#I could afford to at that point) I paid it to my dad for the first time and HE DIDNT TELL MY MOTHER ABOUT THE EXTRA I ADDED

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

.

[wilteddreamsofbaldursgate]

Girl dad Astarion who is mourning the times when his biggest problem was coming up with more or less child-friendly excuses to not read yet another bedtime story. Or to fix the dress of a shabby old doll that gave him the creeps. Or to kiss some scratches better, even though the minuscule wounds usually troubled him more than they did the damn child. 

Nobody ever told him that children grow up this fucking fast, okay?

But now he has to watch his darling little girl grow into a beautiful young woman, and he is—quite frankly—terrified for her. 

Because wherever he looks, he can see that strangers are watching her, too. 

It doesn’t even bother him that they notice his daughter’s beauty, no, you would have to be blind not to see it. She’s stunning—obviously. She's his child after all…and Tav’s, of course, but that’s not the point. 

It’s the way they're looking at the girl that disgusts Astarion to his very core. Leering eyes following her every move. Ulterior motives buried under layers of false niceties. Seemingly innocent little touches stolen as if those filthy hands were entitled to her body in any way. 

And for all their obnoxious gawking, they don’t even see her. They seldom care for his daughter’s talents, her sense of humour, or her intelligence. Her heart.

Those heads are only turning for a pretty face, and for all the small privileges that might afford her, they always come with a price—a price Astarion has paid once upon a time; a price he doesn’t ever want his daughter to even consider accepting.

But the world is not kind. It’s already leaving scratches on his child that neither he nor Tav can kiss better any longer. 

And Astarion hates it because the last time he felt this helpless was when his own pretty face was all that kept him, well, as alive as he could be. A thing to be used for other people's gain. Selling himself out for crumbs.

And then, one day, he notices a new bracelet on his daughter’s wrist. 

She happily hands it over to him so he can take a look. Then she tells him some stranger gifted it to her. Just like that! 

All they wanted for it was a little smile—isn’t that so great, father? 

It’s not. Far from it. Astarion is fuming inside. 

How dare some random nitwit think that ugly trinket worthy of his daughter’s wonderful smile? The audacity. The nerve. Unbelievable! 

“Darling, it’s not a gift if they’re expecting something in return,” a forced smile tugs at his lips, trying to soften his scolding tone.

It doesn’t work.

“But it’s so pretty, I had to have it!” 

The girl sulks, her little nose scrunched up as if he just sent her to bed without her fairy tales. Astarion supposes, in a way, he has.

“And what do we do when we see something we want, dear?” 

She rolls her eyes at him in a way that always has Tav cackling up. Maybe it's because, in moments like this, she looks a little too much like her father. 

“We just pocket it.”

“Exactly, my darling child, we just pocket it,” Astarion nods approvingly. “And if they ask for a smile next time?”

“We stab them,” she sighs.

“Absolutely, we do. Now, off with you, lest your daggers get all rusty, you lazy duck.” 

Ending the discussion with a gentle smile, Astarion watches the girl go before he produces the offending bracelet from his sleeve. 

It’s always out of sight, out of mind with pretty things, isn't it?

He takes another look at the bracelet, scrunching up his nose as if it gave off a particularly vile smell. In a way, it does.

In fact, it’s giving Astarion the creeps. And it's not even made from real gold, by the way.

Astarion scoffs at the cheap trinket. This child still has so much to learn.  

[marimayscarlett]

It’s cold outside. Our heating is still off, I am desperately trying to get warm.

Do you happen to have some Richard pictures/stories that might warm my insides?

Thank you for your service, m’am🖤

Hi 👋

First of all, I truly hope that your heating will soon be working! Sending warmth and hugs your way 🤲🏼

Now, regarding some stories - not sure if these will do the trick, but I always feel warm/smile/sigh and look into the distance dreamily when I think about the following (sadly, I can't find sources for every story here - so some might just be cute "urban legends", but I just choose the believe them ☝😌):

A story of a fan about meeting Richard after a concert: "The hug I got was bone crushing. I was right in front of him. Cried my way through Frühling [...]. He checked on me and asked me if I was ok. Said i was fine and even the amount of times I'd seen them play, i got so caught up in the emotion. Richard told me they were the most moving moments for him at least and pulled me into a huge hug that if i think about it, i can still feel. Sounds weird but when you get a hug like that you dont forget it." (X)

It's incredibly nice to see how much he seems to care about his kids. Of course, that's the job of a dad, and yet it's not always the case. This situation warms my heart and makes it aching for him at the same time: “When my daughter, Khira, was 3 years old, she became very ill. There was nothing to worry about, a typical advanced tonsillitis. She was admitted to hospital. As always there were no seats in the wards I faced a choice: either pay for the ward or stay in the corridor. Only very wealthy people could afford the paid hospital ward. I was at that point that still could not afford it. We needed expensive medication, and I did not earn much. And she was put in the hallway. I slept with her in the hallway at night and her mother at daytime. And so the weeks passed until a free place appeared in the ward." (X)

Richard once mentioned (I think it was one of the festival interviews in 2017, yet I can't find the source anymore, so I might be wrong), that he was present during the birth of both of his daughters, and that the birth of a child is one of, if not the most, impressive things he has experienced in life. He seemed truly positively enthusiastic and sincere in that moment, which I found very beautiful, since not every man/father thinks like this.

Just this moment from this interview:

I find it rather endearing that he seems to love fantasy and would have liked to play a role in "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld", to let certain characters in him come to life. Richard seems to find enjoyment in movie worlds like these and I love that he speaks so openly about it 🥰 (X)

A long time ago, I read about an anecdote of the time when he lived with Till in the early 90's - they had little to no money, let alone food, so they apparently stole all the necessary ingredients, so Richard could make donuts for Till, who has a major sweet tooth. No idea if this is true, but it's really sweet.

In this interview, Richard expressed that he would drop everything to play a benefit for abused children.

He once gifted his guitar to the Hard Rock café in Berlin and signed it with "Rammstein!! RZK YeaH" which is kind of cringy, yet very cute?? (X)

Some pictures which just warm my heart - his comfy travel outfit, product free hair, him being soft and smiling, meeting a fan this year and being seemingly quite open, or just downright adorable on stage...

Weird assortment, I know and I'm sorry, but maybe it helps a bit 🤍

[goldenlikedayl1ght]

blank space - m. murdock

a/n: uhm... this one is dedicated to my friend arin who doesn't like daredevil but is encouraging me to be more unhinged. i hope you guys enjoy because i had a blast writing this. possible part two in the works, please like and reblog with comments and feedback <3 warnings: i cannot emphasize this enough-- DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT there is so little comfort to all of this hurt. matt is abusive and mean and reader is tortured and quiet and readers dad is an addict and a gambler and also stabbing, cursing, talking about fucking, sub/dom dynamics, nicknames, fem reader, lmk if i missed any! word count: 3.5k summary: Your dad makes your life horrible. Matt can make it worse. paring: dark!matt murdock x reader now playing: blank space (taylor's version) - taylor swift "so it's gonna be forever/or it's gonna go down in flames?/you can tell me when it's over/if the high was worth the pain"

You never meant to get involved with him.

Really, it wasn’t anything you did.

 As usual, it came back around to your father, who had a bad gambling problem, as well as a substance issue, and would often be tempted to gamble big prizes for things like coke or heroin. He would bet money, college funds, heirlooms, your house.

But of course, he couldn’t pay these debts.

Your mom had been gone for quite some time, and you suspect this is where your fathers’ addictions stem from. But you’re trying to just make your way through your adult life. You had gone to a local college, unable to afford much else. Now, you worked in a dingy little office where they constantly abused your work ethic.

Between your grief, his constant betting on your lively hood, and your asshole boss, you felt your bones grow tired. Not the sort of tired that could be fixed by a good night’s sleep. The sort of tired that could be fixed by a new life, not that you had the means for that.

You think your mother would haunt you for the rest of your days if you abandoned your dad.

Friday night came, and you were ready to go home to the small apartment you shared with your father, and drink some wine, and get a nice sleep.

You had been told by your boss that you needed to stay late to translate paper files to the digital system. No, you would not be getting paid overtime.

It was dark by the time you finally left, your feet aching in your heels as you made your way through Hell’s Kitchen, wanting to get home so as not to start crying on the streets of New York.

You don’t make it home.

As you turn the corner by your block, you notice a van creeping up on you. How long had it been following you? If you weren’t so tired, maybe you would know.

But the van pulled up next to you, and you did the only thing you could in this situation. You started to run.

Only, you made it about ten feet before you twisted your ankle with these stupid fucking heels. As you fall, you let out a cry of pain, and before you can think, two men are outside the van. They grab you by the arms and pull you into the van, the whole time you struggle.

Someone puts a black hood over your head and wraps duct tape around your hands. Your ankle is fucking aching.

You aren’t sure how long you drive for, but someone is then pulling you out of the van and drags you along. They give you an opportunity to walk but your ankle hurts to the point where you can’t walk.

They drag you again, and your foot is dragging, and holy shit, you can’t believe that your biggest concern while being kidnapped is how much your ankle hurts.

Eventually, hood on your head still, you are sat in a chair. Your hands are untied, and you want to jump up and fight, but you know your ankle won’t help you here.

They quickly tie your hands back to the chair, with rope this time. Whoever ‘they’ are.

You’re starting to have trouble breathing, because you’re realizing what sort of situation, you’re in right now.

You’ve been kidnapped for something; you have to assume in some way that it’s to get back at your father.

The hood is pulled off your head, and your eyes take a moment to adjust.

The room you’re in is dark, dingy. You know there’s two people behind you, big enough to carry you. You can hear water outside the room, assuming you’re in an abandoned office by the docks. Then, there’s three people in front of you.

One is a man, with long blond hair. He wears a nice suit and is just standing in front of the door. Another is a woman, with even longer blond hair and she also dons rather luxurious apparel. Your dirty work clothes make you look meager next to her.

The last is a man with dark hair. He wears a simple, rather expensive suit, and red glasses.

If you weren’t on the verge of a meltdown, you’d probably realize how hot he is.

Oh, he also holds a knife.

The blond man talks first.

“So. Do you want to start, or should we?”

“What?” Your ankle throbs.

“I guess we should, then.” He hums. “Do you have five grand worth of heroin on you, dear?”

You could throw up.

“I—”

“No, of course you don’t. You and your boyfriend probably used it all.”

What is he talking about? Now, on top of being in pain and panicked, you’re confused.

“The man you live with?” The woman finally speaks. “I assume you two used all the heroin he stole.”

You realize she means your father. You realize that your father stole five grand worth of heroin. What else did he steal?

“What else does he owe?”

“No, darling,” she scoffs, “We ask, you answer.”

“I don’t do heroin.”

“So, how do you know he owes us more?”

“Took a wild fucking guess.” You spit. “Figured you wouldn’t kidnap someone over five grand, figure money is no object.”

The man with the knife steps out of the shadows. Your heartbeat races, and he chuckles. He crouches in front of you.

“You’re a spitfire. I like that. In fact, I love that in a woman, don’t I, Foggy?” He turns his head back slightly.

Foggy answers.

“That you do, man.”

His head turns back to you. But you get the impression by his glasses that he can’t see. So how is he looking right at you?

“If you give us some sort of sass like that again, I’ll stab you and make sure you feel every second of pain.” You whimper, and he laughs again. “Not so cocky anymore, are we, sweetheart?” He stands and goes behind you, his arms landing on the outside of your own, caging you in. He leans down and whispers in your hear, “Is this.. turning you on, sweetheart?”

You don’t answer.

“Answer me.”

“No.”

“Liar.” He whispers back, the knife gracing over your ear. He cuts your ear just enough to make it bleed, and tears slip down your face. He makes his way back to the front of you and crouches again. “I’ll ask you again. How do you know he owes me more?”

“I figured he would, when gamblers start, they don’t stop.”

“Not only did you lie to me again, you also just gave yourself away. Lie to me again and I hurt you worse.”

Your foot that isn’t hurt goes up and kicks him in the face. At least it tries, because his reaction is too quick, and he grabs your ankle.

“Bad, bad girl.” He tuts. He lets go of your leg and picks up your other leg, the one with the bruising, swollen ankle. You start to shake. His hand squeezes the wound and when you yell in pain, he just coos at you. “Aw, does that hurt, sweetheart?”

You’re busy crying.

“Answer me!” He demands. It shakes you to your core. You realize you do not know who you’re dealing with, and you’re even angrier at your father for jeopardizing you like this.

“Yes!” You sob, and this seems to satisfy him. He takes the knife in his other hand and slowly cuts open your stocking, loving the way you’re shaking with fear.

 “Keep moving and you’ll cut yourself.”

You try to calm yourself down, on the verge of a panic attack. The knife grazes your leg, and he starts to focus in on your thigh, twisting the knife around your skin.

“How do you know him?” he asks. And you aren’t sure why you try it. You don’t know how he knows when you lie.

“I’ll find a way to pay you back, just let me go, I promise, I’ll tell you where he is, just—”

Then you feel it.

The knife pierces your thigh and is lodged into your leg. You scream in pain, gripping the arms of the chair. Fuck, it hurts. Your vision blurs, and you’re unsure whether it’s from pain or from your tears.

 He stands up in front of you, ignoring the stares from Karen and Foggy. He knows he might have gone a step too far for someone he’s pretty sure is innocent in all this. But he can’t help himself. He likes hearing you wither in pain, and he likes being the person administering the pain. He has all these things he’s in control of, but at this moment, no one else is in the room. It’s you and him, in a rather intimate moment.

He pats your chin, “C’mon, focus, right here, sweetheart. Tell me the truth and I make the pain go away.” He tells you, breaking through the wall of pain and fear that blocks your ability to think.

“He’s my father!” You finally cry out. It comes out as if you’re yelling in church, screaming to God a confession you can’t bear anymore. The only thing missing is your position on your knees, but being below this man like this is as close to an altar as you can see yourself being. “I know he has a gambling problem, and I know he has a drug problem but that’s it! I don’t know anything else, I just lost the parent roulette, okay?!” Your words come gasped out, in between sobs and when you’re not too distracted with your pain.

He seems to be satisfied with this. He gets back down, closer to the ground. Now he’s the one at the altar, but the devil has no place in a church, only between your thighs. He tilts his head and kisses the inside of your thigh.

“See? Good girls get rewards.” Bad girls get stabbed. He stands up, and with him, he pulls at the knife. Blood gushes as you cry out in pain again, sure he'll leave you to bleed out, to be fed on by rats.

He drops the knife at your feet and adjusts his tie.

“What should we do with her, boss?”

“Go get her father.” He says, “But don’t let her go just yet. I’d like to keep her a while.” You think you’ll be sick. “Knock her out though, we don’t want her knowing where she is.” That’s the last thing before the butt of a gun meets your head.

It’s a nice relief from the pain.  

• • •

You wake up on a bed with silk sheets. It’s almost nice enough for you to forget about the whole situation. Maybe your whole life has been a dream, and really, you’re a rich housewife for a man who loves you deeply and your mom is still alive.

But then you sit up, and your stockings are ripped, and your heels are gone.

A brace wraps around your hurt ankle. A bandage wraps around your thigh. The pain isn’t there anymore, you’re not sure what drugs have been given to you.

The room is rather barren, you realize, with little to no works of art or even photos, and it’s rather dark. It’s also freezing cold, a central air system whirling around you. You wonder, if you’re a prisoner, then why put you in a room like this?

What is happening?

The door opens and immediately you went to defend yourself, though there were no weapons around you.

The man from the night before steps into the room, and he looks... casual. He wears dark jeans and a tee shirt, his glasses discarded. Bandages wrapped around his knuckles.

“Oh, good. You’re awake.” You don’t respond, just stare at him. “I’m Matt.”

You stay quiet.

“You’re not being tortured anymore, honey. If you want, you can lie and be mean now, I don’t bite. Not anymore. Not unless you want me to.”

“I’m Matt.” You repeat, unable to believe it. “You stab me in the leg and kidnap me, and you go as casual as ‘I’m Matt’?” He grins.

“I told you; I love a woman with some fire.” You wonder how many times he’s used that line on people. “Telling them they’re beautiful just doesn’t hit the same way when you’re blind.” He says, going over to a door, and when he opens it, you realize it’s a closet.

“I want nothing to do with you.”

