#and I'll think twice about getting caught up in a drama like this while it's still airing

[ladysalieri]

I agree with this SO much. Despite all its flaws, despite how the cracks in the story’s seams started to show as it went further away from the novel, despite loose threads and weird cuts from trying to wedge a longer story into 40 eps, and despite how the cultivator arc was never QUITE as compelling as the mortal arc, I was still prepared for all the reasons above to count this in my top 5 wuxia dramas ever if they’d ONLY just stuck the ending.

And instead they gave us that.

I really want to babble about how thematically, this ending makes no sense, and it's so contrary to what we've seen up to this point, and how it's not just that it's sad and that TTJ deserves better (though both are true); it's a story about a man who wanted to die that ends up with him… basically committing assisted suicide to save the world, because well, I guess he was right to want to die all along, even though his reasons were ALWAYS because of the cruelty of others, not because of his own self.

Then he finally gains agency and a life that he wants to live, a simple life filled with love and fulfillment that is enough for him, and he doesn't want to die any longer. And it’s taken away from him and he is forced to go back into that mindset of seeking death. He was ready to live. He’d defied fate and he was ready to live. It’s bad. It’s not fulfilling. We already KNEW he would do anything to save LSS and her world. We didn’t need that proven.

It doesn't matter how hard you fight against your fate, how much you love and how much you strive to be a better person, if you are doomed to suffer and die, you will, is what TTJ's story tells us. And if you want to die, you may as well give in, because happiness never lasts.

I also want to ramble about how unfair it was to LSS, who at the end was deprived of agency and essentially just shifted around wherever she was needed, not being allowed to make decisions of her own. How episode thirty-five WOULD have been a much better ending, and if anything, what we see in TTJ's bo’re life in episode thirty-nine reinforces this.

But more than that it's just upsetting to me because this was such a good show, that presented such compelling ideas and did so in SUCH an entertaining way. And yes the scenery and costumes and aesthetics absolutely slapped. It's gorgeous as hell. But also the character dynamics were interesting and complex, and their relationships were easy to get invested in. There were fascinating relationships among the entire cast as well, not just between the leads and couples (XL and TTJ, LSS and Pian Ran). Yes, there were missteps along the way; the dream arc was about twice as long as it needed to be, and even Clam Gege and his sparkles could not save it, the show plodded along a bit in the early thirties (episodes like thirty-three were super disjointed because of time cuts), Mo Nv was added in as a new character for who knows what reason, etc. But nothing is perfect. This is still one of the better shows I’ve watched in a long time, and I was on edge for every new episode. A genuine enemies to lovers story with chemistry and anguish, hatred and tenderness, sometimes all at the same time. I was obsessed.

And… Tantai Jin is one of the best male leads I’ve seen for years. He’s so layered, so interesting, and so heartbreaking, and Luo does a beyond incredible job with every moment of his portrayal of him. He’s legitimately a tour de force in the role. Luo and Bai Lu both deserved better than this. But a great lead requires deserves a story that lives up to him, and TtEotM isn't that.

I hate that TTJ is going to probably kind of fade into obscurity, at least among English speaking fans, because people are going to be rightfully wary of recommending this drama now. And I can’t blame people, because if I’d known the ending, I probably wouldn’t have watched either. It left me feeling so empty today, and not in a ‘wow hurts so good’ way that true, well done, and cathartic tragedy does.

One can hope youku releases a ‘fix it’ clip like has happened with some other shows, that at least gives a happier ending for TTJ and LSS. Even then, that’s kind of putting a bandaid over a gaping wound, because a lot of the issues with the ending will still exist, but at least it might make it so I can recommend it with a ‘yeah the ending isn’t great, but it’s overall really good.’ And no the audio clip does not cut it.

[buddieism]

tommy's character, bucktommy's inherent flaws, tommy & eddie as mirrors and buddie endgame; a (lengthy) meta analysis

honestly, what's really confirmed my feelings about tommy (and the imminent bucktommy bones -> buddie pipeline) is that there have now been multiple opportunities for the writers to actually make tommy a likeable/serious love interest for buck and they just…haven’t. because while fans are naturally going to overanalyse every little thing, the vast majority of the show's audience are regular viewers who consume the show at face value and don't think twice about it -- so if tommy was intended to be buck's endgame or anything remotely close to it, they'd absolutely want to make the most of his (very limited) screen time to present him in the best light they could. think about karen, the only non-main LI, and how she was introduced to us -- despite hen's cheating, we can see how dedicated karen and hen are to each other and how karen is a complex character in her own right who is immediately easy to root for and love.

comparatively, when we look at tommy's s7 appearances and specifically his interactions with buck, it becomes abundantly clear that there isn't really much depth to their relationship at all. which is fine! it's just... you know. fine. let's get into it.

following the cruise arc, we watch tommy through buck's eyes in 7x04 where he's basically wining and dining eddie -- flying him to vegas, getting them front row tickets to a fight, sparring with him in muay thai, playing pick up basketball with him -- tommy and eddie are so similar (which we'll come back to later), and we even get that line from eddie about how well they "click." as the audience, we are being subconsciously told to align tommy and eddie together -- and furthermore, we are told that tommy can easily make grand gestures when he wants to. now let's compare that to the bucktommy moments of the season.

bucktommy's first date: tommy makes a shady comment that would have outed buck if eddie or marisol caught onto it and then proceeds to abandon him on the sidewalk because he thinks buck isn't "ready" for a relationship with a man

i'll be objective here -- i understand in a show like 911 there's always going to be "unnecessary" relationship conflict for the sake of drama and i can also see how buck trying to play off their date as platonic to eddie might have put a bad taste in tommy's mouth. but we hear from tommy himself that he struggled with being open about his sexuality when he was at the 118 so he could have absolutely extended some sympathy towards buck for not wanting to come out on the spot to his best friend -- especially when tommy fully knows how important of a role eddie plays in buck's life. at the very least, he didn't have to leave buck alone on the curb. this isn't me trying to woobify buck because yeah, he's a grown man, he's fine -- but that doesn't mean it still isn't a bit of an asshole move.

the bachelor party: tommy doesn't dress up for the theme and dismisses buck when he's clearly disappointed about him doing so

tommy showing zero interest for the bachelor party buck planned is practically the writers waving a massive red flag in front of the camera -- him having to leave because he's on call is an understandable 'conflict' plot point but why not have him show up in an 80s themed outfit? it wouldn't have changed anything except that he and buck would have had a positive interaction; buck would have been happy that tommy cared enough to make that small gesture and it could have been a cute way to establish their relationship as one built on mutual effort. (btw, the bucktommy hospital kiss could be seen as a big gesture, sure -- but from a more practical viewpoint knowing how rushed this season had to be, it was also just an easy way for buck to "come out" to the rest of the 118 without having to spend too much episode airtime on it.)

the medal ceremony: tommy says 'enjoy it while it lasts' (which, LOL) and also is not shown reacting to buck receiving his medal. he also has a conversation with henren in a deleted scene.

again, i'm going to try to give tommy the benefit of the doubt -- i'm not saying he has to be sunshine and rainbows all the time and i have no issue with a character having a snarky/sarcastic side. but when his screentime is so minimal, every line of dialogue matters. and it's pretty damning that the writers aren't taking those few chances to give us something to appreciate about him. with buck, tommy makes a dismissive comment for literally zero reason, and with hen and karen, who are rightfully looking out for their friend, tommy refuses to take them seriously at all.

bucktommy's dinner in the finale: buck displays some vulnerability about losing bobby, and tommy... really doesn't seem to care.

honestly i refuse to rewatch this part of the ep because it really icks me out on another level but iirc: buck says he's glad bobby's okay because bobby is like the father he never had -> tommy says "your father's alive" -> something something joke about daddy issues. ignoring #that joke entirely, it's really insane to me that they have tommy even acknowledge the nuclear bomb that is buck's relationship with his parents. yes, we had a bit of a ham-fisted 'redemption arc' in s6 but that doesn't negate the buckley parents being absolutely heinous and the fact that buck verbalises how bobby played the role of the father figure because philip didn't -- all for tommy to basically deny that to his face -- is absurd. tommy has expressed on multiple occasions that he's jealous of the 118 family bond, so this line is just... very interesting to me.

now, let's recap all these events and bring eddie back into the mix!

post-bucktommy's first date, buck is more torn up about the fact that he lied to eddie than the actual date to the point that he has to vent to maddie about it. he then comes out to eddie, who is incredibly supportive (and oliver and ryan make some very curious acting choices indeed). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

pre-bachelor party, eddie is the one to suggest he and buck dress in matching (queer-coded) costumes. he then stays by buck's side at the party when everyone else leaves and although we'll never get to see it (tim minear i'm inside your walls👹), they sing an absurdly romantic karaoke song together. eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

during the medal ceremony, when the camera pans to each member of the 118's love interest/family, it is eddie we are shown smiling at buck, not tommy. this is especially interesting considering we get buck reacting to tommy. i honestly can't get over how a reciprocated tommy reaction would have been an easy yet significant moment to cement bucktommy as a relationship, but they gave us eddie's instead (with chris in the background and marisol conveniently obscured, mind you). eddie is reiterated as one of buck's most significant relationships.

in the final episode, when eddie is experiencing his personal worst nightmare, buck is the one at eddie's side every step of the way. buck talks to christopher, buck reassures eddie (without judgement), and it's made clear that buck will be there for eddie, whatever he needs.

at every possible opportunity, we the audience are being implicitly told that eddie is buck's person. he is his place of support (buck having his more vulnerable coming out scene with eddie rather than his sister); he has buck's back (the bachelor party); he is his family (medal ceremony reaction), and ultimately, this goes both ways (finale).

some other things worth noting: when buck has his coming out scene with maddie, she tells him he's confused about his feelings in a way that seems to indicate she's talking about his feelings towards eddie ("if you there's something you need to tell eddie, you will"). in bobby's conversation with buck in the firehouse, he's verbally supportive of tommy and even asks if buck is going to see him, but buck goes to eddie's house instead. these were deliberate choices made by the writers; eddie has been consistently intertwined in bucktommy's relationship both overtly and subtextually throughout the entirety of s7. and let's not even get into the whole 'evan' thing, because that could be a whole other post in itself.

from the first moment we start to learn about tommy's character (beyond his... coloured past), we find out that he and eddie are practically mirrors. why not make tommy and buck share similar interests? why not give them something to bond over? why present tommy and eddie as almost identical in every way? because tommy is a placeholder for eddie. buck's initial bisexuality journey can't happen with eddie when eddie still hasn't come to terms with his own feelings. so, in the meantime, tommy is the "safe" choice in buck's mind because buck has nothing to lose with tommy whereas he's got everything to lose with eddie. buck can't confront what he truly wants yet because the risk factor is far greater and it's been repeatedly asserted that buck has an issue with people in his life leaving -- he would never do anything to jeopardise his relationship with eddie.

but ultimately (and in my opinion, fairly soon), we are going to get that moment where it "clicks" for buck and he realises that it is eddie he has feelings for. and when that happens, there's basically only one way it can go. we know buck can't keep secrets from eddie; we know eddie is going into s8 feeling "isolated"; we know tim loves making his characters suffer before they can be happy. in my mind, the narrative is going to go something like this: buck feelings realisation -> pining buck era -> eddie healing journey and a reevaluation of what buck means to him -> some insane life-threatening situation that really doubles down on how buck and eddie care more about each other than anyone else because it is 9-1-1 at the end of the day -> love confession induced by their dramatic near-death experience -> #BUDDIE_CANON !

when we factor in how there was a possibility of eddie having the sexuality arc this season instead, how tim has said buddie is one of his favourite dynamics of the show, and how supportive both oliver and ryan are of the ship, i really can't see how everything isn't building to buddie endgame. every other main pairing of the show has had seasons of development, of conflict, of bonding moments. buck and eddie have gone through that with each other time and time over (tsunami/lawsuit/shooting arc etc), which is why every other random love interest that's introduced for either of them falls flat in comparison. they quite literally are exactly what the other person needs; buck wants the stability of a home, a family, and unconditional love; eddie wants someone he can trust, a caretaker for his son but also a partner. buddie is the ship the audience wants to root for, because we know they work! now that we have canonically bisexual buck and eddie finally having to face his complicated feelings about losing shannon, buddie isn't just the logical conclusion -- it's the inevitable one.

[eowynstwin]

Hi everyone. It's been a while—exactly a month since I last posted to this blog. How have you been?

A month isn't really all that long, but it's enough time to be able to look at everything that happened and understand it better. In the end, the whole situation (I've been calling it The Fuckening in my head) really didn't have anything to do with me. I was unlucky enough to run across someone willing to hurt anyone they could for attention, but also lucky enough that everyone who mattered to me in this fandom went to bat for me.

So I’ve decided to come back to this blog. I'll be posting about call of duty again as well as posting my writing. I also plan to blog about other fandoms (I’d already been doing it anyway); I've been getting back into rdr2, for example, and there's some writing I'd like to do for that.

There’s more context which I’ll put below the cut, but that’s the most important part of what I have to say; I often regret how long winded I can be, so the rest is just self indulgence if you can forgive it. I’ve thought a lot about this choice and I’m satisfied with my decision. I hope none of you will mind.

So, lol, things were not great outside of fandom stuff when it all kicked off, though I didn’t mention it publicly because we all know by now that asking for any sympathy when you’re the target of a mob is more likely to just get you raked over the coals harder. I’m still not entirely sure about talking about all of this, but I have a bad tendency to clam up when I really should be asking for support. So:

I mentioned briefly before the accusations started flying that I was dealing with bedbugs—turns out it was actually something else, but leading up to a doctor’s visit I was convinced I had an infestation, and I was stripping my bed every day to look for them. I had alarms set to wake me up twice a night to see if I could catch them, so I was not sleeping all that well. I couldn’t find anything, but I had no other explanation, and it was driving me fucking crazy. Post doctor visit it turns out I had a viral infection. No idea where I caught it, and nothing to do but wait it out. I had a massive, gnarly looking rash all over my body, and to add insult to injury I developed a fever that took me out for a whole weekend. (I’m recovered now but I have a nifty new scar on my hip from getting a biopsy.)

Next to that, I was having some PTSD flareups of my own. This was (mostly) unrelated to The Fuckening. Now, I understand that that might be hard to believe, given “Myka’s” claims, and I can’t make you believe me. Nor will I provide details to convince you, other than to say there were some things going on in my neighborhood that recalled a period of time in my life that was extremely unstable, and I found myself irrationally terrified to go home every day. For those of you who don’t experience the symptoms of PTSD, I think it’s appropriate to note that it isn’t just emotional turmoil; I, personally, experience physical pain in my entire body that lingers for hours, days, or even weeks after being triggered. (Everything regarding this, too, is fine now. I have a great therapist and a supportive family.)

All of this to say, I wasn’t exactly thinking rationally when I decided to leave this blog and fandom. And I regretted the decision almost instantly.

However, I didn’t want to let grief make any decisions for me, and also I was still VERY scared Myka was going to hunt down my personal information and either dox or harass me elsewhere. I think this fear was justified; it has happened to other writers in this fandom before.* So I decided to take some time to cool off and watch the situation develop without me.

I don’t think I need to get into the details—although if you’re interested in them, @fulltacs has been keeping track of the drama. Given the most recent development with the four obviously sock puppet blogs that popped up and immediately began stirring shit up again, I realized Myka probably would have done what she did with or without me. I just so happened to give her the ammunition she needed to do something REALLY big. It was pure bad luck.

(Also—and I’m sorry if this is just stirring the pot, but after everything they did to me I feel I deserve to make the accusation—I’ve suspected for a while that the two loudest blogs leading the witch hunt against me were far more involved in this farce than anyone has assumed. I have no proof and I do not want anyone to do anything about it on my behalf, leave them the fuck alone. But I will not forget the distress they caused me for a long fucking time, and the only way for me to let this go is to say my piece. So there. Done. Let that be the end of it.)

Having this hindsight, I feel comfortable coming back. I’m still very touched by everyone’s support, which in the end was louder than the harassment. I also think it’s important for people who care about fighting racism in any community not to run at the first sign of trouble, which I did, and I feel pretty sorry for.

