Who Posted It: Levi

Who posted it: Levi

Caption: "Get yourself a Henry in a world full of Lords"

#TSLirl

Anyone who wants to do this.

Obey me! Devilgram picrew challenge thingy!

Cause I found this picrew and I’d thought it be fun.

The rules are simple: use this picrew to make a devilgram post of your MC. Tell us which brother posted it and what the caption says (you could totally do more than those two things I just couldn’t think of anything else).

Who posted this?: Asmodeus

Caption?: “ I love this poor girl to death but she cannot pose for her life😞.”

A special thanks to @octofox cause I found this picrew on her blog!

I’ll be tagging @drxxmofyou @cheesepuffffff and @oceanlipgloss (no pressure guys!)

Have fun and tag your friends!

I got charcoal and I'm feeling called out.

I did it, motherfuckers

Click here to find out which highly which aesthetic™ colour you are

All the electoral college had to do was go with the popular vote.

all y’all had to do was vote for hillary clinton

Aeipathy

Dwight was always a rather average kid. None of the sports teams gave him a second glance, he didn’t have enough charisma to be one of the cool kids, he seemingly didn’t belong anywhere. 

But then he’d been given somewhere to belong.

Enter Nicole Hughes. Known in school as a nerd due to her high grades and her small friend group composed of some of the odd kids. There had been a rumor that came and went about one of her friends being a part of the occult due to all of the witch themed things she wore, but Dwight didn’t know how true that was. Rumors started over practically nothing in high school. 

It was the half hour lunch break that led Dwight to sitting by himself at a table that was much too big for just him to sit at, his food tray in front of him with that day’s slop and his phone in his hand looking through social media. He was so engrossed in looking at his phone that he didn’t notice right away that he was no longer alone. When he looked away to take a bite of his bland food he visibly startled at seeing someone else sitting at the table with him. 

Nicole looked up from her own food and gave an amused chuckle at his fright. “Sorry, didn’t realize the table was taken.” she said, gesturing to the empty seats with her fork that held onto the bland yellow mac and cheese that one of the lunch lines had served. To her it was better than the alternative despite the fact that the mac and cheese would stick to the plate. 

“No. No, it’s not taken. It’s just me here.” Dwight awkwardly admitted, turning his phone off and setting it down to pay attention to the girl sitting with him. He knew her a little bit, as he knew most of his peers a little bit due to growing up around each other, but he didn’t personally know her. She was known to be a bit of a floater though, able to go from one clique table to the next and talk to the people there without judgement. He wished he could have that kind of charisma. Taking a look at her lunch choice, he gave a small smirk. “Mac and cheese, huh? Bold move.” he said.

“Yeah, I like to get it whenever it’s offered. Needs to be salted and peppered like fucking crazy, but it’s one of the better school foods. I like to flip the plate over to see if it’ll stick too. Gives me a little bit of entertainment.” she replied to him. “Wanna see together?”

Without anything better to do, Dwight nodded and watched in anticipation as she picked up the plate and flipped it over to see if the mac and cheese would stick this time. Nicole made some ‘ah’ sounds of anticipation as she flipped it, as if expecting it to fall this time. At seeing that it didn’t she let out a small laugh and Dwight joined in on the laughter. 

“That’s so bad.”

“I know.” she replied, both of them giggling.

“Why do you still eat it?”

“I don’t know.” she said, shaking her head and setting the plate down rightside up.

As their laughter turned to giggles, and their giggles turned to amused sighs, he spoke up. “I’m Dwight by the way.” he introduced, holding a hand out to her.

“I know. We take history together. Pretty sure you and I took an art class together freshman year too. But since we’re doing introductions, I’m Nicole.” she replied, taking his offered hand and shaking it. He noticed that her handshake was gentle yet firm. He liked it. They let go and continued to eat lunch as they talked about common interests and before they knew it lunch break was over and it was time to go back to class.

“I’ll see you later?” Dwight asked before they parted for the rest of the day. 

“Count on it.” Nicole replied before heading off to her interior design elective class.

-----------------------

It was a weekly meetup with her best friend over some dinner and entertainment created simply from being in each other’s company. Just the way they both liked it. They had both graduated high school and gotten jobs, and since they both didn’t see each other as much as when they were in school they planned out weekly visits to each other’s places for dinner, fun, and real talk.

“‘A weak male’? Dude, your boss sounds like he’s on some shit.” Nicole said as she helped Dwight lay out the food from their latest conquest. Last time it was pizza, wings, and a dessert calzone from PizzaWhat!, and this time it was an assortment of Chinese food from the Jasmine Dragon. The Jasmine Dragon also sold an assortment of tea blends, but they decided not to partake this time around. “What is it? Meth, bath salts, cocaine?” she asked him, using her chopsticks to grab onto a piece of general tsao’s chicken and popping it into her mouth, making sure to keep any excess sauce from dripping onto her couch.

