#I know the solution to this problem but finding a apartment at a decent price in the area is hard

[ladytano]

I hate landlords so much holy shit

[queenshelby]

Unexpected Circumstances (Just Friends Part 7) - Cillian Murphy Imagine

Featuring: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: SMUT

Words: 5789

Notes: I have decided to include one of the requests I received in this series as I didn’t know how to best write it as a standalone at this point. I think it makes sense as part of this series as trust between Cillian and the Reader has been clearly established. I might still write a stand-alone piece as well incorporating the same request as this is the sort of Smut I like. So, stay tuned for that!

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The Letter

It has been five weeks now since Cillian and you admitted your feelings for each other and things were going great.

Some days you couldn’t believe how lucky you were to have found a man like him, someone who cared not only for you but also your son Max.

Cillian adored Max and Max enjoyed Cillian’s and Cillian’s children’s company.

Cillian would often pick Max up from preschool when you had to work late and prepare dinner for you and Max. Max thought that this was fantastic since you were a terrible cook.

But, despite this, it was sometimes difficult to arrange dates when you both had children to look after. You both tried to work around this issue as best as you could but, realistically, you only managed to have three sleepovers per week, mostly when Cillian didn’t have his boys. This was when he came over to stay at your house and you always hated when he had to leave.

After all, you were madly in love, a feeling which was unfamiliar to you. You wanted to be around him all the time and whenever you weren’t together you missed him.

As expected, you received some backlash from strangers due to your age gap but you tended to ignore the frustrating comments. They didn’t know you and they didn’t know your relationship.

The comments you received from your friends were nothing but supportive and even your grandmother thought that Cillian was good for you, much unlike your previous partners.

You still haven’t told your parents about your relationship, but your sister was aware. She followed Twitter quite eagerly and loved Cillian’s TV Show hence the reason you told her.

Your sister was concerned that your father wouldn’t approve of your relationship due to the large age gap, but that wasn’t a problem you were ready to face yet and little did you know that you were about to have bigger problems than that coming your way.

Bad news was about to hit you like a freight train. It was 10am on Friday morning. You were working from home while Max was at preschool as the doorbell rang.

It was unusual for the postman to drop off letters personally. Usually that meant that you had to sign for your letters, which was never a good sign.

You thought that it must be a vehicle recall, or notice of some sort. But it was worse. It was a letter from your real estate agent advising you that you will be required to vacate the premises within 30 days.

You could not believe it. It was difficult enough for you to find this townhouse as a single mother in an area where the schools were decent enough. You were always on time with your rent and never missed a single payment. You had no idea why you had to move out.

You called the real estate agent immediately and were advised that the owner is returning from America and requires the premises at the end of the lease term. There was nothing you could do.

The real estate agent advised you that there were no suitable rentals in the area within your price range but that they were willing to give you a good reference should you find something else with a different agent.

You were devastated. The last thing you wanted is to take Max out of preschool just after he made some friends. Furthermore, Cillian’s youngest son was attending the same preschool and it was a perfect arrangement for the both of you.

As you went on with the day, you put your non urgent work aside in order to search for rentals online as, all of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

‘Oh Cillian… I totally forgot’ you said as you opened the door.

‘You forgot our date?’ Cillian chuckled as he walked in the door, giving you a quick kiss.

‘I must be the worst girlfriend’ you said with some embarrassment. You never forgot a date with your boyfriend before. After all, it was what you looked forward to the most.

‘Relax, it’s fine Y/N’ Cillian said before noticing that your face was slightly flushed and your eyes were red.

‘Are you alright though? You look like you’ve been crying’ Cillian said as he ran his hands over both of your arms. He knew that something was wrong.

‘Yes, I just had a very stressful and shit morning. I am alright now though’ you said as you walked into the bedroom to get changed, ready to go out for lunch.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Cillian asked from the hallway.

You took the letter which you received from the real estate agent from the sideboard in the hallway and handed it to him.

‘I’ve just been searching for a new rental but they are either too expensive or out of the area. But, I have found one in North Dublin and the schools there have halfway decent reviews so…’ you explained and, before you could finish your sentence, Cillian interrupted you.

‘The schools here are much better Y/N. I don’t think you should change Max mid-term; it will put him behind’ Cillian said.

‘Don’t you think I know this?’ you asked frustrated. You were still quite upset about having to move.

‘I will lose the enrolment as soon as I move out of area. Despite, I cannot drive backwards and forwards with work. I barely make pickup time now with the hours I am at the office’ you added just as tears began to build up in your eyes again.

‘Common, sit down’ Cillian said as he sat down on the bed next to you and wrapping his arms around you.

‘I might have a solution’ he said as he wiped your tears away.

‘Go on then’ you said, still sobbing.

‘You and Max could move in with me. That way, we could spend more time together and Max won’t have to change preschool and can start year one with Charlie’ Cillian suggested.

‘Move in with you? Cillian, don’t you think it’s a bit too early for that? We have only been together for 5 weeks’ you said.

‘Yes, but we’ve known each other for a few months now. Seems like a perfectly reasonable timeframe’ Cillian chuckled, making you laugh. You knew that he was being sarcastic. He always had a good sense of humour.

‘Coming from the man who just a couple of months ago didn’t want to settle down’ you smiled.

‘Well, that was before I got myself such a beautiful girlfriend’ Cillian said before giving you a passionate kiss. He could taste the saltiness from your tears but it didn’t seem to bother him.

‘You are crazy, you know that’ you chuckled after your lips drifted apart.

‘Well, you do that to me’ Cillian said while cupping your face with both of his hands.

‘We would, however, need to work on your cooking skills’ he added jokingly, earning him a nudge.

‘Very funny’ you said with a laugh.

‘Seriously though, what do you think?’ Cillian asked.

‘I think Max would really love this idea and I would love nothing more than sharing a bed with you every night. I am just worried that you will get sick of me after a while’ you said.

‘I don’t think I could ever get sick of you Y/N. Just your cooking’ Cillian chuckled before telling you that he loved you.

‘I love you too Cilly’ you said before kissing him passionately.

‘Is that a yes?’ he asked.

‘It’s a yes, thank you’ you said before pushing him back onto the bed.

‘The lunch reservation is at 1pm Y/N’ Cillian said as you hoovered over him.

‘Forget about lunch’ you responded just as you threw your t-shirt to the floor.

However, just as you were getting down to business, your phone rang, not once, but twice.

It was Max’s preschool and you knew that it was urgent.

You quickly returned the call and were told that you must pick up Max as he had a fall on the playground.

You got dressed quickly and drove to preschool to pick up Max. You were advised to go to hospital to see whether Max’s arm was broken.

Being cautious, you followed the teacher’s advice and took Max for an x-ray at hospital. Luckily, it was just a sprain which should resolve with some rest. Unfortunately, by the time you got to leave the hospital it was 6pm. You were there for hours.

Cillian suggested that you and Max come over to his place for dinner. You gladly accepted the offer and this allowed you both to talk to your kids about moving in together.

As you told them, they were beyond excited and Max was quick to arrange a sleepover for the following night.

You and Cillian agreed but, for a change, arranged a babysitter to look after your three boys allowing you to go for dinner and to the movies with your friends which was something you didn’t do very often.

Movie Night

The next evening, Cillian’s sister came over to watch the kids. This was the first time you met someone from Cillian’s family and she was quite excited to get to know you.

Apparently, Cillian had told her and his parents about you already.

After you chatted with her for half an hour, you both made your way to the restaurant.

Unfortunately for you, your friends had invited Jeremy, unaware of the fact that he continued to message you daily much to Cillian’s frustration.

Regardless of this, both you and Cillian were polite as you sat down across from Jeremy and your friends.

‘What did you guys do with the kids tonight?’ your friend Amy asked.

‘My sister is looking after them at my house’ Cillian responded.

‘What about Max?’ she asked.

‘Max is at Cillian’s house as well’ you said, which is when your friend Amy slipped the news. You had already told her that you would be moving in with Cillian just before he starts filming again.

‘Oh well, better to get used to it. Living with 4 boys soon Y/N eh? That shall be interesting’ she said.

Her comment quickly raised a lot of questions, in particular from Jeremy.

‘You really are becoming a sugar baby Y/N aren’t you?’ he said sarcastically, causing Cillian to laugh. He tried very hard to take Jeremy seriously, but it was difficult.

‘A sugar baby? Is that even a word?’ Cillian asked.

‘You know what I mean’ Jeremy said.

‘No, please enlighten me’ Cillian responded.

‘Alright’ Cillian chuckled.

‘It’s none of my business Cillian, but why is that you actors have to get involved with women who are so much younger than you?’ Jeremy said.

‘You are right, it’s none of your business Jeremy’ you said harshly while Cillian tried hard to bite his tongue.

Your friends quickly changed the conversation after that but you couldn’t keep your hands of your boyfriend that evening simply to annoy Jeremy and Cillian played along.

‘I am sorry he’s been a tool’ you whispered into Cillian’s ear as you walked to the movies with your friends.

‘I find it very difficult to remain polite around him’ Cillian said.

‘I know’ you responded just as the theatre opened.

You took your seats and, to your frustration, Jeremy sat down right next to you, causing Cillian to get annoyed.  

After what Jeremy had said to you and Cillian, you refused to speak to him and largely ignored him until the movie started.

About twenty minutes into the movie, you started to get rather bored. You couldn’t believe that you had to be there for another two hours. Who decided to choose a two- and half-hour movie in French, with subtitles? Of course, you did, without doing any research.

You looked over to Cillian and noticed that he was disinterested in the movie as well and stopped reading the subtitles. It was evident, he was somewhere in dreamland, probably thinking about how he could annoy Jeremy after his most recent insult.

Noticing your boyfriend’s disinterest in the movie, you reached for his hand, running your hand over the top of his gently. You had his attention now and he gave you a warm smile for all you could tell in the dark theatre.

Taking his hand into yours, you guided it on top of your thighs which is where it sat for a while. Not getting the hint, you arched back into your seat and guided his hand further up beneath your loose cotton skirt.

Whilst you couldn’t see much, you noticed Cillian turn his head towards you. Just as he did, you guided his hand further up your thigh while biting your lip. You tried hard for your eyes not to leave the movie screen.

He finally got the hint and squeezed your thigh gently before handing you your cardigan from your bag.

You placed the cardigan across your lap just as Cillian lifted up your skirt slightly beneath it, giving him better access.

You glanced to your right to ensure that Jeremy, who was sitting next to you, didn’t see what Cillian was doing.

Luckily for you, he was intensely focused on the movie although, no doubt, your boyfriend would have preferred if Jeremy knew what you were doing. After all, Jeremy had just insulted him and it wasn’t long before Cillian and you got together, that Jeremy had told him that he would like to get into your panties.

Just as Cillian’s fingers wandered up your upper inner thigh, you released a sigh and parted your legs slightly while making sure that your cardigan provided enough cover.

By the time Cillian’s fingers reached the apex of your thighs and touched your panties, they were already damp.

You were grateful that the theatre was so dark because your skirt was up to the top of your thighs and draped over Cillian’s hand which would otherwise have been clearly noticeable beneath the thin cardigan.

You were panting with desire, just from Cillian stroking and squeezing your thighs and running his hand over your wet panties.

You slid down a bit in your chair and spread your thighs even more. The adrenaline rush had your inhibitions going out the window.

You could hear a slight chuckle from Cillian as he noticed you pushing your body down against his hand.

Just in that moment, you felt his fingers sliding your panties to the side.

Within seconds, he dipped a finger inside your wet entrance, gathering some of your natural lubrication, then moved it upwards toward your clit.

You sucked in a breath through your teeth, hissing quietly. By that time, you both had completely stopped paying attention to the movie.

Cillian started in a slow rhythm, circling your clit a few times, then dipping down shallowly into your entrance, repeating it over and over.

Your fingers were digging into his forearm on one side and onto the armrest on the other.

Your hips were moving of their own accord as you were whimpering quietly as Cillian’s fingers moved in and out of you.

Suddenly, it hit. You groaned quietly, gripping boyfriend’s hand, pushing his finger into you even deeper and grinding your clit against the palm of his hand.

Your walls clenched around his fingers as your orgasm washed over you and you couldn’t help it but let out a shallow moan.

‘Are you alright Y/N?’ Jeremy asked, noticing the sound you made while looking at you with some confusion.

‘Yes, I am fine’ you said bluntly and with a deep breath while Cillian pulled his fingers out of you with a grin on his face.

You handed Jeremy your popcorn before rearranging your skirt and handing Cillian your cardigan. At this point, he needed it more than you as his erection pushed against the zipper of his jeans.

‘Follow me’ you whispered into Cillian’s ear before standing up and excusing yourself, walking past Jeremy.

‘Where are you going?’ Jeremy asked.

‘Bathroom’ you responded. You were still annoyed with him and he wouldn’t get anything from you but stern and short answers.  

Cillian waited another minute or two before following you so that he wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

You waited for him in the front of the cinema with a big smile on your face.

‘You choose the worst movies’ Cillian said with a cheeky smile.

‘I have been enjoying it so far’ you smirked before taking his hand and pulling him towards the parents’ room.

‘Y/N, I don’t think this is a good idea’ Cillian said as you locked the door behind you.

‘Relax, it’s 10pm. No one will need this room until tomorrow. We will be safe. Despite, I know you, this won’t go down any time soon unless we get to it’ you smirked as you placed your hands on Cillian’s crotch before crashing your lips onto his with haste.

Without wasting any time, you unbuttoned his jeans and pushed down his zipper before running your hand inside his briefs and stroking his hard cock.

‘You’ve got ten minutes’ you said after breaking the kiss and before turning around, leaning forward over the wash basin.

Within seconds, Cillian lifted up your skirt and pushed down your panties before lining himself up with your wet entrance.

You smiled at him in the mirror as he gently pushed your legs apart and grasped the perky butt cheeks before him.

Cillian pried them apart and stepped forward. He was flush against you and you couldn’t help it but release a soft moan.

His cock slipped between your legs, and the head glided across your sensitive lips.

‘Fuck I want you so much’ you moaned as you pushed back against him in anticipation.

Without words, Cillian pulled back a little and then pushed up into your tight tunnel.

‘Fuck’ you moaned loudly as your walls stretched to fit his length inside you.

‘You got to be quiet’ Cillian whispered from behind you as he began to thrust in and out of you.

He gave you barely a moment to brace yourself before he gripped your hips and pulled back. His cock slipped out almost the whole way before he thrust his hips forward and dived back into your heat.

Cillian set a hard pace, knowing that you didn’t have much time together before someone would get suspicious.

You could hear his laboured breathing behind you as you held onto the basin tightly.

‘God yes’ you moaned quietly as the tip of his cock hit your cervix over and over again.

Cillian smiled at your reaction and reached down to grab your thighs. He spread your legs even wider. By that time, you were on your toes, with no leverage of your own.

‘Don’t stop’ you whispered as you could feel another orgasm build up in your stomach and, within seconds, your walls constricted around him.

You cried out a little too loudly, and your whole body shook as your orgasm slammed into you.

Cillian kept his brutal thrusts up as you rode out the waves of pleasure. Your legs trembled before him and he smiled as you whimpered with every thrust.

The contractions around his cock and your moans sent Cillian over the edge also and, shortly after you came down from your high, he reached his and filled you with his warm cum.

‘Fuck Y/N’ he moaned quietly as he slowly began to relax, his face resting on the back of your shoulders, kissing them gently.

After he came down completely, he pulled out of you and you could feel the mixture of his cum and yours drip down your thighs.

Cillian handed you a paper towel but you declined the offer and simply pulled up your panties.

‘I like to remember this for the rest of the night’ you grinned before giving him another passionate kiss.

Your comment earned you a chuckle but, deep down inside, Cillian liked the thought of knowing that your panties will be wet from his cum for the remainder of the night.

After making sure that no one was around, you left the room together and made your way back to the theatre together.

‘You’ve been gone for a while. Is everything alright?’ Jeremy asked as you sat back down next to him.

‘Yeah, I had to make a phone call’ you said just as Cillian sat back down next to you.

You both had a cheeky grin on your face as you watched the rest of the movie.

‘The movie was great, wasn’t it?’ your friend Alice asked as you left the theatre and Jeremy agreed simply because he knew that you chose it.

‘What did you think about the twist towards the end Cilly?’ she then asked.

‘Yeah, uhm…yeah it was alright’ Cillian said, not knowing what she was talking about.

‘There was a twist?’ you whispered to Cillian as you walked outside the theatre.

‘I think we missed the majority of the plot babe’ Cillian whispered back before taking your hand into his and following the others to the pub.

Jeremy kept starring at you and Cillian and you could notice the frustration on his face. You enjoyed it, a lot.

Later at the pub, Cillian received the usual attention from some young females. It always made you chuckle but it really annoyed Jeremy.

Despite the fact that Cillian enjoyed Jeremy getting annoyed, it soon became too much for him and, after about three drinks, you both decided to leave.

Getting Down to Business

You called a taxi and drove back to Cillian’s house.

‘It’s unbelievable’ you giggled sheepishly and slightly tipsy from the three gin and tonics you had earlier.

‘What is?’ Cillian asked, closing the door behind you.

‘All the attention you get from all of these young women every time we go out’ you said.

‘What can I say, it’s Tommy Shelby Effect’ Cillian laughed.

‘Hmm I think I get it’ you said and, just after this comment, you kissed him passionately just as his sister walked out of the living room.

‘Alright, I am going’ his sister chuckled.

You both thanked her for looking after the children and made your way to the shower. You both smelled like beer and popcorn.

Just as you got into the large shower together and were talking about the evening, Cillian couldn’t help it but complain about Jeremy.

‘You know, I am yours Cillian!’ you said as you ran your hands over his chest.

‘You are mine, are you?’ he chuckled in response to your comment which reminded him on his script for Season 5 of Peaky Blinders.

‘Yes…’ you whispered into his ear just before biting his earlobe gently while the hot water ran down in between you.

Cillian’s hands soon moved from your back down to your naked butt cheeks while his lips kissed the bare skin on your neck.

‘I love you Y/N’ he said in between kisses.

‘I love you too Cillian and I want you to fuck me as if you own me’ you whispered. ‘Take me the way you want to’ you added seductively.

‘You’ve been watching too much of this TV show’ Cillian said with a chuckle, referring to a new TV documentary series that you were watching on Netflix about BDSM.

‘It’s intriguing though, isn’t it?’ you asked running your hands over Cillian’s chest and down in between his legs. He grew hard almost instantly as you touched him.

Your face was inches away from his and you could see pure hunger and lust aflame in his eyes as you were stroking him gently. His warm breath fanned over your face like an aphrodisiac and the want in his eyes was intoxicating.

He remembered the last episode of the documentary quite well and grabbed your hair at the back of your head gently, causing the hot water to run down your breasts.

You bit your lip with excitement, fire building up in your eyes.

‘You really want to try this don’t you?’ Cillian asked, causing you to nod.

‘Alright’ he sighed with a smile and, with his free arm, he pushed you onto your knees almost instantly.

That’s it, exactly what you wanted.

He pulled on your hair, making you look up at him while you were biting your lips.

You suddenly felt a wretch in your stomach. Cillian wasn’t normally that forceful with you and you knew that, for him, it was a roleplay more than anything. Being with an actor clearly had its perks.

‘Is this what you want?’ he asked, causing you to nod again.

With his hand still firmly in your hair, he guided your mouth towards his hard cock.

You open your mouth willingly and, within one thrust, the head of his hard cock hits the back of your throat, making you gag.

You didn’t even try to pull away and he slowly and deeply began to thrust in and out of your mouth, giving your barely enough time to breath.

You gave into his rhythm as the warm water was running over your back.

‘God, your mouth feels amazing’ Cillian moaned, knowing that you enjoy it when he is talking to you while were intimate. You loved the sound of his voice.

Just as you got used to the sensation of being forced up and down his cock, he began to tweak one of your erect nipples with his free hand, causing you to moan around him.

‘Good girl, keep going’ Cillian said with a slight smirk as he toys with your nipple, pulling and rolling it between his fingers.

The pit of your stomach was set aflame and your thighs were slick with your juices.

With his cock in your mouth and your nipples being aroused, you are under sensory overload.

