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eddisfargo · 2 years ago

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Not a Day Will Go By (12/?)

After a bunch of time not being able to write, I suddenly knocked out like 2K words in a day. Still reeling!

Thanks as always to @motherkatereloyshipper for beta-ing and for the BEAUTIFUL banner, and this time both for saving the ending of this chapter AND for the line I stole directly from one of her comments!

And thanks to YOU for sticking with me, despite my somewhat irregular update schedule!

AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12

Tagging: @undercaffinatednightmarere, @jrob644, @kmomof4, @winterbaby89, @mie779, @elfiola, @tiganasummertree, @anmylica, @booksteaandtoomuchtv

Fic summary: Captain Hook wakes up in a strange bed, next to a woman he does not remember. He finds nothing particularly unusual about this situation. But the woman seems to know him very well.

In Storybrooke, there's only one surefire way to get back a lost memory. And it's not going to work until he loves her.

Chapter summary: Well, he can't just stand here like an idiot. Something's got to be done.

The volume of the argument in the back of the shop had dropped enough that this time, when the bell rang, it broke off entirely.

The woman who’d intentionally hidden the truth from him, the woman who called herself his wife, walked into the store. “Hello?” she called.

This had not, of course, not been meant for Hook. She didn’t seem to have spotted him behind a shelf full of detritus. But he would have found himself disinclined to acknowledge the greeting even if it had been.

Footsteps entered the room. From his vantage, Hook could only see Regina’s legs. Garbed in her strange trousers, she strode in just as if she were wearing one of the elaborate gowns in which he was used to seeing her.

Then… more footsteps. Less hurried, more measured. And the Crocodile was in the room with him. Hook felt cold, and then hot. He cast his eyes about as if there would be a weapon right here in the room that was capable of killing an immortal. If such a thing were anywhere, it seemed likely to be here – in this room of strange objects – but the imp was far too clever to leave it lying around in reach.

Regina made a cursory salutation, and the Crocodile hummed a greeting, as if not deigning Hook’s wife’s presence worthy of words. The bastard .

Emma spoke up, evincing a total lack of surprise at the company in which she found herself, and confirming Hook’s worst suspicions. “We… might have a problem.” We . So. She, the Crocodile, and the Queen were a “we,” and Hook was… the problem, presumably.

She addressed Regina. “Has he been briefed?” Hook tried to discern what he could from her tone of voice. It certainly wasn’t warm . A small mercy.

Regina snorted. “If he doesn’t know more than we do already, I’ll eat Jefferson’s hat.”

This, evidently, “Gold” considered worthy of a reply. “A safe assumption, generally, I’ll admit.” His footsteps carried him in Hook’s direction. Hook still couldn’t see him, which logically meant that he couldn’t be seen, but he still stopped breathing. A weapon. His hook? No, he already knew well that a mere sharp object couldn’t damage him in any lasting way, and he wouldn’t humiliate himself by trying and failing. The loathsome man continued. “Although I can’t say that I have the information you’re looking for.”

“Right,” Swan said, not sounding any more convinced than Regina had. “Actually, though, I came here for something a little more pressing.” She sighed. “We… might not have been entirely forthright with Killian about certain things.” If Hook hadn’t known better, he might’ve thought she sounded as if she regretted it.

“Such as?” the certain thing asked politely. There was a moment’s pointed silence. “Ah,” he said. “And now you’re worried he’ll find out on his own and do something incredibly foolish. An understandable fear, of course.”

The temperature was rising in the room, and the only foolishness Hook could see was the fact that he was behind this damned shelf. But what could he do now? Barrel out with nothing but his bravado, admitting that he’d been hiding like a bloody coward? In front of about the last three people before whom he’d like to look the fool? And what was the alternative? Keep hiding here until they all left? Ridiculous. He cursed everything about the situation he’d gotten himself into.

With effort, he brought his focus back to the conversation.

“Okay, look,” Emma said with evident disdain, and proceeded to tell the imp in no uncertain terms what he could do with his understandable fear . Hook nearly forgot his anger. The mouth on this woman!

But before he even registered his own grin, it slipped off his face. Did she truly know what the man was, after all? Surely, if she knew the danger he posed, she wouldn’t dare speak to him in that tone. Memories overtook him of another woman who’d been bold enough to speak to the Crocodile with disrespect. And how that dreadful scene had ended. It couldn’t happen again. Not now. He wouldn’t let it .

Hook had been waiting to think of a plan. But time had run out.

Emma was still speaking, saying something like “It’s not foolishness I’m worried about. I’m just afraid he’ll –”

She was interrupted by the crash of a shelf full of knick-knacks falling directly onto the Dark One’s head.

Was it the ideal course of action? Likely not. If he’d had a moment to think, would he have come up with something better? Perhaps. But if anyone was going to provoke the Crocodile to violence, he was damned if it wouldn’t be himself.

Exposed now that the shelf he’d been hiding behind was gone, Hook stepped over some of the debris, trying to exude as much dignity as he could muster, ignoring Regina’s guffaw. His eyes met Emma’s instantly. Her eyebrows were raised high and her mouth hung open, just slightly. There was really no reason the expression should have been attractive, but he found it hard to pull his gaze away, even when he knew he must. After all these centuries, a falling shelf was hardly likely to have finished him off. Hook looked toward the spot where the shelf had fallen, where he knew for a fact the Crocodile had been standing, but saw nothing.

The pointed clearing of a throat from the opposite corner of the room caught his attention. Magic-wielding bastard . “You were saying,” that loathsome voice said, speaking only to Emma, “that foolishness was… unlikely?”

“Killian!” Emma exclaimed, ignoring the other man entirely. She reached toward him, as if by reflex, but hastily lowered her arm, grimacing.

“A word,” Hook said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the shop. Despite his expectations, no magical barrier appeared to stop him. As the outside air hit him, he felt as if he could breathe again. He continued pulling her until the cursed shop was out of sight behind the surrounding buildings.

“Killian, I’m so –”

“Swan, do you know who that was ?” Hook demanded, grabbing her arm.

She closed her eyes, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Yes,” she admitted. “I was going to –”

“Do you know what he is? What he can do ?”

She hesitated, as if she’d been preparing for a different conversation entirely. “I’m… pretty familiar with Dark One powers, actually, yeah.”

There seemed to be a significance behind that he was missing, but at the moment he couldn’t be stopped. “Then what were you doing , provoking him like that?”

“Provoking him?” She sounded genuinely baffled. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the one who knocked one of his shop shelves on top of him.”

Well, he’d have to concede that point, he supposed. “It didn’t even hit him,” he grumbled.

“Oh, it did,” she informed him, brightening his day just a bit. She grinned. “Hell of a way to make an entrance.”

Even though the whole proceeding had been fairly ridiculous, he couldn’t keep the answering smile off his own face.

There was a moment of just standing there smiling at each other before he came to his senses.

He scowled purposefully. It was strange how much effort it took to rearrange his features into what was by far his most frequent expression.

Emma’s smile faded more slowly, until, under his scrutiny, her expression looked something like guilt.

“You knew,” he said, with no preamble. It wasn’t a question. “And you tried to keep it from me.”

Whatever lies or excuses she came up with, Hook wouldn’t let her weasel out of it. He steeled himself.

“Yes,” she said simply, her face completely serious now.

Like just about everything else this woman ever seemed to say, this one word did not fit his script.

“ Why ?” he asked. He had meant to sound demanding, compelling her to respond, but he was horrified to hear a plaintive note creep into the question. “Don’t you know what – what he did ?”

“I do,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand. And how long had she been holding his hand? “And it was terrible, and I absolutely understand why you’re angry.” She looked into his eyes. “But I also know the toll your quest for revenge has taken on your life. And Killian, he’s not worth that.”

Hook pulled his hand from hers. “I suppose,” he spat, “you’re going to say that he’s changed. ”

“Actually,” Emma said, shrugging, “he has. He has a wife and a baby – and don’t get any ideas, by the way,” she added sharply, as if she could see the gears start to turn in his head. “His wife is a close friend of yours, not leverage.”

“A close friend ? The Crocodile’s wife?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you judge someone for being the Crocodile’s wife?”

He rolled his eyes. “I won’t, if she decides she needs help leaving him. I suppose you’re going to tell me he’s a paragon of the community now?” If that was so, why had Regina been interrogating him about Hook’s own memory loss?

“Oh, yeah. He volunteers at the local soup kitchen and he’s donated all his money to charity,” she said. Just before Hook could express his distrust of the intentions behind those implausible actions, she interrupted. “ Please . No, he’s not a paragon. He’s still a conniving little bastard and I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.” Just as Hook realized the list of charitable actions had been her idea of a joke, she went on, with a shrug. “But he’s family.”

“He’s what ?” Hook spluttered.

“He’s Henry’s grandfather, remember? Not that being part of Henry’s family is exactly unique around here. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a second cousin. And one time Belle tried to make a family tree and realized Henry and Baby Neal are both each other’s uncles.”

Before Hook could even attempt to process this, Emma had barreled on. “But Storybrooke is built around the forgiveness of some pretty heinous crimes. If everyone went about killing everyone who’d murdered their loved ones, there’d be no town left. You certainly wouldn’t survive.”

“Oh?” Hook broke in. “Who did I kill?” He realized with an unaccustomed discomfort that he’d likely killed thousands of people’s loved ones. He’d always known that, of course, but it had never been something he exactly minded . Why now did it require a concerted effort not to squirm?

“My grandfather,” Emma said quietly. “David’s father. When he was small.”

Hook looked sharply at her, dreading the condemnation he’d see on her face. What he saw instead was something like… sympathy? No, that made no sense – he must be misreading.

He opened his eyes, which he seemed to have closed, and tried to rally. “Well,” he said, with a forced joviality. “I suppose that explains why he doesn’t like me very much.”

Emma actually laughed. “Please, you two are thick as thieves on a normal day. He didn’t take too kindly to your little error , but he’ll get over it. Personally, I think he’s just mad your bromance doesn’t transcend amnesia.”

Before Hook could even decide whether to ask what she was talking about this time, she’d continued. “But that’s my point! He’s forgiven you for what you did to his father. My mom’s forgiven Regina for killing her father. Regina’s forgiven my mom for killing her mother. And me, I’ve forgiven Regina for essentially ruining the first twenty-eight years of my life. It’s actually a little ridiculous, but it’s the only way to live your life around here.”

There was a moment’s silence as Hook tried to wrap his mind around all this forgiving . Regina, in particular, he knew to be not especially strong on forgiveness. This time, Emma let him have a minute to think without telling him another fourteen insane things.

“That’s… that’s as may be,” he said finally. “But I’m not the forgiving type.” He pushed away the sensation that he was reminding himself who he was as much as Emma. “He took my hand . And he took…” Hook brought her face to his mind. Unchanging, beautiful, imprinted on his memory. He couldn’t lose sight of her. He couldn’t . Not even for the face right in front of him, equally beautiful – no, almost , surely, almost as beautiful – and alive, with eyes that looked back at him, eyes so full of – No. Think of Milah. “Are you really trying to tell me,” he spat, “that in this future you insist upon, I’ve forgiven him that?”

Emma sighed. “Maybe ‘forgive’ is a little generous. Coexist maybe? Things have changed for you in the last few years. Killian, you’re happy . You have things in your life that are more important than revenge.”

“ Never .” Hook shook his head. The more he learned about the man he was supposed to have become, the more he despised him. Giving up on the one thing that had kept him going for centuries? Giving up on Milah ? How could he? “How could you possibly have changed me that much?”

Emma shook her head. “I didn’t change you, Killian. You can’t change another person. You chose to change. I just… gave you room to do it. Maybe…” Her cheeks turned a shade of pink. “Inspired you, I guess.” She took his hand. “You once told me there were two things you would die for. Love, or revenge. I guess you decided that… maybe at least one of those things is worth living for, too.”

For just a moment, Killian looked down at their clasped hands. He couldn’t disbelieve that the words she’d attributed to him were his own. Love, or revenge… But there was no difference between the two! He loved Milah , so he would revenge her. There was no choice . This woman could say all she wished about change and forgiveness, but Hook knew who he was. He would find a way to have his revenge, and then take the Jolly before Regina could collect on that blasted bet. He was a pirate , why wouldn’t he cheat? At any rate, she’d been cheating too, knowing who was at that moment less than a league away. And if that meant breaking Emma Swan’s heart, then…

Then he’d better get started.

“Fine,” he began. “You claim I changed for you. Changed everything about who I am and how I see the world, just for you . The thing is,” he said coldly. “I have no idea what’s supposed to be so special about you. I just don’t see how you’re worth completely upending my life for.”

There, he’d said it. He hadn’t quite managed to look at her as he’d been speaking, but after a moment’s steeling himself, he turned to see her face.

Proving that she was, in fact, constitutionally incapable of responding to anything as he expected, she didn’t look dismayed or hurt, or even remotely offended. Quite the opposite. Her expression would’ve made more sense if he’d just told her that her eyes shone like the sea, or that he’d never seen anything as lovely as her smile. Had she misheard him? He thought he’d been very clear. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that they honestly not be speaking the same language.

For what felt like a long moment, she didn’t say a word – just looked at him with those adoring eyes and a hint of a smile, until he could stand it no longer. “Stop looking at me like that!”

She raised her eyebrows innocently. “Why?”

He could think of nothing to say beyond, “Because I don’t… like it!”

Far from stopping, the soft look intensified. He started to back away, unnerved, but she reached for his hand.

“You were wondering what was so special about me?” she said, the smile breaking out in earnest.

Hook hesitated. “Yes?” he said tentatively.

“Well, I don’t know if there’s much, but I do have a superpower.”

“A… superpower?”

“Yup,” she said, popping the p . “I always know when people are lying. Works most of the time, anyway, but I know you better than anyone. Actually, you’ve lied to me so rarely it rounds to 0, but sweetheart?” She beamed at him. “You just lied to me twice .”

If he’d meant to make any denials, he already knew the blood rushing to his face would give him away. Bloody hell, this woman was going to be the death of him. But the things he’d said just then, surely they hadn’t been outright lies . The statements she was referring to had made too much sense to be lies. He swallowed, unable to think of anything to say – any words in his own defense that he was absolutely certain she wouldn’t call lies. “I don’t –” he stammered. “I don’t want –”

Next thing he knew, her face had grown awfully close to his.

Inches away, she sighed, and her breath was gone. “No,” she said, sounding resigned.

Hook opened his eyes. “ No ?”

“I may be pretty sure I know what you want, but consent still matters. And I don’t see you admitting to wanting anything at the moment.” She thought for a moment, and then smiled. “How about we meet in the middle? If you don’t want me to kiss you, just say the word, and I won’t.”

Simple enough. All he had to do was tell her not to kiss him, and he’d be free of her. At least for the moment. He licked his lips. “Good to know,” he said. Well, what was a kiss, really? He could still leave after he’d figured something out. Save the heartbreak for later. Her heartbreak, that was. His heart was perfectly safe.

She grinned, and leaned back in. After a few very pleasurable moments together, she pulled away and looked at him searchingly, as if she was waiting for something. Hook raised his eyebrows inquiringly.

Emma opened her mouth as if to speak, then shrugged. “It’ll happen,” she whispered. “I will win it.” She gave him a confident smile, and another lingering kiss, just long enough to make him forget the question he’d been about to ask. “Meantime, let’s see what Regina’s managed to get out of Gold. Are you OK to go back in there? No murders or… vandalism?”

Hook shrugged. “Not today, at least.”

Emma grinned, and Hook followed her lead back to the shop, feeling lighter than he had any right to.

#captain swan #killian jones #emma swan #once upon a time #ouat #not a day will go by

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thethousandyearwitch · 4 years ago

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The Show Must Go On! Chap. 7

- A Youtuber AU you didn’t want and didn’t need -

Hisoka Morrow, italian Makeup Youtuber, enjoys his life in the comfort and occasional drama of his profession. But nothing brings more drama into his life than the eldest son of the Zoldyck fashion magazine empire.

Meanwhile, aspiring australian Twitch Streamer Gon Freecs forms a special bond to a Speedrunner commonly going by "Kil".

Chapter 7 “Montero” out now!

AO3 Link

What could be worse than taking care of a teenage boy who is developing a steady video game addiction?

There was a loud bang coming from the room above the kitchen, followed by laughter and cackling. The boys were in Gons room and tried their hardest to set up the sleeping cod. They refused help, naturally, convinced that they are just as capable, confidence heightened by being in each other’s presence, hyping each other up, and the consumption of their own body weight in burgers.

Another bang. A shriek. More laughter. Mito sighed so deeply that she feared a piece of her soul might have left her.

Taking care of TWO teenage boys who are developing a steady video game addiction.

Her phone vibrated with a new message. Gon had sent her a selfie of himself and Killua on the cot, which seemed to be standing securely. The boys were flexing their arm muscles (or lack thereof) with proud looks on their faces, and the only caption was “#success”. Well, at least they are having fun.

Bellissimo<3: Good morning. I am going to pick you up at 1pm, be dressed by then, and pack your bag for tonight’s show. We are going for a brief detour.

Hisoka stretched out on his bed and squinted at the too-bright phone screen. It was 10 in the morning, though the rooms curtains were drawn shut tightly as a defence against harsh sunlight. A lazy smile spread on his lips.

Hisoka: Are we finally running away together to get married in Las Vegas? I thought you’d never ask~~❤️

Bellisssimo<3: I am trying to reward you for not getting arrested last night.

Bellissimo<3: Do not make me regret this.

Hisoka: I should avoid getting arrested more often ❤️

Bellissimo<3: 1pm Hisoka. See you then.

Hisoka let his phone drop back into pillow-mountain. This was certainly an interesting surprise, and an opportunity that the make up artist wasn’t going to waste. Getting One-on-One time with the Zoldyck was something precious and rare to him. Because Illumi was a rarity himself. In a world of increasingly bland and repetitive personalities, especially in his field of work, Illumi presented a challenge of raw potential. Cold and calculated to the masses, an obedient dog to his family, a revolutionary in his work. Hisoka knew that he must be hiding so much more, and the more walls he encountered with the man, the more he wanted to tear them down with his bare hands. Hisoka hated calling whatever this was a ‘Crush’. Sure, he was affectionate towards the other man, and at this point he couldn’t deny the pleasant twist of his heart whenever they touched. But he didn’t yearn for lazy Sundays in bed together, didn’t want the peaceful domesticity that seemed to be inherited in being a ‘couple’.

What do I want?

Hisoka pulled himself out of bed, and made his way to the shower, determined to abandon this pesky train of thought. There was no point in pondering the unlikely. Though… Illumi had been indulging him. And he was going to indulge him again this day. Maybe he wasn’t the only one getting soft, even if neither would ever admit it. The thought brought another satisfied smirk to his lips as he massaged his favourite shampoo into his scalp.