Dwight shook his head. “Power high.” he responded simply. Nicole snapped her fingers once and pointed to him before swallowing. “Yep, that’ll do it.” she replied before grabbing another piece of the spicy chicken. 

“Lazar has quite the not-so-fanclub. Rose told me about a bunch of ex-employees of Lazar that have a yearly roast to make fun of him. People currently working for him can go, Rose and I have.” Dwight told her, sounding almost proud at his knowledge of how people hated Lazar. “Though I suppose this year Rose will be one of the ex-employees.” he mentioned. 

“Lazar fired her? What happened?” Nicole asked.

“He used her as the fall girl for his failure. He’s blown through millions without any payoff and he needed to put the fault one someone that wasn’t himself.” Dwight replied, shaking his head in exasperation at it all. “The guy who worked for Lazar in my position before me --Max-- he told me about this drug that’s supposed to make someone laugh absurdly at any sound they hear. I’m thinking of slipping some in his coffee.” he told her. 

“Dwight, while I love the whole ‘getting back at your abuser’ schtick you’ve got going on here, I don’t think it’s a good idea. How do you know it won’t do anything harmful? Just by someone’s word?” she asked him. 

“Max made it himself, trust me this’ll work.” he said, trying to convince his best friend. 

“Has he tested it on anyone? Himself? Other people?” Nicole asked, not convinced. 

“I uh, I don’t know. But he seems very confident that it’s harmless and that Lazar will be very giggly for a little bit.” he replied.

“Yeah, Mussolini was confident in the Axis Powers too before he backed out of it because they were losing.” she rebutted. “I don’t think it’s safe Dwight. I really don’t.”

“You’ll see Nicole, it’ll be okay. He’ll be super giggly, we’ll all make fun of him and it’ll put him down a couple of pegs.” he said, once more trying to convince her.

“I don’t know about that…”

-----------------------

That had been a bit of time ago. 

After the incident that happened with Lazar and the drug Peak 22 was no more. The investors pulled their funding, there was a lawsuit against Lazar for attacking one of his workers with intent to harm, and Dwight ended up moving onto working at PizzaWhat! As a delivery boy, then got promoted as a manager not too long into the position. 

Friday night Dwight told her that he and his coworkers were going to sneak some of his boss’s alcohol and have a night of fun. While nervous for him because she knew how people could be in the world, she nodded and told him to make it back in time for their weekly meetup Saturday night.

He had never been seen again after that night.

After he didn’t answer his door to his apartment, Nicole had grabbed the spare key on her keychain and unlocked the door, walking inside. Nothing had been touched, and it was quiet. Wandering around the apartment she deduced that it was empty. Going to the next door neighbor’s apartment, she asked if they had seen Dwight. They replied that they hadn’t seen him since Friday night. With that Nicole had called the police to file a missing person’s report. The police did their usual thing, bringing suspects and people who knew Dwight into the station to question them, Nicole being one of them. Meanwhile they searched to try and find him, be it alive or dead. Volunteers offered their assistance in trying to find him, but as time went on people stopped trying.

Everyone except for Nicole.

She continued to search for Dwight well into the next half of a decade.

Which leads up to present day.

Nicole got up at nine in the morning, put on some fresh clothes, and got ready for the day. She grabbed a package of two granola bars, her phone, and her keys before heading out to the woods to look for Dwight. It had become a normal routine for her. Get up, look for Dwight, eat, look some more until nightfall, go home, eat, cry, fall asleep, and repeat. It had been nearing dark when she had turned to leave the woods, another day lost. Another day of failing. Another day without Dwight.

Before she could fully leave the woods she saw something glinting in the distance. Going against her better judgement, she went towards it. As she went over to where the glinting was coming from it became dark and a fog started to roll in. She continued to search the woods and before she knew it she heard voices. 

Voices? Maybe it was a group of teens looking to cause trouble, she thought. But then saw a light a bit of distance away. It looked like a fire. Getting closer Nicole heard the voices get louder. And there was one she recognized. “Dwight?” she shouted as she got closer. 

The talking stopped.

“Nicole?!” Dwight shouted back.

“Dwight!” she shouted, running over to the fire. She saw the man she’d been friends with for a long time --the man she figured out she’d loved when he was gone-- and ran into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing him tightly. 

The spectacled man was surprised at seeing his best friend and the woman he had fallen in love with here. He had given up hope of ever seeing her again, but here she was right in front of him. His arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her close to him and refusing to let go. 

