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lune-de-miel-au-paradis · 4 months

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Mind games

Summary: Nina woke up in the hospital after the attack, she has a secret visitor. Also we learn some about Nina’s past relationship with Felix and we learn about her motives for the future.

Pairing: Darth Maul x OC Nina Cerasus

Warnings: Mention of attack, violence, wounds, medication, hospital, mind control, mental health, anxiety, mutual pining, idiots in love, angst, multiple pow, (Let me know if I left out something.) Minors DNI!

Sentences in italics is an inner monologue, a thought.

AN: This fic means a lot to me and I worked on it a lot. If you have any advice or comments, please share them with me kindly. I'm posting for the first time in years and I don't want nasty comments to discourage me from posting again. Remember it’s a slow burn! If you don't like it, please go to another blog. I did my best to translate it, so pls forgive me, English is not my first language.

Also huge thank you for lovely @hellhound5925 to beta reading it and help me arrange my messy mind.💖💖

Please enjoy reading!

previous chapter

divider by the lovely Saradika

Nina woke up in the hospital, her head hurt as if someone was trying to pull her brain out through her nose. Her mouth was dry, and tasted like ash. Everything moved quickly around her, as if every object and person had loosened the boundaries that made them solid and their form became fluid for her. Everything seemed like an endless blur of lights, shadows and colors. The stimulus was overwhelming.

She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't obey, machines were buzzing around her, and Nina was extremely thirsty.

She felt a gentle touch, and some kind of thick yet soft material, maybe leather from a glove.

Someone helped her she understood, when they put the rim of the cool glass to her lips, she opened up and began to drink the water greedily, but that someone stopped her.

"Slowly!" she heard the monition.

It was a male's voice, she decided she liked it. It was like a whisper of darkness surrounding her. Nevertheless she felt it comforting.

She restrained herself with self-control and slowly sipped the water, she could almost feel the liquid being absorbed by her cells and she felt much better.

When Nina opened her eyes, the only thing that wasn’t blurry or spinning was something glooming. Shining golden and pulsating like fire, like twin suns, and she couldn't look away.

This pair of eyes became her focal point, which anchored her gaze and helped the spots and blurry recondense into shapes and make sense. It grounded her.

In addition, Nina felt something else, the pain in her body began to dull a little, she felt a soft and gentle vibration around her that calmed her down, and slowly her consciousness began to sharpen. It was so feather light that she thought she only imagined that. Memories came back quickly like scenes from a holomovie. She fell down on the university’s stairs! The bounty hunter who attacked her.

She slowly remembered everything, it made her headache worse but at least she was safe now. She tried to force a smile, but wasn’t sure it broke on her face. She felt pain, a shame that she let this happen to her, then she started to drink in her surroundings: a hospital room, a bed and a little nightstand, and a lamp.

Time slowed into one endless beat, it was slightly painful which he doesn't understand why. He wasn’t the one injured lying on a bed looking pitifully weak. He felt anger boiling his thoughts through his veins.

How did she get injured? Was someone involved? Seeing the marks on her throat and the wound on her head made him restless. He wanted to break every piece of furniture in the room, and shake the hospital walls. Yet, as always he kept calm and collected.

Before he let his feelings wash over himself, he exhaled a breath he didn’t notice holding in.

“Focus!”

She started to wake up, from her dreamless sleep. This wasn’t the time to draw attention to his selfish raging anger and disobey his Master by causing a scene.

He focused on Nina’s awakening form instead. He casted out his presence with the Force like shadow beams, felt the young woman's mental protective wall, which this time was neither strong nor resistant. He slipped easily in her mind.

Stars! It was a mess there. Nina must have had a concussion, because in the confusing cavalcade of information and memories, Maul couldn't make any sense. Nevertheless he gently nudged her memory threads to sort themselves out and show him the events and information he was curious about. It didn't work, her body was too weak. He would check her ABC results (airway, breathing and circulation) but this kind of information was with the medical droid which wasn’t in the room.

He only sensed her pain and her thirst. Risking that the doctor might come in, Maul stepped forward from the dark corner and helped Nina to drink some water. He almost laughed when he saw how eagerly Nina gulped down the offered liquid. It was obvious that she was not used to such cases, like being in danger. Many moons ago, Maul learned as a little boy that he can't drink a lot so quickly, his body can't handle the pace and it ends up leading to dehydration caused by vomiting, which only worsens the situation of his already damaged body.

"Slowly." he said softly and felt warmth when he noticed that Nina actually listens to the advice and calms down when he hears her calm breathing.

He looked at her suspiciously. One injury didn't change the fact that he still thinks she might be some sort of test for him, but in some twisted way he felt slightly relieved when he looked at her.

“She is fine.”

He continued to try telepathy, but he only felt pain in the girl, mentally as well, but this was now surpassed by the pain of the physical body. Methodically and carefully, he manipulated the Force so that it swept over Nina like a warm gentle wave, soothing her. He also treated the pain-sensing center in her mind, so her pain began to dull even if she was not cured immediately. He was so close to her, in her mind, that he sensed and felt her sigh of relief almost as his own, as if the air was flowing through his own nose and lungs, he could feel her pain and cells vibrate under the influence of the Force he manipulated.

As a telepath, Maul had felt others this close before and had to practice a fair amount, so that neither the subject nor his own consciousness would be harmed. It was a difficult process requiring caution and precision, which he learned under his Master's training. But this was the first time that someone's proximity did not make him feel disgusted or disdainful. Nina was different, not suffocating like the others, connecting with her consciousness was a different feeling, airy, fresh and spacious in a metaphorical sense. It was like looking up to the sky on a starry night.

When they eyes met, he felt the memories clearing in her confused mind slowly. She used him as a focus point, to drag her mind back in order by adjusting and ranking the memories to the present time. Some of them he could catch and saw but only bits and pieces. It was not enough yet it has to be enough for now.

He wanted to say something but he noticed that someone was coming, so he disappeared through the window while hearing the doctor's greeting voice. He had taken fragments from her memory he needed to anyalize.

“Do you remember what happened Miss?”

“I fell down the stairs in front of my Univercity school,”she said quietly, looking out the open window. The medical droid closed it and the doctor asked another question.

“How many stairs were there?”

“I’m not sure, maybe between one and two dozen?”

“You hit your head Miss. We had to stitch up the wound, it will heal but it will scar under the hairline. Other than that we only censored a few bigger bruises on your upper body. These will be uncomfortable for a couple of weeks but will fade over time.”

“Okay.” she nodded.

“Are you hurting anywhere in particular right now Miss?”

The question hung in the room while Nina thought through the answer.

“My head, my shoulder and lower back.” she spoke after.

“Any kind of pain in the neck?” the doctor felt along her C spine notice that she did flinch or not. He felt relieved when she didn’t flinch nor mention pain.

“Are you taking medications Miss? I see on your file that you have a heart disease?”

“It is correct. I have to take my daily meds like blood thinner,beta blocker and some for blood pressure. It’s in my file.”

“I see. I will consult with your doctor when he arrives about your painkillers. It will be calculated and be available for you by the end of my daily shift.

“I have to ask a few questions. Is there any chance you’re pregnant?”

“No.”

“Any kind of alcohol or drug use besides the heart medications?”

“No.”

“Your CT scan results will arrive soon. But I’m gonna have to ask about your other injury. The one that is on your neck.”

Nina suddenly raised her right hand to her neck and felt the damaged skin as the medical assistant droid held a mirror towards her in response to her questioning look.

She had to explain this somehow, but it was going to be difficult, because the bruises were perfectly visible fingerprints around her throat, a purplish-red that was ridiculously bright against her pale skin tone, mocking her.

“You are weak!” they made her feel this line in her mind. “No I’m not!” she wanted to shout back.

She knew what the hired bounty hunter wanted. The drive that had all the information from Felix's holopad. She stole it. She had this plan for weeks by now. Everything planned out details and possible outcomes as well.

What should she say to the doctor? That weeks ago she paid a guy to hack into Nigel's home droids programming them to spy? That her savings went to sponsoring this mission? She waited patiently until her father appeared. and she intentionally arranged the meeting with her father while holding the holopad? Well, rather not.

In the end, she provided the simplest explanation and used the “I got injured so I can’t remember cards.”

"The bounty hunter attacked me. He wanted to rob me.... My bag.. he wanted my bag."

"This makes sense because more robberies were reported in several places since they lifted the prices." the doctor hummed. "Do you want to file a report?"

“It all happened so fast. He attacked me and when I twisted his arm we both rolled down the stairs. I didn't even see his face clearly. But he wasn't human and he wasn't gungan."

"Luckily, you escaped, Miss. However, I recommend rest and have peace for a few days until the headache goes away due to the concussion. I called your school so you have a few days covered to rest. If you feel nauseous or the pain gets worse, please come to the hospital immediately."

"Have you told my grandmother yet? I don't want to upset her." Nina asked as she tried to stand up, it was not so graceful.

"So you don't remember everything.. Miss, you came into the hospital alone, in a state of shock, a taxi driver escorted you in. Your grandmother was the nurse on duty before you fainted again. She wanted to accompany you to all the tests and rushed all the results. She didn’t want to leave your side, but I told her you need a calm atmosphere. She sent me a look that gave me chills. Woah if looks could kill I’d be dead already.”

"Well, that sounds like her." Nina smiled.

The hospital visit exhausted her; it was a blur of examinations and tests. Apparently she had a mild concussion, some nasty bruises and a cut on her head but she still thought she was lucky. This all explained the slight throbbing in her head, besides that she felt tired, and didn’t want to go to her dorm room, and answer Polina’s questions.

She felt better, but not strong enough for Polina's interrogation. Nevertheless she called for her to escort her home.

Nina signed everything the doctor showed her on his holopad, and felt relieved when she left the building. She filled her lungs with fresh afternoon air, feeling the oxygen fill the lobes of her lungs. It was a relief shaking off the hospital’s aura and that usual smell.

Polina had a worrying look on her face that she managed to hide but failed. Nina only signaled her with a slight nod, that she feels okay. Polina had already reserved a taxi and opened the door to Nina.

When they were all settled Nina rested her head on Polina's shoulder while her friend played with the bracelets on her wrist. Various mineral pearls, polished to a spherical shape, clattered to each other. Pale pink quartz, honey-colored citrine and dark purple amethyst were meant to contribute to today's success.

Polina believed in these in "crystal magic" and they affect on the body. So she bought them for Nina long before the exam period started.

“To help your mind focus, protect you from jealous eyes, and shower you in success.” she said when she gave her the gift in a sparkly bag.

Nina believed in manifestation as long as it was supported by hard work.

But it crossed her mind that maybe she would be lucky today with her little mission, so to ensure this, she slipped them on her wrist in the morning. She was amazed that only a few pearls cracked and broke after the attack. What a shame, she frowned, she will need to replace the broken beads. The journey passed silently and quickly. All Nina wanted was a hot shower, tea and some quiet time with the drive, which was hidden in the star pendant on one of her bracelets.

Polina made sure that she showered safely, and always asked if she needed anything. Nina was grateful but felt so overwhelmed by the day.

“Could you please bring us some dinner from that place we like? I need something spicy and warm, and also some sour vegetables.” she asked.

“I don’t want to leave you alone.” Polina said while she put hot steaming tea in front of her friend.

“I’ll be fine. I have my device, so I can comm you anytime if I feel bad. I plan to take a nap, and I don’t want you to look while I sleep.”

Polina, like all good friends, sensed that Nina wanted solitude. Reluctantly, she finally agreed to bring some delicacies for the three of them for dinner. Grandma will also be happy that she doesn't have to worry about cooking after a long work shift.

Nina slipped on comfortable clothes and sighed. She couldn’t stop replaying the hospital events in her mind. Both from her account with her father and the attack. And also after that… Did Maul was there? He visited her? Or was it just a vivid dream? If he was there, then why?

However, before she could get an answer to her questions, she realized she had more important matters.

She took out the small flash drive gadget that was supposed to contain any incriminating evidence of her father Felix's activities.

He must have known that lately Felix has made serious progress both in the ranking at work and in the public life of the wealthy elite.

Felix methodically and carefully stepped up the ranks, but due to the shortness of time, he still seemed suspicious, at least to Nina and a few other journalists.

Nina's plan was to sneak in and get some incriminating information from Felix. Then she delivers this anonymously to one of the journalists (who would write the most promising exposé article) and boom! Felix's reputation would be ruined, and as a result, he would lose his credibility, both in his beloved public life and at work.

Nina knew that she would not kill this "beast" with her little jab. But for now, it would have been enough satisfaction for her until she went on to a higher career as a successful lawyer. Then she would have more resources and opportunities to attack and finally destroy her father permanently.

Nina flexed her tense shoulder muscles and took one of the holo-images in her hand. There were three people on it. Her mom, she and Felix. When they were still a family. They are united and healthy.

"Look what your little comet has become, father. To your sworn enemy. He won't even see me coming after him." she smiled mockingly.

Suddenly, a red light indicated the denial of access to the information. Nina sweared out loud. But she decided she wouldn’t let this opportunity slide from her fingers when she had gone so far on her plan. She dialed with her comlink instead.

"I need your hacking knowledge again." she said without greeting.

"It will cost twice as much, " was the reply.

"I don't have that much credit."

"I heard you're smart one. I have a few assignments to write by the end of next week so I won't fail this semester. Will it work if someone would help write them to me?"

"Deal."

Nina inherited many external features from her father. Their chins and dark richly textured hair and olive skin were of the same tone. Felix's eyes, however, played a slightly darker shade of green and glittered artificially. Nina also inherited his love for music, his curiosity about the stars and celestial bodies of the universe, and something else.

Nina was talented in building relationships that fit her purpose and using them at the right times. Although Nina hated these analogies, she still benefited from them, if only for the irony of the situation. How sweet the revenge will be, crushing Felix to the ground by turning his own tools against him. Nina felt no regret. Felix let them down, forgetting his former life. In exchange for money and fame. Because of this, Nina's mother's health only got worse and eventually completely consumed her. This was a forgivable offense in Nina's eyes. No mercy.

As she was wondering, she didn't notice that she had walked out of her home all the way to the end of the garden, where the stone bridge connecting the forest already stood. Her gaze flicked up to the landscape. She had a perfect view of the sky and the water below, which was no longer human territory, gungan land was there. The brilliant night glittered upon her mesmerizingly with one full moon, one third quarter and one waning gibbous. The celestial bodies' rays reflected so lovely, the water almost merged with the sky creating an endless sea of stars. Outside the darkness was absolute.

Then she felt something. At first she thought it was a side effect of her head injury, but it was something else. As if dark claws were trying to enter her consciousness.

The touch was soft and barely perceptible, but it was definitely probing. The feeling was familiar, she felt the same in the hospital when she woke up. Light excitement flickered in her chest. It has to be him.

But why is he trying to push through the boundaries of her mind? This annoyed her. No one has the right to rummage through her mind. Especially today, when she was already injured and her attackers took power over her physical body, no one has the right to enter her soul. She still didn't had time to process today's trauma nor her achievements on her revenge plan. She started to feel overwhelmed, it all started to feel too much. Almost suffocating. She didn't had patience nor self control over her emotions that were started to bubbled inside her like hot lava, like a volcano waiting to erupt.

