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plaidbooks · 4 years

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The Detective and the Teacher

A/N: This idea kinda came out of nowhere, but I needed to get it out of my head (like most of my stories). It’s a two-parter, and I’ll post part 2 tomorrow. If people are interested, I could make it into a longer series, but I also am kind of ok with it being short. Also, idk how to write dates, sorry

Tags: None for this part, next part will

Words: 3k+

I have a meeting with a cute guy in my class. You should come, meet him

You rolled your eyes at the text your friend sent you. She was a professor at Fordham University, teaching Risk and Crisis Communications to undergrads and graduate students. She, however, was happily married. But that didn’t stop her from finding cute guys in her class and trying to set them up with you. “They’re college students; they’re going somewhere in life,” she would argue. Besides, her idea of “cute college guys” wasn’t totally off; the main problem was waiting for someone around your age to be in her classes. You were a teacher yourself, in your early 30s, and most people taking her classes were right out of high school; way too young for you.

It was the beginning of summer in New York, so you didn’t have classes, instead volunteering at the library. Your friend, Professor Stafford, was teaching night classes this semester; sometimes she stayed after class to help a student if they asked…and they couldn’t make her office hours. So, it was 8pm by the time you were walking the halls of the University, a coffee in your hand—an excuse to meet with a friend. It was her idea; if there was a potential date for you, she’d text you, you’d come to the University with a coffee or food to deliver it to her before the meeting, then casually “bump” into the student. You made it to her classroom, handed her the coffee.

“So, what’s his name?” you asked, grinning.

She took the coffee gratefully, taking a sip before replying. “Andrew Wise. He’s one of my top students; I think you’ll really like him.” She gave you a playful wink and you rolled your eyes.

“You said that about the last three guys, and they were all snobby jerks,” you laughed.

She opened her mouth to respond when there was a soft knock on the door, a man poking his head in. “Uh, Professor Stafford? Should I wait outside?”

“No, no Andrew. Come in. This is just my friend, dropping off some coffee,” she said, beckoning him in.

You looked Andrew up and down briefly; he seemed nice, and there was nothing really wrong with him, but just the vibe he gave off had you instantly thinking, nope. You gave a smile and wave to your friend before heading out, letting them have their meeting. You didn’t feel like waiting, like trying to come up with a reason to wait, to talk to Andrew after his meeting. Instead, you wandered through the hallways, looking out the windows to the trees, the sky darkening. The sunset was slowly fading, the sky changing from the bright pinks and oranges to the pale blue of evening. You were so engrossed with the picturesque beauty of it all that you walked face-first into another person, the side of your face fully connecting with their flat, warm chest.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” you said, pulling back to steady yourself, looking towards whoever you had just stumbled into. You looked forward and your eyes met chest, covered in a plain, Fordham U shirt. Your eyes travelled upwards into his face and you had to stop yourself from staring; he was, well, cute.

“It’s fine, really. I shoulda been watching where I was going,” he replied back, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back, his brow was furrowed, though his bright blue eyes hinted at amusement.

You smiled up at him, and he returned it, a goofy grin pulling easily across his face. “No, I was definitely admiring the view,” you gestured out to the landscape. You noticed the backpack slung over his shoulder, “and now I’m holding you from your next class.”

“No, no, I’m done for the night; just heading home actually.” He readjusted the backpack, as if your gaze had shifted it. He glanced over the balcony and towards the sky. “It really is a pretty view, huh?”

Your eyes never left him as you agreed. God, you’re acting like a teenager in a shitty romance novel, you thought to yourself, trying to snap out of whatever trance you were in.

“So, uh, do you go here?” he asked, eyes sliding back to you.

You shook your head. “I don’t, no. Uh, Professor Stafford is a friend of mine. I was just stopping by to say hi,” you explained.

“Professor Stafford? Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell. I dunno if I know them,” he said, contemplating. At some point during this conversation, you both fell into step next to each other, both heading towards the parking lot.

“Are you taking any Communications courses?” you asked.

“And that’s why I haven’t heard of them; I am not,” he grinned. “I’m a law student.” You nodded in understanding; while you thought Communications could be beneficial to a law student—to most students, if you were honest with yourself—most people didn’t take classes outside of their majors. Especially in a field that was so dependent on passing an exam.

“Well, if you ever need an elective, I highly recommend her class,” you smiled.

He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” You walked in silence for a moment. “My name’s Sonny, by the way. Sonny Carisi.”

It had just hit you that you never introduced yourself; with the shock of literally walking face-first into someone, then the easy conversation, it had completely slipped your mind. It was like you were old friends already. “Oh, [Y/N] [Y/L/N]. Nice to meet you, Sonny.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he gave you that goofy grin again, and you swore that you swooned right there. How did he do that with just a smile? You made it to the parking lot and found that you were parked semi-close to each other. He followed you to your car, something that you initially thought should raise alarms in your head, but something about him was calming, unthreatening.

“So,” he started as you unlocked your car. You opened the driver’s door, then leaned on it, him standing near the front of your car. He suddenly looked nervous, bashful, and it made him look even cuter. “Can I maybe buy you a coffee sometime? To, uh, make up for running into you,” he quickly added.

You felt your face grow warmer as you blushed, your heart fluttering. Did he just ask you out? “Uh, yeah. I’d like that,” you replied, unable to stop yourself from grinning broadly at him.

He smiled himself, seemingly happy that you agreed. “Great! How about tomorrow, say 10am, Cuppa Beans on 6th street?”

You quickly thought through tomorrow, made sure you had nothing scheduled in the morning. “That sounds perfect. I’ll see you there, Sonny.” With that, he made his way to his car while you got into yours. Once he was out of your line of sight, you flailed your arms in disbelief—you got a date with a super-cute law student!

*****************

You woke up the next day early, wanting to shower and pick out something cute to wear. While you got ready, you thought back to the information you had found last night. You weren’t stupid enough to go into a date blind; you googled “Sonny Carisi” the first moment you could the night before. And when that came up with nothing substantial, you asked Professor Stafford for help. Turns out, Sonny was a nickname; his real name was Dominick. With that knowledge, you were able to find that he was a detective for the NYPD, specifically for Manhattan’s SVU department. That gave you a little bit of a pause; you couldn’t imagine having to deal with those kinds of cases, what kinds of things Sonny had probably seen on the job. You wondered if that did anything to his mind, weighed on him at all. You hoped so; someone would have to be a monster for it not to. Maybe that’s why he was a law student, maybe he wanted out. Maybe he wanted some sort of revenge against the predators that he couldn’t get as an officer; some sort of control by being the prosecutor tasked with sealing them away rather than seeing the crime scenes.

You pushed the assumptions out of your mind; you didn’t know this man, not yet. You had met him less than 24 hours ago, had a small chat. He seemed nice enough, and he was definitely attractive. You resolved to judge him based on what you gained from first-hand experience, and to shove everything you learned online, all the conjecture out until you knew more.

Cuppa Beans was relatively close to your apartment, and it was a bright, sunny day in New York, so you opted to walk. Besides, you loved the fresh air of the city, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the soft breeze playing with your hair, the cacophony of sounds that others most likely found annoying or monotonous. You wore a simple, navy blue sundress that had a white tie around your waist, a big, white bow on your hip. You made your way through the crowded streets, full of people hurrying to whatever their destinations might be. You were early; you always were. But you didn’t mind; Cuppa Beans was set up for either those who wanted a coffee and to move on with their day, or for those who wanted to sit and relax, a shelf of books on their counter for anyone to read while they enjoyed their beverage. You ordered then sat, skimming the worn spines of books until a familiar one stood out to you. You picked it out, looking at the familiar cover. Remembering one of your favorite scenes, you opened the book, flipping the pages until you found it, then you quickly got lost in the text while waiting.

“[Y/N],” a happy voice greeted, pulling you out of the book.

You glanced up, Sonny standing in front of you, his trademark grin on his face. He pulled out the chair across from you as you closed the book, putting it back on the shelf.

“Hey Sonny,” you smiled. Right then, the barista brought you your coffee and you thanked her.

“Ah, I thought I was going to buy you a coffee,” Sonny said, jokingly offended.

Your smiled widened. “You have to order something to sit here, sorry,” you explained, taking a sip. Sonny ordered his coffee, and the barista left to make it.

“It’s fine; maybe I can convince you to let me buy you lunch instead.”

You raised an eyebrow, amused. “Are you asking me out on a second date before we’ve even had our first?”

His cheeks reddened and his eyes widened slightly. “Well, it doesn’t have to be…I mean, it can be an extension of this one?” You laughed, and he tried to switch the subject. “So, what were you reading when I got here? You seemed really into it.”

You nodded, grabbing the book once more. “It’s called Wind from an Enemy Sky by D’Arcy McNickle. It’s very good; I’m thinking of using it in my class next year.” He furrowed his brow at this. “Oh, I’m an English teacher at Townsend Harris High School…I know, I’m not a college professor at Fordham like my friend, but I like teaching high school.”

“High school, huh? I couldn’t imagine trying to teach a bunch of teenagers anything,” he smirked.

You nodded; that was most people’s reaction. But it was also that reaction that made you want to teach high school more. “It’s not as bad as people seem to think. They are people, you know. Just treat them with respect, and they’re pretty receptive. I mean, you’re going to have those class clowns, but you just have to know how to deal with them. Stimulate their minds in other ways,” you explained.

The barista gave Sonny his coffee, and he sipped at it appreciatively. “So, what’s the book about?” You started off slowly, explaining the main plotline of the book; how it followed Bull, the leader of the Little Elk tribe, and how it talked about how homesteaders came into the West, encroaching upon their land. But you couldn’t stop yourself from diving in, talking about the inherent cultural appropriation that the main antagonist has, how from the first page, you know how the story will end in tragedy, how the ecocentrism worked, and ending with how important it was for teenagers to read and understand books that were written like this; from the other side, from people other than white men.

By the end of your monologue, Sonny was blinking at you, a dazed look on his face, though something else underneath, something that looked a lot like admiration.

“I’m sorry; that got a lot more in-depth than I thought it would,” you said, cheeks turning red. Sometimes, you couldn’t stop yourself from getting into a text you really liked. Your students usually picked up on that and took advantage of it; many classes ended without the students talking because you had steamrolled over the conversation.

“Hey, don’t apologize for your interests. You just know…a lot more about themes and novels than I do,” he smiled.

You sat up at the praise but were still feeling embarrassed at the word vomit that had occurred. Taking a page out of his book, you decided to switch topics. “Tell me about yourself; how is it working as a detective and being a law student?”

Sonny’s brow furrowed, “how’d you know I was a detective?”

You face felt even warmer, and you knew you were fully red now. “I, uh, googled you last night…nothing personal, just wanted to make sure you weren’t, you know, a serial killer or something,” you laughed nervously, and he smirked.

“No, I get it, that’s smart, really. Can never be too safe.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’ve wanted to be a lawyer for a while, now, but the timing just never seemed right, ya know? So, after high school, I just kinda went into the academy; I knew I wanted to help people, and I figured that was a good way to do it. It wasn’t until recently that I figured ‘why not’? So, now I’m taking the night classes to try and get my license, pass the bar.”

You nodded along with his story; you yourself changed your major a couple times before settling into where you were. It was definitely normal, and you believed wholeheartedly that anyone could go back to school at any point in their life, learn anything they wanted to.

“Are you going to switch out of law enforcement when you pass the bar, then? Become a prosecutor? Or are you just taking law classes to help you in your detective work?” you asked. The idea occurred to you while in the shower; knowing more about the law could help in the interview rooms, when he interrogated suspects. You knew he said he wanted to be a lawyer before, but that didn’t mean he was going for it.

“I’m…not quite sure, yet. I really like being a detective, ya know? I like helping people. I guess at this point, I just want to pass the bar; that’s where my focus is…when it’s not at work,” he explained. “I can figure out where to go after that.”

You nodded again. “I couldn’t imagine trying to work full time in…that department, and then also take college classes,” you commented. You shuddered remembering your time going to school full time and working retail at the same time.

“It can be…taxing sometimes. But at the end of the day, it’s nice knowing I’ve helped somebody.” There were unspoken words in the air, and you could hear them as if he had said them. You noticed it in his eyes, the flash of sadness as he thought about the ones he couldn’t help. But the moment passed, and his bright blues were clear once more.

That answered your other question; some cases did hit him hard. But, as you had also decided, that was a good thing; cases like that should pull on heartstrings. You noticed he had a hand on the table, and you reached up and slowly, so slowly, put your hand on his in comfort. That goofy grin reappeared on his face, and he interlaced his fingers with yours.

You both finished your coffees, then left the shop together, Sonny holding the door open for you, his hand never letting yours go. By some unspoken agreement, you both started walking down the street, hand-in-hand, arms swinging slightly. You asked Sonny about his semester and listened as he rambled on about some theory he had to memorize, or some law he had to apply to a fake case for a class. You realized that you enjoyed listening to him talk; he was very animated, dropping your hand to gesture in front of himself, then taking your hand again, before dropping it to gesture again. You smiled, then laughed as he described one of his professor’s insane expectations for how much he expected his students to read and write, wondering in awe how Sonny managed to juggle all that schoolwork plus his job.

“Do you sleep?” you finally asked, causing him to chuckle.

“Some nights,” he replied, and you couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Maybe because you were feeling bold, or maybe because he did already kind of ask you on a second date, but you replied with, “maybe I can help with that sometime.”

He stumbled a step, his hand gripping yours tighter as he struggled to stay standing, and you giggled. His cheeks were red, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then his phone rang. He dug it out, answering with a terse, “Carisi.” It was interesting watching him go from a flustered mess one moment to focused detective the next. He nodded against the phone, even though whoever was on the other end couldn’t see him. “Yeah, alright Lieu, I’ll be there in 20.” He hung up then gave you an apologetic look.

“Duty calls?” you asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, just got some new…developments on a case I’m working. I’m so sorry about this—”

“Don’t be, I get it,” you cut him off, giving him an understanding smile. If you wanted to try and continue seeing him, then this may become a habit…and you did want to try and see him, even though you’d only been on one date. You already felt a closeness to him that you couldn’t quite explain.

“I parked over at the coffee shop; I can walk you back there,” he offered, extending his hand back to you. You took his, interlacing your fingers once more, and hurried back towards the shop. Before he left, he handed you his card—you struggled not to laugh at the fact that he carried these around on his day off—and you put it in your purse, vowing to text him later that night, to set up that lunch that he offered to take you to.

“So, you do want a second date?” he asked, hopeful. You smiled; he was all in a hurry to head to the station, to get into whatever work awaited him, but he had stopped dead in his tracks at the prospect of another date.

“Of course. I had a great time today, Sonny.”

He grinned back at you, making your heart flutter in your chest. “I had a lot of fun, too. Hopefully our next date won’t be cut short.”

#sonny carisi x reader #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfic #fanfic #my writing

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theonetheycallhannah · 4 years

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The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter Four: E-Stim

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: Shane deals with the consequences of her email to her boss, both good and bad. A mortifying situation has an…unexpected outcome. Emotions run high in the fourth chapter of The Tx of Sy! Behind on the action? Catch up HERE!

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Language, some angst and emotions. (Like I literally cried writing part of it) And like, an asshole boss…but if you stick it out with Susan, you won’t be disappointed.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

Tags:

@onlyhenrys

@cavillryarchive

@summersong69

@titty-teetee

@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

@oddsnendsfanfics

(you didn’t ask, but i took the liberty! Hope that’s okay!)

@tumblnewby @suavechops

Shane had spent her morning getting ready for work and treating her first patient with a whopping headache…maybe a small glass of wine would have been more responsible of her. But she slept like the dead, which was the goal.

She took a moment before her second patient to check her email…there was a reply from Susan.

Shane, come to my office at your next possible availability.

No "thank you" or "please" or "fuck you very much." just an order. Last she checked, SHE wasn't in the military. Since Heather wasn't in yet, she messaged the secretary on duty, Marsha, to see if she could find a way to make an opening in her morning. She wanted to get this meeting over with.

Sure, Shane. Looks like Cory could take your next patient, if you like. He's seen him before.

Perfect. Please make that change and block me for a meeting with Susan. Thank you so much.

She saw Cory walk by, and warned him. "Cory, I'm having Marsha move Mr. Greenbaum to you next hour. I need to meet with Susan about something." she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shit. Okay. No problem." Cory knew all too well the fuckery that a Susan meeting could entail.

"I really appreciate it. I owe you big time."

"Nah, Mr. G is cool. We just talk about huntin' and stuff."

"He'll probably like that we switched, then." she laughed. And headed for what felt like the principal's office. Bleak and miserable.

She knocked on the door, and was told in an all too cheerful manner to come in.

"Hey!"

"Morning Susan."

"Close the door and have a seat, Shane."

She typed away for a moment before fully engaging…as was her way. She thought it gave her the power. It really just annoyed the fuck out of everyone.

"So, tell me what's going on with this patient you emailed me about."

"Well, he's an ACL and MCL tear, traumatic, plus a dislocated patella. He did it during a mission in Iraq. Ummm, he's improving a lot. Potter did the surgery. He had him keep the crutches about two weeks longer than we thought he would, but--"

"No I mean…this relationship. What's the deal, here?"

"Oh, there's not much to say about it, really. He's been fairly flirty from pretty early on. I've been able to ignore it, but to be honest, I think he's a really great guy, and I think he deserves better than me ignoring his advances, especially when, to be honest Susan, the feelings he has for me are not unrequited." her heart was racing. More than if Sy had been in the room flirting with her, but so much less pleasant.

"I don't think you should see this guy until the treatment is over. What if it doesn't work out and he doesn't want to come here anymore because of you." That hurt…not that it wasn't rattling around in her head, too.

"Well, Susan, to be honest, that's one reason I haven't spoken up about this already. I have that fear. But he's been very adamant about it lately, and it's been on my mind a lot, and I think I owe it to the both of us to see it through."

"I think I should call this guy. Let me pull him up."

She gave her his details to get his information pulled up in their system. God, this was embarrassing. She should have known this nightmare was coming.

"Hello?" a gravelly bark came across the speakerphone.

"Hello, Mr. Syverson?"

"Captain Syverson, yes, Ma'am." She wasn't expecting him to pull rank…and he did it so politely.

"Sorry, Captain Syverson. My name is Susan DeForrest, I'm the manager here at Fort Wood Therapy Clinic. How are you this morning?"

"This side of the daisies ain't worth complainin. What can I do ya for, ma'am?"

"Well, I have Miss Benton, your therapist here in a meeting. You're on speaker."

"Hey Sy." Shane mewled sheepishly.

"Hey there, Shane." she could hear the smile in his voice. She didn't know if Susan could.

"She's saying that the two of you would like to see each other socially, outside of therapy."

"Oh, that's not quite the words I'd use, ma'am, but I s'pose you're technically correct."

"And she's explained to you that this facility has a policy in place regarding such fraternization?" What a load of bullshit she was shoveling. Making it sound so sinister and clandestine what she and Sy were trying to start up. Like espionage. This woman…

"I'm aware that certain policies exist like that to protect patients or customers, and more frequently the staff from situations that could present problems for both or either parties. I am not aware that a strict policy exists to police your staff in such a stringent manner. In fact, I know the opposite to be true."

"Excuse me?" Susan asked, shell shocked.

"See, them policies o' yours, they're all available online. Public knowledge. Even your personnel ones. Now, y'all have a nice and thorough handbook, I mean, I have been up all night just pouring over this like honey on toast, and I can tell you, I ain't findin' a word about y'all not being allowed to date your patients."

"Well, it's in policy number…"

"Nope, you were gonna say 47, subsection 2, part b. But that just says that you shouldn't treat anyone you're close to (i.e. friend, relative, or significant other) if you can't maintain objectivity or your own comfortability. Now, if I'd make Shane uncomfortable, or if she lost her objectivity over me, I'd be devastated. Shane, do I or do you think I could make you uncomfortable or unobjective?" he was laying it on so thick. If she hadn't been falling for him, this would have done it.

"I don't think so, Sy." She held back a smile…but not well.

"There ya have it. Miss DeForrest, I trust that Shane is free to live her life in the way she sees fit?"

"Well, I still think she should wait…" Susan started, but was cut off again by Sy.

"Because you see, I've seen a lot of young people fail to grow old. A lot of people waitin' to do things…they never ended up doin'. This life…it can be real, real short, Miss DeForrest. And I'm not keen on waitin' to be happy when I could be happy right now. Have I made myself clear enough for you? Or do I need to go to the next link in the chain of command here?" The emotion and resolve in his voice was completely shattering. He wasn't crying. But Shane and Susan both were. And then suddenly, Susan sniffed herself into composure and answered him with dignity.

"No, Captain Syverson. That will not be necessary. Shane…is free, of course, to socialize with whomever she sees fit so long as it doesn't affect anyone's treatment adversely. Thank you for your time, candor, and perspective, sir."

"I'm glad to help Shane. She's helped me more than any therapist I've ever had. We clicked immediately. I knew she was somethin' special. But getting to know her over the last few weeks has shown me what true happiness could feel like…I'd forgotten that over in Iraq. She gave that back to me. I'd like to thank her properly."

"I think she'd like that too. Thank you, sir." Susan hung up the phone without letting them say goodbye to each other, but Shane was an utter mess, and unable to form coherent words right now, anyway.

"Wow." Susan exclaimed.

"Yeah." Shane sniffed into a tissue, dabbing her eyes and then blowing her nose loudly, and unapologetically.

"Did he say he spent the whole night reading our policies?" Susan asked, not sure she heard him right.

"That's what I understood." Shane was somehow not surprised.

"Did you tell him to do that?"

"I didn't even know the policies were online, nor did I know you'd pull him in to our meeting…I didn't even know we were having one until twenty minutes ago."

"Right…fair. Sorry, I'm still…off-put by all of that." She had been beaten…and it wasn't familiar or comfortable.

"So, are we finished here?" Shane inquired, tentative about the state of mind her boss was in.

"Yes, go on and take the rest of the hour for continuing ed or whatever." She was normally much more composed…Sy had really gotten to her. She loved it.

Shane hurried back to her treatment room. She had to call him.

"Hello?" that same gravelly voice now confused as he'd just hung up with her, basically.

"May I speak to the great hero Captain Syverson, please?"

"Sunshine. How ya doin'?"

"Did you really stay up all night last night to read our entire employee manual?"

"I wanted the straight up, true life details about this policy that could mess up my future."

"I think you broke my boss's brain. She was still stewing when I left. She thought I told you where to find all that and what not. I didn't even know you could find it online. Plus, I didn't know we'd be meeting or that she'd drag you into a personnel matter. She's the worst. And you're literally my hero for beating her down like you did."

"Hey, ya know, she started it. I just finished it."

"You sure did. And how!"

"So…since we're all legal now…"

"Is the magic gone since it's not forbidden?" she laughed.

"Oh, I was gonna say, yeah, I think this may be a mistake. Sorry."

They both giggled.

"I'm free after work on Friday." she suggested.

"Not anymore, you're not. Bring some nice clothes and change when you're done. I'll pick you up after. Just text me when you're about ready?"

"You haven't given me your number, Sy."

"It's in my chart, dork."

"You have to officially give it to me."

"Oh I'll give it to ya, baby." He'd dug deep into the bass part of his register for that one.

"Syyyyy." she groaned.

"Oh, you already know I like it when you say my name."

"I'm being serious right now, what's your damn number or the date is off." She bluffed.