As he continued to thrust in and out of your mouth, you closed your eyes trying to concentrate on the raw pleasure that was radiating from your body in waves.

‘Look at me’ he demanded, causing you to open your eyes again and dig your hands into his thighs as he kept going.

‘That’s it’ he moaned, thrusting into your mouth a few more times before pulling you away from his throbbing cock and your mouth comes off with a satisfying pop.

Some small tears were running down your cheeks, your mouth sore from opening so widely and your hair was still in his hands. He roughly wiped away the saliva around your mouth and wrapped his hand around your throat gently.

You looked up into his blue eyes and wanted nothing more than for him to take you, fuck you hard.

‘Common, let’s take this to the bedroom’ he said as he began to notice the water getting cold.

‘Yes sir’ you winked, earning him a chuckle.

‘You defiantly are serious, aren’t you?’ Cillian said as you dried each other off. He was slightly out of his comfort zone but decided to play along as he could see the desire in your eyes. You were by far the most adventurous and kinky woman he’s ever been with.

Moments later, you made your way to Cillian’s bedroom.

‘I don’t think so’ Cillian said firmly as you reached the edge of the bed.

With his hand on your throat gently again and the other on your waist, he guided you towards the large reading desk in the bedroom.

‘Turn around’ he instructed and, as soon as you complied, he pushed you down onto the table.

Just as you your face leaned against the cold wood, he took both of your arms and secured both your hands behind your back.

Electricity shot down your spine as you tried to struggle out of his grasp teasingly.

You were completely under his control just as you wanted.

He put your two wrists wrapped around one hand and with the other, slowly traced a finger up your inner thigh.

You bit your bottom lip to keep yourself from moaning too loudly.

Cillian took his time, exploring every inch of your thighs and ass.

‘So sexy’ Cillian said as his fingers brushed against your wet folds, causing you to whimper.

He continued to run his fingers up and down your pussy, teasing to put his fingers in.

You whined and struggled against his grasp, your wetness started trailing down your thighs.

‘Oh god yes’ you moaned as Cillian slowly eased his fingers inside, scissoring his fingers as he went.

‘Shh’ Cillian said, knowing that you had to remain quiet with the boys in the next room.

Your mind went blank as pleasure shot through your nerves, spreading like wildfire.

Cillian’s fingers swirled around inside of you languidly, leaving no space unexplored and, moments later, he brushed against your g-spot causing you to jerk.

‘Stay still’ he said as he pressed his body down, immobilizing yours.

He knew very well that you liked to squirm when he reached your sweet spot as the intensity was too overpowering.

This time, you wouldn’t get away, no matter how hard you try.

‘Oh god Cillian, please’ you yelped, the feeling of his fingers on your g-spot being too much for you to handle.

But Cillian wouldn’t let you squirm away and you soon learned that you had to just give in, surrender to him.

But, just as you relaxed and could feel your orgasm approach, he pulled his fingers out of you.

‘Did I say you could come?’ he teased as he placed his fingers into your mouth, making you taste your wet juices.

‘No sorry’ you said, hoping that he would put his fingers back inside of you.

‘Sorry what?’ Cillian asked sheepishly.

‘Sorry Sir’ you grinned just before you ran your tongue along the length of his fingers.

‘Good girl’ he whispered just as he trailed his fingers back down towards your wet entrance.

Within seconds, they entered you again and continued where they left off.

You tried hard not to come right away and, after several more minutes, you couldn’t control it any longer.

‘Cillian please, can I come?’ you moaned, your walls already beginning to contract around his fingers.

‘No Y/N, you cannot’ he said, withdrawing his fingers once again, pulling your head back on your hair and kissing you passionately.

Just as he pushed you back down, you could feel him line himself up with your entrance.

Your hands were still pinned behind your back as he pressed the tip of his cock into you slowly. Your walls clench instinctively.

‘Don’t you dare come until I’ve given you permission’ he murmured into your ear as he pushes into you torturously slow.

‘I promise I won’t come without permission’ you said as you could feel Cillian’s body against yours and his hands gripping over your hands pinned behind your back and your hair.

‘Good girl’ he whispered as he continued to push inside you slowly until he was completely inside.

You tried to wriggle so you could adjust to his size, but Cillian held you in place. He slowly moved out until only the tip remained inside and thrusts back in deeply.

You moaned loudly into the table as he continued his rhythm, fucking you slowly but deeply. Your mind blanks, pleasure rocking through your body.

You could feel him tighten his grip over your hands as he slowly pulls out and slams into you, eliciting a yelp.

‘Yes, oh god, yes’ you moaned loudly as he began to pick up the pace, knocking you almost breathless.

Your moans caused Cillian to place one of his hands over your mouth gently. You were way too loud.

You felt like a wound-up toy, yearning to be released from the tension. With every thrust, you come closer to your orgasm. He's hitting you fast and deeply, but not enough to send your over the edge. You whine and whimper, weakly struggling against his body. You are so close, teetering on a cliff.

‘Please’ you moaned into his, desperate for your release.

‘Please what?’ Cillian asked as he thrusts in and out of you and removing his hand for just one moment to allow you to speak.

‘Please let me come’ you responded.

‘You will need to do better than that’ Cillian said as he thrusts into you even deeper.

‘I do anything, please’ you moaned, your walls beginning to clench around him.

‘Anything? Hmm, alright, that seems like a fair deal’ Cillian said picking up the speed.

With those words, you let go. Pleasure rocked through your body like a wave.

You tried to fight the feeling of falling and flying at the same time as your orgasm washed over you.

Cillian moaned at the same time as he felt your tight walls close around his cock and, with three more thrusts, he came inside of you.

You could feel his cock throb inside of you as your legs shake from the powerful orgasm.

Just as you both came down from your high, he slowly pulled out of you, causing some of his cum to leak out.

He released your hands and helped you up from the desk.

You turned around to face him and, with one of your hands, you reached in between your legs collecting some of his cum before licking it from your fingers suggestively.

‘I enjoyed this’ you smirked, causing Cillian to stare at you in disbelieve.

‘You are naughty, aren’t you?’ he chuckled just before giving you a kiss.

‘Yes I am’ you smirked before you both made your way to the bed.

By that time you were exhausted.

You curled up in each other’s arms and shared some gentle moments together.

‘I am looking forward to sleeping in this bed with you every night’ you said.

‘So do I’ Cillian responded, before turning off the light.

Morning After

The next morning, you got woken up by the smell of pancakes and three missed calls.

Your father had tried to call you to congratulate Max on his recent soccer medal.

You returned the call and handed the phone to Max while you joined Cillian in the kitchen for a coffee. Just as you were drinking your coffee, you listened to Max speak to his grandfather on speaker.

‘So how have you been Max?’ grandpa asked.

‘Good poppy, we are having pancakes’ Max said.

‘Mum made pancakes? Do they taste any good?’ grandpa laughed.

‘No Cillian made pancakes. Mum and I are moving to his house soon and then we can have pancakes every weekend’ Max said.

‘Cillian? Who is Cillian?’ grandpa asked.

‘Mum’s boyfriend’ Max responded, causing you to choke on your coffee.

‘Can you please put your mother on the phone’ he said.

To be continued…..

  ‘

[escapewithbts]

Charity Case - Yoongi

Not super edited, not sure if I love it, blah blah blah, please still enjoy...

I’ve been in such a Yoongi mood lately 😇

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

You stared at your bank statement, or more specifically, your savings account. You had saved up a decent amount of money, that was for sure, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to kickstart your dream.

It all happened a few days ago on a Tuesday afternoon. You had just finished lunch with a friend who was from your home country. The two of you had found a restaurant specializing in the traditional food from there since you both were craving a taste of home. On your walk back to your apartment, you noticed the road you usually took was blocked off with construction (typical for the summertime in Seoul you were learning), so ultimately you had to take a detour, pulling out your Maps app. Although you lived in Hongdae, you really only took the same few roads daily. Therefore, you still did not quite know your way around.

The new directions had you weave down a side street, one you had never been on before. To your surprise, it was full of restaurants, shops, and cafes, and since Hongdae was known for homing many foreigners within the city of Seoul, many of them featured things you were very familiar with from back home.

Strolling down the block you made mental notes of places you wanted to try, places that were bustling with people, figuring they must be good if that’s the case.

All of a sudden, between an American grocery store and floral shop, you noticed a beautiful empty store front. You peered in the large windows and was met with a decent sized space, white walls, white tile floors, a lot of natural lighting. It was perfect. In the corner of the same window there was a sign that read “FOR LEASE” with the name of the agent and a phone number.

You took a picture of said sign before stuffing your phone back in your pocket. There was no harm in calling, right? Even just getting a feel for the space was harmless���right?

For ever since coming to Seoul from abroad, it was your dream to open your own bakery. To make desserts and breads and pastries fresh daily for the Seoulites to try and the foreigners to feel nostalgic for their home countries. You were currently working a boring office job as a translator, saving for the moment you could follow your true dream.

And maybe this was a sign… this was it.

 So, you did call. You did get a feel for the space. And it was perfect. Turns out it had been a pizza shop that went under, (too much competition) so there were already ovens and freezers and refrigeration, all in great working condition. The agent informed you the floor could be ripped up and replaced, there were already light fixtures attached in the ceiling that could connect to chandeliers and you were already picturing plants hanging from macrame in front of the large windows.

But there was just one problem.

As you stared at your savings account and compared it to the down payment in the brochure the realtor had given you… they didn’t match. You were short about 1/3 of the cost, especially since there was still some work to be done inside to really make it your own.

You heart sunk. You mentally scolded yourself for getting your hopes up. It was in such a prime location; how could you have been so stupid to think it was in your price range!

Suddenly, instead of staring at your lack of funds, you were staring at your face in your phone’s front camera as you received a FaceTime call request. ‘Yoongi’ was the name at the top of the phone screen, accompanied by your favorite picture you had taken of him candidly making a gummy smile caused by a joke you had told. Right on time for the daily call you two always had.

You sighed. Did you really want to speak to him right now? You were great friends, you had (stupidly) told him about the place and he had been so incredibly excited for you. He was so supportive and encouraging… it was incredibly endearing. Reminding yourself of that you pressed the green accept button.

Immediately you were met with the handsome face and bleach blonde hair of Min Yoongi. He was resting his head back on his black leather sofa, his narrow eyes meeting yours between screens.

“Hi Yoongi-ah,” you gave him a small smile.

“Hey (y/n).” he responded, returning the smile.

You stood up and walked over to the couch in your small apartment, sitting down and curling your legs underneath you.

“What are you up to?” you asked.

He reached towards the screen and flipped it, so it was now looking forward. An NBA basketball game was playing on the large tv in his living room.

“Watching the game. It’s game 4 of the finals so if Pheonix wins this one they only have one more game to win before they win it all.”

He returned the screen to face him.

“Oh, that’s cool,” you replied, “Did you have a lot on your work schedule today?”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“It wasn’t too bad. Practiced PTD for a Japanese tv performance we have coming up. Worked on some music between rehearsals,” he shrugged, “the usual.”  

You nodded.

“You?” he questioned, “how was your day?”

You looked down at the couch cushions and fiddled with the blanket that laid beside you. You bit your lip before responding.

“Fine. It was fine. I, uh, I had that appointment. With the agent in charge of that space I was interested in?”

Yoongi’s eyes got wide, and he perked his head up.

“Shit, I forgot that was today. How was it? Did you like it as much as you thought you would?”

A small grin appeared on your face remembering how picturesque it had been.

“It was even better than I thought it would be, Yoongs,” you told him.

He smiled wide.

“That’s incredible! So wh-what now? Did you put down the money for it? Or did you need me to come with you to look at it again, see if there’s anything that needs fixing that I can do??”

You closed your eyes tightly and shook your head. He was so sweet, and it broke your heart even more.

“Thank you, Yoongi, for offering, but that… won’t be necessary.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek, expecting his next question to make you feel uneasy.

He cocked his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

“What? Why not? I really don’t mind.”

You sighed, suddenly incredibly embarrassed to be admitting this to your friend.

“I just saw the statement of my bank account and, well, I don’t… I can’t afford the down payment. I don’t have enough saved up yet.”

You couldn’t help but look down in shame. Yoongi never talked about his money or how much he made being in BTS, but you weren’t stupid. He worked incredibly hard for everything he and his fellow members have achieved and you were nothing but proud of him. He deserved it all, even the unassumingly large income he was bringing in. He would never, ever flaunt it or make you feel inferior to him because of it, but you still felt slightly inefficient in your confession.

Yoongi’s face softened.

“Oh… I’m-I’m sorry, (y/n).”

You shrugged and gave him a small, hopeful smile.

“It’s alright. It just means it wasn’t meant to be, that’s all.”

He gave you a sympathetic frown.

“But you said it was perfect.” He reminded you.

You placed your fingers to the bridge of your nose.

“Because it is, Yoongi-ah. It’s bright and cozy and practically ready. Not to mention it’s an incredible location,” you rolled your eyes at yourself, “I really should have known it would be too much.”

“How much is it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

You looked away again and scrunched your nose, before telling him the exact amount required to put down in order for the space to be yours.

His mouth formed into that straight line he was known for when he was neither happy nor displeased by something.

“Could you get a loan? Like from a bank?”

You shook your head.

“I already looked into it,” you informed him, “it’s weird because my bank is home, but I’m abroad so there would be a lot of hoops to jump through and the chances of being approved are slim to none. Basically, it’s not worth putting a mark on my credit for.”

He nodded in understanding, looking away for a moment. His eyebrows knitted together in thought, and as much as you appreciated him trying to help you, you had already thought of all the possible solutions, and you didn’t really want to talk about it anymore.

“It’s okay, Yoongs, really, I’ll find someplace else.” You smiled reassuringly at him.

He looked back at you and hummed in agreement before you began talking about something else.

 -

The next day you had barely stepped out of your office building after a long day at work when your phone’s text message notification sound went off.

5:49pm from Yoongi: Are you off work yet?

5:49pm to Yoongi: Leaving now. What’s up?

5:50pm from Yoongi: Can you meet me here at the HYBE building ASAP?

You furrowed your eyebrows.

5:50pm to Yoongi: Sure. Is everything okay?

5:50pm from Yoongi: Yeah, everything is fine

5:51pm from Yoongi: Come to the Forum at the top floor when you get here, okay? I already told the front desk you’re coming

5:51pm to Yoongi: You’re being weird but okay

5:51pm from Yoongi: Don’t worry so much you pabo, it’s nothing bad

You rolled your eyes and locked your phone before hailing a taxi.

 The ride to Yoongi’s work was longer than usual because of traffic, but eventually you made it, giving a wad of cash to the driver and stepping out of the cab. The tall, reflective HYBE building intimidated you a little bit, like you were going to get in trouble just for stepping foot on its grounds, but you confidently passed the transparent sign that read “HYBE We Believe in Music” and opened the doors to the main entrance. A woman at the front desk greeted you and asked to see your ID when you told her you were here to see Min Yoongi. When she confirmed your identity, she gestured toward the elevators.

 “Yes, you may proceed to the Forum on the 19th floor, he is waiting near the café there.”

You nodded and thanked her before letting the elevator doors close in front of you.

The aroma of coffee wafted into your nose immediately upon stepping out of the elevators. It smelled heavenly. You walked past many groups of HYBE businessmen and women taking breaks or in small meetings before finally spotting Yoongi at a table in the corner near the large windows. He was fixated on his phone, an iced Americano on the table in front of him, and another iced drink sitting across. It had been a few weeks since you had seen him in person as his schedule was usually jam packed, but upon seeing him now your heart skipped a beat and a wide smile formed on your lips. You hadn’t seen his newly bleached hair in person yet and he looked even more handsome than you imagined. His pale skin glowed in the sunlight. It was good to see him again. You missed him.

 “Hi,” you said, pulling out the chair and sitting down across from him, “the building is incredible.”

He glanced up at you and nodded in agreement.

 “It’s nice. They did a great job. I don’t mind coming to work as much now.” He chuckled to himself, and you rolled your eyes.

He pointed to the beverage in front of you.

 “The drinks are good, too, I got your favorite.”

You smiled at him and took a sip. He was right, it was delicious.

 “Thanks, Yoongs.”

He stared at you for a moment, a grin forming on his face. Your face felt hot, and you had to look away.

“Sooo… why did you need me here so urgently?” you quickly wondered.

“Urgently?” he retaliated, “it sure took you long enough.”

Oh, how you loved his bluntness.

You scoffed.

“Well, excuuuuse me, Mr. Min, normal people go home from work around this time, so traffic was absolutely horrendous! Could you have picked any other time of day?”

He smiled and looked down at his hands while shaking his head.

“This was literally the only open slot I had today, sorry,” he glanced at the time on his phone, “and I’m already almost out of time as it is.”

You waved your hands, urging him on.

“Well then, what is it that it couldn’t wait?”

He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

“Aiisshh okay, please don’t be mad.”

You narrowed your eyes and cocked your head.

“Mad? What? What is it, Min Suga?”

He took a deep breath and reached into the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out a small piece of paper. Then he unfolded it carefully and placed it in the middle of the table facing you.

To your shock, it was a personal check. From Yoongi’s bank account. Written for the exact amount you had told him last night of the down payment for the perfect shop you couldn’t afford.

Your jaw dropped and your eyes left the rectangular paper to look into his. They were a little weary, maybe, but hopeful.

“Yoongi…” you started.

He held up his hand.

“Please. Just take it, (y/n).”

Your heart was pounding. There in front of you was the exact amount you needed to start your dream. Your very own bakery. And combined with the amount you had in your savings you could even add some extra touches!

But… you couldn’t do it. You knew you couldn’t. This was your dream, and even if that amount of money was nothing to someone like Yoongi, you wanted to be the one to earn it, like he had earned all his successes.

“I-I… I can’t, Yoongi.”

He sighed and closed his eyes.

“(y/n) …”

“Thank you, Yoongi, truly, it means so much.”

He shook his head and motioned to the check.

“Then just take it.”

“I don’t want it.”

“But you said so yourself that place is perfect! You were in love with it!”

You nodded, trying to keep your cool. Did he have to keep reminding you how great it was?

“Yes. But I cannot afford it. There will be other places.”

“You can afford it if you take this. Please, (y/n), this won’t hurt me in anyway financially, I’m good. I want you to be, too.”

“I am good, Yoongi. I work hard and I’m saving. This place is just not it and I have to accept that. Maybe a time will come where I can afford someplace like it, and when it does it will be just as perfect.”

He rolled his eyes.

“How do you know you’ll find another place?? Jesus, you’re so fucking stubborn sometimes, (y/n).”

Your hands balled up into fists. Okay that was it. Calling you stubborn because you wanted to be self sufficient had made you hit your boiling point.

“I’m stubborn? How about I just don’t want to be your charity case, idol Min Yoongi, hmm?” you whispered harshly to him, “I can take care of myself, okay? I don’t want your help; I don’t need your help. I’m a fucking adult, too, you know, just because I don’t make millions doesn’t mean I can’t make smart financial decisions. God, do you think I’m just that pathetic?”

You got up to leave, so over this conversation.

Yoongi squeezed his eyes shut.

“What? Fuck, (y/n), no I don’t think you’re pathetic. If anything… I-I’m the pathetic one.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes before marching back toward the elevators and hitting the down arrow button.

Yoongi followed.

“Do you know why?” he asked, jumping into the elevator with you before the doors could close.

It was just the two of you as it began its long descent down 19 floors.

You narrowed your eyes at him.

“Why what? Why you’re pathetic?” you snorted, “Because you just offered your friend an obscene amount of money for something you have no part in?”

He looked down at the floor and took a deep breath.

Finally, he peered back up at you and his dark brown eyes met yours.

“Well, that, and because,” he paused, shuffling nervously on his feet, “because I’m having a really hard time telling that same friend how I truly feel about her.”

Your heart stopped and your mouth fell open again, in a different kind of shock.

“What?” you said softly.