“No?” He turns to you, and smiles. He says your name. How does he know it? “You went to college for Marketing, cute. No siblings. Your mom died a few years ago, after a long battle with cancer. I’m sorry.” This sounds sincere. “You were engaged once, but he cheated on you and is now married to the other woman.” And he goes back to stinging. “Your father, I know all about him. David is an addict and a gambler. Now, addict, I could deal with. Addiction runs deep but it can be managed. It’s the gambling that frustrates me, and Sweetheart, If I’m frustrated, you must be riled up. He gambles everything, I should know. He gambles it to Foggy, who shares it with me.” He hums. He picks clothes out of the closet and heads back to you, “The pants are your size, but the shirt is mine.” He tells you, laying the clothes out in front of you. “Don’t worry about me watching, or anything.” It’s almost enough to make you smile.

You get changed, the challenge of slipping into the slightly lose jeans the hardest part. The bandage fits right in there, but even whatever pain meds have been given to you, aren’t enough.

“So, your father,” You groan, your face in your hands. You get it, your father is awful, and he hates him, but you know that your father is awful, and you know that you hate him. Why must he keep involving you? “I know, sweetheart, you’re in pain, and you hate him, but just stay with me on this.” he says, a cooing tone to his voice. You don’t know why, but you’re compelled to listen to him. “Your father forces you to live in this small apartment, because you’re the only one who works, and he always manages to find your money to gamble away. But it’s not just the money, it’s your electronics, your nice shoes, any pills you have in the house. And really, by doing all this, he is gambling you. Because not only is he risking not being able to pay his debts and someone taking you, but you’re tired. Aching for absolution that will never come. But the worst part is that even though all this stems from his grief around your mom, he gambled her wedding and engagement rings, the one you were always told you’d be proposed with.”

Tears well your eyes.

“Please, stop.”

He sits next to you on the bed, and you don’t have the energy to move away from him. In fact, you lean against him ever so slightly. He must know it too, you figure, since he can tell when you’re lying and when your heartbeat races. He’s warmer than you imagined. He’s a beacon of warmth in this cold, dim room.

He takes something out of his pocket, and then drops it into your hands. It’s a necklace, just a simple chain. Three things hang on it. A silver charm with an ‘M’ on it, and two rings. Your mom’s engagement ring, and her wedding band. You thought you’d never see it again, not after you came home and went to your jewelry box only to find out from your dad that he had lost it in a poker match a few weeks before.

You clutch the necklace in your hands.

“M for Matt?”

“Or Murdock, whatever you’d like.”

“You’re in charge, right? Just how in charge are you?”

“I run everything. There isn’t a corner of this city that I don’t have men in.” So, he’s the kingpin. The boss. Matt Murdock, a man feared by all, gentle to only you. Only for this moment.

“You’re not going to let me go, are you?”

“Bun, I was never going to let you go. But I don’t think you want to leave, either.”

You stay quiet. You can’t run. He made sure of that. Was he always going to stab you? Had he decided that from the moment he heard you whimper or was it your reaction to his pet names that did you in?

His fingers come up to graze your ear gently, but you flinch, since it’s where he had cut you.

“Bunnies are always so sensitive to the ears. Fragile. It’s not like you can hop away. Besides, you need time to heal, and I could take away all the pain. No more mean fathers, no more mean bosses, and no more mean thoughts.” He says gently. “I could put you back together.”

His voice is soft, as if his intentions are as well, but you’re sure he’ll destroy you. He will not put you back together, only break you down, collecting tiny pieces of you for his collection.

You consider it. You would never have to work again. You would never have to do anything again. You would never have to see your father again.

You turn your head, and nod.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll stay.” It wasn’t as if you had a choice in the matter. But nonetheless, He grins, and takes the necklace from you, only to wrap it around your neck, and clasp it on.

Despite the rings being something you had longed for, the ‘M’ alone weighs on you like a boulder.

He tilts your head gently, his fingers brushing against your chin, and you look away, ashamed of what you have done. He grabs your chin and keeps you looking at him. He leans forward and for a moment you just stay, feeling his hot breath against your lips. Tears escape from your eyes and run down your cheeks. He tuts softly and kisses your cheeks where the tears lie.

“Sh, Sh.. It’s okay, sweetheart,” he comforts. His other hand trails down to your thigh, where two of his fingers find the stab wound, and push into it. You whimper in pain, grasping his wrist. He sighs deeply, “Pretty noises.” He hums. “I would never deny you anything, bun. But if you deny me what I ask, it won’t end well for you. Understand?”

You nod, but when you aren’t verbal, he pushes down harder, the bandage and his fingers soaking with blood.

“Tell me. Tell me you understand.”

“I understand, Matt.” You manage to whimper out. He takes his fingers away and kisses your cheek.

“Good. Good job, honey.” He says softly, bringing his fingers up to his mouth and licking your blood off them. “Sweet, sweet girl.”

He leans forward and kisses you, and it’s full of a gentleness you weren’t sure he was capable of. You kiss back, afraid of what he’ll do if you deny him again.

He winds up kissing you to sleep, not mad at you for falling tired as you kiss. You lay with him in these silk sheets, freezing cold as you cuddle into him. He relishes being wanted. You accept that this is love. He feels you shivering and pulls you closer.

His hands slip beneath your shirt, his fingers tickling the bottom of your torso. You whine when he does this, burying your head in the crook of his neck. He laughs, kissing your head.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. I’ll buy you blankets. Blankets, Diamonds, anything you want.” He tells you. You’re tired. You just want to nap. You want him to give you more of the drugs that dull the pain of your thigh, and you want to eat something homemade that you didn’t cook yourself.

You want to give in and remain thoughtless. Just be happy with him since no one is looking for you anyways.

But as you drift off to sleep, feeling his hands crawl along your skin, you begin to plan. You’ll let him think you’re in love with him. You’ll let him love you, fuck you, put you back together. You’ll be his bunny, his arm candy, his toy to dress up and do whatever the fuck he wants. You’ll let him think he owns you.

He’ll know that he does.

And you’ll become close to his friends too. You’ll dress in pretty dresses, and he’ll pretend he’s oblivious to how much everyone wants you.

 And then, when your wounds heal, you’ll run.

You’ll flee the country, you’ll change your name, dye your hair.

But you don’t yet realize how relentless he is. How deeply enamored of you he is. By how determined he is to have you.

Escaping the devil will not be as easy as you think it might, not when he can hear your heartbeat, not when he can smell you, not when he wants you.

And it doesn’t help when he gives you the honor of killing your father.

That’s when you start to fall in love with him.

[namelesssfreak]

Jeremy Knox Theory

Made by an only child but I'm autistic and hyperfixating rn so hear me out (i also tried to cut down words this still ended up being over 2200)

Unpacking Quotes

'Jeremy made it over for dinner every night that week, apparently uninvited from the family table over the state of his hair. He laughed it off when he explained it, but Jean saw the shadows in his eyes and the dark look Cat and Laila exchanged as soon as Jeremy turned his back.'

Honestly, I like the theories that his family don't like the hair cause it makes Jeremy look more like either his dad or the unnamed brother, but the homophobia ones also make sense

Also whatever the reason was, Cat and Laila know it

'Jean knew nothing about cars, despite technically owning one, but he knew money when he saw it.'

'Cat looked weary as she pocketed it, though she had given up protesting his so-called charity a year ago. It wasn't about the money, so he didn't take it personally. Cat was more concerned with how many hoops it took him to pull it together when he was permenantly on his stepfather's bad side.'

"The right therapist can be legit life changing - just look at Jeremy for proof." She jerked a thumb over at Jeremy, who didn't look at all concerned to be snitched on. "I'd say you should ask for her number since we all know she's good, but I don't think any of us can afford her."

So Cat worries about Jeremy getting money from his stepfather, and it's completely plausible that his stepfather paid for therapy because of family image, but Jeremy having an expensive car makes me wonder how recent the struggle to get money is, like if he was on good terms with his stepfather at one point and that was when he got the car

"I wasn't born a Trojan, right? My high school team was just like every other school out there. So competitive, so much bad-mouthing, so many put-downs. And it was just...exhausting, playing like that. All that pressure on one side and all that antagonism on the other." He clapped his hands together as if crushing his past self between the two.'

Surely alluding to Jeremy being not the best person in high school, or anger issues Jeremy

"Jeremy has- three. One sister, two brothers. The older brother's an absolute tool, but there's bound to be a jerk or two once you pass four kids." Jean idly wondered what she'd changed at the last minute and why, but he watched her nervously push her fries around her plate and decided not to ask.'

On this, I think Jeremy only has the three siblings (Bryson, Annalise, and unnamed). I've seen people theories that there's more than three because of her pause, and the line about passing 4 kids, but right before that Cat mentions that she has 6 siblings, so I think it's slightly a nod to that, and her trying to change the subject into more light hearted she hesitated before saying 3 so that Jean doesn't pick up on or doesn't dwell on it. And I like to think she hesitated before saying 2, because I love the dead brother theory, and it seems the most likely to me. Cat could've said 3 instead of 2 either because she doesn't think Jeremy has told Jean yet or she knows he hasn't.

"What's Grandpa think of this investment of yours?" It was obvious bait, but that couldn't keep the edge out of Jeremy's fierce, "He is not our grandfather."

I reckon the investment is probably Jean or all of the Trojans, but I digress. I feel like Jeremy using "our" makes me think that even if his grandfather is homophobic, that's not the main issue Jeremy has with him, cause it seems like there's reason that Jeremy doesn't want his siblings (or at least him and Annalise) to be related to him (me when I struggle to put thoughts into words) TLDR I'm wondering if it's something worse than just homophobia to warrant the use of "our" and not my.

'His phone chimed, and Jeremy looked down to see William’s name on his phone. "Bryson is in the sitting room with Mr Wilshire."

'He could hear voices echoing down the corridor where his stepfather and older brother were having an animated discussion, so he settled for a grateful smile in William's direction before hurrying up the stairs.'

I'm assuming from this that Bryson and Mr Wilshire are on good terms

"Like Wayne did." Jean considered that. "Maybe he will also kill himself." "That isn't a joke," Jeremy said, with unexpected ferocity. Cat winced but kept her eyes on Jean.'

If Jeremy does end up having a homophobic family then it's completely plausible that he may have attempted, but I'm also just a sucker for the dead brother theories

"We can call the police." "I'll send Jeremy away first." Rhemann said, like that would somehow win Jean over.'

Rhemann could have said this to Jean because he thought less people would make Jean more comfortable, but he singled out Jeremy who was already waiting outside, so maybe he said it because he was under the impression that Jeremy had already told Jean about what happened his freshman year or at least why he doesn't like police officers, and if that's the case then it also means Rhemann and at a stretch the rest of the team (?) knows about it too, and this is not at all important but it's something I noticed

[About Annalise] 'He'd walked through a hundred hypothetical arguments with his therapist in preparation for the day he finally fought back, but every time the chance came, he watched it slip past in miserable silence.'

So whatever happened, between Jeremy and his family, is something that he could hypothetically argue his case for, if he's able to make arguments he could use against Annalise, then it's gotta mean he's not entirely at fault for whatever happened

'The receipt went into the zippered back of his wallet so he could file it later; it was always best to have a paper trail when dealing with his mother's bookkeeper.'

Okay stay with me but adding to the thing of Jeremy possibly not being the nicest person in high school, maybe his mother and stepfather have limits on his money because he spent really irresponsibly in high school?

'His family had its problems - all families did, he supposed - but never in his life had his mother raised a hand at her rowdy children. He couldn't fathom being struck by a parent.'

I feel like this gives us a hint on when his parent's divorce/mother's remarriage took place, seeing as Jean specified his father when talking about the scars, it's odd that Jeremy focused only on his mother in the above quote. Could mean that the divorce was from early in his life, and custody went to his mother, so he didn't see his father much?

"I've never been to Europe. Dad's been stationed there a couple times, but..." He shrugged and didn't bother to elaborate.'

Maybe his not bothering to elaborate is because he doesn't know much else about his father?

My full theory because it's clawing at the corners of my mind to be put into words:

So I'm assuming that his parents splitting up happened in early years, probably after Jeremy and all his siblings were born since I don't think any of them are half/step siblings but early enough that Jeremy doesn't have many memories of him. A bit of grasping at straws but this line, "I've never been to Europe. Dad's been stationed there a couple times, but..." He shrugged and didn't bother to elaborate.' if his dad is part of the army could mean that Jeremy doesn't see the man a lot. I've kinda got two running theories so branching off into those

Theory One:

We've got Jeremy and his three siblings being raised by his mother, because his father is unable to take any custody (due to travelling and being in the army, or for other reasons), which could in itself put some strain on the family with his mother having to raise all 4 kids herself. And then later on in high school Jeremy and his unnamed brother both want to go to a good uni where they can play exy (whether that's USC or not) and their high school team have a really important game at the end of the year that a lot of universities are visiting (this is me making a big leap on how close in age these two are) Depending on how much money Jeremy and his family have pre his stepfather entering the picture, the two of them could have been hoping to be signed with a college team (if I've not worded that right I'm so sorry I'm not American and don't play sports)

And at this game, Jeremy ends up playing really well, but it's at the expense of his brother's playing, so like Jeremy gets all his time to shine but his brother maybe not so much, and he decides to completely blame Jeremy for that which ends in a fight. In this fight, Jeremy's brother ends up getting really injured, like worse than Kevin, like to the point of being unable to play exy anymore. When his mother and new stepfather find out, they decide to completely cover the whole thing up and not tell Annalise and Bryson, part of which involves paying for Jeremy to go to USC for some reason (I can't be bothered to work out the logistics of). Which all works well and good, until Jeremy's brother takes his life because of not knowing what to do with himself after losing his biggest passion (this makes sense I promise codependency on exy is borderline a key theme in these books) and their mother and stepfather dig even more of a hole by covering that up and calling what happened an accident ("There's been an accident," he said, and grimaced like it wasn't at all the word he wanted to use.) and no one suspects anything until Jeremy's freshman year at USC, where he's perhaps not the best at getting on with his new teammates (probably particular the 5th years), still getting used to going from his high school team to the one at USC, also potentially homophobia (Nicky core) but they don't really have any acceptable reason to actually start anything with him, so one of them who had connections with the police (related or something) found out from them about the thing with the brother that had been covered up (He had half a mind to cut through the park, but the sigh of cops lounging at the nearer entrance had him sticking to the sidewalk along Exposition. There was little to no chance he'd know them, and no reason they'd recognize him, but Jeremy kept his gaze forward and his mouth shut until they were past.)

And decided to bring it up at the fall banquet, which caused it to get out and it was mainly contained between the USC team, but the whole team ended up finding out, and also Annalise and Bryson, who don't forgive him for it ("Overdue for a new scandal, hm?" She asked. "End the way you started?") (Once upon a time she'd gone to all his high school games, but once upon a time was before the fall banquet that broke their family in half. She'd gone out of her way to forget exy since then, and she'd never forgiven him for sticking with it.) ("Careful," Annalise warned him as she rummaged for her keys. "You already destroyed the family. Don't destroy my future, too.")

Theory Two:

My other theory surrounding Jeremy's childhood is that either 1 or 2 of his siblings went to live with his dad when their parents split up (their unnamed brother and either Annalise or Bryson) and I don't think that would have necessarily affected their relationship (with Annalise still going to his exy games, though the Bryson being homophobic theory isn't one I'm ruling out yet) Then Jeremy and his unnamed brother both wanted to get into either USC or a good university that they could play exy at, which makes sense if the unnamed brother was living with their dad he could have been hoping to get in to university through playing exy, while Jeremy had the option of his stepfather paying for him. Also potentially the two of them are still in contact but just going to different schools, and are on separate teams for a match between their schools at the end of the year that a lot of universities are attending, that Jeremy's team ends up winning, and then either this follows the same route as the first theory, or the brother gets into another university, and he and Jeremy get into their fight at the fall banquet of Jeremy's freshman year.

I could probably organise this slightly better and might come in and edit this when my copy of tsc gets here in a few days, but heres the random thoughts my brain spat out for now

[d3vils-island]

Mechanix (80’)

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Dave Mustaine x Fem!reader

2,136 words

- - - - -

Description: You decide to take a trip to some local gas station, but this one trip turns into a sequence of trips after you get entranced by the worker.

Warnings: Smut (I’ll mark with three “^” when the smut starts) porn w/ plot, p in v.

