#I grew it too in the teapot for weeks | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

echantedtoon · 7 months ago

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Ocean Deep Ch3 Spectacles And Scales P2

(Warnings for mistreatment of the mers by the sideshow owner and some of the other people, Buying and selling of mers, mentions of mermen sinking ships and hurting people, the mers are in bad shape, etc.

To which Y/n makes a decision that will change her life forever.)

The sun beamed brightly on the world. Bright, big, beautiful, warm, and good enough to chase away the darkness away. Leaving behind a world filled with wonder to be explored and sights to see. The rainbow kaleidescope of colors kissing the light good morning bloomed widely. The rainbow of soft petals were only highlighted by dew drops sparkling bright like a gift from heaven. A sight drawing over many buyers. To hold their beauty. Smell their heavenly fragrance. Present them as gorgeous gifts for loved ones or use to decorate for symbolic occasions.

Fingertips gently slid under the delicate pink of a primrose, tilting it's gorgeous head up to a beautiful smiling face before gentle water rained down onto its delicate body but not hard enough to harm its delicate frame.

"You grew up so pretty. You'll be even prettier once you get to your new home later today, all planted in the soft dirt and being taken cared of by nice people. Such pretty colors too. I envy your simple life."

"You always compliment those buds like real children." F/c eyes looked up and over at kind black ones crinkled up in a smile.

Her boss was standing up and above a table with a secondary teapot in her hands, water flowed freely from the spout and ran into a number of giant pots filled with soft dirt and blooming rose bushes. Blooming with life and ready to be hauled away to their forever home. A place to belong and live out the rest of their lives in peace and quiet. The elderly woman smiled at them fondly as if they were her own children and treated them with as much care and kindness as a mother should. She admired her for that. Her wise demeanor was just a shell hiding her much kinder demeanor. An old hand reached out to nudge between the small branches to pull off a dead leaf free from the overall plant before just letting it fall into the pot to naturally become fertilizer.

"Well they say plants like it when you talk to them. I don't know if that's true but it wouldn't hurt, and I don't think they really mind."

Your smile turned back to the tiny bud that hasn't bloomed yet. Today was the day. After two weeks of caring for the rose bushes, they were going to be delivered to their final forever home. This evening your boss's son would be stopping by to take these potted plants back towards their home on the very far end of town. The horse and cart was already provided for being left outside all ready to go. All the owner needed was for her son to get here, load the six heavy pots into the cart, and then take them to the Henya residence which was on the very edge of town. But you did have a problem with that you hadn't asked yet-

Your boss chuckled. "I suppose so. You'd be surprised by the facts in those rumors."

"Isn't the Henya family gonna be gone for the next month? I thought they were attending a funeral."

The older woman nodded still smiling. "Yes. But Mrs. Henya is staying behind to care for their business in her husband's absence."

That was the second biggest news you've ever heard around here in the past three weeks other than that one day Akira came prancing about through town throwing around fliers advertising the 'grand opening' which now had to be put on hold due to some personal family drama. Being a small town the gossip spread quickly and, according to the rumors, Akira's great grandfather and patriarch of the Henya family passed away a few days ago. So Akira, his parents, and Uncle would all be leaving to travel a few towns over for the funeral and to take care of the family's assets. That'd take a while considering so you were unsure if anyone would be even there to accept the order, but apparently not.

"Will she even be there when he delivers it?"

"Last I heard she's seeing them off as far as the beach but she'll be there when the delivery's made." She smiled assuringly. "So don't worry."

Well you were unsure about that, but this wasn't your business and you didn't run it. You were only paid to help care for the flowers, not give your opinion on how to run your boss's business. And right now you were just paid to water these beauties before they had to leave the shop.

So it was your morning was just bliss. Quiet, serene, and happy as you hummed away doing your normal rounds. Uninterrupted other than the occasional humming and comment between the both of you. Another normal day in anyone's opinion.

"Y/n." You had stopped hours later in the middle of moving one of the pots towards the door in order to make it's journey to the wagon outside easier and shorter for Mrs. Satoshi's son. However your boss had other ideas when she held up a tray of fruit and small tea set. "Come take a break and have lunch with me. You must be tired from lugging around those heavy pots so much."

You were glad for the break after setting the third to last heavy pot near the door and gladly taking the break to eat and take a breather before having to move the last two pots. Thank goodness that the bushes were still relatively small, had they been fully grown then they'd weigh a LOT more. But for now the tired mouth would enjoy her feast of apples and green tea with honey. A nice snack for her efforts. The sweet fruit tasted delicious to your tongue and the tea was just as sweet but a little bitter. Mrs. Satoshi only smiled at you as you ate.

"It's always good to build up a healthy appetite after a hard day's work. Keeps the body strong," she spoke while pouring a second cup of tea for herself. You hummed in agreement. "Oh. Did you hear what happened to a ship in the Seabound River?"

You blinked confused before swallowing the food in your mouth. "Seabound River? Isn't that the giant river that connects to the ocean a few miles away from here?" You didn't know about that rive but you knew that the small river near your woods connected to the bigger river that lead to the bigger one that connected to the ocean.

She nodded again. "There's been a few ships that's been getting attacked and sunk by a siren."

You paused mid bite staring. "Sirens?"

"Or mermaids. I honestly can't tell the difference." She shrugged holding the warm cup to her face. "I just know there's been reports of two of them running..or I should say swimming ramped along the beach and near the entrance of the Seabound River. Attacks any ship leaving or trying to enter port."

You stared stunned at her blinking. "Really? Why would they do that?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Usually they wouldn't be near humans at all let alone sinking ships. Who knows what strange things those creatures get up to?"

Huh. That WAS strange. Granted you didn't know that much about sirens and mermaids, but it was strange two of them would suddenly start sinking ships. Maybe they were trying to claim new territory for themselves? Maybe the fishermen made them angry? Well it didn't really affect you, so you didn't worry about it too much and you weren't going to be going near any big bodies of water anytime soon so you shouldn't be worried about it. You just needed to concentrate yourself with taking care of your own needs and wants.

A few more hours passed by leisurely. You finished moving the pots by the door, helped trim away some other plants, and had just finished selling a handful of carnations to a customer who had just walked in last minute as evening approached.

"Thanks for coming! Have a nice day!," you called out to the retreating customer waving, "Come back soon!"

Your boss quietly came out from the back with a small bag of fertilizer. The smell hit you before you saw her crinkling your nose up from the foul smell. "Was that Niko just now?" Her son? You shook your head snorting the smell away. A slightly worried look passed over her face before looking towards the open door. "It's gotten very late in the day. I wonder where he could be?"

"I'm sure he'll be here before the day's over. He's probably just running late tending to someone."

She hummed. "I suppose so. He does run his own farm..Oh I do hope nothing bad happened."

"He's probably just busy tending to his crops and lost track of time. There's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Satoshi."

"I .. suppose you're right. But it's getting late, and I need to start getting home to my husband before dark. You know how he hates the thought of me staying out after dark especially with the recent disappearance of those poor Kocho girls. I also can't just stay all day waiting for Niko."

Ah. That's right. People were still on edge about that happening. You honestly felt bad for the old woman and her husband. They were some of the kindest people in your town. "I'm sure he'll be here before it gets dark. He knows how important this is to you."

"Important is an understatement. I have a lot of money invested into this delivery. I'd hate to lose business with so much involved." She gently plopped the bag over by some empty pots so be used in them later you supposed.

You hummed. "...Why don't I close for you?" She turned to you surprised. "You shouldn't worry your husband like that. I can stay until Niko arrives and close up for you."

"Oh no, Dear. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"It's not a problem. I'd be happy to help."

"Well if you're sure you don't mind."

"I'm positive! You go on home before you worry someone. I'll be fine."

And that's how you found yourself sweeping the dirt out of the front door a few hours later and looking up at the sky. It looked like sunset had just started making the sky change different colors and people were already starting to head home to lock their doors until morning in fear of the monsters roaming around the dark. However f/c eyes wondered from the sky to just in front of the small shop only to widen seeing a small brown and white horse tied to a post, where it had been staying almost all day hooked up to a cart and ready to be taken out. Except that the man that was supposed to be here loading up all of the pots into the cart and taking them away wasn't here. STILL.

Niko still hasn't arrived yet? But it'd be dark just in an hour or so. Where was he? You took a look back inside at all six pots still sitting there waiting to be taken away. By the time Niko got here, if he even bothered to show up, it'd be too dark to do anything. The order would be late, and there would be money lost. You felt a pit form in your guts. This was a big order with lots of money. A lost order would mean lost money for your sweet boss but more importantly it'd also mean a lost bonus for you too! You could use the extra money for repairs to your family house. Or to save for your retirement. Or for the future family you eventually wanted. Or literally anything else. It'd be putting a lot in jeapordy if they weren't delivered as promised but yhrtr wasn't anyone else to...

You again looked between the pots and pony.

..No. This was a bad idea. It was almost dark. Creatures lurked in the dark. You could be the next one to be snatched away never to be seen again! ...but then again this WAS a lot of money. And you'd be in town surrounded by people who could help if you were in danger. If you hurried maybe you'd even get home before the moon was fully out..Your mind heavily weighed the options as you already made for the pots and struggled to lift the first heavy one into your arms and half waddled from the weight out the door and over to the cart, struggling to lift it high enough to place it in the back. The pony briefly looked up at the jostling of the cart but quickly lost interest. One by one all six were placed in the back, and the shop closed. The only movements the pony made was walking where hands pulled it after the reigns were untied from the post.

"Come on. We're gonna go on a little adventure. Ok? It's only going to be twenty minutes tops."

Your choice had been made. Convincing yourself that this would only be a quick visit. Ordinary and nothing would happen.

Oh how naive you were.

The wheels on the cart squeaked and rattled from the weight of the pots. The hooves of the horse clip clipped noisily echoing down the dark streets- Alright. They weren't that noisy or loud but with the quietness of the practically deserted streets devoid of human life. Every small noise felt like it was as loud as a thunder clap. Maybe it was just the paranoia and fear of the dark that got you thinking this way but you couldn't help it. The sun had completely set within a few minutes of you walking down the dirt roads, pulling the horse along slowly to avoid jostling the pots in the back in case you hit a pothole. Leaving you encased in darkness. Everyone had slowly made their way into the safety of the dark homes hidden away until the next morning. Like you should be doing, and you were starting to regret your choice but it was too late now.

The shadows danced as moonlight shown down along the dark homes you passed. Dancing with the stars and laughing in glee with the darkness on the ground as the moon and stars above shined down watching their sinister dances as an audience would a beautiful ballet. It was very pretty in a way but your mind only focused on high alert with the possible dangers within the shadows. Every alleyway felt like a hiding place for a monster. Every shadow a trap. And the light not much of a beacon of hope. A shudder ran down your spine with your only companion being a horse that could care less about anything around it. Yeah. What a great way to spend your night. However luck seemed to be on your side. You knew exactly where you had to go. The very last house on the far right side of town. All you had to do was drop them off and then head home. Perfect. Now only if you could hurry up a bit faster. Home after home passed. All completely dark or have one last light on in the window that would soon be out. Looked more friendly in the daylight. The cart and it's cargo walked past silently like the lone figure in the town slowly but surely a small opening at the end gave way and a house farther away from the rest of the others could be seen.

You've never been here before but it must've been the right place. A lone house like the others in town was nestled about twenty feet away from the others. A few feet away from the home was a rather large barn and next to that was a large smokehouse. Ah right. Akira's family was made of mostly fishermen. So it made sense to have a smokehouse and a large barn for storage. The home was already very dark as you slowly approached making it look creepy and sent a shudder through your body. You Willed yourself to approach the empty home pulling the horse with you until you stopped just a few yards away from the door. Looking at the home, it was entirely pitch black on the inside and completely silent. Hesitantly you left the cart giving the horse a few pats on its neck.

Slow steps brought your form to the front door where you stared at it for a long moment before with a inhale you reached out to loudly but gently knock on the door. The knocks creepily echoed throughout the dark home but it was surely loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Hello? Mrs. Henya!," you called out gently wincing at how much louder your voice was in the silence. "Special delivery!"

No one answered. Not surprising since Akira's family was supposed to be out of town for a funeral but wasn't his aunt still supposed to be home? You slowly found yourself drawn to a nearby window where you cupped your eyes to peek in. It might've been wrong but you wanted to see if anyone else was home. In the darkness you saw the typical living room. A giant rug, fireplace, a few paintings on the walls, and a table with a vase in the left corner but no living person. The place was empty, and dark without any lights or fire in the fireplace. Looked deserted. Either no one was home or Mrs. Henya was ignoring you or was a very deep sleeper. Well..Niko was going to just leave the plants here for her anyways right? You'd just leave them somewhere easy to find. But just in case- You went back to Knock just a little louder on the door.

"I'm just going to leave the pots outside! Ok?!"

You of course never got an answer from the most likely empty home, but you figured it was best to let it be known that the delivery was made just in case. F/c eyes scanned around the dark area squinting with the limited light. You supposed you could just leave them right here by the house but they'd be right in the walk way. ...You decided the best place to leave them was a few feet away from the door off to the side to avoid anyone tripping over them. All you had to do was to just place the pots on the ground and leave. Easy. The hard part would only be to take the pots out of said cart. With a sigh, you approached the cart again reaching inside and lifting out the first pot with some difficulty. The pot was heavy on your arms, making you curse Niko for not doing this himself and eventually somehow managing to pull it out, nearly dropping it, and half struggled to get it the few feet over to plop it down with the grass.

One down. Five more to go.

With a sigh your hands rubbed your sore back before you repeated the process again a second time. In the struggle of removing the third from the back you first heard it. A loud sound that shook you to the core-

"AAAAHHH!!"

It made the horse jostle and move back hitting your chest hard enough with the cart to make you let go of the pot. A loud THUD sound echoed throughout the night from the heavy pot being dropped back into the wagon. The wailing sounds carried along the air dying out as quickly as it came. Leaving behind nothing but a spooked pony and a pair of f/c looking up at the sky.

....What. Was. THAT?!

SNORT!! The horse stepped a little moving the cart backwards until you grabbed it quickly.

"D-Don't do that! I still have a job to do! B-B-Besides that's just the w-wind. O-Or a bobcat."

It was a failed attempt to assure yourself. Wind. It was just the wind and your paranoia. Third pot was taken out. Just three more. Another wail desperately clawed the wind. Just your imagination. Fourth pot out and placed out. Another wail- JUST THE WIND!! Fifth pot out . Silence. Oooook? Last pot- You struggled to get it out tired from the last five, but somehow managed to get it out and onto the ground with the others. Your body was exhausted. Her body collapsed to the ground back resting again the wheel of the cart panting and catching your breath. There. It was done. You didn't have to worry about anything except how sore you'd be tomorrow.

"S-See? N-Nothing happened," you spoke out to no one in particular.

