#I think I'll make it tomorrow if I have the time

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Thinking the unthinkable

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Time and again, I find myself thinking about radium suppositories: specifically, I get to thinking about the day that the consensus shifted from "radium suppositories are great" to "stop putting radioisotopes up your ass."

The thing is, people really liked radium-based quack remedies. They drank radium-infused water, smeared radium cream on their faces and bodies, and yes, rammed radium suppositories up their assholes:

https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/radium-girls/

The fact that this made whatever ailed you sicker didn't deter the radium true believers: if you're getting sicker, then you must need more radium.

When I think about the debate over radium, I imagine that the people who understood that radium was really bad for you must have run up against critics who told them they were being unreasonable. "You can't tell people to stop using radium. Tell them to use suppositories with less radium. Tell them to use them less frequently. But you can't just tell people, 'stop putting radium up your asshole.' They won't take you seriously."

About 20 years ago, I started pitching various institutions that reviewed consumer tech policy on the idea that they should reject any product that had DRM. After all, DRM didn't just restrict how you used a gadget today, it provided a facility for nonconsensually, irreversibly field-updating that gadget to add new restrictions tomorrow. How could a reviewer in good conscience say, "Go ahead and buy this device if you need this feature," if they knew that at any time in the future, the gadget's maker could take that feature away and leave the buyer with no recourse?

Here's the warning I (half-seriously) suggested magazines run alongside such products:

WARNING: THIS DEVICE’S FEATURES ARE SUBJECT TO REVOCATION WITHOUT NOTICE, ACCORDING TO TERMS SET OUT IN SECRET NEGOTIATIONS. YOUR INVESTMENT IS CONTINGENT ON THE GOODWILL OF THE WORLD’S MOST PARANOID, TECHNOPHOBIC ENTERTAINMENT EXECS. THIS DEVICE AND DEVICES LIKE IT ARE TYPICALLY USED TO CHARGE YOU FOR THINGS YOU USED TO GET FOR FREE — BE SURE TO FACTOR IN THE PRICE OF BUYING ALL YOUR MEDIA OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AT NO TIME IN HISTORY HAS ANY ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY GOTTEN A SWEET DEAL LIKE THIS FROM THE ELECTRONICS PEOPLE, BUT THIS TIME THEY’RE GETTING A TOTAL WALK. HERE, PUT THIS IN YOUR MOUTH, IT’LL MUFFLE YOUR WHIMPERS.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/08/playstationed/#tyler-james-hill

No one took me up on my offer. Over and over again, magazine editors, managers of nonprofit review outlets, and indie gadget reviewers told me that it was unrealistic to publish a roundup of, say, this year's portable music players with the recommendation, "Just don't buy any of these. None of them are fit for purpose."

In other words: No one wanted to publish, "The correct amount of radium to stuff up your asshole is zero."

But the correct amount of rectal radium for you to administer is "none" and the correct car for you to buy today is none of the cars:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/

This isn't the first time the correct automotive recommendation was "don't buy any of these cars." Back before seatbelts came standard in cars, the correct car was "don't buy a car." Sometimes, the correct answer is "none of the above." Even if that makes you sound unserious, the alternative is that you counsel people to put radium up their asses in a bid to seem "reasonable."

Today, DRM-infected products are routinely downgraded and bricked:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/5/24236237/ftc-software-tethering-letter-consumer-reports-ifixit

Even when companies face public uproar over these disastrous decisions and vow to reverse them, they can't, because these downgrades are one way:

https://www.stereocheck.com/news/music/unfortunately-you-cant-revert-to-the-old-sonos-app-anymore/

That's bad enough when it's your smart speakers, but what about when the company bricks your wheelchair:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

Or your $100,000 exoskeleton:

https://paulickreport.com/news/people/paralyzed-jockey-michael-straight-wants-to-keep-walking-but-manufacturer-wont-repair-exoskeleton

The reality is that we're living at the end of a catastrophic experiment in deregulation and its handmaidens, corruption and regulatory capture, and there are lots of "normal" things that we just need to stop doing. Not do less of them – just stop.

Like, the correct amount of collusion between realtors representing sellers and realtors representing buyers is zero:

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2024-03-19/realtor-rules-just-changed-dramatically-heres-what-buyers-and-sellers-can-expect

We got that one right, but there's plenty more that we're still engaged in this pathetic, denialist bargaining over. What's the correct degree to which White House officials should cycle back into working at the industries they oversaw? Zero. How many times should such a person come back to work at the White House? Again: zero:

https://prospect.org/power/2024-09-19-next-administration-can-stop-ethics-scandals/

When the Biden admin dropped its executive order on ethics just hours after the inauguration, they trumpeted that it "went further than any other towards slowing the revolving door and limiting conflicts of interest while in office":

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-personnel/

And it did. But it was also full of loopholes, because banning these conflicts of interest altogether was viewed as politically unserious, so the correct amount of radium up the administration's asshole was set at non-zero. The result? Well, it's about what you'd expect:

https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/what-the-hell-is-anita-dunn-even-allowed-to-work-on/

Congress hasn't updated consumer privacy law since 1988, when it took the bold step of…banning video-store clerks from telling the newspapers which VHS cassettes you took home. Since then, a coalition of commercial surveillance companies and the cops and spies who treat their data-lakes as massive, off-the-books anaerobic lagoons of warrantless surveillance data has prevented the passage of any new privacy protections for Americans.

The result? Stalkers, creeps, spies (both governmental and corporate), identity thieves, spearphishers and other villainous scum are running wild, endangering every American's financial, physical and political wellbeing. The correct amount of commercial data-brokerage for America is zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

In other words, we should order every data-broker, every tech giant, every consumer electronics company and app vendor to delete all their surveillance data. All of it. The correct amount of radium in that asshole is – as with every other orifice zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/07/revealed-preferences/#extinguish-v-improve

From the perspective of the radium pitchmen, the most shocking thing about the past four years has been antitrust enforcers – like Lina Khan, Rohit Chopra, and Jonathan Kanter – who refused to bargain about how much radium we needed to stick up our butts. Fearless of being branded as "unserious" and "unreasonable," they seriously, reasonably said the right amount is none, actually.

None. Which is why they're so mad at Khan and co. Which is why they're so bent on getting Kamala Harris to fire Khan – despite the fact that this would burn precious political capital in the senate. Some people just love the feeling they get from a radium suppository – especially the suppository salesmen:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-09-19-lina-khan-doesnt-need-to-be-confirmed-again/

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/19/just-stop-putting-that-up-your-ass/#harm-reduction/a>

Image: Museum of the Health Sciences https://www.uab.edu/amhs/

[freakyformula]

First time with the Wolf

Summary: Reader and Toto has been dating for a year and they finally have sex for the first time.

Writers comment: This is for all the sluts with daddy issues (myself included).

Warnings: 18+, MDNI, smut obviously, fluff, daddy kink??, innocence kink, google translated german.

Word count: 3,3k

Toto Wolff.

Billionaire.

CEO of Mercedes F1 Team.

….Who also happens to be your boyfriend.

You had been seeing each other for about a year now, you caught his eye at an afterparty, and you instantly hit it off.

As you were stuck studying, you couldn't be with him at his place of work that often, but every time you got the chance, you did. Everyone at the Mercedes garage adored you, although you heard some whispering about you and Toto's age gap and your intentions with him at first.

Your life felt complete. It felt like you had everything a person could ask for. Toto was treating you like a princess, sending you gifts and even giving you his black card, encouraging you to use it. Every time you met up with him, he'd be soft with you. Not forcing you to do anything you didn't want to. Holding you close whenever you needed it. Sending you sweet texts during the day.

"Y/N, do you know the answer to this question?" The professor asks.

Shit, daydreaming again.

"Uuuuh, yes, erm…" You tried to save the awkward situation but it was in vain.

Later, you were sat on the sofa in your extravagant apartment that Toto had insisted you needed. For what, was beyond you.

"Toto, I made a complete fool of myself today and it's your fault!" You tell him over the phone.

You had a routine of calling every day to check in with each other.

"What do you mean it's my fault? I'm innocent." He argues back and sticks his tongue out playfully.

"I was thinking about you and ended up daydreaming, and then my professor asked me a question!" You explain.

"Thinking of me?" He says as he drags the last part out and points at himself. "Liebe, do you miss me as much as I miss you? I'm having a hard time staying away from you. I think about you beside me every night, about how good you feel beside me. You belong beside me." He explains.

You gasp at his words. Toto was rarely this straightforward. You couldn't help feeling a tingle in your stomach, feeling aftershocks in the rest of your body.

"Beside you…? Sir Toto, what are you implying?" You ask.

You had intentionally waited to have sex, with Toto wanting your first time to be special. You weren't a virgin or anything, but you hadn't had the courage to take on a man of Toto's size yet and he knew about it, hence why he wanted to wait. He was proud of his size and carried himself well.

"I'd like to know if you want to visit Jeddah and spend the race weekend with me and the crew? Lewis has asked when he will be seeing you again, he seems to have a weak spot for you." Toto asks.

His question didn't really come as a shock, he'd often ask multiple times if you wanted to join him on his travels.

"Toto, I, I'm afraid…" You say as you know taking a few days off wouldn't hurt. You felt overworked and could need some time off the hectic pace at school. You could ask your friends to share notes later and work on your assignments on the plane. Besides, you were in the middle of the semester, meaning no upcoming exams.

He gives you a small pout when he hears the impending rejection but lights up as you continue.

"… You'll regret ever inviting me to Jeddah, I will be pestering you and the team all weekend."

He looks up at the screen of his phone and looks confused. Then, as the words sink in, his lips turn into a wide smile. "Are you serious, Schatz?" He asks alarmingly calmly.

"One hundred percent, Toto." You confirm.

"Jesus Christ, I love you so much!" He celebrates. "I'll book the plane tickets right away, can you make it to the airport by tomorrow evening?"

"I'd love that, do I need to bring anything?"

"Only that beautiful smile of yours!" He exclaims.

And with that, you finished the call and said your goodbyes to a very excited Toto.

The next day you spent packing and arranging for your friends at school to take notes for you, thanking them for the trouble.

You made it to the airport with time to spare. You spent the spare time on your laptop, working on that one assignment that made you question your choice of studies. Finally, your boarding was called.

The flight went smoothly, and when you arrived to Jeddah, a man was waiting for you as Toto had instructed, driving you back to the hotel you and Toto were staying at.

The doormen helped you with the bags and you were escorted up to your room.

When you opened the door to the grand suite, you saw Toto standing in the middle of the room, with a bouquet of roses in his arms. He gave you a wide smile when you came into view.

You instantly ran up to him and he lifted you into his big and strong arms, peppering your face with kisses, making you giggle.

The suite was equipped with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a huge main living room.

Toto showed you around, holding you close.

"So… I'm assuming you'll be spending your time sleeping next to me, in my bed, right?" Toto asked carefully.

You chuckle and turn around, facing him. "It's not like I haven't done that before."

Both you and Toto were tired and soon got ready for bed. As you get in under the covers, you make yourself comfortable and wait for Toto to join you, which he does, with a certain urgency.

He hovers halfway over you, and places a soft kiss on your forehead. You lean into the kiss and look up at him, he looks like a true god like this.

"God, there's so much I want to do with you… To experience with you, Y/N."

"Show me, then." You urge him.

"Someday, I will."

And with that, both of you fall asleep.

You wake up before Toto and pry yourself free from his tight grip, making him frown and search for your lost body in his sleep.

You take a quick shower and get yourself ready for the day, rocking a floral sundress you knew Toto would love.

As you step out of the bathroom, Toto is sitting on the edge of the bed, buttoning up his white shirt. When he sees you, he gets up and walks up to you.

"Let me help you with that." You say and start working the buttons.

Toto smiles at you and grabs your hips. "Good morning, Y/N. You look so beautiful, I'm so happy you came here."

You finish up breakfast and get to the track, meeting up with Lewis again. Today, the garage was buzzing with people of all sorts. Mechanics, celebrities and fans were squashed together. And then there was you and Toto, and while he held you close, protecting you from accidental blows and rude comments, you still felt uncomfortable.

Luckily, Toto had arranged for you to stay close to him and follow the race from a peaceful spot.

You celebrated with the whole garage as George finished 3rd and Lewis finished 5th, both scoring valuable points.

Toto runs up to you, and easily lifts you up into his arms. Then, out of nowhere, he catches your lips in a deep kiss. This was the first time he showed affection in public and it took you by surprise. Feeling lost and flushed, he sets you down again.