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Clank

“Just this please.” You said as you set your beer on the register before looking over at a pack of gum that was towards your right. You grabbed it and tossed it next to your alcohol on the counter.

“Oh, and this. Thanks.” You looked up at the cashier and smiled.

You couldn’t help but feel your face heat up as you first laid eyes on the man in front of you. His orange hair framed his perfectly harmonized face… damn. This was definitely going to be your new favorite gas station.

“Hey, you think you could also top off my car?” You said, trying to lengthen the time you and this guy would spend together. “Not a problem.” He gently smiled. You paid him for your beer, gum, and gas, then you both walked out to your car.

He whistled as he locked eyes with your vehicle. “Damn, nice ride.” He stepped up next to it, admiring its body.

“V8?” He questioned, you shook your head. “Yea, it was my dad’s. He gave it to me for my birthday years ago.” He nodded his head in approval, crossing his arms and eyeing it one last time.

You got in the drivers seat and rolled the window down, patiently waiting for the man to finish filling up your car. As you sat in front of the wheel, you couldn’t help but watch him from your side mirror, taking notice of his strong arms, his long curly hair, and his beautiful eyes.

He finished up and walked over to your door, putting his hand on the hood of your car and bending over so he could talk to you through the open window.

“She’s all full.” He said, patting the hood of your car. “Thanks, uh…” you paused, glancing down at his name tag. “Dave.”

“Not a problem.” He softly smiled and walked off, but turned around and walked backwards to look at you one last time. “I hope to see you later.” You heard him say as he winked, right before he turned back around and walked to the gas station.

You felt your heart pounding in your chest as you gripped the steering wheel harshly to calm your nerves. “ohmygodohmygodohmygod…” you kept whispering to yourself, before you finally started the car and drove off.

-

You walked up to the counter and set down a soda, pointing at the pack of cigarettes behind Dave, asking for 2 camel menthols. “How’s it goin’?” Dave spoke as he reached for the cigarettes. Every time you came to this gas station— which has been a while now— you never got used to how handsome Dave was. Anytime you two spoke, you felt butterfly’s in your stomach and you always stuttered over your words. Somehow though, you managed to hide your giant crush on him;

Or so you thought

“Not too great.” You groaned. “Anything I can do to help?” You didn’t want to be a burden on him, but he genuinely seemed concerned and wanted to help you out, so you told him the truth on what was wrong.

“Well, my car is all sorts of fucked up. The breaks are squeaking, the battery’s failing on me, and I haven’t gotten enough money to take it to the shop yet; so I’m stuck with her all broken until I can afford to fix it.”

He let out a low ‘hm’, nodding his head in understanding.

He slid your items back before you even paid for them, then cocked his head to the door. “Let me take a look, maybe I can help. Oh- and don’t worry about this.” He said, looking down at the things on the counter.

There it was, that butterfly feeling in your stomach again. You felt giddy inside, but you calmly declined his offer, saying you wanted to pay for your things.

“No, seriously, take ‘em” He stated, before walking out from behind the counter so that you couldn’t argue with him any more. You took your things and followed him out to your car.

You quickly tossed your items in the passenger seat, closing the car door and going up to Dave, who had already opened the hood of your car and was checking out the battery.

“Here, I think I have something.” He walked off towards the garage that was located behind the store, coming back minutes later with a battery in his hands.

“This one isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely better than what you got here.” He took your old battery out and put the ‘new’ one in.

“Drive her to the garage for me so you can test the new battery out and so I can take a look at your brakes properly in the shop.”

You had this big smile on your face that you couldn’t hide. You looked over at Dave, he had a hand on his hip with a smile along his lips.

You let out a low giggle, getting in the drivers seat and taking it to the garage while Dave followed behind.

—

“I can’t thank you enough— seriously, you didn’t have to do this.” You said as you both leaned against the side of the car, eyeing each other.

He shook his head. “It’s really nothing. I got a hook up with a guy that works at a wrecking yard, so he gives me some parts free of charge.” He paused.

“I wasn’t just gonna leave you like that.” His gaze flashed to your lips, then back up to your eyes.

You thanked him again, before changing the conversation to something different. Eventually Dave asked you something that made you realized how obsessive you were.

“Hey, before you leave, I got a question.” He stopped you just before you pulled the handle on the car to get in the drivers seat and leave.

“How come— and this may sound silly— you only come here whenever when I’m around.” He paused, letting out a chuckle and looking down towards the ground.

“I’ve asked my coworkers about you, and they think I’m crazy. ‘Dave, there’s no girl who fits that description that I’ve ever seen.’” He mimicked one of his coworkers.

“Can you answer me that?”

There was a silence. It felt like it lasted minutes, but in reality was only seconds.

“I, uh…” you tried to find the words, but the truth was you just wanted to see him. So whenever you got off work, you’d come straight here to top off on gas and get a snack, all so you could have a small 10-15 minute interaction with him. Eventually, you found out the days he didn’t work, and only started coming when he was on shift.

“Hmm?” He questioned again while you thought of what to say. Eventually, the truth seemed like the only ideal option to tell him.

“I only come when you’re working because I want to see you.” You nervously told.

He nodded his head, crossing his arms and ankles as he leaned against your car. “It was never a problem with me.” He smirked, eyeing your lips again. You stepped closer to him, looking up into his eyes.

“In fact, whenever I’d see you while on my shift, it made my day all the better.” He smiled.

“Oh yeah?” You questioned him this time.

“Yeah.”

There was a silence.

The anticipation grew, you took notice of Dave’s chest heaving up and down at a some-what fast pace. A cold breeze swept through the open garage door, causing Dave’s hair to flow entrancingly in the wind.

The silence continued.

You had a moment were you didn’t care what the consequences of the actions you wanted to do were; which were slam your lips over his and tangle your fingers in his hair. You thought “if this goes wrong, I’ll just never come back to this place” before finally going through with your idea.

That was, until Dave beat you to it.

^ ^ ^

He slid one of his hands to your waist, the other behind your neck, tilting your head up before he planted a soft kiss on your lips.

It started off slow, as if you were trying to test your compatibility, but it suddenly turned into a heated, sloppy mess as you ached for more. You parted for a moment, both of you panting like dogs, gazing into each other’s lustful eyes.

His hand slid from your waste to the back seat car handle, pulling it and opening the door. He backed up, allowing you to get in. He quickly climbed on top of you, letting his hands explore your body. They slid up your shirt, taking it off before he took his own off. You leaned up against the door of the car, watching as Dave slowly took off his clothes, revealing his toned chest.

“Damn.”

“Not even the best part, princess.” He replied, smirking.

The way he called you princess caused you to feel a heat between your legs, and it grew with every second you were in that car with him. You instinctively pressed your legs together to either suppress it or to get some friction— you didn’t know which one— you were too distracted by Dave’s hot looks to notice why.

You started taking off your garments as well. You two looked at each other for a second, both in your undergarments, panting heavily.

Dave’s hands suddenly slid up your body, one stopping at your hips, the other going up to your jaw, rubbing his thumb against your cheek as he kissed you passionately.

Your hands dragged up his chest to the back of his neck and the other to his hair, twirling your fingers around the orange strands. You two broke the kiss, a strand of saliva connecting your lips.

He started planting butterfly kisses down your neck and across your chest. He slipped his hands across your stomach to your back, unclasping your bra. He slowly glided it off your arms, before he tossed it to the floorboard and started to knead your breasts, occasionally pinching at the nip.

He went back down to kiss you, sliding his tongue in and exploring your mouth. Your hands instinctively went down to his boxers, attempting to slide them off, but Dave grabbed your wrists and did it for you while you decided to take your underwear off. His rough hands gripped your hips, turning you over onto your stomach before you propped yourself up with your knees and elbows.

“Ready?” He asked, but before you could respond, his entire length was shoved into you, no warning. You jolted, letting out a whine as he hit the deepest parts of you. He moved your hair off your neck and planted small kisses on it, as if to ease the pain he just caused you.

“You look so beautiful like this for me…” he said between kisses that trailed down your neck and back, all while his cock was buried deep into your cunt. He started to thrust into you, letting out low grunts. You gripped onto the seat, biting your lip and curling your toes to try and suppress your loud whines into quiet ones.

“Don’t be shy baby, let those noises out.” He said between his own groans. You followed his orders, letting out your whines and cries.

He put his hand above your head against the window and pressed his back against yours, the heat of it against your cold body adding to the pleasure.

With each of his thrust, you felt your high get closer and closer, a knot tightening in your abdomen signaling that it would come crashing down on you soon. “Fuck, I’m close-“ you said in between pants.

It only took a few more of Dave’s thrusts to finally send you over the edge. It felt like you were drowning in a pool of pleasure as Dave kept thrusting into you, causing you to overstimulate. You felt his grip on your hips tighten, signaling he was close. He quickly pulled out, and you felt a hot liquid on your back a second later.

After a few minutes, you two calmed down from your highs. Dave ordered you to stay there as he was putting his boxers and pants back on, then he got up to go find something to clean you off with. A few seconds later and he showed back up with a rag in his hands. He gently cleaned you up, and when he was done, you quickly put your undergarments and pants back on. You laid in the back of the car for a moment, you head resting on Dave’s lap as he played with your hai, talking about whatever came to mind before you two eventually had to get up so he could go back to work.

- - - - -

Meanwhile in the store:

“Hello!? Is anyone even here!?” A poor old lady screamed as she held her coffee and candy, constantly ringing the bell in hopes someone would show up.

[wooahaeruby]

Chapter 17: When the Sun Shines

Chapter Word Count: 4,158

TW

None

Hi sorry, I've been busy with work! I apologize for note posting!

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Things were good, maybe a little too good, but good nonetheless. 

Since the night of the gala, the bruise on your arm had flourished and it was annoying to cover with longer sleeved blouses in the blistering summer heat, but you were able to manage. Seokmin or Jeonghan took turns driving you home from work each evening as usual. Jeonghan was more of the mentality of little dinner dates while Seokmin knew how much you enjoyed just getting home and relaxing. It was nice, having your best friend and crush always with you. They held together stressful days and tired nights. Jeonghan and you still weren’t exactly exclusive, which was fine, you kinda liked the slow, steady pace you were going at. He had even opened up some about his past which surprised you. 

“All I’m saying, Jeonghan, if you have a dark, evil, villain backstory, I won’t judge.” You had joked, enjoying the sweet treat of ice cream that you suggested and happily paid for. “I’ve told you a bit of mine.” 

“Your life was fucked up due to trauma and a failed support system, mine is fucked up because I was poor as hell.” He pointed at you with his spoon, rolling his eyes. “My story, which in turn is kinda Shua’s and Cheol’s story, is a lot more simple than what it seems. The three of us lived just outside the city, a low income area and all. My sister was adopted by a nice couple when she was young after our parents died but I was taken in by Kihyun’s mom and dad, his brother is….kinda…so the yakuza? Yeah, that’s real. Anyway, Cheol and I went to school together, he was also living on a tight paycheck to paycheck with his parents.. Joshua was last to move into the area with his mom.” 

You nodded along, sitting close to his side as he continued to explain between spoonfuls of ice cream. 

“Kihyun’s parents worked over sixty hours each and Joshua’s parents were almost never home between work so the four of us were thick as thieves. Cheol, Shua, and I were in our last years of highschool at the time when Kihyun’s mom got sick and his family and I couldn’t afford the medical care to cover all the bills. She passed away and his dad ended up drinking so any money was sparse. We kinda…” He sighed as he thought back, leaning against your side and resting his head against your head. “All three of us, Cheol, Kihyun and I, ended up being runners for this little group of druggies. Then when Shua’s dad lost his job, he ended up joining us to help his family out. We got paid well but Kihyun’s dad continued to drink until it killed him. Then suddenly we didn’t have a home, no family, we moved into the city. Cheol, Kihyun, Shua and I were crammed into a shitty one bedroom apartment for a while.

Shownu, or Shepard, made MX while slowly taking our old bosses' clients, Cheol was starting plans to make SVT. Kihyun he…How do I explain this…He started to influence Shownu into some really fucked up and crazy shit, killing people, stealing, all that. Cheol had this big, blow out fight with Kihyun and Shownu that ended with him in the hospital from them beating him badly…We stepped out rather quickly and were kind of on our own, Shua’s basement became the closest thing to a home since we had to leave the apartment. We were just three friends that were trying to find a place in the world.” 

With your dessert finished, you wrapped your arm around his waist, holding him close protectively. You couldn’t imagine how this could have been weighing on him for so many years, let alone not telling much to the group. 

“Somewhere along the lines we found the rest of SVT. It all gets blurred together over time. We stuck together through thick and thin though. Then Cheol was contacted by a lawyer regarding his estranged grandfather’s estate since he was the only family left and got a lot – and I mean a lot – of money. He invested it into the shipping company that took off as a big manufacturer and we started building our clientele for the ‘mafia’. The others were just little ducks that followed us and it just…happened. We only harm to protect what’s ours and yeah it’s all illegal and demanding but it’s…” 

Jeonghan lifted his head from yours and glanced at you. You faced him easily, seeing the serious glint in his eyes. 

“I’m fucked up for saying this but all of it; SVT, the stealing, the smuggling, all the expensive and stolen stuff we have…I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s fun. It’s exhilarating. It makes me feel alive.” 

Thinking back, you understood everything he said to a point. Their lives were already hell from the start, they drew every short end of the stick. They had to do what was needed to survive. Did you condone everything they did? No, you probably never would, but with the adversity you had seen and faced, you could see how the thirteen of them got into this life and stayed in it. You didn’t know about the rest of them but if it was anything like the oldest three, your heart hurt a little.

“I need advice!” Jeonghan pushed the door open to Seungcheol’s office at the penthouse. 

Seungcheol slowly raised his head from the file in his hand. Seungkwan and Jihoon stood before Cheol’s desk while Mingyu was sitting on the couch, his first day back on the job thanks to the boring month and half rest he got. 

“We are in the middle of a meeting, Jeonghan.” He sounded annoyed, dropping the papers on the desk. 

“And I’m having a crisis!” Dramatically, Jeonghan dropped himself on the couch beside Mingyu who snorted and patted the older man’s head. “And Shua will be here in five minutes to listen with you.” 

Seungcheol ignored him and looked back to the younger three in the room. “Since Mingyu is still on light duty, he can handle the paperwork of the clubs. Seungkwan, I want you on promotions for them and handling the outgoing shipments for Pledis . Jihoon, we have a cargo coming in soon with supplies for Pledis as well, make sure everything is accounted for.” 

Each of them nodded at their tasks and none of them moved yet. Seungcheol skimmed the file down on his desk, resting his chin on his palm.

“Scheduled shipments out to our clients start next week. No new cargo is coming in until two weeks from now. That’s all for the time being, dismissed.” 

With another nod, Mingyu, Jihoon, and Seungkwan left the room, the door shutting firmly behind them. Jeonghan sighed loudly – dramatically – and Seungcheol balled up a blank sheet of paper, tossing it at the younger man and it hit him on the head.

“What advice do you need, idiot?”

“I wanna wait for Shua.” Jeonghan pouted and Seungcheol was tempted to throw more than just a piece of paper at him once more. 

“First you barge into my office when I’m holding a meeting. Now you are wanting to wait for Joshua for some mid-life crisis? Why am I friends with you?” 

Jeonghan lifted his head, looking at Seungcheol then rolled his eyes. “Because no one else can tolerate your bullshit.” 

“I’m going to punch you.” 

“I need to stop letting Mouse hang around you. She is starting to sound like you.” 

“Maybe I'm a better influence than you are.” 

Jeonghan was ready to spring up in his own defense but Joshua’s entrance cut him off. “Why was I texted, ‘ 911, I’m dying’ ?” 

“Because I am!” Jeonghan shot up to his feet, stomping his feet childishly. “How do I ask Mouse to be my girlfriend properly?!” 

Joshua and Seungcheol shared a look, both unamused and apathetic. They had an unspoken conversation that Jeonghan couldn’t discern which only made him stomp his feet again. 

“Words! Use words!” 

“Do you wanna smack him or am I?” Joshua asked, disregarding the whining that came from Jeonghan. 

“Last time I think I did so he’s all yours.” Seungcheol waved a hand, motioning for Joshua to do the job. 

The youngest of three moved quickly and jabbed Jeonghan playfully in the side and got him into a loose headlock that Jeonghan didn’t even bother to fight. Jeonghan continued to whine and went limp, dead weight against Joshua’s body. Much to his dismay, Joshua gave Jeonghan a noogie and the older elbowed him in the stomach to be released, holding his head. 

