#Lowes BBQ Parts

[weaselle]

i had to make a solution for this for myself, mostly because of depression, but it makes a nice How To for folks who are low on spoons or could use some help in the kitchen.

Fortunately i was a professional cook for over a decade. UNfortunately the first post i made explaining it was suuuuper long. Let's see if i can do better

So you select any protein that you can cook in a frying pan -- chicken breasts, ground beef, pork chops, sausages, steak, chicken thighs, whatever. You also select one or two types of veggie (mushrooms or tubers also work, i just did this with potatoes and carrots for dinner tonight).

[i like cooking for vegetarians, but this is how i cook for myself when i'm low on spoons - perhaps i'll do another post for meatless meals]

You'll also need some kind of oil, and a sauce or two of your choice in a bottle. All cooking gear is a large frying pan with lid (i prefer non-stick) a spatula, a cutting board, and a knife.

You cut the veggies into bite size pieces, cut up enough for two meals. One kind of veggie is fine, or you can do mix two or three

Put frying pan on medium heat with a little oil. Tubers or mushrooms or go in the pan a few minutes before the protein. 2 portions of the protein goes in the pan, about 5 minutes with lid (don't worry you can still get a good sear on both sides)

Now flip your protein if it's flip-able and add normal veggies, put the lid back on another five-ish minutes.

Take your protein out and put it with one portion of the veggies in a microwave safe container. That's going to be your lunch tomorrow. Put the other portion of protein on a plate to rest (you have to let a cooked protein sit a couple minutes before you serve it or when you cut into it all the juices run out and it goes dry - the liquids thicken as it cools, preventing this drying out if you let it rest, the goal is to serve it very warm but not hot hot)

While it's resting, pour some sauce from your bottle in the pan with the rest of the veggies and turn up the heat. A single sauce/bottle is fine, i like to get fancy and mix a couple. Two examples of personal favorite mixes are 1: bbq sauce and a hot sauce like sriracha 2: roughly equal parts low sodium soy sauce and worcestershire (makes something similar to a teriyaki sauce) A swallow of wine is almost always a great option if you want to add that to your sauce too, just add it to the pan before the other sauces so the alcohol has time to burn off.

...

Here is the important bit. While your veggies are finishing, wash your cutting board and chef knife. Then when you dump your veggies and sauce over your protein on the plate, while it is still too hot to eat, you wash your frying pan and spatula before you eat. Now the only dishes you have left to do are your plate and fork. Maybe a steak knife.

...

The whole thing takes about 35 minutes even with washing the dishes, and that includes your lunch for the next day- just pour a different sauce on and stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes (or five minutes back in the frying pan) and you have a full healthy lunch with a different flavor

You can use this technique every single meal and it yields hundreds of combinations, from pork and potatoes bbq, to salmon and broccoli teriyaki, to chicken and zucchini in a soy glaze.

It will keep you down to less than an hour of kitchen time per day total for both lunch and dinner including all dish clean up, uses the least dishes, the least effort, requires the least technique, and is, depending on what you pick out, very affordable

here are a couple more examples from this month; i didn’t take pictures of the salmon i did recently, but you get the idea

it's not super fancy, but it is easy, affordable, quick, and any flavors you want. Hope this helps some folks

Happy Cooking!

[sincerelybubbles]

hi! i loved your hotch x shy!bau! reader fic! would you ever make a second part? or like a continuation of shy!reader and hotch moments? ty! <33

yes yes i wanna keep writing for them so if you guys have anything in specific you want to see, lmk!!

hotch asks shy!bau!reader out for their first date

You stare at the papers in front of you, trying your best to narrow down the geological profile with Reid; trying harder to not let your thoughts wander and distract you. It's hard - Hotch offered to go with you to the new Korean BBQ place before JJ called in the new case. You keep waiting to hear him extend the same offer to the others - specifically Rossi who never turns away an offer to try out a new restaurant or Morgan who is always down to go out with the team.

Instead, he's talking quietly with JJ about Jack's new teacher, unable to do any more work on the case until the jet touches down.

"Okay, we can cross out this county," Spencer says, interrupting your thoughts and reaching across you to mark through a small section. Eyes flicking across the paper, you furrow your brows, confused by the choice.

"Why?" You ask, hand moving to stop his pen strokes before you double-think and let it hit the tabletop.

"Because it's too easy for him to hit if he wanted to. It's been too long, he must have no interest in the area."

"It's low income, exactly his MO. He might hit it later, once he realizes..."

"No," Spencer says, shaking his head before you can finish your sentence. He finishes blacking out the area with his Sharpie and caps the pen, not looking over at you. "That wouldn't make any sense."

Tounge caught by your nerves, you slowly nod your head instead, deciding to give the topic up for now. The next wall the team hits, though, you're determined to readdress the area.

Deciding you need a moment to yourself, you excuse yourself quietly and stand to move to the back of the jet. You stretch your arms above your head, rolling your head back to feel the stretch in your shoulders.

"What county?" Hotch asks, reaching a hand out to intercept your path as you pass him.

"Sorry?" You ask, breath catching on the word as his hand brushes your arm and loops loosely around your wrist. Next to him, JJ has fallen asleep against the window. You feel bad for her for a moment, remembering her talking about Henry's recent sleep regression.

"The county you mentioned to Reid - which one was it?"

"Morris," you say instinctively, still hyper-focused on his hand. His thumb swipes against your wrist bone twice before he lets you go, motioning for you to continue walking.

You think he's let it go and quickly move down the aisle to one of the couches at the back of the jet. When you settle down, though, intent on opening your own map, Hotch sits next to you and tilts his head so you can hear each other if you were to talk softly.

"What was your original thought about it?"

You're struggling to think, distracted by his proximity and low voice. The soft tones reach your belly, causing it to flip, The feeling is pleasant, even if it's entirely inappropriate.

"Sorry?" You say again, meeting his eye before quickly looking away to fumble with the map. Hands shaking, you manage to open it to the right state.

"There's no need to be sorry," Hotch says, voice firm but gentle. He reaches out and you think he's going to grab your wrist again but he instead taps a finger once against Morris County. "Your idea about the county - what was your original thought before Reid shot you down?"

"Oh. It's okay, Reid already said it doesn't make sense." You notice that Hotch opens his mouth to interject before you can finish and your sentence falters at the end. Still, his eyes watch you to make sure you're finished before he answers.

"I still want to hear what you had to say."

You explain your theory to him, then, talking quickly at first, stumbling over your words, before slowing down once you realize he's going to listen to everything you have to say. He nods, agreeing with your theory.

"I'll keep it in mind and give the information to Garcia. Thank you," he says, sincere, eyes locked on yours.

"You're welcome." You wait for him to get up now that you have nothing new to say about the case. While you were talking, you mentioned a few thoughts you had about the preliminary profile the team started on that you couldn't seem to find the space to add during the group conversation.

Instead, he settles further into the seat next to you, reading the map over your shoulder.

Something about his casual posture and the lack of his suit jacket fills you with enough confidence to ask, "Why haven't you invited anyone else to the barbeque place?"

He watches you for a minute, not replying as his eyes scan your face and posture. You've never been the best at body language when it comes to people you know, always a little too nervous to scan them the same way you might an unsub, but you know that Hotch is taking in any and all clues your body can give him before he answers. He seems to roll the words on his tongue, testing them out, before he answers.

You've never been the best at reading the body language of the people you know personally, but you still are considered an expert at it in interrogations, often requested to watch from behind the glass. That's all to say, Hotch seems nervous as he says, "I was hoping it could be us two unless you would prefer the others to be there."

The air leaves your chest and you feel unsteady and unbalanced even though you're sitting. Before you can overthink it, you're shaking your head no.

Hotch's face falls, a slight thing you would certainly notice if your eyes weren't glued to his face to ensure this wasn't some kind of sick joke.

"No, I want it to be just us," you say, quick before he can get the wrong impression.

The usual confidence Hotch carries reinflates in him quickly. He smiles, a slight tug at the corner of his lip that you again only catch because you're watching him so closely.

"Good," he says.

You two sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes after that, first just watching each other, and then, when you get embarrassed, comparing your case files and small map.

"To be clear," he says when Rossi and Spencer have started up a quiet conversation about chess - when his soft tones would be nearly impossible to be understood by anyone but yourself - "I mean as a date. If you would like."

Words lost, you simply nod, eyes wide and smile wider on your face. You think you can hear him chuckle softly but your face is too hot to look up and check. 

[horsechestnut]

If you ever want to have the grossest fried rice of your life a good place to start is by not realizing there’s a difference between Sesame Oil and Sesame Seed Oil. I then recommend following that up by mixing up the Soy Sauce and Worcester Sauce bottles... 

[petermorwood]

More on pre-electricity lighting.

Interesting to see this one pop up again after nearly two years - courtesy of @dduane, too! :->

*****

After experiencing a couple more storm-related power cuts since my original post, as well as a couple of after-dark garden BBQs, I've come to the conclusion that C.J. Cherryh puts far too much emphasis on "how dark things were pre-electric light".

For one thing eyes adjust, dilating in dim light to gather whatever illumination is available. Okay, if there's none, there's none - but if there's some, human eyes can make use of it, some better or just faster than others. They're the ones with "good night vision".

Think, for instance, of how little you can see of your unlit bedroom just after you've turned off the lights, and how much more of it you can see if you wake up a couple of hours later.

There's also that business of feeling your way around, risking breaking your neck etc. People get used to their surroundings and, after a while, can feel their way around a familiar location even in total darkness with a fair amount of confidence.

Problems arise when Things Aren't Where They Should Be (or when New Things Arrive) and is when most trips, stumbles, hacked shins and stubbed toes happen, but usually - Lego bricks and upturned UK plugs aside - non-light domestic navigation is incident-free.

*****

Here are a couple of pics from one of those BBQs: one candle and a firepit early on, then the candle, firepit and an oil lamp much later, all much more obvious than DD's iPad screen.

Though I remain surprised at how well my phonecam was handling this low light, my own unassisted eyes were doing far better. For instance, that area between the table and the firepit wasn't such an impenetrable pool of darkness as it appears in the photo.

I see (hah!) no reason why those same Accustomed Eyes would have any more difficulty with candles or oil lamps as interior lighting, even without the mirrors or reflectors in my previous post.

With those, and with white interior walls, things would be even brighter. There's a reason why so many reconstructed period buildings in Folk Museums etc. are (authentically) whitewashed not just outside but inside as well. It was cheap, had disinfectant qualities, and was a reflective surface. Win, win and win.

*****

All right, there were no switches to turn on a light. But there was no need for what C.J. describes as stumbling about to reach the fire, because there were tinderboxes and, for many centuries before them, flint and steel. Since "firesteels" have been heraldic charges since the 1100s, the actual tool must have been in use for even longer.

Tinderboxes were fire-starter sets with flint, steel and "tinder" all packed into (surprise!) a box. The tinder was easily lit ignition material, often "charcloth", fabric baked in an airtight jar or tin which would now start to glow just from a spark.

They're mentioned in both "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". Oddly enough, "Hobbit" mentions matches in a couple of places, but I suspect that's a carry-over from when it was just a children's story, not part of the main Legendarium.

Tinderboxes could be simple, just a basic flint-and-steel kit with some tinder for the sparks to fall on...

...or elaborate like this one, with a fancy striker, charcloth, kindling material and even wooden "spills" (long splinters) to transfer flame to a candle or the kindling...

This tinderbox even doubles as a candlestick, complete with a snuffer which would have been inside along with everything else.

Here's a close-up of the striker box with its inner and outer lids open:

What looks like a short pencil with an eraser is actually the striker. A bit of tinder or charcloth would have been pulled through that small hole in the outer lid, which was then closed.

There was a rough steel surface on the lid, and the striker was scraped along it, like so:

This was done for a TV show or film, so the tinder was probably made more flammable with, possibly, lighter fuel. That would be thoroughly appropriate, since a Zippo or similar lighter works on exactly the same principle.

A real-life version of any tinderbox would usually just produce glowing embers needing blown on to make a flame, which is shown sometimes in movies - especially as a will-it-light-or-won't-it? tension build - but is usually a bit slow and non-visual for screen work.

*****

There were even flintlock tinderboxes which worked with the same mechanism as those on firearms. Here's a pocket version:

Here are a couple of bedside versions, once again complete with a candlestick:

And here are three (for home defence?) with a spotlight candle lantern on one side and a double-trigger pistol on the other.

Pull one trigger to light the candle, pull the other trigger to fire the gun.

What could possibly go wrong? :-P

*****

Those pistol lanterns, magnified by lenses, weren't just to let their owner see what they were shooting at: they would also have dazzled whatever miscreant was sneaking around in the dark, irises dilated to make best use of available glimmer.

Swordsmen both good and bad knew this trick too, and various fight manuals taught how to manage a thumb-shuttered lamp encountered suddenly in a dark alley.

There's a sword-and-lantern combat in the 1973 "Three Musketeers" between Michael York (D'Artagnan) and Christopher Lee (Rochefort), which was a great idea.

Unfortunately it failed in execution because the "Hollywood Darkness" which let viewers see the action, wasn't dark enough to emphasise the hazards / advantages of snapping the lamps open and shut.

This TV screencap (can't get a better one, the DVD won't run in a computer drive) shows what I mean.

In fact, like the photos of the BBQ, this image - and entire fight - looks even brighter through "real eyes" than with the phonecam. Just as there can be too much dark in a night scene, there can also be too much light.

*****

One last thing I found when assembling pics for the post were Folding Candle-lanterns.

They were used from about the mid-1700s to the later 20th century (Swiss Army ca. 1978) as travel accessories and emergency equipment, and IMO - I've Made A Note - they'd fit right into a fantasy world whose tech level was able to make them.

The first and last are reproductions: this one is real, from about 1830.

The clear part was mica - a transparent mineral which can be split into thin flexible sheets - while others use horn / parchment, though both of these are translucent rather than transparent. Regardless, all were far less likely to break than glass.

One or two inner surfaces were usually tin, giving the lantern its own built-in reflector, and tech-level-wise, tin as a shiny or decorative finish has been used since Roman times.

I'm pretty sure that top-of-the-line models could also have been finished with their own matching, maybe even built-in, tinderboxes.

And if real ones didn't, fictional ones certainly could. :->

*****

Yet more period lighting stuff here, including flintlock alarm clocks (!)

[chubbycelebs]

My Chocolate Factory Experience (pt 1)

The corridor was going on for ages. We’d just entered the factory and we’ve spent the first 10 minutes just walking down the corridor. All 6 of us, never had met any of them before. This was our first time meeting after being the 5 lucky winners of Wonka’s Chocolate Factory tour. As I looked down the line of boys I realised it was a good mix of very sexy men. All of them could’ve been my type. 

Next to me a man called Aidan. Aidan was a rather tall guy, a bit more filled out than me, sporting a slight belly, that was pressed against his white shirt, jiggle slightly as we walked through the factory. His low cut T-shirt let the tops of his chest hair poke out that connected to a lush thick beard covering his face. His thick body and beard hair made up for the lack of on his head as he was completely bald, making his head look slightly egg like with his chubby face. From the brief conversations I’d had with him he seemed like a bit of a loser, not doing much with his life apart from getting take out and playing video games so it was no shock to him when he won his ticket. “I get a bar like everyday so to be honest wasn’t much of a shock when I opened one and it had a ticket in. I’m a sucker for these Wonka bars. Could eat them all day!” It was obvious he used to be quite good looking when he was younger, but his thinned hair and slowed metabolism made him look like a chubby loser. 

Next to Aidan was an older man, Simon who was probably around 40 years old. Simon was quite chatty so was we were walking he told us a lot about his life. He worked on a farm, which made his naturally dirty look make some sense. He had a scruffy face, an untamed beard and messy hair. His outfit was no better, having several holes in it and seemed a little too snug around parts of his body. Simon said he spent a lot of the afternoon on his front deck drinking beer and eating bbq food which was evident in his figure. He had a rounded gut, thick hips and strong arms. I could picture him actually being good looking back when he was younger and more clean. But there was something quite attractive about his scruffy dad bod look. He said he was lucky to have won the competition to this factory, “I don’t eat much chcolate me” he said in a very Yorkshire accent, “but me son got me a bar and I opened it and there it was. The golden ticket. I offered it to him but he said nah. Heard stories about people coming here and changing but I don’t care. How often do you get to come somewhere like this eh?”

Next to him waddled the largest man here, Brian. Brain was a competitive eater who spent all day everyday expanding his stomach to each as much food as he could. Just by the looks of him he was probably around 300lbs. His limbs were rounded and he walked like his legs were too fat to be in this much use. He had a huge rounded gut that stuck right out and a large chest that sat on top of them. He covered his body the best he could with oversized clothes but I think he just wore them so he had some growing room today. He had a very round head and thick long brown hair. He had put his hair in a bun but I could tell it was very well looked after. Brian didn’t speak much to us all as he was huffing and puffing just walking down the long corridor let alone talking. We all knew how he got the ticket anyway it was obvious.

