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imaginationofomi · 6 months ago

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Come Together

Nine

"I'm a happy baby in my happy baby pose," Nayeli whispered and let the morning rays of sunlight warm her face and body. She felt good. Maybe great. Since she'd been up, she meditated and prayed, now close to completing her morning yoga. Her mind was still.

For a short time. A grocery list sat in her inbox, meaning she had to make a pit stop before going to her grandparents' two bedroom cottage near the rocky part of Luna Beach. No matter. She needed to pick some things up for her kitchen as well.

Rolling up her mat, she stored it, changed clothes, and swallowed a mandarin orange. Her shoes were by the door, leaving her keys and purse as the only missing objects she needed to grab before she headed out. She ran down her to do list in her head adding in a stop to the nail salon. She needed a fresh pedicure if she planned to wear open toed shoes that night.

Her shift at the confectionery went swiftly and seamlessly. She finished the day's baking in record time and bid everyone adieu to finish up the rest of her tasks.

The local market was quiet, and she moved through the aisles with ease. It was early enough in the day that most people were still in their homes, but the promise of overcast burning off for pretty weather would ensure the streets were crowded before long.

Nayeli thanked the cashier that rang her up and made light conversation with the bag boy that helped her get her things into her trunk, handing him a bit of cash to show her gratitude.

Luna Beach sat at the farthest edge of the city, minutes from the road that led out to a portion of the state that was largely unoccupied. There were a few homes here and there, but fields tended to stretch for miles without much sign of civilization once past the retirement community.

Driving under the stone archway and iron sign, she made all of the familiar turns to get to her grandparents cul-de-sac and parked in their driveway. The compulsive need to only make one trip into the house had her hands full, and she struggled to get her keys into the deadbolt and doorknob.

"Who's that at my door?" Her grandmother's voice traveled from the ugly green dining room to the living room.

"Baby Love, Big Momma," Nayeli called back, taking the groceries into the kitchen and setting them on the old tile counter. Francine Windham sat at her long oak dining table, a bowl of cream of wheat and a piece of buttered toast in front of her next to half a grapefruit and a small glass of orange juice.

"My precious angel." Francine stood tall at 5'9", the tallest woman on her side of the family, with thick hair she kept relaxed that was more salt than pepper. Her eyes were round and brown, surrounded by curly lashes and some wrinkles. She wrapped her arms around her youngest granddaughter and kissed her head.

"How you feeling?"

"I'm good, finally off those antibiotics the doctor gave me. I've been eating more and moving around, but I'm still slow."

"I'm glad to hear you're feeling better." With a naturally weak immune system, Francine went down for weeks for illnesses that would heal within days for a healthy person. A common cold required medicine that wasn't offered over the counter and more rest than the average stint, "Has Mom come by?" Nayeli asked.

"She was here on Wednesday. She cleaned up the bathrooms."

"I told her I would do that."

"Her doctor said it was okay to do what she normally does. She looked fine. She's not limping anymore."

The house Nayeli grew up in was two stories with a tricky staircase. If someone wasn't careful, they could easily slip and fall. That was how her mother ended up breaking her ankle, leaving Nayeli to pick up the responsibilities that were normally split between her, her mother, aunt, and uncles for a few months. Now that Bonnie was healed, more time would return to being her own.

"Where's PawPaw?" Nayeli walked back into the kitchen and made herself a small bowl of cream of wheat before she joined Francine at the table.

"In his den watching TV. Your mother never should've gotten him that apple box. Now he sits in there for hours watching his shows, and I gotta sit in there if I wanna spend any time with the man."

"Why don't you move it into the living room?"

"I don't want to turn into one of those couch potatoes with him. That room is for spending quality time with family."

"Then you tell him bring his tail outside or you'll never make him smothered chicken again. I bet he'll straighten up," Nayeli said.

"I wish it was that easy, Baby Love," Francine chuckled and patted her hand. Of all her grandchildren, Nayeli was the most innocent and unjaded. She tried hard to make her see the world for all that it was, but her baby refused to believe that most people were lost.

They talked about the bakery, about Nayeli's plans for the upcoming Harvest Festival, what she wanted to do for her birthday, about Francine's church friends. They talked so much that Nayeli was on the verge of forgetting the question that had been brewing in her brain for the last several days.

"I wanted to ask you about that car accident we were in. I think I was ten? I only remember bits and pieces. I remember both impacts. PawPaw passed out, but that's it. Do you remember what happened?" Nayeli gathered that her brain locked away the memory. After listening to Carmen, something in her gut told her to gain clarity.

"Like it was yesterday. That's the only accident I've been in."

"Where were we?"

"Hollywood at the Pantages Theatre. We took you to see The Lion King."

Her spoon was halfway to her mouth, but she couldn't follow through. She set it back in the pink bowl and sat back in her chair, "How did we get out of the car?"

"I made sure you got out before we did. There was a boy who came over to help. He tried your PawPaw's door first, but I told him to get you. All of the doors were jammed, and the back windshield was cracked." Francine paused, observing Nayeli's rigid posture and deer in the headlights expression, "He broke a hole big enough to pull you through, and when the fire department came for us, you were on the curb with him. He was rubbing blood out of your face and had his sweater pressed to your leg because the glass cut you. What made you ask about that?"

Nayeli sat silently, the pieces she never had before clicking together to complete the puzzle. She swallowed hard and slow blinked twice, heart fluttering in her chest.

"I met the man that pulled me out," she said. Her body alternated hot and cold flashes as she accepted the weight of all she owed him.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Positive. His mother told me the same story. Same location, pulling me through the back window, all of it. I just wanted to know if there was a connection. Turns out there's a bigger one than I thought."

"Look at God. Did you thank him?"

"I have to again. Ironically, we met because he saved me from getting hit by a car. I'm in debt to him for the rest of my life it seems." Nayeli sighed and attempted to finish her breakfast, but her fingers trembled nervously. She gave up and rubbed the scar at her hairline.

"I wouldn't go that far, but the Heavenly Father is certainly at work," Francine said. She could see something stirring in her granddaughter, "How's that raggedy boyfriend of yours?"

"I don't know. I broke things off a week ago."

"Praise Him! I knew you'd come to your senses and get rid of that turkey. Don't you ever get with someone that don't like being around family again, hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." Nayeli gently pushed her grandmother's long finger away from her face. She was trying to focus on the present moment, but all she could think about was Ezra and the fact that he would be at her home the very next day.

What would she say to him? What would he say to her? Where did that place them in each other's lives? It felt like a conversation that needed to be private, and Tatiana would be with him.

Another thought that gave her pause. Because she would be a fool to ignore the developments between them all. Unintentionally, she was being integrated into their lives. Maybe she had been from the moment she called Tati Princess and gave her that free cupcake. It was a slippery slope to be on, and she was concerned about Tatiana's well-being.

"You look like something's bothering you," Francine said.

"Big Momma, I think I might've messed up," Nayeli replied, chewing the left corner of her bottom lip.

"We all mess up, baby. What happened?"

"Ezra. That's his name. I don't know.....there's something about him. I knew it that first day. He told me he felt like we'd met before, and I couldn't think of anything. I don't know if he's put it together yet, but that's beside the point. We've kind of hung out a couple times. He has a daughter, and she is the cutest thing on two feet, Big Momma. So full of energy and happy. Quick witted, too."

"Just like you were."

"And his family is beautiful. They remind me so much of us." For lack of another way to put it, she'd been accepted into the clan even though she wasn't there for their approval. They treated her like another member of their tribe, the same way her family treated newcomers.

"You haven't told me where you messed up at."

"I've allowed myself to get really close to them already, and I don't think I should have. I'm fresh off a break up, Tati's mother is a big pill. I shouldn't be anywhere near them, but it feels good to be near them. It feels like I belong there."

"You cheated on Jalen with this man?" Francine sat up a little straighter and gave Nayeli a hard look. She didn't care for the young man, but she took relationships seriously. All that hopping around made her stomach hot.

"No ma'am. Nothing has happened between us. It's just that it feels like I'm bonded to Tati already. She's innocent, and I don't want to disrupt her life in any way. Ezra's sister told me that he likes me, but she didn't need to. I can tell, and from what I know and have seen, I kind of like him, too. It's happening too fast."

"That's how it goes sometimes, but you always lacked boundaries. Your heart makes you open to people. I'm not surprised you bonded with his daughter. I am curious about how that happened."

"Most of our dealings involved her. I catered the desserts for her birthday party, and that day was a show all on it's own. I gave her a baking lesson, and now she wants to see my garden." Nayeli looked to her grandmother for guidance. Having never been involved with someone that already had children, she was unsure of ground rules. How far was too far? How soon was too soon?

Francine exhaled lightly and rubbed the back of Nayeli's hand. Only her soft-hearted Baby Love could get herself into such a predicament, "I don't think you messed up. Where you are now, nothing has to change. It's okay to not want to disrupt his daughter's life. In fact, it's better that way. People don't always think about how the kids will be affected, but if they want you around, there's not much you can do but say no. And that might disrupt her life if she's bonded to you like you say. My advice is to be their friend until you feel like you're ready to be more. You have to draw the line."

The question was where?

☼☼☼

Nayeli started to regret making plans about halfway through getting ready for the night. Not for any particular reason. She just wanted to be in her bed. Her new mattress and headboard we're free from old energies, and it was much more comfortable. With the TV gone, her bedroom became a beacon for rest, and she wanted to be in the middle of it with a cup of hot tea and her tablet searching up books to order.

Leticia was dying for an evening out, begging her sisters several times over the course of three days to indulge her need to be social. They gathered at least once a month anyway, so Nayeli agreed, though she wished she'd hesitated more like Maxine. They might've been able to reschedule.

"Itty bit, where are your shot glasses?!" Max yelled from the kitchen.

"The cabinet next to the microwave!"

"Come on! We're toasting to you being single!"

"One second!" Nayeli finished the thin wing of eyeliner and coated her lashes in a lengthening mascara, rubbing vaseline on her lips to soften them so her gloss bomb went on smoothly.

Her cropped two piece set was bronze satin, healthy c-cups sitting in her halter top and thigh peeking out of the high split up the left side. The bottom half of her scar was showing. She ran her fingers across it, thoughts drifting to Ezra once again. He was the reason she had it and the reason she was alive. She had to find another way to thank him because cookies would never be enough.

Fluffing her hair one last time, she adjusted the bobby pin that kept her curly fringe hanging at her eyebrows and flipped the light off. Maxine had four shots of patron lined up on the kitchen counter despite it only being the two of them there.

"I have double shot glasses," Nayeli said and picked one up.

"I'm not convinced you can get two shots worth of alcohol in there. Somebody lied. Cheers to knowing our worth, adding tax, and not letting fuck shit slide!"

"Cheers!" Swallowing the clear tequila, she flinched as the liquid went down her throat and grabbed the second shot glass, "I forgot how nasty this stuff was."

"It gets the job done. Has Jalen tried to make his comeback yet?"

"He had one day where he blew up my phone and left a bunch of drunk voicemails. I blocked him after that, but I have been getting some calls from unsaved numbers. I don't know if it's him or a scammer. Either way, I'm not answering."

"Good. Fuck that lying ass nigga and all he stands for."

"Period. Leti tell you how far away she is?"

"I think she just pulled up," Maxine said, leaning forward to look through the blinds at the headlights moving along the asphalt. The bottom of her red mini dress slid up, exposing the cuff of her butt cheeks.

"Does Stella know you're over here ass out? I can't imagine she let you walk out in that dress," Nayeli commented as she grabbed the edges and pulled it down, tucking a loose curl back into Maxine's low bun.

"She tried to make me change, and I'm not having it. I wear what I want. Being married doesn't mean I gotta start dressing homely."

"Covering up doesn't make you homely."

"You know what I mean. She'd make me wear a parka everywhere if she could."

"Not a parka," Nayeli cackled, but she understood why. Maxine had extremely wide hips, a round butt, and she was soft all over. She made a lot of people crazy.

"Yes, bitch. A parka. If my pants are too tight, she's looking at me funny. You'd think I was pulling bitches left and right the way she acts. I get it. I'm fine as hell, but damn." All the women in their family were. Big, small, short, tall, it didn't matter.

"She's pregnant. It's probably just her hormones. You weren't exactly a peach when you were carrying Diesel."

"Diesel had me allergic to my favorite foods and still came out damn near ten pounds. I had a right to act a fool over that big ass baby." Maxine poured out two more shots just as Leticia rang the doorbell to let them know she was there and walked inside in a sheer, strapless corset and leather trousers.

"You started pregaming without me?" she complained.

"We took shots two minutes ago. Relax," Max said, "Yours are already poured. Bottoms up!"

"Where's the rest of your dress?"

"Hush, damn it! Y'all get to be hoochies, I wanna be one, too!"

"I am not a hoochie, thank you," Nayeli interjected, going back to her room to grab her shoes and her distressed, cropped denim jacket. She slid her feet into the stilettos and wound the straps around her ankles and calves, tying them in a neat bow, "Who's getting the uber?"

"I'll pay for the one there. Somebody else can get us back." Maxine pulled her phone out of her purse and cussed, nails clicking against the screen angrily as she typed out a message, "Eight minutes out."

"Awesome."

"It looks so different in here," Leticia said, staring at the spots on the walls that were previously occupied and now bare.

"I haven't had the chance to really go shopping yet. I'm going to the flea market next week. Hopefully I can find some good things to fill the space with."

"Does it feel weird?"

"What, the house being empty?"

"All of it. The house, Jalen. How are you doing with it all?"

"She's doing fucking amazing! Changed the locks on that ass and everything," Max cheered and hugged her baby sister's waist. Leticia gave Nayeli a look only they understood.

"I'm doing better than I thought I would be."

"Are you ready to be outside?"

"Honestly? Yeah. I just want to have a good time." Nayeli hadn't been out out in months. Life in general kept her busy, but Jalen didn't always like being social. He had to be in the mood. As a result, most of their time together was spent in the house. Now, she was as free as a lioness in the wild, ready to sink her claws into the earth while she chased her happiness.

Buster's Brewery hummed with good energy, low lights and flowing alcohol keeping the patrons boozed enough to chill without getting rowdy. Modeled after a speakeasy, everything was sleek and upscale, black and gold, from the chairs upholstered in leather and velvet down to the stone the bar counter was made of.

The lot was about 75 percent full, but it was still relatively early in the evening. More people would arrive the closer it got to 8, so their timing was perfect. They'd be able to find a seat with ease, although it wouldn't be an issue if they didn't. Nayeli was cool with the owner and the chef.

"I cannot wait to drink," Leticia said as they climbed into their booth and picked up the specialty beverage menu, "This week was so stressful."

"What happened?"

"A stupid pipe burst at the studio downtown. Everything flooded, so now I have to wait for the wood to dry out, hope there's no rot, and I'm more than likely gonna have to get the floors redone. That cuts back my classes unless I want to do them outside, and it's too cold for that some days. Not to mention insurance might not cover all of the damage."

"Shit, I'd want a drink, too," Maxine said.

"How'd the pipe burst?" Nayeli asked.

"It was old. Apparently the whole building has plumbing issues. I had no idea it needed to be replaced otherwise I would've said something about it sooner. The landlord knew. I should sue his ass."

"If you do, I hope you win. There's nowhere for you to move your classes in the meantime?"

"Not without paying."

"Stop paying rent downtown until they get that mess fixed," Max told her.

"Oscar will find a way to put me out on my ass before I can even finish the sentence. He's an asshole."

"Why'd you sign the lease then?"

"Prime locale. Between the foot traffic from the beach and the posse of Stepford wives from the hills, the money is awesome. Having Oscar as a landlord is a small price that comes with a big pay off. You know, when life goes the way it's supposed to."

"How long do they think the repairs are going to take?"

"A couple of months at the least. My accounts are going to take a huge hit." Leticia groaned and started to rub her forehead until she remembered that she had on a face full of makeup.

"Chace can't cover you for a couple months?"

"I'm not asking him to do that, Max."

"Why not? Please explain the point of dating a wealthy man if he doesn't bail you out when you're in trouble."

"He has bailed me out before. That's exactly why I won't ask him to do it again. He's taking care of everything when I move. I don't want to press my luck."

"Baby, the man is a multimillionaire. His dad probably has a hand in every business in the city, and that's just here. That doesn't include the rest of the country. Your bills are chump change to him. If you don't use that to your advantage, you're dumb."

