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dirtytomatoedwrites · 7 months

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THE RESIGNATION

Summary: You can quit. It doesn't mean Rafe will let you.

Paring: CEO!Rafe Cameron x Fem!Reader

Strictly 18+ No Minors to Interact

Warnings: 18+ Smut. Oral (w receiving) Masturbation (w), Rough Sex, PIV, Creampie, Fluff, Romance with a dash of Angst. AgedUp!Rafe. Not Proof-Read. Enjoy.

Word Count: 2k words

Author's Note: Something a little shorter, lighter and sweet. Happy reading and much love to you all ❤️

Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Please don’t steal or copy bits of my writing or any writing from other writers cause karma will get ya.

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*Buzzzzzzzzz*

“Yes.”

“Y/N is here to see you.”

“Send her in.”

Rafe watches in fascination as you shuffle in, your face taut and serious. Your eyes cast downward, clutching a file. As you tuck an unruly strand of hair behind your ear, he realizes you're nervous. The tension, his silence, makes you even more anxious.

“Sit,” he instructs, motioning to the chair across his desk. Meanwhile, he keeps his gaze on his papers. He continues to read and leisurely sign forms. Yet, he can distinctly feel your eyes on him, both of you fully aware of the meeting's purpose.

For Rafe, the dynamics at play are exhilarating. After finishing his tasks, he lifts his eyes to find you focused on your file, seemingly avoiding his gaze.

He unbuttons his suit jacket and leans back, his fingers drum lightly on the fine-crafted letter in front of him. The paper carries a soft hint of perfume. It smells like you.

There's a part of him that wishes to be cruel, to use biting words he's often used with others in his employ. Yet something about you prevents him. The game of power was always in his favor, but with you, the boundaries become ambiguous, shifting in unexpected ways. With you, it's always been personal.

“Why didn't you tell me you were unhappy?” he asks. His tone is calm, yet probing. You seem taken aback, eyes widening as they search his face.

He decides to try another approach. “It's clear to me now,” he points to your letter of resignation. “You were unhappy at Cameron Enterprises. How long have you felt this way?”

Your surprise is palpable, and he watches you closely, enjoying the tapestry of emotions that flash across your face, each one more captivating than the last.

“Well?” he prods.

You shift, straightening your back. “I am grateful for my time at Cameron Enterprises. Truly I am. The team has been so kind to me, and I'll honestly cherish the friends I've made—”

“But?” he asks, cutting you off, eager to understand.

“But, I believe it's time for me to pursue other opportunities,” you admit, measuring your words. You slowly nod your head, as though you have thought this whole thing out, and now you are not only resolved with the thought but you truly believe it. It’s this sureness, this resolution, that truly makes Rafe react.

“I see,” Rafe says as he presses a button, making the office walls turn opaque. "So, you think you've outgrown us."

“No—”

"No?" he interrupts, rising from behind his desk and walking slowly toward you.

"No. I just- I feel it's time for me to try something... new.”

"Something new," he repeats, his gaze lowers to meet yours while you look up at him. His eyes scrutinize you carefully. “I respect that,” he nods, and as you avert your gaze, he gently hooks your chin with his fingers, prompting you to look him in the eye.

“No, really. I do. What's the point of life if not to grow, right? But let me be crystal clear: leaving here is not an option. So, here's what I'm willing to offer," his voice is as smooth as honey as his thumb strokes your jaw. "First, a five percent raise. But seeing as you’re already on one of the highest salaries here, I suspect that won't really sway you. You’ll also be given a new title.”

"Raf—"

"And to sweeten the deal," Rafe interrupts, "a vacation to any destination you want. You'll be whisked away on the company jet, stay at a five-star, luxury hotel—every need pampered and taken care of. I'll see to that, and we'll get to that, but here's the thing—" he whispers, his voice low and seductive.

"You embarrassed me today—ah, ah, I'm talking," he asserts, his eyes commanding yours into silence. "If it were anyone else, anyone else, no one would have noticed or given a flying fuck. But since it’s you, your little resignation created a lot of gossip. It made us look weak, hinted at instability, and in a Fortune 500 company, that's not going to work. Do you think the board cares about your need to ‘try something new'? Hm," his gaze is drawn to your mouth as you clamp it shut.

"So for those reasons, I'm going to punish you,”he says, while his thumb gently taps your chin. "But how to punish you...” he muses. “That’s the real question.”

Pulling away, he slides his hands into his pockets and, after taking a few steps back, leans against his desk.

"Rafe, you know I was just— I mean I wasn’t trying to—”

"Spare me, all right? I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say. Not right now. What I want..." he said slowly as he tapped a finger to his chest "What I want, is for you to open your legs, yeah? That's what I want."

You're shocked — he gathers as much from the way you gulp, and Rafe can't help but let a smirk of self-satisfaction curl his lips.

"Don't look so surprised. You knew what working for me entailed when you agreed to it. Now, spread your legs. Let me see what I'm shelling out nearly half a mil for."

"Rafe, I… I" you murmur.

Crossing his arms, his gaze locks onto yours signalling the end of the discussion. Hesitantly, and with much caution, you eventually slide your legs apart, your skirt riding up ever so slightly.

"Wider," Rafe commands, "Lean back and open them wider."

Breathing heavily, you do as he asks. Leaning back against the chair, you spread your legs open fully, causing your skirt to ride up to your waist, revealing your panty-covered sex. The damp patch, dark against the bright red fabric teases him.

"Pull your panties to the side. Let me see how wet you are.” he whispers silkily.

You turn your head away shyly but eventually you hook a finger into the fabric and pull it aside, exposing your slick wet folds to his ravenous gaze.

Rafe smiles in approval.

"That's good." he purrs, "Now, touch yourself. That pussy looks like it needs a good fingering " his voice rumbles with authority as his gaze flickers from your face to your exposed weeping slit. You hesitate, breathing heavily while trying to form a protest.

"I… I'm not—"

"Do it," he interrupts firmly.

You hesitate for a few moments, but eventually obey by pushing a finger into your dripping sex. A moan escapes your lips when Rafe lets out a deep groan as encouragement. Your hesitation seems to disappear and you push another finger in.

"Fuck," he hisses. "Add another. I know you can handle it."

You nod slowly and introduce a third, while the middle finger of your other hand gently rub your clit. Sinking into the sensation you open your legs wider for more access, your fingers moving hard and fast.

Rafe groans in protest. “Go slow...This isn’t for you. It’s about what I want, and what I want is for you to tease yourself. You're not allowed to cum. Not yet. Not until I say.”

You whimper but follow his command. You slow your speed til it's teasing almost leisurely and Rafe soaks it all in. The jolts of pleasure that have you mewling, the way your chest rises and fall, breathless, desperate. The way you curl your fingers just enough to make you gasp. It's incredible to watch and as your hips begin to buck against your massaging fingers, Rafe finds himself looming over you, taking in the sight of your ecstasy-filled face and finger-stuffed pussy.

He leans in and kisses you. His tongue lashes yours, tasting your moans and desperation. He pulls away, eyes back on your wet centre, focused on your fingers moving in and out, accompanied by the sweet wet sounds it makes and your hips rising from the chair.

"Go on, make that pussy cum." he orders. In no time, your orgasm washes over you. He can see it build from your core as you shudder and your thighs shake, your breath hitches fighting to stave it off and then it radiates out from the depths of your soul in a moan of pure ecstasy.

Before you can catch your breath, Rafe pushes your hand away and laps at your essence with his tongue. His hands on the back of your knees, push your legs right to your chest, keeping it wide open as he tongue fucks you.

Eating you out was always an appetizer he savored, making sure you had cum at least twice from his efforts, but right now, with his blood boiling with anger and frustration, he's famished and desperate for the main course.

Urgently, he undoes his slacks and lifts your legs even higher, pinning your ankles above your head with one hand. Without giving you time to adjust, he smears his cock with your slick and plunges deep into your tight heat, pressing you into the chair with his body weight as he begins to pound you.

It's a painful position, and he's acutely aware of that. It's deep and aggressively forceful, the type of position that should be approached with care, or ease you gently into it. But right now, it's not about you. Right now he's too riled up to care and so he fucks you without remorse or restraint, reducing you to nothing more than a fuck toy- his fuck toy spurred on by the delicious moans that escape your parted lips.

Your hands cling to the armrests for dear life as you desperately try to maintain your balance. Rafe continues to slam his hips against the back of your thighs, taking pleasure in your inability to move while he plows you deep. You whimper, desperate to escape his grip, but it does nothing to deter him. Instead, he revels in your struggle, knowing that your lack of control will only intensify his orgasm and your own.

"You want to quit..." Rafe sneers. He watches you whimper and feels your pussy tighten like a vice, while simultaneously soaking the front of his slacks. It makes him feral and he redoubles his efforts, fucking you into the chair until it starts to scrape against the cherry-oak floor.

"You want to quit on me?" he strains, while he observes ecstasy wash over your face, your eyes roll back in a pleasure-filled awe. With one hand, he gently taps your cheek to keep you focused.

"You wanna quit on me? Huh?” And he leans in further, his cock repeatedly hits a spot so deep you’re shaking, babbling and barely coherent.

“You're not going anywhere. Not now, not ever," he grunts, "Now fucking cum. Fucking cum.” His ruthless demand pushes you higher until all inhibitions are obliterated. You scream out in surrender, bucking up onto his plundering cock while Rafe releases a guttural moan, filling you with ribbon after ribbon of thick cum.

Several minutes have passed when his movements gradually stops, signaling the ebbing of his energy. He's exhausted, his fervor having reached its climatic end. He pulls out, his balance wavering slightly until his back meets the glass desk behind him. A contented exhale escapes his lips as he takes in the sight of you.

There you are, looking thoroughly fucked out. Your legs are splayed open, a sheen of sweat glistens on your skin, reflecting the aftermath of passion. His cum slowly leaks out of you and you wear it like a carnal badge of honor. Observing your state, he’s acutely aware that his own appearance mirrors yours—fucked out and messy. His clothes is in disarray, his cock is hanging out and physical exhaustion makes his body seek support against the table.

Despite the disheveled scene, a wave of affection swells within him, washing over any remnants of his earlier anger. His chest heaves as he gulps in air, attempting to control his breathing.

"You're lucky I love you," he manages to say, each word punctuated by his effort to recover. His gaze locks onto yours, intense yet softened by the rush of emotions. "No one else has this infuriating, intoxicating effect on me. You drive me to the brink and back," he adds, a playful seriousness lacing his tone as he licks his lips. "For that little stunt, I should fire you," he teases.

Your fingers glide through the cum dripping from your sex, and Rafe can't suppress a sense of pride. He always takes pride in the chaos he creates, especially when you revel in it.

"I've been trying to talk to you, but you've been so distracted lately, you haven't been listening" you sigh, as you try to catch your breath. "What else was I supposed to do to get your attention? Hand me some tissues, will you?"

He pauses, his eyes narrowing as he digests your words, then reaches with a trembling hand for the tissue box on his desk. "When? When did you try to talk to me and I wasn't listening?" he asks. He takes a clump of tissues and hands them to you.

"This morning at breakfast, and last night during dinner. I barely started speaking before you turned the conversation back to contractors and deadlines and even when I gave you a solution, not just one Rafe but two- two concrete solutions you ignored me. It was like I wasn't even there. It's not the first time." you explain, accepting the tissues from him.

"I didn't realize—"

"You did," you interrupt, ensuring your eyes stay fixed on his to underline your statement. "Why do you think I kept singing the song about wanting to make some changes, wanting to try something new. I've been saying it for weeks on and off because this is clearly not working."

“I thought you were talking about remodeling the offices, not resigning from the company. It's a family business—how would it look if my wife quits?" His voice carries a hint of concern, not just for the optics but for the unspoken bond that this business represents between the two of you.

A soft sigh escapes you as you lock eyes with him, a delicate blend of frustration and affection. "Rafe, I don't want to walk away from this," you admit "But I need more than just a title and a desk. I need to feel heard, to be part of this with you, not just in name because I'm married to a Cameron. I want to be a part of the decisions and changes we dare to dream up together."

Rafe's eyes hold yours, a moment of realization dawning upon him. "I see you," he says quietly, the weight of his oversight apparent in his tone. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening. Do you really want to leave? Is that what you truly want?"

His question, earnest and laced with vulnerability, hangs between you, but you shake your head gently. "No, I don't want to leave, Rafe. I just want... more. More involvement, more acknowledgment, and yes, maybe even a little more attention. But leaving? No. This place, with all its madness, is where I belong."

He exhales, the relief evident in the way his shoulders drop slightly, the rigid line of worry softening around his eyes. "Thank fuck for that," he says with a hushed intensity. "Because I can't imagine doing any of this without you. But let's agree on no more 'resignation stunts' in the future, yeah? It's bad press and only makes for bad business—besides, I doubt my heart can take it."

You nod, agreeing, a mischievous glint in your eye as if to say you’ll find another effective way to get right under his skin, because in the end you always do. “Fine. But for the record, I do have some ideas for my office too."

He laughed, the sound rich and warm, and he pulled you into a messy, loving kiss. "We'll discuss it at home, Mrs. Cameron. For now, let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

"Speak for yourself. You're the one with your dick hanging out."

With a shared laugh and a sweaty kiss, you both begin the task of putting the office—and yourselves—back together, the line between professional and personal wonderfully blurred.

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A/N - See guys I can do sweet 😈 I tried to keep the reveal until the end shhhh 🤭 Thanks for reading x If you enjoyed it please reblog as it supports writers. Until next time ❤️

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finniestoncrane · 25 days

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Pornstar!Cooper Howard x Fem!Reader, multi-part au fic cooper howard is a former actor, novice pornstar, and current wasteland escort. reader mistakes him for a bounty hunter and ends up getting far more entwined in his lifestyle than they intended in a bid to get what they need from the first 'kind' person they've met in a long time🤎

☢️ Chapter 1: A Bombshell, word count: 3.5k exposition time!! cooper's recent divorce has hit hard, personally and professionally. vault tec have made it impossible for him to find work in any movies so he's turned his talents to porn to make some money. as horrible as he thinks his day is though, his future is only going to get worse (reader shows up next chapter) request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: age gap reference, angst, oral sex, pornography

From the corner of the small, hideously decorated set, Cooper watched the skeleton crew work to clean things up after the last movie wrapped just an hour before. His skin began to crawl, a shudder rolling through his body, as he considered the fact that he hadn’t seen anyone take away dirty sheets or bring in clean ones since he arrived.

And he was expected to fuck in these conditions. It was a living nightmare.

Trying to lighten his mood, he murmured what was supposed to be a positive sentiment.

“At least it’s not snuff. Way my luck’s going, wouldn’t that just be the cream on top of the pie.”

Cooper looked up to the ceiling, shielding his eyes from the bright studio lights which provided a familiar, albeit less high-end warmth than he was used to. He was working though, so he couldn’t complain too much. A paycheck meant he wasn’t out on the streets, the hot sun beating down on his face instead. And he had to face facts; the snap of some powerful fingers and he could be out on his ass at a moment’s notice, fired even from a gig like this.

No prospects. Vault Tec had made sure of that not long after he’d confronted Barb. She’d gone straight to her bosses, that panel of cruelty he’d listened in on, and their retaliation, preventative measures to ensure they could continue on their journey of annihilation, had been swift and immeasurably evil. His reputation was ruined, the earth in which he’d grown and nurtured a career scorched, much like they intended to do with the rest of the world. Any upcoming opportunities, any interest that anyone held in him, gone.

They’d been thorough, efficient. News reports, gossip between housewives, notes passed across the desk during auditions. They’d made sure he’d never work again, not in anything worth while, of course, holding his earnings hostage. And when he thought that was all they could take from him. His life, his money, his house, his wife. They had come for more. Armed Barb with the best lawyers money could hire and then offered him the worst deal.

His silence in exchange for some brief, supervised moments with his daughter. Something about alcohol abuse, a half-truth at most, but enough to convince the judge.

