#and again ideally I’m not breaking it until Friday but eh

[inthefadingtwilightt]

erm I ate ice cream so now my day total is like 300 cal and I hate myself for it I was gonna fast fuck

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Blended - 2

As you can see - so I decided to pursue Blended. Originally, there was no serious plot to this, I swear. I was just winging it but before I knew it - I was exploring this interesting new AU that I’ve unearthed and I thought, eh why not? Now, I have quite a backstory for our main characters here. Which, unfortunately, will not yet be revealed below but just the same, hope you like this!

---

Title: Blended

Previous installment here.

Legend of Korra, Lin/Tenzin, Modern AU, no bending

Multi-part, WIP

—

Narook’s

Lin sucked in a deep breath. She released it slowly, counting up to five.

Her eyes blinked, wishing for all the strength in the universe not to forsake her.

She had taught her sons never to play the break-up one-up game but good Agni, she wanted to say that she is winning this particular break-up even a decade or so after.

Yes Lin, you can do this. You have won this break-up.

She tried to give herself an imaginary fist pump.

Yes, sure. Real mature of you.

Feeling that she had done enough pep talk, Lin plastered a smile on her face. She had gotten good at this in the past years after all.

Now or never. For Jinora.

She crossed the room quickly. “Hey kid, sorry I’m late.” Lin pressed a kiss on Jinora’s hair, not meeting the eyes of the other occupants of the booth. The young girl faced her to give a kiss and a hug in return. “Of all the days, I know.” Lin focused on tucking some stray hair strands behind Jinora’s ear. “I don’t even know why Mr Sato has an assistant if the man barely follows his own schedule.”

She finally took a seat and faced the now gaping man across her.

“Ah – this is my mom –,” Jinora started to introduce her at the same time that Lin extended her hand.

“I’m Lin, Jinora’s mom. Nice to meet you.”

The bald man automatically reached to grasp her hand to shake it He was a beat too slow to release her hand and Lin involuntarily frowned at that.

Ikki elbowed her father. “His name is Tenzin.” She added helpfully. “He’s my dad.”

No kidding.

She put up the menu as a shield between them to prolong the inevitable conversation; a ruse of reviewing the food and beverage lists even if the diner has yet to update it in the past five years.

Belatedly, all her uncharitable thoughts about the faceless man that was Ikki’s father came to the forefront of her mind.  

Figures he would be that stuffy businessman who did not have his kids play with the neighborhood kids.

Speaking of kids…

The two girls were sharing a plate of waffles beside them. The waffles were slathered with butter, whipped cream, maple syrup and sprinkled on with chopped peanut butter cups. She frowned and glared at the man across her from behind the menu. That was a sugar overload and sugar crash waiting to happen. And happen it will when the two girls would be in her care later today. He would not have to deal with that.

Tenzin only had a cup of coffee in front of him. She eyed the porcelain canisters at the side containing cream and sugar. The sugar bowl was only a third full and she would bet that it was full earlier before he had his hands on it.

She put down the menu and decided they have had enough time.

Lin waved a waiter over and requested for a tall glass of lemonade.

Tenzin was still looking at her apprehensively.

As he should.

If he thinks I will cash in on this 'renewed' connection, he is very much mistaken.

“So, I believe you have some concerns about Ikki staying over?” Lin was pleased to note that her voice did not even waver at any point.

She felt the curious eyes of the kids turn to them; their own conversation turning into whispers.

That seemed to snap Tenzin out of his thoughts.

“That is - that- no I don’t -.” He stammered unbecomingly.

Lin briefly wondered how this man managed to lead a conglomerate with this level of eloquence.

Ikki pounced on this. “Does it mean I can stay over at Jinora’s and Ms Lin’s? I promise I will behave, Daddy. And I swear we will produce the best project ever – with glitters, and sparkles and all the colors.” She beamed from the side, clutching at her father’s arm in excitement.

“It’s not our first sleepover at the house,” Lin interjected gently. “But I understand it’s Ikki’s first time to sleep over that is not with family. So you might have some questions for me – about the overnight stay.” She amended quickly, if the look in his eyes meant that he did have questions - just not related to the sleepover.

He motioned to speak but was interrupted by the serving placing a glass of lemonade between them.

“Well,” Lin calmly took a sip. “I could probably start with my questions and just chime in if there’s anything that comes to your mind.” She pulled out a pen and a small notepad from her bag. “Does she have allergic reactions to food -?”

“Shrimp and crab.” Tenzin responded in a subdued manner, absentmindedly stirring his coffee. A habit that Lin knew to indicate his nervousness.

“That won’t be a problem because,” Lin began but was interrupted by her daughter.

“Me too!” Jinora pointed to herself with a grin. “I’m allergic to crab and shrimp as well!”

There was a small shriek as the two girls began chattering about being besties and twinsies.

Tenzin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the display.

If that was how they would react over a common allergy (of all things that they could get from their father, it would be his ironic allergy to shellfish, which was to his mother’s consternation – but that’s a different story), wait until they realize they were sisters, Lin idly pondered.

She froze.

Sisters.

It did not dawn on her until then, put in simplistic terms, the two girls are related. She looked at them thoughtfully now, trying to see similarities in their features.

Half-sisters.

Lin corrected herself. Everyone knew how much she had clung to that particular distinction in her own family.

She clicked her pen and noted down in neat precise letters about Ikki’s allergy. “How about emergency numbers or any medicines that she needs to take regularly?”

Tenzin lifted Ikki’s bag, he showed her the bag tag which has all the emergency numbers. He also stated that there were no other allergies or any meds that the kid needs to take.

The pen continued to scratch on the pad.

Pen scratched on the pad.

“Bed time?”

“I'll leave it to your judgment to what's reasonable.” The fingers continued to hold the spoon that stirred the coffee. “They are bound to stay up later because of the project, I suppose.”

A back and forth of more questions and answers continued in the same vein.

When Lin (and Tenzin) was satisfied with the childcare information, flipped back the note pad and kept it and the pen back in her bag. “Alright then, are you really okay with Ikki staying over? If not,” She peered at him, gauging his reaction. “I can easily bring her back to your house later tonight.”

Tenzin shook his head with conviction. “No need, I mean, yes, it’s okay for her to spend time with you.” His face looked stricken at what he said. “No that’s not why I’m implying – I mean.”

Lin resisted rolling her eyes. “I get it.”

 ---

“I get it.”

Did she really, though?

Tenzin tilted his head down, stirring his coffee again, which has gone cold really. He did not dare ask for another refill as he had lost count of how many he had drank in his nervousness.

He inattentively watched the interaction of his daughter with Lin and her daughter.

Lin laughed at something Ikki was talking about.

If nothing else, Lin looked –

Happy.

Contented.

Tenzin was happy, truly, that his childhood friend (among other epithets he had for her, he thought heavily) is in a good place. He would be lying to claim that she did not cross his mind once in a while. He did wonder what had become of her. Their parting was not…ideal. And that was putting it very very lightly.

Now, here he was years later, sitting across her, having finished a conversation about their respective daughters. Lin was warm to Ikki, and he was thankful that she did not seem to bear a grudge against his daughter because of their past.

It was a surreal scenario, to say the least.

If Bumi had told him that was what he would be doing that Friday afternoon, he would have probably slapped his brother upside the head. Or checked his breath for the stench of alcohol.

This was not a normal Friday afternoon for him.

When Lin sat in their booth, he felt a chill run up his spine. The air left his lungs, as though someone had punched him suddenly.

No, it can’t be. Was his first thought.

And yet – he knew it was her.

He would recognize her anywhere. There was no mistaking the way she carried herself, the smirk, the flashing of her grey eyes – only a moment of emotion before it was hidden by the veneer of politeness.

It was cold but his palms turned sweaty. It was an odd feeling really, like a memory that was at the fringes of his mind suddenly before him. He did not know what to make of it.

As much as he was sure he has not forgotten her – when she started introducing herself, he wondered if the same can be said for the other way around.

He had moved far to start a new life with his children. Figures, that, with his luck, he lands at the very town that Lin lived at.

But if Lin wanted to keep it like they did not know each other, fine then. He could handle that. It would be simpler that way, he supposed, especially if Jinora and Ikki would remain friends (bffs, Ikki had said).

It was a cliché but he really did think the years were kind to Lin Beifong.

Is it still Beifong?

He surreptitiously peeked at her hands on the table. One of her fingers was sporting a ring.

So maybe not a Beifong…

He took a sip of his coffee and made a face, forgetting momentarily that it was little more than sludge.

 Before long, the bell at the diner’s door tinkled, announcing that more customers had entered.

Lin turned to face the door at the sound. Her face brightened up and Tenzin craned his neck to see who had arrived.

There was a young man with yellow-orange eyes, a messenger bag slung across his body. His eyes alighted at their corner booth and he smiled, more of lifting the corner of his mouth really than an actual smile.

Tenzin barely heard Lin excuse herself from the table; the two girls, still eating their pile of waffles and chatting about some singer or actor (he wasn’t exactly paying attention), took no notice of her.

Lin went to the newcomer, who raised his hand slightly as greeting.

He watched them with curious fascination – or horrible fascination, he wasn’t sure.

There was that odd tug at his stomach (that he would rather not explore, no, thank you) when the young man (boy, really now Lin? He grumbled internally, never mind his own ex-wife was years younger than him) moved to hug her and give her a kiss on the cheek.

Yes, it was definitely not Tenzin’s usual Friday afternoon.

---

Note: I enjoyed writing this. Pretty cathartic - did you like reading it too? Let me know! 

[just-anka]

I realised I haven’t really regularly posted here since like... I don’t even know, September? It’s been a while, anyway. A lot happened, and I now feel like actually writing a post for the first time in a while, so here goes haha. The first bullet point is entirely work waffle so feel free to skip. Apologies in advance for the fact that this post will probably reach novel length by the time I’m done. 

• I took a week off in late September before Ben started his new job so we could go to the mountains for a bit, and it was a much-needed little break from work. And pretty much right after I got back, work got completely mental - nothing bad as such, just one thing after the other, loads of deadlines, so many important things. First I was finishing up data for a paper (first authorship was being debated which is partially why I threw myself into the job so much, but it looks like it’ll be the PhD student before me’s now, which is how it should be tbh, it’s much more hers than it is mine), then the date for my first committee meeting was set and I suddenly had only two weeks to prepare (did not think it was going to be that short notice, whoops, had a very stressful two weeks but all went well - for us, this meeting means presenting our research plan and preliminary data to a committee of four professors so they can give you input, it’s not suuuper formal but still pretty stressful), then I had to write the report for that (I love writing so that one was okay), then there was suddenly a lot to do for a really important cooperation with a company (big money responsibility which stressed me the fuck out), and then, just as I thought I was pretty much done for the year, I realised I needed my lab book up to date for my end of year meeting with my PI (which wouldn’t be such a big deal, except I didn’t have a lab book at the time. Never got around to starting one. So nine months of lab book were written within another very stressful week). Whew. Even writing this out makes me feel like that was a lot haha. 

• After the end of year discussion, I really was done for the year - I officially worked until the 23rd but there was not that much actual work happening, and with the pressure off after months, I properly crashed for a few days. Ben left for England on the weekend after to see his family for christmas etc, and I spent most of that weekend sleeping and doing very little. It was needed. Then my mum came to visit me for the holidays and we had four really lovely days together, also involving a lot of chilling (the only actual thing we did was that magical winter hike that I posted some pictures of the other day). 

• And now I’m skiing! I was planning to go to England as well for NYE to see Ben’s family, but with the corona situation escalating again lately I decided it was too risky for just a few days. So I made a last-minute plan to go skiing by myself instead, because all that involves is a 2 hour train journey. I’m actually staying in a hotel too, which I’ve never done by myself before, I’m usually a dorm in a hostel type of person, but well. Covid has changed a lot of things :D trying to stay safe and away from people, which is of course not entirely possible in a ski resort, but it’s going okay. The skiing itself is great, it’s really nice having some time to go at my own pace and a few days in a row. Today was day 4 and I’ve really found my groove again (more on that later). There’s not much snow though so not many off-pisteing opportunities :/ I’m staying until Monday and then it’s back to work on Wednesday. 

• Speaking of skiing, we’ve got season passes this year, my first season and Ben’s second. We’ve just been doing on the weekends so far - since the 21st of November I just realised while looking back in my calendar! That’s one hell of an early season start haha. We did just one day three weekends and then one full weekend right before Ben left. The first few days were bloody hard. For context, I learned to ski before I learned to walk and loved it as a child, then stopped for a few years because I felt like I wasn’t progressing anymore and was getting bored with it, basically. Then last January I went to France with Ben and his skiing friends and got introduced to freeriding and the idea of ski touring, and now I’m back to loving it haha. I’d ideally like to not have to resort ski anymore at one point (meaning touring) because I know it’s terrible from an environmental standpoint but... idk. It’s currently my only option, and I love it a lot, so I guess it feels okay? Anyway, since I learned to ski so early, it’s the one sport that I’ve always been pretty good at and like, never get scared, at least not on piste. Until this year. The first three individual days were just all kind of horrible, the conditions weren’t ideal with very hard surface and tons of ice and pretty busy slopes, and only steep terrain open as well (Engelberg, our “home” resort - we have a season pass that encompasses a bunch of resorts so we’re not limited to one - is literally dead flat beginner’s slopes, which weren’t open in the beginning, or red runs that should be black and black lol). Pairing loads of ice with my old skis which barely have an edge anymore was... not ideal. I was so scared constantly and it made me like I lost all my ability etc etc. But yeah, turns out I just needed a few days and some easier conditions to get back into it, and now ice and steep stuff and everything is fine again. Who would’ve thought. (a sensible person, probably). 

• But then, the full weekend we skied in December was awesome! Saturday already felt much better and then it snowed a bunch over night and Sunday we spent all day powder skiing, basically. I learned SO much and just had an absolute ball! Definitely one of the best days skiing I’ve had, and one of the best days recently in general. 

• Plus that whole weekend was just lovely, car camping in a campsite full of huge campervans was pretty fun :D I love the looks we get when people see the car and clearly wonder where we sleep. And we’ve got our setup perfected for winter now so both the nights were toasty. Friday night we had dinner in “bed” watching a movie, and Saturday night we sat in the little kitchen (the campsite has it open for everyone, but everyone else there has a camper, so it doesn’t seem to be used much) drinking tea and playing cards and ahh. Camping in the mountains. My ideal life eh? (though the weekend before this wonderful one, we got snowed in because it dumped over a metre over night completely unexpectedly and that was stressful as hell, but I think that’s a story for another day, if ever, I’m kind of trying to forget that day :’D) 

• Yesterday I also finally took the plunge and ordered new skis. Been debating for ages which ones to get but I’ve finally decided and I’m now very excited! 

• Ok this post so far reads as “work and skiing” which is pretty much what November and December were and probably what January is going to be too haha. Ben and I want to ski another week together end of January as well, and there’s some big exciting work things coming up as well. 

• Even though I have to admit, now that I’m on a break, I’ve spent a lot of time dreading work and questioning my career choices and all of that lark... sigh. I love my job most of the time, but I kind of hate having a job? If that makes sense? Sometimes (okay a lot of the time) I just wish I had more time for other things that I care about. But I also now I’m lucky to have that job, especially this year, and lucky to have a job I don’t hate, and get to do a lot of fun stuff on the side, even if it often means little sleep and downtime. 

• Speaking of things I care about, I was on a proper roll with writing for a few days before and after Christmas. It’s ebbed off again a bit, but it was still pretty cool, and my totally-useless-all-cheese-project is now 33,000+ words long and like, half-way there story wise. Had a lot of fun with that. 

• Lastly, Ben is still in England, and he’s coming back next Sunday, and I can’t wait! I miss him so much when we’re not together it’s actually silly. Although it’s less stressful this time than the last few times because... we live together, his work just offered him an unlimited contract from January, and I’m stuck here for another 2-3 years, so it looks like we’ll actually get to be in the same place for now. Which is all I wished for last year, and I’m so damn grateful - that stability really is the best thing 2020 has brought for me. And, as he said, even though we were apart for the start of the new year, it will hopefully bring more time together than any previous year ♡

• Okay I think this is long enough now, if you actually made it until here you’re a hero and I will try and post a bit more regularly again now to avoid this size of mind dump :’D I hope you all got into the new year alright, it feels very strange to me that it’s 2021 because I actually slept through midnight on new year’s for the first time since I was tiny haha but I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way! 

[cosmiclatte28]

Tempo (Racer!reader x sehun, nct,  exo) #2

previous chapter 1

The next day Oh Sehun cannot enjoy his Sunday calmly. His mind constantly repeats the short encounter he had with (y/n) last night. Sehun still cannot believe his eyes, a girl who looks so innocent can do something that unexpected. He cannot forget that surprised feeling when he saw her behind the starting line... looking fragile and unsuitable beside her big built competitors.

Sehun wants to know her more, he finally finds someone who makes his heart flutters and skips a beat. After a good 2 months of moving on, finally Sehun finds a name that stays in his mind. He showers and after saying good bye to Luhan, Sehun walks to the lift and make his way to his basecamp. It is no other than the apartment Taeyong shares with his boys.

"You're here! Quiet early.. why? Can't sleep?" Jaehyun's sleepy face greets him. He is pretty sure Jaehyun is forced to open the door, because Sehun annoyingly presses it over and over again. Considering how much of a deep sleeper the others are, it is not surprising to find Jaehyun behind the door.

"You really ruin my sleep. I'm going back to bed." Jaehyun yawns and turns his body to his door.

"Yak it's already ten. Just wake up." Sehun smacks his lips.

"I can't I just slept at two yesterday. Yuta's sister happens to get dumped and she stayed here to cry for a straight one hour. And I can't sleep." Jaehyun rubs his tired eyes.

"Just come here. At least sleep here.. so I won't feel alone." Sehun pats the empty space on the sofa beside him. Jaehyun gives up and grabs his blanket and naturally makes himself comfortable sleeping beside Sehun.

Sehun scoffs in disbelief. He thought Jaehyun will get his code and talk to him a little so Sehun won't feel so lonely.. but this guy.. the favorite guy in his campus.. leaves him straight to bed. No wonder a lot of girls give up on him... he is ignorant.

Sehun tries to close his eyes to and get some more rest, but he can't. His mind keeps on teasing him with (y/n)'s face.

"Jae, you asleep?" Sehun asks when he feels like Jaehyun is actually awake already. "Why?" Jaehyun asks slowly, still trying his best to sleep.

"Tell me more about (y/n)-" Sehun rubs his hands over his face "-it's not what you think. I'm just curious."

Jaehyun grins and playfully pinches Sehun's cheeks "You're interested aren't you? Cutie."

"Aish. No. Come on.. I'm just curious.. we don't get to know each other that much." Sehun plays with the messy strands of hair Jaehyun has. It's shockingly painted pink and reminded Sehun of the cotton candy haired girl.

"Just go and see her next week. She'll race on Wednesday and Friday." Jaehyun closes his eyes and shifts his body to another position.

"I can't.. You know I'm not going back there. It's not my style to hang out in places like that." Sehun scrunches his nose. He is born from a rich family, and he is pampered with all good morals and living style. He just happens to learn how to live a normal life when he goes to college and meet his former gang EXO and these 4 princes of the school (dorks for him).

Sehun is not a player type like Johnny and Yuta. He is used to go to courses after school, his nights are spent in the library, his week ends are filled with golf, polo, or attending parties. Sehun went to private school until high school and he made his decision to follow Luhan's path to graduate from a public named university. Still the public school is something new to Sehun. He has to adapt with the types of people who majority have a different background unlike him. However, Sehun has never regret his choice. He met his first love here, a girl from a family like his.. she was sweet and gentle, his family likes her and supports his relationship. That's until he learn the painful truth about heart breaks. Sehun is still adapting his single life again.