He wondered how Illumis family would react, hypothetically, if they were to end up a couple. The eldest son of the Zoldycks, not just gay, but in a relationship with a makeup artist who is famous for starting drama whenever possible. They certainly would be a more feared and adored couple than if Illumi were to marry some busty heiress who hooks up with her tennis coach when he’s away.

Silva Zoldyck would drop dead right on the spot if Hisoka would ask him if he should call him dad, he was sure.

He stepped out of the steamy shower and mustered his refreshed face in the mirror. Maybe that’s all he wanted. To form something with Illumi that would be even more powerful than the Zoldyck empire, to make everyone else envy/fear/adore them. They had the capacity and the ability to do so, no doubt.

Or maybe he just wanted to have something he wasn’t supposed to have.

Hisoka shrugged to himself, before he went over his usual beauty routine. Today could prove very interesting.

12:45 pm, Hisoka leaned on his kitchen island, absentmindedly scrolled through social media to beat time. Illumi wasn’t going to be late, but he’s never been early either.

He decided to go with a casual look, fitted beige khakis, with an oxford blue button up, sleeves rolled up just above his elbows, debated with himself on how far unbuttoned would be appropriate-yet-slutty (Top 3 Buttons unbuttoned, was the conclusion). Under his eyes, rested on his cheekbones, he had painted his signature star and teardrop, eyebrows plucked to perfection, and after 10 tries he managed to get a satisfying cat eye done. It was perfectly normal to want to look like hell on wheels while meeting with your friend-partner-associate-crush-insertsatisfactoryterm.

The afternoons were always the worst time to check social media, the calm before the posting-storm that comes during the evening and night. Hisoka had already reached posts that were done last night, a few screenshots taken here and there for future reference and roasting purposes.

Almost fed up with endless scrolling, suddenly it appeared. Hisoka had followed a twitch streamer on twitter recently, some kid who was definitely going to screw up in some point of his career (they always do, when the fame gets to their heads), and didn’t want to miss that mess. “Foxbeargaming”, what the fuck is even a foxbear, he had thought.

He had seen the brat before, in his profile picture and clips of his streams. But that wasn’t the problem with the newly posted selfie.

The problem was that he also recognized the second brat in it. Remembered the way Illumi boasted about his talented little brother, the same wild hair and blue eyes as he showed him a picture of the kid. Killua Zoldyck is currently in the middle of nowhere Australia, and his family most likely doesn’t know about it.

Oh, this will be delicious.

Hisokas day had been upgraded from surprisingly interesting to extremely entertaining if everything were to go smoothly. Immediately revealing to Illumi before their date that his little brother is out in the desert trying to tame himself a boyfriend wouldn’t do either of them good. Let it simmer, let it fester, keep Illumi away from his phone the rest of the day.

Lost in his scheming, he just barely noticed that the clock hit 1pm. He grabbed his bag from the floor and stuffed his phone into his back pocket before he headed out the door.

Hisoka wasn’t sure what he expected, yet he was taken aback by the sight in front of him as he exited the apartment complex.

Illumi leaned leisurely against a black sports car, as if that were his only purpose in life. His sleek hair was tied into a neat ponytail, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Hisoka let his eyes take in every detail of him. Peridot green jeans, fashionably washed out, paired with a simple grey polo shirt, the collar popped open just enough to reveal more neck than usual.

“Are you waiting on an invitation?” Illumi didn’t sound as agitated as he probably intended, giving Hisoka only more reason to push his luck.

“I was thinking about whether I want to pounce on you now or later.” He approached the other man, who in turn straightened up his posture in defence. But instead of any hostile movements, Hisoka simply took Illumis hand, and bought it to his lips for a caste kiss. “But I’d rather not spoil our date this early.”

Illumi pulled his hand away, though maybe with a second’s hesitation. “Not happening, also not a date. Get in the car before I change my mind.”

The car was equipped with fabric seats, which Hisoka was grateful for in the Italian heat. “Maybe I should film one of those Vlogs today, what do you think of the title ‘Partner takes me away for secret date’?”

“What about ‘Multimillionaire kicked me out of a speeding car’?”

“Touché.” Now Hisoka was sure that his companion had to be in a good mood, despite what he’d claim, he’d never go along with his jokes if he were feeling neutral-to-pissed otherwise. He rolled his shoulders back into the seat comfortably, golden eyes fixated on the way that Illumis elegant pale hands wrapped around the steering wheel. “I didn’t know you can drive, considering you always have someone to do it for you.”

“I prefer it over flying, and I still consider myself a better driver than half of our staff.”

“I’m sure you’re great at handling stick shift as well.”

“Of co-“Illumi pressed his lips together in sudden annoyance, he most definitely had caught onto Hisokas smirk as he waited for an answer. “That is repulsive.” That prompted the makeup artist to break out into self-satisfied snickering.

“No clue what you’re talking about, Tesoro.” This earned him an eye roll, and silence as the car made its way through mostly empty streets. Hisokas eyes fell onto Illumis phone that rested on the console of the car. “Ah, I’m sure mister multimillionaire has Spotify Premium, right? Let me turn on some music.”

“Use your own phone.”

“I ran out of data volume. Are you that afraid I’ll discover your disastrous music taste?” His teasing smirk was met with another, more defeated eyeroll and a sigh.

“Don’t play anything trashy. The passcode is 0707.” After a questioning silence, he added “It’s Killuas birthday.”

Hisoka replied with an appreciative purr, before he started scrolling through the others music library. No personal playlists, not even a profile picture attached to his account. He was almost offended at the man’s lack of care for something as deeply personal as ones Spotify account, something that surely could tell a lot about a person. “Tchaikovsky? I’m not sure if I am impressed or utterly bored. Oh-“ His eyes stopped on a familiar album cover. “Maybe you’re not a lost cause after all, dear.”

A button press later, and the familiar opening sounds to Tame Impalas “Currents” played. The faintest trace of a smile curled on Illumis lips, barely noticeable, but Hisoka wanted to burn it into his mind anyway. Never mind that he took the brief distraction to turn the others phone onto silent mode. No unnecessary distractions.

It took the rest of the album until Illumi pulled the car into the exit towards the nature reserve near Lago di Bracciano, the last notes of “New Person, Same old Mistakes” dying together with the engine as they parked.

Hisoka stretched at the warm sunlight that caressed his skin when he exited the vehicle. Birds sang happily in the trees that lined the path around the large lake, and the only other person in sight was an elderly woman walking a small white dog. As the second car door shut close, he turned around with a pleased smile that showed off his shining teeth. “I never took you for the kind to take afternoon strolls.”

His friend-or-whatever set a relaxed pace onto the path and looked out onto the deep blue water. “I can’t sit around the hotel room the entire day, can I? And Rome is crawling with sweaty tourists and noisy journalists.”

“So you wanted to get some quality time outside?” Hisoka absentmindedly ran his tongue over his own sharp incisors.

“Correct.” Illumi didn’t seem to notice, or at least ignored, the predatory gesture.

“With me.”

He missed a beat before a simple, “It seemed appropriate.”.

This earned him an appreciative purr, before the men walked in silence along the large lake. Italy still wouldn’t reach its heights of temperatures this time of year, but any breeze was still a welcomed change from the rising humidity and sting of the sun. Hisoka wondered how much the others pale skin would change if he’d expose himself for a bit longer to the sun, if he’d immediately burn up in red, or if he’d start to tan, even just the faintest bit. He’d definitely look more alive, less like a puppet on invisible strings.

They continued to walk in a comfortable silence next to each other, took in the different sounds and sights of nature and the others presence, until eventually they reached the border of one of the shore towns. Beautiful stone buildings climbed the side of a smaller hill, only interrupted by greenery sprouting up between them. The main path was lined with flower shops, cafes, and Gelateria, whose smells mixed into a pleasant sweetness in the air. But one store in particular stood out. It wasn’t super flashy, it could have been found in any city and any street, but Hisoka knew this one from memory.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the others hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

“Excuse me-“ Before he could free his hand, Hisoka intertwined their fingers and pulled him closer.

“Let me treat you to something as well, I promise you won’t regret it,amore.” As his flaming eyes were met with a wrinkled nose, the sunshades Illumi were as not-telling as his eyes, he added “If you do regret it, I’ll gladly let you drown me right here.”

There was hesitation as the other mans wrist twitched against his hold. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

The absence of a struggle was still taken as accepting whatever had gotten him so excited, and thus Illumi was quickly pulled and seated outside the small café. Hisokas attitude had changed from a lazy yet scheming happiness, to pure, unfiltered excitement. It became almost impossible for him to sit still, he rapidly tapped his fingernails against the small glass table, until a waitress (in her mid-40s, he assumed) stepped out. She handed the men a small, leather bound menu, though both were immediately snatched by Hisoka and held back towards her.

“Non sarà necessario. Ordineremo la Cheesecake alla fragola. Grazie.”

“Certamente.” The woman replied with a smile, before she retreated into the shop.

“Cheesecake?” Illumi asked with a raised eyebrow, he had taken off his sunglasses by now and placed them on the table.

Hisoka tutted, “Not any Cheesecake, dear, it is the best Cheesecake you will ever have. I will have it at my wedding, funeral, and every occasion in between that.”

“I take it you’ve been here before.”

“When I had just moved to Rieti, I’d come here almost every weekend, though I unfortunately stopped when weekends became workdays as well.” He considered carefully how much more he was willing to share about that time of his life with the other, though the decision was taken off him as the waitress approached with two plates, each adorned with a generous slice of cheesecake, topped with strawberry slices and strawberry jam dripping off it.

His jaw clenched in anticipation as he watched Illumi take the first bite of the cake, reminiscent of all the rituals he’d do for him whenever he visited. It felt degrading to admit that he wanted to impress and gain the approval of the Zoldyck, but not degrading enough to stop the attention seeking behaviour.

A bite. Some careful chewing. Averted eyes because Hisoka was staringbut he did not care. He swallowed.

Illumi didn’t look at him as he spoke, seemingly engrossed in studying the décor of the shop. But his eyes betrayed him, Hisoka swore he saw something within the dark orbs glisten and flash to life. He didn’t know people could smile only with their eyes, but Illumi continued to be different in the most intoxicating way. “It’s… really good.”

Hisoka tried hard not to pick up his train of thought from the morning, tried not to think about what he wanted from Illumi or a relationship, and he especially tried not to think about the growing urge to leap across the table at that very moment to kiss him until their lips were sore. Instead, he started to eat his own cake, and failed to supress his sharpened smile.

They ate mostly in silence, safe for Hisokas muffled crazed snickering, and ordered espresso to chase down the thick cake.

“Hey, let’s play a game. What is wrong with that woman over there?” Hisoka pointed at a blonde who rested against a railing near the lake.

Illumi seemed to consider for a second whether he even wanted to play a weird game like that, before he stopped mid espresso-sip. “Ah. Those red heels are obviously spray-painted on.”

“Bingo~! It’s super obvious, right? You can still see the black shine through.”

“I’m more concerned about the uneven stitching on her shirt. Either she did that herself, or she has gotten scammed.”

Somehow that conversation triggered them to analyse the fashion choices of every stranger they encountered on their way back to the car with increasingly devilish tones. Illumi Zoldyck was a surprisingly good gossiper, and Hisoka filed that fact into the growing corner of his brain that he reserved just for him.

In the car, Illumi informed him they would just head to his hotel room to get dressed for the show, and then head there together. Any attempt at a joke about spending hotel-room-time wisely was, expectedly, cut off.

Illumi had never focused on the road this much in his entire life. He tried to be grateful that they had managed to get ready for the show in his hotel room without any major incidents, but now Hisoka was seated next to him again, wearing the suit he made for him. He looked good, annoyingly so. Naturally, Illumi wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of telling him that though. He had indulged the man plenty enough for that day already and was holding back from chastising himself for it.

Last night had made him soft, Illumi decided. A brief waver of confidence and self-preservation that made him want to spend one-on-one time with Hisoka, in what may have resembled friendship to an outsider.

But his head was clearer now, cleansed from whatever foolishness had overcome him – the image of his mother recovering from a coughing fit and regaining her composure crept itself into his mind. Unrelated, he thought, though cleared his throat regardless.

“Machi says the crowd tonight is dreadful. Do you think she is just saying that to keep me from going~?” Hisoka tapped his long nails against the screen of his phone. Machi was a model they both have worked with in the past, though she was no where close to a breakthrough. A pretty face, objectively spoken, though smaller than most models, and the personality of royalty about to be executed. Do they always text each other?

“She’s there as well today?” He tried not to sound bitter. He didn’t have a reason to be bitter.

“Mhm, she’s modelling for a friend of hers it seems, though all the examples she sent me looked like someone with a priest-kink designed them, so it doesn’t hurt as much that she didn’t hire me as her artist.”

A moment of silence. “I see.” Illumi was not going to indulge Hisoka even more by inquiring about the nature of his relationship to the woman. It did not concern him; it wasn’t relevant to him or his work.

“Illumi?” Hisoka leaned over in his seat, golden eyes piercing into the side of his face.

“Yes, Hisoka?” Just now he noticed that he had been clenching his jaw uncomfortably.

“Are you jealous of Machi?” He didn’t need to look to know that Hisoka was smiling from one ear to the other, voice dripping with joy. He wasn’t going to look at Hisoka.

“You are insane. Why would I be jealous of her? I pity the girl, still having to work as a favour for acquaintances.”

Predatory eyes continued to drill into him, and a dangerous purr escaped the man, “Is that so?”.

“Yes, don’t be ridiculous.” They pulled into the valet line.

“Then you surely won’t mind that she’ll meet us in the entrance hall, wonderful!”

Illumi shouldn’t mind. It should be perfectly fine that instead of spending the evening alone with Hisoka, a good-looking young woman with an unclear relationship to him would meet them. He definitely couldn’t be jealous; it would be irrational and yet-

He threw the keys to the car at the valet and grabbed the number-marker without a word. His face wouldn’t give it away to others, that he was practically fuming, but Hisoka seemed to take pleasure in the subtle way that Illumis facial features tightened. “I heard jealousy can give you wrinkles~” Hisoka whispered cheekily as they approached the venue entrance, rows of reporters and interviewers lined at the sides, even more so than at the opening day before.

“You must have a lot of experience with that.” He hissed in reply and straightened his posture as they passed the crowd, mostly reporters who desperately tried to take pictures of attendees. Pictures, Interviews, all loathsome cries for attention that Illumi has always tried to avoid as much as possible without damaging the families reputation. He looked down the carpeted entrance and spotted the young woman known as Machi Komacine, clothed in a painfully tight black dress adorned with rosaries draped around her waist like belts, her messy pink hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her posture signalled boredom, but her eyes screamed murder.

Illumi was not a man who easily feared anyone, especially not a woman who stands at 5’2 proud; But he also was not necessarily thrilled to approach her. As he tried to hiss something in Hisokas direction again, something about not having much time to chat with their acquaintance due to meeting a client, he noticed: The other man had stayed behind, and was now busy posing for numerous cameras. Their eyes met, and with a mischievous grin, Hisoka held his hand out to beckon Illumi closer. For Pictures. Together.

Take pictures with Hisoka together in a public appearance that will most definitely set the gears of the rumour mill in motion; Or approach Machi alone and run the risk of uncomfortable conversation about our respective relationships to Hisoka?

He looked back at Machi, whose eyes met his instantly with a raised eyebrow. Fucking Hell-

Illumi made his way back to Hisoka, casually disregarded the hand that was held out to him and positioned himself as practiced – left arm leisurely to the side, right arm three quarters across his front. Not too strict, but not too relaxed either. In contrast, Hisoka had his left hand in the pocket of his suit, his right hand rested on Illumis shoulder as if were the most natural thing in the world. Journalists started to yell even more for their attention now, asking pesky questions that he tried to ignore, telling them to stand closer to each other, the likes. He kept the façade of his neutral face through the blinding flashes intact, even as Hisoka snaked his arms from his shoulder around his waist. “Do you wish for a public execution?”

“It looks better for the pictures~”

Illumi brushed a few strands of hairs behind his shoulder and used the motion to glance back to where Machi was waiting, her steady gaze on the two of them. “It’s rude to let her wait.”

“How considerate you are!” Hisoka snickered. “I know you aren’t jealous, caro, but I’d still like to reassure you of something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Machi and I look for, how should I say, very different things in a partner.” He tugged at Illumi waist and pulled him closer. “She’s looking for women and I am not.”

“Oh.” Illumi continued to look at the reporters cooing for their attention, as he tried not to think of the warm hand on his waist that felt searing hot and- Wait.

“OH.” He turned in Hisokas hold to properly look at him, who in turned grinned like the cat that ate the canary, then he looked back to Machi, and suddenly he felt stupid, which he didn’t experience a lot.

“Feeling relieved, even though you definitely weren’t jealous?”

“I think they got enough pictures.”

Illumi heard Hisokas snickering trail behind him as he made his way down the entrance. Machis eyes met his again, hands steady on her hips. Up closer now, he could observe the details of her dress, white seams stitched into crucifixes that crept up the sides, and the number “3” painted on every bead of the rosaries. It was cleanly executed, but Illumi was confident in the superiority of his own work.

“Miss Komacine.” He extended his hand to her, which she shook half-heartedly.

“Illumi. I’d like to get to business talk right away, so I don’t have to look at this clown longer than necessary.”

“Business talk?”

The young woman lit a cigarette for herself and shot a glare to Hisoka. “I assume you didn’t tell him I wanted to speak with him?” This granted her only a shrug and a smile from the man. “Fine, whatever. Illumi, I want to model for your next line, it would proof beneficial for both of us.”

“I don’t deal in women’s fashion. Furthermore, I do not see how I’d gain benefits from having you work for me.” Finally, a topic he felt comfortable to speak about, even it was only to criticize the woman for her awful attempt at business.

“I don’t mind wearing a suit, you should be at least competent enough to make smaller sizes, right?” She stepped closer to push a sharp index finger against his chest. “And about those benefits; Having me model for you would give me more exposure from a mainstream crowd, and thus exposure for my group. You would gain exposure to a wider audience of underground fashion-following, that isn’t influenced by your family’s name, meaning you could manifest a name for yourself. Unless you prefer being ‘a Zoldyck’ forever.”

The nerve. The audacity. Illumi considered just calling her a presumptuous cunt and leaving with his pride intact, but Machi looked like the kind of woman who knew how to slice car tires and break-wires.