"Not because I believe that idle threat, but because I wanna…give it to ya." he rattled off the number.

"Okay, I'll be texting you with mine. Now, I have work today, so if you text me and don't get an immediate response, you know that's why."

"I'm not your only patient? I'm hurt, Shane."

"I know, that's why you've been coming to therapy for weeks."

"Har-Har, good thing I'm not into you for your sense of humor."

"Good thing I'm not into you for your looks, since 80% of your face is obscured by hair."

"We could go all day like this."

"The stamina." she teased.

"Well, look who joined the game!" he sounded almost proud.

"Don't think I haven't been participating silently for…a while."

"How long?" he inquired

"Isn't that my line?" she laughed at the penis joke she'd just made.

"You'll find out soon enough, and you won't be laughing. How long?"

"Well, you remember your evaluation."

"I do."

"Yeah…then." she bleated, too shy to say so with pride.

"No way! You mean you've liked me all this time too! And haven't said shit!?"

"I had to be professional, Sy! I didn't want to! Damn! You've gotta know how much I didn't want to be professional."

"I'll forgive ya, I guess, lil' lady."

"Merciful of you, sir!" she chuckled. "I'll need to go here soon. Won't be long now until my next one gets here."

"Tease me with a 'sir' then cut me off. Cruel."

"You like 'sir,' huh?" she whispered.

"I do. Yes…I…do."

"Noted. Well, until tomorrow."

"Don't forget to text me. I want you to give it to me too." he chuckled.

"Oh, you're bad."

"But, I'm real, real good sunshine." The deep rich promise in his voice did not go unnoticed.

"Bye Sy."

"Later Shane."

She hung up and texted him immediately. A selfie. He replied in kind. He seemed to be home on his couch, Aika by his side…he was not wearing a shirt…well…this day would be eternal.

Up Next: Chapter Five- Sensory Integration 1

#netflix sand castle #sand castle #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x ofc #captain syverson #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson x ofc

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love-sapphirerose · 3 years

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Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Episode 23

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/yashahime-princess-half-demon/episode-23/.170583

For me, a key part of writing these weekly reviews is breaking down the plot and themes of each episode. Now, I'm trying my best, dear readers, but more so than even the worst of the episodes that preceded it, “The Princesses Strike Back” really does feel like a bunch of random scenes that were haphazardly slapped together with no rhyme or reason to speak of. I'd be lying if I told you that I fully understood what was even going on, by the end of things, but I guess I'll give it a shot?

We open in the present, with Mr. Kirin bumping into Sota and his little family to ominously inquire about Towa's whereabouts. Here is where I will be as fair as I can possibly be and highlight the one moment of the episode I liked, where Sota blames Towa's extended absence on a medley of random illnesses, just like Kagome's folks did back in the day for her. That was a cute callback, and what I wouldn't give for a version of Yashahime where we got more connections to the original series like it. Mr. Kirin also takes a moment to point out the spooky demon comet in the sky to Sota, but Sota can't even see it, so the only reason this scene exists is to establish that Kirinmaru has some kind of cross-temporal connection with his…what? His doppelganger? Descendant? Time clone?

Who cares! The show definitely doesn't, since it immediately transitions to Kirinmaru meeting up with none other than Sesshomaru's Mother, whose name is…”Sesshomaru's Mother”. Very creative. Anyways, here is where Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru engage in some incredibly vague conversation that nearly explains what our villain's motivations are beyond simply murdering SesshMoMaru's grandkids, but nope. That would make too much sense, so the show decides to skip all of that and introduce the Windmill of Time, which as best as I can tell is a completely new thing that is not a holdover from InuYasha, and all of my Googling of “time windmill” only turned up some obscure non-fiction books. What is the Windmill of Time? I don't know! All that Kirinmaru mentions is that Sesshomaru has been seeking something called Akuru's Pinwheel. What is that? I don't know! Later on, we see a kid named Akuru with a pinwheel that Sesshomaru completely ignores so…yeah, no, I've got nothing.

Now, here's where we need to double back a bit; this episode is titled “The Three Princesses Strike Back”, right? What are they striking back against? That one, at least, is simple enough to track: The girls are taking the fight back to Zero, and Setsuna even has the mysterious “Blood Blade” to add to her fighting repertoire. The last fight with Zero was a relative highlight of the series' back half, so at this point I was still wondering if the show could manage the same trick of being sort-of decent twice in a row. It turns out the exact opposite happened, instead; once the girls arrive at the burnt-out ruins of the old Grampyasha manor, the episode takes a full nosedive in quality and basically devolves into utter nonsense.

Here's the shakedown: After a bunch of lame banter between the girls, Zero, and Riku, the pirate boy eventually reveals that, now that Moroha and Setsuna have arrived with their Red and Gold Rainbow Pearls, he's gathered every one of the lost gems to return to Zero. She was apparently unaware that this plot was even in place, and reacts very angrily, though she ends up taking the Rainbow Pearls back anyways. Now, the show has repeatedly claimed that the Pearls are the source of her demon powers, except she's had demon powers this whole time, and when she finally does reunite the collection of off-brand Infinity Stones that Yashahime has been building up for twenty-three weeks now, the grand result is…Setsuna killing her in less than a minute, with a single blow from her Blood Blade.

I'm not kidding. After all of the hullabaloo Yashahime raised over “Rainbow Pearl, this” and “Rainbow Pearl, that”, Zero ends up getting one-shotted by Setsuna and dying in Riku's arms. Does…does Yashahime realize how inconceivably stupid this looks from the audience's perspective? It gets worse, too: When she dies, Zero's spirit is whisked off to the underworld, where she gets into a very long back-and-forth with SessMoMaru about the respective pain they suffered over Grampyasha's stepping around over the years. The conversation doesn't go anywhere at all except for Zero freaking out when SeshMoMaru accuses her of indulging in petty “human” emotions. Oh, I guess there's the teensy detail that we learn of how, when Zero dies, Rin also must die, so Sesshomaru pops in to use the Tenseiga's life-giving powers on Zero's corpse.

In all of this chaos, Rin wakes up with the goofiest look on her face for all of five seconds or so, and then immediately dozes off without a single word when Zero comes back to life. Rin isn't the only victim of the episode's truly terrible artistic gaffes, though; there's one shot of Zero's dead body that literally looks as if someone cropped a JPEG of the character from a different scene into the frame, and then flipped it on its side to make it look dead. It has to be seen to be believed:

Look, I know it's COVID times, and I know that animation is one of the most difficult and underpaid jobs pretty much anywhere, but for real. Yashahime. What the heck are we doing here? And then, when Zero wakes up and angrily demands the Rainbow Pearls from Riku, despite them being just a couple of feet away on the ground, only to have the about-face interrupted by Kirinmaru descending from heaven like some kind of Hot Topic Emo Demon Jesus? I ask again: Just what in the heck are we doing, Yashahime?

The preview for “Sesshomaru's Daughter” has an ominous mood that goes so far as to foreshadow that Setsuna is going to die, and it bills itself as “The final episode”. On the one hand, please God, yes, let this finally be over! On the other hand, there is no universe wherein Yashahime can satisfactorily wrap up its story in a mere 22 minutes. We're one week away from the finale, and I'm not even sure that the story has started, yet. I don't know what I fear more: The possibility that Yashahime might truly attempt to conclude this terrible, terrible story for good in just one week, or the possibility that there might be more weeks, months, or even years of Yashahime yet to come…

Odds and Ends

• I damn near forgot to mention that, when Zero is revived and raging at Sesshomaru, Towa's inner-monologue pops in, and she muses, “Living in the world is hard. If you don't follow the set rules, you're treated as an outcast. I was so tired of it when I was in the other world. What Zero is feeling now is probably like how I felt back then.” This is, generously, one of the most inane and incompetent bits of writing I've seen in, God, I don't know how long. It's even worse than that wretched non-sequitur about Towa being too addicted to her cellphone from Episode 14, and that's really saying something. I'm far more accustomed to Yashahime's flagrant, spiteful disregard for “making sense” and “letting its characters sound like functional human beings”, so I guess it didn't hit me quite as hard.

#anti yashahime #anti hanyo no yashahime #anti sunrise #anti towa

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bluepenguinstories · 3 years

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Remoras Full Chapter XXXV: Lion-Drawn Chariot

When I woke up in the morning, I wasn’t planning on saving anyone’s lives. Then again, did anyone ever plan those sorta things? Like, “so at noon I plan to go out and save someone’s life.” Nope. That sorta thing just didn’t happen. Maybe it was a Superman thing, I imagine Superman didn’t wake up every morning and go, “I think I’m going to save some lives today.”

But lo and behold, when I woke up, I checked my phone right away (‘cause I’m always on that phone) and noticed a very concerning text.

Now, you may ask yourself, “Cybele, aren’t you exaggerating?” And lemme tell you, hypothetical ‘you’, no. No I was not exaggerating one iota:

Unknown Number: Could you please come get me? No pressure if you’re busy or asleep or anything. Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway.

My eyes widened and I jolted up.

“Who?” Was my first question. Some unknown number just told me they’d be dead, and they listed the address to a hotel. Flags didn’t get much redder than that.

“Okay, think, think: Sunny might have gotten a new number,” I paced about and brainstormed as to who it could have been.

Yeah. That checks out. It’s just like Sunny to go off and get herself hurt. Of course she’d want me to bail her out.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard from Sunny. Probably a good six months. It was only a couple weeks ago that Ray finally gave me a call and explained the situation back at the diner. No wonder they went silent. I always figured Sunny stayed inside the diner with Ray due to the circumstances they faced, but it was true that she had trouble keeping still.

Yes, that’s true, but she’d stay at the diner with Ray if the circumstances are as dire as he said. I don’t doubt for a second that Sunny would help keep things together with Ray.

So if it wasn’t Sunny, then who? Frantic, I looked back at the phone.

What if I overslept and someone seriously was dying and now I’m too late?

Well, I could put that thought to rest: the text was only sent a few minutes ago.

“Still doesn’t give me time to shower...ugh...well, I’ll just slap on some deodorant, spray some rose water, and call it good. Whoever it is should consider themselves lucky that I’m showing up at all.”

No, that wasn’t the right attitude to have. Someone might have been dying for real.

“I’ll definitely save you,” I declared, still not totally convinced it wasn’t a scam.

To be honest, I was somewhat relieved to have an excuse to get back in my plane and fly around. Even if it turned out to have been a waste of time...no, it wouldn’t have been, because I’d be doing something I loved: flying.

Way back when Ray delivered that horrible news, I didn’t know what I’d do or where I’d go, but he had no problem with me taking the plane with me. It may have been the case that he figured if I took it with me, others wouldn’t have a means of getting to the diner, but whatever the reason, I just liked having it around. Things just didn’t feel right without it.

Oh, and it sure was a super fast aircraft, too! I arrived at the hotel parking lot within the hour. Now, as one could imagine, it was hard to find parking, so I had to park way in the back, and I was positive that there would be many a car furious with me for taking up so much space. But screw them, I wouldn’t be around that long, anyway!

When I stepped out of the plane, I looked around to find the parking lot near empty. Just a few cars here and there, kind of scattered like a tic-tac-toe board. Guess there was nothing to worry about (when it came to taking up space)!

“This is the place, right?” I was perplexed when I walked forward. Really, what did I expect to find? I had no idea and from the look of things, there was nothing to expect. It was just some normal looking hotel. OK. Layout: some tall, gold, fancy hotel, an awning, a few marble stairs. Some of the windows on the upper floors looked a bit busted, but aside from that, it had a sheen about it. Like, pristine sheen.

I continued to walk forward, in somewhat of a daze. It was rather early in the morning and I hadn’t had a coffee or anything like that. Closer, my foggy eyes not really clearing up, then my heart thumped on high alert in a single instant: blaring sirens of ambulances filled the air.

I shifted all around and tried to figure out what the commotion was. My head turned in a rapid manner, much more than a simple shake. Then, I spotted the culprit: a small body, collapsed and lying on the ground.

Take your time. I’ll probably be dead by the time you get here, anyway, those words echoed in my mind with an accelerating intensity as I sprinted toward the collapsed figure. Once I caught a better look, I filled with dread.

I recognize this person.

She was sprawled out, on her back, a fresh, dark wound on her right shoulder. Her hair was no longer green, it was blonde, and she wasn’t wearing any glasses, either. What she wore instead was a dark purple hoodie, jeans, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Fabric from her hoodie had been torn on the bottom and a fresh, gaping cut was visible and the blood which ran down from it obscured the skin of her stomach. It didn’t look deep enough to have penetrated any organs, but it was still a concern, nonetheless.

Just witnessing it put me in a sort of shudder, a repulsion which I had to fight back against. Nerves against my eyelids tightened and I felt a strain on my eyes along with a reservoir of tears ready to form from beneath the surface. It was as if a gust of wind had struck them.

I knelt down, my heart still on high alert. The rush of endorphins, not to mention the stress and adrenaline, was all the energy I needed to wake me up for the morning.

Please still be alive. Please.

I placed two fingers up to the nape of her neck, sucked up a small amount of saliva, and drew heavy breaths. Two seconds. I swear, the longest two seconds I ever felt. Rapid fire thoughts pounded against the edges of my skull. It was enough to make me wonder if my head was about to split open, or if my heart would give out, unable to handle the anticipation. My breaths were heavy to the point that I sounded like I was in some sort of frenzied state.

At last, I felt a pulse.

What a relief. What a relief. What a rel –

“Ma’am! Get away from the body!” I heard someone shout behind me.

I turned my head to see an ambulance parked (well, ‘parked’ was a little generous, as it had been swerved to its side and burnt skid marks could be seen just behind the vehicle’s tires) and two paramedics who looked ready to push me aside.

Of course. It just has to come to this.

“I think not,” I defied them, “I’m this young lady’s primary care physician and I’m going to take her to my clinic with me. She’s requested if in an emergency, then I am to come get her directly.”

They both looked at each other, confused.

“Can we see proof?” One of them asked.

I fished out a fake doctor’s license as well as a forged note. Such (illegal) methods weren’t used often, and it was never something I enjoyed doing, but it’s come in handy at times when I’ve had to bail Sunny out. Her idea, of course.

“Oh, well, uh, okay,” their confusion still showed through their voice, but nevertheless, they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

“May I borrow one of your gurneys so I can get her onto my plane?” I asked them.

“Plane?”

I nodded.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

Acting was never one of my strong suits, but it turned out when you had just the right things to appear official, people tended to believe you. Needless to say, I got Demetria onto my plane and got right to work with the gauze.

Man, I’m really not a doctor. If only Cole-Slaw was here. She’d know what to do. Or she’d chew me out for not knowing what to do. Either way, I’m sure she’d be of more help.

In any case, she’d live. That much I knew for sure.

When I got home, I was too on edge to really do anything. I just sat on the couch and waited for her to wake up. Long stretches of time passed, and I would check in on the room I placed her in, with no such luck. It was concerning, to say the least, but I held out hope.

She needs rest. I’ll let her be.

Despite how serious it was, eventually the worry stepped aside and I got out my journal to write a couple of quick poems. Neither of them were all that good, but they didn’t need to be; their main purpose was to get my mind off of things. One of them started out like this:

Slumbers are a fickle thing.

So I go to the cupboard and pull out a box of cookies.

One by one, shoveled into my mouth.

Then I go back to bed, unable to sleep

due to the pain in my stomach.

But it was worth it.

What does it have to do with anything?

What is the meaning of sweetness?

An array of crumbs fall out of my pockets

and I’m visited by the sandman, who tells me

that he’s about to pour more crumbs in.

That bastard always gets the better of me.

Like I said, it left a bit to be desired, but I wasn’t done with it. Maybe in the third stanza, it would start to shine. But before I could get to that, I was interrupted by a rustling in another room, followed by a low groan.

I got up from the couch and followed the sound into the other room. Demetria stood hunched over in front of the bed I had laid her in. She propped herself up by holding onto the front-facing corner of the bedpost, but it was clear by the way she wobbled and her poor balance that she would fall back down onto the bed.

“Ow...ow...ooh,” she hissed and groaned, alternating between the two.

So she fell back down. Onto the bed.

“Owww...god damn it…” she moaned, adding, “I can hardly move. Ugh...I can’t believe I’m not dead.”

I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips.

“I swear, you’re just as bad as Sunny,” I scolded.

“Right, ‘cause if I’m going to have a role model, it may as well be Sunny,” she replied, deadpan in her delivery. She then turned her head and looked my way.

“So...you got my message?” She asked, her voice low and hoarse.

“Yeah. Mind telling me what happened?” I tapped my foot.

She looked away from me.

“I’d...rather not.”

That wasn’t what I expected to hear, nor really what I wanted to hear, but I respected her decision.

With her good arm (the one that wasn’t all covered up in layers of gauze), she covered her eyes.

“Can I...can I stay here a while?” She wheezed, then coughed.

“Judging from your injuries, I’m going to say you don’t have a choice. Now try not to move around so much, and please, get some rest.”

What she said next kept me from leaving the room.

“You shouldn’t have picked me up. I didn’t want to be saved,” I heard her say through her low mutter.

“I don’t believe that,” emotions welled up in me. Yes, she was in a great deal of pain, but there were quite a few mixed feelings I had. Feelings I should have held back or saved for later, when she was recovered, but I couldn’t help myself. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have sent that text.”

“I’m not worth it,” she replied, though it didn’t feel like a reply at all. It felt like she ignored everything I said, and was just continuing off of the last thing she said.

Don’t say that, I thought. I almost growled it out, but I stopped myself.

“Get some rest. Please,” I told her instead, my voice not low, but instead weepy.

She gave a short nod and I noticed tears run down her cheeks. My head hung low and I had to force myself to turn away and step out of the room. Her clear pain and anguish had me at a chokehold and I felt a tinge of regret leaving her alone like that. But if she was going to rest, she would need her space, so I pulled up the curtain and ducked my head, then left the room.

This house I bought was rather large, much more space than I needed. But I was rich and since I could afford to, I wanted to get something nice. Not to mention the fact that I was so used to living in a large airport, even though I didn’t own the airport, it was still a home to me, and I just didn’t feel at home without the wide, empty spaces.

So I lived in a tall house, all to myself. Most of my stuff was relegated to one bedroom (of which there were a few rooms; they all sat empty, save for the one Demetria was now in). If I wasn’t there, I slept on the couch. My kitchen, though wide enough to have its own “island” (I never quite understood why they called that thing in the middle of kitchens in big houses an island), but that too sat mostly empty. There were a few things in the fridge, but that was about it. I didn’t cook. I could have, but I was rich, and I wasn’t used to cooking, so I always just ordered takeout.

The room Demetria was in was kind of a little architectural experiment, as it was originally a walk-in closet tied to a separate (empty) room, but I took down the closet doors and replaced it with a butterfly pattern tapestry that hung from the wall instead. No, I never planned such a thing, but I had a bed in that little room. It wasn’t an especially large bed, as it could only fit a twin-sized mattress, but it was the perfect fit for Demetria.

As I said, I never planned for her to stay here, but I always thought it would be nice to have guests over. I mean, I had a couple friends here and there, and they lived thousands of miles away, but that was nothing for me since I had my own plane. That said, no one ever expressed wanting to stay over, all telling me the same thing, that they “didn’t want to impose” (really, guys? It wouldn’t be an imposition if I was the one offering).

One questionable decision I made was removing the ceiling light and putting a lava lamp in the room instead. Yeah, it looked cool, but the way it lit up the room and reflected off of the curtain gave the room a distinct red tint. Like the room was on fire. Considering how bloodied up Demetria was, it seemed rather inappropriate now. Hindsight, am I right?

So I sat on the couch once again and flipped on the TV. Usually it just sat there and gathered dust, something which it was rather good at, but I decided to turn it on just to have some background noise. Channel after channel I skipped through until I stopped at a local channel and noticed it was a recording of an opera titled Atys.

No, I had no idea what it was about. It was an opera, did anybody ever know what was going on? Yeah, didn’t think so. But it was nice to see all the pretty outfits, and it sure sounded pretty, too. So it was settled, I’d watch a bit of that. Then, I too began to doze off.

My rest didn’t last long.

Shrill screams forced me awake and in a panic, I rushed to the room.

I found her, sat up against the edge of the bed, a look of shock, anger, terror, or a mix of all three filled her face as well as beads of either sweat, tears, or both. Her breaths were loud and heavy and she shook in place, as if paralyzed in fear. I looked to where Demetria stared ahead, but saw nothing, only the shadow of the lava lamp which sat on a table next to the bottom end of the bed.

“Is everything all right?!” I shouted, unable to hold back the concern in my voice. I rushed over and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Demetria...Demetria…” I tried to get her attention but my soft voice betrayed me. In a conscious manner, I sharpened my voice and shouted:

“Demetria!”

She blinked and then her eyes darted around and although she still heaved, her breath began to slow down and her eyes relaxed.

“Sorry. I had a nightmare,” she stated, as if it wasn’t such a big deal.

Not knowing what else to do, I leaned in and pulled her into my chest and held her tight.

“Ow, ow. My shoulder,” she complained and I let her go just as fast as I held her.

She sat there and rubbed her left eye, then her forehead.

“It just happens sometimes. Those same images haunt me,” she continued. I didn’t know what she could have meant, but that initial bout of screaming was enough of a concern as it was.

“Was it about something that happened to you?”

She gave a short nod, then buried her head in her hands. I heard no sniffles or weeps, but the silence itself was enough of a worry.

“Do you want me to give you some space?” I offered a rather foolish gesture, but the best I could offer without knowing what else I could do at the moment. As she gave no response, I waited a few seconds, then got up, figuring the answer was “yes”.

As soon as I started to get up, though, she tugged at my arm.

“Can you stay here? I’m afraid to go back to sleep,” she begged. For added measure, she lifted her head up and gave me puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah,” I gave in. As much as I hated to admit, those puppy dog eyes were adorable. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be in the morning. Making sure you’re well is my main priority right now.”

She let go of my arm, reeled it back to her side. Again, there was a lull, a standstill. Neither of us must have known what to do or say next. At least that was the case for me.

“You’re probably wondering how I got like this, huh?” She spoke up at last. Her face was still obscured, her voice muffled, but it was a voice nonetheless.

“Yes. I would like to know, but I’m not going to force it out of you.”

She lifted her head up and leaned it against the wall.

“To be honest, I’d like to know, too,” she replied with a dry, hollow reply. Even though she forced a slight smile, it was clear from her tone that she was anything but pleased.

“You don’t know how you got your injuries?” I was perplexed.

“I killed someone,” she answered. “Correction: I killed quite a few people, but the one who gave me my injuries was just one man.”

“My God…” the words escaped me. It wasn’t that I was all that shocked; Ray definitely gave off “former yakuza turned househusband” vibes and Sunny was a chaotic bundle of joy who I’ve had to pull out of messy situations several times. It might have just been that Demetria didn’t strike me as the violent type, but then again, my frame of reference was rather narrow, so it wasn’t like I had a complete impression of her. Maybe that would all change once I spent more time around her.

“I know, right? Not very heroic of me. For the record, I never considered myself a hero, but at the same time, I never thought I would be capable of doing such things. Let alone willing. But here I am, I went from someone who wanted to prevent the deaths of others to causing them. So much for protecting people.”

“I’m sure you had a good reason, though,” I argued. After all, rude as she may be, I refused to believe she was a bad person. She turned to me, her lips folded into a frown.