“How did you get here?” Dwight asked her. 

“I don’t know. It’s been five years since you disappeared. Even after the police stopped looking and the volunteers stopped searching I still looked for you.” she explained, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“Five years?” Dwight whispered, shocked that it had been that long. Time was weird here, so it was odd to hear just how long it had been. 

“Yeah, five years searching for you. Trying to find out if you were even alive...and trying to come to terms with the fact that you probably weren’t. Then trying to find your body to try and give myself some closure.” she said, her voice cracking and lilty due to her crying. 

Dwight swallowed as tears came to his eyes. She searched for him for five years, even after accepting that he had probably died. His tears spilled over his cheeks and he hugged her tighter. 

“But it doesn’t matter. You’re here, you’re okay. We’re okay.” Nicole said, loosening her hug a little so he could properly breathe and feeling him do the same.

Dwight cried harder at knowing that Nicole was here. 

She was here with him again like things had been before. 

But things were also not like they had ever been before. 

“Nicole, I don’t think things will ever be okay again.” he admitted to her. 

“What? What do you mean?” she asked him.

“This place is a nightmare Nicole, and you’re a part of it. Here we get put into trials with killers. We get hooked, we get killed, we get sacrificed, and then even after all of that we’re brought back here.” Dwight explained. 

“What? Dwight you can’t possibly be serious, that’s insane.” Nicole replied, shaking her head.

“I am being serious Nicole. You and I, and the rest of the people the Entity has taken are here. We don’t know how long, and we don’t know what happens when we’re not anymore, but as of right now we are here. We go into trials, we fight to live, we die or live and then get brought back to the fire.” he told her.

“Dwight I...I don’t understand.” she said, sounding frightened by what he said.

He gave a sigh knowing that it would be hard for her to get her head around. Instead he switched topics. “I missed you.” he said.

“I...I missed you too Dwight.” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder as they held each other. Blinking away the remaining tears, she noticed the others finally. Some watched them openly, though most of them looked away though heard every word of their interaction. It was hard to get privacy in a place like this. 

Noticing that she was being quiet, Dwight noticed she was looking towards the rest of the group. “Come on, let me introduce you to my other friends.” he told her, letting her go and taking her hand, leading her over to the rest of the survivors. 

“Everyone, this is Nicole.”

Appetence

Despite the situation she had fell into, Nicole could honestly say that she hadn’t felt so at peace in a long time. The campfire wasn’t as crowded as it had been when she had first arrived due to some of the survivors had been called to go into trials, so it made her feel a little more comfortable.

Dwight was sitting on one of the logs, Nicole sitting on the ground beside him with her head resting against his knee. It’d been about a week since she’d arrived (or at least that’s how it felt) but she hadn’t been put into a trial yet, to Dwight’s relief and the ire of some of the other survivors.

Nicole had been told about the trials, and she’d heard stories from the other survivors about what happened during them. Most of them were bad stories where a killer camped the area or situations where three of the four survivors ended up in the basement, but once she told them that she understood the dangers that came with trials more of the stories became lighthearted and victorious. Currently a fighter by the name of David King was telling her about the time where he had managed to loop the killer around what they called a “jungle gym” long enough for another survivor to open the exit gate which was right next to the jungle gym. The survivor who had opened the door was named Claudette Morel, though she shyly looked away when Nicole’s eyes landed on her as David told the story. Giving a small smile, she looked back at David and listened as he continued the story. Hearing him talk about how the team of them had all worked together to escape made her hope that she’d be able to be as good to them as they were to each other.

During her time settling in she’d asked the other survivors about what she would have to do and some pointers on things. While it was nice to see she was taking this seriously, the other survivors knew she would end up screwing something up. It just happened with new survivors until they got the hang of it. Nicole had learned about when to use a toolbox, how to patch up wounds, some of the better ways to run the killer around, and things of that nature. All that was needed now was to have her be put into a trial to earn experience.

Since she hadn’t been put into a trial yet she’d made friends with those who were around the fire with her. Surprising to everyone was that she’d become close friends with Ash. Around others Nicole could be quiet and somewhat shy, preferring to observe and listen than to talk, and Ash was...well, Ash. Most of the time while others were in and out of trials Ash was left behind at the fire, so one day she went over to where he was sitting and said hello. That single word turned into a close bond between the two, and the others observed that if Nicole wasn’t around Dwight then she was around Ash. 

She’d become friends with some of the other survivors, like Adam, Bill, Ace, Jeff, and Jane, but her friendships with them weren’t as close as her bonds with Dwight and Ash.