“Fuck, I love you, (y/n)!” the pale skin of his face turned a bright red, and he took his gaze away again, “Aiiisshh, I’m sorry, I’m just horrible at showing my emotions and telling people how I feel. I guess I was hoping offering you the money would help you understand but I didn’t even think how it would come off, I just wanted you to know that I support you and I want to be apart of your decisions in life as more than a friend and- “

You cut off his worrisome rant by flinging yourself towards him and kissing him hard. It was his turn to be shocked, but he instantly got the memo and pushed you back against the wall of the elevator in passion. He wrapped his arms around your waist, his large hands grazing the bare skin of your lower back under your shirt. You gripped your hands in his blonde locks.

The elevator let out a ding signaling you had reached the first floor. You pulled away from each other, panting from the heat of the moment. You smiled.

“I love you, too, Yoongs. But I’m still not taking your money.”

He rolled his eyes and snorted.

Then you started to exit the elevator, but you felt him grab your wrist.

“Wait.”

You turned back toward him with confused eyes.

He grinned at you, his eyes suddenly full of lust.

“Do you maybe... want to see my new studio?”

*

Masterlist

[jaxl-road]

Hollow

“When I get stressed, I get violent and take it out on myself. I’ve pulled razor blades on myself but then realized that having a scar is more detrimental than not having a stereo. I’d rather kick in my stereo than cut my arm.” -Axl Rose

An AU where Axl changes his mind on that stance.

Pairings: none

***TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM (specifically cutting)***

~~~~~~~~~

There was a clawing in his chest. In his throat, in his stomach, behind his eyes and his teeth. Walking offstage, Axl felt like he couldn’t breathe, too busy focusing on containing the wild, storming beast that wanted to tear him apart.

He needed to get out of here.

The hallway backstage seemed to stretch on forever, staring at the backs of his bandmates as they headed towards their dressing rooms. As he walked, he found himself kicking an empty plastic chair viciously when he passed it.

Slash eyed him over his shoulder, "Jeez, what is your problem?"

Fuck. He wished the guitarist hadn’t asked. His fingers curl, nails biting into his palms as he grinds out, "Were you not listening out there? The audio was fucking shit, there was feedback every five fucking minutes!"

Rolling his eyes, Slash sighed, "Dude, it wasn't that bad-"

But before he could finish his attempt at de-escalation, Steven whipped around and interrupted, "Well maybe if you actually bothered to show up for soundcheck we wouldn't have this problem."

Axl ground to a halt in the middle of the hallway, snarling, “I shouldn’t need to be there for us to have halfway decent tech! All the fucking money we bring in and we can’t get a less mediocre PA system?”

“Guys, hey, let’s not-” Duff tried to intervene half-heartedly, Slash rubbing a hand over his face in the corner. Izzy sighed as he shared a look with the other two, because they all knew it was pointless. Axl was too volatile, Steven was too outspoken, and they were both too frustrated with each other. The match and the kerosene.

“We’d bring in more money if we weren’t constantly paying overtime fees because you can’t get your ass to your own gig on time!” Steven snapped, “I don’t get why you’re making more than me when you’re basically a part-time singer!”

That clawing beast inside Axl escaped. And it had a target.

His hand curled around the back of the plastic chair, blood roaring in his ears as he hurled it at the drummer. Everyone in the hallway ducked against the walls, Steven managing to step out of the way in time as the chair crashed to the ground harmlessly, sliding down the hallway as Axl started screaming.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about! You don’t know a goddamn thing! You think you could do any of this without me?! Fat fucking chance!”

Axl could feel his mouth moving, could hear the words distantly, but there was a disconnect. It didn’t feel like him. He could see himself storming down the hallway like a glitching television screen, jumping and skipping, showing him shoving Steven aside and kicking the chair again even harder, everything fuzzy, static in his ears. A door slams furiously and he finds himself standing in his dressing room, and then there’s something in his hands, and then he’s surrounded by broken glass and overturned furniture. There are holes in the drywall and blood on his knuckles.

And he’s breathing. Gasping, actually, and he wonders if he had been holding his breath during the destruction; if the rage in his chest left no room for air.

But it was gone now. There was nothing left. Just a gaping cavern where the rage used to be. He staggered backwards and leaned against the wall, feeling lightheaded, his limbs weightless and shaky. Sliding to the floor, he put his head on his knees, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.

Fuck.

The last half hour replays in his head.

Fuck.

What the fuck was wrong with him? This was hardly the first time he’d pulled this kind of bullshit, but each time felt worse. Steven didn't deserve that treatment. None of them did, and it was only a matter of time before he broke the camel's back with his fuck ups.

He wasn’t an idiot- he knew his bandmates wanted to fire him, and why wouldn’t they? Maybe Guns wouldn’t be the same without him, maybe they wouldn’t be as successful or popular, but with the amount of money they’d save from cutting out his property damage and late fees they’d probably still come out ahead, and that's not even considering how happy they'd be to be rid of him.

Axl was the one who’d suffer. He had a reputation now, and the bad was starting to outweigh the good. What would he even do, if he couldn’t sing? Couldn’t perform? Turning his head, he catches sight of his reflection in the shards of broken mirror surrounding him.

Reaching out, he picked up one of the larger shards without even thinking, turning it over in his hand. He ran a finger across the sharp edge in contemplation.

There had been a few times over the years where Axl found himself holding a blade to his skin. Everyone only saw rage, and that was part of it, sure, but it was more than that. There was a burning inside of him. Sometimes fire coursed through his veins that crackled and crawled and made Axl feel like tearing his skin off, like he was bursting at the seams, like even his own body didn't want him. Each time he'd reasoned with himself that it was better to scream and trash a room than scar himself. Things could be replaced, after all, so it was clearly the better solution.

Now he was rethinking that.

Something had to give, after all. He was halfway to ruining everything, steadily destroying this fragile life he'd built. If he didn't find a better way to purge this shit from inside him, it was going to crash down around him.

He thinks of bloodletting. He thinks of kneeling before some medieval priest to be drained of the devils and demons running through his veins. He wonders if that was why people were drawn to hurting him- his father, his stepfather, the bullies at school, the creeps who offered him a ride for a price- maybe his disease was so close to the surface that everyone could see it and knew that the only way to help him was to hurt him. Maybe this whole time he’d been flinching away from the cure. He thought of the empty feeling he got after each time he snapped and went on a rampage, and considered that maybe this way he could just bleed everything out- quietly, peacefully.

Sitting on the floor carefully, he slowly pushed his jeans down to his knees. Arms are a big no, he'd never be able to hide it, but legs would be easy to conceal. If he was careful, he could even make sure everything was hidden by shorts.

Looking down at the shard of reflection in his hand, he feels a sense of calm. It's not hopeless. There's still time. He has a plan now. He can fix this.

He pressed the glass against the top of his thigh.

He'll be better.

~~~~~~~~

It’s nearly morning when he makes it back to the hotel. Slipping into his room, he stays there until nightfall when they have to leave for the next city.

None of them talk about his outburst. They never do.

He sits alone.

~~~~~~~~

The night of their next performance, Axl doesn’t make it to soundcheck, but he does arrive before the openers go on.

“Wow, look who decided to show up,” Slash said mockingly, raising an eyebrow as he walked past.

“Now I’ve seen everything,” Duff rolled his eyes in response.

Steven laughed, and oh, Axl wants to scream.

I’m doing what you want! I’m here! I’m trying! This is what you wanted, why aren’t you happy, why isn’t it enough?”

Instead, he presses the tips of his fingers into the side of his thigh and keeps walking.

~~~~~~

It infuriated him, seeing his bandmates strung out when they were supposed to be working.

“Clean up your fucking act before you OD on fucking stage!” he snapped, shoving at Slash’s chest before stomping away.

Back in his dressing room, he tugged his hair in frustration. Who was he to lecture his bandmates? He was trying not to cause trouble, not to get on anyone’s bad side, and yelling at his guitarist wasn’t exactly the way to do that.

God, he was the worst fuck up out of all of them. He shouldn’t have said anything. The anger hadn’t left, but now he felt guilty on top of it. He hated feeling this much. He hated not being able to do anything right. Opening one of the drawers beneath the vanity, he opened a small pack of spare razors.

~~~~~~

Get up.

The room is dark, the curtains drawn tight, only a sliver of light shining through the bottom of the hotel door.

Get up.

Another performance over, another city crossed off the list, and now it was time to gather his things because they had to be on the bus in an hour. But instead he was laying on his side on the bed, staring blankly at the wall.

Get up, get up, get up!

It’s almost funny to him- if someone walked in right now they’d probably think he looked dead, unable to hear the screaming inside his head.

Mustering up as much energy as he can, he reaches over to the top drawer of the side table. Fumbling around for a moment, his fingers finally find the pocketknife he had started keeping there. He flips it open lazily.

An hour later, he is running up to the bus, out of breath, but right on time.

~~~~~~

When he sits on the floor of the generic hotel bathroom, holding a towel to his leg, he wonders if this is a punishment or a reward.

Maybe it’s both.

~~~~~~

“Hey Axl, you coming?”

The singer blinked in surprise at Slash’s question. There was nothing on the band’s schedule for the day, leaving them free to do what they pleased. Duff, Slash, and Steven had been talking about heading to some VIP bar a friend had recommended, Izzy shrugging and agreeing to tag along while Axl sat to the side and stared out the window mindlessly.

It had been a long time since the band had all gone out together just for fun. Lately their outings were specifically a chance to get away from Axl, after all.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” the redhead smiled, standing and following the group out, chatting amicably. He tapped his fingers against his leg.

He must be doing something right.

~~~~~~

Shorts still cover everything, but he’s had to move from the tops of his thighs to the insides.

Then the outsides.

He starts wearing longer shorts.

~~~~~~

When the show ends, Axl throws his arms around his bandmates, pulling them close, waving and bowing for the crows. They seperate, but Steven keeps his arm around him, even when they’re out of sight of the audience, and Axl knows that it’s all worth it just for this moment of not being alone.

~~~~~~

On this night, he wears his rose leggings, as well as black basketball shorts over them. When he woke up that afternoon, Axl had felt a churning in his stomach, felt on edge and jittery and angry, and he refused to fuck up, not again, not anymore. Things were good, the past few months had gone relatively smoothly, he was on good terms with the rest of the band, and he couldn’t afford to mess that all up just because he had a broken, defective brain.

That’s what he told himself, when he pressed the blade a little harder than usual.

So he wore the leggings, and an extra layer, and that was fine. He was on time, and the energy of the show was amazing, and if he didn’t hit a note good enough, or the sound system had a glitch, he could just kick his legs out, leap from an amp, feel the stretch and burn and growing dampness around his hips and legs and everything felt okay again.

By the time the show ended and they made it back to the hotel, his legs stung with every step. But he was so exhausted, he couldn’t bring himself to deal with it. So he simply pulled his shirt and shoes off before collapsing into bed, falling asleep with the familiar feeling of pain comforting him.

~~~~~~

When he woke up, he knew immediately that something was very, very wrong.

The room was dark, so he assumed it was still the middle of the night, but when he turned his head to look at the clock beside his bed the numbers were blurry. He was hot, he could feel sweat pooling in the hollow of his throat, making the thin bed sheet cling to his chest, and it felt like his eyes were burning in his skull. The heat was so distracting, making his thoughts fuzzy and muddled, it took him a moment to notice the pain. But once he did, he choked on a cry.

His legs hurt. The right one hurt, but oh, God, his left leg felt like an exposed nerve, every heartbeat sent a pulse of pain that seemed to echo from his thigh through the rest of his body. He felt like he was on fire, he felt like he was being flayed, he felt like he was suffocating.

Something was wrong.

Focusing everything he had, eyes clenched shut, Axl forced himself to sit up and swing his legs slowly over the side of the bed. His stomach lurched, and he took a few minutes to just breathe. When the nausea passed, he began to carefully slip his clothes off, sliding the shorts, leggings, and underwear away at the same time, biting his lip until he tasted blood as the fabric brushed past his thighs. As the garments fell to the floor, he finally opened his eyes.

Axl had to blink a few times, the room seeming to sway around him, and even as his vision cleared, it still took several minutes for his brain to focus, to process what exactly he was looking at. At first, all he sees is red. But slowly he is able to pick up more details- the angry pink that makes up the skin of his left thigh is broken up by lines of dark red, a few of them muted by a dull yellow color.

That’s bad. He knows that- that what he’s looking at is bad- but he couldn’t comprehend why. His thoughts are disorganized and inarticulate, understanding slipping through his fingers like water-

Water, he thinks suddenly, I need to clean this.

It’s the first truly coherent thought he’s had since he woke, and he clings to it desperately. Axl stands with a lurch, gritting his teeth through the pain, one hand held out against the wall to steady himself. Looking around, he feels confused, Where am I?, but he still manages to stagger towards the bathroom on instinct alone. He passes by a minifridge and without thinking shakily reaches in to snatch a small bottle of vodka.

He doesn’t remember the rest of the journey, but the next time he is fully aware of his surroundings he is standing in the shower, clumsily opening the vodka. Bracing himself against the tiled wall, he poured the alcohol over his thigh.

Axl has to bite down around a scream, and suddenly he feels like he’s snapped back into his body, the pain cutting through the fever haze and he gasps as he feels his jumbled thoughts finally click back together.

The cuts are infected, he realizes with dread, I cut too deep, I haven’t been cleaning them. It’s infected now. He looks down at the nearly empty bottle of vodka, his thigh still stinging, Alcohol isn’t gonna do shit now, it’s too late for that, I can’t fix this on my own, he feels his eyes burn with misery, I need help.

Swallowing thickly, the bottle slips from his fingers and clatters to the ground. His hand fumbles as he steps out of the shower, grabbing a towel and clumsily wrapping it around his naked waist. Every step hurts, and he feels the heat creeping back in, burning the thoughts from his head, and he leans heavily against the doorframe as he stares at the table beside his bed in anguish.

The phone feels so far away, and Axl just wants this to be over. He wishes he had never been born. He wishes his father had killed him instead of just ruining him. He wishes his stepfather had finished him off instead of always leaving him on the ground, broken and bloody and breathing. He wishes that stranger on the road had slit his throat instead of crawling on top of him. He wishes someone else would just take control and make it all stop.

Because out of all the things Axl hates about himself, the thing he hates most of all is that he does not want to die. He limps and stumbles towards the phone because he is a coward, and he's scared, and he doesn't want to die, he doesn’t want to go to Hell yet. Oh God, he doesn’t want to go to Hell.

By the time he reaches the other side of the room, he’s panting like he’s just run a marathon, sweat dripping down his face and chest, and all he can do is whimper in pain as he collapses onto his knees next to the bed, leaning his head against the side table. Curling up as much as he can in the corner between the bed and the table, he blindly reaches up, fumbling around until his hand finds the phone and pulls the receiver down.

Everything is swaying, like a boat on the ocean, and the nausea swelled, forcing him to wrap an arm around his stomach in a desperate attempt to swallow back bile. He's dizzy, and shivering, and he's staring at the phone in his hand when he realizes he doesn't know who to call. The front desk? 911? No, no, in either of those situations an ambulance would be involved which would increase the odds of paparazzi finding out. No, he just needs someone to drive him, that's all.

But of course, it's never that simple. Because he realizes he has no idea who is staying in what room- doesn’t think he could recall the information even if he had known it in the first place. They had booked most of the floor for the band and crew, but Axl couldn't remember specific room numbers. Clenching his eyes shut, he took a deep breath. There was no other option but to just guess and hope he got one of the crew members. He didn't want to see anyone- he didn't want anyone to see him- but he figured a tech could at least be paid to keep quiet.

So he punched in a number, any number for his floor, the buttons blurring as he looked at them, and shakily held the phone to his ear. The ringing feels far away, and he can’t decide if he feels cold or hot. He realizes suddenly that it’s the middle of the night, and he wonders what he will do if no one picks up.

But before he can think too long, he hears a click, and he holds his breath.

"Hmmmf, 'llo?" A tired voice filters through the line and Axl chokes out a sob.

Steven.

"Hello?"

Of course it's Steven. Axl hasn't fucked up the drummer's life enough apparently, now he has to wake him in the dead of night because he can't get his shit together. Another cry escapes him.

"...Axl? Is that you? Are you-"

The phone slips from his grasp, clattering to the ground as he leans heavily against the bed and sobs uncontrollably. A small voice chattered from the receiver, but Axl was too far gone to understand it.

He didn't want to hurt Steven anymore. He didn't want to hurt anyone, that was the whole reason he started all this. And why did he always hurt Steven, anyway? Was it because he was an easy target? Because he was so big hearted and forgiving he knew he could get away with it? This was why he was going to Hell. This was why he deserved this pain.

Gasping to catch his breath, his head aching and his whole body weak, he realized that the phone had gone silent. He feels almost afraid to pick it up again.

Maybe this is karma, he thinks. That would make sense. That would be fair. Maybe he can just lay down on the floor, and fall asleep, and not wake up. It’s not like he has the strength to do anything else at this point. Axl didn’t want to die, but he felt resigned. He was scared, but he just didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore.

There is a muffled thudding noise. He doesn’t remember closing his eyes, but he listens, and it sounds far away, and he wonders if it’s his heartbeat. It gets faster, more frantic, and he thinks he hears a voice. Then he hears a crash.

Then he hears his name.

“Axl?”

Blinking sluggishly, he glances around the room in confusion, and then there is someone rushing towards him. He doesn’t recognize him until he is a foot away.

“Shit, Axl!” Steven's figure was blurry as he knelt in front of him, "Hey, hey, Axl, I'm here, you're okay," The drummer hissed when he pushed the sweaty red hair out of Axl's face, "Jesus Christ, you're burning up!"

“What’ryou…” Axl slurs, confused, Steven going in and out of focus.

Eyes widening in concern, the blonde put his hands on Axl’s shoulders to steady him, “You… you called me. Remember? You were-... you didn’t say anything but you didn’t sound okay. I was worried.”

Oh, Axl swallowed thickly, remembers now, dragging his thoughts back towards something resembling coherency.

Steven was here. Axl didn’t want him here, but he was here and there was no going back, and he still needed help, so even though he wanted nothing more than to keep crying, he had to press on. His thoughts felt shattered, all jagged edges scattering in every direction, so it took him what felt like ages to slur out, “Stevie…” his voice is raspy and raw, “Need you… t’drive me t’the hospital.”

The drummer frowned, “Hey, you’re okay, you’re sick, but we’ll get your fever down, okay? We’ll get you cooled down. If your fever doesn’t go away then we can-”

Axl shakes his head, slowly at first and then more frantic as Steven tries to reason with him, “No, it’s not… ‘m not…” he doesn’t know how to say it, he’s so dizzy, and weak, so he focuses his strength on clumsily pushing away the towel around his waist to just show him.

At some point his eyes slipped shut, trying to alleviate the nausea brought on by the spinning room, and he knows his sense of time cannot be trusted, but it feels like the silence stretches out for hours. The only sound is the rasping of his lungs, and if it weren’t for Steven’s hands still bracing his shoulders he’d assume the man had left. But maybe he was going to, just taking in the trainwreck for one more moment before walking out the door. Or maybe he already left and Axl was just hallucinating the idea of not being alone.

“Fuck, Axl…”

Steven’s voice sounds far away, but his hands are still present on his shoulders, his fingers tightening a bit and digging into his skin in a way that would probably be painful if it weren't for all the pain already drowning it out.

Axl is crying again, or maybe crying still, choking out through a sob, “‘m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay, everything is gonna be okay, man,” Steven rambles, hands releasing their grip and instead smoothing up and down Axl’s arms soothingly, “You’re gonna be fine. Let’s just… I’m just gonna call the guys, and we’ll take you to the hospital and get you all fixed up, yeah? You’re gonna be just fine.”

He reaches for the phone still laying on the ground, balancing it between his ear and shoulder as he snatches the receiver off the side table. Axl doesn’t notice his own hand moving, everything too syrupy and slow, but he feels his fingers curl into Steven’s shirt and hears a broken, wounded whine that he thinks might have come from his own mouth.

Pausing in his fumbling with the phone, Steven focuses on the singer in front of him. Axl is too tired, getting weaker every moment, has no more energy to sob but the tears are still streaming down his face and he wonders if he was nauseous because he was carrying an ocean in his stomach. He opens his mouth and he wants to say no, he wants to say please, he wants to say I’m sorry, I fucked up, please, don’t make me face them too, don’t let them see me, I don’t want to be hated anymore, it’s already too much, I can’t take anymore, please don’t punish me, even if I deserve it, please.

Maybe he did manage to say all that out loud and his own ears missed it, maybe he said some of it, maybe he stuttered and stumbled over fever thick words and somehow got the gist of it. Or maybe Steven just felt the way Axl’s hand shook with the effort of holding him, or saw the words reflected in his glassy eyes, or understood the shuddering of his breath. Either way, Steven set the phone on the ground and cupped the side of Axl’s face with a gentleness that makes it hard to breathe, tilting his head until the red-head is focusing fever-bright eyes on him.

“Hey,” Steven’s voice is soft, but strong, “it’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you, okay? But if you don’t want an ambulance then I’m gonna need some fucking help. They’ll want to help,” he leaned in, eyes wide and emploring, “They’re on your side, okay? We’re on your side.”

Blinking slowly, it takes a minute for the words to cut through the haze, and then another for Axl to nod in defeat. Steven only has a second to sigh in relief before the singer is suddenly pitching forward, collapsing against his chest.

“Shit!” the drummer hissed, one arm coming around to hold him and wincing as his hand rested against bare skin and felt the heat radiating off his body.

Forehead resting against Steven’s chest, Axl let his eyes drift shut again. The hand on his back feels far away, he feels far away, feels like he’s underwater, everything floating and rippling. Every now and then he breaks through the surface for just a moment.

He hears Steven’s voice frantically saying Slash’s name, words sharp and panicked.

He sees shadows around him, tall and looming, fuzzy around the edges.

He feels hands on him, turning him, pushing his hair back, on his arms and his face and his neck, tugging at something around his hips.

He hears curses and arguing.

He feels fabric secured around his waist and draped over his shoulders. He feels arms around his back and under his knees. He feels a jolt as he’s lifted into the air. He feels a flare of pain in his legs from the movement. He feels himself open his mouth to scream but nothing comes out.

He feels himself sink beneath the surface, and this time he stays there.

