I'm finally on the epilogue chapter of a 370,000 word fic that's taken me all week to read

For context that's like reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 3 times, or reading the whole of The Count of Monte Cristo

In fairness I could have read it much faster if I hadn't had to go to work or still cook and clean my apartment and take care of my cat lmaooo

If I had been able to binge read it and do nothing else, trust me I would

It will officially be the longest fanfiction I've ever read and the slowest slow burn I've ever read !

It's been a bit of an odd one though, because the AU was just So AU that the characters actually ended up a bit OOC for me - which would usually bother me, but they were all so endearing and well developed that they all kind of took on a life of their own. The writing style was SO GOOD that it really didn't matter. The way the writer crafted the story was just *chefs kiss* so whether it was the characters I already knew, or basically OCs, I really didn't care - I was so invested anyway

The format was like watching a season of Gilmore Girls, where they celebrate each holiday and birthday and each season comes and goes and with each milestone you FEEL time passing. Character development was so on point as time passed, and the relationships developed so so slowly but so naturally and I just

I have been essentially reading a self published online novel for the last week, since the world was a unique AU and the characters were all basically OCs, and I've loved every second, even when the angst kicked in

This is gonna live rent free in my head for a long time and now I only wish it was a real book that I could have on my shelf to reread any time

Hello hello! I was wondering if I could get a request about Bakugo coming home to a worn out reader? Like, the reader takes care of people for a living and they’re at the end of their rope. It can be sfw or nsfw, you can choose. Thanks!! 💥

Summary: When bakugou finds out the toll your job takes on you after an incident he tries to comfort you

Characters: dynamite/king explosion murder/Bakugou Katsuki

Warnings: mentions of blood, death, depression?

Authors note: I wrote a whole different story and forgot to save so i rewrote it and made it a sfw instead of a nsfw. Also i hope it's ok i went the mental route instead of exhaustion.

———————————————————————-

“We need a nurse in room 16” the speakers announced as you rushed into the room.

The patient was loosing a lot of blood and even worse the patient was just a little girl. You ran into the room as quickly as you could after a day of exhaustion.

The stench of blood filled your nose. You rushed over to the lead doctors to assess the situation at hand.

“Doctor what’s happening?!”

The heart monitor screeched to signal that the amount of oxygen the girl was taking in was lowering. 

“She’s in hypovolemic shock, it’s not likely she’ll make it” the doctor said in a panicked tone.

Your mind stiffened at the thought of this sweet little girl dying “We have to do anything to save her, her dying is not a choice”

You rushed over to her bedside putting an intravenous line into her arm to allow blood to be put into her system.

Just as you were about to insert the blood into the iv you stumbled, causing you to have to get another one.

You rushed down the hallway to get another blood bag. As you raced back into the girls room only to hear the monitor flatline, stopping you in your tracks.

This was not the first time a patient has died. This was the first patient who happened to be a little girl who might’ve still been alive if it wasn’t for your clumsiness who had died. She was the first child who had died under your list of patients.

You stared at the door of the room as the happiness drained out of your eyes and quickly replaced with sorrow.

You had been called in all week to this hospital and this was the only person you have failed to save. The worst part about it was that you had met her prior to what led up to her being here.

She was the same little girl who was stuck in a crossfire between a superhero and a villain. You saved her then, but now that it was your literal job to save her you couldn’t.

You drove home in silence as the guilt consumed you as you finally parked in your driveway. You stumbled hazily into your house and collapsed on your couch.

You threw the phone as your fiancé bombarded your phone with texts and calls. You didn’t want to speak to anyone. No, you didn’t deserve to speak to anyone.

Your fiancé rushed to your job from you not answering and him getting worried. His red eyes widened as the staff explained to him what happened and that you had taken the rest of the day off.

He sped away in his car to find you as anger creeped into his crimson eyes, knowing you’re blaming yourself for a situation that was out of your control from the beginning.

“Fuckin’ idiot” he yelled while calling you again only to be sent to voicemail.

He parked the car and jumped out, not even worrying about turning off the engine.

He walks to your shared house only to see you’ve left the door open with your items thrown everywhere in the living room.

He rushed into the bedroom to find you broken and crying in the corner. He had never once seen you this mentally and physically drained.

Your eyes were puffy from crying, hair distressed across your head, clothes matted and wrinkled. The alarming part was that this was you only an hour after.

He carefully walked over to your sobbing figure only to be met with dull eyes. You were waddling in your own guilt and sorrow.

As he tried to pull you towards him you quickly pushed him away, not wanting to be consoled. Not wanting to feel better. You felt as if you cause this and that you deserved to feel like shit.

He only clicked his tongue and yanked you into his comfort.

“The fuck is you doing that for. You know the shit wasn’t your fault.”

You looked at him as tears blurred your vision for the hundredth time today.

“A little girl died today. A LITTLE FUCKING GIRL DIED Katsuki. BECAUSE I WASN’T QUICK ENOUGH!”

He glared at you and shook your shoulders.

“That wasn’t your damn fault” he said as if he had 0 cares or remorse about this.

“ITS MY JOB TO SAVE. I FAILED” “ YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE.”

Silenced washed over the both of you as you looked at him and tried to walk away.

He quickly gripped your arm and pulled you against his chest.

“You can’t save them all. You think I’ve never cried over a civilian who didn’t make it?”

You looked up to see his prideful eyes water as tears brim.

“You can’t save everyone.” he whispered in your ear

you sat quietly in his embrace as you let out your final sobs.

“i know.. but what good is this being my job if i can't even do that correctly”

Katsuki looked at you with his lips pressed into a firm line. “you’ve saved so many people, and so many more to come”

You just looked at him amazed. Everyone knows Katsuki Bakugou was never the sentimental type. Even in the 4 years of you both dates, he's never been so soft with you.

Though the current events isn't something you can easily forgive yourself for, him showing this much kindness and love let's you know you'll eventually overcome this tragedy.

You cupped your fiancé cheeks and kissed him slowly as tears ran down your cheek. You didn't know if you were crying from the fact you knew you'd be okay, or Katsuki's cheering you up with his gentle and kind words.

His eyes widen as he slowly began to kiss back.

"Thank you" was all you could mutter while kissing him.

He just pulled you closer and deepens the kiss only to pull away for a split second to say "yeah, whatever next time don't be an idiot, blaming yourself for shit that wasn't your fault"

you laughed softly because you're normal egotistical, Brash, and blunt fiancé was back.

— #43 “i love you to the moon and back” & #44 “you’re stealing the blankets”

characters; gojo satoru, gn! reader, ft. itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi, nobara kugisaki

synopsis; working at jujutsu tech comes with it’s risks, but with your husband at your side you think everything will turn out just fine

total w/c; 1475

warnings; canon-typical violence, blood, major injury, hospitals, iv’s, uhhh, non-canon timeline ig? i haven’t read the manga so i apologize for any inaccuracies about how curses and jujutsu sorcery works

「a/n」 thank you to @construct-witchlyght for requesting!! i’m so sorry it took so long but i actually really had fun writing this and i feel good about it! hope you enjoy it <3

being a counselor at jujutsu tech never really meant just being a counselor. sometimes it means being a teacher and instructing a couple classes, other times it means getting called out for exorcisms. despite your job title, it’s shockingly rare you get the chance to actually, you know, be a counselor.

and this was certainly not one of those times. the grade 2 curse you, itadori, fushiguro, and kugisaki are currently dealing with is not relenting. whatsoever. it’s attacks are quick, fast, and calculated. the four of you have done a good job avoiding them so far, but you're not sure how much longer you can keep it up. both you and itadori are hustling to land your blows, slowly chipping away at the almost overwhelming defenses of the curse. nearby fushiguro’s shikigami are working in rhythm with the flying nails of kugisaki’s hammer to take out the weird army of cursed goonies the grade 2 has. they’re not powerful by any means but their numbers add up. the two first years are doing a good job of dwindling their forces

the fight drags on and on, hit after hit, and dodge after dodge, it’s tiresome but necessary. by some miracle, there’s a glimpse of the end as yuuji lands a hearty punch on one of the chins of the curses many mouths. as it makes contact it’s accompanied by a loud, resounding clap, the cursed energy packed behind the hit leaves the air of the abandoned warehouse buzzing. the powerful attack brings the curse down to its last legs, yet it’s still angry, and determined to take you all out. you glance over to check on the other pair, and see they’re exorcising the final lackey. 

‘good, they’re safe now’ you think, but you’re allowed only a mere moment of relief before your attention is directed back to itadori and the grade 2. itadori is still stumbling from the blowback of his own power as the curse lets out a booming roar and you see it gear up for an attack with the sharp claws on one of its four arms. he’s stumbling right into the claws’ path and doesn’t have nearly enough time to completely dodge. panic boils over  in your chest and you feel your body move before you think about it, out of pure instinct to protect your kids. the long arm of the curse swings down and you rush towards the pink haired first year, shoving him out from underneath the approaching claws. hot, searing pain rips down from your shoulder and through your chest. your vision immediately turns spotty but you can see itadori tumble a few feet away from the force of your push. you must’ve screamed without realizing it because immediately all three students are calling out your name and rushing to finish the curse off.

you register that somewhere near you the curse bursts into smoke and spare puffs of cursed energy. it’s finally exorcised, but you're too focused on the feeling of warm, sticky blood seeping from your wound and the bitter taste of copper in your mouth to take note of who officially finished it off. the energy from the curse tapers off into nothing but residuals and suddenly three sets of footsteps are rushing towards you.

“y/n-san!” itadori is the first to reach you, calling out and falling to his knees at your side. “why would you do that?!” his words are frantic but his actions are gentle as he moves your head to rest on his knees. you can almost see the tears welling in his eyes from, in your opinion, misplaced guilt. he looks around searching for help of the other first years. behind him nobaras foot taps incessantly against the cold stone floor. she’s hurriedly dialing someone on her cellphone, presumably ijichi and fushiguro is tearing off his jacket. he does much better job of hiding his worry, but if your eyes were a little more focused you’d be able to see the slight shake to his movements as he bundles the fabric and presses it to your wound. you little out a little grunt of pain, the coarse texture agitates it but does a good enough staunching the steady trickle of blood. despite their lack of experience, it’s not hard for them to recognize this is bad. nobara finishes her call, before pocketing her phone and joining the boys on the ground next to you. she takes the edge of her sleeve, wiping off the small bit of blood dribbling from you mouth. you weakly attempt to swat her hand off, the last thing you wanted was to worry your kids or have them fuss over you.

“‘toru would kick my ass if i had let one of you kids get hurt” your words are slightly slurred but you speak with a little chuckle, referring to your husband while trying to make light of the situation. you even reach up to pat yuujis cheek reassuringly a couple times.

“well now gojo-sensei is gonna kick my ass for letting you get hurt!” he looks like he’s about to continue but the sound of screeching car tires interrupt him.

“ijichis here, lets get her up. y/n-” you can hear megumi talking, but your consciousness is slipping and you can’t decipher exactly what he said. you feel three pairs of hands start to lift you off the ground, the blood making it a little more difficult. as you look up the dots clouding your vision get bigger and bigger, the last thing you see is the crease of nobaras brows as she yells out to someone.

when you wake up, you feel your situation before you see it. the first, and maybe most important thing you feel, is the presence of your husband cuddled into your side. you feel his hair tickling your neck, his body pressed against your uninjured side and his fingers intertwined with yours. just knowing he’s there is enough to instantly put you at ease. your eyes finish adjusting to the bright morning light streaming in from the window and satoru shifts in his sleep, unawarely tugging the thin hospital blanket from your body. 

“you’re stealing the blankets,” you whisper to him as you squeeze his hand in yours, but your voice comes out a little more strained than you had expected. even with his blindfold on, you can tell he’s woken up as he lets out a little hum and adjusts himself on the small hospital bed. with the both of you it’s a tight fit, but you make it work. he’s careful not to jostle you as he sits up and gently brings you to lay on his side instead of him on yours. he’s mindful of your ivs and monitors, all while keeping your hand in his and making sure to drape the blanket back over you.

“rough night?” he asks, the hand of the arm wrapped around you comes to lightly brush over the bandages wrapped snug around your torso. the pain isn’t nearly as bad as it was before you blacked out. whatever meds they’d given you had turned the sharp stinging into a dull ache. but if you were being honest your whole body ached. a long, strenuous battle on top of a deep wound would do that to a person.

“rough night.” you confirm with a little chuckle, relaxing even further into his hold. the room is silent for a moment as he catches your eyes searching the empty room for something that’s not there. he presses a kiss to your temple, bringing your attention back to him.

“they went back to the school,” he states, already knowing that you were looking for the trio of first years, “and before you ask, they’re fine. all three made it out with nothing more than a couple scratches.”

“good, thats good,” you respond while smiling up at him. if those three were okay, any pain, wound, or hospital visit would be utterly worth it.

“i’m lucky i get to say the same for you, my love. itadori told me what you did” he lifts up his blindfold and gives you a look that resembles that of one he would give a student while scolding them. but behind it, you can see the deep amount of worry held in his bright eyes.

“i did what i had to, they're just kids” you shrug as best as yougiven your condition.

“i know, i know. very admirable of you,” he jokes a little before his tone turns serious “but please, don’t scare me like that ever again. you mean the world to me and i don’t know what i’d do without you. i love you to the moon and back, my dear y/n”

“i love you too satoru, to the moon and back”

Keep Falling

Idol: Kim Bora

Anon: * Can i request a scenario with dc bora? You know that recent live she did where her pajamas were too big so she had to hold it up? 8th member reader joins her for that vlive and notices sua’s shirt going down again and again so she holds it for her and jokingly says something like “yah im the only one allowed to see that” and makes bora flustered? Thank you author :))

Author's note: love the amount of sua requests ive received since her birthday ngl

She’s been on the app for a while now and Bora admits that she’s enjoying how her fans have been talking to her. Some were still greeting her happy birthday even though it’s passed a few days already while others have been asking her about the newest comeback.

Just as she had started to show fans the workout instructions she had on the wall, you walked in after washing up and looking ready to head to bed. Though you weren’t exactly sleepy yet, so you decided to check in on the other girl when you heard her talking and laughing.

“Unnie, what are you doing?” You asked, making her head turn and then smile when she saw you. She adjusted the camera once more to show you that she was live and you smile instantly before waving. “I was showing Insomnias the workout board.” She explains while sitting down and you moved to sit next to her.

With your head on her shoulder, you waved once more to the fans. “Hello.” You greeted and Bora shifted next to you, pulling her shirt up when she noticed it was slipping off her. “Somnias, how are you?” You asked so that their attention would shift away from the older girl.

You did smile when you saw some comments telling her to put a pin or something to help her cover up.

“What’s your favorite song?” You read off and looked to the dancer, only to see her adjusting her clothes again. Silently, your right hand went over to cover her chest while the other adjusted her shirt from the back. “Well, I think my favorite right now is... Boca.” You said in a teasing manner and Bora chuckled at your antics before she had joined in, thankful as you had helped her with her little predicament.

“Oh, yeah. Boca is definitely my favorite, too.” She nodded and you withdrew your right hand, deciding to just hold her shirt from the back.

“Yah! What are they saying that you spoiled something?” You ask her and her eyes widened before waving her hands in the air. “Nothing! I didn’t say anything, right, everyone?” She laughed nervously while looking at the camera with a look of betrayal.

You caught on to it and smirked. “And you say Yoohyeon is bad.” You shake your head as she pouted at you. “I didn’t do anything!” She whined as you ignored her and just read more of the comments.

“How could you guys throw me under the bus like that?” Bora mouthed to from behind you, but when you looked back, she flashed a quick smile before she pointed to a comment. “TMI?”

She looked at you, since she had already shared something earlier when she was alone and you cocked your head to the side while thinking, finally letting her relax. “Today, I went with Jiu unnie and Yoohyeonnie to the mall.” You laughed when you remembered what had happened that afternoon.

Bora grinned as she watched from the side, both of you failing to realize that you had let go of her shirt when you began to tell them how Yoohyeon had lost you when Minji went to check something for Cherry.

“Yoohyeon was panicking so much and said that Jiu was going to kill her for losing me like that.” She giggled. “She then said that she got distracted while looking for me so she just gave up. Jiu unnie found me on my own when she was buying and when Yoohyeon came, she looked so pale.”

Hearing the whole thing, Bora ended up cackling next to you, her eyes wide as she asked if you were lying or not. “It really happened. Ask them.” You insist before quickly adjusting her shirt and then holding it from the back as she started laughing again.

Furrowing your brows, you looked at the older girl and laughed. “Yah, unnie, what’s with you? I’m the only one who’s allowed to see that.” You said playfully and it takes her a while to process what you were saying until she felt her heat rise to her cheeks when she slapped your arm.

“What are you saying?” She screeched with wide eyes and you laughed even harder when you saw fans commenting your ship name and some more ridiculous things.

The way she looked at you was just hilarious, as though she was reminding you that you were live, but you couldn’t stop laughing so much about it. Her flustered state did not help, even when she was hitting you countless times just to knock it off.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. It’s getting late, everyone.” She tells the camera while grabbing the phone and then waving. “Y/n was actually supposed to go to bed, earlier. So I think we should go.” She reasons while you were busy trying to catch your breath from laughing so hard.

“We’re so screwed.”

You were still holding Bora’s shirt as she said goodbye and you waved happily to your fans. “Goodnight, I hope you all take care.” You tell them before the two of you finally end the live and Bora turns to you when you release her clothes.

“You must really love teasing me like that.” She huffed after she adjusted her shirt properly and you smirked while standing back up. “I thought you’ve gotten used to me by now.” You tell her, offering a hand so she could stand as well.

She gives you a playful shove as you both head to your rooms. “Not when you tease me out of the blue!” She retorts, making you giggle and then open the door to your room. “How would it be fun if you know when I’ll do it?”

She groans in response but pulls you into a kiss, anyway. “You’re lucky you’re cute or else I would have told Yoohyeon to ditch you at the mall.” She muttered and you fake an offended look. “You would miss me.”

“You wish.”

“What’s it gonna take, this time?”

She grinned mischievously at you as she latched to your arm and pushed you inside your room. “I think you’re aware that I accept apologies in kisses and cuddles.”

Dragon Dancer IV: Showdown

In the silence of the elevator, Pompeii held me up. Exhaustion and hunger finally manifested themselves in weakness and trembling. The stress of keeping the secret, my worry for Ru’Yi, my need for Caesar to pick up the phone had finally reached a breaking point. I lay my head against his chest.

“He’s probably blocked the number.” He said

My voice was squeaking and barely audible, still paralyzed by the poison they’d used to silence my Soul Skills. “Don’t you have a phone?”

“I do! But he never picked up when I called. He’s not talked to me since his mother’s funeral.” He looked down at me, regret lining his features. “He saw me get into a car with another woman. He didn’t understand how my life was back then. He does now but... now it’s too late. Now he’s just determined to be the opposite of me.”

Shock flashed like lightning through my heart as I imagined the scene. Pompeii brought another woman to the funeral? How could he do something like that?

Pompeii let me stand up on my own. “Even though I cared for him more than any of my other children, I accepted how he felt. I never pushed to get close to him. Once Caesar’s made up his mind about you, it’s very hard to change it. I had to content myself to standing and supporting him from a distance.”

I nodded, understanding both sides here. Would Caesar have despised me if I lived the life the Gattusos wanted? Unlikely. He would have pitied me as a woman. He always held men to a higher standard. “We have to try... we have to try everything.”

As the elevator stopped, the reports of gunshots rang through the double sliding doors. Pompeii stood  in front of me, his eyes blazing yellow and I put on the sunglasses again. My eyes were still spotty from the flash earlier.

The elevator opened to the sight of slithering bronze servitor bodies, slick with both their blood and the blood of their victims. The army of highly trained elite hybrids guarding the monastery faced off with them with pistols, but at best, they could only knock them back. 

Servitors were powerful enough to rip a cow in half, armed with razor sharp teeth and claws and muscular tails, they left halls of the monastery covered in blood which they licked up with their forked tongues.

Pompeii let out a tremendous shout and a bow wave of blue light shot from his body with enough voltage to kill a hundred elephants, paralyzing the monsters and felling them, stiff and screeching on the floor. 

“Run! Go!” He seized my hand and we sprinted forward, slipping on blood and dismembered body parts as we headed back towards Pompeii’s apartment.

The servitors that were on the ground rose again, claws making grooves in the marble. They had a remarkable recovery time, barely phased even by that amount of electricity.

“They’re drawn by your blood!” I didn’t know if he could hear me, but he probably already knew the blood oozing from his injury in the basement was a liability. Servitors were driven mad by the smell of hybrid blood. The purer it was, the more potent the lure. 

He stopped running and pulled me forward, throwing me in front of him. “The Code is 1911! The phone us in the desk drawer as you come in. Go! I’ll hold them off!”

I didn’t look back. I ran in a desperate panic, the door to his room feeling too far away. Fear made me fumble the knob. I pushed when I should have pulled. When got it open, I ran inside, shut the door and leaned against it a moment, trying to catch my breath. 

Just then, a force slamming against the door sent me flying onto the carpet. Golden claws pierced the wood and ripped the door off its hinges. The servitor rose up, its serpent body forming an S-curve.

But just as it launched, Pompeii flew like an eagle, both feet forward, face fierce like an animal’s, kicking it in the head.

This was the father that Caesar despised? I shook myself and got to the desk and entered the code on the phone. It opened to an eyeburning image of Pompeii and a woman on full frontal display that made me recoil in disgust. “Pompeii! Why would you do this?!”

I fumbled to get to the contacts. “Where’s his number! I can’t find it!” He didn’t hear me.

I walked out of the apartment to see dead servitors lining the halls. Pompeii, his robe torn with nothing underneath was grappling with a servitor, shocking it repeatedly, its skin smoking and cracking and smelling of fish. I waved the phone. “What’s the number under?”

He looked up at me. “Filius!”

How was I supposed to know that?” I reentered the room and called. This time, the number went through to voice mail. It wasn’t ideal but ... I did my best to gasped out a voiceless message.

