a lazy smile spreads across the man's jaw as he sits himself up against the headboard, hands folding in front of him. with this angle, he has a better view of her. a low chuckle escaping his throat with the realization of what she had slipped on. she didn't even dare button it, he couldn't look away. blakely had legs for days. such perfect legs the man could spend his entire morning touching and kissing them, worshipping. fuck, was he whipped?

without hesitation he laughs with her, throwing the ivory blanket off to the side he jumps up quickly, brown orbs scanning the room intensely in all of the chaos they truly did create. ( scattered bottles, pizza boxes, love notes, all of their clothes ) playful orbs look at her once more, she was a vision. ❝ is that so? ❞ there was one item he's looking for in particular. with success, he reaches for the item and holds it high in the air, brows wiggling. ❝ i think this would fit one leg. . . . i think i'll keep it instead. ❞ her tiny black thong.

they've slept in a whole variety of places on a hunt,    the inside of this car, bed of a truck once, shady motels.  but this has to take the cake as she rolls forward and hangs her head over the side of the bunk bed with narrowed eyes.    ❝ ⠀ it's an abandoned cabin that's haunted and these are bunk beds.  this was the dream when i was twelve.  now i'm going to have scoliosis by morning. ⠀ ❞    she feels ninety years old.  presses her lips together while she shakes her head.  her sister's features distort when hanging upside down.   the upper bunk she's on creaks to a concerning level so she freezes in place to prevent it.       ❝ ⠀ i swear if i have to explain to dad i flattened you to death with a bunk bed i'm going to find and trap your ghost in time out for the next eighty years. ⠀ ❞    she'd do it too.  find the most intricate, elaborate ghost trap and keep her with her for all time.  reaches for the bullet that hangs around her neck,  fingers tracing the shape to relax her.  muscle memory.    ❝ ⠀ do you really think she was here ?  ⠀ ❞ 

abel’s entire body went still. the question hung between them, heavy with years of lies neither of them had realised they were carrying. for a moment, he couldn’t look at his brother. instead, his gaze settled on the old reaper patch sitting on the workbench beside them, a reminder of the man at the centre of all of this. “ yeah, ” he admitted finally, voice low. “ I knew. ” the words felt like betrayal the second they left his mouth. “ chibs told me when I turned eighteen. ” he swallowed hard. “ not everything. not at first. just … enough. enough to know dad didn’t die the way everyone said he did. ” a bitter laugh escaped him. “ there was no accident, tom. ” his eyes lifted to meet his brother’s. “ he chose it. ” silence followed. the kind that made the air feel too thin.

abel actually laughed at that, though there wasn’t much humour in it. he was standing in casey’s kitchen, keys already in hand, halfway through explaining why he needed to leave when she’d cut him off. outside, his bike sat waiting in the driveway. inside, she was looking at him the same way she had since he was fifteen years old and trying to sneak out of wendy’s house after curfew. like she could see right through him. “ you know what’s annoying? ” he asked, shaking his head as he tossed the keys onto the counter with more force than necessary. “ you’ve been saying that to me my whole life. ” his gaze dropped briefly before finding hers again. there was frustration there, but underneath it was something else. exhaustion. “ and the worst part is, every time I hear it, I know you’re probably right. ” the admission tasted bitter. because he knew exactly what she was seeing. the pacing. the temper. the need to fix everything himself before anyone else could get hurt. he’d seen it too, staring back at him from old photographs of a father he’d spent half his life trying not to become.

the first rain drop came and went very quite quickly. what was a drizzle had very quickly turned into an absolute downpour and both luke and willa were using every drop of the storm to their benefit. the mix of his sons laugh with his girls laugh was, without a doubt, his favorite sound in the entire world. cade could basically hear it from the horses stable when the rain started, causing his heart to beat just a bit faster with the need to get back to his home. back to his family. "what the hell are you two doing out here?" for a second, he stood by his truck. his arms were folded over each other against his chest, his very quickly drenched chest. his hat was stopping the rain from hitting him in the face which he was thankful for because he wanted to watch. take in the happiness of the way luke held onto willa, the way willa swayed and twirled between the rain drops. when that watching stopped, cade took two steps to grab willa by the hand and twirl her towards him. his other arm stretched out for luke to join, fingers waving him over.