"Or she values hard work and doesn't want a handout."

"Thank you, Nayeli."

"Fuck all that! A man that wants to will do it. Mommy and Daddy been divorced for how many years? That nigga got a new wife and still pays all her bills. Take the handout. The way cost of living is going up, we could all use one right about now," Max said and exhaled roughly.

"Are you stressing about money for the new baby?" Leticia asked, assuming that was why Maxine was making such a big deal about accepting help she wasn't even sure she needed yet.

"Money itself isn't the problem. I'm stressing about Stella's spending before the baby gets here. Every time we go to a store, she sees something extra she just has to buy like we don't have enough shit in our house already. I love her, I really do but when it comes to finances, she has no sense whatsoever. Her logic is money comes and goes, but it's like we already have a son we have to buy new clothes and shoes for every few months because he grows out of shit so fast. Infants are even more expensive, and inflation got everything sky high. We can't afford her damn spending habits with a newborn."

"Take a budgeting class or something as a date. Nudge her in the right direction," Nayeli suggested.

"Do you know what that woman would do to me?"

"Complain until your ears fell off," Leticia said and snickered.

"Exactly. I'm not trying to hear all that."

"It's better than losing your home because your wife spent the mortgage on bullshit." Leti had a point, but being the oldest, that was usually the case. She had more life experience, not much, but more nonetheless.

Vera, a waitress Nayeli was familiar with, stopped at their table to take their drink and appetizer orders, asking if any of them wanted to submit their names and perform after the band that was there Thursday through Saturday left. They all declined, just there to enjoy the moment with some good food and good music.

A few people were on the dance floor, swaying in each others' arms or whispering in their lovers' ear. Nayeli looked down into one of the lower levels of the speakeasy. Most of those booths were unoccupied, but there was a couple clearly getting freaky under the table at one of them. She laughed to herself and thanked Vera when she came back with her Bahama Mama and cheese fries.

"You like having the bubble guts, huh?" Maxine turned her nose up at Nayeli's basket.

"I'm not lactose intolerant. That's your faulty stomach."

"Nayeli!" She turned at the sound of her name and tried to find the owner, "To your right! Over here!" Following the instructions, she caught a glimpse of the two women waving to get her attention from the other side of the bar and waved back.

"Who's that?" Max asked.

"Ezra's sister, Brandy, and her wife, Trinity. I'll be right back," Nayeli said and exited the booth, walking nervously to them. "Hey! I didn't know you guys were still in town."

"This is our last night before we head back. Look at you, hot momma! You were hiding that shape the last time we saw you." Brandy eyed her appreciatively and smiled.

"You picked a great place to end your trip. The band is here until 8 when the open mic night starts."

"You've been here before?"

"A few times. I've worked with the owner. If you're hungry, get the hot wings with the house ranch and the loaded potato skins. They'll change your life. The deviled eggs are really good, too They come with caviar and pancetta. If it's your thing, they have a deep fried option as well."

"My stomach would thank me, but my ass would not."

"Brandy! I'm sorry for her mouth. I love me a good tater skin, though," Trinity said and wiggled in her seat.

"It's extra, but you can get them with shrimp or lobster."

"Say less. EJ can afford a few extra bucks."

"Ezra's here?" Nayeli assumed as much, but the confirmation put her on edge. She realized she wasn't ready to see him, but she inevitably would.

"He's at the bar getting our drinks. Who are you here with?" Brandy asked.

"My sisters. We haven't been out together for a while."

"They live here, too?"

"Yeah, but Leticia's moving at the beginning of next year."

"Why's she leaving? I'm trying to move here. It's better than LA."

"Her boyfriend."

"Oh no, not for a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Ring me or bounce."

"I feel that. It's not my choice to make. He wants to marry her. It's a matter of when, I guess, but I should get back to them. I just felt like waving from across the room was impersonal." Nayeli was trying to escape. She needed at least one more sip of alcohol before they came face to face, but she could never be so lucky.

"It is, and EJ will cuss me out if I let you leave before he makes it over here. Speaking of. E, look who I found."

She could smell him before she saw him; Armani Code. The hairs on her neck stood up and tangled with her curls when she felt his warmth on her exposed skin. She hoped she didn't look like she was ready to throw up.

"Hey." Ezra set three different glasses on the table, pausing as green eyes shot lasers through his soul.

Nayeli lost her breath and apparently her ability to speak. He looked clean in his white undershirt and open mesh button down, black pants covering his long legs. She'd never seen him in something that outlined his whole body.

Her four inch heels gave her a bit of a height advantage. She was closer to his face, closer to the diamond chain around his neck and the studs in his ears, close enough to feel that they were milliseconds away from touching.

"Hi," she finally said back, staring up at him with wonder in her eyes. So far, in the game of life, she was highly favored. The man in front of her, not once but twice, rescued her from harm. A knight in designer clothing with an expensive watch on his wrist.

"Babe, let's go find another table and let the kiddies talk," Brandy said, grabbing two of the three drinks before abandoning Nayeli and Ezra at the table. For a few minutes, they stood and continued staring at each other.

Nayeli sat first, leaning against the cool leather as he sat to her left, "So much for subtlety," she muttered.

"You look amazing. How'd your day go?" Ezra asked, fighting to keep his hands off of her. He knew it was his lucky night when he left the bar and spotted red hair at the table with his sisters. He loved looking at her behind, but her face was much better.

"Thank you. Relaxed for the most part. I'm happy to be out. What about you?"

"It was a little crazy. Some shit went down between a couple of my fighters at the gym."

"Blood drawn?"

"And an ambulance was called."

"Heavy stuff. Everybody okay?"

"As far as I know. Where are your sisters?" He remembered that she told him they were all going out, so how did she end up alone with Brandy and Trinity?

Nayeli rested her forearms on the table, unknowingly pushing her breasts together as she leaned around him to look for Maxine and Leticia. He tried to be respectful, but he was only a man and snuck a glance at the supple flesh, plump, moisturized, and somehow glowing in the low light. He cleared his throat when she sat back.

"With yours," she said, sensing mischief in the introduction of their siblings. The four of them sat in Nayeli's booth, chopping it up like they linked before. Their families were meddlers through and through, "Who's watching Tati?"

"My parents. She's excited for tomorrow."

"I hope she's ready to get her hands dirty."

"She was ready yesterday." Ezra could tell that Nayeli was holding something back. They were never nervous around each other, but she kept tapping the table with her index finger. He put his hand over hers, and the tapping stopped.

Both the upper and lower dance floors were beginning to fill with bodies as the musicians switched from slow jams to more upbeat R&B. Nayeli rocked from side to side and made an effort to find something useful to say. Her brain wasn't functioning beyond wanting to smother the man next to her with a kiss of thanks. She couldn't do that.

"The band's pretty good," he said.

"I think they're new. It's live in here on Fridays. Saturdays are a little calmer unless there's a special event or something going on."

"I know. I'm friends with the MC."

"You know Angelo?" Nayeli's eyebrows lifted beneath her hair.

"Yeah, he trains at my gym. How you know him?"

"His wife, Morgan, is one of my close friends."

"Oh yeah, Morgan's cool. I've been around her a couple times."

More small talk passed between them. It was uncomfortable compared to the ease with which they usually conversed. Things flowed between them naturally, but Nayeli was obviously peeved about something, and his attempts to pull whatever it was out of her failed. The band transitioned into U Know What's Up by Donnell Jones, and he figured out to get her to loosen up. At least he hoped it would work.

"You wanna get out there and cut a rug?" he asked and offered her his hand.

Placing her fingers in his palm, she scooted closer, "Lead the way." Allowing him to tug her onto the dance floor, Nayeli prayed she wouldn't trip over her feet and embarrass herself because she couldn't focus.

The first couple of songs were fun. They found their rhythm and playfully battled each other, arms and hands brushing against each other as they danced. She felt more relaxed once she didn't have to talk. She still hadn't figured out how she wanted to thank him, nor did she want to do it in a public place once she did.

While the wheels in her mind turned, Ezra struggled to keep his composure. Seeing Nayeli's hips move made Ezra want to try some things. She kept it age appropriate around the kids, but being in a room full of adults brought out the true nature of her sensuality. She dipped and winded with the beat, freezing when she felt him get behind her, though she recovered quickly.

Friendly dancing turned into something deeper, raw. Nayeli let herself get lost in everything that wasn't her thoughts. They moved in sync, pressed together like they were one entity, and her eyes fluttered shut when he held her hip with one hand and flattened the other against her bare stomach, holding her tighter to him.

He was far gone, only concerned with the little vixen turning him to stone in his pants. Her skin smelled sweet, like warm sugar and vanilla with a hint of something he couldn't place. Possibly cinnamon. He wanted a taste of whatever it was.

Soft to the touch, his fingers traveled up her side and lifted her hair. Before he knew what he was doing or could stop himself from doing it, he kissed the top of her shoulder, shifting to her trapezius. Her head tilted further out of his way, exposing more skin for him to get his lips on, and he took advantage.

Nayeli reached up, her hand delicately landing on the back of his neck. He heard her sigh as he made it to her jaw, and then she went stiff, abruptly pulling away from him and flipping around. Her eyes were wide and panicked. She stumbled back a few steps.

"It's uhm......it's hot in here. I'll be back," she said to him just before she ran to the door the led to outside seating and the beach.

She couldn't comprehend what almost occurred on the dance floor, why she didn't stop him when she first felt him kiss her. She wasn't that lost in the sauce, was she?

Ezra stood in the same spot, trying to figure out what happened and why. Nayeli's scent lingered between the layers of smoke, telling him to go after her. It took him a second to realize that he'd gone too far, and he had to apologize. Discreetly adjusting himself in his pants, he followed the path she took and walked outside to find her.

She was on a bench by herself, staring up at the stars with her hands folded in her lap. It looked like her lips were faintly moving. He approached cautiously and sat down next to her. When she looked at him, he felt like shit for making her uncomfortable. His desire for her overpowered his common sense, and she looked terrified as a result.

"I'm so sorry, Nayeli," he said swiftly and stopped himself from grabbing her hand. He wasn't sure if she wanted him touching her.

"It just kind of caught me off guard. It's fine," she replied.

"It's not. I didn't have your permission, and you got a man. I shouldn't have done that."

His statement shocked her. Most men didn't care if they had a woman's permission. They felt entitled after a pleasant conversation or paying for a meal. Ezra respected her enough to realize that he didn't make the wisest choice, although she wasn't upset at him for it. Before her brain turned itself back on and fired a warning shot, she was perfectly content.

"Thank you for apologizing, but really it's okay. I'm not mad." Just a little unnerved because she was going through more than she felt equipped to handle. What she allowed was the exact opposite of the advice her grandmother gave her. Letting Ezra kiss her and hold her as close as he did was not keeping things friendly. They'd hopped right off the diving board into the deep end of the swimming pool.

"You're not?"

"No, and I don't have a man. I dumped Jalen last week."

Ezra tried not to grin. It was wrong of him to pray on the downfall of a longterm relationship, but he couldn't sit idly knowing the woman from his dreams dealt with a beta male that didn't know or care to learn how to treat her. Now she was free for him to scoop up. He would show her what real love looked like in comparison to the half-ass attempt she was used to.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He might've been dancing on the inside because he had a chance, but he didn't want her to be hurt.

"Yeah. The first few days were the worst. I guess, in a way, I knew it was coming, but I kept hoping everything would work itself out. It's the optimist in me," she sighed and shrugged, taking one last look at the stars before she focused on Ezra's face, "I don't want to talk about him, though. That chapter of my life is finished." No need to be continued or rewritten.

"Onto bigger and better."

"Precisely."

Deciding to sit outside for a while longer, they alternated between conversing and being silent, their normal comfortability returning when Nayeli realized that she needed to stop thinking so much. If she'd been on her P's and Q's, things probably wouldn't have went as far as they did.

The fresh air kept her alert, but eventually, the breeze blowing off the ocean made goosebumps erupt on her arms and she caught a chill.

"We should go back inside. My sisters are probably pissed at me," she said.

"I don't think I'm the favorite right now, either."

Both parties were incorrect as Brandy took it upon herself to explain what she knew of the situation to Maxine and Leticia.

Max was happy to hear the other side of the story. She knew Nayeli left some things out. A lot of which Max was going to bust her chops for later. The four ladies got along splendidly, eating and keeping each other company until their two connections returned to them.

"Y'all finally decided to rejoin the party?" Brandy smirked and scooted in to make room for them in the booth.

"What are you talking about? I never left," Nayeli joked, gulping down some of her Bahama Mama in spite of it being watery thanks to her melted ice. She picked up a few of her cold cheese fries and popped them into her mouth.

"I'll be right back, she said TWO HOURS AGO!" Max was buzzed and feeling bold, giggling at herself by herself.

"It has not been two hours."

"You're right. It's been.....two hours, twenty-three minutes, aaaaaaaaand fifty-five seconds," Leti said, looking back and forth between her baby sister and what appeared to be her new beau before she held out her hand, "I'm Leticia."

"EJ, nice to meet you."

"I know who you are. I went on a date to your last fight. Good shit."

"Thank you."

"The drunk one is Maxine," Nayeli said.

"I'm not drunk. I feel good. Now look here, Mr. EJ sir. My sister is a fluffy lil bunny, mkay? You gotta be real careful with her. She don't like to tussle, but I do, and i'on give a damn how many championship belts you got. If I gotta bring a brick wall down on your head, I will do that. No disrespect to you, Brandy. I like you, but we protect Baby Love at all costs. Her ass is too pure for this world."

"Like I said, she's drunk. Ignore her."

"I'm speaking facts! You know she was a virgin until she was 26?"

"MAX, SHUT UP!" Nayeli's face burned at her sister's concession. She wasn't ashamed of her choice, but it didn't need to be broadcasted. Her sexual history was her business.

"That's enough for you." Leticia snatched the half empty glass of tequila sunrise that was in front of Maxine and pushed it to the other side of the table.

"I wasn't finished with that!"

"You need to be cut off. Drink some water."

"Don't be embarrassed, Nayeli. That's not a bad thing," Trinity said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. Can we talk about something else now?" All the attention on Nayeli made her squirmy. She just wanted to have a good time, and up until several minutes prior, she was.

As the conversation moved away from her genitals, she eased up and leaned back, picking at the last few hot wings in the center of the table and ordering fried pickles with a second Bahama Mama.

Ezra hardly talked, choosing to let the women have the floor so he could learn more of Nayeli's secrets. Truth be told, Brandy was the reason he wasn't in the house. She claimed she couldn't leave Briton Beach without him taking her out at least once. He wanted her off of his back, but that ended up working in his favor because he got to see his angel.

The angel that had only been with one man in her life. It was easy to deduct that truth from what he knew. She was a virgin until she was 26 and had been with Jalen for six years. She couldn't be much older than 26, which didn't leave too much room for someone else to have made an appearance.

He wanted to know why she made that decision, if she ever planned to save herself for marriage or if she felt that no man before Jalen was worthy. Really, he just wanted her alone. He was tired of sharing her. For once, he wanted time without being interrupted.

Leticia excused herself to use the restroom, Maxine going with her before Trinity left the booth behind them. A few minutes later, Nayeli asked to be let out, teasingly promising Ezra that she was coming back for him through hazy eyes. Her buzz was starting to hit. She scampered off, curls and booty bouncing. One day soon, that would be his daily view.

"What the hell are you cheesing about?" Brandy asked.

"Nayeli broke up with her dude."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yeah, she told me at the party."

A whole seven days ago. Ezra glared at his sister and pinched her wrist like she used to do to him when he got on her nerves as kids, "You couldn't say something sooner?"

"Ow, nigga, no! She said she wasn't thinking about hopping into another relationship anytime soon. Why would I give you the green light to watch you fail? But after what I saw tonight, you might already be in there." The entirety of the brewery saw their dry humping and her brother kissing Nayeli's neck like he was seconds away from pulling her to bathrooms. However, Brandy knew firsthand how much breakups could hurt and all one would go through to mask that pain, "Give her time to heal, E. She's a sweetheart, and six years is a lot to get over."

"How much time do you think she needs?"

"At least three months."

"Shit." He had no desire to wait that long, but he would if he had to, "Did she tell you what he did?"

"No, and I wasn't about to ask. What is wrong with you?"

He trusted Brandy. They shared almost everything with each other, but he didn't know if he wanted to open up about what was going on in his head. It didn't fully make sense to him, but he was confident that he was right.