It felt cruel to him, that he was put in a position where he had to choose between Janey and the rest of humanity. A shitty thing to do to a man, that’s what he thought of it. And a shitty choice to make. And a shitty decision when he threw altruism to the side and secured the rest of humanity’s fate. He was just as complicit as they were, really, if he thought about it too hard. Which of course, he did. Each night as he struggled to sleep in his apartment. But whatever time was left, he reasoned that he might as well spend it being as happy as he could, even if that was only for one day a month when he was allowed to see Janey.

What was it? Two days ago he'd taken her to the zoo? So almost another month until he saw her again. A month of work. Blood, sweat, and tears. So much sweat.

He let his gaze fall down, taking in his body. Wrapped in a robe, nude underneath it, primed quickly by the makeup artists who seemed to only be making sure that his body hair was tidy and he wasn’t going to sweat too much during his part. Neatly trimmed pubic hair and strategically shaved nipples wouldn’t save him from that though. This was his third film, and each time his nerves, his guilt, his unrelenting shame as he drove his cock into the expert, very formal, professional cunt of whoever his co-star was, it was certain that he’d be sweating copiously only ten minutes in.

“Coop? Hey, Coop! Howard! Keep your head in the game. Both of ‘em, heh.”

Now he was being bossed around by the lighting guy, someone whose name Cooper had forgotten already. The snorting laughter echoed in Cooper’s mind, bringing him firmly back to reality from his daydreaming. It was more mindless worrying than daydreaming, really, but it was the only reprieve he got these days, and now it seemed he couldn’t even find a moment of peace for that.

Daydreaming suggested something positive, thoughts filled with desires or nostalgia for days gone by. But there wasn’t a single remaining vestige of his former life that he was happy to cling to, all of it tainted with soured memories and terrifying future prospects. And knowing what he knew, he still had to keep going. He had to pretend like nothing was wrong. A fake smile plastered on his face despite the mess that he was in.

“Howard? Come on, man. Pull it together.”

The lighting guy was calling on him again, and this time he had the gall to look at Cooper with an impatient, furrowed brow.

“You know they used to call me Mister Howard.”

“And they used to say I looked young and fresh faced, shit changes, man. You coming or what?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming. Keep your pants on… at least you get to.”

He knew he shouldn’t be so flippant, but his patience had worn thin over the past few months. Now that there was nothing to be charming for it was no longer second nature to him. He was rude, cold, and found he was losing himself. Deep down, there was a voice scolding him. Telling him to be thankful that when there were no more studios with their doors open to him, that he was at least able to find some places willing to hire. And while it was a lot less glamorous, he should still be grateful.

But it was hard to feel that way when his new profession was clouded by his own insecurities.

Cooper was well aware that he wasn’t by any means experienced when it came to the world of sex. His first foray into anything of that nature was with his highschool sweetheart on prom night. An unfortunate experience that taught him nothing and ended up igniting the spark that ended that first love. Then there was Barb. He’d met her in college and they’d been together until their bitter divorce. A single one night stand between then and his current career, and that was his sexual history summed up neatly.

It always struck people as funny when they learned about his very short list of sexual conquests. He was Cooper Howard. Charming, charismatic, handsome, famous. A verified heart throb. But he was woefully unsure of what to do with that reputation, and always had been. While other stars would flirt with fans or interviewers or even directors to get a little bit more attention, Cooper was never able to offer anyone anything but a genuine and pleasant smile and maybe at a push, a mischievous wink to accompany his signature smile. He wondered how much of it had to do with the fact that he only had eyes for Barb, but even when she had pushed him to ‘play the game’ he’d still found himself unable to.

Now, all of a sudden and based on a perception of him that was built upon years of good PR, he was thought of as some kind of casanova, and expected to act as such. He had to act like the kind of guy who charm the pants off a woman, with very little plot to back that up, and who could fuck for thirty minutes solid in front of a crew and without cumming too soon,

Interestingly, at least to Cooper, they had told him that would be the hardest part. Stamina. The suspension of orgasms. But he found it all too easy, mostly because there was never a point where he felt any kind of deeply sexual attraction to his co-stars. Much the same as his previous acting roles, he’d always viewed it as a job. It would be inappropriate to have any other feelings. The women he worked with now were beautiful, skilled, talented. But Cooper wasn’t in love with them, and he found that made it hard to coax an orgasm out of him. Luckily, that seemed to suit his new bosses pretty well. He was handsome, a known commodity, and could last a while before they worked him up to his big finale, even if they had to cut the cameras while they waited for him to get to it.

“Alright, Howard. Robe off, let’s see that cock.”

Sighing, his eyelids closing as he tried to separate himself from his actions, Cooper shrugged off the robe that covered his body, letting it slink to the floor and pool at his feet. Despite the heat, his skin still prickled as it was exposed. Nipples hardening, hairs standing on end.

“Can we get a little enthusiasm, Coop? Like your other movies?”

Cooper muttered under his breath.

“You can get the same enthusiasm when I’m getting the same paycheck.”

“What was that, buddy?”

“I said, where do you want me?”

“Yeah… that’s what I thought. Ok, Phoebe’s gonna be on her back, that ok, doll?”

“Of course!”

“Perfect… so, you’re gonna be here. We’re doing missionary first, then maybe we cut to some doggy style. Remember, eyes away from the camera, and make sure that whatever you’re doing we can see those genitals. They’re the real stars!”

This was his life now. His body getting first billing above his soul under whatever lewd title this was going to be given.

“Mr Howard? I just wanted to say, I’m a huge fan. I watched your movies as a kid, you’re like, my dad’s favourite star.”

His co-star, Phoebe, if he remembered correctly, was laying on her back on the bed, waiting for him. Her big, green eyes were wide with excitement. She’d been a fan. And when she was a kid. Looking at her now, he wondered how he hadn’t noticed how young she was. Barely pushing her early twenties, fresh-faced, keen, full of hope.

How would her dad feel about him now? Would she mention this? Talk about meeting Cooper Howard, but skirt around the exact details? Or would she brag? Maybe it was just him who had a disdain for this line of work. He certainly didn’t judge anyone else on the set. Only himself.

“Uh… thank you, darlin’. Always nice to meet a fan.”

Phoebe giggled, a sweet sound that made his heart sink. She spread her legs wider, eyes flitting down to his cock which he was stroking slowly in a bid to get it stiff.

“You ready to go?”

“I’m ready! Mr Howard?”

Cooper looked down in dismay, his flaccid member refusing to play along. A stubborn diva, it turned out.

“Is… is there something wrong, Mr Howard? Is it me? I’m so sorry, you must be used to much bett-”

Cooper’s natural empathy, at least the last reserves of it, were pulled out of hibernation as Phoebe began to blush, embarrassed at what she perceived as her inability to turn him on.

“Oh, no, darlin’. This is a ‘me’ problem. You don’t worry about it at all, ok?”

He placed a hand on her bare shoulder, all lust evaporating as he comforted her, smiling back as she beamed appreciatively to him.

“God damn it, ok, let’s get Harv in, he can do his scene with Phoebe, that ok, doll?”

“Oh for sure! I’m good to go.”

“Perfect, you’re an angel. You, Howard. We can shoot the exposition scene just now. Go to wardrobe and get your outfit.”

Oddly thankful, even though he was embarrassed at his inability to perform, Cooper headed to the small room where they held the small wardrobe for cast members. The exposition scenes were his favourite to shoot. Of course, they were poorly written, and his co-stars weren’t exactly professionally trained actors. But it at least felt like old times. Lines to memorise, a character to portray. And limited sexual encounters for him to fuck up.

Besides, it was porn, and he was the star. Which meant there was a lot more wooing. A lot more women, various actresses playing a myriad of characters, all of whom were seemingly desperate for Cooper’s cock, whatever role he happened to be playing. Once the exposition was out of the way, he had to fuck. But these scenes? He got to be enticed, which always made it a little easier on him. He might have even been looking forward to it today. A stroke to the ego, among other things. A boost to his confidence, and a little physical comfort to stave off the looming spectre of complete loneliness.

When he sifted through the rack and found his name on a plastic covered bundle, however, his brief glimpse of joy was stolen away.

It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough. The deep blue shirt, bright, golden yellow detailing. And the hat. Not identical, but anyone watching would know that he was supposed to be portraying his old self. A cowboy, the Cooper Howard people knew and loved.

On the table behind him, he rifled through the ‘scripts’ until he found the one with his name scribbled on the top. Ten lines, some room for ad-libbing. All of it cowboy themed. Pulled directly from his movies, albeit changed a little for the sake of copyright infringement.

He couldn’t do it.

But then he remembered Janey. How badly he’d wanted to treat her, to spoil her. And how little money he had left after alimony. And how expensive the rent was at his new apartment, which was overpriced, disgustingly decorated, and didn’t even allow pets.

Maybe everything would be ok in the world. Maybe he’d go on living, get to see retirement, see the world flourish, the wars end. Maybe, Vault Tec and Barb would see the light, change their ways. Maybe it was all for nothing.

So maybe he better get his shit together and start making some money, so that what was left of his future wasn’t so abysmal.

“Put on a smile and go get your cock sucked, Cooper. Not the worst day in the world, really.”

WIth a sigh of resignation, he chose to listen to his conscience, the little voice that steered him in the right direction, and put on the suit. The material was a poor quality, some cheap polyester deal, ill fitting, too baggy for his frame. And the hat was clearly something from a cheap party supply store. But as he looked in the mirror at himself, he could push away the feeling of seeing a ghost and focus on the positives. He looked almost like himself again.

“Mr Howard? They’re ready for you.”

The polite knock and the soft voice of the only runner on set came through the door, and Cooper exited, surprising the young man in the corridor.

“Oh wow.”

“What’s wrong, kid?”

“Nothing, nothing. You just… you look like you did in your movies. I’m a little bit starstruck.”

“You gave me my coffee this morning.”

The runner looked to his feet, shuffling awkwardly as he tried to explain himself.

“Yeah, but that was… now you look… y’know?”

Trying not to be impolite, Cooper pushed past him, muttering under his breath.

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”

Back in what the director insisted on calling “the studio” despite it being a hastily fabricated sound stage in the middle of some tacky, shared ownership mansion in the hills, Cooper was met by a new woman who introduced herself as Veronica, before quickly telling him that everyone called her Ronnie. He smiled, clutching her hand between both of his in that confident way he used to greet fans, smiling at her as she bit her lip and smirked. It was a flirtatious look, one that gave him a bit of a boost as he subtly eyed her up and down and judged her silently.

“She definitely likes you… and she’s not too bad to look at herself. Look at you, seeing the positive side of things! Well done, Cooper. Well done.”

He made his way through the first few lines, trying his hardest to maintain a look of arousal as his co-star clumsily worked through hers, emphasis and inflections all over the place, the puns not quite hitting right the way she was delivering them. But he could forgive it all as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

“Well, I have to give you something for saving me from those bandits, kind sir… maybe this will be enough to repay you.”

She was adept at unbuckling his belt, repetition and muscle memory aiding her, and he could feel his erection stirring as she pulled his flaccid cock free from his pants and began to stroke it.

“Now, ma’am… that won’t be necessary…”

Cooper’s voice trembled over his words as he took his semi-erect cock from her and began stroking it slowly himself to keep the erection building.

“... I did what any good man would.”

“Then let me do what any good woman should.”

He cringed hard at the line, but luckily, the grimace was covered by his mouth dropping open as Ronnie took his cock in her mouth, sliding her lips over the tip with a gentle ease that made him forget momentarily how terrible his life was at that point.

Her tongue slid over the tip, teasing over the slit and collecting his pre-cum with a satisfying moan that vibrated through him, tingling over the sensitive nerve endings. Cooper was able to sink into it, some of the muscles in his back loosening as he let himself go. Something so satisfying about the way she held him, one hand on his testicles, the other stroking his shaft as he lips puckered around his head.

Cooper wanted to show her. Not that she was doing anything wrong, she was doing a better job than anyone else had. Ever. But he wanted to guide her, to ease her throat over his length, to breathe through her nose as he filled her mouth, to show her how he liked it. He kept himself to himself, however, putting his fingers in the belt loops of his pants so they couldn’t reach for anything before he could stop them, like the back of Ronnie’s head to down to her round, firm breasts, or even letting his fingers trail over her-

“Cut! For fuck’s sake.”

“Just as things are looking up…”

Cooper’s attention was focused on the director who sat lazily in his folding camping chair. All of him reacted to the interruption, the disruption of his genuine pleasure, finally, for the first time in who knew how long. Tense, irate. And not in the mood.

“Alright, alright… I thought this was gonna be a one take situation, but geez, Howard. If it’s not one thing, it’s the other with you! You got lines to be getting through, imbecile! How you got hired before, I’ll never know. If it wasn’t for that wife of yours, you’d-”

“Now wait just a damn minute!”

Cooper pulled away from Ronnie, his cock bouncing around as he stomped in a way that might have seemed comical to the crew if he hadn’t looked so intense, filled with complete rage as he shook a pointing finger at the director.

“I am sick of taking this from-”

Everyone was jolted into a panic as a rumble spread through the ground. One burst.

“Can’t be an earthquake…”

The runner had only just come into the room when everything in Cooper’s vision was blocked out by a bright, white light. A quick flare, like a firework, or a flashlight being turned on in a dark room. He could see it still, but smaller, and somewhere on the horizon, down in the city.

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Get down.”

It was perhaps the last truly selfless thing Cooper did. The glass landed on them, some people got splintered by the small shards as they fell to the ground. But they’d avoided the worst of it. And he didn’t need to help them. These were not people he cared for. They were people who were cruel, difficult, practical strangers. People who didn’t deserve what Cooper knew was coming.

He thought of that day a lot. Of how he’d had it somewhere in him, a long, long time ago, to offer himself or his wisdom in exchange for nothing, to people who these days he’d sooner shoot in the head before spitting in their cup.

Bitterly, he indulged himself, hoping that at least some of them were suffering a fate worse than his, if such a thing actually existed.

“Maybe the mutants.”

There was hardly any time this evening for him to satisfy his desire for revenge with fitful fantasies, however, because he was rudely interrupted by who he expected was yet another customer tapping on his shoulder. A new client who didn’t know the rules.

No touching before payment.

So he turned to politely inform them, and make sure they didn’t forget it next time.

#walton goggins #fallout amazon #cooper howard #the ghoul #fallout fic #cooper howard x reader #the ghoul x reader #cooper howard fanfiction #cooper howard one shot #cooper howard smut #cooper howard imagine #fallout tv #fallout tv series #cooper howard x fem!reader #fallout #finnie writes

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sicktember · 1 year

Text

Official Sicktember 2023 Prompt List!

[Faqs Post]

[How to Submit Content Post]

[2023 Sicktember Collection on AO3]

[2023 Content Promotion Changes]

** Please remember to read the FAQs before asking event related questions**

[text version of the prompt list below the cut]

Prompts:

1. Hopelessly Bad at Self-Care

2. Quest for a Cure

3. "What happened to your phenomenal immune system, huh?"

4. Hiding an Illness

5. Preventative Measures (Not Taken)

6. Sick and Injured

7. “You’re a Jerk When You’re Sick”

8. Persistent Fever

9. White Coat Syndrome

10. “The only place we’re going is to the pharmacy”

11. Beginner’s Guide to Faking Sick

12. Old Wives Tale

13. Anxious Stomach

14. ‘‘I shouldn’t be worried about you, but for some reason I am’’

15. Sick in an Inconvenient Place

16. Consulting the Internet/Web MD

17. Magical Remedy/Healing Potion

18. “Wear Your Coat, You’ll Catch a Cold”

19. Curled Up With a Pet

20. Cramping Pain

21. "But if you stay, you'll get sick too"

22. Terms of Endearment/Nicknames

23. Coughing Fit

24. “Did you just sneeze?”

25. Confused/Disoriented

26. Pink Eye/Conjunctivitis

27. Uncooperative Patient

28. “I should have stayed home”

29. Side Effects/Adverse Reaction

30. Patient 0

Alts.

