Description: Khai is overwhelmed with emotion while on mdma, and makes a lot of really bad choices.
Trigger Warnings: car accident, drugs, all the feels
The last thing Khai needed to be doing right now was driving. He was feeling so many different emotions, and the drugs were hitting him hard. Not to mention he could barely see straight from the mass amount of tears clouding his vision. When he left Landon’s house, he knew nothing would be the same again. Not between the two of them, and definitely not between him and Roman. He felt like he didn’t deserve either one of them. He had made such a mess of everything, and there was no fixing it now. As he sped down the highway going about 95 mph, he smoked vigorously on his cigarette. As if somehow the nicotine would numb him if he consumed enough of it. He reached down and turned the radio up to full volume before bringing his hand up to wipe away more tears. Fuck! This was never what he wanted to happen. He didn’t want to lose Roman, he didn’t want to gain feelings for his ex, and most of all he didn’t want to hurt his best friend. Jaycee didn’t deserve any of this. She had always been there for him, and here he was making a mess of everything.
He took another drag of his cigarette, but the feeling of hot chemicals filling his lungs didn’t seem to be doing the trick. So he reached down to open the center console. He knew he had some cocaine in there still from the other night and he needed to be numb. He so desperately needed to be numb. Pulling out the small baggy containing the white powder he looked down to see how much he had left. Hoping it was enough to keep him from feeling the way that he was. No one had ever taught him how to deal with his emotions any other way. Maybe he should have just left with that client at work who wanted to fuck his brains out. But it was too late now. He had already made every other bad decision there was to be made.
Looking back up at the road his eyes widened with fear. When the hell did he get on the wrong side of the road? He could see lights coming straight at him and there wasn’t anything he could do but yank the wheel. In hopes of getting himself back into the lane where he belonged. Of course that wasn’t the outcome though. Why would it be? Everything else seemed to be going terribly wrong, and this was no different. When he yanked the wheel, the tires spun out below him and his Porsche went flipping over four times. Rolling into the guard rail on the side of the road before initially coming to a stop on it’s roof. Fuck, what just happened? He thought to himself. Letting out a soft groan of pain before everything went black.
Description:Khai let’s his inner feelings get the best of him while vacationing in Italy.
Khai was in one of the most romantic cities in the world. With one of the most romantic men he had ever met. His heart was floating on cloud nine to say the least. But, his mind on the other hand was fleeing elsewhere. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy being here with Dorian. He was honestly having the time of his life. But he couldn’t help but wonder where a certain someone else was at the moment, or what they were doing. He had gotten rather close to this other man, and even though he was in the perfect place with his perfect boyfriend. He was yearning for someone else. Maybe this is why people had the perception of him that they did. He was never settled, and he constantly felt like something was missing.
He was sitting on the balcony of his Tuscany hotel room. Sipping his morning coffee and staring out over the beautiful city. *If only he could see this view* he thought to himself. Licking his lips as he remembered the taste of his smokey kiss. Breathing out with a heavy sigh he brought his coffee cup to his lips. His eyes closing as the warm aroma filled his senses.
It wasn’t until he heard the stirring of his boyfriend waking up, that he was pulled from his private thoughts. A small smile curving at his lips as he took in the vision of what was his. He felt mostly content but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Everything inside of him telling him that he moved to fast. That he should be somewhere else with someone else.
But none of that seemed to matter the second his boyfriends lips met his. The sweet exchange of “Good Morning, baby” filling his heart with a sense of belonging. It was that feeling that he craved the most. His fear of being alone driving him to settle. Even though he loved this man completely. Would that ever be enough to make him feel whole?
Ria had a spring to her step and was humming to herself as she made her way to the Champ Tower. She was having a brilliant day. Her new set of runes just arrived via owl post this morning. She just received her marks for her latest group project and they did excellent. And now she was on her way to Champ Tower to lazily watch the stars and possibly plan the agenda for the next meeting for the book club. She had her new runes in her pocket, making a jiggling noise as she took each step and her sticker-ridden notebook inside her bag and she was ready to go-
Oof.
