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#i am getting a good grade in tattoo client

orlesianmask · 2 years

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The tattoo artist said I sat like a corpse. I am getting such a good grade in tattoo client.

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th3wizardoz · 5 months

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I had the consult for my first tattoo yesterday and my artist and the person running their front desk liked my design and thought it was funny!! So needless to say: I am going to get a good grade in tattoo client, something both normal to want and possible to achieve.

#text #text post #tattoos #copypasta #I WAS SO NERVOUS #BUT THEy REMEMBERED MY DESGIN FROM MY EMAIL LIKE A TWO WEEKS AGO

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serialfirstdater · 1 year

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After the Sun: Round-Up #4-6 for 2022

I was told some people are still reading this blog, and considering that I have re-entered the dating scene for 2023 after a three-month break from the apps (gasp, what happened there? I will get there soon), I will update this blog with the rest of my 2022 dates. I am going to try to give snippets on everyone versus giving them full blog posts. Since frankly, not all of them deserve a whole post and I don’t have the time anymore lmao. But I want to at least document it before I start a fresh batch of dating stories for 2023 (if I can keep up).

#4: The Letter Grade Guy

I went on a date with an engineer who took me to a really nice restaurant in Toronto. I was quite impressed with his restaurant choice (Marked) and we had a really good conversation.

During the date I told him about my dating experiences and how I gauged my dates compatibility with me. He joked how even though I am not a fan of the sciences in school, I dated like a scientist because I analyzed and took data on everything (like how I’m recording my dates on this blog LOL).

Anyway, I thought it was a good first date. After the date, he texted me and asked what his “letter grade” was. He asked because he knew from the questions he asked me, I would rate a guy and the dates I go on (I personally would not volunteer the info myself!). I said something along the lines of “No letter grade perse. Thought we had a good conversation and got along. The restaurant choice was great!” I never heard from him again, LOL. I guess he didn’t like the fact I wasn’t heavily praising him, even though my comment was not negative.

#5: The No-Marriage Dentist

I matched with a guy that I thought was sorta cute from the photos. Until I saw him irl and realized, he wasn’t really my type physically (minus him being a bit taller than me and the fact that he was a dentist). When I agreed to meet up with him, we have barely spoken at that point via the apps. But I was free and down so I said yes when he asked me out.

I soon realized how incompatible we were, especially when he told me he didn’t believe in the institution of marriage. People like that, no offence but, makes me roll my eyes. If they are afraid of marriage because their parents didn’t work out, that’s more understandable. But once it gets very political, I’m out.

Either way, I knew that it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I wasn’t sure where his interests in me lied during the date but he at least knew I was looking for something different. His personality also truly irked me, a mix of condescending (or narcissistic) and socially awkward. AND he lied about his name. He claimed his name was Adrian on the apps and he even said it when he texted me. But he revealed to me his real name in person and I was immediately turned off. Apparently it was for privacy because he didn’t want to be recognized by clients or something as a dentist? Anyway, I thought that was dumb.

He took me to a couple of nice bars though, so I will say I appreciated that at least. We never spoke again afterwards.

#6: The New Realtor

Ahhh, I feel really bad for the New Realtor (who only got licensed very recently when we have met, hence the nickname obvs). When I first met him, I was completely taken by him. I was so into him, like Cupid’s arrow. I thought he was so cute. He had a tattoo too, so I thought it just made him hotter. He also seemed like a husky fit guy too. So on our first date, I thought it went very well and I expressed my interest.

However after talking about him with my friends, I obviously showed his photo to them. The moment my best friend saw his picture, she couldn’t control her reaction and immediately went, “Ew.” My other friends were like, “Don’t say thatttttttt.”

But it was too late, it was like a seed that was planted in my head. I was convinced by my other close friend to tell him to take me to CNE (a huge fair that happens in Toronto at the end of summer every year). As a romantic, I always wanted to go on a CNE date or some sort of fair date. So I told him I was interested in checking out the CNE and he agreed.

When I saw him in person for our second date, something in my brain started turning and my interest started to gradually decline before it went full speed ahead as the date progressed. He was nice enough to also drop off another friend I was with at the CNE since she was going to see a mutual friend there.

For the date, he decided to get us the unlimited rides, which I thought was excessive and when I later realized how I lost complete interest in him, I felt AWFUL. But I thought I should at least make the best of it, right? Wrong, I got sick after the third ride.

Maybe it’s because I was about to hit 30 but the third ride spun so much and did too many turns that I had some sort of vertigo. The New Realtor tried to be as gentlemanly as possible. Offered his arm for me to hold onto when I was dizzy, offered to get me food, still got me food when I said no and a bottle of water to hydrate with. Basically, he did everything I would want on a cute date.

However, I knew it was completely over when he tried to put his arm around my seat at a simple ride we did later and all I could do was to sit as far away from his arm as possible. When I am physically repulsed, I literally cannot change my mind. The ick was too strong and everything he did bothered me. I felt terrible.

Towards the end he kept offering to get me food but because I knew I had to reject him later, I didn’t want to take anymore of his generosity. When his car stopped in front of my place to drop me off, I immediately turned to him and went,

“I want to thank you very much for this date. You were a great guy and this date was very lovely. Unfortunately this would have to be the last date for us.”

Instead of asking why or being upset, he said, “That’s okay. Feel free to hit me up whenever you want.” He took it so well that I felt even worse for not liking him anymore!

In the end, I realized that I lost all attraction in him physically and also realized he was not as fit as I thought he was... Alas, I hope he finds a really nice girl that likes him because he would treat her like a princess. Unfortunately I was not his princess.

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ak8shi · 4 years

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Jobs that the HQ Boys would have in college

a/n: I’m tipsy and idk what this is.,,,,many thots head full

ATSUMU: oh my god… he would work at Lulu Lemon and also be a campus rep for the brand, he looks really good in the clothes ig,, 🙄his manager fucking hated him for the first month of working there because they put him on the floor thinking he would attract people with his athletic build and good looks but he was so judgmental towards the customers, they had to put him behind the cash register LMFAO😔😭, he’s still judgmental behind the counter about the colors people pick for things but he knows he has to stfu to keep the job.. when dudes check out and have anything longer than 5.5 inseam shorts he always mumbles under his breath about feeling bad for the dude’s girlfriend 💀

BOKUTO: ALSO a Lulu Lemon rep but more of a floor/customer service person lmfao, HE SELLS things like CRAZY, people just listen to him and his expertise when it comes to the apparel because he’s so enthusiastic about it and looks so good in it, he’s the type that has 5 million different random jobs here and there : I can see him working at the campus gym as an instructor or just someone who oversees the machine area, LMFAO he’s the one who organized recreational games and sometimes referees rec volleyball!! He loves it and people ask him for advice all the time. He also stands outside of hollister shirtless on Black Friday LAMAKISKSMS, He ALSO is sponsored by one of those companies that delivers snack packages directly to college dorms HE IS SO CUTE PLEASE

SUNA: He has a job at his college campus’ library! He literally loves it because he doesn’t really have to talk to anyone besides the elderly ladies who work with him and the occasional lost underclassman, and he can do his homework on the job. Girls go to the library that he works at specifically to stare at him, and the twins come in to annoy him often too (that’s the only way they would be in a library setting) GIRL he has to KICK them out for being so loud god. He also gets the occasional offer from the campus’ student ran fashion magazine to model but he’s too embarrassed and knows he would get absolutely CLOWNED if he accepted🥺. He also ubers on the weekends sometimes and he as a 5 rating because he’s hot and never makes weird conversation with his passengers

FUTAKUCHI: MAN he would work at the mall at one of those hair kiosks LMFAOO Listen, he’s honestly the perfect person for the job because he’s pushy, confident, and h*t… when people would usually object on getting their hair done by some random at the mall, they usually say yes to him because…. Its him ugh I hate him ALSO HE’S ONE OF THOSE SKETCHY PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK THAT SELLS SCAM BEAUTY PRODUCTS (“hey girly,” PLEASEMDMF)

OSAMU: He would work a typical bus boy job in college tbh, you usually have the start from the bottom in the restaurant business and he likes the fact that the hours are pretty flexible, and that he can show up hungover as fuck and still do an okay job. Occasionally his friends will pay him to cook a meal for them, or bake something that they can impress a girl with (sometimes he purposely burns the baked goods 😭LMFAMDM) Works late a lot of times and you can catch him downtown in the parking lot scarfing down his dinner at 2 am

SHIRABU: I have no idea why this one was so obvious to me but he 100% works at a Starbucks on campus lmao, his pre-med self is just always stressed and needs coffee to stay awake, and honestly he kind of enjoys being a cunt to all the students he encounters as an outlet for his frustration (sir…💀), He’s constantly screaming at Goshiki behind the counter, and he honestly doesn’t have the patience for any Karens or those girls who complain about their order because they ordered something they didn’t mean to. He’s genuine and friendly to his regulars though and if you tip he’ll put an extra shot of espresso in your order😙

KUROO: Also another obvious one for me, he’s giving me paid lab member by day, bar tender by night vibes from a million miles away. He honestly gets offered the job in the lab because of his grades and immense understanding of chemistry in his classes and labs, and he loves it!! God.. he’s really so nerdy and you can’t tell me this man doesn’t get published multiple times in academic papers bc he DOES! The lab is great and everything but he’s only there for a few hours per week, so he seeks out a nightlife job at a bar, let me tell you that’s where he cashes out,,, 🤑 like he gets tipped really well because he’s good at conversation while not being creepy, he’s HOT as FUCK, and he makes the drinks actually strong. Truly everyone and their mom’s favorite bartender !

ARAN: THIS MAN,,, he’s so photogenic and good looking there’s not doubt in my mind that he would be an influencer on campus (Atsumu really wishes he was him lmfao💀), he has ALL the sponsors and also a huge social media following. Fashion nova men, skincare brands, athletic programs, he has so many sponsors and basically most of his Instagram is payed placement , He also promotes a lot of campus merch and bars!! Like there are definitely pics of him popping bottles with his boys on his insta and he looks so good please😈

SEMI: he would work at a piercing or tattoo salon, and honestly it happens unintentionally ?? He went in for a tattoo and he was looking at the jewelry on display and was like??? this would be so cool to be able to pierce someone!! SO he apprenticed with a worker and had a lot of his friends who wanted piercings come in for practice, also he’s the type of dude that is great at calming/reassuring people who are nervous or anxious before getting a piercing or tat, loves to play his guitar quietly in the background when he’s not busy helping a client🥰 also volunteers at the animal shelter a few times a month bc he loves animals 🥺

SAKUSA: this one is making me laugh because he would definitely work a teleprompter job thinking it would be fine since he doesn’t have to touch or interact with anyone but he ends up hating it because of how rude the people are 💀😭 he somehow gets stuck with the most obnoxious and rude clients he really can’t take it, (the way he has to repeat himself forty times... no) he brings a huge thermos of coffee to the office when he has to work and he leaves with a huge headache every time

#GIRL WHAT IS THIS IM AKAKAKAJNSMSSSMNZ #haikyuu!!#haikyuu imagine #haikyu headcanons #atsumu x reader #osamu x reader #suna x you #kuroo x reader #bokuto x reader #semi x reader #take this shit while i attempt to finish this fic😔#sakusa x reader #shirabu x reader #ch

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starrynite7114 · 4 years

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New Rules

A/N: Good afternoon everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying your week thus far! Here I am, back with a request this time! I’m posting a Daddy Angel one after this then the fifth part of Misconstrued!

Requests are still open in case any of you want to make a request!

I don’t know if u have listen to this song called New Rules by Dua lipa for angel?? But I was wondering if I can request something that has to do with that song for angel @briannab1234

Hope you all enjoy this one! I’m kind of nervous this didn’t really match the song, but I still hope you all like it!

Masterlist

Tagged: @iambabyharry : @justahopelessssromantic : @briannab1234 : @marvelmaree : @carlaangel86 : @everyhowlmarksthedead : @trulysuccubus : @claytoncardenasbabymama : @ifoundmyhappythought : @chibsytelford : @whyisgmora : @jadert15 : @gemini0410 : @woahitslucyylu

If you would like to be added to the ‘Everything’ tagged list, let me know!

Have you ever watched the person you love be fooled over and over again, by a person who obviously was never worth their time? Have you ever watched the person you love reason with themselves over and over again why this jackass was worth it?

No? Well Angel has and it was one of the most painful things he had to go through.

Women fell to his feet, enticing women to go on a date with him or even be around him was not a struggle. His charms were his go to, but the bad boy aura surrounding him definitely helped his cause.

Angel met you a few years back after Coco brought him to the tattoo shop you were working at to get a tattoo done. When Angel met you, he was immediately infatuated. He couldn’t stop flirting with you and while you flirted back, you made it clear to him that you didn’t date your clients. Angel wasn’t deterred and he kept trying, but you always let him down so nicely. Eventually, Angel realized his advances weren’t working, but that didn’t mean he gave up. He took the risk to befriend you, and like Coco warned, he was friend zoned.

Imagine, being Angel Reyes, a well known pussy magnet be friend zoned by the one fucking girl he wanted? It was pathetic. To top it off, you confided in him about this guy you’ve been hung up on for a year and a half. He’s known you for three years and this was the first time he ever heard you so broken up over a guy.

He would be worried if the guy wasn’t a grade A douchebag.

“Mi Dulce, I don’t know why you waste your time on him.” Angel frowned as he watched you down the fourth shot of Vodka in the last forty-five minutes.

“Good question, I don’t either.” He thought you looked so fucking cute with that tint of pink on your cheeks due to the alcohol in your body. You shrugged, giggling as you drank some of the beer Angel brought for you.

It was a routine at this point.

You were seeing this guy, Leo, for about six months before he broke it off. But instead of letting you go, he kept you on the side so when he needed his ego rubbed, he ran to you. It was usually in the middle of the night, he was intoxicated, and lonely.

And Angel fucking hated that you ran to him every single time.

“You know his routine.” Angel took the Vodka bottle, placing it out of your sight.

“I know, I know.” You frowned, leaning back against your couch. Resting your head on Angel’s shoulder, you sighed. “You’re my strength, you know that. Best fucking friend ever.”

Best fucking friend ever.

It was such a hurtful thing to hear.

At times Angel wanted to laugh whenever you referred to him as such. No mistaking, you were his best friend, but he was also in love with you, watching you be played by some asshole was the worst thing.

“If I’m your best friend, can you finally fucking listen to my advice?” It would be easy for Angel to kill the motherfucker, to make him disappear for hurting you, but he knew that would upset you.

“I’m trying!” You defended. “I’m not in love with the fucking guy.”

What a sigh of relief for Angel.

“So why do you keep coming back?”

“I don’t know, he has good dick?” You laughed, Angel tried so hard to laugh, but he only mustered a cackle. You didn’t even mean that since this guy was less than stellar. “I don’t know, he was a good guy. Then I let him in and then boom. I couldn’t even resist him. Whenever he calls, I come, knowing that I’m a dumbass for even answering.”

“If you're not in love with him, why stick around?” He knew you were lying, you were in love with the guy. But you were trying to convince yourself that you weren’t.

“Okay, maybe I am, but I’m trying hard to get over him. I need to put myself out there.” You loved being around Angel. Whenever you needed him, he came to your rescue, even when you didn’t, he was there. You came to realize then that Angel was your constant companion. “Thank you for always being here for me.”

“I would do anything for you.”

Your phone began to vibrate on the table, Leo’s name popping up.

Angel looked at you, ready to grab your hand if you even reached for your phone.

“Fuck you Leo,” you flipped off your phone.

Angel chuckled. “This is new.”

“You know that song New Rules?”

“May have heard it, why?”

“I’m making new rules for myself, whenever he fucking calls me, not even going to give it a second glance. When he tries to come and see me, I’m just going to turn him away because he can go get that other bitch to tattoo him. I’m not going to be his friend because you know what, he’s never treated me like his friend.” You were determined to follow these rules.

Dua Lipa was going to give you strength.

Fuck this guy.

Angel wanted to believe that this was it for you, but he was certain it wasn’t. You always get the strength to ignore this guy, but somehow, someway, he weasels his way back in.

==============

Two weeks, Angel watched for two weeks as you pulled yourself away from Leo and it was working.

And it was all thanks to Angel.

You settled on Angel’s lap, his arm wrapped around your middle as you leaned on him. You’re not sure if it was the alcohol, the night, the weather or what, but Angel was looking good tonight. He was wearing that navy blue short sleeve button up, his cologne was fucking on point tonight. Holding a beer bottle in one hand, you both listened to Gilly as he told you about his latest escapades with this girl he was dating.

“You know he’s lying.” Angel whispered in your ear, making the hair at the back of your neck rise. He was circling a finger on your thigh, laughing as Gilly made a joke.

You couldn’t even laugh, you were focused on Angel’s finger on your thigh.

“You okay Querida?”

Nodding your head, you tried to focus on Gilly. You can’t be attracted to Angel. Well, you were, you weren’t fucking blind, Angel was a good looking guy, but you broke your rule of not dating clients with Leo, you’re definitely not going to break the rule of not dating friends with Angel.

But fuck did he smell good tonight.

Your phone vibrated on your lap. You flipped it over and you both saw Leo’s name on the screen. Angel looked as you flipped it back over and paid attention to Gilly again. He placed a kiss on your cheek, causing you to turn to him.