“I Could Really Use a Hug Right About Now”

Fuzzy Socks

Pounding Headache

Forehead Kisses

“I’m so sorry”

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foodsies4me · 4 months

Text

AWG but Alec has a warlock mark

Tagging @ariella9melody and @buglersholiday because you both asked for this prompt that ended up in Cat's POV because the majority of Alec's POV would have been a mixture of "don't speak to Magnus Bane", "don't speak of Magnus Bane" and "don't tell Catarina about Magnus Bane"

Catarina stares at the young teenager, barely more than a child, in front of her. She takes in the nervous way he’s clenching and unclenching his fingers, his eyes darting every so often to a smiling Magnus, who is discussing some last-minute details with Elder Musa.

The boy is clearly uncomfortable with Magnus being there and Catarina is still trying to figure out if that’s due to his parents or something else. She doesn't think it's the usual shadowhunter bigotry, though, which is a relief because she wouldn’t want him to fight to overcome self-hatred on top of everything he already has on his plate.

“So, Alec,” she says, “- are you fine with me calling you that? Or do you prefer something else?”

“Alec is fine,” he nods, eyes darting over to a slowly approaching Ragnor. “But - uh, I thought you were sending me back to the institute, so,” another look sent Magnus’ way and a sigh of relief when he leaves, “Why am I here?”

“I’ll make a portal for you,” Catarina reassures, trying not to scare the young teenager away or make him think they’re keeping him captive, “But you’re here so we can schedule a training regimen for you that wouldn’t interrupt your shadowhunter duties.”

Catarina tries to keep her voice even as she says this, trying to ignore the same impulse that had pushed several of the Elders to mention the word ‘kidnapping’ in more than a joking manner. Because it wasn’t enough for Alec to be in an immense amount of danger just by existing. No, the Lightwoods also had the fantastic idea of letting a thirteen-year-old patrol.

Alec furrows his eyebrows together, “Why?”

“To teach you how to control your magic,” Catarina says, confused by Alec’s sudden confusion. He had been the one to seek her out, after all, panic and fear were visible in every line of his body when he asked her for help because his glamour runes refused to work any longer.

Catarina had been confused at first, wariness and compassion in equal measure had put her on high alert, her magic scouring her surroundings for any other angelic signatures, which led to her only catching half of Alec’s explanation.

That confusion had faded the moment Alec had raised his shirt and twisted around to reveal white, opalescent scales that gathered into small diamond-like shapes along his spine. A warlock mark.

Catarina had been quick to contact Magnus and the other Elders despite the panicked request she keeps this between them. Something like a shadowhunter-born warlock, one that could bear runes unlike Tessa, was not something she would have been able to keep to herself. Not when that very fact put Alec into a world of danger.

Still, it had taken her nearly an hour to get Alec’s okay. The promise of blood oaths that would prevent her and the Elders from sharing the information with anyone else enough to finally convince him.

That's how they ended up in their current situation, though, Catarina is starting to realize there was some miscommunication somewhere down the line if Alec is asking her why she would help him train his magic.

“But you glamoured the…my back,” Alec says, eyebrows still furrowed in confusion. “That’s all I needed.”

Catarina gentles her voice, “Untrained magic is dangerous magic,” she says, repeating the sentence her own teacher had installed into her at a young age.

Alec somehow looks even more confused.“But I don’t have magic,” he corrects, breaking his parade’s rest to scratch at a spot over his chest. “I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if I had.”

“Maybe it’s weaker because of your angelic blood,” Catarina muses, walking over to her couch and inviting him over. “But I can assure you, you do.”

Alec presses his lips together, “I don’t want to be a bother,” he says, sounding old and painfully young all at once. “You mentioned you’re a nurse and I don’t want to take up your free time to accommodate my schedule.”

There’s something infuriatingly adult in the way he speaks, a maturity that comes from being forced to grow up past your age. Then again, she thinks sardonically, being used like the Nephilim equivalent of canon fodder will do that to you.

Seriously, a thirteen-year-old patrolling. Most warlocks wouldn’t let their children or apprentices brew a harmless beginner's potion by themselves at that age.

“I’m sure we can figure out something that would work out for the both of us,” she says, conjuring a pen and a notepad that she holds out to him. “Now, what about you write down your schedule and I write mine down.”

Alec does as ordered and starts writing down his weekly schedule to her growing horror. Starting at half past five in the morning, Alec's days seem to stretch well until midnight on the nights that he isn't patrolling and that will just not stand.

"As a nurse, I'm obliged to tell you that the recommended amount of sleep for a child your age is eight to ten hours a day."

"I'm a shadowhunter, not a child," Alec says with an assertiveness that doesn't come from defensiveness, but from being told the same words over and over again. "And I think I'm finished."

Alec hands her the schedule and Catarina tries to read the different categories Alec has written down: training, trainees, paperwork, Max and Leo, archery practice, patrol, sparring with Jace, sword practice, studying, rune practice, and story time.

"Training and trainees?" she asks, wondering what the difference is between both categories.

"Training is for Jace, my parabatai, Izzy, my sister, and I. The trainees are what we call my little brother and his best friend, they just turned three and are learning their basic forms. I'm helping them."

Catarina nods to show she understands. She supposes she can't fault Alec for wanting to be a good brother and help his little brother with his training, even if the thought of a three-year-old needing to learn how to fight is horrifying to even think of.

"And Max and Leo?"

"The New York Institute isn't a kid institute, so Max and Leo don't really have anyone to play with or keep them busy."

Catarina nods again to avoid asking about the amount of 'Max' as well as 'Max and Leo' time as well as 'Trainee' time that has been penciled in. Instead, she summons a cup of hot chocolate for Alec to have something to distract herself and him with. Then, after he's taken a few sips, eyes brightening in delight - and oh, she wouldn't have taken him for a sweet tooth - she asks about the strangest entry.

"What about paperwork? Is that similar to the studying and rune practice?"

Alec shakes his head, slowly lowering his cup on the coffee table, "No, it's just - when mom and dad are away to other institutes or in Idriss, I have to do the paperwork," he says with a careless shrug.

Catarina looks down at the schedule, looks back at the young teenager on her couch, and back at the schedule. Then, she bites down the question that is burning on her tongue.

After all, the answer is staring at her in the shape of a frankly ridiculous schedule that Alec wrote down without a second thought.

This means the story time entry, the entry that takes place twice a day at the same time every single day, right around what would be the usual bedtime for a three-year-old, is exactly what the word entails.

Catarina didn't think her personal opinion on Maryse and Robert Lightwood could sink any lower.

"Your studies are they with a teacher?" She asks, looking at the few spots those take. She wouldn't be able to ask him to do the paperwork he shouldn't be doing over at her apartment, but maybe she can convince him to take his studying sessions here.

"Not anymore," Alec says, "I just get the study material and the homework I need to finish. Why?"

"Well, then I suggest we broaden your studies during those hours," she says, circling the study hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the days she usually has off. "That okay with you?"

Alec is still looking at her with a confused expression as if unsure of what to expect from her. "If that's easiest for you," he says, hand coming to scratch that spot on his chest again, "But I can adapt. I just have to be there for Max when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep, but the rest I can switch around."

Catarina had an inkling he would say something like this.

"Don't worry, this would work out the best for both of us," she reassures, hiding the anger behind a kind smile and another cup of hot chocolate. Then, she gives Alec his promised portal with a promise to see him on Thursday and dials a number she knows as well as her own.

Magnus picks up on the first ring. "Chocolate or alcohol?"

"Both. As well as a plan on how to murder the Lightwoods if you'd please."

"That bad?"

Catarina thinks of patrolling at thirteen years old, thinks of the hellish schedule and the fact that Alec is apparently single-handedly raising his little brother, is semi-raising his two other siblings as well, and all that on top of not quite running the institute in his parents' absence. .

"Worse."

#foodsies writes #prompt #this got longer than expected #stares at plotbunny #repeat after me: THIS WILL NOT TURN INTO A FULL FLEDGED FIC #also I am cackling how Alec got a different teacher in every AWG universe #AWG is Magnus and sometimes Ragnor #GWSR is Ragnor and sometimes Cat #and this is Cat

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kybercrystals94 · 4 months

Text

Shields

Read here on Ao3!

Febuwhump 2024 | Day 18 | Alternate Prompt 1: Human Shield

Rated: G | Words: 730 | Summary: An altercation during training leads to dissension in the Batch. [Character Focus: Tech, Crosshair, Wrecker, Hunter]

“Why can’t you keep your mouth shut once in a while?” Crosshair asked, shoving roughly into Tech as they went into their barracks.

Tech staggered a step under the unexpected impact and righted his goggles that went askew. “Had I known that the regs would respond violently to my observation, I can assure you that I would have kept my thoughts to myself.”

“When have they not responded violently to you correcting them?” Wrecker grumbled.

Tech was not quite ready to concede the point, although his face burned with chagrin. “I thought that it was in our best interest to tell them the mistake they were making with the wiring. Otherwise, we might have lost marks.”

“Instead, we lost marks and got disciplinary action for causing a brawl,” Crosshair snapped, tossing his training helmet onto his bed and beginning to strip out of his armor. “Not to mention, Wrecker’s nose now looks like a meiloorun.”

“It does not!” Wrecker cried, covering his nose with both hands.

“I did not ask either of you to fight the regs in my defense,” Tech muttered. “If you had not intervened…”

“You’d probably be in medical,” Crosshair interrupted bitterly.

“I could have handled it,” Tech argued. “At the very least, I would have been the only one facing disciplinary measures, along with any regs that were involved.”

“You hear that, Wrecker? Tech doesn’t need us as his human shields anymore. He can handle the regs all on his own.”

“I am not saying I don’t appreciate your assistance, only your interference in this case escalated the situation far beyond what was necessary.”

“You’ve got a weird way of saying thank you,” Crosshair said, grabbing the med kit and pulling out an instant cooling pack. He activated it before tossing it to Wrecker.

“I had the situation under control.”

“You did not! That reg immediately swung at you, and if Wrecker hadn’t stepped in, you’d be trying to fix your kriffing goggles right now.”

Tech stopped removing his armor and stood up. “I am just as capable—”

“Save the speech, I don’t want to hear it,” Crosshair cut him off.

Tech knew it was not physically possible, but felt as though his blood had begun to boil in his veins. He snatched up his discarded armor and clipped it back into place. He started for the door.

“Where are you going?” Wrecker asked behind the cooling pack pressed against his nose.

“Out,” Tech said, and marched out of the barracks without looking back.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

It was Hunter that found him, which didn’t surprise Tech in the slightest.

Tech did not look up from the practice droid he was dismantling, even as Hunter sat down next to him at the work table. “Rough day?”

“One I could have easily prevented,” Tech said, “On several accounts, had I been given the opportunity.”

“You really think so?”

“I do.” Tech tossed aside a piece of bad wire, grabbed a spool of new, snipped off a measured portion, and started the process of reattaching it. “Our brothers don’t seem to realize that not every confrontation need end in a physical altercation.”

“If I understood the story, the regs took the first swing,” Hunter countered softly.

Tech shrugged. “Then they would have been at fault. Our trainers would have observed the situation and handled it accordingly.”

Hunter smiled. “So you would’ve taken a punch to get the regs in trouble?”

“The attempt seemed worth it. Wrecker and Crosshair thought otherwise.”

“I doubt they were thinking.”

“True.” Tech grinned in spite of himself.

Hunter said, “But they’re always going to stand up for you or me or each other. They’re not just gonna stand by. It’s what you’d do too, if the situation were reversed.”

Tech frowned. “This is also true.”

“But I think you’re right,” Hunter continued and knocked his shoulder into Tech’s, “We should give this diplomacy thing a try…but maybe without antagonizing the regs into taking a swing, huh?”

“That was not my intention,” Tech sighed.

Hunter chuckled. “I know, but I say we lose the marks next time. Let the trainers tell ‘em what they did wrong.

“I suppose.”

Hunter clapped Tech on the shoulder and stood up. “C’mon, it’s time for late meal. We gotta keep those two hot heads we call brothers in check or they’re gonna end up in solitary for the night.”

END

✨Let me know if you would like to be added to my taglist!✨

Taglist: @followthepurrgil @amorfista @isthereanechoinhere96 @arctrooper69 @proteatook @the-little-moment @groguandthebadbatch @mooncommlink @nagyanna424 @merkitty49

#febuwhump 2024 #febuwhumpday18 #alternate prompt 1: human shield #star wars #the bad batch #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #tbb tech #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb wrecker #cadet batch #brotherly love #brotherly bonding

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carriesthewind · 1 year

Text

If you liked "lawyers use a chatbot to make up fake cases," you'll love hate "eating disorder helpline fires its staff and replaces them with a chatbot that tells people with eating disorders to count calories and lose weight."

From the above article:

"In Gizmodo’s own tests of the chatbot before it was taken down, we found it failed to respond to simple prompts such as “I hate my body” or “I want to be thin so badly.” However, Tessa is even more problematic, as explained by body positivity activist Sharon Maxwell. In an Instagram post, Maxwell detailed how a conversation with the chatbot quickly morphed into the worst kind of weight loss advice. The chatbot reportedly tried to tell her to “safely and sustainably” lose one to two pounds per week, then measure herself using calipers to determine body composition. Maxwell said the chatbot did this even after she told it she had an eating disorder."

"Chase previously told us that the chatbot “can’t go off script,” and was only supposed to walk users through an eating disorder prevention program and link to other resources on NEDA’s website."

"Other professionals tried out the chatbot before it was taken down. Psychologist Alexis Conason posted screenshots of the chatbot to her Instagram showing the chatbot provided the same “healthy and sustainable” weight loss language as it did to Maxwell. Conason wrote that the chatbot’s responses would “further promote the eating disorder.”"

#ai bs #tw eating disorder #tw disordered eating

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kc5rings · 9 months

Note

If you're doing the sticker prompts I rolled 1 for Nian

I more intended it as a game for folks who want a prompt for themselves for art or fic, but luck is on your side because I happened to be thinking about Nian already this morning after seeing some metal gear that made me insane

(Not taking any other prompts at the moment but the game is here if anyone wants to use it for themselves)

Under the cut: Chastity, heat reference, improper use of medical equipment, improper definitions of medical equipment, Nian Gets Trolled.png

“I should have figured when Hibiscus messaged me to come drag you out of medical that it would be something ridiculous like this.”

Nian crossed her arms, grinning and unrepentant, as ever immune to Lava’s scathing reprimands.

“All I’m saying, is you’d think an open minded medical facility like Rhodes Island would be a little more receptive to a holistic, non medication approach to a very common medical concern for many of its op-“

Lava cut into Nian’s speech before she wound herself up into full pitch mode, leaning heavily on her cane with one hand while gesturing vaguely at what Nian was wearing.

“Is that what we’re calling….. all this then?”

Far from being deterred Nian’s grin only widened as she did a little turn to make sure Lava got a good look, which she happily did, taking a moment to appreciate forge hewn muscle before sighing and taking in Nian’s “outfit”

Her regular clothing had been discarded the moment Lava had shut the door to her quarters, Nian having been in a hurry to show off her latest project. Across her chest was a tight band of steel, with a cup covering the entirety of each breast. Continuing down from there revealed a steel waist corset cinched reasonably tight, though Lava couldn’t begin to imagine how that was accomplished with metal.

Finally, there was the belt.

Just a bit below the edge of the corset sat the waist band of what could only be described as what it was, a chastity belt. Perfectly shaped to fit the lines of Nian’s body, with a ring in the waistband to settle at the thick base of Nian’s tail, a sturdy, contoured, front shield and capped off by a pair of wide metal bands on her thighs. As with the rest of the ensemble it was all secured with ornate locks and polished to a near mirror shine.

Lava pinched the bridge of her nose

“Nian, this is obviously fetishwe-“

“Medical aids, Lil Lava, please”

“Not calling it that.”

Despite her curt tone Lava knew this was a losing battle, once Nian had a concept she wanted to talk about she refused to let it go until someone heard her out and that someone was usually Lava

“Fine. I’ll bite.”

