#Whether he would’ve approached her in another way hmmm I don’t think so to be honest but i feel that maybe years later for example 5 or so

[mulderiloveyou]

Another jotch moment I just need to point out, he had checked on her earlier and he came back again after the case was over, which is okay normal. We’ve seen it happen but it’s the way he speaks to her, idk. He opens up just a bit, is softer. Idk.

[mylifeinhopeworld]

Punishment

Minho's message was enough to make you moan in anticipation. You had been horny all day and didn't miss an occasion to let him know, sending him textos and photos that revealed more and more about your desires. He played the unbothered card until he received your last message, to which he answered with a photo that made you immediately notice the bulge in his pants and a few words.

"Wait until I get home like a good girl and you might get even more than what you asked for baby"

Whether it was the thrill of disobeying him or the simple fact that you were too aroused to think straight that pushed you to start teasing yourself, you didn't know. What you were very aware of, though, was how much of a mistake you made when you heard your boyfriend's voice behind you as you edged yourself for the fourth time on your pillow. "Baby girl, I thought I told you clearly to wait for me this time..." He held you against him, your back against his chest, as he whispered in your ear. " What would've happened if someone else came back to the dorm before me? You were so loud, it's almost as if you don't care if people hear how much of a little slut you are..."

You whimpered his name as his fingers ran down your body and he kissed your neck, leaving a faint mark. "That's right baby. That's what you are, right? My filthy little slut. You can't even wait for me to come home before touching yourself."

He sucked reddening spots down your neck again until you were silently begging him to do something. Anything.  He took off your clothes slowly and chuckled at each one of the needy whines that flew past your lips. Your hand flew back on his thigh as he circled his fingers around your clit, sending waves of pleasure through your already trembling body. He used his empty hand to tease your hardened nipples, adding to the wonderful feeling of your high approaching faster than ever. One harsh nip on the most sensitive spot of your neck almost made you topple over the edge, coaxing the most wanton of moans from your lips. And then nothing.

He pulled away with a smirk, leaving you panting and whining while he sat on the edge of the bed. "Did you really think I would let you cum that easily after seeing what you did before I walked in? How cute. Now get over here, I'll take care of your punishment." He patted his hand on his thigh, hungrily mumbling out "good girl" when you positioned yourself across his lap with a few more whines.

As soon as you were lying down, he  held your hands behind your back with one hand while the other softly groped the skin of your ass. "So pretty. It's a shame I have to mark it so red..." You moved, unknowingly rubbing against his hard-on and yelping at the sting of the first slap.

After the few first spanks, his fingers went back to teasing your entrance, causing you to try pushing back against them. He stopped your attempts with another slap, the repetition of the impacts starting to leave a reddening spot on your skin. "Oh no baby, you don't get to decide what you get. You chose not to wait for me, now you have to live with the consequences."

His hand hit your now sensitive skin a few more times before you heard two knocks on the front door. It didn't stop Minho, whose hand teased your dripping core as you squirmed in his grip. He bent down so only you could hear his voice. "You want me to stop now that someone else is home? You weren't so scared of getting caught earlier. Loud or not, your punishment isn't done. I'm not stopping anytime soon baby girl."

You almost audibly gasped as you finally heard Changbin's voice on the opposite side of the closed bedroom door. He had been rooming with Minho and Chan for a while now. "Hyung? Are you busy? Can I come in?"

You didn't even feel Minho hesitate before his hand came down on your skin again, which caused you to let out one of the most wanton moans that ever came out of your mouth. He calmly announced "I'm definitely busy, but you can come in if you want to enjoy the show."

You heard a muffled "fuck" before the door opened, causing the silhouette of a very turned on Changbin to appear in your peripheral vision. He sat on his bed, a small tent already forming in his pants, hands fumbling around to take off his belt.

A groan left his lips as Minho continued to finger your entrance. He quickly took out his hard cock, precum already leaking from the tip, and started slowly pumping his hand up and down his shaft.

"Since we have a guest now why don't you put a little show for him, hmmm?" You almost didn't hear Minho, too focused on chasing your high once again. He landed a last slap to bring your attention back to him. He moved you so you were now sitting on his lap, back against him and completely exposed to Changbin's hungry eyes. "Why don't you be a good little slut and suck Changbin off while I take care of you baby girl? If you're good, I might let you cum."

You both shifted to let him get on the bed with you, dick twitching at the idea of feeling your pretty lips wrapped around him. You licked a stripe from his base to his tip, pushing yet another groan from him as his hand flew to the back of your head to guide your movements. Minho scoffed “You’re so eager to please, my dirty little angel. Show Binnie how much of a good girl you are. Hmm?” He slipped himself inside you, earning a broken moan as he trusted harshly into your core. 

“Oh my god, how is she so good at this?” 

You didn’t even need to see behind you to know that your boyfriend was smirking at his friend. “I trained her well, she’s such a good girl when she behaves.” He emphasized the last few words but didn’t leave you enough time to answer his subtle rebuke. You wouldn’t even have been able to even if you wanted. Changbin had quickened the pace at which you bobbed your head up and down on his length, nearing his release. As calm as he pretended to be, you knew Minho was close too. You could feel his grip digging in the skin of your hips as his breathing slowly got heavier. 

It was only a matter of seconds when you decided to hum around Changbin’s cock, he pulled out of the warmth of your mouth with a low moan, cum dripping down his throbbing length. As soon as he heard you whimper, Minho shifted your position to place you over his thighs again. One of his hands snaked its way down to your clit and its movements, combined with a few mumbled praises and kisses against your neck, had you on edge in no time. 

“Cum with me baby girl.” 

These words were the only thing you needed to hear to finally let yourself go, thighs shaking as he filled you up with a few deep thrusts. He led you through your orgasm before gently laying you on the bed. You looked back at Changbin, catching his breath as he waited for Minho to speak. 

“You really are a good little cumslut, aren’t you? Ready to please whoever I want you to... It’s a shame you’re such a brat sometimes. Don’t worry love, I’ll teach you how to listen properly next time, but for now, let’s all get cleaned up before anyone else comes home.” He kissed your forehead before turning to Changbin, who was still panting and processing what had just happened. “It looks like someone enjoyed the show. Why not do this again sometime -if my baby girl wants to, of course- since we all seem to have had our fair part of enjoyment in this?” 

♦ Dom!Minho + edging + spanking + exhibitionism (with dom!Changbin) ♦ for @yourfaceislikeabluemoon​   I got a little carried away with this one lmao it’s almost 1.4k words...I hope you like it😅 

[zahneundklauen-retired]

Something Fishy || Alcher and Dave

TIMING: A few weeks ago, during the sleepwalking potw PARTIES: @seizethecarpe and @zahneundklauen SUMMARY: Alcher and Dave wake up in the middle of the forest surrounded by lights and a fishy smell. CONTENT: Nudity mentions (non nsfw)

The first thing Dave noticed when he woke up was that he wasn’t in his van. The autumn wind buffeted his skin where he lay on the ground. A beetle was crawling over his hand, tickling as it crossed from uninjured skin to hyper sensitive scars. As he shifted, the ground did too, layers upon layers upon layers of leaves shifting underneath him. The second thing he noticed was that he’d been swimming. There was a thin layer of slime still covering his skin, and his hair was wet. Dave suddenly felt himself go tense - he had no fucking clue where he’d left his pelt, where he’d gone swimming before passing out, but he clearly had. He swallowed, looking around. Which brought him to observations three and four - the third was that he was surrounded with old lights. Looked like some were regular old lanterns knocked from a boat - covered in algae and whatnot too. One looked at old as electricity itself, and there were at least two that were tail lights Observation 4, he wasn’t alone. There was someone else here, amongst his pile of broken lights. “The hell are you?” Oh, and 5? He wasn’t altogether that dressed.

Control was something that Alcher cherished. She was confident in it, steeped herself in it, had been practiced in it since the day she was able to walk on two feet. But waking up in a place she did not recognize, through sight or smell, meant she had lost the thing she cherished so much. The ache in her bones was clear enough to let her know that she had shifted, too, and when she moved, her hands collided with glass and wet wood. Leaves squished beneath her hands as she pushed herself up, glancing around, shaking her head to clear the fuzziness from her vision. It took longer than she would’ve liked, and through the haze of metal and damp forest floor, she could smell another. Human, with the lingering smell of the ocean. Blubber. Alcher blinked, his voice breaking her thoughts. She looked over at him through hazy eyes. “I could ask you the same question, stranger,” she muttered, feeling around them. “Where are we? I do not recognize this place.”

“Can you speak up?” Dave asked, pushing himself up to his knees, and then onto his feet as his joints creaked from the cold. In the night, it was damn hard to read lips. He could guess the general gist from what he did hear, so he built an answer around what he thought she said, regardless of whether she repeated herself herself. “I’m Dave. Don’t know where the hell all these lights came from.” He didn’t like it one bit. The ground was dry, there were no real reverberations travelling through the ground that he could see. He could still smell the ocean, so they couldn’t be too far inland.  “Your turn.”

“I asked who you were, and if you knew where we are,” Alcher said a bit more loudly. Though her tone was still curt, it was not for having to repeat herself. Her mind was on edge and her muscles were still taught, as if preparing for an attack. She went to struggle to her feet, only to realize her prosthetic was not attached. She looked back up at the man, squinting through the haze and darkness at him. “I am Ada. And I need you to help me find a stick for support,” she said, shifting in her spot to try and use a tree to lean against as she pulled herself up to stand. “And then we should figure out where we are.”

“Ah, right, no, I don’t know where we are. Forest, maybe?” Dave replied, rubbing his head. He couldn’t see much further than the trees. Careful not to trip over any of the lanterns, he looked around for a nearby tree with low branches. When he saw one thick enough, Dave lumbered over to it, groaning as he dragged at the branch until it bent and then snapped with a crack that echoed through the forest. He walked back over to Ada, ripping twigs off the branch until it was smooth. He tested his own weight against it before handing it to the woman. “Here. That work for you?” He breathed in deeply, and looked up to the stars. “East’s thattaway,” he said, pointing to her left. It was the smell of the ocean, and while he couldn’t see the north star through the tree tops, he’d spotted the three stars of Orion’s belt, which would have to do enough for now. 

Alcher watched as the older man made his way over to a tree and secured her a branch. The noise was louder in her ears than she would’ve liked, but she wasn’t about to complain. She took the support gratefully and leaned her weight on it, now at ease enough to take a better look around them. She gathered some of the rags that had laid around her and tied them around her waist for at least a small amount of covering. “Obviously it’s a forest,” she said back, recognizing the smell of it. “And what if the town is to the West? Or North? Which way do we try first?” she asked, wondering if her nose would be enough to guide her home when everything here smelled strange and new.

“Good thing there aren’t all that many forests in Maine,” Dave replied drily. “Town is coastal, so once we hit the coast, it’ll only be north or south. Unless you reckon we can find a way to the nearest river, I haven’t got any better ideas.” He breathed in deeply. He smelled of sweat, thick and heavy musk and salt. Thing was, Dave knew he’d showered before going to bed last night. He’d been swimming and working hard, whatever this was. No one had just dragged him out here while he was asleep. “Hey, have you been sleepwalking recently?”

Her companion seemed just as tense about the situation as her. Alcher’s brows furrowed as she looked over at him, trying to place the scent he gave off. He smelled of dirt and ocean and sweat. It was familiar, but again, she found herself unable to place it. Just like with Zinnia. Wrinkling her nose, she looked around them. “Normally I would follow the scent of the town, but it seems...blocked. Or perhaps too far away,” she noted, perturbed by this revelation. They would have to rely on his method for finding their way back, then, wouldn’t they? Alcher glanced over at him, narrowing her eyes. “I may have. Why? Have you?”

