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thoughtsonhurtandcomfort · 4 years ago

Text

Alex meets Ari, epilogue

Content Warnings: demon/incubus character, romance, established relationship, car accident mention, injuries, bruises, arguments, angst, emotional whump, caretaking, consensual kissing and touching, happy ending

Tag List: @deluxewhump @grizzlie70 @gatheringofsuffering @xmonster-under-the-bed @emreads @whumpingmydarlings @endless-whump

Author’s Notes: I can’t believe I actually finished something I started!! Once again, thanks so so much to everyone who’s read these. :)

----

Dating Alex is like dating the weather. There are storms and dreary skies, calm overcast days, days of warm sunshine. Getting to know him is like diving into a lake he thinks is shallow only to find unexpected depths of thoughts and feelings, of humor and intelligence. In spite of the relatively mundane life they lead, Arinn finds he is never bored.

All of it is a novelty. Staying with the same person, of course, takes adjustment. Arinn had such a set routine and methodology when it came to finding sustenance that he feels a little lost when it’s gone. But that void is always quickly filled. They binge shows, they try recipes, they take walks. They go to movies and restaurants and, yes, the mummies exhibit and other museums. It’s the closest thing to a normal life Arinn has ever had, yet it feels strange and exciting.

Perhaps the most astounding thing is the lack of pressure to have sex. Before this he was in bed with a new person a couple times a week. Often someone he didn’t particularly like, just to scrounge for the smallest touches to keep himself going. Worse than that, sometimes he would end up discovered, captured and tormented, with no one to help, not like that day Alex found him. The things that were done to him, that he had to bear alone…

But now he only has sex when he actually wants to, and it feels like a small miracle. He enjoys sex well enough, but is more than happy with cuddling, kissing, even lying with his feet across Alex’s lap. And if the kissing gets heated or Alex looks particularly gorgeous that day, well…Arinn certainly isn’t going to complain if they end up in bed.

A little over eight months into dating, Arinn’s lease ends and he moves in. He spends most nights there anyway, but still, it’s a little daunting. But between their jobs and Alex’s therapy and workouts, it doesn’t feel like they’re constantly around each other. Arinn adjusts to it quickly. He can’t deny how incredible it feels to know without a doubt that he won’t go to bed alone each night.

They both work early shifts, starting before dawn and getting home in the early afternoon. So Arinn isn’t prepared at all when Alex comes home telling him he’s going to have to work an evening shift for a couple of weeks.

During the first week, Arinn returns from work only an hour before Alex has to leave to catch the bus. Other than that single hour and when Alex crawls into bed at night, they have no time together. By Friday, Arinn is beyond ready for the weekend. He works Saturday morning, but he doesn’t care. He’s prepared to stay up late just to greedily take in a little extra time with Alex.

“I’ll be home by 10:30,” Alex promises as he gets dressed.

Arinn has the restraint to wait until he’s finished buckling his belt to go over and kiss him. “10:30. I’ll be here.”

Alex’s smile warms him like nothing he’s ever felt. “Good.” He kisses Arinn once, then again, then a third time. He’s contemplating a fourth when Arinn nudges him towards the door.

“Go on,” he says reluctantly. “Have a good day. Night. Whatever.”

Alex laughs as he slips his shoes on. “I’ll try.” And then he’s out the door.

----

10:30 rolls around. Arinn has showered, tidied up the house, and threw together a small meal for Alex to heat up if he’s hungry. Then he plops onto the couch and waits.

At 10:37 he assumes the bus is running late. At 10:49 he wonders if Alex missed the bus and had to catch another. He bounces his leg impatiently and checks his phone every couple minutes in case Alex calls or texts.

He doesn’t.

By 11:00 Arinn is up and pacing. He calls Alex but gets no answer. He leaves voicemails, his voice shaking. He texts him. Where are you? Are you okay? Did work run over? Please answer me.

He said 10:30, Arinn thinks. He said no later than that. He promised. But he isn’t here…

Arinn doesn’t know what to do. He flips between worry and anger and hurt. What if something happened? What if he went out for drinks with coworkers? What if he lied? The possibilities spiral through his mind unchecked.

Then, at 11:43, there’s a key in the lock. It clicks, and the door creaks open.

Alex steps - stumbles - inside and closes the door slowly behind him before leaning back against it with a long sigh.

He looks like hell. His hair is a mess. There’s a bruise on his cheek. His jacket is torn and his clothes are dirty. He’s got one arm draped across his opposite side and he’s breathing raggedly.

Arinn can’t process this. Alex said 10:30, he wasn’t here, Arinn was going out of his mind, and now he shows up looking like this. It’s too much. Before he can stop to think, he explodes.

“Where the hell were you?! It’s been over an hour! Did you get into a fight or something? What the fuck, Alex?”

Arinn is shaking. If he could just stop and think he’d know he isn’t really angry, just shaken. He would see the hurt in Alex’s eyes. He would reach for him with care rather than lash out with accusations.

Alex’s face hardens. He kicks off his shoes and hangs his keys up on the hook.

“Bus crashed,” he mumbles. “Driver had a stroke or something. Ran off the road and rolled onto its side. None of us could leave until we were all looked over by the paramedics and questioned by the police.” He winces as he removes his jacket. “I was lucky I guess. Just some bruising. Got cleared and got a ride here from a cop. Some people left in ambulances.”

Something sinks inside of Arinn. His resolve crumbles and he’s left at a loss for words.

“Why didn’t you call?” he manages weakly. “I would have - have - “

“Have what? Picked me up? We don’t have a car.”

“You still could have told me! Or at least answered my texts!”

“My phone fell out of my pocket!” Alex bursts out. “It’s probably still in the bus being towed halfway across town by now. It’s not like they were going to let me go look for it while they were trying to pry out people who were trapped!”

He begins to walk stiffly toward the kitchen, past Arinn without so much as looking at him. Arinn follows numbly. He watches Alex take a pack of frozen veggies from the freezer and hold it to his side while he leans on the counter for support. His back is to Arinn.

“Fuck...” he whispers. “Alex, I - god, that’s - I don’t know what to say…” Say sorry you idiot! “Thank god you’re alright...I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you…”

Alex huffs. “Guess you’d have to find a new meal ticket,” he snaps.

As soon as he says it the room feels colder. Tension hangs over them like a dark cloud. There’s a hesitation from Alex. For a moment it seems like he might speak. Might take it back. But he only sighs and carefully makes his way into the living room. Arinn hears him groan as he sits on the couch. He continues staring at the place where Alex was just standing.

Arinn’s feet are moving before he knows what he’s doing. He throws his shoes and coat on over his pajamas and is out the door.

He hears it slam behind him.

He hears “Ari, wait! Shit - “

He keeps going.

He doesn’t look back.

Arinn is a block from the apartment building before he finally slows down. He can barely see the sidewalk ahead of him through the blur of tears.

I fucked up. I fucked up. It’s over. I fucked up.

He’s angry, but only at himself. If Alex meant what he said it has to be because Arinn screwed up, didn’t show him enough that he cared, wasn’t good enough at communicating. He should have known he was in over his head. That it was too good to last.

“Arinn!”

Arinn stops walking. It can’t be…

He whirls around to find Alex staggering after him. Even in the dim light from the street lamps Arinn can see that he’s struggling to remain standing, let alone walk. Yet here he is.

“What are you doing?” Arinn croaks. “Y-you’re hurt, you need to be resting…”

With considerable effort, Alex catches up to him. He’s panting heavily. Arinn can’t decide if he wants to turn and run or pull Alex into his arms. He does neither.

“I’m - sorry - “ Alex gets out between breaths. “I didn’t mean it. I swear. I was angry - it, it just popped out - “

“I don’t blame you,” Arinn says quietly. “Given what you know about me. But if it means anything, I - I don’t see you that way. As just a - a meal.”

“I know,” Alex says, putting his whole heart into the words. His eyes are shining. He looks desperate and fragile and Arinn just wants to gather him close and make it all okay again.

“I know that,” he says again. “Please believe me. I shouldn’t have said that, it was so stupid. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Arinn asks a little too harshly. He flinches and softens his tone. “I attacked you the minute you walked in the door. After the night you had that’s the last thing you fucking needed. I was just scared.” He puts his face in his hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Alex. I don’t know how to do any of this.”

When Alex speaks again he’s a little closer. Just a few feet from Arinn, but still not close enough to touch.

“Me either,” he says. “This is the first time since coming here that I’ve had to actually use the things I’m trying to get better at...it’s like, therapy was just training but this is the real deal. And I’m so scared I’m going to fuck it all up. Like I did tonight.”

“That makes two of us,” Arinn whispers. He lowers his hands and wraps his arms around himself, feeling cold and brittle. “This - us fighting - is what I was most afraid of. I can’t help what I am. If - if it goes wrong, if we spend time apart or - or - “ he can’t bring himself to even say the words break up aloud for fear they will manifest as real. “ - or separate, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just go sleep with someone else if we’re still together, or if it’s unclear! I’m a lot of things but I’m not a cheater. I - I wouldn’t, I couldn’t…”

Alex listens. He always listens. Even when he’s tired or stressed or angry. Even now, when he’s injured and shouldn’t even be out here.

“You’re right,” he says when he’s sure Arinn is finished. “You can’t help who you are. And I won’t ever really understand what that’s like.” He takes a shaky breath. “What if we made some kind of deal or something. Like, if...if it ever comes to that, you can do what you have to do. No questions asked.”

Arinn’s chest feels tight. He’d do that? He’d let me do that? He knows the depth of Alex’s abandonment issues, between parents who were never around and friends and boyfriends who left him when he needed them most.

And yet he’s willing to look past Arinn sleeping with someone else, willing to trust that it’s nothing more than for his survival. It’s an offer that so many others would happily exploit. The amount that Alex is putting his heart on the line is daunting.

“I don’t want that,” Arinn replies, his voice cracking. “I don’t want anyone but you.”

As soon as he says the words he knows that they’re true.

Alex steps a little closer. His expression is indecipherable. His bottom lip is trembling.

“Really?” And oh, the disbelief in his voice is the most heartbreaking thing. Arinn feels a swell of hatred toward every person who made Alex feel like no one could ever want him.

“Yes, really.” Arinn steps a little closer, too. “Alex…”

The next words terrify him. He feels as though he’s hanging off the edge of a cliff, and if he doesn’t make his move, however risky, he’s going to fall to his death. The truth is all he has now. It could ruin everything, or save it.

“Alex, I love you.”

Fragile silence follows, filled only by the soft chirp of crickets, the hum of someone’s television from a house, a train off in the distance.

A car comes up the road. Its headlights illuminate Alex’s face for a moment and Arinn can see the deep sea of emotion in his eyes.

Arinn is tensed so tight he feels like he might snap. He can feel his mind seeking a way out, the walls he’d let down going up -

“I love you too, Ari.”

With those softly spoken words the walls crumble to dust. He stares, dazed, at Alex.

“Don’t say it just because I said it,” he begs. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

Alex is shaking his head. He’s searching for words.

“No, no - you don’t understand, I-I do. I have. For a while now. But I was scared, I didn’t know where we stood. Or if it was too soon.”

“For...a while?”

“Yeah,” Alex says, hanging his head like a chastised child. “Don’t even know exactly when. I think maybe...I was a little in love with you right from the beginning. Which sounds crazy, I know.” He shrugs. “I’m a little crazy, I guess. And a lot to handle. But I know what I feel. And I love you.”

Arinn starts to speak but chokes on a sob. He throws his hand over his mouth. Tears stream from his eyes as he stares at Alex. Alex loves him. No one has ever loved him. He’s never loved anyone. It’s so much all at once, he can’t even get a word out. His sobs grow harder, everything he’s feeling boiling up and spilling over.

He doesn’t see Alex move closer, but he feels it when Alex’s arm wraps around him. He’s right here, warm and solid and real. He loves me…

Arinn finds himself pulled in by his gravity, leaning closer until he can bury his face in Alex’s shoulder. Alex tips his head to rest against Arinn’s.

“Please come home,” Alex whispers. “Please.”

Something between a hiccup and a laugh bubbles out of Arinn. “Of course I’m fucking coming home,” he says, the words half muffled into Alex’s shirt. He slips his arm around Alex’s uninjured side and holds on desperately. Alex kisses his head. Arinn doesn’t comment on the tears he feels drip into his hair from Alex’s cheek.

They stay like that until Arinn’s sobs cease and Alex’s breathing calms. By then it must be near one in the morning. A chill runs through Alex and his breath hitches as the movement jostles his injuries. The sound finally spurs Arinn into action.

“Come on,” he says, gently easing Alex’s face up. Alex looks like he could fall asleep where he’s standing. Arinn cups his cheek and kisses him deeply. “You’ve had a long day. Let me take care of you.”

Alex nods gratefully. He remains glued to his side, leaning heavily against Arinn as they slowly make the walk back.

----

Arinn’s hands shake as he prepares two cups of tea. In the quiet of the apartment there’s nothing stopping him from turning over the events of the night in his mind.

Tonight things came too close to ending, in more ways than one. If Alex hadn’t followed him he doesn’t know if they could have salvaged things the next day or not. He’s never done this. He doesn’t know when to keep fighting and when to give up. Tonight...tonight he gave up too quickly.

But what has him more shaken is the crash Alex was in. What he said was right: he was lucky. Arinn hates that he’s hurt at all, but it could have been so much worse. He could have been hospitalized, paralyzed, concussed, killed…

Arinn shudders and nearly drops the kettle as he goes to put it back. He stops and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. He’s okay. He’s okay.

He sets the cups on a tray - a real tray, not the baking pan Alex once brought him breakfast on - and carries them to the bedroom, trying to appear more together than he feels.

Alex is resting on the bed with his eyes closed, breathing softly. When they got back he managed to remain sitting up long enough for Arinn to peel off his ruined clothes and get some boxers onto him, then he flopped back against the pillows with a groan while Arinn maneuvered his legs onto the bed and pulled a sheet up to his waist.

Arinn sets the tray on the bedside table and looks at him. He focuses first on the slow rise and fall of his chest. He’s okay. He’s okay. It’s impossible for his eyes not to wander to the deep bruising that mars Alex’s skin, from the left side of his face trailing down over his shoulder and arm, his chest and ribs and side, fading out at his hip.

It’s a fucking miracle that nothing is broken. Something must have padded his fall somewhat. Arinn tries not to think about it too hard, because if he does, he imagines Alex’s body being tossed like a ragdoll against unforgiving metal and he wants to scream.

“Hey,” he says. He sits at the edge of the bed and strokes Alex’s cheek until his eyes open. As soon as he sees Arinn he presses his cheek into his hand. Arinn smiles. If he didn’t know better, sometimes he’d think Alex was the one who survived on touch.

“Tea’s ready. I have medicine, too. Tomorrow I’ll go get you something stronger but this will have to do for now. And then we can go to sleep.”

Alex nods, blinking slowly. He turns his face and kisses Arinn’s palm. “Thank you…”

“Stop that. You don’t have to thank me.” He reluctantly takes his hand away from Alex’s face. “Can I prop you up a little?”

Alex nods again, reluctantly. He draws in a sharp breath when he tries to sit up a little so Arinn can put another pillow behind him. “Ah...fuck, it hurts…”

“I know...I know, babe…” Arinn gets the pillow back there as quick as he can and then eases Alex gently back against it. He kisses all over his face in praise. “Just think, if it was worse and you went to the hospital, some nurse could be doing this right now.”

Alex chuckles. “Guess you’re my nurse instead.”

“Hmm. I don’t think nurses are supposed to do this to their patients…” he dips in and kisses him. Alex’s eyes slip shut and he sighs as their lips part.

“No, you’re right,” he agrees. “That has to be against some kind of protocol.”

Hearing him joke around lightens the weight in Arinn’s chest. He kisses Alex one more time and then takes his teacup from the tray and holds it up for him. “Here…good arm only, remember.”

Alex takes the cup with his right hand and takes a sip. He hums with approval.

“This is good.”

“This is how tea is supposed to taste when you don’t over steep it,” Arinn teases gently.

“Guess you’re making the tea from now on.”

“Gladly.”

While Alex sips at his drink Arinn looks through the things he pulled from the medicine cabinet. There are a couple different varieties of pain pills and some sort of bruise relief gel he’s never heard of.

“That’s for work injuries,” Alex says when he notices Arinn holding the bottle. “Doesn’t happen often but sometimes I drop something on my foot or lose my footing and fall. A coworker recommended it. It does help. I’m not sure I’ll be able to move enough to put it on, though…”

“Who said anything about you putting it on?” Arinn turns the bottle over to read the back. “You aren’t moving an inch. I’m taking care of you.”

When Alex doesn’t answer he looks up. His breath catches when he sees the open fondness on Alex’s face.

“What?”

“Nothing...I’m just...really lucky.”

Arinn feels his cheeks heating and he can’t do a damn thing about it. “Well...I am your nurse, right?”

“Mmhmm. My hot nurse.” Alex winks suggestively. In his weariness the gesture is clumsy, but it still makes Arinn’s blush deepen.

“Good lord, you’re already loopy and you haven’t even taken the pain meds yet.” Arinn pops open the bottle and puts a pill in his hand.

Alex reaches for it, but Arinn decides it’s only fair to turn the tables a little. He shakes his head and holds the pill up. Alex’s eyes follow it as Arinn slips it onto his own tongue.

His brow pinches. “What are you - oh - “

Arinn leans forward and kisses Alex slowly. As he does, he slips the pill into his mouth. When he pulls back, Alex is the one blushing.

He fumbles a little with the tea cup and drinks down the last of it, swallowing the pill. He lets out a shaky breath when he’s finished. “Holy shit Ari, you can’t just do things like that. I’m too banged up to - to - “

“To bang?”

Arinn grins. Alex groans, but he’s smiling. “You’re worse than I am.”

“And yet, you love me.” The words are still as foreign on his tongue as they are in his mind.

Alex’s expression turns soft, almost shy. He takes Arinn’s hand and squeezes it. “Yeah. I do.”

Arinn could drown in that deep gaze. To stay afloat he busies himself with opening the bottle of gel and squeezing some out into his hand.

“Alright. Last bit and then you can go to bed.” His hands hover over Alex’s heated skin. He chews his lip. “I don’t want to hurt you…”

“It’ll only hurt at first,” Alex reassures him. “Then it’ll help.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Okay…”

He starts small, rubbing a tiny bit of the gel onto Alex’s bruised cheek. That goes fine. He rubs it onto his arm and shoulder as carefully as he can and Alex barely flinches.

The bruising on his side is the worst of it, though, and Arinn dreads it. But that’s also where he needs this the most.

Arinn gets some more gel onto his palms. Slowly, gently, he smooths it over the tender skin, flinching himself every time Alex makes a pained sound. “Hang in there…” He makes sure he’s covered every inch before finally moving down to his hip. When he’s done he presses an apologetic kiss to Alex’s chest. “All done…”

Alex breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you…” He closes his eyes as Arinn continues trailing comforting kisses up his neck and cheek, avoiding the bruised side.

When Alex’s breathing has evened out, Arinn gathers everything onto the tray and brings it to the kitchen to deal with tomorrow. He makes sure the door is locked, shuts off the lights, and then finally slips into bed beside Alex.

He lies there a while staring at Alex’s silhouette in the darkened room. Alex is so still, his breaths so slow, that Arinn assumes he must be sleeping. So it’s a surprise when his eyes open and he turns his head to meet Arinn’s gaze.

“You’re too far away,” he mumbles sleepily.

Arinn exhales. “I can’t exactly sprawl on top of you right now,” he whispers back.

“Then just…” he pats the small but notable empty space between them.

How can he not give in? At least it’s Alex’s uninjured side. He presses up close to him and holds his arm like a child holding a stuffed animal. “Better?”

“Better.”

After another stretch of silence, Arinn can’t help himself. “...Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t...can’t stop thinking about how it could have been so much worse…”

His tail curls over his hip, brushing against Alex’s hand where it lies on the bed. Alex cradles it and strokes it with his thumb.

“But it wasn’t. I’m right here, Ari.”

“But if you weren’t...if you hadn’t made it...you never would have known...” he nearly chokes on the whispered words.

“Known?”

“That I love you.”

“...neither would you,” Alex replies.

Arinn holds his arm a little tighter. He hadn’t thought of it the other way around, but Alex is right. In their fear and insecurity they both held in something the other desperately needed to hear.

“But now - “ Alex’s words are broken by a big yawn. “ - now we know…”

Arinn kisses his shoulder, overwhelmed with relief, gratitude, and love. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.” He kisses again and again, each one slower and sleepier than the last. “Get some rest,” he whispers against his skin. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

And the morning after that...and the next, and the next...

...and every morning after, for as long as you want.

-- The End --

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alitaimagines · 4 years ago

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“I can show you everything, yeah, and we're on our way to glory, where the show won't ever end and the encore lasts forever and it's time we're due to spend.”

BAKUGOU KATSUKI (ft TODOROKI SHOTO) ☆ MY HERO ACADEMIA

☆ previous imagine: ♡ ☆ masterlists: ♡ ♡

“do you think we’ll be best friends six years from now?” you asked Bakugou as he shrugged, “dunno, if you don’t annoy me enough, probably,” you rolled your eyes before throwing him a piece of milk bread you were eating.

he gave you an annoyed look before going back to studying. you were both were studying for hero laws and while you knew you were going to do fine, Bakugou had asked to revise your notes to see if his compared.

“that’s impossible! you get annoyed when someone drops a pen,” you complained making him laugh, “see! you’re probably annoyed as it is,” you stuck your tongue out jokingly as he went back to studying.

you remained on your phone until Bakugou finished up with your phones. you had been friends with him since middle school and although you were one of his closest friends, he treated you like anyone else in the class.

there was other days when he completely ignored you. ever since you started at U.A., the first year was just the same. being idiots together and being even bigger idiots when Kirishima and the rest of them were around but as the beginning of your second year started, you knew that Bakugou had started hanging around a girl from the business department a lot more frequently.

in a sense, you felt like you were losing your best friend. you did have other friends as you hung around Shoto, Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka whenever Bakugou was busy with the girl. it wasn’t that you harbored any feelings for him but drifting away from your best friend was like a punch in the gut.

“what are you doing after?” you asked as Bakugou looked down to his phone, “Kirishima wants to workout, why?” he asked not bothering see your fallen expression.