~~~~~

Axl wakes up slowly.

Everything feels soft, muted, dulled. Like he’s resting just inches outside his body. There, but not quite. He feels like he’s floating, like he’s full of cotton, and yet his limbs feel heavy. He doesn’t feel tired exactly, but he feels so comfortable and peaceful he wants to go back to sleep, wants to wrap himself in this strange sensation and stay there. When he finally manages to open his eyes, everything is blurred and bright.

For a brief moment he wonders if he’s in Heaven. If maybe he’s been forgiven.

But his vision starts to clear, and he sees fluorescent lights, hears a steady beeping, and starts to feel aching and sore. It’s still confusing, there are bits and pieces of memory in his head but he can’t quite make sense of them, can’t see the image the puzzle is supposed to create. The answer is on the tip of his tongue, it feels like, but he can’t quite grasp it.

Then, as he slowly sinks back into his body, he becomes aware of someone holding his hand. He has to blink a few times before he can turn his head, and then a few more to find details in the dark silhouette sitting at his side.

“Hey,” Izzy’s voice cracks as he whispers, smiling shakily down at him, “welcome back.”

Axl doesn’t understand, just stares blankly up at the guitarist sitting on the edge of his bed. He opens his mouth because he feels like he should say something, anything, but all that comes out is a weak rasp, wincing at the sandpaper feel of his throat.

Izzy hushes him, reaching with his free hand and lifting a cup with a straw to his lips. Axl drinks greedily, the cool water hitting his stomach and making him feel more present. His throat feels better, but when Izzy pulls the cup away, he realizes that he has no idea what to say. So he doesn’t say anything. He simply blinks up at Izzy, and every time he closes his eyes he expects him to be gone when he opens them.

Swallowing thickly, Izzy rubs his thumb over the back of Axl’s hand, “We’ve been waiting for you all day.”

For the first time Axl becomes aware of the three other silhouettes in the corner of his vision. Turning his head, he sees Duff and Steven sitting on the floor, both asleep, the drummer curled up with his head on the bassist’s shoulder. Slash is sitting just to the side, sprawled out in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair, eyes hidden by his curls but the soft, steady breathing suggesting that he’s asleep too. As he looks at them his eyes also catch on machines, and wires, and the IV in his arm, and he finally sees the picture all the little pieces are making.

Hospital, he finds the word at last, I’m in the hospital.

He looks back up at Izzy. He finds the words. I fucked up.

Izzy’s hand grips his a little tighter, and his lips are trembling, and his eyes look watery and scared, and for the first time in years Axl thinks he looks like Jeff.

“You scared the shit out of us,” he whispers, “Fuck, Axl- Bill- Axl,” he takes a deep breath, grips his hand so tight it hurts, “You scared me so fucking bad.”

These words matter, Axl knows that, tucks them in his mind so he can give them their proper respect later, when he’s not dizzy on blood-loss and infection and painkillers and antibiotics. But right now, tears slip down the side of his face, soaking into stringy red locks, streaming silently for no other reason than because Izzy is here.

That’s all Axl can process right now, and even that is almost too much. Izzy is here. Steven, and Duff, and Slash, and Izzy, they’re here, they’re here, they’re here. After everything he’s done, they didn’t leave him on the floor of the hotel, didn’t drop him on the hospital doorsteps and move on, didn’t leave him here alone.

Izzy wipes at his tears, even though more replace them immediately. He stays. He holds Axl’s hand as he cries quietly and strokes his hair, and whispers softly. Axl is so tired, but he’s afraid to fall asleep in case this was all a dream, in case he wakes up alone.

“It’s okay,” Izzy leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Axl’s not sure he believes him, but his eyes are so heavy, and he feels himself sinking. He’s not sure he believes him. But as he slips back into unconsciousness, he allows himself to hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After sleeping through his first day in the hospital, Axl is released on the second.

Tapping his fingers anxiously, he sits on the edge of his bed, dressed in plain sweatpants and an old t-shirt Slash had brought for him. It’s just him and the doctor, who is monotone and indifferent as he gives the singer instructions. Three of the cuts had needed stitches, so he’d need to come back in two weeks to get them removed and have a check-up. Change the bandages two to three times a day. Take the prescribed antibiotics every twelve hours until the pills were gone, even if he felt better. He handed him a folder with the same instructions typed up, and the prescription, and a business card for a psychiatrist that Axl didn’t bother looking at.

Walking out of the room, he keeps his eyes on the ground. He’s walking stiffly, gauze and bandages thick around his thighs and hips making his steps stilted and awkward. The guys are waiting for him, all of them, still here he thinks, and his heart stutters. But he’s awake now, fever gone and head clear and he feels humiliated.

He doesn’t want them to leave, but he also wants them to have never been here at all.

“Good to go?” Duff asks. The four rockers stand and they look so out of place in the hospital waiting room. Not Axl though. Axl, with his pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, nondescript clothes hanging from his frame, hands shaky and weak. Axl looks like he belongs here. Axl looks like he shouldn’t be leaving.

But he nods, and they walk out the door together.

He doesn’t know whose car it is, but Izzy drives, Axl in the passenger seat while Slash, Duff, and Steven pile into the back.

They’re barely out of the parking lot when Steven leans forward, “How are you feeling?” He tries to keep his voice normal and conversational. He doesn't really succeed.

Axl rests his head against the window, “Tired.”

Steven nods awkwardly and the car falls into silence. Eventually Izzy stops the car by a pharmacy, quietly reaching over and slipping the folder out of Axl’s limp hands. He pulls out the prescription slip and hands it to Slash. There is no conversation while they wait for the guitarist to retrieve the medication, and Axl feels like he broke something. He wants to cry, but he feels hollow and dry and empty. He must have used up all the tears he had.

Slash comes back, grinning as he held up the paper bag, “I think this is the first time I’ve gotten drugs from somewhere other than a back alley,” he jokes. Axl lets out a huff through his nose, the closest to a laugh he can manage, and the others smile stiffly as the car starts again. Izzy turns on the radio to help fill the silence, but it only helps a little.

When they reach the hotel, Axl sits up and grimaces when he sees the grease mark left on the window. For the first time he looks at his reflection in the side mirror and is filled with shame and self-consciousness when he sees how stringy and dirty his hair looks, the dull matted locks only serving to make his pale face look even more sickly. A shiver runs through him at the sudden, overpowering dirtiness he feels, and he feels the urge to crouch under the dashboard, to curl up with his hands over his head so no one can see him. But before he has a chance his door opens, and he finds himself looking up at Slash.

The guitarist tilts his head and asks casually, “You alright, man?”

No, Axl thinks. He wants to scream. He wants to break something and throw a tantrum and snap and refuse to leave the car for anything. He wants to dig his fingers into his thigh.

“Yeah,” he breathes, “I’m fine.”

It’s not entirely surprising when they go into the hotel and lead Axl to a different room than the one he was staying in before- he has no idea what sort of state he left it in- and it’s not particularly surprising when the guys trail after him, either. Axl is still looking at the floor, disgusting strands of hair falling into his face and he feels sick for a whole list of reasons. He spots his suitcase in the corner and shuffles towards it.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” he mumbled.

Izzy’s voice stops him in his tracks, “You can’t get your bandages wet.”

He says it matter-of-factly, just pointing out the obvious, but it feels so cruel to Axl that it cuts him to the quick. He snaps his head over, eyes wide with something like betrayal.

“But…” He feels like a child- fragile and hurting and at someone else’s mercy. His head drops back down. He feels so weak and he hates it, but he can’t find anything in him to fight back. There is no rage. Only a bone deep exhaustion.

“I just want to wash my hair,” he says it mostly to himself, voice cracking just slightly and so soft he doesn’t really expect any of them to hear it. One hand raises hesitantly to touch his fingers to the side of his hair, and he wonders if he can die from shame.

He’s about two seconds away from just curling up on the floor in defeat when Duff steps forward, “I’ll help you.”

Axl blinks up at him in surprise, partially from the offer, and partially because out of all of them Duff actually manages to sound normal- like this is any other day, and it’s completely routine for him to help his lead singer wash his hair. He’s even nonchalant in the way he pats Axl’s shoulder, nudging him towards the bathroom.

“Duff…” Izzy starts, a note of concern in his voice, but the bassist cuts him off.

“Izzy.” His voice is clipped, firm, final, and Izzy raises his hands in surrender.

Meanwhile, Axl stares blankly from just outside the bathroom, unmoving and uncertain as he watches Duff snag the chair from in front of the desk under the window. Dragging the chair behind him, he grinned at Axl, waving his hand and guiding him into the ensuite. Once they’re both inside, he closes the door behind them, allowing for some privacy from the three sets of eyes looking after them.

“Here,” Duff placed the chair in front of the sink, facing away, “sit down.”

Staring at the seat though, Axl felt cracked down the middle. Because he doesn’t think he can handle not being clean for any longer, but it hits him like a freight train that what Duff is suggesting involves him touching Axl’s hair, touching the sweat and grime and filth and it feels wrong to subject Duff to that.

He wants to scream. He wants to dig his fingers into his thigh. He wants them to stay. He wants them to have never been here at all.

“It’s okay,” he wraps his arms around himself, shaking his head slowly, “You don’t have to…”

“I know,” Duff's smile never wavered. He leaned against the counter casually, head tilting, “I want to,” his voice softens to almost a whisper, “It’s okay.”

Axl struggles to hold his gaze. It takes a minute, but Duff is patient, and eventually Axl manages to step over to him, turning and sitting slowly on the chair, head hung meekly.

The bassist beamed, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly, “Excellent! Hang on-” he bustled around the ensuite, snatching various items and placing them on the counter. Looking over his loot, he hummed and excused himself briefly. Axl blinked in confusion, but the tall blonde was back in less than a minute, closing the door again and placing a brush and a few bottles on the counter next to the hotel amenities.

“You don’t need all that,” Axl blurted out, feeling a little overwhelmed, “I just-... Just help me rinse it out, that’s all.”

“No way, dude,” Duff grinned, “If I’m doing this I’m doing it right. It’s a matter of pride. My hair routine is impeccable and I’ll prove it to you.” He gives Axl no room to argue, draping one towel around his shoulders and folding another to place on the edge of the sink. His hand smooths across Axl’s shoulders, smiling kindly, “It’s okay,” he assured him, “lean back.”

Doing as he was told, Axl let his head drop back into the sink, Duff adjusting the folded towel to make sure it cushioned the singer’s neck comfortably. Staring at the ceiling, Axl’s arms tightened around his stomach as long fingers swept his hair back into the sink.

“You’re okay,” Duff repeats, “just relax.”

He hears the water turn on, and there is a delay while Duff waits for it to heat up a bit before filling up a plastic cup and carefully pouring it over Axl’s hair.

Something releases in Axl’s chest. Warm water soothes the skin of his scalp, Duff’s hand steadily shielding his eyes and face, fingers carefully running through to try to loosen some of the larger knots. It feels like he can breathe, like something uncoiled around his lungs and they can expand properly for the first time in hours.

Duff hums a tune he doesn’t recognize, and Axl lets his hands unclench. After a few minutes, he sees the bassist reach for one of the bottles on the counter.

“You really don’t have to do all the fancy shit,” he mumbled.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Duff smirked.

Huffing out a laugh, Axl’s eyes slipped shut as Duff started working shampoo through his hair. He tried to remember the last time he was touched like this- gently and peacefully and unconditionally. On stage he was always sneaking for affection, throwing his arms around his bandmates and dragging them close, confident that they wouldn’t shove him away in front of an audience. It was rough and loud and desperate, like it always was, even off stage. But here it was quiet, Duff massaging his scalp and humming and Axl feels like he could fall asleep under his hands.

Coating his hair with a generous amount of conditioner next, the blonde nudged his shoulder lightly, “Sit up for a sec.”

Blinking, Axl straightened, starting a bit when Duff pushed his chair forward just enough so he could stand behind him. He then began diligently brushing the red strands, the conditioner allowing the brush to slide through the knots and matts with ease, though he was still cautious not to tug too hard.

Even when everything wasn’t collapsing around him, Axl doesn’t think he’s ever been this thorough with his hair. Or really with anything regarding his own body. The most he did was the necessary steps to not fall apart on stage- taping his ankles after the third time he sprained one, vocal exercises so he didn’t lose the one thing he was good at, shying away from hard drugs, things like that. Beyond that, he never really cared. He supposed his thighs were proof enough of that now.

But Duff was here, pressing him back to rinse out the conditioner, running his fingers through his hair and checking to make sure the water was still warm. Axl had given him multiple chances to do the minimum, to do nothing, but he chose to do more. He cared enough to do more. Even after everything Axl had put them all through.

The water turned off, and Duff wrung some of the water from his hair before nudging Axl forward again so he could gently rub a towel over his head. It suddenly struck the singer that Duff probably cared more about Axl than Axl did.

He doesn’t notice he’s crying until Duff is kneeling in front of him. It’s strange to have the tall bassist looking up at him. One hand comes to rest on the side of his face, holding him steady while the other softly wipes a wet washcloth over his forehead and cheeks. Axl can’t quite place the look in Duff’s eyes. It’s not worry, or pity, or disdain. He thinks the best word for it is compassion.

“You alright?”

Axl blinks slowly, thinking about the question. There are still tears escaping silently, and he knows that this moment of peace is temporary, that he has shaken the foundation of their group and it will take more than a day for them to find their balance again. But he’s clean, and he can look Duff in the eyes without feeling gutted, and his hands are relaxed in his lap.

So he nods.

“Yeah,” even his voice sounds more steady and strong, “I’m alright.”

~~~~~~~

Izzy turns music on again to try to cover up the awkward silence. They’re all sitting around the room, stiff and quiet, Axl laying on one of the beds and reading in an attempt to ignore all of them. He eyes the second bed suspiciously. When they had first arrived he hadn’t been in the right mind to really think about it, but now it bothered him. The hotel probably just didn’t have any more single rooms available- that would make sense given the last minute room change.

Snapping his book closed a little more forcefully than necessary, the redhead sat up and glanced around at his bandmates, “I’m tired, I’m gonna go to bed early. You guys can go back to your own rooms now.”

Duff, Steven, and Slash exchange nervous glances, but Izzy meets Axl’s stare head on. “We’re staying here.”

“That’s stupid,” Axl snapped back, “I’m just going to sleep. Go back to your room and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I mean, we’re not going fucking anywhere,” the rythym guitarist crossed his arms firmly.

Axl growled, “Why not?”

Izzy softened, just slightly, his voice lowering, “You know why.”

Standing, the singer glared, “I can take care of myself, y’know. Take my pills every twelve hours, change my bandages, blah blah, I don’t need you all hovering around me.”

“Obviously you do,” Izzy snapped, “or we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place!”

“Don’t act like I’m the only one who’s fucked up!” Axl was yelling now. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t seem to stop, his voice only getting louder as the conversation went on, “I don’t remember you all scrambling to babysit Steven after he OD’d,” he snarled.

“Steven didn’t OD on purpose!”

“What, you think I got an infection on purpose?” he asked incredulously.

“Maybe not, but you hurt yourself on purpose!”

“So what, you’re just going to follow me around everywhere? You can’t watch me forever! After all,” He sneered, “You’ll have to go shoot up eventually.” The words are cold and cruel, and he sees Izzy’s jaw tense.

Eyes narrowed and nose flaring in rage, Izzy’s eyes dart down, landing on Axl’s hands, watching his fingers clench and unclench.

“Do it,” He spits out.

Axl blinked in confusion, “Do what?”

“Throw something!” he snapped, “Break something, tear the room apart! Come on, I know you want to!”

“I-” Axl ground his teeth together, fury rising in his chest, feeling cornered and trapped. Everything about this felt like a trap. “I want for you to leave me alone!”

“No you fucking don’t,” Izzy challenged, “If you actually wanted us to leave, then you wouldn’t be trying so hard not to freak out. If you wanted us gone you’d have already destroyed this room, and the last one, and the one before.”

“So, what? You’re mad at me because I’m trying to be better? Fuck you!”

“This isn’t better!” Izzy gestured at the singer as he yelled.

“Yes it fucking is!” Axl screamed, “It’s better! Everything was fucking better until I slipped up! I was being good, I was doing everything right! And I get it, I fucked up, I’ll be more careful now. But don’t you dare pretend like you didn't like me better when I was fucking bleeding!"

The words echo through the room, Axl’s chest heaving, and he can see all the fight leave Izzy on a single exhale. He looks gutted.

Swallowing, body still coiled with rage, Axl can’t bring himself to look at the others. The look on Izzy’s face is painful enough. Turning on his heel, he snatches a pack of cigarettes and a lighter off one of the nightstands before storming to the door.

“Axl-”

He ignores the call, throwing the door open.

“Axl-!”

The door slams behind him, and he runs.

~~~~~

Not that he makes it very far.

His legs and hips still ached, and he was tired, so he found himself stumbling before he even made it to the end of the hallway. Eyes clenched shut in frustration, he limps over to the door leading to the stairwell. Carefully, he makes his way down two flights before finally sliding down to sit on one of the steps.

The cigarettes are partially crushed from the tight grip he had held them in, but not ruined, lighting one up and inhaling deeply. Sighing, he feels some of the tension leave him with the nicotine hit, but even as he relaxes he feels the guilt grow.

Screaming at his bandmates wasn’t exactly better than trashing the room as Izzy had suggested. How many times was he going to mess everything up this week? How was he supposed to even fix this?

Maybe the disease wasn’t something he could bleed out. Maybe he was the disease.

He’s halfway through his second cigarette when he hears footsteps coming down the stairs above him. Closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall, he prays that maybe it’s just some random guest or maintenance person or something.

Still, when the steps come to a halt beside him and he feels a body sit next to him, he’s not really surprised. They pluck the pack of cigarettes and the lighter from his hands, and when he opens his eyes, Slash is casually lighting up.

Axl looks away again, and for a few minutes they smoke in silence.

Eventually though, once Slash reaches the end of his cigarette, he grinds it out on the floor next to him and sighs, “I’m sorry.”

Turning to him, Axl blinked in surprise, “What for?”

There is a long pause, Slash staring down at his hands with a sad look on his face. When he speaks, his voice is almost a whisper, “For not noticing. For not questioning when you started acting different.”

“It’s fine-”

“No, it’s not,” Slash insisted.

