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May 30, 2018 0 comments

SHORT FIC: Post-Apocalyptic

POST-APOCALYPTIC

The end of the world–or at least the parts of it she recognized–had come in the middle of the week. Which explained why she had spent the end of days in the gingham dress and white apron that came with her work uniform. Her knees were a skinned mess of still healing flesh, the dead skin along the edges of the wounds gray and pebbled together in parts. She’d been terrified of getting an infection, since she doubted there were any hospitals left intact and un-looted.

Now, while she wasn’t exactly thriving, she at least had a pair of pants that fit and her dress had been torn for rags. She’d been glad to see it gone. Even before the end of the world she’d thought it was hideous. But her boss had been going for a theme, and it wasn’t her fault he had no sense of taste; she’d simply worn the dress and tried to save enough tips to move on to another job.

That’s all she’d ever had: jobs. She’d never found the career that ignited her passions or the person that warmed her heart. She’d always been striving and straining, with success as some far-distant goal. It should have hurt more to have everything torn away, but instead it seemed almost expected. The end had happened, and she hadn’t even missed a beat in the endless shuffle-dance she used to pass through life’s disasters.

Homeless? She’d find a place. It wasn’t like everything was completely destroyed. There were hidey holes and hidden caches of supplies that their previous owners hadn’t even known they’d left behind. She’d spent the first days curled up in a cement pipe, burying her face in her arms as fire fell from the heavens and thunderous destruction had been the only sound. Housing didn’t seem such a problem after that.

Hungry? She’d endure until she found food. Then she’d save every extra bite she got, fighting off starvation as she’d always done. She knew how much she needed to eat to keep her body working and stave off the black eye spots and trembling fat-feeling hands. And for everything else, she crunched down children’s chewable vitamins every day and hoped she didn’t get scurvy. It seemed like a bad way to die.

And loneliness? She’d survive it. She knew better than to seek out strangers during a disaster situation. Some people had a hard time recognizing priorities, and she really didn’t want to end up stabbed or raped by someone she wouldn’t have given a second look in her old life. It didn’t seem worth the risk, not when she knew she could make it on her own.

There’d never been a time when she hadn’t had confidence in herself. It seemed as natural as a blue sky. Out of all the people she’d ever met, she was the person she depended on the most. How could she turn to others with trust when all she’d ever known was betrayal?

She’d slog her way through the end of the world. Striving, straining, and surviving the way she’d always done.

And wasn’t that a kick in the head: the realization that life before and after the apocalypse weren’t that different. Not for her. And probably not for a lot of poor people.

Sure, the destruction and subsequent mayhem had been eye-opening, but at the end of the day things were still somewhat the same. She still needed to eat, sleep, shit, and avoid all the assholes that would stop her from doing any of those things.

So life was pretty much the way it had always been. Just with a lot less people around.

=THE END=

May 13, 2015 1 comment

CDandHBFH 07 [Caspian Dukes and Vereint Georges]

Title: Caspian Dukes and His Best Friend’s Husband
Author: Harper Kingsley
World: Heroes & Villains
Frame set: Allies & Enemies, “Good Times”
Characters: Caspian Dukes, Vereint Georges, Warrick Tobias, Melissa Kim
Pairings: Vereint Georges/Warrick Tobias
Genre: friendship, superhero, meta
Summary: It’s banana splits all around. (Yes, I will be making a banana split ASAP. *nom nom*)

“I guess she told you,” Caspian said, flopping into an armchair. He nudged the bag toward Vereint with his foot.

“Thanks,” Vereint said, scooping up the bag and carrying his load toward the bedroom.

Warrick rested his elbow on the couch arm and raised an eyebrow at Caspian. “What’s that look on your face? Was the movie a bust or something?”

“Naw, it was as good as I thought it would be.” Caspian sighed, blowing out his cheeks. “Some guy tried to mug us on our way home.”

“Ooh, poor guy. What hospital is he in?” Warrick asked.

