Trash Panda

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Watching the unusual scene unfold by the edge of the pool, Jett nodded when Anna said she hoped Nina was okay. He had never empathized with a girl for being elbowed or hit—to be honest, he still wasn’t sure what had happened, since it had all gone down so fast—in the crotch before, but there was a first time for everything, he supposed. At least it looked like the crew had some medically trained members. Almost as soon as it became apparent that Nina had hurt herself, she was swarmed by a group of men and women in black who spoke to her in low voices and then carted her off to be treated without an audience. Like an injured football player rising after taking a tumble, the rest of the cast golf clapped supportively as she disappeared into the house.

He was just about to lean back into his lounge chair when the host announced that he and Anna were one of the next pairs to face off in the competition. Apparently he wouldn’t be getting a break just yet. “As I’ll ever be,” he stood up and arched his back in a stretch, following her over to the pool. Even though he wasn’t on the best of terms with his teammate, he wasn’t so petty that he would let their personal squabble impact his performance in the game. He’s signed up to see this thing through to the end, so a guarantee not to be kicked off before the end of the very first week would have been nice.

The water was lukewarm as he stepped into it, heated by the California summer sun that had been beating down on it all day. It was pleasant now, but Jett knew getting back out of it later would be like closing himself into a walk-in freezer. If they made it far in the tournament, they’d have to wade in and out a few separate times too. Idly, he wondered if the crew had towels around to make the transition more comfortable. Considering the type of show they were filming, he doubted it. Fans of reality TV loved watching their favorite cast members parade around in scanty swimwear, so the producers probably expected them to tough out the cold for positive ratings.

Once he was set up where he needed to be, he took a second to size up their competition. Ashley and Nathan looked similar enough to them in height and weight that it was hard to tell how difficult they would be to beat. It was probably going to come down to skill. He hoped Anna could come up with a few tricks to knock Ashley off her partner’s shoulders, since most of the work was going to land on her. All he had to do was hold on tight while they brawled against the others and try not to let her fall.

Turning to her, Jett offered a hand to help her balance when she climbed on top of him. “Hop up fast,” he advised just before dunking his head under the water to make it easier for her to straddle his shoulders. He waited for her to get in place before he came back up for air.

~Bonsoir~

Sometimes if men have testicular cancer, they'll see a positive pregnancy test. It's not a doctor-recommended method of finding out, but it was enough of an excuse for my dork of a husband to try it xD

~Bonsoir~

I'm glad xD He said he was using it to test for cancer, but he's too young to be concerned about that, so I know he just wanted to pee on the stick.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

“Second only to ice cream,” Cas agreed with a sage nod, chasing his food with a swig of coffee. Offhandedly, he found it interesting how easily he could talk to Iris after spending less than a week in her company. Even amnesiac, she had a way about her that made him feel compelled to relax. That was a priceless quality in the fast paced world of high borns, where everyone seemed to be fretting about something or another at every hour of the day. He had been told by others that he had a similar idiosyncrasy, but he knew his laidback attitude was just a side effect of running from his responsibilities. He was carefree because the cares were too much to handle. It was more pleasant to pretend like the country didn’t need him to lead it one day than it was to accept his role as the heir to the crown. Unfortunately, with the rapid decline of his father’s health, he was afraid he couldn’t keep running for much longer.

When Iris spoke up again, the prince was relieved to have a distraction. “Well,” he started slowly. “I was thinking we could go to the historical district. There are a few interesting museums, and sometimes you can see performers in the streets. If that doesn’t spark anything, we can go back to the mall.” He lifted his fork to his mouth with another bite of greens. Showing her around that much of the city had to bring back something for her. The historical district wasn’t as popular as the mall, but there were often events going on at night to attract a crowd. He would have been surprised if she hadn’t visited it even once.

Turning back to her, he parted his lips to add more and then faltered when he saw that she was already done eating. “Wow,” he whistled. “You really were hungry, weren’t you?” Determined to catch up, he shoveled down the last few forkfuls of his salad and guzzled his water. With a satisfied exhale, he stood up from the table and took a step back. As soon as his seat was empty, the kitchen staff hurried forward to clear away his empty dishes, and he thanked them habitually.

“Ready to go?” he grinned at Iris eagerly. Since she had been regaining bits and pieces of her memory, he was optimistic that spending an afternoon touring the capital would help her recover more of the rest. Even if it didn’t, he was excited to spend time with her outside of the hospital and his own home. The last time they’d visited the city, she had been too tired to stay on her feet for very long. He hoped that this time, they could have at least a few hours before they had to come back to the manor.

“We can take my car again,” he offered. “I know my way around, so we don’t need a chauffeur.”

~Bonsoir~

There was no hesitation when Vail accepted Victoria’s hand in his. Whether or not Peter approved of his affinity for her, he was tired of letting the clan leader dictate every detail of his life. He was supposed to be the next head of the Hygraces, after all. Peter may have disagreed with some of his decisions, but he was still capable of making them on his own. If he was never allowed the chance to see where those choices led, how would he learn to get better? He knew his parents were cautious because he was their only heir. However, he couldn’t exist inside their protective bubble forever. Even though it was dangerous to fall for a human, he was firm in his resolution to find out where this path took him.

When Victoria reacted to his announcement with surprise, Vail nodded. “He said he knows a man who could be of some help,” he explained. Guessing she was taken aback by his father’s sudden change of heart, he added: “When I went to his study, I saw that he was writing a letter to your mother assuring your eventual return. I think he’s decided to keep you alive because he doesn’t want to risk invoking the Order’s wrath against our family.”