A manicured hand curled around his shoulder, and Hisoka pushed himself between Machi and him. “What could be better than this; My two favourite people in this world, getting along, talking friendly business. Unfortunately, dear Machi, there’s some people inside that are dying to meet us tonight, so we’ll catch you later~”

Before he could object, Illumi was pushed through the entrance of the venue. The large runway was occupied by a high-end brand that premiered their women’s gala collection, mood-lighting engulfed the rest of the room, rhythmic beats of low music drowned out most of the talking crowd.

“Be a darling and just let her offer simmer a little. Machi can be very scary when she’s mad, and not in the way I enjoy.” Hisoka purred closer to his ear.

“Did you know she was going to ask?”

“What if I did?”

A waiter offered them drinks on a tray, and Illumi leisurely grabbed a glass of champagne.

“What does that even mean, ‘a Zoldyck’, as if it is something bad.”

“Don’t wreck your pretty head over it, you know how women are.” Hisoka laughed, and Illumi wasn’t sure how serious he meant that, considering that personally he had no idea how women are, and after newest revelations, neither did Hisoka.

But through the course of the night, Illumi couldn’t get it out of his head. He pretended not to notice how people approached Hisoka, addressed him by his name, first or full name, and talked with him about the content he has created, complimented on his most recent videos and looks. And he pretended not to notice how people approached him, addressed him only by his last name, and asked about the family business. “Mr. Zoldyck, are you going to write an article about this line?” “Mr. Zoldyck, about the next issue-“ “Mr. Zoldyck, tell my greetings to your father.”

No word about his own collection he had premiered. No one even uttered his first name.

He was ‘a Zoldyck’. Nothing more, nothing less.

“If looks could kill, we’d be ankle deep in a blood bath by now.” Hisoka snaked an arm around Illumis waist again and rested his hand on the tip of his hip. The designer took a long sip of the bitter champagne, casually slapped away the offending hand, and kept his dark eyes fixed on the crowd. “Still pouting because Machi was being a bully?”

“I am not pouting.”

“And you weren’t jealous either, got it~”

An eye roll, followed by “I have a headache, what’s the time anyway?” Illumi tried to reach for his phone in his pocket, though before he could grab it, Hisoka took hold of his wrist. They locked eyes, and even in the dim lighting of the venue, Illumi saw something wild glisten in those amber eyes. “Let’s leave, together, to my place.”

“Very subtle, Hisoka. I am not going to-”

“Indulge me, Tesoro, I want to show you something.” Determined to blame it on the repulsive atmosphere that had build itself up at the fashion show, Illumi let himself be swept away by Hisoka for the second time that day. The thought of getting away from noisy reporters and cockroaches of the industry who only knew him as the eldest Zoldyck.- former Heir to the empire, was pleasant enough, yet he also didn’t have to be alone and actively think about his reputation, name, and being a ‘lapdog’, technically a win-win situation.

The drive back to the apartment was oddly quiet, despite Hisokas prior excitement. The car tore through the dark night primarily in silence, only accented by the ‘The Velvet Underground’ album they agreed on after scrolling through Hisokas bizarre Spotify library. It definitely wasn’t the kind of music he was used to from the home he was raised in, didn’t fit between the classical music his mother used to play before her headaches made it impossible and the obscene noise music that Killua would play to trigger the same headaches.

“Could you check my messages for me?”

Hisoka hummed in response and grabbed the phone, manicured nails tapping on the screen, before dropping it unceremoniously back into the cup-holders. “Batteries dead.”

“That can’t be, I charged it before I went out this morning, the battery is supposed to hold for a minimum of 72 hours when idle.”

“Your dainty British batteries sometimes give out under Italian heat, invest in better engineering, and charge it at my place for now.”

“…This will better be worth the trouble.”

The streets of Rieti were expectantly empty, and Illumi parked the car right in front of the apartment (Was it a legal parking spot? Unlikely. But parking fines barely matter when seemingly half the world knows your families name.)

The stairs, the door, the entrance, Illumi knew all of these things about Hisokas apartment. “What is there to show me?”

“Patience. Come here~” Hisoka opened the doors to the balcony, white drapes gently tossed in the fresh breeze. The Zoldyck followed- with sceptical hesitation, but followed nonetheless.

He rested his hands on the railing, eyes turned sky-wards, a few strands of hair upset by the wind.

“If you took me here to just look at the stars, I’m not sure which one of us is the bigger fool.”

“Right, if we wanted to look at soon-to-be dead stars, we could have stayed at the show. But we’re not here for them. They are insignificant, always there to look at until one day they vanish and are forgotten. The real star of the show is over there.” He pointed a long nail at the night sky, and Illumi tried to follow where it pointed.

“The moon? Really?”

“Close, but also mundane and boring. Here- “Before Illumi could react, the strange man had placed their heads next to each other and started to correct Illumis position with a pointed yet gentle grip on his chin. “Look straight ahead.”

Just a little bit off to the left of the moon shone a star brighter than anything else, for a moment Illumi felt ridiculous for missing it.

“It’s Venus. Among all these long dead stars, she’s ever present, stands out the most, and is a rare sight to behold.”

“You took me away from the show to gaze at other planets?” Illumi turned towards the other man, suddenly all too aware of how close they were standing once again.

“I took you away from the show because no one there is capable of understanding your true potential. The way everyone there only sees you as an extension of your family is so infuriating, that it makes me want to ruin all their hopeless little dreams right in front their pitiful faces.” With a swift movement Hisoka had pinned the designer against the railing of the balcony. “You could crush all these people under your heel and make them beg for forgiveness. And there’s nothing I’d rather see than that.”

“I don’t need to make anyone beg, if I want something, I get it. It’s always been like that.” A cold thumb traced the line of his sharp chin, followed by a dark chuckle, and all of a sudden Illumi felt fatigued, all air leaving his lungs. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers his mother recalling symptoms like that. It’s a sickness, nothing more nothing less.

“You get it because you’re a pretty show dog held on a short leash by your family.”

Fucking lapdog. The weight on his chest feels like it could crush his organs any second.

“I’m not asking you to bite the hand that feeds you. But I’d give everything to see what you could do if you were free of restraints.”

Feeling like he needed to hold onto anything, Illumi grabbed onto the back of the other man’s head, fingers buried in wild hair. “And why would you care so much? If you’re just trying to rile me up, there’s ways that don’t make me want to throw you off the balcony and watch your mangled body struggle for life.”

“It’s because you fascinate me, Illumi. You’re my Venus in a sea of dying stars. I want to observe you in all your glory as you outshine everyone else, in your full potential.”

“Who says I won’t crush you as well?” His fingers grasped harder on a few strands of hair. Everything in his body felt wrong, the way his skin was freezing all over, but searing hot wherever he made contact with the other man, the suffocating weight on his chest increased by the second, and in the back of his mind something about sickness echoes again.

They locked eyes, and just then Illumi noticed how close they truly were, Hisokas hot breath falling onto his lips.

And he should have pushed him away.

Should have slapped him, insulted him like the sorry maggot he was.

But he felt weak and sick and so cold, and Hisoka radiated pure heat.

Their lips met, softer than expected of either of them, and Illumi wondered if this is what it feels like to be saved from drowning.

A pleasant warmth seeped into his body, and his lungs felt weightless, like he could breathe for the first time in his life.

Hisoka kissed like each touch might be the last, and Illumi let himself be guided as he wanted, eventually wrapping his arms around the others neck, eager to steal as much of this intoxicating heat as possible.

The man kissed along his jawline, stopping just barely below his ear. “Stay here tonight, cuore mio.”

And Illumi placed a kiss to his temple, as gentle as a man who was never been taught gentleness with people could manage. “Let’s go inside.”

#hxh fanfic #hisoillu #killugon #hxh #hisoka marrow #illumi zoldyck #killua zoldyck #gon freecss #mito freecss #machi komachine #fanfic #fanfiction #I continue to have the worst update schedule known to man <3

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albertasunrise · 3 years ago

Text

Mistakes - Chapter 4

Masterlist

You’d known it was a bad idea to get involved with Javier Peña. You were just another notch on his bedpost but you were a notch he kept revisiting. You know you should have stopped it, declined his offers to rock your world but you couldn’t and now you had to deal with the consequences. Consequences that you knew he would refuse to accept.

Warnings: Angst, Mentions of Sex

Pairings: Javier Peña x Reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Javier had been back at work for almost two weeks.

Neither of you had spoken about that night since it had happened. Clearly, his memories returning to him had been fairly traumatic as he then struggled to know how to be around you after that. You hadn’t kissed again. You'd barely spoken. You just cohabited and you were finding it too difficult. So that's why you had come to the decision that you had.

Chucho had returned to Texas after Javier had started back at work and you had found yourself on Steve and Connie’s couch more and more, crying into one of their shoulders as you lost all hope that Javier would return to you.

You had hoped that the kiss and him, somewhat, remembering you would have helped move things forward but all it had done was make things worse and so after two weeks of silent suffering, watching him battle with his internal demons you’d decided that enough was enough. So you found yourself sitting on his couch, Alicia at the Murphy’s. You needed to be able to have a quick exit after you told him what you were about to.

Javier’s key turning in the lock grabbed your attention and after taking a few steadying breaths you stood from your seat and turned so that you were facing him as he entered, catching his eye as he looked up from throwing his coat and keys on the table.

‘Everything okay?’ He asked after a few moments, noting your nervous demeanour ‘Where’s Alicia?’

‘With Connie and Steve.’ You stated as you rubbed your sweaty palms on the front of your jeans.

‘Why?’

‘Because I need to speak with you and I didn’t want there to be any interruptions.’ You answered, your gaze never leaving him as he moved through his home, grabbings a beer from the fridge and offering you one which you refuse.

‘What do you want to talk about?’ He asked casually. If he was nervous about what you were about to say he didn’t show it.

‘I’m moving out.’ You got straight to the point and he stopped dead in his tracks, attention now on you fully.

‘What?’

‘I can’t do this anymore Javier.’ You declared, trying hard to keep your voice from wobbling ‘I can’t keep pretending that I am okay with all of this’ You continued as you signalled your hand around ‘I can’t stay here and endure the hurt of waiting for the man I love to come back to me. I thought that night that we were making progress but then you remembered a few things and now we’re back to you being closed off and distant with me.’ You paused, scrubbing a shaky hand over your face to wipe away your traitorous tears ‘So I’m done. I put in a request for a larger apartment a few days ago and it was granted.’

‘Wait so where are you moving to?’ He questioned, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

‘To a building a little closer to the embassy.’ You explained and he shook his head, anger now bubbling beneath the surface.

‘No, you can’t do this.’ He growled ‘You can’t leave. You can’t take her from me.’

‘I’m not taking her from you, Javier.’ You snapped ‘You will still be able to see her but I need to do what's best for me or I’m going to suffocate.’

‘I just need time-’

‘I’ve given you nothing but time Javi.’ You sobbed ‘Almost 3 months of it! But it’s clear to me that you regaining any memory of me is not your priority and so I need to remove myself from all this…’ You paused as you looked him dead in the eye ‘From you.’

‘Come on wait.’ He pleaded ‘Let's at least talk about this. I don’t want you to leave.’

‘Well, it doesn't feel like you want me here all the much either Javier so…’

‘When are you moving?’

‘I already have!’ You declare and his eyes grew wide before he sprinted to the nursery, noting that it's empty ‘The embassy moved mine and Alicia’s things to the new apartment today. I asked Connie to watch her whilst I spoke with you. I’ll collect her once we’re done here and that will be that.’

‘So what… You thought the best way to spring this on me was to tell me the day you’ve already left me?’

‘I didn’t expect it all to process so quickly. Give me some fucking credit Javier I have been pretty honest and upfront with you from the beginning.’ You snarled as you pointed an accusing finger at him ‘I tried to talk with you after everything and you shut me out so the way I look at it. You brought this on yourself.’

He stood there seething. Chest heaving as the two of you glared at each other, neither one breaking the intense eye contact that you were locked into. When he said nothing more you took that as your cue to leave, nothing more needed to be said.

‘Goodbye Javier.’

‘No, I’m not letting this happen.’ He sobbed, tears falling freely now as he grabbed you before you’d managed to walk out the door ‘You can’t just leave. I need you. Don't leave me.’

'You don't need me, Javier. You've made that perfectly clear.' You sob, heart breaking at the way he was looking at you but you knew it wasn't because you were leaving.

'You can't do this.'

Pulling your arm from his grasp, you shrugged your coat back into place and looked at him one final time.

‘Watch me.’

1 Month Later...

‘Where the fuck is Peña?’ You snapped, as you threw Steve a cold look.

‘He called in sick.’ He replied, shrugging his shoulders but his expression didn't match the action.

‘Sick?’ You questioned ‘What’s wrong with him this time?’

Steve shrugged again and you scoffed, downing the last of your coffee before standing and making your way out of the office you shared. You knew that Steve knew more than he was letting on but you found it difficult to care.

Things had been difficult between you and Peña since you had moved out. He’d spoken to you only to get updates on the baby and regarding work. You had agreed on a schedule where he could have her for a few hours in the evenings before Connie collected her and brought her back to you. It was easier than attempting to exchange pleasantries that neither of you wanted to share.

After refilling your coffee you stormed back into the office where your anger-filled rant continued.

‘You know that he’s refused to have Alicia the last few evenings?’ You growled as you angrily stirred your drink ‘One minute he’s begging me not to take her away and now he refuses to see her.’ You stop to take a sip of your drink before you resumed ‘And the worst part is, is that she won’t settle now because she hasn’t seen him. She got into a routine and now it's fucked. Can't the man just man the fuck up and take responsibility for his child at least?’

‘Perhaps you should cut him some slack.’ Snapped Steve, taking you by surprise ‘The man was used to seeing his infant daughter whenever he wanted and now he gets her a few hours an evening? He’s a fucking mess and no wonder. He misses his daughter, he misses you, though he’d never admit it, and he’s all alone now with very little memory of the last year of his life! I get that you’re upset but the two of you need to sort this shit out.’ He scooped up the folders on his desk and abruptly stood from his chair ‘I’m sick of watching and I’m sick of being in the middle of it. Talk to him.’

You were stunned by Steve’s outburst. You stood there frozen to the spot as you meditated on his words and you realised that you’d once again been so caught up with your own pain that you had ignored his. Grabbing your purse you fumbled around until you found what it was you had been looking for and after telling the office assistant that you needed to run an errand you were out of the door and sprinting to your truck.

You needed to speak to him.

…

It didn’t take you long to get to Javier’s apartment but after banging on the door for some time you knew he wasn't home and so you rushed up the stairs. Connie answered her door after three knocks and was shocked, to say the least, when she found you stood there.

‘What are you doing here?’ She inquired as she nervously shifted on her feet

‘I wanted to talk and to check on Alicia.’

‘Oh um…’

‘Connie, what is it?’ You questioned, noting her shifty behaviour.

‘She’s not here.’ She declared and your eyes grew wide.

‘What?’

‘She’s with Javi.’ She said as you barged past her ‘He came to see me, he was an absolute wreck and when he saw she was with me he begged me to let him have her for the day.’

‘Connie you can’t just let her go off-’

‘With her father?’ She snapped and you turned to face her ‘Hun he’s her dad and he’s been broken since you left. He hadn’t even known she was here when he arrived but when he saw her he sobbed.’

‘You should have told me.’

‘You’re right I should have and I’m sorry.’ She asserted ‘If I’m being honest I wasn't expecting you back so soon.’

‘Yeah well, I actually came to talk to Peña.’ You confessed, noting her shocked expression ‘Your husband kinda yelled at me about how I’d been acting and I realised I may have been a little harder on him than he deserved.’

‘He misses you.’

‘He misses Alicia.’ You scoffed, rolling your eyes when she shook her head.

‘Well yes but he misses you too.’ She continued, taking a seat at her kitchen table ‘He realised that he’d dealt with everything so wrong. He wanted to reach out but didn’t know how to. Over the weekend we helped him with a few things for the nursery, he wanted to get some new furniture just in case he finally got Alicia overnight and as we were building it he just broke. Sobbed his heart out to us. Please, just give him a chance to prove he’s sorry.’

You nodded as you mulled over her words, knowing that you needed to take steps to repair your fractured relationship with your child's father. Perhaps baby steps were the best way to go.

‘Okay. Can you drop Alicia off when he gets back? She’s got a check-up appointment and so do I.’

‘Sure thing you.’ Connie returned, smiling sweetly at you as she walked you to the door.

Standing by the car looking at your baby girl in her seat you felt your heart ache a little. You knew that this was the right thing to do but that hadn't made it any easier. You'd gone to your appointment and after being given the news that everything was perfect you'd gone home and prepared her a bag. A few bottles of breast milk, formula, diapers, changes of clothes and her favourite stuffed toy.

‘Right baby girl now I want you to be good for Papi okay?’ You said as you lifted her from her car seat and placed her in the carrier ‘I’m going to miss you like crazy but I know that you’ll have so much fun and I’ll see you tomorrow.’ You finished as you slung her bag over your shoulder and lifted her carrier before ascending the steps of the building you had once called home.

Making your way to his front door you knocked three times and waited.

Nothing.

You scrunched your face in confusion as you knocked again only to once again be greeted with no answer. You placed your ear on the door where you heard what sounded like Javier crying out and your stomach dropped. Without thinking you slotted the key you still had for his apartment into the lock and opened it quietly, leaving Alicia and her bag tucked safely behind the large potted plant beside his door. Pulling your gun from the holster at your waist you entered his home, weapon drawn and ready.

What received you made you sob.

Javier was laying on the floor, a redhead bear beneath him and both of them were coated in a thin layer of sweat. Your stomach twisted as you stumbled back, gun dropping to the floor with a thud which then grabbed Peña’s attention. His blissed-out expression soon turning into something completely different.

‘Shit.’ He breathed before you snapped back to reality and looked at him with an expression that broke him completely before you fumbled for your gun and turned to leave ‘Wait.’ He called out to you as he pulled on his jeans and sprinted after you, catching up as you made it to your truck, the baby in your arms ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I came to give you Alicia for the night.’ You stated, looking at him now with a stone-cold expression ‘Connie told me how broken you'd been without her and how much you missed her. I felt bad that you had only been getting her for a few hours in the evenings so thought that maybe this would cheer you up a little’ You proceeded ‘She said you missed me too but clearly that's not true.’

‘I do.’ He stated and you snorted in response before pulling open the back door to your truck, placing Alicia in her seat.

‘Right.’

‘Fuck, I do.’ He roared, instantly regretting it when Alicia started to bellow ‘Look I’m sorry you saw what you saw. It meant nothing. I met her at the bar and we got to talking and-‘

‘You ended up fucking her on the floor.’ You snapped as you threw Alicia’s bag in the footwell and started to make your way to the driver's side door 'Some things never change eh Peña?'

