetically, thrusting your hips up against his hand, earning a lusty moan from him. “So fuckin’ eager. Look at you.”

“Move your hand, Sy,” Mike growled. You watched as Sy pulled his fingers from you, using his other hand to free his erection from his jeans before coating his length in your slick, pumping his fist with a groan. Mike’s eager hands flipped you over onto your stomach before pulling your hips back so you settled onto your knees.

The bed dipped, and you looked up to see Walter’s thick, hairy thighs kneeling in front of you, his impressive cock hanging heavy and hard right in your line of vision. You weren’t even sure when he’d shed his clothes, but you couldn’t even think to question it right then. His hand tilted your chin up. Swiping a thumb over the precome coating his tip, he pressed it past your lips and against your tongue. “Suck.”

You did exactly as told, savoring the taste of him as you felt Mike press against your entrance. You bucked against him in need, mewling around Walter’s thumb. “Easy, darling. Let Michael take care of you.”

Your entrance was slick and ready, and he pressed in with a groan. The feeling of finally being full was overwhelming. You’d needed this for so long. You cried out, moving against him, pulling the most delicious sounds from his throat.

As Mike’s hips began to pump, Walter lined his cock up with your mouth, which you gratefully opened to allow him in. The rocking thrusts from behind became more fervent at the sight of you sucking eagerly on Walter’s offering, drawing forth groans from both men. The Captain’s hand played idly with your nipples while he continued to stroke himself, cock coated in your sweet slick.

“Remember, Michael. No biting,” Walt rumbled. “Careful when you tie her. She’s your responsibility right now.”

The rules buzzed in Mike’s ear as his knot began to grow. He knew he had to exercise some control, but as he felt himself swelling with each thrust, his eyes traveled to the sweet, delicate skin at the juncture of your neck and shoulder. He pressed his nose against it, inhaling deeply. Each pump of his hips was pulling the sweetest sounds from your throat, driving him closer and closer to release. He let his teeth graze over your skin, reveling in the feel of your tight warmth. His fingers gripped your hips like iron, pulling you back against his groin, begging entrance for his knot as your cunt struggled to accommodate. He nearly lost all reason as it finally pushed past your entrance and he felt your walls grip around the impossible stretch. The need to claim you overwhelmed him.

Just as his teeth began to apply pressure, he felt thick, strong fingers thread through his hair and grip tight, pulling his head back in a cruel arch. Walter loomed above you both, cock deep in your throat, his eyes boring into Michael’s. “No. Biting.”

The words rumbled from his chest, and the combined sensation of the pain in Mike’s scalp and the fluttering of your cunt were enough to push him over the edge. You cried out around Walter’s cock as Mike thrust his knot in as deep as it would go, locking himself to you. He let out a deep groan as his sac drew tight and he began to release inside you, thick ropes of come spilling into you. The searing warmth of his seed filling you made your walls clench impossibly tight, your vision whitening as your climax consumed you.

Watching you fall apart around Mike was enough to bring Walter over the edge. He thrust deep into your mouth, his cock brushing the back of your throat as he came, feeding you his come as his knot swelled outside of your lips. You swallowed eagerly, the taste prolonging your earlier bliss, causing you to clench again around Michael’s knot. He groaned, spilling more come, making small desperate attempts to thrust despite being locked in place. When he was finished, Walter moved from his place, making room for Sy as he stroked himself to completion. Mike wrapped an arm around your middle, pulling you up against his chest to expose your breasts to Sy, who came with a grunt, one hand squeezing at his knot while the other stroked in a stuttering rhythm, spattering your breasts and chin with his spend.

Walter ran his large fingers over your come-covered breasts, feeding you the other Alpha’s seed before he leaned in to kiss you deeply. When he pulled back, his lips remained on yours, his low voice whispering, “What a good little omega you are.”

Your heart warmed at his praise while your body nearly collapsed from the exhaustion of taking on the pleasure of three alphas at once. Mike’s arms were the only thing keeping you upright at this point.

Sy settled himself on one side of the bed, Walt on the other, leaving space for Mike to lower you down in the center and curl around you, still tied together. They petted and purred, praising you for taking them so well. Cuddled in a cocoon of sated alpha, your heat settled for a short time.

Mike whispered in your ear as you drifted into a hazy sleep, “Get your rest Sweetcheeks. We’ve still got plenty of work to do.”

#captain syverson #walter marshall #mike hellraiser #a/b/o smut #smut #prompt #the predicament

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whisker-biscuit · 3 years

Text

The Birds, The Bees, and The Bottles

Fandom: Psychonauts

Rating: T for mild language and discussions of underage drinking

Summary: Two teens are caught trying to sneak into a bar. Bob finally has a conversation he’s held off for far too long.

Because herbaphony is not the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family.

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

Bob’s phone rang at two in the morning. Judging by the jolly ringtone of Helmut singing Strawberry Fields Forever, it was his personal phone instead of his work one, and that was the real tip off to things being very, very wrong.

He woke up and groggily pulled out of his still-slumbering-husband’s arms to answer the little thing going off on his nightstand.

“H’lo?”

“Bob!” Truman’s voice came out far too loud for the time of night, and far too stressed. “Bob, I’m so sorry to wake you, but something happened with Lili. I need you to pick her up for me, please.”

The older man sat up, much more awake as worry and fear immediately rolled in his gut. Helmut finally began to stir beside him, sensing his partner’s agitation.