“uh, no reason, just wanted to see if you wanted to watch a movie or something but if you’re busy, we can just do it this Friday or whenever you’re free!” you exclaimed trying not to make it seem as though you were jealous, “yeah, Friday or something,” he responded, ruffling your hair as you noticed his red-haired best friend.

you waved at Kirishima before pressing the elevator button. you felt a gut feeling inside of you. you couldn’t quite pinpoint what the feeling was but a feeling was stirring inside of you and you didn’t like it and for a split moment, you felt as though he was lying about hanging out with Kirishima.

two months later:

you sat with Midoriya and Shouto as the three of you waited for Uraraka to get out of the bathroom to head to lunch. you kept looking down at your phone, hoping that Bakugou responded.

you had asked him if he wanted to hangout for the weekend. you had a few bucks lying around and knew the two of you could get dinner or something. it would be the first time in a few weeks that you knew he wouldn’t be busy.

“is something wrong?” Midoriya asked as he noticed you continuously looking down at your phone, “no, I’m fine. I just asked Bakugou to hang out this weekend since he was free but he hasn’t responded,” you tried to say as normal as possible.

Midoriya shrugged, “I’m sure he’ll get back to you,” he replied as Todoroki nodded in agreement. you put your phone in your back pocket, not bothering to fret on the situation anymore.

once Uraraka got out of the bathroom, the four of your walked to the lunch room. you had packed yourself a lunch as you were getting sick of the lunchroom food everyday.

“hey, Bakugou is by himself, you can ask him now,” Midoriya pointed out as Bakugou was waiting at the entrance of the lunch room, “right, I’ll be back!” you pointed out.

as you walked towards Bakugou, you noticed the girl walking up to him. you stopped dead in your tracks and paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking back to Todoroki and the rest of them.

“what happened?” Uraraka asked as you gave her a shrug, “I think he’s with his girlfriend. I don’t want to intrude on anything,” you whispered as you grabbed your bag and took out your lunch, “lets go eat. I don’t want eat in a rush and I know all of you are starving,” you added on as you walked in front of the group, trying to fight back tears that you had no idea as to why they threatening to come out.

as you walked ahead of everyone, you had missed the concerning looks of all your friends. Todoroki more than anyone. he had developed a small crush on you but since you hung around Bakugou a lot, he thought that you might’ve liked him but seeing how you were slowly distancing yourself from him, he knew you probably needed a shoulder to rely on.

“are any of you free this weekend? I don’t really feel like staying in my dorm all day,” you asked as Todoroki spoke up, “I’m free,” you were surprised the the half-n-half boy actually took up the offer, “awesome! we can get dinner or something!” you quickly mentioned making him smile.

you couldn’t help but look to Bakugou who had brought his girlfriend over to his group of friends a little later during lunch. the rest of the your friends had gone up to ask Aizawa a question as you stayed behind and threw away the remnants of your lunch.

after shoving your bag into your lunch you tried to make a bee-line to class but you heard Bakugou’s rough voice call you out.

“what’s up?” you asked as you eyes remained fully on him, “I wanted to introduce my girl friend to my best friend,” he replied as you shook your head dismissively.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to call me your best friend, Bakugou but regardless, I’m ( your name ),” you quickly said, “I’m a friend of his,” you added on as Bakugou stared at you in confusion.

after his girlfriend introduced herself, you noticed Bakugou’s very angry expression, “what?” you asked a bit confused, “what do you mean I can’t call you my best friend?” he asked.

you couldn’t help but laugh as you ruffled his hair in the same way he would with you, “Bakugou, you have a girlfriend. she’s going to be your best friend and as a girl, I know how it feels when another girl calls your boyfriend his best friend, it’s not fun,” you said with an eerily serene voice, “but regardless, ignore my text. I’m going with Todoroki. just text me when the three of us could hang out, I’m game!” you added on as you gave his girlfriend one last smile before running back to class before you were late.

two weeks later:

you were sitting with Todoroki as the two of you had finished making a visit up with his mom. you knew this was a big step into your friendship. his mom meant the world to him and although the two of you had just became friends, something in him wanted for you to meet her.

“hey, I’ll be back, I need to get something from my room,” Todoroki said as he placed the soup spoon down and walked to the elevators, “alright, just don’t expect me to be down here cooking down on my own,” you mocked as he laughed before leaving.

you were putting the last remaining seasonings in the soup when you saw Bakugou walking inside of the dorms. you waved at him and went to wash your hands when you noticed he was walking towards you.

“hey,” you said with a semi-forced smile, “hey,” he replied, a bit lowly.

you stood in front of him, wondering why he was just standing in front of you, not saying much, “how are you and ( his girlfriends name )? I knew the two of you are inching near the three month anniversary,” you tried to say as happily as possible.

“yeah, it’s on Saturday. we were planning on celebrating it with Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, and Sero at an arcade. she wanted to know if you’d be interested in coming along,” you shook your head sadly, “I can’t. I’m helping Todoroki study this weekend. maybe next week?” you asked.

Bakugou nodded as he started walking away. he stood in the middle of the hallway, before looking back at you again, “do you think we’ll be best friends six years from now?” he asked as you couldn’t help but laugh at the same thing you asked him a few months ago.

“dunno, if you don’t annoy me enough, probably.”

he laughed as you noticed Todoroki coming back with a blanket and one of his sweaters. Bakugou could see the same twinkle in your eye that you had when you used to hang with him, however, this time, it was a bit different. almost as if you liked Todoroki in a romantic way.

a year later:

you were reaching winter break for the last time at U.A. you had been dating Todoroki for a little more than a year now and the break, you were going up to visit Rei for a week before he went back with you to visit your family the following week.

the day never came when you got to hang with Bakugou and his girlfriend. you knew the two of them were still dating but since that day you were making soup, that had been the last time you spoke with him.

there was times you obviously had to talk to him during class and all of that but other than that, you never went out of your way to talk to him again and vice versa.

you woke up with a yawn as you noticed your hair was sprawled out all over Todoroki’s face. the two of you had a movie night and you ‘forced’ him to sleep in dorm last night. not that he didn’t mind it though. whenever he slept with you, he slept his best and with the events from last night, the two of you slept better than ever.

he had gotten you a golden band for your one year anniversary. he said ‘it wasn’t necessarily a promise ring but it wasn’t an engagement ring either’. he left it for you to decide, however, he hoped you took it as a promise ring as he wanted your engagement to be a lot more elaborate.

“get up,” you whispered in his ear, “we need to eat and make it up to the city before the hotel reservations go void.” Todoroki laughed as he snuggled closer to you and hummed, “ten more minutes,” he whispered as he closed his eyes again.

ten minutes was actually half an hour until the two of you got up. you pulled your hair up and told Todoroki that you would make him a quick breakfast before he met you downstairs with both your bags.

“come on you stupid blender!” you screamed a bit too loudly for your liking, “finally!” you said as the blender started work.

as you were pouring the smoothie into the bottles, you saw Bakugou and his girlfriend walk into the kitchen. you gave them a smile as he took out a few things from the fridge to make his breakfast.

the feeling in the air was oddly calm as you watched him talk quietly his girlfriend. you waited for Todoroki on the couch, sipping your smoothie until he finally arrived.

he noticed how engrossed you were in your phone and hugged you from behind, making you squeal loudly from laughter before he bent over to give you a kiss on the cheek.

“ready?” he asked as he chugged his smoothie back quickly, “ready as ever!” you said enthusiastically, “I’m so excited for your mom to open up her Christmas gift and see the promise ring you got me.”

Todoroki smiled as he gave you a peck on the lips before grabbing his bag, “well, let’s go! our car is in the front!” you grabbed your bag and held Todoroki’s hand with the other.

you looked to Bakugou and his girlfriend, giving both of them a smile as they returned them before going back to the conversation you were having with Todoroki and how excited he was to see his mom again.

you knew the look both you and Bakugou gave each other was one almost of closure. it wasn’t sad or upsetting. it was one of acceptance. almost as if the two of you silently told each other that the other was in good hands with their partner.

ALITA

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strongsassysexysloane · 5 years ago

Text

Ain’t Life a B*tch - Chap 5

This came out quick because I’d written most of it weeks ago... I don’t do things in order.

.. .. .. .. ..

Finally the bitter crisp of the DC winter was subsiding, you did love winter but by the end of January, you were over it. There was one down side to your apartment that you'd come to love. No fireplace. Gibbs almost choked when you mentioned buying a heater that looked like a fireplace. You went ahead and bought it anyway without telling him because he offered for you to come over a few times for poker night. Apparently Jack was a regular at these but ditched whenever you ended up joining. Funny that.

It was funny how she avoided you outside the office but when a case came around she was right on it. Helping you, insisting on being in on interrogations. You'd managed to even work together in interrogations after a while, you really didn't like observing them. Ben was shocked the first time you followed Jack in to interrogate a suspect but didn't say anything after as you bounced easily off each other and didn't miss a beat. Since then he was happy to observe the tennis match as he called it. Like watching Federer in Nadal volley. However as the weeks went on you were still only colleagues when cases came that she seems to notice you existed.

The nightmares came and went. You tried to not let it show when you were at work but they could see the lack of sleep you'd been getting. You picked up boxing again at the gym and let your frustrations out on the bag for a few hours every week. Vance even took you up one morning on sparring. He was rusty from years out of the ring but picked it up again quickly. Promising to join in again soon because he missed it after all.

Eventually the snow started to melt and not stick to the ground anymore. It was began to be some what pleasant to walk around DC again of a morning or evening and the farmers markets reopened. You enjoyed strolling the isles and buying fresh produce and found a nice one that wasn't much of a drive on Sundays. It was meant to be a relaxing morning out away from the business that is Washington DC but a certain blonde also frequented this farmers market. You remembered going on a few dates with her back in the day to local markets so it shouldn't have surprised you to find her here at one of the more popular ones near DC.

You avoided her when you first saw her but then you got distracted sorting through what tomatoes were best for your pasta sauce when Jack came up beside you. "Fancy seeing you here.." Jack reached over, picking up a tomato casually. Her tone was light and you saw the small smile on her lips. This was new.

The idea that she would come up to you never even crossed your mind. So you weren't prepared for making small talk. She hadn't even looked your way for months so this was a complete surprise. "Thought I needed to expand my shopping circle." You toss a few tomatoes into your tote bag and move along to the next isle, not really expecting Jack to follow but happy that she did.

"You picked a good one. I've been coming here over the past year. A friend suggested it." She added, walking around you and moving along to search for the items she was after.

You look over your shoulder taking in Jack as her back was turned. She was in her woollen beige coat, skinny jeans (from what little you could see) and her knee high relaxed, casual boots. It was so Jack and you couldn't help but smile before turning back to examine the avocados before she caught you looking. "Good suggestion." You cringed at how awkward and almost forced your reply sounded. You were nervous, unsure about what was going on and not wanting to get your hopes up on where this could go.

Jack walked over and stood beside you. "I know a really good coffee stand at the end of the market. If you want to grab one?" She grabbed an avocado without testing it first before chucking it in her bag.

You rolled your eyes at her blase way of selecting fruit and veg. Clearly her cooking skills hadn't changed much. "I might just do that." Not missing the twitch to Jack's lips at your response which made you laugh.

"I meant.."

"I know." You laugh a bit louder when Jack pokes out her tongue at you. You'd definitely missed the banter and fun you both could have. Having selected all the groceries you were after you walked up to pay and Jack followed.

You walked side by side, weaving in amongst the crowd and made your way to the coffee stand Jack had suggested. The small talk flowed easily enough. Only a few moments of silence that weren't too awkward. They were quickly filled with comments about a case or questions about your team.

She'd brought up going to Gibbs house for steaks on Friday night and you both laughed over his caveman ways of cooking meat and how it just turned out so perfect every time. It took all your self control and stubbornness to not ask if there was something going on with them. You knew it would make the almost perfect morning go south and you'd be back to an awkward workplace relationship so you bit your tongue, hoping that she'd give it away if you kept talking. Alas that was not the case as she left quickly after the coffee was finished, saying she was meeting up with a friend for lunch. Again you didn't ask who.

You'd caught up with her the following two Saturday's at the Farmers Market, it wasn't planned but it wasn't not planned either. You didn't know or want to think about if you kept going, just to see her, even though you really didn't need much of any fruit or veg. It was a nice little coffee catch up, talking about how your team was going and how her work load was and what was new in DC this week.

Again avoiding anything close to personal life information even when you slipped up talking to her about Alex's recent break up. Jack had noticed a change in Alex in the last case. She even offered to talk to Alex about it which you greatly appreciated and would send Alex her way if it came up again. Both of you agreed it would be best to get her to talk about it before it could affect her work because break ups were never easy and that's when the awkward silence happened. That's when your coffee date awkwardly, painfully ended. The conversation died and you made an attempt at a not so awkward goodbye. To say you over played that moment in your head for the rest of the day is a complete understatement.

Maybe you needed a psychologist.

Monday morning rolled around and you really hoped it was just going to be a paperwork sort of a day, no need to see or talk to Jack for the day. Alas the bank robber down town had other ideas. Of all the banks, he had to rob, it had to be the one next to the Naval Recruitment centre with three navy personnel standing as hostages in the shops window. So it was your jurisdiction, no matter how hard the local leos tried. Vance pulled a string or yanked a rope and your team were on the scene before 0830.

"Really regretting not getting my morning coffee right now." You grumble beside the surveillance van, behind a row of cop cars. You'd normally grab a coffee after your workout but that was cut short by the phone call at 0800.

"Well this situation just got a thousand times worse, for the bank robber." Eddie showed you a smile and you couldn't help but crack one yourself. She always liked lightening the mood but you saw how freaked out she was.

Placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. "It's going to be ok. Trust your instincts." Walking towards to officer in charge, well you guessed he was because he was the most angry one shouting all the demands. "Anyone got a line with the bank robber?"

"Yeah, he wants a van and a fully fuelled plane standing by at an airport." The officer countered, his anger dripping from his words. No one wanted to start off a Monday like this, or any day, really.

"Well that's original." You scoff and get an annoyed looked from him. "What? I haven't had my coffee yet."

"Got a tray of coffees in the truck. You might need it, this guy isn't talking to us anymore."

You raise an eyebrow. "You giving me the line?" This was a surprise.

He smiles and shakes his head. "Think you can do it?"

"Give me a cup of coffee and I'll give it my best shot."

"Bloody NCIS Agents." The Officer grumbles and you laugh walking towards the hopefully pick me up of a fresh cup of coffee.

It doesn't take long for the News choppers to hover overhead and the vans to pull up. You manage to not piss off the Bank robber unlike the other guys. Easing him down off his shooting ledge on more than one occasion when his demands weren't ready yet.

"Hey! You know DC, nothing gets done quickly here. You have a Federal Agency on the case now." You try your best to keep your voice, calm and not patronising. It was a thin line for you.

"If you are as good as you think you are then you'll have my van here in an hour and a plane ready as well. No more talking!" He growls.

"Wait! Jake!"

"You know my name?!" He's back on the line, shocked and even more angry now. You see the blinds flicker at one of the windows. "How the fuck do you know my name?!"

"I'm good when I need to be." You try not to smirk, having him on the back foot.

"Then wheres'-?!"

"Your Van? Yeah I heard you the first time. Because I have people working on surveillance, where as I need permission to get your van from my boss to make a deal with a criminal."

"One hour! Then I start shooting people." This time the line goes dead and you try your hardest not to throw the phone at the ground.

You turn around looking at Ben who just shrugs while he's on the phone arranging the Van and set up at an airport. Time ticks by and you can't get Jake back on the line. You've downed your third cup of coffee, much to the police officers dismay. Two of those were probably for them. But you didn't see them doing anything productive to the situation.

Your phone rings with ten minutes to spare before the hour deadline. "Agent Y/n speaking."

"Hello Agent. Got my Van and plane yet?" You can hear the frustration in his voice, almost see the smirk that went with it.

"No. We are clos-"

"Enough! You have ten minutes!"

"We need more time!" You shout back, losing your cool. You really didn't know how long you needed, it was out of your hands and you hated it. You were desperate, you couldn't let anyone die on your watch. Not now, not ever again. "Take me! Swap me with a hostage, shows you're willing to work with us and will help your demands move along." It was a desperate attempt and clearly a horrible one but you didn't care at this point.

. . . . .

Jack walked into the squad-room. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the plasma, even Gibbs. "What's going o-" She stood shocked at what was happening on screen. Ellie turned to see her reaction and reached out to run her hand comfortingly on her arm. "She can't!"

"Looks like she is." Nick countered, not looking at Jack's pissed off expression.

The agents watched as you walked into the bank, hands raised, no weapon or anything, just you and the door quickly opened and closed behind you.

Jack turned to death stare Gibbs. "Why aren't we down there!?"

"We are in the middle of a case. Vance called her team down. She's more than capable, Jack." His eye twitched, staring at his friend. He didn't like the implication she was sending his way.

"Fine." She huffed, turning and storming towards the elevator.

"Jack!" Gibbs shouted.

"Agent Sloane!" The deep voice of Director Vance called from half way down the stairs.

She hit the elevator button a few more times. "Can't stop me Leon!" She shouted back and hopped into the elevator. No one could stop her, she'd spoken to Leon a few months back when he needed to know why two of his two top Agents seemed to have trouble working together. She opened up about those six months of being in a relationship and how she really saw a future with you, was even looking at rings but then the job offer came. With it came the world from under her feet and everything went wrong. Leon hadn't said much after the admission, just gave her a little nudge to talk and sort things out. That was the night the alcohol took hold and she'd ended up in your bed. The night her world shifted and she knew she couldn't live without you but she couldn't get hurt again either.

"Well this isn't good." Gibbs was very close to head slapping Nick but refrained, stalking up the stairs, following Leon into his office. "We on this case now too?"

"Doubt it. Back to work." McGee turned the volume down on the plasma and sat down at his desk. Ellie and Nick followed. They didn't need anymore Agents on site. Jack would be able to handle it even if she wasn't assigned to.

. . . . .

"Where is my van?!" Jake yells into the phone. "I want my van!" He was getting angrier by the second. "Make them understand, otherwise I will shoot a hostage! Meaning you!" Jake throws the phone at you. It was now hitting 20 minutes since you had walked into the Bank. Your bluff of him getting his van sooner with you as a hostage was quickly dwindling.

"Hello? Ben!" Your voice is shakier than you would've liked, but as soon as you hear your Agent's voice you calm for half a second.

"Y/n! Are you ok, is everyone ok?" He's sounding desperate, out of his depth. Your confidence starts to fade as you cling to the phone but your eyes lock with Jake and you need to keep a straight face. Not letting him see your fear as he glares at you, his hand shaking as he holds the gun at you. His uncertain demeanour was getting to you.

"I'm fine for now. We need that van! Hurry it up!" The level of your voice raising as Jake walks closer, yanking the phone away before Ben can reply and you can get more information. "Hey!"

Jake throws the phone across the room, it smashes into the brick wall. "No more chit chat." You watch as the other hostages flinch at the sound. The closest hostage, you'd managed to get the name of Sully. He was a bank teller, one year on the job and that was all you found out before Jake told you two to shut up.

"Bit hard to tell them how serious you are if I can't talk to them." You snark back and Jake swings around, his gun now pointing directly at your chest. "You wanted my help." Your eyes trained on the gun, staring down the barrel and rethinking your entire life.

His head drops back in frustration, the gun still pointed at you. "This is how they'll know how serious I am." Jake straightens up and glares down at you, his finger curling slowly around the trigger.

"No!" Sully jumps up, you flinch expecting the shot but Sully's sudden movement turns Jake around and he shoots. You watch as he falls to the ground and you rush over to his side. Blood starts seeping through his shirt as you apply pressure.

"Bastard!" You shout, not sure if it was directed at Sully or Jake. "Here." You quickly take off your NCIS jacket and re-apply pressure to the bullet wound in his lower abdomen.

"Had to be the hero, stupid man." Jake stalks over, looking at you both. You glare up at him as you keep pressure to Sully's wound, making the poor guy grown.

"Jake!" A loud voice shouts from outside and your heart drops.

"Who the fuck is that?!" He rages, stalking to the window and flicking the blind open beside a hostage.

"Jake Malone. My name is Agent Sloane. I'm here to give you what you want."

Your insides almost come up your throat. Why was Jack here? She couldn't be here?! This wasn't happening! You look back down at Sully who was getting very pale but you think the pressure had stopped the bleeding, kind of.

He slides the window open an inch. "Where is my van?!"

"What happened Jake? We heard a gun shot!" You could hear the uncertainty in her voice, her worry and panic. "Is anyone hurt? Is Agent Y/n ok?" You gulped at the sound of your name.

Jake turned and looked at you. His eyes boring into you. He had the balls to smirk. "She's covered in blood so what do you think?" He shouted back and you wanted to shoot him where he stood and hoped a sniper out there would.

"Don't mislead them. You won't get what you want." You bark.

"If they think their precious Agent is injured maybe I'll get my van quicker!" Maybe he was smarter than you gave him credit for but you were still pissed beyond anything. Sully coughed and your attention was back on the poor guy in front of you.

"Stay with me Sully. Help is coming." He was so pale, barely able to keep his eyes open, you pressed down on his wound a little harder which must've sent a jolt of pain through him because he opened his eyes, almost glaring at you.

. . . .

Jack was shook, she reached out for anything to hold to give her balance, the police car would have to do. She handed the megaphone back to the police officer nearest her. Any second longer and she would've dropped it. She didnt care if anyone saw, there was no hiding away from this now. She came down here to make things better and she'd done the exact opposite. She'd got you shot.

She turned on the police office in command, her voice dripping with anger and fear. "We need to get in there now!" Her knees wobbling, she'd handled several hostage situations before. Why was her emotions getting the better of her now? Right now she needed to get to you and take that bastard out!

.. .. . .. .. .. ..

#jack sloane #jack sloane x reader #ncis #fanfic #ncis x reader #reader insert #fem!reader #aintlifeabitchstory

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1dffchallenges · 5 years ago

Photo

Feel No Ways

Written By: @stylesdobrik

Characters: Aaliyah/Harry

Summary: Aaliyah Thompson works at a very popular gym in West Hollywood. She is used to seeing her fair share of celebrities, most nicer than she expected and others she wished would find another location to call theirs. Harry Styles has become a regular at Aaliyah’s gym and while Aaliyah has a strict no-crushes policy the british singer may become an anomaly to the rule.