Suddenly she felt something. Something...off. Looking up at Dwight from her resting point, she thought for a moment before nudging his knee with her head. He looked down at her. “When do you know you’re being summoned?” she quietly asked him. It was then that Dwight’s fears came to life. She wouldn’t be asking if she didn’t feel it. 

“It feels like a niggling in the back of your head by the base of your skull. If you don’t move to answer the call it ends up hurting really bad until you do.” he explained to her, feeling it himself. Dwight nudged her off of his knee and both of them stood up. He led her close to the fire, where Meg and Ash were standing as well. 

“You know what to do. Most of the time two or three of us start a trial together, so just stick close to whoever you’re with for now, okay?” Dwight asked her, hoping that she would be okay.

Nicole nodded. “Alright, I can try.” she told him, her hands behind her back, one hand clasping around her opposite wrist.

Feeling something be slid into his hand, Dwight looked at what was placed in it and saw that Adam had given him a piece of a petrified oak tree. He gave the teacher a small grateful smile of thanks before they were whisked away to the trial. 

The piece of petrified oak burned to ash in his hand, the grey powder slipping from his fingers as he arrived at the trial. Taking a look around, he hoped Nicole would be okay. It could be worse, they could’ve been at The Game.

____________________

As Nicole looked around at her new surroundings, she saw what she could only describe as a swamp. Cattails were grown in, the ground was extremely muddy, and it tried to suck up her shoes as she walked. 

“Okay Nicole, look for flashing lights.” she muttered to herself as she started to wander in search of a generator. Finding one, she looked around to see if she could see anyone. When she didn’t she continued to the gen only to hear someone working on it. Going to the other side to see who was working on it, she saw it was Ash. 

“Hey Nicole, get on the side next to me and we’ll get this thing cooking.” he told her as he continued to work on the generator. She did as he told her to and then started to work on the generator with him. So far so good, and they managed to get it about halfway done before a heartbeat started sounding off in her ears. 

“Ash?” she muttered, her voice sounding a bit scared though not stopping her progress on the generator. 

“You’ll be alright, the killer’s just nearby. They tend to like to chase me, you know.” he told her before getting up from his crouched position. “I’ll lead the killer away, but don’t stop working on that generator, you hear me?” he asked her. Upon seeing her nodding, he turned and started to run away.

As he ran Nicole heard the heartbeat get really loud, so despite him telling her to not stop working on the generator she stopped and pressed her back against the side she was on, hoping the killer wouldn’t notice her. Footsteps moved up to the generator and Nicole held her breath, hoping they would go away. The generator got kicked a couple of times, some sparks hitting her skin and burning her slightly, and then the killer left. Once the killer seemed to be gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around to continue the generator.

Soon enough the bright lights came on, illuminating her in its yellow glow. One generator done, now to try and find some more. Far off in the distance she noticed another generator light up and a couple of people walking away from it. Must’ve been Meg and Dwight. Looking towards the giant boat in the middle she noticed an injured Ash vault the upper section of the boat and land on the ground. Unfortunately the killer did the same thing and managed to slash at him as they landed, causing him to go down with a shout.

Nicole finally got a look at the killer; they were wearing black and had on some type of mask. According to the others this one was the Ghostface. Ghostface hooked Ash, who gave a loud cry of pain at the penetration of the metal in his shoulder. Moving over to a knocked down log, she looked to see what Dwight and Meg were up to. It seemed that Ash had some “hang time”, as they went to go start working on another generator. Looking back at Ash she knew she couldn’t leave him up there. So she watched where the killer went off to, then started walking in to rescue her new friend. 

Getting over to him, the sharp spider-like tendrils were forming around him, but hadn’t yet tried to claim his soul. Getting right up to him, she reached up and grasped him under his arms before pushing him up off the hook and helping him land on the ground again. Nicole was about to go in for a heal when Ash shook his head and started heading up to the top of the boat. Following him, she went over to the middle section where a chest was. At least here there was coverage. Getting to work, she started to patch him up and she kept looking around to see if Ghostface was coming back. Glancing behind her she saw the aura of Meg running around the outside of where the boat was. The way she was running suggested that she was being chased by the killer right now. Focusing her attention back on Ash, she finished healing him up and then they both went to the generator nearby and started to work on it. 

The brunette did her best to work quickly and efficiently on the generator, but unfortunately she did manage to mess something up. It was a moment’s mistake, and it literally blew up in her face. Ash moved his arms to cover his face and then looked at Nicole with an annoyed look. They had been almost halfway done. Preferring to look into the generator instead of looking at his face, she mumbled an apology. Ash sighed and pat her on her shoulder in a silent way of saying that he forgave her. 