‘Will you just stop.’ He begged, grabbing your arms and spinning you so you were facing him.

‘Why Javier? Why should I do anything for you?’ You sobbed ‘You say you miss me? Well someone who misses someone doesn’t then proceed to fuck a randomer he meets in a bar. He tries to talk to said person and maybe work things out.’

‘Would you have talked to me?’

‘Why do you think I’m here Javier?’ You growled ‘I wanted to talk... To try and have some sort of relationship with you, for our daughter's sake whether that was friends or something more but now… Now I’m done.’

‘Can I still have her tonight?’ He pleaded, eyes then falling on his screaming infant in the back seat of your truck.

‘No.’ You spat, shoving him back and jumping into your truck before locking the doors ‘We’ll work something out but I won't have my baby around one of your whores Javier. I rule the line at that.’

Turning the ignition you threw it into drive and you disappeared, leaving him stood there staring off after you. After a few numb moments, he allowed himself to cry, hands covering his face as he fell to his knees and allowed everything he'd been holding in to flow freely and that's what it took.

Looking up at the dark stain on the concrete pavement ahead.

He remembered everything.

Part 5

#javier peña x reader #javier peña x you #javier peña gif #javier gif #narcos fanfiction x reader #narcos fanfiction x you #narcos x you #narcos x reader #narcos fanfic #narcos fanfiction #narcos gifs #narcos #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal #pedro pascal gif

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ginanosakka · 4 years ago

Text

The Mind of a Monster

Masterlist

I’m Sorry | Next

“Daddy, why does everyone look like that?” Your young and bright eyes stared up at your father’s, his own having no light or warmth in them, not even as he looked at you.

The smile that crept onto his face scared you, but you smiled back nonetheless like the naive little girl you were, just wanting to return your father’s love. In truth, you had been scared the moment you entered his company office, the automatic shift in energy when he walked in the room from all his employees had you fiddling with your fingers and doing your best to avoid eye contact. It was confusing to you why he wanted you to come with him today to introduce you to his work, but he never greeted anyone or even acknowledged their existence.

You wished you had paid closer attention and broken from his leash sooner.

“My dear, you’ll learn soon enough that these are inferior beings, and how they feel mean nothing when it comes to success.”

Sitting in a conference room filled with heroes was one thing, but sitting in a conference room full of heroes being debriefed on your secret criminal business father was another. Seeing all of these familiar faces made your palms sweaty and an anxious shiver go down your spine. They were all the former class 1-A students who met your father —whether that was by coincidence of scheduling, or these were the ones who couldn’t believe the case at hand, you didn’t know. None of them were as close as Mina and Katsuki so this truthfully had nothing to do with the past, but everything to do with the present news that came out not too long ago.

They were helping to protect their old friend’s child, and his now speculated ‘wife’.

“. . . I can’t give you any more information than that, the old bastard has all of his dirty work under security, but there’s someone who can.” Katsuki said, and you looked up at him from your spot next to Ashido and Kirishima, vacating your thoughts to meet his eyes that had landed on you. “Y/N.” He called, and you stood up from your seat.

You glanced at them all again, taking note of their very clear interest while finding the words to help them understand what you knew. It wasn’t just the ones who you had just seen again for the first time in years, this was also information and a plan that you had not run through with Katsuki, Mina, or Eijirou who had discussed this meeting with you beforehand. Whether it was because all three of them looked so concerned with your safety that your plan would positively not be received well, or simply because you yourself weren’t prepared to put everything at stake wasn’t abundantly clear.

A warm and soft hand grabbed hold of yours from where you stood, and you glanced at Mina to see her smiling with encouragement. “Don’t worry, I’ll have your back, ‘kay?” She said, and you squeezed her hand.

“Okay then. First things first, I want you all to know that I haven’t had contact with him since the last year you have all seen me, not even money related. When I was in close contact with him, I was unaware of any illegal actions he’d done until I was kicked out. Are there any questions on that?” You began, doing your best to get the most obvious questions out of the way first.

The eight heroes in the room — Tokoyami, Sero, Kaminari, Todoroki, Uraraka, Ashido, Kirishima, and Bakugou — all glanced at each other for a moment, and two hands went up: Todoroki, Kaminari. You looked to Todoroki first, his dual colored eyes piercing into yours like he knew you. From what you remembered from all that hero news Ryu loved, he had his own personal family issues that ended up public information. Honestly, you didn’t know if he was looking at you like that because he related to you, or was greatly suspicious of you. Either way, you nodded at him to voice his questions first.

“Did your father use you to fulfill his own goals?”

“Todoroki, let’s stick to questions that have something to do with the crimes and just her father.” Kirishima sweatdropped, and you could see Katsuki’s expression from the corner of your eye that looked like he wanted to send an AP shot right through his left side.

‘Never let him ask me anything, good to know.’

“Kami- Chargebolt, you had a question.” You redirected the attention to Denki who looked as done with Todoroki as the rest of the group, but once you called on him he refocused on you.

“If you knew he was doing illegal stuff at some point, why didn’t you say anything to the police before?” He asked.

The air became thick in the room, and all of them looked at you with their full attention once again, and that’s how you needed it to answer that. What they were about to take on may not be physically exhausting as a villain, but the mental toll this could take would be something they’d never forget. Their images will forever be changed in the media, and they’ll never look at those who run this world the same when you expose to them the man that they’d only met as a hopeful teenager. This was a man who would stop at nothing to stay on top, even going as far as to threaten his own blood’s life to ensure silence.

“When I got kicked out of my home, pregnant and a disgrace to him, he realized that I may not have known much about how the underground business he did, but I could easily stain his image by telling my story. About a month after I was kicked out, when I was two months pregnant, a man showed up at the hotel I was staying at and attempted to kill my baby. I survived with bruises and a stab wound that entered just between my rib cage instead of directly into my stomach. That man was hired by my father to kill me. . my mother had come to the hospital to break that news to me. She is the reason another attempt hadn’t been made on my life, but it was at the cost of me disappearing and never returning again.” You laid out the full story, sparing gruesome details but not leaving any room for confusion or continued suspicion.

Denki looked horrified as he tried to apologize, “I didn’t think he did something like that to you. I’m-“

You cut him off with a raised hand, “that’s why you’re here now. No one knows how evil Eito L/N is, because he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing to the public. This isn’t your routine evidence and arrest case, and if you think there’s a low that my dear old father won’t reach to make me disappear, you’re going to end up dead, or so far in the gutter of negative media attention that your career will be over in days. You’re going to find out information that will destroy the relationship between you and the men that have made you heroes. As we speak, he is most likely ten steps ahead of us all and expecting us to move as quietly as we can for the sake of your licenses and my business.” You explained, and Uraraka stood up in distress.

“Then we should be looking for evidence! Doesn’t this mean you could be being followed right now? Why are we sitting here discussing it?” She asked, and you nodded in agreement at her words.

“You’re right, but there’s a quick end to this that only I can do at the risk of my own life. . I didn’t go over this with any of you, and I deeply apologize for the trouble I will soon be causing, but I can’t let all of you save my life while I lay down and cower with my son.”

You whipped out your phone and searched up the first news outlet that came to mind, and just as you expected, your video was being played as you spoke. You laid it out on the table after turning the sound up, watching the video you had recorded last night played to the public.

“I am Y/N L/N, the daughter of a very well known man, Eito L/N. Six years ago, he told the public that I went overseas in search of a different life, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In actuality, six years ago, Eito kicked me out of his home after finding out I was pregnant and used that story to cover up my disappearance. I have since been living on my own with no help or contact from my father, and I urge all of you to look closer at those in power and wealth. You have no idea what they could be doing behind closed doors. Thank you.” You turned your phone off and slipped in back in your pocket as they all took in what you had done, and it was of course Katsuki who spoke up first.

“What the hell did you do?!” He growled, and you met his concerned and angry eyes with frightening intent.

“I’m making this a media circus, Dyanmight,” you smiled.

“You’re drawing him out, but why? Won’t that make this worst?” Tokoyami asked, but you weren’t the one to answer.

“He doesn’t know what she’s going to do. . she’s making it impossible to keep his tracks covered.” Todoroki looked at you, and you both nodded at each other in complete understanding. “Y/N just made this a lot easier for us.”

A/N: I was gonna keep dad’s name neutral, but it just didn’t make sense that they all would constantly refer to him as her father. So evil dad’s name is Eito! This is pretty much a small filler before we reach our real drama and end. I can’t promise a soon update and the hiatus is still very much in motion, but I wanted to get this out to you. I hope you enjoy!

Taglist (Closed) <3 : @fandomgirllover @cloudsgathering @that-bipolar-renegade-romantic @jazzylove @that-chick212 @bonbonthedragon @misssugarless @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @bakugous-bakahoe @pinkykookie17 @animexholic @arielting @samkysnks @simpforeveryone @damnirina @deneuves @tsumuuumiyaaaa @vintage-teddyxo @regalmigraine @samvmgh @iamagalaxy @officialtrashbusiness @xwackk @videogameboiwhowins @marajillana @ellasdilemma @plutoneu @saucey-kneecapzz42020 @thestarsanctuary @dewdropwifu @star-light-imagines @kritiiiii @bakugosbottombitch @the2ndl @candybabey @simply-not-the-same @sam-i-am-1025 @mes-bisous @eternallyvenus @peppytine @chaelysian @definitely-yours @oikawarc @suneaterofthebig3 @m0na-l0ver @nkb0048 @losertsukki @notyourfavorlte @caramelsquares @hikaru-mikazuki

#bakugou x reader #bnha bakugou #bnha #bakugo x reader #x reader #bnha fanfiction #bnha angst #katsuki bakugo x y/n #anime x reader #bnha x reader #bnha kirishima #kirishima x reader

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mysticmylifeisamess-enger · 6 years ago

Text

Forget Me Not - Ch. 12

Pairing: Saeran/Reader

Word count: 1,774

Summary: Saeyoung & Saeran pay V a visit after receiving an alarming letter

Warning: Major spoilers for Ray route, Saeyoung’s route & secret ending.

A/N: I’m so sorry for the late update, I’m hoping to get a regular posting schedule for this soon cause I do want to spend more time on this, considering I love this fic with my everything

AO3 Link | Chapters Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

As soon as the door closed behind him, Saeyoung leaned against it to steady himself. His knees threatening to buckle under him as hot tears spilled. His hand clasped over his mouth, trying to suppress the sobs so his brother wouldn’t hear. ’This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening,’ he thought to himself repeatedly. The tight feeling in his chest making it hard to breath properly and his brain finally processing the gravity of the situation.

There were few moments in their life that brought on a fear like this. A handful of instances where they thought this exact thing would happen. Those few times someone would recognize them or he thought they had found them out only for it to be a coincidence or fluke. But he should have known what this man was capable of, how powerful his influence could be.

The panic was evident as he fumbled for his phone, quickly dialing the only person he could think to turn to. His mind racing with all sorts of outcomes as he heard the ringing on the line before a short ‘hello’ cut his thoughts.

“V! We need to talk, are you home?”

“Yes, but what’s going on?” V asked, taken aback to hear the distress in his voice.

“I-I think he found us, and I think he’s gonna do something. V, we’ve been so careful, I don’t know how this happened,” he stammered, choking back sobs as he continued.

“Saeyoung, take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

“Someone left a note at our door telling us they knew who our father was. I can’t tell who wrote it, but I have a feeling it might have been him.”

“Come over as soon as you can and bring the note. And please be careful.”

“O-Okay, I’ll see you soon,” not waiting for a response, his hand fell to his side in a defeated manner. It was like he could see the pieces of his life that were held together tightly for years crumbling in front of him. The life he built to desperately protect his brother, the one important thing in his life, was falling from his grasp.

He collected his thoughts, trying to compose himself before he had to face his twin once again. He knew he had to be put on the brave face for the two, to be the rationale one in this situation. But his mind couldn’t help but wander to all the worst case scenarios, just how exactly this all could play out if they weren’t careful.

As his hand wrapped around the door handle to face his twin, he put those thoughts aside, knowing that in this moment, they just had to talk to V. He could solve this. He could figure out what to do. He’s going to know exactly how to handle this.

Opening the door to see Saeran, he could see the panic in his every little movement. His hands were shaking with every action, an unspoken tension thick in the air. Saeyoung was sure that the two were thinking the same thing, ‘how could this be happening?’

��I, uh, I just talked to V,” Saeyoung said, breaking the long-standing silence. He could see the wheels turning in Saeran’s mind as he looked up for a second before returning to the work at hand.

“We’re going over once you’re done here.”

“Alright,” was all he could bring himself to say after a long pause, but even with just that, Saeyoung could hear the absolute fear underneath it.

Once they locked up shop, they made the trek over to V’s. The utter silence in the air between the two was nerve-wracking as they walked side by side. The most unsettling was the sullen demeanor they both had, each lost in their own thoughts without so much as a word spoken. They both knew what the other was thinking, but couldn’t bring themselves to talk about it out loud, instead glancing over at each other.

To the outside perspective, they looked nervous, as if they were constantly on guard. It was evident in the way Saeran jumped with every little sound he heard, looking around to make sure it was nothing and how Saeyoung’s hand toyed with the cross around his neck, mouthing the silent prayer looping in his mind.

As they neared V’s house, Saeran could feel an unsettling aura coming from the place. He wasn’t sure if it was the circumstance, or being there so late at night, but it had his every nerve on edge. Just as the two reached the steps and knocked on the door, Saeran heard a ‘ding’ coming from his pocket, startling him for a second before he realized it was his phone. Looking at the screen, he saw your name along with a text— a sincere smile forming as he read it.

‘The flowers you sent are beautiful, you are so sweet to have done that <3 Would have loved to have seen you deliver them, but Saeyoung told me you were busy. Anyways, I’ve got two-lips I’d like to deliver to you tomorrow morning so I’ll see you then!’

The smile on his face when he read it quickly faded as he physically felt his heart wrench. Every word of it was like a needle that pricked at his skin through no fault of your own. He wanted nothing but to protect you in all this, to make sure they couldn’t get to you. You, of all people, shouldn’t be put in danger like he is.

Before he could think of a response, the front opened to the tall, mint-haired man.

“Come in,” he gestured as he took a step aside, ushering the two in. They wasted no time in entering and shutting the door behind them, handing over the letter for V to read.

As he looked over the note, the twins took one look around the room and noticed that it seemed emptier. A place they considered their home away from home looked and felt a little off in this moment. Though one missing piece did seem to stand out from the rest.

“Where’s Rika?” Saeyoung asked, saying aloud what they were both thinking.

“She’s out of town at the moment,” he responded nonchalantly, still examining the paper at hand.

“Day after the party?” Saeran pressed, brows knitting in his direction.

“It was, uh, an emergency,” he paused, “but it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Alright,” Saeran said, watching V as he continued to look over the note. He looked as if he was trying to decipher the letters themselves rather than the message put together. An intense, scrutinizing gaze on his features that could burn holes through the paper.

After a few minutes, though it felt like an eternity, V looked up from the note to meet the twins’ face. His expression was unreadable, looking at it once more before shaking his head.

“I know this is going to sound weird and a little alarming, but you don’t have to worry about this,” he said simply, earning a ‘what’ in unison.

“Trust me when I tell you that I know exactly who left this and you don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“What do you mean you know? Who left this?!” Saeran asked, his voice getting louder with every word.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you, it’ll only cause more problems. I know this sounds odd, and I understand that this is scary-“

“Scared doesn’t even begin to cover what I’ve felt in the last few hours!” Saeran intervened, a frustration bubbling in his chest, “Do you not understand what this man can do?! If he sent this, we’re in danger! He has the whole country at his fingertips, if he comes for us, it’s not just Saeyoung and me!”

“He didn’t send this.”

“Then who did?!”

“I can’t tell you that, please just trust me.”

“V, I can’t trust you if you don’t tell me! Who the hell sent this?! Who knows that he’s our father?!?”

“Saeran, I think we should go-“

“I’m not leaving until I get an answer! Who left it, V?!”

He was locked in V’s colorless gaze, searching for a hint of resolve or answer only to be met with eyes that were begging. Begging for trust or forgiveness he still couldn’t tell, but they at least held some of the V he came to know. It held the smallest amount of fear, but fronted with a cool and collected demeanor. And with that, Saeran almost knew what he had to do.

“Okay,” Saeran sighed after a minute, much more calm than before, “I’ll trust you. But you have to promise me you can take care of this.”

“I promise I’ll resolve this.”

“And promise me that no one around us is going to get hurt because of this,” Saeran said, much more serious. A silent plea in his eyes to let him know just who he meant.

“I promise no one will get hurt, especially not MC,” V said without a hint of a waver in his declaration, leaving Saeran silent for a minute as he eyed the taller man.

“Saeyoung, let’s go,” he said simply, turning on his heel towards the door, the red-head following shortly behind and leaving V alone with the letter.

Once they left and were out of sight, Saeran couldn’t quite shake a feeling that he knew Saeyoung had to be thinking about. A gnawing feeling in the pit of his gut that he wanted to avoid, but it only seemed to multiply from that interaction.

“Do you think V’s been a little different these last few months?” Saeran asked, breaking the silence.

“It could have to do with what happened to his eyes,” Saeyoung responded, “But that doesn’t explain why Rika’s been so different too.”

“Yeah,” he said, pausing as he thought over his next words, “I just can’t shake the feeling that something is going to happen, or maybe something has already happened.”

“I hate to agree, but I get that feeling as well,” he said, avoiding eye contact as they kept walking, “What are we gonna do now?”

“I think we should lay low for a bit. I don’t want to distrust V, but there just isn’t something right and I don’t want to risk anything. We won’t be opening the shop for a while.”

Saeyoung fell silent, thinking over those last words. The shop means everything to him, more than he leads on. For him to close it, even for a few days, must mean he’s beyond terrified.

#mystic messenger #saeran choi #saeran x reader #saeran x mc #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #mystic messenger fanfic #mystic messenger saeran #flower shop au #alternate universe #forget me not #cheritz

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jbankai89 · 7 years ago

Text

Never Let Me Go [39/41]

A/N: Next update scheduled for May 3rd, aka my birthday ^.^

All the italic segments in this chapter will cover Otabek's experiences. These scenes will contain Electroconvulsive Therapy, torture, violence, starvation, sleep deprivation, disassociation, infanticide-related hallucinations, gory hallucinations, abuse, and some gross things that I'm not totally sure how to categorize. If you wish to skip over it all, just avoid the italics.

Chapter Thirty-Eight – Otabek's Tale

The floor of the police car rumbled. It vibrated so hard that Otabek thought that he was being transported over uneven road or a bed of rocks, but after a moment, he realized that it was not the car trembling, but him.