Of course no one answered back and certainly not the horse. The animal did nothing as the woman pulled herself from the ground like a fly in a glue trap. Rubbing her sore body all over with one hand while reaching out the other to pat it's neck before taking it's reigns. Time to go home and get some rest. You coaxed the pony forward again slowly walking on sore feet back towards the town and passing by the large barn on the way-

"AAAAAAHHHHHH HAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!"

The horse reared up nearly pulling you forward with it, but luckily your dead weight and sudden tight grip on the reigns kept it from running off. You froze solid. Body freezing up like solid ice as a loud wail echoed throughout the air and this time-

And it didn't stop.

Wailing echoed out in the air and was followed by sounds of louder more sorrowful screams. You stared silently not really processing the noise filtering through for a long while. Until slowly, slowly. Your head slowly turned up to the big barn. It's shadow falling over you. That sounded like...

Crying???

Sobs. Loud and heavy. Echoed out from inside the barn. You stood there dumbfounded and numbly processing the realization until another one hit you. That..

That sounded like a woman.

The thought stunned you. Why would there be a woman crying in the Henya's barn? Was someone hurt? Did they need help? Should you go get help? A bad feeling settled in your guts. Something WAS wrong here. And you didn't like it. You should leave it alone. It wasn't your business. This wasn't your problem. You shouldn't involve yourself..But what if someone WAS hurt? They could be in danger. They could die. What if by the time you got help it was too late?

You should leave

Hands found themselves of the door handles leading into the barn. "H-Hello? Mrs. Henya!?" No one answered. You gently pulled the door only to be surprised when you met resistance. "... It's Locked?" You rattled the door harder and then noticed the giant lock and thick chains wrapped around the handles from their rattling noise.

Why was the barn locked with chains thick enough to hold a grown bull?

You let go of the door and briefly pressed your head to the door. The crying was still present. Was someone locked up in there? That thought startled you. Why would someone be locked up inside the barn? This was only more confusing than scary now. But if someone still needed help then you should at least make sure they were ok. Right? F/c eyes spotted a window just on the other side of the door. Wouldn't hurt to just look would it? Slowly you approached the glass bracing yourself for the worst in case you'd see something awful. You poked your head into the window seeing your reflection in the moonlight, before cupping your face against the glass and straining to look in. There was something that got your brows raising but it wasn't someone hurt or dying on the ground. The dark barn was full of typical things. Hay piked against the far right wall. A couple farming tools lining another wall. A few buckets and other random objects randomly tossed across the floor. Nothing really out of the ordinary for a barn.

Except for the giant curtain dangling from the rafters effectively blocking the back of the barn from sight.

...Why was that there? That didn't make any sense. The 'curtains' looked like a bad mesh of dirty old tarps and fish nets clumped together nailed from the rafters halfhazardly. Now that wasn't typical for a barn. What was it blocking?....F/c eyes traveled down to the edge of the window. It was one of those giant sideways sliding ones. It was big enough for you to climb through if it opened. ...This was a bad idea. You shouldn't do this. But-

Hands slowly grabbed the window and tugged, and to your surprise it slid open without resistance. It opened a little.. Before you slowly slid it all the way open wide enough for you to lift your leg up and push it quietly through the frame before grabbing the side and quietly pulling the rest of the way in. You quietly swung your other leg in to sit on the windowsill before sliding off. Your feet landed on the dirt floor with a soft thud. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

The crying continued.

It was still present. And now that you were in the barn, you could hear it much, much more clearly. Sobbing. Hard sobbing and crying coming from the back of the barn. That... wasn't the wind. Or a bobcat. It sounded like a young woman. Slowly your feet softly approached the curtain.

"I-I..*GGGAAAASSSPPP* I w-want to go h-hooooooome!!! AAAAHHH!!"

You jumped startled at the sudden voice. Now THAT really sounded like a young woman. You almost jumped again as a second voice groaned out admist the crying and ugly sobs.

"Will. You. Give it a dam rest already?!," a second voice shouted out. This one sounded like another woman but it sounded different from the other still sobbing woman. "That's all you've been doing for days on end!! You don't think the rest of us want to get out of this hellhole?!"

"H-Hey. Calm down. Ok?" Another new voice??? This one sounded different than the first two. So..three women?! You blinked confused before slowly approaching. "Fighting... isn't going to make a-any of this better."

"It's easy for you to say!! Maybe you can stand being stuck for days on end on a tiny space with her crying your ears off but I've had it!!! I can't stand it anymore than I can stand this stupid, stupid dam tub!!"

"AAAHH- S-STOP IT!! Y-Y-YOU'RE BEING MEEEAAANNN!!"

"IM BEING MEAN!? OH I'LL SHOW YOU MEAN!!"

Your hands gently grabbed the makeshift curtains and pulled back-

"Makio, stop-!!"

S P L A S H!!!

You weren't sure what happened. One moment you were pushing yourself in- And then a squeal left your throat as at least three barrels worth of water came raining down on you. The weight of the water as well as your surprise made you fall to the ground face first. A cross between a SPLAT sound, a THUD sound, and a massive pile of water being spilt sounded out through the barn as you felt to the ground...And silence resumed.

COUGH COUGH?!?!

You pushed yourself off of the floor coughing and spitting out the vile taste of dirty water from your mouth as you spit and sputtered. Soaked. In just one second your body was ninety none percent soaked through your dress as if you had jumped into a lake. Coughing and spitting out water your hands reached out to push away the long hair over your face. Narrowed eyes glaring at whoever was responsible for this..Only to once again pause. You did see someone. You.

No. A reflection of you.

A reflection of your soggy poor self was barely illuminated in the dark by the limited moonlight in the dark. It was..A block of dirty glass?? Upon further inspection you saw it wasn't dirt ON the glass but dirty water BEHIND the glass. It was a large...Box of dirty water? You blinked staring at it longer before hearing a sniffle sound and snapping your head up.

Three pairs of eyes stared back down at you.

There. Was. Three. Women. Staring at you from the inside of the...glass box full of dirty water?? You could only stare in shock. The faces also stared back at you in shock. Wha-..That.. Wasn't Mrs. Henya. The three faces staring at you were all strikingly beautiful young women around your age. The first one had dark blue eyes and long black hair that went past her shoulders, and judging by redness on her face you guessed she was the one crying. The second one was a bit stranger. She also had black hair but shorter pulled back into a ponytail. But what made her look so strange was the long orange-yellow bangs framing her face and orangish eyes. The third one like the first two also had black hair she wore tied back in a longer ponytail. Only her eyes her a pretty pink color. They stared down at you. You stared up at them. Silence other than the blue eyed ones sniffles filled the space.

....You. Blinked. "...Who are you?!"

"Us?," the orange eyed one scowled now pointing a wet hand out of the strange box accusingly at you. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I asked you first!"

"Well we're not answering until you answer first!"

"I'm a florist!"

The three women blinked at you before staring at one another. "What's a florist?"

"I sell flowers!" You slowly stood up now shaking your hands out annoyed before pushing your hair back. They looked back to you. "How do you not know what a florist is? And what's the big idea soaking me?!"

This was the thanks you get for trying to be a good person?! Last time you ever got nosey. You should've stuck to your first thought and minded your own business!

"Flowers??..Why would a flower seller be here?! Are you lying?! I know she's lying-"

"I was delivering rose bushes!", you shouted at the other scowling woman now annoyed.

"In the middle of the night? A likely story!"

"I had to make a late delivery because the man who was supposed to deliver them never showed up! And who are you to judge!?"

"Who delivers flowers in the middle of the night?!"

"It literally JUST turned dark! And I'm not the weird one here!" You gestured to the giant..Tank?? Thing?? "I'm not the people deciding to bathe in disgusting water inside a barn! Who the hell does THAT!? That's not normal!"

It was then Ms. Orange Eyes lost her scowl and again all three looked surprised at you. "Wait..so you-" ..Her hand raised looking you up and down. "You're not- ..I mean you're-..You aren't involved in this?"

"Why would I be involved with people who decide to skinnydip in disgusting water?!" You angrily grabbed your dress and wrung it out making water droplets spray to the dirty ground as they again looked at one another.

"Then..what are you doing here?"

"I told you! I'm making a delivery! I heard someone crying and apparently me being a good person means I'm going to be soaked to the bone!" You again scowled at them. "So thanks for that! I was feeling a little dehydrated actually!" You sarcastic spat. Maybe it was a bit mean but you were the one attacked by water here!

Ms. Blue Eyes And Sniffles looked at Ms. Orange Eyes and both looked unsure of what to do. However the third one- "I apologize for that on all of our behalves." She spoke gaining your attention. "We didn't know we'd be having a visitor."

"...Hmph. Clearly. Well since I know no one's dying, I'm gonna leave now and leave you three to.. Whatever it is you're doing."

"WAIT!!" You jumped at the loud wail. Water sloshing off the side of the tank thing. You hadn't even taken half a step away before Ms. Blue Eyes yelled. "YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE!!"

"Uh..YES. I can actually. I shouldn't even be in here." You paused. ..You didn't know these three. But they weren't from your town. You knew that. "You three shouldn't be here either. If I were you, I'd leave before the Henyas come back."

"That.. would be preferable," Ms. Pink Eyes spoke but shook her head sadly, "Unfortunately that's not an option for us."

You stared at her, then at the other two, then at the tank thing. "...Do you need clothing? I'm sure I can find some towels or something around here."

"No. Not that. We're not able to get out of this tank."

So it was a tank? Again why would they stay in something so filthy? "What do you mean you can't get out? The tanks just a few feet taller than me. It's not that big a fall, even if you sleep and fall it would hardly be fatal...What are you doing in there anyways? It looks like the water hasn't been changed in weeks! It's GROSS!" You stressed with a grimace of disgust.

Ms. Pink Eyes looked a bit hesitant- "Whelp. That settles it then." The one with orange bangs slumped against the side holding her head in a hand. "She literally has no idea about us. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

"A GOOD THING OBVIOUSLY!!," Ms. Blue Eyes shrieked. "THAT MEANS SHE'S NOT WITH THOSE OTHER BAD GUYS!!"

You looked at her. "Bad guys?? What are you talking about now?"

"WE-"

A smack sound went off as the other covered the loud one's mouth. "Don't tell her you loudmouth!! We don't even know if we can even trust her! How do we know that she's not trucking us? Or even worse than they are?!"

"Do we really have a choice?" Both were stopped by Ms. Pink Eyes again and just stopped.. eventually she looked back to you. "We were brought here three.. maybe four weeks ago. Not by choice either. You can say we're being held prisoner."

"Say? We ARE being held prisoner!"

Prisoner?! They were being held hostage!? Good gods what did you even walk into?! "Hostage?!..Wait." You pointed a suspicious look at them. "If you were really being held hostage, how come you haven't tried escaping yet? The door's locked but the window isn't. You three could've just walked on out that way."

Again the three exchanged looks again. Before silent Ms. Pink Eyes grabbed hold of the edge of the tank and pushed herself up and lifting her body from the water. You saw she was wearing a pink top soaked from the water but you fell silent as something else was lifted up from the water as well. Something large, reddish pink in color, and covered in scales. If anyone saw it, they'd just assume it was part of a giant fish.

However the top wasn't connected to any fish. IT WAS FREAKING CONNECTED TO THE WAIST OF THE WOMAN!!

You looked on in shock and awe at where pale soft skin transitioned into red scales before it disappeared sinking back into the murky water. Again silence resumed and you stared at the three of them in shock and sudden horror.

"Y-Y-You're not human.." You stepped back on instinct and in horror. "You're not human!!" You shouldn't be here! Danger! Creatures! Unsafe! Get away! "I- ..I c-cant stay here! I'm sorry but I need to leave!"

"WAIT!! COME BACK!!"

You panicked nearly slipping on the wet ground to get away. Tangled curtains and nets rushed and pushed away like arms trying to ensnare your body as you ran away from the inhuman creatures behind you. Footfalls echoing throughout the silent barn. Back towards the open window. Your escape route. Your sanctuary outside! You had just made it to the window throwing up a leg onto the windowsill and grabbing the frame-

T H U D-!!

What sounded like a giant sack of potatoes being dropped into the ground hard had echoed throughout the barn followed by the sounds of sloshing and splashing water! Making you jump and snap your head around back to the curta-

"SUMA!!" "YOU CLUMSY CRAB!! ARE YOU OK?!"

"AAAAAHH HAHAHAAAAAA!!!"

Loud sobs and crying filled the air once again as you just stood there... before proceeding to start climbing again-

"I-I-It's no- not FFFFAAAAIIIRRR!! I D-DONT WANT TO BE SO- SOLD TO A CARNIVAL!! W-WHY CAN'T WE JU-JUST G-GO HOOOOMMMEEE!?" The ugly crying and wails started up once more. "I D-DONT WANT TO LOSE YOU G-GUUUUYYYS!!! WWAAAAHHH!!!"

You stopped... slowly looking back from your place sitting on the window.

"Suma, calm down. W-We're going to be alright-"

"WILL YOU STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING'S OK!? For once she's right! Nothing about this is ok! We're going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives unless they decide to kill us for some mounted trophy on the wall! Face it! We're never going to get out of here! It's-.... It's hopeless. We're hopeless."

You looked outside. The pony and cart was still there waiting for you to take it home. Safe. Warm home. Where you never had to worry about trapped mermaids which was truly none of your business....F/c eyes slowly looked back to the cries...

"Dam foul fish smelling beasts!"

Old hands held up a lantern shaking with old age. One hand reached out with a rusted key to insert into the lock turning until it clicked. Noisily a lock thudded to the ground as chains rattled from their place to join it on the soft dirt. The lantern lit up the way as the old grizzled woman grabbed the doorknob before looking behind her with narrowed eyes into the darkness. No one was out this time of night. Good. Quietly. The door creaked open allowing the old woman to hobble quietly inside.

"Alright you stupid fish smelling water bugs! I got your feeding!"

Silence answered her as she hobbled towards the back of the barn. The fish in her hands was dirty and old but she didn't care. They ate worse in the ocean.

"Silent huh? Hmph. It's about time you shut the hell up! The constant shrieking is driving me mad!"

The curtains were pulled back and the lantern shined upon the still tank. Filthy from weeks of neglect. With a toss, she threw the single fish into the top of the tank. It floated up onto the surface before sinking down into the murky water. A weak kick given to the glass.

"Wake up and eat it! Try not to cry about how hungry you are this time or else you'll go the rest of the week hungry!"

Nothing answered not that the grizzled old woman cared leaving. The old fish uselessly sinking to the bottom of the tank completely empty except for dirty water and a single old fish-

SPLASH!!

You stood still completely soaked and hand on a lever as you watched the giant pool like tub in the center of your family's bathhouse start to fill up from the opening allowing water to quickly rush into the tub until it was partially full. You stopped then and went back to slip out the back door. The night was still silent without anyone lurking around in the dark minus a horse and a cart connecting to it's back hidden in the shadows of your house. You carefully looked around, spotted no one, and then sighed.

"Alright. Coast is clear."