To my other side was my personal favourite guest on the tour, Jamie. To me Jamie was the sexiest one there. 

His body was one of a man that seemed so strong and well built with a few hints of his greedy side. His arms were thick and his legs were so strong. Even his chest seemed to be pumped just by looking through his shirt. His stomach didn’t resemble abs however, to my delight he had a very sexy rounded stomach. It pushed against his top and every so often I’d look down to catch a glance. Hi stomach wasn’t the only thick thing about him however. He had the cutest and most perfect fat ass. It was so perfectly rounded and filled his jeans to the point they were slightly stretched. Oh the things I would do to this man. Jamie described his surprise when he won the ticket to the factory. “I hardly ever eat sweet stuff” I call bullshit “but the one day I do decide to reward my self with a chocolate bar I win a ticket! Must be the universe telling me something!” I think his blissful ignorance of his greedy habits was cute. 

Then there’s me, Declan, a tall skinny guy, with messy brown hair and a defined face. There was nothing special about me compared to my bigger companions. I had a sprinkling of hair on my chest that lead down to my skinny hairy stomach. If anything I was too skinny and longed to be a bit bigger. I wasn’t skinny due to lack of trying. Infact the reason I even got to the factory was during one of my feeding sessions. “I had a friend over and we had ordered food for the evening and we were still hungry and I got the chocolate bar and won!” I couldn’t tell the group from the get go that I was with a feeder who was desperately trying to plump me up. Once I won the ticket however he encouraged me to go. Just like Simons son he had heard rumours of this factory changing people and I was here to explore what exactly would happen to us boys. 

We were now approaching the end of the corridor and came to a grand brown door. Wonka, who had been very silent on our trip down the corridor, turned his head and looked at us all. “This my dear friends is possible the best room in the factory.” Wonka turned the keys in the doorway and placed his hand on handle. “This is my chocolate meadow.” Wonka pushed the door forward and a bright light blinded us all. Once our eyes adjusted we saw the most beautiful place. It was a huge room, with the brightest green grass and lush bushes and flowers. The outer wall was filled with large trees and that swirled upwards. There was something almost not real about it. It all seemed slightly fake. Past the opening of the meadow we saw the river. The river was chocolate. The thick river rushed through the scene and filled the air with its chocolatey goodness. “This room is just any old meadow my friends no. Everything in this room is edible. The grass the dirt the trees everything. I recommend you try everything. You’ll never get a chance like this again.” I heard a round of bellies rumbling. I looked down the line. Brian had his mouth wide open, almost drooling. Simon and Aidan were pointing and things in the room saying “I’m having that first!” “No way I’m gonna scoff that.” “Well then? What are you waiting for boys? Fill your bellies!” Wonka shouted as he moved into the room. With these words we all jumped forward and made our way into the room. I don’t think I’d ever see Brian run but his fat ass ran so fast towards the largest cherry bush there was. Aidan and Simon ran straight into the woods, grabbing on branches and low hanging fruits. I followed Jamie to the edge of the forest where he had sat him self down by a cluster of mushrooms. I watched as he picked one up and it burst with thick cream. He licked his hand and ate the whole thing in one. “Omg you’ve got to try this man!” He said his mouth still filled with cream. I sat next to him and grabbed one and started eating it. Oh he was so right it was so thick and rich and buttery and light. I’d never tasted anything like it. 

I looked over at Brian and saw that he had eaten his way through the base of a tree and it had fallen into the meadow. He was going to town eating the whole trunk of the tree. “I’ve never seen anyone eat so much in my life” I said, kinda in shock, kind of impressed by how quickly Brian had devoured nearly a whole tree. 

“I don’t know. Some days I get like that” Jamie said as he started grabbing handfuls of dirt. “I just get so hungry nothing can fill me up. Why I’ve still got this” he pats his belly and then gives it a little shake. My eyes are fixated on his gut now. Blood was rushing through my body. The thought of filling Jamie up, growing him large as he can’t control his urge to eat. 

“Don’t think there’s any need to get rid of it though. It suits you. In fact it really looks hot on you” I say unable to hold back my urges. 

“Ya think so?” Jamie says now lifting his shirt up. His stomach was rolled over the top of his jeans. His hairy belly was perfectly rounded and sat so cutely on his lap. I don’t think I’d ever seen a more perfect person to fatten up. 

“Oh that gut is perfect” I say in response. I pry my eyes away to see Jamie smirking. I reach over to a mushroom and pick it off the ground. I bring it to his mouth and watch as he licks my hand clear of the cream. He pays extra attention to the tips of my fingers, sucking every last drop of the thick cream. 

Jamie reaches out and grabs a handful of chocolatey dirt. “Your turn” he says almost threateningly. My heart skips. I let him push his hand against my lips and I open my mouth to allow for his fingers to enter. I lick every little bit of the dirt off his hand. In this moment it was common knowledge that we were both into this and we wanted to see where this could go.

Just then as we begin to lean closer to each other, we heard a huge splash. We both look over at the river bank. We don’t see anyone but the ripples on the surface of the river. We get up and run to the bank and see a chocolate covered Brian flapping around in the river. He is covered head to toe in thick chocolate. He was gasping for air everytime he came up, each gasp filling his mouth with more chocolate. Me and Jamie watched in shock as he kept flapping around. I was so interesting now to see what would happen to this hog. This is why I came here. 

Wonka slowly approached us and looked into the river. “Oh dear oh dear. Belly too big he rolled right in there. I knew this hog would cause some issues” Wonka mocked the fat man. As the three of us kept on watching the man desperately try and get above the chocolate we noticed something was changing.

“Is he..?” Jamie starts. 

“Getting fatter? Why yes my dear boy he is.” Brian was most definitely growing wider by the second. His oversized clothes had very much seen better days. His belly was expanding at such a rapid speed it struggled to keep up. It moved from the base of his belly up to his belly button and now moving upwards towards his huge chest. I’d never seen a man this fat before and I’ve seen a lot of fat men. “My chocolate is the smoothest and richest in the business and that is due to its high fat content. That’s why a lot of my customers have a bit of a gut going on” Wonka pokes Jamie’s slightly extended belly. He turns red in his cheeks. “However the volume in which our friend here is consuming my chocolate well let’s just say he’s going to be quite the whale when we get him out.” We carry on watching as the seams to Brains clothes start to stretch and rip. His wide hips are the first to break through, his soft fat bushing through and busting his trousers right off, exposing his monstrously huge legs. His jumper, which was too big for the man about 10 minutes ago, was no ripping as his chest got too big to contain. His huge moobs wobbled free as his jumper fell to shreds into the river. His belly was getting so wide he took up a lot of the surface of the river. “I think it’s time we let this fatty rest don’t you? Put up the dam!” Wonka shouts into the room. Just then about 10 very sexy and well build men come out of the woods and start working on constructing a damn at the top of the river. 

“Where did they come from?” I ask looking around me to see if any more of these sexy men will come out to save the whale. 

“These are my workers. I’ve hired men in the peak most form of human capability as it takes a lot of work to run my factory. And a lot of work to take care of you greedy boys huh?” Wonka jokes giving us both a nudge. I can see a glint of fear in Jamie’s eyes as he realises that we might not make it out this factory the same size we came in. 

After a while the dam left the river running dry and all that was left was Brain at the bottom, probably 10x the size he was when he arrived. Brian was laid in his back, covered in chocolate. His naked body looked like a pile of melted chocolate ice cream. He was the fattest man I’d ever seen. His hairy gut and chest stuck upwards like huge globs of fat, yet also spread so far out he was probably wider then he is taller. His limbs so huge we could hardly see them. His head was just a little pin compared to his huge body. We heard his groaning as he tried to push him self up. “There’s no use fat ass” Wonka shouted to him. “You're too much of a  lard arse to move your self now. I’ll get my workers to come and move your huge body.” The workers made their way down the river bank and into the bottom of it. We watched as the circled Brian’s huge body. The comparison in size from the immaculately shaped workers and the glob of fat that was Brian was insane. “Right then we should probably leave them to deal with the hog. Should we carry on or do you guys want to carry on- wait. There were 5 of you. Where are the other 2?” 

New story series starting! Hope you guys enjoy this one. I’m trying something that I haven’t seen anyone done yet (not really this part probs part 2/3 is where it gets new) so stay tuned to see how our greedy boys end up!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Who loves Disney? Well, if you do, the real estate agent says, "We’ve just waved our magic wand and *Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo* we’ve found your happily ever after!" For this semi-detached, 3bd, 1ba home in Rhyl, LL18 UK, I will be quoting the descriptions from the agent. A bargain at £179,950 / $236,203.

"Step into the spacious living/dining/kitchen area where the magic begins. With plenty of natural light and an open plan design, you’ll feel like you're in the happiest place on Earth with ample room for all the family."

"Can easily accommodate a large dining table and chairs, with double doors opening onto the newly laid Indian sandstone patio." But, currently, it houses the owners' collection.

"With plenty of cupboards and work surfaces, the kitchen is ready for any culinary adventure and will make every meal feel like hakuna matata - no worries, just good times!"

Not sure what this room is. It looks like a den, with an evil queen theme. Love the matching fireplace.

Up the stairs, we've got the London Bridge and Big Ben.

"The master bedroom is perfect for any sleeping beauty and is fitted with wardrobes which have plenty of hanging space for those princess gowns." Is that Strawberry Shortcake on the wall?

" A further double bedroom and single room which is perfect as a nursery or home office giving you a whole new world of possibilities." See what they did here? "A whole new world?"

"Into the bathroom, your very own splash mountain retreat - unwind with a bubble bath or shower, this larger than average bathroom is designed to help you just keep swimming with ease through your daily routine." Splash Mountain retreat? That's a stretch.

"Outside the low maintenance rear garden is a wonderland offering space to relax and play, offering a private and sunny aspect perfect for those bear necessities of life like a weekend BBQ or morning coffee!"

Well, I don't see a garden, and the theme has switched to a variety of other characters.

"With the added benefit of an extended garage with power and lights, a large summer house and further storage shed. Parking for your Lightning McQueen is available to the front of the property and on the single drive in front of the garage."

"Dont miss out on this practically perfect in every way property and contact us today and make this home part of your world."

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152043767#/

[bonefall]

Warrior Bites: Clan Tools

[Image ID: Reedwhisker, a black RiverClan warrior cat, sits behind two terracotta pots, some strips of willowbark, a traditional wooden pot called a firkin, and a rock. He has a stick in his mouth.]

Warriors of the Clans are shown in-canon to be able to weave, dig tunnels, decorate with shells, and do whatever it is that BloodClan’s got going on with those collars and manicures. Have you considered what other tools a semi-realistic warrior could handle?

A guide to the various tools and methods that the Clans can use to prepare complex dishes, including the equipment needed for smoking, baking, pickling, and so on. Part of the Warrior Bites series for Bonefall’s Clan Culture.

(The art in this guide was once again provided by my partner who hasn’t read a single page of warrior cats in their life but so help me god I’ll drag them down with me)

Tools + Equipment

Fire Starting

Containers: Twine + Baskets + Buckets

Cookware: Smokers, Ovens, “Grillstones“

1. Fire Starting

Flint can be used to start a fire, especially for Clans that lack lumber. Because flint is most easily found around the Mothermouth, it’s associated with StarClan’s glow and considered somewhat divine.

But for those situations without a flint starter, the Clans generally teach their apprentices the paw-drill method using a spindle. But these days, SkyClan uses stolen Glass to start fires quicker and easier than any other Clan…

Except on cloudy days, where some unfortunate apprentice still gets saddled with spindle duty.

[Image ID: Reedclaw, a brown tabby Warrior Cat from SkyClan, sits on his haunches and spins a long stick called a ‘spindle’ with his front paws. Smoke is rising from the board the spindle is spinning against.]

2. Containers: Twine + Baskets + Buckets

RiverClan has the easiest access to twine; Willowbark can be peeled right off the tree and used without any processing for simple string to tie things with. WindClan uses woven grass as twine. ShadowClan, SkyClan, and ThunderClan are able to make cordage from Blackberry brambles.

Once the cat has twine, it can be woven into a simple basket to gather things, like berries, clams, or insects. In order to carry liquids, forested Clans can create firkins-- a small wooden bucket that requires some carpentry ability, namely creating wooden nails.

But these tremble before the value of pottery, which is needed to store liquids, ferment and pickle food, and create stew.

Pottery is made from clay, which has to be baked in order to go from wet mud to terracotta. RiverClan is responsible for making the majority of new pottery because of the river, and ShadowClan’s marsh gives them lots of access to low-quality clay.

WindClan was once unmatched in the quality of their pottery thanks to tunneling leading them to the finest clay deposits known to the Clans. Though SkyClan is now rivaling the finest ancient WindClan pottery, due to their willingness to steal buckets from twolegs.

(Leafstar says, “if you cant make a firkin, store-bought is fine”)

[Image ID: Leafstar, the brown tabby-and-cream Warrior cat leader of SkyClan, sits behind a counter in front of an audience presenting a man-made firkin, parodying shopping channels. A speech bubble says, “Meow meow meow meow meow, storebought is meow.”]

3. Cookware: Smokers, Ovens, “Grillstones“

A smoker is very easy to construct, all that’s needed is some straight branches, twine, and fire.

First, a round pit is dug into the ground and filled with soaked woodchips. It is important they’re damp, because wet wood gives off more smoke than dry. Then, three beams are set and tied at the top, like a triangle. From there, a shelf is made inside of the beams. Multiple shelves can be made if a lot of food is being smoked at once.

ThunderClan wraps the smoker in a leather pelt, to keep the smoke in. Their prowess with smoking and seasoning a wide range of meats gives them the title of BBQ champions.

[Image ID: A primitive smoker setup, made of three sticks leaned against each other in a triangular shape and tied at the top. Two shelves are tied into the structure, the top row with minnows and the bottom with hanging strips of meat.]

An oven is a large construction. Capable of cooking several meals at once, each clan would have just one to use communally. Because the communal oven is such a big project, each Clan would have one that looks unique to their environment.

ThunderClan’s, for example, is flat and made of stone, simple in design but very sturdy and capable of cooking a lot of meat at once.

[Image ID: A stone oven made of flat, piled rocks. A fire is lit at the bottom and meat is browning on the top shelf. A stick leans against the side.]

For the quickest and easiest way to make a hot meal, meat is roasted on a spit or loose stick over an open fire. The best sear comes from a large, flat slab of rock propped up over a flame, known to the clans as a grillstone.

[Image ID: Firestar, ginger tabby warrior cat leader of ThunderClan, watches bacon sizzle on a large, flat rock placed over a fire. His daughter, Squirrelkit, sits beside him. A thought bubble above her head contains a waffle, and a question mark.]

(Clan blood be damned that kittypet can work a grill)

[russett-pots]

how about teaching sex with minju as your caring and nurturing senior, where you are shy and awkward but minju sweetly encourages you. minju guides you to cum all over her tummy and abs, and then she teaches you to pleasure her and make her cum, and then she gives you the ultimate lesson: for you to cum inside her. then minju teaches you to admire all the cum you released on her body, and your juices leaking out of her

Careful Noona

Kim Minju

Tags: Raw, breeding. caring Minju Sunbae

Words: 2.9k+ (2,992 so close to being 3k)

Sorry for the long wait. I have some existential crisis going when it comes to this blog)

You look down at your test paper and sigh.

Another low one

You studied hard for the test, trying to memorize every equation on the board. Been practicing all the problem sets. Yet on test day, you forgot everything. Everything the anger boils in you. Why can’t you get a higher grade? During the pandemic when everything is online, things are easier. Well since you can look at your notes during the test. Things were much simpler back then but now you have face-to-face class and you failed the test, failed it hard.

You shuffle your feet out the door. Your other classmates are busy talking inside about their passing scores. You are very jealous of them. But you put up your chin and say to yourself.

You’re going to do better…

Or at least that’s what you hope.

“How did you do?” Someone appears in front of you.

“Fine.. well actually I don’t want to talk about it?” You mumble.

It is your friend Minju. Well, kind of…You really met her since she was delayed. It isn’t because she failed a class. It is because she went on a leave of absence. From what she told you she did, she was very productive. She was in an internship for a sought-after company and maybe they are looking to hire her after when she graduates. But then you are just out there trying to survive college, hoping you’ll graduate one day.

“Jaesung-ah. Put that smile upside down. You can do better next time.”

“Well…” You show your score to Minju. Your heart is beating as you show her your test results.

“Oh…you really need to study. Wanna do some study sesh?”

“Well at this point. I’m willing to do anything.” You stand up and head out of the room. You turn back at Minju. “Noona, want some lunch?”

“Sure!” Minju replies excitedly.

You walk out of the college building. “What do you want?” Minju curiously asks.

“Chicken?”

“You thinking of what I’m thinking?”

“Well, you know where my favorite place is.”

“Come here. Let me buy you lunch.” Minju clings onto your arm and drags you with her.