“Caesar! It’s Meixiu! I mean... It’s Carli! I have to tell you something! Nono! They’re going to kill Nono!” I forced air through a dead voicebox, praying in vain that something might come out. “She’s in Tokyo with the Hydras and they’re going to kill all the Japanese Hybrids and make it look like Nono was killed in the fighting! They’ll make it look like an accident!”

Pompeii charged into the room and grabbed me. “Did you reach him?”

“It’s just his voice mail...”

“Not enough. Keep trying!” I turned and looked and more servitors were coming up the halls with rabid grinning faces.

“There’s too many of them.” He started to drag me away but now had a slight limp. A piece of the back of his leg was missing!

If he died, I was a sitting duck. 

“The main hall is the most fortified area of the monastery and those old ghouls may be dusty but they’re powerful hybrids.” He said.

I held the phone to my ear and kept it ringing. The servitors were pursuing us pulling themselves along by their hands their mouths open and eager, their eyes golden and focused on us.

As we approached the main hall, I heard an echoing noise. A hollow sound of a hammer knocking on wood. Tok. Tok. Tok.

The Servitors halted their advance suddenly and turned around, looking confused. My heart screamed in an explosion of terror. Herzog’s woodblock!

"POMPEII!” 

My voice wasn’t working but the intensity of the fear that tore from my throat turned his head. He took the phone from me, put it to his ear, and abruptly stopped.

The twelve elders lay slumped over on their thrones. Each one had his throat neatly slit. I was just like the scene from the basement of the Genji Heavy Industries building. The blood was still warm and running down the steps  and over the marble, the smell of it filled the room.

At this moment, Caesar’s voice was heard through the phone. “The hell do you want.”

Pompeii smiled and shoved me hard, so I staggered away from him and fell. “Check your voice mail for that. I won’t be here long, son. I’m just glad I got to hear your voice in the end.”

“The hell are you saying? What’s going on?”

“Caesar... I lo...-”

I blinked and between the time I closed my eyes and opened them, the handle of a knife had appeared in Pompeii’s throat. He smiled and sighed, lowering his hand. The cellphone slipped from his grip. A fountain of red bloomed from this throat and he collapsed, like a puppet that had its strings suddenly cut mid performance.

From the phone, I could hear Caesar’s voice shouting, but the phone suddenly shattered.

I didn’t see Shinnosuke approach me. I only saw the burst of sparks when he collided with an electric field I didn’t realize Pompeii had surrounded me with. He snarled in pain and vanished again, like a vengeful from hell. I turned to run and he was in front of me. 

I staggered back. He was holding Ru’Yi. There was no light in his eyes. He took no pleasure this. In fact, the intense stare as his body shivered with the electric charge told me that Pompeii’s last stand had really hurt.

And now he was mad.

I found myself bound my hands behind my back. He twisted my wrists so hard I feared they might break.

“You still can’t scream. Good.” Shinnosuke’s breath whispered past my ear

I trembled, facing Pompeii’s body now,  watching the running red pool gather beneath him very slowly. Behind him was the door and in the door, rushing towards me in slow motion, was Chu Zihang.

Spider Fang was drawn and angled at Shinnosuke. But he was moving so slowly, it hadn’t registered in his eyes that I had been placed in front of him as human shield.

“You know, the wonderful thing about Time Zero...? Is that you can arrange people... like props on a set. And then like a director, say Action! To see the chaos unfold.”

“Look at him. Look at his rage. How much he loves you. I believe killing you will probably kill him as well. Perhaps afterwards, he will end his own life.”

I swallowed against the swelling in my throat. I loved him too so much. But we had talked about this earlier. That love could no longer be the most important thing right now.

Too many people were dead. Shinnosuke would go to Tibet with that Woodblock sound and set him and Erii on the world. Then... in control of the Secret party, Shinnosuke would conquer humanity.

In the face of this result, our love was inconsequential.

My dragonblood burned like a furnace, I called on it with all my strength. It no longer mattered to me to stay human. I had to use my dragonvoice now, even if it meant losing myself as a servitor.

I felt the knot in my throat unwind as the dragon blood increased my body’s potential, overruling the powerful poison that had held me captive. Scales bubbled up from my skin in a sudden rash. My round brown eyes burned gold and the pupils squeezed in to sharp slits.

“Berengeria!”

The golden light of the ethereal spear lit my face, pointed toward my own body. When it rammed through me and the man behind me, we both screamed at once.

 It was the same tactic that Herzog had used against me in the Red Well. Pinned by Chisei’s sword, I couldn’t escape without killing myself and I couldn’t save my child. But now, were both pinned, like meat on a skewer. Once he said ‘Action’, and Time Zero was released, Zihang’s sword would pierce us both.

“You bitch! You little bitch!”

I smiled, feeling his fist pound against my back. But he could no longer free himself. I looked into Zihang’s eyes. Kill the bastard. Don’t worry about me.

In that moment, I heard Ru’Yi cry. And Zihang vanished.

A tremendous rush of air blew past me followed by a sharp crack. I was free of Shinnosuke’s grip on me. Ru’Yi was suddenly in my arms. I staggered away, falling to my knees in weakness and confusion. I lay the baby on the ground and wrapped my arm against the blood coming from my abdomen.

Ru’Yi’s eyes were golden. She lay still and smiling, like a wise old woman. 

The air around us was filled with blurry dark streaks that vaguely showed the shapes of two men, locked in combat. A severed hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, spinning along the floor and leaving a crimson spiral pattern.

Shinnosuke lay on the ground. He kicked in a circle, howling and holding a bloody stump. Chu Zihang hauled him by his collar, sliced upward, and severed his other arm. He lifted him, tossed him into the air and made a full circle cut. Spider fang moved through both Shinnosuke’s legs as if cutting through tofu.

Within seconds, Shinnosuke was reduced to a screeching bleeding torso. I gripped Ru’Yi to my chest..

“Time Zero? How are you using Time Zero?!” 

Eyes burning with an light colder than the polar arctic, Zihang responded by angling the sword downward and plunging into the man’s chest, again and again, until blood gurgled like a fountain from his mouth. He then neatly severed his head.

With an expert flick, he cleared the blood from the blade and hurried to my side, engulfing me in a fierce hug. Only then to Ru’Yi and I began cry. He removed my shirt and pressed it against my wound. He was shaking so hard the sweat flew from the ends of his hair.

I turned to the pale form of Pompeii, tears clouding my vision. I wanted to tell Caesar I was sorry. I was sorry this happened.

“Ru’Yi used Time Zero...” Zihang finally said, using his belt to secure my shirt to my injury. “You’re healing so quickly. You’ll be okay in a few minutes.”

He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “Blood Rage...”

I smiled at those beautiful golden pupils. “Stage Five.” I gave him a thumbs up. 

“You have to release. You’ll go servitor.”

“I know.” I looked down at my hands they were twisting up, claws pushing out from the tips.

“The wound’s closed enough. Release, Meixiu!”

The urgency in his voice made me hiccup. I gathered my ebbing mental strength, speaking the dragon word to suppress my blood. It raged like a fire in me and for a moment, I couldn’t hear or see or think for the pain. But Zihang didn’t let me go, holding me despite the power coursing through my veins increasing my strength ten fold.

The scales lowered back into regular human skin, my eyes turned back to their normal color. Exhaustion set in for both of us. The only living things left in the massive hall, the sound of our own breathing echoed in the walls.

We were alive. Ru’Yi used Time Zero and we were alive. Chu Zihang’s heart beat against my ear. His chest rose and fell. He was warm. This was so very real, despite how incredible it was that we could be saved by our own child. But if it was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up ever again.

The clicking of heels on the hard marble floor broke the silence. A woman’s frustrated sigh, and a voice. “I hate to rush you, but we have almost no time.”

The voice was familiar. My eyes opened and a woman with blue eyes and cascading blond hair stared down at me. 

Su Enxi... 

What was she doing here?

Hiya! this is a little thing that ive been writing for.. 2 hours? yeah, probably that long. anywho! it’s about how Phone Dude died in my au, and it’s quite gorey. if you’re unable to handle things such as vomting, mass amounts of blood, disemboweling, Animal death, and murder please stop reading now, because im on mobile and am unable to put the cut!!!!

Austin slid the key into the rusted lock, twisting it to the left and then to the right. He caught the metal contraption in his left hand as it fell, sliding it into his coat. The blond-haired boy unwrapped the chain that held the big metal door shut, letting it fall and lay still on the floor next to him.

The young man pushed his glasses back up his nose, a loud screech breaking the beautiful night’s silence as the door was slowly pulled open. Austin stepped into the run-down building, greeted by an awful smell and a sickening squelch as his right foot was brought down. He flinched, swinging his leg back up again, his eyes darting to the place on the floor where his converse had landed.

There on the floor was a darkened shape. He couldnt tell what it was exactly, but it wasnt much bigger than his shoe. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He turned the shattered iPhone 6 on, and then the flashlight, shining it towards the tiny shape. Austin winced, seeing what he’d stepped on.

It was a mangled corpse of a rat, definitely dead. It looked like something had thrown it back and forth at walls, and then beat the hell out of it like a damn punching bag.

“Well that’s fucking disgusting…” Austin murmured, shaking his foot out and kicking the poor thing out of the way and into a dark corner.

The hallway was barely illuminated, the only light coming from the glowing red Exit sign behind him, and his phone’s flashlight, which was currently pointed at the ground. The blonde turned his wrist up, yawning and walking down the eerie hallway. He was cautious, not knowing where the hell that thing had decided to rest for the day. Mike was always the last person to see him, so no one ever knew where the rotting bunny decided to hide for the day.

Austin turned down the short corridor, pausing. In the stillness, he could hear something being dragged across metal. There was a squeaking sound from the opposite side of the building, then a thump, then complete silence. A shiver ran down his spine, but he kept walking. Whatever it was wasnt moving any more, and there’s no way it was the bunny....That thing was fucking ancient... There was no possibility he wouldnt be able to hear it.

The 21-year-old trotted down the second hallway, turning off his flashlight and sliding his phone back into his pocket as he approached the glowing chica head. There was no need for it anymore. He whistled a tune, completely ignoring most of his surroundings. His chocolate brown eyes scanned the walls for any sight of the animatronic, relieved by the fact he hadn’t come across him this whole time.

He turned down the next hallway, looking to his right down at the arcade, and then to his left. It was the only way to get to his destination, and he got a weird vibe from it. The stoned male shrugged it off, seeing as the whole place gave him a weird vibe. As Austin went to turn right at the end of the hallway, he was stopped by something furry and wet. He stumbled backwards, looking up at whatever the fuck he just ran into.

Towering more than a foot over him was the bunny, it’s odd eyes staring down at him, one a glowing an almost striped purple and the other completely black with a glowing white iris. He was haunched over slightly, his left ear hanging down below his waist and the other torn and tattered near his shoulder. There was a low moan that he emitted every few seconds as if he was exhaling, and he smelt like Satan’s asshole.

“Fucking SHIT sticks-“ Austin yelped, turning to run back down the hallway. He heard the bunny practically roar, quiet footsteps and deep moans following him as he sprinted towards the other end of the hall.

Austin felt his footing falter, and his feet slipped out from under him. He fell to the floor with a thump, and whimpered when he felt something big press against the middle of his back. He looked over his shoulder to find a fluffy, rotting paw connected to the god forsaken rabbit holding him down. A robotic laugh found it’s way out of the monstrosity as it leaned over. Austin could hear muscles and fur ripping and tearing because of the motion, and it made him want to hurl. The rabbit grabbed him by the shoulders, violently turning him over and slamming his back against the floor. The wind was knocked out of him, and he felt an awful headache spurge from his head hitting the tile.

Springtrap’s eyes glowed a brighter shade than before. Finally, something worthy of killing. He was grateful of the little shit for setting him free, but that didnt overrule the fact that he needed something to kill and this was his first opportunity to do so with a person in god knows how long. Austin squirmed, trying desperately to get out from under the giant, metal furry pinning him down. Springtrap held him in place, quickly trying to think of some way to kill him. An idea struck, and a twisted smile appeared on the golden corpses’ face.

Springtrap grabbed Austin’s stomach with one bear-sized hand, the fur and glove torn and nearly entirely destroyed at this point. His grip tightened, causing Austin to cry out in pain. If this demon grabbed any tighter, he could probably shatter his hip bones like glass. Springtrap pulled his hand back a bit, eyeing the young adult’s stomach. His eyes glowed brighter as he cut through the soft flesh there like it was nothing, blood splattering onto the belly of this zombified beast.

Austin screamed in pain, thrashing and kicking like a child. Springtrap reached over, wrapping his freehand around Austin’s neck and squeezing. The blonde let out a choked sob, shakily reaching up to grab at the metal and decayed flesh around Springtrap’s wrist. Springtrap chuckled at the shitty attempt, before squeezing again. He let go, sliding both of his fucked-up hands into the cut he had made before. Austin vomited blood, choking and gaging on it due to being unable to get most of it out of his mouth without getting it in his nose. Springtrap wrapped his hands around Austin’s large intestine, yanking it out with little effort. The other let out a gargled scream, tears and blood streaking down his face.

Springtrap continued to pull out multiple of the young man’s insides, raking his claws along the fleshy walls. Austin eventually lost consciousness, and Springtrap took that as an invitation to plunge his hand into his chest, engulfing the dying male’s heart in his palm and squeezing it till it popped and sent blood splattering all over the hall and Springtrap himself.

The moldy, smelly animatronic stood, grabbing Austin’s small intestine and dragging it across the wall. He did the same to the dead man’s other intestine, and then threw his remaining organs either down the hall or at surrounding walls.

Using the fresh blood now coating his hands and the checkered tile, he scribbled multiple phrases across the damp walls.

Broken Bones & Salami Sandwiches

(I do not own image)

SYNOPSIS: When your excitement to watch Yoongi accept BTS’ first Grammy award takes a clumsy, painful turn. 

PAIRING: Yoongi x Y/N

GENRE: Fluff

WARNINGS: Language 

WORD COUNT: 2543

_______________________________

“And the Grammy goes to ...” the presenter takes an obnoxious pause, grinning at the camera like he's the funniest person in the world. You growl angrily, grabbing the closest item within reach which happens to be an open pack of salami and whipping it across the room. Your sister gawks, watching as the deli meat pops out of the packaging and flies through the air before falling like confetti.

“You are 100% cleaning that up. What a waste,” she grumbles, eying the slices scattered amongst your hardwood floors. You shush her urgently, waving your hand furiously in her direction. “Y/N, it's too early in the morning to be -”

“BTS! Congratulations!”

The screen shifts to a view of the group who are still sitting, shock and disbelief painting their faces. Hoseok is the first to hesitantly rise, grabbing Taehyung's arm to either pull him up or keep him grounded.

That's about as much as you see before hysteria completely possesses you.

You're on your feet, half sobbing, half screeching as you jump up and down. Through your tears and hops, you try to focus on the screen. The boys are on the stage now but they don't seem to be in any better condition than you with their red eyes and wet faces. The camera zooms in on Yoongi and you break again, resuming your hops.

At least you won't have to go to the gym tonight to work off the junk food.

“Stop screaming! Don't you want to listen to their acceptance speech? They're about to start talking!” your sister shouts at you from the couch. You pause, eyes glancing to the screen. Namjoon holds the microphone, eyes glistening with unshed tears. He opens his mouth to speak when the camera goes to a group shot. Yoongi stands next to Namjoon, the little golden gramophone in his hand.

You can't help it. You lose it again. You jump ecstatically across the room, only stopping for nanosecond cry breaks. Your boyfriend is a Grammy award winner. A two-time Grammy award winner, to be exact. BTS picked up the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance earlier in the show but just happened to nab the most prestigious award of the night – best album. It's something that you have heard Yoongi and the boys talk about countless times. Though they never dared to have any expectations, just wishful dreams.

“They did it! Oh my god, they did it!” you screech through your leaping. Your sister begins to nag about the possibility of the downstairs neighbors calling the police but you keep jumping. It feels like your body is too small to contain the amount of happiness that you currently have and the only way to release it is to keep jumping. It's a good plan until your heel lands on a stray piece of salami. You feel everything happen in slow motion. The meat slides across the floor, taking you along with it. Your torso falls backwards and in an awkward attempt to balance yourself, you plant your right leg behind you. Unfortunately, since your excited jumps were so high, you come down hard. Right on your leg.

Crack.

There's a fierce pain and the room is suddenly spinning. It feels like your body is too small to contain the amount of pain that you currently have and the only way to release it is to close your eyes. So you close your eyes.

____________________________________

You open your eyes to the sound of your ring tone blaring somewhere in the room. You are definitely not at home anymore. You're in an unfamiliar bed, your lower half elevated with your right leg being suspended in the air by some kind of strap. There's a decent amount of pain but it's tolerable and you suspect whatever medication has been put into the IV drip inserted into your wrist is doing its job.

The sound of your phone stops. “Hello? Yoongi?”

Yoongi. BTS. The Grammy s. The jumping. The salami. It all comes back to you.

“Y/N couldn't come to the phone because she's currently recovering from her surgery,” your sister says dramatically. You can hear Yoongi's surprised “what!” from where you're laying. Your sister snickers. “No, I'm really not joking. She fell and broke her leg in four different places. They had to do emergency surgery on it. Hey, congrats on the awards, by the way.”

With as much energy as you can muster with all the medication pumped into you, you reach out your arm to your sister, fingers wiggling for the phone. She turns her body away from you and you have never wanted to strangle her as much as you do right now.

“We were watching the awards and she totally lost her fucking mind when you guys won album of the year. She threw a pack of salami and then started jumping around and eventually slipped on some of said salami. She passed out on the spot and I had to call an ambulance. They made me turn our phones off when I came into the surgery ward.”

I whine loudly, still reaching for the phone. Your sister laughs. “She just came to but she's super groggy from the anesthesia and pain medicine. I'll let the doctor see her first and have her call you back when she can. It must be super late there – do you just want to call her tomorrow?”

“Alright, alright. I'm sure she'll be calling soon. Give my congrats to the boys and your team! Have fun!” she says before throwing your phone back into her bag. You slump in defeat, your arm falling off of the bed. Your sister rolls her eyes.  “He has to do a few quick interviews anyway. You can call him after I page the doctor.”

She presses the big red call button on the side of your bed. “Broke your leg in four different places by slipping on a slice of salami that you tossed all over the place. Way to go, champ.”

Only a few minutes go by before both the doctor and a nurse come in to check on your leg. Whilst he explains how bad your break was and the treatments that you'll have to endure during the healing process, the nurse sets you up with a can of ginger ale and a few graham crackers to help ease the grogginess. After he finishes his spiel and you finish your snack, you feel refreshed despite the throbbing pain in your leg.

“You've been with me all morning. Why don't you go out and get yourself some lunch or something?” you suggest politely to your sister, flashing her a blinding smile. She scoffs. After 25 years with you, she's able to see right through you.

“I got some snacks from the vending machine earlier. I'm fine.”

Your smile drops. “Well that can't be very healthy. What would Mom say? She'd be upset if you didn't eat a proper-”

“It was Mom's idea. She didn't want me to leave you during surgery. She's coming this way with dinner later so I don't want to fill up now.”

“Oh my god, just get out!” you screech, your patience snapping. Your sister smirks and drops your phone into your lap, heading towards the door. She turns back to say something before she leaves but you whip your arm back as if you're going to throw your phone and she laughs, closing the door behind her. Your fingers fumble to find Yoongi's name in your contacts. It only rings twice.

“Y/N ! What the hell! You fell while jumping?” Yoongi scolds as soon as he answers the phone. You exhale in satisfaction when you hear his voice. “Sometimes I think you forget how old you are.”

“Yoongi,” you interrupt, voice breaking. You sniffle as the tears begin to pool. “I'm so proud of you.”

He lets out a long sigh. “Jagiya, stop being cute when I'm trying to be stern with you. How are you? Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It does hurt quite a bit but I'm handling it okay. How are you? Is it overwhelming?

“A little,” he confesses. “I haven't had time to process it yet. We were taken off stage and immediately thrown into interviews and photo sessions. It doesn't seem real even though I'm staring at the awards right now.”

“I can't wait to touch them,” you say, eliciting a burst of laughter from your boyfriend. “You have to let me touch at least one of them before Big Hit takes them away for display. It's the least you can do for causing my injury.”

“Wait a minute. It's my fault that your leg is broken? How so?” he asks in mock outrage. You can't stop yourself from giggling like a teenager. Yoongi does that to you.

“I was jumping because I was so happy for you. If you had lost, I wouldn't have jumped and slipped on the salami. So in conclusion, this is all your fault.”

“Okay we can discuss the ridiculousness of your logic later. But first, I have some questions about how salami got involved.”

___________________________

“Can you grab me a sparkling water?” You call out to your sister as you lounge on the couch, foot propped up on about six different cushions. “And bring me a bag of chips as well!”

Your sister places the carbonated beverage on the coffee table in front of you but throws the bag of chips at your face. “You break your own leg and I'm being punished by waiting on you hand and foot. Life is unfair.”

“Stop being a drama queen,” you grumble. It's been three days since the accident. You only stayed at the hospital for two nights but the massive boot that they've installed engulfs your entire calf and completely limits your mobility. You've taken to sleeping on the couch because your bedroom is too far away from everything else in the apartment but your poor sister really has had to literally carry you through your day. “I only have to wear this boot for a week. They'll switch me to a slimmer one at the next appointment.”

“You're lucky that your Grammy award winning boyfriend is out of the country. I would totally make him do everything.”

“Two-Time Grammy award winning boyfriend,” you correct her. She glares at you, exhausted with hearing that phrase from you for what feels like the millionth time. You grin obnoxiously in response. She opens her mouth to argue when the chime of the doorbell rings out and she turns to press the camera view of the door.

“Is it Mom?” you ask, craning your neck from where you lay to see the screen. You can't make anything out though. “If it's Mom, I'm going to pretend I'm napping. Yesterday she spent nearly forty-five minutes badly explaining the plot of Descendants of the Sun to me even though I told her ten times that I've already watched it.”

Your sister snickers, her eyes on the screen. “Yeah, it's Mom. I've buzzed her in so you better hurry and get all bundled up.”