“Truman, what’s going on? Pick Lili up from where?”

“The city’s police precinct on Abbey Avenue. She – she called me, but I’m out of state and I wouldn’t get there for hours at least even if I left this instant. She’s not in danger!” He added hastily, hearing the concern before Bob could even voice it mentally. “She didn’t get hurt! She’s just…”

The way he tapered off, the way he hesitated, said more than words could.

“She just got herself into some trouble, and she needs someone to go get her.”

Helmut was sitting up now, and Bob felt the question cross their mental link.

What happened?

Truman needs me to pick Lili up from the police station.

“I’m up, I’m on my way right now,” He responded to his nephew verbally, heaving himself out of bed. His husband followed suit despite still looking extremely puzzled, bless him.

“Thank you so much, Bob. I’ll make it up to you as soon as I can, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The older man waved a dismissive hand even though Truman wasn’t there to see it. “Family is s’pposed to do that for each other anyway.”

“Did I hear that right? Our peppy petunia had a run-in with the law?” Helmut asked as soon as his partner hung up. He paused, and in a lower tone – “she didn’t kill anyone, did she?”

“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Bob said, pulling a coat on over his sleep shirt. “But something tells me we still have a few things to worry about. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Ohohoh, no, don’t even think about hoofin’ it without me. We both know I’m the better driver.”

“Neither of us are very good drivers, Helmut.”

“Exactly! That little bit makes all the difference!”

The herbophanist sighed, charmed despite himself and the situation. “Alright, alright. Let’s not keep her waiting.”

The police precinct was nearly dead at this time of night. While it would’ve felt eerie to anyone else, Bob was grateful for the lack of people, and not just because he was still an introvert of the highest degree.

Two teenagers awaited them in the lobby, sitting on a bench together. One was hunched over and burning a hole in the ground with his downcast eyes. The other sat straight up, defiant, holding a glaring contest with the officer standing over them. When Bob entered the room first and met his great-niece’s eyes, her self-assuredness wavered for a brief moment. She hid the slip-up behind a wall of indifference.

“Lili,” he said softly. Then, just as softly but with a gruff tinge of surprise; “Razputin.”

There was no accusation in his voice, but the former scowled harder and the latter looked like he wanted to employ his invisibility. Bob studied them both a moment before his husband appeared and broke the tension with his mere presence.

“We’re here to bust you out, kiddos!” He announced with spread arms, cheerfully ignoring the looks he received from every person in the room.

“Are you Truman Zanotto?” Asked the officer who finally broke his gaze away from Lili to give them a disapproving once-over.

“No, I’m uh, I’m Bob Zanotto, and this is Helmut,” came the awkward reply. “Truman called me to pick Lili up. She’s my great-niece.”

A few seconds of silence passed as the officer made no move to do anything with that information. Bob cleared his throat.

“We’re, uh, listed in her emergency contacts for school?”

“I see. If you can just fill out some paperwork first, we can release her into your custody.”

The herbophanist watched the way Raz seemed to sink further in his seat at the mention of family contacts. The Aquatos were also out of state right now too, if he remembered correctly. Perfect timing for two minors getting up to mischief.

Well, up until they were actually caught.

“And…Razputin, too?” He asked, catching the teen’s startled gaze and giving him the mental equivalent of a thumbs-up.

The officer raised a brow. “Is he related to you, too?”

“Well, uh –”

“Yep!” Helmut interrupted, strolling right up to Raz and giving him a merry clap on the back. The teen had a physique comparable to most adult Olympic athletes, but even he nearly toppled forward from the force of such a big man. “He’s my third cousin, twice removed. Big family. Very close. Holidays are an experience, lemme tell ya!”

“Fine,” the officer pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, okay, I’ll make sure he gets cleared for release too. I’ll be right back.”

He stalked off, muttering something about it ‘being too damn early for this’, and the older couple turned to face Raz and Lili. Helmut steepled his fingers together to rest against his mustache.

“So! Now that Officer Spoil-Sport is gone, are we allowed to know what heinous crime has been committed in the night by my favorite pair of mischief-makers?”

The two glanced at each other. Raz was the one to break their silence.

“We, uh…got caught sneaking into a bar.”

Cold heat rushed through Bob’s core. Helmut blinked once, twice, then let out a boisterous chuckle.

“That’s it? Jesus! From the way you two were acting I thought you’d robbed the First National Bank.”

“…Helmut.” His husband murmured. The psi-king lost his mirth as he caught Bob’s eye.

“Ah…w-well, y’know, while I’m certainly glad we won’t hear about a righteous homicide in the news tomorrow, forgery ain’t exactly a humble hobby either.”

“It was just two IDs,” Lili muttered under her breath. “Not a big deal.”

The ice in her great-uncle’s heart turned frigid, but before he or Helmut could say anything to that, the officer was back. He shoved a handful of forms under Bob’s nose and the herbophanist fumbled to grab them before they all tumbled to the floor.

“Uh, uh, thank you.”

“Alright, we’re putting the pause on this conversation to make you free citizens again, but don’t think that means we’re done with it.” The Psi-King gave the teens the sternest look he could manage. “As soon as we get in the car, you two will have a lot of explaining to do.”

“O-Okay.”

“Uh-huh.”

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

No one spoke a word as they got in the car and started the drive back.

