Takes place immediately after this.

Warnings: SOA typical mentions of violence, profanity, etc

Sonny entered the house with a cacophony of noise that you listened to distantly as you continued unloading groceries. You grabbed another can from the shopping bags on the floor of the kitchen to place it on the kitchen counter to be put away. His bike roared to an abrupt stop and then his boots stomped heavily across the porch before the front door was being opened with a jangle of keys. In the next beat, you heard keys sliding across the coffee table in the living room, no doubt tossed, and rolled your eyes. How hard was it to hang them on the hook by the door? 

You glanced over your shoulder as stomped over to the kitchen doorway and shot him a quick smile. The events from earlier in the day and deciding what to cook for dinner had you distracted. It was so tempting to order tacos, which was ridiculous considering all of the fresh food you now had to eat. Cooking seemed like an insurmountable effort.

“Hi Sonny, how was work?” you called over your shoulder. He was in a mood and you fought your annoyance. 

“I heard you had a visitor today,” he grit out in lieu of reply.

You paused, but didn’t turn to face him. The heavy soles of his shoes dragged across the floor as he took another step closer. 

“How’d you hear that?” It was impossible to avoid a tone that wasn’t hardened with frustration, so you didn’t try.

“The prospect that—“

“You’re spying on me now!?” You whirled to face him and slammed your hands on the counter behind your hips. “Are you fucking kidding me, Sonny.” Flat. Like a flat sea with a storm cloud in the distance.

“I’m not spying on you,” he spat out in protest. He pushed the hair back from his face roughly and you noticed that he was still wearing his riding gloves. “It’s for your protection. After everything that’s—“

“So that “no more secrets” was just for me or…” you interrupted sharply.

“It is for your protection,” Sonny insisted. He leaned forward and you rolled your eyes. “If you had had a prospect with you when…” he trailed off. You could fill in the blanks for yourself. There were plenty of nightmares, past and imagined, to fill them in for you.

“If that was true, you would have told me,” you replied lowly. “You don’t trust me.” Sonny tried to protest, but you raised your voice and kept speaking. “And I don’t trust you. What the fuck happened to us.” 

It was not a question. You shook your head and pressed the heel of your hands into your eyes. A bag on the counter rustled as it settled and you exhaled quietly through your mouth.

“I was going to tell you.” You kept your hands pressed to your face. “Today. Not the second you burst through the door.” At this you let your hands drop and shot him a nasty look. “But over dinner or before dinner or after you asked me how my day was.” You huffed out a humorless laugh. “And now, you’ll never know if I’m telling the truth. You didn’t even give me a chance. And you have some prospect whose balls dropped yesterday tailing me and reporting back to you.”

Sonny closed the distance between you and reached out. You shrunk away from his hand, but he wasn’t deterred. Both hands came up to frame your face, but you couldn’t make yourself look at him.

“I believe you,” he said sincerely in a low voice. “I’m sorry. I should have given you a chance to say something.” Your gaze flickered up to his and then skittered away. “I fucked this up because I was scared and I keep doing that. I am sorry. I just want to keep you safe.”

"Sonny…”

“I want to keep you safe,” he repeated. “I told your dad I was going to look after you and I’m doing a shitty job of it these past few years. He’d beat the shit out of me if he was here. You wouldn’t have been hurt if he was here.”

“I wouldn’t have had as big a target on my back,” you agreed with a sigh. The fight leaked out of you and you sagged. “But I’d still be hurt.”

You cleared your throat and studied his ear.

“The person who visited me today is named Daniel Parker. He doesn’t know who you are and he didn’t harm me…physically.” The words were small and careful. Picking your way through a landmine.

“He…” you couldn’t say the words. 

Instead, you reached into your back pocket and offered the photo to Sonny. You kept your eyes trained on his face and studiously did not look at it as he dropped a hand from your face to take it. 

“This is him as a little boy with his parents.”

Sonny’s gaze was still on you and gave you an inquisitive look before finally dropping his gaze to the picture. You saw the recognition, confusion, and understanding chase across his face. 