"Congrats Toto, I know this means a lot to you." You say.

Mercedes had two rough past seasons behind them, so even if it was just a 3rd and 5th place, the whole garage celebrated as if it was a victory.

"Would you like to go out for dinner later?" He asks, "I'll have you driven back to the hotel, and I will be back after the briefings."

As you get back to the suite, you take a quick shower to freshen up. The cool water is a welcome feeling on your overheating body. You fix yourself up, apply some light makeup, and do your hair. You choose a flowy black dress, which accentuates your figure perfectly.

"Y/N?" Toto calls out.

"In here!" You yell.

He finds you and stops in his tracks, taking the sight of you in.

"Y/N… You're exquisite." He says as he gives you a quick kiss. He takes your hand and leads you out to the balcony of the suite. You stand at the railing and enjoy the view as Toto places himself behind you, he presses himself against you and traps you in place with both his hands on each side of you.

"For you, my love." He says as he hands you the box.

"Toto." You warn him, not wanting him to spoil you too often.

"Just open it, Y/N. You deserve it." He urges.

And when you inevitably open the box, you're met with the most beautiful diamond earrings you've ever seen.

You take a moment to just take in what you're holding.

"You, Y/N, are going to wear these tonight." He explains, helping you put them on, them fitting you perfectly. You look and feel expensive.

You wait for Toto to finish his shower while you admire the gemstones hanging from your ears.

Because you're in Jeddah, you decide on Middle Eastern food for the night.

Toto knows the city very well and takes you to one of the best-rated restaurants.

You spend the evening in a booth of said restaurant, babbling away.

As soon as you step into the hotel room, Toto's hands and lips are on you. He keeps a slow pace, making sure to not hurry.

You follow his lead, kissing him back and caressing his arms, slowly moving to his chest.

You part the kiss and look at his deep brown eyes, panting. "I want you, Toto."

Your words switch something on in Toto's brain. You'd never been that straightforward with him before, asking for him.

He picks you up, with you kissing and biting his neck as he walks you to the bedroom, making him groan in pain and pleasure.

Toto is a gentleman and lets you down from his arms with much care.

"Can I take this off?" Toto asks as he creeps over the zipper to your dress with his fingers.

Your mind is already failing you, and you nod, thinking it would suffice. Much to Toto's dismay, that is, as he tuts at you. "Words, schatzi."

You're struggling to form a complete sentence, so you settle for a simple "Please."

"Good girl. Doing so well for me already."

This wasn't new for your relationship, you'd done things to each other before but you hadn't gone all the way.

Toto helps you out of the dress and falls to his knees at the sight. Like a starved man, he creeps closer and places kisses on your bare chest, creeping lower and lower down. When he reaches your panties, he looks up with a questioning look, and you nod enthusiastically.

With the confirmation, he leans down to your heat again, grabs the panties with his teeth, and proceeds to pull them down. Looking at him doing this to you of all people, and him enjoying it, was ecstasy. When your pussy comes into view, he lets the panties fall to the floor, giving your mound a feather-light kiss.

You can feel his breath on your lower stomach, and you grab his hair and pull him closer to you. Toto takes it as an invitation to keep going with what he's doing. This time though, he comes closer to your aching core, parting your folds and placing a kiss between them. You're shaking at this point and Toto takes notice. Standing was starting to become hard.

"Y/N, sit down on the edge of the bed."

You do as you're told and sit on the edge of the bed with your hands in your lap.

You follow Toto's movements as he takes his shirt and pants off, leaving only his underwear on.

When he creeps closer to you, your hands reach out for him.

You frown when he stops just of your reach.

"What do you want, Y/N? Come get it." He says.

You sigh, and get up on your knees. You bend forward and pull on his hands, guiding him to you. This must have been thought out ahead of time because your face ends up where Toto's bulging length is. Your mouth waters at the sight and you look up at him, asking for permission.

"Go ahead, Y/N."

You place your hands on his chest and slide them lower down, passing by his nipples, abs, and crotch.

As your hand touches his cock through the fabric, it twitches, and Toto lets out a small grunt.

You tease and pass by the lining of his underwear, grabbing it and pulling down on them slowly, just to let go. You start palming his cock and Toto barely keeps control over himself. You can see that vein in his temple, and it's about to pop.

As you slowly pull his underwear again, intending to tease him further, you drag them a little too low and his manhood slides out.

You look at it with big eyes, thinking how it's ever going to fit in you.

You softly grab it and steer it towards your mouth. You lick the head of his cock slowly and look up at him. He looks at you with such admiration in his eyes that you can feel yourself creaming between your legs.

Toto grabs your hair and pulls it into a makeshift ponytail.

"Open up." He demands.

You open up for his length and you're able to take a fourth of him until you start to gag. Toto doesn't press you further but keeps the pace for you. You grab the rest of him with your hands and start pumping him at the same time.

Toto must have been so close because he pulls you off and gently takes your hands into his. Bending down, he kisses you deeply, helping you lie down on the bed. He follows and lies down beside you, with half of his body on top.

"Can I mount you?" He asks.

Now this, this was new. He'd never been on top of you before.

"Y-yes." You whisper, barely audible.

"Don't be scared, Y/N. You're doing so well, do you want me?"

You scoff at his question, "Of course, Toto. It's just, I'm scared it'll hurt."

"I know you're scared, that's why I'm asking if you're sure you want to do this with me. There's nothing I want more right now, but if you're not comfortable, I'm ready to wait. With that said, I can't promise it won't hurt, but I will be as careful as I possibly can.

You process his words carefully.

"O-okay." You stutter, "I'm ready."

Toto smiles at you and hovers over you. He leans in and licks your lips and you grant him access to your mouth. He kisses you deeply and wrestles with your tongue for dominance.

His hands slide down your sides and stop at your hips, lifting them up giving him easier access to your warm and pulsating heat. His mouth leaves marks everywhere it comes into contact with, making you moan.

Now it's his turn to tease you. He goes down, sucking on your tits and nipples, leaving kisses on your stomach, leaving lovebites on your thighs and kissing the insides of your thighs, moving from one leg to another without touching you where you needed him most.

"Please, Toto, need you!" You beg.

"Patience, love." He tells you off.

He keeps admiring and praising your body for what feels like forever. Finally, you feel a kiss on your mound, followed by a lick along your drenched slit.

The feeling makes you buck your hips, making him grab your hips with his arms and hold you down.

He starts eating you out at such an unforgiving pace that you cum almost instantly. He lets you calm down before he adds a finger and it slides inside you easily. He starts pumping it slowly, pressing it up against your G-spot.

"Oh god, Toto!" You exclaim.

He adds another finger and he watches as your eyes roll back.

Another finger, the stretch feels uncomfortable at first but you get used to it fast. Especially since he keeps his mouth on your clit. Deeming you ready for him, he hovers over you.

"Ready to do this with me, liebe?"

You start nodding but remember his demand.

"Yes, please Toto, take it slow?" You ask.

"I'll be as careful as I can, Y/N. I promise."

And with that said, he lines himself up with you and starts pressing on your entrance. You feel yourself opening up slightly and tense up, pushing his tip out again.

"Relax for me, Y/N. Deep breaths."

He instructs you on your breathing while he presses his tip in. You yelp at the feeling but quickly calm down as Toto starts caressing your cheek and encouraging you.

"You're taking my cock so well schatzi."

"Breath for me."

"Look at you, so beautiful beneath me."

"Those earrings look so good on you, I knew it was a good investment."

He'd shower you with compliments and affection which made the pain a little more manageable.

You gasp in pain as you feel your entrance giving way to his huge member.

"I'm sorry for hurting you, liebling."

As he pushes himself in a little bit further, you writhe in pain.

But then, when he starts pulling back and slowly pushing in, further each time, it feels good.

You moan in unison when he bottoms out within you. The pain has subsided and all you feel now is pure pleasure.

Toto pumps into you at a relentless pace, making you see stars and yelling out your second orgasm.

"Ride me?" He asks and you follow his lead as he bends backwards, ending up on his back. Without parting, you start riding him, slowly at first, but increasing the pace as you get more comfortable.

Toto is massaging and kissing your tits as you look each other deep in the eyes. This position is giving him easy access to your clit, tits, and your ass.

"I'm cumming, Y/N…" He says as he grabs your hips and starts pistoning his hips into you.

You watch his contorted face as he cums deep inside you, painting your walls white with his seed.

He kisses your face languidly as botho of you catch your breath, and you process what just happened.

"I'm so sorry I had you wait for almost a year before we did this." You admit.

"I guess we have a lot of catching up to do then." Toto smirks at you.

"Now, wait here." He instructs as he hurries off to the bathroom.

When you hear rippling you decide to disobey his orders and follow him to the bathroom.

As you turn the corner, you see Toto running a bath.

"Thought you might want to clean yourself up. Here, I'll help you." He says as he helps you into the warm water. He stays with you, assisting with the loofah and leaving kisses on your body.

After a while Toto sinks down behind you, enjoying the warm water as much as you. You spend your evening there, just soaking and talking. When you get up, Toto helps drying you off and wraps you up in a bathrobe.

"Thank you for tonight, Toto."

"Thank you, Y/N. We need to do this again, soon."

This was the definition of love. No way you could go back to your ordinary life after this.

[roosterforme]

Okay, but how about the first time Jake and Darling have a fight? How would that go?

I really like your stories bc while it is fiction, I feel like you show every aspect of a relationship, not only the good parts.

🩷

OMG, nonny. I'm swooning. I try to make my stories realistic (as much as they can be for fanfic). Nobody is happy and confident all the time. Everyone is stressed about something. Relationships are hard work, and dealing with someone else is sometimes weird and annoying. So thank you, I appreciate that so much.

Jake and Darlin' argue all the time about all the small things in life. They have different opinions on a lot of things, but it's never usually anything they remember by the next day. I think their first big fight would happen shortly after she moves in with him, just after she graduates from school and starts her new job. (angsty below).

"I had the longest day at work," you muttered, shoveling the last bite of the dinner Jake made into your mouth. You set your fork down and stretched as you stood. This whole week was dragging. You realized you were probably complaining more than usual, but you were just over it. "Let's go take a bath and just go to bed. I'll clean up tomorrow morning."

Jake looked at you, his lips pressed into a firm line. "Go ahead. I'll clean it up."

You reached for his hand, but he was already stacking the plates. "You cooked. I don't want you to clean up. I'll do it later," you reiterated.

"Just go get in the bath," he snapped, carrying everything back to the kitchen.

"I don't want to take a bath without you!"

Jake dumped everything into the sink and spun around. "You're not the only one who's working full-time, but you're certainly acting like it."

With narrowed eyes, you asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jake took a deep, practiced breath and let it out slowly. "I know you're tired, but it would be nice for you to acknowledge that I work longer hours than you do. So just go relax in the bath by yourself while I clean up."

"Well, now I don't want to!" You were suddenly so angry, you couldn't see straight, and you also wanted to cry. "You're treating me like a child!"

"You're acting like one."

His words hurt you more than a slap across your cheek would have, and your jaw dropped open. But then his next sentence made it even worse.

"In my house no less."

"Wow," you gasped, turning and running toward the bedroom as you started crying. It wasn't like you weren't paying to be here. You knew it wasn't much, but you had been insistant about giving Jake five hundred dollars per month. And for what? So he could act like you were an unwanted guest?

You ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind you before you curled up on the tub mat on the floor and sobbed. Work wasn't like school. Trying to figure out how you fit in with your coworkers was exhausting, and you were still learning all the ropes. You drove back here every day mentally drained, and up until tonight, Jake was always the one who seemed willing to listen. You should have just cleaned up the kitchen, because now you felt like you didn't belong anywhere.

"Darlin'." Jake's voice was as sharp as his knock on the door. You tried to dry your tears, but it wasn't working, and maybe you really were a child compared to your boyfriend. "Darlin'!"

"It's not even locked!" you shouted, but it came out as weak as you felt. Jake opened the door, and in an instant, he was curled up on the floor with you, pulling you into his arms.

"Fuck. I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I acted like an asshole." You tried to wriggle away from him, but he wouldn't let you. "I think I'm more exhausted this week than I'd like to admit, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

In spite of the fact that you were on the floor crying, you mustered up the courage to whisper, "I'm not a child."

"You're an adult," he said firmly. "An adult who just started a very impressive job. You're holding it together better than I did when I was in flight school." He kissed your forehead. "And you're absolutely right. We should have just climbed in our bathtub and then gone right to our bed. The fucking dishes do not matter right now. They can sit in our kitchen sink until whenever the fuck we feel like cleaning up."