“Do you think that makes a difference?” Her eyelids were half-shut and she looked ready to nod off. “In my mind, I did it to protect others. But there could have been a better way to go about it. Maybe I just wanted to satisfy a bloodlust. I don’t know.”

“I don’t know, either,” I echoed her sentiment.

“Even now, I see the horror in their eyes. How they were torn to shreds.”

“Are you talking about the people you killed?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, then. There was still so much she wouldn’t tell me, and maybe I didn’t want to hear the details, but I still wanted to help in any way I could.

“Have you ever seen someone being eaten alive?” She asked. It struck me as odd, just as random, if not more than her previous statement.

“No, I can’t say I have…”

“It’s not a pretty sight. That shit sticks with you.”

Just what kind of things have you experienced? I was a little baffled, to say the least. Just the idea made me shudder. She rolled her eyes, then turned her head away.

“I wanted to be badass so I could impress someone I had a crush on. Then...I was exposed to things I never should have witnessed. So my motivation changed. I wanted to be stronger so I could protect others. But I admit, I still wanted to impress her, too. I’ll think about back then and think of how if I were stronger, they would have survived. Or if it was someone else who went there, someone better. Someone who wasn’t me.”

“We all have things we regret,” I tried to tell her, which wasn’t really all that helpful, I know.

“You don’t understand,” she sharpened her voice. It wasn’t quite a shout, but it still had a bite behind it. “The reality is that if I hadn’t gone there, they would have met the same end. It’s easy to play the ‘what-if’ game, but there’s no way to know if there was anything that could have been done, and somehow that’s even worse.”

She paused again, closed her eyes. Part of me hoped that she hadn’t gone to sleep just because I didn’t want her to wake up screaming again.

“I’m stronger now. I’m badass. I got what I wanted, but at this point, I’d rather go back to being how I was before: meek, timid, someone who minded her own business. Hell, I tried to go back to being her, but I can’t. She’s gone now. Every attempt to return to my old self just felt like fighting back against a current.”

“I may not know what it’s like to go through all the things you have, but I do believe that even if you can’t return to how you were before, you can still be who you want to be. Even if that person is different from how you envisioned yourself to be. Hell, I know it’s hard. I know, but you can still find comfort in who you are right now.”

It seemed like the most poignant thing I’ve said all day, and yet everything I said in that statement was something that I continued to struggle with, myself.

Rather than reply, she drew a heavy breath. Her head slumped over to her side, and I realized that she had gone back to sleep.

I felt a faint spell overtake me as well and there must have been a couple of microscopic versions of me who struggled to hold my eyelids open, but to no avail. Soon, I faded away, into the sea of unconsciousness.

When I awoke, it must have been early in the morning as a bright light shone through the room. I struggled up and found myself in much of a haze. Then, a pounding came. Well, there wasn’t one. At first I thought there was, but it turned out to be more of a notion in my head or my heart telling me that someone was at my front door. There was no basis for such a feeling, but I was compelled to follow it, nonetheless.

Through the sluggish movements, I reached for the handle on the door, then pulled it open. Upon doing so, a blinding flash of light burst into the house and I couldn’t see anything in front of me. No front yard, no dirt, no grass, no neighborhood. Nothing but the flash of light.

Soon, that dissipated, and the shapes of the environment right outside my house took hold. It was a slow process, though, and it seemed to be sapped away, or drawn in to a particular spot in the middle of my peripheral vision. Right in front of me, a little below me, until I saw who, or what was at my door: a little girl with ashen hair, soot and dust. Her large, beady eyes, like what a stuffed animal would have. Corduroy, was what she reminded me of. That little bear from a picture book way back when I was about her age. She wore a thick cloak, hood off. Actually, it might have been a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. It was hard to tell which, as if whatever it truly was, my mind couldn’t decide what to see.

“May I help you?” I asked her.

She stared ahead rather than look up at me. Like there was something she was focused on, maybe something that she wished to steal from my home.

Oh, relax. She’s probably just a girl scout and trying to sell me cookies, I scolded myself. It was all I could do to feel at ease. Not that I felt dread around her, or that she held any malicious intent, but I still felt a little uneasy.

“Can I come in?” She looked up and asked at last, her voice soft and ethereal. She also didn’t look up at all. I didn’t see her head move, but I could tell I was the one being addressed.

Careful, Cybele. She might be a vampire. You know how those little girls who ask to come in are. First you say yes, next thing you know you’re strung up on the ceiling and a flattened husk of who you were, with a pile of your blood dripping down and staining your carpet.

...I really needed to get more sleep.

“Uh...Sure?” It must have been the tiredness in me, but if I was going to get eaten up by a vampire, it may as well have been early in the morning.

“Thank you,” she chirped, or blew forth the words, like a Magpie or a wind chime. But it was also gentle, and breathy as well. Neither a whisper nor a shout. Closer to the former than latter, but not really reaching the quietness of the former, either.

Another oddity was that after that, she didn’t move. I invited her in, but she didn’t walk in. I figured that was that when I closed the door and just chalked it up to a weird occurrence.

“Interesting home you have,” that same soothing and unnerving voice returned, and I turned to see her walking through my living room. Well, I could have said that, but she didn’t wander. She was close to the door. Right behind me, in fact. Despite her not having walked in, not even floated in (like a ghost would have at least been courteous to do), she was there.

For whatever reason, I walked over near where the room was where Demetria slept, but stayed outside the door frame and remained in the living room. Whatever that child wanted, she was already in my house now and probably wouldn’t leave until I figured what it was that she was here for. More than that, I needed to know who or what she was, if she was anything at all.

“So, what should I call you?” I blurted out the question. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

“I wonder…” She looked around as she replied, “what do you think you should call me?”

“Anything?” I blinked.

“You would call me ‘Anything’?” She asked, as if entertaining the idea.

“Well, I mean, if I can call you anything I want to call you...what’s to stop me from calling you ‘Lampshade’?”

“What’s to stop you indeed.”

That still didn’t seem right. Everything reminded me of ‘be not afraid’, that kind of angel vibe.

“Are you an angel?” I wasn’t satisfied with calling her a lampshade. It was just the first thing I could think of that was next to me (there was a lamp next to the television set).

“Is that how you wish to see me?”

Another odd question. It seemed neither meant to mock, be an admittance, nor denial. Just a genuine sense of wonder.

“I…I don’t know,” I was at a loss. “At least tell me your name.”

“My name?”

“You know, like my name is Cybele.”

She smiled, even if it didn’t look like her lips made any such creases.

“Ah, Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess. If that be your name, you may be most wonderful, indeed.” “Gee, I don’t know about that. I certainly don’t want to be anyone’s mom. No offense, but I’m not interested in raising any kids.”

“Why would that bring me offense?”

“I don’t...uh, anyway. What brings you here?” I felt like I was getting nowhere, and worst of all, I didn’t even know what she wanted.

She walked forward in a way that felt more like a glide. Despite it being one foot over the other, it was fast, but also light, and didn’t look the least bit like a run. As she approached me, for whatever reason, I fell back to the floor, and she passed right by me, into the room where Demetria resided.

I got up and followed her in. There was no reason to suspect as such, but I still didn’t want any harm to come to Demetria. Especially when she still had her injuries.

But when I saw the mysterious little girl, all she did was stare at the bed where Demetria lay.

“She’s seeing disturbing visions right now,” the girl stated. Lampshade or whatever else there was to call her.

“How do you know that?” I asked. It was probably true, though, that she was having bad dreams, but I still wanted to know the basis of how she knew. Hell, how she knew Demetria at all.

“We met once before, under less comforting circumstances,” the girl replied.

“She told me she’s been having nightmares.”

“Nightmares...little imps who ride on horses?”

“No, like, bad dreams. Like, we humans get tired, and when we get tired enough, our body starts to shut down and we let our consciousness fade for a little while. We call it sleeping, and when we sleep, we often have dreams. They can be weird and unusual, sometimes mundane, though. Sometimes pleasant and sometimes terrifying. It depends less on the content of the dream, but more on the vibes the dream gives off.”

That was weird, too. I didn’t know why I felt the need to explain what sleep was. Not to mention, it wasn’t just people who slept, most animals did.

I saw a smile curve up from the side of her face.

“Thank you. I’ve been wondering what sleep was for a while.”

“What? You don’t know what sleep is?”

She turned her head from side to side.

“I’ve yet to experience it, but now that I understand the general concept, I am interested in finding out what it’s like for myself.”

“That’s odd. By the way, it’s not just humans that sleep. It’s most animals. Err...living creatures.”

She gave a single nod.

“I have met other organisms. Salamanders are one of my favorite, but I am partial to humans. They’re who I wish to study the most.”

“Are you...not human?” It seemed so obvious, but I had to ask anyway.

“I could be.”

I suppose simple questions warranted simple answers. Not that it answered anything, at least not in my mind.

“Tell me, Cybele, do you believe in reincarnation?” She asked at last and I jumped from where I stood, startled to be addressed by name.

So you know of such concepts like reincarnation, but not sleep?

“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s possible. Haven’t given it much thought.”

“What about resurrection?”

“Even less sure about that one. I’ve heard about people coming back from near-death experiences, but that’s it.”

“Recreation? Reconstruction?”

“Well, there’s facial reconstruction surgery. Why do you ask? Do you think it’s possible?”

She let out a soft laugh, like a giggle. It really took me aback that she was capable of such things.

“I don’t know, either, Cybele. I was just interested in what you believed in.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I guess I’m not all that interesting.”

“Quite the opposite; your perspective interests me as much as any human’s does.”

That sounded like a compliment. It might not have been, but I couldn’t help but blush and smile.

“So what do you want with her? Are you here just to watch?”

That time, as if I asked the magic question, caused her to give a definitive answer.

“I’m going to transfer some memories into her. They’ll be in an unused space in her mind, so she may not even notice.”

“Will it hurt?”

“It won’t hurt. She may have dreams pertaining to those memories, but it shouldn’t affect her personality. Not any more than her personality’s already been affected by her experiences.”

“Will it help with her nightmares?”

“Mm...it might. It might also give her new nightmares. I can’t say, as this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Still...to think you’re capable of such a thing. Are you all-powerful?”

“I could be. However, there are things I’m much more interested in than that.”

She didn’t do anything with her hands, no magical beams of light shot out. There was nothing to indicate that she did anything to ‘transfer memories’, but after a few seconds of silence, she spoke up.

“It is done,” she stated.

“What was the purpose behind that?” I was a little awestruck at what little awe I had to be struck by.

“I’m just interested in seeing what might happen,” she stated, somehow both a definitive and non-definitive answer.

She shuffled out of the room, still the same gliding motion. Once again, I followed her. She hadn’t quite gotten out the door yet, so I decided I had more I wanted to ask her.

“Wait,” I tried to stop her before she could leave. “Before you go, I just want to know: am I dreaming right now?”

“Mm...You’re not sleeping, so by the definition you gave me, I don’t believe so. Unless it’s possible to dream without sleeping.”

“I don’t know...if it’s possible,” I yawned. That wave of tiredness I felt after Demetria fell asleep was starting to hit me again. I dropped down to the floor in response to my body’s demands. It wasn’t a pained collapse, I fell on my own volition.

“I’m starting to get sleepy,” I declared. Once again a yawn escaped me.

“How interesting. Would you like to sleep?”

I nodded my head. Now I felt like the kid in the situation.

“Can you sing me a lullaby?” I requested.

“Lullaby? What’s that?”

“You know, like a simple little song to get me to sleep.”

She lowered her head, as if deep in thought.

“Ah. I know one. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…”

With that, I drifted back off into sleep and the mysterious girl departed.

True morning was something far different.

For starters, the room was still dark. Well, I noticed light from outside the room. Of course, being that the ‘room’ Demetria and I were in was once just a big closet with no windows...yeah, it would make sense that it was still dark, even in daylight.

Oh yeah, that was the other thing: I woke up in the same place I fell asleep at in the first place, which was on the floor next to the bed Demetria slept in.

To my right was the bed. As I forced my way to a shabby half-awake state, I heard a shuffle from the bed and looked up to see Demetria sat up. She let out a low groan, her eyes squinted, then looked down where I was.

“Ugh...I just had the weirdest dream,” she rubbed her eyes with her palm and grumbled.

“Yeah?” I yawned. “What was it?”

“Well, I was in a fight with my cousin’s wife. We were both on a rooftop and she didn’t really seem like she wanted to fight, but I kept egging her on, and, well, she slashed me in the stomach, and I fell back. Last thing I remember was a stick being put in my mouth, then I woke up just now.”

That’s...disturbing?

“Huh. That is weird, indeed,” I commented.

“I know. We may not have gotten along much, but I wouldn’t want to harm my cousin’s wife. But I’m guessing it’s not so much because it was her, and it was more because of the fight I had at the hotel, and the guy who I didn’t want to fight slashed me in the stomach. Plus, my cousin’s wife did yell at me just the other night. But the context was a little different. She was upset, and I couldn’t blame her for that. Those people had no right to show up. I don’t know all the things she had to deal with, but I could only imagine how painful that was for her just to witness. As for rooftops…”

She scoffed, then gave a slight smile.

“Only thing I can recall is when I went to a place called Olympia and hid out on a rooftop to avoid guys shooting at me. Man, that place was a trip. Weird enough to have been a dream, but no, the actual dream I had felt real somehow. Like I lived it. Even if it may have just been a mishmash of various events over the past couple days...no, it didn’t feel like that at all.”

I was at a loss. From all the flakes of information she let slip, I could tell she’s gone through a lot. Much more than I would have expected from her.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I had a weird dream too,” I related.

“Yeah?” She sounded curious. “What was yours?”

I thought it over. I tried to think of what was weird about it. Actually, I tried to think about it at all, but couldn’t.

“Um...sorry. I thought I was gonna have something to tell, but I forgot,” I pouted.

“Eh. It happens.”

“So,” I hopped to my feet, “how about some breakfast in bed?”

“What are you, my housewife?” She groaned.

“No,” I frowned. “But it’ll be harder to recover on an empty stomach, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to get up much at the moment.”

“Are you gonna feed it to me, too?” She really wanted to make things difficult. Here I thought she’d have been more pleasant after a restful sleep.

“I...I haven’t thought that far. But if I have to, I will. Now, I’ve got yogurt and toast. That should be light on the stomach.”

She shrugged, then winced. For a moment, she must have forgotten how much pain her shoulder was in.

“Fine. I guess I can go for yogurt and toast. It’s something.”

It was settled: I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out a cup of Greek yogurt from my near-barren fridge.

“Greek yogurt, because...oh, never mind. Bad joke,” I scolded myself under my breath. Next was the toast. Whole grain, because that seemed like something she’d like.

After the bread popped out of the toaster and I had a spoon for the yogurt, I headed back into the room and handed them to her.

“Thanks,” she told me, then held up one of the slices of toast and bit into it.

“Ah!” I just remembered something very basic. Something which should never have been forgotten. “You’re going to need water. Lots of water. I’m also sure you’ll need to use the bathroom from time to time. Hmm...I don’t have one of those pee bags like doctors and nurses have…”

“Ew. I wouldn’t want to use one of those, anyway,” she spat. Ugh. Add that to the growing list of concerns: crumbs all over the bed.

“OK. Well, if you need help getting up, let me know and I’ll help you. I still don’t think you should walk all that much until you’re more healed, but at the same time you’re going to need to sooner or later.”

She nodded.

“Got it. You don’t have to act like my mom. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

That kinda ticked me off, not gonna lie. Maybe it wasn’t the best time, but I just had to say something.

“I’m aware of that and from the way you say you didn’t want to be saved, you know what? Maybe I really should have left you there,” I hated every word I spewed out and I felt on the verge of tears.

“I’m sor…” She began, but didn’t finish the word.

“No. Even if I’m upset, you still need help. I don’t want to boss you around, I just want to help you. It seems like most of the times we’ve met up, I’ve done things for you and helped you, and in some cases, I just wanted to be nice. But even so, I can’t help but feel like I’ve been used.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Hearing her said that just about broke me. I didn’t want to hear such a thing. Yet she continued:

“You gave me a chance, you offered to be my friend, and I never once considered taking you up on your offer. For my part, I didn’t even want a friend, be it you or anyone else. It’s not that I don’t appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but at the same time, I used you. You were convenient and I took advantage of you.”

I was speechless, unsure whether to be angry or heartbroken. But all in all, what did I expect? We didn’t know each other very well, haven’t interacted much, and yet I chose to help her out time and time again.

“I...I know I shouldn’t when we don’t really know each other very well, but I still care about you,” I brought myself to tell her.

“Why? I don’t understand,” she objected. To that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Neither do I. I just do.”

She took a couple bites out of her yogurt, then spoke up again.

“You shouldn’t,” she argued again.

“I never said that I should, just that I do,” I countered.

She scoffed, took a few more big bites of the cup of yogurt, then set the empty cup off to the side, on the nightstand.

“I’m such a hypocrite, aren’t I? Here I am, admitting how inconsiderate I’ve been, and yet I’ve been the same way as you.”

“You have?”

“I grew to care about others who never gave a shit about me. Some of them should’ve been expected, though, but I at least thought when I left that I meant something to Sunny and Ray. But no. Instead, he texts me saying he never wants me back and blocks me. Just goes to show how little I was valued. He’d probably still welcome Remora with open arms, but me? Not a chance. It’s like –”

“That’s not true!” I interrupted her. As much as I felt for her, I couldn’t let her keep going on about that. Maybe Ray didn’t want her to know, but I believed that she needed to know. “He probably told you that to keep you safe.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He came clean with me about it recently, and it’s hard to believe, but if it’s bad enough that he wants to keep everyone away, then I have to believe it.”

“Believe what?” She leaned forward.

“He told me about a fog. Apparently people have gone through that fog and gotten all beat up. It’s not a blizzard, either. It’s like the air is still, and the air is warmer near the diner than the rest of the arctic. He said it’s like there’s these invisible enemies that bring harm to others. Many injured people have shown up at the diner and he’s been trying to take care of every single one, but the airport is closed off because he wants to try to keep the damage to a minimum.”

“Why would he tell me that, then?” She grew angrier, and the explanation had the opposite effect of what I was hoping for.

“I don’t know. Maybe he figured if you knew, you’d try to go back.”

“He’s goddamn right, too! What? He thinks he can take all that on his own?”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but even if it was, you aren’t the only one he had stay away. Where do you think we are right now?”

She looked around the room.

“I don’t know. I just woke up here,” she replied. Which, fair point.

“We’re at my house, over in Alaska. I bought it after Ray ordered me to leave. He gave me enough money to pay for a hotel, and I had enough saved up to buy my own home from all the funds he’s given me.”

“Damn, Alaska, huh?”

That’s what you focus on? What about the fact that I’m loaded? I’m totally not strapped for cash at all, it’s awesome!

“He didn’t even want Sunny to come back, but she was stubborn and came back anyway. So while I’m not quite sure who this Remora person is, I doubt he’s making any exceptions.”

She thought over what I told her, then asked:

“How long has it been like that?”

“Not long after I took you back home.”

“So months, huh? Are they still alive?”

I nodded. Thank goodness they were, too.

“Apparently it eases up sometimes, and he’s able to escort some people out, but he still wants to prevent others from entering.”

“Sounds like they’re doing fine on their own, then,” she concluded. I was rather surprised to hear her say that, considering how she said she cared about them and all. But at the same time, I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to try to enter, anyway. At least not while she had injuries of her own that she needed to heal from. She didn’t need any more.

“I wouldn’t go that far. But my point in telling you all that is this: you have more people who care about you than you think. Hell, I’m willing to bet you care about more people than you think, too.”

“Heh,” she managed a smile. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Now, I offered it to you before, and you don’t have to take it, but would you like to be friends?”

She looked down.

“I don’t know...I’m not really someone you’d want to be friends with. In case you forgot, I’ve killed people. I’m not a very good person.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She pursed her lip. It looked like she was ready to pout.

“Yes. I’d really like a friend,” she said at last. Elation welled up in me and I felt like I could hug her, but I resisted, not wanting to exacerbate her pain. Still, I wanted to show her how happy I was to hear that, but it would have to wait as a vibration sounded off in Demetria’s pants pocket.

“Oh, my phone!” She sounded startled. She reached in and pulled it out, then answered.

“Hello?” She answered. “Oh, hey, Ves. Can I set it to speaker? It’s kinda hard to talk right now. Yeah, everything’s fine, it’s just kind of hard to hold my phone right now.”

I gulped. Like, do what you gotta do, but I felt like I’d be eavesdropping. Knowing that, I should’ve left the room. But to be honest, I kinda wanted to hear what was talked about.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for yelling at you the other night,” the woman at the other end’s voice came through. She sounded a little weepy and mournful, but maybe it was just the reception.

“Don’t be. You have every right to react the way that you did. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Still, I don’t think you deserved that, either. Juniper helped me calm down and she suggested that you’re probably going through some difficult things, yourself. I want to be there for you, the way that Juniper was there for me when I dealt with difficult things. I don’t think you need to deal with it alone.”

“Thank you,” croaked Demetria in a near whisper. “Yeah, I was in a bad place. Both physically and mentally,” she looked over at me and smiled. “Now I’m only in a bad place mentally. I’ve got someone with me who’s helping me through some stuff.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at that.

“Are they like Juniper?” Ves asked.

“Sorta. Not really. It’s not romantic or anything. But I’m glad to have her around.”

“I’m glad too.”

“Thanks.”

“I just want you to know that you’re always welcome back here.”

“Thanks, Ves. I just think it’s best if I don’t right now.”

“I understand. Won’t you at least come back to get your stuff? You left it here.”

Demetria jolted upward.

“Oh shit, I did?! I’ll head on out right now!”

“No way you’re going out with those injuries,” I stopped Demetria. She was sat up and blankets pulled out, ready to hop on up out of bed. Once I told her that, she sulked.

“Injuries? Also, who was that?” Ves sounded like a smoothie blend of confusion and worry.

“Hi, I’m Cybele. She got pretty badly hurt, but she’ll survive. I cleaned up her wounds a bit and she’s all bandaged up right now, but I don’t think she’s in any state to be running around.”

“I see. That’s really concerning.”

“Yeah, well, if you want, I can get her stuff for her,” I offered.

“I don’t know...I don’t really like the idea of people I don’t know coming over…”

Fair, I thought. I bet I wouldn’t like that either.

“...But if you’re a friend of Demetria’s, I think I can trust you.”

“Great. I’ll be on my way.”

“Will do. Thank you, Cybele, and thanks for looking after my cousin-in-law.”

Ah, so she’s the one who Demetria had a dream about getting into a fight with. I wonder if I should ask her about that.

But I didn’t. She hung up and I stretched my arms.

“Looks like I’m heading out. Mind texting me the address?” I turned to Demetria and asked.

“Not at all. Thanks for doing this,” she began typing away at her phone.

“No problem. I’m sure at least some of those things are important to you. Now, before I go, feel free to wander around the house, but please try not to push yourself too hard.”

“Got it. See you in a little bit?” She asked.

I nodded, then waved.

“In a little bit.”

I flew out at once and I think the whole trip there took me maybe two hours at most? I wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. Even if her stuff was way off in Indonesia, I’m sure I would’ve flown out to get it.

As soon as I found a nice empty patch of dirt to land in, I hopped out of the plane and approached their door. They lived in some remote place, far off from any cities or towns. Little bits of grass, some tilled farmland, a greenhouse, a shed, and a little chicken coop. Really, it looked like a nice place to hang. That said, I wasn’t sure if I could live there. As much as I was used to living in remote places, myself, I needed a certain...aesthetic that the country life they seemed to live lacked.