You take her advice, throwing the blanket over the length of your body and tucking it up under your chin. You shift so you're facing the cushion of the couch. You even out your breathing to look convincing, listening as the front door opens and closes.

The voice that fills the apartment definitely does not belong to your mother. “Where is she?”

Like always, your heart skips for a moment before it takes off into a gallop. Yoongi never fails to fluster you, no matter how long you've been dating or how often you see him. Your head pops up from the pillow and you scramble with your arms to push off the blanket. In the scuffle, you've somehow tangled yourself and the next thing you know, you're on the floor. You cry out in pain when your bad leg knocks against the coffee table.

Your sister laughs. “Oh, look at that. I suddenly have plans. She's all yours. Good luck.”

“I'm changing the pass code on you! Better find somewhere else to live!” you scream from the floor. Your sister is still cackling when she reaches out to pull the door close after her. “I'm keeping your clothes too!”

Yoongi hurries to the couch, gaping when he sees you sprawled on the floor. He rushes to you, lightly reaching under your arms and lifting you back onto the couch. He winces when his eyes fall on the giant boot. “Wow, you really broke it. Look at that thing. I bet it's uncomfortable.”

You ignore his concern and grab his face with both hands, grinning like a lovesick idiot. “You're really here. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?”

He softens under your touch, sigh turning into a gentle smile, pulling your hands from his cheeks but keeping them in his grip. “The point of a surprise is … you know .. a surprise. Surprise!”

You're giggling again. “Do you have to go back soon or can I keep you?”

He shakes his head. “We're all majorly jet-lagged so we have the afternoon off. I had them drop me here from the airport. I'm all yours for the next sixteen hours.”

“Well you're in luck,” you say, scooting back against the couch with your good leg. You pat the space next to you. “The only thing I'm really capable of right now is laying down so I will be your nap buddy. Come here.”

He frowns. “I didn't come here to sleep. I haven't seen you in weeks. I'm here to spend time with you before anniversary promotions begin.”

“Yoongi, you have bags the size of Australian spiders under your eyes. You've worked so hard and deserve a good sleep. Now get over here before you make me get up with my bum leg and drag you myself.”

He laughs in resignation, shimmying out of his sweater before plopping down. He stops himself before he's fully stretched out next to you.

“Wait,” he says, turning his body to face you. Leaning down, he surprises you when he pushes his lips against yours in a sweet kiss. Well … at least it started sweet. Most of the time, the two of you really struggle with keeping things PG and you wouldn't have it any other way. After a few minutes of making out, he pulls away breathlessly, giving you his best gummy smile. “Okay, got that out of my system.”

You giggle for the millionth time in the five minutes that he's been here, sighing in content when he relaxes his body against yours. His arm reaches around you and tugs you closer to him. Within seconds, you feel your eyes get heavy.

“Yoongi,” you mumble sleepily. He hums in response. “When we wake up, will you make me a sandwich? My sister is an awful cook and she's been starving me.”

His body shakes with laughter underneath you. “Yes, I'll make all the sandwiches you want. But I have some conditions.”

“Conditions?” you ask curiously, tipping your chin to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He grins down at you.

“No salami.”

ive only felt religion when ive lied with you- 1

A/N: (smut, Chan x reader, Canon compliant, fan/idol)

The sun peeped in at you through the small slit in the curtains. Your eyes fluttered open and then closed again. You laid there in a beautiful mix of sleep and awake when suddenly you realized you were late for work. You sat up and became perplexed at your surroundings, this was definitely not your room.

Wait, where am I… you started to wonder.

You looked over to see Robyn lying next to you, still asleep looking quite peaceful and hugging her Chimmy plushie. Then you realized you weren’t at home, and this wasn’t just any day, this was the day you were going to meet Stray Kids.

Your heart began to speed up at your sudden realization. You looked around the room and empty cans of hard cider littered the bedside table. Last night’s pad Thai was sitting on the dresser, probably harboring god knows how many bacteria after sitting out at room temperature all night. You felt a tinge of nausea at the thought of it, or any food for that matter.

Oh god. Am I going to be able to eat today? I have to eat, I’ll never be able to stand in line and make it through the concert if I don’t eat. Let alone have the strength to survive MEETING THEM at hi-touch.

You pushed your hair behind your ears, closed your eyes and focused on your breathing.

Not today, anxiety. It’s too early for this bullshit.

Your therapist had taught you to talk to your anxiety like it was a person. Speaking of him, God bless that man for listening to you over the past several months preparing for this day. You had drilled him for an endless amount of coping mechanisms in order make sure that you, quite literally, didn’t faint when you met the nine boys who seemingly occupied your every thought.

You rolled out of bed as cautiously as you could, so you didn’t wake Robyn. You walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Your hair was stuck to the side of your head and you had sleep still in the corners of your eyes. You decided to take a shower and think about what to have for breakfast.

The hot water beat into your skin and steam began to fill the bathroom. You inhaled deeply. Trying to focus on the present and not psych yourself out about the night ahead.

You’re just giving them a high five. Hundreds of fans will get to do the same. They definitely won’t remember you, you’ll blend in with the millions of other girls who are desperately in love with them.

 This thought calms you for a moment. Being rational in situations of stress wasn’t particularly your strong suit, so you were happy with this little victory.

When you got out of the shower you checked your phone. You had several notifications from Instagram from realstraykids. Hyunjin was posting selfies and talking about being excited for the concert tonight. Swiping through the pictures he took with other members, Chris got your attention. His hair was a golden blonde and was starting to grow so long, it looked like a borderline mullet with the way it was styled.

“Chris with a mullet steals my soul!!!!” you commented on the picture and then put your phone away.

You walked back into the room and Robyn was awake. You took one look at her and burst into the most high pitched squeal you could manage.

Well. Being calm was nice while it lasted.

“Good god, y/n. Are you gonna be like this all day?” Robyn asked, already looking done with your shit.

 Robyn didn’t originally stan Stray Kids. You introduced them to her after you got the tickets. You had been to kpop concerts with her in the past so she seemed like the obvious choice to go with you. You had invited Robyn over a couple months ago and had a “hard intro to Stray Kids” Youtube watching session. Which had included videos like “stray kids on crack” and “a super shitty and unhelpful guide to stray kids.” She eventually chose two biases, Minho and Jisung. When she had told you later that night you were overjoyed because you had predicted who she would bias.

“NO WAY!!!!” you had screeched, “I texted my friend earlier and predicted you would bias them! Just so I could show you when I was right!”

What could you say, you love Robyn, but she has a certain type that always wrecks her. Pretty baby faces and strong vocals. You couldn’t blame her though, they were both an excellent choice.

You snapped back to the present.

“Uh no. I’m calm, I just, uh… yeah I’m gonna be like this all day.” You confessed.

Thank God I have a friend brave enough to put up with me.

The morning went by faster than you thought it would. You all ordered breakfast and spent the morning watching Jinyoung’s new kdrama. You wanted to get to the venue early-ish because even though you had good tickets, you were still GA and didn’t want to be shoved completely to the back of your section.

 You had spent months picking the perfect outfit that you would feel confident in to meet them. It was May so you weren’t sure about the weather, but you decided to bank on it being hot outside. You chose a sleeveless shirt that was metallic gold, with a bow that tied around the front and buttoned down. You had also chosen a skort set that looked like a black mini-skirt but actually had shorts underneath and low-top combat boots to complete the look. You curled your hair and tried to give it as much volume as possible. Not that it would matter, you knew it would be matted to your head with sweat by the end of the concert. But hey, you gotta look good for the pics for the ‘gram, right?

 You arrived at the venue and was baking outside under the morning sun, it was sweltering, you didn’t expect this for May. Your skin was baking under the late spring sun. You definitely had a sunburn and had only been in line for an hour.

Why on Earth did I wear a tank top...I’m not gonna be able to raise my arm to high five them without the smell knocking them down!

Suddenly an image of Jeongin falling backward at the smell of your body odor made you laugh out loud. You could see the headlines now, “kpop fangirl’s body odor causes singer to faint.” I mean, it would be hilarious, mortifying, but hilarious.

The concert was a blur, as always. You sang along to all the words you knew and your voice felt hoarse towards the end. You couldn’t believe how close you were to them. The venue was much smaller than you had anticipated. The light was shining off of them and their sweat made them glisten. You were so close you could see their muscles rippling under their denim when they danced.

Felix began talking to the fans about how much he loves us and wants to keep performing well for us. Felix and Changbin are my biases so I was completely engulfed in his cute Aussie accent being spoken 40 feet from me. It was almost too much. The members were fanned out across the stage while he talked and Chris drifted over to the side I was on. The girls and boys around me went wild trying to speak to him but he probably couldn’t hear them.

Rude. My baby Felix is having a moment and y’all are acting like idiots trying to talk over him.

Robyn elbowed me hard in the rib.

“Y/n,” she breathed, “Chris is staring in our direction.”

 You looked over and locked eyes with him. You froze. You always thought you knew what you would do if you came face to face with one of your idols. But you were wrong. You didn’t feel the way you had predicted at all. You thought your knees would buckle. You thought you would scream or perhaps cry. But you didn’t. You couldn’t describe the feeling that came over you under his gaze. You couldn’t describe it other than feeling totally confident and empowered for the first time in a long time. You realized you needed to react before he looked away so you winked and attempted to look sexy. Then he raised an eyebrow at you, kept your gaze and went back to get in line for the next song.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT! WHY DID I WINK? WHO DOES THAT OH MY GOD.

You were going though it inside and Robyn could tell.

“Um, what was that?? Girl, you just had an interaction with him!” Robyn whispered in your ear.

 You looked around and none of the concert-goers around you seemed to notice. No one was looking at you. You began to wonder if you imagined it. Your cheeks were burning a fiery red and your stomach felt like it was being assaulted with a swarm of butterflies.

How am I going to face him at hi-touch after that?? God y/n you were supposed to try to blend in.

You told your inner voice to fuck off, just like your therapist had taught you. But the rest of the concert, you couldn’t keep your eyes off Chris.

   You were standing in line for hi-touch and your knees were buckling. You felt like your entire body was on edge and your insides were being electrocuted.

“You’re going to pass out if you keep holding your breath, y/n.” Robyn quietly reminded you. You suddenly realized you had been holding your breath.

“How did I get here? Maybe we should just run.”  You said in a panicked voice.

Robyn looked you up and down like you had just spoken another language.

“Y/n, we’re not being marched to our deaths, we’re meeting this band that you have been obsessing over for months! Get it together! Breathe!” Robyn said while starting to shake you.

She’s right. What the hell is wrong with you. You paid so much money for these tickets and your bank account is still recovering. You’re doing this.

The line was starting to move faster than you would like. You got closer and closer to where you knew the boys were standing. You saw them in the distance and suddenly realized how tall they were in real life. You should’ve anticipated this since you already knew you were shorter than the shortest member.

They’re just people. They’re just boys. You talk to boys all the time.

You started to calm down. Until you locked eyes with Chris in the distance.

What was it about his gaze that made you take on a totally different attitude and mindset? Five seconds earlier you were contemplating running again. Now it felt like all of Earth’s gravity was holding you here in this one spot, like this was the only place you were ever supposed to be at this moment in time. You felt confident under his gaze, you felt bold.

You’re still not sure what possessed you, but you broke the gaze to start searching through your purse. You found a receipt and quickly ripped a small piece of the end. The line was moving and you were forced to walk while ransacking your purse. You finally found a pen. You tried to be as nonchalant as you could so you didn’t attract attention from other fans.

As sneakily as you could, you quickly scribbled: Kakao y/n0325.

Good god, why did I put their debut date in my name on there…I’m such a psycho. That’s so embarrassing.

But you didn’t have time to ponder on that because it was almost your turn. You didn’t have a plan. You didn’t know how you were going to get this to him without being noticed, but you did know that it felt right and you wanted to do it. Chris was the last member in the lineup.

 Woojin was first. You had already planned out what you were going to say to each of them. You got up to him and his chocolate brown hair was gleaming in the fluorescence. Your hands met and you felt your mind go blank, he was smiling at you as you grappled with your words in your head.

“YOUR VOICE IS LIKE HONEY,” you blurted out, half-yelling at the poor man.

He just laughed and said thank you as you moved on.

Minho was looking at you smiling with his hand up. You didn’t struggle as long with finding words this time.

“I’m so proud of you, I love you to death,” You said as you passed by.

He laughed and said thank you in the cutest accent you’ve ever heard.

Changbin was next. Your bias, which made your thoughts become even more erratic than they had been before. You just started smiling uncontrollably and said “Hiiiiii, I love you Changbinnie” and he looked back at you fondly and said he loved you too.

You were face to face with Hyunjin before you realized it and my, was he good looking, it was like an angel was literally standing in front of you.

“You’re even cuter in person,” you said as fast as you could while touching hands with him. He just laughed and nodded in response.

You couldn’t think of anything else, your mind was at overload when you met Felix, Jisung, Jeongin and Seungmin. So you just told them you loved them as fast and as many times as you could.

When you got to Chris, you finally looked up at him and felt a shiver rip through your core. Your heart felt like it had dropped into your stomach. You felt like you were in an elevator that was falling down with reckless abandon. You raised your right hand up to give him a high five. Your hand was empty. But at the last second you switched and raised your left hand up as quickly as you could and the piece of paper was between your hands. You moved your hand slightly so he could feel it and finally spoke.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, but this just isn’t long enough.” You said with all the confidence you could muster.

His eyes sparked as he realized what you were doing. He moved his hand and quickly closed it and put it in his pocket.

“Oh yes, I agree,” he said, very coolly with that unmistakable smile that he always shows the world. The smile that you had become so fond of over the last several months. The smile that gave fans hope all around the world and now, at this moment, he was smiling because of you.

  For the second time that night, Robyn looked at you in disbelief as you rounded the corner in the hall way exiting the venue.

“Y/n, you’re the smoothest human alive,” she said with a shocked expression on her face.

You suddenly busted into cackling laughter. It overwhelmed you and wracked your body. Bubbling up from your core. You couldn’t control it. You’re sure you were unnerving everyone near you with your maniacal laughter. Everyone knows, nothing comes good after maniacal laughter. You laughed until your abdominal muscles ached, and tears were spilling down your cheeks.

“That was the best time of my life,” you said in between bouts of laughter.

Robyn started laughing too and you two called a cab to head back to your hotel.

 You tried not to dwell on your interaction with Chris. He had been nice and a bit flirty, but he was like that with all Stays. You had watched countless youtube compilations of your idols flirting with fans. It was normal. It was nothing special. That’s what you told yourself when you arrived back in your hotel room and your heart was still fluttering in your chest, refusing to return to its normal pace.

Hey, I’m going at my own pace, Chris would at least be proud of that.

You suddenly started laughing again at your own thoughts and told Robyn you were getting in the shower. She was probably very thankful for this, after the events of the day and the copious amounts of sweat you had shed. You turned on your slow kpop playlist and once again let the steam fill up the room while the water beat down on you. You put your head up against the tile wall of the shower and let the water envelop you.

 I had an interaction with Chris. Fans have interactions with their idols all the time at concerts. He was very charismatic, you already knew that. Stop overthinking it and just be happy you made these memories with them, y/n.

Your heart rate began to slow and you focused on the water and the steady hum the shower made. Tomorrow you and Robyn were going into the city and it was going to be a good day. You were going to have a good day with your friend and recount concert memories. Life was good.

You stepped out of the shower and grabbed your phone to turn off the playlist. Butterfly by BTS was playing and you were about to sing along for a few words when you checked your notifications.

You had a few comments on your Instagram posts but your eyes glazed over when you saw what was next.

A notification from Kakao, a notification from none other than Christopher Bang himself.

Wheels Set In Motion, Ch 4.

Fandom: The Society.

Summary: As the situation in New Ham takes a dark, mysterious turn, Campbell is faced with a threat he never saw coming. With few allies and the past coming back to haunt him, he is forced to deal with a world that is crumbling fast, and choices with grim consequences.

Rating: Explicit.

Tags: Minor Character Death, Canon Divergence, Mental Health Issues, Addiction Recovery, Unhealthy Relationships, Teen Pregnancy, Past Rape/Non-con, Campbell Isn’t The Dad, Brother Feels, Attempted Murder, Supernatural Elements, Gay Sex, Resolved Sexual Tension, Campbell has mild ASPD and is actively trying to not be awful

Word Count: 7961

Ch 1 || Ch 2 || Ch 3 || Ch 5 || AO3

The edge of his mattress dipped. He didn't know when he drifted off, but Campbell stirred when a cool hand rested on his forehead. He shifted in his bed just a little, enough to feel the heaviness of someone sitting beside him. "Mmn?" "Campbell." That voice, soft and imploring, made Campbell jerk awake and sit up in bed. "Cassandra?"