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Most people would if he walked around telling them that Nayeli was his wife.

"I'm your sister. I already think you're off your rocker," Brandy said, staring at him until she realized that he had no plans of saying anything else, "Well?"

"Nevermind. Don't worry about it." If they were back at his house, he might've spoken freely, but the missing women were coming back, and he didn't want Brandy to sneak the information to Nayeli. He was already aware that she spilled the beans about his feelings not being platonic, "Do y'all mind catching an uber back to the house?"

"Uh, why?"

"I'm gonna see if Nayeli wants to stick around later."

"E, I just said give her time."

"Chill out. I'm not trying to take her to a hotel. I just want to get her alone for a minute."

"Do what you do. You gon end up hurting your own feelings trying to rush her."

"Shut up." He didn't agree, but he'd keep the thought tucked in his back pocket.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the table, he covered the tabs for both groups, causing a bit of an uproar before the Windham siblings thanked him. They were all walking out together when he held Nayeli back.

"Do you need to be home?" he asked her.

"Nuh uh. Aside from church, my only plans tomorrow are with you and Tati."

"You up for staying out a little longer?" By partier's standards, it was still early. For the rest of the adults, it was time for bed, but Nayeli nodded anyway.

"Yeah, we can stick around. There's a really good ice cream place down the street called Scoop of Heaven. Have you been?"

"I think I've driven past it once or twice."

"It's like an old school ice cream parlor and soda shop. They're open until 11."

"Let's go."

"Go where?" Leticia asked.

"We're going to get ice cream. You guys know where the towels and stuff are if you wanna crash at my place."

"Sooooo basically, you ain't coming home with us," Maxine said.

"Right. Don't throw up on any of my stuff, please. And leave the rest of that 7-Up cake alone. It's for Danielle."

"She swears she's the oldest."

"I'm definitely the most mature."

"God, please don't strike her for that lie," Leti added as she hopped away from Nayeli. Brandy and Trinity laughed at Nayeli swatting at her sisters. Their cars pulled up separately, everyone saying goodbye before the siblings were gone and two people remained.

Leaving the parking lot, they walked the three blocks to Scoop of Heaven, ordering small cups of rocky road and cookie dough ice cream and crossing the street to beach.

Shoes in one hand, ice cream in the other, they strolled a little ways through the sand and found a good rock to sit on. The moon shone on them, keeping their faces visible. Helpful, because they couldn't stop looking at each other.

Nayeli's buzz came and went, keeping her loose enough to not be awkward but aware enough to know that they were finally all alone and she had no excuse not to bring up the origin of their connection. Still, she found one.

"I feel like you know more about me than I do about you," she said, drawing a swirl in the sand with her foot.

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want to tell me."

"I hate the song Return of the Mack."

Her mouth dropped open, and she scooted away from him, "How dare you! That's a serious character flaw." Ezra threw his head back and laughed. That little tidbit sparked many debates.

"You don't even want to ask me why?"

"I'm not sure it really matters, but go ahead and tell me."

"The year that song came out, my parents were separated and still pissed at each other. They played it out worse than the radio. If I never hear it again, I might die a happy man."

"I understand, and now I feel bad for what I said." Bad memory association could ruin even the best of songs.

"Don't. It was funny."

"In that case, I'll give you a pass." Thankful that the vibe was still lighthearted, she scooted back to her original spot and bumped him with her arm, "I can't believe your parents separated. I got the feeling they were very much in love."

"They are. People go through shit, but being apart ended up working for them. They needed to grow up....and they realized nobody else wanted their crazy asses. What about your parents?"

"They were together until I was fourteen. My mom didn't want anymore kids after me. My dad wanted to try for a boy, and my mom said no. So they divorced, and he found someone that would give him more children."

"You have younger siblings?"

"Mhmm. Twin boys. I don't know them. I saw them once when they were first born. His wife doesn't acknowledge me or my sisters. Their family is their family. He's still around all the time. The only thing that really changed was where he slept at night. He just has another family that acts like we don't exist." And that was completely fine with Nayeli. She couldn't stand Cheryl, and it had everything to do with her being a raging bitch that refused to accept her husband had a life before her. She weaponized the twins against her dad, too. It was worse than anyone let on, and she was convinced that Maxwell would be filing for divorce the day after the boys turned eighteen.

"That's fucked up."

"What can I do? The twins are still minors, and I can't force a relationship. If they don't want to know me, that's their problem. I'm a beautiful person, and they're missing out," she shrugged and scraped the last of her ice cream from the bottom of her paper cup.

"They are," Ezra said, making sure that she was looking at him when he did. She smiled at him and bashfully lowered her head.

"We're talking about me again."

"I want to know everything there is to know about you."

"If we're going there, I'd like the same in return."

"Deal."

"Good. Now I'm asking the questions. When did you start boxing?" Nayeli felt weird that everyone around her was familiar with that side of him. It wasn't all he was, but it was still a significant portion of his life. If she wanted to know him, she had to ask.

"My dad had me in gloves from the time I could throw a punch. He started taking me to the gym when I was eleven."

"He pushed you into it?"

"Yeah and no. He's a big fan of Muhammad Ali, and he was an amateur boxer for a minute, but my mom got pregnant with Brandy and shut it all down. Me being the first born son, he introduced me to a lot of the stuff he wanted to do as a kid. I played football and boxed. Love them both, but I hate hitting the ground. It's unavoidable in football. Not when I boxed, though. My dad loves the technical side of it. I like knocking niggas in the dirt." He made her laugh and grinned at the sound. It was beautiful, bordering on musical. He wished he could hear it all the time, "Is it my turn to ask a question?"

"Nope. I still have to play catch up. What position did you play?"

"QB and safety."

"Duality, I like it."

"Are you a football fan?"

"It's still not your turn to ask questions, but yes I am. Why did you stop boxing?"

"Tatiana. I'm not good at multitasking. When I would train to fight, that's all I would focus on. My schedule was tight, and I didn't allow distractions. This would go on for months at a time. Once Tati was born, I needed to focus on her," he answered simply. It was that easy when he made the decision, too, and there was nothing he would change about it.

"Great parenting."

"I had great examples. Thank God for that because Savannah ain't worth shit."

"Ooookay. I'm going to stop you there," Nayeli said and held her hand up, "I know first hand that she is not a great person. I know you guys have your issues, but I would appreciate it if you didn't speak badly about her to me. I'm not asking you to not feel how you feel, but I don't want this to become a thing where you bash her and I cosign. At the end of the day, she's still Tati's mother." Whether they liked it or not.

"Giving birth don't make somebody a mother, but I hear you." Maxine had it right. Nayeli was too pure for the world, "She said you threatened her."

"Oh, I did. She tried to put her hands on me. I know I'm small, but I don't play that."

He started to get angry because that wasn't the way Savannah told the story. He knew she wasn't entirely forthcoming, but had he known what she attempted, their last conversation would've went worse than it already did, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I threatened her. I'm not afraid of her, and now she knows not to try me," Nayeli explained, "Is she the reason you asked me about cutting off an inconsistent parent?"

"Yeah. We have court ordered joint custody, but she only comes around once every blue moon."

"I'm sorry."

"What for? You're better with Tati than she ever was or will be." Which was sad since he could count on one hand how many times they'd been around each other.

"I wish you were in a better situation."

"If I were, I might not've met you."

"Somehow, I still think we would've ended up near each other. With or without you living in the same city." That was it, the perfect moment for her to come clean. She'd been putting it off for long enough. Setting her empty cup the the sand, she turned so that her whole body faced him, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Remember when you said you felt like we'd met before."

"Yeah."

"You were right. The story your mom told at Tati's birthday party, the one about you saving the little girl from the wreck. It was me. You saved me." Looking down at her legs, she moved part of her skirt, showing him the long, jagged scar on her thigh, "This is where you held your jacket because the glass cut me," Lifting a section of her curls, she exposed the one in her hairline, "This is why you were wiping blood out of my face. I don't remember much from the accident, but I had a feeling, so I asked my grandmother what happened. Everything she remembers matches what your mom said. It feels weird to say because we haven't even known each other a month yet, but I don't know where I'd be without you. Thank you, Ezra." Standing at her regular height, she was able to get her arms around his neck while he was still seated, but not before she left a lingering kiss on his cheek.

#black literature #black love #black fiction #polyamory #romantic fiction #romance #love #love story

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alarrytale · 1 year ago

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I always find it both irritating and kind of amazing that louis' image seems to work for some people. The idea that this flamboyant theater kid has fooled so many people makes me giggle because this rough, laddy boy image has been his greatest part ever. This is a boy who openly describes himself as soft and flamboyant in 2012, and while he doesn't do it openly anymore all we have to do is see him drunk and the flamboyance comes back, in his reactions, his gesturing and dancing. The softness we see as well, all the time. From how he interacts with his family and any young fans, even conchobar. To his love of flowers and making floral arrangements which we have seen in interviews in like 2017 for loose women and when fans give him daffodils, which we know are his favorite.

While I know images are meant to work effectively make people see louis as a laddy boy but he's been cracking it since it's installment. He was cracking the facade during 1D and continously does so.

I also remember his love for interior design too where Harry in the same house as louis 2017 or 2018 loose women interview basically stated that he didn't design the interior but it was his house, my inferences being it was louis. I also remember older Larry moments and receipts talking about louis and Harry going to private museum/gallery showings and buying boxes at theater showings but those are from wayback.

Louis image has been pretty good in hiding him but it was cracked long ago and keeps being cracked. We don't really know what he's up to on breaks, he's gone with the wind and we only see him in pubs when we are supposed to see him.

I love you, anon! Hard same! I don't understand how they're fooled either, but maybe they don't know the more carefree, less restricted and to me at least more real Louis we got to see in the earlier 1d years? This dude used to make the other 1d boys wait while he got pedicures. He follows a handfull of interior design igs. He used to buy Harry art for his birthdays or Christmas. He's into vintage, we knew that before, but now we only get to see it through his clothing. He's so much more than his image and yes it's irritating when you see fans or others buying into it, or even worse when you see people liking his current image. Couldn’t be me.

#louis image #fandom

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ultramagicalternate · 1 year ago

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ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland Chapter 17

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Sten was in a very good mood, a bit of a rarity in recent times. Not only did one of Dunja’s compatriots join them, but his royal advisor had returned safe and… well, sound was a whole other can of worms. Sten’s former mentor had gone to several universes in the Cosmos proper, looking for help. Two were well off while the other two were on the brink of collapse. He did not have a good time in the latter two. Despite not finding any viable assistance, Sten still wanted to hear about them.

“So let me get this straight, Fyodor: Not only does this one universe have a man arrogant enough to declare himself master of the universe, but his entire empire runs on annelid excrement…”

“An oversimplification, but an accurate one at that.”

This made Sten laugh, his amusement bellowing throughout the great hall. He banged his hand on his arm rest, trying to catch his breath. “HA! The ignorance of certain parts of the Cosmos never ceases to amaze!”

“Father? Are you alright?” Folkvar asked once he entered the throne room. He was followed by his mother.

“Something amusing, no doubt,” She continued.

“Folkvar, Yngvild…” Sten answered, starting to compose himself. “...Fyodor was just telling me of one of his adventures.”

The queen took her seat next to Sten. “Have you heard from the other members of the royal court, Fyodor?”

“Yes, I have, your majesty. They should be returning as we speak. Maxim was a bit roughed up, but he is no worse for wear.”

“Good, because we still got a score to settle in chess,” Folkvar stated. This made his parents chuckle.

“Folkvar, I heard there was some trouble relating to you during my absence…”

The prince groaned, slouching on his throne. “That again… Milosh had some cockamamie scheme surrounding me, but Dunja dropped it pretty quickly and apologized recently, so it’s all good I guess…”

Fyodor noticed that the boy was being vague. It must have been particularly bothersome, so he decided not to press the matter further. He would get the details from Sten later. “Speaking of her, I trust she’ll be here soon?”

A guard came rushing over right as he finished speaking. “Your royal highness? Barna and Dunja have arrived.”

“Good, good,” Sten replied. “Send them in.”

Outside the throne room was the whole group. Barna, Dunja, Claudius, Albrecht, Odo, and Andelin were needed first while Torunn, Aureolus, Weaver, and Gabriella waited to be summoned. Sten wanted to get the primary business out of the way before anything else. Two stewards took the four to a parlor in the castle while they waited. It was quite cozy, with the expected furniture and a nice fireplace. Torunn took the moment to relax and take off her boots for once.

“You guys don’t mind if I kick back a little?” They had no objections. “Alright then… ah, that’s better. These old boots get the job done, but they aren’t the most comfy.” Her feet were calloused and her toenails were in rough shape. Some scars could also be seen.

Gabriella was taken aback. “My goodness, woman! Do you even know what a pedicure is?”

Torunn laughed while Weaver chuckled. “Of course I do, it's just that I don’t have time for that stuff… though I will admit these calluses are getting annoying.”

A female steward spoke up. “Miss Craddock? I could speak to Queen Yngvild in regards to her upcoming wellness session. I’m sure she’d love to have you along.”

“Yes, please do” Gabriella cut in. Torunn smiled and shook her head.

Weaver reached over for a biscuit from a tray of light food. “We had bigger things to worry about than our feet back where we came from.”

Aureolus looked at Torunn, then to Weaver. “Speaking of that, Weaver? Why is your skin such a different color?”

“Honestly we’re not too sure. I was going to look into it as our biology is pretty fascinating, but then we had to leave…”

“And why was that?” Gabriella wondered. “The reason for your departure?”

Weaver groaned. “Reasons… various reasons…”

“So I guess you want me to tell them?” Torunn asked.

“Sure, go ahead…”

Gabriella was concerned. “What’s the matter? It’s not traumatic, is it?”

“The only traumatic thing was how much my intelligence was insulted…” Weaver muttered.

Torunn chuckled. “Maybe not as heavy as that word suggests, but it certainly wasn't a great time. I guess I’ll start with our home. It was a bit behind one could say.”

“Behind?” Gabriella inquired. “How so? Technology? Ideals? Infrastructure?”

“Compared to places like The Market District and The Great Uncity, our world was like Shadowland, with more combustion machinery.”

“Obviously life wasn’t the easiest, but we got by,” Weaver added. “Of course it didn’t help that we had to deal with earth beasts running around everywhere…”

Gabriella had heard of those before. “Oh dear, those wouldn’t happen to be earth spirits now, would they?”

Torunn nodded. “Bingo. Annoying little buggers. So much so that it warranted consistent hunting. Hunters were obviously a dime a dozen. If you needed beasts gone, there were many options at your disposal. Our family was one of them and we were pretty good at it.”

“Well baring me as I wanted to be a blacksmith…” Weaver looked annoyed.

“Really?” Aureolus wondered. “Did your parents not allow it? Seems like that line of work could use a smith or two.”

“Uncle Howard and Aunt Susan were always indifferent,” Torunn answered. “They weren’t against it, but they also wanted Weaver to be a hunter. His older brother, Faolán, was all for it… but his younger brother? Oh boy…”

“Grimwald…” Weaver subtly growled.

“Weaver, are you okay?” Gabriella questioned with concern.

Torunn rubbed her temple and sighed. “Grimwald was a bit of a problem child. He was born late to the party, well into Uncle Howard’s prime and had Faolán’s efforts to slack off on. Some say he was spoiled, I say he lacked grit. The issues arose when Weaver started learning to smith. Grimwald picked on him for ‘being lazy’ in his eyes… and yeah, the irony was lost on him.”

Weaver groaned again and got up to pace around. “Arrogant little… he was one of those types that were never wrong and never lifted a finger to help out.”

“Mm-hm” Gabriella noted. “Those that do not know conflict tend to have an inflated ego. Was he ever trained to be a hunter?”

“Yeah, but then he would just sit around and listen to the radio all day.”

Torunn nodded and resumed her account. “For a while I stood up for Weaver. Grimwald was annoying in that he would take subtle jabs at him and had this weird habit of walking out of conversations. And then he’d get loud and ornery when called out. So naturally I’d tell him to get off his arse and go hunt. That’d usually shut him up.”

Gabriella giggled. “My, well played, Torunn. Now you said ‘for a while.’ Did something happen to you or Weaver?”

“I wandered into the Unlight after a chaotic hunt and then fell in with Dunja and Milosh…” The regret was nearly visible on her face.

“Oh dear…”

“That’s not good,” Aureolus commented. “How’d you deal with that, Weaver?”