That’s the gist of things. If you’ve read all of this, thank you for doing so!

*I was going to add a paragraph about halfmoth-halfman’s situation but decided against it. For one thing, she wants to be left alone, and for another, talking about the experiences of fans of color, particularly black fans, deserves its own post separate from my white experience, if I should even post about it at all.

[axelsagewrites]

Daemon Targaryen*The Restaurant

Sugar Baby Series Part one of five, next parts linked at bottom

Pairing: Modern!Daemon x reader

Platonic: Cregan Stark, Sara Snow, Jace Velaryon

Summary: After a horrible night at work the reader finally gets some good news

Warnings: bitchy customers

Word count: 2370

Masterlist Here

Moving out was one of the best decisions you had made. Moving in with your best friend Sara Snow gave you the freedom you always craved but with one slight problem; being alive is fucking expensive.

Being a server was not as easy as many seemed to believe. You worked at the Dragons Den as a server which was the most exclusive restaurant in Kingslanding. Even to work there you needed connections.

Luckily for you Sara had managed to get a job as a host through her friend Jace, who is admittedly still denying his major crush on her, and lucky for you both the grandson of its owner, Rhaenys Velaryon. When a server position opened, she instantly referred you and Rhaenys, who interviews all her staff personally, seemed to take a liking to a girl trying to be independent.

You'd think working in a fancy place would mean the guests would have more decorum. However, you would be very wrong. It was as if rich people got off on causing problems for the staff. Dealing with their ridiculous requests was one thing but what was worse was when the Hightower’s came in. They seemed to get off on the fact they knew the owners, despite Rhaenys not really caring about their existence but not wanting to restart another family drama. Alicent always sent her food back at least twice while Otto constantly tried to wiggle down the bill despite constantly trying to flex his watch or car or whatever else you pretended to care about.

When you walked in the restaurant tonight the sorry look Sara gave you from the host stand made you internally groan. "Is it seriously my turn again?" you asked her as you clocked in at the tablet at the host stand. 

"Aly had them last time and Cregan is one write up from being fired and I cannot risk that," you loved Sara's half-brother, you really did, but if he skipped his turn one more time you were ready to fight him in all his 6ft jacked glory. "C’mon do it for me," Sara said, batting her eyelashes dramatically at you. 

"Ugh fine," you groaned as you tied your hair up, the lobby currently empty thankfully, "How many of them and when?" 

"4 of them at 6.30," Sara grinned at you as you finished getting ready and putting your apron on, "Not sure who's coming with them, but it was made under Alicent so only one way to find out," 

The beginning of your shift was normal, peaceful even. Your first three tables had all left a 25% tip, so you were already perky to say the least. That was until you watched Sara walk your worst customers over. Alicent had brought her husband, for once, as well as her stepdaughter of the same age. Rhaenyra had always been lovely to you, but it was rare for her to come at the same time as Alicent. However, what really caught you off guard was the newest silver haired man. 

You knew practically all the customers by name from the sheer amount of gossip you got from Sara who seemed to know everything about everyone. However, you had never seen him before, but your eyes were locked on him as he slinked across the restaurant, his lilac eyes scanning the room. Definitely a Targaryen you thought. You were knocked out your thoughts when you accidentally met his eye and turned away quickly, pretending to look for menus as you disguised your blush. 

“He’s smirking btw,” Cregan chuckled at you from beside you at the server station and you quickly hit him with a menu before turning to go to your demise.

"Hi, my names (Y/N) and I'll be your server tonight," you greeted as you placed down the menus. "Can I get any of you started with drinks before I leave you to look over the menu?" 

"Could I have-" Rhaenyra had started but was cut off by Alicent who finally looked up from her phone. 

“This tables dirty,”

The fun begins. “I can move you to another- “

“No this will do,” she cut you off, “took that long to be seated in the first place,” you saw how Rhaenyra shrunk in her chair and how Viserys refused to meet your eye, “Water for the table, lemon, a whole lemon sliced not just two silly little slices,”

“Of course, ma’am,” you said, pretending to jot down the nonsense she always sprouted.

The only one not sulking or avoiding your gaze was the mystery man who was glaring at the oblivious bitch, “I’ll have the salmon, whole potatoes not mashed, peas not green beans, extra sauce but hold the lemon on the fish,” she said her words quicker than the speed of light but luckily the kitchen had pinned her ridiculous order to the board so you just scrawled ‘that bitch’ on the note pad which had become the code for her. “He’ll have the duck, hold the sauce,”

“But I like the sauce,” Viserys finally piped up however quickly looked away like a scorned child.

“It’s bad for you heart,” she glared at him before turning back to you, “Well aren’t you gonna ask them what they want?” she said gesturing to the embarrassed Rhaenyra.

You nodded and turned to her as she gave you her order with an apologetic smile. Finally, you turned to the mystery man, finally getting to have a good look at his perfectly sculped cheek bones and that intoxicating smirk he wore, “I’ll have the alfredo; however, it comes,” he said, shooting Alicent a smile when he ordered. “Thanks, dear,” when he looked back at you, you struggled not to blush as you wrote the order.

“Okay guys I’ll be right back with your- “

“Why don’t we have any water?” Alicent cut you off and it took everything in you not to force feed her your notepad.

Forcing a smile onto your face, “I’m just about to get it- “

“Okay then,” she rolled her eyes and turned back to her phone.

As you turned to leave you heard the man speak again, “She’s not a magician you know?” the man’s voice said but you had no time to eavesdrop as you had to rush about to do the hundred other jobs your manager demanded you to.

Aemond used to be a cool guy, even if at times up tight, when he was just a bartender. However, when he got promoted to manager through total skill, totally not complete nepotism, a stick got shoved so far up his ass he was now able to taste it. “Quick steps, quick cheques,” he quipped as you rushed past, sweat practically dripping down your forehead with your now full section.

The dinner rush was hitting hard tonight and even Cregan, the phone addict he was, hadn’t checked his phone in the past couple of hours. However, he had managed to tell you as you grabbed food from the pass that the man at your table was Daemon Targaryen and he had just relocated back to Kingslanding after running the Targaryen headquarters in Riverrun. You weren’t exactly sure what it was the Targaryen did, something money related or maybe tax, but whatever it was it made them the richest family in Kingslanding, something Alicent and her father were quick to gloat about.

The rush seemed to give you the superpower to carry all four of the desserts at once to your most demanding table. “Who had the cherry tart and ice cream?” you asked, desperately trying to not crumple from exhaustion.

“Not shocked you don’t remember considering it’s been 20 minutes,” Alicent grumbled.

Tears threatened to prick your eyes, but you refused to give her the satisfaction, “Sorry the kitchens backed up tonight- “

“I don’t need your excuses,” she cut you off.

You took a deep breath before asking again, “The cherry tart?” you asked, your arm starting to waver.

“That’s mine,” Rhaenyra said, and you sighed in relief as you sat it down.

Then the same thing happened with the chocolate cake which Viserys refused to claim till your third ask. “Cheesecake?” you said for the third time.

“That’s hers,” Daemon snapped as he took the plate out of your hand and thrust it in front of Alicent who was blissfully unaware on her phone. “Then that’s mine, sorry bout that love,” Daemon said as he took his plate out your hand.

“Its alright sir,” you said, desperately trying to stay composed. “Enjoy,” you said before rushing off, picking up a check from a table that had just left and heading to the server stand to press it into the computer.

When you opened the check your eyes screwed shut, tears seconds from falling as you punched in the tip. $12 on a check of $198. You rushed to press the numbers before practically running into the kitchen.

Cregan was leaning in the corner, practically inhaling some stolen fries when he looked up to see tears falling from your eyes, “What’s up?” he asked as he rushed over to you, fries in hand, “Fry?” he asked holding out the plate.

“12 bucks on nearly 200,” you spat, shoving the salty fries in your mouth, “I’m barely gonna break even by the time I tip out tonight my first tables were great but everyone’s being so cheap tonight,”

“Time to lean- “you heard a smug voice perk up from behind you. your eyes screwed up as you tried not to swing on Aemond as he spoke, “-time to clean. Don’t you have a table?” Aemond said as he went to stand beside Cregan when his face fell, “Are you okay?” he asked, his managerial face finally falling.

“Just fucking peachy,” you spat as you grabbed another fry before rushing out of the kitchen leaving the cooks to yell at the new manager in your leave.

You had two tables left: an old couple and the Targaryen’s. The old couple left you thirty on 180 which while not great was better than twelve bucks however at least they didn’t bark orders at you all night. As you waited for Alicent to wave you over you debated whether this job was worth it all. The clicking across the restaurant made you lean over to the not worth it side, but you weren’t quite ready to quit yet, rent was due tomorrow and who knows maybe Daemon was a generous tipper and would get the bill.

When you dropped the cheque at their table your stomach dropped when you saw Alicent throw it at Viserys. When you went to punch it in you genuinely considered how much you could withdraw from the ATM before he caught you. $9.21 on a $289.79 tab.

“Night folks,” you smiled as you dropped the check back, Aemond watching you from the kitchen window.

“Did you get your tip?” Viserys asked as he slipped the card back in his pocket.

How much jail time would you get for slapping a millionaire, you wondered. “Yes. Thanks sir,” you said with your fakest smile which oddly seemed to leave him satisfied before you rushed off.

“Can I go?” you asked Aemond through the kitchen window. He tried to stutter out a no but when he saw your eyes water he finally agreed, and you rushed to clock out and thrust money into the tip out jar. You were left with a whole $20 bucks from that 10-hour shift. Plus, your hourly wages which were honestly just laughable despite how high end this place was.

Sara tried to ask how it had gone but you brushed her off as you grabbed your jacket from the coat check and practically ran for the door when you saw the Targaryen’s approaching. The air was cold against your skin, your cheap jacket doing little for you as winter approached. You walked a few paces down from the restaurant to the bus stop and crouched down, leaning against the wall to catch your breath waiting for the bus which was always late.

There was no one around to see your tears fall so you let them. After all they were the only warm thing around. When you heard footsteps, you quickly whipped them off your cheeks and stood up, not about to get mugged as well as this night went. “What did he tip you?” your head whipped round to meet the sorry eyes of Daemon Targaryen.

“Its alright,” you tried to say but he insisted, stepping closer. You looked up at him, his face perfectly lit by the moon and streetlamps, “9 bucks,” you half laughed, your eyes rolling as you turned away. “It doesn’t matter. Some nights are just shit,”

You heard him ruffling in his pockets but didn’t turn around. Being murdered by a millionaire might be fun you thought. “Here,” you turned round at his voice, but he was already pressing the money into your hand. “You don’t deserve this shit,” he said, his hand still holding yours, “Get out you still will,”

“There’s nothing else for me to do,” you said, keeping your hand in his larger one. If not for your tears this might have been a cute moment.

“I doubt that doll,” he said before looking up the street, “That your bus?” he asked, and you nodded. “Get home safe love. And keep that to yourself alright?” he said, and you nodded as you slipped the cash into your pocket without counting.

“See you around?” you asked as the bus pulled up.

“Definitely,” he nodded before turning to where a sleek black car began honking at him, “Gotta goes love. Night,”

“Night,” you said despite him already being away. you quickly got on the bus, paying from your lousy tip money before taking a seat up the back of the bus.

You quietly took out the money from your pocket to count it, your eyes scanning the bus to make sure no one had moved to sit further up the bus as you counted, “Holy shit,” you whispered under your breath as you counted the bills. 3-hundred-dollar bills and a slip of paper with a number on the back.

Call me when you quit – D.T.

Part two here - Part three here

Taglist: @clairacassidy @valeskafics @starkleila

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Japan Girl’s Fest - Hakuoki Drama "One Night's Promise" Eng translation

Found another drama with Hijikata and Kazama that's much shorter than the last one I posted... this one is from the ライブビデオ JAPAN乙��Festival in 2011!

Also this post is to make up for last week... I think?

Hakuoki ライブビデオ JAPAN乙女Festival drama "One Night's Promise"

Translation by KumoriYami

Hijikata: I thought I had just finished my work, [but] it's already midnight. It seems that headquarters is pretty quiet at night.

???:……

Hijikata: Who's there?!

Saito: It's Saito. I'm sorry for startling you.

Hijikata: Don't scare me like that. Is there something wrong?

Saito: I wasn't able to sleep, so I went to the dojo.

Hijikata: Ha, you seriously are an idiot for kenjutsu.

Saito:...Thank you. I'll take that words as a compliment.

Hijikata: Seriously, it can't be helped that you're an idiot for kenjutsu. Hurry up and get to bed so you don't cause problems for work tomorrow. Well then.

Saito:...Vice-Commander, what are you doing/where are you going this late at night?

Hijikata: Ah... I can't sleep. I just want going to walk around headquarters to get some fresh air.

Saito: Please wait. Because you're the Shinsengumi's Vice-Commander, I hope you will consider the circumstances and think twice about going outside alone [technically "without a companion" but that sounds weird...].

Hijikata:....You have a point....

Saito: I also can't sleep so I'll accompany you.

Hijikata: You don't need to be worry, it'll be fine.

Saito: I sincerely apologize. But this is something that I can't compromise on.

Hijikata: Ha… Okay, I get it. I give up. There's really no helping it, let's go.

Saito: Yes.

Okita: Areh, Hajime-kun, what are you doing in a place like this?

Saito: Why are you over here?

Okita: I just finished my patrol and was thinking of heading back after getting some fresh air. Areh? Hijikata-san is here too. I was thinking that there was a suspicious people around here, I never thought it would be Hijikata-san.

Hijikata: Hey, let's run away, Saito.

(crowd laughs)

Getting caught up with this guy will only make this rare warm evening breeze feel disgusting.

Okita: Hold it, Hijikata-san. Where are you going?

Hijikata: I’m not going anywhere. I'm just taking a stroll.

Okita: Then I'll also go.

Hijikata: Just hurry up and go to sleep. If you can't get up early tomorrow morning, you're the one who's going to get in trouble.

Okita: Hm~ Hijikata-san and Hajime-kun are able to stay up late yet I can't, that feels super unfair~

Hijikata: You bastard... can't you do something bout your mouth?....Just do what you want!

Okita: Hehe, yes, yes, I'll do as I like~!

....

(in a back alley)

Okita: Hey, Hijikata-san~ I'm getting tired~

Saito: The Vice-Commander has something important to do here. Please head back if you're going to disturb him.

Okita: Ah something important is it~ but all I see is him going on a pointless stroll.

Saito: He definitely isn't wasting time, this is an important way for Vice-Commander to pass the time.

(crowd laughs)

Okita: Heh~ it turns out it was a diversion. Then wasn't that enough of one?

Hijikata: Hey! You tow! Can't you be bit quieter? Seriously, it's a moonlit night, and yet there's no elegance to it.

Kazama: Elegance is it, you're saying that doesn't suit you at all.

Hijikata: You are... Kazama Chikage!

Kazama: I thought there would be stray dogs barking in the middle of the night, and it turned out to be you guys. Could it be that you don't even time to sleep in the Shinsengumi. You don't even have time to sleep while working for the Shinsengumi? You must be having a hrad time.

Hijikata: You bastard, what /What are you doing here?

Kazam: What am I doing? Why do I have to tell you tht?

Hijikata: Heh, our job is to maintain the public order in Koto. If we encounter a suspicious person in front of us, we need to send him back to where he came.

Kazama: Maintaining the public order in Kyoto.... Hahahaha, your dog-like nature hasn't changed at all. Ah. Well, it's fine to just keep licking the boots of the Shogunate.

Hijikata: Licking boots?! We're doing this because we have ambitions! You have no right to tell us what to do.

Kazama: Your ambitions? They're probably all pointless things anyway.

Hijikata: Hmph, you keep saying that you have great ambitions, but all you do is kill people people to be rewarded. After all, humans are creatures controlled by petty desires.

Okita: Hijikata-san, there's no point talking to him, just cut him down.

Saito: You guys, get ready.

Kazama: Hahahahaha, I was feeling bored, so this as tonight's entertainment is perfect. It's just as well, I'll be your opponent.

Hijikata: Take your hands off your swords, Souji, Saito.

Saito:……Why?

Okita：I can't back down so easily after being made fun of like that.

