Yousof
outfit | #CD7F32

and

Ethan
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x
xxxxx"patience is a virtue." ... "not right now it isn't."
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One moment, everything was fine, and then next Ethan’s ears were ringing and his head was full of more pressure than he’d ever experienced driving through the mountains. And then he blacked out.

He woke up no worse for wear, though, mostly just confused. The first thing he noticed was that he was indeed laying down in the sand, and the entire thing hadn’t been some bizarre dream. The second thing he noticed was that Yousof was also there, greeting him in a strangely casual manner. “Hi,” He said, testing out the word almost like he’d never heard his own voice before, “You feeling okay?” It didn’t take long for Ethan to find his backpack and- thank god- his flashlight still had some batteries, “Might wanna conserve your battery, we can call for help once we get a ss-” He stopped after his s was drawn out for just a moment too long, “Once we can.”

He slowly worked himself to his feet, looking around the room, “Where are we?” He asked, mostly to himself.

“Well, we...are...in a tomb,” Yousof nodded, “we are in a tomb...probably.”

Dreams, drugs, kidnappings...being whisked away to another world. Most of those were possibilities, but only three of them made sense and one of them required a rather large imagination. He stood up and walked towards the wall that the flashlight pointed at, feeling for abnormalities among the bricks. Ancient as the room seemed, every stone was still perfectly set. They were free of cracks, chips, and even mold. Aside from the vines and dust, one would think that the chamber was entirely new.

Yousof continued along the perimeter of the room, tapping for a secret button, a fake wall, or even a hollow brick. They entered (or at least whoever put them here did), so that had to mean there was an exit. From the outside he might have looked like a madman, knocking on random spots hoping that something would happen, but he had a system (or at least some semblance of one).

Three bricks right, then down, then three to the left, two on the row above to the right of center.

What came after?

“Hey Ethan, you ever watch Harry Potter?”

Ethan had never been so glad to have Yousof’s astute powers of observation as when it was confirmed that they were, indeed, in a tomb. “Wonderful...” He started looking around the room. It was utterly pristine, and it made Ethan wonder if this wasn’t some kind of tourist attraction meant to look like an ancient tomb. Had they wandered into some sort of trap or something?

But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what anyone would want from the two of them. They weren’t particularly special, not in a way that would draw attention.

Looking around, top to bottom, feeling along the walls, peeling back vines, kicking at the flooring. Maybe the sand and dirt had accumulated there, hidden some sort of panel, maybe the vines were covering some sort of… Switch? He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He heard his name, “Hm?” He didn’t spare a glance in Yousof’s direction until the other man brought up Harry Potter.

Ethan turned and looked at Yousof, eyebrow raised, “Didn’t everyone watch Harry Potter?” He didn’t know what this had to do with anything, “Why?”

“Do you remember that scene when Hagrid tapped the bricks?” Yousof asked, resting his chin on his fist. He paused only for a second before snapping his finger. “Or-or what about whatever Harry said to get into the Chamber of Secrets.”

He began pacing around the room, glancing at Ethan for some type of confirmation or denial.

“I don’t know. What does that have to do with-"

The ancient Egyptians wouldn’t have used Parseltongue and none of the bastardized Egyptian-god media he’d consumed dared to tread that territory. He doubted they would have been able to install something so elaborate. Unless…

"Do you think we're on a prank show?"

A prank show? That was certainly possible, though this was a particularly elaborate prank if that was the case. “Could be, I guess.” It certainly made more sense than most of the alternative ideas.

Ethan walked a tight circle in the middle of the room, trying to grasp his thoughts and pull it all together. “If this is a prank,” He was speaking slowly, deliberately, “D’you suppose everyone else is watching and laughing at us?”

“I mean I would.” Yousof shrugged.

Ethan shined his flashlight around the room, trying to see if there were any cameras or microphones he could identify. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the ‘elaborate prank’ theory, but it was at least something to keep them from panicking while they tried to find a solution to this problem. He knelt down, brushing at the layer of sand on the floor, trying to see if there were any inscriptions or anything on the stone beneath to tell him how authentic this might be. Of course he was no expert, so that didn’t get him very far. He felt like they were about as trapped as they could be.

After pacing the room for a minute more, Ethan realized that it would probably be easier to think if he could deal with the headache creeping between his eyes. He started rifling through his backpack, he was pretty sure he still had a couple water bottles left in there. “Want some water?” He offered up one of two bottles he had left to Yousof, then sat down on the floor, back against the wall. “We need to try to make them last, in case we’re here a while, but dehydration won’t help us.”

Yousof nodded before grabbing the water from him. He took two long, grateful gulps before pausing at Ethans words. Yet again, the man was making points. He circled back around and sat across from Ethan, making indents in the bottle. Normally this would have been the point where the room started making noises or projecting shadows on the walls. Maybe some bugs would be released, but there was simply...nothing.

“This prank suuuuucks,” he groaned after five minutes of silence, “no jump scares, no secret passage, no ghosts…”

“Just what are they waiting for?” he asked, slamming his bottle down on the floor.

Normally, Ethan would have tried to think of something snappy to say, like they were waiting for the two of them to get desperate and start deciding which of them to eat first or something. But then Yousof slammed his water on the ground and Ethan could have sworn he heard a faint click from somewhere in the room.

“Did you hear th…that?” He asked, his voice hardly above a whisper, as if speaking too loud would cause the room to cave in on top of them.

It could have easily been paranoia, or just the idea of being on a hidden camera show getting to him. He looked around for a moment, but nothing seemed to happen. Probably just in his head, then. He sighed, “S-sorry, I guess I’m just worked up.” Ethan had just let his shoulders relax and rested his head back against the wall when another noise could be heard. Subtle, at first, but it quickly grew. It sounded a bit like when you pour a bunch of rocks into the bottom of a fish tank.