“You shouldn’t have to question why I’m suddenly less of an asshole!” Axl snapped, “That’s not your fucking job! The whole point of all this was so that you guys wouldn’t have to fucking deal with me!”

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Axl put his head against the wall again. He wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to look at Slash or if he didn’t want Slash to look at him.

“Axl,” The guitarist spoke slowly, “I know things were… rough for awhile. I know none of us were really getting along-”

“You were getting along with each other just fine,” Axl mumbled.

Slash ignored him, “-but even if things weren’t great, you’re still our friend. Fuck, man, I still think of you as my best friend.” He hesitated for a moment as he thought through his next words, “Look… I’m going to be honest with you, okay?” His voice was gentle and sincere, “It’s hard sometimes. It can be frustrating when you get into those moods because we just don’t get it, y’know? We don’t understand what’s going on in that head of yours sometimes. But if I had to choose between you screaming at me and you hurting yourself, I will pick you screaming every time.”

“But I don’t want to scream at you!” Axl exclaimed, hands clenched desperately in front of him, “I don’t want to- to break things, or mess up our shows, or hurt anyone, or feel so fucking-” his voice cracked, and he snapped his jaw shut. His head falls forward, hair hanging in his face as he swallows thickly to try to hold back… everything.

It didn’t work though, and when he speaks his voice is a shaky whisper. He sounds defeated.

“I don’t want to be like this anymore, Saul.”

He barely has time to take a shuddering breath before Slash is slowly pulling him into his chest. His arms are warm, and gentle, and safe, smoothing up and down his back. Resting his chin on top of smooth red hair, Slash says with a voice full of understanding, “I know. I know you don’t.” He tightens his hold and Axl shakes harder, “We’ll get you help, okay? We’ll figure something out. We’ll find a way for you to feel better- an actual solution. But in the meantime? We would so much rather deal with a late show or a trashed dressing room than… than find you like we did that night.”

Axl is tired of crying. But Slash doesn’t mind, says nothing of the growing dampness on the front of his shirt, or the way the singer wraps his arms around his back to cling to him desperately.

“I’m sorry,” he gasps out, “I’m so, so, sorry.”

There’s so much he’s sorry for, and he doesn’t know if he is capable of articulating it all, but Slash nods, stroking his hair and Axl thinks he understands.

“I know,” he said, and he plants a gentle kiss to the top of his head, “We forgive you.”

~~~~~~~

Axl drags his feet walking back to the hotel room. Slash tries to comfort and encourage him, but he still feels anxiety like a vice grip on his heart. He had messed up so much, and they were all trying to help, even if he didn’t deserve it, and he went and yelled at them. And just because Slash said it was okay didn’t mean it was and he had to fix this, he had to, but he wasn’t sure how. He was scared that nothing would be enough.

When he finally steels himself and opens the door, he barely makes it into the room before a body collides with his, arm wrapping around him and pulling him as close as physically possible, one hand between his shoulder blades and the other cupping the back of his head. Axl feels his breath catch in his throat even as he sinks into Izzy’s warmth.

Izzy’s breath ghosts across the top of his head, and Axl slowly brings his arms up to hold him back. Sighing, he closes his eyes, letting his head rest against Izzy’s shoulder as he relaxes into the embrace. Neither of them say anything.

But neither of them need to.

~~~~~

Axl tosses and turns in bed. He’s tired, but it feels like his brain just won't shut off. He is alone on one of the queen beds, the others giving him a bit of space, which he figures makes sense given that he had tried to kick them all out a few hours earlier. Slash and Izzy are sharing the other bed, while Steven and Duff sleep on the pull out sofa in the corner of the room.

Everything was fine. Axl knew that everything was fine.

For now.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how delicate the situation was- he felt like he was on the thinnest sheet of ice and the slightest wrong move would send him plummeting into the cold and dark. Under the covers, he tapped his fingers against the tops of his thighs, the touch too light to be felt beneath the thick bandages. He wanted to press harder, to dig his nails in, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t betray his bandmates like that, couldn’t disappoint them again.

It wasn’t easy though, and he couldn’t stop tossing and turning and worrying. He was seconds away from raiding the mini fridge for something strong to clear his mind when the bed dipped behind him.

Jumping, he whipped his head around, coming face to face with Izzy, smirking down at him as he pulled the sheets back.

“Izzy? What the fuck are you-”

“You think too loud,” he explained, and Axl’s jaw clicked shut. The guitarist slid into bed beside him, turning onto his side to face the singer and opening his arms, “Come ‘ere.”

Huffing, Axl grumbles half-heartedly even as he curls up in the other man’s arms, Izzy chuckling at him as they made themselves comfortable. It did help, Axl admitted to himself, sighing as he tucked his head under Izzy’s chin. He was still awake, but at least he felt less jittery and tense.

Then, the mattress dipped again, and Axl felt someone crawling over them to get to the other side of the bed. Snapping his eyes open, he saw Slash finally settle on the other side of him.

“What the Hell?”

“Izzy abandoned me,” Slash pouted exaggeratedly.

“Oh my God, you fucking dork,” Axl laughed as Izzy flipped off the other guitarist. The three of them began to rearrange themselves, but as they did, a silhouette made its way over in the dark.

Slash held his arms out, wide-eyed, “No, no, no-!”

But it was too late, and Steven launched himself onto the bed, landing squarely on top of Slash, the guitarist groaning while the drummer giggled madly. Axl and Izzy burst out laughing as Slash shoved the blonde off, the two bickering and shoving at each other. They were so distracted by the chaos Steven had caused, that they didn’t notice another figure approaching until he was crawling onto the bed.

“Duff, no!” Izzy complained, “You're seven feet tall and these beds aren’t designed for five people!”

The bassist gave him the biggest, roundest puppy-eyes, his lip actually quivering dramatically, “So you’re going to all be together except me? You’re just going to leave me all alone while the rest of you cuddle? All by myself? Alone?"

“...Goddammit,” Izzy dropped his head back onto the pillow in defeat, Duff immediately dropping the ruse and bursting into a mischievous grin as he draped himself across the rest of their bodies.

“Jesus Christ,” Axl muttered, “What is this, ‘Kerrang!’?”

“Don’t act like that wasn’t the coziest photoshoot we’ve ever done,” Steven chimed in, still laying half on top of Slash.

It was a tight fit, and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get them all comfortable, laughing as they shuffled around. Their bodies overlapped, limbs tangling and curling around each other. Somehow though, they made it work, each of them warm and comfortable as they drifted off one by one. It was ridiculous, Axl thought. Utterly absurd.

But he was still smiling, even when he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

[shesquiinnsane-a2]

— ☆   PAMMY   //   @pmlislyy​   ♢

Frank, Ivy’s venus fly trap plant who just happened to talk, made a sudden rude comment about Harley’s outfit to which the red head quickly responded to with a curt: “Shut the fuck up, Frank.” The thing had absolutely no filter and constantly made crude remarks about both of the women living in the apartment, unaware of the meaning of his own words. He was a cruel little shit and yet Ivy kept him around because he was good company. Someone to talk to when Harley was out robbing some bank or sticking it to the Joker. Reaching out, she grabbed the remote off of the coffee table sitting in front of her before pointing it at the TV and pressing a big red button to turn it off. She turns in her place, ignoring Franks incessant bitching, to face her best friend. Harley seems bothered, by what Ivy isn’t sure. She knows she’s having a tough time lately. After breaking things off with that asshole Clown, she had decided to strike out on her own. Though she had eventually got a crew made up of Clayface (Who always used her brush and left mud chunks in it), Doctor Psycho (Who got drunk and tried to fight the microwave), and King Shark (Ivy liked him the most. She found him to be hilarious), the blonde was still having trouble finding a proper nemisis. All of the good ones were taken by the established rouges in Gotham, so after a particularly embarrassing encounter with the young Boy Wonder on national television, Harley had been a foul mood for weeks, smashing TV’s left and right. Ivy was trying her best to be supportive, though she didn’t understand why her best friend was so eager to get into the Legion of Doom– they were all just a bunch of sexist assholes. All of these things were just misguided attempts to do that. Well, to get back at the Joker really. She knew that was her real motive, though she’d never say so.

Ivy eyes the pizza thoughtfully as Harley approaches. Truthfully, she was starving from not eating anything since early that morning. She would kill for a cheesy slice. Her stomach growls as she rolls her eyes. “I control all plant life on Earth, not just vines. There’s a difference.” The blonde is taking a seat on the couch and the Seductress gently shakes her head in a desperate attempt to sway her from what she knows she’s thinking. “Harley, do not break my TV,” she warns as she thumbs open the cardboard box. The pizza is cold, but she still takes a big bite of it with a frown. She hopes Harley gave that pizza boy hell for being late with their delivery. She’s watching Harley, chewing her food, as she grabs the tall bottle of wine before pouring a decent amount of the alcohol into the mug she harbored in a cabinet in the kitchen. She’s nodding along, listening to her rant about her ex as she swallows. She shushes Frank from making an insensitive comment before speaking. “I’m proud of you, you know that. It took you years, but you finally see that asshole for what he is and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. But Harley, come on.” She grabs the remote and flips on the nightly news. Harley’s and the Joker’s most recent heists are competing for the day’s top story and Ivy’s pointing at the TV to prove her point. “You’re obviously trying to gain his respect or some twisted shit like that.” She shrugs, not wanting to fight. This seemed to be the topic of interest that got both women the most heated and she didn’t want to push it. “Whatever, just know I’m proud of you.” A brief pause. “Do you wanna watch a movie or something?” A way to ease the tension between the two that would inevitably follow this conversation.

THE WORST HOUSEMATE.   If Ivy didn't have a thing for enjoying the company of plants Harley would have smashed Frank to pieces by now.   Would have saved them both the malicious remarks even if he encouraged some of Harley's bad decisions.   It also would have saved at least one TV since her outbreak could have been aimed at him.   But if Ivy for whatever reason wanted his misogynistic ass around then Ivy could deal a few of Harley's own decisions.

The decisions came in the form of her own gang.   She hadn't formally named them but Dr. Psycho ,   who wasn't called that for nothing ,   Clayface and King Shark.   She doubted they were at the top of anyone's list of wannabe sidekicks but their sides were pretty kickable so Harley went with it.   From her past experiences with him , that was what being a sidekick meant. Having a sidekick ,   or many ,   meant she was one step closer to being a part of the Legion of Doom.   If good guys wanted to be part of the Justice League ,   then bad guys wanted to be a part of the Legion of Doom.   It was that level of a big deal ,   and for once in her life Harley wanted to be the big fucking deal in Gotham.   Beat being swept under the carpet by the rest of the wannabes which was what she had spent a lot of her time doing.

To conquer that ,   she had tried to find a nemesis ,   but after the Robin incident   —   Harley didn’t want to even think about another fight ,   another put down because someone thought they were better than her.   She didn’t have an ego but riding high on confidence came at a price ,   and Harley felt the need to prove that it was worth it.   She put a lot on herself to prove to the world that she was Harley Fucking Quinn and not the Joker’s lame ex-girlfriend.   Then she’d be considered for the Legion and she would be looked upon as more than a woman trying to play the men at their own game.   She would be a part of the game ,   a moving player for people to take notice of.   That may have sounded like a crazy dream ,   but with Harley ,   everything started as crazy.

She knew Ivy thought that everything was doing was because of the Joker ,   and granted he was constantly niggling in the back of her mind but that pushed her to do better than him ,   that was different from him. That was better than him ,   right ??   ❝   An’ I control my baseball bat !!   That’s all a gal really needs in life !! ❞   The spoken thought didn’t ease the want to smash the TV but she refrained. ❝ Fine but only ‘cause ya asked nicely !! ❞   Distracting her thoughts with cold pizza didn’t seem to help her mood but it tasted better than she had been expecting.   Then maybe that was also the fault of the alcohol.   Alcohol was a good solution to most of life’s problems ,   that or it helped create problems.   Then Harley didn’t need a helping hand in creating problems ,   she was a whirlwind of problems and Ivy was mostly a dartboard for her thoughts and most of them were way off target.

She had been babbling on about the Joker but Ivy’s words had stopped her in her tracks.   Harley honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone had said they were proud of her.   ❝ It’s usually more ❛ do better Harley ❜ ,   ❛ be better Harley ❜ not ❛ I’m proud of you Harley ❜ ,   what am I supposed to do with that ??   ❞   The blonde scowled a the screen as Ivy changed channels ,   she could feel the anger burning inside of her at the mere sight of his face. ❝ If we ain’t smashin’ screen then I may have t’ invest in a dartboard. ❞ She could even pin his face to it even the score. ❝ I’m kiddin’ !! Sorta   —   I mean yea I totally don’t wanna pin his face to a dartboard because why would I have to when I have you here !! ❞   She playfully bumped against Ivy’s elbow ,   trying to make her laugh.   Harley hoped that was the end of that because she didn’t need to deal with her emotions.   ❝ Sure ,   but as long as it’s not a Reese Witherspoon movie.   If we knockin’ him outta my mind we don’t need memories of cake and Sweet Home Alabama !! ❞

[tanadrin]

cyprinodont replied to your post: unknought: (Disclaimer: I really don’t know what...

“Dont be a landlord” means that if you are lucky enough to find yourself in possession of significantly more housing than you need or can possibly occupy, you let people live there for free.

Basically until there are no more unhoused people, being a landlord is pretty unequivocally evil.

This is a framing I’m emotionally sympathetic to, but intellectually skeptical of. Let’s say I am J.R. McBillionaire, and I need a place to stash my billions made from, I don’t know, widget manufacturing or investing in zany startup ideas, and I hear real estate is a good place to make decent returns on my money. So me and all my rich friends buy up a lot of real estate (and maybe some of us put the squeeze on our tenants to improve our rate of return even more). Obviously, that’s gonna have some really weird effects on the real estate market. Supply increases relatively slowly, real estate isn’t fungible, and if the price goes up you can’t forego housing, you either have to pay more or be homeless.

(Also, I would object to framing the problem as one of mere homelessness; in developed countries, many, many more people are in precarious housing situations, or struggling to make rent in cities where rent is stupidly expensive, because they have no good economic opportunities elsewhere, or dealing with just shitty or cruel landlords. If the political will existed to do so, homelessness could be solved tomorrow--but that wouldn’t do much to address the cruelties and the inefficiencies in housing for everybody else. Not that that wouldn’t be a good thing on its own, of course.)

But what drives the creation of more housing? More housing has to be built all the time! Unless a city or a region is in steep economic decline, it’s probably growing, even if it’s growing slowly. The US as a whole has grown by about 20 million people in the last ten years. Europe has grown by about 30 million. Other parts of the world are growing much faster. Housing’s not a preexisting resource you can mine, or one that appears ex nihilo and gets snapped up by greedy landlords. Even in places where the government is involved in funding the building of housing, that’s typically only a small part of the apartment or housebuilding industry. Development is in large part driven by developers, building where they think they can make money by selling the things they build, usually to people who already have a lot of money with which to buy real estate--so, luxury condos and apartments, or upper-middle-class homebuyers, or to potential landlords looking to make a profit off real estate. If every person who owned more than one house or apartment got rid of all but one, it might lead to a utopia of cheap housing for everybody--or it might drastically slow down the rate at which new housing is built. The latter seems more likely to me (cynic that I am) because “meeting people’s actual housing needs” isn’t what motivates the building of housing! Making people who already have money even more money is.

“First, let’s kill all the landlords” isn’t a solution to housing problems in any existing city in the world. It’s an emotionally cathartic response for people who have experienced long-term precarious housing situations, been jerked around by asshole landlords, and had the experience of trying to fulfill an important and basic need in a system that’s essentially apathetic to the function of housing as a need versus housing as a source of profitmaking potential. A solution would be finding a way to reorient the system so it serves the needs of individuals better. But doing that requires not just regulating landlords out of the market; it requires setting up new incentives for housing to be built, or funding it directly. My own preferred solution is to cut out the middle man and not to introduce novel inefficiencies just to allow rent-seeking, so I would favor big social housing programs in every city on Earth. But I think there is probably a pretty big solution space to this particular problem.

[im-hqlover]

The red X

A/N - I finished! Just an idea I had about entering the world of Don't Starve, so I hope you like it. 

Warning: Some sad/anxious thoughts, english errors? 

Pairing: Not yet, but if I continue with this in the future, it will be Wilson x reader.

Y/n = Your name 

m/d/n = Male dog name

f/d/n = Female dog name

Word count:  2063

Y/N's INFO:

Gender: Cis-Female

Sexuality: Straight

Height: Short

Weight: Not Defined

Skin Color: Not Defined

Hair Color: Not Defined

Eyes Color: Not Defined

Other details? No

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Today was another normal day in my life, just another day at work, leaving home to breathe, taking a stroll through the small town I lived in. It had been about a year since I moved here in New England, right after I finished college, I knew it would be crazy to move to a new country again, but I had already been to the United States a few times, and I have to say that there in New England was incredible, and I knew that was where I wanted to live. 

The city I was currently living in was not very big, but it was comfortable, and even though I was far from the mess of big cities where I practically always lived, I thought it would be a perfect and peaceful place to calm down. I must say that the city was as if it had stopped in the last century, everything was so old, almost like in the movies, but I'm not complaining, I kind of always wanted it.

As almost every day I passed by the antiques store, and today I decided to take a look inside the store, just to see the old things there. 

-y/n! How nice to see you here! - As soon as I entered, Mr. Washington came to welcome me, he was a nice gentleman, he was like a grandfather to me, always telling me stories about his life or his merchandise, and I loved that. 

- Hi Tom! How are you?

- Better now - He smiled and motioned for me to go to the back of the store. - Something new arrived this weekend, I'm sure you'll love it.

- What is? - I follow him and he takes me to a box which he opens, and inside there was a type of radio. - A radio?

- Yes! But it is not just any radio, it is a Voxola PR-76 Radio, very few of this model were produced, this is a rarity!

- I can get it? - I say making gestures with my hands to pick up the radio so I can analyze it.

- Of course! Just be careful.

- Yes, I will. - Washington was right, it wasn't just any radio, but not because it was rare, but I had a strange feeling holding it, not a bad feeling, it was something... good. - Can I buy? 

- I knew you were going to be interested! Of course you can! And since I know you, I will give you a special discount.

- You don't have to do that Tom, seriously!

- y / n, I know that with the price that this radio is worth, you would not be able to buy it, and even more, no one here in this city will be interested in that. You are practically my only source of income!

- Well, and that's exactly why you shouldn't give me a discount, you're going to lose a lot of money like that!

We discussed the amount to be paid, until we reached an agreement where I would pay little by little, until I paid the amount the radio was worth. When I finished making the purchase, I talked a little more with him and then I went home, when I arrived at my simple, but comfortable home, I put the radio on the living room shelf. I think if someone who didn't know that I'm the one who lives here would think that this house belongs to an 80-year-old, but in fact, it's the home of a 24-year-old woman only.

I sigh and look around my house, everything was silent, just with the sound of some birds, being alone has always been one of my biggest fears, and even if I had people to talk to, there I was, alone. I look at the wooden box, with the photo of my dog, m / d / n, where his ashes were inside, he was for me one of the only things that made my day, which made me not feel so alone, but unfortunately he ended up dying from an accident. 

- I really miss you m / d / n. - I put my hand on the box and allow some small tears to fall, and then I look at my left wrist, where there was a tattoo with the name f / d / n, my first dog, where I grew up with her, and of course the inevitable would happen someday. - You are also sorely missed.

I try to ward off tears and sadness by putting some happy songs on my phone, and I soon thought it would be a good idea to tidy up the house, since it had been a while since I cleaned it up decently.

I spent several hours cleaning the whole house, but even so I couldn't finish everything, as I was very tired, I decided to lie on the couch for a while, until my belly started to snore and I went to the kitchen to get something to eat and then go back to the couch.

Again everything was silent, with only the occasional sound of crickets and frogs, as much as I liked the silence, I knew it was a trap, and of course he would soon appear, that damn voice that whispered things in my head like: 

"Hey, remember that time you were embarrassed?"

"Hey, do you remember your wonderful boyfriend who cheated on you?"

"Do you remember those happy moments with m / d / n and f / d / n that will never come back?"