She brings you to your favorite chicken place to cheer you up. Your favorite is spicy bbq and hers is snowy chicken.

“Which one are you going to get?” You ask Minju.

“Let me treat you. Let’s get the half-pack and share. You want kimchi rice or regular rice.”

“Regular is fine.” You mumble.

“Well suits you. I’m going to have the kimchi rice.” Minju almost shouts and turns around to the counter.

“Fine. If it’s okay with you. I’ll get the kimchi rice.”

“Anything to drink?”

“I’ll just stick with my water.” You pull out your jug.

“Okay. Just reserve a seat for us.”

You go up the stairs to the dining area. There are a lot of people. It is already rush hour what do you expect? You start to think you are going to get taken out. But then in the corner, there is a group of people about to leave. You quickly swoop over and steal the table before anyone else can.

You sit down and wait patiently for Minju and the food. Then you take out your phone to scroll thru Instagram. The first thing you notice is Minju’s photos. She is the first one on your feed. One thing you have noticed is that she is in her bikini. She may have been a bit conservative when it comes to what she wears to school but when she gets out and about she is wild. Her swimsuit leaves little to the imagination. She is such a cute and jolly girl when you meet her but when she is out parting she is a totally different person.

Down there agrees with what you see. The very skimpy clothes already make your cock harden. Even for a bit. It already makes you a bit horny. But that thought is interrupted as she is your friend even if you had a small crush on her. It isn’t much but you wouldn’t mind dating such a beauty like Minju.

“Ya!”

Your mind gets interrupted.

“Food’s here,” Minju announces to you. “I got our favorites half and half. Half spicy bbq and half snow chicken.”

“Thanks, Minju.”

“No problem. Just relax a bit. Forget about things. Okay?”

“Okay…it’s just my score—“

“Shush!”Minju places her finger on your lips. She grabs her chopsticks, pick-up one of the pieces of chicken, and stuffs it in your face.

“Food? Is good?”

You nod your head as you cannot say anything. Minju smiles as you affirm her. You make a thumbs up and smile as you can taste the deliciousness of the food.

Minju chuckles with your cheeks stuffed with food. She takes a bite of a piece with a scoop of rice.

You enjoy the food. It helps you forget about what happened a while ago. Finally what you like is blocking what was your old score.

You eat a bite of chicken with some rice. A perfect combination of simple food.

“Feeling better?” Minju asks.

“Yeah, I guess.” Then you blush.

“Wanna talk about it? Wait are you blushing?” She notices you.

“No. No. No! It’s just hot in here.”

Minju smirks. “Well if you want some help with studying then you can just hit me up.”

Your cheeks blush again, even harder this time. You put your hand on your hot cheek and smile. “Sure. Sure.”

~~

Weeks later.

~~

“Jaesung-ah. The test is next week. Wanna study together?” Minju taps your shoulder after class.

“Sure. I’m kind of more confident now. But anything would help.”

“Later at my place?”

“Oh? Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nah— my roommate isn’t going to be at home tonight. So it will just be the two of us.”

“No problems then.”

“Yippie. Anyway got to go. See ya tonight?” Minju starts to run away.

“Okay.” You wave at her.

Uhhhh dammit. She is so hot.

This is so wrong. I shouldn’t do this.

Is this my chance?

You quickly head home to change, wearing something nice, and put on some cologne. This is your chance to impress her. Well time to impress her with more than a friend.

But you are conflicted. All of a sudden you got this urge. You had a crush for a while but now you have this chance out of the blue. You never thought to yourself that you were going to Minju’s dorm alone.

You try to go up to her dorm with your school material, some books and your notes, and a couple of energy drinks to keep you awake. There is a keypad at the entrance. You press the button on Minju’s apartment.

“Who is it?” Minju’s voice comes out of the speaker.

“It’s me.”

As soon as you say that, the door opens. You step into the building and then ride the elevator to the tenth floor. Down the hall to the twenty-ninth room, you see Minju’s door. You knock on it. Outcomes Minju, she is wearing an oversized shirt all the way down to her upper thighs and you assume she is wearing very short shorts underneath.

“Jaesung-ah. Come in.” She leads you inside her one-bedroom apartment. “Leave your stuff on the table. We can get back to that later. Want something to eat first? I have some ramyeon.”

“Sure that sounds good.”

She quickly goes to her small kitchen and prepares the pots and water and boils the water first.

“How’s the trip was it tricky to find my place?”

“No. Not really.”

“Good.” She dunks the noodles in the water and is shortly followed by the seasoning packet. “Please feel free to sit wherever you want.”

You walk first around her apartment, checking it out then the view. Being up in a big building comes with a nice view then you go back to the dining room and sit at the table. Minju comes over with the pot and a couple of pieces of silverware. She sets it down and sits with you.

“So…” She looks at you for a second then prepares a bowl for you.

“Thanks.” You smile as you take your bowl from her.

She prepares a bowl for herself.

“Argh!” The ramyeon is hot. You burnt your tongue while at it. It is even spicier than what you are normally accustomed to.

Minju just sits there and laughs. After seeing you struggle for a bit, she gets up and prepares a glass of water. She hands it over to you.

You take a sip of the water to extinguish the heat that is in your mouth. It is both because it is hot in terms of temperature and taste. You haven’t gotten the heat tolerance that others have, But you still try to eat spicy food with others some have been more successful than others like Minju’s favorite fried chicken place. She always gets the spiciest flavor. She would always try to feed you some but you have to refuse since you do not want to burn your tongue for the millionth time when she asks you to eat some.

“You done with the noodles?” You ask Minju. “Don’t we have to you know?”

“Oh yeah. What subject do you want to study first?”

“Statics.”

“Okay, then where’s your book?” Minju asks you.

You take out the book and lay it next to the table.

“What topic are you struggling with right now?”

“Trusses really, both with method of joints and sections.”

Minju then dives into how to solve using both methods of joints and sections. She was able to give you the desperate help that you need. You may have been busy looking at Minju’s luscious thighs but when you do pay attention you still can get the topic, surprisingly.

You get dazing off by how Minju is your crush and you wisht that she is your girlfriend.

“Jaesung. Jaesung-ah.” Minju tries to snap you out of your trance.

You can get back to reality and look at Minju.

But she stands up and goes to the kitchen.

“Jaesung-ah, do you like me?”

“Noona, what do you mean?”

“I could tell you have a crush on me.”

“Me? Have a crush on you?!” You deny things.

She looks at you in doubt. The face that says she knows even that you are lying.

“Noona….I just….I—”

“Jaesung-ah.” Minju steps closer. One foot goes after the other. Her long legs touch yours. You stay still as Minju sits on your lap and wraps her arms around your neck. “Just tell me you like me.”

“Noona…I…I li—li—like yo…you.”

“Oh, my Jaesung. I like you too.” Minju leans in for a kiss. It touches your lips. The sweet taste of her plump and soft lips is exciting. Minju pulls back.

“Is this your first kiss?”

“Yes…”

“Then I’m happy I’m your first.”

You lean foreheads. “It would have been you.”

“So I’m assuming you haven’t done…it?”

“It? Oh, sex? Ummmm.”

Minju chuckles. “It isn’t something to be ashamed of. We all had our first time.” She touches your cheek with her hand. “You have a condom?”

“Condom? I don’t have a condom. Why would I have a condom?” You question her and yourself.

“Raw?” Minju thinks to herself then shrugs her shoulders. “Sure.” She goes back returning and kisses you. Her hand gets all over you. Your eyes roll back and your mind wanders off.

Minju’s touch is already getting you aroused. Her hand gets up your shirt. It also goes inside your pants. You are already half hard, now with her hand in your pants, pumping your length. You can feel some pre-cum already leaking.

“Come on Jaesung-ah. Let me make you feel good.” Minju whispers into your ear. The sound tickles your ear canals. She licks your ear lobes and gives a quick nibble. She then undresses you, freeing your cock from its cage.

Minju looks down and chuckles for a bit.

“Don’t laugh! Is it small?”

“No. No. It isn’t.” Minju observes it. She inspects it by stroking it gently, then gives a quick lick. Her hand fondles your balls. Her tongue swirls around your tip. Her eyes are fixated on it. She is memorized at your length.

Minju stands up from squatting on the floor near your crotch.

“Are we done?”

Minju nods a no and removes her oversized shirt. Out comes the perkiest pair of tits you have ever seen. They seem to be perfect. Each one is a handful and one that is suckable.

She gets back down on your crotch and starts sucking on your cock. Slowly and gently at first. Her tongue plays around, going around your shaft. Each taste bud is dragging around your cock. While this, her left hand is playing with your balls. A breath of air can be felt as she is down there at your nether regions.

Your eyes roll back as you can feel your cock being pleasured. You let out moans as you could feel your cock being played with. Your hand strokes her head as she strokes your cock with her right hand.

Then things intensify. Minju goes faster. Things went from slow to fast gently. Things become more and more pleasurable. You can hear the sound of gwak gwak on your cock. Minju takes as much cock as she wants. Your length is getting swallowed whole as she plays with you.

You look down at her. Her eyes look up to check if you are enjoying this and you are. When she sees you looking down she gets up again and grabs the hem of her short shorts.

She starts to remove them as she says. “You know as much as I like you I didn’t expect us to have sex on the first date.” Once her shorts and panties are gone, there you can see a bush on her crotch. “I didn’t shave as you can see.” She tosses her shorts aside and grabs your hand. “I hope that doesn’t change anything.

You nod no as she brings you to her bed. She jumps on the bed and reveals her pussy. “You know what to do?”

“I haven’t done this but I’ll try.”

You align your tip to her entrance. Your cock plays a bit by rubbing its bottom part with the lips. Then you go in. Minju shouts as you enter while you moan as you penetrate her. You have always masturbated on her picture but never have you expected you’ll actually be fucking her. You thrust in and out like a monster. You never experience such pleasure if your life.

You get in and out faster and faster. While this Minju pulls you closer to her and initials a kiss between the both of you. You thrust while her tongue enters your mouth.

You go back thrusting in and out. Thins go intense. The bed starts to shake. You can see that Minju’s breasts are jiggling.

Then suddenly, Minju turns you around. She is on top of you while you are at the bottom. She gives you a deep kiss before sitting up. She is on top of your cock. Then she goes forward, backward, and side to side. A gentle rolling motion. Her hands rest on your chest then her fingers start playing with your nipples.

This switch of pace catches you off guard. But at this rate, she is going to make you cum faster than you would think.

“Come on, Jaesong-ah. You wanna cum for me?”

“Yes, noona.”

“Then cum for me. Cum for me hard.” She goes down and whispers in your ear. “Where do you wanna cum?”

You ponder for a moment. “Where can I?”

“Anywhere you want.”

Your heartbeat rises. Your mind races around, pondering where is an acceptable place to cum. You would expect Minju to make you cum anywhere you want.

“I don’t know where.” You reply.

“You want me to choose.” Minju looks at you while she continues to ride you.

“Yes…” You worry.

She leans forward on your face. “Cum in my, Jaesung-ah. Okay? I’ll ride you until your cum, okay?”

You nod your head. Minju is now in control of the situation. She takes over. All of the motion is set by Minju.

She starts to move faster. Her body jumps up and down. She runs her pussy all over your length. Your cock starts to get lubricated by Minju’s juices. This allows her to move faster and faster. MInju starts to orgasm louder after each minute.

Her bedroom is starting to get filled with her loud moans. You start to groan as well. You breathe faster and faster as your wanted orgasm is getting closer.

Minju is pushing you closer and closer to the edge. Then you can feel it. Your stomach starts to tighten, your leg starts to feel weak.

“Noona! I’m going to cum.”

Minju’s eyes brighten. She runs faster and faster.

Then you shoot your cum. Ropes and ropes of cum run out of your cock. A surge of sticky white liquid exits your body. Minju slows down as you finish. But once she stops she gets off.

There you can see your semen leak out of her pussy.

“Don’t worry. I’m on the pill.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I won’t get pregnant.” Minju lays beside you.

“So you have been planning this?”

“Sure. Well if I would do anything like this it would be you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I like you Jaesung-ah. I told you that and it’s obvious that you like me. So, it’s perfect. Ain’t it?”

“I guess it is…”

Minju lays beside you and cuddles up against you. “But did you get my lesson with Statics?”

“Uhhhh…..”

“Aigoo, We’ll have to go thru that lesson again? I want you to pass.”

“Okay, I will. I will.”

“Nice. Goodnight Jaesung-ah.”

“Goodnight noona.”

[ladykailitha]

Do You Know What Shovels Dig? Graves Part 5

Welp, fuck. Yeah this is going to be six parts now. This story just doesn’t know how to end itself so I’m putting the cutting point here and then finish the rest with BBQ idea.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

*

The remaining trio arrived after dinner. Jonathan, El, and Will had stayed over, order pizza.

“California really does have the superior pizza,” Jonathan hummed around his slice.

Steve scoffed. “Even better than Chicago? You’re crazy, man.”

“That isn’t pizza,” Jonathan argued. “That’s an open calzone.”

Will snickered as El cocked her head to the side as she tried to puzzle it out.

The doorbell rang and Steve wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood up to get it.

He opened the door to reveal Eddie with Lucas, Erica, and Max.

“Look what I found skulking around my place,” Eddie said proudly.

Lucas and Max looked at each other as Erica rolled her eyes.

“We figured that you would be over at Eddie’s,” Lucas explained quietly.

Steve shrugged. “I probably would have been if Dustin, Nancy and Mike didn’t stop by earlier.”

“Damn,” Max cursed. “I hoping to beat Dustin.”

Erica rolled her eyes again. “Can we get this over with?”

Steve just shook his head. “Me and Will and them are just finishing up dinner.”

Lucas frowned. “Will’s here?”

Steve smiled and then turned to lead them back to the kitchen. “Apparently Team Steve decided that they were going to monitor each apology to make sure they were actually apologies and not just excuses.”

“Wait, really?” Erica asked.

They entered the kitchen and Steve called out, “Look what Eddie dragged in.”

Eddie grinned.

“Come have pizza!” El said. “There’s plenty for everyone. Steve likes to get a lot.”

“That’s because I know that I will have people grazing the leftovers for the next couple days and I won’t accidentally get eaten out of house and home.”

El giggled.

They all settled down to eat. Happily chatting and laughing as they consumed all of the pizza.

Once everything was cleared away Will asked. “All right who’s first?”

Max and Lucas exchanged a glance.

“Um...” Lucas said.

“Because we did our shovel talk together, can we do our apology together?” Max asked.

Jonathan furrowed his brow. “I think that’s up to Steve.”

“I’m down if you guys are okay with that,” Steve said to everyone else.

There was nodding all around.

“I’ll handle this set,” Eddie said, “if you want to stand guard?”

Jonathan and Will nodded, but El shook her head. “I’m staying. I haven’t got to do one yet. You can chose to stay if you want, but I’m not moving.”

“Fair enough,” Eddie said. “How about this, we double team with Max and Lucas and then I can do Erica?”

El tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. “Agreed.”

Erica threw her arms in the air and left with the Byers boys.

“Is there a reason you have monitors?” Max asked once they had gone.

Steve laughed. “Apparently they think I let you guys get away with too much shit and wanted to make sure that didn’t happen with these apologies.”

Eddie grinned at them.

“Right...” Lucas said slowly, nodding his head. “So it started out as a joke...”

Steve held up his hand. “I’m going to stop you right there. No it didn’t. I don’t care if that’s what you thought. It did not start out as a joke. I will not take ‘it was a joke’ as an excuse. Because it’s starting to sound like you guys knew that other people were giving me the shovel talk and wanted to do it too. And if that is that case, I’m done.”

Eddie let out a low whistle. “I don’t know, Supergirl. I think our Stevie is going to be just fine.”

She giggled again. “Maybe, but I want to stay for the verbal beat down, don’t you?”

Eddie tilted his head and looked up. He pursed his lips and nodded. “No, no, you’re right. Should we get popcorn?”

Steve laughed.

Max bit her lip. “We knew Mike and Erica had done it,” she admitted. “But we didn’t know about anyone else we swear! Ten is too fucking much.”

“That’s good to hear, I guess,” Steve said. “But seriously, a joke? Shovel talks aren’t funny. Not the first time and definitely not the tenth.”

Eddie frowned. “Who was the first?”

Steve cocked his head to the side and leaned against the counter. “Mike.”

Everyone boggled at Steve.

“Mike was the first?” Lucas asked.

Steve shrugged. “It’s why I believed him when he said he had been joking. Because no one else had done it at that point.”

“Were there other people between Erica and Mike,” Max asked, “and us?”

Steve folded his arms and nodded.

“Yeah, okay,” Lucas said. “Yeah, I get not accepting ours as a joke at that point.”

Max nodded. “We are sorry, Steve. I understand that saying we didn’t know won’t cut it, but we really didn’t know. We also...” she looked over at Lucas and blushed. “We also thought that Eddie was getting them, too.”

