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blackbat05 · 3 years

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Jumping in head first

Shangqi x Reader

A/N: This was actually written before the others but not sure why I put it at the back. Been writing a bit more platonic imagines but I always welcome a different interpretation when you read it! To give a bit of context, reader is also an Avenger but she joined later and Shangqi is like the older protective brother? Because I just think that trope is neat. Anyways, hope this idea of mine is engaging as it was in my mind and as always, like and comment if you wish! Appreciate the support!

Genre: PG 13

Warning: Profanity, blood, the usual when I attempt to write an action sequence?

A gunshot rang throughout the department store. Shit. You were still in there. Shangqi races inside, battling against the throngs of shoppers who were desperately trying to get out.

You lifted the little boy up, sprinting away from the sound with all your might. Think (y/n), you tell yourself. Frantically gazing around the deserted store, you decided to hide the boy in a changing room that was neatly tucked in a corner. You removed your jacket, wrapping it around the boy. How nice, you and Shangqi had decided to go to the nearby mall to grab burgers from the new burger joint that had opened before heading to the Avengers compound to train and this had to happen.

‘Hey… hey, don’t be afraid ok? I’ll make sure to come back for this.’ You tried to assure the poor boy. It seemed to do the trick as he managed to calm down. Shutting the door, you peeked out into the open to make sure the coast was clear. You had to direct attention away from this floor. As you turned left to the now stationary escalator, you saw a mannequin at the children’s section. Perfect.

You pushed the mannequin down the escalator, resulting in a large crash the level below. That was going to leave some lasting damage. ‘Someone’s downstairs!’ You could hear the pairs of heavy boots going down to the second level. Good. Now you just needed to see how many assholes were there to carry out your attack. Making sure to keep a safe distance, you went into a crouching position behind a wall, whipping out your phone camera.

Two… Four… Five of them. You were pretty tall yourself but these guys had boulders for bodies. You were starting to think if this plan of yours was just straight up reckless. Before you could decide on your next move, a hand clamps on your shoulder, bringing you down. ‘What the-oomph! Shangqi!’ You gasp. ‘The hell you doing here?’

‘Saving your ass clearly! What were you thinking?’ Shangqi glances up to see the assailants before turning to look at you. ‘The boy’s safe. I managed to get him out. We can engage freely. But minimum damage please.’

You rolled my eyes at him, ‘Says the guy who caused a bus to be chopped in half.’

‘You know that wasn’t me!’ He hisses back. Ignoring the noise of indignation he made, you scanned the area again. It was as if higher beings were looking out for the two of you, only two of the assailants remained while the rest spread themselves out within the level. The both of you were thinking the same thing - you and him and to take down each assailant within record time to prevent any unwanted attention.

Signing to Shangqi, the both of you treaded carefully down the escalator, each taking a side of the walkway surrounding a store selling prams. You signaled to him using your fingers. On three, strike immediately. Three…two…one!

You launched at the unsuspecting man in front of you, knocking him off balance. Before he could react, I wrapped myself around his left leg, forearms surrounding his ankle in a tight grip. ‘Don’t move unless you want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life boy.’ The masked assailant whimpers, quickly taking of his mask. He was no more than 16. ‘Alright, I surrender! Please don’t hurt me!’

I stare hard at him. He reminds me to much of the kids that I volunteer with at the shelter. What is his story? ‘Fine, tell me who’s your boss and why is he making you do this?’

‘I swear, for real - I don’t know. All I know is that some guy in a suit and sunglasses came to me and my friends and offered us a heck load of cash if we help to pull of some heist.’

I turn to Shangqi as if hoping the had some answers which he did. Being an Avenger didn’t just consist of battling a genocidal titan. It also meant that they were spread out across the country, lending a hand to the local police. ‘It’s probably the local gangs crawling around Chinatown. They gets kids like them to do heist like these and use the money to fund illegal activities.’

‘What kind?’

‘You don’t want to know,’

‘What kind,’ I emphasized again, not taking no for an answer. If kids like the boy were in danger, there needed to be something done. Shangqi sighs, ‘Drug smuggling, prostitution, organ harvesting. This is just the tip of the iceberg.’

My blood ran cold. Grabbing a rope from the mannequin donned in sports climbing gear, I tied the boy to the metal grills. ‘Don’t try anything funny.’

The two us proceeded to follow the remaining assailants. My brain was in overdrive, full of rage. ‘Can’t believe such lowlifes are allowed to run around San Francisco freely,’ I muttered under my breath, ‘don’t try to stop me.’

Shangqi ascends the steps of the escalator together with me, ‘Who said anything about stopping? Just try not to kill them okay? We still need them for interrogation.’

‘Can’t promise you that.’

Exactly an hour later, the two of us are standing together with a rookie officer who was taking Shangqi’s statement. I keep my eyes on the entrance where first responders were wheeling out stretchers of the injured. I happen to see the little boy who gave me a small wave in thanks. At least my injured shoulder was worth it.

‘Fucking bitch!’ The last stretcher rolled out from the shopping mall with one of the assailants who was pointing furiously at me. ‘That bitch broke my ankle!’

I should have been shocked by the outburst and perhaps slightly embarrassed that tons of onlookers were staring at me. To my credit, it was the opposite - a mixture of satisfaction and annoyance at his behavior. My natural instincts were now controlling me. Striding towards his stretcher, I held a hand out to the medic to give me a minute before grabbing him by his bloodied shirt.

‘Listen here you piece of shit,’ I kept my voice low to prevent any onlookers from picking up on the situation but loud enough for Shangqi to hear. ‘I’m willing to break more than just your ankle for what you did to those kids. You better spill everything to the police before I break more than just your ankle.’ To send my point across, my eyes playfully roamed down his body. He definitely left on the ambulance traumatized.

‘Woah don’t burn me,’ Shangqi raises his hands playfully as he approaches me. ‘I don’t have to worry about you anymore huh?’

You rolled your eyes at him, ‘What can I say? I’m looking to outshine you one day!’

On cue, the same rookie officer bounds up to us, out of breath. ‘Mister uh-Shangqi, Miss Y/N, I just got another alert from my officer, there’s another attack in one of the financial buildings - we have reason to believe it’s the same group.’

We gave each other knowing looks. It was going to be a longer day than usual. ‘Well, the trip to the compound just got cancelled,’ Shangqi stretches his arms, as if gearing up for a boxing match.

‘Works for me, I have a lot to say to these assholes.’

‘Always jumping in head first huh?’

‘You know me too well!’

A/N: Wow! Legit came up with this during work hours so I’m not sure if my ending was ok? Hope you didn’t get bored reading up till here but if you did, thank you! It’s mid week and then I just have three more weeks left till this god damn placement ends. Until then, stay tuned!

#xu shangqi #shangqi x reader #shang chi #shang chi x reader

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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

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An Unexpected Friendship, But A Friendship Nonetheless

A Jason Todd and Harley Quinn One-Shot (Non-Reader Insert)

Word Count: 2K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

Author's Note: So I wrote this for @aurailia or @nitebirdie because she drew that wonderful Jason picture for me which you can find right here! I hope you like this, Jess! Love you! -Thorne

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Jason expected a lot of things.

1. Getting yelled at by Bruce for shooting serial murderers and rapists? Check.

2. Getting yelled at by Damian for calling him short? Check.

3. Getting yelled at by Tim for spray painting a billboard of him with penises? Check.

4. Getting yelled at by Dick for picking on his younger brothers? Check.

So really, it was getting yelled at by his family that he expected the most, but all things considered about his life, his expectations weren’t pretty high. He knew he was going to get hurt on patrol, knew was going to spend the rest of his life dealing with the chronic pain and learning how to manage it.

But the one thing Jason never expected, was to end up being friends with Harley Quinn.

And honest to God, the whole friendship only started because the psychiatrist they both went to accidentally scheduled them at the same time. A screw up. A monumental screw up. But it did lead to a revolutionary session where Jason and Harley spent most of their time badgering each other about their habits while the woman merely watched on and scribbled furiously at her notepad.

When they both left, they were in such a heated argument about which way would be better to deal with the Joker. Jason suggested a bullet in the head and Harley suggested cutting off his arms and legs. An excellent suggestion, he had to admit, but nothing would satisfy him more than killing the pasty bastard, and she knew that too.

Surprisingly, when Harley got to her bus stop, she grabbed the front collar of his shirt to keep him in place while she typed her number in his phone. Of course, Jason wasn’t sure what to be more concerned about: the fact that she’d lifted his phone without him knowing, or that she was putting her number in it and telling him to call her when he needed someone to talk to.

He’d responded that he didn’t need another shrink in his head.

She’d given him a pitied look and said it wasn’t for that, but for a friend.

And Jason wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but three weeks after, he was dialing her number at two A.M. just to hear someone’s voice over the deafening silence in his apartment.

They talked for hours about anything and everything. Cars, weapons, games, favorite childhood memories, everything they could think of. And by the time they’d finally talked until their tongues were numb, the sun had started peeking above the buildings in the distance.

He apologized for keeping her all night.

Harley laughed and asked to hang out on patrol come Friday night then hung up.

Jason hadn’t even told her who he was, but low and behold she was doing cartwheels on the roof of the building he was looking out on that night. And it should’ve annoyed him but hell, he’d grown up with Dick—gymnastics was something he was used to being around.

Halfway through their stakeout, she was perched on the side of the ledge, staring at the side of his head, and it shouldn’t’ve unnerved him like it did, but there was something about her bright blue eyes drilling into his brain that made his skin crawl—and not in the good way.

Will you stop boring holes in me, Quinn? He’d grunted. Pay attention.

Why? She’d retorted. Aren’t you tired of doing this? Don’t you wanna go do something fun?

Stopping drug dealers is good for Gotham.

I’m not talking about good for Gotham, Jason. I’m talking about for you.

Harley hauled him up and tugged him along, him barely resisting because good God she was relentless and headstrong when she put her mind to something. So, he let her. And she dragged him to the Bat-Burger down the block and shoved a roll of money towards the cashier, ordering one of everything on the menu.

And Jason found it really odd when he was balancing two trays in his hands while Harley carried the milkshakes over to the booth in the corner where they huddled in and started eating.

She held up a packet in between her fingers. Want some Jokerized seasoning?

He blinked at her and gently took it, sprinkling the red, white, and green flakes over his fries. And he wasn’t offended when she reached over and took one, popping it in her mouth.

It’s terrible to say it, but God I love this shit. She laughed and Jason’s jaw dropped.

I know! He agreed with a grin. I can’t help it! It’s so good!

Her eyes had narrowed at that. You should smile more, Jason. You look normal when you do.

Normal? He repeated.

You look happy. And that’s what you should strive for. She finalized and took the Robin Nuggets from his tray, grinning when he let out a noise of complaint.

When they could finally move after consuming so much food, she tugged him along to the department store that had closed hours before and while Jason wasn’t one to ever care about breaking and entering, he did have a problem with property that wasn’t a center for criminal activity.

Don’t be a baby. She griped and slipped in though one of the vents and Jason merely stared at the opening before he heard her yell to him. Get a move on! We have stuff to do!

Begrudgingly, he squeezed himself into the way too small vent and shimmied after her.

And Harley Quinn must’ve been planning this for a while because when his feet finally hit the floor, he watched as she started disabling security cameras and alarms in the entire building before spinning around and grinning at him.

Mall’s ours. Let’s get it. And she was off.

Bruce was not going to be happy about this but watching her swing that electrified bat at the glass windows, watching them shatter into millions of shards stirred up something devious in him and Harley was cackling when he broke a window with an armored elbow and yanked out the mannequin, tugging the black leather jacket off before shrugging it on.

He posed with his shoulders squared and strong and she clapped her hands. Looks good! Wanna go hit one of the jewelry stores and find some silver earrings to go with it?

Jason nodded and somehow Harley ended up piggybacking on him, giggling profusely when he started belting out Queen at the top of his lungs; she even joined when they got to the operatics.

And somehow, he let her convince him to go and help her raid the major makeup store in the mall. Harley managed to fill three backpacks full of lipsticks, foundations, eye-shadows, and a whole lotta other shit that Jason had no idea what they were for.

How much money do you think all that is? He inquired and she shrugged.

Probably a grand? Maybe two if I’m being honest. This place is a money-sucking-makeup-hog and I’ll be damned if I’m paying a hundred bucks for one set of lipstick and eyeliner.

She turned to him. Anywhere you wanna go? There’s a map out there if you wanna go look.

Jason nodded and walked out of the store while she was busy filling whatever belt pocket wasn’t empty.

After a few minutes, he heard, Found anywhere?

He pointed silently at one of the stores on the brightened map and she squinted, looking it over.

You wanna go there?

Wouldn’t’ve suggested it if I didn’t.

She shrugged and piggybacked him again. Lead the way, Jason.

He hated that the elevators had been out, and while he hadn’t broken a sweat carrying Harley up three flights of immovable stairs, his knees and his back were killing him when they finally got to the store.

He started wandering inside but stopped when she tossed him a duffel bag.

Fill it up with everything you want.

Jason tried to smile but could only manage a grimace as he stepped in and started going up and down the aisles. He wasn’t too picky with his choosing. Books that looked like they’d help manage his pain he shoved in the duffel bag. An electric pulsing gel pad went in too followed by a vibrating roller he could stretch his muscles on.

He was flipping through a book geared towards mindful chronic pain management when he felt her slide next to him.

Finding everything alright?

Mostly…this one is all about conditioning the mind to work with the pain.

Sounds useful. Meditation and mindfulness have been known to work. It’s really all about placebo-ing your mind into it. She looked at him. Jason, do you ever think about going to a physical therapist?

He scoffed. I already go see a shrink. Why would I go see another doctor?

Because your mind is one thing, and your body is another. Her hand was cool when she placed it on his arm. Jason, if you’re in pain, there are people who can help you.

He really wanted to be snarky but all he could do was glare at her. And what about you? Do you go see a doctor for all the things he did to you too?

Harley gazed at him for a long time before answering him firmly. I will if you do. Or… she started, then trailed off and picked up a few books on physical therapy. You can come to the apartment that Ivy and I live in and we can do it together.

And Jason blinked in shock because he’d never met a person who would agree to do something for themselves if he did something for himself, an agreement for dual help.

You’d really do that for me? For you too?

Harley smiled, big and pearly white, red lipstick a bit smeared in the corner from their meal earlier.

We’re both screwed up cause of what he did, Jason. But here’s where we’re different from everyone else.She linked her arm with his, leaned close and murmured. We’re not going to stew in it while healing is in our futures.

You know we’ll never be one hundred percent fixed, right?

It’s not about fixing, Jason. It’s about healing. Healing doesn’t mean you’re fixed. Memories, pain, it’ll always be there and no amount of management for pain or therapy is going to fix that.

She stared up at him. But it will remind you that you’re still you. Even if there’s a few broken pieces here and there. And no one can take that from you. Not even him.

Jason’s lungs were too tight to form words and his eyes stung horribly but he managed to swallow the lump enough to choke out his reply. You’re alright, Harley.

Smiling, she pressed her cheek into his bicep. Call me Harleen, Jason.

Not Harley?

No, not Harley. I only let the ones I care about call me Harleen.

Does this mean we’re friends then?

Oh, this absolutely means we’re friends now. Best friends, in fact. She tugged at his arm. And I think there’s a Wayne Enterprises outlet somewhere in here and I think we should leave Brucie boy a message.

Jason laughed and wiped his eyes, hurrying after her. Can we spray paint dicks everywhere?

Only if I can spray paint boobs.

You’ve got yourself a deal, Harleen.

Jason expected a lot in his life. To be yelled at by his family for being a pain-in-the-ass son and brother, to be injured on the job, to see a therapist every Tuesday and Thursday, to call his family every night to tell them he loved them.

But the one thing he never expected, was to find one of the greatest friends he’d ever had in a woman he had once been on opposite sides with.

He also didn’t expect Batman to come through the window of the outlet in the middle of their spray painting but that’s another story for another time.

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wynniewright · 3 years

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Secret Santa (Drabble)

→ This piece is a part of the Secret Santa event hosted by @bwcsecretsanta and was created for @n8dlesoupguk

→ Rating: PG-13

→ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

→ WC: 2.4k

→ Genre: secret santa au

→ Summary: When you pick Yoongi’s name for the dreaded secret santa event at work, things didn’t go exactly as you expected them to.

→ Warnings: much fluff, some mild vulgar language (I tried very hard not to use the f word)

AN: Okay, it’s 4am and I don’t have the mental capacity to do tags and the proper set-up into the story so I did the absolute bare minimum until I’m awake and actually able to process what the hell is going on. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, it’s a secret santa piece for my dear @n8dlesoupguk. I’m sorry this piece took so long to get out but I hope you enjoy it, even if it is a little on the drabble side. Thank you for letting me be your secret santa and I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.~ <3

PS: Sorry I forced you to wait until the last possible moment and thank you for your patience love!

It’s official. You were officially the worst secret santa in the history of secret santas and honestly, even that was giving yourself too much credit. You could barely call yourself a secret santa. The qualifications were somewhat loose, being that all you had to do was fill in a gift card for your own secret santa to receive while you received one from a co-worker.

If you were honest with yourself, you wouldn’t have even signed up if you didn’t think your manager, Seokjin, wasn’t looking over your shoulder. Sure, he said it was optional, but you were looking forward to a promotion to serving role so that you didn’t have to bus tables anymore. If getting on Jin’s good side meant you had to participate in some cheesy holiday event for work then that’s exactly what you were going to do.

You couldn’t even blame your poor time management skills on your strict manager, since he specifically told every staff member the rules:

Gifts cannot go oer the $30 budget

Gifts must be ready for the exchange on the morning of the 24th

That was easy enough, right? Whoever’s name you pulled, you could’ve gotten away with buying them a candle or maybe some fuzzy socks and a sheet mask. It was supposed to be easy. But instead of ease, panic set in the moment you opened your locker and realized whose secret santa you were.

Min Yoongi.

Out of the twenty-something other employees at the restaurant, you managed to pick THE Min Yoongi. How? You wished you knew.

Pulling his name from the hat wasn’t horrible because it was him, in fact, if you actually cared about the work festivities, you would’ve jumped for joy and screeched into your pillow the moment you got home. But you didn’t care about the exchange and had no plans to put any thought into a personalized gift for the recipient. Hell, by the time you actually bothered to take a peek at the name was nearly 72 hours before the exchange. That’s exactly why you were at the mall before your shift, less than 24 hours until the gift exchange in front of the other staff, in search for a suitable gift for the cute boy.

No pressure, right?

You tossed out your idea of fuzzy socks and body care products and immediately headed to the mom-and-pop candle store in search of fall-scented candles. There should’ve been more space for additional details because, c’mon, how many fall candles existed? Since it was the day before Christmas Eve, you expected to have plenty of options with fall scents - but not as many as there were.

It was understatement to say that there were plenty of options when the entire store was just one massive cloud of the perfect holiday fragrances, cinnamon and apple wafting right out the doors and flooding your nostrils before you even stepped into the place.

It took a whole hour for you to test all of the scents, a bulk of the time wasted on debating whether or not Yoongi was the Christmas cookie type, or if he’d like Apple Pumpkin or even Holiday Hearth, whatever that was. After the first 10 minutes of sniffing, all the candles started to blend together and smell the same as the one before it, leaving you defeated.

Shortly after leaving, there was a brief moment where you thought about checking out another store for some candles, but considering your nose was fried with all those powerful scents, you didn’t think you could sniff another freaking candle without losing your sense of smell. Perhaps the beanie on his list would’ve been an easier find.

Boy, were you wrong.

After shopping at three different department stores, you came to the conclusion that trying to find a beanie during the peak of the winter season was an even worse idea than the candles. You knew better than to waste time looking for one of the most popular items for the season so you weren’t sure why it was a shock to you when you couldn’t get your hands on one. The last item on his wishlist was sour watermelon gummies and although those sounded like a decent idea for a multi-item gift, there was no way you would give him a $30 bag of candy.

With slumped shoulders and a pout, you decided to head into Guitar Center with less than a half an hour until the start of your shift. You didn’t know what to look for, only that you needed to find something budget-friendly that Yoongi would definitely take a liking to. The only possible solution was to give him a sad $30 gift card and call it a day, huffing your way across the mall to where the restaurant was located on the other side.

Technically, a gift card to Guitar Center was the perfect gift for Yoongi. There was a level of passion in which Yoongi spoke about his instruments, talking about music as if it were alive. That’s exactly why you couldn’t screw up the gift by getting him a gift card, right? Even if it was $30, that money could’ve gone towards something he wanted to buy in the future and even if it wasn’t much, you were sure he would still love it.

