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Here Comes The Sun
Billy Hargrove x AFAB! Reader
I didn't intend for the Billy one-shots I've posted so far to link up, I just really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the 'Sunshine' reader to his (let's be honest with ourselves) less than stellar personality. But evidently I'm hashing them into a series with a random timeline. Presenting the night you and Billy met.
Warnings: Mentions of domestic violence, mentions of abusive parent, explicit language, sex references, under-age drinking (under 21), smoking.
_______________________________________________
Billy is wasted.
It had been his sole purpose for the evening, spurred into self-destruct mode by yet another fight with his father, face stinging with the reminder of respect and responsibility.
He knew there was a party going on, gunning his Camaro through the winding, backwater, shithole roads of Hawkins, pulling up with a skidding flair to a boarded up building called ‘Benny’s Burgers’. The steady thumping bass emanating from inside was literal music to his ears, no plan except get drunk, maybe get his dick wet and forget about his shit life for a few hours.
Beer, vodka, tequila, it was all the same, burning his throat and stomach with numbing relief. Sweat poured off of him, chain smoking until he felt light-headed, some girl was sucking on his neck but she was faceless, nameless, he didn’t care, didn’t want to know.
He did a keg-stand, the cheers and shouts around him meant nothing, he didn’t need the praise of slack-jawed hicks. He staggered and lurched outside, away from the crowds, dizzy from the kegger. Get some air Billy, you fucking pussy he snarled at himself, punching his chest.
He drops heavily to sit on the damp grass, trying to light another cigarette but the lighter keeps drifting away from where he needs it to be.
“Piece of shit.” He mumbles, throwing the zippo away, letting himself fall backwards to lay flat, chest heaving.
_______________________________________________
He doesn’t remember passing out, dazedly brought round by something, no, someone tapping his face lightly.
“Hey - you ok?” The voice is soft, gentle.
Billy opens his eyes, vision bleary and hazed around the edges, your face floats in front of him, you seem concerned.
“‘Mfine.” He slurs, blinking rapidly trying to bring everything into focus.
“You sure about that?” You ask disbelievingly, cocking an eyebrow at his current state. He somehow pushes himself up into a sitting position, you’re kneeling down next to him not seeming to mind the wet grass on your bare legs.
“Heeyy - you’re cute, name’s Billy.” Billy smiles, trying to turn on the charm, thinking about the part of the evening where he could get his dick wet.
“Y/n, and you are very drunk.” You laugh, the sound echoing off the trees.
“I’m not as d-drunk as the other people.” He gestures haphazardly to the building, which now he really looked, seemed oddly quiet and empty.
“Uh - pretty much everyone has gone home, it’s like 4am, you must have been passed out for a while.” You place a delicate hand on his knee, patting it sympathetically, a small smile playing about your lips.
“Fu-ck.” Billy hiccups, he hauls himself up on bandy legs stumbling immediately, you step forward on instinct wrapping an arm about his waist to steady him, his muscular frame heavy. “S’ why’re you still here?” He asks, not remembering seeing you at the party, because he definitely would have remembered you.
“My friend called me to pick her up.” You sigh, pointing towards your car, he can see a blonde girl slumped in the rear passenger seat. “Can I give you a ride home?” You offer gently.
Billy shakes his head, the momentum throwing him into a dizzy lurch again, you press your other hand to his chest bracing him securely.
“No - I can’t go home.” He mumbles
“Well I’m certainly not letting you drive anywhere.” You insist, steering him towards your vehicle.
“My dad’ll kill me.” He sighs with a mirthless laugh, ignoring the sudden burn in his eyes and the hiss of ‘fucking cry-baby’ in his head.
You chuckle, helping him to perch on the bonnet of your car, hands hovering in case he slips.
“You’re just a little drunk I'm sure your dad wo-”
“No - no you don’t understand - he’ll k-kill me.” Billy says seriously, but the words still sound a little mashed together, he notices your concerned frown again and it makes his heart feel tight.
“Ok not home, but I’m not leaving you out here by yourself either.” You say firmly, hands on your hips, foot tapping against the gravel of the parking lot. “You gonna murder me in my sleep if I take you home with me?” You ask, eyes narrowed, finger pointing at his chest accusingly but there’s the hint of a smile playing about your pretty lips.
“Murder y-? Y/n, I don’t think I could find my dick to take a piss right now.” Billy says honestly, and you let out a bell-like laugh.
“I’m holding you to that Billy.” You warned teasingly. “Get in, I need to drop Sleeping Beauty home first.” You say nodding towards your friend who is snoring heavily, face smushed up against the rear window.
_______________________________________________
Billy drifts in and out of a doze as you drive, the window rolled down just in case, cold night air feeling nice on his hot face, you were singing along under your breath to some tape but he wasn’t really registering the words, maybe something about an octopus or some shit.
“Billy, I’m gonna take Cassidy inside ok?” You say gently, tapping him on the shoulder, jerking him back to the present, he nods sleepily, sinking further into the seat. Despite his drunken state, he still watches you carefully as you half carry your wasted friend up the steps and into her house, he probably should have gone to help but he definitely would be more of a hindrance in his condition.
He jolts at the sound of the car door opening, and the engine starting, having drifted off again.
“She ‘k?” He asks, rubbing at his eyes.
“Who? Cass? Yeah she’ll be fine, apart from the hangover.” You laugh. “We’ll be home in like ten minutes, I live just a little off of Brantford, you?”
“Cherry.”
You both lapse into a comfortable silence, Billy is close to nodding off again when the volume of music increases slightly, rousing him once more.
“Sorry,” You say, smiling sheepishly, withdrawing your hand from the dial “it’s my favourite.”
‘-Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold lonely winter
Little darlin’, it feels like years since it’s been here -’
Something stirs in Billy’s sluggish memory as you carry on singing softly, it’s The Beatles, the tape you’re listening to, he knows that now but there’s something else.
“Mom -.” He breathes, the word escaping his mouth before he can stop it, you glance at him curiously as he sits up straighter cranking the volume up again to listen properly.
‘-Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here come the sun-’
“- and I say, it’s alright…” You both finish off the lyric together, Billy blinking hard, willing the tears away.
“Wouldn’t have you pegged as a Beatles fan.” You say gently.
“This was my mom’s favourite song - I’d forgotten.” Billy says roughly, sniffing hard, memories of distant sunlit days, the sound of her shimmering laughter and the cresting of the ocean against the sandy shore crashing down over him like he was caught in a swell.
“Where is she? Your Mom?” You ask cautiously.
“Away from all the shit.” Billy says simply, effectively ending the conversation.
“You want me to turn it off?” You reach for the dial, but Billy catches your hand.
“Leave it on - please.” The please is whispered, the word moving unfamiliarly in his mouth, you give a small nod, neither of you dropping the hand of the other.
You pull in front of a modest house, not unlike his own as the song comes to a close, shutting off the engine, sending him a slightly nervous smile.
“Still good on the not murdering me front?” You ask, and he laughs, feeling a little bereft when you drop his hand to get out of the car.
“Scouts honour.” He hums, following you up the path on slightly steadier feet.
“I highly doubt that you were ever in the scouts.” You laugh.
“Looks can be deceiving sunshine.”
He notices the way you flush slightly and how your fingers fumble with your key in the lock, in response to the nickname, and decides he likes it a lot.
“My parents are pretty heavy sleepers, we just need to be careful on the stairs, they creak a bit” You whisper, toeing off your sneakers, taking Billy’s hand once more and leading him up the stairs, both of you stifling giggles when the tenth step groans and the snores of presumably your father kick up a notch.
You point Billy in the direction of the bathroom, and then wordlessly step into your room leaving the door open for him.
Clearly your parents have an en-suite as this obviously serves as your bathroom, soft, sweet peach like perfume hanging in the air, makeup littering the counter, he chuckles at the Aquanet perched on the sink. Billy takes a much needed piss, sighing in relief, he notes he must like you because he’s bothered to wipe the seat across knowing his aim is still dogshit from the alcohol. Washing his hands at the sink, the unforgiving bathroom light and mirror lays it all bare, bloodshot eyes, the curls of his forehead damp with sweat, the shiner on his cheek courtesy of Neil blooming purple. He splashes cool water over his face and neck in an attempt to wash some of the clamminess away, jumping slightly at the soft knock on the door. You’re on the other side when he opens it, in an oversized Mickey Mouse nightie that rests just above your knees, you look fucking adorable and he feels his heart tighten again.
“Hi, I just wanna brush my teeth.” You say softly.
“Uh - sure, yeah - go ahead.” He murmurs, skin feeling electrified when your arms brush as you move past.
“I won’t be long, make yourself comfortable.” You whisper.
Your room is softly lit by a small pink shaded lamp, the walls a lilac with green ivy leaves around the border, they almost look hand painted and Billy wonders if you did it yourself. He takes in the general clutter with a smile, a battered but very loved looking Snoopy stuffie sat on a wicker basket chair, polaroid photos of you and your friends over the years stuck to the wall above your bed in the shape of a heart.
“You could have got in the bed you know, can’t sleep standing up, well, unless you’re a Zebra.” Your voice cuts through the silence, carefully closing the door, smiling softly at Billy.
“I didn’t know which side you preferred.” He says awkwardly, internally wondering when he became a fourteen year old boy again.
You breeze past unbothered, settling on the left side, pulling the comforter down for him on the right. This is weird right? Sharing a bed with a literal stranger, not that he’s never done that before, but this feels different, intimate.
“I can take the floor you know, you don’t have to -”
“Billy, would you just get in please, so we can go to sleep.” You press, turning the light off with one last expectant glance in his direction. Billy takes his jeans off as they’re still damp from the wet grass, before sliding under the covers, body taut and on alert keeping himself to the furthest edge of the bed.
“Do I smell?” You ask quietly but he can tell you’re teasing, he feels you shift onto your side so you’re facing him. “Billy, I know we only met like an hour ago, but if you ever need a place to stay - away from the shit - you only need to ask.” Voice completely sincere.
He rolls over to face you in the dark, hand searching for yours in unspoken thanks, he expects you to pull away but you only return his grip, thumb tracing along his own.
“Goodnight Billy.” You whisper.
“Goodnight sunshine.”
#stranger things#billy hargrove x y/n#billy hargrove x reader#billy hargrove#billy hargrove x you#billy hargrove imagine#billy hargrove x afab reader#billy hargrove x female reader
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Ronan/Adam Meet-Cute AU Rated Teen
Based on this fantastic idea
WARNING TAGS: motor vehicle crash but no blood and no serious injuries, flooding, language. Fluff, ofc.
It was a dark and stormy night, and Ronan didn’t like it one bit. He didn’t mind the dark, and he wasn’t afraid of storms, but it made the drive home to the Barns feel even longer. Normally he’d be driving at least 15 over the posted speed limit, but the heavy rain made it hard to see even with his wipers on high, and his high beams didn’t illuminate much more than shiny asphalt.
But he always bragged he could make the drive home from Declan’s in his sleep, and this was as close to having his eyes closed as was safe.
So he was surprised when a single headlight appeared in his rear-view mirror and stayed there, mile after mile. Maybe the most shocking thing was that the vehicle with one only headlight kept up with him, staying about the same distance back even through the twistiest turns of the two-lane back roads that Ronan preferred over the interstate.