No reply. Of course there was no reply-- he was alone. He was breathing hard. His clothes were soaked in a cold sweat, and there was the sour taste of bile in his mouth. A fever dream. Nothing more. But Campbell could still feel that soothing touch on his skin, and maybe Harry had come in to check on him. Campbell managed to get up, wandering into the hallway. He'd just stepped out of his room when he heard a loud thud from the bathroom, followed by coughing. "What are you doing in there?" Campbell knocked on the door. "Elle?" A faint reply. "Go away." What the fuck? Campbell blinked blearily at his phone as it buzzed in his hand, notifying him of a text from Will. People getting sick fast. If you're throwing up or having trouble standing, go to the hospital. Taking everyone there for safety. "I just got a text that people are sick. Are you?" "Go away!" Goddamn it. "Elle." He pressed his ear to the door and could hear her say something, but he was done being polite. "I can't hear you. I'm coming in, okay?" Opening the door, Campbell was greeted by the sight of Elle on the floor, eyes rolled up in her head as she shook and her back arched unnaturally. She was foaming at the mouth, and Campbell could hear her making choking sounds. "Oh, shit. Fuck." He knelt at her side, trying to remember what some kid in 11th grade had told him about his epilepsy. Campbell gently cupped her head to keep it from hitting the side of the tub. "Harry!" The scream that had come from him didn't sound like his own voice. He couldn't fall apart, he couldn't, not now when Elle needed help. Harry was at his side, it seemed, almost instantly. He rushed into the bathroom, cursing under his breath as he helped Campbell move Elle to her side so she wouldn't aspirate on her own vomit. Harry's hand rested on his and squeezed. Grounding. He said something, but Campbell didn't hear it; Elle had stopped seizing, and they didn't have time to chat. "Get her to the car," Harry ordered as he helped them down the stairs. "I'll drive." Campbell rushed outside as Harry got the keys. He was right on Campbell's heels, opening the door and helping Campbell get Elle onto the back seat. Campbell held Elle's head in his lap, keeping her on her side and making sure she didn't fall as Harry peeled out of the driveway towards the hospital. Even speeding, it didn't feel like they were moving fast enough. "Stay with me, babe. Come on. Hang in there, Elle. We'll get you help." He leaned closer when he heard a strange noise come from her throat. She felt cold, and he couldn't feel her chest moving. "Harry, I don't think she's breathing. She's not breathing." "Pulling up in a minute, hold on." Campbell buried his face into her hair. "I love you, Elle, don't leave me like this." The car screeched to a halt, and Harry jumped out and opened the door. He helped Campbell get Elle out of the car, and into Campbell's arms; Campbell took off towards the emergency room doors as fast as he could. There was no one there, but as he rounded a corner it became clear why. The sound of throwing up, the smell of sickness in the air, the way people were moaning and crying... and exactly three people running around. Kelly, Gordie, and Will, all trying to scramble for supplies and figure out what the fuck to do. "Help! Goddamn it, someone help!" Campbell yelled. Fuck everyone else. At least they were conscious. "She had a seizure or something." Kelly dropped the book she was holding and rushed over. "Is she breathing?" "I don't know!" "Pulse and breathing, but it's weak," she answered as she checked Elle's neck, and pressed her ear to Elle's nose and mouth. Kelly turned to Will, who had appeared next to them. "She had a seizure, maybe. Help me get her to a bed." They got her a bed in the corner, and everyone descended on her at once, shouting. Campbell paced back and forth, trying hard to not to shout at them to just do something. But then Kelly managed to place an IV and hook Elle up to a bag of fluids, and everyone let out a sigh of relief. Campbell sank into the chair next to Elle's bedside, head between his knees. He could breathe now. They would save her, they had to save her. It had to work. "Campbell?" Kelly's voice was surprisingly soft. "Are you okay?" He looked up at her. Okay? How could he be? But then his brain caught up to their situation, and he realized Kelly had no idea who was and wasn't sick. "I'm fine. Just dizzy." "Did you throw up?" "No, I just. Woozy." "That's still worrying. We'll get you something to drink. Okay?" But then Will came tearing over, and there was another flurry of activity. Allie's crashing, Campbell heard Kelly yell; they all rushed to the bed a few rows down. Campbell stood, tempted to go-- he was family, for fuck's sake-- but what if Elle woke up? He didn't want her to come back to an empty room. He sat back down, watching her face for some sign of consciousness. Nothing, but at least she was breathing, and as the minutes ticked by her color went from grey to a drained sort of pink. Harry walked in a while later. It had only been half an hour at most, but it had felt like days. "Sorry. I needed to give Sam and Grizz a ride here," he said as he moved to Campbell's side. "How is she?" "I don't know." Sitting in the chair next to Campbell's own, Harry put his arm around Campbell and pulled him close. Campbell sunk against him, closing his eyes despite himself. "People can see." But Harry didn't move, and Campbell didn't fight him. He sighed and let sleep claim him, even it was for just a short amount of time; Harry was warm and comfortable, and sleep meant he didn't have to endure the sensation of his stomach contents trying to escape up his esophagus. A murmuring voice woke him not long after, though. Helena had entered their section, a Pedialyte in hand. "Kelly thought you might need this," she said. Helena held out the drink. "How are you?" Campbell accepted it. "Tired, mostly." He opened his mouth, intending to ask what was going on out there, when loud coughing and sputtering came from the hospital bed. "Elle?" Helena was right at her side, talking quietly to her as she took Elle's pulse. Campbell couldn't hear what Elle was saying, but Helena's voice was clearer. "No. I mean, yes, but you're going to be okay." She made her voice gentler as Elle kept talking. "Elle, you're going to be okay. Kelly put in an IV. See?" And that was when Campbell felt his world crash down. Elle stared at her arm, and began to shriek. "What? No, no!" She clawed at her arm, at the line, at Helena. "No, no, I don't want it! No, no!" "Elle! Stop!" "No! No! Take it out!" Campbell tried to come over and help as Kelly and Gordie ran over, but the moment she saw him, Elle let out a piercing wail that sounded less like the woman he loved and more like some sort of unnatural thing clawing it's way out of her lungs. Harry grabbed Campbell by the arm when he froze, pulling him out of the room and guiding him towards a side hall. They stood there for a moment, not speaking. Harry had his hand over his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Campbell had the opposite problem. He had a million thoughts running through his head, and not a damn one would come out. From the main room, someone came their way. Grizz. He looked worried, but at least he looked fine otherwise. Campbell focused on him. "Are you okay?" he asked as Grizz drew closer. Focusing on other people was easier. "Is Sam sick?" "Hey, no, Sam's fine. We're both fine. Uh..." Grizz ran his hands through his hair. "Becca needed Sam, and I came with to be supportive. I'm, uh, I'm just gonna go get Gordie and Kelly some snacks. Keep their energy up." Campbell followed Grizz as he walked away, cutting him off before he got too far. "Wanna fill me in on what's going on?" "Man, I know you already know." "Pretend I don't. Talk to me." Grizz looked at the floor and shuffled his foot. "Fuck. Sam told me that he and Becca fooled around, and she got pregnant by accident. I guess he didn't know until prom. I'm glad he told me, and it's not like I can judge people's journeys or anything." "But?" "It's a lot. I need some time to think." "You gonna be okay?" "Yeah. I guess. I just need to get used to it. And now all this happening, and I have to leave soon... Fuck, I hate it. It's confusing. I just wanna focus on one thing at a time and make sure everyone else is okay before I freak out about my freshly minted love life." Campbell stepped aside. "Well, good luck. Looks like we all need some." "Tell me about it." Grizz paused a few paces away. "You know, I always wanted to be a dad someday. I don't know, maybe we could... I don't know." Campbell didn't answer. He didn't have anything worth sharing. Grizz wandered towards the cafeteria, and Campbell went back to Harry, who was standing at the end of the hallway and staring towards Elle's bed. They couldn't pretend forever that nothing had happened. Elle's reaction had been visceral and undeniable. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. Helena thought so, too, judging by the way she was storming towards them. "What did you do to her, Campbell?" she snarled, as quietly as she could. "That was not normal." "I don't fucking know, okay? I know what everyone thinks, but I didn't hurt Becca or Elle. Sure, sometimes I'd punch a wall or yell, and I know that's shit, but I never laid a hand on her. We were trying to work things out." "Is that what you think?" "That's what she told me!" Campbell snapped. "She said movie night that she wanted to try." "And Harry? What about you?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Elle and I were friends, at least that's what I thought. We spent time together. I mean, I've been living with her and Campbell for months. I never heard or saw anything that would make her react like that. Sure as hell didn't do anything myself." "Right." Helena looked between them. After a moment, she folded her arms across her chest and settled her gaze on Campbell. "I feel like I shouldn't believe you, but she's awake and said she wants to go home with you two once she can. And I can't stop her. But if I find out you--" Campbell held up his hands. "You've got guns, Helena. We know." Helena pursed her lips and left, hopefully to go pray over Allie or preach abstinence to helpless victims. Whatever. Campbell leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, drinking the salty-sweet concoction Pedialyte called 'fruit punch' while Harry approached Elle's room.  He didn't come back. Not for several hours. Campbell spent the time pacing, dozing on a cot her found in a random corner, and reading random pamphlets and medical books laying around the nearby rooms. The hospital had grown more quiet as the night progressed into early morning. The sound of retching and people running around gathering supplies faded to soft conversation, and occasionally snoring. Kelly was still awake, making rounds and checking up on everyone; she'd even stopped by to offer Campbell another Pedialyte, which was probably just her professional integrity at work, but he was grateful all the same. Harry came back around sunrise. "She's sleeping." He looked washed out under the fluorescent lights. Older. Drained. "Do you wanna come back? Kelly said that maybe said she was just hallucinating or something." Going back to that room felt like walking to a funeral, but until Elle said that she wanted things to be over, he wasn't going to just abandon her; Harry stayed with Campbell, both of them at Elle's bedside and waiting. She'd been sick. She'd had a seizure. He'd never had one himself, but from what little he knew about them, they could make someone disoriented. Maybe he could have been convinced that was all there was to it, had Elle not said something to Helena, and had Helena not been so furious. What had Elle even said? He didn't know, and probably never would. At least Elle was alive. She was starting to open her eyes, even though she only stared at the ceiling before closing them again. As the morning went on, she began to shift in her bed, before finally trying to sit up. Gordie, who had come to hook up another fluid bag, helped her up and made sure she was comfortable. Elle didn't speak. Not until Kelly came back to talk to her, and see how she was feeling. "I feel better," Elle said. She glanced at Campbell. "Really, I just want to go home." Kelly nodded. "Alright. Let's finish this IV bag, and see how you are. The others are looking good, too, so hopefully we can have everyone out of here soon." Soon, as it turned out, was three hours later. Will left to go make sure lunch-- breakfast, for some-- was ready, and Kelly came back to remove the IV from Elle's arm. Campbell looked away when he saw blood. Kelly muttered something to herself, but managed to get the site cleaned up and bandaged quick enough. "What now?" Harry asked. "Are we out of the woods?" "I hope so." "And you don't know what happened?" Kelly shook her head. "We're working with a very limited pharmacy, a tiny lab, and outdated medical books, Harry. We're just lucky no one died." She rested her hand on Elle's shoulder. "Not sure if there'll be any long-term side effects, but I think you can go home now, if you want to." "I wanna go," Elle mumbled. "Alright. Let's get you up, then." Harry held out his arm as Elle got out of bed, and together, they headed towards the exit. She was wobbly on her feet, and she couldn't walk too far without needing to pause and catch her breath, but she was walking. Campbell lingered behind, catching Gordie's attention. "Hey. I just wanted to say thank you for helping her." "It's our job to keep the town safe," Gordie answered. "Make sure she drinks water. Whatever this is, she'll heal faster if she stays hydrated. No more than a liter per hour." Without waiting for a reply, Gordie moved on to the next patient. Campbell shrugged it off, and joined Harry and Elle. Harry stopped to pass Elle off to Campbell; Elle accepted Campbell's support, but she kept as far away from him as possible. When Harry came back with the car, they both helped her in. Harry glanced at him, waiting for him to get in the back with Elle, but Campbell shook his head. Sighing, Harry tossed the keys to Campbell. Campbell slid into the driver seat and clenched his fingers around the wheel. He focused his eyes on the road, tried to remember to breath, and shoved every thought down as far as possible. They had to get home. They had to make sure Elle rested and recovered. Campbell got her up the stairs, and into her own room. Elle pulled away from him and stumbled towards the bed, yanking her clothes off and tossing them to the floor. "Do you want me to get you something?" "No." "Kelly getting in that IV was pretty badass," he tried as she climbed into bed. Maybe saying something nice about someone would help? Talking about it? Isn't that what people did following something traumatic? He had no idea. Elle didn't answer. She just crawled into bed. "Can I get you some water? I'm supposed to make sure you drink water." "No. Sleep." Campbell hesitated. She was only a few feet away, but it might as well have been miles. He shook his head and left, going back downstairs and sitting in the living room with the lights still off and the curtains still closed. Harry eventually came in with something for them to eat, but Campbell ignored the food. He didn't feel hungry. "C'mon," Harry said softly. "You gotta eat." "I don't gotta do anything." For a long time, Harry didn't say anything. Eventually, he set whatever it was aside, reached out, and laid down on the sofa next to Campbell. "I know it hurts." His head rested on Campbell's leg. "I didn't realize it before. How much I care about her, too." "She's gonna leave, you know." "Yeah. I know." Harry held still as Campbell stroked his hair. It was a small, minuscule comfort. When everything was going to hell, at least it still seemed like they were each other's emotional support humans, Campbell thought with a wry smile. Yet, it did hurt. Campbell had always thought that seeing it coming would make it easier, but it didn't. In the end, it was all the same. He'd failed. As a partner, as a person. He'd made too many mistakes and hadn't done enough to correct them. On one hand, he wanted to say fuck it. Hadn't he done his best? To hell with anyone if it wasn't good enough. On the other hand, he knew how everything looked, and that he had just enough blood on his hands to make it seem credible. That was his fault. They hadn't even been together that long of a time, but they'd been through so much together, and she was the first person Campbell had ever actually been with. He loved her, and it was such a shitty, terrible fucking way for it to end. The little flame of hope he'd carried with him had snuffed out in that hospital room. And regardless, once his brain and it's crossed-up wires decided that someone didn't want to be around him, that was it; it flipped a switch that was hard to flip back, even in the best of situations. All that was left was to just deal with it, but... Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Once she felt a little better, he determined. He'd help her find a new place to go, if that was what she really wanted. Hell, it was for the best even if it wasn't what she wanted. He'd let her see parts of him that weren't pretty, and it was too much. It wasn't Becca or Helena or Elle's fault. It was just an unfortunate truth. But then there was a knock on the door the next morning, and when Campbell opened the door, he was face to face with a reality he hadn't expected. Luke, looking grim, with Will behind him. "Can we come in?" Luke asked. "It's about yesterday." Campbell stepped aside to let them through. "Yeah, I guess. What's going on?" "Can you get Elle and Harry, too?" "Luke, Elle's sleeping. I can't--" Will cut in. "Please. It's important." Shit. Campbell rubbed his face. He was willing to piss off Luke, but Will was another story. "Alright. Fine." Luckily, Elle was awake enough, and Harry was already chatting Luke up by the time they got back downstairs. "So, you were just about to explain." "We just wanted to go to everyone who cooked at home and ask some questions," Will said. He seemed calm, but his eyes were worried. Something wasn't right. "To see if we can figure out what happened last night." "Alright, well, we don't have anything to hide." "You checked out food to cook at home. What did you bring to the church?" Elle leaned against the counter, her arms crossed tight in front of her. She looked small in her big maroon bathrobe. Frail. "It was just a pumpkin pie. Nothing special." "You make it yourself?" "I did." Luke turned his gaze to Campbell. "Your boyfriend didn't help you?" "No." "Did Harry?" "No! I said I made it myself." Campbell eyed Elle. She was still pale, and obviously uncomfortable. It was a useless waste of her energy, to drag her out of bed. "Why are you doing this? Why the interrogation?" "Because people got sick. Will and I are just trying to figure out how." "Okay, so they got food poisoning. Is that a crime?" Luke exchanged a glance with Will, who shrugged. "It's not just normal food poisoning." He looked back to Campbell. "Alright? We think somebody put poison in a dish." Poison. Harry, who had been silent the whole time, sat down hard on a kitchen stool. "Are you serious? Like, to try and kill people?" "What did you put in the pie, Elle?" Will asked. It clicked then, as sure as anything ever had before. Campbell turned to Elle, studying her every little expression. It made sense, terrible sense, all of it. Elle's evasion and then sudden interest in working things out. Suggesting they should stay home, just the two of them, and her freaking out when Campbell wanted to go to the church with the pie. Her trying to eat as much of it as possible, so no one else got to it. Fuck, her talking to Becca. To warn her, no doubt. To protect the baby. Why she acted so strange at the hospital, and was so defensive under questioning. It was Elle. Elle had poisoned the pie. Her eyes darted over to Campbell, then between Will and Luke. "Condensed milk, pumpkin, spices, eggs." There it was again, that quick look at Campbell. Afraid. She was afraid. "It was just a frozen crust." Luke nodded. "Can we take a look around?" "Uhhuh," Campbell volunteered, before Elle could respond. "Go ahead." He wanted to see her face. He wanted to watch her eyes, the way she looked and breathed and moved, as Luke searched the kitchen. Campbell knew he was right. He felt it. Now, he just needed to confirm it. And Elle, Elle was the worst at lying. She would give it away without evening meaning to. Luke began to dig through the cupboard under the island. Nothing, not yet. Harry spoke up, his voice sharp. "This is fascist bullshit. Elle got sick. You think she poisoned herself?" "We're just investigating," Will replied. "No one's blaming her. We're talking to everyone, and just seeing what we can find out." And then Luke opened the door to the cupboard under the sink, and Campbell saw it. There. A tension in Elle's jaw, a slight lift of her shoulders. Impossible. Impossible, except her saw it there written all over her face. Campbell smiled and turned back to Will and Luke. "I had a big slice of the pie myself, before we got to the dinner. It was great, and besides a little vertigo from a sinus infection, I'm fine." He reached out and picked up his allergy meds from the counter. "See?" Luke stood up and moved away from the cupboard, eyeing the meds. "Yeah, I see." "I think you guys should be talking to someone else." Elle let out a shuddering sigh, turning away from them and leaving the kitchen. "I'm going back to bed." Campbell didn't even really hear what was said between Harry, Luke, and Will after Elle left. He just looked out the window while his thoughts flew in every direction. Had it ben intentional? Of course it had. Had she intended to kill him, or just make him sick? But he'd seen how bad everyone had gotten ill with just a piece of the pie. If he'd eaten much more than that, he would have been more than just a little dizzy. Had he really been so bad? Campbell knew he'd been a dick, and he knew his outbursts-- even if they were only directed at a wall or coffee cup or pillow-- were scary. But had he really hurt her enough, that she'd decided to kill him for it? "Cam?" Harry's voice brought Campbell back to the present. He blinked, turning to look at Harry. They were alone. Harry's eyebrows were knit together, and he was searching Campbell's face. Worried. Campbell walked to him and nuzzled his shoulder, speaking in barely a whisper. "I need you to go in your room, lock the door, and call Allie if I don't come get you." Thankfully, Harry didn't question him. He just frowned and went to his room; a few moments after, Campbell could hear the lock click, and the sound of music. Good boy, Campbell thought grimly as he turned his gaze to the stairs. What was waiting up there for him? He had no clue, now. If Elle would use poison, would she wield a more direct weapon? Maybe not, but any animal would bite if put into a corner. Taking a breath, Campbell climbed up the stairs and stood in the door of Elle's room. She was sitting on the bed with her back to him; she jumped when he hit a creaky spot on the floor. "You scared me." "I always have, haven't I?" "What do you mean?" Elle stood, keeping the bed between them as much as she could. It was so obvious, now. "Why are you staring at me?" Campbell stopped when he was just outside of arm's reach. He tried to find some part of him that was tender towards her. She was frightened. Desperate. Knowing that still didn't soften the sharp edge to his words when he spoke. "Will you tell me what you used?" "Used for what?" "You know for what. In the pie." "I don't know what you mean." "Let's not play this game, Elle. You tried to kill me." Elle's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Campbell, please." Elle sobbed as he took a step towards her, an instinctive move to try and comfort her, but there would be no comfort. She was shrinking back against the wall and shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering. "No. No." "Come on, you..." Campbell resisted the urge to try and hold her, feeling sick at the terror in that single word. How had he created this? "Just admit it. I'm not going to do anything to you, babe. Just tell me what you did. That's all I'm asking." Swallowing hard, Elle met his gaze. She was crying, and her voice sounded so broken, but he managed to hear the single word she breathed out. "Antifreeze." It was as if the room itself had been holding it's breath, and with that confession, it exhaled. Campbell closed his eyes for a moment. Something like relief flooded him, but it was cold. It wasn't soothing, but a severance of emotional attachment from ration. When he opened his eyes, it was like he was looking at a stranger. "You want to leave me? You want to get away? I get it." "You don't get it at all." "Don't I? You're afraid of me. Everyone's always afraid of me." "You throw things and yell at people. You get into fights. I hear you killed Sam's bird, and Charlie vanishes. There's blood on your clothes. Then Becca tells me you raped her, and she's pregnant." "Elle, I didn't fucking hurt Charlie or Becca!" "How can I believe you? Of course I was afraid! I'm terrified! What was I supposed to do?" Campbell waved his arm towards the door, struggling to keep himself from shouting. "You should have left! The door's right fucking there!" "I didn't feel like I could! I thought if I tried, that you'd... you'd..." "I'd what, Elle? Beg you to stay? Chase you down? Force you to come back?" When she didn't answer, Campbell just chuckled a low, bitter laugh. "You know, I loved you because I thought maybe we were alike. No one else understood. Maybe that's the problem. We're too much alike." Something shifted in Elle's face. Her jaw clenched, and her gaze turned hard. "No. I'm nothing like you." "Oh, my little poisoner." Campbell managed a forced smile. He took in how she looked just then, and made sure to etch that hateful look into memory. It would be useful, when it was time to move on. "You have an hour to get out. See if I try to stop you." Elle didn't react. She just stared at him, then picked up her phone and texted someone. She didn't speak as she began to gather up her things from the room. Ten minutes later, the front door opened, and there were steps on the stairs. Helena stepped into the room next to Campbell; she glanced at him, but didn't say anything. She just moved past him and went to Elle, a couple of empty suitcases in hand. Campbell followed them until they were done packing, and out the door. Elle paused on the porch, looking back. Her eyes were red, but she was no longer crying. Good. Campbell slammed the door shut and locked it. He leaned his back against the door, sliding down it and sitting on the floor with a loud thump as his legs turned to jello. His heart was thrashing hard in his chest and suddenly everything felt lighter. Spinning. Gone. She was gone. That was it. Not with a bang, but a whimper. The door to Harry's room clicked open. Of course Harry didn't listen. No one ever movie-- Fellowship of the Ring-- and left the room, coming back ten minutes later with a large plate of pizza rolls. He flopped down next to Campbell, setting the food between them. The idea of eating made Campbell want to gag, so he watched the movie and ignored the smell of tomato sauce and cheese. For a time, anyways. Half an hour in, and Campbell found himself nibbling on a pizza roll. It didn't feel real. It was cold and tasteless to him, but Harry wasn't eating them either and Campbell didn't want them to go to waste. Of course, halfway through, Harry began to munch on them too. How many times had he done that same trick, when Harry wouldn't eat? When the first movie ended, Harry got up to put the second one on; at some point, Campbell found himself leaning against Harry again, closing his eyes and listening to the movie more than watching. When Campbell opened his eyes again, there was morning sunlight filtering through the window, and they were both twisted in that awkward fell-asleep-watching-tv position. He couldn't move. He was tucked under Harry's chin, with Harry's arm curled around his waist. If he tried to wiggle loose, Harry would wake up, and... ... And, what? What did it really matter? They hadn't done anything. Even if they had, Campbell didn't belong to anyone. Not anymore. The reminder was sharp in his chest. He had almost forgotten, for just a few moments. But then the events of the day before came rushing back in and suddenly Campbell needed to move. He needed to go take a shower, clean the house. Erase what he could. "Mmn?" Harry grunted as Campbell began to try and wiggle free. "Oh. Hold on." Campbell rolled out of bed once Harry lifted his arm, heading upstairs to the bathroom and running a shower. He scrubbed every inch of skin he could, and part of him wanted to laugh over the sad irony. Last time he felt his skin crawling like this, it was after he'd had Cassandra's blood on him, and Elle had been there to comfort him. Now, Elle was gone, and he wanted to wash away every atomic trace of her from his body. He threw on his favorite clothes-- jeans, t-shirt, flannel-- and combed his hair, shaved, and preened more than usual. Just because he felt like trash didn't mean he had to look like it. Once he was done, he trotted down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Campbell opened the cupboard under the sink. Sure enough, there was a large jug of antifreeze. He set it on the counter, inspecting it like maybe it would give him some sort of answers. "Cam? Are you okay?" Campbell didn't speak at first. Harry's voice was rough from sleep, but he said those words so softly that Campbell almost answered honestly. "You should go get breakfast, Harry. I'm gonna stay home and get some work here done." "No. You were here for me when I needed you. I'm not leaving you here when you need me." "I don't..." Campbell faltered, an objection sticking on his tongue. Need. He didn't need anyone. Still, the words wouldn't go, not when Harry came up behind him and rested his cheek on Campbell's shoulder. Prick. "I don't want you making a big deal of it. I don't even care." "You're a liar." "Fuck you." It came out sharper than intended, but Harry didn't even flinch. "Where do we go from here, then? What do we do?" Campbell snatched the antifreeze and turned, hurling it across the kitchen. It hit his mother's china cabinet, shattering the glass and several dishes. "She poisoned the pie." Campbell hadn't intended to tell Harry, but it slipped out when he saw the questioning look in his eyes. "Elle put the antifreeze in the pie. That's why she wanted to stay home. She was trying to poison me." "But that's..." Harry looked between him and the thick green syrup spilling out over the kitchen floor. He pressed a hand to his mouth. “Why? Why would she do that? She could have killed you.”

“Pretty sure that was the point.”

