#THE SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF THE VERY SPANISH PARTS OF THIS ASK?

[yu7i]

GOD I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE HOW LONG THIS ASK WAS I'M SORRY

but i'm also not THAT sorry but also THANK YOU for taking the time to answer this and i'm insane about this response and it's the best way someone could ever answer this and i have a lot to say about it

and no i will not be making my own textposts because it's way funnier if every once in a while something like this spawns in your inbox<3

First!! i want to mention how pleasantly surprised i was by your spanish- because i was not expecting an accurate representation of how the argentinian accent works at all, and also i don't know if you did that on purpose but

"Qué tomás" is correct, but it's also the rudest way you could ask someone what they are drinking, and it fits vegeta so well because old men often talk like that in argentina

Second!! vegeta and trunks drinking maté from separate cups is all of those things you mentioned at the same time but i'd also like to mention that if i saw that on the wild i would have such a visceral reaction, because it's such an unnatural thing and such sacrilege but also it's hilarious

because it's such a funny image in such a bizarre way, but also nothing in argentina is really sacred, but also dude that's not how you do it and It's something so WRONG and if you did that in front of a gaucho they would run you over with a horse but also something you would forgive because it's so... incredulous

ALSO, going on about the goten doesn't like maté bit

goten would totally drink maté cocido (yerba maté in a little tea sack and you drink it like tea and it only tastes a little different than actual maté but it's an individual thing and you can put as much sugar you want in it and it's such an iconic-ly childish version of maté to drink and most kids always have this as breakfast along with like cookies or other pastries) and i find that so funny because it would be so normal to see like, for example;

Goku and Chichi and Gohan maybe too, all sat on the table drinking maté, and Goten is there too and he has his little maté cocido cup and he's eating vainillas (i had these for breakfast all the time and i think goten would like them) and they're chatting about whatever and it's natural and it's normal, average argentinian family, goten doesn't think too much about it.

but then when you add trunks into the equation and it suddenly has such an mature aura goten has never thought about before and he feels alienated from and he's sitting there with his silly little ACTUAL cup and not passing the maté around like it's a blunt with everyone else

shortly after he stops giving a shit again when pan comes over to their house too and videl tells her "Decile al tío goten que te haga un maté cocido :)" (tell uncle goten to make you a maté cocido) and pan does and she's like "TIO GOTEN ME HACES UN MATÉ COCIDO? :)" (uncle goten, can you make me some maté cocido?) and goten and pan drink maté cocido together and life is good again and trunks can go fuck himself

and bulla probably tries to drink maté too because all the grown ups do that and she looks like the type of girl to want to be an adult so bad but she really doesn't like it but she's trying and she drinks it with her family once they aren't estranged with each other and build a routine of drinking maté in the morning all together but when she's over at goten's she also asks him to make her some maté cocido and now it's this little thing they share because they don't drink maté, fuck that noise

ALSO THE TETERÉ THING WAS LITERALLY WRITEN WITH NOTHING IN MIND it was vaguely Tsundere Trunks Moments inspired but also Trunks Sos Un Forro Moments, it was really just left to interpretation, trunks is still chill enough to start offering goten tereré after this happens though and he even drinks it when the weather is particularly hot and he can't stand to drink normal maté, vegeta and bulma are old though and they still drink maté on summer because old argentinian people do that. we live in a country of insane people

also only vaguely related but i would like to mention that goku is a gaucho and goten and gohan are too to some degree and goten often talks like one and trunks cannot for the life of him understand what the fuck he's talking about

Hello tumblr user dballzposting, i've had a terribly latin american goten and trunks idea while thinking about making myself some maté (weirdass boiling tea-esque argentinian-paraguayan-uruguayan concoction served in a little rotund cup-esque thing that is drank with a metal straw-like thing that isn't really a straw but works like one but better so you dont swallow the leaves and herbs in the little rotund son of a bitch, anyway big part of it is that it's bitter and you drink it while its HOT as balls) and i'm hoping you do not mind the completely cultural dissonance of this ask, i will try to make this make sense

but thinking about mate and how i personally think the Son family is very rural and whatnot and it's canon to some extent but i like to give it some third worlder campo flavor- anyway, i don't think Goten likes maté, but i think Trunks loves it, and Goten kinda resents him for that (its not that serious but trunks can get a little annoying)

because maybe one day trunks comes over to their house and chichi and gohan are there having some maté and like facturas(pastries, see "facturas argentinas" for a clearer picture) and toast with dulce de leche(it solos nutella, change my mind) and trunks never tried maté because bulma doesn't really drink it even if she likes it cause she has a shitty rich ppl coffee machine so trunks drinks that, and vegeta too.. maybe. So trunks has never really tried maté and gohan offers him some because he's nice and goten looks at him expecting him to either burn his tongue or not like it because it's so bitter (he's projecting.) but trunks actually really likes it and he asks gohan how to make it and goten is flabbergasted

days later trunks starts drinking it while he's doing his machine tinkering thing or maybe doing homework (cause the maté thing is like a young teen issue) and he becomes really good at it and at some point he's outside maybe just laying in the grass in some capsule corp garden and drinking maté and vegeta finds him and he usually wouldn't give a shit but he asks to try whatever the fuck has the boy addicted and he likes it too because trunks drinks it bitter and boiling and i think vegeta would too, so it kinda becomes a father-son bonding activity to wake up everyday and have vegeta yell "BOY. MAKE ME SOME MATÉ" or the objectively funnier spanish version: "NENE, CEBAME UN MATE." ("nene" is way closer to meaning "kid" or "child" than it is to "boy" tbh and that just makes it better) and trunks is like "sure" and he makes some and they drink some in silence together (because you don't use individual "cups" for it, you both have to drink it from the same one and refill it from a thermos. maté drinking is a social activity.) and then vegeta flies off to train and trunks goes to school and maybe bulma is there sometimes because she misses drinking maté (and maybe trunks forgets that yamcha fucked his dad, maybe.)

and now when goten comes over to his house trunks offers him maté as a joke to bother him because he knows he doesn't like it (he doesn't like it the way trunks drinks it, or his family drinks it, there's a different version of maté that instead of boiling water has some sort of fruit juice and ice called tereré and i think goten would love that) and goten is done with him and he tells him "SABES QUE NO ME GUSTA EL MATE SOS UN FORRO TRUNKS NO VENGO MAS A TU CASA DE MIERDA" ("YOU KNOW I DONT LIKE MATÉ YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE TRUNKS I'M NEVER COMING OVER TO YOUR SHITTY HOUSE AGAIN" but its funnier knowing the insult "forro" is also another word for condom) and he says so as he's turning on the playstation and sitting down on the couch so he has no intention of leaving but he wants trunks to know that he's being a bitch about his newfound love of maté and that he's deleting fortnite off his ps5 if he keeps this on

also i think videl and gohan would have those shitty picnics some argentinian families have all the time in like those big ass parks and they drink maté and eat these very specific argentinian cookies and i came up with this bit of the delusion solely on the basis of "yeah this would be great enrichment for pan because when i was tiny like her they took me to those shitty picnics all the time and i turned out ok." and also they could invite goten and trunks so they can pick up a football or something and trunks is like sitting with them on the dumbass picnic banquet like "can i make the maté :)?" and he's so happy about it like in his relaxed cool guy wannabe way but he's also like genuinely happy about it and gohan can tell and he's like "sure :)" and trunks does that and every time they are passing around the maté trunks passes it over to goten who looks like he wants to explode him with his mind

and trunks could make some tereré for goten i guess but it's not like he made it FOR HIM specifically while THINKING ABOUT HIM or thinking about what GOTEN would ENJOY or whatever, yknow?

yours truly, yu7i, i'm sorry

I...

I want to play Miitopia with you. So bad

Hey this post is long I hope y’all don’t mind me sticking a readmore on this sonofabitch. Whatever my response is gonna be doesnt matter much .. It’s done and said right there innit.

- I didn’t know that the character limit on asks was so ... liberal.

- Thank you for the description of maté.. My only exposure beforehand has been the yerbe maté on Tomodachi Life (3DS game).

- I dont know what to fucking say. This is so important. First paragraph alone is both engrossing and lethal.

- I like the things you say and the way in which you say them.

- You cant just put this in someone’s inbox and expect them to be okay.

- You can make your own textposts and @ me in them and then other people can access your genius without having to trudge through my response .. for your consideration. You don’t have to. Whatever you’re comfortable with

- This is so real ... so in-character and believable.

- We can cross this with the dballzposting cinematic universe and point out that Vegeta had boobs (for fashion purposes) for around 2 years and he got rid of them when Trunks was around 14 I think. That is to say, it wasn’t too long ago compared to this. And during that time Trunks and Vegeta didn’t really talk much or hang out much because Trunks was perturbed by the boob thing because no one ever bothered to explain it to him. So his relationship with his father took a hit. And now it’s being healed by maté time! :D 

- Trunks lying outside enjoying the sun enjoying maté time and his father just quietly manifests. Arms crossed. Standing out of Trunks’s peripheral. Catching the breeze in his hair. (ok this is baby’s first spanish so be gentle. Here I go.) “Qué tomás.” (I put an accent over the ‘a’ becasue I’m under the impression that you do that when conjugating in the vos form. I learned of this form only an hour ago so please correct me if I’m wrong / if it’s of minor importance...)

- I’ve been trying to answer this ask on and off for three hours now. ((editor’s note: as mentioned at the end of this post I am hitting post in the morning so that people will see it. But this post stole sleep from me last night))

-  "NENE, CEBAME UN MATE." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you

- THE IMAGE OF THEM DRINKING IT IN SILENCE..... I had the thought though that if Vegeta doesn’t know what it is or the custom about it then he could have very well expected his own cup. And when Trunks was like “No we gotta drink it together it’s how you do it” he could’ve assumed that Trunks was just fucking with him. And then I had the thought of Vegeta still insisting on his own cup and then the two of them sitting AT THE SAME TABLE but drinking maté in SEPARATE CUPS and I need you to please tell me if that would be so disturbing and jarring to see and definitely symbolic of a deeply disconnected relationship OR if it would be SOO PETTY and THE FUNNIEST VISUAL GAG EVER or if it would be yknow just not a big deal given the context. Or even maybe just a little funny. Let me know.

- Yeah maybe Trunks forgets about the boobs and about how Yamucha fucked his dad .. Maybe things go back to normal ...

- Bulma would definitely like maté. She drinks so much coffee on the original dragon ball. She loves bitter shit 

- This was such an important section:  “’SABES QUE NO ME GUSTA EL MATE SOS UN FORRO TRUNKS NO VENGO MAS A TU CASA DE MIERDA’ (’YOU KNOW I DONT LIKE MATÉ YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE TRUNKS I'M NEVER COMING OVER TO YOUR SHITTY HOUSE AGAIN’ but its funnier knowing the insult ‘forro’ is also another word for condom) and he says so as he's turning on the playstation and sitting down on the couch so he has no intention of leaving but he wants trunks to know that he's being a bitch about his newfound love of maté and that he's deleting fortnite off his ps5 if he keeps this on”

I KNOW they have a ps5. And I didn’t recognize the verb “sos” so I spent like an hour (my computer is slow) googling it and reading what I could find and now I know about it & that’s why I put that accent on that “a” earlier and if that’s stupid you can tell me but if it’s good and fine and accurate then that’s thrilling too.

Why did you send this in today. I did not have the time for this today. It’s now been like 3 and a half hours. I didnt HAVE THIS TIME TONIGHT..!

- The way you went on about the picnics is so funny to me becasue you exclusively described them with pejorative adjectives like it’s just something you KNOW ABOUT and SEE but it’s not something that you DO but also you used to but it’s WHATEVER it’s just a THING that people DO in these huge ass parks like who CARES ugh. Adds character and makes the post shine. Really solidifies the tone

-  “and he's so happy about it like in his relaxed cool guy wannabe way but he's also like genuinely happy” SO HIM UGH. So him. I’ve seen it. On screen

- I CAN SEE GOTEN WANTING HIM TO EXPLODE HIM WITH HIS MIND ... IN MY OWN MIND... Hold on. 

ok i tried.

- “and trunks could make some tereré for goten i guess but it's not like he made it FOR HIM specifically while THINKING ABOUT HIM or thinking about what GOTEN would ENJOY or whatever, yknow? “ <- I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not. Maybe, like all great literature, it is up for interpretation. I think that he would make it and then not ever pass the mug to Goten and when Goten sheepishly tries to grab it, Trunks moves it away and is like “But you didn’t want any earlier! You didnt WANT social drink time!!” and Goten is like “That was A DIFFERENT DRINK..” and Trunks is like “Well how do you know!” and Goten is like “I watched you make it” and Trunks insists “You don’t know!”  and drinks it in front of him. You know 

- Goten didn’t HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST maté before, he did not like it but he wasnt BITTER about it or anything he wasnt that BIASED. He was just like “yeah no thanks I think that that shit is foul” yknow? Like he thought it was YUCKY and he couldn’t believe when people took to it so readily but it wasnt a big part of his personality or anything. But Trunks made it a thing. And now it’s a thing 

- Not my estadounidense ass typing alt+0233 on my keyboard every time to get that “é”

It is my bed time. I shall hit post on this tomorrow morning so that people have a chance to see it. Thanks for the shot of dopamine. I consider your asks to be a dense pill of vitamins. IDK maybe you do make a bunch of textposts and I just don’t know it. Feel free to @ me any time. My followers and more would love you I think 

[rodeo-boots]

Idk who all you write for--but I see your requests are open, and I'd love some Hosea x reader (gender neutral or female) and maybe some nsfw? I'm open to anything, be it vanilla to kink--write what you want! Or, if you dont write hosea, maybe you could write some for Javier x reader? Anything at all 💙💙💙 I love your work!

I've written Hosea for the first time here, so hopefully I could do him justice. Thanks for the request, I hope you'll like the result!

Rating: Explicit

Words: 2065

AO3

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"What are you reading there?" You stepped closer, your head tilted in curiosity, approaching Hosea where he sat at the table. It was still early morning, the chill not yet gone from the air, the rich scent of coffee spreading from Pearson's wagon.

"Oh, Good Morning." Hosea looked up at you, a kind smile shaping on his face as you placed a hand upon his shoulder to peer over it. "Actually, it's Notre-Dame de Paris, written by a French-man."

You quirked a brow, sitting down on the table-top in front of him. "Is it in French?"

A nod. Your curiosity spiked further.

"You can speak French?" Now, whatever sleepiness might've clouded your brain was gone for good, your stare trained on Hosea in expectancy of an answer.

The man chuckled, closing the book and putting it down on the table, almost sheepishly reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Well, you learn some things travelin' as much as we did," he explained, though it was clear that wouldn't diminish your amazement. As far as you knew, neither Dutch nor Arthur had picked up any foreign languages on their way here.

"I picked up some words here and there, and before I knew it, I got through an entire book of these funny words." He patted the novel upon the table, crossing his legs when he leaned back.

"You surprise me every day," you spoke, hearing him chuckle yet again, looking up to catch the subtle shake of his head. You risked a glance into the book, flipping through a couple of pages, though the words upon the paper made little sense to you. "Could you teach me?" You asked, finding his stare once more. "It looks like nonsense now, but it'd probably be fun... learning a new language."

His eyes grew gentle, Hosea placing his hand over yours to squeeze it. You've noticed before, how cold his palms used to feel these days, but he wouldn't take your concern. "Later, my dear," he promised you, running his thumb over your knuckles. "First, we got work to do." And with that, he nudged you in encouragement, pushing himself off the chair in the next moment to start into the day.

After fleeing from Blackwater as sudden as you had to, most of your and the other's belongings had to be left behind. You could only guess that most things you have once held dear were now in the hands of Pinkertons, possibly scattered all around your former campsite and destroyed. But there had been no time to grief before. And what mattered now was that you got back onto your legs, the entire gang left in disarray after your previous hopes had been shut down so swiftly.

You didn't hate working, had no problem putting in the extra effort to make this camp into as much of a home as could be. It was only a faint hope, staying here for longer than a couple weeks a time, but at the moment, it was what you had left to hold onto, and with Dutch's certainty about his plans, who were you to raise your voice?

The day drew to an end before you knew it, the hay bales you had moved to the horses for the evening barely visible to your eyes by now. With a soft exhale, you reached up to wipe sweat from your brow, glad that the cold couldn't bother you much with all the exercise you've done.

Footsteps behind you alerted you of someone's presence, your head turning in time to focus on Hosea. A smile shaped upon your lips.

You still remembered the promise he had spoken in the morning hours, certain that with the day now done, you had plenty of time for a good language lesson.

"Excusez-moj, chèrie," he spoke sweetly, guiding his arms around your waist from behind, not planning to startle you in the slightest. He smiled against your neck, holding you close and gentle, the little hairs standing at attention upon your skin. "I don't mean to keep you from your tasks," he added, still keeping his arms in place. Although clearly, you had no issue with that.

"I'm all done here," you answered, leaning back in his embrace, placing your own hands above his on your front. "But I don't know how much knowledge I can absorb just now." A soft laugh escaped your lips, head tilting to find Hosea's gaze briefly. "Today's work has worn me out, I must say."

He hummed lightly, thoughtfully. "Now, what could we do about that?" His words drove heat to your cheeks, the sound of his voice reverberating through your entire being. You knew what he was alluding to, always able to decipher when he got into this very special mood.

"I reckon you'd still like a lesson, n'est-ce pas?" A shiver ran down your spine, your throat suddenly feeling rather dry. You nodded either way, eager to see where he was planning to take this.

Hosea released you, casting a look over his shoulder in contemplation, aware that John had taken his guarding post not too far from your location. "Not here," he said, gently taking your arm to lead you back into camp, your brow quirking when he gestured for John's tent.

"What would he say to that?" You chuckled, entering it still. After all the years you've known Hosea, he's constantly shown himself as more adventurous than a glance at him might indicate, keeping you on your toes with everything he came up with. This site surely wasn't the most outlandish you've loved one another in.

"I've given it to him, so I can use it should the need arise," Hosea answered easily, closing the tent flaps behind you. "Besides, he won't ever have to know," the man added, cupping your cheeks in his hands to bring you close for a kiss, a sigh slipping past your lips at his passionate movements.

Everything happened in a blur after the initial touch of your lips, clothing falling to the floor as Hosea led you towards the bed, shedding the fabric upon his frame just as well. You plopped down on the cot with a shaky laugh, trying to catch his lips again, though he got to his knees in front of you instead, peering up at you with ardor glinting in his eyes.

"You gonna speak French between my legs?" You giggled, your voice playful and cocky. It seemed to pique his interest.