Ronan kept one eye on it in boredom as he drew closer to Singers Falls, but he was forced to concentrate on his own driving when he crested a hill and realized instead of the lazy little stream and narrow bridge at the bottom, there was only a rushing flow of muddy brown water. The rain from the storm had been strong enough to make the stream overflow its banks and flood the bridge and road.
He had a split second to decide what to do, but he knew it probably wouldn’t be very deep and so disregarded all safety advice and drove right through it.
The waves of water that splashed around the BMW proved he’d been right and that the bridge still held. But as he steered out of it, he glanced back at the headlight that plunged into the water but instead of coming out the other side, suddenly veered off, shook erratically, then went dark.
“Oh shit,” Ronan said and slammed on his brakes which sent his car into a skid that took all his focus for several long seconds. He got it under control and stopped, right in the middle of the road. There was no light at all in his rear-view.
“Fuck,” he sighed and did a messy three-point turn. Surely the driver had just skidded off the road and was probably fine. Of course, they were. And if they were stuck, they would have a cell phone to call for assistance. They didn’t need his help.
Unless, they did. Ronan wasn’t sure he could go home until he knew what had happened. He approached slowly and his stomach sank when he couldn’t see the other car at all.
A sharp streak of lightning gave him a split second of bright vision, let him make sure that there was no car or truck bobbing in the stream, at least, and he didn’t see any vehicle on the bank. So where the hell was it?
Ronan stopped his BMW where he could keep his headlights on where he thought the vehicle should’ve been. There was maybe a glint of metal and a lump that looked out of place.
He struggled out of his car into the downpour, swearing and leaning back in to rummage until he found a flashlight in the door’s pocket. It didn’t illuminate much either but the scene was slowly becoming clearer.
He swore again when he realized the one headlight hadn’t been a sign of a car with one burnt out bulb; no, it had been a motorcycle that some insane fool was driving at high speeds through a dark Virginia thunderstorm.
Ronan spun around, looking frantically for where the rider could’ve been thrown off.
Then he saw him. The rider was several yards from the bike, and, thankfully, also from the swiftly running flood water. But he was lying motionless on his front in the mud, his helmet down in a mound of it. With his backpack still in place, he reminded Ronan of a sad turtle flattened on the highway.
Ronan really didn’t want to find another dead body. He didn’t want the years of nightmares. He did not want to find this dude’s battered and bleeding body. But it didn’t look like he had a choice.
He shuffled up slowly and swore then hauled back his boot and nudged the dude right in the unprotected ribs, but gently.
“Hey, man, you dead?” was probably not the best thing to say but whatever.
To Ronan’s huge and unexpected relief, the body jerked.
“Oh thank Christ, you’re alive. Do you need some help?”
The body flailed its arms and legs, looking like it was trying to make upside down snow angels in the mud. But it didn’t try to rise.
There were angry muffled noises coming from the helmet, and when Ronan squatted down alongside, another flail of the hand struck his leg then gestured toward the helmet.
“What the fuck? Is your neck broke?” Ronan didn’t know what to do. He’d always heard you shouldn’t move an injured person for fear of hurting them worse.
Then the body moved both hands to its helmet, kicked its legs like a child throwing a temper tantrum, and emitted a muffled scream.
“Oh shit, are you stuck?” Ronan finally understood. The helmet was heavy and was probably encased in the thick mud from the flooding, and the poor rider couldn’t get the angle or force to get it unstuck, and maybe water was coming in and…
Ronan grabbed the helmet and tugged it and the head inside up. As soon as the helmet was free, the rider jerked to his other side and rolled over, pulling himself to sit up. His gloves seemed too bulky to get the helmet unfastened, so Ronan reached out and helped.
Mud and water poured out of the helmet as the guy gasped for air as he maneuvered it off. There was just enough light from Ronan’s forgotten flashlight to illuminate what he immediately thought was a pretty face, the face of an angel. If an angel could be pissed off, swearing, drenched, and covered in mud.
“Do you need an ambulance?” Ronan finally asked when the guy stopped his swearing. “Anything broken? Concussion?”
He shook his wet head and took a few more deep breaths. “No, I think I’m just bruised all over. It doesn’t even feel like road rash. I think the mud and water broke my fall.”
“Nearly broke you. What were you thinking, taking a motorcycle through a flood like that?”
The guy’s chin came up and he met Ronan’s eyes in stubbornness. “I didn’t see it was flooded until it was too late. I was just following some asshole who must have driven right through that mess.”
“Yeah, I did. But I know the road and still almost lost it.”
The guy looked him over, never apologizing for calling him an asshole. “My bike,” he suddenly exclaimed and splashed around, trying to stand up.
Ronan grabbed his flashlight and reached out for the guy’s elbow as he stood, trying to steady him because he swayed and wasn’t putting all his weight on his right leg. The guy jerked away so Ronan stepped back.
“I think your bike’s over there,” Ronan swung the flashlight’s dim beam in the direction of the glint of metal he’d seen from the car headlights.
“Oh no,” the guy said and plunged forward through the mud and standing water.
Ronan followed him because why not, he was already drenched and up to his knees in mud. He tried to keep the flashlight pointed at the guy’s feet as he squelched along, fighting through the mud to pull up his sneakers.
“Oh no,” the guy said again as he bent over the bike on its side in the deep mud. The flowing current of the stream was inching closer to it.
“Is it okay?” Ronan gazed over his shoulder.
“Does it look okay?” the guy snapped. “Do you know what the mud and water will do to the engine? Shit!”
The guy grabbed the handlebars and pulled, but nothing happened.
“Do you want—”
“Don’t just stand there. Can you help me get my bike up?”
“Sure,” Ronan joined him, tugged on a handlebar, but nothing happened.
“Wait, we have to…” the guy pushed Ronan out of the way then showed him how he wanted Ronan to lift while he pushed, and they finally got the motorcycle out of the sucking mud.
A flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder illuminated the scene. The guy was holding the bike handlebars to steady it, his eyes roving over the damaged motorcycle. It wasn’t a flashy crotch rocket or a chromed-up hog like a Harley. It just was a really nice bike somewhere in between. Ronan wondered how the sweet bike and the angry rider could manage to look so sexy under the circumstances.
“It’s fucked up,” the guy said. “Shit, what do I do now?”
He jolted when Ronan spoke, as if he’d forgotten he was even there. “Do you, uh, need a ride somewhere?”
The guy squinted at him as if the question was just too dumb. Ronan fought the urge to backtrack and kept his mouth shut.
“I can’t leave my bike here,” the guy finally said.
“I’ll call for a tow.”
“No, that’s too expensive,” the guy said quickly. “Shit, maybe, if we get it back on the road, it’ll start.”
Ronan held his tongue because he was no mechanic, but even he could tell that wouldn’t happen. But he helped the guy guide the bike away from the flooded stream toward the road. There was a drainage ditch along the road that was also full of water.
The guy cursed as they came to a stop. “This isn’t going to work,” he finally admitted.
“What if we hide your bike in the brush over there?” Ronan pointed to a stand of scraggly shrubs along a fence near the road but far enough from the stream and the ditch that it shouldn’t be reached by the flood. “Then I can give you a ride into town.”
“I’m headed to Henrietta,” the guy said.
Ronan shrugged. “Then you’re probably not gonna get there right now anyway.” He pointed to the distance. “You gotta take this road and go over another creek before the turn-off to Henrietta, and it always floods, way before this one does.”
“Then where are you headed?”
“Singers Falls,” Ronan said, easily brushing off the guy’s suspicions. “I turn off at the top of the hill and it’s all up and over until I get home.”
The guy swore under his breath.
“Look, why don’t you come home with me? Then when the flooding goes down, you can call someone to come meet you or I’ll just run you home to Henrietta.”
“I don’t live in Henrietta,” the guy was quick to say, even though Ronan had been catching hints of a local accent all along. “And my friends don’t know I’m coming. I don’t want to drag them out on a night like this.”
“Well, then come back to my place. You can get cleaned up, see if you’re injured and stay the night. These storms aren’t supposed to last much longer, so the roads will be fine by morning.”
The guy stood very still, looking Ronan up and down with the most judgmental look Ronan had ever garnered, and he’d visited Gansey in D.C. during Republican fund-raiser weekends while Ronan was still in his teenage punk anarchist phase.
“You’d just invite a stranger to stay at your place?”
Ronan shrugged. “Sure. I can protect myself if things go bad.”
“Well, what are the odds that both of us are serial killers,” the guy said dryly.
“Ha, ha,” Ronan said but kept a wary eye on him anyway.
“Fine. Help me get my bike over there?”
“No, I’m just going to stand out here since I’m already drenched through and watch you do it.”
Ronan couldn’t be sure in the dark but he thought the guy rolled his eyes. Once they’d gotten the motorcycle rolled into the shrubbery and pulled branches over it, Ronan led the way back to his car.
“Hey, I can’t get in there. I’m covered in mud,” the guy said as Ronan opened the passenger’s side door to clear his empty drink bottles and wrappers off the seat.
Ronan grunted in acknowledgment and went around to the trunk where he found an old blanket to spread over the seat.
“I’m still going to get it all wet,” the guy said, still stubbornly holding onto the door.
“I don’t fucking care. I’m going to get my seat wet too,” Ronan gave up and stomped around to get in the driver’s seat. Although the guy was really hot, he was starting to get on Ronan’s nerves. If he didn’t want to accept the help, then he could just stand out there in the rain and wait for someone else.
The guy must have come to that realization too, and the fact that not one vehicle had driven past in the entire time they’d been there. He finally slung his backpack off, threw it into the foot well, and dropped into the car.
Then he sighed, long and loud. “What a damn shitty night.”
“Well, hell, it’s been all sunshine and rainbows for me,” Ronan said, starting the car.
The guy snorted. “Since it looks like we’ll be getting to know each other, what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you Bald Asshole in my mind.”
“Thanks,” Ronan said, “I appreciate that. I’m Ronan. And you are?”
“Adam. Sorry I’m being a dick. But why were you speeding like a damn maniac when you knew that stream was going to be flooded? The bridge could’ve been washed out completely.”
“But it wasn’t,” Ronan said, as he drove a little slower than he normally would have since it was still raining heavily and hard to see. “I, uh, actually forgot that stream floods, and when I came over the hill, I didn’t want to slam on the brakes. Figured it was safer to drive on through.”
Adam shook his head. “Wish I’d had some warning. I was going too fast to stop too, but I saw your taillights already on the other side so I thought it was okay.”
“Who rides a motorcycle through a thunderstorm anyway?” Ronan tried to deflect some blame.
“They weren’t forecast when I left this morning,” Adam said stiffly. “It was supposed to be clear all night.”
“Well, it’s summer in Virginia. We can get a thunderstorm any time.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Adam said, and turned his face to look out the window.
Ronan rolled his eyes, but let the conversation die until they got to the intersection. It seemed to rouse Adam a little.
“Isn’t the road to Henrietta down there?” he pointed.
“Yep, about a mile down the hill, over the creek and through its flood plane.”
“And you’re sure it’ll be impassable?”
“I grew up in Singers Falls. We couldn’t get to town any time the rain was heavy.”
Adam sighed again and seemed to accept his fate was with Ronan.
The drive to Singers Falls wasn’t long from there, but Ronan kept all his attention on the road as it dipped and weaved through the hills where houses were few and far between. He was coming up on the lights of the one gas station in the area when he realized he didn’t have any food in the house. Well, not anything that he would serve to a guest.
He slowed and glanced over at Adam whose head resting against the window. Ronan looked again to see that Adam’s eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open.