Lucas nodded. “Like we thought Dustin and Robin for sure would have given Eddie the shovel talk. But when we found out that no one had? That really put the nail in the coffin for all this.” He hung his head. “We’re really sorry, man.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “We should have known better about the shovel talk to begin with. I wouldn’t want one and I wouldn’t want Lucas to get one either. Our relationship is no one else’s business. And getting into yours and Eddie’s business was wrong. We’re sorry.”

Steve sighed and glanced at El and Eddie to see if it was good enough. They both nodded. “Okay, I accept your apology. Especially since it seems like you learned your lesson. And if you do something like that to someone else, make sure they know it’s a joke. Because I sure the hell didn’t.”

They both winced and then nodded.

Lucas came up and gave Steve a hug. “We’ll try to be better friends too,” he whispered. Steve nodded.

He walked out and Max stood there for a moment. She looked at Eddie and El for a moment before she launched herself at Steve. He caught her and held her tight.

“You’re the big brother I always dreamed of,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry, Steve.”

Steve kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too, Max.”

When she pulled away, she wiped her face. El held out her hand and Max took it.

“Come on,” El said gently. “Let’s go wash your face before we go back out to the boys.”

Max nodded gratefully and let herself be led away.

Erica came in a couple minutes later and sat down at the counter and stared both of them down. But when Eddie and Steve didn’t back down, she nodded.

“Good,” she said. “I don’t deal with bitches.”

Eddie scoffed. “Does your mother know you kiss her with that dirty mouth?”

Erica batted her eyelashes. “My mother thinks I’m an angel.”

Eddie threw his arms in the air. “Because of course she does.”

“I still haven’t heard an apology,” Steve said after a moment.

“You aren’t going to get one,” Erica said primly. “What you are going to get is why Steve and not Eddie that got the shovel talk.”

Eddie and Steve shared a confused glance.

“Come again?” Eddie asked.

Erica shrugged. “I mean I’m sorry everyone else had sticks up their ass, but I’m not sorry I gave Steve the shovel talk. He’s the badass of the pair of you and needs to know that I will defend my DM to the death if required.”

Steve ran his tongue over his lips and rolled his eyes. “So what I’m hearing is that you think I’m too badass to be protected?”

“Duh,” she said. “I’ve seen you in action. This little bitch nearly died.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide and he tilted his head forward. “Excuse me?”

“You clearly need to be protected from dying again,” Erica said.

“And why can’t I be the one protecting him?” Steve asked, furrowing his brow.

Erica paused for a moment. “You know, I didn’t think of it like that.” She cocked her head thoughtfully. “No, are you absolutely right. I commend you to service in defending Eddie the Banished. Don’t fuck it up.”

She hopped off the barstool and walked out.

“Does–does that count as an apology?” Eddie asked more than a little stunned.

Steve jutted out his bottom lip and nodded. “Coming from her? Yeah.”

Eddie nodded back. “Sounds about right. She certainly is something.”

“I fear for any boy that tries to break her heart,” Steve said. “She’ll break their knees.”

“Provided anyone can find the body,” Eddie agreed.

***

Part Six

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[citruswriter]

The Echo of a Warrior

Pairing: Reader x Anakin Skywalker

Reader Is: Afab, gender neutral, former Jedi, firebender, trading merchant.

Anakin Is: Sith Lord, Uncharred (sorry ladies, no BBQ crispy Sith for you).

Citrus Rating: Orange, Lime if you squint

Warnings: They/Them pronouns, angst, little to no paragraphs, sloppy writing (been forever since I written), slavery mention.

A/N: This is solely based off a dream I had + me filling in the gaps and fuzzy parts. Lol. It's gonna be put into two parts. This is essentially the backstory, pt 2 will be the smut.

Listen in with me! ↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

"Hey Anakin?" You rolled over onto your stomach and poked his face, causing the young Jedi Knight to crack his eyes open and side eye you. "Yes?" He questioned. "Do you think we'll be friends forever?" You asked. Anakin laughed softly, causing butterflies to flutter around in your tummy. Oh how you loved his laugh... "Of course we will, silly". He said, poking your face back. You held up your hand, raising a pinky. "Prooooooooomise?" You asked, causing Anakin to laugh again before lazily hooking his pinkie around yours. "Promise".

Chaos ensued at the temple. What was going on?! You had been peacefully sleeping when you were awoken by blaster fire. Without even dressing properly, you grabbed your lightsaber and ran out of your room, clicking the blade on. Was the Temple under a Separatist attack? You ran out only to find the clone troopers shooting up everybody in sight. Taking a step back in horror you froze. It was only until a trooper close to you raised a gun to your head did you really snap out of your trance. You swung your blade at him, cutting his gun in half. When he went to grab you with his bare hands, you slashed again, cutting them off. You fled out of plain view. This was bad. Really bad. You ran back to your room so you could quickly dress but was knocked down the ground by a body crashing into you. You yelped as you were thrown to the ground. Struggling to scramble to your feet, a hand gripped your throat and threw you against one of the Temple pillars. You looked up in panic. "Anakin?!' You gasped. The boys grip on you loosened. "A-Anakin. Anakin what the fuck is going on!" You panicked. "The Jedi Order had betrayed the Republic". He answered, eyes downcast. You stared at him. "You're lying". You muttered and the boy looked back up at you with his blue eyes. "When have I ever lied to you?" He growled, grip around your throat tightening, eyes glancing down briefly to take in the silk gown you were wearing. Your breath hitched as his eyes flickered back up to yours, anger and hurt at your mistrust in him swirling in his gaze. "You're right, you're right! I'm sorry!" You agreed. You couldn't explain the rush you felt in your body. You had such trust in this man, he could tell you to jump off a cliff and you would. And he knew this. So why didn't you trust him now? His other hand went to grip your hip, causing you to swallow thickly. "I saw Master Windu attempt to murder the Chancellor myself," he spoke in a low and dangerous tone, as if he dared you to question him again. "You need to run, (Y/N). Because of the Master Jedi betraying him, he's ordered the killing of all Jedi. I know it may seem a bit overkill. But he doesn't know who can and can't be trusted. Please. Please, pretty girl. I'm begging you. I'm giving you this one chance to run away". Your heart fluttered at the nickname. "But Anakin.. If I run, I betray the Jedi Order. They rescued me from slavery. Anakin I owe them my life". Anakin pulled you in for a tight hug, him gripping you as if you'd disappear before him. After a few seconds he pulled back. "But if you stay here. You betray me." And that's all he had to say. He immediately saw you soften before nodding. "Ok... Ok I'll go. I'll run and I'll never turn back. I'll swear off the Jedi Order." You murmured and Anakin hugged you again, inhaling your scent for what could very well be the last time. "Thank you..." You let him pull back first. And when he did, you stared up at him before turning around and running off into the night.

You awoke with a start. Memories of old plaguing your dreams. With a groan you sat up. You wish the dreams would stop, but alas they didn't. Rubbing your eyes you glanced over at your old lightsaber. It hadn't been turned on since that night at the Temple. You didn't know if it even still worked at all. You swore off all things Jedi but your lightsaber was still very dear to you. So you held onto it and it became a decoration. Sighing as you rubbed your eyes, you stood up and wiggled your way into the teeny tiny bathroom your ship held. Looking in the mirror, you dipped your hands into the bathroom water reserve and washed your face before touching up your hair so it didn't look like complete shit. Looking at your torn and dirty clothes. You decided that it would do you some good to dock soon. Set up shop for a few weeks. Get some new clothes and a hot shower. You drew the hood of your cape up as you walked up to the cockpit. Pushing buttons and flipping switches, you set a course for a nearby planet before hitting the button to jump into hyperspace. While you waited, you grabbed some juice and some junk food. Not the best of breakfasts but it was all you had right now. You tidied up your bed and went to do a quick inventory. Making a list of everything you had and coming up with prices you deemed as fair on your holopad. When a beep alerted that you were close to the planet, you stretched and walked your way over to the cockpit. Dropping out of hyperspace as you clutched the steering wheel, you paled as you almost came face to face with a Republic starship. "Fuck!" You shouted, jamming the wheel down, causing your little ship to dive. Unfortunately for you, the starship noticed as blaster fire began to head your way. A string of curses left your mouth as you dived and evaded. Smashing a button to open a comm you almost shouted, "Stand down! I'm a friendly ship! I'm only a merchant! Plea- FUCKING SHIT! Please hold your fire!" Soon the fire stopped and you heard a voice back, "Apologies. We're tractoring you in now to check your cargo and question you". You sighed in annoyance as you allowed the large starship to pull you in. You had a bad feeling about this...

"That was some skilled piloting". The officer in front of you said as he eyed you suspiciously. You fiddled with your now damp hair. The officers had been kind enough to give you a room with a shower and some fresh robes. You had taken your time freshening up until you had been summoned for questioning. "Thank you, sir. I learned from only the best." You replied. The officer only hummed back in response. "We found some Jedi things on your ship, care to explain". You attempted to hide your nervousness as you felt your old lightsaber dig into your back. You couldn't leave it on the ship, so you stuffed it into your sash and hid it. "I'm a merchant. I buy, sell, and trade. Sometimes Jedi artifacts come into my possession. People are more than willing to pay a hefty sum for such a rare item, or trade something equally as rare". You replied with a casual grin and the officer rolled his eyes. Obviously he didn't think highly of merchants. "I suppose you're correct". He replied coldly. "What's up with all the questions anyways? I've been questioned by officers before and it's never taken this long". You said casually, which was a lie. You had never been questioned by Republic officers. In fact you avoided them like they were an incurable plague, but you were curious. The energy of the ship felt... off. "If you must know, we have some dangerous prisoners on board. Don't want any of their friends coming to save them". He sneered and you nodded your head. "Well if that's all, I'd like to get to the planet's surface. Respectfully, I have business to do". The officer rolled his eyes once more and two troopers stood on either side of you, ready to escort you back to your ship. You had only turned onto your third hall when the whole ship suddenly shook. You and the troopers almost crashed into each other but you quickly recollected yourself as you heard screams. "Red Alert! The prisoners have escaped!" A voice on the intercom screamed. The two soldiers immediately abandoned you. After all, you were just a merchant. Right?

♡⑅*˖•. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .•˖*⑅♡

Anakin fumed as he power walked the halls of his ship. "How the FUCK did one of them manage to blow a hole in this ship?!" He practically screamed. "I'm not sure sir! We think it may have been a Rebel spy!" A trooper responded. "There was also a merchant that recently boarded! We don't believe they're involved but it's not impossible!" Anakin grabbed his lightsaber, clicking the blade on. "Well? What was their name?!" He asked. The trooper grabbed the gun tighter. "(Y/N), sir!" Anakin froze and whipped around to face the trooper. He never expected to hear your name again, especially not in this context. Did you betray him finally? Or was this simply wrong place, wrong time. "Find them!" He spat. As much as he'd love to go after you himself, he couldn't. Rebel blaster fire shot his way as the trooper darted off. Two young individuals sprang forward, blue lightsabers in hand. They weren't Jedi, far from it. He could tell by their fighting style. He battled the two of them. The sound of saber clashes mixing in with the blaster fire. A girl lunged forward and attempted to pierce his side. He dodged just in time and slashed his blade forward, cutting her arms off. "Master run!" She screamed. Jerking his head, he saw a taller man run off. Growling, he jumped over crates and ran after him.

♡⑅*˖•. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .•˖*⑅♡

Another explosion rocked the ship and you stumbled into the wall. This ship might be going down. You needed to get off. Running down another hall, a body crashed into you, causing you both to stumble. Your old training kicked in and you immediately dropped into a fighting stance, hands ignited with flames as you assessed the possible enemy. "(Y/N)?" The man questioned. You recognized the voice and immediately put your flames out "Master Ulic?! I thought you were dead!" You gasped. "Old, but not dead." He rumbled. "I'm here on a mission with the Rebel Alliance". He stated. "Actually, I could use some help. Some of my men were killed and I don't know if I can do this alone". He continued and you winced slightly. Anakin came skidding to the end of the hall. His eyes flickered between you and Master Ulic and rage immediately coursed through his veins. Of course you betrayed him. How could you? How could his sweet (Y/N) betray him? The audacity you had to- "I appreciate the offer, Master Ulic. But I'm a different person now. I swore off the Jedi a long time ago. I'm just a simple merchant now." You replied as politely as you could. The Master frowned down at you slightly. Anakin noticed his focus was all in you, not his surroundings. He took this chance to spring forward and attempt to strike. Snapping his head up, he shoved you behind him, causing you to crash to the floor and smash your head against the floor. You groaned as your head began to swirl with pain. Shakily you attempted to find your bearings. Gripping the floor, you pushed yourself up onto your knees before attempting to gather yourself onto your feet. I need to get out of here. You thought as you stumbled into the wall. Fuck I need to get out of here. You attempted to lean forward so you could flee once more but a voice tore your thoughts back to the situation at hand. "(Y/N)!" A voice called, causing you to turn around. It was Anakin... The now Sith Lord had overpowered the Master Jedi and he was now calling out to you. "(Y/N) please! You don't have to join the resistance, but at least don't let me die here!" He pleaded. You turned your gaze to Anakin, who seemed to be observing you. He could just kill the Jedi. But he wasn't. No he wanted to see your reaction. You felt as if Anakin could see straight through you. You took a step back and the look on Master Ulic's face immediately changed. "No! No, no, no! You stupid girl!" Master Ulic roared. His newfound rage gave him the adrenaline rush he needed, smashing Anakin into the wall he stood up and began to stalk towards you. You tried to turn tail and run but the man used the force to draw you in. "I always knew you were loyal to the stupid Skywalker boy. Not even the High Jedi Council saw the deep attachments you had to him. But I did! Ooooh I did". He scowled and gripped your throat when you were close enough. "Why can't you see it? He didn't love you then and he doesn't love you now! He never will! He doesn't care about anybody but himself!" And with that you snapped.

"You shut your fucking mouth," you spat with such venom that even Anakin himself was in shock. In a fit of rage you did the one thing you promised never to do again, you drew your lightsaber. Master Ulic barely dodged your blade as you drew it in a backwards handle grip. Dropping you, you dropped gracefully before spinning around to face him. You launched yourself at him, the golden-yellow glow of your Jedi Sentinel blade meeting the angry green of his Jedi Guardian blade. Blades clashed as the two of you fought. You were now fueled by an absolutely primal rage that tore through your veins. Flipping your blade to a forward hilt grab, you put your strength into the next slash, causing him to stumble backwards. Wasting no time, you clipped your blade once again before dropping down into a stance. Drawing in a breath you focused your energy into your pointer and middle fingertips. A bolt of lightning shot from your fingertips, landing square in his center mass. He flew backwards and you exhaled sharply. Unlike force lighting, which was a dark side ability, your lightning was simply an extension of your flames. It took a lot of practice and focus, but it was deadly. Rising out of your stance you stumble forward slightly, it had been some time since you exerted so much energy and, unfortunately for you, you were rather out of shape. You winced as you felt the stitch in your side that had already taken the liberty of forming. Sighing you went to turn once again. It was time for you to leave. Or so you thought. A guttural scream ripped from your throat as a dark green saber struck you through the chest. Master Ulic, although injured, wasn't dead yet. He had used the force to launch his lightsaber and plunge it through your chest. Another shriek left your lungs as the Jedi Master recalled his blade to him. He had a job to finish. You heard a scream from somewhere, but you didn't know who it belonged to. You crumbled to the floor, wailing in pain. You wouldn't die, much to Ulic's dismay. Your species had regenerative abilities and were infuriatingly difficult to kill. Your vision began to blur as you felt your body begin it's self healing process. Wailing in pain, you still attempted to flee. Clawing at the floor and dragging yourself forward, your whole body shook as you sobbed. Eventually, the pain became too much and you rolled onto your side, wailing until your throat became hoarse. Your vision began to black out as you felt your body be lifted. You could barely hear the man above you as you began to loose consciousness. "Hang in there, pretty girl. You'll be ok. Please be ok. I can't loose you again..."

Tag List: None Yet

Anywayyyyyyys. That's the first partttttttt. Might write the other part tonight. Probably will bc I'm not feeling the best so might as well put that into smthn yk? Sorry again for the sloppy writing, it's been literal ages since I've actually put effort into some writing.

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Boston Bears: Off-Limits - Rugby Player!Chris x Reader (Part 5)

Summary: Scott invites you round for a BBQ leading you to your first night at Chris' house

Word Count: 5.8k

Warnings: Fluff! Minor Angst! Mention of past toxic relationship! Mention of Vomit/Vomiting! Alcohol Consumption!

Rugby Explained

Dividers by Me!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 5

Chris let out a loud grunt as Ari landed a hard tackle on him. He was holding a tackle bag which took most of the impact but Ari was a large man with a mean tackle. Despite being on a bye week this weekend, Coach Y/L/N was taking no chances, especially following the poor performance on Saturday. So the team was training as hard as they would be if they were playing this weekend.

Thankfully the funk Chris was in was well and truly over and he definitely had you to thank for that. His mind was clearer and everything felt sharper. Everything was going so smoothly it was like watching a symphony. Chris looked out at the team and saw a championship-winning team.