"Oh yeah I forgot. You're from a rich family.. well maybe you can watch a movie alone then." Jaehyun lazily replies him.

"No.. I don't mean it that way. You know I cannot abruptly go out on a weekday. Luhan will question me."

"And what if Luhan questions you? Tell him you're seeing the wild race again."

"Sweetie I can't do that. He definitely won't allow me. I mean yesterday he let me because it's only my first time.. but I'm sure he won't expect me returning."

"Then say goodbye to (y/n)... besides she's not really available."

"What do you mean? She's looking on someone?" Sehun tenses.

Jaehyun laughs "She's my sister. Okay. That means I get to select who is dating her."

Sehun bursts out laughing and hits Jaehyun repeatedly "Liar! She is not your sister! She can't be... are you serious?!"

Jaehyun opens his eyes and gets up to sit. He quickly dodges the hits Sehun launches to him.

"He's not lying." Taeyong's raspy wake up voice croaks in as he joins the two brother fighting in the living room.

"What? Really?" Sehun stops his attacks and freezes to Taeyong's direction.

"Yeah. Trust me I've seen a lot of guys picking her up, and Jeffrey here denies every one." Taeyong laughs.

"Even if she said she's interested in Taeyong I will tell her no! Because I'm sure Taeyong deserves someone better." Jaehyun jokingly winks at Taeyong and the three bursts out laughing. Now that's a real sibling and friendship goals Sehun noted.

"Let me tell you about her.. if that's what you want to hear. Of course Jaehyun can't do that.. he will feel awkward .. talking about his sister to another man. So let me." Taeyong interferes.

"She is underage okay Sehun.. you have to keep that a secret. She is only seventeen." Taeyong is cut by Sehun's loud statement "What?! You all must be crazy placing her in that bike and letting her race! She doesn't have her license yet right?" Sehun who is used to live a life under strict rules is surprised.

"Oh come on Sehun. She's even a better rider than us who's legal to drive." Jaehyun fixes his hair and begins smirking with his ideal dimple

"She is only seventeen. Graduating high school soon and so don't dare date her or even get into her pants! I as her guardian angel will kill you!" Taeyong playfully teases Sehun.

"Whatever you guys.. I'm not seeing her like that. Just curious." Sehun tries to hide the blush in his face.. and half succeed.

"We actually did not want her to race. You know it happened one day.. when Yuta can't play because he injured his right hand, and we took a break for almost a month.. apparently (y/n) ;who was used to come with us to support Yuta begged us she wanted to try."

"I tried to stop her okay Sehun.. before you speak bad words to me.." Jaehyun quickly cleans himself. He knows Sehun will probably curse at him if Jaehyun lets her play like that.

"You know me well huh-" Sehun smirks

"Yeah so I can't play. For I broke my hand" Yuta suddenly continues the story. He is also in his wake up state like the others, but his brain is working well. "And since she sometimes joined me for practice.. she knows how to handle a motor bike. Just that she has to know how dirty the game is. She took the challenge.. we tried stopping her.. and she stubbornly went to the competition alone.. she took my bike.. raced alone. We lectured her for a whole day for we are worried sick when she popped up in front of our door in her messy state and handed us the money she won by herself."

"Holdup.. she went to her first race alone? And actually won it?" Sehun looks surprised.

The three men nod "Yes. And she said she really love the feelings... since Yuta cannot play for a month or more.. we trained her and voila! We have our Ace player." Taeyong spreads his hands open like showing a masterpiece.

"She's really a different one eh?" Sehun throws his gaze into Jaehyun and winks

"NOT IN YOUR WILDEST DREAM. SHE IS NOT DATING YOU." Jaehyun runs to the bathroom before Sehun attacks him with more punches.

--

The next Wednesday and Friday Sehun keeps his words. He doesn't join the boys to the wild racing and Luhan has no suspicion on his weird habits.

Well Sehun lately likes to doze off, loses focus in the middle of conversations, gets surprised easily, and does many other odd habits.

He tries his best to forget his feelings towards (y/n) for he also knows his family will be against it.. and it will only break both of their hearts. So Sehun tries his best to bury the slight interest he had to her.

One month passed, Sehun only knows her updates when the boys talk about her. And on one lonely Saturday.. Sehun cannot keep it going.

"Tae, let me tag along tonight." Sehun shows up ready in front of Taeyong's apartment.

"You miss her don't you?" Taeyong locks the door behind him "You appear on time. Jaehyun can't come tonight... he has a project due this night with Johnny. It's only us and Yuta, besides you're always welcomed to join."

"(Y/n)? She's not there?" Sehun blurts out the question that lingers in his mind.

"She's actually a bit injured from the last match.. but we'll see if she can make it tonight." Yuta explains.

The three arrive to the crowded illegal place. Yuta makes his way to grab his bike and goes to do the drug-test procedure. He is racing first tonight on the short track program.

"Taeyong hyung!" (Y/n) greets him quick

"How's your hand doing?" Taeyong carefully checks her left hand. It is wrapped with a strong gyps. He analyzes it while checking her face to see if she squirms.

"It's healing nicely. I am ready for tonight." She looks into Taeyong with her pleading eyes.

"But your hand?" Taeyong asks calmly. His deadly gaze still there despite the big puppy eyes staring into his.

"I swear it's not a problem. Jaehyun has modified my gas and brakes. He made it all right handed and my left hand won't have to exert great pressure." She pleads.

"Well... let me ask Jaehyun if you're allowed to play.. for actually I don't have to force you tonight." Taeyong sounds worried, but his face is still that same cold face.

"I called Jeffrey earlier. He said it's my choice. He told me that whatever the result, I am to be responsible for it." She hopelessly begs.. her hands are on Taeyong's hands.. holding them in order to win his empathy.

"I don't think it's a nice idea.. your competitor is quiet new tonight.. I do not know their tricks yet." Taeyong darts his eyes around the contestants. Yuta is already getting ready. He quickly gives him a two thumbs up and Yuta just returns a smile.

"Please.. hyung.. I need the money also I'm the ace here!" She whispers softly.

"Just trust me. I will keep myself safe." (y/n) squeezes Taeyong's cold hands and leaves when she sees Sehun in the crowd.

She pulls Sehun out of the crowd, he was busy talking with Yuta earlier and the audience are too loud.

"Sehun? What are you doing here?" she asks for she clearly remembers the oath Sehun said that he hates this place and never coming back.

"I'm here to ask you the same question." Sehun did not spit out any other words, but his hand delicately reaches to hold her fractured left hand. The gyps are still hard there and Sehun is pretty sure if he press it she'll scream and cry. "Isn't it too soon to race?"

She steps back and runs her eyes to other things but Sehun's. "It's been a month." She said knowing that's not the answer Sehun hopes to hear.

"This is not good.. though it's not my business." Sehun's deep voice cuts deep into her heart.

"Yeah.." she sighs.

"So.. why are you here?" Sehun raises his brow. Concern is painted all over his face.

"I need the money." She closes her eyes and breathe in. Feeling somewhat ashamed and sinful.

"(Y/~)—"

"I answered you." She cuts him off and hurriedly says "Now answer me. Why are you here? Seriously."

"I told you.. to see you." Sehun spills his tea.

Her pretty facial features shows surprise. She clearly did not expect his answer.

"You were being serious? You'd come back to this dirty road just to see me?"

Sehun couldn't quite read the emotion on her face as she processed that information—whether it was because of the poor lighting or just because he sucks in reading face.

Just as he was about to say something else, the MC announced the first winner for the short track program.. and calls all the contestant for the next race.

"I gotta go." Her face shows apology and something he can't read. She instantly turns her heels to leave Sehun. She then makes her way to Taeyong's side. Listening to the plan Taeyong had made. Yes Taeyong studied her competitors and he advices her how to handle each type.

"Be careful with that one biker. He is new.. I heard his name is Kai.. an ace from the other side.. please be careful with him.. I Don't know how he plays yet.. but let's avoid him okay. Now just be safe! Your safety is precious for me." Taeyong speaks while looking deep into her eyes. She nods understandingly and Taeyong hugs her tight. "Promise me not to get injured.. I am worried sick. Be safe.. for me.. for you.. for Jaehyun."

Yuta finishes his short track program first place. He rushes to (y/n)'S side to wish her good luck and final checks her gears. There are no missing parts and she's ready to race.

Sehun stands beside Taeyong and Yuta.. the three of them somehow feel uneasy letting her race tonight.. but she forces them and Taeyong knows her well. No matter how hard you said no, she will still do what she wants to do.

The line up tonight is only 7 players. With one new player Kai.. that becomes 8. Sehun squints in the dim light and dusty air.. Kai.. don't tell him it's the same Kai he was thinking.. Sehun cannot see his entire face clearly because of the helmet.. but when he looks at his side.. Sehun's face grows pale.

He is sure that is the Kai he is thinking about. Shit. Sehun knows how much of a skillful racer Kai is.. though Sehun did not know his friend is also into this filthy road gambling.. he finally understands where Kai got his random fractures.

The gun is shot, and the racers leave dust trails to the audience as they try their best to lead the line. The MC is busy reporting the players that gets kicked out or slipped on the deadly corners. Taeyong is watching from his binoculars and his mouth is clearly going to bleed anytime soon. Sehun gets it.. he is nervous..

His heart races when the MC repeatedly comments on how hard (y/n) and Kai are battling neck to neck. The two are fighting over first place and just as the race was about to end.. Sehun's heart stopped when Taeyong drops his binoculars and quickly runs to a fallen racer. Yuta is also running behind him. As if on queue the MC announces "Ace player (y/n) with number 127 falls on the last dead corner.. slipped from the slight kick of tonight's winner New Player Kai!" Sehun grits his teeth and rushes to help Taeyong and Yuta.

The fall seems to be quiet serious. She is thrown away from her bike quiet far. Lucky her helmet protects her head.. but she is unconscious right now. Taeyong picks her up while Yuta cleans up after her bike and hands it to their other crew who takes care of their bikes.

"Where's the paramedic? She told me they have paramedics? Or should I call the ambulance?" Sehun panics but tries to remain calm.

"What paramedics? This is an illegal sport Sehun.. we don't have anything like that.. ambulance? We can't bring any attention here. What should we say when an ambulance asked what happens to her? Free tracking?!" Taeyong answers Sehun's innocent question frustratedly.

"Then where Tae?" Sehun calmly asks as they reach Taeyong's car.

"You sit with her. Support her head okay.. please try to wake her up.. we'll drive to a free doctor we know." Taeyong starts the car when Yuta jumps in beside him.

They quickly rush to the place Taeyong said. On the back chair, Sehun is carefully holding her head while realizing she has many scratches.. must be from the rough landing.. some of the cuts are deep from the rocks..

"I'm sorry if her blood gets into your clothes." Taeyong talks to Sehun from his rear mirror.

"No it's not a problem.. focus on the road Tae.." Sehun ties some pressure on one of the big cuts with a towel Yuta passed.

They arrive at a small house. Apparently he is a doctor who always handle them. Doctor Choi Minho.

He quickly takes over (y/n). Checking her vitality, cleans all her blood and quickly decides she needs a few stitches. He checks her left hand and luckily it's not getting worse. Her left foot however was swollen.

Taeyong is pale.. he is busy thinking of what to say to Jaehyun... while Sehun, he just feels the same pain.

Amazingly her swollen leg has no fractures nor damage. It's swollen because the hit was quite hard. Other than that Minho only need to stitch a few deep cuts.

He finishes stitching her left arm, knee, elbow, and chin.

Minho lets them wait for her to wake up in the small check up room. There's a bed there and a chair. Sehun volunteers to look after her and Taeyong plus Yuta who are still thinking their way to tell Jaehyun.. thanks Sehun for taking the responsibility.

Quarter hour passed.

"Sehun?" Her soft hoarse voice greets Sehun's hearing. He is alert from his daze.

"You're awake.." Sehun pulls his chair closer to listen to her small volume.

She darts her eyes to look around and scrunches her face

"This is not my room."

"Uhum. You're in Dr. Minho's practice room."

"The race.. did I lost?" She asked

Sehun doesn't want to tell her the truth. She just risks her life and well being for the money she won.. but Kai.. Kai ruined everything.

Sehun sheepishly erases the gaps between them and places a kiss on her forehead.

She chuckles and swiftly keeps Sehun frozen on his chair "What good are those lips doing up there. I woke up and saw a god in front of me.."

Sehun blushes "Your brother will kill me."

"He won't.. he doesn't know what happened here." She eagerly smiles and Sehun can see Jaehyun's smile there but way more sweeter.

Like hypnotized by her playful gaze, Sehun leans down to reach for her lips. His hand carefully reach for her cheeks instead of the sewn chin. She closes her eyes and melts herself to the sweet passionate emotional kiss they exchange.

It is a fleeting kiss, too short for their liking but enough to make the two gasping for air. They parted just in time when Jaehyun bursts through the door. Sehun leaves the two of them alone.

"Thank goodness you're still in one piece! Taeyong almost lost his head if it's not because you called me earlier and practically forced me to allow you race. See?! I'm actually right about warning you something bad might happen... and see.." Jaehyun instinctively scolds his sister just like how brothers will act in this condition.

"Aish you make my head hurts.. it's not Taeyong's fault. I forced him too to let me play." I close my eyes when the head ache returns.

"I won't scold you more.. I think you're big enough to learn from your mistakes. I'm just worried sick okay. I scold you for your own good. Hyung loves you and doesn't want to lose you." Jaehyun smoothens her hair and leans to peck her cheek.

"(y/n) for this one time.. please listen to me. Don't race until you get better." Jaehyun stares into her eyes.

She nods helplessly and reaches for his hand "I promise. But please let me get to know Sehun." She bites her lips and blushes upon telling her request. Well she knows the rule that all men are to be qualified by Jaehyun first.. and she just feels the burning desire in her heart when she sees Sehun.

Jaehyun thinks for a moment and finally gives her an answer. "Alright. You can get to know him. But no dating or sleeping together. You can't bargain about that."

She rolls her eyes "I'm only going to walk to grab bubble teas with him.. or maybe watch a movie together. Gosh I'm still young bro. I need a friend to study and I think Sehun hyung is a nice learning buddy."

Jaehyun smiles and stands up from his seat. "Fine. You are allowed to go out with Sehun. Just be open to me okay. I trust you."

"Hyung, you're the best! Now help me go home." she gives him a two thumbs up, opens her hand to be carried by Jaehyun and she hangs on his back.

They thank Dr.Minho and make their way back to their apartment. Jaehyun is bringing (y/n) to his apartment tonight to look after her and the long ass ride back home she totally knocks herself to a deep sleep.

Sehun smiles inside his heart when he overheard the deal the brother and sister made.. well Sehun accidentally heard them when he was told to call them out to go home. And Sehun's in cloud 9 when Jaehyun allows her to see him.

He promises himself he'll be a good friend and a good guardian. He knows a lot of good bubble tea cafes and Sehun is brilliant in his studies. He can't wait for their first meeting...outside the race track.

CONTINUE TO NEXT CHAPTER 

[small-carbon-lifeform]

At Its Core

My offering for @flashfictionfridayofficial​ latest prompt! Apologies for any typos and also for running alightly over 1000 words... I honestly thought I woudn’t get round to this today but about 10pm an ideal formulated and then fell out of me so here you go!

This forms another part of what I’ve come to call the Ironlands Series - an urban fantasy centred around my charatcters from last weeks Flash Fiction Friday; Deira and Alia. WIP page coming soon!

At Its Core

Alia came to, her head throbbing and her vision swimming. There was something warm and wet on her forehead. She tried to reach up to it but her wrists were bound together behind her back. A tremor of fear shook her lucid. She took stock of her situation.

Her hands and ankles were tied with that horrible blue nylon rope that scratches your skin raw. She was sat on a freezing concrete floor and, judging by her numbness, had been sat for a long time. The room was lit by a single bulb near the end of its life and by its dying light she could make out shelving units filled with rusted old tool boxes and a pile of plastic sacks filled with coarse sand. She had no idea where she was.

Ignoring the aches and the unnerving sensation of whatever was oozing out of her forehead getting dangerously close to her eye, Alia desperately tried to recall what she was doing before she blacked out.

There were investigating the Sect of Alb…they were…THEY! Oh no…

“Deira! Deira!”

Something groaned behind her.

“Deira? Is that you?”

“Ugh, I think so,” came the gruff response, “my head is killing me.”

“How’s your vision? Do you feel nauseous? Any auditory symptoms?”

Deira recoiled from the quick fire questions, “Gah, shut it for a mo will you?” She gave herself a quick once over,  “I’m fine, wrists are stinging though.”

“Yeah, me too. It’s the rope.”

“Crappy blue stuff?”

“Yeah.”

Deira huffed, “Cheap berks can’t even afford the nice stuff.”

“Can’t believe we got jumped by them.”

“There were a lot of them. But I take your point. Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped out on training.”

There was a wallowing silence.

“I’m sorry,” murmured Deira.

“Excuse me?” asked Alia.

“I said, I’m sorry. I should have told you where I was going. I’m sorry I flaked on training. I’m sorry I’m the reason we’ve been caught by people we should have run rings around. I’m sorry I’ve been a crap friend and I’m sorry I’m the reason you’re hurt.”

The silence redoubled. Alia was stunned. She had known something was going on with Deira but she wasn’t expecting her to reveal so much so soon. This wasn’t time to deal with all of this. Alia very nearly just brushed it away to focus on getting themselves free and back on track but something stopped her. It would have to be the time, this had been a long time coming and she deserved to heard too.

“You made me feel unimportant.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you? I thought we were friends. You don’t have to tell me everything but you could have told me something. I knew something was going on but instead of asking for some privacy, which I would have given you by the way, you pretended everything was fine and now everything is definitely NOT fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah you said,” Alia sighed, “Just talk to me next time.”

“I will. I’m-“

“Don’t say it again, just do it. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now, do you have a spell or something that can get us out of these ropes? They must have taken my vials while we were unconscious.”

“I could try and conjure fire but the rope wouldn’t burn. It’s nylon so it’d melt and wreck our hands.”

“What about ice?” asked Alia.

“Eh?” the question seemed totally incongruous to Deira.

“You create fire by pumping more energy into the molecular movement of the material until it combusts, isn’t that right?”

“You listened!” Deira was momentarily stunned, she realised how she sounded when she gushed about magic but she couldn’t help herself. She had no idea Alia was taking it in.

“I always listen,” Alia said pointedly.

“Sorry.”

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Ice?” Alia was getting very close to being done with this whole day, “Could you take all the energy out of a material and freeze it? Then it’d be brittle enough to pull apart.”

Deira thought about this. The theory made sense, magic at its core was all about the manipulation and transformation of energy. Heat was an energy, and cold was an absence of that energy. She’d played around with cryomagic when she was a kid but she’d become too reliant in pyromancy when she discovered she could control it. The only problem was the BDT ratio. If she didn’t pull enough energy out of the rope they’d still be stuck, but pull too much and she’d destroy her own flesh. Hopefully she’d remember enough of her childhood experiments to give her enough control. She really shouldn’t have missed training.

“Right, sit tight. I’ll give it a go.”

Deira closed her eyes and concentrated of where she could feel the rope digging into her wrists. She could feel the frayed slivers of plastic scratching her skin and the irritated patches rising underneath. She focused on the artificial material, all other things fell away, there was just the blue twine. She pushed further in. She felt it hum. It was slight but the vibration was there. The molecules moved with the rhythm of all things. Deira reached out and touched it. She felt the minuscule warmth generated from this movement and pulled. The rope lurched in response, seemingly contracting as its heat started to dissipate. By degrees she drew more and more of the molecular movement into herself. On the macro level she could feel the rope starting to cool against her writs. She tried the snap the rope but it was nowhere near brittle enough to break. She had further to go, much further. She did not know how cold she would have to make it. She would be risking frostbite for sure but if she didn’t they would be at the mercy of the Sect and it would be all her fault. Pushing her focus as far as she could she pulled the energy out of the rope. She felt the particles slow their vibration. She felt the heat pooling in her hands and the rope beginning to freeze. She sucked in through her teeth sharply, the rope was burning her flesh now. Just a bit more, she told herself, just a bit more…

Alia had been sat impeccably still trying not to disturb Deira in her work. When Deira stretched out her now free arms, she jumped, “That was quick.”