“Oh fuck no,” Ronan said and swerved into the parking lot, slamming to a stop.
Adam grunted as his head bounced off the window. “What the hell? Did you get us stuck in another flood?”
“Holy fuck,” Ronan clutched the steering wheel and tried to calm his racing heart. “I thought you were dead. Again.”
Adam yawned. “That implies that I was dead once already.”
Ronan growled impatiently, “You know what I mean, that I thought again you were dead, whatever.”
“I just dozed off. It’s been a long day.”
“Well, you shouldn’t go to sleep if you have a concussion.”
“I told you, I don’t have a concussion. And before you argue, yes, I’ve had a concussion before, so I know what it feels like.”
Ronan swore again. “Well, just don’t die until you’re on your own tomorrow. You’re hell on my nerves.”
That made Adam laugh at him, and it was such a delighted laugh that Ronan melted toward him again. “Are we at your place?”
“No,” Ronan suddenly remembered why he’d wanted to stop. “But I haven’t had dinner, and I’ve been away for the week at my brother’s so I don’t have much food at home. This place has good sandwiches. And six-packs.”
“I don’t drink,” Adam said. “And I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“You want to come in?” Ronan asked as he parked right outside the door of the gas station.
“Naw, just get me whatever.” Adam started to shimmy around, probably reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.
“I got it, don’t worry,” and Ronan jumped out of the car before Adam could argue.
Dinesh greeted him as always, asked how bad the roads were, shook his head over the mud Ronan’s boots dragged in.
“Sorry,” Ronan said sheepishly. “You want me to take them off and go in my socks?”
Dinesh just laughed, “I’m teasing you. You’re the only person I’ve had in here all night. I can sweep up after you’re gone.”
“Thanks, man,” Ronan said. “Can you make me two of the curried chicken salad sandwiches, large? And if you have any turkey, two of those too? With cheese?”
“Of course,” Dinesh said, already getting to work behind the counter while Ronan went to the coolers. He picked out six different bottles of soda then went back and grabbed four different juices and a carton of milk too. Dinesh was wrapping the sandwiches as he chose family bags of chips and pretzels and added them to the pile on the counter.
“You have some romantic company tonight? You need anything else from behind the counter here?” Dinesh gave him a knowing grin.
Ronan shrugged but he felt some color rise on his cheeks. It was distinctly weird to be asked about “romantic company” by a man who’d been feeding the Lynches since his parents had moved there from Ireland. “I just have a friend stuck here because the road to Henrietta will be flooded.”
“Ah,” Dinesh looked distinctly disappointed at Ronan’s lack of love-life, but not nearly as disappointed as Ronan himself.
He’d had the one fling in high school, an unhealthy relationship with a boyfriend who’d been toxic, and despite what his friend Gansey said, he had not hidden himself away on the family farm afterward. He just didn’t love meeting new people and he knew he’d not find a boyfriend so long as he didn’t meet new people, but Ronan was just hypocritical enough that he didn’t think about it.
He apologized again for the mud, pretended not to notice Dinesh adding a pack of mints to his bags, and ran back through the rain to the car.
Seeing Adam asleep this time didn’t send him into a panic, but he did watch his chest to make sure Adam was breathing before he exhaled in relief and started the car.
Adam stayed asleep the rest of the way to the Barns right up until Ronan eased to a stop in front of the farmhouse. Ronan looked him over by the dim glow of the dashboard lights. Even with the streaks of mud covering him, Ronan thought he was just about the prettiest man he’d ever seen. He had high cheekbones, a nice nose and thin lips that expressed all his emotions too clearly. He was nearly as tall as Ronan, but leaner, more wiry even with a bulky windbreaker on.
It was his hands that Ronan focused on last, curled loosely in his lap, but really nice. And from how capably he’d handled his motorcycle, they knew what to do too.
Then Ronan realized he was staring at a sleeping stranger like a psycho creeper, so he shook himself and gently prodded Adam’s shoulder.
“Hey, wake up. We’re here,” he said, voice a little gruffer than he’d planned.
Adam did a little stretch, abbreviated by a wince of pain. His eyes fluttered open and he glanced around then shut them again and sighed. “Shit. I hoped maybe it was all a nightmare.”
“Thanks, Sleeping Beauty. That’s a real shitty thing to say to the dude who saved your sorry ass.”
Adam leveled an unimpressed glare at him. “I’m sure you’re a real Prince Charming, but I’d’ve sooner not wrecked my bike and almost drowned in mud.”
“Well, we’re home now, so you can get cleaned up and eat and then be as pissy as you want, but at least you’ll be clean and dry.”
“Good point,” Adam agreed. “Lead on.”
They ran through the rain and Ronan fumbled his keys while Adam laughed at him. Once inside, Ronan moved through the downstairs turning on lights, calling over his shoulder to give Adam a running tour. Then he stuck his head back out of the kitchen when he sensed Adam wasn’t following him.
“You just gonna stand in the hall all night?”
Adam turned from staring at the family photos dotted around the walls. “I don’t wanna track mud all through the place. Your house?”
Ronan nodded and rejoined him. “It’s where I grew up. All mine now.”
Adam nodded back.
“So, do you want to eat first or take a shower?”
“Shower, God, yes please.”
Ronan chuckled at his enthusiasm for the first time all night and led him upstairs. He bustled to set out towels and point out where everything was while Adam stood there silently.
“Dude, you’re kind of freaking me out,” Ronan finally admitted. “Are you sure you don’t have some kind of brain injury?”
Adam grimaced. “No, I don’t have a brain injury. I’m just a little … overwhelmed. This isn’t what I was expecting when you said about your place.”
“What did you expect?”
“You’re about my age so I figured some kind of trashy dorm bachelor apartment crowded with roommates, not … this.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ronan said wryly.
“Shut up, it’s not disappointing. Just surprising. Your house is really nice.”
“Well, fuck, man, if you think this is nice, just wait until you try the shower. You’re going to want to make love to the water pressure,” Ronan said, deflecting the compliment like a champ.
“Thanks for the warning,” Adam said, finally putting down his backpack on the bathroom floor.
“Do you need clean clothes or anything?”
“No, it should be… well…” Adam knelt down and opened the backpack then grimaced. He looked up at Ronan, whose heart clenched at the position, Adam on his knees so close to Ronan’s waist.
Adam’s eyes flickered downward just for an instant then met Ronan’s again. “I hate to impose any more, but this bag failed its waterproof test.”
“No problem. I’ll leave some things in the hall. Now get in there and enjoy the water.”
Adam climbed back to his feet with a groan. “Thanks. And I’ll be sure to keep things platonic with your water pressure.”
Ronan laughed a little breathlessly and escaped the close quarters of the bathroom. Get it together, Lynch. Don’t be a fuckin’ weirdo. The super-sexy guy is depending on you, he told himself as he gathered clean clothes from his room and left them outside the bathroom door.
The shower was already running, and he really did hope Adam was enjoying it.
He went back to his room where changing into a clean pair of jeans and T-shirt removed his mud damage, his skin already dried. Then he went back downstairs to lay out the sandwiches and snacks on the kitchen table and wait.
It seemed like Adam took forever, and just when Ronan was starting to worry that he’d suffered some kind of fainting spell and slipped and hit his head and was drowning in the bottom of Ronan’s own shower, the noise of the water cut off with the squeak of the one usual pipe.
Ronan breathed a little easier then. It wasn’t long before he heard soft footsteps down the stairs and realized that he was sitting at the head of the table, fingers steepled before his face, like some kind of movie villain waiting for a sacrificial victim, so he jumped up and had just hit his hip on the island, making him swear when Adam’s quiet laugh came from behind him.
“You were right about that water pressure. I think I’d like to propose to it,” Adam said.
Ronan snorted and rubbed his hip. “Too late. It’s already happily married to me. Although, we might be open to a threesome.”
He didn’t know why he’d said that, and he felt the color rise in his cheeks, but Adam just laughed again as Ronan turned to face him.
Ronan couldn’t say a word. Adam dressed in his own clothes was simply too much for his brain, and libido, to handle at the moment. Adam’s clean sandy hair was fluffy and soft, hanging over his forehead in a way that Ronan longed to brush back. Ronan’s black V-neck T-shirt clung to his shoulders, a little big there and bigger through the chest, but Ronan knew exactly how soft it would feel if he put his hands on Adam’s pecs. The gray sweatpants were loose the way Ronan liked them, and his feet were covered by a pair of athletic socks. In short, he looked like something out of one of Ronan’s wetter dreams.
“How much do I owe you for dinner?”
“Nothing,” Ronan said quickly adding when Adam pulled a stubborn look. “I was going to stop for myself anyway. And it was either this or hot dogs from the freezer with no buns. So, just shut up and eat.”
Adam started to argue again, but Ronan ignored his protestations to retrieve all the drinks he’d bought from the fridge. “Sit your ass down and eat,” he said again, and with a longing look at the food, Adam finally obeyed, but not before he mocked Ronan for buying so many bottles of beverages.
Ronan just shrugged and sat down, pointedly not watching Adam eat for fear that he might just want to jump him right then and there.
Ronan knew he sucked at small talk, but it didn’t seem like Adam was much for friendly bullshit either. They ate their way through the sandwiches and Adam polished off half a bag of pretzels while Ronan stuck to the Cool Ranch Doritos.
“I’ll wash the dishes,” Adam volunteered when they’d both finished.
“What fucking dishes? Two plates?”
Adam gestured to the counter beside the sink, but Ronan only snorted. “Those were dirty before I left for D.C.”
“Your housekeeping skills are lacking if you’d go away while leaving dirty dishes at home,” Adam said.
“You wanted me to live in some filthy bachelor apartment and now you critique my dishwashing?”
“Just sayin’,” Adam shrugged with a little smirk.
Ronan sighed and got up to pile their plates onto the other stack. “It seems like the rain is finally letting up. Do you want me to try and get you to Henrietta tonight?”
Adam tilted his head, like he was listening to see if he could hear the rain from inside the kitchen. “I mean, it’s not that late. But…” he broke off to yawn and then smile sheepishly. “I don’t know if I want to risk getting wet and having you drive that far to just find out the road’s still flooded.”
“You’re welcome to stay here, man. Both my brothers’ bedrooms are free and the beds are clean, so you can take your pick.”
“Would it be okay if I did my laundry? I think my clothes for tomorrow will be all right if I hang them up now, but that mud will stain what I had on tonight.”
“Yeah, sure, get ‘em and I’ll throw them in the washer.”
Adam hesitated by the door. “You might as well put yours in too. See if we can get all the mud out at once.”
“Sure,” Ronan said again, stunned by how easy he wanted to fall into domesticity with Adam.
Once they got the washer running, Adam insisted on helping with the dishes, so Ronan reluctantly dried as they worked. It meant he got to stand hip-to-hip with Adam and even bumped him once when Adam made fun of the way he stored his mugs and glasses.
“My cupboards, my rules,” Ronan said, snapping the tea towel at him limply. “Why do you have such strong opinions about housekeeping anyway?”
The question made Adam freeze for a second. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, his accent a little stronger for a moment. “There’s just something about this house that feels like things should be done...right.”
“Well, my mom would’ve agreed with you,” Ronan said. “But you’re kind of a dick.”
That jolted a laugh from Adam. “Believe it or not, I’ve been called that before.”
“I do believe it, but you’re only my second favorite dick,” Ronan said without thinking.