“I’m going to call Olivia and get this to her,” he finally said in a hard voice as his eyes met yours again. He slipped the photo into his back pocket and then reached up his free hand to frame your face again. “We’ll find out if he’s telling the truth or not.”

You were thankful that you hadn’t had to say the words, although you couldn’t stop the face you pulled at Olivia’s name. 

“I know you and Olivia have your weird…whatever,” he said. His expression took on that confused look that he gave you every time you rolled your eyes at Olivia’s name. “I know that you think she’s…”

Always playing the hero. Too earnest. A little self aggrandizing.

“Intense,” he finished. Not your choice of word, but sure. “But she’ll be able to find out who the hell Daniel Parker really is and if he’s a liar.” Sonny paused and then seemed to choose his next words carefully. “Your dad loved you.”

“Don’t,” you bit out bitterly.

“He did,” Sonny insisted gently. His fingertips brushed the shell of your left ear and you shivered. Calloused fingers found their way under your chin and he gripped it firmly enough to make you look him in the eye, but not hard enough to hurt. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you muttered. Your eyes darted from the tip of his nose to his eyes.

“You don’t have to do this by yourself.” His grip tightened for a moment before relaxing again, but he didn’t let go of your chin. “I’ll ask Olivia to dig.”

“I think he’s exactly who he says he is,” you sighed and shifted your weight. “I already dug around his social media.” 

You hadn’t gotten much in the way of work done before you finally left the hospital and decided to grocery stop instead. It hadn’t really scratched the need to be productive itch that had crawled between your layers of skin. 

“He says he just wants to get to know me and know more about…him,” you couldn’t bring yourself to say ‘my dad’ or, even worse, ‘our dad.’ “He’s an only child and he seems excited to have a sibling.”

Sonny huffed and dropped a kiss to your forehead.

“We’ll see,” he said cryptically.

“Sonny, don’t—“

“I won’t threaten him,” Sonny finished your sentence with an assurance. His hands dropped to your shoulders now and he stepped even closer. “I won’t do anything unless you want me to, but we will find out who exactly he is first. Everything else, we’ll take as it comes.”

His arms came to wrap you in a hug and you let the familiar smell of his leather and the familiar grip of his arms rock you gently. 

♔⌎ 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Welcome to the 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 for the characters of 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 for the readers.

❝ Being an omega in this day and age isn’t easy, and these poor girls couldn’t have been more unlucky with enrolling at Howard College.

Some thirst for change, others merely want a way out, and the rest are too innocent to even notice their ultimate demise. ❞

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: ATA!Reader (starlet), CL!Reader (legacy), SOS!Reader (cherry), NF!Reader, YG!Reader (casanova), and K!Reader (pet).

𝗔/𝗡 | where I’m from, the legal drinking age is 19, and unfortunately, I wrote this story with that in mind, so even though the legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21, just bear with me. Also, I’ll probably add new members if new projects come out !! Note: all visuals made by me (crest, dividers, moodboards, etc.) but no images belong to me. 

α (alpha) |  β (beta) |  Ω (omega)

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿 | The photos used for each reader are not meant to represent a specific ethnicity, body type or ideal—the set was created for the general vibe of the reader! I imagine the readers in their early-to-mid twenties, feel free to choose a specific age yourself.

𝐇𝐂𝐕 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬:

| ATA!Reader (starlet) |  3rd Year | Ω | Theatre Arts/Drama Major | Omega Rights Activist

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: an addictive union of deep coffee and vanilla with seductive hints of pear and orange blossom.

❝ And the thrill of the chase moves in mysterious ways. So in case I'm mistaken, I just wanna hear you say, "You got me baby" "Are you mine?" ❞ — Arctic Monkeys, R U Mine

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | With dreams of velvet curtains, rows of adoring fans and flashing cameras, you’ve always been fierce with an unbreakable ambition. Your rose-coloured glasses have long since shattered, and you have the unlucky gift of seeing society for what it really is—a cruel kingdom, an unfair hierarchy based on status. Always honouring the alphas, leaving everyone else to scramble for the crumbs to survive.