The best part was that Chris could look over at you and not be distracted. Well, that wasn’t completely true, he would look over at you and remember everything from last weekend. But it was the good kind of distracted, the kind that filled him with energy but didn’t leave him restless like it had before the weekend.

“Right break into your groups!” Coach Y/L/N shouted bringing an end to tackle practice.

Chris let out a sigh of relief as he dumped the tackle bag to the side. His hand running over his abs as he did so.

He caught Ari smirking over at him “Did I go too hard on you cap?” 

“Yeah don’t need to go 100% all the time” Chris complained as he picked up a ball ready for kicking practice.

“That was only 75” Ari winked as he sauntered off to go join the rest of the scrum players.

Chris rolled his eyes and shook his head as he walked in the opposite direction to start practising his kicking. 

He placed the tee down, and as he rested the ball on it he caught sight of you stood in the corner talking with Andy. Your gaze met his for a second and you sent him a subtle smirk before turning your attention back to Andy. 

Chris smiled to himself as he stood back up only to spot Johnny smirking over at him with a shit-eating grin on his face. Chris shot him a glare, while he knew now that Johnny was just trying to make Chris jealous he still didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right.

Stretching out his shoulders and neck Chris lined up the kick. Tracing the route he wanted the ball to take with his eyes. It was a relatively easy angle to start with but still one that needed a bit of calculating. He took a deep breath before starting his run-up, his boot hit the ball with a satisfying thud and Chris watched as it easily sailed through the posts.

Chris did a couple more practice kicks before jogging over to go collect up the balls so he could carry on. As he did so he crossed paths with Johnny.

“I was surprised that you didn’t come out to celebrate with us on Saturday” Johnny smirked.

Chris shot him a look “I highly doubt that storm” 

“I’d never lie to you cap” Johnny gasped, placing a hand on his heart “but whatever you did clearly worked, or should I say whoever” 

Chris stopped in his tracks and spun around to face Johnny, his voice low and tone full of warning “We both know you know more than you’re letting on so let's drop this little act” Chris started “There’s a lot riding on us this season so if you breath a word of what you know”

Johnny held up his hands in surrender “My lips are sealed” he promised “I only interfered to help the team, we can’t have you in a funk because you’re pining over the medic” he added with his own accusatory look “We need you Evans, you’re the glue that holds us all together”

Chris studied him for a moment before nodding his head “Good” 

Johnny just laughed and shook his head as he turned to walk away muttering “oblivious idiot” as he went.

Chris furrowed his brow not understanding what Johnny meant by that. He chose not to dwell on it though and returned his attention back to practice.

Soon enough Coach called out to end practice “alright let’s call it a day, those who need it get yourself to injury clinic and Y/N will be taking attendance so don’t think about skipping because I will know” he said with a pointed look at a couple of players “the rest of you rest up, enjoy the afternoon off and don’t do anything stupid” 

The whole team hummed in response before dispersing. As he walked back to the changing rooms he considered asking if you had any lunch plans but he spotted you with your head buried in a clipboard so decided to save it for another time.

Once inside the changing room he grabbed his phone from his bag and dialled. His brother picked up after a couple of rings.

“Hey, what’s up?” Scott answered.

“Got the afternoon off, fancy grabbing some lunch?” Chris suggested.

“Yeah sounds good, usual place?”

“Yeah I’ll see you there, just gotta shower” 

“Yeah I don’t want your stank putting me off my burger”

Chris groans and rolls his eyes “Whatever, see you later” he said before hanging up.

Once he was showered and changed Chris grabbed his bag and left the training centre. It was only a short drive to the diner that Chris and Scott frequented and his brother was already sat waiting inside for him.

“I ordered you a triple bacon cheeseburger and milkshake” Scott smirked as Chris sat down.

Chris shot him a look to call him out on his bullshit.

“But they said no so you have a grilled chicken burger and salad” Scott continued dramatically rolling his eyes.

“Thank you, although that cheeseburger did sound nice” Chris sighed as he sat back in the booth.

Chris loved that he got to play rugby for his job and he’d happily do anything that meant he played as well as and as long as he could. But sometimes the diet got to him, the chefs at the club were good and could make it taste nice. But it wasn’t like a good greasy burger. 

“Well you are on a bye week so you could have one at our BBQ this weekend, Coach doesn’t have to know” Scott shrugged.

“True” Chris hummed “You still good getting the supplies? I can pay for them I just won’t have the time to go get them myself”

Scott nodded “All sorted, me and Steve made a list and we’re going to Costco on Friday” 

The food then arrived and both men tucked in. Chris didn’t realise how hungry he was until he took his first bite. He’d finished his meal before Scott had even gotten through half of his. Leading to Chris reaching over to steal a few fries.

Scott slapped his hand away after he stole his fifth fry “Order your own if you want fries” he scolded.

“I don’t want any” Chris retorted as he stole another.

Scott rolled his eyes before a mischievous smile tugged at his lips “Well at least you’re in a better mood this time, you were a miserable ass when I last saw you” Chris glanced over with a curious look “How is that whole forbidden fruit situation going? You looked pretty tense during the match but you seem better now… like you got some release?” Scott smirked.

Chris sighed knowing Scott wasn’t gonna let this drop. He was lucky that he got this far into lunch before it got brought up. He glanced around the diner making sure none of his team or anyone else who worked at the Bears decided to have lunch here.

He looked down at his empty plate “We came to some agreement” Chris answered quietly.

“An agreement” Scott echoed.

“Yeah” 

“What kind of agreement?”

“A mutually beneficial one”

“Is that all you gonna give me?” Scott pouted.

“Yep,” Chris grinned as he stole another fry, taking pleasure in his brother’s exasperated expression.

Chris wasn’t gonna go into any details though. It was his private life and he was gonna keep it exactly like that, private. Plus he was gonna keep the promise he made to you, Scott may know about this arrangement but he doesn’t need the details.

Scott rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders in disappointment. But almost as quickly his face lit up again, his attention on something behind Chris.

Chris looked over his shoulders, his attention also peaking when he spotted you walking into the diner, heading straight for the counter.

You seemed to feel the eyes on your back, Chris saw your shoulders tense before you quickly looked over your shoulder. There was a brief look of panic on your face until your eyes met his and your shoulders seemed to relax.

 You held up your hand to signal ‘one minute’ before turning your attention back to the counter. Chris furrows his brows since he hadn’t signalled for you to come over, but when Chris looked back over at Scott he saw his brother lowering his arm telling him it was Scott you had gestured to.

“What are you doing?” Chris hissed quietly.

“What I just wanna meet her” Scott grinned.

Chris groaned quietly as before he knew it you were walking over “Hey Evans, sticking to your diet I see” you smirked.

“As closely as I can” Chris grinned.

“Hi, I’m Scott by the way,” Scott said introducing himself, clearly not willing to wait for Chris to do so “Fancy joining us?”

“Ah no I’m good, got to get back to the clinic, just grabbing myself something to eat” you said gesturing over your shoulder with your thumb.

“Got a lot of players in?” Chris asked.

“No, thankfully most of the team are pretty fit, just some long-term injuries” you explained.

“Good” Chris smiled, nodding his head.

Silence then fell between the three of you, you were clearly about to make your excuse to leave when Scott spoke up.

“We were just talking about our BBQ tradition,” he said.

“Oh?” You questioned as Chris threw Scott a quizzical look.

“Yeah whenever the bears have their bye week we throw a BBQ since it's pretty rare that they have a weekend off” Scott explained.

“Even if it falls midwinter?” You asked.

“We draw straws to decide who has to do the grilling while the rest stay inside in the warmth” Chris answered making you chuckle.

“You should come” Scott said taking both you and Chris by surprise.

“Really? I wouldn’t want to intrude” you said shaking your head.

“You wouldn’t be” Chris said, quick to reassure you “but it’s up to you, don’t feel like you have to” 

“Will other players be there?” You asked nibbling your lower lip.

“They’re invited but they never turn up, most go home and visit family for the weekend” Chris explained.

“Right okay, cool yeah I’ll um check my diary but sounds fun” You nodded “I um better get back” 

“Yeah sure, I’ll text you the address” Chris smiled.

“Great I’ll see you at training tomorrow” you smiled back “And it was nice to meet you” you added glancing quickly at Scott.

“Great to meet you too,” Scott said with the widest grin.

You shoot Chris another smile before turning to leave, grabbing your food as you went. Chris watched you go until you were completely out of view. When he looked back over at his brother, he was still grinning like a madman.

“You’re welcome” Scott grinned.

You frowned as you stared up at the house in front of you. This couldn’t be the right place. You checked the address Chris had given you and Google Maps which said this definitely was the right place. Had he given you the wrong address? If he had this was a brand new way to screw you over that was so elaborate you honestly couldn’t be too mad. 

This looked like a typical suburban Boston family home. Not the kind of house a single professional sportsman would own. Most of the players had swanky apartments in the city, the only time they bought houses was when they settled down. 

Wait. Had Chris settled down? Did he have a life partner and you were a piece on the side?

You shook your head. You were being ridiculous. You knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. Not just because he said he couldn’t juggle more than one woman, but because Tommi did an FBI-level deep dive on him and she would have said if he was or had been married. 

You checked the text one last time, double-checking the wording. He definitely said this was the address for his place, not his brother’s. When they invited you to a BBQ you assumed that they were throwing it at Scott’s place but that didn’t seem to be the case. 

You were just about to call Chris just to double-check you were in the right place when the front door opened and Scott poked his head out.

“Hey, what are you doing standing out here?” 

You breathed out a sigh of relief and shot him a smile “My friend called me” you lied as you walked up to the front door. 

Scott arched a sceptical brow but didn’t say anything “Well better late than never, can I get you a drink?” he asked as you stepped inside. 

“A beer would be great thank you” 

Scott nodded “Coming right up, everyone else is out back,” he said nodding in the direction of the backyard. 

You send him a grateful smile before making your way out to the backyard. There were probably only about 20-odd people here, many of which seemed to be Chris’ non-rugby friends. Speaking of the devil you spotted him standing by the grill, beer in one hand, spatula in the other. He shoots you a smile and nods in greeting when he spots you before returning his attention back to the grill. 

“Here you go,” Scott said as he appeared beside you and passed you your beer “no clue what you preferred so I hope it’s okay”

You accepted the beer happily and took a quick swig “It’s my favourite” you admitted.

A shit-eating grin grew on his face as he nodded “Well help yourself to as many as you like” he offered “Do you know many people here?” 

You scanned the group once more before shaking your head “Nope” 

That didn’t worry you though because it meant you didn’t have to worry about your arrangement with Chris becoming known within the Bears staff. Plus you were pretty good at making friends with strangers, so much so that Tommi said that you’ve never met a stranger. 

“Well those lot over there are Chris’ old teammates from when he was playing junior rugby,” Scott said pointing over to a group of lads who looked like rugby players but not as athletically fit “Those are old school friends of ours and those two are our sisters” Scott continued, going through everyone until everyone had been introduced, including Scott’s partner Steve who had joined the both of you

 “but don’t worry we’ll keep you company while Chris is in grillmaster mode” Steve reassured you. 

“Thank you I appreciate it, this will be a nice way to meet people in the area outside of work” You nodded. 

“Yep” Scott nodded “You never know you might meet your east coast best buddy” he added wiggling his eyebrows. 

“I already have by the sounds of it” You smirked as you took a sip of your beer.

Scott grinned “I like you, you better be sticking around”

You felt a lump form in your throat at the insinuation knowing it was highly unlikely but played it off with a casual shrug of your shoulders “We’ll see” you said your voice surprisingly hoarse giving you a good excuse to avoid any more talking by taking a good few glugs of your beer. 

For the next half an hour you hung out with Scott and Steve, easily chatting with them and anyone else who came over to join the conversation. Despite how easy you normally found it to make friends it felt even easier at this party. It felt like you’d known these people your whole life. They were so sweet and welcoming and it really said a lot about Chris if this was the company he kept. 

You were mid-conversation with one of Chris’ old school friends when you felt two hands being placed on your shoulders “I thought I’d find you here”

To your surprise when you looked over your shoulder you spotted Johnny stood there with a lopsided grin on his face “Johnny? What are you doing here?”

“I was invited obviously”

You rolled your eyes at him “Yeah but Chris told me all the other players never show up, they’re off visiting family for the weekend” you explained. 

“Usually I am, but my sister and her boyfriend are at some fancy conference so I’m stuck on my lonesome” Johnny sighed with a dramatic pout. 

“You poor soul” you responded sarcastically. 

“Yep it's been real hard, so I thought I’d come along to this since I gathered you’d probably be here alone and keep you company” he explained as he looped his arm around your shoulder and led you away. 

“Thank you, but I’m actually good,” you said before lowering your voice “Plus another stage in our plan isn’t needed”

Johnny shoots you a look that said ‘Do you think I’m stupid’ “I know that, I knew the plan worked the moment I saw Chris at training Monday morning” he said “But you’re good fun and I thought we had a good friendship here, please don’t tell me it was all in my head” he continued placing a hand over his heart. 

You chuckled “No you’re right, I’m sorry” you smiled at him “It is good to see you Johnny”

He shot you a boyish smirk “That’s what all the ladies say” he said earning a roll of the eyes from you “So how are things going with you and Evans, you don’t look particularly close”

You shrugged your shoulders “We’re keeping it casual, both on the same page about what we want, keeping it private” you explained with a pointed look, Johnny responded by pretending to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key “So I’m just mingling like another friend would, plus he’s busy being the grillmaster”

Johnny nodded his head “Yeah you don’t wanna mess with or distract the grillmaster” he agreed. 

The two of you continued chatting for a while longer until it appeared that food was ready and people were making their way over to grab a plateful. It was then that Chris finally made his way over and you were surprised at the sudden flutter of excitement in your chest when he did so.

He gave you a warm smile as he approached “Glad to see you made it, hope Scott hasn’t been too irritating as company” he greeted.

“Nah not as bad as this guy at least” you gestured with your thumb over to Johnny who let out an insulted gasp. 

“Rude!”

Chris chuckled as he shook Johnny’s hand “Good to see you man, not seeing your sister this weekend?” he asked. 

“Nah got some big conference on biotech or whatever” Johnny said waving it off. 

“Well good to have ya, why don’t you grab something to eat, I promise not to tell coach” Chris promised.

Johnny smirked “Alright I get the hint, Storm dismissed” he saluted before stepping away. 

Once he was gone Chris shot you an apologetic look “Sorry, I know I said there wouldn't be anyone from the team here” he sighed as he leant down to press a quick kiss to your cheek. 

You waved him off “No, no it’s okay, I like Johnny he’s becoming a good friend” 

Chris arched a brow “Really? Don’t get me wrong I like the guy but he can be a bit much”

You nodded “Yeah he’s like a puppy, his heart is in the right place at least” you explained “Plus he already knows about us, if it was anyone else it would be more of an issue” 

Chris nodded his head in agreement “True, he’s a damned good winger too” he added making you snort with laughter. 

“You mean wingman” 

Chris shot you a grin “That too” he admitted “Now let’s get some food”

You followed him towards where all the food was served. You loaded your plate sending a knowing smirk to Chris when you saw him build a double cheeseburger. He responded by holding a finger to his lips and shushing you.

You laughed and once again looked around at the gorgeous house around you, still not quite believing that this was his house.

“So this is where you live” you commented as you both of you walked over to a table outside.

Chris arched a brow as he sat down “You sound surprised” 

“I am” you admitted “You’re breaking the mould of a single rugby player living his best bachelor life”

Chris’ brows pinched together “In what way?”

“Well every single player I’ve ever known has lived in swanky apartments, the only ones who have houses like this are ones who have already settled down” you explained gesturing around to the house.

Chris nodded slowly as he swallowed his mouthful of burger “Well this is pretty new” he admits “decided about a year ago I needed a change from that kinda lifestyle”

“What changed your mind? A girl?” You asked arching a brow.

Chris smirks “Why? Making sure they’re not in the picture” he asked.

You shook your head “Just curious” you said, even if you didn’t 100% believe it.

“No there wasn’t a girl, well… not that kinda girl anyway” Chris started, you tilted your head in confusion, curious as to what he meant “My sister has 3 kids, two boys and a girl and they’re amazing and I love spending time with them so I thought a more kid-friendly place would help” Chris explained “but the main reason was this guy” he added before whistling.

The dog you had seen running around the place and assumed was someone else’s came running over. It then sat obediently next to Chris waiting for a scrap of food.

“This is Dodger” Chris grinned as he passed Dodger a bite of burger.

“He’s very cute, how old is he?” You asked as you scratched Dodger behind the ear.

“Don’t know exactly, the rescue centre guessed he was about a year old, so he’s two maybe three now?” Chris explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You rescued him?” You asked surprised.

Chris nodded “The team helped out with this adoption drive and we instantly hit it off and I knew he was coming home with me” he smiled.