“Get out of my head if you can’t face me in person!” she told the darkness behind her.

next chapter

Taglist: @stardustbee @hellhound5925 @cloneloverrrrr @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @firstofficerwiggles

Let me know if you want to be added 💖

#darth maul #star wars #maul #oc nina cerasus #nika's writing #darth maul x oc nina cerasus #maul x nina #original character #backstory #my fic writing #naboo #romantic story #star crossed the fic #star crossed lovers #star-crossed #tragic love story #before the phantom menance #starcrossed #nina cerasus

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eggmarr · 3 years

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genshin boys but they’re orchestra nerds

characters: zhongli, diluc, childe, kaeya

a/n: this is literally the most random thing but i’m feeling really self indulgent right now so here, maybe a part two with something different idk. also my orchestra knowledge only extends to the high school level so far so just keep that in mind kk? (also if you wanna know i play violin so yes i am the leading expert on orchestra nerds/j)

(kinda high school au/vaguely modern au, gender neutral but mentions of girl-majority fan clubs, mild “i’m not like others” mentality of teen age, and very little suggestive themes)

———-/

zhongli

he is the upperclassman first violin who takes his school breaks to help teach the other younger classes, the one each member looks up to with some mix of envy and attraction when the teacher continuously praises his posture and technique. the younger girls swoon over him, and you swear he must be keeping the program running just from the new recruits hoping to catch the eye of such a talented young man. you’re really only there with him for the extra credit, but he’s just so...him. does that make sense?

first violins in a string orchestra generally carry the melodies of pieces, and as a result the section itself is highly desired. nothing is wrong with being a second violin, it just couldn’t be zhongli aha; concert black is like all black dresswear, which differs from place to place. it’s usually dress pants and a nice shirt, but different areas can have things like uniforms or specific dress.

you are quite staunchly against being a cliche, but by the stars if he doesn’t stop being so charming and smart with that voice of his every time you join him with the younger grades, you’re going to make a very stupid decision the next time you see him in concert black.

diluc

most definitely a bass player. mysterious and somewhat enigmatic, a quiet private lessons kid who volunteered to play with your class to offset the amount of smaller instruments. the others gossip amongst themselves about how his backpack is emblazoned with the crest of a famous academy and how they’d very much like to “test his vibrato technique” (wink-wonk), but you spot how a small cord of blue beads dangles from his backpack and the way he keeps a small smile even as he’s rolling his eyes at someone on the other line of the call.

vibrato is a technique used to warble and waver the sound of the string, which you may have seen used in media occasionally (it’s basically that finger movement they do while playing). the string bass is a big instrument and i mean,,, diluc in a blazer and collared shirt with a high ponytail feels like something that appeals to a lot of people

his brother is rather moody, but at least kaeya knows when to back off (most of the time). but the way diluc looks at you when you’re looking away - he wouldn’t be so mad with a wingman, would he?

childe

first chair viola. this smug, flirty little rich boy has been a pain in your ass since you met him at the organized rehearsal, and were (begrudgingly) sat to his right at the connection of your sections. i mean, this is a collective of the best student players in the state, and he’s…challenging you to bowfence with him? there’s someone strange about this “childe,” and you’re going to find out before the three days are up.

childe would play viola just because it’s the most slandered instrument so naturally he wants to master it and become best at it. bowfencing is like the young orchestra kid’s show of dominance and only flirting technique until they adapt. this is based lightly off of my time with all state/all city orchestra, but it differs from place to place.

you’ve finally got some free time right before the performance, when you see the boy you babysit on the weekends; teucer, with his older siblings tonia and anthon at the door. oh, they’re not here with your family, but here for their brother? you’ve heard a lot about this sweetheart, why don’t they point him out before the concert so you can finally meet the elusive ajax?

kaeya

also viola, but much more casual about it. it’s his hobby, which is code for he saw how his adoptive family treasured their expensive talents and wanted something to share with his new and distant brother. a new student transfer; he says he’s practically inept at it but the calluses on his fingertips beg to differ. the teacher makes you his tour guide, and you squint at his mannerisms when a wave of deja vu overcomes your senses. but, who is this boy, and why does the look of blue hair in low light look so familiar?

kaeya originally wanted to play bass but in typical brotherly fashion, he and diluc made a bet which he lost. chamber music is usually played by a small group of players, with each one having a single part. yes, this is a childhood friends/light amnesia trope, don’t blame me blame netflix for making wish dragon so cute ok? good.

you and he are from two different lives, but he’ll be damned if he lets those circumstances tear the two of you apart again. being partnered for the end-of-year chamber project is supposed to be his saving grace, but perhaps a red-haired deux ex machina may be of better use here?

#i finished this while listening to one direction #i honestly don't know what this is i just know bass player diluc #this looks so messy but i don't understand dividers yet so #fellow orchestra players tell me how accurate i am before i combust/j #i put so many tropes in here lmao #i would have done more characters but i know nothing about band or chorus other than that orchestra is better/hj #zhongli is just eddy from twosetviolin ok i realize it now #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #childe x reader #zhongli x reader

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chocolateheart · 3 years

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Door number 12

Title: Door Number 12

Word count: 7937 (I know, I'm sorry)

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Summary: A noisy neighbour is bringing you a lot of emotions. What if this bubbling tension and frustration will finally find their way out?

Warnings: 18+, smut, unprotected sex (please, wrap it before you tap it), creampie, fingering, handjob, pinning to the wall, clothes tearing, biting, scratching, a lot of kissing, strong eye contact, sex noises, tension, some swearing, noisy neighbour, arguing, stealing food, property damage, I don't know, porn?

Bingo Square Filled: Neighbour AU for @spnmixedbingo

A/N: Yes, another porn. Please, don't judge me, I couldn't help it. I won't say much, that fic just sorta happened. I hope you'll like it! Enjoy babes!

A/N: As always huge huge huge THANK YOU to my dear beta, angel and Queen @winchest09 for giving this piece a look. Love you Tabbs <3 Still, mistakes are mine!

A/N: The gorgeous divider designed by incredibly talented @talesmaniac89 <3

Throwing your bag on the counter along with your keys, a deep sigh left your chest. You numbly looked around your apartment as you began to take off your jewellery. Why did this place always look like a pigsty every time you got back home? Your necklace and bracelet joined your bag when you tossed them to one side as a yawn escaped you.

This day was exhausting, to say the least. Maybe your work wasn’t that demanding but sometimes it was just tiring to the point where you wanted to cry. After shrugging your jean jacket off, your feet took you to the couch and you just collapsed down on it with a pained grunt. Your body was stiff and aching, your head was pounding from pain and as soon as you felt a pillow under it, your will to stay awake had started to fade. You knew you shouldn’t take a nap now as there was still so much left to do today, but for god's sake, it was Friday evening and you had been working for the past 5 days at top speed. An hour of rest was something you definitely deserved.

Without standing up, you lifted your hips to take off your jeans and wrapped yourself in the blanket you always kept on the couch. Relaxing your body with a deep breath, you closed your eyes, already halfway to dreamland. But as soon as you felt yourself drifting completely, a loud sound of guitar suddenly sounded in your ears, making your eyes snap open.

No, not again!

Fisting the pillow, you felt the anger growing as you knew exactly where the loud rock music was coming from; recognising the band as AC/DC. When the volume increased, you hid your head underneath the pillow, desperate to cut off your aching skull from the noise. But it didn’t work, the sound still bleeding through the cushion. It didn’t take you a minute to shoot up on straight legs and pull on your sweats while marching towards the front door.

Mumbling inappropriate words, you entered the staircase for your building and immediately went down; hearing the power of the music increasing with every step you took. You found yourself on a floor below, with your jaw and hands clenched, eyes glued to door number 12 as you approached it. Once you stood in front of it, you lifted one of your fists and hit the hard on the wood a few times, ready to murder the person on the other side. Of course he made you wait till the song ended, causing you to repeat the punching a couple of times.

When the door finally opened, you were fuming with anger, eyes shooting lightnings towards the tall man on the opposite side of the doorstep.

"I swear to god, Winchester," you hissed through gritted teeth, a loud melody almost muffling your words. "If you won't turn that down, I will physically harm you." Your threatening pulled a laugh from him which only acted as another oil drop to the fire.

"Sweetheart you can't do anything to me," he said, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed on this broad chest. "Besides, I don't understand what your problem is." Dean shrugged as if nothing had happened, making your brows shoot up.

"You don't understand?! This music is driving me crazy!" You took a deep breath and while not breaking the strong eye contact you had with him, you started to enlighten him on what exactly was wrong. "I’ve had a terrible day, no, week actually. Everything hurts, my head is pounding and this music is shaking my walls which in turn, is not letting me sleep. So if you could be so nice and turn that off because I swear on what's holy, if I lose my goddamn mind, your name will be the first one I'm gonna mention once they ask me how I ended up in mental hospital." Words just slipped out of you in one unbreakable line and you took shuddering breath after, composing yourself.

However, the smug smirk didn’t leave your neighbour's face; he didn’t give a damn about your monologue. After you finished, he only put a hand on your shoulder and delivered his response.

"It's a Friday evening and we live in a free country. There’s no rule saying I can't listen to loud music, unless it's lights out. What's more, you're the only one who can't stand this, I don't see anyone else coming here to complain, so maybe the problem lies in you, not in me," he simply said, as he flashed you a fake, sarcastic smile and closed the door. But not before saying, "have a nice evening."

You looked up to the ceiling, asking for patience but the frustration and anger were huge. You growled, kicked Winchester's door with your socked foot and cursed, feeling pain going from your toes to the tibial bone.

On your way back to your apartment, you were mumbling out every possible, offensive name that came to your mind when you thought about that green eyed man. Your relationship had been heated ever since he moved into the building. He made your blood boil. Loud music, meetings with his friends, watching movies on full volume on his surround speakers after dark in the middle of the week, noisily cooking at midnight; even his one night stands apparently had an unfulfilled opera career.

You were having a battle with Dean, on average, twice a week. Knowing you weren’t the only one who couldn’t stand his behavior, you asked others for help, but Dean’s charm was way bigger of an opponent than you had expected. He could just use a sweet smile, say a few, flirty words with this deep voice and Ann from the end of the hall would walk on wobbly legs with stupid smile on her face for the next four days.

You couldn’t really blame her, the man was ridiculously attractive but you were looking past it. Dean was an annoying asshole and the only reason you had not yet clawed out his eyes was the fact that visiting the jail wasn’t exactly a wooing thought.

Shutting your door behind you, you leaned against it and ‘Sweet Child O’ mine’ came on. You growled once again, hit your wooden barricade with your head and looked down, trying to find calmness in your floor. Once you stopped radiating fury, knowing that the person below won't let you rest for at least two more hours, you chose the second drawer in your kitchen, searching for painkillers. If you were being made to stay up, you were gonna be productive. Swallowing two aspirin, you decided to clean the place so you could focus on college work tomorrow.

If only you could actually focus on college work.

After waking up at 8 am the next day, you opened the window on your way to the kitchen, craving coffee. It wasn’t normal for you to get up at this hour on the weekend but your finals were coming and you had way more work than you expected.

Thankfully, the weather outside was pleasant; the sun was already shining, creating morning shadows and the soft wind streamed inside your apartment, tickling your ankles as you sat at the table, eating breakfast. The smell of spring made you smile, always bringing back good memories. After the meal, you didn’t bother to change your pajamas for the actual clothes and you just took the laptop to start working on your college sheets. You were sitting with one of your legs bent, heel leaning on the chair, messy bun on your head, sipping on the second coffee while listening to the birds singing happily outside. Words were flooding out of you, making you feel certain that it wouldn’t take you long to be done with your essays. But that blissful moment was cut short when a loud rumble of a car’s engine resonated under your building, causing you to jerk in your chair and almost spill your drink.

Recognizing it straight away, you looked up, trying your best to not get angry again but as the sound of his loud engine revving l continued, you smacked the table with your palm and stood up. As you leaned on your window sill and gazed out, you spotted black, slick Chevrolet with the driver's door, trunk and hood open. Tools were scattered around the vehicle, a jean clothed leg was sticking out from the inside and you greeted your teeth, knowing who that was.

“Hey!” you yelled out, not caring if probably half of the residents could hear you. “I’m trying to study here!”

Dean peeked out and up at you, smiled and got out of the car, leaning his elbow on the hood in a nonchalant way.

“Good morning to you too,” he said and flashed you the oh-so-charming smile.

��It would be good if you didn’t interrupt it with your loud junker,” you spat back, leaning on the window frame and smiled when his face fell; he hated it when someone insulted his Baby, and you were very much aware of that. “Now, could you please lower your generic volume because I have a lot to do and you’re the last thing I want to deal with today.”

“Nobody tells you to. I’m minding my business, you go mind yours, I ain’t stopping you.” He gestured towards you with his grease covered hand.

“No, but your car is making noise that shakes all the dishes in my cabinet.”

He just shrugged and you narrowed your eyes, seeing that he didn’t care about whatever your problem was. “Then I suggest closing the window.”

After saying that, he dived inside the vehicle and seconds later you heard the strong twang of a guitar. Again. This man was very successful in making you hate rock music. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, stopping yourself from throwing a flowerpot at him; only because it was a very nice pot and you were emotionally attached to it.

“I need fresh air! I’m not gonna close the window! Turn that off!” you screamed, but he only frowned and pointed to his ear.

“Sorry sweetheart, can’t hear you!” You could see the smile dancing on his lips and you really wanted to break something on his head. “The music is too loud!”

Clenching your jaw you gave up. Another defeat, but it wasn’t the war you lost; it was just a battle and he was yet to feel your comeback. Showing him your middle finger, you closed the window and went to the bathroom, not being able to hear the soft chuckle that left him.

Maybe to an outsider, Dean’s behavior wasn’t such a big deal, but the longer he acted like that, the more annoying and tiring it was becoming. You couldn’t focus on basic activities because he was giving you a headache in various ways and for some reason, you couldn’t just talk it through with him. Every attempt at trying to get to an understanding with him, ended up with a fight.

Winchester was just a pain in the ass.

Thankfully, he vanished before noon; his car was gone and there was a blissful silence that you made the most of, and finished the majority of what you had to do.

Surrounded by papers and books, you were sitting down on your fluffy carpet, leaning back on your couch, typing away on your laptop. Glancing at your clock again, you frowned. It’s been almost 85 minutes since you ordered pizza; your stomach was rumbling, unhappy with the fact of still being empty. Finding your phone, you dialed the pizza parlor’s number once again. Standing up, you stretched your muscles and looked outside, watching the sunset sky as you waited for someone to pick up. Finally, the lady’s voice spoke to you down the line, asking you how she could help.

“Hi, I made an order from you and I still haven’t received it? It’s been over an hour,” you explained politely, scratching the back of your head.

You didn’t like situations like that; delay was understandable, but it had been way too long. However, you hated to call someone out, you never wanted to make someone’s job harder than it already was. Giving your address to the lady so she could check where your food was, you spotted the black vehicle under the building and your brows shot up. He was home and it was still quiet; it wasn’t normal.

“Miss, the system says your order was delivered and we have a confirmation of receipt.” You frowned hearing her words as what she said was impossible.

“Are you sure? There was no delivery here.”

“Yes, I’m positive. It says someone picked up the order twenty minutes ago.” Pinching your nose, you took a deep breath.

“Could you check the address precisely, please? Maybe your driver made a mistake?” you suggested being already sure someone else got your food.

“Rosenhouse Street, building 4, apartment 12,” she read and the last number made you flinch.

“Apartment 20,” you corrected her, but she denied.

“No Miss, the order was picked up by apartment 12.” And just like that the level of your anger reached three digits in a second.

“Okay, thank you so much,” you murmured and disconnected the call without a goodbye, already storming halfway across your place, getting ready to leave.

Slamming the door, you took a very well known path downstairs and you banged on number 12 as soon as you stood in front of it. Feeling the urge to punch the person who was supposed to open, you inhaled deeply, clenching your teeth. Just... keep it cool, Y/N.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” you growled the second Dean came into your view in his domestic clothes, wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.

“Whoa, what?” he tilted his head with an uncomprehending look.

“Listen,” you pointed a finger at him. “Loud noises, annoying car, your mean behavior, fine, okay. Screw it. But stealing food? That is childish. Can you go any lower?!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, sweetheart,” he said with a smile dancing on his lips. “What food?”

“My pizza,” you muttered through your teeth.

“Oh, right!” He smacked his forehead, acting like he just now understood. “Yeah, pizza was great.”

“You stole it!” you exclaimed, a little too high pitched.

“No I didn’t,” Dean stated, giving you a small, I-know-better smile.

“Yes, you did. I ordered it and you just pocketed it!” You really wanted to stamp your foot like a little girl to tick your fury.

"No sweetheart, I didn’t," he said, crossing his arms and straightening his back so he could tower over you, making you look up. "The guy came in with pizza, said he's supposed to bring it here, so I paid for it and ate it."

"Oh! Because it's normal to pay for the food you didn’t order and keep it to yourself. And stop calling me sweetheart!" You puffed out irritated, making him smirk.