“Promise?”

“Just make your pitch Nian. How is any of this possibly medical?”

Lava could swear she saw a literal flame in Nian’s eye for a moment before Nian gave her an overly dramatic bow, setting the many locks adorning her accessories jingling

“It’d be my pleasure. Ya see I’ve done my research and found that a sizable number of Terran species experience heat, now heat is the common term for-“

“I know what heat is Nian, you know I do.”

��Fine, fine, I’ll skip ahead.”

Nian made a placating gesture and rolled on with her pitch, pointing to each relevant piece of gear as she went

“The cups on the top prevent contact with sensitive nipples even during rigorous activity or while laden with equipment, the front shield prevents contact that might worsen symptoms and splits at the back for comfort, the bands on the thighs and tail help keep everything in place and secure. Obviously it’s all padded, every measure had been taken to ensure both comfort and hygiene during long term wear while-“

“And the corset? What “medical” benefit is that providing”

Nian flashed her teeth again, despite her protests Lava was an excellent “yes and” partner when she felt like it, and now Nian had gotten her to play.

“Well you see.” Nian drew herself up to her full height, head and shoulders over Lava to the point she almost loomed.

“They are great for your posture.”

Lava rolled her eyes, sure that Nian was familiar enough with the movement that she’d recognize it even with Lava wearing her visor

“Right. Well putting aside the frankly astounding number of ethical problems with all of that, it still wouldn’t work here at Rhodes.”

Nian tilted her head, curious.

“Oh? And why’s that?”

It was Lava’s turn to grin, she knew she was playing Nian’s game now, no helping that. But they’d been at this for years and Lava had gotten very good at playing.

“Haven’t you ever seen the combat logs of some of our operators once they get riled up in a fight? That pretty belt of yours wouldn’t last a second against someone like operator Horn in heat, no chance in hell”

“Lil Lava you wound me! In my pride as an artisan no less.” Using her tail Nian fished something out of her pile of discarded clothes and with a flick, sent something through the air at Lava. “Catch.”

Lava snatched the object with one hand before taking a moment to look it over. “Key” would be an accurate description but a very reductive one, the body of the key was cylindrical, with the teeth numbering in the dozens all around its circumference. Stranger though, was the fact that as Lava stared at the key it’s teeth became less defined and fuzzy, seeming to almost move.

“Give me fifty years and I *might* be able to produce that same exact key from memory, anybody who’s not me though? No chance.” Only Nian could make admitting she couldn’t do something in less than fifty years sound like a boast. “And that’s not all.”

Nian lifted one clawed finger up for Lava to see, the tip glowing forge hot after a moments concentration, and reached down to drag it up the front shield of the belt. Lava winced at the terrible screech and sparks the contact made, but when Nian finished her little display the belt hadn’t even lost its shine. “I built this piece as sturdy as I can make something, trust me when I say that without that exact key it’s not going anywhere.”

“….. Ok I’ll admit it, that’s pretty impressive.” Lava had seen Nian shape ingots by hand and shear chunks off of them with those same claws, that belt really was something else.

Lava pocketed the key.

From the same pocket she’d stored the key in Lava produced a small injection gun, with casual ease she reached out and pressed it against the exposed skin of Nian’s hip, right in the gap between the bottom of the corset and the top of the belt and pulled the trigger.

Nian, for her part, made no move to stop Lava and barely reacted to the injection. Lava had the basic medical training afforded to all higher level Rhodes Island operators and had long since become adept in administering her own meds so Nian hardly felt a thing.

Aside from a sudden burning curiosity.

“What was-“

“Highly concentrated heat inducer.” Lava let the now empty injector clatter onto a nearby table. “Gavial slipped it to me when I was coming to get you, mentioned something about how she owed you a prize after handing her a string of losses and that because you never had a proper physical she had to take a “Gavial Guess” at the dosage.”

Lava took advantage of a rare moment of stunned Nian silence to close the gap between them. “You’re so sure this stuff is a good answer to heat? Fine, but you’re doing the testing. Be sure to record your findings while I’m gone.”

Lava allowed herself a smile only after turning away from Nian’s dumbfounded expression, trying to process what had just happened. Only the last word of “gone” snapped her out of it. “Wait, what do mean by “gone” Lil Lava?”

Lava tossed a hand up in farewell as she headed out the door. “Oh didn’t I mention? I’m leading an away mission of new recruits later today, shouldn’t be gone more than three weeks, probably.”

With that, Lava turned down the hallway, the staccato rhythm of her cane on metal flooring slowly growing distant. Leaving Nian reeling.

“Ok Lil Lava I get it, you got me fair and square this time, you can come back now!” The only answer Nian received was a sudden involuntary muscle clench, a spike in temperature and sweat slowly beading on her brow.

“L-Lava?!”

#arknights #nsft #once again I can’t keep things short to save my life #my writing #Nian and Lava’s dynamic is so fun to me #I’m firmly in the Domme leaning switch Lava camp #Nian is an immortal brat #all this because I saw some gear and thought of Nian this morning #also Lava has her cane because I feel like it gets forgotten a lot #and there needs to be more disabled dommes in things

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lestappenforever · 11 months

Note

Hii, could I request prompt no 9 🥺 (and if its something you'd enjoy writing could you include maxes cats in this prompt, I feel like including them or them being part of the plot would work for this specific prompt) -> but ofc no worries if you'd rather write about other things, I'll still love whatever you come up with cause I adore your writing! <3

Hello, my darling anon. ❤️

9. with Sassy and Jimmy coming right up! I also snuck in a little 32. "I love you. So fucking much."

---

9. “It’s all taken care of.” “Even the–?” “Everything.”, and 32. "I love you. So fucking much."

It doesn't happen often, Max getting sick. In fact, Max takes preventive measures on a daily basis to make sure he doesn't get sick.

He takes every vitamin the medical team has recommended for him, drinks every disgusting concoction Brad makes him to boost his immune system, and denies himself foods and snacks he desperately wants to have in order to make sure he stays in the best shape possible.

So no, it doesn't happen often, Max getting sick. But when it does, it has a tendency to hit him hard.

And of course it hits him on December 20th.

He starts feeling it a few days before, with his energy levels dropping and waking up with a headache for no apparent reason. Max finds himself thinking it's just the common cold and it will pass in no time. Then his throat starts hurting, his nose feels stuffy, and his lungs feel constricted with every inhale. By December 20th, he doesn't even have the energy to get out of bed.

It's not a cold. It's the flu, which Max hasn't had since he was a fucking kid. And it couldn't have come at a worse time, because this year, he and Charles are supposed to host Christmas at Max's Monaco apartment, with their mothers, Charles' brothers, Max's sister and her family all invited.

It's less than ideal, to say the least.

He spends the entire day in bed, but on December 21st, despite feeling even worse than the day before, he gets out of bed to start getting things ready for Christmas Eve.

Charles finds him in the kitchen when he lets himself into Max's apartment an hour and a half later, hunched over the kitchen counter with his forearms and forehead resting on the cool marble, breathing labored and wheezing.

"Merde, Max, what the hell are you doing out of bed?" Charles groans, putting the shopping bags down on the floor by the fridge and hurrying to the Dutchman's side.

"I need to start preparing for Christmas," Max tells him as Charles rubs a soothing hand up and down the length of his back.

"Like hell you do," the Monégasque snorts. "You need to get your ass back into bed."

Max lifts his head to look at Charles, and he must look like death because Charles visibly winces at the sight of him.

"Nothing is ready. The tree isn't even up yet!" Max tries to argue, but it's not a compelling argument when he can barely get the words out with his hoarse voice and reduced ability to breathe.

"I'm putting the tree up tomorrow. Now come on, back to bed," Charles says as he winds an arm around Max's waist and carefully eases him upright.

"But what about Christmas dinner? You can't cook, Charles," Max whines as he lets Charles guide him out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

Charles makes an offended noise by his side, but he doesn't argue.

For obvious reasons.

"I've booked a caterer," the Monégasque informs him.

Max blinks in surprise, staring at Charles.

"This close to Christmas?!"

"A very expensive caterer."

"I still need to wrap the gifts," Max continues to argue, even as he lets Charles sit him on the edge of the bed. The Dutchman sighs, but settles back against the pillows and pulls his legs up anyway.

"I wrapped them last night." Charles says it as he pulls the duvet up and over Max.

"The guest rooms aren't ready. My family are coming tomorrow evening," he continues with his never-ending list of things that need to be done, none of which Max has been able to get to.

"They're going to stay at my apartment until Christmas Eve, to give you more time to recover. I went to clean and get everything ready this morning," Charles declares, not at all worried. Not at all stressed.

Unlike Max.

He lays in bed, staring up at Charles through his glassy, red eyes.

"But what about Jimmy and Sassy's litterboxes? I need to clean them," Max says, trying to push himself up into a seated position.

Charles stops him with a gentle hand in the center of Max's chest, pushing him back down.

"I've cleaned them this morning. I gave them breakfast at seven on the dot, and I'll give them dinner at five."

"Their water fountain —," Max starts.

"I washed it last night. It's clean," Charles cuts him off, running a hand carefully through Max's hair.

The gentle motion makes Max's eyes flutter shut and he sighs, exhausted.

"Go to sleep, Max."

"But what about —,"

"It's all taken care of."

"Even the —,"

"Everything."

Max opens his eyes to meet Charles' gaze. He knows he probably looks horrible. But Charles still looks at him as if he's the single most stunning person he has ever laid eyes on.

"I love you. So fucking much," Max tells him seriously, and Charles smiles, letting his hand slide from Max's hair to his cheek, thumb sliding over his cheekbone.

"I know. I love you too."

Max is about to say something else, but then Charles is getting to his feet and hurrying out of the room, throwing an 'I'll be right back' over his shoulder.

Max watches him go, but he's too tired to keep his eyes open.

When Charles returns, he places Jimmy and Sassy on the bed next to Max, and the Dutchman opens his eyes to see Charles pointing at him.

"Heal him," he instructs the cats, who look at him like he's lost his damned mind.

But then Jimmy moves to settle on Max's stomach, curling up in a ball and purring. Sassy watches her brother before she goes to settle by Max's shoulder, laying her little head on Max's collarbone. And then she's purring, too.

Charles looks at the three of them, pleased.

"Good. Now make sure he stays in bed," he tells them.

Max huffs a breathless laugh, and Charles winks at him.

"Now sleep," the Monégasque demands as he leans down to press a soft kiss to Max's forehead.

And Max is asleep before Charles can straighten back up, lulled into it by the soothing purrs of his cats and the warmth spreading within at being so cared for, so loved, by Charles Leclerc.

Max doesn't know what he did to deserve Charles, but he's never letting him go.

Not in a million years.

#Lestappen drabble #Lestappen prompt #Prompts #Ask prompts #Anon #Anon asks #Asks #My writing

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cuddlepilefics · 9 months

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“What happened to your phenomenal immune system, huh?“ + Preventative measures not taken

Fandom: Ateez

Sickie: Wooyoung

Caregivers: Mainly Seonghwa & Yeosang

Prompts: @sicktember

No one’s POV.:

Now that summer was slowly coming to an end, Seonghwa was working hard to make sure the group was well prepared for the colder seasons to come. Since they were still travelling a lot and interacted with so many people, there’d naturally be a pretty high risk of the members catching some bug, which would be incredibly inconvenient to their schedules. Besides, living in such close proximity, illness usually spread like wildfire within the group, so they should really make sure all of them were in good health. Seonghwa was the most adamant about making their lifestyle as healthy as it could be with the long working hours and little amount of sleep. Not having to worry about the members not exercising enough, he merely reminded them not to skip out on the veggies in their meals and to not stay up unnecessarily late if it wasn’t for their work.

He eventually got his hands on some ginger shots, which were supposed to boost the immune system and would hopefully keep the members from falling ill. Sure, they didn’t taste that great and some of the members made sure to tell him that every morning but they usually just knocked the back to get it over with. Hongjoong would rarely ever let himself be stopped from working late no matter how hard Seonghwa tried to get him to rest, so if it put his hyung’s mind at ease, the leader would gladly accept the ginger shot. The only one complaining about it every morning was Wooyoung. There had even been a fight one morning, the dancer still half asleep as they had to head out to their schedule. He couldn’t be bothered with something that disgusting so early in the morning. Wanting to keep the peace, Seonghwa dropped the topic but eventually realized how his dongsaeng had started to adjust his daily routine to ensure he’d already be gone from the dorm by the time the rest of the group had to get up and ready. Wooyoung simply didn’t see a point in drinking such a vile tasting liquid. Sure, it had the reputation of being healthy but so were vegetables. If he made sure to always add some veggies to his meals, he’d be fine.

Not wanting the other to go without his daily dose of vitamins, Seonghwa had resorted to measuring some of the ginger shots into little bottles, which he carried around with him. That way, he could give them to Wooyoung one per day, though he knew the younger wasn’t too enthusiastic about them. “Hyung, seriously, I have a good immune system and I eat all my veggies. I don’t need some weird potion to stay healthy. I can do that on my own”, the dancer argued when Seonghwa approached him during one of their practice sessions. He knew his hyung was only trying to watch out for him but he sure was a bit pushy.

Though annoyed, Wooyoung eventually accepted the small bottle but when the oldest wasn’t looking, he simply slipped it into his bag before continuing with their practice. The dancer wouldn’t have thought it that easy to fool Seonghwa but somehow it worked, so he continued accepting the ginger shots when his hyung handed them to him only to make them disappear. It was only when Yeosang glanced at his friend’s open bag one evening when they returned to their room that someone noticed. “Hang on”, the older chuckled, “You’re not taking those ginger shots?” Though the tips of his ears turned pink at being caught, Wooyoung shook his head. When Yeosang raised an eyebrow at him, he explained: “I absolutely can’t stand the taste nor can I stand the way it makes my throat burn. My immune system is good already, so the discomfort isn’t worth it.” – “You’re not wrong”, Yeosang hummed, his lips twitching into a smile, “It does taste gross. I always drink lots of water after to rinse it down. It’s good for me and if it eases hyung’s mind a little, why not….” He wouldn’t tell his friend what to do though as he figured everyone should choose how to take care of themselves.

Seonghwa was proud to say that so far, none of the members had caught as much as a little cold. All of them seemed to be on top of their health. Well, the members he saw anyway. He hadn’t seen Wooyoung in quite sometime and only for short durations. They had alternating schedules and the younger was barely around the dorm, so Seonghwa couldn’t be sure but figuring his dongsaeng was drinking his ginger shots like everyone else there was no reason he shouldn’t be well. Wooyoung however hadn’t been feeling too great for the past two days. Having woken up to a sore throat, he had decided to skip his early morning workout and instead stop by a small café before meeting up with the others for their schedule. He ordered himself some tea along with a small breakfast, so he’d hopefully have the energy to get through a full day of work.

When they met up for dance practice, Yeosang greeted him quietly. They were stretching next to each other, so the older hummed: “You got enough sleep last night, Woo? Those circles under your eyes look rather dark.” – “I’m kinda tired but it’s alright”, Wooyoung whispered, afraid his friend would notice his voice sounding a little rough if he tried to speak up. Plus, he didn’t want any of the members catching on to him not being on top of his game. It wasn’t hard to catch on though. San too did so pretty fast. Of course, he’d notice Wooyoung being quiet, even more so when the younger wasn’t fooling around with him during the breaks at all. Since Wooyoung obviously wasn’t in the mood for their usual bickering, San took a seat next to him during one of the breaks. Without a word, Wooyoung downed a few sips of water before dropping his head onto his hyung’s shoulder. “You okay?”, San asked softly as he linked their fingers. Not thinking himself able to lie to the older, Wooyoung admitted: “My head hurts a bit.”