“Hah, but no. I didn’t want to shock Vereint so I was actually very gentle with the guy. Considering the amount of paperwork I’m going to be facing, I wish I’d at least gotten to break something on the guy’s face.”

“You know, violence is not the answer,” Warrick said virtuously before laughing. He sobered after a moment and gave Caspian a serious look. “Thank you for protecting Vereint.”

“Protecting me from what?” Vereint asked, coming in with a different shirt on.

“From your mugger,” Warrick said.

“Oh.” Vereint blinked, then grinned. “Caspian’s my new hero. I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t there, but it probably wouldn’t have been anywhere near so heroic. Thanks for saving me, man. For that, I’m going to make sure you get an extra scoop of ice cream.”

He patted Caspian’s shoulder on his way past to the kitchen. “It’ll be banana splits all around.”

“You definitely lucked out,” Caspian said after a moment. “Vereint is a keeper.”

“Yeah,” Warrick agreed. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“Probably because he won’t let you get away.”

Warrick flung one of the small pillows from the couch at him. Caspian caught it and launched it back. They passed it back and forth for a moment, before Caspian finally stuck the pillow in the small of his back and slouched comfortably.

“It was a great movie. You really should have come along,” Caspian said.

“Not really my thing.” Warrick leaned forward to take a handful of popcorn out of the bowl. He ate it a piece at a time, the sound like crushing Styrofoam as he chewed. “Besides, me and Melissa had fun watching our show. It was kinda nice without Vereint’s sighs and commentary.”

“Hey now,” Vereint said. He came in carrying a tray with long bowls of ice cream balanced on it. Melissa followed in his wake with a tray of her own. “I wouldn’t make fun of your shows if they weren’t so unbelievable.”

“It’s because you completely lack the gene for romance,” Warrick said. He stood to clear a spot on the coffee table for the trays. “I feel sorry for you.”

“I feel sorry for you too. Being stuck married to me.” Vereint set down his tray and moved aside for Melissa. “Maybe I’ll run away with Caspian. Then what will you do?”

“I’d hunt him across the world and take you back,” Warrick said.

“Uh, I’m not gay, so I’m not looking to run away with anyone here,” Caspian said. “Thank you.” He smiled and accepted the banana split Vereint held out to him. Warrick could clearly see that Caspian had an extra scoop of ice cream framing his banana.

Vereint passed Warrick a bowl before sitting next to him on the couch with his own banana split. Warrick raised his eyebrows on seeing Vereint’s bowl. “That’s a ludicrous amount of maraschino cherries. There’s gotta be at least a dozen there.”

Vereint scooped a cherry up with his spoon and sucked it into his mouth. “You’re lucky I gave you any at all. I could have eaten that whole jar.”

“Thank you for being so generous.” Warrick used his spoon to cut off a chunk of banana, swirling it through the chocolate syrup. “This looks good. I haven’t had one of these for a long time.”

Melissa curled up on the other armchair, her bowl balanced on her thigh. “We should have these everyday.” She shoveled a massive spoonful of strawberry ice cream into her mouth.

The next ten minutes were filled with the sounds of them enjoying their banana splits. Warrick couldn’t even worry about the extra hours of exercise he would have to do to burn off all of the calories.

Vereint was warm beside him and he was eating ice cream drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup. His best friend and Melissa were both here with them. He didn’t think there was a way for the night to get much better.

“This is nice,” he finally said.

“It definitely is,” Caspian said. Warrick saw that he had chocolate syrup around his mouth and wondered how long it would take for him to notice. He didn’t feel the need to say anything about it.

“We should do this more often,” Warrick said.

He looked around the room, enjoying having the people he loved in one place. He could see the future stretched out before him–family-style dinners, enjoying every kind of dessert treat they wanted, and retiring to a quiet life with Vereint, the two of them supporting Melissa in her solo superhero career.

He’d never seriously considered hanging up his cape, but the idea was finding a place in his brain. Melissa was growing up fast, and in a few years she would be a strong enough superheroine that she wouldn’t need him looking over her shoulder every minute. He could take a step back from active superheroing, could be there to offer her support when she needed it without having to go out every night and patrol. If it came down to it, he knew that Caspian would always have her back.