"If that is what you so desire," he answered, cold palms running up the sides of your thighs, encouraging you to spread them for him in the next moment.

You bit down on your lower lip, your eyes glued to your sweetheart upon his knees, hands slipping into his short hair. A warm gust of air was what you felt first, as he leaned down, teasing you by kissing a trail up your thigh, moving on to the other one whilst pointedly ignoring your aching middle. "Hosea," you couldn't keep yourself from whining, fingers tightening in his hair.

He shushed you softly, glancing up at your face for a second before returning to his ministrations, the muscles in your stomach rippling the closer he got to your core. "Please–" your voice cut off into a soft moan, the sound entirely satisfied with his lips finding their target, kissing right where you needed to be kissed. Your eyes fluttered shut on their own, laying back to let Hosea work his magic, the sounds from your lips turning higher and sweeter with every precise swirl of his tongue.

Hosea used his fingers with equal precision, gently working you open around him, poking and prodding at all the spots that heightened your pleasure.

Could you speak any French, you would've encouraged him in the language he's taught himself, but alas, all that left your mouth were coos and mewls. You were melting beneath him, certain that there was no way for you to endure much longer, the pleasure within your core becoming unbearable to handle. "Darling, I'm gonna--" you warned him, the sound of your voice met with the sensations stopping altogether, a groan rumbling through your chest in frustration.

As much as you didn't want this moment to come to an end, you've been close just now– impossibly so, throwing an arm over your eyes when Hosea crawled over you. The breath still rang shakily through your lungs, your eyes not yet meeting his when he kissed his way up your body, running his palms over your sides until your skin perked up with goosebumps.

"Ne désespère pas," he whispered, mouthing his way up to your ear for his words to resound through you, another soft whine leaving your lips. Hosea pushed the arm away from your eyes, kissing the back of your hand before he entangled his fingers with your own. "Hello there," he smiled at you, your eyes peeking open to return the gesture in kind.

"Are you ready for more?" He asked softly, caressing your cheek with his free hand, his stomach resting in between your legs, a shift of your hips enough to offer you some much needed friction.

"S-Sí." You had tried, at least, to show him that you knew some words yourself.

Hosea chuckled gently, his thumb running over your jaw. "That would be Spanish," he pointed out, though there was no mocking edge to his tone, a breathless laugh leaving your own lips at the realization.

He kissed you once more, squeezing your fingers before getting to his legs, pulling your hips to the edge of the cot. His eyes found yours when he pushed inside, his own lips parting at the feeling of your tight walls around him.

Your legs found their way around his hips, settling there as if it were the only place for them to be, your breaths rattling in your chest. Hosea gave you time to adjust, careful and considerate as always, reaching down between your legs to touch you softly, purposefully keeping his ministrations brief and teasing.

"If only you'd know how good you're feelin'," he muttered, looking down at you as if he beheld a masterpiece, though to him, that was just what you were. "My beautiful darling."

He started moving slowly, rolling his hips for his cock to move deeper into you, drawing back and letting you feel his entire length with the next thrust forward. You moaned, grasping for his hands again to link your fingers, needing something to hold onto when he quickened his pace.

Soon enough, the sounds of skin slapping against skin filled the tent, possibly filtering through the thin walls as well, though neither of you held much of a care for that. You rocked back against his every movement, getting lost in the ardor surrounding you as your nails dug into the back of his hand. "Hosea–" his name was a mantra upon your lips by now, repeated like a prayer, with every time sounding more desperate than the last.

You were getting close all over again, feeling your orgasm build in your loins, your spine curving in an attempt to receive more friction at your sex. "Please, make me cum." He had to be getting close himself, thrusts turning more hurried and sloppy, his own voice raising in clear enjoyment.

"Of course, my dear," he stuttered only the slightest bit, reaching down to pleasure you as you had wished, angling his hips just right to hit that sweet spot within you. "Go'head," he encouraged, continuously fucking into you as the motions of his hand quickened, intended to drive you over the edge and beyond.

"Je veux vous entendre," he grunted, the sound of his French sending you spiraling out of control, your walls pulsating around him as your orgasm hit you like a train.

You cried out in delight, tossing your head back as he spent himself inside of you, driven to fulfillment by the feeling of you coming around him. He panted, propping his arms up on either side of your head as the pleasant aftershocks raked his body, his cock sporadically twitching inside of you.

Eventually, Hosea pulled out of you, sinking onto the cot by your side, his chest rising and falling as he gradually caught his breath. "Now that wasn't what I had planned for today's lesson."

[lunaissabella]

Distress - My Valentine, Good or Evil?

This is a translation of my story ‘‘Distress’’, from spanish (my native language) to english (my second language in which I’m not very good writing but I promise I’m trying)

The story is part of a series, a San Valentine special of the page ''Motin Fanficker'', My Valentine, Good or Evil? and I choose the Evil-Good list

The words were Feelings + Dacryphilia

Summary:  [...] the first time had been an accident. [...]

Pairing: Anxceit

Word count: 622 words

Can also be found in AO3 (Spanish and English) Fanfiction (Spanish and English) and Wattpad (in spanish)

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Distress

Janus gently strokes Virgil's hair, letting him cry uncontrollably on his shoulder whispering little lies, sweet white lies to comfort him while his whole body vibrates with satisfaction at having him like this in his arms. He closes his eyes sliding his fingers down his neck and his back, slowly climbing to his hair mixing his words with subtle comments that increase the cry of his little Anxiety just when he begins to calm down.

Being honest the first time had been an accident. Janus, then known as Selfishness, after being Preservation, but long before being Deceit, had not intended to make Virgil, called Fear and in the process of being known as Anxiety, cry. Thinking about it carefully, Creativity was the one who made him cry with his inappropriate comments fueling the fear that he was feeling and provoking in Thomas; although Creativity had been the one to blame, Selfishness had fueled the stress with a seemingly harmless comment and there was only him around to stop the younger side's rapidly escalating emotions.

"Instinct" he had called him by his old name, stopping his crying in shock, "everything will be fine, Thomas doesn't hate you."

Fear had watched him for several seconds, before smiling slightly and hugging him tightly as a new kind of tears ran down his cheeks, sobbing softly in relief and muttering little "thank you" between hiccups. Surprised, Selfishness had patted his head gently trying to decipher what he was feeling at the time. Of course, it was the first time he lied.

Over time the situation had been repeated, even when both became Deceit and Anxiety, even after taking the names Virgil and Janus and their paths separated once Virgil was accepted with the main sides; again and again, he returned to him for comfort, having determined that Janus was the only one he could really trust, making the feeling grow in him, that satisfaction he felt when he saw him cry and knowing he was his only solace.

"Everything will be fine, Virgil" he whispers, leaving little kisses on his forehead as he tangles his fingers in his hair, gently massaging until he relaxes completely against him. Seeing the usually marked dark circles under his eyes diminish considerably, he decides it has been enough for the day, his personal pleasure has been fed enough.

"You trust me, don't you?" He asks softly, lifting his face to kiss the trail of tears that run down his cheeks, smirking as the dark circles under Virgil's eyes turn slightly purple.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Virgil answers softly, smiling slightly back as he slides his fingers along the scales that cover the left side of his face.

"Hm." Janus lets him do it, stroking his cheeks to remove all traces of his tears, and then leans down, placing his lips on the others gently but hungrily.

Virgil shudders responding to the kiss by pressing his hand against his cheek, settling better against his chest, and letting him take all control, his mind still engulfed in a cloud of relaxation. Janus separates from him by extending his other two pairs of arms and wrapping him completely in a strong hug, like a snake wrapping itself around the body of the youngest.

Anxiety lets out a satisfied sound closing his eyes allowing him to imprison him in his arms, Janus smiles at this closing his eyes. By now, as much as he lies to himself, he knows perfectly well that Virgil is fully aware of what the two of them have, possibly even more aware than he of what they really share.

Of course, that's not important if Virgil keeps coming back to him, as it should be.

[sapphirewolf1122]

¡¿Por Qué Eres tan Flaco?! (Why Are You So Skinny)

Request/Summary: Fatgum/Reader fic where Reader owns a Latin restaurant that Fatgum frequents and reader sees him in skinny form and pretty much yanks him into her restaurant and holds him captive at a table that she fills with food for him and she pretty much mother hens him and by the end of it he's just like "marry me"

Word Count: 1,268

A/N: So this was a request by @gemstoneconstellations that I finally got around to; sorry for the long wait, hermana. Thank you to @crazythypoon for helping me with the translation, as well as your patience and encouragement. Also, this takes place in the Vigilante timeline; idk why I chose to do that, it just felt right. 

~~~~~~~~

Propping open your restaurant door, you started setting up the sign that listed your special of the day. Today, you were offering pernil relleno con mofongo with a choice of either maduros or arroz con gandules for a side. 

When you’d first decided to move to Japan and open a borinquen restaurant, most of your family had had their doubts and strongly discouraged you. Even you half-expected to be returning home after barely a year with your tail between your legs. But the response had been a lot better than anybody thought it could be; it helped that you had no problems learning the language. You had to admit though, your success wouldn’t have been half as great if it weren’t for your star customer. 

Right now, you were working on getting your liquor license. When it came time for the holidays this year, you wanted to be able to sell some coquito. You were even looking into getting some moonshine from home...God, you missed Puerto Rican moonshine. 

You also had some recipes you wanted to try out, but those you would run by your favorite customer. He’s been your biggest supporter since coming here and you liked to test dishes on him. But you hadn’t seen him in a while…

As a hero, it wasn’t abnormal for Fat Gum to seemingly disappear for days at a time. But you still worry, him being the brawler that he is. Last you heard, he was helping with some sort of investigation. Something about the instant-villain drug that had been circulating recently.

Sighing, you stood outside your shop, hands on your hips. Scanning the crowd, you started wondering whether to send out the cart today. The weather was good for it. Plus, it might be a good way to check up on Fat...ugh, perhaps you were obsessing too much. It’s not like you were his girlfriend…

Shaking your head at yourself, you turned to go back inside and tell your employees to prep the cart but the sight of someone stopped you.

Walking towards the shop was a man covered in bandages in a yellow hoodie, reminiscent of Fat Gum’s; it even had the signature black F and G on the bottom. In fact, with the mask, hair color, and the fact that he was currently munching on takoyaki, you almost thought it was Fat. 

Except he was too skinny. Everyone knew that Fat Gum’s quirk was fat absorption, so he had to keep his body fat percentage high. This also meant he had a pretty big appetite. The amount of times he had caused you to sell out from just a single visit…

Yes, there was no way this was Fat...he would have had to expel a great deal of energy in order to reveal his skinny form...but he was known to be a brawler…

The man had caught sight of you and, with a large smile, waved at you. Your eyes widened in horror.

Before you knew what was happening, you were running towards the hero, yelling at the top of your lungs.

"¡¿Que carajaro le paso a tu goldura bello! ¡¿Quien te hizo esto?! ¡Estas tan desperdiciado! Como pudiste ser tan inconsiderado de ti mismo. Tenias que venir directo a donde mi, te hubiera volvido a tu ser usual en menos nada! Esto es lo que te pasa cuando te pones a peliar en vez de defender, idiota. Ven te voy a dar tanta comida que nunca mas vas a poder volver flaco otra vez! Como pudiste dejar que esto pasara... " 

As you approached, Fat froze, out of shock or fear, you weren’t sure. “___, you okay? I can’t understand you, you’re not speaking Japanese. What’s wrong? Why aren’t you using your quirk?”

Your quirk was languages. After listening to a native speaker only a few times, you were able to speak the language perfectly yourself. It’s how you managed to get by in a whole new country. But when you got angry, you lost control and reverted to your own native language.

Once you’d reached the hero, you started inspecting him, poking at the large hoodie. Not a bit of fat left...in fact it was all muscle...shaking your head, you glared up at Fat Gum, momentarily regaining control of your quirk. “What happened?”

He shrugged, which only infuriated you more. “I told you I had a mission and the situation called for the full extent of my quirk. And before you say anything about brawling, there was a bomb; I had to absorb the explosion before people got hurt.”

The next part came out with a chuckle. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard your accent so thickly before…your quirk normally masks it so well.”

Scowling, you replied, “That’s because you’ve never seen me angry before. ¡Vamos!”

With that, you grabbed him and started dragging him into your restaurant, grumbling the whole time.

"Idiota, te tienes que cuidar mas. ¡¿Y si un villano te encuentra asi! AHH!?, estarias indefenso ."

You ignored the bystanders gaping at you; they seemed to know better than to interfere though. There was something about an angry boricua that made others cringe in fear. Even Fat Gum accepted what was happening and stopped struggling. 

Once inside, you started barking orders at your employees. 

“Start preparing everything on the menu. And I mean everything! I want alcapurrias, todas las empanadas, sorullitos, emparedados, bacalaitos, tostones, las entradas y postres también! ¡Ahora!”

Knowing better than to argue with you, your staff got to it. Placing Fat Gum at a table in the back, you told him to stay, whether in Japanese or Spanish, you weren’t sure. But he seemed to get the message. With a stern nod, you waved one of your waiters over to get his drink order. While they did that, you went and closed the door, locking it. No one was coming in until you got this sorted. 

With that, you rushed into the kitchen, putting up your hair and grabbing your apron. You were going to make sure your gordo precioso was going to get the best there was out of this restaurant. 

You served him all of his favorites and more. You started with the aperitivos, then onto las entradas. You swelled with pride at the look on his face when you brought out the pernil relleno con mofongo. This wasn’t a special you served normally. You also went all out with arroz con gandules and arroz amarillo con habichuelas. 

After that, you moved onto desserts. Guava cakes, bizcocho de batata borinquen, flan in almost every flavor, tembleque, arroz con coco; even guava empanadas. 

It was hours before you finally stopped bringing out food. Watching as he finished the last of the desserts, you nodded in approval. He was finally looking like his proper self. 

“Feeling better, Fat Gum?” Though still kind of thick, your accent had lessened considerably now that you’d managed to regain full control of your quirk.

The BMI hero looked up at you, his usual large grin back on his face. “Greatly. And please ___, call me Taishiro, even Toshi.���

Your mouth dropped open. “B-but I thought first names were reserved for those close to you in Japanese culture. Forget nicknames.”

“Yes. And you have definitely earned that right. In fact, ___,  I have a very important question to ask you.” The grin suddenly disappeared from his face as he stood up, towering over you. But you didn’t have time to process the look before he suddenly dropped to one knee, his big hands grabbing hold of one of yours, practically making it disappear. .

“Will you marry me?”

Wait...what?!

~~~~~~~

A/N2: Please note that I though I was able to do the foods and such on my own, I had help with the large translations. Here are the English translations as I originally wrote them; the foods you can either ask me or Google. 

-  What the hell happened to your beautiful fat? Who did this to you?! You look wasted away! How could you be so reckless?! You should have come straight to me, I would have gotten you back to your normal self in no time...this is what you get for being a brawler...you’re coming with me, you idiot. I’m going to feed you and make it so you’ll never be skinny again. That you could let such a thing happen…

-  Idiot, you need to take care of yourself. What if a villain caught you like this, huh? You’d be defenseless…

Thank you for reading!

[xenotwink]

I’m very bad at naming anything. My animals are mostly named after Norse myths, I think I mentioned that, but you can see that I did not really come up with the names myself. 😅 Here are the things I think of when I see your ladies, though-

Your grey-black and red fish evokes thoughts of Sith Inquisitors (Second Sister? Trilla? I love her), or the blackbirds with the bits of red. Oh, Red-Winged Blackbird is a fitting name, yeah, lmao.

Silver and yellow… I know what I’m thinking of, except, I don’t. Like, it’s on the tip of my tongue! I can’t remember, I’m so sorry. Wait, coming back to this, maybe Starry Night? Either of Van Gogh’s Starry Night paintings, tbh. I know those are more blue than silver, though.

The blue-y woman (and hello, shrimp). Thoughts of a flower. Not sure which flower, but she looks like a lovely petal. Spanish Marigold? Blue Iris (though she’s sort of darker and more vivid than these both)? Or my butcher’s palette when I’ve painted (I usually paint with shades of blue. Even if I don’t claim it immediately when someone asks my favourite color, it probably is, when I think about it).

Your red and white fish reminds me of a koi, she’s pretty. Considerations also of something fiery.

Lastly, not at all least-ly, dark blue and silver. I think of fabric, but also of the deeper part of the ocean. Abyss stuff.

What? The bubble waffles on Google look delicious omg! What was on yours?

Splatoon was a lot of fun! And Night in the Woods was great. I don’t remember much or the plot (my mind is like, the opposite of a steel trap), but I know I loved it, and I *do* remember the epic music. New Sonic game this year? The Chao are so cute wtf. What does Roguelite mean? Agree on Animal Crossing, I think. It’s hard to be one of those players doing it every day because it feels exhausting sometimes and like you aren’t making progress. 😅 Katamari is the ball-rolling one, right? Haven’t played it, but have heard people talk about it (including you).

There’s something really nice about staying up late. The world is so quiet and there’s no pressure to be anything special at 4am. You can just be alive.

Your love of writing shines through it, love. And through your posts and interactions. It’s fun to see you happy and excited about your work.

Understandable on cosplay and perfectionism. I’m glad you no longer push yourself to do things that are upsetting. 💙 If you ever jump back into it and it makes you happy, sharing would be awesome.

Can I also go to the shrimp paradise?

Crying can be nice, but I have mixed emotions and frustrations about crying lol. It is not healthy but there are many issues there and it is what it is lmfao.

Did you get the SD card, or do you have to wait? Oh, and any updates on A Stitch in Time?

F, H, and/ or P. But especially F. And D, specifically for HBHBHB (I’m so sorry that every time I answer/ ask on any of these it’s so many).

Finally, how has your day been? Apologies for sending this so late, if you have work tonight, I hope it goes well/ did go well. 💙

-💙📘🖋

She does seem sith-ish doesn’t she? Trilla might be fitting, though I don’t know much about her. I think I might name the one with yellow Formbi cause I think she’s Chaf colors Agdjfkhs. I’ll have to do some more thinking about the girls. I just love them and should name them since I’ve had them for… 2 months? Three?

I didn’t get anything with my bubble waffle - I just enjoyed it as is. And those textures? So good. I might have to get a bubble waffle iron.

The new sonic game is supposed to be open world which I’m excited about and prefer. Roguelite has got randomly generated levels and is generally a one life only sort of deal where you’ll have to start at the beginning again if you die. They’re very hard and the mentality is def Get Gud. Katamari is the ball rolling one! There’s something very satisfying about it and it’s very random and fun.