The world is not a place of wonder and magic, it’s crawling with monsters who have dehumanized your kind and stripped away your rights. Although, you firmly believe not all hope is lost, you will keep fighting even if no one will listen, all it takes is to try, and you haven’t failed anything yet.

Starring in: 𝐀 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐭 | #tough act: reader

| CL!Reader (legacy) |  2nd Year | Ω | Kappa Phi Legacy | Natasha’s little sister | Journalism Major

About Kappa Phi: #hc: kappa

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: an uplifting mix of wild strawberries, youthful vanilla and jasmine.

❝ How will you know the difficulties of being human, if you’re always flying off to blue perfection? ❞ — Rumi, the pattern improves

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | All your life, you’ve strived for the best. Spending many years following in your mother’s footsteps, idolizing her, and allowing yourself to be belittled in the process. You thought being in Kappa Phi would solve all of your problems, mend your relationship with your mother, and get you one foot into the highly competitive world of journalism, but you couldn’t be more wrong.

Unfortunately, being Kappa Phi’s newest legacy came with a few sacrifices—from yourself, both externally and internally, and ultimately, giving up all control in your life.

Starring in: 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲  |  #captains legacy: reader

| SOS!Reader (cherry)  |  1st Year | Ω | Culinary Major & Aspiring Baker

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: a combination of toasty warm florals, from freesia, rose and jasmine, with a lingering dash of baked sweets.

❝ Glued up, sometimes it's too much. I'm fucked up and clueless….life would be boring. Empty but no hurting (hurting). Is it necessary to touch when it's scary? ❞ — Melanie Martinez, Glued

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | Be good and do good, honour yourself and your family, have faith in the beings of the heavens. You are sheltered and introverted, never making decisions for yourself, just obeying every command of your parents. Their guidance has bled into every inch of your life—but you don’t know any better, never having the chance to create or solve things yourself. All you had to do was follow their rules and live up to any expectations, be the virtuous daughter of their dreams.

Who knew all of that micromanaging, protection, censorship and guidance would make you the perfect prey?

❝ 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. ❞ — Psalm 24:3-4

Starring in: 𝐒𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧’ | #sos: reader

| NF!Reader  |  2nd Year | Ω | Visual Arts Major

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: a subtle cloud of grapefruit and orange with white florals, and a bit of paint.

❝ ...and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough? ❞ — Vincent van Gogh

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | You love cashmere sweaters, the morning breeze and the sound of rain, the softest things hold a special place in your shy, reserved heart. A lover of the arts, but an overwhelming revere for the visual kind—sculptures, photography, painting and drawing, and even architecture.

To you, the world and its inhabitants are art, individual completed pieces, unforgeable, and remarkable in their own ways. You are art too, and you’re hanging in the Louvre. But unlike others, you are incomplete. There is an empty corner at the bottom, just waiting for a signature to finish the masterpiece—to make you into something more, an art piece that belongs to another.

Starring in: 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 | #non finito: reader

| YG!Reader (casanova)  |  4th Year | Ω | Howard College Cheerleader | was in a now shut down sorority | Fashion Major (Styling)

Note: casanova is in 3rd year in Young Gods, and 4th year in the rest of the fics.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: an attention-grabbing fusion with a woody, earthy and spicy base that leaves a faint trail of sweet patchouli behind.

❝ Out if the ash I rise....And I eat men like air. ❞ — Sylvia Plath, Lady Lazarus (4)

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | The seductive glamour girl, the spoiled homecoming queen, the campus brat—you’re a casanova with swaying hips and a trail of broken hearts behind you. Life was handed to you on a sparkling silver platter and at the hands of your affluent family. Practically bathing in riches, you’ve won various beauty pageants and cheerleading competitions. Being an omega is not a place of pity or loss of pride. There is an undeniable lure surrounding the lowest class—and shame is not in your vocabulary. Your status is not a curse but a blessing, omegas are sensual and captivating creatures who could own the world if they wanted but that doesn’t interest you.

You crave the perfect life with the wealth and reputation of your creditable and successful family. Even if that means an arranged marriage. Although, they never said you must be faithful, being the temptress of Howard College, you’ve had your fair share of lovers and don’t plan on being loyal anytime soon. You’d rather be caught dead than bowing at the feet of an alpha. You demand control and attention, regardless of how defiant and untamed your methods are, you will be your own god.