The two managed to get another generator done by the time Meg went down and got hooked, the loud horn of the boat belting out for all to hear. Somewhere further off another generator came to life. One more left, they could do this.

“I’ve got the save this time, you go find Dwight and finish the last generator.” Ash told her. Nicole nodded and she went down the stairs to try to find Dwight or a generator, though both at once was preferable. Meg quickly got saved, and Nicole quickened her speed to try and find a generator or Dwight. In the end she found Dwight working on a generator by what was known as the Killer Shack.

Going up the small hill towards the generator she saw Dwight quickly get up and start running away from it. Rushing over to the generator she continued to work on it so they could keep the progression going. Glancing up occasionally she saw that he was being chased, and when she couldn’t physically see him anymore she instead saw his aura. Huh, could all survivors do this? She’d have to ask later. 

Never before had she felt so much pressure, but overall she was handling it to the best of her ability. At least, until Dwight went down. Hearing his shout sent ice shooting through her veins, and she began to panic a little. Attempting to push through her panic, she continued to work on the gen, and Meg came over to help her finish it. Hearing Dwight scream as he was hooked caused Nicole to accidentally pull a tube free, which caused the generator to blow up. 

“Come on Nicole, he’ll be fine, just finish the gen.” Meg said, sounding annoyed. To be fair, they had almost been done with it. Even as the heartbeat grew closer to them they worked on that generator. When Ghostface was in sight Meg ran towards him to try and give Nicole time to finish the generator. She got hit and ran off, and luckily it was enough to finish it.

Running off, Nicole went for the door on the opposite side of the map to prepare it. Running was hard in the swamp, as the mud kept sucking at her shoes and slowed her down. Finally getting to the door she forced the lever down as hard as she could and watched as the lights on the gate’s lever lit up one by one. Soon after it gave three loud alarm sounds and Nicole let go of it. It was ready. 

Meanwhile with Dwight he couldn’t help but worry about Nicole. She must’ve been terrified, and this was all so new to her. But from what he’d heard from Meg and Ash she had been doing decently. He was saved from the hook by Ash, who quickly healed him up under the hook while Meg was being chased. 

“Go prep a door, I’m going to try and find Meg.” Dwight told Ash, who nodded, gave him a two finger salute before heading off towards the other door. Ash rarely answered to anybody but himself, but just this once he figured that it was for the best to listen to Dwight. Ash went to the door, and Dwight chased after where he thought Meg would be. With a scream piercing through the air he knew that Ghostface had gotten her. Rushing towards the sound he watched as she struggled against his hold and he hopped into a locker in the event that the killer could see the others after hooking a survivor. 

Meg got hooked and Ghostface looked around before heading towards one of the doors. A survivor had to be there. He passed by the locker, not even thinking about checking it. Before he could get out of the locker, he saw Nicole run by it and go over to Meg, grabbing her off the hook with Ghostface not far behind. Meg bolted, and Nicole felt a stinging on the back of her neck like she was being watched. Looking back she saw Ghostface and then she started to run. He chased after her and they ran over to the second door, the one Ash was at. Dwight quickly got out of the locker, went to the door Nicole was at and opened it. At least if someone got left behind there was a second option of escape. Hatch was always the last option. 

With fear in his heart and running through his veins he rushed over to the other door, which was now open. Nicole was trying to loop Ghostface while Ash healed up Meg, but he managed to get a hit on her. And it was the only one he needed. With a scream Nicole dropped to the ground after being slashed. The killer was about to pick her up when Dwight did something he’d never done before.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” he shouted at the masked man. 

“Take me instead.”

Ghostface turned and looked at Dwight, then glanced over at the girl on the ground. Interesting, he would have to pin that idea up for later. Deciding to give it to the sad sap of a leader, he looked at the bespectacled man. Dwight felt the stinging sensation that came with being vulnerable, exposed even, and suddenly Ghostface came at him and Dwight turned to run. 

Ash and Meg quickly moved to pick Nicole up and heal her while Dwight was occupying the killer, and with there being two of them it was a quick process. But then Dwight was downed, and Ghostface had a trick up his black sleeve. 

Once Dwight was down he straddled his hips and brought his knife down into his back, into his side, and then down into his back between his shoulder blades where his heart would rest. Nicole could only watch in horror as her best friend was murdered in front of her, the killer taking a picture as if it were a memory to be had. 

“Dwight! Dwight, oh my God! No!” Nicole shouted, and Ash and Meg were quick to each grab one of her arms to drag her to the exit gate. “He killed him! Oh my God, he’s gone!” the brunette cried out, struggling against her teammates. 