"You're cute when you're angry." Your face fell and you felt your palm itching. What would he do if you slapped him?

"Dean," you warned him but he chuckled.

"No, seriously." He reached to your forehead, wanting to brush it with his finger. "You have this cute, little wrinkle in the middle-"

"Don't touch me." You smacked his hand away and pointed a warning finger straight into his face. "One more action like this and you're gonna regret it," you growled out and walked away.

"So it's threatening now, huh?!" he called after you, coming out to stand in the hall.

Before you stepped on the stairs, you turned around with such a force, that your hair flipped over one of your shoulders and you showed him your middle finger. Hearing his low laugh bouncing on the wall, you scoffed annoyed as you stomped loudly going back upstairs. You swore that if you were supposed to become a murderer one day, that this man was gonna be victim number one. This whole 'lets annoy her' process would be great fuel for you to slice that slender throat of his.

Shutting the door again, you walked into the kitchen, dived in the fridge and decided to stuff yourself with pancakes. Screw Dean and his pizza, you were not going to give him satisfaction with ordering anything else tonight.

“So, he’s a confident man,” Jo stated after you told her about Winchester’s behavior.

You came to Harvelle's to grab something for Sunday dinner; they had the most delicious menu in the whole town and no one could change your mind. You were sitting with a blonde girl at the table, outside their restaurant, sipping on some light drinks Ellen had prepared for the two of you. Ash was already working on your meal in the kitchen while Jo was taking her break so she could sit with you and listen about your neighbour under the floor. It took you way longer to describe everything and you felt kind of bad for that. You weren’t the type who whined about such things and forced friends to hear about your bullshit, but now you were desperate to get it all off your chest.

“Confident asshole,” you corrected her, “I just wish he could finally get his ass kicked, you know? I can’t live with this man! He’s an arrogant, offensive, little, annoying dickhead!” you said, crossing your arms on your chest.

After a few seconds of silence, you looked up at Jo. She was watching you, clearly trying not to smile; her lips were twitching and small dimples had already appeared. You knew her long enough to know that she was all ready to tease you about this whole situation.

“What?” you barked at her and she lifted her hands in defense.

“Nothing!” She shrugged. “Just, your relationship with him seems to have been… rough since the very beginning.”

“It is! I really wanna punch him!” Jo lifted her brows, a smile breaking on her face.

“Just punch him?” The suggestion was shining in her eyes and your shoulders fell down at the subtext.

“Jo!” she started giggling when she heard your resigned tone. “Just because I’m having a heated exchange with a hot guy doesn’t mean that I wanna fuck him!”

“Oh, so you think he’s hot?” she asked innocently, taking a sip from her glass.

“Yes, but he’s an idiot and I would never let him in my panties, come on,” you scoffed as you rolled your eyes. The last thing you would ever do was having sex with this man.

“Sure.”

And you knew Jo didn’t believe you. To be honest, if you thought about it really, really hard, you weren’t sure if you believed yourself…

The door opened and Ash came out with a smile, your food packed in a thermal box.

“There you go, girl. We do not accept any complaints,” he said, winking at you and you chuckled, taking the meal from him.

“Thanks, Ash.” He saluted you and vanished as quickly as he appeared. You glanced at your phone laying on the table and sighed seeing the time. “Okay babe, I’m gonna go. School’s calling and I bothered you enough anyway.”

“Oh stop it, you’re not bothering me, don’t be stupid,” she said smiling, and hugged you tight. “Text me when you get home.”

“Sure thing.” You winked and walked backwards, watching her disappear inside the RoadHouse.

Smiling to yourself, you turned around and crossed the street. At first your thoughts were filled with Jo who could always put you in a good mood but then they gradually transitioned into someone else.

You didn’t know if it was your overworked system or what Jo had teased you about that caused Dean to stick inside your mind, but you wanted to scream; it was like he had nested in there. Not only was he disturbing your living space, but he was now invading your mental space as well. What’s more, it wasn’t exactly hard to not think about him in a nasty way, and you hated it. The truth was that he was attractive from his fluffy hair to his toes, and more than once you had caught yourself daydreaming about his hands and mouth on you.

You couldn’t help it. The way he looked was not fair and Jo made you realise that if not for his attitude, you would have slept with him a long time ago. Thankfully, in the moments you felt weakness for him, he was doing something that pissed you off to the point where you wanted to bite his head off.

You really wanted to get even with him, you had to bounce the ball. The need to bite back was so big that you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw the paint store. The bulb in your head flickered on and a devil smile angled your lips. Maybe it was a bad idea, maybe it was childish, maybe it was crossing the line, but you had suffered enough thanks to this jerk.

Buying one can of pink chalk paint, you were muting your common sense that was currently shouting at you. As the saying goes - you only live once. He wanted a fight? You were going to fight. He started to play a strong hand? You were going to do the same. He thought playing with you like that was fun? Well, you were gonna have some fun too. Besides, he wouldn’t realise immediately that the paint would easily wash off, but seeing him panic thinking that his car had been defaced was revenge enough.

With a few last strokes of a paintbrush, you were finished. Straightening your back, you looked down at your work and smiled, satisfied with pink flowers you had drawn on the black surface. They were a nice contrast and you really liked the shape. In all honesty, it kinda burned you to paint this four wheeled beauty, but it wasn’t your fault her owner was a douchebag who deserved a lesson.

The impala was parked in her usual spot, next to the building that was mostly asleep. There were no cameras and due to the late hour, the chance of someone spotting you was small. Besides, you were just a hooded figure, no one would recognise you anyway even with the dim light from a lonely lantern. It was risky, but you were too far gone in your revenge to care. It had been done and you wished you could see Dean’s face in the morning.

Gathering your things you looked around, checking to see if there was anyone you should avoid and you got back to your apartment. After closing the door, you took off your clothes, staying only in leggings and a t-shirt, and decided to make some tea. You had this weird energy bubbling inside of you and it would be a waste to not use it on college papers. Getting comfortable on your couch you started going through materials for one of your projects.

Not expecting any visitors, you jumped slightly while hearing a rapid knocking on your door an hour later. You frowned and stood up, finishing your tea on your way to the entry. What you saw on the other side almost made you smile like an idiot. Dean was boring into you with his eyes; if looks could kill, you would surely be a beautiful corpse by now. His chest was rising and falling heavily, jaw clenched to the point his cheek was twitching and you could see the slight blush coloring on his face. He was wearing his leather jacket but was also in sweats so you assumed he was about to make a quick grocery run or something.

“What the hell?!” he growled at you before you could say a word. Ohhh, he was angry.

“What?” You shrugged innocently, ignoring the weird chill that ran down your spine after hearing the vibrations of his tone.

Dean took a deep breath, doing his best to not shout out. “I wanted to go get some beer and burgers, but guess what. Someone screwed up my car. And you know what? I think it was you.”

He pointed a finger at you, holding keys in his hand. You laughed and leaned on your doorframe, ready to confront him. Satisfaction already tickled your insides, but there was one thing that you had to admit - he was hot when he was angry.

“You really think that I have nothing better to do than mess up your car?” you asked, amused by his flaring nostrils.

"Don't you fucking dare play with me like that," he said firmly, not wanting to yell. "Do you know it's property damage? You broke a law and I can easily get you in trouble."

He was fuming with anger and you were sure that if it was possible, there would be smoke coming out of his ears. You smiled and stood your ground, finding it adorable how he thought he had anything useful against you.

"You have nothing on me. No proof that I was the one who defaced your car," you started, taking two steps to stand inches away from him. "Call the cops and I'm gonna tell them all about the nuisance, the stealing, manipulation and manifestations of aggression all coming from you.”

You stared straight into his eyes, a smart smile not leaving you even for a second; feeling confident in your words. Maybe he had a point, but you weren’t empty handed. You could get punished for what you did and so could he.

“What is your problem, Y/N?!” he asked, pinching his nose, clearly irritated with you. “You keep whining, making problems out of nothing and now painting my damn car?”

“You’re not letting me live in peace!” you raised your voice. “Your loud music, loud car, loud tv, loud you in general! I can’t sleep, I can’t study, I can’t do anything because you’re always there to disturb me!”

“Then leave!” he suggested, raising his tone as well. You were taken aback; lifting your brows you blinked a few times. Was he joking?

“Leave?! Are you kidding me now?! This is my home and just a friendly reminder, I was in here first so maybe you should back off!”

“But you’re the only one having a problem with me!” he yelled, spreading his arms, highlighting the obviousness of his argument.

“Because you’re a manipulative ass! You use your charm, this fucking smile, your shining eyes, and nice language, and the whole building is yours! Even Ian from the 4th floor and he doesn't even like people!”

“Ian is a cool guy!”

“Good!”

You took a breath and opened your mouth to say something more but no words came out. Again, you were convinced that there was no way to come to an agreement with this guy. Further arguments were pointless. Looking at him you shook your head and brushed your hair to the back. The soft smile and look you gave him next, made him frown a little.

“You know what? Fuck you,” you said simply and went to close the door, but his retort didn’t let you.

“You wish.”

Freezing, you locked your eyes with his and in a split second, something shifted in the air. The atmosphere got thick and the tension you had been building for months, now came into play, kinda taking you both by surprise. Dean felt it too, you could see his expression changing. He was trying to read you, trying to understand what was buzzing between you. A part of you wanted to explain it, to show him that you already knew it was sexual tension saying ‘hi’, but as soon as you realised that, you swallowed and forced your rational mask back on.

Shaking off the urge to take steps towards him, you scoffed and sending him one last look, you shut the door without saying anything. Taking two deep breaths, you leaned your forehead on the wooden barricade and closed your eyes.

There was no way in hell you would give in and break. He had everyone else in his fist, but not you. The only person that didn’t fall under his spell, the only one that didn’t let your craving inside take better of you. Dean was still your enemy and a pain in the ass; it was a matter of honour and dignity to stay away.

However, soft knocking made your eyes snap open. No. Darting your head from the door you looked at it, knowing who was behind it but that didn’t even register when you pulled on the door-handle. Dean was supporting his body on his arms that he had placed on both sides of your door, blocking the way. He was looking at you intensely, his breathing quicker than moments ago.

You could see the exact second he made a decision. You knew he was going to do something he shouldn’t and yet, you let him close the gap between you and crush his mouth to yours, cupping your cheeks at the same time. The force he hit you with made you take steps backwards, encouraging him to come in and turn you around so you could unconsciously close the door. His grip was firm, long fingers digging in your neck as hot lips forced yours apart. But your stubbornness caused you to push him away, breaking the connection.

The look you exchanged was a mix of emotions; hate, passion, frustration, lust, confusion, hesitation. This was something completely new for you; needing him was unfamiliar, strange, but at the same time stronger than anything you had felt before when it came to Dean. There was this quiet voice telling you that it was already too late; you tasted it and you wanted it, obviously. The other voice was louder, trying to make you aware of how messed up it's gonna be after, but somehow you didn’t want to listen. Not this time.

"Fuck it."

Saying that, you approached Dean and gripping him by the back of his neck, you pulled him down for a kiss. It was sloppy and deep, all teeth and tongues. He inhaled through his nose, bending down when your nails clawed at his skin. Grabbing you by the waist, he used a little pressure so you walked backwards. You didn’t expect to be pushed against the wall and a surprised gasp escaped you when your back hit it. Looking up at Dean, you noticed how his hungry eyes flickered over your figure and a cocky smirk formed on his face. You mirrored his expression and lifted your chin, so you could suck in his lower lip, biting on it softly. His response was immediate and fierce; he pressed his body to yours, pinning you to the wall completely, kissing you even deeper than before. The heat flooded you, making your cheeks burn and a sweat break.

You moaned and that seemed to spur him on because his hands started travelling all over your body. Doing the same, you aimed for his jacket, pushing it off his broad shoulders so it could land on the floor. The thought of finally discovering what was under his clothes took over your brain and you started to pull on his t-shirt, hazed and eager. But Dean grabbed your wrist and pinned it next to your head, not letting you undress him. You twisted and tugged, trying to break free, but he slid his fingers between yours and you instinctively clenched your palm.

“Don’t fight,” he breathed out, leaving your lips as he dropped to your neck, letting you take a much needed breath.

Leaning your head back you gave him the access to your throat where he licked and sucked, french-kissing your flesh. Your knees buckled a little when his hot lips closed on your pulse point, sending shivers down your spine as his stubble prickled you. Feeling his second hand sneaking under your shirt, you held your breath and jerked on the skin to skin contact. He wasn’t delicate; his long fingers were squeezing and digging, a firm touch making it all the more intense. Using your free hand you fisted his hair, pulling on it. Dean purred, nibbling on your flesh, making your eyes roll. It was like playing tennis, back and forth; you had an answer to each other's movements.

The hunger inside you was growing fast; you were getting more and more impatient and being caged by Dean only made you feel limited. So, naturally, you rebelled, trying to take control; with Dean it was always a competition. But your attempt only caused him to press his body more, his knee coming between your legs, making it harder for you to move. The thin material of your leggings was a weak protection to his touch and you whined when your sensitive area met his thigh. Fidgeting even more, you made him chuckle.

“Stop fighting,” he whispered into your ear as he pulled your earlobe between his teeth.

Growling, you turned your head and sunk your teeth into his neck, tasting sweet and salty. Dean hissed and backed away, looking down at you with a surprise in his eyes, brows slightly furrowed. You smiled and angled yourself to speak against his lips.

“Don’t act like you don’t like a fight, Winchester.”

The suggestion was clear and he seemed to understand. Your relationship was already a ticking bomb so why not have a little fun?

The challenging look you gave him was a last jolt and his mode switched. Before you could do anything, he kissed you firmly, letting go of you just to grab on the front of your shirt. Pulling with two hands Dean ripped the fabric in half, revealing your torso, making you smile a devil’s smile. He shook his head in disbelief that you were actually going along with it and grinning, he attacked your jaw. Scraping it with his teeth first, then kissing and going down passed your neck, to your collarbone. Bending his knees so he could reach lower and lower, he proceeded to shrug the destroyed clothing off you and focus on your breasts. Placing sloppy kisses on the curves, Dean moved his hands on your back and unclasped your bra. As soon as it was gone, he sucked in one of your nipples, causing you to arch your chest. Pulling his hair, you grabbed the back of his head, letting him know you enjoyed his work.

Every time his lips touched you, they left burning spots and you could feel yourself getting wetter. Not holding back anymore, you started to roll your hips, seeking the friction his leg could give you. Still playing with your boobs, he caught your hips and added the power to your moves, dragging a moan from you. Glancing down, you spotted the bulge in his sweatpants and realised he was still wearing too much clothes.

“Take that fucking shirt off,” you panted out, grabbing on the piece of clothing on his back.

This time he allowed you to do what you needed, lifting his arms to make your task easier and the second his chest was bare, you used your nails to leave red lines, making him grimace from pain before he kissed you. Caressing his newly exposed body, you felt firm muscles of his strong arms flexing. He wasn’t a gym type of guy, he was soft in some places but firm and strong in general, and that turned you on to the point your stomach flipped.

Suddenly, he pushed on your hips until your butt touched the wall behind you and pulled away from you, straightening himself. You looked at each other, panting and flinching in anticipation. Keeping the eye contact, Dean cupped your face, brushing his thumb over your swollen lips and slowly slid his hands down your body. You swallowed hard when he hooked his fingers behind your waistband and pulled your leggings down, crouching in front of you.

With a thumping heart you looked down at him, meeting his dark eyes watching you as he kissed your knee, your thigh, your inner thigh; his hands travelling up your legs, leaving goosebumps. You shivered when his hot breath hit your still clothed core. He placed a kiss on your damp panties, making your pussy clench and stopped. Leaning his forehead on your lower stomach, he tried to remain self-control, breathing strongly to calm himself down... and he failed. This whole situation was too much and he had wanted it for way too long to stop now.

Shooting up, he claimed your lips, driving his fingers inside your briefs at the same time. His digits went through your folds, gathering slick and found your clit, making you gasp into his mouth.

“Yeah? Right here?” he whispered and you sucked the air in through your mouth when he drew a circle, pressing harshly on your little nub.