In any case, I walked up to the steps of their house, the wooden stairs creaked, and I knocked on their door. When the door opened, I was stunned at the beauty on display: a tall woman with glasses and near-white hair opened, and she was dressed in some kind of white robe.

“Whoa, you’re hot,” I blurted out. She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you always speak without thinking?” She asked.

“No, I swear I don’t. I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. You’re cute, yourself, with that ponytail and cap of yours. You remind me a bit of Juniper.”

I wasn’t sure who that was, but soon I did, as out stepped another beauty: a woman with blonde pigtails and muscular arms wearing a small tie-dye shirt and skinny jeans.

“And you’re cute,” I remarked.

Juniper, at least I presumed, beamed a bright smile.

“Thanks!”

“Isn’t she?” Ves gestured her arms as if to present her.

“Indeed! Anyway, I think I’m getting sidetracked.”

“Ahem,” Ves coughed into her fist, then changed into a more serious expression. “Yes. I as well. Tell me, is Demetria okay?”

“Well, like I said, she’s badly hurt, but she should recover. Her wounds don’t seem to be infected, and I don’t think she broke any bones. So at least there’s that.”

“Just what did she go through?” Ves mouthed out the words.

“I’m not sure if she wants me telling you, but I’m sure you can ask her.”

“Of course. I don’t want to pry.”

“I’ll go get her stuff!” Juniper declared, then walked off. As she did, I turned to Ves.

“Did you two get into a fight?” I questioned her.

“No,” she lowered her head, and turned to the side. “The other night I yelled at her. I had a mental breakdown. But it was nothing physical.”

“I’m glad to hear that. She just told me about a weird dream she had, so I got worried.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah, she said in the dream you guys fought on a rooftop, and then you slashed her stomach, and she fell.”

Ves took a step back and looked horrified.

“That’s...that’s…” She began, and it looked like I brought something out that she didn’t want to think about. “That’s strange. I don’t know what to make of that,” she said at last.

“Yeah, it was a dream, after all. Sorry, it was probably silly to bring up.”

“It’s all right. I appreciate your concern.”

I took a bow, then when I stood back up, I rubbed the back of my head.

“Oh, you know, it’s nothing special.”

Juniper came back out with a backpack and a couple pairs of shirts.

“Here ya go,” she handed them to me.

“This all?” I was a little surprised to see so little.

“Yeah, I guess she was a light traveler,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll still appreciate it. Thank you guys,” I waved goodbye to them both, then hurried on my way back home.

Thoughts ran through my head as I approached the house.

Will Demetria still be there? She better, just so she doesn’t get herself hurt further. But at the same time, she does strike me as the type of person to run off.

It was a worry which turned out to be unfounded, as when I entered the house, Demetria was there in plain view: not in the room, but on the couch.

“Hey, I’m home,” I announced.

“How’d it go?” She turned and looked over to me.

“Eh, they seemed like nice people. Not really much happened. I just got your stuff, then left. How about you? How are you doing?”

“It’s been hard to get around. Had to prop myself up against the walls and stuff, but I managed. Found the bathroom and everything.”

“I’m glad to hear. I’m also glad to see you’re still here.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got a destination in mind for where I want to go next, but I’m going to wait until I’m all healed up.”

“That’s good to hear.”

She seemed to be in brighter spirits than earlier in the morning. I went ahead and plopped down on the couch beside her.

“So, wanna order take-out?” I offered.

“Oh, hell yeah! I’m starving!” She roared.

“What do you like?”

“I’m cool with whatever...but also I’m vegetarian. So there’s that.”

“Fine by me. How about Chinese?”

“Totally! I bet there’s noodles and shit.”

I snorted.

“Yeah, there sure is.”

I went ahead and ordered online, then when I looked up, I gasped upon seeing what Demetria held up.

“By the way, I found this while you were away. Neat stuff,” she had a devilish grin on her face and I wanted to yank my journal away from her.

“Please don’t tell me you read it!”

“A bit. Here and there. Neat stuff. Though I’m sure I could write better.”

“Oh yeah?” I huffed.

“Yeah. Poetry’s easy. Anyone could do it. Here: ‘Roses are red. Violets are blue. Uhh...Fuck. I can’t think of anything else. How are you?’ See? Easy.”

I burst into laughter.

“Well, I had a good laugh, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she dismissed. “I get it. I’m a comedic genius. No need to rub it in.”

The rest of our night went fairly well. We seemed to bond a bit here and there, something I never imagined.

Soon days passed and she walked around more and more as the days went by. On one occasion, I found her with her laptop open and sat up on the bed.

“I’m actually thinking of taking online classes to finish up my Master’s program,” she mentioned.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of a big deal for me. I dropped out for kinda stupid reasons, but truth be told I was losing interest in my studies, anyway. Still, I don’t like to leave things unfinished, so even if I’m no longer interested in marine biology, I’d still like to complete my program so I have something to show for it. For my own sake, anyway.”

“Well, I think it’s a good idea. I support your decision,�� I gave a thumbs up. “Still, sounds difficult. I don’t think I could do online classes.”

“Eh. I don’t see myself liking them, either, but I don’t want to show up in person. I feel like I’d be a disgrace to whatever campus I ended up on.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

“I know...it’s just regrets and stuff.”

“I know how that can be, too,” I admitted. “Still, if you need any help with tuition, let me know. I’m pretty rich, after all.”

Gee, I really tried to brag about that whenever I could, huh?

“Thanks, but I got my own money,” she pulled out an envelope. “It was a birthday gift from...err...someone. It’s not important who.”

“If you got enough to pay for tuition for your birthday, sounds pretty important to me.”

“Trust me, it’s not. I feel bad even using it, but a gift’s a gift.”

I wasn’t going to press any more about the subject, but I was glad to hear that she was considering doing something meaningful.

All in all, it probably lasted about a month in total before she (at least said that she) was all healed up. I didn’t expect her to leave so soon, and her bag wasn’t packed, but by coincidence, I happened to be the one who sparked her departure.

“I’ve gotta say, this is a pretty cool place you got,” she wandered around the house while I sat at the couch and tried to think of another poem to write up.

“Yeah! I’m loaded! Ray paid me well!” I shouted. All I knew was that she was somewhere upstairs. “I didn’t even check my bank account before or after I bought this house, because I was pretty confident that I could already afford it!”

Yeah, it was shallow, but I had to take pride in something, I suppose.

“Whoa, really?” She called back. “How much you got?”

Out of curiosity, I decided to go on my phone and check. I figured I must’ve had like, a couple million or something? Seemed about right. However, once I checked my bank’s app and saw how much I had, my jaw dropped and I had to hold back a scream.

“No!” I wailed and kicked my legs against the base of my couch. “I’ve got less than a thousand! I’m running low on money!”

Demetria ran down the stairs and slid down the railing. I looked at her and was about ready to break into tears.

“I don’t wanna get a job!” I whined. “People might misgender me, and I might have to deal with customers. It would be horrible!”

“Why would they do that?” She tilted her head. “Oh wait, never mind. People are dumb, especially customers.”

“Argh. I should’ve checked my bank account sooner! This house cost me most of my money! Now I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

“Relax. I’m sure I can get you some money to get by.”

I looked at her, my eyes widened.

“Really? How?”

“Eh. I’m resourceful. You’ve helped me out, and it seems simple enough for me. I just need your help to get around a bit.”

Of course. I mean, I didn’t know how I could trust her, but I just had to. Between taking the word of a violent friend and having to find a job...well, the answer was pretty obvious to me. That, and, I didn’t mind so much helping her out, as long as I didn’t feel like I was just being taken advantage of.

“Great. I’m going to pack up. I was about ready to leave anyway, so this is a perfect opportunity for me.”

“So soon?”

“You know me. Always running around. I’ll try not to get myself killed before you get your money, at least.”

“All right,” I laughed a little. “So where to?”

“Chicago,” she declared.

Really? Chicago? What could’ve been so good about there? Well, if she was so confident she’d find what she needed there, then so be it.

#remoras full #writing #stories #fiction #drama #cybele #demetria #nightmares #dreams #memories

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maggotzombie · 4 years

Text

LIEBE LIESE: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠ – ℬℴ𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾ℯ𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓁

→ CHAPTERS LIST — CHAPTER IV: WINE AND CANDLES WORD COUNT: 5k A/N: I was supposed to post this at the beginning of the week but my creativity decided to give up on me and it just came back a couple of days ago when my will to write ran out of the door lmao.

HER GROAN echoes in the empty doctors’ lounge and she rests her forehead on the cold tabletop. Liese had barely gotten any sleep in the previous night thinking about Henry, she might as well have let him come up to her apartment.

Sierra gets into the room and chuckles at the sight of her friend. “Someone had a rough night,” She comments, taking a seat across from Liese.

She grunts again. “I haven’t slept a wink,” She replies, raising her head slowly.

“Why?” Her friend asks. “What’s keeping you up?”

Liese ponders for a second, playing with her paper cup filled with steamy coffee. “I have to tell you something,” She starts. “But you can’t tell anyone else, at least for now.”

“Okay,” Sierra nods, taking a sip of her own coffee.

“I’ve slept with Henry Cavill,” The woman blurts out, unable to keep that from her friend anymore – actually, best friend. The reaction from her is unexpected as she spits her coffee out on Liese. “Sierra!” She complains, looking at her with wide eyes.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” She says, looking at her with an apologetic face. “You did what?” She furrows her brows.

Liese looks down at the coffee staining her scrubs and shakes her head, standing up. She throws her coffee away and walks out of the doctor’s lounge, towards the locker room. Sierra follows her, eager to know more about that.

“Hold on!” She rushes after the silver-haired doctor. “How and when did this happen? Is he as big as he looks like? Is he as good as I imagine him to be? Oh my God, is his ass that amazing without clothes?” Sierra fires away.

“Dear Lord, shut up,” Liese says with an alarmed expression, looking around to see if someone heard any of it. “Don’t make me regret telling you that,” She gives her friend a pointed look before continuing walking towards the locker room.

“Why are you so worked up about this?” Her friend asks, completely confused.

“Because he’s in the public eye!” She states the obvious. “And I don’t want anyone to spread rumors on the internet that might get to gossip pages when I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Well, when you put it in that way,” Sierra shrugs and they get into the empty locker room. “Will you tell me more about it though?”

“Yes. I was about to do just that when you spat coffee on me!” The woman says, pulling clean scrubs from her locker.

“I’m so sorry,” Her friend whines with a face. “It’s not every day that your best friend sleeps with Superman. I was shocked!” She says. “Damn, I am shocked.”

Liese chuckles, walking away. “Cmon, I’ll take a quick shower and you can stand outside the stall so I can spill the beans.”

“There isn’t anyone in here, you can start,” Sierra rushes.

“Aren’t you eager to know about that, huh?” The woman teases, looking at her friend. “Can you try to clean this up so it doesn’t stain?” She asks, stripping off her shirt.

The oncologist takes it and turns to the sink. “Of course I’m eager,” She replies. “Remember that I was the one hyping you up yesterday about exactly that?” She points out and then it clicks. “Oh my god, did you have sex with him in your office yesterday?”

“No, I did not,” Liese chuckles again as she turns the shower on.

“Hmm, I’ll pretend to believe in you,” The woman says, rinsing the coffee from Liese’s scrubs. “So, how did this happen?”

“Well, he approached me at the gala,” She starts to tell the story and her friend grins. “We started flirting, I didn’t think too much of it but then he suggested we leave and get food.”

Sierra laughs loudly. “What? Actually, this is so you, Lis,” She says, shaking her head.

“I was hungry, okay? I didn’t eat anything before going to the gala,” She defends herself. “Anyway. We went to a drive-thru and then to his house,” She pauses. “Yes, he is big. Yes, he’s good, even better than that, I’d say. Yes, his ass is very much amazing,” She answers all the questions Sierra asked previously.

“Oh my Gooood,” Her friend squeals in excitement, and Liese simply chuckles.

“But then I was drunk enough to blacked out,” Liese confesses.

“What? I thought you had sex with him!” She says with a frown.

“I had, I blacked out after it. It doesn’t even matter, because the morning sex was even better,” She points out. “If that isn’t enough for you…”

“What?” Sierra asks, interrupting her.

The woman smiles at her excitement. “He made me breakfast, asked me on a date during said breakfast, and even dropped me off at home,” She says.

Suddenly, her friend pokes her head into the shower stall with the biggest grin on her face. “I’m loving this,” She says.

Liese chuckles and shakes her head, turning off the shower, not bothered by her friend seeing her naked. “When I came back home at the end of the day, he was at my doorstep,” She continues while drying off her body.

“Yesterday?” Sierra asks, leaning against the sink again.

“No, that was Tuesday. He dropped me off home in the morning after breakfast and was waiting for me when I came back home,” The doctor explains, dressing the clean scrubs quickly. “He slept over and he was dropping off my keys when he came to the foundation yesterday,” Liese says as she steps out of the shower stall.

Her friend’s jaw is on the floor. “Seriously?”

She nods, sitting on the bench to put her shoes back on. “I went on a date with him last night,” She confesses, hugging her legs after lacing her shoes.

By now Sierra is already sitting across from her on the bench and her reaction to the last piece of information is priceless. A mix between surprise and happiness washes over her face, making Liese smile.

“Lis…” She says, unable to form a proper sentence.

“Yeah, I know,” The woman sighs. “And he’s such a gentleman, Sie. Like, seriously! He’s that kind of gentleman that only exists in old films, how’s that even possible?” She asks rhetorically. “He’s funny, smart, he’s actually interested in what I have to say and I… I really like him,” She confesses.

Her friend stares at her in silence for a few seconds. “You don’t seem very happy about that,” She points out.

“I’m just scared,” Liese confesses, her shoulders dropping. “I’m scared of getting my hopes up for something that isn’t going to move forward. You know I have this habit.”

Sierra shakes her head. “I’m going to stop you right there,” The oncologist says. “That was very different. He made promises to you, promises he never intended to fulfill but you didn’t know that. And there’s no way you could know that,” She says.

“Still,” The woman shrugs. “As I’ve said before, he’s in the public eye, he’s famous. I’m don’t know if I should expect something more serious. I mean, he’s surrounded by gorgeous women all the time,” She says and her friend gives her a dirty look as to tell her that’s bullshit. “I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I like him.”

“Oh my God! Stop overthinking!” Sierra starts. “Let things flow as they should and don’t rush into assumptions,” Her friend makes a face. “You only know the guy for three days, it was one date. Chill the fuck out,” She advises, making Liese chuckle.

“That’s why I love you,” The woman says, reaching out to hug her friend.

“One more thing,” Sierra says, holding a hand out to stop her. “If you ever keep things like that from me ever again, I’ll murder you,” She threatens.

“Okay,” Liese nods, slapping the oncologist’s hand away and wrapping her arms around her. “I love you,” She says.

“I love you, too,” Sierra replies.

“Please, don’t mention anything about that to my brothers,” She asks.

“They don’t know either?” Her friend is truly shocked.

“Gustav knows I went on a date and he probably told everyone else by now but that’s it,” She says. “He doesn’t know it was with Henry and I want my family to know as little as possible until I figure out where this is going,” She explains, fixing her bun and standing up.

“Okay,” She nods. “I want to know more about this date, though,” She adds, following Liese.

The woman turns to her with the most radiant smile. “It was amazing!” She says, closing her locker. “But you’ll have to wait till lunch to know more about it because my break is over and I need to get back to the ED.”

Sierra’s face falls. “Are you kidding me?” She asks as the doctor leaves the room.

“Nope,” She shakes her head, walking away.

The ED is quite peaceful until lunchtime which Liese both appreciates and dreads at the same time. As promised, she tells Sierra everything about her date with Henry in reach details; how amazing it’s the restaurant he took her, the delicious wine, the impeccable meal, what they’ve talked about, and even the make-out session on his car before she got into her apartment building. Her friend can’t stop squealing at what makes her excited, which is about every little detail Liese tells her.

As she dreaded, the afternoon is hell in the ED. From a rush of incoming patients three different times within five hours to dealing with bureaucracy, annoying relatives, and difficult patients, the woman develops a headache and cravings for a relaxing shower and a steamy mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows.

Her phone rings as she walks towards the tube station and she answers without checking the caller’s ID. “Hello.”

“Ah, it’s nice hearing your voice,” Henry’s baritone voice fills her ears.

“Oh, hey you,” She smiles instantly. “It’s good to hear your voice, too,” She replies, climbing down the stairs.

“What are you up to?” He asks.

“Uh, I just got off work,” Liese replies, navigating the crowd. “I’m about to take the tube,” She says. “You?”

“I’m just thinking about you,” The man is completely honest. “Can I come over? I’ll cook you dinner,” He offers.

Her smile widens. “What’s the proposal exactly?” She asks.

“How do sesame chicken and chili lime slaw sounds like?” Henry suggests.

She closes her eyes for a second, imagining it and humming at the thought of him cooking it. “In your voice? Heavenly,” The woman says. “Imagining you making it? Porn,” She adds and his laugh makes her stomach twirl with butterflies.

“So, it’s a deal?” He asks to make sure.

“Yeah, I’d love that,” Liese replies and sighs. “I’m just very tired, I might start nodding off on you,” She warns, making a face he couldn’t see.

“I don’t mind,” The man replies quickly. “As long as I can have you in my arms, it’s fine,” He adds.

She nearly swoons at his words. “Dear Lord, yes. Get your fabulous ass in my flat,” She says, making him laugh again.

“I’ll be there in a few. Can I bring Kal?” He asks and Liese can picture him raising his eyebrow.

“Oh, please do. I need a snuggle buddy,” She agrees almost immediately.

“I thought I was the snuggle buddy,” Now she’s positive he’s pouting.

She chuckles at her imagination, biting down on her lip. “You are,” Liese reassures. “But with whom I’ll snuggle with while you’re cooking?”

“That’s a valid point,” He agrees.

“I know,” The woman chuckles again. “Okay, I’ll take the train now. See you in a few.”

“Be safe,” Henry says.

“You too,” She hangs up after getting into the train car.

Needless to say, it’s packed with people as it’s the rush hour, so Liese doesn’t have anywhere to sit. This only adds to her tiredness but nothing she couldn’t handle. Soon enough, she arrives at her building and Mr. Ferris is there to greet her, as usual. She gets her mail and rushes to her apartment to have that much-needed shower.

Just as she finishes dressing up, the doorbell rings. The sound is almost foreign to her ears as she rarely has visitors but the thought of the person behind the front door makes her heartbeat increase. The woman gets to the door with a smile on her face and she is greeted by a handsome man and an overly excited puppy.

“Oh fuck,” Henry gaps at her appearance.

Liese wears thigh high stockings, cheeky panties, and a sweatshirt that’s a tad small, leaving her lower stomach on display. “Are you going to keep gawking at me from my doorstep?” She raises an eyebrow at him in amusement.

Before he could reply, Kal barks at her, drawing her attention to himself. Then, the bear dog takes the liberty to get into her apartment and jumps at her, resting his big paws on her stomach as he demands scratches.

“Hey buddy,” The woman happily scratches behind his ears. “How are you? Have you been a good boy?” She slides to the floor with Kal and he shows her his belly. “I’m sure you have.”

She proceeds to talk to the dog in German and the man simply smiles at the scene in front of him. He steps into the apartment and shuts the door behind himself, watching as Liese allows Kal to lick her face without scolding him.

If Henry wasn’t crazy about her before, now he definitely is. A woman that doesn’t mind the crazy affection his dog has to give is a catch.

He takes the liberty to put the supermarket bags on the kitchen island along with a much adorable-looking shopping bag. “Alright, my turn,” Henry says, stopping in front of the woman.

She looks up at him with a genuine smile. Kal quickly wanders off to explore the unknown apartment and Henry offers a hand to help the woman up. She accepts it right away and he pulls her up to his arms, sealing their lips together. Apparently, the innocent peck doesn’t last as long as Liese desires as she shakes her head slightly when the man starts to move away, placing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him down again.

“Unh-unh,” She hums before deepening the kiss.

Henry’s thumbs press on her hips bones and then his arms fasten around her small body, pressing her against him. He almost sighs into the kiss as her free hand brushes his cheek fondly. She pulls away slowly and her tongue runs on her now slightly swollen lips.

“Hi,” She breathes out and drops a few inches.

Just now the man realizes she was on her tiptoes. “Hey love,” He can’t stop himself from pressing his lips against hers again. “How was your day?” He asks.

Liese groans, locking both arms around his neck as his hands rest in her hips. “Stressful,” She rolls her eyes. “But it’s a hundred times better now.”

“That’s good to know,” Henry smiles. “I got you something,” He says and she furrows her brows.

“What?” The woman asks, letting go of him as he moves towards the cute shopping bag and picks it up from the island. “Why?” She chuckles.

“Because I thought of you when I saw it,” He replies, giving her the shopping bag.

“Thanks,” She says, looking at him.

Henry leans against the island and watches as she smiles, looking at the single rose sticking out of the bag. The woman gently picks it up and brings it to her nose. She glances back at him and he simply smiles at her. Then, Liese looks back down at the bag, opening it as she holds the rose in her hand.

“Aww,” Liese says, taking the fluffy teddy bear out of the bag. “He’s so adorable,” She says, holding the small stuffed toy near her face while looking at Henry.

He just keeps staring at her with a huge grin on his face and she looks back at the teddy bear.

“I’ll call him Hank,” Liese decides, getting closer to him.

“Why not Henry?” He asks, frowning slightly.

“Because that’s my other teddy bear,” She replies, circling his neck with her arms again.

The man’s eyes instantly start to scan the apartment for another teddy bear but he’s sure there isn’t any. “And where’s it?”

“Right in front of me,” Liese says, biting her lip and he laughs in realization. She then presses her lips against his. “Thank you. I love it,” She says, looking into his eyes.

“Really?” He asks, smiling at her.

“Yes, very much,” She nods, walking towards her bed. “I think my niece will try to steal it from me the next time I babysit her,” The woman chuckles, looking down at the bear, and then she makes eye contact with Kal, who’s laying on her bed like it’s a habit of his. “Oh, you make yourself quite comfortable, don’t you?” She chuckles, petting the dog.

“Kal,” Henry calls, looking at the dog from across the room. “What are you doing? Get out of there.”

“No, it’s okay,” Liese reassures, petting the dog after carefully placing Hank in the middle of her bed, against the pillows.

She turns around to the man unpacking the groceries. “So, how old is your niece?” He asks curiously.

“She’s four,” The woman replies. “How can I help?” She asks, getting back to the kitchen space.

“Just get your temporary snuggle buddy and put that fine ass of yours on the sofa,” Henry advises, giving emphasis on the word and making her chuckle. “I’ll figure things out around here, don’t worry,” He adds with a smile.

“Okay,” She says with a nod, turning to her fridge. “Can I at least pour you a pint?” She asks, taking a bottle of Guinness out of the fridge along with a can of RedBull.

“Sure,” He replies, opening her cabinets in search of pans. “Will you drink with me?”

“I’ll take a sip of yours, for sure,” Liese says, filling the pint. “But I can’t, love. I have to work early tomorrow,” She explains, the pet name rolling out of her tongue easily, without her realizing it.