“Child’s play mate,” smirked Deira, rubbing her wrists, “Let’s get you sorted.”

[beckzorz]

A Private Tour (one-shot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Words: 2020 Summary: Captain America and his brooding friend get a private tour of an art museum. As an intern, your only job is to keep a low profile. Oops? A/N: Happy Fluff Friday! Wrote this in a flash and wanted to share :3 For anyone curious, the museum is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. All the descriptions of the art are sourced from the museum website. Thanks (as always) to my amazing beta reader @kentuckybarnes, who is more patient than any saint <3

“And here we have the 1888 portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent. After its initial showing, her husband asked it to not be publicly shown again until after his death.”

“Fascinating,” Captain America said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head as he peered up at the milky face of the museum’s mastermind. The curator studied him with blatant interest.

You rolled your eyes.

“What?”

You flinched. You’d been invited to accompany the curator on Captain America’s private tour, to shadow her and learn—a high honor for a lowly intern such as yourself. You were just supposed to keep a low profile and pay attention to how the curator conducted the tour.

Of course, you’d blown it now. Captain America’s friend, the dark, brooding fellow trailing at an uneasy distance, was staring at you with raised eyebrows.

“What?” he repeated.

“I didn’t say anything,” you whispered.

“You rolled your eyes,” he whispered back.

“Er…” Your face burned.

He cracked a grin. “I won’t tell.” He winked conspiratorially at you and strolled up beside Captain America, who started to point out some brushwork to the strange man.

Martha, the curator, joined you by the far wall as the two men chatted.

“So, what do you think?” she asked.

“I’m curious why you picked the pieces you did,” you said. “But I guess I have weird taste.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I get why you’d point out the Sargent—it’s a classic. Plus, the whole idea of locking something splendid away for ages does kinda resonate. But a few of the others you picked were pretty obscure.”

“Well, I like to highlight some of the things that speak to me.” Martha tapped her chin. “And you do get some extra autonomy on these private tours. No need to follow a strict script like with the regular tours.”

“Mm.”

You eyed the two guests speculatively. Captain America was still staring up at the Sargent while talking to his friend. His friend, on the other hand, had his head turned towards you and Martha. You raised your eyebrows when he glanced back at you, but he looked away so fast you weren’t sure if he’d even noticed. He was dressed like Captain America in a button-down shirt and jeans, though he had his sleeves rolled down and gloves on as well. His shirt wasn’t quite straining over the muscles of his back, but it was a close call. The black jeans across his butt, on the other hand…

“What’s the other one’s name again?” you asked Martha in a whisper.

“Don’t you recognize him? That’s Bucky Barnes!”

Bucky Barnes definitely looked back at you this time. You ignored his badly disguised smirk.

“I guess I’m not up-to-date on the real world,” you said lightly. “Not that I’m so up-to-date in the art world, either…”

“Ah yes, your penchant for impressionist landscapes.” Martha’s lips twitched with amusement. Captain America turned back to her with a smile, and Martha hurried forward to lead on.

You kept to a reasonable distance. Bucky Barnes stood by the Sargent until you pass by.

“So,” he drawled. “Impressionist landscapes?”

“I’d say they’re classic, but that’s a couple millenia off-base,” you told him.

Bucky grinned. He hooked his fingers in the loops of his snug jeans and kept pace with you as you followed Martha and Steve.

“What about art of people?”

“Eh,” you said with a shrug. “ I see people every day. We’re all works of art, in my opinion. You just have to look at people the right way to see it.”

“So how should I pose?” Bucky stopped short and twisted his legs and torso, raising his arms in a fair facsimile of the composite pose of ancient Egypt. His muscles strained against his shirt, and you stepped back to try and take in the whole picture and not just the stark outline of his abs. His long hair brushed his cheekbones, and his cheeky grin was nothing like the serene profiles depicted in tomb chapels or on palace walls.

He looked… ridiculous.

“A good effort,” you said, trying not to laugh. “But I prefer contrapposto.”

Bucky chuckled, and Steve glanced back at you both with a smile. You blushed and hurried after your boss.

Martha was already telling Steve about the seventeenth century Japanese fold screens by the time you were back in earshot. It was the standard fare, a speech you’d already mostly memorized. You studied the illustrations, wondering vaguely if you’d ever get around to reading more than a synopsis of the source novel.

“Wanna catch me up?” Bucky asked.

You glanced at him, trying to ignore your racing pulse at the sight of his bright blue eyes. “Illustrations from the Tale of Genji,” you said quickly—Martha was almost done with her speech. “Kano Tsunenobu, 1677.”

“Isn’t that the first novel ever written?” Bucky leaned forward and peered at the bottom left corner. His arm brushed your sleeve, and you bit your tongue to keep cool as a whiff of his spicy scent flooded your senses. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about a man named Genji, who was the ideal man. A really talented artist, super attractive, and—” you flushed— “a great lover.”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky stood up, still dangerously close. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips as he gazed at you. You were frozen in place, barely able to breathe. There were sweet crinkles around his eyes, and gosh, his lips were pink as anything. He was barely a foot away. You swallowed.

“And so as we move on…”

Martha and Steve were wandering off. You took the opportunity to step back, breaking the spell, and follow your boss. A deep breath took the edge off your sudden hyper-awareness of the man behind you. Then you remembered Bucky had asked a question.

“The book spends a lot of time on his relationships. I guess things haven’t changed much,” you shot back over your shoulder. Your voice sounded normal. You hoped.

“Well, I don’t think that’s true,” Bucky murmured. “But I hope you never change.”

You didn’t know what to say to that.

Martha made quick work of the chapel and the long gallery, and now you were all clustered in the Titian room. Martha and Steve made their way to the far wall, but Bucky grabbed your elbow and steered you to a table by a window. You recognized the painting propped in a dark wooden frame.

Giovanni Bellini, Christ Carrying the Cross, about 1505-1510.

“He looks like he’s wearing a backwards baseball hat,” Bucky whispered.

You clapped a hand to your mouth before you laughed out loud. “Shh!” you scolded.

“What?” he said, blinking innocently. Gosh, what eyes! “I’m just sayin’.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but I’m supposed to be paying attention,” you said. You extricated your arm from his hold and hurried over to where Martha was going over Titian’s Rape of Europa with Steve.

“Crazy to think how much European art developed in a hundred and fifty years,” Steve mused. “This is so different from the Proto-Renaissance stuff. The motion, the colors…”

“It’s fascinating,” Martha agreed.

You blinked. Did Martha realize she was echoing what Steve had said not ten minutes ago?

Maybe. Martha was good at reading a room.

Hopefully she wouldn’t scold you for not paying attention to her tour.

Your eyes slid back to Bucky, who mimed spinning a cap around his head, and you pressed your lips together to keep from smiling. What a goof.

By the time you all headed back downstairs, Bucky had attached himself to your side again.

“So,” he said as you made your way down the stairs, “what’s your deal?”

“I’m interning,” you said. “Summertime gig and all that.”

“Do they pay you?” he asked.

“Uh, no, this is an art museum,” you said, startled.

“So how do you live?”

“Grants, and other paid jobs. I’m a grad student in my spare time.”

“Oh yeah? Art history?”

“Whoa, how did you guess?” you joked.

Bucky leaned in to whisper, “It’s hard to tell, but I’m secretly brilliant.”

You giggled. “You know,” you said, “I believe it.” Your eyes lingered on his smile before you looked away as you reached the bottom of the stairs.

This all had been fun, and Bucky Barnes was definitely the most beautiful person you’d ever seen, but it wasn’t real. Captain America’s private tour was over, and now that it was, you and Martha and the rest of the skeleton crew still left behind could go home.

Except Steve was still talking to Martha.

Well, you weren’t going home yet. You turned back to Bucky with a smile.

“Art is more Steve’s thing, but I had fun,” he said, knocking his shoulder against yours.

“Good!” You smiled brightly at him.

Bucky blinked, a hint of pink coming to his cheeks as he looked at you. The silence held a few seconds too long, and your smile faded slightly. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“So what’s your end goal, then?” he asked.

“Make something magical out of other people’s work,” you said promptly. “And…” You glanced hesitantly up at him. Why not tell him your secret dream? You’d never see him again, and his eyes and face were so guileless that you couldn’t imagine any harm would come from telling. “And it’s never gonna happen, but I want to be the one to find the paintings that got stolen from here.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes,” you confessed. “I always love heist stories, and when I found out someone had done it in a museum, I was so excited. I’ve wanted to figure it out since I was a kid. I minored in criminal justice, even.”

“So… bring the thieves to justice and restore the paintings to their rightful place?”

“Exactly.”

“Sounds fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “When do we start?”

“Oh, please.” You laughed.

“No, seriously, when do we start?”

Your mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious,” you said, but he ignored you.

“I suppose we could start with dinner, but we can stick with a good old-fashion briefing room if you prefer,” he said with a wink. Your heart skipped a beat.

“I like dinner,” you said weakly. “Briefing rooms sound boring.”

“God, you have no idea,” he said fervently. He rolled his eyes, but when he was done, all he smiled. “So do you have plans tonight?”

“Well, I was going to just hang out at home, but I guess I need to solve a decades-old mystery with a stranger first,” you teased.

“Having been a decades-old mystery, I think I can offer a unique perspective,” Bucky declared, still smiling. He reached out and squeezed your hand briefly. “I’m glad Steve dragged me along. Never woulda come on my own.”

“Is it too soon to say I’m glad too?”

Bucky’s grin was infectious. “Nope. Besides, I think your boss will be impressed if you can get the paintings home safe.”

“You do know they’ve been missing for almost thirty years, right?” you said.

“After a century, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Bucky glanced behind you at Martha and Steve, but before you could check what they were up to, he grabbed your hand and pulled you around a corner.

“Excuse you!” But your protest was half-hearted. Bucky’s right hand was still linked in yours, his eyes bright and happy, and you couldn’t help but catch your breath at the wonderful sight of him so close. “You know,” you murmured, reaching up to trace the line of his jaw, “you’re a work of art just as you are.”

Bucky’s eyes smoldered as he tugged you closer until your chest brushed his.

“Well,” he said, dropping a kiss on your nose, “maybe for my next pose I’ll try a reclining nude.”

He stifled your laugh with a searing kiss. Warmth burst in your chest, and you hummed happily into his mouth. When he finally pulled back, his lips were swollen but his eyes were gleaming.

“So,” he said, “dinner?”

“Dinner,” you agreed.

[woofools]

Hey, you guys wanna read something weird and rambly and way to long that literally none of you asked for?

Nah??

Understandable, but guess what you’re getting anyway.

In the interest of being transparent, I’m gonna mark this thing with a PG-13 rating for depictions of (adults!) drinking, and implied drunken mistakes.

She hadn’t come.

Yo told himself she must have mixed up the date. Or maybe she’d gone to the wrong restaurant, and they could both have a laugh over it and reschedule.

Never mind that they’d confirmed both the time and place hours before they were supposed to meet. Never mind that as he’d sat anxiously waiting at his booth, he’d noticed a woman walk into the restaurant out of the corner of his eye. She’d taken two steps in before she started digging in her purse like she’d forgotten something, then left and didn’t come back.

A little voice in the back of his head had warned him against using that old photo on his profile page. He’d argued back that no one would respond if he’d used a current picture. And anyway, once they actually met he’d be able to prove looks weren’t everything, right?

Not if she catches sight of you from the door and leaves without even talking to you, you liar.

He had ordered munchies as he waited, and tried to look like his evening was going as planned. He was pretty sure the wait staff knew what was actually happening, though. And the people in the tables near his, too. Heck, it felt like the people across the street knew.

At the hour mark, he threw some money on the table to cover the cost of his finger food, and stood to leave. And though he knew it wasn’t the case at all, he felt like the whole restaurant was watching him go. Like a mini- walk of shame all the way to the exit.

He sat in his car for a while after finally getting to it, wondering what to do. In spite of his best efforts, Yin and Yang had found out he’d brushed the dust off the joke- dating profile Yang had set up for him. How they’d managed to do that he wasn’t entirely sure; he mostly chalked it up to them being nosy little snots. Well, that and they both understood computers a lot better than he did. He thought he’d managed to deflect their questions at first, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t gone back and hacked the thing to find out what site he’d been on. Yo missed the days where if you’d gotten a message you didn’t want others to see, all you had to do was light the stupid thing on fire or eat it or something.

The point was, they knew what he was out doing tonight. And he knew that if he went back home right now, they would know that – one way or another – things hadn’t gone well. What good date only lasted one measly hour? He went through his mental rolodex for a convincing lie he could tell – she had to get up early the next morning, she got food poisoning, he got food poisoning – but he stopped short. Even if the kids believed him… he’d know. More than anything, he really didn’t want to talk or think about any of this right now.

Best way he could think to do that was to stay out until it was a reasonable time for his “date” to end, then go home and say things had been fine.

…where did lonely old people go when they needed to kill time?

Yo pondered for a solid fifteen seconds, then let his head fell forward, bumping it against the steering wheel as he groaned.

He thought he’d be able to make it his whole life without living this particular cliché…

Sitting up straight and telling his dignity to clench its buttocks and brace itself, he put his car in drive and headed off in search of a bar.

*****

The bar he ended up at wasn’t the bottom of the barrel, at least. He took some comfort in that. It was decently clean, at any rate, and the patrons all looked normal enough. The lighting could be a little better, but all else aside that was a pretty minor complaint.

So here he was. An old guy drinking all by himself at a bar. On a Friday. At… pellets, he shouldn’t have looked at the clock, it was way too early to sit drinking all alone. Now he felt even more pathetic.

He slid onto a stool near the far-end of the bar. Ideally, he would have sat at the very end, as far away as he could get from the people happily enjoying their Friday night, but someone was already there. Oh well. He ordered his drink and sat back to wait.

The group further up the bar sounded like they were having fun… Yo wondered how long it had been since he’d had the chance to spend a night out with friends. He really didn’t need the wave of depression that came with the realization that he couldn’t actually remember. Kraggler was the closet he had to a “friend” these days, and he could barely manage to stay awake during the day. An evening on the town was definitely out.

A second wave of depression hit as the bartender slid him his drink. He downed it in two gulps, and ordered another.

He drank his second glass more slowly, surreptitiously people-watching to distract from everything going on in his head. The group of friends further up the bar looked to be late-twenties to early-thirties. They weren’t doing shots or anything crazy; they just seemed to be catching up over drinks.

There were some other kids in the table somewhere behind him, and Yo guessed these ones where in their early-twenties. Mostly because these ones were doing shots, and at the rate they were going he could only assume they were afraid the alcohol would disappear if they didn’t drink it fast enough. (Enjoy it while you can, kids.)

The guy at the end of the bar was dressed all in black, wearing a baggy old sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. He was thin, and even though he was curled forward over his drink Yo got the sense he was pretty tall. Eh, taller than him, at least. Which wasn’t saying a lot (pandas were never known to be giants), but still.

The guy tipped back the last of his drink, then waved down the bartender. “One more.”

Yo promptly choked on his rum and coke.

The guy’s voice was deeper than what he would’ve expected coming from someone as rail-thin as he was. That wasn’t what had made him snort his drink out his nose and back into his glass, though. What had made him choke was that when the guy talked, his voice came out in layers.

Yo knew that voice.

Before Yo could do anything (before he could even think to), the guy turned to look at him, attention drawn by his sputtering.

The Night Master liked strawberry daiquiris, apparently.

Now see, if circumstances had been ideal, Yo could have said any number of dramatically appropriate things, or at least offered him a good glare. But things weren’t ideal, because really when were they ever, and instead he couldn’t stop coughing.

The Night Master (well, not really, but if he had an actual name Yo didn’t know it, and calling him “the former Night Master” was too much of a mouthful, so) had a lot of emotions swirling across his face. Or… eh, more like three, actually: surprise, confusion, and utter irritation. But considering Yo had only ever seen the guy use a grand total of two previously – anger and gloating – it was an impressive range, by his standards.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed.

“Me?” Yo choked. His nose was still burning from the alcohol he’d snotted through it. It wasn’t helping the tears his coughing had brought to his eyes at all. “A-ain’t you supposed to be—” hack, cough, “banished in a dark void right now?”

This might have been the wrong thing to say, rubbing salt in an already very PO’ed bat’s wounds and all, but Yo stood by it. Out of the two of them, he had way more right to randomly be at a bar than a past master of all evil did.

The Night Master bared his teeth in a snarl. “I was let out early for good behavior,” he sneered, sarcasm-levels hitting critical. “Now you. What’s a ‘Woo Foo master—’” (the tone and air-quotes were unwarranted and annoying) “—doing at a bar? Are you drinking to forget what abysmal failures your pathetic students are?”

Yo glared. “Those ‘f-failures’ kicked your scrawny butt,” he sniped, slowly getting a hold on his coughing. “What’s that make you?”

The Night Master’s expression twisted further, and within the span of a heartbeat he’d crossed the space between them and seized the front of Yo’s shirt. (He’d tried to look nice for his date, for all the good it’d done him. His own anger spiked when it was gripped hard enough to threaten tearing.)

“Listen here you—”

“Hey!” the bartender suddenly snapped, making both of them turn their heads. “No fighting. You wanna brawl, take it outside.”

Her face was a mask of ‘I don’t get paid enough to put up with this and I have nothing to lose.’ There was a beat where they looked at her, another where they turned back to glare at each other, then with a disgusted growl the Night Master shoved him away.

“Useless fool,” he spat under his breath, returning to his seat.

Yo glared again. “Has-been,” he shot back, not bothering to keep it under anything.

The Night Master’s head snapped back in his direction. “I’m the has-been?! When I know for a fact you spend every free moment you have sinking farther and farther into a ratty old armchair?” (Note to self: punt Coop down the road for spying crimes of days past.) The Night Master sneered. “Bit of a far cry from the ‘great hero’ you once were, wouldn’t you say?”

If he hadn’t been so against the idea of paying the bar for breaking their glasses, Yo probably would’ve shattered the one in he was holding. Or thrown it at the bat’s stupid head, one of the two.

“Oh yeah, and you keep so busy?” he returned. “We all thought you’d died.” He looked away, taking another swig of his drink. “Turns out you were just sulking and gettin’ drunk. Who’da thought.”

Yo’d been aiming to get a rise, and boy did he get one. The Night Master bristled, hackles visibly raising, and his expression was suddenly so dangerous that even without dark powers or the overlord garb, it was clear how he’d managed to become a Night Master in the first place.

“Do you think I want to be here right now?!” he snarled, looking livid. “Do you really think that if I had anywhere else to be, I’d choose here?”

“Well since you’re having such a rotten time, how ‘bout you leave and let me have a drink in peace, how’s that sound?” Yo returned, unphased.

“I was here first!”

The conversation was starting to get loud. The guys further up the bar had stopped talking to watch them warily, and the bartender was looking increasingly fed up. (The kids in the back were still barking and cheering as they did their shots, either none the wiser or just not caring.) Yo ignored them.

Before he could respond, the Night Master went on, “Where else do you expect me go, exactly? I have no lair to stay in, no minions to talk to, and if I spend one more second in that accursed suburban prison I am literally going to lose my mind!”