“Assholes!”

Seungcheol laughed, loud and carefree, throwing his head back. Joshua stepped back, hands up in defeat, nose and eyes scrunched up in a wide smile laugh. 

“I’m being serious here! I need help! Stop laughing!” With a groan of aggravation, Jeonghan punched Joshua in the arm (he didn’t even flinch) and tossed the ball of paper at Seungcheol. “You guys suck!” 

“Just-” Cheol tried to catch his breath, shoulders shaking still. “Just ask her out, moron-” 

“It is literally one of the easiest things you can do.” Joshua chimed in, sitting back on the couch. “Just take her out to a nice place and bring her home, at her doorstep just…” Joshua cleared his throat and did the best impersonation of Jeonghan he could. “Mouse, will you be my girlfriend?” 

That had Cheol roaring in laughter once more, hitting his fist on the desk. 

“God- Who knew the great Jeonghan would be freaking out over asking Mouse of all people out-” 

He was nervous.

Sitting across from Mouse at a more upscale restaurant than they’d typically go to, Jeonghan was trying to keep his leg from bouncing. She was talking animatedly about a game where she was going against Wonu and absolutely wiped the floor with him. Something about a ‘one v one’ and characters named Sett (who Mouse ‘mained’) and Sylas (who Wonu picked). There was something thrown in there about a pool party skin and something about Wonwoo being a furry. He was paying attention, he swore he was focused on her words, but he couldn’t remember the game those characters were from at the moment because she was so damn distracting.

She looked really pretty. Like really pretty. When Jeonghan picked her up from her apartment, he knew he was done for. It was just a black dress, it was the simplest of things, but it hugged her body well, stopping mid-thigh. The neckline was straight but the almost bishop type sleeves made with black sheer fabric was stunning on her. The rose gold details in the jewelry had him quaking in his shoes.

He wanted to wine and dine her tonight before walking her all the way back to her apartment door and asking her to be his girlfriend officially. After his bullying session from Seungcheol and Joshua, Jeonghan reached out to Seokmin…and Seungkwan to see if they had any other advice which all boiled down to the same thing; take Mouse out to a nice dinner, share a dessert, and when he brought her home, ask her out. It was a simple thing to do, but his heart was fluttering and there were butterflies in his stomach, sending shivers down his spine. 

“Do you want to share something for dessert?” The question piqued Mouse’s interest and she nodded, leaning her elbows on the table and holding her head in her palms. 

“I’d love to, what do you want?” 

“What do you want?” He countered, mimicking her position. 

She snickered and hummed quietly. “I will not lie. The menu said there were chocolate lava cakes and I’ve been thinking about it all dinner.”

“Then lava cake it is.” He was quick to flag down the waitress and ordered it, settling back into the held up head position she was still sitting in. 

“You look tired, Han.” Her voice was soft, reaching out to brush a few strands of his hair out of his face. “Have you been sleeping?” 

“Ah~ Don’t worry about it. Things have been busy the past couple days. Once things settle I’ll be sure to rest.” 

She didn’t look that pleased with his answer but withdrew her hand. “You better or I’m telling Shua.” 

“Traitor.” 

“You love it.” She snarked back and he snickered. 

“A match made in hell.”

She covered her mouth to laugh, her shoulders shaking and she curled up on herself. 

The waitress was quick to bring the dessert, placing the plate down. Jeonghan was quick to lean back in his seat and Mouse followed, folding her hands on the table. He watched as her eyes lit up, her gaze never leaving the heavenly dessert until it was placed down and the waitress walked away. When she lifted her eyes to his, he melted a bit inside. Mouse looked so happy and downright adorable. 

Sharing the dessert was more a grumble of hums and Mouse wiggling happily in her seat. Jeonghan was savoring every spoonful of ice cream and chocolate cake, but more importantly, watching Mouse enjoy herself. The nerves in his stomach were still present but the more he mentally hyped himself up, the more confident he felt in everything or well…unless Mouse said no to being his girlfriend, then he would rather be home, eating really shitting junk food, and curling up with someone because he would need emotional support. 

“Are you okay?” Mouse spoke up, holding one of his hands between both of hers as he drove her home. 

He peered at her from the corner of his eye and he snickered. “I’m fine, Mouse.” 

She pouted, drawing small patterns on his palm. “You seem distracted.” 

Am I being that obvious? He mentally scolded himself. 

“Have I? I doubt that~” He laced his fingers with hers, pulling into the parking garage for her building. “I’m just a busy man, Mouse.” 

Before she got a chance to respond, Jeonghan exited the car and rounded over to her side, pulling the door open. Mouse took his hand when he reached out and Jeonghan smiled, pulling her up gently. Walking up to her apartment, he stayed close, swinging their joined hands which made her laugh under her breath and smile. 

“Mouse- Y/N…” Jeonghan stopped her once she unlocked her door, taking a deep breath in. She looked uneasy at the mention of her name. 

He paused, taking both of her hands into his, biting his lip nervously. “Look I-” He met her eyes, running his thumbs over her knuckles. “I’ve been taking all of this slow and I’ve really enjoyed every single date, the movie nights at the house with everyone, and just spending time with you. It’s been amazing and it warms my heart a lot…I was wondering if you’d like to officially…be my girlfriend.” 

The fast beating of his heart was making him lightheaded. 

Mouse’s face shifted from a look of concern to bright red cheeked and flustered. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth hung open the slightest bit but she didn’t say anything. Anxiety bubbled in his chest, thinking the absolute worst- 

“I-” She pushed out the breath she held in then smiled, nodding her head quickly. “Yeah. Yes, Jeonghan. I’d love to be your girlfriend.” 

Jeonghan looked…too happy coming home from his date with Mouse. 

Seungcheol had been sitting on an armchair, legs kicked up on the coffee table with Wonwoo and Mingyu sitting on the other couch. He was watching the two of them play something on the taller man’s Switch when Jeonghan floated in from the garage, it was weird. He was humming to himself as he went to the fridge, getting himself a bottle of water and leaning against the counter, ignoring his friends. 

Cheol looked to Wonwoo who turned back from peering at Jeonghan and he raised a brow, almost asking if he knew anything. Wonwoo’s flat expression shifted into a smirk, pulling out his phone and quickly tapping away. For a moment he paused and his nose scrunched up in a muted laugh.

“Finally!” Seokmin’s voice was heard down the hall and a fast footfall followed. “It took you long enough!” 

Snorting in amusement, Seungcheol watched as Seokmin barreled into the room and stood opposite of Jeonghan at the kitchen island. 

“Don’t finally me, I didn’t want to fuck it up.” Jeonghan shot back, downing some of the water. “I thought I was going to shit myself with how nervous I was the entire night.” 

“It couldn’t have been that bad.” Seokmin countered, leaning himself on his elbows. “Mouse is chill when it comes down to it. She was very happy when I talked to her on the phone earlier.”

Jeonghan waved his hand around subtly to find the words but sighed, a smile on his face. “She looks so pretty. Like…dude, she looked gorgeous and I kept staring because she was dazzling.”

Seungcheol and Mingyu both fake gagged. Wonwoo’s shoulders shook in another silent laugh. He watched as Jeonghan and Seokmin glared at them. 

“Shut up, my best friend is hot.” 

“Yeah, my girlfriend is hot!” Jeonghan stuck his tongue out childishly. 

That only made him and Mingyu gag again. 

“I feel like I'm in a frat house.” Jeonghan rolled his eyes. 

Wonwoo’s deep laugh rumbled. “Sometimes it smells like a frat house.” 

Seungcheol grabbed a pillow and flung it at the younger man across the living room. “Yah! Everyone at least showers regularly!” 

“And everyone forgets to do laundry until the last minute!” 

“You are always home in Pandora! You have the time to! Maybe I should make you do everyone's laundry!” Seungcheol threw his head back in laughter at the disgust that spread on Wonwoo’s face. 

“I would rather die.” 

“That’s what I thought.” Seungcheol shot Wonwoo a cocky smirk. 

“Why did you bring me here?” You tossed the stress ball you found in the air, laying on the couch in the small office. 

“Because I’m bored, I have to look at paperwork, and I might as well bring a friend.” Mingyu sat behind the dark mahogany wood desk, a claw clip that he took from your bag earlier holding his hair back from his face. “Plus everyone is busy this weekend but you are free and I’m in the city.” 

Catching the ball and dropping your arm to hang off the couch, you leaned your head back to see his upside down form against the dark red accent wall, surrounded by the pitch black of the other walls. Mingyu was focused on the files he was reading, he had shrugged off his jacket when he led you through the back entrance to Ruby earlier, straight into the officer from the locked back staircase. 

Standing up, you lazed over to the large window that rested in the corner of the wall opposite of the desk Mingyu sat at. With no interference from the walkway to the left beyond the door beside the window, you overlooked the lower VIP area and a majority of the dance floor. The club was still closed, it was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, and the employees were spending plenty of time cleaning every inch of the building on Mingyu’s orders. As of right now, over an hour since arriving, looking down at the floor, no one was present unlike earlier when Mingyu first told them to get started. 

While glad you got out of the house, you wanted entertainment, something to do. Last weekend, Jeonghan and you had made everything official but he did say he’d be heading out of town this weekend with a group of the guys for business with Ateez. The only ones left in the city were Junhui, Minghao, Mingyu, Cheol, Wonwoo, and Jihoon, and you knew spending time with Mingyu or Minghao would be the best way to spend your time than with any of the others. You didn’t want to clean your apartment and if you were at the house you’d be cooking just to pass the time. 

Speaking of Ateez, Fennec , who you learned was named Wooyoung, was absolutely blowing up your phone. It wasn’t even actual stuff that mattered, most times it was memes or video game references that you did know but refused to admit. He wanted to hang out when his group and the youngest three got back, maybe bring some of Dreamcatcher members along. Now that you’ve seen inside Ruby, maybe you’d be able to snag seats at the very nice and very cushy upper VIP area that Jihoon books out for the filthy rich or mafia meetings . 

“This is boring.” Turning around to face Mingyu, he looked back at you with a pout and a roll of his eyes. 

“And what do you want me to do about that, Mouse? I have to finish all this before the club opens.” 

“Can I go downstairs?” 

“I don’t know, can you?” 

Your face dropped into a deadpan expression. “ May I punch you in the face? Please?” 

“Wah, Jeonghan is right, you are spending too much time around Cheol.” Mingyu sat back in the leather chair, mouth agape but a half smile on his spread lips. 

“What- I barely even see him half the time, he barely talks to me.” 

“But when you do, you gotta admit, you’d rather be throwing hands with him.” 

“Well- I mean-” You stammered, crossing your arms over your chest. “Cheol kinda does have a punchable face…”

“I’m telling Jeonghan-” Mingyu whipped his phone from his pocket, shifting oddly in his seat to get it out. “He is going to love this-” 

“I’ve already told him before…” 

Mingyu paused before his smile just spread wider and he laughed with his whole chest. He looked so bright and childlike in comparison to the professional crisp white, collar shirt and gray suit slacks. But he still looked dumb with the clip on the top of his head holding his hair back. “I need more tea nights with you, Minghao, and Seokmin.” 

“I can tell you all about how I whooped Wonu’s ass in League. Now get back to work, I’m going to see if anyone needs help downstairs.” 

“You don’t have to-” 

“Enjoy the paperwork~” 

Making your way out the door, the soft thrum of a non-lyrical beat quietly filling the space. The walkway was decently wide, a couple feet, boarded on the side with a half-wall and a small railing to protect anyone from going over the side of it. You ran your hand over the railing, following the path towards the stairs at the other end of the walkway, stopping at the stereotypical red ropes that ‘gated’ off the office from the upper VIP area. 

Unclasping the rope and securing it once more when past it, you took in the black and red scheme that bathed the area. The couches and tables were much nicer than the ones you could see downstairs, the lights were on but dim, feeding into whatever ambiance that Jihoon probably wanted to give off. With the half-wall beyond the walkway, it gave more privacy to the area above if patrons looked up, but anyone could stand by it and look down upon the masses that filled the floor below. 

No one was upstairs currently, the tables were shining and dust free, probably cleaned not that long ago. With nothing of interest, you walked towards the staircase, the same red rope that you got past, and headed down to the main floor. 

Standing at the foot of the stairs, you nodded to yourself as you took in the room. Under the overhang of the office and upper VIP area was the bar. Its center island held different tiers with decently priced liquors to some more expensive name brands near the top shelves. The outer counters were surrounded by plenty of cushioned, well maintained bar stools for patrons to occupy. From above the dance floor was huge, but being able to stand in the middle of it was weird. It probably didn’t feel as large when it was packed with bodies. With tables encompassing the outer edges of the room, you leisurely made your way around alongside them, hoping to find someone working to get something to do. 

“Ya, what are you doing?” Jihoon’s voice startled you and you whipped around to find where he was. Towards the front of the building, Jihoon stood at the double door entrance to the club, dressed in a crisp black button-up and matching black trousers. His hair was slicked back out of his face and the sleeves were being rolled up as he spoke. 

“I was bored.” Shrugging your shoulders, pointing up towards the office. “ ‘Gyu is doing work and I didn't want to sit around anymore.” 

“You want to help me with something then?” 

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[kmblckbk]

The new high lord

Rhysand x reader

18+ contains smut

word count: 2852

-----------------------------------------------------

you open your shop. It was a nice day in Velaris today, and you were lucky with your shop. the best shop on the rainbow. No, the best shop in Velaris. In your boutique you made the most beautiful dresses. With the most expensive and exclusive materials. Not a lot of people could afford it but the most wealthy in town could. That's why your main client is the high lord of the night court himself. The high lord was a cold man, but he paid you well. Today was quieter tho, the high lord and his son where away. You just heard about the passing of his wife and daughter this morning, well they were killed. You did not want to be on the other side of his rage and grief. So you just enjoyed the quiet and peace for now.

You felt for the high lords son, Rhysand. He's kind of been a friend to you. well friend was a big word he was more like someone you knew and saw on the regular. He was so handsome and always so nice, nothing like his dad. You hated the looks the high lord would give his son, one that told you enough. Rhysand would be more powerful than him and you could see in the high lords eyes he did NOT like that. You were waiting for the day Rhysand would become high lord, knowing things will change for the better. Guess you didn't have to wait long for that to happen as Rhysand walks into your shop. You didn't know what exactly he was here for, without his dad. But the look on his face told you something was wrong.

"hi" you say softly. "hello y/n" he says with his rough voice, you liked to hear so much. but today something seemed wrong with it. You look at him for a minute, he is just standing there. His posture always been good but it looked different now, he looked more powerful. He stays silent, not moving, so you start talking first. "what can I do for you today?". "I need a ceremonial suit" he says shortly, which was nothing for him. Normally he would talk a lot, especially when his dad wasn't with him. "step on up" you say pointing to the area you would take peoples measurements. He walks to it and you start taking his measurements. It's actually been a while since you've taken his measurements and you notice he had grown, not in length but in muscle. All the Illyrian training must go well.

You debate for a second if you should ask him about his mom and sister, but you decide not to. Instead you ask him about his clothes, staying professional. "so what's the occasion" you ask as your bubbly self. "for the high lord ceremony" he says. "who became high lord?" you ask him. Working here in a city no one knows about, you love to hear gossip about other courts, but this you hadn't heard about. Surely a new high lord would be the big news. "me and Tamlin" he says.

you let the measuring tape fall to the ground and you look up at him. That meant his father died, and spring courts high lord too. "how?" is all you ask. "I killed Tamlin's parents because they killed my mom and sister, Tamlin went mad and killed my dad" he says in a matter of fact kinda way, which breaks your heart. You look at him, knowing him well enough he's keeping himself strong right now. "don't look at me like that" he says, avoiding your eyes. "you're allowed to feel Rhys" you tell him softly. "no, I can't do that right now. I'm high lord now, I can't let feelings get the best of me". "how can you say that, your family died, no they were murdered Rhys. You're allowed to feel shit. Fucking cry and go smash things or something". "I can't" he says softly still not looking at you. "why not?" you ask him. "because if I do, I'm scared I will never stop". You don't know why but you step up closer to him and hug him tightly. He's shocked for a moment until he pushes you back harshly and you fall to the ground. He looks a bit shocked at you, clearly underestimating his new power. "i- I didn't meant to- can we just finish this" he says his face turning into that steely one, that reminds you a little too much of his dad. "okay" you say softly going back to work, in silence this time.