Weaver sighed and went for another biscuit. “Firstly, things were rocky given the search for Torunn. It was a trying time. Second, I was stupid enough to think Grimwald had finally grown up. We were both adults at that point, so was I wrong to think that?”

“Of course not,” Gabriella replied. “I’d also expect someone to mature upon reaching adulthood. Of course, I have been proven wrong before.”

“Well, given the caliber of man that Milosh is…” Aureolus pointed out. This got some chuckles.

“Exactly, Aureolus,” Weaver agreed. “See, the thing was that Grimwald was subtle, luring me into a false sense of security. And I know he was doing it on purpose. He was a powder keg, just waiting to go off. Honestly I should’ve seen the lit fuse when Faolán turned into a beast…”

Gabriella took a second to process that. “My god, what would even cause such a transformation?”

Weaver leaned against the mantle. “No idea…”

“Not to cut you off, kiddo, but that may have been because of The Beast of Old” Torunn pointed out.

He was surprised. “Wait, really? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, Milosh has been running us ragged and lord knows where Faolán is. Plus I’m a little fuzzy on the details…”

“Fair. Anyways, Grimwald naturally blamed me for everything…” There was a quiet anger in Weaver’s voice, albeit it seemed like he was misinterpreting some details. “Apparently it was all my fault because Faolán had to carry me and I was a lazy bastard that needed to be taught a lesson.”

Gabriella was horrified. “How dare he! How… how did you respond?”

“He showed up to my workshop with iron knuckles and a shotgun… only to be greeted by an eight foot tall dog that oozed and radiated lava. Evidently that’s my beast form…”

Aureolus had a realization. “Wait, so you’re like dad?”

“In a way. No clue why I have it, so don’t ask. Ahem, naturally me and Grimwald rampaged throughout the town, dead set on killing each other. I eventually ended up cornered, but then Torunn just showed up out of nowhere.”

She took that as her que to continue. “After some time fighting for Sten, I realized that I had forgotten about the boys. I sought out Leif, The Dragon of Old, for help getting back to my universe. Everyone was surprised to see me and were glad I was back… up until I started punching and sending them flying. We then got out of dodge, picked up Faolán, went through the only viable gateway, had Leif destroy it, and then had a pint at The Dashing Ram. The rest is history… aside from a slight hitch.”

“That’s not good…” Aureolus quickly realized what was missing. “So um, where’s Faolán?”

“He went missing,” Weaver answered. “He’s here, in The Unlight. No doubt about it. We just don’t know where or when he is… God, I hope he’s alright…”

Seeing how worried Weaver was, Gabriella got up and gave him a hug. “Weaver, I will help you find your brother… assuming something doesn’t come up on my end.”

“Thanks, Gabriella… I mean, you don’t have to…”

“No, I insist. Besides, It’ll give me a good opportunity to explore The Unlight for my home realm.”

“Well there you go!” Torunn complimented.

“And Weaver?”

“Yes, Gabriella?”

She cleared her throat. “Just know that anything that bumbling Grimwald said about you is not true. You are noble, brave, considerate, capable, and a real gentleman. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Weaver blushed. “Thanks, Gabriella.”

“If you’ll allow me to indulge in an anecdote: I may not have had to deal with someone like Grimwald since I’m an only child, but I did have an awkward time with my education when I was young.”

“You had issues?”

She nodded. “You see, being an angel in the Inferno, a realm of demons, is a bit odd. I had trouble making friends in school, but a demon by the name of Stolas befriended me and would invite me to hang out with his friends.”

“That’s fantastic… Can I meet them sometime? I don’t mean to be pushy, it’s just that you’ve got my curiosity.”

“Of course. I’m sure they’d be pleased to meet you. I was planning to briefly head back home once the cult’s been dealt with. You could come with me then.”

“Fine with me… say, could we do our date then?”

Torunn nearly choked on her drink. “A date?! My favorite cousin’s got a date!”

Weaver gave her a slightly incredulous look. “Torunn, we’re all your favorite cousins… barring Grimwald. And yes, I want to go on a date with Gabriella.”

Aureolus did a gesture with his hands, as if trying to put things together. “So you two are a couple then?”

“Um… are we? Gabriella?” Weaver asked.

“I don’t see why not?” Both of them were blushing now.

“Stop the presses, Weaver finally got himself a girlfriend!” Torunn declared. “It’s like I kept telling you: Just go up to a girl and ask her out.”

He sighed. “Okay, fine. You were right…”

“Well of course I’d be, you little goofball” She said as she ruffled his hair. “I just wish someone had been that upfront with me. I’ll admit I'm not the most feminine of women, if you catch my meaning…”

Gabriella put a hand on her hip. “Really? You couldn’t find yourself a man? From what I’ve seen of my timeline, a good chunk of men love tall, strong women. Those who don’t are fools.” She took off her frock coat and rolled up her sleeve. “What do you think, Weaver?” She asked as she flexed. Her arm was nice and toned.

“Not bad, not bad at all. Have you lifted weights before?”

“Most certainly, given the career I choose and the expeditions I’ve been on so far. Torunn, perhaps you need to take the first step in this situation?”

“Huh… you think so?” She wondered.

Aureolus nodded. “Yeah. They probably think you’ll flex on them so hard they’ll get squished! Find a man you like and go hang out with them. Throw some darts, have a drink, maybe do some arm wrestling… and I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

Torunn gave a hearty laugh. “Alright, I’ll keep my eyes peeled then.”

“You can do it, cousin,” Weaver assured. “Also hey, are they done yet? Jeez…”

“Actually, Mr. Craddock, they’ve been done for a while,” a stewardess replied. “They’re all waiting for you.”

Gabriella giggled at the folly. “Well let’s not keep them waiting any longer then.”

Next: Chapter 18

#chaotictempleknight #ultramagic alternate #fantasy #sciencefiction #sciencefictionfantasy #literature #fiction #writing #story #writers on tumblr #chapter

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ariesalpinesavi · 3 months ago

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Ram is absolutely short rampage! And to answer you friend, this happened last year, I was driving by the family's house yesterday and was reminded of Dodge.

So this elderly woman, bleeding heart, took in some displaced livestock but these were her first goats and sheep. I went to school with her daughter and she knew I used to show goats as a kid so she called me up and asked if I could help get her new animals hooves trimmed up. They definitely weren't going to be in good shape and definitely hadn't been socialized for it properly, but screw it. I had to be in the area for some other animals anyway and she had Parkinsons so I went out to see them.

So we got there and she had 3 Nubian does, momma and her two adult daughters, plus a fully horned ram - and when I say ram I really mean a RAM. Typically I work with goats, not sheep, so like the first word that comes to mind when I saw this guy was "bucky". I wish so badly that somebody had castrated this ram years ago.

Since this ram came from his previous home where he was being housed with these same does and he was uncastrated i knew he would likely get aggressive. So we tied him to a post inside the barn as I slowly worked on the Nubians bit by bit. I would focus on him once the girls were done.

I was working on some specific obedience training and exposure to livestock with my dog, so I brought her along with me (spoilers thank goodness I did lol) who was just outside the pasture fence.

I was fairly distracted working on the Nubians, they were scared and I was lecturing this woman on things like not feeding the sheep and goats together, keeping collars or halters around, her goats need access to salt and baking soda, ect. the whole time. The woman mentioned that Dodge loves his girls and is very protective of them. I mentioned he probably needs to be castrated, even if it's late now.

I had no idea that while we were catching does and talking, Dodge the ram had broken his tie, smashed through the backdoor and had lined himself up with me. I was bent over, working on the front hoof of a Nubian, head down, when my dog started barking. Looking up to scold her, I saw Dodge at last second as he burst forward. I was able to deflect the skull bash just enough for the Nubian to take the flat of his head with hers. She shook it off no problem but both of their skulls are built like 4 inch thick steel. Mine is absolutely not lol I know not to leave my head low when working around goats and sheep but I really thought he was confined in the barn! And oh boy, he was PISSED that me, some stranger, was chasing his girls around and scaring the shit out of them! He wanted me gone, anyway he could get me gone and saw his chance lol

I went back a couple more times for follow up pedicures and I made absolutely sure not to underestimate Dodge ever again 😂

Occasionally I do farrier work on some friends goat and sheep herds, but I legit can not stop thinking bout this one ram named Dodge who nearly killed me for working on the does he lived with

#storytime

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ladystrallan · 2 years ago

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Once Upon a Time season 5B thoughts

I’m rewatching OUAT and I wanted to share some of my opinions on each season!

- This is my favourite season!!! (And the only one I have rewatched before)

- Awww it’s Neal

- Slay red intro

- Of course cora is the mayor

- This implies that they have a municipal government (Cora) and a federal?/realm? government (Hades)

- No don’t kiss him it’s James!!!

- Why are they wearing the same outfit lol

- Cora basically just told Regina that she’s going to hell

- THE CHIPPED CUP

- Omg rumbelle is adorable

- THE LITTLE DOLL

- Ooh Pan is back

- “The ale of Sinead from the land of Dunbroch” “That’s a mouthful” lol

- Not the jester lol

- Ooh slay Henry sr switched the hearts

- Pocket sized dad

- YASSSSS ITS HADES

- Alexa, play My Man from Funny Girl

- Fun fact: it was Greg Germann’s idea for Hades to be getting a pedicure in this scene

- Such a slay lair

- Yassss call her out for what she did to Zelena

- I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

- Every single line delivery is 10/10

- Yasssss the flame hair

- Imo it doesn’t look as bad as people say it does like there is WAY worse cgi on the show

- Hercules is my favourite Disney movie and although I love this season, Hades is the only character they got right

- They sucked all the sass and agency out of Megara, making her just a damsel in distress

- And Hercules just doesn’t have the charisma or hunk look of the original

- He looks like the guy from the maze runner, just a typical YA movie looking guy

- They also aged them down which I’m not a fan of

- It’s just kinda disappointing

- Yassss he’s back <3

- CRUELLA

- She replaced all Regina’s horse stuff with dog stuff… I’m dead

- The bloody hook…

- He’s so camp, I love it

- “The music, the gin, the glamour… the gin” lol

- Woah how did it get to the house

- The only conflict in my relationship with Hades would be that I don’t like dogs

- That is an ugly dog too

- “I want to be Snow White again” yassss

- No more annoying Mary Margaret

- “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed” ok dad

- Or should I say daddy ;)

- Ooh him realising that she’s pregnant

- The children in the underworld make me really sad :( I would take care of them

- Why is Hades so hot in this scene???

- I kinda get the homoeroticism that some people see in the Hook/Hades torture scenes

- Greg is just so sexy all the time he can’t help it

- “They had a torrid affair, which resulted in a scandalous teenage pregnancy in prison” Rumple just airing out all of Emma’s dirty laundry

- She’s looking for DANIEL

- I’m starting to find Rumple’s ‘coward face’ really funny

- Like he just looks so distressed 24/7

- Wow just flirting with another guy while your husband is out trying to KILL SOMEONE TO SAVE YOUR DYING SON

- Maybe don’t yell so loud if you’re trying to be discreet

- Milah is kinda pretty ngl

- “Tell him hello from his papa” me crying

- “Get your hands off that squiggly little thing” LOL that has to be the funniest way to describe the dagger

- Wow my man sure can entertain

- ‘Here come into my lair, would you like something to drink?’

- “Mrs Dark One” I LOVE IT

- HIS VOICE IS SO SEXY OMG (Hades)

- Is that where rumple got the idea to take babies as payment???

- The way he yells “MILAH” before chucking her into the river lol

- He really put so much into that performance

- A horse???

- He looks so disgusted as he reads that book lol

- Rumple’s real catch phrase: “no no”

- “And then, butterfingers, you dropped it” lol

- “SHE’S PREGNANT”

- I laugh every time I see Hades poof that man in

- He looks like an npc

- One of my favourite lines: “Take your baby” the delivery is 11/10

- Omg it’s Liam

- My favourite picture of Hades is from this bar scene

- The glass sliding across lol

- “What would you like to try first, the champagne or me?” David looks so uncomfortable

- Does James have a mommy kink?

- The way Liam stumbles back after seeing Hades’ hair

- Why does one brother get a boy band name and the other gets an emo pirate name???

- YASSSSS HADES

- It’s over Liam, I have the high ground

- Hades: Nooooo he’s not going to hell? Disappointing

- “Zelena… our secret remains safe” he sounds so sexy when he says that

- Our Decay is my favourite episode of the whole show!

- I recreated Zelena’s cupcake for one of my birthdays (15th? I think?)

- Ah yes, the old dog and curtain trick

- Dude just let her see her baby

- He looks so handsome in that cravat

- They have so much chemistry omg I love zades

- Where has robin been? I swear I haven’t seen him in like two episodes (not a complaint)

- “This is what, celebrating abandonment day?” Lol

- Wow Zeus is a jerk for cursing his own brother

- The way he gestures to her lol

- Marital problems

- THE BIKE SCENE

- Why am I literally Zelena??? (I can’t ride a bike either)

- THIS IS SO CUTE

- Why not me…

- Belle I love you but STOP BEING MEAN TO ZELENA

- They need a lawyer to work out this custody agreement

- The way Hades looks at Zelena >>>

- THEY WERE ABOUT TO KISS!!!

- That’s so sad you can tell she really loves her daughter :(

- You’re taking a BABY to the FOREST??? ok

- HE IS SO HOT

- The romantic dinner!!!

- Screaming

- “When we were on that bicycle, and I had my arms around you” OMG

- NOOOOO

- I would not even hesitate to kiss that man

- Even if he was evil I don’t care he’s hot

- “I love you” AAAAAAAAAAAA

- She broke his heart :(

- THIS. SCENE.

- HE WANTED TO GIVE HER WHAT REGINA HAD THAT IS SO ROMANTIC

- “But it’s our decay” MY HEART

- He really said ‘take all the space you need but I still love you’

- “But if you change your mind and decide you want me” 1000/10 delivery hot sexy romantic

- I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!

- “Lord legume” sorry I’m allergic

- Not skirmishes with the ogres!

- Was that an ogre in the intro???

- We love a good twister

- Lol hades what’s with the joe goldberg vibes

- Ok that time the hair didn’t look great

- IT’S AN OGRE

- “It was an arranged marriage, I was doing you a favour” rumple…

- “You mean other than that baby in your belly?” WHY WAS THAT SO FUNNY???

- Not the Rumple mannequin lol

- Why do they have that?

- Lol bye Gaston

- How romantic he gives her a little flower

- Yay ruby is back

- The episode title is the ship name lol

- “I’m afraid sometimes I’m just too clever” slay

- Not her turning into a puddle…

- Ruby slippers is cute

- WLW TRUE LOVE’S KISS

- Belle sleeping curse :(

- She doesn’t think he will be her true loves kiss that is so sad :( (marital problems part 2)

- OMG I LOVE THIS SCENE

- I don’t want to set the world on fire by the ink spots!!!

- His car is so slay

- ZADES DATE OMG I LOVE IT

- Zelena, how does it feel to be living my dream

- The way he’s sitting !!!

- “Will you make chaos with me?” AAAAAAAAAA

- PLEASE PROPOSE TO ME LIKE THAT

- Hades/Greg is so hot omg

- You’re not my mom Regina

- “Because he’s a villain” GIRL LITERALLY SO WERE YOU

- Honestly Cora deserves that punishment

- It’s impressive that Zelena can use magic like that with zero training

- “Who could possibly love that man?” ME

- Slay Zelena she saw right through that

- After everything Cora did she deserves to go to hell and she should have

- I don’t think she should get to go to heaven after doing one good thing

- HADES SETTING UP THE DATE

- I love him so much he’s so romantic

- Awwww him dancing is so cute

- Noooo they kidnapped Zelena

- HE TORE UP THE CONTRACT FOR HER

- “When will you believe I’d do anything for you” Awwwwwwww

- ZADES KISS!!!

- His heart is beating again omg

- Me constantly rolling my eyes at Robin

- Rumple jumpscare

- Slay rumple take Robin’s heart

- That lady is kinda slay

- Omg it’s stealthy

- “That’s right vermin, scatter” slay queen

- He “dissolved” James lol

- “Kid eater” lol

- If I put my heart on there to weigh my love for Hades it would 100% work

- My love for Greg is true

- Awwww captainswan

- How do they give you a last name if you’re found on the side of the road?