Ria fell to the floor, having bumped into someone rather forcefully. She could hear the runes spill from her pocket.
“Oh no.”
Ria went on all fours to collect the runes that scattered all over the floor. “Dammit,” someone cried from behind her. Ria remembered that she hadn’t apologized yet. She got up and turned to look for the person who she bumped into. It wasn’t someone she recognized. Oh Merlin, that’s going to be a terrible first impression. “I am so sorry,” she began. The other girl was picking up her stuff and ignored her. Ria started to kneel when the other girl looked up to her and glared. More reluctantly, the Ravenclaw still continued to pick up the other girl’s fallen book when the owner just snatched the book back and then left in a hurry.
Ria didn’t know her which probably meant the other girl didn’t know her too. But that didn’t stop her from worrying what the other girl thought of her. Remembering that she still have some runes to pick up from the floor, she returned to collect the rest. Othala, Hagalaz, Kenaz, Raidho, Uruz, Gebo… Ria was counting the runes as she placed them back to her pocket. There was supposed to be 24. Jera, twenty-three. She was missing one.
She scanned the floor for the last rune and found nothing. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a rat, probably someone’s pet, scurrying of to her left. It couldn’t be. Ria took a couple of steps closer towards the rat to take a better look and saw something in the rat’s mouth. She broke into a run. “Pardon me. Excuse me. Sorry!” She exclaimed as she bumped into several people while pursuit of the rodent thief.
Ria was small and agile, but she was no match for a rat. She kept an eye on it, scared that she might lose sight and lose the rune, making the entire set incomplete. She took her wand out of her pocket and pointed at the rat. She thought about using the Full-Body Bind on the rat which wouldn’t hurt it but there were too many people around and too many feet she can mistakenly hit. She looked ahead and saw where the rat was heading. A tiny hole in the wall.
“No, no, no, no.” She muttered to herself and casted the spell at the rat once she could get a direct aim. But the rat was too fast and entered the hole, the spell only hitting concrete.
“Come on, little rat.” She pleaded as she knelt in front of the hole. “Pretty please?” She asked, desperate. From her bag, she fished out a tart that she was saving for later at the Tower. “Here!” She inserted the tart inside the hole, hoping that the rat would smell it and return for it. “You can have my tart. Just give me back my rune,” she bargained. “It’s blueberry flavored?” She tried feebly once it was clear the rodent wasn’t coming back.
Defeated, Ria, slumped against the wall and took out her runes to check which one was missing. It was Ansuz. The rune for luck and good fortune. Typical.
Tired from running, Ria was trudging by the time she was climbing the stairs that lead to the top of Champ Tower. This was not how she thought her day would go. All she wanted was have some time for herself, quietly and peacefully ending the day by gazing at the heavens and planning for tomorrow. Ria was exhausted by the time she reached the open space where students can lounge. It took her awhile but once she found a quiet private spot that was unoccupied by a couple, she settled down and finally gave herself an opportunity to breathe. And that was when she felt the first drop of rain land on her cheek. A drop became two, and then five, and then too many to count. If she didn’t move soon, she’ll be drenched.
She sighed exasperatedly. Perhaps it’s time to call it a day. Maybe she’ll have glass of Rose Wine. Today was in no way a special occasion given the series of unfortunate events that just happened. She deserved it.
Who: Asher, Kinsley, Sage, and Jasper
Where: The Park Residence
About: Another nightly stressed encounter for Asher and his wife and son.
Triggers: PTSD, Nightmares, mentions of injuries, shots and scars from surgery on his leg, pain medications.
Asher walked through the front door of the three bedroom ranch style house. Hanging his keys up in the area designated for keys. He slides his jacket off, hanging it up. When his eyes met Kinsley’s he all but held a sheepish smile, but it was met with a weak one back. “Sorry-- there was an issue at the club, had to deal with an unruly customer. I didn’t mean to miss dinner again,” he uttered as he moved forward. Kinsley usually had dinner ready for him for when he got out even if it was at two in the morning, so when he missed it especially with it being so late he knew she would be slightly upset. She all but nodded before going back to folding the laundry. “Here-- let me do that, you must have homework,” he offered out as she shook her head.