Warrick glanced at Vereint out of the corner of his eye and it felt like falling in love all over again.

When it had come down to it, Vereint had given up his old life and chosen Warrick. Could Warrick make the same choice?

Yes.

TBC…

* * *

Check out “Allies & Enemies” at: All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookStrand, Goodreads, iTunes, Kobo, Less Than Three Press, Smashwords. — superhero, urban fantasy, mm, drama. Darkstar x Blue Ice.

May 11, 2015 1 comment

CDandHBFH 06 [Caspian Dukes and Vereint Georges]

There were times when Vereint looked around and wondered how this had become his life. Married to the superhero he’d most admired as a teen, and off to see a movie with said superhero’s best friend and fellow League member.

It seemed a bit surreal.

Vereint watched as a police car rolled up to collect the still whining mugger, who was probably cursing his own choices. Out of everyone that he could rob, he chose the worst option possible. It was the criminal equivalent of Darwinism.

Vereint unloaded the rental locker and stuck the key into the return tray. He lifted the shopping bags and started walking toward where Caspian stood arms akimbo. He took his time getting close, timing it so the police were driving away just as he reached Caspian’s side.

“Well, that was interesting,” he said.

Caspian slanted him a smile. “Glad one stupid mugger could provide the entertainment.”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Caspian held out his hand to take a bag. “Let’s get out of here. I’m even more in the mood for ice cream.”

“Yeah, sure.” Vereint gave Caspian one bag but kept the other to carry himself. “Ice cream fixes all ills.”

“Exactly,” Caspian said.

* * *

Warrick knew that Vereint liked the idea of him bonding with Melissa. It was a lucky thing that they could share a love for kdramas. It took any hardship out of the idea of hanging out with her.

He’d never spent much time around kids. If anyone had ever asked him, he would have said that he’d be terrible dealing with anyone under the age of twenty.

Before Melissa, the last time he’d spent any significant amount of time around a kid had been when he was one himself. He was smooth signing autographs, but other than those passing interactions he was uncomfortable around children.

It had taken him years to get to this point in his relationship with Melissa. He didn’t feel so awkward and ashamed that he would mess things up anymore, and that was all thanks to Vereint.

“Why don’t they talk to each other?” Melissa asked, nudging his side with her elbow. “If they just sat down and had a straightforward conversation they could be happy together. It’s so stupid and sad.”

“Communication is key,” Warrick said wisely. He shook his head. “These guys are incapable of talking about anything. It’s ridiculous.”

“They both need a good kick in the pants.” Melissa shoved a fistful of popcorn into her mouth and quickly chewed. She swallowed and pointed at the TV, “That grandma is the worst. Can you put someone in jail for being a jerk?”

“Not in America,” Warrick said. “Unfortunately.”

“So does that mean you belong in jail?” Vereint asked, coming into the room with a rustle of the plastic bags he carried. “You were a jerk when we first met.”

“Thanks, honey,” Warrick drawled sarcastically. “It’s always nice to know what you think about me.”

“Well, you’re not such a jerk now,” Vereint said. “He was horrible when we met though, ” he told Melissa who laughed.

“I can see it,” she said.

“Hey! What’s with all the abuse?” Warrick asked.

“It’s only what you deserve,” Caspian said, coming in with a bag of his own. “Getting married and settling down was the choice that you made. I still can’t believe that Vereint agreed to marry you.” He grinned and winked. “You got lucky.”

Warrick looked at Vereint–black hair a little tousled, blue eyes shining with mirth–and agreed. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

“Ah,” Vereint said, “you’re going to make me blush. He held up one bag, shaking it loudly. “We bought ice cream and all the fixings for banana splits.”

“What about M&Ms?” Melissa asked.

“Gross,” Vereint said. “I got you a bag, but I still can’t believe you’re willing to ruin a perfectly good banana split like that.”

“It makes it better,” Melissa said. She set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and pushed aside the afghan she’d had across her lap. She stood and held out her hands to take the ice cream bag from Vereint. “I’ll get things started.”