Hijikata: They say the weakest dogs bark the loudest. Listen, Kazama. I'll let you off today. But in return, you'll have to closely watch us with your own eyes from now own. The Shinsengumi's ambitions.

Kazama: Hm... You want me to witness that with my own eyes?

Hijikata: Yeah. Though if you still can't admit it to that, then-

Kazama: Then at that time, I will cut down all of your so-called great ambitions.

Hijikata: Fine. Then I'll just say one thing. Humans are creatures that are full of greed. As you say, it's true that the Shogunate and the world is full of corruption. But even so, as long as the Shinsengumi exists, we will fight for what is important to us. Don't forget that.

Kazama: Is that all you wanted to say? Isn't this what they mean when they say the "howling of the losing dog".

Hijikata: Just say whatever you want! The next time we meet… I'll cut cut you down.

Kazama: Those words, I'll return them to you.

....

Okita: Hijikata-san, why didn't you do anything?

Saito: Souji, the Vice-Commander was reaffirming thorough him that the Shinsengumi must never bring shame to ourselves as warriors before the Shogunte or the world. We must engrave that in our hearts.

Okita: Hm~ what a serious pain. Anyway, I'll just cut down the enemy in front of me, so I'll leave the rest of the problems to Hijikata-san.

Hijikata: Hmph, I thought you'd say that. It's fine if you do that, but just focus on looking forward without looking back. You too, Saito. Under the Makoto flag, keep heading forward.

Saito: Yes.

Okita: Yes~ yes. Oh, it's already dawn.

Hijikata: Our regulations say that weren't supposed to be out at night, so what the hell were we doing? [???]

Okita: Ah~~ (yawns) If I can't wake up today, it'll all be Hijikata-san's fault.

Hijikata: You were the one who insisted on following us!

Saito: Vice-Commander, since this is a rare opportunity, why don't we go enjoy the morning sun.

Hijikata: Ah, right. It looks like we'll have a beautiful sunrise.

---end---

[alittlebitofloveliness]

What’s your interpretation of Dallas and Sylvia relationship?? Both pre book and post book.

HMMMM OK this is a tough one for me because there's so little of Sylvia in the book that I've kind of built my own lore around her in my head and through some of my fic and some but not ALL of it would work in canon universe, but I'll do my best.

SO in my head, as I've said before AND WILL SAY AGAIN Tim and Sylvia are best friends, they're platonic soulmates, you can't change my mind but ANYWAY i mentioned in this post that I think Sylvia first agreed to go out with Dally because she was pissed at Tim; and I think that probably went both ways and Dally asked her out for the same reason (I also think Tim warned Dally about her and he didn't listen). That said, I headcannon that Sylvia fell in love once long before she met Dally, and that it ended badly and she promised herself she'd never fall in love again; SO when she agreed to go out with Dally she already knew she'd never fall for him. I think she STAYED with Dally because he fascinated her. Sylvia is smart, but I think Dally was so unpredictable that even Sylvia with her cool, calculated suspicion, always ten steps ahead of everyone around her, could never predict what he would do next. They'd be out getting milkshakes and she'd be studying him like a bug in a jar. I think in Sylvia's mind, even though she was dating Dally and agreed to be his girlfriend, she was never truly attatched to him. No feelings on her end meant she didn't think twice about cheating, but part of me thinks it was also a sort of 'experiment' in her mind, to see if she could guess how he would react, her way of shaking up the proverbial jar. And I think that's the root of the problems in their relationship: Sylvia is playing her own games, and Dally has no idea what he's got himself into. i think too, we need to acknowledge Dally's misogyny and the role it probably played in their on and off relationship. I think Sylvia is headstrong and wouldn't tolerate being treated badly, but I also think Dally's ego would make him unable to see- or maybe unable to recognize- that Sylvia is simply smarter than him. He wouldn't be able to handle it, the way she could play him like a fiddle, so anytime her mask slipped just a bit, and he got to see the cold, calculating, intelligence she hides behind a giggle and lipstick stained smirk he'd get spooked and break it off for a bit. All in all they were horrifically toxic and terrible for each other from the start and they both knew it.

Post book and post Dally's death wouldn't impact Sylvia much I don't think. I think she'd miss him a little, because she could never perfectly figure him out and because he was fun to fight with, but I don't think she would properly mourn him. At least not as someone she loved, because she never loved Dally, not really, and never tried to either. I think it'd cause some tension in her friendship with Tim for a while too, because Tim really was Dally's friend for all he refused to ever get caught up in the drama of Dally and Sylvia's relationship, so Sylvia's blase attitude towards Dally's passing would really piss Tim off.

Thanks for the ask xx

[emptystove]

The Long Con - Ch 4

One Piece Fanfic (Romance/Drama/Suspense)

Pairing: Nami x Law

Rating: EXPLICIT, 18+ ONLY

Chapter Summary: The Celebration of Germa brings new friends and experiences when Nami takes an unprecedented risk.

Posted to AO3, FanFiction, and Wattpad under HortyCord.

Chapter 4 - The Game

Law traced his fingers idly over the hilt of his sword as he mulled over the information he received. Nami had just recounted her visit to the Vinsmoke Manor in great detail.

"So," Law finally spoke. "You beat Niji at pool three times straight?"

"Are you serious?"

"What?"

"After everything I told you, that's your question?!"

Law ignored her and continued. "You told him you thought he let you win, but he didn't, right? How did you win?"

"You realize he snapped his brother's arm like a twig and acted like it was nothing right? You heard that part of the story?"

Law let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes. That part was clear, confirming what we already suspected. Niji has considerable strength and speed. His and the others' reactions to the event are also clear. The violent outburst directed at Yonji wasn't surprising or out of character from their perspective."

Nami folded her arms across her chest, annoyed but listening.

"Niji has enhancements. We know some of them, but there could be more. I need to know why he lost to you at pool."

Nami softened as she started to understand what he was really asking. "Same as the bar. I'm quite skilled, but I also distracted him when he started doing well. He was good, but not any better than a well practiced regular person. And if the alcohol affected him, he didn't show it."

"You don't seem too affected by the alcohol either. Maybe it wasn't as strong as you thought."

"I can drink fishmen under the table." She waved off his implication. "The scotch was strong enough."

"So strength and speed are enhanced, strong alcohol tolerance, not necessarily improved dexterity or perception though." Law hummed thoughtfully. "That's good for us."

"Yeah, until they decide to turn that strength and speed on one of us."

"I don't think we're in any danger for now. If everything you told me is true, they appear to be quite taken with you already. You were good enough at manipulating them to get all that information and an invitation for both of us to go back."

Nami crinkled her nose and pursed her lips. "Yeah, but I'd rather not have to continue that kind of manipulation. I only got him to agree to include you by kissing him and running away before he could realize what happened."

Law raised his brow and looked directly at her for the first time since their conversation began.

"On the cheek you pervert!" She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl in the kitchen and tossed it at his head.

Law caught the fruit and grinned.

"Anyway, I doubt that kind of thing would work twice... and I have no intention of going further with that kind of distraction."

"Fair enough," Law said casually as he bit into the apple. The way she grasped her own arms let him know she was serious. Even though she was unapologetic about using her looks to get what she wanted, she had limits she definitely did not want to cross, and she was worried that those limits would be tested.

"You did good tonight, you know. And I'll be with you every step of the way on Saturday."

She looked back at him, cautious but grateful.

"I bought something for you while you were gone." The amount she perked up after hearing that made him genuinely laugh. "Don't get too excited, Nami-ya. It isn't clothes or jewelry."

Law pulled out a small box from a shopping bag under the table. He opened the box to reveal two Baby Den Den Mushi. "They can't broadcast far, but you should be able to reach me from anywhere on the island if you need to."

Nami reached out and took one of the pair. "Normally I prefer diamonds, but I have to admit this is not a bad gift."

Law flashed a lazy grin at her approval. "We should come up with a code word. Something to use to let the other know we're in trouble if someone else is listening."

Nami hummed as her gaze fell to the fruit bowl. "Mikans."

"Mikans?"

Nami smiled to herself. "I grew up on a Mikan grove."

When she didn't elaborate, Law asked, "In the house smaller than your bedroom?"

Nami rolled her eyes but didn't lose her smile. "That's the one."

"Mikans it is." He could tell she didn't want to go into it any further. Although he was intrigued, he wasn't going to push it. "Now that that's settled, let's take it from the top again. I don't want to miss any details."

Nami groaned, "You may not ever sleep but that doesn't mean other people shouldn't either."

*****

Saturday came before they knew it. It was mid morning by the time they were ready to head to the celebration. Nami was feeling confident after she successfully convinced Law to leave his nodachi at the apartment. In the last few days, they found out from the locals that the celebration was more akin to a carnival than anything else. Whatever games and entertainment awaited them, it was very unlikely that it would warrant a sword. Not to mention, Law was playing the part of a doctor on sabbatical. She appreciated that he wanted to be prepared but the large weapon would only raise questions they weren't prepared to answer.

To both of their surprise, a car identical to the one that brought Nami home from her last visit to the Vinsmokes' was waiting for them outside the apartment.

"Ah! Miss Nami." A man in a stuffy black suit too warm for the sunny weather jumped out of the driver's seat to open the back door and bow. "Master Niji is most looking forward to your visit. He wanted you to know that he takes care of his guests' every want and need, especially, uh," the man hesitated and cleared his throat before reciting his prepared statement, "especially compared to lesser princes."

Nami snorted at the remark. Niji couldn't help trying to make Yonji look bad, even when he wasn't around to gloat about it.

Law leaned down to whisper in Nami's ear, "You gave him our address?"

"Of course not," She whispered back harshly at the accusation. "He sent me home with a driver last time. They must have given him the address they dropped me off at."

Brushing away the unsettling feeling that came with that realization, the pair climbed into the car. They made good time as the city streets seemed quieter than usual. As they got closer and the manor came into view, Nami realized that it was because almost everyone in town was attending the event.

The celebration of Germa was huge. There were swarms of people walking and gathering around pop-up shops and wooden stands for a hundred yards before reaching the gates of the manor. The car drove slowly up the path, giving Nami and Law a view of the carnival-type games and local food vendors within the various booths. The gates to the manor were wide open, but a large security detail at the perimeter made it clear not everyone at the celebration was permitted inside. The scene inside the main gates was an elevated version of what was outside. Larger, more elaborate booths with fancier food and merchandise lined the grounds. A grand table sat on an even grander platform at the center of the manor's front garden.

Nami and Law exited the car and began walking about to view the festivities more closely. They didn't get far before two security guards stopped them. They were instructed to follow the guards immediately, bringing them in front of the elevated platform. Yonji, Niji, and Ichiji all sat on the same side of the table chatting and sipping wine.

"Announcing Miss Nami and-" the guard paused to glance from the princes to Law and back uncertainly, "and her brother."

Yonji and Ichiji shared a mild look of surprise while Niji jumped from his seat and clasped his hands together. "Right on time!" It was clear that he failed to inform his brothers of today's guests prior to the event as he relished in their confusion.

Nami and Law were all but pushed up the steps onto the platform as Niji walked to the edge to meet them. He grabbed one of her hands and held it out to the side, making her strike a pose as he took in the sight of her. "You look fantastic." He moved her arm, prompting her to spin, making the bottom of her blue mini dress float up and out before falling to her thighs again.

"You're too kind, my prince!" Nami smiled brightly and motioned to the bored man next to her. "This is my brother, Law. Law, this is Niji, Yonji, and Ichiji." She motioned to each one as she spoke their name.

"Pleasure to meet you." Law barely hid the sarcasm in his voice, though no one seemed to notice. Niji gave Yonji a knowing grin as his brother stared daggers at him in return, and Ichiji was more interested in his wine than whatever was happening around him.

The other brothers stood from their chairs in ceremony as Niji led the pair to their seats at the table. Nami paused in front of Yonji to address him.

"It's good to see you again," she said sweetly, and Yonji returned the look slightly surprised. "I have to apologize though. I didn't have time to thank you before I had to leave. It really was great night."

He softened immediately. "Erm, of course it was," Yonji mumbled as his voice caught in his throat slightly as her hand touched his arm briefly.

Yonji's own hand twitched as he began to reach for her, but she was gone in a flash, gliding elegantly to her empty seat on the other side of Niji.

Law fought hard not to smirk. She was good at this. She was better than he realized. Nami had diffused the situation before it began. She made sure whatever anger Yonji may have, it wasn't toward her. She did this without slighting Niji, and she did it within only a few minutes of interacting with them. What had impressed him most though wasn't so obvious. She touched Yonji's arm. The arm that was broken in front of her just a few days ago. For a normal person, that type of break would take weeks, maybe months to fully heal. Yonji wasn't wearing any sort of cast, and her touch made it clear that the arm wasn't even tender.

Law took the seat next to Nami at the far end of the table, and the day of celebration continued. Nami played her part perfectly. She was endearing and attentive. She even told a few stories she had learned from a friend she made during her travels. When Law dared to glance at her, he was greeted with the warmest smile he'd ever seen. He couldn't stop himself from smiling back as he felt a slight tightening in his chest. It was enough to make him momentarily forget the whole reason they were there. He quickly settled himself down, understanding it was part of her act. He couldn't let himself get distracted. Even though they were already outside, he needed to get some air.

Law muttered something about relieving himself and left the table. He began to walk. He walked until her smile faded from his mind, replaced with thoughts of Dressrosa. He focused hard on the bigger picture, the culmination of his plans, and he day dreamed of running his nodachi through the heart of the man he hated most in this world. He took a deep breath and lounged underneath a tree near the fence on the far side of the manor.

A raised voice to his left caught Law's attention. A merchant stood next to his food stand. A tray of rice filled bowls lay broken on the ground at his feet. The man was shouting at a white ball of fur next to the smashed meals on the grass. Law spotted a hint of metal behind the white fur, and his stomach dropped as he realized what he was looking at.

He nearly jumped when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. His head jerked around to see Nami kneeling down next to him.

"You've been gone a while." Nami gave him a small smile.

"I doubt anyone at that table noticed," he replied.

"One person noticed."

"Niji missed me that much?"

"Well, I did tell him you were the fun one between the two of us."

"You told him that?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I lied," she teased, and they both chuckled.

His smile faded as his gaze fell back upon the ball of fur struggling to pick up the broken lunches.

Nami took noticed and followed his gaze. A small mink polar bear slowly picked up shattered dishes and food off the ground. He stopped briefly to run his paw under the metal collar on his neck as the food vendor pointed his finger at the cub mumbling curses under his breath.

"I thought they outlawed slavery in this part of the world" she stated.

"They did. Though nothing is illegal if you line the right pockets."

Law's face took on a look of sadness far deeper than the scene they were watching. She wanted to ask what he was thinking but decided against it.

"I've never actually seen a mink before. I've only read about them." She looked at him, but his gaze held on the bear.

"My best friend is a mink." He said after a few moments.

"Really?" Nami was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah." He showed the faintest hint of a smile.

"How does a crime lord's doctor become best friends a mink?" She asked playfully.

"We met when he was just a few years older than him." He motioned to the cub, now carrying the ruined food to the trash. "His name is Bepo. He's a polar bear as well."

Nami opened her mouth to speak but something stopped her. She was interested to know more, but wondered if she should. He was a criminal working for someone willing to partner with Arlong. In their time on Germa, it was easy to forget that fact. He didn't act like any of the other criminals she knew. He was methodical and cunning, but something told her he had a softer side she had yet to see.

To Nami's surprise, Law continued. "We met on Swallow Island. He was only 8 years old, alone after having to leave his homeland. I guess I saw a bit of myself in him."

Nami held her breath and waited quietly for him to continue, as if any sound or movement might stop this sudden admission.

"He actually practices cartography, too. His maps aren't nearly as good as yours, but he's no amateur," Law turned to look at Nami. "I think you'd like him."

She couldn't help but smile brightly, a light blush grew across her cheeks at the compliment. "I can't wait to meet him."

"It's been a long time since I've seen him, and I doubt I'll be back with him again any time soon." Law gave her a sad smile. "It's too bad though. I know he'd like you as well."

It was unexpected and a bit confusing to Nami. There was so much she didn't know about Law. She had no reason to trust him. She shouldn't trust him. Something in the way he spoke about Bepo convinced her he was telling the truth. There was no lie in his eyes. His softer side was showing, and she felt compelled to nurture it.