With a little newfound confidence, you strode through the open doorway and greeted your longtime friend, Jeongguk who stood behind the host desk, scribbling onto something you couldn’t see.

“Hey, Gukie,” you offered a friendly wave, catching his friendly grin and returning it with one of your own.

“Y/N! I can’t believe you came in today,” he said, maneuvering his way around the desk to wrap his arms tightly around your shoulders. “Did you manage to find something good?” He whispered in your ear and you couldn’t help the sigh that pressed through your lips.

You grumbled, “I got him a gift card?”

His almond eyes rounded out, widening as if you had another head sprouting from your shoulder. “You totally forgot rule three.”

“Rule three?”

You thought back to Jin giving everyone a mini lecture on what was allowed to be given as a gift, running through rules one and two but ultimately coming to a blank.

Jeongguk brushed his lean fingers through his perfectly styled hair, causing some strands to fall in his face before he ruffled the locks in the back. “Rule number three, no gift cards or restaurant merch.” He deadpanned.

The moment those words left his lips, your mind flashed back to your manager saying those exact words and nearly lost your shit right as Yoongi and one of his best pals, Hoseok, strolled on in.

“Are you fu-”

“-oh, hey, Y/N.” Yoongi flashed his signature gummy smile, reserved but enough to break some hearts as they stopped right by the two of you.

Your heart sank with the realization that you somehow managed to become an even worse secret santa than you managed before, which honestly would be an achievement for you if it wasn’t for the fact that Min-freaking-Yoongi was going to the one disappointed in you.

“Hey, Yoongi,” you gave a half-hearted wave, trying your best to put on a smile while knowing full-well that it was flat and obviously painful. He passed by after a quick “it’s nice to see you again” and headed to the lockers in the back.

Jeongguk watched the interaction and kept looking between the two of you as Yoongi walked further away, letting out a short whistle with a shake of his head.

“You, my friend, are absolutely screwed.”

-----

You didn’t know exactly what you were thinking. A gift card? A freaking gift card? Seriously, how lame is that? People probably wrote poems about their recipient, shopped tirelessly for their favorite things until they were sure they were going to give the best gift a secret santa could give and there you were with a tiny, half-assed gift card that didn’t amount to anything nearly important enough and hoping that would suffice.

You were disappointed in yourself. Sure, maybe time slipped by a bit too fast and left you with the last possible moment. Perhaps you could have blamed the sudden incline in hours after an excellent food critique brought an even larger crowd, telling him that’s why you didn’t have time to get something - anything - better. But that was just it. You couldn’t tell Yoongi that you didn’t care enough to buy a gift for anyone until you realized it was him. No way.

Feeling badly about the decision to get him a gift card, you managed to find a pair of fuzzy black socks - even though the color he put for his favorite was green but you knew that a majority of his closet was black - and a small, autumn-scented candle that anyone would enjoy with it’s subtle flair. You stuck those in the bag with the gift card, ultimately choosing to give both gifts despite them collectively doubling the budget.

To say that nerves were getting to you wasn’t even the half of it. Your leg wouldn’t stop bouncing as each person around the circle was called to stand up and find the receiver of their gifts to hand them their early Christmas presents. The closer it got to you, the worse the bounding became, practically jumping up and down with every pull of your leg until you smacked it against your neighbor when they returned to their seat after their exchange.

“Alright, next is Y/N,” Seokjin clapped happily. You wished his positivity would’ve rubbed off on you and given you the strength to look Yoongi in the eye and hand him the monstrosity of a gift that you gave him.

You pushed yourself up from the chair and and walked over to the other side, knees wobbling and hands growing slick as you neared Yoongi’s seat. With a deep breath, you extended the small bag his way and immediately ducked your head down when he took it, flying back to your seat on the opposite side and avoiding his gaze.

It felt like hours going through everyone’s secret santa gift and you were too happy when Seokjin didn’t require us to open our presents in front of everyone. Presents were personal, right? Nobody wants to be exposed like that.

You would’ve dipped on out of there as soon as the gift exchange ended but the nagging guilt forced you to make your way over to where Yoongi and Jeongguk were casually chatting. When you reached them, they both looked up at you with each of their own expressions: Yoongi’s eyes were dark yet curious as to what you wanted whereas Jeongguk knew exactly what was about to go down.

“I’m actually going to catch Syd before she leaves. I’ll be right back,” he excused himself and made his exit, turning around the moment he was behind Yoongi to give you a supportive thumbs up.

“Ah, right. I wanted to thank you for your gift, by the way. I really like the candle and I’m kinda digging the fuzzy socks so thanks.” Yoongi flicked his head to the side, pushing his dark hair out of his face as he smiled that heart-melting smile.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.” You nibbled on your lip.

How were you supposed to go about this? Was it something you had to sort of dance around and hope he’d understand or something you have to tell straight up? While neither answer seemed desirable, there was nothing more terrifying than the thought of having to say, “I bought you what I was going to buy for anyone else that was my secret santa”.

“The gifts?” Yoongi raised a brow, no doubt confused with the way you were taking things.

“Yeah,” you puffed out. “Is there any way I could give you something else? I was the worst and I waited to go shopping and the things on your list weren’t available no matter where I looked. I would say I tried but I don’t even feel like I did… I’m so sorry for being so stupid, I can’t believe I actually got you th-”.

“-I don’t want anything else, though. I already have more than enough.” He stuck his lip out, his cheeks puffing out as if he were a child being rejected for some sweets.

“I don’t think you understand. I really messed this up and I’m so embarrassed,” you pushed further, lowering your head into your hands with a groan.

Yoongi was silent, thoughtfully watching you have a meltdown in your seat as he contemplated his next response. “And if I said there was something?” He asked.

“It’s yours.”

In a blink of an eye, Yoongi closed the space between the two of you, lips crashing into yours in a gentle yet exploratory kiss. Fireworks shot off somewhere in the back of your mind as you shut your eyes and grazed his cheek with your thumb. The kiss didn’t last nearly as long as you wanted it to, but it took your breath away regardless. The last of him still lingered on your lips as you opened your eyes, cheeks flushed and eyes wide as you took in the situation.

Min Yoongi just kissed you.

THE Min Yoongi just kissed YOU.

“What was that for?” you murmured under your breath, almost as if you wanted an answer but didn’t even want him to hear the question.

He hummed, a playful glint in his eye as he gave a shrug. “You said I could have something I wanted in return. That’s what I wanted.”

His words warmed your heart and turned you into a giggling mess, leaving you hiding behind your purse with nothing but your eyes peeking over the top.

“You’re serious? You’re not serious, no way.” You spoke half to yourself and half to him, still processing the feeling of his soft lips against yours.

“I’m serious. In fact, if you want to go even further to make it up to me, let me take you to dinner next Friday.” He stuck out a hand between your two bodies, the offer laying right there in front of you while you still couldn’t believe what was happening.

You gripped his hand as quickly as possible and bounced in your seat, beaming with excitement as he matched your enthusiasm. “Yes! I mean,” you coughed. “Absolutely, yes. I’d love to.” You grinned.

Little did you know that being the worst secret santa in history would lead you to give Min Yoongi exactly what he wished for: you.

#bwcssy2 #@btsbookclub #bangtanhq #ksmutclub #ficswithluv #bangtanuniversity #bts drabble #fluff #yoongi fluff #secret santa au

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justlightlysedated · 4 years

Text

another band au:

Michael gets to Liz’s five minutes before the party is officially supposed to start, and Rosa is walking out of the apartment building, holding the door open with her foot when she spots Michael so that he doesn’t have to be buzzed in.

“Aren’t you late?” He asks, looking down at his watch.

She rolls her eyes at him, and pushes away from the door making him have to scramble forward to stop it from closing.

“We don’t play until the basement is full,” she says. “Liz is still getting ready.”

There is a loud beeping sound, and when Michael turns it’s to see a blonde hanging out of the passenger window of a van.”¡Ándale, Rosita! We don’t want to keep our fans waiting!”

Rosa rolls her eyes again while she bounds down the steps not paying attention to Michael anymore.

“Llamame Rosita otra vez y te voy a arrancar la lengua de la boca,” she says with a smile, sounding extremely sweet while she drags the side of the van open and gets inside.

The blond who has to be either Cameron or Alex, the members of the band that Rosa joined a few months ago, who he knows Liz hasn’t even met yet, like Rosa is keeping them and the band a secret, just flutters her eyelashes in exaggeration. “Oh I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

Rosa slides the door shut, and the van is squealing away before the blonde can even get back in her seat properly.

Michael just shakes his head and walks into the apartment building, heading up the three flights of stairs that will lead him down the hall to Liz’s place.

The door is propped open when he gets there, and he can hear the sounds of salsa coming from the kitchen, and Mr. O’s singing as he moves around.

He walks in without announcing his presence, and Mr. O waves at him from the stove as he makes his way through the living room and down the hall to the room that Liz shares with Rosa.

He doesn’t knock as he enters the room to find Liz lying flat on the bed, trying to button her skinny jeans.

He kicks the door closed and grabs the guitar propped against the desk, before he sits down on the rickety computer chair that rolls back with his weight, hitting the desk.

He settles the guitar on his lap, and is about to tune it when Liz jumps to her feet, bouncing in place a little to stretch the pants out.

“I hate it when Papi washes my jeans,” she says, turning to face him, and then making a low noise.

“Oh no,” she says, and Michael looks up at her to see that she’s eyeing his outfit.

“What?” he asks, feeling a little self conscious.

It’s not like the fact that he’s a foster kid, who aged out in the system, and is right now living in a cheap rundown apartment on the bad side of town, is a big secret. Liz has known him since they were both in preschool. She was there when he lost his mom, and it was because of her and the Ortechos being his emotional support system that the state department decided to put him in homes that were always close by.

He’d worn his best pants, the ones without any holes in them, that were still slightly worn in the knees and the hem and a faded blue plaid shirt over one of his plain white undershirts.

“We’re going to a party Mikey, not the mall!”

Michael makes a face at that. “I’m not going to dress up like Rosa.”

Liz rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to look like Rosa. You just have to dress like you actually go to shows. And right now you look, wholesome and nice.”

Michael makes another face at that.

He lets Liz bully him into her closet, and then lets her bully him out of his clothes and into a pair of skinny jeans that don't clear his ankles since he fits in her jeans since his ass isn't as big as hers, but Liz is the shortest person that he knows. She throws a pair of boots at him, and a tight black shirt, and just rolls her eyes, when he pulls the blue plaid shirt over it.

"Now," she says and turns around holding a brush and a straightener like a weapon. "Your hair."

"No fucking way," Michael says, moving backwards towards the door. "We don't have the time. And anyway, I'd rather die first."

Michael raises a hand to his hair, and pushes the curls falling over his forehead back, only for them to fall back into place.

If Michael's apartment caught fire (which seems likely to happen on a good day) there were two things that he would take with him when he went, his laptop and the bag where he keeps all the products he uses to keep his hair shiny and bouncy and soft.

"One day," she says, brandishing the straightener threateningly.

"When hell freezes over," he replies.

She's been trying to get him to straighten his hair since she bought the thing since Rosa won't let her play guinea pig, and Michael would do a lot of things for love, but he won't do that.

"Fine," she says, pouting. "How about some eyeliner?"

She turns to her dresser to put the brush and straightener down, and Michael is about to tell her that he doesn't think he trusts her with any pointy object in the near vicinity of his eyes when her phone rings.

Michael grabs it from the desk to see Rosa's name on the display.

He answers, and she doesn't even let him say hello before she's speaking.

"I need a favor," she says, in a rush, sounding a little nervous. "I left my lucky necklace in the bathroom and I need it."

Michael doesn't tease her like he wants to because this is her first show, and he's terrified of speaking in front of his class, he can't imagine how he would feel if he was in her place.

“We got it,” he tells her, and Rosa breathes out in relief.

“Ándale entonces,” she says, sounding like herself again. “The basement is almost full. There might be no space for you.”

Michael rolls his eyes and hangs up the phone.

“Rosa left a necklace in the bathroom that she needs, and we definitely don’t have time for that,” he says, signaling towards the eyeliner with the phone.

Liz just rolls her eyes and reaches for her phone before turning back towards her dresser and dropping the eyeliner.

“Fine,” she says and sighs all over-exaggerated. “I was just trying to help you.”

Michael furrows his brow, “Help me with what?”

Liz gives him a look, “You’ve been moping for weeks, and a little birdie told me that She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to be there, so I was thinking that you need to look super hot so she knows exactly what she’s missing out on.”

“I broke up with her, remember?” Michael says, but Liz is walking out of the room, not listening as she keeps talking.

“And if you happened to get laid as a result then, that’s an added bonus. You’ve been really tense.”

“I have not,” Michael protests following after Liz as she ducks into the bathroom.

“You really have, mi’jo,” Mr. O says in passing as he walks down the hall to his room.

Michael tries not to get too embarrassed about the fact that Mr. O knows too much about his sex life thanks to Elizabeth “I tell my Papi everything” Ortecho.

Liz pushes him backwards before he can walk into the bathroom, stuffing the necklace into the back pocket of her jeans.

--they go to the party and michael forgets all about the fact that his ex might be there when he sees the lead singer of the band rosa is in, which is called, project shepherd

--they’re introduced to each other and he becomes obsessed, and can’t stop thinking about him

--the next friday while waiting for Liz at the bus stop so they can walk to his place and study, he sees alex walking into the record store, he barely hesitates to stalk after him, and figures out that alex works there and he buys a CD as an excuse and asks Alex if he would give him some pointers on the guitar, and Alex seems confused with the attention, but he tells Michael that he would love to help him with the guitar, and he only leaves when Liz calls him to ask him where he is

--there is another party, but he sees alex completely seemingly besotted with the singer of this other punk band, and he thinks that they’re dating, and when he asks rosa about the guy, she tells him that he’s Alex’s BF

--he goes upstairs to avoid the party, since he doesn’t really party, and he doesn’t know whose house it is, but he sneaks into a room where no one is having sex, and sits down right by the bed on the scratchy carpet with a sketchpad and a pencil, drawing

--Alex appears and they talk about his drawing, Michael wants to mention the boyfriend, but Alex takes out a joint from his pocket and they smoke, and end up making out until Cameron finds them, she doesn’t look surprised, so Michael assumes that Alex probably makes out with other guys behind his boyfriend’s back all the time, and it leaves him feeling weird

--Michael tries to avoid him, but Alex is suddenly everywhere, and even shows up at Michael’s apartment, and every time, Michael tries to resist him, and Alex manages to catch him off guard, he realizes that he’s in love with him, so he goes off and gets drunk, and ends up having drunk sex with his ex that turns into a whole thing where she keeps calling him and won’t leave him alone

--at the next party, she’s there, and kisses him right in front of Alex, who gets upset and leaves the party, Michael goes after him and they argue, and when Michael throws Forrest in his face, Alex asks him if he really thinks that he’s the type of person who would go around kissing someone behind his boyfriend’s back, and Michael says that he wouldn’t know, since they don’t really know each other, and Alex says and now they never will and leaves him feeling confused

--Michael talks to Rosa who calls him an idiot and says that by BF she meant best friend. “Why didn’t you just say that?” “Why didn’t you just ask for clarification?”

--Michael tries to make it up to Alex, but Alex refuses to even talk to him and even ignores him completely to go off with some other punk guy who looks like he’s the perfect person for Alex, Forrest is the one who tells him that even though Alex is all shy and shit, he would go completely nuts over something over the top

--Michael decides to sing a song for Alex, he even tries to get his hair dyed and straightened and look more like the kind of person that Alex would like, but it comes out bad so he just ends up with a hat on his head and his guitar in his hands and he gives a speech apologizing and Alex is there, but by the time Michael finishes the song, he’s gone

--the next morning, there is a knock on his door and it’s Alex, they talk and when Alex asks him about the bandana tied around his head, Michael shows him, and Alex just drags him to the bathroom and into the shower fully clothed, and washes his hair, the dye running down his arms, and tells Michael that he likes him for him, and they kiss in the shower with the water running down their faces

--ends with another party, Alex announces the last song saying his awesome boyfriend wrote it for him, Michael’s smile can be seen from space

#malexunfinishedfics #another fic for christi #all of my band aus are automatically for christi tbh

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hopeless-lovex0 · 5 years

Text

I HAVE A DREAM ( PART 4 )

Kim Hongjoong Fanfic

Warning: Angst. Cheating. Heartbreak. Cursing. Fluff.

Song for this chapter: Put it Straight by (G)I-DLE

Here is part 4 of I Have A Dream 🥳 Song for this chapter can be played towards the end. Stan (G)I-DLE and ATEEZ for clear sking and good grades 🤩

Morning After....

She woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside her bedroom window, the sound resonating around her quiet apartment. Next thing she noticed was the rays of sunlight coming in through her curtains, lighting up the dark room.

She laid there basking in the warmth that the sun was providing for her. She thanked the heavens that it was no longer raining, the gloomy weather always got her in a bad mood.

She waited a couple more minutes before finally opening her eyes, only for her to shut them close again. She was positioned right in front of the window so the sun hit her directly in the eyes making her squint. She rolled to the other side of the bed, this time finally being able to open her eyes properly and scan the room around her.

She noticed right away the extra person missing from beside her, his side of the bed gotten cold from the missing heat his body would radiate. She figured he left last night after their activities, not wanting to wake her nor talk to her.

She wasn’t hurt, of course she wasn’t. This wasn’t a love relationship, she didn’t love him and he didn’t love her. This was just a simple sex correlation that they had agreed too and she would be damned if she even thought about catching feelings.

At first, she wondered how it would feel like, to have him wrapped up in her embrace. To lay in bed together watching a movie only to forget it halfway and talk about their feeling and their dreams. She pictured herself cooking him food and feeling his warmth as he snacked his hands around her stomach hugging her from behind. She tried to picture herself loving him and him loving her back, but she wouldn’t.

Not because it was the wrong thing to do but because it was the right thing to do. She didn’t love him that much she knew, but she did love Y/N and just thinking about her made her forget all those thoughts. Thoughts that weren’t supposed to be there to begin with.

She remembers the first time she let her lust clouded mind speak for her. Leading her towards Y/N’s apartment that night she was gone. She was desperate for some action, having been single for quite a long time, and the only guy close enough to give it to her was him.

Looking back she curses herself for even thinking about him. She doesn’t know why she didn’t just go to a club and pick up a one night stand. Someone who she could easily use then get ride off, saving her from this mess that she had created. She wishes she had better self-control, a department she clearly lacked on and she wished she would have stopped after the first time but at the same time it was exhilarating.

She wanted to stop but the thought of it being forbidden drove her into wanting it more till it lead her to now. Sitting up on her bed post-orgasm she noticed how sore and sticky her legs felt. She cringed in disgust, knowing that she fell asleep in her own body fluids made her feel extremely dirty.

Swinging her legs off the bed she glanced at her left side table where her clock was placed along with a framed picture. She gazed at the picture noticing how happy she was in that picture along with Y/N. She knew what was going to happen after this, she just didn’t know how severely the consequences would be. With a deep sigh, she noticed that she woke up 30 minutes earlier than intended, having extra time to take a shower and get ready for work where she’ll have to face Y/N as if nothing was wrong.

Walking toward the bathroom located in her room she turned on the showerhead, making sure that the water was the right temperature for her. Facing the sink she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste before finally stepping into the tub and letting the water wash away all of last night's activities.

She made sure to be extra careful while washing her inner thighs, having been gripped rather roughly by Hongjoong last night. Washing her hair and then brushing her teeth she gave herself a final wash down before finally turning off the shower and stepping out. She snatched the towel next to the tub using it to run it through her hair then pat her body down. Letting the towel drop to the floor she walked back towards her room and into her walk-in closet, where she opened the doors and took out undergarments and clothing to wear for the day.

She got dressed rather quickly wanting to make sure she had enough time to eat breakfast at the mall, her mouth salivating at the thought of a cinnamon bun. Hoping into her light wash mom jeans and throwing on a simple white tee she sat at her vanity where she rummaged through it to look for her bb cream.

Ji Woo knows she isn’t ugly, she was blessed with clear skin and small plump lips but she still preferred to wear makeup, convincing herself that it enhanced all of her good features. Grabbing her brush she made sure that none of the bb cream was left unblended before finally taking a soft pink lipstick and putting it on her lips. Applying other small finishing touches she was finally satisfied with her look of the day and got up to grab her things.

