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ac3id · 3 years

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Plaything | 18+ | part i

plaything 1/ ?? | part 0

pairings: yandere! bully bakugou katsuki x fem! reader

warnings: [series] blackmail, bullying, dubcon/ noncon, filming w/o consent, yandere themes, no quirks au. ALL CHARACTERS ARE ABOVE 18 YEARS OF AGE.

↪ for chapter 1: dubcon, blackmail, humiliation, masturbation, filming w/o consent, boot grinding, a little bit of bakusquad + reader....this is filthy :D

summary: by luck you get enrolled into u.a high the best school in your town. the only catch is that the school is filled with rich, spoilt and powerful brats who just seem to hate you and among them, a certain red eyed blonde dreads you the most

↪ for chapter 1: you bump into bakugou by accident, dropping your vanilla ice cream all over him, you try to apologize and run away but wants more...oh wait why are his friends standing there recording everything too?

wordcount. 4k+

a/n: sooooo, it’s finally out! huge thanks to @sawamooora for proof reading this! helped me out a lot <3 sorry for making u sit through that mess x[

this scene was inspired by that one episode of boys over flowers where the mc’s best friend drops ice cream on the main guy’s shoe and he asks the mc to lick it off...obviously that didn’t happen in the show but it really got me thinking......

alsO the netflix show elite,,, i just saw it and knew,,,,

taglist: @mocha-focha, @erenyeagersbasement , @haribo-pop, @sunshine-fangs, @kuremis, @amazing-fandoms,

dm/ inbox/ comment to be added/ removed.

—navigation

It was a great opportunity. Never in your life would you have thought you’d manage to land a scholarship at the prestigious U.A Private Academy.

The school was a dream, the best in your city, and only affordable for the rich. Graduating from such a school could have helped you with life in so many different ways. Not only would it open doors you could never touch before, but it would help you to form connections which would make your life undoubtedly easier.

Graduating from U.A. was a blessing, but obviously, it did not come easy. It was rather unfortunate. After your previous school building had collapsed, due to some accident, the board announced its year-long closure.

At the time, you were beyond lost and understandably frustrated - it was your last year before college and you simply couldn't risk waiting the year out. The whole situation was nerve-wracking, looking for decent schools which would allow you in.

Honestly, you had no idea what you would’ve done if U.A. hadn’t called you that night.

It was the last day of the summer holidays, a week after your school building had collapsed. Luckily, no one was hurt - but the damage on the campus was severe.

You had been talking to your friends when your mother rushed into your room with exciting news. Apparently, the chairman of U.A was feeling generous. He had decided to offer four excellent students from your school a scholarship to U.A.

You were overjoyed being one of the students along with your two other friends; Shinso Hitoshi and Izuku Midoriya.

At first, the thought was a little scary - going into a completely different world than you were accustomed to. The kids there would be much different than you, you didn't want to be the laughing stock, you didn’t want to be their silly little entertainment... The thought made you nervous, but when your best friend, Izuku, called you the next night explaining how he also won the scholarship; followed by Shinso, you were relieved.

Yes, you were stepping into a whole different world but you at least had your two friends with you.

And that brought you to the first day of school.

You stood outside the huge gates of the even enormous academy all alone shaking in your little, expensive skirt they forced you to wear as the uniform waiting for your friends. You promised the two boys you’d wait for them, and besides, you weren’t planning on entering the building all alone.

Your friends, Shinso and Midoriya, lived close to each other. They were supposed to meet you at the gates of the school that morning, but they were running late. Your anxiety grew the longer you stayed there, with students filling the place- arriving in their fancy cars with their expensive bags and accessories. It easily made you feel out of place.

“Hey,” you heard someone before someone tapped on your shoulder. You quickly turned around to greet the voice. Staring back at you was Uraraka Ochaco.

You remembered she was in your school too, Midoriya has a huge crush on her.

“Yes, Uraraka? Right?” You weren’t close to her, nothing but mere acquaintances. But seeing her face - right here, right now - it made your day.

Uraraka was dressed in the same uniform as you, there was no doubt that she was one of the four kids who won the scholarship. Both of you talked while you implored her to wait for Midoriya and Shinso. You didn’t fail to notice the way her cheeks turned pink when you mentioned Midoriya. The two of them were so obvious.

Your friends arrived, they were late, but they came.

Apparently, there was an accident that forced them to stay back a little longer, but they managed to make it before the first bell.

“I actually have an old friend who goes there now,” Midoriya confesses out of the blue as the four of you enter the gates. You look at him in awe.

During the three years in high school that both of you had spent together, he had never mentioned any friend of his going to the U.A. academy ever.

“Why did you never tell us?” Uraraka asks.

“well, we’re not on good terms. He used to live in the same neighborhood before his parent’s business took off. He left after middle school.” Midoriya says, a slight frown forming on his face.

“Who is he?” Shinso asks.

Midoriya pauses briefly before explaining his entire history with a temperamental and rude blonde. Bakugou Katsuki, he calls him. His childhood friend. But from what you managed to gather, Bakugou was anything but a friend to Midoriya.

Bakugo was once just a simple boy, living a simple life, destined to do great things - but once his parent’s clothing line ‘Dynamite’ blew up and became mainstream, he started drowning in wealth. Bakugo moved out of his old neighborhood at the starting of high school before enrolling in U.A., just like all his rich friends.

“Maybe you should say hi,” Uraraka suggests. Midoriya’s expressions turned sheepish.

“About that…” he started. “I called him yesterday, got his number from mom, and-” he stopped.

“What did he say?” Shinso asked.

“He told me to get lost and die,” Midoriya said with a slight frown on his face, looking down.

That was your first impression of Katsuki Bakugou. For a man you had not even met, you sure loathed him.

School went smoothly for a week, everything was going great. The four of you kept your profile low, didn’t talk until spoken to, kept your distance, and everything was okay.

People often starred and whispered amongst each other when they saw you in the hallways, but that was about it. Everyone seemed to be decent but… there’s always a but.

Everything took a turn for the worse when you managed to piss off the wrong person, Bakugo Katsuki himself.

It was an honest mistake, not even that big of a deal - especially for his standards Yet, for some reason, Bakugo wanted to get under your skin.

It happened after your lunch break, you were on your way back to your classroom with an ice-cream cone fasted tightly in your hands. You mindlessly dashed through the hallways, trying your best to get back to class as fast as possible - you don’t want to be late. It’d earn you a bad reputation. You don’t need that- you don't want anything which could jeopardize your scholarship.

You walked straight and took a turn. Just by fate, you bumped into a stiff, hard chest making you wobble on your feet and sending your ice cream from your hand flying straight to the ground.

“Shit,” you cursed, looking down seeing what you had to work with.

The ice-cream cone splattered on the floor, the white creamy liquid flushed all over the floor along with staining an expensive-looking, black leather boot. A snarl comes from above you along with a group of chuckles. More expensive shoes come into your line of view as you realize you’re not alone.

You slowly bring your gaze up, ogling at who you just pissed off.

Staring back at you is a furious blonde, glaring at you with such intensity that it makes your stomach drop. It’s the infamous Bakugou Katsuki, you don’t want to deal with him.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” you don’t give him a chance to complain as you take your flight. Quickly, you try running away but a large hand grabs your forearm, stopping you dead in your tracks.

You look to the side, deep red eyes stare right back at you.

“Where are you running off to? Don’t you think you owe my friend here a proper apology?” Kirishima says, his grip on your arm growing tighter. He towers over you, his huge body trapping you with intimidation.

Going to U.A for over a week there’s a thing or two that you’ve learned about the rich, snobby brats who own the school. Not everyone is bad, a few of them are actually but the rest are just bad.

Bakugou was the worst. From how Midoriya described him, you knew for a fact he’d be a horrible person. But hell, he managed to prove himself even worse.

He was crude, mean, downright arrogant, and ignorant. Always screaming unasked opinions on top of his lungs, and gets mad whenever someone disagrees. He acts like the world revolves around him.

Bakugo had a bunch of friends who he called his “followers” and they weren’t any better.

They just watched while Bakugou ruined everything, they were there to support him.

Kirishima Eijirou the redhead, he was captain of the football team. He was a jock, brawns over brains kind of person. Girls cooed over him and his overly attractive, hot body. It looked as if he was sculpted by God himself.

Next was Kaminari Denki. He was in the school band, dating the lead singer. And yet, he managed to find time to flirt with other girls. He was the goofball of the group, dumb and stupid But he always knew what he was doing. Even though it was barely noticeable, you could always see a devious glint in those amber eyes of his.

Sero Hanta was famous for a lot of reasons. Most notably for having brought illegal drugs on the campus and skipping classes to go down to his junkie hangout spot to smoke weed. The man had no shame. Sometimes, he’d walk into the classrooms high as fuck. The teachers couldn’t do anything even if they tried, his parents practically owned the school; he owned the school. There was no going against the tall, lanky man who looked like he couldn’t even smash a bug. He held the most power and his friends sure knew how to abuse it.

Last but not least was Mina Ashido. The one and only girl member of the self-proclaimed ‘bakusquad’. Sometimes, Jirou Kyouka, the lead singer of the school, would hang out with the boys and her boyfriend, but she wasn’t a permanent member. Mina was.

In your opinion, Mina was a nightmare dressed like a daydream. With her short, pink hair and bright smile, she seemed like an angel. But she was the devil. Worse than even Bakugou, perhaps.

She knew everything about everyone, she had leverage galore: screenshots ready to leak, videos ready to ruin lives. She had them all, and frankly- she scared you the most.

Kirishima pushed you back, and Bakugo caught you by your shoulders.

“That was fucking rude,” he growled, biting his fingers into your shoulder blades tight and hard making you squeal. “Are you fucking blind or something? Fucking extra.”

“I said I’m sorry, let me go will you?” Even in such a terrifying situation, you try to remain calm.

“What do you think, Sero?” Kaminari began. Your heart sank, including Sero into anything was never a good sign.

“She ruined Bakugou’s new shoes,” he continued. Bakugou’s hold on you tightened and you winced, turning back to him and returning his glare.

“Okay, what do you want?” you give in, finally. A mischievous spark lights up in his crimson eyes as flashes a cocky smirk to his friends before turning back to you with a frown. He pushes you towards Mina and she catches you with an arm around your shoulder.

“Those were expensive, right?” she looks at you and then back at Bakugou. He grunts, nodding.

“Fuck yes, I’m pissed as hell. Some fucking extra managed to ruin it.”

You look back down to steal a glance at his heavy, leather boot. The small, white stain melted away.

“What will you do to make up for it?” Mina whispers your name and you cringe. They were teasing you. For their fun, they were making fun of you.

“What can I do?” you say, sarcastically. Prying yourself away from her hold. The crowd goes dead silent before speaking. Sero is the first one to talk.

“Lick it off.”

There’s a pause, no one speaks. Your stomach drops and your face pales at the look the five of them are giving you- it’s serious. Dead serious.

Kaminari bursts out laughing followed by Sero and the others. The four of them get a great laugh but Bakugou stares at you head-on with his grave expressions burning through your soul.

“Whatcha looking at? Do it,” he commands.

The laughing dies down and Kaminari speaks, “are you serious? You want her to lick your shoe,” he can’t control his laughter, a chuckle breaks with every word.

“Yes, I’m fucking serious. Besides, Sero recommended it,” he smirks. “Do you really want to say no to him? I don’t know so much about this but-“ he leans down close to your face, his lips ghosting the shell of your ear, “it might complicate your scholarship.”

There’s a twisted rhythm in his voice. He’s enjoying tormenting you. You still want to believe that they’re just messing around. That they’ll have their laughs and let you go, but the way Sero stares at you says otherwise.

“You don’t wanna do it?” Bakugou asks.

“Of course she doesn’t! That’s gross, oh my god.” Mina exclaims, earning a chuckle from the rest of the boys.

“Hey, let’s hear it from Sero himself.” Kirishima pats Sero’s back, pushing him forward. The five of them have circled around you, coiling you inside their venomous nest with you in the center. You turn to Sero with pleading eyes, looking up at his huge form, begging.

He smirks looking down at you, you look so tiny beneath bim. He wants to mess with you, even more, you look like a nice toy to him. He wants to play with it until he can’t.

“I guess, I did say that-” your blood runs cold, heartbeat picking up in nervousness. “-but you don’t need to do it.” He finishes. Your face lights up while the others groan in disappointment. Bakugou looks livid.

“Just know that, you’re the one who dropped the ice cream on Bakugou’s shoe and now you’re not even helping him out. That’s not very noble, is it? I don’t know if I even by mistake slipped that info back home- my parents might reconsider whether you truly deserve to be here or not. They don’t really like disrespectful kids who comprise the school’s name.”

Sero ends his speech with a wide, ear-to-ear grin, followed by a pat to your head.

“The choice is yours.”

You pause for a moment and think. Where they were really going to make you do it, where they were really going to humiliate you like this. They were. But were you willing to do it?

From Sero’s threat, you could tell he was serious, this was legit.

It wouldn’t have been the first time the school expelled someone who had beef with Sero, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. They don’t care about anyone but their loving son. They wouldn’t even think once before expelling you.

“What’s your answer, princess?” Kirishima teases.

Mina and Kaminari once again break into fits of laughter.

“What do you mean? She doesn’t have a choice here, kneel you extra.” Your heart hammers in your chest as Bakugou gestures you to kneel. You stop for a second, breathing unevenly- thinking. After a long, thoughtful sigh, you answer.

“No, I am not going to do it.” Your voice is meek yet clear. Even though you’re trembling under the heavy gazes of five snakes, you choose to stand your ground.

Bakugou glaring at you while the others boo.

“Aw, c’mon you don’t mean that.”

“Don’t be a little brat.”

Bakugou stays silent while the others continue to throw insults at you - calling you names and trying to make you regret your decision. You look straight forward into Bakugou’s cold, red eyes, searching for his next move. Your heart beats even harder in your chest with increased anxiety. After watching your torment for more than a few minutes, Bakugo decides he’s had enough of this game.

“Hey, shitty hair,” Bakugo starts. “Punch me.”

“What?” Kirishima asks, vividly shaken. “Why do you want me to hit you, Bakubro?”

“Punch me real hard, give me a black eye.” The confusion grows greater on everyone’s faces. You stare at him in awe, wondering what angle was trying to play.

Kirishima raises his hands in defense. “Woah, dude slow down there. I’m not just going to punch you.”

Bakugou clicks the roof of his tongue, letting out a sound of irritation. “You all are just dumb,” he starts.

“Imagine if this punny, little,” he leans down closer to you till his lips touch your ears and whispers your name with a crude chuckle. “Were to drop all her food over me, not apologize, punch and me then run away, that’d bring her into a whole world of trouble. Wouldn’t it?”

Bakugo’s words are calculated and sly, he knows exactly what he’s getting at when he starts. His voice fills you up with dread as he makes his accusations public.

“She would be expelled on spot and Kacchan could also raise charges,” Kaminari adds.

Your eyes widen in fear.

“Yeah, I’ll fucking do that.” Mina giggles. “That would succck,” she cheers. Your lower lip quivers as you stare at them in disbelief, your eyes open wide only to be covered with fear.

“Hey, c’mon, why are you doing this to me?” You feel them inch closer to you, their warmth leeching onto you the longer you stay surrounded by them.

“Because you have no fucking manners.” Bakugou snarls.

“Kiri, punch him. What are you waiting for? If you don’t wanna do it I will!” Kaminari cries, growing impatient.

Kirishima laughs before he charges Bakugou. Your heart hammers in your chest.

You think about your family, your future, and how disappointed everyone would be with you. Your dreams and aspirations, all were rooted in this school.

It was honestly sad, pathetic even. Your entire future was just a joke to these spoiled kids. These kids who could control you, and everyone else, with just a flick of their fingers. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the price to pay for a piece of the beautiful cake known as U.A... You resign yourself to your fate.

A piece of your mind.

“N-no, don’t do that. I-I’ll do it,” you murmured, your voice timid and weak. The five paused looking at each other with an ominous glint in their eyes. Bakugou was the first to speak.

“Well, then fucking get on with it. On your knees.” Obediently like a trained puppy, you got down onto your knees, not letting your eyes fall from Bakugou’s face. His red, fierce eyes barked at you with an unknown look, keeping you lost.

“Holy shit, she’s actually doing this,” Mina squealed watching you lean forward, bringing your face next to Bakugou’s expensive boots.

“Kaminari, record this.” Sero taps at the energetic blonde, forcing him to take his phone out and hit ‘record’. As you lean further to the ground, your short skirt rides up behind you, giving the audience a clear view of your round ass and pastel panties. The sight brings a smile to Bakugou’s face as he scoffs.

“Cute panties,” he remarks.

You jerk, trying desperately to sit back, but Bakugo stops you. Smashing his other foot on top of your shoulder, he holds you there facing the ground.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” he growls.

You squirm, almost falling under his weight and as much you hate to admit it, a tingle of excitement runs down your spine. This was turning you on.

A row of whistles flood in, the boys start teasing you and praising Bakugou.

“Lick it off,” he commands.

You look down at his leather boot, the ice cream almost melted. There’s still a bright white spot of the sweet now liquid splayed out. Even though it’s not a lot, it still makes you cringe. You peek your shy, little tongue out timidly, forcing yourself to do the heinous deed.

Bakugou watches you hesitate and pushes on your shoulder harder making you reach towards him.

You give in after a final attempt, diving into his wishes. Your wet tongue touches the rough, cold leather. You cringe after a single touch, closing your eyes and scrunching your nose at the salty taste. “Clean it all off,” he commands.

You dive back in, this time letting your tongue glide across a larger portion. The humiliation burns through your body. It makes you uncomfortably hot, mostly from anger and but a little bit of arousal.

“Nice ass.”

There it is. The excitement comes back the moment they start making suggestive comments, the attention riles you up and it’s horrible.

“Kaminari are you even supposed to be here? Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Mina asks at the blonde pervert who was currently zooming on your ass.

“Oh? We’re cool as long as I don’t stick my dick her,” he points to you. “That’s hella fucking tempting but I’m in love, dude.” He chuckles to himself, thinking about his girlfriend.

They treat you like an object, talking about you like you were some sort of a toy.

“Bet her pussy is tight,” Sero says.

Kirishima turns to Bakugou, looking at him with pleading eyes. “Yo, Bakubro, can we touch her?”

Bakugou looks on from watching you lick his boot and turns to Kirishima. A dark, unsettling gaze falls across his eyes as he speaks, “No. This one is mine.” he stares down at you.

You stop lapping on his shoe and stand back on your knees, buckling your knees you try to get up but Bakugou harshly kicks your shoulder, throwing you back and making you cry.

“Why did you do that?” you squeal, holding onto your bruised shoulder, glaring at him intently.

The rest of the group goes quiet at the display of Bakugou��s sudden violence.

He stands between your thighs, lazily resting his foot atop of your soft thighs.

“You’re fucking pathetic, you know that?” the angle you were spread out in had your skirt flipped over hips, displaying your pretty, pastel panties to everyone in the room.

Even though it’s subtle, masked by everyone’s fear of what Bakugou was planning, you still feel everyone’s gaze focused right on you and more specifically at your clothed cunt. Bakugou presses hard on your thigh making you cry.

“Useless Deku’s friends are just like him. The fucking second you walked in here, I knew you were just another useless insect for me to stomp on.” He pauses, smirking, pressing his foot onto you even harder, twisting his ankle to increase the burning sting surging across your right thigh. “And I’m doing just that.”

He steps off you for a moment, letting you catch your breath and recover from the burn. His eyesight travels lower down to your panties. He admires the cute pair you had on. Normally when he’d see girls naked, they’d dress themselves up the most luxurious to match his standards. But that’s not you, that could never be you.

He rejoices at the thought of seeing your flushed, tear-stained face breaking down under him. You’ll never be like those girls, always a step behind. He can build you up and break you however he likes, you’d have no say in it.

The power trip drives him crazy.

He presses the tip of his boot over your clothed clothed cunt, pushing the hard material right over your sensitive clit.

You gasp at the feeling, looking up at him with terrified eyes. He smirks down at you, moving his foot in a steady rhythm, rubbing the fabric of your cotton panties against your little pearl.

“This turning you on? What a freak.” The rest of his group basks in shock. They watch intently as the scene spiraled out for them, too captivated to make any comments. They just keep quiet and stare.

The way you squirm under Bakugou as he plays with your cute clit so unforgivingly makes them hot with excitement. Kaminari feels a little guilty but he blames it on his nature as a man.

Sero feels a little bad for you, they all do. But then again they wouldn’t waste the opportunity to be in Bakugou’s footsteps- literally.

“You’re a little slut, you know that?” Bakugou sneers.

Your gasps turn into whimpers as his simulation becomes harder. You clench your fists, desperately wishing it to be over. Tears brim in your eyes at the sheer humiliation of your corrupted form. This was just too much, too much for you to handle.

“Please, stop,” you beg, knowing he wouldn't listen. “I’ll report you,” you cry. A roar of laughter starts, shutting you up.

“Go for it, you do that.” Mina comments. Kaminari walks closer to you, bringing the camera down to your face recording your horrified expressions.

“We’ll just go ahead and post this online.” he threatens.