Feeling him smiling, you clung to his neck, keeping him close when he started to make circles on your button. Moaning laughs escaped you, mixed with short breaths as you felt fire filling your veins, tickling sparks running from your clit to every nook of your system. For a moment you lost yourself in the feeling, but your brain woke up when he nudged you, rubbing his dick on your leg.

Opening your eyes, you locked them with his, tracing your palm down his chest and stomach. Somehow, you managed to turn you both around so he was by the wall. You didn’t care about teasing him through his pants so you pushed your hand inside and grabbed his hard shaft. Dean jerked and choked on his breath; the whole foreplay made him ridiculously sensitive.

You smiled satisfied and began to pump him, making his head fall back on the wall. His exposed neck was shining with sweat, throat moving as he swallowed hard. Your biting kink was begging for you to bite him, but the view was too good to not watch. His breathing quickened along with your strokes, his jaw flexing when he opened his mouth to chug. A thick vein popped out on the side of his neck, a guttural whine coming from him when you rubbed your thumb on his tip. Finally, you gave in and closed your lips on his jaw, light stubble pricking your lips. Dean turned his head and palming yours he brought you in for a kiss but you broke it fast, having enough.

"Come on," you said, taking his hand and leading him to your bedroom.

Not being able to stay away from each other, you stumbled towards the room, kissing and laughing, getting rid of the rest of the clothes on your way. Hitting the bed you let yourself fall on it, pulling Dean behind you. He hovered above you, using his tongue to play with your nipples as you both climbed up to the headboard. Adjusting the pillows beneath you, you felt his body pressing down, arms sneaking under yours as he kissed you deeply. Rolling his hips, he drove his cock between your folds, poking your clit and you automatically lifted your lower body up on your heels, feeling the electricity running through you. Dean bit down on your lip and pulled on it hard with his teeth, smiling when you hissed.

Without thinking much you just reached between your bodies and guided his cock to your entrance, making him freeze. The look he gave you was a mashup of a question and disbelief, and all it took was your evil smirk. You felt him fisting the sheets under you and with one, mild thrust he slid inside of you. Arching your back you inhaled, digging your fingers into his shoulders. He was stretching you; your walls fluttered around him when he bottomed out, making the two of you give silent moans, your voices stuck in your throats from intensity.

Watching you, he began to move, making you both more and more comfortable with the feeling. Gradually, his pace increased and so did the noises. Your breathy moans and growls filled the room, mixing with the sound of skin slapping on skin as Dean's hips waved between your thighs, faster and faster. New layers of sweat covered your bodies as the temperature increased; you felt the omnipresent, pleasurable burning.

Dean kept the rhythm, only stopping for just for a moment to kiss you. Not letting the opportunity pass, you pushed on him and flipped over so you were on top. Looking at you with a smirk, he palmed your asscheeks as you sinked down on him, continuing the activity.

The passion and sensuality made your head spin; Dean’s lustful eyes devouring you alive weren’t helping. You dragged your nails on his flesh again, making him hiss between the sounds. It wasn’t easy to breathe, to think or control yourself; your body started working by itself, speeding up, making you bounce on him while leaning your hands on his chest for support. Dean couldn’t decide where to touch, what part of you he should grab next; his hands were everywhere. Wrapping his fingers around the back of your neck he sat up, changing the angle and gave you this eye-rolling kiss. This asshole knew what he was doing.

A new position allowed you to only roll your hips and you laid back, grabbing Dean’s ankle to make your moves more fluent. He took a handful of your ass, helping you, watching himself sliding in and out of you, growling in pleasure. Tangled together you moved in sync, matching the other’s moves, grinding to empower the sensation. Feeling the coil tightening in your stomach, your head hung back and you exhaled, wailing quietly. A hand flattened on your back and Dean violently pulled you up, pressing your forehead to his. With closed eyes, panting against each other's mouth you chased both of your deliriums. Your pussy fluttered, your nails dug into his neck as you clasped it; the feeling started to overwhelm. The way Dean was moaning and clinging to you made it clear that he felt the same.

Your strength was fading and you found yourself slowing down. Dean’s attempts to continue were in vain as he was becoming weak too, exhaustion and his upcoming release taking over him.

“Y/N,” he warned you and you opened your eyes, looking at him when he reached between you. “I’m gonna-” you kissed him, cutting him off, tugging on his lip with your teeth.

“Stay inside,” you whispered, watching the surprise flash through his features.

The serious, assuring look on your face made his eyes roll back and the noise he made, clamped your stomach. Using your last strands of your power, you sped up, Dean joining you by hitting the right spot inside you. His fingers found your clit again, rubbing on it fast and you moaned loudly, feeling your muscles tightening.

A few more strokes, a few more moves and the crushing wave of pleasure hit you; your inner walls pulsated, squeezing Dean’s cock as you grabbed firmly on his neck, holding on for dear life. His thrusts went more erratic but also were more powerful; he was pounding inside you slow but hard, putting his forehead between your breasts. You were shaking and his breath fanning over your tummy only added more goosebumps.

Then you felt his arms wrapping around you and he hugged you tight. Pulling you close, Dean thrusted for the last time and with a low, throaty groan he stilled; his cock throbbing inside you, allowing you to milk him as you were still coming. The two of you were shivering, entwined in each other, panting and sweaty. Your heart was hammering and you could feel Dean’s galloping as well.

After calming down a bit, he let go of you and fell back on the bed, hitting the pillows with a sigh. Licking your lips, you looked down at him and smiled, seeing his eyes sparkling with joy and bliss. He laughed, caressing your thighs and then pulled you down for a kiss. It was sweet and soft, without tongue, just lips brushing yours; completely different then those earlier.

Oh, so he could be gentle too.

Cupping his face, you pecked his mouth a few times and then rolled off of him, standing up to make a quick run to your bathroom to clean yourself, leaving the door open.

"Hey!" you heard him yelling not even two minutes later, after you splashed your face with cold water. "Is it weird that I wanna cuddle?!"

You smiled on his words, shaking your head. Asshole also appeared to be a softie cuddler. Can this evening be any weirder?

"Yes!" you yelled back, laughing as you put down the cloth you were using to dry yourself.

"Cool!" he announced and then changed his tone, "I don't care."

Chuckling, you turned the light off on your way out and grabbed a random, oversized t-shirt from your drawer to put it on, letting it slip from one of your shoulders. Dean was making himself comfy in your bed, watching you carefully with his arm under his head and a stupid grin on his face.

"What?" you asked as you climbed on the bed, joining him under the covers.

"Nothing," he shrugged and shifted so you could fit in, resting your head on his chest.

Throwing your arm over his middle, you hugged him as his fingers came to trace the skin on your shoulder. A comfortable silence fell over you as you cuddled, enjoying the warmth, but you knew his mind was running, just like yours.

You didn’t like this tendency of yours to overthink, but the current situation was not only unexpected but also confusing. What now? Lovers? Relationship? Friends with benefits? Enemies with benefits? Because, you had to stay honest, if he did something that would piss you off, no matter how good he was in bed, you would still punch his perfect nose.

"I'm sorry." His words surprised you, detaching you from your thoughts. "For being a noisy neighbour."

You could hear the genuine guilt in his voice and that immediately made you feel like a bitch, so you said the first thing that came to your mind.

"I'm sorry for screwing up your car," you mumbled and quickly regretted it.

"Ha! So it was you!" His victory voice made your eyes roll and you poked his side, annoyed by the fact he dragged a confession from you so easily.

"But if it makes you feel any better, the paint is made of chalk so it’ll easily wash off," you said, unable to help the silly smile that spread across your face when you saw the relieved but shocked expression that he wore.

“Well played,” he chuckled, the sound rumbling under your ear which you found oddly comforting. So you snuggled more, melting into the intimacy.

You had to look the truth straight into the eye; maybe he did infuriate you like no other but there was something else. A pull, an urge to blow off the constant steam forming between you. You wanted him and something was telling you that from now on you won't be knocking on door number 12 just to fuss about loud music.

And once Jo finds out, you wouldn’t hear the end of it.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :) Feel free to leave some feedback. ASKs and DMs are open, don’t be afraid to message me. Every word from you is gold <3

Tag list is open! :)

If something is not working, you weren’t on the tag list even if you wanted to, you can’t send an ask or you didn’t receive the notification about me tagging you in any of my fics, please contact me in DM’s.

Tag list: @deanwanddamons @jay-and-dean @katehuntington @winchest09 @talesmaniac89 @roonyxx @bunkerconfessions @akshi8278 @snffbeebee @lady-pswrld @rvgrsbrns @polina-93 @teresa-67 @alwayskeepfightingsweetheart @mrspeacem1nusone @flamencodiva @cutiecowgirl @waywardbaby @flashxspn @lyarr24

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roguestarsailor · 3 years

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You know what since we’re still in quarantine and i have nothing else better to do, i need to obsess over ACOTAR. I don't like a court of frost and starlight. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it. I aggressively read the book in maybe a day and I closed it feeling frustrated and annoyed. My version had A Court of Silver Flames preview so that definitely contributed to my annoyance greatly.

It's because it felt too perfect. Everything that had happened -- after the entire war was fought and won, they just go back to their normal lives? Yes there were hiccups and yes there were still aspects that made every IC character feel like their problems aren’t solved yet...but it didnt feel right. yes i enjoyed the snowball fight between the bat boys, feyre + rhys sexy time, and those little comfort moments too, the slice of life type things and seeing feyre accomplishing her goals and how hopeful the future seems BUT its too fast. the good parts of the book did not offset the bad parts of it.

Feyre literally accomplished pretty much every single goal she made back in ACOMAF just like that?? within a span of what a few months? a year?? She really came back from an entire war -- probably the first war of many since she's immortal and just like that, after her 21st birthday: she gets a whole entire estate, wants to start poppin babies, opens her art studio and starts teaching kids and then acting like she can rule an entire court?? the timeline is sooo short esp since its been brought up over and over again how everyone is literally 500 years old and have a super “messy” history and their changes seems to come super dupe slowly. but feyre, who has only lived 0.000000002% of her fae life, is out here thriving just fine???

the war devastated thousands of illyrian soldiers where its changing the politics of the illyrains and the faes, all of whom feyre has responsibilities over too as high lady. the mortal queens are still at large who left the humans on prythian to die which is why feyre was willing to go to war in the first place! what about the rest of hybern and their land and residents?? they wanted to enslave humans for social and economical reasons! then what about integrating humans w deep hatred and fear with deeply prejudice fae??? there’s also spring and summer court who are literally in ruins. thats literally so much. so idk how feyre is just chillin???? she gonna let rhys do all the hard work???

like feyre sit down. u should not be having a baby. esp since it took u literally a 700 pages to heal from those 3 months UTM. ur telling me shes gonna whole heartedly bring in a newborn in a war devastated world, with civil unrest (illyrains, other courts), with the messiness of human and fae integration, with trauma u and rhys will have to continue to overcome esp after THIS war??? even helping ur sisters w their traumas??

this is a personal opinion on this subject (and maybe my thoughts will change on this later on; opened to other thoughts) but when i read the part about how that weaver/seamstress artist who made that dark quilt that feyre loved talked about how her mate of 300 years didn’t come back from the war and her biggest regret was that she didnt have a kid to remember him by i just thought ur kid isn’t some sort of memorabilia. don’t have a kid to keep the memory of ur mate alive; have a kid cuz u want a kid purely for the sake of having a kid. ur memories and photos and shit will keep their memory alive but its not having a kid. some primitive need to keep the genes alive maybe?? but the way it was phrased and then in turn how feyre was like oh i need a baby pronto cuz rhys might die in the next war and regret not having a kid with him didn’t sit right with me. also the other couple were together for +300 years and have a rich life together, while shes been with rhys for literally two years THATS NOTHING IN FAE YEARS. thats still the honeymoon phase and also ur problems arent even close to being over!!!

everyone was shitty to nesta. in ACOMAF, we saw how much the IC went through and still did all they could to help feyre. what made them not think nesta deserve the same welcome? nesta is mean as a defense but did no one try to figure out what would help (amren got close but shes so under developed)??? feyre knows nesta feels too much and yet she continued to be shitty. continued to flaunt her wealth, her status, her familiarity/borderline know-it-all attitude about fae/night court, her ~estate~. forcing nest to the solstice party when nesta was literally like i dont belong, im looking at everyone through a window type of thing; the fire cracking triggering her, etc. what kind of power play was that when she made nesta come to her estate, where nesta could SEE how ~homey~ and how suscessful feyre is and fully see all the lovely paintings of everyone feyre loves that explicitly exclude her to tell her to fuck off to a war camp?? bro???? cas was a dick too and elaine was rude. i think a lot of his actions were meant to make her angry since anger keeps u fighting (as was the method of rhys for feyre in ACOMAF) but what he said was stupidly shitty and i demand that he apologize properly. elaine could have done more to help her sister but whatever. mor was definitely an ass too (and im upset for how little her character growth is).

Lucein. that man can’t catch a break tbh. im happy that hes w the band of exiles cuz he is whole heartedly accepted there. feyre was definitely an asshole to him even tho he helped as much as he could throughout the books. he tries so hard w elaine as well and it did hit my heart a bit when she was like gloves to work in my garden?? no ?? i use my bare hands see oNly aZiReL sEeS mE fOr WhO i Am. and at the same feyre is like flaunting her mate status to lucein which is mean as shit. its like this man can’t find love in prythain. then tamlin sending him his box of his things??? thats for sure brutral. tam was literally his partner through it all; savior of sorts even. no love from IC, no love from elaine, no love from feyre, no love from tamlin, no love from autumn court rejected everywhere! also HIS TRUE FATHER?? HEllo???

then on tamlin. i pity the guy! was i suppose to feel that way??? it felt like he is allowed to get a redemption arc and maybe i’ll even root for a redemption arc??? i was absolutely excited for freysand in ACOMAF but after ACOFAS, im like tamlin is....not completely bad??? his relationship w feyre was bad and the controlling parts were very much a no-no. i dont truly understand the dynamics of an abusive relationship but i can understand that it can be insidious and its the little things that hurt the victim. and i felt feyre through ACOMAF and rooted for her to escape her abuser! but then it felt like i dont think he was doing any of those things out of malice. ill say tamlin is a bad leader and doesn’t know how to run a court outside of what he sees his father do. his understanding on everything is based on the traditions of the past which i think fueled most of the things he did i.e. not telling feyre she was in danger since maybe his mom didn’t do those war planning things. ACOTAR showed how he truly cared/loved and took good care of feyre and her family. he even talked about how he didn’t believe in the enslavement of humans! i think that tam wanted to preserve what he thought was the good (aka feyre + her love of painting) and get back a sense of control that he and his entire court lost while chained to amarantha. but at the same time, i think he truly thought feyre wasn’t safe. he knows rhys can crush minds and knows feyre can’t read/write so when he got that letter telling him shes safe of course hes gonna flip shit and made a deal w the devil (although those temper outbursts were DEFINITIVELY not ok!!!). he also didn’t listen and has sense of he knows best when feyre was not the type of person. but feyre destroyed his entire court. he lost all his sentries who literally went out to die for him during amarantha’s reign. he lost lucien too; his trusted right hand man. his people were cursed for 50 years and then continued to suffer UTM and was in the process of rebuilding too! but just seeing spring court, WHO BORDERS THE HUMANS, be in ruins where his subjects left him, his people left him and hes all alone in the manson?? that was sooo sad. so im like why does what feyre did not feel satisfactory????? im mad that it didn’t feel right??? maybe there wasn’t a point where feyre talked to tamlin -- like really talked to him esp w her new found voice and power, etc. anyways, i dont hate tamlin and was like oh shit i think feyre fucked up a bit there.

rhys is a dick to nesta. which made me think, if feyre wasn’t his mate would he extend the same love and care to her??? i loved how he tried so hard to make sure feyre was ok. made sure she wasn’t breaking! all of it! but for nesta, he had the audacity to use his high lord voice and be an ass overall. even tho he can see how cas is fucken in love??? even just how he talks to cass feels off too.

i’ll even go as far as to say because of how terrible ACOFAS was, it created this intense divide within the fandom. i remember reading the first three books and was absolutely 1) rooting for freysand 2) curious about the sister relationship and how it will be mended 3) i definitely didn’t hate nesta nor did i hate elaine either -- but i was adament about them talking it out with feyre for those tough times 4) saw a more realistic and charming healing arc 5) was rooting for feyre to be a stronger voice and grow into herself 6) love the dynamic of the inner circle + feyre

but after ACOFAS, I have this intense need to defend nesta and was super mad at how she was treated after the war and in turn a deep dislike for elaine for both her lack of agency, lack of grit that made all the other characters interesting, and lack of care for her sisters (who showed how much they would risk for her). i dont hate rhys but i was extremely not happy with him and his attitude and behavior. feyre became more arrogant and was acting like how asshole rhysand would act. like her life is perfect now and i was not rooting for her anymore. freysand didn’t feel like they have complimenting qualities that made them interesting in the first place but rather they are merging to become the same person but in a bad way. that mind reading thing was cute in the beginning but it became insufferable since all thoughts were shared so seamlessly it made reading feel weird.

anyways those are my thoughts on ACOFAS. it was a 1/5 stars for me and im mad those events transpired. reading the other books made me excited to know what was gonna happen and i was truly ready to accept the characters as flawed and nuanced as they are. im not mad about character not liking each other but i am mad that everything felt off. ACOFAS just felt regressive in some parts and forced in other parts. i know not everything ends in a nice tied up bow but this book single handily ruined what i thought about these characters in the worse way possible. this book wasn’t suppose to wrap up all the problems that exists in the other books but it didn’t feel hopeful like i thought it would. it didn’t feel wrapped up and didn’t feel like i should be excited about the next books. theres so many missing pieces i feel that i think need explaining and at the same time, i think it introduced too many problems at once which made it feel like its jumping around everywhere. although im still excited for ACOSF because i love nesta, and nesta deserves so much better and i want to have hope that this bad ending will either make sense later on or it was just a blimp.