But Henry catches it and he can’t help the goofy smile on his face. He stares at her in silence as she takes a sip of the beer, only realizing his gaze on her while she settles the pint down.

“What?” She asks, licking her lips.

“Nothing,” Henry shakes his head and takes the pint she’s offering him. “Do you babysit her often?” He returns to the niece subject.

“Yeah. And her brother, too,” The woman replies, cracking open a RedBull and pouring it into a glass. “Especially now that my sister-in-law had another baby. I try to take them as much as possible to give her a break,” She explains, moving away.

“How many niece and nephews do you have?” He asks while skillfully working on the chicken breasts.

“Eight,” Liese says, flipping her flat screen to face the living room space. “Four of each. How about you?” She asks, taking a seat at the sofa with the remote in her hands.

“Ten; eight nephews and two nieces,” The man replies and she makes a face.

“There are way too many men in your family,” She points out, turning the TV on. “You have no sisters and only two nieces… That’s terrible.”

Henry chuckles. “It’s not that terrible,” He says.

“For you,” She says, taking a sip from her drink. “Kal,” The woman whistles, and the dog immediately jumps off her bed, looking over at her from the corner of the shelving. “Come here, buddy,” She calls, tapping on the sofa.

He accepts the invitation right away and climbs on the sofa, quickly snuggling next to Liese. She chuckles at the pet, who doesn’t waste time in giving her a few more licks on the face as she scratches his ears.

From the kitchen space, Henry smiles. “How come you don’t have any pets?” The man asks and she looks back at him, pushing Kal to sit beside her. “You’re so good with Kal.”

“I do, actually. I have two cats at my parents’,” She replies.

“Cats?” Henry makes a face, looking up at her. “I thought you were a dog person,” He says.

“Now, there’s no such thing, okay,” She chuckles. “Cats are great, too. Unless you have allergies… But people who say they are ‘dog person’ have never spent time with a cat to know better,” Liese makes air quotes. “Have you?” She raises her eyebrow.

He chuckles before replying. “Guilty as charged.”

“See?” She laughs.

“But why are your cats at your parents’?” He asks. “They don’t allow pets in here?”

“They do,” Liese nods. “I was working a lot a while ago and wasn’t giving them the attention they deserve. So, I took them to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks and they never let me have them back,” She explains, petting Kal’s head as he rests in on her lap.

They keep chatting about anything while Henry prepares their diner, after all, they’re still getting to know each other. At some point, the man even asks if that counts as a date, and Liese confirms with a chuckle.

“Here you go,” Henry says, bringing the food dish to her on the sofa.

“Oh, my God. Are you serious?” She laughs, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Yep. The full service,” He replies as she sits upright. “Down,” He says to Kal while Liese takes the plate.

“It looks amazing,” She says and he starts to move away. “Hey,” The woman grabs his t-shirt and pulls him down for a peck on the lips. “Thank you,” She says against his lips.

“You’re welcome,” Henry presses his lips against hers one more time before moving away.

Liese puts a piece of the sesame chicken into her mouth and she can’t help but moan at the taste. “Goddamn, why?” She asks herself.

“Is there a problem?” He asks, returning to the sofa with his plate and another RedBull for her.

“Yes!” She says with an incredulous look and Henry hesitates. “You’re too perfect.”

The man immediately laughs and shakes his head, taking a seat beside her and pouring the beverage into her empty glass. “I’m not perfect,” He says, handing her the now full glass.

“I beg to differ,” Liese points to her drink and the delicious food. “This is beyond delicious,” She says.

“I’m glad you like it,” He says with a smile. “But I’m still not perfect.”

“Oh, Henry. Please!” She deadpans. “You’re awfully handsome, even better in bed,” She says without shame and he laughs. “And can cook like a chef. Why aren’t you married anyway?”

“Haven’t found the one yet,” He replies truthfully, looking at her. “You?” He asks back.

“I work a lot,” The woman says. “It’s not easy to find someone who understands,” She stuffs her mouth with food to prevent herself from saying too much.

“I get that,” Henry says and looks back at him. “Way too well, actually,” He adds.

They share a look for a few seconds and Liese’s smile widens before she looks down at her plate shyly. She then offers him another pint which he kindly declines, saying that his trainer will have his head in a silver platter if he keeps indulging himself in anything he wants to. They eat in comfortable silence and the woman thanks Henry again for the meal.

She once again points out how perfect Henry is because he didn’t leave any dirty dishes behind. All the pans, bowls, knives, and even the cutting board he used to make their meal is perfectly washed. And he doesn’t let her wash the dishes they used by herself, instead, they agree on him washing and she drying and putting it away.

Despite all the RedBull consumed, Liese can’t stifle her yawns as they watch TV in the living room and the man suggests they go to bed. After flipping the flat screen to face her bedroom again, they get into bed. She rests her head comfortably on Henry’s chest and tucks her hand into his t-shirt, caressing his torso before leaving it on his stomach. He flinched at her warm touch at first, flexing his abs, then he focuses his attention on stopping the blood flow to his cock.

Kal sat at the edge of her bed and kept staring at them until the woman allowed him to climb onto the mattress. Now he’s lying at their feet.

Even though she could barely keep her eyes open, Liese still tries to fight her sleep and the man notices it. “You know you can sleep, right love?” He says. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah,” She replies, unable to stifle another yawn and rubbing her tired eyes slightly.

“Then why are you resisting sleep so much?” Henry asks with furred browns, trying to get a look on her face.

“I want to spend more time with you,” The woman replies honestly, raising her head to look at him.

He smiles at her answer and she smiles back at him, reaching out her hand to caress his sharp jawline. While his blue orbs don’t leave her brown ones, the woman’s eyes try to memorize every inch of his flawless face. His high cheekbones, his adorable nose, his perfectly shaped mouth, and even his long and enviable eyelashes. Her fingertips brush gently on his jaw, the short stubble tickling it.

Liese bites her bottom lip slightly as she places her thumb into the cleft of his chin, her eyes shifting back to his. “I know we know each other for only three days,” She starts, fingers still caressing his chin and jaw. “But I really like you,” She confesses.

The corners of his lips curl up in a small smile. “I really like you, too,” He says.

Now it’s her time to smile before pulling herself up to press her lips against his. One kiss leads to another which leads to Liese straddling his body before being pinned down by it while he thrusts into her slowly.

The sex is not as urgent as the other times they had it, they’re not simply seeking the amazing sensations of the release. It feels much more like they’re enjoying each other’s company and trying to memorize each other’s sweet spots.

Henry is not offended nor bothered by the fact that she is fast asleep as soon as her head rests on his chest again. Her naked body – well, almost completely as he left the stockings on while undressing her – is pressed against his, one leg throw above his, and the warmth of her body is very soothing.

As his fingertips brush soothingly along her spine, the man wonders if a relationship with Liese will be possible and, if so, how is going to be like when he’s away because that has been the kryptonite of all his past relationships.

Kal, who got annoyed with all the fussing happening on the mattress half an hour ago and left, interrupts his thoughts as he jumps back onto the bed. The dog makes himself comfortable beside the woman and rests his head in the middle of her back, where Henry could reach to pet him.

“You like her, right bear?” He asks the dog who stares at him. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

It doesn’t take too much time for the man to fall asleep too. In the middle of the night, Liese wakes up with the TV shining way too bright. The remote is nowhere to be found, probably on the sofa, so she’s forced to leave the comfort of Henry’s arms and turn it off.

She smiles at his adorable sleeping form and caresses the bear dog before standing up. She dresses her clothes again, turns off the TV, and then drinks two glasses of water to ease her thirst before going back to bed.

Immediately after laying down with her back turned to the man, he drapes his arm around her, pulling her against his chest and inhaling the scent of her hair. Liese smiles at that and even more when Kal decides to reposition himself into her arms.

In the morning, she wakes up before her alarm, feeling well-rested. Well, how could she not? So, the woman turns off the alarm to not wake up the sleeping actor laying beside her and turns around to admire his beauty until she couldn’t be in bed anymore.

Carefully to not disturb Henry, she gets up and pets Kal. Without making a sound, she gets into her bathroom and starts to get ready for work.

While she intended to let the man sleep as much as he wants to, his dog doesn’t share the same intentions. As she exits the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, Kal is standing on the bed near Henry, nudging his face with his snout while whining.

“No, Kal,” She whispers, trying to shush the dog away. “Don’t…” She says but then she sees the man stirring awake. “You’re a bad boy after all, huh?” She gives him a look.

“Alright, bear. I’m awake,” Henry says to the dog, voice hoarse from sleeping, and Kal licks his face. “Were you planning on leaving me here sleeping again?” Henry asks her as he pushes his pet away.

“Yes, I was,” The woman replies.

“Then, good boy,” He says to Kal.

Liese shakes her head and crawls on the bed towards him, pressing her lips against his. “Good morning,” She says, looking down at him.

“Oh yes, it’s very good like this,” The man agrees and she chuckles as he pulls her face down again. “What time is it?” He asks as she moves away.

“Seven something,” She replies, getting into her closet.

“Where are you working today?” Henry yawns, rubbing the sleep off of his eyes.

“At St. Thomas’,” Her voice travels back to him as he gets up from the bed and starts to get dressed.

He checks the exact time on his phone before shoving it into his pocket. “Can I drop you off?” He asks, putting his shirt on.

Liese emerges from the closet dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. “You don’t have to,” She says. “It’s the opposite way of your house,” Liese adds.

“But I want to,” He insists, getting into her bathroom. As he flushes the toilet, the woman gets into the bathroom with him. “And we can get breakfast on the way,” He suggests, hugging her from behind and kissing her neck as she plugs her hairdryer.

“Okay,” The woman smiles, turning around to peck his lips. “You don’t have to give me these puppy eyes. It’s your gas you’re wasting,” She points out, handing him a new toothbrush.

Henry smiles widely, opening the packaging and wetting the toothbrush. “And I’ll gladly drive you around,” He replies, watching her start to dry her hair as he brushes his teeth.

Liese only chuckles and shakes her head slightly.

* * *

— CHAPTER VI: UNDER PREASSURE

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lumiolivier · 3 years

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The Good Old Days Chapter Ten: My Brother Sold Me Out...

A/N: Hi, friends! I don’t know why, but I got such a soft spot in my heart for this man. Especially in this chapter. I know when you think about Frankie, he doesn’t necessarily come off as the ball of sunshine type, but there’s one thing that can bring that out in him. Well, two things, but you already know about the other one. Anyway, here. Have a chapter.

ICYMI: Chapter Nine: Beauty and the Streets

I’m not sure if it’s the caffeine that’s got me damn near skipping down the street or the genuine excitement in my heart that’s got me damn near skipping down the street, but there’s no way in hell anything can get to me. I knew exactly what it was. Not what I had in my cup, but who sat across from me. I shared a cookie with her. I know it sounds so pure and innocent, but I would gladly share a cookie with Vanessa any time she wanted. We only had barely an hour together, but fuck, I wanted to do it again.

I couldn’t be happier. A new, good job, a family that loves me unconditionally, and now, the possibility of a princess like her in my life. Is this finally it? Is this the light at the end of the tunnel? God figured I’ve suffered enough, so He sent me an angel? I don’t know how or why Vanessa was put in my path, but fuck I’m glad she was. It was one date. Just one! And she already had me like this. What in the hell has the world come to?

“Mama!” I called into our apartment where César was comfortably nestled in the couch. I got a subtle nod out of him, “I’m home!”

“Hola niño,” Mama came to the door, kissing my cheek. But then, she froze. Not in fear or anything like that. More so out of sheer curiosity. She leaned into me, “Francisco…”

“Si, Mama?”

“Why do you smell so nice?” she wondered, “You smell like hotel rooms I’ve cleaned.”

“What?” Damn Mama’s bloodhound nose. And even more so, mi hermano laughing his ass off. Well, in my defense, I was in a ritzy ass department store with the Old Man today, but I’m sure she’d bitch at me, saying we could’ve gotten so many months of groceries on my vanity, “That’s kind of a weird question, Mama.”

“It’s probably Vanessa,” César came down just enough to slam his own coffin shut. I may kill my brother later. We share a bedroom. One quick pillow is all it would take.

“Who’s Vanessa?” Mama stared me down. Oh, shit. I’m fucked. Because I know how Mama can be. Especially when it comes to her baby. Mama knows my track record with women. And with every passing notch in my bedpost, she grows more and more skeptical. Along with her skepticism comes her need to get involved. I like Vanessa. I don’t want to scare her off. And I really don’t want Mama to be the one to scare her off.

“She’s a new friend,” I went into the kitchen and grabbed a soda out of the fridge. There. That should be enough for Mama to latch onto. That should be the end of it. For the most part anyway. At least I sure as fuck hope so.

“Is she a special friend?” Nope. Fuck. Dammit, Mama. I love you. I really do. But I don’t know where Vanessa and I are going. I didn’t need her sniffing around it too much.

“She might be,” I admitted, “But it’s still pretty new. We’ll see.”

“So…” Mama assumed, “I meet her soon, yes?”

“We’re not quite there yet.” In that moment, I knew I signed my own death warrant. Saying no to Mama was like spitting in the face of God. I’m sure she wouldn’t say the same, but it came pretty damn close. But I realized how fucked I was even more when Mama’s face slowly fell into an angry scowl. Oh, yeah. I’m boned.

“Francisco…” she growled, “I meet her soon.”

“You will meet her,” I promised, “Holding her hands, “All I’m asking is for a little patience.”

“Francisco…”

“I swear to you, Mama,” I begged, “A girl like her is totally worth waiting for. One day, I have no doubt you’ll meet her and fall in love with her. Just give it some time, ok?”

“Francisco…” Mama leaned in once more, “She smells expensive.”

“I’m thinking she comes from money.” Mama glared daggers into me. Fuck…I had to cover my tracks. If Mama goes to meet Vanessa with a bad taste in her mouth already, she won’t even give Vanessa the time of day. And I’m sure it’d make for an awkward Christmas, “No. I know what you’re thinking. She’s not that kind of comes from money. She’s sweet, Mama…And smart…Y muy hermosa…”

Mama started to ease up. Just a little. Just enough to make herself comfortable, “Es tu corazón, mijo?”

“Tal vez,” I admitted, “Just…Give it some time. Please?”

I could see it all over her face. Mama’s impatience was all over it. But she knew. Just from the way I gush about her, she knows she’s special, “Ok.”

“Muchas gracias, Mama,” I kissed her cheek, “I need to go see the Old Man. I’ll be back later.”

“Ok,” she let me go, “Te amo.”

“Te amo, tambien, Mama,” I threw my arms around her, making sure to extend a sturdy middle finger to my asshole brother behind her back.

“Hey, Frankie,” César sat up, “Is the Old Man going to need us later?”

“I doubt it,” I wasn’t in the mood to deal with babysitting detail tonight. Granted, I knew I was still relatively new, but I picked up on the job a lot faster than I thought I would. And I’m sure whatever the Old Man had for me, I was more than capable of handling it on my own, “Hasta luego.”

I left my mother and my brother, curious as to where Tony ran off to. He wouldn’t have done something stupid like go into work early tonight, would he? No. We all made a pact when we started working the restaurant that we’d never go in early if they asked. Overtime at the end of the day? Oh, yeah. We’ve all fallen victim to that once or twice. But never go in early. However, this new job down in the Narrows? That one I’d be more than happy to go in early for. Mostly because the Old Man and I got along like a house on fire.

It’s weird. This bar was starting to feel like a second home to me. Even though I could see the first one from here. It’s not like it was very far. Much better than the half hour train ride. So much better. And I’m not treated like shit, so that’s a plus. I’ll call that a trade up. But instead of comparing apples and oranges, I think I had an office door to go not knock on! I learned. I didn’t have to knock on the old man’s door. Although the right and polite thing to do, I was good.

“Hiya, boss,” I sat on the business side of his desk.

“Frankie!” the Old Man chimed, “Always a pleasure to see you, kid.”

“Ditto,” I gave him a nod. Like I said, the Old Man has always taken a strange shine to me. Since day one. I didn’t get it, but maybe I didn’t have to, “So, what do you got for me this fine evening?”

“Another collection job, if you’re up for it,” he told me, writing some things down, “Nothing too difficult.”

“Sounds easy enough,” I wish the Old Man would put me on something a little more…Well…Something better than collections. I got a skillset here that’s being grossly underutilized here, “Where to?”

“A couple restaurants, a tattoo shop, and a club,” the Old Man slid the list across his desk, “I’m giving you a five hundred dollar limit tonight, so if you’re looking to enjoy yourself a little bit, I can look the other way for a bit.”

“Old Man,” I know I hadn’t been here long, but I knew better than that, “I know damn well you’d be throwing one back with me. Don’t give me that you’ll look the other way bullshit.”

“You’re not wrong, kid,” he agreed, “But you do seem a little wound up. Speaking of shit that’s got you wound up! How’d it go with Vanessa today?”

“Great!” I wasn’t going to hold back. The Old Man gave me an in to gush over Vanessa and dammit, I’m taking it, “It was amazing. I mean, she had to go early, but…”

“Hold on,” he stopped me, “Did she have to go early or did she need to go early?”

“She had to,” I clarified, “She had a communications class she needed to get to. She’s smart, Old Man. She’s so fucking smart.”

“Do you know where she’s going to school?” he wondered.

“Somewhere in Manhattan,” I remembered, “But according to her sister, she looks for every opportunity to come to Williamsburg. I don’t know why, but that might be a good thing.”

“That’s definitely a good thing,” the Old Man applauded, “And now, she’s got another excuse to come down here. What’s her major?”

“She’s pre-law,” I melted inside, “She’s on the fence about her practice, though. She’s bouncing between estate law and becoming a defense attorney.”

“Get her to lean all the way to defense attorney,” the Old Man insisted, “Someone’s looking to the future, isn’t he?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Frankie,” he gave me a little nudge, “If she goes down the defense attorney route and you two end up getting married, then you’ll always have someone to keep your ass out of jail. Especially in our line of work.”

“I thought you said what we did was relatively on the up and up,” I pointed out.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Relatively on the up and up. Sometimes, that line between legal and not so legal is a big gray area. Sometimes, we need someone keeping our asses out of jail. And if Vanessa keeps her maiden name for her practice, then they can’t call her out on conflict of interests.”

“I see I’m not the only one thinking ahead,” I chuckled to myself, “Jesus, Old Man, you sound like you’re already preparing to marry me off to this girl. We’ve been on one date.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’ve only been on one date,” he argued, “Has she said anything about the second date?”

“I’m calling her tonight,” I admitted, “I like her, Old Man. I like her a lot. I’m sure she’s flawed somewhere, but for the most part, she’s absolutely perfect.”

“Oh, Frankie,” the Old Man awed, “You’re adorable, kid. You know what? I’d almost like to meet the girl. Just so I can see for myself what’s got you in such a jumbled mess.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a mess…” That was a lie. I’m absolutely a mess for her.

“Would you be ok with me meeting her?” he wondered.

“Really?” I rolled my eyes, “That’s twice today!”

“What do you mean?”

“Mama,” I explained, “César the asshole outed me about Vanessa to Mama earlier today and she asked if she could meet her. Well…I say ask. Demand is more the word here.”

“Your mother is definitely a force to be reckoned with,” the Old Man agreed, “But I understand. She meets Mama first. By the way, how is Sariña?”

“She’s fine,” I said bluntly, “Old Man…No.”

“I know, I know,” he brushed me off, “But would that be something you’d be ok with? Me meeting Vanessa?”

“I’d have to run that by Vanessa,” I told him, “But I don’t see why not.”

“Is she cute?”

“She’s so cute,” I swooned. But then, I remembered who I was talking to. The Old Man and I were good and he was a hell of a guy, but…Like I said. I remembered who I was talking to, “No. Old Man, I call dibs. She’s mine.”

“I wouldn’t even dream of it,” the Old Man promised, “I wouldn't’ do that to you, Frankie. Even I’m better than that. Besides, I have a limit. And I’m pretty sure she’s half my age. Cradle robbing to a certain extent is ok, but when I can vividly remember my twenties being the year she was born, that’s when it gets unsettling.”

“It’s good to know you got a moral compass.”

“Alright then,” the Old Man got up, “I do look forward to meeting Vanessa, but I understand if you want to wait a while.”

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mama,” I reiterated, “It’s still too new. When we got things better figured out, then we’ll see about meeting everyone. I’m pretty sure everyone can agree on that.”

“That’s not our decision to make.” Bless him. Bless the Old Man. He’s a hell of a lot more understanding than Mama was. He didn’t jump on the defensive right away. But I couldn’t tell Mama that. It’d break her heart. And I refused, “But go on, kid. You got my money to get. You got a girl to chat up. Go on. Get to work.”

“Got it, boss.” Now, with the Old Man’s collections list in my hand, where should I start?

#The Good Old Days #OC backstory #fan fiction prequel #mafia au #switch #for the family

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kandaxxx · 4 years

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@maxxim-writes-here I put this together really quickly, but I hope that it’s okay!

Happy belated birthday Komui!! I love him so much!!

All Kanda had wanted was to eat his soba noodles in peace. It was, for the first time in months, a day where he had nothing that he had to do. He had even already indulged and slept in, not having awoken unit five in the morning. Now he had time to sit down and enjoy his meal as opposed to rushing through it before he had to leave for a mission. But nobody else had seemed very interested in letting him just relax.

Everybody, it seemed, had the day off. There had been a strange lull and almost none of the Exorcists were being sent on missions to retrieve Innocence. The few that were seemed to always come back relatively soon, having been able to secure the Innocence with a peculiar amount of ease. It had put everybody on edge for the past few weeks...where were all of the akuma?

What was the Earl planning?

But now, as Kanda attempted to eat his meal, he was flanked on either side by the idiot rabbit and the stupid moyashi. But even more strangely, they weren’t the problem right now. The problem was the one Exorcist that he didn’t actually completely hate, who was now standing at the opposite side of the table, cheeks puffed out and her hands resting on her slim hips as she glared daggers at him. He had tried to simply ignore her, but her eyes were boring holes into him. With an obviously frustrated huff of breath, he set his chopsticks down. “Lenalee, knock it off.”

“No, Kanda. Not until you agree. I need everybody’s help.”

“I don’t want to do what you’re asking.” He almost growled it out, the throbbing in his head growing to unreasonable proportions.

“Come on, BaKanda, she’s asking you to take care of the easiest part.” Allen argued.

Kanda whipped his head to the side to glare at him. “Call me that again and I’ll be giving you a mullet.”

Allen returned Kanda’s glare, his own meal temporarily being forgotten.

“And it’s probably the hardest part, short stack.” Kanda countered, eyes glowing with unbridled rage.

“Oh no! Don’t you two dare start.” Both of the Exorcists jolted and turned nervously to Lenalee. As much as they hated each other, an angry Lenalee was the scariest thing either of them had ever seen. “Kanda. You just have to keep big brother distracted for two hours tops.” She pouted her lips.

Oh no. He saw the pouting lips. If she whipped out the puppy dog eyes, he knew that no matter how much strength he mustered up, he wouldn’t be able to say no. “Lenalee.” He groaned. “Lena.” He tried again. “I don’t want to. Plus, birthday parties are stupid.” He grumbled, irritated at how childish his voice sounded.

“You just got to have a birthday party.” Lavi has entered the chat. Thank God, Kanda thought with a roll of his eyes.

“And I didn’t want one.” He exploded at the other.