"Campbell, you have to tell Allie. That’s attempted murder." "Do you really want Elle put on trial? Do you want what happened to Dewey to happen to her?" The flash of hurt in Harry's eyes said no, he didn't. He moved to stroke Campbell's cheek, but stopped himself just short. "I'll stay home and help you clean up. Okay? Let me help." Campbell was still shaking from anger, but managed to mutter an agreement. Well, fine, if Harry wanted to go hungry in order to clean up a mess that wasn't even his, then that was his prerogative. They threw open the windows and got to work. Campbell cleaned up the chemical and the broken glass, chucking the fractured plates and cups into a box and throwing it all out the door. Harry helped him get the cabinet itself outside. Good riddance to the ugly piece of shit, anyways. Campbell mopped the floors, twice, to make sure it was safe. Harry, meanwhile, had washed all the blankets, sheets, pillows, everything. He'd also shut the door to Elle's room. Or, what had been Elle's room. It was noon when they were done. The house smelled of cold air and decaying leaves, with a wisp of cinnamon and clove from the hot apple cider Harry had brewed for them on the stove. They curled up on the sofa, both ignoring the texts they were getting on their phone. It was Gretchen asking where they were; they were late to work, and the text had turned vaguely threatening. "Fuck it," Harry grumped. He was carefully avoiding any mention of Elle, thank fuck. "They haven't changed the work lists in months. The church floors can handle not being swept for one day." Campbell sipped his drink and rolled the situation over in his head. "I don't get what Allie's doing. I would have thought she'd fix it by now." "Thought wrong, I guess." He'd been opening his mouth to answer, but then Campbell's phone dinged, and this time it was from Allie. "Speak of the devil. She's called a town meeting for after lunch." Harry sighed, but went and got dressed. Not that Campbell wanted to go, either. He already hated it, but now? He'd rather run over his own foot. It was interesting, though, that Allie was calling for a meeting when she'd been so sick herself. If it was something that couldn't wait, what could it possibly be about? Curiosity drew Campbell in, even if he wanted to ignore the text. As it turned out, it was worth the effort. "I wanted to give you all an update on the incident that happened on Thanksgiving," Allie said once everyone had settled down. She still looked pale, and a bit wobbly, but she sounded as cocksure as ever. "Based on the symptoms, we believe that a dish was intentionally poisoned." People began shouting questions. One of Lexie's crones spoke up through the frantic, shocked hubbub that rose from the crowd. "How do we know it was poison?" "We don't know for sure." Talking louder, it was easier then to hear in Allie's voice a distinct, painful rasp. She wasn't fully on the mend. Not yet. "We just, you know, we've ruled out any other possibilities and we're trying not to take any chances." "Yeah, no shit. But what the fuck are we gonna do about it now?" "From now on, no food cooked at home is allowed in any of the common areas. The safest place to eat is the cafeteria. We're just trying to keep people from getting hurt without changing the way we live too much." The loud roar faded into murmuring. It wasn't an unreasonable request, but it meant no food sharing even between friends, not out in public. Inconvenient, but not inconvenient enough that Campbell felt like turning Elle in. Elle hadn't turned herself in, either, obviously. They wouldn't have all been there, otherwise. Besides. Allie hadn't specified what poison. Did she not know? Or was she withholding that detail in case they discovered a suspect? "There's one more thing," Allie continued. "It's been five months since my sister died. I know I've added so many rules, and I know I'm adding more right now. I've asked you to do so much. I just think that the person asking you to do all these things, asking you to grow our own food soon, should be given authority by you." "What is she doing?" Harry whispered. Campbell narrowed his eyes. "Something really fucking foolish." "I think that we should elect a mayor and four council members, that way it's an odd number in case of any ties, and... I'm running for mayor. Anyone else who wants to run, just sign up. There'll be an election in three weeks." Everyone around them cheered, but Campbell just crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the pew. Was she serious? Her popularity was at an all-time low. People were angry and growing desperate. Of course, she made a good point. But now? Three weeks would put them out around Christmas time. Whoever got elected would have to try and get them all through winter. Not to mention, they would have to deal with whatever came of Grizz's expedition. What if they never came back? What if they did, and they found something? Harry shook his head as the meeting ended and they went home. "She better hope that no one else decides to run. The last thing we need is some political bullshit." "Of course someone else is going to run. People have been angry for a long time." "But who?" "Don't know. There's a few people I can think of who would do a good job, sure, but none of them seem the type to rock the boat." Will, Gordie, and Bean would all run for council before they'd run for mayor. Helena was too loyal to Allie. Blake and some of their friends from the LGBTQ community would do well, if they threw their hat into the ring, but would they upend leadership at a crucial point? If they thought Allie was leading them into disaster, yes. But she wasn't. Campbell didn't think Allie's rule was effective, but he could agree that she wasn't going to get them all killed over the winter. Or so he'd thought, before she'd announced the election. New, untested leaders? That could definitely get everyone killed, and Allie didn't seem to see that. "I've heard that Gwen's been irritated with Allie," Harry pondered. "But she's going to be on the expedition with Grizz." "What's Allie done to Gwen?" "I can't think of anything." Campbell went over the possibilities. "Maybe it has to do with Lexie. She's been gunning for Allie's head since Allie took over." "True. She really fucked things up with that improv skit at Thanksgiving." "But would she actually run?" "Who knows. Everyone's going fucking batshit." And that was true enough. This place was changing people. For the better, in Campbell's case, or at least he thought so. Worse, in other cases. "We'll just have to wait and see  what happens." Harry frowned. Yeah, that's what he was afraid of; Campbell understood the worry, but there was nothing that could be done until they had a better idea of what the town was up against. For all either of them knew, no one would challenge Allie at all, and hand-wringing would be a waste of energy. They were raking up the leaves in the yard before work when the sound of crunching leaves made Campbell stop. He turned, tilting his head as Grizz came jogging up. "Hey, Grizz. Shouldn't you be getting ready?" "Yeah, but uh..." Grizz's eyes flicked over to Harry for a split second. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a second?" Campbell looked to Harry, who nodded and went inside. He would be glad for an excuse to get out of the cold. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost." Grizz studied the ground. "I need you to promise me that you'll take care of Sam, while I'm gone. Especially if, I don't know, if something happens." "Yeah, of course." Campbell wasn't going to tell Grizz nothing would happen. They both knew there was a chance that Grizz wouldn't come back. "I'll check in on him." "No, that's not-- It's more than that. I need you to protect him." "What do you mean?" "It's this town. There's something... When we first got here, there was some Bible verse on the church wall. You've been weighed and found wanting. Remember?" "I remember you asking if I did it, yeah." Grizz began to pace a little. "There's other stuff. Kelly was talking about some guy that showed up. Some guy named Pfeiffer." He didn't notice the way Campbell tensed. Pfeiffer. Campbell knew that name from the papers that he'd told Sam to destroy. "Did you know that Pfeiffer, it means piper in German?" "All names mean something. What about it?" "Like, the pied piper. Do you know that story?" "Yeah. The guy that uses his music to get rid of some rats." "But that's not the end of the story." Grizz stopped and came closer to Campbell, but his gaze was focused over Campbell's shoulder, distant and distracted. "See, that town has him get rid of a rat infestation, promising to pay him. The guy steals away all of the town's kids because the parents didn't pay him for his services." Well, then. Campbell leaned against the side of the house, thinking over that information. It was too weird for it to be some coincidence. "That's creepy." He drummed his fingers along the handle of the rake. "You know, it's also weird how that dog showed up, too. No one's pets are here. Not even people's fish or small animals. Nothing, but there's some dog no one's ever seen before now." "Border collie. A herding dog." The faraway sound in Grizz's voice didn't help Campbell's unease. "So, what are we thinking? A parallel universe? We're brought here by some pied piper person, and his dog's been spying on us?" "It sounds ridiculous, when you put it that way." "Doesn't mean it's wrong. What does this have to do with Sam, though?" "Nothing, everything, I fucking don't know. There's something wrong with this place, Campbell. Something besides a parallel universe. Something besides snakes and weird eclipses and people being weird. And now I have to go out there, and I'm scared." Scared. Of what? Campbell reached out and put a hand on Grizz's shoulder. Grizz jumped, his gaze meeting Campbell's. "There's something you're not telling me." Campbell realized that Grizz hadn't just been staring over Campbell's shoulder. He'd been staring at the woods. "You've seen it, too, haven't you?" "I need to go." "Grizz!" But Grizz had already pulled away, heading back towards the road. He paused at the edge of the yard, looking at Campbell with a hollow, haunted expression. "Whatever you do, Campbell, be careful. Please. Keep Sam close." Campbell didn't go after Grizz as he left. Instead, he dropped the rake and headed inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. He stared into space, his mind going back to the dark shape he saw in the woods the night the dog vanished. His mind also drifted to the other things he couldn't explain. One instance in particular wouldn't get out of his head. Suspicious, Campbell popped his head into the kitchen, where Harry was munching on stale cereal. "Hey, Harry?" "Yeah?" "The night Elle... You know. Did you come upstairs and check on me?" Harry shook his head. "No. Why?" "Nothing. I must have been dreaming." Turning, Campbell sped upstairs without further explanation, looking around his room as if there would be some clue there. Of course there wasn't, but what was there was a book on occult shit that Cassandra had given him after she'd done a paper on alternative religions. He cracked open the book and began to scan the pages, hunting. Gordie had his explanation, and Campbell accepted it as much as anyone else did; it was science, even if it was a strange sort of science. It was scary enough as it was, without entertaining the supernatural. But, what if...? "Campbell?" Harry came up the stairs, stopping in the doorway. "What's going on?" "Grizz was worried." "Worried? About what?" Campbell sighed. "Promise not to laugh?" "Promise." It took a while to explain, but Campbell told Harry everything. The church wall, the papers Sam had found, the bus driver, the things that Campbell had seen and heard, the fact that Allie had said she'd seen things, too. And now, Grizz, who had been too afraid to even say what he'd seen. At the end of it, Harry came over and sat down on the bed next to Campbell, eyes wide. "Are you sure you haven't gone back on drugs?" Campbell shook his head, and Harry let out a shaking breath. "What the fuck are we dealing with, then? What the fuck does any of it mean?" "It means we've got bigger problems than the election."

High Bar

Dave and Sara were relaxing at the fire station during a slow day.  All of the sudden “Ambulance 16, 2765 west Broad st, Expo Center.  Report of a female gymnast with possible back injury.”  In a moments notice they were loaded up with lights blaring.  It only took them a few minutes before arriving at the expo center.  Dave grabbed the backboard and C-collar and Sara carried their bag of meds and monitor.  The young girl was surrounded by her coaches and a nurse in attendance. "What happened to her" Dave asked. "She fell off of the highbar during her routine and can't move her legs." Her coach informed them.  “Hi sweetie, i’m a paramedic can you tell me your name?” Sara asked.  “Katie”  she replied “Okay Katie, were going to stabilize your neck and take you to the hospital.  Just try to stay still and breathe okay?” Dave moved to her head and secured a neck brace, after positioning the back board they rolled her on her side and strapped her onto the board.  Once she was on the gurney they rolled her out of the expo center and loaded her into the ambulance.

Once in the ambulance Sara started an IV and gave her some pain medication.  “Am I ever going to walk again?” Katie asked holding back tears.  “You are going to be fine, we are going to get you all fixed up.”  Sara responded.  The ride went by quickly and before they knew it Dave was opening up the back doors and pulling the gurney out.  “They are going to be asking you a lot of questions so just stay calm and breathe.”  Sara said as Katie shook her head.  They wheeled her into the trauma unit and positioned themselves to move her onto the table.  “1,2,3″ Dave counted off as they carefully lifted her and placed her onto the table.  “This is Katie she’s a gymnast who came out of a jump wrong and can’t move her legs anymore.  We’ve given oxygen and some pain meds.”  Sara said as they wheeled the gurney out of the way.  “Hi Katie, I’m Dr. Michael can you tell me how old you are?”  Katie responded “22, I can’t feel my legs.”  She said as a tear rolled down her cheek.  “Don’t worry we’re going to help fix you up, okay?” Dr. Michael said.  They moved the large x-ray machine over the bed and put on protective vests as they took multiple pictures of Katie’s spine.  The images were exactly what Dr. Michael had feared with multiple fractures and compressed discs in her back.  Dr. Michael knew from prior patients that Katie’s chances of ever walking again were slim to none.  Dr. Michael waited until her parents arrived and informed them of the severity of her injury before confronting Katie.  When they all entered the trauma room and began talking to Katie it was as if her entire world had shattered.  Katie’s leotard was snipped off and she was covered in the blue hospital gown along with the neck brace.  All of the electrodes were connected and she had an IV in her left arm that was delivering fluids and occasional pain relief.  Dr. Michael contacted the OR and informed them of the patient but the orthopedic surgeon was not at work yet so they moved Emma to one of the other rooms while they waited. 

After a couple hours a nurse walked into Emma’s room while her parents were out making phone calls.  “How are you feeling Emma” the nurse asked.  “The pain keeps getting worse, is there anything you can do?”  Emma pleaded.  “While it's not time for your next dose but if it's really bad...”  Emma cut her off “Please it’s unbearable.”  The nurse hesitated and then took out a vile and a syringe.  The nurse had only recently graduated and miscalculated the conversion for Emma’s weight and the dosage amount.  Before she realized her mistake she injected it directly into the IV port.  After a few moments Emma relaxed “That’s a lot better” suddenly a look of fear came over Emma as her eyes shot back and she began to convulse on the bed.  The nurse panicked and pressed the Code Blue button above the bed.  “Code Blue Room 4 Code Blue Room 4″  Within seconds a group of nurses and Dr. Michael rushed into the room with the crash cart as Katie continued to convulse on the bed.  “What the hell happened?” Dr. Michael asked.  “I.. I.. Don't know... She must be allergic or something to the pain meds.”  The nurse said in a panic.  “How much did you give her?”  Dr. Michael asked.  “I.. don't know”.  She replied.  Katie began foaming at the mouth as her parents entered the room.  “Someone get them out of here and begin suction.” Dr. Michael demanded.  As Katie thrashed around the bed the team did everything they could to stabilize her.  They kept suctioning out the liquid and foam from her airway but she was still struggling to breathe.  After a couple minutes Katie stopped seizing and as her eyes stared toward the ceiling the room was filled with a high pitch screech from the monitors.  “Flatline someone start CPR.”  Dr. Michael commanded his team.  One of the nurses ripped off Katie’s gown and began compressions.  Katie’s nude body shook on the bed as they frantically attempted to restart her heart.  This case went from a tragic back injury to an overdose patient.  They started pushing drugs to try and counteract the effects while trying to restart her heart.  Dr. Michael took the scope and ET tube and quickly intubated Katie and secured the tube.  He took his stethoscope and made sure that they were able to give valuable breaths.  CPR continued for a two minutes until she converted into V-fib and the orange gels were applied to her bare chest.  Dr. Michael charged the paddles to 300 and placed the paddles on her chest.  As everyone backed away he delivered the first shock that made Katie’s arms fall off the side of the bed.  She remained in V-fib so CPR was continued as the paddles were charged to 360.  After she was down for a total of three minutes they gave the second shock which made her body shake as her head stayed in place due to the neck brace.  The shock sent Katie back into asystole as they continued CPR and gave more cardiac drugs.  The nurse at her head had to suction out more fluid as Katie became harder to ventilate.  The nurse at the head also observed that fluid began to leak out of Katie’s ears which was a clear sign that the spinal injury was escalated during her seizure.  After a total down time of six minutes Katie converted back into V-fib and the paddles were once again placed on the gel pads.  Everyone backed away and the ambu bag fell next to her face as she was shocked.  Katie’s legs shook and her chest raised slightly before crashing back down.  Katie remained in V-fib as the paddles were recharged and another nurse took over compressions again.  A few seconds later the paddles were placed back on her chest and the fourth shock was delivered.  The shock had the same effect as the last one did and CPR was continued.  Katie was nearing a down time of ten minutes after her seizure.  Dr. Michael took out a penlight and observed that her pupils were sluggish but still responsive for now.  The fifth shock was delivered as she jumped off the bed and came crashing back down.  The shock sent her back into asystole as a flat line traced across the monitor.  CPR was continued once again.  Katie shook on the bed from the violent compressions as the team grew desperate to save their patient.  Katie remained in asystole for a few minutes and as her down time reached fifteen minutes a stream of blood came out of her right nostril.  This was alarming to Dr. Michael as he knew that her back injury had become catastrophic.  Katie converted into V-fib once again and the paddles were placed back on her chest.  Katie jolted off the bed as and came crashing back down.  She did not convert so CPR was continued and the paddles were charged again.  Dr. Michael placed the paddles back onto her bare chest and delivered the shock.  Her body shook and went still on the bed as the flatlining tone filled the room once again.  CPR was continued as Dr. Michael checked Katie’s pupils again which now did not react at all to the light.  He took out his stethoscope as CPR was paused and everyone checked for a pulse.  After finding no signs of life Katie was pronounced dead at 19:27 with a total down time of twenty one minutes.  They disconnected the leads and removed the orange gels after disconnecting the ambu bag.  Dr. Michael closed Katie’s eyes as they draped a white sheet over her body and attached the toe tag.  Katie had suffered a catastrophic spinal injury and ended up dying due to the nurses negligence.  Her family and the community were heart broken as the nurse was placed on leave and awaited her trial.

Friends in Dark Places [ch 4]

pairing: eventual moxiety, eventual logince, background eventual remile, background eventual remy/emile/deceit

WARNINGS: food mentions, swearing, mentions of injury, anxiety, roman’s kind of a dick but he feels bad, a single flirtation, possibly something else

tag list: @hufflepuffgirl01 @cocobearthe4th @cas-is-a-hunter@band-be-boss-blog @theunoriginaldaisy

a/n: so i have to repost all of these in a different format! yay fucking me!!!! please consider reblogging these if you’re a fan of this series because it’s all fucked up now

first - previous - next - companions

consider buying me a coffee (please)

-

Roman didn’t know what he’d expected to see when he walked into Virgil’s hospital room, but it certainly wasn’t that. Patton was sitting in the bed with the pretty much stranger, eyes closed, arms wrapped around him, and chin resting on his head. Virgil was asleep, which, after the day’s events, wasn’t very surprising. He could hear Patton softly humming a son that he couldn’t exactly place.

“Hey, Pat! We brought you some spaghetti from the cafeteria and a gift for Virgil.” Roman made sure to keep his voice quiet, not wanting to disturb the sleeping teen just feet away. Patton opened his eyes and smiled an incredibly bright smile. He motioned towards the over-the-bed table tray thing (Roman couldn’t think of a single word to describe the atrocity on wheels). Roman gave Pat his dinner while Logan set to organizing the luggage they’d brought with them.

“Did we have any Comm Arts homework tonight?” Patton quietly asked between bites of pasta.

“No,” Logan told him. “But we do have to do a page in the Physics packet. It’s only five problems, but they’re pretty long, and that’s coming from me.” 

Patton groaned in response.

Roman added, “I also talked to your Child Guidance teacher, and she told me that your class was having a test tomorrow on Chapter Six. You should probably email her and ask if you’d be able to take it at home since I don’t assume you’ll be leaving Virgil alone.” He shot a knowing look to Pat as he said this. It wasn’t news that Patton was basically the dad friend; he was always caring about everyone else’s well being and stayed committed to them when they need support, even if that person was someone he’d just met. Especially if that person was someone he’d just met.

“Neither of us had time to ask your Psychology teacher about homework, but I’d just send him an email that explains your situation, and I’m sure he’ll give you a break. We know how worried you get, and we don’t want any excessive stress about school on top of that,” Logan added with a small smile.

“Thanks, guys! You’re the best friends I could ask for.” Patton had somehow finished his entire plate of food in the less than two minute conversation and had opened up his phone to email his teachers.

The instant the phone had been turned off, Logan spoke up once more. “Patton, I know you want to look after Virgil, but have you gotten any sleep in the past twenty four hours? You look like a figurative zombie.” Roman couldn’t help but agree. Intense bags had formed under his friend’s eyes, and he looked as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

“I’m okay, guys. I promi--” Patton’s words got cut off by an intense yawn.

“Point proven. We’ll look after him while you rest, okay? Roman, get out the blanket that we packed.” Logan’s words, although could be taken as harsh, were very gentle and kind. Patton wiggled out from under Virgil, being careful not to wake him up. Roman handed over the blanket and guided him to the padded bench in the corner of the room. Almost as soon as Patton had set his head on the blanket, he was out. The two remaining teens smiled at their loving friend.

“Who the fuck are you two?!” Virgil screeched. Upon waking up, he had found himself in his hospital room with Patton asleep in the corner and two random guys playing what looked like chess three feet away.

“Welcome back to the living, Creeping Beauty,” muttered the smaller guy in the red short sleeved button up with little white hearts, not looking up from the game.

“My name is Logan Christiansen, and this is my friend Roman Patrick. We’re friends with Patton, and we have been tasked with watching over you while he gets a little sleep.” The guy in the tie, Logan, adjusted his glasses and made a move on the board in front of him. “Check mate, Roman.”

Virgil sighed and looked around the room for something to do while Logan and Roman were playing chess. He spotted his suitcase and instantly got a little happier.

“Did you guys happen to bring my phone and headphones?” Honestly, he didn’t care if he sounded like a little kid in a candy store. He’d been craving the ability to listen to something loud so that he could wash out all of the bad thoughts in his mind.

“Yeah,” Roman answered. “It’s in your backpack. Give me a second to find it.” He got up and rummaged through the black backpack a few feet away until he found what he was looking for. He dropped it on the lap of Virgil and went right back to playing his game.

Navigating a phone with barely any of his fingers unbandaged was a task, to say the least, but Virgil eventually got open the music app and put it on shuffle. The first song to come up was “Novocaine” by Fall Out Boy. A smile spread on his face. He closed his eyes and let the music soothe him until he fell back to sleep.

Roman glanced at where Logan had fallen asleep in the middle of a physics problem and sighed. He’d accidentally left his phone in the car and was hopelessly bored. The teen dramatically propped his feet up onto the hospital bed and threw his head back.

“Hey, Drama Queen. Is there any way you could get me some food?” Roman’s head snapped to look at Virgil, who was looking at him with disinterest.

“First of all,” Roman started. “I am not a ‘Drama Queen.’ Second, I think that the cafeteria closed at eight, and it’s well past ten right now.” 

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Awesome. Truly, how could this day get any better? An astounding ending,” the boy muttered as he ran a bandaged hand through his hair. Admittedly, Roman felt bad for the kid. He’d had a really rough day, and not being able to eat was probably weighing on him. With a sudden change of heart, Roman stood up and grabbed his wallet.

“Would you rather stay here, or do you want me to grab you a wheelchair so I can push you around on a quest for food?” For a second, Roman almost swore that he had seen a hint of a smile flash across Virgil’s face.

“Wheelchair.” Virgil swung his legs until they hung off the side of his mattress and slowly sat up, taking hold of his IV stand in the process.

It only took Roman a minute to find a wheelchair that he could use. Virgil hopped off the bed, almost eating shit in the process, and plunked himself into the wheelchair. Their quest for some sustenance started with very few setbacks until they reached the elevators.