A drop of tear falls down your waterline following a waterfall. You cry, leave all of your dignity behind and cry. You beg them to stop but as your pleas mix with your moans, it’s hard for anyone to understand what you’re saying. It’s not like they don’t know what you’re asking them for, they just turn deaf, simply because they can.

Bakugou stops, he takes a step back, leaving you alone. You let out the tiniest cry when he leaves, ditching you just when you need his touch the most.

“Feels like I’m doing too much of the work, if you want it so bad, do this yourself.” He says. Your body still burns with desire, your clit still hard and cunt salivating, you are nowhere close to being done...

It’s as if something takes over and you are possessed by the dire need to cum, you do exactly as he says.

You snake your fingers down your panties, deliberately rubbing on your swollen little clit before pushing your finger into your drenched cunt. You cry out as you clench around your finger, the pleasure becoming unbearable. Your legs shake and you close your eyes shut.

You stay there on the floor, fingering yourself in the corridor, without any shame, while Kaminari records all of it.

“She’s gonna give me a hard-on,” Kirishima says and you moan.

“She really is a slut, huh?” Sero comments.

“She’s cute,” Mina adds with a smile.

Bakugou scoffs, “does Deku know how much of a whore you are?” He asks.

You don’t pay any attention to what he says, too busy bringing yourself to your climax.

“You’re getting all this right?” Mina looks over Kaminari’s shoulder and onto the phone screen which captures you beautifully losing yourself for everyone to see.

“You close?” Bakugou asks as you feel yourself clench around fingers tightly, he bends down on his and pulls your panties down your hips, admiring your precious cunt.

“Cute pussy,” he remarks before flicking your sensitive, hardened clit.

A rush of pleasure washes down your body as you cry while cumming. Bakugou pushes you right over the edge, a nasty grin screaming atop his face as he watches you. You curse at yourself for letting him see you like this, but there’s not much you can do but cry while you feel your juices gush around you before sliding down your thighs and onto the dirty floor.

It takes a second for you to calm down and when you do come to your senses, dread fills you up. Tears shamelessly fall down your face as you realize what you just did. The others laugh at you, without feeling any remorse.

Bakugou continues to stare at you with an unsettling look, while the others discuss the heinous crime you’ve just committed.

Sero looks down at you and you catch his dark eyes staring at you. A toothy grin scavenges his face as he speaks.

“Awesome,” he says as if he just finished some mediocre movie.

Finally, you find the courage to get up and run.

This was totally not awesome.

806 notes · View notes

yangrr · 4 years

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dear no one [q.kun]

⇾ pairing : qian kun x reader

⇾ summary : love is worth the wait,especially when it’s your favourite food store aunty’s grandson

⇾ wc : 2k

⇾ genre/warnings : implied soulmate! au,inspired by Tori Kelly’s Dear No One | mild swearing

+if i may add,i want to dedicate this to @nctream who has always been the writer whom i admired for the longest time.thank you for being the sweetest person i came across this hellsite,though i never actually communicate with you but you’re so incredible and i hope you know that.much love!

All your life,you’ve wanted nothing more than to meet the one,the soulmate who was allegedly entwined with your soul before your time on Earth even began ticking.Everyone has someone,it was just a matter of time before you meet them.But that was also exactly why you were impatient,counting down daily on the crossed-out boxes of your yearly calendar,most of your friends had met theirs by now.Some married,some even with kids---or just happily dating.All but you.

It sucked really.

Going to work in the wretched company every day was like a punch to the guts when everyone around you was all about love.Mrs Kim on the marketing department always showed off her vacation photos--it was always jolly and exciting,grinning faces of her twin boys seemed to mock you for your lack of relationship.And there was also Mr Lee,a young intern who was at least 4 years younger than you but had already found his one and only.

And how about Mr Park,the old bumbling guy nearing his retirement age?His sweet plump wife never forgets to pack him lunch,constantly reminding him to wear his tweed coat in case he catches a cold in the draughty security room.

What about you?No one to come home to,no one packing your lunch or was there a partner for holidays.Twenty-three pushing twenty-four with no felicity in love.Lady Luck never smiled at you much,you could say.Maybe it’s your resting bitch face,it could probably scare off the fortune bearing deity and leave her quivering in her robes.

The day was cold as it is,heavy rain started its relentless onslaught on the wooden roof of the rickety store off the main road.You were craving hot soup after work and thought it would be a good idea to drive off course to visit the dear old lady who ran the shop on her own.She was an amiable creature,forever ready to offer a radiant smile that let her old beauty trickle through.The granny would probably be one of the few people you were genuinely nice to,which explains your big chunk of discount every time you stopped by.

But it wasn’t a good idea of course.Nothing you ever did was a good idea.

Your engine couldn’t start up after running in the rain for your car.Other than damaging the leather seats of your vehicle,your heels sunk deep into the slushy mud and broke right when you yanked upwards to get it out.Groaning in frustration,your fingers latched onto the tresses of your wet hair,the half-cracking nail getting caught between them.You forgot to cut them last night,and now it had turned its head back to bite you in the arse.

The you that made your way back into the shop shocked the small-framed lady,your disheveled appearance a huge contrast to the sleek you that had left the store a few minutes ago.You probably gave her little heart the dose of pump she never needed.

“Dear,what happened?”She exclaimed,scurrying over to you with two thick towels. “You’ll have to dry off,or you’ll be sick!”

She sat you down on the chair behind the counter,while you attempted to shield your ratty image from the prying eyes of her customers.It didn’t really work though,they still locked glances on you,curious and hushed gossip brewing among the group of malevolent looking ladies who look upon you with their beady eyes.

“Come,”She urged,ushering you towards the baby blue curtains that led into the kitchen,maybe.There was a “STAFF ONLY” hanging above the entrance,and the sound of pans clanging gave it away.

“Qian Kun!”Her frail voice shrieked in Mandarin, “Qian Kun,where are you,you lazy boy,”Tugging you by the arm,she led you further into the cooking area.The smell of cooking was making your full stomach rumble again,and you once again longed for the hot herbal soup with noodles. “Are you on your phone again?”

“I’m not lazy!”Was the reply.A fairly built man emerged out of nowhere,eyebrows furrowed in confusion when his eyes rested on your straggly form. “Who’s this?The new cashier?”He queried,wiping his wet hands on the rag by the table.

You couldn't answer,your usually sharp tongue felt prickly and numb.You only stared back absent-mindedly,but he looked about as enamoured by you like you had been by him.

You knew the old lady told him something,and with the way she was yelling at him,you figured he was too zoned out to concentrate.Both of you tore your gazes away from each other when his grandmother reached up to his broad shoulders to give him a good shake.

“You never listen to me.” She grumbled,huffing indignantly. “All I told you to do is to lend them something to wear,and drop them back.”

The granny gave Kun a small shove, “Naughty boy,and you were so cute back then.”She muttered,retying her apron hastily and hurrying away to wait on the unattended counter.

“I’m still cute now.”He mumbled,looking sheepish in front of you. “I-uh-I apologise,that was embarrassing.”

“No worries.”You let out a small giggle,waving his comment off. “Your grandmother is cute.”

The corners of his mouth pulled up in an amused smile,while he gestured for you to follow him. “I hope you can fit into my granny’s clothes,they are a little old-fashioned but I think you can make it work.”

The door behind the pantry led up to a stairway of wooden steps,and then into a fairly warm lounge.There was a small couch,and a bed accompanied with a shelf of books and board games.You supposed that this could be their resting place of some sort when they closed temporarily for the day,lunch break, or whenever someone feels a little out of it.

“This place looks really comfortable.”You remarked,shifting your black button-up from sticking onto your skin.It clung on like leeches,making this whole ordeal more unpleasant than it already is.The nail was giving you excruciating pain,the shard of the broken end digging vehemently into your fingertips.

“It is,my granny made sure it’s the best condition so all the employees would feel comfy here.” Kun rummaged in the closet to the left of the bed,fishing out a pair of loose black pants and a plain white tee. “Here,she didn’t leave any shirts here,but I hope you’re okay with mine.”

You nodded thankfully,reaching out to take them from him.The shirt smelled nice,your nose picking up on the lavender-scented detergent wafting from the material.

“Then I’ll drive you home?” The warm tone of his voice felt homely, sending hot waves across your body,making you feel like a lightheaded teenager talking to their crush for the first time,tongue heavy with nerves.But yet at the same time,the attraction that bloomed in your chest felt more matured and controlled than the seventeen-year-old you,age muffling the lovesick squeals that you would’ve let out when you’re alone in your room.

You had felt something when you first landed eyes on him,a familiar feeling stemming that made it impossible to wound your mind around.Maybe it was your affection deprived self that was being delusional,and it would pass like one of your many fleeting crushes.

But you couldn’t help but let your mind wander,thinking about what if he was the one you’ve been waiting for?

If there was a chance to hit the pause button,you would, in half a heartbeat.The quiet fragments of conversation shared brought you a sense of ease that you’ve never felt in a long time,with white noises and soft tunes of guitar strumming playing from the car radio was almost ethereal.The drizzle of the rain incorporated flavour to the moment like the topping to your favourite dessert,it was the perfect addition that completed the time shared.

“I’ll drop by tomorrow to return the clothes.”You said,unbuckling the seatbelt as he stopped in the lobby of your apartment complex.

“Alright,I guess I’ll see you tomorrow again?”Kun smiled,the kind that made your organs go mushy and all gooey,like someone stuck a ladle in you and began to stir aggressively.

“For sure!Thank you for the lift.” You limped out of the car slowly,careful to not cause more impairment to your shoes.You didn’t fancy going up the elevator looking like someone ran you over with a truck,but there wasn’t much of an option.

All you could think of that night were Qian Kun and his calloused fingers,deep timbre voice and gentle smiles.Maybe you were going crazy,but again,there wasn’t much of an option either.

“You seem very happy today.” Mrs Kim from the marketing team mentioned,the cheerful grin almost blinding you.You couldn’t help but spot the striking resemblance of the smile to her sons.Now,it suddenly appeared more kind and less scornful than you thought,and you felt a little bad for always being grouchy towards her.You realised it was nothing but your loneliness coming into play,and you would even admit that you were envious of her happy family life. “Had a great day yesterday?”

“Not really,no,”You told her. “But I guess it wasn’t all that bad.”

So the tales of yesterday’s misfortunes came pouring out of you,from the dreaded engine to the antagonising broken nail,Mrs Kim was more than shocked to see the unconscious tug of your lips upwards.

“And you’re still smiling after all that?”She laughed. “I’m gonna say that you met someone.”

Your eyes widened a bit,trying to cough it off. “I didn’t!It was just the store owner’s grandson.”

“So there is someone?”Mrs Kim waggled her eyebrows at you. “You cannot hide from me,child.That’s the face of an infatuated person.”

The bell jingled when you pushed open the glass door.Stepping in,you opened your mouth to greet the granny like usual,but was met with an unknown face gaping at you.It was a boy,around a few years younger,round marble eyes curious yet welcoming.His booming tone greeted you,far too much enthusiasm for your liking.

“Hello,welcome!What would you like today,miss?We have chicken noodle soup for today’s special and--,”

“Lucas,please stop talking so loudly.”Kun’s voice reverberated from behind the thin curtains. “You’re gonna scare all the customers on your first day.”

“I’m here to see Kun.”You spoke to the giant of a human,glancing swiftly at the kitchen entrance,slightly intimidated by his tall stature.He gave you a quick once-over,looking a bit confused.

“Are you his girlfriend?”He questioned,shooting you a broad smirk. “Kun ge is so lucky,I’m--”

“Lucas,what’s taking so long?”Kun appeared again like the first time you met him,drying his damp hands on a small rag. “Oh!”

“Oh,indeed.”Lucas said,mischief written all over his face. “Is this your girlfriend,gege?Should I let granny know about this?”

Kun scowled at him,murmuring something along the lines of ‘if you don’t shut up,I’ll make sure you don’t have a job by the end of today.’

“Hey.”

You passed him the neatly packed parcel, “I’ve washed everything.Thank you again for being so kind to me.”

“I say this calls for a celebration.” Lucas interrupted,peeking from behind the cash register. “Kun,remember that sushi place you wanted to try out?The one near the local university.”

Kun hummed, “What celebration?”

“That someone is finally into you for the first time in twenty-four years?You should appreciate this effort made by this very beautiful individual.”

“Would you kindly shut the fuck up?”Kun hissed,the frown intensifying.

“Well,if you need someone to go with,I know a person who would very much like to.”You interjected,growing more bashful by the second.

“Great!Now you two settle between yourselves.I’ve got work to do!”Lucas said brightly,darting away.

Kun smiled,tucking his phone away in his pocket,glittering irises not leaving yours.

“I’ll call you.” He promised,and somewhere in you just knew he would.

And as you made your way out of the store,the keen sense in your being told you that something very special was about to begin.

Good things truly do come to those who wait,after all.

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domesticblisss · 3 years

Text

By My Side

Timothy Thatcher x Female Reader (Nicknamed ‘Baby’) Rating: PG-13 Word Count: 910 Warnings: Angst. Language, mentions of alcohol. Inspired by INXS’ song, By My Side.

It is funny how their paths never crossed in the US. They worked on the same promotions, had the same friends circle but never met each other. She always heard “Oh, you’ll love Tim! Can’t believe you’ve never met each other”, Tim always heard “You gotta meet Baby. You two have so much in common!”.

She hated being called “Baby” and never understood where it came from. Only finding out years later it was Chuck Taylor’s fault. Being really close friends, he considered her like a baby sister, and always talked about her like that, which ended up sticking in their circle of friends.

Both of them went to Germany at the same time, Tim sticking to it part time and Baby full time. They met a couple of months later, after Axel almost dragging them out with him to the bar after a show. “Wow, I can’t believe I’m finally meeting the famous Tim Thatcher!” she exclaims after Axel introduces them both. Tim’s cheeks tinges in pink with the compliment, saying “Your reputation really proceeds, Baby. You do look like a babe.” as he shakes her hand. She looks at him straight in the eyes, tells him to shut the fuck up and both of them laugh.

The night ends at Axel’s place, with Tim and Baby having to take care of one very obnoxiously drunk Junior. Not wanting to finish things like that, they raid Junior’s fridge for beers, getting to know each other until the sun rises.

They can’t exactly pinpoint when their relationship started getting serious, seeing each other constantly and spending days at a time at the other’s place, soon they rented their own little space.

Baby and Tim were inseparable. Friends get togethers, family weddings, tours, they even made sure they had their vacations at the same time. They did everything together. If you were to ask what her favourite part of it all was, she would say “The intergender matches! I get to kick his ass. I broke his nose twice already. The truth is, anything that lets him be by my side is my favourite.” and Tim’s answer would be something on the likes of “When we’re at home, lying in bed after a hard match, especially after it’s one she kicks my ass. Honestly, anything that lets her be by my side is my favourite.”

NXT came and changed landscape of independent wrestling, having Tim’s friends leave one by one. First was Alex, then Axel and, lastly, Walter. Not long after, it was Baby’s turn, something that took Tim by surprise. “Baby, you can’t be serious. Are you really considering on accepting it?” “Tim, I already did.” “What do you mean you already did? Were we going to discuss this?” he asks as stops her from getting her suitcase. “We did! You know I did the tryout, you took me there! We’ve talked countless times about how this is my dream. Besides, I’m not getting any younger, Tim. I need stability. I don’t know for how long I’ll still be able to do it. Come with me. You have an open door there, you know they love you! They keep calling all the time and you should’ve been there ages ag— “ “I never thought you would get it”, Tim interrupts her. “Excuse me?!” “I never thought you would get it. I never thought you would get in WWE.” She can’t control her emotions anymore and tears starts spilling down her face. Seeing her reaction, Tim tries to hug her. “I’m sorry doll, I didn’t mean it like th— “ “Don’t touch me. I don’t care what you meant, not after this. I’ll get my shit and take my loser ass out of your way. Thanks for the last three years of my life, they were the best.”

Baby has been in NXT for nearly a year now, meeting great people, making new friends, and improving her skills. It has also been nearly a year since the last time she talked to Timothy. All the information she gets on him are bits and pieces provided by Junior when his mouth gets the best of him.

One day, around the fifth month, Axel tells her that Tim always asks how she has been doing. “What do you tell him?” she asks the german man as she sets down her phone. “Well, I told him the truth. That you were pretty shaken up when you got here, but that you are fine now, that you’re laughing again.” “Okay.” “He asked about you yesterday. Asked if you were seeing anyone...” “What did you tell him?” “The truth.” “Fine.” The truth is that she hadn’t been with anyone ever since the sudden break up. She has had the opportunity, but she was also sure that they would be together forever.

Baby is running late this morning. The new NXT recruits are getting announced today and she’s excited to see who her new co-workers are. “God, what took you so long? Come here, Regal has already introduced them to us!” exclaims one very excited Dakota Kai, dragging her by the hand to the main room of the Performance Centre. “Geez, good morning to you too Kota.”

They arrive to the ring and it’s like time stops. She can hear Dakota’s voice introducing her to Karrion as background noise. Baby lets go of Kai’s hand and goes straight to the second new guy.

“Welcome to NXT, Thatcher.”

→

#timothy thatcher x reader #timothy thatcher imagine #wrestling imagine #DB Writes

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hoodharlow · 4 years

Text

Going the Distance

Inspired by @aestheticcalhood on ig (bolded is was she tweeted) and this. Some of y’all be mad that our mans cut his hair again. Dejalo if he likes it then he likes it. This was originally going to be about the G’Day USA event, but I rewrote it lol

Summary: Cal somehow convinced Sol’s dad into letting her travel to Australia with him and the boys for the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert. Actions then show, how they’ll go the distance for each other.

Word count: 5.3k words

Warnings: Some smut I wasn’t planning on writing lol

maybe angst??

Enjoy <3

“That was wild. Sandy from Grease hugged me. I can’t believe she just confirmed that me, Sol Mariana Gutierrez-Solano, is cute. I mean obvio, but Olivia fucking Newton-John called me cute.” I blabbed to Cal when we got to the hotel room.

We were going to stay with Cal’s mom, Joy, but since she lives on the other side of Sydney, it would be a waste of time driving back and forth from her house to the main part of Sydney. Cal held the door open for me to enter. Before going in, I held onto his shoulder as I kicked off my boots.. But Cal made sure to wake me up when Alice Cooper was performing, so we can go watch him out with the crowd. He told me to stay down there while they performed, so he can just come back and watch Queen right after.

“When was that? Because you were asleep everytime I would go over and check on you.” He teased without looking at his phone. Earlier today we were at the Fire Fight Australia, FFA, benefit concert. Cal and Joy picked me up from the airport and drove us straight to the stadium where the concert was being held because they had sound check. The second we got to their greenroom I passed out on one of the many couches.

“It’s not my fault I can’t sleep during flights, so I’ve been up for over 16 hours. On top of that I pulled all nighters the past few nights to get my school shit done, so I can enjoy some days in Australia. Because my best friend somehow convinced my overprotective dad to let me cross the Pacific Ocean for a few days just as I settled into spring semester.” I argued while trying to pull off my‒Cal’s jacket off. I sat on the floor and pulled out some sweats, also Cal’s, to change into.

On the drive to the stadium he had me change into their Friends of Friends merch to promote while I walked around. Olivia also thought my t-shirt was cute too so...

After a few seconds of silence, I looked back at Cal, and he was still on his phone. I drowned the pang of jealousy that crossed my heart, thinking that he was talking to someone. Though it’s been months since he talked to someone.

Luke casually mentioned it to me, a few days before they left for Sydney, when Crystal asked us about our, the bands plus me, Valentine’s Day plans.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling and pausing every three seconds to read whatever he was looking at. I watched his frown deepen. I know that look on his face. It happens when he’s over thinking something, like when he can’t get the right line for a song.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked with concern.

“Do you think I made a mistake?” Cal ran his hand over his freshly cut hair.

“With what?” I asked, sitting next to him.

“Buzz cutting my hair.” He looked up at me. I looked down at his phone. From what I could read, there’s a bunch of fans tweeting that they wanted the curls back and were upset that he cut them. They’re still not over it? They had the same response a few weeks ago at the G’Day USA event.I anonymously went off on a few Tumblr accounts that complained about his hair the day after the event. They cared more about his hair than the fact that he was being selfless and spent his birthday rehearsing his butt off to perform for a benefit concert that hit close to home.

Malagradesidas, they can’t appreciate shit.

“I still can’t believe you keep going to my cousin, so he can cut it.” I said, trying to lighten up his mood.

“You said he’s in barber school.” He replied defensively.

“For three years,” I pointed out to him. He was about to say something, but I continued, “it’s a ten month program. They still have him work with the mannequin heads. I’m surprised your head is still attached.”

“Sol , jokes aside, what do you think of it?” He asked, the question heavy with insecurities.

“Honestly?” I asked. On my knees, I got behind him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he held onto my arms. I try not to think of the heat he’s giving off and how that makes me feel some typa way.