"when will it be done?" he asks you. "when do you need it?" you ask him "as quickly as you can". "2 days then" you tell him. "good" he says before he walks out the shop without saying anything else. You immediately get to work knowing you have to pull an all-nighter to get anywhere close to completing his fancy suit. Shit what are you doing to yourself saying it will be ready in 2 days, normally you'd take at least a week for this kind of suit. but you saw his face, the sad and defeated sight of him. Normal people probably wouldn't notice it, but you do. It makes you want to work even harder, to make it perfect.

It's 4 AM as you are woken up by a loud knock on the door. Shit you've been here all night working on Rhys' suit. you stumble to the door, tired from working so late. You look up at the man before you. Tall, dark hair, violet eyes and night swirling around him.

He looks miserable. "I'm sorry I didn't know where else to go at this hour and I saw your lights were still on and I thought-" "it's okay Rhys, come in" you tell him. He walks in seeing all the work you've already done. "y/n I'm-" he says but you stop him. "come sit" you tell him pointing him to a chair in the corner of the shop. You make some tea for the both of you and you hand him one. "thank you" he says softly, drinking it in silence. You stand in front of him looking at him worried. "tell me what's on your mind" you say to him and he looks up at you surprised. "what? you're the one coming to my shop at midnight, so just let it all out". He gives you another look before he puts his tea down and starts telling you about today. How he found out the spring court killed his mom and sister. And he especially mentions how it's all his fault for telling Tamlin about them, who he thought was a friend. Then he goes on by telling he went with his dad to kill the high lord of the spring court. Which he did but his dad wanted Tamlin dead too. and that's when he defended Tamlin before his dad was killed by Tamlin after Tamlin noticed what had happened.

"so you're both high lords now?" you ask him almost whispering. He slowly nods his head. "I'm sorry Rhys". He is silent as a single tear rolls over his face. You walk over to him and wipe it away, softly stroking his cheek. "I actually don't mind my dad dying. He was an asshole. But my mom and sister.....they didn't deserve this" he says, as he surprises you by pulling you onto his lap before he hugs you tightly, finally letting his tears out. You softly rub his back actually not knowing what to tell him right now.

"life is so unfair" he says as he finally let's go of you. "I know" you say softly, still sitting on his lap. He looks at you for a few seconds and you look at him. you want to stand up from his lap but he grabs your hips "don't" he says, his voice changing from one that was filled with sadness to ...... a hungry one. "Rhys" you whisper, not knowing if it's the grief or if this is something else entirely. "I need you y/n" he says, his voice a bit hoars, which is so fucking sexy. "Rhys" you whisper again, trying to figure your mind out right now. Did he want this to not feel for a moment, to just experience something that takes his mind off of his family or...or did he want you before tonight. "I need you y/n, not just tonight, not just until I can think straight again. I want you, now and forever" he says before he grabs your face and kisses you softly, so unlike what you expected, but so good.

His lips softly brush against yours as he places soft kisses on your lips. you kiss him back and as soon as he notices it he pulls you in closer, kissing you harder now as he softly bites your lip, causing you to moan softly. "fuck that all I need to hear right now" he says before he grabs your ass, giving it a good squeeze. "Rhys" you breath out. "Fuck you're amazing y/n. I need to taste you" he says. In a second he has left the chair and throws you in it. His hands on the arm rests as he towers over you. fuck he was so handsome. He looks at you, deep into your eyes with a tormented look. "tell me to stop" he whispers. "why would i?" you ask him teasingly, liking where this was going, before he stopped. "I don't know if I'll be able to stop" he says. "then fucking don't" you say pulling him closer kissing him again. "fuck" he groans as his lips leave yours. He gets on his knees before the chair and you can feel you're already dripping wet, just looking at him now. A high lord, on his knees, before you. "I need to taste you" he says looking at you as his hands slowly slides your dress up, going higher and higher, agonizing slow. As if he's waiting for you to pull out. Little does he know, you would never. You've been dreaming of this for so long, and now you were ready to live it.

His finger slide higher and higher, hiking your dress up until he pulls it over your head, only leaving you in your undergarments. The material so sheer your nipples are already pocking through the material, leaving little to the imagination. "even more perfect than I could imagine" Rhys say before he slowly undresses you out of your undergarments, leaving you completely bare before him. "fuck" he breaths out before he places a soft kiss on your nipple, making you ready for more, much, much more. "please" you whisper, making Rhys' eyes grow darker at the silent request. "oh darling, you don't have much patients now, do you?" he says teasingly. But before you can say anything he pulls you forward on the chair, sitting you on the edge of it while he licks a stripe up your slit. "oh fuck" you moan at the feeling. "fuck, so wet and ready for me" he says grinning to you, that stupid half smile he always shows, that makes him look like a lion circling his pray. And man did you love to be his pray.

He dives in again licking, sucking and kissing you pussy until your eyes roll back and you're a moaning mess. "fuck I'm gonna cum" you tell him. "look at me" he orders you. you try but the pleasure is to great. "I said" he says stopping for a moment as his fingers grab your chin harshly "look at me". he tilts your head down so you have a great few of seeing exactly what he is doing as his tongue returns on and in your soaking hole. Your fingers finds his hair, tugging at it to redirect some of the pressure that's building in your stomach. And when he sucks your clit harshly and he's looking up at you, you come with a loud moan. He rides out your orgasm, taking everything you give him.

"that's my good girl" he says smirking at you. "fuck that was so good" you breath out. "oh I'm not done yet, darling" he says as he quickly strips himself of his clothing. "on your knees" he orders and you do. You are ready to take his cock into your mouth when he turns you around and pushed your stomach into the chair. "you're ass looks absolutely amazing" he says in that smug tone of his. He softly traces a finger over your back, making you shiver. His hand ends on your ass cheek. "perfection" he whispers. "are you gonna fuck me, or do I need to start touching myself" you tell him, feeling a little bold now. "there is the feisty y/n I love" he says. Your cheeks blush at his words, did he mean them?

He still doesn't touch you, so you decide to tease him a little, slipping your hand down your body towards your clit. As fast as lighting he grabs it before your hand touches your clit as he hold both your hands firmly on your back. "naha, you do not touch yourself until I say so" he says teasingly. "Rhys" it comes out as a whine and you can sense he likes it. "fucking beg me then y/n, fucking beg me for what you want" he says, and you hear him grin through his words. "please Rhys, just fuck me" you beg him. "what was that darling, I didn't hear". Fucking prick "I said, fuck me so hard I won't be able to walk tomorrow, I need your dick so deep in m-" before you can finish your sentence Rhys pushes into you making you gasp. "you had me at fuck me hard" he whispers into your ear as he slowly pushed further and further inside you. fuck he was big, it feels like you are gonna be split in half, but in the best way.

He waits a few seconds letting you get used to his size, which took a minute. "are you okay?" he asks you. you nod your head. "can I move?" he asks, no longer the tease but caring now. You nod again.  he grabs your throat lightly.

"use your words with me y/n" he whispers into your ear, which sends goosebumps over your entire body. "yes, please move" you say softly. "that's my girl" he says before he starts moving slowly. You feel it as he almost entirely leaves your body only to fill you up to the brim again, agonizingly slow, letting you feel all of him. "faster" you breath out. "you sure you can handle it darling?" he says. "yes" you moan out as he speeds up. Faster and faster. you feel your orgasm rise but then he stops, pulling out completely. You can't help the whine escaping you. you hear Rhys grin "don't worry darling, I'll have you screaming my name when you come, just not yet. I wanna look at you, so turn around" he says, and you do. "much better" he says before he pushes himself into you again.

He fucks you hard and deep. "yes, fuck" you moan out. "fucking look at me" he orders you, and this time you do as he says and look at him, to find his eyes already on you. "that's my girl" he says, making you blush again. "oh you like that, me calling you my girl" Rhys says grinning, like he won something. "tell me who you belong to" he says teasingly. "I- oh, fuck!" you moan as you feel your orgasm rise inside you, ready to burst at any second now. "tell me" Rhys orders. "fuck" you moan again. "y-you. I belong to you....RHYSAND" you yell as you come hard. Rhys following closely, feeling his cum fill you. both breathing heavily.

You expect him to collapse into you, like most man you dated did when they came. But Instead of collapsing, he's staring at you with wide eyes. And you know he felt the same as you did. You just stare at each other for a few seconds until Rhys says "y-you're my mate". "and you're mine" you say with the same shocked yet happy expression. "my mate" Rhys says with that half smile of his on his face. "my mate" he repeats as he places kisses all over your body. "my mate" you whisper to him, happily as Rhysand wraps you up into his arms holding you close, his mate.

masterlist

[sneakyboymerlin]

Heeeeeyyyyy it’s ur boy uh. Skinny penice.

If any of you lovelies wanna help me get my mom’s account out of the negatives, I would be eternally grateful.

Her account is around -$300 after the bills got taken out, we’re just trying not to rack up any late fees at this point ✨ any money will go to getting her account out of the negatives or else paying off the fees as they add up. She’s already been in the negatives for 2 or 3 days because she tried to “fix it herself” without telling me (I only found out because I happened to see her bank app).

Her car’s engine also stopped and we can’t afford a rental so I have to drive her to and from work myself (a 40 minute drive each way, I will be making the 80 minute drive twice today so I can go to my own job). I don’t get paid until Thursday and the only thing I can afford rn is gas.

I just had to pay $500 to get my own car out of the shop after almost 2 months since someone tried to steal it in September (all the parts they needed were on back order) and the dude who tried to take it for a joy ride gets to pay it back in small increments (when a white boy does it for fun, they give him every excuse) which means I’m out $500.

I wanted to attend my community college this upcoming semester but I’m just going to have to skip again if this keeps up, which I really don’t want to do because of pressure from my sister to get a degree or apprenticeship. She won’t help my mom in order to “punish her” but it really just punishes me. My mom has been hiding her finances from me ever since my dad died, resulting in things like my car (the car is under her name & insurance but my dad gave it to me) getting repossessed during the summer (we were able to get it back luckily) and the internet getting shut off. She lied about where the money I paid her was going, paid for her own car + insurance instead and let my car get repossessed. My finances and well-being are entirely dependent on her bank account, and she is consistently dishonest about where our money goes, and then funnels any money I make into her account. She also tries to buy frivolous things we don’t need when she runs out of money + tries to force me to buy those things for her and is only frugal when spending her own paycheck. Everyone I have explained the situation to tells me that I am being financially abused, and I cannot find a way out of it besides moving out, but I can’t afford to do that and I can’t leave my pets behind.

I was also trying to pay off my phone and late bills to T-Mobile so we could switch over to a cheaper company but I can’t make any progress on this because we can’t afford to pay anything off before the next month rolls over and we get charged yet again (when T-Mobile bought Sprint they started charging us out the ass). The electric bill is also going to be unsustainable this winter, our heater doesn’t work half the time so we have space heaters but that’s it for us + our 4 cats + 1 dog.

I’m also supposed to be going to the doctor’s to get a diagnosis (probably EDS), physical and mental therapy, etc. but I have to go through multiple doctors and institutions(?) to do this, which is pretty much impossible when you’re sharing 1 car between 2 people and are the only one with any gas money (which is gonna go FAST). I also do not want my mom to know under any circumstances if I attend mental therapy.

And there’s always more but I don’t have time to continue on

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[smolvenger]

How To Fake Date A Spy (Jonathan Pine x fem! Reader). Part 1

Summary: When you joined your sister, Jed, for a lovely summer in Spain, you wanted to enjoy yourself. Instead, you have to deal with numerous men of Roper's business having a gross interest in you for more than small talk. Going to Roper for help, he offers an idea- pretending to be the date of his newest friend. A handsome sous-chef known as Thomas Quince. Little do you know yet, the man's real name is Jonathan Pine and he is on a mission to take Roper down...

Word Count:5K

Chapter Warnings: Sexual harassment (not our boy, Pine). Discussions of suicidal intentions- if you or a loved one have thoughts, please please PLEASE reach out, call a hotline, tell someone you need help, and get help right away and this I hope is portrayed well and healthy and hopeful in this chapter. Some Fix-It-Fic-ness (Poor Elena deserved better. Hmmm, interesting of Le Carre to have the not-white female characters killed off to further the male characters' storylines. Guess what? We're fixing that crap. At least for Elena). Mentions of murder and domestic abuse. Reader being thirsty, but no actual smut.

Comments, reblogs, dms, and asks about my work are always appreciated!

A/N: You can decide if you’re a sister by adoption or by birth and I want to leave that open ended in the fic to make this an inclusive x reader fic. Shout out to @evelyn-kingsley for suggesting this idea in the first place! This fic wouldn't exist without you! :)

Taglist: @evelyn-kingsley @jennyggggrrr @five-miles-over ) @fictive-sl0th @ladycamillewrites @villainousshakespeare @holdmytesseract @eleniblue @twhxhck @lokisgoodgirl @lovelysizzlingbluebird @raqnarokr @holymultiplefandomsbatman @michelleleewise @wolfsmom1 @cheekyscamp @mochie85 @muddyorbsblr

A03//My Ko-Fi//My Etsy Shop//Masterlist//Wattpad

You screamed as the robber grabbed the boy and pulled out a gun to the child’s forehead.

“Nobody move! Nobody move!” the robber yelled.

There were more screams behind you and as people shot up, you heard plates clatter on the floor. Your heart was racing a mile a minute. It seemed all was well one minute- enjoying a seaside restaurant with your sister and some friends. Paid by the man she was in an arrangement with- Roper. Drinking wine and dancing and laughing. Little Danny playing games on his dad’s phone. A phone with worldwide secrets that also conveniently housed Candy Crush.  

 Then like a flip of a coin, a robber grabbed Danny and pulled him over to sit on a chair, moving the gun between pointing at the boy or your party. Danny’s sobs mirrored the screams you heard rabbits made. Sounds when the creatures thought they were going to die.

Roper-with an eerie calm-spoke to the robber. Offering the robber anything he wanted.

“Jewelry! Wallets!” the robber demanded.

With shaking hands, you took off the earrings. Your sister bought them for you on a shopping trip last week.  Being mistress to Roper, Jed could afford to spoil you with gifts however she wanted. You then removed your ring and your necklace. It was harder with the shaking, but you dropped them in. You saw Jed doing the same next to you, her jaw quivering. Then you took your wallet and all of you put your items in a bowl. Everyone did- an offering to an angry god demanding a sacrifice.

“That’s shit! Where’s the real money? Where’s the rest?” the robber asked, waving the gun at each of you.

Roper promised him 10 thousand dollars in fifteen minutes. As long as Danny was returned. The robber began to back away, still holding Danny.

“We’ll take the boy! Until we have the money! Everyone on the ground!” he threatened.

Jed offered herself in exchange. Out of gut instinct you pulled at her arm, tears in your eyes. Bringing her back.

The Robber pointed the gun at each of you and your body shot, seeing your imminent death in its Barrell. There was silence from all of you- the about-to-be-dead.

“On the ground or I’ll shoot!” he yelled.

All of you went to the ground.  You kept sobbing and so did Jed, your legs still quivering as you laid down. The robber ran off, carrying Danny. The boy’s screams could have cut you in two. You sat on the ground. The party crawled back up.

From out there, you heard yelling and a commotion. Then the screaming stopped. But there was no gunshot.

All of you ran down the steps to the stairway to enter the place. There was no robber- and Danny was safe. Danny scrambled back into his father’s arms, hugging him and crying. Even Jed leaned down to touch his arm. You had to cup your face, crying tears of relief this time. But your eyes wandered to someone else.

On the ground near him was a man in a chef’s suit, groaning in pain. His face so bloodied and hurt he was unrecognizable.

“What happened-what happened?” Jed asked.

“They ran off…he scared them…he saved me…” Danny explained.

The staff said the rescuer was a sous chef from England. Corky began examining the hero of the hour, still groaning from his broken nose and pain. Roper examined him, his blue eyes turning into a hawk gaze. Jed wrapped her long arms around Danny and let the boy cry his tears into her. You comforted him by running a hair through his head.

It was decided. They couldn’t let their hero bleed to death. He was coming with you.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

You hardly saw the sous chef after he moved in. Not that you had time to. You had another party of Roper’s he was hosting. And it meant dealing with your least favorite thing- men. Specifically- Roper’s men.