An idea formed in her head almost immediately, and she grabbed Law's hand, taking him up and back toward the table that he so eagerly had fled.

"Nami-ya, what are you-"

"Do you trust me?" She cut him off.

"Not particularly."

She gave him a pout, sticking out her bottom lip, and that was all it took for him to concede.

*****

"There you are," Niji called out as Nami and Law returned to their seats. "I was worried we'd die of boredom without you."

"Well, we definitely can't have that." She smiled and her hand traced along his shoulder gently as she sat down.

Law looked out at the celebration activities. He forced a lazy and careless demeanor, but inside he was eagerly waiting to see what Nami was planning.

"You know," she began, "you'd be less bored if we participated in some of the games."

Niji scoffed. There were a number of vendors who set up carnival-style games in their booths, but most were beyond the manor gates.

"Hustle in bars all you want on your time Nami, but you're here as a royal guest." Yonji pointed out.

"We can't have you consorting with peasants when you're with me." Niji added, sliding his hand on her knee.

Nami hummed and placed a finger to her chin. "Then we'll just have to make up our own game." She smiled wide as both men turned to look at her.

"Do you have something in mind?" Yonji asked, likely interested in a chance to get back at Niji for breaking his arm the other night.

"On my walk, I spotted a prize I very much desire. But.." She trailed off and shook her head. "I doubt anyone would be able to win something that isn't for sale."

Even Ichiji turned his head to give Nami his full attention after that comment. They all looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Oh, alright. The rice vendor down the path there had a very interesting servant in his employ." She motioned toward the area around the far side of the manor.

"You want a servant?" Yonji furrowed his brows.

"I don't want any servant. I want his servant. He's a mink cub."

A wave of realization washed over the brothers' faces. When she said servant, she meant slave. The Vinsmokes did not keep slaves in chains on their property, but the servants in their employ were basically treated as slaves without the unsightly metal collar. It was clear that they allowed others to own them as long as they didn't cause trouble.

"You want a mink?" Niji asked.

"No, I want that mink." She could see them hesitate. It was rare for anyone common born to desire a slave. "If I'm going to be spending more time with any of you, I'll need some help taking care of personal things. Someone younger would be easier to train, and that little fur-ball all but stole my heart already."

She saw the men consider her words. She batted her eyelashes and added a pout for good measure, but she could see they still hesitated.

"And how is this a game exactly?" Ichiji finally chimed in.

Nami smiled wide again and clasped her hands together. "Whoever gives me the bear will win a gift from me. Let's call it a favor to be determined by the winner."

Niji and Yonji looked at each other. They immediately started talking at the same time, arguing about who deserved to be the one to claim the bear. Ichiji rolled his eyes and left the table. Nami sipped her wine and sent a playful look toward Law.

He wasn't sure how he felt about this plan. He had opened up to her only slightly about his past, and her first instinct was to do something kind for him. Or was this favor a way to get closer again to their overall goal in Germa? No, there were other means to continue without giving anything up herself. She confided in him that she was very against getting physical with any of these men if she didn't have to. Seeing the younger brothers salivate over her all morning made him worry that this favor would put her in danger of that. She wanted to help him, to do something kind for him, even at her own risk.

Niji and Yonji were still arguing, this time about how they could decide which of the two would win the cub for her. It looked like the decision was they would bare knuckle box to determine the winner, but before they could even agree, a throat cleared loudly behind Nami.

All four of them turned back in surprise. Ichiji stood on the ground behind the raised platform, his face devoid of any emotions, holding the mink cub in his arms.

Nami gaped at the man for a moment before composing herself. She clapped in praise, then leaped down to greet him. He gingerly handed her the bear and then held out the key to his collar. Nami smiled brightly up at Ichiji in thanks, struggling to find the words she said, "How- er, thank you!"

Ichiji turned stoically to Law, taking him off guard with the sudden attention. It was the first time any of the brothers looked directly at him that day. "You are a doctor, yes?"

Law nodded warily.

"Good. You will check this over for injuries. I do not want my gift failing to meet Nami's expectations." Ichiji stated plainly, gestured to the cub in Nami's arms.

Law casually dropped himself down off the platform to join them on the ground. Nami wordlessly handed him the bear, hoping Ichiji's request was just a formality and not based on any actually abuse the cub may have received. As soon as her hands were empty, she turned back to Ichiji and smiled again.

"So." She was searching his face desperately for any indication of what he was feeling, but she found none. "You win. What favor can I give my new hero?"

"Come with me." He did not answer her but held out his arm for her to take.

Niji and Yonji shared a glance that Law didn't miss. It was quick, but he was sure there was a bit of concern mixed with the obvious annoyance. He thought he saw the slightest hesitation in Nami before she happily took Ichiji's arm and began walking in pace with him. Law watched as they made their way across the lawn and driveway to enter the manor. He looked back to the remaining brothers, hoping to glean any other information about what might await her inside. They gave him none. They had already returned their attention to the celebration, motioning for their cups to be refilled with wine.

Law looked back to the manor once more before looking down at the cub in his arms. He realized then that the cub was shaking. He carried him a ways away from the brothers where he rested the bear under a tree to begin examining him.

"My name is Trafalgar Law. I know you are scared, but everything is going to be ok." He gave the mink a delicate scratch behind the ears. "I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Previous Chapter | Fanfic Master List | Next Chapter

[golbrocklovely]

since this anon kinda gets into some bridgerton spoilers, i'm gonna put it behind a keep reading so in case you haven't seen it yet, nothing is spoiled for yall :)

i'm gonna make a whole post on my feelings for part one bc omg i have so many, but i'll go into some detail about how i feel now.

BOOK SPOILERS ARE IN HERE (so if you don't want to know anything at all about this season/book, turn back now)

i was interested to see how things played out with eloise and pen strictly bc in the books, since LW has been doing it for so long, eloise isn't all that upset at finding out about pen being her.

but in the show, i was curious to see how they would make el and cressida work. and i think it sort of works. but my whole thing is, i can't stand c. like i get why she acts the way she does, but compare her to pen who is basically in the same situation.

pen also comes from a family that is mean to her and doesn't treat her well. she is also in competition with the ladies of the ton (and not only them but her own sisters at one point) to find a man, and yet she isn't mean. she doesn't pick on others to make herself feel bigger. her and c are basically one in the same, but the difference is that pen is internal with her negativity while c boasts herself as something more while simultaneously not feeling like she measures up.

this obviously brings into the question LW, but i think in a way pen isn't really saying anything the ton isn't already thinking. she's just making it widely known. in a way, she's the gossiper for all ppl - the rich and poor. so while yes, she can be mean in the LW columns, she's really only saying what everyone was saying to her and around her. and even then, she's also bringing herself down by reporting on herself and her family, which puts her in even more negative withstanding.

i kinda wish they would have kept c mean just for the sake of being mean, not have the audience try and pity her in a way. i think it would have been more entertaining if she was just rude bc she was never taught to be nice, rather than it being a desperate ploy to get a man before everyone else while being deeply insecure. idk. in my own personal experience, while you have bullies that are bullied themselves, which is why they act the way they do, some ppl are just destined to be dicks lol

and pen will definitely reveal herself as LW to colin, and probably her family and the bridgerton family. but i don't see it being shared with the rest of the ton only bc that kinda defeats the purpose of the show. in the books, there is the whole carriage scene, but then she continues being LW even tho colin thought they both agreed to her stopping it then and there. but regardless of that (since that won't work in the show), i think she'll reveal it right before they get married, and some form of drama will occur.

also.. and don't take my word for this since it hasn't been confirmed or anything, but i heard there's gonna be another carriage scene so……… maybe we'll get that from the books after all lol

(plus the mirror scene... plus an apparent montage of them fucking so............... i'm sat and ready)

as for what's gonna happen in part two, i have seen some spoilers so i won't say them since i highly doubt you want to be spoiled, but from the little preview they did show (plus some bts i've seen that has been going around twitter from some news network that went on the set to film them do part 2) i think like the books c is gonna confess to being LW and that's what makes pen pass out. and then she's gonna try to counter c with her own LW column calling her out, and then she'll get caught by colin. i think a variation of that is gonna play out.

i'm just hoping that by the end her and eloise are friends again. bc their scenes in this first half… i literally cried twice. especially at the "would you like to come up" part. it just hits a bit close to home in a way for me.

i just can't wait for what's gonna happen. like i need this second half NOW.

[1surfrocker]

10/14/2023

Last Friday Amy and I went out carousing in Downtown Long Beach. We ran into Craig at The Ordinaire, who I hadn't seen in god knows how long (since before Amy and I were a thing, so over 7 years). Craig lives in Long Beach now as well, but commutes into LA as he's still with the LAPD. Craig's one of those friends I didn't think I'd ever see again, as we're so different (he's a republican cop, and I'm me). But it was really good catching up with him, and I'll have to get a beer with him again soon. I spent most of the evening watching him and Amy debate about the housing crisis and what to do with vacant buildings owned by Chinese Nationals. It was like an episode of Bill Marr.

He mentioned that he hadn't talked to Josh in many years, and that Luke lives in Florida now with Toluca and has 2 kids.

After we parted ways, Amy and I walked down to the lighthouse and I smiled as she ran through the sprinklers twice.

The following day Matt and Chloe came over to record a song that they had very recently written together, a lovely ballad that reminds me a bit of Radiohead's Creep with a tinge of soul and R&B. It was the weekend of their 2 year anniversary, and I was honored to record them for this occasion, and thrilled they wanted to be in my studio instead of out at a nice restaurant or vacation getaway.

We wrapped up at 5 and then Amy and I headed to Sarah and Andrew's for dinner, ate porks chops with carrots, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, caught up with them regarding their Scotland hijinks (Sarah spent a month there this past August for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and soaked in the hot tub. At the end of the night we played Mario Kart while I slaughtered and Andrew pretended to have a good time.

Lisa came over on Sunday and we watched Fair Play, an amazing drama that kept us both glued to the edges of our seats while we watched the young wall street couple's relationship spiral out of control and take violent turns. Highly recommended.

The work week was slow but steady. I do wish I had some more exciting projects on the books right now, though if this deal with Raffael in Argentina goes through, that would give me a much needed jolt! We'll see.

Yesterday, there was an interesting incident with a crazy customer who was asking me to price match what looked to be a fake Vintage King listing for used Adam S3XH's almost a month after I sold him brand new S3XH's. He must have emailed me the same message three times in 30 minutes demanding I issue him a $224 store credit. I had to bring Steve into the mix to see if he was on the same page as me when I told him to basically go fuck himself. I was kind of hoping the customer would call me after I sent the email, just so I could bask in the drama. This guy's a really odd duck, always calls me from a blocked phone number and talks in this loud, overly formal monotone. It'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying.

Today we clean the house like crazy. It's finally looking good again after weeks of having all our stuff from the attic piled into the living room. Speaking of the attic, it's basically done. We went shopping for curtains and runs at IKEA last night (what a romantic way to spend a Friday night!) and so I'm feeling oh so domesticated as I write these words.

Off to Niloo's birthday shindig tonight at Dirty Beetles. Tomorrow: Me time.

Cheers!

[jeonfiles]

once more to see you | kth 01

pairing: taehyung x reader ft. seokjin

genre: angst, fluff, unrequited love

synopsis: taehyung is the complete opposite of you, and you're so in love with him. he's not interested in you at all, but he's willing to pretend so he won't be known for breaking the sweetest girl in school's heart. he knows you'll end up hurt either way.

warnings: taehyung is an idiot, a lot of pining, y/n is annoyingly dependent on validation, y/n does a lot of silent prayers, y/n is a track star, childhood bsf seokjin (cute), mentions of deceased family member

music for this chap: she had the world , carry me out

a/n: taehyung will disappoint u in the beginning but hes cute i promise

"I get why you like him Y/N," Sohee swallowed the rest of her sandwich before finishing her sentence, "He's so hot. People say he's interested in you too, y'know?"

Sohee visibly tried to get food out from the back of her mouth using her tongue, and it made you chuckle at the sight. "I don't think he does." You sighed, resting your chin in your palm.

You were both situated at the table in the inner corner of the cafeteria, with a full view of who walks in the door, and sometimes you swore you could see Sohee drool when attractive guys walked in that exact door.

"Hello, of course, he does! Even his friend Jimin told Kang Seulgi from Class 1, who told Go Euntaek in class 3, who eventually told his girlfriend Baek Ho-rang who ran to me to tell me the great news." Sohee gasped for air after rambling, and you rolled your eyes,

"Stories change when that many links contribute." You scoffed, sitting back in your chair and reaching for your juice box on the table, taking a huge slurp, which you knew would annoy Sohee.

"You don't believe me? Guess we gotta ask a link closer to the source then." Sohee stood up from her chair, and you looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Park Jimin, get your ass over here will ya?" She nearly shouted across the cafeteria, and now all looks were pointed at you two, and you felt the urge to just slip down the cracks of the floor tiles and hide there forever grow stronger for each nanosecond.

You sunk further down on your tacky, orange chair, but you could still see Jimin's black locks sway a little over the crowd as he walked over to the table you were sitting at.

"What's up sugar?" Jimin smirked at Sohee, and Sohee didn't even budge, and you had no idea how she did it. He was stupidly attractive and could make any girl drop her pants with a comment like that.

"Jimin my dearest, a little birdie told me that Taehyung likes my sweet Y/N, could you confirm?" She batted her long lashes and smiled prettily at Jimin.

He looked to the left, sucked his teeth, and said, "I can't, I'm sorry." You realized you had grown a little too hopeful, and your heart sunk quite a bit when he spoke.

"Does he think I'm pretty at least?" You spoke up, eyes shining when you looked up towards the standing Jimin, the harsh lights in the cafeteria reflecting in them.

"He hasn't mentioned you much, to be quite honest." He shrugged, walking back to his table, where Taehyung and the rest of his friends sat.

Your heart thumped when he met your eyes, and you looked away in panic. The rest of lunch was just Sohee apologizing and you avoiding eye contact with any of the students at the nearby tables.

Jimin mentioned you and Sohee's name several times, he was a loud speaker, and you were so scared of what he was saying you could probably die right then and there.

Saved by the bell, you picked up your stuff and got ready to start running to your classroom, praying you wouldn't meet any of Taehyung's friends, and especially not Taehyung as you ran Usain Bolt style.

You looked down while running, not thinking twice about leaving your best friend behind, you suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. This was surely not one of your glory days.

When you looked up, you wanted to cry. It was none other than Kim Taehyung, and he didn't look pleased. You gathered your things and muttered "Sorry." under your breath probably about 10 times, and he just watched, disappointingly.

"You're a klutz. Why were you running?" He spoke, and your knees turned into jelly when you tried to stand up, you nearly fell and dropped all your stuff again, but he caught you by the arm, straightening you up like it was nothing.

"Uh... Uhm... Err..." you mumbled, and he rolled his eyes, and not in a joking manner. "Fuck that, why are you going around telling people I like you?"

Your breath hitched, and he stared at you coldly. "I didn't! Gosh, my friend Sohee told me someone had told her that you liked me, and- uh... We asked Jimin, and-" He put his hand over your mouth, making you shut up.

"I don't want you two to go around making up baseless rumors about me, it's incredibly annoying for me to go around correcting people who assume shit just because your little friend speaks louder than a bunch of hyenas at a tea party." Taehyung nearly spat, and you took a step back.

You noticed that people were listening in, their stares burning holes in your back. He was livid, and you didn't understand why, you just smiled, praying to god that this would end soon.

"I just thought you liked me-" You began, and he interrupted you, "You thought I was gonna like someone like you? Get over yourself and enter the real world."

The hallway went silent, your lips trembled as hot tears raced down your face, and like the track star you were, you fled the scene and passed the finish line into the bathrooms.

You stayed till the school day ended, not knowing what was unraveling outside the four walls of the stall.