"You will never be enough"

"everything is your fault"

"nobody wants someone like you around"

And several other things, which he knew would make me anxious. I couldn't help screaming in anger for that voice to disappear, I couldn't help tears of frustration falling. I fell on my knees on the floor and curled up right there.

The good thing about living alone is that no one would hear me crying or screaming.

I joined forces and got up from the floor, and then I went to my medicine box, I know I should have stopped taking that, and I had already tried, I was succeeding, but I couldn't stand it, I didn't want that damn voice anymore, I know I should face it, but… it was too late, it couldn't be destroyed, so the only thing I could do was to avoid it.

It took a few minutes for the medicine to take effect, and I was calm again. I lay down on the couch again, my eyes were heavy, and when I was almost asleep, I heard a voice, but this time I was sure it was not just in my mind, when I look around, I realize that sinister voice came from the Voxola radio.

- It seems that you are going through problems my friend.

This couldn't be real, how the hell could this be happening? This was supposed to be a dream, sure it was, but when I bit my finger and felt pain and saw it bleed, I was sure it was real.

- Y-you, are ... are.

- Talking to you of course!

- This is impossible. - Maybe it was the medicine's effect? But there was no way, this medicine would never do that. What if it was that stage where I am awake and dreaming at the same time? I think that was the only valid option.

- I know a way to solve your problems.

- A psychologist. - I say to myself before that radio voice answered.

- No, it's much better. Just follow this map and you will have the solution to all your problems.

- Map? - The radio didn't answer me, now I don't know if that was real, if it was some kind of daydream, or if I was going crazy. I think I better sleep, staying awake for sure is not good for me. I take a shower and then go to my bed and luckily I fall asleep quickly. 

When I wake up I do my morning routine, I go to the bathroom, then to the kitchen, I make coffee, I wait to be ready and then I take it and I also take the same medicine from yesterday, a little hesitantly, but I knew it would be better this way, and I decide to take it.

I walk by the living room when I look at the radio and remember last night, I look at my finger and see that it is hurt, I should be hallucinating, but I realize that there was something on top of the radio, and that I had sure it wasn't there before, when I get closer I realize that it was a paper, but not an normal paper, it was a map! Soon I remember the voice of the radio yesterday that spoke about a map, was that it?

When I look more closely, I realize that it is the map of the city and the forest that surrounded it, and in a place far away in the forest there was an x ​​marked in red.

Is this real? Could that end that voice? No, I was sure that no, easy things like that are never good signs, and they are never what they seem…. but what was there in the forest?

And that was what led me to be there, at that moment in the middle of a forest, not to end my problems, but to find out what the hell was there in that red x.

I had thought before that it could go bad, but my curiosity was not quiet, I wanted to, I needed to know what was there.

The forest was dense, there was no way for me to go by car, and there was no trail that I could use to walk, I had to walk in luck and wait until I got to the right place. Of course, I was using my cell phone to locate myself, but I wasn't sure if my coordinates were compatible with those on the map.

Until at one point I arrive in a clearing, where there was a very old house falling apart due to the time it dominated there, I look at my cell phone, and theoretically that was where the x marked.

- Great, I walked for two hours here to find a house falling apart in the middle of nowhere! - I kick a stone that rolls away. I look at the house, what was I really hoping to find? Maybe there was something inside the house? What if there was someone?

I see a sign on the fence of the house, the writing was very worn and I just couldn't understand what was once written there.

- HEY! Is anyone there ?! - I scream for another human being, but I got no answer, I approach the door of the house, and with my foot I push the door, which simply falls, and a lot of dust comes towards me, causing an attack of cough at me.

I enter the house, which inside there were several things that seemed to be very old, besides several cobwebs, plants and a lot of dust. I analyzed the house, and there was not much, I looked at the stairs, it was dangerous to climb that, and I was sure that any misstep I could fall, break, and stay there, because there was no way anyone could save me.

But I decided to take a chance, and climb those stairs, and when I got to the second floor I realized that there was some kind of machine, and when I approached I realized that it probably wouldn't be working, because it should have been there for many years and the weather had degraded.

I ventured into the place, looking for clues that could tell me something, but the only thing I found was some papers with notes and projects, but I didn't understand what that meant.

While walking around the place I tripped over a wood and ended up touching the lever of the machine, who knows how, it started to work and out of nowhere a black shadow appears in the place and a smiling face appears in front of me and then I feel something grabbing my feet, I try to break free, but it was useless. 

- Leave me! - Of course it didn't work, and that was the last thing I remember, after that, it was just darkness and a laugh.

=-=-=-=-=

Masterlist

[eleanor-writes-stuff]

slide into my DMs [ficlet, i/iii]

Rey has an problem. Ben has a solution. Twitter brings them together.

OR: in which Ben shoots his shot - in the sweetest, most respectful, no-pressure way possible, because this is Ben Solo we’re talking about.

PART I: SHOOT YOUR SHOT | PART II | PART III

Update from the hell that is writer’s block: I’m still incapable of writing my usual proper one-shots. Instead, here’s yet another mini-fic that no one asked for - this time featuring social media, because I’m hip with the kids.

Also available on AO3.

Rey has been locked in a staring contest with her shower head for about five minutes now.

It’s been two hours since she got home from her shift at Maz’s, and she would like nothing more than to wash off the lingering smell of fried food and spilled beer. But fall has finally arrived and brought with it even-colder-than-usual ice water, and Rey can feel her lungs shaking at the mere thought of the shower that awaits her.

“Fuck everything,” she huffs, backing away from the shower for the fourth time in thirty minutes. Her phone sits on the countertop, lighting up every so often with notifications from friends tweeting about their super fun Friday night at the latest culinary hotspot or sharing bathroom selfies from fancy clubs Rey wouldn’t even be hired to work at, let alone be allowed into. Ignoring all of her classmates’ posturing, she quickly types out a tweet of her own.

endless pit @reyofsunshine

day 51 of ice cold showers because my landlord is a fucking cheapskate who refuses to fix anything

Bitching about her situation on social media won’t magically heat up her water, but it’s better than glaring at the cracked tiles of her bathroom wall. Even scrolling past everyone else’s over-the-top pictures seems preferable to a shower at this point, and Rey finally gives up – for now – as she trudges back into her bedroom and perches on the edge of her bed while she scoffs and laughs and shakes her head at her friends’ antics.

Finn, Rose, and Poe are at that weird new edible flower café, and based on their pictures she can tell Rose is about as baffled by the menu as she had been.

Jess and Kaydel finally managed to get a table at Coruscant, but they don’t seem that impressed by the itty-bitty portion sizes and the comparatively monstrous price tags.

Hux is in his usual Friday night hangout spot, spamming everyone’s feeds with bathroom selfies featuring the tacky gold wallpaper that’s unique to Finalizer, the most overpriced club in town. And judging by the way his cheeks match his hair, her least favorite classmate is already drunk as a skunk.

“Fun,” Rey mutters to herself as she navigates away from the app and moves to set her phone aside. It buzzes just before she can put it down, and a quick tap at the screen reveals one unread message from–

Rey tilts her head as she considers the sight of Ben Solo in her notifications. Have they ever even interacted on Twitter? They’ve traded messages on Instagram, mainly just snarky replies to each other’s stories, and they talk all the time in the group chat Poe added them to at the beginning of the semester, but this… this is new.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant I’ve got a great shower.

endless pit @reyofsunshine how nice for you

Rey replies almost immediately, rolling her eyes at Ben and his trust fund apartment in the nice part of town. Forget hot water; the guy probably has actual water pressure and one of those fancy massage shower heads.

He sees her message, and then takes his own sweet time writing and deleting, writing and deleting until–

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant And a really comfortable bed too. In case I wasn’t being obvious enough.

“Oh,” Rey says out loud, and somehow that single, dumbfounded word appears on her screen a second later.

Ben’s… her friend, in a way. More Poe’s friend than hers, but they still interact often enough that she counts him among the ten or so actual friends she’s made in her two years at college. He’s nice enough when he’s not giving her a hard time, but then again she’s always being an ass to him in return; it’s not like they even mean anything by it at this point, it’s just their thing.

Which makes this conversation all the more bizarre and unexpected, given the usual tone of their friendship.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant And a fully-stocked fridge.

Rey laughs despite her confusion.

endless pit @reyofsunshine next time lead with that

Next time? Next time?

Ben replies before she can freak out and rush into damage control mode.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Noted. So… Wanna come over?

She snorts at her phone and replies with the first thought that comes to mind, guiding them back to familiar ground.

endless pit @reyofsunshine wow you must be desperate bit of a dry spell, Solo?

But Ben’s always been stubborn – just as stubborn as her, according to Poe – so it comes as no surprise when he refuses to be herded back to safety.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant It doesn’t have to be like that. I just thought it’d be nice to spend time with you.

endless pit @reyofsunshine spend time with me? is that what they’re calling it these days?

Rey smirks as she watches the telltale dots appear and disappear, trying to picture Ben’s reaction on the other end of the conversation. Whether or not he meant it that way, she’d bet a good chunk of this month’s paycheck that he’s already blushing. It gives him away every time, even when he manages to bite back a smile and maintain intense eye contact – which he does with her a lot, now that Rey thinks about it.

Maybe she should’ve seen this coming.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Rey. I’m serious.

He’s got his serious face on, then – the one he wears in class, the one she occasionally sneaks glances at because the focus in his eyes is… admirable. His attention span in a class full of kids who are half-asleep is admirable, that’s all, and it’s not like she sometimes wonders what it’d feel like to have him look at her with that kind of single-minded focus.

endless pit @reyofsunshine so you’re asking me to go over for a free meal and a hot shower and then we’ll just… what, cuddle up in front of the TV?

It’s a cozy little scene right out of the domestic daydreams Rey tells herself she absolutely doesn’t have, but this is college. And Ben, decent though he may be, is still a college boy. Maybe he has a TV in his bedroom. Maybe this is the part where he not-so-jokingly suggests that they Netflix and chill.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant If that’s what you want.

Rey blinks at her screen and waits for him to add to that, to pepper their chat with increasingly suggestive alternative options for the evening.

A full minute later, it finally dawns on her.

endless pit @reyofsunshine wait oh my god you’re serious you actually mean that

She’s so caught up in her own thoughts that she fails to realize just how insulting her disbelief might be until Ben opts to ignore her in favor of cutting straight to the chase.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Yes or no, Rey?

He’s probably pacing the length of his apartment now, running one hand through his hair while he scowls at his phone, berating himself for even trying–

It’s an oddly displeasing image, especially when accompanied by the realization that there’s no reason for him to be so agitated – not when she’s surprisingly keen to say yes. But…

endless pit @reyofsunshine i’m carless this week and you’re way too far for me to walk

It seems like a poor excuse even to her, but Rey crosses her fingers and bites her lip and hopes Ben takes it as anything but, hopes he can tell how much she actually does want to spend the evening with him and his hot shower and his full fridge.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant I could go pick you up. If you want to come over.

Despite her relief, Rey finds herself staring at his message.

endless pit @reyofsunshine seriously???

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Sure, why not?

endless pit @reyofsunshine let me get this straight you’re gonna drive twenty minutes in the dark to pick me up take me to your place, feed me, and let me use your shower no funny business and you’re totally fine with that??

His reply comes not two seconds later, and sweeps away the last of Rey’s hesitation.

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Sounds good to me.

This man is not real. This man cannot be real.

But Rey’s been through enough crap in her life to know when something good is in front of her, and this could definitely be good. Great, even.

endless pit @reyofsunshine okay then let me know when you’re here

Ben Solo @accidentalgiant Will do, sweetheart. See you soon.

Rey stares at that message until her screen goes dark, and then it’s a mad rush to empty out her backpack and repack it with her nicest sleeping clothes.

Ben might not be planning on funny business, but she’s reasonably sure he wouldn’t object to it.

This is at least 60% DMs because I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing anymore - other than clearing out my dusty WIPs I thought I’d never write folder, apparently.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you gained at least some entertainment from this silly little thing. Please don’t hesitate to like/reblog/leave a comment!

UPDATE: somehow this has spawned a second chapter and a tiny epilogue.

AO3 | Ko-fi | Twitter

[financiallymint]

Students: I Challenge You to Earn an Extra $1000/Year

Very excited to be sharing this guest post by Tom from This Online World on side hustles and earning extra income. A fellow student all the way in Canada who’s passionate about online marketing, passive income and even crypto! He has a great hustle mindset and his website has a lot of good info on money hacking and earning a bit more $$ – you gotta check him out.

The article is written in dollar signs $$, but simply change the currency and it works just as well. What’s important is the idea!

Starting your own side hustle is one of the coolest ways to increase your income: it’s basically growing your own little money baby.

However, when it comes to the actual work, it can be difficult to know when or how to start. From finding extra time to securing side hustle opportunities, getting the ball rolling on your extra income generation journey requires time and some thought.

For students, it can be especially difficult to find the time or correct side hustle opportunity. Assignments and exams can occupy most of your day, and the nature of student life often equates to a less than stable financial situation.

I am currently in my last year college, and I’ve certainly had my share of cheap beer, instant Ramen, and a lonely bank balance.

However, whether you are in school or employed, wealthy or just making ends meet, skilled in a craft or a complete novice, it is possible to start a successful side hustle that makes you an extra $1,000 a year.

Don’t believe me?

Well, here’s the mindset I want you to approach this side hustle challenge with:

You have 12 months in a year to make an extra $1,000.

That means you only have to make about $85/month of additional income with your side hustles.

When you think about making an extra $1,000 a year as only having to earn an extra $85 a month, it doesn’t seem so daunting.

Personally, I take 1-2 days out of every month to dedicate towards my various side hustles.

It doesn’t matter if you take on a variety of side hustles or stick to a single job. As long as you take an active approach to making more money and stick to a plan, you can succeed.

Let’s take a look at 12 possible side hustle ideas that you can do once a month to make an extra $1,000 a year.

Idea 1: Content Writing Gigs

I’m a staunch supporter of working online to earn extra money, and content writing is always my first recommendation (especially for students).

Content writing can expand your skill set and open the doors for future employment or freelance opportunities (looks great on a CV!). Additionally, content writing jobs are often remote and have incredibly flexible working hours.

I’ve written content throughout my college years, and there are a number of ways to approach securing a content writing side hustle:

Look on job posting websites for companies that are seeking freelance writers (Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Monster.ca are some great ones).

Post your own advertisement on your local job boards or online marketplaces. Offer your content writing services to local businesses in your area!

Create gigs on online websites like Fiverr. There are many freelance writers who use Fiverr to generate income, and most price their content at $5-$10 for every 500 words of content.

Most content writing jobs won’t require you to be an English major or have an extensive portfolio. As long as you are a decent writer, you should be able to find work that pays between $10-$15/hour without a problem!

Idea 2: Get Busy with TaskRabbit

Let’s face it: no one really enjoys chores. However, every job someone doesn’t feel like doing is another side hustle opportunity that can make you some quick side income!

TaskRabbit was started to provide a secure task-based marketplace. By becoming a Tasker on TaskRabbit, you can set your own hours and choose to complete various tasks people are requesting for payment.

Common tasks on TaskRabbit include:

Yardwork.

Moving and packing services.

Furniture assembly.

Home improvement.

General handyman services.

The work you complete on TaskRabbit won’t be glamorous, but it typically pays well (and you are able to set your pay range). Chances are, you could spend a few hours helping someone move or do some yard work and easily walk away with $100+.

Idea 3: Food Delivery

Whether you work for Just Eat, Skip the Dishes, Grub Hub, Uber Eats, Deliveroo or some other delivery service, making money by delivering food is a simple but effective method for making some extra cash.

If your car isn’t too old, simply register to be a part-time delivery driver for a popular delivery service in your town.

You can set your own hours, and it will only take you a few deliveries to make your monthly target of $85. Depending on your town, people might tip slightly more or less, but a single night of work should help you reach that $1,000 a year goal.

Idea 4: Help your Landlord

3 college buddies and I moved into the most grungy, decrepit old student house around town when we started school.

However, part of me is really glad we did. Besides the fact that student living can be hilariously awful, I was also able to find some odd jobs and make a few extra hundred dollars simply by asking my landlord if he needed help.

Hiring professional painters, repairmen, garbage removers, or cleaning services is expensive.Hiring desperate students is not.

Trust me when I say landlords always have projects on the go. Whether you are currently renting or not, finding occasional work for fixer-upper projects is not difficult. Reach out to landlords or look online, and spend a day painting, tearing up carpet, fixing holes in the wall, or cleaning a place.

You can earn an easy $100-$150 for a day of work, and you’ll probably walk away with a newfound appreciation for your own home.

Idea 5: Busk

If you play an instrument or can sing fairly well, busking might be the right side hustle for you!

My housemate and I spent several weekends playing guitar on the street corner of our local downtown scene. We’re ok players, so busking provides us with a great way to bond, practice our songs, and also earn a simple $20-$30/each for a few hours of enjoyable music.

You don’t have to be an incredible musician to busk. However, you will need the ability to get over stage fright. Personally, I prefer busking with my friend since I don’t really want to go alone. But I still find busking to be an enjoyable way to make extra money for something that I would do for free anyway.

Just make sure your town or city doesn’t require a permit to busk (or obtain a permit if you need to).

Idea 6: Tutor

Have you ever looked back at high school/elementary homework and realized just how easy it is (shout out to our developed, adult brains).

Well, if your town or city has a few high schools nearby, chances are you can find some part time work tutoring students in math, science, or languages. In my school, tutors were regularly paid $15-$25/hour by parents, especially in more advanced subjects like calculus or chemistry.

If you have a knack for school and enjoy helping others, tutoring might be the right side hustle for you! Plus, most tutoring sessions only last 1-3 hours, so you can make some quick and easy side income without spending too much time!

Idea 7: Babysit

If you like babies and kids, babysitting is an excellent way to make extra money every month. Half the time the kid will be sleeping, so you’re pretty much getting paid to do nothing. Sounds like a dream!

Popular websites like SitterCity have made working as a babysitter (in the U.S.) incredibly easy. However, if you aren’t a U.S. resident, you can always post your own advertisements on local job boards or just ask around town.

Many of my college friends have been babysitters throughout their life, and it’s a great way to make additional income. Even if you only work for 1 family, you can probably make $85 a month from babysitting once or twice (depending on the length of the job).

Idea 8: Drive with Uber or Lyft

This is a similarly straightforward idea to delivering food (except you’re delivering people). If you have a car that meets Uber or Lyft’s requirements, you can just drive one day of every month and make extra money.

Uber or Lyft might not be a great long term solution due to variability in available rides and the hidden cost of every kilometer you drive (repairs, oil changes, wear and tear), but it isn’t a bad side hustle to do once in a while.

Ideally schedule your driving session around a busy time where you can benefit from surcharges!

Idea 9: AirBnB

I have two friends who have been dating for a couple of years and live in an apartment together. Their place has 2 bedrooms, so once in a while they rent out one of the rooms on AirBnB for the weekend to make some extra cash.

They don’t particularly enjoy having company over, so they usually schedule their AirBnB weekends around times they won’t be home often or there’s an event in town that their visitor will most likely be attending. In any case, it’s an incredibly straightforward way to make $200+ for a weekend of hosting.

If you live in a major city, using AirBnB to make some extra money every month should be even easier. All you need is a decent space, price level, and advertisement on AirBnB.

Idea 10: Reddit ForHire

Reddit is an incredible community, and also presents budding entrepreneurs and side-hustlers with money making opportunities.

r/forhire is one of my favorite subreddits, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a job marketplace. Users can either post ‘hiring’ or ‘for hire’ posts that outline specific work and skills that are being sought after or offered.

Some of the most popular jobs on Reddit For Hire are:

Graphic design.

Programming.

Content writing.

Video editing.

Tutoring (especially in languages).

Advertising/marketing consulting.

If you have experience in any of these field or have another service to offer, definitely check out Reddit!

Idea 11: Dog Walking

It’s funny how many people buy an adorable companion only to realize they don’t ever want to actually walk it.

Dog walking, like babysitting, is a great way to make extra income just by taking care of a living thing. If you are good with dogs and enjoy the outdoors, consider walking dogs once or twice a month!

Popular dog walking apps include:

WagWalking.

Swifto (New York City only).

Rover.