“Come on, we’ve gotta go or else he might do the same thing to us.” Meg said, trying to get Nicole to leave with them. Ash sighed and did what he knew best, he pulled Nicole, Meg following suit, and they forced her out of the trial with them following behind her. Once they were out the two let go of her arms. As they headed back to the fire Nicole started crying, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Nicole, he’s not actually dead.” Meg said to her. “Nobody dies forever here.”

“Yes he is. People don’t just die and then come back from things like that. It’s not possible.” Nicole replied, shaking her head. 

“I was given a potion back in the 1300s where I slept and my body was conserved for over 600 years. Trust me Nicole, when I’m around, shit gets weird.” Ash said to her, trying to comfort her in his own way.

__________________

When they got back to camp Dwight was talking to Jake and David, though turned when the former pointed out that the rest were back. Seeing Nicole in the distressed state she was in, he couldn’t help but to go to her. And seeing that he was there and okay, she did the same. Meeting in the middle they hugged, her crying now one of relief at seeing that he was okay. That he was here and that he was alive. 

“It’s okay...it’s okay. I’m so sorry you had to see that, but it’ll be okay. We’re okay.” Dwight said to her as he held her to him, rubbing her back as she clung to him. 

“How are you here? I...I thought I’d never see you again.” she said, then realized what she said. “I mean, you know, for the second time.” she added.

Dwight gave a soft chuckle, as they both felt that way when they were apart. It would’ve been cruel to be ripped away from each other by death after reuniting.

“The Entity allows the killers to sacrifice us to it to get our souls. If the Entity likes what they do then it gives them rewards. What happened where I was killed is called a mori. Depending on what kind of mori a killer offers up, they can kill the last survivor in a trial, any survivor in a trial, or all of them.” he explained to her. “The Entity keeps us alive because our souls keep it fed and satisfied.” he told her.

“Does it ever worry you that one day the Entity might not need you anymore?” she asked him.

“All the time. But we can’t think of that now. We’re here, we’re okay, and we’re going to sit down and relax.” he told her. Wiping her eyes, Nicole nodded and followed him over to a log, sitting down beside him on the log and wrapping her arms around him.

She never wanted to let go of him again.

Nothing Feels Better Than This

Listen to “Better” by Khalid as you listen to this, it’ll make the story better.

Feel free to leave constructive criticism in the comments, as I’ve never written for Yancy before but I’m willing to learn. As always, I don’t own anything having to do with AHWM except for this story. Enjoy!

===

You knew leaving him behind was going to be hard, but at the time you knew you couldn’t stay. There was still so much you had to do with the box and Mark, and you weren’t ready to settle down anywhere, nonetheless in a prison. 

Watching him leave to go back to his cell hurt. You could feel your heart hurt as you turned away from him, unable to keep watching him leave, just as you were leaving him. 

Once he was out of sight you opened the box, and the skeleton key now in your hand was practically taunting you. There had been a way for you both to get out, and now you wouldn’t be able to use it. Looking back at the gate one more time, you debated on going back for him. For Yancy. But you knew that no matter how comfortable prison life would be with him, you would just feel stuck. Settling down in one spot wasn’t for you. Not yet at least. So you turned and walked away, feeling just as much a prisoner of your own heart as you were a free person.

---

That had been years ago. Not many, but a small handful. Over that time you never gave up the potential you had with Yancy. The both of you knew that visiting him would be too risky, even if you were to wear a disguise of some sort, but there was still contact through the phone calls you made to each other.

Neither of you would waste time with formalities of ‘How’ve you been’ or anything of that nature; you did have a time limit after all. You both would just jump into conversations as if you never stopped them, talking about anything and everything until a guard told Yancy that his time was up. In all of this time you never mentioned your life outside of prison and he never mentioned his life inside of it unless it related to the conversation in some way. Neither of you had wanted to let the other know that life without the other wasn’t as bright as they thought it would be.

Damn you both for falling in love with a person you seemingly couldn’t have.

---

You were in the shower scrubbing up when the music on your phone was interrupted by the sound of your ringtone. Grabbing it, you checked the number and chuckled a little. The one pitfall of contacting each other via phone was that you could be doing anything when he would call. Pressing the answer button, you put the phone on speaker and put it back on the sink where you had it. 

“Hi Yancy.” you said as you washed the soap off of your body.

“Hey. Are youse okay, youse sound far away?” he asked, sounding confused and slightly concerned. 

“Yeah I’m fine, I was just showering when you called.” you said as you rinsed conditioner out of your hair, having left it in for a little bit so your hair could soak the moisture in.