Sohee 💜: 01:12 pm

Y/N, where are you? i heard what happened :( i hate taehyung im gonna chop his sausage off

Sohee 💜: 01:38 pm

taehyung is fighting w doyoung because doyoung decided to defend you this is hilarious

but fr where are you

Sohee 💜: 01:57 pm

doyoung gave taehyung a black eye damn

doyo is on the verge of tears when taehyung said you liked him and not doyo

taehyung cant not have feelings for you like there must be smth deeper going on

Sohee 💜: 03:39 pm

class just ended i'll wait out back

Sohee always knew when to leave you alone, so she did, partially. You usually shut off your phone when you're upset, but she still sends you texts to update you whenever you turn it back on.

This time, it was quite dramatic, and you rushed out of the icky stall and ran (again) to reach Sohee to get the full story, and as you expected, it was interesting.

"Basically, Doyoung punched Taehyung and Taehyung was a little too OP, so he failed to initiate a fight, so it just turned into Taehyung being an ass to Doyoung for defending you." She shrugged, adjusting the straps of her leather backpack as you walked home.

"Taehyung's rep is so tainted right now, I don't know how he's gonna fix this my dear Y/N, so I guess he got his karma. He's an idiot and I'm glad other people are starting to see."

You nodded yes, pushing out a fake chuckle, while silently you prayed that everything would soon be back to normal and that Taehyung would forgive you for the mess you caused.

Being in love with Taehyung for a year had taken a toll on you, and your best friend since freshman year had noticed too. You were different.

You used to be so independent and optimistic, but now you would strive for validation, and you had turned into one of the most insecure people Sohee had ever met.

Sohee tried to pull you away from him, but to her demise, it only got worse when you tried to meet other guys. She figured that the only way for you to disconnect from him was if you had your go with him, or if he treated you like a complete idiot.

You waved goodbye to Sohee as you entered your house, kicking off your shoes and throwing yourself down on the couch. You wanted to scream, but you saw your brother's and another guy's shoes in your hallway, so you kept it inside.

After having watched an episode of Seinfeld, you could hear the floorboards creak, and your gaze found its way to the hallway, where your brother, Yoongi stood, peeking out from his door.

"Ah, Y/N, you're the one who's home?" He smiled brightly, eyes turning into small crescents, which made you awe at the sight.

"Yuppers." You said and sat back again, pressing play to start the next episode. "Who's your guest?" And as you uttered your last word, another head peeked out from the door, and you couldn't help but feel the happiness brew inside you.

It was Kim Seokjin in all his glory, and this time, he looked even hotter. It had been about two years since you last saw him because he moved to Germany to study medicine.

Seokjin had been your neighbor since you were born, and you pretty much grew up with two older brothers who always took care of you.

No one dared to mess with you, because Seokjin and Yoongi always got to them first. That way, you grew up without a care in the world, protected from all evil.

You had no idea when you fell in love with him. It was somewhere during puberty, where your interest in Brad Pitt and Kim Soohyun from Dream High had grown stronger.

You remember Seokjin was scouted for modeling, acting, and even idol groups all through your childhood. He did a few ads, photoshoots, a popular teenage drama called Double Trouble, and even managed to get his own Wikipedia page.

There was no doubt that Seokjin was an attractive man, and in the two years he had been gone, his face fat was completely gone, and he had defined cheekbones, a slimmer and tighter figure, and you thought he couldn't be any more perfect.

"None other than God himself," Seokjin said smugly, opening his arms to greet you with a hug, and you threw your blanket you were covered into the side as you bolted into Seokjin's arms, legs wrapped around his waist.

He slowly put you down so your feet touched the parquet, and you felt a kind of euphoria as he smiled at you again, the same smile he had flashed you as long as you could remember.

Everything about Seokjin had matured and changed, but his smile remained the same. "What are you doing back?" You sniffled, holding back the happy tears that were forming in your eyes.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Germany, but it's a little bland. I miss ahjumnas complimenting me on the subway and the bomb ass food here in SK." Seokjin grinned as he wiped a tear that fell down your face.

Yoongi was leaning against the door frame, smiling at the grand reunion. You knew he liked seeing you two together, and you had a small suspicion about him shipping you guys.

"Please don't ever leave again." You gripped onto his shirt, digging your face down in his chest, and he said, "I swear to god if you're wearing makeup right now-"

You laughed as you pushed him away, placing your hands below your chin and batting your eyelashes dramatically, "I'm all-natural."

"Naturally pretty." Seokjin leaned forward and whispered in your ear, and your heart did a little somersault.

Seokjin's always been a charmer.

You woke up in your room, pink sheets draped over your half-naked body as tons of messages poured in on your phone, vibrating so much it nearly fell off the edge of your nightstand.

You grab it while rubbing your eyes, and you're shocked to see the messages that had exploded on your lock screen.

Unknown: 08:39 am

Hey, it's Kim Taehyung.

Look, I'm sorry for the shit I said to you and I would love to make it up to you in some kind of way.

Maybe I could take you out?

I get it if you don't want to, but I heard you were interested in me so...

What kinda food do you like? Activities, hobbies?

I really wanna make this right :)

You: 08:43 am

oh hey! I'd love to, you kinda owe me one. if it's your treat, I suppose we could get some sushi and boba...

btw I don't like u like that

Contact made, saved as "taehyung <3" at 08:44 am

taehyung <3: 08:47 am

Okay. Meet me at Nori Table at 6 pm. Don't make me wait.

Your heart was palpitating, and when you pressed your phone up to your chest, you could feel your body heat up from your scalp to your toes.

Maybe Kim Taehyung had no interest in you right now, but he sure would after tonight. You were gonna make him love you, soon enough,

Running to the shower a few hours of Seinfeld later, you scrubbed with all your might with your newest strawberry scrub, did your makeup, curled your hair, and sat down on the couch, outfit draped over the armrest of the chair.

It was an hour till you were leaving, so for the time being you sat with hair rollers in your hair, dressed in pink sweats. Seokjin and Yoongi had been awake all night, you had heard them laugh and play Mario Cart all night, it reminded you of old times.

Old times where you went to bed crying because Yoongi and Seokjin's bedtime was later than yours at sleepovers. Thinking back, your parents made a pretty rational decision, but you resented them for it.

When Seokjin left for school in Germany, during your Sophomore year you cried again. You thought it was so unfair that you had to be two years younger, why couldn't you come with him?

You were painfully in love with him, and you had been probably since you were. A few months after he moved, your feelings faded. You were love-free, only to fall stupidly in love again with Taehyung just a year later.

You were forced to snap out of your train of thought because you heard the floorboards creak again. When you looked over at the dark hallway, you saw a tired, yet familiar face smile at you.

Seokjin looked quite disoriented, hair ruffled and eyes puffy, yet he looked like a Greek god. Sculpted to perfection, he smiled at you like he did yesterday and all the times before.

"Morning." He grunted out, his morning voice prominent. You chuckled when you looked at the time, feeling kind of bad for Seokjin who had slept away the majority of his day, which you knew he didn't like.

"It's 5 pm, cutie. Mom said you guys could order takeout, cause she's working late." You stood up, and Seokjin gave you a good look up and down, and then diverted his gaze to the lavender ruffle skirt and white long-sleeve blouse you had neatly hung over the armchair.

"What's the occasion?" He nodded over at the clothes and then your hair rollers and full-face makeup-covered face. He threw a few walnuts from the little bowl on the coffee table into his mouth.

"It's none of your business, but I have a date tonight," you said smugly, and a walnut flew out of Seokjin's mouth in shock.

"A date? Like a real one?" He frantically asked, and you nodded as you walked away with your outfit in hand.

You came back out minutes later, and Seokjin had to hold his mouth shut so it wouldn't drop to the floor. You had matured so well, a white blouse adorning your waist, and the lavender skirt hugged your curves nicely.

You had decorated your neck and ears with golden jewelry, and you had a pair of Air forces dangling from your left hand. You were beautiful, hair let free from the hair rollers, curls swaying as you did a twirl.

"It's alright, I guess." He pretended not to care, and your proud grin morphed into a frown pretty quickly, and he noticed.

He stood up and walked towards you, standing very close. His tall figure was hovering over you. Seokjin leaned forward towards your ear, not whispering this time,

"You're gorgeous." He pushed your curls behind your shoulder, adjusting your golden necklace as he returned to Yoongi's bedroom.

You were screwed.

The time on your phone showed 6:06 pm. You recall him saying ‘don’t be late’. What a hypocrite. It had started to pour down, so you were squeezed up against the brick wall of the restaurant so the ledge above you would shield you from the rain.

You were shaking from the cold, legs exposed because of your skirt. Sighing deeply, you reached down into your purse to text Taehyung, but when you looked up, you saw him running over to you.

He was holding a bouquet of pink delphinium and peonies. You’d always been interested in flowers, and this small gesture made you all fuzzy inside.

“I apologize for my late arrival m’lady. The flower shop was about to close down for the day, and I had to beg the cashier to let me in, promising to buy a huge bouquet if she did.” He smiled as he stood in front of you.

“No worries sir, I haven’t been waiting for long.” You chuckled, as you accepted the bouquet. His eyes scanned every inch of your body, and he said, “You’re shivering. Let’s go inside.”

This was a side of Taehyung you had barely seen before, caring and warm. This was also the side of him that initially made you fall for him.

The memories of him reading stories for children at the hospital was heartwarming. Whenever you went to visit your brother, who has now passed, you would see him read stories for all the unlucky kids.

Your brother, who was only 7 years old talked about Taehyung like a superhero, and it seemed as if Taehyung’s stories were the highlight of his days at the hospital.

Daejung wasn’t a kid you would pity. In his last months in the hospital he never once cried. You believed that Taehyung was a big part of the reason.

That’s why you fell in love with him. He hadn’t been a superhero in the form of saving lives, but he definitely made a whole lot of sick kids happier.

How could you ever repay him?

Taehyung rested a hand on your shoulder and lead you inside the door, and there stood a beautiful tall woman, black hair to her waist, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips.

She was beautiful. You looked up to see Taehyung’s reaction, and he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at you. His eyes met yours, and you could’ve sword the whole world stopped.

“Excuse me?” An unfamiliar voice spoke up, and it kicked you right back into reality. It was the pretty woman speaking, an even prettier voice to match her.

“Do you have a reservation?” She questioned, smiling so genuinely from ear to ear. “Yes. It’s on Kim.” Taehyung spoke so confidently.

“Ah, for two. I’ll be your server tonight.” She waved for you to follow her, and before she turned around, you saw her name tag.

Bae Eunmi. A pretty name for a pretty person. Of course, she had to be pretty. Your confidence sunk even lower, and your insecurities grew.

“I’m not interested in her, by the way. I’ve talked to her before. She’s all beauty and no brains. Not for me.” Taehyung whispered into your ear, possibly to reassure you.

You sat down at the table and ordered a huge plate of different types of sushi, maki, nigiri, uramaki, and even sashimi.

This restaurant was fancy, nearly too fancy for your liking. It was huge and flashy, and it made you doubt your outfit choice completely.

The restaurant fell silent since there weren’t many guests here this early. The silence wasn’t awkward between you guys. It was just, too silent, and you decided to break it.

“Do you still write stories?” Taehyung’s face froze. How did you know about the stories he wrote? Had you been stalking him? Was this when everyone would find out how weak he truly is?

“How did you find out... About them?” He asked hesitantly, fidgeting with a small woven basket with bread placed on your table.

“When sun and moon met, moon felt bad. When the moon was alone at night, he cried, because he wanted to shine just like the sun.” You quote his story word by word, it was your favorite paragraph.

He looked at you with a confused look and his eyes told you that he wondered why you knew the story so well.

Before he could speak up, you said, “My brother's name was Daejung. He looked up to you and constantly told me about how he wanted to be like you when he grew up.” You placed your hands on top of his over the table.

Taehyung was speechless. He sat there, body completely frozen as he processed what you just said. The little boy he had mourned for many months was the same flesh and blood as you.

“Daejung told me how he wanted me to marry you because he thought no one else deserved me.” Letting go of his hands, he continued sitting completely still.

First, he felt disappointed in himself. Disappointed of the way he had treated you, how sad Daejung would be if he knew.

Second, he could see him in your traits. Your button nose matched his completely, and your eyes sparkled just the way his eyes did.

Third, he realized he had to take care of you. Fall in love with you, for Daejung. Taehyung had promised the little boy to take care of his friends and family when he has at his worst.

His expression completely changed. It softened, and his eyes looked at you like you were godsent. He believed you were too. It was fate.

join the “once more to see you” taglist

a/n: u guys know the angst isn't over lol u guys r never gonna see the light at the end of the tunnel ! this chapter was originally a bit longer but i have to test the waters and seeing how u guys like it !! pls reblog <3

[btsxmalereaders]

♡ Meant To Be

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x male reader

Fluff ♡ | Requested

Word Count: 2,8k

Masterlist

Don't forget to vote on whosfan and stream

"Aren't you even a little curious about it?"

You've heard this question thousands of times already; yet, the answer for it has never changed.

"No, not really." You shrug while your friend stares at you in disbelief. "Why do you ask knowing my answer?"

"I just had the hope that you changed your mind," Jeonghan says. "You know, out of everyone in our group of friends, you're the only one who hasn't found their soulmate."

You take one last sip of your tea and sigh, "And you're telling me this to make me feel bad?"

"No! It's just... I thought that would make you feel at least curious of the person whose name is written on your wrist ever since forever."

Your eyes immediately go to your wrist, and your other hand covers the name with your sleeve.

"And I still don't get your habit of covering it, as if you don't want us to know." He laughs. "Are you trying to ignore it and expect to find them like people picture it on dramas?"

Inevitably, you roll your eyes, "I don't know what to tell you. I just think that if we're really meant to meet, then it's gonna happen... someday. I'm in no rush."

Jeonghan nods in understanding, "I guess you're right."

"I am always right." You chuckle. "Now keep telling me about Injae, how is it going with her?"

That's exactly the way you would always dissociated yourself from the topic every time you were asked about it. It wasn't something you really cared about, unlike to your friends. You were happy with the way things are right now.

"... we are taking things slow, and it's all going great. I am really happy about it." He puts on a goofy smile and his ears and cheeks quickly covers in a tinted pink.

"Aw, my little Jeonghan is in love, who would've thought?"

"Shut up, who said anything about love?" He tries to act cool, but he's still smiling and feeling nervous.

"Please," You scoff. "That smile tells me you're head over heels about her. And the way your eyes shine whenever you talk about her? Seems like love to me."

"Ha, ha, ha, you really like to make fun of me, don't you?" He sarcastically blurts. "I am dying to see how you're gonna be once you meet your soulmate. "

"Mmh, we'll see about that..."

Just when you're about to continue reading your textbook, your phone buzzes over the table. You already got distracted by talking to Jeonghan when you both were supposed to be studying for the upcoming exams, but you decide to read the messages you received.

"What's better, keep studying or going out to grab lunch with Sihwan?" You throw the question in the air, to which your friend hums.

"Your friend that works at JYP entertainment?" You nod. "I mean, anything is better than studying for socials, so if I were you, I would go."

"You say that because you want to bump into an idol, don't you?"

"If you meet Twice, could you ask them to  autograph something for me?" He says with a pout, making you laugh.

"I am not that lucky." You say and quickly start gathering your belongings to put them on your backpack. "You're meeting Injae later, right? I'll catch you up at the dorm?"

"Sure, I'll see you later."

With that being said, you start walking to the building. Even when your friend has invited you a couple of times already, you couldn't help but feel nervous. That weird feeling in your stomach and the tingling in your skin, like chills. Trying to ignore it, you pass by a nearby restaurant and order Sihwan's favorite food, carrying the bags carefully until you reach the entrance of the building.

After a few messages letting him know you're already there and a few more minutes of waiting, your friend greets you with a smile and a pat on your back, helping you with the bags in your hands and guiding you to the elevator. Unusual, but you don't say anything about it.

"I have more work than usual today, I hope you don't mind eating in my studio."

"You won't get in trouble?" You ask, feeling concerned,  but he only denies with his head as he presses a button.

"Don't worry, it's fine."

You silently follow him, trying to not look at anyone in the eyes when you walk through the hall, all the way to the studio. Anyway, no one seems to be aware that you are a regular college student. Lots of people work in there and it's hard to keep track of everyone in there.