Raz seemed content to continue his efforts to blend in with the background of his seat, still not meeting anyone’s eyes, and Lili stared out the window with her chin in her hand, leaning against the car’s backdoor and letting the lights of the city bathe her in neon sickness.

Helmut, bless his soul, dutifully kept the radio going while he drove, changing the station to something more mellow whenever a song started getting a little too upbeat for the collective mood of the vehicle. Bob sat in the passenger side with his arms folded awkwardly. His brain was buzzing, dreading the inevitable conversation he needed to have with his great-niece and trying to figure out how he was going to go about it.

It surprised them all when Raz spoke over the music.

“It was my idea.”

The two adults glanced at each other, then through the rearview mirror at the fidgeting teen.

“Your idea to go looking for a drink? Or to sneak into a bar to do it?” Helmut asked, turning off the radio.

“Both.”

He still wasn’t meeting their eyes. Bob sighed through his nose.

“I don’t believe you.”

Razputin’s head finally snapped up to stare at him in shock for the fast call on his bluff. “I’m telling the truth!”

“I think you’re only telling part of it, kid.”

“No! I’m telling all of it.”

“Razpu-”

“Oh, come off it, Raz,” Lili snapped a little too loud, making the whole car jump. “Quit trying to take the fall for me. It was my idea to try the stupid fake ID thing, okay? Happy now?”

“Wh – uh, who said anything about being happy about it?” Helmut asked, legitimately confused.

“Look. Neither of us had anything to do tonight, and we were bored, so Raz suggested getting a drink somewhere, but Adam and Lizzie are out of town so we couldn’t ask them.” She crossed her arms and spoke without any inflection. “So, we went out but no one would let us do anything cause we’re minors. I thought that was stupid, because we’re agents same as any of you, so I came up with the sneaking-in part. We only got caught cause one of the bartenders recognized Raz from a show.”

There were a lot of loaded things to parse through from that explanation, but Bob’s mind stalled on one particular detail.

“Adam and Lizzie give you two alcohol?”

“Not…often,” Raz admitted. “Just once or twice, when we asked.”

“Do you mean like, a literal once or twice, or a…an estimated once or twice?”

“Did Dad put you up to this?” Lili shot back. “It was just a few times, like he said. What’s with the inquisition?”

“…Lili –”

“Raz.”

“Okay!” Helmut proclaimed as he slapped his hand against the steering wheel in boisterous aggression. “Who wants some ice cream?”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Cause I’m really feeling some chocolate-vanilla swirl right now. Basic bitch style. Right? Who’s with me?”

Silence.

“Great! Look at that, open Dairy King right there, better take advantage of this opportunity before it slips through our fingers like the melting ice cream we’re all gonna have in about five minutes!”

The psi-king swung into the parking lot in a frenzy and herded the car crew inside before any of them could come out of their shock long enough to protest. It was only as Bob was staring up at fifteen flavors of oversaturated sugary goodness that he realized what had just happened.

He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief over his husband’s diversion. The tension that had been boiling over was cooled significantly by the sudden non-sequitur, and while the teens were rather half-hearted about picking out their sweet treats, there was no longer a risk of an explosion happening.

Metaphorically and literally.

Helmut caught his spouse’s eye with a meaningful look at Lili the moment all of them had their orders in hand, then slung his arm around Razputin’s shoulders and steered him away. “C’mon my lad! Nothing like the cool night air of three in the morning to keep your Hurricane ™ properly chilled!”

The poor boy had no choice but to let himself be pulled outside, leaving the two Zanottos standing awkwardly in the dingy restaurant. Bob gave a nervous scratch at his chin under his beard.

“How about we, uh, find a seat somewhere?”

Lili couldn’t fully cross her arms while holding ice cream, but she did a good job of making it work anyway. “Sure.”

They sat in a booth in the farthest corner from the front counter. Both great-niece and great-uncle stared at their respective sweet treats as if they could teleport them out of this situation. Bob glanced out the window and saw Helmut and Raz standing outside of the car. The former was on one knee with his hand on the teen’s shoulder, speaking earnestly but inaudibly, and the latter was scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the asphalt.

“Are you going to lecture me?” Lili finally cut through the silence.

Bob turned back to her. “No. Not really.”

“No?” She broke her gaze away from her ice cream just a little bit, eyeing him with surprise. “Then why did Helmut take Raz and leave us alone?”

She was so perceptive, so smart. And yet, still so young.

“Well, I… I still want to talk to you about what happened. I’m just not very, good, at this kind of thing.” He took his spoon and absentmindedly began drawing a flower in his soft-serve. “You already know what you did wasn’t a good idea, right? So I don’t think a lecture would help things any on that front.”

She didn’t respond. He continued.

“It’s less about the fake ID and more…the reasons you made the fake ID. Does that make sense?”

“I guess so, but I know what I’m doing, Uncle Bob. I’m not going to drink irresponsibly.”

The herbophanist shook his head. “But you’ll do irresponsible things to be able to drink in the first place.”

“That’s not –” Lili didn’t have a good rebuttal. She folded her arms and grumpily started eating her cherry chocolate delight. “Whatever. It’s two different things, anyway.”

Against his better judgement, Bob began picking at his own food as he thought about how best to bring the subject back up without making the teen defensive again. Spoons clicking against teeth was the only sound between them for a solid minute.