... Slowly three heads popped up from the back of the cart. Thank goodness for the dark cloaking their bodies. The cart was too small to fully hide their tails. You couldn't believe this was happening! You literally kidnapped already kidnapped mermaids! They were dangerous! You were helping nonhuman creatures and....Sigh. It was only temporary. You'd be rid of them soon enough. But for now, you'd help them. Firstly by taking a bath. They were dirty and spelt of old moldy clothes. They seemed on edge looking around as you approached them.

"This isn't the beach," Orange commented annoyed.

You decided to nickname them by the colors of their eyes in your mind for now. "Because the beach is literally a months travel by foot, and two weeks travel by horse. I need time to think of what to do, and I'm certainly not going to be traveling soaking wet in the middle of the night."

You held out your arms to Blue. She had thankfully stopped crying after Orange hissed at her that they'd be caught again if she didn't shut up. Orange's words not yours. She seemed to get the drill and reached out to wrap her arms around your shoulders as you quietly pulled her long body out of the cart and shifted her in your arms until you were able to carry her still sniffling form into the back door and gently heaved her into the giant tub. This repeated a second time with pink. And again with Orange, although Orange was a little more reluctant than her friends. It was harder dragging them through the window honestly. Your body was REALLY going to be sore in the morning and there was still evidence you had to get rid of. You would NOT allow anyone to know that you harboured these creatures.

You eventually semi dropped Orange into the large tub with the other two. "There. It's not as deep as the tank but it is wider. That should give you three more room at least."

Blue was already happily pushing her head underwater and blowing bubbles in the completely clean water as Pink smiled at you. "Thank you. You don't know how much we appreciate it."

"Well...If I was in your situation, I'd want some help too. But I'm going to need you three to do something." Pink and Orange blinked as you walked away to a nearby shelf, and proceeded to grab a few bottles and a scrub brush. Returning to the three mermaids and just plopping them on the side of the pool. "Here. It's soap. No offense but you three reek of mold and old dirt. Wash yourselves and I'll replace the water again when you're done." They were in pretty bad shape from the dirty water, especially their hair. You paused looking at them again. "...Also give me your clothes. They're completely filthy. I can let you borrow some of my dresses until I get them clean. You..do know what soap is right?"

"We can handle it from here," Pink confirmed already grabbing a bottle of shampoo and handing it to Orange who curiously opened it up to smell the sweet flower scent. "I'll call you when we're finished but don't you want to dry off?"

"I have a small bathroom in the guestroom. I'll use that and give you three some privacy. Just..let me know when you're finished. And try not to be loud and wake up anyone. I have to go take care of a few things."

Orange looked up at you. "What things?"

"I have to dry the wagon and then go tie the horse back on its post. Otherwise people will know I used it and get suspicious, and I don't feel like having an angry mob after me on top of getting soaked and sore."

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bullet-prooflove · 4 months ago

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13. Cause I know you and you know me And we both know where this is gonna lead - from your Country prompt list feels very Nick Torres for me - do you think you could see it for him too?👀

Tagging: @kmc1989 @Divergent146 @whateversomethingbruh @district447 @stelacole

Where Evil Grew - Nick has to tell you the bad news about your sister.

The night Nick tells you they’ve found your sister’s body is the night you completely fall apart. You’d always had this hope, this stupid hope that Katy was alive somewhere, that she’d gone AWOL, taken off to Nashville. Nick are shatters that when he informs you her corpse has turned up in a construction worker’s backyard. You spend the night peppering him with questions and raging against the world before he puts you to bed.

“Stay.” You request reaching for his hand and Nick, he can’t deny you.

You end up lying next to each other under the blankets, his arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close. You take comfort in the press of his firm body against yours, the heat of him. His lips chase away the tears that leak down your cheeks, his nose trailing along yours until his mouth brushes over yours and the sensation of that, it drowns out everything else.

It's Nick that draws away, Nick that becomes the voice of reason because you’re grieving your sister and he’s only three months sober.

“Not like this.” He tells you, his thumb ghosting over the apple of your cheek. “When it happens…”

He trails off because he can’t bring himself to say the words.

I want it to be because you love me.

“I should leave.” He says, his lips brushing over your forehead before he slips out of the sheets. “I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you.”

“Don’t bother.” You say turning your back on him and drawing the sheets up around your shoulders. “I don’t want to see you again until you’ve found my sister’s killer.”

“Look I…”

“Just go.” You say coldly and Nick feels that ache in his chest returning. “I fucking mean it.”

So he does. You don’t take his calls after that, you ignore his texts. A couple of weeks later Dale Sawyer comes into work like a cat that’s got the cream and Nick doesn’t realise, not then, what that man has to smile about.

“You were right.” You tell him the night he turns up on your door step to give you the news they’ve caught your sister’s killer. “To leave that night, it’s not how things should start between the two of us.”

You’re sitting at the kitchen table sharing a pot of Earl Grey tea. The teapot is something Ducky gave you for your birthday, as NCIS’s historian and custodian of records you work together closely investigating your cold cases.

“I’m sorry.” You say as you sip from your mug. “For the way I spoke to you, you deserved better than that.”

“You were grieving.” Nick reminds you before he gestures at the funeral brochures stacked next to you, your notepad sitting upon the top. “Do you need help making the arrangements?”

You sigh as you push the brochures towards him, shaking your head.

“I don’t know what she would have wanted.” You tell him as you wrap both of your hands around your mug. “It’s not something we talked about, she was so young when she disappeared…”

You tilt your head away because your eyes start to sting, and Nick, he reaches for your hand clasping it tightly. He knows that grief, it just keeps coming and no one can combat that. It’s overwhelming, it drowns out your common sense, makes things less manageable.

“You said your sister liked Alison Krauss.” Nick begins as he picks up the notepad and pen. “Let’s start there.

Love Nick? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#nick torres #nick torres x reader #ncis

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velarisnightsky444 · 1 year ago

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Teatime*

Kinktober Day 15: Face Sitting with Elucien

AN: This is my first non x reader post. We don't have a lot of interaction between these two yet, so i don't really know their dynamic. I will do my best.

CW: Face sitting, oral(f receiving)

Summary: Elain has accepted the bond in this and lives in the Spring Court with Lucien.

Word Count: 770

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

Elain was preparing a tea out of herbs she grew in her personal garden. Lucien would be back from his hunt any minute now.

She had been so lonely the past two days without him. She'd thought about him every single night.

This tea was his favorite. She'd made it for him after she'd first accepted the bond, merely two weeks ago.

When the door opened, she nearly dropped the teapot. She placed it on the table and ran to the door, leaping into his arms.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Lain, it's only been two days," he cooed, stroking her golden brown hair.

"I know, I just missed you," she sniffled, pulling back to glance up at him. He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"I missed you, too, love," he promised.

"I made you some tea," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen. He sat at the table, allowing her to pour him a cup.

She enjoyed doing little things like that for him. Though he was fully capable of doing them himself, he let her because he saw how happy it made her.

It was nothing like his own mother, who did everything for her husband because she had no choice. Elain did it because she wanted to show him how much she loved him. He appreciated that.

He and Elain retired to the bedroom when they were done drinking their tea.

Elain immediately got down on her knees, undoing his belt, the same way she had always greeted Grayson when he returned from a long day.

"Not yet, little flower," he decided.

"You've been gone two days," she said. "You need your release."

He stroked her cheek. She still had traditional views of servicing her husband, left by her last relationship. He desperately wanted to show her that her pleasure mattered just as much as his.

"You made me tea," he recalled. "You greeted me at the door. You have been so perfect while I've been gone. I think I need to reward you."

She got to her feet, her confusion showing on her face. He climbed onto the bed and laid on his back.

She got on the bed as well, going to unbuckle his belt again.

"Not yet," he repeated.

She stared, her eyebrows furrowed. She could see that he was hard. It was her job to take care of that. She'd been taught that during her engagement.

"You are just as aroused as I am," he pointed out to her.

"I can handle it," she whispered.

"I want you to lift your skirt and take your underthings off," he told her. She obeyed, though she wasn't sure where this was going. "Now I want you to come over here and sit on my face."

Her cheeks went red. She'd never once heard of such a thing. Why would he possibly want her to do that?

"Trust me, my love," he said, chuckling at the shock on her face.

"Won't I hurt you?"

"Of course not," he promised.

She flushed, but did as she was told. She climbed up to the top of the bed and carefully set herself on his face, hovering just above him.

He gripped her hips and pulled her down, his tongue lapping at her clit. She let out a loud moan, grabbing his wrists.

He didn't let up. He parted her lips with his tongue, flicking it around to find the spots that made her a mewling mess.

And she was a mewling mess.

Already, she was whining, moaning, and whimpering above him. Nobody had ever used their mouth on her before. She'd heard about it briefly, but usually blushed and left the room when conversations like that arose.

His tongue dipped into her cunt, making her gasp and grind her hips against his face.

Her head was thrown back as she relished in the pleasure unlike any she'd ever felt before.

"Lucien," she moaned, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "Gods, Lucien."

He hummed against her heat, making her tremble as her vision nearly faded to black. Her stomach was so tight. She whimpered, her hands in his long hair.

"Mother above," she cried out as the tightness released.

Her orgasm overtook her, more powerful than any she'd ever felt before. She gasped, riding his face until the pleasure faded.

She fell back onto the bed, panting as she tried to catch her breath. He chuckled, sitting up and wiping her release from his face.

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

Elucien Taglist: @roxan1930

General Taglist:

comment to be added to the taglists!

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

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insertpoetryhere · 1 year ago

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Dadbastian Week: Friendly Advice

Fun fact, I had a whole different thing planned until I witnessed a teenage boy at work (I'm a teacher at a k-12 private school) attempt to cram himself in a locker and get uniform stuck on one of the hooks. My very southern coworker made some comment about natural consequences and this was born.

I helped him get out, don't worry. I'm not that mean.

Anyways, woo @dadbastianweek2023

Here's the thingy (ft. Teenage Stupidity)

Teenagers Scare the Living Shit Out Of Me

Sebastian’s greatest enemy was teenage impulsiveness.

At the beginning of their contract, Ciel was a quiet little thing. He rarely strayed from Sebastian’s side and generally seemed to find no interest in mischief. Back then, Sebastian used to shake his head affectionately and silently call him boring.

He really wished his child had stayed boring.

He wasn’t sure if the change had happened gradually but internally, or if a switch had suddenly been flipped in Ciel’s brain and told him he needed to find the stupidest and fastest way to kill himself immediately. Sebastian did know that his own exposure to the change was very abrupt.

They had been standing in the kitchen. Why Ciel was there and what he wanted was a mystery. It was a possibility that he had just come to stare wistfully at the oil bubbling on the stove.

Sebastian had not asked for the boy’s thoughts. He was fina assuming that the child had simply craved company and came down to watch him cook dinner. But Ciel, unprompted, uttered possibly the most horrifying sentence of Sebastian’s career.

“I want to put my hand in that.”

Ciel was forcibly removed from the kitchen.

After that, Ciel’s impulses only grew. Chewing on spoons was a lower stake one, though it was very confusing and ended with Sebastian (all-powerful demon, over a millenia old, man with self respect) having to personally remove a spoon from a child’s mouth.

More problematic was Ciel’s recent observation that the broken china saucer on the floor of his study looked “crunchy”. Or his fascination with the tools that hung next to the fire (the poker was his favorite). Or his brief infatuation with the way whiskey smells, leading to a dire need to know how it tastes immediately. In the form of an entire pint glass that Sebastain had to tear out of his hands with a loud, long lecture about the dangers of adolescent alcoholism.

Unsure and inexperienced on the goings on of the teenage mind, Sebastian had attempted to ask Bard for advice on what to do.

A mistake.

His reactions to each incident were as follows.

The spoon chewing; “Stick one in some tabasco for a bit. Bet he won’t wanna chew on that.”

The issues: That was a waste of Tabasco sauce. And cruel, even by Sebastian’s standards. The poor boy was born and bred in the English countryside, something like that might make his little heart give out.

The “crunchy” ceramics; “Tell him a teapot will grow in his belly or somethin’. Kids are malleable like that. Easy t’ trick.”

The issues: It’s a lie. A very stupid one at that. Also this exercise was starting to reveal some disturbing sentiments on Bard’s side.

The fire poker; “Boys will be boys.”

The issues: What did that mean? What did it have to do with a fire poker? Also it wasn’t even advice, it was just a statement.

The whiskey incident; “Ha! That oughta put some hair on his chest!”

The issues: That also wasn’t advice. He just laughed in Sebastian’s face for 13 minutes as he begged him to help him stop a teenage boy from drinking away his liver.

So no, Sebastian was no longer taking notes from Bard.

This meant he had to face his new rival on his own.

Stair banisters.

His relief for Ciel’s recovery from drunkenness (he hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol) was replaced with a fascination with trying to slide down stair banisters. It made Sebastian wonder if he actually hated his job.

He could tell when he was going to try it too. Ciel would look around to see if anyone was watching and then attempt to launch himself down the stairs via banister. On top of being the most stressful test of Sebastian’s reflexes, it also proved that these were not impulses. The little shit was planning this.

He tried other outlets to solve his problems, really he did. Which meant he asked Agni, who placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll pray that everything works out.”

That’s not really advice either!

So now he was sitting on a stool, late at night, brainstorming ways to make a child stop trying to throw himself down a flight of stairs for entertainment.

And since Bard was also there, he figured it would do no harm to bounce ideas off of him.

“Just let him do it.” Bard said, lighting his cigar with a blowtorch like he was trying to give Sebastian every reason to disregard his opinion.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Why on earth would I do that?”

Bard took a long drag, and for a moment Sebastian thought that was the answer to his question until Bard finally spoke. ‘Just let him do it. Trust me.”

“If I let him do it,” Sebastian spoke slowly, as if he was talking to a small child. “He could get hurt.”

Bard shrugged the comment off (who was the demon here?), taking another drag. “Bet he won’t do it again.”

Sebastian went to rebuttal Bard’s comment, but had… nothing. Honestly, Bard’s idea had… dare he say, merit.

Sebastian shook his head, banishing the thought from his head.

He was clearly just getting desperate.

---

He was doing it again.

Ciel looked over his shoulder casually. Then repeated the action on the other side. Clearly that eyepatch was much more of a hindrance than Sebastian thought since he was standing in the middle of the hallway, clearly watching this entire event unfold, very visible.

Regardless, Ciel had decided the coast was clear. The boy threw one leg over the banister and preparing to swing the other one up when-

“Young Master?” He shot up like a bullet, leaning against the railing and pretending to inspect the dust on his finger.

“The stairs are filthy.” He said, though his lips were pressed in too thin of a line for him to look anything but guilty.

Sebastian said nothing, continuing to look between Ciel and the banister disapprovingly. Ciel shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, like he was waiting for the lecture he no doubt should be getting for attempting something so stupid.

“... Fine, go ahead.”

The words took Ciel so off guard that Sebastian worried the shock alone would send the boy rolling down the stairs head-first. “You’re… giving me permission?”