Jake rubbed slow, soothing circles against your lower back until you were all cried out. If you thought you were tired before, it was nothing compared to how wrung out you felt now. You wanted to put forth a peace offering and just get up and clean the kitchen, but his lips were on your damp cheek and his voice was in your ear. "I love you, Darlin'. It has been a long week for both of us. I would like nothing more than to climb in a hot bath with you, relax until the water gets cold, and then get in our bed and go to sleep."

You nodded and started the water while he got two towels ready, and then both of you undressed. Jake kissed your bare shoulder and held you while the tub filled. "You belong here," he whispered. "I don't want you anywhere other than our house."

[measuredingold]

more cuddling with noah, but written properly 🥲 very short so i’m not considering this a fic so no word count and will probably tag this as a headcanon <3 anyways enjoy

cw/tw: fluff fluff fluff that’s literally it

A sigh from the top of the stairs breaks you out of your doom scrolling, eyes looking up from your phone to find Noah already staring at you.

His brows were furrowed and lips set in a deep frown, and the bags under his eyes made it clear he's been up a lot longer than you realized. Your eyes drop to your phone again to check the time, finding yourself frowning that it's well into the evening, and this is your first time seeing Noah since breakfast.

You look up. "Hi baby."

He sighs again before trudging down the steps, and you can practically see the heaviness of whatever is on his mind weighing on him. You shift on the couch to get in a much more comfortable position, back pressed into the cushions, and your arms opening once Noah gets closer to you. He gently falls onto you with a groan before wrapping his arms around your middle the best he can.

"Hi." He mumbles, face burying against the crook of your neck. One of your hands immediately finds a way to his hair, fingers carding through it while the other rests on his back.

"What's up?"

You feel his body slowly start to melt into yours, burrowing himself closer to you. You shiver at the feeling of his hands sliding up under your shirt, cool to the touch.

"Can't get this one part right." His voice is muffled against your neck and you can barely understand him, but don't bother moving him. You know this is the first time all day he's been semi-relaxed. "Pissing me off."

"Take a break, honey."

"I am." Noah groans. "Right now. Gimme like... 10 minutes, then I'll head back up."

You laugh softly, scratching at his scalp gently before smoothing down his hair. "You need a much longer break than that. How long have you been at it?"

"Uh..." It takes much longer for him to respond, brain probably fried from staring at his screen for so long. "Sometime this morning?"

"I figured that much. You were working before I even got up."

"Needed to get a head start on it." He yawns loudly then and tries to snuggle his body closer to yours, fingers digging into the skin at your sides.

"You can work on it tomorrow." You can't stop the frown forming on your lips, hand running up and down his back. "When was the last time you ate something?"

"...This morning."

"Noah."

"I knooow." It comes out as a whine and you can't help but laugh again, turning your head to press a kiss to the side of his head. "I forgot. Too caught up in the song. I didn't realize how much time had passed until like, 30 minutes ago."

"Want me to make you something? Or takeout?"

Another long moment of silence follows your question, and you think briefly that maybe he had already fallen asleep, the exhaustion catching up to him. Eventually you hear him make a noise and wiggle his body closer to yours, nose pressing against the base of your neck.

"...Takeout?"

"We can do that. Chinese?" Noah nods against you. "Want me to order it now?"

"In a second." He sighs out and you can't help but shiver at the feeling of his breath against your neck. "I just wanna lay here for a while longer."

You practically melt at his words and your hand drops from his hair to wrap your arms around him fully. You wish it was under better circumstances, but you loved whenever he was in one of these moods. Where he needed to be as close to you as possible, practically needing to live in your skin to feel somewhat sane. You squeeze him to your chest, feeling him try to wiggle his way closer to you.

"Whatever you want, my love."

He practically purrs at that and your face flushes when you feel the brush of his lips against your skin.

"Thank you." He murmurs in response before relaxing against your chest again, letting out a deep sigh you think he's been holding in.

You don't say anything, just squeeze him tighter to you as you both lay there in silence, basking in the comfort of each other.

[radishaur]

༄ kind words ༄

Warnings: mentions of unwelcome advances in Law's part Genre: fluff Characters: Luffy, Zoro, & Law Summary: How they realize they have feelings for you (words of affirmation edition) Author's Note: It's finally here! These keep getting longer and longer as I get more familiar with each character and the dynamic, especially Law's, but I don't think that's too much of an issue. I also kind of hate Luffy's but couldn't keep redoing it, so maybe I'll edit it later. Happy reading as I begin working on the next part!

masterlist

Luffy is great at giving compliments because he just says whatever he's thinking.

He gets complimented a lot as well. He's always running around and saving people, intentionally or not, so he's probably heard his fair share of compliments. I think hearing a compliment that's more deep and genuine, that comes from someone who knows him deeply, would be more meaningful than anything and would make him recognize his feelings.

~

Not every day on the Sunny was a fun adventure.

Setting out to sail across the whole world and strive for their individual goals there was bound to be hardship. Sometimes it came in the form of grueling battles with their latest enemy. Other times it was internal conflicts or disputes, simple disagreements or heated arguments.

This time, it was grief.

After so many months traveling together, the crew had learned how to tell when one of them was upset about something and needed space. Today, it had been Nami. For the past few days, her mood had been off. She'd been more quick to anger and had spent more time than was strictly necessary tending to her orange trees. Then today, she'd been even worse, snapping at Sanji's normal overbearing lovey behavior and brooding to herself under the shade of her grove.

It didn't take him long to realize what was bothering her.

Nami only ever got like this when she was thinking about Bellemere, which meant today must be the anniversary of when everything happened. The crew had spent most of the day giving her her space, allowing her to process what she was very clearly feeling. After a while, he took it upon himself to cheer her up. He made silly faces and played some of her favorite games on the deck, goading her into joining them by making bets he knew he would lose. He'd even secretly asked Sanji to incorporate oranges into their dinner. By the end of the night, Nami was laughing and she seemed a lot lighter, like whatever was weighing her down had lessened some.

Now, it was late at night, and the only sounds that could be heard on the Sunny were the lapping of waves against the ship and the snores of his crew as they slept. All except for him.

Sleep was avoiding him, so he decided that he would be much better off just joining whoever was on watch and maybe having some fun. He made his way up to the crow's nest and was happy to find you sitting on the bench, looking out across the sea.

"Oh, hi Luffy," you said, your voice quiet.

"Hi!" he said, sitting excitedly next to you on the bench as you looked out across the sea once more. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to come out and have some fun!"

You smiled, always amused by his antics.

"Well, unfortunately, there's no fun here. I'm on watch, remember?"

He pouted, knowing you were right but still disappointed anyways. You laughed at him as he whined and complained, but he didn't actually intend on distracting you, so after a while, he quieted down and let you focus.

"I hope Nami is feeling better," you said, resting your head on the arm you propped up on the window. You were frowning slightly, your eyes unfocused as your worry made itself visible on your face.

"She'll be ok, she's Nami! She's strong," he replied, no doubt in his mind that tomorrow she would be the same old Nami she had always been. "She might be sad now, but it's not forever. She has us to help her."

You hummed in agreement, a small smile on your face. He smiled himself, happy to see you smiling instead of with a frown on your face. He felt so lucky to have found a group who cared so deeply about each other.

"All that stuff you did today. It was to cheer her up, wasn't it."

You said it like a statement more than a question and he found himself smiling at how observant you were. "You figured it out. You're so smart!"

You laughed at him once again, his own laughter joining you as you said, "Of course I did. I know you wouldn't have made those bets under normal circumstances."

They had been stupidly dumb bets that left no chance for him to win and he found himself giggling as he remembered how Nami had perked up upon hearing him agree to them. He loved his crew more than anything, so what was a few beri down the drain? Your laughter subsided as you got lost in thought once more. You seemed like you were debating saying something and when you seemed to have made up your mind, he found himself sitting up straighter as you turned to look at him.

"You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for," you said, a small smile on your face and a playful admiration in your eyes.

He's not quite sure what to say to that. He's always been called stupid and to everyone's credit, he is. He doesn't think very often, preferring to act on instinct and figure out the rest of the plan later. He's been known to not read the room, to zone out during important world lessons, and to shout out the first thing that comes to mind. He doesn't think anyone has ever called him smart and for the first time in maybe his whole life, he's speechless.

"I guess that's probably not what you were expecting me to say, huh?" you teased, a light smile making its way onto your face.

He collects himself and asks, slightly incredulously, the question that's first in his mind. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, you just told me you did all that stuff to cheer Nami up, right? Someone stupid wouldn't be able to put together why she was upset and what would make her feel better. You pay attention when it counts and you're a lot more emotionally intelligent than people realize," you explain, relaxing slightly as you look out at the ocean once more. "Today it was Nami, but I've watched you help lots of people like that. Vivi, Robin, Sanji, even me. Maybe you don't say it out loud, but you pick up on people's emotions and what they need the most in that moment."

He listens as you talk and slowly realizes that you're right. He's always had a way of reading people and knowing what they really want or need, but he's never really connected it to intelligence. He always thought it was just his own special kind of stupid.

"I guess that makes me a genius!" he exclaimed, laughing heartily as your eyes widened in shock before laughing along with him.

"Maybe you are stupid after all," you say, but there's no malice in the words as you keep laughing at him.

Finally, your watch shift is over and the sun peeks up over the horizon. He'd stayed with you the entire time, just talking and goofing around until he realized how much time had passed and how tired he was. His dreams that night are filled with you and when he wakes up, your words are still floating around in his mind. Knowing that you think he's smart makes him feel funny and he thinks that maybe he should finally turn his ability to recognize people's feelings inward.

Zoro doesn't throw out compliments or encouragement left and right, he only says something if he really means it.

I think he's received his fair share of compliments, although I doubt he puts much stock in them unless they come from someone he respects. If he doesn't think there's any stock in the compliment, or on that same token an insult, why bother giving it attention? For this reason, I think getting a compliment or reassurance from you would rattle him a little and cause him to have an aha moment.

~

The town that the Sunny docked in isn't too interesting to Zoro, aside from the bar he's nestled into for the past few hours. He has a few empty glasses in front of him and he's almost done with his current one when he sees the door open.

He's not surprised when he sees multiple of the crew walk in, quickly noticing him in the corner and making their way to him. You're among them, talking to Robin about something that elicits a small laugh out of her. Begrudgingly, he scoots over and makes room for everyone in his booth as they smoosh in.

"I knew we'd find you here!" you say, the last to slide in so you're right across from him. "Already deep into your drinks, as expected."

"Shut it, woman," he grumbles, his brows furrowing as he finishes his drink and sets the cup down on the table. You laugh, looking at Robin as Usopp reluctantly hands Nami some beri. He feels his eye twitch in irritation as he notices the exchange. "Are you betting on me?"

Usopp gulps at the glare he sends his way and Nami simply smiles, dollar signs practically lighting up in her eyes as she answers, "Yep! I bet that you were already 3 drinks deep and I was right."

"We've barely even arrived! I thought-" Usopp protests, attempting to explain himself.

"You both are insufferable!"

His exclamation elicits another laugh out of you as Robin simply lifts a hand to her mouth to hide the amusement that is no doubt there. He wants to be annoyed, and he is, but he's been traveling with the lot of you for long enough that he can't really be upset, at least that genuinely. He simply huffs, waving down a server to ask for another glass.

The rest leap over each other to order their own drinks, some alcoholic, some not, and fall into easy chatter with each other. Periodically, he catches your eyes and you send him a smile, but he doesn't insert himself in the conversations, much preferring to listen. Eventually, Nami gets tired of just sitting in the bar and decides to go shopping. Usopp and Robin decide to accompany her, but you decide to stay behind. You wave, watching them go as he takes his previous spot in the booth back.

"Not in the shopping mood?" he asks, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.

"No, I'd much rather stay here with my favorite swordsman," you tease. He bristles, knowing that you're just poking him for fun, but he can't stop himself from blushing, taking a long sip from his glass to hide the blush he can feel on his cheeks.

"You're worse than that damn cook," he mumbles, his glass now sufficiently empty.

You laugh at that.

"Now that's just a lie."

He can't deny that, the corner of his lips twisting up into a smile. He's spent enough time traveling with you to know that you don't act like that with everyone, just him. The notion that you reserve this behavior for just him is both agitating and yet satisfying. He feels something possessive lick at his heart but ignores it, waving at the server for yet another drink.

He asks you about what you've been up to on the island since they docked and you happily tell him all about it. It hasn't been long so you don't have much to say and it isn't long before the two of you fall into a comfortable silence. After a while, you finally talk again and it's not what he's expecting.