Then I finally say, “ From a fan’s perspective, I think that we should stop worrying about your hair. We should acknowledge the fact that you’re more happy and confident with yourself, which should be all that matters. Personally, I fucking love it. I mean it really suits your current style and vibe. Sure you looked good with curls, can’t deny the facts,the buzz-cut just represents how you’ve matured and grown as an artist.”

“Really?” Cal asked quietly, a little surprised that I told him all of that, but at the same time he sounded relieved that I did.

“Pinky swear.” I held out my pinky to him, so he can interlocked his.

After a few minutes I unwrapped my arms from him and laid down near the nightstand. I reached for the room service menu on the nightstand. Cal followed suit. He tapped my legs, so he can rest in between them as I rubbed his head.

This kinda became our thing. It started when they were touring with the Chainsmokers, and their team asked me to go on tour with them. That summer I interned at their management's studio shadowing one of their music producers that helped produce their CALM album. They wanted me to get a feel of what touring was like and other aspects of the music industry, for the future, and to add to my resume. I agreed, much to my dad’s dismay because it meant taking a semester off.

Anyways, one day while the boys waited until they had to go back on stage and perform ‘Who Do You Love,’ there were no open seats for Cal to sit, so it kinda just happened. Luke had a field day when it first happened. Because I may have accidentally called him drunk, crying about how I have hella feels for Cal, when I meant to call my cousin, Lucas. After that I changed Lucas to Pelucas.

“I’m hungry. What’s a Halal snack box?” I asked. The only thing I recognized on the menu was fish and chips.

“They’re similar to carne asada fries, but Middle Eastern.” He explained. He pushed himself up and rested his head on my nonexistent boobs, pushing my shirt up with him. I try to ignore the heat one of his arms is giving off as he’s resting it on the exposed part of my stomach.

“That sounds good.”

“You’re going to eat that at,” he lifted his head to look at the alarm clock, “2 in the morning?” He asked, looking up at me.

“Yeah, it’s not like I never eat at one am. I am a college student.” I shrugged. I reached over to grab the phone and order it, but half with no meat for Cal.

The lady told me that they will send it up in fifteen. Cal went to get his laptop, so we could finish watching Nailed It! France. We were facetime watching it while I was at the airport yesterday. Today? A few days ago? Honestly, I’m not sure what day it is.

“You actually got it done.” Cal said as he crawled over me.

“What?”

“Your ‘whetu’ tattoo.” He said, rubbing the tattoo over with his thumb. I wonder how his thumb would if he were to rub my cli-

“Yeah, I was in Guadalajara with my cousins. Kenny’s girlfriend’s brother is a tattoo artist. I was like fuck it and got it done. Plus, I’m able to hide it. You know my dad.” I said, pulling down my shirt. I was basically showing him my bralette covered my nonexistent boobs to him.

We both got our nicknames tattooed. On good days I like calling him ‘frutita’ which means little fruit in Spanish because kiwi is a little fruit. Mama Hood was actually the first one to call me ‘whetu,’ which is star in Maori. Then Cal started to call me that just to tease me, but it kinda stuck. The nickname played out well because my name is literally sun in Spanish. I had planned on getting it tattooed on my ankle, but I love wearing rolled up jeans. So it became a big no because my dad would have murdered me, so I went with getting it on my rib like Cal did.

“How did you manage to get it done? You’re the most ticklish person I know.”

“I had like six Palomas in my system and didn’t feel shit. I could get run over again and not feel anything.”

“I still can’t believe you walked to school after getting hit by a car.” Cal said, shaking his head; once again moving my shirt up.

In the beginning of my summer internship Cal made a comment on how I'm always on time to things. I casually brought up that I'm so punctual that I got run over while I was walking to school my senior year, but I quickly got up and continued walking. I made it to my math class before the warning bell rang. In my defense the car had left, and I was doped up on adrenaline.

“I had a test for IB Math HL, and it was critique day in IB Art. I couldn't not go."

"You're insane."

"But you love me." I smiled, rubbing his hair once more.

A few minutes later we heard a knock on the door. Cal went to retrieve our food while I went to the bathroom to change into the sweats I left out earlier.

He came back after a couple of minutes. "Sorry that took a bit. The lady’s daughter was a fan and asked for a picture.”

“Oh that’s sweet of you." I said, reaching over for the tray of food.

We ate in silence, occasionally laughing at the contestants’ misfortunes. I’m not sure how, but I ended up cuddling with Cal. I sat between his legs with my back to his chest. One of his arms was casually wrapped around me. I felt his chest rise and fall every time he laughed when the main judge would make a face at what the contestants were doing. After two episodes, I stopped paying attention to the show. I started to get jittery and moved around trying to get comfortable. I accidentally hit a bump on Cal’s thigh, and he let out a moan in my ear sending shivers down my body. I turned around to look at him. My eyes glanced down at his lips. Then I looked up and met his eyes. I did the unthinkable and kissed him.

I pulled away seconds later.

“What the fuck Sol?” Cal asked, pushing me away. .

Ya me chingue.

I swallowed hard, "I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have um, I’m sorry."

"Yeah, you shouldn’t have. Look, I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed. Let’s just pretend nothing happened." He mumbled past me.

Nomás que chilles, I told myself.

I wanted the bed to swallow me whole. I curled up in a ball on the bed near the edge, but not too close to the edge where I could fall, nor close enough to Cal. I covered myself with my blanket.

Cal came out a few minutes later and got under the covers on his side. A blanket of tension and awkwardness covered us.

In a matter of minutes, Cal was out cold. That was when I let out my silent tears.

I'm an idiot. This shit would happen to me.

I spent the whole night going over every single thing Cal has ever done for me. From defending me when some of his fans called me a clout chaser because I posted a picture with him at the beach after a long night in the studio. To flying my dad out to spend my birthday with me in the middle of their tour. To now, how he somehow convinced me my presence here was crucial for the success of the band. I stupidly let myself catch feelings for him.

Some time in the middle of the night Cal reached over and pulled me to his chest in his sleep. I carefully lifted his arm off me and switched with a pillow.

I couldn't stand being in bed with him and got up. I went over to the couches and started working on my paper for my philosophy class. It wasn't due until a few weeks from now, but I needed to occupy my brain on something other than Cal.

Cal's alarm rang, jostling him awake. From the corner of my eye I watched as he looked confused at the pillow and got up. He grabbed some denim jeans and his infamous sensations t-shirt from his suitcase and went into the bathroom.

I heard a knock on the door and begrudgingly went to see who it was.

"Hey. Why aren't you ready?" Luke greeted.

"I forgot about this extra credit thing that's due before midnight. Because attendance is part of my grade, I need all the points I can get with all these absences."

"Oh, well you better be ready later. We are going to that deli cult later today." He said.

"Yellow Deli is not a cult, cult. It's just a chain of restaurants that play folk music." I defended my favorite place in my home town.

While touring I would wander off to the Yellow Delis if they were close to the arena. After their show in San Diego, Cal and I detoured to the one in my hometown on our way to LA. My goal is to visit every single one around the world.

"Hey." Cal said behind me.

"I should get back to work. Have fun." I replied, avoiding Cal's gaze.

"Bye, Sol."Luke said, waving as Cal pushed him out.

You poor obvious soul, Luke.

I couldn't concentrate on the conclusion for my paper, so I hopped in the shower. I changed into some shorts and a backless tank top.

I quickly called home to check in. I almost lost it when my dad started telling me how proud he was that I’m following my dreams and that I have good friends here to support me.

I really want to go home. I could ask my dad, but I don’t know how to tell him that I made a complete fool of myself and let my feelings get the best of me. He was the one to teach me not to let my feelings get the best of me.

I checked my messages and there's a bunch from Luke asking what happened between Cal and me. He even quoted Shawn Mendes because he 'could cut the tension with a knife.' The last one I read was that they couldn’t do Yellow Deli because they have an interview later today. I tossed my phone on the couch.

Tiredness finally hit me, letting me doze off. When I woke up, I heard Cal in the bathroom talking to someone.

“I’ve missed you too, love… I can’t wait to see you...” He said to whoever he was talking to.

I took a deep breath and got up to where my backpack was. I pulled on my airpods and scrolled through cooking videos on IGTV because I didn’t want to hear the rest when he got out. I pretended not to see Cal when he walked out of the bathroom in just his pants.

I glued my eyes to my phone watching Martha Stewart make some caramelized mustard-marmalade wings. The wings actually looked good. That’s coming from a lemon pepper wings lover. It’s been a minute since I’ve had wings.

“Sol.” Cal patted my leg, startling me and causing me to drop my phone on my face.

“Jesus, Cal.”

“Sorry, I er. Can you help me pick out a shirt?” He asked.

In less than 24 hours this dude really rejects me without having a mature talk about it and now asks me to help him pick out a shirt for his date later.

“Yeah, um, what shoes are you wearing?”

If you were to look up clown in the dictionary, my face would be the picture they provide you with.

The guys came by to get Cal for their interview. Luke had tried to convince me to go with them, but I easily played off that I wasn’t feeling well. It was a believable lie, they know about my sensitive stomach, especially when it comes to flavorless cardboard that’s trying to pass as Tex-Mex food.

I spent a good 30 seconds making a pros and cons list on why I should stay. Couldn’t think of a pro other than I can say that I’ve been to Australia. Everything else I came up with was in the cons part. Then and there I decided to book a flight back to LA.

Was it immature that I was running from my problems? Yes, but I need to clear my head. I also need to start distancing myself from Cal, for the sake of salvaging our friendship.

After spending an hour with Chase, letting them know that it was me in Australia, and that I wanted to buy a plane ticket, they still needed a few days to process and make sure it really is me. I ended up calling my cousin.

“Pelucas, can you do me a favor?” I asked.

“Hey, baby, what’s the matter? How’s the land down under? Have you met any of the Hemsworth brothers?”

“Can you book me a flight? The minute I land, I’ll venmo you the money. I can’t be here anymore.” I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking, but failing miserably.

“Yeah, everything alright?” He asked.

“Um, not really but I’ll tell you about it when I get home.”

I stayed with him until he booked the flight. It leaves tomorrow after 11 in the morning. I started fixing my duffle bag. I stared at the pile of clothes I left neatly folded on the couch. It took everything in me not to put Cal’s clothes, the ones I had collected after he would let me borrow them, in my bag. What I did keep was his Empathy hoodie he lost to me in a bet.

I couldn’t fully leave him all away.

Luke came by to check in with me and told me that Cal was with his cousins and might come home late. That part of me was slightly relieved that he didn’t end up going on a date.

When Cal came back, showered and went to bed while I pretended to sleep.

Around six in the morning, I quickly changed into jeans and slipped on my shoes. I left Cal a note with some bullshit excuse about school.

Fourteen excruciating hours later, I was in LA. After getting my bags, I went to the Chase atm and took out $500 for Lucas. He was waiting for me at the loading zone. I quietly climbed in his car.

“Here, baby,” He said, handing me his Starbucks cup, “from the look on your face, you need it more than me.”

“Thanks.” I mumbled taking a small sip. I almost gagged from how sweet it was.

“So…”

“Oh, here. I’ll give you the rest later. The atm only lets me get out $500 at a time.” I said putting the money in the cup holder.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know, can we talk later? I just want to get some sleep.”

“Okay, baby.”

We got back to our apartment in less than 40 minutes. I silently went into my room. I quickly showered and slipped on my cloud pajamas and Cal’s Empathy hoodie before climbing onto bed.

I haven’t even bothered checking my phone since letting my dad know that I’m coming back early. When I turned it on, I was flooded with twenty missed calls from Cal and a bunch of texts from the guys asking why I left. Turning it back off, I went to sleep.

Hours later a pounding on the door woke me up. If Santos, my neighbor’s ex boyfriend, is drunk again and causing another scene, I won’t hesitate to call the police. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost two in the afternoon. Oops.

“Sol, open the door. Your cousin just told me you’re here when I saw him in the parking lot.” Cal called from the otherside.

Pinche Lucas.

I walked over and unlocked the door. He let himself in.

“You have some fucking nerve, Sol. After I fly you out-”

“If you’re mad about the money I can Venmo it to you.” I snapped at him.

“I could care less about that. You can’t just leave the country without telling me!”

“Honestly, Cal, if you flew across the Pacific Ocean just you yell at me, get out.”

“You’re acting childish. You kissed me and you ran away, plain and simple, Sol. We agreed to put it behind us.”

“No, you practically demanded that we do. I can’t just put it behind me. I would be lying to myself about how I feel about you if I did.” I said, my voice cracking at the end. I turned away, embarrassed that I’m crying in front of him.

“Luke called me an idiot.” He said after a few minutes passed. “Even called me out on my bullshit. I spent most of the flight thinking about what he said, and I think he’s right.”

“What did he say?” I asked quietly.

“That I’m a coward. Apparently, it’s obvious as fuck to everyone, how I feel about you, but me.” He chuckled to himself, but continued. “I was… am afraid of these feelings I have for you. Not because of you, but because I never felt anything like it. Your kiss caught me off guard, so I did what I always do; push people away. What I didn’t expect was for you to also push me away. When I woke up and saw that you were missing I freaked out. Then I saw my clothes that I gave you on the couch and got angry at myself. For being an idiot.”

“I love you, Cal.” The words escaped my lips, like they had a mind of their own.

"Yeah?” He asked. I slowly nodded. "I love you as well. Can I kiss you properly?"

I grabbed his face and met his lips with mine. This time the kiss was perfect. Cal pushed me against a wall, deepening the kiss. We fought for dominance, but I let him have it. He descended from my jaw down to my neck.

"Bedroom." I panted as he continued kissing all over my neck.

He pulled away and led me to my room. He pushed off all of my things from the bed. I climbed onto the bed. Cal slipped off his shirt before joining me. I reached down to remove his hoodie, but he stopped me.

"Keep it. I want you to ride me with it on." He whispered in my ear before lightly biting it. I moaned before I pulled his lips back to mine. Without breaking the kiss, he spread my legs to fit between them. I felt him harden against my thigh as he grinded himself on to me.

"Do you want me to eat you out or skip all of that and just go for it?" He asked, pulling away from me.

"Um..."

“Yeah?”

All I can do is nod.

I kissed him once more before tugging on his sweats. I desperately want to make a comment on his lack of underwear, but Cal manages to take off my pajamas. I only realized when he pushed aside my panties and two of his fingers teased my entrance before entering me. I let out an embarrassing moan earning a snort from Cal. He tried gripping my hip with his other hand, but his hoodie kept getting in the way.

“This is so fucking annoying.” He mumbled. He pulled off his hoodie while he continued moving his fingers at a delicious pace.

“Holy shit, Sol.” He groaned in my ear. I’m about to come by him just groaning my nickname.

Cal hovered over me. He leaned down again, meeting my lips. His hands sync up with his lips as they wander down my body. Fingers deftly run over my breasts as his lips follow kissing down my breasts. He continued his journey, kissing down to where I wanted him the most.

Cal slowly peeled off my panties and situated himself in between my thighs. He put my thighs over his shoulders and slowly kissed up my thigh.

“Cal, please.” I begged.

“Please what?” He teased as he smirked.

One of his hands wandered to my entrance, and in a teasing manner he rubbed me right where I wanted him to fuck me. Fuck, I need him in me so bad.

“Cal, I fucking swear. Please.” I moaned.

That’s when I felt him taste me; his tongue slowly circled my clit. I lay there frozen. I couldn’t look away. He met my gaze as his ring and middle entered me while he continued to have me with his tongue.

“Cal!” I cried in pleasure as I came undone.

Cal unwrapped my legs from his shoulders. I pushed him off me. I reached down to the little door on my nightstand and grabbed a tampon box where I hid my condoms and tossed him one. He quickly opened it and slid it on.

Cal teased me as he rubbed himself on my folds. I whined, slightly sensitive to what he did to me a minute ago, but ready to have him in me.

If he doesn't do something, I will push him off and get myself off.

Cal grabbed my hips, slowly pushed himself in; he filled me completely. He looked at me, probably gauging my reaction. I nodded and he began to move; it took me a few seconds to adjust to him.

My hands gripped his arms, and I lifted my hips to meet each of his thrusts. Cal’s grip on my hips tightens as he met my thrusts in slower, rougher and deeper movements just how I like it. After a few minutes, I grew tired and let him continue thrusting into me. Cal reaches a spot that sends chills all over my body. Our lips met again, and they have the same urgency as his thrusts. I started to feel my orgasm coming closer. One of his thrusts caught me off guard, and I clenched around him. It caused him to stop his movements and softly groan a curse into my shoulder.

“Cal, I’m-”

“I know, ” He groaned. “I got you, Sol.”

He started thrusting into me again, but this time in fast yet deep strokes. My orgasm took me by

surprise. I yelled out Cal’s name. He lifted his head and smirked.

After my high fades away, he continued to have me like before: slow and rough. A few minutes later, his thrusts grew sloppy, he’s about to come.

“Cal.” I managed to groan as I clenched around him again. He’s really gonna make me come again, and I haven’t recovered from the first one.

“Shit, come for me.” And I did. Cal thrusted a few more times before I felt him release in the condom. He pulled out, and collapsed next to me. Our breathing is loud and heavy, like we just ran a marathon.

“You’re incredible,” he panted, pulling off the condom and throwing it in the bin.

“I know.” I shrugged. He playfully rolled his eyes at me. I gave him a quick peck before I got out of his bed. He rolled over and grabbed my hand, stopping me.

“Where are you going?”

“The bathroom,” I snorted, picking up his hoodie, “I’ll be right back.”

I went into the bathroom and quickly did my business. Before putting on his hoodie, I stared at myself in the mirror. Cal left marks on my hips from where he was grabbing me. He left some hickies around my neck and collarbone. Those are going to be a bitch to cover up. I wonder if I left him any.

I walked out, and he’s just in grey sweatpants. If he asked, I would be ready for round two.

“Are you gonna come to bed or just stare at me?” Cal asked.

I rolled my eyes and walked over. I got in a comfortable spot on the bed as Cal opened my legs so he could rest on my chest. I ran my fingers over his hair.

“I miss this hoodie.” He said after a few minutes of silence. I was so close to falling asleep.

“You lost that fair and square. Who bets that they can out swim a nationally ranked swimmer?” I asked as a matter of fact.

“You cheated.” He accused.

“No, I didn’t. Not my fault that you never asked about my swimming experience.” I countered.

“No wonder you were so confident in betting your dad’s Mustang.”

“Yet you still bet you could win.”

“I love you,” he mumbles sleepily.

“I love you too,” I reply.

“I was talking to my hoodie.”

“Cal?”

“Yeah?”

“Go to sleep.”

Later that day, I woke up to an empty bed. My heart sank when I stupidly reached over to where Cal slept last night. Ugh, he probably regretted it and is trying to figure out a way to not make this awkward between us. Hell, I bet he’s on a plane back to Sydney.

I heard a crash from the kitchen and Cal cursing. I walked out to see what was the commotion.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. I wanted to make chi-lakes for you and bring them to bed.” Cal said, his cheeks lightly flushed. He was really gonna make me chilaquiles.

“Oh,” I managed to say. Okay, fuck those the thoughts I just had.

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you added the tortilla chips before or after the sauce.”

“I’ll make them.” I pushed him away and got another pan. I moved the Costco bag of tortilla chips out of my sight. “Tortilla chips, really? My abuela would have hit you with a wooden spoon if she saw you. Chilaquiles are trash if you make them with tortilla chips.”

“Well, you’re out of tortillas.”

“Nevermind then. What do I have?” I asked.

“We can Postmates something.”

“Fine.” I said.

I could convince him to get Roscoe’s. I’ve been craving it for weeks.

“Roscoe’s? I really want some waffles.” He suggested, showing me his screen.

“Yes, please.” I smiled

Cal quickly ordered our usual, the Big Mama Special and a side of waffles for him and Herb’s

Special with a side of mac and cheese for me.

While we waited, he’d taken us to the couch. At first we were just watching the Kids Baking Championship, but I’m now sitting on his lap, sans hoodie, dealing with his never ending teasing because Cal can’t keep it in his hands to himself.

“Stop that, that shit fucking tickles.” I laughed as he blew raspberries on my ribs.

“Hey… shit, those are Sol’s tits.” I heard Lucas’ boyfriend say, then the door slammed.

“On fucking god, Sol, if you’re both having sex in the couch.” Pelucas yelled from outside. Cal and I couldn’t stop giggling.

#calum hood imagine #calum hood #calum hood blurb #calum hood smut #calum hood fanfic #calum hood fanfiction #aestheticcalhood #yellow deli

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purplesurveys · 3 years

Text

1128

[created by: pinkchocolate]

When was the last time you were surprised, in a pleasant way? Wednesday when Bea had food delivered to my house. One of our clients was hosting a roundtable session and our task was to order food to be delivered to the attendees’ house, and it turns out she snuck in an order for me as well.

It was super touching and I tried to do a nice deed yesterday by getting food for her as well; but as I mentioned on my previous survey, I got paired with a scammer delivery guy instead who ended up stealing my order...that I already paid for... :( It was such a flop and I ended up having to give away the surprise to Bea since I had to check if she received it, and that’s when I learned she never got anything. I’ll try again next week or whenever I get my money refunded, hahaha.

What color was the last fruit or vegetable that you ate? Green (green onion).