(Yo wanted to make a comment about the Night Master apparently being forced to live in suburbia now, but couldn’t think of a way to phrase it that would properly convey his scorn. He said nothing instead.)

Apparently done with his rant, the Night Master looked down to glare hatefully into his daiquiri. After a moment, he bit out, “You ruined my life.”

Yo continued to watch him stonily, not speaking. This all coming from the guy who’d banished all his friends and made the whole world think the art he’d practiced his entire life was a complete joke…

Eventually, he grumbled, “You ruined mine first,” and tossed back the last of his drink.

He ordered another.

*****

“What are you dressed up for?”

Yo looked up. The Night Master was staring at him dispassionately, elbow resting on the bar, head resting in his hand. They’d been drinking in silence for the last twenty minutes, both stubbornly trying to pretend the other didn’t exist. At least, that’s what Yo had been doing.

When he didn’t immediately answer, the Night Master gestured at his outfit vaguely, specifying, “You usually look like trash. Why don’t you now? This bar is trash, you’d have fit right in.”

…charming.

The Night Master apparently noticed the bartender glaring at him for his comment about the bar, because he turned to her with a glare of his own. “Oh, don’t give me that look, this place is a hole. Just spit in my next drink and move on already.”

As she moved away, still scowling, he turned back to Yo expectantly.

The sober, reasonable part of Yo’s brain didn’t want to even think about why he was dressed up, much less talk about it. Much less with this guy.

…but unfortunately it was the alcohol-soaked part that was doing the driving at the moment, and that part wanted to vent. Even if it was to a former Night Master.

“I had a date,” Yo muttered, taking another swig of his drink.

The Night Master tilted his head, then swiveled on his seat to squint up at the clock on the wall behind them.

“What kind of date ends before 10:30?” he asked.

The sober part of Yo’s mental facilities managed to wrestle the controls away from the drunken part just long enough for him to regret saying anything. Sinking into his stool and trying to hide his expression with his glass, he mumbled, “The kind that doesn’t show up.”

There was a short pause as the Night Master processed his words, followed by vindictive snickering.

“Too bad,” he said, insincere and delighted. “I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would ever want to stand you up.” Then, sounding positively gleeful at the prospect, “Was it a blind date? Do you think she came in, saw you, and left?”

Yo felt his face getting hot as he sunk further in on himself, shoulders hunching.

The silence didn’t go unnoticed. The Night Master laughed again.

Yo grasped for anything he could use to defend himself. He settled on disinterest. “Could’ve been worse,” he said, forcing his shoulders to un-hunch so he could shrug. “Could’ve had an ex show up. Could’ve had Edna show up.”

The Night Master’s sadistic grin faltered a bit. “‘Edna’?”

“Obsessive ex,” Yo supplied, flailing for the last strand of his self-esteem. There was at least one woman on the planet that thought he was worth something. Even if that woman was… eugh, Edna. “Crazy old dragon lady. We went out a couple times and she won’t let it go. I wouldn’t put it past her to make a fake dating account to try to meet up with me.”

“Crazy old drag…? Wait—” The Night Master’s eyes lit up. “Do you mean that— that annoying little ant conqueror’s mother?”

“Uh… yes?”

The sadistic joy returned to the Night Master’s face full force. “You used to go out with Barbecue-Breath??”

Yo’s face felt hot again. He hadn’t counted on the Night Master actually knowing who he was talking about.

To his dismay, the bat moved several seats closer. He was now sitting right next to him, apparently intent on prying every last sordid detail of the story out of him. “How did you end up dating a villain, precisely? And why did you break up? You seem like you’d be a perfect fit for each other, conflicting moral alignments aside.”

Yo grunted, leaning as far back as he could without falling off his seat. “Remember when we were ignoring each other? Wasn’t that nice? Can we go back to that?”

The Night Master grinned in a way that plainly conveyed no. No they couldn’t.

(Apart from being annoying and intrusive, Yo couldn’t help but find the bat’s sudden curiosity more than a little unnerving. Apparently while alcohol made him stupid, it made the Night Master unbearably chatty.)

Hoping to put the matter to rest, Yo snapped, “I didn’t date her because I wanted to; she was wearing a Broach of Irresistibility!” He huffed. “Once the broach came off, the relationship was over as far as I was concerned.”

Rather than dissuade his amusement, like Yo had hoped, the Night Master looked still more delighted. “You weren’t even dating her by choice!” he crowed. “You got magically volunteered!”

Not appreciating the mockery (though, admittedly, he now wasn’t sure if the Night Master was mocking him or Edna at this point), Yo glowered. “So how do you know her, then?”

The Night Master smirked. “Same as you, though I wasn’t stupid enough to get tricked into actually dating the crocodile.”

Yo blinked. “Wait, so then how is that the same…?”

A scoff and an eyeroll. “She used to pop up at Evil Cons to try to flirt. She seemed to think that because her son had made a villainous name for himself, that meant that she had a reputation too.” The Night Master’s face twisted at the memory, momentarily looking like someone had just force-fed him shower cleaner. “She dropped the phrase ‘power-couple’ more than once when she came to talk.” Then, smirk returning, “You took up the mantle for me after I left, it would seem.”

Now it was Yo’s turn to pull a face. “Yeah, you’re welcome.”

The Night Master offered another round of sadistic snickering in response.

Feeling more than a little embarrassed and exceedingly annoyed, Yo snapped, “Okay, so you know why I’m dressed up, how come you’re in here lookin’ like a hobo? Did you just give up when your tailor went AWOL?”

The mirth withered and died on the Night Master’s face. His ears suddenly went flat against his head, and Yo was vindictively pleased to see he’d gone slightly red underneath his scowl.

“I can’t exactly afford to draw attention to myself at the moment,” he said tightly. “My preferred choice of fashion tends to turn heads.”

“Uh, yeah, ‘cause it’s pretentious and godawful,” Yo said dismissively. “Still, you used to at least look like you cared. Guess now that you don’t have anyone to impress you’ll just throw on just about anything, huh?”

The Night Master’s face went still redder, his ears pressed even tighter to his scalp, and Yo took no small amount of satisfaction to see his shoulders hiking up this time. He looked away, glaring, and didn’t respond.

“Aww, what’s wrong?” Yo asked, tone decidedly unkind. “The game’s not goin’ how you wanted so now you don’t wanna play anymore?” Yo turned back to his drink, expression twisting. “Well ain’t that just typical.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the Night Master snapped, looking back to him.

“Whaddya think it means, genius?” Yo asked, gesturing widely. “The forces of evil love getting a rise outta people, love making everyone else feel miserable. But the minute the tables turn and the shoe’s on the other foot, you either throw a tantrum or back out. It’s typical.”

“And the forces of good play victim and pray karma when those tables don’t turn,” the Night Master shot back. “Choice of evils.”

After a long moment of glaring at each other, the Night Master looked away again, muttering, “No pun intended.”

Yo realized, after another long moment, that he didn’t have the energy or the sobriety to debate this much further. Instead, he just grumbled, “Seems like a pretty easy choice to me, but whatever,” and took another drink.

The Night Master, who was in the process of accepting another daiquiri form the bartender, grumbled back, “Seems like a clear choice to me, too.”

Yo watched him for a second. “She probably did spit in your drink, y’know,” he warned disinterestedly after a moment’s consideration.

The Night Master held the daiquiri up slightly in mock, unenthused jubilation. “Cheers,” he said flatly, and downed over half in one gulp.

Yo rolled his eyes.

*****

Another span of silence passed. The guys further up the bar had left, and the kids behind them were slowly sinking into an alcohol-induced stupor. The Night Master was still seated beside him, having never moved back to his original seat. Yo wondered distantly, abstractly, what he might be thinking about as he stared unfocusedly across the bar, but then just as distantly decided he didn’t care. He did wonder what exactly had brought him here, though. Like, to this bar specifically, not “here at this moment in time.”

“You said you live in a suburb now, right?” he blurted.

The Night Master flinched, then turned to glare at him.

“What’s it to you?”

Yo shrugged. “You did say that, right?” At the Night Master’s stiff nod, he asked, “Is it nearby? It’s gotta be, right? Why else would you be here right now?”

The Night Master snorted, rolling his eyes. “I like the pleasant company,” he said, jerking his thumb in the bartender’s direction. Who saw and heard him, by the way. She was literally going to punch him in the mouth if he didn’t shut up soon. (Yo fell bizarrely compelled to keep him talking, all of a sudden.)

Again, he asked, “What’s it to you, panda? Are you planning an attack? Should I be flattered you still consider me worth your time?”

Yo shrugged again. “Just think it’s funny, that’s all.”

As the Night Master glared daggers, a grin suddenly tugged at Yo’s mouth, and he propped his elbow against the bar to stare at him.

“Didja have, like, a housewarming party when you first moved in? You workin’ a 9’ to 5’ now?”

“Shut up,” the Night Master said.

“You yell at the neighborhood kids when they end up on your lawn?” Yo went on, unbothered. “D’you have yard sales—?”

“Shut up!” the Night Master said again, louder this time. Yo was pleased to see he’d gone a bit red again.

“That a ‘yes’?” he sing-songed.

“So what if it—?!” but he clapped his hands over his mouth before he could finish, looking horrified.

Oh, no way. “Wait, what?” Yo asked, grin growing exponentially.

The Night Master yanked his hood back over his head and turned away, apparently trying to go back to pretending Yo wasn’t there.

Yo burst out laughing.

“Why is that so hilarious?” the Night Master demanded. “Other people do those things their whole lives, I don’t see you laughing at them.”

“Uh, other people are normal?” Yo said. “Other people don’t make a whole thing about how big and bad and evil they are?”

The Night Master huffed. “Well, when you’re good at something…”

“Yeah, ‘cept you’re apparently not, considering you ended up living in—” Yo broke off laughing again.

The Night Master bristled. “I was doing just fine until you and your brats decided to—”

“Hey whoawhoawhoa,” Yo said, holding up his hands defensively (and still thoroughly enjoying the bat’s embarrassment and frustration, but that was beside the point). “Don’t get mad at me because your choice of careers came back to bite ya.”

“How is something a choice when it’s your only option?” the Night Master snapped.

Yo’s grin dissipated. The Night Master didn’t look at him, instead putting all his focus back on his drink. Finally, Yo said, “You’re really gonna try to play that card, huh?”

“Yep,” the Night Master said, tone clipped.

Oh you gotta be…

“After everything you did,” Yo clarified, patience abruptly starting to fizzle, “all the— the years and years and years of being completely horrible, you’re literally gonna sit there and try to sell some ‘oh, it was the only choice I had in life, woe is me!’ –story?”

“‘Woe is’ nothing, I enjoyed every second of it,” the Night Master spat. “But yeah, that’s what we’re going with.”

Yo stared at him, the amusement he’d felt a few seconds ago feeling very far away.

“Go to hell,” he finally said.

“Been there, done that,” the Night Master returned. “I call it life.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Yo breathed, taking another swig of his drink. Maybe if he downed enough it’d dull the flames rising in his chest…

“Did you ever try to do anything other than this?” the Night Master asked suddenly, gesturing at Yo.

(Yo took “this” to mean “being a Woo Foo knight.” He made a noncommittal noise, wanting to see where he was going with this before giving away any kind of answer.)

“Was it nice, being able to slide into whatever you want, and not be made to feel out of place for it? I’ve got a secret for you, Yo: Bats? Or anyone people define as a ‘creature of darkness’? We’re not liked. We walk into a building and half the time a manager will come over going ‘now we don’t want any trouble, but we’re going to have to ask you to leave,’ and then we have to stand there and try to explain we just want to buy groceries. That suburb I’m stuck in? Do you think they want me there? Do you know how often I get indirectly, passive-aggressively told I’m bringing down the neighborhood’s property values just by being there?”

“Wow, people aren’t all that inviting to people who proudly identify as evil, can’t imagine why that would be,” Yo said sarcastically (though he had to admit his indignation had waned a bit).

“None of them know!” the Night Master burst. “That’s the whole point of me living there! None of them will rat me out to someone who might have a grudge because none of them know what I used to be!”

He growled, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes and rubbing agitatedly. Yo was suddenly confronted with just how tired he looked.

Glaring back over at him, the Night Master went on, “Point of fact is that my life was infinitely better when I was spending it making everyone else’s worse. No one seems to care about fighting the stereotype, so why not benefit where I can by leaning into it?”

Yo didn’t have an answer for a moment.

“There are plenty of bats who don’t try to take their problems out on the whole stinkin’ planet,” he finally insisted stiffly.

“I can promise you every single one of them has thought about it at least once,” the Night Master shot back. “Hardly my fault I’m the only one who decided to try.”

They sank back into sullen silence.

*****

“I did kind of do something besides this—” Yo said some time and many drinks later, making small gesture at himself, “—when I was younger.”

The Night Master observed him grumpily, but waited for clarification.

“I was in a band,” Yo finally supplied. He very nearly went into the whole thing, ‘it was called Pandangerous, we were kinda big, you might’ve heard of us,’ but he found he couldn’t bring himself too. He was actually suddenly kind of embarrassed he’d brought it up at all. This was the Night Master, he didn’t care.

“…what did you play?”

Yo blinked, surprised. “Uh… bass?”

The Night Master cocked his head. “Hm. Would’ve taken you for a drummer.” There was a small pause before (sinking in on himself a little, Yo couldn’t help but notice) he mumbled, “I’d always kind of wanted to learn violin.”

Yo stared for a second. Yeah, violin did seem to fit with the whole… dark and brooding –thing he had going. Rather than comment to that effect, he asked, “Why didn’t you?”

The Night Master shrugged morosely. “My grip is too weak. I couldn’t hold it right.”

Yo had a sudden, very violent flashback to the last time they’d fought. At one point during, the Night Master had taken him by the throat and held him off the ground. His windpipe had felt like it was being crushed by a steel trap.

“Hey, uh, I dunno who fed you that load, but you might wanna get a second opinion. Your grip seemed fine last I checked,” he said, rubbing his throat absentmindedly at the memory.

The Night Master looked at him curiously, but then he must’ve remembered the incident Yo was indirectly referring to, because he shook his head. “I caught you with my good hand then. My other one’s messed up, and that’s the one I’d need to hold the strings.”

“Why’s it messed up?”

The Night Master began to answer, then looked like he’d had a realization of some sort. Perhaps something to the tune of ‘oh, wait, enemy, why am I telling him this?’ He curled further in on himself, took another sip of his daiquiri, and muttered, “My wing got snapped when I was six. It didn’t heal properly.”

“Ah…” Yo thought for a second, then tilted his head, a discrepancy occurring to him. “But wait, if your wing’s so messed up that you can’t even use your hand right, how do you still fly?”

“How do you?”

Confused, Yo was about to point out that he didn’t fly, but then the pieces clicked into place.

“…you don’t fly. You just use magic to float around.”

“Got it in one. Congrats.”

“…you, um. You don’t have your magic anymore. So ever since our last fight you’ve been basically—?”

“Yeah,” the Night Master said curtly, cutting him off.

“Oh,” Yo said. “I’m, um… I’m sorry.”

(Yo was surprised to realize he genuinely meant that, and wasn’t just saying it to follow the script for polite conversation.)

The Night Master looked at him, cranky and skeptical, but to Yo’s surprise he only ending up grumbling something indistinct and taking another drink.

There was a short silence before Yo, spurred on by awkwardness and alcohol, asked, “How come your folks didn’t get your wing fixed? Or, y’know,” he made a small hand gesture, “patch it up so it wouldn’t heal weird?”

The Night Master didn’t answer, and Yo noticed his fists clench.

“…yeah. I didn’t have any of those either.”

The Night Master looked at him.

Yo fidgeted for a second. “M-my folks died around when I was born – I mean, probably. My mom definitely did, but whenever I’d ask about my old man people would change the subject, so I think he mighta just left. I was taken in by Masters Chai and Ti, but I don’t really remember them too much. They left me at the Dojo one day when I was… four? Mmmmaybe five? To fight Eradicus, and they never came back. So I was kinda raised by the other students that hung around. They didn’t always… I mean, none of them really wanted to waste their time taking care of some annoying little kid that wasn’t theirs, y’know?”

Yo was really regretting all the rum and cokes and whiskeys by this point; he was probably waaaay over the threshold of oversharing here.

Coughing awkwardly into his fist, he tentatively asked, “H-how ‘bout you? If you didn’t have folks, did you have siblings, or like – a group like I did, or…?”

The Night Master was silent. For so long, in fact, that Yo began to assume he just wasn’t going to answer. Then, quietly, he said, “I stayed with someone unrelated for the first chunk of my life. He died when I was fourteen.”

“Oh,” Yo said. Then, again, “I’m sorry about that.”

As the Night Master shrugged, Yo prompted, “D’you, um, miss him?”

The Night Master’s fists clenched again, and once more didn’t answer. But Yo had caught the expression that had flitted across his face, regardless of his swift smothering of it.

No, he didn’t miss him, and he didn’t like thinking about him, either.

Yo felt something akin to guilt, though he couldn’t quite place why.

“Hey,” he suddenly said, probably a bit too forcefully. “Stop me if you’ve heard this one—”

(The Night Master, taken thoroughly off-guard by his outburst, stared at him alarmed and confused.)

“—two guys walk into a bar, the third guy ducks.”

The Night Master snorted, then blinked. Apparently he was as surprised as Yo that he’d actually found that funny.

Smiling for reasons he couldn’t quite discern, Yo said, “I got more, if you wanna hear ‘em.”

The Night Master stared at him for a second, seemingly disoriented, before slowly nodding, albeit in slightly resigned and wary fashion. “Sure. Why not…?”

*****

“Okayokayokay,” Yo said, “one more, one more. I got this from a Redneckistanian a while back – I think his name was Jeff – I dunno, anyway:

“So this guy’s mother-in-law’s been living with him for a while, right? Well, he comes home one day and she’s on the floor, so he calls an ambulance and they take her to the hospital. The doctor comes out after a while and says ‘I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news.’

“The guy goes, ‘gimme the bad news first.’

“The doctor says, ‘well, your mother-in-law had a massive stroke, but she survived. In fact she’ll probably live another forty more years. The problem is it’s made it so she can’t speak, she can only make a screeching sound like a parrot now. It’s also disabled her arms, so for the next forty years or so you’ll have to feed her baby food three times every day. Also, it’s made her incontinent, so you’re gonna have to change her diapers and clean her up every time she goes to the bathroom.’

“The guy goes, ‘oh my god! What’s the good news??’

“And the doctor goes, ‘I’m just kiddin’ with ya, she died!’”

The Night Master promptly began giggling so hard he had to fight to keep from snorting. Given how far he usually held a stick up inside himself, Yo felt remarkably accomplished.

(Yeah okay fine, the guy was pretty sloshed by this point, and drunk people weren’t exactly hard to amuse, but still.)

“Okay, now you,” Yo prompted. “C’mon, whaddya got?”

The Night Master, still giggling, shook his head. “The only jokes I know are either really dirty or Woo Foo jokes.”

Yo paused, and then – because he couldn’t not ask – slowly repeated, “‘Woo Foo jokes’?”

The Night Master nodded. “They’re making fun of you,” he clarified. Then, after a moment’s thought, “Not you specifically, but. You know, people who practice.”

Yo cocked an eyebrow. “‘Making fun’ like how, exactly?”

“Like—Like— oh, do you just want me to tell you one?”

Already regretting his decision, Yo said, “Yeah, fine. Hit me with your best shot.”

The Night Master grinned, adjusting himself almost excitedly in his seat. “Alright, so: a group of villains kidnap a stink aardvark, a tree person, and a Woo Foo knight. They plan to kill them all by firing squad.

“They bring the stink aardvark out in front of the firing squad and ask it, ‘any last words?’

“The aardvark yells ‘tornado!’

“The villains all turn to look for the tornado, and the aardvark gets away.