She exited her bedroom and walked towards the living room where she saw all of her clothes scattered around from last night. She looked at it for a couple seconds before decided that she would just pick it up when she got back from work. She walked towards the door and grabbed her purse that was placed on the little side table next to the door. She made sure that she had her name tag as well as her wallet and phone that she would probably charge at work since she forgot to do it last night.

With all of her things in hand, she took her coat from the hanger beside her and opened her door double checking she had everything before finally exiting her apartment and locking the door behind her. The ride in the elevator and her exiting the apartment building was all a blur to her, having been stuck thinking about Y/N and Hongjoong. Mainly Y/N as she was the one who she knew would be affected more by her actions. Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts she walked towards the bus stop located at the end of the street, arriving in it and sitting down on the empty bench.

She rummaged through her bag and took out her phone checking to see if it still had any battery left and internally cheering when she saw that she had 38%. It was enough for her to be able to listen to music and with that, she took out her headphones and plugged them into her phone clicking on Spotify and hitting shuffle on a random playlist. Looking down the road she spotted the bus coming towards her and she quickly stood up and took out her fare card reminding herself to put more money in it later on.

She patiently waited for the bus to stop in front of her and once it did she walked up the small stairs and greeted the driver, making sure to pay her fare then making her way towards the back where she took the seat closest to the window and sat down.

She noticed how empty the bus was, having only 2 people and herself in it, she figured it was because of how early in the morning it was before finally turning towards the window and watching the streets go by. She watched various store owners opening up their shops for the day and how businesses man and women ran towards the train station not wanting to be late for their shifts. She slowly got stuck in her thoughts, the music and scenery causing her mind to drift to various places, one being the very same reason as to why she was where she was today.

She owned everything to Y/N. Ever since high school were they met, Y/N always had her back; protecting her from the mean girls and saving her from the local fuck boy in their school. They did everything together and still continued to do so to that very day, she was the reason as to why she had her recent job.

Y/N worked in a popular clothing store located at the mall. She told Ji Woo about the position they were currently hiring for and even talked about her to the manager and with that Ji Woo was able to gain a spot in the store. She was extremely thankful, she didn’t have to do all those things for her but she did without fail and she honestly didn’t how she would react once Hongjoong told her.

She wouldn’t drop all those years of friendship, would she? They had been through so much together it would break her heart to pieces if Y/N decided to stop their friendship. She knew how selfish it was of her to think that she would still be with her after all she’d done, she often prayed that at least they could still salvage what was left of their friendship after the news struck. She didn’t know how wrong she would be.

Snapping back out of her thoughts she realized that she had been messing around with the necklace she had on. It was a friendship necklace her and Y/N had gotten on their first Christmas together, promising themselves that they would always be friends. Signing to herself she dropped the necklace from her hand before she noticed that she had arrived at her stop in front of the mall. Quickly getting up she bid farewell to the driver and hopped off the bus walking inside and going towards the food court located on the first floor.

She passed multiple food establishments before she finally spotting the one she was looking for. A small bakery was placed towards the back of the court, being hidden behind all the other food places. She stopped in front of the small counter and waited for the little old lady in front to notice her. She was finally spotted as the old lady turned around to place freshly baked cookies in the front display, where various other pastries laid waiting to be eaten.

Ji Woo smiles at the old lady before finally ordering two cinnamon buns and two iced caramel coffees making sure to buy some for Y/N. She made small talk with the old lady before finally receiving her order and paying for it quickly, walking away and telling the old lady to keep the change over her shoulder.

She walked towards the escalator and walked herself towards the second floor where she located the store she and Y/N worked in. Arriving at the store she quickly walked towards the backroom to put the breakfast down on the table to clock in. She opened up her bag and began rummaging through it before finally finding her name tag and pinning it on her shirt, making sure her hair wasn’t covering it.

Walking out the backroom she scanned the room around her to locate Y/N but instead of finding her she found Soo Ah.

Soo ah was one of the other girls that worked in the store and she would usually take shifts for girls who couldn’t make it or had an emergency, it wasn’t unusual for her to be there but she knew something was up when she saw her.

Y/N never missed a shift, she was practically the manager of the store, running around and solving customers problems better than the actual manager. If she wasn’t there then the store wouldn’t run smoothly that day and Y/N knew that so without fail Y/N made sure she was always present for her shift in the morning. Not having her there meant that something had happened and Ji Woo prayed that it had nothing to do with her and Hongjoong.

Calling out to Soo Ah she waved at her to come towards her and waited to speak to her till she was directly in front. “ What happened to Y/N? Why are you here? Did something happen to her ?!” Ji Woo fires at Soo Ah rapidly asking various questions at once while gripping her hands waiting for Soo Ah to answer her back.

“ You didn’t hear?” Gasped out Soo Ah looking at Ji Woo as if she had grown an extra head. Ji Woo stared at her, rapidly shaking her head before encouraging Soo Ah to continue talking. Looking around Soo Ah stepped closer to her and looked directly into her eyes scaring her from how serious she was being.

“ Y/N... quit last night. She called the store yesterday around 8:30 asking for the manager. She sounded like she had been crying.” Soo Ah said as she looked around again as if she was afraid someone would hear her but it was only her and Ji Woo in the front of the store, the manager being in the back office. Ji Woo opened her mouth to speak before Soo Ah beat her to it “ Her and the manager were speaking for a long time, and after a while he came out looking frustrated and sad.” She said while biting her bottom lip, as if she knew why the manager was sad and Ji Woo knew that she knew so she asked her.

“ He said that Y/N requested for her final check to be deposited into her account and then said she was quitting. Something to do with a family member and having to be there for them. Basically a family emergency from what I got, so he asked me to take her shifts from now on so Hi working buddy!” Soo Ah said finishing up with a bright smile towards the end of her little rambling.

Ji Woo paid her no mind as she quickly turned around and ran towards the back room. She snatched her purse from the locker she had placed it in and took out her phone turning it on before clicking on her contact list.

She cursed as she heard beeping from the other line letting her know that Y/N’s phone was currently off. She tried calling her a couple more times before giving up and throwing her phone in her purse rushing to sling it over her shoulder and running out the room.

“ I have to visit Y/N, I think something is wrong and I need to make sure she’s alright.” She told Soo Ah as she walked pass her making her way towards the front of the store. “ Tell the manager that something family related came up and it’s an emergency.” She turned towards Soo Ah watching her open and close her mouth like a fish not knowing what to do.

“ Well what do you want me to say to him?” Asked Soo Ah fiddling her fingers nervously from having to lie to the manager. “ I don’t know tell him my mom is in the hospital or that my brother broke his leg just make sure he doesn’t know the real reason why I left okay.” Ji Woo said as she stared at Soo Ah making sure she knew what she had to do before finally turning around and running off towards the exit. She could hear Soo Ah calling out to her but she kept going not once stopping to look over her shoulder.

She sprinted out the mall and flagged down a taxi, relaying to him the address to Y/N’s apartment before taking her phone out again. Instead of calling Y/N she clicked on the one she was planning on deleting that same day. She put the phone against her ear and waited for Hongjoong to pick up, hearing the phone ring three times before it went straight to voicemail. She lets out various curses out and turned towards the driver, telling him to hurry up and drive faster promising him double the pay if he did that for her. Nodding his head the driver stepped on the gas petal practically flying down the street but still making sure he was driving safely.

10 minutes later she was in front Y/N’s apartment and staying true to her promise she took double the amount out her wallet and paid the driver. Hopping out the taxi and shutting the door she sprinted towards the entrance of the building and walked towards the elevator. Getting in she pressed the bottom to the 6th floor and impatiently taps her fingers on her thigh from how slow the elevator seemed to be ascending. The small space lets out a ding before the doors opened and Ji Woo rushes out towards Y/N apartment.

She stands in front of the door taking several breaths in before finally lifting her hand and knocking on the door. She stands there a couple of seconds waiting for Y/N to open the door before she grows impatient again and starts knocking excessively against the door.

She presses her hands against the door and starts to bang on it calling out Y/N’s name to let her in. She takes ahold of the door handle and starts jiggling it trying to open the door but instantly gets annoyed when she notices that it’s locked. She continues to bang on the door and puts her entire weight on it as if it would somehow help get the door open before she feels herself fall forward.

She winces from how harsh she fell before lifting her gaze from the ground and immediately notices several legs standing in front of her.

——————————————————————————

Hongjoong’s POV

He wakes up to the sound of pounding coming from his right and he winces from how loud it is, the headache he gained yesterday still present. He blinks his eyes open to be met with the ceiling, the fan attached to it slowly turning causing a small cool breeze to be present in the room.

He fails to notice the other 3 people in the room with him before one of them finally clears their throat catching his attention and waiting for him to look at them. He slowly turns his head towards the living room doorway where Mingi, Wooyoung, and Yeosang are standing staring at him with hard glares that cause him to get goosebumps.

He opens his mouth to speak but before he even gets the chance to say anything arguing breaks out towards the front of the apartment, he immediately recognizes Ji Woo’s voice through all the harsh words being thrown out and he freezes. He goes to get up but his legs give up on him causing him to fall back into the sofa, he expects one of the guys to come over and help him but all they do is stare at him as he struggles.

He waits for the rest of the guys and Ji Woo to come into the living room so that he can finally just get them to shut up and let him wallow in guilt but they seem to be getting more aggressive with their yelling causing everyone in the living room to wince from how loud her screeching voice is. Finally after what seemed like forever he hears them lower their voices and he thanks the gods for the silence that surrounds the apartment but it breaks again when he hears the sound of heels stomping towards the living room.

He watches as Ji Woo stands in the living room doorway seeming to be scanning the place before her eyes finally land on him. Her eyes seem to go red when she makes eye contact with him and the only thing he can do is watch as she makes her way towards him before lifting her hand and striking him across the face.

His head harshly turns towards the left and he feels his headache getting worse but he doesn’t let out a sound. He knows he deserves this and he knows complaining is the last thing he should be doing so he lets her hit him again.

Seonghwa seems to take pity on him because he moves towards them and grips Ji Woo hand harshly moving her away from Hongjoong and giving her a glare that says stop.

They all stare at each other before Ji Woo finally opens her mouth breaking the silence in the room. “Where is she?” She asks as she stares at Hongjoong.

“ Gone thanks to you.” Spits out San while glaring at her and she flinches away from him as if he just smacked her across the face.

“ What do you mean gone? She just got up and left?!?” She asks them as she stares at them waiting for one of them to tell her what’s going on. She seems to grow impatient with the lack of response before she opens her mouth to speak again.

“ ANSWER ME GODDAMMIT! WHERE IS Y/N?!?!?” She screams out at them before finally Jongho gets up and throws a piece of paper at her face “ Why don’t you see for yourself homewrecker.” He tells her and she swallows down harshly, never seen Jongho this mad in her life.

She picks up the paper that fell at her feet before finally reading through it. The guys watch as she starts to shake and let out small whimpers as she goes through the letter. They watch as she finally finishes reading before dropping to her knees and crying out loud.

Ji Woo grips the paper tightly in her hands as she lays on the floor, the guilt and the shame eating her alive with every breath she takes in. She looks up at the guys and finally takes in their appearance, the guys all having bloodshot eyes and swollen faces from what she guesses had to do with finding out Y/N left and she shakes her head refusing to believe what she just read.

She plans to sit there for a while trying to take the information in but that doesn’t seem like the plan for someone as she’s instructed to get up. She lifts up her head and makes eye contact with San, she sees him crouch down to her level and stare at her before finally reaching down and grabbing her hand.

She yelps as San lifts her off the floor and begins to drag her towards were Hongjoong is seated. She watches as he takes ahold of Hongjoong as well before starting to drag both of them towards the front door. She hears the rest of the guys yell at San to stop and watches as Wooyoung attempts to step towards him before getting stopped by Yunho seeing him shake his head and telling him to step back.

She struggles against his hold on her arm and she knows that she would have bruises there from how hard he is holding her before he finally lets go of her. San slams open the door before taking ahold of her arm again and throwing her out of the apartment along with Hongjoong.

“ You don’t have the right to be in here, not anymore,” San says as he stands in front of the doorway. Ji Woo turns her head towards Hongjoong where she sees him sobbing to himself, making himself small leaning against the wall facing the doorway.

“ After what you’ve both done you don’t even deserve to think about Y/N or her baby.” She hears San say before she whips her head towards him.

“ B-Baby...?” Ji Woo stutters out feeling like someone just punched her in the gut. She sees San sneer at her as if she’s dirt under his shoe and he opens his mouth to speak again.

“ Yeah, she was pregnant you know or probably didn’t since you were so busy fucking her low scum boyfriend.” San says as the rest of the guys pile up behind him glaring at her and Hongjoong from where he is still sobbing against the wall.

Ji Woo opens up her mouth to speak but is interrupted by San, he reaches down and grips the necklace hanging out of her shirt. She feels San yank the necklace off and winces when she feels the chain pull at her skin. “ You don’t need this anymore. You don’t deserve it... not after all the pain you caused Y/N.” She hears him say as well as the rest of the guys hum in agreement before she hears San speak to her one last time.

“ Don’t think about ever coming back here again. Both of you. If Y/N ever comes back and you think about coming here I swear you better pray I won’t find out because it won’t be pretty.” He says before giving them a final glare then slamming the door, leaving Ji Woo and Hongjoong in the hallway to wallow in their guilt.

——————————————————————————

Far off in a small village located in Incheon sits a tiny brick house, seeming to be abandoned but the light coming from the small bedroom located on the second floor lets people know otherwise

Leaning against the window sill is a young lady dressed in an oversized sweater and some skin-tight biker shorts fiddling with a small circular object in her hand.

She stares at it for a while, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks and trying to keep any sound from coming out her. She remembers her brother sleeping soundly in the room across from hers and the rest of his friends sleeping in the small living room downstairs. She doesn’t want to wake them after the long day they had, moving tons of boxes then traveling all the way to a small unknown village just to drop said boxes off. She felt like it was her fault that they got dragged into this even though they don’t know what happened. The minute Youngjo called them up and said it was an emergency and that it was about Y/N they didn’t hesitate to help having been good friends with Y/N before she started hanging out with Ateez.

She sits there in complete silence apart from a sniffle or two that she manages to let out, staring at the ring Hongjoong gave her.

She planned on leaving it on top of the letter she wrote, wanting it to be like a slap in the face from how significant the ring was to them. She received it on their 2nd year anniversary, Hongjoong gave it to her as a promise that one day they will get married and live the rest of their lives together.

She scoffed at the thought of it now and how far away from the truth it was.

Wiping away the tears that had been accumulating under her eyes she walked towards the boxes stacks neatly in the corner of her room and grabbed the small box that laid on top. She opened the small memory box, being greeted with multiple little trinkets that she had kept all throughout her childhood.

She spotted various movie theater tickets and small little letters her parents used to write for her before school. She also spotted various Polaroids with Ji Woo causing her heart to clench at the sight of them. She made a mental note to herself that once she had free time she would take all those pictures and burn them, not wanting to be reminded of just how much everything around her was falling apart.

Finally finding what she was looking for she took a small ring box and opened it, planting the small silver ring in it before shutting it close and shoving it back in the box, not wanting to look or feel it any longer.

She turned back around and sat in her previous spot against the window sill, looking out at the stars shining brightly in the night sky. She took a minute to think of everything that happened in the past 2 days and just how much it has affected her.

She feared of going to sleep, not wanting to remember the image of Ji Woo and Hongjoong fooling around in the sheets. She was scared of turning on her phone knowing that she would be greeted with various missing phone calls and unread messages from them. She figured that she would change her number after she finally settled down in her new home.

She took a deep breath in before finally closing the window and laying down on the mattress placed in the middle of the room. She didn’t want to go to sleep but she knew had to for her health and for the new addition coming soon.

She closed her eyes and with scattered thoughts, she focused on one thing and one thing only.

“Is it a girl or a boy ?”

She finally felt her body relax and her mind slip away from all that has happened so far. The thoughts of her baby filling her up with a fuzzy warm feeling, driving her into a deep sleep.

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez reactions #ateez angst #kpop imagines #kpop angst #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho

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ironwoman18 · 4 years

Text

The Worst Third Date Ever part 8

Chapter 8: Almost Christmas.

The B.A.U had a case in New York. JJ was not there because she left to New Orleans to spend the Christmas with Will's family.

Spencer and some other members of the team asked, after finished the case, to stay in the city for a few hours.

Emily allowed it and said they must be at the hotel in an hour to take the bus to the airport.

Spencer walked around with Luke and Matt while Rossi y Emily stayed at the hotel.

"Are you going to buy a present for Lisa?" asked Matt.

Luke looked down "No, she will be working and we aren't good"

"Oh man, that sucks" said Matt.

"Yeah. I got the feeling she might broke up with me"

Matt patted his shoulder "if that happened you have us, right Spencer?"

He nodded "of course, we are a family" he smiled at him "how is Rosemary going?"

"She's amazing, so different from her siblings" said Matt "she sleeps more" he laughs "and how are things with Max?"

"Great, she asked me to spend Christmas with her family"

"That's important man" Luke said "when a woman wants you to spend a holiday with her family it's because she sees a future with you"

"I remember when I met Kristy's family. It was really awkward cuz he was part of the marines and he was a huge man. And with his gun ready to shoot me"

Both men laughed softly "you are here which means he didn't kill you. Unless you are a ghost" commented Luke.

"At the end of the night we were drunk and singing country songs" they both laugh and reached a Macy's and walked in.

Matt went to the children department, Luke went to the pets department and Spencer to the art supplement department.

He wanted to buy her an art kit, she mentioned she wanted one for her work at the Smithsonian but the one perfect for her was too expensive. So he thought he could buy it for her. He was well paid because of his three Ph.Ds.

He remembered her saying the name of the kit so he looked for it. When he found it he got it then buy a present for his mother and thought to buy something for Sammy but then remembered Max asked to buy presents together for her family.

Before Spencer knew they have a case, Max called to see him at the coffee shop to talk and she wanted to show him some changes she made for her program for blind kids.

"It's perfect, so don't worry. The only problem with them is that they don't know how look green. Especially the kids that were born blind. Because if hey could see before and after an accident they ended up blind could be different"

"Ok, I understand" she took notes "Oh, by the way... um... my dad wanted me to invite you to our Christmas' party" she said biting her lip "it's a tradition, he likes to invite us and our boyfriends or in Michelle's case her husband and child. You don't have to go if you don't want to... we can spend New Year. I know you maybe want to be with your mom and..."

He smiled softly "Max?"

"Yes?"

"I would like to go" her face was of release "in fact I would prefer to meet your dad and sister at Christmas than after a kidnap" she nodded.

"G...good... um... can we go buy them presents together? We exchange presents at 12 after dinner" she looked at him.

"Sure. Maybe on Christmas day we can go to my mom's hospital. I want you to meet her" she smiled and kissed him gently.

Then he got a call that they have a case. They said their goodbyes and he leaves.

But he decided to buy Sammy a present since he was so nice to him and he was the reason he and Max are dating.

He bought him a magic set. It was the one he once used to leard magic tricks.

After he played texted Luke and Matt to let them know he will go to check other stores.

He wanted to give Max something else, so he decided to check the Metropolitan museum and buy two tickets valid for a month.

He then checked his phone and realized it was almost time to go back to the hotel so he called a taxi and tell him the address of his hotel.

When he arrived he went up and got his suitcase. Then he went down and there were Rossi and Emily.

"Wow Spence I'm surprised to got a lot of things"

"Actually I just have 3 presents here. A dress for my mother, an art kit for Max and a magic set for Sammy, her nephew"

"That's so sweet of you" said Emily.

"Also got two tickets for the Metropolitan museum for us. We can come any day for a month"

"A very nice gift too. I got Krystall her favorite martini liquor and a pair of earrings"

"I bought Andrew a new helmet for his bike and his favorite after lotion, which is also my favorite" she smiled.

"Love is in the air" said Luke teasing them.

"What did you got for your girl?" Asked Emily.

"A box of her favorite snacks and a new toy" Rossi and Emily looked confused "Roxy needs her treats too" they roll their eyes but they could tell that something was not right because him and his girlfriend so they did not continue the questions.

Then they focused on Matt "what did you get?"

"I bought clothes for Rosemary and my other four kids. They needed something new for Christmas so I got them something. The toys are their mother's duty" he laughed softly "I got Kristy a new pair of earrings and a matching necklace"

"That's amazing" said Emily as their official cars arrived. They went to the airport where the jet was waiting and before they took off each text their couple to let them know they are on their way home.

The next day the bureau announced the vacations period and they leave for two weeks.

Emily left to Denver, Luke went to Florida to be with his family. Matt and his family stayed in Washington as well as Spencer.