“Absolutely not.” Sebastian sneered. “But I cannot stop you. If you wish to crack your skull open and die then what can I do to stop you?”

A lot, but it isn’t a lie so long as he doesn’t answer his own question.

“So I can do it? I can slide down?” Ciel looked amazed, as if Sebastian had gifted him all the riches in the world (he didn’t need them) when really all he had done was passive-aggressively imply that he could slide himself down a stair banister.

Sebastian frowned. “I suppose, if you wish to ignore my advice and disappoint me further.”

Ceil maintained eye contact as he pulled himself up and sat directly on the flat porting of the railing, like he was waiting for Sebastian to change his mind at any moment and snatch him right off.

Sebastian bit his lip, maintaining the disapproving scowl on his face. “If you do this, I reserve the right to look down on you for it.”

Ciel narrowed his eye like he was weighing his options, and for a second Sebastian thought that maybe he was coming to his senses.

“... Deal.” Then he was off with one strong push.

---

“What’d the doc say?” Bard asked as Sebastian closed the kitchen door behind him.

He hung his tailcoat up on a small wooden coat rack, trading it in for his “dinner apron” (it differed from his lunch and breakfast apron, obviously. One shouldn’t mix their mealtime aprons) and let out a sigh. “Well, he isn’t concussed. But that bump on his forehead will be there for a while.”

“I see, well glad it wasn’t anything serious.” Now that Bard knew the young master was going to be fine, he seemed to have another question on his mind. “So… did he say anythin’ to you? Y’know, about future plans?”

Sebastian couldn’t help the self-satisfied smirk that crossed his face. “As a matter of fact, he did. The young master expressed a disinterest in using the banisters as a slide any time soon.”

Maybe the two grown adult men should have felt a little guilty over their shared joy at a child’s misfortune. But the relief that their charge was now safe to let loose in the hallways unsupervised again was such a delight that it called for at least a little celebration.

Bard gave Sebastian’s arm a “light” punch. “What’d I tell ya? Natural consequences!”

Sebastian let out a huge sigh of relief, looking up towards the ceiling and stretching his back until something popped, something he was sure had been slowly forming since the hot oil incident. “Peaceful days are on the horizon. There isn’t anything left in this house that he could possibly try to maim himself with.”

Bard laughed, a sound that Sebastian was starting to think sounded cruel. Maybe just because it had been at his expense for too long now. “At least until he realizes he can fit in the dumbwaiter.”

Sebastian hummed in amusement. “Considering the blow he took to the head, I think we will have plenty of time before he’s functional enough to figure that one out.”

---

They, in fact, did not have plenty of time.

Ciel figured it out only a week later. And getting him out of the dumbwaiter was quite the ordeal in itself.

#dadbastianweek2023 #dadbastianweek #dadbastianfriendlyadvice #I should write things based on my dayjob more often #those kids are an endless source of inspiration #someone remind me to post something about the sprite incident sometime bc that was weirdly funny

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razorblade180 · 2 years ago

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Grind Set

A small gathering in the teapot is happening. The likes of Ayaka, Ei, Ayato, Hu Tao, Nilou, Faruzan, and several others wait beneath the shade as Aether walks over carrying two bags with Miko beside him. One bag was pretty large while the other was small. He dropped the big one and smiled at everyone before pulling a crown out of the small bag. Aether tossed it in the air where it landed perfectly on Faruzan’s head. Everyone’s eyes grew big.

Faruzan:….

Hu Tao:She’s been here three weeks!

Tighnari:Now, now, let’s not jump to conclusions. But I do want answers.

Aether:We are in perfect time period currently. The arriving banners mean nothing to me!

Ei:What about my general?

Aether:I can’t try for a third time. Anyways, because I’m not preparing for anyone, it’s time to make all of you tougher.

He kicks the giant bag to reveal its contents. Tons and tons of books; golden books of every kind are special materials.

Miko:You’re welcome. He had working to the bone, making as many types as possible.

Aether:It took five minutes.

Miko:Felt like forever.

Nilou:Is there enough for all of us?

Aether:Nope. It’s just the starting point. However, there’s enough crowns. It’s grinding time. Decide how to devide these yourselves. Until further notice, all of you are living in talent domains. Not just yourselves, but for friends too. Aside from a few of you, I can promise one crown each.

Ayato:And what exactly wins us the favor of multiple?

Aether:Hardwork and dedication. I’m always rooting for you all. With a little effort, you all can shine like Amber!

Scara:That’s the bar?

Aether points to Amber who was intentionally waiting for a witty remark. She shoots her Baron Bunny near a target they set up.

100,000k

Scara:..

Scara:That’s concerning.

Amber:I’ll take that as a compliment.

Ei:I don’t mind waiting awhile.

Tighnari:Prioritizing supports seems wise-

Ayato:…

Ayaka:….

Bennett:I don’t think they care…

Ayato:I’ll do for the books. It’s only fair. Whoever wins shall-

Aether walks over with three crowns and puts them in Ayaka’s hands nonchalant. He takes one and places it on her head gently before kissing her cheek and leaving. He also slides two over to Nilou.

Ayaka:!?!?!?!?

Nilou:Th-Thank You!!!

Hu Tao:I smell bias!

Aether:You have Homa!

Hu Tao:…I’m grateful every day for it.

Ayato:*sighs* I guess it only makes sense to give you the books first now.

Ayaka:I will use this strength to get you more in no time!

Ayato:I’ll hold you to it.

Noelle:You can have them Bennett.

Bennett:Geo falls apart without you. I can wait.

Noelle:*sniffles* I will remember this kindness.

Hu Tao:…*looks left*

Kazuha:….

Hu Tao:I’d rather not fight-

Kazuha:Books are yours. I need Anemo gems.

Hu Tao:Let’s goooooo!!!!!!

#genshin impact #gi aether #gi noelle #gi bennett #kaedehara kazuha #yae miko #gi ei #scaramouche #faruzan #kamisato ayato #kamisato ayaka #gi amber #tighnari

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mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess · 2 years ago

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Self care

NSFW 18+ version here

It is only a few minutes before curfew that Lan Zhan finally makes it home, exhausted after a long day of teaching, training, doing paperwork and tolerating the sect elders in a meeting that could have been a two page letter at most. He's looking forward to a short bath and then sleep, already imagining his husband's arms around him in a tight, loving hug while they're falling asleep.

He hasn't been around Wei Ying as much as he would have liked to these past few days. Lan Xichen has just returned from seclusion and has requested Wangji's help with getting back into the workings of their sect, so he has been spending a lot of time doing that on top of his regular duties.

He knows Wei Ying understands and supports him lending his brother a hand, but he can't help feeling a bit like a lousy husband, spending time with his spouse only briefly before sleep overtakes him. They haven't gone out in town in about a week at this point, and they haven't had much time for... other things either.

After all, it was understandable that "everyday is everyday" couldn't always be viable - still, Wangji missed it, not just because he grew used to it but also because he missed being so close and so open with someone he loved so fully and devotedly.

Alas, Lan Xichen told Lan Wangji to take the day off tomorrow for all his hard work, so there will be plenty of time to make up for everything they've lost. The thought alone has Wangji feeling excited.

The jingshi is quiet, only the lit up candles, a dish of food, a teapot, and a half empty wine cup on the table signaling that the place is indeed lived in. Otherwise, it's surprisingly orderly and squeaky clean, everything in its place, sandalwood incense burning next to the bed.

Lan Zhan calls for his husband, feeling just a bit disappointed that he hasn't been greeted with a kiss when he walked in.

"Wei Ying?"

"In the bath!"

Awfully convenient, Lan Wangji thinks to himself with a smile, remembering their many trysts in bathtubs and how fun they all were, even if they had to reimburse the damages way too often.

He walks into the room to find Wei Ying soaking into the tub, the room smelling like lavender bath salts and, again, sandalwood. Lan Wangji has an inkling about the reason for that, and it makes something stir low in his abdomen.

"Wonderful of you to finally show up, Hanguang-Jun!" Wei Ying greets, a teasing smile on his lips, the tops of his cheeks flushed with the steam of the hot water. He runs a hand through his wet hair, and Wangji finds himself a bit too entranced with the movement and the way Wei Ying's skin glistens under the dancing candlelight.

They make eye contact for a few more seconds, as Lan Zhan allows himself to take in the way droplets slide from Wei Ying's hair, down his neck and clavicles and chest, disappearing into the bathtub before they could go lower. Oh. Lan Zhan really wants to see lower.

"I believe there was a rule somewhere about it being impolite to stare?" Wei Ying winks, crossing his elbows over the bathtub's edge and arching a bit under the water, the tiniest glimpse of his ass cheeks breaking the surface before being submerged again.

Lan Zhan follows the display hungrily, already reaching to undo his headband. At that, Wei Ying frowns, playfully. "What do you think you're doing, Hanguang-Jun?"

"Joining you in the bath."

"Hm, I don't think so."

Lan Zhan doesn't even try to hide his disappointment. He looks quite adorable, with his surprised, sad face, and Wei Ying wants to kiss him.

"As much as I'd like you to come in here and show me how much you've missed me, you're obviously really tired and it's late. I'm not going anywhere, we can do everything and anything you want tomorrow, after you've replenished your energy."

Lan Zhan feels equally grateful for the care as he is frustrated. "I am not that tired."

"Lying is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses." Wei Ying recites gravely. Lan Zhan doesn't like his own rules coming to bite him in the ass. "I'll be done in a few minutes and get the bath ready for you, so go relax in the bedroom. Have some tea, eat something maybe?"

"No."

Wei Ying smirks. "What then, you want to watch me bathe?"

Lan Zhan feels his ears burn red. "Perhaps."

Wei Ying doesn't relent. "Perhaps another time. Go now, or I'll throw you out."

Lan Zhan dejectedly walks away, spending a bit too long in the doorway as Wei Ying reaches to wash his hair.

When Wei Ying finally joins him in the bedroom, Lan Zhan is sipping on the tea, relishing in the sweet aroma of his favorite brew. He is quite sure that they've run out of the stuff a few days ago, but here he is drinking it, so Wei Ying must have bought some more today.

"The bath's waiting for you. The foreign merchants passed through Caiyi Town today and I got some oils and salts for the bath from this really nice old lady, they'll help relax your body before sleep. Oh, and also I got you that tea you like! The merchant was so nice, he even gave me an extra discount!"

Lan Zhan knows it's because Wei Ying is so attractive and so charming, and he will definitely have to remind him of that soon.

"Come help me wash my hair."

"Lan Zhan, didn't I say-"

"I know. We won't do anything. I just want you to stay with me."

Wei Ying's eyes soften, and he nods, following Lan Zhan into the bathroom.

It feels nice, having Wei Ying's hands massage his scalp as he talks about his day and everything he's seen at the market. Lan Zhan is way too tired to actually focus on the story, but simply hearing Wei Ying's voice is enough to make every muscle in his body relax, even more than the expensive stuff he's poured into the bath water.

"I've never seen any gem of a color so bright, and when I asked the merchant where it came from-"

"I love you."

Wei Ying's hands lift from his scalp and suddenly he's embracing Lan Wangji from the back, arms loosely wrapped around his neck, cheeks pressed together. "My heart really can't handle it when you say such things so casually, Lan Zhan!"

"My heart is just as affected by you, Wei Ying."

"Now, now, what did I just say?!" Wei Ying laughs and nuzzles further into Lan Zhan's cheek. "I love you too, you know? I've loved you across two lifetimes and I'll keep loving you forever!"

Lan Zhan sighs. "It seems I am not the only one who needs to be careful with his words."

There is another laugh, and then Lan Zhan turns his head and they kiss. Slow, loving, passionate.

Wei Ying pulls away just as it was starting to get interesting.

"As I said, self-care first."

"You are self-care to me."

"Don't do that to me right now. Finish your bath and come eat."

"I want to eat you."

Wei Ying rolls his eyes and walks towards the door. "Exercise self-restraint, Hanguang-Jun, otherwise there will be punishment."

Lan Zhan isn't sure whether he's more frustrated or aroused.

His stomach growls.

Okay, maybe he's actually more hungry than any of those things.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #writing attempts #there is a.... naughty version of this in the works #will update when its done #im about a quarter in and its spicyyyy #anyways enjoy the fluff for now

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incense-burner-ideas · 2 years ago

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Self care, the NSFW version

Content warnings: mutual masturbation (kind of), some misuse of resentment tendrils and a lot of dirty talk.

The porn starts under the cut! For the fully sfw version, click here

Lan Zhan calls for his husband, feeling just a bit disappointed that he hasn't been greeted with a kiss when he walked in.

"Wei Ying?"

"In the bath!"

Awfully convenient, Lan Wangji thinks to himself with a smile, remembering their many trysts in bathtubs and how fun they all were, even if they had to reimburse the damages way too often.

Lan Zhan follows the display hungrily, already reaching to undo his headband. At that, Wei Ying frowns, playfully. "What do you think you're doing, Hanguang-Jun?"

"Joining you in the bath."

"Hm, I don't think so."

Lan Zhan doesn't even try to hide his disappointment. He looks quite adorable, with his surprised, sad face, and Wei Ying wants to kiss him. But he has other plans that overcome that desire.

"You see, I've already started without you."

Lan Zhan's eyes become noticeably dark, and Wei Ying can see his pupils expand in the honey of his iris.

"Show me."

"No."

"Wei Ying."

"I don't think you're in any position to give orders, Lan Er-gege. I decide what you get to see, and what you get to do right now. I think it's a low price to pay for the fact that I've only had my jade pillar to keep me company for the past week or so."

Lan Wangji feels like he's been set on fire from the inside. All he wants to do is jump into that bathtub and show Wei Ying how hard this dry spell has been for him too and how much better he is than any toy.

But... he can't move. Locking eyes with Wei Ying, he sees his pupils glow red, and only then does he notice thin ropes of black smoke holding him in place.

"Let me go."

"No. I don't trust you'll obey me if I do."

And he moves into the bathtub, leaning against its furthermost wall to face Lan Zhan.

"You said you want to see, so look."

But Wei ying doesn't lift himself out of the water, instead letting both his hands dip beneath the surface. The water ripples with the movement, and Wei Ying's eyes drop halfway, lips curling around soft moans.

Lan Zhan tries fighting against the restraints but it's pointless. He knows it is, but there's no other way to at least attempt and release some of the tension he feels everywhere in his body. He's so hard it almost hurts and he'd not even seeing anything. He can only imagine Wei Ying stroking himself with one hand as he pushes his toy in and out of his hole and...

"I've been doing this for days, Lan Zhan, I'm starting to think I can really get used to this instead of you."

He almost growls in disagreement. Wei Ying smiles sultrily, his hands moving slower now.

"I should really do that, shouldn't I? Since my husband is too busy to satisfy my needs, what else is there left for me to do?"

Lan Zhan can't take much more of that teasing, he can already imagine at least five, no, six, seven? ways to make Wei Ying regret every single word he's saying.