- Oooh yikes tree cut down

- Slay Hades 10/10 plan btw

- He could’ve done a lot worse tbh

- Which only proves more that he was just doing what he thought was best for Zelena

- Why is this woman exactly like Emma???

- Noooooo them holding hands :(

- “Is she looking for me?” NOOOOO she’s dead :(

- THE ICONIC RED LEATHER JACKET

- YASSSS RUMPLE PAN BETRAYAL

- Transporting your wife home in a little box :)

- How was hook alive again??? I forget

- Not this episode… I’m dreading what I know is going to happen

- “I trust you with anything” awwwww

- SLAY HADES KILL ARTHUR

- I hated that man

- “Robin’s baby” That baby is also my girl Zelena’s!!!

- “Actually, he’s not a man. He’s a god!” YASSSS SLAY

- Yeah he’s going to hell

- How do you kill a god? You can’t they’re immortal? Bingo!

- Slay Olympian crystal

- Maybe I could think of some other uses for it ;)

- This is the messiest custody battle lol

- Rumple jumpscare (part 2)

- He’s not going to wake up his daughter??? Wtf

- Not the cane ptsd

- I can’t…

- Literally push Arthur into the river of souls

- Slay hiding place

- It’s giving antique furniture with secret compartments

- Hmmmm maybe the research would be faster if BELLE’S FATHER WOULD WAKE HER UP

- ‘Hello, this is Hades’ lol

- In my AU rumple and hades would be besties

- That spirit was a hero trying to drag Arthur into the river

- “I really hate him” you are speaking at full volume

- Babe, you walked right past them…

- YASSSSS HADES

- “No Underworld, no moving on” do not pass go, do not collect $200

- Slay

- I would say rip but he just got erased from existence

- Also I hate Robin

- “I did it for you” this is so sad

- Regina just bodychecked him nooooo

- Jail

- “I defended you when no one else did” girl when???

- “Hades won’t give up a single thing for you” he got rid of his leverage against rumple for her!!!

- Regina stop lying

- NOOOOO

- Screaming crying

- This is TRAGIC

- The way he says her name as he’s dying :(

- Wtf Regina’s smiling a little bit

- RIP to the love of my life (and death)

- I will be metaphorically wearing black for the rest of the season

- I’m in mourning

- Ugh Zeus

- He looks like just a dude

- Her putting the flask on the grave lol

- The roses on the arrows… tacky

- It would be so funny if Zelena named her daughter hades or something similar

- #depression

- They literally treated Zelena so horribly after this

- Ooh henry x violet

- “I need more power” okay what else is new rumple

- Ooh yikes

- “I can still feel the aura” lol

- I mean maybe it’s warranted Regina

- Literally that’s so dumb don��t destroy magic

- Ooh crystal in TLWM

- Zelena is slaying so hard right now

- We love a redeemed queen

- Ooh is this the land of untold stories?

- Yikes just choking him

- I love gold’s car omg

- “Do you happen to have any duct tape?” Lol slay

- “Strange name” lol

- Wtf I hate this guy

- With his stupid magic taser

- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde!!!

- I can’t remember if I liked this plot line

- Where SHE’S taken him???

- Imagine it’s a breakup letter lol

- Maybe Robin shouldn’t have been a little bitch

- #vandalism

- You’re seriously going to attempt to fight the dark one?

- I love the crossover between science and magic it’s cool

- That is so scary yikes

- How symbolic

- Okay I kinda like mr hyde kinda slay

- The room service guy is probably like wtf is this???

- “Your best student” sorry girl that was Zelena

- “This isn’t on me” YES IT IS HENRY OMG

- The dragon???

- I thought he got killed by a taser

- That’s so embarrassing omg

- People probably think he’s a crazy person

- That one extra’s face lol

- Rumple went through the portal!!!

- How convenient that her dad is from TLWM

- Ooh kiss

- Awwwww captainswan

- The evil queen just dusting around

- Ok

How I feel about the characters this season

Love: HADES, Zelena

Like: Belle, Rumple, Emma, Hook, Ruby, Mulan, Jekyll/Hyde

Neutral: Hercules, Megara, Henry, David, Snow, Dorothy, Cruella

Dislike: James, Gaston

Hate: Robin, Regina, Cora, Arthur, Pan, that stupid orderly

Season rating: 10/10

I love this season so much! Zades is my favourite ship in the whole show, and I love Hades with all of my heart. I didn’t really like the destroy magic plot line but it was just the last two episodes. Hades and Zelena are so slay and I love them!

#ouat thoughts #once upon a time #once upon a time season 5 #once upon a time season 5b #ouat 5b #hades ouat #greg germann #zades #zelena ouat #zelena mills #emma swan #regina mills #rumplestiltskin #belle french #rumbelle #captain swan

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kasey-writes-stuff · 2 years ago

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I posted 24,121 times in 2022

That's 12,852 more posts than 2021!

2,622 posts created (11%)

21,499 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@baka-monarch

@cleotheunicorn

@napsapnapsap-archive

@salted-caramel-tea

@bastardbvby

I tagged 3,646 of my posts in 2022

#kasey speaks - 1,143 posts

#kasey rambles - 1,076 posts

#asks - 306 posts

#kasey grumbles - 296 posts

#writing struggles - 123 posts

#discourse - 67 posts

#baka monarch - 66 posts

#kasey writes stuff - 59 posts

#long post - 58 posts

#anon - 53 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#and their fans not liking it and then people saying their fans don’t like it just because they don’t which to an extent i’m sure that’s true

My Top Posts in 2022:

Denial of strength

Sapnap,Dream,George and Punz were hanging out IRL for the first time all together and were all currently just having random conversations about anything and everything and the current topic was on Dream being able to lift Punz or not…

“No way I mean dude dream I don’t doubt your strength I mean you’re pretty ripped just I don’t know no one’s really ever been able to lift me”

“Yea until now come on just let me try I won’t hurt myself I promise!”

“Dude dream isn’t gonna stop until you let him so just let him”

“Yea dream is very very persistent so just let him”

Punz rolls his eyes softly as he walks over in front of Dream “Fine fine whatever you’re not gonna be able to do it”

Dream smirks as he nods “Keep saying that just keep saying that it’ll make me proving you wrong all the sweeter”

Punz snickers “Yea yea okay whatever”

Dream continues smirking as he says “You ready?”

Punz nods “Yep”

Dream begins to wrap his arms around Punz’s midsection and it takes him a few seconds to get a good grip but once he does he easily lifts Punz to where he’s laying over his shoulder… Punz’s eyes widen in surprise and Dream snickers in satisfaction

“See told you I could”

“Okay okay you’re right you can put meEP” a squeal escapes Punz as Dreams fingers lightly squeeze his sides as he’s readjusting his grip

The other three burst into laughter at his squeal

“Whhahahatt whahasss thhahatt?!”

See the full post

57 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

Pedicure tickles

This is for first stream/meeting

Tina had came to Florida as had Karl and Quackity! So all of DTKQ and Tina were meeting for the first time! Somehow Tina had convinced them all to get pedicures! Karl had gotten them before so it wasn’t hard to convince him the others… it was a little harder but eventually they caved thinking doing it once can’t hurt…Everything was calm at first their feet sitting comfortably in the warm water, Tina and Karl having picked out some colors for their nails everyone else opting for either no polish or a simple clear coat. The nail trimming and cuticle pushing went well maybe a slight flinch from a few of them at certain spots but it was fine overall! But then came time for the scrubbing…

Tina’s nail tech had finished her cuticles first and so the scrubbing began with her.. Tina jumped a squeak slipping through as one hand gripped the arm of the chair and her other covered her mouth “EEK!” The boys turned to her confused all except Karl who’s eyes widened and the look on his face clearly showing he was mentally slapping himself having forgot about how bad scrubbing tickles… Quackity who was sat in the chair next to Tina giggled softly as he asked “Tihihinnahaha? You good?” She turned to him and nodded moving her hand from her mouth just long enough to say “I-ihihmm f-fihineheEEK!” Her words cut off with a squeak as nail tech scrubbed near her toes…

The guys all laughed softly at her reactions but you could see slight anticipation in all their eyes… except Dream’s was much worse than everyone else’s… you see all the guys have ticklish feet ranging from moderately ticklish to very very ticklish… and It just so happened Dreams feet landed on the very very ticklish side of the scale… Quackity was next he jumped slightly but no real giggles yet! You could tell tho by his wide smile and slight grip on the chair it definitely tickled! It wasn’t until they hit a specific sweet spot just above his heel that he broke into giggles “hoholllyy shihihzzz ohokahahyy thahattss bahahddd!” George snickered rolling his eyes “Really are you serious please so childish being ticklish to a sponge..” His words held no true venom further proved by the worried glances towards his own feet as it seemed the nail tech was nearly finished with his cuticles… Quackity attempted to glare at George as he says “juhuhsstt yoouuu whahahihitt!”

And as if in no time George’s nail tech finished and picked up the scrubber wasting no time getting to work! George gasped in surprise biting his lip harshly as he looked away from his feet hoping that whole out of site out of mind thing would work.. Spoiler alert it did not especially not when the nail tech began scrubbing the area right before under his toes… George jumped breaking into giggles that neared soft laughter at points! “Ah! AhahahaHAHAhahha” Quackity smirked confidently and satisfied “see told you it was bad!” George shot a glance at Quackity words vicious but all the sting gone due to the wide smile and giggles showing “shuhut uhuhuppp ihihdddiioottt youuu wwwHEHEHrrhehee whahayy wohoHOHrrsshehehe” Quackity simply rolled his eyes “Whatever you say George whatever you say”

Soon enough George’s turn was over and it was now onto Sapnap… Sapnap attempted to feign the most confidence of them all making a psh sound at George’s reactions “Oh please george you’re way worse than Quackity was but you’re both really bad it definitely can’t even tickle that m-muhuhccchhh HOHOLLYY SHIHIhihzzzz!” He broke into giggles and laughter the scrubber finally touched down! His leg shaking heavily, and once the scrubber hit his heel he squealed pulling his hat down to cover his blush and muffle his laughter “MMNEHAHAhahahhaha frihihicckkk AHAHhahhaha!” Karl snickered softly beside him “Duuhuddeheh I knew you were ticklish but I didn’t know you were that bad! I’ll definitely have to target your heels next time we have a tickle fight!” Sapnap groaned through his laughter mumbling “SHUHUuhuhhtttt UHUHuhuhupppp ihihiddd SSTTihihilll wihihinnn yooouurrrhehehe whaahhayyyy wohohorrrdsshehehe!” Karl blushed softly having no retort…

Sapnap’s turn ended and he placed his cap back on his head clearing his throat and scooting back up in the chair trying to act casual… It was now onto Karl’s turn and the second the scrubber barely began scrubbing he squeaked falling into laughter and apologizing quietly “EEK AHAHhaha sohohorry SOHORRHEHE ihihi ehehe nohonono ihihim gOHOHdddd keheheppp gohohiihingg GAH FRICK NOT THEREHEHE HOHOLLY FRICK Nonono ihihimm fihihnehehe” George snickered softly “Wow Karl never knew your feet were so sensitive” Karl who was already blushing further blushed at the tease turning his head slightly to George “Duhuhudddhehehe YOOURRHEE SUHUCHX hahaha nihihimmrohohoddd SHUHUTT uhuhuppp!”

Soon enough after many more bouts of laughter filled pleas that he was fine Karl’s turn was done and it was now Dream’s turn… Poor Dream being last meant the anticipation had all the time possible to build up and of course the more anticipation there is the more ticklish you’re likely to feel… So on top of Dream already having insanely ticklish feet he was feeling tingles of butterflies throughout his whole body but especially in his tummy… He took a few deep breathes attempting to calm the anticipation hoping it would help but the second the scrubber touched his foot he jumped practically out of the chair… he blushed brightly quickly apologizing “sorry sorry ahrm first time and all…” The nail tech simply nodded giving a understanding smile… Suddenly Dream’s phone dinged and he quickly grabbed it from his hoodie pocket… His eyes widened and he blushed brightly as he glared at Sapnap… Sapnap smiled brightly and innocently sending a small wave to Dream who glared at sap and was about to text him back but squealed jumping again and breaking into loud laughter the scrubbing finally began the nail tech taking the chance of him being distracted to start the scrubbing! “EEEP NNAHAHHAA WHHAHATT THEHEH HEHECCKK THAHAHTTSS SOHO BAHAHDDD!” Everyone flinched slightly besides sapnap having not expected such a reaction not knowing the extent of his feets ticklishness or really his ticklishness in general honestly… Dream’s nail tech shook their head softly a very small understanding smile on their face..

Suddenly Dream shrieked as they began scrubbing his arches within seconds he he couldn’t help but pull his feet back “AEEEHH NAHAHHAHAHAHA! Hohohllyy shihihizzz sohohrrry sohoho sohohorrryy” the nail tech simply waved a non chalant hand “Hey between you and me I pull back way before you did so no worries, do you wanna try again? I can move spots” Dream breathed a slight sigh of relief feeling an odd comfort at the nail tech being so open, all the other nail techs surprisingly nodded and mumbled in agreement and understanding.. Dream smiled face flushed brightly… Usually his friends would take a time like this to tease him but instead they did the opposite Tina gives him a quiet clap saying how he did much better than she did for her first pedicure” Quackity shyly nods “It was way worse than I expected so I can’t imagine having had to watch everyone else go through it and just having to wait and wait…you did great man whether you continue or not” George nodded softly “I’ll admit it was a bit surprising… but I agree you did well” Sapnap blushing admits “yea it was definitely way way worse than I thought it would be I don’t know how you kept your legs there so long…” Karl smiles grabbing dreams hand softly “I’ve been through this before so I knew what to expect but it’s still always really really surprising how bad it is… Proud of you dreamie!” Dream flushed brightly at the praise “uh I.. uh thank you all? I um… yea thanks… um” he turns his head back towards his nail tech “Um yea if you wanna continue just on a different spot i um I think I’ll be okay…” the nail tech nods and starts on his heel! Dream squeaks and breaks into laughter again his legs shaking but he keeps them there “EEK NAHHA FRIHIHCCKK!” Slowly the tech moves to his sole and his legs shake more jerking slightly as his laughter rises

“AHAHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHEEHEHAHA!” Last they move to his toes! He squeals his laughter raising in pitch his legs pulling back a second before he’s able to place them back! “EEP HEHEHAHAHHHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHHAHEHEHWHEE!” What feels like a long time is really only about ten seconds and then tech is done and begins the massage! Dream dies down into giggles practically melting into the chair… Tina can’t help but now that everything is over be slightly mischievous and mention.. “Oh yea I forgot to mention.. That pedicures make your feet not only softer but more ticklish as well…” Dream’s mouth drops open “WHAT!?!” The boys all have mischievous smirks on their faces eye brows raising and narrowing.. Tina nods “it’ll probably last two weeks to like a month maybe? Depending on how often you walk around bare foot..” Welp seeing as they were all set to be together at least another three weeks this was going to be even more interesting now…

The end

96 notes - Posted June 2, 2022

Hyena cackles

You were stood idly scrolling YouTube as you were cooking when you came across a Wilbur laugh compilation.. You smiled softly to yourself as you clicked play, soon you found yourself giggling along but after a few moments you paused after seeing a clip of Wilbur’s hyena like cackles and you smirked to yourself making sure the food was okay to be left alone and turning it to low before going to the living room.

Wilbur was lying on the couch watching a random tv show, you wordlessly came and laid on top of him which wasn’t unusual so he thought nothing of it and simply wrapped his arms around you continuing to watch the show.. he jumped looking down at you as he felt light dragging on his sides “w-what are you doing?” You shrug “oh nothing much nothing much I just saw a video all about your laughs and there was a clip of your hyena laugh in there so I wanna see if I can find a spot that makes you laugh like that!” His eyes widen but he doesn’t really attempt to escape “what?!? No! You will be doing no such thing! Good day to you I am leaving!” You giggle softly “Wilbur we live together where are you gonna leave to?” He shrugs “I have friends besides you you know that right?” You roll your eyes “yes I know that because they’re my friends to duh, I could just easily find out where you’re at and come there and tickle you in front of them if you prefer that” He blushes brightly shaking his head turning onto his back allowing you to adjust yourself on his waist “no no umm yea um you can go ahead…”

You laugh softly as you give him a break deciding where to try next “But wil that’s half the fun is seeing you go all red as cherry because of teasing!” He groans softly covering his face “mm just hush and get it over with!” You laugh again “alright alright I will! Hmm I think I’ll try rightttttt here!” You squeeze at his hips and he jolts up a howl of laughter escaping him “AYYEHEH AHHAHA THEHHE HIHIHIPPSSS RHEHHEHAHAHALLLYY?!?” You shrug “Well I’m trying all of your death spots so yes your hips!” You squeeze at them again and he jolts once more and you chuckle softly before drilling your thumbs into his hips..” He gasps a snort flying out as he laughs once more “AHAHAHAHAHAH NAHHAHAHHA OHOHOKKKHAHAHYYY IHIHITTSS NAHAHTTT THEHEH HIHIPPSS!” You sigh softly in contemplation “hmm are we really sure?” He nods another snort escaping as you hit a very sensitive spot “YEHEHHEHSS YEHHEHSSS PLEHEHAHAHSSSRHEHE BBRRHEHEHHAHAHKK!”