A day before Christmas Max was helping him decorate his house. She wanted him to have some Christmas spirit.

"So after this we should go to buy our presents" she said while decorate the Christmas tree "I think I saw a nice present for you"

"I already got you present" he announced while he walked towards her holding two cups of coffee and some cookies she bought from Michelle.

"Oh really? Where?"

"New York. I saw something that reminds me to you and I brought it"

"Well, well, well... Doctor Reid is full of surprises huh?" She smiled "now I'm very curious what you got me"

"I'm pretty sure you will love it" he smiled "also I got something for Sammy. I know we promised to but your family's presents together but he made it possible we met so it's the less I can do for him" he ate a cookie after that.

"You are so sweet and kind with him" she stood up and kissed him gently "what did you get him?" She asked rubbing his cheek.

"A magic set" he smiled looking into her eyes. They faces were close.

"I thought you would buy it to him" she laughed "I'm sure he will love it" she ran her hand into his hair gently "we better finish this" she moved away and he looked at her.

He just walked to help her finishes to put the decorations and when the tree was done they connected it and the lights were on.

"It looks great. Thank you Max" he hugs her from behind and kisses her cheek.

"You are welcome" she smiled turning around to wrapped her arms around his neck "Spencer... I know we are just starting and I know I asked to take things slowly but honestly I never felt this happy in a long time. You are a proper gentleman, you respect me and you treat me great, you protect me... even from your own demons and I wish you could have the confidence to tell me, honey... you won't push me away" she played with his hair.

"I know and I'm sure the deeper we went into our relationship, I will feel more comfortable"

"You can trust me" she kissed him softly while he wrapped his arms around her moving her closer.

They kissed some more until they broke it to catch their breath.

She sighed looking in his eyes. She wanted to go further but was not sure yet. She tried to move away but he stopped her.

"What happened to you that you want to take things slowly?" He looked at her "because my reasons are the things I had to see at work. I don't want to tell you all the details because, I still have nightmares. But you... what happened?" He asked again.

"Mike Davis... I really wanted it to work. We dated for two years and we went fast. We had a few dates, we kissed almost immediately, we had sex shortly after that. We even moved in together. But then the magic stopped. He stopped being nice and treated me bad. He cheated with everyone. My dad was right. Beside him I always picked good boyfriends. Mike hurted me and I'm afraid that happened because we did things to fast"

"Max... baby" it was almost a whisper and the first time he called her that. She liked it "I would never do that to you. I'm respecting your choices and I won't hurt you the way he did. You deserve happiness and when you are ready to take all those steps. I will take them with you"

She had some tears in her eyes and smiled at him "Thank you Spencer. I'm so happy we met and to be with you" she hugs him placing her head on his chest.

He rubbed her back gently "you are so important to me and I don't want to lose you" he looked down at her. After some more minutes she stopped to cry but did not break their hug "we should go to buy the presents. Tomorrow I can't because Michelle got Eloise and me a reservation to an exclusive beauty saloon and I don't think we will see each other until the night when we have to leave for my dad's house"

"Ok then let's go. It's getting late" he said as she, reluctantly, broke the hug then went to get her jacket and put it on. Spencer also put on his jacket and holds her hand walking out his apartment "so where to?"

"We could go to a new mall center. They have lot of stores and we will find just exactly what we want for them"

"Awesome, you tell me where is it" she nodded then they both got into the car and Spencer followed her instructions and arrived to the mall.

He parked his car. It was full of cars. They both got out of the car, he held her hand as they walked in the mall.

"Ok I think ladies first. Theres this store Michelle and Eloise love. It's on the second floor. They have clothes and accessories for that clothes. I would like something for them"

"Sure no problem. Let's go there" they both walked to the store she wanted to go. There she checked some clothes for her sisters. At the end she picked a cute light green dress for Michelle and a striped blouse.

Then she wanted to go to get something for her dad and Michelle's husband.

"They like sports" she looked around thinking.

"Sports are out of my experience, Max" he looked at her.

"Could be a jersey but I'm not sure their teams. My dad was born and raised in Virginia and Phill is from here so maybe the Nationals?"

"It's up to you... but I think it could be better if we bought them a ball of some kind of sport. For example if they prefer football over baseball, we can brought them a football" he suggested.

"I like it... ok... um... Phill loves football so I will get him a ball and my dad loves basketball so I can buy him one of those" she looked up and him "you are a truly genius" she teased.

He made a sarcastic laugh "very funny... Maxine" he smirked "ouch!" She hit him playfully and he faked being hurt.

"Let's go Spencie. I want to buy a present for Sammy as well... and for you" she said the last part under her breath.

He listened but decided not to speak. They walked in the store and they got a football and a basketball for those two men and after pay Max looked at him "ok Spencer. Now I will go to get your present and Sammy's"

"Why I can't be there to get his present?"

"Because I will go to the same store to buy both and if you are there, you will find out" she said "so stay here. I will be here soon. Drink something. Check out other stores I don't know"

"Ok just because you asked"

"Good" she smiled and left him. She walked to the store she wanted to go.

She had been thinking about what to give to him. He is a genius so she cannot give him books. He has the classics, he has all the psychology, sociology, philosophy books ever made, he has everything his mind can use. He even has books in other languages. He has El Quijote in Spanish, he has books in Russian, Korean.

So intellectually she cannot give him something new. She decided to give him something that will be better for him.

Something she made. Max found in the mall a place to design your own t-shirts. You bought a white one, and threw paint on it until you are satisfied. Then they kept it to let the paint dry and then they gave it an special treatment to protect the design.

It is something special because she made it but also something they both can enjoy. She loved his dress shirts, ties and suits they looked perfect on him and made him look really handsome but she want him to relax with her so when they have a relax date she will ask him to were this.

She paid for it and got it wrapped up then walked to buy Sammy her gift. She wanted her nephew to improve his abilities to paint so she bought him a little paint kit and color books specials for a twelve years old.

After that she left to walked back to where she left Spencer. When she arrived she saw him talking to an old man.

She smiled and walked towards them "hey Spence"

"Oh hey Max. This is Daniel Collins. A former FBI agent. He was part of the negotiations team"

"Nice to meet you sir" she smiled "I'm Max, Spencer's girlfriend"

"Nice to meet you young lady. Well I will let you both enjoy the rest of the day. See you around Spencer" he stood up and left them.

Then Max took the seat he was using "ok I bought the two presents"

"Perfect I ordered a coffee for you but I told the guy there I will get it later because you weren't here yet"

"Thank you" she kisses his cheek and walked to told the guy how she wanted her coffee then returned to their table.

They talked some about the FBI agent she just met. How he started to talk to him.

Then they both returned to his apartment "so I was thinking if I left my family's presents here and I will just take with me your present. Because I also think it's better to just go in your car"

"I'm agree. I will left then under my tree and you will call me when you are ready?"

"Yes. I will be almost all the morning in the saloon and then I will go to my apartment and get dressed"

"Ok perfect see you tomorrow" they kissed and she got out the car and he did the same. Then his eyes followed her until she got in hers and until she did not leave he did not move.

When her car was out of sight he got the presents and went upstairs to his apartment.

He put them under his tree and went to change and laid in bed. He waited for her text saying she arrived to fall asleep.

OOooOOooOO

I wanted to just have a Christmas chapter but the next will be the actual Christmas eve and Christmas day.

This one was more focused in developing their relationship with that conversation. Hope you liked and we will read in the next chapter.

#criminal mind #spencer reid #maxine brenner #maxcer #fanfiction

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vvtaverenvv · 5 years

Text

Todomomo Christmas Day 4

So this was an idea I thought of when I was trying to figure out what to write for today. Hopefully it fits? @todomomo-christmas

Summary: Kaminari takes Todoroki shopping and prompts him to think about how he feels about another one of their classmates.

Prompt: Christmas Markets Mall

“Hey Todoroki, have you wrapped christmas presents yet?” Kaminari leaned over Todoroki’s desk with a bright smile on his face, but the questioning tone in his voice led Todoroki to believe whatever his answer was, it wasn’t going to be good.

“I haven’t.” Todoroki replied as he looked at Kaminari, a small frown on his face. “Why do you ask?”

“Lemme reply to that question with another question.” Kaminari pointed a finger at him, his smile widening. “Have you gotten anybody a present yet?”

“...No, Kaminari, I haven’t.”

“Ahah!” Kaminari stood with his fist held in the air in triumph. “It just so happens that I’m going shopping this weekend, would you want to join me?”

Shouto blinked and looked up at his classmate. Did he just invite him out? Sure he was friendly with Kaminari in class, and they happened to have worked together in the sports festival, but this was sudden to say the least. Still, it wasn’t like he had anything against him, and it gave him a reason to leave the house. “Sure, when do you want to meet up?”

“Let’s meet at the mall at say, one in the afternoon, in the food court?” Shouto nodded and Kaminari pumped his fist in the air. “Great! I’ll see you then.” He then turned as Kirishima caught his attention and left Todoroki with a rather confused look on his face. Whatever, it was just gonna be a short shopping spree, right?

Todoroki looked around the food court. It was one o’clock and Kaminari was nowhere to be seen. Of course he shouldn’t hold him to a tight schedule, he didn’t seem like–

“Todoroki!!” Kaminari’s voice echoed over the food court and Todoroki turned to see him at the far edge, holding a pretzel in each hand. Todoroki waved in greeting and walked over. “Here, take a pretzel.” Kaminari held out his left hand when Todoroki came close, then took a bite out of what appeared to be his own pretzel. “Sorry I’m late, the line at the pretzel stand was a bit long.”

“Isn’t there a pretzel place in the food court?” He took the pretzel and could feel the heat from it through the paper wrapping. He bit into it and was greeted with the combination of salt, butter, and dare he say cinnamon?

“Yeah, but that one isn’t that good. This one’s just down the street and they have all kinds, whenever I come here I try to get one.” He took a huge bite from his pretzel and turned to look around the large mall, as if he stood on a hill and was surveying his land. “So, where do you want to go first?”

“I’ll just follow you, I still haven’t made my mind up about what I want to get people.” Todoroki bit into the pretzel again and decided that if he was ever in the area, he should try to get another one of these pretzels.

“Sounds good man, here let’s go this way.” Kaminari pointed in a seemingly random direction and started walking. Todoroki matched Kaminari’s pace and finished his pretzel. He was silent as they walked, content to glance around the shops and see if anything stood out. His father begrudgingly gave him an allowance to spend on christmas presents, so if he could spend just enough to get his family a gift and maybe some others–

“So who’re you getting presents for?” Kaminari turned his head towards Todoroki as he walked. “Just family?”

“Mm, my dad gave me an allowance for gifts but I don’t want to rely on it too much.”

“Ah that’s nice.” He pulled out his wallet and shook it a little. “I’ve got to get stuff for my family, and well,” he paused for a half-second, “and Jirou, I guess.” His voice was subdued when he spoke her name and Todoroki raised an eyebrow.

“Jirou?”

“Ah, yeah, I just think it’d be a nice thing to do, you know?” He put his wallet away and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m getting stuff for Kirishima and Bakugou too, but with Jirou...ah you know what I mean right?”

“I really don’t.”

“Eh? What about Yaoyorozu?” Kaminari tugged on Todoroki’s sleeve and pulled him into a department store. Plenty of people were already inside shopping, so Todorki stepped a bit closer to Kaminari in order not to get separated during their conversation.

“What about her?”

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you man, I expect she’s going to get you a present. Don’t you want to get her one?” Kaminari stopped in the men’s wear section and began browsing the aisles.

“The way she looks at me?” Todorki questioned as he pulled out a jacket that he thought would look good on Natsuo. As he checked the price he thought of all the times he caught Yaoyorozu glancing at him; from moments in class, to when they were arriving or leaving, or even when he just happened to have been passing by the common room. It was just a quick glance, but there was something different in her eyes then, and whenever he made eye contact her cheeks became flushed with red.

“Yeah, you know, or when she specifically asks you something when we’re all hanging out?” Kaminari laughed and picked out a t-shirt, then slung it over his shoulders and turned to see Todoroki shake his head. “...You’ve never noticed this?” Todoroki shook his head and Kaminari put his hand to his mouth as a gasp “escaped” him. “Well now you have to get her a present.”

“What would I even get her?” Todoroki asked as he picked out the jacket and folded it over his left arm.

“I don’t know, you’re better friends with her than I am.” Kaminari shrugged and looked over the rather disappointing area of the store. “Are you ready to get out of here? This place doesn’t have the best selection for what we might want.” Todoroki nodded and turned towards the cashier at the front of the store.

The two spent another hour and a half shopping at the mall, poking through various stores to try and find something for friends and family. It didn’t help that the mall was beginning to get packed shortly after they made their first purchase, but it still worked out. Todoroki ended up getting his father a “life is good” mug, his mother a small bracelet, his sister a nice sky blue sweater, his brother a navy blue jacket, Midoriya an All Might mug, Iida a pair of running shorts, and for Yaoyorozu he picked out a small red jacket he thought would look good on her. Kaminari had gotten clothes for his family, a stress ball for Bakugou, red hair dye for Kirishima, and for Jirou he had bought her a mini-recorder. After their shopping spree, they stood outside the mall and waited for the bus so they could head back to their dorms.

“Hey, why’d you invite me and not someone else to go shopping with you?” Todoroki asked as they waited. Kaminari turned with a slightly puzzled look on his face. “I mean, you could’ve asked Kirishima or someone else.” “Oh, well, I mean we haven’t really talked much since the sports festival.” He laughed a bit and held up his thumb. “Plus, Jirou asked me to look into whether or not you liked Yaomomo.” He blinked as he realized what he just said and waved his hand back and forth. “Forget I asked that part.”

“If I liked Yaoyorozu...” Todoroki blinked and glanced down at the shopping bags he carried. He always regarded Yaoyorozu in a different way than other people, but that was purely based off her skills as a student and as a hero. Not the fact that her smile made her face light up in an almost perfect way, or the way she small strands of hair would frame her face as she studied brought out every beautiful detail. Then, he considered all the times when they talked and he felt as if there was nobody else who understood him like she did. He glanced towards Kaminari, he needed to buy time. “So I’m guessing you like Jirou, since you got her a gift?”

Kaminari blinked, then turned his head to the side as red danced across his cheeks. “Look, Jirou is just someone who I happen to enjoy spending a lot of time with and talking to. Just cause I got her a gift doesn’t mean I like her, or anything like that.” He coughed and pointed towards the approaching bus. “Anyway, I’m just getting her a gift.” He glanced towards Todoroki and grinned. “You should ask yourself if you like Yaoyorozu.”

The bus stopped for them and Kaminari boarded, with Todoroki following right behind him. Kaminari sat down on a window seat and Todoroki sat next to him, their bags of gifts piled between them. As Kaminari checked his phone, Todoroki looked down at the bag that held her gift and began to think of how he was going to deliver it to her. His heart began to beat a little bit faster and it was then, that he knew.

He liked Momo Yaoyorozu.

#todomomo #todomomo christmas #Shouto Todoroki #Momo Yaoyorozu #Denki Kaminari #not a lot of todomomo but just wait for a couple more prompts #it's gonna get good #bnha #mha #my writing

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paullicino · 5 years

Text

The in-betweens

I type now with my laptop bouncing on my thighs, the keyboard occasionally coming up to meet my fingertips before they've even completed a keystroke. I sit sideways on a Greyhound bus, back against the window and feet poking into the aisle. I’d never dare be so antisocial, but there’s barely a soul here to disturb. It's half past midnight and seven other travellers roll northward with me, our cabin pitch-black save for the glow of laptops and phones.

The only two noises I can hear above the engine are the persistent squeak of the hardworking wipers and the distant notes from the driver's radio. The latter is turned way down to avoid waking anyone, the former a reminder of the insistent rain of the Pacific Northwest. This spring it will soften everything on shivering mornings and collect in puddles too pallid to reflect afternoon clouds. I haven’t seen all those mornings yet, with their drowsy dew, nor the fog that embraces sleepy afternoons, but I’ll live for a thousand days in this corner of the world and love it enough to hope to die here. Not to die the death of some tragic and tortured artist, but simply to have my bones lie in the ground and nourish whatever may come next. Some ultimate act of giving back.

I can’t make out what the radio is singing but there’s an easy way to find out. A strange quirk of the acoustics or the design of this coach is that you can hear that radio in the toilet at the back. There aren't speakers in the toilet, mind. No. Instead, the radio can be heard coming out of the toilet. Also coming up from that spooky, steel pit is a strange surge of warmth. I can offer no explanation for this, nor do I solicit one. It feels better not to think about it.

Everyone should use a toilet on a Greyhound at least once. It's like using a toilet in some sort of tank or submarine. It's smaller even than anything you'll use on most planes and it's glorious in how rudimentary it manages to be. For me, it’s a little like using a toilet on a trampoline and I’m content to halt my description there, except to add that I looked over at the tiny sink to see it had been deliberately blocked, a large black slab of metal screwed over it to emphasise just how much it could not be used. I stepped back out into darkness, my eyes ruined by the light, as we bolted out of Bellingham and made our way to the Canadian border.

Outside, the world is nothing but colourless cutouts of tall pines and telegraph poles. If it were daytime, I might be able to see as far as the mountains and, in their foreground, the tiny and helpless humps of farms, barns and silos. The upturned teeth of the Cascades bite into the sky every day here. From the road they look like nothing more than the silent and sleeping guardians between the coast and a very different land beyond, but their serenity belies their jagged bodies and freezing peaks. It also gives no hint of a history in which, in the year of my birth and a mere fraction of a second ago in their grand geological lifespans, one of their cousins tore its face off in the largest landslide in recorded history, turned a lake to steam by drenching it in boiling rock and exploded so violently it threw its insides out at the speed of sound.

It’s impossible to imagine in the early hours of a new morning, on the first day of a new week, the merest hint that any natural violence has or could visit this corner of the world. Its forests are silent, its shores are peaceful and its old stones wear wrinkles of kindness. The biggest disturbances I feel are the irregularities of the road. The highways are straight, but they aren't always flat and every other mile is punctuated by a thump or a twitch.

There's a weird familiarity to all this, even if I've never been much of a coach traveller before. It's the half-tired, half-focused attempts to write, as I stare at either a screen or a sheet of paper, throwing down ideas and impressions before they dissolve inside the ever-broiling eddies of my brain. It's the abrupt distraction of some view or happening, like suddenly discovering I'm driving across the Port Mann Bridge. It's the nowhere places whose only identity is signs that point to somewhere else or their emptiness in the early hours. Places with other solo travellers, sleepy people happy to be alone, or perhaps with no choice but to press on to whatever destination is supposed to be accepting them. In the end, a bus station or train station or airport is exactly the same when it's all but empty, when it's only a node between where you're leaving from and where you need to be.

We are nowhere, the road reminds us. It reminds us in brash and blaring lights that advertise malls or food courts or department stores, or endless signs always pointing toward what’s next. This is where you should go, they all say in their bold and black lettering, to be somewhere. Anything to escape the now.

But I like this coach right now. It's dark. It's quiet. It's intimate. All that means it’s easy. It's been a while since I've had an easy trip, a trip where everything around me went away and I was left contentedly with myself. There's a kind of wooziness to everything, a dream-like state that I’ve slid myself inside of. No wonder I dream about travel so often, in one form or another. Dreams and travel are almost one and the same to me. Both are hyper-vivid, both slightly abstract, both full of details that are sharp, particular and even bizarre, the sort of things that you tell everyone about later while wondering if anyone will believe them.

The driver and his marshal are talking up front. They're exchanging stories about journeys across this side of the continent, journeys from California to Idaho. We prepare to cross a border. We cross a border. We drop two young women off in a suburb and then there are less than half a dozen people on an entire coach busy thumping and twitching its way through a dream. Travel is not departures and destinations, but moments. It's moments like these, the in-betweens, the bits that happen while you wait to see what comes next.

All these photos are (daytime) sights from journeys along routes like this one, from 2015 to 2017. This post was generously funded by my supporters on Patreon, who got to see it first last month and who get to see many others that aren’t released to the wider world. If you enjoyed this and would like to see more like it, please consider supporting my work there. Thank you!