"Or maybe... there is another way."

There is a little evil glint in Wei Ying's eyes and Lan Zhan knows what it means. Wei Ying's trying to play at him being jealous - and he is. He's jealous of the jade pillar inside Wei Ying, he's jealous of how much pleasure Wei Ying is giving himself without Lan Zhan and he's jealous of even the implication that Wei Ying might seek his pleasure somewhere else. Lan Zhan knows it's just words meant to rile him up, of course Wei Ying would never be unfaithful, but even the very fictional idea of it has him riled up.

"Wei Ying. Enough."

"I decide when it's enough."

Lan Zhan groans in frustration. He doesn't know if he's getting lightheaded from the steam and heat in the room, or the raging erection between his legs. Probably, it's both.

Wei Ying has resumed pleasuring himself in a more alert rhythm. "Oh, Lan Zhan, I love when you look at me like that. So angry, but so, so needy."

"Wei Ying, let me go, let me-"

"- make up for lost time? You're gonna fuck me harder than I've ever fucked myself and make me cum so good I pass out?"

"Yes."

Wei Ying moans at the image of that, his hands moving faster, in tandem.

"And then you'll keep using me just as roughly and mercilessly no matter how much I'm begging you to stop?"

"Yes, Wei Ying, please-"

"Oh, fuck, and- and then you'll fuck me until you fill me up and I won't have a choice but to cum again too because, o-oh, because just feeling you in me makes my body so-"

"I'll do anything you want, Wei Ying, please, let me go and I'll do whatever you want."

Lan Zhan sounds like he's begging now, desperate, almost sobbing. Wei Ying lets his head roll back against the bathtub as he's chasing his release.

"I told you I can't let you do that..." Lan Zhan looks so hornily broken it makes Wei Ying moan out loud. "...but..."

Lan Zhan feels his inner robes be parted haohazardly and-

"Ah!"

Wei Ying smiles in satisfaction. "How does that feel?"

"W-Wei Ying, this is- o-oh - you're using-"

"My cultivation, yes. It's amazing, right?"

Lan Zhan feels so overwhelmed with it he can barely stand up straight. The tendril of resentment feels... foreign, undescribable, but in the best of ways. The pleasure is electric, almost, and Lan Zhan doesn't know if it's Wei Ying's teasing or the effect of this...

"You're getting close, aren't you, my love?" Wei Ying somehow still manages to sound composed, even if he looks a breath away from his orgasm, face flushed red, hair sticking to his skin, eyes red and wanting.

"Wei Ying..."

"Answer me, yes or no."

Wei Ying makes the tendril move faster and curl around the tip of Lan Zhan's cock. He moans out loud and it makes Wei Ying's insides clench.

"Y-yes, yes."

"Good. I want us to cum together. You think you can do that for me?"

And he makes the tendril move like that again and Lan Zhan almost whimpers with it.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

Everything becomes too much too quick. Lan Zhan can't even think anymore, desperate to cum as he feels himself getting pleasured while he watches his husband fuck himself with wanton abandon. It's the most erotic sight he has ever seen in his life, he wants to have it burned inside his eyelids - the way Wei Ying looks almost like he's in pain, the furrow of his eyebrows and how flushed he is and how the water shines on his skin and how it ripples with his desperate movements and...

Wei Ying's eyes squueze shut. "Lan Zhan, I'm- I'm going to cum now!'

"Look at me." He's surprised at how breathless he sounds. "Look at me, I want to see you cum. And I want you to see me too."

Wei Ying opens his eyes and it only takes a few more seconds before the inevitable happens and they both nearly scream through their orgasms, enjoying their own pleasure and each other's.

It takes them a while to come back into their senses. And when Wei Ying allows Lan Zhan to join him in the bath finally, they agree they will be doing that again soon.

Very soon.

#incenseburnerideas #mdzs

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mfmilligan · 1 year ago

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In the Midst #4

I decided to explore the Familiar Schools today. School #1 was the only one I’d had prior experience with, since it was one of the first places I partially searched when I arrived. I’d been running myself ragged calling out for anyone and banging on doors. It was when I stepped into the hall lined with empty, pastel orange lockers that I realized this world was truly abandoned. Perhaps that’s why my heart beat a little faster going in there. For the hundredth time, I’m glad I have music to make this all easier.

I didn’t find anything useful in that space. There weren’t any textbooks or supplementary materials. Just chalk and chalkboards. I contemplated leaving a message, but…who is here to read it? So I just drew a smiley face and a frowney face and moved on.

School #1 must have been a high school because School #2 was a little smaller and more colorful. Although the colors were weird there. The walls were painted yellow, pink, lime green, and purple at alternating points. Squares of all different colors were painted haphazardly on the floors. And instead of the walls running straight up and down, they curved. I don’t know whether the curves made corners more or less creepy. Regardless, the whole place looked and felt off in a forced-cheery way. Did middle schoolers enjoy coming here? I wondered. Were they creeped out by this place? Or have I just become so afraid of empty spaces that this school is creepy to me? Maybe I’ve gotten old enough that color and whimsy have lost their charm. Not that I’m that old, but…

Finding nothing useful, I left another doodle on the chalkboards before moving on to the third and final school. This last one was definitely a preschool. And what makes it weird is it looks almost exactly like where I went to kindergarten in the late 90s. The white and sickly green floors, the long hallways, the classrooms full of finger paints, crafts, toys, and other stuff. Even the tank in the corner where my school kept a turtle (although there’s nothing in this one).

It’s so alike that it scares me.

In that place, I could clearly remember what memories I made at that time. I was in for only two days, but it felt more like two weeks. Probably because I didn’t like it. Why would I? I was alone, I didn’t know anyone, and unlike at the playground everything was controlled. I wanted to make friends, but the need to obey the teacher got in the way of that. Or maybe I just let it get in the way. At recess, I’d grow shy and just read books in the classroom. Worst of all was when I had to find the restrooms. The halls were big and every room around me looked alike. I must have gone in a circle three times before some bewildered teacher found me on the brink of tears and pointed me in the right direction.

Interestingly, this preschool is the only place in this world so far that has books. Kneeling down at the cubby where picture books were kept, I hoped I’d find anything legible to read. But no…when I opened one of them up, the words were blurred, as if someone had cried too much on the pages. And they were far too jumbled to understand. Though it wasn’t just the words that were strange. The illustrations were plain weird. Eyes, toadstool mushrooms, rainbows, and sparkles were everywhere. People had TVs and teapots (among other things) for heads. It wasn’t just one book either. I flipped through everything there was and they were all like that.

What kind of world is this where you can’t read anything and people don’t look like people?

Although…god, I didn’t want to talk about this, because again I have no idea if what I saw was real or not. But seeing all the eyes in the illustrations made me think of the shadow that grew in White Collar Avenue.

It, too, was full of eyes.

Seeing similar things in a kid’s book isn’t proof of anything. At least, I won’t see it as proof until I witness something in a more conscious, trustworthy state.

Anyway – I should get food and find somewhere to sleep. Maybe tomorrow…I definitely won’t go inside. But it might be good to check up on the Pink Mall. See if the flooding got worse or eventually stopped.

Decided to make things easy for myself tonight and stay at the Sweet Tomato. It might not be cozy, but it’s the only place I kinda trust.

Also feeling a bit melancholy. As strange as this world is, there’s too much that’s familiar in all the wrong ways. Wrong because everything familiar is like times, places, people, or things that I’ve left behind. Or things that have left me behind or changed beyond recognition (in the real world, I mean). Things I was mourning before I came here.

Perhaps it’s best to stop remembering. I mean, it’s bad enough that this world has me scared and unsure. Why give it more power by letting these things get to me?

I’ll hang onto the music because I need it to stay sane. But anything else that reminds of the past, I won’t think about it. I won’t write about it. From now on, I treat everything like it’s new. No sentimentality, no nostalgia, no memories, nothing.

This is the present, not the past.

I don’t know what to do.

A few minutes ago, I woke up because instead of music, there was static playing through the Walkman’s earphone – probably because I knocked it over in my sleep. I was about to switch stations when I heard something in the static.

Clicks. Short ones and long ones. Morse code.

I can’t believe I’m saying this – but there must be someone else in this world. If every form of communication here is muddled beyond recognition, why would there be Morse code? Why would something dare to make sense now?

There are just two problems. I don’t remember Morse code. The last time I knew it well was when I was eleven. And around 3:30 AM, the clicking stopped, so even if I could decode anything, I can’t access the message. I’m going to keep tuning in just in case it comes back.

There’s also one other major problem. It’s almost 9 AM…and the sun hasn’t come up. Yeah – I can’t explain it, I can’t do anything about it, and I don’t like it one bit.

Should I stay put? Go outside and keep exploring? I don’t have a flashlight, but the streetlamps are on. So are all the lights in the stores. I mean, as long as I don’t go toward Daisy Hill or out where the Gas Station is, I should be fine, right?

All I can think about right now is the eye-filled shadow on White Collar Avenue. Every time I look out into the expansive darkness, I keep wondering if those eyes are out there, searching for me. I keep hoping what I saw wasn’t real.

I need to explore…but I promised myself I wouldn’t make anymore dumb decisions. Think I’ll just stick it out here until the sun comes up. Or until I’m too sick of wondering what could be happening outside. If anything’s happening outside.

#liminal spaces #liminal #creative writing #short story #writing #writeblr #writer #original story

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marginal-notes · 5 days ago

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I’m not saying that Lu Ten in the “no heaven” series is a bad guy, I’m just saying that he’s absolutely a product of his environment and how his parents raised him. And Zuko has an incredibly skewed view of his cousin.

A sort of spoiler snippet under the cut because UGH I have too many thoughts about these completely made up character dynamics that’s pure headcanon with barely any canon scaffolding to build on.

Lu Ten laughed as he poured out another cup of tea gently warmed by the small flame flickering from his left pointer finger resting against the teapot’s base. “Zuko’s a cute kid, it’s great. You should have seen him after last week’s play. It’s just too unfortunate about Azula.” He set the teapot back in its right place. As he lifted his cup for a sip, the curls of steam were too thin to obscure the glint in his eyes as he said, “That girl’s got a mind that’s too sharp for her own good.”

“Lu Ten,” Iroh gently admonished.

But his son only shrugged, took another sip, and told him, “You know I’m right. If we’re not careful, she’s going to grow into someone more powerful than we can handle.”

Sure Lu Ten has some genuine affection for his kid cousin, but he still grew up with the politics and infighting dumped all over the inner workings of the royal family.

#no such thing as heaven #naviwrites #snippets and thoughts as I edit stuff at. past midnight #like a moron

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yayeet771onao3 · 2 months ago

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New Fic Soon!

Currently working on a Philoise Modern AU! Hopefully, I'll finish it this week, but I guess I can share a little snippet ;)

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If only she realized it sooner everything could be going just fine. But for Eloise, when a good book is placed in front of her, she is sure to indulge. Lost in the pages of an enticing and particularly well-articulate novel, Eloise found herself completely muddled with the concept of time. She was seemingly placed in a trance of focus, unaware of her surroundings and the late-day sun out of the window. It was only inevitable that she would forget something important to her…

Hyacinth glared up at the clock on the wall behind Gareth before stretching out her legs on the floor. "Y'know, we have been at this Clue game for a little too long because now my feet are tingling."

"How funny because I thought I heard you say you weren't going to move until you solved the mystery. Are you sure you want to quit right now?" Gareth looked up from the game board and tilted his head to the side at his girlfriend's admission.

Hyacinth looked appalled, "No! We obviously can't quit. Can't we just take a break? Get something to drink or something?" She tried to reason with him.

Her mother overheard this dilemma and offered to have the two join her for some tea, "Just come sit with me. I'll have some snacks as well," Violet smiled. Both Hyacinth and Gareth left the unfinished game on the floor and poured themselves a cup of tea from the teapot on the little coffee table.

Colin too then walked over to the group and poured his own cup before speaking, "Is poor Eloise ever going to realize that there are other important things in this world than a book? I know I can get in the mood for writing my travel blogs, but the zone of focus for her must be insane." They watched as she turned to the next page.

"If only I knew brother," Benedict spoke from another sitting chair facing the middle of the room.

"She's just like that. Wouldn't we be worried to see her act differently?" Kate spoke not looking up from her laptop. She normally would be working at her desk position for a law firm, but maternity leave was doing some numbers on her.

"Like it would be abnormal and we would assume something is wrong?" Anthony questioned his wife.

She nodded, "Yeah. I seriously doubt that you wouldn't be worried. You want everything to be okay, surely you would be at least a little concerned?"

He dawned a quick look of thought before agreeing with his wife, "You know me so well." He gave a cheeky smile.

All the voices were there but they were tuned out. Like a little buzz in your ear, you know it's there but aren't too annoyed to do anything yet. However, this buzz in Eloise's ear grew louder and more prominent. her brows started to furrow at the noise, it finally pulled her from the depths of fantasy when she realized that this buzz was her phone's emergency alarm. Her eyes grew wide at the realization, Eloise hurried to grab her phone from her cardigan's pocket.

She turned the alarm screen off and her lock screen showed the current time, 3:30 pm. "SHIT! I FORGOT THE KIDS!" Eloise said out loud before standing up and quickly gathering her things.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

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Here's my Ao3 for when I upload it! Check out any other fics I have too!

#philoise #eloise x phillip #bridgerton #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #eloise bridgerton #phillip crane #bridgerton family #to sir philip with love #modern au #bridgerton fanfiction

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kyogre-blue · 11 months ago

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For the last couple weeks, I've been on a big grinding kick in Genshin again... it's been something, that's for sure. But I got a lot done (for some reason).

On alt:

Obtained Baizhu C2

Obtained Ayato

triple crowned Diluc, Kaeya and Zhongli, with also enough books for Childe to be triple crowned whenever I finally get him

Did the Narzissen quest line and explored a good chunk of Fontaine

...bought some cute wings...

I'm more or less finished off the Mond book domain. There's only Anemo Traveler left at 6/6/6, but since swirl scales from EM anyway, the talent levels aren't important enough for me to do another 114 gold books right now (for context, that's two weeks or so of doing the mond book domain every single day).

I did buy Welkin, so I'm going to keep logging in for the next few weeks, but I'm going to take it easy otherwise. My only current plan is to mess around in the teapot. I've finished another of the farming achievements, so I'll take the opportunity to rearrange the second area of Emerald Peak (since I can remove those fields). That should complete it, since I finally furnished the fourth area, and I've got some plans for Floating Abode next.

For future grinding, I should do artifacts (Deepwood/Gilded, then Emblem) and also the slow march to triple crown the next batch (Baizhu, Qiqi, Ayato). For future pulls, my priority will be Itto, Childe, and Neuvillette (for his kit lol), but since I don't care about the 4 stars now that I have C4 Thoma, it's just a matter of dumping everything I have into whoever comes around first and whether I get them or not isn't really pressing. The pity will carry over anyway. (Alhaitham and Wriothesley will be skips for now.)

