horror movie on tv or happy ending princess me?

“lucky for me, then. i have you all to myself.  ”  

the  singer grins,  leaning against the doorway of the club. it was getting a little stuffy inside, and he needed a breath of fresh air.  in the moving swarm of people on the dance floor, ellington managed to grasp ellie’s wrist and tug her with him, murmuring in her ear that he needed some fresh air if she wanted to come with him.

“it’s an awful big mess.  but,  i suppose you’ve got a good enough reason behind it. ”    gerry lights the cigarette dangling at the corner of his mouth, blowing the smoke upwards, white against the dark sky.  

when it comes down to life or death, or in search  for  protection,  sacrifices had to made, even if its the self that is sacrificed.  the difficult thing is when others are involved--- affected by the same fears they’ve given themselves to in hope of being shielded by other evils.  

“why do you want people to be terrified of you ?   ... should i be terrified of you? ”  he  squints,  casting a sideways glance at  the latest pup he’s been fostering.  reggie, in turn,  whimpered, nuzzling against his hand that had fallen idle against his own knee. hm, no help there.

“not like this, lilly. you cannot give up.”  

the gleam of blood on his hands sent chills down his spine,  bile rising in his throat.  he’s never thought himself squeamish,  and he likely wasn’t really. but, the sight of the gaping gash in his associate’s side,  his fingers shining with the deep crimson made him sick. perhaps it was because it was his own foolishness that has caused her pain.  if he was a moment earlier, if he deciphered the code sooner, if he hailed a cab a  minute  before midnight,  then he would have been there. if he hadn’t allowed himself to become distracted, maybe it would have been him instead of her.

“i’ll get you to a hospital. come, wrap your arms around my neck. you aren’t giving up now. ”

thankfully, his  other associate came screeching around the corner in the sleekest car he’s ever laid eyes on.  he shuddered to think of the seats of the dilemma,  cleo knight’s car,  stained in deep reds that would turn a rusted shade come the next day.  but,  a stronger feeling--- a  darker fear crept into his chest, gripping his heart and threatened to grip harder--- made that issue very small in comparison.

@psychedeliccanvas​ from here.

She means to shake her head, but maybe she just thought about it as she clipped her bra behind her back. A chill rips through her, prompting her to hurry pulling her cardigan around herself.

“No. I should…” Should what? Go home. Say what was on her mind. Say what she was FEELING. “Should go. I’ve got…” A reason didn’t come quickly enough to her, so Jemma left the sentence unfinished. It’s not rare for her thoughts to be in overdrive, following several different paths at once, but she wasn’t as well-versed in processing her emotions.

“Will… That offer still be open tomorrow night?” Not enough time to get her head straight, perhaps, but enough time for her to start wanting to be around him again. And maybe in part a promise that she wasn’t going to disappear. Again.

the moment she declined,  steve moved to lie on his back and stared up at the ceiling, only half-listening to the half-hearted excuse she gave. he’s not exactly sure what he expected. 

he almost doesn’t hear her ask about the following evening, starting to get too wrapped up in his own thoughts. “oh--- uhh, no, remember i’ve got that dinner.” she could swing by later,  if she wanted to.  but, he’s not entirely sure he wants that. again,  he finds himself longing for more than this; standing at each other’s thresholds at 2am asking to be let in,  or  an invitation to come by with the expectation that the other would leave before the sun came up.  if he couldn’t learn to be content with this,  then maybe it was time to move on. 

“ ah. ”  was the short reply,  and he really should leave it at that.  what she does on her own time is entirely her business and hers alone, but the curiosity that naturally comes to him coupled with the entire investment he puts in the lives of his associates means--- before long, he’s folding the newspaper up and tucking it in between the flower vase and the glass that once held his root beer, glancing over at S.

a hand reaches out for his, lithe fingers delicately wrapping around his wrist. her breath catches in her chest as she looks up at him with wide brown eyes.  “stay. please stay.”

“ are you sure?  i--- i only offered to leave ‘cause i got the impression you would...”  that didn’t matter now though, did it? she was asking him to stay. that’s what mattered. 

there’s a reason why they call her dread persephone.  that fact isn’t lost on any of  those inhabiting the world of the dead. still,  doubts will be cast, especially in the young, impressionable minds of the fledgling deities. 

“ who knows,  daughter mine,  you might steal  someone of your own one day. ”

     Perhaps he is, a little: the Distortion likes to think of itself on a pedestal above, or at least, removed from, all other avatars. If it can lie to others it can lie just as easily to itself. Because lies, after all, are what keep the world turning. White lies and grand golden ones.

     “Helping?” he cackles in disbelief. “Is that what you think I’m doing? The only side I play on is my own.“ The Distortion needs that muddied middle to survive. “You don’t think I also want to kill the Archivist? I would love to see the chaos he thinks can keep at bay eat him alive.”

“ could have fooled me. ”   it seemed at every turn,  one of jon’s archival assistants  trailed not far behind her. although, the eye could very well be guiding them.  tricky thing about the eye,  there are very little ways to trick its gaze away,   unless it willingly turns a ... well, a blind eye.  jane’s not sure whether to believe in  the distortion’s  explanation,  or to think that perhaps elias is letting her have her fun  if only to  further his own purpose. believing in either would be a mistake regardless. 

“and, it doesn’t anymore?”  

she could feel the blood rushing to her head as she let herself dangle upside down at the edge of the bed,  watching  the stars twinkle and gleam at her through the open window.  after a few more seconds,  benny  sat up properly and shifted around so her legs dangled off the side instead and her head came to nestle against the pillow on jemma’s lap.

one could say that the devil works hard,  but stephanie sure works harder.  he sometimes wondered if she slept at all,  but he has a feeling that they were likely running on the same schedule.  there didn’t ever seem to be an idle moment with her.  even when she was sitting,   staring at what he assumed was a statement,  there was an aura of concentration that he wouldn’t dare break.

maybe it isn’t any of his business to be asking what she’s waiting for,  what exactly these clues would lead to,  but  something urges him to stick around.  could very well be the beholding making itself useful,   or maybe it was the morbid eagerness of seeing where the night would go.  he might even get a leitner out of it.

“  you really don’t listen,  do you ?   ”   this would be a lot easier to maneuver if he had luther’s  behemoth-like strength,  but  it wasn’t impossible to lift her into his arms and over his shoulder. he was done arguing--- well, he’s done for now, considering they’d for sure be arguing the moment they were someplace safer than here.

tucking her legs against his chest, diego broke through the door, hinges tearing from the rotted wood. it lead out into an alleyway, giving them a clean getaway. he knew it was a bad idea doing this in broad daylight. with the undercover of darkness, this was all sorts of conspicuous, and he didn’t need his former colleagues jeering at him or breathing down his neck.