"I know you'll become the greatest swordsman, Zoro."

He sputters, the sip he was taking spilling all over himself as he coughs, trying to catch his breath. He can feel his ears heating up with embarrassment and sputters, "Where the hell did that come from?"

When you look at him, your face is set in firm determination, but your eyes are soft, filled with a fondness he wishes you would direct at him more often.

"Those pirates we fought yesterday," you explain.

He thinks for a moment before he's reminded of what you're referring to. On their way to this island, they had run into a rival ship following the same course. While they hadn't intended to battle them, the ship fired at them as soon as they were in range, so they had no other choice. He remembers the fight being fairly easy, each member of the crew handling their fair share of pirates.

He also remembers one of their crew having some rather nasty words to say to him.

"You're delusional if you think you can become the greatest swordsman," he had spat, struggling to breathe. "You'll see it eventually. Even if you won this battle, you'll never achieve your dream."

He hadn't paid much attention to the words. He was confident in his own abilities and his opponent had been defeated easily, so there wasn't any point in taking his words to heart. He hadn't thought anyone was close enough to hear it and he certainly hadn't brought it up, quickly forgetting about it.

He smirked then, letting the full force of his pride show in the grin as he said, "That loser wouldn't know what it takes to be the greatest swordsman even if it smacked him in the face."

"That doesn't make any sense," you say, your face wrinkling as you giggle at his statement.

He takes another sip as your laughter dies out.

"I'm not worried about what a crap swordsman has to say about me and my dream," he says, his voice a lot more serious now as he thinks about the promise he made all those years ago. "I will become the world's greatest swordsman or die trying."

"You'll do it. I know you will."

You don't say anything after that, seemingly having said everything you intended to, but your words linger with him. The thought that you had heard the man's words and felt it was important enough to dispute them made his heart feel weird. He had never doubted himself, even when he maybe should have. He'd always been sure that his will, determination, and hard work would take him to exactly where he was supposed to be. Still, hearing your words of encouragement, hearing your genuine belief in his ability, it affected him in a way he wasn't expecting.

"You will too," he says, his voice barely above a murmur.

A few seconds go by where you don't say anything and he wonders if you'd even heard him, but one glance at you tells him that you had. You're not looking at him, your eyes averted as if you're embarrassed and your lips are curved into a small, satisfied smile. The sight makes his heart stop and he almost goes to clutch his chest before the feeling quickly passes.

Before the moment can linger, you're shooting back into conversation with him. Despite his best efforts to pay attention, he finds that his attention is drawn back again and again to your words. He knows that the crew believes in his dreams just as much as he believes in theirs. It's part of why he's so willing to protect their dreams just as fiercely as his own, but for some reason knowing that you believe in him so much really sticks with him.

He thinks about it for the rest of the day as well as late into the night when they're all back on the Sunny and setting off for the next island. He doesn't like being distracted, so he mulls over why your compliment holds so much weight for him. He values your opinion, but you're also not a swordsman, so theoretically there shouldn't be that much weight to your words. When he finally realizes, it feels like everything clicks into place and so many things start to make sense.

He acts like nothing has changed, wanting time to sit with the feelings before he decides what to do about them, but he finds it hard now that he understands the full weight of his regard for you.

Law rarely ever gives out compliments, rather preferring to show how he feels with his actions.

I think he receives a few compliments here and there, but he's built an intimidating presence and image, so I think they're far and few between. However, I think if you took him off guard with a meaningful compliment, especially if its one that he hasn't heard before, it would make him start to think about his feelings towards you.

~

"Captain, we have a problem."

Law sighs, all of the worst-case scenarios running through his mind as he turns to face Sachi. They're docked at a port town so that they can restock the Polar Tang, preparing for another few weeks underwater. It's familiar and something that the crew should be familiar with by this point. They have a routine, a schedule that rarely changes, that details who goes with who to go get what. In theory, it should go perfectly smoothly.

It never does.

"What is it, Sachi?" he asks, his grip on Kikoku tightening slightly as Sachi walks up to him with the list of crewmates and jobs in hand.

"Well, you said that nobody is allowed to go alone into town right? For safety?" he asks, only resuming once Law has hummed in agreement. "Right, well uh, unfortunately, Penguin is sick today which means his partner doesn't have anyone to go with, which wouldn't be an issue since usually we have at least one group of three but, well, they're also sick so-"

Law grumbles under his breath about getting to the damn point, grabbing the sheet from Sachi's hands to just look at the issue himself. Sachi gulps, sensing his irritation, and nervously rubs the back of his neck. The problem becomes clear very easily. His beloved crew had partied a little too hard the last few nights and now two of them were sick, leaving no group of three to split up and someone unaccompanied. He looks for Penguin's name to see who's alone and feels his heart flutter slightly when he sees your name scrawled out next to it.

"Our only two options are to either make one group get two things, which would set us back at least an hour, or...," Sachi says, trailing off slightly. The unspoken second option is clear. Law always spend their restock days on the ship. The higher his bounty gets, the higher the chance that he gets recognized, so he always finds it easier and safer for him to stay behind.

"I'll go," he relents, watching as the tension in Sachi's shoulders dissipates.

"Great. Thanks, Captain!"

Sachi disappears before he can change his mind. He sighs, looking around the collection of his crew until he finally finds you in the mix. He makes his way over, watching as you converse with Bepo, catching the very end of your sentence.

"-seems like I'll be alone today. Sachi said he would look into it, but everyone already has their pairs so I don't know who could take his place."

"That would be me," he answers, watching as both Bepo and you finally notice his approach.

"Oh! Uh, are you sure? Don't you usually spend the day on the Tang doing research?" you ask.

He ignores your improper name for the Polar Tang as he explains the situation to you. You nod, smiling as you say, "I see. Well, I'm glad to have your company then, Captain!"

He's taken aback by your words but decides to just move forward instead of dwelling on them, so he turns around and shouts, "Let's go."

"Shouldn't you probably change?"

He stops, looking down at his attire as you add, "As much as it suits you, it doesn't really hide the fact that you're a pirate, let alone our Captain."

He can't really argue with that. The Heart Pirates logo is front and center on his shirt and Kikaku is certainly not doing him any favors either. He tells you to wait and then quickly shambles himself into his room to change. He has to dig really deep in his closet before he finds a shirt that doesn't have his symbol front and center, but once he does he leaves Kikaku leaning against his wall and shambles back up to you.

By the time he's changed and came back, most of his crew is gone. You're quicker to notice him this time as a result and the two of you finally head into town.

"What are we in charge of?" he asks, stuffing his hands into his pockets now that they're not holding his sword.

"We're in charge of the medicinal herbs, Captain," you answer.

"Just Law is fine," he says, his hand fidgeting slightly as he adds, "No use in me changing if you're just going to use my title."

He sees you smile softly out of the corner of his eyes. "Right. Law it is, then."

His ears burn slightly as you say his name so effortlessly, but he brushes it off quickly and continues into town. It's not hard to find the store you're looking for and he lets you take the lead as you begin listing off the various herbs you need. It's not long before the two of you are walking through town once more, heading towards the submarine.

"Oh, look! That art is gorgeous."

He stops walking as he turns to look at what you're pointing at. There's a small stall in the marketplace's square that's selling paintings of all different sizes and mediums. He sees your eyes light up as you look at them and isn't surprised when you say, "Wait here, I'm going to go buy one."

He huffs, leaning against the wall of a nearby building where he can see the stall. He'd like to pretend that today had purely been an inconvenience, but he can't find it in himself to be that upset. While it was inconvenient that he wasn't able to spend the time studying the most recent medical book he had been interested in, the day had been pleasant. You'd made pleasant conversation with him while walking in town and your bright demeanor always seems to calm him down.

He looks back over to the stall, curious about what painting had caught your eyes, but feels his heart jolt when he doesn't see any sign of you. He stands up to his full height, hoping to catch any glimpse of you, but he still doesn't see anything. He curses to himself for letting his guard down and allowing you to somehow slip away and starts searching for you with his observation haki.

He picks up your signature in an alleyway and feels his gut churning. Not wanting to draw attention to himself by using his devil fruit powers, he quickly makes his way to where you are. As he gets closer, he hears you pleading with someone.

"Look, I'm really not interested and I have someone waiting for me, so-"

"Surely I can show you a better time than them, hm?"

He doesn't recognize the second voice but he doesn't need to to know what's going on. He feels anger burn in him as he finally turns a corner and sees a guy caging your body against the wall with both of his arms.

"I already told you, I'm not looking for that. Please let me go," you say, your hands clutching the bag of herbs you'd bought earlier as well as what looks to be whatever painting you had bought at the stall. He also sees the man take a step closer and open his mouth to talk, so he takes the opportunity to interrupt.

"You heard them," he says, his voice like venom as he enunciates, "Let them go."

The man looks at him, sizing him up as he takes a step back and lets his arms drop. "What are you, a good samaritan? Buzz off," he scoffs, turning his head back to you, clearly intending to ignore him.

He doesn't know what comes over him as he finds himself stepping closer and punching the man square on the side of his face. The man, clearly caught off guard, stumbles slightly. He doesn't give him any time to recover as he steps forward, putting himself in between you and the man whose face was now swelling up.

"What the hell?" he shouts, cradling his face as he finally catches his balance.

He can see the punch coming but knows that you're standing right behind him, so he only shifts slightly so that the punch only hits him in the shoulder. A moment afterward, it dawns on him that he can just get rid of the man, so he does.

"You're lucky I don't have my sword, or you'd be getting much worse than this," he seethes, holding his hand out as he says his classic phrase and sends the man shambling into the ocean. In his place, a mossy stone drops to the ground, echoing in the now almost empty alleyway.

When he turns around, you're staring at him speechless. He frowns slightly as he gives you a once over, checking for any visible signs of harm.

"I'm ok," you finally say, your voice shaky before you cough slightly and repeat, voice calm, "I'm ok. Just unnerved."

He doesn't take his chances and calls another room, switching you both closer to the Polar Tang. His guilt at letting you out of his sight and allowing this guy to drag you off eats at him as the two of you approach the ship. Once inside, he shambles the two of you to his examination room, pointing to the table and saying, "Sit. I want to check for injuries with the proper equipment."

You don't fight him as you make your way towards the table. You're still holding the bag and the painting until he gently takes them from you, placing them next to you on the table.

"I'm really ok La- I mean Captain," you begin, correcting yourself back to his title now that it's just the two of you.

He finds himself missing his name from you but keeps the comment to himself. He's supposed to be checking you for injuries. He's supposed to be assessing your well-being, which is only in question because of his own negligence. He frowns to himself and continues to check you for injuries without answering.

You let him, still assuring him that you're fine, that he only grabbed your arm for a moment at the stall, but he doesn't stop until he's sure that there's nothing wrong.

He sighs, finally stepping back from the table. His guilt still eats at him regardless as he goes over everything he did wrong. "I'm sorry, I should have been watching more carefully. No, I should have just come with you."

You simply smile at him in response and say, "It's my fault. I was the one who stepped away."

He doesn't have anything to say to that. He knows it's true, you did step away despite it being an explicit rule not to, but he can't deny his part in it as well. He curls his fists as the silence continues.

"Why didn't you dodge his punch?" you ask, your voice quiet.

He's surprised by the question, but also by how quickly his cheeks warm up at his answer. He looks off to the side, hiding behind his hat as he says, "You were right behind me. If I moved, he would have just punched you."

You have the audacity to laugh, loud and full as if he had just told you the funniest joke you'd ever heard and he can't help but scowl.

"You know," you start, laughter still floating in your voice, "For someone with such a cold exterior, you sure are kind."

The compliment catches him off guard. His face whips towards you as his eyes open in shock, the faint blush now burning bright red across his whole face. He meets your eyes and he doesn't see any hint of a joke.

He's heard himself called a lot of things. Scary, cold, bitter, even downright malicious, but never kind. It sends shivers up his spine as the word settles somewhere under his skin. You think he's kind. Kind.

"You're my subordinate. I'm not being kind, I'm just doing my job as your Captain," he corrects, not wanting you to misunderstand his intentions.

Your laugh this time is softer, more full of fondness, but it rustles him all the same. "You really are kind though," you insist. He's not ready for you to continue, barely able to handle the few words you've said, but that's never stopped you before. "I think you care a lot more than you want us to think. You wouldn't worry so much otherwise. Besides, you're always going out of your way to protect us. I think that makes you kind."