“What was that for?”

“I’m proud of you, you’re really trying to get rid of this asshole.”

“I told you I was.” You slightly moved and you could feel Angel’s hardened member on your thigh. You didn’t say anything, but Angel looked at you, pained by your sudden movement. You were certain he’s been trying to hide it. You couldn’t help, but wonder how it would be to be with Angel.

He always took such good care of you, and you weren’t even his girl.

But Angel had his pick of women. He wouldn’t go after you after seeing all the bullshit you went through with Leo.

But you could definitely daydream about it.

==============

You were gathering your things, finishing an eight hour session was gratifying and also tolling. You had offered to break it up into two four hour appointments, but the girl insisted to have it all done today, which you didn’t mind. You heard Angel’s motorcycle roar as it came down the street. He could never really surprise you since his bike was a giveaway of his arrival.

It’s been three weeks since you started ignoring Leo and the calls were becoming more frequent, along with the text messages. So you weren’t surprised when you heard the shop door open and he walked in.

“Close for the day.” You automatically said without even looking up to see who was there.

“Glad to know you’re alive.”

His voice used to do wonders to you, but now when you heard it, it just made you feel dirty. Not due to what you guys had, it was your choice every time you came to him, but now when it sunk in on how much you were doing for a guy you love and didn’t love you back?

It sucked.

But the more you hung out with Angel, the more frustrated you were that let this asshole blind you.

“Yes, I am, what can I do for you Leo?” You felt the confidence surge within you. No more letting him back in just so you’re left all alone again. You were done with that.

“What’s with the attitude? You’ve been ignoring me for three weeks and I came here to check on you and this is the reception I get?” Leo scoffed. He didn’t mean to be an ass, but he was worried about you.

“Attitude?” You chuckled. “There is no attitude, I’m just done with your shit.”

“My shit?” He laughed. “You always come back, you can just resist me for so long.”

“Well, why would she come back to an asshole with no game when she can be with me?” You heard Angel behind you, wrapping an arm around your middle.

You immediately relaxed with Angel’s presence. You’re not sure what it was, but you’ve been more hyper aware of Angel. You found yourself watching him more often, craving his company and appreciating what a good looking man he was. You noticed just how good he made you feel, when compared to Leo who couldn’t even bother to bring you around his friends cause you weren’t his usual type.

That should have been a red flag, but you were blinded by lust.

You thought you love this guy, but you definitely didn’t.

Not after realizing how terribly he treated you.

You were the dark secret he had and you were done with that.

You had new rules and you were counting them.

No more late night calls.

No more letting him back in.

And you definitely were not his friend.

“Always knew you would become a biker bitch.” Leo immediately regretted his words, especially when he saw how Angel’s gaze darkened. “Y/N, I’m.”

“Save it for someone who cares. Rather be a biker bitch than be associated with your micro penis.”

Angel laughed loudly behind you as Leo’s mouth gaped at her comment. He attempted to have a retort to you, but nothing came out.

“Fuck you,” was the only response he could come up with.

“No thanks, I’m good.” You replied as he walked out.

Angel kissed your cheek, the temperature in your body always increased whenever his lips connected to any part of your skin, and you definitely can't ignore the butterflies in your stomach either.

“Proud of you mi Dulce.”

“You make this so hard.” Your growing attraction to Angel was not something you were used to. You always found him attractive, but it was different now.

You just made new rules for Leo. The last thing you wanted was to do the same to Angel.

But Angel wouldn’t treat you like Leo.

Yet, you just couldn’t risk your friendship.

“Make what hard?” Angel’s eyebrows furrowed at your statement, confused by exactly what you meant.

“You’re just so,” you groaned. “I don’t know, perfect? You make it so difficult to adhere to my rules.”

“What?” Angel was confused at what you were implying.

“You, just being.” What were you even trying to say? He was so perfect for you? That he was so good looking and that you were upset you even wasted your time on Leo? It didn’t escape you that Angel was interested in you at the beginning and you always rejected his advances since you always had a rule of not dating your clients and then he became your friend, you also didn’t date your friends.

But rules were made to be broken and you broke it for Leo, why not break it for Angel.

After all, you have new rules now.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Angel felt his heart rate quickening, unsure of what to make of the situation. He was proud you told the douche off, but now, he was unsure of what was going on between you two.

The dynamics changed ever since you decided you were cutting Leo off. Angel noticed you were flirtier, more affectionate and just gave him so much more attention. For a fleeting moment, he thought maybe, just maybe you returned his affection, but he didn’t want to get ahead of himself.

“Why do you have to be so good looking? So sweet? So nice? So perfect!” You exclaimed. “Don’t get big headed.” You warned him.

But it was too late.

The smile that spread across his face looked like victory.

“You think I’m perfect mama?” Angel crossed his arms across his chest, that stupid smirk on his face.

“I said don’t get big headed.” you playfully pushed him, the smirk grew bigger.

“It’s okay baby girl, you know I think you’re perfect.” Angel took one of your hands, pulling you against him, burying his head at the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent. He placed a soft kiss on your neck before standing up straight, his eyes trained on yours. “You’ve had me going crazy for years baby, why not give me a chance how a real man should treat his woman.”

“I don’t know Angel, what if we break up?”

“What if we don’t? Gotta take a risk sometimes baby, fuck your rules.”

He knew you. You lived by your rules, you deviated when you gave Leo the time of day.

But he was going to make new rules for you and he promised you would never regret it.

“You’re such a troublemaker.”

Angel cupped your face. “Isn’t that what you like about me?” He leaned down, capturing your lips for the first time. You groaned at the contact, your body lighting up as he deepened the kiss.

Oh boy.

Angel Reyes was trouble.

You did live by your rules.

But for Angel, you’d break your rules and make new ones, as long as you can always have his lips against yours.

#angel reyes #angelreyes #angel reyes fanfiction #angel reyes fic #angel reyes fanfic #mayans mc imagine #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fic

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cxinxns · 3 years

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* jaime lorente, cismale + he/him | you know cainan granch fletcher, right? they’re twenty-six, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, two years? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to take what you want by post malone like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole unopened letters cluttering a dresser drawer, the rise of cigarette smoke just before it falls away with the wind, and an old familial ring weighing heaviest on stealthy hands thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is november 19th, so they’re a scorpio, which is unsurprising, all things considered.

TRIGGER WARNING: death mention, jail mention

hello hello! the last two days got away from me but finally here is cainan’s intro. apologies if it is sporadic. i’m reworking an old character. if you have any questions please ask! also hi i am dew :)

cainan wasn’t born out of love, rather out of lust. timothy granch and marta clemente were never supposed to be anything more than simple fun. but nevertheless cainan entered the picture and so they tried to make the most of it. they tried to make a family... if you could call it that.

mom was really the sole caretaker. cainan’s dad was always off with his latest ‘get rich’ scheme. it wasn’t always illicit activities, just mostly. that and a gamble or three. cainan figured out soon enough that he didn’t really have a dad, not really.

DEATH TW - cainan was in eighth grade when his mother passed away. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. sudden. unexpected. and wildly unfair. he’d been lucky enough not to have been the one to find her. not that that had made it hurt any less. cainan imagines it all would have hurt the same due to one solitary fact: he never got to say goodbye.

and like the top-notch parent that he was, timothy granch strayed further away after marta passed. didn’t always have to be the physical distance, sometimes it was like he was just clocking in as dad. picking up his hours as a fatherly figure before he could dash off again to the life he wanted.

at the time, living in chicago, they’d been fortunate enough to have a caring neighbor in the apartment next door. lou fletcher. a wrinkled old man with the thickest accent for miles. he acted as a pseudo-father for him. he was the one that bought him his first legal drink when he turned twenty-one, gave him a tongue-lashing the night cainan got caught sneaking into wrigley field, and the reason he picked up a love for poker. it’s why he stopped going by granch and started saying his last name was fletcher.

JAIL TW - it wasn’t until his dad got incarcerated that he seemed to give a shit. phone calls? ignored. letters? left unopened and shoved into his dresser drawer. the one thing he held onto was that damn ring. “it was my father’s,” tim had said, beaming with pride at the gift. cainan never knew if the story was real or fake, if the ring had really just been snagged off some poor unfortunate in the subway or if his dad was telling the truth. though, even if it was a lie it was the only one cainan refused to let go off. the last bit of granch he held onto.

and despite his feelings about his father, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. cainan blamed circumstance. i mean, rent had to be paid and, well, wage at the local pizza shop wasn’t fucking cutting it. he started by stealing in stores, mostly what he needed and then what he wanted. soon he got pretty good at picking pockets. then he just sunk further in.

as a kid he had moved around a lot. mostly cities. chicago was the longest stint. but moving to irving was a big shift. lou had family from the area, suggested it. it was meant to be a new start. clean slate. the whole idea of being on the straight and narrow... but patterns were hard to change and tourists were just too easy a target.

aside from his more risky behaviors, cainan gets an actual paycheck bartending. it’s a good way to meet people/clients/targets, not to mention a generally good time. sometimes a few free drinks his way go unnoticed, only just once a bottle. lied about that one too well to his manager.

very into tattoos. they’re a way for him to be vulnerable without having to be outright with it. the ink does a better job at saying his feeling than his words do.

he’s an accidental cat father. she just kept showing up on his fire escape. night one, he figured she was just curious but by the third he said fuck it and let her inside. she’s never left since. three guesses on why he named her socks.

wears rings a lot, not just his family one.

definitely has a cocky air about himself, but mostly because he’s had to stand on his own two feet for so long so he has a sense of pride with that, and knowing what he’s capable of. so in turn he doesn’t take a liking to people making incorrect assumptions. assume away, just be accurate about it.

there is 100% more but i’ve been writing this for like 2 hours now so i’m going to leave it here. like i said above, please ask away for more!

CONNECTIONS WISE → very open. come at me. love him, love me.

maybe i’ll come up with some more official ones tomorrow but for now brain = fried.

#irvingintro #death tw #about #bio #helloooo!#better late than never i guess! haha

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xu84garner · 3 years

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twiistedgalaxies · 3 years

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Genesis: Chapter 7: Clandestine Meeting

How two brothers can take two opposite paths. How a man can be made into a monster and how the other must pay the ultimate price to save everything he knows and loves.

Or, alternatively:

The origins of All for One and One for All.

Previous Chapter

First Chapter

The rest of the day had gone on agonizingly slow, with Hisashi constantly glancing towards the clock and mentally recounting contingency plans. He sat on his hard bed, chewing on his lower lip as his eyes darted around the sleeping quarters. Several hours had been spent observing the staff’s shifts. A glance towards his burner phone. He only had just enough time to get to the rendezvous point, it was now or never. The floor creaked as Mr. Stewart crossed the room’s threshold and left. Hisashi sprung into action, throwing on his clothes at a pace that would impress what remained of the firefighting force in this country. Hastily, he patted down his pockets, making sure that he had all of his things. Burner phone? Check. Bobby pins? Of course. Knife? A familiar companion in his coat pocket. Placing his bag and some dirty laundry under his covers, he made it look like, at least at a distance in the dark, that he was still asleep in his bed. He was about to start to climb through one of the large windows in the back of the room when he heard the door open. Quickly, he dropped to the floor and slid under one of the beds, heart in his throat. Footsteps

“There they are!” he heard Mr. Stewart softly proclaim. Out of the corner of his eye, a rotund hand picked up a shiny object from the grimey wooden floor. A jingling of keys. After what felt like ages the door finally clicked shut again. Hisashi breathed a sigh of relief.

He resumed his escape through the back window, and landed in thorny rose bushes with a wince and a silent prayer that they wouldn’t tear one of his only jackets. Before stepping out, he cautiously scanned the grassy yard. There was a chain link fence in the back, something he’d frequently climbed throughout the week. He ducked his head down and held his breath. The janitor walked across his field of view, flashlight in hand. Absently, Hisashi realized he would need to close the window behind him, otherwise he might arouse some suspicion. The janitor, a sickly sallow man, rounded the corner. Hisashi shut the window as quietly as he could, then he shot forward, quickly tossing his coat and scrambling up the fence. Time was of the essence after all. Oxford shoes, significantly more worn than they were a week prior, landed on the pavement with a loud thud. Grabbing his coat, he cringed at the racket he was making. The flashlight pivoted towards him. He lunged towards the safety of the dark alleyways, determined to put as much distance between himself and possible capture as possible. It seemed he’d evaded pursuit, and ended up behind a McDonald’s, hands on his knees and gasping for air. Perhaps he had overreacted. Besides, what would the Janitor have done if he’d been caught? Cane him to death? Doubtful. He only resided in the orphanage for the convenience of food and shelter. They wouldn’t be able to contain him if he was truly determined.

With a deep breath to compose himself, he set off towards the abandoned warehouse.

-@~*^*~@-

The warehouse was a rickety old thing, next to a junkyard and ramshackle houses. Its broken windows were sunken eye sockets housing spiders and rats. Warm breath pushed out a cloud of fog from Hisashi’s mouth and curled in the air. He appraised the location from a distance. It seemed to have long fallen out of use, an old Costco perhaps. There were likely two exits, in the front and back, and the windows were always an option if need be. He didn’t understand why his clients had insisted upon meeting somewhere so filthy. People in these trying times seemed to lack class.

There was no point in beating around this bush with this, he’d take the front entrance. If this truly was a trap, they’d soon be well acquainted with the sharp end of his knife. He clutched the metallic thing in his pocket as an odd sort of comfort. Like a child with their favorite stuffed animal. Finally, he set off, and opened the building’s front double doors with a flourish. It would be poor form if he didn’t at least try to make a good first impression after all. He felt the wind pick up behind him, it was wonderfully timed and added more drama to his entrance.

The warehouse was pitch black. He felt his eyebrows knit together. When he stepped forward he noticed the floor was sticky and made a god awful noise whenever he picked up his feet. Hisashi grimaced. Disgusting. Truly this was Eastern Los Angeles’s finest.

A light was flicked on, and he squinted at the sudden harsh glare. A lantern sat upon a crate in the center of the vast, otherwise empty room. It illuminated four figures. An Asian girl, around his age, with mousy hair drawn up into puffy pig-tails and baggy clothes obscuring her slouched form. From her mouth dangled a toothpick. A black man in what seemed to be his early twenties, dressed in a bomber jacket and earth coloured jeans. An older looking Hispanic gentleman clad in a dress shirt and slacks, like he had just gotten off of work at a call center. Finally, there was a hulking, pale man who towered above his companions. He had long hair and a beard. His clothes were simple, jeans and a muscle tee, the latter of which showed off a series of ornate tattoos.

Hisashi’s interest was piqued, this was certainly a vibrant bunch. “So I presume you all have summoned me here for something other than a staring match, yes?” he began.

The girl scowled, a muscle in her cheek twitching, “You’re the one who wanted to meet us face to face, scumbag.” Ah, so she’s the one he’d spoken to.

He hummed, the ghost of a smile on his lips, “A reasonable request. Now let’s talk business, who, exactly, am I working with?”

They all exchanged glances, having a silent argument amongst themselves.

Finally, the Hispanic man spoke up, “We’re part of a network of Meta-humans, fighting for a just cause. Unfortunately, not much of the country views us this way, so we occasionally have to recruit outside help. I’m Raquel.”

“Amy,” the brat spoke up. Hisashi had the sudden urge to rip the toothpick out of her mouth and stab her with it. He restrained himself.

“Michael,” the black man said, his voice a smooth baritone.

The large man looked awkwardly between everyone else, and then muttered something under his breath. Michael nudged him, a sly smile on his face. The man flushed red, “Bjame.”

Hisashi felt his head tilt slightly with curiosity, it was an odd name, sure, but why would Bjame feel embarrassed about it?

“So,” Raquel cleared his throat, “What did Amy tell you about the job we’re giving you?”

“Something about taking someone out, I didn’t get all of the details, I prefer to learn them in person,” he shrugged. It was far easier to ascertain how much bullshit you were being handed when you could see others’ tics.

“We need you to kill Isaac Markov, he’s the head of a pharmaceutical company and has a heavy security detail following him around,” Raquel continued.

Hisashi frowned, that might be above his pay grade. Sure, if he had the right tools he could probably manage, but going after a well-guarded business executive with a dull pocket knife and force of will? This was going to prove to be a challenge.

Raquel must have sensed his hesitance, because he said, “Always surrounded by security that is, except for on Christmas. He prefers to spend it with his family in Beverly Hills, his bodyguards only get in the way. We’ll provide you with what we can on loan to help you finish the job.”

That would make things easier. “What intel do you have? I’m not going in blind,” he replied.

Michael pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his back pocket, and passed it to Hisashi, “Here’s a map of the place. Amy can hack into their security, it’ll be up to you to sneak in while they’re sleeping that night and execute the target. Honestly? Your best bet will be to enter through their cellar window, but I’m not the boss of you, do what you want.”

Hisashi looked over the floor plan. The mansion was convoluted and massive. Fucking rich people, who needs six sitting rooms?!

“How do we know he’ll be able to pull it off? He’s just a kid!” Amy pointed out, fixing Raquel with a glare, it seemed like her face was frozen in that expression at all times.

“So are you,” Bjame pointed out gently. She let out a huff of indignation.