“Next they bring the tree person out in front of the firing squad. They ask it, ‘any last words?’

“The tree person yells ‘flood!’

“The villains all turn to look for the flood, and the tree person gets away.”

The Night Master began giggling again. “Finally the villains bring the Woo Foo knight in front of the firing squad. They ask them— th-they ask them—hold on—” he needed to pause, because his laughter was starting to cut him off. He composed himself enough to continue, “They ask them, ‘any last words?’ And the Woo Foo knight— the Woo Foo knight says—”

The Night Master was leaning against the bar at this point, fighting to finish his sentence through his laughter. Finally, he said: “The Woo Foo knight says, ‘fire!’”

And with that the Night Master collapsed back into his hopeless fit of giggles.

Yo looked away, biting the inside of his cheek. Whether because of the Night Master’s reaction to his own joke or because he was also pretty darn drunk, there was a laugh threatening to bubble out from the back of his throat.

“That was horrible,” he said to cover it.

The Night Master – who was wearing probably the dopiest grin Yo had ever seen – reached over and poked him in the cheek. “You’re smiling,” he jeered.

Yo batted his hand away, trying to force down the grin that was indeed plastered across his face. “Only because of your stupid laugh, not because your dumb joke was funny.”

The Night Master, still grinning sloppily, propped his head up on his hand. “Aww, you like my laugh?”

Yo blinked, but rather than let himself answer he gave a muffled snicker of his own. “Wow, you are really drunk.”

The Night Master gave a carefree shrug. “I could talk myself out of something if I needed to.”

“Pfff, I doubt it.”

The Night Master gave him a brief look, then straightened in his seat. His expression slid seamlessly into an unamused, very alert scowl, all traces of drunken joviality gone.

“I assure you,” he said, tone icy and deceptively steady, “if I didn’t want people to know I was inebriated, no one would.”

As Yo blinked, alarmed, his posture suddenly went slack again, and his dopey smile was back in place.

“How the footoodles did you do that?” Yo asked.

Again, the Night Master shrugged. “Practice,” he said, then pointed at himself. “Former Night Master, remember? Couldn’t show weakness at any given moment. Came with the job.”

“Huh.” Yo paused, thinking for a second, then asked, “Why’re you letting me know you’re… uh, ‘inebriated’ then?”

A small, giddy grin. “What could you possibly do about it? You’re just as drunk as me.”

Yo snickered again. “Touché.” A moment’s consideration, then, “M’not looking forward to the hangover later, I’ll tell you that.”

“Oh, it’s going to be murder, absolutely,” the Night Master agreed, nodding.

Yo grinned, picking up his glass. “To future regrets, then?”

The Night Master beamed back, lifting his own glass. “Wholeheartedly.”

They clinked their drinks together before simultaneously tipping them back.

*****

“I don’t know what I was expecting from tonight,” Yo confessed.

The bar was empty, save for them and the bartender. Yo wasn’t sure what time it was anymore. The Night Master was resting his head on his crossed wings on top of the bar, looking up at him.

“Probably not this,” he slurred.

“Well, no, but I mean…” Yo shifted, trying to pull words out of the sloshing barrel of booze that was his brain. “I don’t know why I thought seeing someone was gonna turn out this time. Dating doesn’t work for me. It just doesn’t. It never has. Even back when I was—” he faltered, before gesturing weakly at himself. “Not… this…”

The Night Master’s ear twitched, his brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything.

Yo went on, “I’d meet a girl and she’d be… fine. Like she’d be nice. And we’d go on dates, and they’d be fine, and really all the girls I went on dates with were pretty, but then just. That’d be it. They’d all be pretty or funny or sweet and I wouldn’t feel… anything, basically. And so I’d stop seeing them, because I didn’t feel anything, which was really just me being a jerk, but if I told them that they didn’t make me feel anything then eventually people would just think I was…”

He paused. The Night Master still looked up at him, and was still silent.

“I kept telling myself that I’d find the right girl eventually. I’d find a girl who made me feel everything I was s’posed to, and then we’d fall in love and get married and that’d be it. I’d actually been excited when I started going out with Edna, because I thought I’d finally got it. But it’s… I don’t… I don’t really think that’s gonna happen anymore. I used to be able to get girls no problem, but now they don’t want anything to do with me and— and I can’t really blame ‘em, but the only way I can even kind of find interest if is they’re really good-looking, and anyone who’s good-looking is way out of my league now. And even if I do manage to score a date I still don’t feel anything.”

He was staring into a now empty glass. He’d finished it a little bit ago, but he hadn’t asked for a refill. Just as well, it was probably time to stop. He couldn’t stop rambling. His throat felt like it was closing and his eyes kind of burned. That was probably an effect of all the alcohol, right?

“I think I might be broken,” he finally muttered.

The Night Master still looked up at him. Then, slowly, he sat up, leaned over, and rested his head on Yo’s shoulder.

“You’re not broken,” he said quietly.

*****

Yo wasn’t a stranger to alcohol. He’d been a rebellious youth once. More to the point, he’d been a rebellious rock star. Safe to say he’d built up more than an adequate tolerance to the stuff. As such, despite by no means going light the night before, he hadn’t blacked out.

(Obviously. He wouldn’t have considered going to a bar if he’d thought that’d been a risk. Depressed at getting stood up or not, he couldn’t exactly get blackout drunk when he had two kids to come home to.)

Point being: when he woke up in his bed the next morning, he wasn’t hit with the standard “where am I how did I get here what happened last night who’s lying next to me” –questions that made most people panic.

What was making him quietly panic was that he knew exactly who was tucked under his arm, currently trying to bury their face into his neck to escape the light that was now streaming in through the window.

[bibliophilicwitch]

Alright, enough of you would like to see my likely long rambly post about my 3-day weekend away so let’s do this.

About a month ago a friend of mine connected with me and asked if I would be interested in a girls’ weekend because there’s a loud music festival that happens practically in her backyard every year and she didn’t want to be in town for it. This friend lives in Appleton nearly 2 hours away from me and we rarely have reasons to be in each others’ neck of the woods anymore so I don’t really visit with her much anymore. So when she asked I really wanted to say yes, but she just so happened to be suggesting a 3-day trip the same month as my 6-day vacation to travel to North Dakota to see family and attend my cousin’s wedding. We planned a budget accordingly and I just gotta be conscious of money the next couple of weeks.

The music started on Thursday and ideally we would’ve left town that evening, but I ended up being scheduled to work until 9 PM closing time at the pharmacy that night… of course. We had plans already scheduled for midday on Friday, so I had to pack everything before work and then left immediately from work for my nearly 2 hour drive and arrived at her house at about 11 PM. I listened to some of the first campaign of Critical Role - time well spent.

So our Friday morning was spent running a few errands and finishing prep to leave Appleton before heading out to Milwaukee including running her pup to a friends’ house, getting groceries, and picking up coffee to fortify ourselves. We headed out around 11 AM I think and arrived early for our massage in a Milwaukee suburb with time to spare. It was my first massage and it was pretty good other than too much on my neck which led to a light headache. I really should’ve said that it was hurting too much, but I wasn’t sure if it would or would not be beneficial as I had never had a professional massage before.

Our hotel was in Wauwautosa and we arrived a good two hours before check in so we went and got food at Dave and Busters which, for those that don’t know, is an arcade for adults - meaning there is a bar. It was fun, but 3 of the 5 games we played didn’t work correctly or at all and then it was time to head out. Kinda wish we had had the opportunity to go back for another hour since I had plenty of credits still and would’ve really liked to play Mario Kart and check out one or two more games. I did play a Star Wars game with the wrap around screen which was pretty wicked cool.

That evening, after we checked into our hotel and washed off our oils from the massage, we went to a suburb to participate in a Paint and Sip class - this one was a paint your pet class and they even had little gift bags with goodies for you pet. I picked a picture of Binx that was low lighting which they oversaturated so you could see both his eyes, but since they oversaturated the picture he no longer looked like a true black and white tuxedo but like he had shades of grey and black all over which would not have been my kitty. Since I was not following the picture exactly it was proving impossible to distinguish his features, so I gave up and just used my time to fill in the areas I knew I could and plan to ask another of my friends, who works with me for the library Paint & Sip classes, to help me finish it some time. No idea when that may actually happen since she is super busy, but I have plans that meant I was okay with my experience. Not thrilled since it was a $35 class not including our wine, but eh. Meanwhile my friend was frustrated because even though she asked a few times for help with colors she never got close enough to be happy with her picture. On top of that she had chosen a picture of her goofy dog with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, but they CUT OFF HIS TONGUE and then didn’t make the picture as large as they could’ve so she had a lot of negative space. She was unimpressed to say the least. At least our wine was good. Really the class should’ve had prerequisites such as having participated in their other classes to be sure customers would get the best out of their experience. They did see that I had not finished and were offering a free session to join their free paint classes for help finishing… which we couldn’t do since we both live too far away (in my case a good 4 hours). I do really wish it had been a more standard paint class with the fast blended background and straightforward foreground. Ah well.

We finished day one at the Cheesecake Factory, a first for me! My friend commented that she was never very impressed by their food and she wasn’t surprised do be unimpressed yet again (though I didn’t mind my food at all), but we finished off with cheesecake, obviously, and that was delicious. Unfortunately I forgot my leftover cheesecake at her house in Appleton.

Saturday was our busiest day. We started at the Milwaukee Public Museum which was excellent though it really is a whole day affair not the two hour filler we planned for it. About halfway through my friend started to get anxious about her car and concerned it had a ticket or had been towed and I think she was also just getting tired of being on her feet. I think I was overall more interested in the exhibits too and she seemed to only be truly interested in specific things. I’m also a reader and wanted to actually read some of the shit while she just breezed through exhibit after exhibit. Like I said, we really didn’t have the time, but it was disappointing to be rushed so much.

Then we went downtown to The Safe House which she had wanted to check out. She did not realize it was literally right downtown and there was some anxiety, but we made it! For those that have not heard of Safe House, it’s a restaurant where the servers are in-character as secret agents and guests are also secret agents. There is a password to get in and if you don’t know it you have to prove you aren’t a spy by acting out some silliness. The interior is a wild and zany pieced together hodgepodge with references to spies in popular culture. Guests are given a list of missions (clues) to wander about and try to figure out the password. If you figure it out you are able to get a discount on their merchandise.

It was more confusing than my friend was expecting and not as engaging as she had expected either. She was pretty sure she figured it out, but neither of us were really worried about the merchandise, so we just didn’t even bother. They had a pen listed that we both kinda wanted, but they didn’t have any in stock.

After that we went to the North Point Lighthouse which is a lighthouse museum and I really enjoyed that little attraction. After that we finally headed back to the hotel for a short break and to get bandages because she wore strappy shoes that were trying to eat her feet. We discovered there was some sort of convention going on so the hotel was packed and TOO busy for only two slow elevators.

Next we went to Water2Wine, a winery in a suburb that imports their grapes and then makes their own wines in house. It was cute and pretty decent, but we weren’t overly impressed tbh. Next door to the winery was a Half Priced Books which my friend suggested instead of going to Barnes and Noble in the mall. So we wandered around, which was the first time I’d been to a Half Priced Books, but she got bored relatively quickly and dragged me out well before I would’ve like saying I could go to Barnes and Noble instead and then if she got bored she could wander the mall. So then we ended up at the mall and I was ready to settle into browsing for nearly an hour before wandering around the rest of the mall until close, but again she dragged me out likely because it isn’t that fun to wander by yourself. I did pick up a book at both places, Of Fire and Stars and Spinning Silver. I could’ve stayed in the bookstore all evening and likely only bought the one book, but nooooo, I ended up in the game store and bought an expensive gorgeous metal dice set. Pft. I also bought macarons which I had never been able to try and the ones I got were disappointingly too sweet for me to enjoy. We were both ready to be done, so we grabbed Chipotle, another first for me, and just curled up with a little TV before bed.

Sunday we got brunch at the ludicrously hipstery Cafe Hollanders. Very good and excellent atmosphere, but I couldn’t get over how chique it was being. The cafe was located in this ritzy area filled with high end stores that neither of us could afford, but we wandered around and gawped at insane prices before heading out to the Milwaukee County Zoo which I have WAAAY too many picture of to share here, so just check out my Instagram. I mentioned a few times, because I was seeing merchandise, that we hadn’t seen the red panda and my friend said she thought it might be a seasonal exhibit. After I was home I checked… it wasn’t. We literally missed it and I kinda wanna cry tbh.

We left Milwaukee around 4 and I ended up home around 7:30, but I tossed some gas in my car, washed it, and ran to the grocery store first so idk exactly how long my drive was. Though not everything was amazing I still had a pretty damn good time, my friend on the other hand seemed to get bored and/or impatient and/or disappointed/frustrated on a regular basis and I swear she didn’t enjoy the trip nearly as well as I did which just makes me sad. I also realized that since the last time we had really hung out we have both changed. Whereas I am online a lot and am fairly socially conscious she was not and she made a few borderline racist jokes (okay, not really borderline at all). Nothing nasty, just those ingrained stereotype jokes that are just not funny when you recognize how hurtful they can be. It also became more apparent that our interests do not overlap much at all. Which is another post to ramble about later. I loved the lighthouse and the zoo and wish I could’ve had just a bit more bookstore time and arcade time. It was nice to get out of town and not think about work while getting to catch up with an old friend though.

[dangertronic]

Since Ao3 wants to be a bitch today. Here is the Stenbrough request for one darling @agrimny

Treat as super secret bonus chapter to Not A Monster that just focuses on these guys.

Date Night

Living in a closed minded town such as Derry did not leave a same-sex couple much choice in dates, and Stan absolutely hated it. He could not, no matter how hard he tried, understand just how what he felt for Bill was wrong, but according to ninety-percent of Derry that’s exactly what it was.

Not that he let that bother him.

The small ten percent of people who didn’t care about who he was attracted to were the only ones that mattered, so they were the only ones he ever needed to talk to about it.

Though sometimes he wondered how Richie and Eddie made it through an entire school day without touching each other or kissing, because sometimes Stan wanted nothing more than to be able to hold Bill’s hand walking to classes like he saw other couples do.

“It’s all about discretion, Staniel!” Richie had said one day when Stan had asked him about it.

They were standing on the bleachers of the football field, Richie sitting on the bar of the fence that lined the top of them with a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he watched the football team training.

“You just gotta…” Richie shifted the cigarette to corner of his mouth, far away from Stan. “Okay so like, you’re in the cafeteria sitting together at the table, yeah? And it’s perfectly normal and okay to do that because friends sit together so you just gotta slide your hand under the table and rest it on theirs, or on a leg. Discretion, Stan my man! You have to find the little things you can do in-between the moments you can ravage either other!”

“Do you have to be gross about this?”

Richie raised his hands in defence while simultaneously taking a long drag of his cigarette. “Okay, okay, sorry. But seriously, it helps. Especially in this backwards fucking close minded town.”

“Yeah… so… what about…” Stan paused, seeming unable to say the word, his attention still fixed on the field where Mike had just performed the most brutal tackle he’d ever seen him do.

The person on the receiving end of the tackle, Charlie, was limping off the field while laughing and giving Mike a thumbs up to assure him that he was okay.

Richie cocked a brow, removing the cigarette from his mouth and delicately tapping a single finger against it to remove the excess ash from the tip. “Dates, Staniel? Well… let me tell you, that one was the hard part for a while but… movie theatres are pretty dark, you know?”

Stan glanced to Richie, arching a brow. “If you make this disgusting –”

Richie chuckled, placing his hands onto the bar either side of his legs before sliding off. “Staniel.” He stressed, pressing his hand to Stan’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “They’re dark and people can’t see if you sit too close if you’re in the right place, or if you’re holding hands. It’s the ideal secret date.”

“You didn’t make it disgusting. I’m impressed.”

Richie took a bow. “You’re welcome Staniel! Cleaned it up just for your sensitive little ears, I did!”

Stan shoved Richie who let out a chuckle before he started his descent down the bleachers, long legs making the step across each bench easy.

Didn’t he know how to use stairs?

Friday nights had quickly become Bill and Stan’s date nights.

They would eat dinner at home and then spin some lie about studying or hanging out with the whole group before heading into the main part of town to the movie theatre to see whatever movie was currently playing; not that they ever paid much attention to it.

This Friday, however, was different.

With their upcoming senior exams a couple of weeks away, Stan was pretty much on lockdown because of his parents, studying late into the night to try and retain some kind of information, which put a large dent in what little time he was actually able to spend with Bill.

He hated it.

It was around one in the morning when a noise at the window startled Stan, who had been sitting on his bed surrounded by an array of text books.

“H-how the fuck does Ruh-Richie do this?”

Stan couldn’t help the smile that came to his mouth, dropping his pen onto his notebook as he looked up at the open window. “Are you kidding me, Bill? We all know Richie built like a damn spider.”

There was a grumble outside on the garage roof that stretched out under his window, and then Bill was there, slinging one leg into the room. Stan raised a brow as he caught sight Bill, half in his bedroom window with a paper bag hanging from his mouth from the local fast food place, complete with a drink in each hand.

“Do you –”

Bill shook his head before Stan could finish. “Igotit.”

Finally managing to plan his foot onto Stan’s floor, Bill steadied himself and swung his other leg into the room, twisting his body as he did so he didn’t somehow manage to topple back out of the window.

Once safely inside Stan’s room, Bill stood and crossed the space between the window and the bed, holding one of the drinks out to him. Stan took the Styrofoam cup from Bill, allowing him to remove the paper bag from his mouth.

“Eh-Eddie said you’ve been driving yourself insane studying until two in the morning.” Bill said, nudging some of Stan’s books aside with his knee and taking a seat on the bed. “I thought I’d come keep you company since it is technically our date night.”

“And this?” Stan asked, shaking the cup.

“One struh-strawberry milkshake.” Bill dropped the bag onto Stan’s open history book. “And food because I’m pretty sure you keep forgetting to eat when you’re in study mode.”

Stan smiled, and Bill saw the all too familiar fond look that Stan gave him at times like this; when Bill showed just how well he knew him because he was so damn attuned to him after all these years.

“Thanks Bill.”

Bill returned the smile with a grin. “Nuh-no problem. Now take a break and eat before I fuh-force feed you.”

“Alright, fine, I’ll take a break.” Stan chuckled, closing his notebook and moving it to the side while Bill opened the bag to distribute the food between them.

They were silent while they ate. Stan hated the sound of someone eating and talking at the same time, something he often berated Richie for doing, and was thankful that Bill wasn’t like him. Bill chewed slowly and carefully, looking down at the open text book that was upside down in front of him.

He swallowed, taking a quick sip of his own milkshake before glancing up at Stan. “So do you reh-reh-really need six books open at once?”

Stan shrugged, balling up the wrapper that had been around his burger before tossing it into empty paper bag. “Probably not, but I take breaks from one thing and study another for a while. It helps information from the previous thing sink in better… or so I’m told.”

“Suh-sounds like something Ruh-Richie would tell someone.” Bill commented, scrunching up his own wrapper and dropping it into the bag. “I miss our night, you know.”

“Me too, Bill.” Stan sighed, adjusting his position slightly.

Hunching over the books had really done a number on him, and he supposed it was his own fault for locking himself in his room between the hours of four and two while he killed his brain with his studies.

“Tha-that’s why I came over. That and tuh-to make sure you’re actually eating.”

Bill saw the fond look return to Stan’s face before he spoke. “I appreciate it, a lot, though I’m surprised you didn’t do it sooner.”

“Duh-didn’t wanna bother you. I know this is important.”

Stan frowned, his brows furrowing before he leaned over to place his drink onto the nightstand next to his alarm clock. “You know, Bill, you’re hardly Richie who is loud and distracting. You could have come over at any time. Just because I’m on lockdown doesn’t mean I can’t have study partners, or did Eddie neglect to mention that since he was here just two days ago?”