“Oh! Sorry ‘bout that. Kinda hard to tell what youse doin’ these days.” the  apologized, a slight chuckle laced in his voice.

“It’s fine hun, I’m almost done anyway. So what’s up?” you asked him, shutting the water off and grabbing a towel to dry your body off. 

“Ah, well I thought youse should know...my chance at parole is coming up.” he brought up awkwardly.

“Oh. And?” you asked cautiously, stopping what you were doing to hear him properly. 

“And...I’ve decided to take it.”

And damn if those words didn’t make you the happiest person in the world. 

“Really? That’s amazing hun, I’m so glad.” you said eagerly as you moved to towel dry your hair. 

“Yeah, uh, I was also wondering if youse would be willing to, yanno, let me stay with youse until I could find some place to go?” he asked, his voice sounding awkward and slightly strained. You could tell that it was hard for him to ask for your help with this, but it didn’t deter you in the slightest.

“Of course you can stay. I’ll set up the guest room for you and make sure I have enough food for the both of us. Just be sure not to shower for hours like you do there, as I’m actually paying the water bill.” you replied with a chuckle at the last part.

The relief in his voice was tangible in his voice. “Thank youse. My hearin’ is next week, so I’ll call and let youse know more about it then.”

You agreed, and then when you had put on your robe you grabbed your phone and turned it off of speaker phone to continue having your conversation with the Ohioan.

---

As he had promised, the next week he called to tell you about his parole hearing.

“So I got granted for my’s parole. I met with my parole officer this mornin’.”

“That’s awesome! When are you getting let out?”

“Three days from now. Youse got everythin’ ready for me?” he asked curiously.

“I’ve had everything ready since you first mentioned your hearing.” you admitted sheepishly.

He gave a chuckle at the admission. “Good to know youse still lookin’ forward to seein’ me.”

“I’ve been wanting to see you since the night I left.” you admitted, a blush blooming on your cheeks.

The other side of the line was quiet and you couldn’t help but assume the worst. Neither of you talked about that night. Until now.

“Yeah. Yeah, me too doll.” Yancy finally admitted, sounding relieved.

You both continued to talk about anything and everything, and an idea popped up in your head. You asked about who his parole officer was, and while he was slightly confused on why you’d want to know he gave you the officer’s name. Before long he had to go, and you wished each other a goodbye. This goodbye was easier than the rest though, as you knew you’d be seeing him in three days.

In the meantime you looked up his parole officer, got their number, and decided to make a call. You explained your idea to them, wanting to get permission first just in case it would violate his parole, mainly with him not being allowed to leave after a specific geographic point. With a bit of a chuckle, his parole officer granted the permission needed to put the idea into effect and promised not to tell him. Thanking him, you hung up and started to plan Yancy’s first day as a free man. Or, as free as he would be for a while.

---

I love to see you shine in the night like the diamond you are

No one's got to know what we do, hit me up when you're bored

Three days later you pulled up to Happy Trails Penitentiary, got out of your car and waited for him to walk out the gate. Seeing him walk out was such an overwhelming sight, and before you knew it you ran over to him and hugged him tightly. It had been years since you had seen him last, but he hadn’t changed one bit. Yancy stumbled under the force that you ran to and hugged him, but he kept his balance and awkwardly moved an arm around you.

“Hey doll, it’s good to see youse.”

“It’s so good to see you too Yancy.” you replied before pulling away from him. Noticing his clothes, you saw he wore a pair of black pants and a black and red plaid flannel. It looked good on him, and he would fit right in with everybody else. “Come on, we’ve got your new life to start.” you said as you grabbed his hand and tugged him to follow you to your car. He chuckled and followed after you, not that he had a choice in the matter.

Getting in, you both put on your seat belts and you started driving, not to home, but to start your plan. Yancy played with the radio until he found the type of music he liked, and turned it up to be able to listen to it but not loud enough to distract you.

All I hear is... Nothing feels better than this Nothing feels better Nothing feels better than this Nothing feels better, ooh now

 He then watched out the window for a while as you drove. When you guys reached a specific point, he looked over at you.

“Uh, doll I’m not allowed to goes past this point.” he said, sounding very concerned and slightly scared. He had decided to try out parole to be able to see you and be with you, and he didn’t want to be thrown back in the same day he got out.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got it handled.” you reassured him as you drove past his parole limit to continue to the setting of your plan.

It took some time, but you pulled up to the closest beach and parked in the parking lot. 

“Doll, whatcha doin’?” Yancy asked as you both got out of the car.

“I want your first day out to be a good one. Prove that it’s not all that bad out here.” you told him with a small smile.