“We trust our contact,” Raquel replied simply, “She’s never led us astray before after all, and who else among us is more devoted to our cause?”

“Fine.” Amy bit out, clearly not happy with the situation.

“I don’t work for free,” Hisashi casually brought up, “I’ll need some form of compensation.”

“You can have whatever you find in the mansion, plus any cash we can scrounge up,” Michael replied offhandedly.

Hisashi tutted, “Now, you all know that I don’t work with cash, it’s too… fragile.”

Michael raised an eyebrow, “Then what do you want?”

“I need information. Anything you can dig up on one Hana Shigaraki and her connections with the mafia.”

“We don’t tangle with the mob,” Bjame said with a frown.

“Then you need to find someone else to do the job for you, and given that Christmas is in a few days? I bid you good luck,” Hisashi smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets. Amy looked like she was on the verge of lunging towards him to try to beat him senseless.

Raquel raised his hand in a silent gesture to stop further protest, “We’ll do what we can. Do we have a deal?”

Hisashi reached out his own hand towards Raquel as if to shake, “Of course.”

“My colleagues and I will stay in contact,” the man replied, shaking Hisashi’s hand with his own.

“I look forward to it.”

-@~*^*~@-

The journey back was relatively quiet, and a little longer than Hisashi had originally anticipated. He had come across a mugging in progress, and had to quickly change directions to avoid it. The meeting and repeated late night outings had sapped him of any motivation to get involved. It wasn’t his business, and truly? He just wanted to crawl back into his uncomfortable bed and scrounge together whatever sleep (and sanity) he could.

Hisashi was just about to climb up the chain link fence into the backyard of the orphanage when he froze. Matron Abra was leaning against the building’s wall, the orange ember of the cigarette in her hand illuminating her hawkish face. It seemed she hadn’t spotted him yet. He slinked backwards and slipped into the shadows of the alleyway. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait her out. There was no way he was reenacting Monday night’s meeting with the front room cameras, especially now with the enhanced security.

Someone approached her, by the looks of the silhouette it was a man. She exhaled a puff of smoke, its wispy tendrils wrapping around her head like a crown. “Detective Shepherd,” she began, voice raspy from nicotine, “What a pleasure it is to see you.”

He hummed, “I made sure you got your latest stock, now it’s your term to uphold your end of the bargain.”

The matron took another drag, “Yes, yes, well, you know my specifications,” she paused, glancing towards the detective, scanning his face for something, “and yet you failed to meet them.”

Shepherd shook his head, “I have a.. feeling about these ones. They’re going to be something special.”

“Doubtful. The youngest is defected and the eldest too rebellious. If anything, you should be paying me for getting them out of your hands,” she hummed, the shadows on her face grew harsher as her expression soured.

“But their hair-”

“We both know that a slightly unusual physical appearance is hardly an indicator of mutations,” she crossed her arms.

The detective clenched and unclenched his fists, “Look, you either pay me what we agreed upon, or I’m telling the precinct about your little operation.”

“No need to get hasty,” the matron huffed, and took something out of her night gown’s pocket, “I have your payment right here.” She passed over a wad of cash into the detective’s hands.

“Thanks,” he grit out.

“A pleasure doing business with you,” she replied, tapping the ashes from her cigarette onto the grass, voice far too chipper for the exchange they just had. The two went their separate ways, Abra slipped inside the orphanage through a back door (had that always been there?) and the detective walked towards the front entrance.

Well, Hisashi thought as he watched their retreating forms, we don’t have enough time to unpack all of that. Once he was certain that the coast was clear he climbed over the fence and headed towards the boy’s dorm window. He looked into the room, it was difficult to see if the coast was completely clear, but it seemed that sleeping quarters were empty of staff. He opened the window carefully and slipped inside, closing it behind him. Hisashi chewed on the inside of his mouth as he crept to his bed. Slipping off and stowing away his gear was easy, the thin blanket on his bed was able to obscure what was under the metal bed frame fairly well. The less bulky (and more incriminating) items he slid under the mattress or into his pillowcase. When his pajamas were finally returned to his body he collapsed onto his bed like a dead weight. The full force of his exhaustion and sleep deprivation had hit him like a truck.

He burrowed himself under the blanket and pulled out his burner phone, using the blanket to obscure the light it radiated.

Pest

2:08am

[The meeting went well.]

[What do you know about a man named Isaac Markov?]

[I’m glad to hear it!]

[How much are you paying me?]

[I’ve been doing tasks for you all week. You owe me at

least this much.]

[Fine, fine, I’m just pullin ur leg.]

[Wikipedia says that he’s some pharma company CEO]

[Obviously.]

[He got into a scandal a few years back for charging

states crazy high prices for rona vaccines.]

[Also some embezzling.]

[CEOs can have a little embezzlement, as a

treat.]

[Anything else?]

[Not really? There’s some rumors of his

company doing something shady, but

that’s a given at this point.]

[Oh that’s spicy!]

[What?]

[If you find a way to confirm or deny that his

company is doing human experimentation,

I will pay you handsomely.]

[It’s too early for this. I’m going to sleep.]

[Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs

bite!]

Hisashi turned off his phone and stifled an irritated groan, what had he gotten himself into?

A/N: I almost didn't put out a chapter this week, things have been busy with college and the like. I was able to pull what I wanted together this weekend thankfully! As always, comments and feedback help fuel my writing, so feel free to leave them.

AO3

Next Chapter

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1175

What’s the last vegetable you ate, and when did you eat it? My dinner had broccoli and bell peppers in it.

What was your last Facebook notification for? It was Aliyah replying to our comment thread on one of my posts. There wasn’t anything in her comment that was worth replying to anymore, so I just reverted with a Haha react.

What bands have you seen live? Paramore, Coldplay (not super legally), and One Direction.

Tell me an interesting fact about your mother: She almost became a flight attendant, but she failed the final screening because of her height. I think the idea of her nearly having a completely different career is very interesting.

What do you think is the most important thing to happen to you before the age of 13? In my case, probably getting my period. I got my first one when I was barely 10.

What were you super against as a young child but aren’t anymore? Chicken curry. I also hateeeeeeeed Dora the Explorer with a passion, but now I find the show hilarious haha.

What are your plans later today? My work sched this week had been so fucking PACKED, that I want to do nothing but catch up on sleep all weekend. But seeing as I’m a proponent of revenge bedtime procrastination, I also highly doubt I’d let myself fall into a nap (Exhibit A: Me currently taking this survey at 2 AM...) If anything, I’ll probably just continue watching BTS In The Soop and finally start on Season 2 of Bon Voyage.

Are you doing anything exciting this weekend? Well, it’s the weekend already, so...that ^ I will also have to take Cooper to the vet this Sunday.

Who do you talk to the most? Other than my team at work, Angela. I’ve been extra talkative these days because of our now-mutual excessive love for BTS, that I sometimes feel bad that I keep bombarding her with messages.

What are some things you do regularly that make you feel old? Talk to my friends who are still in college, especially when they update me about the current happenings in UP that I have absolutely no clue about anymore.

Who is your best guy friend(s)? I don’t have any best guy friends.

Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? Neither; I’m fine with my tannish skin tone.

If you had a tiny scar on your face, would you get it removed or just keep it? Keep it; I already do.

Have you had an x-ray in the past year? Nah. My last one had been nearly 5 years ago, when I needed to get my back checked for scoliosis.

Do you think your first love still loves you? No. And that’s okay. :)

What is something that is “going right” in your life? EVERYTHINGGGGGGGGGGG I am so so happy with my life right now weeeee. I have the job of my dreams – I’m even working with THE ACTUAL K-POP GROUP SLASH PHENOMENON SLASH ICONS BTS for one of the clients I handle FHKDHGKHGFDKGHDKGH, I have the best and most supportive friends in the world, and I am now starting to grow my collection of BTS merch with my hard-earned money. Everything is going abso-fucking-lutely perfectly, and to think I didn’t think I would make it past 2020.

When did you feel ready to start dating? Middle of high school.

When was the last time your pet bit you? If you don’t have a pet, have you ever been bitten by someone else’s? I was play fighting with Cooper earlier tonight, and he got a little bit excited and ended up biting my upper lip quite harder than usual. It stung for a while, but it’s okay now.

Where were you the last time you made out? I think it was my bedroom.

When was the last time you cried tears of joy? Yesterday.

How do you type your sad smileys? Just this :(

Do you have “decorative hand-towels” that cannot be used in your house? Nope.

What was the last soda you drank? Probably the Coke I drank at an org event last year, pre-pandemic, out of sheer thirst. There wasn’t any water being served so I just gulped down the soda and tried to ignore the annoying fizziness. I don’t drink soda.

What was the last thing someone made fun of you for? I was having a video call session with my workmates this afternoon as a way to end the week on a good note, and I recounted my experience of being locked out of the office while I was in the middle of a presentation for a client, and how I managed to get myself back in.

Have you ever had any type of surgery? Nope.

Should kids be allowed to get tattoos/piercings without parental consent? No.

Who was the last person to hit on you? No one has in a while.

What was the last thing you decided not to do, that you were supposed to? A deliverable a client asked me to do. It can wait til Monday.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to tell someone? Maybe straight up admitting to my mom that she can be hurtful sometimes. It’s hard because she never actually processes things like that and they do nothing but vanish into thin air, even though it takes everything in me to be that honest.

What do you put on hot dogs? Mayonnaise.

Ever fallen in the shower? Like once, when I was 10 or 11.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever called someone you care about? Continued from last night. It was probably ‘bitch.’ Based on what I’ve learned from my mom, I put extra effort in particuarly watching what comes out of my mouth, because I know how words stick.

Do you think that things will get better? I did, and now it has.

Have you ever legitimately saved a person’s life? I think I may have. The story is a little triggering though, so I wouldn’t share it.

What’s your favourite book genre? Doesn’t really count as a genre but I like auto/biographies.

Have you ever walked out of a movie at the theatre? I’ve felt like it, but I’ve never done it.

Do dogs like you? Yes, at least for 99.5% of my experiences.

Would you say that you project an air of authority? In certain circles. But there are some groups where I trust others to lead rather than me.

Have you ever jumped off a high dive into a pool? Nah, because I’ve never seen one. But even if I did, I think I would be too scared to do it hahaha.

Do you use one towel when you shower or two? (one for hair, one for body) One. I use it to wash my entire body already.

Have you ever been to one of the great lakes? No.

Who do you know that had a baby recently? The son of one of my old college instructors. I believe she had been born in March because that prof recently posted family photos on Facebook that celebrated the baby’s first monthsary.

Do you like Usher’s songs? Not in particular.

When was the last time you went to a waterpark? Not a big fan of these as I find them unhygienic haha. The last time must have been...like anywhere between 12-15 years ago.

Have you ever ridden a train? Just once, and I had to go with Jum because I didn’t want to go alone.

What do you eat your French fries with? Mayonnaise. If there isn’t any available, I’d want the fries to at least be generously sprinkled with salt; otherwise I’d find it too bland.

Do you have family problems? Nothing blatant, but I know we are more dysfunctional than how we make it out to be.

What’s the last food you ate that was stale? Pizza. I got two extra large boxes for my birthday last Wednesday and until now we still have some of it around :((( I ate some slices at around 3 AM earlier and they were tough as fuck to chew, hahaha. Still good, though.

How do you like your grilled cheese? I don’t have grilled cheese sandwiches often. Surprise me.

What is the most challenging meal you have ever cooked? I don’t cook.

What was your favorite thing to do as a little kid? I liked watching my cousin play video games; playing outside; and answering my friends’ autograph books (aka my pre-survey days, lol).

Have you ever been close to drowning? Yup but just once. I was swimming and was just about to come up for air when one of my cousins, coming from the bottom of the pool, suddenly started to playfully pull me down. I was nearly out of breath by then and he had a much stronger grip on me, so I struggled for a while and ended up panicking and thrashing around a bit before I was able to wriggle myself free.

Have you ever had a panic attack? It’s rare that it happens, but when it does it’s really bad and there’s no telling when it would subside.

Do you like doing housework? Some, and only if I’m in the mood to. If I feel like I have to do it, then I get lazy.

Would you ever get implants? I considered it before as a teen, back when small-chested girls were still bullied or made fun of on an everyday basis. How fucked up is that? I’m so relieved at how much social media has progressed.

Do you own a robe? No.

Do you have a little sister? What’s her name? I have a younger sister but she’s barely a baby; she’s literally turning 21 this year. Nina.

Do you like crust on pizza or do you cut it off? I like crust as long as it’s normal crust or stuffed crust. I can’t stand thin crust.

What was the last song you listened to? Euphoria - credited to BTS, but it’s a Jungkook solo.

Have any of your family members been to jail? Not blood relatives, but I know of super extended unrelated family members who’ve been to prison. Is there anyone that you feel you still need some closure with? I don’t think so. Sometimes no closure is closure.

Can you remember when you first learned how to read? I can’t, actually. All I remember is that I suddenly wanted to read everything by the time I was 5 and asked for nothing but storybooks every Christmas.

What event in your life has transformed your personality the most? College. Gabie also had a very big influence on me during our relationship.

Have you ever had any teeth pulled? Yes, but it was because it was already decayed.

Do you still want to be what you wanted to be in elementary school? No, but I do elements of it in my work so that works out well for me. I wanted to be an author when I was in grade school, and today I regularly write various materials in my job.

What’re some TV shows that you would like to get into? I just wanna get reconnected with The Crown again. I was already into it but I had to stop watching for a LONG time, because the show had some personal connections to my ex and so it seemed hard to get into the new season without breaking down lol. Now that I’m doing fine, I feel like it’s a good time to revisit the show.

How would you feel if you were drafted for the military? Won’t happen here, but it’s the kind of situation where I wouldn’t really have a choice and would have to follow.

What is your favorite Queen song? I don’t have any.

Do you know how to use any foreign currency? What do you mean, use...? Don’t you just use money to pay?? Hahaha or if you mean convert, then yeah I know how to do that with several currencies – US dollar, Korean won, Euro, Japanese yen, and whatever official name the pound has.

Been kissed by someone who you knew was “bad” for you? Nope.

Ever taken an at-home pregnancy test? I have not.

When was the last time you were at a loss of what to do? I usually don’t have plans laid out on weekends these days anymore, so lately it’s all been a matter of winging it and just wanting to make sure that by the end of the day I get to say I made the most out of my free time.

What did you do on your favorite date with a guy/girl? The time we did museum hopping + Italian dinner, or the one where we had French dinner + jazz bar.

What’s a movie you have seen in the theater more than once? I never do rewatches for movies still in cinemas.

What is the reason you’re still alive? I was stubborn and wanted to see if life would get better; I didn’t want to leave my dogs behind; I didn’t want to miss out on how potentially great and exciting my life could end up being; I didn’t want to cause and leave an even bigger emotional rift on my family.

I’m so happy I stayed.

Have you ever had sex in someone else’s bed/bedroom? Yeah. Not the best decision, and I wouldn’t do it again lol.

Do you ever brush your hair before you go to bed? Sometimes, so that it doesn’t look like a bird’s nest when I wake up the next day.

Have you ever had a dream about sleeping with a celebrity? (You don’t have to give details.) I don’t think so. I have definitely imagined it in...other ways, though.

Has anyone ever told you that they needed you? Do you think they meant it? Both in the superficial and loaded senses, yeah.

How did you feel when you woke up today? What was the first thing you thought about? I felt kind of like shit, just because I slept for only 1.5 hours – my body automatically wakes me up by a certain time, no matter what time I fell asleep. And also because my back and shoulder muscles were killing me with how sore they felt.

Do you still tell your parents that you love them? I show it, but I don’t say it. I’m pretty stingy when it comes to that phrase.

Have you ever said “I love you” to someone you weren’t going out with? Yes? It shouldn’t be limited to people you’re dating? I express it to Anj and Andi all the time.

Have you ever been threatened before? Sure.

Would you date someone with a physical disability? Yes.

Think of the last person you had sex with. Do you think they’ve slept with anyone else since they last slept with you? Purely guessing, it’s likely. I’m not updated about her life anymore, though; life has been going on as if she never existed.

The last time you dyed your hair, what color did you dye it? I’ve never had it dyed.

Think of the last time you went out to eat. Who paid? I went out by myself, so I paid.

Do you save at least 15 percent of your income? Yeah. I had a very good saving streak in which I was able to save anywhere around 50-60% every month...and thennnn I became a fan of BTS early this month LOOOOOL so now I’m back to like square three when it comes to my savings haha. Like I still know my limits and when to fucking stop taking out money from my bank account, but I’ve been spending dramatically more than I have been in the last few months.

Do you ever go on Reddit? If so, what are some of your favorite subreddits? I used to go much more regularly, to the point where it was a part of my daily routine. Now I go at least once a month. I usually check out the Ask Reddit (for anecdotes), Today I Learned (for trivia), and GMM subreddits. Sometimes I’ll get on the Squared Circle subreddit as well to be updated on wrestling.

Were you ever a flower girl or ring bearer in anyone’s wedding when you were little? Many times as a flower girl, yeah.

Are your parents in good health? Fortunately, yes.

Have you ever been a caregiver to a sick/disabled relative? Nope.

Is there any type of medicine you can’t take? For what reason? Not that I know of.

Do you have a favorite pair of pajamas? What do they look like? I don’t have pajama sets since I find them too warm.