My first day at Equinox on Sunset Boulevard was like no other. As soon as I clocked in and got myself settled in the front desk I was greeted by Lebron James. Yes, the one and only Lebron James. He was checking in for a personal training session, I fumbled on my words but processed his membership without having to call a manager over to help which I was proud of myself for. After eight hours of being confronted by more celebrities than I have in my four years living in Los Angeles I knew I had to change my attitude quickly. I made a pact with myself that I needed to treat everyone that walked through the Equinox doors like the human beings that they are - yes, even if it is Beyonce. I wasn’t going to pursue a fling no matter how tempting it was and how many times I’m asked for my Instagram. No one is worth crossing that professional boundary for.

&&&

I was running late, eight minutes late to be exact. My shift started at 6:00 AM and it was currently 6:08 AM. My day began twenty minutes ago when I slept through all my alarms and was woken up by my roommate Olivia who barged into my room letting me know that it was 5:40 AM (my regular wake up time was 4:30 AM). I shot up, brushed my teeth, grabbed a banana, put on my Equinox shirt (thankfully I had built the habit of sleeping in a sports bra and leggings).

I clocked in swiftly at 6:23 AM and made my way to the front desk. The gym didn’t open until 6:30 so I had time to grab an iced coffee with almond milk from the cafe and get ready for the madness of mornings at Equinox. Today is Thursday, which means the first class of the day is boxing and Thomas, my manager, is teaching the class. There are a lot of regulars in this class which makes my life easier because it makes the check in process go a lot faster. People began filtering into the gym as soon as the doors open, checking in with me and putting their things away as they head up towards the boxing rings.

The last few people had checked in a few minutes ago which meant I was free to do whatever I wanted until the next class began. I started up my Macbook so I could spend time working on some admin. I bite into my banana, turned on some tunes and got straight to work. The class was about to start, which meant I was going to be free for the next hour.

I was typing away when I was greeted by someone who was cutting it close to catch the boxing class. Already having my speech ready, “Sorry, the class is about to begin any minute now, I can’t let anyone else in” I repeated having had to say this sentence many times. As I lifted my head up, I was met with a man that looked very familiar. The first thing I noticed was the way he had his hair pulled back with a red bandana, wearing an oversized hoodie, and a pair of shorts. He had his boxing gloves hanging off his gym bag, if I could assume one thing about the man is we both probably started our mornings the same way - rushed.

“I know, I talked to Thomas- I… um, I just didn’t… don’t want to… cause a scene” the man was out of breath, another indication of the morning that he had. He quickly handed me his gym card and then made his way up to the boxing class. I was taken aback by the interaction because I wasn’t given time to react before the man was checked in and halfway up the stairs.

It wasn’t until I looked back down at my work computer and saw the membership profile of the man before me, Harry Styles.

&&&

I had Saturday off which to normal people they would have slept in, caught up on some of their favorite shows, maybe went out for Brunch with a few friends but me, I was up at 6:00 AM ready to take Thomas’s boxing class. Saturday meant that there would only be a few people in the class since majority of LA spend Friday nights getting completely wasted. I had thirty minutes until the gym opened. I got out of bed, making my way towards my ensuite bathroom to begin my morning routine - brush teeth, wash my face, put my hair up in a high ponytail, moisturize, put on a black Nike sports bra, a pair of Lululemon leggings, grab a banana and head out the door.

I enjoyed working out at the Equinox because of how luxurious it felt. I made my way towards the check in desk, my coworker Emily was working today, she was in the middle of talking to another gym go-er as I got up to the check in desk and stood next to the man that was engaging in conversation with her. Immediately I recognized his thick British accent that was accompanied by a very slow drawl, every single word that he spoke being carefully selected. He paused his sentence and looked up towards me as I was reaching over the desk to check myself in.

“Coming in on your day off now, Aaliyah? We can’t keep you away from here” Emily spoke up, which led to the man, who I quickly recognized from the other day to look my way.

“Thomas is the best boxing instructor in the city of Los Angeles! I’ve got to stick with the best even if it means coming to work on my day’s off” I explained to Emily, finished checking in and then made my way up the stairs and headed straight for the cubicles where we are meant to store our belongings during the class. I began putting my things away when Harry appeared next to me,

“Do you usually come to Thomas’s classes on the weekend?” He asked, all I could see in my line of vision was the two plastic water bottles in his hand, the same hand that had his boxing gloves hanging from them. I made a mental note of that image before responding, “I do, since most of my shifts are during his classes, I never get a chance to work with him until the weekend.” I got up from putting my things away in the middle cubicle and switched spots with Harry so he could store his belongings away, “You can just use put your things with mine” I said to him, he tilted his head my way and I nodded for reassurance. Harry seemed like a nice guy and not one that would try and swipe any of my belongings, plus sometimes Thomas’s classes could get quite full so I was really doing everyone a favor.

We made our way towards the middle of the room as Thomas rounded up everyone in the class and led us in a series of warm up stretches. He quickly split us up in groups of 5 and each group was assigned to a different station - boxing ring, punching bags, bikes, bear-crawls, planks and repeat. Harry and I were placed in the same group and we spent the entire hour class encouraging one another. Whispering “you got this” to me as we attempted to do bear-crawls across the floor and the intensity of the work out began to wear me out. Racing against one another as we got to the bikes, we kept each other on our feet throughout the entire hour workout. It was the most fun a person could have in a boxing class.

I had been working Equinox for a very long time and have had my fair share of encounters with celebrities but there was no one like Harry. Usually, they didn’t want to talk to anyone and just came to the class and left without introducing themselves but I could instantly tell that Harry was different. He talked to Thomas ahead of time before coming to any of his classes he didn’t want the focus to be on him. He encouraged me throughout our class and I did the same for him.

We made our way back to the cubbies, both dripping in sweat. Harry handed me one of the towels off the rack and grabbed one for himself. I started wiping the sweat off my face, exactly what you want a man that you find attractive to see you doing (no, Aaliyah, stop that).

“This was nice” Harry said as he drank from one of his water bottles and pointing towards me and the rest of the gym, “Nothing like a friendly competition”. Both of us chuckling as we grabbed our items and headed back downstairs.

“It was nice, I didn’t realize pop sensation Harry Styles had a boxing class in him but I guess I should never judge a book by it’s cover.” I smirked as I held the door for both of us outside.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Aaaliyah, is it?” Harry questioned, making sure that he got my name right

“Yes, Aaliyah” I confirmed for him, “See you around?”

“See you around” Harry replied as he made his way towards the parking structure and I walked out to the front to order my Uber.

As I got outside of Equinox, I grabbed my phone out of my bag and went to punch in my passcode the phone automatically unlocked, which was odd, but I thought nothing of it and looked for the Uber app and called a car to take me back home. I was starving and ready to eat breakfast. I kept an eye out for the Toyota Camry that was meant to pick me up.

When a Toyota Camry slowly approached me I double-checked the license plate before I opened the door and made my way inside. The driver doing a double take before putting the car back into drive and making his way down Sunset Boulevard towards my apartment. The driver and I made light conversation at the beginning of my ride, he asked me where I was coming from, I told him that I just took a class at the gym. He turned the radio up a bit and I rested my head back enjoying the hums of top 40 radio.

The Uber slowed down in front of my apartment. I gathered my belongings from the car and that was when the driver spoke up, “Just thought I’d let you know that when you request an Uber it comes up as Harry Styles, I was kind of surprised when you got into the car, maybe just an in-app error but I was expecting a much different rider” He laughed as he got his statement out and I was frozen. My hand on the door handle, making sure that I heard him correctly.

“Yeah, must be an in-app error, thanks! Have a great day!” I bolted out of the car and immediately grabbed the phone from back out of my bag examining it further. I was in a daze after boxing with Harry that we must have switched phones. The iPhone in my possession was most definitely not mine because the background was the standard iPhone background of the moon, the apps were organized in folders and the only ones not were Uber, Messages, Email and Phone Calls.

How exactly was I going to get this phone back to Harry? Did he realize that the phone in his possession wasn’t mine? What happens if someone calls? How do I explain that I have Harry Styles’ phone but it was an honest mistake? I made it up the stairs and into my apartment before I drove myself crazy, praying that Olivia was at home to assist.

“Olivia! Olivia! Olivia!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as soon as I got through the door, throwing my gym bag on the floor and pacing back and forth through our living room.

“Jesus, is everything okay?” She said as she ran down the stairs.

“Harry Styles, I have his phone and Harry Styles has my phone” I couldn’t get my story out before she interrupted me.

“What?” Olivia’s expression was puzzled, “How could that have happened?” She finally made her way over to me, placing her hand on my arm to keep me from pacing back and forth.

“We were at boxing and shared a cubbie. I didn’t realize until the Uber driver said something, I charged a $25 ride to Harry’s credit card. Oh my god, do you think he’s going to prosecute me?” I could not catch my breath, my mind was racing a million miles a minute. How was I going to get my phone back?

“Aaliyah, take a deep breath. Harry Styles is not going to prosecute you over a $25 Uber ride, plus, he’s probably just as wound up about having your phone in his posession” Olivia continued to calm me down, “Just call your phone and let him know it was an honest mistake and you guys can meet up and switch phones” She reassured me.

“You’re right, okay, I can do this” I bargained with myself before pulling Harry’s phone out and dialing my phone number. Olivia didn’t leave my side because I was sure that I was going to die of embarrassment but the phone was ringing and I couldn’t go back. It felt like every ring lasted thirty minutes, on the last ring, someone picked up,

“HarrythisisAaliyahfromboxingdoyouremembermeweswitchedphonesinboxingIthinkwellIdefinitelyknowbecauseIhaveaphoneinmypossessionanditisntminesoitmustbeyoursdoyouhavemine?” I spoke very fast leaving no room for awkwardness between me and a man I just ‘met’ a week ago. There was a pause on the other line as soon as I caught my breath, I pulled Harry’s phone from my ear to make sure he was still on the line, he was but wasn’t saying anything, “Harry, are you still there?” I said in a panic

“Yes, I was just making sure that you were done” He began to laugh “I do remember you Aaliyah, I do have your phone but I didn’t realize until I tried to call my manager and he wouldn't pick up until I texted him a picture of me with today's newspaper, felt like a fugitive” He explained how this was a less than ideal for him as well.

“We can meet somewhere and exchange our phones?” I suggest

“I just sent you my address. I’ll be home all day, the password to the gate is ‘password’ feel free to come up” He nonchalantly discloses the information before hanging up the phone.

“What did he say?” Olivia asked as I began to get up from the couch and gather my things to make my way out.

“Can I borrow your car? He invited me over to exchange phones and I really don’t feel like driving up the Hollywood Hills with a random Uber driver especially when the account isn’t mine” I said to her as I gathered all of my things and held my hand out so she could give me her keys.

“Okay, be careful! Let me know when you get there and remember, he has your phone too so don’t get too flustered” Olivia said to me as she let me out before closing the door.

When I got into the car I took a few deep breaths in and out before putting the car in drive and making my way to Harry’s.

I pulled into Harry’s driveway I was in awe. I knew he was successful but I’ve seen a house this massive. I texted Harry (myself) a quick “here!” before getting out of Olivia’s car and walking up to the front door. I knocked, and knocked and then knocked again. I wiggled the door handle to create more noise but to my surprise the door was open. I had an internal battle on whether or not I should just walk in or keep knocking but I decided that if someone is comfortable enough to leave their front door unlocked they should expect people at all times.

Harry’s house is massive, as soon as I walk through the front door I was immediately hit with the reality of just how luxurious his house was. As I tiptoed down the hallway I was in awe of the open concept of Harry’s home. His living room was massive with modern style furniture, I noticed the TV on top of the fireplace with a 70’s music mix playing on the screen. His kitchen is to the right of the room, a large island in the middle that is littered with measuring bowls, cups, bags of flour, sugar, chocolate chips and more. It’s a disaster but I wasn’t surprised because behind the island was Harry still in his gym clothes from boxing this morning with an added apron, a large mixing bowl in his hand. He was mixing so hard, I thought he was about to break a sweat.

I coughed to make Harry aware of my existence followed with, “Um, the front door was open.” I made my way to the island, taking a seat at one of the stools opposite of Harry.

“Aaliyah!” Harry put down the bowl and walked over to his gym bag that was on the floor, “Your phone is here, you can leave mine on the table” He said before handing me my phone.

I could have taken that as a cue to leave but what’s the fun in that?

“Baking in the mid-afternoon?” I quirked an eyebrow up at Harry as I grabbed a few chocolate chips out of the packaging.

“Jeff’s dogs birthday is tonight and since I used to be a baker-”

“You used to ring people up at the register Harry, I watched This Is Us you can’t fool me”

“Since you’re such an expert why don’t you come over to this side and help me?” Harry smirked.

I took up his challenge and began helping him. Harry was trying to bake peanut butter cake that is suitable for dogs and humans.

“You do realize chocolate is like really bag for dogs…” I was baffled at the amount of chocolate chips already in the mix. I moved the bowl of chocolate chips from the island as Harry picked them out of the mix. We continued like that, baking a cake with each other just as we were boxing together in the morning. Harry and I had an easy-going banter and in no time, we were done baking the cake. He had to be at his friend Jeff’s place and I saw myself out. We agreed to see each other back at boxing tomorrow morning.

I got back to my apartment and just as I was getting out of the car my phone pinged with a text from Harry,

Now that I’ve got your number, do you want to grab a smoothie after boxing tomorrow?

#1dff #cliche challenge #harry

172 notes · View notes

brandonjackk · 5 years ago

Text

Here I sit; watching the buses

Here I sit

watching

the buses

in the

depot

across

the road

wondering

if I can turn

the

rubbing

alcohol

under

sink

into

hand

sanitiser

as the people

down

below

talk about

how fucked

we all

are

and a

fear riddled

stockpile

fist

fight

takes place

aisle six.

Here I sit

with

my feet

on the railing

watching

the buses

just

I did

after

waking

with sweat

on my face

thinking

how often

bite

my nails

and

rub my eyes

and that

I need

to wash

my hands

a few more

times

since

using

the pump

at the

station

to fill

car.

There I sat

ungodly

unknown

hour

repeatedly

asking

if the

few

times

I had

coughed

that

day

were

any more

than

I usually

would

and there I sat

unable

answer

my own

question

because

the

truth

I don’t

normally

pay attention

to the number

of times

I cough

between

the

early

morning

walk

to the

cafe

and the

final

credits

of a

Netflix

binge

that

would

usually

bookend

blissfully

ignorant

day.

But now

here I sit

confined

to only four

walls

keeping count

the coughs

that

the part of me

who has never

experienced a crisis

before

believes

he can

almost

trick himself

into

sits

and

thinks

for long

enough.

There I sat

at that

ungodly

hour

trying to stop

myself

from

spiralling

into a

psychosomatic

self

diagnosis

counting the

rows

of buses

sitting

between

the yellow lines

of the depot

figuring

that

there were

eighty-six

give

take

the ones

around the

corner

and out

the

back

I could not

see.

I found

eighty-six

oddly

comforting

to know

in the early

or late

hours

of a

Wednesday

belonging

to a

week

where my

thumb

can

barely

keep

with the

avalanche

of a

pandemic.

Here I sit

once more

watching the buses

as an escape

from social distancing

announced Friday

but starting Monday.

From the two weeks in

a room

that might last

four months

or six months

or who knows

how many

months

months.

From

trying to

remember

if it was

a wet cough

or a dry cough

I should be

looking out for

and

not wanting

the internal

crisis meeting

debate

about where

my last

three

coughs

fall

on the wet

and dry

spectrum.

Here I sit

to avoid the

panic

of shelves

stripped

bare

because

we can’t

find it

in ourselves

to trust

that the person

next door

isn’t doing

the

same

so let me count

once more

to avoid

the thought

that a

recession

is imminent

and that

the work

I do

isn’t necessary

and that the bills

are

going to

pile up

and that the

parking inspector

who gave me

a ticket

on my own

street

doesn’t

seem

to care

right now.

eighty-four.

eighty-five.

eighty-six.

Here I sit

watching the buses

remembering

just last week

this was all

still a joke

to me.

A hilarious

toilet paper fiasco

and

the small talk

preamble

Saturday

night

where

I stood

amongst

the crowd

at a pub

in Marrickville

lured

by an

obviously

fabricated

rumour

that the

Pixies

were playing

an impromptu

set.

Shoulder to

shoulder

unwilling

come

to terms

with the way

a pandemic

works

I sucked

on a cigarette

passed

a stranger

and used

my fingers

to throw

the ice

out of

a gin

and tonic

that I hoped

would be

accompanied

by where is my mind

or at least

gouge away.

Maybe

the people

on Bondi beach

and in Potts Point

bars

are all waiting

to hear

Black Francis

scream too

and

if so

can

somebody

please

tell

them

he’s

not

coming

and

that

the

saltwater

isn’t

going

anywhere

they

should just

get

the fuck

inside

because now

it’s asthmatics scared

they won’t

be able

to breathe

and the chemist

is out of ventolin

and it’s health professionals

sleeping in

the garage

of their family

home

for the few

hours

they get off

so they can protect

the ones

they love

while

still

saving the

strangers

who lay

on dwindling

intensive

care

unit

beds

hooked to

respirators

reaching for air

without

their

families

in the room.

Now it’s

disorder

and

chaos

and uncertainty

and panic

and the estimation

of two million

jobs

lost

and

all those words

and

things

that

let you know

our

collective

normal

has

been

completely

shattered.

So here I sit

watching the

buses

clinging to

the moments

reprieve

I find

in the eighty-six

or thereabouts

companions

of the depot

because

online

avalanches

and aisle six

fist

fights

and

twenty-seven

hundred

unchecked

cruise shippers

roaming free

have ripped

the certainty

I once

had

and thrown it

further

than

thought

possible

in a week

that has felt

much

longer

than only

seven

days.

Here I sit

watching

the buses

knowing

there is not

a single person

unscathed

by the crooked

nightmare

this is.

On Monday

I watched

the Melbourne

Symphony Orchestra

perform

Rimsky-Korsakov

to five thousand people

in an empty

auditorium

and

on Wednesday

I saw tweet after

from journalists

whose contracts

were not

renewed

because

the games

they report on

are no longer

played.

University lecturers

record in

whispers

at midnight

because their

homes aren’t quiet

enough

during the day

while

primary school teachers

with respiratory

conditions

tread lightly

grounds

running low

with

disinfectant.

Two thirds

of airline staff

let go

roadies with

no shows

to set up

and

I heard

that one man

spat

on a

self-service

check out assistant

who asked him

to return

the eight

bottles of milk

he probably

didn’t

need

but

somebody else

might.

eighty-four.

eighty-five.

eighty-six.

Here I sit

watching the

buses

from my balcony

trying to run

from

the crush

of numbers

that keep growing

and growing

and

fucking

growing

fighting the

anxiety

that comes

with

ever

threatening

exponential boom

trajectory

wondering

if the

people

at the pubs

and clubs

have

seen

the scenes

in Italy

of crisis

rooms

where

life

and

death

choices are

being

made

based

survival

chances

or do

they only

see

the rooftop

tenor

performances

and

dolphins

the

clear

water

canals

of Venice.

Here I sit

still

wondering

if the rubbing alcohol

under my sink

can be turned

into

hand

sanitiser

with that

sickly

falling feeling

that comes

when the

rug

you

didn’t

know

was there

is pulled

as one hundred

becomes five hundred

becomes eight hundred

becomes who the fuck knows

how many hundred

as the hundred

is just a number

but

the people

we know

and love

are all part

of some hundred

aren’t they?

so let’s not

play Russian

roulette

on the streets

and hope

it's not

that

hundred

they

belong to.

Here I sit

counting the buses

once more

finally learning

how

to make bitter

stovetop

coffee

allowing myself

the faintest

hope

that

things

will be

fine

until

my phone rings

so another friend

can tell me

of how

a single email

has railroaded

their

entire

year

and that

their

showrooms

are empty

and their gym

is closed

and their

season is finished

and their wedding is

off

and their

tour

is cancelled.

When they hang up

I count once

and after

eighty-six

or thereabouts

I like to imagine

that the

back

against

the wall

selfish

panic

and

immortal

ignorance

of sandy feet

might

soon

be replaced

by compassion

or trust

or something

I can’t even describe

because I've never

quite seen

the likes

before

and that

maybe when

we figure out

a way

to use the hands of those

told

they weren’t

needed

in places

where they are

and become

accustomed

to streaming

morning workouts

and live sets

and

first dates in

virtual galleries

that the

panic

will subside

least

become

somewhat bearable

as it takes

its place

as the

new

norm

for

while.

Should the phone

not ring

for

long enough

I get

so far

to think that

maybe

one day

we will emerge

after sitting inside

and feel intoxicated

by the roar

of a crowd

once more

and

be able

work in

an office

smiling at

how nice it is

to be asked

who wants

to get lunch

and

hear the beauty

happy birthday

sung by a group

while someone

we all know

and

love

blows out

candles

with air

from the room

we all

fill.

But

to be

honest

I do not know

what

will happen

between now

and then

or when

that then

will be

so in the meantime

here I sit

with my feet on the railing

of my

balcony

counting

the rows

on the

bare naked

concrete canvas

while bats

from the park

fly overhead.

4 notes · View notes

castellankurze · 6 years ago

Note

FSF: Someone (or multiple someones?) takes a bubble bath.

fanfic for Completely Normal RPG, run by @lordcaliginous. Also tagging @mystictheurge and @tamsynspeaks as per what is now standard procedure.

Takes place sometime in the month of December.

A Completely Normal Week

Monday

The motorcycle’s engine throbbed as its rider took the final turn into the driveway and slowed to a stop. Shouko dismounted and unlocked the carport before walking the bike inside, pulling her helmet and hanging it off one of the handlebars. The interior of the carport was a disaster, with her mom’s car tucked snugly up against the left side where it had accumulated a fine layer of dust while the rest of the available area was full of tools and spare parts. Some had been left behind by her father, and Shouko had added to the motley collection over the years until the back wall of the carport was hardly accessible, but it wasn’t like they ever used the decorations stored back there.

“Hi mom, I’m home,” she announced as she stepped through the front door, tossing her keys into the nearby basket with a jingle. The Kogawa household was a snug, two-story place with a pair of bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper level with everything else downstairs, and the only response to the girl’s voice was the slow churning of the ceiling fan she’d left on last night.

Once she’d stripped off her riding leathers, Shouko settled down at the table in the family room to do her homework. This consisted of a block of time lasting no more than one solid hour, subjects broken up by use of an egg timer. Over the years she’d gotten pretty good at judging how to mostly finish any given piece of homework in the time allotted, and if she was off, well, partial credit was better than none. She answered questions as fast as she drove her bike, though with considerably more guesswork. 'You could be an A-rank student if you wanted it,’ more than one of her teachers had groused at her. Shouko had come up with any number of excuses over time, but by and large as long as she maintained a D most had learned to live and let live.