Otabek stared ahead. His fear was so acute that though he was aware that the policemen were speaking, he could understand none of the words. They were oddly muffled, as though he was hearing them from behind a thick pane of glass.

Yuri was gone.

Yuri was pregnant.

Yuri had betrayed him.

The three thoughts did not aid in calming him, and he felt his eyes sting at the thought of it. It was true, as Otabek had always suspected—Yuri had never loved him, and only used him as needed to keep himself safe.

Otabek blinked. Tears leaked from his eyes and streaked his cheeks. He heard the policemen laugh, but he ignored it as he allowed the tears to drip from his chin and into his lap. He felt as though he was traversing the road to Hell, and nothing helped to calm him or bring him peace. Everything he had ever done was a selfish act; everyone he had ever loved had either left him or never loved him in return.

Sheshe, Otabek thought miserably, I wish I knew what to do.

The police car stopped in front of a grey, rectangular building, with bars on its windows. It was surrounded by a thick fence made of brick walls, and it was topped with curls of barbed wire. The interior of the landscape was strewn with bodies and splatters of blood staining the snow. Some of the figures were moving feebly, others were still and screaming, while the rest were black—frozen and dead, left to rot in the harsh elements of Russian winter.

Otabek was dragged from the cab of the car, and though he could hear the tone of the police officers' voices as they spoke scathingly to him, the words refused to register, and he would not answer them.

Angry and disgusted, they shoved Otabek to the ground. The alpha grunted with pain as his chin bit into the asphalt, hard enough that he felt the skin break, and a thin rivulet of blood trickled from the small wound and down his throat, before it soaked into his shirt.

Dragged to his feet again, Otabek was frogmarched to the door, where he was transferred to the care of a thick, heavyset man, visibly strong despite his girth, with a bald head and small, beady eyes.

Otabek was shunted into a locked cell with thick bars over the window and door. Once inside, he was forced out of his clothes. It was only then that Otabek realized that the inside of the building was almost as bitingly cold as the outside, and as he looked around the cell, the gravity of his situation began to hit him.

Nothing.

Save for a pail in the corner, Otabek had no bed, no blankets, and the floor was made of ice-cold concrete.

What is going to happen to me? Otabek wondered as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, and gazed out of the barred door of the cell. One year in this place...will I even survive it? Do I have any reason to?

Otabek had no answer, and shifted back to the farthest corner of the cell, the move reminding him chillingly of the only time he had beaten Yuri in punishment, and he felt a sick sense of bitter irony wash over him. Yuri had been so scared—terrified—during that encounter, and now he was getting his just rewards. Otabek sank down into the spot, buried his face in his knees, and tried to forget Yuri Plisetsky.

Days passed. Otabek was given no food or water, and his stomach ached in protest. His lips were cracked, and the inside of his mouth was sticky and uncomfortable. Swallowing was difficult, and his head spun from the lack of nutrients.

On the fifth day, he was given a bottle of water. As desperate as he was, he chugged half of it down too quickly, and threw it all back up again into his bucket. The second half he took much more slowly, but his stomach still ached and protested the sudden intake, and Otabek struggled to keep it down.

No food. Otabek began to try and not look at himself as his body fat and muscle seemed to dissolve, and after twenty days of no contact—save for the occasional bottle of water or scant bite of food—he began to wonder if they would simply allow him to starve to death.

“Time for your education to begin,” a scathing voice said, jerking him from a fitful sleep the very next morning, exactly three weeks into his incarceration.

Otabek was marched still naked and shivering down a narrow hallway. He was too weak to fight even if he wanted to, and felt a wave of panic nearly overwhelm him as he was led into The Room.

A wooden chair sat in the centre. Steel cuffs upon the arms and legs of the chair were affixed to curls of wire, and there was a steel dome set upon the top like a hat. More wires with suction cups dangled from the wall, and upon a table there were a row of dowels, all marked with deep tooth marks in the pale wood.

Electroconvulsive Therapy.

“No,” Otabek croaked, and tried to back up, but the man at his back merely laughed and shoved him forward.

“You seem to be under the misapprehension that you have a choice, Mr Altin,” the man sneered. “You don't. A lowly omega deprogrammed you, and it is our job to fix that crass mistake. When you leave here—”

The man broke off, and laughed.

“Or, should I say, if you leave here, you will be a better, stronger alpha, and more than capable of taking an omega, and keeping him firmly in his place.”

“And my child?” Otabek rasped shakily, “my omega—Y-Yuri, he was pregnant, I—ah!”

Otabek crumpled to the ground as the man hit him across the face. His cheek ached, and he looked up at the man as he wiped off the hand he'd used to hit Otabek with with a handkerchief, as though Otabek was carrying some sort of contagious disease.

“You have no child, and no omega,” the man snapped. “You shall never see that beastly omega ever again.”

~*~

The electricity of the chair was not designed to kill, only to hurt—but excruciatingly so.

The dowel in Otabek's mouth muffled his screams. His body was frozen by the electricity as choked cries escaped him from a blinding pain that he had never previously known. During his sessions, he tried to remember how much electricity the body could take before the heart gave out, but he could never remember. His skin was pink and smoking when he was finally freed, and he always had to be carried back to his cell at the end of it.

His feedings were sparse and irregular. He could discover no pattern, beyond the fact that they were meant to keep him feeble of mind and body. They were small, barely a mouthful at first, and gradually they went up to a roll of bread every couple of days, fed only when it became impossible for Otabek to stay conscious without some form of sustenance.

“Today we're going to have fun, fun, fun!” chirped his guard in a terrifyingly chipper voice one day, though Otabek had no idea when it was—the days had all begun to bleed together, and Otabek was no longer able to pick one out of the din. “It's a movie day, isn't that exciting? And, on top of it, we got you a front row seat. It's called, A Good Alpha.”

“Somehow, I doubt this film is one I'm supposed to enjoy,” Otabek rasped as he dragged himself across the floor, far too weak to stand on his own. “I think I'll pass.”

“Now, now, we've discussed your backtalk. If you keep it up, you'll have to be punished again. Is that what you want?”

Otabek fell silent.

“Yeah, that's what I thought,” he sneered. “You're too weak to withstand multiple beatings, and we don't want you to keel over on us. So if you keep it up, I have a really nice punishment in mind for you.”

“I can take it, do your fucking worst,” Otabek snarled, though his voice was so soft and whispery that it did not sound very threatening.

“If you wish,” the man said with a high giggle and clapped his hands twice. “Vladimir! Dmitri! Punishment Number Fifty-Three for Mister Mouthy Tough Guy.”

“Oh, another one, eh?” chortled one of them as they sidled into view. Otabek had anticipated another guard, and he felt a cold chill run through him as a doctor and nurse stepped up to his cell. “Shall we do it here, or would you rather we do it in the examination room?”

“I shall have one of the guards help you move him,” he said, “there will not be enough space in the cell once he starts thrashing around.”

“Oh, yes, stitching a mouth shut certainly gets messy...”

Otabek froze, and his guard smirked when he spotted the reaction out of the corner of his eye.

“Oh, did we not tell you?” he asked sweetly, “that's the punishment. You wanted our worst, well congratulations, we're giving it to you.”

With the two guards bracketing him, Otabek was dragged screaming and thrashing out of his cell, down the hall, and up two flights of stairs to the infirmary. A number of the beds were already filled with alphas recovering from burns, severe frostbite, and a number of broken limbs, but there was one empty bed at the end that there were dragging him towards remorselessly as he continued to cry out.

The guards all but threw him down onto the cot, one holding his wrists, the other his ankles as he was strapped down onto it. Otabek struggled, but in between his weakened limbs and the strength of his captors, he could do little more than scream as the nurse grabbed his head and jammed a needle into the space around his mouth, numbing his lips.

“Can't feel...I can't feel...” he mumbled, his words clumsy and slurred.

“Of course not, idiot,” the doctor scoffed as he stepped up to him, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves as he went. “Wouldn't want you to faint, now would we? This is supposed to be a punishment, after all, and it is not very punishing if you're unconscious for it.”

“No...” Otabek moaned as he watched the doctor thread a thick suture needle and bring it close to his face.

“Now, hold still,” the doctor said, “if it tears, this will take twice as long, and I don't want that local anaesthetic to wear off...”

Otabek stared at the ceiling with tears streaming down his cheeks. He could feel no pain, but he could feel the faint tug of the thread as his mouth was steadily sealed. He tried to move it experimentally, but half of it would not open, and that fact sent a horrifying chill through him. Otabek began to hyperventilate while the doctor and guards laughed merrily, and soon, he couldn't open his mouth at all.

“All right,” the doctor said abruptly, “gas him.”

Before Otabek was able to react, a mask was placed over his nose, as well as his bloody, sealed mouth. He blacked out, and when he woke again there was a capped tube jutting from the base of his throat, surrounded by thick suture thread—a feeding tube inserted into his throat, and he could feel it go all the way down into his stomach. Otabek buried his face in his hands, and let out a muffled scream.

The months progressed with a new torture every day. His mouth remained stitched shut, and it took what felt like ages to heal. He was fed through the tube, tiny portions of some sort of liquefied meal and water, which made his breath taste like the inedible parts of a chicken. It made him feel sick, but he couldn't vomit it up—he'd lost the number of times he fought his own gag reflex to keep the vile meals down.

He was shown the video after he'd acclimated to his sealed mouth. Special dull hooks, like paperclips, were slipped under both lids of his eyes, forcing them to stay open, with an eye-drop apparatus above it, misting his eyes periodically to keep them from drying out. The video in question was nothing short of horrific.

Not unlike the fifties-style American how-to videos, it showed graphic images of an alpha beating and raping his own omega, with an upbeat narration paired with every action.

“This is Kyev,” the narrator said, “he is The Good Alpha. Kyev rules his household, and keeps his omega in line...”

“Here we see the omega acting out. Shame on him! Kyev knows what to do, and punishes his omega accordingly for not preparing the evening meal correctly...”

“And once a month, the omega goes into heat. Here is the naughty omega resisting the advances of Kyev, but Kyev knows what to do! Tying down an omega is an easy way to stop his pesky struggling, and shows the omega that the easiest thing to do is just give in. It is more pleasurable for everyone involved...”

Foolishly, Otabek thought that if he just shut down, it would help him to cope with everything that was happening. His mind descended into a dark void, and he stopped listening to the film. When he brought his mind back to the present, it wasn't by choice, but by painful cold. He was outside, still naked, his skin red and blue from laying in the snow.

His pained cries were muffled, and he blacked out again. When he woke, he was back in his cell, his skin red, but thankfully, all his limbs were still attached. He disassociated again.

His disassociation was not looked on kindly by the educators and guards. He was ripped from his peaceful dark by any means necessary—beatings, whippings, cutting, boiling water thrown on him, food restriction, and at last—sleep restriction.

The sleep restriction, while technically painless, was the worst. His yawns tugged at his mouth sutures and made them bleed. Every time he started to nod off he was beaten into wakefulness, and felt sick and dizzy from the lack of rest. Dark shapes floated into his vision, making him scream inside, still unable to vocalize the horrors of what he was seeing—visions of Yuri with no eyes, Yuri with his stomach cut open, and a bloody infantile corpse in his bloody arms. Vacant, dead faces of his friends and family, every horror imaginable brought before his sleepless eyes.

When he was to be moved, Otabek was convinced that the vision of Georgi was simply another illusion. He was like a messenger of death, and Otabek welcomed it.

Except, it wasn't death. It was a doctor—a real doctor. He mended Otabek's wounds, he carefully removed the tube from his throat and sealed the hole. He snipped the mouth sutures away and cleaned the wounds, on the cusp of infectious, they'd barely caught it in time. Otabek's various wounds and broken bones were tended to, and under the doctor's care, he was taken care of day and night, until he was deemed healthy enough to travel, and brought to the airport where his friends were waiting.

~*~

“You know the rest,” Otabek said dully, while Yuri stared up at him with wide eyes, his mouth dropped open in horror. Otabek would not look at him, and instead kept his eyes down in shame. His shoulders were slumped, and he was picking at a loose thread on the blanket, his entire form tense, as though he was bracing himself for something.

He's bracing himself for me to leave him, Yuri realized as he gazed at his alpha. In the dark, it was difficult to see all of Otabek, but Yuri had seen him enough times in recent months to know that he had many new scars, and knowing where they came from made Yuri ache with sadness.

Yuri reached for his alpha, his hand skating over the back of Otabek's arm lightly, and though he jumped at the sudden contact, he did not pull away.

“I love you, Beka,” Yuri murmured as he trailed his fingers down the alpha's arm to his hand, and threaded their fingers together. “Knowing what you went through...I can't help but be in awe of you; you're so strong for enduring that and coming out the other side of it in one piece. You've been here for our daughter, and for me, and now it's my turn to be here for you. You don't have to carry this all on your own, not anymore. Thank you for telling me.”

Yuri leant in to kiss him on the forehead, and felt his alpha trembling like a leaf. Like he'd done so many times with Alvinia, Yuri pulled Otabek close and pressed the alpha's head to his shoulder. He rocked Otabek slowly, and a choking sob slipped past his mate's lips. Yuri rubbed his back, hushing him gently while Otabek clutched onto Yuri and wept.

“It's all right, my alpha,” Yuri murmured as Otabek continued to cry and clutched to him desperately, as though he was afraid that Yuri might suddenly disappear. “You have been strong for long enough. I'm here, I love you—I will always love you. Just let it all out.”

Otabek wept, holding tightly to Yuri as all the pain, all the anguish, and all the trauma was leached from his body like poison from a wound. Yuri held onto him, rubbing his back and rocking him like a child while he tried to process everything that Otabek had told him. It was even worse than he could have imagined, even knowing beforehand all of the tortures that Otabek had been exhibited to, it could not have prepared him for the horrifying truths of what Otabek had endured for the sin of treating an omega like a human being, instead of chattel.

The alpha was quick to exhaust himself, and once he seemed to have finished crying, Yuri eased him to his feet, walked him back into the house, up the stairs, and into their bedroom. Once inside, he helped Otabek change into his pyjamas before putting him to bed, then returned to the back deck to retrieve the blanket and baby monitor and extinguish the candle, just as the first few drops of rain tickled his nose and began to paint dark spots upon the wad of warm fabric in his arms.

Yuri made it back inside just as the rush of heavy rain began to fall, while the sky rumbled with thunder and flashes of sheet lightning, which, amazingly, did not disturb Alvinia—if the silence on the other end of the monitor was anything to go by.

The omega headed upstairs in silence, Minami and Phichit having apparently gone to bed, and amidst the soft rush of summer rain and rumbles of thunder, his mate and his daughter slept on peacefully.

Yuri draped the blanket over Otabek, and smiled as the alpha let out a soft sigh of contentment as he rolled over, hugging the blanket like a treasured childhood toy. Yuri smiled at the sight, and reached out to brush his fingers across Otabek's forehead before he leant in to kiss him gently, and finally changed out of his own clothes and into his pyjamas before he joined his mate, curling up and smiling more broadly as Otabek hugged him close, the demons of the past finally abandoning their host, and it seemed as though Otabek was finally beginning to forgive himself for enduring such a horrible ordeal.

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NLMG Masterpost

#otayuri #otayuri omegaverse

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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Reviewing every Stephen A. Smith performance on ‘General Hospital’

Affairs, murder, things of that nature.

Stephen A. Smith is, for better and worse, an icon of the sports broadcasting world. His unquestionable love of the Knicks, nuclear hot takes, and passionate rants have made him a staple of television for almost two decades. But, there’s a not-so-hidden secret life to Stephen A. Smith you might not know, or appreciate — his recurring role on General Hospital.

Smith has played the recurring role of “Brick” on the show since 2016. In, quite possibly, the greatest piece of irony in pop culture, Brick is a “computer and surveillance expert.” Which, if you don’t know why that’s funny, you haven’t seen this tweet.

TAke a look, y'all: IMG_4346.jpeg

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 27, 2015

Brick serves the Corinthos-Morgan mob family as an advisor, helping criminals avoid detection by the feds, and making them aware when the heat is on. He’s also involved in some of the most incredible plot descriptions I have ever read, courtesy of the General Hospital wiki.

“Sonny catches Brick up on how Julian bombed the Floating Rib because he was working with Cyrus. Brick says he can find Julian using facial recognition software. Later he discovers Julian is in Secaucus, New Jersey where he is waiting for a bus to Montreal, Canada. Sonny and Jason head over to catch him.”

January of 2021 marked Brick’s triumphant return to General Hospital, and with it Stephen A. Smith. I thought it was the perfect time to take a stroll through history and appreciate the acting prowess of one of America’s best-known sports personalities.

Episode #1.13526 (3/31/16)

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The only scene with Brick opens with him checking his phone and saying “Damn, they lost ... whoa I didn’t see that happening,” which is obviously a nod to his sports background. But, what’s the context here? By the lighting it looks to be mid-afternoon. Did Brick wait all day to check the score of a game that happened the night before? It can’t be a Saturday college game, because they’re talking about meeting with the district attorney, which I can’t imagine would happen on a Saturday.

Opening writing aside, SAS is pretty okay here. It’s still hilarious that he’s a computer expert, but he seems comfortable in the role.

Episode #1.13623 (8/16/16)

Sonny Corinthos meets Brick in what appears to be a hotel room. They’ve barely said hello before Brick starts asking Sonny if his wife, Carly Corinthos has been talking about him. Now look, I get the whole “shoot your shot” thing — but this is the wife of a mob boss. Stephen A. Smith basically insinuated that he’s having a relationship with a mob boss’ wife, TO THE MOB BOSS.

The thrust of this scene is Sonny asking Brick if he has a discreet, loyal team who can keep tabs on Julian Jerome. Another mobster.

SAS does a fine job being a smoldering, intense computer expert whose ability is beyond question.

Episode #1.13738 (2/3/17)

This is the tour de force performance of Stephen A on GH. He gets two scenes, the first is a simple meet and greet with Jason Morgan and Curtis Ashford, who needed help with a problem.

The second is where things get spicy. Brick shows off a watch he created that has a voice recorder in it, but also some sort of “alert” system that lets you know where there are wire taps and wireless cameras. He doesn’t explain how this system works. Brick says you just need to “wave it around” and it will pick up RF transmitters and recorders. Curtis says “that’s alright, where’d you get something like that?” and Brick loses it.

Tense music enters. Stephen A. Smith furrows his brow and begins needling Curtis with questions about why he’s asking. Clearly he thinks Curtis is an undercover agent. Things are smoothed over before they come to blows, and Brick shows off a comically large camera.