On main:

prefarmed Navia levelling stuff (no artifacts or weapon for now, pending what the build guides will say)

obtained Kirara, currently finishing her last ascension

done most of Fontaine exploration, with every area except the Court at 100%

finished all world quests that aren't gated by the archon quest

finished all achievements except the commission and archon quest ones

Man, Genshin exploration is so... you just turn your brain off, and then suddenly it's six hours later. Repeatedly. Still kinda fun seeing the numbers go up though. Hopefully, the final region will be pretty small and easy to complete... But I'm 8 hydroculi short, which is not a good sign, since I can't get the resonance stone formula (no archon quests = no reputation).

The world quests this time were kind of a mixed bag, but mostly a miss. I liked the stuff about the Melusines and Elynas, very uh Durin-style. Generally, the Melusines kind of grew on me, though I still don't like their design, especially the bottom half. I liked the Pahsiv quest too, and unexpectedly the final little quest with Lanoire. (The handling of the camera on the small interactions at the very end?? Dang, who knew Genshin could do that kind of fine detail.) However, I really did not care about the Narzissenkreuz at all, or the Fontaine Research Institute stuff. The Narzissen fiasco was especially very tedious and convoluted. I know it's setting up Sandrome, but like... a perfect example of the issues with Genshin's lore and how it negatively warps the current day storyline, plus the worst of their excesses.

I'm going to be rolling for Navia in 4.3 because she is Geo (easy guarantee to get her, with 150 saved wishes, 10 pity, and 22K primos), and I'm considering the weapon banner. I think it'll come down to what the 4 stars will be (I really want Akuoumaru refines, so I might decide based on which half it's on). I did also fish for Kirara on the Ayato banner, and I did get her within 20 pulls, so that was great. She was the last pre-Fontaine 4 star I was missing, and I wanted to go ahead and build her. I'm not taking the Fontaine 4 stars past lv20, and now the only "backlog" character I am missing is Dehya.

I also... got Qiqi C1 in those twenty or so pulls. So hey, guarantee on Navia, which will put me quite a bit over budget. I can save for supposedly-Geo Chiori and Arlecchino, who has actual pants, holy shit. (That said, where's my Mond boy, Mihoyo??)

This 4.2 patch and the upcoming 4.3 one have some nice QoL updates, which bring some much needed minor conveniences. For me, the most impactful was probably the ability to quickstart weekly bosses. (Farming Apep on my alt to finally get some Dendro crystals, god...) But shout out to being able to unlock but not start story quests, and being able to replace daily commissions with exploration or events.

For next patch, we'll be able to one-click collect and resend expeditions and start at the key when doing a domain multiple times. Tiny things but holy shit, they're finally actually updating something. Man, if I drag this out enough, maybe they'll let you quickstart reputation too. And maybe even a goddamn skip button one day... we can dream.

But I gotta say the most exciting thing for next patch is probably the annual Lost Riches rerun with the new water-capable mini seelie. Really want that for my alt, where I have almost no pets.

#playing genshin

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deepwoundsandfadedscars · 1 year ago

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12, 16, 21, 33? - cap

12. what kind of day is it? An actually half decent one, I didn't get all of my Wants done (wanted a bubble bath and to finish Ghost of Tsushima but didn't) but I got more Needs done than I thought I would (mowed the lawn, finally cleaned my tent and let it dry so i could pack it away again, cleaned my counter tops and floors) but I also got to do some mindless stuff without feeling guilty because of the things I'd already finished lol and then a storm went through early this evening which is my favourite kind of weather, so that was nice

16. can you drive? I can and do! I grew up on a farm so I started driving vehicles around our yard a lot earlier than most people and got my learners and license as soon as I was able. And I have a very clean record, have only received two warnings, no speeding tickets, no accidents.

21. something you’ve kept since childhood? Oh I have a few things tucked away in closets. I have my first teddy bear still and this cute little tea set that looks like a teddy bear too. There's a teapot, cups (and I think saucers?) and then a little creamer and sugar bowl, plus tea spoons. They're all ceramic and the teapot looks like a momma bear with a bonnet and then the creamer and sugar look like her baby bears. I think there's at least a couple spoons missing and I'm not sure what kind of state the rest of it is in, been a while since I've looked, but it's all in this big block of styrofoam that has slots for everything, so still the original packaging. I don't know when I got it but i've had it for a long ass time and it's really no surprise that I collect teapots and china cups as an adult now lol

33. the last adventure you’ve been on? Oh gosh, guess it's how you define an adventure lol sometimes just going to the store is an adventure if you get yourself in the right mindset haha but I guess a couple weeks ago, I traveled to another province that I haven't spent much time in. Most of the time was spent in rural areas but I drove along the outskirts of that provinces major city. There are many stereotypes about that province and I definitely got to experience those, but also there were areas that looked just like my own area. Except their roads are fucking awful, it was ridiculous. But yeah, it was a part of the world I'd never seen before, so that counts as an adventure

#thanks for the ask~!#thanks cap!#ask game #one thing i haven't done much of today is talk so i'm rambly tonight

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localvoid-golem · 3 months ago

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To start, it would be really silly of me to TL; DR your answer when, well, you can see below.

To start a second time: this is all totally my own opinion! I do not endorse erasing anyone else's context, concerns, or commitment to their own valid ideas! Fiction is meant for our minds to chew on, and we all taste different things! So no shade at all cast by me as a result of my words to follow. I think I just haven't written anything Haruhi related in too long so guess you get to see it first. Thank you for your patience!

My interest in Haruhi Suzumiya as a character waxes from wistful interest and wanes to disdain, on a given week. Unquestionably, she is a tempest in a teapot, a distinct role that helped capture fandom interest and help the show and books stand out among its peers at the time. In a world before the Isekai domination of the anime industry, she stands out as any one of us, desperate to be reborn or discover the secret layers in our world.

I like how Haruhi's character is built up! I love the raw emotionality captured in her responses to to the world!

But gods does she exhaust me, and not in a cute, too much energy way. (And its not because she's physically and emotionally abusive character in the first episode and occasionally throughout the story later (well, not *just* because of this, but it doesn't help).) No, she exhausts me as a character because as written by Nagaru Tanigawa, Haruhi is not provided demonstrable room for growth or agency. To me, she’s only given space as a force of nature, and not a protagonist in her own right.

Personal Context: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was really important to me as I grew up and in my heart of hearts, still is. I didn’t catch it until the show came out, but I devoured it soon after. I read all the books, watched endless eight (and was not nearly as upset as most folks) as it came out, bought all the content available in English and wrote over 140k words in fanfiction, including my first ever novel length work. I didn’t seek out the games and my interest had waned enough that by the completion of The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato Chan, that I felt I could comfortably close the book on my love and desire for more content. This is and probably will always been my personal Problematic Favorite show, and its not because of Endless Eight.

So, when I say I don't really like the titular character, Haruhi Suzumiya, I mean it only in the most disappointed way possible. Haruhi is a perfect example of thwarted catharsis. If you treat her like a protagonist, she's even more a passive contender in her own story than Mikuru. She does change in later novels, but for me, it didn't feel meaningfully addressed, but I'll go through that later.

Kyon is the story POV, so often all we hear are his reservations, his complaints, and even his decisions, occasionally. First posed as an audience stand in, he's an unreliable narrator that the audience has to decipher when he is speaking fact, feeling, or self imposed cynicism. The stories are all cycles of Kyon learning about potential change, something he desperately yearns for in his heart of hearts, and finding the resolve to reject the change, for the sake of the others whom he's found purpose in. He is, in many ways, Campbell's Hero's Journey refuted.

Koizumi is something between a cleric and a caretaker, worshipping the presence that his heart and mind tell him are the center of reality, but also trying to manage a teenage girl who by any other right (or rite) would be his peer and potential crush. Haruhi gave him purpose, and he has to struggle with the idea of what that means for who he is. Or who he would become, if that sleeping god should wake or - worse still - stop dreaming. His sense of value, his life's philosophy is a stack of cards and he has only one other present-day human who's *not* wrapped up in the same religion to talk to about it.

Yuki is a monstrously unknowable entity crafted to observe a universal nuclear bomb and maintain a rigid status quo that, should it explode, means she literally would have no purpose. She's in a place where she cannot observe safely, slowly deteriorating under the exposure to radiation, even as her masters study the effects as if an interesting side effect to their trained lab rat. When she does exercise autonomy, it nearly defuses the bomb itself, almost gets herself deleted, then saved by one of the only people who've ever shown her concern, then gets emotionally quote-unquote 'friend-zoned'. I've got things I think about for Yuki.

Mikuru is a quasi willing participant in an experiment to examine the closed loop of history. Memory-editted and neurally-bound to a truth that can't be spoken to a paradox, Mikuru has little recourse but to accept her fate as slave to the present. Any complaint might trigger that paradox into further altering time itself, or reveal her existence as being from the future. That said, even Mikuru has the means to express some small dissatisfaction with her indenture and find joy in the present due to her willed ignorance. We even get to see a version of Mikuru that has coped with all the pain and come out, if not better, at least alive and seeming happy. In some ways, this sort of deflects some of the excitement of seeing her character change (we know who she's supposed to become) but how she gets there is still a journey we can explore.

Haruhi. The way I see Haruhi, on the other hand, IS AS the status quo. Worse, she's layers deep in the status quo that she doesn't have the agency to even reject who she is, because even that would be more of the status quo. She *wants* to fight it. She desperately wants change. But the construction of the story is to prevent her from having the agency to choose. Characters without agency are... not characters. Not fun characters to me, at least. They are obstacles, tests, or challenges. Forces of Nature. The dragon around which the rest of the story orbits.

This is largely true for the story. Even when the plot should demand that Haruhi confront that she might not be in a mundane world in Snowy Mountain Syndrome, Tanigawa flinches. When Koizumi claims it was all a mirage, Haruhi accepts this, without fanfare. It could have been a major pivot, a true change to how the story continued to unfold. Instead, it was a cute lil story and shows Haruhi, who has no awareness of The Disappearance storyline, being exceptionally caring for Yuki. It's the right sentiment, but the wrong time. I To me, it feels like the author trying to soften Haruhi after kinda-sorta laying the blame for Yuki's trauma at Haruhi's feet, but not doing the leg work to make this feel impactful. Nothing happens to change who Haruhi is. its always been part of her character, it seems like.

And then it all kind of tumbles out from there. Haruhi again and again get excluded from the events of the story, or is just used as an excuse to manufacture events, to keep her occupied.

Even in the climax of the novels, the Dissociation, Haruhi herself is sidelined again to care for an ill Yuki, and relegated to being a caretaker. Desperate to be part of the plot, she has to contrive a subconsious alter-self from when she was a child and still had hope in reality to become part of the plot. Worse, when we see her years in the future, she's unchanged, or flattened even further. She's happy and normal and so far as we can tell, past her high school flight of fancy.

Sasaki gets more opportunity to grow and change, from complete skeptic, to unwilling believer and near reverse-human-sacrifice, to choosing to be a human, and being not crushed by it.

I wanted Haruhi to be a real character. *She* wanted to be a real character, but the most we see her is early on, when she's actively a menace. By the time she should get a chance for change and improvement, she got used to take up time with characters who needed to be off-screen.

With all that said, Haruhi is also why I can't recommend the show. She is the Problematic. And, like, I am all for problematic women on certain axes. But not all axes. And its not just the sexual assault and the accusations of sexual assault to extort. Its that this show is grounded in reality. In a very deliberate fashion, this is supposed to be our world. Otherwise Haruhi would not be so upset at how boring the world is! Its not even an elevated reality like in most comedy anime, where it might slide as... less terrible. She just does these things to people and sulks when someone chastises her.

I blame some of it being the anime doing nothing to cut back on the edge of her personality from the first book. But there's even less resolution in the show. Season 1 has the first two episodes of a gut punch. Season 2 has her mean streak during the movie production (Endless Eight was Fine, actually. I'll fight on that hill.). And the Disappearance, as gorgeous and well done as it is, does not resolve any of this. And the fun or emotional weight of any of the other media, Haruhi Suzumiya-chan or Yuki Nagato-chan is not load bearing. They can't stand alone without the main show.

We don't even get to see the soften Haruhi that's supposed to represent some of her growth, from Snowy Mountain and Dissociation. Even Live Alive, they don't, in the show, describe how Haruhi did more than fill in, but that she used her powers to advertise the band.

Its all tension and no release. I want more from her. I want more *for* her! but she doesn't get it. And so it makes me sad. And I can't ooze all my love for the show without a huge trigger warning about her to recommend it to anyone outside.

Its not, strictly, Haruhi's fault, but the author's. Even so, I'm always braced when she comes back on screen, not sure if she's going to do something that I need to filter against the... character she could have been. Or worse, when she's not on screen, and thus can't really be part of this world she's created.

I am super glad you love her, and I do respect it entirely! Your passion and joy are infectious and I would never want to poison it! I just wanted to give an explanation, and its been rattling around in my head for weeks. And now, because of you and this, I'm back to editing my thinly veiled coffee-shop AU because this series doesn't let go once its teeth sink in. thank you for listening and hope I didn't come off as mean or anything!

The potential was endless, but the catharsis is way too late for me.

Hello, I vaguely remember you had a post about folks who 'didn't like' Haruhi of, you know, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Some of it, I thought, was a request for context or an explanation, but maybe not. Would you want someone to broach the topic?

if not, no worries, I've just lost the post, but have been mulling on a response for months. (Totally get if this is more of a Do Not Engage discussion or just want to say no, cause you might have deleted the post due to prior poor responses)

i mean. people can say whatever they want to me, generally (and often do). i'm not, like, directly opposed to someone coming in and explaining their perspective, and i do usually try to approach most things like that in good faith as much as i'm able to!

(but also, like, as the #1 haruhi defender on this godforsaken earth. my general stances are not a secret.)

so if it's something you want to share to provide context, go ahead, but i can't promise i'm going to suddenly understand or agree with you and i also can't promise not to respond with an essay about my own interpretations and reasoning but that should be expected by anyone who knows this blog at all

tl;dr: go for it if you want to!

(for context, since tumblr ate the original post for the time being: it was a post about my not understanding how someone could enjoy the series without liking haruhi as a character, which is something i stand by.)

#so I've never been good at tags #but I've had Thoughts about Haruhi for years #and like #the fandom isn't dead per se #but most of the dying fandom from when I was leaving were kind of chuds #so its mostly me rambling and friends and family members #who just look and nod sadly wondering whats wrong with me #I love this series and I wouldn't write 150k words about it #and still comeback and think about it if I didnt #haruhi included #now back to that thinly veiled coffee-shop AU...#thanks and have a good day!

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dameronscopilot · 2 years ago

Text

I’ll Be Your Bright Side

Pt. 1 - We'll Find a Way of Chasing the Sun

Benjamin “Benny” Miller x f!reader

Summary: In the three years that have passed since you first crossed paths with Benny Miller, he’s easily become the most important person in your life, without a single doubt. He’s your best friend. But as time goes on, it’s becoming more and more difficult to differentiate between the rapidly blurring lines of friendship and something more—the far deeper feelings that keep you up at night.