You slow to a stop and move to sit on his shins while giving him a break “hmm well only three spots left I know it’s sorta odd to be moving down only to have to move back up again if these two spots don’t get the laugh but the last spot is my favorite so as they say saving the best for last!” He groans again feeling increasingly flustered “fine fine just remember we do have food cooking dear we shouldn’t drag this out…” You could tell that was his subtle way of saying he can’t take much more so you nod “of course I won’t even spend a whole minute on these two spots! And as soon as we check that last spot I’ll get right back to cooking, you ready?” He nods softly “I guess as ready as I can be” You smile softly “Okay here we go!” You squeeze at his knees a few times and he breaks into squeaky laughter! “HEHEHAHHHAHAHAEEKHAHAHHAHA NOHOHO!” You shake your head “Nope not here hmm I guess it’s time to try your thighs!” His eyes widen even though he knew this was coming he was still feeling anticipation butterflies.. You waste no time squeezing away at his inner thighs he squeals his upper body flailing as his laughter grew near hysterical “EEP NAHOHOHO NHAHHAHAHHAA HAHAHHAHAHHAHA AHAHHAHA IHIHI CAHAHNNTT!” You smirk softly teasing him “what wil thighs too ticklish?” He nods quickly “YEHEHSSS YEHEHEHSSS PLEHEHEHAHAHASSSHEHHE!” You giggle softly “and yet they still didn’t get that laugh I’m after…”

You again slow to a stop and allow him to catch his breathe, once he’s done so you move up to his waste “Wil?” He looks at you with a dazed smile left over giggles on his lips “hmm?” You gently cup his face to ground him to you “Can you handle tummy tickles or no?” He thinks a moment and nods “Just a bit yea I suppose” you nod “okay I promise I won’t do it long at all and I won’t even get your bare tummy” he smiles softly “thank you..” you finally slip your hand from his cheek “of course wil, you ready?” He nods “as I’ll ever be” you nod back and waste no time scribbling around his stomach with both hands… Ah there it is that hyena cackle you love so dearly! “AHAHA HAHA AHAHA HAHA AHAHA” you smile brightly your smiling widening as a shriek slips past when a finger dips into his button and that’s his breaking point “AAEEH AHAHA HAHAH PLEHHEHAHASSEEH AHAHA HAHHA AHAHHA HAHA STOHOHOPP!”

So you do you immediately stop and begin rubbing the ghost tickles away “You okay wil?” He once again has a dazed smile as he looks at you nodding “yehess I’m good, I’m rather hungry though after all that laughing” you lightly smack his arm climbing off him “Well come help me cook and it’ll get done much quicker” he smiles getting up and grabbing your hand heading to the kitchen and so there the day ends

The end

110 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

We’re going to see Dream next to his friends smiling

We’re going to see him and Punz with the most face splitting smiles or Dream with the most face splitting smile and his arms and head on Punz’s as Punz tries to look annoyed but you can see his mouth starting to quirk into a smile and you see his eyes shining so brightly it’s nearly blinding

We’re gonna see Tina absolutely shining next to him as he’s shining and smiling just as much we’re gonna see them leaning on each other we’re gonna see them doing cute little poses

We’re gonna see Karl clinging to him like he’s a tree, we’re gonna see him smiling so much, we’re gonna see him rolling his eyes while smiling and Karl is hanging from his arm

We’re gonna see Quackity trying to act like it’s no big deal but his eyes are sparkling and he has just the smallest noticeable smile, we’re gonna see Dream patting his head showing off how short he is compared to him

We’re gonna see him and George practically looking like one person cause they’re so close together as they’re smiling so much they look like their faces are gonna break in half

We’re gonna see Dream and Sapnap but this time we’re gonna see both of their faces we’re gonna get to see them smiling and so relived to finally be able to be together both unmasked

We’re gonna see so so many other friends too and it’s so surreal

292 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I may not be a Hannahxxrose stan but I am a hannahxxrose defender when people are mad at her for winning a fan voted minecraft award

336 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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imaginependergast · 2 years ago

Note

I just got back from a wedding, and was reading my Pendergast book (as one does), when my silly little brain thought- husband Pendergast

And now I cant get out of my head 😭

He'd be up for whatever idea you had, just goes along and doesn't question anything. I figure he doesnt have many friends, so idk about groomsmen, but oh BOY- just imagine the look on his face when he sees how many people you've invited 😂

I have a feeling the first dance would be a waltz, he's just that fancy. Oh, and the best champagne ofc-

(im so whipped for him its a problem-)

I go hard for husband Pendergast.

On the one hand I think Pendergast would like a church wedding in some grand old New Orleans church, but maybe not with a religious officiant but with a humanist or non-religiously affiliated person who could marry people. But on the other hand I could totally see him preferring an destination elopement where it's just him and his woman, or maybe with one or two people. If he was going to have groomsmen I think he'd ask Vinny and maybe Coldmoon. Or he'd just have Proctor do whatever groomsmen duties he needed. If there was an elopement he might invite VInny along as his groomsman and sole guest (plus Proctor, of course. But that man is never not technically working).

Assuming there's a ceremony or party I think he'd invite: Vinny, Hayward, Corrie, Constance (lol), Proctor (although he'd probably be the chauffer or assigned more as security), Mrs. Trask (because she deserves happiness and I think seeing Pendergast would make her happy) and Coldmoon. Low-key, for myself, I don't want a church or traditional wedding and know exactly where and what I want for my Nordic elopement without guests so husbando Pendergast better deal with snow.

Agree on the waltz. Even if there wasn't a reception he would totally get a band in a hotel ballroom to dance with you or even get music on in your hotel room for the dance if you wanted something even more private. Ugh, and yeah on the best of everything. Hell, since he was married once he probably knows approximately what services his bride needs (hair, makeup, etc.) but I could totally imagine him hiring other services to be on hand like a massage therapist, manicurist/pedicurist, Mrs. Trask to make tea and snacks.

Meta Imagine: On your wedding morning sitting in your hotel suite getting ready. You're simultaneously getting a pedicure, a shoulder massage and makeup done while Mrs. Trask keeps your tea cup full and butter cookies a reach away.

I love it.

#imaginependergast #ask #@sakurablossoms #aloysius pendergast

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1plus1kiyoomi · 4 years ago

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Chapter 16: 6PM Walks

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[masterlist] [kia’s slambook]

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“What did you call me a while ago?” Kiyoomi asks Kia, not listening to what you’re saying.

“Kiyoomi, this isn’t our issue right now.”

“No, it is. She has to call me that again.”

“She won’t.”

“She will. She did it a while ago.”

“Kia’s probably playing with you,” you mumble to yourself, but you leave the two of them to continue making breakfast before the whole fiasco. You figure that Sakusa is too excited being called papa that he won’t listen to anything you will say at the moment.

“Kia say it again. What you called me a while ago,” Kiyoomi asks Kia. They are on the couch in the living room, Kia’s eyes stuck on the television screen. She ignores Kiyoomi. He takes the remote and turns the TV off. The little girl looks at him in disapproval. “Say it again and I will turn the TV on.”

“What?” Kia asks, obviously not hearing Kiyoomi’s pleads a while back.

“What did you call me a while ago?” Kiyoomi pushes, his eyes piercing through hers, begging.

“Kyo,” Kia deadpans.

Kiyoomi pouts, turning the TV back on. He leaves Kia on the couch, then goes to you at kitchen. You don’t notice him so he just leans his back on the counter, admiring you from behind. You looked so cute with his shirt and boxers on, the apron you’re wearing is the cherry on top. He’s trying his best not to jump on you especially that Kia is just there.

You, on the other hand, are slicing the apples, Saki in your mind. “That fucking bitch,” you mutter, slicing rougher than needed. “She better not show up here again.”

“Have mercy on the apples,” Kiyoomi chuckles. He wraps his arms around your waist, his chin on top of your head. You continue to slice, Kiyoomi carefully watching your hands. “Where’s the ring I gave you?”

“It’s in my bag. I took it off when we were in Universals since it was slipping off my finger. I was scared I’d lose it,” you reply. His hug feels comforting so you slow down in slicing. “Have you given up on Kia calling you papa?”

“No,” he huffs, his chin now on your shoulder. You giggle at his determination. “You’re probably shocked about what happened.”

“Didn’t know your fuck buddy was psycho,” you respond. He starts leaving small kisses on your exposed neck, so you put the knife down and turn to him. “Kiyoomi, why are you so touchy today?”

“What do you mean? I was also touchy yesterday,” he corrects you. His hands intertwine with yours as he brings it close to his. He gives all your fingers soft kisses, completely calming you down. “You seem so stressed. You should get a massage or something.”

“That sounds nice.” You smile at the thought of simply relaxing. Ever since you had given birth to Kia, time for yourself was impossible.

“Then take a day off from being a mom today,” Kiyoomi mumbles, planting a kiss on your forehead. You look up to him in confusion. “I’ll drop you off at the mall. I actually booked you an appointment at a salon and spa a week ago.” You stare at him in suspicion but he seems solely genuine about wanting you to relax.

“What about Kia?” You ask hesitantly.

“I’ll take good care of her,” he responds. “Get changed. I’ll continue making breakfast.”

After eating breakfast with Kiyoomi and Kia, they send you off to the mall. You are so excited to relax. “Me time” is rare as a mother. You shall cherish it without questions on how and why you got to do it.

As you left the car, Kia and Kiyoomi drive to another street in the city of Osaka. They leave the car, and go to a small cafe that doesn’t have a lot of customers. A woman waves at him and he goes to where she’s seated.

“Kyo who’s that?”

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You finish your appointments at around 5:30 PM. Kiyoomi really wanted you to relax. He had appointed a full body massage for you, a hair treatment appointment, manicure and pedicure and lunch at a 4-star sushi place; he’s spoiling you.

You see his car at the driveway outside the mall. You enter his car, then you sanitize your hands. Kia is asleep so you keep quiet. You take a look at him and he looks nervous.

“Are you okay?” You ask him and he nods. You eye him warily as he starts driving off without a word. “What did the two of you do today?”

“We went to a cafe, then met up with my nutritionist. Kia is also gave him a checkup. Apparently, Kia is taller than most of her peers. She’s 8 centimeters away from 100cm and she’s only 30 months old...” Kiyoomi states in a stressed manner.

“Are you afraid she’ll get bullied by other kids for her height?” You look at him and he seemed upset about it. “On the brighter side, with her height she can be a volleyball player like you.” You reassure him, he still looks like he’s on the edge.

“It’s the flower field Kia and I went to a while ago. Do you wanna take a walk?” He suddenly suggests, looking out the window of his car. You hum as a yes, then he parks his car somewhere near the flower field.

“Baby...” You coo at Kia, taking her seatbelt off. Her eyes slowly flutter open and she smiles when she sees you. You lift her off her chair then close the car’s door.

You look around, and notice that there aren’t a lot of people. No wonder why Kiyoomi wanted to take a walk. The place is peaceful and breathtaking. Rows of different kinds of flowers, but mostly roses and tulips. You look down to Kia and see that she is staring at the sun setting over the flower field.

You finally sense Kiyoomi beside you, but the energy he’s giving is off. You take a glance at him and he isn’t wearing his mask on. Now your suspicion has risen to the highest level. You want to ask him about it but Kia suddenly wriggles out of your hold. You run after her but stop when you see two familiar boys.

“Mu-chan! Ki-chan!” She squeals in excitement, running towards the said boys. You greet them with a wave as they are standing from a far. You watch Kia run to them before walking towards them too.

“Mama! Turn around!” Kia shouts but you don’t hear properly.

“Turn! Around!” Atsumu shouts this time, signaling you turn with his hand. You raise an eyebrow at them before turning around.

3rd Year, Itachiyama Academy

August 19

“Omi... I suddenly thought of something,” you spoke, watching the sunset. You two were at his backyard, enjoying your first anniversary in the comfort of his home. “How will you propose to me?”

“Are you really thinking about marriage just because we’ve been dating for a year now?” Sakusa squinted his eyes at you. You shrugged, leaning on his shoulder.

“I’m just curious since you hate surprises. You might tell me to get my nails done a week before so it’d look good in pictures,” you joked. He let out a chuckle in agreement.

“I might do that.” He saw the excitement in your eyes. Now, he’s curious about your dream proposal. “How do you want me to propose? Do you want a grand one or a simple one?”

“I want you to propose just like this,” you replied, eyes glued on the setting sun. “You, me, on our anniversary, with the sun setting.”

“Do I have to be on my knee? The ground might be dirty,” he rambled so you pouted.

“How is it a proposal if you don’t go on one bended knee?!”

“Then I’ll do that,” he replied, determined. There was no hesitance in his response so your heart beat faster.

“Really?” You asked, hopeful. You were now looking at him and so was he.

“Yes.”

“Sakusa Kiyoomi, why?!” You exclaim as you cover your face with your hands, tears already falling from your eyes.

The Sakusa Kiyoomi who well known as a germaphobe is on his knee in front you, with a ring in his hand. You check your phone to see the date, just to make sure. August 19. You cry even harder, not able to process what’s happening. Your heart is about to jump out of your chest. How does he remember even that?

“Will you marry me?”

Unable to answer due to too much emotions, you pull him up and kiss him deeply, hooking your arm on his neck, pulling him close to you. He wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you up the ground in excitement. He puts you back on the ground, then gives you another chaste kiss before slipping the ring in your ring finger. He gives it a kiss, before kissing you once more.

“Mama!” You hear Kia run to the two you. Kiyoomi lifts Kia with one arm, his other arm not leaving you. “Look! Kyo proposed to me too!”

“Kyo who’s that?” Kia asked as she and Kiyoomi sat in the same table with a strange woman.

“Is this your daughter?” The woman asked Sakusa. He nodded. Kia was still looking at her weirdly. “Hi, I’m Nako. I’m a jewelry maker. I make necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Do you wanna see?”

“Sorry, I’m late,” a familiar voice spoke, catching Kia’s full atention.

“Mu-chan!” Kia greeted him with a kiss. He sat down beside her, greeting Nako and his teammate with a smile and wave. Nako was Atsumu’s classmate in high school that has become a famous jeweler in Japan.

“Here’s the ring and necklace you have requested to custom made,” Nako told Kiyoomi, handing him two black velvet boxes. “Just as requested, a palladium engagement ring with a 2.4 carat round cut diamond. And in this box we have a 14k white gold ring attached to a 14k white gold chain. I also made sure that this won’t choke your daughter. But to be extra careful, take it off during her sleep or if she’s playing without you or your wife around.”

They finished their transaction and Nako left, leaving the boys with Kia in the cafe. “So we’ll wait for at the flower field near your house and Kia will run to us, then you’ll propose?” Atsumu clarified.

“Yes. That’s right,” Kiyoomi approved. “Please thank Kita-san for me.”

“I will. I will. We’ll meet you there.” Atsumu bid his good byes, leaving the father-daughter duo.

“Papa what’s the rings for?” Kia asked, staring at the shiny jewelry set in front of her.

“Baby, I’ll propose to your mama,” Kiyoomi started to explain. “I’ll give her this ring so we can get married and we’ll be together forever.” He tried to explain in simpler words so the child could understand.

“Why do you want to be with mama forever?” Kia questioned, which made Kiyoomi smile.

“Because I love your mama.”

“How about Kia? Do you love Kia?” Kia tilted her head to the side, her hopeful eyes peering at his. He cupped her cheek, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“So much. I love Kia so much,” he replied. “That’s why I’m giving you this.” Kiyoomi took the necklace out of the box, presenting it to her.