“Kanda.” He turned his head slowly back towards Lenalee and regretted it immediately. Fuck. “I worked really hard on your party. I even learned how to make castella, just for you. Didn’t you like it?” Her voice was thick with the tears that were brimming her full eyelashes.

“Great, you made her cry, BaKanda!”

“Shut up!” He stood, needing to leave the cafeteria as soon as he could. He knew that Lenalee was playing him and still, with the tears lurking, even the mean and grumpy Yu Kanda couldn’t say no to her. Damn her. “Fine. But if I come back bald, it’ll be all your fault.” He stomped out, leaving his half-finished lunch on the table.

Lenalee smirked proudly to herself. She was damned good. “Great, Allen. Once everyone finishes lunch, you’re in charge of the decorations. Lavi, you’re going to help Jeryy prepare the food.”

“Can I help with the food?” Allen asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.

“Nope. You’ll just eat it all. It’s too risky.”

He sighed before frowning. “Okay.”

Lenalee walked with the redheaded Exorcist to drop him off with Jeryy. She knew that the chef could handle everything for the party tonight, but she just wanted to double check that he had everything he needed and offer to lend a hand should he need it.

“Why was Kanda so against seeing Komui? I know that Kanda doesn’t like spending time with anybody, but he seemed especially upset about having to spend it with your brother.” Lavi asked as the pair walked, his own curiosity overwhelming.

Lenalee chuckled then. “My brother sometimes charges him too much to help him out with his Innocence and if he doesn’t have money he comes up with...more interesting types of payments.” She shook her head and sighed, her brother truly was a weirdo, even she knew it. She knew that Kanda’s main reason, however, was his generalized fear and hatred of the science division. They had drugged him and tied him up once to try to steal some of his hair to make an elixir for Lavi’s mentor, Bookman. The pigtailed girl wasn’t sure if Lavi knew about that incident, but she didn’t really want to explain it. The science division, her brother included, could be a little too weird sometimes.

She left Lavi as Jeryy was helping him tie an apron around his waist.

♡♡♡

Lenalee sat at one of the cafeteria tables, her head against her knee caps as she hugged her legs close to herself. How had everything gone so wrong?

Lavi, apparently, was really bad at baking. He had started the kitchen on fire. It had never occurred to her that Lavi couldn’t bake so maybe kitchen detail was a bad idea.

She had gone to check on her brother to see if he needed any help with his work and to check in on Kanda. She had found them with Komui’s cheek red and swollen and Kanda screaming and yelling as Reever, Tupp, and Johnny struggled to hold him back. It had occurred to her that leaving Kanda in charge of distracting Komui wasn’t the best idea but she hadn’t had anymore options since she did know that he was bad at baking and that he just wouldn’t have done anything with the decorating except maybe clean the cafeteria if he was motivated enough by her crying and whining.

When she had made it back to the cafeteria, she had found Allen proudly hanging up a banner he had made that said, “Happy Birthday Comunei!” with a scary-looking drawing of her brother on it. Though, she felt more guilty than anything else since Allen had seemed so proud of himself. It had never occurred to her that Allen was not very strong when it came to reading or writing or drawing so maybe leaving him in charge of decorating was a bad idea.

When people showed up to the cafeteria, she had to be the one to tell them that the party was cancelled. Everything had been ruined. It had never occurred to her that she couldn’t handle organizing the party.

She felt defeated. Lenalee had just wanted to do something nice for her brother, but more importantly, everybody at the Order. Everybody had been tense with the sudden disappearance of akuma. They all knew that the Earl had to have been planning something big. The stress and the tension in the atmosphere had been so overwhelming. She had just wanted to have a big party so that everybody could enjoy themselves for a few hours. Kanda’s party hadn’t counted, because it wasn’t much of a party. She had only invited a few people and kept it as small as possible, with no decorations. He hated his birthday and he hated parties even more. But her brother was different. For him, she could go all out.

What a waste of time.

She dragged herself to her room, ready to just sleep for the rest of the night and put this awful day as far behind her as she could.

Lavi, Allen, and Kanda just stood there watching her back as she left the cafeteria. They all felt defeated now. Lenalee was the heart and life of the Black Order’s headquarters. When she was down, everybody was down.

They had to do something, Allen and Lavi had decided. Even Kanda felt a small pang of guilt and had agreed with the pair much quicker than either had anticipated.

♡♡♡

When she got to her room, she saw the small box wrapped with paper sitting where she had left it on her nightstand. She should at least bring Komui his birthday present, she figured.

She ran a hand through her bangs before grabbing it and heading off to his office.

As usual, Komui had been excited to see his sister. But he noticed the sadness in her eyes immediately and frowned. Silently, she just held out his gift.

He didn’t know what she was upset about, but he took the gift into his hands. “Lenaleeー”

“Just open it, please, big brother. I’m going to go to bed afterwards.” She stared at the ground, fighting back tears. “Happy birthday.” She mumbled.

With a frown tugging at his lips, Komui carefully unwrapped the present. His heart got stuck in his throat when he saw it. It was a small pocket watch with a picture on the inside of it. It was a small painting of Lenalee and Komui together, presumably done up by Tiedoll.

Lenalee tended to get gifts that were useful. While a pocket watch was definitely practical, he hadn’t expected something so sweet.

“Brother? Why are you crying?”

He hadn’t felt the tears form in his eyes and he hadn’t felt them fall down his cheeks. “My sweet sister!” He shouted before pulling her tightly against him for a hug, burying his head into her shoulder.

“Brother?” Her voice was soft but she returned the embrace with fervor. Her stress from the day seemed to melt in his arms.

It always did.

“Before you go to bed, do you want to get some tea?” He asked as he finally straightened out and pulled back from her.

“I’d like that, Komui.” She smiled then and Komui was pleased to see that it reached her eyes and was genuine.

When they reached the cafeteria, they were greeted by just about everybody in the Order yelling, “Happy Birthday Komui!”

Lenalee was just as surprised, to say the least. When she looked around, she saw a new banner hung up, a beautiful cake sitting on a table surrounded by a ton of delicious looking food. She saw a table mounted with wrapped gifts.

When her eyes found Lavi, Allen, and Kanda standing together, she found them all to be smiling at her. She left her brother to approach them. “Did you do all this?” She asked softly, tears glittering in her eyes as a lump formed in her throat.

“We sure did! Since we kind of destroyed your whole party, we realized we had to fix it.” Lavi started.

“Yeah, we recruited more help.” Allen explained.

“I even got the old panda and Miranda to help with the cooking.” Lavi beamed, very obviously proud of himself.

“Even BaKanda pitched in. He got Tiedoll and Krory to help with the decorating.” Allen explained.

When Lenalee looked to Kanda, he was looking away from them and grumbling.

“You guys are the best!” She shouted before launching forward to pull them all into a group hug, holding firmly so the struggling swordsman couldn’t even worm his way out of it.

When she let them go, Kanda stalked off, and she stayed to talk with Lavi and Allen. Though, at one point, when she turned and glanced at her brother, she found him deep in conversation with Jeryy and Reever, and the smile on his face stretched ear-to-ear.

She really did have the best family a girl could ask for.

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tfw-no-tennis · 4 years

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mtmte liveblog issue 9

back at it again, and its time for the shadowplay arc, HELL yeah

oh I'm so excited i love this arc lets DO this

oooh its nightbeat and quark!! way before they become relevant, which is so cool

‘one of those recepticon fanatics’ lmao imagine if they were...the recepticons. just doesn't have the same ring to it

god i fucking love all the politics of mtmte. i love how they’re talking about the senate here before we really get to See how bad they were (we heard a bit about it from whirl a few issues ago, and now here)

love how nightbeat is pretty much agreeing with the decepticon ideology here, even if its clear that he isn't Actually a decepticon - it just drives home the fact that, in this story, The Decepticons Were Right About A Lot Of That Stuff (or at least, they had a reason other than ‘destruction’ for rebelling).

AND THEN THERES RUNG!!!!!!! WITH HIS MODEL OF THE LOST LIGHT....god i fuckgin LOVE the continuity in this story bc the first time reading this ur like oh ok rung is old yea makes sense...but then later all the time travel stuff happens and then its like OHHHHH

damn poor rung nightbeat can rlly tell he's lonely just by looking at him vbhjdkdfhbjsjkdf geez. also nightbeat that's ur mystery stick bf from the future js!!

quarks extreme POV on all of the stuff is so interesting, and makes so much sense bc of Course he would think that as a non-combatant scientist who, due to his functional value in current society, wouldn't really benefit much from a revolution - in fact, he’d probably lose a lot. and that’s the sort of thing where you’re like, ok well think about everyone else dude, have some perspective - but at the same time, quark did suffer a pretty terrible fate, so his fears weren't entirely unfounded...augh, its so fascinating...im sorry I'm not gonna shut up about space robot politics this Entire time

HOW did nobody notice that dead body before now

ratchet spray-painting the hands he stole from pharma to match his own paintjob is like...kinda gruesome if you think about it hvbhsjkdfbkjdf

i love rewind sooo much oh my god

he rlly stashed rung’s comatose body in a wheelchair behind the bar hbkjdhfbshjkdf rewind

rewind and chromedome’s tag-team explanation....ough hhhhh THEM

wait a sec, rewind, you have medical records in your database? that is, at least according to regular medical laws, very illegal lmao. my favorite long-running theme in mtmte: the fact that hipaa and osha laws on cybertron are either basically nonexistent, or just universally disregarded

what the actual fuck is up w/cybertronian time units. that shit is wack as hell

ooh i love how chromedome looks different in the flashback - no shoulder tires! - that's a cool detail

how come prowl just said ‘minute,’ rewind was busting it up w/all the wack ass fantasy time units just a second ago. geez

also goddd i love the scenery of pre-war cybertron, its SUCH a cool setting like, visually and aesthetically and politically

like, i adore details like the sign in the bg that says ‘everyone’s shape serves a purpose.’ really adds to the ‘society on the precipice of civil war currently controlled by an increasingly-desperate faction who are doling out propaganda like crazy in an attempt to maintain their image and control over the populace’ vibe

good ole murder mystery setup. love it!

pre-war prowl is such an interesting character. actually prowl in general is such an interesting character...I kinda wrote him off during my first read of mtmte (and even a little during my second readthru) as just this dude who’s an asshole (espec bc my prev tf experience involved watching tfa as a kid, and this prowl is very different from tfa prowl lol)...but prowl is SUCH a multi-faceted and interesting character, even in the relatively little we see of him in mtmte

plus it was interesting to learn later that prowl was one of the characters that jro wanted for mtmte and didn't get, and MAN i wish he got prowl bc I would've loved to see what jro would've done w/prowl on the lost light, that would've been amazing. like, just imagine the arc he would have...I have no idea what that arc would BE, but I know it would be awesome. plus I’d be really interested to see how prowl would factor in, relationships-wise, amongst the crew of the lost light. so much potential!

anyways. I'm in a very talky mood tonight it seems. its currently 4 am so that kinda explains it. ok, moving on!

chromedome and prowl bantering....in their own morbid forensic-cop way...

skids bvhjdbsfjasf. speaking what we’re all thinking: is prowl gonna keep showing up in mtmte despite not technically being part of the cast??

swerves drawing of prowl lmaoooo

AND THEN REWIND IN SOME OF MY FAVORITE MTMTE PANELS....fuckgin cracks me up every time god. rewind was rlly about to flip their entire ass table just to demonstrate that prowl is a serial table-flipper...and then he cant even make the table budge and he just stares at his hands like ‘how could you betray me like this’ hvbajkhhsfdhksdf PEAK hilarity

drift hvbshfdjbasdfj his forcibly cheery expression even tho he’s being harassed by rodimus, who is a big whiny toddler w/drift lmao

rodimus is the type of guy who, upon drift not replying to one of his texts, would post a whole twitter thread being all like ‘these days u cant trust any1 to hav ur back...u think u kno someone and then they just ghost you...(1/14)’

again, rewind, HOW and WHY do you just Have medical reports, oh my god, somebody please call a hipaa agent I’m scared,

ratchet interrupting the story to give a quick medical PSA....that's Such an on-brand thing for Me to do that I feel like jro is assigning me ratchet kin as I read this

also, hey, its sonic and boom, those two decepticons from delphi! nice little continuity there

AND HERES ORION PAX SUPER COP

can’t believe idw made my dad optimus prime into a cop. smh. shouldn't be that shocked tho, I feel like half the idw characters are cops

orion rlly hit them w/the omae wa mo shinderu arrest strat

orion: I cant believe you're beating this guy up. anyways, now I'm gonna beat YOU up,

when ratchet puts his hand over drifts mouth and then gets spray paint on drifts face bhjdfsvsdjhfgbjdskf

pre-war ratchet and drift ;_; ratchet’s little inspirational speech...the fact that he tells drift that he’s special...the fact that drift remembered all of this even after 4 million+ yrs...it gets me bro it GETS me

ALSO the layers in the fact that drift then goes on to become a well-known murderous decepticon...so this little scene of him and ratchet in the past gives a lot of context to ratchet’s general attitude towards drift - ratchet clearly feels at least somewhat responsible for all the blood on drift’s hands, since he saved drift’s life way back in the day

the whole relinquishment clinic thing is such cool worldbuilding, bc of course that's the kind of thing that would develop in a society of robot aliens who are only allowed to work within the rigid confines of their alt mode

I love the whole matrix thing bc its kinda like being the pope or st but also you have a ton of political sway, so its a super important position, so of Course the corrupt senate would want full control over that power, and would assassinate the current prime to try to get their own guy in

god vhbhjsdkbgshjdf rodimus is such a dick lmao poor drift

HHHHH I love that the cybertronian version of an autopsy is taking the dudes body apart into the smallest components and laying them all out. that's so fucking cool

hmmmm chromedome maybe you should Not be interested in mnemology, how about that,

oh god. time to start being sad about op and senator shockwave. oh god

senator shockwave more like senator sexy

also the first time I read this I thought I had just missed his name and like halfway thru the story I went back and scoured the pages looking for it hbvhsjdfbshgfdsbj then I was like oh ok so we’re maybe supposed to just know who this guy is from another comic? but NOPE it was very deliberate and I only realized very close to the end that they were setting up some sort of reveal

its funny bc normally I'm not a huge fan of stories where politics play a huge role but I fuckgin love it here, the politics and worldbuilding is all so interesting and also balanced out with a healthy dose of cool sci-fi hijinks, so

lmao there's chromedome being obsessed w/people making the ‘pfft’ sound

also wow yet more hindsight, maybe you Shouldn’t be so interested in the Institute, chromedome,

OHHHH shit I forgot abt the red alert stuff happening at the same time as this :( :( :(

AUGHHH what a fucked up situation. god

oooof i gotta continue now!! what a solid issue, I love the shadowplay arc

#lj rereads mtmte

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paper-girls · 5 years

Text

Everywhen pt. 1 - Jae (Day6)

Everywhen - all the time; always

Pairing: Jae (Day6) x f!reader

Warnings: FLUFF!!!, best friends to lovers, college au, angst???, swearing, crackheadedness

Word count: 2.5k

Masterlist

a/n: this took less time than I expected. It’ll be a series, so keep your eyeballs peeled for part 2!

PART 1┇PART 2┇PART 3

ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

1997 - first day of grade one

It was your first day of grade one. Surrounding you in the school yard, there were parents crying as they sent their children off into the educational institution for the first time, embarrassed children begging their parents to stop crying, and teachers talking to parents. The principal came out and called for everyone to find their new class using the lists on the wall. Walking over to the lists with your parents, you found your new classroom. Sending a nervous smile to your parents and giving them one last hug, you entered and found your name on a desk.

Once you had taken out your crayons and were colouring contentedly, a boy sat down beside you. Jaehyung his name card said, not that you could read it given you were in grade one.

“Hi! I’m Jae,” said the boy with a big, goofy smile on his face.

“My name is y/n,” you said, remembering how your mother taught you to introduce yourself. “Do you want to be friends?”

Let’s be best friends!”

“Forever?”

“Forever!”

2002 - last day of grade five

“...and that you be as successful in middle school as you were here,” your principal finally concluded. With the end of her speech, names were called for people to come on stage and collect their diplomas. When that was over, awards were handed out along with a few more speeches. Finally, finally, you and the rest of the graduating class were released into the waiting arms of your proud parents and relatives.

“Y/n!” A voice called and you turned to see Jae sprinting towards you, family in tow, stopping to catch his breath once he was in front of you. “We did it!”

“Only seven more years to go,” You grumped, wishing you could be free from the hell that is the school system.

“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss,” Jae teased, lightly poking you. “Where’re your parents?”

“They went over to the food tables.”

“Oooo! There’re snacks!”

After eating your fill at the snack tables, you and Jae wandered off towards the climber in the corner of the school yard. Climbing on top of the monkey bars, you and Jae sat next to each other, laughing about something that happened in grade three.

Talking a moment to pause, Jae asked “we’re still gonna be best friends in middle school, right?”

“Of course,” you replied without hesitation, thinking it was silly for him to even think of you two not being best friends. You’ve been best friends forever! Your house was his house, and vice versa! Your families knew each other, and your moms were basically best friends, too! Of course you’d still be friends in middle school! What a stupid question.

“Just checking to make sure you won’t ditch me for someone else.”

2003 - November of grade seven

“Why are you friends with a boy,” your friend Kira asked, standing with you in the school yard. “Don’t you know boys have cooties?”

“He’s my best friend, and he doesn’t have cooties,” you replied. “That’s just stupid.”

“I just think it’s weird.”

“What’s weird,” Jae asked, walking up to you and Kira. “You ready to go?”

“Nothing,” you respond, picking up your lunch box. “Lets go.”

Walking home together was the norm for the both of you. Jae’s house was far away and his parents worked late, so he would come to your house, do homework, eat dinner, and hang out with you and your family until one of his parents or his older sister could pick him up.

“Kira says boys have cooties,” you explained to Jae, sitting in your living room, homework spread out around the two of you.

“That’s dumb,” Jae said, distracted by the paper in front of him. “What’s eight times four?”

2004 - October of grade eight

It was around this time when everyone in your class had a “boyfriend” or a “girlfriend” and was having their first kisses. You, on the other, had no such thing. Unsurprisingly, neither did Jae. “I’m waiting for someone special,” he would say every time one of his friends asked. “I just don’t like anyone enough to kiss them.”

Strangely, his statement hurt you. What about you? Were you not special enough for a first kiss? Am I that unkissable?

You decided to ask him.

“Am I unkissable,” you asked him one day at lunch.

“No, why’re you asking me,” Jae replied, looking up from his sandwich.

“It’s just - no one seems to want to date me,” you said, crestfallen. “It made me think that maybe no one wants to date me because I’m unkissable.”

“Listen, all of these ‘relationships’ last less than a week and the guys are just trying to get laid.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he said taking a bite of his sandwich. “If it means that much to you, I’ll be your first kiss. If you want, of course.”

Well. That was unexpected.

2005 - grade eight after winter break

When you went back to school after winter break, you were absolutely dismal. Not only did you have to go back to this hell, but you haven’t spoken to Jae for two weeks. Over break, you had been with family and Jae had been in Buenos Aires, so keeping contact was a little difficult (though you did receive a postcard).

Walking through the doors of you classroom, you spotted Jae instantly. Upon seeing you, your best friend stood up and yanked you into a bear hug, crushing your ribs and lungs.

“Jae-can’t-breathe-“ You spluttered out, him releasing you from the bone-crushing hug.

“How was your break,” Jae asked.

“It was okay. I got your postcard!”

“Did you like the picture?”

“It was really pretty. Where was it taken?”

“Plaza de Mayo. You’re prettier, though.”

Hold up. Jae, your best friend since forever just said. That you, y/n, are pretty. Prettier than Plaza de Mayo, one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever seen.

While you processed his statement, Jae handed you a rather large gift bag with colourful tissue paper stuffed inside. “This is for you.”

Shaking yourself out of thought, you took the bag from him and pulled out the tissue paper. Inside there was a wooden box.

“Open it,” Jae encouraged. “It’s not cursed. Probably.”

Shooting him a weak glare, you reached in a pulled the box out of the bag. The box itself was the size of a small shoe box and made of a dark hardwood. Practically buzzing with excitement, Jae urged you to open it. Proceeding with caution and curiosity, you lifted the lid and peered inside, a jumble of random trinkets meeting your eyes.

“What’s all this,” you ask with a laugh.

“They’re things I found in the markets that reminded me of you,” Jae explained, cheeks turning a rosy colour.

Pulling out a small wooden fish, you ask why it reminds Jae of you.

“Remember when we went fishing and you caught a fish? You cried so much because you thought you’d killed it even though it was still flopping around!”

“Oh yeah,” you admitted, bashfully. Pulling out a smaller box covered in red fabric, you asked what it was.

“Open it,” was all Jae said.

So you did. Sitting inside on a cushion of the same red fabric, lay a necklace with a gold chain and a gold charm of half a heart. Gasping, you gently extracted the delicate jewelry. “Jae!”

“It’s a friendship charm,” Jae explained, bringing the other half of the heart out of his shirt. “I have the other half.”

“Why?”

“So we can always be together.”

2005 - November of grade nine

“What’re you doing this Friday,” asked Cody, the guy currently in front of you, attempting to ask you on a date. He was okay looking and somewhat popular, but you just weren’t interested in him at all.

“I have plans.” You did not have plans.

“Another time, maybe?”

Boy he was persistent. “I’ll let you know when I’m free.”

“Oh, okay. See you around, then.”

Thank god he’s gone, you thought, walking to your next class. Taking your seat, Jae plops down on the connected table, smile on his face.

“What did Cody want?”

“I dunno. He asked if I was free on Friday.”

“And?”

“I told him I have plans.”

“Do you?”

“Pft. No.”

“Okay. Cool. See you.” Jae hopped off your desk, still smiling and shooting you some finger guns.

That’s weird, you thought. Usually Jae stayed at your desk until the teacher told hime to move. Maybe he wants to hang out on Friday.

Friday came and you and Jae made the trek to his house (his tv is better).

“So, wait. You never got your first kiss,” Jae asked, completely shocked. “I thought - what about Matthew?”

“Nope,” you said, popping the p. Matthew had been your “boyfriend” for two weeks in grade eight. Jae had been right about the guys just trying to get laid, so you dumped his ass before you’d had the chance to kiss him.

“If you’re ready to take me up on my offer from grade eight, it still stands,” Jae said, ears turning bright red.

“I mean,” you said lost in the thought that it might not be so bad to kiss him, but worried it would affect your relationship.

Jae leaned in and, not seeing an objection from you, gently pressed his lips to yours.

Once he pulled away, you remembered how to breathe and briefly wondered when you had stopped walking.

“Sorry, I just thought that-“ Jae started to say, you cutting him off.

“Don’t apologize. I didn’t hate it, and at any rate, I should be thanking you for getting it over with.”

“So we’re still friends?”

“No.” A worried look crossed Jae’s face. “We’re best friends.”

2006 - September of grade ten

“What’re you doing this weekend?” Jae’s voice asked over the phone.

“Literally, nothing,” you replied, bored with your own mediocrity. “I kinda wish I’d made plans or something.”

“Well, do you wanna come over and maybe have a two day sleepover? My sister’s staying at her boyfriend’s and my parents are going on a mini vacation to a beach resort or something, so we’ll have the house to ourselves.”

“Oh! That sounds really fun, actually,” you respond, looking forward to long awaited time with your best friend. “What should I bring?”