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manikas-whims · 3 years

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Turmeric Milk

A sequel to my other Kanej fic Holi

[Read on AO3]

Ship: Kaz Brekker X Inej Ghafa

Summary:

Modern AU

Kaz had told his neighbour Inej that he'd call up his doctor friend to get his wounds treated but she stills decides to check up on him.

And with a weird drink at that..

Note:

I've decided to turn this Modern AU into a series.

Hope you enjoy this one as well ♥

Kaz rouses from his slumber due to the noise of the cellphone buzzing and sits up, accidentally hurting the wound on his chest. He represses a hiss and looks around, finding himself on his living room’s couch. The wall clock that his eyes land on, make him realize its past seven at night. Great, sleeping at odd hours. Pushing off the duvet, he scrambles to his feet, a jolt of ache shooting through his bad leg. Immediately, he seeks purchase in the arm of the couch, taking deep breaths to help himself endure the ache.

His phone buzzes again and he picks it up in annoyance. ‘W. Van Eck’, the screen reads and Kaz sighs, receiving the call.

“What happened?” He grunts out.

He can hear a loud huff from the other end. “You know Kaz, those shouldn't be your words to initiate a phone conversation.”

He rubs his eyes, trying to bite back the string of colorful words at the tip of his cursed tongue. “What do you want, Wylan?”

There’s a long pause. “Jes and I wanted to check up on you.”

“I’m doing quite alright.” He grits out as calmly as possible.

“Listen Kaz, if you need–”

“I’m not a child Wylan. I can take care of myself.” Kaz reminds him. He likes his crew because they do their jobs perfectly well but thats all he expects of them. His health and personal lifestyle is none of their concern.

“..kay, I understand. Rest well.” Wylan mumbles and disconnects the call.

With that, Kaz tosses his cellphone to the couch and limps towards his bedroom. Its about time he takes a much needed bath and orders his dinner.

By the time he’s done, he changes into another pair of trousers and lets his towel dangle around his neck. There's several drawers in the side rail of his bed. He crouches down to open the middle one and rummages out a first aid kit from within.

Grabbing his cane from the mattress, he walks out to the living room. Immediately his eyes take note of the duvet falling off his couch and the half-filled bottle of brandy but he chooses to ignore them. He’s not in the mood for tidying up. He simply picks up his cellphone and places an order for hutspot from the Kooperom, a diner nearby. It should take around twenty minutes to arrive and as such, he decides to address his injuries.

He sits heavily onto the couch, placing his cane in his lap and pulls out a roll of gauze and a flask of liquid disinfectant. Dousing a cotton pad in the disinfectant, he starts swiping the cut that trails diagonally from the right side of his chest down to his navel, just like he'd done earlier in the morning. That punch to his face had blinded him for a moment and another Razorgull took advantage of that. The teeth of that man’s knife tore so callously through his skin that Kaz winces several times during the whole cleansing. Finally as his hand reaches for the gauze roll, the dinging sound of the doorbell interrupts him.

The food delivery guy can’t make it this quick. A single father and his son run the whole diner by themselves. The thought makes Kaz gaze uncertainly at the door.

The bell rings again and this time Kaz stands up with his cane. He takes slow steps, snaking out a revolver from behind a painting next to the door and then turns the knob.

“Ohh God!” a feminine voice shrieks, making Kaz flinch.

His deep, coffee irises clash with a pair of dark brown ones and he scowls. Its none other than his next-door neighbour— Inej Ghafa. She’s forgone her shimmering traditional garbs and is sporting a set of faded blue silk pajamas. Her long, flowing hair has been pulled together in a single braid. And she has a small jar full of something yellow in her hands.

“The hell!?” He grits out.

She flushes at the sight of his bare torso as she speaks, “I just came by to check up on you.”

Really? Kaz lets out an exasperated sigh and glares at the jar of the unknown yellow. His lips curl in memory of that excessively-sugary Indian sweet that she had shoved in his mouth this morning. He’s not falling for her words again.

Her own eyes follow his and she smiles, lifting the jar higher. “Ah yes! I brought turmeric for you.”

He scrunches his nose in suspicion. “I don’t think I need it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Says the man with a gun.”

Exactly! And she must be scared of this sight. Not strike jokes about it. But he has to admit he’s quite pleased that she’s mentioning the gun instead of commenting on the cane in his other hand. She doesn't even flash a single pitiful glance like the others who come across him do.

“Anyways, may I come in?” She waits patiently.

“For what?” He asks.

“To make you a glass of turmeric milk.” She states, as if its the most normal thing to do for a neighbour.

“Again, I don't need that.” It feels like arguing with a saleswoman.

“But its good for health.” She informs wisely and her eyes stray towards his chest. “And it'll help you heal faster.”

He quirks a brow incredulously. “Fantastic! Just what I needed. Give me the jar and I'll make it myself.”

“Just like you said you'll call you doctor friend?” Her eyes rove pointedly over the injured state of his chest and she shakes her head. “I think I should do this myself.”

Kaz gulps. He knows he will regret this later. Yet something tells him that rejecting her hospitality will only make her more persistent. And its not like his significant belongings just lie around the house. She won’t be able to figure-out anything about him. Yeah but what kind of a sane guy greets a neighbor with a gun? He dismisses the thought instantly. Maybe she’ll just make her energy drink and leave. Maybe she won't consider him a sociopath at all.

“Come in.” He slides the gun in his pocket and opens the door wider.

Inej neatly puts her slippers in the shoe-rack before following Kaz into the living room. While he resumes his task of bandaging his wound, she watches quietly, making him feel self-conscious for the first time since he was fourteen. Now that he isn’t focused on interrogating her, he is unable to be as nonchalant as he had been minutes ago.

“Your job sure keeps you entertained.” She remarks. “I thought your line of work didn’t allow action to this..severity.”

Kaz regards her curiously. He isn’t sure he’s aware of what she’s talking about. Is she a spy from another rising gang? Is she vaguely suggesting she knows about his position in the Dregs? His hands twitch as they tie the gauze.

“You are a Private Investigator, afterall.” She adds.

Oh. Kaz nods in relief. Of course she's talking about his cover job. She probably learnt this as well from the building management.

“Ye-Yeah..things do get messy sometimes.” He confesses imprecisely and starts returning the disinfectant, cotton pads and the remaining gauze into the kit. He needs a shirt. He's never felt so nervous in a woman's presence.

Thankfully, she ends the awkward moment for the both of them. “I..I should start on that milk. If your apartment has the same layout as mine, the kitchen should be the next room from the gallery?”

He nods once and picks up his cane, heading ahead of her in the direction of his bedroom.

Upon his return, and with a shirt on, he notices the absence of his brandy from the table. A package with Kooperom's logo sits in its place. His duvet has been folded neatly, resting on one end of the couch. And his neighbor is standing in the center of the living room, a glass of yellowish, creamy liquid in her hand. He’s assuming its the “turmeric milk”.

“So uh..a delivery man came by just as you left.” She gestures to the package and continues, “I’ve put the turmeric jar on your kitchen counter. Just add a spoonful to your milk daily and you'll be back in shape in no time.”

She strides towards him and pushes the glass into his free hand. “Goodnight, Mr. Brekker.”

And just like that..she’s gone. What’s with her swinging by and departing so abruptly?

Kaz locks the door and sits by his folded duvet. Its interesting how she managed to clean this room within the few minutes he was gone.

He unpacks the food, picks up a fork and takes a bite of the meat from the hutspot. Fulfilling as ever. He takes another bite and looks at the glass in his hand. Reluctantly, he brings it to his lips and takes a sip, bracing himself for another weird experience. To his surprise, it tastes alright. And strangely enough, his muscles do ease a bit. Maybe having neighbors isn't all that bad.

Hutspot: a traditional Dutch dish of potatoes, carrots and onions. Sometimes meat is served as a side dish with it.

Turmeric: a spice regularly used by Indians in their cuisine. Its said to be a natural antiseptic.

Turmeric Milk: drinking milk with turmeric is good for health. even gargling with turmeric water (hot) is good for throat.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this..:3

Read more Soc Fanfics, Headcanons & AUs here

(divider by @firefly-graphics)

#kanej #kanej fanfic #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #six of crows #shadow and bone #grishaverse #dirtyhands #the wraith #kaz x inej #kanej fanfiction

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per-the-jellicle-magician · 3 years

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Hello! I see you are very knowledgeable about Cats Warsaw and I would love to know if you have any information about the costume design. The choices made are very interesting and honestly I don't understand it but would love to know more about why they look the way they do!

Yes, I actually do know some stuff. Most of it is from the interview with the costume designer Dorota Kołodyńska, from Cats Warsaw book, with some of my own observations. So thank you for the question and let’s get started cuz it’s gonna be long

The very short answer as to why Cats Warsaw costumes look like they do is: ‘cuz London said so and the fashion world was what it was

The long answer is under the cut ‘cuz it got very long, and it has some pics

The long answer: despite it being a non-replica, and first full non-replica at that, all the creative decisions had to get a green light form Webber/Mackintosh/The really useful theatre company/whoever else in London. The main rule they gave was that it can't be similar to the og show, like at all. This is also why it takes place in the backyard of an abandoned film studio instead of a junkyard. And that “no similar things” rule combined with a different setting and a “desire to make Cats more ours” resulted in such a different look.

Here, for example are first projects for Jennyanydots and Tugger’s costumes

And here is the first project for Demeter (top) and I believe the final one for Grizabella (bottom)

The main inspiration for the costumes (and make up too) was actually what was then happening in the fashion world. That’s why there are so many different textures (feathers, pieces of fur, mesh tops etc), the asymmetry in where those pieces are located and the neon colours on some costumes. Wigs were made after the costumes were complete, and they were supposed to be “modern and timeless”.

The main inspiration for make-up (which was the last to be designed, after the costumes and most of the wigs were complete) was the then recent Dior show, prepared by Sergiusz Osmański who was make up designer for Cats Warsaw. There of course were other inspirations too, for example the inspiration for Macavity and his shiny pants evolved from Mad Max, through the Matrix, to anime. Also, I believe the actors had some input too, at least a tiny bit, since for example Misto’s famous facial hair was, and still is, his first actor’s day-to-day look.

Surprisingly (or not) choreography was also a major influence. Since there is a lot of modern dance mixed in, most leotards have wide legs, instead of fitted ones, as apparently is custom in modern dance. And since the characters are grouped into two camps: the singers and the dancers, there was more room for creativity. And by that I mean, the dancers’ costumes are usually much simpler out of necessity, while the singers, since they don’t have to move as much, could have much more elaborate costumes.

For example, Carbucketty and Alonzo’s costumes are very similar, but since Alonzo is a dancer and an acrobat he just gets a usual simple top-pants combo with some shoulder fur, while Carbucketty who is a singer wears overalls instead.

Carbucketty (left) and Alonzo (right), not the best quality, but it’s the best picture I have rn

Another example: Mistoffelees got top-pants combo with a vest to which his tail is fixed, while Skimble (who doesn’t really dance) wears a suit jacket and puffy pants with calf-high boots.

I’ll be using this picture of Misto till I die, you can pretty easily see all the parts of his costume (except for wig and make up). And this is the brown Skimble I’ll also be mentioning later, you can see his costume has much more details (like the watch chain and the watch) than Misto’s

There are some divisions between the characters, and it reflects in their costumes. As usual, some cats have owners and collars and are more put together, while others are strays and thus a little bit messier. Some are pure breads, some are not. Another divide was determined by gender, with toms being generally more on the brownish-greyish side with bigger shoulders (lots of fur there) and queens generally being slimmer and more colourful. This rule was mostly for the dancers’ costumes, but wasn’t that strictly enforced.

Another interesting thing, was that there was an intention for a yet another divide, this time between Munkustrap and Tugger. As in, they tried to make it clear that, and I quote: “brave Munkustrap is the leader of the wild, predatory, grey cats, and the Rum Tum Tugger, a type of youthful idol - the leader of young, cheerful, playful and colourful cats.” The designer saying that the clan is divided very strictly into those two groups, and from what I can see, yeah they somewhat succeeded in achieving that, but again, I think it ended up being less strict of a rule.

As for the pattens on the costumes, each cat has a unique patten designed by Mrs. Kołodyńska with some help from her graphic designer friend, which was then printed on fabric and pieced together.

Here is how some of the patterns looked like up close

Similarly, each cat has a unique wig and make up. And (and this is really important) if they play the same character, each actor has their own version of the costume. Sometimes those changes in costumes are tiny, for example the only changes between three Misto costumes that I can see are slightly different amounts of white in the pattern and the wigs (first Misto has this messy one that kinda makes it look like he has ears, while the other two have much neater, kinda curly wigs, with one of them having small curly ponytail added).

Since I don’t have any good enough pics of different Mistos, and it’s too late for me to look for any, here are both Tuggers instead, and as you can see the main differences are the patten on the top and the wigs

On the other side there is Skimble who in one version is more orange (here) and in the other more brown (the one earlier).

But the most differences has definitely Munkustrap with quite a different look for each of his four actors (and they differ in patterns, colour, wigs, make up and how see-through are the mesh tops). This is awesome, and it’s one of the things that really helped me determine the cast in the recording.

Here are make-up projects for one of the male kittens (left) and for one of the Munkustraps (right)

Here is another Munkustrap getting ready (you can see the differences in make up)

And here is the third one who is mix of the two others (his wig is also kinda a mix). And that’s just make up and wigs

And here I will end this general overview of Cats Warsaw costumes and why they look like that, mostly ‘cuz there isn’t that much more info on that topic. I plan on doing some more thorough break down of the costumes, possibly with each character getting their own post, but that’s for the, hopefully near, future.

If you got all the way to here, then I can’t thank you enough for reading it all, and I really hope that you like it, and again thank you so much for asking this, I’m always happy to talk about Cats Warsaw

If you (or anyone else reading this) would like to be tagged in the future in the costume breakdown posts, then please let me know, I’ll be happy to do it

#cats warsaw #cats the musical #cats warsaw costumes #munkustrap #alonzo cats #carbucketty #mistoffelees #rum tum tugger #cats the musical costumes #cats non replica

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topconfessions · 3 years

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pt 2. its like w/ SHINee... they were just too perfect. they were "shining" too brightly. amazing vocals, choreo, no filler members, all of them very handsome. the Universe decided they were just too good. that's why what happened happened. if not for that tragedy, i'm sure, all 5 would still be making music together & possibly be even more popular than bts or anyone else for that matter.