I really enjoy driving home from work. It’s dark and there’s only a few cars on the highway and all the lights are green or turn green quickly. Something about streetlights on asphalt. The different colors of the lights - if they’re led or those yellow orangey ones. The stars. The moon.

I majored in English in college and that totally killed all my motivation for writing. I only really got it back last year with Thranto inspiration. Well. Actually Thrallus, but that’s besides the point. And it hasn’t stopped, which is good for everyone.

I don’t think I’ll ever cosplay again, unfortunately, just because it’s too much pressure on myself. Besides, when I go to conventions, I’m really just there to buy stuff lmao.

This is for the shrimp and gods if it doesn’t look so inviting? Blue, you’ve really done it this time. I feel silly for not having used sand before because oh man I like it a whole lot more than the other substrates I’ve used. I just have to switch that filter to a sponge filter (my beloved) and wait for it to cycle and then I will spend so much money on colorful shrimp.

We all have our hangups, I suppose. Tho I cried today and it felt good so 🤷 but also my meds kinda prevent a lot of uhhhhhhh Big Emotions™️ which is both good and bad.

I’ll get it tomorrow! I didn’t feel like leaving the house today so maybe I’ll get it before work. Or I’ll order online maybe. 1 day and 20 hours left on a stitch in time and I’m still winning (🤞).

F- Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

“I may not approve of it,” Eli said, “but I won’t let you go through it alone.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond and nearly sobbed, biting that back too before he could embarrass himself totally.

From Addicted which I still want to write more in that line just because I do think that possible aspect is interesting to follow. I mean it’s not quite dialogue, but Eli telling Thrawn this, telling him that he’ll be by his side, despite his issues with his drug use is just. It’s very good. And very true to Eli’s character and his respect/love for Thrawn and his willingness to ride or die with and for him.

H- How would you describe your style?

Uhhh. Depends on the day. Lots of parenthetical thoughts. Fuck. Uh. I don’t know how to describe it. But again, it depends on the day and what I’ve been reading and my mood ect

P-Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an "architect" or a "gardener”?

More like a wild field lmao. For the short stuff, it pops up and boom there it is. Usually from convos with FairyTrashMother and/or my own thots. For my longer fics, I do an outline when I actually have an idea of where I’m going with it and what the ending will be like.

D- Is there a song or a playlist to associate with HBHBHB?

Well I mean obvs

Which you see the title and you’re just like “haha that’s Thrawn lol” so yeah. And it slaps.

My day was good! I should have gone for a walk but I didn’t. Slept some more and that was nice. Trimmed up my hair yesterday, which feels great. I know I should go to a hairdresser now that I can afford it but I just don’t want to. And like I said, night is when I’m most available. Well, unless I’m at work. Then I’m just cut off. We do have computers in there so if something bad were to happen, like a natural disaster or something, we would be able to find out. It’s not quite the moon. 💙

[reyescarlos]

sanctuary || a tarlos fic

chapter 2/3 read on ao3

It’s been one month since TK packed up his life and headed to Austin for a fresh start. In a new city, he struggles with between defeating old demons and reinventing himself. On a night when he feels close to falling through the cracks, he meets Officer Carlos Reyes, a man who could very well be his salvation.

Two days of casual texting since running into Carlos earlier in the week has led TK to trying out what Carlos promises to be the best meal he’ll ever have. It’s a pretty tall order but TK is more than willing to test out Carlos’ theory. After all, it means actual face to face time with the man he’s quite eager to know better.

Carlos steps up to the truck and begins talking with the staff in Spanish, conversing and placing their orders. TK’s understanding of the language goes as far as twelfth grade and even still, he barely remembers much aside from the basics. He’s only able to piece together a few bits here and there. Regardless, it doesn’t take much for him to see that Carlos is truly a regular at this truck and that the staff genuinely likes him. That doesn’t come as a surprise to TK. Carlos is kindhearted and people like that tend to draw in others like the sun.

As they wait for their order, TK takes in the area around him, the sights, the sounds, and of course the smells. His stomach is practically doing flips and growling the longer he stands around breathing in the delicious smells of meat and peppers and whatever else is being made inside each neighboring truck.

“Come here often?” he muses, using the cheesy pickup line to kick off conversation.

Carlos laughs and nods. “Yeah, it’s my absolute favorite in all of Travis County. It might actually be better than my tía Lucy’s. But if you ever tell her I said that, I will have no other choice but to lie and say I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

TK mimes zipping his lips, tossing away the imaginary key for good measure. “Your secret’s safe with me, I promise.”

Carlos is about to speak when one of the ladies inside the truck calls his name. He turns and heads back to the truck, thanking her and taking the food she hands over. TK spots an empty bench and hurries over to it, taking a seat, Carlos sitting right across from him a few seconds later.

“God, this smells amazing,” TK notes, unwrapping his burrito from its foil and taking a considerable bite. He stifles a moan but doesn’t shy away from tossing his head back. “Holy shit, that’s incredible.”

Carlos laughs at the theatrics. “Like I said, hands down the best in town.”

“I definitely have to come back here soon. Is tomorrow too sudden?” he jokes.

They fall into a comfortable silence as they eat. Every now and then he looks over at Carlos and on some instances, he finds the other man glancing at him too.

“So, what is that you do?” Carlos asks conversationally after a time.

TK licks his lips, pulling in the lower one. It’s a harmless question, in general, but for TK it’s actually a loaded one. When making the move down to Austin, he also made the tough decision not to hop back into work. The time for himself is certainly needed but it makes him anxious thinking about having to explain why he isn’t currently part of the 126.

“I’m a firefighter. Or I was. I’m taking a bit of a break right now,” he finally settles on. It’s a half truth as he hasn’t fully explained but the last thing he wants is to unload all his drama on a man he’s only just met a few days ago.

Carlos considers his words and nods, dipping one of his chips into salsa. TK prepares himself for an onslaught of follow-up questions but they never come. Instead, Carlos gives a response he wasn’t expecting at all.

“I can understand that,” he says, popping the chip into his mouth and making quick work of finishing it off before he speaks again. “What we do isn’t easy. Sometimes you need to take time to recharge before heading back out there again. In order to really help others, we have to be at our best.”

TK can only stare at him. He was so sure Carlos was going to hound him with questions about what prompted the break but instead he opted not to pry at all. TK wasn’t used to that sort of thing. Most people would make it their personal mission to find out the details but not Carlos. Relief soon washes over TK.

“Yeah, definitely. I plan on getting back into the swing of things soon, though. Until then, I just live vicariously through my dad. He’s the new captain over at the 126. Whenever I’m ready, I’ll be working alongside him.”

A part of TK is chomping at the bit to get back to his old routine but he knows he still needs a bit more time to feel as if he’s standing on solid, stable ground again.

“Wait, seriously? My best friend is the EMS captain there.”

“Michelle Blake? No way, I’ve met her a few times. She seems pretty great.”

Carlos nods enthusiastically and laughs. “Damn, maybe you’re right and this town really is too small,” he muses, TK not missing the reference back to their conversation outside the boba shop.

“See? Six degrees of separation is too high of a count for this place.”

Carlos tosses a chip at him but TK is fast and swats it down to the table.

“Jerk. Is that any way to treat your new friend? You wouldn’t want to go giving me the wrong impression of your precious Austin, now would you?”

Carlos makes a face and it’s undoubtedly one of the cutest things TK has ever seen.

“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

“Oh, man,” TK laughs, “you have no idea.”

~*~*~

At lunch, TK finds himself incapable of looking away from his screen. He and Carlos have been chatting since morning with Carlos sending him updates and random pictures of odd things he sees while out shopping with his aunt Lucy. TK has seen everything from ridiculous items for sale at a thrift store to Carlos frowning in a chair with Lucy’s purse on his lap, reflected in the store’s mirror while his aunt is in the changing room. This most recent image is instantly followed with a text reading “SOS!”

TK grins at his phone, zooming in on Carlos’ face. The furrowed brows, the pleading brown eyes, the pout. It’s almost too much for him to handle.

“Earth to TK. Are you with me here, bud?” Owen says.

TK snaps his head upward, finally tearing his eyes away from his phone. “What’s that now?”

Owen shakes his head and laughs, lightly kicking at his leg. “My god, where is your head today?”

TK smiles bashfully and shakes his head. “Right here on my shoulders.”

“Could have fooled me. I could have sworn I saw it floating in the clouds. What’s going on with you?”

TK opens his mouth to speak but closes it back, shifting in his seat to turn to face his father. Try as he might, TK cannot erase the wide smile that breaks across his lips the second he looks at him, his thoughts already filling up so deeply with images of Carlos’ face. A part of him feels silly for being this caught up with someone he’s just befriended but he and Carlos have spoken every day for the last two weeks. Carlos is truly his first and last thought each day. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all in one breath just how much they’ve grown close to each other. It leaves TK’s head spinning.

“You met someone, didn’t you?” Owen says, his grin mirroring his son’s perfectly.

“Wow, you beat me to it.”

“To be fair, it wasn’t exactly a hard guess to make. Tell me all about him.”

TK draws in a deep breath to collect himself. “His name is Carlos and he is…kind of unreal,” he laughs. He can feel his cheeks warming up. “I don’t know. We talk all the time and it’s just…nice? Normal. It’s good to have a friend in this city.”

“A friend, hmm.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Owen holds up his hands, letting out a playful laugh. “Nothing, nothing. Friends are great to have but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get this worked up over one before.”

“Yeah, well, Carlos is a special friend. It’s different with him.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is,” his father says, lifting his brows.

“Seriously, it’s not like that. At least it can’t be right now.”

Owen’s smile fades from his face as he looks at his son and TK can feel a sinking sensation in his chest. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a less than platonic pull towards Carlos but the man knew nothing of his last relationship and the major impact it had on him. There were still so many secrets, ugly truths that TK hadn’t shared yet and was, truthfully, terrified to ever do so. Things with Carlos were light and carefree. For someone like TK who had been living so long with a darkness in him, he wanted to preserve this kind of joy for as long as possible. He thought perhaps it made him selfish to a certain degree but he couldn’t help it. For the first time in over a month, he felt weightless. A feeling like that was too rare and he was in no position to pass it up.

“Why do you say that?”

TK scoffs and shakes his head. “Come on, dad. We both know why we’re down here in the first place. Look at what happened the last time I fell hard for someone.”

“But look at how far you’ve come since then,” his father counters. “Look, you may have a real chance at something great here, whatever it may be. It’s been over a month now, TK. I think it’s time you start taking some wins. You’ve more than earned them. I haven’t seen you this happy in ages.”

TK swallows the lump in his throat, the guilt that rises like bile. His life and actions didn’t only have consequences he had to face. While he knew his father didn’t hold it against him, TK couldn’t help but to feel responsible for them upending their lives and moving away from home.

“I don’t want to wreck this. Carlos is a good guy. Genuinely good, you know? I don’t want to mess that up or put anything bad on him. He doesn’t deserve that.”

Owen searches his face but TK can’t bear it and looks away, back to his plate.

“Tell me about him. How’d you two even meet?”

TK hesitates, fumbling with his fork and turning it over in his hand. He still hasn’t mentioned his panic attack out on the bridge that night. After all, he’d returned home in a better mood than when he left and had been fine in the weeks since so it didn’t seem like something worth mentioning or making his father concerned over. But now, being asked so plainly about how he met Carlos, it feels like something he needs to disclose. TK was skilled at hiding things but he made a vow to himself on the plane ride from JFK to Austin-Bergstrom Airport that he’d truly turn over a new leaf and maintain transparency with his father going forward.

He licks his lips and clears his throat before speaking, avoiding his father’s gaze until he finally speaks.

“When I went out running a few weeks back, I sort of…had a moment. My head was kinda all over the place and I needed a break.”

Owen shifts in his seat, his eyes glued on his son. It was such a bittersweet thing having a father that cared so much at times. On one hand, TK was comforted in knowing that his dad was always willing to listen but on the other, it made him dread his father hearing all the less than pleasant things he had to say from time to time.

“What do you mean?”

TK sets his fork down. “I don’t know. I was thinking a lot about Alex and it just got to feel like too much so I stopped out on the bridge to get myself together.”

“TK—”

“God, no! Not like that. Sorry.” TK sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. “It just so happened that I stopped there. I swear, dad. Anyway, clearly it looked troubling because Carlos was on duty and he came up to me to make sure everything was alright. He got called away to an active B&E and I thought that was the last time I’d see him. But literally the next day, after group, we bumped into each other downtown and exchanged numbers.”

Owen settles back against his seat, his fingers splayed on the dining room table. TK watches the parade of emotions that flit across his father’s face from fear to uncertainty to controlled hurt.

“I should have told you more about that night,” TK admits. “I just didn’t want you to worry. I’m so tired of making you worry.”

Owen places a hand on TK’s shoulder and gives it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Whether you tell me everything or not, I’m always going to worry. That just comes with the gig of being a dad. But what makes it easier is if we’re on the same page at all times.”

TK meets his father’s gaze and nods, worrying his bottom lip. Owen sighs softly and drops his hand, trading a concerned look for a warm smile.

“So, Carlos is a cop. What an interesting first responder pair you guys make,” he teases.

TK is glad for the joke as it alleviates some of the tension in his chest. He laughs and rolls his eyes.

“It’s crazy; what are the odds, right?”

Something warm glints in his father’s eyes and TK is almost moved to tears because of it. He can admit he’s been particularly hard on himself over the last month and a half, so convinced that he shouldn’t even allow himself to move on from Alex. He feared he wasn’t ready and that he couldn’t be trusted. But already, in such a short time, he was willing to give a part of himself to Carlos. He didn’t stand much of a chance, in truth. He couldn’t imagine a single person who wouldn’t be disarmed by the other man.

Owen searches his face for a moment as TK focuses back on their conversation.

“Looks like the tide’s starting to turn for you down here in Austin; things are really picking up. Maybe meeting Carlos is just the thing to make you more comfortable.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he parrots. I hope, he thinks.

~*~*~

The next day TK is in his room folding laundry when his phone lights up on his bed. TK cranes his neck to read the text from Carlos.

Hey, you busy tonight?

TK puts down the shirt in his hand and grabs his phone to reply, seeing that Carlos is already typing out another message to him. He waits for it to come in.

If you are, feel free to ignore me. I know it’s kind of short notice to be making plans.

TK can only roll his eyes to this. How many times and how many ways does he have to show Carlos he has nothing else going on in the Austin? And even if he did, Carlos would always be the better option; any plans he may have had could easily be tossed to the backburner.

Ah, yes, let me check my oh so busy schedule. Please hold.

A few seconds later he sends:

Hmm, sitting around the house doing nothing. Online shopping. Scrolling through social media right before bed...yeah, sorry. Booked solid for the evening, I’m afraid

He takes a moment to appreciate his own humor before his phone is vibrating with an incoming call from Carlos.

“How may I help you?” he greets.

“Do you make it your mission every day to be a pain in the neck?” Carlos’ voice is so light and teasing it makes TK’s heart clench in his chest. He wonders if he’ll ever get used to the way they complement each other so perfectly.

“We all have special skills in life. One of mine just happens to be pushing your buttons, what can I say?”

Carlos groans and sighs. “What have I gotten myself into?” There’s no bite to it. If anything, TK can practically see the smile he knows is painted on Carlos’ lips right now.

“I told you there was no going back. So, what’s going on tonight?”

“Ah, right. I thought we could hang out and I could take you to one of my favorite bars downtown.”

TK’s shoulders stiffen at the mention of a bar. He hasn’t stepped foot in one in what feels like forever. He knows he isn’t obligated to drink and that Carlos probably wouldn’t even notice or care if he didn’t indulge. It’s just been easier to eliminate the temptation by steering clear altogether. But a Friday night out with Carlos isn’t something he can shy away from, especially not when Carlos sounds excited to share something special to him.

“Yeah, I could go for that,” he replies.

“Yeah? Great. I’ll text you the address and we could meet up around 9 or so. I hope you’re ready for some dancing.”

“Is this going to be a hoedown? A real, genuine Texan hoedown?”

Carlos’ laugh is strong and clear. TK feels like patting himself on the back for job well done. His favorite thing these last two weeks has been making that sound come about. It does something to his heart to know that Carlos is happy, mainly because of him.

“Yup. I’m looking forward to seeing your moves, New York.”

“I won’t disappoint. I can promise you that much.”

“I never had a doubt.”

TK opens his mouth to reply but can’t. His heart is racing and all he can picture is the two of them out on the dance floor, moving together. It’s an image that lays down roots in his mind and grows so large it’s all he can see.

“Damn, I have to get back to work but I’ll see you tonight, alright?” Carlos says, bringing TK back to the present moment. “I’ll send you the address in just a minute. See ya.”

The call ends before TK can even get a word out but he figures that’s for the best. Carlos has managed to stun him into silence, a feat not many people are capable of.

So maybe his budding friendship is proving to have more weight to it than he wants it to. All the telltale signs of a crush are there, regardless of if TK is ready for them to be or not. It’s not as if he had much of a choice, he reasons. Right from the start Carlos caught his eye and every day that they’ve spoken since has only served to strengthen that. The other man would make such offhanded remarks but TK had to wonder if Carlos was even aware or if it just came by so naturally that he truly didn’t notice. TK wasn’t sure which he preferred.

If Carlos wasn’t being intentional in his flirting, then they were truly just friends and he could be okay with that. Simply having someone to talk to so frequently that wasn’t related to him was a major win. But if there was some sort of hidden code behind his words, TK was almost nervous about uncovering it. In a life post-Alex, he hadn’t been prepared for the possibility of meeting someone he could actually see himself with. But maybe he was alone in thinking there was even something here. And that, TK knew above anything else, was the worst conclusion of all.

~*~*~

“I don’t know what I was expecting but this wasn’t it,” TK says as he and Carlos enter the bar.

“Maybe you’ve seen too many movies? It’s clouding your judgement.” Carlos bumps his shoulder lightly against TK’s arm.

“You might have a point there.”

It’s a lively night and the place is comfortably filled with people already out on the dance floor, moving along to the music being played by a live band in the corner. TK stays close to Carlos’ side even though the place isn’t that crowded and they aren’t likely to get separated. But Carlos doesn’t seem bothered by their proximity. He merely throws a warm smile over his shoulder at him as he leads them to the bar and TK does his best not to melt right there on the spot.

“What are you drinking?” Carlos asks, holding up his fingers to signal the bartender.

“I’m good with mineral water for now,” he replies casually, his eyes fixed on Carlos to see his reaction but the man simply nods and orders for them when the bartender comes over, opening a tab.