#Pacific Northwest #travel #travelogue #writing #Patreon

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cleverbroadwayurl · 6 years

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Some AUs that I Love

Okay so I made a giant list of AUs, prompts, and other things that I love so that you guys could reblog/request/get inspiration from them! I know some are really similar, but honestly that just means I really love that trope! Please feel free to reblog these and use them for your own purposes! I’ll update this list as time goes on, I’m sure, as I’ve had a running list for a long time that was just on my phone. I also don’t own any of these (besides 152 and 196).

it’s 3 am and I’m still in the library studying for finals and I’m losing my grip on reality and I think I just saw a ghost

I thought I was the only one who liked the waffle station in the cafeteria

it’s 3am, in the dead of winter, some motherfucker pulled/set off the fire alarm and I am being very vocal about how I’m gonna make that fucker pay

The guy with the bibles on the quad has cornered me and is screaming about hell, please rescue me

You’re the only one who actually responded to the desperate message I sent to the whole class about needing the notes

'i ordered a pumpkin spice latte at starbucks and you made a heart with the foam and i decided to drink it here so i can smile at you some more’ au

you walked here in a blizzard to get your hot chocolate but you forgot your wallet at home, here, let me buy your drink for you

we’re at the mall when there’s a severe weather warning over the loudspeakers, guess we’re spending the night here

“I work at a department store and if you take out and unfold a shirt and then leave it one more time I’m going to stuff it down your throat” AU

“You saw me reading the same book you did and we got into a heated discussion on how much it sucks” AU

“You have just witnessed me cry over the ending to my favorite game before class began please don’t ever tell anyone about this.”

“I’ve never talked to you before but the teacher just used us as an example for a scenario where we are married.”

“I’m exhausted, feverish, and hacking up a lung, and the student health center’s first suggestion was pregnancy, can you help me get to the ER in town” AU

“I know that this probably isn’t a good idea but it’s included in the meal plan and I’m stressed out, so I keep hitting the ice cream sundae bar in the buffet style dining hall at least a couple times a week” AU

bonding solely via eye contact over that annoying person on our plane that we’re both slowly becoming more and more exasperated about au

you fell asleep and i started making funny faces at your kid to keep them amused and the steward mistook us for a couple au

actually, any mistaken for a couple au

having to SHARE A LIVING SPACE FOR ARBITRARY FIC REASONS. having to see each other in their pajamas first thing in the morning, messy haired, drowsy eyed and soft faced. going from “you can have the bathroom first” to brushing their teeth beside each other and feeling like this closeness has always existed (at the same time, painfully aware that it won’t always).

bed sharing. :^) we all pretend we’re bigger than this but we are not.

'room mate has a nightmare and doesn’t want to sit alone at night’ au

'room mate gets sick and needs tissues and cough sweets and soup’ au

ok but a ‘your apartment is next to/above mine and i can hear you and your partner dancing and singing and the bed moving and you two laughing and talking in hussed tones and it won’t let me sleep so i bitch about it to you 24/7 and one day it stops and one day turns to one week and then months and i haven’t seen you smile in forever please let me in, i’ve been knocking for ten minutes’ au.

Don’t tell anyone you saw me crying AU

did you actually just blue shell me on our date you fucker

I’m calling to cancel our date because I’m actually in the ER right now, sorry. …I mean, sure, I guess you can come down here, but… okay…

You’re my waiter and I’m on a really crappy date with an asshole

'i’m having a minor breakdown in the middle of bed bath and beyond and you’re a bewildered shopper who wants to buy plates but also to make sure i’m okay bc im wailing a little bit in the kitchenware section’ au

“I’m in a bookshop and I really need that book can you get it for me??? Wait you’ve read that book? let’s have an in depth conversation about it.”

“You were trying to reach for a box of cereal and a whole shelf’s-worth of cereal boxes fell on you here let me help”

“We’re on the bus and I’m really not trying to take up your space I’m sorry I just have rlly rlly long legs”

“You’re afraid that you’ll lose me in big crowds so you always hold my hand but now you just hold my hand when there’s only, like, five people around and I’m getting vry suspicious”

It’s like 3AM and my roommate locked me out of the house and I forgot my keys and I’m really drunk pls take pity on me and let me crash at your place for the night o’ neighbor of mine AU

The walls in this apartment building are really thin and I can hear you having mental breakdowns all the time are you okay? AU

“I barely know you but my boyfriend just broke up with me and you heard me crying so you brought over ice cream and movies” AU

I was in a hurry and I ran into you outside the coffee shop while you were carrying two lattes and it turns out they were both for you except that now you’re wearing them I’m so sorry

‘i offer you my bed to sleep in bc our respective roommates are getting it on in your room and take the sofa to sleep on only i wake up back in my bed with your tiny body wrapped around me and damn me if it isn’t the cutest thing i’ve ever seen’ au

You passed out in my car because of strong medication and now I have to figure out how to get you home and avoid taking a picture of your cute sleeping face.”

“Hi so i know we haven’t talked before but we have French Literature together and i noticed you’ve been gone and since we’re on the same dormitory floor i thought i’d stop by and give you my really thorough notes and oh wow you’re rEALLY sick are you ok?”

you look so good and so many people are trying to pick you up and I can only sit in the corner and seethe, and now people are giving me concerned looks

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

“Stay the night. Please.”

“I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.”

“You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this…”

[text]: So I might be in a hospital right now…

I’m worried about your coffee dependency

“My shower’s broken but I’ve got a date tonight could I possibly use your shower please?” “Oh sure (neighbour that I’ve been crushing on for the past six months) of course you can use my shower to get ready for your date (fuck fuck fuck)”

There’s a person who won’t stop bugging me will you pretend to be my partner so that they’ll fuck off?

meeting while waiting for hours on end in the emergency room au

‘i’m pretending to be ur bff bc u looked VERY uncomfortable with that person at the bar hitting on u’ AU

“We live in adjacent apartments and our bedrooms are on opposite sides of a very thin wall and one night I heard you crying and talked to you through the wall” AU

“we work at the same office and never really interacted but suddenly we’ve been taken hostage” AU

“at a concert and you kinda saved me from being trampled” AU

“can i borrow your blanket? i need to cry.” AU

‘im really sorry i keep staring but i dreamed about you horribly dying last night and i just wanted to make sure you dont spontaneously combust’

‘i drew you a mathematical heart curve for valentine’s day u nerd’

“I’m a waiter/waitress and you always sit in my section. I really like you and i thought you liked me back until you walked in here with a date, w h o o p s would you look at that I keep spilling stuff on them” au

Another waiter/waitress one: “You always come to this place and never talk much, but now these two assholes are harassing me and you step in and defend me” au

“My friends dared me to go on this rollercoaster but now that we’re at the top it looks way too scary and hellO hot person sitting next to me (careful i might puke)” au

“My significant other just broke up with me and I impulse bought like 5 pizzas. Can you help me eat them and make me feel less like shit?” AU

“You’re a store clerk and oh shit I just spotted my ex please let me hide behind your desk-thing” AU

"This has been a very bad week and you just grabbed the last box of my favorite comfort food at the supermarket” AU

“You crashed into me on your bicycle but I’m actually okay, you on the other hand look like you need some first aid” au

“this is totally awkward considering before this the only interactions we’ve ever had have been casual nods to each other in the hallway but there’s a huge fucking spider in my bath tub and you seem like the friendly neighbor type please help me” au

“it’s the middle of the night and i’m walking home alone in the dark and there’s this guy following me and he’s starting to gain on me and i found this phone booth with a lock on the door and i tried to call my best friend but my hands were shaking so badly i accidentally dialed the wrong number and i don’t even know you but help me” au

“we’ve been pen pals for like hella months and we finally decided to meet up and damn your cute, also did you break up with your jerk bf/gf yet?” au

“i was out in public and had an anxiety attack and you left your friends to give me some chocolate and talk me through it, so tysm” au

“idk you but you were getting hit on in public and you look super uncomfortable so i walked over and pretended to be your bf/gf, but hey while we’re at it, do you wanna go get some food?” au

You and I ride the same bus home every day but never talk but then you fell asleep and sorry to wake you up (you look really cute in your sleep) but it’s your stop next

it’s exam week and i run a coffee shop near the campus and you walked right into my glass door i’m laughing so hard oh my god

you started screaming bloody murder and i could hear you from my apartment and i thought something was horribly wrong but it turned out to be just a spider. and after i squashed it with a slipper you coerced me into being your spider-savior

“you’re super short and i’m sorry but it’s really really cute whenever you try to reach that book on the top shelf here lemme help you- oh no don’t be embarrassed, your face is all red and you’re even more adorable now i am going to die” au

“you fell asleep on my shoulder on the plane ride and i would ask you to move but you look so comfy and adorable when you sleep. also you smell really good and the feeling of your breath on my skin is somewhat relaxing, maybe we can go out to lunch in this shitty airport when you wake up?” au

“i’m a quiktrip worker and whenever I work a night shift, you always arrive and buy like 3 cans of redbull and you look exhausted, do you need some help? are you okay?” au

“i catch you at the bus terminal shivering your ass off because it’s 30 degrees and for some godforsaken reason you’re wearing a short sleeve t shirt, so out of pity i lend you my hoodie and you look so surprised it’s the cutest thing i’ve ever seen, setting aside the fact that you’re a goddamn idiot, do you want to get sick?” au

(cont.) “you look so sad and cold that i just tell you to keep my hoodie b/c you obviously need it more than i do. a week later i see you at a coffee shop/book store/etc. and you’re wearing my hoodie which you look so fucking tiny and cute in, and you just saw me and you look super embarrassed; you offer me it back but i tell you it suits you more and we end up talking and i buy you a drink” au

i tried to call a crisis hotline but got one number off and started ranting for 10 minutes before you got to speak and tell me i got the wrong number but now you’re worried about me and telling me not to hang up

Character A has been working at a retail store during the night/early morning of Black Friday and is so tired, but they need to stay awake so that they can drive home. Character A stops at Character B’s small coffee shop—which opened early in case people came in at 4am—and Character A accidentally falls asleep in a very comfortable chair while waiting on their coffee. Character B lets them sleep and even gets a blanket out of the back room to cover Character A

You’ve been missing for 5 months and suddenly you turn up at my doorstep with a huge scar across your face, looking more grim than when you left and won’t talk about what happened.

You usually only order hot chocolate and yet today you’re ordering something with six shots of espresso, are you okay??? Are you gonna die???

I just took a super dangerous job and you’re trying to talk me out of it, but we really need the money

You always bring your dates here to the restaurant I wait at and now you’re here alone…you okay mate?

We are trapped in a bank during a robbery

I saw you sleeping on the couch in the lounge in the morning, but now it’s like 5 pm and you’re still here. Are you okay?

I don’t know how we ended up having to sit next to each other on a roller coaster ride—sorry I fell against you and grabbed your hand a couple times

“You’re so small”

“I can’t breathe”

“Fight me”

“Whose head do I have to rip off?”

“Don’t you ever fucking touch them again”

Found the other in an alleyway under the influence of drugs/alcohol and brought them home

“Why am I your emergency contact?”

“Wait, you actually stayed the night?”

“If he’s going to treat you like shit, I’m gong to kick his ass.”

“I just want to cuddle and watch friends.

“I want my best friend back”

“If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me!”

“Fuck…I feel like I’ve been hit by a car”

“Who gave you that black eye?!”

“Are you drunk?”

“You got her pregnant?! What were you thinking?”

“It’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong.”

“We should get you to a hospital.”

I’m on a terrible date and you’re my waiter please help me

just a game? jUST A GAME????? FUCK YOU I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN

“Please don’t touch me”

“Does he know about the baby?”

“Don’t fucking touch me!”

“Game’s over son of a bitch! Tell me where she is!”

“Look at me—just breathe, okay?”

“Shit, are you bleeding?”

“You haven’t touched your food. What’s going on?”

“You can’t die. Please don’t die.”

“That guy at the bar keeps staring at you.”

“You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

“Do you want to stay over tonight?”

“Every guy you date is a total jerk and I have to watch you get heartbroken over and over again because you can’t see that I love you!”

We were snuggling in our underwear when my roommate came home early from vacation now you have to try and sneak down the fire escape while I distract them with really terrible small talk

I don’t really know you but I noticed that this creep has been trying to chat you up even though you’ve already turned him down, so I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend/girlfriend until they leave you alone

It’s 2 am, we’re standing outside of our apartment building because someone pulled the fire alarm, and you look cold and unprepared, do you want to share my blanket?

We share a class at university and you forgot your notebook under your desk but luckily your phone number’s written inside PS: your doodles are pretty cool

I got stood up on a date and you were just grabbing dinner—shit my ex is here, sit down and pretend to laugh at something I said attractive stranger

Our flats are opposite each other and your kitchen window faces my kitchen so we always see each other making coffee at 3am.

Imagine you’ve been stood up by your douche of a boyfriend on date night and the waitress keeps asking if you’re ready to order but you keep asking for more time hoping that he’s just late. People are starting to look at you with those apologetic looks like they now and you start to feel worse and worse about the whole situation but as you decide to just get up and leave, this boy you’ve never seen sits down explaining loudly “Sorry, I’m so late, traffic is crazy right now.” He quietly adds “I’m [name]. Just go with it, yeah? Whoever didn’t bother to show up is a dick.” And so you go with it because he’s sweet and trying to save you (and plus he’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen) and as you’re leaving the restaurant after the best non-planned date ever, he asks you out for real this time.

I’ve been texting my friend for about a week now and they don’t reply but turns out I was texting a random person and there was some deep personal stuff I sent oh my god why are they calling me now (+bonus if the person calls at 2am)

“Look I don’t mean to pry but you’ve been wearing the same outfit for three days and I just want to check that you’ve slept?” “Okay obviously not because you just passed out in the hallway holy shit what do I do?”

You’re the bartender and you catch someone slipping something into my drink

You’re the perpetual frowner in class and one day as I’m answering the teacher I intentionally make a very cheesy pun and I can hear crickets but you’re laughing out loud and that makes me feel very much accomplished

I come to this café pretty much every day after work and by now you know my order by heart and even wave at me when I come in

I brought you to my friend’s wedding as my plus one and it was really fun and all but now it’s the end of the night and we’re sitting alone together at the reception and all these twinkle lights and flowers everywhere are causing a hell of a lot of romantic tension between us and ohhhhhhhhh

We were the only two to show up to class because it was cancelled but stay inside to finish work and ‘Hey, are you good at math?’

You’re my neighbor who got drunk and thought this was your apartment but I can’t just send you back home when you keep crying and venting about all of these awful things happening to you

I’m always terrified no matter how many times someone draws my blood. And even though you don’t need to be there when the guy comes in to take it you always stay with me and talk to me to calm me down and hold my hand

There’s this creepy person asking me out over text and could you pretend to be my significant other?

“How much did you drink?”

I’m a little drunk and I tried to call my ex back and I typed in your number and you had to hear a long emotional rant ohmygod I’m mortified but you left me a really sweet voicemail aw

The coffee machine stopped working and you’re cramming for finals please don’t cry

I accidentally gave you the wrong dosage of your medication and now we’d better get to the hospital before you pass out and possibly die

Lady and the Tramp AU

“The manager says the only reason the restaurant where we work at is popular is because people enjoy eating while watching our relentless flirting with each other but I swear to God we’re not flirting???”

“It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m single and you want to cheer me up but you can’t cook nor bake to save your life so you make me hot chocolate instead and it is delicious and I think I love you???” AU.

We bump into each other every Friday at the supermarket to buy the same ice cream and maybe we should eat it together?

“You’re the jerk-face customer that keeps on thumbing through their phone while ordering their drink so I exact revenge by spelling your name wrong on your cup and drawing phallic pictures on your coffee”

You’re my roommate who’s super cute and you’re cramming for your exams in your flannel pajamas and disheveled hair and it’s becoming increasingly hard for me not to kiss you.

"We work together and I stayed after a couple minutes and I saw you on the intercom pretending you were at the Hollywood Bowl with Beyoncé and not to be weird but you're adorable ??"

“It’s our mutual friend’s wedding and they keep shoving us into each other because we’re the only ones at the ceremony who are single”

“I’m sick so you make me chicken soup and I’m really grateful but I’ve also seen you read books on magical spells and potion-making so I’m not sure if I should drink your soup in case it turns me into a toad”

“I’m a perpetual frowner and most certainly not a morning person and I work part-time at a breakfast bar and your disheveled hair and content smile as you eat my waffles and scrambled eggs is the only thing that can get me to smile”

“You’re the health-conscious med student and I’m the chain-smoking art student who’s also your barista and you leave me notes on smoking and lung health on your napkins and also a 20-page essay on lung cancer tucked under your saucer” AU.

“I’m egging a random person’s house to relieve stress and you join me and as it turns out the house belongs to your ex and now they are chasing us as well as the police and now we’re both in jail waiting to be bailed so um you wanna talk about it?”

“I’m a fashion major and I’m working on my illustrations and maybe I’ve had too much coffee but I swear I just saw one of the mannequins move so here I am calling you in the middle of the night please help I’m scared” AU.

“I lied and said I could speak a different language to impress my crush but now he wants me to tutor him so I need to become fluent in Mandarin in 3 days HELP”

“I’m taking this Literature class to fill a Gen Ed, and for the love of God I can’t figure out this dumb poem. Here, you’re an English Major, please help me write this stupid paper” au

“I hope one day you’re as happy as you’re pretending to be”

“I think I picked up your coffee by mistake”

“I want my best friend back”

“I’ll be right over”

“I’m so stupid to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend.”

“Is there a special reason why you’re wearing my shirt?”

“It’s okay to cry”

“Look at me--just breathe okay?”

“She’s been missing since Friday and you’re not worried?”

“We have to pretend that we’re married.”

“Why can’t they see that they’re meant for each other?”

“You did all this for me?”

“You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

“You’ve only heard his side of the story. You never asked mine.”

While closing up Character A finds that they’re completely snowed in and the roads are blocked. Character B--another employee/a regular that stayed late--gets out two mugs and offers to make Character A a cup of hot cocoa while they wait for the snow to clear.

“how much did you drink?”

“You deserve better. It doesn’t have to be me, but you deserve better.”

“Please just hold my hand, that person’s basically undressing me with their eyes.”

Teacher from one department falls in love with teacher from another department AU

You found me singing a sad song on the fire escape a floor below you and you came down to ask me if something was wrong and I broke down and told you everything while you awkwardly sat there patting my head while I wept into your shoulder.

We sit across from each other on the train/tube everyday and I’m not sure how but we’ve ended up with this weird, silent, almost-friendship where we share “wtf” looks when we see another passenger doing something weird or telling a bizarre story and a few times I’ve almost gotten you to break and laugh out loud, but today you’re sitting with someone and I think they must be your partner because they are really in your space, but you shoot me a silent look that clearly screams ‘get this creep away from me’ and I’m all for that. AU

It’s the middle of winter and my heater went out and you let me stay at your place so I don’t freeze to death. God bless you.

Why are you crying in the hallway?? Are you okay?? Let’s go to my place, I have ice cream and Netflix.

I work in the library and I’m a little concerned for your health bc you never stop studying.

I’ve been standing in line at the coffee shop for hours and you casually cut through for your drink but also buy me my favorite blend and now I’m not so sure what to make of you AU

“I don’t get sick”

“It’s not fun anymore, I’m dizzy...”

“We need to get this fever down”

“If you don’t stop soon, we’re going to the ER.”

You didn’t get a blanket on this flight so I figured we could share mine. You look cold okay? NO I AM NOT BLUSHING

You walked into the student lounge on our dorm floor and saw me cry-studying and walked out and now you’re back with coffee and a bag of chips and I’m seriously debating proposing to you with my ring pop

I kept getting harassed by some creepy person as I was trying to study and they’re not picking up on my ‘fuck off’ vibes and I started to actually get scared and then you put a coffee in front of my face and called me babe and scared them away thank you please let me buy you a new one on me oh you have a really cute smile when you’re shy

So I heard you get into this huge fight with someone and I know we’ve only exchanged genial smiles but I just wanted to check that you’re okay AU

You’re my adorably shy and awkward assistant who cares way too much about my love life and at a dance party you tell me to dance with the most attractive person in the room last so you can set up a date with them for me and when everyone’s gone I ask you to dance with me because you’re the prettiest person here to me duh AU

Your girlfriend decided to kick you out at 3 AM and I tripped over your boxes of shit in the hallways in my drunken trip to my apartment now I’m half passed out in a pile of your clothes AU

You asked who I had a crush on and so I described you to a tee but apparently you’re the most oblivious person in the world because you got kinda sad and nodded and HOW DO YOU NOT GET THIS AU

So your TV is facing the window and you’ve been watching Say Yes to the Dress for three days straight I just want to make sure you’re okay AU

You don’t eat nearly enough food and so I’ve gotten in the habit of making you lunches and bringing you deserts to make sure you don’t starve

My cereal is always on the bottom shelf but today they changed the layout so it’s on the top and I can’t reach it AND I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR HELP YOU GIANT AU

You are stupidly tall and you sit in front of me in class and I can’t see anything so I despise you with all of my soul AU

You are fiery and outspoken but you are so short that nobody pays any mind and I am so tall and have a huge crush on you so I just sort of follow you around making people listen to you AU

Person A getting startled by the New Years fireworks--not being fond of loud noises. Person B pulls them in for a deep kiss, completely distracting them from the exploding lights filling up the night sky

I was really drunk and you walked me safely back to my dorm room

My roommate brought you back to our apartment because apparently you got really drunk last night and needed someone to keep you safe and now you’re hungover and making pancakes and wow you’re cuTE

My ex runs one of the rides and I want to RUB IT IN THEIR FACE hold my hand and by the way when the camera takes a pic imma lean over and kiss you okay AU

#Now I'm off to Starbucks c ya #And if you reblog this from me there's a good 98% chance I'll request something from it #Like I'm not even joking I will go to your blog and just request this shit bc I love ALL OF THESE AUs #anyways;;; starbucks time

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e350tb · 6 years

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Steven Universe: Woomera - Chapter Three

(with thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading. READ HER STUFF.)