"Come in, seriously, it's okay." He chuckles by seeing how you look around and slowly walk inside. "I've been working on the melody and guide for a new group these past hours."

The door is closed and Sihwan sits on the office chair and signals the sofa behind it for you to do the same.

"You brought food from that new restaurant down the street? Sweet." He says and opens the bag, placing the food containers on the wooden table between you two. "I've been starving."

"Working for a new group, you said?" You ask with interest, grabbing what you ordered for yourself and start eating as well.

Sihwan nods, "A girl group, they've been working hard and will debut soon, I hope you can listen to them."

"I am kinda old school, but for you I can do it, I guess..."

You two continue having a conversation about music and how you've been doing at college while sharing food. The last time you met with him was a couple of months ago, so the conversation keeps going for a while until he decides it's time to go back to work.

"Well, in that case I'll leave you. I've got to go back to study too." You say as you stand up and clean the desk.

"Mmh, okay. Thanks for this, how about we go have dinner next week? It's gonna be on me."

"Sounds great to me. Text me the details later?"

"Sure thing." He promises and smiles. "You know how to get back, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. See you!"

As soon as you step out of the studio, you look around to make sure no one is walking in the hall, so you almost run to the elevator, not expecting that someone would bump into you as they exit one of the offices.

You fall to the ground and start apologizing immediately, feeling embarrassed.

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you." You hear them saying.

"No, I am sorry, I shouldn't have ran here." You say, and as you try to stand up, they're extending their hand to you to help you up.

You take the help and do a reverence as a thank you and clean the invisible dust on your clothing, and as you're about to walk to the elevator, their voice stops you.

"Y/N L/N?"

You stop on your tracks and finally have the courage to stare at them in the eye and realize that it's a guy, and a very handsome one, you must add. Your legs tremble at the sight, clearly stunned by seeing someone so good-looking. Your immediate thought is that he's an idol or trainee.

"Uh, do we know each ot-?"

Your question is interrupted as he shows you his wrist, and that's when you see it clearly. Your name tattoed on his skin.

"I am Hwang Hyunjin... your soulmate."

You're at the loss of words. The only thing you can do is get lost in his eyes staring back at you, looking for whatever to say, but the situation feels unreal. It's like your body is frozen.

"Hey, Hyunjin, is everything okay out there?" A third voice coming from the office brings you back down to earth.

"I am sorry, I gotta go." You quickly say the second he is distracted, running as fast as your legs allow it and get in the elevator, pressing the bottons and seeing him run in the hall one last time before the doors finally close.

You exit the building and walk to the bus stop, looking back from time to time only to realise that Hyunjin has not followed you. With your heart beating like crazy and your hands shaking you get to text Jeonghan to let him know you were on your way back to the apartment and that you had big news. He was definitely not going to believe it.

"Ow! What was that for?" You groan as Jeonghan grabbed a pillow and threw it to you.

"You just ran away?!"

"I panicked, okay? You can't put the blame on me for that!"

"With all due respect, you're an idiot." He sighs. "You met your soulmate and just ran, oh god... What are you going to do?"

"Uhh... nothing?"

Jeonghan grabs the pillow again just to throw it at you, but your hands stop him.

"Okay, okay, I'll do something about it. I'll go see him again!"

"That's a big lie, you say that as if I don't know you." He rolls his eyes.

"Yes, I am a coward. I don't know what should I do, help me." You say with a pout.

"Your friend? He may know him, don't you think?" He states as if it's so obvious.

"Ooh, you're right! I am going to have dinner with him next week, I can ask him..."

"See? It's like the universe is conspiring for you to meet again... Properly meet, I mean."

You stop listening to him as he starts complaining and making fun of the way you reacted earlier.  Your mind is now finding a good way to reach out to him.

"...And I could finally finish that song." Sihwan says with a grin and takes a sip of his beverage. "I was practically isolated and had no proper human contact for a while, so thanks to our talk and delicious food I could finish in no time after that."

You giggle, "Really? Then I am happy I could be helpful, don't forget to add me on the credits."

He laughs at the joke and continues talking, "You didn't get caught on your way out, right?"

"Well... about that."

"Wait, are you serious? Did you get in trouble?" He asks, concerned.

"No, no! It's just that... Do- do you know Hwang Hyunjin?"

It's now or never.

Sihwan seems to think about it for a second, feeling confused. "Yeah, I mean, our team is not working with them, but I've talked to him and his group a couple of times. Why? You ran into him?"

"Yeah, but also..." You lift the sleeve of your shirt, letting him see the name written on your skin.

"No way! Really?" He says with a big smile. "Hell, congratulations! How- wait, why don't you look happy about it?"

"Because I panicked and ran away before I could say something to him." You say and hide your face behind your hands out of frustration. "I need your help, hyung."

"Okay," He chuckles. "Of course, what can I do to help?"

You sigh and take out a folded paper from the pocket of your ripped jeans, looking at it for a second before handling it to your friend. "Could you give this to him?"

Sihwan takes it and nods. "Of course, I'll give it to him as soon as I can."

Now all you have to do is wait.

You plop down in the sofa and stare at the screen of your phone for the millionth time today, feeling hopeless at this point. It has been one week since you asked Sihwan to give that letter to Hyunjin, and ever since, you couldn't help but wait for a message from him, or even a call, despite you don't knowing what would you even say.

"Hmm, you haven't heard anything from him?" Jeonghan asks and sits next to you. You deny with your head and sigh. "Maybe he's busy. I heard his group is going to do a comeback soon."

"A what, now?" You ask, and your friends looks as you in disbelief.

"Don't tell me you haven't looked up for him on internet. I mean, he was in JYPE for a reason."

"Uhh..."

"Oh my god, I swear you are..." He doesn't finish his premise. Instead, he takes the phone from your hands and looks up for his name on the web. "Stray Kids, you didn't look up for him? I can't believe this, are you even on social media?"

"Shut up, let me see this."

You quickly read their information, going directly to the names and pictures of the members, quickly finding Hyunjin and realizing your friend is right. How come you didn't think of it?

"Oh yeah, here says they're releasing an album in a few days..."

"Told you." He murmurs. "Are you still going to wait for him to text you?"

"Do I have another option? I don't think I can go around the building just looking for him, even if I am with Sihwan."

"Hmm, you're right. I hope you can talk soon, though. Imagine this: you and Hyunjin together, we become friends and he gives me a tour in JYPE to meet Twice."

You roll your eyes and stand up, "You're being delusional. I'll go to sleep now, goodnight!"

"That's rude!" He groans and sees you walk away. "I hope you panick and run away again next time you see him!"

The next morning when you wake up, the first thing you do is check your phone, and your heart almost stops when you see a new message from an unknown number.

You go clean your face and take a deep breath to gather the courage you needed to finally read the long-awaited message.

With trembling hands you unlock your phone and click on the notification.

It was no surprise to see how easy was to talk with him. You two started talking on regular basis, when he was free from his schedule and when you weren't studying, which happened really late at nights.

Soon, those thousands of messages became frequent phone calls and videocalls that lasted hours, and to say that you both trusted each other with your lives was an understatement. You were still getting used to the idea that your soulmate was an idol; and it was weird to see him constantly on the internet, as of course you started following every other fan account you found on social media. Hyunjin, on the other hand, was trying to be very supportive of your studies and kept sending you messages of encouragement as well as listening to your ramblings about your career and complaints about your professors.

"So you've caught feelings for him, right? It was about time, Y/N" Jeonghan says with a shrug. "I know some soulmates only work as friends and all that, but it was pretty obvious to me that you'd end up in a romantic relationship."

"Really?"

He nods and smiles. "Of course! Are you going to ask him out?"

"I was planning to, but what if he doesn't feel the same? What if he just sees me as the friend type?"

Jeonghan hums. "Well, I think it's gonna be okay. You're soulmates for a reason, don't you think?"

You hesitate to grab your phone and open the message bar, typing a question and hoping things will go well after pressing the send button.

"Hyun, is it okay if I ask you out?

Like, on a date?"

A few minutes later you receive an answer,  needless to say, you didn't expect him to reply now, so you feel as if your heart is about to make a hole on your chest right now.

Hyun ♡

God, I was really hoping I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Of course it's okay

I would love to go out on a date with you, Y/N ♡

You now feel at ease, the butterflies flying in your stomach and your body feeling so light as if you were floating. Is that how being in love feels like?

"He said he'd love to go on a date with me." You announce with a smile.

"See? There you go, my plan of meeting Twice soon is going awesome." He says and you give him a deathly glare. "I am kidding! But I have to say, who's smiling and blushing like a dumb right now?"

"Jeonghan!" You groan and grab a pillow to throw it at him, but he's quicker to stand up and walk away, still laughing.

Hyun ♡

Now you're not being shy, eh?

You won't run away from me when we meet?

You're the worst, you text back.

Hyun ♡

I may be

But I am your soulmate, so pretty much you can't get rid of me

He was right, but you were not intending to do that.

Because, now more than ever, you were sure things were meant to be this way. Right next to him forever.

[tk-productions]

Mystic Sisters- Ch. 23 Emotions

Masterlist🌙🌹

Haru’s pov

I laid in my bed looking up at the ceiling. Even if I was in trouble I still needed to find Yua. If it wasn't for those vampires I would have found them. I had already lost her once twice technically so I couldn't  lose her again.  But hey, the third time's a charm right? My phone started to ring. I picked it up and answered without looking at the contact.

“Hello?” I answered without bothering to look at the contact name. 

“Haru, it’s me. I found them.” Hisako said. 

“Where?” I shot up imminently running towards the door to put on my shoes.

After she told me the location I hung up in her face and left. I had been trying to find out where they were for days but with those hunters around it was damn near impossible. It was gonna take me a couple hours to get to them. Let's hope I make it in time before they leave again.

Yua’s Pov

I was so tired thanks to Riyoshi’s training. He has zero regard for my well being and it’s sad considering he’s so hot. I looked around and noticed he wasn't in the cabin so I went to look for him. Riyoshi was outside shirtless in all his glory throwing knives at a tree.

“Enjoying yourself?” I asked walking, closer.

He turned around and looked at me. “I wouldn’t say I'm enjoying myself. I'm training.”

“The mighty Riyoshi needs training? Never knew.” I leaned on a nearby tree and smirked, staring at him. Damn has he always been toned?

Riyoshi smirked back at me. “Wanna try and throw one?” he asked.

“Sure why not.” I took the knife and aimed at the tree. Tossing it with all the concentration I had. It didn't even touch the tree. I facepalmed.

“It’s ok try again I'll help you.” handing me another knife I got ready to aim again when I felt Riyoshi’s hand creeping up mine helping me make the toss. This time I hit the tree. “Yesss!” I jumped up happily.

When I turned around and realized how close Riyoshi was to me I stumbled back almost falling on my ass. Riyoshi caught me by the waist and backed me into a nearby tree.

“Um excuse me sir, you're in my personal space.”

“I know.” He replied and stayed in the same spot. Who was I to tell him to move but if he wants to stay he better at least kiss me or we are gonna fight.

As if he had read my mind he leaned down and leaned into him as our lips connected in a passionate kiss. He pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I don't know how long we were like this but I didn’t want to stop. Kissing him felt different, way different from kissing Haru. With Riyoshi it was slow and passionate while Haru felt more timid.  I heard someone clearing their throat causing us to jump apart. I turned around to see Haru fuming with anger. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled. His eyes glowed red as he stared at us. 

“You've been after Yua since day one. I should have known the moment you two were alone you would make a move.” He growled at Riyoshi. Riyoshi laughed while walking forward. 

“Well if you knew that then you should have come faster; However, you don’t deserve her.” He scoffed. 

The next thing I knew Haru had leaped forward tackling Riyoshi to the ground “ You son of a bitch!” Haru Yelled out in anger

I slapped my hand over my mouth in shock at the drama I had started. “Where the hell did haru even come from and why couldn't he show up like 20 minutes later why now ughhh” My head was in shambles. I didn't know what to do as I watched Riyoshi literally kick Haru's ass. Haru, looking completely out of control, was throwing punches left and right at Riyoshi who dodged all of them with ease then suddenly sent a mean right hook on Haru knocking him to the ground.

“You think because you're a full vampire you can hurt me? Think again.”

Haru got back up, eyes bloodshot red and he was growling. He didn’t look like his normal self but he’s a full vampire like Riyoshi said. At least he wasn’t lying about what he told us.

“I’m a mixed martial artist. Do you really wanna do this? Riyoshi asked Haru.

“Yes I do. '' Haru responded in a low tone before charging at Riyoshi once again. Who countered by grabbing him and throwing him on his back.

“ahhck .” Haru yelped and tried to get back up for more but Riyoshi stopped him and put him in a choke hold with the tightest grip he could, breaking his neck in the process. Haru fell limp and Riyoshi stood up looking back towards me. Looking at Haru’s limp body my hands slapped over my face in shock.

“Is he dead? I asked. 

“Nah he’s a full fledged vamp remember. He’s just out cold. Only one of my wooden bullets to the heart could kill him or a wooden steak he’ll wake up in like 24 hours at best.”

‘My god why 24 hours! Riyoshi!!”I screamed at him with tears forming in my eyes.

“I mean if you keep screaming at me I might kill him, he's the one who attacked me.”

“I know it’s just….. I feel so bad.”

“For what? Him catching us kissing? He’ll accept it later.” 

I sighed then looked at Haru who’s literally dead for 24 hours.

“Ok, let's go back in the house before Hikari comes and sees this because she looks up to him.”

“Too late.”

Just as he said those two words, Hikari came running up. “Hey guys what was all that noise going on? She asked scanning everything as she walked up to us and her eyes landed right on Haru.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. What happened to Haru? Why is he on the ground like that?” Hikari asked, tears forming already.

She went up to him and took a closer look.  What’s wrong with his neck!” Hikari looked at me looking for an explanation. She fell to the ground next to him. With shaky hands she reached out feeling his forehead. “What happened? What did you do!?” she yelled looking back at us with tears running down her face.

“Don’t look at me Riyoshi did it.”

“You make it seem like I killed him.” 

“You did!” I snapped

“He’s only dead for 24 hours!” Riyoshi snapped back

“But you did it!”

“Ok yes I killed him.”

“Why?” Hikari asked, glaring at us both.

“He walked up on me and Yua making out and turned it into a big deal.”

All of Hikari’s attention turned to me. “Soo it’s your fault then.”

“Yout two timer! Weren't you just mad like 2 weeks ago about him leaving! Now you're cheating?!”

“Hey this is not my fault Riyoshi kissed me!”

“You kissed him back, you heathen!”

“Excuse you! If you kissed someone as good a kisser as Riyoshi you would have kissed him back too!” I heard Riyoshi snicker in the background but I ignored it.

Turning my attention back to Hikari I found myself immediately ducking as a giant ass iceball flew right at me. I looked at her in shock. “What the fuck was that!”

“  don’t know what youre talking about.” Hikari said, still crying even more than earlier as she started to drag Haru's body towards the house with the help of Hisako.

“She is unbelievable. I can't believe her.”

I looked back at Riyoshi and I saw him and Akio basically dapping each other up. I immediately started steaming. They were enjoying this drama that Riyoshi started by hurting Haru in the first place. I just glared at them both and followed Hikari to the house. 

Akio’s pov

Everyone sat in the living room except for Hikari. She had been in her room for over an hour. I glanced at Haru who was laying on his back on the couch. I sighed getting up to check on her. I knocked before opening the door. She sat on the floor facing the window. She brought her knees to her chest and turned away as I sat down next to her. 

“I'm okay. Don't worry about me.” she sniffled quickly,wiping her tears. 

“You're obviously not.” I wanted to comfort her but I didn't know how. I hesitantly reached out to hold her hand, interlocking our fingers together. She turned around looking at our hands and then up at me. Why are you making this so awkward? Maybe she doesn’t like this. I pulled my hand away and she grabbed it, locking our fingers again. She smiled at me. Even with her eyes red and puffy I still thought she was adorable. Why am I so attracted to you? I ran my thumb over her knuckles and she sighed relaxing into my touch. 

“Look, I know Riyoshi can be a bit much but he means well I promise. In a weird way he’s looking out for Yua. He usually has the right idea but goes about it wrong ” I reassured her.