“You smell like a chimney, Ash I don’t want it all over Sage’s clothes,” he sighed a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay-- I’ll shower and do it afterwards,” he offered again, trying to help out the best he could. “Please, let me do something I feel bad with these late nights,” she just shook her head a bit and sighed. “Kin--” she nodded firmly moving to stand, grabbing her work books. “Okay-- if that’s what you want,” he nodded curtly as he watched her walk to the kitchen. A small sigh leaving his lips.
He made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower, though he got lost in his head a bit, mind wandering some he got out about ten minutes later than he wanted. Drying off and changing into some basketball shorts, walking from the bathroom, he peered into the kitchen to see Kinsley with her nose in a book. Settling on the couch, he began to fold Sage’s clothes. Much to his surprise though the four year old wandered from his room eyeing his father a bit too cautiously.
“You’re not doing it like mommy,” he whispered. “Do it like mommy!” Asher was a bit taken back by the outburst. “I can do it like Mommy-- you want to show me?” The four year old shaking his head firmly. “Well Mommy has to get her school work done and she can’t, come on bub show me,” he shook his head more before stomping his feet. “Like mommy!” he could hear the sign coming from the kitchen as Kinsley came into the living room. Jasper’s door opening as well as he peered out. The male knowing best when to keep to his own world cause he knew a fight was about to start.
“Kin I’m sorry--“ he muttered softly. “It’s fine,” she hoisted Sage up into her arms entering the kitchen again. The boy staring his father down as he disappeared around the corner. Asher all but threw the t-shirt in his hand against the wall before rubbing a hand over his face, giving a shuddered breath. It hadn’t been fine, no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get the husband card down or the father one either and it was exhausting Kinsley further now that she had school. Before hand the fights where silent, ended with “It’s fine,” and that was it, but lately it followed to the bedroom, more so there were times Asher took up roost on the couch to give his wife some space.
Jasper all but felt bad for his brother at this point as he came from his room, picking up the shirt, he sat on the couch, silently folding it to show Asher, eyeing him some as if to tell him to follow. Doing the same with the other clothes. He didn’t converse with the eldest Park sibling, and Asher never felt more grateful for the youngest Park. They got the basket done in time, and Asher stood to take it with him so he could put the clothes away. Jasper following to show him. “Sage like’s his stuff to be with it’s matches--” he uttered. Nodding Asher put it in, following Jasper to his room handing his clothes off to him before going to their room and putting the rest of it away. Sitting on the bed afterwards he moved to grab his pain medications, taking a couple as his leg seemed to be extra stiff from work that night. Mid swallow Kinsley walked in eyeing him with a small sigh.
“I thought you said you were going to quit time-- they make you drowsy and irritable,” she uttered, eyeing him. “I know I did, but the pain is bad today,” he muttered as he moved his leg a bit more. He hated to look at it, the scaring from the blast and surgery left an ugly sight on his leg that made him all but remember the day that nearly killed him. Taking a sip of water from the bottle next to his bed, he settled in fully, eyeing his wife as she moved around to get ready for bed. “Your PTSD is worse when you take them, it seems your nightmares are just god awful, isn’t there something else they can do?”
Asher sighed-- looking away a bit as he shook his head. “We’ve talked about it-- nothing helps with the pain when it gets closer to getting my shots, I can’t help it, I’m trying Kin but it hurts so bad,” he muttered. “I--I know, I just, I wish there was something they could do,” she whispered feeling bad for her husband. The whole situation was less than ideal for either of them and while as of late it had been hard and awkward, she really did care for him.