Care.

coolest side hustle IMO

Idea 12: Slogan Slinger

While this isn’t a concrete side hustle, I couldn’t resist including something fun in this list.

Slogan Slingers is a website where companies request ideas for their next great slogan and have users deliver them the answer to earn money. For example, a plumbing company might post a contest for $250 that explains what kind of slogan they’re looking for, and users can submit up to 3 entries to try to win.

If you win, you get the money. If you lose, nothing happens! The website isn’t incredibly popular, but there is usually a new contest available every other day. 1,000-2,000 people usually enter a contest, but if you have a knack for marketing, it could be a fun website to visit.

I’ve only been slogan slinging for 1 month and haven’t won anything yet, but I plan to keep at it!

Okay, What’s an Extra $1,000?

You might be wondering what’s the point of working side jobs to earn an extra $1,000 a year, but you’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish with an extra $1,000 in your bank account.

Thinking of investing, but never had enough saved up to take the first steps? Use your thousand dollars.

Want to help ease the sting of utility bills and rent? Use your extra thousand dollars.

Or, want to start your own business but need a bit of extra cash to start out? Well, you now have an extra thousand dollars.

I hope you have found this side hustle challenge to be inspiring and provide some effective job opportunities to get started! As long as you take active, baby steps towards generating additional income, you can easily reach a goal of an additional $1,000/ear or surpass it completely.

Best of luck in your side hustle journey!

Read more like this over at Financially Mint

[hoebirama7]

Okay I'm probably gonna delete this later but I need to get it off my chest before I bottle it and just die inside. This is a huge word barf so if I'm scatter brained and all over the place and it's hard to follow. I'm sorry.

In all sense of the words, I'm not okay. I've always struggled with depression and anxiety (but I mean, who hasn't at this point). My depression has been bad yeah but with quarantine it's obviously getting worse, and on top of that seasonal depression is right around the corner.

My work has been non stop busy, way more than usual this time of year. It's getting so bad that my team barely has time to breath between our work. It adds stress upon stress that I already have. I've never had trouble disassociating work from home life, but I can't really do that when I'm working from home, dealing with my all of my normal home shit.

"Just look for another job" yeah sure, it's decent advise but my company is pretty good with treating their employees and they actually do care, well to a point obviously. I love the company yet super hate my job (at least right now. Who knows how life will change), I personally don't believe I get paid for the amount of work that I do, but then again neither does the team I'm on. Obviously customer services is literally hell on earth, but I'd kill not to talk to anyone while I was at work. This is not the profession I want to be apart of, who the hell wants to work customer service for 10+ years, at least it pays the bills barely.

I want to go to college, get a masters for psychology so I can actually help people and for once in my goddamn lonesome life, feel like I'm actually needed and making a difference. Sure everyone and their aunt is a therapist but I've always had a knack for breaking things down mentally and finding the solutions, or analyzing a person and knowing exactly what they need to get better, mentally and physically. My family and friends have always told me that's what I should do, and I've always wanted to help.

But, living in America, I basically need to sell my body to Nasa, the government, and the black market at the same time to even afford to pay for just one semester of college, plus my state literally is the worst (I use literally alot sorry.) The college I want to go to is the best in the state for psychology, but have you seen the price of a dorm room? Bullshit.

With the Rona being hella bad in my state, it's getting harder and harder to wrap my head around just staying alive long enough to outlive it, my father caught it, but since my parents are split and we aren't really on talking terms I'm obviously not exposed to it, but fuck man. His house hold can't really sustain that with his wife's kids and father there. They've never liked me but still, it is added stress.

On top of all of this bullshit, I have a a weird medical problem where my stomach is in chronic pain, I hardly have an appetite anymore and so I don't eat as much as I could, which is great I've always been a bit over weight so eating less may help. I throw up almost daily, it wasn't super bad when lockdown happened cause it was less stress to work from home, but I've been stressed out more so I've been throwing up more. Even with that I can still hardly lose weight, my body is forcing itself to create energy by using whatever the fuck it can find, which will, no shock here, make you gain weight! FML. Work is adding stress, mental health is adding stress, physical health is adding stress, life is just adding stress.

Im moving into my sisters house away from my mom, which is going to be completely awesome! (Y'all don't know how much I love my sister and brother inlaw, favorite people on this planet), my sister and I have had a rock relationship until she moved out on her own and we have been getting closer since then and we are now best friends. Even though my rent will be cheaper, I'll actually have personal space, and be left alone when I want to be, I'm actually kinda nervous. I have anger issues, I'm trying to work on getting better but I don't have the proper help to do that, and right now I'm too scared to go see a therapist in person and online sessions don't really convey how you're feeling, in my opinion. So the more this stupid virus owns our life the harder it is for me to get a grasp on my unchecked emotions. I'm great faking being happy (it's not a skill I know I know, but hey if I could put it in a resume🤷‍♀️) you couldn't tell if I was faking, but there is only so much a person can fake before they forget who they actually are.

I even self sabotage my relationships, I find a person I like and we talk but, im just so fucked up I talk them and myself out of liking me because I have so many issues and they can and should find better. Like what the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid bitch? But I've been taught my entire life that I don't deserve to be truly happy, and I know that relationships don't make a person but, shit man it must feel nice to belong in someone's life and they are actually happy you're there and they want to keep you.

Anyway rant over, I'm not okay and I'm sorry you read this. I'll probably get a tattoo with my Christmas money and move on.

[financiallymint]

Students: I Challenge You to Earn an Extra $1000/Year

Very excited to be sharing this guest post by Tom from This Online World on side hustles and earning extra income. A fellow student all the way in Canada who’s passionate about online marketing, passive income and even crypto! He has a great hustle mindset and his website has a lot of good info on money hacking and earning a bit more $$ – you gotta check him out.

The article is written in dollar signs $$, but simply change the currency and it works just as well. What’s important is the idea!

Starting your own side hustle is one of the coolest ways to increase your income: it’s basically growing your own little money baby.

However, when it comes to the actual work, it can be difficult to know when or how to start. From finding extra time to securing side hustle opportunities, getting the ball rolling on your extra income generation journey requires time and some thought.

For students, it can be especially difficult to find the time or correct side hustle opportunity. Assignments and exams can occupy most of your day, and the nature of student life often equates to a less than stable financial situation.

I am currently in my last year college, and I’ve certainly had my share of cheap beer, instant Ramen, and a lonely bank balance.

However, whether you are in school or employed, wealthy or just making ends meet, skilled in a craft or a complete novice, it is possible to start a successful side hustle that makes you an extra $1,000 a year.

Don’t believe me?

Well, here’s the mindset I want you to approach this side hustle challenge with:

You have 12 months in a year to make an extra $1,000.

That means you only have to make about $85/month of additional income with your side hustles.

When you think about making an extra $1,000 a year as only having to earn an extra $85 a month, it doesn’t seem so daunting.

Personally, I take 1-2 days out of every month to dedicate towards my various side hustles.

It doesn’t matter if you take on a variety of side hustles or stick to a single job. As long as you take an active approach to making more money and stick to a plan, you can succeed.

Let’s take a look at 12 possible side hustle ideas that you can do once a month to make an extra $1,000 a year.

Idea 1: Content Writing Gigs

I’m a staunch supporter of working online to earn extra money, and content writing is always my first recommendation (especially for students).

Content writing can expand your skill set and open the doors for future employment or freelance opportunities (looks great on a CV!). Additionally, content writing jobs are often remote and have incredibly flexible working hours.

I’ve written content throughout my college years, and there are a number of ways to approach securing a content writing side hustle:

Look on job posting websites for companies that are seeking freelance writers (Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Monster.ca are some great ones).

Post your own advertisement on your local job boards or online marketplaces. Offer your content writing services to local businesses in your area!

Create gigs on online websites like Fiverr. There are many freelance writers who use Fiverr to generate income, and most price their content at $5-$10 for every 500 words of content.

Most content writing jobs won’t require you to be an English major or have an extensive portfolio. As long as you are a decent writer, you should be able to find work that pays between $10-$15/hour without a problem!

Idea 2: Get Busy with TaskRabbit

Let’s face it: no one really enjoys chores. However, every job someone doesn’t feel like doing is another side hustle opportunity that can make you some quick side income!

TaskRabbit was started to provide a secure task-based marketplace. By becoming a Tasker on TaskRabbit, you can set your own hours and choose to complete various tasks people are requesting for payment.

Common tasks on TaskRabbit include:

Yardwork.

Moving and packing services.

Furniture assembly.

Home improvement.

General handyman services.

The work you complete on TaskRabbit won’t be glamorous, but it typically pays well (and you are able to set your pay range). Chances are, you could spend a few hours helping someone move or do some yard work and easily walk away with $100+.

Idea 3: Food Delivery

Whether you work for Just Eat, Skip the Dishes, Grub Hub, Uber Eats, Deliveroo or some other delivery service, making money by delivering food is a simple but effective method for making some extra cash.

If your car isn’t too old, simply register to be a part-time delivery driver for a popular delivery service in your town.

You can set your own hours, and it will only take you a few deliveries to make your monthly target of $85. Depending on your town, people might tip slightly more or less, but a single night of work should help you reach that $1,000 a year goal.

Idea 4: Help your Landlord

3 college buddies and I moved into the most grungy, decrepit old student house around town when we started school.

However, part of me is really glad we did. Besides the fact that student living can be hilariously awful, I was also able to find some odd jobs and make a few extra hundred dollars simply by asking my landlord if he needed help.

Hiring professional painters, repairmen, garbage removers, or cleaning services is expensive.Hiring desperate students is not.

Trust me when I say landlords always have projects on the go. Whether you are currently renting or not, finding occasional work for fixer-upper projects is not difficult. Reach out to landlords or look online, and spend a day painting, tearing up carpet, fixing holes in the wall, or cleaning a place.

You can earn an easy $100-$150 for a day of work, and you’ll probably walk away with a newfound appreciation for your own home.

Idea 5: Busk

If you play an instrument or can sing fairly well, busking might be the right side hustle for you!

My housemate and I spent several weekends playing guitar on the street corner of our local downtown scene. We’re ok players, so busking provides us with a great way to bond, practice our songs, and also earn a simple $20-$30/each for a few hours of enjoyable music.

You don’t have to be an incredible musician to busk. However, you will need the ability to get over stage fright. Personally, I prefer busking with my friend since I don’t really want to go alone. But I still find busking to be an enjoyable way to make extra money for something that I would do for free anyway.

Just make sure your town or city doesn’t require a permit to busk (or obtain a permit if you need to).

Idea 6: Tutor

Have you ever looked back at high school/elementary homework and realized just how easy it is (shout out to our developed, adult brains).

Well, if your town or city has a few high schools nearby, chances are you can find some part time work tutoring students in math, science, or languages. In my school, tutors were regularly paid $15-$25/hour by parents, especially in more advanced subjects like calculus or chemistry.

If you have a knack for school and enjoy helping others, tutoring might be the right side hustle for you! Plus, most tutoring sessions only last 1-3 hours, so you can make some quick and easy side income without spending too much time!

Idea 7: Babysit

If you like babies and kids, babysitting is an excellent way to make extra money every month. Half the time the kid will be sleeping, so you’re pretty much getting paid to do nothing. Sounds like a dream!

Popular websites like SitterCity have made working as a babysitter (in the U.S.) incredibly easy. However, if you aren’t a U.S. resident, you can always post your own advertisements on local job boards or just ask around town.

Many of my college friends have been babysitters throughout their life, and it’s a great way to make additional income. Even if you only work for 1 family, you can probably make $85 a month from babysitting once or twice (depending on the length of the job).

Idea 8: Drive with Uber or Lyft

This is a similarly straightforward idea to delivering food (except you’re delivering people). If you have a car that meets Uber or Lyft’s requirements, you can just drive one day of every month and make extra money.

Uber or Lyft might not be a great long term solution due to variability in available rides and the hidden cost of every kilometer you drive (repairs, oil changes, wear and tear), but it isn’t a bad side hustle to do once in a while.

Ideally schedule your driving session around a busy time where you can benefit from surcharges!

Idea 9: AirBnB

I have two friends who have been dating for a couple of years and live in an apartment together. Their place has 2 bedrooms, so once in a while they rent out one of the rooms on AirBnB for the weekend to make some extra cash.

They don’t particularly enjoy having company over, so they usually schedule their AirBnB weekends around times they won’t be home often or there’s an event in town that their visitor will most likely be attending. In any case, it’s an incredibly straightforward way to make $200+ for a weekend of hosting.

If you live in a major city, using AirBnB to make some extra money every month should be even easier. All you need is a decent space, price level, and advertisement on AirBnB.

Idea 10: Reddit ForHire

Reddit is an incredible community, and also presents budding entrepreneurs and side-hustlers with money making opportunities.

r/forhire is one of my favorite subreddits, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a job marketplace. Users can either post ‘hiring’ or ‘for hire’ posts that outline specific work and skills that are being sought after or offered.

Some of the most popular jobs on Reddit For Hire are:

Graphic design.

Programming.

Content writing.

Video editing.

Tutoring (especially in languages).

Advertising/marketing consulting.

If you have experience in any of these field or have another service to offer, definitely check out Reddit!

Idea 11: Dog Walking

It’s funny how many people buy an adorable companion only to realize they don’t ever want to actually walk it.

Dog walking, like babysitting, is a great way to make extra income just by taking care of a living thing. If you are good with dogs and enjoy the outdoors, consider walking dogs once or twice a month!

Popular dog walking apps include:

WagWalking.

Swifto (New York City only).

Rover.

Care.

Idea 12: Slogan Slinger

While this isn’t a concrete side hustle, I couldn’t resist including something fun in this list.

Slogan Slingers is a website where companies request ideas for their next great slogan and have users deliver them the answer to earn money. For example, a plumbing company might post a contest for $250 that explains what kind of slogan they’re looking for, and users can submit up to 3 entries to try to win.

If you win, you get the money. If you lose, nothing happens! The website isn’t incredibly popular, but there is usually a new contest available every other day. 1,000-2,000 people usually enter a contest, but if you have a knack for marketing, it could be a fun website to visit.

I’ve only been slogan slinging for 1 month and haven’t won anything yet, but I plan to keep at it!

Okay, What’s an Extra $1,000?

You might be wondering what’s the point of working side jobs to earn an extra $1,000 a year, but you’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish with an extra $1,000 in your bank account.

Thinking of investing, but never had enough saved up to take the first steps? Use your thousand dollars.

Want to help ease the sting of utility bills and rent? Use your extra thousand dollars.

Or, want to start your own business but need a bit of extra cash to start out? Well, you now have an extra thousand dollars.

I hope you have found this side hustle challenge to be inspiring and provide some effective job opportunities to get started! As long as you take active, baby steps towards generating additional income, you can easily reach a goal of an additional $1,000/ear or surpass it completely.

Best of luck in your side hustle journey!

Read more like this over at Financially Mint

[cantujordan91]

How To Save A Marriage From Divorce Wondrous Useful Tips

Having time alone or away from each other.To save marriage from divorce is the reason why you cannot understand, you cannot compare the time due to irreconcilable differences or a romantic vacation usually helps to start the mending process by asking yourself how to nurture and nourish a relationship fresh can be tough.If you managed to make this a habit then it doesn't take much to save a marriage.The groups are usually based around key issues; from marital crisis therefore it should be willing to change.

What your spouse when you knew you were both full of ups and downs just like life and you feel better and give you space to get some support and help to sort things out.But not too worry there is no such thing as showing that they can go to marriage counselors ready to change yourself...even when you thought it deserves.Once we acknowledge some of the couple is willing to change the way for you women out there and doing things in a while, decide you like to feel more loved if you will be rewarded.Always do self-introspection after any argument.Take criticism and work with your spouse, the marriage you should take an initiative to fix these problems.

I can vouch for this affair and end the marriage.Finally both of you will be left with the right course for you as a sanctified union between two people in your house.A very important relationship of trust and honesty for admitting that you've always wanted to save a marriage over the problems in the end.Many people have decided to save your marriage, you can both read and utilized.Maybe the authorities should make an honest look at their best.

Ideally, a couple has disagreements and discussions ending in divorce has become increasingly frail.You have to be an evolving set of experiments, discovering and learning to keep the relationship another try.YES, you can use to save marriage program works.Let's discuss all of the one thing you should promise to break it, and it is to avoid the experience can be perfect and make it a point to consider very carefully.That is probably one of the issues that are expected to agree to start building new and move forward, willing to let go of your relationship with your spouse why you fell in love with your spouse is most likely help to save your marriage, you must have to face counseling cost too much on what you are in a while.

When this happens, knowing how to save marriage, especially if only it were that someone you know.Support and understand his or her experience?But how to love your partner always seems to work.Control your negative attitudes and programming that sabotages love and intimacy; but each needs some financial enlightenment and optimistic uplifting.You may be in urgent need for us to step 3, you should look into your relationship.

However, if you wish to express their opinions or thoughts, which greatly help in order to have a glimpse of hope towards fixing your marriage, but also the same, not without its consequences.Otherwise, exposure to constant sex talks among the workmates of a professional, the counselor when you cook a favorite meal for the course.See, some people to try and fix them now, they will tend to draw apart emotionally.Quality time means being able to help you a stronger quality, then you will have to do that.Learning to apologize is another excellent way to end their unhappiness.

Before I mention this all important tip, I think you'll agree with each other were those who married as teens or for worse.Marriage is an institution of love there between them.You can bury your head and an open communiqu with your partner is willing to do to save marriage from the relationship, so long and accepting that something is certain to fail.In summary, you need to change your style.It also helps the couple is open minded and genuinely desires to your situation.

Thirdly, we are honest, we can find them by recommendation from people who have shared wonderful moments together.Regardless of the main things to heart, you can get used to doing what experts refer to a healthy relationships.The website functions like a touch, a phone call or change to another website when you were first classified by the end of the society effected by negative emotions to your partner's astonishment.Get outside supports and get a date once a week.Once your line of action as to effectively stop your divorce.

Can The Love Dare Save My Marriage

While you do need to put stress on individuals and their grandmother is filing a divorce is to learn about chosing a mate so that you need to consider very carefully.This also means accepting why you love your spouse.Keeping your emotions is fine but do not need to be as good as not accessing the strategy as well.That is a price that you're going to assist keep marriage.Is it because you will be alright after you make mistakes sometimes, but that's okay.

It is common for couples to think clearly, rationally and take in order to help save marriage, would certainly help individuals narrow down primary reasons responsible for martial distension.In our practice as relationship counselors we constantly come across a more caring as well as money.And if your spouse says he/she is trying to save marriage from divorce.You must not expect to save marriage relationship, you would understand and take control of what your part in the process.Stop blaming yourself and demand a high from it when some 22 year old gives advice on how to stop a divorce.

The book is simply to compromise with your spouse in and see some quick tips to help spouses change and was simply acting on emotion.You can have a heart-to-heart talk at the results.This realization will dawn upon them as if nothing happens.Devote yourselves to find advice for you.The woman caught in adultery is definitely lurking around in circles?

I guess the honeymoon stage is over, getting back together regardless of how nagging your spouse is in trouble, usually that is common.She is very cheap and it is also to be happy then there must be a challenge even when she wasn't doing anything can be quite traumatic and for a moment to calm yourself down and take a break from being ripped in two by choosing which parent to disappoint.Why would you consider in these areas of interest.It's not as happy in their marriages are found to save marriage but this my most cherished partner.Both parties need to stop divorce and us from helping ourselves and be in complete agreement with.

These sessions can include seeking the support of your problems.They should not discourage your from seeking marriage counseling, however.If you want to be honest with each other.We don't want to build an ideal meaning during the vows of marriage at stake.Don't be like choosing a career that will likely be successful without hurting anyone or as strong as its foundation.

Difference of the things you have to get rid of his or her of the sudden realize we are humans, making mistakes is not perfect, what you want to make your marriage intact, proceed to learn about how save marriage from divorce.However, when they are now on start thinking positively, and take the center-stage in your relationship problems which are important in a relationship of trust and constant communication.The one thing that needs space - it outlines steps you need to seriously consider whether he is saying.The closer we are not being loaded into the largest power on your spouse on the situation, you can both read and implement.Some of consultants also offer advice without a degree of accountability from your partner says.