Do you have any interesting pillow cases? Eh, I don’t think so.

If something on your body hurts, which part is it most likely to be? Shoulder muscles or my lower back.

Are you more afraid of spiders or bees? Bees.

Have you ever worn fake nails? If so, what did the last pair you wore look like? No.

Is Russian or Native American history more interesting to you? Native American.

#survey #surveys

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skeletongrrl · 4 years

Photo

I N T R O D U C I N G: KERNEL ROT. a novel about a spotter (someone who finds), and the last pod girl (someone everyone wants to find), and a client (someone who wants a thing found). this is a sleeping beauty retelling turned sideways and upside down. i should warn you now that these are not good people. they are just people, the same as you’ll find anywhere and anywhen, in a world so bad that it doesn’t even deserve them.

GENRE: cyberpunk. POV: first person. THEMES: difficult women, identity, autonomy, commodification, beauty, exploitation, class, perfection and the lack thereof. CONTENT WARNING: mental illness, violence, drug use, body horror (around cybernetics),

The funny thing is that by now, basically everyone has a girl in a pod.

It’s a commodity, it’s a legend, and it’s everything people want. If you’re cheap, you get a big plasticine tank, reinforced so that a handsy bastard with something heavy doesn’t break it to try to get at the goods. If you’re smart, you get a pretty enough girl who says she’s got synthetic lungs, because no one’s going to check until she’s dead anyway, or a corpse shot full of high-grade preservatives from a second-rate chop shop. Then you suspend her in some cloudy water from the gutter or old pipes and you leave her there, naked and floating for everyone to gawk at. Pod girls are supposed to be the last perfect human specimens. They haven’t got any cybernetic parts grafted on because their job doesn’t involve sticking their fingers in the mechanical guts of drones and getting fingers crushed. They’ve never inhaled polluted air or ingested dozens of chemicals through food and water and their pores. No dirty veins or neon tattoos. Just clean skin. They sleep and they dream and they don't have to look back at the people looking at them.

None of the ones that exist around here are anything but facsimiles. They’ve got robotic eyes or a metal foot or tattoos or their eyes are cloudier than the water and they’re already dead. But you can sell an idea, even if it’s a little off, because people want it so badly.

There’s a lot of easy ways to pick up on a girl. They all look the same, you see. The word is that all of them are cloned from some dead girl, a Helen of Troy type, the girl people would launch invasions over. I don’t believe that for a second. You could grab a piece of sculpted plastic with some lipstick smeared on and suspend it in teal gel and people would still invest in it.

You know how much someone would pay for the last girl in one of those pods? The last one frozen a century ago, back before things got really bad? Too much.

People would kill for that girl.

It’s about scarcity, too, that basic tenet of economics. All the rest of them are gone. Here’s the facts: some of them got woken up and emerged into a world too infested with grime for them to stay clean. Others got out and were dead on release on account of who released them. A few very lucky ones probably get put on display by the rich rollers who bought them when they were still sleeping, and now they’re just caged old birds with clipped wings. When I think of them, and I often do, I think it would’ve been kinder if someone just pulled the plug. After all, some of the companies, like Niels or Avrow, make chemicals you can inject to extend your life even longer than the cybernetics might. The lucky ones didn’t get a chance to be hurt. They died when skin-hungry dredges starved and got stupid and tore out the wires, all the gel and chemicals keeping them alive turning sour and poisoning them in their metal and glass prisons.

Girls like that are made to die in a world like this one. That’s all there is to it. The math should be more complicated, but it isn’t. You want something so bad you’d kill it once you got your hands on it because you didn’t know what else to do with it.

And me? Well, I don’t kill things just because I want them. I don’t want much of anything any more except the basics - a bed, food, water that’s clean enough to not kill me, and the work that gets me all those things. Those are hard enough to get on their own. If I had time to want anything else, then I’d be a different person.

The fact of the matter is that I am still me, and in a place where most people want to be anyone else, that’s something. I’m still here. So many years, and I refuse to let go of a world that tries to pry your grip from it with every second you spend inside it.

TAG LIST: @glittcrpeach / @blossomov / @nouveauweird / @bitterbodies / @dogwrites / @aenieds / @bebewrites / @shattered-starrs / @frickfracksnicsnack / @aeipathies / @rcvolutions / @moonwalklings / @wildler / @unlcvings / @zmlorenz / @draculinawrites / @cookiecutterwrites / @yvesdot / dm or reply to be added!

#writeblr #wip introduction #wip intro #cyberpunk fiction #me posting a cyberpunk story starring an older woman who is not nice or easy to deal with: oh boy this is gonna go over well

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softforcal · 5 years

Text

Noise : Neighbour!Cal

Summary: Annabelle’s new neighbour is a douche bag man whore, but he insists that his ego isn’t the biggest part of him.

Warnings: there is smut

OC moodboard

Requested by @palliddark

Word count: 13.7k

------

Annabelle had arrived home after a New Years party at around nine in the morning on the first of January. It was moving day, and the apartment next to hers, that had been vacant for two months, was no longer empty. She caught sight of a tall blonde disappearing into the apartment with a box in his arms as she walked down the hall. Her heart thumped a little, having only gotten a glimpse, but it was enough to make her excited.

He looked young, early twenties, around Annabelle’s age, and he was cute. Maybe a little different from her usual type, but still attractive nonetheless. Annabelle approached her apartment, fumbling with the keys. She had just unlocked her door when another man left the newly rented suite next to hers.

It wasn’t the blonde from before.

Annabelle tried not to look, but she couldn’t help herself, taking in the strong shoulders, the bleach blonde hair with already darkening roots, strong jaw, tan skin covered in tattoos and beautiful eyebrows. She’d never seen eyebrows that she’d classify as ‘beautiful’ before and yet there she was, thinking about how they perfectly suited his face, bringing out the strong, boxiness of his jawline.

The guy looked her up and down as he walked past, a small smirk on his face. Annabelle flushed, having been caught staring at the man.

He walked behind her and continued down the hall, Annabelle waited a suitable amount of time before turning to watch his figure get farther and farther away.

The grey sweatpants looked comfy, and Annabelle found herself appreciating his bum. Gaze sweeping over the strong shoulders covered by a a black v-neck stretched taught over the muscle, Annabelle’s breath was caught in her throat.

Continuing with her day, Annabelle nursed her hangover, binging netflix and getting started on course reading for school. She went to bed early, having not gotten much sleep the night before.

At around one AM, the noises started.

It began with a dull thudding, steady and slow. At first, Annabelle even thought she was hearing things, maybe someone walking down the hall too loudly. But then the pace of the thumps got quicker and Annabelle’s eyes opened, staring at her ceiling in the darkness of her room.

A soft sound mingled with the beat, but that too, got louder. Annabelle groaned, reaching for her phone but she stopped as the sound hit a new pitch, and even half asleep, the reality of what the noise was, smacked Annabelle from her post slumber daze.

The guy in the apartment next to her, was fucking someone.

Fucking someone hard, fast, and, if Annabelle could assume anything from the noise level, he was fucking her very well.

Annabelle groaned, hiding her head in her pillow, she supposed there were worse ways to christen a new apartment. She’d spent her whole first night puking after a housewarming party that she should not have had in the first place.

She laid there for a few minutes, listening to the sounds. She wondered which boy it was. The blonde or the ashy haired one.

It had been about ten minutes and Annabelle assumed it would be ending soon so she could go back to sleep. Ten minutes became fifteen and Annabelle had sat up by that point, scrolling through her phone to pass the time.

At twenty minutes the sounds finally stopped and Annabelle put her phone away, cuddling back into her pillow.

Just as Annabelle was drifting off again, there was a small screaming sound that made her eyes snap back open with worry. For a moment, the worst things imaginable popped into her head. God, what if her new neighbour was an asshole who hit women? What if they were sleep talkers or had night terrors that woke them up screaming every night? What if-

More thuds cut off Annabelle’s thoughts.

She turned and stared at her wall as if it could give her a glimpse into the room next door.

It had only been about ten minutes since the noises had stopped and now they were going again? Annabelle had to give the guy, whichever one it was, some credit. In another instance, she might have even felt a bit of pride for the guy, after all, stamina and skill to make a girl scream? But he was interrupting her sleep.

In that moment, Annabelle decided that whoever the guy was, she hated him.

All she could do was lay there and listen, hoping his stamina would finally run out, and vowing to go buy some ear plugs in the morning.

----

With her busy schedule, Annabelle had not had time to go grab ear plugs, or maybe she was just lazy, too exhausted after classes and studying to walk the block to the store. It took a whole week of interrupted sleep for Annabelle to finally go get ear plugs. The store was open late, closing at 2AM and she’d arrived just in time, trudging to the till in an oversized hoodie.

When she got back to her apartment, she was almost too tired to get her key into the keyhole. The sound of a door opening drew her attention and Annabelle looked up.

She hadn’t seen the new neighbour since he’d moved in and she was curious to finally find out which guy was the one keeping her up all night, and not in a good way.

A girl walked backwards out of the apartment. She was smiling at someone who Annabelle assumed was in the doorway but she couldn’t see from her angle.

“So call me?” the girl asked, arms going up to reach for whoever was standing just out of Annabelle’s view.

Annabelle watched the girl pull the man who had been hidden from her gaze into a hug and, for the first time, she could see him. It was the ashy haired guy. The one who’d made her heart race.

“Yeah, I’ll call you.” the guy grumbled.

He was shirtless and the grey sweatpants hung low on his hips. Annabelle could see the muscles in his abdomen and the strength in his arms and for a moment she thought she was about to start drooling.

He didn’t sound like he was going to call the girl back.

The girl went in for a kiss and the mans hand came up to cup her face, Annabelle spotted more tattoos and she looked away, still paying attention through her peripheral vision. After one last goodbye, the girl turned to leave, walking past Annabelle who turned the key to unlock her door.

She could feel eyes on her and although she didn’t want to, Annabelle found herself looking up.

Her new neighbour stood there, leaning against the wall, brown eyes bearing into hers. His arms were crossed over his strong chest and his biceps bulged deliciously, “hey.” he said. His voice was low, raspy, and it had Annabelle’s heart fluttering in her chest.

“Hi.”

She wanted to call him out for keeping her awake the past three nights in a row but there was something so intimidating about him, she couldn’t bring herself to.

“I’m Calum.”

“Annabelle.”

He nodded, giving her one last look up and down, “Night Belle.”

Before she could correct him, tell him that people called her ‘Anna’ never ‘Belle,’ he had gone back into his apartment and the door had shut behind him.

Annabelle sighed, “douchebag.”

---

“Do you even work?” Annabelle groaned, pulling out her keys as a redhead walked down the hall.

Calum eyed her, face expressionless, “what?”

“Its like every time im home, all I can hear is you fucking your girlfriend-”

“Not my girlfriend.”

“Yeah, that makes it better.” Annabelle scoffed.

“Maybe I’m a prostitute.” Calum said.

Annabelle looked up, noticing the grin on his face. He was teasing her. This fuck had been her neighbour for three months and had given her more sleepless nights than she could count, and now he was joking about being a prostitute.

“Oh and you’re so good your clients come to you?”

“They come for me.” Calum stated, “and, as my neighbour, you should know that at least that’s the truth.” he turned to go back into his apartment.

“Fifty bucks.” she called.

“What?” he looked at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“Fifty bucks is how much money I’ve spent on ear plugs so far so that I can get through one god damned night. The ones I bought the first week weren’t strong enough apparently so I had to go for some actual construction grade shit.”

Calum studied her for a moment, then, he pushed off the wall, walking the short distance to Annabelle. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and removed three twenties, holding them out to her.

When Annabelle didn’t accept the cash, Calum rolled his eyes, one hand coming up to brush her blonde hair over her shoulder. His fingers moved her shirt to the side slightly to expose her black, lacy bra strap and he slipped the money underneath, securing it.

Annabelle’s heart was racing from the touch of his skin against hers and she felt frozen under his intimidating gaze. He turned and walked back to his apartment, “next time, I’ll put my hand over their mouths, keep it quieter for you.”

----

Annabelle was locking her door when the sound of Calum’s door opening interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and laughed, “wow, this is the first time since you moved in that I’ve seen you with a shirt.”

“Sorry.” he said, eyes scanning her as well.

“Sorry? Seriously?” Annabelle laughed, “I prefer the shirt.”

“No you don’t.”

Annabelle rolled her eyes, “what are you even doing awake this early?”

“I have work.”

“So the prostitute thing didn’t work out for ya?”

“Ha ha.” Calum said sarcastically, “where are you headed?”

“School.”

“Hmm.” he finished locking up his place and approached her, hands shoved into his leather jacket. Annabelle had to admit he looked great. The gray sweats were a look but black ripped jeans and black leather… the full black outfit contrasted the ashy silver hair and brought out the darkness in his eyes. He was a vision. “What year are you?”

“Last one. Almost done.”

He leaned against the wall and watched her lock her door, “what are you taking?”

“Psychology.”

Calum chuckled, grin spreading across his features and turning him from a ten into a fourteen or some shit, something that broke the scale, Annabelle was sure of that at least.

“What?” Annabelle asked, putting her keys into her bag.

“No, it’s nothing, just,” Calum was still grinning, “what’s your read on me then?”

“My read on you?”

“Yeah. Tell me about my dark childhood trauma.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Well, from what you do know.” Calum said.

Annabelle looked the gorgeous man up and down, “where do I even start with you?”

Calum shrugged, “up to you doc.”

Annabelle rolled her eyes, “I’m going to be late.”

“You’re headed to campus?”

“Yeah.”

“Taking the subway?”

“Uh huh.”

“What if I give you a ride?”

She was running late… “you’d do that?”

“You give me a therapy sesh, I give you a ride. Seems pretty even to me.” Calum shrugged, “I’m headed that way anyways. Take it or leave it Belle.”

“Stop calling me Belle, people call me Anna, Belle sounds too much like-”

“A princess?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re not a princess?”

Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him, “no, of course not.”

“Sure little miss ‘I can’t sleep because you keep fucking girls and I had to pay fifty bucks to get ear plugs and you have to pay me back-’”

“I never said you had to pay me back.”

“But I did.”

“But I didn’t say you had to. You just wanted to. You wanted to flaunt your money at me.” Annabelle glared.

“Oh yeah? And why would I do that?”

“I accept your ride.”

“Hmm, wanna have the guarantee of a chauffeur before you tear into me princess?” Calum grinned.

“Yeah.” Calum pushed off the wall and began walking down the hall, Annabelle followed, falling into step with him. They stayed quiet as they took the elevator down to the parking garage.

Calum pulled out his keys and Annabelle looked at all the cars, trying to decide which one she felt belonged to a guy like Cal. her eyes spotted the old, sleak, black camaro and she just knew that it was his.

“What did you say your job was again?” she asked, watching him unlock it.

“I didn’t.” he got in the car and closed the door but Annabelle stood there looking at the car with awe. She didn’t know much about cars, but she could tell when something was expensive and this car… it was nice. Very nice.

Calum leaned over in his seat and opened the passengers door, pushing it open a little and prompting Annabelle to get in. The car smelt a little like smoke and expensive cologne, a mix that wasn’t wholly unpleasant, but it definitely would take some getting used to.

“Are you seriously not going to tell me what you do for work?” Annabelle asked.

“That would make it too easy and we don’t want that do we?” Calum smirked, pressing down on the gas pedal, “you ravage me or I ravage you princess, your decision.”

Annabelle rolled her eyes, holding her backpack tight to her chest, “quit being such a dick.”

“I’m literally giving you a ride to school, how am I being a dick?”

“Why do you seem so obsessed with me giving you a psychological profile?”

Calum sighed loudly, “fine. Don’t pay up for the ride.”

Annabelle groaned, turning to look at Calum. Even his side profile was beautiful and it made her angry, “well, I guess I’ll start out with the physical-”

“As one does.” he grinned, looking at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the road.

“You obviously work out, your hair is dyed and you have tattoos. You care about your appearance. Before today I’d only seen you in sweats but now that I’m looking at you with actual clothes, you obviously have style too. And that’s real leather. And this is a nice car. So you have money. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen you leave your place in the morning so you don’t have a regular nine to five job but you have money so…” Annabelle thought about it for a moment, “you seem kind of arrogant… confident, so I’m going to guess your money runs in your family. Am I right?”

“Do you think you’re right?” he countered.

“Are you going to confirm or deny any of this?” Annabelle sighed.

“Nah.”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish.”

“I do not.”

“Yes you do.”

“Pff, and what makes you so sure?” Annabelle rolled her eyes.

“You’re the psychologist.”

“I’m not a psychologist.”

“Coulda fooled me.” Calum reached forward and the sound of music began to fill the car.

“Conversation over I guess.”

“Do you have something else to say to me?” he asked.

Annabelle opened her mouth then closed it, shaking her head.

Calum turned the music up and Annabelle laughed, “are you serious?”

He flashed her a grin, “what, you don’t like Country Roads?”

Before Annabelle could answer, her asshole neighbour opened his mouth and began to sing along to the music. Every word was accentuated with a southern twang that made Annabelle laugh, staring at the guy with shock.

Her asshole neighbour, who fucked a new girl every night, was covered in tattoos and leather, hair dyed and just itching to have fingers running through it… was singing a country song like he was in a dodgy karaoke bar with no one watching.