“That’s really sweet, what do you do when you have to go on the road?” You asked, rugby players were never away long for away matches, not like Hockey players but it was always a couple of days.

“My ma looks after him on away weekends, or Scott if she’s busy” Chris explained “I wish I could take him with me but I don’t think he’d like the crowds”

You nodded, watching as Chris smiled warmly down at Dodger. There was no doubt that Chris absolutely loved his dog and it made your heart do a little flutter. 

The BBQ carried on into the evening, everyone making the most of the warm spring weather. Eventually, everyone began to make their way home, many of whom seemed to live nearby and left on foot,

For you however you needed to drive home, but you had drunk far too much to do so legally. You weren’t drunk, but definitely over the limit. You couldn’t rely on a lift from Johnny either as he had left a couple of hours prior after receiving a text from a lady friend. You couldn’t call your dad for a lift either because you really didn’t want to explain why you were at Chris’ house. 

You decided to just call an Uber and you’d come collect your car tomorrow. You were just pulling out your phone when Chris walked over to you. 

“Hey you alright?” he asked.

You smiled up at him and nodded your head “Yeah I just drank more than I should have so I’m ordering an Uber home”

Chris shook his head “Don’t waste money on that, just stay here tonight” he offered like it was obvious.

Your lips parted as you tried to come up with an excuse not to. You weren’t sure why you didn’t want to stay, you were sure another night with Chris would be plenty of fun. But you just didn’t want to tonight, there was a funny feeling in your gut. It wasn’t because of Chris, you knew that much, but you had no clue where it was coming from so playing it safe would probably be better. Plus there were still a few people here, you weren’t sure how you felt about them seeing you stay the night. 

Chris must have seen your hesitation as he held out his hand “You can stay as a friend if you want” he said quietly. 

You sighed softly “Are you sure? I don’t wanna be a nuisance” 

Chris smiled and shook his head “Nah it’s fine, plenty of my buddies stay over, and it’s not like I don’t have the rooms to spare” he shrugged. 

“That’s great thank you” 

“No worries, let me just make sure everything is ready and you can head up if you want, a couple of us might stay up a little longer” Chris gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. 

You smirked slightly “One more drink won’t hurt now that I’m staying”

You went up to bed a couple hours later to the bedroom Chris said you could stay in, surprised to find he’d left out some spare toiletries and comfies to sleep in. You climbed into the bed and let out a small moan at how comfy it was, you were going to be dead to the world in no time.

At least you thought so.

You probably had only been asleep for an hour when you woke up with a start. A sudden and horrid wave of nausea crashed over you which made you bolt up out of bed and rush to the adjoining bathroom.

You sat yourself down by the toilet and waited for the vomit to actually come. It didn’t though it never did. Ever since what happened with Bryce there had been nights where out of nowhere you would wake up, heart pounding, sweating as a wave of nausea crashed over you. It wasn’t every night, it would go away long enough that you thought it would never happen again only for it to suddenly return. 

You had told Tommi about it and she made you take a pregnancy test just to make sure which thankfully came back negative. Plus you’d had your period since then so you were definitely reassured it wasn’t that. It just seemed like your body wanted to fuck you over. 

After about 15 minutes the wave passed enough that you didn’t feel like you were on the verge, but you still felt pretty weak like you’d just run a marathon. You slowly pushed yourself to stand and decided to head downstairs to grab some water. 

You tried to keep quiet as you searched for a glass, trying to ignore how your hand shook once you finally found one and filled it up. You took some shallow sips, glad to get rid of the stale taste in your mouth as you leant against the counter. 

You had drunk half the glass but still didn’t feel okay enough to head back up to bed. You had too much restless energy, you wouldn't be able to fall asleep even if you tried. So instead you decided to just walk around the bottom floor of the house. 

You were just walking around the living room, admiring all the different knick-knacks and family photos. Bryce had no family photos at his place, it almost made it look like he had no family at all, which maybe was his intention since he didn’t really get on well with his family. 

It was another way Chris was completely different to Bryce. You could tell Chris cared a lot about his family and others in his life, they were as much a part of his life as rugby was. He hadn’t lost sight of who he was before he became a professional sportsman. He was still pretty ordinary, someone who’d be very easy to love which terrified you. 

Falling in love was like presenting your unprotected heart on a platter and hoping they looked after it and most of the time they didn’t. That’s what happened with Bryce, you hadn’t been in love with him, but you had allowed yourself to catch feelings and he’d hurt you. You dread to think of the damage that would have been done if you had loved him. 

So you couldn’t catch feelings with Chris. It was sex and fun only. 

“Hey, you alright?” 

You nearly jumped out of your skin, you spun around to see a tired-looking Chris stood a few meters away from you. Despite having drunk nearly an entire glass of water, your mouth went suddenly dry as you took in his topless appearance, his sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips. 

“Uh-ih yeah” you coughed “Yeah, just woke up thirsty so was just grabbing a glass of water”

Chris nodded as he rubbed his eyes “Me too, want another?” he asked nodding to your now empty glass of water. 

“Yeah sure that would be great thanks” you said following him back into the kitchen. 

He took your glass from you, his fingers brushing against yours as he did so. You tried to ignore the tingling sensation that was left in his wake, flexing your fingers quickly. No feelings. You gripped the glass so tightly when he passed you it back that you worried you’d drop it so took a large gulp before setting it back down on the kitchen island. 

You watched as he grabbed his own glass, filled it and took a few deep sips. Silence fell between the two of you and the air suddenly felt charged as Chris’ eyes roamed your body up and down. You tried not to squirm under his gaze, the look in his eyes as heated as the feeling that was growing within you. 

“You look good in my tee” he commented. 

“Oh is this-” you started before shaking your head “Stupid question” you muttered, of course, this was his tee you were wearing. 

A smirk tugged at Chris’ lips as he placed his glass down and crossed the short distance between the two of you. You couldn’t help but bite your lower lip as he gazed down at you. 

“I didn’t thank you for coming earlier” he murmured. 

You hummed “Yeah, you’re pretty poor at hosting, no wonder the other guys don’t show up” You smirked, feeling more comfortable on this ground. Joking, having fun.

You expected Chris to snort and have some witty comeback but he just shrugged his shoulders casually “don’t care, there’s only one person that I did care about” 

“You didn’t invite me, Scott did” you pointed out. 

“Semantics” Chris hummed as he reached out to play with the bottom of his tee that you wore. 

“Chris I-” you started, not knowing where you were going with your sentence. 

Part of you felt like this was too intense for your arrangement, for your foolish little heart. But the other part of you was screaming for his touch, like every atom in your body was reaching out. 

“I need to kiss you” he interrupted “I couldn’t sleep knowing…” he continued before trailing off, his gaze falling from your face to the tee.

Your answer was past your lips before it even registered in your mind “Yes”

Chris instantly surged forward, his large hands cupping your jawline as he tilted your head back and kissed you deeply. You responded with your hands resting on his chest, feeling the strong muscles beneath your touch as you slowly draped your arms around his shoulders. 

You were so lost in the kiss that you weren’t aware that he’d pick you up until you felt the cold bite of the kitchen island beneath you. Your legs parted and he moved to stand between them, his hands gripping your hip as your fingers ran up into his messy bedhead. 

He moaned as you tugged on his hair and he deepened the kiss much to your pleasure. Especially when his hands moved from your hips to your chest. He cupped your breasts and massaged them through the tee you wore, making you curse that the fabric was even there. 

It was when he tugged you closer and you felt how aroused he was and it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on you. You blinked a couple of times as you pulled back, it wasn’t like you weren’t enjoying it, because you were, you really were. It just felt wrong for a second, maybe you still didn’t feel right after what happened upstairs.

“Hey, you okay?” Chris asked as he brushed some hair out of your face. 

“Uh-uh yeah I just-” you stuttered trying to find the reason why you didn’t want to continue “Yeah I’m just tired… sorry” you landed on.

Chris nodded “That’s okay, it is late you don’t need to apologise” he reassured you. 

“I just - but you-” 

“I’m fine” He interrupted you “I just wanted a moment alone with you and I got that”

You bit your lip as you felt your heart skip a little beat despite you telling it not to. But you couldn’t help but make another comparison, Bryce would have tried to convince you to carry on but Chris was just happy with what you were willing to give him. It was enough to make the funny feeling in your gut disappear. 

“C’mon let’s get you back to bed,” Chris said holding out his hands. 

You smiled softly and accepted his help down from the counter, he kept hold of one of your hands as he led you back upstairs to the guest bedroom. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head before wishing you a good night. 

When you crawled back into bed all the horrible feelings you had felt when you first woke up were completely gone. You were able to fall asleep almost immediately and it had nothing to do with the more intense smell of Chris on your tee.

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Series Masterlist / Masterlist

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[simmerkate]

SimmerKate X LaSkrillz Fast Food Collab (Part 1)

Hey :) Get ready for a Sims 4 CC fast food collab that's all about flavor and fast food! I teamed up with the incredible talented friend of mine, @laskrillz, she's such an amazing 3D Artist. Together, we've cooked up a mouthwatering 2 part Fast Food Set.

This part is my contribution to the collab featuring:

Ribs & Onion Rings

BBQ Chicken Poppers

Strawberries and Cream Donuts

Shrimp Ramen,

Chopsticks.

If you want part 2 go over to LaSkrillz.com she will be releasing soon.

Public Release - 5th of August

Follow me on insta @SimmerKatex

Please be careful if your using a low end pc as some of the items may be high poly :)

Patreon (xx) ad-free

[bayesic-bitch]

I feel like the reason a lot of vegan recipes fail isn't even really because of the ingredients, it's because you're trying to replicate a very particular cooking style with a completely different cooking style. Take bbq pulled pork for instance. A lot of recipes use jackfruit instead of pork, and it really works shockingly well. The texture is spot-on, and flavor is sweeter, but you can easily compensate for that by using a less-sweet sauce. But even with that being the case, I never see this stuff actually being cooked right. A big part of what makes barbeque taste like barbeque is being cooked low-and-slow for like 12-36 hours on a smoker, until all the sauce hardens into a bark on the outside, while you continuously inject the thing full of brine to season it. Obviously you're not gonna get that same effect in an oven, pork or no. So I really wanna try doing this with a whole jackfruit. Like one of the 20 pound ones. Take the skin off, and then cook it exactly the way you would with a cut of pork. Dry rub, regular brine injections, and build up a bark by layering sauce on over the course of multiple days. Everything that you don't have to change to make it vegan, just do right. I feel like this would get you to a way better end result than whatever we're currently doing

[sephirthoughts]

The Ghost of Shinra Manor

Chapter 4 of this

summary: It's been two years-ish since the events of Dirge of Cerberus. Cloud visits his hometown, and investigates a rumor of a ghost, haunting Shinra Manor. If you're surprised by who it turns out to be, you are beyond my power to save, comrade.

tags: g-g-g-ghosts!!! sefikura, sephiroth x cloud, sane!sephiroth (sort of), post advent children, post dirge of cerberus, canon timeline, delusions, intermitten amnesia, low drama, enemies to…whatever the hell they have going on

warnings: references to death, PTSD, child abuse, etc. all of hojo's greatest hits, canon-typical violence

rating: teen and up [BE ADVISED: THIS RATING WILL CHANGE]

Part 4: Resolve

Cloud didn’t check his phone till they were back at the cabin, by which time he’d accumulated a number of alerts.

MISSED CALLS(4): Tifa

MISSED CALL: Barrett

New Messages(5)

He decided to deal with them in order of priority, and opened the messages app first.

Strife: hey what do you know about ghosts

Chadley: Hello, Cloud. It’s good to hear from you. Ghosts aren’t really my area of expertise, unless you’re referring to occurrences of unusual fauna, which are often erroneously reported as ghost sightings. May I ask what this is in regard to?

Strife: like how to identify one and how to get rid of it

Chadley: Hm. There are a number of so-called spirit mediums and exorcists, who claim to be able to detect and communicate with spirits, but since there isn’t an established scientific discipline, I’m afraid the field is fraught with charlatans.

Strife: so there’s no one who knows anything?

Chadley: Don’t lose hope, my friend. It just so happens that an acquaintance of mine is what I would call the world’s foremost lay-expert in spectral phenomena. If there’s anyone who could answer whatever questions you have, it would be him.

Strife: lay-expert?

Chadley: That means he’s highly knowledgeable, but it isn’t his day job.  

Strife: what’s his actual job

Chadley: He works as the concierge for the Haunted Hotel, at the Gold Saucer.

Strife: tell me you’re not talking about that upside-down lunatic bellhop

Chadley: Oh, are you acquainted?

Strife: forget it. i meant someone sane

Chadley: Don’t let his sense of whimsy deter you. That’s his professional persona. He’s actually a very astute and level-headed person. I assure you, there’s no one more knowledgeable in the field.

Strife: really?

Chadley: Indeed. Shall I put you in touch?

Strife: yeah ok

Chadley: Excellent. I’ll give him your contact information. Good luck!

Strife: thanks

Tifa: hey you, just checking in to see how you’re doing. how’s the job going?

Tifa: btw denzy managed to fix that old bike they found. he even rode it around today

Tifa: marley took these pics of him aren’t they cute? .img .img .img

Tifa: good news! i just got off the phone with barrett and he’s going to be in town friday. we’re thinking of having a big bbq dinner for everyone at the bar. you’ll be back by then right?

Strife: won’t be back by friday. something came up i have to deal with

Several minutes passed.

Tifa: i guess there’s nothing you can do when a rush job comes up. when do you think you’ll be back?

Strife: can’t say. could be a while

Tifa: oh i see

Tifa: ok well try not to stay gone too long ok? the kids miss you

Cloud was attempting to formulate a human-sounding reply, when his phone lit up with a new notification.

UNKNOWN: greetings cloud! my name is benjamin hopkins. my friend chadley said you’d like my help with some ghost related information. feel free to give me a call any time, and I’d be happy to assist you however I can.

He stared at his phone screen. A bellhop. Named Benjamin Hopkins. What the fuck ever. Of course that weirdo in the mummy bandages would have a weirdo name.

Sephiroth’s high-school AU version was still wearing the Gold Saucer t-shirt, with the addition of a pair of Cloud’s black jeans, which fit him far too well for Cloud’s liking. At the moment, he was sitting at the camp table, staring into space, because Cloud didn’t have any chores for him to do except wash dishes, and he’d done that already.

“Sephiroth,” Cloud said, giving him a start.

Big, blue-green eyes looked up at him, full of hope and trust. “Yes, sir?”

“If you want something to do, why don’t you go out and chop some firewood, before we’re ass-deep in snow. From the look of things, we’re gonna need it.”

Sephiroth jumped up eagerly. “Yes, sir. How much should I get?”

“Just whatever you can cut while I’m on the phone,” Cloud said carelessly. “The axe is hanging up over there. Shed is behind the cabin. I’ll come check on you, when I’m done with my call.”

“Yes, sir. You can count on me.”

“Sephiroth.”

“Mn?”

“Jacket.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And knock off that sir shit. Call me Cloud.”

“Yes, s—Cloud.”

With a sheepish grin, the boy pulled on the old down jacket Cloud had given him, grabbed the axe, and strode out into the snow, full of determination. Cloud stared at the closed door for a full thirty seconds, after he’d gone, and had to physically shake himself out of the reverie.

Seeing Sephiroth this way was wreaking havoc on his emotional state. The child version had been easy. Similar but unfamiliar. Cloud was able to dissociate him from the mental index he had for Sephiroth, and just see a little boy. The adult version was even easier. He was fully familiar and fit neatly into Cloud’s ‘mortal enemy, hated with the fire of a thousand suns’ index.

The teenaged version was more complicated. This was the Sephiroth who had been his idol and hero, when he was the bullied and ostracized poor kid in this tiny shit town. His reason for never giving up, when things seemed hopeless.

This was the Sephiroth he’d fallen in love with, in the innocent and wholehearted sincerity of childhood. The Sephiroth that a part of him, no matter how forcefully denied and deeply buried, still loved.

He clenched his teeth and swallowed the ache in his throat. If some fragment of himself was still idiotic and delusional enough to harbor anything approaching love for Sephiroth, that was just one more reason to quickly figure out how to end him, once and for all. The sooner the man was gone for good, the better. With fresh resolve, he pulled out his phone and dialed the bellhop’s number.

“Benjamin Hopkins, how can I help you?” said the man’s (not quite as deranged as Cloud remembered) voice.

Cloud sighed audibly. “Is that your real fucking name?”

“No, it’s not,” he retorted. “If you must know, my real name is Subject N-2, and thanks for bringing up that very painful memory. Would you like to talk about ghosts, now?”

“Uh. Sorry,” Cloud muttered. “Is this a good time?”

“Good as any. I’m at work, but it’s a pretty slow day, to tell you the truth, so I’m just hanging around.”

Cloud stifled another sigh. “Did you say that because you’re literally hanging upside-down right now?”

“Eh? Have we met before?”

“Couple years ago. My friends and I were looking for rooms at the hotel. One of them may have been a bit…aggressive.”