Bill snorted, leaning back on the bed. “Eh-Eddie’s brain is either oh-on stuh-studying or Ruh-Richie.”

Stan chuckled, reaching over and starting to close his textbooks. “True. It’s a little worrying sometimes.”

“Yeah it – what are you doing?”

“Getting rid of these books.” Stan said as though it were obvious, stacking the books one by one into arms as he closed them. “They’re all over the place if you didn’t notice.”

“Yuh-you don’t need to stop juh-just cause I’m here.”

Stan smiled, leaning over the bed to place the books onto the floor. “I want to. I’ve been studying for hours, Bill, and it’s rude to ignore a guest unless that guest is Richie.”

“He been annoying you again?”

Stan rolled his eyes, dropping onto the bed with his head in Bill’s lap. “He’s loud and hasn’t mastered to art of sneaking into my window. He kind of just… topples in every damn day.”

Bill smiled, reaching out and running his fingers through Stan’s hair. “He’s coming over here a lot?”

Stan nodded, rolling onto his back to look up at Bill. “Eddie is getting a little testy. Everyone is, actually. Richie said that Eddie’s been getting snappy at him more than usual and that Jess and Lucille had an argument one night because they’re so tense. I hate finals.”

Bill’s other hand joined the first on Stan’s hair, and Bill enjoyed the way Stan relaxed under his touch, a small content smile on his face as his eyes closed. “You don’t seem testy.”

Stan chuckled sleepily. “It’s probably because I’ve been avoiding everyone during my study hours.”

“Except Ruh-Richie.” Bill said, amusement in his voice.

“He breaks into my room Bill!” Stan practically whined, throwing his arms up into the air. “He wakes me up and then topples into the room! He paces around like some kind of malevolent gremlin and vents! Then he topples back out of the room!”

“Huh-how has he not broken a leg?”

“I don’t know, but next time he comes into this room after midnight I’m breaking one for him. He’s taking advantage of this warmth forcing me to keep my window open.” Stan huffed, dropping his hands to his stomach. “I hate it.”

Bill smiled and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of Stan’s nose. “I’m guh-gonna get you a fuh-fan so you can lock your window at night.”

“I’d like that… a lot.”

“Okay, so we’ll get you a fan.” Bill said, pressing another kiss to Stan’s nose.

“Thanks Bill.” Stan said, shifting to lie more comfortably on the bed. “You know, this isn’t our usual Date Night but… I’m really enjoying it.”

“Muh-me too Stan.”

“Stay?”

Bill smiled again, moving to awkwardly kiss Stan in their position. “Shu-sure thing. I’ll stay.”

[stratus-skye07]

The Baddest Bidder | Jimin

*Requested* Can you please make a mafia au with any bts member? Thank you^^ - @magicalfangirlcherryblossom

Description: You’re parents gave you to be put up in an auction to be sold to pay off their debt. What happens when the bidder is one of the members of Bangtan Mafia named Park Jimin? He bought you and now he owns you whether you like it or not.

Word Count: 4k

Smut Warning

If your parents do something completely shitty to you, are they still considered your parents? What if they made you collateral when their gambling got out of hand from a notable mafia group and they had no way of paying their debt off? Some things you just can’t apologize for.

One minute I’m in my apartment and the next thing I know I’m sitting in a room with other things of value. My wrists and ankles are cuffed as I wait for whatever dooms lie ahead. I wasn’t told anything other than I was the payment. I fear what that exactly entails.

Suddenly a door opens and in comes three men. The one I’m assuming is the leader turns to the other two.

“Get the items ready for tonight and be careful with the heavy stuff, Jungkook.”

The remaining two started moving the other object around. They both seemed to be the stronger ones since moving some of the things didn’t seem like a problem to them. The one that was addressed as Jungkook did most of the heavy lifting.

I watched them do their job and completely ignore me until the man with the blonde hair approached me.

He looks at me with sympathetic eyes, “You need to change into this.” He places a red dress in my lap before kneeling down in front of me to take my ankle cuffs off, “I’m going to take these off so it’s easier for you to change. Don’t bother running because you’ll just end up getting lost.”

“What’s going to happen to me?” I whisper to him.

He sighs as he takes the cuffs off both ankles, “Honestly, I don’t know. That will depend on your owner.”

“Owner?” I swallow the knot that had formed in my throat, “Am I going to be sold as a sex slave?” It seems like a ridiculous question to ask but at the same time the way the world is, anything is possible.

“There’s an auction happening tonight and your one of the items up for bid. The person to win you will do what they want with you. Your life with be in their hands.”

I lose control of my tears as I let one spill onto my cheek, “When does a person’s life become an object?”

“Jimin,” Jungkook signals for him by the door, “time to go.”

Jimin looks down at me, “I’m sorry that this happened to you but your parents’ debt has to be collected one way or another.”

With much hesitation, I put on the dress. It was a pretty dress that I would’ve worn for any other kind of party but at an auction where I was an object to be sold to the highest bidder was not the ideal occasion for it.

“…now for our final item of the Bangtan Auction tonight is one cute item. As your host, Jin, let’s take a look at the last treasure of the night.”

I’m blinded by a bright spot light pointing down at me so everyone in the room could see me. Everyone’s faces were hard to see. I wanted to see what kind of person would even put up a bid for a human being.

“This young healthy beauty is up for the taking. You can have her tidy up your house or maybe even as a fun toy to decompress yourself with, so many possibilities for you. Let’s not imagine and start the bidding. Do we have $500,000?”

The numbers continued to go up as each bidder kept fighting for the prize. As soon as the number got higher the number of bidders started to go down and it went back and forth. It felt like a lifetime waiting for it to completely end.

“$2.2 million from Mr. Lee. You must really be trying to get your son married off, huh?” He says jokingly. “Seems that you might be getting a daughter-in-law soon enough unless someone else would like to give another try? Going once…” There’s silence in the room that already gave him an answer. “…going twice?”

Just as he’s about to hit the mallet on the counter a buzzer and red light goes off in one of the private room on the balconies. Those were the bidders that liked to remain anonyms during the auction. There were six other rooms with buzzers that were going off all night but that one room buzzed for the first time the whole night.

A woman comes to Jin’s side to whisper something in his ear which causes him to raise his eyebrows, “It seems as we have a bid for $5 million from a balcony I thought I would never see make a bid. This could be the end of such a fun night unless Mr. Lee has a better offer to make?”

It’s silent for a few moments until Jin slams the mallet down onto the wooden pedestal.

“Sold to a surprising bidder.”

I was taken back to the room with the sold items. One by one the items that were sold during the night were taken out to be given to the winners. It wasn’t until I was the last item left that I waited for my ‘owner’ to come get me. A lot of thoughts came to mind while I waited like what life would be like now. I didn’t want to think about it but there was nothing else to keep my mind busy.

It wasn’t until the door opened again that I stopped thinking about it. One of the men from earlier, Jungkook, came in to take me out of the room. He waved me over to come with him.

Going through the building continued to build anxiety as we made it towards the entrance. Before leaving I could overhear the auctioneer from earlier, Jin, talking to the man named Rap Monster.

“What makes her so special to drive him out from retirement?”

Rap Monster shrugs, “I don’t know, how long has it been since he placed a bid on anything?”

“Long enough to question the reasoning behind it that’s for sure.”

“Eh give him a break, must be feeling lonely these days.”

Before I could listen in on the conversation anymore, Jungkook gives me a nudge to keep me moving out the door. There was a car parked in the front.

Jungkook takes my wrists to put the cuffs back on when a familiar voice stops him, “She won’t need those.”

I look over my shoulders to Jimin walking passed me and towards the passenger side door.

Jungkook looks at him, “Are you sure?”

Jimin shakes his head, “She’ll be fine.”

Jungkook sighs but ultimately releases my hands and goes back into the building to join the other two. Jimin opens the car door and waits for me to get in.

“Let’s go.” He says when he sees how hesitant I am to get in the car with him.

Fully given up on fighting I get in the passenger side of the car followed by Jimin taking the wheel and driving out of the lot.

There wasn’t much talking throughout the drive. There wasn’t a whole lot to talk about with a mafia member that was delivering me to my so called ‘owner.’ I did take side glances at him every now and again. He’s not bad looking now that I’ve gotten a better view of him. If I’d seen him at a coffee shop I would’ve been gushing over him but I’d never think by looking at him that he was a part of a mafia gang.

“We’re here.” He states while keeping his eyes straight ahead.

I look out the window to see that we’re parked in front of my apartment building. I blink a few times to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things.

“This is my apartment?” How does he know where I live?

He nods, “I know, Y/N.”

How does he know my name?

“What is this?” I begin to get irritated thinking that this was some sick joke as to show what I would no longer be going back to my normal life.

Sensing the anger in my voice he finally looks over at me, “What do you mean?”

“I was taken from my home and put up for auction as collateral, sold, and now you’re taking me back to my apartment?”

He bites his bottom lip, “I don’t have any use for you right now so I’m letting you go home.”

He doesn’t have any use for me? He’s ‘letting’ me? He’s using these terms as if he owns me. The only way he would own me is if he was the mysterious bidder that won me.

“You’re the one that bid on me?” He doesn’t deny it, “But why?”

“I’ve done a lot of things in my line of business but human trafficking isn’t one of the things I condone.”

“You don’t condone it yet you bought me.”

He scoffs, “Would you prefer going with Mr. Lee so you could be married off to his son?”

“At least I know what he wanted from me. What do you want?”

“Right now, I want you to stop asking questions, get out of my car, and go up to your apartment.”

For a second I want to get his true intention out of him but decide that I’ve been through enough surprises for one night. I exit his car and go up the steps of my apartment. I notice that he doesn’t drive away until I enter the building.

Once I get up to my apartment I shut the door behind me and collapse on the ground. How my life has changed in just one day. It’s almost like death. One day your living and the next you’re not. I’m still wondering if I should consider this living or not.

For a few days everything seemed to be like nothing ever happened. I was able to go on about my day like normal. My parents even tried to contact me to make sure that their end of the deal was still good.

Somehow I managed to gain some calmness in my daily routine that I decided to go out with my coworkers for a Friday night out.

It was somewhat relaxing to just drink and not worry about anything even though it was just a short-lived experience. It’s not until I’m taken to another auction to be shifted over to someone else once Jimin gets sick of me.

After the actions my parents took I have this harsh feeling towards trusting anyone that I meet. If you couldn’t trust your parents, how could you trust anyone?

Even the few men that had flirted and offered to buy me a drink in the bar I decided to turn them away for that reason of having to open up and let them in but that sudden fear of betrayal started to hit me hard. Hard enough to refuse it and call it a night.

I head out of the bar early. I barely managed to get tipsy with the drinks that I had. It was mostly because I knew that no matter how hard I drowned my thought in alcohol it wouldn’t erase the facts. Plus, the hangover wasn’t worth it.

“Hey,” I look over my shoulder to the same man that had hit on me earlier, “I feel like I didn’t do a good job at introductions.”

“No, it’s not you. I’m just not really looking into meeting new people these days.”

He smiles, “I understand it’s hard to put yourself out there all of a sudden but how about I give you a ride to your place and we can talk along the way?”

I give him a sincere smirk, “I appreciate it but that’s okay.”

I start walking away from him when I feel a hand grab onto my wrist. “Seriously it’s no trouble and my car is right there in the parking lot.”

“I said no.” I shove at his chest to get him to release my wrist.

Before I can get a running start away, he pulls me by the shoulder to shove me up against the wall. All my anxieties about this man were coming true but I didn’t expect him to be this forceful.

He starts leaning down to where his mouth is hovering over my earlobe.

“Women like you need to learn to take a hint and accept a man’s offer of kindness.”

I push against his chest but he was too strong to be pushed back by a girl like me. He starts inhaling my skin until his body began to press me further up against the wall. I shut my eyes to wait for what was to come until that feeling was completely gone.

I slowly open my eyes to see the man down on his knees and the arm he had grabbed me with extended behind his back. The person subduing him was someone I hadn’t expected to ever see again but his eyes peek through his messy blonde hair.

“Hey man let me go!”

Jimin twists the man’s arm further causing him to shout in pain, “I’m sure that’s what she was telling you.”

“What are you talking about? You got it all wrong, this is my girlfriend.” The guy was making any excuse to not get the crap beat out of him.

Jimin looks up at me, “Y/N is that true?”

Truthfully, I shake my head in fear of what this strange man would do if I had lied for him but I was also scared as to what Jimin would do to him now.

Without warning, the man turns to take a swing at Jimin but he’s quicker than him. Jimin blocks the punch and follows up with a knee to his abdomen. The man drops to his knee trying to catch his breath from the kick.

Jimin pushes the man’s head against the hood of a nearby car. He ends up knocking him out. Jimin takes a deep breath as if he was calming a sort of irritation that had built from the confrontation.

“Let’s go.” Jimin had start walking across the street where his familiar car was parked. He opened the passenger side door for me.

This time around I was more willing to get in his car only because he had protected me. The first time I had met him I’d not known what he expected from me. This time he gave me a sense of wanting to make sure I was safe.

The car ride’s atmosphere hadn’t changed from the first time I rode with him. He drove me to my apartment in silence. His hands were gripping and releasing the steering wheel numerous times.

Once we parked in front of my apartment building again I thought I should say something to him this time.

“Thank you.”

He glances at me a few times but never fully turning his attention towards me,

“You should be more careful when you leave places like that alone.”

“Can I ask you something?”

He nods slighting, almost not wanting me to ask.

“How long have you been following me?”

It’s been nearly a week since the auction. I find it hard to believe that he found me all of a sudden by chance.

He ruffles his hair, “A few days. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He wasn’t giving me clear answers but by the ones he was giving me I started to get a feeling of what kind of person Jimin was. He was giving me vibes of someone that had more sympathy for others than he should have for a mafia member.

“Why?”

He takes a somewhat touchy sigh, “You’re my property. I don’t like people touching what’s mine.”

I had a feeling that there was more to that answer than he was giving off but he wasn’t going to reveal it all to me so easily.

I unfasten my seatbelt, “Thank you again. Maybe next time we can meet under better circumstances and even then have a nice conversation for once.”

He turns to make eye contact with me and reveals what looks like a smile before I get out of his car. The car doesn’t leave until I’m inside the building.

I begin to get this sensation in the pit of my stomach like butterflies when I think of how Jimin has been close by watching me and keeping me safe these past few days. The question still stands as to why he’s doing this but I guess I won’t know until our next conversation.

Something tells me that this won’t be the last time we meet.

It wasn’t long after the bar incident that I came into contact with Jimin again. He was following me home but refused to speak to me like we knew each other. Instead he walked with me at a distance until I reached my apartment building.

One day I stopped to offer him a cup of coffee which he accepted. Not much of a conversation was had that day other than the usual question of why he continued to follow me around. He hopped around the question by answering that work was slow lately so he found entertainment elsewhere, with me.

It almost felt like we were dating. I continued to have a warm feeling whenever he was around. He had already built this trust from me without really trying. My gut kept telling me that it was okay to keep him around so I did. I had just left for work when it had started raining out of nowhere while I was walking home, had I known that I would’ve brought an umbrella or at least where a hoodie.

I started getting wet from the rain for barely a minute when something had covered my now wet hair.

I look up to find Jimin holding his leather jacket over my head, leaving his to get hit by the rain.

“Come on, my car is over there.”

We run over to his car as the rain started to pour even harder. We were both damp by the time we made it back to my apartment. We parked in silence for a few minutes. The rain never let up for me to get out sooner but I didn’t want to say goodbye to Jimin so quickly.

“Do you want to come in?” Jimin turns to me with surprised eyes, “Um, to dry off.” I clarify to make it seem like a more natural invite.

It takes him a few seconds to think about it but ultimately nods. He follows me up to my apartment where it starts to hit me that he was in my home. I went into the bathroom to grab some towels.

“You can take your shirt off to dry if you want.”

When I came back I find Jimin had taken off his shirt and hung it on one of my chairs. The sight in front of me is what caught me off guard. He has this mochi like face but his torso revealed something completely different.

I hand him the towel before taking a seat on the couch. While he’s towel drying his hair I catch a glimpse of his abs that were glistening with water droplets.

I clear my throat after refocusing on the situation at hand, “So, um, how long have you been a part of the mafia?”

“A long time.” He sits on the couch beside me, “Long enough to lose track of the years.”

“When I was leaving the auction I overheard one of your members that you came out of retirement by bidding on me.”

He smirks, “That’s true. Ever since we started the underground auctioning I never participated in all that. The others did their occasional buying of goods but I never got into it.”

“Why? You could get anything you wanted.”

“I never make bids at those auctions because I never found interest in buying what was once someone else’s.”

“Then why did you bid on me?”

“You don’t belong to anyone but yourself. I knew that if you were bought by someone else you would never be free. I’ve felt my whole life that I was never free so I wanted to make a difference for you. I wanted to give you that second chance that no one gave me.”

“You said the second time we met that you didn’t like people touching what was yours. What does that mean? What do I mean to you” I reach for his hand when he pulls away and pushes off the couch, towards the door.

“I should go.”

“Wait,” without thinking I grab onto his hand. “I don’t know what it is about you but I actually feel safer with you than I did with my own parents. You thought more about what would happen to me than they did.”

He glances at me from the side, “Safe isn’t exactly something you would get from me.”

“Maybe not from your line of work but,” I slowly glide my hand up his forearm, “from you, I feel that’s a different story.”

Suddenly he swiftly pushes me up against the wall with both my arms up over my head. He doesn’t say anything for the longest time until those mesmerizing lips that have been tempting me each time we met came crashing onto mine.

At first I begin to think that I’m just fantasizing all this until his tongue starts demanding entrance into my mouth. I let out a moan of satisfaction once his torso made contact with my damp chest.

“Jimin,” I breathe out his name in between kisses.

His response causes much needed friction between my legs, “What do you want, Y/N?”

“I want to be yours.” I look up at him with lustful eyes. “I want you to make me yours.”

Everything happened so fast. Jimin began to kiss trails down my neck to my torso then finally at my stomach until he was stopped by the waistband of my jeggings. His hands slide down my sides to meet my waistband where he swiftly pulls them down my legs. I felt the warm feeling of his breathing hitting the fabric of my underwear.

He chuckles, “You’re already wet and it’s not from the rain.” To my surprise, Jimin tears the sides of my underwear to leave me completely bare in front of him.

Jimin wraps an arm around my waist to pull me off my feet. He hooks my legs around his waist as he starts walking the halls towards my bedroom.

I’m placed on my bed with Jimin towering over me. I reach down his chest and over the ridges of his abs until I find what I was looking for. I cup his dick that was fully ready for me through his pants. With force, I undo his pants to free the bulge that had been teasing the whole journey into my bedroom.

Catching him off guard, I manage to push him over to where I had the advantage in straddling him. My lips find their way back to his plump lips as my hands begin to worship every firm part of his abdomen. I reach over to my bedside drawer to grab a condom from back when I’d have my regular hook ups.

I open and place the condom ring around my mouth. Lowering my head over his dick, I sink my head down far enough to get the condom down his shaft. I look up at Jimin to see that he’s biting his bottom lip, suppressing his moans.

I went back to straddling him where I position him at my entrance. He places his hands onto my thighs to push me down further until he was completely buried into my pussy. I get comfortable with his size when start to move.

Almost having the feeling of being impatient, Jimin hugs my waist to pull me close to his chest as he starts to pound into me. Each thrust hitting deeper into my womb until that familiar feeling begins to build in my core causing me to wrap tighter around his erection.

“Jimin,” I call to him in a begging tone.

He captures my lips before I can plead with him to let me come, “I know, give it to me.”