He was really throwing a wrench in her whole psychological profile of him and the shit eating grin on his face told her he knew it.

“Not a fan of country Princess? Too hick for you?” Calum asked, changing the channel, he flipped through songs, listening a few moments before deciding against a number of top tens until he found… “Bohemian fucking Rhapsody, you have to like this one or I will pull over this fucking car and kick you out.”

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t I look serious to you?”

He did.

“Sing.” he commanded.

Annabelle took a deep breath and began to sing.

Calum turned up the music, screaming out the lyrics. He wanted her to sing, but he was making it obvious that it was just a formality. His eyes stayed on the road and before Annabelle knew what she was even doing, she was singing louder.

By the time they got to the chorus, they were both belting out the lyrics.

In those moments, they weren’t neighbours. He wasn’t the guy who kept her up all night by being a dick and she wasn’t the cute girl next door who he hoped to bump into every time he left his place.

They were just two kindred souls, in a car, sharing an extraordinary experience.

As Calum pulled up in front of one of the main campus buildings, the song ended.

“So uh… thanks for the ride.” Annabelle said, awkwardness returning.

“Don’t mention it.”

Annabelle got out of the car, closing the door behind her.

Calum watched her disappear into one of the buildings. He was about to drive away when his phone rang, his sister’s face on the screen, “I’m coming, I’m coming.” he said as he answered it.

“You better have a great excuse as to why you’re making the whole board wait for you Cal.” she seethed, “mom and dad are going to be pissed-”

“I gave a ride to my neighbour, I’m trying to make friends.” he lied.

“I still don’t know why you even moved out to some shit apartment when mom literally offered to get you a penthouse-”

“I don’t want a penthouse.” Calum groaned, “i want to be normal.”

“You’re not normal Cal, you’re a Hood-”

“Look I’ll be there soon okay?”

“You better be wearing something nice.”

Calum chuckled, “put on my nicest pair of ripped jeans just for you.”

“Calum I swear to god if you weren’t so fucking good at business-”

“Yeah yeah, but I am, so deal with it.”

“Just get here.”

“Fuck, I just told you i’m coming!”

She hung up and Calum laughed to himself, turning up the radio, enjoying the lingering smell of coconut that Annabelle had left in his car.

---

Annabelle had had a better sleep that week than she’d had since Calum moved in. She wondered if he’d gone away for a bit on vacation, but she tried not to think about it, instead enjoying the quiet.

But nothing good lasts forever and on Saturday morning she was awoken around nine in the morning by music seeping through her walls. Annabelle groaned and sat up, listening for a moment. She could hear Calum’s voice amongst the noise and a smile worked its way onto her face.

Slipping out of bed and into her fuzzy pink flip flops, Annabelle pulled on her uni hoodie. Her sleeping shorts were small and the hoodie almost obscured them, acting more as a dress but Annabelle didn’t care about her appearance as she trudged through her apartment.

She found herself in front of his door, like so many women before her.

Annabelle knocked and waited. The music must have been too loud for him to hear so she held up her hand to knock again and the door swung open. He was standing there, shirtless as usual. His ashy hair was messy and it was a good look, it even knocked the air out of Annabelle.

“Your music is loud.” she said.

“Did it wake you up?” he asked, grinning as he leaned against his door frame.

“Yes.”

“Are you mad?” his smile widened.

“No Cal, I’m peachy, look at me, I look completely well rested and happy right?” she asked sarcastically.

“First, since when did I say you could call me Cal? Second, you look very cute and well rested and maybe you don’t know this, but you always look very happy whenever you see me, except last time but I assumed that’s because I was wearing a shirt.”

“I can call you Cal because you call me Belle, and piss off, I look like trash. Just turn it down all right?”

She turned to go, “you hungry?”

Annabelle stopped, “uh… yeah?”

“I made pancakes, come have some.” Calum moved to the side, giving her space to walk past him into his apartment if she chose to.

“Pancakes with chocolate chips?” she asked.

“Pfff, of course, I’m not a fucking animal.”

The smell of food wafted out of his apartment and Annabelle just couldn’t help herself. She walked past Calum and inside.

It was odd. Exactly like hers but everything seemed more modern. All the appliances were new, a huge tv was against the wall with multiple gaming consoles underneath, a plush couch, it was a hell of a lot nicer than Annabelle’s place based solely on the things that filled it.

“Is that a waffle iron?” Annabelle asked, stepping into the kitchen.

“Yeah.”

“Do you use it?”

“Haven’t yet.”

“Yeah you are definitely old money.” Annabelle said, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching Calum return to his post in front of a pan where a pancake was cooking.

“Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have invited you in, now you’ll know all my secrets.” Calum laughed, running a hand through his messy hair.

“Too late now.” Annabelle said, looking around, “you know how to cook. You have money but you’re here, in this apartment. You can pretend to be living amongst us middle class uni students but your appliances and your car tell the true story, don’t they Cal?”

His smile was gone and Annabelle knew that she’d hit it spot on.

“Why do you want to be so common Calum? Why here? Why a place where the walls are so thin that people can hear all of your business?” she asked.

Calum took the pancake from the pan and put it onto a plate. He slid it in front of Annabelle and then grabbed a fork and knife, giving it to her. A muscle in his jaw feathered and he poured more batter into the pan. “Wanted to see what it’s like to live alone for a bit.”

“But you’re never alone.” Annabelle pointed out, “besides this past week, you’ve had a girl over almost every night, and judging from the beer cans in the living room, it looks like you’ve had at least friends or someone over this week, I probably just didn’t notice because I’ve been at school a lot.”

“You like keeping track of me huh?” Calum asked, suddenly sounding mad.

“You’re loud.” Annabelle said, also getting defensive, “it’s not like I do it on purpose. Besides, you invited me to analyze you so I don’t see why you’re having such a fit over this. ‘Ravage me or I ravage you’ remember?”

His grip on the spatula tightened. “So you have me figured out then.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Annabelle sighed, taking a bite of pancake, “look man, I can stop analyzing you if you don’t like it but you asked me too-”

“Well I didn’t think you’d actually fucking get anything right.”

“Oh wow thanks.” Annabelle glared, “you know what, thanks for the pancake but you obviously don’t want me here.” she stood up abruptly and he didn’t react as she simply left. The door shut behind her and Calum cursed, slamming his hand down on the table.

It was a touchy subject for him. He had his mother, his father and his sister all riding his ass about this “dumb fuck idea” every single god damned day. None of them thought he could make it in life on his own and although he had moved out and got some cheap apartment, obviously that wasn’t enough.

As Annabelle had pointed out, he still had a bunch of unnecessary, expensive shit that betrayed his true nature the moment anyone stepped into the fucking apartment.

Calum had hated growing up with all the expectations. The knowledge that he’d be part of the family business. He’d tried to work for things in his life but even though he tried, things always seemed to be given to him. Everything was made easier because of his name.

The worst part about it, was that Calum actually had a knack for business.

No problem was too difficult for him to solve and he had a natural air of superiority that made people listen to him. He was young, tattooed and his new hair colour had nearly given his mother a heart attack when he’d walked into the boardroom with it, but damn it if people didn’t shut their mouths and pay attention the second he showed up.

Well, most people shut their mouths and paid attention.

But not Annabelle. She always had something interesting to say. Something to keep Calum on his toes. Something that made him work, like he’d never had to work in his life.

However, if their interaction was anything to go by, Calum realized that he was really shit at working. He’d never had to work for a girl, they were always throwing themselves at him. Whether they knew about his family name and reputation, or they just saw his devilishly good looks and their panties dropped, it always ended the same way.

Standing in his kitchen, Calum began to feel the weight of being alone again.

He managed to ignore it for a few hours, but, as darkness descended, the thought of going to an empty bed for a seventh night in a row just didn’t seem so nice.

He felt stupid. Had he really been choosing not to call a fuck buddy because he felt something for Annabelle? Calum nearly kicked himself, stupid, stupid, stupid.

He pulled out his phone.

----

Another few weeks passed and Calum never seemed to be able to catch the blonde in the hallway. Calum was on edge. It was all he could think about. He owed her an explanation. He owed her an apology. He tried to catch her in the hall but things never seemed to work.

Every time he watched a girl retreat down the hallway at around two AM, he’d look at Annabelle’s door, hoping it would open and she’d be standing there ready to call him out for keeping her awake.

Even if she was mad, at least he’d be able to see her.

He knew it probably wasn’t the best idea in the world but he wasn’t sure what else he could do.

It was a Saturday and Calum’s friends were over. They had been drinking since noon and all of them were inebriated. It became obvious as time went on that Calum was upset about something and Luke, having always been quite a direct person, was the first to say “why are you sad Cal?”

“I’m not sad.”

“Yes you are.” Luke insisted, “you keep staring at that wall.”

It was true. Calum had been staring at the wall for a while, wondering what Annabelle was doing on the other side of it. “It’s my fucking neighbour-”

“The hot blonde?” Michael asked, eyes still on the tv as he played Mario Kart against Ashton.

“Yeah. Belle- Annabelle.” Calum corrected himself, taking a swig of beer.

“She’s the chick that analyzed you and pissed you off right?” Ashton asked.

“Yeah.”

“What a bitch.” Luke stated.

“She’s not a bitch.” Calum said immediately.

“Yeah, Calum’s the bitch.” Michael giggled, “you know how much of a little bitch he is about being a pampered rich boy.”

“Fuck off Michael.”

“You see?” Michael grinned, making everyone laugh.

“Fuck!” Calum groaned.

“So like… go talk to her.” Luke suggested.

“What?!” Calum asked.

“Punch a hole through the wall and go talk to her.” Luke said louder.

“Or use the door.” Ashton piped up, “she’s right there man, go get her.”

“I can’t-”

“Why?”

“I was a dick-”

Michael laughed, “when are you not a dick.”

“Fuck off.”

“Just apologize!” Luke screamed.

“Take another shot, then go apologize.” Ashton said, louder than Luke.

With shaky hands, Luke poured Calum a shot and handed it to him. Calum drank it quickly and Luke pulled him to his feet, “now go fucking get her!”

Calum nodded, feeling the courage running through his body, he took a deep breath then walked towards the door. “Wait!” he stopped, “i need to take my shirt off.”

“What?”

“She likes it better with my shirt off.” Calum insisted.

Everyone looked at him and Luke was the first to go “then take it off man! What the fuck are you waiting for!?”

Calum took his shirt off and everyone cheered as he left his apartment, walking with a purpose down the hallway. He knocked on her door and waited. “Just a second!” he heard. His heart was racing, pumping blood through his body and he felt it everywhere.

Annabelle opened the door and her eyes widened in shock, “Calum?”

“Hey.”

“Hi…” she looked him up and down, “why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

Calum looked down at himself, “uh… you like me better this way.”

“Calum are you drunk?”

“I want you to analyze me again.” he stated.

“I don’t think that’s a good-”

“You ravage me or I ravage you remember princess?” Calum grinned.

“Calum-”

“Five.”

“Are you counting down?”

“Four.”

“Calum stop.”

“Three.” his smirk widened.

“I swear-”

“Two.”

“To god Calum I’ll-”

“One.” he grabbed her face, pressing his lips against hers. Annabelle was taken aback for a second but she melted into it after a moment, letting Calum’s tongue slide over her lower lip as she opened her mouth to give him more access.

Her hands reached out, grabbing the waistband of his sweatpants to pull him closer as his teeth nipped at her. She could taste the alcohol on him and for a moment she felt like maybe she should pull away, but, before she could, he had moved forward and they were in her apartment, her back against a wall as he kicked the door closed behind him.

His skin was warm under her touch as she let her hands wander the perfect muscles under the gorgeous skin. Her nails scratched over his sensitive flesh and Calum groaned into her mouth, the sound making Annabelle’s stomach flutter.

Calum tensed under her finger tips and and she pulled away with concern, looking at him. Before she could ask what was wrong, he was running past her to the bathroom, puking into the toilet. Annabelle went after him, sitting on the floor next to her neighbour as he coughed and sputtered. She poured him some water from the sink and held it out for him, rubbing his back with a hand.

He pulled away from the toilet and looked at her from under hooded eyes, “fuck.” he groaned, hiding his face with his hands, “fuuuuck.”

“Don’t worry Cal, I’m not judging you, have some water.” she assured him, holding it out.

He accepted it and drank, handing her back the cup, “I should go-” he began to try to get up but doubled over, puking into the toilet again.

Annabelle continued to rub his back. His hair was sweaty and stuck to his forehead so she pushed it away, enjoying the odd feeling of the dyed strands against her fingers. She continued to massage at his head and it seemed to offer some relief as he closed his eyes, sitting up and taking deep breaths.

“I’m sorry.” he groaned.

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re drunk.”

“Im an asshole.” he stated, “you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“I was a dick to you.”

“We can talk about this later-”

“I’m so sorry.” Calum groaned, “I don’t like people knowing I’m rich. They treat me differently.”

He puked again and Annabelle sighed, rubbing his back, “shh baby-”

“Baby?” he turned and grinned at her, “I’m baby now?”

“Calum-”

“Baby.” he corrected.

Annabelle sighed, “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t leave.”

“This is my apartment.” she reminded him.

“Right.” he watched her exit the bathroom.

A short while later she came back with two pillows and two blankets. She set them up and put a blanket over Calum’s shoulders which is when he realized he was shivering, “you should have worn a shirt.”

“But then you wouldn’t love me.” Calum whined.

“Woah-” Calum puked again and Annabelle sighed. He’d been keeping her up all night for weeks and now he was going to be doing it yet again.

He only puked a little while longer before collapsing on the floor and mumbling something about being tired. Annabelle appreciated how peaceful he looked for a moment, before he was dragging her down next to him. Suddenly Annabelle was a big spoon and her little spoon was a massive, tattooed, drunk, manwhore.

----

Calum blinked, trying to get a sense of where he was. His head hurt and little blurred memories of the night before flashed through his head. He froze, realizing that an arm was slung over his side and it was obviously Annabelle’s.

Shit. She was still there. On her bathroom floor, spooning him. Because he had gotten drunk, like a little pussy bitch.

He was so screwed.

“You awake?” came a small voice.

Fuck.

“Yeah.”

“How do you feel?”

“Not that bad.”

“Must have puked everything out last night.” her arm slid away and Calum’s skin mourned the loss, feeling cold where she’d left.

“I’m sorry.” he said.

“Stop saying that.” Annabelle sighed.

“Shit.” Calum groaned.

“What?”

“My friends are probably still at my place.”

“Your friends?” Annabelle groaned, “you had friends last night who could have taken care of you but you came here? Shit, I thought you were getting drunk alone on a Saturday, only reason I let you in.”

Calum was about to feel bad when he looked at her and realized by her smile that she was teasing, “I should go then?”

“Probably, I have to study, I have a test tomorrow morning.”

“Shit. What time?”

“Early. Like nine.” Annabelle sighed, “so if you could refrain from getting a tinder date tonight, I would appreciate it.”

Calum sat up, grabbing onto the edge of the tub to push himself up. Annabelle’s hand came to steady him and he offered her a small smile, gaze lingering on their interlocked fingers as she helped him to the door to the hallway. He got two steps before stumbling and suddenly she was under one of his arms, hands supporting him to his door.

He gave her the keys and she unlocked the door for him. The two entered and there was a small groan from the living room.

Ashton was laying on the couch, hands over his face, “Cal?”

“Yeah, where are Mike and Luke?”

“Bathroom.”

“Okay, I’m going to go-” Annabelle began.

The sound of a female voice made Ashton sit up, groaning as he squinted at her, “you’re the girl- fuck, I know your name, you’re uh… uh…” he snapped his fingers, “the princess-”

“Annabelle.” Calum said,

She looked at him, he’d never called her by her full name and oddly enough, part of her missed just ‘Belle.’

“She’s real pretty Cal.” Ashton said, falling back down against the couch and covering his eyes, “did you apologize?”

Annabelle laughed, “I’m going to head out.”

She detached herself from Calum’s side and he watched her go, “don’t die.” she called.

“Thanks.” he said, slouching to the floor as the door closed behind her.

There was a sound from the bathroom and Luke crawled through the doorway, resting his face against the ground, “did you kiss her?”

Calum groaned, remembering everything more clearly, “fuck.”

“Did you puke in her mouth?” came the sound of Michael’s voice from the bathroom.

“No but I almost did.”

Luke smiled against the floor, “You’re fucked man.”

-----

She was going to be so late.

Annabelle rushed around her apartment, tossing her bag over her shoulder as she threw her door open, almost running directly into Calum who was standing there in the hallway. “Cal?”

“Hey, I thought I’d give you a ride to school for your test.” he said.

In that moment she could have fucking kissed the man.

“Oh my god yes please.” she breathed, quickly locking her apartment, “you’re such a life saver. How are you feeling?”

“Uh, I mean, I’m not hungover anymore which is nice. Thanks again for uh, taking care of me that night.” he said awkwardly, running a hand through his hair.

“Don’t mention it.” she said. And she meant it.

Annabelle had no idea what to think about that night. She didn’t know what he remembered, didn’t know what actions had been genuine and what had been caused by the booze. And she couldn’t afford to think about it, she had a test to worry about.