“Likewise,” Dave replied, looking her up and down appraisingly. No human would ever say anything about smelling their way back to town. Intentionally or not, she’d given something crucial away, and had been fortunate (or cunning) that he had heard it. “Might as well get on our way then,” he said. He couldn’t walk all the way to town naked, but if they stayed by the ocean it would be fine. “Yeah. This ain’t the first time I’ve woken up in weird places. It’s like I’ve been getting all these lights out of the lake and the depths. Most nights, now.”

“Might as well,” Alcher echoed, hobbling after him as they began the trek back. Out towards the ocean, which, when she concentrated, she could hear the waves crashing against rock far, far off. She glanced over at him. “Lights? That seems to be what I’ve been collecting as well,” she muttered, “strange…” She reached up to remove some leaves and twigs from her hair, giving her arm a moment’s rest. She wasn’t used to carrying her full weight on it and a branch. “From the lake? You do smell like saltwater and seaweed. You are a good swimmer, then?”

“Hmmm. Here I was, thinking it was some long forgotten childhood trauma coming back in my nightmares. Worse that it’s two of us,” Dave spat on the ground in disgust.  “I don’t like shit that fucks with my head.” He was becoming more keenly aware of her movements as they moved, initially driven by interest, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he could literally feel more of her. He could feel her makeshift cloth rustling in the breeze, each crack of her branch crunching through dry leaves. A fog was setting  in around them, threatening to take out what vision he had. “Sure am. You might as well as whatever it is you’re asking.”

Alcher furrowed her brow. He was a strange man, but perhaps his strangeness was part of his non-humanness. She could tell that he was no regular human, but it was always hard to decipher just what others were when her father had not cared to teach her. She’d had to learn that one on her own. “Well, trauma or something else, it’s certainly not something I want to keep happening,” she said after a long moment. She looked back behind where they’d come from and found it was now completely covered in fog. She shivered, wishing for her fur. Turned a sharp eye back towards him. “You are not human. What are you?”

“Preaching to the choir here, ma’am,” Dave agreed as the trees around them began to thin. “Nor’re you. Humans don’t smell their way back to towns,” Dave replied with a shrug. “I’m a selkie. Doesn’t bode well that the two of us are doing the same shit and both of us are something other than human.” He squinted, as the fog around them thickened. The cold didn’t bother him much, but there was something unnatural about the thickness of this fog, like swimming in water. “Something strange is happenin’, watch out.”

“No,” Alcher agreed, “I don’t suppose they do.” She wasn’t entirely sure she liked the way the older man approached the topics. She couldn’t quite place it. But her concern with that could be put away until later. “Werewolf,” she said, glancing around. The thickening fog made her nose itch, and her throat scratch. She hunched over, glancing around. “It smells-- do you smell that? It’s fish. We’re not near enough the ocean, though. Where…” and then she saw it, the two glowing eyes staring out of the fog at them. “What...what is that?”

“I’m not sure.” Dave didn’t have to wait long to find out, as the fog became thicker than pea soup, ramming him off his feet and into a nearby tree. His back clicked as his shoulders jerked around in their joints. His grunted, but the creature in front of him did not bite, it twisted with unfettered grace, and swam to Alcher, leaving Dave damp from the humid air. The creature was unlike anything Dave had ever seen in his life, distinctively in the shape of tuna, but made solely of gas. “What the hell. Get out the way!”

Alcher watched, bewildered, as the fog lifted the man from his feet and slammed him backwards. She stumbled, trying to move away, but it was too fast for her, hobbling on one leg and a tree stump. She swung the stump at it, but it simply went through the figure, spreading its form like a wisp before it reconstituted itself. It reared and raised Alcher off her foot, into the air, before tossing her aside. Her back hit the ground roughly and she groaned with the effort. Angry teeth grew in her mouth, claws sprouting over fingernails as the floating foggy fish turned its lantern eyes back towards them. She tried, hard, to hold her anger back, but it washed through her like an ocean wave and before she could help it, fur sprouted along her arms. “Get out of here,” she growled, her voice mixed with a snarl, “before it’s too late.”

It was undeniably a tuna. A ghost tuna? What kind of unfinished business did a tuna have anyway? Why would a tuna haunt them? Dave rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head as he found his landlegs, trying to spot some way to help Alcher when the damn thing was made of fog. He didn’t exactly have any salt lying about. At first, Dave didn’t make out what Alcher said, her voice too deep and growled, but when he smelled fur, Dave didn’t hesitate. He did not fuck with wolves, not like that. Trusting her word, Dave turned and ran, until he could practically taste the sea, and when he plunged into the icy water, he knew the currents well enough to guide him home. 

As soon as the seal turned and ran, Alcher let go of the control she’d been trying to hang onto. Something primal inside of her clawed its way out and tore through her body. Fists turning to claws, mouth turning to muzzle. Fur sprouted along arms, back, legs. The fish charged her again, and Alcher charged right back. She went straight through this time, paws clawing the ground, as the wolf took over fully and she raced off into the forest. The only evidence left behind of her the stick Dave had so kindly found for her to use as a crutch.

[hanatriestowrite]

Birthdays in a Tidal Wave

(A Companion Piece to Ben’s Three goals which you can find here)

In the Umbrella Academy, a birthday was nothing special. There were no cakes or celebration, no songs or parties. They simply trained until their muscles gave out. Whether it was private sessions or group training, it mattered little to the children. They learned the endure this cruel punishment on their special day. It seemed the training felt near unbearable on this day.

   The children made do with what they had. Allison and Luther would disappear for hours at a time when they had the chance. Although they thought they were being sneaky, everyone knew that they both hid up in the attic for some time to themselves.

   Vanya used to spend every birthday leaving a  peanut butter marshmallow sandwich at Five's door. Five returned the favor by arriving with a new sheet of music in his hand, a song that Vanya had been eyeing for months. In his free time, Five made his way to Vanya's practice room and stayed there until he was forced to leave.

   Now that Five was gone Vanya spent her day more secluded than ever. She seldom came out of her room. The screech of her violin alerted everyone not to come near. She drowned herself in the music. There would be a concerning number of pills missing from her medication. When she did leave her room, she spent her day in Five's room, a peanut butter marshmallow sandwich in hand.

   Diego ran straight to Mom on the day of his birthday. When Reginald wasn't making him throw blades until his arms burned or stay underwater until he couldn't feel his hands anymore, he took to baking with Mom. When no one was around, Mom kissed him on the crown of his head and whispered, “Happy Birthday.” Covered in flour and frosting, Diego was always in a better mood than usual. After the sunset, the other children found a slice of cake in front of their door. Even Luther.

   If Klaus was not completely high off his ass, he found himself raiding Allison's or Mom's closet along with Ben. Klaus wore the clothes and performed a fashion show for Ben. If Ben was feeling secure enough, he would join Klaus in his “fashion show”. They would find the most ridiculous outfits or the most beautiful. Their laughter echoed throughout the room.

   On a bad day, Klaus would spend his birthday curled up in Ben's bed. Ben sat at the edge of the bed, reading a book aloud. He never particularly like reading aloud, but his soft voice carried the stories into Klaus's ears. After the sun fell beneath the horizon, he grabbed the cake in front of Klaus's door and ate his cake with Klaus. If things got too bad, Ben pulled Klaus into a hug and stayed like that until they fell asleep.

  It was the day of before the fifteenth birthday, and curfew had just passed. Ben was just about ready for bed when he heard a rapping at the window. Ben tensed, the monsters inside his chest squirming uncomfortably.

  He was on the third floor, how the hell would anyone be able to scale the building? He hoped that it was just a spare branch that scraped against the window. He really hoped that it wasn't some creepy stalker fan that somehow found their way around the security measures put in place. God knows they had to deal with that more often than they would've wished.

He carefully approached the window. He held his breath. And Ben peered out. Nothing.

   The tension from Ben’s shoulders began to relax, and he turned his back towards the window, making his way back to his bed. It was probably just a figment of his imagination. The stress of the week was simply getting to him.

   A hand slammed on to the window with an ear-shattering crack. A dark figure emerged from the bottom of the window, crawling up, engulfing the entire view. Ben slapped his hand against his mouth, muffling a blood-curdling scream. Panic began to bubble inside of him. His legs were reduced to lead. The monsters had slipped out of his shirt, tentacles swinging around violently, caging Ben into a protective sphere.

   The window creaked open, and Ben’s tentacles slithered up to the window, recoiling from a sudden noise coming from the other side of the window.

   Laughter.

   Ben stumbled back onto his bed, scowling as a mop of curly hair was a top of a cackling face, slip inside of his room. The monsters retreated back into Ben’s shirt, curling back into the portal in his stomach. Klaus looked smug, way too smug.

   “You know I could’ve killed you,” Ben grumbled, throwing a pillow at Klaus’ face, only for his brother to effortlessly duck before impact. “My creature could’ve torn you into shreds. They can do that.”

   Klaus giggled. He sat right next to Ben on the bed, “Oh come on Ben, you would never, and to your favorite brother too.” Klaus fluttered his eyelashes, earning him another pillow to the face. This time it hit him square in the face. Falling to the ground dramatically, Klaus clutched his chest like one of those dramatic renditions of a high school Shakespearean play. “Betrayed by my own flesh and blood, how could you Ben.”

    “Flesh and blood my ass,” Ben hissed. “What are you doing here anyway? If Reginald found out you were here, he’d kill us both.”

    Klaus scoffed, leaning his head against Ben shoulder, “Please, old Reggie could probably give less of a damn about what we’re doing. He probably already knows, the creepy bastard has way too many security cameras everywhere we turn.”  

    Ben pushed Klaus off his shoulder lightly, only for his brother collapse his head on the bed. “What do you want Klaus?”

    A grin stretched across Klaus’ face, his eyes lighting up with a spark that Ben hadn’t seen in Klaus since they were kids. He was giddy, nearly vibrating off of the bed. Ben couldn’t even recall the last time Klaus had been this excited over anything. He didn’t know whether to be afraid or excited as well. Ben settled for a safer option. Confusion.

    Klaus jumped up off the bed, landing on the floor with terrifying accuracy. He grabbed Ben by the hand and led him to the window. “I have a surprise for you!”

    “A surprise?” Ben deadpanned.

     “Yes a surprise, Benny, oh don’t look at me like that.” Klaus swatted at Ben’s face, playfully.

     Ben raised a brow. “Look at you like what?”

     Klaus pointed to Ben’s face as if his brother could see the expression that was etched upon his face. “The one that looks like you’re judging my entire existence, stop it!”

    “How am I supposed to stop it when I don’t even know what it looks like?” Ben couldn’t help but allow his lips to quirk up into a wry smile.

    “Don’t sass me, young boy.”

    “Klaus, we're literally the same age.”

    Swatting the air in front of Ben, Klaus made his way out of the window. "Semantics. Now come on while the night is still young!"

    Ben watched as his brother disappeared from his view. He hesitated. He would never be able to know what his brother was planning until he went to see it himself. But he couldn't help but wonder, was it dangerous? He doubted it, however, his brother was becoming more and more unpredictable as the years went by. Ben bit down hard on his lip.

    Oh, fuck it.

    Ben climbed out of the window, catching himself on the tree just outside of his room. He would worry about the problems when they got there. The sky outside was pitch black, only the light from his room and the moon above aided in his sight. Blindly climbing down the tree, Ben nearly had a couple of close calls. He couldn't remember the last time he had snuck out of the house, and it definitely showed. He didn't try to even keep count of how many times the creatures inside of his stomach kept him from falling by slipping out of his stomach and gripping on to the branches for support..

   It took some time, but eventually, Ben was able to make it down the tree. Klaus was waiting for him, tapping his foot impatiently.

      “Hurry up!” he exclaimed.

       Ben raised a brow. His brother could be so pushy. “Jeez calm down. I’m coming” He jogged over to Klaus.