Finally, an epiphany.

“Did Truman ever…tell you anything, about your great-grandma?”

The girl paused with a bite halfway up to her mouth. She frowned, confused. “Grandma Tia? Not much. Just that she died when he was a baby.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she did.” He ran a tired hand over his face. The ache in his heart might have long-since healed into a scar, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when pressed. “She passed away when I was nineteen. The doctors told me it was liver failure.”

He didn’t have to say anything else. Lili’s mouth thinned and she put her spoon down, uncomfortable.

“When I…found out the reason behind her death, I was horrified by it. It didn’t make sense to me why she would willingly do something that hurt her so badly, especially when I was right there to love her and help her. It felt like a betrayal that she never got help or made herself stop. I was…disgusted by the mere thought of doing anything like that.”

Bob took a moment to breathe and wipe his eyes. He wasn’t crying, but better safe than sorry.

“It sounds pretty hypocritical when I say it now, doesn’t it?”

His great-niece only gave him a hesitant look.

“Anyway, uh, where was I…” He worried his lip. “Oh, right. I told myself that I’d never touch the stuff after that. I was angry at what she’d done, and I was determined not to have the same ‘weakness’, so to speak. As you know, it, uh, it didn’t last long. I was at a college party barely a year later when I was invited by some friends to drink with them. I didn’t make human friends very easily back then – actually, I still don’t – so I was a little desperate to keep them. It turned out to be pretty hard whiskey, so I got hammered.”

The man leaned back in his seat, staring at the patterns in the booth table.

“Back then, no one really knew how alcoholism could run in a family. Everyone thought it was a personal choice to keep drinking. It wasn’t even classified as an addiction yet. So I didn’t know how susceptible I was, or how careful I had to be. I’d spend months not having a single drink, thinking I was fine and could handle myself, and then I’d get plastered for a week at parties and bars and God knows what else, and it would take me even longer to get myself to stop again. It was like that even when I was with Ford and his gang. It wasn’t until I started dating Helmut that I started trying to change those habits. I’d never met anyone who loved me so unconditionally that I wanted to be a better person for them, until him. And it worked for a while.

“Well, barring our wedding, of course. I got shitfaced at the reception. It was embarrassing afterwards, but Helmut told me it made our cake-eating ceremony a hell of a great time.”

Lili snorted, and it was accompanied by a tiny upturn of her lips. Then it dropped as her expression became solemn. “And then…everything with Maligula happened, right?”

“Yeah. I think you know the rest of that story.”

“Uh-huh.”

Great-niece and great-uncle sat together for a while, just thinking about it all.

“I know I have to be more careful drinking than a lot of people, Uncle Bob,” Lili finally said at length. “My dad warned me about it when I was old enough to ask.”

“Truman is a good dad,” he murmured in response.

“The best dad.”

“Definitely the best dad.”

More silence.

“I didn’t mean to worry you and him,” she continued. “Or scare you. I know it was dumb to do what we did tonight.”

Bob looked at her, and she gave a conceding sigh.

“Okay, it was dumb to do a lot of what we’ve been doing with this stuff. That doesn’t mean I’m not being careful.”

“Kid, it’s not always just a matter of being careful. I thought I was being careful. I thought that for years and years, and when I finally realized I wasn’t, I convinced myself I could stop any time I wanted to, and kept up the same patterns anyway. That’s what I’m trying to get you to understand. I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I’m just worried about you.”

Lili closed her eyes with a grimace. “I know. I’m sorry, Uncle Bob.”

“Hey, kiddo, look at me.” He waited until she did so. “I’m not mad at you. I’m not disappointed, either. That’s your dad’s job. I get it, is what I’m saying. It gives you a buzz, and it’s fun and exciting, and you just wanted to have a good time with your, uh…”

Bob leaned in a bit, and dropped his voice to a stage whisper.

“Is Raz still your boyfriend?”

“Wha –” her cheeks went red. “Yes, he is!”

“Alright, sorry, I’m just always out of the loop. No one ever tells me when these things change or not. Anyway,” he continued before she could get brighter than the cherries in her ice cream. “I’m just saying that you gotta be more than careful with this kind of thing. Everyone should be, really, but especially people like us. Plants aren’t the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family, unfortunately, so we just have to be aware of it and act accordingly.”

The teen turned this over in her mind. He could practically see the gears moving. When she looked at him again, it was with a slow, contemplative nod.

“No more late-night bar-hopping?” Her great-uncle asked.

“No more late-night bar-hopping.” She answered, sincere.

“Good.” He looked outside. Helmut and Raz were both lying on the front of the car, pointing out stars to each other. The sight made him smile. “Come on, we’ll work on that whole thing about Adam and Lizzie giving you alcohol another time, when it’s not three in the morning. For now, let’s rejoin our boys again and go get some rest, okay?”

“Okay.” Lili slid out of the booth and tentatively took her family member’s hand. His fingers squeezed hers in reassurance. “And...thanks, Uncle Bob.”

“Well, what can I say. Us weird Zanotto plant people hafta look out for each other, right?”

“Right.”

They walked out together, hand-in-hand.

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

A/N: I knew from promotional material that we'd be going into the mind of someone struggling with alcoholism, but Bob's Bottles punched me hard in the gut. It's probably my favorite mind in the game, both because it's visually gorgeous and because it hit a little close to home with some of the themes, like generational alcoholism and how the addiction can make someone a shell of themselves.