Wait. That wasn’t good.

Ethan scrambled to his feet when he saw the middle of the room slowly opening up. “Fuck,” He eloquently said, wondering if this was the sort of excitement Yousof was hoping for. He quickly started to scan the room to see if there was any way of getting out of this, but the floor was quickly collapsing from the center inward, and there was only a matter of time before there wasn’t a floor at all.

“Oh god, oh fuck. Oh god, oh fuck!” Yousof yelled as the bricks fell beneath him, “are you seeing this?”

Ethan’s mind went wandering to how far the drop might be, but he didn’t have much time to think on things like that.

“Hey,” He shouted, to make sure he could be heard over the growing noise, “Come here!” He offered Yousof his hand- traditional notions of masculinity be damned- they needed to stay together. They probably had a better chance of surviving that way. Well, or they’d die more quickly. Who knew.

Making a final jump, Yousof reached out, his fingers brushing against Ethan’s before slipping away.

It seemed like the two of them would find out.

xxxx

xDean SunDeclan Sunx
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xxtroublemakerfuture surgeonxx
xx#A3333D#4A6670xx
xxsong or vibesong or vibexx
xxoutfitoutfitxx
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please!thanks<3

Declan might not have attended the party had Gabriela not said she was thinking about going, and Dean said he was certainly attending. Dec was pretty sure they’d only invited Dean because it felt wrong not to invite them both in the first place. Declan understood that, but sometimes they wished things weren’t like that. In his opinion, Dean was a good, but deeply flawed, person. Underneath all his issues he cared a lot.

The night of the party, Dean had swung by Declan’s place ahead of time because, well, it was on the way and Dean was trying to repair their relationship, and he wouldn’t be as well received if Dec wasn’t there with him. So he was there, sifting through Declan’s refrigerator while he waited for his sibling to get ready. Dean made a face as he pulled some rotting spinach out and tossed it in the garbage. Declan bought fresh food, but from the looks of the kitchen they never ate any of it. Dean couldn’t blame them, they were honestly too busy.

“Are you almost ready?” He called, long since tired of waiting around, “If we don’t hurry up people are going to think you won’t show.”

Declan had been so busy. Classes, studying, hospital rotations. It was dizzying and exhausting and left them little time for the small pleasures of life like taking their goddamn time getting ready for a party. “Yeah, I’m just-” He sighed, “It’s been so long, you know?” All their old friends were going to be there. Soren was going to be there. Maybe Simon. Dec wasn’t sure how to behave, or what kind of impression to make. Their social life had suffered for their excellent grades, and sometimes Declan wondered if he’d ever be normal again.

They left the cramped bathroom and came face-to-face with Dean, “Okay, I-” A pause, and a look around the room, “Were you going through my food?”

“Half of your shit was molding in the fridge,” Dean offered as an explanation, before turning to grab Declan’s keys and toss them at his brother, “Come on, parties are no fun if you’re the only sober ones there, and if we don’t hurry we will be.”

A subway ride and a couple blocks of walking later, and they were very nearly there.

“Dean,” Declan started, intending to ask Dean not to get Gabriella mixed up in whatever trouble he might concoct while at the party, but Dean waved them off before they got off the chance.

“I know this is my last fucking chance with most of these people,” He said, looking ahead, eyes not even glancing towards his brother, “Past it, even. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Declan felt a little guilty. That was basically the gist of it, but they probably wouldn’t have been too harsh. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt tonight, is all.”

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them.

“I know.” Dean finally replied. And after that, neither of them said much.

As they neared the building, Dean looked across the street and saw a squirrel behaving really erratically, and Dean pointed it out. “The fuck is that squirrel doing?”

Declan turned their head, eyebrow raised, “Let’s just get inside and leave it alone. Might be diseased or something.”

“Gross,” Dean mumbled as they entered the building.

---

---

They weren’t there long before Dean vanished from Declan’s side and someone else found him, “Where the fuck have you been.”

Declan quickly tried to explain, tone apologetic, “My rotation this afternoon ran a little long and-”

“It doesn’t even matter. You’re here now. Don’t you dare leave me alone.”

Declan nodded at the interruption, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He nodded along as she started detailing the gossip of the night, occasionally puncturing her comments with little interjections of “oh?”, or “no,” or even, “I knew it!”

Declan raised an eyebrow at Gabriella’s comment about Erin and Evie. They smirked, “Right down to the outfits.”

Dean had made it to the kitchen, and Declan shot him an awkward smile as they both reached out for Gabriella to hand them a beer. Then Robyn Miller, of all people, was greeting Dean like they were the best of friends. What the fuck.

There hadn’t been much for Dean to do besides ditch Declan once the two of them got to the party, and then they were quickly reunited in the kitchen. Dean shot a beaming grin at Dec and went on to his business. The goal for the evening was to get drunk, get laid, and have fun. He ran into someone on his way out of the kitchen, and was a little pissed off until he noticed it was Robyn. He smiled at her greeting, “Hey! It’s great to see you.”

“How have you been? How’s the restaurant?”

Dean nodded, “Busy,” He offered, as explanation for how both he and the restaurant were doing, “How about you? How’s-”

Then Jade showed up, blowing through the room like a whirlwind. He swallowed down his annoyance of being interrupted to put on the act of a kind and caring boyfriend, shrugging off her apology for being late. “Not my party.” He neglected to mention that he, himself, had also been a bit late. He returned Jade’s kiss, and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when Jade went on talking to Robyn about Nate’s passing. The conversation was suddenly about Nate, and he wasn’t the center of it anymore, so he was very quickly growing bored. But he kept a polite, neutral smile glued to his face.