If there’s one thing TK has been learning about Carlos these last few weeks is that he doesn’t push in the way virtually everyone else he knows would have. TK appreciates that more than he’ll probably ever be able to express to Carlos.

He takes the glass Carlos hands him, slick with condensation and thanks him. TK is unable to pull his eyes away from Carlos’ mouth as it takes a sip from his beer bottle, his throat going a little dry. He soothes it with a swig of his mineral water and averts his gaze and instead focuses on something safer like the crowd of people dancing. The music becomes a bit more folky and the footwork a bit more intricate but TK is fairly confident he can follow along easily enough.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten,” Carlos says, forcing TK to glance back at him.

“What? About me dancing? Pfft, I can hold my own out there.”

Carlos eyes him from top to bottom and back again. It’s such a simple move and yet it makes TK’s skin tingle to be held in his gaze. Not for the first time since meeting Carlos, he wonders what the man thinks when he looks at him. Smugly, he hopes Carlos feels the energy between them too. Surely, he does, TK reasons. There was nothing casual about that look just now.

“Alright, let’s see it then.” Carlos downs the rest of his beer and sets it down on the bar. TK follows suit, finishing off his drink in kind.

He isn’t expecting Carlos to reach for his hand but he gives it up willingly, feeling warmth course through him that has absolutely nothing to do with being surrounded by people. Carlos leads them right to the center of the dance floor, a large smile on his face. He doesn’t waste a single second in falling into line with everyone else. TK does his best, trying hard not to look at his feet. That’d be a dead giveaway that line dancing is kind of a foreign concept to him. He manages well enough after a few seconds.

“There you go,” Carlos encourages.

TK can’t take his eyes off him. There’s something just so alluring about watching Carlos move freely, completely at ease and assured in his movements.

They keep dancing for a while, TK relaxing into it and matching Carlos beat for beat. The music eventually changes to something slower, couples remaining on the dancefloor and settling in close to each other. TK looks around at everyone before glancing to Carlos who gives him a questioning look. TK gives a small smile, silent confirmation that he doesn’t mind having this dance with Carlos. He keeps his eyes on Carlos’ face, trying to decipher the expression in them. It’s like he can see it all in real time, Carlos making the decision to try for something a little more. The man brings his face closer but TK stiffens in his hold and takes a step back.

“I think I’m gonna get some air. Just a sec,” he says, pursing his lips and walking off.

He’s cursing himself for panicking and being a coward. The most frustrating thing is knowing that had he been in a different place mentally, he absolutely would have followed through on kissing Carlos. He’s spent a fair bit of time over the last two weeks picturing what that would feel like. Here it was now the opportunity was presenting itself and TK’s initial reaction was to run.

He stands outside of the bar, leaning against the building with his eyes closed, replaying the exchange over and over.

“Do you just want to get out of here?” he hears Carlos say. When he opens his eyes, Carlos is standing right in front of him, his face unreadable. “We could go for a drive, if that’s alright with you.”

TK pulls in a breath and nods. What he wants to do is apologize a million times and let Carlos know that none of this is his fault. Carlos is truly perfect, almost scarily so as far as TK is concerned. He can barely take the shift in Carlos’ mood. Not even five minutes ago the man was smiling brightly. Now he looked unsure and uneasy, all because of TK. If he could have even a minute to explain, TK would be grateful. A car ride with just the two of them was ideal.

Carlos nods too and leads the way over to his car, the two of them climbing inside. Neither of them says a word as Carlos brings the car to life and begins to drive. TK knows he should be the one to break the silence but his thoughts are a riot in his mind and nothing makes sense. Every time he starts to form a sentence in his head, the words don’t sound right. Carlos keeps driving, eventually coming up to an empty area.

He stops the car and looks over at TK. In his eyes is fear and concern, so much so that TK feels guilty, already able to see that Carlos blames himself for the awkwardness earlier. It’s so incorrect and misdirected but Carlos is already speaking before TK can even dispel the man’s thoughts.

“I’m sorry about before. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Carlos’ chest rises and falls heavily. TK isn’t used to seeing him uneasy and it doesn’t sit well.

“God, Carlos, no. You didn’t—I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

TK sighs and tilts his head back against his seat. The silence in the car presses down on his ears but he needs a few seconds to get his thoughts in order.

“The whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing completely applies here, as cliché as it is,” he starts out, turning his head to look at Carlos.

Carlos’ expression is so serious, like he’s truly giving his full attention over to TK, like he sincerely wants to understand what he’s thinking or how he can help. The level of kindness and sincerity Carlos has shown him since day one is unparalleled and given how his last relationship ended, TK is in awe of the fact that someone is willing to extend this generosity to him.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me yet. In time, I really do want to share it with you because I think you could be good for me. Knowing you has already been good for me and you don’t even realize it.”

TK swallows thickly before pressing on. Carlos remains perfectly still, searching his face. TK can’t help the fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach. This man owes him nothing and yet here he is, willing to hear him out.

“I was a bit of a mess back home. I was in a pretty serious relationship that sort of blew up in my face and I just…I couldn’t stay in the city anymore. My dad got offered the job down here and the timing…it seemed like the univere’s way of giving me something of a clean slate. I’m not where I want to be exactly but I’m working on it.”

He stops short then, his breathing shaky. This was more than he thought he’d share with Carlos this early on and while it feels scary to admit to such heavy things, it’s also freeing. Carlos may be new to his life but every instinct of TK’s is telling him that he can trust this man beside him.

Carlos finally moves, reaching out and holding onto TK’s hand. He doesn’t lace their fingers or anything, just simply holds on to it, as if reminding TK that there’s someone here with him. TK’s eyes start to sting with unshed tears.

“Thank you for telling me,” Carlos says. “I know it couldn’t have been easy. We don’t…I’m just happy to be your friend, honest. We don’t have to make something of this. Seriously, just knowing you is enough.”

Despite his best efforts to stop them, TK can feel traitorous tears running down his cheeks but he can’t find it within himself to be embarrassed over it. Being around Carlos is like existing in a judgement free zone. With his free hand, he wipes at his face and Carlos gives him a soft smile. The sight alone is like a balm over TK’s hurt.

Carlos leans forward, resting his forehead against TK’s. It’s such a tender expression that TK’s breath hitches and his heart skips a beat.

“You’re going to be okay,” Carlos says softly, confidently as if he has some crystal ball that can predict this.

Either way, TK gladly takes the assurance as a fact, clinging to that promise like a life raft in a heavy storm.

[marvel-and-dc-geek]

Here’s the story I wrote for college ! I couldn’t give it an exact translation, but please try to enjoy it. Just in case, it focused on American imperialism and ecological stuff @a-nonnie-mousse

America, a white, blonde and tall young man, was a very enviable country: he was strong, big...the biggest progress symbol. Every single country knew his name, who he was. On the other hand, she was the complete opposite: Costa Rica, a short and brunette girl, who often got confused with her sisters, if anyone bothered to remember she existed. She wasn’t a synonym for progress, she was a synonym for ecology.

Right? That was it. That made her special, or at least the other countries said that. Even America seemed interested by it. (Canada has as well, but he was now angry at her, after se refused to let him take gold from Crucitas.)

Ecology was a synonym for nature, which at the same time, was a synonym for money, if you knew how to use it.

America was her friend. A good friend who told her how to move forward. And she wanted to be a good friend, because it wasn’t good to be in bad terms with him. If he didn’t like one of her presidents, he could be very cruel. Some of her siblings had that luck, and it wasn’t an experience she wanted to go through.

Anyways, America asked her for simple stuff in exchange for some of his money, and he send her business that gave her people jobs. Call centers, pineapple plantations, banana plantations (those hadn’t worked in the past, but hey, they got her a train line!). Lots of tourists from his country game to visit her, and she had ended up taking some of their customs, which she found very nice.

And that was normal for her. Her dad, Spain, had done the same: for years, she had to work for him, using her land’s resources. She lost many people who didn’t want to adapt to his way of life, but she couldn’t complain, his way was better. After all, her dad came from a civilized place. That’s what he always said, when he bothered to remember her existence.

So it wasn’t weird that America was like that, and she didn’t have any other option but to accept it, even when she asked herself if it was really okay.

“You can’t stop Progress because of a few trees”

“They want to keep living in the Stone Edge, it ain’t your fault for wanting to move forward”

She recalled all the times he has told her that, and could avoid but to wonder how truth was it. She wanted to take care of her people. She wanted them to be happy and live well.But they needed jobs for that, jobs that her friend helped created. Those jobs, however, sometimes did more bad than good:

Pineapple plantations used poisons that made her people sick and destroyed her nature. They cared more about how fast they could harvest crops, than looking for ways to protect their workers and the land.

Call centers didn’t have any consideration on the amount of job they asked their employees to do, and they paid them quite little. Those who worked there barely spent time with their family.

Most hotels had her friend’s people as owner, and they often destroyed the nature people came to see.

There were times where she felt like she got none of the movie they made, but he did...

But, what was she supposed to do? Even when she asked her government of that was okay, Costa Rica always received the same answer: “leave them alone, they give us jobs !We would lose a lot of money with an even more eco friendly economy”

It was as if the only thing that mattered was what people from other countries wanted...nah, those where just her thoughts. After all, capitalism was and could be sustainable!

Agriculture had always been one of her main activities, but she had to learn how to rush things if she wanted to sell her products to her friend and the European countries. Ever since her independence, they had been partners: Costa Rica would sell her products, mainly to England, and they paid her good money for it, specially for coffee.

Now they liked pineapple. They kept give money to her, a poor small country. Having to compete with others forced her to take measures she didn’t want to take, but they were necessary.

In order to speak to them, she had learned English. That’s what her friend had told her, tho he didn’t know how to speak Spanish. Speaking English showed she was smart, and so did speaking French or Portuguese. She hadn’t learn any language of her own people, like bribri, malecu or bocota. Those languages wouldn’t help her.

Some people tried to resist. That was normal, said her friend. In many countries, people had done the same, but it was important to avoid backing down. Avoid backing down to people who didn’t want their home to be damaged. She had lost money when she didn’t allow Canada to make his mine, and some people still got angry at her for that. She didn’t have to back down against some poor souls who just worried about their homes and not progress.

The economy bloomed, and it required more materials. More energy. More space. More time. More everything. Nature and society had to go side by side, or else nature wasn’t worth it. It didn’t matter how much pain that caused her . It didn’t matter that she felt part of her was changing, but not for good. She was used to it anyways

Would things always be like that? She didn’t know another way. At least she now had a friend with her, and that friend was America.

[lets-be-alone---together]

Answer 30 questions

Tagged by @kataomoi7

Thank you for tagging me, i didn't even tought someone would considere me into this kind of stuff :) I appreciate it

-Name/Nickname: Nicolás, don't have any nickname that's not a variation of my own name :(

-Gender: Male

-Star sign: Scorpio, but some people says imma Libra

-Height: 6'1 feets/1.85 m

-Time: 1:50 am

-Birthday: October 22

-Favorite Bands: Oh, that's a tough one, I may say that Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, Fall Out Boy and maybe Panic! At the disco are my top 5.

-Favorite Solo Artist: Tough too haha, Eminem, Adam Gontier, Alex Ubago maybe

-Song stuck in my head: Wheels by Foo fighters, those lyrics really hit me hard xD and also Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood

-Last show: Cobra Kai was the last one haha

-When did I create this tumblr: 2013, I was sad and a girl of my classroom told me that maybe Tumblr could help me to escape from it. She was right, btw

-What do i post: Things that I may feel identified as, or things that I like

-Last thing that i googled: In spanish, but something like "how to know when my Aliexpress purchase will be in Chile" lol

-Other blogs: No, just this one :(

-Do I get asks: Sometimes, but I'm not interesting enough to receive asks haha

-Why I chose my url: It's part of a song called "Alone together", and in 2015 I was feeling very identified by it. Haven't changed it since then

-Following: 633

-Followers: 407

-Average hours of sleep: 7-8 hours

-Instruments: Guitar, piano and harmonica, but I'm not an expert

-What am I wearing: A black and grey cammo shirt and sport pants, training night lol

-Dream job: Well I have 3, zookeper, wild life researcher, and professional wrestler lol

-Dream trip: Africa! Or Australia, but in reality any place with wild life will be nice to me xD

-Favorite food: Chinesse food! Love it.

-Nationality: Chilean :(

-Favorite song: The hardest question someone could ask me. Astronaut by Simple Plan maybe, the lyrics are special to me

-Last book read: The nameless city by H.P. Lovecraft, was amazing

-Top three fictional universes I'd like to live in: Well that's hard, almost every fictional universe I like are awfull places to live XD maybe one should be the Naruto's universe, other could be the Star Wars universe, and even being more historical than fictional, I definitively love to be a Peaky Blinder XD

Well almost every blog I follow are Hispanic, but I'll tag @my--dark-side, @tormenta-sol-oscuro and @without-anyone-knowing. There's someone else I could tag but is mad at me, but if soooomehow she read this, considere yourself tagged.

[t00-pi]

Estar fuera de anónimo me pone nerviosa pero eh. Ya que. Tengo una request en la que Shadow y la lectora son amigos cercanos y ambos trabajan en G.U.N., un día, mientras que los dos están en una misión, la lectora es herida gravemente, se recupera pero Shadow se siente terrible y ahí es donde ella quiere tratar hacerle hablar y Shadow explota, soltando que el gusta de ella y revelandole como sentía y entonces le confortamos. (Estaba inspirada lol, dime si crees que es muy detallado 😅)

Being out of anonymous makes me nervous but hey. As. I have a request in which Shadow and the reader are close friends and they both work in GUN, one day, while the two are on a mission, the reader is seriously injured, recovers but Shadow feels terrible and that's where she wants try to make him talk and Shadow explodes, letting go of his liking and revealing how he felt and then comforting him. (I was inspired lol, tell me if you think it's very detailed 😅)

it's ok hun! here you have it (the next post is going to be the original in spanish!)

Shadow T.H x Reader

"Protect you"

enjoy!💖

-----

Welcome to G.U.N, "Guardian Units of Nations" for its acronym in English. I work here as an agent for a few years now, doing my part to protect this world from constant threats, to protect people, and I am happy to do so!

  It seems that we are always in focus of some attack, because something new always happens, be they aliens, an ancient beast that rises to cover the world in darkness or, an obese human accompanied by a humanoid black hedgehog.

who would say it, that hedgehog joined us after a while.

Shadow became an official agent of G.U.N after a while of seeing us in action, just as we took the time to analyze whether to recruit him. I did not object sincerely, honestly it seemed great to have another mobian to work with.

because yes, I am one of the few humanoids here, one (f / a) to be exact. And while I get along almost with most agents (one of the keys to being here is teamwork), I was never completely close to any. After each mission it was and still strange to go out somewhere, to eat, to dance, nothing.

Nor can I boast of being the most sociable person in that regard, and Shadow was not in turn.

He did his own business and things in his own way, we seemed his assistants to some extent, I will not lie. His power surpassed almost everyone. But that's what happens when you're a lonely person, right? I suppose...

From the little we knew exactly about this coal hedgehog, it was that one of its notable characteristics was not that of working in a team. That if he had done it was in his own interest, and at first I doubted he was here for it. I don't know, but I missed something about him.

One day I decided to gather courage and face it.

Apart from the typical eye contact, or some words in certain missions to which we went along with other agents, we never started a conversation. It wasn't that easy anyway. And at first he didn't like me at all.

He did not like that I faced him clearly.

He said that he was only there to help fulfill a mission outside of G.U.N, and there it was. He did not deign to tell me anything else. The answer did not leave me at all calm either.

It was until they sent us on a mission together, alone, that we had to interact again. Neither of us wanted, but orders are orders.

It was not until I cut him off that Shadow realized that it was NOT HIS mission, but OUR mission. We were forced to work as a team even if he didn't like that.

At first he did not deign to answer, until he sighed and responded with a simple "ok".

And if we are done, it was a success!

Since then, Commander Tower has sent us both together to accomplish all kinds of missions, whatever. Even if we were accompanied, the requirement was that we were both in front. While I was in control and strategy, Shadow had the strength, and obviously, when the formula works, does it repeat itself?

At first we did not like this. Shadow still saw me bad just as I didn't want to have him close. But we get used to this routine of working together.

All this led to Shadow and I becoming close, I would say we became friends!

He was still the same cutting hedgehog that he showed to be from the beginning, but he was much more gentle with me. That I was around to open more with me, and I with him. He never wanted to tell me about that mission that did not belong to G.U.N, nor did those who knew tell me where he came from. But I tried to respect that, if it made him feel uncomfortable. Well, I saw how every time they spoke it I could lower my guard for a few moments, especially with that name.

"Maria".

The little I know about her is what Shadow himself told me, that he was her friend and that tragically died. Nothing else.

It is in those moments when I tried to comfort him, but he always rejected my attempts, my hugs, saying that he was fine, that he appreciated the fact of wanting to help. The few times I could get him to smile, even partially, they occurred at that time.

And I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed seeing that smile.

In the missions it became common for us to take care of our backs at all times, so as time progressed, I worried more and more about him, just as Shadow always looked and asked to be sure I was still there.

When I felt bad I could count on him to tell me something to help. He was not the best to give advice, in itself he's not good to tell how he feels in general, but my heart was glad only the fact that he wanted to help. I felt I had done well to face him on that mission. It was worth someone I could trust, even if sometimes I doubted him.

I didn't even know exactly what you felt for him, but I didn't pay much attention to him.

But everything changed.

It was a normal day, a routine mission. Shadow and I were together, about to enter one of Eggman's bases. Strange movements had been registered on the part of the doctor, and G.U.N wanted to make sure that another danger to humanity was approaching.

Everything went as usual, I analyzed how to go without being seen, the possibilities, while Shadow carried me in his arms so I could enter as quickly as possible. Whenever he did it, I blushed, today that has not changed either.

After a few moments, I told him where to go safely, where to leave me and what to do next. We would not separate unless necessary.

And it was. The base was immense, and we needed to travel it as soon as possible. A look and evidence was what we needed. However, we didn't even get to that.

My boots slipped and I fell to the ground, leaving me at the mercy of the security cameras. I got up and tried to get out of there quickly, while calling the hedgehog with a special watch on my wrist. It soon appeared, and charged me again to leave, however it was already late.

The alarm system had been activated, lasers everywhere.

While Shadow was able to dodge them, and we left, the missiles hit us before. One hit near us, and we both flew out together, I hitting my chest fully against a tree and falling from a considerable height. I started to lose consciousness at that moment. Shadow ran over, and the last thing I heard was his voice, worried, calling me repeatedly as I rose gently. After that, darkness.