Agreed. Although Shinee would be viewed the same way as BTS by Americans from their aesthetics but more tolerable since they don't come off as robotic and fangirl targeted.

Side note but when will Beyonce have her great downfall then? I don't want to hear Jay cheating on her and Lemonade. Fuck that. She orchestrated and benefited from that. Also No y'all I don't want to hear "LOL that's the point" No. She has to be the only artist who has to have a foot above in front of and on everything she does and She has geniunely never faced any detrimental hardships in life. I'm waiting for that. Something she can't twist, micro manage or control or even buy her way out of.

Tbh I geniunely liked how spotless shinee was. They were my safe refuge and happy place. My happy pill. When life was a mess or I was falling apart or other groups were being messy I always turned to Shinee for that boost and healing. They are not a group I personally expect nor think should be held to regular group standards. I don't believe they were packaged to be consumed that way. They are after all the foundation and inspo for F(X). I always saw them as what SM is trying to make NCT as a whole be minus the edgy cool and hot shit lol.

What happened to them left a wound on me and I'm not even a shawl. But it really humanized them and showed they were a true geniune group. They stuck together and are doing well still. They were a Brotherhood and I hope fans learn from this. Like when an anon asked how I felt about smut and shipping the idols you all, just think about the photos of all the Shinee boys crying their eyes out looking defeated carrying Jongs casket. No musical group regardless of race or genre should experience that cause this usually happened to old school groups back in the 70s black and white. For 20 something idol group to bury their own I am sure they lost a family member and friend. That really brought them to reality.

So its sad yet again I agree. This worked bittersweet wonders for them. I feel heavy whenever I listen to View or Replay but it's a good heavy. God forgive me but I am shocked this happened to Shinee and Not Bigbang. Like how in religious texts you see the earth had to get destroyed to restart anew again? LOL. like honestly bigbang has been in such a warp of heavy shit and mess I am still astounded they have avoided a tragedy or a major scandal that can inject a rebirth. Instead we get Seungri. Something very on brand for them. And no no no I would never ever want any harm to come to any idol of any group ever but lord I would not have been a smidge deeply shocked if it was top. Jonghyun floored me but I was not a shawol so I didnt understand till after the fact.

BTS will have their scandals and rough patches but they need the humanity and real emotion as well ingenuity of Shinee to keep going. I am not sure they have that. Shinee is like that group that gets on the school bus and chills in the backseat or middle of the bus together all hanging out and talking or chill but together. BTS NOW I'd say would sit divided on the bus in pairs or somewhat together but not having that same uber chatty energy. Detached but attached? Some would sit alone.

Thats the best I can run them up.

#Shinee #shinee taemin #shinee onew #shinee key #you did well jonghyun #rip jonghyun #shinee jonghyun #kpop #korean pop #k-pop

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mothgender · 3 years

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Okay @megaroxstudiospresents, so you wanted to know about the space opera I've been working on and off on since 2014? This baby has gone through like 5 different variations and it's finally shaping up into something I feel good about.

Also, turns out power isn't coming back for another 25 hours according to the power company -.- So I'm doing this on my phone. So no keep reading, thanks mobile. Anyway

Before we get into the fuckin story let's establish some history.

Humanity makes it to space! Nice! They find another sentient species!

Crysalids are rock people. I love them. They don't have mouths. Do I understand at all how they work in a biological sense? No and it bothers me.

First contact does not go according to keikaku. Things are pretty messy before they establish proper communication, and they eventually are able to agree to a treaty. They divide the galaxy among themselves and form The Coalition, a governing body consisting of memebers from both species.

This is fine until we realize there are two whole ass other species that haven't entered the picture yet.

Oopsie doodle.

Unfortunately for the Arkuey, they were only in their industrial stage, and their planet is deep in Human space.

When they finally made it to the stars, they found themselves beset on all sides by a human blockade. After a brief battle, the Arkuey are forced to surrender and colonialism rears it's ugly head.

Arkuey are fun! Big lizards what got feathers. Ladies are buff. I commissioned art some time ago of them :)

Look at them! So cool.

Anyway. Nauzzir also exist. They are smol bug lads. no gender we die like men

Their planet was in Crysalid controlled space and at the time of the Divide they were incredibly close to spaceflight. Once they reach space the Nauzzir are given a place on the Coalition but with drastically less power.

Our story starts after a successful revolution to establish Arkuey/Nauzzir independence and real places on the Coalition.

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#moth screams #long post #The Wreckage #original content #listen okay #I love them

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goodvibesatpeace · 5 years

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Astrology: The Ascendant

Have you ever wondered why others tend to see you with a different perspective than you see yourself? Have you ever considered where, in your natal chart, you might find clues about the most urgent purpose your soul has in this incarnation?

While these two questions appear to have nothing in common, the answer to both can be found in the same point on your birth chart: the ascendant. The ascendant, or rising sign, is the sign that appears on the first house cusp of your natal chart; it's the sign that was rising over the horizon at the exact moment of your birth. Many astrologers refer to this point in the chart as the "mask" you present to the outside world, but don't let this mislead you. Your mask is very much a part of who you are; it's the part of you that you allow others to see. These are the personality traits and needs you've chosen to make others aware of from their very first impression of you. Since the rising sign is so visible, it's also a point in the chart where one can determine physical characteristics.

From the perspective of personality, the rising sign certainly reveals a great deal, but from a spiritual perspective, these revelations take on an even deeper meaning. If the Sun sign represents what you are learning to become in this lifetime, then the rising sign can be seen as the most direct route your Sun sign will use to learn these lessons. The rising sign indicates the immediate visibility of personality traits, but also the immediate visibility of the soul's purpose.

Let's take an example: suppose you have a girlfriend with her Sun in Cancer. You've read about Cancers and know they are nurturing, protective, moody and usually shy, yet also intensely creative and intuitive. Yet this friend of yours doesn't seem to fit this description at all. Instead of creating tantalizing dishes from her cozy kitchen while complaining about her PMS to you on the phone, and having a life centered on mothering her four children, husband, sister and the neighbors, she's busy traveling the world, has three advanced degrees (one in art history, one in philosophy and one in creative writing) and refuses to get married and have children because she believes it will restrict her freedom loving personality. This friend always has a smile on her face and looks at the bright side of things. That's not Cancer, is it? Well, maybe this friend could be better understood once you realize that she has Sagittarius rising. Sadge is all about truth seeking and higher learning. Sagittarius is fun loving and has an intense need for freedom. This Cancer Sun friend has an immediate soul purpose to nurture (Cancer) her own higher learning and spiritual advancement (Sagittarius). What you don't see on the surface is the fact that she may also be tremendously insecure (Cancer) about her ability to learn (Sagittarius) or her faith (Sagittarius). She is learning to nurture her faith. She is also learning to have faith in her ability to nurture.

When you look at the rising sign from both a personality and soul level, it can give you deep insights. By embracing the lesson your soul decided was the most urgent, and by being aware of what it is about your personality you allow others to see, you can project yourself in the most positive light and accelerate your soul growth all at the same time.

Rising to the Challenge

The remainder of this article is divided into sections that explain the personality traits others will see in you based on your ascendant, as well as the immediate soul lesson that particular rising sign calls on you to integrate with your Sun sign potential. Allow your intuition to guide you as you read these descriptions and I'm sure you will find something that resonates. Remember, your soul wants you to uncover these lessons and embrace them; you chose your individual mask for a reason.

Please also realize that, as with any single point in a birth chart, complete understanding of the details of your life purpose and mask can only be fully delineated when all the aspects your ascendant makes to the remainder of the chart are considered. In addition, the placement of the planet that rules your ascendant is quite significant because it tells you where you will most likely play out this important life lesson. Also, if you have any planets close to the ascendant, or in the first house, this adds further decoration to your mask and there will be more to uncover. If you find a heavy first house or an ascendant that makes many aspects to the rest of the chart, you may want to consult an astrologer to help you fully understand the colors you wear to the world, and the lesson they brighten your life with.

Aries Rising

Move out of the way folks, because Aries rising wants to be first! I'll be blunt about this and say that if you have Aries rising in your chart, someone's first impression of you may be that you are a little pushy or rude. Almost always, they will see you as impatient and in a rush. You may even appear to be arrogant or self-centered since you're so busy pushing forward; you sometimes don't even notice anyone around you.

This is the mask - the first impression. What you will also find with Aries rising is an indomitable spirit, steadfast courage and willingness to walk through fire to fight for what they believe in. Some people don't like Aries rising because they do seem overly concerned with developing their own ego, or self identity. And here's the irony: that's exactly what they are supposed to be doing in this incarnation. The immediate soul purpose of an Aries rising is to develop that strong sense of an independent self.

Taurus Rising

When the bull is rising in your chart, you may appear to others as slow moving, easygoing and someone with charming manners. Some might see you as a tad too materialistic or possessive. You may appear extremely stubborn; not only are you unwilling to give up, you don't know how to give up. At the same time, the presence of a Taurus rising is usually quite calming and peaceful, almost docile.

Taurus rising may appear simplistic to some. It seems as if all you really want is a good meal, some great sex, and a beautiful piece of land to call your own. Whatever your values are, with Taurus rising, there will be no trouble in expressing them to others.

The soul purpose of someone with Taurus rising will center on understanding the nature of the physical. This includes every physical experience from aesthetic to intimate. You are learning how to bring spirit into matter.

Gemini Rising

If you have Gemini rising in your chart, you may appear to others as very restless. You have this air about you of eternal youth, and even if you're 90 years old, I'll bet your mind is as sharp as ever! You're excitable and mentally agile - always moving onto something new or the next idea. You're sometimes perceived as fickle because so many things interest you and it's difficult to focus on one area of interest at a time.

Your immediate soul purpose is to learn how to communicate truthfully. You do this only after you've evaluated all sides of a situation. We all know there are several sides to a story. Your lesson is to integrate them all into one cohesive truth.

Cancer Rising

With Cancer rising, others see you as moody and someone with fluctuating emotions. You may seem quite shy, insecure, and super-sensitive. You give off the impression of reacting emotionally to everything, and also appear as someone who is extremely home and family loving. You are also intensely creative. Others see you as capable of nurturing others in a deep capacity and even if you're a man, there is this "mothering" quality to your persona.

Your immediate soul purpose is to learn about nurturing and loving others in a responsible way.

Leo Rising

Leo rising appears to the world as someone with a bright, sunny disposition - at times even dramatic. You seem to exude confidence and when you walk into a room others definitely notice!

Your soul purpose is to learn you don't need approval from the outside world. Underneath that noble air, you're really learning how to love yourself.

Virgo Rising

Virgo rising seems to be quite refined. Very often a probing, analytical speaker with a soft tone to your voice, others may see you as intelligent and witty. Others may accuse you of either being too neat, or too messy, but you will certainly have a distinct pattern to your character. Others will notice how important work is to you as well.

Your immediate soul purpose has to do with learning how to improve yourself without criticizing or undermining others.

Libra Rising

It may very well be true that others see you as quite attractive. After all, you probably have delicate, refined features and exude charm and confidence. I'll bet your nails are perfectly manicured (even if you're a man) and you're always socially graceful. You may appear to others as very concerned with being diplomatic and fair to everyone you know. You are most definitely charming!

Your soul purpose has to do with learning about balancing equality in your partnerships, and fine tuning your understanding of a relationship as a spiritual path, not as a means to define who you are as a person.

Scorpio Rising

One thing is certain, people see you as intense! Either they are intensely attracted to you, or instantly repelled by your magnetic, mysterious quality. You may appear to others as somewhat mystical, or very secretive and difficult to get to know. There is a tremendous power to someone with this rising sign and others recognize it immediately.

The soul purpose involves learning how to properly utilize this power. Will you use it for what it's intended to be, the life force as a path to God, or the Universe, or the Source? Or will you use it to control and manipulate others? It's been said that souls who choose to incarnate with Scorpio rising have chosen a path of difficult and accelerated soul growth. Every incarnation is important, but I believe if you have Scorpio rising, there is something critical about this incarnation that will affect your soul's development.

Sagittarius Rising (This is me)

You probably have a knack for putting someone in a good mood simply by being in their presence. You exude optimism and others see you as always exploring new territory, new goals, or new challenges. You show others a strong philosophical or spiritual belief system and may be very active, with a love of travel.

Your immediate soul purpose has everything to do with spiritual growth and faith. You will travel many new horizons in your lifetime in order to achieve this purpose.

Capricorn Rising

Others will probably see you as reserved and serious most of the time. One word others will use to describe you is "responsible". You might even be perceived by others as somewhat of a "wet blanket" because you're so busy planning and working towards achieving your goals that you give off the impression of someone who is a bit dry or all work and no play. You are quietly ambitious, climbing the ladder of success one rung at a time. You may have invented the word "willpower". Your immediate soul purpose includes learning about responsibility and structure. You are also here to teach others how to properly take care of business.

Aquarius Rising

Okay, so maybe others see you as a bit weird, or eccentric. You certainly are progressive in some way but your progressive outlook will be fenced into your own restrictive ideas of that particular outlook. Because of the rulers of Aquarius (Uranus and Saturn) being so inherently different (Saturn is structure and Uranus breaks up structure) you might seem to be a contradiction to others. One thing is certain; people are going to be attracted to your magnetism. Even with your electric quality, you may be more interested in ideas than people (or at least that's how you might be perceived).

Your soul purpose centers on breaking through to a more progressive consciousness. I believe it also has something to do with learning to discriminate when you should respect an existing structure vs. when to go ahead and break it up.

Pisces Rising

Others will see you as generous, sympathetic to those less fortunate, and very sensitive and sentimental. You are the essence of feeling and imagination. People may often see you as someone they can easily take advantage of because of your capacity for unconditional love and compassion.

Your soul purpose will be to learn to give to others without losing yourself in the process. You must also learn to deal with your intense emotions rather than escape from them.

Much love to all... go in peace my friends 💕💕

#astrology #zodiac #rising #ascendant #sun #moon #sign #natal chart #birth chart #astrology chart #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #sagitarrius #scorpio #capricorn #aquarius #pieces

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malexfan10 · 5 years

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Malex thoughts

I was watching some old episodes of Dawson's Creek and it made me want to get some thoughts out. I watched a lot of TV shows growing up. For me, the couples I liked were either ones I casually rooted for or on the rare occasion, a couple took me by such surprise that I became extremely emotionally invested. Malex is the latter.

I've been a fan of Captain Swan (OUAT), Stydia (Teen Wolf), Kurt & Blaine (Glee), Buffy & Angel and lots more. The rare pairings I've been completely lost on, I can name on one hand. Pacey & Joey (my first OTP), Chandler & Monica and Malex. I'd say Destiel on Supernatural too but with them, everything is subtext. I don't think the writers will have the guts to go there, not even with the show ending.

With PJ, I love how they started as antagonists, became really great friends, and then fell in love. For me, PJ vs DJ was incomparable. DJ brought out the worst in each other (my opinion) while PJ showed each other what love was supposed to be. The only thing I hated about DC was the constant back & forth between the two pairings. It lasted until the final moment when you realized PJ was endgame (one of my fears for Malex). I hated that but I was a kid so it didn't bother me as much as it would now.

I loved Chandler & Monica because they started out as friends who fell in love, got married and had all the moments in between before adopting a set of twins. I loved their story because it showed their entire journey. True, the show was a comedy but their story didn't end in season 5 when they started dating. Their story just began.

It's hard understanding writers who feel that only the journey matters. Of course it does. The journey is important. It's what makes you root for a couple but the destination and what happens after is important too. It makes you continue rooting for them, seeing all that angst and pain amounting to something substantial in the end.

So as much as I loved PJ, the fact that they kept us guessing until the last 5 minutes before we realized who she chose was too much. The long, drawn out, multi-season, will they/won't they storytelling style is one I'll never be a fan of.

Which leads me to Malex.

They were two broken boys, both brought up under horrible circumstances, who found the missing piece of themselves in each other. When Alex gave Michael a warm and safe place to stay, it was probably the first act of true kindness Michael had ever experienced and it was made by a boy whose pain and suffering mirrored his own. How incredibly heartbreaking but beautiful is that? That initial bond, that "cosmic" connection stood the test of time. Separated for 10 years and it felt like no time had passed at all.