Brick insinuates you can use the tiny shotgun mic on the top to hear a conversation taking place blocks away, through glass. He calls it a “laser mic,” which to be fair exist ... but they don’t look like a microphone.

Curtis says “almost everything” repeating back Brick’s assertion of what the microphone can hear, and Brick is furious again for being questioned. He cools down, Sonny thanks him for the gear. Brick tells Sonny “don’t thank me, just get the person who killed your son.”

And scene.

Episode #1.13920 (9/26/17)

Brick makes a short appearance with Sonny to discuss a mysterious Russian phone call the mob boss received. Brick tells Sonny he was given a name of who made the call, Piotr Boronsky, a man related to a mysterious “Patient 6,” who is a man with no face ... or something.

Episode #1.13927 (10/5/17)

Another short appearance to offer an update on his findings about the call. Stephen A. Smith is just given tiny bit parts during all this to just offer updates. However, Carly (who remember, Brick thinks has a crush on him) asks Brick to follow her son’s girlfriend.

Episode #1.13934 (10/16/17)

Brick is back baby, and this time he has a lot more to say. Brick arrives at Sonny’s house to tell him his phones have been tapped with sophisticated software so good that not even Brick can crack.

Also he flirts with Carly ... again, in front of the mob boss himself. Brick is fearless.

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Episode #1.14158 (9/6/18)

In perhaps the biggest demotion in soap opera history, Brick returns to fix Sonny’s dad’s cell phone. He also flirted with Carly again.

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Episode #1.14257 (2/1/19)

Months after fixing a cell phone, Brick returns in the opening scene of the show. Major step up for Stephen A. Smith. Meeting with Sonny, he is a confidant as Sonny explains the difficulties of putting his father in a nursing home.

A big screen time day, Brick has more scenes — this time getting to business. Sonny wants Brick to find his missing son, which you’d think might be how you start the conversation. Everyone is very calm about it all, like child vanishings are common.

Brick says Sonny doesn’t just need a worker, he needs a friend. Just a powerhouse performance.

Episode #1.14366 (7/5/19)

Now a master of the soap opera “smoldering eyes,” Brick meets with Sonny, despite his busy schedule, to talk about something very important. Sonny wants Brick to forge documents so it looked like an orphan from Turkey was really his long lost cousin.

The best part of this is EASILY when Stephen A. Smith hears the last name “Cerci” and immediately knows this is a Turkish name.

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At this point I’m wondering what skills Brick doesn’t have. He can supply surveillance equipment, has a crew of guys on call to handle wet work, he can make someone a U.S. citizen with the snap of his fingers, AND he can fix your elderly father’s cell phone. Everyone needs someone in their life like Brick.

Episode #1.14369 (7/10/19)

Brick brings the forged documents back to Sonny. He’s done it all. Brick has made a fake birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license — what a guy. Jason is there for a meeting with Sonny, and casually asks “So, who’s getting a new identity?” Brick hits him with one of these.

Episode #58.54 (9/3/20)

This is the moment every soap opera actor dreams of. Stephen A. Smith gets to drop the big reveal of the episode. An older man is hiding out at a nursing home, doing puzzles with the elderly and generally being a nice guy. Just as Sonny starts talking to him Brick enters and hits him with the big line.

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“From you Mr. Renault ... it’s impossible to believe.”

HELL YEAH BRICK GET HIM! That’s not a kindly old man, it’s notorious drug dealer Cyrus Renault!

Episode #58.57 (9/9/20)

Brick turns up at a bar where Carly is having a drink. He once again flirts with the wife of the dangerous mob boss who he works for. At this point Brick and Carly have been flirting on and off for four years.

Episode #1.14690 (12/16/20)

Brick meets Sonny in Brooklyn and offers his condolences for Dev’s death. Dev is the orphan he forged documents for 18 months earlier. So, to condense the timeline a little, a 16-year-old orphan survived perfectly on the streets of Turkey, was brought to the U.S. and died just over a year later.

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This kid wasn’t just killed, he was BLOWN UP IN A BAR EXPLOSION. AN EXPLOSION THAT WAS CAUSED BY A BOMB. Yet, the feds have no involvement in a bombing. Instead it’s on Brick.

Brick has a plan, because he always has a plan. He’ll use facial recognition software to find the bomber using social media photos.

Episode #1.14709 (1/14/21)

Well, now Sonny is dead. There’s a lot of murder in this show. Brick turns up at a bar to talk about Sonny’s death with Jason. It’s at this point Jason asks Brick for a favor, which he’ll do gladly because Sonny was his BFF.

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Brick is tasked with learning everything he can about the Novaks, a dangerous rival crime family. Brick is a step ahead, and tells Jason that the Novaks are bringing product into Port Charles! GASP!

Brick enters the warehouse with Jason and it’s full of bodies! The pair retreat to the bar before drug dealer Cyrus Renault shows up.

Episode #1.14710 (1/15/21)

The scene with Jason, Cyrus and Brick continues. Cyrus says they need to work together to fill the void left by Sonny. In what are supposed to be real-time minutes, Brick moves from telling Jason they need to lay low, to telling Cyrus they went into the Novak’s warehouse and found a bunch of bodies — because he is very bad at laying low, despite being an all-time brilliant fixer.

I don’t know much about soap operas, but I know Brick is the greatest character of all time.

Soap opera acting is what it is. In order to find all the scenes with Brick I had to watch a sickening amount of General Hospital, and to his credit, Stephen A. Smith holds his own with everyone else on camera.

Where he really shines is the material though. Brick is both the best, and worst character in history — which makes him the best. He’s an expert at discretion, except when it matters most. A master of computers and technology, who is so important to a crime family that he will brazenly flirt with the mob boss’ wife in front of her husband without any repercussion.

You know you’re in too deep when you become invested in a soap opera storyline. All I need in this world is for Brick and Carly to hook up, because they genuinely seem to like each other. Now that Sonny is dead that window is open, and I’ll keep watching to find out.

God help me.

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jclovesthisguy · 4 years ago

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2020 Reflection

December 31st, 2019 was a night filled with joy and excitement. Ringing in the new year with good friends at a luxurious condo in downtown Chicago as we enjoyed fine whiskey and (not so fine) Dominos wings. The only thing more certain than our off-key tune of celebratory New Year’s chants was my confidence that 2020 was going to be a great year. I had just received updates from work that plans for my Japan assignment were finally coming together; I had a hot date scheduled with a beautiful woman of God, hopeful that I was finally entering into my much awaited calling of dating and marriage; I was continuing to build relationships with amazing people, finding more great groups to play volleyball with, and my jump serve was finally starting to evoke a healthy sense of fear in the opposing team. All lights were green, full speed ahead towards all my great plans. What could stop me? It’s not like the world was going to shut down or anything, right? Enter 2020.

Japan

I know I said in my reflection last year that I was preparing to go to Japan soon... but then this whole Covid thing happened and, well, here we are. My company still has every intention of sending me on my assignment to Japan, but the start date has been pushed back several times now, and I still don’t know when it will be (a couple months? A year? Will I lose my job due to Covid and I will never go? No one knows), and much of that timing will depend on the Japanese government re-opening of new long term work visas. I sometimes wonder why I have been giving this calling to go to Japan but still have not been able to go (it got pushed back several times before Covid and right when it was finally coming together, almost down to the exact month, all the Covid restrictions starting coming into place and blocking my departure date). But I am frequently reminded that I don’t have to wait for my plans to work in order for God to be working. I have seen so much and been involved in so much in these recent years that I never would have been had I gone to Japan when I originally planned. I got to see one of my best friends put his faith in Jesus this past year, and go into the river with him for his baptism. I got to see multiple other good friends get baptized as well the year before that, and even got to see a Japanese friend here in Ann Arbor get baptized! I got to be a part of Pizza&Beer&Jesus, I got to help lead a Bible study group again over the summer. In a surprising turn of events I somehow have been learning how to cook (you’re welcome future family). I made a bunch of new friends that I never expected to, and made countless memories that have helped me grow as a man of God. I don’t think a single day of this pandemic has been wasted. And when I do finally go to Japan, I believe God has been using all of this to better prepare me for the many challenges and exciting opportunities ahead. I raise a sake bomb to 2021 ahead, may it be nothing like I have planned, and everything that God has in store.

Girls

My relationships with the ladies have all actually been really easy and straightforward. I go on dates all the time without any worries or pressure to change who I am to conform to what women want. All the girls I like are attracted to me too, and our callings in life align in a way that is uncannily convenient. And who can blame them? I’m tall, athletic, great education, great job, ambitious, faithful, kind, fun, smart, and let’s not forget my dashingly captivating gaze. I’m not insecure at all, and have complete confidence that I always make the best possible decisions when it comes to dating... Check it. Can I be real a second, for just a millisecond? Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second? In case you couldn’t hear the sarcasm in my excessively deep and monotone voice, let it be known that I don’t have the realm of dating figured out. I struggle frequently. I have to consistently battle insecurities, fight the desire to just conform to what others want me to be, reject the temptation to compromise my faith and God-given callings. I have been rejected by women so many times that I have lost count. And every time I think I’ve finally found a relationship that is meant to be, something has always stopped it. This past year I was incredibly privileged to date an amazing woman of God, who actually liked me as well. We seemed really good for each other. But after a while, we realized that the strong callings God had given each of us (especially my calling to go to Japan) did not seem to align, and we decided to just be friends. Some months later, and after praying, fasting and reflecting, I felt convicted to reach out to her, I felt we were so good for each other that I had hope we could make it work, even if it had to be long distance. But it turned out that she had just started seeing someone else right before I reached out to her. The timing seemed just too precise to be a coincidence. I don’t think it was a mistake to reach out to her, I think God wanted me to know that sometimes I need to just let go of my plans and trust His future for me. It hurts, and I can��t see where I am going, but I love you God. Sometimes I can’t see how the callings you gave me for Japan and for marriage align together, and how I can pursue them when both of them seem to not materialize when I think they should. But I love you God. I sometimes feel like a failure for not being able to achieve what I thought I should do, and I’m not sure if I’m trying hard enough, or maybe I’m going about things the wrong way. But I love you God. And you love me more than I can fathom. I’m sorry God that I sometimes let my desire for things I can see (Japan, relationships, success) become larger than my desire for you. I’m sorry that I sometimes completely miss the point and focus on my calling rather than on the One who called me. I’m not in Japan, and I’m not dating, but that’s OK because I’m with you God. I don’t need to worry about not being able to succeed in life, because the most successful life, and the only way to live a meaningful life, is to live a life of worship to you God. And you will always provide a way for me to worship you. Lord let my greatest ambition and desire in life always be to worship you, even if I were to be single all my days and never set foot in Japan. I don’t want anything to get in the way of a life of worship with you Jesus.

Jim and Pam

There are many things that have made this year really difficult. I greatly miss being able to meet in person for Life Group and hang out with my church friends. I had to cancel many travel plans, including a trip to New Zeeland for a good friend’s wedding. I haven’t been able to be as active as I would like and regularly go through volleyball withdrawals. I haven’t been able to spend holidays or birthdays with family in what will likely be my last year in the US for a while. I’ve seen many friends get sick, and heard of others who have passed away. For someone whose love language is physical touch, it can be hard for me to come to grips with the reality that often the most loving thing I can do for others is to not be near them. I sometimes feel disconnected or out of place. So was this year a good year? To answer that let’s take a look at one of my favorite scenes from The Office. One of the main characters, “Jim”, is having possibly the worst day of his career. Because of constant bickering and fighting with his sales rival, “Dwight”, he continually gets interrupted from being able to renew his biggest client’s account. It’s supposed to be the easiest and best work day of the year, Jim even preemptively buys a bottle of champagne to celebrate. But not only does Dwight annoyingly interrupt Jim’s important calls, he also goes behind his back and steals Jim’s client from him, along with 25% of his annual sales commission. In complete recognition of his defeat, Jim gives Dwight the bottle of champagne and erases all plans to celebrate. It seems the day couldn’t be any worse for Jim. But at the end of the day, in the midst of a very dull work meeting, Pam nods off due to boredom and for a brief moment rests her head on Jim’s shoulder. The scene cuts to a camera interview with Jim, he tries to play it cool and cover his feelings for Pam but can’t contain the excitement he has as every worry in his life is eclipsed by the smile on his face, he responds, “Not a bad day”. You’ve probably guessed by now where this is going and how it relates to what, on paper, probably should have been considered one of the worst years of my life on this planet. Yes my plans were completely demolished this year and nothing seemed to go my way. But God’s plans were not. His love was completely unfazed. And God used these difficulties to grow me so much, and show me what really matters. I think Paul says it best in Philippians 3:7-8,

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ”

Well said Paul. I don’t assert that every person needs to go around saying, “2020 was a good year”, I know that many people have lost their lives, their jobs, loved ones, and many other things. But for me personally, because of the infinite value of knowing Jesus, being in a relationship with him, seeing him grow me and show me his love during my darkest and hardest moments, I can look back and say, “Not a bad year”. I often struggle though, and pray that through God’s grace I may be able to always value and love Jesus at least as much as Jim loved Pam. And if you happen to be reading this and are not a Christian, definitely feel free to reach out to me! I would love to share with you how I came to know Jesus, and how you can too. It will definitely be the best and most important decision you could ever make :)

Anyway, this is getting long... even though it probably only captures less than 10% of what I’ve been going through this year haha Future Clayton, if you’re reading this a year from now I hope you are in Japan with a beautiful wife, just coming home from an intense volleyball game, eating top-tier sushi with your many wonderful kids (OK maybe that’s a bit soon.. don’t think I’m ready for that yet); but I hope far more than all of those things that you are fully living a life of worship, no matter where you are. Keep it real future Clayton, don’t throw away your shot, keep doing it up big for JC.

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acdaldal-blog · 8 years ago

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OPEN PLOTS

I finally updated Daldal’s plot and connection pages! But if for some reason you can’t go there, under the cut are listed the wanted plots and connections I currently have ‘u’ There are 17 open plots for you to choose from your liking! Please send me a message if anything peaks your interest or like this post!

PLOTS:

Check-Mate | (0/1)

Always competitive, Daldal was challenged into going on a date with a boy by her friends and sadly, you’re her victim. It was supposed to be a joke on you - Why would a Chunghwa top tier student go out with someone from a much lower class school? But then the second date happens, and the third, then she already lost how many dates you two had and she realizes that she actually likes you and can be herself around you. What is going to happen after: if the challenge is going to be discovered, if the relationship is going further more then a friendship, it’s entirely up to muse and mun..

Competition/rivals | (0/1)

The two are always in competition to see who is going to be at the top, be a at sports, grades, popularity, everything takes in count because there is nothing better then one be placed higher then the other.

First Love | (0/1)

A love that can take you so high, something that can drift her mind apart and become one of her most beloved things. Daldal is not made of ice, she wants to fall in love, she wants to feel what teenagers feel - it’s not because of her dedication towards her studies that are going to keep her from experiencing love, but it might be exactly that’s what can break the relationship apart. Direction from it entirely up to mun and muse as well :)

I’ve never needed anyone like I’m needing you today(0/1)

Daldal is worried with her little brother because he had to go trough an emergency sirurgy and she really needs a shoulder to cry on. She appeared at your house, holding a bag full of soft drinks and sweets and just needed you to hold her tight and tell her that everything is going to be okay.

Let’s agree on disagree (0/1) - Has be a Chunghwa student, has to be in the debate team.

Your muse and Daldal are both on the debate team but their clashing ideas always makes both of them to end up arguing. But they both try to stop those arguments for the sake of the debate team but things don’t go as you two expect…

‘Ya got it, boss!(0/1)

For some reason you are broken and needs money with urgency! Luckily you saw the ‘Wanted part-timers’ at a near flower shop and apply for the job. Daldal aka your boss is a bit of a weirdo, talks to herself and is always losing coins on the counter but she is still a good boss! What kind of hardships can this environment bring??

Waiting Room buddies (0/1)

You are in the hospital for a few weeks and it has been really boring until one day you accidentally bumps into Daldal, the older sister of one of the patients. Since she dislikes her brother room she is always on yours, reading books and writing, sometimes you can even hear her whistle to a song or two and she is the best part of your sad and dull hospital days. But one day she just stops showing and you never see again…or at least until you see her entering your workplace and she says she doesn’t remember you…??

One of Those Nights (0/1)

After a wild night drinking, your friends call the first number on your contact list so you don’t have to drive. Turns out that they were also drunk and dialed the wrong number but that didn’t stopped the awkward situation of being carried by a high school student while dressed in a glitter wedding dress/fancy tuxedo that is not even yours.

Hidden Talent (0/1)

You left your USB flash drive in the public library and Daldal had to go trough your files to figure out who you are and ended up listening/watching to some videos of you singing/dancing/playing a instrument/practicing sports and wow you’re actually really good?

She pass by your school and waits for you in the entrance and why is this Chunghwa pretty girl talking to you…??? And how does she knows about your talent??? And why is she dragging you to have a cup of coffee and WHY DID YOU ACCEPT IT ANYWAY???????!!!!

Sorry, but that wasn’t for free. You either wash it or pay for a new one.(0/1)

Daldal scoots over to make room for your muse since the rest of the seats on the bus are taken. A minute or two after your muse sits down, they fall asleep and lean into Daldal’s shoulder. Daldal tries to be polite and ignore the stranger sleeping on them, but then your muse starts to drool on her blazer. Her very cherished and expensive blazer.

Full of surprises ( 0/1)

Daldal decides to be a Good Samaritan and pay for your muse’s fare when your muse’s pass keeps getting rejected. Your muse is grateful and promises to repay the kindness if Daldal gives them their contact info. Daldal is reluctant at first, but your muse seems harmless enough. Your muse, who is actually quite wealthy and is just having an off day, plans to make good on their promise.

Kiki’s Road: The idea that was very terrible but I hate losing so I agreed on doing anyway because pride. (0/1)

Like many places, Seul harbors a few local urban legends and scary stories passed on over weekend bonfires and at summer camps. The most well known is the story of the ‘Kiki.’ Kiki was a farmer who lived on the rural outskirts of town. He was a private man, so private in fact, that in order to keep the locals away from his property, he would place the heads of butchered swine on stakes near the end of his long, winding driveway to discourage any solicitors. Back in the 1950’s three troublemaking teenagers had trespassed onto Kiki’s farm. The following night it wasn’t the heads of pigs that adorned the stakes, but the heads of the unwelcome interlopers, their decapitated corpses swinging from the road’s overpass. Now it’s almost considered a rite of passage to drive down Kiki Road at night. The especially brave will park the car and take a midnight walk underneath the bridge. For Daldal, this story is bullshit and nothing there is true: there are no records on the papers, the local history of Seul don’t match and of course, it never appeared on the news.