I woke up connected to several machines, a serum bag, and a shadow next to me,holding my hand

At first I didn't recognize him, until I saw his red lines and his eyes . I could see his eyes light up when I smiled at him.

- What happened? - asked.

- I brought you Emergency here. You broke almost the entire ribcage, as well as some bones of the arm and pelvis. he replied.

I was shocked for a few moments, until I saw the bendages in my body, which I reacted again.

-Thank you...

-You don't have to thank me, it was my duty to protect you anyway. said the hedgehog from nowhere. I looked at him for a few moments, feeling like my heart was beating at those words. Silence invaded the small room for a few moments, until I asked:

-I can go back to G.U.N in no time, right?

-I don't know if you consider a few months for a long time.

-I don't believe it, as long as they don't cancel me ...

Shadow looked at me and lowered his head for a few moments, sighed and looked at me again.

-They won't unsubscribe you, but I'm not going to work with you anymore.

That hurt a lot more than my bones.

-But why? If it was a commander's decision I can go to ...

-It was my decision. - the hedgehog released, seriously, interrupting me, leaving me stunned for a few seconds. He stood up from his chair and opened the window.

-You don't want to work with me then?

-Not that, is that ... -he wanted to explain, however the words just did not come out. I could see it in his gesture, confused, frustrated.

-If it is because, I don't know, I'm very weak? You could always have told me that.

-No no, that's not why, let me explain it to you well ... -he looked increasingly frustrated.

-And then why is it? I asked annoyed.

Shadow exploded.

-I don't want to lose another loved one! I don't want you to be at risk of dying again because of me! I don't want you to be in the same position as Maria ... I can't lose someone I love again. - he exclaimed, while looking out the window, without being able to face me. His breathing was more agitated than normal, and he sighed so he could calm down and regain his composure again. He had been really vulnerable with me.

He said he loved me.

I watched him as my heart sped up even more. My cheeks were red like the color of their betas. The hedgehog continued.

-I ... my mission was to protect you, even when G.U.N didn't assign it to me like that. I was determined to make sure nothing happened to you. To do what I couldn't for Maria. That mission is what Maria left me. She would have wanted me to protect humanity and that I am trying to do. I can't alone, and in you I found someone who helps me to do it. Someone understanding, hardworking like You. Someone who knew how to make the best of me. I...

-Shadow, come closer. I said interrupting him. He looked at me confused. I put his hand between mine, and looked into his eyes. I sighed before releasing:

  -I love you, Shadow.

His lord changed to a surprised one, and when he relaxed him, he smiled.

-Me too, (Y / N). he replied, while kissing my forehead.

------

aaah, what memories ...

wait, we were talking about you being the new recruit right?

sorry! I'm really sorry, the same thing always happens to me. Come, I hope I didn't bore you, because you have so much here to hang out with!

[silver--storms]

Road Trip.

This was a request/somewhat co-wrote from the lovely @mountainofthesunn I hope you like it love!! :) 

Warnings: None, pure fluff, soft and gooey. 

Josh:

Josh loves road trips, clearing his head on a long drive is serene to him.

He especially likes little weekend getaways, he says it’s the perfect amount of time for him to feel refreshed. 

There is no debate, Josh rules with an iron fist over the aux cord, but he’s always sure to queue up some of your favorites...even the ones he doesn’t particularly like. 

Josh always seems to have a playlist set up for every road trip you take, always carefully thought out and normally based off where it is the two of you are going. 

His music choices would span from world music, new age, rock and even country. 

You’ve even caught him listening to spanish music after waking up from a mid-travel nap, hearing him sing along to it and attempt the lyrics was quite amusing. 

He enjoys stopping in random rural towns that no one has ever heard of and every time it’s an adventure. 

He normally just stops based off of a  strange name or a low population total he sees on a road sign. 

He likes to visit the towns local historical landmarks and do a deep dive of any vinyl shops, if they have any. 

The two of you make it a point to visit at least one thrift shop during your stay, it’s mandatory. 

You and Josh have had this tradition that whenever you go to a thrift shop together, you immediately part ways and start to shop for each other.

Josh, like most things, made it a competition that whoever finds the best (or the worst) assemble wins...but whoever loses has to wear the winners pick to dinner that night. 

You and Josh were big fans of bed and breakfasts, finding a little cozy old house to hole up in for the weekend was your definition of heaven.

That was one of the best things about traveling with Josh, it was all about escapism from the real world and you wouldn’t change it for a thing. 

Jake:

Jake likes taking long hiking trips with you, anywhere to get away and spend uninterrupted time together. 

While he’ll never admit it, the car ride, by far is his favorite part. 

Jake is always willing to make a shared playlist ahead of time, if it’s going to be a long trip he thinks it’s only fair. 

However Jake makes it a point to give you shit about your picks, you two are polar opposites, he likes rock (‘n roll) and you like pop/rap. 

He roasts you over your love for Taylor Swift, but after awhile even he cannot resist singing along.

Hearing Jake sing along to “Bad Blood” makes you giggle and fills your heart. He even gives it a bit of sass with some head bobs and a sway of the hips. 

He thinks it’s absolutely adorable that you know every lyric to a Biggie Smalls song, he laughs at how into it you get. 

When you finally arrive at your destination, the first thing he wants to do is get a fire going and sit in front of it with his guitar. 

The two of you sing along to songs together and enjoy the sounds of nature all around you. 

Jake likes to visit places that are far enough away from the noise, but close enough to civilization in case the two of you want a night out to explore the city/town.

You and Jake love to check out local pubs, hoping to catch an open mike night and check out the local music scene. 

He loves that in small towns he’s less well known, he can get away with uninterrupted time with you, even if it’s just dinner. 

Escaping with Jake to the woods is always a good time, it’s the perfect mix of escaping the noise of the world and making memories together that you’ll cherish forever. 

Danny:

All of Danny’s trips are well thought out, He wants to maximize as much quality time he can get with you. 

Danny loves to jam out with you on the way there, blissfully singing at the top of his lungs during every song. 

He’s never afraid to be silly with you, it’s one of the things you love about him, his carefree spirit. 

Danny loves using his height as an excuse to “stretch his legs” at every weird rest stop he sees, but you know it’s really because he’s on the hunt for obscure and weird snacks for the two of you to try. 

He is very adventurous when it comes to food, he’ll pretty much try everything and anything. 

He’s always looking to try each town's signature dish recommended by the locals, so far his favorite has been poutine that he tried when you visited the Niagara falls together.

The moment you arrive in whatever city you’re visiting, Danny likes to hit a local diner and ask the waitress what people like to do around town for fun. 

He is super considerate when it comes to deciding what activities you do, Danny wants to make sure that both of you get something significant out of each day. 

Danny prefers to be more active, while your type of vacation is all about relaxation, so the two of you compromise. 

The morning will start off with a good hike on a nature trail or walk around a popular local park to appease Danny, but he makes sure to follow it up with a nice romantic dinner and wine tasting for you.

Danny’s adventurous spirit and willingness to share in the things you enjoy is what makes traveling with Danny so amazing. 

At the core of it, he’s your best friend and you wouldn’t want to take on the world with anyone else. 

Sammy:

Taking a road trip with Sammy brings you back to family vacations when you were a little kid.

His level of excitement never wavers, he’s always ready to explore and try everything he possibly can in whatever city he’s visiting.

The whole car ride there he can’t stop talking about all these plans he has floating around in his head, places he says are a must see or different activities he’s seen online that he wanted to do together. 

Sammy normally takes over the playlists, he fills it with lots of The Velvet Underground and Stephen Stills. You didn’t mind Sammy’s music taste, most of it was very relaxing during your drive. 

However there was this one time the song “Love the one you’re with” was finishing up and all of a sudden, “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5 came over the speakers. 

You both just froze, you slowly turned your head to face Sam with your mouth wide open, observing Sam’s face going bright red with embarrassment. 

Unable to hold back a huge laugh, you couldn’t help but roast him, “Samuel Francis Kiszka, ARE YOU LISTENING TO POP MUSIC BEHIND MY BACK?!” 

He groaned in disgust “Yes, you caught me, but I only like this song because one time it came on in a cafe while I was on tour and it made me think of you.” 

You smiled at him, “Your secret is safe with me, babe.” you said as he kissed your hand and squeezed it. 

One of Sammy’s favorite road trip destinations was to visit amusement parks. He loved the fast roller coasters and carnival games.

Sometimes it took some coaxing for him to get you to go with him on the ones that would loop completely upside down, but somehow he always convinced you. 

Sammy preferred to go at night, you loved how big his eyes got looking at all of the lights, his arm wrapped around your shoulder made you feel all warm and fuzzy. 

He was quite the gentlemen, trying to win you all of the prizes, always determined to win you a big teddy bear for every road trip the two of you took as a memento. 

Sammy’s ability to push you outside of your comfort zone, while still making you feel safe, was incomparable. The memories you create together are ones you’ll cherish forever. 

Special shout out to @satans-helper​ for helping me with some Danny inspiration and @sparrowof-thedawn​ for Sammy’s perfect guilty pleasure pop song. :)

[indiavolowetrust]

unexpected presents are best unwrapped.

SUMMARY: Levi is given a present. Things do not go as planned. MC is a Catholic girl raised in rural Spain and based on various female saints (for the sake of MC having a backstory).

1

I pull my blazer closer to my skin, doing my best to fight off a shiver. Despite the completely stagnant state of the Devildom’s weather -- the air is always on the cusp of an unpleasant, biting frigidity -- I have forgotten, again, to dress appropriately for the lack of warmth. It is at times like this that I long for the mild spring seasons of Spain again. While the Devildom holds its own in its spiraling, indulgent architecture, dark skies, and extravagant views of the city, it is difficult to ward off the yearning when I am reminded of my homeland. I pine for the sight of sunlight, Spanish cathedrals, intricately carved reliefs and paintings -- even the annoying but familiar sight of our neighbor’s farm dogs, forever yapping up a storm at our gates. And the ocean. God, I miss the ocean. As overbearing as my Catholic family is, we would never pass up an opportunity to stuff ourselves into the automobile and journey to the seashore.

It is April, after all. Springtime. If I were in the human world right now, my school adjourned for our seasonal break, I imagine that Mama would have long corralled us into the car to take us to the ocean. The fresh, salty sea breeze would visage, embracing my body with its pleasant aura, and then we would say our evening prayers, no matter the distance that exists between us and a physical church.

We should thank Him for such blessings, she would say, holding her rosary to her breast, for He loves each of his children equally and unconditionally. We must rise above the temptations of demons and devils, for it is our duty to uphold our position as the children of God. It is His will.

What a horrible, fantastic lie that was.

Another wind passes through the streets of the Devildom again, forcing me to withdraw even further into the confines of my RAD uniform. I silently thank Lord Diavolo everyday for thinking to provide me with one upon first arrival. Without the inadvertent disguise that the school uniform provides me, I imagine that one of the lesser demons walking the streets would have long devoured my body and soul. Especially seeing that I possess no physical traits that could make me even pass for a demon. Better yet, the uniform is similar to that of my Catholic school uniform: a dark, knee-length skirt, sensible shoes, and a blazer decorated with golden buttons. And black stockings, for the purposes of both modesty and warmth. It is a near identical version to the one that the Avatar of Greed would be wearing, save for his personal, frivolous touches, and one that I would be able to spot easily in the crowd before me if he were to appear.

That is, if Mammon is still here. For all I know, the loudmouth has already wandered somewhere else in his endless pursuit of money.

A lesser demon gives me an odd look as he passes by, recognizing me as an unsupervised human, and I do my best to look as nonchalant and unbothered as possible. It is expected to be in the vicinity of so many demons, of course, seeing how I am standing in the middle of a shopping district -- but it is not expected to be so unprotected.

Damn it, Mammon, where are you? I think, instinctively scanning the crowd for his tell-tale fair hair and dark skin. My search yields little success. It’s already --

“I told ya that I found it!” erupts a voice behind me, a tone of arrogance apparent in the strange language of the demons. I nearly jump out of my skin. “What’d I tell you about listenin’ to the Great Mammon?”

I whirl around to face the grinning demon. “You -- you could have done that without scaring me,” I protest indignantly, much to his humor. “Just because your brothers do that all the time doesn’t mean you have to do it to me!”

Mammon’s grin only widens, satisfaction evident on his features. “Why not? It’s more fun this way. Just because your human senses are at the bottom of the barrel doesn’t mean that we can’t mess with ya.”

“Well --”

“Come on, let’s go!” Mammon begins to stride in the opposite direction, completely ignoring my words. “I promised Lucifer that I’d have you back before dinner. It’s not that far from here, anyway.”

I sigh, seeing how little of a choice that I have in the matter.

As it turns out, it is very, very far. Or at least that’s how my body feels about the journey. Despite having worked on my family’s farm all my life, it is difficult to keep up with Mammon’s considerably longer strides, and I find my lungs protest at the exertion. A side-effect of living a more idle life in the Devildom, I would expect. Mammon browses the figurines and objects through the window of the hobby shop, his eyes bouncing from item to item.

“I thought you said it wasn’t far,” I say, catching my breath.

“Not for a demon,” he responds nonchalantly. His eyes catch on something on display. “Think he’d like something like that?”

I follow his gaze. His eyes are locked on what appears to be a more plain but stylish-looking wallet, missing the typical brand of the TSL series. Dark and well-made and not at all to Levi’s tastes or use, as it would appear. I frown at the greedy spark in Mammon’s eyes.

"You’re not tricking me into buying a new home for Goldie,” I remark, crossing my arms. “And I’m pretty sure Levi wouldn’t want a brand new wallet for his birthday. Doesn’t he only buy things online?”

“Ya never know,” says Mammon. “If we demons want something, we want something. No ifs, ands, or buts. He could decide to start using a credit card tomorrow, if he wanted to.”

“And he won’t.”

Mammon pouts. “I am his older brother, you know.”

“So his older brother would know to get him something a little better than that,” I say, searching the window of the shop myself for a more suitable present. My heart still hammers in my chest, but I’ve gotten it closer to a more manageable pace. Something catches my eye, and I point at it before I can fully inspect it. “What about that?”

Mammon’s eyes follow my finger. “That?”

It is a perfect replica of the Lord of Shadow. Mint condition, featuring his signature outfit from the very first season of the series, and, most importantly, a special limited edition of the product. A hefty price tag of nine thousand Grimm is attached to the bottom of its display case. Mammon scrunches his face in disapproval as he notices the price tag, wincing at the unexpectedly high price, but I know better than to relent.

“Are you sure he would want that?” he asks, his attention floating back to the more desirable wallet. “I mean, how do you know that he already doesn’t have that?”

“It’s a limited edition,” I point out. “It looks like it just came out.”

“He’s probably collected about a hundred of those things already. If you get the wallet, then --”

“I’m not getting the wallet just so he can give it to you when he doesn’t want it.” I begin to fish in my pocket for my own wallet, my fingers searching for the Grimm hidden within. They close over the foreign currency after a few moments. “And it’s for his birthday, not yours. I’ll get you anything you want when the time comes.”

Mammon brightens at that. A little too much. “Really? Anything?”

I sigh. “Well, not anything, but --”

The sound of the door to the shop opening interrupts me, the bells ringing out from inside of the store. Mammon’s incoming protests immediately die in his throat, surprise written on his features as he suddenly goes quiet. It takes me a moment to glance over in the direction Mammon faces, still preoccupied with the thought of his gift, but Mammon quickly nudges me in the side to grab my attention. I turn.

Levi looks awkwardly at the both of us, a paper bag in his hands. His golden eyes flicker back and forth between Mammon and I. I do my best to guard my intentions.

“What are you two doing here?” Levi asks.

I try to think up a lie on the fly. “I -- well, we--”

Mammon quickly hooks his arm around my shoulder, his body draping over my much smaller form. I startle, but his firm grip on my shoulder prevents me from jumping away. He grins. “This little human and I were just on a date!” he exclaims, nuzzling his face closer to mine. I resist the urge to shove the loudmouth away. “Beel told me about this ice cream place down the street, and I decided to take little St. Maria here out for the afternoon. What are you doing here?”

Levi takes a moment to glance past us, gaze landing on the bookstore next to the novelty shop. There is no ice cream shop around here, of course, but I have no choice but to concede with Mammon’s obvious lie. If Levi were to find out that we were planning on dragging him out of his room for a surprise birthday party, I have no doubts that he would do anything to excuse himself from the occasion. I force what I hope is a convincing smile on my face, hoping that Levi doesn’t see through the ruse.

“I -- I thought you were studying in your room for the rest of the day,” I say, leaning into Mammon’s embrace. “I didn’t see you at RAD this morning.”

“I see,” he says.

Mammon holds me closer to him, his easy grin still plastered on his face. He all but crushes his cheek into my dark curls -- a move that is only the slightest bit awkward -- as he does so, keeping up the pretense. “We should probably get going before it closes down,” he says quickly. “Right, human?”

I nod. “We -- we should.”

“Great! Then we’ll get going.” Mammon quickly turns around, my smaller frame soaring an inch off the ground, and flashes Levi a parting wave. “Be seeing you around, huh?”

Mammon doesn’t wait for Levi to answer, instead dragging us both down the street until he’s sure that we’re no longer in his line of sight. Mammon being the stronger out of both of us -- and, more importantly, a demon -- tucks me under his arm and strides as we escape Levi’s scrutiny. I only catch the barest glimpse of Levi’s features as Mammon all but spirits me away, his expression somehow indiscernible, and we lock eyes for a moment.

An odd pang of guilt strikes me, despite the lack of a reason for it.

* * *

Hours later, after dinner, my thoughts are still preoccupied with the image of Levi’s expression in the street. I absentmindedly lather the shampoo into my dark locks as I stand under the shower, allowing my thoughts to wander. His eyes -- his eyes had darkened almost imperceptibly as Mammon carried me away, his bangs shadowing his visage as he watched. Or had it just been a trick of the light? He hadn’t been smiling, that was for sure, but that wasn’t anything to be worried about. After so many months at RAD, I have never known Levi to be the particularly cheery type. The side of his mouth had twitched as he frowned, his mood somehow lessening even more than usual. Maybe he had seen through the lie? Or perhaps Mammon had annoyed him again somehow, seeing how that seems to be a constant pattern between the two. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that --

No, you do know better, I chide myself, rinsing the rest of the shampoo from my hair. The dark locks begin to revitalize themselves under the water, popping up in loose ringlets. This isn’t the same Levi that tried to attack me back then.