Gabriella, who had turned to face Declan when Jade entered the kitchen, still couldn’t resist glancing out her periphery as she heard Jade call another by the endearment once reserved for her. Doing her best not to react she took a drink from her beer, looking back to Declan to see his reaction. It was evident it was just as much of a surprise to him as it was Gabriella.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Gabriella mumbled to Declan, slipping past him and out the kitchen.

Dec had no idea that Jade and Dean were… Together? He shook his head when Gabriella looked at him, trying to wordlessly convey that he would have told her had he known. He sighed, softly, to himself as she slipped past. She needed a minute, so he let her go.

Declan walked up to Dean and, with a smile, said, “Excuse me ladies,” They cut a sharp look at Jade, it only lasted a second, but it was long enough to convey their distaste for her. “Can I borrow my brother for just a minute?” With their normally-gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder, Declan led Dean out of the kitchen and to the first empty corner they could find and shoved him into it.

“What the hell, Dean?!”

“What?” Dean’s expression was incredulous, he hadn’t done anything. Of course, he didn’t know the truth about what had happened between Jade and Gabriella, but for fuck’s sake.

“Jade? Out of everyone in the world?”

Dean shrugged, but he was angry at Declan for pushing him. Dec could see it on his face, they knew Dean better than anyone. “I really don’t think it's any of your business.” Dean smiled; all teeth and no warmth, “Is it?”

---

---

Declan might not have attended the party had Gabriela not said she was thinking about going, and Dean said he was certainly attending. Dec was pretty sure they’d only invited Dean because it felt wrong not to invite them both in the first place. Declan understood that, but sometimes they wished things weren’t like that. In his opinion, Dean was a good, but deeply flawed, person. Underneath all his issues he cared a lot.

The night of the party, Dean had swung by Declan’s place ahead of time because, well, it was on the way and Dean was trying to repair their relationship, and he wouldn’t be as well received if Dec wasn’t there with him. So he was there, sifting through Declan’s refrigerator while he waited for his sibling to get ready. Dean made a face as he pulled some rotting spinach out and tossed it in the garbage. Declan bought fresh food, but from the looks of the kitchen they never ate any of it. Dean couldn’t blame them, they were honestly too busy.

“Are you almost ready?” He called, long since tired of waiting around, “If we don’t hurry up people are going to think you won’t show.”

Declan had been so busy. Classes, studying, hospital rotations. It was dizzying and exhausting and left them little time for the small pleasures of life like taking their goddamn time getting ready for a party. “Yeah, I’m just-” He sighed, “It’s been so long, you know?” All their old friends were going to be there. Soren was going to be there. Maybe Simon. Dec wasn’t sure how to behave, or what kind of impression to make. Their social life had suffered for their excellent grades, and sometimes Declan wondered if he’d ever be normal again.

They left the cramped bathroom and came face-to-face with Dean, “Okay, I-” A pause, and a look around the room, “Were you going through my food?”

“Half of your shit was molding in the fridge,” Dean offered as an explanation, before turning to grab Declan’s keys and toss them at his brother, “Come on, parties are no fun if you’re the only sober ones there, and if we don’t hurry we will be.”

A subway ride and a couple blocks of walking later, and they were very nearly there.

“Dean,” Declan started, intending to ask Dean not to get Gabriella mixed up in whatever trouble he might concoct while at the party, but Dean waved them off before they got off the chance.

“I know this is my last fucking chance with most of these people,” He said, looking ahead, eyes not even glancing towards his brother, “Past it, even. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Declan felt a little guilty. That was basically the gist of it, but they probably wouldn’t have been too harsh. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt tonight, is all.”

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them.

“I know.” Dean finally replied. And after that, neither of them said much.

As they neared the building, Dean looked across the street and saw a squirrel behaving really erratically, and Dean pointed it out. “The fuck is that squirrel doing?”

Declan turned their head, eyebrow raised, “Let’s just get inside and leave it alone. Might be diseased or something.”

“Gross,” Dean mumbled as they entered the building.

---

---

They weren’t there long before Dean vanished from Declan’s side and someone else found him, “Where the fuck have you been.”

Declan quickly tried to explain, tone apologetic, “My rotation this afternoon ran a little long and-”

“It doesn’t even matter. You’re here now. Don’t you dare leave me alone.”

Declan nodded at the interruption, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He nodded along as she started detailing the gossip of the night, occasionally puncturing her comments with little interjections of “oh?”, or “no,” or even, “I knew it!”

Declan raised an eyebrow at Gabriella’s comment about Erin and Evie. They smirked, “Right down to the outfits.”

Dean had made it to the kitchen, and Declan shot him an awkward smile as they both reached out for Gabriella to hand them a beer. Then Robyn Miller, of all people, was greeting Dean like they were the best of friends. What the fuck.

There hadn’t been much for Dean to do besides ditch Declan once the two of them got to the party, and then they were quickly reunited in the kitchen. Dean shot a beaming grin at Dec and went on to his business. The goal for the evening was to get drunk, get laid, and have fun. He ran into someone on his way out of the kitchen, and was a little pissed off until he noticed it was Robyn. He smiled at her greeting, “Hey! It’s great to see you.”

“How have you been? How’s the restaurant?”

Dean nodded, “Busy,” He offered, as explanation for how both he and the restaurant were doing, “How about you? How’s-”

Then Jade showed up, blowing through the room like a whirlwind. He swallowed down his annoyance of being interrupted to put on the act of a kind and caring boyfriend, shrugging off her apology for being late. “Not my party.” He neglected to mention that he, himself, had also been a bit late. He returned Jade’s kiss, and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when Jade went on talking to Robyn about Nate’s passing. The conversation was suddenly about Nate, and he wasn’t the center of it anymore, so he was very quickly growing bored. But he kept a polite, neutral smile glued to his face.