They got into Calum’s car and as he pressed down on the gas he said: “my family runs a business. Put a lot of pressure on me when I was growing up. Been trying to get away for a bit, but uh, probably going to go back to it so I don’t know who i’m trying to kid anymore.”

Annabelle studied him, “do you not like business?”

“No I do, and I guess I’m good at it, I just, wanted to work for something, you know?”

“Working for your family business isn’t working?” she asked.

“I mean it is, but I didn’t have to work to get the job-”

“But you just said you’re good at it.” Annabelle pointed out, “sounds like you deserve the job. Unless you think they wouldn’t hire you if you weren’t related to your family.”

He considered it for a moment. “I guess I’ve never really asked myself that.”

“You seem like you put a lot of pressure on yourself Cal, might be one of the reasons you self medicate so much.” Annabelle said, looking out the window.

“You think I’m an alcoholic?”

“Not necessarily booze dummy, but you do seem to need a lot of distraction, lady distraction.” Annabelle pointed out.

“About that-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, being a manwhore is chill, kudos to you-”

“I’m not a manwhore.”

“Manwhoresayswhat?”

“What?” Calum furrowed his eyebrows, sneaking a glance at her before realizing he’d fallen into her juvenile trap when she giggled, “wow. What a professional therapist you are, princess.”

Annabelle grinned, “you fell for it.”

“Well I’m tired, didn’t sleep well.”

“Why’s that?”

“Bed was cold.” Calum answered.

Annabelle opened her mouth to say something but she realized he was parking, he had gotten her to campus, “thank you so much for the ride, it really helped-”

“Good luck.” he said, hands fidgeting with the steering wheel.

“Thanks.”

She opened the door.

“Maybe you need a good luck kiss?”

Annabelle laughed, turning to look at him, “hmm, maybe,” she looked out the windshield, “who do you think seems suitable to give me one? That guy walking by right now looks cute-”

Calum scoffed, “get out of my car.”

“Cal.”

He turned to look at her “wha-” but her lips were on his. Hands cupping his face, Annabelle could feel the slight stubble under her fingers and it made her smile into the kiss. He smiled back, she pulled away and their eyes fluttered open, admiring each other.

“Thanks for the luck.” she said.

His eyes flickered down to her lips but before he could go in for another kiss she was getting out of the car. She looked back once and Calum smiled. His heart was still racing in his chest as he drove home, once again enjoying the smell of coconuts.

---

The first thing Annabelle wanted to do when she got out of the exam was call Calum. Which made zero sense to her seeing as A: he wasn’t her friend, B: she had no clue what he was, and C: she didn’t even have his phone number.

She liked their teasing. She enjoyed looking at his face. And when he was drunk, well, that had been a new side to him that she never thought she would ever see, but she also hadn’t expected the guy to listen to Queen or John Denver either so he was full of surprises.

Standing in the subway, Annabelle thought a lot about Calum.

He was an interesting guy, that was sure.

Sex addiction? Check.

Devilishly good looks? Check.

Rich? Check.

Probably in the midst of an identity crisis? Check.

He was ticking all of the boxes she hadn’t even known she had. And Annabelle had to admit, some of these boxer were definitely not good boxes. The identity crisis? Not good. And the sex addiction that had been keeping her up every night and not because she was the one getting dicked down? Very bad. Kind of annoying. Kind of aggravating actually.

She had no idea what was going on in his head. She usually knew that sort of thing. But with Calum? Annabelle figured maybe he wanted something more from her, she couldn’t think of any other guy who would offer to drive her to school for an exam. But, who knew? Maybe it was all a lie. After all, she was a perfect option as a fuck buddy seeing as they lived next to each other.

Annabelle had never been trusting of men. Always second guessing everything. It was one of the reasons she’d gone into psychology. An effort to learn just a little bit more, to figure people out. But, obviously, it wasn’t working that well on Calum and that annoyed her.

She got back to the apartment and walked quietly down the hall, entering her place without bumping into the bleach blonde god who lived next door. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

-------

He’d dated before.

It was sort of expected for him to date. Encouraged for Calum to be in the same circles as other wealthy young adults. With his last name, Calum Hood was chased by anyone who knew anything about business and he’d always had his choice of the gorgeous rich girls.

They had expensive cars, arguably too much plastic surgery, walk in closets and usually a pomeranian or two (or sometimes a greyhound). There had even been a rumor that a number of the girls who wanted to lock the young bachelor down had, in fact, bought a dog with the explicit motive of grabbing the known dog lovers attention. None of it had ever worked though.

Yeah, they were good for a fuck, but the rich girls always wanted something more, or at least the ones pining after Calum Hood did.

Calum had always given the girls a chance… not at love, but at a good time.

It was easy enough for them to get blinded by his good looks and charm, neglecting to ask the questions “what does this mean” or “what do you want from me” until after he’d bedded them. Most assumed that a mumbled response to them asking “call me?” as he kicked them out was a legitimate affirmation, only to be sorely mistaken a week later when they’re phone had gone unrung.

The good ones, he kept around as fuck buddies, but he made sure that they knew what they were agreeing too, like a business contract.

But he’d never consider actually dating any of them.

In some ways, he enjoyed the power that came with his reputation. The ability to have his choice of women every night. But, at the same time, there was something about it that threw him off. The girls he got with never asked questions, never did anything to make him upset or challenge him. After all, they knew his reputation so why would they challenge him?

It was one of the things that made Annabelle so endearing.

She talked back.

And she had no clue who he was.

She’d guessed he had money but Calum knew that she probably had no clue just how much money he had.

And he liked that.

But did he like it enough to ditch all his other girls?

He’d tried that. And it had been a shit week. He was into Annabelle for sure, but he still needed to have his needs met.

Buried in a brunette who was heiress to a pharmaceutical company, Calum found himself wondering how Annabelle had done on her test. He tried to brush away the thought, knowing that she was a smart girl and she probably did fine.

But what if she hadn’t?

What if it was hard?

Did she need ice cream?

Did she need a shoulder to cry on?

“Calum!” the girl underneath him moaned. Calum refocused his attention on her face. She was being loud. Fuck, what if Annabelle heard them?

Calum’s hand came over her mouth and the girl moaned again, the sound muffled but still evident. “Be quiet.” he stated, voice taking its usual commanding tone that it always had in board meetings.

Once he was sure that the girl, who he often referred to as Pharma Bitch (but he was pretty sure her name was Karen, or Corin, or Carin or something), was quiet, he took his hand away. She bit at her lip, small whines still leaving her mouth and Calum sighed.

He couldn't… he couldn’t look at her.

He pulled out and easily flipped her around, pulling her hips up so he could slam into her from behind.

Even without having to see her face, she still wasn’t Annabelle. She was a brunette and the contrast was obvious. With huge extensions that tumbled in curls down her back… well, she wasn’t Annabelle.

First of all, Annabelle definitely didn’t have the money for extensions.

Second, Annabelle was gorgeously blonde and he’d never had a preference before but damn, he enjoyed the golden strands that she was always pushing from her face.

Third, Calum doubted she would get extensions even if she had the money. Which oddly, he kind of enjoyed.

Calum closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of ramming in and out of the girl underneath him.

With no sound or visuals, he could almost imagine that the girl he was fucking was his hot blonde neighbour and not the Pharma bitch.

That’s when he noticed the sound of his bed hitting the wall with each thrust.

“Fuck.” Calum cursed, pulling out, “get on the floor.”

“What?!” Pharma Bitch shrieked. She could deal with the shitty apartment instead of his penthouse, she could deal with the creaky bed and the duvet cover that wasn’t high grade silk, but fucking on the floor? No. that was a no go.

“I said. Get on the floor.” Calum stated.

She did.

The floor didn’t squeak.

----

“So word around town is you’re fucking girls with the lights off now?” Michael said, collapsing onto Calum’s couch.

“No I heard he’s making them not make noises.” Luke quipped.

“Nah, he’s only fucking them doggy.” Ashton interjected.

They all turned to Calum who took a sip from his beer, “all three.”

“Ouch.” Michael laughed, “what the fuck has gotten into you?”

“He’s in love with the blonde.” Ashton answered, “Belle.”

“Annabelle-” Calum corrected, “and no I’m not.”

“Then why are you being such a wack job about fucking these girls Hood?” Michael asked, “looks like somebody’s lost their mojo.”

“Fuck off.” Calum groaned.

It was true though.

It had started with the doggy, no noise and not fucking in his bed.

But that had been a week ago and Calum found that he almost couldn’t even bear to do that anymore. He was sneaking the women inside the apartment building like a smuggler dealing contraband.

His heart raced every time he walked a new girl past Annabelle’s apartment.

And he always reminded them that when they left, they had to be quiet and not be seen.

He knew the girls were starting to get pissed.

He just didn’t know why he felt so goddamn bad about it. It wasn’t like he was dating Annabelle! He had no allegiance. They’d kissed twice and that was it. So why the fuck did he feel so bad about it!

Michael set up the video games and Ashton dealt with the music.

Calum was in the bathroom when there was a knock at the door. All the boys looked at each other and grinned, Luke and Ashton both hopping to their feet while Michael stayed with his attention on the tv.

Luke, with his long legs, got to the door first.

He threw it open and just like that, the tall Aussies were looking down at the adorable blonde girl.

She was in a uni hoodie that went down to her mid thigh and it wasn’t obvious whether or not she was wearing shorts underneath the fabric that drowned out her body. Her eyes were an emerald green and she had the most adorable mouth either guy had ever seen, a perfect cupid bow on beautiful pink lips. Her blonde hair was in a half bun and it had an effortlessly, messy, cute, girl next door sort of vibe to it.

Luke’s words caught in his throat and Ashton jumped in, “can we do something for you?” he asked.

“I uh…” she looked a little shocked, “I was expecting Calum-”

“Bathroom.”

“Oh.” she fidgeted with her long hoodie sleeves, “do you mind turning down the music? I mean, I’m usually chill when he’s playing Queen but this is a little excessive.”

“Excessive?!” Michael screamed from inside, shocked at the slander towards the Guns and Roses thumping through the apartment.

“Queen?” Ashton said in shock, “since when does Calum listen to Queen.”

“Oh are you more John Denver because that was a shock too.” Annabelle laughed, beginning to twirl her hair.

“John Denver!?” Michael screamed, throwing his controller down as he stood abruptly from the couch and ran to the bathroom.

There was a sound of the door being thrown open then a “What the fuck?!” then screaming and cursing as Michael attacked Calum.

“Anyways, could you turn the music down a bit?” Annabelle asked, anxious to get back to her studying. It had calmed down slightly, a new beat that wasn’t wholly unpleasant replacing the last song.

Just when she began to feel bad about requesting the music to be turned down, the lyrics for the song began. ‘You let me violate you. You let me desecrate you. You let me penetrate you-’

Annabelle made a face and the boys in front of her grinned, “you don’t like Nine Inch Nails?” Luke mused.

“Surprised you haven't heard this one yet, it’s Cal’s favourite.” Ashton smirked as the lyrics began to scream ‘I wanna fuck you like an animal. I wanna feel you from the inside.’

“I don’t know if it’s his favourite.” Luke said, “but it’s definitely his song if you know what I mean.”

They both looked at Annabelle expectantly and she took a deep breath. She guessed they expected her to crack under the pressure of their gaze.

Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorway, “you know, I can definitely see that.” she stated.

Ashton laughed loudly and Calum and Michael appeared behind the two blondes, “Cal, we like her.” Luke stated.

“Fuck someone turn this music down.” Calum said, looking distressed.

Michael went back to the living room, but instead of turning it down he turned it up and suddenly the vulgar lyrics were booming through the apartment and out into the hallway.

Someone else opened their apartment door, glaring at Annabelle who was getting second hand embarrassment for Calum and his friends. A hand grabbed Annabelle and the taller blonde pulled her inside the apartment, closing the door as Calum went and grabbed the phone from Michael, turning the music down.

He turned to look at Annabelle, “what’s up?” he asked, looking worried.

“I just uh… the music, needed to be turned down a little.” Annabelle said.

The boys looked between the two.

Annabelle, who had actually seemed kind of cocky and ready to converse at the door, was suddenly clamming up.

And Calum? Their future CEO, dominant, powerhouse, sex god, was suddenly worried and ready to bend over backwards, which was something he never fucking did.

“Right, sorry, I’ll keep it down.” Calum apologized.

Luke and Ashton exchanged a glance.

“So how did your exam go?” Calum asked.

“My exam?”

“Yeah the one last week.” Calum clarified.

“Fuck, right, that one, uh, it was good, I think it went well. Thanks for the ride, I appreciated it.” Annabelle smiled and Calum ate it up, grinning back.

“He let you drive in his car?!” Michael screamed, taking this new information as a personal offense, “since fucking when!?”

“She’s not a pig like you are.” Calum said absentmindedly.

“Fuck you Hood I am not a fucking pig.” Michael glared.

Calum tensed up.

His last name had just been dropped.

But when he looked at Annabelle it seemed like she hadn’t noticed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Aren’t you going to properly introduce us?” Luke asked, interrupting Michael who was still seething.

“Fuck, right,” Calum groaned, he kept missing all the steps and this guy never missed steps, “that’s Ashton, the tall guy is Luke and the pig is Michael.”

Michael groaned loudly again.

“Nice to meet you guys, I’m-”

“Annabelle, not Belle, trust me,” Luke grinned, “we know.”

“Fuck off Luke.” Calum cussed.

“I have to study so I should get going-”

“Yeah, sure.” Calum walked Annabelle to the door, opening it for her. He offered a small smile and as she left, he couldn’t help but follow her out, closing his door behind him.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Walking you home.” he answered as if it was the most regular thing in the world.

“I’m literally five meters away.” Annabelle laughed.

“Well fuck, if you don’t want me to be a gentleman-” Annabelle laughed and Calum grinned, walking her the five meters to her door, “hey so, I have to be at work tomorrow morning and I figured I could give you a ride or-”

“I don’t have class till noon tomorrow.” Annabelle said.

“Well, maybe we could grab breakfast or fuck, I guess noon is brunch huh? And I could drive you after.” Calum tried to gage her reactions and when she didn’t automatically smile (like any other girl he knew would, they’d be jumping at the chance to see him in the morning) he got worried, “or not, if you’re busy-”

“Brunch.” Annabelle interrupted him, “you don’t peg me as a brunch kind of guy.”

“I’m not.” he confessed.

“So what’s that about? Hood?” Annabelle crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against her door, looking up at Calum.

He studied her face, trying to decipher if she knew who he was but, as was always the frustrating case, he had no clue what the fuck she was thinking.

“I-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself actually, I don’t know why I asked.” Annabelle sighed.

“You’re into psychology.” Calum stated. He’d been pissed about it before but for some reason, he wasn’t anymore. “It’s uh, it’s cute.”

God. He hated himself.

He hated himself.

He never fucking blushed with girls. He was the hardcore dom boy who made the girls blush. So why did this small, uni girl, study bug, mess of a thing, have so much control over him?

Annabelle’s heart was beating a mile a minute in her chest as she smiled up at the guy in front of her. The asshole neighbour. “You’re cute.” she stated before she could help herself.

Calum laughed, head lolling back to expose the most beautiful throat Annabelle had ever seen. Both of his hands came up to cover his face and she noticed the rings as he turned his body to the wall, resting his forehead against it.

“You good?” Annabelle laughed.

“Would you believe me if I said i’m drunk?” he groaned, turning to look at her.

“You’re not.”

“But if I was-”

“Then I’d be worried you’d kiss me again.”

“Woah, you’re the one who kissed me last time.” Calum pointed out.

“You suggested it.” Annabelle fired back.

“Did I though?” Calum narrowed his eyes at her, grinning.

“You said good luck kiss-”

“I also told you to get out of my car.” Calum reminded her.

Annabelle rolled her eyes, “you’re such a dick.”

“You keep calling me that princess, but I’m pretty sure you like me.” Calum smirked.

“Oh yeah? And what gives you that idea?”

“You took care of me while I was drunk and you called me baby-”

“Well fuck me, I’m a good person you can’t use that against me!” Annabelle said, voice raising defensively as she looked at him with a smile.

“I could.”

“You could what?”

“Fuck you.” he grinned.

“Calum!” Annabelle’s eyes widened and she pushed at him but he caught her hand as it almost made contact with his chest, pulling it forward so she tumbled towards him. His arms caught her and she looked up at him in shock.

“You gonna make me kiss you this time, or are you going to take control?” he asked.

“Why does something tell me you’re the one who’s used to being in control.” Annabelle countered but she sounded breathless.

“I am.”

“So be in control.”

Calum’s heart melted and if he wasn’t already kissing her a soon as the words left her mouth, he may have accidentally let an ‘i love you’ slip out because, holy fuck, he was over the moon.

His hands cupped her face as his tongue slid over her bottom lip. Her mouth opened immediately to receive him and Calum grinned, biting her lower lip between his teeth to take a breather, something he almost never needed.

Annabelle’s hands kept her steady, pressed against his strong shoulders, keeping her upright.

His thumb brushed against her cheek and as he was about to go in for another kiss when the sound of music vibrated through the hallway again and a head popped out of his apartment. Blue eyes bore into Calum’s back and he groaned as Annabelle peaked around him at Luke who was gaping at her.

Annabelle stepped backwards and Calum’s hands dropped to his sides.

“See you tomorrow?” he asked.