Feelings that have the potential to wreck everything if he doesn’t feel the same.

Word Count: 6.6k

Content: fluff, a bit of angst, first meetings, pining, (eventual) best friends to lovers, a very shitty ex, protective benny, soft benny, the triple frontier boys doing what they do best

SERIES MASTERLIST | Part 2

You glanced over at Benny, your eyes taking in the way the sunlight generously outlined his hair in gold, strands gently billowing across his face as they lazily rode the wisps of air crawling through the cracked open window beside him. The corners of his mouth curled upward in a soft, content smile, his blue eyes nearly sparkling as he reached a hand out to turn the radio knob up, tapping the fingers of his left hand on the steering wheel as he hummed along to the familiar classic rock tune crackling through the speakers of his pick up truck. Brushing a finger over a worn down button to roll your own window down, you tossed your head back and grinned as the warm breeze from outside caressed your face, thick with the salty, sun-kissed scent of the ocean.

Despite the uninhibited happiness and ease that you felt riding shotgun down that lazy, winding road with your best friend at the wheel chasing the setting sun, moments like this made it increasingly difficult to continue to tamper down the ache of the sharp tendrils of longing that had taken root in your chest. In the years since Benjamin Miller had entered your life out of pure happenstance, he had unknowingly carved out a corner in your heart, one that only grew bigger, deeper, and more insistent as time went on.

Three Years Ago

The bells hanging above the antique shop’s front door jingled softly, and you glanced up from the book that you were reading, dog-earing the tattered page and setting it down on the counter. Two men walked in carrying cardboard boxes, the taller one stopping to run a hand through his hair as he glanced around, clearly in search of an employee. If it weren’t for the state of the various items peeking out of the boxes in their arms, you would have thought they had walked into the wrong place. Your regular customer base was typically a good thirty to forty years older than these two men, who were far too attractive to be milling about in a dusty old shop full of things from decades long past.

You called out a greeting and waved a hand so they could see you around the collection of grandfather clocks in their line of sight and began to make room on the counter, which was currently covered in an assortment of books, lampshades, an extensive collection of fountain pens, several teapots, and other odds and ends.

The other man, who was wearing a baseball cap, reached you first, carefully putting the box down in the spot you had cleared off for them.

You smiled at them both and asked, “How can I help you guys?”

Gesturing to the box in his friend’s hands and the one he had just put down, the man in the hat replied, “Does this shop…buy things? I was cleaning out my mom’s storage unit, and some of the stuff I found looked like it might be valuable, I guess? I’m not really too concerned about the money, to be honest, I’d just feel bad tossing everything if there’s something that might be valuable to someone.”

You briefly peered into the boxes before nodding eagerly. “Yeah, of course! If you give me a few days to sort through it all, I can give you a call later this week and let you know which items we can take.”

The man—Frankie—jotted down his name and cell number on the form that you handed to him, giving you a grateful nod of thanks as he went to leave. His friend began to follow him, only to stop after a few steps, turning around to glance back at you. He smiled and gave you a small wave before heading back toward the door.

You called Frankie three days later to let him know which items the shop wanted to take off of his hands, and as promised, the purchase price was neither here nor there to him. He was just happy that they wouldn’t all be banished to thrift store purgatory or a landfill somewhere—yet, anyway. He let you know that he’d drop in soon to pick up the payout and whatever was leftover from the boxes.

Frankie’s friend walked in the next day, hands stuffed into the pockets of his dark blue jeans as he approached the front counter—which he found with ease this time. You tampered down the excited little thrill that rose inside of you upon seeing the blue-eyed stranger again; you did have a boyfriend, after all.

A boyfriend who’d steadily started to become distant after your move to Florida from New York just over a year ago, who you had a sinking feeling was fucking one of his co-workers at the new office he had transferred to. Not that you’d stoop to his level in retaliation, you opted for wallowing in your suspicions armed with ice cream and sad movies as you miserably contemplated what to do.

You were shaken from your thoughts as the man spoke, a sheepish look on his face, “Sorry, Frankie got a little caught up at work, so he asked me to drop by. I don’t know if you remember me, but I was with him the other day, so I hope it’s okay if I take his stuff?”

Biting down the stupid, ridiculous response that boldly danced on the tip of your tongue—one about how you doubted you’d forget a face like his—you said brightly, “Oh yeah, of course! I… remember your shirt, actually.” Smooth.

You gestured to the faded black Kiss shirt that he was wearing, and he nearly blanched when he looked down at it as he quickly replied, “I did laundry yesterday. Uh. So, it’s clean. It’s just…my favorite shirt.”

His cheeks reddened slightly as he suddenly became very interested in a small hole at the bottom of the right sleeve of the shirt in question, and you bit your lip to stop yourself from giggling.

“Of course. Um, let me go grab the box for you. I’ll be right back.”

You disappeared into the back room for a moment, coming out with what was left of Frankie’s items, a white envelope with a check inside of it sitting on top. You walked around the counter, and the man quickly stepped forward to take the box from you, holding it with one arm as he held a hand out. “I’m Benny, by the way. Benny Miller”

You introduced yourself in return, and you were momentarily disarmed by the shy smile that spread across his face as he repeated your name softly (at which point you tried not to think too hard about the way it sounded coming out of his mouth) and mused, “Well, it was really nice to meet you.”

The corners of your mouth followed suit, and thus began your friendship with Benjamin Miller.

—-

After a subsequent run-in with Frankie and his friend Santiago at the grocery store the next day, and then another with Benny and his older brother Will at the gym, when you walked into a bar one night the following week, you instantly recognized the group of voices that eagerly called out your name from across the room. A few heads turned in response to the commotion, which had come from a table where all four men were seated. And thus your plans to sulk over your shitty boyfriend-shaped predicament alone were quickly upended.

Whether it was a result of the way you and Benny hit it off like long lost best friends who had surreptitiously been reunited, the ease with which you could out-sass Santiago and put him in his place, the way you naturally took Frankie’s side whenever the guys ganged up on him, or the rare laughter you brought out from Will and his serious demeanor, you instantly got on better with them than any of the other unremarkable acquaintances you’d made since you moved into town.

Upon seeing you kick back an alarming amount of shots in a short amount of time, Will nudged you, asking if you were okay. You hiccuped, vaguely waving a hand in the air as you announced to the table that you had come to the bar because your boyfriend was working late for the third day in a row, and you were fairly certain the only thing he was putting in was not extra time at the office but rather his dick in one of his co-workers.

Will frowned, and he opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sound of Benny slamming his empty beer glass down on the table as he exclaimed to the others, “Uh, we’re all looking at the same girl, right?” gesturing at you. Your cheeks burned, and he continued, “Yeah. Your boyfriend sounds like a fucking idiot.”

You sighed, taking a sip from the cold glass of water that Frankie had nudged your way and mumbling, “I’m the idiot for moving all the way from New York with him.”

Benny slipped away shortly after that, only to return to the table with a mischievous look in his eyes. You glanced over at him curiously, but he simply grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl in the center of the table and turned to listen to what Santiago was saying. Ten minutes passed, and suddenly Frankie started choking on a sip of his drink. You turned to him, following his gaze to see your name and Benny’s flashing on the karaoke screen projected on the wall behind the bar’s small stage.

You opened your mouth to say something but were interrupted by the telltale notes of “Wonderwall” that began to pour through the speakers. Santi snorted as he glanced from Benny to the oversized Oasis t-shirt that you were wearing, rolled up at the sleeves and half tucked into your black jeans.

“You didn’t,” you stated plainly, staring at Benny.

He shrugged, raising his eyebrows and biting his lip as he grinned, hair falling into his face. “I absolutely did.”

Frankie was snickering as you crossed your arms defiantly.

“Come on sweetheart, don’t leave me hanging,” Benny drawled, walking over to stand in front of you as he held out a hand and looked into your eyes imploringly.

“You have like two seconds before someone starts booing,” Frankie piped up, as the song was just about to reach the opening lyrics.

“Oh, fuck it,” you grumbled as you slipped your hand into Benny’s, dashing over to the stage with him.

Whatever you had been expecting before you approached the stage, it wasn’t the surprisingly talented singing voice that Benny Miller had been hiding beneath his artfully messy hair, vintage band tees, and perpetually breezy attitude. Though your own singing talents left something to be desired, you couldn’t be bothered to care as Benny dramatically dropped to his knees in front of you and belted out the chorus. Rolling your eyes, you met his infectious enthusiasm with equal fervor, reaching out to playfully ruffle his hair, and you could hear raucous cheering coming from where Frankie, Santiago, and Will sat watching.

“Because maybe You're gonna be the one that saves me…”

—

Two months passed by in the blink of an eye after that night, during which time Brad continued to grow more distant as he was supposedly undertaking a large, demanding project at work. You’d nearly scoffed when he told you that one morning, brushing a chaste kiss to your forehead before heading out the door. Every fiber of your being was screaming for you to confront him, to put the nagging voice inside of your head to rest, but a small part of you still held onto the shred of hope that you were overreacting. That he was a better man than someone who would ask his girlfriend of three years to move a thousand miles away with him, only to let his affections stray. You’d blanketed yourself in a cool shield of indifference as you choked down your suspicions, afraid of the broken, empty shell you’d inevitably be left with when everything came flooding out.

You didn’t have much time to dwell on your own thoughts, which far too often threatened to trickle into a dark corner of self-loathing, because your new friends quickly absorbed you into the folds of their tight-knit group. Will, Santiago, and Frankie felt like the older brothers you’d never had growing up as an only child, and you eagerly leaned into the ease of the familial camaraderie they offered you.

And as for Benny…he was a different story. A story you were hardly ready to inspect up close and the last thing that should have been on your mind given your current situation. The way he treated you never crossed the boundaries of the right side of propriety—despite his playful nature, he was a gentleman at heart. But, perhaps just based on the fact that you spent more time with him than the others, there was something else buried deep in the core of your interactions—an unwritten page waiting to be written, a house that had not yet been built.

Brad was the unfortunate elephant in the room when you spent time with the guys, who quickly took the hint that you were too caught up in the throes of your denial to address the impending demise of your relationship head-on. You didn’t want to talk about it. Yet. And so if Benny didn’t ask questions and simply took it upon himself to distract you with silly dog videos, impromptu minigolf nights, and middle of the night snack runs when he could tell you were on the cusp of spiraling, well, you couldn’t fault him for that.

The decrepit rest stop where you had parked the fragile remains of your feelings went up in flames on a seemingly innocuous Wednesday afternoon when you were cleaning the house after work. As you pushed the vacuum underneath your bed, you heard the telltale sound of something getting caught in the roller, and you flipped it over to find a bright green pair of satin panties stuck in it…which absolutely did not belong to you.

Unceremoniously dropping the vacuum to the floor with a clatter, you stalked over to your phone and texted Benny, declaring an impromptu bar night with everyone, despite the fact that you already had the same plans for Friday evening. Benny, bless him, didn’t even question it. Instead, he sent you a selfie from the gym, his hair messy and sweaty underneath his backwards baseball cap, winking with a finger gun pointing toward the camera. A text that said, “On it,” followed, meaning he would take care of corralling the others as well.

Two hours later, Benny, Frankie, and Will picked you up, and you arrived at the bar to find Santi had already grabbed a table and ordered several pitchers. Benny slid into the booth beside you, his thigh pressing against yours, grounding your thoughts as you tried to reign in the anger and despair flooding through you. He tentatively placed a hand on your knee, which you hadn’t realized you had been nervously bouncing, and you sagged against his side. You felt something cool brush against your fingers as he filled a glass for you before turning to join in on whatever Will and Santi were discussing. He knew you’d talk when you were ready. They all did.

A notification for a text from Brad flashed across your phone screen once you were a few glasses deep, thus finally breaking open the warped, splintered boards that you had haphazardly nailed over your treacherous dam of emotions. You sighed loudly, not even bothering to read the text as you instead went to your photo album, opening up the picture that you had taken of the damning evidence tangled up in your vacuum cleaner. The guys looked up as you slid your phone to the middle of the table, downing what was left in your glass in one gulp. You felt Benny stiffen beside you.

“I’m…assuming those don’t belong to you,” Santiago observed carefully.

You laughed a little too loudly as you replied, “No, Santi, unfortunately I’ve never felt compelled to purchase a pair of radioactive green underwear. Maybe if I was shooting a space porno on a greenscreen…”

Frankie choked on his water, and Will reached over to pat him on the back as he sputtered.

Benny helpfully supplied, “Want us to kick his ass? Or me, mostly me. I think I’m the most qualified.”

You snorted, “You’d probably knock him out cold with one hit.”

Your phone screen, which had dimmed, lit up again with another text notification from your boyfriend. The bright flash caught Frankie’s eye, and he glanced over at it, taking a pointed sip from his glass as he remarked, “Brad’s a stupid fuckin’ name anyway.”

Will nodded sagely in agreement, and you let out a sound that was somewhere between a huff of laughter and a whine of despair as you dropped your head into your hands. “How am I supposed to go home to that asshole tonight?”

Shrugging, Will said simply, “You don’t.”

You looked up at him, furrowing your brows. “Well I don’t exactly have any family or anyone else around here that I can bum it with until I figure something else out. I guess I could get a hotel though—”

Santi grumbled as he interrupted, “You have four friends sitting in front of you.”

Your fingers stilled, pausing in their quest to meticulously fold the paper straw wrapper you were holding, and you said uncertainly, “I…you guys haven’t even known me that long. I couldn’t ask that of any of you.”

Benny let out an indignant puff of air in response, and Will spoke up again, “Emelie and I have a guest room at the house. You can crash with us until you decide what you want to do.”

You’d met Will’s girlfriend several times already, and while the two of you had indeed hit it off, the automatic response that curled in your gut was your innate need not to depend on other people, lest you become a burden to them.

Benny watched the quiet struggle play out across your face as your mouth began to curve downward into a small frown, and he quietly pleaded, “Don’t say whatever lame excuse I know you’re grasping at straws to think of right now. Let us help you.”

Sighing, you acquiesced with a nod, incapable of formulating any sort of a valid argument otherwise thanks to the headache that had begun to settle its way into your temples. Benny slung an arm over your shoulder, the scent of his cologne invading your senses as he spoke, “We should head out so you can pack some things before he gets home from work.”

As to be expected, when you finally checked your text messages from the back seat of Frankie’s truck, Brad had let you know that he would once again be “running late” at the office. Mmkay. You rolled your eyes, nearly growling as you closed the messaging app, and Benny reached over to pluck your phone from your hands, dimming the screen and placing it face down on the seat between the two of you.