If she succumbed to her illness in their care, it was almost guaranteed that the hunters would make it their mission to “avenge” her. He wanted to roll his eyes at the thought. Since the Saints had allied themselves with the Wynters, it was their fault that she was in such a miserable condition to begin with. But, of course, the righteous men always believed they were doing God’s work, no matter how questionable their actions had become. It seemed to be beyond their capabilities to realize the world was more complex than they thought it was. To them, humans were a gift to the earth, and vampires were a demonic scourge. There was no in-between to even consider.

Rolling onto his side, Vail draped his arm over Lady Crest’s midriff. After learning about everything that had happened in his absence, he didn’t want to send her back to her own manor at all. The Wynters were a ruthless clan. He shuddered to think what Lord Spencer would do the next time he got his hands on her. Compulsively, he cradled her a little closer to himself, disliking any amount of space between them. It felt like a lose-lose situation. If she lost the battle against sepsis, he would lose her. If she survived, she would be tossed right back into the nightmare from whence she’d come. He wished she could stay with his family, far from danger instead.

“What will you do if my father sends you away?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled against her thick hair. Uneasy with the direction of his own conjectures, he wanted to know what she was thinking about her own situation.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I've been doing a lot of work on my project today, so I didn't have time to get a post done. I should be able to get one up tomorrow though!

I'm also getting close to the end of my semester, so my schedule should open up again soon ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow has definitely started looking at him like a father figure cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow glanced at John when he spoke up and was surprised to see the expression on the older man’s face. He hadn’t made his suggestion with the intention of pandering for the knight’s approval, but seeing that he’d earned it made him sit up a little straighter on the bench. Even though Penelope’s father moved on quickly, the effect he had on the viceroy was lasting. He bit his tongue to stifle the smile that threatened to take over his lips, dropping his gaze to his plate and stuffing his mouth with another bite of food. Today was definitely a good day. Now, if his own father agreed to everything they planned to ask him, it was beginning to look like things were finally going his way. He felt a flutter of excitement in his stomach.

“Ridiculous,” he scoffed jokingly when Penelope brought up her worries about speaking with the king. “No one could resent you.” He casted her an affectionate smile, nudging her playfully with his shoulder. “Even if he isn’t happy, I’m sure I can get him to come around. I’ll just tell him all the things I love about you.” Though he was only teasing, he hoped Albin would be open to the idea of letting him marry a lieutenant. She was the whole reason he had become a nobleman, after all. If his father tried to convince him to settle for someone else, he refused to give up without a fight. He hadn’t come this far just to have the door slammed in his face.

Shoveling down the rest of his breakfast, he chased the meal with water and rose from the table. “This has been great, but I have a lesson with my father soon,” he announced to the Vermillions. “I should probably change clothes before I show up.” He turned to Penelope with a lopsided smirk. “I’ll see you later, love. Save me a spot at supper if you can.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Me too! It'll be a good dose of romantic comedy, since there would be the awkwardness that they have to deal with afterwards cx
And no worries! Take as long as you need to. I've been staying busy today ^^

~Bonsoir~

Vail observed Victoria in quiet contemplation as she took the glass from his hand. Even though she tried to be strong, he could tell that she was rattled. No matter how well she covered her tears and put on a brave face, she couldn’t hide her fear pheromones from his sharp nose. He perched on the edge of the bed, listening to her raspy voice and cough with a frown. Had he been human, he would have brought her honey and lemon from the kitchen to soothe the ache in her throat, but as it was, he knew nothing of the common remedy. Instead, he rested his hand on her leg, offering her the comfort of his touch since he was unable to do anything else.

“That’s only one way to look at it,” he shrugged when she called herself a burden. “I think you’re the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me.” There was no denying that his life had gotten harder since he had involved himself with her. However, he wouldn’t trade the challenges for the mundane existence he’d endured before their meeting. Although his father had been wrong about his feelings toward her, his assumption that the heir had been bored was spot on. It had taken until the moment she had looked at him with pity when he’d told her about himself weeks ago, but he finally realized that for over two hundred years, his life had lacked passion. His purpose had solely been self-preservation, feeding and hiding and repeating the process to survive. Now, he was stepping out of his comfort zone to invite Lady Crest in, and he liked it.

Victoria then proceeded to surprise him by defending the Hygrace who had tried to attack her. “I suppose so,” he mused, idly stroking her thigh over the blanket. Objectively, he understood that Caleb was struggling with the same lust for her blood that had plagued him not so long ago, but his possessiveness of her prevented him from being sympathetic. Just watching his cousin hover over her neck had irked him. He wanted her all to himself, so no other vampire—and, if he was honest, no other man—could have her.

At her following poke about his disobedience, Vail smiled amusedly. “I didn’t, did I?” His eyes flicked up to meet hers. He had obeyed Peter’s orders all his life, but when it came to the woman sitting in front of him, thoughts of pleasing his father were pushed to the back of his mind. It was far more satisfying to put her first, the human who had won him over with both her blood and her affection.

Spurred by the realization, he got up from where he had been sitting and climbed over her lap to lay down on her other side, near the middle of the bed. “My father isn’t here right now,” he informed her, tugging a pillow behind his head with one hand and stretching his legs comfortably. “He went into the city to find a proper doctor for you.” He knew the clan leader would be furious if he caught him cozying up to Victoria, but now that she was ill, he didn’t want to stay away. After all, if the sepsis took her life, he would have regretted spending her final moments at arm’s length. Even if it vexed his father, he intended to make the most of the time he knew he still had with her.