He startled when cold fingers grazed his cheek. “I mean, we’re all warm from dancing but I don’t know. You do feel like you might be running a fever”, San whispered, making sure Wooyoung was the only one able to hear him. The younger gave the tiniest of nods. It was pretty likely that he had a fever with the way his body ached and how weak his muscles felt. He had gotten lightheaded a bunch of times too, so he was pretty sure San’s guess was on. Gently squeezing his friend’s hand, San hummed: “You shouldn’t be practicing then. Do you want me to tell hyungs, so you can go home and rest?” Wooyoung tiredly shook his head, closing his eyes to give them a break from the bright ceiling light. “I’d get scolded for refusing to take precautions”, he breathed, rubbing his temples. When San looked at him confused, he added: “I didn’t listen to Seonghwa-hyung and don’t wanna hear his ‘I told you so’.”

Yeosang was no fool either. He knew Wooyoung was feeling worse than he would let on and the glossy look in his eyes clearly indicated a fever. Not wanting to call him out in front of the group, all Yeosang could do was make sure the younger drank enough water. By the time their practice session was over, Wooyoung was certain he had sweat out all the water he had drunk. His shirt clung to his body and his hair was plastered to his forehead. He couldn’t help but shiver as the aircon blew cold air down on him. Sweaty as he was, there was no way he could attend the rest of their schedule without taking a shower first, so while the rest of the group went to eat lunch, he rushed back to the dorm to take a quick shower.

Cringing as he peeled off his sweaty shirt, Wooyoung glanced at the mirror and was shocked at how awful he looked. Yeosang had put it lightly when talking about the bags under his eyes. Wooyoung quickly took his temperature and sighed at the reading before stepping into the shower. He set the water temperature lower than he would’ve liked, hoping to bring his fever down a bit. Maybe if he wasn’t burning up, his head wouldn’t hurt as badly. His plan backfired badly and Wooyoung found himself trembling with chills as he stepped out of the shower. No matter how tightly he wrapped the towel around himself, it just wouldn’t warm him in the slightest. Desperate to get warm again, he hurried to dry off and get dressed. His head pounded as he coughed into his towel trying to get rid of the itch in his throat. There’d barely be any time for him to eat before he’d have to attend the next part of his schedule but he really should get something into his stomach, just for the sake of taking medicine.

Exiting the bathroom, Wooyoung put his hood up to cover his damp hair when he almost had a heart attack. There at the dining table stood Seonghwa unpacking a takeout bag. “Holy shit! Hyung, you scared me”, Wooyoung gasped, touching his chest. He himself was shocked at how scratchy his voice had come out, avoiding eye contact as he feared the other’s reaction. Snorting at the comment, Seonghwa asked: “Well, I did bring you lunch, though I’m kinda curious…. What happened to your phenomenal immune system, huh?” Utterly speechless, Wooyoung could only stare at the older. “I’m not dumb, you know”, Seonghwa sighed, stepping forward to feel his dongsaeng’s forehead, “Hongjoong cleared your schedule for the rest of today and tomorrow. We’ll see how you feel by then but for now, the best you can do is get some rest.” Wooyoung still avoided eye contact, feeling ashamed of himself. The fever might have played a role too but he couldn’t help the tears spilling down his flushed cheeks.

Wooyoung expected his hyung to be mad at him, so he tensed when he was pulled into a hug. “I picked up some soup, so please eat something and take medicine, yeah?”, Seonghwa whispered, rubbing the dancer’s back, “I hate seeing any of you in pain and I know I can be overbearing at times but please take care of yourself.” Afraid his voice would crack if he spoke, Wooyoung only nodded against the other’s shoulder. Sadly, Seonghwa couldn’t stay much longer as his lunchbreak was almost over. The younger couldn’t help but let a few more tears fall as he was alone again. He hated to be alone when he wasn’t feeling well but to be fair, it was partly his own fault that he wasn’t feeling well. This time, Wooyoung would listen to his hyung though. Sniffling back his tears, he slowly ate his soup before downing some medicine. He wasn’t sure, he’d be able to sleep though. Shuffling to their room, Wooyoung opened Yeosang’s closet and pulled out one of his friend’s sweaters. If the older couldn’t cuddle him right now, he’d have to cuddle something that smelled like him.

Seonghwa was deep in thought as he went about his schedule, so he startled when a hand appeared on his shoulder. “What’s on your mind, hyung?”, Yeosang asked quietly as he took a seat next to the oldest. Furrowing his brows, Seonghwa muttered: “How did Woo manage to get sick while nobody else is?” – “Haven’t you guessed?”, the younger chuckled, “Did you ever see him drink his ginger shots?” It finally dawned on Seonghwa and the oldest rested his head in his hands, realizing he should’ve watched instead of trusting the dancer to drink it. “You know how some children have a strong hatred for brushing their teeth, especially with adult toothpaste?”, Yeosang hummed, “It’s not necessarily the act of doing so, that’s the problem but rather the intense taste of the toothpaste. Give them some strawberry-flavored kids toothpaste and suddenly it isn’t so bad….” – “You mean he always argued about it because of the taste and not because he truly believed his immune system to be that great”, Seonghwa asked, finally putting the pieces together. The younger nodded. He knew his friend quite well after all those years, so he could tell: “He tolerates ginger tea with lemon but only if you put lots of honey in it. Without the sweetness, he can’t stand the taste.”

That was exactly what Yeosang prepared as soon as they got back to the dorm. Steaming cup in hand, he went to the room he shared with Wooyoung and Jongho. “Woo?”, Yeosang hummed as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. He smiled when he realized what the younger was cuddling with. Placing the cup onto the nightstand, Yeosang felt his friend’s forehead, displeased to find it still hot to the touch. Wooyoung groaned as he stretched his sore body, rasping: “You’re back.” – “Mhm, you’re not doing much better, hm?”, the older cooed, brushing a strand of hair out of the other’s face. Still sleepy, Wooyoung shook his head, giving a hoarse whine when Yeosang teasingly tugged on the sweater he was holding. “How about I give you some real cuddles once I’ve taken a shower?”, he offered, getting to his feet, so he could pick out some fresh clothes. Sniffling into his sleeve, Wooyoung pouted: “Please, I’ve been lonely all afternoon.” – “Aigoo, I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”, Yeosang cooed, giving the younger a short wave before disappearing to the bathroom.

As Wooyoung waited for his friend to return, the bedroom door opened and Seonghwa quietly slipped into the room. “Hey, how are you feeling, Woo?”, the oldest asked, feeling Wooyoung’s forehead. The dancer only gave an uncertain shrug but relaxed into the cool touch. Carefully combing the younger’s hair back with his fingers, Seonghwa draped a cool washcloth over the boy’s forehead and hummed: “Might help bring your fever down a bit or at least soothe the headache.” – “Thanks, hyung. ‘m sorry for being difficult”, Wooyoung breathed, avoiding the other’s eyes. “You’re not being difficult”, Seonghwa disagreed in a soft tone, “Why didn’t you tell me you struggle with the ginger taste so much?” – “’s embarrassing”, the younger slurred, avoiding eye contact. Pulling something from his pocket, Seonghwa smiled: “A little childish maybe but so are you. I picked up some vitamin gummies on the way home. They’re supposed to taste like candy, so they might be easier for you to take.” Wooyoung thanked him quietly, relaxing as his hyung played with his hair till Yeosang arrived to give the cuddles he had promised.

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sick #sickfic #sicktember2023 #sicktember 2023 #ateez #atiny #woosang #woowha #woosan

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eretzyisrael · 5 months

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by Justin Feldman

As a Jewish student leader at NYU, the widely-viewed House Committee hearing on campus antisemitism last month moved me and articulated the isolation that my Jewish peers and I have been experiencing, simply for partaking in higher education as Jews. From the barring of Rachel Beyda from student government at UCLA in 2015, to Jewish students being removed from a sexual assault survivors organization at SUNY New Paltz in 2022, to last month’s testimonies of exclusion, this discriminatory pattern has proven potent. I’ve unfortunately been no exception.

During the same period President Liz Magill of Penn and President Claudine Gay of Harvard yielded to pressure to resign for their comments on campus “call(s) for Jewish genocide”, I was sent a “Vote to Dismiss and Terminate Position” email, as a Student Justice for New York University’s Graduate Student Council (GSC). My student council president was calling to remove me, one of the only Jewish students in NYU’s student government.

Fabricated “technicalities” brought in bad faith were invoked to falsely accuse me of the unauthorized use of GSC’s name in my resolution, even though my use of the GSC name was solely used as an identifier for my position. I was clear that I was not claiming to speak for anyone but myself and the resolution’s cosponsors.

The true, underlying reason that prompted my removal was that my resolution, which defined and “condemned the endorsement, promotion, or excusing of civilian murder (terrorism) in academia”, undermined the expressions — and by relation the stature — of a number of our radical student senators and their pro-Hamas student backers. In particular, my resolution cited famous justifications, praises, and denials of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks by unnamed faculty, student leaders, and student organizations.

Yet, despite indirectly implicating the aforementioned pro-Hamas groups and individuals like the Faculty/Students for Justice in Palestine (FJP/SJP), the resolution also included condemnations of both recent Islamophobic and antisemitic hate crimes and proposed universally beneficial safety measures on hate crime reporting and transparency on free speech.

Not only were these reforms voted down in early stages, contrary to various antisemitic resolutions that passed. I was also singled out by my council president for removal weeks later – simply for voicing opposition to extremist support for terror on campus.

A comparison of articles on “removal” of councilmembers, from the publicly available NYU GSAS GSC Constitution & Bylaws, ratified Spring 2020 (left), and the NYU GSAS GSC Constitution and Bylaws, secretly modified and never voted on for ratification – uploaded to the GSC Drive on December 10, 2023 (right).

Despite notifying administrators and our SGA Elections Commission officials in advance of these offenses, no actions were taken to prevent this inconsistent and discriminatory vote from being carried out. I was removed by less than half of the attending councilmembers.

Unlike Dr. Gay and Dr. Magill, I was not accused of dehumanizing any group, nor subjecting certain people to visible double standards. I, myself, became the target of clear double standards for humanizing myself and my Jewish community amid the backdrop of peers chanting for the very genocidal rhetoric that these former administrators failed to distinguish as violatory.

But sounding this alarm about NYU isn’t just about me, or the brutal and carefully planned murder, rape, and kidnapping of over a thousand Israeli Jewish and Arab citizens. As I stated in my last GSC meeting before being voted out by less than half of our attending council: the October 7th terror attacks targeted citizens of more than 40 different countries across continents that came to Israel.

At NYU, an elite institution with an abundance of global campuses and students attending from all over the world, I could not fathom how so many in my student council – including students from affected countries – could downplay the effect that this moral collapse had on our physical safety.

I witnessed the consequences of unchecked sympathy for terror firsthand. In November at NYU’s Bobst Library, I saw the aftermath of an antisemitic hate crime in real time, where a Jewish student was called slurs and physically assaulted for wearing Israeli and American flags in NYU’s Bobst Library. Security personnel did nothing for minutes on end. The perpetrator was eventually detained by NYPD and released hours later – photographed entering the same library the very next day.

In Washington Square Park, Jewish students (including myself) were physically threatened by an inebriated man multiple times over the course of months, calling us “animals”, saying “f*** all you Jews”, spitting, and threatening physical attack. Many of us were just wearing a kippah or a Magen David necklace around campus.

These examples are drops in the ocean in the vast record of hate crimes that Jewish-Americans disproportionately face, compared to any other minority group per capita in the U.S. and beyond.

As we saw in the case of Liz Magill and Claudine Gay’s resignations, what campus antisemitism reveals is the underlying moral failure of our elite institutions (and society) to equally enforce many things: free speech, fair admissions, transparent financing, just hiring practices, and accountable student conduct.

What my story of removal from NYU’s Graduate Student Council also illuminates is that this fight is just as much a battle to restore my generation’s recognition of a “shared humanity” – including Jewish humanity – as it is a battle to save liberal values in higher education and our country.

#justin feldman #nyu #antisemitism

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good-old-gossip · 2 months

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Amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity in Gaza, Israel still preventing access to life-saving supplies

Palestinian Territory - Israel continues to obstruct the entry and distribution of basic humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, especially the Gaza City and North Gaza governorates, threatening to exacerbate and deepen the widespread famine there. These two governorates house at least 300,000 people, according to United Nations estimates.

Israel’s restriction of humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, particularly the Strip’s northern parts, and its impeding the timely delivery of life-saving food supplies is drastically worsening the already-dire food insecurity faced by the Palestinian population there. This puts them at risk of death from starvation, particularly given the rise in the number of children dying from acute malnutrition, hunger, and related diseases—28 children have died from hunger and malnutrition alone.

The Israeli authorities continue to impede the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip via the land crossings, ensuring that aid cannot enter in a timely, efficient, and systematic manner. Israel is also imposing additional restrictions on distribution and delivery operations following the entry of aid into the enclave, and specifically obstructing its entry and distribution into the northern areas of the Strip on a nearly-daily basis. This is particularly problematic in light of the Israeli military’s ongoing attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp, which started two days ago and is expected to worsen the situation, and its potential attack on Rafah.

Israel continues to violate its international obligations—including its obligations as an occupying power—as well as the 28 March ruling of the International Court of Justice requiring it to take the necessary and effective steps and work with the UN to guarantee that humanitarian aid reaches the Strip without hindrance or delay, in order to fulfill its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Additionally, Israel is breaking UN Security Council Resolution No. 2728, which was adopted on 25 March and states that all obstacles preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza Strip residents must be removed; it also calls to increase the amount of aid flowing and improve residents’ safety. Israel has not made any effort to alter its illegal policies or arbitrary measures to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and ensure its safe and prompt arrival, particularly to the northern regions. Israel persists in its crime of starving the Strip’s civilian population despite all of these legally binding international resolutions and the obligations placed upon it.

Israel has allowed 169 aid trucks to cross daily into Gaza via the Kerem Abu Slem/Kerem Shalom crossing and the Rafah land crossing since early April. This is still far less than the 500 trucks per day that were entering the Strip prior to 7 October, as well as the operational capacity of both border crossings. Humanitarian aid entering at this rate portends a real catastrophe and further widespread hunger, which has already caused residents to lose unhealthy amounts of weight and risk their lives by waiting for aid trucks near Israeli checkpoints, which have become death points, as hungry crowds of civilians are frequently targeted by the Israeli military.

Despite the fact that there has been no real progress made, Israel has been claiming for weeks that there has been a change in the amount of aid entering the Strip, in accordance with the terms of the United States agreement as well as data Israel has provided to the UN Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. However, no real action has been taken. The number of trucks permitted to enter the Strip, particularly Gaza City and North Gaza, remain unaltered. Moreover, the Erez/Beit Hanoun checkpoint in the north of Gaza remains closed, and contrary to reports by the Israeli media, the port of Ashdod has been utilised to transport humanitarian aid into the Strip.

Since Israel officially decided to cut off food and water for Gaza Strip residents, there have been ministers in the Israeli government who have openly stated that starvation and aid must be used as a tool of pressure, blackmail, and weaponry in the current military attacks, now ongoing for seven consecutive months.

Reports of an increase in the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip are insufficient on their own, particularly when bearing in mind the staggering—and growing—needs of the Strip’s residents.

Israel must end its crime of starvation against the people of the Strip and ensure that humanitarian aid is able to enter periodically on a permanent basis, and in an amount that satisfies the Palestinian population’s needs, regardless of Israeli accounts and conditions. Additional efforts must also be made to secure the work of humanitarian crews distributing this aid, the safety of the civilians receiving it, and to guarantee its flow to North Gaza as swiftly as possible.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator overseeing crisis relief in Gaza, recently declared that, “[T]he situation for Gazans remains dire despite hopes stemming from recent commitments by Israel to boost assistance.”

Meanwhile, Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), recently said that “UN-coordinated food convoys are three times more likely to be denied access to north Gaza than other aid convoys.”

According to a recent OCHA report, access into Gaza is characterised by “lengthy inspection processes, fuel shortages resulting from Israeli restrictions, and restrictions on the movement of trucks, convoys, and vetted drivers…and congestion at the Kerem Shalom crossing,” while the entry of humanitarian assistance and commercial goods directly into northern Gaza, where 70 per cent of the populated is projected to be at risk of famine between mid-March and mid-July 2024, remains extremely limited.