“Oh…oh! Are you the little blonde who came in with the giant, the vampire, the cowboy aviator, and a robot cat?”

“I’m impressed you remember us.”

“Ah, ha ha. Mr. Strife, how many times do you think I’ve had an arm-mounted minigun shoved in my face, at my place of employment? Just, ballpark estimate.”

Cloud swallowed. “Is it…one time?”

“Ding ding ding! Correct! Just the one time. So yes, I remember you. A man doesn’t tend to forget that kind of character-defining life and death experience.”

“Sorry about that guy. He has anger issues and trust issues and impulse control issues, and also he’s scared of spooky stuff, so he was acting tough to hide it,” Cloud explained, blithely throwing Barrett under the bus. “But, now that I think of it, I remember you seeming pretty chill about the gun. You didn’t even flinch.”

“Ok, you got me,” the bellhop tittered. “I was exaggerating about the character-defining life and death experience stuff. I’ve been through way worse than that.”

“You have?”

“Yes, yes, it’s all part of my tragic backstory. However! It was highly inappropriate of your friend to threaten a member of the hotel staff with a firearm. Imagine if a normal employee had been the one at the counter, instead. They’d have trauma! I’m sorry to be strict, but for the safety and mental health of the staff and guests, I’m afraid Mr. Barrett Wallace is not welcome on Haunted Hotel premises, until further notice. I hope he takes the opportunity to reflect carefully on his actions.”

“Fair enough. I doubt he’d go back there if you dragged him, anyway.”

“Good. Now that’s settled, let’s talk about your ghost problem. What seems to be the trouble?”

“That’s part of the problem,” Cloud said, feeling a little stupid saying any of this out loud. “I’m not even sure it’s a ghost.”

“Ah, say no more. I happen to have my ‘Got Ghosts?’ checklist handy. Why don’t we go through that, first. More often than not, the phenomena people misidentify as evidence of hauntings are perfectly mundane, explainable things.”

“Um. Ok.”

“Do you have any of the following: shadows or other unexplained movement in your peripheral vision?”

“No.”

“Sensation of falling, while seated or lying down?”

“No.”

“Cold spots in the house?”

“This is Nibelheim. The whole house is a cold spot.”

“I’ll go ahead and check no for that one. Voices laughing, or speaking in whispers/low tones?”

“No.”

“Thinking you hear someone call your name, when alone in the house or with others who deny having done so?”

“No.”

“Scratching or tapping on walls or under floors?”

“No.”

“Sound of footsteps, from empty rooms?”

“No.”

“Lights flickering, or inexplicably being turned off?”

“No.”

“Waking up to the certainty that there is a terrifying presence in the room with you, but unable to move or call for help?”

“No.”

“Pets behaving strangely, and/or interacting with something that is not there?”

“No pets.”

“Objects moved to strange locations, cabinets found open, doors opening or shutting on their own, et cetera?”

“Nope.”

There was a pause. “I’m a little confused, Mr. Strife. If none of these things are occurring, what leads you to believe you might have a ghost?”

“I found a dead person—”

“You found a body??”

“No. Let me finish my sentence, will you? I found a person who I know to be dead, except he’s not acting dead, and he was hanging around in an abandoned basement, naked and crying.”

“He was…that’s uh…wow. A lot to unpack. You’re sure he wasn’t just abducted, and presumed dead? Because, to be honest, that’s kind of what it sounds like.”

“I’m sure. I killed him, myself.”

The bellhop choked audibly. “I—I see. And, uh…the person you found in this basement, who resembles the person you killed—”

“Not resembles. It is him. He answers to his name and knew where he was. But he doesn’t remember me. He seems to be having some kind of weird amnesia, where he’s only getting parts of his memory back.”

“And, um. Not to belabor a point,” the bellhop said gingerly, “but, what makes you think he’s a ghost? I mean, apart from the fact that you claim to have killed him and are definitely one-hundred percent certain that he did actually die.”

“He’s pale. Like, corpse pale. His body is ice-cold. All of it gets kind of transparent, sometimes, but mostly his hands and feet. He has trouble touching things, without his fingers going right through them. And sometimes, when he talks, he fades in and out, like a radio.”

The sound of a pencil scratching, from the other end of the line said enough, so Cloud continued.

“Normal lighting hurts his eyes, so I have to use a gas lantern or just the fireplace. He doesn’t seem to see very well, or maybe he’s just seeing things that aren’t real. Less than two hours ago, I watched him walk straight through a solid wall of stone that he insisted wasn’t there. Also, when I found him yesterday, he was an adult. When I woke up this morning, he was a little kid. Now he’s a teenager.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Mr. Strife—”

“Cloud.”

“Cloud. If you would go this far, just to play some kind of mean-spirited prank—”

“Do I seem like the type of person who plays pranks, Benjamin?”

“Not really,” he conceded. “If anything, you seem to be the 'broody edgelord who takes himself way too seriously' type.”

“That’s not…inaccurate. So, can you help me, or not?”

Benjamin let out a long breath. “Hoo, boy. Let me be honest with you, I thought I was prepared, but none of my usual checklists cover anything like this. That said, your guy actually sounds a lot like a ghost. There are inconsistencies, but if what you’re telling me is the truth, I can’t think of any other explanation. Um. Let me look something up, real quick.”

“Sure, take your time.”

There was another lengthy pause in which Benjamin muttered to himself and Cloud heard pages turning.

“Alright, found it. So, the Cetra believed that the spirits of human beings could be temporarily unable to enter the lifestream, for a number of different reasons. A spirit can’t inhabit its dead body, though, so they show up as disembodied entities, mostly resembling intangible wisps of light. These are what people would commonly call ghosts.”

“But mine’s not an intangible wisp, or whatever,” Cloud pointed out. “He’s actually pretty solid. I even carried him a few times.”

“Right. Hence the inconsistency. The only stories of ghosts being able to take physical bodies and walk around interacting with living people, are from ancient oral traditions, and those were supposedly the spirits of demigods.”

“Ok, back up. Forget about the body thing, for now. What are the reasons someone could be unable to enter the lifestream?”

“Strong resentment, unfinished business, promises to keep—any kind of attachment so strong that it keeps them hanging on, past their time.”

“So, if it was that, what would we do about it?”

“Supposedly, the attachment has to be resolved, then the spirit can be freed and enter the lifestream. For humans. For the demigods…that’s a different story. They were considered to be corrupt beings, so they were rejected permanently. Pretty sad, if you ask me.”

“Corrupt how?”

“Well, demigods are the offspring of humans and gods, which is a big ontological no-no. Gods can’t die, and can’t enter the lifestream, but that’s a whole other thing. The children of an eternal god and a mortal human, therefore, are stuck between worlds. Their bodies can die, but their spirits can’t ascend to godhood, and they can’t join the lifestream either, so they just linger. Some of them go mad and turn into malicious entities, that spread plague and disaster and war, and some just gradually lose themselves, fading but never disappearing. Like Zeno’s paradox, but with existence, instead of infinitely shrinking distances.”

“Shit. That is pretty sad.”

“Yeah, man. Have you studied any mythology? Like, ninety percent of it is a huge bummer.”

“There’s another thing. I attacked him with a sword, when I first saw him. He wasn’t hurt at all, but the attacks backlashed on me, really badly. I’m still recovering from the internal injuries. What could cause that?”

“Huh,” Benjamin said thoughtfully. “A sword attack certainly shouldn’t be able to harm a ghost, but how does it backlash?”

“It wasn’t the blade I hit him with. It was a directed energy spell, using the blade as a catalyst.”

“You used a mana-based attack on the alleged ghost, and it backlashed on you? Holy shit.”

“What?”

“Well, in my experience—I mean, my experience researching ghost-related phenomena, obviously—untethered human souls are extremely fragile. An energy spell should have scattered it, if not destroyed it completely. I’ve never heard of one defending itself, let alone being able to harm a living person.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. So, to be on the safe side, maybe don’t do that anymore. In the meantime, are there any other extremely significant details that you haven’t bothered to bring up, yet? Because, I’d really like to just hear it all at once, if that’s ok.”

“Just a few things. He has these memory flashbacks, he gets caught in. He can bring me into them, but he doesn’t know how. It’s happened a few times. Also, when we were sleeping, last night, I dreamed a bunch of random pieces of his memories.”

“You believe he’s a ghost, and you went to sleep, in the same room with him?”

“I just said sleeping. Why do you assume we were in the same room?”

“Were you?”

“Yes. What does it matter?”

“I’m impressed, is all. You’re a different breed than most huma—ahem—most people, aren’t you.”

“He was a lot scarier alive. That’s why I want to figure out how to kill him permanently, as soon as possible.”

“Without killing yourself along with him, you mean.”

“Sure.”

“O…kay. Anything else you haven’t mentioned?”

Cloud opened his mouth to tell Benjamin about the pain in his chest, that had been growing since he approached Nibelheim, and how it had gotten unbearable when Sephiroth started to fade, earlier, but for some reason, he became extremely reluctant to talk about it. “Uh. No, that’s all.”

“Alrighty,” Benjamin said cheerfully. “I’m gonna have to do a little research and get back to you, because, um. Ha ha. I’ve never heard of anything like this situation, in my life.”

“Right. Well, thanks for doing this. I appreciate it.”

“Anything for a friend of Chadley. Hey, just out of curiosity, where’s your ghost, now? You didn’t talk about all of this in front of him, right?”

“No, I sent him out to chop firewood, so we could talk.”

“You sent him to chop firewood. And he just…obeyed you?”

“Yeah. He’s been cooperative, the whole time.”

“Wow. Are you sure you don’t want to keep him? Joking, joking. Oop, got some customers. It was nice talking to you! Bye!”

“See ya,” Cloud replied, but the man had already hung up.

What a strange person. Which, upon mature consideration, was rather unsurprising, for an upside-down bellhop at the Haunted Hotel, who dressed like a mummy for work, and studied ghosts in his free time. Despite all that, Cloud felt inclined to trust him. There was something familiar and reliable, in his aura. Like they’d already known each other.

Cloud’s hyper-tuned hearing didn’t detect any chopping, outside the cabin, so he went out to see how Sephiroth was faring. Fat snowflakes were falling heavily, and the world was still and silent, the way it only gets, when everything is muffled under several inches of snow.

Sephiroth was nowhere in sight, so Cloud went around to the back and stopped short. The woodshed door was wide open, and what appeared to be smoke was billowing out into the cold air.

“Fuck—Sephiroth!” he exclaimed, dashing for the shed.

The boy popped his head out. “Cloud? What’s wrong?”

“What’s going on?” Cloud asked, confused. “What is all this…steam?”

“I filled the shed all the way up, and now I’m using a desiccation spell, to dry the wood out, so it’ll burn better and it won’t rot,” Sephiroth explained brightly.

Cloud peered into the shed, and saw the neatly and tightly stacked wood, already split and free of twigs and foliage. Sure enough, there was a thin layer of yellowish light on all of it, and it was cheerfully releasing steam, like a huge stack of fresh baked buns.

“What about the wood that was already in here?”

“I moved it all to the woodpile, at the front of the cabin.” Misunderstanding Cloud’s expression, Sephiroth’s face fell, “I—I’m sorry, I know you didn’t tell me to do that, but I thought—”

“No, it’s ok,” Cloud interrupted. “I was just surprised that you worked so fast. You did everything right. Good job.”

The beautiful boy lit up like a firework, at that little bit of praise, nearly annihilating Cloud on the spot.

His cheeks and nose were touched with pink, from all the exercise in the cold, which only made him look even sweeter and more innocent, as he beamed up at him. If only he could’ve stayed this way. If only he hadn’t been tortured and horribly abused, until he became the very monster he’d always feared he was.

The moment his heart began to soften, a surge of black bitterness rose up in Cloud’s throat to choke him. How could Sephiroth ever have been like this? He was always beautiful, but he couldn’t have been innocent and sweet, even at this age. He was already a cold-blooded killer, after all. It must be a deception, to manipulate him.

“You look sad,” Sephiroth said. “Is everything alright?”

“You’re turning pink.”

“Am I?” Sephiroth reached up to touch his cheeks, self-consciously.

“Yeah. But why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re dead,” Cloud said flatly. “You don’t have blood. So how would your cheeks flush from being cold?”

The boy’s eyes suddenly went hazy and unfocused. “I’m…I’m dead.”

Sure enough, the flush of color drained from his face, leaving his skin waxen white; so translucent, that his veins were visible in his cheeks, as faint, bluish lines. His whole person seemed to wither, and become greyer and duller.

Cloud immediately regretted listening to that bitter part of himself, and lashing out at the boy. Whatever evil Sephiroth had done, this child hadn’t done it, yet.

“Seph…I’m sorry,” he said, gingerly patting the boy’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have talked to you that way.”

Sephiroth’s skin instantly began to brighten, again, and that dead, grey cast fell away. But now his eyes were dewy and pink-rimmed. “Wh—why did you call me that?”

“What?”

“You called me Seph.”

“Isn’t that how people usually shorten your name?”

“I don’t know.” Two big, round tears rolled down his rosy cheeks. “No one ever has.”

Cloud was utterly at a loss, so he just patted the boy’s shoulder again. “Come on, don’t cry. Let’s go inside. You’re covered in snow.”

They hung up their coats on the hooks by the door, and kicked the snow off their boots, which they set by the fire, to dry. While Sephiroth put more wood on, Cloud was assessing the food supply, in case this storm lasted a while. He wasn’t too worried, though. He’d stocked up well on canned and dry goods, had plenty of fish in the freezer, and could always hunt.

It was no problem for him to traverse the route into town in extreme weather, but that wouldn’t do a lot of good if the town was too snowed in to function. If worse came to worst, he’d go over and clear the main roads. That was work that would be long and arduous for an entire crew of regular people, but with his strength and fire spells, wasn’t even difficult. He’d done it before.

While Sephiroth was bathing, Cloud toasted up some simple, grilled cheese sandwiches, on the skillet, which he cut into triangles. Then he got out a saucepan and began to heat up some milk.

The heavy snow put him in mind of winters with his mother, in their little house, and the rare luxury that was hot cocoa. He didn’t have peppermint sticks or marshmallows, so he sprinkled a little cinnamon on top.

He was just pouring it into the mugs, when Sephiroth came out, in those old sweatpants and another of Cloud’s t-shirts. He’d pulled his damp, chin-length hair back into a mini-ponytail at the base of his skull, which looked ridiculously cute.

“Dinner,” Cloud said.

Sephiroth sat dutifully at the camp table. “What’s this brown stuff?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at the mug Cloud set in front of him.

“Cinnamon.”

“And we drink it?”

“If you want. You don’t have to.”

Sephiroth reached for the mug, which his solid-looking fingers picked up with no trouble. Putting it to his lips, he took a cautious little sip. He froze for a beat. Then his eyes went round and starry and he sucked down every last drop of the warm, creamy cocoa, smacking his lips and ‘mm-ing’ delightedly between slurps.

Cloud nearly spit his own cocoa out, laughing, at the tragic face he made, when he realized his mug was empty. “You like it, huh?”

Sephiroth nodded vigorously. “Mn! I love it! I want to drink cinnamon all the time!”

“It’s called hot cocoa,” Cloud corrected. “Cinnamon is just the stuff sprinkled on top.”

“Hot cocoa,” Sephiroth repeated. “What is it made of?”

“My mom made it with chopped up chocolate and sugar, but I just use the tinned mix. There’s more in the saucepan, if you want.”

Sephiroth’s expression became grave. “Your mother taught you to make this?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re sharing it with me?”

“Looks that way.”

“Thank you,” Sephiroth said, dipping his head, as Cloud poured more cocoa into his mug. “I feel very honored.”

“It’s just hot cocoa. I’m sure everyone’s moms made it for them.”

“My mother…would have made this for me?”

“Probably.”

Sephiroth fell silent, looking reverent and reflective, as he slowly sipped the cocoa, this time, carefully savoring every mouthful, seemingly lost in his own little world. He didn’t touch the grilled cheese, but Cloud hadn’t expected him to. He was surprised enough that the boy was able to drink the cocoa. He ate both grilled cheese sandwiches, himself, without remarking on it, then went to take his shower.

When he came out again, Sephiroth had washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. Cloud had never thought of Sephiroth as someone who would be able or willing to undertake such mundane tasks. He’d only seen the lofty and beautiful hero, standing at the vanguard, sword in hand, sweeping away enemies like chaff on the wind.

This ghost, however, was turning out to be quite the cheerful little domestic helper, willing to do whatever task was at hand, and very good at everything he put is hand to. He’d even piled more wood onto the fire, swept the floor, and tied up the garbage in a neat little bundle, by the door, to be carried away.

Cloud lay down in his bed, but seeing the teenaged boy curled up on the rug, by the fire, wrapped in his one blanket, was too much for his conscience.

“Seph,” he said. “It’s too cold to sleep on the floor. We can share the bed.”

The boy looked up timidly. “Are…are you sure?”