Gabriella, who had turned to face Declan when Jade entered the kitchen, still couldn’t resist glancing out her periphery as she heard Jade call another by the endearment once reserved for her. Doing her best not to react she took a drink from her beer, looking back to Declan to see his reaction. It was evident it was just as much of a surprise to him as it was Gabriella.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Gabriella mumbled to Declan, slipping past him and out the kitchen.

Dec had no idea that Jade and Dean were… Together? He shook his head when Gabriella looked at him, trying to wordlessly convey that he would have told her had he known. He sighed, softly, to himself as she slipped past. She needed a minute, so he let her go.

Declan walked up to Dean and, with a smile, said, “Excuse me ladies,” They cut a sharp look at Jade, it only lasted a second, but it was long enough to convey their distaste for her. “Can I borrow my brother for just a minute?” With their normally-gentle hand on Dean’s shoulder, Declan led Dean out of the kitchen and to the first empty corner they could find and shoved him into it.

“What the hell, Dean?!”

“What?” Dean’s expression was incredulous, he hadn’t done anything. Of course, he didn’t know the truth about what had happened between Jade and Gabriella, but for fuck’s sake.

“Jade? Out of everyone in the world?”

Dean shrugged, but he was angry at Declan for pushing him. Dec could see it on his face, they knew Dean better than anyone. “I really don’t think it's any of your business.” Dean smiled; all teeth and no warmth, “Is it?”

Ethan hit his head as he fell...



When he finally opened his eyes, there was dim light filtering into the… Room? Was he in a room or a hall? He couldn’t quite tell. It took him a moment to orient himself, and then he scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could (which wasn’t particularly quickly) with the sand and rocks slipping under his feet. “Yousof?” He called, but it was pointless.

He needed to look around.

He was in a particularly wide hallway. The sunlight looked like a sunset. Maybe a sunrise. How long had he been here? His phone was dead, and his backpack was nowhere to be found. Great. The path behind him had been caved in by the floor he’d fallen through, so there was only one direction to go in. There was a door not very far ahead, anyway.

So he walked towards the door, but it was much farther away than he thought, and with every step he took the sun seemed to make the stones around him glow a brighter orange than the step before. It was trippy, like something out of a movie or a fever dream.

And, of course, when he finally got there the door was locked. He pulled and shook and rattled the door. This was the only way he could go, the only thing he could do. ”Fuck!” He yelled, finally letting all his fear and frustration out now that he was alone, along with a long string of expletives. Finally, when he’d all but decided to give up, he addressed the door specifically, “Just open th-the fuck up!”

And it did.

Ethan stood there for a long, silent moment. What had just happened? He looked behind himself, and all around. He didn’t know what to think, but he didn’t think he wanted to go into that room. But it was growing darker, and he could see a torch lit in the room beyond the door. He paused, for a moment, to consider why there would be a lit torch in a locked room. But that must mean there was someone in there, and if it was some of crazy murderer, well, he was beginning to accept that he was going to die in here anyway.

As he passed through the threshold of the room, the temperature seemed to change. It was cool here, cold even. Ethan made a beeline for the torch, looked around to see if he could see anyone else. It was empty. Once he made it to the torch, he was able to see a few things: there was a winding river, somehow, and an ancient looking boat with one oar. That’s weird. He wasn’t sure what might happen if he fell into the water, but from what he saw the ground to either side of the river didn’t look particularly stable. He didn’t want to fall through any more floors today. He went to grab the torch, and it immediately went out. That’s suspicious. It was suddenly very dark in this… River room thing, so he turned to leave, but the door slammed shut all on it’s own, plunging Ethan into complete darkness.

“N-n...no!” He ran back to where he was sure the door had been, but he either couldn’t find it or there was no handle on the inside to try. He stood there, perfectly still and trying not to hyperventilate, for a long time. What was he supposed to do? Tears welled up in his eyes and he had no power to stop them. Before long fell to the ground, hugged his knees to his chest, and allowed himself to sob. He’d never been more scared in his life.

It felt like ages when he finally calmed down enough to rationalize with himself that if there was a river here, then it had to come from somewhere, or lead somewhere. He had a boat, and it might be a trap but he had no other choice, did he?

It took a long time to navigate back to the river bed in the darkness, but eventually Ethan found his way back to the boat. He hesitated, slightly, to get it in the water and get going, but eventually he launched the boat and started floating down the river.

For a while, the boat kept running into the banks on either side of the river, and Ethan was worried it would jostle him from the boat. At one point, while he stood relatively still, attempting to use the oar to feel out the area around him, he heard something. So he stopped, stilled himself, and listened. There was something in the water.

There was something in the water.

There was something in the water, and from the sound of the splashes it was making, it was big. What might be down here? A crocodile? Unlikely, but possible.

He carried on navigating the boat through the dark, and started figuring out how to use the river and his instincts to his advantage. He was still on edge, but he was starting to gain some confidence in his abilities. Then whatever was in the river with him bumped into the boat. Ethan wasn’t sure what to do; he couldn’t see the thing, and the way sounds were echoing in this room was really messing with his ability to locate whatever this creature was. He prodded around the boat with the oar, but upon not finding anything he just carried on paddling through the water.

The creature bumped into, and rocked, Ethan’s boat every few minutes like clockwork. It was some sort of game, it seemed, and Ethan wasn’t interested in playing. Eventually Ethan found the creature with the oar and gave it a good shove, hoping to encourage it to move on and leave him alone. Instead it flipped the boat. Ethan let out a cry as he fell into the water. It was deep, far too deep to touch the bottom. He wildly reached to find the boat, the oar he’d dropped, anything. Instead, he felt something wrap around his leg and try to pull him underneath the water.

He kicked and flailed, trying to get the creature to let him go, but it pulled him under despite his struggle. He could feel strong muscles and then, eventually, sharp teeth threatened to tear at his flesh. He remembered that he had a pencil in his pocket, and hoped it was still there.

It was.