“Snacks, clothes, toiletries, parent permission, and a will to live!”

After asking your parents, who easily agreed because it was Jae, and waiting not so patiently for Friday to arrive, you were walking up the steps to Jae’s house, ready for three days of fun with your bestie.

Ringing the front doorbell, you heard frantic footsteps approach from the other side of the thick wooden door. Swinging open with a loud cry of “y/n!” and a bone-crushing hug, you were pulled inside, barely waving “bye” to your parents.

“C’mon in! The parents are gone, the sister has left, and you, my dear y/n, have arrived to casa de Park!” Jae exclaimed, already wearing his favourite yellow pajama bottoms.

Shortly following your spectacular arrival, you and Jae were sprawled out across the living room floor in your pajamas, surrounded by blankets, and happily munching on the pizza dinner Jae’s older sister had ordered him before leaving (”Jae, aren’t you lactose intolerant?” “It’ll be fine, probably!” it was not fine).

At one point, you decided to build a blanket fort in the living room to continue watching your Disney movie marathon in the utmost comfort and eventually fall asleep in. While Jae was building said blanket fort (”Aren’t you gonna help, y/n?” “Nah, someone’s gotta chose what we watch.”), you were looking through his collection of Disney movies, deciding on The Lion King. Following the blanket fort construction, you made an executive decision to get ready for bed, not that you would actually sleep.

Brushing your teeth in the upstairs bathroom, you reflected on your movie night thus far. 1) The Lion King was not your favourite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid being your preference. 2) Popcorn is the food of the gods, ‘nuff said. 3) Jae was acting strange. Whenever you tried to snuggle against him like normal, he would shift away or make an excuse to get up.

Lost in thought and washing your face, you didn’t hear the sneaky footsteps of your best friend coming up behind you. Jae, taking this opportunity to scare you shitless, did so by tasering you with his hands and yelling “boo!” at the top of his lungs.

Shrieking, you whipped around to beat him for being an ass. Jae ran off yelling “you can’t hit a guy with glasses!” repeatedly, running and hiding from your rage all around the house.

When the two of you finally made peace and were settled in the fluffy comforts of the blanket fort, you went back to your Disney movie marathon until you fell asleep, Jae finally letting you lay your head on him and snuggle closer. You fell into a deep sleep, legs intertwined with your favourite person on the planet.

2008 - March of grade eleven

By now, you’ve had a long-term boyfriend. His name was Jordan and he was absolutely perfect in your eyes.

Jae hated his guts.

Whenever you had, time you would invite both of them over, only for Jae to ask if “Jordy boy” would be there and cancel if he was. As you and Jae spent less and less time together, an odd void began to form in your heart. Wether it was from missing the company of your best friend or something else you hadn’t quite figured out yet, it still hurt to not have Jae around you.

After a few months and a “long distance relationship” over winter break, you and Jordan broke up. Jae, being the amazing and caring best friend he was, saw how devastated you were and spent more and more time with you, seemingly to forget your months of negligence.

Secretly, Jae was happy you and Jordan broke up, deeming him an unacceptable guy for you to date (”He smells like Axe body spray.” “His locker’s a mess.” “I don’t like the way he talks to you, like he’s looking down on you.” etc.) and wanting more time with just the two of you. Not to mention the fact that he may or may not like you as more than a friend. He never made a move on you, concerned you wouldn’t reciprocate, and instead tried to put a limit on the physical affection between the two of you.

2009 - grade twelve graduation

“...you will go forth into this great, big, beautiful, blue Earth and make a difference! I wish you, our future, all the best on your chosen paths in life. Go forth and have no fear!” with the end of the principal’s speech, the crowd of gathered parents, the graduating class, and other family and friends erupted in cheers. Caps were thrown into the air, friends embraced each other, families yelled words of congratulations.

In all the ruckus, you and Jae were clinging to each other, crying tears of joy into the other’s shoulder.

“We did it,” you whispered, trying not to let out more sobs.

“Only university left to go,” Jae teased, recalling your primary school graduation seven years earlier. You gently hit his arm, which was still encircling your body.

Still intertwined, you exit the school gymnasium with hopes and dreams for a once distant future, fulfilled at last.

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blaperile · 4 years

Text

Homestuck^2 - Reactions Chapter 2 “Clown Logistics” (Pages 57 - 95)

Time for the "Clown Logistics"!

...There's nothing I can think of but a hypothetical department within Jane's ship. So, a chapter from Jane's perspective is my only theory right now!

I mean, seeing as Gamzee’s (presumably) dead I assume this won’t be a direct focus on him.

If we do focus on Jane now, it's interesting how the B2 Kids are getting the majority of the focus so far in Homestuck^2.

And Roxy, who had, especially in the later parts of Homestuck, the majority of screentime has so far not appeared yet.

Very, very interesting indeed.

Anyway, let's read on.

Page 57:

NOPE, SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. But still related to fucking Gamzee of course.

WE'VE GOT OFFICIAL ART FOR VRISKA MARYAM-LALONDE NOW :O

Oh man.

I'd been forming some mental images on what Vriska Maryam-Lalonde and Tavros Crocker would look like. But to be honest, my creativity wasn't that good so I'd been mostly imagining a near exact copy of Vriska, and a humanized version of Tavros. :P

Meanwhile, for Harry Anderson I'm imagining something like John/Jake with a hair style more like Roxy.

But no, just look at her!!!

She's like a gothic Vriska! Oh man, makes complete sense, considering how Rose and Kanaya like to dress themselves. I can't believe I hadn't thought of that actually.

And it's minutes in the past, which explains why she's not with Tavros currently.

Maybe that means we'll see him too in a little bit? :O

Anyway, Vriska Serket's looking surprisingly okay, considering how earlier she was seemingly bleeding to death, based on the narration. :P

Pffff, Vriska's being classic Vriska already. Stealing stuff and giving herself advantages at the cost of others.

Though to be honest, John's probably not missing that phone right now.

Page 58:

Yikes, yeah, Gamzee sure got a rough beating there.

I like that they decided to depict the scars from Nepeta's claws here!

Oh boy, does this mean Vriska Serket's going to stop being (Vriska)? Indication she's gonna become relevant again? :P

Then what is she going to call Vriska Maryam-Lalonde? Is this going to be based on a suggestion from the readers?

Is it going to be anything like her real name? Or is it going to be a different spider-related name?

...I'll laugh if she decides to name her Aranea. xD

Page 59:

Vrissy! :O

I like the sound of it! It sounds enough like Vriska, and is also 6 letters. And it rolls well enough of the tongue.

Anyway, oh god, Vrissy's gonna call upon Tavros Crocker isn't she? :/

To involve him in this criminal matter... yeah, sounds like something a kismesis might do. :P

I wonder if Tavros is gonna get a nickname. Perhaps not, seeing as there isn't a second Tavros around right now (unless Gcatavrosprite finally shows up again).

Also, since when does Vriska have an eyepatch? I mean, I knew Karkat has an eyepatch now, but I had no idea Vriska also had one.

I like how she drew an 8 on it to make it resemble an 8-ball though.

Page 60:

Ahahaha, Vrissy's immediately sold on the new nickname.

Is she gonna insist that everyone uses that name from now on? Including her parents?

I wonder what kind of car Tavros will be coming with. Will it look like Dad's car?

Oh boy, what is Vriska's reaction going to be to the existence of a Tavros here. xD

Let's hope she doesn't tear into Tavros like he's... ahum, Tavros.

Page 61:

Hehe, perfection! Slightly calmer than I'd have expected her to be, but still.

And uh, is Tavros really gonna get a kick out of this? I mean, he didn't like Gamzee very much of course, but I'd think he'd be a bit too much of a nice person to really uh, enjoy this?

God I'm so curious to see what he'll look like...

Page 62:

There he is already!

A hovercar! Can't say I was expecting that, hehe.

Page 63:

There he is!!!!! :D

Oh man, he looks like a perfect mix between Jane and Jake. Jane's glasses, Jake's hair and bowtie. And the buck teeth of course! :B

It's so cool to finally see what Vrissy and Tavros look like. After all this time that we only had dialog and no images, hehe.

Page 64:

Ahahahaha, mood whiplash! Yup, that's truly an Egbert/English/Nitram reborn. xD

That's exactly how I imagined him reacting to this.

Page 65:

Ha, alright. He really doesn't mind Gamzee's dead.

Page 66:

N'awww. It's pretty heartwarming that the badass Serkets allow Tavros to have this little emotional moment instead of ripping into him.

Page 69:

Hehe, return of the Scribble Mode-like art style!

Oh boy, Tavros is removing his sweater. I wonder what he looks like underneath that! Is there gonna be any symbol popping up here? :P

Page 70:

Ooooh, suspenders! Instantly makes me think of Caliborn and Doc Scratch... errr, not really the best people to be thinking of here I guess. xD

I wonder if this is truly the last we'll see of Gamzee.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he's somehow only "almost" dead and will suddenly start honking again from within the trunk.

Page 71:

HOLY SHIT HARRY ANDERSON EGBERT OUT OF NOWHERE

Wow... man, for a second I didn't realize it was him! To be honest, I first thought it was a girl.

But then I noticed the hair style, the eyes... that's so Roxy-like. Combined with the buck teeth and the blue scarf, that sold it. Just like how Roxy likes to wear scarfs.

Oh man, I love the designs of these characters.

Page 72:

OH DEAR GOD, HE'S A TOTAL COOLKID.

OH MAN

He talks so much like Roxy, I love it.

Pfffahahaha, he doesn't believe a WORD Vrissy is saying. His face is going to be PRICELESS when he sees that she's telling the truth.

Page 75:

Ahahaha, yes, Harry Anderson doesn't believe it at all.

...So that's what Alternian schools were like then. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. xD

I'm starting to think that perhaps they're just gonna bring Gamzee's body to the rebel camp, and that this way the news somehow reaches Jane that Tavros is with the rebels. Just not in the way she's thinking. :P

Oh boy, I hope that if they do go there they meet Karkat and Meenah. I want to see Vriska's face when she meets this badass leader Karkat.

And god I'm dying to find out what he looks like now.

Page 76:

Hehehe, I didn't immediately notice the spades in Vrissy's eyes.

Also, that sounds totally like a Jakey thing to say: "Righto".

It IS starting to look like abundantChewtoys pointed out to me that their relationship is relatively calm, despite being kismesises. Maybe it's somewhat like between John and Terezi!

Page 79:

A honk? Tavros heard a honk?

Oh man... is it really gonna turn out there's still a little bit of life left in him?

But yeah... there's no way this is gonna end well. SOMEONE's going to spot them carrying a body, right?

On the other hand, Vriska's always got irons in the fire, maybe now she's gonna get a clown in the fire. :B

Page 80:

Ahahaha, that's gonna make some noise and draw attention, isn't it?

Page 81:

Pffff, these guys. I love this little group of dorks.

Page 83:

Oh god, they better watch out for that smoke detector or whatever it is, or that's gonna set off a REAL alarm now.

Pages 84 - 85:

YUP, called it that they were going to bump into that.

I didn't think it was a sprinkler though, but close enough. :P

So what are they going to do now? Drop the body and run for cover?

If people find Gamzee, that's definitely going to hit the headlines though.

Page 86:

Ahahahaha, return of the Bluh! God it's been so long.

Yeah... they're busted. What are they gonna do now? Are Vriska and Vrissy going to pretend that Tavros is their hostage or something?

...I just realized we're nearing page 88, hahahaha.

Oh man, I just love Vriska in this chapter. These are just so much more sillier events than we're normally used to seeing her in. xD

Page 87:

Oh man, I didn't think we'd see actual dialog for these people!

It's interesting how they all have FIVE letters in their name. Not 4 like the human kids, nor 6 like the Troll kids, but 5.

I love how they talk like teenagers on social media.

Page 89:

Oooooh, I like how their eyes light up in the dark!

Pfff, yup, Vriska's really enjoying herself out here. Looks like she won't mind THAT much that she can't go back to the action in the Furthest Ring. :P

Also, uh, I don't think they'll just be able to get away when school's out. I bet they're probably going to call the police or something?

Page 90:

Ahahaha, so THAT'S why Jane thought the rebels had captured Tavros. She just refuses to accept the alternative.

That's really just her problem. It's always been.

She can just be SO convinced that she's right about something, she just won't believe she's wrong. Until she sees it with her own eyes.

Maybe that's going to be the best solution to all these problems she has been causing? That all the negative things get SMACKED into her face so she finally realizes what she's been doing wrong?

Page 91:

HOLY SHIT. NOW THIS TRULY IS THE HOMESTUCK AGAIN OF ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.

Linking back to scenes/conversations that happened earlier, hahahaha!

Page 92:

Just look at this smooth bastard. xD

Looks like the face of someone who still believes he's being pranked. Does he think Vrissy set off the fire alarm on purpose, just to get him out of class?

Page 93:

Oh boy, he's looking at his phone. Is he gonna see the same image as Jane on social media now?

Pages 94 - 95:

PERFECTION. THAT FACE. I LOVE IT. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO SAY ON THE MATTER. XD

His last face reminds me a bit of Pickle Inspector.

Perfect end to a hilarious chapter!

God I love Homestuck^2.

#Homestuck #Homestuck^2 #reaction #Vriska Serket #Vrissy Maryam-Lalonde #Tavros Crocker #Harry Anderson Egbert #Gamzee Makara

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isa-ghost · 4 years

Text

Achievements Unlocked?

The last decade has COMPLETELY shaped who I am now and the fact that it ends today and essentially sends me off into the next one where turning 30 is the end is something I can’t wrap my head around and not just bc it’s barely 9am as I’m writing it. Ten years hasn’t felt like ten years and all the shit that’s happened during those ten years feels like it’s happened in the last like,,, 3.

Basically this is just me going How The Fuck Did All Of This Happen In A Decade and highlighting the big things that shaped who I am now.

Uhhh this is long I’m gonna-

2010/2011 (Shit’s A Blur):

I started noticing aesthetic interests I had.

I developed my love for the outdoors and exploration.

I started realizing vaguely spooky things were really intriguing to me.

I got SUPER into Harry Potter.

Which lead to me creating my first two Ocs.

I started switching from drawing animals/landscapes to drawing people.

I made my first cluster of friends I hoped I’d have forever. (Spoiler alert: only still have one of em).

2012:

I started identifying with punk rock & emo culture/aesthetics.

I made my first cluster of online friends (Spoiler alert: don’t talk to any of em now)

I got into YouTubers.

I got into anime.

I made my first “blog.” It was a Facebook page for a fictional character.

I discovered my favorite band.

I made my first online friend I hoped I’d have forever (still have em so far!)

I met my future wife.

I started roleplaying with Ocs.

Which lead to making more.

I started drawing digitally using bases. Which started my improvement.

I made my own first little community via my FB page.

Which lead to an rp group of more friends I hoped I’d have forever (still got a handful of em!)

I discovered my other favorite bands.

I started using Skype.

I got into more anime.

My parents were officially fully separated.

Which began the very start of realizing my dad was verbally abusive.

Congrats Isa, You Need Glasses You Dumb Fuck. Hooray astigmatism.

I graduated 8th grade.

2013:

I was essentially forced to move in with my dad for high school.

I started high school.

Officially became total anime trash and started watching them like crazy.

I THINK I hit 100 Ocs at some point this year. Just kept makin them from here.

Met my first cluster of irl forever friends (spoiler alert: only have 1 now).

Learned having Ocs was Not Just An Isa Thing, Holy Shit I Thought I Was Just Weird.

Promptly fell in love with learning about other people’s Ocs.

Realized Wow, I Kinda Can’t Stand My Dad And I Don’t Trust Him.

Had my first boyfriend. *gag* He was nasty.

Experienced my first long distance relationship. It lasted 3 days.

2014/2015 (Shit’s Also Blurry):

Got another long distance boyfriend. First relationship I genuinely liked the person.

I realized talking multiple people through the lowest points of their lives and keeping them from harming themselves was a sign I should maybe get into psychology and do that as a job.

I started getting interested in researching mental disorders.

Realized Okay Yeah, I Lowkey Hate My Dad

Realized I had A Concerning Amount Of Symptoms Of Depression. Fuck.

Realized Huh, Girls Are Pretty Too,,,

My friend taught me about bi and pansexuality. Casually started identifying as pan. Didn’t know shit about LGBT+ stuff.

Was shown a video by my friend. Decided Wow I Really Like This Screaming Potato Guy.

Acquired one more forever friend I still have.

Got slapped in the face by Gravity Falls.

My mom moved out of the rural town I just spent the last like 8 Years Of My Own Character Development In, Dammit

I realized money and finances Fucking Sucks.

Had the,, probably worst year of my adolescence. Angry, depressed, sick of my dad. It was Not Great. Almost started self-harming, only didn’t because I’d be a hypocrite if I did after helping my friends stop doing it.

Homestuck invaded my life around here I think.

Decided I’m Gonna Live With My Online Friends One Day! (spoiler alert: nope).

Was kinda forced by my dad to move out of the apartment I lived in and therefore forced to transfer schools.

Got to meet my future wife irl for the first time. Wow that was,, so gay before we even realized.

Okay Hold On, This New School Is,,, Really Nice.

2016:

New school. New me. New friends. New everything. Fuckity shit fuck.

Okay wait they have an anime club like my other school did we good.

Met another two forever friends that I think really are forever friends now.

Angry Shitty Depression Time Died Down A Little.

Somehow learned about evilsonas. Huh, Does Jack Have One? ... Ok Cool, They’re All People’s Ocs. Meh.

Started learning how to drive. Oh My God This Is Fun.

Lost my second ever pet and was... very confused when I wasn’t as traumatized as I was the first time I lost a pet.

Boyfriend kinda Thanos snapped from existence bc his irl life was hectic.

Experienced what it’s like to have a friend that died.

Wow my irl best friend is hot. ... Okay I Think Boyfriend’s Absence Is Bothering Me. *proceeds to ignore that*

Gets into some more bands.

Knock Knock, You Have Separation Anxiety, Isa.

Finally decided to try out high school things like homecoming. Ooh That Was Actually Fun.

The beginning of the worst end to a friendship I’ve ever had starts. Not Handling It Well.

Discovered Fooster. Cue hyperfixation on new favorite YouTuber and more new friends.

Wait What The Fuck What Just Happened To Jack’s Camera,,,, OH MY GOD HE ISN’T-

HE IS. OH FUCK HE IS. MMMMHELLO KNIFE MAN.

Totally forgets he exists for the next like 10 months.

Realization I Really Fucking Love Halloween.

Discovered what asexuality is and immediately identifies because I thought I was just weird.

Hmm maybe I should start watching this Markiplier guy

Big Sad Times, My Friends Graduated. Next Year Gonna SUCK.

Tried out Dungeons & Dragons. Fuckin loved it.

2017:

Ah fuck I’m a senior in high school this is gonna be a trip.

Discovered I like photography.

Literally where did this school year go it’s so blurry.

Was convinced to end the relationship with boyfriend. He’s still a good bean.

Hey uhhhh online best friend do u big gay.

WE big gay.

Found a book I really like that isn’t Harry Potter, damn it’s about time.

Ok But This Book Really Fucked Me Up, I Love It.

OH FUCK WAIT I’M GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL.

Oh that wasn’t so bad.

Actually had to be PUSHED by my friends to have my first kiss with my girlfriend at my graduation party because I was too busy going [dkasjdjf] about having her physically in my presence at all.

First super memorable vacation. Wow I Fucking Love Traveling.

Got to meet another online friend!! I am,, incredibly lucky about being able to do that, this was like the 4th friend I got to meet.

[That one motion blur conspiracy theorist meme] SABRINA IM TELLING U JACK IS UP TO SOMETHING HIS TWITTER IS FUCKY

Gets punched in the throat with Kill Jacksepticeye on the way home from vacation and remembers how much I fucking love Anti

TIME FOR COLLEGE. I made a mistake.

TIME FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE. Much Better.

Friend I Still Have From High School 1/2 introduced me to Bendy and the Ink Machine. HYPERFIXATION TIME BABEY.

Let’s,,, lets try Tumblr. Jack exists there a lot. And so does good art of everything I’m interested in.

Wait Who’s This Baby With The Mustache, JACK EXPLAIN

Okay there’s More Going On Here, lets get active in the community.

WHY THE FUCK IS THERE SECURITY FOOTAGE. THIS IS SKETCH. THIS ISOH MOTHERFUCKER ITS ANTI

Isa: Become Theorist

The rest is history, really, all stuff I’ve posted about on here. xD

And knowing me I’ve left out other highlighted bits but remembering all of this is,,, really exhausting lmao, I’m surprised I jotted down as much as I did in Relatively Chronological Order.

#happy 2020 new year

12 notes · View notes

catchester · 4 years

Text

12 Days of Christmas

Title: Eleven Pipers Piping

Authors: @evieplease and @catchester

Which character: Actor!Tom and OFC Rocky

Genre: Humour/Explicit

Fic Summary: Tom and Rocky spend their first Christmas as a couple and Rocky meets Tom’s Mum for the first time. Expect 12 gifts, too much boozy, bad puns and lots of fun!

Rating: Mature

Previous Chapters: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17138390/chapters/40304798

Chapter 14 - 11 Pipers Piping

I turned up at Tom’s house half expecting 11 bagpipers to be waiting for me. I don't know why, flutists or something were probably more likely, but my brain was stuck on bagpipes. Or maybe just men in kilts with bagpipes. Of course the only man in a kilt that my imagination could conjure was Tom. Mmm. Tom in a kilt...

I knew Tom wasn't likely to have literal Pipers Piping, but other than plumbing, I just couldn't think of a play on Piping. Well, unless he wanted me to clean out his pipes, maybe. My eyes widened. Eleven times!? Hmm. It would be a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it...

It was the weekend, so other than emergency calls to worry about, I was free. I’d started using the answering service Tom told me about, and they only passed on genuine calls so I shouldn't have any time wasters.

After being dragged out of Tom’s warm bed, and more importantly out of Tom’s warm arms by a thoroughly plugged drain at six bloody AM this morning, I’d been shopping and making plans for my gift tomorrow.

I’d popped home and packed some clean clothes so I could stay the weekend. Luckily I think most people were still recovering from Christmas and New Years (not to mention that they were probably also much poorer after the holidays) so business was always slow the first week or two of January. Not that I was complaining.

Well, yes. I was complaining. I’d have much rather stayed in bed with Tom! But outside of that complaint, I was doing quite well, all things considered. Tom’s dosing us with Paracetamol and water before bed last night worked a treat. I felt far better than I deserved. And, oh dear god, did I actually sing in public last night?

A post-it stuck to the door said to let myself in, which I did, calling out for him as I dumped my bag on the stairs. Oh my god, what is that wonderful smell?

“In the kitchen,” Tom answered and I followed his voice and my nose.

I was stunned for a moment, as every surface seemed to be covered in baking sheets filled with something that smelled divinely like ginger and sugar.

Tom was wearing his ‘Kiss the Chef’ apron and looking very pleased with himself.

“Did a sack of flour piss you off or do you have a bake sale coming up?” I asked, following the apron’s instructions and then wiping at a smear of flour off my cheek.

“Neither,” Tom chuckled. “This, my darling, is day eleven.” He gestured around at the disaster covering his kitchen counters. Mixing bowls, flour, eggshells, wooden spoons, measuring spoons, spoon spoons, it looked a shambles.

I was still none the wiser.