I wrote half of this three weeks ago and then found myself really struggling to finish it because it brought up a lot of old feelings I thought I'd sorted through a long time ago.

Psychonauts, man.

#psychonauts 2 #psychonauts 2 spoilers #Bob Zanottto #Helmut Fullbear #Lili Zanotto #Razputin Aquato #Bob Zanotto/Helmut Fullbear #psychonauts

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novelconcepts · 3 years

Note

The night Dani sees Peter Quint, a blackout happens during the storm. The officers say that it's not safe to stay there in the middle of a storm and without a way to talk to the police if necessary. Hannah and the kids go to Owen's house. Jamie offers a ride, her little flat, clothes and a bath (since crazy Dani decided to run after Peter during the storm).

There's just one bed prompt. Maybe a small couch or chair.

They listen, which is frankly more than Dani expected when Hannah insisted on calling the police. She suspects it has less to do with the Peter Quint of it all, and more to do with the lightning strike, the cataclysm of rain, an old house plunged into deep black. No phone lines, the officers point out with weary expressions that say they are not certain Peter Quint is truly a danger--but Lord Wingrave is not without a certain amount of authority around these parts, and if any further tragedy should befall his niece and nephew, these men would find themselves overloaded on unpleasant paperwork and worse press.

Bad reasons, Dani thinks with a scowl. They ought to have gone into this field to help people, not scoff at Hannah’s fear and Dani’s unease. They ought to be doing something, not simply waving them off the property for the night. It’s listening, sort of, but it isn’t hearing.

She glances at Jamie as the officers speak--directly, she notes, to Owen, as though as the only man among them, he has defaulted to de facto lord of the manor. He looks uncomfortable, rubbing a hand through wet hair; Dani remembers him saying, I was born in Bly, wonders if he went to school with either of the men in slick uniform.

Jamie doesn’t look uncomfortable. Jamie looks angry. There’s a fire burning in her Dani suspects never entirely went out after this afternoon’s rose debacle, one that might have been tempered if they’d been able to track Quint down outside. But he’s in the wind, the product of long legs and a better awareness of the terrain. Dani, giving chase into a fresh downpour before she could think better of her choices, is still itching at the memory of his long coat vanishing into the dark.

She’d run into Jamie, instead--full-force, a bone-rattling collision that had sent them both tumbling into the sopping grass. It might have been funny, if not for the echo of Quint’s footfalls dying away.

“If he’s here?” Jamie asks now. “Quint. If he’s still here? What then?”

The officer in charge gives her a brief look, barely long enough to register detail. “If he’s here,” he says boredly, “all the better that you aren’t.”

Jamie grinds her jaw. She seems barely to be containing herself, resisting the impulse to explain in no uncertain terms that this is their home, this place Quint is intruding upon. Their home--Hannah and the kids and Dani, at least--where Quint would be trailing slimy fingers. The idea of that smirking face going through the bedrooms makes Dani shudder. It seems to press Jamie toward an unwise argument.

Without thinking, Dani reaches out, lays a hand on her shoulder. Jamie’s hair is still dripping, her jacket sodden. Her eyes, catching on Dani’s face, widen a little, her teeth unclenching.

“You have somewhere to go?” the head officer reiterates, glancing back toward the door as though dreaming of a warm car, a comfortable house far from the manor. Owen nods in Hannah’s direction.

“Mum won’t mind. Can have a little sleepover.”

“Yes!” Flora perks up. She’s been uncharacteristically quiet, leaning against Miles’ side, but her whole face switches on like a lantern now. “A sleepover!”

“How’s about it, Miles?” Hannah taps him lightly on the head. “A little evening adventure.”

He looks uncertain, but when she ruffles his hair, a slow smile creeps across his face. Dani’s relieved to see it--she’s started to believe Miles is thirty-five in a ten-year-old frame, the weight of so much loss bearing him down like an anchor. He deserves a little fun.

“And you,” Hannah adds, looking to Dani as if reading her mind. “What do you say to a night off?”

Dani blinks. “Oh, I don’t think that’s necess--”

“Chased a man into the storm,” Hannah interrupts. “Not a decision I’d approve of twice, but it was quite brave. And, forgive me dear, but you look like you could use a proper rest in the aftermath.”

That might be, Dani thinks absently, the nicest way of saying you look like shit I’ve ever heard.

“I’ll just get cleaned up real quick,” she says, “and then I’ll be perfectly fine to--”

Hannah raises a hand. “I insist. Let Owen and I handle them for the evening.”

Dani opens and closes her mouth several times. What’s the alternative? Is Hannah expecting her to stay here? Here, in a house they’re all carefully not admitting feels much bigger in the dark, huddled around the glow of policeman flashlights?

“Can crash at my place,” Jamie says, almost gruffly. “If you don't mind the company.”

Hannah looks unsurprised by this offer. Dani feels a little light-headed at the idea.

“I--I’m all muddy.”

Jamie makes a show of looking down at her own clothes, caked in wet clods of grass, soaked nearly to the skin. She raises her eyebrows in Dani’s direction as if to say, Any more sterling arguments?

Dani has none.