“Oh really?” Adam said, suddenly concentrating on scrubbing a cereal bowl. Ronan watched a ruddy red creep up his neck to his cheeks.
Then Ronan realized what he’d said. “I don’t mean dick dick. I mean, like, the name Dick. My best friend’s first name is Dick but he never uses it. Because of misunderstandings like that. So he’s my Dick but Gansey would rather ignore me than answer to that.”
The bowl clattered back into the dishpan. “Gansey? Your best friend’s name is Dick Gansey?”
“Yeah,” Ronan said, ready to get defensive.
“Not Richard Campbell Gansey the third?”
“Yeah,” Ronan said, now a little freaked out.
Adam turned, mouth hanging open, hands dripping on the floor. “There is no way that you know Gansey.”
Ronan crossed his arms over his chest and unintentionally made himself bigger. “How exactly do you know Gansey?”
“Gansey is my friend, my really good friend, at Harvard.”
“Oh my fucking God, you go to Harvard too?”
“Yes! But how the hell do you know him?!”
“Didn’t he ever mention his formative years at Aglionby Academy, Henrietta’s finest purveyor of the future assholes of America?”
“Well, yes, of course. We’ve talked about how we missed each other by miles when—” Adam cut himself off.
So Adam was from Henrietta, Ronan noted, but he didn’t let it distract him. “And didn’t he tell you about his feckless yet handsome best friend who quit Aglionby his senior year in order to move back to the family farm and take it over?”
Adam’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. “You’re Lynch?!”
Ronan nodded slowly. “The one and only. Well, the only Ronan Lynch to Dick Gansey.”
“I don’t believe it,” Adam said.
Ronan wracked his brain for all the conversations Gansey had prattled on about Harvard, all the texts, the emails, and he finally came up with “Are you Parrish? The perfect, pleasing paragon who Gansey’s been trying to get to move in with him since his freshman year?”
“Holy shit, he never actually called me that, did he?”
“He probably did. But I never pay all that much attention when he’s going on about all you Harvard nerds.”
“No fucking way,” Adam breathed out, still staring at Ronan. “I don’t believe it.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. “Out of all the bullshit that’s happened to you tonight, that’s the one thing you don’t believe?”
“No. I just mean… What are the odds? That the one person I’m following and who stopped to help me and who offered me a place to stay is the best friend of my best friend. That’s so … bizarre.”
“And the person who saved you from seeing if you could breathe mud,” Ronan reminded.
“Unbelievable,” Adam repeated and finally seemed to realize that he was still dripping dish water on the floor so he turned back to the sink.
“It is pretty unbelievable,” Ronan agreed, taking the beleaguered cereal bowl from Adam’s lax hand to rinse and dry it. “Maybe it was fate. Karma.”
“I don’t know what I did in another life to deserve this,” Adam murmured and Ronan stepped back.
“Okay, now who’s the asshole.”
“No, no I just mean,” Adam leaned on the sink and stared out the window into the darkness. Ronan stared over his shoulder at their reflections in the dark glass until Adam met his eyes. “I just mean, you could’ve been an ax murderer, but instead you saved me from drowning in mud, and you’re … you, and now you come with impeccable bona fides that’ve reassured me you’re not going to murder me while I sleep. It’s just pretty unreal.”
There was a long moment of silence while Ronan thought that all through. “What’d you mean, I’m me?”
Adam put his eyes down and started to concentrate on washing the rest of the silverware. Ronan nudged him gently in the back. “What exactly do you mean?”
Adam cleared his throat and rinsed the silverware. “I just mean, that you’re something else, Ronan. Lynch.”
“If it helps, I never thought Gansey had any friends like you, or I might have actually made it up to grand old Harvard to visit him.”
“Friends like me,” Adam parroted and gave up the pretense of the dishes, dumping the silverware into the drain board and turning to face Ronan. “What exactly do you mean?”
Ronan squared his shoulders and decided that he wasn’t going to wimp his way out of this. “I mean, that you’re very attractive. And if we’d met in another way, somewhere else, that I’d want to ask you out.”
Adam gulped hard enough that Ronan saw his Adam’s apple bob. “And if you had, I’d say yes. But why only if we’d met in another way?”
Ronan stepped closer, not quite boxing Adam in against the sink but carefully keeping his hands to himself. “Because it seems like a really asshole thing to do, to bring you home, make you dependent on me, and then ask you out. Feels like I’m cornering you.”
Adam gave him a charming, crooked grin. “You did spirit me away pretty quickly to your magical land, and now I’ve eaten your food so I’m not even sure if I can leave.”
Ronan grinned back, slowly and sincerely. It felt like a moment, a very loaded moment, a moment of potential that Ronan wondered if he was reading right because he really wanted to lean in and kiss Adam.
While he hesitated, eyes flickering from Adam’s dark blue eyes to Adam’s pink lips, Adam took the decision away from him. He tugged Ronan closer with a hand in his T-shirt, leaned up and kissed him.
Ronan closed his eyes and felt the soft warmth of Adam’s mouth against his, Adam kissing his top lip then his bottom, and Ronan leaned closer, wrapping his hands around Adam’s back to hold him, daring a quick lick to Adam’s bottom lip as Adam pulled back slowly.
They breathed together for a long moment, Ronan’s head curled down, his forehead resting against Adam’s. Then Adam let go of his T-shirt and Ronan said, “What are you going to tell Gansey about this?”
Adam’s huff of surprised laughter finally made Ronan open his eyes. Adam was staring into his with undisguised amusement.
“Do you tell Gansey about every person you kiss?”
Ronan shrugged and told the honest truth. “Actually, yeah.”
“Oh my God,” Adam laughed again. “Well, then, maybe I should give you something really interesting to add to that conversation.”
This kiss was hungry, Ronan thought right before all rational thought flew right out of his mind. Adam’s tongue was as warm as the rest of him, and Ronan’s hands clutched at Adam’s face, his neck, clung to his lower back, pulling them even closer together. Something about that must have made Adam happy because he moaned into Ronan’s mouth and hitched himself even nearer with his arms around Ronan.
Ronan couldn’t even remember who they were talking about when Adam finally broke the kiss and panted, “That’ll give you something to talk about.”
“Heugh,” Ronan said before capturing Adam’s mouth again, feeling Adam huff a little laugh before he returned the kiss.
But after a little more grinding, Ronan must have found one of Adam’s bruises as he pushed him back against the edge of the sink because he felt Adam’s entire body wince. He reluctantly pulled his mouth away, brushing his lips across Adam’s cheek then jaw, over to his ear.
“You hurting?” he whispered.
Adam shook his head against Ronan’s neck but then shrugged. “I think the adrenaline is starting to fade,” he admitted.
Ronan sighed because he, unfortunately, knew exactly how that felt and how the injuries would be starting to stiffen and hurt even more. “I think we’d better get you to bed.”
Adam started to grin, and Ronan felt his face flush red as he hurried to explain, “I mean, get you to your own bed. C’mon I’ll take you to Declan’s room and you can crash. Er, you already did that. Just...get some rest.”
Adam laughed out loud at him, but he seemed amused by Ronan’s clumsiness rather than put off by his earnestness. Adam squeezed Ronan’s upper arms where his hands had settled and leaned back up for a brief kiss. “I hate to cut this short, but I think you might have the right idea.”
“And Tylenol,” Ronan remembered, finally prying his hands off Adam and stepping back.
“That might be a good idea, too,” Adam made a face of discomfort as he pushed himself off the sink.
Ronan hurried to find the Tylenol bottle and a bottle of water from the fridge then led Adam upstairs. Declan’s room was still furnished but stripped bare of all his personal belongings. Still, Ronan kept bedding on the bed and Matthew’s for whenever one of them decided to visit.
He put the bottles on the nightstand and turned down the bed, shaking out a pillow even. When he looked up, Adam was standing in the doorway, not even pretending to hide a wide smile. “You’re quite the homemaker,” he said.
“Fuck off,” Ronan retorted although his warm cheeks stayed hot. “I just want you to be comfortable.”
“Thank you, Ronan. I’m sure I will be.”
Adam approached him slowly and Ronan watched as he sat down on the bed beside him.
“Do you want pajamas or—”
“I’m fine like this.” Adam reached over to cup Ronan’s face in his hand, one thumb brushing gently over his cheekbone.
“You are fine,” Ronan confided in a soft voice.
Adam shook his head then leaned over and kissed him. Ronan slid an arm around Adam’s waist and brought his other hand up to touch his face, his neck, down to his chest where the T-shirt was as soft as Ronan thought, but the muscle underneath was anything but.
This kiss was a perfect combination of hunger and need but also temperance and patience, Ronan thought muzzily. They weren’t going to end up in bed together tonight, but there was definitely something there in the future that would spark and ignite.
When Adam’s hand slipped away from his face, Ronan pulled back and watched him, eyes closed, swaying a little. Ronan dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Do you want me to tuck you in?”
“Ha, no, that’s a little too...parental for me,” Adam said.
Ronan got up and ruffled Adam’s hair which was as soft as it had looked. “Okay, sport, hop in bed, if you want me to tell you a story.”
“That is the least sexy thing that anyone has ever said to me,” Adam batted his hand away.
Ronan just grinned. “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
“You would tell me if your home was infested with bugs, right?”
Ronan continued to grin as Adam rolled his eyes. “The only thing that’ll bite around here is me.” He leaned down to Adam’s ear and said, “And only if you ask nicely,” and accompanied it with a quick nip to Adam’s earlobe.
Mood lightened, Adam pushed Ronan back and pulled his legs up into the bed with a sigh. “Thanks, Ronan. I’ll be sure and tell Gansey I give you five stars as a host.”
Ronan snorted but lingered as Adam pulled up the covers and rustled around in the bed. “Do you want a wake up call at a certain time?”
“Oh shit,” Adam sat back up. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.”
“What you’re doing in Henrietta?”
“Yeah, dammit. I have to be in town for 9 a.m. And my phone is downstairs with my bag. And I forgot to put the laundry in the dryer,” Adam groaned.
But Ronan stopped him before he could get out of bed. “I got it. I can finish the laundry. If you let me, I’ll get your stuff out of your bag, too, and hang it up? And I can set an alarm for, what? Eight?”
“Seven, thank you. If you can’t drive me, I can call—”
“Nah, I got you. I’m not resting until I deliver you safely to Henrietta. I don’t trust anyone else at this point.”
Adam shook his head, but his smile betrayed him as he lay back down. “I’m going to a celebration for my old mentor. She’s finally getting her doctorate. They’re doing some daylong thing for her, and my coming was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Ronan said. When Adam suddenly held out his hand, Ronan took it, twining their fingers.
“Only, Persephone called me last night, wasn’t supposed to know I was coming, but she told me that the next time I drove to Henrietta, I was to be sure and take only the back roads in Virginia. No interstate, no highways, just the scenic route. Oh, and I was to make sure my cell phone was in a sealed plastic bag inside my backpack.”
“That’s weird,” Ronan said. “What, is she psychic?”
“Yeah, actually,” Adam answered in a voice that was getting heavier as his eyelids started to droop. “And what do you know? It worked. My phone survived just fine.”
“And so did you. Barely.”
“Thanks to you,” Adam’s voice was definitely dropping into sleep.
Ronan squeezed his hand then leaned down and kissed Adam’s bony knuckles. “Sleep sweet and pleasant dreams.”