“I know.” she laughed. “I'm more mad at Yua. She’s always doing something. I don’t care that she likes Riyoshi but why couldn't she have broken up with Haru first? And now he’s hurt because of her.”

“You're really close to him aren't you?” she nodded.

‘We were always really close. Yua actually met him because of me.”

“Really?” She smiled. She looked like she was back to her bubbly self as she talked about Haru.

 “We like the same things so it was easy for us to connect. I met him at the school library. We happened to sit at the same table. He saw that I was reading manga and we started talking. We ended up having a lot in common so we started hanging out more….” I started to zone about the more she talked about me. I felt the anger in me starting to rise. 

 “The two of us hung out a lot, Well that was until Yua stole him away from me.” she laughed. My face dropped. Stole? Did Hikari have feelings for Haru at one point? Is this why she’s so upset? I let go of her hand and got up to leave. She reached out to me and I pushed her hand away. 

“Akio? Where are you going?” She looked up at me confused. 

“I need some air. You're obviously feeling better.” I snapped, letting the anger and jealousy take over.

“Are you mad at me?” I turned back to look at Hikari who was now standing up.

“Go eat something you haven't eaten yet.” I tried to stay calm. Listening to Hikari talk about Haru made my blood boil. He already has Yua. Why does he need Hikari too?

[aries-rising-on-an-aquarius-tide]

Spoilers: Law & Order: Conviction (2006), Lead, Ripped, Venom, Fault, Informed, Infiltrated, Philadelphia, Florida, Screwed, Paternity, Inconceivable, Undercover, PTSD, Perverted

Trigger warnings: alcohol, references to death, casual sex, murder, pregnancy, childlessness, adoption, PTSD, nightmares, dissociation

Evocations: XIX

If there is only one thing to know, it is this: The woman who exited Witness Protection in 2006 was not the woman who had once been the sharpest Special Victims Unit ADA in New York.

The death of Valez and the extradition of Connors that had permitted her freedom from anonymity also left Alexandra with a life bitten ragged around the edges. Her relationship with her father was never the same; as grateful as he was that his daughter was alive and well, the knowledge that Darcie had gone to her grave thinking Alex was dead was a deep scar to bear.

Everywhere she looked, there was a life she had begun building and then abandoned like a child grown bored of a toy. In Wisconsin, there had been Greg, in her second placement, another man left behind like Alex was some mythical creature they outgrew as they slumbered.

Only men, however - never another woman. It was an edict that had written itself beneath Alex's skin, without deliberation or protest.

She returned to Manhattan without much thought as to whether it was the best idea. It was where she had started her career, so logically it was where she had a professional reputation; not many strings had to be pulled to get herself up and running again. Bureau Chief Cabot had a fine ring to it, even if she did have to supervise a group of newbies chomping at the proverbial bit.

But make no mistake - it was as far from SVU as Alex could get. The soft, hopeful blonde that had dreamed of a life with Olivia Benson, who had grown up privileged and hungry for everything she could get from the world was no more. The Alexandra who resettled in Manhattan was buttoned-up, distrustful, and in it for the win rather than the moral high ground.

The new Alexandra was a woman who used sex to satisfy her need for contact and not much more; who chose her relationships for ease of placement, not depth. When she got lonely she had flings, and when one of those flings turned into an engagement, Alex shrugged and kept up appearances.

She had been Bureau Chief a little over a year when the phone calls started coming. The number she didn't recognize, but the voice on the message had turned her insides into a hot, riotous mix of desire and anxiety.

"Uh hi . . . Alex. It's Li - Olivia. I'd heard you've been back, so I wanted to call and see if you . . . how things are going. Call me back . . . if you want, y'know. You can use this number. Bye."

Olivia's voice on that first message was hesitant, nervous, fumbling. Alex heard all of the unspoken questions holding space between the carefully chosen words: How long have you been avoiding me? Are you okay? Have you forgotten me? Alex let the message sit for a week before deleting it in a moment of weakness, locked in her office drinking bourbon and letting her fingers dance over the phone receiver in entertainment of the idea of calling Liv back.

The second message appeared about two weeks after that.

"Alex," it began, and the put-on confidence made the blonde wonder if Olivia was drinking that time, herself. "Please just give me a call and let me know you're okay. I'm not looking to impose myself on your life."

As cold as it seemed . . . as it probably was, Alexandra still didn't pick up the phone. The illusionary distance that was still between herself and Liv was the only barrier that held firm her new persona. The Alex who didn't want to feel, didn't want to get too close to anything - not people, jobs or cases.

Next it was Elliot who called. Alex had wondered if they were still sleeping together as she listened to Elliot's low voice skirt the boundary of anger and pleading. Had Olivia asked him to call, or had he called on his own after a couple months of watching Liv gaze hungrily at the phone?

Either way, Alex still wasn't swayed. Her career as Bureau Chief ADA plodded forward, and the only time she spoke with Olivia was in her dreams. Another year passed that way, with the calls coming less and less often. Alexandra ended her engagement along the way - an act of mercy, she told herself.

Then another year, until at last she had been out of Witness Protection for three. She couldn't have known that the next time the phone would ring, it would be Jack McCoy. He, too, was asking her to walk directly back into Olivia Benson's orbit - just not for the same reasons.

.

.

On the morning that Alex had left her for a second time, Olivia rose and for just the briefest moment thought that maybe things would be easier. She was quick to realize that, like a slip in quitting any addiction that consumes you, giving her up a second time would be even harder.

Liv put her heart into the work, and bit by bit, the year started to pass.

Then, on a cool evening in October, Olivia opened up her apartment door to find Elliot on the other side, eyes red-rimmed and temples pounding. Just hours before, he had attacked a man for abusing their son. She had no idea where El had disappeared to after that.

Liv hadn't yet had the need to seek out the weight and intensity of Elliot's body since her night with Alex. It had been at least seven months since they had slept together - but she secretly doubted it would ever make a difference. They fit together like two halves of a whole when it came to seeking out this sort of comfort. Soon, they were once again sleeping together as a means to dull the sharp edges of their pain.

The first year that Alexandra was back in Manhattan was such a whirlwind for Olivia that she couldn't have contacted her even if she had been aware of the ADA's presence. Right on the heels of discovering Finn's son had a half-brother that was a murderer, there was the Gitano case - the aftershocks of which were felt long into 2007.

"What about me?" she had murmured to Elliot, but it wasn't their falling into bed together she thought of - it was bigger than that.

She had already lost the love of her life twice over. Elliot was the only solid, steady thing left - the person she could trust, talk to or fuck easily, in equal measure. He kept Olivia anchored in a life where everything else seemed unmoored. If the threat was for that, too, to be taken away then Olivia would do it herself, and first: self-punishment as self-control.

In Oregon, sneaking around in the Hartnells' house, Liv wondered if Alex'd had as much trouble staying within the lines of her new life, back in Wisconsin. Perhaps Olivia was destined only for a singular life, no matter where else events lead her, because that singular life was right where she landed back in the city in 2007.

Right before she took off to Philadelphia, seeking out the brother that was no more than a DNA fingerprint, Liv had finally picked up the phone to call Alex - hoping, in part, that Alex would try to talk her out of it.

The phone never rang.

Philadelphia was a disaster.

Olivia's brother, a fugitive and maybe a rapist, was gone. She was drinking more frequently again, and rage-fucking her partner at every turn. Elliot's concern got him calling after the aloof blonde next, but she remained unmoved.

Summer began to bleed into Fall. Finn's nephew got away with murder, Liv's brother was innocent after all, and, after taking more than two years to sign his divorce papers, Elliot found himself back home with Kathy.

Not prime parent material.

The phrase went around and around in her head after the meeting with the adoption agency. After Olivia first absorbed the news that Kathy was pregnant, she had moved quickly from surprise, to confusion, to jealousy.

Two and a half years, she had fucked Elliot relentlessly, letting him fill her with abandon, no fear of consequence. Not once had they used so much as a condom, and yet Liv hadn't even had a period late enough to raise questions. One night, and Kathy had caught pregnant like it was a common cold.

Elliot Stabler Junior's birth was as inopportune as his conception. His mother lay in the hazy veil between living and dying, while Olivia clutched his tiny body between her own and a foil blanket. When the dust settled, Liv took stock of things - Alex's not calling, Elliot's readymade family, Simon's drama - and decided that it was time for her to build her own family.

But the dream had been short lived. As the agency had put it, she was not prime parent material.

"Any way you want to do it, I'll support you," Elliot had told her, but what could she say?

How could she tell him that she wished his accidental pregnancy had been hers? She would not invite him back into her bed while he was at home. So she forced herself to smother everything that Eli's birth had stirred in her, and turned back to the work to escape the pressing weight of her loneliness.

Perhaps, she told herself afterward, it had been for the best, as she spent the better part of 2008 struggling with PTSD that nobody knew existed. All through Summer and Fall, Olivia had soaked her sheets again and again with the nightmares that replayed Lowell Harris's face. She suffered the flashbacks, the dissociation, alone into November, when still just her therapy group knew.

That was, until she nearly blew Dominic Pruitt's head off. It was the alarming culmination of nine months that had seemed more full than usual of baby and pregnancy cases.

"I want you to take some personal time off," Cragen told her, and Liv listened - not because of the threat of noting her jacket, but because he was the closest she'd ever known to a father.

The elderly gentleman who met Olivia on the sidewalk in front of his tidy bungalow gave her exactly the look she expected. Grinning, she lowered her sunglasses at him.

"Thank you for meeting with me! She's gorgeous!"

'She' was a pristine black Mustang that sat at the curb looking like a misplaced relic out of a greaser's fantasy.

The owner shook hands with her politely, still eyeing her as though he was being played a fool. "That she is! Took better care of her than my wife these last 20 years." He sniffed and chortled, trailing off as he remembered Liv was also a woman.

But Olivia wasn't listening - already pacing the perimeter of the stationary car, eyes twinkling and her heart pounding, in a good way for once. Careful not to touch anything, she came as close as she dared, eyeing the windshield, the tires, lights, interior. Clean, shiny, perfectly intact - the Mustang was a dream; Liv nearly salivated at the perfection of it.

"You wanna take a look at th'engine?" the man broke into her appraisal.

"Can I?" Liv breathed, excited, and it seemed to settle the old man some.

He popped the hood and allowed her to gaze her fill. Like the rest of the vehicle, the engine was practically spit-shined to gleaming.

"Incredible," Liv praised.

"Mm. Lois says I gotta let'ter go, and accept the fact that I look like a perfect fool driving it nowadays."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Nawp," he shook his head, rhyming the word with 'top,' "nawp, she's right - I just don't like admittin' it. So, if you like her, she's yours."

Olivia was struck with a sudden pang of guilt. "Are you sure you don't want to leave it to a grandchild instead?"

The man raised a furry eyebrow at the brunette's sudden reluctance. "Got no grandchildren to speak of, so . . . likely not," he shrugged at last.

Liv nodded, understanding better than he might've realized. She didn't have the wife she had thought she would, or a child she had imagined would complete the picture. What she did have was enough cash in her savings to purchase a house in the suburbs outright, and a craving to get away.

"Then I'd love to take care of her," she told him with a smile.

"C'mon inside then, and I'll sign the pinks. Don't mind Lois," he added, "she'll no doubt want to make you eat somethin' . . . " He kept chatting as he headed up the walk, and Olivia could feel her pulse fluttering in anticipatory delight as she followed.

Fifteen minutes later, when Liv touched the convertible for the first time, it felt like grabbing a live wire. She dropped into the driver's seat with the pink slip in one hand, the feel of the leather almost indecently slick.

The man stood grinning at her from the curb, then tossed her the keys in a high arc that Liv caught easily. "Where're you gonna take her?" he asked, and she knew he meant more than just where she lived.

The engine purred to life like a cat rising from a satisfying nap, and Liv slid her sunglasses back into place. "Somewhere nice and warm," she smiled. "What's her name?"

The man blushed like she had just unexpectedly flirted with him. "Oh. Well, uh - " he rubbed the back of his neck shyly, "you should call her whatever you want."

"Forty-four years is a long time to have a name. She deserves to keep it," Liv insisted.

He straightened and pushed back his shoulders. "I used to call her Miz Dolly," he confessed. "After Missus Parton."

Olivia patted the dash. "She'll be in good hands," she told him. "Come on, Dolly." She pulled away from the curb and was on her way, giving the old man one last honk as she headed out of the neighborhood.

All that was on her mind then was open road and places far from Manhattan Winter. She couldn't have known, then, that in just three months Alex would be making another appearance in her life.

-----------------------------------------------

You can read more about Law & Order: Conviction here if you are curious about how I worked canon into my timeline! - M

[pod95]

Prince With Benefits: Chapter 2

Pairing: Finn Balor X OFC (Ciara)

Word Count: 815

Warnings: Mature to explicit as the story goes on.

Description: After moving to the USA from England to start her career as an NXT superstar, Ciara gets to meet her long time crush, NXT champion Finn Balor. It's clear the pair have chemistry, but when tensions start to rise, will they find they want more than a no strings attached relationship?

So this is the first piece of fanfic I have written literally ever. I will be posting them here periodically, but I already have 6 chapters out on my Wattpad, AO3 and FanFiction pages.

This series will involve romance, drama and (although it will take a little while) some smutt too. Hope you enjoy it! 😊

Chapter 2: Awkward Glances

Paul continued describing the gym and all of its equipment, but I was transfixed on the shirtless figure doing muscle ups in the distance.

Finn Balor, the NXT champion. I tried to pull my gaze away and focus on what Paul was telling me, but the sight of his chiseled physique flexing and stretching had some kind of magical hold upon me. His intense, blue eyes were laser focused on his exercise, until he caught a glimpse of me, staring longingly at him.

In my panic at being caught, I snapped my gaze back towards Paul, hoping my haste did not make me seem more suspicious.

As we continued the tour of the Gym, every now and then I would sneak a glance, never daring to look for more than a few seconds. He had now dismounted from the rings and was refilling his water bottle.

"This is our Strength and Conditioning trainer, Sean Hayes," Paul informed, gesturing to a fit young man with a shaved head. "He can help you establish the best workout routine for you, show you how to use the equipment, that kinda stuff"

"Nice to meet you!" he smiled, and held his hand out for me. I shook it, while casually peering around the room for Finn. He was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, I gave up and followed Paul to the locker room doors.

As he was telling me a little more about the Gym, the men's door opened, and out walked Finn. He had changed out of his gym clothes and was now wearing grey sweatpants and a tight black t-shirt which did nothing to hide the magnificent torso that lay beneath.

"Oh hey, Champ!" Paul greeted him with a pat on the back. "This is Ciara, she's one of our new NXT superstars. We're expecting big things. Definitely a future women's champion".

Bashful, I looked to the ground. To receive such a high endorsement from the founder and executive producer of NXT was bad enough, but the fact that he was doing so to my crush had turned my face a violent scarlet.

"Is that so?" Finn raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to me. "In that case, I guess I'll be watching you" he smirked, giving me a knowing look. My cheeks were burning. Guess I hadn't been as subtle as I'd intended.

"Great!" Paul smiled enthusiastically. "well unless you have more questions, I have a meeting to get to. Oh, and before I forget. We're holding a welcoming party tonight for all of the new starters. It's a good chance to get to know your coworkers in a more casual setting. Sarah on reception can give you the details."

Paul patted me on the back and left Finn and I alone. With my face still red from embarrassment, I continued to stare nervously at my feet before Finn interrupted the uncomfortable silence.

"So I guess I'll see you tonight then," he hesitated, noticing my discomfort, before making a quick escape. It was only when I was sure he wasn't going to look back at me that I dared to steal a glance at him. Even from the back he looked amazing. Thank God for grey joggers!

* * * *

The hot water from the shower in my apartment felt amazing, as though it were not only cleaning my body, but ridding it of the shame from my first encounter with Finn. I knew I'd meet him eventually, after all we work in the same building, but I really wasn't prepared to see him today, and shirtless no less!

No, in future I would have to pull myself together. I'm an NXT superstar, not a hormonal school girl after all.

I raided my wardrobe for something to wear. Usually this is a decision I don't think twice about, but now with the added pressure of knowing Finn was going to be there, everything in my wardrobe looked hideous. By the time my roommate Alex got home, the bedroom was littered with discarded clothes I'd tossed aside in frustration.