       “You walk like our old man,” Klaus complained.

       Ben scrunched his face up in disgust. “Don’t ever compare me to him. Jesus, it gives me the chills just thinking about it.”

     “No need to be dramatic.”

     “You’re one to talk.”

     Klaus was leading Ben far from their home, far enough for Ben to start feeling squeamish. “Klaus, where the hell are we going?”

     His brother pressed a finger against his own lips. “That’s a secret.”      Ben huffed in exasperation, shuddering at the thought that just came over him. “Klaus I swear to god if you’re planning on taking me clubbing again-”

     “I’m not taking you clubbing,” Klaus’s cheeks dusted pink. “It was one time and I promised that I wouldn’t do it again. Jesus Christ, it was one time.”

     “One time too many,” Ben grumbled.

      “My dearest, most favorite brother-” Klaus started.

      “I thought that title belongs to Diego.”       Klaus scowled, raising his volume. “MY dearest, most FAVORITE brother, I am one hundred percent sure, that you will enjoy this surprise!” He said. “And if you don’t, then I have a full money back guarantee, I will...hmmm.”

     Ben hummed thoughtfully. What could his brother do to make it up to him? Then it hit him. Ben clapped his hands together, grinning wickedly. “You’ll do all my chores for a month?”

     Klaus stared at Ben with a mock terror in his eyes, before slumping down into a pout. “You drive a hard bargain, Hargreaves.”

     Ben chuckled, allowing Klaus to swing his arm around his shoulder. “I try.”

     “But that’s only if you don’t like it,” Klaus said, “And I bet your balls that you will- no I know that you’ll love it!”

    Raising a brow, Ben said, “I look forward to it then.” Klaus certainly did know how to pique his curiosity.

     Klaus stopped walking and gesture over to the road. “And here is our royal steed.”

    Ben froze where he stood as the color started to drain from his face. A Volkswagon SUV was waiting for them at the road. This was where he died. He was almost certain that if there is a god they would claim him right now. That or he’ll be stuck as a ghost haunting Klaus’s ass when sober if his brother comes out alive. Call him dramatic, but there was nothing good that would come out of this.

    “Goddamnit, Klaus.”

     Klaus frowned, “And you kiss Mom with that mouth.”      Ben massaged the bridge of his nose. Klaus was going to give him an aneurysm. “Please don’t tell me that you stole that.”     Klaus let out an offended gasp as he approached the car. “How dare you assume such a thing. Do you think so lowly of me Ben? I’m hurt. Simply hurt.” He raised his hand up to his chest. “I’ll have you know, I just had a friend who owed me a favor. And he was happy to supply me with a car.”

   “Do you know how to drive the thing?” Ben asked, concern dripping in every word.

  “I’ve practiced… once or twice,” Klaus trailed off, looking very sheepish.

   Running his hand down his face, Ben sighed. “We’re so dead.”

  “Maybe...”

   Resigned to his fate, Ben opened the door to the car and slipped in. This surprise better has been worth it if Klaus was probably going to make this ride into a living death trap. Klaus entered the driver seat and fumbled with the keys before finding the right one and turning on the engine. The engine sputtered, before starting and the low hum of the car.

   Klaus cracked a grin, “Ready?”

   Ben groaned. “Just start the damn car, Klaus.”

   The ride to nowhere went as smoothly as it could’ve gone. Most of it consisted of Klaus talking Ben’s ear off and not paying attention to the road. Ben had felt as if he had about five different heart attacks as he screamed for Klaus to keep his eyes on the road, even going as far as grabbing a hold of the steering wheel when Klaus got off course. Sometimes they were going miles past the speed limit, and other time they were going at a snail’s pace. It was a miracle that they were not pulled over by the cops. Eventually, Klaus was able to get a hold of things, he was always more of a hands-on learner anyways.

  The next hour went smoothly, with a couple of quips here and there from both parties. Klaus peered out the window, intently as if he was looking for something. A slight recognition crossed his face as he relaxed back into his seat. He bit the bottom of his lip and began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel. Klaus was nervous.

   “I think we’re almost there!” he exclaimed, his face brightening to mask his concern.

    Ben didn’t pry. He knew better than to. “I can’t wait,” he said without his usually dry voice, but actual excitement.

    “But before we approached I need you to do something,” Klaus mentioned, turning to face Ben.

     Ben raised a brow. “Eyes on the road,” he said. Klaus rolled his eyes, quickly jerked his head back to the front. “And what is that?”

     “I need you to close your eyes for me.”

     “Excuse me?”

     Klaus continued, “I mean I was going to blindfold you and then I realized how kinky that sounded so-”      Ben wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Gross.”

    “Exactly that’s why I didn’t go for the blindfolds.”

     “But why?” Ben asked, a frown forming on his lips.

    “Because then that would ruin the surprise!” Klaus complained, “Oh come on Ben, Pleeeease.”

     Ben took a look at his brother. If he was nearly bubbling with excitement before, was about to explode. His eyes twinkled with a sense of anticipation. His free leg bounced, vibrating at the speed. It couldn’t hurt to humor him. Ben closed his eyes.

     “Okay, eyes are closed, Klaus.”

     “Great!”

     Ben stayed sitting with his eyes closed for a good ten minutes. He wasn’t going to lie and say that it wasn’t the most nerve-wracking ten minutes of his entire life. As much as he trusted Klaus with driving, now that he got the hang of it, It gave Ben comfort to be able to see what his brother was doing. It didn’t help that the car dropped with a sickening thump midway through the ride, struggling to move forward.

     He called out to Klaus, asking him, “What the hell was that?”

     “It was nothing,” He heard his brother squeak, a nervous chord struck his voice. “Nothing at all Ben. We’re almost there.”

      “Klaus,” Ben warned.

      “I mean it, Ben! Keep your eyes please.”

      Doubt plagued his mind, but Ben complied. “Fine.”

      Ben could hear the car struggling through an uneven surface, Ben opened his mouth to say ask, but he promptly shut it. He should be able to trust Klaus. After a couple of minutes, the car came to a halt. Ben heard Klaus put the car on park. Klaus let out a breath that he was holding.

     “Okay Ben, you can open them now.”

     Ben slowly opened his eyes, blinking to get rid of the spots that were sprinkled throughout his vision due to the newfound light in the car. He looked up at the past the windshields and all the words that once were contained in his head had disappeared. Ben wordlessly opened the car door and stumbled out. His shoes sunk slightly in the ground, white sand covering them.

     The moon illuminated the scene before him, reflecting off the rich blue waters. The waters stretched as far as he could see, farther even. The night sky glistened in the ocean, decorating it with its glow. The great waves crashed onto shore before retreating back into the waters, leaving a handful of seashells in its place. A strong breeze ran through his hair, and it left the taste of sea salt on his tongue. It looked like a place straight out of his dreams, a place that had only ever existed in his books and his dreams.

     Until now.

    Ben felt the tears prickling in the corner of his eyes as he turned to find his brother. Klaus had already left the car, leaning on the car, watching Ben with a soft smile.

    “You always mentioned that you wanted to go to the sea,” Klaus rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. A ting of pink was beginning to dust his cheek. “this was the least I could do for you. Happy- AH!”

    He fell to the ground as Ben ran to him and wrapped him up in a warm hug. Ben buried his face into Klaus’s chest, the tears spilling out freely. Klaus gingerly slipped his armed under Ben’s arms. He reciprocated the hug.

    “Happy birthday, Ben.”

    “Thank you.”

[iamveergill-blog]

The Algorithm

Most of his chores for the morning are done; clearing the snow, putting away dishes, checking emails. But Ray is late getting out of home, as he usually is. Professionally, he is at a position where he can flexibly manage his time, but he is conscious of the fact that he usually reaches work at around quarter past 9 when he aims to start at 8:30.

Today is a similar day, with a similar feeling. He finds himself deliberately slowing down his morning tasks. Although this feeling is familiar, the exact reason for it is not clear. He doesn’t try to bother too much as it is uncomfortable thinking about it. By now, he’s grown accustomed to it, so it’s easy to sweep it aside.

As he’s waiting at the bus stop, Rex notices someone approaching with a cup of coffee in each hand. As the person sits beside him, Rex looks at him amusedly.

Stranger: I know, I know; these are just to keep my hands warm. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to this cold!

Rex: Hahaha… I take it you’re not from here.

Stranger: Hell no! And hopefully, I won’t be here for long. I couldn’t survive here for too long.

Rex: Don’t worry, I’ve lived here my entire life and I’m still not used to this weather.

What brings you to this part of the world?

Stranger: Ah (looking down, smiling & shaking his head)… Chaos!

Rex: Pardon me?

Stranger: (Chuckles) Chaos theory! Every action or movement in the world being a result of an infinite number of events that have happened in the past and directly or indirectly led to it.

Something like your brother’s best friend recommending a sports academy to you, where you meet a girl that you develop a crush on, only to later get together with her friend, who then becomes your wife and the mother of your children. Her trajectory infuses with yours along with an infinite number of others and this can ultimately lead to you move to another country, win the lottery, die in a crash or even kill someone.

Rex: Oh jeez (laughing), the old free will debate?

What you’re saying is not incorrect, but I feel that it’s incomplete when it comes to explaining reality. You’re not considering that at any point in time I can choose to do something different, counter-intuitive. It’s highly unlikely, most people would never do that because we’re all a certain type of person reacting to circumstances in our own, but predictable ways. But even though I don’t exercise it, I have that free will. I can walk into work today and hand in my resignation. I won’t do it because it simply suits me to remain employed.

Basically, you go about life instinctively, but at any time you can prove you have free will by not doing what you would normally do in a situation … and do anything else!

Stranger: I can do you one better. I have a theory that helps prove that humans don’t have an ounce of free will. And it has nothing to do with religion or God!

Rex: (thinking for a few seconds) Hmm… Interesting…

Stranger: (putting down his coffee to shake Rex’s hand). I’m Joel by the way.

Rex: Rex (smiling, shaking his hand)

Joel: Okay, let me go back and start from what you were just saying about always having a choice in any situation.

You’re saying is that it’s obvious that our life and decisions are steered by our environment… by our culture, ethnicity, upbringing, family & friends, social status, incidents in our past, even our genetics… but we still have free will. We still have this power that can override all these other factors, and steer our life, if and when we choose.

Rex: Yes…

Joel: What about cases where the impact of your environment is extreme? You can actually turn to science to look into this. Phenomenon such as PTSD help us understand that events which we might not have any control over, can very strongly dictate our entire perspective on life, and sometimes even our decision whether it’s worth living or not.

Do you think when people who are suffering from severe mental health issues commit suicide, they still have that choice?

Rex: Well… I don’t know about that. But I’m sure you’d agree that in most cases, if not all, we can alter our decision based on our inner voice.

I…uh… I mean for example, even when all conditions point you to keep working at a job as it provides you anything material that you think you need, you can still possibly convince yourself to take that radical decision which goes against all your experience and predispositions.

Joel: My theory builds upon this understanding and takes it a step further!

What if your brain’s workings, your inner voice, all your thoughts, and actions are the result of a fundamental law of the universe? It works kind of like an algorithm… or an equation. A highly complex code that’s processed in your brain and drives your mental function.

Rex: …? (confused)

Joel: Hear me out now…

Just like a piece of software, “I” am the result of a string of commands that link together in an action-to-reaction chain. This string is presumably infinitely complex. And by “I”, I mean all my actions, inactions, feelings, emotions – any sort-of impact that I have on existence.

Every thought is a result of other stimuli in my life, rather than a consciously decided thing. This continuously evolves my outlook towards life and in turn, affects my next thought or action. When you really think about it, you realize the possibility that every thought you’ve had, every outburst, every instance where you backed down instead of standing your ground, everything left unsaid between important people, every decision made and not made, has reasons. And I say reasons because it’s a long chain and not one simple, easy to explain incident. The point is that nothing about your behavior or your existence is just random.