Your muse though is filled with a bravery will and bets with Daldal: She is just not going there because she is scared. Competitive as she is, Daldal agrees with the bet: camp near the place that the murders occurred with your muse, the first to tell them to go home is the loser.

Take'Em of Leave ‘Em (0/1)

Daldal decides to drop off a few books she’ve enjoyed. On a whim, she leaves a note in one, signing only as DD, recommending why you should read that book. Your muse picks up that book with a smile and after reading trough it, leaves a note recommending a book that maybe DD might enjoy.

The day Daldal see the book back on the shelf she is the first to pick it up and after reading the note, hops towards the book you recommended and also left a note for your muse about what she thought on the book. Gradually, Daldal and your begin a daily/weekly correspondence with one another.

A friendship develops and the notes get longer and a little more personal. After a couple of weeks, your muse writes a very personal secret on the book meant for Daldal, but somebody else takes the book meant for her! Now your muse has to deal with the consequence of their secret spreading all around the school and the worst thing: Your muse is 100% sure that DD was the one that told to everyone! Now, after weeks, you finally found out the identity of this DD person and you’re plotting your revenge….

Smells like Cappucino spirit(0/1) - School Staff/Teachers only!

Daldal is reeling from stressing over packed schoolwork.Drowning their worries at the coffee shop one night, she encounters their professor, your muse. Your muse is looking for an outlet to plug in their laptop and Daldal offers the one beside their table. Your muse joins Daldal for a coffee and they exchange small talk as your muse grades coursework. As the evening progresses, the conversation continues and by the time the cafe is ready for closing, the pair is left with a desire to keep the conversation going. Feeling it inappropriate to “hang out” together off-school, Daldal and your muse make unofficial plans to continue their chat at the cafe the following night. Your muse and Daldal have such deep/meaningful/enjoyable conversations that they resolve to start meeting each other to talk once a week.

Take a Note (0/1)

When your muse’s cell phone battery dies, they resort to passing paper notes to Daldal so they can continue an important conversation. Much to their displeasure, their teacher catches them and insists that your muse read the note in front of the class as punishment.

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. (1/1)

When Daldal, a typically straight-edge student, is dragged to a party and has their first taste of alcohol, they end up needing your muse to get them home safely. When your muse runs into Daldal the next day, she is a bit embarrassed about their uncharacteristic behavior.

Baby Project (0/1)

As a science class assignment,students are required to take care of a baby simulator for 3 weeks. The teacher doesn’t give the students a choice of partners, instead pairing them up at random. Much to Daldal’s dismay, they’re matched up with your muse, someone she can’t stand. Every decision they make as fake parents is a struggle from the very beginning, particularly scheduling who takes care of the baby when and for how long. Daldal and your muse are forced to compromise and spend time together with the baby for the sake of the project, which requires cooperative decision-making and documentation of their progress. Over the course of the project, Daldal and your muse start to realize that their partner isn’t as horrible as they once thought. They’re actually kind of fun to be around, even given the circumstances. What will happen to their budding relationship once the project comes to an end?

#ooc #plot page #plot list #acdaldal #daldal

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Amitabh Bachchan's condition stable, says Nanavati Hospital PRO; Donald Trump wears mask in public for first time

08:48 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Aishwarya Rai, Aaradhya and Jaya Bachchan test negative for COVID-19

After Bollywood actors Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan test positive for the coronavirus, say reports that Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have tested negative for it.

08:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

Lockdown in Karnataka today

Complete lockdown is being observed in Kalaburagi on Sunday, due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The state government has announced a complete lockdown in the state on all Sundays till August 2.

Karnataka: Complete lockdown being observed in Kalaburagi today, due to rise in #COVID19 cases. The state government has announced a complete lockdown in the state on all Sundays till August 2. pic.twitter.com/YMUrzvMzFQ

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2020

08:08 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Former India cricketer Chetan Chauhan tests positive for COVID-19

Former India opener Chetan Chauhan has tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. Chauhan, who is also a minister in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet was tested for the virus on Friday.

According to initial media reports, he has been admitted to Sanjay Gandhi PGI hospital. Also his family members will be tested for the virus now.

07:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Rahul Gandhi congratulates Dharavi residents, officials for flattening COVID-19 curve

A day after the World Health Organisation lauded Mumbai's Dharavi for breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday congratulated all those responsible for the achievement.

In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "The WHO has praised our country's Dharavi model for preventing the spread of coronavirus infection. The entire team responsible for this achievement of Dharavi, especially the residents, deserve applause."

07:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in US Latest Updates

In first, Donald Trump dons mask in visit to a military medical facility

President Donald Trump, who has avoided wearing a mask in public even as the coronavirus pandemic spread, donned one on Saturday at a military medical facility outside Washington where he was to meet with wounded soldiers and front-line health-care workers, reports Reuters.

The visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center marked Trump’s first public appearance with a face-covering since the virus began sweeping across the United States earlier this year.

07:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Pune Municipal Commissioner shunted out

The Maharashtra government on Saturday transferred Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad and replaced him with Vikram Kumar who is currently CEO of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, reports PTI. Pune is among the worst-hit cities in the state and, as on Friday evening, had 25,893 cases, with the rise particularly sharp and worrying over the past few days.

07:46 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Amitabh Bachchan's condition stable, says Nanavati's PRO

Mumbai's Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital's PRO told ANI Amitabh Bachchan's condition is stable. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is currently kept in the isolation unit of the hospital.

The megastar had yesterday said that he had tested positive for COVID-19. His son and actor Abhishek Bachchan has also tested positive and been admitted to the same hospital on Saturday.

07:39 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Updates

18-yr-old diabetic COVID patient dies after 3 hospitals refused him admission

The parents of an 18-year-old man, who was diabetic and tested positive for COVID-19 before his death in a government hospital in Kolkata, on Saturday alleged that he succumbed because of negligence as he was refused a bed by three medical facilities.

Even at the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) where Subhrajit Chattopadhyay died on late Friday night, admitted him only after his mother threatened to commit suicide if he was not treated there, the class 12 students father claimed. When contacted, Director of Health Services Ajoy Chakraborty said that the matter would be definitely looked into.

07:34 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

India took just 53 days to cross 8 lakh from one lakh cases

According to news agency PTI, India recorded an increase of more than 22,000 new cases for the eighth consecutive day, on Saturday. It took 110 days for the number of cases in the country to reach one lakh but just 53 days more to cross eight lakh.

It took 64 days for COVID-19 cases in India to rise above one lakh from 100, and another fortnight to cross two lakh on 3 June. It took 10 days for the case count to touch the three lakh-mark and another eight days for the cases to climb above four lakh on 21 June. In another six days, the total tally raced past the five-lakh mark. Then it took 10 days to cross seven lakh.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Mumbai's Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital's PRO told ANI Amitabh Bachchan's condition is stable. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is currently kept in the isolation unit of the hospital.

With a record single-day increase of 27,114 cases, India's COVID-19 case count surged to 8,20,916 on Saturday, while the toll climbed to 22,123 with 519 people succumbing to the disease in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry in its morning update.

Lockdown restrictions were announced or extended in many areas across the country for differing time periods as many states reported record jumps in daily cases.

Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek tested positive for the coronavirus infection late on Saturday night and were admitted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital.

Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you. 🙏🏽

— Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020

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"The BMC has been in touch and we are complying with them," said Abhishek in another tweet.

Lockdown in several places

The Karnataka government in the evening announced complete lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts for one week from 14 July.

"As COVID-19 cases are increasing in the state day by day, based on the advice of experts complete lockdown will be imposed in Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru rural for one week from 14 July 8 pm to 5 am on 22 July," Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said in a statement, adding that detailed guidelines will be released on Monday.

All essential services including supply of milk, vegetables, fruits, medicines and groceries will continue uninterrupted. I appeal to people to cooperate with the government, follow all guidelines, take all precautionary steps and help us contain the pandemic. (2/2)

— B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) July 11, 2020

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As of Saturday evening, cumulatively 36,216 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 613 deaths and 14,716 discharges, a government bulletin said. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 16,862 infections.

In Assam, the ongoing lockdown in Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which Guwahati city falls, has been extended for a week from 12 July due to large-scale spread of the respiratory infection.

Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said the 14-day lockdown in the district was scheduled to end at 6 pm on Sunday but the district magistrate reported that rising cases may be a major threat to public health, hygiene and safety of the general population.

"Due to extensive testing, isolation and other restrictive measures, community spread of COVID-19 has been contained to some extent and this necessitates further extension of prohibitory measures to contain the spread of the pandemic," he stated.

A complete lockdown was imposed in the district on 28 June as Guwahati city reported a surge of positive cases with 6,221 patients recorded since 24 June.

The lockdown in Arunachal Pradesh's capital complex too was extended for another week in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases in the region, a top official told PTI.

The state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu took the decision to extend the total lockdown in the capital region for another week till 5 am on 20 July, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar said.

The previous lockdown was imposed in the capital complex comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa on 6 July was scheduled to end at 5 pm on 13 July.

Strict lockdown restrictions were also reimposed on Saturday in parts of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district following a spike in coronavirus cases. The entire Rajouri city and adjoining areas were sealed and people were asked to stay indoors as part of the efforts to slow the spread of the infection, said officials.

"The restrictions were re-imposed as a precautionary measure after some locals were tested positive for COVID-19. While in most cases the source of the infection is known, there are some cases where the source is unknown," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, Sher Singh, said.

Rajouri recorded the highest single-day spike of 51 cases on Friday.

In Uttarakhand, a three-day lockdown was imposed from Saturday in Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, which alone accounted for 41 of the 68 cases reported in the state on Friday.

Nagaland, too, decided to extend the ongoing lockdown, which was supposed to end on 16 July, till 31 July. Planning and Coordination Minister Neiba Kronu said the decision was taken after reviewing the existing measures and the rising cases of coronavirus infection in the state.

Till Friday, the number of actives cases in Nagaland was 428 while 304 patients have recovered from the disease.

The Meghalaya government announced a two-day total lockdown in capital Shillong from Monday. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the decision was taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, besides ensuring behavioural changes among citizens to follow coronavirus-related guidelines.

Earlier in the day, the state reported 76 new cases, taking the total to 312. There are 215 active cases in the state at present, officials said.

A lockdown with minimum exemptions in place in Thane district, excluding the city limits, was extended till 19 July due to rise in coronavirus cases over the past few days. The order for Thane district was issued by Collector Rajesh Narvekar and Municipal Commissioner AB Misal announced an extension for Navi Mumbai, said officials.

The "total" lockdown in Ulhasnagar municipal corporation (UMC) limits, also part of Thane district, has been extended by civic chief Raja Dayanidhi till 22 July.

A record spike of 2,232 COVID-19 cases took Thane district's count to 53,152 while 53 deaths caused the overall toll to rise to 1,560, an official told PTI. The rise was sharpest in Kalyan-Dombivli which added 615 cases during the day, he said.

On Friday night, a 10-day lockdown was announced in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and a few other parts of the district starting 13 July. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

In West Bengal, a seven-day lockdown was clamped from Thursday on the state's containment zones, spread across 20 of the 23 districts.

The Uttar Pradesh government had re-imposed restrictions in the state from 10 pm on Friday to 5 am on Monday. Chief Secretary RK Tiwari said the curbs have been imposed to check the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.

Recovery rate rises to 62.78 percent, says health ministry

According to news agency PTI, India recorded an increase of more than 22,000 new cases for the eighth consecutive day. It took 110 days for the number of cases in the country to reach one lakh but just 53 days more to cross eight lakh.

With effective implementation of containment zones, surveillance activities, timely diagnosis and effective clinical management of cases, the total number of recovered patients has crossed five lakh on Saturday, the Union Health ministry said.

A total of 5,15,385 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far with 19,870 COVID-19 patients having been cured and discharged in the last 24 hours till 8 am.

"The recovered cases outnumber the COVID-19 active cases by 2,31,978. With this progressively widening gap, the recovery rate has further improved to 62.78 percent," the ministry said in a statement.

There are 2,83,407 active cases and all are under medical supervision, with severe cases being admitted in hospitals and pre-symptomatic patients and those showing moderate symptoms in home isolation, it said.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 1,13,07,002 swab samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 10 July, of which 2,82,511 been tested on Friday.

Of the 519 new deaths reported on Saturday, 226 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 57 from Karnataka, 42 from Delhi, 27 from Uttar Pradesh and 26 from West Bengal. Andhra Pradesh reported 15 fatalities, Gujarat 14, Telangana eight and Rajasthan six.

Of the total 22,123 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounts for the highest with 9,893 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,300 deaths, Gujarat 2,022, Tamil Nadu 1,829, Uttar Pradesh 889, West Bengal 880, Madhya Pradesh 638, Karnataka 543 and Rajasthan 497, said the health ministry in its morning update.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of cases at 2,38,461,followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,30,261, Delhi at 1,09,140, Gujarat at 40,069, Uttar Pradesh at 33,700, Karnataka at 33,418 and Telangana at 32,224.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 3,416 cases are being reassigned to states.

Narendra Modi lauds Centre, state govt for efforts in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the efforts of the Centre, state and local authorities in containing the COVID-19 situation in Delhi and directed that similar approach be replicated in checking the pandemic in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) area.

He made these remarks at a meeting to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in various parts of the country and the preparedness of various states, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

The review meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and the Cabinet Secretary among others.

Modi also directed that real-time national-level monitoring and guidance should be provided to all affected states and places with high test positivity rate.

Had an extensive meeting to review the COVID-19 situation across the nation. Took stock of the ongoing efforts to contain the infection. Priority is close monitoring and guiding the containment works in regions where the infection rate is high. https://t.co/iOLuK2IJF6

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2020

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Modi said awareness about the pandemic should be disseminated widely and a continuous emphasis on preventing the spread of the infection should be laid. He said there is no room for any complacency in this regard, according to the statement.

Delhi recorded 1,781 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the total to 1,10,921 while the toll from the disease climbed to 3,334 with 34 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi health department bulletin.

Maharashtra, West Bengal report record spikes in cases

Meanwhile, many states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal registered record increase in cases.

Maharashtra recorded another highest single-day spike with 8,139 new patients found on Saturday which took the case count to 2,46,600. With 223 fatalities reported during the day, the toll crossed 10,000-mark to reach 10,116, said a statement from the state health department.

Madhya Pradesh too registered its biggest single-day rise of 544 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 17,201, health officials said. With six more people succumbing to the viral infection, the toll has risen to 644, they said.

West Bengal's COVID-19 count surged to 28,453 on Saturday as 1,344 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the highest single-day spike in the state so far. With 26 new fatalities, the toll rose to 906 in the state, the state health department said.

The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose by 872 to 41,027 while the toll mounted by 10, including four fatalities in Ahmedabad, to 2,034, state health department said. There are now 10,308 active cases in the state, out of which the condition of 73 patients is critical, the health department said in a release.

Activist Akhil Gogoi tests positive in Guwahati jail

In Assam, peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who was arrested by the NIA for his alleged role in violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last year, tested positive for inside the Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday, an official said.

"Akhil Gogoi tested positive in the antigen test this evening. He will be shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) now," Inspector General (Prisons) Dasarath Das told PTI. The health officials did three tests of Gogoi — two antigen and one swab test (RT-PCR) — and only the last antigen sample came positive, Das said.

A total of 55 inmates, including Gogoi, have tested positive at the jail, forcing the authorities to issue orders for taking samples of all the 1,069 prisoners.

Two others — Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leaders Bittu Sonowal and Dhairjya Konwar — have also tested positive and are being treated at the GMCH, while Gogoi's fourth associate, Manash Konwar, has tested negative, Das said.

With inputs from PTI

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comic-watch · 7 years ago

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He’s Back! Mega Man turned 30 on December 17, 2017, and Capcom definitely kickstarted the celebration with the big announcement of Mega Man 11. While we wait for the game, we at Comic-Watch would like to discuss a brief history of the Blue Bomber and the road to Mega Man 11. Plus, other highly anticipated Mega Man products, cartoon series, and the movie adaptation all being released to celebrate the Super Fighting Robot’s 30th birthday!

What You Need to Know:

Mega Man is known as Rockman (ロックマン Rokkuman) in Japan was created back on December 17, 1987, by Capcom. The fathers of Mega man, developer Akira Kitamura, and designer Keiji Inafune created this mighty “Blue Bomber” for the NES (Family Computer) which became a massive hit in worldwide. It was not after the release of the 2nd game that the series became one of the most iconic characters in video game history.

For the past 30 years, the game had released multiple spin-offs, each one and everyone continuing the spirit of the original game but adding a twist to it. These series were, Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Starforce and Mega Man ZX.

A lot of the younger generation wouldn’t have even played a Mega Man game much like most of the younger folks don’t even know what a walkman is. These days he retains his relevance as an easter egg or as a guest character featuring in games like Marvel vs Capcom, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, and even in Super Smash Bros. 4. Aside from video games, Mega Man has been popular in other media forms too. In Western television, he appeared in the late 80’s animated series “Captain N: The Game Master.” During the mid 90’s Ruby-Spears Production produced the popular Mega Man animated series (Admit, I know that catchy “Super Fighting Robot” theme song is playing in my head right now!.) Japan also had their fair share of animated adaptations with the 3 part OVA, which was also an educational way to teach kids a few things about Japanese culture, and also the popular Mega Man NT Warrior series.

But, I guess most of your readers why am I talking about a video game franchise on a website that focuses more on comic books? Well, Mega Man was also adapted in the comic book format too. Adaptation of the Blue Bomber was mostly dominant in Japanese manga format. Some of these mangas were so popular that even got a translated into English and released Internationally. A few popular ones were Hitoshi Ariga’s Mega Man Megamix books which are now published in English by Udon Entertainment, Mega Man NT Warrior by Ryo Takamisaki which was translated in English by Viz Media and Battle Story Rockman.EXE by Keijima Jun and Miho Asada. But Mega Man comics were not only published in Manga format, there were a lot of countries that produced their comic adaptation too. From the disturbingly strange Brazilian Mega Man comics and trust me you don’t want to know about this adaptation. To the former Dreamwave’s short-lived Mega Man series, which was good in its own way despite taking its own liberties with the story but sadly the company had to shut down before it could even release an issue 5 and after teasing a Mega Man X adaptation. And finally to the recent critically acclaimed Archie Comics adaptions written by Ian Flynn. Trust me the Archie adaptation was really well written, even with the major cross-over with Archie’s adaptation of Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog, the quality of the story was still great.