The party itself would be okay. You were glad you kept a small book in your clutch. Your phone batter was down to 10 percent and Danny was standing by his dad. But many of the men would gather around you. Or introduce themselves. Drunk on money and power, they believed they could do everything. Like having access to you when you didn’t like them.

One fucker-you didn’t remember his name and he didn’t deserve it-approached you as you began to sip your flute of champagne. Already you could smell how he reeked of cologne to where it stank. He leaned in closer than you liked.

“Hey there-Y/N, isn’t it? You’re looking nice today?”

“Thanks.” You said curtly.

He smirked.

“I just like what I see….would you like a drink?”

“I have one, no thanks,” you said.

His eye wandered to the book sticking out of your clutch.

“Ah-What are you reading?” he asked.

“A book,” you answered.

“Hmmm…what kind of book.”

“It’s a…a…a romance book,” you answered honestly. Maybe he would be disappointed in your interest of “fluff for women” and turn around.

 “A romance book. You like that stuff?” he asked.

Already there was that hint of putting down. Slight dislike. Condescension. You took it and ran. You gave him a frown.

“Yes, I do,” you said, going around.

Then at dinner, you could feel their eyes on you. One guy- Mr. Jacobson- was enjoying his time sitting next to you a little too much. He was tall and barrel chested with a dark beard and dark hair, manspreading on his seat. You squeezed your knees tight together so they wouldn’t brush his pants. But his leaning in gave you less space to flee.

“Well-everyone has a type for someone! A type they fall for!” Caro Langbourne began, just for casual conversation.

But Mr. Jacobson turned to you with a greedy smile. You could feel the eyes on you.

“Hmmm, means you got a type, Y/N? Like us big, hairy guys?!?”

You turned next to him.

“No.”

It was quiet and the conversation went on, but he kept talking to you. More than you wanted to. There was one guy. He was closer to your age. And he wasn’t bad looking at all, not to you. But as he turned to you during dessert, having innocent talk, just in a corner alone, he suddenly, out of nowhere, asked.

“So-When will you let me stuff it in your mouth?”

You nearly dropped the plate in shock. You blinked, processing that he said what he said.

“What did you say to me?” you asked in a hiss.

He put his hands in his pockets and repeated it.

“When will you let me stuff it in your mouth. You’ve had dessert, you can take it.”

You felt like you could get sick with disgust.

“Forget it. Don’t’ you say that to me- leave me alone!” You pushed off and walked away, heels clicking furiously from the party.

You found yourself, once alone, crying a little. You wiped it off in the bathroom, redoing your makeup with a frown on your face. Why did every gathering have to be like this? The stares. The smiles. The comments- it was too much.

You were so sick of them. All these guys hitting on you like they were entitled to you. You really were sick of it. In their bright smiles and uniforms but with such disgusting words spewing from their smiling mouths.

All this finery- nice dinners. Beautiful places. Numerous Shopping splurges with your sister. Trips to every country. Restaurants and clothes that would cost ordinary people a fortune. But the price- to be harassed daily by these dicks at every event and more. It was exhausting. Hell, the way Caro’s husband sometimes leered at you made you feel sick to your stomach. And the man brought his kids!

Besides, you didn’t even want to be in a relationship. How could you trust them-trust anyone? There were lots of hot guys out there who seemed perfectly nice. But they only seemed that way. Was it worth being abused- be it with a man beating you, or saying something cruel, or worse? Or being cheated on-giving all your heart and love to a guy only for him to find someone hotter, better, and to betray you because you were not good enough? Or the pain, the drama, the hurt of trust, the heartache? No, there was no one out there who was worth it. You didn’t want to fall in love, you didn’t want to get hurt. Even Jed and Roper were just a business arrangement. Despite the smiles and PDA, it was no different than Corky’s agreement. A loveless job.

You had to call it a night.

But as you were walking, you passed by a door. You remembered it-it was where the heroic sous-chef was staying in that room.  You hadn’t been in it. You hadn’t even seen him since then-only once as they were tending to him with bandages and towels over his bleeding face when he was helped in here.

You had to go in and visit. That was a better end to the night. This was Danny’s savior, after all. You had to let him know how grateful you were. You knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a bright, baritone voice. English accent. Proper. Refined. Elegant, even.  

You opened the door a little, and took a first step in.

“Hello the-“

Your voice stopped as did your steps. You almost did not recognize him. There wasn’t blood all over his face. Only a bruise over his eye and a bandage over his nose.

But even so, he was one of the handsomest men you had ever laid eyes on.

His eyes were blue, and his hair was an in between of dirty blonde and red. He had cheekbones that could cut glass and the shirt covered his broad chest, slim waist, and bulging biceps. You felt the wind knock out of you, the words hanging in the air, until you regained yourself. You took another step in and continued.

“Hello there-just me…”

He turned up.

“You weren’t interrupting anything.”

You began to grab your arm. He was so attractive you wanted to shy away-flee away like Snow White from the Prince. But you forced yourself there.

“I don’t think we’ve introduced each other since…since that night. I’m Y/N. Jed’s sister. I help look after Danny.”

He looked up, eyes meeting yours.

“I just wanted to…to…thank you. For what you did.”

He gave you a smile.

“You’re welcome. What’s your name?”

You gave him your name.

“Lovely. I’m Thomas-Thomas Quince.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No- I’m fine for now.”

“Let us know, okay Thomas?”

“I will, Y/N.”

You could have come at how he said your name, but you held yourself together.

“Okay, have a good night, Thomas.”

“You too, Y/N.”

 Then you closed the door. But you realized you were still smiling, feeling very warm and tingly. Without question, this was a better ending to the night.

There was going to be another of Roper’s male colleagues coming over to stay with you. But he didn’t have a history of saying gross things to you. Not even with his wife, Lucia, and kid traveling with him. Juan or “Apo” was joining you with his wife and their teenage daughter, Elena.

Their car arrived the next day. You were squinting from the Spanish sun. Roper smiled as all of you waited just outside the penthouse when the driver opened the door. Out popped Apo, Lucia, and Elena. The group was all smiles and handshakes and hugs with Roper.

That is, except Elena. Her eyes were big, and she wore a shining, diamond necklace over her Chanel dress, but she didn’t smile. She was slumped as she stood. When Roper hugged her in greeting, she froze, only patting his back stiffly out of politeness. She seemed to shrink within herself. Even when Danny went up and said hi, showing off his new book about ocean creatures, she only nodded in response.

Roper put his hands on his hips, keeping a toothy grin at her.

“Ah! Well-I bet you’re sick of annoying little boys already, Elena! But don’t worry-you’re a big girl now! And you can join the big girls-like Y/N, here!” he said, with a grand sweep towards you.

As housekeepers hauled their luggage inside, Elena turned to her dad.

“Papi…can I go walk, please? I’d like to explore the city,” she asked.

Apo turned to her, reeling off praise to her.

“Oh! My little girl! Already so adventurous! Here-don’t go alone. Have this…this…Y/N! Walk with my Elena, will you?” he offered.

“Oh, sure thing!” you replied.

Though you hadn’t really talked to her, it would be a nice change from staying by the house all day. And she looked like she could get out. Something was up and her father was oblivious to it.

Both of you walked about. It was the late afternoon melting into the early evening. You walked through tall buildings with laundry wires across the streets over your heads. They sloped down the hill as people walked about. Though the sun was still bright, there were more shadows across the town.

“How was traveling?” you asked.

“Okay… great even,” Elena answered.

Then there were the sounds of bells chiming the hour. You noticed a palm tree and a few restaurants.

“Are you hungry? There’s a stand for some street food. My treat.” you offered.

“I’m fine,” Elena replied.

She gestured to her necklace.

"Would you like to have this?" she asked. She dangled it in her hand, not caring if some bold pickpocket eyed it.

"Uh, no thanks-but thanks for offering!" you replied.

She turned skittishly around. Her head full of long, black hair moving with her. You paused.

“Are you okay?” you asked.

She turned to you and this time; she didn’t answer the question.

“There’s a cathedral here…I know it’s the next block over-can we go?” she asked.

“Sure thing!”

It then struck you that you were going about without guards. If she noticed a pickpocket or a stalker, you were the only one guarding her. But you walked over to where the bells chimed to enter the large cathedral.

Walking over with her, you turned and walked inside. It was infinitely cooler in the cathedral than outside. You were used to air conditioning, so the summer trips had been brutal here. You let out a sigh of releif. You did admire the elaborate paintings and design of the cathedral- its dome over your head, the numerous statuettes of saints, the golden crucifixes. And all in a building that was older than America! They definitely didn’t make most churches as pretty as this back home! Tourists wandered to snap pictures. Locals were in the pew, praying. Elena walked forward, her feet turning into stumbling. You saw she was shaking all over-as if her strength was sapping out of her. She gripped onto the pew, sitting down. Then she knelt and gripped her hands in prayer.

You went down and joined her.

“What is it, Elena?” you asked. You made sure to keep your voice low. The place made a lot of echoes from the high ceilings.

“Nothing.”

“You don’t have to lie to me. Something is up. You’re upset. Your dad is blind to it. But he isn’t here- you can tell me. Anything.”

She looked around again. Checking each person around her. Then she turned to you.

“Is no one watching us?” she asked.

“No. No one is. Not even Corky and he creeps around everywhere. Just you and me. I don’t care how messed up it is- I won’t judge.”

She began to blink tears, and then leaned her head down, beginning to cry.

“Elena…did something happen?” you asked.

She began to blubber out.

“I’m…so grateful for cathedrals. They’re peaceful. They’re quiet. Anyone can have sanctuary there….”

She turned to you.

“Sanctuary? From what? Are you in danger? Is someone threatening you?” you prodded.

“I want...I want…I want the pain to stop…I’m a burden to everyone…I’m the reason people are dead…” she confessed.

“What do you mean?” you gasped. You immediately grabbed her hand. You had an idea and it chilled you, but you asked it.

“Are you…thinking of ending your own life?”

“Yes.”

A sick, horrible feeling swept through you. Chills, dread, terror. But you prodded further. No matter how uncomfortable, it was the right thing to keep talking to her.

“Do you have a plan how?”

“Hang myself. And I was going to do it on my birthday party. Snuck out the party to my room. They wouldn’t care- it’s like it’d be better without me. Too busy congratulating each other and being fancy. I would do it- Hang myself right there…”

“Elena….oh my god…oh god….” You muttered in shock, your hand never leaving hers.

“Elena…thank you for telling me. I know things always seem bleak- it’s hard to realize that there are options out there when you feel that way…”

“Options? I was born into this family! I didn’t choose it!”

She turned to you; her voice lower. So, no one could overhear.

 You know what my dad does? He defends Roper. We’re rich. Because of Roper…Roper and his…his-his-his…acts!”

“Acts?” you repeated.

You knew Roper was head of Ironclast. That the immense money didn’t come from nowhere. But you had to find out further. She turned to you, her eyes brimming, tears falling.

“Dad’s rich protecting him. So, Roper can’t ever be caught. Roper sells bombs. And you know what he does? Drops them on villages- his own personal bombs. He treats people like toys. Cities. Full of innocent people. And anyone who opposes him or his friends or tells them no? They die. That’s why I’m even here-innocent people who are dead!”

She let in a shaky breath.

“Do you know…do you know Freddie Hamid? Did he ever appear here at Roper’s party?” she asked.

“No, I don’t. He never showed up.”

“He’s a friend of Roper’s. He’d appear with Papi and at the parties…. Freddie beats up women. And he’s a murderer.”

“A murderer?!” you hissed quietly.

Elena nodded.

“He had -a mistress. Sophie. I met her every time she came over. She…was nice. She let me pet her dog. She’d talk to me like no one ever did- like I wasn’t a princess. Like I was a person. I wanted to…to…to be like her. And there’d be bruises. On her arms. On her face. She’d say she’d fall. But it was clear-I knew it was Freddie. I knew it! But no one would believe me.  And do you know what happened to her? Sophie was Found murdered in her hotel!”

You felt a horrified chill over your body as you spoke “And Freddie or Roper killed her?”

“At least sent their men to do the job. She must have stepped out of line. That’s what happens here-you step out of line. You’re dead. I was dead anyway…and you know what-she’s just one of many.”

You swallowed. Part of your stomach got sick. But you kept listening. You put your other hand on hers.

“I was dead anyway. I thought it’d be better…die rather than get killed. Then…I left the party and ran to a cathedral instead…”

You realized there were tears in your eyes too.

“I’m glad you did, I’m glad you did, Elena…I’m glad you’re here…talking to me…”

She released one hand of hers, touching her necklace.

“You see this shit necklace? I see it and just see more dead Sophie’s-dead people! Papi says it’s the most expensive necklace in the world! And it was paid for with blood money!”

She gripped it like she could rip the necklace to shreds. But she couldn’t-her nails dug into her skin. She looked at you right in the eyes.

“Roper…he is the worst man in the world…and you’ll see that…”

It all hit you-hit all at once. You knew she was telling the truth. There was no matter of denying it. The more you thought about it, the more it made sense.

“You’re right…he is…he’s got my sister in his clutches. She was desperate. She was broke. And she…she has a baby. Mom hates her. Roper gave her an opportunity. Now she’s chained to him. A man old enough to be our dad, too. She doesn’t have a choice to leave him now. I see how unhappy she is on the inside…he is the worst man in the world. “

You smoothed her hair so you could see her face.

“I’m concerned Elena…because I care about you. I’m going to support you- however I can…” you promised.

You took her and hugged her. She let herself cry-relieved. You cried too, for her. For your sister. For yourself. For everything. You held onto her, keeping on shaking. Waiting until she was ready and let go. She turned around, seeing the crowds.

“Could we…could we walk around?” Elena asked.

“Yes…we can stay here as long as you need. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”

“But dinner…”

“If you don’t want to eat with Roper, we can get our own dinner,” you said.

She walked about. Elena did go to the confession booth. It wasn’t therapy but it was something. Talking in a private space with someone sworn to secrecy. Elena did talk to plenty of other people. Just talk- nothing more. Not about her emotions. She spoke to an old woman, a priest lighting a candle, and a tourist lady with a pregnant belly. It was probably good to give her space and not overhear when she did. But you never kept her out of your eyesight.

When she finished talking, you got her hands as she sat in the pew again turned to her.

“Elena…when we’re done, I’m buying you a sangria, and tapas, and ice cream. And when we get home, you’re not staying by yourself-you’re with me now. I’m staying by you-“

Elena raised her eyebrows.

“And you don’t have to pretend. You can be with me. I’ll keep you safe. You’re not going to be alone-and you’re going to live.”

You grabbed her shoulders and her eyes became big.

“You’re going to live! And if you even think about doing it-tell me! And we’ll get out of there and do something! We’ll go swimming in the ocean naked! Stuff our faces at some restaurant! Stay at this cathedral! Get fucking plastered and sing karaoke!”

“I don’t…don’t want to live off of blood money…I don’t want to live as some spoiled pet from other’s deaths!”

“But you will live…they keep saying you’re a big girl…and you’re going to have a life without living off of Roper. I could…could…could help you escape.”

“Escape?” she gasped.

“That’s the most expensive necklace in the world. That alone could buy you rent for an apartment of your own. Long enough until you get a job. And you can stop living off money used to kill people! A life all on your own! And…have you thought of getting help? Professional help? I’ll seek it out.”

“No…didn’t consider getting a therapist…but you can’t tell my parents why…”

“I will tell them you need help-that you need a counselor. And you can tell me anything! I’ll sneak you out however I can!”

She blinked. And then, slowly, she smiled. A small, present smile. The first smile you saw on her face.

“It sounds…wonderful.”

You linked her arm in yours.

“Good…we’re friends now. Best friends. And I’m not going to let anyone get you anymore…if you think you’re rebelling, if you think you’re in danger-from Roper or Freddie or yourself…I’m going to help you.”

Indeed, the Sangria, tapas, and ice cream were delicious. You even got her to giggle a litte. Once it was dark, both of you returned back to the house.

“Could you room with me?” she asked.

“Oh, of course!”

“Y/N…Danny got rescued, didn’t he…who did it?”

“Oh- his name’s Thomas!”

“Where is he?” she asked curiously.

“Resting up from his injuries!” you answered.

“Can I meet him?”

“Yeah! Sure!”

You took her to the door to Thomas’s room.

“I got to warn you- he’s really hot, too. Took everything in me not to faint when I saw him!” you whispered.