This theory is based on the notion that people are affected by their environment, but make no mistake it goes far ahead. According to this, both of your thoughts of quitting and not quitting your job, as well as the ultimate decision you take, are not under your control, but a result of this “code”.

In short, you’re not making independent decisions in the chaos of the universe. You are part of this system going from cause to effect, with just having an illusion of control.

Rex: But a computer program is predictable. We all react differently in different situations!

Joel: What if the algorithm takes into account all of your past experiences & predispositions and generates the thought that you have, and even dictates the decision that you take, without you knowing. My point is, we all react differently because we have had different histories.

Your brain has billions of neurons, which form links and pathways depending upon how it’s used. The links for things you do more often become stronger. It’s not too different in structure from a computer processor. Even machine learning follows a similar model, with A.I. using a kind of neural network of processors to develop more effective and efficient ways to reach a goal.

What if all the thoughts you’ve ever had, from the weirdest taboos to the seemingly life-defining epiphanies were the result this code. I think it’s not inconceivable; it doesn’t even point toward a God. In fact, it lends credence to the theory that there is no God, because it simply establishes a cause and effect relationship between everything and doesn’t leave the human experience to something divine.

Rex: Hmmm… interesting, but…

Joel: Just consider this as a thought experiment…

There is another universe, which has the same initial conditions as ours, the same matter and physical laws. Is it conceivable to you that there would be a planet earth and you would be born over there too? Who do you think you would be in that universe – a professional living the same life you’re living now or a billionaire living in New York, or maybe a homeless person living on the streets somewhere?

You’d have the exact same life! You and I would be sitting here talking about this in that reality too, because all your external conditions and your reactions towards them would’ve been the same.

The algorithm takes randomness out of the equation and replaces it with chaos. In that respect, every outcome in the world is theoretically predictable; just practically impossible to do so.

Scientists say that the universe by default moves towards disorder, toward complexity, something they call entropy. I’m just saying that maybe our lives are also dictated by the same physical laws. Our lives also become more complex with time as we continue to react based on the algorithm. Our brains, being a massive network of neurons with trillions of connections, sounds like the perfect processor for such a code. I mean maybe that’s what our brain works on with the other “90% of its capacity” (chuckles).

Rex: Well… our lives could also become more complex with time just because there’s that much more in them, in terms of relationships, memories, dreams, …baggage.

But what you’re saying does make sense to me on some level. Sometimes I feel more of a machine than a man myself (smiling). In my honest opinion, people can be captivated by an interesting and logical idea but that’s temporary. For it to truly sink in and be accepted, people will inevitably look for scientific proof. I mean if true, this idea can fundamentally change the way we see the world around us, and our place in it.

Joel: (Sigh)… you’re absolutely right. I don’t know how this concept can be proven in a lab; I mean it deals with your consciousness which is grossly misunderstood in and of itself. It’s all intangible.

There have been some studies performed at Cornell. They don’t prove this hypothesis but sort of point in the direction that we are not merely observers or independent entities just existing in the universe, but our mind or brain is directly connected to its fundamental properties like space and time. You should definitely look into them; I think they’re called “feeling the future”.

Rex: …

Joel: I think the so-called enlightened people of the world, the Buddhists, etc., realize all this and that’s why they just observe the passage of existence, without trying to control anything. That’s it, because that’s all they can do. They don’t escape the algorithm. Even this realization of theirs is a result of it. They just have a concrete reason now to stop giving a shit about every little thing that we do.

Rex: …

Joel: I think it makes it easier for us to put ourselves in others’ shoes and understand that everyone has a long chain of reasons for their behavior.

…

So… what do you think?

..About my theory? Sorry if it came off as a bit of a rant by the way (smiling).

Rex: Yeah, it’s interesting, sure. But I don’t know… if a person accepts it, I’m not sure how it would impact them. Would it liberate them, or increase the already crippling feeling of not being in control of their life?

Joel: But that’s not what the implica…

Rex: My bus is here. I gotta get going… can’t be late for work!

…

…

Take care (walking off).

Joel: … (confused) Sigh.

[godtier-fics]

Candlenight in Saak

This was for the 2018 KuroFai Gift Exchange for @Evig-Sang! 

Read on Ao3. 

Welcome to the last fic I wrote in 2018/first fic I wrote for 2019. 

I learned about Saint Lucia from Sweden and basically ran with it. Thanks Nadia. 

Kurogane and Syaoran had been out in town for the majority of the day now. Night was fast approaching, but with Mokona on his shoulder babbling on, Fai barely noticed their absence. Besides, they would soon return enough. Now whether or not Kurogane would have successfully hunted a boar was another topic of concern. They could’ve just bought one at the store but—nooo, Kurogane had insisted in following all the local traditions. Oh well. That just left Fai to finish preparing the house that they were renting for the time being. With Mokona’s help he was cleaning, cooking, and decorating all to welcome in Aya for the end of the long, dark nights.

There wasn’t much else he could do without the boar that was to be the heart of the evening meal so now he and Mokona were draping tinsel all over the house. Soon they would have to start lighting the candles. Honestly, what Fai wasn’t sure about was the sheer amount of candles and tinsel they had bought at the urging of the sales clerk. The local had been so eager to explain that today was Candlenight, which meant all houses needed to have candles in each window and all around the house with lots of colorful, shiny tinsel to greet in Aya—the locals god of light. If a house was not bright enough, the sales clerk had warned them, then misfortune would fall upon the house’s inhabitants for the next year or if there were no light at all then Raan, the god of night, would swallow them whole.

Syaoran’s eyes had lit up with interest and before Fai had blinked they had at least fifty candles and several pounds of neon blue, red, and silver tinsel. Kurogane had just sighed and paid the sales clerk.

That was a few hours ago and while the two had set off to do more research and find a traditional boar (the idea of which had made Kurogane less grumpy), Fai had been left in charge of decorations. So here he was, Mokona babbling on his shoulder, and a couple dozen candles in need of a careful eye and to be lit. While Fai was glad for Mokona’s company, she wasn’t as helpful with hanging tinsel or lighting candles as someone with opposable thumbs would be.

The spectacle of this Candlenights affair reminded Fai distantly of winter celebrations in his own homeland. They too had welcomed the end of winter on the year’s longest night. But there had been no great god of light to put an end to the ceaseless nights. It had been a different story, one now lost to his own memory. It was hard to put to words a concept that he hadn’t dared consider, or think about in the years since then.

He had fallen silent, just watching Mokona fail to layer tinsel over the top of the window when he started to whistle. A slight breeze lifted her up and she was able to happily, giggly spread the tinsel around.

“Maybe we should make a game of it, hm?” he suggested. Mokona readily agreed and he was able to banish thoughts of a long, lost home from mind as he whistled and directed Mokona’s flight around the small house.

 “In a lot of cultures they all tend to have something about the end of the colder months. Do you guys have any traditions like this back in Nihon?” Syaoran and Kurogane were about a mile out now from the center of town, deep into the snow coated forests, supposedly boar hunting. Syaoran had stopped expressing doubts they’d find any that were active and instead was quietly studying the ground as they walked.

Kurogane just sighed at Syaoran’s question, but he didn’t dismiss it out of hand. Did they have any traditions like this weird holiday back home in Nihon? There were several around the beginning and end of the year. Many of them he hadn’t personally paid much attention to while he’d been busy protecting the country (there was no use for parties with constant warfare) but…

Kurogane looked at the still fresh tracks, adjusted the borrowed and worn hunting bow on his shoulder, and said, “I never was a fan of celebrating but we have a decent amount of traditions.” A pause as he took a slow step forward in the snow and looked around the high arching pines and other evergreens around them before he asked, “There’s no colder months in a desert. What did you all do to mark the end of one year and start of another?”

Syaoran looked back at him and huffed out a big sigh. The air hung heavy for a moment before he spoke. “Oh, well… you know. We threw parties.” He smiled fondly and shoved his hands into his coat and then started stepping carefully around the tracks. “Everyone would dance and have fun. It was magical. But seeing all this… I wonder what it would’ve been like to see snow back when I lived in Clow?”

“Would’ve been a bad sign.”

“You’re not wrong.” Syaoran laughed. “Snow in the desert wouldn’t have been good. You don’t seem like you enjoy snow that much.”

“That obvious?” Kurogane shrugged, adjusting the hunting gear and then stepped quietly but quickly past Syaoran. “You hear that?” he asked in a low voice. Syaoran didn’t reply but stepped with him until they were both kneeling just behind a bush. Kurogane let the bow fall into his hands, pulling out two arrows as if on second thought.

Prowling lazily (drunkenly?) was a wild boar. Its fur was pitch black, faded slightly by the snow dusting it. It was sniffing and pawing at the ground as if searching for something.

Kurogane allowed himself a brief moment to say a prayer to the gods before sending his arrow straight through its eye and then as it turned to find them—sending his last through its heart.

“I have to say,” Kurogane said as he put another arrow through the boar, “that this holiday might be one I could do in the future.”

 Fai wasn’t sure which was more interesting. The black boar slung across Kurogane’s back, the blood streaks on Syaoran’s face, or the pleased grin on Kurogane’s face as he carefully settled the boar in the spot Fai had left cleared for this very reason. It was a interesting holiday all in service of a god of light. Sacrifice and light.

“Well, looks like you all had fun!” Fai clapped his hands and in unison with Mokona added, “Go wash up for dinner! Especially you, Kuro-hunter, you’re all grisly now!”

“Are you going to be able to really good the meat before midnight?” Syaoran asked as he stepped out of his boots and hung up his bloodied coat. (Really what had they done to this poor boar?)

Fai attempted to help Kurogane pull off his cloak as he waved a hand at Syaoran. “Of course, of course. I am a wizard. If I couldn’t do this much what good am I?”

“That implies you were ever any good,” Kurogane muttered. Kurogane failed to help Fai in his struggle to remove his cloak, choosing to stay still and unmoving. Very helpful, like.

“Hey, play nice, Kuro-daddy!” Fai placed a hand on on Kurogane’s hip and gave him a small pinch. “I’m so good, I’m the best you’ve ever had!”

“Uh, yeah, okay, no.” Kurogane shrugged off his hand and let the cloak fall to the floor. “I’m going to go bath.”

“I’ll go next then,” Syaoran said. That sorted, and without a backward glance at Fai, Kurogane walked away. Fai rolled his eyes and left the cloak where it had fallen.

“Well, if you’re going to stay messy you can help me with this, Syaoran.” Fai pointed at the boar and then at Syaoran. “What magic do you think I’m going to use?”

“We don’t need to do magic lessons today.” Syaoran pointed out. It wasn’t so much as a protest though as he quickly added, “Transfiguration.”

Fai bowed nice and low and then popped back up with a loud cry of, “My music, Mokona!”

“On it, Fai!”

With a pop beat playing, Fai let out a high whistle and then spread his hands out and got to work. A simple fire in the fireplace; a stick that as perfectly placed from one end of the boar to the other end (they would be eating boar in various ways for the next week, wouldn’t they?); and a brief pause to naturally season the meat, was all it took before Fai shook out his hair and said, “Okay, Kuro-papa should be done. Why don’t you go take your bath now?”

Syaoran cast a doubtful eye on the boar slowly, magically turning over the fire and then shrugged. “Sure.”

Mokona hopped down from the table and then up on Syaoran’s shoulder saying, “Me too! Me too!”

“Okay, sure.”

After they went up, as predicted, Kurogane came down. Gone was all the blood and gore of the hunt, and his black hair had lost most of its spikes. He looked softer for a moment as he walked down and then he saw the boar over the fire.