“We’ve exhausted many options and at the end of it this is what it is till something better comes along. I’m doing the PT, I’m getting the shots, and I’m doing what I can to hold out but being on my feet all night doesn’t help,” he uttered softly looking to her. “Can’t you ask work to give you accommodations at least? Like a chair? Or more breaks?” Asher really wasn’t willing to do either of those, he was new to the job and coming in with restrictions would be less than favorable he thought. “Kin-- I don’t think you understand, this is a really decent paying job, and Nathan put the word out for me, I don’t want to come in with restrictions, a bouncer shouldn’t have that, it’s only really bad like one week out of the month,” he assured. “On those weeks I can sleep on the couch,” it wasn’t like he wasn’t doing so already a handful of times already. So not to disturb her.
“You sleep on the couch as is, most of the month--” Asher sighed some rubbing his face more. “So why is it an issue now then?” he muttered out getting a bit agitated. “It-- It’s not, I just, you want to make this work and I do but we’re basic strangers in this house, sleeping on the couch doesn’t help that,” she whispered harshly. Eyeing him as the fight seemed to start to brew so easily. “Yeah but I just keep you awake with my nightmares. I’m doing this so you can get a good nights sleep for your classes. It’s not like I don’t want to sleep in here-- it’s my bed too,” he muttered out again. Looking away down as his face seemed to get more discouraged. “I know-- but it doesn’t fix the issue, if anything we’re becoming more distant!” Her voice raised a bit before she settled. “Well none of the options work for you Kin, I’m trying-- but if I sleep in here my nightmares keep you awake and you’re already exhausted with Sage and school, so tell me what the ideal situation is!” he muttered back eyeing her once more.
“I--I guess there is none,” Kinsley stated, and Asher nodded curtly with a small sigh. Moving to sit up and grab his pillow and blanket from the chair. “I’ll be back in here in the morning before Sage gets up,” he uttered softly. Feeling deflated, defeated even. “Ash--” she whispered as he peered back to her. “Just-- sleep well,” she murmured tiredly. There was no stopping him he was just as stubborn as he ever would be and think about her and Sage above all else because that was the type of person he was. Asher moved forward pressing a small kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll sort it out-- I’ll pick up more therapy sessions or something, okay? It won’t be forever,” he assured rubbing her arm. “I love you,” he stated peering into her eyes. She nodded some with a weak smile. “I love you too--” she stated. Kissing his cheek. “I will see you in the morning,” he grabbed his phone and water. Walking out of the room.
Once he got the couch set up, Asher settled under his blanket, staring at his phone some, scrolling through a few things before the medication started to take a hold of him and he was drifting off to another restless sleep. He woke up a few times that night in cold sweats and panted breaths, doing his best to fall asleep again. Though each time was that much harder. Waking up sluggishly the next morning to wake Kinsley up, who brought Sage into the room to sleep with Asher so he could wake his dad up when he got up. She herself leaving for school. The same routine happened once more, Asher woke up when Sage began to move, they both ate breakfast in silence, Jasper awoke soon after and him and Sage watched Cartoons till Asher took Sage to Daycare, heading to his therapy session soon after. Picking his son up after that and dropping him off with Jasper before heading to work. It was almost mind altering the same as it had been for the last month. Still having a routine kept Asher stable even if it was nearly on point with no
what: watching the latest episode of the Halls on Netflix, Tina discovers her crush, Finn Hudson, is now dating Quinn Fabray. She reflects on many of her relationships.
Tina shut her laptop with a sigh, pushing it away and curling into her pillow. words about how she should have just told her crush, echoing in her head. Of course, that was never her way. It was why she wouldn’t even let herself admit to anyone that she had feelings for the Quarterback; she didn’t see any way it would happily for her, and there was nothing worse than people’s pity. Despite what Tina thought had been the fun times they’d had together, why would the Quarterback be interested in her as anything other than a friend, and maybe not even that. It seemed more and more to Tina lately that even her friendships were suffering because she didn’t fight to be anyone’s priority.