The knob of the shower turns easily, the water stopping a few moments after, and I climb out of the bathtub dripping wet. That state is remedied easily: I towel myself off and plop my curls with hair product Asmodeus had generously lent to me, working the cream into from root to end. Given that I had been essentially kidnapped and spirited away into the Devildom, it would do no good to return to Mama and my family with both a lack of clothes and dry, splitting hair. And so I take my time with the process before dressing for the night.

I pull on a pair of thick wool socks along with a roomy pair of pajamas, each piece borrowed from one of the brothers at the beginning of my stay. An oversized sweatshirt and rolled-up pajama pants. It is cold in the House of Lamentation -- a characteristic likely attributed to the demons’ hardier nature -- and I have little reason to ask Lucifer to adjust the entire temperature of the hall to one human’s preferences. I’ve already checked my room over and over again for a heater or source of heat. Despite all of Lord Diavolo’s preparations beforehand, the topic of making the temperature of the hall or my room more bearable had slipped his mind, subjecting me to hours of shivering during the long nights.

Again, there is that pang of homesickness. According to Asmodeus, the Devildom has no true seasons. Nothing that a human like me would consider seasons, in that case. There’s cold weather, colder weather, and then there is a teeth-chattering frigidity that leaves me shivering and miserable on the best of nights.

Worse, if the Devildom has something even resembling an ocean or seashore, we are nowhere near close to one.

My D.D.D. buzzes, catching my attention. After drying and plopping my curls more in the towel, I pick it up and check the messages.

Got the goods? Mammon asks.

I take a quick glance at the Lord of Shadow figurine on my nightstand, still protected in both its case and plastic bag. Yes.

Betcha that he’s already got that one, Mammon texts me. Should’ve gotten that wallet, if you ask me.

I sigh. You wanna go and check? Your room is right next to his.

Nah, he’d just think that I was in there to steal something, he texts back after a moment. Isn’t he supposed to be at some weird costume thing tonight?

But you would be, I point out.

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

I stare at my phone for a few minutes, deciding if I should respond, then ultimately end up tossing it onto my bed. He is right, as much as it vexes me to admit it. The chances of just giving Levi a duplicate of something he already has -- especially something concerning his favorite Lord of Shadow character -- are too high to be negligible. And it -- it wouldn’t be too weird to waltz into his room to check, would it? No, it probably would be.

Then again, back in the human world, I never thought I would spirited away into the realm of devils and demons. Surely there could be some leeway in the terms of socially acceptable actions.

* * *

The corridor in front of Levi’s room is empty, as expected. The moonlight -- rather, the light from what appears to be something resembling a moon -- shines through great, uncovered windows in the hallway, lighting my path. I tread lightly on sock-laden feet. After another quick check into the hallway and testing the doorknob, I slip into Levi’s room.

I’ve been in his room enough to know to navigate the worst parts of his room -- namely, the giant bathtub and aquarium -- and so I walk straight to where I should be looking: the encased, protected shelf on his wall. Unlike the hall, however, Levi has left his curtains mostly closed. I nearly trip and bump into random bags and other piles of clutter in his room as I make my way towards my destination, narrowly avoiding each obstruction each time.

I scrutinize the case when I reach it, making sure not to touch the surface of the glass. A demon as obsessive as Levi would notice. Unfortunately, with the lack of light in the room, it is incredibly difficult to discern the differences between the figurines, much less recognize which figurine is which. I find myself simply staring at the case for a moment, eyes flitting between each figurine. There are plenty of figurines of the Lord of Shadow, as evidenced by the signature silhouette, and I strain my eyes to search for the particular form of the limited edition figure.

Minutes pass. I feel a slight headache emerging from the eye strain, but my efforts have paid off: to my knowledge, no such figurine exists in his collection. At least, there is no such figurine in his display case. Better yet, it’ll be something to prove the greedy, arrogant loudmouth wrong. I begin to carefully make my way past the piles of clutter again, nudging various objects aside when need be. I bump into the massive bathtub in the center of the room, its form completely obscured by the shadow, and --

And there is a noise in the corridor.

Levi.

I make my way to the door as quickly and quietly as I can, panic beginning to rise. While I could possibly lie my way out of explaining why I was in his room -- I had gone into the wrong room, maybe -- I doubt that it would be enough to convince him. For someone that spends most of their time cooped up their room, he is awfully perceptive. And I am an awfully bad liar.

I quietly slip into the hallway once more, muffling the sound of the closing door as much as I can. The corridor is dark, as it had been when I left it, but I know better than to let my guard down. If Levi were to enter from the door in the front lobby, it would be better to simply make my way down the stairs in the opposite direction. I pad quietly on the thicker parts of the rug on the floor, heading towards the end of the hall. The sound of footsteps begins to near me. I quicken my pace, turning the corner.

I smack into something solid, sending me careening into the floor. Thankfully, I break the fall with my face. My cheekbone smarts as I groan in pain, the throbbing sensation spreading across my visage, and I begin to lift myself up and off the wooden floor. A shadow looms over me for a moment, hindering my vision in the limited light. I turn my face upwards.

“Levi,” I acknowledge.

Levi looks down at me, his features marginally obscured by the headpiece of his cosplay. “Maria.”

We stare at each other, unsure of how to react. He clears his throat after a moment, his initial confusion dissipating somewhat, and offers me a hand. “Um, do you -- you need help getting up,” he says, changing the question into a statement mid-sentence. “You can take my hand -- if you want, that is. Don’t feel --”

I grab his hand and quickly pull myself to my feet, prompting Levi to awkwardly sputter the rest of his sentence. I move a little too quickly, however: the throbbing bruise on my cheek combined with the sudden vertigo is wholly disorienting, and I end up stumbling forward into his chest again. Thankfully, he manages to catch me this time. When I push myself away from him, putting a hand to my face, I notice that an odd flush has spread across his cheeks. Or maybe it is only light from the windows that is casting odd shadows over his visage.

“Sorry about that,” I apologize quickly. “I was on the way back from getting a midnight snack.”

Idiot, I think to myself. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. The kitchen is downstairs by your room.

Levi’s gaze flickers just past me, towards where I know the older of the brothers’ rooms are. I fidget. Then he is taking in my appearance -- wet hair, baggy clothing, and all -- and I find myself withering under his gaze, the discomfort growing to an almost unbearable level. All traces of the dorky, awkward Levi seem to have suddenly dissipated, the air between us suddenly palpable with tension. Tension for reasons that I can’t quite discern. Given the unforeseen shift in the demon’s mood, no matter his usual countenance, I decide that it is better not to ask.

Again, there is that strange expression. His golden eyes seem to flash with an almost imperceptible emotion for a moment, his bangs overshadowing the bridge of his nose.

His gaze meets mine for a moment. The intensity in them is harsh, nearly overwhelming, and I tear my eyes away on instinct. Something is wrong. His presence feels predatory somehow. Carnivorous. As if he were a serpent and I were a mere mouse caught in its jaws. As if I were a rabbit and he were the hunter. As if he were truly and very much a demon and I were a weak, insignificant human, ripe for the taking. He mumbles something inaudible under his breath.

For the first time, I feel fear.

I see Levi reaching for me just out of the corner of my vision, the shadows strange on his form. The air is cold, colder than it's ever been, as if the sheer will of his displeasure has changed the property of the air around it. I almost perceive the shadows forming on the wall behind him. My mind begins to throw flashbacks of the first time I had ever seen his true form: dark, coral-like horns, a serpentine tail, strange marks on what skin I could see. His hand comes within an inch of me, bearing what almost look like claws through the gloves.

I run.

part 2

[lucacangettathisass]

how the light gets in (ch. 10)

SUMMARY: After your home is ransacked by a group of strange men, you and your cousin are taken in by a group of outlaws. And that’s when the trouble really starts.

PAIRINGS: John Marston x Fem!Reader, Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader

check the fic tag for previous chapters!

TAGGING: @mountainhymn @kindred-hopes @sean--macguire if you would like to be added to the tag list lmk!

NOTES: hey everyone! long time no see huh? so, obviously, it's been a while since i updated, not since jan, and honestly i expected the next chapter to be out in feb, but i ended up picking up some extra shifts at work so then i was like "ok march it is!" and now it's april lmao. like many of u i've been stuck inside because of the backstreet boys reunion tour, my entire country is on lockdown because of it, so i've been able to use the time to write! and here we are! hopefully i'll be able to get the chapters out more regularly but who knows? anyway hope you all have been well! stay safe, and stay indoors if you can! love u all!

-

As you all slowly descended from the Grizzlies, you watched as the white snow slowly gave way to lush green, a sight that you hadn’t seen for months now, and you eagerly drank it up like someone being given fresh cold water after being in the desert for too long. You let out a sigh when you saw a patch of flowers, feeling like a weight has been lifted from you.

“Been a while since you’ve seen nature?” Miss Jones asked.

You nodded. “Yeah. It-it feels nice.” You smiled and watched a small bird flit from one tree to another, before flying into the horizon. “The warmth makes a nice change too.”

The other women all laughed, even Sadie cracked a smile. “Can’t argue with that one.” Miss Jackson agreed.

You looked forward, trying to see past Miss Grimshaw and the horses, but your view was greatly obstructed. You leaned over the wagon a little, keeping your hands on the sides to stay steady.

“Easy there chiquita.”

You jumped a little and looked behind you to see Mr Escuella riding leisurely beside the wagon, a smile on his lips. “Don’t want you falling overboard.”

A flush crept onto your cheeks and you timidly pulled away. “R-Right. Of course. Sorry.”

“No need to apologise.” Mr Escuella assured you, urging his horse forward so that he was beside you. “Must feel good, seeing all this after being stuck on that mountain.”

“I have missed seeing the colour green.” You admitted.

To your surprise, Mr Escuella laughed. “I can only imagine.”

Making Mr Escuella laugh made you smile, and you sat up a little straighter. “So, who’s your friend?” You reached out and gently patted the neck of Mr Escuella’s horse. The horse whinnied in an appreciative manner, encouraging you to stroke it.

“His name’s Boaz.” Mr Escuella said. “He’s a good boy.”

“A very handsome one too.” You cooed, hand going up to scratch behind one of Boaz’s ears. You furrowed your brow at the lack of reaction before you laughed lightly. “I’ve been around cats for too long.” You said softly.

“What makes you say that?” Mr Escuella sounded intrigued, and you blushed when you realized that he had heard you.

“Oh, n-nothing. It’s just...I’ve grown to expect animals to purr whenever I pet them.” You lowered your gaze, face heating up even more. “I-It’s stupid I know.”

Mr Escuella laughed again, but it didn’t sound malicious. It sounded friendly, almost fond, like he hadn’t found your admission stupid at all. “We all get used to things.” He said with a warm smile. “So, you grew up with cats?”

You nodded. “Mrs Zamolodchikova loved cats, including stray ones. There were always cats around the house so I got used to having some around. There was even a special nursery for expectant mothers and their litters.” You sighed wistfully, thinking back to the times when you would play with the cats or lounge around doing nothing at all with them in between complicated and arduous lessons. You wished you could go back to those times.

“So you’re a cat person?”

“I suppose.” You shrugged. “But only by default. I do like dogs, I just have more experience with cats. And horses of course.”

“Speaking of, your horse doesn’t seem to be too fond of Arthur.” Mr Escuella raised a brow. “I think this is the first time I’ve met a horse that Arthur couldn’t charm.”

“Oh God.” You said with a frown. “Has something happened? Did Mr Morgan say something?”

“No nothing like that.” Mr Esceulla assured you. “It’s just funny. She’s a feisty one.”

“She’s certainly spirited.” You agreed, relieved that nothing bad had happened. “It can take her a while to warm up to strangers, but once she gets used to you all I’m sure she’ll be better behaved.”

“You think you guys will be staying around that long?”

You paused, looking over at Sadie. As expected, she had been watching the interaction between you and Mr Escuella like a hawk, and she didn’t seem to be at all pleased. “We’ll see.” She said tersely.

“I’m sure Dutch won’t mind.” Mr Escuella said. “He isn’t the type to kick out two helpless women.”

“We ain’t helpless.” Sadie snarled, almost visibly bristling.

“That’s very kind of him.” You said quickly. You gently put a hand on Sadie’s knee and squeezed. “We’re immensely grateful.”

Sadie huffed.

Mr Escuella chuckled. “I’m sure.” He said teasingly, winking discreetly when Sadie looked away.

A giggle slipped past your lips and you smiled widely. “Have you been around here before Mr Escuella?”

“Can’t say I have, you?”

You shook your head. “No. It feels a little exciting, being so far east.”

Mr Escuella raised a brow. “This is your idea of excitement?” He chuckled. “Can’t wait to see how you react to everything else.”

Almost immediately you felt yourself deflate, wanting to shrink inside yourself for saying something so stupid. ‘Idiot. They all must already think you’re a child. Now look at what you’ve done.’ You looked down, wanting to avoid Mr Escuella’s gaze as your face burned with embarrassment.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that chiquita.”

You looked back up shyly and saw Mr Escuella looking contrite, and you immediately felt bad. “No no, it’s alright.” You said gently. “I-I know you weren’t trying to be cruel Mr Escuella.” You could tell Sadie was bristling like mad now, but you hoped that this would be enough to placate her. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what does chiquita mean?”

Surprisingly, Mr Escuella seemed to be relieved that you were no longer upset. “It’s Spanish, for little girl or little lady.” He looked you up and down. “In your case I would say little lady is more appropriate.”

That made your face flush even more. No one had ever called you a lady before. In fact, ‘little girl’ had often been the descriptor of choice for most.

“I’m surprised you can’t speak Spanish.” Mr Escuella said, apparently oblivious to your embarrassment.

“Y-Yes, well, I’m afraid that part of my education had been left the wayside.” You said sheepishly.

“So what languages can you speak?”

“Russian, German, French, and Italian.” You replied.

Mr Escuella let out a low whistle. “Impressive.” He said with a raised brow. “Why no Spanish?”

You opened your mouth to reply, but then suddenly realized that you didn’t really have an answer. “I...I really have no idea.” You admitted. “I never really gave it much thought, but thinking about it now, it certainly would be useful.”

“Well, you’re clearly good at picking languages up, so if you’re ever in the mood for learning Spanish, you can just ask me.” Mr Escuella smiled warmly.

It had taken you a moment to process what Mr Escuella had said, but once you did you couldn’t help but grin widely. “R-Really?” You sat up on your knees, one hand still on Boaz’s neck. The offer had taken you by surprise, but you still felt elated. “Y-You mean it?”

“Course I do.”

A rush of excitement ran through you, and you couldn’t hold back a grin. “I-Thank you Mr Escuella. You’ve been so kind, I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“You ain’t gotta repay me chiquita.” He said fondly. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something else, but stopped, looking you over. “Actually, there is one thing.”

“What is it?” You asked, curious and eager.

Mr Escuella smiled wider and leaned down so that he was at perfect eye level with you. “Just keep smiling. Do you think you can do that for me chiquita?”

It was certainly an odd request, but more than manageable. You had learned long ago how to smile when it was the last thing in the world you wanted to do. “I believe I can Mr Escuella.”

He chuckled, and sat back up. “Good.”

“Looks like we’re almost at that spot Hosea was talking about.”

You looked up at the back of Miss Grimshaw, and saw that you were all coming up to what appeared to be a well-trodden path, leading into a small patch of trees. It felt strange to see so many different types in one place, but in a welcoming and uplifting way. You smiled and sat up straighter, hoping to see more. “Thank Goodness.” You said.

“Hmm, I can’t see Arthur, Hosea and Charles.” Mr Escuella noted, looking over his shoulder. “I’m gonna hang back and wait for them, make sure they get back OK.” He looked back down at you. “Don’t forget what I said chiquita.” He grinned, and clicked his tongue, urging Boaz to turn around and go back down the path.

You couldn’t help but smile. ‘He’s so considerate and kind.’

Some giggles broke out behind you, and you turned around curiously. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” Miss Jones said breezily, with a twinkle in her eye that indicated very much the opposite.

(You felt your stomach churn.) 

“There’s a town not too far away right?” Miss Jones asked no one in particular

“Valentine I think Hosea said it was called.” Miss Jackson answered. “Real small cattle town.”

“I’ll take a small cattle town over those mountains any day.” Miss Gaskill said, and you couldn’t agree more.

Further ahead was a clearing atop a cliff, and it appeared to be just big enough for all of you. Miss Grimshaw pulled up at a far end of the clearing, and you watched as Mr Williamson and Mr Van Der Linde, who had both been steering wagons of their own, parked in different spots.

“Alright girls, let’s get to work.”

You and the other women all piled out of the wagon, and you noted Miss Jones groaning and Miss Jackson rolling her eyes as you did so.

“We need to start pitching tents.” Miss Grimshaw looked over at you and Sadie. “Do you two know how to do that?”

Sadie nodded. “I do, my daddy taught me.”

That seemed to please the older woman. “What about you [Name]?”

You immediately felt your cheeks flush hot. “I..I never...learned how to do that…” You looked down, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

“Then what can you do?”

“J-Just about anything else to help!” You said quickly, looking up again, desperate to appear helpful and eager and, above all, of use. “You know how I said my momma was a maid? I would help her sometimes. I-I got good at it.”

“She’s very good.” Sadie said, coming to your aid. “She has a steady hand when sewing, knows how to treat all sorts of stains, and she can cook very well.”

You smiled at Sadie, grateful for the help.

Miss Grimshaw looked you over with an uncomfortably enigmatic gaze. “Show her how to pitch a tent.” She said finally. “The sooner she learns that the better.”

“Yes Miss Grimshaw.”

You let out a deep breath. “Y-Yes Miss Grimshaw!” You quickly followed Sadie to the wagon where the other women had already gathered, getting out what you assumed to be materials to pitch up tents.

“Did that old Russian widow teach you magic or something?” Miss Jones asked with a twinkle in her eye, much like the one from earlier, and a smirk on her lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Javier warm up to someone that quick.”

The other women giggled, and you flushed. “N-Not at all.” You said. “I-I’m sure that he just wants me to feel welcome.”

“Oh I bet he does.” Miss Jackson waggled her brows. “Or at least, welcome around him.” She burst into giggles, along with Miss Jones and Miss Gaskill.

“Alright girls that’s enough.” Miss Roberts interjected. “Don’t want to give Grimshaw an excuse to yell at us already.” She looked over at you and smiled kindly. “Don’t listen to them, they get bored easy and just wanna have something to entertain themselves with.”

You failed to see what could be so entertaining about this, but you appreciated Miss Roberts’s words nonetheless. “It’s alright.” You saw Sadie grabbing a bundle of materials and immediately went to her side to help. “So, what do we do?”