“We’re piping icing onto gingerbread houses!” Tom nearly crowed, with the biggest grin on his face

It wasn't what I’d been expecting but it sounded fun and a slow smile formed on my lips. Now that I looked at the baking trays, I could see some had a triangle top, so they were obviously the ends of the houses. The rectangles and squares were the roofs and walls.

“Did you bake all this yourself?” I stopped myself calling him ‘clever boy’ at the last moment. I was grinning as widely as Tom.

“I did,” he said happily. “Mum gave me a recipe and talked me through most of it. The first bake should be cool enough now, but I made some spares too, in case of breakages.”

He seemed very proud of his feat, and I was oddly proud of him too. He was practically bouncing on his toes.

“So have you got any I can try?” I asked, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

“You mean eat?”

“Yeah, of course! I wasn’t going to feed it to the birds! They can bloody well make their own!” The scent of ginger was tantalising me and reminding me that my protein bar breakfast had been ages ago. Ages, I tell you!

“Aah, well, yes. I did have a couple of minor mishaps.” He reached behind him and brought out a tray of cracked gingerbread slabs. “I dropped it transferring it to the cooling rack.” He rubbed the back of his neck and his ears went a bit pink, as he held the tray out to me.

I nabbed a piece and tried it. It was lovely, slightly spicier than ginger nut biscuits usually were, but not bad at all.

“That’s bloody lovely!” I told him.

He grinned like a loon at my praise.

“The icing’s nearly ready, I’m just mixing the green now. So why don’t you make us both a coffee and we should be ready to get started.” Tom turned away and my heart melted at the sight of a large floury handprint on the back of his trousers. Something melted anyway. I shook my head.

“Sounds like a plan.”

As I sat at the table, I saw that Tom had three icing bags—two white and one red—ready to go, and a selection of sweets he’d set up in small bowls, next to two piles of gingerbread house components.

“Do you have any experience icing?” he asked as he sat next to me and put the green icing between us.

“Well, icing in the shower sometimes. And I watch that, what’s it called? The Bloody Great Baking Show or something?”

He shook his head at my bad joke and explained how to assemble the house, sticking it together with icing at the seams and along the foundations. It took us a few tries but we eventually had fairly solid structures.

“There, that looks stable,” I said, gingerly removing my hands, afraid a light breeze would collapse my creation.

“No, it looks like a house,” Tom deadpanned. “I’m not nearly skilled enough to bake a stable!”

I laughed. “Fine, next year we’ll get your mum’s help and make a manger scene.”

“What will we make the animals out of? Not to mention the Baby Jesus.”

“Do they make Baby Jesus moulds?”

“I doubt it. We could use marzipan, I suppose.”

“Nuh uh, not unless you want Baby Jesus’s head bitten off.”

He gave me a weird look.

“I love marzipan,” I said, shrugging as if decapitating baby deities was totally normal and defensible.

Tom was focusing on his house so I swiped a bit of broken gingerbread and quickly drew a heart in red icing, then I put a cupid’s bow through it using white icing, and passed it to Tom.

“A sweetheart for my sweetheart,” I smiled.

“Aww,” he said as he accepted it. “I’ve known you a year and this is the first time I’m seeing your sappy, sentimental side.”

I elbowed him in the ribs. “Well, make the most of it, it only happens once a year, at Christmas.”

“When the Christmas spirit fills you?”

“Yeah, but I learned to exorcise that bitch years ago, so it doesn't stay for long.

He chuckled. “You can’t fool me any longer Rocky, I know you’re ooey and gooey on the inside, now.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You take that back!”

“Nope.” He reached a long arm out, wrapping around my waist and pulling me in tight. “You’re well and truly caught now, love. And there’s nothing you can do about it!”

He laughed maniacally while I struggled to get loose of the entwining octopus tentacles. Well, it seemed as if he had eight arms!

Then he bent and kissed me. Well, what else could I do? I stopped struggling and snogged him back. The octopus magically turned back into a man when he lifted his head and grinned down into my dazed eyes.

“Back to work!” Tom turned, and gave me a little push toward my side of the table, and picked up his icing bag, intently examining his roof before squeezing a judicious dollop onto the corner in an effort to make icicles hanging from the edge.

Fine. I went back to work, carefully shingling my house with smarties.

You would think that piping icing was a relatively neat job but apparently not. At least not when I do it. My gingerbread house looked pretty neat for a first timer, with roof tiles, windows and a pathway outlined in white, green for accents like the window shutters and door, and red for the path to the front door. The house and garden were trimmed with sweets, jelly tots lined the pathway and Smarties accented the roof.

But while my house looked pretty tidy, I did not.

“Look at you!” Tom said, laughing. “You’re a mess! You even have icing in your hair!”

“Don’t sugar coat it, will you?” I shot back, but I wasn't upset. He was right. Luckily I was only in jeans and a sweater.

That didn’t mean I would let him get away with it.

“Aww. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ginger your feelings!”

That did it. Yep.

My house was nearly finished and there was loads of icing left in my bag, so I aimed my nozzle at his head and squeezed the bag with all my might. I was a pretty good shot too, I got him right in the ear!

He turned to me, looking utterly shocked! As well he should, he had a great green blob of icing on his ear!

“Look at you, you’re a mess!” I was nearly crying with stopping myself laughing, trying to sound stern and utterly failing. “You even have icing in your hair!”

“I can’t believe you just did that!” His shock soon turned to a delighted smile and the nozzle of his piping bag turned in my direction.

I fired too, and we doused each other in icing. I grabbed a second bag of icing and ran around to the other side of the table to try and escape Tom. We were both laughing, but fortunately, we both ran out of ammo pretty quickly. We resorted to throwing the empty bags, but by unspoken agreement, we didn't use the gingerbread houses as projectiles.

That left me with only one option, to smush the icing Tom was already wearing. I ran around the table, sliding in some of the icing decorating the floor. I grabbed the lump on Tom’s shoulder and managed to smear it on his face before he could stop me, but then he grabbed my wrists, holding them out wide. While he wasn't a lot stronger than me—thank you manual labour—we were evenly matched, hence stalemate.

Unless I wanted to unman him, and I really didn’t. I like Tom’s bollocks right where they are. And fully operational, thank you!

We both laughed, and Tom leaned down to lick the smear of icing from my cheek as I ducked and shrieked, trying to wipe the wet spit off on my shoulder.

“I can’t believe I’m still having food fights in my 30s!” He shook his head in disbelief, even though he was still giggling.

I was cackling too hard to reply since he had a lovely green smear of icing over one eye. We fed off each other’s laughter to the point that when he released me and I tried again to rub his icing in, my hands were just useless things flopping around on the ends of my wrists.

“Oh god,” I finally managed to say. My sides were aching so much, so I needed to make an effort to calm down. “I can’t believe we did that!”

“We? You started it!” He really does do a very good offended sniff.

“Yes, and you joined in, mate! I wasn’t the only one flinging icing about like a mad monkey!”

We sniggered as we looked around the kitchen, sobering as we both contemplated the clean up, each still giggling occasionally.

“I’m really glad we weren't making bangers and mash! Can you imagine cleaning up the gravy?” Tom glanced up at the ceiling, checking that we hadn’t decorated that as well.

“Maybe I should get Twelve Cleaners Cleaning tomorrow instead?” I said a little wistfully as I stared at our mess. Tom shook his head and sighed.

“Well, we’ve had our fun. Now it’s time to pay the piper, I suppose!”

I picked up a nearby empty, messy bag and lobbed it at him, making a rude noise at him. Piper, indeed!

Tom just looked pleased with himself, smirking at me as he went to the tall cabinet and handed me a mop. After moving our gingerbread houses to place of safety, he grabbed a cloth and began wiping down the table and sides that had icing on them. It was a relatively easy job because it dissolves easily in water. I did the floor twice just to be sure though, and Tom began cleaning up our icing bags and other paraphernalia.

We finished, and I returned our gingerbread houses to the kitchen table so we could better admire them. We both got our phones out and snapped some pictures, so they were immortalized. I’ll be sending the one of Tom standing over his gingerbread house looking as pleased as punch to his Mum.

“Come on, let’s clean ourselves up,” Tom suggested, so we stripped down to our underwear and shoved our clothes directly in the washing machine. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself and dancing it place while I waited for Tom to start the washer. The room was just a bit chilly for prancing around nearly naked.

“You were just looking for an excuse to use the bathtub, weren’t you?” he joked.

“I’m always looking for excuses to get you naked, but your bathtub is a definite bonus!” I said with my best ‘duh’ expression.

He laughed and shook his head at my antics as he headed for the stairs.

“Hey,” I reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He stopped, looking puzzled.

“For this.” I waved my hand around the room “It was really fun. And I mean the houses. I know you baked for hours and I’m sorry you didn't get a chance to finish yours.”

He shook his head and stepped closer, put a hand on my elbow and bent his head to look me in the eye.

“Do you know what I love about you?”

“My boobs?”

“Well, yes,” he admitted, nodding ruefully, “but more than that, it’s how fun you make things. Decorating gingerbread houses would have been fun, but you found a way to make me laugh so hard I won’t need to do crunches for a week.” He leaned down and kissed me softly. When he pulled away he had that soft smile on his lips, the one that makes my knees go weak. “I love you, Rocky.”

My heart nearly stopped when he said that, and then it lurched into a pounding rhythm. I was surprised that my feet kept following him, because everything in the universe had stopped and held its breath in the few seconds it took me to open my mouth.

“I… love your bathtub!”

Tom chuckled and started up the stairs, my hand clasped in his. My heart was galloping, my stomach churning, and my head spinning.

Yep. It must be love. Or the flu.

I watched the play of the muscles in his thighs and arse as he climbed the stairs. A sense of joy and rightness bloomed under my ribs, and it wasn’t all due to watching the prettiest piece of English Countryside in all christendom flex and stretch inches in front of my face.

Those three, little, terrifying words had slid smoothly from his lovely mouth, directed at me! And I wasn’t terrified.

Maybe in shock. Except I wasn’t, because I felt the same way. Have done for a while, come to think.

Somehow my friend with benefits, this Posh Idiot, has grown on me, like a fungus. No, wait. Fungus is too low class. Truffle. Definitely a truffle.

Tom dropped my hand and started the shower.

“Better rinse off all the sticky stuff or we’ll be swimming in it in the bathtub, hey?” I nodded distractedly.

He turned and I found myself blankly staring at the second best bit of English Countryside in christendom. Except I was obviously wrong the first time. Or maybe the best bit is whatever bit I happen to be staring at?

Tom put a finger under my chin and tipped my face up. There was a slightly alarmed look on his face.

“What, no wise cracks about ‘sticky stuff’? Are you alright darling?”

I shrugged as I stepped into the shower and straight under the hot spray while Tom stared perplexed after me. The heat felt so good on my chilled skin, I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the water.

Tom stepped in, waiting until I pulled my head out from under the stream of water to ask, “Now, what are you thinking, Rocky?” I wiped the water streaming down my face and pushed my wet hair back.

“You’re a truffle.” Water droplets flew from my lips as I spoke

Tom barked a surprised laugh.

“A what?”

“A truffle. Regular old mushrooms are too common, too basic.”

Tom blinked a few times as he worked it out.

“Ah. You’ve grown on me as well, Rocky.” His smile went a little crooked and his eyes softened. Tom gets me.

In that moment, two things were decided.

The first is that I really needed to stop fannying around and get Tom out to meet my family. Because this doesn’t feel like FWB any longer. I mean, it is. We’re friends, oddly enough. And the benefits are out of this world! But he took me to meet his mother. And his niece. So.

I can’t see Tom introducing a FWB to his niece, now I think about it, no matter how competitive he was about finding a Nine Ladies Dancing activity.

I pushed Tom gently under the shower spray and he tilted his head up, letting the water wet his hair and stream down his face, rinsing the icing off, green and red swirling down his body and into the drain.

Except for the persistent green blob on his ear. I reached up and wiped it away. His eyes blinked open and then his hands cupped my face, staring into it as if memorising me. That was alright, I was doing the same. I wished I had a camera to hand. But water and electronics...not a good combo.

His eyelashes were drawn into those little russet points, wet from the spray, tiny drops of water glinting like minute diamonds in the light. His eyes were sliding into that steel blue colour.

Then his mouth settled softly on mine, moving tenderly over my lips.

I gripped his hips, holding on as I stretched upward on my toes for more, nibbling on his lip. He likes when I do that. Oh, I really shouldn’t be smug when he makes that noise. Really.

His tongue surged into my mouth, caressing and demanding as one large hand pressed against my lower back, pulling me tight against his body and holding my belly against his very hard cock.

His other hand found my boob, a feathering touch of his knuckles on the underside, and circling around and around.

This was Tom, playing my body like an instrument, no, like the whole damn orchestra! Piano and pianissimo, rough and sweet. When he softened his kiss into little teasing licks and kisses and moved down my neck, the hand on my boob squeezed and kneaded firmly, sucking every bit of my attention to the lightning charge building up in my body.

I moved my hands around his body, gripping the hard globes of his arse and feeling the muscles flex under them.

Tom gasped into my mouth and ground his cock against my belly, lighting me up.

I whined and pouted at him when he pulled away, even stamping my foot a little. Dammit, I wanted more kisses! And some other things!

“Patience, my dear,” he counselled cheerily, kissing the tip of my nose. I snapped my teeth at him. That sooo wasn’t the kiss I had in mind! He left me there, getting out of the shower to stopper the tub and start it filling.

“Patience is for people who aren’t snogging you, Thomas!” I called after him. He was back almost before I finished my sentence, chuckling and slipping his arms around my waist, nuzzling my neck.

I threw my arms around his neck. “You were gone forever!”

“And yet, here I am!” He smiled and I collected another kiss on my nose. I opened my mouth to complain and yelped as he spun me round back to front and picked up the shampoo.

Tom spent the next year massaging my scalp and washing my hair whilst I moaned and groaned. Things might’ve been happening below, urgent things, but everything waits when Tom’s long fingers dig into my scalp. And when he finished rinsing my hair, he started with the shower gel, cleaning every little, and not so little, bit of me. He really is quite good at that whole massage thing.

Then it was my turn. As tempted as I was to push him down and fall on his dick, I played almost fair, washing his hair in turn. But there was none of that massage nonsense! Tom chuckled when I slapped the shower off as soon as he was rinsed and turned him, pushing him out of the shower ahead of me, and straight over to the tub.

Fortunately, deliciously, Tom’s tub is extra long, and extra deep. Rather like him! So it hadn’t overflowed while we showered off the icing. Also, since I had cleverly talked him into upgrading his hot water heating to a tankless system, we hadn’t run out of hot water, even with both shower and tub going.

I gestured a ta-da at the tub, inviting him to get himself in, but he wasn’t having it. Tom literally swept me up in his arms and deposited me in all that lovely hot water, though probably with a lot more screeching and splashing than planned.

“In, in, get in!” I demanded, running out of patience and slapping the water, sending a wave straight into my face and spluttering while Tom held his ribs laughing hard at me.

This means war! I smirked at him, and laid back, running my hand between my boobs, and trailing a finger around one nipple.

“I guess I’ll just have to take care of things myself…” I said with a put upon pout.

“Oh, be my guest, darling.” He folded his arms with a smirk and leaned against the wall next to the tub for a good view. Tom waved genially for me to start.

Hmm. It’s not like I haven’t fantasised doing this. Many times. The look in his eyes as my hands lifted to drip water onto my boobs sent an arrow of heat through my body. I bit my lip at the sensual feel of my hands on the goospimpling flesh. Circling my boobs with my hands I watched Tom stare hungrily at me.

I might not be a public exhibitionist, but knowing it was Tom watching me turned me right the fuck up to eleven.

Gripping one boob and moving the other hand slowly down my body while I watched Tom’s eyes hood and darken sent a wave of heat over me that wasn’t from the hot water. Oh, not at all.

I slid my fingers into my folds and let my head fall back, concentrating on the sensation of the water washing over the most sensitive bits of me. I let my fingers brush lightly over the inner lips of my pussy, soft and warm and tantalising.

Firming my touch, I gasped as my finger slid over the top of my clit for the first time. My eyes snapped open when Tom groaned.

He stood there watching me, gripping his fully erect cock. I shivered a little at the thrill that his eyes delivered, and the promise in them. He was so beautiful, so hot, and so mine. My eyes wandered over his long runners body, tracing the defined muscles in his thighs, the solid, hard belly, the notches at his hips, the veins standing out on his forearms, and I could feel myself getting wetter.

God, I wanted him, wanted his hands on me, his mouth on me, those hot blue eyes staring into mine. I was picking up a rhythm as I thought about all the ways he could touch me, the water beginning to ripple around my movements.

I wanted him so bad. And I knew, however hot it got me that he was watching, I wouldn’t be able to finish. If I’d truly been alone, imagining Tom watching as I touched myself it would have taken me only minutes to get off, no toys required!

But with Tom there all I could think of was him touching me, and he was right there. I writhed my frustration as I looked at him, communicating my need to him.

“Tom…” I breathed, and he pushed off the wall, climbing in behind me and lifted me onto his lap. His hands closed over mine, pressing harder on my flesh. One hand squeezed my hand over my boob. I could feel my nipple digging into my palm, and his cock like an iron bar at my back. His other hand over mine, travelled down and pushed my finger inside me, along with his.

My head fell back on his shoulder and his lips caressed my neck as he murmured filthy things in my ear about how soft I am, how good I feel, how scalding hot my pussy is when he slides into me. Oh, dear god.

Tom’s hand kept pushing our fingers into me, and grinding our palms over my clit with just the right amount of pressure, and he kept encouraging me and I couldn’t have stopped the freight train barreling right down on me.

My back arched with a cry that echoed off the waters surface and around the bathroom walls, my voice coming back at me and compounding the sound, just like my climax, vibrating and building and pulsing to a rigid peak.

I arched almost painfully, and Tom held me, his hand first urging me and then gentling me, cradling me as I came down.

I turned and curled into his side, laying my head on his chest as all the tension fled my body, leaving me languid and warm in my favourite place in the universe, listening to the steady thump of Tom’s heart.

Tom’s arms wrapped around me, lifting my hips to straddle him as I hung limp in his hands, settling me gently onto his cock, sliding in as he held me securely. I simply let him move me as he liked. I was too shattered to direct things, or even to participate much, I just enjoyed the floaty feeling of Tom moving me to his desire and let him carry on.

Tom’s hands moved to grip my bum, thrusting up into me, rubbing indolently against that ridged spot inside me and slowly pushing me back up to the mountaintop whether I will or no. Fortunately, I was happy to go, as long as I didn’t have to do the work. This time.

It was a lovely, slow fuck, gentle enough not to slosh the bathwater. Much. I lifted my head for a kiss and Tom took my mouth, suddenly fierce and urgent, pulling my hips down firmly as he thrust up and ground into me. It felt so fucking unbelievable to have him so deep inside me. It set me off uncontrollably. I clenched wildly around him and he braced his feet against the bath and arched under me, exploding in long pulses and gasps.

Collapsing back into the water after was what sent the wave over the rim of the tub. We lay in a limp heap, floating in the tub, enjoying the afterglow, slowly recovering and gathering our wits.

It wasn’t until I shivered that we realised that the water was growing cold. Tom helped me sit up, carefully steadying me before stepping out and lifting me out. Brrr!

Drying quickly, Tom plucked me up and strode into the bedroom, and slid me between the sheets, climbing in after and pulling the blankets. I curled my body around his and lifted my mouth for a kiss.

“Thank you for a lovely day,” I smiled at him.

“Makes up for being called out at stupid o’clock?” he asked.

“Not quite,” I laughed softly as I rested my head on his shoulder. “But my day sure did get better.”

Things had changed today.

Well no, that wasn't true, I’d just had some realisations today. Nothing had actually changed. Maybe I had. Over the months we’d been together. Just a smidge.

“What’s the day after twelfth night called?” I asked Tom idly.

“Thirteenth night?”

“Har de har,” I gently flicked his nipple.

“Careful, unless you want me to keep you up till stupid o’clock again.”

I thought about it but on the other hand, “Nah, I’m good.”

My head bounced a little as he chuckled and I snuggled in closer.

“So, the day after twelfth night?” I reminded him.

“Um, I think it’s called Epiphany.”

I smiled. I’d thought so.

“You’re not going to give me gold, Frankincense and myrrh, are you?” His voice was growing slow and deep with lethargy but it’s one of the sexiest sounds I’ve ever heard.

“More like copper pipes, Frankenstein and. . . what even is myrrh?”

“I think it’s what you make incense from.”

“I thought incense was made from anger, wrath and rage?”

“No, that’s the Hulk, darling.”

“Of course.” I smiled. “But I don’t wanna smash you, so how’s Eau de Plumber sound?”

“What’s it made of?”

“Hard water and hard luck.”

“I’d really like to get lucky though so how about you myrrhmur my name while I make you come?”

“That could work.”

I stretched like a cat then settled back against Tom, still a little sore from our earlier antics? Well, they do say the cool down is more important than the warm up.

Tom smiled that sexy grin and slid down under the blanket. A warm tongue swept over my nipple and teased the tip until I made an impatient noise and arched against his mouth, demanding more. I felt Tom’s chuckle reverberate through my boob before he latched on and gave a hard suck.

Myrrhmuring Tom’s name suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. I pushed the blanket down far enough to uncover his head, and he looked up, the devil dancing in his eyes, and the devils grin wrapped around my boob

“You are a very bad influence on me, Mr Hiddleston.”

“Me!” he sounded indignant, but he was grinning.

“I have to be up in the morning, you know. Some of us have jobs.”

“I have a job!” His expression told me there was a punchline coming.

“Oh yeah?”

“Making you scream.”

“You’re slacking then, get back to it!”

He didn't need telling twice.

After I’d myrrhmured, screamed and cried his name—and he mine a few times—we finally settled back down to sleep and I moved his arm until I could rest my head on his shoulder again, poking at and pretending to fluff the hard pectoral that I was lying on before settling with a huff.

“I’m not your personal pillow, you know,” he teased me.

“You should be! What would you charge?” I yawned sleepily.

“For you? Nothing.” The arm around me settled on my hip and he began tracing lazy patterns on my skin with his fingertips.

“Now that’s what I call mate’s rates.” Mates sounded a little too flippant, even although I was only joking. We were far more than mates now.

Tomorrow’s surprise was all planned out but now I was rethinking things. It wasn't really even for tomorrow anyway, I’d booked us a week at Drum Castle up in Scotland later in the year, but I’d only paid a small reservation fee because I wasn't sure when Tom was available, so even if I lost the deposit I wouldn't lose much.

And then I had another realisation—or an epiphany, —ha! I was booking holidays for us! I’d never even taken a bank holiday with my other boyfriends, let alone taken the time to research and book one myself. I’d never liked any man enough to want to spend an entire week alone with them.

But Tom? I actually miss the bugger when he’s not underfoot.

All these thoughts only cemented the idea that there was something else we could do tomorrow. Something better. More meaningful.

Slowly the idea began to coalesce as I lay there. I wondered what Dave would extort from me for the last minute change in his plans. I knew it would cost me, but I also knew that my brother would move heaven and earth for me.

I was nearly asleep when Tom murmured in my ear.

“What have you planned for us tomorrow, Rocky?” Perhaps he thought if he were quiet enough and I was sleepy enough, I would spill the beans.

“Mmm, bring your guitar,” I muttered lethargically before I plunged into sleep, leaving him to puzzle over that.

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