At the conclusion of her hour, Shouko packed away her school stuff and left it by the door, there to be grabbed tomorrow morning. That done, she ran upstairs to change her clothes into a set of gym shorts and a plain white shirt, stuffing her earbuds in her ears before heading off to the treadmill.

Most of Shouko’s teachers had guessed at her athletic ability, but those who dismissed the girl as a slacker would have been shocked to see the utter concentration on her face as she sprinted at top speed on her mother’s treadmill, a dumbbell clutched in each hand, stopping only for the occasional drink of water. There once was a time when she would have been soaked with sweat at the end of the workout, but an hour’s run nowadays was little more than maintenance.

When all was said and done Shouko retired to her bedroom, a cavern of rebellious rock music and video game posters from both Japan and America and a battlestation that looked like something that might have been ripped from a NASA installation. Shouko spent her stipends on two things: her bike, and her computer. Lately Saika had been a third, but both longstanding habits were things that that she’d dove into headfirst until she could take apart either and put them both back together blindfolded.

“Oh great, a Genji,” someone complained almost as soon as she’d locked her Overwatch character in. "Nice match everyone, better luck next time.“ Thirty-nine kills and two deaths later Shouko wished everyone a nice day. Quickplay was so damn stupid, and on the next match she chose Roadhog just to mix it up. Someone else whined about multiple tanks and Shouko rolled her eyes. 60% of team damage taken. It wasn’t her fault nobody else could find the point.

"I’m going back to TF2,” she growled aloud, grabbing for her pack of cigs. Of late she’d taped a warning to the front in black capital letters: TWO A DAY. Miyumi always got squirrely when she lit up and Saika always winced. Since she couldn’t avoid the former and felt bad about the latter she’d been cutting down. Given her life lately, it wasn’t like she was gonna live long enough to die of cancer.

She showered and collapsed in bed, lit by the soft red glow of her electronics.

Tuesday

The motorcycle thrummed and growled as she cut the engine and stowed it.

“Hi mom, I’m home.” The keys jingled as they landed in the basket.

An hour for homework. She finished all of it this time.

Today was arm day, and Shouko spent her workout hour doing curls and lifts while Netflix ran some anime she barely payed attention to.

“Hey Eowyn,” someone said as soon as she logged into FFXIV. "Can you craft me a thing?“

"Sure.”

Ten mintues later. "hey are you up for a Castrum Abania run"

“Patch is in like three weeks,” she said with a bit of a sigh in meatspace.

“ya but I really want that sword for glamour plate its ok if you dont wanna go”

“It’s fine I can blow it up with you.”

“thx youre the best blm”

“Hey, Eowyn.” She blinked. That last one had been a whisper instead of guild chat.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say, you don’t seem yourself lately,” her guildmaster said. "Just wanted to check and make sure you’re alright.“

"Yeah I’m good. Just been super busy with all the schoolwork lately.”

“I know the feeling. Are you gonna be full-time again in January?”

Shouko frowned. "I’ll try.“

"Just take care of yourself. Game comes after real life.”

“:) I will.”

She showered and slept a little fitfully that night.

Wednesday

A series of whispers alerted her to the attention of several classmates glancing her way. "Hey, Shouko, can you…“ one of them asked with a blush, curling one arm.

With a grin, she pulled up her sleeve and flexed, to a flutter of giggles. Shouko was never gonna be as strong as Erika, but her daily regimen was having noticeable effects, like leaving her look cut as hell. She was probably down to 15% body fat by now, looking lean and mean.

"Hey, Shouko?” Saika asked at the end of the day. "Would you like to do something Saturday?“

"Sure,” she said, hefting her bike helmet and making sure Saika clipped the spare’s chinstrap in place. "What did you have in mind?“

"Nothing much, just…dinner somewhere?”

Shouko turned the ignition and revved the throttle. "Sounds great.“

After she dropped Saika off she made for the gym, where she could get the type of workout that wasn’t so easy at home. Balance beam, rings, parallel bars - it all came back as easily as breathing. Shouko could spin rings around any of the other girls there. When she wanted to, she could sprint down the balance beam and leap to the vault and from there catch herself on the rings in a split-second one-two-three move that sometimes provoked gasps from newbies.

As little as three years ago, Shouko had been doing this kind of thing pretty much daily. She wondered, sometimes, what her old teammates were up to these days. She didn’t wonder enough to come in on any day but Wednesday, thought sometimes it was extremely tempting to show up jsut to show the lot of them what she could pull off nowadays. She’d never been a Simone Biles, and probably never would be - in fact now that it crossed her mind she wondered if Simone had had an awakening of her own? - but she could have thrashed the regionals nowadays. Funny how things worked out.

She swam a few laps in the pool to cool down and showered before heading home.

"Hi mom.” Jingle.

An hour for homework.

She played a little Mortal Kombat and crushed some jackass who made fun of her tag.

Thursday

The Honda thrummed as she pulled into the drive.

“Hi mom.” Jingle.

Her phone buzzed while she was doing her homework and she didn’t bother looking up until she was done.

“Hi Shouko, they asked me to visit our office in Melbourne while I’m down here, so I’ll be hopping a plane tomorrow. I’ll be a few more days. Have my phone if you need me. Love you!” read her mom’s text.

Shouko stared at it for a minute and texted back “k lu2

Her feet slapped hard against the treadmill. She needed to replace the damn thing when nobody was looking. She was getting to the point where she really needed a higher top speed.

Her Star Wars RPG group canceled again, so instead of playing her Jedi she just spent some more time in CoD blowing holes in people while Fullmetal Alchemist played in the background.

“How are you even watching that,” someone complained in voice chat at one point.

“Listen,” she growled around a cigarette, “don’t hate because Olivier Mira Armstrong has my back.”

He responded with an insinuation that technically wasn’t wrong, but still got him blown to smithereens several times before he finally ragequit.

Shouko stayed up until almost three in the morning before she slumped into bed.

Friday

“A 99. Excellent as always, Ms. Aratani,” the teacher said as she handed out papers. Shouko could see the way Miyumi’s lip trembled as she took the proffered test like it was about to bite her hand off.

“87. Good step up, Shouko,” the teacher said when she reached her.

“Thanks,” she said as she took the paper.

“I mean it,” the woman said, leaning closer. "When you put your mind to a subject you really show your potential.“

Shouko was silent as the teacher moved on. "Thanks,” she grumbled under her breath. The paper crinkled as her hand crushed it.

“Um…excuse me, Kogawa?” the voice caught her as she was walking to her bike.

“Yo?” she said, turning with a blink of her eyes to see a semi-familiar face. One of the girls who’d been looking at her the other day.

“Do you mind if I ask you for a piece of advice?”

Shouko blinked again. "Uh?“

"It’s just…you and Saika…” The girl was blushing hard. "How did you. Um?“

Shouko couldn’t help a chuckle, and she pulled out her customary after-school cig and lit it with a snap of flame from her dagger. The girl didn’t even double-take. Normal people saw what they expected to see. Shouko didn’t even bother carrying her lighter anymore. "Look. You want my advice? Just go talk to her,” she said as she straddled her bike and pulled out her favorite wraparound shades. "Life’s too fucking short and we gotta make time with the people we got before we get left in the dust, you know what I mean?“

"Um…I guess?” the other girl said, rubbing her cheek.

“Trust me. Jump on it,” she said before she revved the throttle.

“Hi mom.” Jingle.

She did her homework so fast her handwriting looked like the fevered sprinting of a deranged chicken.

Her fingertips ached with so many push-ups.

She ended up mostly just browsing the net that night and went to bed.

Saturday

She came out of the bathroom that morning to the sound of her phone buzzing insistently.

“Saika?!” she asked sharply, heart racing.

In the little mirror on the opposite wall, she could see the way her own face dropped.

“Oh. Hi dad.”

She did the math. It was eight in Hitachinaka, which meant it was ten in Ontario. PM.

“It’s super late. You should get some sleep. The plant won’t want their engineer showing up super tired. No, not her, I haven’t seen her in months. Saika’s nice. Yeah, bike’s running great. School’s fine. Mom’s in Australia now, they called her down from Jakarta. I’m fine. Dad, I dropped gymnastics like two years ago. Yeah, tell Karen I said hi. Maybe in a year. Yeah. Bye. …love you too.”She threw the phone against the pillow and did her daily run outdoors. It was cold as hell and overcast besides, but sweatpants and a sweatshirt were all she needed with the way her heart was pumping.

She was gone two hours. When she got back she had a missed call and another text. Saika.

“Hi Shouko, I’m sorry but I don’t think I can go out tonight. I think I must have eaten something bad. x.X I feel like crap. Call me when you can.”

“Want me to bring over some soup?” she asked when the phone picked up.

“No,” said a mewling voice. "I just want to curl up under ten blankets.“

"I’m sorry,” Shouko said.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you hanging. Promise we’ll make it up, k?”

“You know it. Get some rest. L- …later.”

She looked at herself in the mirror.

The flame daggers hissed as they glanced off Shizuka’s katana. Shouko was fast, but the Eventide rep was more experienced and fast as hell for her own part. The open field was about the only place where the pair of them - any of the girls - could really throw down and get a workout in the most important manner. Dojo masters tended to take it bad if you blew up a wall.

“Your concentration is bad today,” Shizuka observed when they finally broke in the late afternoon.

“Yeah. Hey, Shizuka, got a question for you,” she said around the butt of a cigarette. Typical for her, Shizuka didn’t reply verbally, but only raised an eyebrow. “You ever heard of anyone who stayed friends if one went Eventide and one went Radiant?”

Shizuka glowered.

“Didn’t think so."

The Honda chugged as she parked it in one of the narrow bike-only, and she didn’t bother taking off her leathers since it wasn’t like she was going mallratting. She stopped off at the pharmacy and bought some soda, some beer, some chocolate, and some soap.

"Rough day?” the attendant asked in a sympathetic tone. She barely even glanced at Shouko’s ID.

“Uh huh,” she confirmed. In the parking lot, she slid the candy bar she’d palmed out of her jacket sleeve and munched it.

Once home, she dumped the soap in the tub and ran hot water until the foam threatened to spill over. Then she lit a cigarette and slipped in, groaning slightly as it almost scalded her. She let her phone play American synthwave until the battery ran low and the water was cold and she was prune-fingered.

She looked at the battlestation and threw herself into bed, wrapped around her spare pillow. The wind blew hard that night.

Sunday

Two hours for homework instead of one. Weekends.

There was no meeting of the study group this week and so the day was uneventful, except for one instant when she was flipping channels and there was a news report on the ongoing decommissioning of Fukushima which caused her to mash the power button. Natural disasters were not something she wanted to think about right now.

She ordered pizza and spent the evening playing Brutal Doom and listening to Rage Against the Machine.

Tomorrow was a brand new week.

#kurze writes #asked and answered #fanservice friday #Shouko #completely normal RPG #:)#starcunning

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beautyindisguise00 · 4 years ago

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WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Friday night October 16 2020 @5:50pm

1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Wisconsin

2. WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND FOR HOW LONG? i’ve been in wisconsin my whole life of 24 years. lived in my hometown all the way til i moved to college. after i finished college i decided to stay in the town i went to college in for work purposes

3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE? the different options around town of where to shop, eat, and other fun things to do

4. WHAT DID YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE TOWN YOU GREW UP IN? the lake. i love the fact that the lake was only a 5 minute drive and i was able to go there whenever i wanted. but also, the memories of the town.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? not anymore

6. WHAT WAS YOUR 1ST PET’S NAME? thumperlina for my big fat brown bunny

7. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? fall

8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? i watch a lot of movies so i dont really have a favorite

9. FAVORITE MOVIE IN THE PAST 5 YEARS? avengers infinity war. avengars endgame, crazy rich asians, knives out, and maleficent 1 and 2

10. WHAT’S A MOVIE THAT YOU LAUGHED THE HARDEST DURING? ouf, i dont remember

11. WHAT’S A MOVIE YOU CRIED THE HARDEST DURING? avengars, crazy rich, and also while you were sleeping but that’s a drama

12. WHAT’S THE BEST-ANIMATED MOVIE EVER CREATED? the good dinosaur

13. FAVORITE TV SHOW? my two all-time favorites are one tree hill and the office

14. FAVORITE TV SHOW THAT IS CURRENTLY ON? chicago pd and fire

15. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT? olive garden?

16. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? chicken alfredo, really good sushi, fried rice, curry

17. LEAST FAVORITE FOOD? any seafood --> shrimp, oysters, clams

18. WHAT TOPPINGS DO YOU GET ON YOUR PIZZA? pineapple and ham. hahaha yes, im that kind of person

19. FAVORITE BEVERAGE? coffee, strawberry lemondae

20. FAVORITE DESSERT? cheesecake or red velvet cake

21. IS THERE A DESSERT YOU DON’T LIKE? pumpkin pie

22. CAKE OR PIE? cake!

23. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mackinaw island fudge, mint chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake

24. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CONDIMENT? honey mustard

25. WHAT DO YOU GET FOR BRUNCH? crepes with nutella and strawberries

26. IT’S 4 AM ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT DO YOU EAT? fried noodles with two poached eggs

27. WHAT ONE THING DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR FRIDGE AT ANY GIVEN TIME? eggs

28. WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE EVER EATEN? duck and this one indian thing i dont remember

29. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAND? one direction and tenth avenue north

30. FAVORITE SOLO ARTIST? liam payne, harry styles, niall horan, louis tomlinson, zayn malik. hahaha and ed sheeran, halsey,

31. FAVORITE NONLIVING MUSICIAN? --

32. FAVORITE LYRICS? “and if the whole world was watching, i’d still dance with you” “baby im falling. head over heels. looking for ways to let you know just how i feel”

33. FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME? theres no way i could choose

34. FAVORITE ALBUM? again ^^

35. WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? currently singing like to the “while you were sleeping” ost right now “it’s you” by henry

36. IF YOUR LIFE WERE A SONG WHAT WOULD THE TITLE BE? beauty in disguise

37. WHAT SONG WOULD YOU PROBABLY BE CAUGHT DANCING ALONE TO? any of my current favorites right now

38. IF YOU COULD SING A DUET WITH SOMEBODY WHO WOULD IT BE? halsey. that would be so cool

39. IF YOU COULD MASTER ONE INSTRUMENT WHAT WOULD IT BE? guitar

40. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO KARAOKE SONG? ugh, i hate karaoke

41. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING OR THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? probably back when i was rereading one of the “to all the boys i’ve loved” trilogy

42. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU PLAN ON READING? prayer by tim keller. i just ordered it online and it should be coming in on monday

43. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WAS READING IT? twilight series. haha

44. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ IN SCHOOL THAT POSITIVELY SHAPED YOU? mhmm...i dont remember. not that it posititive shaped me but the great gatsby was really interesting. also, when i was student teaching, i read number the stars with my kids and it was a great historical fiction book to read

45. WHAT’S A BOOK IN SCHOOL THAT YOU HATED? i didnt hate it, but there was this one book we read in ap lit and as a project, my friends made the movie version of it

46. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? to all the boys trilogies

47. WHAT’S A BOOK YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN? ^^

48. DARK CHOCOLATE OR MILK CHOCOLATE? i like both but if i had to choose, then dark

49. UNDERWATER OR OUTER SPACE? underwater like in a submarine or something were i knew i was safe

50. DOGS OR CATS? dogs for sure

51. KITTENS OR PUPPIES? ohh, puppies of course

52. DOLPHINS OR KOALAS? dolphins! i really wanted to swim with dolphins when i was in florida but it didnt work out in our schedule

53. BIRD WATCHING OR WHALE WATCHING? whale watching

54. WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? i dont really know. probably a sea otter. haha theyre so chill and they stick around with their peeps

55. TO BE OR NOT TO BE? aint that the question to be answered

56. IPHONE OR ANDROID? iphone

57. TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM? insta

58. VINE OR SNAPCHAT? snap. i never had a vine but i remember watching a few vines. well i guess tik tok is the new vine now

59. WHO SHOULD EVERYONE BE FOLLOWING RIGHT NOW? Jesus. haha kidding not kidding

60. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP? WEBSITE? probably youtube

61. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? psych

62. WHAT WAS YOUR BEST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? psych and math

63. WHAT WAS YOUR WORST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? ap lit

64. WHAT SUBJECT WOULD YOU TEACH IN SCHOOL? psych or a lower level math class

65. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL? enjoy what you love doing as much as you can

66. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF AT 13? girl, be confident. you are beautiful. you are smart. and you are enough. dont worry about what others think and dont worry about the future because i got you.

67. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5′0

68. WHO IS YOUR FASHION ICON? eh, no one really

69. WHAT’S YOU FAVORITE FASHION TREND? well since right now is fall, i really like long cardigan with cute booties

70. WHAT ARE 3 THINGS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR BAG (BESIDES PHONE AND WALLET)? phone charger, hand sanitizer, and a mask. haha oh covid days

71. WHAT IS A CURRENT TREND YOU HOPE DOESN’T EXIST IN 100 HUNDRED YEARS? masks

72. WHAT’S YOUR MUST HAVE FASHION ACCESSORY? eyebrows done? haha my clothing fashion is pretty simple so i dont really have accessories but maybe a watch i guess

73. HEELS OR FLATS? depends. on a day to day then flats but for special occasions then heels

74. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? eh, i guess i like both

75. BLOW-DRY OR AIR-DRY? usually air dry unless i need to be ready asap

76. WHAT COLOR DRESS DID YOU WEAR TO PROM? i didnt really attend my high school dances. my first and last hs dance was homecoming and that was only because i was on the homecoming court. i wore a red strapless dress

77. FAVORITE COCKTAIL? sex on the beach, mimosas, strawberry daiquiris, margaritas

78. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY ORDER AT STARBUCKS? white chocolate mocha. either hot or iced depending on the weather

79. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. i tried to drink more tea but i always resort back to coffee. haha

80. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE? i usually make my coffee at home. i just put in a mocha or caramel kcup then add in creamer. some days i’ll add in half and half or some chocolate/caramel syrup

81. WHO IS A PERSON YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? megan markle. odd but why not

82. WHAT HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? general vang pao

83. IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY HISTORICAL DECADE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHERE? probably the 90s

84. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY TO VISIT? havent left mine yet. haha

85. WHAT’S THE LAST COUNTRY YOU VISITED? my own. haha

86. WHAT’S A COUNTRY YOU WISH TO VISIT? somewhere in the east. maybe like france or italy or korea or taiwan

87. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STATE TO VISIT? florida

88. WHAT’S THE LAST STATE YOU VISITED? michigan

89. WHAT’S A STATE YOU WISH TO VISIT? colorado, new york, california

90. WHAT’S THE BEST VACATION SPOT? bora bora! ouuu someday for me i hope!

91. WHERE DOES ONE GO ON A PERFECT ROAD TRIP? honestly, anywhere. just gather your friends, pack up, stock up, and drive

92. FAVORITE CITY? right now, probably orlando

93. PILATES OR YOGA? i like both but if i had to choose then yoga

94. JOGGING OR SWIMMING? swimming!

95. FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? ugh, at home

96. LEAST FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? at the gym lifting weight. i always feel so awkward

97. BEST WAY TO DECOMPRESS? shower, then dinner and movie in bed with a glass of wine

98. WHAT’S THE BEST FIRST DATE IDEA? dinner and a drive to a fun spot

99. WHAT’S LOVE? genuine love towards someone regardless of their flaws, always

100. MAJOR TURN ON? neck kisses, vlines, touching

101. MAJOR TURN OFF? bad hygiene, rudeness, cockiness

102. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING A GUY HAS DONE OR SAID TO TRY AND IMPRESS YOU? stalk my facebook and screen shot my old posts and send them to me OR ignoring my non-subtle hints that i have a boyfriend and do not want to hangout alone to “netflix and chill”

103. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT SOMEONE WHEN YOU MEET THEM? their smile and personality and how they made me feel

104. DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? nah

105. BEST GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED? im not really a big gift person but my mom gave me a micheal kors winter jacket

106. LAST GIFT YOU GAVE A FRIEND? i bought some baby shower gifts to my boyfriend’s brother and sister-in-law’s baby, baby Grace :)

107. BEST GIFT TO GET FOR SOMEONE? like a generic gift? probably wine or a watch depending on the occasion

108. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU’VE EVER HAD? my boyfriend coming to visit me last christmas because i was so stress out and i thought we were suppose to meet up around christmas but he had his own plans that i was not aware of which then made me even more stress when i found out his plans but overall it was a very nice surprise and definitely helped me destress afterwards

109. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? white

110. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR? probably brown

111. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF FLOWER? i dont think i have one

112. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE COMEDIAN? dont have one either

113. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTION STAR? chris evans, tom holland

114. BEST SUPERHERO CREATED? captain america

115. IF YOU HAD ONE SUPERPOWER WHAT WOULD IT BE? to teleport

116. WHAT’S YOUR KRYPTONITE? too much snow. haha

117. BIGGEST PHOBIA? deep waters and heights

118. FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE? dont have one

119. FAVORITE DISNEY CHARACTER? ^^

120. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? christmas

121. WHAT’S YOUR BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME? a dead bride. haha

122. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLOT-TWIST? whenever my favorite characters in a tv show gets killed off

123. IF YOU COULD DO A FLASH-MOB WHERE WOULD IT BE? new york, like how cliche and iconic that would be

124. WHAT’S THE COOLEST THING IN YOUR BEDROOM? my pineapple lamp

125. IF YOU GOT A TATTOO WHERE WOULD IT BE? probably on my side or somewhere on my arm

126. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CURSE WORD? shiiiiiiiiiit

127. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME? exploding kittens not really a board game but close enough

#beautyindisguise00 #gettoknowme #q&a #survey #questionnaire

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josephconnersblog-blog · 7 years ago