Is there a compliment you've received, that sticks in your mind? I like it whenever I’m told I write well, since that’s my main talent and it’s always nice to be complimented on my skills.

The last time you received a gift, what did the wrapping paper look like? I have no idea but probably red/green and holiday-themed since it most likely had been a Christmas gift.

What was the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? Not reading anything.

If so, what did you specifically like about it?

Anyone you haven't talked to in a while, that you'd like to hear from? Not really. It’d be cool to hang out with Sofie again because I haven’t seen her since our little trip to Nasugbu, but I’m not necessarily waiting on a message from them.

When you were a kid, did you own any accessories with your name on? Probably a bracelet.

Do you own any items of clothing that you haven't yet worn? Yup. I got a yellow romper from one of my aunts for Christmas, but I haven’t had the chance to wear it yet. It’s short and airy, so I’ll probably pull it out once the climate gets warmer again.

Were you awake before 8am today? Yeah, I got up at 4:30 earlier even though I fell asleep at like midnight. I think my body understands that my brain wants me to get as little sleep as possible during weekends so I can maximize my free time, so it woke me up by then.

Is there any food in your house at the moment, that you're looking forward to eating? I still have some of the chicken wings that Bea ordered for me. She got such a huge order and it’s taking me forever to finish the damn box of wings lol.

Is there anyone you know who dislikes the Internet, technology etc.? My grandma refuses to learn how to use a phone or laptop. Which confuses me because usually she’ll ask my mom to relay a message to one of her friends who are on Facebook, and my mom ends up playing messenger. Like pls just get at least a Facebook account if you want to keep keeping in touch with your acquaintances anyway :(((

Name any item in your bedroom that is blue. Trying to remember what’s in my room since I’m currently staying in the living room...and I think I have push pins that are blue.

Is there an ice-cream flavor that you strongly dislike? Which one? Rocky road and Double Dutch. Marshmallows and/or nuts in my ice cream is a big nope.

Are there any cat cafes in your hometown? There could be but I’ve heard little of them. I’m more aware of existing dog cafes.

Do you own any books with an image of a cat on the front cover? I doubt it.

Does anything you own have an image of a bird on it? It’s possible, but again I’m not in my room to check if that’s the case.

Do you know anyone named Abigail? Yes, my mom.

Do you ever use flavored lip balms? I don’t use lip balms at all.

^ If you do, what flavors do you like the most? Kate once had a peanut butter lip scrub that I loooooved to borrow. Other than that, the strawberry ones are nice too.

Does anyone you know own a spaniel? How about an Irish setter? My great-aunt once had a spaniel. Not sure about Irish setters.

What are your plans for the remainder of today? I wanna eat at La Creperie and spoil myself a litle bit, but we’ll see if I’ll have the energy to drive to the mall today. I’ll also have some work to do since we have a presentation on Monday :(

[created by: pinkchocolate]

Have you met somebody that you want to spend the rest of your life with? Yeah, ideally that would’ve been the case but they thought differently. I admittedly still feel the same, but I’ve also since been able to move on and move forward. If that makes sense.

Who was your closest friend when you were 7 years old? Do you still speak to that person? I actually met Angela when we were 7. And yes, we’re still the best of friends. I just shot a birthday greeting video for her mom last night.

Who was the last male you talked to? Does he have facial hair? Technically it was Cooper, but the last male person had been my dad. He does but for the most part he keeps it to a stubble.

How many times does the letter 'R' occur in your full name? Twice; in my first name and in my surname.

Is there anyone you love, whose name starts with 'S'? Sure, I can think of a couple of relatives whose names start with S.

What color is your TV remote? I haven’t used a remote in ages lmao, but if I remember correctly ours is mainly black.

When was the last time you went to a wedding? Who got married? 2007. My uncle and his then-girlfriend, who of course became my aunt when they wed. We’ve since had relatives who got married after that period, but for all those occasions only my parents received an invitation. It’s understandable though, I know they want to save up on costs and stuff.

Name a band you like, that starts with the 2nd letter of your name. One Direction is the only group coming to mind.

Have you ever dressed up as a Disney character? Which one? My 7th birthday gown was inspired by Cinderella’s, but it wasn’t the same exact dress as it was orange.

Have you ever played chess? If so, are you good at it? No. I’ve never been able to understand the rules.

If I wanted to buy you a chocolate bar, what kind should I NOT get? Mr. Goodbar has always been the least exciting chocolate to get hahaha.

Of all your close friends, who have you known the longest? Angela.

Do you own anything that has an image of a butterfly on it? Again, I could. I can’t think of any particular item, though.

Has anyone told you recently that they miss you? Yes, orgmates for the most part.

What was the last song you heard, that made you feel emotional? HYD by Hayley Williams.

What color are the socks you're currently wearing? I’m not wearing any socks right now. < Me neither.

How many friends do you have whose name starts with the letter 'R'? Just Rita.

How many vowels are there in your first name? One. Two if you count y.

When was the last time you took a selfie? Last Saturday, I think.

Name someone you know who has curly hair. Andi.

Have you ever worn orange eye-shadow? Never tried.

Name a song that reminds you of someone close to you. Be Alright by Dean Lewis.

Has anyone ever walked out of your life with no explanation? Yeah but they tried very poorly to keep in touch. It ended up being detrimental to me more than anything else so I took the initiative to be one step ahead and cut ties altogether.

Do you know anyone else with the same first name as you? I can think of one Robyn and one Robin.

Think back to 10 years ago. What TV show(s) were you into? Wrestling programs were all I watched as a 13 year old.

Do you have a favorite T-shirt? What color is it? Yes, one of my wrestling shirts. It’s predominantly white but it has some black and red on it as well.

As a child, did you ever have any scented gel pens or markers? Yessssssss. I spent more time sniffing them than writing with them too, lol.

Name an alcoholic beverage that you dislike. I find whiskey pretty nasty. I hate beer as well but sometimes I gotta drink it, especially when socializing.

Do you own anything that previously belonged to someone else? I wouldn’t say I own them; they do belong to the original owner and I’m just still borrowing them.

Who is the 8th contact in your phone? How did you meet them? That would be Angela haha; we met when we got assigned to be seatmates in 1st grade since our surnames were arranged alphabetically in class.

Is there anyone who sends you messages to say good morning/night? No.

Can you recall the last time you were on a dance floor? March 2020, at a club with mostly Hans’s friends.

Have you ever let someone go, and then regretted it? No.

Do you own any color changing mood jewelry? Nope and I don’t believe in those either so I don’t see a reason why I should get my own.

[created by: pinkchocolate]

Was there anything that you planned to do today, but didn't? It’s only 7:06 AM so I’ll refer to my plans yesterday instead – I wanted to continue working on a Google Slides presentation by nighttime, but I was so tired from my shift yesterday and even got a migraine that I never got around to it. I’ll have to work on it this weekend instead.

Is there anyone you interact with often on social media but not in person? I mean, hasn’t this been the case over the last year with the pandemic? I communicate mainly through social media now, if not through IM apps like Viber.

What color box does your favorite cereal come in? Don’t really like cereal. The closest thing I have to a ‘favorite,’ Cookie Crisps, comes in a white box, though.

Do you have any plates, dishes, mugs etc. with pretty illustrations on them? Nah, don’t really like printed stuff. Angela had a customized Friends-themed mug made for me but I wouldn’t call it an ~illustration, since the main design is just my name styled in the Friends logo.

Does anywhere on your body currently hurt, or feel sore? I actually took a break from this survey to take Cooper for a walk, and I think I can confirm that I definitely have some kind of allergy to grass. My legs were super irritated the whole time and my skin has since turned reddish.

What is your favorite snack to eat with a hot beverage? Croissants.

Is there any advice you have been given, that sticks in your mind? “Let your healing take time,” from Andi. He also accompanied it the advice with an anecdote about this basketball player who insisted on playing even while he was still dealing with an injury, and playing only aggravated that injury so he was forced to sit out for an even longer time than what was initially set for him. That was really helpful and I keep it close to me to this day.

What's the nicest advice you have ever been given about love/relationships? Know when it’s enough and when to leave, and be kind to yourself.

Do you own any adult coloring books? What kind(s) do you like? Yeah, I have like three thick ones. I just haven’t gotten the chance to touch them because for the meantime I only have cheap coloring pencils that start to get dull after a few strokes. I’ve yet to buy a more premium set of pencils.

When was the last time you got some new headphones? Headphones would be 2013 when my dad got me a pair of Beats. Not a big user so I haven’t felt the need to get new ones.

Is there a lamp in your living room? What color is its shade? No but my mom has wanting to get one for a while. She just can’t seem to find one that she likes.

Do you know anyone whose name starts with the letter X? I went to high school with a Xenia. Super nice guy; we were close friends for a while since we were seatmates, and our friend groups also overlapped.

Have you eaten any rice or pasta today? Not yet. I will definitely be eating rice though, because Philippines.

Name a food that you dislike the texture of. I don’t like rice pudding at all, or oatmeal. But those are also taste issues as well as texture issues. < Oooh, oatmeal is a good one. I also could never enjoy marshmallows in my ice cream.

Which of your friends do you confide in the most? Angela.

Have you ever fallen out of love with someone? I wouldn’t say that. There will still always be a part of me that has some sort of feelings for my exes. But the extent to which I love them/care about them fades over time, thankfully. < Yeah, exactly.

^ If so, why do you think that happened?

If you have pets, do you talk to them? Sure.

Are there any TV shows that you strongly dislike, but others seem to love? I tried to get into Grey’s Anatomy or Glee on Netflix, because they were “popular”, but I tried a few episodes, and just couldn’t seem to get into them. < OMG same again, especially with Grey’s??? I tried watching it a couple of weeks ago but I noped out as soon as I heard how poppish the theme song was. I’ve always thought it was a serious drama show but it turned out to have so many teen show elements to it that I was definitely taken aback. The script and some of the acting also kind of sucked, so that was a letdown.

Is there anything you haven't done lately, that you'd like to do soon? Coloring.

Do you own any T-shirts with brand logos on them? Yes, my dad got me a Vegemite shirt from his last contract abroad hahah. He was staying in Australia and I asked him to get a jar of Vegemite so I can finally have a taste, but I think he was scared that I’d hate it and end up throwing out the whole jar so he just got me a shirt instead lol. I’ve also got a Nike shirt somewhere in my closet.

Have you experienced any kind of food cravings lately? Surprisingly not. I’ve been longing to eat at La Creperie again but I’m not craving for anything particular.

Have you watched or read the news today? I watch the news every weeknight since we have it on during dinner.

Describe the cover illustration of the book closest to you. Can’t see any books near me.

Are there any take-away or fast food places close to your house? There’s a McDonald’s literally beside our village, and beside it are a Shakey’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts. There’s also a Burger King right across. If you drive for like five more seconds, there’ll also be a Starbucks.

^ If so, do you ever order food from any of them? Only from Starbucks. I don’t really get fast food anymore.

Is there anything happening tomorrow, that you're looking forward to? Nothing yet so far.

#survey #surveys

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laadychat · 4 years

Text

A Little Like Love

An ATLA Zutara Fic, cause I have no control.

The sun was near setting, illuminating the sea and those basking its warmth in orange and red. The war was finally over, and here they were, relaxing at Ember beach.

The adults had all but forced them to take at least a week to relax, for this war shouldn't have been so reliant on mere kids. The world will be there for their return but for now, a week of quiet and laughter was necessary. A little bit of fresh air before diving into their roles.

Katara was all for relaxing. It was just two years ago when she found Aang in that iceberg, and the war came to end just a handful of days ago. It still felt so surreal, not having to look over her shoulder, fearing the possibility of an attack. Sitting on the harbor, she let her feet tangle, toes dipping into the seawater. Hearing the laughter of her friends, she smiled. This was nice and she would definitely miss this as she makes her journey home.

Hearing the gentle footsteps approaching her, Katara tilted her head slightly towards the sound. She already knew who it was before they sat down right next to her.

They sat there, side-by-side, in peaceful silence and she felt herself relax further. Something about his presence made her feel... safe.

"Katara?" he asked, voice soft.

Her lips curled and looked down at the water. "Yeah?"

She knew her friend - well enough to understand what he was going to talk about before he even mentioned it. Besides, there was something about it she wanted to ask.

"I know you said you forgive me and all but..." His voice faded out before he cleared his throat. "I want to say I'm sorry again."

"Zuko, it's alright." She smiled as she finally turned to face him, resting her head on her raised knee, taking in the sight of him. How was it that he seemed even more breathtaking now?

"It's not-"

"Hey," she muttered, resting a hand on his arm and she straightened up. "Zuko, ever since you started the journey to find the Avatar, you just wanted to go home. And Azula offered you that. I understand why you would choose her."

"Katara..." he whispered, his eyes locked with hers, displaying the sorrow that he felt deep in his soul. He still is so ever grateful that this girl decided he was worth a second chance - a chance to be next to her once again.

Steading his shallow breathing, he left her gaze, sweeping is across the vast sea. He never told her about the main reason behind his journey to find the Avatar - not entirely. And taking in this view, plus the knowledge that he was able to help stop the war created by his forefather, it gave him the courage to share. To share what he kept inside, wishing for it to all wash away.

"I wasn't actually the best firebender when I was younger." He started, training his eyes to a certain point in front of him. "Azula was a prodigy, the beloved child of Ozai. Even though I was to inherit the throne, Ozai made it clear that he didn't think I had it in me. I mean, I couldn't even bend right." He muttered, placing his hands behind him as he tilted his head towards the sky, closing his eyes. "When I was thirteen, I beg Uncle to let me join in on the war meeting. It was then that I had a taste of how much of a psychopath Ozai is.

"Buijing was the High General at the time. He came up with this plan to defeat the earthbenders. Have the newly sworn-in soldiers fight at the frontline while the experience soldiers infiltrate from the back." He let out a shaky breath, the images of the meeting clear in his mind as if it happened merely yesterday.

He heard a sharp intake of breath and turned his face towards the waterbender next to him. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the horror-stricken expression and sighed. "He said they were the best bait to use and I couldn't stand to listen to any more of it. I spoke up, telling Ozai that using them like, like that," he snarled, feeling the anger rise once again. Knowing that the man who was his father was capable of such cruelty filled him with so much rage. "was a betrayal of their patriotism and honor."

"Oh, Zuko," came her quiet voice and instantly, the anger he felt washed away into a dull ache, throbbing in his chest. Despite wanting nothing to do with that man anymore, it still pained him to realize just how little he cared for him, his only son. "I just wanted his love, Katara.

"When I spoke out, this was seen as something highly disrespectful. I disrespected the High General and so I was told I will be participating in Agni Kai." He muttered, moving to slouch forward, arms now on his lap. "I agreed, thinking I would be going against Buijing, since it was his idea. Imagine my surprise when the man across the arena turned around and it was Ozai." He said bitterly, hunching in on himself further when she heard Katara strangled gasp. At this point, the emotions of that day were catching up to him, squeezing his throat, denying him any chance to continue down this path he started.

It was when Katara placed her hand against his arm that he was able to fill his lung with oxygen again. He gave her a small smile but it grew grim. "I begged to be spared, Katara. There was no way I could go against him. He found it dishonorable and called me pathetic." He chuckled, the sound so dry and humorless, his hand reaching for the scar covering his left face.

"He then scarred me, burned my face as a reminder of what I've done and banished me to roam around the world, with my only chance of coming back home requiring the capture of the Avatar." He finished, voice barely a whisper at this point, thick with the emotions he's tried to cover since that fateful day. "If I brought the Avatar home then maybe my father would love me."

He felt hands cup his cheeks and turn his head, his eyes landing on Katara. There was sorrow in her bright blue eyes, with anger lingering around the rims. But besides all that, he found understanding and acceptance of him and his breath knocked from him just then. He gulped, finishing what he started. "When I returned, it was nothing like how I wanted. My father welcomed me home and he allowed me to join in on the war meetings. But I couldn't stand him after he spoke about his plan to completely obliterate the Earth Kingdoms."

A soft sigh escaped the girl next to him as she shifted closer. "Zuko, you are the most honorable man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." She muttered, her thumb gently brushing against the edge of his scar and he closed his eyes, relishing in the caress. "This scar is proof of that."

He let out a breath he wasn't even aware of holding as the words washed over him feeling him with such admiration for this amazing woman in front of him. "I've accepted it. I got it because I stood up for my people."

As he stared in her eyes, he saw the realization spark in them. "The Avatar hasn't been seen in a hundred then..." The realization turned into shock, which quickly morphed into anger and Agni, did this girl captivate him.

"He didn't want me back." He voiced the conclusion she was beginning to understand.

"I will kill him."

He laughed, a genuine, short one. "Please don't, he isn't worth your time." He smiled, lopsided as he placed his hands on hers, moving them away from his face intertwined their fingers. "I want to thank you, Katara."

Not having expected this, Katara blinked at him. She was still plotting ways to make the previous Fire Lord's death an accident. "For what?"

"When I went back with Azula, I realized how wrong everything still was. I was home, but I was far from happy. I was more content as a tea server in Ba Sing Se," he shook his head, mildly surprised by this detail himself. "The whole time I was back, all I could think of was you. You were the first person, besides Uncle, who believed in me."

"I was invited to another one of my father's war meeting and it was then that I also realized he had to be stopped. This war needed to stop. On the day of the Black Sun, I confronted him. It was that day he tried to shoot lightning at me." He grinned at her horrified face, rubbing his thumb against her hands. "It was also that day I told him I vowed to help Aang defeat him."

"How'd you protect yourself from the lightning?" Katara asked, her eyes searching his for some clue. He squeezed her hands then dropped them, one side of lips twitching as he stood up.

"Like this," he demonstrated, moving his left index and middle finger against his right arm, creating a trail from there until he was pointing them in the opposite direction.

Her surprised gasp was all he needed before he plopped back down, a proud smile grazing his lips.

"That's a waterbending move," Katara mentioned, her eyes lingering on his face in awe.

"Uncle showed me. It's a way to redirect lightening. I used it on Ozai before I left."

There was a brief silence between them before Katara broke it. "I'm gonna kill him."

Shaking his head in amusment, Zuko was amazed with this woman next to him. "He can no longer have any control of me and now I'm the Fire Lord, the best firebender, while he's rottening in a jail without any bending abilities. The justice bestowed on him is a sweet one."

"Thank you, Katara. For showing me that compassion, even when I was just an enemy to you. Thank you for being someone who's so important to me." He finished, grabbing her hands, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

Back at Ba Sing Se, and at the Western Air Temple, she had him wanting to be best he could be. Whenever he was with her, he wasn't Prince Zuko, or the Enemy, but just Zuko - a boy who had just as rough of a past as them all.

"Zuko," her voice wavered and his grin widens as a wave of adoration for her washed through him.

He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss there before speaking once again. "You've inspired me to fight for peace and harmony, you've broken Aang out of that iceberg, and you've kept this whole gang together. We might have all fought and won the war together but Katara, it's all because of you. We were able to take down Ozai because of you. Thank you."

Looking back up at her, he smiled once again as he brought his hands up to cup her face, wiping away the tears escaping her eyes.

Katara stared at this man in front of her, her heart beating wildly as the emotions in her stormed violently. La, how was he even more perfect right now? Those words he said... she knew how genuine he was, could feel it with every sentence that escaped her lips. He really believed her so fiercely, she couldn't stop the tears as they trailed down her cheeks. Her shaky hands rested against his, as she looked at him, following the waves of her emotions. And when he kept looking at her like that...

Tui and La, help her.

"Zuko," her voice sounded like she was very much whining but her heart warmed, watching as his subtle smile turned into a full blown grin.

He let his eyes wandered across her face, taking his time to drink in how beautiful she is. Even back when their journey began, with them being on opposing side, he always felt something tug him towards her. Zuko didn't understand, didn't want to understand what it was then but now? As his gaze fell on her parted lips, he understands.

His eyes seemed to be tracing her face and Katara felt herself flush under his intense gaze. Here was the man who kept invading her thoughts, even back when she thought she hated him. She only realizes why the incident in Ba Sing Se hurt her as much as it did. And when he looked at her lips, the longing in his eyes is what sealed the deal for her.

Tilting her chin up, she captured his lips with hers and they finally understood what this yearning for each other was.

It seemed a little like love.

#atla #avatar #avatar: the last airbender #zuko #katara #zutara

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keichanz · 5 years

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Death

A bit more somber than my previous ones, but I like how it turned out.

I would have had this out sooner, but as I was writing this I remembered a quote I saw recently that was truly uplifting and it does make you feel better about a loved one passing, and I wanted to include that in this prompt. Thing was though I can’t for the life of me remember what it said, and i don’t remember where I saw it, here, FB, or somewhere else, but I couldn’t find it and it was driving me freaking CRAZY. In the end I ended up sorta paraphrasing the quote and I hope I did it justice.

Spooktober Day 27: Death

“Mama?”

“Yeah, baby?”

Kagome flicked a brief glance at her son in the backseat of the car through the rearview before looking forward again. Izayoi had opted to walk home with Rin and her friends, however she suspected Raiden was the main driving factor behind that decision.

Tai didn’t say anything right away, instead staring out the window with a small frown on his face, and Kagome was just about to ask if something was wrong when he finally spoke again.