The Dark Times:

But before Mega Man 11 was revealed, fans were already losing hope with the franchise after Mega Man 10 was released and after co-creator, Keiji Inafune left Capcom back in 2010. Things spiraled down for the Blue Bomber’s franchise, 1st with the character being absent in Marvel vs Capcom 3 plus it’s expanded Ultimate version, then the online side-scrolling game Mega Man Universe was canceled on March 31, 2011. Then the last straw for the fans was the cancelation the highly anticipated Mega Man Legends 3 which was canceled on July 18, 2011, followed by Mega Man Online being canceled in March 2013. The worst part of these cancelations was how all games were still in production. The only thing that kept the franchise alive were other 3rd party merchandises like Kotobukiya’s Plastic Model Kits, Bandai D-Arts Figures, Udon’s Tribute Book and English Publication of Ariga’s mangas, Archie comics’ comic adaptation and the fans.

Capcom, however, did try to release a few Mega Man game after Inafune left the company. Back in 2012, they released the mobile game Mega Man Xover which was received poorly and ironically officially published a fan-made PC game, Street Fighter X Mega Man during both franchise’s 25th anniversary. Despite being developed by a fan, the game gained a favorable response from the fans.

Then on August 31, 2013, Keiji Inafune announced his company, Comcept’s Kickstarter project: Mighty No. 9.

Fans of the blue bomber got so excited that the co-creator of Mega Man is finally creating a spiritual successor. Kickstarter campaign was an unexpectedly a huge success and was able to meet the goal in a short span of 2 days. However, the production of the game was very controversial since the release of the game were delayed multiple times. When the game finally got a release, it was met with poor review and backlash from the fans. The game was poorly developed and felt incomplete. Aside from that, the gameplay did not capture the essence of the Mega Man franchise and also felt flat. Not only was that the issue but those who supported via Kickstarter had reported that the freebies and other exclusive items for backing up the project were either delayed or never arrived.

What You’ll Find Out:

On December 4, 2017, Capcom held a Mega Man 30th anniversary live stream to celebrate the iconic character’s 3rd decade in the gaming industry. With the announced the live stream, fans speculated that a potential game would be announced. But due to the countless of disappointments for the past 7 years, most fans had low expectations.

Capcom came prepared this time. First, they announced a new Mega Man X collection to be released for modern gaming consoles. After a few interview about Mega Man X series, Capcom then showed a video of 8-bit Mega Man running forward detailing the games released throughout the years. After watching the Blue Bomber passed 7 years of no new games and reaching Dr. Wily, He entered a room with the capsule displaying 2018. The super fighting robot reached out the capsule and we then see the future of the series.

Mega Man 11 is finally announced! After years of fans fearing that Capcom is no longer prioritizing one of their company’s mascot, the Blue Bomber is finally back! Aside from this fans are excited to see that the sequel is not another 8-bit sequel like 9 and 10 but a 3D side-scrolling game (but most people would consider this as 2.5D)

Game Informer is currently doing exclusive updates with the game highlighting the development during their time at Capcom Japan HQ. Aside from that, they had released their January 2018 issue with an awesome cover celebrating Mega Man 11’s announcement and the Blue Bomber’s anniversary.

But Mega Man 11 is not the only product we should be looking forward next year. I’ll list down the most anticipated Mega Man merchandises to be released next year.

Things To Come:

Now, it’s obvious that Mega Man 11, Mega Man X1 – X8 Ports (Collection) and Mega Man Legacy 1 & 2 for Switch is one of the highly anticipated games in 2018. But here are some of the few Mega Man related stuff we are looking forward in 2018, in celebration of the Blue Bomber’s 30th anniversary:

Mega Man Animated Series (Cartoon Network) Release Date: TBA – 2018

Back in 2015, it was announced that Man of Action (creator’s of Ben 10) was going to produce an all-new animated series based on the Blue Bomber for Cartoon Network. Some teasers were already shown this year and the series itself is scheduled to be released next year!

Mega Man Mastermix (Udon Entertainment) Release Date: January 24, 2018

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Next month, Hitoshi Ariga’s critically acclaimed manga based on Mega Man is getting released in an all-new colored re-mastered version from Udon Entertainment. The colors will be done by Josh Perez, well known for his work on IDW’s Transformer series.

You can pre-order the 1st issue at Udon’s Official Store. Also keep an eye on our review for this comic next month as well.

Nendoroid Zero Release Date: July 2018

Good Smile Co. is finally releasing a Nendoroid figure for X’s best friend, Zero and is one of the highly anticipated in the Mega Man Nendoroid series too!

Nendoroid Roll Release Date: TBA 2018

Zero is not the only one getting the Nendoroid treatment. Roll, Mega Man’s sister was announced to be released sometime next year sporting her new design. The figure was announced back in Tokyo Game Show 2017 and her design was one of the clues Capcom was teasing for the upcoming Mega Man 11 (which was not announced then.)

Mega Man Collector’s Plush (Pop Buddies) Release Date: TBA 2018

Pop Buddies announced that they will produce new Mega Man Plushies coming out next year. Aside from that, more designs are teased and will be announced at the Toy Fair in Nuremberg Germany in 2018.

There are more Mega Man related products that are coming out in 2018, like Bandai’s new Rockman X: Mega Missions 4 trading cards. But what everyone is asking now is the upcoming live-adaptation movie by FOX. Mid this year, the studio announced that they had found the directors for the movie. The recent biggest news, however, was Disney buying out FOX which also happened this month. After the Disney-Fox merger, the talks about the movie is still unknown as of the moment. But if ever it is still in the works it is interesting to know that Disney is now the movie rights holder of the Mega Man movie franchise.

At the end of the day, it’s good to see that Mega Man is getting back to the spotlight again and it’s good to know Capcom has big plans for the series again after a long hiatus. Here’s to hoping that Mega Man Legends 3 gets a revival and Archie comics will continue its comic book adaptation again soon!

For now, let’s all wish Mega Man a happy birthday and here’s to more of the Super Fighting Robot’s fight for everlasting peace!

#MegaMan turns 30 and is back in action! What are you looking forward the most for franchise? He’s Back! Mega Man turned 30 on December 17, 2017, and Capcom definitely kickstarted the celebration with the big announcement of Mega Man 11.

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08:48 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Aishwarya Rai, Aaradhya and Jaya Bachchan test negative for COVID-19 After Bollywood actors Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan test positive for the coronavirus, say reports that Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have tested negative for it. 08:30 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates Lockdown in Karnataka today Complete lockdown is being observed in Kalaburagi on Sunday, due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The state government has announced a complete lockdown in the state on all Sundays till August 2. Karnataka: Complete lockdown being observed in Kalaburagi today, due to rise in #COVID19 cases. The state government has announced a complete lockdown in the state on all Sundays till August 2. pic.twitter.com/YMUrzvMzFQ — ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2020 08:08 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Former India cricketer Chetan Chauhan tests positive for COVID-19 Former India opener Chetan Chauhan has tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. Chauhan, who is also a minister in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet was tested for the virus on Friday. According to initial media reports, he has been admitted to Sanjay Gandhi PGI hospital. Also his family members will be tested for the virus now. 07:59 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Rahul Gandhi congratulates Dharavi residents, officials for flattening COVID-19 curve A day after the World Health Organisation lauded Mumbai's Dharavi for breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday congratulated all those responsible for the achievement. In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, "The WHO has praised our country's Dharavi model for preventing the spread of coronavirus infection. The entire team responsible for this achievement of Dharavi, especially the residents, deserve applause." 07:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in US Latest Updates In first, Donald Trump dons mask in visit to a military medical facility President Donald Trump, who has avoided wearing a mask in public even as the coronavirus pandemic spread, donned one on Saturday at a military medical facility outside Washington where he was to meet with wounded soldiers and front-line health-care workers, reports Reuters. The visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center marked Trump’s first public appearance with a face-covering since the virus began sweeping across the United States earlier this year. 07:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates Pune Municipal Commissioner shunted out The Maharashtra government on Saturday transferred Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad and replaced him with Vikram Kumar who is currently CEO of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, reports PTI. Pune is among the worst-hit cities in the state and, as on Friday evening, had 25,893 cases, with the rise particularly sharp and worrying over the past few days. 07:46 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates Amitabh Bachchan's condition stable, says Nanavati's PRO Mumbai's Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital's PRO told ANI Amitabh Bachchan's condition is stable. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is currently kept in the isolation unit of the hospital. The megastar had yesterday said that he had tested positive for COVID-19. His son and actor Abhishek Bachchan has also tested positive and been admitted to the same hospital on Saturday. 07:39 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Updates 18-yr-old diabetic COVID patient dies after 3 hospitals refused him admission The parents of an 18-year-old man, who was diabetic and tested positive for COVID-19 before his death in a government hospital in Kolkata, on Saturday alleged that he succumbed because of negligence as he was refused a bed by three medical facilities. Even at the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) where Subhrajit Chattopadhyay died on late Friday night, admitted him only after his mother threatened to commit suicide if he was not treated there, the class 12 students father claimed. When contacted, Director of Health Services Ajoy Chakraborty said that the matter would be definitely looked into. 07:34 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates India took just 53 days to cross 8 lakh from one lakh cases According to news agency PTI, India recorded an increase of more than 22,000 new cases for the eighth consecutive day, on Saturday. It took 110 days for the number of cases in the country to reach one lakh but just 53 days more to cross eight lakh. It took 64 days for COVID-19 cases in India to rise above one lakh from 100, and another fortnight to cross two lakh on 3 June. It took 10 days for the case count to touch the three lakh-mark and another eight days for the cases to climb above four lakh on 21 June. In another six days, the total tally raced past the five-lakh mark. Then it took 10 days to cross seven lakh. Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Mumbai's Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital's PRO told ANI Amitabh Bachchan's condition is stable. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is currently kept in the isolation unit of the hospital. With a record single-day increase of 27,114 cases, India's COVID-19 case count surged to 8,20,916 on Saturday, while the toll climbed to 22,123 with 519 people succumbing to the disease in the past 24 hours, said the health ministry in its morning update. Lockdown restrictions were announced or extended in many areas across the country for differing time periods as many states reported record jumps in daily cases. Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek tested positive for the coronavirus infection late on Saturday night and were admitted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital. Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you. 🙏🏽 — Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020 // // ]]> "The BMC has been in touch and we are complying with them," said Abhishek in another tweet. Lockdown in several places The Karnataka government in the evening announced complete lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts for one week from 14 July. "As COVID-19 cases are increasing in the state day by day, based on the advice of experts complete lockdown will be imposed in Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru rural for one week from 14 July 8 pm to 5 am on 22 July," Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said in a statement, adding that detailed guidelines will be released on Monday. All essential services including supply of milk, vegetables, fruits, medicines and groceries will continue uninterrupted. I appeal to people to cooperate with the government, follow all guidelines, take all precautionary steps and help us contain the pandemic. (2/2) — B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) July 11, 2020 // // ]]> As of Saturday evening, cumulatively 36,216 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 613 deaths and 14,716 discharges, a government bulletin said. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 16,862 infections. In Assam, the ongoing lockdown in Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which Guwahati city falls, has been extended for a week from 12 July due to large-scale spread of the respiratory infection. Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said the 14-day lockdown in the district was scheduled to end at 6 pm on Sunday but the district magistrate reported that rising cases may be a major threat to public health, hygiene and safety of the general population. "Due to extensive testing, isolation and other restrictive measures, community spread of COVID-19 has been contained to some extent and this necessitates further extension of prohibitory measures to contain the spread of the pandemic," he stated. A complete lockdown was imposed in the district on 28 June as Guwahati city reported a surge of positive cases with 6,221 patients recorded since 24 June. The lockdown in Arunachal Pradesh's capital complex too was extended for another week in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases in the region, a top official told PTI. The state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu took the decision to extend the total lockdown in the capital region for another week till 5 am on 20 July, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar said. The previous lockdown was imposed in the capital complex comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa on 6 July was scheduled to end at 5 pm on 13 July. Strict lockdown restrictions were also reimposed on Saturday in parts of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district following a spike in coronavirus cases. The entire Rajouri city and adjoining areas were sealed and people were asked to stay indoors as part of the efforts to slow the spread of the infection, said officials. "The restrictions were re-imposed as a precautionary measure after some locals were tested positive for COVID-19. While in most cases the source of the infection is known, there are some cases where the source is unknown," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, Sher Singh, said. Rajouri recorded the highest single-day spike of 51 cases on Friday. In Uttarakhand, a three-day lockdown was imposed from Saturday in Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, which alone accounted for 41 of the 68 cases reported in the state on Friday. Nagaland, too, decided to extend the ongoing lockdown, which was supposed to end on 16 July, till 31 July. Planning and Coordination Minister Neiba Kronu said the decision was taken after reviewing the existing measures and the rising cases of coronavirus infection in the state. Till Friday, the number of actives cases in Nagaland was 428 while 304 patients have recovered from the disease. The Meghalaya government announced a two-day total lockdown in capital Shillong from Monday. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the decision was taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, besides ensuring behavioural changes among citizens to follow coronavirus-related guidelines. Earlier in the day, the state reported 76 new cases, taking the total to 312. There are 215 active cases in the state at present, officials said. A lockdown with minimum exemptions in place in Thane district, excluding the city limits, was extended till 19 July due to rise in coronavirus cases over the past few days. The order for Thane district was issued by Collector Rajesh Narvekar and Municipal Commissioner AB Misal announced an extension for Navi Mumbai, said officials. The "total" lockdown in Ulhasnagar municipal corporation (UMC) limits, also part of Thane district, has been extended by civic chief Raja Dayanidhi till 22 July. A record spike of 2,232 COVID-19 cases took Thane district's count to 53,152 while 53 deaths caused the overall toll to rise to 1,560, an official told PTI. The rise was sharpest in Kalyan-Dombivli which added 615 cases during the day, he said. On Friday night, a 10-day lockdown was announced in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and a few other parts of the district starting 13 July. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. In West Bengal, a seven-day lockdown was clamped from Thursday on the state's containment zones, spread across 20 of the 23 districts. The Uttar Pradesh government had re-imposed restrictions in the state from 10 pm on Friday to 5 am on Monday. Chief Secretary RK Tiwari said the curbs have been imposed to check the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. Recovery rate rises to 62.78 percent, says health ministry According to news agency PTI, India recorded an increase of more than 22,000 new cases for the eighth consecutive day. It took 110 days for the number of cases in the country to reach one lakh but just 53 days more to cross eight lakh. It took 64 days for COVID-19 cases in India to rise above one lakh from 100, and another fortnight to cross two lakh on 3 June. It took 10 days for the case count to touch the three lakh-mark and another eight days for the cases to climb above four lakh on 21 June. In another six days, the total tally raced past the five-lakh mark. Then it took 10 days to cross seven lakh. With effective implementation of containment zones, surveillance activities, timely diagnosis and effective clinical management of cases, the total number of recovered patients has crossed five lakh on Saturday, the Union Health ministry said. A total of 5,15,385 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far with 19,870 COVID-19 patients having been cured and discharged in the last 24 hours till 8 am. "The recovered cases outnumber the COVID-19 active cases by 2,31,978. With this progressively widening gap, the recovery rate has further improved to 62.78 percent," the ministry said in a statement. There are 2,83,407 active cases and all are under medical supervision, with severe cases being admitted in hospitals and pre-symptomatic patients and those showing moderate symptoms in home isolation, it said. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 1,13,07,002 swab samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 10 July, of which 2,82,511 been tested on Friday. Of the 519 new deaths reported on Saturday, 226 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 57 from Karnataka, 42 from Delhi, 27 from Uttar Pradesh and 26 from West Bengal. Andhra Pradesh reported 15 fatalities, Gujarat 14, Telangana eight and Rajasthan six. Of the total 22,123 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounts for the highest with 9,893 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,300 deaths, Gujarat 2,022, Tamil Nadu 1,829, Uttar Pradesh 889, West Bengal 880, Madhya Pradesh 638, Karnataka 543 and Rajasthan 497, said the health ministry in its morning update. Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of cases at 2,38,461,followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,30,261, Delhi at 1,09,140, Gujarat at 40,069, Uttar Pradesh at 33,700, Karnataka at 33,418 and Telangana at 32,224. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 3,416 cases are being reassigned to states. Narendra Modi lauds Centre, state govt for efforts in Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the efforts of the Centre, state and local authorities in containing the COVID-19 situation in Delhi and directed that similar approach be replicated in checking the pandemic in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) area. He made these remarks at a meeting to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in various parts of the country and the preparedness of various states, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. The review meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and the Cabinet Secretary among others. Modi also directed that real-time national-level monitoring and guidance should be provided to all affected states and places with high test positivity rate. Had an extensive meeting to review the COVID-19 situation across the nation. Took stock of the ongoing efforts to contain the infection. Priority is close monitoring and guiding the containment works in regions where the infection rate is high. https://t.co/iOLuK2IJF6 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2020 // // ]]> Modi said awareness about the pandemic should be disseminated widely and a continuous emphasis on preventing the spread of the infection should be laid. He said there is no room for any complacency in this regard, according to the statement. Delhi recorded 1,781 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the total to 1,10,921 while the toll from the disease climbed to 3,334 with 34 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the Delhi health department bulletin. Maharashtra, West Bengal report record spikes in cases Meanwhile, many states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal registered record increase in cases. Maharashtra recorded another highest single-day spike with 8,139 new patients found on Saturday which took the case count to 2,46,600. With 223 fatalities reported during the day, the toll crossed 10,000-mark to reach 10,116, said a statement from the state health department. Madhya Pradesh too registered its biggest single-day rise of 544 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 17,201, health officials said. With six more people succumbing to the viral infection, the toll has risen to 644, they said. West Bengal's COVID-19 count surged to 28,453 on Saturday as 1,344 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the highest single-day spike in the state so far. With 26 new fatalities, the toll rose to 906 in the state, the state health department said. The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose by 872 to 41,027 while the toll mounted by 10, including four fatalities in Ahmedabad, to 2,034, state health department said. There are now 10,308 active cases in the state, out of which the condition of 73 patients is critical, the health department said in a release. Activist Akhil Gogoi tests positive in Guwahati jail In Assam, peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who was arrested by the NIA for his alleged role in violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last year, tested positive for inside the Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday, an official said. "Akhil Gogoi tested positive in the antigen test this evening. He will be shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) now," Inspector General (Prisons) Dasarath Das told PTI. The health officials did three tests of Gogoi — two antigen and one swab test (RT-PCR) — and only the last antigen sample came positive, Das said. A total of 55 inmates, including Gogoi, have tested positive at the jail, forcing the authorities to issue orders for taking samples of all the 1,069 prisoners. Two others — Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leaders Bittu Sonowal and Dhairjya Konwar — have also tested positive and are being treated at the GMCH, while Gogoi's fourth associate, Manash Konwar, has tested negative, Das said. With inputs from PTI

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