He doesn't know what to say, so he tries to navigate back into familiar territory. He takes a deep breath and calms his nerves, grabbing the bag of medical herbs from your side and turning around to begin putting them away. "Well, since I've checked and you don't have any injuries, there's no reason for you to stay."

He hears you shuffling around as he begins unpacking the herbs from the bag and chances a glance over at you one more time. He regrets it immediately.

You're looking at him like you can see right through him. You have your painting tucked under your arm as you look over your shoulder at him in the doorway and you're still smiling at him as if he didn't just ignore your comment and dismiss you rather rudely. It makes his heart ache, wanting to prove you right. To prove that he is kind, that he's worthy of your opinion of him, that he's worthy of your praise.

"Thank you, Captain. I enjoyed your company today."

With that, you disappear down the hallway, presumably back to your shared room to hang up your new picture. He stares at the spot you left long after you've gone, your words echoing in his mind. They rattle around in his heart until they finally settle, leaving a warm comfort he didn't know he craved.

You think he's kind.

That thought plagues his mind for the rest of the day. His guilt is completely forgotten, his mind too consumed by your compliment to make any room for it. He finds himself unable to even focus on reading the medical book that night that he missed out on reading earlier. Your words and the simple fact that you truly believed them chip away at his resolve until he finally has to come to terms with why it affects him so much. He mumbles your name, his hand clutching his heart as it beats, solidifying what he'd been ignoring for a long, long time now.

ღ radishaur — i do not own any of these characters. do not plagiarize. please enjoy and remember to be respectful! 

[moirindeclermont]

Thank you for all the feel better wishes... I'm not out of it but at least I don't have a fever, so 50/50. But believe it or not, I did end up thinking about tonight's episode of "all Polin's first times we didn't see", specifically Colin being sick and Pen has to take care of him (tomorrow I'll do Pen's too)

Thing is, Colin is an absolute baby when he is sick. He is in bed, feverish, and he can't lose sight for his wife for a second.

"Pen, where are you going?";

"Pen, I need you"; "Pen, please stay here"; and she ends up writing in their bedroom, because Colin is insufferable otherwise. She sends away his valet, she is enough to deal with this (although secretly she loves taking care of him).

Then, he starts to request thing. "Can you ask my mother to bring some of Cooks soup?", "Can you make the sun not so bright?" And he is always so dramatic about it.

"I can't eat Pen, I'm going to die soon," as if half of his siblings didn't get it already and are fine now (she has to as Kate though if Anthony is such a big baby as well).

"Pen I can't sleep," he is saying and she goes to sit on the bed next to him. "I'll stay here with you for a while, it's that okay?"

He whines. "Can you get on top me?"

"Why?"

"I want a wife-shaped blanket," and she looks at him "really, Colin?"

He just looks at her with his best puppy eyes.

"Okay okay," she dressed down to her chemise and gets on top of him, "I'm sure it's not a comfortable way to sleep, Colin" but he just sigh in contentment.

"That's perfect, Pen. Thank you"

Turns out they both fall asleep in minutes.

They woke up in the same position, Colin's erection poking her.

"Really, Colin?"

"I don't think I can do much, but the flash is willing Pen"

She takes her chemise out, Colin's hand goes to her chest but she slaps him out of it "you are sick, rest" and, for once, he obeys her. She takes his peen out, returning to her blanket position to use her hips to stimulate them both, until she is wet enough that it slips into her without effort. They both moan at that.

Their movements are slow and deep, Colin can only graps her hips but does nothing to increase the speed or the pressure. They could literally stay like that forever. It's Pen that, after a while, does stand up and fast things up... Until he comes inside her with a whine.

"Pen, come here,I'll make you come," but she just laugh at him "you can't even breath, Colin. Don't worry about it. I'll take of myself and when I get sick you get to return the favor."

He is already sleeping by the time she finish that sentence (she does take care of it quickly on her own, finally she had time to write!)

[barracuda-shark-games]

Amis | he/him | 28 years old | bisexual

Notable traits: attentive, bold, gentle, sensitive, loyal, composed

Description

Handpicked from the Dawnguard (the Sunrise Palace’s elite guard) for his steadfastness and integrity, Amis has been assigned to the MC’s protection. He stands at 5’9 (175 cm) and has light brown skin, a stocky athletic build, hazel eyes, and wavy brown hair cut just below his ears. His home country of Korcome, famed for its vineyards, was voluntarily absorbed into the Dawn Empire as recently as 7 years ago. Since Korcome has no quarrel with Arevikland, it was decided that Korcomians would not be drafted into the Dawn Empire’s war with Arevikland. This detail also contributed to Amis’s assignment as the MC's personal bodyguard. Amis takes pride in his duties and has an optimistic outlook on life that some might consider naive. Don’t be fooled, however; Amis is very good at his job and when it becomes necessary, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Trivia

On romance: Of all the ROs, Amis is the most open and honest with his affections. This also puts him in a rather vulnerable position, and it means the consequences of a broken heart would be much more devastating for him…

Favorite food: Soup! Preferably in a bread bowl.

Song: ‘Nothing to be Scared Of’ by Kacey Musgraves

Come to me and drop your bags And I'll help you unpack them You're the only one I want to give my love There's nothing to be scared of

Excerpt

Under the cut for chapter 1 spoilers! Keep in mind that this is a rough draft and, therefore, may be subject to change before chapter 1 releases.

Finally, you think to yourself, some alone time. You take in your surroundings. It appears to be some sort of grand library. The room is large with the back wall mostly taken up by two-story arched windows that keep the place bathed in warm sunlight. The center of the room is occupied by a large, round marble desk laid out with an astrolabe, a globe, an adjustable magnifying tool, a simple golden scale next to a wooden lockbox, various quills and inkpots, and haphazard stacks of books and scrolls. The left and right sides of the room contain identical marble staircases that each lead to balconies housing more bookshelves and sitting areas.

As you scan the shelves on the lower level, you are startled by the sudden unmistakable sound of a vase wobbling and a whispered curse. You turn sharply towards the source and see your bodyguard adjusting a porcelain vase on its stand.

“Clumsy,” he admits with a sheepish grin, indicating himself.

You sigh. “How long have you been here?” you ask him.

He purses his lips in thought. “Hmm… how long have you been here?”

“About five minutes,” you answer.

“There’s your answer,” he says with a pleased smile that makes his hazel eyes sparkle. He folds his hands behind him and rocks back and forth on his feet.

When you let out a groan, his expression turns to a puzzled one. “Is something the matter, Your Grace?” he asks.

“You don’t have to call me that yet, you know,” you point out. “The wedding isn’t until tomorrow.”

He lets out a breezy laugh that echoes throughout the empty library. “I find it’s best to get into the habit now, actually,” he says. “I can be kind of forgetful and scatter-brained, after all.” He points to the vase as evidence.

You raise an eyebrow at him. “Is that why they’ve appointed you to my protection? They figured they’d give the job to the least competent guardsman?”

His smile hardens into something more serious, though no less warm. “I can see how it might seem that way,” he admits. “But I can assure you, my clumsiness in some areas is, if anything, attributable to my focus on protecting you. I’ll let other people worry about the finer details.” He waves a gauntleted hand in a playful dismissal.

“Well, hopefully without breaking anything,” he then adds with a chuckle. But his gaze remains focused intently on you. You passively note that the lighting in this room makes his eyes appear almost golden.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 48 (He Had Him At Hello, Bromance Edition)

Leaving her friends in Old New Henford after dark, Heather, Ash, and Conrad returned to her childhood home with her parents.

They found River and Cassandra still in their work clothes, the two having spent most of the evening trying to get their infant son to sleep. "Doctor Scott says its a phase, it'll pass, but when he doesn't sleep well, we don't sleep well," lamented River. "These days we're thrilled if he sleeps for more than two hours at a time."

Conrad already felt at ease around her siblings, and Heather left them chatting upstairs while her parents showed her the new plants in their always impressive garden. When Michael woke up fussy, she soothed him back to sleep to give his tired parents a break.

Upstairs, River studied Conrad with keen interest. His sister's taste in men had always been a little...off, and he wanted to be sure this one deserved her. "Driving between San Myshuno and Brindleton Bay must not be easy."

"We make it work," said Conrad. "We're waiting for me to get a transfer, but all that driving can be pretty tiring."

"Sometimes I dance just to keep myself awake," said Cass, grooving a little to the music. "Since I left the art studio to help my mother-in-law with her floral business, it's been a bit easier working from home. I never realized the artistry involved in floral arranging, but I can be just as creative with a bouquet of flowers as I can with a palette of acrylics!"

Conrad couldn't relate, but he empathized with their lack of sleep. "I don't know much about raising kids, but Ash likes a story I tell him that my mom used to read to me when I was a kid. The Giving Tree."

"I love that story," Cassandra mused. "I think I saw a copy at the bookstore in the square."

River nodded. "I'll try anything. I'll pick up a copy tomorrow." Despite his fatigue, River's wall crumbled as he got to know Conrad. "What made you think our sister was worth risking your career?"

The question was sincere. Conrad had asked himself the same thing a thousand times. "At first I thought it was because her son needed her more than the Landgraabs needed a win, but then they dropped the charges and I couldn't stop thinking about her. I booked a vet appointment four hours out of the way just to run into her again."

"Why didn't you ask her out, then?"

"River, stop interrogating him," Hazel pushed, but Conrad smiled.

"I wanted to, but I knew she'd been through a lot and I wanted her to be sure she was ready. I sort of knew it would be it for me if I knew she was interested."

"It's a good thing Holly intervened," said Hazel, smiling. "You might still be waiting for her, otherwise."

River grinned. "He definitely would be."

Hazel left to meet Nicola and some friends at the Gnome's Arms, and River and Cassandra finally changed and sat down to dinner. Because they could know no peace, Ash talked their ear off about dinosaurs. "Conerd say t-rex no swim, we safe," he babbled. "T-rex roar!"

"You know there were less scary dinosaurs," River said. "Smaller ones who ate plants. Also big ones. Like brontosaurus."

Ash listened with intense curiosity. "Bront-so-us?"

"Yeah, they were even bigger than your dad's apartment."

Cassandra stifled a laugh. "River, hush."

They were interrupted when Michael woke again from his nap, wailing from the bedroom. With her plate still full of food, Cass left to tend to her son as Heather walked into the kitchen. "We should probably head out. It'll still be an hour on the Simmerloop at this time of night, and we should get Ash to bed before midnight."

Cassandra brought Michael outside for their goodbyes, but the fussy infant didn't last long in the cool autumn air.

River, meanwhile, had found a new best friend in Conrad. "When I found out my sister was dating a cop I wasn't sure what to think, but now I'm pretty confident you've never played bad cop in your life."

Conrad shrugged. "I mean, I don't see the point. It doesn't get me to the truth any faster. But I admire what you and your father do. Building green infrastructure for your community is just as important as what I do."

River laughed. "Please, don't flatter me. You deal with hardened criminals like my sister."

Daisy turned to Heather as they watched River bond with Conrad. "Riv grew up with a house full of sisters, but I think he always secretly wanted a brother."

When Conrad left to get the car, River turned to Heather. "I recognize the way he looks at you, and he's not going anywhere unless you tell him to. I know you like to think you're better off single, protecting your independence, but he's the guy who's perfect for you. You and Conrad finding each other is one in a million, like the day I met Cassandra. He's your Cassandra."

(Can confirm, Jane Simsten's Soulmates mod kicked in for these two way back on the night they ran into each other with Holly and Kris in San Myshuno, but Heather's unflirty and she's been burned in the past, so it's had to be this way. I'm sorry!)

River's beautiful wife gazed at him with love while he spoke. They were so sweet together, and their love used to make Heather feel like she was missing out. Now she had Conrad, who was as close to perfect as anyone she'd ever met, and she couldn't shake her insecurities.

"I know raising Ash with his father isn't easy and you're afraid to get hurt again," River said. "But that is a guy who's waiting for you to say 'I love you' so he can say it, too."

Neal frowned. "Huck, you don't know that. Don't test your sister's emotions-"

"I do know that, and I'd die on Old Mill Hill defending that take!"

"He makes me so happy," Heather admitted. "But what if he moves in and I find out he's a criminal mastermind masquerading as a detective?"

"Then you're even more perfect for each other than I thought."

Heather couldn’t deny her feelings for Conrad, as afraid as she was to put them into words and make them real.