She made a small smile. You opened the door and there was Thomas, reading a book with a finished tray of dinner on his bed.

“Hello- we have a new guest. This is Elena-Elena, meet Thomas.”

She went over and greeted him. She smiled. Though then she leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Part of you was shocked by this sudden intimacy- even boldness from this teenage girl to a grown man. Hopefully, there was nothing concerning! If the man was a pedo, you would gladly kick his ass. But there was no change in his expression.

She moved into your room.  Sleeping in the next bed. As she slept, you poured through her luggage. You got rid of all long things- scarves and whatnot-so no possible nooses. You made sure there were no guns or sharp objects or knives or dangerous medications. Though it made your stomach feel sick and shiver to think of how fragile life was. How so many random little things could end a life. It made you want to vomit and even cry- but you put them all in trash bags and threw them away.

The next two days were a simple pattern. You always stayed by Elena. She would walk out, go to the cathedral, and talk to people. A priest even gave her a blessing. She even ran into the pregnant lady again and they chatted. Then you would walk back. Now that Thomas was walking around, he was hard not to ogle. And you didn’t blame Elena for sometimes going up and talking to him! You made sure there was nothing dangerous- even if she had to go to the bathroom, you joined her. You never left Elena alone. Only if you knew someone would stay by her. You began to research counselors here to immediately get her help and signed her up for one. You told her parents she was troubled, and suicidal-they had the right to know. Just not the reason why. Once a counselor was picked, you both began to research apartments here. Once she was done with school-or even before- she would move out. A poor life made with money on her own was better than one living off of Roper’s corrupt wealth. Elena was always by you- and She didn’t mind having to be the third with Danny.

But you protected both. Yet…how could you protect yourself? There were going to be more events and parties and dinners. And Roper’s men would still leer at you.

You had to tell Roper. He was the Worst Man in the World. You knew that. But no one else could stop the harassment. Knowing Elena was safe with someone, you went up and found Roper. He was on a deck, talking to Andrew. They sat on a little table under a shaded umbrella with cold drinks. For the topic you were about to bring up, it was very pleasant. They turned to you, their low voices stopping.

“Roper- I have to talk to you. Now!” you said.

“Oh, goodie!” he replied dryly.

You stepped up to them, sitting on the extra free chair. You could feel the wind and hear the nearby ocean.

“Roper…I have this problem. Your friends, all the men keep hitting on me. Please….i just need…need some help. I need you to stop them. Really!”

After scratching his grey head, Roper put his hands in his pockets where he sat. He gave a half smile. But you noticed Thomas was still frowning, but something in his face softened.

“Well-the price paid for being a pretty lady here!” Roper laughed.

“I’m serious! It’s uncomfortable!” you prodded.

He put his hands in his pockets, but he kept smiling. He then looked at Thomas and back at you. Then his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Oh-you’re lucky. Have a look at Thomas. You see-he’s getting some business done. He’s about to have a very important job with me- joining my circle. Let’s say, a little thank-you gift. He’ll need to be seen at events-parties. Gatherings. The works. But they will think he’s no one…”

“What does that have to do with me?” you asked.

“He’s got to make an impression if he’s going to succeed.  I’m getting him a new suit. A new business card.  A new wallet….and a new woman.”

Your back straightened. Roper began grinning even bigger, like an evil Cheshire cat.

“Do you mean…mean…am I…am I…in an arrangement with Thomas? Like you and Jed?” you asked.

The shock was like an ice cube in your stomach. Even if Thomas was an attractive man, were you going to have to sleep with someone you barely knew?! In fact, this was a step above- a new man in Roper’s circle, only this time it wouldn’t be words, but actions.

“No! No arrangements! I’m not asking you to sign any marriage contract, sweetheart! Just be his date for a few events! Let them think you are his!” Roper said.

You looked over at Thomas again. His own eyes were big. His jaw was slack as if he was just as surprised as you were. And he still didn’t say a word. But he did lean forward.

“Y/N…I won’t force you to do anything…don’t be scared…” he assured you.

 But Roper went on as if congratulating himself.

“But I see. You…. tolerate each other.”

Thomas folded his arms and leaned back into his chair. You saw his adams apple lowering as he swallowed. You had no words but listened. He did keep glancing at you and you at him.

“Y/N, you’re sick of being some sort of…. forbidden fruit, shall we say? Well, when you want to keep the fruit from flies- you make sure it’s taken care of.”

He turned to the handsome rescuer.

“Thomas, you want to keep your business up and running and frankly, I don’t like to see you sit inside and brood all day. Doctor says you’re good to go about now.  So let’s kill two birds with one stone, shall we?” Roper declared.

He then took his hands and placed your on each other. For a second, it did feel like a marriage ceremony.

“Be each other’s dates when we’re in public!

Thomas tightened his jaw and leaned forward in his chair. You nearly jumped up where you sat. Roper went on.

“Tell everyone you’re a couple, now. Go to a few parties and restaurants, hold arms, and smile at each other. Maybe a kiss on the cheek, sometimes! Don’t be scared- Thomas here is a knight in shining armor and he has the libido of a monk, from what I’ve gathered. You both win- Thomas, you will be a social butterfly with a contract and influence and Y/N will keep those nasty little men from drooling at her.”

You hated that he was right. It was a sad truth. Those men wouldn’t respect your word alone. But if you were taken, they’d respect your boyfriend instead. Even a fake one.

“I can tell you- you can make up a reason to break up any time you want!” Roper then finished with a playful, short wiggle of his eyebrows.

You wanted to crawl beneath a rock. Thomas kept calm, the light in his eyes did not deny his surprise.

“Well, what’ll it be? Thomas, I think there’s a bit more freedom for you to say no. But it’s Y/N here who’s a bit more anxious, shall we say. And Y/N could use the protection!”

You looked at each other. Thomas got out another hand and put it over yours in slight protection. They were warm and soft. Already at his touch you felt…safe, for lack of a better word.

“I…I…I don’t see any pros of saying no…” you began.

Roper clapped his hands together and then rubbed them in joy.

“Well, then! We’re going to have a little cocktail reception later today! All for Apo’s family coming in! Your work starts tonight- Only me on your little secret that it’s pretend-deal?”

You glanced at each other. Thomas gave a nod.

“If Y/N’s alright with it, I am.”

“Deal,” you agreed.

“Well then, time to leave the lovebirds alone!” Roper chirruped.

 He got up and turned out with a smile, leaving you alone with Thomas. You heard seagulls cawing and the shadows of the house shifted. Thomas leaned towards you but didn’t let your hands go yet.

“I’m sorry…so sorry, I’ll make it up to you. I bet you’re furious, right now,” he said.

“I’m…I’m actually not. At least not anymore. It doesn’t sound that bad,” you replied.

“But those men-they’ve been bothering you. Keeping you unsafe- haven’t they? I can do something. They don’t have to bother you anymore…” he offered. “It’s the least I can do.”

“And now with you, they won’t.”

He gave you a smile and your insides turned again.

“It’s not that bad. Just go to a few events. Hold arms. And smiles. I bet whatever you’ve done, that’s not the hardest thing you ever had to do,” you wondered.

Thomas looked back out to the sea and your gaze followed his. He let his hands go.

“No, it’s not.”

[babe-in-christ]

I want to share a very simple story about how God provided a sewing machine for CHEAP and a learning lesson! 😂

I’ve been wanting a sewing machine for a couple weeks. God told me to wait. 🛑 I could’ve been disobedient and impulsively bought one but I didn’t. Especially since it’s something so simple to want. I’m not going to lie to you though, I was tempted. Nonetheless I waited. 🗓️

One day a few days ago my dad wanted to go to Mckays. It’s a store that sells a variety of things from electronics, books, toys, etc. I decided to sell them one of my Nintendo switch games. As I was waiting for them to call my number and tell me the trade in value, I noticed something. A SEWING MACHINE! 😳 I was afraid to check the price because of thoughts like “what if I couldn’t afford it?” and “it could be missing parts” etc. God said “don’t be afraid”. I went and looked at the price. It said $24.95. Here’s the kicker! The machine looked so familiar. I checked the price of the machine I was originally going to buy online and it said $106 but then I noticed it’s the exact same machine at the store. Same model, manufacturer and everything! 😱 I have never seen that machine for that price except if it needed maintenance. I’m still hesitant at this point. My number is called and they said I would get $15 in trade-in credit. I’m still hesitant but God asks me “why are you afraid? It’s my gift to you. Get it.”

So I used the trade-in credit and paid $11 for the sewing machine and walked out HAPPILY. 😆

Then I realize I have to work on receiving from God🫣. I love being obedient to Him. I have a decent level of patience. However, I struggle with receiving from God. By His grace, I’m learning how to graciously and happily accept things. 😝

Understand that God knows we aren’t perfect. He recognizes genuine effort and rewards it accordingly. You may feel unworthy but know that He knows you’re still transforming and changing. Where you’re at is temporary. Keep seeking Him! Accept His LOVE. ACCEPT HIM WITH LOVE! 🥹

[brucediana]

Hello. I don't usually ask for help but I am reaching out to your kind hearts especially to those who love animals. (please do read the entire thing.)

I rescued Mochi last November 2022. I believe it was the power of the cat distribution system that brought us together. I was driving in the early hours of the night to fetch my dad from his DJ-ing gig when I found this kitten in the middle of the road. Despite honking my horn, it did not move an inch. I thought to myself that I would not want to drive back and see it lifeless so I decided to step out of my car and carry it to the sidewalk. When I had driven a few feet away, I saw it walk back to the road and settle in the middle. So that's when I said to myself, 'I am taking you home.'

Moving forward, Mochi has been a fat happy cat and has enjoyed home life with my pet dogs (Yes, they get along quite fine).

It was the night of January 5th of this year and I had not seen her when I had gotten home from a birthday party. She would usually be sitting on the dining table meowing. So I thought she might be in her usual hiding spot. Two days had passed and I still had not seen her. I thought to myself, "She might be just be wandering around looking for a mate."

But on the third day, as I was heading out of the house, I saw her hiding her head under my car. When I carried her, I was horrified at the sight of how she had looked. She was badly beaten to the point where her left eye had been damaged and she could not close her mouth. (Refer to the first photo)

I thought she would die and had accepted that maybe she would pass away. I had always told her she could rest and thanked her for her time with me. I had also discovered that she had prematurely gave birth to four kittens. Fortunately, this cat was one hell of a fighter! She drank the water I had placed that I had mixed dextrose powder and her meows were LOUD!

So I immediately brought her to the vet. Her left eye had been damaged and her nose had a sliced wound. The biggest problem for her was her lower jaw had fractured and it had developed a pus. Currently, she is in the vet and is undergoing medication but is having a hard time eating due to her fracture.

The doctor has said that she might need surgery to close up the fracture in order for her to fully heal as well as the removal of her damaged left eye to avoid any infections. I only have a certain budget for her but I can't afford the surgery and other test that might be needed. So this is where I ask for donations in order for me to save the life of this strong-willed cat.

My finances cannot cover everything as I am also contributing with family expenses.

If you are willing to donate, please send it through my PayPal account. Any amount is highly appreciated in order for Mochi to have her operation.

I also promise to present receipts of what had been paid as proof that the donations are meant for Mochi's full recovery. Thank you, everyone!

[q-gorgeous]

Maybe ghosts aren’t the real monsters after all

fanfiction

ao3

word count: 1123

"The date started off so well, beginning my night not expecting the fright of my life. They were perfect from what I could tell. How could I not see the danger right in front of me-" (dark ages preferred but please go hog wild with other ships that would be hilarious/fun to write this with!) @kawaiijohn

i watched an episode to include a line in here then realized i couldnt actually include that line or it wouldnt work jknhbgf

Valerie smiled at Danny as he sat down in the chair across from her. She was glad they could finally make this work. She no longer needed to work two jobs to help her dad pay rent, not with his new job. So she kept her cashier job at the Nasty Burger and dumped the other one. Now she only had to worry about one job, school, and hunting ghosts. 

She remembered that she broke up with him because she didn’t want to put him in danger. She remembered how Phantom targeted her that one day. Well, not her. It was her suit. But he didn’t know that. For all she knew, he was out there trying to murder her that day. 

But looking at Danny now was enough to put those worries out of her head. It’s not like the ghosts had an issue with him. It was just her. And his parents. But the ghosts could care less about his parents. They barely paid her any mind. It would be fine. They wouldn’t hurt him. 

Ghosts were the last thing she wanted to be thinking about anyway. Especially when she had what she was convinced to be the love of her life sitting right in front of her. Ghosts could wait for the time being. 

They were at a nice restaurant. It was nothing fancy, affordable enough for two teenagers. It was better than the Nasty Burger, though. She appreciated it. 

A waiter walked up to them. “Hi guys, I’m Clara and I’ll be your server today! Can I get you started off with some drinks?”

“Yeah!” Danny said. “Can I get a Pepsi?”

“You bet!” Clara wrote it down and turned to Valerie. “What can I get for you?” 

“I’ll take a Sprite.”

“Okay.” Clara jotted that down as well. “I’ll go get those for you and give you some time to look at the menu.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

“What do you think looks good?” Danny asked shyly. “I’ve never actually been here before.”

“Well, they’ve got a big pasta section. Everyone loves noodles.”

Danny nodded, flipping to a new page in the menu and studying it. “I do love noodles.”

They looked at their menus for a couple minutes, keeping their conversation light. Soon Clara came back with their drinks and took their orders. They continued to talk while they waited for their food. 

Valerie laughed. “How did you get Dash to do that? He’d never!” 

“He’d never back down from a challenge. It’s all about how you play it up. If you make it sound like he’s a wuss for not doing something he’ll take the bait.”

Then Clara was returning, a tray of food resting on one of her hands. “Here we go! Shrimp and broccoli fettuccine alfredo for you.” She placed the plate down in front of Danny. “And smoked salmon for the lady.” 

“Thank you!” Valerie said. “It looks delicious.”

“I hope you enjoy-” Clara cut herself off with a scream, looking up past Valerie. She turned around to see the Lunch Lady ghost floating behind her. 

So much for the ghosts waiting. 

“Come on!” Danny groaned. “I won’t even get to eat my food!” 

“This restaurant will rue the day that it broke healthcode violations!” 

Danny made a face up at the ghost. “At least she has a good reason this time I guess?”

“Get down!” Valerie grabbed his shirt from across the table and pulled him down with her so they could hide underneath it. She needed to get Danny out of here so he’d be safe. And so she could transform. She wished he knew her secret, that would make this much easier. Almost everyone else had already ran out of the building by now. There’d be no one else to see. 

“Watch out!” 

Valerie had been distracted trying to find a way out that she didn’t notice the floating knives pointing at her. She watched as they started flying through the air towards her but then she was being shoved out of the way. She landed on the ground a couple feet away and wrenched her gaze towards the spot Danny had pushed her out of. Had he been hurt?

He stood there, the knives embedded into the wooden floor behind him. 

How did he do that? He couldn’t have dodged those.

“Sorry, Valerie.”

What did he need to apologize for? He just saved her! She should be the one apologizing to-

Valerie’s train of thought stopped as two bright rings appeared around his waist. 

She watched them split and separate. They traveled along his body, passing over his head and his feet. Left in Danny’s place was Phantom. 

He sprung up and started fighting the Lunch Lady. Valerie could only watch in a daze. 

The disguise was so perfect. She couldn’t even tell that that wasn’t Danny. How could she not have seen the dangerous ghost that had been sitting right in front of her?

She watched him grab the thermos that now always hung by his waist and trapped the Lunch Lady inside it. He touched back down on the ground. When he turned to face her, Valerie socked him in the face.

“Ow!” Phantom shouted, holding his jaw. “What was that for?”

She activated her suit and transformed. Pulling out a gun, she aimed it at him.

“Where is he?” She asked lowly.

“Where is who?” He looked confused. His facade made her angry.

“Danny Fenton!” She yelled. “What did you do to him? Did you hurt him to get to me?”

“What? No, Valerie. I’m-”

“How long?” She asked. “How long have you been toying with my feelings? Playing this game? Where did the real Danny go?”

“There is no real Danny!” He stood back up and looked at her. “There’s only one! Me! I’ve been Danny and Phantom this whole time!”

She shook her gun at him. “Oh yeah? How do you explain destroying my suit?”

“You weren’t in it.”

“You ruined my life!” She threw her hands into the air. “You’ve made it a living hell! My dad lost his job all because of you! Danny would never do that!”