“Are you using magic to cook that?” Kurogane asked. He went to their fridge and pulled out one of his preferred beers. It was one of the few types he liked and any world they could find it in was one they would tend to linger in for a while. “That didn’t go so well last—”

“Oh, shush,” Fai said. “You know that was just because I was getting used to using magic again. Why don’t we let that one go, Kuro-puu, hmmm? I promise that this is only been made with enough magic to clean it and encourage it to cook a little faster and tastier.”

“That’s what you said the last time,” Kurogane said. He settled down on one of the borrowed chairs and took a nice, deep sip. Fai came over and took a seat on the table in front of him.

“Hey, last time went alright!”

“It tasted like ass.”

“Because it was an ass!” Donkey meat hadn’t been something he thought they would need to eat but when times were hard and you were in a desert a long way from the nearest town… needs must.

Kurogane grumbled some more so Fai just brushed a hand over his hair until it was completely dry and all spiked back up. Kurogane just silently drank his beer, letting Fai do what he wanted.

“What do you think of Candlenight?” Fai asked.

“Interesting.”

“Would you like to celebrate it again?”

“Told the kid I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

“Figured as much. It seems like it’s right up your alley. What with all the hunting and gathering and whatnot.”

“The lights seem like they’re up yours.” Kurogane picked up a piece of tinsel from the tabletop and then tied it around Fai’s wrist as Fai laughed.

“Why do you say that?”

Kurogane just let out a deep sigh. “Why do you think?”

“Hmm… is it because of how brightly I shine?”

Kurogane just sighed and leaned back, saying, “Yeah, sure,” as Fai chuckled and they heard Syaoran coming back down the steps.

[companionhell]

Hmmm...How about companions react to the SS pushing them out of the way and taking a bullet for them, only having known them for a few days or so (it luckily doesn’t end up being a fatal shot for Sole, but might have been for the companion).

I’m so so sorry, but I left Strong out of this, because I couldn’t think of any possible logistics that would involve a super-mutant possibly being killed but would leave the human Sole alive. Besides, it’s difficult to push aside someone who’s eight feet tall? If you really want me to, I can try my best, but I figured it wasn’t a deal-breaker haha.

Cait: Shock dissolving, Cait slowly got up, approached Sole, who was wincing and clutching their shoulder. She felt a strange concoction of emotion, between relief and gratefulness and regret and a deep sadness that the only person who valued her enough to take a bullet for her had ended up doing it. And she couldn’t express that, not without tearing up, so she settled for frustration: “The hell did you think you were doin’? Are ya daft?”

Sole chuckled weakly, masking a hiss of pain. “A little, maybe. Nearest doctor is Diamond City, and that’s a few hours out of our way. Can you grab a Stim-Pak out of my bag for me?” Cait did, injecting it into her new companion, pausing a minute before cuffing Sole across the back of the head.

“Don’t do that again,” Cait said, searching for a reason for her strange attachment. “Sticking with you is the only chance for caps I got. If you kick the bucket, I got jack shit.” Sole smiled, but Cait wasn’t confident it wouldn’t happen again, and that, for some reason, scared the shit out of her.

Codsworth: Somehow, without looking, he knew what happened, and guilt flooded him. He quickly dispatched the remaining two raiders, severe damage notwithstanding, and rushed to Sole. They were sitting, pressing a ripped-off vault suit sleeve against their wound, easily identifiable because much of the surrounding fabric was soaked with blood. “Sir/mum,” Codsworth said, knowing that if he could cry he would be right now. “Are you…?” He moved his attachments uselessly, feeling helpless and hopelessly afraid.

“Codsworth,” Sole coughed, leaning to look at their Pip-Boy. “It only grazed me. Don’t think it punctured anything, but I don’t have any Stim-Paks. Look, according to this thing, Diamond City is fifteen minutes away. Hurry and fetch the doctor for me?” Codsworth’s reactor whirred into overdrive as he flew towards Diamond City, dodging another group of raiders and past the guards, nearly knocking over a little girl selling newspapers. He couldn’t convince the doctor to leave the city, but carried back with him Stim-Paks galore, which he convinced the man to give him on credit.

“Sir/mum,” he said, injecting two Stim-Paks into their arm and experiencing a nearly-indescribable wave of relief as Sole began to breathe easier. “Oh, please don’t do that again.” Codsworth’s voice broke. “I lost you for two hundred years… please don’t die on me now, sir/mum. I don’t think the old nuts and bolts could handle it.” That was an understatement.

Curie: Something crashed into her and she nearly tumbled into the floor, finally noticing the danger. She looked up at Sole, who smelt like burnt hair but still somehow lodged some well-placed bullets into the enemy’s skull, until the damned thing collapsed against the wall.

“Oh, mon dieu!” Curie screamed, collecting herself before rushing over to Sole. Their hair was indeed singed, as well as part of their left ear, leaving a raw, red burn that Curie panicked at the sight of. Oh, she truly wasn’t used to this world, she thought as she fussed over Sole, dabbing purified water and antiseptic onto the wound. If someone as brave and considerate as Sole could be injured in the pursuit of her protection, perhaps she wasn’t ready for the outside. 

Curie applied a bandage and met Sole’s eyes. “Merci, Sole, but please don’t risk yourself like that,” she cried, trying to awkwardly give them a hug with her Miss Nanny arms. “Oh, you worry me.”

Danse: There was a loud clank as Sole stepped in front of him. “Shit,” they grunted at the impact, the tip of their minigun whirring. A shower of bullets rained down on the raiders, and after a few moments, all five were dead. Danse was still taken aback. Sole turned to look at him, and he gaped- there was a large dent in the center of their power armor helmet, near the nose, in which a bullet had lodged itself. “You alright?” they asked Danse, their voice sounding strangely nasally.

“It wasn’t necessary to risk your well-being to guard me, soldier,” Danse answered sternly, though he was actually feeling a strange mixture of guiltiness and astonishment. He shouldn’t have let his guard down enough to allow that to happen, but Sole’s quick thinking had saved his life- and doubly proved their suitability for warfare.

“You should invest in a helmet that covers your face, then,” Sole quipped. “Besides, I’d trade a broken nose for you getting a bullet between the eyes any day.”

Danse didn’t know how to respond. Though as an officer, he inspired respect in those under his command, he had never heard such a sentiment expressed before… not for years, anyway. “Thank you,” he said, somewhat awkwardly. “I appreciate it.”

Deacon: Deacon eyed the blood now seeping through Sole’s sleeve. A decent chunk had been taken out of Sole’s arm, which they now used to sift through their bag, finally finding a Stim-Pak. “Hey, good thing it hit me,” Sole said, injecting the Stim-Pak into their injured arm. “If you hadn’t moved, it would’ve gotten your chest. Wouldn’t want you dying on me during the first mission.”

“That’s gotta hurt, though,” Deacon responded. “You okay?” When Sole nodded, he smiled, but found himself thinking. He usually ran missions alone, rarely taking a Railroad member along with him, so having someone take a shot for him was… an interesting feeling. It made him question who, if anyone, he’d do that for- and whether Sole was just that kind of person, or if he’d done anything to earn it.

Dogmeat: There was the loud noise of the gun going off, and Sole made a harsh noise, shooting the bad man in the head before doubling over, clutching their thigh. As they rifled through their bag, Dogmeat cautiously approached, smelling the blood on his new companion. He licked their hand apologetically, being sure to sit by them until he knew they were okay.

Hancock: Sole shoved Hancock out of the way, and the bullet tore through their shoulder. Sole simply gritted their teeth and fired a barrage of their own bullets at the Courser, until the damn thing lay still. “I’ve got Stims in my bag,” Sole said, clutching their shoulder. “Mind helping me out?”

“You got it,” Hancock said, injecting a Stim-Pak into their arm. “Christ, you okay? Shouldn’t be throwin’ yourself in the line of fire like that, even for a handsome ghoul like me.”

Soul sighed with relief as the Stim-Pak entered their bloodstream. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Rather my shoulder than you, though. Way you were sitting, that bullet would’ve entered through your hat and left out your neck.”

Hancock nodded. “You’re right. Thanks, my man/sister.” He continued to dwell in his thoughts, though, considering why the hell a smooth-skin who he started traveling with a few days ago would risk their life for a chem-loving ghoul from a bad neighborhood. The incident certainly boosted his trust in their partnership; if they would take a bullet for him on day three, he had no idea what day three hundred would look like, but he sure as hell wanted to see it.

MacCready: MacCready dropped his head for a moment, shoving more ammo into his gun, barely finishing before being knocked over by a blow to the side- Sole. “Hey, the hell was that?” he grunted, winded, before noticing the wound in Sole’s arm- where his head had been only second before. He turned, shot a few Gunners, turned back. The wound was still there. Shocked, he kept shooting, helping Sole out until they were in the center of a circle of corpses. Sole stood there, panting, the both of them silent until MacCready tossed a Stim-Pak at them. “Here.”

Sole injected it. “I have my own, you know. Don’t gotta waste yours on me.”

MacCready wasn’t sure how to respond. He was frustrated with himself for lowering his guard, for forcing someone else to have his back, but also grateful and confused and a little angry at Sole for putting themselves in danger. He sighed with purported irritation before answering. “Still can’t believe you did that.” He shook his head. “Stim’s least I can do, I guess, even though that was completely crazy.”

Sole chuckled. “Well, MacCready, I paid a decent amount of caps for your services. I’m not throwing that away if I can avoid it.”

He couldn’t really argue that comment without hypocrisy, but he had to try. “Well, it was stupid anyway. But… thanks. Appreciated.”

Nick: The Assaulton’s bullet missed Nick completely, instead grazing Sole, who winced before finally putting the Assaultron out of its misery. Nick immediately turned to Sole, whose face was quickly becoming covered in blood. “Alright,” he said, trying to project calmness through his alarm and pushing a Stim-Pak into Sole’s hand. “Stay with me. You’re going to be fine, but you need that Stim. Now.”

Sole injected the Stim-Pak and trying their best to smile. “Pretty sure it only nicked me. Head wounds just bleed a lot. Sorry for pushing you, by the way.”

Nick laughed disbelievingly, but a hint of humor worked its way in. “You can’t stop being noble, can you? I… you sure you’re alright?” Sole nodded. “Thank you. Really. But maybe just warn me next time, instead of getting your own face in the line of fire?”

He joked to dissolve the tension, but he was really rather stunned. It took a unique kind of person to risk their life for a beat-up synth detective with a penchant for irony, especially after only a few days of working together. Sole was a special one, alright. Nick already felt fonder of them, if a bit irritated by their near-eagerness for getting themselves killed.

Piper: She recoiled in shock from the weapon being fired right next to her, almost instinctively expecting pain, but none was delivered. She opened her eyes to see the threatening raider dead- and Sole clutching their leg. “Easy now, Blue,” she said, rushing to help them. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I will be, after a Stim,” Sole said, grabbing one from their bag. “Damn raider still managed to shoot me after I kicked his legs out from under him. Though since that bullet was meant for your forehead, I can’t say I’m not relieved.”

Piper smiled genuinely, pleased to see the budding friendship. She pissed off more people in the Commonwealth than she’d like to admit, and she’d taken a liking for Sole, so she was glad to see it was reciprocated- even if in possibly the most drastic way possible. 

“Well, thanks, Blue. Though maybe cool it on your unending generosity, ‘kay?” Piper ruffled Sole’s hair. “Can’t have the most interesting source in the Commonwealth die on me.” She let a hint of concern out in her last comment, then dropped it, though tried her best for the rest of the day to keep Sole off their leg as much as possible.

Preston: He cried out when he saw his new acquaintance jump in front of him to take a bullet meant for his stomach, but couldn’t stop them in time. Seeing Sole down, he tried his best to rid the immediate area of remaining enemies- luckily, as there were only two raiders left, they were down pretty soon. 