��You’re proposing to Kia?” She asked in an excited manner, her hands clasped together, pressing them close to her chest. “You wanna be together with Kia forever?”

Kia started crying in joy so Kiyoomi picked her up from her chair, giving her a tight hug. Her sobs quiet down so Kiyoomi put the necklace on her. She hugs him again, giving him a lot of kisses.

“I love papa, too.”

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Facts:

The idea and tradition of engagement rings dates back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed circles were symbols of eternity.

The truth is the most popular engagement month in a year is December.

In all, about 70% of brides wear their rings on the fourth finger of their left hand; a tradition that comes from the Roman belief that the vena amoris, or vein of love, was located there.

Wedding rings were traditionally made of gold because it was considered the most pure and valuable metal, and was thought to perfectly symbolize marriage.

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Taglist: @elianetsantana aoi-turtle ptv-hades aquzairus a-applepi justoneofthefangirlsarianna-r13 morenabambinii chaelysian loser-keiji mxngy ne-kuroon1fangirlsblog d-efendmissalicebaskervillemarvelousbakugou @agaashesmilktea bonkyandloki kimi09 ntimacy @mkazuyuh ushi-please minty-mangos-world @dearest-kiyoomi yeehawslap onlyshinji obsessedwhxre

#haikyuu smau #haikyuu x reader #sakusa smau #sakusa x reader #sakusa kiyoomi #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu sakusa #haikyuu series #sakusa imagines

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drabbles-mc · 4 years ago

Text

Pretty Boy

Juice Ortiz x OFC (Dakota Lowman)

Combining an Anonymous request and a request from @adela-topaz-caelon: Juice Ortiz x F!Reader, were the reader is Happy’s daughter and her boyfriend is Juice? and Juice x female reader where they're at the clubhouse or somewhere, just chilling to keep reader safe or something, and you get those cheesy moments of catching an eye, or an absentmindedly kiss that causes flusteredness

Warnings: language, alcohol, Juice being a lil cutie pie

Word Count: 4.6k

A/N: I tweaked each of these requests a little bit, but I hope y’all still enjoy it! I got the Happy’s Daughter request and immediately me and @garbinge started brainstorming OC ideas and we ended up with two daughters for Happy. Clearly we get carried away haha. This is just a fluffy little one-shot and a sort of wamrup/intro to the Lowman Sisters as OCs. We (when I say “we”, I totally mean me and Anj as a unit lmao) have big plans for them in the future and I can’t wait to take y’all along for the ride. In the meantime, enjoy this lil oneshot! xo

SOA Taglist: @masterlistforimagines @mijop @chibsytelford @xladymacbethx @i-just-read-stuff @kkim120 @everyhowlmarksthedead @toni9 @unicornucopia-fuckers @mayans-sauce @shadow-of-wonder @punkgoddess-98 @paintballkid711 @black-repunzel99 @jitterbugs927 @mrsstevenbuchananstark (If you want to be added to the list feel free to let me know!)

“Out of all the women in the universe,” Juice spoke up with a shake of his head, “I think the last two that need someone to watch their backs are Happy’s daughters, that’s all.”

Jax shook his head, “Everyone has someone watching their back, no exceptions.”

“Yea but they don’t need—”

He cut Juice off, “Club call, not theirs.”

Both of Happy’s daughters were sitting back, watching the entire interaction play out in front of them. It wasn’t something that they’d never gone through before, but they each knew that there was a more tactful way to go about it without making them feel like they were being saddled with babysitters. His youngest thought it was all bullshit, but she wasn’t willing to put up a fight over it. Her older sister, however, didn’t have the same reservations.

“Fuck this,” she stood up off her barstool, “You don’t get to make that call for me, Teller.”

“Hap said—”

“Well Hap isn’t here,” she rolled her eyes as she swiped her keys off the table, “Tell my old man if he wants someone to babysit me, he can do it himself,” she began walking towards the clubhouse door, “just like the good old days.”

“Diedra,” Jax stepped towards her, wrapping his hand around her forearm.

She immediately twisted her arm out of his grasp and used her other hand to shove him backwards, “Do that again and I’ll bust your fucking nose,” she waited a beat to see if any of them were going to try to stop her again, and when they didn’t, she looked over to her sister, “Call me if any of these assholes give you any trouble, alright?”

She nodded, “Alright.”

The clubhouse door slammed behind her, leaving an awkward silence in its wake. Jax glanced over at Juice, who was trying to look anywhere but at his VP and the young woman still perched at the bar. With a heavy sigh, Jax spoke up, “Don’t go two for two on losing the Lowman Sisters, alright? Hap is gonna wring my fucking neck over Di as it is.”

“He won’t,” she shook her head, chuckling slightly, “You think our dad doesn’t know what you’re dealing with?”

“You think that your dad is really gonna care about that when it comes down to it?” Jax retorted. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to get his tone in order, “Sorry, Kota. It’s not on you. Just, please stay with Juice, alright? Just until we figure all this shit out.”

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee and trying to pretend that she didn’t get a little bit of sadistic enjoyment out of Jax’s stress over her father and sister, “Sure, I can handle that.”

He didn’t say anything more before also heading out the door, managing to shut it a little quieter than the woman who had walked out before him. It left just Juice and Dakota by themselves in the clubhouse—everyone else either on club business or safely within the walls of their own homes waiting out the impending chaos.

“How pissed is your dad gonna be about your sister?” Juice asked, a smirk starting to curl the edges of his mouth.

Dakota laughed, shaking her head, “He’s not going to actually be pissed. He knows how Di gets about lockdown and shit,” she paused, smiling, “But he is going to make Jax feel like shit about it first.”

Juice chuckled, “Perfect.”

There were a few beats of silence before she spoke up again, “So do I get to know why I need a bodyguard or…?”

“H-happy didn’t tell you?”

She shook her head, “No,” with a huff she rolled her eyes, “he never tells me shit. I don’t, I don’t know why Di gets to know everything and I don’t. I don’t get what’s so different.”

“She is older,” Juice couldn’t pretend to understand the dynamics in the Lowman family but it seemed like an easy justification to offer up.

“By like, four years. That doesn’t mean shit.”

Juice laughed, “You sound a little bitter.”

“Bitter is in our blood, Juan,” she laughed as she finished off her coffee.

The use of his real name caught him off-guard. The two of them hadn’t ever really talked much, just little conversations here and there. He didn’t think that she knew his real name at all, let alone felt comfortable enough with him to use it. Despite the bite in her tone for every other word she spoke, there was a softness when she said it.

“Right,” he tried to keep himself focused, “Well, your sister seems like a girl full of answers so maybe you should ask her about it.”

“Glad I’m at least going to be locked down with a comedian,” she shook her head before getting up and tossing her coffee cup in the garbage, “So, what? You just gonna follow me around while I do things? Keep me company while I get a pedicure?”

He laughed, “I don’t think that you should really be out getting pedicures right now.”

“Well, then could you at least take me back to my place?” she laughed, “Di and I came together and she just stormed off with the keys.”

Juice couldn’t help the laughter that slipped past his lips, “Yea, yea I think I can handle that.”

As the two of them walked across the lot towards Juice’s bike, Dakota became very aware of the fact that the two of them hadn’t ever spent any one-on-one time together. They saw each other in passing at the clubhouse, and a couple times he’d worked on her car in the past, but they didn’t really know each other. She knew of him, the same way he probably knew of her. But they didn’t learn anything about each other, from each other.

In the past when she and her sister needed someone to watch their back because of things going on with the club, it would usually just be Happy, because that made the most sense. And realistically, Diedra had been right when she said that she could handle herself perfectly fine. If the two of them were left to their own devices they’d probably be okay, but it wasn’t a chance that the MC was willing to take. On a rare occasion or two Chibs or Tig kept an eye on them, but those men usually kept their distance.

Juice handed her a spare helmet, a lopsided grin on his face, “Where is your place, anyway?”

“Apartment complex just off Main?” she said as she clipped the helmet on, “Gray Street.”

He nodded, “Got it.”

She settled onto the bike behind him with ease, no stranger to the ins and outs of a ride. It caught Juice off-guard for a moment before he remembered who she was. He looked down to see her well-manicured nails interlocked over his stomach and he didn’t know why but it made him smile. She leaned against him a little, waiting for him to peel out of the compound. He checked with her to make sure she was good before taking off.

As he rolled into the parking lot of the complex, Dakota directed him where to go and park. Diedra’s car was nowhere to be seen. And while it had been made abundantly clear that she was in charge of herself, Juice still felt a little responsible for how everything had played out.

“You two live here together, right?” he asked as he put down the kickstand of his bike.

“Yea,” she unclipped her helmet and tousled her hair, “but she’s probably blowing off steam somewhere. Maybe tracking down our dad,” she laughed.

“Was it weird growing up with Happy as a dad?” the question came out before he could stop it, and regret instantly flooded over his features, “Fuck, sorry. I, I know it’s really not my business.”

She chuckled as she dug her keys out of her purse, “You’re fine. Don’t apologize so much.”

“Sor—” he stopped himself, “Right.”

“But in answer to your question,” they slowly made their way up the stairs to the second floor of the apartment building, “He…he tried. He does the best he can, you know? I think all our parents do,” she put the key in the lock of her door, “Doesn’t mean that their best is always good enough, but it’s all they can do.”

She was about to step inside when Juice put an arm out in front of her to stop her. She chuckled, nodding for him to go in first and scope the place out, even though it was highly unlikely that anyone ended up there looking for her or her sister.

About a minute later she heard Juice’s voice calling for her to come inside. She laughed as she stepped in, locking the door behind her before tossing her purse off to the side and instantly kicking off her shoes. Juice watched her, and as she sauntered her way into the kitchen he really began to question how the two of them never ended up really speaking to each other. He and Diedra had had a handful of conversations, although they weren’t deep or filled with a lot of pleasantries. But he felt like he had a better idea of who she was, than who her little sister was. She was always kind unless provoked, but she kept to herself a lot of the time.

“Smoothie?” she offered as she pulled a half-full blender out of the fridge.

Juice laughed in surprise. Usually when he was at someone’s house they offered beer, or something stronger. He’d never even been offered water before let alone a smoothie. He shook his head, “I’m good for now, thanks.”

She shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

By the time Diedra came back to the apartment, the sun had long since set. Dakota and Juice were camped out at the counter, both of them laughing hard at whatever story Juice had been telling. They heard the sound of the key in the lock and both of them looked over at the door expectantly. Diedra walked inside, kicking off her boots and tossing her keys immediately. She’d seen Juice’s bike parked outside and wasn’t enthused, and when she could hear their laughter from the hallway, she had the feeling that he wasn’t going to be in a rush to get back to the clubhouse or go home.

She looked about as exhausted and frustrated as she felt. She’d gone and tracked down her father, which did nothing to help the current situation. On top of him being upset about how she was handling the whole protection side of things, he was mad that she had gone out on a manhunt to find him, completely defeating the purpose of having someone keeping her safe.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” she skipped over the pleasantries and got right to the point, “With the two of us here we should be alright.”

“I, uh, I don’t mind,” Juice didn’t know why he found Diedra to be just as intimidating as her father, but he did, “I can hang out a little longer.”

She shrugged, not looking to argue about it, “Suit yourself,” she looked at her sister, “I’m gonna go shower.”

Dakota gave a wordless nod and watched her sister disappear to the other end of the apartment. She let out a sigh and shook her head—she didn’t know the details of her older sister’s day, but she didn’t have to. Dakota could tell from the moment she walked in that the day hadn’t gone in her favor. She’d try to be there for her if she thought it would get either of them anywhere, but if there was one thing that she’d learned about her sister in all their years growing up together, was that those kinds of things happened on Diedra’s terms, and no one else’s.

“She always this cheery?” Juice asked with tiny smirk, “Or just when I’m around?”

Dakota laughed, shaking her head, “It has nothing to do with you, personally. It’s…complicated. Honestly, she’s gotta like you on some level because she hasn’t threatened you yet. But either way,” she reached and rested her hand on his for a moment, “I’m glad you’re here.”

The touch was light and momentary but Juice felt it course through his entire body. He cleared his throat, trying to do anything besides stare at his hands, “Well that’s…that’s nice to hear.”

“And not that I’m trying to rush you out, but for the sake of your own self-esteem,” there was a playful smile on her face, “you might wanna just head out and come back in the morning. She’ll be a little cooled off by then.”

He nodded, “Yea, yea okay,” he hopped up and they both made their way towards the door, “Lock it behind me.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yea, I’ve done this before.”

He stood in the hallway for a moment as Dakota leaned against the doorframe, a smile beginning to tug at the edges of her mouth. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but he knew better. He shoved his hands into his pockets to fight the urge.

“I’ll see you in the morning, then?” she asked.

He nodded, “I’ll be here bright and early.”

She laughed, “I’ll have coffee ready, then,” she paused, “Goodnight, Juan.”

He smiled, “Goodnight.”

A little while later, when Dakota was already in bed scrolling on her phone, there was a knock on her bedroom door. She turned on the light and called for her sister to come in. When the door opened, Diedra was standing there wrapped in her towel, clothes draped over her arm as she propped herself against the side of the door.

“You all good?”

Dakota propped herself up on her elbows, nodding, “Yea, yea I’m good. You good?”

She shrugged, “I’ll be alright.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Pfft,” her annoyance wasn’t aimed at her sister, “Nothing to say. Same shit,” there was a beat of silence, “Juice stay here with you all day?”

She nodded, “Yea. I know you don’t like him but he seems swe—”

“It’s not that I don’t like him,” she let out a small sigh, “the whole situation is just a fuckin’ mess. Plus you and I are adults—we don’t need fucking babysitters.”

Dakota couldn’t do anything besides nod, “I know. I just, I don’t see the point in fighting it if we’re just gonna lose.”

“You’re only fine with it because they saddled you with the pretty boy,” a knowing smirk crossed Diedra’s face for a moment.

Her little sister laughed, “Certainly doesn’t hurt to have something nice to look at in a pseudo-lockdown.”

“Mhm,” she shook her head, “Just don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

“Never,” she laughed, “Love you.”

“Love you.”

With that she shut the door and made her way off to her own room. Dakota flopped back down onto her pillow with a sigh, trying to get everything in order in her head. All she ever really wanted to do was keep the peace, but it was practically an impossible task at this point so she wondered what the use was in even trying anymore.

True to her word, the next morning there was already a pot of coffee made by the time that Juice got there. Truthfully, she’d just set an alarm specifically for that purpose and then gone right back to bed. That was made evident to him by the fact that she answered the door half-asleep, hair still a bit of a frizzy mess from a night of tossing and turning. She smiled and waved him in but didn’t say much of anything, wordlessly gesturing to the coffee pot to let him know to help himself.

“Not a morning person?” he chuckled.

She shook her head, running her hands down her face, “No, that’s always been Di’s thing. I’m a night owl.”

As if on cue, Diedra came bounding into the apartment, headphones still on and drenched in sweat from her run and workout that morning. She saw Juice standing in the kitchen and offered him a slight nod as she made her way directly to the bathroom to shower. She lightly patted Dakota on the back as she walked by, letting the gesture serve as her greeting for the morning.

“So,” Juice drummed his fingers on the edge of the counter as he watched Dakota pour them each a cup of coffee, “what’s the plan for today?”

She shrugged as she slid it across to him, “You tell me,” she took a sip, “I got some school shit I gotta do, but I can do it here or at the clubhouse if that’s better. I still don’t know what the fuck is going on, so I’m following your lead on this.”

No one had ever said those words in that order to him before. He took a long drink out of his coffee cup to buy himself a few extra seconds to think, “Um, I mean, clubhouse would probably be best. More people around,” his eyes flicked towards the other end of the apartment, “I’m guessing your sister is just gonna…”

“Do whatever she wants to do?” she laughed, nodding, “Sounds about right,” she stretched, taking a deep breath, “Alright. Let me get ready and we can head out.”

“Okay,” he sat down at the counter, “No rush or anything.”

While he was finishing his coffee and waiting for Dakota to get ready, her sister emerged back into the kitchen, no longer in her sweaty workout clothes. She had on a baggy hoodie and a pair of running shorts, hair still down and damp as she opened the fridge to start pulling together her smoothie for the morning.

“Where you two crazy kids off to today?” she asked as she set everything on the counter.

“Just to the clubhouse,” he paused, trying to figure out if she should ask what he was about to ask, “You?”

