The Birds and the Bees

Cassie

This is a slight AU, still relevant to the series but I've just changed a few details to make this work; so you should know that: this is after the 5th Wave (book/movie) finishes, Parivan is established and it's not winter. Think movie-verse, same climate as that! Also this is kind of smutty, but not as much as it could be as I desperately tried to cling to my morals this time.

Fyi, this was written because somebody requested a songfic based on 'Young God' by Halsey, you can listen to the song if you want, but my mind kind of went off on its own so it's kind of it's own story, so sorry about that, requestee. Let me know if you want me to do another! This was kind of a challenge as I tried to somewhat mimic the flow of how the book was written, I even included a couple of words here and there that's from the book. It's all good (hopefully :D) but the slight smut doesn't come until chapter two so if you came for that you'll have to wait mwahaha. I'll have it up by tomorrow though :)

I hate birds.

I think I've mentioned that maybe about 5,216 times already. In the past week.

I don't think I need to go into the many reasons why, right now we'll just focus on one. They crap. A lot. And it just so happened that of all of the places to send their disgusting missiles, they picked the ever so open landing pad on the top of my head.

Which explains why I'm walking about a half a mile, at around two in the morning, to a nearby lake. I need to get this crap out of my hair and I need it out now. It's rather hard to keep up a regular hygienic routine while on the run from murderous intergalactic invaders that are hell-bent on killing humans, but luckily for me we happen to be posting up camp not too far from a lake. I've been able to bathe, brush my teeth, etc. for three days straight!

True joy is knowing that no matter how much the world is rotting, my teeth will never be.

I finally reached the hallowed body of water. Truly a sacred place as it was the cleanest lake I've come across along my path of forced migration. No dead bodies, no dead fish, no dead anything. You could even drink out of it without gagging.

It's the little things.

I took off my clothes and neatly placed them on an area of grass. I wasn't too worried about anybody seeing me, what made here even better is that it's basically surrounded by trees that are tall enough to cover it as well. Offering perfect shade during the day from the sun. Or drones.

I dipped my toes in first to test the temperature, as if that would get in the way of my mission, and dived in. I swam for a minute or so before I decide that was enough exercise (I get enough of that on the daily. See 'on the run from murderers') and rested against an edge of the lake where it was deep enough for me to dip my head underneath but not so deep that drowning could be even close to a possibility.

Going out clean is good. Going out naked is not going to happen.

As I meticulously scrubbed my hair, I let my mind wander as it usually did when I had down time.

I try not to have down time.

There's too much to think about and then again not enough. I've lived more in these past few months than I ever would have, had I had my dream of living to a ripe old 95, with my four children, no less than 15 grandkids, and of course my husband, Ben You-Still-Are-Some-Kind-of-Serious-Gorgeous-Even-at-96 Parish.

Ben Parish. Now that's something to think about.

The fact that, even in this gargantuan pile of shitty luck that I (and 7 billion others) have been given, I've been able to find love, with my first love, is laughable. Perfect timing. I sighed and leaned against the lakeside wondering how I was so lucky to be unlucky.