He stabbed the pencil into the creature, and it let him go, swam away. Ethan kicked up to the surface of the water and took a deep breath. Where was the boat?

He swam, trying desperately to find the boat, at least, before the creature came back. It would be angry this time. When he finally found the boat it took him more time than he would have liked to right it in the water, but somehow the process of doing that caused the oar to come around and bump right into Ethan’s back. Getting back into the boat wasn’t easy, but he managed it.

The rest of his boat ride was less eventful: he got stuck in a shallow patch of water, ran into a rock, and the creature did eventually come back to rock the boat some more, but he made it to the shore on the other side without sustaining any serious injuries.

After he got out of the boat, Ethan ran as far into the shore as he could before he started worrying he’d run into something else. This was insane. He felt like he was going to puke, he couldn’t believe he’d just done that. He took a moment to just sit and breathe, thinking- hoping- that the creature from the river couldn’t come up on the land.

Eventually he got up and slowly made his way around this side of the room. Empty, and though he couldn’t see to confirm it, it seemed identical to the room at the top of the river. Had he gotten turned around after that creature knocked him out of the boat? Fear started to build in his chest, but then he found a doorway. A way out. He’d be okay. He had to be okay. Had to keep going. So he went through the door. He didn’t have another choice.

Dean couldn’t pretend that Declan’s words hadn’t annoyed him; there was an obvious air of frustration (or was that hurt) on his face as his sibling walked away. He was trying, he really was. He wished others could see it. His entire mood had plummeted, and he’d started considering just up and leaving when he spotted Livvy. She’d always sparked something within him, though he wasn’t sure he could explain what it was if he tried. She was coming towards him, so he decided to close the space between them, casually sipping his drink.

He noticed two things once she was right in front of him: she’d definitely been drinking, and she was upset. Dean had always been pretty good at reading people, and he was even better at reading Olivia. He took a second to paste a concerned expression on his face before he spoke. ”Woah, hey. What’s wrong?” He knew if he played his cards right he might be able to turn this evening around for himself.

If Livvy was in a better headspace, she would’ve had more of a reaction seeing Dean leaning against the wall with a drink in his hand. She probably would’ve had some flashback of high school when she first approached him at a party. His smile lit up her world and pushed back the shadows of her home life. It was like the calm before the storm of their relationship.

If Livvy was in a better headspace, she probably also would’ve blinked in surprise as he came towards her. That familiar look of mischief in his eyes. At least, until concern replaced it. She tried her best to not seem as frantic or as desperate as she felt. She decided she’d start with: ”Lauren’s here.”

She tried not to glance towards where Lauren was likely still snickering to herself in Erin’s bedroom reading whatever gossip was being handed to her. She also tried not to turn her attention, or glare towards Camilla who invited the fire breathing bitch queen.

How did Lauren even know about her step father? Though, based on her comment, she didn’t know the full history there. But still… only a few people knew about it. Actually, the only person she remembered going into detail about it was Simon. She mentioned it vaguely to Erin and Dean, but neither would’ve told anyone… would they? Did Lauren know her step father? That would make more sense…. She was spiraling. She managed to gasp out, ”Distraction. I need a distraction.” She reached out a hand to grasp his wrist, though she tried to do it lightly to downplay her desperation. ”Do you have anything?”

Lauren was there? Dean raised an eyebrow and fought the urge to crane his neck to look for her. She was something of a weakness of his, but he knew how she got under people’s skin. She must have said something to Livvy. He nodded knowingly, an understanding expression painted across his features. He’d seek Lauren out later, assuming neither of them got kicked out of the party.

A wicked sort of grin broke out on his face when Livvy said she needed a distraction. A better person may have told her to slow down and offered to talk it out with her. Dean had seldom been accused of being a good person. He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, tracing his finger down her jaw to her chin, applying a gentle pressure until he could look deeply into her eyes. He bit his lower lip, he loved this: being wanted- needed- that little moment of toying with someone before giving them what they needed- wanted. A guy had to get his kicks somewhere.

As if he couldn’t hold it back anymore, a bright grin spread across his face and he laughed. It was well practiced, looked natural. He wondered if Livvy would see through it, or if the distance between them that past several years would have made her forget his tells. ”Of course I do,” He said, tone warm and familiar, ”I’ve not changed that much.” He usually had something on him. More often than not now that he’d started seeing Jade, though the pills weren’t his preference. He jerked his head to the side, silently beckoning her to follow him. There weren’t an abundance of places to get some privacy here, really. There was a line at the bathroom, but he’d never let that stop him before.

”Hey, thanks,” He said to someone in line for the bathroom as he gently pushed Livvy in front of him, absolutely not subtly entering behind her while ignoring the protests from the line as he locked the door. He flashed Livvy a grin as he went digging in his pocket, pulling out a small bag with a few pills inside. ”Take your pick,” He said, handing the goods over to Olivia.

There was already heat in her face thanks to the alcohol in her system, but it flared a little hotter as Dean reached out to touch her. Their close proximity, his willingness to assist… It brought her back to those days.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe that they were back in the AP fine art classroom. The lights off so no one would know they were there. Only the music was different, louder compared to the jams they would play on their phone speakers, loud enough to hear, but quiet enough that no one else could. Then there was the heat, the rush, the paint. There was almost always some kind of colorful media on their skin but never on their clothes.

Heat filled her core and she found herself smiling at him. When he gestured for her to follow, she did so, sliding her hand into his so he could more easily lead her. Her pulse sped as he brought her back to the hall, put stopped at the bathroom, pushing her inside before shutting the door behind them and locking it. He dug through his pocket and pulled out a bag with different colored pills inside. She pinched a familiar light pink one between her fingers, stamped with a heart.

It was going to take some time to hit, which was a bummer, but of the bunch it was the one that would work best for what she needed it for. She popped it into her mouth with a smirk. ”Thanks, she said with a content sigh.