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Fresh Entry

Okay okay okay, so I had a blog post ready to publish, I just was finishing it and then guess what happened? If you said, I lost it all. Ding Ding Ding you are correct and get 15 fictitious points. Right, I’m just going to do away with that blog post and start again. I haven’t posted in a while, due to being very busy with travel, shows and not feeling very well. So the last couple of weeks that I talked about in the entry that I have just lost. Most of that will be done away with. I will talk about the last few days, as I didn’t get chance to touch on any of that, in the other entry. As you have probably realised, if you have read my previous blogs, or just follow me generally on my various modes of social media. My weekdays when I’m not wrestling (sometimes I’ll be wrestling all week) aren’t the most exciting. A lot of it contains gym work, training, the odd cinema trip and catching up with friends. (sometimes the television show, as it’s now been added to Netflix even though I own the entire boxset on both DVD & VHS & my actual real life friends) The 2 weeks prior to the one just gone, as you may remember I had an extremely busy schedule. I’m not going to go into a huge amount of detail (As I had all ready done, and have now lost all that) but I travelled all around the United Kingdom. Going to Glasgow, Dublin, Cork, London, Scarborough, Darlington, Liverpool, Sheffield etc etc. Some of the highlights, in no particular order. Myself & Wolfgang had a match in Liverpool for TNT where I am their current Champion, where the crowd after watching 7 matches before ours, I thought may not be as invested in our match. Mainly due to the fact I had been advertised in two different matches prior to it settling on me and Wolfie, so I thought it may have taken the Heat out of the contest. However the TNT audience certainly proved me wrong, as they were awesome through out the match, providing the match with a big fight atmosphere. Crazy to think this is the first time I’ve wrestled Wolfgang outside of a WWE ring. Look forward to future matches with Wolfgang. It was good being involved in both Hustle Wrestling & Paradox Debut shows, that were both very successful and enjoyable to be on. Look forward to future shows with both promotions. Continued having fun side by side with El Ligero, where we are still holding the Southside Tag Team Championships as a duo named the “Joseph Conners Experience With Ligs”. We also have our first T-Shirt which is close to being sold out, which you can find at www.josephconners.bigcartel.com :) On that weekend I also faced off in a first time singles match against Big Grizz. Someone who that same fortnight, I’d seen have a great match with Wolfgang at ICW. Very much enjoyed having a scrap with Grizz and was probably my favourite match of the weekend, in terms of my own performance, even fighting through my illness. Grizz is clearly going to continue to be a staple of any Heavyweight division around the UK and is one to keep your eyes on. It was also a pleasure catching up with Hardcore Holly over that weekend. A man who has been an instrumental mentor since meeting him around 4 years ago. I’ve faced off against him numerous times, and learnt why he is known as one of the toughest men whoever laced up a pare of boots. However this time, I got to watch him hand out the ass kickings to our opponents as I got to tag alongside him. As I say Bob Holly, is someone I’m happy to call a friend & a mentor, and appreciate his support, kind words & help since meeting him. Always great to see him advertised on UK shows to catch up. Well looking back at those paragraphs I did a decent job of recovering some of the stuff I lost in the entry I lost. So moving onto the weekend just gone. I was at BWR’s biggest show to date on Friday, where they sold out the ‘Memorial Hall’ in Cleethorpes with a star studded line up, built on British talent. I currently hold their Championship and was scheduled to face off against current WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, for the second time this year. I think me and Pete had an exciting worthy main Event, with back and forth physical action through out. It only frustrates me that there was no winner that evening, as T-Bone decided to interrupt and cause the match to be thrown out, for what reason I don’t know. Though I look forward to beating it out of him, in the near future. Hats off to BWR and their team for another successful event, keep your eyes out for them. as they continue to push forward and deliver great shows to their audience. On the Saturday, I would travel to Bolton. Thanks to Ryan, who drove the team of myself Gabriel Kidd & Brady Phillips. We had the opportunity to wrestle at the beautiful Bolton Albert Halls. I’d face off with Brady Phillips which I believe is only the third time we have met. If anyone has seen my twitter posts regarding Phillips, you will know that I (along with others) view him as a future star. He’s physical, athletic, looks great, and is just waiting to crack through the next glass ceiling. Not a cash of “If” with him, truly is a case of “when” This match, was mainly built on feel and reading the audience, which is one of my favourite things to do. Was really enjoyable event and match, and look forward to wrestling Phillips more and more in the future. Was a fun show to be around good friends and have a laugh and a nice way to cap off the wrestling weekend. This week, I am back in the ring tonight, to work on my wrestling cardio, which is something I haven’t been able to do recently, due to feeling under the weather and being away. I am looking forward to it, and not at the same time, but like any workout will be happy for doing it after it’s done. I’ve also made a decision and hired a nutritionist, who I spoke to face to face for the first time today. That’s something I’m excited about, and to see where that takes me. So constantly trying to make decisions that will positively effect me, moving forward. This weekend, along side shows in the UK, I travel to France to wrestle which is going to be a lot of fun. So I have plenty going on this weekend, and will have plenty to talk about in my next entry. Anyhow, until next time... Thanks for reading guys.

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amnachil · 7 years ago

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The High School Game Part 11

Sam DAY 86 Thursday LAST CHAPTER

The young lad skipped his class the whole day. He felt too depressed and ashamed to show himself in front of his schoolmate. Worst, he felt too pathetic to play at videogames or anything else. He just slouched onto his bed, eating some chips while reading the text Barbara sent again and again. So rude. F, ranked 30th over 32. You have to increase you effort as soon as possible. Our professors consider that you might repeat a year. They said your bonus from gymclass could help you, but not with those news conditions. It was the text she sent. So rude. Sam belched, bloated from the multitude of cans he drank today. He felt useless. Pointless. Raphaël probably hated him now, and the other as well. Gregory manipulated him. He was a fucking loser, and he will repeat a year. This was a fucking shame. His mother tried to force him to go at shcool, but he just sent her packing. Become fat and enjoy food instead of workout, fine. But repeat a year ? No way.

"Son ! Diner's ready ! Come downstairs please !"

No. Let me alone. His stomach gurgled, tempted by the idea of a diner, but Sam was too depressed. How could he face his mother now ? He always assured her his grades were fine.

"Son for god sakes ! We've a guest ! Come on !"

A guest ? Surprised, Sam stood up. He quickly dressed (sweatpants and a loose sweater) and went to the kitchen. Indeed, his mother was not alone : Shirley waited here, sat at the table. She merrily smiled.

"Hi Sam, how are ya ?"

Stunned, he asked :

"What the hell are you doing here ?"

"Please son !" his mother corrected him. "I prepared a diner, but I will go in town for a drink. Both of you, be nice. And Sam, please, be polite."

She left the home without any additionnal explanation. On the table, there was a gargantuan feast. Home-made pizzas (two big pizzas with enormous side dish), a whole chicken with some pasta and a plate of nachos. Plus, he smelt the delicious odor of chocolate mousse. What the fuck she did ? We can't eat everything only both of us.

"You we're absent the whole day, and I were worried." stated Shirley. "I decided to come see what was the matter."

Sam sat down, still astounded by the amount of food. His stomach gurgled loudly, and he blushed.

"The matter is my grades, which are too low. And I can't expect anything from soccer since I'm, well, you know."

She nodded.

"I can help you. Work with you. I'm sure you will be accepted in the 12th grade. But today, you have to take our mind off those worries. Let's eat."

He gladly approve. After all, he was starving. With a ravenous hunger, he took big slice of pizza, and started to eat. In no times, he have finished, and took a second. Shirley just watched him, smiling. Her presence was fortifying. Soon, he polished the whole pizza, and started to feel stuffed. Slowly, he slipped his free hand under his pull and rubbed his distended belly. This clothes were a good idea, after all.

"Are you stuffed ?" asked the blond girl.

He gazed at her a minute, then took the second pizza. She smiled, and he confidently started to eat. One slice. Two slice. He was not hungry anymore, but with his expertise, he misled his stomach in order to gobble more. Three slice. Four slice. Sam felt his bloated belly gurgle again, but in pain, this time. It was round and hard, packed with pizza. He stared at the last slice remaining, uncertain. Shirley eyes were shining, and her smile gave him the energy to finish. He swallowed, and then stood up straight. His belly was round, plump under his sweater. His sweatpant was a bit tight, and he belched loudly.

"Sorry." he whispered.

"Are you stuffed ?" she asked again, ignoring his burps.

He nodded, but the girl came closer and softly put a hand on his sweater. She started to make circle, slowly, tenderly.

"Are you sure ?"

Well... Sam knew he was stuffed. Those pizzas were enormous, for god sake. But while Shirley rubbed his tummy, he felt able to eat more. He stared at her and took the plate of nachos. She smiled. She had a beautiful smile. The young lad devoured the whole plate quickly. Faster than he expected.

"Seems like your stomach streched." Shirley said with a quiet voice. "Shall we try the chicken and pasta ?"

He nodded. This feeling, of being stuffed, was so good. He was aware of his dick, pushing harder against his trunks. I have a fucking erection. It was largely noticeable, because of the sweatpant. Anyway, aroused and encouraged by Shirley’s smile, he ate the last plate. It had an hard time finishing, but eventually, he succeeded. Now, his distented gut was squeezed by his sweater. His pants was overly snug. Jeezus, this is so good. His hardening cock remembered him he was not alone. But well, the girl was rubbing his belly after all.

"Time for dessert." she whispered. "I guess you still have some room ?"

Hell no. He was unable to speak.

"Don't worry. I will feed you this."

She brought the chocolate mousse. Despite being overstuffed, Sam desired it. The taste was mouth-watering, and he salivated in advance. Slowly, Shirley took a large spoon, and ordered :

"Open your mouth. Let me do the job."

He gladly obeyed. Humm... So sweet. God... His both hands rubbing his over-distented gut, he let the blond girl fed him the whole container without interruption, except for some belch from time to time. The flavor gave him enough motivation to eat, eat, eat. Plus, he was so aroused he did not know how he could hold this. His dick was pushing like hell, and when he finished, he was almost cumming. Shirley took off her shirt. Her tits were hard. She slowly undressed him too. She asked, while patting his hard belly.

"Can I call you honey once again ?" she begged.

"Well... burp... sorry. Yes... burp... I guess you can."

After all, today, he had to take his mind off.

Gregory DAY 88 Saturday

Today was the most important day ever in his life. His first day as a supporting striker for the team. The opportunity to erase the rumours against him. To get his popularity back. It was more important than is overall average (C+) and his rank (19th over 32). Right now, in the locker room, his teammates were changing, excited. Gregory took off his pullover when suddenly, he heard Raphaël cold voice in his ear.

"Don't screw up perv."

But the team captain was far away, talking with Liam. Holy shit... The young lad sighed. He knew this match was his best chance to get back into Raphaël's game. And then, I will beat him. He already planned everything. Jessy phase was currently in progess. Then came Shirley-Sam phase. Those two motherfucker were back together. And Sam insisted to bring Gregory at Mcdo on Friday (he was absent on Thursday). Anyway, I will humiliate them so much, they will move far far away. And then, he would be able to shift in Raphaël phase. The final phase. I can't wait...

"Okay guys, let's go." shouted the captain. "Don't forget our goal : the victory !"

They all rushed towards the field, and the match began. At start, Gregory did well. He managed to follow his captain, and they scored the first goal. However, at the 20th minute, the young lad caught a sigh of Shirley and Sam, sat next to Jessy in order to encourage the team. I need to impress the public... They will shut the fuck up. His three ennemies were here, smiling and laughing, greeting Liam their supports. Gregory sped up despite Raphaël being unmarked, and rushed the adverse goal. He dribbled around, and came close to the goal, overjoyed. I will score without you, cap'. Sadly, a defender tackled him, and he lost the ball. In no time, the adverse team perturbed his own defense, and they scored a goal. Fuck. Our defenders are so bad, for god sake. And Liam is here, watching the sky. Fuck him.

"Don't do that again." Raphaël whispered. "I was unmark. Dude, we don't give a fuck about who is scoring, we just need to score. Am I clear ?"

"Clear cap'."

Gregory went back to his place. Nevertheless, close to the half-time, he had a new opportunity. And Sam was laughing. This fat fucking cow is laughing at me. He thinks I'm worse than him. The supporting striker rushed the goal again, without an eyes on Raphaël position. He came closer, but once again, a defender tackled him. And once again, they scored. 2-1. Seriously ? What the fuck is doing Liam ? Masturbating while watching his stupid girlfriend ? The half-time came, and Gregory went on the locker-room, enraged. This situation was insane.

"The fuck are you doing ?" asked Raphaël. "What on earth have you in this fucking brain ?"

They were alone, but the dark-haired lad was too angry to let his captain complain.

"That's not my fucking fault !" he shouted. "Our defenders are so bad ! They can't even stop a fucking chicken ! And Liam is awful. Useless. Did he even know how to be a goalkeeper ?"

Raphaël face became inexpressive. Gregory glimpsed a scaring glint in his eyes.

"I'm not speaking about our defense." he stated with a cold (really, really cold) tone. "They did mistakes, as everybody, and I will talk to them after. But what the fuck did you think ? Why rush when I'm unmarked and waiting the ball ?"

"I had opportunities." retorted the brown boy. "And our defense failed so much... that's why we are losing."

His captain attitude was frightening. Standing here, face to face with him, Gregory shuddered, feeling uncomfortable.

"Listen carefully, dude." ordered Raphaël. "We still can draw level. You just need to understand we're in a soccer game : you will not be popular by losing. Be a good player, knowing his position, is the best way to be famous. You are a suppoting striker. A supporting one. Understood ?"

Gregory nodded. It was time to join the others.

After an hard second half, they eventually won the game. Sadly, thanks to Raphaël. The blond lad led the attack, and scored 3 goals, one after one. His presence on the field was impressive. Anyway, in order to celebrate the victory, they did a party. However, Tobias had left the town, so they went to Finn house. The ex-fatty (according to the monthly check-up, he managed to lost 4 kg-9 pounds over December.) was honored to recieve the whole 11th grade. And Gregory had some business to deal with. Phase one start now. He headed towards Jessy, which was luckily alone, and smiled.

"Hi girl. Having fun for our victory ?"

"Well, I don't know if it's your victory perv, but at least it's Liam's one."

He smiled cheerfully. Bitch. Fucking bitch.

"You're right. A drink to celebrate our goalkeeper ?"

She stared prudently at him, but eventually agreed. However, she did not realised he did a mixture with strong alcohol. And she doesn't need to know. The drak-haired girl drank the whole thing and smiled.

"I did not expect you being so nice. I thought you would hate me for my betrayal."

"Well, I still don't understand, but we don't need to talk about it anymore. Another drink ?"

She nodded, and he went to the buffet to prepare the mixture. Everything's fine. This girl is a dumbass. He smiled to Shirley, who just sat here while her ex-new-boyfriend ate. Then, he went back to Jessy, and offered her the glass. He repeated the act for a while, before being sure she was heavily drunk. Liam was far away, speaking with Raphaël and some others teammates. Good. Now, let's have my revenge. He brought her next to Finn, and whispered :

"Do you see how Finn is handsome ? He is good-looking, with this weight loss."

Gregory knew this plan was risky with a girl. But Jessy was not an ordinary girl. The was a gossip, and a very, very eager chick. She replied loudly :

"Yeah, he is so hot ! Woah, I'm hot too, by the way."

"That's probably mean something." Gregory mumbled.

"Yeah ! It means we have to... have to."

She did not finish. Slowly, not too well, Jessy headed towards Finn, and hugged him.

"We must have sex big boy !!"

This one turned towards her, surprised. Soooo good. Gregory was filming the whole thing, but it was useless, because everybody heard her. They all stared at her with amazement.

"Let's have sex Finn !!!"

The lad tried to reject her, but she was insistent. Right now, the whole 11th grade was aware of the situation. Nice. So nice. Liam came, his cheek red of embarassment. He took his girlfriend while people started to laugh.

"After the perv, there is the slut !" shouted someone.

Jessy phase : achieved. Let's move to Shirley and Sam phase.

Liam DAY 90 Monday

A ray of light passed through his door, but the young boy ignored it. He was laid under his duvet, in the warm.

"Brother, you need to wake up now !" shouted Chloe. "You'll be late, as always !"

"Mmh, one more sec..."

School began in one hour, but Liam was not a morning person. Slowly, his head appeared, and he opened his eyes to acclimatize to the light. I hate Monday. Weekend were better. More sleep, less work. Monday announced a week of labor, exam and social life. Too difficult for Liam : he pulled his quilt up and cursed Monday. May this day disappear.

"Seriously brother, you're a pain in my ass."

He felt someone tossed him around.

"Move your big ass brother !"

Chloe arose above him and slapped him (it was regular, no worries). Slowly, Liam stood up straight, and he rubbed his eyes. I hate Monday. He got on his feet and headed towards the dinning room (his sister already left the bedroom and reached the bathroom). Like a zombie, the lad served himself a glass of milk and some pancakes and jam (okay, six big pancakes, but he was a growing boy). He ate the whole thing, then went back to his room and watched his bed with longing. Unfortunatly, Chloe stared at him, so he just took his clothes and went to the bathroom. While showering, he rambled about his life. Since 27 days, he dated Jessy (YES he counted every day, so what ?). The dark-haired girl had a spontaneous personality, but they had good times together. He still thought she was too skinny but well, Shirley told him to be patient. Shirley. He never expected to be friend with Sam's girlfriend, especially knowing Raphaël disliked her but well... Things happens without any logic, sometimes. However, Liam had another concern regarding his girlfriend (yes, his shower was THE place for considerations. Who never transformed the world in his shower ?). During Saturday party, she humiliated herself by hitting on Finn. Luckily, the lad rejected her advances, but the goalkeeper felt ashamed while he brought her home.

"Brother !" shouted Chloe. "It's 7:45 ! I'm leaving the house, don't forget to lock the door."

Jeezus I know. She was 12 and he was 16 for god sake. Well, okay, he forget to lock the door several times, but that's not a reason. Liam got out of the shower and dressed with a jean and a big, loose pull-over. He still had to brush his teeth and take his bag. He heard Chloe come back and yell :

"Don't forget to take the trash out ! And you'll be late, as always !"

Thanks mum... She stormed out. Seriously, he was old enough to take care of himself (maybe not, but he had his pride.)

Liam went to the high school, an after a feeble excuse for his late, he finally could follow the lesson. Anyway, he was a good student, with an overall of B- (which means he was ranked 12th over 32 because yes, he was serious). The break came, and he followed Raphaël outside, but suddenly, Jessy grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and brought him apart. Once sure they were alone and away from prying eyes, she kissed him. Liam, surprised, let her do, shaking his hand without particular reason.

"I missed you my love." she whispered while fondling him. "One day far away is too much."

"Well, you too, you too, but are we gonna talk about Saturday night or ?"

Okay, time to be honest. During Raphaël's party on December, Jessy took Liam's virginity. He was just heavily drunk at this moment (because his captain made him drunk) and he barely remembered the whole night. Therefore, yes, he was still shy and completely prudish (okay, boys at his age were rarely prudish, but he was an exception, so what ?). Even the idea of Jessy entirely nude made him blush. By the way, he was blushing, now. Holy shit. She's supposed to be embarassed, but I'm. He seriously needed to calm down his brain (because who the hell think about his prudish desires in a schoolyard while asking his girlfriend if she intended to cheat on him ?).

"What happened Saturday ?" she asked.

Oh... well... Did he really wanted to tell her ? It was probably better if she did not know. A lie can't be bad... Well, a lie was a lie, but in some circumstances... STOP thinking Liam please. Oh yes, he was sometimes speaking to himself, but everyone was doing that, right ?

"Nothing important my love." he eventually stated. "Let's enjoy the rest of the break."

She smiled and pounced on him, happy. For god sake... She was light, but he could already imagine when she would be fatter. Not today, unfortunatly. Well, it was hard to be in a relationship...

Shirley DAY 92 Wednesday

After physics, the young girl and her boyfriend went to the library in order to study. They already tried to review at Sam's house, but they were too tempted by... other and more private matter. And at Shirley's home, with her sisters, that was not possible. So, they had decided to study at the library after the class, except when the girl went to gym. Today, the couple had to review history (Shirley's weakness). However, when they sat, Barbara headed towards them and said :

"Hi guys. Sorry to interrupt but I have a favor to ask you."

Shirley smiled. She still remembered the gloomy incident of Raphaël's party in December, when the class delegate helped Jessy to trap her... Nevertheless, it was safer to forgive Barbara for this and move on to something else.

"I heard from Jessy who heard from Liam you were studying together in order to improve yours grades, and I wondered if you could take Kilian with you."

She showed him out, sat alone reading his history lesson.

"He's trying hard, but he has difficulties and nobody to help him. I would do it myself but I have some matter to deal with, sadly."

Sam smiled innocently.

"Sure, tell him to come."

What ? Shirley was not convinced. Firstly "some matter to deal with" sounded like a pathetic excuse. Secondly, she agreed to help her boyfriend, but two boys with difficulties ?

"I'm not our head of the class, Barbara, I'm not sure I can handle this. And how much difficulties he had ?"

Her boyfriend gazed at her, surprised. Sorry Sam, I'm not as naive as you. There's something fishy going on. Kilian was more than discreet. He never came to the parties, never came to the soccer game and never came to gym class. During class, he never speak, and often, professor even forgot him while calling the roll. This guy was just nonexistent. Well, at least invisible. So why he suddenly needs help, uh ?

"Kilian had an overall average is F-, which means he's our last. And I asked Raphaël, our head of the class, to help him, but he politely declined, pretending having other matter to deal with."

Well of course the devil is too busy... Barbara did not seem to realize the irony. Anyway, Shirley could not decline with this pretext too, because she was helping Sam right now. She knew that... The class delegate was smarter than she thought.

"Fine, tell him to come. We'll study together." she eventually decided.

Kilian was a fuckin' freak. Okay Shirley, be nice. Kilian was an original teen. Firstly, he had a weird family name : De Beauchêne. French origins, she guessed (she quickly checked on her phone : it meant roughly From Handsome oak, which meant nothing). Afterwards, he was mute. Well, not mute mute, but he never spoke, except for greet them. Plus, he had a frightening black eye and a plaster on his forehead. He worn a pullover moth-eaten, with sweatpants and a too tigh black jacket with the hood rode up on his head, hiding his blond hair. His face, studded with freckles, and his blues eyes, where quite dreadful. Shirley felt uncomfortable, studying with him and Sam, who was unaware of her emotions. At least, his boyfriend was taller (Kilian was 179 cm or 5′10″) and more impressive (the scary boy was weighting 55 kg or 121 pounds, which was quite disturbing). I wonder what Ms Lovely think about him... To Shirley's opinion, the boy needed to be controled. Anyway, they worked two hours, before Sam, bored, wanted to stop. The girl, too hurried by her bad intuition, agreed to leave.

"See you tomorrow Kil'." gladly said her boyfriend.