He smiled at her, flashing his dimples. “How come you’re never so helpful when I’m cleaning fish or shelling peas?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Because those are disgusting and ice cream is delicious.”

“Well, go make some delicious splits while I put this other stuff away. Leave the maraschino cherries to me.”

“Am I going to catch you drinking the syrup again?” Warrick asked. The idea of someone drinking the syrup was nauseating, except the sight he’d seen had been oddly erotic–Vereint bare-chested in the kitchen, his jeans hanging low on his hips, his head thrown back as he trickled cherry syrup into his mouth. His lips had been stained red and his tongue was sweet when Warrick kissed him. They’d ended up having sex against the counter with maraschino cherries and syrup getting everywhere, their skin sticking together as they’d stumbled to the shower for Round Two.

Seeming to read Warrick’s mind, Vereint’s grin was slightly naughty, but not enough for Melissa to notice anything untoward. “If you’re lucky. Otherwise the cherries will just disappear and you’ll never know what happened. It’ll be like an unsolved murder mystery.”

“‘The Case of the Missing Maraschinos’?” Warrick suggested.

“And on that note, I’m off,” Melissa said. “You guys would keep talking until everything melted.” She headed into the kitchen with a flip of her ponytail.

TBC…

March 2, 2015

ORIGINAL FIC: Desecrated Places, Lonely Faces, and You

Title: Desecrated Places, Lonely Faces, and You
Author: Harper Kingsley
Original Fiction
Genre: urban fantasy, dark fantasy
Rating: mature(?)
Summary: “There was blood on the sheets.” I don’t know. What is this even? Just enjoy and discover the ride.

There was blood on the sheets.

It painted faces against the age-thinned cotton. The impressions of arms and legs, of broken bones and shattered dreams.

She feels like she’s just been let free. It’s looking to be a brand new day.

“Where will we go?” her voice comes out little girl soft, hushed in the temple-like silence of the room.

His hand is warm where it comes to rest against her naked shoulder. “Anywhere you’d like, cupcake. The world is yours to command, and I will be your arm, your sword, your everything.”

“My valiant hero?” She smiled, a shallow curve of her lips. “Will you be my knight in bloodstained armor?”

“Anything that your heart desires.”

Yes, she thought. This would work.

“Let’s take a shower. There’s no reason to bring this… mess… with us.” She led the way into the master bathroom. She’d never been allowed in there before. It was just as beautiful and princess-like as she’d always imagined.

She stepped into the shower, crooking her finger until he followed, as docile as a favorite pet. Only this pet had fangs, claws, and a willingness to bite.

Turning on the water — hot, hot, steamy hot water, which had always been “too good” for her — she felt happy. For the first time in a long time she was free. Her life was hers to do with as she pleased, the iron collar abandoned back in the room with her master’s dead body.

She reached for the soap. “Bend down. I’ll wash your back.”

He looked at her, eyes dark with love, and sat on the shower floor, turning so his back faced her. There were the ghosts of lash marks pressed into his skin, beautiful lines of faded gray against the smooth muscle. She had to touch them, tracing her fingers up and down the ridges before following the straights from one side of his spine to the other. He’d been hurt before, by unkind masters, just as she’d been.

“I will treat you so well,” she whispered into his ear, pressing her chest against his back. She liked the image they presented, flesh against flesh, blood red turning to pink as it washed away down the drain. “I will take care of you.”

“And I will give you the world,” he promised.

“Yes.”

It seemed so easy. They had all of forever to make their way. With the cold iron gone from her neck, she could feel the spirit of the world flowing back into her veins, the old power reigniting itself deep within.

She would keep him, this man-mountain, and she would tumble death to tie him to her. For gratitude, for grace, and for what might be the beginnings of love, she would rescue her rescuer and keep him safe.

Queen Titania scrubbed her knight’s skin with a pale green loofah and let the fire begin burning in her heart. She was ready to set the mortal world ablaze. Ready to be free.

=THE END=