The report underlines that within Gaza, only 26 per cent of planned food missions to high-risk areas requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated; 51 per cent were either denied or impeded; and 23 per cent were postponed or withdrawn due to “security concerns” or “operational constraints”.

There are only three roads that Israel permits humanitarian relief convoys to use to reach the northern Gaza Strip: the military road on the eastern side of Gaza, the coastal Rashid Road, and the central Salah al-Din Road. What is much less widely documented is that the UN has two or three roads running simultaneously as well, and that these roads are “in very poor condition” and do not provide any security guarantees.

UNICEF said 10 April that one of its vehicles was hit by “live ammunition” while waiting at an Israeli checkpoint set up on Salah al-Din Road to deliver life-saving aid to northern Gaza, including therapeutic food for children at risk of malnutrition and preventable mortality.

Along the same line, Oxfam recently reported that people in northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of just 245 calories a day since January. Over 300,000 people are still believed to be trapped there now, unable to leave and surviving on less than 12 per cent of the average daily caloric needs. Gaza is a death trap for children.

Thirty Palestinians, mostly children, have died in hospitals from malnutrition and dehydration; however, Euro-Med Monitor’s estimates suggest that the number of hunger victims is much higher. This is due to a lack of clear mechanisms to track deaths related to the issue, plus the collapse of the health system in the northern section of the Strip, where victims continue to fall, including as a result of Israeli bombing, and are buried by their families without official registration.

In light of the aforementioned, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urges, among other recommendations, the international community to uphold its legal and moral duties to the people living in the Gaza Strip. The international community must guarantee that the International Court of Justice ruling is carried out, and end the genocide that the Court declared in January was likely taking place in the Gaza Strip. Euro-Med Monitor calls on all States to fulfill their international obligations by halting all military, financial, and political support for Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip, and in particular, all arms transfers to Israel.

International pressure must be applied to Israel immediately in order to prevent it from carrying out its crime of starving the people of the Gaza Strip; force Israel to lift the siege entirely; establish the necessary systems to guarantee the safe, efficient, and timely delivery of humanitarian supplies; and take decisive action against the rapidly-spreading famine among Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Source -

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shiningstardan · 2 months

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• N E J I x H I N A T A • R A T E D E • 1 0 K W •

S U M M A R Y:

'Talk to her!' Lee's words still rang in his mind, and he wondered if he actually should. Shame and guilt have the tendency to consume one's soul. How far can a gesture or a series of them compensate for the sins of the past? And will the sufferer be able to accept the atonement given or will they succumb to the guilt and heaviness of those emotions? Could Neji and Hinata relink a relationship that is plagued by the ghost of the past? Prompt 1: Dry Humping

✦ A O 3 - F F . N E T ✦

Peculiar Considerations For Atonement

Part 1: Adagio

Late September.

Lee had always struggled with his alcohol intake and had decided to take his low resistance seriously.

He could be a liability in a mission if someone slipped something into his drink and, as a preventive measure, he had taken his drinking into his hands. Or more accurately, into his and Neji's hands. He had convinced Neji to train him, making him his drinking buddy. And, in one of those fortuitous drinking nights, his friend had mentioned liking someone. Neji had always been very private, he never talked about relationships, much less who he liked. Lee hadn't wanted to lose such an opportunity, he didn’t stop bugging Neji about who the girl was or whether he had talked to her ever since.

Nothing was going to stop Lee's youthful desire to discover his friend's secret love. Neji had been well aware of Lee's tactics, waiting for him to get drunk enough to slip up again.

"So? "

"So what Lee?" He asked, irritated.

"Tell me! "

"I don't have to tell you anything " He tried to sound more threatening than he knew he would.

"So you haven't?... But! What about..."

"If you continue talking. I swear I'll kill you!"

One drunken evening, that had been all Lee needed to make Neji talk.

"Ah man, so you are not telling me about her and worse than that, you are not telling her about your feelings, the flame of your youth is going to dim when she goes out with another guy" Lee said while sipping the sake.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it"

"But why not? Common man! We cannot talk about missions because they are confidential, we cannot talk about your clan because that's too convoluted" He complained. "I will tell you about my love if you tell me about yours" He said in a velvety manner, seeing how it had no effect on him when trying to persuade him "I don't want to get drunk just because! At least, let's make it worthwhile!"

"I can't!", said Neji angrily. "Plus, we all know that you love Sakura. But regardless of how much you fight, that's a long-lost battle. You are just fighting for nothing.

"Tou are wrong, my friend! That's the thing, don’t you see? I can still enjoy the beauty of these heartfelt and youthful emotions, even if they are not corresponded”

“You are not letting it die, aren't you?" Lee's sardonic smile confirmed his stubbornness, not letting him off the hook. Neji sighted, he was usually more strongly-willed than this, but he felt the tiredness sinking into him, he didn't know where to start or what to say without letting much information out.

"So?"

"Ok, ok... She - She's one of us"

"Uuuh , a fellow kunoichi from the Leave then. Do I know her?" Neji just stared blankly at him, but after so many years in each other's lives Lee had learned to read his facial expressions, and didn't feel any kind of intimidation anymore.

"I'll take that as a yes!" he said pointing a finger at him. "Next question! Have you given her anything?"

He sighted.

"Ye-es…"

‘I gave her a heart failure ’, he thought morbidly. He could feel his friend gaze scrutinizing him once again.

Despite what people thought, Lee was more perceptive than he let on, and people usually took him for granted. Neji knew him, and as naturally cautious as he was, he knew Lee would get the information out of him one way or another. It was only a matter of time.

"Wait, you said that you... can't ? You can't talk about your mysterious lady?" Neji saw the moment Lee had caught him, deduced him, read him. A mix of surprise, shock and confusion was coursing through his face, making him groan.

‘Goddammit. I really need to start drinking less! ’, he thought. They had finished one bottle and were only halfway through the second one, said barely 4 words about the matter and deadpanned the whole way through the conversation, in the hopes of not being discovered. But it hadn’t been enough, that was everything Lee had needed.

He saw his intentions, clear about saying something regarding the matter. But before he could say anything...

"Fuck you Lee!"

"Neejii!" he said giggling. The alcohol always made him laugh "My dearest and most esteemed friend and rival, you certainly are a complicated person. I'll give you that" Neji started rubbing his eyes half-heartedly with the heel of his free hand, wanting to let out some of his frustration "So , what was it that you gave he-… Oh, man! Common! Don’t be like this!”

"This is why I didn't want to talk about it! It's complicated, and dangerous, and... We both know I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this, not after everything between us. What I almost did, the whole intention of it. It's shameful. And, a disgrace. The only reason why I am alive, it's because of how it happened. Never before had three senseis and a referee interjected a duel"

Lee kept a poker face while listening to his friend, not wanting to make him feel judged, but deep down he knew he was right. If the fight had happened outside the chunin exams, he would have been sentenced to a painful death.

The rules of the clan were absolute, and he had had too much anger inside him. And although he had worked on his issues and his temper, and the relationship with the lady had improved. He had never had the watchful eyes of the clan taken off of him.

"Well, my friend, I shall drink this one for our ladies! May them rule our hearts in the most benevolent way!"

"Cheers" Neji toasted dejectedly, raising his cup of sake to Lee’s and drinking it.

He had to thank the fact that she was such a good person.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

"Are you sure that you can go up the stairs?"

"Yeah, man! Worry not. I am now better at this! Thanks for sharing a cup with me."

"Yeah, well. I'm the only one who has been able to handle your drunken fist, so I guess it has to be me"

"Ha! You wish!” He said between hiccups. “Only once and by pure luck, three years ago. You're just pure tell but can't show up for shit! Same time next week?"

"Maybe, if neither of us is on a mission. I'll pay for the first bottle"

"You ?"

"Don't start or you'll pay for both!"

"Ok, ok. I'll shut up" Neji started walking away towards the district.

"HEY NEJI!" Lee screamed from where he was "TALK TO HER!" Neji scoffed, Lee had improved, but he still got really really drunk.

The moon was beautiful that night, it was full but blurred by a dense layer of thick clouds, dimming its light.

‘Talk to her’

Lee's words still rang in his mind, and he wondered if he actually could.

A part of him wished that they were closer.

Maybe he could...

‘NO!’

Definitely not. What was he thinking? He was being delusional. And at this point he didn't know if he needed a stronger drink before going to sleep, or simply sober up and never drink again.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

He walked straight into the kitchen, still undecided between that last drink or some aspirin, but to his surprise it was not empty. Hinata was there, and apparently she had also thought about having a drink before going to sleep. ‘Correction. That is more than simply a drink ’ he thought after noticing the big bottle of sake resting in the middle of the table.

"Neji-onisama!" she said surprised, feeling like a little child who had been discovered in the middle of a naughty prank. The fact that she was drinking on her own, made her self-conscious. She felt as if she had been doing something illicit. Neji was petrified, Hinata was the last person that he wanted to see while being drunk.

"Hi... Hinata-Sama. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I-I was coming for a glass of water" he improvised while willing his words out of his body. Still surprised by her presence. The alcohol had affected his most perceptive ninja skills "I will get a glass and be... be on my way"

"Wait! Can... can you sit and have a cup with me?" he could not refuse her. Especially when he could see the need for companionship in her eyes.

"I'd be honored" he formally replied while she served him some sake.

She sighted.

"Are you ok?" He tried to analyze her demeanor closely but failed, his mind too hazy and only a couple of brain cells were working at a time.

"I... um... yeah. I am just tired and needed something strong before going to sleep" her eyes were glued to the cup of sake in her hand. She was deep in thought, her eyelids almost closed. The bottle was not halfway through yet, but she had pulled out a big one. So, she must have drunk quite a bit before his arrival, and to her credit, she didn't look as if she was that deep into her cups.

He finished his drink while she was mechanically raising her hand, going for the bottle once again, getting ready to serve herself yet another shot. Slowly grazing his hand over hers, he subtly indicated to her to stop drinking for tonight, since he could see the tiredness reflected under her eyes.

"Please" he said trying to call her attention "let me escort you back to your room Hinata-sama". She squinted her eyes, not breaking eye contact, and for a moment he felt a rumble in his chest where everything mixed: his feelings, the sensation of his hand over hers, and the fire in her eyes. She stood up, leaving the bottle open in the middle of the table, determined to not look back at him once again.

Neji walked through the wooden corridors and everything was spinning around him, he followed the wobbly steps of Hinata, but if that was his perception or her actual footing, he couldn't say. He walked behind her until the door to her room was visible.

"You are relieved from your duties tonight" the sluggish iciness of her voice was something he had not expected from her. What just happened? He was confused. They hadn't talked that much, and in his mind they had shared what he could call a comfortable silence, hadn’t they? She had never dismissed him. Ever. Or anyone else, as far as he remembered. The distant and impersonal dismissal made him more uncertain. She had never talked to him in such a distant manner.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Next morning.

He was still feeling the effects of the drinks, with his head still spinning. The sun hadn't come out yet. He must have slept 4 hours tops. And although it was still early, he didn't feel like training at all. Lee would be out after all the shots he had drunk, that was for sure.

He tried remembering last night’s details. Trying to make sense about last night's Hinata, and the rarity of the circumstances. She had been so surprised when he got into the kitchen, she had reacted so skittish when he got there, and she had already gotten drunk, drinking half a bottle on her own... ‘ Why? ’. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her drinking, at least not like that. She had always gone for one or two shots, especially when she was invited to the Inuzuka parties. But last night… her demeanor, body language and posture had been narrating a different story. And the worst part was that she had been drinking alone. That made him feel uneasy. Was that something she did frequently, or had something happened?

‘God, I need a painkiller ’. He looked through his medicine cabinet and pulled out some tablets. Gulping down two at the same time.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

By the time she entered the kitchen around 6 am, he had already prepared some steamed rice, sides, miso and was now frying some fish.

"Morning Neji-onisama,” she sounded a little sleepy, “that fish smells good. Do you need help?"

"Good Morning Hinata-sama, please sit. I'll be done in a minute"

"I would have thought you on the training grounds at this hour"

"I - I usually would be. You are right"

"But...?"

"But I have a terrible headache, it seems like I drank much more from what I can stand. How about you?"

"I'm - I'm a little... I don't know, not fully dizzy, but not fully ok"

"Here" he said, extending the capsule and a glass of water.

"Oh, thanks. This, this is very thoughtful of you"

"You can start drinking the water but, please, wait for the food before taking the pill. Otherwise, you might hurt your stomach"

"Thank you" she said with a shadow of a smile gracing her face.

Neji started serving the food while Hinata drank some of the water. The bubbly texture of the drink made her open her eyes surprised, lowering her glass and she stared into it trying to put two and two together despite the haziness of her mind.

"Did you put a seltzer in the water?"

"Um, well... I thought that - that you could wake up with a stomach ache" he could feel the blood running up his face. She smiled fully after his answer, and it was the most beautiful sight an early morning could bring him. She stood up from the table and went around it. And once she stood in front of him, she bowed.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful with me today. I'll set the table, so we can have breakfast" He eyes followed her moving around the kitchen, still in disbelief, paralyzed. Musing in the warmth he felt in the depth of his chest.

They ate in silence, but unlike last night, his head was now mostly clear and Hinata seemed to be enjoying what she was tasting.

"Can I ask something?" he dared himself, he felt that he had to know. They were not friends but maybe, maybe, he could show her that she could talk to him.

"Yes, of course", she answered expectantly.

"Did - did something happen last night?"

"Oh..." she felt her cheeks beating hard, remembering the events of the day before, "well..." looking for the appropriate words seemed like a struggle. "It's quite embarrassing, actually… I - I was back from a date"

‘A date ?’. He tried assimilating the idea, and he knew he shouldn't be surprised. After all it was Hinata, with everything that she represented and was, she was bound to have suitors pursuing her, it was inevitable. But the surprising part for him was that she had actually gone out with someone, since she was usually timid. And, she had been secluding herself for almost two years now.

"And… was it a good one?" He cringed internally at himself. What kind of question was that one?! He certainly didn’t know how to continue a conversation like that. From all the things that could be discussed, Hinata’s love life had never been one of those. He felt as if he was crossing a boundary, invading her privacy. It felt inappropriate and invasive, every fiber of his body was screaming at him, telling him that he was not the person she ought to have that conversation with. Deep down he could only hope to not make Hinata’s embarrassment any greater, especially not at the expense of his curiosity.

"I wish" she simply said, and he wondered if he should ask more about it? or- "I finally had a date with Naruto-kun” her low tone indicated more than the words itself. “It wasn't at all as I had imagined it would be. I mean, he was nice, but... I don't know… I had been so excited and had spent hours getting ready for it. But I don't think he would ever be able to understand what it feels like to be part of a family like ours. Can you imagine that he said he would come and tell us to change our traditions?" She looked genuinely sad, the pressure of being the heir and now head of a noble clan weighing her down. He wanted to say something, but he knew that anything he said could end up sounding patronizing. “I just couldn't help but feel that we would have such a perfect date after years of wanting one, and while I'm happy I took the courage to ask him out... I - I - feel like a silly little girl"

"You asked Naruto out?" To say he was astounded would be an understatement "I feel congratulations are in order, then".

"Please, don't make fun of me, Neji-onisama. I feel bad enough already" she looked like she was about to bolt, she had started collecting the dishes in an attempt to escape the kitchen. Ready to recoil.

"No, wait!" he grabbed her wrist from across the table "Please sit, I didn't want to make you feel on the spot. It's just that...” She audibly heard him exhale, trying to find the appropriate words, “You always wanted to go out with him, and you asked him out. I commend you for your bravery" she wasn't looking at him, embarrassment fogging the previous brightness of her eyes.

"Well...” she said defeatedly “at least the ramen was really tasty"

"Was your date at Ichiraku?" He asked incredulously.

She nodded, feeling more and more embarrassed by the second, covering her face. "Ino will kill me when I tell her. She thinks that Ichiraku isn't the place for a date".