"Whoa! Having a clear out?" she joked, precariously stepping over piles of clothes.

"The NXT orientation party is tonight and I have nothing to wear."

"You're not normally that concerned about your clothes," she puzzled. "You've met somebody!"

"No! It's not like that!" I insisted, but my panicked eyes gave me away.

Doubtfully she smirked at me, before examining the clothes and effortlessly choosing a knee length, blue lace dress from the pile.

"This is perfect."

She handed me the dress, and with a grateful look, I turned my attention to my hair and makeup. After an hour of getting ready, I gave myself one final examination and made a silent promise to myself:

Tonight was about work and nothing else. I would remain professional and there was no way I'd let Finn distract me.

Boy was I wrong...

[blorbosexterminator]

AND I am back. Once again on this lovely day to give my review for the EPISODE 24 so, here we go :

Agustin is squinting his eyes at him, as Sergio keeps muttering that Agustin has in fact done what he just mentioned he did and which both of them have known for years. 

Federico is 99% dead?! Damn, what is Sergio's gonna do?! Make it 100% ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

(I got a feeling that Federico is the kidnapper or atleast a very important lead to them)

Btw, WHO IS FEDERICO?! Tatiana's alive husband?!

(Look at me, hoping like a moron she aint dead

My dog : Yep, total moron 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Me :

Me : NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR BITCH-ASS OPINION, YOU DUMB-FUCK DONKEY!!!! 😡😡😡)

Martin, my darling, my sweetheart, my poor angel. Nada, some help? Atleast gimme some tips, bruh, come on, you cant desert me like that. Not when I need to help someone 🙁🙁🙁

since, drunk, the last idea he got was that Laura turned out to be completely insane and kidnapped Andrés to marry him

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Martin, honey, stop drinking. This getting out of hand 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. But then again, Andres is so hot poor thing keeps on doubting.

As Roci said in one of the tags, his wives deserve the highest civilian award for putting up with him.

(Although, I just had a frisky thought. What if Sergio wanted Andres away from Martin, not because he cared bout his hermano but......😳😳😳😳😳 *whispers loudly* he wanted Andres all for himself? In *frantically looks around* INCEST WAY?!)

(Calm down, my deranged mind, you went too far 🤣🤣🤣)

Who knows, it could be the professor he punched in the middle of an exam once. Martín doesn’t think he has forgiven him.

Mood, bruh, such a mood 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 NO, OMG 😆😆😆 I didnt do it, but I do kinda have a beef with my Organic prof. I'll go off tangent again, so tell me if you wanna know the story.

He sent Silene in disguise to collect the cctv from the nearby shops and streets. His own cctv has been disabled since the IT bitch ruined it, Martín will kill him when he gets them back.

I think if and only IF Silene finds something good, her % of redemption will increase.

(Raquel s2e7 deja vu, I see what you did there 😏)

And Martin about to go John Wick on anyone & everyone. I tell ya Keanu Reeves will be crying when he sees Martin go nuts. I am willing to bet he'll pull a gun on the poor milkman, who just wanna do his job 😆😆😆

So he calls Bogota, with a little (not that little) handwritten list in his hand with the names of people he thinks he might have ruined their life in the past. 

Martin : Okay, I'll just take out the list and

*the paper rolls out the door, travels around the world for 5 times and comes back while going over top of Everest and bottom of Marina Trench*

No, it’s because when he hated Martín, he had always hated him openly. If he wanted to hurt him, then he’d just try to stab him in the middle of the living room.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Bogota, did Tatiana have any family?”

“No, who of us did, Martín?”

“You literally have 7 children and 7 ex-wives.”

COMEDY GOLD, NADA 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Those kids are ungrateful bastards, if I fall dead tomorrow they would just run to see what they’ve inherited.”

Aka THE PLOT of 70% Indian Telenovas 🤣🤣🤣. Also this line alone has so much soap opera vibes 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

He has no choice but to go to fucking Sergio Marquina. And if it’s his wife, then even better. Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. 

For fuck sake, Martín, Ive been telling you from last 2 ep

Stop. Blaming. Raquel.

Also, 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 damn, these 2 assholes cant keep away from each other. Nada, are we sure these 2 married the right people? As much I am a Berlermo ship stan, this here is just smth else 😆😆😆

Uh-oh 🙁 this asshole son of a bitch just poked the mama bear. And if ANDRES of all people narrows his eyes at you, You are, quoting Martin from last ep, truly, utterly, entirely, thoroughly and wholly fucked.

“Do you know him?”

“Oh yes, a childhood friend, I stole his pencil once and he never forgave me. Have you heard this Paula? Don’t steal your friends’ pencils, they will never get over the betrayal. You could steal the teacher’s ones though.”

“Why did you steal his pencil?” Paula asked seriously, with a delirious tone, and too tired to even move her head upwards. Raquel is gonna kill every single person involved for doing this to her daughter.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sassy Andres = Best Andres. Words that should be written with GOLD. Wisdom passed onto generations

Poor Paula 🤣🤣🤣 I just imagine this in some other situation :

Andres : *saying smth smth*

Paula : *taking notes & asking questions*

Raquel after seeing her daughter :

Look what you made me do

🎶But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined

I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!

Ooh, look what you made me do

Look what you just made me do🎶

(Look what you made me do by Taylor Swift)

I am telling you Nada, by the time Raquel will be done with everyone, Uma Thurman will cry buckets because no one, okay?, no one can compete with A MAMA BEAR RAQUEL MURILLO.

“Poison is a woman’s choice of weapon, Anibal. Don’t be disrespectful.”

Again, words of wisdom. Only time hes not being a misogynist.

Also, Andres, my dear, are you speaking this from experience?

(Why do I think that Martin got Tatiana killed cause she poisoned him and Martin had to watch Andres fight for his life in hospital?)

“He won’t say anything, Mama. He’s the one who kidnapped grandma with Silene!”

Is anyone gonna listen to her? Or do I need to bonk Raquel myself? 🤦‍♀️

“Silence!” she screams. “I need to know everything that happened, if we’re getting out of here alive.” 

FINALLY!!!! SOME COMMON SENSE!!!! WE THANK THE LORD FOR MERCY!!!

And as for me, its time for me to say goodbye and goodnight (Cause its quarter to 12 rn in my watch)

AND ILL SEE YALL TOMORROW 🤗 BYE!!! 🙋‍♀️

I'm back as well! And we've finally caught up with each other.

Valid reaction. Sergio is also slowly going insane. Love that for him.

He's hoping he could. We all know this family has beef with that last one percentage.

(we'll see👀👀👀)

Hope is all we got at this point afabgs.

Now, now, don't speak to him like that. He has valid criticism.

I'd help him if I could, but alas (lmfao no, I do love them suffering)

Same recommendation. But he just, poor boy, could nothing to think of. So might as well be Laura. (also fair, who knows, maybe Andrés gets constantly kidnapped and forced into marriage)

Definitely, she's 100%. I really don't know how they do it.

Avsnsjsvjshsjs all theories are valid. Maybe Sergio does want Martín or Andrés, who knows what goes in the head of that fucker.

Seems like an interesting story! I never got along with my chemistry teachers. (Got one once to tell me that he's still not kicking me out of class only because he feels bad for my parents that they have to deal with me and they'll be the ones who will have to deal with the mess lmfao.)

Yes, have some faith in her!

100% accurate. Martín is this close from just shooting random people in the supermarket because they also could be the ones who kidnapped Andrés.

HAHAHA YES. This is exactly how the scene went.

We stan honesty in this house.

So happy you found it funny!!

I can confirm! Like 70% of all Egyptian drama as well.

I don't think he's hearing you well. But afnajscsgsh SAME. Okay look, now I really understand show runners with super homoerotic ships that they refuse to make canon. You try and make two male characters hate each other so much for plot then it slips and gets homoerotic.

Totally agree. This guy isn't making enemies with the right people (they are all dumb, but also none of them have anything that even resembles a moral compass)

Totally agree. This guy is honestly super amusing to watch and it's mainly because he's incapable of taking any situation in life seriously.

This family is really iconic. (love the song agsnsg) but also like Raquel would basically tell her after writing done his notes just put the title on top: things to never, ever, do.

I believe you! They really fucked with the wrong dumb family.

I mean, he's still a misogynist. Maybe some of us really like dagger, has he considered that?

That's as valid theory as any right there.

Hopefully Raquel will finally start listening to the child!

Raquel is the only one with a semblance of common sense.

Hope you had a good sleep! I'll see you tomorrow!

[what-the--curtains]

Braving the Elements

Chapter 5: Training day

TW: Possible PTSD, burns, fighting (friendly)

Authors note: shout out to the very few people following this you guys are the real MVPs!

Song youre listening too when the boys enter

When youre sparring with Sam

You awake to a high pitch beeping of what you can only assume is an alarm clock. “Fuck off” you yell putting a pillow over your head before tossing it in the general direction of the sound. You let it beep for another minute before climbing out of bed. Feeling defeated, you find the alarm and turn it off cursing when you read the time. 6:30AM. You stretch your arms up over your head causing various bones to pop and squat down over the pile of clothes that you had left on the floor the day before. You pick up a pair of grey leggings and a matching sports bra. Pulling them on before reaching down to grab an oversized t-shirt that you throw on to conceal your figure. You really hated it when people ogled you at the gym. You put on a baseball cap and pull your hair through the back opening, tying it up in a ponytail with an elastic. You walk into the kitchen and over to the island where Wanda and Nat are sitting. Grabbing some toast you turn to join the conversion at hand. “Odds someone tries to explain to you how to use weights today?” Nat asks, biting down into a bagel.

“I’d wager pretty high.” you respond still slightly groggy.

“Very high!” yells Shuri from another room causing you all to snigger.

“How are you all so awake?” you ask

Handing you a coffee Wanda replies, “ Well as you know crime doesn’t sleep!” Rolling your eyes you fill up your water bottle. Shuri walks into the kitchen and hands you a phone

“Here all employees need them, and if you need anything just ask Friday he’s linked up to all the systems in this building”

So that's the bastard who woke me up, you think to yourself.

“This is great, thanks Shuri!” you say as you admire your new possession. You down the rest of your coffee and head off to the gym, getting there at 7 on the dot.

No one was there yet so you plug in your headphones and stretch for a few minutes before starting on the punching bag. Your back’s facing the door and you’re blaring your music so loudly that you fail to notice Bucky and Sam enter the room laughing about something.

“Someone’s early.” Sam says in your general direction. No response.

“Guess she’s not a morning person?” He says. Bucky shrugs, dropping his bag on the floor. Sam walks over to you placing his hand on your shoulder. Startled and without thinking you grab his wrist and throw him to the ground. Realizing who you had just slammed into the ground you begin to apologize profusely while removing your headphone “Shit Sam, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear ya come in!” you exclaim, pulling him up. He gives you a disgruntled look before turning to Bucky, who has been in a fit of laughter since Sam hit the ground.

“Shut up man! She caught me off guard!” As the two friends argue you couldn’t help but notice how amazing Bucky’s body was. He was in joggers and a muscle shirt showing every curve of his perfectly sculpted arm. How the hell were you supposed to focus with someone so muscly walking around? I mean seriously he’s built like a Greek god! Whose ogling now you think chastising yourself for objectifying him.

“Well I can promise that’s the only one your gonna land on me kid” Sam states as you follow him onto the sparring mat

“Alright kid, hit me with your best shot!” You dance around each other for a bit. He swings first. You lean back to avoid contact, he swings again and you duck somersaulting behind him. You jump on his back and pull him down using your weight. Your side slams into the mat first, but you quickly get Sam face down on the mat pushing your shin bone down on his back keeping him in place. You smile relishing your win before looking up just in time to see Bucky’s steel blue eyes dart off you and back to the pull up bar.

“Alright, alright,” Sam says “not bad let’s see if you can do it again.”

“I’ve already done it twice” you remark, pulling him up.

“Don't get cocky now.” Sam retorts. The two of you banter back and forth for a bit before squaring up for the second round. You swing first this time. Sam blocks it easily, and grabs your arm, twisting it behind your back. You stomp down on his foot causing him to release you. You’re about to turn back to face him when you catch a glimpse of Bucky doing chin ups. You zone out for a second, mesmerized by the way his arm muscles clenched as he pulled his weight up. Unfortunately, your little daydream gave Sam just enough time to press his foot into the back of your knee and flip you down onto the mat.

“You know you're gonna have to get used to that. His muscles look just as big in his get up.” Sam says quietly enough so only you can hear him.

“Shut up!” you say, sticking your tongue out at him as he helps you up. You square up for the third round. You swing first again, he ducks and puts you in a headlock. Then, all of a sudden, you're back in that room with Romans hands wrapped around your neck, feeling helpless. You can sense the anger rising in you. Before you can make sense of what’s happening you connect your hand with Sam’s bare arm burning him.

“Ow! Fuck! No powers allowed!” Sam shrieks pulling you back to reality. Looking down at his arm he continues to yell

“I’m RUINED!”. The commotion causes Bucky to walk over “What the fuck?” he says noticing the slightly charred skin on Sam's arm.

“Sam, i'm gonna need you to calm down and let me fix it!” You reach for his water bottle removing the liquid and lowering it onto his now, medium rare arm. You move the water from side to side and slowly the cells begin to regenerate until the blistered flesh is completely healed.

“There.” you say putting the water back into the bottle “All better now drama queen?”

“How did you do that?” Bucky asks evidently amazed.

“Charles taught me how to do it, I used to accidentally burn lots of people so he said least I could do was heal them up afterwards!”

You pull Sam up

“Alright” he says “I think that's enough sparring for today, and remind me not to drink outta that bottle. Let’s go see if you can light the weights on fire.”

“Rude.” you says before following Sam over to the squat rack

“So, you ever seen anything like his arm?” Sam asks hoping to get a rise out of you. Bucky rolls his eyes returning to his workout.

“You know I used to know a guy made of metal” you respond coolly, much to Sam’s dismay.

“Exterior?” Sam asks

“No interior all his bones were metal, well I guess I also knew a full metal guy and hey! He’s Russian do you know each other?” you shout over to Bucky who's moved on to bicep curls.

“C’mon not all Russians know each other.” He huffs.

“Well I just figured that metal people may have some kind of support group!” this comment causes him to crack a small smile

“So what’s the coolest power you’ve ever come across?” Sam asks as you do your squats.

“Well there was this guy, named Darwin, who could literally adapt to any scenario…” Just then Shuri walks in.

“Hey workouts over, I got your suit ready come check it out!”

“Yay!” you say in pursuit of the princess.

“So what’s she like? Fighting wise?’ Bucky asks Sam

“Why are you so interested tin man?” He responds.

“Fine, keep your secrets” Bucky says holding his hands up in surrender and returning to the weights.

“It’s weird, she fights like she’s invincible. I can’t imagine the toll it takes on her body. She literally slammed her side onto the floor so she could get the upper hand on me! It was insane.”

“Shit,” Bucky laughs “sounds like you kinda liked it.”

“Oh please like I didn’t see you staring at her from over here while she beat me up!”

“Maybe I was staring at you?” Bucky responds and Sam rolls his eyes

“Here” Shuri said, showing you the blue, black and gold suit she had designed for you. “Amazing!” you say under your breath before high fiving the princess. It was full body spandex like Natasha’s, but with a scoop neck and exposed arms. Shuri brought out two gold arm bands that went half way up your arm. “These convert humidity in the atmosphere into water so you can have unlimited access to it. I've also installed lighter fluid so you can make flames any time you want.”

“Awesome” you say, testing out the arm gadgets on two nearby dummies.

“ The suits are also designed to keep you cool so you don’t accidentally flare up and burn someone.” she explains handing you a belt with various attachments for ammunition and two leg attachments with holsters.

‘This is amazing Shuri! Thank you!” you exclaim hugging her. “When do I get the guns for these holsters?” you ask

“Not until you're cleared by Tony.” she says

“So never then.” You say

Ignoring your last comment Shuri continues “ If there’s anything wrong with it let me know and i'll fix it! Looks like I finished it just in time. Suit up! you’ve got your first mission to get to.”