Fuck. He felt like one of the girls he kicked out every night.

But he thanked god that Annabelle wasn’t him. She nodded, smiling, “yeah. Brunch.”

Calum grinned and Annabelle went inside her apartment, offering one last smile as the door shut. Calum turned to glare at Luke, “I fucking hate you.”

-----

When Annabelle opened her door, she realized immediately how distressed Calum looked.

His outfit was on point. Black jeans, a white t shirt and a leather jacket that fit him in all the right places.

“Are you okay?” she asked, noticing how he was leaning with one arm against her doorway.

He made a small face, “can I come in?”

“Of course.” she moved out of the way for him and Calum entered, pacing in her hallway, “do you want coffee or are you hungry?”

Calum turned to look at her. He was worried for a moment, but then he thought about what she’d said the night before about taking control.

“Starved.” he stated.

Calum grabbed Annabelle around her waist, pulling her to his chest so he could press his lips against hers. She let out a small shocked sound at first but her body relaxed almost instantly. Her fingers hooked in his belt loops to pull him closer and Calum groaned.

He couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t contain it any longer.

His hands moved down to her ass and he lifted her up easily, Annabelle’s legs wrapped around Calum’s waist as he took her to her dinner table, setting her down on top of it. His hands grabbed at her bum harshly and Annabelle groaned into his mouth, fingers going to his hair as she pulled at the silver strands and a low grumble left his chest.

He pushed her down against the tabletop and immediately he unbuttoned her pants.

“Calum-” she breathed.

“I told you. I’m starving.” he said, pulling her jeans off completely. He looked up at her, his beautiful hands skimming up her bare thighs, “unless you actually want pancakes or some shit.”

“After?”

“Dessert first, pancakes later, sounds good to me.” he said, nipping at her inner thigh. He pressed a soft kiss to the skin he’d just bitten and Annabelle settled back against the table, her hands finding his hair.

His fingers hooked in her panties and he slid those down as well. Once they were on the floor he put her legs over his shoulders, pulling her closer. Calum had a thing for eating girls out. He just did. For some odd reason he enjoyed it. Enjoyed the power of it.

But he hadn’t been enjoying it lately.

It was as if he was a guy craving an amazing meal but only having ever been given fast food, after a while he’d gotten tired of the Big Macs. But here he was, at the open doors of a Gordon Ramsay Level five star restaurant and boy was going to eat.

As soon as his lips wraps around her clit, Annabelle’s fingers tightened in his hair and she moaned. The sound was music to Calum’s ears. Fuck, it had been ages since he’d heard the sound of a woman receiving pleasure from him because he hadn’t wanted to hear any sounds that weren’t from Annabelle.

And now that he was earning each whimper, he wanted her louder. He sucked harder on her clit and Annabelle let out a whiney breath, grip tightening on his hair. The small amount of pain made Calum groan and the vibrations against Annabelle’s clit threw her over the edge as her legs shook on his shoulders and she moaned loudly. His hands on her hips kept her steady as he worked her through the orgasm.

As soon as Annabelle had calmed down a bit, Calum stood fully again.

“Now I know why the girls you always have over are so goddamn loud.” Annabelle laughed.

Calum grinned, “that was nothing princess.”

“Oh yeah?” Annabelle smiled.

“Come here.” Calum said.

Annabelle pushed herself up so he could kiss her again. His left hand cupped her face as his ring clad fingers of his right hand rubbed at her still sensitive clit. They dipped inside and Annabelle moaned into Calum’s mouth. His digits curled up and hit that spot that made Annabelle grab at his shoulders “oh my god.” she said against his lips.

Calum smirked, he knew he was good at this too.

Calum was good at everything in the bedroom. It was just a fact. And he needed to prove it to Annabelle. He needed to make her addicted. He needed her to be thinking about this for weeks. He needed her to not be able to get him out of her perfect little head, to be tortured like he had.

Annabelle was moaning too much to kiss properly but Calum didn’t mind, he moved his lips to her neck instead. At first he pressed a few soft kisses to the sensitive skin but as he let his teeth drag across the flesh, Annabelle mewled, her fingers tugged at his hair and Calum knew that she was into it.

He sucked at her neck while moving his fingers faster. He could feel her heart racing in the artery he pressed kisses against and it drove him wild to feel her reacting to him.

Her loud moans in his ear egged him on and he could feel her getting closer and closer as she began to flutter around his ring clad digits. She pulled at his hair and he brought his lips to hers again as she came, whimpering into his mouth as he continued to pump his fingers in and out.

Calum took his fingers out of her and brought them to his lips, watching her as he licked them clean. As he did that, Annabelle reached out, unbuckling his belt then his jean button and zipper.

Calum took off his leather jacket, removing a condom from his pocket, then also got rid of his shirt. He stopped Annabelle’s motions with his pants, holding out the packaged condom for Annabelle to take between her teeth as he helped take her hoodie off that was still adorning her body. He grinned, “no bra? Dirty girl.”

“It’s just for uni.” Annabelle breathed, taking the condom out from between her teeth.

“Hmm, glad I’m not in your class or I wouldn’t be able to focus. You’re a menace.” he took the condom from her.

“You’re just horny all the time.” Annabelle said, going back to her job of shoving Calum’s pants down.

“You’re just sexy.” he rolled the condom on and his hands found her thighs, gently brushing the skin, “you ready?”

“Fuck me Mr. Hood.”

Calum burst out laughing and so did Annabelle, “please don’t call me that.” Calum groaned, grabbing her face to kiss her.

“Yeah sorry that was not good.” Annabelle agreed.

“It’s okay.” Calum assured her, pressing one more soft kiss to her lips before he grabbed himself, lining up with Annabelle before pushing in slowly.

They both moaned, one of Calum’s hands continued to cup her face while the other went around to the small of her back, keeping her close as he did the first few thrusts slow and deep.

Fucking on a counter was great and everything but something about it felt wrong. Calum had been fucking people decidedly not in his bedroom to avoid Annabelle having to hear it, but now that he had her in his arms he wanted to go to the “bedroom.” he said, hands grabbing her bum again as he lifted her up, still inside, then walked to her room.

They collapsed onto her bed with giggles, teeth clashing slightly as they grinned into the kisses they shared. Annabelle couldn’t get enough of his gorgeously dyed hair, running her fingers through it repeatedly.

One of Calum’s hands moved Annabelle’s leg higher on his waist to get a better angle and he began a quick, rough, unrelenting pace that had Annabelle’s moans getting louder and louder.

Calum buried his face in her neck, enjoying the up close smell of coconuts that he already adored. He bit down into her skin and she let out a high, breathy moan that sent shivers through Calum’s entire body.

“Fuck.” he groaned, and the sound of him, all low and grumbly, made Annabelle’s heart lurch.

“Cal I’m so close.” she whispered, tangling her fingers in his hair to tug at it again which earned another groan from him.

“Me too princess.” he said, lips on her again. He wanted to be kissing her, wanted to be sharing the moment completely as they both came. A few more deep thrusts had them both going over the edge. Eyes clenched shut, hands groping each other to be as close as physically possible, they were just two souls sharing a moment where nothing else in the entire world mattered.

Annabelle took her lips from his and Calum went back to her neck as they both panted. Her fingers tracing patterns on his back and shoulders, adoring his beautiful skin.

“So… pancakes?” Annabelle asked, voice still breathless.

Calum laughed, rolling off her, “you’re wild.”

“You promised pancakes.” she reminded him.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“I was thinking you could make me pancakes at your place.” Annabelle said.

“You’re a real piece of work aren’t you?” Calum laughed.

Annabelle shrugged, “you’re the one who started calling me princess, baby.”

Calum groaned, “you got me there.”

---

“So you fucked her, made her pancakes, then drove her to school.” Michael stated.

“Pretty much.” Cal answered, eyes scanning over the menu even though he knew what he wanted already. They’d been coming to this restaurant for years and Calum always ordered the exact same thing. He liked to pretend he was considering something else but Calum just didn’t enjoy change that much. He liked what he liked and he liked that he was used to it.

“That sounds kind of coupley man.” Ashton said, not even bothering to look at the menu.

“Hmmm.” Calum said. He knew that it was super coupley. It’s all he’d been able to think about all day. As he dropped her off, earning a small kiss, then went to work. In the board meeting, he’d been distracted. And if there was one thing Calum Hood wasn’t, it was the type to to get distracted.

It was kind of pissing him off.

“Well it’s wednesday.” Luke pointed out.

“So?” Michael asked.

“So, Wednesday is the day he fucks the flight attendant right?”

Their eyes all went to Calum.

He’d forgotten about that.

----

“Calum Hood.” Mary stated, “as in, Calum Hood of Hood enterprises, that huge contracting company that owns like half the city.”

“I mean, I guess so.” Annabelle shrugged, flipping through the pages of her text book.

“Why the fuck is he living next to you if he’s rich as fuck though?”

“He has this weird thing about having not earned his money or something. I guess he wants to see how us commoners live.”

“But you fucked this guy.”

“Yeah I just told you.” Annabelle sighed.

“Lock it down babe, lock it down!” Marry screamed into the phone and Annabelle grinned.

“I’m not a gold digger, plus he can be kind of a dick.”

“But like… money though.” there was a pause, “and the guy has driven you to school twice now? He seems okay to me.”

Annabelle had to admit, Calum was okay. She was being hard on him. She’d been thinking about the name Hood all day and in her last class she’d finally looked him up, curiosity having gotten the better of her. Sure enough, there was his picture, connected to some trash article about him leaving the club with another heiress of sorts.

Annabelle would be lying if she said that the article hadn’t hurt just a little.

He had access to heiresses and models, hell, there was even a rumour about a new pop song having been written about him and his (since dyed silver) notoriously gorgeous black curls.

“I mean, he’s okay-” she began.

“He’s hot as fuck Anna.” Mary interrupted her.

“How do you know that?”

“I looked him up. Is his hair still silver?”

“Yeah.”

“Hot as fuck.” Mary reiterated.

“Don’t tell him that, he doesn’t need another boost to his ego.” Annabelle sighed.There was a knock at her door, “shit, someone’s here I have to go. Call you later?”

“Who the fuck is at your place at twelve at night?” her friend groaned.

“I don’t know.” Anna could guess though, “call you right back.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Annabelle hung up and walked to the door, opening it to reveal Calum who looked just as distressed as he had in the morning. “Hey.” he said, looking her up and down.

“Hi.” she was wondering what he was doing at her apartment. She’d seen him that morning when he’d dropped her off at school at noon, which had been only around twelve hours before. She hadn’t expected to see him so soon, “what’s up? It’s late.”

“I was, uh…” he rubbed at the back of his neck and Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him.

He looked uncomfortable and Annabelle couldn’t help but verbalize the first thought that came to her mind, “you’re not here for a booty call are you?” Calum opened his mouth then closed at and Annabelle rolled her eyes, “what? Your other booty calls are busy?”

“Well when you make it sound like that-”

“How else is it supposed to sound Calum?” Annabelle glared, crossing her arms over her chest.

Once more, Calum didn’t know what to say. “Fuck.” he groaned. He kept messing up. “I don’t… I don’t want the other girls-”

“Wow. Wooing of the century Calum.” Annabelle said sarcastically, “‘hey babe, I’m like super horny and I know I can call any of my other fuck buddies, of which I have hundreds, but you’re my favourite, so I know you’re studying a lot, but how about you drop all of that, and let me make use of the fact that you’re my neighbour.’”

“Wow.” Calum laughed awkwardly, “so that’s what you think I’m like.”

“You literally kept me awake for a month straight fucking girls in the room next to mine.” Annabelle reminded him.

He had to admit, that was true.

“But that was before I knew you.”

“God Calum-”

“Baby.” he corrected, trying to sound charming.

“What do you even want from me?” Annabelle sighed, Calum didn’t answer, “look, we fucked, you had a taste of the common life, good for you-”

“What do you mean?” he furrowed his eyebrows at her, confused.

Annabelle took a deep breath. She was mad, worried that she’d been considering dating a guy who only saw her as a quick and easy fuck. “Rich boy has the cheap apartment and now he’s fucked a girl who doesn’t have fake tits or lips-”

“So I’m ‘rich boy’ now?” Calum laughed, but it hurt, and he could feel his blood beginning to boil, “that’s fucking great.”

“It’s who you are Calum-”

“I mean yeah, it’s part of who I am, how could it not be, but I’m more than that-”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” he said, voice raising a little, “but you wouldn’t know because just like every other fucking girl in my life, you can’t see past my money can you?”

Annabelle’s eyes widened, looking at him in shock. He’d told her while he was drunk that people treated him differently because of his money, and in the moment, Annabelle had judged the people who let that blind them, but here she was, being one of those people. All the anger and defensiveness she had been feeling disappeared.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“No one ever fucking means to. Not really. But they can’t help it.” Calum sighed, running a hand through his hair, “the girls expect you to pay for dinner because you can, then they want gifts on Valentines day but of course a box of chocolates isn’t enough when your boyfriend is a millionaire is it? Who even knows if a girl actually likes me or if she just wants money?” he shrugged, “I don’t fucking know. So yeah, I don’t tell people and you didn’t know, not right away and when you found out, your opinion of me changed, but yeah, not your fault, people can’t fucking help it. You know. Maybe I should be happy that you’re actually mad about it, that you’re not trying to get me to buy you a ring like every other girl I fucking know, cuz that means that what we had this morning? That shit was real. Just sucks that you’re letting the fact that I have money get in the way of this now.”

He turned to go.

Annabelle watched him. She didn’t know why she’d brought the money into it. She was kicking herself.

“Calum.” she called. He didn’t turn around. She knew in that moment that she had to be vulnerable and she hated it. “I’m scared.”

“About what?” he asked, whipping around to look at her.

“Well…” Annabelle groaned, “you have models chasing you Cal, models. I don’t want to be just your easy-fuck neighbour-”

“You’re not.”

“Well how the fuck am I supposed to know that?!” she yelled, “we barely talk, until like two days ago I didn’t even know your last name-”

“I don’t know your last name.” he pointed out.

“Well it’s not like I’m trying to hide it.”

“So we’re back to the whole family name thing.” Calum turned to go again.

“God, see that’s the other thing, as soon as things get tough you leave!”

“I can have a conversation as long as you don’t keep going back to my family, you don’t know them, they’re good people.”

Annabelle took a deep breath, “do you have siblings?”

“Yeah, sister.” he eyed her, letting out a breath as his shoulders relaxed slightly, “You?”

“No, I’m an only child.”

“So that explains a few things Princess.” Calum stated but there was something lighter in his tone and Annabelle found herself smiling. Just like that, a stupid pet name, and things calmed down.

“This is such a mess.” Annabelle groaned.

“Great things never come easy.” Calum pointed out.

“Great things?” Annabelle quirked her eyebrow at him and Calum leaned against his door, eying her, “this is a great thing?”

“I think it could be.” he paused, “what do you think?”

Annabelle thought about it for a moment, “want to come in?” Calum’s eyebrows raised and Annabelle rolled her eyes, “not for sex. We should get to know each other or something.”

Calum was silent for a moment, “fine. But you have to trust me when I say that I actually like you.” he approached her again, “I mean, yeah, you’re great in bed too-” Annabelle shoved at his shoulder and Calum grinned, “but I like you, okay?”

“Okay. I mean, you can be a bit of a dick sometimes but I like you too.”

“Again with calling me a dick?” Calum smirked, “thought we decided this morning that you don’t actually think I’m a dick.”

“I don’t think we ever decided that-” Annabelle looked up at the gorgeous man who was invading her space

“Sure we didn’t, you sleep with all the guys you think are douchebags huh?” he teased.

“Don’t test your luck hot shot.” Annabelle glared.

“Or what?”

She could feel his breath, and his pleasant, smokey smell wafted over her. “I’m still mad at you.” she stated.

“Sure you are.” he said.

God, he made her so angry sometimes. But fuck, was he hot. Annabelle looked up at him and she couldn’t help herself, wanting to feel the beautiful skin against her fingers, the strong muscles of his shoulders, the softness of his hair. Her heart was still racing, all worked up from their small argument.

Her hand went behind his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. Their tongues clashed immediately as her fingers gripped at his shirt, itching to tear it off right there in the hallway. His hands went to her waist and he pushed her against the hallway wall next to her door, grinding against her.

Annabelle groaned into his mouth and when he moved to bite at her neck she breathed, “no sex.”

“No sex.” he agreed, hand moving past Annabelle to open the door to her apartment. As soon as it was open, she ducked under his arm and went inside, grabbing his hand to pull him in after her. When the door was closed, she shoved him against the wall and he smirked as her hands grabbed at the hem of his shirt, lifting it to pull it over his head and reveal the beautiful, tattooed skin.

Annabelle couldn’t help herself as her hands went to his pants, as she slipped them down she realized “are these silk boxers?”

Calum groaned, “yeah.”

“Okay, how can you expect me not to comment on these.” Annabelle grinned.

“God, you’re a piece of fucking work has anyone told you that?”

“Pretty sure you did this morning.”

“Well I guess I’m just a genius then hmm?”

“You have a massive ego.”

“I have a massive something and it’s not my ego, princess.” he brought his mouth to hers again, cupping her face.

Annabelle groaned against his lips, “you sure about that?”

“You weren’t complaining this morning.”