Three

Every time I thought I'd got it made It seemed the taste was not so sweet

Civic was the cultural and social hub of the city of Canberra.

All things considered, this was not saying much.

Certainly, the twin Sydney and Melbourne Buildings, stately Mediterranean-styled structures on opposite sides of Northbourne Avenue, had a goodly variety of shops and restaurants, and there was the Monaro Mall if you wanted to visit the upmarket David Jones department store. There was the stately Hotel Civic, famed mostly for a protest against its gender-segregated public bar back in ‘65. But it was just too quiet and dull compared to Sydney or Melbourne, and it lacked the country-town charm of a rural centre. People didn't excitedly anticipate going to Civic - they went there because there was absolutely nowhere else.

Well, except perhaps Queanbeyan, but that was a bit of a drive.

O’Reilly’s was an Irish Pub on the corner of the Sydney Building (or so it was claimed - the founder was an American who'd never been to the Emerald Isle in his life, and the dark, shadowy musk felt more like Goulburn than Galway). It was by no means the heart of Civic, but it was cheap, and that was what mattered to its patrons. There were no politicians here, no big-name journalists - just ordinary people.

Lapis sat at the bar, looking at a dog-eared copy of the Canberra Times. It had been printed this morning, which was already starting to feel like an age ago. OPPOSITION BLOCKS SUPPLY, it bellowed.

“No kidding,” muttered Lapis.

She shrugged and turned through the pages, past the editorials and the letters and through the various local news stories, and found herself at the sports pages. She looked again to be sure, and then threw the paper away in disgust. No abandoned car story - the editor hadn't run it. She doubted he'd even looked at it.

She sighed, burying her head in her arms.

“Can I get you anything?” the bartender asked helpfully.

“Can you get me a ticket out of this place?” replied Lapis.

“I can get you a beer,” shrugged the bartender.

Lapis groaned.

“Straight vodka,” she replied, “It’s been that kind of day.”

“Right away, ma'am.”

The bartender walked off to prepare the drink. As he walked along the counter, he passed two young women, both on the short side, in animated discussion.

“Amethyst, you know I can't,” said one, “I've got an essay due the next day and I need that time to study!”

“C’mon, Peridot, this is what student life is all about!” exclaimed Amethyst, “You gotta live a little!”

“By attending a communist rally?”

“Socialist,” Amethyst corrected, “It’s a big tent. And it'll be for a good cause! Trust me, I know a bunch of people there, you'll fit right in!”

“Amethyst…”

“Would you do it for me?” asked Amethyst, grinning sweetly and leaning in on her friend.

Peridot’s face turned red.

“I… uh… sure, okay. But don't do that here, we’re in public,” she warned.

Amethyst sighed and sat back.

“Being in public sucks,” she grunted.

“Well, we’ll be back at the dorm soon,” shrugged Peridot.

Amethyst grinned.

The bartender walked back past them, handing the shot of straight vodka to Lapis. He sat the glass down in front of her, a bit of strain in his expression. He looked like he wanted to say something, maybe, but Lapis wasn't particularly in the mood for chit-chat.

"I know what I'm doing," she grunted, letting her fingers circle the rim of her liquid courage. The man's frown deepened momentarily, but he walked away without any probing questions.

Mission accomplished. Miserably, Lapis raised the shot glass.

“Here's to Melbourne,” she said, “Some day.”

She sighed, draining the small glass in one go and shaking her head.

Not far away, Donald Fryman sat at a table, rubbing his temples. A friend of his, a local lawyer named Marilee Zircon, regarded him with sympathetic eyes.

“I'm sorry, Don,” she said, “There just doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it. The RSL guys just won't hear it.”

“Why not?” demanded Fryman, “They're the Returned and Services League. I'm a returned serviceman! Why can't they let me in?”

“They, uh, they sent me a letter, but I don't think it's…” Zircon began.

“Give it here,” grunted Fryman.

Swallowing, Zircon produced a single sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Fryman. He unfolded the sheet and read it out loud.

“Ms. Zircon,” he read, “As Mr. Fryman did not serve in a real war - that's underlined, glad they made that clear - we are not obligated to provide him with membership or support. Furthermore, we believe that the conduct of servicemen in the late war in Vietnam does not correspond with the values of the RSL or the Anzac tradition… where the fuck do they get off on this?”

He threw the letter down in disgust.

“Don…”

“I need some air,” snapped Fryman, climbing to his feet and marching to the door.

The night was brisk - although winter was long over, the Canberra evenings still had their bite. Fryman walked up to his rusty old car and stopped next to it, lighting a cigarette.

“Bad night?”

Fryman looked up. Bill Dewey stood under a street lamp by the bus stop.

“Mhm,” grumbled Fryman, “Bad day. This Senate crap’s turning Parliament House upside down. They've got me guarding Fraser now - twelve ‘till ten, can you believe it?”

He took a drag of his smoke.

“If I wanted to work those hours, I'd have stayed at Nui Dat.”

Both men chuckled, and Fryman took another drag.

“So, what’re you up to?” asked Fryman.

“Waiting for a bus,” replied Dewey.

He leaned forward, looking left and right, and shook his head.

“It never seems to be coming, does it?” he sighed.

“Nah,” said Fryman ruefully, “Typical Canberra buses.”

He took one more drag of his cigarette and dropped it, crushing it under his shoe.

“Well, one more,” he said, “Then I’d better be getting home to Peedee.”

“You have a good night, Don,” Dewey nodded.

Fryman smirked and performed a mock salute.

“You too, Lieutenant Dewey.”

He turned and walked back inside. He was halfway back to Zircon’s table when he felt someone tug on his arm. He turned - an elderly fellow, perhaps sixty years old, was sitting alone at a table. He was gaunt, his dark rimmed eyes magnified by a pair of glasses.

“Couldn’t help but notice you’re getting screwed by the RSL too,” he said raspily, “Same happened to me, you know.”

“I’m sorry to hear it,” nodded Fryman.

“Yeah, it’s the way it goes, isn’t it?” grunted the man, “The government calls you to do it’s dirty business then throws you away when it’s done.”

He shook his head.

“They sold our lives at Woomera,” he muttered darkly, “May as well have fuckin’ shot us themselves.”

Across the bar, already fairly drunk, Lapis’ ears perked up. Woomera… Woomera, that was important… Roy Bradley’s car! WOOMERA!

Lapis pursed her lips and nodded to herself. It was time, she decided, to start getting some answers.

She climbed to her feet in determination. Then she swayed, losing her sense of balance, her vision swimming and her head pounding. Bile built up in her throat. For a moment, she glanced back at the counter, and the ten shot glasses that had accumulated in front of her stool suddenly into sharp focus.

As she fell backwards, crashing to the hard, tiled floor, she asked herself if ten shots of straight vodka had really been such a good idea.

Then there was a crash, and all was dark.

There’s a blissfulness about unconsciousness, about neither feeling nor thinking. One can’t really be hurt or punished in such a state - it is a strange sort of zen, bereft of the wonder of dreams or the terror of nightmares.

Usually it’s to define when consciousness returns. The exception to this rule is when it comes back in the form of a pounding, splitting headache. In those cases, it comes back with great and unwelcome fanfare.

Lapis groaned, clutching her head as she took stock of her surroundings. She was back in her apartment - how did she get here? She’d been laid on the couch, a pillow under her head and a blanket over her body. Did she walk home? Get a cab? Fly, even? That perhaps was unlikely, but part of her didn’t want to rule it out.

Still moaning to herself, she sat up. The apartment was a mess, but that wasn’t new - cleaning products were expensive and she wasn’t exactly swimming in money. Among the dusty pile of old newspapers and junk mail on the coffee table, she sighed a clean sheet of a paper, a hastily scrawled note written upon it.

Found you laying outside that Irish Pub at eleven last night and helped you get home. Hope you don’t mind, but I had to go through your pockets to find your keys. - Greg.

Outside? But… but she passed out inside the pub, so…

So they’d picked her up and deposited her on the pavement outside at closing time. Typical. Stay classy, O’Reilly’s.

She picked up the note paper and turned it over in her hand. There was a logo printed on the other side; It’s A Wash! An address underneath revealed that the business was in Acton, and was owned by a Greg Universe. Maybe she’d have to thank him.

She looked at the clock and sighed heavily. It was already evening - she must have slept all day. She’d be in trouble, except she doubted anyone at the Canberra Times had even noticed she hadn’t come in. Sitting back on the couch, she grabbed the remote and turned the television on.

Immediately, she was met with the face of Gough Whitlam, in the middle of an interview with someone at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - the ABC.

More politics, she thought to herself. It was hard not to get sick of it all.

“...so, must Sir John Kerr accept your advice whatever advice you give-”

“Unquestionably!” Whitlam replied forcefully, before the interviewer had finished his question, “The Governor-General takes the advice of his Prime Minister and from no one else.”

“And must act on that advice?”

“Unquestionably! The Governor-General must act on the advice of his Prime Minister.”

“There is no tolerance here? He must do-”

“None whatever.”

Huh, Lapis thought. Well, this was a slightly interesting development - it seemed Whitlam was making it especially clear that he had no intention of backing down. Still, it all seemed a bit strange and technical. Who cared about the Governor-General anyway? He sat in a mansion and rubber-stamped laws, everybody knew that.

She turned off the TV. It wasn’t worth worrying about.

There was a lot worth worrying about for Pearl.

The press gallery was already going off; she could hear them from the Prime Minister’s offices. She didn’t blame them - the Prime Minister had directly challenged Ellicott’s legal opinion of the previous day, which wouldn’t have been a problem, except for the fact that it could easily be interpreted as a challenge to Sir John Kerr himself.

It made yesterday seem simple by comparison - a spat between Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, a normal dispute between parties. Now it threatened to become something impossibly larger. They’d called it a constitutional crisis yesterday - now ‘crisis’ seemed too tame a word. The world had turned upside down once again, and it had only just gone five.

It seemed it’d be a late night, so she’d headed down to grab a coffee. She needed caffeine - it was that or insanity, at this stage.

She met Fryman at the cafeteria, intently studying the board, his eyes sunken and weary. Pearl’s heart went out for him - being a security guard was a thankless job, after all. Next to him was one of her counterparts from Malcolm Fraser’s secretarial pool; a tall, lithe, blonde woman, conservatively dressed, her face set into a perpetual frown.

Yellow - for that was what everyone called her - had a reputation for being neurotic and something of a perfectionist. She was often hard to like. Yet under that exterior was a deeply competent woman, and one that Pearl respected...at a distance.

Nevermind the company. She came here with a goal in mind, caffeine, and she was going to see it through. Pearl stepped up beside Yellow and waited for her turn, though she was pleased when the pair included her in their conversation.

“That Briggs man came around today,” she spat, and Pearl raised an eyebrow.

“Martin Briggs?” she asked, “From the American Embassy?”

“Yeah, I saw him heading into Fraser’s office,” nodded Fryman, “What did he want?”

“I don’t know,” replied Yellow, “Something or another; Mr. Fraser was busy so I told him to come back next week. And then he hung around for twenty minutes leering at me. How does someone so uncouth get to be a diplomat?”

“Beats me,” shrugged Fryman.

“Yeah, he was coming onto me yesterday,” said Pearl, “Gough sent him off - told him to come back at six.”

“Well, if he came back, I didn’t see him,” shrugged Fryman, “But I might have left before him.”

They chatted idly for a little longer as the line moved. Eventually, Pearl had her coffee - no sugar or cream, as usual. Yellow turned her nose up at it.

“You’d have it without milk if they let you,” she sniffed.

“I don’t tell you how to have your coffee,” snapped Pearl.

Yellow snorted as she walked off, leaving Pearl and Fryman alone.

“Are you sure you don’t want to…” said Fryman, looking down at Pearl’s mug.

“I’m sure,” replied Pearl, “Certain flavours make me gag. I’ve always been something of a fussy eater, at any rate.”

“Get it from your parents?” asked Fryman.

“I don’t really remember my parents much,” replied Pearl, “Dad was a railwayman, he left my mother shortly after I was born to go to Junee. Then she died of pneumonia when I was about four, so I grew up with my relatives in Queanbeyan…”

“Oh.” Fryman bit his lip. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Pearl shrugged, “I don’t think about them much, anyway.”

He nodded, covering his mouth as he yawned.

“I’d better get back to my post,” he said, “You have a nice evening, Pearl.”

“You too, Fryman,” nodded Pearl.

She yawned on reflex as the security guard walked away, and gazed morosely into her coffee. Her face was reflected in the cloudy liquid - god, she looked tired.

To think it was only day two.

#steven universe #woomera #lapis lazuli #pearl #amethyst #peridot #mr fryman #mayor dewey #blue zircon #yellow pearl #gough whitlam #amedot

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not-close-to-straight · 6 years

Text

*Christmas* (Chapter 16)

CHRISTMAS MASTERLIST HERE

Enjoy :)

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

{{Christmas Canon-- this is one of my favorite songs EVER and i listen to it via ipod while shopping to keep myself from getting all… idk crazy christmas shopper? And to keep from hearing how rude other people are to retail workers. Anyway, it seemed appropriate for this scene lol}}

“Oh I love this song.” Pepper said absentmindedly as she and Natasha moved through the mens section of the giant department store.

“Really?” Natasha wrinkled her nose. “It seems a little screamy and guitar-y for Christmas music.”

“Yes, I find it helps me center my rage and keep that holiday spirit going strong.” Pepper answered calmly and Natasha laughed out loud and shoved her lightly.

“Pepper, you don't have any rage.”

“Oh I don't know.” Pepper pulled a sweater in warm charcoal and held it up critically. “There’s a reason I wear shoes that double as weapons, hm?”

“Stop.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “Really? A sweater for Rhodes?”

“You’re buying a sweater for Clint!” Pepper defended. “How is this any different?”

“I'm buying a sweater for Clint because if I don't buy him clothes he dresses like he’s homeless.” Natasha explained. “And we have an agreement that as long as I buy it, he has to wear it.”

“So what's with the super fitted work out pants with juicy written across the butt?”

“Pepper, darling, have you seen that man do lunges? It's amazing. I buy work out pants to encourage him to work out. I buy them super fitted because you know… lunges.”

“Gross.” Pepper giggled. “I don't need to know about the juicy part.”

“Mm.” Nat shook her head. “You really really don't.”

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

(this video is christmas lights in tune to TSO Carol of the Bells so you know… seizure warning?? It's a cool video though, watch if you can!}}

“I love this song!” Clint slid into a power stance, working his fingers like he was playing a guitar. “Trans Siberian Orchestra is so cool!”

“This is just noise.” Bucky frowned up at the ceiling. “Christmas music is supposed to be… pianos.”

“There’s pianos in this!” Clint argued. “You can hear it right there! Bum bum bum BUM BUM BUM BADA BUM BUM BUM BU--mmph!”

“Enough.” Steve said firmly, his hand over Clints mouth. “We can hear the music, don't need a note for note remake courtesy of Hawkeye Records.”

“Missing out.” Clint muttered and shrugged Steve off. “Alright, I've got to go… somewhere. And buy Natasha things, so you guys do whatever it is you need and I'll---”

“Where are you going?” Sam tilted his head curiously. “What--what are you buying? Can we come too?”

“Nope.” Clint shook his head adamantly. “No way. I'll just be a few minutes.”

“No wait, now I want to go.” Bucky elbowed Steve, prompting him to nod. “I mean, what if it's something I want to buy Tony?”

“I'm pretty sure all Iron Man wants for Christmas is some Winter Soldier Booty.” Clint deadpanned, eyes twinkling when Sam shuddered. “So go buy something awkward to wear for him, and I'll be right back.”

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

“Okay, I've been wrong before--” Nat slid her fingers under the bra strap and adjusted it quickly. “But I'm about a thousand times more sure that Rhodey is going to want this versus a sweater, no matter how soft the sweater is.”

“You might be right.” Pepper admitted, turning in the mirror to admire the way the pale purple lingerie sat against her skin. “But it doesn't really seem like a Christmas present for him if I'm the one wearing it.”

“I suppose so.” Nat stripped off her own shirt and reached for the matching set, turning so Pepper could get the hooks for her. “But I mean… he’s not going to complain, right?”

“Not if he ever wants to see me naked again.” they chuckled together, then Pepper said-- “I think I'll get this, and the one in the darker blue, but I still need an actual gift. What do you buy someone who gets all of his toys from his forty-year-old- and- yet- somehow -twelve- years- old best friend who happens to be a genius inventor?”

“Isn't he super into Star Wars? I thought they were releasing a platinum collection of the series or whatever.” Natasha offered. “That would be fun, right? You could sit through like eighteen hours of bonus features.”

“Kill me.” Pepper put her own bra back on, reaching for her blouse. “But I suppose I could always casually change into the purple set about fifteen minutes into the first one, right?”

“Right.” Natashas green eyes met and held Peppers gaze through the mirror. “Too bad I'm straight, hm? You’re quite a catch.”

“Another life, Tasha.” Pepper winked. “Another life.”

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

“Sammy boy, how was your date with Val?” Bucky asked as they wandered through the food court of the mall. “You aren't walking funny or anything so--”

“Do you think just because we’re in public I won't rip that arm off you and beat you with it?” Sam narrowed his eyes. “Thin ice, Frosty.”

“Calm down girls.” Steve’s voice dropped into his Captain tone. “Bucky, quit being aggravating. Sam--” Steve grinned. “Did you use enough lube when she topped you or---?”

“I'm going to kill you.” Sam chucked his sandwich in the trash. “The hells wrong with you guys?! We just went out and had a few drinks and kissed it up a little! Not a big deal!”

“How was the kissing?” Steve prompted.

“Aggressive.” Sam muttered, and Bucky had to walk away so he wouldn't laugh.

“How are you doing with Thor gone?” Sam changed the subject. “When’s he gonna be home?”

“I don't know.” Steve finished his water and dropped the bottle in the recycling bin. “Um, he said a few days. But on Asgard that is just… who knows? Could be a week.”

“He’ll come home to you.” Sam comforted. “He’s crazy about you, and everyone knows it. What are you getting him for Christmas?”

“What are you supposed to get a god?” Steve asked pointedly.

“I dunno, what are you supposed to get a Valkyrie?” Sam returned.

“Why are we dating people literally from old mythology?”

“Because they are so pretty it physically hurts us?”

“Damn straight.”

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

“Sir, have you finished your Christmas shopping for the entire Tower?” JARVIS interrupted Tony's reading.

“Nope.” Tony frowned. “I can't figure out what to get Bucky. Any ideas?”

“Based on my observations of Sergeant Barnes and how much time he spends observing you, I would suggest either something to draw more attention to your lower anatomy, or wearing nothing at all.”

Silence for a full minute while Tony tried to pick his jaw up off the floor.

“I'm sorry, J, did you just tell me to give myself naked to Bucky as a present?”

“Based on my observations and how much time Sergeant Barnes spends observing you--”

“Yeah I heard all that.” Tony interrupted. “Tell me, J. Did I program you with too much personality, or are you just becoming self aware to the point of encouraging hook ups and naked time?”

“You programmed me originally to help you with any and all things, Sir. As time has progressed my duties have moved from opening doors when you stumble home drunk, to helping power your Iron Man suits and now to making sure you are happy and healthy with the man you have chosen to be your partner.”

“My god, I programmed you sweet, didn't I?” Tony sighed and went back to reading. “Well if I can't manage to find a good present, Bucky just might get me with a bow for Christmas.”

“I'm sure Sergeant Barnes will be thrilled, Sir.”