He regarded her for a second and blurted a “Is there a place where you'd like to go?” before noticing. And he couldn’t lie to himself, the reality was that he was curious. He had never thought about the places she would like to visit. Nor dared to imagine the possibility of ever going out with her. He couldn't fool himself, there was a social gap dividing them. Letting his thoughts drift that way was dangerous. It would be considered an insolence, since she was a member of the main family.

"I guess, I would like to go to a place that wasn't one I have visited almost every day for more than 10 years, a place where I go all the time with my team. I want to do something different... Something special" He could see that. Her craving for something new and different to happen when you are constricted by the rules of a strict family like theirs, was more than understandable. They all did it, in one way or another they all looked for ways of escaping the harshness of their reality.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Mid-October

“Excuse me, Hinata-Sama. Something has been delivered for you” said Kaya.

A white envelope with no signature had been given to her, and inside, there was... a gift card?

She looked confused at the colorful card. It had the name of a place she vaguely seemed to remember.

She checked the paper again, as if checking it once again would make a name appear, the harder she started to do it. But despite her effort the paper remained as blank as it had been when she had received it.

She never received anything.

Who would have sent it?

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

"Hinata-chan! How's your day going?"

"Ino-chan! Sakura-chan! Thank you for coming!"

"So? What's today's plan?"

"Actually, I'm... not sure. I received a card for a place called... La... Lade-Ladu"

"LADURÉE???" Screamed Ino and Sakura excitedly at the same time. Hinata was a little stunned by how loud her friends had reacted.

"Ok, enough. Tell us! Who is it?"

"Who is who?"

"Oh common! Don’t play coy. Your boyfriend, of course!" asked Sakura "Who's your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one, you girls know that"

"Commooon, don't be shy! You can tell us" said Ino.

"No. I'm serious... I - I don't know who sent it" the last was said in a really quiet voiced “Kaya-san gave me the envelope a week ago, and I wasn't sure if it was really for me, I asked her more than once if it she was sure, and she was vehement about it, but I cannot imagine who or why I was sent something like this”

"Argh! Not you too then!” Ino groaned.

“Me too?” she didn’t understand.

"I don't want to sound as if I'm stealing your moment but... I've also been receiving random gifts from time to time. And I have never been able to figure out who is the one sending me things", said Sakura

Ino sighed "You girls are so lucky, I only get bad dates. I'm so tired of 'what's your rank?', 'Where did you go on your last mission?', 'Do you belong to a clan?' over and over and over again” Ino stopped ranting for a second “This place opened not long ago, so it must be someone who considers you special. I've been dying to come ever since they opened. But enough is enough, don't let me bring down the mood, let's get some macarons!"

"Macarons?" Hinata was puzzled by the whole thing.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

"Thanks for walking me back, girls" Hinata bowed when she was at the gates of the Hyuga district. "It was a lovely afternoon".

"Thanks to your boyfriend! It was very delicious, can't wait to go again!" Said Ino.

"Have a nice night Hinata-chan" said Sakura, bidding goodbye to her friend.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Tea Nation

"Don't you think I sent it too soon?" For once, Neji was deeper into his cups, and Lee was actually surprised of seeing him so flustered "I mean, she looked so distraught and embarrassed after her date with Naruto, I just couldn't not do something "Lee saw his friend lamenting while drowning down the rest of his cup.

"Don't worry Neji! Did you send it the next day?"

"No, of course not. I thought about it some days before deciding to get the card."

"You see, don't stress out! It'll be alright" Lee served him a little bit more liquor, if anyone needed to have liquid courage at this moment, it was certainly his friend "So have you thought about giving her something else?"

"In fact, I have" He said while gracing the cup over his lips covering a shy smile.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Late October

"Hinata-sama" Kaya called her attention "There’s a new envelope for you".

Roughly two weeks had already passed since the first envelope arrived. And this one was a very similar one. It was blank, no label nor penmanship. She tried scrutinizing it even further. Who could it be? She mused.

“Byakugan” She activated her blood limit. She wanted to detect the faint traces of chakra left by the sender. Maybe she would be able to see something that gave her a clue about this person. But to no avail, nothing could be read out of the paper.

She pursed her lips, thinking.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

"Kyaaa!!!! Hinata-chan!!! This is amazing, Just what I needed!"

"Ino is so right" said Sakura "I hadn't come to the hot springs in a hot second, this is so nice!!"

"I'm happy that you are enjoying this!"

"We really need to get Ino a secret admirer, that way we can go to more restaurants and cafés" continued Sakura jokingly.

"Do you really have no idea? Absolutely no idea who these men sending you gifts are?"

"I really don't" said Hinata thinking about those closer to her "I know Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are not the kind to be giving gifts"

"Yeah, I don't even want to talk about mine, they are a lost cause", said Sakura.

"Yeah, I bet mine are part of that group... Actually no, I could see Choji doing so, he doesn't deserve to be grouped with Shika’s lazy ass, I know he could never" Ino was taking the question very seriously "so no one in team 7, 8 or 10... and the cards, gifts and flowers you guys receive are usually nice, like really nice! So I'd say that they have to be top ninjas who get high ranking missions regularly"

"I mean, that doesn't really narrow down the list, there are still lots of Jounin or ANBU who could be in a position where they can give you nice presents" Sakura contemplated. The girls tried to think of other ways to continue narrowing down the list but the only thing they knew was that no one on their teams could be responsible.

Gasp

"What Hinata? What?" asked Sakura.

"What are the possibilities of both you and I, receiving gifts from admirers simultaneously?!" asked Hinata

"What if they are friends?!" Followed Ino.

Understanding flashing through their faces.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Early November

He could listen to the sounds coming from the kitchen. A bitter and warm smell flowing in the air, tea was being prepared. The closer he got to the kitchen, the more he could listen to the water boiling and the slightly warmer temperature.

"Tadaima Hinata-sama" he said once he saw the woman he had fallen in love with in front of the stove.

"Neji-onisama, okaerinasai! I am preparing tea, would you like some, or would you like water?"

"I'll wait for the tea, thanks. It smells really nice. How have you been?"

"I've been well. I even had the chance to go out with the girls while you were on mission"

"Yeah? Where to?"

"We went to a frent pâtisserie, a new place in the village. We ate macarons"

"Macarons?" He asked quizzically, feigning ignorance, curious about whether she had had a good time.

"Yes! They are these little cookies that..." for a moment, her words couldn't reach him. He was entranced by the glint in her eyes. It was a stark difference compared to the previous time he had seen her, almost a month ago.

"I'm glad to hear you had a good time"

"Yeah! It was really nice. We also went to an onsen. It was very relaxing, it had been a while since we had the opportunity to go together since we had been going and coming back from different missions and Sakura working at the hospital" she said while pouring the prepared tea in a cup "be careful, it's quite hot"

"Thank you very much, Hinata-sama"

"Please tell me about your mission, how was it?"

"It was good, I went to several villages in the south near the Wood Nation. Originally it was supposed to be a solo mission, but then Lee was sent to support me, so it was nice to have a familiar face with me. Even if it means enduring his endless energy"

"Did you see anything interesting?"

"Not much to be honest, but" he stopped for a second and turned around to his backpack and from it, he pulled out a small package "I thought... you might like this"

The fruity smell of the box reached her. The box read ‘Peach oolong Tea’ and he saw her take the tea pack with both hands, closing her eyes as her hands pulled the box closer to her nose, slowly breathing the sweet essence it emanated. He couldn't hear it, but he saw her chest rise up and down with a breath; inhaling, appreciating the subtle notes in the sweet smell.

"I hope you like it, Hinata-sama" he saw her face change instantly, her shoulders looked tense again "Are you ok?"

"Uh, am, yeah, sorry." she smiled, but now it looked force "I'll prepare some tomorrow and tell you how it tasted"

"Oh...ok” now Neji was feeling tense himself “I..." he wanted to save the conversation, but was unsure how to do so "I... I have heard that a festival is coming"

"Oh yes, Ino-chan asked me to help her, she's ordering flowers and when they get here I'll be helping her with the arrangements. It should be nice. I feel I haven't gone to one in ages! There will even be fireworks!" This made Neji feel a rumbling in his chest, a sort of agitation, remembering the time when she had been temporarily blind thanks to him.

That was another thing he had never apologized for. He could feel the blood surging to his face.

"Neji-onisama?" Now she looked worried "Are you alright?"

A sharp pain striking his heart.

"I am - nothing to worry about"

"Are you sure?" He saw her bend over the table and extend the back of her hand over his cheek, which made him blush even more furiously. "It doesn't seem like a fever... Try not to exert yourself too much. You should rest. It’s been a long journey.

"I'll... I'll try to get a full night of sleep tonight" he knew that he was still blushing. Especially under her unflinching eyes.

"Neji-onisama. Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away" She looked uneasy. She wasn't sure about how to ask what she wanted, ideas spinning inside her head, not knowing how to ask the questions plaguing her mind. She was still reclining over the table, and was that his imagination or was there a tint shade of pink on her face?

“What do you think about me?” The unexpected question left him speechless for a second.

“Hinata-sama” he saw her flinch, visibly flinch. “You have always been the respected heiress and now you are our honorable clan Head” She looked 10 times more uncomfortable.

Neji pursed his lips forming a fine line when she broke eye contact with him. And in a quieter voice she asked “Are- are we friends?” The pumping of his heart resounding so loud he couldn’t hear his own thoughts.

Well, that question was something he certainly didn't expect. He didn't know what to say.

They were... complicated.

That's what they were.

They had been childhood friends, and he thought of her a cute girl from the very first time. Then politics had gotten between them, he was branded and had proudly promised to be at the service of the main family, swearing loyalty. He had been a new member of the secondary branch, bound through duty and sacrifice to protect the main family. But then, he had seen his father being subjugated by such duty and one day he had lost him. The closest person in the family, and the one who had guided and loved him, had simply vanished. The tomb located in the cemetery was a shell, empty of any real remains. For many years he blamed her for his death and he tried to kill her. ‘An eye for an eye’ some said, and without remorse or hesitation he had gone for her heart, giving her a heart failure that still required medical control. And to put the cherry on the cake, he had unintentionally blinded her while training.

He couldn't allow her to call him a friend, she deserved more. Much more.

She continued to look at him, but his silence spoke more than enough. She picked up all the china from the tea set. Full of shame he walked towards her, cringing on the inside, leaving his empty cup of tea in the sink.

"Hinata-sama?" He lowered himself, trying to see her beautiful eyes once again. But her hair curtained forward, covering most of her face.

"I'm sorry Neji, I think I asked for more than I should have" her voice was trembling, but he could feel her effort, not trying to cry in front of him "Please go get some rest, you've just come back from a long journey, don't let me stall you any further"

"Hinata-sama, please look at me" he placed one of his hands on her shoulder. A part of him reminded himself that he was playing with fire, he wasn’t allowed to take such liberties.

She didn't respond, she continued looking down to the sink and her eyes stuck on the dirty china.

Neither said anything further.

Resigned, he just took a step back and bowed, exiting the kitchen.

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

"I feel like an idiot, Lee" His friend was judging him with open eyes, and he deserved it.

"You are an idiot"

He groaned.

"Life gives you the best opportunity to repair your relationship with her, and you simply said: No, thanks. I'm good " Lee sipped his sake

"I knoooooow" his palms covered his face "I'm seriously questioning why people call me a genius" if he could, he would pull out each hair from his head. Individually.

"Well, now that we agree on your idiocy. What are you going to do to not be an idiot anymore?"

"Face it, I guess" Neji was about to lift his cup, when Lee interjected him, stealing it.

"Good!" He drank Neji's sake on one go. "No more alcohol for you then. Not tonight"

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

The wind had started feeling colder and colder during the nights. And at this point, he could only hope for the best.

"Hinata-sama? Can I come in?" He could only hope for her to be in the mood to give him an audience, despite the hour. It had been some time since he had walked to this area of the house on his own. The only exceptions were when he escorted her back. "I can feel your chakra signature, please, I just - I just want to talk..." He could hear her quiet steps approaching before the door slowly slid open. Despite being in front of her she wouldn't look at him. "I brought something..." he raised his hand, a pastel green of the bag calling her attention "I - I thought you might like to have some''

"You brought Macarons?"

"I remember you mentioned liking them" she grabbed the bag shocked. Inside there was a collection of six cookies. She could feel something spreading within her, something reassuring.

"Can I come in?" She walked back a couple, giving him enough space to enter.

"Do you mind if we sit outside?" she asked quietly "It'll not be long before the winter comes with full force, and I’d like to enjoy the weather before it turns too harsh"

"Of course” they both were wearing the traditional black training clothes. The fitted shirt with short sleeves and black pants didn’t provide much warmth, but the nights hadn’t turned that cold yet. Hinata sat on the engawa with her feet dangling, while trying to appear calmer than she actually was, still affected by their last conversation. Neji could see the hurt and rejection still reflected in her body language.

He had told Lee that he was going to face the situation and that's what he ought to do.

"I'm sorry Hinata-sama"

"No, Neji-onisama. I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult position"

"No, please" he interrupted "don't apologize. Just, listen to me" He looked at her with determination and Hinata for a moment thought that she had seen something in his eyes, although she didn't know what.

Neji moved a little closer to her, he wanted her to see his sincerity.

"I didn't want to give you the impression that we can't be friends. And, while I feel honored that you would even consider me in such light. It's just that... I don't feel worthy"

"Neji. Please..."

"No, I beg you, let me continue" He interjected desperately "I tried to kill you when we were young, I have exhausted you to the point of temporary blindness and demeaned you in the process. These are actions that I can’t forgive myself about, even if you have been gracious enough with your generosity. You can’t possibly call me a friend under such circumstances. But I want you to know that I will always comply with my duty, and I will always follow you. There are many others who deserve to be your friends, but me" he sat down in seiza and bowed to the floor.

"Neji-onisama! Ple-please! Don't do that, please don't bow to me. I-I"

"I can only beg for your forgiveness" his forehead rested firmly against the wooden floor.

Hinata was getting more and more flustered about the whole situation. Her heart pounded loudly and the air escaped her lungs.

The most respected and acclaimed member of the Hyuuga family was bowing to her.

NO!

She was horrified.

She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled as hard as she could, and he resisted. Her fingers dug into his skin as hard as she could, trying to break his stance. Trying to force him to sit up once again. Her ragged breath tried to collect the oxygen she needed. Until she finally pulled hard enough to see his eyes.

"NEVER..." her voice was trembling and she gasped looking for the necessary air "Never! Never do that again! Ever!" He looked down, he hadn't intended for her to feel more distressed, but he had to say it. He had to make things right.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make the situation worse. I know - I don't deserve forgiveness"

"No! No Oni-sama, don't say that! Yes... We have been through a lot, and, and it hasn't been easy, but... it's... it's us" She tried to smile for him, but her trembling lips shaped an abstract expression "We have always had each other, we have always been there... Maybe not in the best ways, but... it's always us in the end - I already forgave you a long time ago" Neji could feel her fingers digging back again into his shoulders "Neji, we were friends once, I thought... that maybe" her voice wavered "maybe we could be once again"

"How can you just forgive me? I've done horrible things to you, you should despise me"

"You might think that, but the truth is that I have never despise you, and probably never will" A part of him knew he should feel happy, he should *be* happy listening to her answer. But he wasn't. Sometimes he wished he had her rage instead, at least that would be understandable. "So, do you think we could be like that? Is there a chance we could be friends? No hierarchies between us"

"But we're not. I'm branded. I am part of the secondary branch. We could never be equal. It would be frowned upon" comprehension shone through her eyes. He was afraid

"This - this is not about the clan Neji. This is not even about us" she couldn't contain the heartache anymore "This is just a very selfish wish. I just wish to feel that there's someone I can rely upon within these walls and I thought that you might feel the same. After everything, everything that has happened… These last two years have been the most horrible ones of my life. And I feel empty and so alone. How can a house full of so many people feel so empty? I’m losing my mind and I can’t do this anymore, I can’t continue pushing on my own. That is why, I thought that you might feel the same… but you are in no obligation to do this. I can understand if you don't..."