“What does it mean to die?”

Definitely not expecting that, Kagome’s eyebrows rose up in her bangs and she gave the young half-demon a sharp look through the mirror. Her surprise quickly gave way to confusion mixed with a healthy dose of concern as she stared out the windshield.

“Why do you ask, Tai?” she questioned carefully, reaching to turn off the radio playing on low volume.

Tai bit his lip and revealed, “Mrs. Sennin told us today that Pickles died yesterday.” Pickles was their classroom hamster, named as such because of his love for the small stuffed pickle he often slept on. “We went around the classroom and we all said a memory that we had of him. Why did he die, Mama?”

Ooh, boy. “I don’t know, sweetie,” she said softly, a little sad that the hamster was gone. She knew her son had loved that animal and liked to show him off whenever she came to his classroom. “Did Mrs. Sennin mention if he was sick or anything like that?”

“No,” her son admitted, his little brow puckering in thought. “Just that it was his time to go over the rainbow bridge. Is that where we’ll go when we die, Mama? Over the rainbow bridge?”

Oh god. She wasn’t ready to have this conversation with her five-year-old son alone. She needed Inuyasha to help her with this. She needed her mom. She needed Pickles, goddammit.

“Tai...” Kagome grimaced and turned onto their street. “I wish I could give you a straight answer, but the truth is, I don’t know. Death has been a mystery for a very long time; nobody truly knows what happens when you die. Some people believe you’re reincarnated into another person, while others believe you go to Heaven or Hell. I suppose in a way it all boils down to religion and what your beliefs are.”

Tai digested that in silence as Kagome pulled into their driveway and cut the engine. Feeling a little out of sorts, Kagome exited and got Tai out of his booster seat, letting him hop down to the ground. She grabbed his backpack and followed after him into the house, a worried frown marring her features.

The five-year-old kicked off his shoes and Kagome knelt in front of him with a gentle smile, pushing back his bangs.

“Why don’t you take your things upstairs and change into some comfy clothes? If you want I can bring you up a snack and some juice.”

Tai nodded and wordlessly did as he was bade, grabbing his bag and dragging it behind him as he headed toward the stairs. Up he went, barely tall enough to hold on to the railing, reaching the landing a second later and disappearing from view.

Kagome sighed and racked a hand through her hair, at a complete loss. She had no idea how to handle this and she doubted Inuyasha did, either. It was a delicate subject, especially when discussing with a five-year-old whose still developing brain had trouble grasping particular matters.

“Goddammit, Pickles,” Kagome muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Goddammit Mrs. Sennin. Why on earth you didn’t just buy a new hamster to replace the dead one so a class of kindergartners wouldn’t ask questions, I have no idea...”

Kagome was sitting at the bar counter drinking a cup of coffee and mindlessly scrolling social media when Inuyasha walked through the door. As per usual Vader came zooming in from the living room to greet him, purring loudly as he rubbed against the half-demon’s legs, and despite her glum mood, Kagome had to smile. For whatever reason that cat loved her husband and it was totally endearing.

Inuyasha kicked off his shoes and obligingly took a moment to say hello to the new member of their family, scratching his neck, and satisfied Vader strolled away, strolling toward the stairs to no doubt lounge on Izayoi’s bed while the girl in question did her homework and texted Raiden. She always said she wasn’t but her parents weren’t stupid; her blush was telling and she always looked way too innocent whenever they checked in on her.

Sighing Inuyasha stood, glanced at his wife, and immediately frowned. Though she was smiling it didn’t reach her eyes and instantly he knew something was wrong.

“Hey,” she greeted softly. “How was work?”

His frown deepened. “Fine,” he answered shortly quickly followed by, “What happened?”

Kagome sighed. Her husband was too damn perceptive sometimes, but at least this time she didn’t particularly mind it. Saved her the trouble of finding a way to bring it up, anyway.

“Tai’s classroom hamster died yesterday,” she supplied, not bothering to beat around the bush. “He asked me what it means to die and where we go when we do.”

Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose, not expecting that. “Well...shit.”

She nodded mutely. Her thoughts exactly.

Sighing, Inuyasha racked a hand through his hair and frowned thoughtfully. “What’d you tell him?”

Kagome took a sip of her coffee. “Death is a mystery that no one truly understands and it all boils down to what your beliefs are, basically. I didn’t know what else to say.” She shrugged.

Her husband snorted. “Well, you’re not wrong. I don’t think there really is a right or wrong answer, to be honest.”

“I wanted to lie,” Kagome admitted, staring into the dark contents of her mug. “He’s too young, too innocent to deal with something as cruel as death. But...he’s my baby, and I couldn’t...”

She sighed and her shoulders slumped, looking about ready to cry, and Inuyasha closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around her from behind. Kagome leaned back into him and closed her eyes as he kissed her behind the ear.

“I’ll talk to him,” he rumbled, nuzzling her temple. “Let’s do delivery for dinner. Easy night tonight.”

Kagome managed a smile, small but genuine, and turned her head to press her lips to his in a loving, chaste kiss.

“Best idea you’ve had in a while,” she whispered.

“I get them sometimes,” Inuyasha replied and was rewarded with his wife’s soft chuckle. He kissed her one last time, squeezed her middle, and then pulled away to go see to his son. He followed his nose up the stairs and down the hall to Tai’s room, and to his surprise both of his children were inside and not just his son.

Curious, Inuyasha paused outside his the room and peeked inside the cracked door, ears easily picking up their soft voices. Izayoi was sitting on Tai’s bed with him, crossed legged as she talked while Tai sat across from her, his eyes wide as he listened attentively to his older sister.

It was what she was saying, however, that really surprised him, and his face softened as a warm feeling settled over him like a blanket, a proud smile lifting the corners of his lips.

“I’ll be damned,” he murmured, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle.

About ten minutes later Kagome was just getting off the phone with their favorite pizzeria to have a large pizza and an order of wings delivered when Tai came trotting down the stairs, Izayoi and Inuyasha in tow. Heart in her throat, she smiled and set the phone back in its cradle, watching as her youngest came into the kitchen, walked right up to her, reached up with his little arms and hugged her around the waist.

Surprised, but pleased, Kagome knelt to make it easier and gathered her boy into her arms, kissing his head between his ears.

“You won’t die,” Tai said, leaning back to gaze imploringly at her with big amber eyes. “Right, Mama?”

Kagome swallowed thickly and managed a smile for him, stroking his hair.

“Not for a very, very long time, baby,” she assured and kissed his forehead. “I promise I’ll always be here for you. So will your father and sister.”

To her utter relief, Tai beamed at her and nodded, accepting her words with an ease that surprised her, but appreciated all the same.

“Kay,” he said and gave her a big kiss to her cheek. “Love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, baby,” Kagome breathed, hugging him tight. “So much.”

Tai started squirming a few seconds later to let her know that was enough hugging and reluctantly Kagome released him. Inuyasha ruffled his hair as he walked by and together they watched their son and daughter wander into the living room, plopping down on to the couch – Vader not far behind – and turn on some cartoons.

While she stared into the living room in mixture of relief and confusion, her husband ambled over, nudged himself behind her where she was leaning against the counter, and snaked his arms around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

“What did you say to him?” she asked softly, wondering what he could have possibly told their youngest to inspire this change. It was a relief, but still...how...?

Inuyasha smiled lazily. “Not a damn thing.”

Kagome blinked. “You didn’t...?”

“When I got to his room,” he started, “Izayoi was already there talking to him. She beat me to the punch, and I couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. She told him just because Pickles was gone doesn’t mean his love for the animal was, and some other pretty deep shit I had no idea she was capable of, but then she said something that’s actually pretty uplifting and wise coming from someone her age.”

“What did she say?” Kagome whispered, her eyes once more drifting to their babies sitting side by side on the couch, giggling as they watched whatever animated show they’d chosen.

Inuyasha didn’t answer right away and when he did several seconds later, is voice was rough and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“She said, ‘Your loss means that another’s wait is over’ and that just...it hit me, y’know? The thought that someone that’s gone gets to see a loved one again...it makes it a little easier to bear, I think.”

Unbidden tears sprang to Kagome’s eyes and her smile was watery, but genuine and very proud. She thought about her grandmother, waiting for Gramps; her dad, waiting for Mom, and she knew Inuyasha was thinking about his parents, waiting for him.

Inuyasha tightened his arms around her and kissed her cheek; he could smell her tears and knew what she was thinking.

“Yes,” she whispered and reached up to cradle his jaw in her hand, turning her head and closing her eyes as he rested his forehead against her own.

“I think it does, too.”

#death #spooktober prompts #day 27 #oneshot #inuyasha #kagome #tai #izayoi #some inukag at the end #sorta haha #keizfanfiction #fanfiction

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thetreeshavenotongues · 5 years

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Gajevy Week ‘19 Prompt: You’re Beautiful

So,I haven’t really kept up with the prompts, and I have a half-written fic for each one that I just haven’t gotten around to finishing, whenever that does happen it’ll probably go on my AO3 account though - no offense to Tumblr, i just actually know how to maneuver Archive and every time I post a fic here I feel like I’m doing something wrong.

Anywho, this is inspired by one of Rboz’s works, my story is very different, but I love her council Gajevy stuff so, any council works I do for them is heavily inspired by her comics.

Beautiful

They were everywhere. Around every corner and down every hall. Tittering behind their hands and gnawing at her sanity.

It was an infestation, and God how Levy wished she could just swat them with a newspaper.

“So, Levy-san, what was it like? You know… working with him.” The words were a conspiratorial hiss over the stacks of files on her desk, and, unsurprisingly, did little to help Levy’s mood.

Honestly, she wanted to throw her hands up, roll her eyes to the heavens and possibly light the end of the annoying chit’s uniform on fire; instead Levy only sighed and kept her eyes on the mountain of paperwork in front of her.

“It was fine.” She grumbled, hoping the curt words would be enough to shoo away her annoying assistant and her even more annoying questions.

Over the few months that she had been at The Council, Levy had grown all too used to this vein of conversation, and her day to day mood had suffered dramatically for it. She had been accosted in hallways by dithering coworkers, they had swarmed around her in the cafeteria, and one obsessive soul had even waited for her outside the bathroom door to ask if Gajeel wore boxers or briefs.

It was as if none of the women at The Council had seen a man until the iron dragon-slayer had shown up, practically oozing the type of masculinity that sent them all into a mating frenzy the likes of which Levy had assumed were limited only to nature documentaries.

Of course, Gajeel’s blasé attitude, new rank and the fact that he looked positively sinful in The Council’s uniform didn’t help matters much either.

“Oh, come on Levy-san, you’ve got to tell me more than that,” her assistant pressed, plopping her bottom on the desk and disturbing the organized stacks that had just been placed there – Levy scowled and felt her pen poke a hole clean through the paper she had been working on. “He barely talks to anyone but you and Lily-san. He’s just so mysterious and broody… and have you seen those arms! I mean, he just so….so….” the woman pulled in a deep breath and released a strangled sigh, “ya know what I mean?”

Yeah, Levy knew. She knew all too damn well. When he would stomp down the halls, wearing those shirts that looked like they were painted on, with his jacket held onto his shoulders by some sort of magic she couldn’t quite comprehend and acting for all the world like he owned the place, even she found herself dry mouthed and weak-kneed. Still, she wasn’t about to stoop to the point of agreeing with the woman nor would she offer her two-cents regarding Gajeel’s appearance.

Not that it would matter much anyway.

When they had first arrived at The Council and Gajeel had claimed his spot as a favorite obsession of the fairer sex, she had been subjected to an onslaught of questions – “are you dating?” “Have you slept together?” “Do you like him?” “Does he like you?”- and, in a move that she would forever regret, she had vehemently denied them all and stupidly claimed they were “just friends.” Unfortunately, this had only served to make her the go-to person for all questions relating to and requests for the dark-haired man.

What she wouldn’t give now, to be able to go back in time and tell them all “yes! He’s mine!” Even if it was a bald-faced lie.

She sighed again and pulled herself out of her thoughts, only to realize that the woman on her desk had yet to stop talking. “- each other in the hall yesterday and I swear he checked me out.” It was all Levy could do to keep from rolling her eyes. “So, do you think, that maybe,” Levy groaned, “well, could you ask him if he’d-“

“Sara-san,” Levy cut her off, finally pulling her eyes from her papers to level the woman with a hard stare, “if you’re interested in Gajeel, then go tell him, but right now, we have a report due by Friday for Jura-san and you were sent here to help me. So, can we please get this done?” A pointed look at her backside currently resting on some treaty copies had the girl blushing crimson and sliding off the desk.

“Oh,” she mumbled, looking properly contrite, “sorry.” For a moment Levy was relieved – forgiving, even – but the next words out of the other woman’s mouth had her seriously contemplating how quickly she could send a small fire spell at the end of her coat. “So, you really think he’s interested in me too?”

Levy groaned, it seemed like it was just going to be one of those days.

The sun was already setting when Levy finally left her office. Normal business hours had ended, and while she could hear the echoed shuffle of distant feet down the wide marble hallway, she was relieved to find The Council, more or less, empty.

All she wanted to do was make it to her little apartment and take a long, hot bath, read a book and forget all about her day. But even as she made her plans in her head - ticking off everything from the type of tea she would have in the bath to the name of the book she wanted to read - her shoulder ached under the weight of her work bag, a nagging reminder of what really awaited her once she got home.

“I guess there’ll be time for that after I get this done,” she mumbled to herself as she readjusted her bag and rounded a corner, her mind heavy with drafts of reports that had yet to be written. When her nose crashed into a familiar wall of iron muscle however, she knew that even those plans were about to be shot to hell.

“Took ya long enough, Shrimp.” Gajeel’s gruff words were offset by the two hands that reached out to steady her and the almost playful smirk that pulled at his lips.

She took a step back and rubbed her nose, using the time to discreetly look over the man. He was outfitted in his usual sleeveless forest green shirt and wide legged white pants tucked into a pair of black boots, his Council jacket, however, was nowhere to be found, so she could only assume that he had already gone to his apartment and came back to fetch her. “C’mon, Lil’s outta town and I’m cookin’ yer favorite.”

“Gajeel,” she sighed “not tonight. I’m heading home.”

Gajeel’s arms folded over his chest and he gave her the kind of look that told her this would be an uphill battle. “Ya couldn’t feed a mouse with what you’ve got at yer place, Shorty.”

“I’ll pick up something on the way,” Levy replied, side stepping him to continue on her way. She was unsurprised when his heavy footfalls fell in step behind her, she sighed. “I’ve got a ton of work to finish up for Jura-san and after that all I want to do is sink into a warm bath and go to bed.”

“Last I checked there’s a bath and a bed at my place. Not to mention all that damn clothes you made me clean out a draw-“ The little mage spun around and slapped her hand across his lips so quickly that Gajeel barely saw it coming.

“Gajeel!” She hissed, her cheeks a fierce red as her eyes darted around the empty hall. “Shush!”

His fingers wrapped around her wrist, and when he gently pulled her hand away his mouth was already twisted up in a predatory smile. “What’s the matter, Shrimp?” His words were practically a purr as he stepped closer, still holding her wrist to ensure that she stay put – not that he thought his little Shrimp would ever back down from a challenge. “Scared someone’ll think we’re shackin’ up?”

Her eyes narrowed in a glare that was almost threatening, were it not for the red that clung to her cheeks in the cutest way.

“Gajeel-!”

“- Gee hee,” he backed off and released her hand. He knew she would take it as some tactless joke - as she always did when he put forward these clumsy attempts at flirtation – and, for now, that was best. “C’mon, I’ve got work to do too. Let’s have a quick dinner, finish this shit and go to bed, yeah?”

Levy sighed, and shamelessly let her eyes run over his frame. He looked tired – not just from his work and ladder climbing at the Council – but from all of this. And, dammit, so was she - from her aching head to her sore feet to the emptiness that had wrapped itself around her soul for nearly half a year now. An emptiness that was slightly less intolerable in the presence of this emotionally stunted, red-eyed man who did live 10 minutes closer to The Council than she did.

“Fine,” she breathed out, “but if I find out that you’ve just collected scrap metal instead of real food, I’m going home.”

He grinned, “why would I do that when I have you and yer amazing iron around?” Something about the words had Levy’s stomach doing flips and she was all too happy when he sauntered ahead of her, oblivious to the renewed flare of red on her cheeks.

She shook her head and quickened her steps - honestly, the man was turning her into Juvia.

They had just made it out of the winding, cavernous halls of The Council’s main branch when she became aware of his eyes on her. The look was hard and calculating, complete with furrowed brows and pursed lips, and just when she was about to ask “what” he shoved his hand towards her and said “hand it over.”

“Huh?”

He wiggled his fingers and frowned. “The bag, Shrimp. Give me the bag. It’s too heavy for ya.”

She scoffed and pulled the strap a little higher on her shoulder. “It is not.”

“Yer steps are off, I can hear it.” He knew she could be stubborn, more so than him sometimes, and from the hands she had just crossed over her chest and the pout she was sporting, he knew this was going to be one of those times. He dropped his hand and sighed, “you can glare at me all ya want, Lev, but ya look like you’re about to break in half carrying that thing. So,” he stopped walking and turned to face her fully, he bent at the waist and brought them almost nose to nose, meeting her defiant glare with an insidious smirk, “you can either give me the bag, or I’ll take it. Yer choice.”

Her obstinate gaze didn’t so much as flicker and his smirk only widened. “Fine,” he leaned back and shrugged, “you asked for it.”

He bent low, wrapped an arm around her legs, and before Levy could fully register what was happening, he had her slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“What the hell, Gajeel?!” Her small fists pounded on his back, but she received little more than a “Gee hee” from the man in response.

When he started walking again, showing little sign of putting her down anytime soon, she relented on her abuse and settled into a more comfortable position.

“So,” Gajeel was the first to break the silence, “gonna tell me what’s got yer panties in a twist today?”

Levy huffed, “my panties are not in a twist.”

Gajeel scoffed, “Gimme some credit, Lev,” his words came with a gentle squeeze on her thigh and she couldn’t help but sigh.

“It’s nothing serious,” she mumbled, doing her best to ignore the warmth of his large hand on her leg, “just a bit annoyed. I wanted to finish these reports today. I mean, I don’t mind the work or anything, but I haven’t had a night where I didn’t have to take something home with me in so long.” Gajeel grunted, he knew all too well what she meant. Levy had become a fixture in his life over the years, and when they joined The Council, she quickly became a fixture in his home as well, so he had been there on countless occasions, watching her scribbling away at his desk until the wee hours of the morning.

“Maybe if ya didn’t keep sending yer assistants to be reassigned, yer workload would be a little more bearable.”

Levy stifled a groan “I though Lily was out of town, how did you hear about that already?”

Her answer came in the form of his trademark laugh. She didn’t have a response, so she settled for pouting as she rest her cheek against his shoulder blade.

From her place on his back, she had little else to look at besides his boots and the floor, so when the pavement started to change from the pristine white of the area surrounding the Council, to the dark grey of the city proper, she noticed immediately. Half of the reason she hadn’t put up much of a fight when Gajeel had picked her up was because she knew that at this time the streets around the Council would be deserted – security had been tripled when they rebuilt after the Tartaros incident and the whole surrounding area was off limits to all non-members – the streets of the city, however, were a different story entirely, and there was no way she would allow herself to be carted through the bustling streets ass first.

She sighed, “Gajeel, if I give you my bag, will you put me down?”

He stopped and hummed thoughtfully, “I dunno…I’m kinda enjoying the view.” He squeezed her thigh again and laughed when she released a surprised squeak.

“Gajeel!”

“Yeah, yeah.” He lifted her easily and placed her down.

His hands lingered a moment too long on her waist, and she found herself missing the warmth of his palm on her thigh.

She cleared her throat and he stepped back. “Here,” she offered the bag and muttered an almost shy “thank you” when he took the bag.

“Jeez Shrimp,” he feigned a show of weighing the bag in his hand before easily tossing it over his shoulder, “what’d yer assistant do that made bringing half the library home a better idea than having her help you?”

Levy scowled and dragged the toe of her boot along the pavement before she grumbled out a response, “she was a little too focused on a Department Head to get any actual work done.”

Gajeel’s brows drew together and his nose scrunched in that way that Levy knew meant he was really trying to figure out who she was talking about. Not for the first time, she wondered if this level of obliviousness was some sort of dragon-slayer specific trait. “That frog guy?”

She rolled her eyes, “you, you dummy.”

For a moment Gajeel looked genuinely confused - his eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline before descending back into a frown - but his confusion was brief, and before Levy could blink his features had rearranged into an expression of such smugness that it had her groaning before he even spoke. “So, you were jealous?”

“I was not!” Levy sputtered, “It’s just unprofessional is all.” She sniffed indignantly and folded her arms across her chest. “Besides, I told her if she was so interested, she should talk to you herself.”

She threw a glance his way trying to see if the words would garner any reaction, but aside from the disappearance of his grin he was impassive. Two seconds ticked by before he offered a grunt and started walking forward. An awkward silence settled between them.