When you arrived, Frankie left the truck running, waiting in the driver’s seat as Benny and Will trudged up the steps and into your apartment with you. Despite the amount of time that you had spent with all of them, not even Benny had been inside yet. It’s not that you had made a secret of your new friends, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to mix the one bright spot in your life with the upsetting place that you had recently come to realize no longer felt like home. After toeing off his boots in the entryway, you watched for a moment as Benny slowly made his way through the living room, his eyes taking in the abstract art that hung on the walls, the kitschy knick knacks that adorned the shelves, and the variety of houseplants in mismatched pots that were strewn about, all of it so very you. Will stood off to the side watching his brother, but he didn’t say anything.

Benny huffed a quiet laugh as he picked up a small stuffed gnome that had been left tossed on its side hidden behind several picture frames, its pointy purple hat bent in the wrong direction.

You gave him a smile that didn’t quite meet your eyes as you said, “I love that little guy. I found him at a yard sale right after we moved here. Brad hates it though, as you can see.”

Benny grumbled in response as he readjusted the hat and reached up to carefully place the gnome on a higher shelf, one that was out of Brad’s reach.

After filling a small duffle bag with enough things to get you by for a few days, you walked out into the kitchen holding the underwear on the tip of a pen. You scrunched up your nose in disgust as you dropped them on the counter, reaching into the drawer in front of you to pull out a notepad. You hastily wrote, “Don’t fucking call me,” on the yellow lined sheet, ripping it off and slapping it down next the bright green lump of fabric.

You turned to grab your water bottle from where it sat drying beside the sink, bringing it over to the fridge to fill it up. When you were finished, you looked to see Benny hunched over the note. Coming to stand beside him, you saw that he had written ‘ASSHOLE’ in bold, capital letters beneath your message. You shook your head, elbowing him in the side playfully, and he shrugged, looking down at you with a grin.

—

A few days later, you were sitting in Will and Emelie’s kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee beside the latter as the former stood at the stove, dutifully watching over the sizzling bacon in front of him. There was a quick knock on the front door, followed by telltale sounds of the younger Miller brother letting himself inside as he was wont to do, kicking off his shoes and making his way into the kitchen.

Emelie peered over her cup and eyed him with a knowing look as she glanced from him to you, innocently stating, “Benjamin, you’re up early.”

Benny rolled his eyes, sinking down into the chair beside you and plucking your mug directly out of your hands, helping himself to a sip. You opened your mouth to say something, but he beat you to the punch as he pointedly said, “You never finish a full coffee. It makes your stomach hurt. I’m just helping.”

Will wheezed from across the room, and Emelie outright snorted before getting up to grab plates and cutlery.

You’d decided almost immediately that you were staying in town, but you needed time to find a decent one-bedroom apartment that was in your price range. In the meantime, Will had suggested that you store your belongings in their two-car garage, which had more than enough space. Hence why Benny was willingly awake and dressed before 8:00 a.m., ready to lend his muscled arms for your moving day (or what he had snarkily dubbed, “Fuck Brad Day”). Brad normally left for work at 7, which would give you all plenty of time to orchestrate the mass exodus of your worldly possessions without his presence.

You had given in to exactly one phone call from Brad following the vacuum disaster, in which he had sharply veered from pleading for you to come back to gaslighting you to the point of tears, blaming you for not “tending to his needs” in bed often enough after the move and taking a nasty swing at your other various insecurities that he knew would send you over the edge. At the time of the call, you were standing in Frankie’s backyard for a barbeque. You had walked further into the corner of the yard as Brad’s stinging barbs hit you in the gut, turning away to brush at the tears that had sprung free from the corners of your eyes. You had tried to swallow down the choked sob that escaped your throat, which was only amplified by the demeaning laughter that echoed from Brad’s end of the call, when you suddenly felt a hand brush your shoulder. Benny had stepped in front of you, his blue eyes stormy as he gently took the phone from your hands and put it up to his ear. Though his voice had been steady, you didn’t miss the way his clenched fist shook slightly as he said, “Don’t ever fucking call her again,” hanging up before Brad could respond.

Emelie had to go to work, so she wished you luck as you headed out the door, Benny joining you in your dark gray Jeep Wrangler while Will backed his SUV out of the garage. Though you had initially toyed with the idea of renting a moving truck, Will had loudly scoffed at the prospect, claiming that you could save money and make due with the vast assortment of vehicles found amongst your friend group. You met Frankie and Santi ten minutes later in the parking lot of your apartment building, where they stood waiting beside Frankie’s truck with a large stack of cardboard boxes, newspapers, and packing tape. Santiago gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze before you led the charge toward the building’s entrance.

Your hands trembled slightly as you fished your keys out of your purse, anxiety flooding through your veins, and Benny wordlessly took them from you, turning them in the lock and swinging open the door. Brad seemingly had yet to trash any of your things, but your plants looked to be desperately in need of a good watering. As Frankie and Santiago began assembling the boxes, you plucked a pad of sticky notes out of your pocket, placing the small, blue rectangles on all of the larger items that were yours so the boys could start loading them up without confusion, like the sectional couch, the end tables on either side of it, a blanket ladder, a standing lamp, the flat screen television mounted on the wall, and several appliances in the kitchen. While it felt petty, you had only moved into your shared place with Brad in New York a year prior to coming to Florida, and everything you were taking now had been yours in the first place. He could buy his own fucking television.

Benny and Will began to dismount the television while Frankie and Santi wrestled the pieces of the couch through the narrow doorway, and you made your way into your bedroom to empty your closet and drawers into large black garbage bags. You hefted one over your shoulder, pausing when you heard a familiar, irritated voice call out from the living room, “What the hell?”

You dropped the bag to the floor with a groan, walking out of the room to find Brad standing there with his hands on his hips, eyes flicking back and forth between where the sectional had been and the empty mounting bracket on the wall.

Frankie swiftly made his way over and stuck out a hand to Brad as he casually said, “Ah, you must be Bert.”

Your ex’s lips curled downward into a frown as he glanced down at Frankie’s hand. “It’s Brad.”

Frankie nodded as he clapped a hand on Brad’s shoulder, “Right, yeah. Same thing. Cool.”

Brad glared at him and turned his attention back to you expectantly as you teetered on the edge of a fight-or-flight response, feeling vaguely nauseous. He was supposed to be at work, what the fuck was he doing here? Benny’s eyes met yours from across the room, and you took a deep breath before responding, “I’m taking the things that I bought. I didn’t think that would be a problem.”

Brad’s eyes swept across the mostly empty shelves and walls, which Benny had made quick work of packing up. His eyes narrowed as he bit out, “This is ridiculous. Don’t be stupid. Just put all of this shit back and come home. Where the hell are you even going to go?”

“That’s none of your business,” you said shortly.

He sneered, turning to look at the others. “Ah, so which one are you fucking?”

Something clattered to the ground, but you barely heard it over the sound of the blood that was rushing in your ears. “I’m not fucking anyone, because I’m not a cheating pig,” you snapped.

Brad snorted, ignoring your comment as he spread his arms out and carried on, “Fair warning, fellas, the sex isn’t even that great anywa—”

Your ex was cut off as Benny slammed him up against the wall so hard the shelf beside them shook. He seethed, “I’d shut up now if I were you.”

Despite the fact Benny was towering over him, Brad’s eyes went wide and he outright laughed in his face. “Oh, tough guy. You the one that I talked to on the phone? She’s not worth it, man. You’re better off heading over to the strip club or something.”

Brad yelped as a fist cracked across his face—your fist. You tugged Benny’s clenched hand down from where he had been on the verge of doing the same thing before you quickly strode over. The last thing you needed was Brad trying to press charges against one of them. Instead, Benny leaned in close to him and hissed, “You didn’t fucking deserve her. Now get the fuck out of here.”

Benny backed away, and Brad stumbled forward, Will swooping in to catch him by the elbow and shove him out the door. You looked down to see your fingers were still curled around Benny’s wrist, and you let go, your arm falling back to your side limply. He looked down at you, blue eyes clouded with concern.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

Giving him a reassuring nod, you replied, “I will be.”

Following Brad’s forced exit, the rest of the move was fairly uneventful, though Santiago took a concerningly long time in the bathroom at one point, and you had a sneaking suspicion that some of Brad’s toiletries may or may not have been compromised, based on the conspiratorial look he shot Benny when he eventually walked out.

—

You eventually found a cozy apartment not far from Frankie’s place, one with exposed brick in the kitchen, ample natural light for your plants, and a tiny balcony that had just enough room for a small, round table and two chairs.

One morning a few months after you moved in, you were hefting several bags of groceries out of the trunk of your car when you heard someone park behind you. Turning around, you saw Frankie get out of his truck, hands in his pockets. He gave you a little wave as he hurried over, taking half of the overpacked bags from you.

You gave him a grateful smile before tilting your head in confusion, “Are there plans that I forgot about today?”

Frankie laughed softly, looking down at his shoes and shaking his head. “No, uh, Benny and I were driving around checking out yard sales when we—well, he—found something for you. The bed of my truck is full of tools and other shit, so he went to get his so he could bring it over here.”

You raised an eyebrow, and as you looked behind him, your eyes caught on something large and colorful sitting in the front seat of his truck. “And…what’s that?”

Frankie threw his head back with a sigh, “Fuck, right. Yeah. There’s uh, that…thing, too.”

Benny pulled up just as you put the grocery bags back down and strode over to open Frankie’s passenger door, only to find a gigantic stuffed gnome with a haphazard white beard and a wonky patchwork hat made up of a variety of fabrics and patterns buckled into the seat.

Panting, Benny—who had run over from where he parked across the street—came to a stop beside you. “Do you like him?! I found him at a yard sale this morning. I may or may not have come very close to fighting a toddler for it.”

“Stupidly close,” Frankie added.

“You bought me a giant gnome,” you said dumbly, your brain short circuiting at the thoughtful gesture.

Benny nodded eagerly, reaching over to unbuckle it and take it out of the truck.

“And…you buckled it into the seat,” you added.

He snorted, peering over at where Frankie stood behind you, nodding in his direction.

“Frankie told me there was, and I quote, ‘No fucking way’ he was driving around town with this thing in his truck. But clearly he had a change of heart and took an interest in its safety. That was real sweet of you, Fish.”

Frankie mumbled something about seatbelt laws before scooping up the rest of the grocery bags and heading toward your apartment. You looked back over at Benny, a fluttering feeling tickling inside of your chest, and you crushed him in a tight hug, squishing the gnome between the two of you.

“Thank you,” you murmured, and you felt his responding puff of laughter rustle against your hair.

Later, after your other surprise made its way out of his truck and into your apartment—a large, open-backed shelf for your plants that nestled perfectly against one of your floor-to-ceiling windows—you and Benny sat on your couch, your feet lazily propped across his thighs while one of his hands mindlessly tapped a rhythm against your bare ankle. Frankie had left, toolbox in hand, after securing the shelf to the window frame (“I’m preventing a plant avalanche, stop asking questions.”)

The movie that you were watching came to an end, and Benny turned to you and asked suddenly, “Why didn’t you move back to New York?”

Caught off guard, it took you a moment to respond, and he clarified, “You hadn’t been living in Florida that long after that asshole…what was his name…Bart?”

“Brad,” you rolled your eyes and shot him a pointed look, knowing damn well he hadn’t forgotten his name.

Benny waved a hand flippantly, “Yeah, well, fuck him either way. There’s only one important name that begins with a ‘B’ around here, and it’s not his.”

You raised an eyebrow, “No idea who that could be.”

Benny tickled the bottoms of your feet, causing you to yelp, but when you tried to pull your legs back, he held them in place and continued, “Anyway, so you stayed here. Why? Don’t you have family and friends back in New York?”

Biting your lip, you contemplated…how to tell Benny. How to tell him that from the moment you met him (and Frankie, Santiago, and Will), something loud and tiresome and restless inside of you had finally settled. You had been unhappy for a very long time in New York, crawling up the walls and out of your skin, desperate for change, a purpose, a sense of direction. And thus your overwhelming desire to take flight was what led you to agree to move down to Florida with Brad without a second thought.

The change of scenery took off the edge, but it wasn’t until the day that Frankie and Benny walked into the antique shop that you truly felt something begin to loosen in your chest. It was as if you had been perpetually crawling on the floor on your hands and knees, kicking up dust and debris, desperately in search of the final missing piece to a complicated puzzle—one that slotted into place with them. With him.

But no, you couldn’t tell Benny all of that.

In the weeks and months that followed, you had grown even closer to the boys. But Benny? He was something else entirely.

Benny was the one that immediately volunteered himself to be the keeper of the spare key to your apartment, and subsequently he became the person that forced you out of your miserable cocoon of self-loathing and pity in the wake of your breakup. When you’d turned down one too many invites to come out with the guys, he made a habit out of bribing you to leave the house with hot coffee in one hand and a bag of your favorite fast food hash browns in the other. He took you out for long drives in his truck, letting you pick the music while he showed you all of his favorite hidden sightseeing gems and underappreciated landmarks in the surrounding cities. He spent more time on your couch than his own, sitting side by side with you as you ate take out food and watched bad horror movies, quoting them line for line. Benny had quickly become the closest friend you’d ever had.

Your best friend.

And between the fragility of your feelings after Brad, which left you in no state to consider another relationship anytime soon, and the fact that you weren’t even ashamed to admit that you’d probably shatter into a million pieces if you potentially ruined the friendship you had built with Benny…well, that’s what led you to desperately try to snuff out the overwhelming crush you had unwittingly developed on him.

Not that it worked.

It would never work if he kept looking at you like that. Like he was looking at you right now.

Like it meant something more. Like you meant something more.

You took a breath before finally answering, “I’m…not really close with my family, and I kind of grew apart from my friends after college. Honestly, I wanted to get out of New York and live anywhere else way before Brad’s work offered him the promotion. Florida’s kind of grown on me, despite the alligators. And I’ve met some pretty great people that I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to just yet.” Benny tilted his chin upwards at the compliment until you continued, “You know, like Will? Honestly, such a solid guy. My favorite Miller, I think.”

Benny balked in indignation, “I went to four different grocery stores to find you mint chocolate chip ice cream last night!”

Something inside of you warmed considerably at that, and you winked and blew him a kiss before standing up to go and make coffee.

Current Day

Gravel crunched underneath the truck’s tires as Benny turned off of the main road and pulled into a small parking lot, coming to a stop in between Santiago’s car and Will’s SUV. You could hear excited voices carrying over the sand dunes, where the rest of your friends were waiting for you both to arrive for a bonfire on the beach to celebrate Will and Emelie’s engagement.

By the time you had managed to pull the bug spray out from where it had rolled underneath your seat, Benny was opening the passenger door for you, holding out a hand to help you down. You slipped the can into your backpack and went to step down, only to be caught in Benny’s arms as he wrapped you up in a hug and placed you on the ground. Still embracing you, he rested his chin on top of your head as he said quietly, “You’re my favorite person, you know that?” before releasing you and slinging an arm around your shoulders, leading the way down the worn, sandy path to the water’s edge.

---

SERIES MASTERLIST | Part 2

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