Despite her fears, she was grateful for her family's approval, and she embraced her brother warmly when Conrad brought his car around. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: This got it's own post because Conrad and River literally said hello to each other and were basically best friends (they became official best friends later, when it mattered for Conrad's Friend of the World aspiration. tbh by then I thought they already were but either something glitched or broke with the Lovestruck patches or I never bothered and forgot). Their instant bromance felt so right - River looks up to his older sister and wants the best for her even though he can't help but tease her, and he and Conrad are both responsible guys focused on bettering their communities. It's a perfect match and I loved this development.

[pekoehoneyncream]

Captain John 'Bravo Six' Price Headcanons

Part One!

Words: 500~

TW: None (sfw)

Okay! Here are the promised headcanons!

The brainrot is intense for these boys rn, so the volume of headcanons kinda got outta hand. I didn't wanna slam y'all with the full 879 words of headcanons that I've made for Price alone, so I decided that I'll post half now and half later.

That said, Thank you all again for the Huge response my poll got, and without further ado onto the The Headcanons!

His preferred drink is Green Tea with a spoonful of honey. He loves getting to sit, relax, and slowly sip his way through a nice hot cup of tea. If he’s in a rush or just needs to wake up he drinks coffee instead.

Takes his coffee with the smallest bit of sugar and no milk. His team argues that three grains of sugar can't make any difference, but Price insists that he doesn't like coffee straight black, he needs that bit of sweetness. The team once tested him by switching out his coffee for an identical cup of straight black coffee. Price's disgusted spluttering showed them that he can indeed easily taste the difference.

Cannot just sit down and do nothing. Always needs to be doing something. This man is a category five putterer. Just goes about absently neatening up, putting things back where they belong, pulling books forward to be level with the edge of the shelf, squaring papers with the corner of the table, wiping down the surfaces, adjusting his kit so it’s settled properly. He’ll do the same to the team as well. Mindlessly untwisting straps, pulling tight buckles, zipping pouches, pulling down the rucked-up hem of Ghost’s mask, straightening Gaz’s cap, correcting a stray hair in Soap’s warhawk.

The absolute worst at remembering names, constantly asking the team what this or that person's name is. Has a little notebook full of reminders that are only useful to him, the privates and FNGs think he's marking down performance notes, but he's just desperately trying to remember that one rookie's name before they leave eyesight. “Price, this just says ‘Michaels - Red Hat’, do you expect him to always wear a red hat?” “No, but I remember the hat, then I remember the face that was wearing the hat, and that face is Michaels'.” “Price, that makes no sense.” “Give that back and get. Have you nothing better to do? Go on, get!”

Paints his nails. He got a voucher for a free spa day as a birthday present one year, it included hot-rock therapy, mud-baths, a massage, and a mani-pedi. He went into it with a ‘fuck it, when in rome’ mentality and just said yes to everything while he was there. They explained that gel-polish is hardier and longer lasting than regular polish, without being super hard to remove like acrylics, so he went with gel-polish. At the time he just got a clear polish, but these days he does it himself and wears whatever colours he wants to. Has his own polishes and his own little uv lamp and everything. He could die on a mission tomorrow, he doesn't have time for your small minded ideas about masculinity. Before he was Captain of the 141, he actually got written up by a superior, not for wearing polish, but for wearing a nail-polish colour that wasn't a colour that's in regulation.

Loves water. Yes in the staying hydrated sense, but mainly in the swimming sense. He grew up with a creek behind his house and he spent every spare moment he could splashing around in it. To this day his favourite place is the beach, or anywhere with a body of water. A swimming pool is a poor replacement in his opinion, but he'll take what he can get.

Constantly loses track of time in the shower, his personal water bill is consistently exorbitant. When he doesn't have time to spare he sets a timer, when it beeps at 5 minutes it reminds him he needs to actually start washing up, and when it goes off at 10 minutes he forces himself to get out. When he has the time he sets the timer for 30 minutes.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

If you have any thoughts on the headcanons or ideas you'd like me expand on or things you wanna squeal about or prompts you want me to write PLEASE hit me up! My ask box is open 24/7 and I'd love to hear from you!

PekoeHoneynCream's Masterlist

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Woo, in on time for WIPW! Could I ask for more arson!Neil please?

WIP Wednesday (9/18) | Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU (Part 233)

As they eat their cake and drink their hot chocolate, Andrew learns a great deal about Katelyn. It seems all they needed was a minor disaster to loosen them up enough to graduate from small talk to interesting conversation. And once Katelyn starts, she doesn't stop. She tells Andrew about her favorite movie, her childhood dog, and that she thinks Aaron's eyes are different from his. She also likes painting but is no good at it— her words, not Andrew's. 

Funnily enough, Katelyn brings up Supernatural when Andrew asks if she has a favorite TV show. Andrew tells her how he’s working his way through season one and she gasps in surprise. Aaron seems shocked by that too. Katelyn asks who his favorite character is (“Dean, the other one’s annoying.”), then starts rambling about a character Andrew hasn’t met yet. He stops her from spoiling the show and they talk about other things. Music, hobbies, favorite subjects in school.

It's strange, really, how much they have in common. The biggest thing they have in common keeps giving Andrew a strange look. He ignores it to ask Katelyn how the fuck she makes hot chocolate, because she was right. It is the best. Or, it's better than the Swiss Miss that lives on his counter. She lights up and goes to grab the recipe, handwrites a copy of it for him then and there. Andrew skims over it and tucks the index card into his pants pocket.

"Thanks," he says, earning a smile from Katelyn.

"You're welcome. Sorry, there weren't marshmallows. It's even better with them, but we ran out the other day." Katelyn explains.

"It's fine." Andrew glances up at the clock and has to resist a yawn. It's late. Almost ten o'clock.

"What's wrong?" Aaron asks, looking over his shoulder. He grimaces when he sees the time. "Oh fuck. It's late. You have work tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Guess I should go." Andrew says, reluctantly. As much as he dreaded this evening, he ended up having a good time. And three layer chocolate cake, which he thinks he could probably finish off by himself if given the opportunity.

"I'll walk you out," Aaron says, taking Andrew by surprise. Walk him out? The door's ten feet away. But Andrew doesn't comment, just nods and stands up. Aaron grabs his coat from the back of the door and stuffs his arms into it. Once they're in the hallway, Aaron says, "Thanks for coming."

Andrew hums.

"Did you like the lasagna?"

"Well, it was no chicken nuggets and Twizzlers. But it was all right," Andrew says, making him laugh. Before he can blink, he's being yanked into a hug. Surprisingly, he lets himself be yanked. Lets himself be enveloped by familiar arms and Aaron sighs heavily.

"I'm glad you came."

[philomenie]

KILLING ME SOFTLY

Hitman!Jolly fic

CN murder, violence, sex, organized crime, blood, angst, 18+

@jilliemiw86 @nojoyontheburn @reyadawn @dsireland86

Fifteen

Jolly waits and observes everything around him. Casually, his eyes keep wandering to Inga, who is sitting at the table not far from him, pale and frozen.

Before long, she leans over to Kolja next to her and whispers something in his ear. Kolja nods and gets up, helping his mother to stand.

Jolly has been waiting for this. He sees Kolja leading Inga to the stairs and supporting her.

It takes almost an eternity before Kolja is back downstairs with the guests and followers.

He sits down next to Jolly.

“How's your mother....” Jolly asks quietly.

“Shitty.... As usual!” growls Kolja, brushing his hair out of his face.

“Hmm, of course, what am I asking.....” nods Jolly.

“Listen.... We have a few things to sort out. My father's plans.... We should change them!” Kolja presses out, ‘Besides....’ he looks at Jolly with narrowed eyes.

“Yes?” he wants to know.

“Oh... we'll talk about it tomorrow!” Kolja sighs and downs another vodka down his throat.

“Fine... whatever you say!” Jolly nods, but something is making him uncomfortable and he can't put his finger on it. Kolja's comment, his tone of voice? Something about it feels wrong.

Nevertheless, he sticks to his plan. He knows it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that won't come his way again any time soon.

So he continues to wait until Kolja next to him is completely drunk and the others present are also beyond good and evil.

Jolly gets up and pulls on Kolja's arm, “Come up! I'll take you to your bed!” he explains firmly, which only makes Kolja shrug his eyes.

Under Nadja's attentive gaze, Jolly drags Kolja to the stairs. Just before Jolly goes upstairs with him, his eyes meet Nadja's.

Nadja nods to him and Jolly nods too, before dragging Kolja up the stairs.

Two bodyguards are standing at the top and want to intervene immediately to help, but Jolly waves them off, “Just open his room door for me!” he grumbles.

The bodyguards do as they are told and Jolly throws Kolja onto his bed. Then stands in front of him, indecisive.

He knows he doesn't have much time and has to get rid of the bodyguards somehow without anyone noticing.

“Have you boys had enough of a toast to Semjon?” a voice is heard at the door and everyone turns around.

Nadja is holding a vodka bottle in the air, with three glasses in her other hand.

The two bodyguards look at each other uncertainly, one shrugs his shoulder.

“Come on... let's have a drink, or several, to Semjon! Everything's quiet here, only friends present.....” smiles Nadja and wiggles the bottle seductively.

“Hmm,” one of them grumbles and sets off, the other follows him.

“THANK YOU!” Jolly forms his lips to Nadja, who smiles at him and hooks onto the two bodyguards, pulling them with her.

Jolly waits a moment, heart pounding, until he leaves the room and closes the doors behind him.

Not today, Kolja, he thinks to himself grimly, today it's your mother's turn to follow your father!

Jolly walks quickly, but quietly, to Inga's room, takes his latex gloves out of his trouser pocket, puts them on and then presses the door handle and waits. Nothing can be heard, so he opens it a small crack. There is no light coming from inside, so she must be asleep by now. Just as well, Jolly thinks to himself and nimbly squeezes through the gap and immediately closes the door behind him.

He holds his breath for a moment until his eyes have adjusted to the darkness.

Inga is curled up in the wide bed she shared with Semjon, Jolly realizes as he steps closer to her.

She has a pillow pressed against her and her face buried in it. Semjon's pillow by the looks of it, which must still smell like him...

FUCK, Jolly has to swallow. He didn't think this scene here would affect him so much, touch him so much that he feels a lump in his throat and has to swallow.

FUCK.... He is paralyzed.

But he knows that if he doesn't act now, he might lose his future, because Inga would pursue him to the ends of the earth with her rage and hatred and only give up when he and Olivia are dead.

The thought that Olivia could be in danger if he lets Inga live makes Jolly act again.

So he takes the pillbox from his inner jacket pocket and pulls out one of the white capsules inside.

They are his own. Semjon has handed them out to EVERYONE in the organization, including himself and his family, his wife.

Cyanide, as a last resort.....

Jolly breathes in and out deeply, bracing himself for what lies ahead.

All at once he becomes very calm, his facial features appear cold and emotionless.

He carefully kneels down on the bed next to Inga's body. He knows that she has taken a strong sleeping pill, because its can is right next to her on the bedside table, as is a drunk glass of water.

That should make things a little easier. He gently grabs her chin and turns her head towards him, causing her mouth to open automatically. Jolly pauses one last time, closes his eyes briefly and then puts the capsule with the cyanide into her mouth, so that when he presses her jaws together, she has to bite the capsule open.

So, he presses Inga's lower jaw onto her upper jaw, holding her head with an iron grip.

All this makes Inga wake up. Irritated, she looks sleepily at Jolly. When she becomes aware of his grip and the bitter taste of bitter almonds in her mouth, she opens her eyes in panic and tries to free herself from his grip, but Jolly holds her tightly.

Inga has no chance. Her movements become jerky, her body rears up until it goes limp. Trembling, he feels for her pulse. Nothing.... No more heartbeat can be felt.

Jolly only now realizes that he has been holding his breath the whole time. Shaken, he sucks fresh air into his lungs and remains kneeling for a moment, trembling.

FUCK....

With his hands still trembling, he brushes Inga's hair out of her face, arranges her body and the bedding so that there is nothing to indicate any outside involvement, and heads for the door.

He peers out cautiously. The corridor is still deserted, so he can leave Inga's room unnoticed.

After closing the door behind him again, Jolly takes off his gloves and puts them in his trouser pocket, adjusts his tie, smooths back his hair and straightens his jacket.

As if nothing had happened, he strolls down the stairs and rejoins the other mourners.

Nadja and the two bodyguards are still toasting Semjon. When she sees Jolly, she nods to him and pours another glass.

So that he doesn't draw attention to himself, Jolly also takes a glass, pours himself a generous gulp of vodka and pours it down his throat with deadly contempt.

“You drink vodka?” Alexei next to him, who seems to have appeared out of nowhere, is amused.

“Hmm,” Jolly shrugs his shoulder.