His raspy voice in my ear tosses whatever sanity I had left right out the window. I released everything that it sent such a rippling feeling. My legs quickly quiver at the release that caused me to collapse onto Jimin’s hard body.

His arms hold me close as our breathing started to slow, my forehead up against

his sharp jaw as he spoke again.

“I’m worried that you’ll find it hard to be with me.”

I squeeze his hand, “Probably but I’m willing to try. After all you did buy me. I have to make those $5 million worth it.”

[sleepinglightt]

DO ALL THOSE HECKIN QUESTIONS

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?Dragons lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?Vinylsprimrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?Perks of being a wallflowerlunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?Yes yes yes, especially yours (aka my girlfriends) bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?Spending spring break with my girlfriend and my best friend gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?That I won’t let toxic people walk all over me anymorelion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests? The oceanwhirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?Hell yeah I wish I could rn smhmarmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?Sometimes, most of the time I try to lay out my clothes for the next day but sometimes I just pick clothes spontaneously apricot drift; how do you feel right now?I’m fairly happy. I’m just in a really cuddly mood everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?It was a long time ago I don’t really remember most of my dreams ://queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?My girlfriend (aka you)lavender dream; turn ons/offs?Turn ons: hickies, neck kissing, hair pulling, chokingTurn offs: literally any of that EXTREME kinky shit I’m kind of vanilla for the most part water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?I cried like a baby during love, simon on Friday bc I related to it so muchlily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?Nowinterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?Lick honey perfume; favorite movie ever?Well now it’s definitely love, simondesert rose; do you like yourself?I’m indifferent towards myselfsnapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?I met Jenna marbles in Austin once but idk if that countsnight owl; how many countries have you visited?I’ve never been out of my own countryheliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?Nopecreams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?I honestly don’t know, I don’t consider myself to be a brave person tbh. I don’t really do anything ridiculously crazy either I just do stupid shit to make people laugh lantana; what’s on your mind right now?My girlfriend (aka you) pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?I’m a Gemini tulip; name 5 facts about yourself.-I have shitty eyesight-I have a cute ass girlfriend that I love with my whole heart-I really live coffee-my favorite color is yellow-and I fucking love golden retrievers daphne; do you believe in karma?Yupqueen of the meadow; ever been in love?Yes wisteria; whom do you admire and why?I admire a lot of people but I honestly really really admire my girlfriend (aka YOU). Youre so forgiving and loving and you always knows when to say the right thing. You always know how to calm me down and you listen to my stupid ass rants all the time. You’re one of the only people that can make me laugh until I’m about to piss my pants and you’re just so great ilysmangel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?I was never read bed time stories as a child maybe that’s why I’m so fucked up remember me; did you make someone laugh today?Yesiris; do you believe in ghosts?Uh yeahlilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit?Probably the 90s or something idk caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?Yeah bc I’m terrified of dyingprimula; what makes you sad?Seeing other people upset or hurting rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?Yeah, I kinda just laid in bed and did nothing queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?Faith (aka YOU, aka my girlfriend)lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?I had cinnamon rollsforget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?Yeah I have a fewlunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe? The Star Trek universe?? Idkviolet; favorite tv show?Probably Star Trek tbh sunflower; share a favorite quote.“Why is straight the default?”snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?Going to the mountains and just spending the day in the forest with my girlfriend tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?I like to play guitar and sing sometimespeony; share a small random book passage that means something to you.I have so many favorites that I can’t even choose one I’m sorry don’t hate metea rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?Skydiving honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?Normally my age or oldersweet pea; who means the world to you? why?My girlfriend, bc you’re so great and perfect I could go on and on and on about you love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?Probably 1984 by George Orwell tbhfoxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?Ren from ren and stimpy magnolia; coffee or tea?Coffeecrown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?Extremely lovedsnowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?Dogbell flower; what is your biggest addiction?Probably tumblr or insta tbh cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?All the timemoonflower; what’s your favorite color?Yellowfreesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?Eh kinda. I live with my mom and our relationship is pretty good I guess, my dad lives and Washington and we have an okay relationship. My brother is really young and lives with his mom so I don’t get to talk to him unless I’m with my dad, and my sister lives in Kansas and I don’t really talk to her a lot either 🤷🏻‍♀️sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?Nightpoppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?Yesclover; how would your friends describe you?Probably really stupid tbhdandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?I’m an ambivert lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?Jerry springer and dr. Phil :///anemone; describe yourself in 3 words.I like to think I’m funny, artsy, and lovinglotus; best memory as a child?Singing along as my dad played guitar angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?I have green/brown hazel eyes and auburn hairdahlia; do you like crystals? Yesbuttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?The fact that millions of people are homeless and hungry baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?Slytherin calendula; biggest pet peeve?PEOPLE THAT CHEW LOUDLYblanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?stay home with my pet blazing star; share a secret. It wouldn’t be a secret if I shared it smh carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?Happierpetunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why?My best friend bc she keeps on going no matter what life tries to throw at her bluebell; do you wear glasses?Yeah I have really shitty eyesnymphea; forest or river?Forest orchid; do you like exercise?Nopepansy; do you like poetry?Yesmorning glory; any special talent that you have?Not really 🤷🏻‍♀️

[thatlongspringnight]

Important Lessons (Ch. 3)

Saizo x MC, as always there is smut. Hope you enjoy this chapter, packed with exposition, because I know I did. Thank ya’ll for reading (as always) I hope you like it! 

Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4

A yawn left your lips as you stretched your body out, relishing the soft ache of your sleepy limbs. The light of early morning shined across your face, making you hum softly in discontent, burying your face away from the offending sunshine. You bed seemed firmer than usual, and very very warm, had you fallen asleep on the couch again?

Before your sleepy mind could begin to make sense of those concepts you again felt the specter of sleep making you drowsy, something softly lulling you back into a state of contentment, the firm movement against your hair turning your displeasure into a sweet sigh.

That is until you realized what was going on.

Someone was petting your head.

Your eyes flew open, your body tensing as you quickly shot up, looking around the room in confusion.

Not your living room.

You looked down.

Not your couch.

And on that couch that did not belong to you laid a very amused looking man that was oh so familiar.

Professor Kirigakure.

Who you were currently straddling, the sudden coolness of your skin reminding you that you were very...naked.

As was he.

You were pretty sure that your blush could have powered any major city, could have lit up the night sky, could have been seen from the space station.

“E-Eh?” Was all you managed, crossing your arms over your chest in a reactive attempt at modesty. Saizo chuckled, raising an eyebrow at you.

“I think it is a little too late for all that little lady, I already know what they look like.” Your blush only deepened. You had fallen asleep? Yeah, you had, actually. Your brought your hands to your face, an embarrassed squeak leaving your mouth. You had fallen asleep, shortly after midnight, your body quite tired by that point. Your professor had….impressive stamina, amongst other things.

You let your hands fall, glancing at his handsome profile, there was no point in your hiding, he was right after all, he’d seen basically all of you at this point.

“I’m sorry” You had definitely not expected to stay that late and had certainly not expected to stay the night. You had basically broken booty call 101. You offered him an apologetic look, climbing off of him, chiding yourself for overstaying your welcome. What if someone had shown up?  

In the light of morning Saizo had become all business, stepping away from you and heading back into what you assumed was his bedroom.

“Ah, Saizo-” You began, taking a step to follow him.

A sharp look on his part froze you in your steps.

“I think it is important we remember our boundaries.” His voice was calm, even,and almost cold. You could feel the blood drain from your face.

“A-Ah, right, of course.” you rocked on your heels, securing your tights and smoothing out your dress. “I just wanted to know how you planned on me inconspicuously walking out of here.” You stood in his living room, doing your best to appraise to what degree it was obvious what you had been doing last night.

Saizo stepped out of his room, the messy perfection of his usual look restored, walking over to you he brushed a hand through your hair, his breath hot on your ear.

“Mmmhph.” You stifled a sound as he ran his tongue along the shell of your ear.

“I would suggest you just walk out and try your best to appear inconspicuous.” He patted the back of your head in a gesture of mock-advice. “Just do your best to avoid Yukimura.”

“Who?” You questioned as he ushered you through the door.

“Don’t forget your test tomorrow.”

And the door was shut at your back.

A deep intake of breath.

You were in too deep.

You took the stairs this time, feeling more than a bit of surprise at the loudness of morning in the apartment complex. As if on cue a girl darted past you, clutching a bag of what looked like vegetables, followed closely by a blonde guy who you were pretty sure had been in one of your sophomore english classes. What the hell? You paused mid-step, even more confused than you haed been a moment before. What was his name? Wasn’t he a pharm major?

Maybe one of them was Yukimura?

You shrugged, bounding out of the apartment complex, drawing your jacket up higher around your neck.

Did you have strong enough makeup to cover all these damn hickeys?

_______

You stared down into the swirling liquid of your cup of coffee, the dark circles under your eyes representing the truly horrifying experience known as midterms. You blinked several times, doing your best to stay awake after several days of studying and not much else. You were pretty sure you had broken the enter button on your computer trying to refresh your grades online.

The only one that had yet to be posted.

Professor Kirigakure.

You rolled your eyes while your insides churned. The coffee diet was going to kill you one of these days.

You just needed these grades posted. You took another sip of your coffee, cursing the man for being such a distraction.

Actually, to be fair, besides that one night before the midterm and the midterm almost a week ago, you’d barely seen your teacher. Except for one very heated, quick make out session in his office the day before yesterday that had left your breathless and yearning (and still without the grade information you had asked for).

You missed him. Not that you would have ever told him, or anyone else. But he was busy, or so you thought. You were the one at his beck and call after all. If he wanted you, you’d come. But you sure weren’t about to show up at his doorstep uninvited.

Although you doubted you would have been the first woman to do it.

It wasn’t lost on you how ridiculous this situation was.

One more refresh.

89.4%

You almost dumped out your coffee.

The bastard had given you a B, and not just any B, a B that was literally only two percentage points from being rounded to an A.

You huffed, hopping up to your feet.

You needed a drink.

You checked your phone. It was Friday, hadn’t he said something about being busy this weekend at some point?

You had no texts from him to suggest otherwise.

You were going to go out with Oichi. You bobbed your head in assent with yourself. A girls’ night at the bar sounded really good right about now. Plus she had been trying to get you to go for so long, and you had no excuse not to.

Some play time would probably be good for your spirit.

________

“Hold still!” Oichi huffed, tugging you closer to her. “You need these sparkles!” She was straddling you, holding you down on her bed as she applied a fine freckling of glitter to your face.

“Oichi, why?” You stopped struggling, holding your eyes shut as you let her work her magic.

“It’s the latest fashion, and a punishment for keeping secrets!” She squealed in delight,continuing her ministrations as you fell silent. “Just desserts, as Nobu would say”

Right, secrets. Oichi had seen right through you, or well,  had seen your hickeys at least and like dam breaking the questions had flown from her mouth. Who? When? Where had you been? Was he cute? Did she know him?

And you had said nothing.

Not a thing. You had sat, tight lipped, laughing off her questions, doing you best to convince her that it was no big deal, just a booty call with a decently attractive boy.

Hah. Well, at least a part of that was right.

She rolled off of you, her laughter having devolved into giggles.

“What’d you do Oichi?” You pouted, sitting up.

“Nothing it was just the look on your face.” You glanced at yourself in the mirror, marvelling at the job she had done. Good enough for the bar. That was for sure.

“Wow this actually looks really nice.” You brushed your fingers against your face, only to have her swat your hands away.

“You’ll mess it up if you touch it.” She stuck her tongue out at you, helping you off the bed. You nodded, rolling your eyes.

“I got it,lady.

____________

The bar was dark, filled with just enough people you felt like you could get lost in the crown, and just smokey enough to make you feel light headed.

That accompanied with the fast paced music made it ideal for what Oichi had wanted.

“You need to let down your hair” She grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you on the dancefloor. “Come on, have some fun for once.”

“I can have fun after I have a drink!” You had half-shouted a reply over the music, glancing over at the bartender. It would take more than a drink to get you to loosen up, but it was worth a start. She kept you a moment longer, the beat of the music drawing your body into movement. Only a moment. Then you tore away, escaping her in favor of the bar.

“Something stiff.” You told the bartender, watching him pour the amber liquid into a glass with some interest. You’d never been one for the bar scene, but Oichi loved to dance. Who were you to ruin that for her? You tilted the drink back, doing your best to streamline the drinking process, before setting the empty glass on the table.

Time to ‘let your hair down’ or whatever

____________

And now you were sweaty, seated back at the bar, and simply tired. That good kind of tired where you knew your bones would ache in the morning from all the fun you had. Several more drinks in your system had certainly loosened you up, ensuring that you were happily babbling to Oichi, feeling lighter than you had in a long time.

It was nice to relax, wasn’t it?

You looked toward Oichi, who had gone quiet.

“Hey, Oichi, whats up?” You followed her gaze, wondering what had caused the change.

She kept her eyes on the crowd, searching for something or rather someone, before her eyes widened and then narrowed again.

“Oh my goodness.” She mumbled, turning to you quickly. “Hey, Hey, look over there, is that...isn’t that professor Kirigakure? “ It was like someone had dunked you in ice water. You searched the crowd, before finally landing your eyes on him.

Sure as certain it was him. You turned back to the bartender, asking for a round of shots for you and Oichi.You were not drunk enough to handle this type of social situation.

“You’re right.” You tried to hold in a laugh, marveling at the situation you were now in. “Who is he with though?” Saizo was very attractive for sure, but that other guy - tall, with eyes an unsettlingly beautiful shade of blue- you were sure could do some damage on his own.

“That is Sanada Yukimura.” Oichi replied, looking him up and down. “He’s a frat guy, one of the good ones from what I heard. He is all about the sports, if you couldn’t tell.”

:Oh I can tell.” With those defined muscles? Oh yeah you could tell. 

So that was Yukimura. You wondered why Saizo wanted you to avoid him?

“We should say hi!”

“Oh no, we should not.”

“Oh come on.Yukimura is almost untouchable, I wanna have a shot!”

“You can go say hi, Oichi. You don’t need me to do it with you”

“That is lame! He’s with your professor, it would be weird if I went and said hi. I DID drop his class, remember?”

“I’m not saying hi unless he fixes my grades, Oichi.” You cut her off, giving her a look. “Plus, there is no situation where this is not weird.”

“Maybe you can ask him to fix it now” Oichi leaned over to you, whispering in your ear, a grin on her face. “If you know what I mean.” Oh jeez, you turned your face quickly, trying to hide the blush on your face. You did know what she meant. In fact, you had a better grasp on what she meant than she did at this point.

You just needed to play this off.

“Oichi, this is so weird, we should go to another bar.” You downed the shot in front of you, a shiver going down your spine. “There are a ton of bars, with a ton of cute guys that didn’t walk in with the professor I still have half a semester with.”  You looked at her with pleading eyes. “Look I’ll get the tab, Oichi-”

Too late, she was bouncing off, an evil grin quite similar to her brother’s on her face.

You wondered if it was possible to die from embarrassment.

You reached for your phone, fiddling with it for a moment. One well placed call to her demon older brother and this situation would be taken care of. You could be home in your bed, you could-

“Well hello there, doll.” An unknown voice right at your ear startled you, making you turn quickly to meet eyes with whoever had violated your bubble.

“Um” You looked at him, taking a step back. The words ‘stranger danger’ playing in your head on repeat.  Until you looked at him further. Not a stranger, no, not a stranger at all.

“Date Shigezane.” You breathed his name in relief. Not just some random creep. You and Shige knew each other decently enough.

“The one and only.” He grinned at you, ushering the bartender over. “You look a little down, here let me put the pep back in your step.” Tequila. You snorted. Great, now you had two choices. Take this shot or go to Oichi.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Serious as a heart attack.

You bit your lip, normally you would have been all for it. Given the situation however, you felt anxiety bubbling in your stomach. You turned your gaze over to Oichi, seeing her giggling up at Yukimura, her charm turned up to maximum capacity. The poor guy was as red as a tomato. Saizo stood beside him, obviously bored at whatever conversation they were having.

Saizo.

Shigezane stood across from you and showed no signs letting up his attempt to get you to drink, handing you a lime and some salt. Your eyes kept trailing away from him, looking back as your professor, until finally you glanced back only to meet his dark red eyes. Your own widened a fraction, before you glanced away quickly. Shit. You were not smooth.

Wait a second. You took  a breath. Could you take this shot...seductively?

You glanced back at Saizo, noting that he still seemed to be keeping an eye on you, although he seemed to be paying attention to Oichi’s attempts to woo Yukimura.

“Okay, Okay Shige. I’ll do it. I will take this shot with you.” You licked up the side of your hand, doing your best to appear alluring, following it with a sprinkle of salt.

“Ready doll?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He counted down from three and you quickly tilting it back, enjoying the salty sour that followed.

“Ah.” You huffed in victory, sitting the empty shotglass on the table.

“We did it!” He cheered happily, offering you his hand, which you promptly high fived.

“Hell yes!”

And then your phone vibrated.

“Hm?” You pulled it out, looking at the message, eyes wide.

Meet him outside?

You glanced up, sure enough Saizo was gone. A soft flush covered your cheeks. Ah, was he serious? You looked back at Oichi. She was fine, and if Yukimura was as chivalrous as you had been led to believe he’d certainly keep her out of trouble for at least an hour.

“Er, excuse me.” You put your hand out, trying to stifle the visions of him that filled your head.. “I...um...look I came here with someone and I need to get back to them, I really do. So...Er.” You took a step away, and then another. “It was nice talking to you Shigezane,really, but I do have to go.” All the while Shigezane watched you and the blush crawling up your face, a wide grin on his own features.

And you walked away from him, just like that.

“Good luck!” He called after you, making you shake your head in embarrassment.

The things you did to get some.

You found yourself stepping outside before you even realized you had allowed your feet to carry you there.

Where was he?

“Ah, little lady.” You felt his lips at your ear, the lace of amusement through his voice. “Your date not going so well?” His tone had changed, the amusement gaining a darker sound, what was it?

“Date?” You turned to him, look up at him in open confusion. “Oichi and I aren’t-” Oh wait, he hadn’t seen you with her had he? He’d seen you with Shigezane, and you were sure that Oichi had been nice enough to not divulge your presence.

“So she’s with you then? I should have known.” Saizo pulled away from you, studying your features with a practiced eye. “The same glitter.” He ran a thumb over your cheek, smearing her hard work with clear intention.

“Mmm, yeah. That is her niche.” You replied, before getting back to the point. “I wasn’t on a date. As if I would-”

“As if you would ever, what? Have a little fun.” He was smirking at you, drawing you closer to him with his hands at your hips. “That wasn’t the impression I got.”

A dangerous thought crossed your mind: had he been jealous? Was he jealous?

“Shigezane was just providing me some much needed alcohol.” You countered, allowing your body to press against his. “After all, I needed to recover, to have a little fun, as you said.”

“Oh so the little dog has a name?” Your eyes widened at the gleam in his eyes, decidedly possessive. You decided to press your luck.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were jealous, Professor.” You lifted a hand to brush your hair out of your face, only to have him grab it, bringing it up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to your pulsepoint. You drew in a breath sharply as he sank his teeth into the spot, drawing a mewl of pain from your lips.

“What exactly are you trying to do, little lady?”  He was frowning at you and you felt your body shiver against his. A brief trickle of adrenaline pumped through your veins as you waited on his next move. He had you pressed against the rough brick of the wall behind you, leaving you very literally at his mercy.

“Depends.” You all but whispered, angling your face to where your lips were almost touching his. You were feeling risky. “On what I can get you to do to me.” Yes, you had missed it, the pressure of his body against yours, the scent of his cologne, the wild intoxication that flooded your blood whenever he touched you.

He pulled away from you instantly, leaving you breathless with anxiety. Oh fuck.You’d fucked up. Just like that, you’d ruined it. You were completely out of line, oh goodness. This was good while it lasted. Why were you this way?