“Oh, shit! I forgot that I’d have to take the elevator. Fuck.” It took all of Roman’s self control not to laugh at that comment.

“Afraid of elevators, Dr. Disasterology?” Roman teased.

“Shut up, asshole.” Virgil sneered. “Look, there’s a lot that could go wrong in an elevator, not to mention that it’s fucking tiny.”

“Well, it’s too late to turn back now.” Roman pushed the wheelchair into the elevator and hit the button for the third floor. All color had drained out of Virgil’s face as soon as the elevator had started to move. It only took a second for Roman to realize that his actions had been a dick move.

“Virgil, are you going to be okay? We can abort the mission and just go back if you nee--”

“No. We’re going,” Virgil said through clenched teeth. The elevator dinged, announcing they’d reached the correct floor, and Roman pushed them out as soon as the doors were wide enough to allow for them to pass. He could visibly see Virgil calm down, which was both relieving and mildly terrifying at the same time.

“Let’s see if any of the vending machines are on. I think there are a few near the cafeteria, and they looked like they had some okay choices.” Roman murmured as he tried to gather his thoughts while they wandered around the hospital.

Virgil pointed to his left. “That looks kinda promising.” There was a lone vending machine tucked away in a corner. Its lights were on, but it didn’t look like it’d been touched in ages. Roman dramatically made racecar noises as he turned the wheelchair and pushed them towards the machine. He didn’t even need to be looking to know that Virgil had rolled his eyes.

Virgil scanned the contents of the machine once they’d arrived. It was full of options, and it looked like nothing had been bought.

“Alright, Prince Charming, can you buy me some of those veggie straw things and a cinnamon bun?” 

Roman obliged, especially since he only had to spend a total of two dollars on the meal.

“Thanks, dude,” Virgil said as he tore open the bag of veggie straws.

“No problem. At least you’re not a food vacuum like Patton. He ate his entire plate of pasta in less than two minutes.” Virgil couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Is that a challenge? Because I will totally fight him on that title of ‘food vacuum.’” He shoved a giant handful of chips into his mouth, immediately reaching for another. Roman had to pause navigating their way to the elevators to physically stop Virgil from stuffing his mouth.

There were exactly three other incidents were Virgil tried to shove copious amounts of food into his mouth, and the third happened to be at the same moment that they were arriving at the room. Roman opened the door to be greeted by a worried Patton, who was staring straight at Virgil as he ate a full handful of the chips. 

Patton’s face instantly grew cheery as he saw the pair. “I was so worried about you two! I’m glad you’re okay; although, Roman, it was irresponsible to not leave a note explaining where you went. I almost woke up Logan and made him come with me to search for you!” Patton’s words were flying out of his mouth at a speed that was barely comprehensible.

“Sorry, Pat. I should’ve left a note. Virgil was really hungry, so we went to get him some--VIRGIL I SWEAR TO GOD DO NOT SHOVE THAT WHOLE CINNAMON BUN INTO YOUR MOUTH--food. Glad to see you got some sleep, though.” Roman gave Patton a quick hug before helping Virgil back into the bed.

“You and Logan should probably head out. I don’t want you two to be tired for school tomorrow.” Pat once again took a seat at Virgil’s side. Roman nodded and began to lightly shake Logan’s shoulder.

“Hey, sleepyhead. It’s time to get up so you can drive us home.”

“...What?” Logan asked, voice laced with tiredness.

“It’s around ten thirty, Lo. We need to get home and sleep in an actual bed, not on a chair. C’mon, dear heart,” Roman coaxed. It took Logan all of thirty seconds to actually process the information, and in that time Roman decided he’d be driving them to Logan’s house and staying there for the night.

After the duo packed up their things and said goodbye, Virgil and Patton were left alone in the dreary hospital room, where the only sounds were Virgil softly chewing on his cinnamon roll and the EKG machine.

“Did you have a good nap?” Virgil asked after a few minutes.

“Yeah, I did. How was your food adventure with Roman?” Patton was really curious. Out of Logan and Roman, he’d expected Virgil to dislike Roman’s dramatic nature far more than Logan’s intense intelligence.

“It was… interesting. Roman is totally dramatic, so it was way funnier to mess around with him and see his reactions.” Virgil thought back to the numerous times he’d messed around just to fuck with Roman and laughed. Seriously, Virgil, he’d scolded. I don’t want you choking on food on our way back up. Patton would literally kill me.

“Well that’s good, kiddo! And how are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything?”

“I’m good, Patton. Really. I feel better than I have in a while, to be honest.” There was no lie in what Virgil said. He really did feel better than he had in a long time. All of the things that the trio of friends were doing for him made him feel really happy. Like, maybe he did actually matter.

“That’s wonderful!” The two sat in silence for a while before Virgil spoke up again.

“Thanks for everything you’re doing, Patton. I’ve been kind of an ass to you today.” Virgil focused on his hands. He was really embarrassed that he’d ended up in the hospital when everything could’ve been avoided if he’d just shut his fucking mouth and listened to Patton.

“Don’t worry about it. I told you earlier today that I’ve been in some rough times as well. It’s really, really hard on a person, and sometimes they do things they don’t really mean.” Patton reached up and ruffled Virgil’s hair, to which he protested. The duo broke out in laughter. Virgil really could get used to this whole having-friends thing.

“Do you want to listen to some music? I have some not-super-punk songs if you’d rather listen to something lighter.” Admittedly, “some not-super-punk songs” meant things like “20 Dollar Nosebleed” and “This is Gospel,” but technically they weren’t as punk rock the rest of his collection.

“We can listen to whatever you want, Virge. Don’t let me stop you from listening to the music you enjoy.” 

Virgil shrugged and unplugged his headphones, turning up the volume at the same time. He hit shuffle on his playlist and let the sounds of “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” fill the room.

The two teenagers sat there for a long while before both of them eventually fell asleep.

next

advice for incoming freshmen

hey guys! here’s a list of some tips i made for incoming freshmen. i thought i’d share some advice/knowledge i’ve accumulated over the years too. everything’s under the cut. if you have any questions/concerns, feel free to message me! ☀️ (tw: long post)

1. one of the biggest fears many people have entering high school is not making friends. however, there are MANY opportunities where you can make friends! besides being friendly with who you sit with in class, try joining a sport, club, extra curricular, etc. i’m not saying making friends is the easiest thing in the world- i still struggle with it today. but don’t put yourself down if you’re not immediately friends with everyone in the school in the first week- it’ll take some time to develop. remember that everyone else is just as scared as you are, and they aren’t gonna come out of their shells until you do as well.

2. depending on your school, they may start throwing college shit at u on day one (although unlikely). no matter what, don’t stress right now!! the college process really doesn’t begin until the weeks leading up to the summer of junior year. you have time!! it’s ok to not know what you want to do. college has an “undecided” major for a reason.

3. V O L U N T E E R. i cannot stress this enough. it has soso many benefits and freshman year will most likely be the most time-free year you have. find a position at your local zoo, library, camp, hospital, etc. it’s a great resume booster and can aid you in the college application process (additionally, if you have an honors society that requires volunteer hours, you’ll need them anyways). also, you get to help people !

4. freshman year is going to teach you what real high school work is. you may struggle, and it’s ok! i was one of the “bright” kids that had their grades drop once i entered high school, and yeah, it did a lot to my self esteem. but throughout the years i picked myself up- i embraced help from my peers/teachers, i figured out what method of studying works best (pro tip: studying for math? look over the basic rules and do thousands of practice problems. science that isn’t math based? quizlet and khan academy. history? quizlet.), i learned that it’s OK to get a grade under a 90/A-. it’s going to seem tough at first, but just remember that you’re adjusting to a completely new environment and work ethic. you will get through it!! please shoot me an ask if you ever need help i’ll always answer. (edit: also do ur homework!!! it could be the difference between a B+ and an A-.)

5. imagine the crustiest person in your grade right now. now imagine them trying to hit on a kid that’s four years younger than you. gross, right? that’s exactly what a senior hitting on a freshman is like!! do not do that shit!!! there is NO reason why a senior should be trying to hook up with you when they’re 17-18 and you’re 14-15. that shit is NASTY. do NOT date seniors (even juniors are sketchy).

6. high school is where you will probably encounter alcohol/drugs/sex/etc at some point. do not be pressured!! if you don’t wanna smoke or drink then don’t do it (if you’re with the type of people who pressure, you better run). ive personally never had an experience where i was pressured, and people were usually respectful, but i can’t speak the same for everyone else. wanna get fucked up and party with your friends? be careful! i’m not promoting underage drinking but lets be honest a lot of kids do it. no sense in trying to pretend like that isn’t the real world. if you’re invited to some party by someone you KNOW has a bad rep, then don’t go!! you’ll have more opportunities.

7. if you’re worried about SATs/college admissions exams, you have a year. kids in my school are kinda crazy and were studying freshman year which made NO sense to me. end of sophomore year/beginning of junior year is usually adequate (plus- the main rule with SATs/ACTs is that you should take the test NO MORE than three times- that’s three chances!! i personally did well on my SAT, so if u have any questions feel free to ask me.

8. back to the point of pressure - if you’re going to a gifted and talented program/school, you will most likely feel academic pressure. with so many bright and smart peers, your standards will end up being much higher than the general population. i’m speaking from experience.

9. student government is usually a popularity contest. if you don’t win, don’t beat yourself up. if you do, congrats!

10. take pictures! save holiday cards! make memories!! i sincerely regret not taking photos (with me in them!!) during my freshman and sophomore years. there are a lot of great memories that i didn’t record because i was too embarrassed to get in front of a camera. i’ve learned that i’d rather cringe at a photo i look bad in in the privacy of my own phone, rather than not have a picture at all.

11. start developing good studying habits right away. what motivated me was getting cute/colorful pens, highlighters, erasers, post-its, etc., and making my notes look really pretty. i have my own personal post-it collection now. if you find ways to make studying even remotely fun/interesting, it will be extremely beneficial in the long run. i remember the summer before my junior year, i was excited to go back literally because i wanted to use my new pens.

12. this is a future piece of advice, but i would say there’s a 99% chance that you will be friends with mostly different people by senior year. you might have a core few, or a bestie, but myself and many others know that there are people who we were best friends with freshman year that don’t say hi to us in the halls senior year.

13. listen, there are gonna be some snake ass bitches. there’s no avoiding it. just don’t pay attention to them!! they get off on thinking they’re better than you. the best way to no longer deal with someone you don’t like is to just not associate with them. i’m obviously over simplifying these situations, but its usually not that deep. if it’s to the point where it’s causing you a great amount of stress, then it may be something you need to talk to a guidance counselor about.

14. please. do. not. run. and scream. in. the. halls. who do u think u are?? it’s 8 AM i don’t want to hear your screeching voice as you run into 7 people!!!!!

15. the freshmen are usually the joke of the school. you’ll hear you guys referred to as gremlins in some way, shape, or form. just deal with it, you’ll understand when you’re no longer freshmen (unless someone’s being unnecessarily mean!!).

16. make friends with your teachers!!!!!!!!! stay after class to have a little conversation with them. email them after school. bring them gifts on major holidays. IT WILL PAY OFF. letters of recommendation? done! need a teacher to sign off on something? done! minorly messed up in class? they’ll let it go bc they like you! this will also probably result in an increase in your character/participation grades.

17. make a travel pack that you keep in your bag - a few small bills,  pads/tampons (for those who need), pen, pencil, bobby pins, nail file, hair elastic, gum/mints, small perfume, band-aids, charger, etc.

18. thrift books sells books for really cheap!! also, ALWAYS check other places before ordering from normal bookstores (i’m looking at u barnes & noble)- they’re most likely cheaper.

19. i’m not gonna be one of those people who is like “school is the best!! it can be great for anyone if you just try!!” bc that shit aint true. it might suck ass for some of you. just know that high school isn’t your life. some people act like your life ends after high school. we’re 14-18 years old and still have so much to learn and see. if you set up a countdown to the end of high school your first day of freshman year, so be it.

20. your teachers are people too. they’re not there for you to use and abuse. they have families, problems, LIVES. they also have 3289472 students besides yourself, and assuming they should put you above the rest will only end up in disappointment.

21. social media is not all that matters. esp in this day and age, people will definitely be using snapchat and instagram (and hey! tumblr too). but don’t think you need social media to fit in. one of the most popular girls in my school literally made her instagram just the other day. to reiterate: it’s not that deep!!

22. you’re gonna change a lot (which is ok!!). freshman year i only wore hot topic and watched supernatural & doctor who. now, i just watch cooking vids and fawn over shawn mendes. it’s ok to change!! even just though freshman year you’ll change. i know i got like. super gay

23. if you find yourself having free time (or having study hall), do your homework!!! once you get home you’ll probably get distracted/lazy. what i used to do was go to my local library after school and get all my homework done so that i wouldn’t leave my school mindset and not wanna do anything. even if you don’t get everything done, you’ll thank yourself later.

24. there’s a difference between “forming your own opinion” on someone and completely ignoring their reputation/what your friends say. i can’t tell you how many people have gotten burned by the SAME guy in my school because none of them even kept in mind the warnings they had heard about him. it’s ok to give people a chance, but remember that most people’s reputations hold some truth (but not everyone!).

25. this seems pretty obvious but like. be nice. don’t talk mad shit about people you don’t know. rumors fly FAST in high school. what’s even worse is when they’re not true. fact check your shit if you ARE gonna gossip.

26. ok last point (for now). everything is gonna be new. there’s no getting around it. you WILL feel out of place. you’ll most likely be anxious. but everything will end up ok (cheesy, i know). the first week of high school is one the scariest weeks you’ll have in high school. things need time to settle. you’ll make friends, you’ll find things you like, you’ll be happy!! enter high school with a growth mindset. it may not seem like it, but your attitude WILL impact how things turn out.

overall, you guys will be fine. good luck to all of you !! if you have any questions or need advice on a specific thing, please feel free to send me an ask!! i’m always here. love u bbies

On-Air | Vernon/Hansol (III)

genre: fluff, comedy, slight angst, college au | vernon x radio personality!reader summary: under the pseudonym Honey, you are the host of the most popular radio show in the city called Honey Time Radio where you give advice about relationships, school, and life in general. when it comes to your own love-life, however, you don’t have the best luck, and you don’t even follow your own advice! so what happens when you get a call from a listener who’s asking you advice on how to get to your heart? word count: 2702 a/n: i get so carried away with the dialogue LOL. hope you all are enjoying it so far! warnings include swearing & that it’s a dialogue-heavy fic. as seen on my ao3

part ii, iv

“SOOO ~” Wonwoo sang loudly as he plopped down next to you in the lecture hall. “How was your study date yesterday ~?”

You were slumped in your seat at your 10:00 AM, hoodie covering your entire face as you tried to nap for five minutes in between lectures. But no, of course Wonwoo had to ruin your peace and quiet.

“It wasn’t a date,” you groaned. “And oh, my God, you were right, he’s fucking hopeless.”

“Jeez, how long did you guys stay up?”

“You know that 24-hour cafe at the corner by the frozen yogurt place? We were there ’til like, 3:00 AM.”

“What, why!?”

“His second midterm is next week and he knows literally nothing from this unit, so we had to start from the beginning. But he’s really bad at staying focused, so we only covered one chapter!” You threw your head back and pulled on your hoodie strings to hide your face. “I’m so tired.”

“You never stay up that late with me to study,” Wonwoo pouted.

“Shut up, your GPA is a 3.89…”

“It’s not a 4.0, though,” he noted. “Did he ask you to study with him again tonight?”

“Not that I can remember. Last night was a blur and it’s still too early for me to think properly.”

“Did you guys kiss?”

“No!” you exclaimed, giving Wonwoo an incredulous look. “Jeez, isn’t it a bit early for him to be kissing me?”

“Hansol’s a wildcard, so I have no idea what he could be up to.”

“You and me both,” you groaned.

The lecture went on as usual, with you trying to follow the powerpoint slides on one half of your laptop screen while at the same time writing your script for tonights show on the other half. After seeing how stressed Hansol was about his exam last night, tonight you wanted to highlight how to tackle self-care during midterms week. Wonwoo spent his time scrolling through his phone. You hated that he didn’t need to put in much effort to get such good grades.

A message popped up on your screen and the ringtone echoed throughout the room. The professor stopped momentarily and looked in your direction, with the rest of your classmates following suit.

“Please silence your devices.”

“Sorry…” you said. Wonwoo leaned over and peaked at your laptop screen.

’Good morning!’ Hansol messaged you. ’Did you sleep well?’

“Tch,” Wonwoo scoffed next to you. “Are you going to tell him you regret staying up with him so late?”

“No. At least not like that, that’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

“I mean, it’s the truth.”

“… Why do girls like you?”

“C’mon, _____,” he rolled his eyes. “Look at me.”

“Ugh.”

’Good morning,’ you typed back. ’I did, surprisingly.’

’What are you up to right now?’

’In my second lecture today. How about you?’

’So you had a 9AM!? Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have asked you to stay out with me so late,’ he said, sending several sad emojis.

’Don’t worry about it! I’d much rather stay up with you and help you study than sleep.’ You rubbed the bridge of your nose as you reread your message. You sounded like such a dork.

’Wow, what an honor ~’ he teased. ’That’s sweet of you. But really, thanks so much again. I feel terrible, you must be exhausted. Can I buy you lunch today?’

“Say yes!” Wonwoo whispered. “Say yes, say yes!”

“No way, I-I can’t do it.”

“What, why!?”

“He’s moving way too fast and getting too comfortable too quicky. I’m gonna fuck it up soon, I can feel it.”

“You can’t always assume that, that’s what makes you so bad at relationships!”

“I know, but I just… I just need more time. I need to move at a slower pace so I can think things through.”

Wonwoo sighed, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Whatever you say. What are you gonna tell him?”

’That’s nice of you, but I can’t today. Wonwoo and I have to plan for tonight’s show.’ At least you weren’t completely lying - you would always spend your lunch time with Wonwoo planning out the show.

’Oh, with Honey?’

You raised a brow at his message. Why would he ask about Honey? ’No, she usually doesn’t come to our meetings. It’s just us two.’

’Oh,’ was all he sent in on message bubble.

“What are you doing!?” Wonwoo hissed. “Are you trying to make him jealous!?”

“What? No, why?”

“Well, it kinda looks like you are, and I think it worked.”

“Does it really!? Shit…”

’Maybe next time, then. Have fun,’ he sent you.

“Shit!”

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were going to fuck it up soon, huh?”

“Well, yeah, do you even know me!?” you sighed. “What do I do!?”

“Ask to reschedule. But you have to be the one to set the date. Say you want to eat lunch tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!? That’s still pretty soon -”

“For fuck’s sake, _____, just do it.”

“Ok ok, jeez,” you muttered. “You should be Honey for one day.”

“Fuck no, I’ll only be Honey for you,” he winked.

’Would you like to get lunch tomorrow instead?’ you asked.

And almost immediately, he replied, ’I’d love to.’

“Happy now?”

“I think you just made his day,” Wonwoo teased.

“And we’re back!” you said into your mic. “You’re here listening to Honey Time Radio. As always, thanks Dj Wonwoo for, uh, you know, mixing them beats.”

“Please never say that again,” he dead panned.

“You told me to say that!” you scolded. “Anyways, on the line right now is a caller named Seungcheol who has fulfilled his major requirements the past three years and now is stuck between completing his major and being miserable or starting all over and being happy. Caller number seven, what do you think?”

“I think he should just graduate with the same major,” they said. “He’s spent so much time and not to mention money here, why would he want that to go to waste!?”

“That’s very true, tuition ain’t cheap here,” you sighed, flashes of your student loans appearing in your mind. “Caller number fourteen, how about you?”

“No way, he shouldn’t spend the rest of his life doing what he hates! I think he should start over, no matter how much time or money it takes. A few more years in college will be worth being happy for the rest of his life.”

“Quite optimistic of you! Caller number twenty?”

“Don’t do it, bro, you’ll spend the rest of your life in debt! Trust me…”

“Ah, the hard truth. At least someone said it. Thanks for your input, everyone. Seungcheol, I think you should do what you really want to do if you think you can handle the backlash from it,” you said. “For example, make sure your parents know, or plan out how you’re going to pay for the extra years, you know, all that loan shit.”

“Telling my parents is the scariest part,” he told you. “Any tips on that?”

“Prepare for the worst is all I can tell you. Prepare to get yelled at and for them to not understand. Also choose your words wisely, ‘cuz you know how parents can be when you try to explain something for the tenth time, and they’re like, ’don’t give me that attitude, young man!!!!’”

“I definitely will. Thank you, Honey, you really know how to ease the mind.”

“Aw, I try,” you said, smiling smugly. “Thanks for calling, Seungcheol. I know something like this can be really stressful during midterms week, which leads us to our next topic. Honey Time Radio would like to wish everyone a healthy week of studying, since midterms are next week. Study with a couple friends if you can, because studying alone can be demotivating and lonely. Use apps that block all of your social media for a couple of hours as you study. And rremind yourself that it’s ok to take as many breaks as you need. But most importantly, remember that no amount of studying could make up for skipping meals and skipping sleep. I’m totally guilty of breaking that rule every semester, but I’ve gotten better! Your guys’ health is more important than one midterm grade, so please, everyone take care of yourselves.

“We’ll be taking our last call for this evening. Hello, caller number twenty-two, what can I do for you ~?” you sang.

“Hey, Honey. It’s, uh, me again. Vernon.”

You nearly choke on your water as you hear Hansol’s voice. You gave Wonwoo a brief glance of panic and he just shrugged. What could he possibly be calling back about!?

“Oh! H-Hey, Vernon!” you said shakily. “Nice to hear from you again! What’s up…?”

“I called again because I need someone to tell me that I’m overthinking things.”

“What are you overthinking?”

“So I did what you said yesterday and asked her to study and hangout and she said yes.”

“Hey ~ congrats!” you commented awkwardly. “How did it go?”

“I think it went amazing! I’ve never had so much fun studying before,” he chuckled. You couldn’t hold back your growing smile - Hansol seemed so sweet. “We stayed up until 3:00 AM and just talked during our study breaks. I feel so… myself around her.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“I asked to grab lunch today because I felt bad she had to stay up so late and wake up for an early lecture. But then she said no, because…” he paused.