That first moment in the pilot episode outside his Airstream, you could feel the tension. I remember reading interpretations of that scene. People thought Malex were cold and angry with one another "probably over a girl". Are you kidding me? That tension could only be romantic. But that first kiss at the reunion was when I hopped on the Malex Forever train. One stop only. Endgame.

They set them up so amazingly in the first three episodes. The angst was there but you could also feel the deep love between them. They weren't shown as two guys who had a fling back in high school and then crossed paths again 10 years later, said what the hell and hooked up again. No, they were shown as soulmates. Their level of connection even scared and confused them but they both knew it existed. Their love was pure and true and rare.

With all their history and with so many odds already stacked against them, the writers deciding to throw in a triangle just because they could and doing it in such a rushed and messy way really made me scratch my head.

Carina said she loved the triangle on DC. I honestly think she was the only one. That show was incredibly divided, DJ vs PJ. But as much as I hated the constant back and forth, I'll give the DC writers some credit. Joey's feelings for both were fully touched on. I saw her romantic feelings for Pacey more profound and her feelings for Dawson as true friendship (just my opinion), but both sides were shown in depth.

The problem with Roswell? Where did those feelings come from between M&M? They shared a moment when Maria cried and I took that as the start of a wonderful friendship. I was obviously wrong. They hooked up in the desert. OK I hated it but they were two single people and Maria didn't know about Alex so I accepted. All of a sudden, the feelings were real and Maria was conflicted because of how strong her feelings were. Michael chose to be with Maria because he needed something fresh and new and according to the wonderful Vlamis, someone he also had strong feelings for (still hate that last interview LOL).

I understand where Michael was coming from a little better, as much as I hate it and hate how he went about it by leaving Alex just waiting. He'd been through so much trauma and Max and Isobel kept telling him to stop looking to the past (which, really Max? If someone told you that about Liz, would you listen?? But he died so he gets a pass). But as far as Maria's feelings are concerned, I feel like I missed something.

Between episodes 9 and 10, did the M&M feelings bloom overnight from flirty banter to crush to "OMG this is love"? Was their moment in the desert that mind-blowing that the weirdness of episode 11 happened? I don't get it.

The one thing going against M&M is that Malex is overwhelmingly loved and has been embraced by fans and critics alike.

One critic said it best when they reviewed the finale (Vulture).

"I was intrigued by the possibility of Michael/Maria at first, but the love triangle has been so rushed — with so little time spent on Maria’s developing feelings for Michael — that it’s ended up just making her look terrible. We know from Maria’s conversation with Liz that she hasn’t even spoken to Alex about the situation because she feels too guilty, and so having her accept Michael with open arms is such an odd note. Sure, she doesn’t know Alex is waiting for Michael right at the same moment, but she does know that he’s been in love with Michael for a decade."

And therein lies the problem. A lifelong friendship ruined over a guy (unless Carina makes Alex give his blessing next season which would really make me scream) to push forward a pairing that had little development and makes Maria look bad. One side of the triangle is Michael's soulmate and the other side is the friend with sudden feelings. Not the best character development which is sad because we know how awesome Maria can be and as mad as I am with her, her character that I enjoyed until episode 10 and the actress deserve better. But instead of being original, the writers chose the path always taken. They chose to use her as the odd end of a triangle where, unless they want everyone to hate the show, she will likely be the one forced out so Malex can eventually reunite and for what? Drama?

Season 1 started out really strong and it still had a lot of strong moments in the latter episodes (end scene of episode 9 between Malex, Liz & Jenna being kickass in episode 11, all of episode 12 - my fave of the season, Kyle's confrontation with Jesse etc).

But honestly, I feel like the inclusion of this triangle (amongst other reveals like Noah as the 4th alien) somewhat brought the story down. The writing for M&M felt OOC and was messily done.

Only in recent years have LGBT pairings started becoming more mainstream, given better development and importance in the overall story. With Malex, they have the potential of making Michael and Alex one of the greatest love stories on TV. As much as I love the show, I'm not saying Roswell is on the same level as Breaking Bad or The Sopranos etc. But from all the pairings on the show, Malex is the most profound and has the potential to go down as one of the best on TV. To overcome everything they've been through and still choose each other and their love would be the ultimate happy ending because unlike most male/female pairings that go through mostly regular angst, being two males in a small town, Malex have a whole other level of obstacles to face. That doesn't even include their personal history, the fact that Michael is an alien or that Alex's father is the cause of so much pain between them. Or the fact that Alex is a disabled war veteran. I mean, there is so much amazing points to their story. They are the OTP of OTPs.

But so far, it feels like the triangle is the only major roadblock the writers want to concentrate on and that's the biggest mistake of all.

Season 2 hasn't aired yet. We don't know how little (🤞) or how long (😢) M&M will last. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes and hope that Twitter Carina is not the same as Season 2 showrunner Carina.

But for me, Malex will always be each other's endgame. That's what I saw in the first 3 episodes. That's what I saw in the flashbacks. That's what I saw in Caulfield. Try and convince me differently, show. You'll fail.

❤

#malex #roswell new mexico #roswell nm #roswell alex and michael #alex manes #michael guerin #my thoughts on OTP's

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walterlitfyafricablog · 5 years

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Why digital literacy

Part two

In part one I did not get the chance to clearly point out the advantages of why we should invest in digital literacy. In 2017 together with friends we founded a charity organisation called Mabvazuva Trust. Our mission was "To raise a generation that does not complain but is optimistic for the future". By not complaining i don't mean roll over and take it from behind i mean stop complaining for a second and see the opportunities around us. People who complain never found out the truth and they never contribute anything. The reason why we don't see the vast opportunities right in front of us sometimes. A dude from America Jeremy Johnson discovered that in Nigeria, Africa's largest country over half of young people were unemployed and he founded an organisation called Andela. This brings me to my first point:

JOB CREATION

We can create jobs in the field of computer science for those who are unemployed. Andela has a goal to produce 100 000 developers by 2024. Initially they launched in Nigeria receiving funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Andela is trying to solve the global tech talent shortage because their stats reviewed that there are five open jobs for every software developer looking for one in the U.S. alone. That means in the US they are looking for people to fill these job post and we are crying about unemployment here. The good part you don't need to go to America or struggle to get a visa etc you can work remotely. I read an article by Andela that claim that over two thirds of firms in america prefer to have remote employees. I believe we can create more jobs in the technology area if we invest in digital literacy and this is not fiction there are people already doing it. Andela has only accepted 1 200 developers out of 130 000 applications they have received. That means the other 128 800 applicants did not get the opportunity to fill this gap. I guess that's why econet launched Muzinda Hub to try to train as many developers as they can and its another article for another day about what they have done so far, whether they are succeeding and the fact that they can't close this gap alone.

HELP ENTREPRENEURS BECOME COMPETITIVE

African entrepreneurs especially my fellow zimbabweans need to understand that they can use technology to become competitive in a global world and use social media platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter not just to post how great they were when they went to church last Sunday but to use social media as a business tools. Some try by opening facebook pages and just post their logo or something and that's it the page is abandoned. Would one claim to be on facebook or whatsapp if they are there once a year. A few months back when i was doing research about digital literacy i bumped into a company based in South Africa called Digify Africa. Digify Africa & Facebook Africa are on a mission to "DIGIFY" businesses owned by young people through their digital PRO STARTUP which is a 12 weeks digital training course to help young entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. The programme is aimed at helping youth enterprises become competitive through digital skills, in particular understanding facebook and Instagram as business tools.

HELP ARTISTS MARKET THEMSELVES

When we founded Mabvazuva Trust it was one of our objectives to equip musicians, actors, poets, comedicians, painters, footballers etc with the digital skills they need to market their talent and expose themselves at a global stage. Having knowledge about technology enables one to use the internet to meet customers, fans, promoters and agents etc. The agent who discovered Lionel Messi by the name Josep Maria Minguella acknowledged in a interview the importance of technologies like fieldoo to discover talent. "Absolutely! Internet has totally changed the way a football agent does his/her job and the transfer industry. There are no more boundaries and limits – you can see, observe and connect with way more players (and other people) than years ago, as you’re not limited to physical presence. Not so many years ago you had to go around the world if needed, to see and meet players, while nowadays you can do it through the internet – with videos, detailed information and all you need to learn about the player you’re interested in." I remember in 2017 talking to football players trying to get them to open youtube channels so that they could upload their videos as a way to get noticed. Josep Maria Minguella also noted it was difficult to discover talent back then because the internet wasnt as developed as it is now. "Back then we hadn’t been operating through the internet on a daily basis as it had not been developed yet in all parts of the world. Because of that, I had to rely on videos I received from Rosario, where Leo Messi was playing." Now life is easy if you know how to use technology. Artists like Ann Kasiime used digital platforms to showcase their talents and it helped her grow. "According to recorded interviews that she gave in 2014, Anne began posting some of her sketch comedy skits on YouTube. She received positive feedback and that encouraged her to post more videos."

Iam happy these days when i see comedians like Comic Pastor using YouTube as a business tool to get their content to their audience and so many comedians are popping up online here in Zimbabwe. Digify Africa realised the need for equiping artist with digital skills and they have what they call OWN YOUR MARK. This programme is designed to give artists the skills they need to grow their creative hustles. The training program is designed to give artists the skills they need to make the most of the digital world and to grow their creative markets.

MAKING MONEY ONLINE

In this section im going to talk about someone i met on LinkedIn. His name is Taylor Chiyangwa a Digital Marketing and Online Entrepreneurship enthusiast.

After chatting with him online i started researching anything i could find about him and i started reading his blog. He has posted several blog posts about digital marketing. What inspired me the most was his story about how he was tired of his day job and knew that wasnt it for him until he used the exposure he had to computers and started teaching himself digital marketing. He kept his day job for a while when he was learning until he took a leap of faith quit his job and focused fulltime on his digital marketing and online entrepreneurship passion. Since then Taylor went on to open three online businesses that focus on digital marketing, content and copywriting services to businesses and forex education. He is now an entrepreneur and he has employeed a few guys in his company some working full time some as freelancers. Taylor wrote a free ebook called 25 ways to make money online. This book will show you that they are many ways one can make money online. And guess what all you need is a phone or laptop and internet to get started.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Steve Jobs: “Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think”. I believe i think and have a problem solver mentality because im a programmer. Programmers write programs to solve problems. I think programming doesnt teach you to thing only but it teaches you endurance, perserverance and a never give up mentality. My friend Lionel said to me that the reason my ventures havent succeeded was because i did not have a thick skin. For a second i believed him but then it dawned on me the reason why i have succeeded as a software developer was because i had a thick skin. So maybe i was only thick skinned when it comes to code but if i apply the same concept in my business ventures i will suceed. It was because of my thick skin and never give up mentality that i did the Truworths Zimbabwe in a month with drupal a CMS i had never studied before. It was because of my thick skin i developed a ussd application with technologies i did not know about like nodejs, express, angular and mongodb that when you dial *558# on your econet line you will see a seedco menu. I did that project with Tapiwa Jeka at Dataage Solutions and i remember we took turns having sleepless night to code that application and we usually slept at the office 2 nights a week until we finished that application. I remember talking to Seth Mutasa one of my students that you dont learn to code but you learn how NOT TO code. Which means you learn through the failures so a programmer should embrances errors and fix them otherwise you are toast. The worse thing for me when im programming is code that doesnt give me feedback where i did wrong that way im clueless what to do next.

I strongly believe if we had more programmers we wouldn't be whinning too much but do something using technology to change our world one community after another. I taught my brother Rann web design and it 6 weeks he made a site to aware youths in our community about the dangers of drugs they were taking

OTHERS

I did not point out every reason why we need digital literacy but i think you get the idea.i left out some other good stuff like reducing the digital divide, economic growth and reduced poverty.

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scribomaniac · 7 years

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Man of Ash and Thorns: Chapter 9

A week had passed without further incident, and although Reyna was on edge and constantly checked her phone for updates from Lilith, and the early June heat was starting to settle in. Reyna wiped away some sweat that was building up at the nape of her neck. Groaning lowly, she quickly threw her hair into a high, messy bun on the top of her head in an attempt to feel a breeze on the skin of her neck. She just hoped that Marcus and his family weren't penny pinching and would actually turn the air conditioning on for their Council of Three meeting.

Checking her phone one last time before putting it on silent, Reyna walked up to the Vankov front door and knocked three times. She could hear a flurry of footsteps running towards the other side of the door and a loud, nasty barking of an order in Bulgarian before the door swung wide open and Reyna came face to face with Marcus. He smiled widely at her and opened his arms for a hug, but at just the last moment Reyna sidled out of reach with a laugh. “Ew, Marcus I'm not hugging you—you're all sweaty!”

He pouted and rolled his eyes, but dropped his arms and moved to let her in. Just as she stepped over the threshold, he pounced on her and enveloped her into his sticky, warm arms. “Gotchya!”

Reyna groaned a wiggled to get out of his hold, but couldn;t hold back the series of gigles that escaped her mouth as he shook her from left to right before finally letting go of her. “Is Jorge here yet?” The sorceress asked as Marcus led her into his dining room where all their documents and reports were.

“Not yet,” he told her, “but he texted me that he's just around the corner. Want anything?”

“Just water, thanks.”

Knocking sounded from the front door and Marcus cursed before running back to answer it. Three pairs of feet beat him to it, however, and before Jorge knew what was happening, he was tackled by three Vankov girls. “Jorge! Jorge! Jorge!” Diana cheered as she jumped to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down for a hug.

“Jorge, I've gotten better at my Spanish,” Elena purred while grabbing onto his forearm. “Come up to my room and I'll show you.”

“Jorge—Jorge,” little Irina weaved and bobbed around her two older sisters, trying to grab Jorge's attention. “Jorge, can I shadow you at the hospital sometime? I was thinking 'bout becoming a nurse and—l”

“Out! Out! Out!” Marcus yelled at his sisters while shooing them away. “Stop mauling my friend!”

“Reyna!” Irina chirped in greeting, now spotting the sorceress behind her brother. “How're you—how's Liam? Can we go driving again soon? I was hoping to—”

“Irina loves Liam! Irina loves Liam!” A nasally, young voice chanted from the top of the stairs. Little Stefan, now tweleve years old, laughed down at his sister's reddening face as he switched from 'Irina loves Liam' to 'Irina and Liam, kissing in a tree'.

Jorge sighed, “He was such a sweet child.”

“Hopefully he'll grow out of it,” Reyna said with a shrug.

“Hey! I heard that!” Stefan snarled, his face now turning red.

“Yeah?” Jorge grinned, “And whatchya gonna do about it?”

Stefan froze and stared wide eyed at the giant of a man standing in his foyer with his sisters hanging off his outstretched arms. Stefan knew Jorge practically his whole life. He knew there was nothing he could say, nothing he could do to irk the man. At best, all the littlest Vankov could do was something that triggered Jorge's 'that's adorable' reaction; a series of coos and a pinch of the cheeks. Stefan hated that response most of all. Growling, he stomped his foot in defeat and retreated deeper into the second story.

“It's not true you know!” Irina immediately defended herself once Stefan was gone and her cheeks had dimmed a bit. “I don't like Liam. I mean, I like him, but I don't like-like him. So don't—please don't—”

“Don't worry, Irina,” Reyna said with a kind smile, “Liam won't hear anything from me. Sorceress' promise.”

Shoulders dropping, Irina's brows furrowed together with relief and she nodded her head in thanks before running up the stairs—either to her room or to wail on her little brother. No one could say for certain.

Looking up at the ceiling, Marcus sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Can we please get to work now?”

“No!” Elena protested, clinging on to Jorge tighter. “Reyna and Jorge just got here, Marco! Let us have some fun before you go down into your hole for work.”

“Or let us help!” Diana suggested with a firm, confident nod of her head.

“Oh yeah?” Marcus quirked a brow at his sisters, “And how, exactly, do you plan to help?”

“Obviously we'll read the reports to you guys,” Elena supplied, tilting her nose up superiorly. “And help you make your decisions for all the . . . criminals, or whatever they are.”

Reyna and Marcus shared a look. Reyna had to stifle a snort of laughter. Elena and Diana were brilliant—all the Vankov children were, really. In an asortment of ways—but helpful they were not.