Neither she or Kilian replied. The couple left the high school and headed towards her home. Like every evening, Sam escorted her, and they enjoyed this period of calm, far away the game, as Raphaël was saying. However, this time, Shirley was still frighten by their schoolmate. What if he is following us ? Did the devil sent us his most powerful minion ? After all, the captain have been letting them peaceful for a long time now.

"What are you thinking hon' ?" asked Sam while patting his gurgling belly (it gurgled every two hours anyway).

"What is your opinion about Kilian ? I found him rather frightening."

Her boyfriend laughed.

"Why ? He is a twig, without muscle at all. If he attacks you, just punch him in the face, and he will faint."

"Well... probably."

"Do not worry about him. If he is a dangerous psycho, I will protect you. Okay ?"

She smiled, vaguely calmed. I hope you're right... But if it's Raphaël's idea, a punch in the face will not be enough against the devil himself...

To be continued

Sorry for this long wait.... I honestly just forgot about posting the next part ‘-’. Anyway, this was the last Sam Chapter, because he eventually became what he wanted to be, and he’s back with Shirley !! (I know she’s happy about it). However, the game isn’t finish yet... And Gregory is planning some bad things !! And welcome to Liam, our new character !! I hope you’ll love him :3

#My Story #hsg #part 11 #Shirley X Sam #Gregory #Liam the new comer #sorry for being so inactive #the high school game #wg #chubby sam #stuffing

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builder051 · 7 years ago

Note

Maybe something about Bucky's triggers could be interesting... like steve knows what they are and tries to avoid them at all costs without bucky realising and is kind of overprotective in a way- idk where it could lead imma just put it out there, could get angsty, fluffy whatever

Here’s what I came up with. I like plot, so… yeah. If this didn’t quite hit it for you, let me know and I can unleash a bunch of headcanons in non-story format as a sort of companion to the Stucky stories.

This is powers/no powers choose your own adventure.

___________________________

Steve glances sideways as he ticks up the speed on his treadmill. He catches Bucky’s eye, and he can tell Bucky’s doing the same thing on his own machine. Steve ticks the speed up another notch and pumps his arms at his sides, propelling his body to move faster. Bucky’s already breaking into a sprint, his chest open forward and his quads gripping with visible musculature.

“What’s your distance at?” Steve pants, trying to see the display on Bucky’s treadmill without losing concentration on his own movements.

“Five point six,” Bucky reports.

“I’m at five point six one,” Steve says with a smile.

“Race you to six miles?” Bucky asks, raising his eyebrows and sending a bead of sweat down the side of his face.

“You’re on.” Steve ups his speed again. So does Bucky, and the sound of sneakers slapping against the treadmill belts increases to a frenetic pace.

At their speed, it only takes a couple minutes to finish the last mile. Lactic acid burns through Steve’s legs. The distance counter on his machine flicks to 6.00. “Done,” he exhales, looking at Bucky again.

Barely one second later, Bucky echoes, “Done.” They both slap the speed down and slow their sprints to a softer jogging pace.

“Ah. You win,” Bucky concedes, wiping his forehead to displace the fine hairs that have escaped from his ponytail.

“Barely,” Steve breathes. “You’re getting good. I’m going to have to step up my training to stay ahead of you.”

“Naw,” Bucky says. “I’m just happy to be in shape again…”

“I’d say it’s come back to you pretty easily,” Steve compliments. “But then again, we’re here a lot.” He gestures around at the small 24-hour gym, which, as always, is deserted at this hour.

“What time is it?” Bucky asks, slowing his treadmill to walking pace and looking over his shoulder for a clock.

“Almost five,” Steve replies, looking down at his watch.

“Fuck.”

“Well, we’ve been here since three,” Steve says with a shrug.

“The day has…too many hours. Like no matter what I do, I can barely get time to pass,” Bucky mumbles.

Steve isn’t sure how to respond. Bucky’s right. When they’re up hours before sunrise to dampen the nightmares, first instinct is to expect the day to start. But when work and other activities don’t start until at least seven or eight, something has to be done to goad the clock into moving forward. The gym’s become their go-to activity following pre-dawn wakeup calls. It gives Steve hope that Bucky has so much energy and drive, but it doesn’t take away the fact that he’s been shouting his way through paralyzing bad dreams almost nightly for the past few weeks.

Both of them have gotten stronger physically, but Steve can see the subtle wear and tear the schedule’s having on Bucky. Faint shadows show beneath his eyes. He’s quieter. Twitchier. His forehead sometimes wrinkles with what Steve knows is a headache and Bucky insists is nothing.

“Well,” Steve says, dropping his treadmill speed down to zero. “You about done here?” He steps to the carpeted floor and leans against the wall to stretch his calves.

“Yeah, I guess,” Bucky says. He surfs his treadmill belt for a few seconds as the machine turns off. The expression on his face looks upbeat enough, but Steve doesn’t like the pallor of Bucky’s cheeks or the micro tremble in his fingers.

Steve claps his hand down on Bucky’s stump shoulder. “You doing ok?” he asks quietly, wanting to check in without being overbearing.

“Sure, yeah,” Bucky murmurs, a little distantly.

“Hungry?” Steve continues. “I think we’re out of eggs. But we could find something to eat at home, or we could go out.”

“What’s open this early?” Bucky asks, flipping up the hem of his shirt to wipe more sweat from his face.

“24-hour places. IHOP,” Steve offers.

“Ok. That sounds good.”

They’d walked to the gym, so they end up walking a few blocks out of the neighborhood to a street of restaurants and shops. It’s still completely dark outside, further confusing the precarious concept of time.

Steve steps up under the IHOP’s blue canopy and holds the door open for Bucky. A sleepy-looking hostess takes them to a booth in a windowed alcove and hands them menus that are slightly tacky to the touch.

“Two coffees,” Steve orders when the woman asks if she can get them started with drinks. “And two waters, with no ice.”

Bucky’s absorbed with the menu, so Steve isn’t sure if he’s listening to the exchange. Steve’s gotten good at avoiding Bucky’s triggers, even adopting some of the habits as his own just to make things easier. Up until this most recent string of night terrors, Bucky’s been flourishing. Navigating life easily as long as certain things are avoided. They haven’t actually talked about it in a while, so Steve can’t say clearly whether or not his protectiveness is embarrassing to Bucky, but he has a feeling it probably is.

The dining room is empty except for a group of drunk-looking young people a few tables over. Steve glances at them with a disapproving look for a moment, then he realizes it’s Saturday morning. They’re probably the leftover stragglers from some Friday night party. He remembers himself and Bucky doing things like that years ago, and a single sniff of a giggle escapes him as he turns his attention to the list of omelets.

“What?” Bucky asks, giving a confused smile at the look on Steve’s face.

“Was just thinking…” Steve says. “About us as kids. Going out drinking and stuff.” That feels like so long ago, before the war came in as an unwelcome interruption. Now, sitting face to face in the restaurant booth, it’s starting to feel overwhelmingly like a date despite their gym clothes and sweaty faces. It feels like they’ve been together for a century. But before the war, it was in the closet. And now, it’s an awkward domesticity. Steve can’t drudge up a single memory of them actually going out.

“God, I barely remember that far back,” Bucky says. “We’ve gotten old.”

The waters and coffees arrive. Steve sees to rehydrating himself with the clear fluid before attacking the caffeine. Bucky takes one halfhearted sip of his water, then wraps both hands around his steaming mug. The water’s still cold even though it doesn’t have ice in it. Steve makes a mental note to ask for room-temperature next time, even though it sounds nit-picky.

The waitress comes around a moment later, and Steve selects an omelet. Bucky goes for plain pancakes with eggs and bacon, stuttering a little over his order and training his eyes downward.

“I bet you could make that,” Steve says, pointing at an advert on the wall for pumpkin French toast. Now that his menu’s gone, Bucky’s picking at a crack in the tabletop, and Steve’s reaching to give him a distraction. Bucky’s recent infatuation with the Food Network seems like a good choice.

“I bet it’s too sweet, though,” Bucky says, looking up at the pile of whipped cream and candied pecans topping the image of orange-brown toast triangles.

“But if you made it yourself, you could have it be however sweet you wanted,” Steve reminds him.

“Hm,” Bucky muses. “Might be fun. We could have breakfast for dinner, maybe for Halloween…”

“Yeah, I’d been meaning to ask, what do you want to do this year? How’re you feeling about the doorbell and stuff?” Steve poses, draining his water glass.

Bucky looks into his coffee cup. Last year, Steve’d tried putting up a sign imploring trick-or-treaters to skip their door. He and Bucky’d ended up sitting against the wall in the master bedroom listening to the doorbell ring on and off for the entire evening.

“I don’t know…” Bucky says. “I’m not…really wanting to do the same thing again.”

“I could ask Clint if they get a lot of traffic in their neighborhood. Since it’s a lot more rural than here,” Steve suggests. “Or we could get a hotel.” He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

“Didn’t know it was that kind of holiday,” Bucky jokes.

Service is quick in the almost-empty restaurant, and their steaming breakfast plates arrive. The waitress generously refills their coffee mugs and leaves a collection of ketchup and hot sauce on the edge of the table. Steve adds some condiments to his hash browns, then tucks in. The workout’s left him famished. Bucky’s slower in his attack on the eggs and bacon, but nods enthusiastically when Steve asks if his meal is good.

Bucky switches back and forth between his savory plate and his pancakes. Steve directs him to the little cart of flavored syrups. “The original’s probably the least sweet,” Steve says. “But there are fruit-flavored ones, too.”

Bucky scoots down the length of the booth to investigate, accidentally knocking his napkin off the edge of the table as he moves. He’s about to change directions and lean down to pick it up when one of the young men from the drunk table passes by, likely on his way to the bathroom. His foot lands squarely on the white paper napkin, and he slips, reaching blindly for anything to break his fall.

It’s no use. The young man hits the floor, along with the ketchup and Steve’s coffee cup. The sound of glass shattering mixes with swearing, and the waitress rushes over to pull the kid off the floor and survey the damage.

Steve looks at Bucky, who’s wide-eyed and ghostly pale. “I…what did…? I didn’t mean…” Bucky’s stammer-whispering. His gaze is trapped on the young man, who’s dabbing ketchup off his jeans, and the mass of glass and ceramic and muddled red-brown liquid on the tile below.

“Buck, it’s alright,” Steve says, reaching for Bucky’s hand across the table.

Bucky retracts, hunching his shoulders. “I didn’t…I didn’t pull the trigger,” he mutters.

“You didn’t do anything,” Steve says firmly. He rounds the table, trying to avoid the mess on the floor. Bucky’s covering half his pallid face with his hand, and Steve reaches for both shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go outside for a minute. You’re safe. It’s ok.”

He pulls Bucky out the front door and off to the side so they can lean against the building’s brick façade.

“I didn’t meant to…to shoot him,” Bucky breathes.

“You didn’t shoot anyone,” Steve firmly reminds him. “That was a stupid drunk kid knocking stuff on the floor.”

“It’s my fault…”

“No,” Steve says, grounding Bucky with gentle pressure on his arm and stump. “It was an accident. That guy wasn’t paying attention.”

Bucky tips his head back against the wall and takes a gasping breath.

“Alright, get your breath back,” Steve encourages. “You’re at the IHOP in Falls Church. You’re close to home. You’re with me. You’re gonna be ok.”

“Steve,” Bucky mutters.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Steve says. Bucky’s white face is illuminated blue with the glow of the restaurant’s sign. His jaw’s hanging slack; Steve wonders if he’s feeling sick.

“Sorry,” Bucky whispers.

“It’s ok. Don’t worry about anything. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Can we…please go home?”

“Yeah, of course,” Steve says. “We’ll have to walk. Are you feeling up to it?”

Bucky swallows hard and nods.

“Ok,” Steve says. Then, “You sure you’re feeling alright?”

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut and seems to battle for coherency. “Like…kind of sick, but…still really hungry?” he tries.

Steve chuckles at the honesty, relieved Bucky’s able to get in touch with his own feelings. “How about we take breakfast to go?”

#sickfic #fanfic #marvel #mcu #captain america #stucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #panic attacks #flashback #powers/no powers choose-your-own-adventure

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pikachunas · 7 years ago

Text

Power Lift My Spirit

Since the morning they woke in one another’s arms, Pat and JG were working hard on avoiding each other, which was particularly difficult considering their living situation. Video games took up a large portion of their lives already, now it seemed that time only grew. Pat’s game of choice was Dota; JG preferred Destiny II.

They both craved an opportunity to clear the air, but each was too afraid to chock the other night up to anything other than alcohol. Nobody wants to chance losing a friendship like that and Pat and JG were roommates. When Pat began to lose himself in World of Warcraft; JG tried that much harder to take care of him.

JG made an effort to accommodate Pat without approaching him directly. He filled the kitchen with Pat’s favorite foods and beverages. Suddenly the cabinets and fridge were filled with Krave cereal, hot pockets, steak, eggs, frozen pizzas, and Pabst Blue Ribbon.. Pat only noticed when he left his room and the comfort of Azeroth. JG had been keeping to himself, only taking care to get Pat’s favorite things in secret. Apprehensive about making Pat uncomfortable, JG spent the majority of his free time confined to his room. Pat was growing increasingly unnerved with his living situation, and especially with the confusion and embarrassment he felt in the wake of his night with JG. “I need to get out of here” he concluded after a couple of awkward weeks.

“Hey man” Pat greeted JG when he arrived home from work one Thursday night. “Oh hey! What’s up!” JG blissfully replied, smiling. “ I think I need a change… I’m gonna try moving back into my Dad’s.” JG was motionless. His eyes locked with Pats as the smile slowly stretched away from his face. “Oh” he murmured “I was hoping we’d sign another 6 month lease, at least.” Pat’s eyes met the floor and he sighed “I know, but I really need to figure some things out.” JG turned to hang his coat in the closet. “I understand” his voice started breaking “Are we still gonna chill?” Pat tapped his fingers on the back of his computer chair. “Of course man, you’re still one of my best friends.” JG forced a smile and turned away, doing his best to shield his swelling eyes “I hope so man, you mean a lot to me.”

The first couple weeks back at his dad’s were restless for Pat. He wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of moving home, but he knew he needed to regroup and take some time to figure out which new direction to take his life. He was looking forward to saving some money, writing music, and being more active. He noticed some of his friends had joined a facebook group for local cyclists. Eager to get out more and stay occupied, he joined the the group and agreed to meet them for a ride that was being organized for the next weekend.

Pat sprung out of bed the following Saturday, anxious to enjoy a long bike ride with some old friends and hopefully make some new ones. He kept a steady pace on his way to the bike path, stopping every couple blocks to check his phone and make sure the group hadn’t left without him. As he pedaled, he thought about his decision to move back to his dad’s house and what it meant for his relationship with JG. “I just want things to go back to normal” he told himself “I don’t want it to be weird when we hang out with the guys and I don’t want to be uncomfortable when we’re alone together.” Pat pedaled faster as his mind started to race. He saw the group as soon as he turned onto the dead end street where the bike path began.

“Hey Pat!” his friend Laura said, pushing her bike in his direction. “Greetings!” Pat replied. Pat counted 12 cyclists including himself “Decent turnout today.” Laura looked back at the group “Yeah, it should be a good time.” Pat peered across street and noticed a barrel chested guy around his age sitting sideways on a blue fixed-gear bike. “How do I know that guy?” Pat wondered. “Is that…” he paused. “Is that Adam Meren-dickhead?” he asked aloud. Laura laughed “Haha yeah… that’s him.

Pat was captivated by Adam’s physique. Last time he had seen him in person, Adam was out of shape and timid, now he was statuesque and oozing confidence. The way the sunlight reflected off of Adam’s bulbous upper body was spellbinding and Pat struggled to keep himself from staring. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.” Laura thought aloud, freeing Pat from the enchantment of Adam’s stunning, luminous, body. Pat scoured his mind for an excuse to leave. “Are you friends?” she asked. “Me and Muscles Marinara? Um…” Pat stumbled “I know him pretty well… wouldn’t say we’re friends.”

Pat tried to coast toward the end of the pack in an attempt to avoid an awkward conversation with Adam. He had known Adam though the local music scene for years, but they had spoken sparsely during that time. Every couple of minutes Pat would notice Adam checking his phone. “Probably posting some ‘track my ride’ or cheesy ‘tour de horn’ story on Instagram. “What a brawny clown” he scoffed.

Pat was taking a video of the passing pavement when he heard a voice from his side. “I didn't know you rode” Adam quipped. “I just got a new bike” Pat replied without looking at Adam “I want to start getting in shape, especially now that swimsuit season is coming up.” Adam laughed "Have you ever thought about lifting" he asked "Umm a little" Pat replied, "I wouldn't really know what I'm doing.” Adam nodded "I could coach you if you'd be interested. I'm a semi-pro." Pat's pulse began to race."That'd be cool" he mumbled, trying to mask his excitement, hoping Adam wouldn’t hear his heart pounding in his chest through his "Who killed Laura Palmer" Twin Peaks t-shirt.

“I usually do cardio on Fridays. That’s a good place to start if you’re serious about working out” Adam suggested, swerving to avoid a water bottle that was in his path. “Definitely… I mean.. Either is fine... I’ll make myself available” Pat smiled as he pedaled trailing Adam. “Although” Pat paused “I think it’d be fun to bike together sometimes too.” Adam smiled back “We should invest in a two-seater” he joked, looking over his shoulder at Pat. “Or we could share a seat” Pat said without thinking. Before Pat could correct himself Adam replied “If you think you’d fit in my lap.” They both laughed, realizing they were now well behind the rest of the group.

When the following Friday arrived, Pat was nervous about his first workout with Adam. “I hope he doesn’t try to show me up” he thought. “Or maybe I’m just afraid of looking like a chump in front of Adam.” He considered whether or not he should Dwyer out. “Is this even worth my time on a Friday night? Would I really rather work out with Adam than game or hang out with the boys at Bombers?” At that moment, the thought of sitting next to JG at a bar flashed through his mind. He fantasized about JG’s reaction the following summer when he first took his shirt off at the pool, revealing his new hard-earned six-pack abs. He bit his bottom lip “I’m gonna work out with Adam tonight.”

Pat scanned the floor while he checked into Planet Fitness. Adam was a beacon in his black tank top and silver basketball shorts. When Pat got closer he noticed the words “In Unrest” on Adam’s shirt, a bootleg piece of memorabilia in honor of one of Pat’s old bands. “Really?” grunted Pat. “Did this kid seriously make his own shirts for one of my bands, AND wear it when he knew we were hanging out?” Pat resisted a strong compulsion to make an excuse and cancel his membership on his way out, but something about Adam’s posture on the weight bench kept him in place. “He must know what he’s doing” he admitted to himself, “Look at those traps”.

“What’s up, man” Adam said, setting the weight bar on the rack. “Greetings!” Pat replied as he looked away, trying not to stare at Adam’s shoulders. “How much was that?” Pat asked. Adam exhaled “10 reps of 200… just a warmup” he boasted as he pulled the tape back from his wrists. “God dayum!” Pat replied, struggling not to sound impressed “What’s your record?” Adam looked through his eyebrows toward the ceiling “…450 I think, I try not to exert myself more than necessary.” “That’s almost two of Pat” Pat joked. Adam looked at Pat and smiled “If we get to work that’ll be three of you before long”. Pat laughed, “I don’t know about that, but I’ve gotta do something about this” he said, grabbing his waist with both hands. “Let’s get to work, then” Adam affirmed, clapping and rubbing his hands together.

Adam had planned a simple workout for Pat. They warmed up for half an hour on the elliptical before they moved to free weights. Adam taught Pat proper technique and he kept careful track of Pat’s reps. Before long, they moved onto the weight bench where Pat did some curls and bench presses. “Thanks a lot, man” Pat said, taking a sip of his Vitamin Water “I really appreciate you helping me get started.” Adam tightened his training belt. “No problem man, I’m happy to help and it’s been fun hanging out with you.” Pat smiled, nervous he was going to blush. “I feel the same way... hopefully it can become a regular thing.” They finished their workout with a half an hour on the treadmill and then checked out at the service desk. “Thanks again, man” Pat said as they walked out of Planet Fitness “I’m already looking forward to next week.” Adam pulled his car keys out of his shorts “me too dawg, I’ll see you then.”

The following morning Pat’s arms and legs were throbbing. He gathered a cup of coffee and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables that he found in his dad’s freezer and planted himself at his computer desk. “I don’t know if I can do this every week” he considered while his computer booted up. “I want to look good but I don’t want to wake up feeling like I tumbled in a dryer for two hours every Saturday morning.” While windows was loading his personalized settings, Pat checked instagram on his phone. He saw that Adam had posted a story from last night, and he was anxious to see how embarrassing it was gonna be for both of them. It was a video of Pat benching 160 pounds while Adam cheered him on. “Come on Pat!” Adam implored “Keep pushing!” The text on the video read “This guy’s a monster!” with ‘doingwork’ and ‘grind’ hastags and flexing arm and barbell emojis. Pat rolled his eyes and sighed, but he found himself watching the video over and over again. “This guy is really into helping me get in shape” he realized. “So what if he’s kind of a clown’s apprentice about it? He’s just unabashed about his passion, and he’s done an amazing job on his own body.”

After a couple days, Pat was back to normal and he couldn’t stop thinking about the following Friday. He found himself fantasizing about laying on the weight bench, looking up into Adam’s eyes as he intensely contorted his face, the sweat dripping from his sculptured olympian body, hollering encouragement for all of planet fitness to hear while Pat lifted 180, no, 220 pounds. He daydreamed of riding his bike shirtless the following spring, showing off his ripped torso that he would proudly earn under Adam’s tutelage. He began struggling to focus on anything besides the thought of working out with Adam, and eventually, Adam himself. “This can’t happen… Adam is just my lifting coach and my riding partner” he told himself “I have to stop falling for my friends.”

When Friday arrived, Pat was elated about his scheduled workout with Adam. He woke up to a text from Adam that read “Should be coming through around 7, are we still on?” Pat sent a two word reply “You bet!’ At 6:40, He redlined it from his dad’s house to Planet Fitness and he almost forgot to put his car in park before jumping out and sprinting into the gym. He found Adam right away at the same bench as the previous week and he was almost out of breath by the time he reached him. “Greetings!” Pat said, exasperated, as he approached Adam during his warmup. He put his hands on his thighs in an effort to regain his composure quicker. Adam sat up “What’s up dude, you ready to put in some work tonight?” Pat nodded “You better fucking believe I am.” They made their way to the ellipticals and Pat assumed they would repeat the previous weeks workout. He was right, until after his bench press when Adam stopped him. “I want to try something different before we finish up” he suggested. “Sounds good to me, what do you have in mind?” Pat asked.