"I am here for you, Hinata-sama. If you want me to be your friend- If you want me to share your pain, I’d happily be your friend, even if I think I don't deserve it" He saw the light start to shine in her eyes.

"Thank you, Neji" He raised his hands and caressed one of her forearms, which were still firmly attached to his shoulders.

'Neji '

His own name echoing in his ears.

He felt lost for a moment, looking deep into her eyes.

She started feeling warm again, and she was sure that the blood was going up her neck and cheeks.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Mid - November

"I mean, it's white!"

"Really, Ino? As if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes" Sometimes Ino could be so exasperating. Sakura rolled her eyes "All that grandiosity of great spies and intelligence that runs in your family must have skipped you"

"I don't see you contributing, Haruno. If you are so amazing, tell me what you see" Ino passed the envelope to Sakura, daring her to examine it.

"You already said it, there's nothing special about it. What do you think, Hinata-chan?"

"The paper looks very similar to the other two envelopes, I have been saving them in case I can detect a chakra pattern or something, but so far I haven't noticed anything"

"Hmm, I wish we could have a clue, that way we could uncover who your boyfriend is" Hinata found it humorous that Ino had already decided that this person was 'her boyfriend', she didn't know if it was in fact a man.

"You know Ino, it could very well be a woman, for all we know. None of us can have an exact idea of who it is" said Sakura

"Open it Hinata! We must see what's in it"

Hinata examined it once again before she started peeling the flap of the envelope and from it, she pulled out a sachet.

'Cosmos seed', it read. Hinata opened her eyes, surprised to see that she had been given flower seeds.

"Well it's definitely someone close to you", Said Sakura.

"Or a creep"

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

One week before the festival

Hinata sighed satisfied.

She needed a bath, that was for sure. Helping Ino in her spare time with the orders was taxing, but she loved it. The arrangements looked beautiful and everything was looking amazingly good. They would need to revitalize the flowers before the festival but with their jutsu skills they could make them look fresh during the festival. She was so excited, after the war and with the reconstruction efforts, everything had looked dreadful for a while but little by little Konoha was starting to feel like home again.

‘So many things to do… I have to check how many orders are left to be done. And I need to make sure my clothes are ready for that day. And Sakura-chan already confirmed she will go, I wonder if Tenten w- Neji-onisama! I had totally forgotten! ’

She hadn't talked to him yet, but thinking about him made her feel fuzzy on the inside. ‘ I still don’t know if he will be in the village that day’ Since he had been going on a lot of solo missions recently it was hard to know. Hinata turned on her heels walking now towards her cousin's room, she could take a bath after she had asked him.

"Neji-onisama?" No answer.

It wasn't that late, maybe he was still training or attending to business. Knowing he could be assigned a mission with short notice, it'd be better to leave a note. The room was neatly organized. Very Neji-like, the thought made her giggle. She would need parchment paper and ink. Hinata started opening the drawers of his desk.

"Here's the ink" she said to herself pulling out the small container "and here's the..."

Eyes wide open.

Was someone coming?

She didn't know if she could trust her senses or if it was her paranoia. Her instincts maxed to her surroundings. Her eyes rapidly went from left to right. She tried to feel if there were any chakra signatures around her. She could feel her heart beating three times faster. Her breathing went in and out, echoing loudly in the dead silence of the room.

Delicately she lifted the sharpened feather quill and underneath it laid a white enveloped. A pack of them actually.

‘I have to get out of here!’

No one could see her in Neji's room at that moment, especially him.

And as discreetly as she had entered, she went out.

Leaving no trace of ever being there.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

At the Konoha market

"Have you decided which one you are buying?" asked Neji.

"Yes! And it's the most beautiful one in the store! It'll bring out her dynamic green eyes and highlight her beauty. I just hope to be around that day, unless Hogake-sama has different plans"

The busy streets of the market had been busier now that everybody was shopping for everything they needed to get ready for the festival. Especially clothing and accessories. Lee and Neji had been out and about since the early hours of the afternoon, they were getting some other presents for their ladies. and since the festival was going to be so special for everybody, they had teamed up. Hopefully this way, they could help each other to not screw up.

"Well then, let's go to the next store. I still haven't decided what I'm buying. And I need to buy it today"

"Let me pay really quickly and talk to them about the delivery", said Lee, disappearing within the maze of patrons that flocked to the store. Ten minutes later they were going to the next store, it was Neji's turn now "Have you thought about what she might like?"

"Not yet, but I think I'll know what to get her once I see it"

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Six days before the festival

The skies had turned a dark shade of gray. She sighed. She knew that the seasons were changing and she should not be surprised, but since most of the week had been particularly nice, she was not expecting to see such dull skies, but she guessed that it suited the day in a way. In her arms rested a beautiful bouquet of the most beautiful white Chrysanthemums. She felt the cold of the wind in her neck, hands and toes making her tremble. The light cardigan she had chosen to wear did not provide the needed warmth for the incoming cold front. From what she saw, it was probably going to be incoming during the night. The landscape looked drab now that the sunflowers had been cleared. At least during the summer, the place looked livelier, specially for a vicinity this solemn.

The Hyuga cemetery was a secluded area, she tried visiting once a month, she had started coming more frequently when she was fifteen, she would come and clean her mother’s tombstone and place flowers and incense. But now, sadly, she now had more reasons to visit.

“Hello Hanabi-chan. How have you been?” She kneeled down sweeping the dried leaves that had fallen over the tomb “I brought some Mums for you. Ino gave me the freshest and biggest ones she had for you. They are kind of peppery and sweet. I think that they suit you” she was starting to feel the pain in the middle. “I have missed you so much, I have gotten better and have improved a little. Although I haven’t been going on many missions, you know, clan things happening and decisions to be made.”

“I just hoped I am doing what is correct and my decision will improve people’s life for our family” the wind was starting to pick up with more force “I… I have to confess something. I have been very confused lately. Neji-onisama and I have been talking more recently. Some days things feel easy, but sometimes, I don’t know what to think. He’s been so- so-” her cheeks felt warmer despite the cold air “He’s been through a lot, you know how our traditions and customs have affected the branch family, especially him. Our family has long been plagued by loss and despair and although we are resilient, we have grown indifferent and cold among each other. I was feeling desperate and lonely. So I did the most reckless thing I have ever done. You’ll not even imagine”

“Oh god, this is so embarrassing”, she laughed. Not feeling as embarrassed as months ago ”Can you imagine? I invited Naruto out!'' She was nervous, laughing, imagining and remembering the whole ordeal. “Do you remember that he said that he would change the Hyuga once he becomes Hokage during the chunin exams? Well, he told me the same thing during our date. As if things were this simple. But I do see change happening to us, but not on the promises of an outsider. We need to change ourselves for things to get better”

“I can feel myself changing and I think Neji’s changing too. You know how he was very reserved, well I don’t think you would recognize the amazing person he has turned to be. He’s grown fond of Lee’s antics, I know they are friends now, he is caring, and gregarious” her heart skipped a beat before she continued “He’s been putting a lot of effort into himself, well he always has. But I hope you understand what I mean. I wish you could see the sincerity that his eyes have. Sometimes I think they have gotten clearer that they really are”.

“Please, watch over us from where you are in this times on uncertainty”

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚

Four days before the festival

"Girls! Come here, I just got this" Ino said animatedly.

"What is it?"

"I think it is from Tenten" Ino opened it and read out loud.

Hi!

I have missed hanging out with you girls, the weather here is drier than ever. I told T that if she didn't tell me about a spa I could go to in my free time, I would have to be deported for murder. My skin has been itchy but it looks like the treatments are having a good effect.

I heard that there will be a festival around the days I'm expecting to arrive.

I know you must be busy doing your things, but, could you get me something to wear in case I get there in time?

You know where to find the key for my apartment

Tn.

"Well, we have to get her something, she cannot not go to the festival with us, it's been ages since we've gone together to something like this" said Ino "We might need to get her a new Kimono and probably a headdress..."

"Oh wait! I almost forgot to show you!" Sakura called up to them "I received something yesterday"

"What is it, Sakura-san?"

"You have to see this" Sakura stood and walked towards her handbag and pulled out a sizable wooden box out of her bag. "It was delivered to the hospital reception, the girls were so excited, I am sure they were betting on whether I’d receive something" Sakura opened the box revealing a headpiece that had a big red peony, gold ribbons and hanging flowers, in a very traditional style "I think that they got it for me, to wear it this weekend" Sakura felt their surprise in their gasps.

"That's so beautiful Sakura-chan! It'll make your hair pop up, they'll combine very nicely with your clothes" said Hinata excitedly.

"You are a lucky one Haruno" She didn't want to sound bitter despite feeling a little jealous of her friends. *I don't have time for this, I have a business to run and clothing to get for Tenten!* She reprimanded herself "Have you received anything Hinata?"

"Not y-yet..."

"But?" They asked in unison

"I think I know" said Hinata to her friends, confusion and caution clear in her eyes "I know who's been sending me gifts" Sakura opened her eyes in surprise.

"Are you sure?"" she needed to know if Hinata was being dead serious.

"I am, and knowing that I'm correct, we might know who's been sending you things as well"

"Well? Who is it?" Ino was eager to know.

"It's-it's Neji" Both of her friends went instantly quiet.

"But... How?!" Confusion clear on Sakura's face.

"Well... I was on my way to ask him if he was going to be here for the festival, but he wasn't in his room, so I wanted to leave him a note since... Oh no!" She grunted "I never wrote the note!" she mentally chastised herself "Anyway, I started pulling out ink and quill from one of his desk drawers and I saw the envelopes! Same material, paper density, color, everything! To be honest, I am still trying to process the whole thing" Hinata was getting flustered and had started pacing around Ino's shop.

"Sakura! You know what that means, right?" Sakura had sunk into a chair putting two and two together.

"It's Lee then, it has to be him" concluded Ino "I mean" She said, racking her hands through her hair, seeming deep in thought.

"I don't know what's more surprising, the fact that you never suspected him or the fact that he has continued feeling this way after so many years!" Ino’s jealousy was long gone now. Hinata receiving gifts from Neji stood from a very dense history that she herself shared with absolutely no one, and was in no rush nor desire to experience anytime soon. And, Sakura and Lee... Well, it wasn't complicated, but Sakura had never been interested in reciprocating. Not an ideal situation either way “Well, since you both got into a conundrum, I guess we better order food or something”

𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ 𓄹 ⊹ ᳝ ࣪⠀. ִ ་ ּ

40 minutes later

"Sushi's here!" said Sakura, carrying the bags of food and presenting it to Hinata and Ino.

"I'll serve the drinks" Ino sighed "I really need a break from this arrangements"

"Thanks Sakura-chan, my hands are also starting to cramp here," said Hinata, shaking her hands vigorously.

"Everybody sit down", said Sakura, serving drinks for everybody.

"Is it spiked Haruno?"

"Knowing what we know, you shouldn't even be asking..."

"Would it be that bad?" Hinata asked her, picking up her "Lee-san is really sweet guy"

"It's not that," said Sakura, frustrated, sinking her head over her palms. "That's the problem. He really is a good guy" she somewhat frustrated.

"Sakura-chan" said Hinata in a more comprehensive tone, "it's been years. You do deserve to be happy. Your relationship with Sasuke-son was tumultuous, you were always close to a panic attack and it's ok to be wary, but Lee-san has always been caring"

"You are afraid", said Ino, baffled. "I never thought that you would be scared of something like this..."

"It wouldn't be fair with Lee-kun” Ino pursed her lips while listening to her friend "he deserves someone who isn't walking on eggshells all the time..." she didn't want to push her too much, she was clearly sensitive.

"And you Hinata? What do you think about this?" asked the blonde

"I'm not sure" she sighed "I feel this might be..."

"difficult?" offered Ino

"intricate?" countered Sakura

"confusing" she paused for a second "I think Neji is being consumed by guilt"

"He should be, tho" replied Ino "what he did was awful and he never addressed it"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows "Has... something happened? Has he...?"

"Nonono, please don't judge Neji too harshly” she felt as if she was playing devil's advocate "He has been really cordial to me for years and lately he has been attentive with me but - but nothing special, we have just been talking more" she tried to focus "The manor is too big. These years haven't been easy on anyone... and I thought - I thought we were becoming closer again and it all devolved into a horrible afternoon" she needed a moment. "We kind of had a situation recently. I-" - she needed to take a deep breathe "I asked him if we were friends and he didn't say anything ! I thought I had overstepped some boundary or offended him in some way, and THEN that same evening I was in my room dreading how the only person who actively talks to me in my house was angry with me, knowing our relationship was going south again and that everything would be tense and awkward yet again"

Sakura and Ino were listening attentively to her friend. Not daring to interrupt her.

"That evening, I was in my bedroom and he came by. I didn't want to talk to him, I was so afraid of making things worse. He asked me if we could talk, I didn't know what to expect at this point, even though I was clearly intending to avoid him and he started to apologize and then he..." it hurt to even remember the whole ordeal. She lowered her voice. The taste of profanity stung her tongue "he... he bowed to me" everything came out of her in a spurt.

"Noooo..." Ino couldn't believe it, and Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. The sushi was long forgotten over the small table in the employee room of the flower shop.

"Our clan... our traditions and protocols, they consume you, and eat you alive from the inside. I am always surrounded by many people that treat me as their master, I... I would like a sense of normalcy, but trying to change our customs is difficult. I guess I have been feeling lonely in my own house" Hinata took a second to breathe "And... And I asked Neji, the only person who I knew who would understand me, if we were closer. But he didn't say anything, he simply stood there"

"He can be a jerk sometimes" said Sakura "I still remember when we were 12 and he needed to get a" she abruptly stopped herself, maybe mentioning that incident now was not the best idea “... anyway, Naruto and I crossed paths with Neji and he was really rude".

"Sakura, I know he was like that. I know. But that's the Neji from 10 years ago. That's not the current Neji, he is different. But he feels guilty"

"So..." Asked Ino "What happened afterwards?"

"He apologized. He sounded very sincere! He did a full bow, his forehead touched the floor and everything. It felt so wrong. He shouldn't have done that" She crossed her arms trying to hug herself, seeking solace of her own memories. The uncomfortableness of the ordeal clearly coursed through her body.

"Somehow I feel he owed you that, even if you felt uncomfortable. It's good to know he finally apologized, properly apologized" stated Sakura.

"It is Hinata, even if you didn't want it or expected it. It is good that he apologized. He wouldn't have been able to lift the blame any other way" - Hinata was conflicted, Neji had been wronged so many times by the Main House that... she felt that he shouldn't have apologized, at least not in such an extreme way.

"Will you tell him that you know?" questioned Sakura.

"I wouldn't know what to even say, or how to ask if it's him. I feel it might do more damage than good"

"And you? What are you going to do with Lee?"

"To be honest, I don't want to think about it right now"

The three friends decided to put the topic aside momentarily and eat their food, once their stomachs started protesting again. Ino felt tired and she was ready to call it a day. Her friends helped her to close the store.

"Thank you for your help Hinata, it's much appreciated" she said in a comically formal accent, making Hinata giggle.

"No problem at all, but I better get going. Sakura-chan, Ino-chan. I hope you have a good night" She bowed to them before leaving.

"Did you notice Sakura?" asked Ino, now that Hinata was gone

"Notice? What was I supposed to notice?"

"She didn't call him 'Neji-onisama'. Not even once"

"You're right!" Sakura was smiling, replaying the conversation in her mind. Which brought a similar realization to her mind "You know who else she has been skipping honorifics with?"

"Who?" Intrigue reflected on Ino's face.

"Us" a smile gracing both of them.

To be continued...

✦ N E X T ✦

✦ N E J I H I N A D I R E C T O R Y ✦ C O L L E C T I O N ✦

☆ P E R M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T

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Ask permission for:

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No need to ask permission for:

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Reposting my works to other sites and accounts under any circumstances, I manage my own works.

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