He gave a small and shy smirk as he looked at you. “Youse didn’t have to go to all the trouble. It was already worth it to see youse’s face again.” he admitted, causing a small blush to appear on his and your face.

We don't gotta hide This is what you like, gotta admit Nothing feels better than this

“Well come on, we’ve got the rest of our day ahead of us.” you told him as you led him to a restaurant that was across from the beach. It was mainly seafood due to its location by the sea, but there were also options of burgers, fries, and even pizza. They also had a nice selection of desserts for after the main meal. You both ended up ordering burgers, fries, and some colas, and you both talked while waiting for your food to be ready. When it was served, you thanked the server and dug into your meals. The burgers were hot and juicy, the fries were crispy and delicious, and the colas were refreshing. Once you were both done you asked him if he wanted a dessert and he seemed hesitant. 

“It’s okay Yancy, I don’t mind it if you do.” you told him.

“I kinda wanna try one of those milkshakes, but I dunno if I would be able to finish it.” Yancy told you as he watched a server making a milkshake.

“We could always share one.” you suggested. He looked back at you in surprise and you shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind trying one either, but we’re in the same boat. I wouldn’t be able to finish one by myself.”

“Alright, if youse sure.” he agreed after a moment. You nodded in response, and when your server came back over you asked if you could have a milkshake. You both had agreed on a chocolate one, though he liked chocolate more than you did. But this was his day, not yours. The server made your milkshake, put whipped cream on top and a cherry and brought it to you, handing over two straws. “Enjoy.” they said before leaving again.

You say we're just friends, but I swear when nobody's around I keep my hand around your neck, we connect, are you feelin' it now?

You and Yancy each grabbed a straw, removed the paper on it and stuck it into the milkshake. Due to the single serve cup for the milkshake, you each had to take turns taking a sip of the cold treat, though you both fell into an easy rhythm. You always did, and this was no different.

“So, what else does youse have planned for this adventure?” Yancy asked, making conversation as you both drank the milkshake. You finished your momentary sip and he went in for his as you answered.

“It’s supposed to get dark in a bit and I was thinking we’d watch the sunset, and there’s supposed to be music at the pier tonight. I thought we could maybe take a listen.” you told him as he drank his milkshake. When he came up from his momentary sip, he swallowed and nodded.

I get so high that I ignite, I swear to God, feel my feet leave the ground Ooh, yeah Your back against the wall, this is what you been talkin' about In my ears

“Alright, sounds good.” he said, and as he watched you take another turn at the milkshake he couldn’t help but think that you were amazing. You did all of this just for him and he couldn’t be anymore grateful to have you in his life. Ever since that day you went into prison you had changed his life, and now he was going to be spending it with you. What could he have possibly done to be so lucky?

You both finished up the milkshake and talked some more. You were given the bill and paid for your meals because he didn’t have any money yet due to it being his first day out. He felt bad about that, but you reassured him that him being around and out of prison more than made up for it. You both walked out and walked back across the street to the beach, walking across it as the sun set. 

“It’s beautiful tonight.” Yancy commented as he watched the sunset. You nodded in agreement.

“It sure is.”

Nothing feels better than this Nothing feels better Nothing feels better than this Nothing feels better, ooh now

When the sun left the sky and the stars came out shimmering in the black sky, some music started to play at the dock and you smiled, taking his hand to join in on the fun. There was a small band set up on the pier and playing music people could dance to. Looking at him, you tilted your head towards the music in a silent offer to dance, which he agreed to with a hesitant nod. 

We don't gotta hide This is what you like, gotta admit Nothing feels better than this

“Just follow my lead.” you told him as you placed a hand at his waist and connected your left hand to his right one. 

You know that if I left I'd take you back When you say it, you say it like that, oh yeah

You know that if I left I'd take you back When you say it, you say it like

As you led, you moved left a couple of steps, moved back a couple of steps and then made you both sway from side to side a little before having him move left and you move right a couple steps, made him move back a couple steps, then sway side to side again. It was a cute and slightly elaborate square you were dancing in, but it was perfect for the both of you. 

Soon enough you grew tired and he did as well, and you both walked back to the car, him grabbing the keys off of you and getting in the drivers seat to go home. Home. It felt odd calling somewhere that wasn’t the prison home, but he knew that being with you would give him the best home he ever had. Because you were there, and you were on his side. Looking over at you in the passenger seat he saw you had fallen asleep and he smiled a little before paying attention to the road again. Yeah, life on the outside was definitely going to be okay.

Nothing feels better than this Nothing feels better Nothing feels better than this (Nothing feels better) ooh now, now We don't gotta hide (This is what you like, gotta admit) Nothing feels better than this (Better than this) Nothing feels better than this