Levy frowned - after all this time, she still found that she had difficulty reading the man and it irked her to no end. There were moments when he was an open book and they could practically share a conversation with a glance, but then there were still times like this, when he would close himself off completely and even she had no idea what was going on in his head. Was he just intent on getting home? Was he mulling over the possibility of a date with that woman? Or was he upset that she had told Sara to approach him?

She was more than a little ashamed to admit that she hoped it was the latter. She’d hate for him to be upset with her, but at least then she would have a better idea as to where he stood with their…whatever it was they had. But those thoughts were selfish, and she wanted to kick herself for entertaining them at all.

Even with all they’d been through and how close they were, she knew it didn’t make them a couple, at least, not really. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, but aside from the time he had almost drowned, they had never really kissed, they didn’t whisper sweet nothings to one another, they hadn’t so much as held hands in public. But, whatever they had, labeling it as “friendship” also just didn’t seem right – she had lots of male friends, and never did she ever feel for any of them what she felt for Gajeel. It was a little before Tenrou Island that they began to grow unexpectedly close, then the feelings just kind of snowballed from there until they had landed themselves in that strange “not quite a couple” but “more than just friends” grey area.

It was this undefinable something between them that kept them together after the guild was disbanded. Yes, they couldn’t put a name to their relationship, but neither of them had even entertained the thought of going separate ways; so they traveled together, and somehow along the way whatever it was only grew.They ate together, trained together, depended on each other, and when she woke up panicked and crying from the shock of losing her family, he was there, pulling her into his arms and stroking her hair until she fell asleep next to him – a habit which stuck even after the nightmares had stopped coming.

When they found themselves settling down at The Council, propriety dictated separate apartments, but the transition had been a strange and wholly unwelcome one for her. A week after their arrival he had slid her a key to his place over breakfast, and while the gesture wasn’t grand – it was Gajeel after all, the key had been sent her way with little more than a “here, this is yours, Lily’s making Stroganoff tonight,” – it still warmed her heart to know that maybe he missed her constant company as much as she missed his. It wasn’t long before she would have a toothbrush in the bathroom and a drawer in his bedroom and her favorite blanket decorating his bed, and almost overnight her apartment became a place she visited more than lived in.

Still, a conversation about what everything meant eluded them. The topic had never come up even once, and beyond her presence at his apartment nearly every night, they had never actually done anything even remotely coupley, and Lord knew there were plenty of opportunities – they did sleep in the same bed after all. But, aside from the occasional innuendo and the heavy, pierced arm slung over her waist every morning, he had never made an actual move.

On more than one occasion she had attempted to screw up the courage to just bring it up and see things through once and for all; but then, something would happen, he’d make some crack about her height or one of the girls at work - one of those taller, prettier, chestier girls - would come to her for advice about how to get his attention – and whatever resolve she had mustered up would just fade away. It was beyond frustrating and it was probably one of the reasons she was in such a funk after today.

Levy was so lost in thought over the matter that it took a moment for her to realize that Gajeel’s heavy footsteps no longer accompanied the light tap tap of hers on the cobblestone street. When she looked around, she found he was standing some feet behind with a light frown pulling down the edges of his lips.

She closed the distance in a few quick steps and met his hard, red eyes with her curious brown ones. Before she could ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue he asked one of his own. “Why?”

“Why?” She repeated, her brows drawing down in confusion.

“Why’d ya tell her that?” The words were curt, but lacked any actual malice, nonetheless, Levy was not a fan of this avenue of conversation and shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“Well, you are, you know,” she hesitated for a moment, as if the next word was some sort of curse, “single.” She fidgeted again, “And I just assumed – well - she has a thing for you, and I’m sure you’ve noticed all the girls following you around, I mean, she is pretty and –“

Gajeel’s hand landed on her head lightly, startling her into a blessed pause from her ramblings. At some point she had dropped her eyes to the floor, but the surprise of his touch brought them back up again. He was staring at her intently, his expression was a jumble of emotions, but at the forefront was confusion and a tinge of disbelief. Then, in a move she would never have expected, Gajeel actually threw his head back and laughed.

“Jeez, Lev,” his shoulders shook lightly, but his laughter had almost completely subsided by the time he spoke again, “and ya say I’m oblivious.”

Levy puffed up, ready to deliver a scathing remark, when the hand atop her head moved. His fingers tangled gently into her blue locks before sliding down to cup her cheek with a tenderness that had her at a loss for words.

He bent down and brought his forehead to rest against hers before closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, “Why the hell would I want “pretty” when I already have the most beautiful girl in the world followin’ me around?”

He opened his eyes and moved back, taking the warmth of his hand from her cheek, then he stepped around her and continued on his way home.

She was left dumbstruck for a moment, her mind reeling and her jaw slack. Gradually his words sunk in, and when they did, she knew she wouldn’t have been able to stop the grin that pulled at her lips even if she wanted to.

It wasn’t a love confession, it wasn’t even a kiss, but it meant more to her than she had ever expected such simple words ever would. She turned to look at his retreating back and felt her grin grow even wider. He didn’t care about those other girls, because he thought she was beautiful and–

Wait… she replayed his words in her head one more time and her smile dropped like a lead weight.

“Gajeel!” She yelled at his back, “I do not follow you around!”

He was already smirking when he turned to look at her stomping her way up the street towards him. “I dunno, Shrimp. Looks like yer following me right now.” He threw a laugh over his shoulder before speeding up into a run. “Gee hee.”

She faltered for half a step, blushed and sputtered before picking up her pace, yelling at his back as she went. “I- you- ugh! Gajeel, you dummy!”

As she raced to catch up with him, she couldn’t completely hold back the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth. They still weren’t a couple and she had no idea when they would ever figure that out, but it was fine. He thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, and right now, that was all she needed to know.

#gajevyweek #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #council gajevy

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impracticaldemon · 5 years

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Dangerous Connections [late submission for Saichifest 2019]

by impracticaldemon a modern, non-canonesque, 4200-word vignette

Rating: M / Lemon Read also on FFN | AO3

Author's Note: I have no idea where this story came from. Unfortunately, it nagged at me until I wrote it, which delayed other writing. Part of the inspiration came from @nospringonions fanfic for Saichifest 2019 (although that fanfic feels brighter, and has a beginning, middle, and end). This is one of my very few non-Shinsengumi-era stories. The setting is a modern Japan AU that has a slightly? darker feel to it than Hakuouki SSL. Partial inspiration for the feel—and Saito's motorbike—go to @kurokiorya

As a final note, the entire second half of the story is more or less about sex.

Dangerous Connections

"I found you a tutor, Hajime-kun!"

Saitō eyed his friend warily. That particular grin always made him nervous.

"Tanaka-sensei said that she would find somebody appropriate, Sōji. There's no need—"

"Tanaka-sensei has already approved my suggestion." Okita's smirk became even more pronounced. "She agreed that it made sense to get somebody who knew the club, and wouldn't mind working around your weird schedule. Besides, it turns out that Chizuru-chan was already on her list of candidates."

Saitō felt himself tense. "Yukimura? Sōji—that's—I don't think that's a good idea at all."

Okita laughed. "Worried you won't be able to concentrate? On the bright side, you won't want to embarrass yourself, right? I figure you'll be speaking and writing English like a pro in no time!" He punched Saitō lightly on the arm—lightly for Sōji, at least.

"There must be other—"

"Get a grip, Saitō! Your family said you had to pass your English competency exam, or quit the team." Okita's expression darkened. "And this year we're going to win the championship, so don't you dare let them force you to quit!"

"I don't intend to!" replied Saitō with rare heat. "You shouldn't have gotten involved in this."

"Oi, what's with you? I thought you'd be pleased. I'm pretty sure you've had a thing for Chizuru-chan for ages—and didn't you mention that your dad wanted you to find a suitable girlfriend? I mean, you're twenty now, and graduating uni in a couple of years, and—"

"Stay. Out. Of. This." Saitō turned on his heel and stalked off, shoulders rigid.

Okita was so surprised that he watched him go.

"Well that was weird—what the hell did you say to him?"

"Nothing he wanted to hear, apparently." It wasn't Heisuke's fault that Saitō was behaving like he had a poker up his butt, but Okita had to suppress an instinctive desire to lash out at the younger man. He didn't handle rejection well—he knew it, but that didn't make him any happier right now.

"Anything I can do to help?" Fortunately, Heisuke was reading the room for once, and didn't demand an immediate explanation. Okita grimaced inwardly. Heisuke was a good guy, and he'd matured a lot in the last couple of years—they all had, supposedly.

"Doubt it. Not unless you're in the mood to torture Hajime-kun for personal information?"

Heisuke stared at him, then waved his hands in an emphatic denial. "First of all, torture really isn't my thing. Second, I wasn't planning to die today."

"You saying I can't take Saitō?"

"MMMMFFFF." Heisuke pantomimed locking up his lips and throwing away the key. Then he ruined it by adding, "Who knows? Not me." He grinned at Okita. "I knows nuffin' guv'nah!"

"What the hell was that? As if your English isn't bad enough to begin with."

"Better'n yours and Saitō's, I hear."

Okita grimaced, then shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me, but Saitō's dad says he either passes the next time, or he's out of the kendo club—national championship or not. The guy's a hardass, too—if he says it, he means it. But we need that championship if we're going to get funding to go international." He scowled.

"Makes me glad I'm not the heir—or even runner-up heir—to some fancy corporation, for once. My dad just wants me to take his guilt money and lead my own life."

"Yeah, yeah. There are worse things, you know?"

"So I'm told." Heisuke bit back a snide rejoinder—Souji was always grouchy when it came to families. Besides, it reminded him what he'd come to say in the first place.

"I don't know if it's related, but I have some news for you. Bad news, and I wish Shinpat had found you first, to be honest. Assuming he didn't avoid you on purpose."

Okita gestured for him to continue, though he was still staring in the direction that Saitō had… gone.

"You know that pharmaceutical company that's been in the news so much recently?"

"No." Then Okita reconsidered. "Wait—yes. Hijikata was ranting about it yesterday, I think. Kondō-san kept having to calm him down—not that there's anything new in that."

"Well, turns out they were into some seriously illegal shit, and even had some kind of stolen army biotech they were working on."

"So?"

"It was owned by Chizuru-chan's dad. In fact, her brother was the manager, at least on paper."

That got Okita's full attention.

"Well, shit."

"Anyway, nobody knows if they were set up, or who leaked the info to the cops—or the press—and so far it's hard to say who in the family knew all the details."

"There is no way Chizuru-chan knew about it, or was involved," Okita snapped.

"Yeah, we know that. But for now, the family, and everyone close to the family, is a suspect. And it gets worse."

"How?" Okita was already trying to sort out the kind of impact this could have on the club. Chizuru was close friends with all of them, and she acted as a kind of book-keeper and general secretary.

"Chizuru's dad made a substantial donation to the club, back when Chizuru started university. That's kind of why we got stuck with her in the first place, remember—not that I minded."

Okita remembered. "Fuck. FUCK!"

"Right? A club like ours—any sports club that wants to compete at the national level and beyond—can't be associated with illegal drugs. And these ones involve army tech, so..."

"Why the hell didn't Hijikata explain this to me yesterday?!" demanded Okita.

Wisely, Heisuke didn't point out that Sōji probably hadn't been listening. Sometimes things were okay between those two, other times they weren't—as in, really weren't. At times like this, he envied Hajime-kun for not living with the rest of them.

Okita glared at Heisuke for not answering his question. "Fine. Where's Chizuru-chan?"

"We don't know."

"What?! How is that even possible? She lives with us, for crying out loud!"

Heisuke took a half-step back, mentally cursing Shinpachi for setting him up to be the bearer of ill tidings. Sōji tended to hit first, ask questions later—well, not so much now, but still. Normally, they sent Sano-san to do stuff like this, but Sano was out of town for the week.

"We think she's either been taken away by her dad, or kidnapped by those Kazama thugs." Heisuke had to lean in to whisper the words, and Okita took the opportunity to grab him by the shoulders and shake him.

"Then what the hell are we doing just talking about it?! Why are we here at school instead of out looking for her?"

"I'm not gonna talk if you keep doing that!"

"Fine. Screw English class, I'm out of here. And I'm really pissed at Hajime-kun for not telling me all this earlier—he must have known."

"Our job is to go to school. Keep up appearances."

"Thank you for that, Hijikata-mommy-san. Sure, I'll do that." Without another word, Okita spun away from Heisuke, and ran for the main entrance.

Heisuke hesitated, then flung up his hands with a groan and sprinted off after him. Nobody was going to be happy when Sōji encountered the ladies and gentlemen of the press. And it wasn't Heisuke's fault that they'd trailed him here after Hijikata-san had slammed the house door in their faces.

Saitō's bike was expensive, but not showy, and it was a lot less noisy than most. That being said, he hadn't taken quite as much care as usual when he'd taken off from school after running into Sōji. Fortunately, he couldn't sense anyone watching as he methodically stowed the bike, and hurried through the parking lot door of his non-descript apartment building. On the face of it, he was just another young guy who'd probably forgotten something he needed for work or school. He'd done a good job of being anonymous here for two years; there was no reason to mess that up now.

He'd originally hoped to throw people off the scent by showing up for class as usual, but he just wasn't calm enough to pull it off. No matter how hard he tried, he still lacked the detachment and control of his father and grandfather—as they often pointed out. And ugh. Sōji had meant it for the best, but Saitō had hoped to avoid anything that might link him to Chizuru except as a member of the club's championship kendo team. The Kazama had top notch intelligence gatherers.

He made himself take the elevator up to his floor—which wasn't the penthouse, since that was just too obvious for the scion of a wealthy corporate empire. At least he wasn't the heir, thank all the gods. He unlocked the door to his apartment, and then carefully locked and bolted it behind him once inside.

"Hajime-san?"

And there she was, waiting for him. His heart-beat picked up at the thought.

"Chizuru…" It was still a delight to use her unadorned first name, and to hear his own name on her lips. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn't seem to help it, or to suppress the inappropriate—very warm—images that caused at least part of the blush.

Without warning—except that he was trained to read an opponent's slightest movement—Chizuru threw her arms around him, and buried her head against his shoulder. He tried not to react to her sudden proximity, but his hormones had other ideas. She was obviously frightened, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to gently lift her face to his, and kiss her. Not that they hadn't kissed before, but it was still so new to him—to them both—that he was immediately swept up in it, and didn't notice the passage of time until he realized that he had her pressed tightly against the hallway wall, one hand in her hair, and the other stroking the soft skin of her back under her blouse.

When he tried to draw away, Chizuru clung to him, her lips nuzzling his neck. He could tell that she was embarrassed, but also determined to keep him close. If only he were better at rational thought when they were together like this! Then he could comfort her properly, while still being aware of his surroundings, and considering what to do next.

"Chizuru, we need to plan." She couldn't stay hidden with him indefinitely—though part of him wished she would—but the alternatives weren't clear. "I think it's going to get more difficult after today…" Not so much because of Sōji blatantly throwing them together, but because the press was out there now, and hungry for details. The Kazama family wouldn't miss the opportunity to seize Chizuru if they could find her, and he suspected that Kōdō was finally scared enough to accept the Yukimura-Kazama merger, and hand her over to them to seal the bargain.

Saito made another effort to put some distance between them, but thinking about Chizuru engaged to Kazama Chikage made him want to do anything other than let go. In fact, he wanted very much to forget about everything other than finding out how best to please his beloved—if still secret—girlfriend. His mouth dipped down to the tip of her closest ear, and he began to trace the outer edge with his tongue, which elicited an intoxicating, shivery kind of gasp from Chizuru. He felt his pelvic muscles contract in response, and blood rush down to harden him into full arousal. Without another thought, he pressed a hard kiss—almost a bite—into the side of Chizuru's neck, making sure that his teeth would leave marks.

"Hajime…" Chizuru's voice was a little rougher than usual, and her breathing had quickened. He tightened his hand in her hair, and forced her head up to look at him, so that he could admire the scarlet that now bloomed high on her cheeks, and the way her eyes seemed to glow as she warmed into passion. When he brought his mouth to hers, abandoning her ear and neck, and biting gently on her lower lip, she made another half-muffled sound of pleasure, but louder and more distinct this time. He found himself trapping her even more tightly between his body and the wall, and grinding himself against her, while his tongue parted her willing lips and began to explore her mouth, eventually so deeply that it felt like a flagrant expression of what he wanted to do with the rest of her body.

As if in response to that thought, he felt Chizuru's hands tug the tail of his shirt free of his jeans, so that she could caress his bare skin in the same way that he was touching hers. His father wouldn't be very impressed at how easily distracted he was, he knew, but something rebelled in him at the thought. His friends and colleagues pushed him to be more open; his father and grandfather demanded perfect stoicism. Only Chizuru let him be entirely himself—she didn't mind his silences, she trusted him to listen when she wanted to talk, and she never seemed troubled by his awkwardness. He was utterly in love with her.

Still kissing, they undressed each other, fumbling at buttons, and even occasionally snarling at layers that wouldn't cooperate with their need to be skin-to-skin. Saitō retained enough sanity to lift Chizuru into his arms and carry her to his small bedroom, which was surely a more private and appropriate place to communicate such desires. Not until he laid her down on his bed—hair loose, clothing wildly askew, love-bite darkening on her neck—did he fully process what they were doing, and freeze, appalled by how far he'd let things go. He immediately sat back, still straddling her hips, and forced his greedy hands away from her skin.

To his surprise, Chizuru smiled up at him, and reached out to run her own hand down across the muscles of his stomach to rest lightly on the tight bulge still constrained by his lower fly and boxer-briefs. The button to his jeans was already undone, although it had taken her some minutes to achieve this, earlier. He still wasn't sure whether the button had actually been difficult, or if she'd just been distracted by his lips on her skin, and on the thin material of her lacy bra. Her nipples had hardened intriguingly under the ministrations of his stroking, pinching fingers, and then tongue and teeth.

He stared down at her now, breathless and dry-mouthed with desire, blood pounding in his ears, but desperate not to injure her in any way. Her thumb rubbed gently, but attentively, at the head of his erection, and he flinched inwardly at the combination of the exciting, pleasurable sensation, and the vulnerable, loving, determined expression on her lovely face. It might feel wonderful, but it wasn't right—not when there was fear and sadness lurking behind her passion.

"Chizuru," he whispered, barely able to resist leaning forward into her touch, while forcing himself to keep his hands curled on his thighs, rather than caressing her breasts, or busy with the pale blue panties that lay visible below her loose, rumpled skirt.

"I want this, Hajime. You love me, you believe in me, and I want you to be the first, since I don't know what the future has in store for either of us."

"We'll stay together no matter what, I promise, if that's what you want. But don't—Chizuru, those are the wrong reasons—you must know that!" He hoped that his voice betrayed neither the effort it cost to be rational, nor his hurt at her lack of confidence. In him, in them, he wasn't sure which.

He read stubbornness—and true longing—in her eyes, and the set of her lips. She wasn't going to back down, not when she believed in what she was saying.

"Your father won't want an alliance with a disgraced family, we both know that. And the Kazama want me so that I can produce an heir to both families, Kazama and Yukimura, now that their victory is certain. A marriage, an heir—that will bring everyone into line, and keep our noble blood pure." The last word was low and bitter. "Are you going to subject your family, and your friends, and all their dreams, to the inevitable retaliation? They—the Kazama—can be brutal, you know."

"My family can look after itself," he told her forcefully, trying and failing to ignore her insistent caresses. He shifted a little, then caught her wrists, pushing her down into the bed. "Don't offer yourself to me on such terms. I'll refuse." He wasn't sure he could, but he'd do his best.

Chizuru stared at him, clearly frustrated in every way, but also, maybe, a little hopeful. Or was he imagining it, because he wanted her so much, and needed her to want him back out of love and passion, not despair—or as part of some ridiculous, fatalistic goodbye.

"Hajime? I don't want you to get hurt. I love you. That's the only reason I would ever go to them—"

"I know, but this—" He swallowed, unable to do what he should, and just get up, and get his mind back on prioritizing her safety, and—and so on. Why couldn't things be simple? Why did he always think too much?! He could practically feel Sōji's eyes mocking him for his indecision.

"I'm sorry," Chizuru whispered into the silence. "I was being selfish—to want this time with you. This is my fault—"

"Dammit—no!" He let go of her wrists and curved his hands around her cheeks to cradle her head. "Just… just don't go there." He bent down to kiss her fiercely on the lips, and was surprised to discover that his control was still pitifully weak. Desire reignited as he registered the heat of her skin against his bare chest, and felt her lips part beneath his. He heard her breath hitch—just as it had earlier—and then her arms tightened around him, pulling him fully against her, so that he barely had time to brace one forearm to avoid falling.

"I won't give up—"

"I won't let you go."

With little grace, but also no pointless self-consciousness, he freed them both from their remaining clothes, and gave himself over to kissing and teasing and caressing his beloved's body into heated, extravagant arousal. Inexperience didn't mean lack of imagination, and he'd imagined making love to her so many times before, often to his own chagrin. He kissed and tasted and left marks on her skin, and suckled her breasts, and ran strong, demanding hands along her sides and over her hips and belly and around her smooth backside. And he thanked her, in fervent, heartfelt whispers, for letting him hear her cries of passion, and for sharing her wonderful, sweet body with him.