“Stop.” His voice cut through you and you snapped your eyes up to his face. His eyes, like the color of dried blood, seemed to see into your very soul. It was like he could read your racing thoughts. “Like always, you started this and you’re going to finish it.” He reached out, grasping your bruised wrist.

“What?”

“I suggest you come with me, unless you want me to fuck you up against this brick wall.” Oh, nevermind, you had not fucked up. His voice seemed hoarse and heavy-laden with desire, and you were once again hooked.

You allowed him to pull you with him, ignoring the sharpness of his grip, a sort of relief building in you as he pushed you into the backseat of a car, shoving his lips against yours. Your nails dug into the material of the seat underneath you as you scrambled for purchase to steady yourself. Still he didn’t let up, all but straddling you, one of his hands already snaking into your jeans. You arched your back, pressing closer to him as he stroked you through your underwear. You could hardly breathe, stars spinning in your vision.

“Saii-Saizo” You allowed yourself to fall back, staring up at him as your chest rapidly rose and fell. “Please.” you were begging, wriggling against him, crying out for more. He untangled himself from you, a pleased smirk on his face as your low whine of displeasure.

“We have to be quick about this.” his long fingers easily undid and pulled down your pants and underwear, letting them gather at your ankles. You finished the job for him, kicking them off. “I’m not sure about your friend, but dear little Yukimura can’t bear to be left alone for that long.” His tone was teasing, even as he gripped your hips, turning you over in one smooth motion. “On your knees, little lady.” Oh that tone.

“He seemed flustered.” You conceded, firmly planting your hands on the seat, following his instructions. “But if Oichi gets her way, he’ll be busy for a hot minute at least.” You laughed softly, an easy sound, failing to note the way his eyes softened at the sound or the lightness of his touch as he caressed your skin.

“If I would have known his virtue was in danger, I would have left him there and gone to ruin yours a bit sooner.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve already ruined my virtue, sir.” Your voice caught at the last note as he thrust a finger inside of you.

“I believe we freely offered that, didn’t we?” He added another finger, crooking the digits inside of you, making you whimper.

“Y-Yes.” You weren’t sure if you were replying to him or begging him for more. “Yes, Saizo”

“Why are you always so eager to please?” His question didn’t warrant a response, and you both let it hang in the air. But he didn’t stop there. “So eager for my touch. ” You nodded, a mumbled cry of pleasure tumbling from your mouth.

He removed his fingers, leaving you feeling hollow. “But there is more that you want, isn’t there little lady?” He unbuckled his belt, and briefly the car was filled only with the sound of his undressing.

Your eyes fluttered closed and you took a breath. This little game of cat and mouse has extended far beyond what you had thought it would. An odd feeling seemed to bubble up like a wellspring inside of you.

Affection, adoration, feelings that you did not want to put names to right at this moment.

His hands roughly pressed into the flesh of your thighs as he pulled you to him, making you hiss as the sharp moment.The feeling of him being inside you was so good. Just so good.

One of his hands wound through your hair, tugging you back as the other one kept a steady hold on your hip. The painful tug bringing a pleasured gasp to your lips, followed by a moan.

“H-Harder” You keened, as he pulled you closer to him, leaning over you to sink his teeth into your neck. “M-More, please.” You could hear his breathing in your ear, a comforting sound, and your body shivered. Goodness, you loved him.

Oh shit. You loved him.

And more than just a little bit. 

His thrusts were hard, fast, his intention clear. There was a clear desperation in the atmosphere, perhaps brought about by absence, perhaps by something else. You were already so on edge. He seemed to take you apart so fast, so easily.

Still time seemed relative. With him there was never enough time, you never had enough. You were insatiable. 

Your eyes opened, and your shallow breathes turned to pants. A sound not unlike a sob left your throat as you reached your climax, a tidal wave of emotions cascading over you. Tears threatened to brim in your eyes as you felt him stiffen, heard the low moan leave his throat, his warmth filling you.

“A-ahhh.” You whimpered as he pulled out, your whole body trembling. He noticed your weakness helped you over, lying you flat on your back again.

“You’re a pretty little mess.” He dressed himself quickly, letting you catch your breath. His gaze never once left your face, even as you pulled your clothes back on, sitting up in the car. His look lingered long enough to the point where you had to look away, feeling bashful under his gaze.

“I thought we were over that.” He pulled you back to him, pressing his lips against yours in a searing kiss. “It's odd for someone who was moaning so wantonly before to be so shy after the fact.” He chuckled, openly the door to the car, pulling you out with him. That only made you blush harder.

“It doesn’t seem like your Yukimura came looking for you.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He trailed a hand down your neck. “Lucky us.”

Right, lucky you.

An awkward moment passed, before you shrugged, stepping away.

“I guess I should go find Oichi.” You sighed, glancing at him. “Oh, and Professor, can I schedule an appointment for this week?”

“To what do I owe the honor, little lady?” His tone was dry, like he could already see where this was going.

“Just academic issues, sir.” You smiled at him, a mischievous look.

“Come during office hours.” he pressed a finger to your forehead. “And without the scent of dog clinging to you.”

Oh he had been jealous.

He turned on his heels, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

“I’ll see you around.”

____________

Oichi took one look at you after you finally found her, still in the bar, and groaned.

“Oh come on! How did you manage to get laid?”

“It was the glitter. Oichi.” You giggled, pulling her into a hug. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Tagging: @lexiiferr @jemchew @frywen-babbles @tokugawalady @tearscrime @nairil-daeris Feel free to reblog and tag other people. ~ Thanks again for reading, and putting up with me and this college AU.

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW5

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week.

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Blind

IN: Davies

Off a WC and not saving...fucking fuck me. Really torn up over this one throughout the week but in the end I think I really just made a mistake and picked the wrong guy. I'm throwing my hands up and rectifying this issue. Jumping on the best defender in the game right now. Blind, I hardly knew ya, but you're fucked right off mate. 4 cleans in the 4 starts you've had you don't deserve this....but....Bavies...fuck. Stats are better than Alonso last year and the fucking boy was basically playing second striker against Dortmund getting in the box that cheeky little son of. He's in. I don't want to stubbornly miss out on all the fun.

GK:

Sticking with Foster this weekend over Elliot. Didn't really think much about it although I've seen plenty of friends with this same GK combo going with Elliot. WBA just such a better defensive outfit and at home they keep their fair share of cleans. West Ham are still West Ham. Good performance on Monday but it was Huddersfield. And they nearly didn't break through. I'll go with TP and his tall lads to get a clean. So, since I'm going Foster you, yes you reader of these words, should go Elliot. Because that's how this works.

DEF:

Looking tidy in defense this weekend. 

New lad Bavies has the home banker against the hapless Swans so a clean feels pretty good here as long as Lloris doesn't do something fucking dumb. 

Jones looks like a steady guy who I will be content to run out there week in week out without hesitation until his injury.

Finally, FRANNO FUCK Simon Francis gets a start for the lads. Cheeky 4.4 boy giving me some excitement to watch the fuckfest game on Friday gets me going. He's generally in Howe's team sheet when he's fit - he was in GW1 and as club captain and Howe already professing the team has missed him I expect him to feature after getting 45 minutes in for the worst player in the Prem Tyrone Mings. I've seen Franno predicted anywhere from RB, RWB, RCB, or CB so don't ask me where he'll play or how Howe will set up but just get me a fucking clean sheet. Don't let Grob do it in the face. Not in the face. Seriously though, I do fancy Bournemouth in this game. Think they will do Brighton to nil. Go on.

MID:

My sexy Jese gets a go. He inadvertently came on for me last week with Blind's surprise no show, but now is his time to shine. No more DDG in goal this weekend against you my son. Show me your dong and some dongs.

Eriksen just looks like the best shit of life, he's going to be in the team for quite a while so feels good to have him in here.

With Mane out, Salad feels a lot safer in this moment for the next couple and hopefully he can fucking do some shit against Burnley. Burnley were absolutely all over the fucking shop against Palace last weekend and if they do that against this team they are going to be looking at a 6-0 or something. We'll see if Dyche can get his bus in order.

Brady on the other side of this coin. Eh. Not feeling great but maybe he can get me a cheeky assist through ball on a counter or some shit off a set piece. Idk. Good luck Robbie.

FWD:

Bobby goes. Pen duties? Eek. Fucking Bob.

Kane obv.

Rom obv.

Safe and safe. Not much to chat about here. Forwards feel good. Rom is on borrowed time, maybe? The Donk just keeps scoring and finding a way. Each game.

CAP:

KANE as if there was any question. He'll probably get 70 minutes in this one....but it should be 4-0 by that time with his haul in place. Go fucking fuck my young Harold. My absolute glorious lovely son.  

ALON

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Heaton

IN: Elliot

Oof writing these at 7am before I go catch another flight... Sorry if they’re a little stale <3........

In the end Heaton had to be dealt with and I followed my pod partner’s suggestion of Bob Elliot to tend the goal for me. I’m now spending 8.0m on the GK position which feels great as it’s always the lowest scoring position in the game, so I think structurally I’m sound there, but I just need some points to follow. Hopefully I didn’t miss out on all Bob points and now he’s gonna be horrible, but it’s very possible.

I wonder which certainty will come through? Walsh starts Foster so that’s a jinx yet he’s also benching Elliot so that’s a GOOD jinx. I’m starting Elliot though so that’s another bad jinx and I don’t know what wins in the battle of light and dark......... Just kidding we both know who wins. Elliot is fucked.

GK:

The aforementioned Prosciutto Face Rob Bob Elliot between the sticks. He’s been solid this year, Newcastle are solid, we’ll see what happens. I back Rafa to decode Hughesys shit and keep the Potter horses in check.

DEF:

Jones home Everton feels to me like a nailed on clean. Ronald has to change something with Everton quickly or he’s going to start feeling some heat. Getting absolutely DONE in Europa League yesterday was not ideal for him/them in this moment.

Southampton and Ryan Berty at Palace, probably the worst team in the division, should also sound like a nailed on clean but let’s not kid ourselves, Soton are fucking shit. Who knows how this piece of ass fuck game goes but one thing is for sure that Berty will drop points... I think Walsh and I took Palace in survivor because fuck boring boring Soton.

Lastly rotational cog for me Danny Simpson slots in with Naughton away at Spurs, Danny has the nice fixture away at Huddersfield. The last time I needed Danny in he came through with a steady 6 pointer and anything less then that this time around I will be disappointed. Go on Danny.

MID:

Salah and Salad and Sarah and Pauline still go, he’s still a great pick as I said on the pod. His goal in UCL was lucky bullshit but whatever, the point is he will just keep racking up attacking returns from where I’m sitting. And he has to be nailed with the Mane ban.

Daveed goes again walking the tightrope for me after blanking in the 5-0. It’s good that he got on the board in UCL that feels promising to me although I did not watch the match. Another day another who knows with City. Where will he play? I don’t know. How will they set up? I don’t know. Will they struggle to score or will they score 4+? I still don’t know.

Brady away at Anfield. Not ideal as Burnley are to be bossed for possession, though it must be said if Brady’s corner/FK deliveries are on point, there are returns to be had in this one. Burnley did us last season.

And last and least unfortunately I’m still stuck starting 4.5 Chalobah and this time home to Man City. Sucks, but I’ve had other transfers to deal with and it hasn’t been worth taking a hit to get rid of him in this moment.

FWD:

The pillars of FPL come straight the fuck in and these lads haven’t moved for me since GW1 which feels pretty nice. Kane, Rom, Bobby. Go the fuck on. Nothing to be said.

CAP:

Harry. Do you listen to our pod? It’s Harry and there’s no discussion to be had. He’s the standout captain for the next four gameweeks running. End of.

[datingadviceonreddit]

The beginning of any initial conversation with a woman more or less sets the tone for the entire social interaction you will have with her, and a woman doesn’t want to feel that you’re far more invested than she is.She wants to be seen as a normal person, do not idealise her. She wants you to be secure, but not needy or clingy. She also needs to know that you are choosing her, not just because you desperately want a girlfriend.Don’t send her longer messages than she sends youI don’t like to play games in order to get women, if I like a woman I’m not going to overthink things but at the same time I also know that smothering a girl too early on can be a massive turnoff for her and feel suffocating.Try to keep your messages the same length as hers or a little shorter I’m not telling you to send 3 word replies that sound like you have absolutely no interesting in the woman, and I know you might have more information to tell her that requires the extra space, but just try to keep it a little shorter.Sending another text when she hasn’t messaged backI know how frustrating it can be when you’re finally getting back and forward messages from a gorgeous woman, then suddenly the messages stop. So you wait 15 minutes, nothing. Then 45 minutes go past, still nothing. You’re thinking is she ignoring me? So you decide to send her another message which is the dreaded “double message”.What you need to do instead is just relax, maybe she’s hanging out with friends, maybe she’s at work, or maybe she’s showing then getting ready to go to town.Women like laid back guys, and if you’re double messaging/texting when she doesn’t repy it can come across really intense that you’ve chased her up for not getting an immediate response. Besides even if she was ignoring you, texting/messaging her again isn’t going to make her anymore interested in you, it will do the complete opposite.If you don’t hear back from her, text her a day or two later.Confronting her for not responding or asking if she got your last text/messageThis is the same as “double texting” or “double messaging”, you should never ask a girl if she got your last message, as I said in another post Facebook, Twitter, and Telecommunications Providers go through enormous amounts of effort to make sure all texts/messages sent are received.It’s at this point that you just assume that she has got your text/message and isn’t replying for a reason, that reason doesn’t necessarily have to be negative and bugging her about not replying shows you’re just waiting around staring at your laptop/phone screen.I know it can be tough to just shrug it off sometimes, but keep yourself occupied if that starts happening just go do some housework, or see if a friend wants to hangout.Some guys will make a “joke” about a girl not responding to them saying things like, “Too busy to talk to me then?” or “You must be super busy eh?”.Then when she responds you’ll claim that you were just messing around, but the truth is that it’s coming from insecurity or frustration, lose the desperation it’s basically expensive mosquito repellant for women.Buying her gifts before you’ve got to know her properlyYou really cannot buy a woman’s affection, you might be able to buy her attention as a provider but you’re not going to be creating any genuine attraction which is the goal here. You don’t need to buy a woman gifts and spoil her to build a romantic connection with her.You might think that by showering her with gifts or what you can offer will give you a better chance, but unfortunately all you’re doing is setting yourself up as someone who needs to compensate to get women. You may very well end up with a good looking woman, but I promise you that she’ll only be attracted to your money.Lots of women also feel manipulated by a guy who buys them things early on, it’s basically grooming. Women feel like it’s a tactic used by men to have them indebted to you, which more than often is true.If you want to buy a woman gifts, just make sure that she’s in a romantic relationship with you, at this point she’s invested in you and there is nothing wrong with showing your girlfriend that you appreciate her.But at the same time try to remember that if you constantly buy a woman gifts, she’s going to adopt this as part of the norm which could cause problems later on.Turning up at her house or workplace unannouncedYeah it might appear to be charming and sweet in the movies, but in real life it’s terrifying and super creepy unless it’s out of your control.For instance I worked as a Nightlife Photographer and ended up shooting events at the same club the girl I was seeing worked at.Plenty of guys do this to force a woman into a social interaction with them, and by doing this you’re putting her in a position where she has no choice but to talk to you, don’t even think of doing this.The last thing a woman wants is for her manager to see her fraternising while she’s on the clock, you’re either going to make her uncomfortable or just piss her off.You could say “I’ll swing by your place later to say hello if you’re free?”, and if she wants to see you she will accept or ask what time, but if she makes up an excuse just leave it at that and say something like “No worries, I’ll catch up with you another time!”.Declaring your feelings without creating any attraction or flirtingThis can happen if you’re a “nice guy” and trapped in the friend zone. You end up afraid to flirt with her, terrified to make physical contact, or get the ball rolling with the woman you like.So you just try to be an awesome friend to her instead, you think that if you just spend time around her for a while that by some divine miracle a romantic connection will occur. Well have I got news for you, and when that romance doesn’t happen you resort to a declaration of your love.You tell her that you really like her and care so much about her, you’ll promise to treat her better than any guy ever could, and you try to convince her that you’re perfect for her.The thing that’s missing is attraction which is an emotion that a woman MUST feel through your bold, fun, sexual intentions. The truth is at the end of the day, flirting is what turns a woman on and that’s how you will win her over.One of two things can happen after telling her how much you like her, etc. She will either let you down as gently as possible, the best one is “I don’t want a relationship to ruin our friendship.” Or, in very rare cases she will agree to give it a go because she knows how much you care, and that you’re a nice guy.But within days or weeks she will realise that she doesn’t feel any sexual attraction towards you and will break things off, and then you’ve lost the girl completely.Always being available for her at any timeWhen you are making plans with a woman, try to suggest a specific day to hang out with her. If she isn’t available on that day, she can let you know which day she is free, or you can tell her a different time that fits into your schedule.Under no circumstances do you want to say “I’m free whenever you’re free.” or “I’m free Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and all weekend.”. You need to be more specific or you won’t get her to commit to a day to meet with you.And even more importantly than that, a high-quality man with a fantastic lifestyle fills his time with work, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, exploring his hobbies, and even seeing other women. He’s not going to wipe his schedule to see one girl he’s not totally invested in yet.The woman has to put effort into making time and finding a day that’s ideal for both of you.Establishing plans that are way into the futureWe can get way ahead of ourselves if we really like a woman and it seems like things are going really well, we can feel the attraction and start to plan out our future plans together.You decide to look at tickets for a festival that’s 3 months away, or you plan a fun weekend away. You get super excited about telling her because you think it’s really sweet.And after you’ve told her, you don’t get the reply you were expecting. She will seem hesitant. She tells you that she will have to think about it, or doesn’t quite know her schedule yet. She might even agree to it at the time and then back out later.The reason she will do this is because you have tried to force a deep connection with her, she is enjoying her dates with you and the moments that come with them. She hasn’t let her mind get that far ahead, and the fact that you’re already planning a weekend away is intimidating.It’s the same kinda thing with…Discussing an exclusive relationship super early onMen have a tendency to think that after a couple of great dates with a woman that they’ve got her in the bag, they’re convinced she’s ideal and want to make sure she’s as committed as they are. Additionally they want to be sure that she isn’t going to be seeing other men anymore.The issue is that the majority of women don’t know if they want to be exclusive with a guy until after a good number of dates, and more often than not until after you’ve had sex. If you put the pressure on her to decide before then, she will most likely see her only option to stop talking to you and break things off.It comes down to basic psychology at the end of the day, the more emotion and time we put into something, the more attached we will become. With sex being one of the most vulnerable, and emotionally engaging acts a woman can take part in.There really isn’t any need to talk about an exclusive relationship straight away unless she brings it up first, so just have a bunch of dates with each other, have sex, and see how you feel afterwards.If you still feel the connection between you two, then it’s time for the relationship talk.Trying to find out if she is seeing other men and what she gets up to with themIf you’re not an exclusive thing yet, it’s totally normal for each other to still see other people. If she wants to meet with other guys, you can’t stop her. And by not bringing this up you’re proving you are an alpha male and aren’t scared of any competition.Needing to know if you have any other competition and what she’s getting up to with the competition makes you come across as controlling, jealous, and insecure. She will start to talk “If he’s being this jealous now, how bad is he going to get when we are together?”.You have to remember that she doesn’t belong to you, what she does in her own romantic life is none of your business. The more you try to keep her, the quicker she will want to leave.I hope that I’ve taught you some valuable lessons today, if you'd like to read more of my dating tips & advice, please visit my blog at MyDatingBible where I am trying to post articles daily, thanks for reading and if you feel this was a useful post vote me up, cheers! via /r/dating_advice