“Yeah, come on. If you get sick, it’ll just be more trouble for me.”

Thus reassured, Sephiroth hurried over in his blanket and threw it over the top of the others, then shimmied in under the covers.

“Oh,” he breathed. “Your bed is so soft!”

Cloud squinted. “Is it?”

“It’s the softest bed I’ve ever been in! It’s amazing!”

“It’s just a futon on a wood frame.”

“What’s a futon?”

“It’s um…a Wutaian mattress.”

For what seemed like a very long time, Cloud lay stiffly on his back, staring up at firelight dancing on the ceiling, and carefully avoiding touching the boy, who was writhing and wriggling about, like he had fleas. At long last, he seemed to get comfortable and settle down. But just as Cloud was closing his eyes to drift off—

“Cloud?”

“Hm.”

“Why does your hair stick up like that, but mine hangs down?”

“Dunno. This is just the way it is.”

“Can I…can I touch it?”

Cloud eyed him dubiously. “Can you touch it? I mean…I don’t know why you want to, but I guess so.”

Sephiroth reached out and delicately prodded the blonde spikes. “It feels just like my hair. I thought it would be more like goat hair.”

“What? Why goat hair?” Cloud scowled.

Sephiroth grinned and kept petting his head, absently scooting closer, till their knees touched.

Cloud’s stomach fluttered nervously, in spite of himself. Yes, he was an adult now, but this was his first love, after all. In his mind, he was suddenly eleven years old again, gazing at a Shinra recruitment poster he’d kept secreted away in his bedroom, daydreaming about what it would feel like to kiss those perfect lips.

“Ok, time to sleep,” he said abruptly, turning onto his side, with his back to Sephiroth.

“Goodnight, Cloud,” Sephiroth whispered, after a few minutes had passed.

“Goodnight, Seph. Now, no more talking.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY credit to @soundcrusher for the bellhop's name and backstory, which they let me borrow for this fic 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

ao3

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 35 of 35 | masterpost

word count: 2599 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

✦ on this chapter: james hetfield x female!oc, dave mustaine x female!oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, romance, a happy ending of sorts

✧ I'm alright here in your arms, darlin' ✧

The weekend zipped by, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived again. Going back to Long Beach and parting ways with Cliff and the boys could've made me a bit sad, but the silver lining was that they were gearing up to pay me a visit soon; everyone was planning to catch my play the next weekend, and to top it off, of course they’d invited me to visit them in Denmark during the new album recordings. 

I'd likely be tied up for a bit, getting my ducks in a row for the start of my art studies, but I'd given my word to James I'd come hang out with them for at least a week. As soon as those words slipped out, he showered me with fiery kisses, his hands all over my body, gently urging me with his touch to change my mind and stick around just a little bit longer than planned.

I snuffed out my cigarette on the balcony rail the moment I spotted my dad's Mercedes rolling down the street. James let out a low whistle, clearly impressed by the sight, his hand wrapped around my waist.

"So, on top of the badass bike, you roll in this sweet ride too?" he inquired, and I chuckled.

"Dad's wheels, James. He doesn’t even let me near it ever since I totaled the last one."

Dad pulled up to the curb, and there was Mom, chilling shotgun, arm out the window with a cigarette in hand. He honked, and I hunched down to grab my backpack with a sigh. Quick goodbyes to Cliff, Lars, and Kirk followed before I turned to James.

"See you next week," I grinned, and James strolled over, snagging my waist before planting a long kiss on my mouth, making me blush like crazy. "James! My parents are watching!"

"So what?" he laughed, then dropped another soft kiss on my lips, saying, "Catch you next week, Nore. I'll miss you."

I let out a big sigh, my face on fire as I made my way to the car, yanking open the back door and dodging Dad's curious look in the rearview mirror.

"Oh God," Mom groaned dramatically, taking a slow drag of her cig, eyes locked on James, who was flashing a smile, chilling against the balcony railing. "It's always the long-haired ones, isn't it?"

I ignored her, cheeks still burning, and stared out the window as Dad revved up the car, leaving my friends behind.

"We've got one last thing to handle in San Francisco before we head home, Ellie," Dad chimed in all cheerful. "Hope you don’t mind coming with us."

I blinked, intrigued, and gave a nod. We cruised around the city for a bit until we hit a cute street with a bunch of wooden townhouses. Dad pulled up in front of one, and we hopped out. He fished out a key, popped the door open, and we stepped into an empty space.

I furrowed my brow, kinda puzzled, but tagged along as Mom and Dad showed me the place, enthusiastically talking about how good the neighborhood was. The house was indeed beautiful, with a big backyard, a tiny pool out back with a BBQ spot, three bedrooms and two baths upstairs, and downstairs, two living rooms, a bath and a big kitchen, along with a garage and a basement.

"So?" my dad asked after we wrapped up the tour. "Decent house, right?"

"A bit basic, but I guess it'll work," my mom threw in.

"Work for what?" I chimed in, now seriously puzzled. She huffed, and Dad shot me a grin.

"For you, obviously! You're coming back to San Francisco soon, right?" He reached out, handing me the keys. "It's yours."

"Dad… What do you mean, it's mine?" I blurted out, surprise heavy in my voice. "You're not telling me you guys..."

"We bought the house, of course," my mom replied, and I widened my eyes. "I think it'll be a good starting point for you, don't you think? Much better than that little apartment you had in LA."

"But this... Mom! " I blurted out, panicking at my parents' extravagance. "It's too big! What am I supposed to do with all this space?"

"Oh, we thought you could share it with Cliff and your friends," Dad chimed in, like it was the most obvious thing. "There's enough room for everyone, don't you think?"

I blinked, perplexed, staring at the keys Dad had handed me. Things are changing at warp speed for us, Nore. Cliff's words seemed to echo in my mind, and I realized they were true. Life had flipped upside down in the past year, big time. What was waiting for me in the future? Where was I headed? I had no clue.

But for the first time in forever, I wasn't scared to find out.

"Oh, right!" Dad smiled. "We had the basement soundproofed. It'll be great for the band’s rehearsals, don't you think?"

I just stared at him for a second, then out of nowhere, walked up and hugged him. Dad chuckled, looking a bit surprised but didn't miss a beat returning the hug. When I pulled away, Mom was watching us with a rare little smile on her lips.

"You've grown a lot, Ellie," my dad smiled.

"We're proud of you," my mom added, softly.

If this was a dream, I sure didn't want anyone waking me up.

Backstage at the theater, the usual chaos would get my nerves going, especially for a play I hadn't drilled as much as I probably should've. But weirdly, not this time. When the big day rolled in, a serene calm took over. Maybe it was the joint some of the crew had passed around before we kicked off play prep, or maybe I was just pumped as hell about reuniting with James, Cliff, Lars, Kirk, and Leanne real soon.

"Nore, you look beautiful!" Charlotte beamed, grabbing my hands, and I couldn't help but notice that the same was true for her as well; she had on the play's costume – a gorgeous green dress making her eyes pop, curly brown hair all braided and falling down her right shoulder, shiny makeup adorning her face.

I hadn't checked myself out in the mirror yet, but I knew I'd be rocking something similar – a bomb short shiny blue dress, my hair done up in a fancy bun with a few strands casually framing my face.

"I'm seriously over the moon that everything fell into place. Thanks a bunch, really," she said with genuine warmth. I couldn't help but grin, seeing how pumped Charlie was, understanding this meant the world to her.

"Hey, you'd do the same for me, right?" I tossed back, and she flashed a smile. "Feeling the nerves?"

"Oh, you've got no clue!" she burst out. "I'm gonna need another one of those joints the second we step off that stage."

"I'm down. Just hit me up, and we'll blaze together," I teased, throwing a wink her way. She cracked up, loud and free.

The play kicked off real quick, the lights in the theater dimming, the chaos backstage and the audience hushing up as the first beats of the musical soundtrack kicked in. I hung behind the curtain, catching Charlotte's opening monologue, biding my time for the cue to hit the stage.

Once I stepped out there, all my worries, pains, and nerves just melted away like pure magic.

I had always loved visual arts, but theater always had its own sweet spot in my heart too. The crazy rehearsals that used to be part of my life in High School had done more than just boost my confidence; they’d helped me make friends and fill the void Cliff left when he moved to another city. Rehearsing for a play was fun, but nothing beat that kickass feeling coursing through me when I owned the stage, knowing all the hard work had paid off.

When my bit wrapped up, I risked a peek at the crowd on my way out. A faint grin hit my lips when I spotted Cliff, Leanne, Lars, Kirk, James, and even Mom and Dad in the second row. I locked eyes with Cliff for a moment, and he smiled, the pride shining in his eyes warming my heart with happiness.

I popped up a few more times during the play, but the real star of the show was Charlotte. She hit us all in the feels with her performance, bringing most of the crowd to tears by the end of her story. When the crew gathered on stage for the applause, I noticed that even my mom seemed moved, a gorgeous smile on her face that made her look years younger.

I always figured I took after my dad more, but right then, seeing my mom genuinely happy and touched, it hit me like a ton of bricks that, shockingly, we looked way more alike than I’d ever let myself admit.

The scene after the play was a total whirlwind; we were all throwing hellos, hugs, and compliments around, and Charlotte was practically buzzing with joy at every little pat on the back for her killer performance. Later on, we ditched the fancy gear and chipped in with the stage crew, sorting out whatever needed sorting. It took me almost an hour to finally wiggle my way out from backstage, and there they all were: my friends and my parents, patiently waiting for me. I let out a soft chuckle when Cliff snagged me into a hug. 

"You killed it," he whispered, grinning. "So damn proud of you, Nore."

Once all the hugs and grins were done, it was party time. Charlotte was set to hang with the cast, but Leanne, the guys, and I had our own shindig by the pool lined up. Dad was on chauffeur duty, driving Mom, Leanne and me home. Cliff would roll in after, bringing James, Lars, and Kirk along for the ride.

"Well, shall we go then? I asked Alice to get the heated pool ready for you, and the coolers are already stocked with drinks," my dad tossed out, looking as excited as I was.

"Heated pool ," James teased, whispering in my ear, his arm pulling me in close. "What's next? You gonna tell me you're secretly royalty?"

"Are you intimidated, by any chance?" I quipped, arching an eyebrow. He grinned, planting a light kiss on my cheek.

"By you? Never," he shot back, and I gave him a playful shove. That just made him laugh.

Leanne and I got home first. Quick pit stop in the bathroom to slap on our swimsuits, and then, we were both pool-ready. When we hit the pool deck, Cliff, James, Lars, and Kirk had just arrived. I couldn't help but grin at the sight – Kirk and Lars had gone all in, cannonballing into the pool with their clothes on, splashing everyone in sight. They were all laughs, not a care in the world. James, shirtless, was whipping up a couple of drinks and talking with Cliff, who was already puffing away on a cigarette. Leanne and I strolled up, and she wrapped her arms around Cliff, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm itching to dive into that pool," Leanne chirped, all hyped, and Cliff flashed a smile. "Ready to make a splash?"

Off they went, leaving me to lean on the table, checking out James finishing up the drinks.

"I tried whipping up a Cosmopolitan," he spilled, handing one over with a grin. "Not sure it's a masterpiece, though. I'm clueless about these fancy drinks, but I wanted to impress my girl. Figured you deserved it."

My girl. I blushed at his words, my heart doing somersaults, a goofy grin spreading across my face. I took the drink, had a sip, and crinkled my nose – tasted like a bit too much vodka, truth be told.

"It's basically a Vodkapolitan," I quipped, and he cracked up. "But hey, you know you don't need fancy drinks to impress me, right?"

"So, what do I need, then?" he asked, sliding in closer with a grin, hand resting on the small of my back. I shot him a smile.

"Not much. You're already rocking it, Hetfield."

He burst into a big laugh, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting a sweet kiss on my shoulder.

"How's your heart doing?" he asked. "Still missing Dave?"

I could read between the lines of his question. Do you still love him? Do you still want to be with him? Can I surrender to what I’m feeling? Can I hope you feel the same?

"Yeah," I sighed. No point in hiding that. No point in pretending. If there was one thing I’d figured out in the past year, it was that sweeping feelings under the rug and dodging the tough talks just lead to trouble. "I don't know if I'll ever stop missing him, James. And I need to find him. You understand that?"

"Absolutely," he said, grabbing my hand, our fingers weaving together.

"But I love you too," I said, and he flashed a soft smile. "And honestly, I'm done wrestling with that."

"Well, I love you right back," he grinned, his arms wrapped around my waist. I rested my hands on his chest, our foreheads touching. "Just gotta remember what Cliff told me and I’ll be okay."

"What?" I chuckled. "What's the Cliff wisdom?"

"That if I ever hurt you, he'd land a swift kick to my balls," he spilled, and I cracked up, throwing my head back. I sighed happily as he leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on my neck. "But, for the record, I have zero plans of hurting you. You know that, yeah?"

"Appreciate the thoughtfulness," I shot back with a smile, and he burst into laughter.

Later, when we were all a bit tipsy and wiped out, we ended up talking and laughing together over some brews. I smiled fondly, soaking in the sight; Lars and Kirk passing a smoke between them, still chilling in the pool with their arms draped over the edge. Cliff posted up in a chair, Leanne casually braiding a lock of his hair, perched on his lap while he slung an arm around her waist, nursing a half-empty beer. And James, right next to me, his hand resting on my waist, dropping lazy kisses on my neck when he thought no one would see.

It was perfect.

Finally, after all those months, I felt whole.

I wasn't the same girl who’d hopped on a bus to San Francisco that winter of '83. Life had tossed me around, and I’d come out the other side a different breed. I knew I would always love Dave, that I wouldn't rest until I found him, until I explained everything, until I knew he knew the truth, the depth of my love for him. I knew I would never stop missing him.

But there was also James. And James loved me. Where would that road lead? Man, it was a whole new territory, nothing like what I felt for Dave. Yet, I wasn’t afraid, 'cause I had James in my corner. My friends were there, Cliff too. Hell, even my parents were trying to be nice to me this time, and I appreciated it more than I could say.

Change was blowing in the wind. Everything felt fresh, but guess what? This time, I wasn't sad, scared, or angry.

Everything was perfect.

And I was happy.

✧ if you'd like to be tagged on the next parts, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list! ❤ ✧

tag list: @killazilla777 @whatsupvic @70srogah @genswine9 @twice360noscope

✦ a/n: James and Nore had their happy ending, but what will happen when Dave comes back into Nore's life? You guys will know all about this in the epilogue, I promise!

I just gotta say, it means the world to me that I managed to finish this whole story, and I'm beyond grateful for all the love and support from everyone who's been following along. I'm so, so thankful from the bottom of my heart for all the nice comments and interactions and I really hope you've enjoyed following Nore's journey as much as I loved writing it ❤

About the epilogue, I had to split it into more than one part, because I didn't want to rush anything or leave anything unanswered. It turned out way bigger than I imagined it would 😭 And I'm not done writing it yet, but it's all planned so I know it's gonna be either.... 5 or 6 parts.... I'm really sorry for being such a verbose writer, it's more of a small sequel at this point lol

I will take a short break from posting this Monday and will start posting the epilogue next Friday, hopefully keeping the same posting schedule unless I get too busy to write or post on time.

Big thanks to everyone who stuck with the story this far! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. See you next Friday! ❤🌸💗💖✨

[bk-4-trash-fire]

OK so like I keep thinking about ENA reader it makes my brain hurt

So have all my headcanons

make sure to not spam my account please I don't want to block you

This can be divided into two completely different types of ENA reader

Temptation stairway ENA and BBQ ENA

Let's start with the ENA we know most of

One of the many things I thought of for this is distortion or the warping of teyvat

Like the ground and animals in the reader, the vicinity starts to warp into the beings we see in temptation stairway

I mentioned this in my last ena reader post but I'll put it here,

The ability to phase through walls or the ground itself

Reader being able to basically glitch reality is somehow funny to me

But the thing is, we have to glitchy forms of ena that have not ( at least from my knowledge ) have never been explained

One of my favorite headcanons is that ena reader has their own moony friend

Also headcanon that moony is the only reason reader hasn't done stupid shit

I also headcanon that reader is tall

Like very talll

Like 7ft tall

As for personality, it strikes me as erratic or calm business man

Yellow is the wise, calm side of the reader. The one who always wants balance. One that is fueled with knowledge of creation and love

Blue is the emotion fueled, chaotic side. The one who is filled with sorrow with their children and the pain they go through. A part that is forever wanting to rid of the pain they made.

OK, time for BBQ ENA reader

We know very little on this particular ENA, so this will be short of made headcanons I can infer from the two videos (that being the trailer and the voice showing), We have to go off.

BIGGEST HEADCANON

Reader has the business man type and is friends with kirara

But for what we know, BBQ readers' job is probably the worst low wage job I have ever seen

Probably can't catch a break anywhere

Maybe strike deals when they feel silly

And that's all for now

Ok thus has to be my longest post I've ever made

I'll add more to this when BBQ comes out

see ya :)