Her scent was intoxicating—he hadn't realized how much it would affect him. When his explorations finally reached the damp, sensitive folds of skin at her centre, and his fingers started to learn the contours of her most private places, her soft cries became whimpers, and he saw her biting her lower lip so hard that he thought it might bleed.

"Chizuru…" He almost stilled his hand, worried for the first time that he'd somehow hurt her, in his ignorance, but when his fingers slowed, and he lifted his lips from the hard nub of one breast, her expression plainly begged him not to stop, and he felt her hips jerk so as to press her mound more firmly against his hand. Only a little while later, he found himself sliding his fingers within her, both elated and a little shocked by how much he wanted to do such things. His body was beginning to quiver with need and anticipation of release, and he knew that she could feel his hard length pressed tightly against her thigh, and perhaps even the slightly sticky fluid that had started to pool on her skin. Without conscious thought, he pressed his fingers deeper within her, and felt inner muscles tremble and contract against them. Abruptly, he wasn't sure how he was going to manage to hold back any longer. He pulled away from her uncertainly, aware that he'd become completely focussed on sensation.

"Hajime…" She said his name like a plea, and lust jolted through him.

"Chizuru, I… I…" He swallowed, so deep in desire that he couldn't form a proper question. When she reached out and pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him passionately, his whole body twitched involuntarily, and he clung to her, feeling his climax starting to build out of control. He could only hope—though he was moderately optimistic—that he'd made his lover feel the same way.

He was incredibly grateful when Chizuru shifted her hips, and awkwardly, but without hesitation, helped guide him to her entrance. He took that as permission to finally surrender his thread-bare self-command and join with her, and a soft groan escaped his lips as he thrust into her, his hands moving to grip her hips as he rocked hard against her once, and then withdrew a short space before burying himself deep into her once more, savouring the way her tight, slick walls clenched and pulsed around his shaft. She was very wet, and she smelled of arousal and sex, and a strong wave of possessiveness swept over him along with the desperate yearning of near-orgasm. Unable to stop, he thrust into her again and again, listening to her moan, and feeling her writhe beneath him. Somewhere in the haze of adrenaline and pleasure, he promised himself to do more for her next time, since this time he seemed to lack the ability to do much more than ride a dizzying wave of physical sensation until he was coming hard and fast inside her, his seed spilling hot within her welcoming body.

They lay together for some time afterwards, without speaking, their bodies still joined, their skin sticky with sweat and still sensitive to the other's touch. Saitō was conscious that he had left numerous bruises and marks on Chizuru—some light, some deep—and he was embarrassed that he didn't fully recollect being so rough. It had also occurred to him, too late, that he probably hadn't been careful enough or gentle enough, given that it was her first time. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be able to think clearly enough to express his concern just yet. He suspected he was smiling, and was a little worried that he looked smug.

Chizuru, on the other hand, looked… happy. More than happy. For some reason that Saitō couldn't fathom, she was gazing lovingly up at him through dreamy, half-closed eyes, and showed no inclination to have him move from where he lay. The only problem was that he felt a distinct inclination to make love to her again, but wasn't sure whether that would be either appropriate, or welcome. He'd never been entirely sure what women really thought about sex, having never had the opportunity—or courage—to ask. But… she really did look happy. And beautiful. Gorgeous, even. Although that didn't necessarily reflect how she felt.

"Thank you," he said, at last. It didn't begin to convey how he felt, but it was a start.

"Oh…" Chizuru looked startled, but then relaxed again and grinned at him. "You're welcome—I mean, thank you, too."

There was a lot going on, back in the real world. And somebody was going to track them down, probably either Sōji, or Hijikata-san, and probably sooner rather than later. Saitō tightened his arms around Chizuru.

"Remember, you promised."

"I know. No giving myself up just to protect everyone I care about—and especially you—from the anger of the most powerful family in the country."

He blinked. "Somehow you make it sound like I'm being selfish." Then, before it could even begin to turn into another disagreement, he added. "But even if I am—yes, that is correct. Also, to quote something either Sano-san, or Shinpachi, said one time: have a little faith, okay?"

Chizuru looked up at him with an unusually roguish smile.

"I have faith in your endurance…"

Saitō felt his eyes widen in surprise, and then Chizuru suddenly looked away, red suffusing her cheeks. Gently, he turned her face back toward his, and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry if I was too rough—I really am. I don't know what was wrong with me. But I'd be very happy to let you test my endurance, if you want to."

And if Sōji, Hijikata-san, or anyone else needed him in the next hour or two, then that was just too bad. Chizuru's well-being, and her good opinion of him, were far more important than a national championship, a potential rift with his father, or the threats of a family with distinctly dangerous business practices.

[END]

A/Note:�� I realized part-way through editing that the background for this Saito is influenced by that of the Saito from an entirely different otome game (DTL)

Tags: @shell-senji @hidetheremote @eliz1369 @nalufever @annedey @nospringonions @soujthings @do-it-for-keef @sabinasanfanfic @fury-ous @canadiangaap @aetherium-weaver @hakuyamazakisensei @petri808

To those who read Teachings of Demons: the new chapter is underway and should be finished this weekend. Still dealing with a number of distractions, but hoping for solid writing time in March.

~ Imp

#hakuouki #hakuoki #haku fanfiction #saichi #impracticaldemon #saichifest 2019 #imp writes

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wickedbananas · 6 years

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How to Win Some Local Customers Back from Amazon this Holiday Season

Posted by MiriamEllis

Your local business may not be able to beat Amazon at the volume of their own game of convenient shipping this holiday season, but don’t assume it’s a game you can’t at least get into!

This small revelation took me by surprise last month while I was shopping for a birthday gift for my brother. Like many Americans, I’m feeling growing qualms about the economic and societal impacts of putting my own perceived convenience at the top of a list of larger concerns like ensuring fair business practices, humane working conditions, and sustainable communities.

So, when I found myself on the periphery of an author talk at the local independent bookstore and the book happened to be one I thought my brother would enjoy, I asked myself a new question:

“I wonder if this shop would ship?”

There was no signage indicating such a service, but I asked anyway, and was delighted to discover that they do. Minutes later, the friendly staff was wrapping up a signed copy of the volume in nice paper and popping a card in at no extra charge. Shipping wasn’t free, but I walked away feeling a new kind of happiness in wishing my sibling a “Happy Birthday” this year.

And that single transaction not only opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t have to remain habituated to gift shopping at Amazon or similar online giants for remote loved ones, but it also inspired this article.

Let’s talk about this now, while your local business, large or small, still has time to make plans for the holidays. Let’s examine this opportunity together, with a small study, a checklist, and some inspiration for seasonal success.

What do people buy most at the holidays and who’s shipping?

According to Statista, the categories in the following chart are the most heavily shopped during the holiday season. I selected a large town in California with a population of 60,000+, and phoned every business in these categories that was ranking in the top 10 of Google’s Local Finder view. This comprised both branded chains and independently-owned businesses. I asked each business if I came in and purchased items whether they could ship them to a friend.

Category

% Offer Shipping

Notes

Clothing

80%

Some employees weren’t sure. Outlets of larger store brands couldn’t ship. Some offered shipping only if you were a member of their loyalty program. Small independents consistently offered shipping. Larger brands promoted shopping online.

Electronics

10%

Larger stores all stressed going online. The few smaller stores said they could ship, but made it clear that it was an unusual request.

Games/Toys/Dolls etc.

25%

Large stores promote online shopping. One said they would ship some items but not all. Independents did not ship.

Food/Liquor

20%

USPS prohibits shipping alcohol. I surveyed grocery, gourmet, and candy stores. None of the grocery stores shipped and only two candy stores did.

Books

50%

Only two bookstores in this town, both independent. One gladly ships. The other had never considered it.

Jewelry

60%

Chains require online shopping. Independents more open to shipping but some didn’t offer it.

Health/Beauty

20%

With a few exceptions, cosmetic and fitness-related stores either had no shipping service or had either limited or full online shopping.

Takeaways from the study

Most of the chains promote online shopping vs. shopping in their stores, which didn’t surprise me, but which strikes me as opportunity being left on the table.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of independent clothing and jewelry stores that gladly offered to ship gift purchases.

I was concerned by how many employees initially didn’t know whether or not their employer offered shipping, indicating a lack of adequate training.

Finally, I’ll add that I’ve physically visited at least 85% of these businesses in the past few years and have never been told by any staff member about their shipping services, nor have I seen any in-store signage promoting such an offer.

My overarching takeaway from the experiment is that, though all of us are now steeped in the idea that consumers love the convenience of shipping, a dominant percentage of physical businesses are still operating as though this realization hasn’t fully hit in… or that it can be safely ignored.

To put it another way, if Amazon has taken some of your customers, why not take a page from their playbook and get shipping?

The nitty-gritty of brick-and-mortar shipping

62% of consumers say the reason they’d shop offline is because they want to see, touch, and try out items. – RetailDive

There’s no time like the holidays to experiment with a new campaign. I sat down with a staff member at the bookstore where I bought my brother’s gift and asked her some questions about how they manage shipping. From that conversation, and from some additional research, I came away with the following checklist for implementing a shipping offer at your brick-and-mortar locations:

✔ Determine whether your business category is one that lends itself to holiday gift shopping.

✔ Train core or holiday temp staff to package and ship gifts.

✔ Craft compelling messaging surrounding your shipping offer, perhaps promoting pride in the local community vs. pride in Amazon. Don’t leave it to customers to shop online on autopilot — help them realize there’s a choice.

✔ Cover your store and website with messaging highlighting this offering, at least two months in advance of the holidays.

✔ In October, run an in-store campaign in which cashiers verbally communicate your holiday shipping service to every customer.

✔ Sweeten the offer with a dedication of X% of sales to a most popular local cause/organization/institution.

✔ Promote your shipping service via your social accounts.

✔ Make an effort to earn a mention of your shipping service in local print and radio news.

✔ Set clear dates for when the last purchases can be made to reach their destinations in time for the holidays.

✔ Coordinate with the USPS, FedEx, or UPS to have them pick up packages from your location daily.

✔ Determine the finances of your shipping charges. You may need to experiment with whether free shipping would put too big of a hole in your pocket, or whether it’s necessary to compete with online giants at the holidays.

✔ Track the success of this campaign to discover ROI.

Not every business is a holiday shopping destination, and online shopping may simply have become too dominant in some categories to overcome the Amazon habit. But, if you determine you’ve got an opportunity here, designate 2018 as a year to experiment with shipping with a view towards making refinements in the new year.

You may discover that your customers so appreciate the lightbulb moment of being able to support local businesses when they want something mailed that shipping is a service you’ll want to instate year-round. And not just for gifts… consumers are already signaling at full strength that they like having merchandise shipped to themselves!

Adding the lagniappe: Something extra

For the past couple of years, economists have reported that Americans are spending more on restaurants than on groceries. I see a combination of a desire for experiences and convenience in that, don’t you? It has been joked that someone needs to invent food that takes pictures of itself for social sharing! What can you do to capitalize on this desire for ease and experience in your business?

Cards, carols, and customs are wreathed in the “joy” part of the holidays, but how often do customers genuinely feel the enjoyment when they are shopping these days? True, a run to the store for a box of cereal may not require aesthetic satisfaction, but shouldn’t we be able to expect some pleasure in our purchasing experiences, especially when we are buying gifts that are meant to spread goodwill?

When my great-grandmother got tired from shopping at the Emporium in San Francisco, one of the superabundant sales clerks would direct her to the soft surroundings of the ladies’ lounge to refresh her weary feet on an automatic massager. She could lunch at a variety of nicely appointed in-store restaurants at varied prices. Money was often tight, but she could browse happily in the “bargain basement”. There were holiday roof rides for the kiddies, and holiday window displays beckoning passersby to stop and gaze in wonder. Great-grandmother, an immigrant from Ireland, got quite a bit of enjoyment out of the few dollars in her purse.

It may be that those lavish days of yore are long gone, taking the pleasure of shopping with them, and that we’re doomed to meager choosing between impersonal online shopping or impersonal offline warehouses … but I don’t think so.

The old Emporium was huge, with multiple floors and hundreds of employees … but it wasn’t a “big box store”.

There’s still opportunity for larger brands to differentiate themselves from their warehouse-lookalike competitors. Who says retail has to look like a fast food chain or a mobile phone store?

And as for small, independent businesses? I can’t open my Twitter feed nowadays without encountering a new and encouraging story about the rise of localism and local entrepreneurialism.

It’s a good time to revive the ethos of the lagniappe — the Louisiana custom of giving patrons a little something extra with their purchase, something that will make it worth it to get off the computer and head into town for a fun, seasonal experience. Yesterday’s extra cookie that made up the baker’s dozen could be today’s enjoyable atmosphere, truly expert salesperson, chair to sit down in when weary, free cup of spiced cider on a wintry day… or the highly desirable service of free shipping. Chalk up the knowledge of this need as one great thing Amazon has gifted you.

In 2017, our household chose to buy as many holiday presents as possible from Main Street for our nearby family and friends. We actually enjoyed the experience. In 2018, we plan to see how far our town can take us in terms of shipping gifts to loved ones we won’t have a chance to see. Will your business be ready to serve our newfound need?

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pcvkaplowitz-blog · 6 years

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Week 3: Getting Familiar

Who Do You Know Here?

I’ve been in Nicaragua for 25 days and finally feel like I’m getting into a rhythm. I even downloaded a book in Spanish on my kindle (El Pergamino de la Seducción by Nicaraguan author Gioconda Belli). Not that I’ve gotten very far into it, reading in another language is hard! I was inspired by my Spanish teacher Erika who recommended at this point in my language development the best thing I can do to improve is practice reading and writing. Erika is the first Spanish teacher I’ve ever actually enjoyed having class with, so I’m a little bummed teachers get rotated between groups every three weeks.

My cohort of trainees in Niquinohomo get along well. We all are very different people, but still have fun together and as I learn more about them individually I feel more grounded. It will take time to feel really close to them, but we’re getting there. I also look forward to developing relationships with people from other training sites, especially trainees in the health sector who we see less frequently.

I’ve been grateful to see how responsive the staff in Peace Corps respond to feedback from trainees. After an especially arduous training session last week the Master Trainer acknowledged the complaints he received in an appropriate manner during this week’s training and encouraged us to continue to provide feedback.

Some of my favorite conversations have been with current volunteers. Volunteers are frequently invited to lead training seminars and chatting with them is a great way to learn more about the expectations and lifestyle I can anticipate after swearing in. Yesterday we had diversity training at the gorgeous Laguna de Apoyo. The session was solid, pretty basic for anyone who is familiar with diversity work. We covered the Gender Unicorn,” an updated version of the Genderbread Man, and made identity identity charts. Although I look forward to having deeper conversations it would have been hard to do so in a group of almost 50 people, and while being supervised by our bosses.

At the training I met Adrian, a second year Volunteer. Adrian and I have a mutual friend that we bonded over and got to talking only to realize he had also lived with Manuela in Niquinohomo! He came back to the house with me to say hello to the family and we were able to have a really nice conversation over a plate of Manuela’s famous pollo frito. By the time he left to catch a bus to Managua I felt better about my feelings about training, expectations for service, and reasons for being here.

Reading this I’m sure you’ve gotten the impression all my interactions are with members of Peace Corps, which isn’t the case. Most of my Nicaraguan circle is composed of Manuela’s (extensive) extended family. Beyond the people living in my house I’ve reached out to cousins, nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles. Figuring out how any individual is related to Manuela is complicated but connecting with them is not. I enjoy conversations with everyone who has the patience to listen to my misconjugations and confused articles.

Álvaro may be the only family member who likes getting his picture taken while Evelyn loves trying to get me to play go-fish with her. Pablito on the other hand is asking me for guitar lessons, while I’m trying to get my own lessons from Yunior. Besides family members Pedro and Pablo basically live at the house and are always friendly and willing to chat while they aren’t help Manuela with her endless assortment of errands.

Outside my family I’ve gotten to know a handful of people. There’s Jorge Tellas who made my guitar, a few familiar faces at the gym who I talk to but have trouble recalling the names of, and Daniel’s host family who I went out for hamburgers with on his birthday.

Although I’ve put a lot of energy into learning about my PC my counterparts and building a support system from amongst them, I’ve also try to integrate into the community. As I move forward in training I will certainly have to continue to build relationships with both P.C. members and host country nationals. It’s a lot less natural to make friends in Spanish and certainly a good skill to practice as much as possible.

But What Do You Know About Entrepreneurship?

After receiving my offer from PC to work as an “Entrepreneurship Educator” I remember my roommate asking: “What do you know about entrepreneurship?” My answer is not a lot. Actually, basically nothing. I have a few friends from school with startups I’ve been around to help formulate but I’ve never played a significant role in any of those endeavors. So when I was told I’d be in a position of educate others on something I have no experience in I was shook. But it’s not like I lied about my experience in the interview so I figured if they offered me this position there may be a reason for it.

What I’ve found over the past few weeks is that my background is not as much of a disadvantage as I predicted. There are two main reasons for this change of heart. First, the program focuses on human development, second, the realities of operating a business in Nicaragua are nothing like running a business in the United States.

The Peace Corps approach is about creating sustainable improvements in sites by building capacity through the utilization of local skills and success. This means: Developing a business plan for somebody is pointless unless they understand why it is important and are both motivated and able to implement it. Teaching an excellent class to high schoolers is nice but will not have nearly the same effect if the teacher you work with is unable to continue to give excellent classes in your absence.

Basically, it doesn’t matter how successful your own business is in the states. It is marginally important how much of a difference you make in your site for the time you are there. It is almost entirely about if the people you work with aren’t able to continue your success. It’s about the teacher and the small business owner, moreover, it’s about their ability to pass on their skills to others.

Among Nicaraguans the baseline for business knowledge is generally lower than I expected. In many small businesses here basic U.S. practices are often overlooked or underutilized. Peace Corps has given us the example of financial records. Many Nicaraguan business do not maintain financial records and many businesses that do still don’t know how to use a budget to modify their business practices. Although I do not come from a business background I still bring knowledge I did not realize I had and there is still plenty of training (not to mention my entire service) left to continue to learn.

On the educational end, many of the teachers in charge of AEP classes have never taught the class before and have a background in entirely different subjects. Helping these teachers understand a new curriculum is much more reasonable than trying to coach a teacher already experienced in their field. My goal is to make superstar teachers, but first I will have to make sure the teachers understand the most basic elements. My role is to make sure teachers actually teach the students rather than go through the motions.

In order to be successful, I will need to build relationships. I need to identify successful business owners, gain their confidence, and learn why they are able to be successful. Furthermore, I need the successful business owners to take on roles as community leaders and educate their neighbors. I need to identify successful teachers and build networks so that teachers can share their practices.

So the question remains, what do I know about entrepreneurship? I know enough. I know enough to identify the business and pedagogies that work given the cultural and economic constraints in Nicaragua. I must develop my business knowledge, but I also must develop my interpersonal skills. My success over the next two years will be determined by my ability to partner with Nicaraguans and empower them to change their own community.

Fortunately, Nicaraguans generally seem to be a helpful bunch. The people I have met embody the phrase “lift as you rise,” and generally do not view helping their neighbor as a threat to their own well-being. In this respect I wish for Americans to learn from Nicaraguans as well.

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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The Tenth Girl Exclusive Trailer Reveal & Author Interview

https://ift.tt/2Zv6bD8

Get a sneak peek at The Tenth Girl, a gothic psychological horror debut teeming with originality.

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Out on September 24th, The Tenth Girl is the perfect read for the fall season and beyond. The story follows Mavi, an Argentine teen who flees 1970s Buenos Aires and the military regime that took her mother for a remote girls boarding school located on a remote cliff in Patagonia, at the very southern tip of South America where she has been hired to teach English to the school's elite pupils.

Spooky context? Vaccaro School is haunted, supposedly cursed by the indigenous people whose land the European colonizers stole and built the school on. When Mavi realizes one of her students, the tenth girl, is missing, and students and staff begin to behave like they are possessed, Mavi must solve the mystery of what's happening at Vaccaro before it is too late.

The Tenth Girl is one part Jane Eyre, one part The Haunting of Hill House, and all parts original, with a twist that you will not see coming. It is deeply inspired by Gothic horror fiction that has come before and by debut author Sara Faring's own family history, but is something entirely new. We are so pleased to be able to debut exclusively the trailer for The Tenth Girl, which hopefully gives you an idea of just how perfect this book is for the upcoming Halloween season...

Den of Geek also had the chance to talk to Faring about creating this vivid, immersive, and utterly original world for The Tenth Girl. Here's what she told us...

There are so many vividly-realized elements to this book. I'm curious if there was a very clear place where it started, for example a character, setting, or idea?

You know, actually I, this book sort of came to me when I was on a trip with all of the female relatives in my family on the Argentine side. We went to Paris of all places to celebrate my grandmother's 85th birthday. One of my cousins is a psychotherapist, which is, in Argentina it's the country with the most psychotherapists per capita. Anyway, fun fact!