Your eyes shifted over to Wonwoo, who was innocently listening to Hansol rant. He shot you a guilty smile knowing that the reason Hansol was calling you was because of your friendship with him.

“She said no because she already had plans with this other guy.”

You tried your best to hold back a loud groan as Wonwoo snorted. You couldn’t believe that Hansol was jealous because of Wonwoo.

“What’s her relationship with this guy?”

“I don’t know! She said they were just, um, working on a project together, but they’re literally together all the time.”

“What!?” you screeched accidentally. That was such a lie, you weren’t always with Wonwoo! Just… very frequently… “I-I mean, I can kind of see why you’re upset…”

“So am I just overthinking things or should I be more straightforward with her and beat the other guy to the punch?”

“No! Definitely don’t do that!”

“Really? Why not?”

“U-Uh, she might be overwhelmed with your bluntness or she’s not ready to jump into something so quickly. You guys have only hung out once.”

“So I’m just crazy, huh?” Hansol asked lightly.

“A little bit. Did she at least reschedule lunch?”

“Yeah, for tomorrow.”

“Oh, Vernon ~ you have nothing to worry about yet,” you reassured. “I promise you.”

“Really?”

“Really. Her rescheduling means that she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to get lunch with you. She obviously enjoyed being with you last night,” you blushed. “However, if she keeps rescheduling, that’s when you should worry.”

“I was just starting to feel sane again until that last part.”

“Sorry, friend! Just making sure you’re prepared for the worst.”

“What about the other guy? Should I be worried about him?”

You see Wonwoo gag from the corner of your eye. “Maybe find out for yourself what their relationship is like first before you jump to any conclusions.”

“Jumping to conclusions is what I do best.”

“You and me both…” you muttered. “I wish you the best of luck, Vernon. Call back again if you need more help.”

“You’re the best, as usual.”

“Thanks, I know ~” you said, hanging up on Hansol. “And that about wraps up our show for tonight, everyone! Thanks again for listening and remember to stay safe out there. Honey Time Radio wishes you all a good night. This is Honey signing off.”

“’She obviously enjoyed being with you last night ~’” Wonwoo mocked, making kissing noises. “So gross.”

“Shut up, so what if I did?”

“What do you even think about him? Do you like him?”

“I think he’s very sweet,” you smiled. “And funny, and charming, and wow, he’s really cute…”

“Then what’s holding you back!? And don’t tell me any of that ’I’m gonna fuck it up’ nonsense or ’he’s only using me for Honey’ bullshit because there’s no way he is if he’s calling about you!”

“I mean, you heard him yesterday! He’s been around, you know? I don’t want to be another one of his collection of flings or part of his hook-up bingo.”

“He wears condoms! At least I hope, I mean, I’ve seen his room and the costco-sized box he keeps.” Your face twisted in disgust as you could imagine why he needed such a box of that, uh, magnitude. “You need to cut him some slack.”

“I’m damaged, ok,” you pouted.

“I know, and that’s why I’m trying to help you. I really don’t know how you’re going to deal with giving Hansol advice on how to win your heart. Isn’t that, like, conflict of interest, or something?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Thanks, I definitely need it.”

“Are you going home now?”

“Um,” you paused. You had something else in mind you wanted to do. “No. I think I’m going to ask Hansol what he’s up to.”

“Miss me already?” Hansol teased as you took a sit in front of him in the library.

“Of course. Not like I saw you yesterday, or anything.”

“How was the show? I was only able to listen to the first half,” he lied.

“It was good - someone from yesterday called back again today, which was weird.” You saw him shift uncomfrotably in his chair. “But his situation was really cute. I hope he calls back again.”

“O-Oh yeah, why’s that?”

“I don’t know, I really want to listen to how it turns out. I hope it works out for them in the end.”

“Yeah… Me too.” Hansol gave you a shy smile, one that was completely different than his usual smirk. You could feel the blush creeping up on your face. “Can I walk you home?”

“Y-Yeah,” you stuttered. “That’d be great.”

The first few minutes in your way home were spent in awkward silence. It seemed like he was hesitating to ask you something - probably involving Wonwoo. It was cute how jealous he was of him that you almost wanted tease him about it.

“So,” he started. “How was planning with Wonwoo?”

Bingo. “Good, although I did most of the planning, as usual. Wonwoo just kind of sat there and took care of all the music stuff.”

“Do you two hang out a lot?”

“Other than the weekends, I can’t remember a day where I haven’t seen him,” you said, smiling to yourself. Wonwoo was truly a great friend, and you’d have to thank him more for it.

“Oh,” Hansol said awkwardly.

“Yeah. He’s a great friend,” you emphasized.

“Have you guys ever tried dating before? You seem like a good match for each other…”

“Ugh, Wonwoo’s an insufferable, lazy slob. He’s like the annoying twin brother I’ve always wanted.”

“Really? That’s it?” he asked, eyes wide with hope.

“Are you jealous of him?” you teased, pulling on his hoodie strings again.

“Honestly? A little bit,” he said, looking down in embarrassment. “I was upset that you declined my offer for lunch today.”

“At least I rescheduled!”

“Yeah, so that made up for it.” Hansol wrapped his hand around the one that held onto his hoodie strings again, just like last night. But this time, you didn’t pull away. Slowly, he laced his fingers between yours and led you home, melting away any insecurities you had about him at that moment.

“You’re still paying though, right?” you asked.

“Of course.”

Title: In this together

Pairing:  Daniel Howell & AmazingPhil (Phan 

Word count: 2.2K

Warning/Genre: Phan, Hurt/comfort, TW blood, angst, injury, interactive introverts, broken bones

Summary: Dan Falls on stage during a show how will Phil handle it

TW:Blood

Read on Ao3

Read on Wattpad

The crowd was wild with everyone laughing and screaming, Dan had spouted off some joke and they were obviously loving it. Phil smiled getting ready to make a snarky comment back but before the words left his mouth Dan tripped on the hexagon in the middle of the stage. It all happened in slow motion, Dan was smiling and laughing and next thing Phil knew Dan was on the ground. The crowd was screaming and crying with laughter at Dan's mishap but Phil could tell that something wasn't right. Instead of Dan jumping back up and laughing at himself he stayed on the ground holding his leg. Phil ran over to Dan 

"OMG Dan are you alright?" Dan ripped the microphone off his face as Phil knelt down beside him, "It hurts Phil." He whined with tears in his eyes. By this time the crowd was screaming and confused about what was going on, if you listened close enough you could hear the random fan screaming, "Whats wrong with Dan? Is he alright?"

But Phil wasn't paying attention his attention as all on Dan. He didn't know exactly what the damage was but he could tell it was bad, Dan wasn't the type of person to overexaggerate an injury. He may be a drama queen when it comes to other things, but his health was not one of them. By this time several members of the crew were running out on stage to make sure everything was alright. Phil removed his own microphone from his face and leaned down to whisper in Dan's ear. "Can you get up? How bad is it?"

He put his hand on Dan's leg and quickly pulled it back up when he felt warm and sticky substance. He looked at his hand horrified, Dan was bleeding and based off the amount of blood it was pretty bad. Dan took a sharp breath and winced. Phil leaned over to the crew member informing them that they need to take an early intermission. The member nodded his had and proceeded to say something into his headpiece. The next thing Phil know they were lowing the curtain, luckily they were performing at a theater and they had the option of a curtain for privacy. Knowing the audience was no longer watching Phil took ahold of Dan's hand swiping his finger across it. He pulled Dan so he was leaning against him and started whispering assurances in his ear. 

Phil was still unable to see the damage done due to Dan's pants, but what he did know was there was a lot of blood. They had a medic for minor emergencies and she came running out onto the stage and bent down next to Dan. "How are you doing Honey?" She asked giving Dan a concerned smile. "It hurts really bad." He whispered as he leaned back into Phil. "Ok, hun I'm going to have to cut your pants to see the damage." "Ok." He breathed out into Phil's Shoulder. She pulled a pair of scissors out of her medical kit and began cutting up Dan's pants. 

"FU-UCK." He screamed when she got to the injured part of his leg Phil wasn't squeamish but what he saw he knew wasn't normal he hadn't noticed before because he was focused on Dan but his leg was twisted up all wrong. Dan was full on sobbing now it was hard to hear him over the crowd still screaming in the background but Phil could tell he was in Pain. 

After looking it over she looked over at Phil "We need to call an ambulance  and go to the hospital." "NO I'M FI-INE." Dan screeched trying to stand up. "Dan stop it! You're not Fine!" Phil scolded him, pushing him back down. "How fast can they get here?" "Usually the response time is 10 minutes." "Ok let's get them called." Phil told her.

She turned around to talk to the crew members Phil assumed to sort everything out and Phil turned his attention back to Dan. Dan had returned to his position of leaning on Phil Face shoved in his shoulder, he had stopped crying but he was clingy on to Phil like his life depended on it. "Shh, it's alight. Everything will be fine." Phil Pressed a kiss into Dan's head.

...

It took another ten minutes for the Paramedics to arrive and by that time the crew had ushered everyone out of the theater and it was so quiet it was almost eerie. Phil had spent the whole time holding and whispering reassurances to Dan. "Hi, my name is Nathan What seems to be the problem?" A nice looking mans in a paramedics outfit said as he walked up to them. "He fell of the mini stage here," Phil said motioning to the stage they were sitting on. "I'm Phil and this here is Dan." "Alright, Dan let me have a look here." The man Nathan got to work looking over his leg. "He is defiantly going to need to go the hospital." Dan pushed into Phil almost as if trying to shrink himself. "How bad is it?" Phil asked "Sir there is no way of telling here, we will have to take him to the hospital to have it X-rayed before we can make an assumption."

"I don't want to go the hospital, Phil," Dan said shoving his face further into Phil's chest. "Bear we need to get you checked out and make sure you not alright." Dan Whinned, "Do I have to? Seriously I feel fine." "Yes, Dan, if you won't do it for you, Do it for me. Yeah?" "Yeah ok, Phil." Phil smiled and Kissed his hand. The paramedic pulling items out of his bag, "I have to attach an IV to your arm alright?" 

Dan nodded his head and closed his eyes not wanted to see the needle going into his arm. Glancing over Phil spotted Martyn and Cornelia, "I'll be right back bear." 

He walked over and Martin pulled him into a hug, "Is Dan going to be Ok?" "They're not sure how bad it is but they are going to take him to the hospital to check him out." 

He didn't stay to talk to Martyn and Cornilla long just long enough to tell them that they would have to take care of the fans and the crew.

He hurriedly walked back over to Dan they were in the process of loading him onto the stretcher. "How are you doing love?" He asked him. "Better," Dan said his speech slurred. "We gave him some pain medicine, he shouldn't be feeling my of anything," Nathon said chuckling.

...

Phil rode to the hospital with Dan, luckily they were able to use the back door of the theater and avoid running into any fans. Both Phil and Dan's Phones were blowing up, but Phil ignored them he would deal with their friends later. Once at the hospital they rolled Dan in throw the emergency entrance and Phil went in through another as he had to fill out paperwork for him. Having known Dan for almost 10 years he probably knew Dan better then he knew himself. Phil was freaking out he had no idea if Dan was alright and he had no idea what was going on. He wanted to cry so bad but he pushed the feeling down he had to be strong for Dan. 

He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting but it felt like forever when a doctor walked out, "Anyone here for Daniel Howell?" 

Phil sprang up and ran over, "I'm his boyfriend, Is he alright?" "Well it is a pretty bad break, he is going to need surgery and will have to wear a boot on his leg for a few weeks, but he should be alright." 

Phil let out his breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding it. "When can I see him?" "Well, he will be going back into surgery in a few minutes typical if everything goes to plan he should be out in an hour. He will be heavily sedated but you will be able to see him when he comes out."

Phil thanked the doctor and sat back down, Dan was going to be ok. He needed surgery but he was going to be ok. He pulled his phone out of his pocket seeing he had almost fifty missed phone calls and messages from Friends trying to figure out what was going out. He shot a quick text to Louise telling her Dan would be fine and asked her to let their friends know the same thing. In less than a minute his phone dinged with a text back

Louise- Thank god he is going to be fine! I will let everyone who needs to know know. Tell Dan I hopes he feels better. Darcy and Pearl Send their love. Smiling Phil sent her a text thanking her and put his phone back in his pocket, He couldn't deal with the fans and twitter at the moment.

...

It had been an hour and the doctor still hadn't come out and Phil was really starting to worry, he walked up to the information desk "Excuse me is there any News on Dan Howell?"

"Sorry, we can only give that type of information to family members." The bored look receptionist spat at him, "His my boyfriend I should be on his emergency contact." Phil said starting to get angry. She huffed and looked at her computer, "There is no information so leave me alone." She scoffed at him. In any other situation, Phil might have argued with her but all he was concerned about was Dan and how the surgery was lasting longer then the doctor said. Sitting back down he pulled his Phone out of his pocket and absentmindedly started playing some game. 

It was another hour before the doctor came out and walked up to Phil. Jumping in surprise the first words out of his mouth were, "How is he? Can I see him?" "There were some complications but the surgery went well you can go see him but he is on painkillers and might not be awake yet.”

"I don't care I have to see him." Chuckling "I figured as much follow me." Phil followed the doctor down the hall until they got to the room 402. "His in there." The doctor motioned into the room. Swallowing he thanked the doctor and walked into the room. Dan lay there and if Phil didn't know any better we would think he was peacefully sleeping. He looked paler than normal and his leg was wrapped up in a cast but other than that he looked fine. He took the chair next to the bed and gently took Dan's hand in his own. "Dan?" Phil didn't know what he was expecting to happen but Dan just laid there.

...

Dan didn't know what was going on, but the first thing he noticed was there was the pain. Pain that radiated from his left leg, his head was swimming. He was laying in bed but it was an unfamiliar place it didn't smell like home. He did feel that someone was holding his hand. His eyelids were heavy and he had to force them to open and the first thing he noticed was he most definitely was not in his and Phil's bedroom. Groaning he pulled his eyes to the person holding his hand. Phil his Phil had his head on the bed and appeared to be sleeping.  Dan smiled "Philly?" It came out as a croak. 

Phil sat up fast "Dan You're awake!" He said grinning at him. "What happened?" Dan asked him. Phil's smile faded slightly "Don't you remember? You fell during the show." It all came rushing back to him the fall the pain everything. Groaning, "What about the fans what did you tell them?" 

Phil smiled typical Dan to worry about other people rather than himself. "I haven't told them anything yet I was waiting for you to wake up." Groaning, "Well we better tell them something." 

Phil pulled his phone out and composed the tweet, @Amazingphil @Danisnotonfire is even clumsier them me, feel on stage and broke his leg. He is fine but you guys will have him in a boot to look forward to. He showed the tweet to Dan and after he gave is ok he tweeted it.

  "I'm going to go get the doctor." He said as he stood up but Dan pulled his hand back "Wait Philly cuddle with me for a little bit first." He said as he moved over to make room for Phil. He was about to protest but Dan was looking at him with those dark chocolate brown eyes of his. Sighing he crawled into the bed next to him, he wrapped his arm around his waist and Dan nestled his head on his chest. Phil gave him a small kiss on the head. It didn't take long and Dan was fast asleep again, Phil chuckled and pulled him closer. He knew everything was going to be ok because they were in this together.

Happy Birth - Day

“Mark”.

It’s the dead of night. You look at your husband, dead asleep, and feel jealous. It’s been months since you’ve had a solid night’s sleep.

“Mark.”

This time he stirs; he turns over on his belly and sighs. A small wave of panic washes over you. How can he sleep in a wet bed?

“MARK!”

You scream so loud that he jumps. He sits up, eyes half open.

“Wha….what?” He asks through a yawn.

Instinctually he puts his hand down on the bed where you normally lay. As soon as he feels the dampness he looks around, confused.

“Babe,” he mumbles drowsily, “did you wet the bed?”

You glare. If looks could kill Mark would be six feet under.

“No, you jackass, my water broke.”

He takes a few minutes to process the words. You blame this on the fact that he’s still not coherent. It doesn’t make you feel any less annoyed.

“I…am…in…labor,” you say it nice and slow for him.

That he understands. That word triggers in him the paternal panic instinct. He looks down and then looks at you with wide eyes. You stand there with your hospital bag in hand, swollen belly ready to pop, and the crankiest, scariest face you’ve ever made. Mark goes from 0 to 100 instantly.

“OH MY GOD! IT’S TIME?!” he exclaims.

“Yes, you dope.”

Looking more like an Olympian than father-to-be, Mark catapults out of bed. He darts across the room for his jeans; falls over when he tries to pull up both legs at once. Instead of taking the shirt that’s beside them he pulls on one of yours. Pink, floral, and entirely too small. You don’t tell him. He shoves his feet into his sneakers, grabs his wallet, and his phone. There’s never even a glance in the mirror. His hair is sticking up in all directions.

“Okay, “ he rambles to himself, “we need to call your parents, my parents, the gang-“

“How about we go to the hosp-OWWWWW”

Your first contraction comes. No amount of reading or instruction in Lamaze prepares you for it. It’s pain: Sharp, searing pain as if a knife is slicing you open. You drop the bad hold onto the dress for dear life.

Your husband comes to your rescue. He’s immediately there, behind you, rubbing your back and encouraging you.

“In through your nose…and out slowly baby…deep breaths baby. That’s perfect.”

For the first time in this pregnancy, you’re scared. Scared of the pain. Scared of the process to come. You know you will have to put this aside to push eventually, but for now it feels as if it will consume you. You look back at Mark, terrified.

This is the best thing about him. As he notices your fear rising, he begins to calm down. For your sake. He takes your hand and lets you squeeze it hard; grits his teeth so you won’t know how much it hurts when your nails dig into his skin. The words of encouragement continue until the pain peaks and slowly ebbs away. When you can stand up straight again Mark starts the timer on his phone. You’ll need to share the timespan between contractions as soon as you’re admitted.

“Hospital. Now.” Is all you can manage.

Walking through the lobby is a dangerous experience. Mark is so worried about guiding you along that he nearly kills himself tripping over a chair. He limps along with you to the car and treats you as if you’re made of porcelain when he helps you with your seatbelt. The bad is thrown unceremoniously in the backseat and he scrambles in the driver’s side.

Lucky for you, the hospital is only a few miles away. Your odds of dying from Mark’s erratic driving are less because of this. However, when your next contraction starts he nearly veers off the road. You begin to silently pray.

The car comes to a screeching halt in front of the hospital’s automatic doors. Mark runs inside; returning alongside a nurse with a wheelchair. You’re perfectly capable of walking, but humor your overprotective spouse. He helps you into it and insists on pushing you. You warn him to slow down.

Once the paperwork is complete, you change into a thin gown and are instructed to lay in the narrow, rubbery hospital bed. The nurse starts an IV, asks questions about an epidural, and monitors the fetal heartrate. You remind her of the special arrangement you discuss with the doctor and she smile. Mark looks at you confused but says nothing (he knows better right now). She leaves briefly and returns with the doctor. OH goody. Now comes the “Fun”. As soon as your current contraction subsides he checks your cervix. Four centimeters. Active labor.  Also, time for you to decide on an epidural. You shake your head. Mark looks at you like you’re insane.

“Baby…are you sure?” he asks softly, “it’s gonna be inten-“

“I’m sure.” Is all you say.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Four hours later you’re no longer sure. In fact, you regret the decision. The doctors keep telling you you’re progressing fast; the delivery will be soon. Each time the pain eats away at you a little more. Soon. Soon. Soon. Numberless timelines frustrate you to no end.

There’s a waiting room full of people thanks to Mark. Both sets of parents come in to visit you. Your friends decide to wait until the baby comes.

“We don’t want to witness the murder of Mark…when he, you know, says something stupid,” Sereena says from the doorway.

Mark is nervous; you know it. But he refuses to tell you. He holds your hand and pushes your hair out of your face. He reminds you to breathe through your contractions. You’re cranky, hurting, and starting to lash out at him.

“Out slowly…slowly Dani”

“HOW ABOUT I SLOWLY PUT MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS?!”

You feel like you’re dying and the pressure… Lord the pressure is unbelievable. The contractions are coming so close you barely have time to recover. As the next one begins you scream, succumb to the exhaustion and pain, and begin to cry. Mark’s hand is at your mercy. You’re pretty sure you’ll break at least one finger by the end of this.

It’s late afternoon when it’s finally time. The doctor comes in and check you. And when he says the words you know.

“Mrs. Collins you are fully dilated and completely effaced,” he declares, “ready to have this baby.”

Yes and no cross your mind at the same time. You nod. The nurse helps the doctor suit up and when his mask and protective glasses are on he turns to Mark.

“Alright, Dad,” he says, “your turn to get ready”.

The nurse carries the same smock and cap the doctor wears. You see Mark stare quizzically.

“ Get ready for what…wait is all that stuff going to splatter everywhere when the baby comes out?!” he exclaims in alarm and disgust.

“MARK!”

“Sorry!” he immediately says, “I just didn’t know it would be SO messy-“

Killing your husband for this stupidity would probably be pardoned since you are in labor. Yet, you know what you are about to tell him will impact him in a way that will change him forever.

“Mark,” you say through gritted teeth, “I want you to help deliver.”

It’s an instant reaction. His knees buckle and the nurse throws a hand out to steady him. He blinks, his lip trembles, and he whispers to you.

“You’re sure?”

Yes. You’ve been sure since day one. You had this discussion with the doctor months ago.  Daddy should be the first one to hold his baby; not a doctor. Even if it’s brief. The nurse busies herself with pulling on the smock and covering his hair. Mark just stares at you through it all. Wonder. Amazement. Adoration. He gazes at you like you’re a beautiful goddess instead of an exhausted woman giving birth.

“I love you,” is all he can manage.