“What was the problem you had to solve today, so close to Semjon's funeral?” Alexei wants to know.

“Is it enough if I say something private?” Jolly is vague.

“Hmm,” Alexei looks at him skeptically.

“Fuck.... I was with a woman and forgot the time....” snorts Jolly and is pretty close to the truth.

Alexei's face falls apart before he laughs uproariously and punches Jolly on the shoulder, “Damn... you're more cunning than I thought.... Knows Nadja.....”

“Yes!” growls Jolly.

“And she doesn't mind?” gasps Alexei.

“Christ, I'm not her fucking property!” growls Jolly, pouring himself another vodka and downing it.

“All right.....” grins Alexei, but then becomes serious, ”I've been thinking about our last conversation.....”

“Hmm” nods Jolly and waits.

“You're right... Nadja IS the better candidate!” snorts Alexei, ”I'm not the only one who thinks so!”

“Hmm” nods Jolly again.

“But many people think YOU are even more suitable!” adds Alexei.

Jolly snorts in amusement, “Forget it! I'm not in the mood for that kind of shit! I have absolutely no ambitions for that!”

“Think about it!” Alexei shrugs his shoulder.

“Thanks, but I don't need that. Put your money on Nadja. She's the one!” he explains seriously.

“Hmm,” Alexei nods, ”but what about Kolja?”

Jolly shrugs his shoulder, “He'll take care of himself... just wait and see!”

“You may be right... I just hope he doesn't throw everything into chaos first!” growls Alexei.

“Hmm.... We'll see!” muses Jolly, looking at his watch, ‘Bloody late....’ he declares.

Alexei grins, “Your bed must be warmed by now... right?”

“Possibly.....” Jolly explains, stretching, ”I'm going to disappear anyway. Kolja wants to discuss some things with me tomorrow and I want to get at least a few hours' sleep before then!”

Alexei laughs softly, “I'll take your word for it!” and slaps Jolly on the shoulder again.

Jolly quietly closes the front door behind him, kicks his shoes off his feet and drags himself into the living room. He drops onto the large, dark green, cozy couch, rests his head on the backrest and closes his eyes.

He needs a moment before he joins Olivia in the bedroom.

“Joakim?” the thin voice from the side behind him makes him jump and turn to face her.

He smiles at Olivia, “Min Liv...!” he sighs and holds out his hand to her.

Immediately she is with him and snuggles against his chest on his lap, “I couldn't sleep...” she whispers.

“Hmm,” Jolly mumbles, stroking her hair, ”I'm back with you now!”

Olivia nods and wraps her arms around his chest, “Now everything's all right again!”

They sit together in silence in the dark, enjoying each other's closeness.

“Let's go to bed..... Tomorrow, or rather today, could be a stressful day!” sighs Jolly, noticing how Olivia stiffens at his words.

“Why?” she breathes.

“Well... Inga.....” Jolly presses out.

Olivia nods slowly, “Just Kolja....” she whispers.

“Yes..... just Kolja!” confirms Jolly bitterly.

“Then it's all over!” gulps Olivia, tenderly stroking Jolly's cheek as he leans into her gentle touch and closes his eyes.

“Yes..... then it's all over!” he confirms harshly.

As Jolly expected, all hell breaks loose in the morning. He is not yet fully awake when his cell phone buzzes incessantly.

He looks at the display with a petrified expression. The messages and missed calls add up ad infinitum.

Olivia looks at him anxiously as Jolly looks through the messages and finally answers the next incoming call.

“Hmm,” he grumbles.

“FUCK, how long have you been asleep?” hisses Alexei, ”You have to come right away. Something terrible has happened!”

“I've only just woken up... what's going on? Where should I go?” Jolly wants to know.

“To the house... the private house... Inga....” Alexei breathes in and out deeply.

“What about Inga?” asks Jolly.

“She's dead....!” gulps Alexei, shocked.

“What?” gasps Jolly convincingly.

“Yeah, man, dead... Kolya found her. She was lying peacefully in her bed... she must have bitten her cyanide capsule.... It's unbelievable!” Alexei explains, shocked.

“Fuck.... I'm coming, just give me a moment until I'm dressed. Then I'll be right with you!” explained Jolly.

“Hurry up. Kolja is beside himself and I'm afraid he's losing his mind! The doctor has injected him with a sedative!” Alexei swallows.

“I see. I'll be there as soon as I can!” Jolly promises and hangs up, then stares at his display for a long time without saying anything.

Olivia looks at him questioningly.

“You're not on duty today, are you?” he wants to know from her.

“No.... Why do you ask?” Olivia wants to know.

“Because I want you to stay here today. Pack the rest of your things... I have a feeling that a quick departure might be necessary!” gulps Jolly.

Olivia's eyes widen, but she nods, swallows, “Do you want Kolja.....”

“I don't know... if the opportunity presents itself....” Jolly shrugs his shoulder.

Olivia wraps her arms around his neck, “Whatever you do, be careful! Please! I still need you.....”

Jolly has to smile at her words, “You know... I will ALWAYS come back to you!”

“Swear it!” Olivia intensifies the pressure of her arms on his neck, pulling him closer to her, “Swear to me!”

“I swear to you, on everything I hold sacred!” Jolly whispers tenderly, kissing her tender lips.

Regretfully, he breaks away from her, “I have to go, min Liv! Lock up well behind me, put the bolts forward and have the gun I gave you handy!”

Olivia turns pale at his words, but again she nods, “I will... don't worry about it!” she tries to smile.

Jolly kisses her again before getting out of bed, getting dressed as Olivia watches him silently.

“I probably won't be able to report....” he explains.

“I know!” she gulps, ”It's all good....”

Jolly leans towards her one last time, “See you later, min Liv!” he kisses her and then tears himself away from her. He goes from her apartment to his and changes his clothes, because he can't possibly show up in the same suit from yesterday. He also puts on his gun belt, just in case....

“Thank God you're finally here!” growls Alexei as Jolly comes through the front door.

“Hmm, where is he?” he wants to know.

“In his bedroom.... The doctor practically shot him up with some stuff. He's asleep or unconscious...” Alexei explains.

“Hmm” nods Jolly and thinks about it.

“Damn... this is all absolute shit!” hisses Alexei.

“Who's all here?” Jolly wants to know.

“Nadja and Sergej are in the living room... Kolja's entourage is loitering all over the house. Hanna is with him....” Alexei informs him, ”Otherwise the bodyguards and the staff!”

“Ok... and Inga?” Jolly wants to know.

“She's still in her room..... Kolya didn't allow her to be picked up!” Alexei swallows.

“Hmm,” nods Jolly and a sinking feeling spreads through his stomach, ”Maybe we should do that first... make sure her body is taken away.”

“Kolya will freak out, ....” Alexei warns him.

“Then I'll go to him now and try to talk to him!” growls Jolly and starts to move.

Two bodyguards are standing outside Kolya's room and nod at Jolly, who nods back.

He enters quietly. Kolja lies curled up on his bed, his head in Hanna's lap. She looks up when she notices Jolly. There are tears in her eyes and on her cheeks, which she wipes away with a sniffle, “He's not well!” she whispers, stroking his hair.

“Hmm” nods Jolly, ”I need to talk to him..... Inga... she can't stay here!”

“He won't allow her to be taken away!” replies Hanna immediately.

Jolly sighs, then sits down at the foot of the bed and waits.

An hour passes before Kolja stirs and slowly sits up.

“Where have you been?” he wants to know from Jolly.

“In my apartment.... I came as soon as Alexei reached me!” explains Jolly.

“Yesterday.... Did you notice anything suspicious after you brought me to my room?” Kolja wants to know quietly.

“What do you mean? Suspicious?” Jolly wants to know, irritated.

“My mother....... Did you see anyone at her door?” Kolja wants to know.

“No... nobody!” Jolly replies immediately, Kolja looks at him blankly.

“You think someone else has her....” asks Jolly, stretching.

“Murdered?!” Kolja finishes the sentence, ”Possibly......”

“Heavens.....” gasps Jolly and he feels sick, ‘Do you have any suspicions?’ he then wants to know.

“No..... just a feeling!” swallows Kolja, ”She loved my father, very much.... But I can't believe she would kill herself .....!”

“Well.... People don't always react rationally or as usual when they're grieving....” Jolly tries to explain.

“My mother would never have left me alone... not by choice!” Kolja blurts out, hurt.

“Hmm” nods Jolly and the uneasy feeling in his stomach increases.

“I.... I want you to question everyone who was here last night.... Guests, staff, bodyguards, our men... EVERYONE!” orders Kolja.

“I will!” Jolly nods and stands up.

“So?” Alexei wants to know from Jolly when he gets back downstairs.

“Hmm, he doesn't believe in suicide, he wants me to ask everyone if anyone went into Inga's room!” grumbles Jolly, her eyes downcast.

“FUCK... do you think so too?” Alexei wants to know, stunned.

“It doesn't matter what the fuck I think, Kolja thinks it, so we'll ask everyone.... All the guests from yesterday. Take care of that. I'll start with everyone in the house!” growls Jolly.

“The surveillance cameras.....” Alexei reminds Jolly.

“Hmm, I'll look through that footage first....” nods Jolly and he gets freezing cold. FUCK, you moron, he thinks to himself, you brainiac didn't think of that.

So he gets moving and goes into the technical room of the house, where all the recordings are stored.

He quickly searches for the relevant recordings. FUCK.... He is clearly recognizable.

He quickly deletes all the footage from yesterday so that it looks like a technical error.

God, Karlsson, he curses himself, concentrate at last... mistakes like that are fatal!!!

Still thinking about the mistake he made, he goes back.

“I've sent some men out to question yesterday's guests!” Alexei nods at him, ”What about the recordings?”

“There aren't any!” growls Jolly.

“WHAT?” gasps Alexei in disbelief.

“Hmm, either a technical error, or they've been deleted.” Jolly nods and realizes that his heart is beating in his throat.

“FUCK... if Kolja is right with his assumption?” hisses Alexei.

“Hmm” Jolly shrugs his shoulder without responding further, ‘I'll talk to Nadja....’ and simply leaves Alexej standing there.

“We need to talk!” he growls to Nadja and reaches under her arm.

Nodding, Nadja lets herself be pulled away with him.

“Why don't we go out onto the terrace?” she suggests loud enough for everyone else to hear.

“What is it?” she immediately wants to know from Jolly outside.

“Kolja doesn't believe it was suicide and wants to question everyone. He'll find out that you practically lured the bodyguards away.....” Jolly explains quietly.

“I see....” Nadja nods slowly, ”I'll think of something!”

“Be careful! Kolja is more dangerous than usual right now!” Jolly warns her.

“You should remember that too!” snorts Nadja, ”Or you can kill him as quickly as possible and solve the problem!”

Jolly snorts, “I can't march into his bedroom and just shoot him. I'd be dead on the spot!”

“I'm not talking about that.... But hurry up, for God's sake!” Nadja hisses at him.

“I will!” nods Jolly, ”Time is the deciding factor now!”

“That's it!” nods Nadja, ”What do you want to say to Kolja now?”

“Well, I've deleted all the footage. There's no more picture evidence. I'll tell him that you were drinking with the bodyguards on Semjon, that I was there after I dropped him off in his room and that I didn't notice anything suspicious!” explains Jolly.

“Sergei will confirm it!” nods Nadja.

“You're getting used to him?” Jolly grins at her.

“He's..... well... he's nice... a nice guy. I don't know how that's possible in this environment. I get the feeling he really likes me. He's attentive, courteous and he's not a head case,” snorts Nadja.

“But?” grins Jolly.

“He's nice... NICE!!! Jesus, I find myself really starting to like him....” Nadja hisses and rolls her eyes.

Jolly has to laugh, “Well...who would have thought that possible, right?”

“Oh, you shut your stupid mouth!” Nadja hisses at him, but then has to smile.

“I'm really happy for you Nadja... you deserve someone who likes you, for your own sake!” Jolly explains seriously.

“Thanks....” nods Nadja, ‘But he's not you!’ she adds quietly.

Jolly looks at her, “Give him a chance, a real chance. Who knows....”

“Save your relationship advice!” Nadja growls at him.

“Okay... I'll shut up!” laughs Jolly.

“Your friend.... Is he really reliable.... Trustworthy?” Nadja suddenly wants to know.

“From what I can tell so far, yes!” nods Jolly.

“Good, then ask him to get in touch with me. Give him my home number!” Nadja explains seriously.

“I will!” nods Jolly.

It is late evening by the time everyone has been interviewed.