Preston leaned over Sole, quickly assessing the wound- the bullet had taken a chunk out of their side, and though it didn’t appear to have hit any vital organs, there was a lot of blood gushing out. “You still with me?” he asked. Seeing Sole nod, he bandaged them up, then injected a Stim-Pak into them. “Easy. You’re gonna be okay.”

Sole smiled weakly. “Good. Wouldn’t wanna abandon the Minutemen after only a few days of helping.”

Preston laughed despite himself. “You have a one-track mind, you know that?” He paused a minute, furrowing his brow. “Thank you, Sole. That was… incredibly brave of you, but, well, I’m already in your debt, what with the rescue from the Museum of Freedom. No need to worry me like that.”

He deliberately kept his tone light, but underneath, he was feeling a strange mix of emotion. Preston was absolutely ecstatic to have found such a generous and self-sacrificing individual for the Minutemen, having lost all light before meeting Sole. But there was also an intense guiltiness there, the weight of knowing that someone he admired had been injured for him.

X6-88: He winced at the impact of bullet and Sole’s flesh, knowing that it would have been his neck had Sole not pushed him aside. “Damn, that got you. Hang in there for a minute.” X6 disposed of the hostile, some worthless gang leader, and knelt down next to Sole, who was already rummaging in their bag for a spare Stim-Pak. 

He waited a moment, watching Sole inject the Stim-Pak into an artery as the blood dripped down their face- he knew that it had only grazed them, and that head wounds bled disproportionately, but the sight still wasn’t pleasant. “Do you think you’re okay?” he asked cautiously.

“Yeah, probably,” Sole returned, lightly touching the wound. “Didn’t want the Institute’s best Courser biting it on the second day.”

X6 didn’t show it, but he was surprised. Some had shown concern for his well-being before, of course, but mostly as scientists hoping a beloved computer would never sputter out- Sole’s generosity seemed genuine, and that was new to him. “Thanks,” he said curtly. “But don’t do that again. You’re Father’s parent- you shouldn’t be risking yourself like that.” He presented his concern as purely professional, but there was a note or two of real feeling in there, too.

[animequeens]

Blessing in Disguise Part 3

"Erina sama?" Hisako knocked twice on the wooden door leading into the now-traditionally furnished conference room belonging to Totsuki's headmaster.

"I'm here," Erina replied in a sing-song fashion, her pen tapping mindlessly as the pink haired girl walked in with a stash of documents in tow.

Hisako sat the large pile of files on the table making a muffled bang before arching her back and stretching like a kitten.

"I have some urgent matters to discuss with you Erina Sama." Hisako walked towards Erina with a tea bag in her hands. She set the teabag inside Erina's mug before pouring some hot water in the cup. "Just the usual herbal tea to stabilise the early stages."

"Hmmm," hummed Erina as she took a sip of the tea, "You've really improved the taste to suit my palate, now I don't feel nauseous when I smell it."

Hisako smiled widely at the compliment. She scratched her cheek, proud as she replied, "I just altered a few herbs which had the same effect so I retained the purpose but changed the taste."

Erina smiled into her mug as she took another sip. "So, what do we need to discuss today?"

"2 major issues," Hisako replied seriously, taking her seat opposite Erina. She whipped out her ipad and continued, "I want to first discuss the arrangement of your public appearance as you continue your pregnancy and how we will be deal with your PR image and what you wish to be depicted as. The second is the autumn's election, the current elite tens brought up some proposal for this year's festival."

"What are your views on the public appearance?"

"I propose we restrict public appearance at around 20 weeks into the pregnancy or depending on how much you are showing."

"Hmmm," nodded Erina who had just finished her tea and reverted to tapping her pen lightly against her wooden table, "and you suggest this because?"

"Although Erina sama already have a very established reputation in the culinary world, where the success of your restaurant Fleur en Fleur doesn't rely on a pristine personal image, your role as Totsuki's head master does. Since some traditional Japanese family which some of our student body come from can still be conservative in relation to these matters, I would propose Erina sama hiding the fact that you are pregnant…out of wedlock."

"That is true," Erina sighed before she flicked through the index of elite ten profiles, "3 of the elite tens this year also come from these families."

Hisako looked at the blonde headmaster and she could sense the sadness Erina was trying so desperately to hide.

"I know the situation isn't ideal," Hisako sighed, "keeping him a secret for now is the best course for you though."

"We can hide him now, but how do we hide him after he is born? He won't be using a fake name and even out of wedlock he is of Nakiri blood." Erina twisted her side bangs slightly before letting them fall.

"We can figure it out as time goes?" Hisako suggested weakly, yet even she was unsure how they can maintain her public image if they revealed her pregnancy now.

"Yeah, I'm being silly and emotional again," groaned Erina frustrated with herself, "Must be the hormones again. Damn the devil's spawn."

"You need to stop refering to my god son as a devil's spawn," Hisako chuckled before she flicked her ipad to the next page, "About the autumn's election, the elite ten's this year wanted a supposed 'democratic' approach to the judge selection for this year's festival. The polls came back in today, we just need your signature and confirmation of a date to start organisation."

"The judges were?"

"As per tradition, you of course Erina-sama as the headmaster and the one with the most refined palate. The second judge people voted for was Eishi senpai."

Hisako paused at the mention of their white-haired senpai, unsure whether she should utter the third name.

"The last?" asked Erina half minded. She was too caught up in her own worries to catch the last name uttered by Hisako.

She signed the piece of paper swiftly, before meeting the eyes of a seemingly nervous Hisako.

"What's wrong?" asked Erina confused at her fidgeting best friend.

"Oh nothing," replied an equally puzzled Hisako, shocked by Erina's genuinely calm expression, "That's all for today, so I will head out now, oh but before I leave Erina-sama, I RSVPed your attendance for a social party next month celebrating Eishi senpai's new restaurant."

"That's fine, I didn't have a choice but attend anyways, especially if we need him back to judge the Autumn's election" chuckled Erina before she turned back to the mountainous pile of paper she had to go through.

(one month later)

When the night rolled in, Erina had just finished her day's work. The month following her discovery of her pregnancy had been extremely normal, like always, she would go to work 8:00-18:00, every two weeks she would fly to Paris to check on her restaurant. Her life was seemingly normal, calm and organised – but of course it was all a façade – she knew better than anyone just how terrified she was of her unplanned future ahead.

18:03

Erina sighed as supported herself up from her cushioned chair. She arched her back, relieving the pain on her lower back, the bump on her belly still barely protruding.

She has only an hour to both get dressed, be presentable and get herself to the event location.

If she was completely honest, she was feeling under the weather today and her hormonal body could not be bothered to attend yet another event where she must socialise with a bunch of irrelevant people. Ok, irrelevant maybe an exaggeration, since these people were all important people from Tokyo's various food industries, she on the other hand, just couldn't be bothered to maintain her haughty perfect self to the public.

Although she was feeling under the weather, her cousin on the other hand jumped at the opportunity to dress up. Erina had refused her attempts to braiding her hair with no avail. So, when the pair finally got out of the mansion, Erina had her long blonde hair in a half-up-half-down braid and a half million-dollar necklace dangling between her – now even swollen chest.

When Erina stepped out of her limousine in kitten heels (kitten heels refers to heels which are around 3cm in height)– yes, a very uncommon sight, given Erina was the type who would go hard or go home – a bunch of paparazzi's immediately directed their flash light towards her and her white haired cousin. To be fair, the pair of Nakiris were a sight to behold and the public's favourite, so these photos would no doubt end up on the cover of the food magazine tomorrow morning.

"Ms Nakiri what do you think of the new restaurant?" shouted one from the crowd.

"A wonderful edition for those wanting to taste true gourmet food of course," replied Erina smiling, her posture tall and composed as she continued towards the entrance.

When they were finally safe from the paparazzi Erina yawned softly before she whispered to Alice, "I'm losing 3 hours of sleep I could've had."

"Never would I have imagined you of all people complaining about an event celebrating true gourmet food," chuckled Alice in response, her red eyes gleaming with mischief when a red-head amongst the sea of invited guests caught her eye. "I'm going to talk to the director of this company I've been working with, I'll catch you before we leave."

"But you never talked about working with -" Erina wasn't surprised when her response came few seconds too late, the younger Nakiri had already disappeared from her side and made her way across the hall.

Erina sighed at her disappearance – now her fate was sealed – without Alice's occasional sarcasm and personality, tonight was bound to be a boring night mingling with directors from across Japan, forcing smiles on her face. On an even more solemn note, she couldn't even drink some wine to numb her sense to the loud chit-chat bouncing off the walls of the hall, or at least help her survive through all the boring conversations she was bound to have tonight.

"Yo Nakiri." His words cut through the air and falsified her pervious prediction almost instantly. Every part of her body was in denial as she stood still, unwilling to turn around.

"Hey what's up," he tried again, manoeuvring in front of her so they were facing directly, "are we playing that little game where you pretend to ignore me again?"

Erina scoffed at his comment, his smirk rubbing her the wrong way.

"Come on Erina," chuckled Soma, his golden eyes carefully examining the woman in front of him, the slight pout on her lips, and slightly relaxed composure indicated she wasn't reallymad, only mildly, "It's been 2 months since you last saw me and you don't even miss me, I got to say I'm hurt."

"Oh please," the blonde finally uttered, she tried to keep her tone level as she continued, "I'm surprised by the fact you are back so soon, I wouldn't put it upon you to disappear for another five, ten years."

"Surprised? But Hisako was the one who informed me to make sure I'm here before the Autumn's election."

Erina looked dumfounded at the red-head as if he were some foreign creature until she suddenly realised - that day in her office, Hisako did mention a third name.

I'm an idiot

She tortured herself mentally for being too caught up in her worries then, now, she has a bigger problem to deal with.

"Oh right, I remember now," mumbled Erina after a delayed pause, "so how long have you been back?"

"A month give or take." Some replied mindlessly, unaware of the anger set ablaze in those amethyst eyes which were quickly extinguished.

Erina knew she shouldn't be mad, it was a one-night stand, two if you may, she shouldn't have expected him to see her the moment he came back. It would've been nice; but they were just two parallel lines, she really shouldn't have expected more. After all, she was the one who made the decision to keep it a secret from him in the first place.

She didn't have the right to be mad.

"Here Nakiri." Outstretched from Soma's hands was a small rectangular box, neatly wrapped with a ribbon on top. He hoped his gift could ease the awkward tension that had built up since her silent response to his answer. "The dark chocolate you said you wanted, all the way from Ghana."

There he goes again. The way he grins at her as he placed the chocolate box in her hands was the exact reason why she could never learn to hate him.

Why was it whenever she found one reason to hate him, she always seemed to find 20 more to love him?

"Thanks Soma," she replied with a warm smile, "you didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he chuckled, "I would be your delivery guy any day."

"Hmmm," Erina pondered, "so you are off soon again? What type of parcel should I expect next time?"

"That's a secret," laughed Soma, his smug grin appearing on his face again, "it wouldn't be fun if I told you."

"Then tell me," Erina's tone suddenly serious, her eyes looked like a frightened animal as she darted them away, putting on a pretence that his answer wouldn't affect her, "when are you leaving again? I can get an estimated delivery date right?"

"Nothing is sure at this point. But I will be here at least after Autumn's Election." Soma glanced towards her, resisting the urge to grab her right then and there and soothe her suddenly changed demeanour. Yet he had no right to do so, and Erina would skin him alive if he dare tried in public with tens of hungry paparazzis waiting for a piece of juicy gossip. He wasn't sure what was wrong, all he knew was that he hated the darkened look of her usually bright eyes, the ones he knew all too well, the ones that were always ablaze.