Jamie doesn’t say a word as they load into her truck, Dani trying her best to shrink down to inhabit as limited a space as possible. Her legs ache with the effort of holding her feet aloft, her thighs pressed together to prevent staining the whole seat with grime. Jamie glances in her direction, pulling carefully out onto the road, and Dani could swear she’s trying not to smile.

“Know what I do for a living, don’t you?”

Dani nods. Jamie clears her throat.

“Then should go without saying you’re not the first to track mud into the truck. Relax.”

Embarrassed, Dani does as she’s bid. From the corner of her eye, she sees Jamie’s mouth twitch again--sees Jamie’s hands resting comfortably at ten and two, Jamie’s shoulders slightly rounded as though by holding her posture firm, she can punch a hole through the sheeting rain. She doesn’t seem nervous in the least to be driving through this mess with Dani huddled beside her.

Jamie, Dani is starting to think, doesn’t get nervous.

Well, that makes one of us.

She has nothing to be nervous about, is the thing. Chasing a strange man into a storm, racing after him with nothing but a fire poker and a hot protective impulse--that should have made her nervous. Should have scared the shit out of her. And it hadn’t. She’d felt bizarrely well-equipped for the decisions she was making, at the time. Peter Quint, she’d been certain, should have been the nervous one.

But now, sitting with wet hair and mussed clothes beside a woman she’s held barely three conversations with, Dani feels distinctly out of her element. No kids. No easy warmth of a carefully-sewn-together family opening its arms to let her in. Just a truck, rattling along a slick road on its way to a tiny town she’s never set foot in before.

And a woman with wet curls plastered to her forehead, stealing tiny glances at Dani like she’s not quite sure what to do with her.

“Flat’s small,” Jamie says, as if apologizing, as she parks outside a pub that looks older than any establishment in Dani’s hometown. “Don’t need much. But there are no screamin’ kids.”

Flora and Miles aren’t much for screaming without reason, but Dani thinks she takes Jamie’s point all the same. Quiet, Jamie is trying to say. Dani can properly rest here, Jamie is trying to say. Jamie doesn’t mind offering up her space.

“Ready?” The rain is still coming down in a torrent. Jamie’s hand is positioned at the doorhandle, Jamie’s posture strung tight. “Make a break for it on three. One--two--”

They run, damp clothes made soggy all over again, and Dani is surprised to hear herself make a whooping sound of joy as she splashes through puddles. Jamie, she thinks, could move faster--Jamie’s got a runner’s stamina when she puts her mind to it--but she’s jogging along at an easy pace, refusing to leave Dani behind. Her hand catches once on Dani’s sleeve, pulling her to the stairs behind the pub, guiding her up to a door at the top.

“Storms like these,” Jamie says when they’ve tumbled breathlessly into her home, “remind me of bein’ a kid. Sitting in school, hoping the power’d go so they’d send us home early.”

“Did it ever happen?” Dani wraps her arms around herself, trying not to shiver, trying not to drip too expansively across the scored floorboards. Jamie grins.

“Once. I was seven. Spent the whole day out in it anyway, caught the worst cold of my life. Best goddamn day a kid could want.”

She looks so at home here, as Dani watches her pull off her boots, drape her jacket lazily over a chair, stride around turning on lights. At the manor, Jamie is casual enough, rarely inclined to rush or worry, but here, it’s instantly clear she knows every creak in the floor, every stubborn lightswitch, every inch of a domain that is entirely Jamie.

A domain she has, for no reason at all, opened up to Dani tonight. The reality of it crashes home all at once, landing hard. Jamie barely knows her, and still is willing to give Dani a place to stay. Jamie barely knows her, and still is holding out a gray towel and a bundle of clothes, her smile crooked.

“Thought you might like to get out of those.”

A spike of warmth makes its way up Dani’s spine, settling somewhere around her ears. She crushes it down, forcing herself to accept the sweats and t-shirt with a grateful smile of her own.

“Thank you. Honestly, you didn’t have to do any of this--”

“The rain,” Jamie says easily, “is the fun part. The cold, not so much. Bath’s this way.”

Bathroom, Dani assumes she means--until Jamie gestures at the little tub, barely big enough for a woman her size. She looks marginally embarrassed for the first time, but it’s a resolute sort of embarrassment, as though Jamie has little patience for it.

“Not much,” she says. “But still better than catching ill. Take however long you like.”

Dani watches her back out of the room, a tumble of unfamiliar emotions in her chest. Someone offering up everything--home, clothes, bathtub--without asking for something in return is strange. Someone doing that much and then leaving, peaceable as the turn of a new day, is unheard of. She hesitates, waiting at the closed door for signs that Jamie will change her mind--or knock, having thought of something else Dani might need--and nothing comes. This room has become, so long as Dani wants it, her space. Jamie will take it back only when Dani’s finished.

Unwelcomely, she tries to imagine Eddie doing this very thing. Eddie, who only refrains from haunting her European adventures with postcard and phone call because he has no idea how to find her. Eddie, who would think the offer of clothes and a hot bath automatically come with other perks, and who would smile as he stepped in to collect like he couldn’t imagine her wanting to be left alone.

She shakes her head. Eddie is gone, and she is here, and Jamie isn’t him. Is so unlike him, in fact, it’s hard to imagine them standing in the same room.

And why, some little part of her pipes slyly up, are you comparing them in the first place?