Adam smiled up at him as he took his hand back and tucked it under the pillow. “It’s all been a pretty pleasant dream so far.”
As Ronan turned off the light and quietly closed the door, he shut his eyes and breathed out a silent prayer that the pleasant dream would never end.
**************
Adam looked down at the body, its back a literal work of art with a beloved tattoo and sculptured muscles beneath. Since his hands were full, Adam nudged his bare toes into the ribs of the body.
“Hey, man, you dead?” he asked.
Ronan grunted and turned his head enough to show one ice-blue eye glowering at him. “Feels like. Shit, when I said you could pick our honeymoon, I didn’t think you’d choose the seventh level of hell.”
Adam stopped to think for a moment. “You’ve cast us in with the sodomites?”
“Isn’t it appropriate, Mr. Adam Parrish-Lynch? Why do you think I chose that level?”
“Smartass.” Ronan only grinned and rolled over on the towel, accepted the large icy drink with grabby hands. Then Adam noticed, “You actually are pink. How can you burn through sunblock and a beach umbrella?”
“I’m sensitive and fair,” Ronan said before he slurped loudly. “The only reason I agreed to honeymoon on the literal surface of the sun was because you promised the villa would be air conditioned and I figured you’d be half naked all the time. Which is nice.”
“This is nice,” Adam sipped his own drink and dug his toes into the warm sand with a smile. He was tanning quite nicely. He figured he’d just have to keep Ronan out of the sun and full of icy booze for the rest of the week.
“You know what would be even nicer?”
“We are spending at least an hour on the beach before we go back to the villa for sex,” Adam informed him. His voice must have been louder than he intended because the nearest family to them turned scathing looks on him.
Ronan laughed as Adam winced in embarrassment. “You sure you don’t want to go back and hide from their judging stares?” Ronan asked, not even trying to drop his voice.
“No.” Adam did put his sunglasses on, though, as if they offered some protection. “I was promised a tropical beach so I intend to enjoy the sun and the sand.”
“And the water?” Ronan dropped his empty cup to the sand and stretched his arms high. Adam knew it was meant to draw his attention, and it worked. Then Ronan leaned in close and said lowly, “Let’s really offend that family and go make out in the ocean.”
Adam took another leisurely sip. “Nah, I’m fine here.”
Ronan nipped at his nearest ear and stuck his tongue inside which made Adam push at him until Ronan asked, “Have you ever got a handjob in the ocean?”
Adam pretended to consider while he finished his drink a little faster than he would normally. “No, I don’t believe I have. Are you offering?”
Ronan flickered his tongue at him and jerked his head toward the blue water that Adam knew was as warm as a bath. He sighed, even though he knew Ronan knew he was only pretending at being irritated. “Fine. If you insist. You’re my husband now, so I suppose I should try and make you happy.”
“You do make me happy. Ridiculously happy,” Ronan said, dropping all the teasing. He touched Adam’s cheek so Adam turned to face him, and then Ronan kissed him.
It made Adam’s toes curl still, even after a year of long-distance dating and another year of figuring out where they would live and fit in each others’ futures. It still made him feel strange, like an impostor, to know that Ronan saw their future that very first night they met. When Adam crashed, Ronan helped save him and took care of him. Ronan had always been firm and fast in his affections, while Adam wavered from time to time.
But when Ronan proposed, Adam knew he’d be a fool to walk away from a love like this. And now they were married and things would take a while to get used to, but even when Ronan had flashes of immaturity, he’d follow them with such sincerity that Adam was wooed all over again.
“Come on then,” Adam murmured against Ronan’s lips. “I believe my husband promised me a handjob.”
“In the ocean,” Ronan confirmed. He jumped to his feet and held out his hand, and Adam realized he’d be okay so long as Ronan was the one always offering a hand.
And it turned out that the ocean was very warm, but wrapping around his husband’s body—and his husband’s hands on him—were even hotter.
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Chapter 1 (Frozen Storm)
Helio woke up, marking 4 months since the day he had lost his husband, because of his own stupid, stupid actions. No matter, he'd just have to continue on with his day, as he always did. He stretched with a yawn, almost tripping over an empty flask on the floor. Had he fallen asleep drinking again? Most likely, all he'd have to do is pick it up and refill it, even if he'd have to refill it around 3 more times just for the whole day. Maybe I should just start drinking them by the bottle... He thought to himself, stumbling out onto the deck. The crew glanced at him silently, before going back to their duties, used to the drunkenness of their captain by now. He shoved past them, going to the wheel of the ship, and promptly almost steered it into a nearby whirlpool.
"Captain!" His first mate, Sunny grabbed the wheel quickly, as Helio was gently guided away from the wheel of the ship, staring down blankly. She walked away, leaving someone else to steer, before marching the captain to his room. Helio swayed slightly, struggling to stand as Sunny stared at him in silent shame and disgust, as she sat him down on his chair gently, taking any bottles she found scattered. "Captain, this can't keep happening. This is the third time this week you almost put us in danger, and it's only Tuesday! You need to pull yourself together, Orion isn't coming back." The words stung, as if she had slapped him, but deep down, she was right. He knew she was right. So he went to stand up, but was quickly sat down again. "No. You're going to rest Captain, I don't like seeing you like this. Sleep until you sober up, ok?" He nodded silently. Helio didn't like to admit it, but he did appreciate how much she cared for him, even when she never had to. He truly didn't deserve Sunny, after all he put her through... but she was like a daughter to him.
She walked out the room, dimming the lamps, and Helio rolled over, pulling his coat, and his belt off, throwing them to land on a chair, as his gun clattered to the floor from its holster and skidded across the floor. It came to a sharp stop, as if someone had stopped it, so Helio sat up, looking around. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he could see a shadowy figure standing in the darkened corner. The figure chuckled, a thin, high noise that sent a shiver down Helio's spine, as he quickly hauled himself to his feet, trying to grab his cutlass, but the figure quickly reached out, grabbing him by the arm. It's hand was wet, and cold, and Helio instinctively tried to pull away from it. "Calm yourself, my friend..." It spoke with a soft, dangerous tone. "I mean you no harm! I've come here to ask for a... favour, and I do believe that it will be very beneficial to you.." He stumbled back, eyes wide with fear, but quickly composed himself, staring at the figure with his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Helio was never one to trust someone so easily after all, and he cleared his throat quickly, hand on his pocket knife in case this stranger tries anything.
"...Who are you?" A reasonable enough first question to ask the mystery figure that broke into his sleeping quarters. It chuckled again "You don't need to know my name, Helio Frostheart, but I know you're grieving... grieving for your ex husband, yes?" Helio froze, his muscles stiffening in rage. How dare this stranger talk about Orion? He doesn't have the right to! He thought to himself, immediately beginning to close himself off. It laughed again at his reaction. "Hush... I came to you to offer my services! Surely you'd want him back, yes?" He couldn't conceal his astonishment, how would this figure even get his husband in the same town as him, let alone speak to him! But there was not a hint of sarcasm in it's thin, quiet voice, so Helio stayed quiet, listening to what it had to say, hope blooming. "And I would only require one thing from you, Helio."
A catch, of course there would be a catch, so he sighed, nodding, his eyes weary and his heart beginning to race with adrenaline.
"A mer, just one. I want it alive"
And the figure disappeared, leaving Helio alone.
#Siren Song#Helio Frostheart#Orion Stormturner#original story#original characters#reblogs>likes#Sunny Bashra#Frozen Storm
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Doing 86 in my Dodge Dart GTS when a small rat/mouse scurries out into the road. I panic and slam on the brakes, the disc-drum setup sending the rear axle into a violent fit. The car feels like it's shaking itself apart as I'm pelted in the face by screws and bits of metal shooting out of the instrument panel. I try to maintain my grip on the steering wheel, which jerks violently to the left (buddy got me a good deal, installed his homemade power steering kit for $40) and sends me skidding broadside in my original direction of travel until my trailer (hauling my antique steam-powered calliope) whips around and sends my car backwards into a turn and through the guard rail. I come to a stop upside down in a ditch, my only injuries a few bruises and a gash on my forehead. I climb out of the wreck and survey the damage; the car is totaled, but the calliope is completely unharmed. I give it a few pumps and improvise the most beautiful song anyone could ever conceive of. Finally satisfied, I walk into the woods and am never seen again.
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My buddy has an oil burning furnace in his shop. My uncle has used motor oil in bulk at his work. I have a truck that can haul a skid steer that can lift 50-gallon drums of oil.
So, after borrowing the skidder from a different friend, I made the milk run, delivering barrels of waste oil to my buddy's shop for winter heat.
And that's the story of how I picked up (literally) a free chicken coop... in need of shingles.
I also earned a bottle of Jameson for waste oil delivery. Enough effort for today. Football time.
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What Would Spider-Man Do?- Remarcely AO3 [MCU Spider-Man Fanfic]
A high-pitched ringing filled Neds ears as he slowly came to, hands fumbling on either side to pull himself up from where he was laying. He hissed, fingertips brushing against broken glass shards just hard enough to break the skin. He cracked his eyes open and neared on choking at the carnage around him.
They were still on the bus, though it can’t be said the bus was the right way up. It had skidded off the road on its side, the windows shattering down on the inside, and the now-ceiling above them was dented in. Ned could hear shouting and crashes not too far away. It was a safe bet to guess there had been collateral damage.
He hauled himself up and brushed the glass splinters from his clothes. Ned turned to find Peter and give him a hand up as well, but in the midst of their classmates he couldn’t find him. That was, until he heard a shout two rows down from him. Ned stumbled towards the crying- it was Chrissy, the newest member of the Decathlon team, it was supposed to be her first competition- to find three of his teammates crowded around Peter.
His head was bleeding. Hopefully it was worse than it looked, Ned had read about head wounds before, weren’t they supposed to bleed a whole bunch? Chrissy was half holding him up, keeping Peters head from touching what could only be described as a mound of bloody glass beneath him, and was frantically shaking him. He wasn’t responding, practically a ragdoll, and if it weren’t for their other classmates hurriedly checking his pulse, Ned likely would have been panicking too.
“He’s just knocked out,” Betty sighed in relief “Can anyone find a first aid kit? We’ve got to do something for the bleeding.”
“I think I have a travel one in my bag.” Abraham mumbled and staggered through the wreckage of the bus to find his backpack. A few other people went to help him, even Flash doing so without any prompting, and a silent agreement settled upon the group.
“Is anyone else hurt?” Betty called out, helping Chrissy carry Peter to a safer spot.
There was a groan at the back of the bus and Michelle waved her hand up from around one of the chairs “Oh fuck.” She stood up in a dazed state, wincing as she pulled a couple shards from her hair “What the hell hit us?”
She looked up at the now very open window frames on the now-ceiling and narrowed her eyes. MJ climbed onto the sides of the chairs, sneakers almost slipping on the fabric on her first step, and hauled herself up to look around.
It could only be described as a gigantic metal ball on even larger spider legs. It had one leg puncturing the bridge in front of them, another in the river, and the final few being shot at with laser beams by one Iron Man. He was the only hero on the scene, or at least the only one she could spot.
“What do you see?” Ned called up.
“Uh.” Michelle glanced down at him with wide eyes “Nothing good. Tin can is on the scene, he seems to be doing fine at keeping whatever that is away from where we are.” Her eyes moved past him to the very bloody unconscious Peter, Ned following her gaze.
“Yeah, I don’t think Spider-Man is going to be showing up to help anytime soon.” He mumbled under his breath.