Dean watched her with all the intensity of a hungry tiger; his eyes only left hers to scan over her body. She looked good. Very good. ”It’s what I’m here for,” He replied. Hopefully his attempt at humor wouldn’t be lost on her. Being here, it reminded him of the way things used to be. There was no bad blood between them, just a stifling distance and the reminder of everything that they were when they were younger and more foolish.

”Hey, uh,” He started, putting on an act so he seemed a little bashful, as if this wasn’t a totally calculated move, ”It’s really good to see you again.” He reached out and let his hand graze her shoulder, then traced down her arm. He was testing the waters, seeing what she’d let him get away with. They’d always had so much chemistry, if he could just get a spark going, maybe they could ignite something here. Then this night wouldn’t be a waste.

She smiled, a little shyly herself. ”It’s good to see you too, Dean. His hand was warm on her shoulder, leaving a fiery trail down her arm. She almost hissed, but not in pain. At how good it felt. Lauren’s touch had been… short, calculated, foreign. Dean’s touch was heat, fire, and familiar. It brought to mind a painting she had done in high school she titled Passion in Paint after their first time together. It was a splash of orange, red, yellow, and black with hints of gold.

For a moment, she thought of Jade. How they were together and she shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be allowing this but… Dean was a big boy. He could make his own choices. Plus… what did she owe Jade anyway? She was on Gabriella’s side of that mess. She reached out a hand, lacing her fingers through his free hand and tugged him a little closer. With her other arm, the one he had run his hand down, she reached up, moving a loose strand of his hair from his forehead. A gesture she used to do often. His hair never stayed put.

Dean smirked, allowing Livvy to pull him closer, relishing in the way her hand brushed against his face when she tried to brush his hair back into place. It was all so natural. So right. He couldn’t help but think of all the times they’d snuck off during parties and found a nice quiet place to enjoy one another. There was a comfort in familiarity, and a desire that came from years of distance. Where Olivia used to be routine, now she was an old flame to be rekindled. Dean had always been good at starting fires.

He dropped his free hand to her lower back, pulling her right up against him. He paused, then, scanning her eyes for resistance, hesitation. Maybe it was better to let her make that move, then he couldn’t be accused of being too forward. ”I've missed you,” He mumbled. It wasn’t a total lie; he missed her desperately every time he saw a nice picture of her on social media. Something about not having her to call “his” anymore made the thought of her so much more tantalizing.

He readjusted the hand clasped firmly to Olivia’s, pulling her hand up to plant a gentle kiss upon it. This was all part of the fun; did she miss him? Did she think of him? Did she want him? Those were all questions he wanted answered, and he knew he could work them out of her if he worked at it a little. He was tempted to find that spot along her jaw, nibble there for a moment, but he refrained. The ball was in her court. There was no denying what he wanted out of this interaction, and he only hoped he’d read her correctly.

As he pulled her close, she was enveloped in the heat of him. She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, her long lashes fluttering slightly. This was what she had wanted from Lauren. Not… She pushed the thought away. She wasn’t going to let Lauren ruin any more of her fun. She tilted her head to the side, her hair falling back over her shoulder with the movement. ”I missed you, too, she purred. And it was true.

He was almost as constant in her life as Simon at least in high school. After they broke up and stopped being around one another, it felt like a hold had been carved into her chest for a while. Then it didn’t ache as much. Felt more like missing a finger. Odd with phantom pains, but manageable. She placed one hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart, matching hers. ”I couldn’t even tell you how much.

One thing she loved about when they were together like this was the… tension. The pressure that would build. It was almost a game to see who would break first. ”Should I…” She bit her lower lip. She couldn’t believe these words were coming out of her mouth. ”Should I show you?”

Dean couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face- it was probably the first genuine one of the night. Olivia just got him, and she was good at throwing back whatever he tossed her way. This game they played had been a constant for almost as long as they’d known one other. Put them in a room long enough, and eventually they’d start to see if the other would crack.

There was, also, the building pressure of the people outside the bathroom door- quickly becoming restless. Dean didn’t care, but he didn’t want it to kill Livvy’s mood.

But when she asked if she should show him how she’d missed him, well, that was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. His breath caught in his chest, and before he knew it he was the one breaking, ”Oh, yes,” Then quickly, he added, ”Yes, please… If you’re so inclined.” He leaned in closer, if that were even possible, so his lips were almost brushing against her’s, ”I would love nothing more.”

Livvy could hear the people outside. She knew it was only a matter of time before Erin herself knocked down the door...but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. It was only her and Dean. There was a… voice in the very back of her mind who said this was wrong. That she shouldn’t be here with Dean. She kept that voice in the back of her mind.

She laughed a little under her breath at his acceptance. Her own breath caught as he came closer, his lips brushing hers. When he spoke she could feel his breath on her skin, smell the alcohol on his breath. She let them hover there for a few heartbeats before she broke. She couldn’t take it.

She needed him.

She closed that bit of space between them, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him to her and kissing him gently. Gently, of course, because though she gave in… they both knew there was more to burn. And she lit that match… by gently biting his lower lip.

Livvy kissed him, and the kindling caught. Dean kissed her back, hands resting, for a moment, on her hips, pulling her in. Sometimes it didn’t feel enough to be close, pressed together, you wanted to melt together. Couldn’t be close enough.

And he took her bait, deepening the kiss, relishing the taste of whatever she’d been drinking and the scent of her. Livvy had always smelled nice; it was a little different,a little more mature than the candy-sweet smells of her high school days, but still certainly her. It was the paint, probably, cutting through the vanilla, that he picked out as being her scent. He never could smell fresh paint without thinking of her. She was, in all, perhaps just as intoxicating as the alcohol. Dean let his hands wander as they kissed- exploring, gripping fabric, never quite digging in though. Instead, he firmly planted his hands on her backside to hoist her up onto the edge of the sink, tracing kisses from her mouth down to her jaw, slowly kissing until he’d found the right spot, then gently nipping at the skin there.