She shivers, turning on the water, letting it run as hot as possible before sinking in. She leans her head back against a wadded-up washcloth, surveying the simplicity of the bathroom--single toothbrush, single cup for water, a minute assortment of hairbrush, hair ties, sunscreen. There is a dried rose framed beside the door, a small bunch of purple-and-white flowers she can’t name in a tiny windowsill vase.

It’s all very discreet, all very Jamie. To look at it with this much freedom, to be trusted alone in a space that has belonged to no one else, makes her heart pound.

She’s only being nice. And so what? What does it matter?

It matters. Even if she never says so, even if she never lets it out of her heart, Dani can’t deny that it matters. Like it mattered watching Jamie walk into the kitchen earlier this week, glancing at her with an easy raise of brows like she was thinking, Sure. You can stay. You’re one of us.

Jamie, calling her Poppins, telling her she’s doing great, offering her flat without a second’s pause. None of it warranted. None of it asked for. All of it so incredibly welcome.

She stays in the bath until the shivers ease out, carefully soaping her hair with the little bottle of shampoo on the windowsill. A different scent and brand than her own, and as she’s rinsing clean, she realizes she will smell like Jamie now. If for only a night, her hair--and the clothes Jamie gently pressed into her hands--will hold just a little bit of the gardener’s influence.

The warmth she’s beginning to attribute to Jamie sweeps through her again at the idea. That, and the awareness that these are Jamie’s things hugging her body. Jamie’s belongings, offered up like she feels not the least bit possessive about her living space. Sure. You can stay. You’re one of us.

“Warm?” Jamie asks when she finally steps back out of the bathroom. Her hair is still wet, though she’s changed into a clean white shirt and sweatpants of her own. Dani nods, confused when Jamie grins.

“What?”

“I think,” Jamie says placidly, “this is the first time I’ve seen you out of pastels. Suits you.”

Dani glances down. The threadbare black t-shirt bears a jagged white London Calling in peeling letters. She can’t help smiling.

“Maybe I’m a secret punk fan.”

“Are you?” Jamie sounds interested. Dani shakes her head.

“Sorry, no. Always open to learning, though.”

Here it is again: that funny, twisting feeling in her stomach that says she is at home with Jamie. That Jamie is easy and warm, despite the anger simmering somewhere deep down and a tendency toward cropping her sentences with swear words. That Jamie has opened her home to Dani only because Jamie has opened to her, on some level neither of them is entirely sure how to approach.

“Thank you,” she says, because it’s easier than putting this feeling into words. “For all of this. You didn’t have to.”

Jamie shrugs. “Wanted to. You haven’t had an easy couple of days. Sometimes, a little quiet goes a long way.”

She’s seated on the arm of the couch, bare feet dangling an inch off the floor. Looking at her, Dani can’t entirely wrap her mind around the idea that she’s only known this woman for a couple of days. That she doesn’t, in fact, know much of anything about her at all.

And still, when Jamie rises and begins arranging pillow and blanket on the couch, Dani’s stomach performs a backflip she’d never come close to feeling with Eddie.

“That’s really kind of you,” she says, the words a blind effort to distract from her trembling hands. “I really don’t need much, you don’t have to go to any trouble--”

Jamie glances over her shoulder. “No trouble. Bed’s just that way.”

Dani turns to look. Sure enough, behind a pulled-back curtain, she can just make out Jamie’s mattress and frame. “I--I mean, I won’t be bothering you, if that’s what you--”

“What?” Straightening, Jamie frowns. “No, I mean, it’s yours. Take it. I sleep on the couch half the goddamn time anyway, it’s no--”

“I am not,” Dani interrupts, “taking your bed, Jamie.”

Not since her last argument with Miles has she been engaged in such a standoff. Jamie, still holding a pillow, looks ready to chain herself to the couch. Dani, heady with the inescapable awareness of Jamie’s shampoo rinsed out of her own hair, can’t have that. It’s too much. Clothes and space and ride--all of that, she can accept. But foisting Jamie from her own bed?

“I’m not doing it,” she says. Her arms are folded, her mouth pulling into a smile she can’t for her life shake. “I’m told I'm very stubborn, so you might as well just let me have that couch now.”

“I--” For the first time all night, Jamie seems to be at a loss. “I’m--aiming for chivalry, here, Poppins.”

“You’ve been nothing less,” Dani assures her. “A white knight, really. But I’m afraid this is where I have to draw the line.”

“I sleep on it all the time.”

“So, it’s my turn.”

Jamie’s whole face seems on edge of some kind of collapse--though into laughter or upset, Dani can’t begin to guess. She has a brief flash of possibility, the two of them standing on either side of the couch all night, arguing well into daylight over who ought to take the proper night’s sleep.

“You’ve got kids to handle in the morning,” Jamie says reasonably, proving her point.

“You spent all day working in the sun,” Dani volleys in return. She thinks for a moment, then adds, “Also, I knocked you into a puddle earlier, and you didn’t get a nice warm bath.”

“Didn’t need one.” Jamie looks exasperated. “Poppins, come on. This doesn’t have to be a big bloody deal.”

It doesn’t, Dani agrees. It really doesn’t. All Jamie has to do is step out of the way, step behind that curtain, put herself to bed where she belongs.

Or, alternatively--

It’s coming out of her mouth before she can stop it. Before she can run through all the reasons not to suggest this very thing. Before she can pin down the butterflies having a dogfight in her stomach and make a decision based in good judgment.