Exhausted, Jolly drops into an armchair and pours himself a drink, which he takes in large gulps.

Alexei drops onto the couch opposite him.

“So?” Jolly nods at him.

“Nothing... and you?” Alexei wants to know.

“Nothing either...” Jolly shrugs his shoulders.

“Kolja won't be happy with that!” Alexei muses.

“We can't pull anything out of a hat if there's nothing!” sighs Jolly, ”I've informed the mortician. Inga can't lie up there forever!”

“Yes.... Does Kolja know about this?” Alexei wants to know.

“Not yet... I'll go and see him in a minute!” growls Jolly and stands up.

“Good luck!” snorts Alexei, ”I really don't want to swap places with you!”

“I wouldn't want to swap places with me either!” growls Jolly and goes to Kolja.

He knocks softly on his bedroom door and enters.

Kolja is still lying in bed, his head still in Hanna's lap.

“No one has seen or noticed anything suspicious!” Jolly explains immediately, ”Besides, I've informed the mortician, he should be here any minute!”

Kolja shoots up, stares at Jolly in bewilderment, then wriggles out of his blanket and slips out of bed, stumbling towards Jolly with his fists clenched.

As he comes to a halt in front of him, he punches Jolly in the face with full force, causing him to stumble backwards slightly.

Jolly stoically wipes the blood from his lip. You little fucking asshole, he thinks to himself hatefully, but at least your punch isn't as hard as your cursed father's, may he rot in hell!

“YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT!” Kolja yells at him and punches him in the stomach, causing Jolly to collapse slightly and gasp for air.

FUCK, another punch.... Jolly angrily clenches his fists and has to control himself not to punch back.

“Kolja... I'm sure your mother didn't want to rot in her bed!” Jolly hisses, which earns him another punch to the jaw. Blood runs down his lip and chin again.

Liv will have a fit, he thinks to himself with a sinking feeling in his stomach, if I turn up bleeding again.

“Kolja....” tries Hanna, who puts a hand on Kolja's shoulder to reassure him.

But Kolja pushes her away so that she falls back onto the bed and raises a fist against her.

Jolly grabs hold of Kolja's arm, “Come to yourself!” he growls coldly at him.

Jolly's hateful look seems to bring Kolja back to his senses, as he blinks at him in irritation.

“Don't take your anger out on Hanna!” growls Jolly, ‘She didn't do anything!’ and lets go of Kolja.

Kolja narrows his eyes and looks coldly at Jolly, turns his head slightly to the side, “Get out of here!” he hisses at Hanna. She gets off the bed, trembling, and hurries out of the room.

“Don't ever do that again!” Kolja grumbles quietly, coming damn close to his father, Jolly has to admit.

He nods slowly.

“I'm serious... NEVER disobey one of my orders again, NEVER stab me in the back again! Do you understand that?” Kolja hisses at him again.

“I did!” Jolly nods as calmly as possible, even though he would love to beat Kolja up.

“Artur always said you were headstrong....” growls Kolja, ”That's probably why he had you watched....”

Jolly's face stiffened and he felt sick that Kolja had to come here today of all days.

“Fedor.... Artur's surviving man, he said Artur had ordered his two men, the ones who are also dead, to watch you.....” Kolja looks at Jolly lurkingly.

“Hm” grumbles Jolly, feeling his stomach turn.

“You didn't notice anything?” Kolja wants to know.

“Well.... I noticed a black car... that's all!” Jolly shrugs his shoulder, ”When it was gone, I didn't give it a second thought. Why did Artur have me watched?”

“He didn't tell me... only Fedor, after my father died.... I guess he was afraid of my father!” Kolja still looks Jolly coldly in the eye.

“And what does Fedor say.....” growls Jolly, who is trying to regain control of his emotions.

“Just that you were under surveillance....” shrugs Kolja.

“Hmm, and now what?” Jolly ventures.

“When Fedor is fit again, I'll ask him if he knows more!” he looks at Jolly again, lurking.

“Is he ill?” Jolly wants to know, stretching.

“The idiot has pneumonia....” snorts Kolja and goes to the bar cabinet in his bedroom, pours himself and another glass full of vodka. He holds one out to Jolly, who reluctantly takes it.

“You're my brother.... Right?” he wants to know from Jolly, ”My right hand!”

“Hmm,” nods Jolly, who would have liked to vomit on the floor.

“Sa sdorowje!” Kolja toasts Jolly and tips the contents down his throat.

Jolly follows his example - what else could he do? The alcohol burns like fire in his mouth and on his lip, where his flesh is exposed.

Trembling, he wipes his lips, staining his hand bloody.

“Do you still need me?” he wants to know quietly from Kolja.

“Where are you going?” he asks with narrowed eyes.

“To my flat....” Jolly explains, stretching, ”It's late.... Yesterday was a long day, and so is today!”

Kolja looks at him again with narrowed eyes, then waves him off, “As far as I'm concerned, get out! But be ready when I need you!”

“Hmm,” nods Jolly, puts the glass on the table in the room and leaves.

He has to control himself not to slam the door behind him. Son of a bitch, he thinks to himself angrily, and wipes the blood off his chin again.

When he arrives downstairs, Nadja looks at him with wide eyes.

“He takes after his father!” Jolly snorts angrily.

“What did you do to upset him like that?” Nadja wants to know.

“Called the mortician and stopped him from beating Hanna!” growls Jolly.

Nadja looks at him for a long time, “You haven't learned to mind your own business all these years, Jolly!” she then smiles, “You still have a good heart. I love you for that.... But that can also be the death of you, you know that!” she gently strokes his cheek.

“Hmm” grumbles Jolly and lowers his eyes, ‘I'll make sure it's NOT my death....’ he whispers, then looks up, ”I'm going home now. Take care of yourself, Nadja!”

[somanywips]

Zoro probably knows like. Hundreds of recipes just from watching Sanji cook. At first he pretends he's sleeping so he could watch the cook use the knives (bro's an expert, that's one of the reasons Zoro falls for him honestly), but then he just. Continues watching him do everything else. He knows some recipes like the back of his hands, down to a T. Now do not ask him to make it, else you have a disaster in your hands, knowing the ingredients and knowing how to make it are two very different things, the only thing he can kinda but also not really make is focaccia bread. It's really ugly, and a bit burnt the first time he tries it, but Sanji tears up a bit and eats all of it (he kisses the dumb marimo right after, stating he is to Never Ever cook again). He can't cook for shit, but he makes for a pretty great grocery list tho!

[hedgehog-moss]

I went on a long donkey ride earlier this month to go offer my New Year wishes to some distant neighbours up on the plateau and it was such a nice little journey! We saw a doe at one point, but not a single car due to the state of the roads, and as a result Pirlouit was very serene. I loved watching the landscape between his long floppy ears.

[cerise-on-top]

Hey! It's me again, I've been a little needy these days and I'd like to make a request, something really cute.

Valeria, Farah and Kate.

Like, they spent the night with you having fun at home, but in the morning they had to leave for work without even having time to say goodbye, but before leaving there was a noticeable mess that remained in the house, a tremendous mess. But when they arrive late from work, they find the house shining completely clean, and soon they find the reader sleeping in the living room with the TV on, but still sleeping peacefully, because her tiredness does not allow her to stay awake to receive them.

(I would love to be spoiled by Valéria in exchange for being her housewife)

I think this scenario is so cute and I love your writing, and sorry if something is wrong, I'm using the translator again. Kisses and have a great day. <3

Hey! That's a really cute idea! Sorry this is short, I'm just really tired again tonight!

Valeria, Farah and Laswell Finding Reader Asleep

Valeria: She’s not particularly surprised to find you asleep, she usually comes home extremely late at night. However, the sight warms her heart every time. Stands in the doorway for a few seconds, watching your chest rise and fall as you sleep, a small smile on her face. It’s only afterwards that she realizes you’ve cleaned your shared home. Valeria will sigh a bit, the home was in complete disarray when she left, so it must have taken a while for you to clean it all up. No wonder you’re asleep. Although she may not be the tallest person, Valeria is strong, so she’ll pick you up and carry you to your bedroom, giving you a kiss on your forehead. During these moments she loves nothing more than to hold you, even if she normally isn’t a very touchy feely person. But something about you being asleep in her arms as she carries you, completely vulnerable, just gets to her. However, it won’t be long before Valeria goes to bed herself, getting ready for such a thing, she’s tired as well. The day after she’ll spoil you rotten, though. You’ve earned a nice reward for being such a good spouse for her, and so she’ll take you on a fancy date. Or maybe, since you’ve cleaned your home so nicely, she’ll just stay home with you to cook a good meal together. The choice can wait, she’ll just ask you later.

Farah: She’d be ecstatic to see you’ve cleaned your home. It must have been a long and boring task, but she truly does appreciate it. Like Valeria, she watches you for a few moments, thinking about whether or not she should wake you up. In the end she decides against it since you truly must have been tired. However, she will drape a blanket over you and give you a small kiss on your cheek, hoping to not rouse you too much in the process. Farah makes herself a small snack so she has had something to eat before she finally goes to bed herself. However, she doesn’t go to bed, she joins you on the couch, holding you close and nuzzling into your hair. While she may be extremely tired herself, she still daydreams a bit about how she could possibly repay you for doing that Sisyphean task. Anything from ordering takeout and paying to going on a walk during the sunset sounds good to her as long as she can show you her appreciation. Since she’s feeling very content around you, she might also start humming a bit, knowing fully well that you can’t hear her. But it’s just something she does when she feels comfortable around someone. Plus it helps her fall asleep too. In the end she’ll likely settle for something calm like staying at home and just cuddling the day away while thanking you. Or just doing whatever you say so she can feel like you’re getting enough rest and she did something for the household as well.

Laswell: By the time she’s home the sun has probably almost risen anyway given her line of work. Laswell would be dead tired, so I’m not even sure she’d notice you having cleaned right away. However, she would see you having decluttered the desk in the living room and be grateful. Although she may almost fall asleep herself, standing in the doorway and barely noticing her surroundings, she will see you sleeping on the couch and immediately think about sleeping next to you. Granted, Laswell isn’t a very cuddly person either, and she can’t sleep particularly well holding someone either, but she thinks it would be unfair if you slept on the couch while she slept in the bed. At least that’s her logic at the moment. She won’t even try to carry you to bed, she just wants to head to bed. Gets changed and stands still in front of the couch for a few moments before draping a blanket over you. Naturally, she’ll turn off the TV, but afterwards she gets some shut eye for a few hours as well. Only in the morning does she notice that everything is spic and span. Laswell will feel bad if you woke up before her and made some breakfast. However, she will make it up to you as well. If there’s anything you ever need from her, she’ll do it. She’ll have done it before as well, but she doesn’t want to be indebted to you. Gives you a kiss before promising you that she’ll clean up next time. Either on her own or with you. You did such a good job, she’ll likely get you some cake to show her thanks in the meantime.

[stellacadente]

hi i haven't been online these past few days but i'm doing better now and i'm on holiday since today <3

a couple of nice things so far:

person on the train called me "this gentleman over here" which made me ridiculously happy. i don't think i've ever been called gentleman before but the gender euphoria was real. one of the few instances when being called a man is nice for me it seems!

there was this sweet little girl on the train wearing a shirt that said "girl you can do anything" <3

also on the train, while i was eating in the "restaurant" carriage there were two people playing a game, i think one where they had to guess words or something, and they were having so much fun it was heartwarming

finally the view from the train in switzerland is really nice, i spent most of the trip just staring out the window while listening to music (and the rest of the time i started reading a new book!)

it's really nice here. the lake is so close by, 5 minutes on foot and i'm there, and it was so peaceful to take a walk after dinner and listen to the sounds of the lake and of nature and people around me and even trains. i sat near the lake and just enjoyed the warmth (but not too warm!!) and the breeze

now the sun is setting and i'm back to the place where i'm staying and i'm going to watch some tennis maybe and relax!

some pics!

[moe-broey]

I def wanna color these when I have the energy BUT..... back on a Pokemon kick.... ever so slightly......... also second sketch is so rough SORRY (I DO WANNA CLEAN IT UP!!! But I was mostly focused on conceptualizing the outfits!!!!)

I have soooo many other sketches too but I wanna save em for later.... but let it be known, this is just an elaborate excuse to play dress-up. Esp for Moe I'm gonna be so real, it has SUCH A SILLY OUTFIT and it is SO. SOOOOOO jackass rival coded. Guy who is gonna pick fights and cause problems for NO reason. Or for gay reasons. Most likely gay reasons tbh