A soft sound slipped from her as he kissed her back, his hands on her hips. This close, she could smell cinnamon with something a little spicier underneath. When he took her bait and deepened their kiss, she found it wasn’t enough. She wanted more, more, more of him.

Then she was lifted, sitting on the edge of the sink. He trailed kisses from the corner of her mouth, to her jaw. Each kiss was a flame on her skin and she gasped. She ran a hand up into his hair, encouraging him until he found the spot. It was her undoing.

She closed her eyes and--with the muffled sound of the music from a different part of the house--she was brought back to that room in high school. Sitting on one of the work tables and exploring one another. Another sound slipped from her a little louder, a little more desperate. Without looking, she found herself undoing the buttons of his shirt, her fingers shaking slightly as she went.

Dean smirked against her skin, hands flitting across her body still, as if desperately trying to find purchase. He broke contact with her as she went to unbutton his shirt, taking half a step back to undo the buttons himself, and casting the shirt aside. ”This one too?” He asked, almost teasingly, as he lifted his white undershirt up and over his head.

It was almost incredible, really, the way the body remembers all the little things. A nip at the neck, a hand at just the right part of the thigh, that sloppy way you kiss when you’ve gone past the point of caring about neatness.

Dean let his hands rest on Livvy’s waist for a moment, pulling her closer to him again, then reached to tug at Livvy’s top. They could remove it if they decided, but for the moment he would be happy just tugging it down and out of the way.

Never in her life had Livvy been happier that high-low skirts were a thing as his hand trailed up her thighs, pushing back the fabric. They were warm and rough from his time in the kitchens. She reached as he pulled away but stopped once she realized what he was doing. She bit her lip as he removed his shirts exposing the slight muscle hidden beneath them. Then he was on her again, their kisses more heated, their touches hungrier.

His hands were on her waist, his thumbs reaching the tender skin beneath her breasts and at first, she hadn’t noticed. At first, it hadn’t bothered her. But then… No one wants you, his voice echoed in her mind. No one, but me. Then it wasn’t Dean’s hands but her step father’s. Gripping her, holding her to him, touching her…

She pushed Dean backwards. Hard. Her breaths came quickly and were shallow like she couldn’t get enough air fast enough. It took a moment to register what she had done. ”Sorry, I-” She started to say, a hand going to her waist. She was going to be sick.

She pushed from the sink, legs giving out beneath her causing her knees to smack into the floor, but she made it just in time. Her eyes burned, body trembling as she retched. She was dizzy, she was panicked, she was embarrassed, she was numb, she was overstimulated… it was all too much.

Dean was taken aback by being pushed; he hadn’t expected it, and narrowly avoided falling back himself. He caught himself, but that didn’t stop his head from hitting the wall off the small New York bathroom behind him. Irritation and embarrassment flared up in his chest, but Olivia was apologizing, and she quickly bolted to the toilet.

Then an awkwardness hung on Dean’s shoulders like a weight, pulling him down to the bottom of some unknown emotional harbor. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he squatted down close to Livvy and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. He hated vulnerability, never knew what to do with it. ”Hey,” He said, more mumbling than actually speaking, ”It's okay.” He questioned if he should do more, like try to hold her hair back or something, but if he were being honest he was a little grossed out by the vomiting, so instead he awkwardly patted her back for a moment before deciding to get his t-shirt back on. Maybe she’d had more to drink that he’d thought, or the drugs and the alcohol were a bad combination.

She came up for air, a cold sweat on her brow. She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t want to see the face he was making. She could only imagine disgust, pity, worry… She wanted to have a good time. To not let Lauren affect her and she failed. ”Sorry,” She said, barely more than a whisper. ”Lauren just,” She ran a hand through her hair, pulling it back from her face as the room spun around her, ”Got into my head. He got back into my head.” She shuddered as a wave threatened to rise. ”Just… sorry.”

When Livvy mentioned Lauren getting into her head, it all clicked. Anger flared in his mind: of course it was because of Lauren. She’d said as much before, but Dean hadn’t thought it was like that. ”Don’t apologize for that,” He said, shaking out how button up and draping it over Olivia’s shoulders. It wasn’t much, but it was a layer to hide under until she felt safe again, ”Don't even apologize for that.”

But this wasn’t something he was equipped to deal with, nor did he think his presence would be particularly comforting. And he didn’t want to be the person doing this part, if he were being honest. He sighed, running a hand roughly through his hair. ”Stay put,” It was a command, not a request. He slipped out of the bathroom, shooting a sharp look at the impatient souls waiting just outside the door, ”Be patient.”, made a beeline to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, and went to look for someone that might be better at helping Livvy through this than he would be. Almost anyone would be a better option, really, but he ran into Erin first. ”Hey,” He interjected, not really caring if he was interrupting something, then he leaned in close to whisper, ”Livvy’s having a breakdown in the bathroom,” He passed the water to Erin, intending for her to take it to Livvy; he knew she didn’t like him, but he also knew she’d take care of Livvy. ”Lauren said something to her. I think about her stepdad.” He was sure that would be enough.

This party was bogus. Dean wasn’t having nearly enough fun for this to have even been worth attending. So he was slinking around, talking to people, drinking, you know how it goes. He didn’t really feel like he was super wanted here, and he considered leaving, but then he caught a glimpse of someone he just had to speak with across the room.

So he made a beeline for Lauren, cutting her off with a hand firmly planted to the wall near her. Hopefully she wouldn’t try to worm her way past him. “Laur,” He said, with nothing but love and friendly adoration in his voice, “I didn’t expect to see you here. You look great. Having fun?” He, of course, wasn’t really that interested in how much fun she was having at the party. If there was one thing Dean knew about Lauren, it was that she was certainly enjoying herself if she could get under someone’s skin.