She glanced back over her shoulder, her expression serious for a moment before she cracked the smallest of smiles, “I’ll be around. Got some shit I gotta handle.”

“Anything I can—”

“All you gotta worry about is my sister and the club, Juice,” her tone was firm, but not mean.

Before he could say anything more, Dakota walked back out into the kitchen. She looked back and forth between her sister and Juice, surprised at the lack of tension in the room. There wasn’t the fear of god in Juice’s eyes the way there had been the night before.

“We’re gonna head out,” she gave Juice a slight nod towards the door before looking back at her sister, “Text me when you get where you’re going?”

She nodded, “Sure thing. Don’t let him wipe out on the bike.”

Dakota laughed as she looked over at Juice, “Well, guess we’re taking the bike.”

Dakota made herself comfortable at one of the tables in the clubhouse. She had her headphones on and her schoolwork spread out across the table in front of her. Between her notebooks and her laptop, there was just enough room for Juice and his computer on the other side of the table. Every now and then she’d look up and catch him staring at her, and she’d offer up a smile before diving back into her work. Juice wanted to ask her about it, wanted just about any reason to listen to her talk, but he stopped himself.

It was late in the afternoon when she finally leaned back in her chair, taking her headphones off with a groan. She ran her hands down her face as she shook her head, trying to get her brain to slow down. Juice looked up at her, chuckling quietly.

“It’s going that well, huh?”

“Go back to school they said. It’ll be good for you they said,” she laughed, rolling her eyes, “Fuck this. I don’t know why I’m paying to suffer.”

Juice couldn’t help but to laugh, “Sorry it’s so rough.”

She shrugged, “It’s fine. I just need to complain about it sometimes,” she smiled at him, “And since you’re the one who is stuck with me, you’re the one who has to hear it. Sorry.”

“You can complain as much as you want,” a smirk tugged at his lips as he drummed his fingers on the table, “I don’t mind.”

That was the routine that they fell into for the next week. Each morning Juice would show up at her apartment, make small-talk with Diedra that got less and less awkward as the days went on, and then they’d head to the clubhouse once Dakota was ready. On the days when Juice was actually working at T-M, Dakota would set herself up at the picnic table outside, or if she was just reading, she would find an empty chair in the garage to sit in so that the two of them would stay close. It wasn’t that they really needed to talk all that much, but the proximity was nice. And, for the time being, they had the cover of the fact that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.

In the midst of a sea of fleeting touches and soft smiles, neither of them brought themselves to say anything to address all the feelings that were bubbling up. A few times, Juice almost did. There were moments, after he’d park his bike at the clubhouse or her apartment, and she’d leave her arms wrapped around him a little longer than necessary. She’d keep herself flush against his back despite the fact that she didn’t need to anymore, and he’d almost get the nerve to say something to her. But it never quite happened. He’d see her reading, taking notes on something that was way above his paygrade, and every square inch of his brain would scream at him to tell her that she’s beautiful, but the words always got caught in his throat.

“Guess what,” Diedra strode over to the picnic table where her sister was sitting, laptop set up in front of her for class.

She looked up, eyebrows raised, “What’s up?”

“As of,” she looked at the time on her phone, “One hour and twenty-five minutes ago, we are no longer on fake, need-a-babysitter lockdown.”

Dakota laughed, shaking her head, “I don’t think that you ever really were.”

“Yea, well,” Diedra laughed as she swiped up her sister’s drink and took a sip of it, “now Dad can’t keep giving me shit about it. So that’s a plus,” there were a few beats of silence, “You gonna break the news to pretty boy over there? Or you gonna let the club do it?”

She smiled, shaking her head, “No news to break. Shit will just go back to business as usual.”

“He’s gonna be real fuckin’ bummed about it, you know.”

She arched one eyebrow, “Why does it feel like you’re encouraging this?”

“He seems less shitty than most the other guys you’ve brought around.”

“We’re not even—”

“I know,” Diedra chuckled, “I know you’re not. But he’s chomping at the fuckin’ bit so I’d say something before he thinks that he’s completely lost his shot.”

Dakota’s nails clacked on the surface of the picnic table as she tapped them, clearly thinking about everything her sister had said to her. Diedra walked away, letting her little sister mull over what she had said.

As the afternoon was drawing to a close, the guys all came out of church into the main expanse of the clubhouse. Everyone was whooping and hollering, and it was clear that whatever the issue it was that had arisen, had been taken care of. Everyone else who was already at the clubhouse joined in on the cheering, despite not knowing all of the details.

Diedra and Dakota were camped out at the bar, each of them smiling and shaking their heads because they knew the antics that were about to ensue. The music immediately got louder and the prospect behind the bar skipped over grabbing glasses and just took out a few entire bottles of liquor to set on the counter for the guys to grab.

After a few minutes of the initial chaos, Dakota felt someone’s hand land on her shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see Juice, but instead came face-to-face with her father. She smiled up at him as she took a sip of her beer.

“Glad everything got sorted.”

He nodded, “For now,” there was a pause as he looked her over, “You’re alright?”

She laughed, “Yea, Dad, I’m alright. I’m not the person at the top of the priority list for anyone who is out to get you. And even if I was,” she nodded towards her sister who was now at the other end of the bar in a heated discussion with Tig about something, “between Di and Juan, no one was getting to me.”

His brows furrowed when he heard her refer to him by his real name, “He didn’t do anything fucking stupid, did he?”

She almost choked on her beer, shaking her head, “No, no he didn’t. Jesus Christ, Dad, cut the kid some slack.”

“Alright,” he nodded, pulling her in and placing a chaste kiss to her forehead, “I love you.”

She chuckled, nodding, “I love you too.”

Happy disappeared into the crowd and it was only a few moments before the stool beside her became occupied. She glanced over, a smile spreading across her face when she saw the person she’d been expecting originally.

“Congrats on, well,” she chuckled, “whatever you guys did.”

Juice smiled, shaking his head, “Just keeping ourselves alive and outta jail for another day. That’s all,” he paused as he took the beer bottle being handed to him by the man on the other side of the bar, “Guess you’ll finally be able to go and get your pedicures now.”

She laughed, “Yea I guess so. The invite is still open if you wanna come with me. It’s quite the experience.”

“Tempting,” he leaned onto the bar, letting his elbows rest on it, “But I think I’m good.”

“You know, even if you don’t want to go and get pedicures with me,” she sipped on her beer, “We could find something else to do that we could both enjoy.”

He looked over at her, a tentative smile on his face, “Yea?”

She shrugged, “Yea. Preferably something not early in the morning. I’d love to go back to sleeping in,” she couldn’t help but to laugh.

“You didn’t have to wake up early, you know.”

“Yea, but, I wanted to. I…I like spending time with you.”

That statement hung in the air for a few seconds before she gently nudged his knee with her own. It snapped him out of whatever train of thought he was trapped in, his eyes searching hers waiting to figure out the next move. She smiled, a quiet laugh passing her lips before she leaned in and kissed him, her hand coming to rest on the back of his head.

Shock went through his body for a moment as he forced himself to realize that it was really happening, that it wasn’t just a dream. His hand lightly gripped onto her thigh as he let himself lean into her. When she pulled her lips off of his, they each laughed, the sound of it soft against the raucous noise of the clubhouse.

“I’m free tomorrow,” Juice forced out through the surprise coursing through his system, “If…if you wanted to do something.”

Dakota laughed, leaning back onto her seat but letting her hand tangle up with his, “Yea, I could do something tomorrow.”

“Afternoon?” he said with a laugh.

“Yea,” she laughed and gave his hand a squeeze, “Tomorrow afternoon is good.”

#soa #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy imagine #soa imagine #juice ortiz #juice ortiz imagine #juice ortiz fanfiction #juice ortiz x oc #juan carlos #juan carlos ortiz #oc dakota #oc dakota lowman #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc

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aceofspadegrass · 4 years ago

Text

Good Old Drama and Gossip

Characters: Hatter, Niragi Suguru, Morizono Aguni (Mentioned), Chishiya Shuntaro (mentioned), Last Boss (Briefly Mentioned), and me

Genre: Crack. This time it's just blind!Niragi being fussy and me stealing Aguni in the background

1.5k words

Part 3 of being a little shit to Hatter and getting away with it. But hey, at least there's the added bonus of Niragi being dramatic while being able to see nothing. A shame I didn't arm him with a cane and let him smack people.

Hatter was going to get them this time, he swears on it. It’s been more than a week since they last struck, and as far as he knew, there was not a single invasion into his Beach. He was always on alert, just in case something happened. It didn’t get in the way of his primary duty to his people, but the thought never left him to make sure everything he owned was in place.

Checking for any of the other’s stuff wasn’t anything Hatter worried about, thankfully. For some odd reason he could only interpret as ‘being too handsome and irresistible for his own good’ only his stuff was ever snatched like a cookie in the elusive cookie jar. He didn’t want to develop more stress lines making sure his men were okay in their personal possessions. Wrinkles shall only come to accentuate him, make him look good, not just tired and old.

That privilege can go to Aguni.

The man in question was at the very least rocking it, made him look fierce. Hatter could appreciate that in him, and it makes his job easier in subduing the more…. rambunctious of their group.

In fact, one of Aguni’s more problematic men, Niragi, had come back to a game with bad eye issues, even more worse than the appointed med staff could figure out. Apparently the game the oversaturated oil stain was in broke his eyes to the point where he couldn’t use them for a good while. In short, Niragi was left completely blind, and Aguni now had to deal with an increasingly whiny and temper hearty baked bean burrito. Hatter found it funny, but oh boy was it wearing out his poor fried dumpling.

It also left quite a hole in the defense for the intruders, so the issue of Aguni and Niragi was also an issue for the safety of the Beach (and Hatter’s stuff) as a whole.

No point thinking about this now. Hatter leans back on the sofa, sipping at a cold blend of juices and relaxing. His feet were killing him right about now, Hatter flexing his stiff toes and internally begging for a good pedicure to fly in through the doors and give his feet a touch of heaven and bliss.

The door in fact does fly open as the thought passes his head, Hatter sitting up and raising an eyebrow as Niragi stands there, breathing heavily. The sunglasses Hatter has so graciously offered to him in order to make him both sexier and protect his eyes from the sunlight so he didn’t permanently damage them further was slipping slightly off his face, Niragi fixing them after a few more pants.

“ You…..! You fucking coconut slut!” Niragi rasps out, and Hatter quirks his eyebrow in mild amusement, leaning forward and sipping his juice quietly as one arm rested on his knee. Niragi points a finger in Hatter’s direction, if Hatter was 45 degrees to the left and standing. “ You fucking left me tied on that bed for an hour! What fucking gives!”

Hatter says nothing, as Niragi storms in….. and immediately slams into the back of the other couch, Hatter bursting into laughter. Niragi on the other hand starts spouting obscenities and kicks the couch, and the red cocktail man notices the lack of real gun in Niragi’s possession, other than the super soaker that was substituted. Aguni probably replaced it, knowing that a blind trigger happy man was a danger to society and himself.

“ What the fuck is this bull?! What- Oh for fucks sakes this isn’t Chishiya’s room is it.” Niragi finally sputters out, grabbing the top edge of the couch and massaging the soft cushions underneath his long fingers.

“ Oh, I wish I was. Now what was this about being tied to a bed, hm?” Hatter croons, which earns him a hearty middle finger.

“ Like heck am I about to tell you. Okay, let’s try this again-“ Niragi turns around, but Hatter whistles at him, Niragi slowly spinning back around to face Hatter’s general position. “ What is it, I don’t have all day lobster man.”

“ Aww, not even a minute? Well, it’s just a question. Aren’t you supposed to be accompanied until you regain your senses? After all, you have nothing to guide your way.”

“ Fuck that, I don’t know where Last Boss went and he won’t fucking speak up if he’s just been following me like a sneaky little bitch this entire time, and Aguni was called away for something!”

“ Oh?” Hatter leans back again, Niragi throwing his arms up in the air as he starts pacing and nearly running into stuff again.

“ Yeah! So then that tiny mozzarella cheese ball came and said he’d help because I just look sad and stupid wandering around by myself, which I don’t believe because I know he’d push me into the pool the first chance he got, and then suddenly I’m tied to a bed as he puts on a podcast of nothing but some random guy talking about wool! It was hell!”

“ Oooh, I see. How bad was it?”

“ Fucking terrible! I did not need a wool lecture, thank you very little! Who the fuck wants to know the fastest record to shear a sheep was 39 seconds!? Not me, that’s for fucking sure!” Niragi rants, Hatter nodding and grinning as he switches his juice out for the good wine he kept by his foot the entire time, pouring himself a decent amount and taking a slow sip as Niragi continued to rant onwards. At some point Niragi managed to find the couch again (because he stubbed his toe into it, leading to an extra twenty seconds of Niragi cursing out Hatter’s poor couch) and sat down, Hatter pushing a wine glass into Niragi’s hand and filling it. Niragi downed it like he was a war orphan waiting for his arm to be donated to the war effort, Hatter lightly tsking him for not savouring it properly.

It wasn’t Aguni or any of the girls, but Hatter could appreciate the gossip as Niragi continued without a filter in his mouth, the rant going from Chishiya’s wool podcast to anything else Niragi had heard in his blind boredom. He was impressed how much information Niragi was willing to dole out just to get his anger settled for the rest of the day, and Hatter was happily sipping away as he absorbed it all.

Finally Niragi had calmed down, just nursing the wine glass that Hatter just filled with chocolate cereal instead, as Niragi refused to drink his wine like it was good wine. It was a shame really, Hatter liked hearing about Niragi’s auditory bubble day.

“ Well wasn’t that cathartic!” Hatter chirped as Niragi mumbled around his glass of chocolate cereal, draped over the entire couch as if he wanted to become the couch lord. Or wanting to be painted like the best model in the world, whatever he wanted.

“ Yeah yeah, whatever.” Niragi tips cereal into his mouth just as the crackle of his walkie-talkie alerts him and Hatter. Niragi doesn’t bother to remove the device from his side, too busy eating his cereal as a voice comes through.

And oh boy, what a voice it was, Hatter tuning into it immediately.

“ ….. Testing, testing! Are you hearing me? Hi hi, it’s me, your local menace~ The one with the robe, remember me? Yeah! Hi, don’t mind me, okay? I’m just gonna….. borrow Mr. Beef Stew with extra beef for a few hours! For personal, very important reasons and definitely not because I got a replica statue of a cute dog stuck in a window and now I can’t get it out. Anyways, bye!” The rest becomes static as it disconnects, Niragi snorting a little as Hatter takes one deep breath.

“ Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Niragi, hand it over to me.”

“ You’re not my boss.” “ Yes, but I’m Aguni’s, so hand it over.”

Niragi grumbles, unclipping the walkie-talkie and tossing it in Hatter’s general direction, Hatter humming and pressing the button on the side.

“ Hello? Are you still there, you rascal?” Hatter leans in, pouring as much honey into his voice to lure them out.

“… Yep, still here! Hi, didn’t think you’d be there too Hatter.” “ Oh, I’m here, and I would like to kindly know where you and your little friends are. As a little house visit~” There was a chuckle on the other end. “ Oh, sorry sorry, but I can’t. We can always come over and visit though, even if it’s for a brief moment!” “ Is that so…. Well, you wound me so, you know!” Hatter puts a hand on his chest. “ For you to not even offer me the same respect, ah it hits me right here that you can’t even trust me~”

“ Sorry! Anyways, gotta go, got things to do, got stuff to move with Aguni, who was nice enough to help us.”

“ At your base? Well, what’s stopping me from asking him for directions later for a surprise visit one of these days, maybe have a meet and greet with my beloved stolen items?”

“ Not anywhere near our base, we’re not that dumb my dear red bean paste~ Don’t worry, we’ll return your man in….. 3-5 business days maybe okay byeeeeeeeee-“ The line goes completely dead, and Hatter stares at the black box.

Those cursed beings, they’ve gone too far. Too far.

#aib #alice in borderland #aib fanfic #alice in borderland fanfic #hatter #takeru danma #aguni morizono #niragi suguru #last boss #takatora samura #chishiya shuntaro #hatter rues the day he met us conniving thieves #at the very least he got entertainment before being bamboozled from right under his nose #blind niragi is funny because I can make him smack into things without a chaperone #niragi slow down you're slurping too fast-#you can't go anywhere anyways without potentially running into issues #now how did chishiya manage to distract niragi long enough to tie him down? who knows

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