“Gotta find some good flat ground first.” Sadie inspected the surrounding area, before finding a patch that satisfied her. “Now we gotta make sure the frame is steady.”

She walked you through the steps slowly, adding clarification when you needed it. Knowing each other as long as you both had, she knew how to explain and teach things to you in a way that would make sense to you, so you were able to follow along and got the hang of it rather quickly.

“I don’t want you talkin’ to Escuella.”

You paused, turning away from the canvas to look at Sadie in surprise. “Why not? He’s very nice.”

“He’s an outlaw.” Sadie’s words were dripping with disdain and venom. “A thief and a killer.”

“And he’s been nothing but nice.” You pointed out. “He offered to teach me Spanish, that could be an invaluable skill Sadie.”

“Don’t matter, I don’t want you talking to him and that’s final.” She knotted the rope in her hands around a stake, with a bit more force than necessary in your opinion.

You sighed, kneeling beside Sadie. “That isn’t realistic and you know it.” You said in a low voice. “Besides, we need to be pragmatic about this.” You glanced around. “We’re outsiders Sadie. Everyone else knows each other, and there are already dynamics and relationships in place, so we need to form our own. The sooner we can endear ourselves to everyone here, the better.”

Sadie gritted her teeth. “These people aren’t like the rich, upper class types you’re used to.” She said pointedly. “They don’t play the same games or go by the same set of rules.”

“But they are human, and humans are social creatures.” You gently put a hand on Sadie’s arm. “If we can befriend a few of them, it’ll make life easier for us. I know you’re an expert on nature survival Sadie, but this is about social survival, and that’s entirely different.”

A silence hung between the two of you, and you let it, allowing Sadie time to think about what you had said. “Why do you always gotta be right.” She sighed heavily. “Alright. Fine. Be friendly. But not too friendly with the men. I don’t want none of them getting too close to you or being alone with you.”

“Deal.” You smiled and hugged Sadie. Truthfully, you never understood why she was so hesitant to allow men near you. After all, no man had ever expressed interest in you before, and why should they? There were always far better, more appealing options available.

“Not bad.” Miss Grimshaw appeared to be pleased and even a little impressed, especially since this was the first time you had ever put up a tent. She looked up at Sadie. “You can help Mary Beth and Tilly with setting up Arthur’s tent.” She then turned her attention to you. “And you can help Herr Strauss with his wagon. He seems to have taken a liking to you, so I doubt he’ll mind.”

“Yes Miss Grimshaw.” Despite yourself, you could feel your cheeks going a little pink at the revelation that Herr Strauss liked you. You felt relieved and happy to know that you had already formed at least one bond, and hopefully alliance, within the gang.

You and Sadie exchanged glances before going to your seperate jobs. Herr Strauss had just finished setting up a table when you approached, and he seemed to be looking for something in his wagon.

“Herr Strauss?” You said gently, not wanting to startle him too much.

Despite your precautions, Herr Strauss jumped a little, staring at you in surprise. “Mein Gott.” He said, a hand over his heart. “You’re certainly quiet aren’t you fräulein?”

You flushed a deep red. “S-Sorry.” You said bashfully.

“Oh it’s alright.” Herr Strauss smiled kindly at you, adjusting his glasses. “Did you need anything?”

“Actually, Miss Grimshaw told me that I should help you.” You looked at his wagon. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

This seemed to surprise him, but Herr Strauss smiled. “Yes actually. I need some help taking inventory of our medicines.” He carefully pushed aside some of the crates, revealing a slightly worn leather satchel, which he reached into and pulled what appeared to be a notebook out of it. “Just go through the crates one by one and tell me what you find and I’ll make a record.”

“Of course.”

You did as you were instructed, reading out each label clearly, and waiting for Herr Strauss to finish writing before moving on. You had also decided to group all of the tonics together in groups, one for the horses, and one for humans, before further dividing them by what it was they helped with-health, stamina, or concentration-and then their effectiveness; all of which you had gleaned from reading the labels, committing it all to memory.

“You’ve already started sorting them?”

“Oh, um, yes.” You looked down, fidgeting under Herr Strauss’s curious gaze. “I-I thought it would make things easier. I can rearrange them if there’s a particular way you want them sorted.”

“Oh no no! This is perfectly fine fräulein.” Herr Strauss said approvingly, his smile and gaze warm. He went back over his notes as he inspected the bottles, double checking to make sure everything had been properly accounted for. “You’ve done a very good job, and there aren’t any discrepancies, so all in all-”

“No! Mister! Wait!”

The sudden shouts made you jump, and you looked up, heart pounding, to see Mr Duffy being dragged to a tree not too far from where you were by Mr Williamson. “Wh-what’s Mr Williamson doing?” You asked shakily.

“Looks like he’s going to tie him to that tree.” Herr Strauss replied, shaking his head. “Poor boy. Can’t imagine he’ll last long without food and drink.”

“W-Wait.” You looked back at the older Austrian, wide eyed. “You’re not-I mean, we’re not-Mr Van Der Linde wouldn’t-”

“He would, and it appears that he has.” He assured you. “I understand that this is rather shocking, but it’s how things are done here. If Dutch says he ain’t eating or drinking, then that’s that.”

“I...I see…” You looked over at Mr Duffy, feeling immense pity. “How...how long will he be...tied up?”

“For as long as Dutch says.” Herr Strauss replied. He seemed to have caught the horrified look on your face, making him sigh. He gently put a hand on your shoulder and turned you away from Mr Duffy. “Fräulein, I know that this sort of thing is particularly...unpleasant for you, being as good and kind as you are. But I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it. Hopefully the boy will tell Dutch what he wants to hear sooner rather than later. Until then, we must follow Dutch’s orders. No food or water for the O’Driscoll.”

“Yes Herr Strauss.” You said quietly, trying very hard not to look back at Mr Duffy.

-

You helped Herr Strauss set up his own tent space and to arrange his things, and by the time you were both finished, the rest of the camp had been set up, and Mr Morgan, Mr Smith, and Mr Matthews had joined you all, and Mr Escuella with them. You couldn’t help but watch Mr Morgan as Miss Grimshaw escorted him to his tent. He moved with such easy confidence and self assuredness, that you couldn’t help but feel envious.You had no idea what it was like to feel like that, to move through the world without a single worry or care. All you ever did was worry and care.

You were quickly pulled from your thoughts when you heard Mr Van Der Linde speak. Everyone stopped what they were doing and formed a small crowd around him, listening intently, and you joined them. He was trying to raise morale, praising everyone for sticking by him, before urging everyone to pull their weight and help out. 

(You fidgeted a little at that, worried if you would be able to do that.)

Mr Pearson, now wearing a top hat, emphasized the need for food, asking for everyone to contribute something. You looked over at Sadie, who was standing with Miss Gaskill and Miss Jackson, and wondered if she would be allowed to hunt. You couldn’t see why not.

“And don’t forget, whatever you get, the camp gets a slice.” My Van Der Linde pulled out a shiny red box and placed it on top of a barrel outside his large tent.

You furrowed your brow and looked over at Herr Strauss. “What did he mean by that?”

“If you make any money then you need to put some into that box there.” He explained. “To help the camp pay for supplies and the like.”

“Oh. Like taxes?”

Herr Strauss chuckled. “Yes, I suppose so.”

Once Mr Van Der Linde was done, everyone dispersed and you rejoined the other women. “So, how long do you all usually stay in one place?”

“Depends.” Miss Jackson said. “If it’s a good spot and we lay low, then usually a good few months.”

“Let’s hope that’s the case here.” Miss Gaskill sighed. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had enough of moving around.”

You couldn’t agree more, and you were about to say as much when something blue appeared in the corner of your eye. You turned to look and saw Mr Morgan, still wearing his big heavy coat, talking with Mr Van Der Linde and Mr Matthews. For whatever reason, your full attention was on the three men, but Mr Morgan in particular. You took in his profile, his strong jaw, the broadness of his shoulders, the firm set of his mouth. Did he ever smile? You hoped you would be able to see it.

“Stay away from him.”

You jumped, turning to see Sadie suddenly at your side, glaring at something. “W-What?”

“I said stay away from him.” It came out as an angry hiss, and when you followed her gaze you saw that it was focussed on Mr Morgan.

“But Sadie, he helped us-”

“I talked with Tilly and Mary Beth.” Sadie gave no indication that she had heard you, although you were certain that she did. “And they told me what kind of person Morgan is.”

You didn’t like the sound of that. “What...what kind of person is he?”

“Exactly the kind I expected.” She finally tore her gaze away from Mr Morgan and onto you. “He uses force and kills even when not necessary. He’s a mean and sour bastard and I don’t want you around him. I know you feel like you owe him because of what he did, but you don’t. He didn’t do it out of the goodness of his own heart. If Dutch hadn’t been there he probably would’ve put a bullet in our heads.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t have Sadie.” But even as you protested, you felt a chill go down your spine. “What would he have gained from it?”

“Men like him don’t need a reason to kill.” Her tone left no room for argument, so you decided not to. Instead you let her put her arm around you and lead you away to the area where the two of you, along with Miss Jones, Miss Jackson, and Miss Gaskill would sleep.

But you were able to sneak one last look back at Mr Morgan, watching as he smoked his cigarette, haloed in the light of the setting sun.

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ahh yes the Polycule all being polyglots too. Poly-everything. But in all seriousness, Mel is so... charmed by their partners speaking other languages. Especially Spanish. And ugh imagining them traveling together and all translating for each other and oh god the pet names and introducing each other to new places/cities/foods ahhh.

hdbdidnsidn well i mean it's kind of canon since obviously raphael grew up in méxico, simon is hinted to speak spanish since he understands when raphael speaks in it and also uses some words with him from time to time, and emeraude refused to say "rosa" with an US american accent (which. sexy of her) meaning it's heavily implied that izzy speaks spanish because her pronunciation is, obviously, perfect.

and yeah i just. look. meliorn loves hearing different languages and thinks they all sound beautiful (i kind of have a headcanon that seelies can speak all languages? like including tree and animal languages and shit. like some magical stuff? yeah) and they know it brings raphael in particular great joy to call them pet names in spanish. and well, if it brings them great joy to hear it too, that's just a bonus. but simon and izzy notice and start calling them bella and princesa and mi amor too and aaaaaaaaa

and simon also speaks yiddish as we know (i know that some ppl hc him as a Sephardi Jew and i dont mean to invalidate that hc, im just saying that because he calls his grandma bubbe. maybe he's both?). and.... okay i looked it up for several hours and maybe it’s just because i’m stupid but most endearment terms i found in yiddish were said to be for children? but also i do love the idea of simon calling mel/rapha/maia “oytser” (treasure) and even with petnames aside, yiddish just..... has so many beautiful words??* and meliorn (and also maia and rapha of course) love hearing him talk about it and learning all those great words, from insults to beautiful descriptions. and it feels so important for simon too because he already had very few opportunities to speak yiddish outside of his home, and he’d hate to feel like another part of being Jewish was being taken from him when he was already losing most of his family, you know? plus, it’s kind of one of his special interests and it’s nice that he can monologue about yiddish and everyone is genuinely interested. and raphael of course partially understands how he feels about the language (not fully, since it isn’t really simon’s first language, and there are particular complications with being Jewish and the fear of losing your Jewish identity/culture that just don’t apply for goyim, but still, as an immigrant, there’s solidarity there) 

*a few of my faves that i came across researching yiddish for this: nakhes (”proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child”), Kemfer (”a fighter… but one who fights for a cause; an activist”. lowkey obsessed with simon calling his partners that, because.... they are), mechayeh (”literally, something that has brought you back from death to life, and colloquially, something relieving or refreshing” - tbh i love how dramatic yiddish is, reminds me of brazilian portuguese lmao), balebus (”a gracious, welcoming, and considerate host”). 

anyway! i just love the idea that simon and raphael can find some sort of comfort and understanding in each other, despite the fact that by all accounts simon should be (rightfully) wary of raphael’s religion, but raphael is genuinely interested and respectful towards simon’s culture and he understands the fear of straying too far from your roots and losing yourself, the feeling of having your culture shunned and kept to the indoors, the responsability of trying to keep it alive and the feeling of being completely lost when you’re apart from your community. again, it’s different, but... most goyim (for simon) and non-latinos (for raphael) don’t even come close, even among vampires, and it’s nice that they get that

also raphael has no illusions when it comes to catholicism/christianity and he understands why ppl, especially ppl like simon and magnus, would be wary of it, and he feels genuinely humbled and happy that the both of them understand what being catholic means to him and accept that part of him, even if from a distance. like, magnus canonically helped him find his faith again, you know? that’s really, really humbling and a show of love, because the shit catholics put him through - he was literally there to be prosecuted by witch hunters, he watched in real time as christian colonialism tried to tear his homeland (and did tear his family) apart, and still he found it in himself to help raphael find his way back to the religion because it did him good. raphael will never stop being thankful, and humbled, by that. and even if simon sometimes rolls his eyes at the goyishness of raphael’s whole punishment and sacrifice thing or fucking whatever and generally doesn’t get too close to it, he also trusts raphael, and raphael knows that it’s a big deal. and simon loves that raphael knows that it’s a big deal and doesn’t have illusions when it comes to his religion or the role christianity had in oppressing not only simon’s, but thousands of ppl historically. u kno? 

hmmm that was a tangent. also as u (probably) know i’m not Jewish so please let me know if there was anything inaccurate or offensive in what i’ve written.

anyway! polyglotcule. and okay i think those are the languages i can think of (and well simon could also speak ladino if you hc him as a Sephardi Jew) other than the hc that meliorn just knows all languages, which...... i absolutely love and stan tbh??? like yes i know the logistics of that are complicated and that to truly know a language you have to understand its culture and so they’re not exactly fluent as much as they’re able to understand most of them, but look, look. i just love the idea of the polycule travelling around and meliorn talking to ppl for them and simon and maia being super excited and wanting to know, like, everything they can and asking them a billion questions and asking them to translate every sign they come across and every time they do (even as they have literally no way of knowing if meliorn is correct or not) they’re just like WOAAAA and generally being huge goofy nerds about it. and izzy and raphael have a more held back approach but they’re also clearly so impressed and proud of them, even if it’s literally just like, magic

like raphael is just in love and watching them with those soft eyes (especially when simon and maia get all wide eyed and excited about it because he loves them okay) and sometimes their eyes will cross and they share a little smile??? and hold hands???? and it’s super sweet??? and izzy is just smiling at them too, although with that more open, big smile of hers, head tilted to the side a little, while clary huffs because izzy is not paying attention to what she’s saying, even as she’s swishing their linked hands a bit because they’re That Couple. and then every once in a while izzy’ll ask a question of her own, except it’s always something like “how do you say ‘the most beautiful one’ in [language]?” and meliorn smiles and tells her and she’s like “yes, you are” and they laugh and make a joke about flattery and she just winks and smiles

(then she grabs maia’s hand and goes “you all are” and kisses her and clary too, just so they know she doesn’t play favorites. not that they need it, but it’s nice) 

foajhsdoajda im just a slut for the polycule okay

[buckyfullerene]

Jorden van Foreest Wins Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021

GM Jorden van Foreest became the first Dutch player in 36 years to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. The 21-year-old grandmaster defeated his compatriot GM Anish Giri in a dramatic playoff after both had finished on 8.5/13.

"On top of the world," was Van Foreest's answer to the question of all questions—how he felt after winning the super-tournament in Wijk aan Zee.

The oldest brother from a large family of chess players won the "Wimbledon of chess," a tournament of 13 classical rounds over the course of 16 days by remaining undefeated, scoring plus four, and winning the blitz playoff in the armageddon game. He also broke 2700 for the first time as he won 30 rating points.

Meanwhile, it was a massive disappointment for Giri and his fans. The Dutch number-one seemed destined to finally win his first major tournament in which GM Magnus Carlsen participated, but instead he lost his second playoff in Wijk aan Zee, after the one in 2018 against Carlsen.

On the decisive moment, at the end of today's armageddon game, over 80,000 online viewers were watching the combined Chess.com broadcast streams (Twitch, YouTube, and international channels), and more than 700,000 watched over the course of the day. These are incredible numbers for over-the-board tournament play, normally only seen during world championships. The chess boom is real, and Wijk aan Zee profited from it.

The many online spectators witnessed a special moment in the history of Dutch chess. It has been mentioned many times, but van Foreest finally did what predecessors like Jeroen Piket and Loek van Wely couldn't: become the first Dutch winner since GM Jan Timman won it, 36 years ago, in 1985.

A big part of van Foreest's success was his final-round win against GM Nils Grandelius, and that win was largely based on his highly successful opening preparation.

"I have to give a big shoutout to my second, GM Max Warmerdam," said van Foreest. "We had this position on the board this morning. He said, '13...Bd7 is the human move.' We played around a bit, we got to this position with 16...Qb8, and he played 17.c4 and said it was slightly better for White according to the engines, but I didn't know the follow-up."

"In general, it's a very risky line for White," van Foreest added. "I believe Black is better if he knows it, but in this situation, the line is really very well-suited for this game."

Van Foreest continued playing the engine's preferred choices, including the wonderful 21.Nb5!. Grandelius initially defended well but got low on time and at one point collapsed. A nice final touch was van Foreest's king walking to h6, in the style of GM Nigel Short's win vs. 1985 winner Timman.

"It's crazy, it didn't really get through to me yet, I just finished the game. It was a really tough game, and I think happiness will come later," said van Foreest after this game, not realizing how prophetic these words would be.

By then, he knew that his win was going to be good for a tiebreak because it became clear that Giri was going to draw his game. Spanish GM David Anton was in control in this game but failed to convert his long-term advantage.

For a while, Giri's prospects did look rather grim. After two and a half hours, his wife IM Sopiko Guramishvili—on a short break from her own commentary—told an interviewer of the Dutch national broadcaster NOS: "I'm pretending not to be nervous!"

Giri himself was strolling confidently through the playing hall after almost every move he made and was out of trouble when he could play the thematic ...d5 pawn break.

GM Fabiano Caruana, who could still catch the leaders, had little chance for more than a draw against GM Aryan Tari, but that cannot be said about GM Alireza Firouzja. The Iranian teenager was doing rather well against GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and he had good chances to finish on the same number of points as Giri and van Foreest.

His Sonneborn-Berger (SB) tiebreak, however, was worse. During the round, it was already clear that a win wouldn't be enough for Firouzja to make it to a playoff, which according to the regulations would only be played by two players.