With the new year though, and after the mistake she’d made new years eve, yet another something she would keep from everyone, because this wasn’t the kind of thing she did, Tina was eager to make a change. It was why she’d pushed herself to audition for a solo at Regionals; not that many people noticed. Still it was a step in the right direction she felt. She needed to keep pushing herself. To get out, to be more involved, and more so, to learn to be okay with being alone. Given what had happened in the last two weeks, the hook up that shouldn’t have happened between her and her ex, another disastrous crush that went no where, and her struggling friendships, Tina felt determined to work towards fixings things. Fixing herself; being more... open with others. Perhaps that would be easier with a new friend. Someone who wasn’t quite so used to how guarded she was.
But who? And would she actually be able to follow through?
WHO→ Tina Cohen-Chang & Belinda Snaith (NPC)
WHERE→ The Westin Downtown Houston
WHEN→ December 31-January 1
WHAT→ Subcoming to the dreaded holiday loneliness, when she discovers an ex is in town for a family wedding, Tina reaches out, accompanying her ex to the wedding and hooking up in her hotel room that night.
WARNINGS→ underage drinking & implied sexual relations
Tina woke up with a groan, her mouth dry on the first day of the new year. She blinked her eyes and took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Crap. As she recognized where she was, she also remembered how she’d ended up there and the raven haired girl on the pillow beside hers; Belinda Snaith. Belinda was a friend from the astronomy camp Tina attended in the summers. Friend was perhaps overly casual way of describing what they....had been. Belinda had been the first girl Tina had been with in any physical way after realizing that perhaps she was bisexual. They’d spent the whole summer at camp between between freshman and sophomore year together, learning and exploring.
But because Belinda lived in Alabama, they’d agreed at the end of the summer to just call it the summer fling it was and to keep in touch. Keeping in touch had meant some texts through the year, although more as camp approached again, and then last year, they’d hung out at camp a lot again, picking up the kind of friendship that comes from knowing someone intimately. But Tina had just gotten out of another relationship before camp started, and Belinda was seeing someone else. Which Tina was fine with.
So when Belinda had called to say she was in Texas for a family wedding on New Years Eve and she was hoping Tina would go with her, and keep her company, it sounded like a good idea at the time. But the holidays could be very lonely. And a little champagne, with a lot of reminiscing, coupled with that feeling of loneliness had lead to a couple of kisses through the night, then a kiss at midnight that had lead to Tina following Belinda up to her hotel room and hooking up with her. Hooking up wasn’t the problem. It was good, always had been between them. But hooking up with someone who lived in another state, and for no other reason than loneliness was something she couldn’t believe she’d done.
Tina slipped out of bed,gathering her clothing and getting dressed quickly. She jotted a quick note on the hotel pad.
Belinda;
Last night was fun. Thanks for thinking of me when you came into town. I had to run this morning; my parents weren’t expecting met to be gone all night. I’ll talk to you soon;
Tee
So much for starting the new year on the right foot, she thought to herself once she was in the cab and on her way home.
WHO→ Tina Cohen-Chang
WHERE→New Directions Choir Room
WHEN→ Wednesday, November 8, 2017, after school
WHAT→ Tina considers what to perform for her weekly glee assignment.
WARNINGS→ None
Personality assessments were always kind of a strange sort of thing for Tina. She often felt like there were perhaps more than one answer that might apply to her. And depending on the assessment, the answers always seemed a little conflicting. Even this week, taking the character trope quiz had given Tina the answer of the Damsel (in distress), but taking the 16 personalities quiz had tagged her as The Defender. Personally, Tina preferred the idea that she didn’t really need anyone to do anything for her, and she knew that after high school she wanted to do something that helped others in a global sort of way. Thinking about songs she could possibly sing that reflected what she’d learned about herself this week, Tina drew inspiration from previous weeks; especially guilty pleasure week. One of her guilty pleasures was country music, and the movie Footloose 2011 which had introduced her to a county styled version of the 80s Bonnie Tyler classic, ‘I need a Hero’. There was some irony because it not only fit with the character trope of her being a Damsel, but as the Defender, she could conceivably, and rightfully so, be her own hero.
a missing nail. a bloodied blister rots on the tip of his thumb, flayed under the sheer strength of the poacher’s boots. dirt claws through his slim fingers, skin having turned blotched in purple and red, as veins are dangerously awaiting to crack through the pale sheath of his hand. one, two, three... indistinguishable voices splinter the staggering silence of the mine. which one belongs to the defias kingpin? has he left old town for absolutely nothing?