Adam looked down at Pat who was still seated on the bench. “I want to try to bench you” he appealed. Pat could feel beads of sweat swelling on his forehead. His heart was pounding in his chest “Why?” he asked “ you already know you can lift my weight.” Adam shrugged “I want to see if I can really do it. I want to know how many reps I can do.” Pat was bewildered but the thought of being suspended over Adam was suddenly exhilarating. “OK” Pat agreed, “but if you drop me you owe me a fish fry.” Adam chuckled “If I drop you on my head I won’t be eating solid food for a couple months.” Pat tilted his head and put his hands on his hips flamboyantly, feigning insult, “Let’s get this over with.”

Pat stood over Adam so that he was facing the barbell that was set on the rack of the weight bench. He awkwardly shuffled his weight between his legs to avoid touching Adam’s head with his shorts. Adam laid on his back, facing Pats mid-section. He positioned himself with both feet, inching backwards to where he could look up and make eye contact with Pat from between Pats legs. “Ready?” He asked. “I guess…” Pat replied with uncertainty “What do you want me to do?” Adam put a hand on each of Pats thighs, over his shorts. “Grab the barbell with both hands and steady yourself. When I lift you, try to keep your legs straight.” Pat stood still but in his mind he was panicked. “What am I doing?” he pondered. “What if he drops me and I crush his face with my dick?” He could feel the sweat running down his forehead and arms. The sweat that pooled in his palms made it impossible to grip the barbell. He frantically switched the positions of his hands wiping each on the front of his shirt between grips. So much of him wanted to step over Adam and sprint to the bathroom. “I just wanted to get in shape…” he told himself “Now I’m a sentient leverage press for Adam.” He could hear and feel his pulse in his temples and wrists.

Adams arms shook as Pat slowly began to elevate. He pressed his shoes into the ground and grunted as he drove his hands into Pats thighs. He exhaled then took a deep breath, forcing his arms straighter as Pat became level with the weight bench. Pat held himself steady, squeezing the barbells with both hands and doing his best to ignore the pain from Adam’s fingers in his thighs. When Pat was level with the weight bench, Adam exhaled slowly, and steadily began to lower Pat’s mid-section toward his face. Pat could feel Adam’s breath on his legs as Adam inhaled and exhaled sharply between reps. He didn’t want to enjoy it, but the repetition of ascending and descending became oddly satisfying. Before long, he noticed that he was becoming aroused. He tried to focus on maintaining his grip on the bar and keeping his upper body straight to give Adam better leverage. After about a minute, he noticed a discomfort in his shorts and he was mortified to discover that he had developed a throbbing erection. “This can’t be happening...” Pat told himself.

Adam continued lifting and lowering Pats midsection closer to his head. Every few seconds Pat could feel his painfully erect penis pressing against Adam’s face through his shorts. “He must notice.. Why isn’t he stopping?” Pat wondered. Adam’s eyes and lips were tightly pursed as he continued to press Pat. Pat tried to adjust himself to avoid poking Adam’s face with his pulsing manhood, but it was impossible to contort his body enough to avoid the friction. Pat tried to focus his attention on anything but the present. He tried thinking of DOTA2 strategies, and Nirvana song lyrics, and how to correctly affix components to a motherboard, but nothing could keep his mind from the fact that his lap rocket was repeatedly launching into Adam’s face and he became increasingly concerned he was going to blast off. Adam kept pumping, seemingly unshaken by the strikes he was enduring from Pat’s trouser-snake. The heat of the moment was overwhelming Pat and he was struggling to stay composed. “I’m gonna cum in my shorts” he accepted, realizing there was nothing he could do to stop it short of letting go of the bar and plunging dick first into Adam. “What are you doing?” Pat heard someone ask from behind him just as he erupted into his shorts.

Adam gently lowered Pat back to the ground and sat up. Pat pushed his legs together and sat on the weight bench, covering the front of his shorts with his hands and making it a point not to look up, fearing he’d make eye contact with an on-looker. “One person at a time on the equipment” a short, muscular, man with spiky blonde hair wearing a purple “Planet Fitness” shirt squealed. “We can’t have you guys lifting each other in here, this isn’t a football field, or a wrestling..” Adam stood up “We heard you” he howled, stepping toward the gym attendant “We’ll train however the fuck we want.” The 20 or so other members in the gym were all watching as the Planet Fitness worker shook his head “Take that Cirque du Soleil shit somewhere else.”

Pat was humiliated and ashamed of himself. “I can never come back here” he thought. “I don’t even know if I can talk to Adam again… does he know what just happened?” he asked himself. Adam seemed unphased by the attention or by his confrontation with the gym worker. “Dude” Pat whispered, failing to raise his voice “We have to stop, I have to go home and get changed.” Adam was loosening his lifting belt “Are you gonna come back?” he asked. Pat was stunned “I don’t know dude, that was pretty intense… I don’t think I can handle any more tonight.” When Pat stood up, he noticed a wet, clear-white, smudge on the top of Adam’s head. “No fucking way” he thought, shaking his head “This can’t be my reality right now.” Adam noticed Pat staring and wiped the top of his head. He looked at his fingers, smelled them, and then tasted them. Pat stood there slack-jawed, in a daze. Adam licked his lips and stared into the distance. “Does he know?” Pat wondered. After a few seconds, Adam shook his head and looked up at Pat “I think you owe me dinner and a movie” he said smiling “Or I guess it’s just a movie now.” Pat was catatonic, he wanted to leave but he completely lost control of his nervous system. “I just jizzed on this guys head and he’s making jokes about it?” He wasn’t upset, he was in total disbelief.

Pat gathered himself the best he could “I’ve had enough for tonight, man, I’ll text you later” he said, searching his pockets for his car keys. Adam nodded “No problem dude, do you want to hang out after you get changed?” Pat knew he had crossed a line with Adam, and he was afraid of what would happen if they were alone in private. “Uh, I don’t know man. I have a bunch of running around to do.” he fibbed. “That’s cool” Adam replied, “Are we still on for next week?” The next week, or even the following day were the last thing on Pat’s mind, all he could think about was getting home and getting out of his semen saturated shorts “Yeah, for sure... I’ll talk to you later.” Adam smiled “Awesome… later dawg.”

The release Pat had experienced in Planet Fitness left him with a sense of clarity that he hadn’t enjoyed since moving back into his dad’s house. On the short drive back to his dad’s house he tried to consider whether he regretted what had happened, or if he was only upset about where it happened. By the time he got home he had concluded that he was better off avoiding Adam for the near future. After some time, hopefully Adam would forget about everything and they could go their separate ways for good. “Adam’s a great guy, and he’s got a gorgeous body and an engrossing personality, but I don’t need to complicate my life any more than it already is.” he concluded.

Pat woke the next morning to a text from Adam that read “Last night was fun, get ready to step it up next week!” He shook his head and thought about replying, but ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to talk to Adam again so soon. For the rest of the weekend, Pat occupied himself with guitar and video games, doing his best to keep himself distracted from what had happened the other night and his feelings for Adam. When Friday morning arrived, Pat had completely forgot that he had already agreed to meet again that night for a workout. Around 11 he received a text “We still on for tonight?” Adam inquired. “Sure, I’ll see you at 7” Pat typed back, reluctantly.

By 5 pm, Pat knew there was no way he would be able to compose himself in a gym with Adam again. He brainstormed excuses while playing DOTA2. This particular match was intense and Pat became profoundly frustrated when the Meepo on his team proved to be a noob. After a loss and a heated exchange with his teammate “HitlersSexySmile”, he couldn’t resist the urge to avenge himself and started another game. He noticed his phone vibrating and lighting up, and knew it was most likely Adam, but he was too engrossed with defending his ancient to care. At 8:30, Pat was startled by a rapping at his dad’s front door. He sighed, and tried to brace himself emotionally for his second quarrel of the evening as he got up to answer the door.

“Where the fuck were you?” Adam howled, red faced and soaking wet as he stood in Pats dads doorway. “Chill out, dude” Pat pleaded “This is my dad’s house”. Adam took a deep breath “Pay a personal trainer if you’re gonna waste my time…” he was seething “… You think this is fun for me? Do you know how many workouts I’ve sacrificed to help you get in shape?” Adams Incendiary tank top was saturated and sticking to his body. They stood in silence for a moment that felt like an eternity. As Adam turned away, Pat whispered “Yeah, I did”. “what?” Adam was too aggravated for games. Pat exhaled “I did think it was fun for you.” Adam chewed a piece of grilled chicken that was stuck in his teeth and shook his head. “Can we talk inside… Please?” Pat implored.

Pat’s dad was watching TV upstairs as Pat led Adam through the doorway. He was too preoccupied with a golf channel biography on John Daly to have noticed the commotion just outside his front door. “Nice place” Adam said reluctantly as he walked down the stairs into the finished basement room of Pat’s dad’s house. “Yeah” Pat replied, throwing Adam a towel from the linen closet, “Only the best for my dad.” Adam sat on the couch while Pat took his place at his computer, trying to decide whether he should continue his game of DOTA2 before being issued an “abandon” and suffering a loss to his match-making rank. “Look..” Pat said as he turned his monitor off, “Things just got a little heavy for me last time.” Adam had removed his shirt and was drying his body with the towel. “That’s not what I expected when I agreed to work out with you.” Adam tongued the back of his bottom teeth and sighed “hmph, I thought we were on the same page. I saw you staring at me during our bike ride and the way you watched me lift at the gym. I know this is new for you but it’s alright to like it.”Adam said softly as he inched toward Pat “It’s nobody’s business but ours.” Pat withdrew from Adam and covered his face with his hands “Dude… I can’t.” Adam crept closer “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

Pat knew if he uncovered his eyes and saw Adam’s bulging iron-clad body he wouldn’t be able to contain himself. He kept his hands in front of his face and rested his elbows on his knees. “I don’t want to fuck up our friendship, and I don’t even want to think of what my dad would say if he came downstairs and saw us french kissing topless in his basement.” Adam smirked “Then I’ll put a shirt on...are you afraid he’d be jealous of you?”he joked, flexing and kissing his bicep. Pat tried to fight a smile but couldn’t resist. He uncovered his face and Adam cupped his cheek with his hand. “I really admire you” Adam said softly. “You’re so funny and talented and passionate…. But you need to be more confident. There’s no reason for you to feel ashamed or inadequate.” Just then Adam held his hand over the mound that was gradually swelling in Pat’s shorts. Adam pulled Pat’s head closer and their lips met for the first time. Pat shivered as he felt an explosion of ecstasy rush through his body. He ran his hands across Adam’s abs and probed Adams mouth with his tongue. He quivered as Adam fingers scanned his belt-line, gasping with euphoria.

Warm breath flushed his neck as Pat clawed at Adam’s shoulders. He shook his wrist in an attempt to release what felt like a handful of cotton candy but was actually a sweaty palm full of the hair from Adam’s back. Pat inhaled and wiped his hand on the back of Adam’s “Cold World” mesh shorts. Adam circled Pats belly button with his tongue while lightly tugging at Pat’s belt, inching lower with each breath. Pat moaned as Adam slid his hand beneath the band of Pat’s shorts. “Wait” Pat shuddered “We should go up to my room.” When Pat stood to stretch he winced, struggling to put pressure on his left leg. “My legs asleep” he groaned. “Do you need me to carry you?” Adam asked, positioning his arms behind Pat’s legs and neck. “No” Pat replied. “I want you to carry me.”

In Adam’s sculpted, wooly, arms Pat felt a sense of security he hadn’t experienced since he was a child playing video games in his room on Lighthall Avenue in Cohoes. Not back at his Dad’s, not when he was living with some of his best friends in Albany, not even with JG the night they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Had Pat found the perfect boulder to fill the canyon sized crater in his life?

In the half a minute it took Adam to ferry Pat from his Dad’s basement to his room upstairs, Pat’s mind was flooded with fantasies of what a life with Adam could behold. He thought of long bike rides culminating with a charming picnic at Colonie Town Park where they would feed each other grapes and sandwiches before they sunbathed in the grass, holding hands while their tattooed bodies absorbed the oil they would take their time applying to each other. He imagined being hypnotized by the sway of Adam’s chiseled body as he looks up over his drum set during one of their rock ‘n roll shows in Worcester or Poughkeepsie, longing for the hour and a half ride home during which he could rest his head on Adam’s granite pecs, pretending to fall asleep while Adam stroked the hair on the back of his neck. He dreamed of sweaty sessions in the private gym of an apartment they would rent together, taking turns squatting and pressing their glistening bodies before washing each other in their superior steam shower and going to bed where they would share a long, passionate, kiss during each commercial of new episodes of Twin Peaks. “We could have a good life together… a fuckin’ real good life” he accepted as Adam opened the door to Pat’s room at his Dad’s house.

“Pat?” they heard somebody whimper as Adam stepped through the doorway. Pat freed himself from Adam’s grip and hurried to turn on the light, illuminating the room and revealing JG alone in his bed eating a bag of Oreo’s. Pat gazed into JG’s rapidly dampening eyes, failing to conceive of what he could possibly say to spare his feelings After a moment, Adam broke the silence “Are those double stuffed? ...Because one of us is about to be.” Nobody laughed.

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baileysayswhat · 5 years ago

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Well, it’s been a year. Truly. I haven’t blogged in a year! Not since my EPIK return to Korea (wink at y’all English teachers over there) for MinShik & Ara’s wedding.

And here those same people are celebrating their one year anniversary by having their first baby ON THAT DAY. That’s some Gattaca-level skill, I tell ya.

Lots has changed. LAWD. Yes. Grab yourself a low-carb snack because y’all about to get the deets.

Jobs

Two promotions at Grubhub and a sabbatical-turned-bowing-out at Titan Gym ALL IN THIS PAST ONE YEAR.

In January I became a Senior Sales Executive with Grubhub; it was a huge, out-of-the-blue honor and when I asked ‘what’s different than my current job?” my boss replied “Its what you’re already doing with the team, I’m just going to pay you for it.” How cool is that?!

Actual photo of said boss:

Seriously one of my favorite things in my career was in our first ever one on one development meeting last year (right *after* the Korea trip) the first thing I said was “I want you to know I’m in grad school for training and development and that’s what I want to do long term.”

His reply? “OK, let me hook you up with the right person who’s heading up training.” Literally the next week she got me in a classroom training new hires in a session 1x every 2 weeks. MONEY/MOUTH AND ALL THAT. When does that happen?!

And this past April when a new role opened up to become a sales trainer for new hires he recommended and she championed me for the role, which started May 1.

Y’all. I have never felt the Conan mantra of “If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen” more. I joined Grubhub just to get a sales paycheck and have a regular schedule to pursue my passions and here this place that I thought would be a job I wasn’t going to put my heart into has given me such gifts. Managers that believe in me and CREATE JOBS that I wasn’t even aware of. I’m very blessed.

Now I’m the “Learning Solutions Associate” (ie. Non-Corporate Sales & Account Advisor Trainer) for all employees in those departments for Grubhub Inc. Nationwide. I’ve trained over 75 people in the last 5.5 months. That is bananas to me and I’m so grateful. All that in a year and a half at this company.

Because of that role shift and wrapping up grad school I knew that my time at Titan Gym was coming to a close. I have loved and sweated and bled and cried in that place – sometimes all at once – and I leave with so many good memories and relationships. I felt like I couldn’t be both throwing my heart (and fists) into learning & teaching Krav while also trying to originate a role at Grubhub.

So with a final rooftop drinking session and countless hugs I left (by choice) no longer an instructor at Titan Gym. I’m still a certified Krav Maga Level 1 Instructor through KMA and I know if I’m ever interested in getting back into it that Daniela and Ivo have my back. And if you need a place to kick ass, feel stronger or find mental toughness I will recommend Titan Gym to the moon and back again and again and again.

WHEW.

2. School

Yes, I finished my grad program at University of Wisconsin – Stout and now have my graduate certificate in Instructional Design. I need to frame that fancy piece of paper sometime soon.

3. Comedy

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LAUGH SQUAD?! Oh man y’all. So last October in the week after I got back from Korea I auditioned for a ComedySportz House Team and was cast into the most perfect circle of weirdos by two insanely talented coaches who happened to have the exact same initials – HMS. So naturally our team name became “Pinafore” after the famous Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera ‘HMS Pinafore.’ I have still never to this day heard any music from it although I did briefly glance through the Wikipedia page.

No, I didn’t realize we were all serving fierce face. Or at least my genre of fierce face. Our team just had our final show on 10/6 and it has been a journey. I feel like I’ve grown with such a great team with depth and tears and joy. I have peed myself a little laughing so hard, which I can admit now that the team is done. I mean, I could have admitted it before but why BOTHER.

Truly I have loved the CSZ House Program; auditions for the next round are in November and I’m excited to see what the next group of people I get to fall in love with looks like!

Other things I’ve been blessed to yuk it up on/with: I got cast into a RIFF Music Improv camp which has had me perform 3x with a stone-cold group of short-form music improvisers that HAVE PIPES, y’all. Some of these people I’ve watched perform for years in music improv and it’s an honor to strap on a Britney mic and make up songs for an audience with them.

I’ve also done 2 seasons of MINt (Music Improv Night) at the Annoyance; such an open space to trying weird and beautiful things with music improv and our voices. If you’re looking for a community to fall in love with, the MINt crew is a good one. 4 teams every 4 months and you get such a wide range of experience, skills and strange, hilarious songs.

There’s been a few one-offs performing with friends’ groups and even a couple shows with some MI people I met in iO’s Music Program as an indie group named “AirBRB.”

I’m moving into a season when I’m not sure when my next show is; it’ll be light this next month, which is kind of a fun thing. I’ll miss it. But I think it’s healthy to have a breather and come back hungry, whenever the next show is. And you never know when someone might text you at 4pm about a show that night at 1030pm and you gotta be ready to make believe with the best!

4. Health

OOOOOHHHH fun. Let’s talk about it! Since last year when I got my Krav Maga instructor cert in July (shoutout to the 3am Protein Squad) I’ve let things slip a bit. And why not?! When you survive that kind of thing you deserve to let yourself chill. But…I didn’t really reign it in. I was doing ok; maintaining some cardio but I knew things needed to step up. I was getting a little burned out on Krav. Here’s my 7am face on the way to teach class:

I let myself write excuses and they added up. Once I was done punching/kicking regularly I did CrossFit for a few months – it was great and ya girl loves heavy weights – but the price was really high. Especially when I could be going out of town to our Phoenix office for work up to once a month, missing a week at a time. It was an expensive habit.

So I jumped back into going to LSAC (Lincoln Square Athletic Club) regularly – it’s been 3 weeks in and I’m kind of loving my schedule:

Mondays – Pole Class at Brass Ring (I KNOW) and it’s so fun. Such an empowering environment and an hour flies by. Its slow but I see progress! And thigh bruises.

Tuesdays – Workout at LSAC (trying to follow the schedule Brian (see Fridays) gave me the week before)

Wednesdays – Volleyball with friends at LPHS – y’all we had a double header last week and I burned 1,448 calories in 1 hour and 55 mins. WE WORKIN’.

Thursdays – Improv Day (aka rest and do some make believe in comedy class)

Fridays – Personal Training with Brian at LSAC

Saturdays – Yoga (at home right now using an Apple TV app but maybe at LSAC in the future)

Sundays – Intro to Olympic Weightlifting with Keith at LSAC (today was the first one; I did a 65lb bar snatch from shins to above my head! 9 times! Y’ALL! SHE BACK!)

Also I started attempting/doing a Keto & intermittent fasting on 10/1; it’s been a little rough but we’re getting into the groove of it. That first week, candidly, sucked. The low carb/Keto flu thing is for real. But now I’m used to it; the 12-8 fasting part is honestly not that hard now. Very manageable. It’s more the carb counting thing of keto that is taking slow (but progressive) shape.

5. The Rest

a. Photography

I know everyone has a camera in their smartphone – I’m doing some photography learning – I bought myself a Canon T6i DSLR last year RIGHT BEFORE starting grad school so I hid it in the closet from myself until school was done in May. I’ve taken some pictures I’m proud of and I’m working my way through a couple Lynda.com (grad school got me a free account) photography courses to learn the camera. I’m a student of it right now for sure but here’s a few photos I’m proud of:

b. Norway

I found out last year that I’m 1/8 Norweigan; that doesn’t sound like ‘a lot’ but honestly I’ve never really thought about it. I generally classify my heritage as ‘SPF 75’ but have always known our family is generally German with some crossover to other classically pale squads (Irish, probably English, other various tribes of roving wild-haired people on/around Hadrian’s wall, etc).

Last year in October someone posted in this Women of Chicago Comedy Facebook group I’m in about a Norwegian TV show that 1. Flies you to Norway and 2. You good-naturedly compete with other Norwegian-Americans to win $50,000. SO I APPLIED OF COURSE and got to ask my mom and grandparents questions over iMessage about my heritage. Apparently one of my great-grandmas was first-generation American, born in the US. Her parents both emigrated from Norway in the early 1900s to Washington State, near Ballard. So…if one of the 8 people that made me is full-blooded Norwegian…then by the power of Punnett Squares or whatever that means I’m 1/8 Norwegian, right?

ANYWAYS I did not get cast but I just realized they’re auditioning again so I’m going to throw ye olde application back in there. 1. Because it sounds fun and 2. Norway is GORGEOUS and 3. I did promise Neal Carlin that I would apply again. He’s gone in Italy doing an insanely cool apprenticeship so the least I can do is fill out info about my LIFE.

Our family doesn’t really do any celebrations of heritage. My great-grandma Harriman (she of the Norwegian blood) made lefse for Christmas, but I never really understood the connection as a kid. She passed when I was in high school and none of us kids ever learned to make it with her. Also, keep your traps shut but my real goal if I get on this show is to learn to make Fattigman cookies and then make them with my Nana for Christmas. KEEP MY SECRETS, INTERNET.

I think there’s a real beauty in appreciating where you came from and knowing you are a part of a legacy of choices – good ones, bad ones, ones that had to be made one way or another – and then choosing how you want your part of the story to be written. Sitting under the Northern lights and walking on glaciers would be a pretty jaw-dropping moment in life; 10/10 I’d be crying frozen little tears of joy. So we’ll see! I’m applying!

c. Travel

I’m going to DC in less than 2 weeks – I’ve never been to DC AND I haven’t seen David Brown in 4+ years in person. That’s bananas to me. I genuinely cannot believe that there’s not some time/space blanket fold that I jumped through because it CAN’T have been four years.