The all-Dutch playoff was scheduled to start at 18:10, two tables away from Firouzja-Wojtaszek, who were still playing. When these players reached the time control, the arbiters asked them to move to one of the tables farther away so that they would be less bothered by the moves of Giri and Van Foreest.

Firouzja was visibly disturbed (understandably so) and refused to leave the table. While the playoff was underway, he spoiled his promising position, and afterward, he was very angry at the arbiters and shouted at the main organizer. The whole affair was a stain on an otherwise wonderfully organized event in pandemic times.

The regular round saw two more decisive games. For starters, a win for the world champion, who at least managed to finish a bad tournament on a plus score as he outplayed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a Grunfeld.

"He went for a plan in the middlegame, which probably wasn't very good," explained Carlsen. "After he sac'ed the exchange, I think I was considerably better. 29.Nd2 was pretty nice, giving up another pawn but eventually winning based on domination."

"The overall performance was … shameful, to be honest," Carlsen reflected. "There were really very few moments of redemption in the tournament, it was really quite poor, and I have to do better in the future."

Besides van Foreest, another young grandmaster broke into the elite club of 2700 players for the first time in this tournament. GM Andrey Esipenko finished with a win against the luckless GM Alexander Donchenko.

The playoff consisted of two blitz games; the time control was 5|3. Giri missed a chance to take the lead.

Giri was also better in game two, where he won a pawn. However, too much had been traded by then, and van Foreest held it to a draw with accurate defense.

The match went down the wire with an all-decisive armageddon game. Van Foreest won the toss and chose to play with the black pieces.

Once again, it was Giri who took the upper hand, this time in a must-win game for him. He reached a winning position indeed but then blundered it all away in one move, missing an intermediate check, despite thinking for half a minute on that fateful 26.c6.

The Giri-Van Foreest armageddon game. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess.

As the players got low on time, it was van Foreest's turn to blunder, first a pawn and then a full piece. Giri was winning again.

In a hectic final phase, the moves were made so fast that the digital chessboard stopped registering them after move 58. To the online viewers, it looked like Giri lost on time in a winning position.

In reality, four more moves were made, and Giri turned out to be the last to blunder. In the final position, he couldn't prevent his opponent from queening a pawn, and as he leaned back in disbelief, he resigned while letting his clock run down to zero.

"In these blitz games, it basically comes down to a lot of luck," said van Foreest. "He played the better chess, but maybe I played the faster chess in the end. Blitz is just a coin flip basically."

Some viewers must have felt uncomfortable with the fact that a 13-round classical tournament is decided in a time scramble like this—especially the ones who were rooting for Giri.

Van Foreest: "I felt bad for Anish, and I felt a bit bad about this game. There was a lot of throwing pieces around. You don't want to win this way but it happened like this, and I'm just really happy now."

The youngest of the two Dutchmen, who is a friend and has helped Giri as a second in the past, praised Giri: "Full credit to him, he played a really good tournament, really deserved to win it. I mean, he could have won both of his last games too, but that is just how it goes."

Giri (second), van Foreest (first), Esipenko (third). Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess.

Thank you all and have a nice day :)

[whathebash]

⌠ BOOBOO STEWART, TWENTY-THREE, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, SEBASTIAN “BASH” STEWART! according to their records, they’re a SECOND year, specializing in KNIFE FIGHTING SKILLS, SWORD TRAINING, PRECISION SHOOTING, FIREARMS & SWAT TRAINING + MEDICAL TRAINING; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (messy manbun, lips pressed together tightly, head stuck in a thick book). when it’s the (cancer)’s birthday on 6/30/1997, they always request their VEGAN CHEESESTEAK from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation.

NAME: James Belikov Sebastian Stewart

KNOWN AS: Bash

BIRTHDATE:  June 30, 1997

ASTROLOGY:  Cancer sun / Taurus moon / Aquarius rising

HOMETOWN: Fredonia, AZ

RESIDENCE: Roseville, VA  ( Gallagher Academy )

GENDER:  Cis male  ( he/him )

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  Bisexual

HEIGHT:  5'8"

HAIR COLOR:  Dark brown

EYE COLOR:  Dark brown

TATTOOS:  coordinates of Munich  ( where his parents had been killed ) on the inside of his right arm,  a paw print on the bottom of his arm/shoulder, a Japanese quote on his side, an eagle on his back between his shoulder blades, a band around his left arm

KNOWN LANGUAGES:  English, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, & some German, French, Italian

IMMEDIATE FAMILY:

Vladislav Belikov:  Father, Blackthorne alum and former Brotherhood member turned spy for hire, deceased

Rosemarie Belikov:  Mother, spy for hire, deceased  

Aurora Belikov Spencer Stewart:  Younger sister, second year at Gallagher Academy  

Clarissa Belikov Summer Stewart:  Younger cousin sister, second year at Gallagher Academy

BACKGROUND.

Sebastian Stewart was born James Belikov, the eldest son of two spies whose world-renowned families had been in the business for generations. Him and his sister Aurora lived fairly sheltered on their Arizona ranch for the first few years of their life, cut off from civilization, with only their parent's visiting friends as rare guests. From a young age they both were groomed by their parents to be the absolute best, and nothing less. Jay Belikov grew up with a gun in his hand before he learned how to ride a bike, and instead of receiving a car for his sixteenth birthday, his parents let him and his sister join them on professional missions.

Even before they were old enough to assist on missions, the Belikovs often let their son and daughter travel along with them to wherever the mission was, only staying back in Arizona when the stakes were too high. They had never known spy prep schools or universities like Gallagher or Blackthorne existed until their family friends began enrolling, and the news trickled down to them.  Their parents had always been very adamant that the schools were useless, and the best training they could receive was by their sides, where they were treated like professionals. It was a position most budding spies would kill for.  

From a young age, he had always hated the spy life. Part of it stemmed from the fact that he was never given a choice in what he wanted to do with life;  his parents were world-renowned spies, like their parents, and their children would be the same.  Him and his sister had grown up where failure was not an option, nor was arguing.  His parents, though both kind and caring in their own way, made it clear that if they wanted out of the spy life, that meant losing them for good. And while he didn't always agree with them, family was EVERYTHING to him. So he learned to push down his own feelings and keep on trekking, for the sake of his family.  

In May, his parents had been on a mission when he and his sister were given word that they had been killed on the job, and were immediately sent into witness protection.  It wasn't until being contained that they learned a little more :   their deaths hadn't had anything to do with their most recent job, but likely due to a previous one that James, Clarissa and Rory potentially participated in.  Being placed in witness protection was for their safety,  and with it came new identities. Sebastian -- who insisted on going by Bash -- was devastated and in shock, but he had hoped that maybe this would mean a reason to be pushed into the normal world, one where he could leave the spy world for good. Instead, him, Aurora  ( now Spencer )  and Clarissa  ( now Summer )  were detained at a facility for six months, where they were unable to see any friends or family, have contact with the outside world, or do anything that could be considered a security breach before being sent to Gallagher Academy. 

GALLAGHER ACADEMY.

Bash and his sisters joined Gallagher Academy halfway through the fall semester, thrown into majors they didn't pick and classes that had already finished midterms. For a boy who had never been to an organized school before, to say it had been culture shock would be an understatement.  However, it turned out that school was actually… something he liked ?   Not the classrooms and curriculum themselves, but being in a place with other people his age, all with similar backgrounds as him, and -- even better -- ones with different backgrounds.  Though he's met quite a few spy families through his parents, seeing them had always been few and far between, making it a very alienating lifestyle.  It was nice to be around people his own age, and though shy, Bash had been able to make friends and start a life for himself.

At the beginning of the new year, Bash had been able to change one of his majors from combat to medical training, an area that's always interested him from a young age   ( unfortunately, he was probably the only boy in America who had parents who didn't want him to be a doctor ) .  He also entered a relationship -- his first ever -- with a girl he had been penpals with when he was younger.  Of course, he couldn't tell her that he was her old friend Jay, though the truth always finds a way of coming out.  She learned the truth on the night of the Valentine's Day party, causing a rift between them right in time for the three day school-wide lockdown and murder of his very own roommate. Eventually they reconciled and he told her the whole truth, and she became one of two people outside him and Spencer who knew the truth about his identity.   

That wasn't the only twist in the semester, unfortunately.  A few months later, an email blast was sent around with names of previous members of the Brotherhood, a terrorist organization that had targeted Gallagher once before, and had now returned.  Bash's father had been on that list.  This was all news to him, who had never thought his father had anything to do with spy schools, based on how he had been raised.  With his Uncle Jack  ( not related, just a close family friend )   at Gallagher as one of the alumni mentors, he had been able to learn the truth :   his father had actually attended Blackthorne Institute. Once that bubble had been popped, Bash slowly began to see his parents in a new light.

After a particularly challenging semester, Bash had been happy to get invited to Berlin for a summer internship -- not because of the experience, but because he and Spencer still had no home to return to while school was out.  They've officially been in witness protection for a year, and as far as they were aware, no strides had been made in their parent's case, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.  Bash asks his encryption major girlfriend to look into the deaths of his parents, and from hacking into the German Intelligence's system, she was able to find that they had been killed in Munich, at the hands of an assassin -- and Bash's roommate's father. 

So the hunt to learn more about their deaths and the potential danger he and Spencer are in continues, all while Bash is beginning to get blackmailed by an anonymous source that knows about him and his sister's past... and threaten to expose it.  He hasn't told anybody about it, not wanting to worry them, but with so many moving parts going on in his life -- as well as an unknown future -- Bash is beginning to lose control.

PERSONALITY.

Bash is a quiet kid, not one to say much. After being homeschooled his entire life and being surrounded by nobody but his family, he’s pretty socially awkward around strangers and new people. His way of getting around it is keeping his head down and trying not to make waves, which is exactly what he does at Gallagher, though he has since found himself with more friends than he ever thought possible.

He had been raised not as an individual, but as one cog in the machine, and he always considered himself as such. His own individuality and thoughts and feelings had never really been something Bash had to take into consideration, so he's still really trying to figure out who he wants to be. Above all, he wants to get out of the spy world, but even with his parents being gone, he's afraid of ruining their legacy and losing his sister in the process. Now that his parents are gone, he wants more than ever than to make them proud. 

Bash is very non-confrontational and passive, a textbook people pleaser. You could pour soup into his lap and he'd apologize. He's a great friend, and an amazing listener  ( the type to actually remember when you tell him things ) ,  but as a conversationalist ?  He could be better.

MORE INFORMATION / HEADCANONS.

He's fluent in Russian because it's his father's native language, and knows Japanese because of his mother.

Bash is fiercely protective of his little sister Spencer, even though he knows she can take care of herself. 

Of all the different lessons and skills his parents had taught him, Bash has always been best at hand-to-hand combat, excelling above most men his age.  There's rarely a fight that he'll lose -- it's one of the reason he switched out of combat major to something different, because he didn't love the attention that came with it. He rarely fights or works on his combat skills, though he's always willing to help a friend out who needs it.  He's a great tutor.

What he's not good at is anything that involves cracking a textbook. Bash is an undiagnosed dyslexic, so reading and writing has never been his strong suit.  Luckily, when you're homeschooled by crazy spy parents, it's not really a skill that's needed.

For his most recent birthday, his Uncle Jack had gifted him a fishing boat that he had previously owned, named after James himself. Don't ask me where it is right now because I have no idea.

He's been a vegan since he was sixteen. His mother had been a vegan for as long as he could remember, so even before he fully made the change, it was often all he ate. Bash was a total mama's boy, as if that's any surprise.

CURRENT & WANTED CONNECTIONS HERE.

[tetelfuentes]

PURYA BUYAG

Do you know this cebuano/visayan expression? Purya buyag. Some people mostly used this as a response when their babies are being complimented. For example, "hala ka gwapa ba sa imong baby uy" she said with a smile; "purya buyag", mother replied. This is the usual word that a person would utter when his/her baby was complimented. Purya buyag is a common phrase in the Philippines. It is a history of supernatural beliefs. The phrase is hundreds of years old, pre-exist the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. What does the word "Purya buyag" means? It is used when spoken to someone for example, who sees an infant, or a baby or a child who looks very cute and that person gushes over the baby, infant, or child. The mother or the guardian of the child responded, 'buyag.'

According to common belief, this will drive away from the evil spirits that will cause something bad to happen to that child. There are different situations where we usually use the word " purya buyag". It is rooted in the belief that elementals or unseen spirits of the earth dwell in the ground. “You look really good today!” “Your child is so pretty”, “Your baby is so cute”, “You have very nice skin!” Such greetings should be countered with a special expression so as not to be afflicted by a mild sickness or even a malady. You can say: “Purya buyag” (means – “Buyag - go away”). It could be related to the loanword in Spanish: “Fuera” buyag. Sa usa ka lugar sa Compostela, naay inahan nga nagkugos sa iyang babayng anak, nagsugatay sila sa ilang silingang batan-ong lalaki: Batan-on: Mayng buntag te, imo nang anak? Inahan: O dong, ngano diay? Batan-on: Gwapaha sa imong anak te uy! Inahan: hoy, purya buyag dong, Biyernes baya karon. Somewhere in California, a mother is carrying her baby girl meets a young boy on her way home: Young boy: Hey madam, good morning, is she your child? Mother: Yeah, little boy, why? Young boy: Your daughter is so beautiful, madam! Mother: Oh, thank you so much boy, and Thanks God It’s Friday (TGIF – hehehe, singit rani ha kay Biyernes baya karon, laag na ugma!)Buyag is another form of superstition that stems from animistic or traditional beliefs not only among Cebuanos but also to most Filipinos. It is their way of understanding natural occurrences, especially on somebody for which they don’t fully understand what the main causes are of the medical/scientific explanation of such an occurrence. One sign or effect of a ‘buyag’ is a physical illness on someone who is afflicted by it. One of the main reasons for ‘buyag’ to occur is that the person afflicted did not ask the permission from the spirit living in a particular place where the person did something. Another reason is that the person afflicted did something disturbing in a place which is secluded or enchanted – where some spirits live in that realm.Sources Or Causes Of Buyag actually buyag can come from the spirits who live in some special places, or it can be caused by someone who made a comment to someone. The comment or greeting could be the greeting-inducer of a malady. For example, the verbally-induced malady (or ‘buyag’) can come from a greeting or comment as benign as saying.Some results caused by buyag could be both mild or serious… mild cases: skin rashes, strange discoloration, itchiness, sudden occurrence of boils, etc. serious cases: getting fever or sick suddenly; or, one could get sick for a long time and that she needs a cure from someone who is expert in driving away that sickness or appease the spirit that caused that sickness – an ‘arbularyo’. This person is thought to have some special skills to heal by using indigenous medicine combined with his seemingly extra ability to communicate with spirits in another realm. ‘Buyag’ can afflict both young children, babies, and adults.

Announcing your presence and telling them to step aside is a precautionary measure so that you will not accidentally step on them, hurt them, or grievously offend them by accidentally peeing or stepping on them. Elders believe that accidentally offending these supernaturals by stepping or peeing on them will result in the painful enlargement of your offending body part. How does the purya buyag being used? It is used to terminate all the unseen evil spirits for example when you are on an adventure with your friends in a forest some people utter "purya buyag" to avoid a curse aside from saying an admiration on something. Some also used the word "excuse me" or "tabi apo" in visayan term. Roughly translating to “excuse me,” saying “tabi tabi apo” is a polite way to request spirits to move to the side. In doing so, we pay respect by acknowledging their existence, avoiding accidents or infringing on their territory. It is a way of saying “excuse me” or “pardon me” for fear the beings may inflict upon you some illness, fever, rash or other malady if they are not acknowledged or given respect. Tabi tabi po has also be translated as “move to the side, sir”. After all, it is believed you may possibly offend a spirit if you spit on the ground, urinate on the ground, walk near a dirt mound, pass under (or near) a balite tree, bathe or cross through (or near) water, step on a rock, or move through tall grass. To the modern mind, the cynical soul, or the plain agnostic, the expression "Tabi Apo" may be dismissed as just another remnant of an outmoded lifestyle or a product of folk imagination. But to someone interested in culture, it is an artifact that reveals many interesting details of Filipino life, tradition, and values.Literally, Tabi Apo means "Excuse Me, Old One". When passing by bushes, thickets, and other wooded areas or out-of-the-way places, young and old utter it aloud, as if talking to someone. Before taking a dip in a river or stream, or when picking wild fruits, collecting firewood, gathering leaves, roots or tree bark for medicine, and cutting trees, they also say it. The same is true when they pee behind a bush or tree, or when they run for cover (during rain) to or hide (in the children's game of hide-and-seek) among bushes and trees. It has become such a practice among many people that the expression has become part of their ritual. The Tabi Apo expression and all the beliefs closely linked with it - is fascinatingly rich in meaning. It attempts to explain the mysteries in the universe, or events like, for example, unexplained illness or death. It is also an effective means of social control. Passerby learns to refrain from doing acts that may harm or hurt the taong lipod: pulling leaves, breaking off branches of trees, and throwing stones anywhere, for example, which are practices quite common among the local folk. The people are encouraged to treat their surroundings with extra care and concern: not just spitting, peeing or throwing garbage anywhere lest they offend the unseen creatures. By not cutting old trees, clearing the woods and building houses in the forest, not only the creatures left untouched, nature is unharmed as well. By avoiding leaving the house by late afternoon or evening when these creatures are supposed to be most active, and by avoiding wooded areas and out-of-the-way places where snakes and wild animals live, the danger is likewise avoided. In the process, safety, order, and balance are thus maintained and ensured in the community. Discipline is also instilled among people.

Tabi Apo proves the early belief in environmental spirits, the covered or unseen creatures which inhabit woods, rocks, rivers, and other aspects of nature. It clearly underlines the fact that as far as back those times, even in ways that appear crude to modern considerations, people have already acknowledged the realm of the unseen, the presence and power beyond theirs and they have discovered that they are not the only life that inhabits the world, but that they share it even the unseen others. The people's emphasis on respect for others is evident. The courtesy one is expected to pay the taong lipod is like the courtesy expected in relating to people young and old. Saying Tabi Apo is reminiscent of Makiagi! (May I pass) which people greet the residents of the houses they pass by. It is also remisniscent of the customary knock on the door and greeting Saindo po! before one can enter the threshold of another's house. To do otherwise is considered impolite and unbecoming. There is indeed so much wisdom in the folk expression Tabi Apo. There are many terms and expressions that can be used in many different ways but purya buyag is the most commonly used by the parents. It is one of the most unique Cebuano or Visayan terms. Cebuanos or visayans speakers always use this as an expression and it is being part of our culture used by many generations in some parts of Mindanao.