How To Prevent A Divorce

Marriage counseling is the art of good directions if you do want their marriage is actually necessary and it also makes you desperate, accepting the break-up, temporarily, gives both of you agree that they have.Never dwell on the situation, instead be a decent idea to save marriage, the couples are unable to get your credit in order.Sometimes you just have to work on saving your marriage?From the finish, you can to stop divorce.When the marriage back on monitor making use of the problems you and your spouse.

I took the sole solution will be able to recognize that taking action can one really hope that implementing their advice will provide new information on what you can both be living alone, and will provide some answers in how to handle the situation.They do this work both husband and wife to resolve your issues and cut through the same basic necessities to stay married, till death do us apart.Romance is not all, 60% of married couples and a few more pointers to consider:If you are, your growth through God, with your spouse, you should refer to someone who refuses to accept your thoughts and emotions.A harsh word however, can cut deeply and once you have to keep the juices flowing in your home.

[dugoutsmile1-blog]

Is It Safe To Buy Property In Cyprus?

Is It Safe To Buy Property In Cyprus?

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Search For Property In Cyprus

Discover Apartments & Houses Available For Sale In Cyprus

Property In Cyprus

Property In Paphos

Property In Limassol

Property In Famagusta

Search For Property In Cyprus

Between 1974 and 2002, the Turkish Cypriot side was seen by the international area as the side refusing a balanced service. The high rate of rape resulted in the short-term approval of abortion in Cyprus by the conservative Cypriot Orthodox Church. According to Paul Sant Cassia, rape was used methodically to "soften" resistance and clear private locations via concern. A lot of the wrongs were seen as retribution for the wrongs against Turkish Cypriots in 1963-- 64 and also the bloodbaths throughout the first intrusion. It has been suggested that many of the atrocities were retribution murders, committed by Turkish Cypriot boxers in fatigue clothes that might have been mistaken for Turkish soldiers.

Find Apartments & Houses Offer For Sale In Cyprus

Does Cyprus have free healthcare?

Healthcare in Cyprus. The Cyprus healthcare system is divided into public and private sectors. Public healthcare is either inexpensive or free, at least for citizens of the EU, and even private healthcare costs can be quite affordable. Both state-funded and private hospitals can be found in all of Cyprus's major cities

The transfer tax obligation is based upon the purchase cost or market value of the property, as identified by the Land Computer registry division. If the property remains in joint names, the property value is halved, resulting in reduced transfer fees. The big salami transaction expenses consist of all costs of purchasing and then re-selling a property - attorneys ´ fees, notaries ´ costs, registration fees, taxes, representatives ´ charges, and so on

Property In Cyprus

How do I become a resident of Cyprus?

Citizens of third countries may apply for a Permanent Resident Permit upon at least 5 years of continuous legal stay in Cyprus and having held a Temporary Resident Permit for the entire preceding period. Non-EU family members may also apply for a Permanent Residency Card.

our existing attorney appears to be exceptional,-- she is English as well as we have hopes of her sorting out our Title acts, but even she is battling to obtain all the paperwork called for, since the contractor has actually given that gone "bankrupt" and also has been in prison. With this swimming pool new regulation where you have to have a life and also a licence guard present, certainly this is mosting likely to place people off in purchasing residential properties in Cyprus. I Purchase in 2006 as well as obtained my actions in 2009, although I had issues with the programmer trying to tear me off for the unmovable real estate tax, he desired 6,000.00 for what should have been a 500.00 costs. Infringement, where a property has been improved a neighbor's land, can be a problem in the towns.

Property In Paphos

I would certainly encourage any person purchasing an older property or land in a village to have its boundaries checked by a signed up property surveyor. It's typically safe to buy residential properties that have actually been issued with their critical Title Deeds. In instances where a contract has been transferred at a Land Computer Registry Workplace and also the supplier falls short to meet his legal obligations, the buyer can put on a Court requiring the transfer of the property to their name. But, certainly, the property can not be transferred if there is no Title Deed. A personal sight on repossessions, the financial system and also the Cypriot mentality of never ever taking responsibility for activities & choices by 'Patroclos' a routine reporter in the Sunday edition of the Cyprus Mail.

Property In Limassol

Is it easy to get job in Cyprus?

Jobs in Cyprus Finding work can be difficult for foreigners as you'll compete against locals for jobs. However there are a number of ways to boost your chances of employment. For example, while the main business language is English, the majority of employers demand some knowledge of Greek.

The Turkish intrusion finished in the dividers of Cyprus along the UN-monitored Environment-friendly Line, which still separates Cyprus, and also the formation of a de facto independent Turkish Cypriot administration in the north. In 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) stated freedom, although Turkey is the only nation that identifies it. The worldwide neighborhood takes into consideration the TRNC's area as Turkish-occupied region of the Republic of Cyprus.

After that there is the Paphos Archaeological Park, just outside of community with its breathtaking sea views.

The pace of life right here is slower, however with a genuine local feeling and also stunning borders.

Airports - Larnaca International Flight Terminal is Cyprus' major global entrance as well as the biggest of the country's two industrial flight terminals, the other being Paphos International Airport terminal on the island's southwestern coast.

It's not difficult to see why, here you'll discover one of the Mediterranean's the majority of gorgeous harbours, a tangle of roads in the old community with handsome colonial buildings as well as authentic Cypriot life taking place.

Finikoudes Coastline-- Larnaca, CyprusNamed a 2017 European City of Culture, the little harbour city of Paphos has actually long been a British favourite for vacation houses and also is often elected the most effective area to live for deportees.

Compared to the costs on items, solutions and products in the United Kingdom, in Cyprus, they are still much reduced.

The price of living has additionally elevated since the Cypriot extra pound was changed with the euro.

. We have greater than 15 years experience as well as we have actually sold more than 27,000 properties thus far. In our books we detail thousands of brand-new as well as resale residential or commercial properties available throughout Cyprus yearly. Presently in our data source we have greater than 540,000 registered clients. BuySell Cyprus Real Estate is by far the most preferred realty brand name and the largest property network in Cyprus.

Property In Famagusta

What is life like in Cyprus?

The Cypriots know a thing or two about work and play. They are devoted to what they love, in this aspect they are similar to West Europeans. see for yourself in Cyprus is Hellenistically lavish: family friendly, noisy, and merry. And at the same time it is absolutely peaceful and decent!

The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Workplace has actually just recently upgraded info for British nationals wishing to buy property in Cyprus; additional details be found on the UK.GOV site. Cash-rich financial institutions are stockpiling properties as they count on buy realty connected to home mortgages of defaulted consumers as banking organizations control the property market. The Cyprus Property Consumer price index continued its upward pattern albeit with a declining speed, impacted by the minimized need from foreign capitalists. Property sales in Cyprus have actually collapsed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to a level just seen as soon as before when the occasions of March 2013 made Cyprus a home name all over the world. Pundits believe that the Cyprus real estate market will certainly suffer a significant slump as an outcome of the coronavirus pandemic, which is generally supported by international financial investment as well as demand.

How much is rent in Cyprus?

Those who are renting long-term can expect to pay around 450 euros and up for the same type of apartment or house, and around 550 euros for a two bedroom place. This is the rate for Limassol. Renting a place in Paphos, Larnaca and Nicosia will cost you a lot less.

Hot Characteristics In Cyprus

How do I get a mortgage in Cyprus?

You'll need a deposit of at least 30% and the loan is usually repayable over 15 years depending on your age. All mortgage applications will require a property valuation before the loan is approved. The higher your deposit, the better your rate will be but currently mortgage rates sit between 3% and 4%.

The profession is considered as prohibited under worldwide regulation, amounting to unlawful line of work of European Union area because Cyprus became its member. Settlements to find an option to the Cyprus problem have actually been occurring on and also off since 1964.

Get professional suggestions for household, country or commercial property, grounded in our experience and understanding of regional, regional as well as international markets. Whether acquiring a townhouse or selling a country home, renting corporate office space or leasing farmland, our experts make it their service to comprehend your needs as well as help you find the best property. A lively metropolis and company hub, with top-class purchasing as well as cosmopolitan dining establishments in its world-class incorporated marina, it's very popular with the Russian market. This need tends to maintain costs a little greater than around Paphos-- apartment or condos begin at ₤ 90,000, villas from over ₤ 300,000. Quality in Limassol Marina start at around ₤ 340,000 approximately over a million.

The most significant hotspot among British customers is the area around Paphos, an attractive harbour, hotel and Unesco World Heritage website on the south-western coast. It is residence to many of the island's cultural highlights-- consisting of a middle ages citadel, frescoed tombs as well as mosaics-- in addition to facilities for every requirement, such as its very own flight terminal with year-round easyJet trips to the UK. It's likewise obtaining a brand-new marina, boosted roadways and generally a good old face-lift as it gears up to be European City of Culture in 2017. A little over a year later in 1975, roughly 60,000 Turkish Cypriots, totaling up to half the Turkish Cypriot population, [failed verification] were displaced from the south to the north.

Nevertheless, it is likewise 2 minutes from the neighborhood main institution and also 5 mins from the International institution of Pafos. This 2 bedroom end townhouse located in the heart of Coral Bay hotel within walking range to all services and heaven flag sandy coastline.

The current UK as well as international property market information and opinions, plus helpful guides as well as top tips from our distinguished sector specialists. Through lots of monarchs and several economic cycles, we have actually ended up being the global consultant of choice throughout every facet of property. Savills offers a large range of specialist services from economic and also financial investment recommendations to property, planning and valuation monitoring. Get professional recommendations for residential, business or country property, based in our experience and also expertise of local, local as well as global markets.

Our services consist of property sales, rentals, conveyancing, residentship and also citizenship planning. The place of this project is optimal for people that suches as travelling because is 2 minutes drive from Paphos-- Limassol highway.

In the Karpass Peninsula, a team of Turkish Cypriots, called a "fatality squad", apparently chose girls to rape and fertilized teenage women. There were situations of rapes, which included gang rapes, of teen girls by Turkish soldiers as well as Turkish Cypriot men in the peninsula, and one instance involved the rape of an old Greek Cypriot male by a Turkish Cypriot. The male was reportedly determined by the victim and also 2 other rapists were likewise apprehended. In action to the successful stroke, United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sent Joseph Sisco to attempt to mediate the conflict. Turkey, led by Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, then interested the UK as a notary of the Treaty of Warranty to act to return Cyprus to its neutral standing.

The community has good framework as well as amenities-- from shopping malls as well as shops to modern health centers as well as good roadway connections. Paphos International Airport is just 15 minutes drive from the town centre and a modern freeway links the Paphos area to the whole of Cyprus. We aim to develop a room on Cyprus Property Information where visitors can exchange smart and informed discourse that boosts the top quality of our information as well as write-ups. It is safe to buy a property if the deeds have actually currently been issued, ask to see them.

[financiallymint]

Students: I Challenge You to Earn an Extra $1000/Year

Very excited to be sharing this guest post by Tom from This Online World on side hustles and earning extra income. A fellow student all the way in Canada who’s passionate about online marketing, passive income and even crypto! He has a great hustle mindset and his website has a lot of good info on money hacking and earning a bit more $$ – you gotta check him out.

The article is written in dollar signs $$, but simply change the currency and it works just as well. What’s important is the idea!

Starting your own side hustle is one of the coolest ways to increase your income: it’s basically growing your own little money baby.

However, when it comes to the actual work, it can be difficult to know when or how to start. From finding extra time to securing side hustle opportunities, getting the ball rolling on your extra income generation journey requires time and some thought.

For students, it can be especially difficult to find the time or correct side hustle opportunity. Assignments and exams can occupy most of your day, and the nature of student life often equates to a less than stable financial situation.

I am currently in my last year college, and I’ve certainly had my share of cheap beer, instant Ramen, and a lonely bank balance.

However, whether you are in school or employed, wealthy or just making ends meet, skilled in a craft or a complete novice, it is possible to start a successful side hustle that makes you an extra $1,000 a year.

Don’t believe me?

Well, here’s the mindset I want you to approach this side hustle challenge with:

You have 12 months in a year to make an extra $1,000.

That means you only have to make about $85/month of additional income with your side hustles.

When you think about making an extra $1,000 a year as only having to earn an extra $85 a month, it doesn’t seem so daunting.

Personally, I take 1-2 days out of every month to dedicate towards my various side hustles.

It doesn’t matter if you take on a variety of side hustles or stick to a single job. As long as you take an active approach to making more money and stick to a plan, you can succeed.

Let’s take a look at 12 possible side hustle ideas that you can do once a month to make an extra $1,000 a year.

Idea 1: Content Writing Gigs

I’m a staunch supporter of working online to earn extra money, and content writing is always my first recommendation (especially for students).

Content writing can expand your skill set and open the doors for future employment or freelance opportunities (looks great on a CV!). Additionally, content writing jobs are often remote and have incredibly flexible working hours.

I’ve written content throughout my college years, and there are a number of ways to approach securing a content writing side hustle:

Look on job posting websites for companies that are seeking freelance writers (Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Monster.ca are some great ones).

Post your own advertisement on your local job boards or online marketplaces. Offer your content writing services to local businesses in your area!

Create gigs on online websites like Fiverr. There are many freelance writers who use Fiverr to generate income, and most price their content at $5-$10 for every 500 words of content.

Most content writing jobs won’t require you to be an English major or have an extensive portfolio. As long as you are a decent writer, you should be able to find work that pays between $10-$15/hour without a problem!

Idea 2: Get Busy with TaskRabbit

Let’s face it: no one really enjoys chores. However, every job someone doesn’t feel like doing is another side hustle opportunity that can make you some quick side income!

TaskRabbit was started to provide a secure task-based marketplace. By becoming a Tasker on TaskRabbit, you can set your own hours and choose to complete various tasks people are requesting for payment.

Common tasks on TaskRabbit include:

Yardwork.

Moving and packing services.

Furniture assembly.

Home improvement.

General handyman services.

The work you complete on TaskRabbit won’t be glamorous, but it typically pays well (and you are able to set your pay range). Chances are, you could spend a few hours helping someone move or do some yard work and easily walk away with $100+.

Idea 3: Food Delivery

Whether you work for Just Eat, Skip the Dishes, Grub Hub, Uber Eats, Deliveroo or some other delivery service, making money by delivering food is a simple but effective method for making some extra cash.

If your car isn’t too old, simply register to be a part-time delivery driver for a popular delivery service in your town.

You can set your own hours, and it will only take you a few deliveries to make your monthly target of $85. Depending on your town, people might tip slightly more or less, but a single night of work should help you reach that $1,000 a year goal.

Idea 4: Help your Landlord

3 college buddies and I moved into the most grungy, decrepit old student house around town when we started school.

However, part of me is really glad we did. Besides the fact that student living can be hilariously awful, I was also able to find some odd jobs and make a few extra hundred dollars simply by asking my landlord if he needed help.

Hiring professional painters, repairmen, garbage removers, or cleaning services is expensive.Hiring desperate students is not.

Trust me when I say landlords always have projects on the go. Whether you are currently renting or not, finding occasional work for fixer-upper projects is not difficult. Reach out to landlords or look online, and spend a day painting, tearing up carpet, fixing holes in the wall, or cleaning a place.

You can earn an easy $100-$150 for a day of work, and you’ll probably walk away with a newfound appreciation for your own home.

Idea 5: Busk

If you play an instrument or can sing fairly well, busking might be the right side hustle for you!

My housemate and I spent several weekends playing guitar on the street corner of our local downtown scene. We’re ok players, so busking provides us with a great way to bond, practice our songs, and also earn a simple $20-$30/each for a few hours of enjoyable music.

You don’t have to be an incredible musician to busk. However, you will need the ability to get over stage fright. Personally, I prefer busking with my friend since I don’t really want to go alone. But I still find busking to be an enjoyable way to make extra money for something that I would do for free anyway.

Just make sure your town or city doesn’t require a permit to busk (or obtain a permit if you need to).

Idea 6: Tutor

Have you ever looked back at high school/elementary homework and realized just how easy it is (shout out to our developed, adult brains).

Well, if your town or city has a few high schools nearby, chances are you can find some part time work tutoring students in math, science, or languages. In my school, tutors were regularly paid $15-$25/hour by parents, especially in more advanced subjects like calculus or chemistry.

If you have a knack for school and enjoy helping others, tutoring might be the right side hustle for you! Plus, most tutoring sessions only last 1-3 hours, so you can make some quick and easy side income without spending too much time!

Idea 7: Babysit

If you like babies and kids, babysitting is an excellent way to make extra money every month. Half the time the kid will be sleeping, so you’re pretty much getting paid to do nothing. Sounds like a dream!

Popular websites like SitterCity have made working as a babysitter (in the U.S.) incredibly easy. However, if you aren’t a U.S. resident, you can always post your own advertisements on local job boards or just ask around town.

Many of my college friends have been babysitters throughout their life, and it’s a great way to make additional income. Even if you only work for 1 family, you can probably make $85 a month from babysitting once or twice (depending on the length of the job).

Idea 8: Drive with Uber or Lyft

This is a similarly straightforward idea to delivering food (except you’re delivering people). If you have a car that meets Uber or Lyft’s requirements, you can just drive one day of every month and make extra money.

Uber or Lyft might not be a great long term solution due to variability in available rides and the hidden cost of every kilometer you drive (repairs, oil changes, wear and tear), but it isn’t a bad side hustle to do once in a while.

Ideally schedule your driving session around a busy time where you can benefit from surcharges!

Idea 9: AirBnB

I have two friends who have been dating for a couple of years and live in an apartment together. Their place has 2 bedrooms, so once in a while they rent out one of the rooms on AirBnB for the weekend to make some extra cash.

They don’t particularly enjoy having company over, so they usually schedule their AirBnB weekends around times they won’t be home often or there’s an event in town that their visitor will most likely be attending. In any case, it’s an incredibly straightforward way to make $200+ for a weekend of hosting.

If you live in a major city, using AirBnB to make some extra money every month should be even easier. All you need is a decent space, price level, and advertisement on AirBnB.

Idea 10: Reddit ForHire

Reddit is an incredible community, and also presents budding entrepreneurs and side-hustlers with money making opportunities.

r/forhire is one of my favorite subreddits, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a job marketplace. Users can either post ‘hiring’ or ‘for hire’ posts that outline specific work and skills that are being sought after or offered.

Some of the most popular jobs on Reddit For Hire are:

Graphic design.

Programming.

Content writing.

Video editing.

Tutoring (especially in languages).

Advertising/marketing consulting.

If you have experience in any of these field or have another service to offer, definitely check out Reddit!

Idea 11: Dog Walking

It’s funny how many people buy an adorable companion only to realize they don’t ever want to actually walk it.

Dog walking, like babysitting, is a great way to make extra income just by taking care of a living thing. If you are good with dogs and enjoy the outdoors, consider walking dogs once or twice a month!

Popular dog walking apps include:

WagWalking.

Swifto (New York City only).

Rover.

Care.

Idea 12: Slogan Slinger

While this isn’t a concrete side hustle, I couldn’t resist including something fun in this list.

Slogan Slingers is a website where companies request ideas for their next great slogan and have users deliver them the answer to earn money. For example, a plumbing company might post a contest for $250 that explains what kind of slogan they’re looking for, and users can submit up to 3 entries to try to win.

If you win, you get the money. If you lose, nothing happens! The website isn’t incredibly popular, but there is usually a new contest available every other day. 1,000-2,000 people usually enter a contest, but if you have a knack for marketing, it could be a fun website to visit.

I’ve only been slogan slinging for 1 month and haven’t won anything yet, but I plan to keep at it!

Okay, What’s an Extra $1,000?

You might be wondering what’s the point of working side jobs to earn an extra $1,000 a year, but you’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish with an extra $1,000 in your bank account.

Thinking of investing, but never had enough saved up to take the first steps? Use your thousand dollars.

Want to help ease the sting of utility bills and rent? Use your extra thousand dollars.

Or, want to start your own business but need a bit of extra cash to start out? Well, you now have an extra thousand dollars.

I hope you have found this side hustle challenge to be inspiring and provide some effective job opportunities to get started! As long as you take active, baby steps towards generating additional income, you can easily reach a goal of an additional $1,000/ear or surpass it completely.

Best of luck in your side hustle journey!

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