“How’re things going with Soren?” He asked (before she could finish telling him all about how she was ruining people’s lives), with a bit more venom in his tone than strictly necessary.

Lauren had known that Dean was somewhere around, but truth be told, she hadn’t really cared enough to go find him just yet. She wasn’t quite that bored just yet. She made no attempt to escape him when he arrived in front of her, however, simply managed a smile.

“Dean, wonderful to see you. And speak for yourself, it’s such a nice change to see you all dressed up,” she said, matching the warmth in his tone. She decided to dodge the question about whether or not she was having fun; but evidently, Dean didn’t really care about that either.

At the mention of Soren, she dropped her nice act, rolling her eyes and scoffing. “He’s still up on his high horse, thinks that he’s too good for me now. So, I’m just gonna have to drag him back down. Time for the internet to find out he’s hooked on painkillers and god knows what else,” she said, phrasing the last part with over dramatic fake shock. “You might want to warn that brother of yours. If he gets involved with Soren, he’ll probably have to endure begging for prescriptions for oxy and morphine.” She phrases it as though it’s legitimate advice for a genuine risk, and not just the beginning of the smear campaign against her ex.

“He is too good for you,” Dean offered, simply. “You should give it up.” That was something he’d been telling Lauren for a while. Not that she wasn’t good enough for Soren, but that it was a waste of her time. He’d moved on, would want nothing to do with her now. She couldn’t bully her way back into someone’s heart, try as she might. Dean would know.

Dean shrugged, “I’m not worried about Declan. They make good decisions.” This was, of course, completely ignoring the years of work Dean had put into driving a wedge between Soren and Dec. That was for purely selfish reasons, completely separate from Declan’s ability to choose a suitable partner.

“Actually, Lauren, I was thinking that it’s high time you moved on to someone else.” He, of course, meant himself, “And I think I can convince you.”

Lauren just rolled her eyes as Dean told her, yet again, to give up on Soren. He was probably right, of course, but Lauren hated admitting defeat. His comment about Declan, however, took her slightly more by surprise. She had heard about Dean’s attempts to keep Soren away from Declan, and by all accounts, he’d made it his life goal to make sure nothing ever happened. So when he ignored the information she’d given him, information that could keep Declan away for a while, if not for good, she was surprised.

That was, until he changed the subject. Of course that was what was on his mind. She laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, really?” She asked. “How do you intend on doing that?” She took a step towards him as he spoke, as if to playfully challenge him.

Dean shrugged, feigning indifference. “A little birdy told me that you’ve been siphoning money from daddy’s business accounts for yourself.” That “little birdy” had been Dean, snooping around Lauren’s apartment the last time he’d been over. He really was just trying to see if she had anything laying around that she wouldn’t miss that he could sell for a bit of cash, but this had been a real find.

“As it stands, my morals tell me I simply have to let your father know. But a dutiful boyfriend may be convinced to keep your little secret,” It was only partially about the money he might be able to get his hands on if they were together. Something about Lauren was electric, captivating. He couldn’t let go of her. “Provided, of course, he gets to benefit from it as well.”

Lauren had been expecting him to flirt with her, perhaps make a move, and she had intended on letting him do so. She had to give him a little something every now and then to keep him hanging on. But what he actually said took Lauren aback. It was exactly the game she’d been playing with everyone else all evening, and she hadn’t expected to have it turned back on herself.

For a moment, she considered telling Dean exactly where to go and turning the little favour that Declan had done for her back on Dean. And then she realised that she could use him. She needed an accomplice, and if it meant sharing some of her funds, so be it. Besides, there was something oddly attractive about the manner in which he’d managed to turn her own tactics against her.

“You drive a hard bargain, Mr Sun,” she said. “How could I refuse?” She added, as if all he had done was flirt with her, and not threaten to expose her to her parents and ruin all of her carefully orchestrated plans.

Dean had been expecting Lauren to fight him more than she had. A part of him had to wonder what she had up her sleeve for him, or how quickly she would grow bored of him and move on. Either way, he’d won for now, and he would always have that blackmail to fall back on if he needed it.

He smirked, and leaned in to plant a quick, chaste kiss on her lips. “Of course, I expect a nice instagram post about the relationship soon enough. I won’t be satisfied being hidden away in the background.” He was hoping this would force Lauren to give up the Soren thing. She would probably still expose all his dirty secrets. Dean didn’t give a shit. He just wanted her to focus on him.

Lauren grinned, making it appear as though she was just delighted to be dating the man who was actually trying to blackmail her, and not that she was relieved to finally have somebody to rope in on all of her plans. She’d been wondering how to pull it off, and Dean had just handed her that opportunity. Maybe they’d even be able to use Declan as well.

At his comment about Instagram, she laughed. “Of course, darling, I would never hide you away.” She pulled him in for another kiss, but this time also pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them kissing. “This will do nicely,” she said. Posting it would probably break Jade’s heart, and that just made Lauren all the more delighted with her plan. “I’ll be sure to post it later with a suitably sappy caption.”

Dean craned his neck to look at the picture, “Perfect. you got my good side.” He grinned, genuinely not having felt quite this elated since… He didn’t know when.

“Lauren,” He started, voice encompassing a tenderness not many have ever heard from him, “I want you to know how-“ He stopped abruptly, having spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made his blood run cold. He turned slightly, to get a better look, and all his fears were confirmed. Fucking Soren was talking to his brother again.

“Hey,” He said, sounding already like he was a million miles away, “I’m gonna have to hold that thought. I’ll find you later.” He reached out and gave Lauren’s hand a squeeze before going to intervene in what could possibly be the worst thing that could happen tonight.