His hands raised up to his head and grabbed his hair tightly. He looked back at her. “It was an accident! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Why should I believe anything you say if you’ve been lying to me this whole time anyways?”

Their silence weighed heavily on them. He didn’t say anything to that. He looked away from her.

“Maybe ghosts aren’t the real monsters after all.”

His head shot back up at her quiet words. 

“Valerie, wait-”

“No.” She turned away from him. “I need to be alone.”

[yurayura-kurage]

A3! Troupe Event: MY WORST WEDDING | Event Story Translation (9/11)

Neither Japanese nor English is my first language so please forgive me if I made mistake. However, feel free to point me out, I’d love to hear your feedbacks on the translation ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

Translation under the cut

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Taichi: And then–– Here comes the bride! 

Sakyo’s stepfather: ––

Sakyo’s mother: …How do I look?

Sakyo’s stepfather: Eh, ah, uhm, you look beautiful. 

Miyako: Dad, you look like you’re floating on air seeing step-mother in a dress. Just like a highschool student who had a girlfriend for the first time.

Sakyo: Well, you’d be surprised if mother changes like this.

Banri: The bride and the groom, you two please come here––.

Sakyo’s mother: We even have the officiant?

Banri: I’m in charge of the officiant role.

Miyako: This is just a wedding photoshoot, but I want to take photos like we’re in a real wedding, so I asked if we could have the officiant. 

Sakyo’s mother: Well…

Banri: Do you, Yuuichi-san, pledge to protect and tenderly care for Akemi-san in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse? (*)

Do you promise to encourage her, to honor and cherish her, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Sakyo’s stepfather: …I do.

Banri: Do you, Akemi-san, pledge to protect and tenderly care for Yuuichi-san in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse?

Do you promise to encourage him, to honor and cherish him, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Sakyo’s mother: I do.

Banri: Then, you may hug each other now––.

Miyako: Step-mother, congratulations!

Taichi: Congrats–!

Izumi: Congratulations!

Sakoda: Congrats to you–!

Miyaki: This is not a flower shower… But a paper crane shower!? (**)

Sakyo: That’s a tradition in Ginsenkai.

Sakoda: I folded and prepared all of them last night!

Sakyo’s mother: Oh my, it must have been tough. Thank you.

Sakoda: They’re all for the sake of Aniki’s mom, who gave birth to him, so it’s not a big deal!

Omi: The bride and the groom, can you two look here?

It’s perfect.

Then everyone, can you all line up here? The bride and the groom in the center–– That’s it. 

Izumi: As expected, you’re used to these things right.

Taichi: That’s a pro for you!

Juza: It might be better for the relatives to line up at the front.

Omi: You’re right.

Azami: Then, I’m tall so I’ll stand at the back––.

Sakyo’s mother: Azami-kun will also stand here. We’ll line up together at the front.

Azami: Eh?

Omi: Then I’ll take the picture.

Sakyo’s stepfather: Somehow, it really feels like a wedding ceremony.

Sakyo’s mother: Fufu. You’re right.

Sakyo: …

*Short timeskip*

Sakyo’s mother: Azami-kun, thank you so much for today.

I’m a little reluctant at first, but I was having the happiest time. I’m sorry for having troubled you.

Azami: No, it’s not a big deal–– I’m glad you have fun.

Sakyo’s mother: Sakyo too, thank you for the filial piety.

Sakyo: I didn’t do anything. I only paid for the celebration. If you’d say thanks, then come to Miyako––.

Sakyo’s mother: You also cared about the materials of the dress and other things, didn’t you?

Sakyo: Did you spill that to her?

Azami: I just went with the flow.

Sakyo’s mother: …Actually, before your father passed away, he told me this in the patient room.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t afford you a wedding dress to wear at our wedding ceremony. I hope you will be able to wear a wonderful dress in the future.”, he said.

At that time, I was quite angry with him because he brought up the topic of remarriage before he passed away, I didn’t want him to say something ominous––.

But then Sakyo said “I’ll wear it”. And it made me laugh.

Sakyo: …I have no memory of that.

Sakyo’s mother: Right. You were still small back then.

However, thank you for making my wish come true. 

Sakyo: …Aah.

Sakyo’s mother: That’s right, since I’ve had myself dress up like this, I need to take a two shot with Hyodo-kun!

Sakyo’s stepfather: Eh!?

Sakyo’s mother: ?

Sakyo’s stepfather: W-Well, I also want to take it with you…

Sakyo’s mother: You too? It’s okay but…

Azami: …You’re loved, ma’am.

Sakyo: Aah. Step-father met my mother because of work, and it seems like he fell in love with her at first sight. 

Even so, he seemed to be hesitant because it’s gonna be a second marriage, but then Miyako noticed it and encouraged him to take a step forward.

He was so excited that looked like he had butterflies in his stomach everyday, so it was obvious at a glance. 

Azami: Butterflies in his stomach, huh…

*At the stage wing*

Manager: 10 minutes left before the performance starts~.

Taichi: How should I put it, after attending such a touching wedding, how can I perform a marriage fraud theme play…

Juza: It can’t be helped now.

Banri: What’s more, you’re even the one who deceives the groom. 

Taichi: Ugh, ugh, I can’t believe I’ll ruin such a sacred wedding like this~… I’ll try my best~!

Omi: You’re gonna do your best huh. 

Taichi: This time is a dual role so I have to get myself fired up! 

Sakyo: Well, I think I need to act to look like I’m completely deceived then.

Azami: And it’s gonna be a revenge then.

Taichi: Uugh, such a brutal combination…!

Izumi: Both of you got blonde hair and you two looked like buddies.

Banri: You said you didn’t want to match with Sakyo-san, but you ended up getting your hair blonde.

Azami: Not really. I just prioritize to match with the world view and character setting

Juza: It indeed suits Ethan’s image.

Taichi: You two somehow look like parents and child too.

Banri: Sakyo-san looks old so they’re more parents-and-child-like.

Omi: This time it’s the special hair and makeup that makes him look more dignified.

Sakyo: At least just say we look like brothers.

Izumi: Azami-kun, how do you feel before your long-awaited leading performance? Do you feel nervous?

Azami: Not at all. I’m all set and all I need to do now is to act my best.

Banri: No matter how much time passes, he’s our real cocky rookie.

Juza: Ethan’s expression of love for his fiancée is gettin’ better and better, so you don’t need to worry ‘bout anything.

Azami: Perhaps it’s the impact of attending an actual wedding.

Taichi: But in the end, you’ll be betrayed by me!

Sakyo: Well then, it’s time to form the huddle. Leading man, say something.

Azami: …This time performance is packed with lots of action scenes with guns, so you’re gonna have to go all out from the first day. However, you’re not allowed to sleep without skincare after going back to the dorm.

Do as the slogan “Sleeping・Moisturizing・Skincare Lifestyle” during the run of performance…! Do y’all understand!?

Juza: Oh, understood… 

Taichi: I don’t feel like doing it…!

Sakyo: The lead this time is completely a skincare demon no matter what.

Translator's note:

(*) Sakyo’s stepfather’s name is written as 祐一, and for Sakyo’s mother’s name is 明美. These two have various ways of reading so I just picked the most common one. I’ll have them edited when we have the official release.

(**) A reference to “Wish Upon a Paper Crane” SSR Card Backstage.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Previous || Next

[deathofpeaceofmiiind]

high infidelity | fourteen

My house of stone, your ivy grows and now I’m covered in you. *Noah’s POV* I laid down on the bed as The Office played on my iPad while I waited for Ellie. I still can’t believe this is real and that she wanted to be with me. I felt like I finally found my person, I just hope I didn’t scare her away with what I said. All of it was true, I wanted to be the one to love her right. Sometimes I catch myself being a hopeless romantic and I can’t stop it. There’s something about making someone feel loved that gives me the greatest feeling.

“Hey you.” 

I look up and see Ellie standing there with a suitcase, causing my jaw to drop. She was wearing black biker shorts with one of our band shirts and checkered vans. Her black hair was so vibrant, giving the impression she washed it and it cascaded down her back in loose waves. Her red lipstick still hasn’t made another appearance but her glossed lips looked so fucking kissable. If I wasn’t already laying down I would’ve folded so fast. “Is that…” “Eevee with a Katana in her mouth?” Ellie replies pointing to her thigh tattoo. “Yeah it is.” “I never noticed it before.” I stuttered, realizing it was because my head was between her thighs most of last night. She just smiles at me before crawling onto the bed and over me. Her scent of vanilla and salted caramel filled my lungs as she kissed me like she missed me. I surrendered to her as my hands wandered down her back and grabbed a handful of her ass as our kiss deepened. She seemed to like that as a soft moan escaped her mouth. I smirked in satisfaction as I gave her another squeeze before rolling her over on the bed, wanting to be in control. Ellie wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing me into her body as close as she possibly could as I returned to her mouth. I pulled away for a moment to start planting kisses on her neck and jawline, trying my best to not mess up her make up. The more I kissed her the more I started to feel her pulse underneath her shorts, it was stirring something up in me. “Fuck.” I cursed as my phone rang. I got off the bed and ran my fingers through my hair, taking a few breaths before answering the phone. It was Matt…the fucker has the worst timing I swear. “Yes?” “Hey man did I catch you at a bad time?” Matt answered as he heard my heavy breathing. “Wait…were you guys fucking?” “What do you want?” I laughed, looking over at Ellie who just sat up and straightened herself out. She looked flushed and I couldn’t help but love the look on her. “I got you two flights at 8am tomorrow morning. Soundcheck is at noon I think so you’ll have to run over here after you land. I got you a separate room at the hotel we’re staying at too. I’ll text you the details.” “Thanks man, I owe you.” “You’re goddamn right you do! I don’t get paid enough to keep booking flights for you, and well, now your girlfriend.” “We’re not -“ “Yeah yeah” Matt says, cutting me off. “Come back, the kids miss you.”

Matt hung up and I couldn’t help but laugh at what he said. Of course I wanted Ellie to be my girlfriend. I’m sure it was something worth mentioning but I didn’t want to overwhelm her. We got down to the hotel parking lot and Ellie held my hand as she lead me over to her car. She grabbed her key and hit the unlock button, causing a black Audi SUV to light up. I raised my eyebrow, maybe she’s more well off than I thought. “This was a gift from my parents when I got pregnant.” She said, looking almost embarrassed. “There’s no way in hell I would’ve been able to afford this myself.” “Your parents bought you this?” I said, my jaw still on the fucking floor.

“Well, kinda.” She replies, her eyes dropping to her feet. “My mom died from Covid when I was pregnant and she had money put aside for me in her will, so my dad used it to buy me my dream car. I’ve been driving the same Volkswagen since high school so I was due for an upgrade.” “Wow, Ellie I’m so sorry about your mom.” I sighed, giving her hand a squeeze. The other night she mentioned her parents but nothing about her mother’s death, granted I never told her much about my past, I was just shocked. “Thank you.” She says she dangles her keys in front of me, “do you want to drive it?” “You trust me with this thing?” “Absolutely.” She smirks as she walks over to the passenger side. My eyes followed her backside the whole time, making me lose my train of thought. “Hurry up, Sebastian.” I rolled my eyes at her as I walked over the drivers side. Ellie just laughed at me as I had to put the seat all the way back before I could even get in, once I did my jaw dropped again. Holy fuck this was so nice. The interior was modern, leather, black with red accents and so sleek. Jealously was an understatement. I pushed the start button and the car let out a small purr which caused me an ungodly sound to escape my mouth. “Yeah I’m getting a new car when I go back to LA.” Ellie just smiles at me as she punches in the address of the aquarium for me. I was a little nervous about driving in Vancouver for the first time but I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as LA. I put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Ellie put on some Spiritbox for us and my hand instinctively grabbed her inner thigh as I drove down the road. She kept her eyes on me the whole time and I couldn’t help but smirk. “What?” “You look so fucking hot driving my car.”  She confessed, biting her lip. “Oh yeah?” I questioned her, applying more pressure on her thigh. “Yes! It’s so unfair how good looking you are, Noah.” I felt my face getting hot the more she talked about me. I wasn’t embarrassed but I had a hard time taking compliments from people. With Ellie, I couldn’t help but blush the more she complimented me. All I wanted to do was look at her but I was too focused on driving in new territory. Once we got to a red light I quickly wrapped my hand around her throat and kissed her until the light went green again. I could get used to this. All of it.

[hole34]

“pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is a sham.

nearly 80% of all owned american wealth is generational. prices rise while the working class’ salaries are cut, and you can’t make any profit if you’re not at the top, which you can’t do without radical exploitation of others.

I was born into a middle class life. my mom went though a lot of different jobs, most that she really liked, and we lived with my grandmother who was still working at the time. My dad was around a lot, he hadn’t become a fucking nazi yet, he had a good job and was supportive.

It slowly went downhill from there.

As my dad was treading down the conservative-to-nazi pipeline and become more paranoid, less supportive, my mom wasn’t always making enough money because her jobs became unnecessary to newer society and it was harder to find sustainable jobs, and my grandmother had to quit working because she started developing dementia. my mom worked at a UPS factory for some time before quitting because of the unworkable conditions and treatment, and her last option at that point in time was to work at the Amazon factory. she worked 7-9, one of my friends’ parents took care of me mosts nights. my mom was constantly overworked, often injured, and paid barely enough to keep us living. when covid-19 hit she was one of the first to get laid off, so all of our income came from my half-assing dad and the bare minimum from the government.

i starting developing depression around this time but we couldn’t afford or access actual mental health care, so my mom treated me with CBD oil and pot (which was still illegal in our state) she got from the only friend that continued to support our family. more and more.

i don’t remember most of 2021, it was all a blur but the one thing that will always replay in my mind is the day in november of 2021 when my mom kneeled down to me, looked me in the eyes and said

“lila, we don’t have enough money to live right now.”

i could tell things were getting weirder as time went on, but it was at this moment i realised nothing would ever be the same again. i broke down crying knowing the last years of my life at home would be spent struggling, unsupported and alone.

all the years since my mom and i have been living off of whatever money my mom can vet my father to give us, but it’s almost always a fight and almost always a no, he’s lost care for our wellbeing, and any other money has come from stuff my mom tries to sell to pawn shops. we’re on food stamps now, as fucking hard as they were to get, and we don’t really go anywhere anymore because we can’t afford it; at first it wad covid, then financially, than our home life.

my grandmother’s dementia got far worse, my mom (and myself to a lesser degree) has to take care of her full-time now, but she doesn’t get any government support for it because she obtaine power of attorney over my grama so we can still live in our house. my grandmother now is in post-awareness dementia which mentally and physically deprecating for my mom, a single mother with BPD, to take care of and it’s hell just to be in this house. fuck if you thought this was all though!

my mom was a child of 8, and she was the only one who took care of both her father, who died from ALS before my lifetime, and her crappy mother, so she still lived in her mother’s home and raised me in it. in her parents’ will however, it’s said once they both die the house will be sold and a portion of the money will be distributed to all 8 kids. that’s not enough money for my mom to live off of.

SO, my mom talked to her siblings in May of 2022 and discussed our living situation, asking for legal right to the house once their mother is gone because she’ll have no where else to live and she’s been the unpaid caretaker of both of her disabled parents since they day they needed care. but, her siblings, all of which have sustainable lives, homes and jobs, said no because they don’t care about my mom or grandma, just the shitty money they’ll inherit. there was no way of knowing when my grandma was going to pass and we wouldn’t be able to move either (my dad wouldn’t financially support it), so my mom filed a civil lawsuit on all of her siblings.

exactly two years later and we’re still in the lawsuit. nothing has changed.

aside from all the mental torture and stress the lawsuit has caused - my mom has PTSD from being abused and r*ped by the brother that’s head of the apposing side - nothing has gotten better no matter how much ANY of us do. i work now, for barely anything, and we’ve gotten a little bit more bottom-of-the-barrel government support, but it still manages to get worse. no familial support, barely any from my dad, whom of which has become mildly abusive, but can’t risk to cut ties with or else we will have absolutely no one. my mom’s sold everything valuable she had, she’s even begged for money. we don’t always have heating, we don’t always have electricity, we don’t always have food, and god fucking forbid any day we come across the police. i get by stealing energy drinks and period products, dirt money when i can, and just trying to keep my mom going and not killing herself

we can’t fucking pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, we’re already treated as barely human now being in the low class.