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

“All done?” Sam asked as Clint rejoined the group with his arms full of blandly wrapped packages. “With your incredibly boring presents? Clint, what did you buy her? Amish tools?”

“Hey you know what?” Clint scowled at him. “When you have managed to keep a smoking hot, insanely dangerous, super smart, borderline terrifying, foxy, fiery redhead happy and satisfied for seven years, THEN you can judge me for how I wrap presents, alright?”

“Clint!” Natasha and Pepper, their arms full of bags, spotted the boys then and headed their way. “Baby are these all for me?” Natasha cooed approvingly, kissing Clint for a long minute. “From my favorite store?”

“Maybe.” Clint teased and they kissed again.

“How does he do it?” Sam asked, tilting his head back so only Bucky and Steve heard him. “I mean honestly, what is that?”

“It's true love.” Pepper whispered. “It's true love and it's amazing. The things fairy tales are made of.”

“What's up, Pepper?” Steve asked and she sighed.

“The last store we went through served mimosas and I had four.”

“Come on.” Bucky took her bags from her with his right hand and bent and swooped her up with his left arm. “I'll carry you.”

“Oh my!” Pepper giggled and snuggled into Bucky's chest. “No wonder Tony has an arm kink!”

“What?” Bucky nearly dropped her and Pepper shrieked. “Did you say Tony has an arm kink?”

“I didn't… not… say it.” she said slowly. “Don't tell him I told you?”

“Come on lightweight.” Bucky picked her back up and jerked his head for the other to follow. “Lets get you home.”

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

That night Tony leaned over to get his tablet off the coffee table, but Bucky moved faster, reaching with his left arm to grab the table and pull it closer, the gears in his bicep whirring and clicking as it re-calibrated to get the appropriate strength.

“Oh my god.” Tony muttered and crossed his legs to hide...well, maybe he just wanted to sit with his legs crossed.

Bucky smirked about it.

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

#ncts christmas #winteriron #clintasha #shopping #christmas presents

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multipleservicelisting · 3 years

Text

What happened when I tried to become French

(CNN) — Julien was a tennis instructor with steel shoulders, blue eyes and two terraces we could never sit on because he stuffed them both with his marijuana plants.

Everyone back home in New York City told me that if I’d move to France I’d fall for some French guy, and that French guy was Julien. (Well… at first it was a guy named, Nico, but he had a girlfriend.)

It was the summer of 2008, and I was 28 years old and I’d done the crazy thing and moved to Montpellier, France. My rent was 250 euros a month. I munched an entire crusty baguette each and every single day. I got tan on Mediterranean beaches and I got drunk on bottles of pale French beer at open-air boîtes de nuit (night clubs.)

Very quickly, I’d become that girl, dating that French guy and living exactly that French dream we all think will be so damn beautiful.

And it really is…

… until it really isn’t.

If I’d stayed in Montpellier, I might still be that French girl. After several months, though, I couldn’t get the French dream to match the French reality, and that damn return ticket was always there waiting for me.

Escape from New York

Turns out Montpellier is France’s seventh largest city.

PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images

I’d been living in New York City for eight years in one insect-ridden apartment after another. I had a job in television programming my coworker described as “moving color bars around a screen all day.”

I was tired of the crowded expensive city and I needed much more than a two-week vacation. I have dual American and French citizenship thanks to my Caribbean dad, and I was thinking the French life would be for me.

So, I decided to attend a language school. All across Europe you’ll find these small, non-credit, unofficial schools which offer three or so hours of conversational classes per day. They help students find housing and organize group activities. They’re probably meant for European college students, but they attract anyone looking for a short escape.

In my case, it was a crutch to a new start in French life.

Once I bank transferred my 1,000 euros for my first month of classes at Odyssea Language School, I got on the web to buy a one-way British Airways ticket leaving in June. Then I panicked. I clicked instead on a refundable round trip returning in October. If my savings ran out, and I couldn’t find a job, the return was already paid for.

The school was in the Languedoc region in southern France. From the online photos, the town looked blissfully suburban compared to New York and Boston (my college town.)

In fact, Montpellier is France’s seventh largest city.

My creamy colored heaven

Day trips from my French school included an outing to the historic city of Avignon.

AFP Contributor / Contributor

When I arrived, I stashed my stuff in a closet-sized room in a tiny apartment the school hooked me up with. I shared it with a girl who spoke not much English and not much French.

With no help from her, I somehow figured out how to explore the town on my own before my classes started.

Montpellier is actually a sprawling little city known for big universities that bring in 50,000-plus students seasonally.

Tall clusters of apartment buildings and department stores dot the outskirts and a small metro snakes in and out of the town center. The central square, or Place de la Comédie, is paved in white and cream-colored stones and anchors a maze of tiny shops and restaurants.

Every friend in this photo comes from different ends of the Earth: Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, US and Germany.

Channon Hodge

There were too many historical buildings to count, but I vividly remember walking by a plaque commemorating one of the first medical schools in France. It had been there since before the United States was even a concept. That’s when my decade spent studying American History seemed rather trite.

On a tour the school organized, I learned about Europe’s southern history before borders carved it up. Some of the townspeople still speak a Catalan language and love explaining the region’s ties to Spain before it became part of France. They made sure Catalan names were etched on signs along with the French ones and their independent spirit was a precursor of what I would eventually encounter when I finally found a job.

The Spaniards taught us how to play ‘Merde’

Open-air clubs were everywhere in a region where summers are long and winters are mild.

Channon Hodge

The school organized wine and cheese “meet and greets” for new students and bus trips to Avignon and Carcassonne. They organized trivia nights at the local British pub, The Shakespeare, and made sure everyone gathered for outdoor watch parties to see the French lose out in the World Cup.

The social part seemed as equally important to the language classes. I’d taken French in high school, college and even doled out $500 for classes at New York’s Alliance Francaise. My entrance exam at Odyssea informed me that none of that effort put me above “advanced-beginner.”

I could answer “Comment allez-vous?” but I couldn’t have a conversation for more than two minutes before becoming mentally exhausted.

Odyssea – Institut Européen de Français – Language schools attract European students who can take long breaks to learn a language. My friends did not feel the pressure to graduate from university in four years and thought nothing of a long break.

Picasa 3.0

No worries. These schools have no set term start or end dates. You simply roll in any week at all, get placed with students at your level and “graduate” up if your teacher feels you are ready. That open acceptance helped me make all manner of new friends, including:

Jim — An American film editor determined to pick up a language in between contracts.

Marianna — A vivacious, gorgeous, curly haired Russian Italian who refused to wait in any line ever.

Hannah — An adventurous Canadian who’d eventually convince me to scramble down an off-limits cliff in Marseilles because we’d heard the waters were crystalline blue (they were, and they were freezing).

Felippa — A smiley Swede who shockingly explained that Ikea product names actually have real meanings and who would become my roommate in a much bigger and nicer flat.

A young German couple who’d just had a baby and who were spending their year of parental leave hopping around Europe.

Plus a gaggle of young dance-loving Singaporeans on exchange, a party-hardy group of Italian nuclear scientists sponsored by their company, and a rowdy group of Spaniards.

We’d spent so many days on the beach, we once foolishly tried spending the night on one. We were frozen by midnight and fled home at 4 a.m.

Channon Hodge

A bunch of us would spend our afternoons biking out to the beach in a town nearby. I’d found a massive red checkered sheet on our apartment’s clothesline and we’d sprawl out on the sand while everyone turned out offerings of cheese, sliced meats, chips, fruits and baguettes.

The Spaniards had a car, they smoked like a coal factory, and they soon taught us a card game they insisted was called “Merde!” (S–t!)

We sadly mostly fell into speaking the more mutually understood English. Try as we might, French all day was simply exhausting. Eventually, though, I did get the accent down straight. That’s all thanks to a lot of fruit and a questionable pick up line.

Framboise, fraise and frozen juice

After a few weeks, I realized if I wanted to stay in Montpellier for a long time I’d need a job. The euro was nearly double the value of the dollar then and my savings were dwindling fast.

Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to find a job as unemployment for young people was around 20%. Businesses were loath to take on news part-time employees because once they had you, they were stuck with you because of labor laws.

At this organized social event, we learned how to make crepes and a local favorite – bread with goat cheese, honey and herbs de provence. Events cost extra, and the euro’s value was double the dollar then.

Channon Hodge

The Russian Italian convinced me to try working for an Irish bar in town by pretending that my first name, Channon, gave me some Irish cred with the owner. That failed as soon as he realized I was African American.

Instead, he offered me about 15 hours per week making frozen juice at his new Jus Plus store in the mall. It was a new concept in France, then, and I suppose I looked like I could handle a blender.

I easily learned the frozen mixes, mostly based in apple juice, and quickly blended them together before calling out the drink orders to guests.

“FRRREZ!”

“FRRRRAMBWAZE!”

(Fraise = strawberry, framboise = raspberry)

Customers stared back at me dumbfounded and I didn’t know why. My dear coworkers Stella and Charles helped me to realize that a hard American “r” doesn’t really work in French. I quickly learned to make the correct and softer sound using the middle of my tongue and the roof of my mouth. I describe it as a mix between: a soft g, w, and que.

“Fgwquezzeeee”

“Fgwquambwazzee”

It worked! Stella also kindly forced me to speak French. Charles was a musician and he loved to explain all the rights I then had as a worker and all the great ways young people were starting revolutions.

The “mec” taught me something else entirely.

Le mec et la petite amie (the guy and the girlfriend)

I’ve been told French relationships can become serious rather quickly, which is completely at odds with what I’d assumed about French promiscuity.

Channon Hodge

French people do indeed drink lots of wine and eat lots of bread and cheese. But they also guzzle down cheap beer and stock up on tinned meats, packaged toasts, bags of processed cookies and cartons of highly processed milk.

I was drinking beer with a group of friends at a café (which is, in fact, a bar), when a guy named Julien walked up to me and asked in English:

“Where are you from?”

“New York,” I said.

“Oh really?” he asked and then added: “I thought you were from paradise.”

Maybe it was the French accent? Maybe it was the tennis instructor body? I was immediately in like.

We had one date. He kept texting me and after a few weeks he referred to me as his “petit amie'” I quickly learned relationships can really form that easily in France.

Julien had lived off chômage (French unemployment) for nearly two years and would gasp when I used all his beurre on my baguette. He knew not much more English than he’d used to pick me up, so our relationship was mostly about what you think it was mostly about.

One day he did manage to scrounge some cash for gas and we went out to the beach, swimming out as the waters turned choppy and filled my nose with salt.

My days were all free and clear and sunny, until I suddenly couldn’t breathe.

The French way — No bills, no laws, no worries!

It was completely against the law to scramble down the dangerous cliffs to the water in Marseille, France. Even moms with little children ignored the signage.

Picasa 3.0

I’ll never know if it was all that saltwater, but a week or so after the beach trip my lungs started shrinking. I could barely wheeze. One day it got so bad, I woke up in a panic sinking to the floor beside my bed feeling like my throat had become a red cocktail straw.

When I walked into a doctor’s office, I signed my name on a slip of paper because there was no receptionist, just him. He took a listen to my sad lungs and gave me a prescription for expectorant and a calming agent at the pharmacy. When I asked about the bill, I mentioned my French citizenship, but I admitted I hadn’t worked long enough to get a medical card.

“Well, you’re French so you’re not supposed to pay,” he told me, politely letting me go.

The medicine cost me around 15 euros, but over the next several weeks the infected lungs never quite went away. I never spoke again in France without coughing.

The beautiful haze grows hazy

My typical morning started with café au lait, baguette with cheese, and French magazines. I lived in four different apartments over the season. My last room cost me €250 per month.

Channon Hodge

The weather got cold and crisp and the beach lost its charm. Then my friends began to leave, one by one returning to their home countries. The Spaniards left, then the Canadian, then the Russian Italian. My cheap summer room had to be turned back over to the fall student I’d sublet it from.

Then the strikes started. First the wine growers protested land taxes. Then the metro stopped working for weeks in the name of metro worker’s rights. The strikes caused chaos and brought attention to a cause, but they always ended without much progress.

To truly improve her French, my roommate enrolled in a real university for the fall and she wanted me to join her. But I couldn’t stomach the idea of being a college student again living in a dorm at then 29. (I’ve only realized now, of course, that 29 is still so young.)

I grew tired of never completely understanding anyone and only getting the gist. I hated all the money I’d spent buying tickets for the wrong day, and having packages sent to the wrong destination. I was frustrated that I couldn’t have a real conversation with Julien.

And it was so hard to shout “fgwquambwazzee!” while coughing.

While the news in France was full of les grèves (strikes) and the financial crises, the news in the US was becoming more hopeful. Senator Barack Obama was quickly gaining speed as the nominee for President of the United States.

Channon Hodge

At one point I realized I was a lot funnier back in New York. I just didn’t get French humor. I didn’t understand why movies never had a real ending but were instead vaguely unsatisfying. I didn’t get all the constant anger at the government.

Then my coworker Charles started his own revolution in our little shop. He and my British boss screamed at each other over shift changes until he stormed off one day and I lost him, too.

But I still had that return ticket.

Just a tourist again

Jardin du Luxembourg. I spent my days wandering the beautiful parks of Paris and headed home each night to my dear aunt in Villejuif before nightfall hit.

Channon Hodge

Late September, I left Montpellier and took the TGV up to Paris to stay with my aunt for a few weeks before my flight out. As I rode the smooth train north, I gazed out at vineyards whipping by with their grapes hung low to the ground waiting to be picked and crushed.

In the city, every morning my dear aunt made me a bowl of café au lait along with pâté smeared on bread. She sent me out into the city with a thin paper booklet called “Balades a Paris.” I climbed the bright Montmartre hill, learned Notre Dame’s secrets from a volunteer tour guide and bought a classic leather Cassandra bag at the Marche aux puces.

My mom and my brother joined me for my final two weeks and we were dazzled by the marbled figures at the Musee d’Orsay. We loved the thick chocolate at Angelina cafe. We drove down to see the Loire Valley’s castles.

As the date of my return flight drew closer, I realized I was dreading finding a new job in New York and starting my life there over again. Moving to France hadn’t been so hard after all. What had been difficult was staying there, building up a real life. That’s the work you have to do wherever you choose to go and wherever you try to stay.

I realized too late that you never pick up a language. It simply drags you along till you’re standing.

For a short time, I had been that girl, dating that French guy, living that French dream, but eventually I became just another American in Paris and a return ticket took me home.

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gregoryjdillerblr · 3 years

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2020: Pandemic, Murder Hornets, Riots and Protests, Monoliths, and the Rise of TikTok and OnlyFans.

2020 sure has been a strange and difficult year. Like everybody else, I was really looking forward to enter the new decade, the 2020s. My goal was to get on my own two feet and seek out a publisher to publish my books, something I have been wanting to do for many years now but kept pushing off because I was taking a hiatus and stuck in daydreaming of it happening instead of actually trying. Of course I’m doing it now, re-editing my novels while writing a new project, as well as seeking publishers to publish short stories with. But I’m here talking about 2020, since it’s near the end of an odd year

I remember back in December, riding the bus to the mall, where one crazy passenger was telling the bus driver that there was a virus wiping out China, that they were dropping like flies, and that Bill Gates was behind it all. My first thought was that this guy was fucking crazy; even the bus driver seemed to be annoyed by him. The man kept repeating himself all throughout the bus ride, and I couldn’t tell you how many times he said that this was Bill Gates doing, and that China was being wiped out.

A few months went by, and the Coronavirus found its way to the Untitled States. I am a movie goer, and I remember watching The Hunt in theaters just when the virus was hitting the US, me posting my movie ticket on my social media accounts that I wasn’t going to let the virus stop me watching the movie. Little did I know The Hunt was going to be the last movie I ever saw in theaters, and that Regal Cinemas would be closing theaters for good in the following months. I live near downtown Ithaca, NY, and the movie theater that was nearby in the Commons was Cinemapolis, who play a lot of more independent films than mainstream films. It was in this theater I watched films like Climax, Color Out of Space, The Lighthouse. Of course, the theater was forced to shut down. It’s still in the air whether the place has closed down for good or wait to reopen. Now I pass it and see the inside of it (the entire front is glass), noticing they had torn floorboards up and remodeling the place.

I streamed films, paying the rent from as low as $6 to $20. I like to review, to talk about the films (and books I’ve read) I’ve watched recently. It’s the nerd in me that wants to talk about art and storytelling. It was cool seeing the films that were supposed to be in theaters at home. But knowing that these films were supposed to be in theaters, I couldn’t help but feel that I was missing that experience, to go to a theater, to pick out a seat (it’s usually in the middle for me), hoping to see new movie trailers I haven’t seen before, and experience the film in surround sound and on the big screen (I’m not a popcorn guy, I don’t buy it).

Some films have been pushed back while others were streamed. I’m still waiting films like the wendigo horror flick Antlers, Godzilla Vs. Kong, The Conjuring 3, Tenet. HBO Max has announced it will stream three of the four films. Antlers was my biggest anticipated horror film of the year, and I still hope to God they would eventually stream the film rather than push it back.

I work in retail. I was a department manager until about half way into the year, and when the whole pandemic started, there was a high demand to keep up with the flow of the almost endless flow of customers. When businesses were forced to shut down, people began to shop out of boredom. The store I work at saw an increase flow of customers. One of my good buddies and coworker told me that he helped a college girl who told him this was her very first time shopping, and she didn’t know how prices of meat work. Our store then laid down stickers to try to control customer flow, which aisle they are allowed to enter and which aisle they didn’t. Half the customers listened to the signs, and the other half didn’t. For those that didn’t, I pinpointed the signs out, and the main response I got was, “Oh, I didn’t see that there.” Eventually it got so common I stopped trying to pinpoint it out. I was a department manager, but I couldn’t enforce it like the upper management, but even they stopped trying, because there wasn’t really anything we could do to enforce it.

Some customers got mad at other customers who weren’t wearing masks. Some of them argued. Some of them shouted at employees when customer hosts ask if they could give them a mask if they came in without one. It got so bad to the point that the store had to hire a third party security to help enforce the mask rules. But as of right now, there really isn’t much anybody to do to enforce it unless it’s enforced by state law.

Because customers fear of going inside, online shopping saw a huge increase in sales. It got to the point that we department managers were called to help the online pickup crew. The lead manager over online pickup approved overtime, and a few of us were allowed to go in two hours ahead of our shift and help them out, just trying to fulfill orders the best we can.

Toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning wipes, hand soap and sanitizers, rubbing alcohol, and Clorox and Lysol cleaners were wiped out. We saw many shelves emptied, naked to their metal frames where product was supposed to be. The company limited to a certain number of selected items so it was fare for all customers to buy, but the getting the supplies became difficult. Warehouses were getting low, and some even ran out of products that till this very day they are still out of. I was in charge of the frozen food section in my store, and I began to see a trend of what items were being wiped clean. Can fruits and vegetables were hit hard in the grocery department. The frozen fruits and vegetables were next. Everyday I had pull and breakdown a lot of emptied display boxes, and praying that the products would be coming soon.

Things have slowed down, when businesses were up and running again, but to this day we are still having difficulties in getting some supplies in, or keep on the shelves. Toilet paper and paper towels slowed down, as well as hand sanitizers and soap, but good luck trying to get cleaning wipes and air sprays. Those are still gold.

With a pandemic comes the consequences of unease. When George Floyd was killed while a police officer was kneeing on him, suffocating him, the United States blew up with riots and protests. Major cities saw riots, businesses burning down. Police were shooting rubber bullets into crowds, including journalists. We saw much more police brutality in the videos that have gone viral. Police pushing elderly folks, cracking one’s head open in Buffalo, a city that’s just about three hours away where I live. In Rochester, a city that’s two hours away from me, saw some riot damage but nothing compared to those in other cities. In Ithaca, we only saw protests, nothing breaking out into riots, however, police did arrest a few protesters one night, after some of them blocked their way when the police were trying to rush to a crime scene.

Some rioters took advantaged. They targeted business owners and killed them on the spot. Some injured police officers, and some protesters managed to block them before rioters got the chance to kill them. A retired police chief was killed while responding to a jewelry and pawn shop being robbed. Young 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse killed two people and injured a third while trying to act as a mercenary for the police.

Coronavirus cases spiked from large gathering of crowds, as America seemed to be on the heels of an apocalypse, torn apart by civil unrest. Protests were not only happening in the United States but in other countries as well, each trying trying to fight what is right. Videos have gone viral showing how police use their power in position, though some of them prove that some officers do what is right. I won’t go into much details about the riots and the protests. I do believe some police officers shouldn’t be police officers. I do know a few in my personal life, some of them more strict than others, but they are nevertheless good people; we just need a better system to separate the bad from the good.