“bring the boy.”
the reckless poacher is still keeping him pinned on the muddy ground, stubbornly smashing the sole of his boot onto the boy’s hand, digging it deeper the soil. alleys paved by dozens of thieves slithering through abandoned mine carts. an earth worm slinks under his fingers. ah, the pain. he has stopped feeling it a while ago. alike sound waves crashing against your ears, after a certain point, you cannot distinguish which one is higher. if it keeps going, you don’t hear anything anymore. he can still sense the raw touch of the shoes against his skin, the disgusting feeling of cluttered westfall hay and garbage picked up by endless strides through this god-forsaken land. but the pain is absent. he can even close his eyes, rest his cheek on the cold terrain and smile. if he knew how, he’d imagine himself clean and resting in a warm bed with snow-white sheets.
“i said bring that fucking boy.”
the kingpin’s raspy voice strangely booms through the dimly-lit tunnels of the mine. with softened knees, he attempts to stand up, failing the moment the poacher lands a fist into the back of his neck, submitting him into a crouched position.
“i spit on you. crawl like a worm, if you’re even worthy of that.” nobody seeks the defias so arrogantly. nobody leaves behind the comfort of stormwind, and nobody ventures into the scorched plains of the west, ravished by famine, terror and corruption. you get no kind treatment. it’s nothing like old town. for a split second, he even misses the dirty slums of stormwind, misses the days when he’d round up all the homeless boys, teaching them how to trick nobles into giving them money and food.
with a hand wrapped around his stomach, he slowly scrapes his way towards the group of dark silhouettes towering a couple of yards ahead. the kingpin stands in the middle, unctuous black hair framing a pair of harsh, green eyes, the rest of his face covered by a grimy red linen bandana. an imposing man, eerily and graciously sliding closer to the boy, but the faux gentle image dissipates in a matter of moments. a kick in the ribs taunts him back into reality, eyes popping out of his skull while an involuntary cough splits his lungs in pieces. he’s coughing blood. the salty taste lingers on his tongue, dripping at the corners of his lips.
“let me join you... !” weakened and pushed to his limits, he pathetically begs. “he doesn’t care! he’s not even on the throne! he’s left his son in the hands of a swindler. the city is dying before the keep’s eyes and no one cares. there’s nothing left for me back there.”
guffaws fill the tunnels with unsettling glee, the kingpin remaining passive to the ruffian reactions of his subordinates. how many times has he heard this? how many times have children crawled into his hideout, seeking salvation from a corrupt and merciless kingdom? he can see the golden hair and the soulful eyes of his little girl in the beaten image of this boy, squinting up at him, as if trying to decipher van cleef’s next move. is it a hand of help? or is it another kick, as if he’d banish a stray dog loved by no one?
“i’ll mark him.”
alike cattle waiting to be cut and fed to hungry wolves, his tattered shirt is ripped off and the skinny body of a 15-year old is restrained against the wall. the branding iron is pressed into the back of his shoulder, carving through skin and flesh, outlining his mark: the letter J. the numbness in his hand doesn’t extend to the rest of his body, pained screeches of a boy rousing even the smallest creature in the mine, as the kingpin retracts the rusted metallic pole, shoving it away. “you can bark like a mad dog as much as you want, but the only way you’re getting out of here is dead. we’re men of no names. men who will get no coffins after their death. you got your wish granted, kid. but i doubt you’d survive.”
fifteen and without an aim, J succumbs to his wounds, shaking uncontrollably before a glimmer of kindness beams his way. a shabby blanket and a piece of bread to fill his empty stomach. “eat.” the poacher slaps J on the back of his head, with what seems to be affection this time. “you’re no good to us dead.”