“Look, if you’re that committed to making me sleep in the bed, come join me.”

Jamie nearly drops the pillow. Her calm has utterly vacated the flat, leaving behind a woman who looks--if Dani isn’t much mistaken--much nearer to frantic than she’s ever seen Jamie before. Much nearer to the kind of nervous Dani had been on the ride over.

“I,” she says. “That--I shouldn’t--”

“It’s the best compromise,” Dani says, trying to sound reasonable. Trying to sound as though the invitation to share Jamie’s bed isn’t making her entire body run with sudden electricity. “Neither of us is very big, I’m sure we can fit.”

“I’m--sure we can.” Jamie is grimacing. Jamie looks pained. If she had an elegant way out, Dani would take it back simply to erase that look from Jamie’s face, a look that says Jamie would rather sleep in her tiny bathtub than wherever Dani is.

Elegant way out, she can’t find, and she’s tired. Tired, and buzzing with nerves, and somehow, the au pair wins out over all possible variants of Dani Clayton. “It isn’t that bad an idea,” she says, her voice steady. “I don’t even snore.”

This breaks something open between them. She can’t put her finger on just what it is, or why, but suddenly Jamie is laughing, and Dani is grinning, and she knows the stalemate is at its end. It’s been too long a night. There’s just no point.

“Here,” she adds, settling at the edge of the bed, watching Jamie switch off the lights and creep closer as though trying not to startle a skittish animal. “I’ll lay right on the edge, you won’t even have to know I’m here--”

“Don’t be silly,” Jamie says. She hesitates; Dani wonders if she’s giving a final chance for Dani to shoo her away, to choose a night spent alone after all. She thumps the bedspread with a flat palm, staring meaningfully at Jamie until the mattress sinks beneath the weight of au pair and gardener alike.

“See?” she can’t stop herself saying. “We fit.”

Jamie stares at her, a lingering gaze Dani couldn’t decipher on her best day. She opts to ignore it, stretching out under the rumpled covers. Beside her, Jamie slides a hand beneath her head, staring up at the ceiling.

“Not so bad,” Dani says, wishing she could shut up, wishing she could stop thinking--about Jamie’s head on the pillow beside her, about Jamie’s scent sunk into this pillow, about the indent of Jamie’s body in this old mattress where maybe no one else has ever lain. Jamie makes a low sound in her chest.

“Long day.”

“So long.” Was it only this morning Dani was having a small panic attack, the strain of a new job on top of familiar guilt too heavy to bear? Was it only this afternoon she’d grabbed Jamie’s shoulder, pulled her back from storming off to skin Miles alive?

Was it really only this evening she’d stalked out after Peter Quint, crashed headlong into Jamie, listened to police officers warn them all away from the manor in a blackout?

Jamie clears her throat. Dani’s starting to think it’s a nervous habit--Jamie seems to do it only around her. Why on earth would I make her nervous? “Comfortable?” she asks the ceiling. Dani nods.

In the dark, the bed seems smaller. The pillows are touching, the blankets bridging the brief gap between Jamie’s right leg and Dani’s left. In the dark, Jamie’s breath is audible, the smell of rain and shampoo and clean clothes twisting together into a single knot.

In the dark, Dani thinks, they could be anyone. Not gardener and au pair, but anyone, bound by a single unpredictable night.

She wonders if they should talk--about Peter Quint, about the tension of the evening, about the kids, or the roses, or any number of little odd moments around the manor. She wonders if Jamie expects her to ask questions--who Quint is, what he was to Rebecca Jessel, what he might be doing skulking around the house.

She can’t quite find it in her. It’s too warm, too soft, the silence as inviting as the rustle of Jamie’s borrowed clothes against her skin. Laying in the dark, Jamie’s foot nearly touching her own, listening to the storm pound the windowpanes, Dani is breathing easier than she has in months.

“I’m glad,” she says quietly, “you’re here.”

Jamie’s head rustles the pillowcase, turning to look at her. “Yeah?”

Dani smiles. “Yeah. I can’t explain it, but I feel...safer.” Something sharpens behind her ribcage, something that begs her to add, With Hannah, with Owen, with the kids, too. She doesn’t. It’s true, but it’s also not really what she means.

“He doesn’t know where to find you,” Jamie says, and for a moment, Dani wonders how she could possibly be talking about Eddie. Then Jamie adds, “I hate that fucker. So does Owen. Everyone is safe tonight.”

Right. Peter Quint. Of course. “I’m glad,” Dani repeats. She feels the mattress shift as Jamie carefully settles in. “Jamie?”

“Mm?”

Too many things to say. Too many questions to ask. Too many of those butterflies winging around as Jamie’s elbow bumps her, as Jamie’s breath brushes her cheek. She shuts her eyes, the simple image of Jamie’s gaze inches away too much to handle.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Poppins,” Jamie murmurs. And though Dani’s heart is racing, though her skin is hot, though the storm outside is brutal and Jamie’s bed is much smaller than she’d thought--she finds herself relaxing. Finds herself thoughtlessly shifting to a more comfortable position on her side. Finds herself, even, leaning in toward Jamie’s warmth as the sound of her breathing shallows.

For the first time in what feels like years, Dani Clayton sleeps.

#fanfiction #ficlet #the haunting of bly manor #dani x jamie #damie #clearly an AU all things considered--ghosts didn't feel like they suited this one

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