“He saved my life.” Michelle stared at Peter, hand gripping the metal frame of the window with white knuckles “When we got hit, I was sat right there and he jumped out to shield me with his own body, like a fucking moron.”
“Found it!” Abe held the tiny green bag above his head, waving it about as he struggled back across the bus.
Betty reached out and took it, unzipping the bag to rummage around inside “Anyone have scissors?”
“Here.” Michelle fished them from her school bag, putting them in Bettys waiting hand “We need to get off the bus, can anyone find the teachers? The driver?”
“Uh, the driver hit the steering wheel in front of her but she’s breathing alright.” Flash called back from the front of the bus “I can’t see Mr Harrington. I think I need to cut the driver’s seatbelt, it’s all jammed.”
Ned took an unsteady breath and covered his face with his hands “Come on man,” He whispered quietly, more to himself than anything “What would Spider-Man do?”
“We fell onto the fucking door, damn it.” Abe groaned and stomped on the sliding doors in frustration.
“Let’s use the emergency hatch and the broken windows,” Ned spoke up and strode towards the hatch, clicking it open with a heave “Betty, you and Chrissy carry Peter out and find some cover. Flash and Abe, get the driver. MJ and I will grab our bags and look for Mr Harrington.”
For once not putting up an argument, everyone did as they were directed. Betty hooked her arms around Peters chest while Chrissy took the legs, shuffling to the exit. Abe pulled a Swiss army knife from his backpack- which he had for a concerning but very lucky reason- and cut through the seatbelt as Flash lifted the driver out of the seat in a surprising display of strength. MJ grabbed their bags, hooking the straps over one arm, and began chucking them out of the open window.
Ned ignored his own backpack, heading straight for Peters to find his phone. He struggled for a minute, unwinding the headphones Peter had wrapped around the sides, and let out a small sigh of relief when the phone switched on without a hitch. He tapped in the password and went to the contacts, finding ‘Mr Stark’ under favourited, ignoring the four missed calls and what he could only assume was a scathing voice message. Ned left the headphones in and dialled the number.
“Come on.” All bags and passengers evacuated, MJ had climbed onto the top of the bus and held down a hand for Ned.
He took it and the two of them stood on the side of the school bus, watching the fight from a not-so-safe distance. After one more ring, the call was answered with a tiny beep.
“Oh, now you pick up.” There was a loud sound through the phone and Ned watched as something exploded on the outside of the metal thing “Not a great time, kid.”
“Hi Mr Stark, I know we haven’t talked before but I’m Peters friend, Ned-”
“Uh huh, sure you are. Mind passing the phone over to Pete?”
“Um, Peters a little too unconscious to come to the phone right now.”
“He’s what?”
“Unconscious. He got hit on the head and it’s bleeding a whole ton.”
“Jesus Christ, call an ambulance! I’m busy right now.”
“I- uh- know. We were on a trip for a Decathlon competition and the bus got hit by the weird metal spider-ball thing. Peter must have sensed it with his tingle thing and took the brunt force or something.”
MJ cursed under her breath, pointing out the crumpled form of Mr Harrington a short distance from the bus, and jumped off the bus to go help.
“Shit. I guess that means no backup. You said you’re on the bus.” For a brief moment, Iron Man stopped in mid-air to look around “Yeah, I see you. Get far away from the bridge, I’ll call someone and have you all evacuated. You said Peter’s out?”
Ned turned to look down at Betty and Chrissy, carrying Peter between them “Oh yeah, big time.”
Mr Starks sigh came through a little computerised on the call and muttered “That kid, I swear.” He cleared his throat and continued in a louder voice “He should have his suit with him, take one of the web shooters and keep it on his wrist, that’ll measure most of his vitals. Keep out of the way, stick with your class, and don’t try playing hero. Capeesh?”
“Yes-” The call ended.
“He’s okay!” MJ shouted up from the ground, dragging Mr Harrington in the direction of their classmates “Get your ass down here before you hurt yourself.”
“Coming!” Ned moved to the roof of the bus and half-slid down the curve. He scooped up all of the bags and ran over to the group.
Flash darted back, helping MJ carry their teacher the rest of the way, and jerked his head at the fight “What is that thing?”
“Why would I know, Eugene?” She shot back, the two of them dumping Mr Harrington on the ground next to the group.
Betty turned to Mr Harrington, checking for any blood “He’s hit the back of his head, someone give me a torch to check his eyes.” Abe passed her his phone, the torch turned on, and crouched down to help look over their teacher.
Ned ignored them, moving to sit down by Peter. His head was bandaged and Betty had moved him into the recovery position. He sat and stared, for a few agonising seconds, as Peter didn’t move other than the slow rise and fall of his chest, before remembering himself. Ned rummaged through Peters bag again, using his body to hide it as he dug down for the Spider-Man suit. He fumbled around as he looked for the web shooters, finally finding one pinned beneath a maths folder, and unclipped it to slide up Peters sleeve.
“How is he?” MJ kicked Ned lightly with her shoe.
“He’s doing alright. Mr Stark said he was calling for backup.” He picked at his shoelaces. There was a red mark on the toe- blood- and he had no idea who it had come from.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?” She muttered angrily under her breath.
“He said to stay put and out of the way.” Ned looked to his own bag on the pile and grabbed the strap, yanking it closer. Unzipping the main pocket, he found his miraculously unscathed laptop. He looked back to the Spider-Man suit “He also said not to play hero.”
“Hypocritical, coming from him.” Michelle scoffed and sat next to him “What are you going to do?”
Ned fumbled for the mask and a long wire from Peters bag. He connected the two, tucked the mask out of sight, and joined the wire to his laptop as it slowly booted up “Something stupid, probably. If I can access Karen, I can use her to get a better view on things up there. Then, if I can do that- well, that looks like a lot of machinery to me, someone has to control it.”
“Yeah. It’d be pretty stupid to still be inside it, too, so there’d have to be some sort of wireless connection to pilot it.” MJ nodded slowly, catching on.
“Exactly.” Ned muted his laptop, just in case, and pulled up Karens file. He opened up a text chat with the AI and in a few minutes had the nearest CCTV to the fight pulled up.
“Oh damn,” A voice spoke from over their shoulder and Ned hurriedly shoved Peters bag even further shut by putting his foot on top “That is one big mother fucker.”
“Uh-”
Abe leaned closer to get a better look and a few other team members glanced their way “You said you could hijack the signal?”
“Mhm.” Ned swallowed hard.
“You need a hand tracking it down?” Abe retrieved a small tablet from his own bag, which hadn’t been so lucky in the crash and had a crack reaching across the screen “There’s going to be a bunch of signals from Iron Mans drones and stuff, I can help you narrow it down no problem.”
Abe sat across from Ned on the concrete and pulled up some homemade software, fingers tapping at lightning speed through connections. In less than a minute, he had it, and passed the Tablet to Ned to get a better look.
Michelle watched the two tech nerds work away and took Peters phone again. She scrambled up and walked a good few paces away. ‘What would Spider-Man do?’ That’s what Ned had mumbled earlier, right? Well, Spider-Man would go to Mr Stark with his kickass plan, that’s what.
The phone ringed out again until it was answered.
“I’m a little busy right now Ted, so unless Peter’s awake-”
“The metal thing is being piloted from somewhere else, I’ve got two nerds tracking it down right now.” She interrupted him, eyes on the fight in the distance.
“Who- never mind. This thing is armoured to face anything, I doubt they added Bluetooth or some shit. Tell your friends they’re wasting their time.”
“It’s Michelle, and I very much doubt someone would be stupid enough to put themselves in there when they knew it would be target number one.” She rolled her eyes “We’ve already got the signal and Ned is hijacking it now. We can only see so well through the cameras, where’s a good place to land this thing without crushing half of Queens?”
MJ rambled through her words, taking a heavy breath when she was done. If her friends weren’t in danger or slowly bleeding, she might have even thought it was fun.
Mr Stark sighed through the phone “The water, preferably. Look, I don’t exactly want the control of this in a random kid’s hands.”
“Would you rather the person currently kicking your ass with it did?” Not waiting for a response, MJ pulled the phone away from her ear and turned to Ned “How well do you think you can move that thing without breaking any buildings?”
“Through my laptop? If I move slow, it should be fine, but the more time it takes the more chances its current pilot has to take control back.”
“Here!” Flash piped up, holding a game controller up in the air “Use this!” Of course, he’d brought along his gaming equipment.
“Flash, you wonderful idiot, that might just work.” Michelle breathed out a laugh and passed the controller to Ned “Ready?”
Ned looked down at the controller, tense “This isn’t exactly my forte, guys.”
“It is mine.” Chrissy, on shaky legs, wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. She held out a hand and slid a look of determination onto her face “Let me.”
MJ and Ned shared a look before they both nodded, allowing control to Chrissy. She turned to face the metal thing in the distance and took a few steps closer, standing next to Michelle, who had pulled the phone back to her ear.
“We’re ready. Ned, take it over.”
There was a click behind her and the metal beast froze in its path. Iron Mans suit hung in the air next to it, cautious.
“I’m hoping that’s you.”
“It is. Chrissy, move it towards the river and slowly lower it down, alright?”
The girl nodded. She moved the joysticks slowly and the metal spider moved up and down, side to side, and lifted each of its legs carefully before lowering them again.
“Are you making it fucking dance?”
“I’m getting used to the controls!” Chrissy hurried out a shaky response, having heard the very loud incredulous question through the phone. After another beat, she steadied herself “Alright, I think I’ve got it.”
The metal spider cautiously raised the leg puncturing the bridge and stuck on the mainland. It stepped further into the river with adjustments being passed down the line from Stark, to MJ and then to Chrissy. Everyone held their breath as the spider stood still in the river and slowly lowered itself until it was sat firmly in the water. The thing twitched, hissed, and slunk forward. Whoever had made it clearly hadn’t expected it to take a dunk in the river.
“Holy shit, I did it.” Chrissy muttered in surprise, thumbs flying back from the controls.
“Damn right you did.” MJ laughed and squeezed her shoulder. The girl flung around and hugged her tightly, quite to MJ’s surprise.
“Stay where you are. Once the clean-up crew gets here, I’ll pick up Peter myself. What you lot did was stupid and reckless but…” Stark sighed again and it seemed as if it physically pained him to continue “You did good. Just never do any of that again.” He hung up.
-
In the next ten minutes, an ambulance had arrived and the paramedics had gathered the kids to give them all a check over. Out of the group, it was the driver and Mr Harrington that were worse off, with Peter suspiciously fine if not for the fact he was still knocked out. They were loading the two adults into the ambulance when Iron Man touched down a few yards away, his suit hissing open and Tony Stark stepping out.
He nodded at the paramedics, who nodded out of instinct in shock, and strolled towards Peter. He was still laying on the ground, though Ned and MJ had moved to his side and rested his head on his own backpack “I’m assuming you’re Michelle and Ted?”
“Ned actually-”
“Yep,” MJ cut him off “That’s us. You’re welcome, by the way.”
Stark sent her a look and moved his attention back to Peter “Has he woken up yet?”
“No, but he’s pretty much healed.” Ned shrugged and fiddled with his sleeves “They want to keep him here until he does wake up and check for a concussion.”
“Hm.” Stark hummed and crouched down until they were all eye level “Quick thinking, using Karen. She sent along the pilots’ details to S.H.I.E.L.D, they’re dealing with them now.”