Starring in: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬 | #yg: reader

| Kalopsia!Reader (pet)  |  1st Year | Ω | Dance Major

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | scent: a soft blend of sage and white tea, with inviting white iris and musk that never goes out of style.

❝ Instead it’s slow and insidious, slinking through you like ink through water, until it permeates every inch of your soul. ❞ — Karina Halle, A Nordic King

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 | “Be careful, sweetheart, the city can be wicked” to your kind—it went unsaid in the postcards from your parents but you were timid, unscathed, and terribly gullible, so that warning went straight over your head. From a small town to living with your grandparents, you were so blissfully aware of the monsters that lurk within the skyscrapers and bustling streets, and most importantly, the darkness clouding Howard College.

A pristine freshman is the latest talk on campus, and you being an unmated omega only pushes you further into the spotlight. You were bound to catch the gaze of your new peers, including the popular, rugged, and cold-hearted alphas of the infamous fraternity, Arcadia Phi.

You wander straight into their trap, blinded by the endless beauty of the new big and bright city—or foolish naivety.

Starring in: 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐚 | #kalopsia: reader

i think i forgot to mention on tumblr but back in february i bought the xp pen magic drawing pad! ive been using it a TON, but this is the first artwork ive actually finished on it. only took me a couple months LMAO. to be fair i basically never do a fully lined and shaded background, AND this was a cityscape. a super basic one, but a cityscape nonetheless. and my god, this turned out so fucking good guys. like holy shit. one of, if not the, best things ive drawn to date. idk what it is abt sonnie, man, he makes me pull out the big guns. only the best for my babie. fav oc privileges fr

two versions; first is how i finished it on the drawing pad, and the shading on sonnie looks perfectly fine on THAT screen, but too blue on the laptop, so the second version has a slightly altered colour to look better on my laptops screen. ah, colour displays, the digital artists arch nemesis

(and also ive redesigned sonnies horns. i liked the look of the old ones, but this just makes more sense. he do be rammin' shit. and now ive gotta update his ref sheet too rip)

"last  i  celebrated  this  day  with  someone,  i  got  cheated  on.  that  was  fun."

@snnydcys liked for a starter from gretchen !

⸺  𝗔𝗧  𝗧𝗛𝗘  𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗘  𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡  𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗  𝗕𝗬  𝗧𝗛𝗘  𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦  gretchen  can  feel  herself  begin  to  lock  up  with  panic  ,  head  on  a  pivot  immediately  .  ❝  no  no  no  ,  sonny  -  i  can't  fill  in  for  anyone  on  national  tv  .  i've  performed  one  dance  in  front  of  a  crowd  ever  ,  and  i  can't  even  do  it  backwards  !  there's  no  way  i  can  suddenly  learn  to  act  in  the  next  twenty  minutes  ;  i  swear  you  do  not  want  me  on  that  stage  .  ❞

danny's friendship with each of the friendgroup healed a certain part of him in general. but theres a part that also wants to say that honestly? i think his friendships' with the guys in their own way really hit on something in his head and heart.

his 'friends' during his youth and teen years were not decent people, decent friends, in the absolute slightest and it definitely skewed his thoughts on interacting with, trusting other guys so much because of it.

so i feel that meeting and slowly warming up to the others just truly started to piece back those bits of him that he'd lost when he was a kid, really.

Me omw to serenade Devon fine self now I found out Him + Rae aren’t together bc FINEST TV DISNEY MAN HANDS DOWN and the only childhood crush who wasn’t lying/playing games (Jake 😬Trevor Jackson 😵‍💫 Chad Dylan cooper 🥱) love me a 👏 GOOD 👏 MAN.

Paul gave 6 Virtues a good man should pursue:  Righteousness godliness Faith love steadfastness and gentleness. And ISN’T DEVON ALL 6! Preach.