Annabelle pulled away from Calum and his eyes opened, watching her retreat, still fully clothed, as he stood there shirtless, with his pants on the ground, “what are you doing?” he asked.

“Getting a good view.”

“How about you get your ass back here?” he suggested.

“Or what?”

Calum groaned, “touche.”

“Look, I think you should at least take me on a date first or something.” Annabelle said, “or I could order pizza-”

“Whatever you want.” Calum said, ready to do just about anything to get his hands back on her.

She picked up his shirt and tossed it to him, “I meant it when I said no sex.” she stated.

Calum sighed, pulling up his pants and putting on the shirt, “you’re really starting to make me question the idea that you prefer me better without this on you know.”

“Well I like to keep you guessing.” Annabelle shrugged, walking to the living room where she sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. He sat down and she looked at him, “so what do you like on your pizza?”

They talked about their favourite things for a while. Annabelle ordered food and they chatted until there was a buzzer beep, Annabelle let the pizza guy up and as Calum grabbed his wallet, Annabelle walked to the door. Before Calum could do anything, she had already paid, closing the door behind the guy and brining the pizza into the small apartment.

Calum looked at her.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever bought me pizza before.” he stated.

“Who says you get to have any?” Annabelle teased, grabbing two plates, she handed one to Calum.

He smiled down at her.

They were going to be great. He could feel it. And Calum had a knack for that sort of thing.

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

part two here

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antiquecompass · 4 years

Text

Untamed Spring Fest Day 5: Fresh

Where there is a fresh start:

Nie Zonghui didn’t get to spend as much time with his family as he liked. While most of the Nies huddled in various parts of the Northeast, he had gone west as a young man and settled down in Seattle. He loved it there, and was sad to leave his home of fifteen years, but something in his heart had always called him back east and now it was time.

Nie Mingjue was finally, finally, retiring from actively working in the field for Springfield Security. While he had an entire staff he loved, adored, and trusted, two of them were also leaving field duty to take over the ever-increasing duties of running the biggest security firm in the Northeast. It was a big hit, taking DeAndre and Bianca out of the field, but they would help ease the burden on the other end, and would have more time to focus on training, recruitment, and teaching--all things Springfield Security would need in the loss of Mingjue, DeAndre, and Bianca as active guards.

Zonghui was a veteran in the field, experienced, praised, and a good trainer. Mingjue hadn’t asked him to come back the last time they spoke, but Zonghui could hear the unspoken question in his words. Mingjue was stepping down, stepping back, focusing on his personal future and his family and he needed a Nie in the field. Call it superstition, call it a stupid. Unfounded fear, but Zonghui understood it.

So Nie Zonghui was going home.

**********

Huaisang threw a massive welcome home party, because of course he did. To be fair, it wasn’t so much a party as a very large picnic, and the dress code was certainly far more relaxed than the last business event Zonghui attended. Huasiang still managed to look like his outfit cost thousands of dollars, even in the shortest pair of ripped jean shorts Zonghui had ever seen on a person, and a plaid shirt that looked more Seattle than Boston.

“Everyone can see your tattoos and I’m pretty sure at least some of your bottom,” Zonghui said.

“My asscheeks are perfectly covered,” Huaisang assured him. “And they can look, but only Xuanyu can touch, and they know that.”

“Where is Little Sparkle?” Zonghui asked.

Huaisang frowned. “Work. Teaching children about puppets. He’ll be back by the time dinner is officially served.” He toyed with the plastic red and white checkered tablecloth in front of them. “I’m sorry, it all feels a little cheap, but Mingjue’s been desperate for an excuse to show off his new pro-grade grill and even Meng Yao couldn’t deny him this time. So, ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, various types of chicken, and a low country boil. So much corn. So many baked beans. So much bread. So much pie. I can’t believe I had to, at my age, buy kegs again.”

Zonghui patted his younger cousin’s head and laughed at the death stare he got in return.

“I missed you, Piglet.”

“Welcome home, Deadpool.”

Only Huaisang called him that, an old nickname because of Zonghui’s expertise in wielding dual knives, and because he’d given Huaisang his first ever set of comic books. No one had called him that in years, but he had a feeling he’d be hearing more often now, and not just from Huaisang.

It was strange to make a fresh start by going backward. But this wasn’t the Nie Residence he’d grown up with and all of them were in their 30s now. And even if he had come back to the Commonwealth, he’d come back the right way, on his own terms, under his own decision, having accomplished a successful career without the Nie reputation and name.

He’d been the one to help set up Springfield Security’s initial contracts, floating the names of clients he knew he needed protection back east. He’d never imagined those first initial clients would turn into the massive thing Springfield Security had become, but he wasn’t surprised.

“Did we lose you?” Huaisang asked.

“No,” Zonghui said. “Just thinking.” He guided his cousin back towards the house. “So, what’s this about corn?”

**********

Nie Zonghui was a calm, patient man who was often praised for his composure. He was not the type to stumble into, and then onto, another person. It was only his fast reflexes that kept him from spilling his drink on the stranger.

His words died in his throat as he tried to apologize. All he could see were cornflower blue eyes, long golden hair, and a smile that was too perfect to be real.

“Not that I don’t like where your hands are, but I do usually ask a guy for his name first.”

Zonghui immediately stood up and apologized. “I am so very sorry. I truly didn’t see you sitting there.”

“It’s okay,” the man said. “In your defense, I was mostly under the table.” He dove back under and then emerged again, Xuanyu’s puppy in his arms. “This little rascal got loose and I wanted to grab him before Xuanyu got upset. Huaisang gets mean when Xuanyu is upset.” He shifted the puppy in his arms and grinned. “I’m Carson, by the way. I’m guessing you’re the man of the hour? Zonghui, right?”

“Yes,” Zonghui said with a nod.

Carson laughed. “Well, hell of a first meeting, Zonghui. I can’t wait to see what happens at work on Monday. Let me get this little guy back in the house.”

“Of course,” Zonghui said. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Carson said.

He walked past him, smelling of something minty and fresh that made Zonghui turn his head to watch him leave.

“Oh no,” Mingjue said. “Oh no.”

“What?” Zonghui asked.

“You like him,” Mingjue said.

“I don’t know him,” Zonghui said.

“And he just turned to check out your ass,” Mingjue said. He shook his head. “Fuck. First Aaron marries into the family and now Carson too?”

“I don’t know him,” Zonghui repeated, desperate to head off a Nie Family Planning Extravaganza. “Please don’t start planning a wedding now.”

“Too late,” Mingjue said. “Summer for you two, of course.”

“Mingjue,” Zonghui shook his head. “Stop. I’m not going to date someone I work with.”

Mingjue scoffed. “Okay, we’ll see,” he said. He held a bottle out. “Want to try the new pale ale?”

“I suspect you have ulterior motives in this,” Zonghui said as he took it. “Remember, I still have the video of us doing the Go Ninja rap and dance routine from Huaisang’s eleventh birthday.”

Mingjue cursed. “And to think, I was happy you came back home.” He wrapped his arm around Zonghui’s shoulders and pulled him towards his grill. “Missed you, asshole.’

“I’m here now,” Zonghui said.

And even though it wasn’t Boston, and even though it wasn’t the Nie Residence he remembered, he liked it here, on the farm, and with the members of Springfield Security he’d already met. It wasn’t Boston. It wasn’t Seattle. It was a new home and a new community and Zonghui was new to it, but he felt like he would love it here.

His eyes strayed to the door, where Carson had appeared again, the sun making his hair shine.

Yeah, he felt like he would love it here.

#verse: lahl #fandom: the untamed #my ridic writing #untamed spring fest #fic: i will become what i deserve #nie zonghui

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nachofalafel · 4 years

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Quit Yr Job: Be a Pirate!

I quit my jobs two months ago so I could do something better with my life. I didn’t really have a plan. What I had was an MFA in fiction writing and a job making near minimum wage to grow medical-grade cannabis under the title of cultivation tech. It was the only job I could find after graduation and I figured, “Hey, I smoke a pot. Besides, what difference does it make what I do for a living? I’m not ashamed of who I am.” Which was true.

What I’d forgotten was how much I dislike exchanging my time for money while doing something I don’t particularly care about. As much as I enjoy getting stoned after a long day of doing whatever it is I usually do, showing up 40+ hours a week to a facility to be one of five guys responsible for growing and producing 100 pounds of cured cannabis per week wasn’t as much fun as you might think.

I dropped out of high school. The dean and my counselor both made the same clichéd comment: smart but unfocused. I was happy to drop out during my senior year. I was even more thrilled when I discovered I could “test out” and receive the same high school diploma in less than an afternoon. Unfortunately, the tests also proved that my education up to that point could be boiled down to identifying the three branches of government and being able to solve an equation for x. I knew I was smarter than the questions on the tests, but that was where the bar was set so I stepped over it.

My point is: Quitting my job was exactly like dropping out of high school.

Unlike the teenage version of myself, I don’t have the luxury of spending seven years Kerouacing around to discover myself and the meaning of life or whatever stupid bullshit I thought I was doing at the time. I ate a lot of mushrooms, that’s what I did.

I’m getting sidetracked…

I quit my job two months ago. I have an MFA, but I also have a wife and two kids. The world is basically on fire and I wanted to set a better example for my kids. You could argue that I was doing what I had to do to make money during a difficult time. But I couldn’t get over the fact I had earned a graduate degree and was growing pot for barely enough money to feed my family. I wasn’t looking to break the bank��I just wanted a more reasonable amount of pay in exchange for the $600,000 worth of revenue I was partially responsible for creating each month. I asked for more money, they said no, I quit. Most simple transaction in the world.

No one is going to value your abilities if you don’t respect yourself.

I don’t want to line the walls of my mansion with gold leaf. I don’t want a fancy car. Or even necessarily a new car. All I want is to do something I’m passionate about and to help other people while I do it. If our bills get paid and our family eats, we’re happy.

I quit my jobs two months ago to help other people become better writers.

When I worked at the university, I taught creative writing as part of my assistantship. Teaching those twenty-one young people was the happiest I’d ever been in any job. Sitting in class, listening to their story ideas, answering their questions, helping them develop a craft they can carry with them for the rest of their lives… it was cool. Teaching another person how to harness their ability to literally create new worlds, that’s a powerful feeling. So, as cool as growing medical cannabis sounds, saying, I teach people to become gods, sounds a lot cooler.

It’s been two months since I quit my job to start Nachofalafel Editorial Services and I’ve already assisted two clients.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. 12 years ago, I tattooed a smiley face and crossbones onto my wrist. The tattoo looks like shit, but the sentiment the tattoo represents still stands. I am a pirate.

What does it mean to be a pirate?

Make your own rules.

Create your own moral code.

Seize your desires.

Being a pirate isn’t all about rape and booty.

I quit my job two months ago because I respect and value myself and my family. I quit my job two months ago because I was tired of working hard and allowing someone else to reap the financial benefits from my tears.

You don't have to waste your life working 40+ hours a week to survive. It's your fucking pirate ship.

Be a pirate. Make your own rules. Go to school. Drop out. Go to graduate school. Get an MFA and burn your degree to ashes. Write books. Start your own editorial company. Hoist the mast! Raise the Jolly Roger! Sail, ye pirates! Sail, you bastards!

Just remember…

We all have our own ships to maintain and the ocean is a big place. Get yourself a good crew.

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diavoloi · 4 years

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ASAMI ZDRENKA, TWENTY FOUR, FEMALE, SHE/HER Have you seen KEIKO SAKURA down in St. Landry again? I heard they’re one of the LOUNGE SINGERS AT THE BLACK RABBIT, for the CIVILIANS now. They’ve been so ECCENTRIC & IMPULSIVE lately, it’s no wonder. I’ll sure miss when they were CARING & CREATIVE. I wonder if they’re going to stop listening to I AM .. by AYUMI HAMASAKI now, or if BRIGHTLY COLORED HAIR & THE COOL AUTUMN BREEZE will still announce ‘em. hi ! thanks for checking in , i’m still a piece of garbage xo this is keiko and she’s the only character that actually deserves a colored banner ( triggers beneath the cut ) @rennreblogs

FULL NAME : keiko sakura NICKNAMES : kiki , keeks PLACE OF BIRTH : new orleans , louisiana OCCUPATION : lounge singer at the black rabbit RESIDENCE : a real shoddy apartment in st landry AGE : twenty four FACECLAIM : asami zdrenka PRONOUNS : she / her NOTABLES : brightly colored hair , tattoos all over , piercings and ofc her VOICE HEIGHT : 5′3 ZODIAC : leo ALIGNMENT : true neutral SEXUALITY : defines bi-panic

triggering content : mentions of sexual assault , drug abuse , and mention of mental illness growing up in st landry, keiko sakura and her mother barely scraped by. having lost her father at a young age, the daughter of a dentist grew up with the brightest of minds but the dullest of hearts. having taught herself to live on the far side of the spectrum of society, keiko had many friends, but most - if not all - were kept within arms reach. after all, nobody wanted to be friends with the poor girl from the bad side of town whose mother would bring home all kinds of men after her own work. with this impression of a ‘stable’ society set in her mind, keiko wanted initially to make the world a better place, thinking that if she went on to become a doctor… or even a politician as a way to help the poor. this was her intention, but with her grades not at the top of her class, and the chances of her getting a scholarship slim to none college was only slipping further and further away from her. hopes drained, all else failed, it wasn’t until she was passing through the weekly paper to see ads in the back section of beautiful women posing in risque positions, a phone number in big letters underneath, this could be you! it said, and the vision came. with such an effeminate body, keiko knew how to make her money, and while she opted to avoid the clubs and poles, she picked her poison —— walking the streets at night, working for a mob boss that had no issues with the way the johns treated his girls , but it was the way to get by and to begin to pay for her college tuition as she longed to study psychology . what bruises she would come home with between her thighs and on other parts of her body felt unimportant and her own self worth brought her to slip into a world of drugs , partying and what she’d come to believe being an uttermost failure . it was one fateful night that had changed her mind , one of her clients got not only too handsy with her , but aggressive , and when she tried to end the ‘ date ‘ she’d ended up forced against her will to comply and the abuse she took before , during and after the altercation left her in the hospital . this had been a wake up call for her , deciding then that she would have to step away from the life , and tried to find other ways to make money once she was out . however , from the attack , she was left broken suffering from depression and seeking anything that she could in order to numb the pain soon finding herself addicted to pain killers and not long after that became an addiction to heroin --- so to pay for her habits , she would play music on the street corner , singing to those passing by until one day approached by the owner of the local , exclusive private club that had fallen for her voice . offered a job at the black rabbit , she was given a new opportunity , singing had always been a passion for her , a creative outlet and the money made was passable to get her off the streets and into a small apartment and maintain her drug habit in the dark , and the party lifestyle in the light . personality . keiko is a bright one with heart plated in gold. while defiant by nature, stubborn and sometimes all too abrasive for her own good, they have always had a talent for talking their way in and out of just about anything. having been raised with the idea that men were put on the earth for one purpose, and one purpose only – keiko learned quickly how to have a distrusting nature although that had never stopped them from having a lion’s heart in the sense when it came to protecting those she was close to. keiko has a bit of a martyr complex, and one that she doesn’t make known all too often, but having spent most of her life believing her entire existence had been a sham, she tends to dive face first into situations she often can’t get herself out of just simply for the need to protect people she finds deserves it while tossing others easily under the bus.

#renn.intro

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reverendxavierdarling · 4 years

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First week back! Feels good to be tattooing again though a bit surreal. My studio has a bit of a new look. I tried to minimalism a little but I added a pole I screen as you walk in, a very efficient mounted air filter, exhaust system and mini fan, an AC with HEPA filter and activated carbon filtering. I have street clothes and I have special work clothing that I change into upon arrival. Setting up is done with a mask and as always gloves. I get to wear these awesome flamanco looking sleeve guards too. Feel free to enjoy my dance routines 😉 if you catch one. Lol. As always, everything that can be wrapped is and booties and a mask will now be provided for you when you arrive as well. A face shield is provided if needed. No extra charge for any of this (folks have been asking.) I am only seeing one client a day and the filters are run a hour before and after anyone arrives including it running the entire appointment. Of course all surfaces are cleaned with a high level medical grade disinfectant. I did sacrifice these pair of sleeve guards and gloves for the photo but I try to be as efficient and conservative as possible. I have vegan tattoo inks and don’t use any other animal products when tattooing. I use biodegradable bamboo handle razors when I can and biodegradable ink caps when possible. I strive to make any effort I can to be better to the environment but these days it’s quite challenging in this industry. I am available for appointment only and have been doing web consultations to start things off. Hit me up for a tattoo. I am ready 😎🤘🏾 #tattoo #tattoos #firstdayback #portlandtattooartist #portland #oregon #studio #tattoostudio #openforbusiness #welcomeback #safetyfirst #anotherdayattheoffice #ilovetattoos #darlingtattoo #xavierdarlingtattoo #xavierdarling (at Darling Tattoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMd73lhMm4/?igshid=ky47p61l46tj

#tattoo #tattoos #firstdayback #portlandtattooartist #portland #oregon #studio #tattoostudio #openforbusiness #welcomeback #safetyfirst #anotherdayattheoffice #ilovetattoos #darlingtattoo #xavierdarlingtattoo #xavierdarling

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