“How about this,” Jorge suggested, slowly sliding his arm out of Elena's grasp and then carefully disentangling Diana's arms from around his neck. “You let us go now and we'll hurry to finish our work and promise to stay for dinner.”

“And the night,” Diana demanded, her face gravely serious. It showed no room for discussion and a spirit that would not negotiate. Reyna's brows raised up, but she didn't say anything. Maybe later she'd suggest the girl apply for law school.

Nodding slowly, Jorge agreed. “And the night.” He looked up to Marcus for permission, but he merely winced—which was permission enough in the Vankov house.

“Good.” Diana clucked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. She seemed to be deciding if it actually was good. Then, after just a moment, she smiled at her sister, “Let's go mess with Nico.” Elena merely shrugged and they ran up the stairs. Not too long after, the Coucil of Three heard a loud thump and a high pitched wail that could only come from a terrorized younger brother.

Taking that as their queue to leave, Marcus grabbed the document off the dining room table and the three Castors headed down towards Marcus's private apartment in the basement. The cold, slightly damp air hit their senses as soon as they made it half way down the steps. It felt like the most magnificent healing balm to Reyna's skin. “Oh, thank God,” Jorge said at the bottom of the stairs. “I thought I'd die of heat stroke up there!”

Marcus stuck his tongue out, but didn't respond. Instead he asked, “Want anything to drink?” The basement was divided into two halves: the original and the remodeled section. Seperatly, each section was decently sized. Together, they made the basement shockingly huge. In the first half, just to the left of the stairs was a second—the original—laundry room. The first,--newer, and used by the rest of the Vankov family—was on the second floor near the bedrooms. In the larger part of the original basement, there was a T.V, couch, old wine cellar—now used as storage—and a large desk equipped with a Mac computer. In the second half, the newer half, where Marcus led them, was a bathroom, fridge—though how that made it into the basement, Reyna did not understand—storage room turned closet, an old, hand-me-down kitchen table, Marcus's bed tucked into the corner of the room, and a door that lead directly outside.

Jorge whistled lowly, “I forgot how huge this place is.”

“I know, right?” Reyna agreed, walking over to the table to settle in for their meeting. “I mean, I get why you're family needs a place this big, but wasn't the previous family just, like, a family of four?”

“Yeah,” Marcus placed a bottle of water in front of each of them before taking a seat next to Reyna. “Just the four. They were well off, I guess. I think the mom wanted the big house.” He shrugged. “I heard they spent, like, over eight hundred thousand on it.”

Jorge swore and shook his head. Reyna couldn't even imagine spending that much money on . . . well, on anything.

“Anyway,” Jorge grabbed for one of the files, “let's see what shit storm is awaiting us this week, eh?”

Reyna hummed in agreement and grabbed her own file. She contemplated telling Marcus and Jorge to let her know if they ran across anything New Orleans related, but decided against it. She didn't want them asking too many questions. Reyna knew Jorge, at least, disapproved of her contract with Lilith and she certainly didn't need his judginess rearing its head at the moment. Marcus . . . she didn't know how he felt about her arrangement with the Vampire Queen. He always was good at keeping his opinions close to his chest. If anything, he was mildly disappointed, and that was another thing she didn't feel like dealing with.

Skimming over the report in her hands, she thought about the appropriate punishment for a Castor who had burned down her house with her cheating husband—and his misstress—inside. Reading over the Castor's testimony, Reyna found she couldn't really blame the woman. They'd been happy, apparently. Or so the woman thought. The husband worked late nights, but that wasn't unusually it seemed. Then the blackmailing started. The mistress's husband blackmailed the Castor's husband—was he a politician or something? Why blackmail a nobody? Maybe they had money—and in response the Castor's husband wrote a strongly worded letter to the town's local paper clearing his name. Reyna sneered. What nonsense was this?

The husband claimed the affair was over, but when the Castor found him cheating on her again, and this time in their own bed . . . Reyna definitely didn't blame the woman. But then again, maybe she, herself was just in a burning mood.

Slapping a pink sticky note on the manilla folder—marking that she'd need to reevaluate it later—the sorceress wrote a quick note to be lenient and went in for the next case.

The next file was a complaint against a Castor who sold love potions without a liscence. Apparently several of his clients had been accused of sexual assault or rape. Reyna recognized the name of the Castor and recalled Donny giving him a warning several months ago to stop selling potions. Part of her wondered if he just didn't heed to warning or if Donny never gave it. Frowning, she recalled arguing with Marcus and Donny over his punishment. Marcus wanted to give him a slap on the wrist, since it was his first offense, but Reyna wanted to bind his powers immediately. She knew that just because he hadn't been brought to their attention before that it didn't mean he was innocent. Donny, still hating her guts at the time, had sided with Marcus out of spite.

Grabbing a red post it note, she scrawled 'bind' over the note in all caps and underlined it twice.

On and one the files went. Some were mere complaints that the Council of Three needed to be more active—politically, physically, environmentally, it didn't matter. Others were threats from the non-magical community, like Henry King supporters, ordering them to contain all use of magic before disbanding—those were immediately burned. Some were inquiries about how to safegaurd against different magical creatures or how to develop their natural, magical talent, and those were always saved for very last when the three Sorcerers could focus on handwriting—or typing, since Jorge had such a bad case of doctor's handwriting—replies.

The three Sorcerers fell into a lull of scratching pens and swishing papers, only stopping to yawn or stretch or their fingers of necks. The sound of a door slamming somewhere in the house caused Reyna, Marcus and Jorge to stop their work and blink. Slowly emerging from their chance, they looked back towards the stairs as they heard what sounded like a stampede coming towards them. Marcus let out the smallest of groans before Irina, Elena and Stefan appeared.

“We had a deal!” Marcus grounded out between clenched teeth.

“Yeah,” Jorge, added, though with a much less frustrated tone than Marcus', “What gives?”

“Technically, you had a deal with Diana.” Elena explained with a smile that would make a fox envious. Pretending to look around, her eyebrows raised with faux shock, she said, “I don't see her though. Do you, Stefan?”

“Nope,” the youngest Vankov agreed before practically climbing into Reyna's lap.

“Huh, neither do I. Guess that means the deal still stands.” Elena smirked and walked over to stand behind Jorge. Reading over his shoulder, she asked, “You guys done yet?”

“Yeah,” Irina whined, “We're so bored!”

“No,” Marcus said stubbornly. “We've still got loads of files to go through, and—” he was cut off by all three of his sibling's high pitched protests and whines. Jorge grimaced and Reyna had to cover her ears to protect them from Stefan's cracking voice.

“Oh, my God, fine—fine! Just shut up all ready!” Jorge snapped while throwing his hands up in the air. “I don't think I've ever been so happy to be an only child in my life!”

Elena snorted, “Well that was rude.”

“Yay!” Irina clapped her hands together merrily. “Now what should we do?”

“If you don't know then why'd you come down here to bother us?” Jorge grumbled under his breath. He crossed his arms and slouched in his seat. Reyna thought it was all a bit much, considering they'd gotten farther in their work than they originally thought they would, but Jorge had always been one for the dramatics.

“We could do a fashion show,” Elena suggested. Stefan immediately voiced his dissent, however, making her roll her eyes, but retract her idea all the same. “Fine, we could play 'Heads Up'.

“The Ellen app?” Irina clarified, then shook her head. “No, that's for, like, waiting in lines and stuff.”

“Fine, then why don't you come up with an idea?” Elena snapped, making Irina blush.

“We could watch a movie,” Reyna suggested. The idea was met with half hearted shoulder shrugs and some murmerings. “Or not.”

“Is there a Were fight going on today?” Irina asked.

“We are not going to a Werewolf fight,” Marcus said immediately. When Irina opened her mouth to tell him not to be so uptight, he leveled her with his best teaching glare and reiterated, “No.” Clucking her tongue, she turned away from him. “What about Monopoly?”

“That takes hours,” Elena whined. “Besides, a board game? That's so anti-climactic.”

“Look, why don't the three of you leave us alone for a few more hours and think about something to do. Once you actually have an idea you can—Reyna, are you bleeding?”

Everyone—even Reyna herself—looked for any signs of a wound. Following Marcus's gaze, she found blood slowly spilling down the inside of her bicep. Stretching out her arm, Reyna took a closer look at her new wound. Wounds, actually, she internally clarified as she saw the two puncture wounds.

Stefan leaned in to get a better look, “Those look like—”

“Bite marks,” Jorge finished.

“Fangs,” Reyna added, her mouth turning dryer than the Sahara and her heart pounding in her ears. The two punctures wounds were on the inside of her bicep and although it didn't hurt—since she wasn't the one who'd actually received the wound—it was already starting to bruise dark purple around the holes. Swallowing thickly, Reyna abruptly stood up—almost knocking Stefan onto the floor—and said in a rush, “I need to go.”

“Reyna, what's wrong?”

“What is it?”

Marcus and Jorge stood with her, asking their questions simultaneously. The Vankov siblings stood silently on the side lines. The didn't know exactly what was happening, but they knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Grabbing her things, Reyna didn't respond to either inquiry and took the stairs up to the ground level two at a time. Running into Diana at the top of the steps, Reyna almost snarled at the girl to move. Thankfully, she held the urge back and quickly sidled around her and kept making her way towards the exit.

“Reyna!” Diana whined, grabbing on to her arm. She didn't notice the bruises or the blood. All she saw was someone going back on their word. “You can't leave! You promised!”

“Let go, Diana,” Reyna ordered through clenched teeth. She needed to get out of the house. She needed to get to her apartment, and check in on Liam, and grab the emergency travel bag she kept in the back of her closet, and, and and, and this girl was still holding on to Reyna with an iron grip. “Diana,” she hissed, barring her teeth.

“Diana, let her go,” Marcus stood on the second to top step—Jorge a step behind him—and although he spoke to Diana, his eyes were trained on Reyna.

“No!” She pouted and stomped her foot. “You gave me your word as a Sorceress and—” the air around them crackled and Reyna's arm grew heavy and fuzzy underneath Diana's grip.

“Diana! Let go. Now!” Marcus pulled Diana away from Reyna and Jorge moved in front of his friend, visibly shielding her from the younger girl.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Jorge tried to catch her gaze. “Hey, hey, you okay? What's going on, Rey? What's wrong?” His face was so close she could feel every puff of his breath hitting her face. His voice was so tender and quiet she had to strain to hear his words, especially over the rushing beat of her heart still thumming in her ears.

When Reyna finally locked her eyes onto his she saw not only concern in them, but fear, too. She wondered what he saw that made him so scared, but then she remembered the blood on her skin and the puncture marks in her arm and shook her head. “I need to go.”

Furrowing his brows, Jorge slowly nods, “Then go.” Without hesitation, Reyna turned and flew towards the door. She'd just opened it when she heard Jorge call after her, “Just don't do anything stupid!”

Reyna didn't look back, didn't acknowledge him with a response. Mainly because she wasn't sure how.

Hauling ass back towards a main road, Reyna quickly hailed a cab and told the driver her address. She knew she'd created a shit storm back at Marcus's, but she culdn't worry about that now. She could only hope that Jorge and Marcus wouldn't be too annoying about it when she got back. Pulling out her phone, the Sorceress sent a text to Bub to meet her at Bellevue Hospital in two hours, followed by 9-1-1.

Once she received his reply, saying he'd be there, she opened the Safari browser on her phone and went to the American Airlines website to book the earliest available flight to New Orleans. It was pricey, since it was so last minute, and since she was purchasing three tickets, but Lilith would reimburse her.

Unless she was already dead.

No. Reyna shook her head fiercly and then searched for news of a mass Vampire extinction. Nothing. That was good. It meant Lilith was still alive. That, or the lore about her death causing the death of all Vampire kind was fake.

The cab rolled to a stop outside her shop and Reyna quickly swiped her credit card to pay, left a tip, and sprinted towards the front door. “Liam!” She called out, hoping he was still lounging about in the apartment in his pajamas.

“What?” Came his muffled reply.

“Come down here real fast!” Reyna heard a groan, quickly followed but the slow thumps of his foot steps. With a wave of her hand, she summoned her emergency travel bag from the upstairs closet.

“What's up? Liam asked once he saw her. True to his Sunday self, he was still wearing his pajamas and no grooming attempts had been made yet. Reyna winced and hoped that he'd at least brushed his teeth. It was already past three in the afternoon.

“Something has come up and I need to go out of town for a few days,” she told him. Her words were painstakingly slow. She needed to seem as calm and collected as possible. She didn't want to unnecessarily freak him out—like she'd done with the others at the Vankov house. Poe cawed down from his perch up above the front door before flying down to land on her shoulder.

“What type of emergency?” Liam asked, quirking his head to the side in an oh-so-wolf-like-fashion. His eyes narrowed towards her suspiciously, his lips pursued in a scowl.

Letting out a loose breath, Reyna clenched her fists to top them from shaking. She tried to place an easy smile on her lips, but from Liam's deeping scowl, she knew it didn't hold much water. “Nothing major. I just have to go down to New Orleans to help Lilith with something trivial,” she rolled her eyes, trying to make it seem like Lilith was just being over dramatic like always. “Now I shouldn't be gone for more than three days at most, but I'm going to call Jared and Liam to have them come stay with you while I'm gone.”

That successfully distracted him, “What?” He groaned, his shoulders dropping. “Reyna, I'm almost sixteen! I can stay at home by myself for three days!”

“Just because you can almost legally drive doesn't mean you can stay at home alone by yourself, Liam. Now, I'm sure Boss will want to check in with you, too . . .”

“Ugh, not Boss! She'll want to . . . clean, and . . . I don't know, make me do push ups or something.”

“Well,” Reyna tapped her pointer finger against her lips, pretending to think. “I guess I could just have them check in on you peridocially.” Liam began to vigorously nod his head at the idea. “But there does have to be some supervision . . .”

“Like who?” Liam warily asked. When Poe puffed up his feathers and let out another sharp caw, he leveled Reyna with a glare. “You're kidding. You're gonna put a bird in charge? A bird?”

Poe stretched towards Liam, trying to nip at him for the insult, but the Werewolf was too far away and the crow was too lazy to leave his perch.

Rubbing the top of Poe's head, Reyna said, “It's the bird or the Wonder Twins.”

“Fine, I'll take the stupid bird,” he grumbled then shuffled back towards the stairs, apparently done with the conversation. “Have a good trip.”

Once he was far enough away that even his Were hearing couldn't help him, Reyna kissed Poe on the beak and whispered, “Look after him, yeah? Raise hell if he tries to throw a party.” Poe nipped her hair affectionately before nuzzling against her cheek. “Good boy,” she cooed.

Summoning a knife from the kitchen drawer, Reyna made a small cut on one of the summoning circles tattooed on the inside of her left forearm. The seal glowed a bright gold and burned hot. Thin black tendrils stretched out across her arm, spilling down to the floor. The black, inky tendrils kept spilling out until a tall, dark form stood in frnot of her. Once the form was complete, and the ink stopped spilling, a man with the head of a bull stepped out of the shadows and towards the Sorceress.

“Morax,” Reyna greeted, nodding her head to him.

“Sorceress,” he nodded his head as well. He was standing so close that whenever he breathed out of his large, bull nostrils, Reyna's hair fluttered a bit. “What is your demand?”

Trying not to grimace, she told him, “You're not gonna like it,”

“So long as I am paid, I do not care.”

“Right,” she said slowly, “Well I need you to watch my ward, Liam, while I'm gone. Just make sure nothing bad happens to him—nothing life threatening. He's got a father who . . . well, I mean, just protect him, got it?”

He breathed out slowly, “I understand. Would you like me to help the boy with his homework as well?” He cocked his head to the side, a trace of sass in his tone.

Clucking her tongue, Reyna responding dryly, “Whatever makes you happy. So long as he doesn't know you're watching him.”

“Very well,” he crossed his arms and nodded his head before disappearing before her eyes.

Humming in thought, Reyna narrowed her eyes at where she knew the Demon was standing. She didn't have time to spare thinking about Morax, though, so with one final head scratch for Poe, Reyna grabbed her bag and exited the Queen's Court.