Be a good man click here:

This song makes me want to burst into tears it’s their prom song

IN THE HEIGHTS countdown: 17 DAYS!

song for today:

it's silly when we get into these crazy hypotheticals you really want some bread? then go ahead create a set of goals and cross 'em off the list as you pursue ‘em and with those ninety-six i know precisely what i'm doin'

@thewolfruns sent a 📸 to see four pictures of dottie taken by sonny! (template)

This is a fanfic comic created with love for the Spider-Man In to the Spiderverse.

I hope you enjoy the read.

The story was created by me, the art was extracted by AI, and then retouched and corrected by me.

endless edits of stranger things verse ( 1 / ∞ )                             mutuals may interact / please don’t reblog

open starter

sonny wandered around the set all butt hurt. sure it was early for halloween, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t dress up in a costume everyday. it was just harmless fun. plus, what’s the difference for dressing up for halloween than for a character for a skit? none in her eyes. with a little huff and a pout, she continued to walk around the studio in her inflatable cow costume and looked at the first person staring her down, “what? i’m a rather cute cow if i do say so myself.”

no one is ready for the filth I have in store 👹 with my requests closed for my Lloyd Hansen Party (I Can Fix Him Party), I’ve decided to organize some of the prompts in AUs !! So far, I have:

stepdad!Lloyd x innocent!reader, pornstar!Lloyd, shy!virgin!reader (hehe), bunny hybrid!reader, and dad’s best friend!Lloyd. I’m also working on an assassin!reader fic that combines a bunch of asks too !!

I hope everyone is buckled in bc we’re heading Into the Lloyd Hansen Verse !!

@cyberbeasts​ asked :  rough fingertips touch at sherry’s skin , moving to cup her cheek and lead her closer. distance shortens between them , leaving only enough space for sonnie to feel the heat of her breath against scarred lips. she takes a moment to appreciate the anticipation before allowing their lips to touch. eyes flutter shut , free hand reaching to rest at the small of her back.

            PERHAPS    SHE    HAD    BEEN    TALKING    TOO    MUCH    .    often    times    she    ended    up    being    a    chatterer    .    rambling    on    about    interests    or    just    any    topic    they    fell    on    .    it    didn’t    help    that    she    talked    more    so    when    she    was    nervous    .    sonnie    kept    looking    at    her    in    .    .    .    a    way    .    .    .    different    than    usual    -----    more    intense    .    it    made    gaze    flicker    and    fingers    fidget    .    her    heart    was    racing    ,    a    hand    rose    to    brush    hair    out    of    her    face    though    it    was    too    short    to    be    tucked    behind    her    ear    .

            it    was    the    touch    that    silenced    her    .    large    eyes    grew    larger    ,    those    baby    blues    were    finally    locked    on    sonnie    ----    those    twinkling    still    pools    .    she    allowed    the    touch    ,    allowed    the    other    to    guide    her    .    she    watched    it    happen    and    she    didn’t    fight    against    it    .    her    breath    was    shaky    but    pull    away    she    did    not    .    could    sonnie    hear    her    heart    ?    could    she    feel    the    quickening    of    her    pulse    ?

            their    lips    met    and    she    nearly    stopped    breathing    .    long    lashes    brushed    pale    freckle    dusted    cheeks    as    lids    closed    .    she    feared    herself    to    be    clumsy    but    was    surprised    to    not    be    so    .    pressure    against    her    back    encouraged    her    own    hands    to    raise    ,    tips    of    fingers    touching    lightly    to    jawline    before    pressing    a    bit    more    firmly    .    surely    now    sonnie    could    feel    her    heart    where    their    chests    met    .    even    so    .    .    .    it    did    not    stop    her    from    softly    wrapping    arms    around    the    woman’s    neck    .