“T-Thank you, sir.” Ned stuttered and looked away.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you how stupid and dangerous that was, right?” Tony narrowed his eyes at them.
“We know.” MJ stared unblinkingly back.
“Jeez, no wonder you’re Peters friends.” Tony pinched his brow and took a deep breath “Your parents are probably on the way to pick you up, the news helicopters got pretty good shots of the bus. I’ll take Peter back with me, get him some proper medical attention.”
He clicked his fingers over his shoulder and the empty suit closed back up, moving forward. Tony stepped back inside and waved the kids out of the way, carefully lifting Peter up. Michelle passed him his backpack too, which he looped through one of his arms.
Ned gave them a small wave “Bye, Mr Stark.”
“Sure, kid. May we never meet again.”
The Iron Man suit rose up into the air and flew into the sky, leaving MJ and Ned to wait and ignore all questions from their classmates for the coming hour.
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Business Name:
Ken The Freight Guy
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Zip Code:
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Business Phone:
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Description:
Ken The Freight Guy provides top quality freight transportation, shipping and loading services throughout all 50 states & nationwide including Canada. Our main office is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. We guarantee fast and reliable freight trucking services that can load, ship, & deliver your goods and merchandise safely and securely throughout the United States. We offer competitive freight shipping rates and cover all sorts of freight shipping services such as heavy hauls, oversize equipment, dry van freight, auction pick ups and many more. You can get a estimate via our website www.kenthefreightguy.com and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours with a quote. We are committed to providing top quality customer care with our freight & loading services to meet your needs.
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youtube
Business Name:
Ken The Freight Guy
Street Address:
9414 E San Salvador Dr Suite 232
City:
Scottsdale
State:
Arizona (AZ)
Zip Code:
85258
Country:
USA
Business Phone:
(480) 341-0321
Business Email:
[email protected]
Website:
https://kenthefreightguy.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kenthefreightguy/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FreightKen
Yelp:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ken-the-freight-guy-scottsdale
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kenthefreightguy/
Description:
Ken The Freight Guy provides top quality freight transportation, shipping and loading services throughout all 50 states & nationwide including Canada. Our main office is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. We guarantee fast and reliable freight trucking services that can load, ship, & deliver your goods and merchandise safely and securely throughout the United States. We offer competitive freight shipping rates and cover all sorts of freight shipping services such as heavy hauls, oversize equipment, dry van freight, auction pick ups and many more. You can get a estimate via our website www.kenthefreightguy.com and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours with a quote. We are committed to providing top quality customer care with our freight & loading services to meet your needs.
Google My Business CID URL:
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3394736061822842523
Operating Hours:
Sunday 9AM - 5PM
Monday 9AM - 5PM
Tuesday 9AM - 5PM
Wednesday 9AM - 5PM
Thursday 9AM - 5PM
Friday 9AM - 5PM
Saturday 9AM - 5PM
Services:
Freight Shipping, Freight Transport, Auction Shipping, Backhoe, Canadian Shipping, Cross Deck Services, Ocean Shipping, Equipment Shipping, Hazmat, Heavy Haul, Long Haul, LTL Shipping, Scissor Lift, Skid steer, Telehandler, Transload, Vehicle Transport
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Excavate with Ease: Unveiling the Best Excavator Buckets in Australia
Excavator operators Down Under, rejoice! It's time to explore the world of excavator buckets and uncover the top picks for your next project. Whether you're tackling tough terrain or fine-tuning your excavation game, having the right bucket can make all the difference. So, without further ado, let's unveil the best excavator buckets in Australia.
Breaking Ground: 5T Rippers for Sale in Australia
First up on the list are the mighty 5T rippers for sale in Australia. These bad boys are built to break through the toughest surfaces, easily turning solid ground into manageable chunks. Whether dealing with rocky terrain or compacted soil, a 5T ripper is your ticket to excavating success. So why wait? Grab yours today and start breaking ground like a pro.
Versatile Solutions: Skid Steer Attachments Australia
Looking for versatility? Look no further than skid steer attachments in Australia. These multifunctional tools are designed to tackle various tasks, from digging and grading to lifting and hauling. With their compact size and powerful capabilities, skid steer attachments are necessary for any excavation project. So why limit yourself to one task when you can do it all with a skid steer attachment?
Precision Engineering: Sieve Bucket Solutions
Regarding precision, sieve bucket solutions are the way to go. These innovative attachments act like giant sifters, allowing operators to sift through soil and separate debris easily. Whether preparing the ground for landscaping or sorting through material on a construction site, a sieve bucket is your secret weapon for achieving a clean and uniform finish. Plus, it saves you time and effort by eliminating the need for manual sorting – talk about a game-changer.
Unveiling Excellence: Excavator Buckets
Last but certainly not least, we have excavator buckets – the unsung heroes of the excavation world. These versatile attachments can do everything from digging trenches to loading trucks. Available in various sizes and configurations, there's an excavator bucket for every job, big or small. Plus, you can customise your bucket to suit your specific needs with options like rock buckets, mud buckets, and more. So why settle for anything less than excellence? Upgrade your excavator with the best buckets and elevate your excavation game.
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Source: https://attachments-excavators.blogspot.com/2024/04/excavate-with-ease-unveiling-best.html
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Does Your Landscaping Business Have the Right Tools for Success?
What does it take to run a successful landscaping business? Do you think knowledge and skills are enough to run or manage your landscaping business? It is a wrong perception. With the correct tools and a landscaping jobs app, you can help your business stay on the right track.
The proper tools and technology can make a difference in the landscaping project's efficiency, quality, and profitability. Are you wondering if your landscaping business has the right tools? Read on to learn more!
Understanding the Basic Hand Tools
These hand tools help tackle tasks like planting shrubs or landscaping garden beds. A few essential hand tools for landscapers include shovels, rakes, hoes, pruners, shears, and trowels. With the help of these instruments, you can precisely carry out chores like planting, weeding, digging, trimming, and shaping.
Look for the Power Equipment
When tackling larger landscaping projects and maintaining outdoor spaces- power equipment is essential to work efficiently.
Depending on the project, you may need power equipment like lawnmowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, and chainsaws.
Consider investing in high-quality, reliable power equipment to complete projects faster.
Consider Having Landscaping Machinery
Are you dealing with landscaping projects for commercial properties? Get specialized machinery to handle heavy-duty tasks such as grading, excavating, and hauling.
Landscaping machinery such as skid-steer loaders, mini-excavators, and utility vehicles can help you tackle projects more efficiently.
While the upfront cost of landscaping machinery may be higher, you can reap the long-term benefits in terms of productivity. The landscaping machinery’s versatility makes it a worthwhile investment for your business.
Essential Irrigation Equipment
Maintaining healthy lawns, gardens, and landscapes is ensured by proper irrigation.
Consider investing in irrigation equipment such as sprinkler systems, drip irrigation systems, and hose reels. It guarantees that your client's landscapes get the proper amount of water at the required time.
Automating irrigation tasks and reducing water waste can help your clients conserve water and save money on water bills.
Safety Equipment Is Needed
Wear the appropriate protective gear, including steel-toed boots, gloves, safety glasses, and earplugs. These can protect you and your team from accidents and injuries.
When working with power equipment, you need specialized safety gear such as hard hats, protective clothing, and respirators. It ensures your safety and compliance with industry regulations.
What about Transportation and Storage?
How do you carry the landscaping equipment and materials to and from the working site? Do you have the correct transportation and storage solutions?
Consider transportation options according to your business size and requirements, like trucks, trailers, or utility vehicles.
Investing in storage solutions such as toolboxes, racks, and sheds can help you keep your tools organized and protected from theft and damage.
Do not forget about the Upkeep and Maintenance of the Tools!
Keeping your tools in good condition ensures safety, efficiency, and longevity. Invest in maintenance tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and lubricants.
You can prevent costly breakdowns and downtime by staying proactive about upkeep and maintenance.
Conclusion:
The vital tools, equipment, and technology, like AllBetter: for Contractors- a landscaping jobs app, are essential for business success.
Whether tackling small residential projects or large commercial properties, investing in the best can help you work more efficiently and grow your business.
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BDI's Top-Quality Mini Excavators, Skid Steers, and Wheel Loaders: Their Functions, Applications, and How They Can Help You
BDI is renowned for manufacturing high-quality mini excavators, skid steers, and wheel loaders that are designed to meet the diverse needs of the construction and mining industries. These machines are built with precision and durability, ensuring reliable performance in various applications.
Let's delve into the functions and applications of each of these machines, highlighting how they can assist you in completing various tasks.
Mini Excavators are compact and powerful machines that excel in tight spaces and areas with limited access. Their small size allows them to operate in confined environments, such as urban landscapes, gardens, and indoor demolition projects. Mini excavators are equipped with various attachments, enabling them to perform tasks like digging, trenching, and loading material efficiently. Whether it's installing utility lines, landscaping, or demolishing small structures, mini excavators provide a versatile and effective solution.
Skid Steers for sale, on the other hand, are known for their maneuverability and versatility. These machines feature a unique steering mechanism that allows them to turn on their own axis, making them ideal for working in tight spaces or around obstacles. Skid steers Canada are commonly used for tasks like lifting, digging, grading, and snow removal. Whether you're clearing a construction site, maintaining a landscaped area, or preparing a field for planting, skid steers offer unmatched maneuverability and performance.
Wheel Loaders are powerful machines designed for loading, hauling, and spreading materials. They feature a large bucket that can scoop up dirt, gravel, or other materials and deposit them where needed. Wheel loaders for sale are often used in mining, construction, and landscaping projects, where they efficiently handle large volumes of material. Whether you're filling a dump truck, spreading gravel on a driveway, or clearing debris from a site, wheel loaders Canada provide the power and capacity to handle the job quickly and efficiently.
The high-quality construction of BDI's mini excavators, skid steers, and wheel loaders ensures that they are built to last. They are made from durable materials and equipped with reliable components, ensuring optimal performance and minimal downtime. This reliability, coupled with their versatility and efficiency, makes BDI's machines a valuable asset for any construction or mining project.
In conclusion, BDI's mini excavators for sales Canada, mini skid steers, and wheel loaders are top-quality machines that offer exceptional performance in various applications. Their functions and applications range from digging and trenching to lifting and hauling, making them invaluable tools for completing a wide range of tasks. Whether you're working in a confined space or handling large volumes of material, BDI's machines can help you complete the job efficiently and effectively.
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Earth Moving Equipment, Types of Machines, And Maintenance Tips- A Complete Guide
You've got a vision – a sprawling new landscape project, a foundation laid bare, or a stubborn hill begging to be sculpted. The earth awaits, but how do you transform it from dream to reality? Meet your trusty companions – the earth-moving machines! These mechanical marvels are the muscle behind countless projects, from intricate backyard transformations to colossal construction endeavors. This earthmoving equipment for sale or hire has much popularity among construction workers and land movers.
WHY?
One of the key reasons for the widespread use of earth-moving equipment is its ability to increase efficiency and productivity on job sites. These machines can perform tasks quickly and accurately, allowing projects to be completed on time and within budget. They also help reduce the risk of injury to workers by taking on dangerous tasks. However, choosing the right equipment can feel like navigating a labyrinth. Worry not, this guide will take the easy road of understanding completely earth-moving equipment….
What is Earth Moving Equipment?