"Oh..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the boy, no man, in front of her. Her nervous hands slowly released their tight grip on her made-to-measure satin dress. Nothing set in stone. It's only a matter of time until he left again and she should just get damn well used to it. For god's sake, it's been three years and she is still that soppy high school girl, horrible at goodbyes.

"Ms Nakiri," said a voice from afar, his footsteps fast approaching, "I've been meaning to talk to you, may I?" The man before her was the director of one of the largest diary supplier, his polite grin gave her no choice but to say yes.

"I guess that's my call to leave," laughed Erina as she leant her body in for a hug but pulledback in the last minute. Her hands stuck awkwardly towards Soma, the pair engaging in a handshake that seemed more appropriate given their relationship, "it was good seeing you, and uh, thanks for the chocolate."

A girl with blue hair stood in the corner, the polite smile hung on her face.

She knew to get the much-needed attention she needed from these potential sponsors she had to play her cards well. That included using the effect, her 'helpless' image, seemed to have in middle aged man.

Yet when she caught the red-head who had returned from Ghana earlier this month, staring at the blonde-girl who always seemed to have his heart-strings wrapped around her finger, the smile she learnt to fix on face faded away.

The way his golden eyes fixated on her, infuriated her. She never understood why, he only had eyes for her, when she was the one who had been there by his side all along.

Why is it even after Totsuki, the blond-headed woman still trumps her in his eyes?

She never understoodwhy in high school, when she hinted interests in him - on multiple occasions - he would say something completely irrelevant, avoiding her hints, seemingly oblivious to any of her advances.

When she watched them get together at the Valentine's day event, the smile ontheir faces, crashed her. She believed if she had found his dish earlier than Erina, he would've been hers...

She used to enjoy their fights. She would never admit to this guilty pleasure of course. And when Erina came to her on occasions asking for advice - viewing her merely as his best friend – she would fake up a fake innocence so she could withdraw information from the blonde but stay on her good books. She hated their relationship but she was too scared of the Nakiri name.

So, when they finally did breakup, Megumi saw it as her chance. To her, their graduation, wasn't just an ending of an era, but the start of their story. At least that's what she thought. So, when she heard from Takumi, few days after the graduations, she was shocked and angry to find that he had already left. Not a word for her, not a single fucking word.

She forgave him though. She thought, perhaps he was just leaving in a hurry, she wouldn't put itabove Sōma to mess up his travel plans. So, she waited even as she took over her mother's restaurant. To her disappointment over the course of three years, she had only received a handful of meaningless postcards.

But it was different this time when he returned from Ghana. She was sitting at home when she received a phone call from a number that hasn't emerged for a good three years.

He had asked straightforwardly for a favour. She agreed before her brain even registered what he had said.

A month of land hunting, all done in secret. He said something about surprising the culinary world with a new restaurant, right here in Tokyo. She believed him, she didn't care as long as he would stay; right by her side.

During that time, she was thrilled to be with him every day, his presence alone made her content, even if she had to have tedious long talk with a dozen of landlords.

Her happiness was short-lived.

Perhaps, it was time for her to realise he didn't have room for her in that special place. His eyes only ever laid on Erina that way - maybe occasionally on food too. But never on her.

"Hey Megumi," said the red-head, his eyes darting towards the blonde currently chit-chatting with a director Megumi didn't recognise, "time to head back?" Soma glanced one last time at the blonde who didn't seem like she would be done anytime soon.

It was like he knew she would agree. But who could she blame but herself? Hasn't she always been treading behind him, trying to catch up as those two walked along side of each other?

"That was such a long night," groaned Alice as she helped Erina off the limo. She took off her heels and began walking barefoot as they stepped inside the mansion. "I hate heels, did I mention that?"

"Only about 100 times on the limo." Erina chuckled at cousin's childish pout before she made her way down the hall.

"Wait Erina," called the white-headed girl, "I scheduled an appointment with our family doctor to have a check up on you tonight."

"I told you I didn't need one." This time it was Erina who groaned, she hated the routine check-ups her cousin and Hisako always seemed to insist and her complaints were to no avail. "It takes up 30 minutes of my life every time."

"And that is 30-minutes well spent," replied the younger Nakiri as she placed her hands behind Erina and began pushing her towards the lounge, "hurry, hurry, we're already late."

"LET ME GET CHANGED FIRST."

When they entered their large lounge room, the one in the west wing, a young woman in her early thirties was already there, sitting on the couch waiting.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," smiled Alice as she led her cousin inside, "we have a childish mother on the loose."

"I am not childish," retorted Erina poking Alice's face, "but thank you for coming so late Doctor Tsumi." Although Erina hated her appointments she still appreciated their family doctor, particularly because she was extremely loyal and has kept her pregnancy a secret since the beginning.

"Of course, Ms Nakiri," grinned the woman before she took out her stethoscope. "Please take a seat."

She walked towards Erina and lifted her loose t-shirt upwards. Erina's abdomen wasn't very noticeable, but since the discovery of her pregnancy, she had developed a very small pump. It wasn't noticeable when covered in clothes, but now that the veil of clothing had been lifted it, the swell was more than obvious – at least to Erina and her closer friends.

"Everything seems well." Doctor Tsumi placed her t-shirt back down before she continued, "Though I have to remind you again, you really need to keep your stress levels in check, high amounts of cortisol can have negative impact on the foetus."

"I know Doctor." Erina nodded in compliance.

"You know but you don't act on it," interjected Alice looking disapprovingly at her blonde cousin, "You have more work than ever and you never get much rest."

Doctor Tsumi nodded to Alice's comment, "The development seems well now, but we must take precautionary means."

"How about you move Autumn's election forward?" asked Alice with a pushing tone.

"The elite ten won't agree," Erina lied. She didn't want to move the date forward as she was scared if she did…it would only push Soma's departure even earlier.

"I can sort it out with me," replied Alice firmly, she gaze stopping at Erina's dark eye circles before continuing, "It's decided then, no more buts."

"You are so pushy," groaned Erina, unable to find another reason to revoke Alice's plan, "I guess it might be better to do it early so I won't be too bloated when I'm on the big screen."

Feel free to review at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12032457/15/Looking-Through-Our-Hourglass and I promise I’m not teasing next part of Blessing in Disguise will have something spicy :P Hopefully it was an enjoyable read <3

[lightsandlostbells]

Skam France S2.2 reaction

they managed to make one of my most disliked parts somewhat less bad

slow clap for Skam France?

some very heated opinions below, be aware!

Episode 2

For real, some very negative opinions are coming, and it’s not my intention to make anyone feel like garbage about something they like. If you’re a fan of Noorhelm/Marles, maybe don’t read.

Clip 1 - Manon and Emma in class

I like Emma a lot more this season. I didn’t feel like the actress quite carried the really vulnerable moments, but she’s exhibiting more personality with her take on S2 Party Eva.

They cut the scene with the two girls asking Noora if Jonas had a girlfriend and if he were dating Eva, so the vibe is kind of different. With that context it seems like Noora wants to gently nudge him Eva into moving on because she suspects Jonas is moving on. This has some of that but it also feels less urgent, because Manon doesn’t have quite the same reason to be concerned for Emma’s feelings in that moment.

I do like Emma’s bit about being kidnapped by that prostitution ring in Taken, that’s funny.

Clip 2 - Yann the Man

Charles’ text about seeing Manon even though she was trying to hide - WHY. Why would they add this shit? Do they not get how uncomfortable this makes girls feel? Manon goes to school with this guy so there is nothing she can do to completely avoid him. He is not only just checking her out, but he’s making sure she’s aware of it. Let’s be clear: she wanted to hide from him, and he made sure she knew that he noticed she was trying to hide, and he made sure she knew that it didn’t work.

Look, I know that many Noorhelm fans also hate William’s behavior at the beginning of S2 and only warmed up to him as the season progressed. For me it’s that this opening behavior is so bad, such a textbook example of male entitlement in action, that it’s hard for me to ever get past it. I just have very few fucks to give about men who prioritize their boner feels over women’s boundaries.

Lucas, Sarah, and Ingrid here are like when Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown started sucking face and Harry and Parvati Patil had that shared moment of “God, our friends are getting on our nerves.”

I super love French Ingrid. I love her being bored and annoyed by Lucas and Sarah, and then her flustered reaction to Yann was great.

So what I’m taking away from Daphne’s reaction is that Manon and Emma probably told the whole girl squad about what they saw on Lucas’ phone. Not cool.

AND NOW a breakdown of Yann’s power walk. This scene annoyed me, because they did not put in the work of setting it up. This is Skam France’s worst quality; it copies the events at surface level without understanding why they are there or how they got there in the first place. At least this is a smaller humorous moment and not something dramatically important, even though it is relevant in terms of Emma’s character this season.

Let’s go over how the two shows set up this scene. Skam plants the setup during last Friday’s scene at Noora’s. The girls get to talking about sex, it’s a frank conversation. Vilde wants to know if the others have ever experienced a guy going down on them, because she thinks (hopes) William may do it to her. Eva jokes that no Norwegian guys will go down on girls, telling us in an indirect way about this aspect of her relationship with Jonas. This part of the scene is so comedic and light-hearted that on first viewing, you might not assume that it’s not anything except banter, a fun conversation that Noora has no part in and serves as a contrast to her anxiety over William’s attempts to contact her and Vilde’s continued interest in William. At the start of the next episode, we have a clip with Noora at her locker and being approached by two unknown girls who clearly catch her off guard, too, and want to know whether Jonas has a girlfriend. This random encounter leads her to prod about Jonas from Eva and subtly push her in the direction of moving on, as she suspects that Jonas may no longer be single. Then we get The Clip. As Vilde makes conversation with Ingrid, Eva notices girls’ heads turning in one direction, whispering and giggling. She follows their gaze. They’re looking at Jonas. She wants to know why, and she gets the answer about Jonas going down on a third year. Vilde looks confused, then starts to ask Eva about what she said on Friday, but Noora shakes her head as we get Eva’s stunned reaction. Jonas comes up to them and we get an iconic quote.

Skam France sets it up like this: Sarah tells us that Yann is the big man of campus, we see him walking and girls reacting, we get the explanation about Yann going down on the third-year, Emma seems a bit upset, he goes up to the girl squad and drops his line.

We don’t get the setup of “French guys not going down on girls” so there’s no impact of Yann being THE man, THE one true cunnilingus hero (and I have no idea what’s the general attitude of French men toward going down on women but I mean, you could spin this as “teenage boys are all about their own pleasure and don’t eat out girls” no matter what country you’re in) (except lol it ain’t gonna work in Skam Italia, thanks Giovanni!) - like I can understand in-universe why the girls might be impressed but from an audience POV, we’re not given any means of comparison to understand just why this is such a big deal

We don’t get that earlier line from Emma in particular so there’s no impact of understanding how upset she might be about this - not just that Yann is hooking up with other girls, but that he’s doing something with them that he apparently never did with her

There’s no additional moment of realization, “oh, so THAT’S why those random girls suddenly wanted to know if Yann is single,” a Brick Joke to use a TVTropes phrase, because they cut that scene

Even within the scene itself, it’s not built up? Like in OG we see girls reacting to Jonas and Eva picking up on it before we land the punchline. This one just tells you off the bat that Yann did a Thing, look at him (this bothers me less than the omission of the other stuff but in combination with it, it’s another symptom)

Is any of this a crime? No. Could people still find the Yann scene funny? Sure. But if this were my show, and I had to cut some things that didn’t fit into the episodes? I would question whether this scene was as effective without the buildup. I would question whether it was necessary. If I had to get across Emma’s moment of hurt, that likely inspires her to start hooking up with dudes from social media, I would consider whether it could be written in another way.

TBH I know I’m sounding nitpicky, but honestly this is why I enjoy overanalyzing the remakes. I felt like I learned something about setup and punchlines from observing the two scenes, and I appreciate how deftly Julie managed to make an extended oral sex joke pack some emotional punch.