in the vast green trees of the forest, she is most at home. wandering around aimlessly, briar is as home as if she first came from the soil of the earth itself, as if she was born from the earth's flesh her basket of berries held tightly as she walks through the familiar grounds, the sound of hooves echoes beyond her, startling the bird that neared her, flying away in a flutter of wings as she hears the dismounting of a boy — the boy from the edge of the forest. she knows in the village beyond the forest, there are rumors of the girl who lives in the trees, (a falsification : she'd happily quash such conjecture by showing anyone who asked to see the cottage she'd grown up into, yet . . . no one bothers to learn the truth). the girl in the forest frowns at the boy staring back at her. ❝ you scared away my songbird, ❞ a look of contempt, an annoyance at his loud entrance. briar sighs, extending a handful of the berries for him with a resounding defeat. ❝ i'm fine, this my home — i know the way back & i've done it may times even in the darkest night, the heaviest snow, & the most terrible wind you can imagine. ❞ his question lingers for only a second before she's quick to remind him how capable she is (though secretly, the question rolls off @boystark 's tongue so kindly " are you sure you'll be okay? " a softness, one that she, the girl who's true companions lay only in her dreams, feels honored to receive) ❝ — if you're asking to walk me back, the offer is humbly declined but perhaps if i'm ever in sudden peril i promise to call for you. ❞

Pairing: Sonny Kiss/Dakota Janella Quote: Until the darkness sheds its veil, there’ll be darkness on the trail. Verse: Main

Betrayal wasn’t always a two-way street, but Sonny Kiss had made sure that this time it would be. The most known betrayal was in the way Joey Janella had betrayed Sonny Kiss. It had started small, with losses as a team on Dark and Elevation. Joey had started to blow off Sonny when the dancer had needed the bad boy the most. Sure, things were tense for a while, but Joey and Sonny had made up. That was before Joey had savagely attacked Sonny on Dark. It was before the tag team had been dissolved by an act of extreme violence. That was what everyone saw, everyone knew. What they didn’t know about was the affair between Sonny and the other Janella boy, Dakota. The relationship had started innocently enough, with Dakota tagging along when Joey and Sonny would hang out. Sometimes it was drinking at clubs after a show, sometimes they would hit up the local parks or tourist attractions while in towns touring the world. Not long after Joey had started to abandon Sonny, it had started being Dakota and Sonny spending all that time together. They had promised that the first kiss would be the only kiss, that their relationship couldn’t go past that. It wasn’t until the night Joey fully betrayed Sonny that Sonny realized he loved Dakota. They just hated being kept a secret. The two never met at the big hotels that AEW used to house talents while on the road, instead choosing to meet at seedy motels near the edge of each town. They were less likely to be seen, to be realized. Sonny and Dakota could simply worry about themselves. The neon light of the vacancy sign cast blueish light along the inside of the hotel room, bathing the darkness of the two in it’s welcoming glow. Dakota’s hair cascaded over Sonny’s chest like cider. Sonny’s hand played in their lover’s hair, a soft smile across plump lips. “I’m…I’ve been thinking, Kota bear…” Soft sage eyes glanced up at Sonny, a soft smile crossing Dakota’s face, “Oh? That can be dangerous, you know?” Sonny laughed softly, their deep brown eyes twinkling like endless voids. “What if…what if we decided we were more than nights in seedy places like this? What if…what if we decided we were endgame?” The sounds of the world were the only sounds for a moment, a silence that Sonny couldn’t bear. They knew Kota wasn’t the type to settle down, the other job the young man often did stopping him from connecting. “Sonny…I…” “You know I don’t care about the escorting, baby boy,” Sonny shook their head, frowning as Kota sat up on his side of the bed. “I only care about you. I-“ “Joey’s leaving,” Kota blurted out, pulling his knees up to his chest. The words hurt more than any piercing Sonny had ever gotten. Leaving? Joey was leaving? They knew the older Janella wasn’t happy with his contract, but Sonny didn’t think their former friend would leave. “So I…I won’t be around here and…” “I can do long distance,” Sonny protested, shaking their head, “Go be with Bad Boy, I don’t mind! I…I just want you. I want to be with you.” Kota turned his head, pressing a gentle kiss to Sonny’s cheek, “I…I’d like that. I’d love that. But…but I…” Sonny let out a knowing breath. Dakota loved them, Sonny knew that, but he was scared to get attached. “You’re here now, right? That’s what matters.” Kota let his attention wander to the neon sign outside of their window, “Maybe one day I’ll…I’ll be able to give you what you need. But for now…until this darkness sheds its veil, there’ll be blue shadows on the trail.”