Earthmoving equipment is the mechanical muscles transforming landscapes. From nimble excavators digging foundations to mighty dump trucks hauling mountains of dirt, these machines tackle diverse projects – construction sites, landscaping transformations, or even backyard renovations. Choosing the right ones depends on your project's size, terrain, and specific needs. With their power and versatility, earth movers can make your earth-bending dreams a reality!
Meet the Machines: A Quick Guide to Earth Moving Equipment
Does the earth need some major reshaping? But who are the heavy hitters ready to tackle the task? There is a range of earthmoving or mining equipment for sale and hire. Let's meet the stars of the show:
1. Excavators
Think of these as the Swiss Army knives of earthmovers. With their agile arms and interchangeable buckets, they dig trenches, demolish structures, load trucks, and even break rocks. Sizes range from mini-excavators perfect for backyard projects to colossal giants dominating construction sites. Remember, different attachments like hammers or grapples expand their skill set further!
2. Bulldozers
Raw power defines these brutes. Their wide blades push mountains of dirt, clear land, and level uneven terrain. Choose between tracked versions for ultimate grip on rough ground or wheeled options for faster transport. They're the kings of large-scale earthwork, but consider their size – delicate landscaping might require a gentler touch.
3. The Agile Loaders
Loaders are machines used for scooping, lifting, and transporting materials such as soil, gravel, and debris. There are several types of loaders, including skid steer loaders, track loaders, and wheel loaders. Skid steers are compact and nimble, ideal for tight spaces. Track loaders offer superior stability on uneven terrain, while their wheeled cousins excel at speed and high-volume loading.
4. Motor Graders
Think laser-sharp leveling and meticulously sculpted slopes. That's where motor graders step in. With their long, adjustable blades, they create smooth surfaces, perfect for roads, foundations, and even ditches. Different blade configurations cater to specific tasks, ensuring your terrain is sculpted to perfection.
5. Dump Trucks
These workhorses transport excavated materials in a jiffy. Their capacities vary greatly, so choose the right size for your project. Consider factors like loading mechanisms and maneuverability, especially if working in tight spaces. Remember, overloading puts safety at risk, so stick to the designated capacity.
6. The Specialized Crew
While we covered the mainstays, remember there are specialized machines for unique tasks. Trenchers carve precise channels for pipes and cables, pavers lay smooth asphalt surfaces, and compactors ensure everything stays firm and level. Choosing the right combination of equipment is crucial for efficient and successful projects.
Earth Moving Maintenance & Safety Tips
Taming the terrain is one thing, but keeping your earth-moving machines in tip-top shape and operating safely is a whole other beast! So, let's saddle up and explore some key maintenance and safety tips:
Maintenance Mojo:
Fuel for the Beast: Use the right fuel and additives, following manufacturer recommendations. Dirty fuel can wreak havoc on your engine, so keep those tanks clean!
Oil's Well that Ends Well: Regular oil changes and filter replacements are vital. Think of it as flushing out the toxins and keeping your machine healthy.
Cleanliness is Key: Dirt and debris are the enemies of smooth operation. Regularly clean dust filters, radiators, and undercarriages to avoid overheating and performance issues.
Listen to the Whispers: Unusual noises or vibrations? Don't ignore them! They could be signs of impending trouble. Early detection and repair save you headaches (and wallet aches) down the line.
Schedule Checkups: Just like you visit the doctor, your machines need regular checkups by qualified technicians. Preventive maintenance catches small problems before they become big ones.
Safety First:
Knowledge is Power: Before operating any machine, get thorough training and understand its capabilities and limitations. Don't be shy to ask questions!
Gear Up: Always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) like hard hats, safety glasses, and sturdy boots. Remember, safety is not optional.
Space Invaders: Maintain safe distances from other workers and machines. Don't become a statistic – give everyone plenty of room to maneuver.
See Clearly, Act Clearly: Ensure clear visibility before moving or operating any equipment. Blind spots are your enemy!
Mind the Slopes: Working on inclined terrain requires extra caution. Take it slow, avoid sharp turns, and be aware of the risk of rollovers.
Respect the Machine: Never exceed the machine's capacity or operate it under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Respect its power and treat it with the care it deserves.
Remember, these are just a few key tips. Always refer to your specific machine's manual for detailed maintenance and safety instructions. By making maintenance and safety a priority, you'll ensure your earth-moving machines perform their best for years to come, and most importantly, everyone stays safe and injury-free!
Your Journey Starts Here
So, there you have it! From understanding the diverse range of earth-moving equipment to mastering maintenance and safety tips, you're now equipped to tackle your project with confidence. Choose what you require.
Don't be afraid to delve deeper! Research specific machines, consult professionals for tailored advice, and remember, Range Hire’s team of experts is always here to help. Whether you're looking for purchase options or considering to a hire earth moving equipment, contact us at 0499 876 188.
Let's make your earth-moving dreams a reality, together!
Originally Published At:- https://www.rangehire.com.au/news/earth-moving-equipment-types-of-machines-and-maintenance-tips--a-complete-guide/
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Track Skid Steer Rentals
Maximizing Efficiency and Versatility with Track Skid Steer Rentals
Introduction
In the realm of construction, landscaping, agriculture, and various other industries, the need for versatile equipment that can navigate through diverse terrains with ease is paramount. Among the array of machinery available, track skid steers stand out for their exceptional agility, compact design, and ability to handle an extensive range of tasks. Whether it's clearing debris, digging trenches, or hauling materials, track skid steers offer unmatched versatility. For businesses and individuals seeking flexible solutions without the commitment of ownership, track skid steer rentals emerge as a practical choice. This article delves into the benefits, applications, and considerations of utilizing track skid steer rentals for various projects.
The Versatility of Track Skid Steers
Track skid steers are renowned for their versatility, making them indispensable across multiple industries. Equipped with tracks instead of wheels, these machines excel in traversing rough or uneven terrain, including muddy, sandy, or snowy surfaces. This adaptability enables them to operate in environments where traditional wheeled vehicles struggle, such as construction sites, farms, and forestry operations. Moreover, track skid steers boast a compact design, allowing them to maneuver effortlessly in confined spaces, making them ideal for tasks in urban settings or crowded work areas.
Applications in Construction and Landscaping
In the construction and landscaping sectors, track skid steers fulfill a multitude of roles, ranging from site preparation to material handling. With compatible attachments such as buckets, forks, augers, and hydraulic breakers, these machines can efficiently tackle excavation, grading, and demolition tasks. Additionally, their ability to access hard-to-reach areas makes them invaluable for landscaping projects, whether it involves clearing land, grading surfaces, or installing hardscapes. Contractors and landscapers often rely on track skid steer rentals to optimize project efficiency and reduce labor costs.
Enhancing Productivity in Agriculture
In agriculture, track skid steers play a crucial role in various operations, from soil preparation to livestock management. These versatile machines facilitate tasks such as plowing, tilling, and planting, contributing to improved crop yields and farm productivity. Moreover, they are utilized for feeding livestock, handling bales, and cleaning barns, streamlining daily chores and minimizing manual labor. By harnessing the power and agility of track skid steers through rentals, farmers can enhance operational efficiency and achieve better results in their agricultural endeavors.
Factors to Consider When Renting Track Skid Steers
While track skid steer rentals offer numerous advantages, several factors should be considered to ensure optimal outcomes:
Equipment Specifications: Evaluate the horsepower, lift capacity, and auxiliary hydraulic flow of the track skid steer to ensure compatibility with your intended tasks.
Attachment Options: Assess the availability of compatible attachments such as buckets, grapples, and trenchers, as well as their suitability for your specific project requirements.
Maintenance and Support: Inquire about the maintenance history of the rental equipment and the level of support provided by the rental company in case of technical issues or breakdowns.
Rental Terms and Costs: Understand the rental duration, pricing structure, and additional fees associated with the rental agreement to budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses.
Operator Training: Ensure that operators are adequately trained and certified to operate track skid steers safely and efficiently, minimizing the risk of accidents or damage to the equipment.
Conclusion
Track skid steer rentals offer a flexible and cost-effective solution for businesses and individuals seeking versatile equipment to tackle a diverse range of tasks. From construction and landscaping to agriculture and beyond, these agile machines excel in navigating challenging terrain and performing various functions with ease. By leveraging track skid steer rentals, organizations can enhance productivity, minimize downtime, and optimize resource utilization, ultimately leading to more efficient and successful project outcomes. However, it's essential to consider factors such as equipment specifications, attachment options, maintenance, rental terms, and operator training to ensure a seamless rental experience. With careful planning and execution, track skid steer rentals can prove to be invaluable assets in achieving project success and driving business growth.
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Heavy Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Operating Industrial Machinery
Heavy equipment is an essential part of many industries, from construction to mining, forestry, and agriculture. These machines are designed to perform heavy-duty tasks that require a lot of power and strength, such as digging, hauling, lifting, and crushing. They come in various shapes and sizes, from small skid-steer loaders to massive excavators and bulldozers.
Read More: https://www.vyvymangas.com/heavy-equipment-a-comprehensive-guide-to-understanding-and-operating-industrial-machinery/
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Check out the Best Earthmoving Equipment Australia @ Monomachinery
Across a range of industries you will find earthmoving equipment lending themselves to multiple applications. Most often you will find earthmoving equipment Australia in industries such as construction, landscaping mining and more. Mono Machinery is a Perth based leading provider for quality products and services to their customers. Being a Perth based business servicing Western Australia, Mono Machinery specializes in a wide range of services from mining, construction, port logistics, government projects and more.
The spokesperson at Mono Machinery elaborates their Earthmoving Equipment Australia services saying, “We pride ourselves on our knowledge, expertise and ability to support all types of work from rural to metropolitan projects.”
With a highly experienced team customers at Mono Machinery are certain of receiving the best service possible. The expert team at Mono Machinery helps their customers find the right machinery for a job. Depending on the type of project they discuss the best available option for you.
Earth moving equipment for sale at Mono Machinery caters to multiple industries and customers including:
Private residential customers
Civil Contractors (big & small)
Shire Councils
Mining & Resource
Electrical, Plumbing, Landscaping, Concreters, Roads & Rail contractors
Building, Construction and Demolition Contractors (of all sizes)
Port Logistics
At Mono Machinery you will find earthmoving equipment for sale ideal for construction sites. When clearing a site for new development, earthmoving equipment helps to dig foundations, hammer away rock and backfill. They’re also used in road and utility construction to trench out ditches for irrigation or buried cable lines.
Moreover for mining industry earthmoving equipment Australia is used to extract and collect mined materials. Earthmovers are also used to transport materials around the site and haul away overburden. At Mono Machinery you will find a range of earthmovers to get these jobs done, and many more, done quickly and effectively.
When deciding what earthmoving equipment Australia Mono Machinery offers rental of vast selection of machines to choose from. Earthmoving equipment encompasses excavators, skid steers, sweepers, wheel loaders and tool carriers. They can perform a specific type of task, or they can be multipurpose tools that help other tools to complete the task.
If you need an earthmover for your construction, landscaping or industrial project, Mono Machinery as a reliable rental company can help you find the ideal machine for the job.
About Mono Machinery:
Mono machinery based in Perth offers comprehensive services to a wide range of industries, including construction, mining, agricultural, civil constructions, Port Logistics and more. They provide high quality, reliable machinery that is designed to meet the needs of each industry, allowing businesses to carry out their projects with the utmost efficiency and safety.
Visit for More : https://monomachinery.com.au/
Contact us: 0409379521
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