“Okay Mark,” the doctor begins, “you’re gonna help hold Dani’s leg  until the baby’s halfway out. Then you will stand in my spot and guide the baby the rest of the way out of the canal. I will be right here to help…”

Many dumbstruck nods later they pull you down on the bed. A nurse and Mark stand on either side of you. They pull your legs back; Mark rests your foot on his shoulder to give you leverage. In any normal circumstance laying there in that position, with your lady parts out for the world to see, would be humiliating. Today? You just want to push. You want this to be over.

It’s time.

The doctors told you it would feel like a bowel movement. Bullshit. At least, not like any normal dump. Today you feel like you’re crapping out a watermelon. The pain is indescribable, but you know to make it stop you have to keep going. One push, break, two push, break…and then… you don’t want breaks anymore. You scream so hard your whole body shakes. Then the doctor calls over you.

“STOP! Dad, it’s showtime!”

And that means the end is near. Mark and the doctor exchange positions. Another nurse steps in to hold your leg. He looks up at you with eyes as big as saucers.

“You are incredrible.”

Those are his last words before the doctor shows him how to grab the baby. When he’s ready the nurse tells you to go. One more push. You feel what can only be explained as a pop, a whooshing sensation of liquid, and you hear crying. Your head slumps back on the bed and you cry. Tears of joy? Exhaustion? Relief? Probably all of the above. When you open your eyes Mark is cradling a small pink bundle in his arms. You see a smattering of copper hair and two perfect little feet. And then he tells you. Voice trembling, tears streaming out from under the protective eyewear.

“It’s a girl.”

Mark’s world has changed. He holds her through the cord cutting; he holds her until the nurse has to pry her out of his arms to weigh her. Once she’s gone he rips off his gear and rushes to your side. Below the doctor sets to work on you but you hardly feel a thing. You stare at your husband and he stares back.  Crying. He takes your hand and kisses you everywhere. Your sweaty forehead. Lips. Cheeks. Even eyelids.

“Dani…I love you so much…I …we…”

Fresh tears flow down his face and you reach over to wipe them away.

“Alright Momma…you ready to see this beauty?”

Nine months ago, when you first took the pregnancy test, you were ready to see the baby. Now, the wait is over. The nurse brings her over and unwraps her. You pull your gown down and lay your daughter against your skin.

You always thought your life was full with Mark. It was…

But this is what it was like to feel complete. She lays over your heart, a little fussy. As soon as she hears your heartbeat it subsides.  You look down at her and she looks up at you. Daddy’s hair, Daddy’s face. Daddy’s eyes. You feel like you will explode with happiness.

“She’s perfect, “you choke out through the tears.

“She’s ours,” Mark stifles a sob, “Thank you.”

You look up at him with confusion.

“Thank you for loving me, for being my wife. For making me a Dad.”

He laughs and wipes his eyes with tears. Then he chuckles again.

“I’m a Daddy,” he says a little louder. The medical staff in the room just smile.

In that moment you fall in love with Mark. A different kind of  love. The purest love two humans can share. The love of being parents. Together.

*~*~*~*~*

Sophie Eleanor Collins.

Your families are the first visitors to see her. Both of your moms cry and patiently take turns holding Sophie. Your dad claps Mark on the back while his Dad shakes his hand. They don’t stay long, but you know they’ll be back tomorrow. And you know they’ll be there when you take Sophie home. You also know they’ll probably hold her more than you in the upcoming weeks – and you won’t have much choice in the matter.

Your friends are troopers. They come in with gifts and balloons. For the first time in his life Cole is rendered incapable of perversity. He hugs Mark tight and simply says “She’s incredible, man.” Brooke cries, Sereena manages a natural smile when she holds Sophie. Ben, watches over Sereena’s shoulder happily. Then he leans over and kisses your cheek.

Eventually the nurses chase your friends out so you can rest. The room goes quiet. Mark comes to sit by your side. He nuzzles his face against yours.

“How are you Momma?” he asks.

“Beyond exhausted.”

SO much so that your eyes close at the mention of it. You take a deep breath; feel Mark adjust the pillows behind your head. There’s a rustle beside you, a pair of lips on your forehead, and one final declaration before you fall asleep.

“You and Sophie are the best things that have ever happened to me.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sometime either very late at night our early in the morning you wake to sound. Talking. Very soft, gentle talking. It’s Mark. It’s coming from the rocking chair in the corner. You open one eye, spy Mark sitting there rocking Sophie back in forth. You strain and are finally successful at hearing what he’s saying.

“You know Sophie,” He murmurs, “I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I love your Momma…you changed that today…you are the most incredible thing Mom and I have ever done.”

Sophie fusses in his arms. He moves his arms and starts to hum until she settles back into slumber.

“There you go, angel…this is how it will always be…every nightmare, scraped knee…and someday broken heart…Daddy will be here. I will always protect you.”

This is it. This is your wonderful world. Not perfect, but whole. Full of more love than most people will ever get to experience. You smile and let yourself sleep.

 Today you learn Heaven does exist on Earth.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5494238/1/Neal-Caffrey-s-Type-of-Miracle

(1x3)

I LOVED THAT FANFICTION! 

***

Neal Caffrey's Type of Miracle

By RascalFlattsS

Neal watched as Maria pulled out the gun from her purse. He smiled and reached for the clip in his pocket.

"I took this out of your pocket when I was searching you," said Neal, smiling at his own genius.

Maria laughed. "You forgot the clip in the gun."

Neal's face fell. Oh crap. Neal knew that Peter was at least five minutes behind him; she could easily kill him, take the book and be done before Peter ever got here.

Time to stall…

"So is this what happened with Paul?" asked Neal, taking a step back.

"He thought he could keep the money and the book!" said Maria, tightening her grip on the gun, pointing it directly at his heart.

"That's what happens when you get greedy," said Neal. He brought the book up and held it in front of his chest as a shield, hoping against hope that she wouldn't shot the book.

"Give me the book, Neal," said Maria.

"What's worse?" asked Neal. "The financial loss or the historical loss?"

"You know which," Maria said softly.

"You shot me, you shot the book," said Neal. "Sure you want to risk that?"

Maria laughed. "There's a way to fix that." She lowered her aim and fired the gun. It went off with a loud bang.

Neal's left leg collapsed underneath him. He fell to the ground, gasping in pain. His leg felt as if it was on fire. He looked down at his leg. He almost passed out from the sight.

He had been hit in the upper thigh. His leg was covered in blood. It had been only a few seconds since Maria had shot him but yet he had already lost too much blood. Damn bullet must have hit a stupid artery.

Neal watched as Maria started walking towards him. He knew from the look in her eyes he only had one option: give her the book. He suddenly realized that he still had the book in a death grip in his hands. He knew logically he should let go of the book and apply pressure to his leg and slow the bleeding. But yet, for some reason, he could not bring himself to toss the book aside. He knew Peter trusted him with getting that book back. Peter had trusted him when no one else would. He couldn't let Peter down.

He rather die than betray Peter's trust.

Maria was standing over him now, the gun pointed at his head. "Give me the book, Neal."

Neal didn't trust himself to speak, so he just shook his head no. He rolled onto his side, shielding the book from Maria's view. The move caused the pain in his leg to flare through him. Neal fought to hang onto consciousness.

Maria bent down, pressing the barrel of the gun against his temple. "GIVE ME THE DAMN BOOK!" she screamed at him.

Neal shook his head again. "Go to hell," he whispered softly, his voice laced with pain.

Maria's face was filled with fury. She cocked the gun. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Neal."

So this is how it ends thought Neal, his vision blacking. Funny, I always figured Peter would be the one to shoot me….

Maria was just about to pull the trigger, when the pier was suddenly filled with NYPD police cars and the FBI undercover truck. NYPD and FBI Agents surrounded her, all having their guns pointed at her.

"DROP THE GUN!" FBI Agent Peter Burke shouted, his gun firmly trained on her. He held his gun steady but he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the scene in front of him. Maria was standing over Neal, having the gun tightly held against his temple. Neal was lying on the ground, clutching the book tightly to his chest. There was a large pool of blood underneath him, so Peter knew that the bitch had already shot him once. And from the look of it, it was bad.

"DROP THE GUN!" shouted Peter again. "Drop the gun and step away from Neal!"

"Why?" asked Maria. "So you can kill me?" She smiled at Peter. "I could kill him right now, you know. She pushed the gun harder against Neal's temple. Neal groaned softly.

"You'll be dead before you can even take a shot," growled Peter. Maria paused and looked fearful. She sighed, knowing she was out numbered. She dropped the gun on the gun and raised her hands up in the air.

"Jones, get her out of here!" said Peter running. "And someone call a bus! We've got a man down!"

Peter dropped by Neal's side. He saw that Maria had shot Neal in the leg. There was a massive amount of blood on the ground, meaning that she had hit an artery. Crap.

Peter rolled Neal over so he was lying on his back. Peter pulled off his jacket and pressed it against the wound. Neal cried out, his eyes popping open. He tried to sit up and push Peter off.

"Stop it Neal!" said Peter as he pushed Neal back down. "I have to stop the bleeding."

"Peter?" asked Neal, looking at him.

"That's right, Neal," said Peter. "It's me. You're going to be fine."

Neal reached over to the side and picked up the book. He held it out for Peter. "I didn't let her take the book," he said softly.

"You did a good job, Neal," said Peter. He pressed down harder on the wound.

Neal gritted his teeth. "It hurts, Peter."

"I know," said Peter. "I know." He had been shot at once before. Fortunately for him, the bullet proof vest had stopped the bullet. He couldn't image the pain Neal was in now.

Neal rested his head back on the ground. "I'm tired, Peter," said Neal.

"NO!" said Peter. "You can't fall asleep, Neal. You have to stay awake!"

"I can't…" whispered Neal, his voice fading out.

Peter looked up from the wound. Neal's face was pale. His face was set in a grimaced against the pain. Peter could see that Neal was fading. Fast.

"Where the hell is that damn bus?!" shouted Peter, looking up at his team.

"It's on its way," said Lauren. "ETA is about 2 minutes."

"It needs to get here now!" snapped Peter. He looked back down at Neal. "Neal, just hang on for two more minutes, okay? You just need to hold on a little bit longer."

"I can't," Neal whispered.

"You have to, Neal, "said Peter, his voice pleading. "You have to. Who else is going to find Kate?"

Neal gritted his teeth and shook his head. He struggled to sit up. Peter pushed him back down.

"Will you stay lying down?" snapped Peter. He immediately felt guiltily when he saw the hurt in Neal's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Neal," said Peter softly. "But you need to lie still or else you are going to bleed out."

"Peter, I'm sorry," said Neal.

Peter shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for Neal."

Neal grabbed Peter's hand. "Promise me something, Peter," he gasped, each word taking more energy to come out.

"No," said Peter. "No, you're not doing that, Neal! Do you hear me?! You are NOT dying! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE! You just have to hold on a little bit longer."

Neal shook his head. "Liar," he whispered. "Take-gasp- good care-gasp- of-Elizabeth."

Peter was about to respond when he felt Neal's hand go limp. Panicked, he looked up at Neal's face and saw his eyes roll back in his head.

"NEAL!" Peter shouted. Peter reached out a shaky hand and felt for a pulse. He felt a weak thump against his fingers. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Burke, the paramedics are here!" shouted Jones. Peter looked up and saw to EMTS running towards them.

"Sir, what do we have?" asked the one EMT.

"Gunshot wound to the leg," said Peter, his voice shaking. "He's lost a lot of blood and a moment ago he lost consciousness."

The paramedic nodded. "Sir, you need to move."

Peter reluctantly stood up, moving out of the way of the paramedic. He wasted no time, jumping in and holding the pressure on Neal's leg. Meanwhile his partner had placed an oxygen mask over Neal's face and inserted an IV into his arm. The backboard laid out beside him.

"Ready?" she asked. Her partner nodded. "On my count! One, two, three!" On the count of three, they lifted Neal onto the backboard. They picked up the backboard and loaded Neal into the back of the ambulance.

"Can I ride with him?" asked Peter.

The male paramedic nodded. "Get in!"

Peter hopped up into the back of the ambulance and sat next to Neal. Lauren ran up to close the door.

"Lauren!" shouted Peter, looking up at her. She looked up, surprised. "Contain the scene!"

Lauren nodded. "Of course."

"And Lauren?" Peter asked quietly. She was the tears forming in his eyes. "Call my wife and tell her to meet us at the hospital."

Lauren nodded and closed the door. She hit her hand on the back of the bus. "GO!" she shouted as the ambulance took off down the street.

Lauren watched the ambulance drive away until it was out of sight. She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled down her call list until she found Elizabeth's number. She hit the call button.

"Hello?" came Elizabeth's voice over the phone.

Lauren took a deep breath. "Mrs. Burke? This is FBI Agent Lauren Cruz. I'm afraid I have bad news."

The ambulance ride was uneventful. Peter sat next to Neal, looking down at his still form.

"How's he doing?" asked Peter, looking at the male paramedic.

"He's in bad shape," he replied. "He's lost a lot of blood and BP is falling fast."

Peter nodded, barely understanding the words said to him. He couldn't believe this had happened. It was supposed to be a simple mission. Neal goes undercover, pretending to be back in the business and convince Maria to sell him the book. After the deal was done and Neal had the book, Peter and the team were supposed to go in and arrest her. It was supposed to be simple. Easy in, easy out. No one was supposed to get hurt, especially Neal.

What was he thinking? He had sent Neal in, undercover, with a dangerous murder with no back up. No vest. Nothing. He knew he could put any bugs on Neal because she would scan for that. But still, he should have given Neal something. Hell, he never should have put Neal undercover in the first place. Neal was a consultant- not an agent. Neal had been shot-hell, Neal was dying-and it was all his fault.

The ambulance came to a screeching halt as it arrived at the hospital. Peter was caught off guard and slammed into the back of the ambulance.

The doors opened as a team of doctors and nurses rushed forward. The EMTs grabbed the backboard and pulled Neal out of the ambulance and rushed him into the emergency doors. Peter jumped out and followed behind them.

"Gunshot wound to the upper thigh!"

"No exit!"

"Serve blood lost!"

"BP's falling!"

"We're losing him!"

"He's flat-lining!"

"NO PULSE!"

"GET THE PADDLES!"

"NO!" shouted Peter.

"Sir, you can't be back here," said one of the nurses trying to push him out of the room.

Peter didn't hear her. All he heard was the flat-line of the heart monitor.

"Charging 200!" said one of the doctors, holding the paddles. "CLEAR!"

Peter watched as Neal jumped as the electricity coursed through him, trying to stop his still heart.

"V-fib!" shouted one of the nurses.

"Charging to 300!" said the doctor. "CLEAR!"

This time, it worked. The heart monitor returned to normal. The nurse checked Neal's neck for a pulse.

"We've got a pulse," she said, smiling. "He's back."

"Thank God," whispered Peter.

"Good," said the doctor. "Let's get him to surgery, STAT!"

"Sir," said the doctor. "We have to take him to surgery now. Laura is going to take you to the waiting room."

"Can I have a moment with him?" asked Peter.

"Just a minute," said the doctor. "We need to get him to surgery as soon as possible."

Peter nodded and walked towards the bed. He leaned forward and said softly. "You can't die on me, Neal. Remember, I own for you for the next four years. You can't die unless I say so. So you'd better come through."

"Sir?" said the nurse, Laura. "They have to take him now."

Peter nodded and watched as the doctors and nurses wheeled Neal out of the room.

"Sir?" asked Laura. "Let me show you where the waiting room is." She led Peter out of the trauma room and down the hall into a small waiting room.

"You can wait here until the surgery is over," she said. "What's your name?"

"FBI Agent Peter Burke," said Peter.

"And what's your relation to the patient?" she asked.

Peter paused for a moment before answering. "He's my partner."

Laura nodded and walked off. Peter collapsed in one of the chairs.

It had only been five minutes when he heard someone calling his name. He stood up quickly, thinking it was the nurse with news on Neal. He was surprised when he saw that it was Elizabeth running towards him.

"Oh Peter!" cried Elizabeth as she embraced him a bone-crushing hug. "Oh thank God, you're alright! Lauren called and said that I needed to get to the hospital right away!"

Peter hugged her back. "I'm okay, sweetie."

Elizabeth pulled back. "What happened, Peter?" She looked down at the sleeves of Peter's shirt. "Oh my God, is that blood?"

Peter looked down and saw the bloodstains on his arms and hands. He suddenly felt nauseous. He felt his legs weaken. Elizabeth led him over to a chair and they both sat down.

"It's not mine," said Peter. "It's Neal's."

"Neal?" repeated Elizabeth in disbelief as if she never heard that name before.

Peter nodded. "When we arrived at the pier, Neal was lying on the ground with a gun pointed at his head. She shot him in the leg."Elizabeth gasped. Peter continued. "She must have hit an artery because there was blood everywhere. He was clutching that stupid book to his chest. I tried to stop the bleeding the best I could. I used that new jacket you gave me. I'm sorry."

"That's not important," said Elizabeth quickly. "The jacket can be replaced."

Peter nodded and continued. "He lost consciousness just as the ambulance arrived. And when we got to the hospital, his heart stopped. They managed to bring him back and he's in surgery right now."

"Oh Peter," said Elizabeth.

"Neal could die and it's all my fault," said Peter softly, tears running down his face. "I sent him undercover with a known murderer without any backup. All for a stupid bible. Neal could die because of some stupid bible."

Elizabeth hugged her husband as he broke down crying.

"How's Caffrey?" asked Agent Reese Hughes, Peter's boss. He was joined by Lauren and Jones.

"Still in surgery," said Peter not looking up from his lap. Elizabeth had gone and brought him a cup of coffee. He had taken a few steps but other than that, he just starred at it.

"Family of Neal Caffrey?" asked a doctor in green scrubs.

"That's us," said Elizabeth. She stood up with Peter as they all walked towards the doctor.

"How is he?" asked Peter.

"He should be fine," said the doctor. "The bullet nicked an artery and that caused the majority of the blood loss. The blood loss caused his BP to drop so low that his heart stopped in the ER."

Peter nodded. He remembered that all too well.

"However, we were able to repair the damage to the artery and the muscle," said the doctor. "He'll be on crutches for a while and he'll need physical therapy but other than that, he should make a full recovery."

"Thank God," said Peter. "Can we see him?"

The doctor nodded. "He's in recovery at the moment. He should be in the ICU in about an hour. If you have any questions, just have the nurse page me."

"Thank you doctor," said Elizabeth as the doctor walked away.

There was a soft beeping. And a dull pain in his leg. Neal groaned.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty."

Neal opened his eyes and saw Peter sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"Peter?" asked Neal.

"Yep," said Peter. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," said Neal. "It feels I've been run over. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" asked Peter, taking a sip of coffee. "You were shot in the leg."

"Oh yeah," said Neal. "I remember. Maria wanted the book back. She was going to keep the money and the book. Somehow she knew I was still working for the FBI."

"She had video cameras in the house," said Peter. "When you were picking out the music, she was watching them. She was Jones and Cruz planting the bugs. It was a trap. Neal, I am so sorry."

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's not your fault. You didn't shot me."

"No," agreed Peter. "But I sent you undercover with a known killer."

"We didn't know for sure she was the one who killed Paul," said Neal.

"But we suspected she did," said Peter. "I shouldn't have put you in that situation. You're not an agent!"

"I wanted to help," said Neal. "I wanted to catch her. Trust me, Peter. I knew what I was getting into. I knew the risks. So don't feel guilty for what happened."

Peter nodded. "Just don't make this a habit of yours."

Neal groaned. "I didn't think she actually shot me. I held the bible in front me, hoping that she wouldn't risk injuring the book. Instead she took aim at my leg and shot me in the leg." Neal shot up in horror. "Oh my God, she didn't get the book, did she?"

"Neal, relax," said Peter. "Or the nurses will kick me out."

"But the book?" started Neal. "Don't tell me she got it! I tried to prevent her from getting it after she shot me…"

"NEAL!" said Peter. "She didn't get the book, okay?"

Neal relaxed and fell back on the sheet. "Oh thank God."

Peter leaned back. "What do you mean? You tried to protect the book after you were shot?"

Neal nodded. "After she shot me, she came over and demanded the book. I just held onto it tighter. I tried to roll over on my side away from her so she couldn't get it."

"That's why there wasn't any blood on your hands," said Peter, slowly as the realization set in. "You never tried to stop the bleeding, did you?"

"I had to protect the book, Peter," Neal started.

"YOU IDIOT!" shouted Peter standing up suddenly and knocking the chair over. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I had to save the book," said Neal. "I know that you were nervous about the mission and that you were afraid I take the book and escape. I know that you were putting your trust in me. I also heard that a lot of people at the FBI didn't want you to trust me, especially with the book. I couldn't let you down, Peter. Not after all you've done for me."

Peter took a deep breath. "Listen here, Neal and listen good," said Peter in a low and dangerous voice. "Nothing-and I mean nothing-is worth dying over. If someone wants you give them something and they are threatening to kill you if you don't hand it over, you give it to them! I don't care if it's a bible or a painting or anything! Nothing is worth your life, Neal. NOTHING."

Neal nodded. "I'm sorry, Peter."

Peter picked up the chair and sat back down. "I know. We can always catch the bad guy later. We can't always bring you back to life. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

"What are you talking about?" asked Neal.

"The bullet hit an artery," said Peter. "You lost a lot of blood. Your BP was so low that your heart stopped."

"Wow," said Neal, taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" asked Peter.

"Yeah," breathed Neal. "So what happens now?"

"The doctor will keep you in the hospital for a few more days," said Peter. "Then you'll be on crutches for awhile. But with physical therapy, you'll be good as new. And don't even think of escaping." Peter pointed to Neal's ankle. Neal looked down and saw a new GPS tracker. "Had the boys put it on while you were out."

"Where did you really think I was going to go, Peter?" asked Neal, yawning. "I just got shot in the leg, remember? How far do you think I'll get?"

Peter laughed. "Get some sleep, Neal. You'll need it."

"Whatever," said Neal, rolling his eyes as he yawned.

"And Neal?" added Peter. "Good job today."

"Thanks," said Neal, yawning. "Hey Peter?"

"What?"

"So was that miracle good enough for you?" Neal asked as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

Peter watched as Neal fell asleep. "It sure was," said Peter softly. "Partner."

The End