I did like the music break from when he was walking to the exposition, and that was an admittedly great line from Yann about being hungry.

Clip 3 - Daphne loves lesbians

Daphne was sitting apart from the other girls at the beginning of the scene seeming very disconnected, hmmm.

Also Emma is not using Tinder in this version, she’s using Instagram  and seems a bit firm that she isn’t using Tinder, so I wonder what the significance of that was. Maybe because Tinder is an app used for dating, and she doesn’t want to seem like she’s trying too much to move on, whereas Instagram is a more generic app with other purposes and hey, if a guy happens to message you, why not just roll with it, right?

And Emma immediately says no fake plans, like she just immediately calls it, though Manon fakes them anyway.

Does anyone else think that Alex’s sexuality is being handled really strangely, and by strangely I mean not at all? Because from what I recall, in canon we really just that comment about her hooking up with the girl named Clara and wanting to see Daphne’s topless pics. Her bisexuality was confirmed by the actress, outside of the show. This scene would’ve been a perfect time to address Alex’s sexuality directly, especially because Daphne is the kind of clueless character who would say something boneheaded that would require some education. When Daphne asks Manon whether she’s a lesbian, why not have her mention something like, “It’s OK if you like girls, so does Alex,” or even make a misguided comment about how Alex and Manon could pair off? Or have Alex make some kind of joke related to the discussion? Like this is genuinely weird to me not to acknowledge it at all in this context, when Daphne is even saying that their laughter makes it an unsafe environment for Manon to come out, but there’s also a bi girl sitting right there, participating in the laughter? It feels like another example of them just not thinking through the script that much.

This is why I’m skeptical about how they’ll handle the bit with Daphne and Emma making out, as seen in the trailer. Because again, they have a girl in the group who actually is supposed to be bisexual and who has apparently hooked up with girls, and yet we don’t hear much about it except in passing, but if we get these two supposedly straight girls making out because they’re drunk … that’s not a great look? What I’m worried is that they’ll play it completely like the original show because they’re just following the script and not thinking about it, while ignoring that they’ve changed a character’s sexuality and it might be relevant.

They cut the bit with Jamilla and her crew, so maybe they won’t play a role this season. I guess if they ever get to season four, they’re really going to have to rewrite the story because the bus plot will not make sense. But it’s kind of a bummer, I hope they find another way to include those girls. I think Skam France could improve on the original in how much they used the hijab squad in the show.

Manon, what was your objective in coming on to Daphne like that? You just have to get in her personal space. MMMMkay girl.

OK I laughed my ass off at Daphne posting a “love is love” image immediately after this clip. 

God, I really wish we had Daphne for season three.

Clip 4 - The date

It only took me two whole episodes to figure out who Mika reminds me of: Ben Whishaw. Which is super obvious now that I recognize it.

Mickael’s DRAMAAAAAA is up there with P-Chris’ iconic version. Manon’s imitation is also good.

Mickael is smart negotiating for a birthday gift even if it didn’t quite work. I like his style.

Manon doesn’t wipe off her lipstick (like Noora did) which maybe is supposed to signify that she’s attracted to Charles, or maybe that she’s less concerned with how she presents to him. She does seem to be more confident when she squares off with him verbally.

I know the part in the car with The Weeknd is Iconique but I thought this version was fine and worked about as well   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

This is one of my most hated parts of the original show, so let’s see how they did.

Disregarding the context of how he got her on this date, that’s a nice setup with the chairs on the rooftop (which I’m guessing he dragged up there himself).

Actually ... you know what, there’s a lot of uncomfortable stuff about this part that I didn’t even realize previously because it’s presented so cinematically. (Assume that when I refer to Charles here, I also mean William because it’s more or less the same writing.) One thing I’ve never really considered until now is that if Charles (or any guy) pressured me into this date, didn’t accept my rejection, said that saying no will just make him want me more ... I would be fucking afraid if I finally went with him on a date and he took me to an isolated area. Now I didn’t think about that at first because this is a very beautiful scene from an aesthetic point of view! There is some gorgeous cinematography in both this scene and the original version. And he gives her something to drink and it’s cute because he remembered she doesn’t drink alcohol, so he made cocoa, cocoa is a drink that brings to mind warm, cozy feelings! Awww!

But take this out of the pretty TV context: in real life, a guy who has made it clear he doesn’t take no for an answer and who takes me to a nice secluded area and gives me a drink he made himself? Would raise serious alarms. I would have this feeling of dread in my stomach. And I don’t think you can disregard this train of thought or call it unfair or over-the-top, because guess what, Noora (Manon too by the looks of it) is potentially drugged later in the season when someone gives her a drink (I don’t remember if they ever confirmed if she was drugged or if she just got very drunk and blacked out, but we’re definitely supposed to think it’s a possibility). We do have a sexual assault storyline later on, with this very same character. It is completely reasonable to consider these dynamics especially in light of the season’s larger themes and topics.

I am being 100% serious ... what reason does Manon have to think that Charles is not capable of date rape at this point? Think about it, consider it from her POV where she doesn’t know what’s going to happen later in this season, just analyze what she knows in this moment. So far he’s had sex with her friend and then ignored her and cruelly put her down, and he’s pursued her despite her rejecting him, he’s openly said that he doesn’t take her “no” seriously, he’s sent her messages that make clear he’s noticed she’s tried to hide from him and he doesn’t care, he’s cornered her into this date. Other than the fact that Charles is our designated male lead, why should Manon trust him? Why should we? The only reason is because we know we’re watching a TV show, we know that this is the scene where we start to build up to our characters getting together later. Charles is handsome, Charles will be The Love Interest, therefore Charles is going to be a good guy. If Charles was some gross, unattractive, obnoxious dude who would clearly not end up with our heroine, how would this scene feel? 

The jab at Twilight is hilarious and accurate. They are Bella and Edward.

“Why did you get into my car?” You fucking know why, dude.

This shit about him not pressuring her to go out with her is wrong. Yes. He did. Him just saying he didn’t doesn’t make it true. If just saying stuff made it true I’m going to go around calling myself Julie Andem and telling people I’m working on Skam Season 5: The Adventures of Dr. Skrulle and Her Wife, The Danish Receptionist.

In original Skam Noora did tell Vilde that there was nothing going on with her and William before this point, I don’t think Manon did. So I guess Manon could have done that. But Charles has put her in a complicated place. Manon asked him to apologize to Daphne. He did so on the condition that Manon go on a date with him. At this point Manon can’t tell Daphne she’s going out with Charles without having to explain why, which means nullifying the apology in the first place. And Manon is trying to avoid him but he won’t let it happen, and he’s shown that he’s willing to use Daphne to get to her. 

All right, here’s why I fucking hate this scene: this is a prime opportunity for William/Charles to show some humility and character growth about what happened with Vilde/Daphne, and he doesn’t. Not once during this conversation does he express regret for how he handled the Vilde/Daphne situation. Not once does he express remorse or consideration for her feelings. Instead he offers several excuses about why what he did was justified, which happen to be about benefiting himself. So basically his apology was hollow and only about getting this date with Noora/Manon. Yes, it is early in the season and his character should be able to grow in future episodes, but I don’t recall William ever changing his tune on this topic, specifically. 

And tbh what's irritating is that this is framed like William/Charles has some reasonable points, and no, he doesn’t, literally every excuse he offers can be easily torn down. Noora/Manon can be judgmental, for sure, they can assess people incorrectly, but in this scene, they are completely right in their criticisms of what happened.

“Being nice to someone you want to get rid of doesn’t work ... I’ve been clear with her.” So did he ever try ... telling her outright ... you know, BEFORE they have sex, “hey, I’m not looking for a relationship.” Oh wait, the girl might not want to have sex with him then. Or even explaining it in direct but not malicious words afterwards? From what I remember, he basically just ghosted her until she confronted him and he tore her down. He doesn’t have to promise her anything, but he also owes her some basic respect. And he knew he was doing something cruel. Remember when he walked by Daphne and the girls in the schoolyard and he made a point of establishing eye contact, then looking away? 

“I’m not responsible” for harming Daphne’s self-image - oh shut up. If I went up to a random person on the street and told them they were ugly, I probably wouldn’t break their spirits forever and ever. But I probably would play on any insecurities they had. I would possibly create new insecurities that weren’t there. And I would possibly make them feel like garbage. So yes, I have to take some responsibility for the fallout.

And lmao, what bothers me is that yeah, actually we do see how cruel comments can affect one’s self-image over and over throughout the show. We see it with Vilde and Daphne, how this made them feel like they weren’t pretty enough and influenced their disordered eating. We saw it with Noora, how her shitty previous boyfriend also messed up her self-image and caused her to get sick. We saw it with Isak, how casual homophobia and comments about gay people around him influenced how he saw himself and made it difficult to call himself gay. We saw it with Sana, how she was bullied at her old school for being Muslim, how Islamophobia affected her and shaped her, how desperate she was to prove herself because people were judging her on all sides. It’s fine if William/Charles is meant to be wrong. What bugs me is that the way this is presented, makes it seem like he’s supposed to be right.

“I’m not letting her think there are chances when there aren’t” - aren’t you texting Daphne and inviting her to things? He absolutely knows how Daphne is going to respond to this. If he was so desperate to use one of the girls as a go-between for him and Manon, he could easily get Emma’s number from his pal Alex. But no, he is going through Daphne deliberately, because he knows she’ll be an enthusiastic messenger. And he knows she’s going to get hopeful. He literally says that she’s into him again! 

Characters can be flawed, characters don’t need to always say the right words. But William never had a turnaround where he acknowledged that his courtship of Noora or his treatment of Vilde was wrong, outside of that apology that he apparently didn’t mean, when these were things that he really, really needed to address in terms of his development. I fear that they’ll do the same with Charles since this remake is so close.

That being said, there are a few things in this scene that I preferred to the original:

One of the dumb things William says is that “if you see if from his side” Vilde is the one who pursued him, she approached him and wanted to sleep with him,. This is the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. William is not obligated to sleep with every girl who comes on to him. He and Vilde had a consensual sexual encounter, Vilde did not trip and fall on his dick, and he was participating in her flirtations and contacting her. Take some responsibility for your role in this, dude. This bit of blame-deflecting is thankfully missing from this scene, sparing me that particular headache.

Charles’ actor has more emotional range than William’s and I felt like he maybe did feel a bit less assured in his position, whereas William felt pretty smug about it the whole way through.

Manon seems less stumped by Charles’ comments than Noora did. Not that Noora needed to have all the answers all the time, but it always  saddened me that William’s BS excuses were what had her tongue-tied. Also her turning his sad anecdote into sarcasm about the homeless was good.

When Manon says she’ll walk home, Charles doesn’t push her and says it’s fine. That seems counter to chivalry, but it’s at least him respecting something she wanted, even if it might just be because he was busy with his fight drama.

The music throughout the clip was good, but the music at the end got too DRAMAAAAAAAAA for my liking.

General Comments:

I’m going to be honest, I think the actor playing Charles has more charisma than William, so on a superficial level I’m engaged more during the Manon/Charles scenes, and like I said above, I think it benefited his character in the date scene. But there are some ways I think this might make his character seem worse, for instance when telling Daphne she wasn’t good enough, it felt a lot more deliberately mean whereas William seemed so checked out of the whole thing that it was less like he wanted to twist the knife. So we’ll see how he fares at some later parts of the season. 

Tangent but I love the girls texting about Jane the Virgin. Also that Manon references Pedro Almodóvar and Emma’s like “we don’t have the same reference pool,” that legit made me laugh.

This had a lot of negative remarks, lol. Probably this will be as negative as it gets, tbh. That one scene just makes me angry.

I’m not French so I apologize if I misinterpret, and feel free to correct me. 

If you made it this far, thank you for reading!