And so, one night, she led us in this hypnotherapy group session, which sounds so strange and it was, kind of. It felt like a seance. And we started to share stories from our families' spoken history, I guess you'd say. And I started to hear about the stories I'd never heard from Argentina in the 70s and the era of the military regime there. And, after that, I became obsessed with learning everything I could about this time period, about my family's experience in Argentina for the past century or so. And this book blossomed out of that.

How long ago was that?

It was five years ago because this October we're celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday.

Oh, that's so cool.

She's one of those people who, even though she's turning 90, will dance until 6:00 am and get angry at anyone who doesn't.

Wow. She sounds amazing.

Yeah, she's pretty incredible.

So besides that, I did have an idea of the twists in my head when I started writing. So I wanted to explore what it meant to be human, which sounds really over the top, but the reason I love speculative books is because I love books that help me view life with a fresh astonishment, you know? That will make me re-examine the human experience with mind-bending thoughts. I think writing is a great way for me to honor my family history in Argentina and also explore these themes that I love reading about and watching [in TV shows].

This is a YA book, but I feel like it is on the cusp of it being an adult book. I'm curious why you wanted to make it a YA book or where that decision came from.

Yeah, no, good question. I do think that when I was writing this book, I gave some thought to why I wanted to write in general and, when I was younger, books just, they, it sounds cheesy and it is, but they completely changed my life. They were my best friends. They were a way for me to explore my place in the world, to learn, to discover new corners inside myself.

So I knew that I wanted to have a younger protagonist, a teenage protagonist who was coming to terms with who she was and what it meant to be an independent person now that she's no longer with her mother and is kind of going off into the world on her own. That's always just been a really compelling stage for me and I'm sure as I get older that'll change.

But I love exploring that, the mindset of someone who is 17, 18 and I loved reading about that when I was even younger than 17, 18. I think, even when I was like 14, I loved reading about protagonists who were kind of on that cusp, you know, that stage of their life. For me, books made me feel like I wasn't alone when I was teenager. And I just knew I wanted to write for people that age.

And I do think you're right, this book hopefully will appeal to younger people and older people, but I couldn't be happier that it's coming out as a young adult book for many reasons. I'm sure you also know just how passionate and engaged YA readers are which is just unbelievable. I mean it's extraordinary. Yesterday, a blogger posted a photo of how she'd painted my cover on her leg. It was beautiful. It was more beautiful than my cover.

You have two main perspective characters in this book and I'm curious if one of them came first and why you felt it was important to have both Mavi and Angel's points of view and telling this story?

Yeah, so I would say I knew I always needed to have both because, frankly, when I read books, I love for there to be reveals happening throughout. I love to feel like I'm being led into some secret, and I wanted there to be this tension between the two points of view and the information we're getting from each side. And I also just always thought it would be a lot of fun to see Vaccaro School from both perspectives: the perspective of a teacher who's brand new and views it as one thing and the perspective of a... I don't even know how to speak about Angel in an interview. It gets juicy really fast. From the perspective of someone who is working through pain with humor and is using the house in a very different way, I would say.

And it, to be honest, it was also really fun to write a book in two very different voices. And I know I always wanted Mavi's to feel like a nod to the traditional Gothic works of fiction and then we could have Angel's voice—which would be completely disorienting—have these bits of dark humor and pop culture references and feel sometimes goofy and bizarre.

For me, when you're exploring dark themes, it is just such a breath of fresh air to have injections of humor throughout. So, yeah, they both came about at the same time. I did rewrite Angel's part many times because I wanted to get the tone right because it was easy to fall into a sort of melancholy spiral, if you will, [with that character].

Well you did such a good job distinguishing their voices. I definitely got the Gothic themes from Mavi. From the very beginning, I was like, 'This reminds me of Jane Eyre and other classics,' and then to also have Angel just like dropping like Harry Potter references... They felt very distinct and that is so important I think especially when you see the same events more than once from different perspectives. It can be very hard to do in a way that doesn't feel redundant, but you do a really good job of making that interesting.

Oh my gosh, I am so delighted to hear that, I'm so thrilled. Yeah. I ... because that's something I kind of privately nerd out over, you know, the multi-perspective. But you're right, it can, it can drag, so, you never know.

Obviously, this book was so inspired by your mother's side of the family and you've mentioned also that your grandmother is still alive and very engaged with things. I'm curious if they've had a chance to read the book and also if they gave you specific like feedback or details on, you know, the 1970s Argentinian setting because they were there so that's obviously a great resource.

No, it's funny you say that because, so almost all of them read an early draft and I was getting feedback from my grandmother and from my mother saying, 'Oh, you know, actually like this one sensory detail of this one story you inserted, that to anyone else would have been like...' OK, we don't need to get in the weeds on that. They were like, no, this is wrong. Like the pavement smelled like this...

Anyway, so I received a lot of that or like the detail of... there's a story in the book, an anecdote about a young man who has a molar filled with poison that he bites down on and that's a real story of a family friend. So I wanted to make sure that, even though the context is fictional, it honored their memory of the situation.

And, beyond that, I'm very proud to report that... Even though, especially with the twist, it was not necessarily all of my family members ideal genre if that makes sense—not that I like to ascribe genre labels to anything, but I think with the twist, you know, you, it definitely appeals to a certain kind of reader and may be slightly jarring, hopefully in an interesting way to another type of reader—they loved it.

But they also saw how much I layered in from all of our lives. It's actually kind of funny when family members read books. I did get a few reactions where they're like, 'Oh, you're just this character, right?' And I'm like, no, that's not how it works.

So you do such a wonderful job constructing the setting of the school. And I'm curious if there were either real world buildings and or fictional buildings that served as inspiration for the school?

There is a building in Buenos Aires, in Recoleta, which is like this posh neighborhood, and it is an abandoned mansion. It's just... it's ridiculous. This building is amazing and there's just nothing being done with it and it's falling into disrepair and it's totally derelict. And it's on a really busy, posh street. So that did inspire some of the aesthetic.

But I just love building Gothic atmosphere. It's one of my favorite things in anything I write: the gloomy, the spooky, the grand, the forgotten, the abandoned. I love that. So that was always sort of simmering in my brain and my imagination for years. But, in Patagonia, I'll be honest, I haven't found a building like Vaccaro School.

Yet.

Yet. Yeah, I went last October again, looked for one, couldn't find one, but I'm going to try again. I'm going to try again this year, so...

And you'll have lots of readers to help out soon.

Yeah, I hope so. Right? I've already gotten some cool photos that people have sent me. Like, 'Oh, is this like Vaccaro School in this country?' Including a cliff mansion in Slovenia, which was pretty amazing.

Do you think about how readers in Argentina will respond to this book perhaps differently from readers in other places who don't know as much about the setting and the time period?

Well, I didn't grow up in Argentina. I went very often, my family, you know, half my family lives there. But, while I was writing this, I was very aware of the fact that not only did I not grow up there, but I didn't live through this time period. So I'm relying on my family members' very specific perspective on it. And I tried to deepen that and also to explore other perspectives on it by interviewing other people down there, doing a lot of research.

But, ultimately, I wasn't looking to obviously create any kind of, I'm not going to say exhaustive, but any detailed reflection of what that time period was like. I really just wanted to draw, especially for young adults, younger American audiences' attention to this period of time there, especially because with so much going on now, we can forget history, especially outside of the States. And there are many interesting parallels, at least to me, in what's happened in Argentina and other parts of the world and what's happening right now.

Without going further down that path, I just really wanted to draw attention to this time period, which even as someone growing up in California with Argentine parents and family, I knew not enough about. And it's been really exciting for me to see this book go out into the world and also to see other books of friends, especially other Latinx authors, who are putting out books about periods of history in their countries and their family's country that younger readers don't necessarily know that much about.

So I think it's a good way to, through an ideally compulsively-readable plot and characters you're invested in, pique interest in a time period that's not touched on very much in curriculums.

Yeah, well I definitely learned a lot and had a lot of fun, like stopping and Googling things to learn more about them.

Yay! Oh my gosh.

Yeah. So it's definitely not just a young person thing, obviously.

We've alluded to the big twist in this book, but there's a certain degree of mystery throughout. How did you decide on the pacing for when you would reveal certain things, especially the big plot twist?

Yes. Well, for me, it came down to rhythm and while, at first, I tried to use a more traditional structure, like a three-act structure. I tried at first to kind of loosely follow those kinds of structures, but I realized I had so much information and so many twists to handle because that's just how I like to read. So I wanted to write something that followed the same constant reveal structure. I went by rhythm, just intuitively.

Obviously, with a book of this length [editor's note: the book is 464 pages], you want to have enough [to keep people reading]. I think, even within the book, there are different kinds of twists and different kinds of reveals. So I had to be aware of the fact that what a kind of twist that was compelling for one reader, it might not for another and kind of lay them out so that there would be enough for each kind of reader. Because when you have something that, in my mind, does genre bend, you want to make sure that there's enough to appeal to different kinds of readers.

Yeah, definitely. And I think you're right with the length. I think you have to get a little bit more creative in terms of structure or like at least not following that traditional three act structure, which people like, you know, use and don't use in different ways.

Yeah. And it's almost fun to know how the structure works and then tried to subvert it. But it's funny because people, readers grow to expect those beats sometimes. And, yeah, it's an interesting thing to think about because, for the most part, I'm writing just what I enjoy to write, which was a privilege to do and have it still sell, but I feel like, on some level, it's also interesting to be conscious of reader expectations when it comes to hitting beats when readers expect them. It's something I'm still thinking about. I do it in my second book.

And I think you're right about, you know, reader expectation. I think story consumers today are more literate than ever in storytelling. So that is something to think about, definitely.

Also, I've been interested recently in how, as TV becomes, I mean I guess it's cheesy, but like golden age of TV and as people are watching such incredible television, which has a very different structure in my mind over the course of a season to films or to books, how you can kind of use that as an author. And, sometimes, I feel like I'm writing books more as someone who loves TV than someone who loves movies, if that makes sense?

Yeah. I think I read books like that so I totally understand. Because I also think that this golden age of television is marked by a break in structure and a creativity in structure. So that is a cool inspiration to take from that medium and bring into another.

Yeah, I think that some of the books I'm most excited about now do that as well. So yeah, I think we're on the cusp of something special or maybe we're well in it and I'm just not, you know, well read.

Yeah. It's hard to tell from the inside.

Yeah, exactly.

This book is such a good fall release. And was that like a discussion with your publisher and figuring out when the best release date would be for The Tenth Girl?

Yeah, it's funny because my editor knew immediately. Let me figure out when we like had our handshake deal... it was two years ago, basically. So she knew this was going to be the season, this is going to be the year. She immediately thought like the atmosphere is just the perfect thing for someone to curl up with on a stormy fall night. And I'm inclined to agree.

It's funny because the advance copies of this book had been going out over the summer and occasionally people will ask, 'Oh, you know, I received it. Should I read it on my beach vacation?' I'm like, 'Absolutely! Read it whenever you can.' But is it more fun to read on a stormy night? Yes. But, hopefully—I don't know where you're based—but, when it's a day like today, and it is so hot that you wish you could peel off your skin, it might be nice to retreat into a book where there's fog and storms and chills in the air.

I always like to ask people what stories they're really into right now, whether it's a book, a TV show, a movie, a comic book, whatever. What stories are you excited about as a fan?

I just blew through Euphoria on HBO. Which was really interesting to me and I'm still kind of working out my feelings about it, but I thought it was really kind of spectacular.

I haven't watched it yet, but it's definitely on my list.

It's, I'd be so curious. I'm curious to hear everyone's reaction to it, because. Let's see what else. Yeah, the structure is interesting how at the beginning of each episode it kind of gives you a little short and sweet or not sweet, I should say, but backstory on each of the characters you've been following and then it goes back into the kind of main narrative, which is interesting.

Besides that, I'm reading this book called The Need by Helen Philips. It's very difficult to describe. Basically it opens on this, on this mother who, I don't know if that's a spoiler or not, on this mother who like sees an intruder in her house and the intruder ends up being her. But from a different universe, kind of. And then at the same time, she's a paleobotanist. And she finds a Bible with she as the God pronoun, yeah. Anyway. Clearly it's almost impossible to describe, but it's very bizarre and unsettling and different and we'll see where it goes.

And then beside that a book I love, which you might've had on your list, but I don't know, is The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante. It's A YA book, basically about if human beings can physically take on another's grief, it's so much more than that. That's just like the speculative hook, I guess. And it packs a punch.

Yeah. That's pretty much what I have going. Besides that, I watch a disgusting amount of reality TV right now because I'm trying to get my brain off of everything.

Yeah, I do that too. I'm just like, I can't write about this for work, so I'm just going to watch this thing.

Exactly.

Well thank you so much for chatting with me today. This was so much fun.

Thank you. This was such a treat.

The Tenth Girl will be published on September 24th and is now available to pre-order via Macmillan. You can follow Sara Faring on Instagram and Twitter.

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.

Read and download the Den of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Interview Kayti Burt

Aug 26, 2019

Horror

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sidewalkscienceguy · 7 years

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Representation Matters. And recently, I learned that one of the characters in my books is having a real impact on real people.

For the sake of privacy, I’m not going to tag any specific individuals I spoke with in this post, but this is a true story about how a character with autism in my books has affected people with autism in the real world.

When I began writing Embassy back in 2013, as I’ve said many times, the story/plot were extremely different than they are now. Most of the characters were the same, but they had different roles, and I included many characters just for the sake of including them, as I still wasn’t completely serious nor as dedicated to this series as I am today, January 5th, exactly four years since I began writing Embassy.

But as I completed more drafts of Embassy, and as I experienced various changes in my life (my most life-changing events were yet to come), I came to realize I didn’t want Embassy to be the book it started out being. I wanted it to be something deeper, playing more to the emotions and personal journeys of the characters instead of the outside plots. My purpose for writing Embassy changed. Suddenly there was a dream behind it, a message that would carry on through the unintended sequel, Resonance, and now Perihelid, the final arc of Arman Lance’s emotional journey (and the conclusion of the main themes of the first three books in the series).

Even with this more-intentional purpose shining through all the way to publication, and through the writing and publication of Resonance, too, there were still elements and characters that began to become more and more relevant to the story overall. And, recently, it has been brought to my attention that one of the still-minor characters has been having an incredible effect on some readers of my books that I didn’t quite anticipate: John Mistin.

For anyone familiar with my books, John Mistin is the older brother of Ellin Mistin, and both of them were recruited to the Embassy Program at the same time as Arman Lance (the MC) from their hometown of Cornell, on the planet Undil.

John is a socially-awkward, overly-enthusiastic guy who will give you his unwavering friendship if you so much as let him speak to you. “Hi, I’m John!” followed by a hard handshake is his signature greeting to every new person he meets. He has a form of aphasia, which is sort of similar to dyslexia, but instead of messing up spellings and being unable to read certain words/fonts, he instead routinely confuses complicated words, and Ellin is constantly correcting his mistakes. He’s aware of his aphasia, and he touts his younger sister as “my favorite dictionary.”

John has an “eidetic memory,” that is, an incredible photographic memory that allows him to vividly recall visual-spatial patterns. His life’s dream in the Embassy Program is to become a cartographer and make maps of every city, asteroid field, and planet in the Program, even venturing out on long-duration deep-space missions to map the galaxy with the Undil Embassy’s Horizon Tower. He’s an extremely quick learner with the latest cartographic technology, and is pioneering mapmaking through neuro-optical holography, where he literally creates maps by picturing them in his head and translating them into a 3D space.

He is committed to friendship. His sister, Ellin, is his best friend, and when she’s hurting, all he wants to do is comfort her. He can’t really tell when other people are uncomfortable around him, though, as we see through Arman’s eyes, Arman is at first very apprehensive about being around John, because he just doesn’t know how to “handle” being around him. Fortunately, Ellin is usually there to calm John down when he gets too excited.

I’m describing all of this because yes, John is autistic.

He’s not a main character, and we haven’t seen too much of him yet (proportionately, at least), but he takes control of the scenes he’s in. He’s a very visible character.

This is so, so, so important.

The other day, one of my followers who has read my books messaged me asking if she could ask a question about a certain character. Her question was non-specific, simply, “I don’t know if this was intentional on your part, but what’s the deal with John?”

When I told her that he’s on the autism spectrum, she was thrilled. Like, absolutely thrilled. And she told me that that’s what she thought, but she wasn’t sure if I had meant to write him like that, because the thing with John is that he sticks out from the rest of the cast. And while I’ve written other, less-visible characters in the series, John is the one I’ve paid special attention to because his role in the rest of the series is incredibly important.

The follower went on to tell me that many of her siblings have autism, and that her brother was asking her about my book, particularly about John. And when she told her brother that John was indeed autistic, her brother got really excited, too. Here’s portions of her responses telling me all of this, verbatim:

“You have...no idea how incredibly happy I am right now. Holy shit. I’M- That’s literally exactly what I was- The fact that he is intentionally- AHH. It’s so rare for autistic people to be represented and then- This is something really important to me because most of my siblings are on the spectrum actually.......

“I’ve grown up surrounded by areas of the spectrum and so I recognized that behavior and the fact that it was intentional I’m so freaking happy. Also, Ellin and John’s dynamic reminded me a lot of my own with a lot of my siblings. SO ANYWAYS THAT WAS PROBABLY MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MY RESPECT FOR YOU JUST ROCKETED....

“You’ve got this utopian-ish universe and there’s characters who are autistic and bi and- It means a lot to me. But I’ve been planning on rereading Embassy and Resonance so I’ll make sure to try to pay more attention to those scenes!......

“And honestly, it’s so important to listen to anyone really, but especially someone with autism bc a lot of people will tell them to shut up instead(I’ll fight people I swear), but it’s also just-the excitement and happiness they get when talking about something they love and actually having someone listen- it’s so great. And yes! So many people look down at people with autism and it’s so- Like all of my siblings and anyone else I know are pretty high-functioning........I mean one brother, he has these intricate worlds in his head and, literally, he can put them all on paper exactly and is just-he’s so talented with art and he’s so passionate and his style is so specific to im and ahhh..........

“OH and I meant to tell you. Last night I was talking to one of my brothers and earlier someone had been telling him about how some people won’t let autistic people do things and he was really frustrated over people being ignorant and judgmental basically, and I told him about how there was a character [in Embassy and Resonance] who was autistic and is important to the series and how positive he is, and then mentioned something about how [you] had also mentioned [you’d] known someone in college who had autism who was really smart and basically he just had this really great smile on his face and it led onto this discussion about how proud he is of his own autism and the things autistic people can do, and while there are crappy people there are some really great people too and he just-the look on his face every time I talked about [John] was just really freaking good. So-thank you. :)”

When I read that last message from her, I cried. I was sitting on my couch and just let the tears flow. To hear that, to hear how your work, how a character you’ve had in your head for years, has affected someone who lives with autism... It’s such a powerful feeling. I was completely overcome, because that is so important.

Just yesterday, I was talking with another friend and we got into a discussion about John Mistin and how a follower on Tumblr told me her story about how John has impacted her and her brother, and my friend then told me that her own brother is on the spectrum, too. I’ve been hanging out with her family more and more recently, and she told me that ever since I’ve started coming over, he’s been calmer, and is interacting with them differently, and making goals for himself to follow through on, and that I’ve had a positive impact on him, too. Even just a few days ago, I showed him this book full of satellite imagery of the Earth, and he was absolutely fascinated by it, and he and I were just sitting at the table flipping through the pages, and he was telling me all these stories about stuff he loves doing and everything he’s interested in.

As she and I were having this discussion, I just started tearing-up right there. It’s just so overwhelming. I cannot express how important it is. I always say that my goal with my books is to inspire a love of space exploration and get people interested in the sciences, but never--NEVER--did I think that my stories would have this impact on the unsung-heroes, some of the best people you will ever meet if you just open yourself to them. Yes, it can sometimes be uncomfortable at first, but there is so much to discover, and so much to love about autism.

Even before my follower and my friend told me about their siblings, I’d already had John’s character-arc planned out. Yes, he has a big role as my books continue. Yes, you will see more of him, and you will continue seeing how good of a person he is, how devoted he is to his work, how genuine of a person he is. But now, even I am realizing how important John Mistin is outside of my books.

Representation matters. It matters because we are so numb to thinking that everyone is the same. That there are heroes and heroines and villains and friends and enemies.

We all have strengths and weaknesses, and none of us are magically good at everything. Sometimes the people we want to avoid at first are the best people we could ever meet. I didn’t write John because I needed diversity. I didn’t write John because I needed a stereotype “crazy” character. I wrote John because he is important to the story, because without him, my books literally would not be the same. And now I know he might be even more important to other people than he is to me.

#Autism #Representation matters #people with autism #books #characters #reading #writing #important #so important

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we-johnnygonzalez-blog · 6 years

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How to Win Some Local Customers Back from Amazon this Holiday Season

Posted by MiriamEllis

Your local business may not be able to beat Amazon at the volume of their own game of convenient shipping this holiday season, but don’t assume it’s a game you can’t at least get into!

So, when I found myself on the periphery of an author talk at the local independent bookstore and the book happened to be one I thought my brother would enjoy, I asked myself a new question:

“I wonder if this shop would ship?”

What do people buy most at the holidays and who’s shipping?