But the internet says it has. So myself, Bekah, Adam & Dana (plus maybe their dog Millie) are all meeting up with David in DC October 25-27 and I could SQUEAL I am so excited.

I went to Ohio in March just to see my loves Xander and Trace and get drag-ified myself. I learned that clip on earrings are the reason beauty = pain and that stick on nails are NOT for me. But I looked great.

d. Experiences

I saw my first Broadway shows in the past year – I don’t know what took me so long! I saw Hello Dolly, Book of Mormon, Hamilton. Les Mis, Falsettos – I WANT TO SING EVERYTHING.

I went to the Shedd Aquarium on Thanksgiving – it was BEAUTIFUL and uncrowded and my ticket was free – cue v v thankful.

I saw Conan O’Brien’s show in Chicago and met Aaron Bleyart, who’s blog(s) I have followed for over TEN YEARS.

Passed my Krav Level 3 student test and Muay Thai Level 2!

Survived the Polar Vortex in Chicago when it was over -20 degrees below zero. This is the *inside* of my windows.

My parents came to Chicago for Father’s Day! The umbrella is my Mom hiding from the camera as all 3 of us eat Chicago Dogs outside the Field Museum. Also, I went to the Field Museum.

I went to Arizona 3 times – February, May & August – for work and to visit family. What a cool, weird mix of colors. I saw the Grand Canyon and cried a little behind my sunglasses as my family pretended to not notice.

I saw a Seattle-based artist, SYML, who’s work I love not once but TWICE. Also saw Dean Lewis at the same concert and fell in love w his new album.

Saw a bajillion improv shows, learned which lipsticks look good on my skin tone and saw so many people I love.

What. A. Year.

More updates, more often, from this face:

A Blog I Pay For and Rarely Update: UPDATED! Well, it's been a year. Truly. I haven't blogged in a year! Not since my EPIK return to Korea (wink at y'all English teachers over there) for MinShik & Ara's wedding.

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elle-stevens · 5 years ago

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The Break Up Blog - Day Thirty Seven

I barely slept a wink last night.

My room was hot and my arm hurt too much from exercise. So I kept waking up and forgetting that I needed to sleep on my left side only. Apparently sleeping on your right side makes stomach acid seep into your throat when you have gastritis. But I always switch sides during the course of the night, so last night was an irritating challenge.

I woke up groggy and grumpy. I drank two cups of coffee which didn’t help and I still feel sleepy and under-rested now. My sinuses were particularly bad today, which irked me even more.

Luckily, I didn’t have class today, so I finished my grading and official report cards for my students and their first assessment. I’ll save the real report card for myself which no other teachers can see: the report cards that are actually truthful. The things I teach in class, the things I tell my colleagues and the things I put in my report cards are all lies: wonderful fairy-tales designed to keep you happy and to stop you from asking questions.

I think that’s true for every facet of lie. We’d much rather have a beautiful lie than the ugly truth. When we lie, we can be anything, do anything we want. When you’re honest, you’re stripped of all your armour. You’re exposed and vulnerable - who actually wants to be at any given point or time?

I’m rambling again, I’m just so tired today. I’m supposed to meet D in an hour to celebrate her birthday with her. I hope I can muster up enough energy to have fun tonight. I tried to exercise at work this afternoon since I wouldn’t have much time to do this evening, but it was a bust. I got through 3/4 of it in a quiet auditorium before I had to vacate it in lieu of the students preparing the room for a presentation. Then I stumbled around school trying to find a quiet classroom where I could exercise without any nosy teachers or nosy students asking me what I’m doing. I feel self-conscious about my body and about my workout techniques; I don’t like it when too many eyes are on me at the wrong time.

I did what I could with exercising before giving it up as a lost cause. Then I prepped my lessons for tomorrow and Friday. I guess it doesn’t really matter what I do since it’s all just for show anyway at school. Nothing’s real or earnest there. Maybe I feel that way more because I know I’ll be leaving soon.

I told N that a few days when she randomly texted me on Saturday and asked if we could ‘hang out’. I should’ve figured out that she wanted to ask me about whether I’d be renewing my work contract next year. It makes sense that she wants to know now since C got the proverbial boot and N’s looking for her replacement - a teacher to help her with recruiting new hires. Even if I was going to stay another year, I sure as shit don’t want to help out with recruitment. One, I know nothing about the requirements for obtaining a Chinese work visa. And two, after seeing what crap and stress C had to put up with when doing recruitment outside of her teaching duties, it’s a hard pass for me.

I told N in so many words, but obviously in a nicer way. I tried to phrase it in such a way that N knew I wasn’t leaving work because of all the bullshit with management and my students. So I told her it was because of all my personal issues this year, including breaking up with X. That last part was a test to see if N is just as big a gossip as most of my colleagues. I honestly hope N will prove me wrong, I quite like her. But I do feel bad for telling N that I’ll be leaving school next year, especially when I see how unhappy N is at work these days. ML gives her shit about nearly everything she tries to do and she’s barely been living and working in China for 6 months. I hope N and I can hang out more outside of work; it doesn’t seem like she has a lot of friends at work she can trust and actually talk to about things unrelated to work. N still has to have an official conversation with me at school, if only just for show so that ML doesn’t roast her over an open flame for not following protocol. I like ML well enough when I’m not dealing directly with her OCD crap, but she really needs to take that gigantic stick out of her ass and get laid or something.

I booked a taxi to pick me up at home in 20 minutes or so, but it’ll probably get here early. As far as I can tell, the birthday present I ordered for D didn’t arrive on time, so I’ll just give it to her on another day, maybe over the weekend.

I realised earlier that I haven’t done much crying over X in recent times. I cried a lot in the beginning, when I figured out that she was lying to me, on the night we broke up and a few days after that. But the tears have stopped, at least the ones on the outside. Whenever I’m really low in life, I feel things internally. So maybe the tears haven’t fallen because they haven’t left my body at all. Maybe they changed course and fell inside instead. And now they’re just sitting in my stomach and chest, holding a vat of disbelief, cynicism and sadness.

I’m trying my best to be happy and stay positive. But honestly, I feel like I’m losing a part of myself that used to believe in true love and happily ever afters. It all just feels like bullshit that some cheesy telemarketer is trying to sell me over the phone. Falling in love doesn’t feel real or right anymore.

I hope that feeling stops, everything feels so tiring and pointless these days.

Even this blog feels tiring. Like I’ve proved a point to myself already. Yes, I was able to keep at it for days and weeks and a whole month so far. But what point does it really serve? It’s a distraction, everything I’m doing these days is. There’s no escaping it. Because the only other option is stopping with the distractions and slowing down long enough to face reality:

My relationship is over and X is out of my life.

And even suckier than this is that X had the audacity to get a jump-start with moving on from ‘us’.

Shit, I need to get some sleep. I drank two shot glasses of Coke to keep me awake for a few more hours.

I hope I’ll take on another personality while I’m with D of someone who’s actually happy and well-adjusted.

#breakupblog #daythirtyseven

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daveywankenobie · 6 years ago

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Well – it’s THAT time of year again. I get to find out what my diabetes results are.

I know I’ve been a good boy (for the most part) and my logical mind tells me that everything will probably be OK – but the human body is a strange machine, and sometimes whether you want it to be healthy or not, it often makes up it’s own mind.

The only thing I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Sometimes I’m not sure whether I continue to do this through obsessive habit, a love of exercise or a fear that if I don’t everything I love about my life now will just fall apart.

Truthfully it’s probably a bit of all three – however when I’m with a friend in a place of outstanding natural beauty then it’s definitely a love of life that keeps me putting one foot in front of the other.

On Wednesday I was once again in a place I adore with a superb twalking companion and was busy making absolutely sure that both of us got a good workout.

First thing in the morning it was tough sell mind you. The house was warm when I woke up – and it was a very cozy place to be as I stared at the ceiling from my pillow under a toasty duvet.

Outside I could hear cars crunching along the road over frozen puddles and people chipping frost from their windscreens and when I finally ventured out I had to forcibly yank my frozen car door open to reach my ice scraper.

Once it was in my grasp I needed a whole 15 minutes to hack all of the (really thick) ice off my car before I could drive over to pick my friend up.

The journey after this was a nice one though – and the roads were well gritted with no accidents to impede our progress. By the time we arrived at Malvern the sun was out and the sky was a lovely blue.

Despite this the frost was far from melted.

As potentially treacherous as this makes walking around this area it’s undeniably beautiful – and even with a serious nip in the air it’s a really nice place to eat breakfast – which in my case was as Slimming World friendly as possible.

Wednesday represented probably the 2nd best day for weather in Malvern that I’ve ever seen from this vantage point – and as the morning wore on the views just got better and better.

The absolutely wonderful thing about my life at the moment is (maybe unlike some who might have always been fit and healthy) I never cease to be amazed by what I can do and how far I’ve come.

When I look at the total elevation my friend and I accomplished during our day of walking I’m amazed that not only did I find it relatively easy – but that it represents well over two thirds of the total height of Snowdon (3500ft).

By the time Wednesday had finished we’d managed (according to Apple Watch) to climb 186 flights of stairs.

The very first time I attempted walking around this region (at around 22.5 stone – having lost over 12) was February 2017 (link).

Since then things have changed quite a bit.

It’s pretty insane what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it – and it never ceases to amaze me when I look at my past and current photos what the human body is capable of recovering from or adapting to.

My swimming is no exception to this – and whilst I’ve not said much about it lately I’m still regularly pounding out lengths in my local pool. This morning (completely unplanned) proved to be another example of what I can do now vs what I was previously (in)capable of.

I mean that in both a physical and self confidence sense – because whilst I may have previously been able to paddle back and forth I did not previously possess the mental fortitude to step into a swimming costume and try.

Now I do.

I decided after a few lengths that I was up for trying to do a kilometre and a half (100 lengths of my local 25 metre pool) and irritatingly I would have done it if I’d only started ten minutes earlier.

The schools locally start to come in on a Friday at 9.30am and I ran out of time before I ran out of stamina.

How crazy is that?

I mean – it’s totally nuts when you think about it. I’ve changed from being a 35 stone moribund lump of a man into one that’s capable of climbing huge mountains, and swimming continuously for almost 2.5km.

How on earth is all of this possible?!

Honestly at times I have no idea. Somehow I’ve just ended up inhabiting the body and mind of someone who is both driven and focused.

I’m not perfect though – because despite all of this exercise (and maybe sometimes as a consequence of it) I can still overeat.

I’ve been quite good with the types of food that I’ve consumed however, and have been preparing meals as I always do. My slow cooker has been churning out chicken soup practically on a daily basis lately (it’s so nice to come home to on a cold day) and my usual standby meal (I flipping love a chilli) has been consumed with gusto on a number of occasions.

However – regardless of these good choices when I stood on the scales for the first time in two weeks last night (which in itself this represents something of a personal success because I can get quite obsessive about this) I realised that I’ve moved a few pounds outside of my new target range.

Whilst I’ve mentally committed myself to going to group tomorrow to keep my head in the game I doubt that I will stand on the scales while I’m there.

Thankfully as a target member I only need to weigh in every 8 weeks – but I still need a visit to group to keep me focused.

I may weigh in at one of Angie’s Monday groups instead (I can’t on Saturday next week) but we’ll see. I’m not putting any pressure on myself because the truth is that I don’t really need to.

Whilst I used to hate the phrase ‘naturally thin’ this is one of those moments that I feel it’s really relevant.

I’ve always wanted to be the sort of person that can deviate a little to the left or right of the correct path in life, but who will always find my way back to the right course. So far for the last 11 months I’ve proven that I’m capable of this.

I’ve moved both above and below target weights – and I’ve come to accept that none of this represents either success or failure. All it represents is life and how things will always change from time to time.

Gradually I’ve recognised that judging yourself harshly based on small weekly deviations on the scales is an empty and pointless pursuit that will ultimately accomplish nothing but emotional corrosion.

Sure – if you’re trying to lose weight then the overall trend needs to be downwards, but the point is that beating yourself up over a misstep or two will do nothing but provide a reason to carry on with the self destructive behaviour that you are trying so hard to avoid.

It’s much better to accept that no-one is perfect, life is just life, and that tomorrow is just another day where you will probably feel stronger and more capable than you did the day before. You can only be the best that you can be at any one given moment in time – and thinking that anyone else is any different is pointless and damaging.

We all struggle and we all fall over – and accepting that you’re just as normal as anyone else is key to long term success.

The wages of this kind of ongoing attitude can be seen in my diabetic results – which yesterday I held in my hand, in black and white.

My current HbA1c level of 26 is still way below what would be considered pre-diabetic.

My cholesterol is great, I’ve been assured that my blood pressure results are perfectly normal and ‘low’, my overall health is ‘tip top’ and all of the usual tests (sensitivity in my extremities and diabetic retinopathy results) show that I’m still holding diabetes at bay.

By making continually more positive than negative choices in life I’ve not only turned things around, but I’m proving to any casual observers that my continued health outcomes are not only possible but completely sustainable – even with an occasional mis-step.

Despite many many social media voices stating that everyone following Slimming World as a plan is destined to put all their weight back on I intend to stand proudly as an example of what’s possible long term.

Success in this area is not magic though.

It’s all about mindset.

The reality of it is that all of this is just continual hard work combined with an ongoing willingness to re-frame the negative internal voices that we all have.

Whatever mountain you have to climb internet, it’s all do-able.

Davey

Diabetes update 2019 Well - it's THAT time of year again. I get to find out what my diabetes results are.

#Diabetes #Exercise #Health #healthy eating #nonscalevictories #Slimming World #swimming

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athleisure-aesthetic · 8 years ago

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Ugh I did the thing again where I was busy all week and forgot to post on here. So here’s a lightning fast recap of my workouts from the past week, if you care at all. I actually think I worked out (ish, except Friday kinda) every day which is a first in a while. Bless.

Tues Mar 21 Abs and shopping. I went home after work to get my car so that I could drive to trainings the next two days, but went out to Target as soon as I got home, cause duh. Stupid idea to try on like real clothes tho, my self-conscious ass was like ohhhhh no way you need to tighten up those saddle bags and that back fat before you get any of this. So. I got a crop sweatshirt and athletic leggings, felt bad about myself but hadn’t had dinner, so I went to Wawa. Woof.

3x each 15 reps straight leg raises 15 reps roll ups leaning camel x 45s bird dogs x 45s 60 reps heal touches plank 35s, 40s, 45s 10 reps assisted push up 40 reps russian twists 8# alternating superman 1 min 15 reps single leg pulses

Wed Mar 22 Run on the trail after this horrific training class in which I was literally the only student for an all day session. And I had to go back the next day 😩 went to Marshall’s before my run to see if I could find any cold weather gear bc I only had my sweatshirt, gloves, wool earwarmers, and thin leggings. Didn’t find any of that, but got those AMAZING NEON PINK LEGGINGS IN THAT ONE PICTURE and some other ones too. You know me, can’t stay away from that athleisure ish.

It was hella freezing and took me so long to warm up once I started on the trail. Fortunately it was so picturesque and my music was bangin so. I survived.

2.78 mi 9'55" min / mi

Thurs Mar 23 6 x 200m sprints on the trail. Bless up, convinced my instructor to finish early bc tbh he was not really all that helpful once I started following the book that was included, so I went to the mall and got some more athleisure (deh), cheap sunglasses, athletic ear warmers for $.50 each, a VERY cute lightweight rain jacket, and (!!!!!) these black leather slip-on sneakers I’ve been looking for for like 6 months. I just caved and got the name brand ones but stILl omg I’m so excited about them I finally found them.

Started the sprints in the cotton leggins I was wearing, then after like maybe 9 or 10 strides I was like oh FUCk no they suddenly lost all their elasticity and I was having to pull them up for my life. So after completely embarrassing myself hoisting those mothereffers up for my first sprint, I jumped in the car and changed into spandex pants, then zoomed back to the trail start and actually did my workout. Good thing my house is only 8 minutes away from that part of the trail.

I think I may have mis-read what my Nike app was telling me to do, but I’m pretty sure it said to do 6 x 200m sprints with 4:45 min in between. So that’s essentially what I did, I sprinted for the 200m and ran / jogged in between. Although the app only recorded the distance for the sprints, I wanna say I did a little more than the day before, since I went further on the trail. I hate that you can’t go back and check what it told you to do; you only see how you actually ran according to the app. Lame af. Though I was proud, I increased my sprint speed at almost every length except the 3rd.

0.77mi 6'59" min / mi (lol can’t believe I actually ran a mile faster than that at one point in my life holy shit)

Fri Mar 24 No real workout here, since I had to leave work early to take the train back to le Nova for Palooza. I scarfed down a Snap pizza (the classic spot) right before the show, and somehow stayed away from the dangers of late night college food. Though I did get all my steps in my showing one of our friends’ home friend around campus, and apparently that little tour counted for a nice brisk walk. Obvi the Snovas killed it, as a great opener for what my friends and I dubbed AcaWeekend. Saturday they’d be competing at ICCA regional semifinals #pitchperfect for the first time ever, which was so exciting. Palooza the day before was just their warmup, but fortunately we got to see two new songs from them. It kinda sucked for them though bc they went first out of the seven groups and the sound guys always need a few groups to warm up before they actually refine the balance, and they just sounded muddled. Womp. Oh well. Everyone knows they’re/we’re the best anyway. Proud alum.

Sat Mar 25 Run in the morning before the day’s festivities. This was a quick workout before most of the humans who stayed in my apartment became humans, a brief mile ish to the waterfront and back. I realized I’d been wearing a blueish shirt and black leggings in literally all of my pics lately so I spiced it up with these fun stripey ones. Lol.

We adventured to brunch, where I had a yummy spinach and goat cheese salad with fig dressing, and wandered around the city for the afternoon before we had to head to semis. I splurged on Hunger Burger at RTM because I told myself that this was my indulgence for the weekend, and I wasn’t going to be drinking anymore for the next few months (it’s not like I do it that often anyway, I just want to try it to see how it helps my training/weight loss, if at all), so I got a specialty thin mint shake. Woops. Honestly, it was so worth it though, and I didn’t even end up eating most of the fries anyway, so it wasn’t the worst I could’ve done.

At semis, there were literally so many good groups and we were all like oh shit how are they going to stack up?? But Snovas SLAYED even better than they did last time and ENDED UP IN THIRD PLACE WHICH IS THE CRAZIEST BEST HONOR WE’VE EVER GOTTEN AND IT’S JUST SO COOL!!!!! A cappella is the shit, guys, I swear. I’m so proud of those kiddos, and they get to submit a wildcard video for a chance at Finals in NYC which is like legitimately insane. They’re somewhere in the top 18-27 groups in the country right now, and coming from a school where we legit don’t have music majors and a joke of a music activities staff / support, this coulD NOT be cooler. They murdered it. And so did all the other groups at semis, like damn. We weren’t even sure anything was gonna happen for them, but they clearly did some things right. Ugh so obvi we celebrated when we got back to Philly, going to a few bars and ending up at Frankford, where we got some amazing soft pretzels and other snacks. Best day ever.

1.26 mi 9'21" min / mi

1.32 mi 10'03" min / mi

Sun Mar 26 Long ish run and relaxing. Got up and was worried about the weather forecast for Monday because I was supposed to be doing my long run for next week then, and it was going to be torrentially downpouring all day, so I was hoping to switch my days because the weather was decent enough that I could’ve done it on Sunday. But then I updated my app and A, it changed my schedule for this week anyway, and B, I remember I could’ve moved it anyway if I wanted to. So instead I went and did that 5K Sunday challenge thing that it introduced. And I ran back from there, so it actually was closer to the 5 miles I had wanted to do anyway. So ya.

I felt a little subconscious in these leggings because, though they are a spectacularly bright and amazing color, they also show my cellulite on the back of my legs… but I thought, fuck it, people will see me, and if they give me a look, I’ll just push harder and show them that cellulite means nothing if you’re fast and capable and strong. So. I used it to empower me, I guess.

Spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching ICCA videos, still hyped up on the Snovas victory. Legit it’s still coming to me in waves, it’s actually incredible.

3.11 mi 9'41" min / mi

1.53 mi 9'44" min /mi

Mon Mar 27 Full body circuit and a benchmark run. Work is starting to bore me so much lol on Monday I think I may have done approximately 2 work related things all day, otherwise I was just distracted. I decided to do a NTC workout and then my benchmark, so I chose Body Flexor 2.0, which worked a lot of different areas and was pretty fun. Then I ran on the treadmill for my benchmark for the first time, which was weird knowing my exact speed at certain times and being able to force myself to a certain pace. If I have to do it that way again, next time I’ll just cover the numbers and just focus on how it feels to push hard. The picture up there is me literally dying because of how sweaty I was. Plus fun leggings from Marshall’s.

1.54 mi 9'49" min / mi

Tues Mar 28 Abs / some arms, plus 20 minutes on the elliptical. I was an idiot today, and not only forgot a hair tie after my shower, but I left my phone at home, which I realized too late in the elevator on the way to work. Nice. So I had to go without both all day, though Kelly let me borrow a hair tie so I could work out thank GoD cause I was looking at using a legit rubber band, which would’ve been awful. The moves I chose for abs today ended up also working my arms a lot, which was nice to combo them. Because I didn’t have my phone, I just kind of had to make up my elliptical workout, which was meh but whatever. Next time I’ll be prepared. That’s definitely not my favorite type of cardio anyway.

Tonight I made these AMAZING baked zucchini fries, I probably could’ve eaten like 90 million in one sitting they were so crunchy and good. My sweet potato fries didn’t turn out so good (I actually burned the shit out of them, but I’m going to attempt to eat them tomorrow for lunch anyway 🙃) but I’m happy I’m trying new things in the kitchen, even if it’s taking me like 3 hours each time lolol.

I’m down a few pounds from last week, though, which is kind of nice! A little affirmation after working hard every day.

3x each 15 reps dumbbell side bends alt. sides 8# 15 reps twisting core stabilizers alt. sides 8# 15 reps bow extensions alt. sides 8# 15 reps woodchops 8# 10 reps windmills 5# 40 reps russian twists 8# 30 s plank 7 reps full extension inch worms 15 reps in-&-outs

Wooooof I’m going to try to post more often now that I’m all caught up. Lol it may last for a day but you know. #Goals.

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