Before George Floyd was killed, Asian Murder Hornets found their way across the ocean. In Washington State, a beekeeper noticed his hive was killed, their heads chopped off. He then collected the predator. It was confirmed to be an Asian Giant Hornet. There was then the fear that I saw online that these hornets were already their way across America, and a couple of my Facebook friends have had claimed they saw them in New York State. Because of George Floyd being killed wrongfully, the murder hornets became old school news. However, in October, there was the first confirmed case of a murder nest in Washington. It is believed the hornets have arrived on ships, since they cannot cross the ocean just by simply flying.

During all of this, the US Government have confirmed that UFOs exist, providing us declassified footage. But we became forgotten about it, haven’t we? Because deep down we already knew UFOs existed.

As if 2020 couldn’t get weirder by the end of it, a silver monolith was found in Utah. It became instant news, as many people claim it was aliens that have planted the monolith there. Once it was all over the media, the monolith disappeared, but soon after there was one that had suddenly “popped” up in Europe. When that got viral, that monolith disappeared and another one came up in California. I figured it was a group of underground people on the internet discussing their plans to make 2020 weirder than it already was, and recently an Instagram post confirmed this, as the artist of the monolith in Utah is now trying to sell it. Sorry, guys, not really an X-File case.

There were also the California wildfires that burned 4,359,517 acres of land, from 9,279 fires. California seemed to be suffocating with black smoke as fires rage. The smoke eventually reached across the nation. New York City was seen in a fog like state. Viral videos showed mountains of fire, as many forests were perished. Many were forced to evocate their homes, which many were left to burn. Homes and lives destroyed. As if things weren’t apocalyptic enough in 2020.

TikTok saw an increase. People began to make viral videos and challenges on the popular app. We see people making comedy videos. We see people make music videos. We see stupid challenge videos, trying to make a challenge go viral. We see people try to get though the day, no matter how difficult it was for them. Social media is a powerful tool these days, and the TikTok app seems to be one of the more recent ones that can make you instant internet famous, despite that countries are trying to ban it because the app was created by the Chinese. I do plan on getting TikTok shortly, if they don’t ban it (which I honestly think they won’t, but we’ll see).

Another increase in popularity is the much more controversial website OnlyFans. Since many were forced to go jobless when businesses were shut down, many turned towards online to make money. OnlyFans was growing, but 2020 bloomed the website. Popular celebrities began to turn toward it, rather to release behind the scenes of photoshoots, songs, exercise tips, etc. Of course, OnlyFans is known for its popularity in the ever increasing of nudes or pornographic like content. Famous adult entertainers to maybe the girl next door use OnlyFans to earn money as they sell sexual content on the site. Because this is being 2020, and people are stuck in homes or single and the difficulties of dating someone, OnlyFans is a way to release that sexual tension, and those that are releasing content to make money. However you want to view it, OnlyFans is popping up everywhere on social media, and it’s a site that isn’t going away anytime soon.

Looking back at 2020 now, it has been a fast and surreal year. Liker everybody, I hope this pandemic goes away soon, despite that it’s looking like it may end next summer, the way they are predicting. I hope whoever is having difficulty that 2021 would be much more positive, that things will work out together. My message overall is this: please be kind to one another. Times are tough right now. Be positive, smile under your mask, and things will work out in the end. Cheers.

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juju-journeys · 5 years

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Hawaii

I have attached my info for Hawaii. Lots of places to shop and visit. I went to Hawaii in 2015 to the 4 islands.

This is the Web site and click on the link for Waikele Outlet in Hawaii. Print out a list as they have many good brands and you can join up and get discount vouchers but you need to spend a fair bit in each store. I used my Travel card at all these type of shops and only put the large items on the credit card.

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/centers/index.asp

You will need to book a Roberts bus for the trip to the Factory Outlet otherwise check at the front desk as they may have a company they use. It is limited time shopping with the bus trip but we got a guy and he took us there and we said a time and he was back for us and it was great as we were not queueing to get on a bus. Shops open at 10am and close late. One friend took just the local bus but that would have taken 2 hours.

We also went to the market at the Stadium this year and we took a taxi and that was also great as some of the items in the ABC shops were so much cheaper and the same product. Plus a lot more home crafted jewellery and other items. There is a taxi rank and you can ask for a fixed price as they want to get back to Waikiki. We went Mid May this year and not too hot but still many tourists at the Factory Outlets.

Macy’s ( there are 2) are very good for clothes and if you go to the Information counter and take your passport you get a 10% voucher for International guests off clothes but not cosmetics, perfume or jewellery. But when I was there I paid $5 and got a separate coupon as it was Breast Cancer day so I got more bargains.

Try Ross Dress for Less in Seaside Avenue. It looks like an Op Shop but have all the brands. They have Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren and the t-shirts cost around $12 - $20 US. TJ Maxx is similar near Ward Centre and Nordstrom Rack. This is 2 bus stops past Ala Moana Shopping centre. You need to go through all racks as they are in sizes as well as tops, jumpers, dresses etc. I had to get a large in the polo as they are European sizes but a US 10 for most other items. Mary said it was too busy but we went after dinner and I got shorts and ¾ pants for about US$15 Nine West brand.

I got a Ralph Lauren cable cotton knit for $20 and Tommy Hilfiger polos for $25. T shirts for $12 US and polos for $23 -$30. The solid colours are cheaper.

Off Saks has opened a store near the International Market Place in Kuhio Avenue.

Walgreens have cheap cosmetics but Target and Wal-Mart are much cheaper around $4-5 for Revlon and Cover girl and Maybelline. Wal-Mart and Target are at the back of the Ala Moana Shopping centre which is the largest outdoor shopping Mall. Great for your big bags on M & Ms with many different flavours plus the Reese’ chocolate. I spent ages trying to decide.

Tipping for any service is 15% for taxis and food where there is a waiter service or barman. We asked a waiter and all the tips go to the waiter, the person who takes away the plates and fills up the water, the chef and barman and they get around $6 an hour so that is why the food is cheap. I just worked out 20% as it was much easier and if I used my travel card then I left cash as a tip. If a porter takes your bags it is $1 per bag.

In Hawaii you also have the Ala Moana Shopping Mall which you can take a bus down Kuhio Ave , you must have correct fare, but you can combine the 3 fares together and the driver will give you the tickets as the driver doesn’t give you change. Old Navy is another good store has reasonable clothes for men and women. Check if you have a courtesy bus at your Hotel to take you to Ala Moana. When you alight, give the driver a $1 either in person or there is a small bucket. There are also trolley buses in all different colours.

Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Dillard’s , Bloomingdale, Sears are the Department stores and Forever 21 for the younger crowd.

ABC shops and Walgreen, Whalers sell food as well as souvenirs and they are everywhere. If you want Milk, look at the cartons in the grocery stores as they have many different from 1% fat to full cream milk as in Aust. Don’t ask for milk at a café, ask for half and half. That is the closest to milk. I take a bag of tea bags with me as their Tea is not as strong and not always have black tea.

Most places have happy hours and not just drinks, it is food as well so you need to get there between 5pm and 5.30 pm so check the times out.

Appetisers are our Entrees and US entrees are our mains.

Cheese Factory at Royal Hawaiian centre – Kalakaua St . We got there early and we still had to wait just, go to the front desk and put your name down. In the end we did not go in just because of the wait. Or book online.

PF Changs – Lewers St – great modern Chinese cuisine and happy hour with half price San Choi Bao. I went here 3 times in a week. Plus the sweet potato fries. Yum. Happy hour between 4-6PM. Go to their website and join up as you get a free dish.

Californian Pizza Kitchen in Kalakaua Ave near Macy’s has the best Cobb salad and good pizza.

Yard House in Lewers St- good happy hour food, 2pm – 5.30pm

Rum Fire at Sheraton Happy Hour 3-4PM.

Hula Grill 4-6PM

Tommy Bahama 2-5PM

Cinnamon at Ilikai 2-6PM

Try these Pais Deli and Cream Pot for lunch or brunch.

A friend found this to help with tipping.

There is a Korean place in Kuhio Ave and you must get there early as the queue goes down the street and it is similar to a cafeteria .

Roys in Lewers Street, the best Chocolate lava cake and not too sweet. A very nice restaurant.

Top of Waikiki restaurant, it is a revolving restaurant in the main street plus they have happy hour for just drinks, but the best steak I had for a long time. Now closed.

Check out the Aussie guide to happy Hour online or join Aussie in Hawaii on FB.

The International Market place has opened fully renovated with lots of new shops and eating places.

If you get a cup of tea/coffee or soft drink it is a bottomless cup. They will just keep filling it up. I sometimes got the unsweetened iced tea, just for a change while out and about.

There are so many places to eat along the main streets . I just walked everywhere around Waikiki as we stayed at the Maile Sky with my niece and not very fancy as I was moving to another Hotel with my trip and walked back from the Aquarium. My hotel has changed its name so I stayed a few nights in that area. This year I stayed at Hyatt Place down near the Zoo and breakfast was included so that was a bonus.

A great day trip is to the top of Diamond Head the extinct volcano . The entrance as you are walking towards Diamond Head is to the left. We went to the right along the beach and it took us ages to walk around it then we walked into the Park then up to the top. But did not make it to the very top as I walked too far already. We got a bus back to Kuhio Ave and caught it near the White Church. Just ask the information booth in the park. You need to book online now as they limit the amount entering each hour.

You can get a day trip to the Ranch where 150 films and TV shows were made etc. We did the ATV tour which was wonderful. Peg and Mary did a Zip line tour and said it was amazing.

The active volcanos are on the Big Island – Hawaii. It takes 36 minutes by plane to either Hilo or Kona.

Pearl Harbour is a half day trip and you cannot take in big bags and you can leave in lockers. The USS Missouri is now stationed there plus a submarine.

I did a Grand Circle trip around the island when I was by myself and went to the Northern beaches, Pali pass, the Dole planation and a macadamia farm. So check the trips before you go.

Don’t walk around the beach front near the park at night along the Ala Moana Boulevarde. A few homeless people and a bit scary.

Don’t forget to declare all the food including Chocolate you have going into Hawaii and back in Australia.

NEW YORK - SHOPPING

Well the best place in the whole of NY is Century 21 ( C21) for shopping. You must get there early in the morning as it is so packed but they stay open quite late in the evening. There are two, one around 66th and number 1972 Broadway up near Central Park and the other is Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero in Cordtlandt Street. Just take the Subway it is so easy and just get a ticket and use the same one and just keep adding money. Lisa and I used one ticket and she swiped it then I did, and it costs around $2.70 for each trip ( not sure the price as at today) so we put $10 on it with an attendant at the station for the first time then we added at a vending machine. If you get to an interchange station, and you need to change trains, then you don’t have to swipe again. There is no swiping when you leave a station just go through the turnstiles.

Also Macy’s is around 32nd is also great when they have sales.

The other stores are TJ Maxx and Marshalls you will need to look them up. H & M is in 5th Avenue at the back of the Rockefeller Centre and Ann Taylor is one of my favourite brands and Loft is from the same group which has Demi Moore as its model and look up the Garment district as well for upmarket clothes.

Chinatown was good which also leads into Little Italy and that is in Canal Street. Little Italy has great food and also has a few street vendors for cheap goods. That is around Mulberry Street.

The M and M shop is near Times Square. If you want cheap tickets for shows you will need to line up early in Times Square. But you can just turn up on the night as they have returns at each venue that you can get around 6pm. Good morning America and other shows have free concerts so look that up. We took a bike ride around Central Park but we were driven as it was too hot. There are lots of people selling bike rides, bus trips on the busy corners. Be very careful around Times Square as it is so busy and keep your bag in front around there especially. I do try to avoid going through 7th and Broadway as it so busy. There are Hawkers on lots of corners that sell anything and everything and I got pashminas very cheap around Ground Zero.

For food steer away from 7th, 8th and Broadway as these tend to be more expensive and the other streets that run parallel have great food. We walked most of the time as the distance between streets are not far not like in CBD Melbourne.

We did a dinner cruise to Statue of Liberty but did not make the island as a storm was coming so we ended up at Ellis Island where all the immigrants first landed and it has a great old building. The Statton Island ferry is free and it goes past the statue. We went to Rockefeller centre and saw the Empire State Building from there as it is closer to Central Park.

Look up Free activities in New York. I went to the Chelsea Market and walked the Highline. You get a great view of the Hudson River and walking high amongst the buildings. A great morning after getting into NY to get over the jet lag.

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umichenginabroad · 5 years

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Oh WiFi, how you have forsaken me!

By: Dustin Fletcher, Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering major, German minor

Program: Technische Universität Berlin (TUB)

Alright, so I’ve been in Germany for about a week now. I’ve REEAALLLYY wanted to post about so many things (and I mean a LOT, I have been thinking about so much and I’m about to explode with thoughts), however I’ve had some issues with wifi and connection in general. So first off, I basically only have wifi at the university. I was given a stick that generated wifi for my laptop, however it is so slow that in the couple times I’ve already had to use it for research and whatnot, I’ve already used up all of it. Uh oh. Anyways, I had gotten a SIM card here at Aldi, however it hasn’t really worked at all, so I’ve been surviving the past week by being around people with maps that could get me where I needed to go. See next paragraph for that story. This weekend though, most of the people went to Prague, so I was internet-less for two days. Long story short (I will expand on this later) I went on an adventure, ordered an o2 SIM card that gave me a free 150 Gb, and now I’m just waiting for that to show up so I can have data.

Okay, so wifi-less story number one. Last week Wednesday, I needed to go to the doctor. Luckily my program director has an iPhone, because I was able to message her over wifi at the university and figure out where I needed to go. Because it was a Wednesday, basically every place was closed in the afternoon. We ended up finding a hospital called Franziskus-Krankenhaus (Krankenhaus => Hospital) and that was where I was gonna go. Unfortunately, my phone died, so I wasn’t able to use a pre-downloaded map. Thus, I was able to use my German skills and wander around Berlin asking people for directions. Luckily, I was able to find my way there. I also learned the pronunciation of a word on the way there, since I told one guy that my Handy was dead (Handy => Cellphone), and I pronounced the “a” with an “ah” sound. When I said this, one guy didn’t understand what I was saying and gestured with his hands. I realized the reason he did this was because the German word for “hand” is “Hand”, pronounced with an “ah” sound. When I pulled out my phone to show him, he said, “Ah, Handy!” but pronounced like “Hendy”. Anyways, knowledge! So I got to the hospital, but out of pure chance I found two of my friends right outside. Berlin is a city of 3,7 million people, so the odds of that happening were pretty much slim to none. They waited for me while I had my appointment, which unfortunately took a while since there weren’t too many doctors working at that point, and there were a fair amount of patients. I was able to do the entire check-in process and appointment in German, which was really cool for me! Afterwards, I took my friends over to KaDeWe, which stands for Kaufhaus des Westens (Department Store of the West). It’s insanely huge and expensive, but we had fun there checking all the stuff out.

Ohne Netzwerk [=Without Network] Teil Zwei [=Part Two]: This weekend, most of my friends went to Prague. I had been dependent on one kid, Will, for wifi, since he had bought the o2 SIM card that came with a free 150 gb. He just kept creating hotspots for me whenever I needed it, and all was well. Then, he left for Prague this weekend. Thus, I was left without wifi, communication with other TUB members, and without directions... Alright. So I would just have to stick with transportation I already had gotten used to. Kein Problem ....Or so I thought. To make matters worse, the S-Bahn that I normally took to get into the middle of Berlin was not running this weekend. Instead, there were bus replacements that took people to other places of Berlin. I generally take the S2 to Potsdammer Platz, where the transfer to U-Bahn was right next to the Mall of Berlin. I figured this would be a pretty good place to get WiFi, so I just hopped on the S2 Bus that looked like it went in the same direction as the S-Bahn I normally take. Alas, it was not the right bus. I had never seen anything at any of the train station stops before. I get off, go to the nearest stand, and ask why the trains aren’t running and how I can get to Potsdammer Platz. An older gentleman helped me out and pointed me in the right direction. He ended up getting on the bus with me, as well as the following train, as he was heading home. We talked about several things, such as where we’re from, how the value of money changed during the transition from Deutschmarks to Euros, etc. All of this was in German, because he didn’t understand any English. At one point in the conversation, he mentioned the Turkish and Arabian people that were moving into Germany and making it less “pure”. I really wasn’t a fan of that and wanted to say something, but although my German is good, it is not at the point where I can form a well articulated argument with someone like that. It’s already generally difficult to do that in English with a topic like this. So, I just steered it away from that topic. I ended up finding my way and thanking him for his help, but man, stuff like that really grinds my gears. After I got to the Mall of Berlin, I purchased a phone case so I wouldn’t damage my phone, and I ordered an o2 SIM card with the 150 gb.

Now, a couple differences I’ve seen between Germany and America. First, I’d like to start with the people. As a whole, German’s are ~extremely~ efficient. I wish I had a picture for this next example, but when I went back to KaDeWe after I thought of it, it was closed. When you look at an escalator in America, people are scattered everywhere between the left and right sides of the steps. In Germany, EVERYONE stands either stands on the right, or walks up the left. Everyone. You can easily spot tourists or people new to Germany just by looking at an elevator and seeing which person is standing on the left side. Another place you see the difference in efficiency is at grocery stores. WOW are they fast! I get a little frazzled at the checkout line because I can never keep up to the cashier with packing my items, and I feel like I’m trying to do several things at once. Lastly, you can observe German’s efficiency while driving. Every time I go to cross a cross-walk, cars turning right would would pull up right until their bumpers were almost touching your leg. This scared me the first couple times, but I realized after a couple times that people are just trying to be as efficient as possible, so that they’d be able to drive through as soon as there was a small gap in pedestrians.

Two observations of the people that don’t have to do with efficiency: Firstly, Germans are quieter in general. They speak quieter, are quieter in public (especially when with friends), and are more respectful of volume when walking through living areas. I think that rather than confusing the point and thinking that German’s are quiet, I think it’s that Americans rather are loud. The other thing I noticed was what people say when they are about to use their cellphone. In America, people generally just start using their phone without saying a word, whereas every German person that I’ve been with said something along the lines of “I just need to respond to a message quickly” or “I’m just checking my phone quickly” before using it, which I thought was kind of a nice way to let the other person know they aren’t just ignoring them. Honestly, I think it’s something I’m going to try to start doing more.

Moving on to the physical differences, one thing that will confuse many Americans is the floor numbering. When you walk into a building, you are on floor E (Erdgeschoss), which basically means ground level. The next floor up is 1, and so on and so forth. The absolutely most surprising difference to me, however, was the doorhandles! These were the first thing that I even noticed while we were here. In Germany, there are no round turning door knobs! All door knobs are either the bar style, or just a knob to pull on when you unlock the door with the key. They warned us about this immediately, since this causes many American students to get locked out easily, as the door locks as soon as it’s closed and you need the keys to get back in. Personally, I like this style better, since you never have to worry about whether or not you locked your door. Picture below is not mine, credit to FSB Door Hardware.

My German class has been going very well. I can’t give too much insight into the basic and intermediate programs, but in the advanced German class I feel like I’m learning. I’ve learned some things that I’ve already been able to implement into my German speaking, as well as cultural information that I’ve already seen around Berlin. One example already is asking for Currywurst Rot-Weiß. I know this one is kind of a funny example, but It’s a typical Berlin thing to ask for that, which means Currywurst with Ketchup and Mayo. Another Beispiel: we learned about German universities and other collegiate programs, so I was able to talk to my German friend Nick about college and the Abitur, as well as another random German girl about her friend’s experience in ERASMUS. Last Friday, our class took a fieldtrip to Kreuzberg, a subsection of Berlin, were a violent demonstration had historically taken place every May first until the last several years. While we were there, our teacher pointed out the differences between Althäuser (Old houses) and the new buildings, which had to be rebuilt after the war. I went on a 13 mile walk through Berlin yesterday, and I was actually able to see all of the old buildings that she had mentioned.

I know that this has been a really long post and basically just a large info-dump on you, so sorry about that, but I have just had SO much happen to me in the past week and I couldn’t even cover it all in these posts. I want to include so much more and so many more pictures, but I’m just not able to. I’m going to see if I’m able to include a link to a photo bank at some point so I can upload photos there for you all to see.

With all that being said, be ready for my next post either today or tomorrow, and come to it with an open mind ready to take in a lot of information.

Until then,

-Dustin

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEBerlin #DustinFletcher #IPE Summer19

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