#and i still have so much hot sauce left from last year

[plantanarchy]

god digging through my archive for pictures of my mom's garden, i've been reminded of my 2020 bumper crop of habanero and ghost peppers. this year it's looking slightly like there may be a repeat of that...... i've got five habaneros and three ghosts and a thai hot planted in my raised bed and good lord the heat last week kicked them right off

[deadhands69]

Something More [than a storm]

Katsuki Bakugo x gn/afab reader

MDNI

Setting: fuckboy!Bakugo, mid-time skip, Senior Year of College. Reader did not attend UA high, just joined for university. Enemies to lovers (with a lot in between.)

Warnings, etc: this series contains smut, angst, light violence/injuries, drinking/intoxication, swearing.

part 1  -  part 2  -  part 3  -  this is part 4  -  part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

Overnight, the snow accumulated four feet against the doors. With the few heat related quirks around the building, you aren't really trapped but no one has bothered to clear the way, enjoying the snow day instead. Even with everyone milling about the common space, a hush surrounds everything. It's pretty calming. 

“You think Professor Aizawa still walks his cats in this,“ Mina muses, sipping her second hot chocolate of the day.

“Probably just the really fluffy ones,” Jiro answers, “did you see Shinso’s arms that time he tried to take them in the rain?” 

The three of you laugh, posted up in your usual corner of the common room near an almost completely whited-out window. Happily, you savor the first good cup of coffee you've had in days.

A gust of wind takes the top layer of snow away and your mind drifts to the forest with it.

Everything seemed to happen so naturally last night but in the clear light of day, you aren't sure how you feel anymore. He’s beautiful and hot, sure, but being around him means having to deal with him. You know how sharp his words can get. But kissing Bakugo, if that’s what you’d call it, was nice. Maybe that’s all it has to be.

Your friends are staring at you.

“Uhm [y/n], you okay?” Jiro asks.

Shit.

“Can I tell you guys a secret?” you whisper, immediately regretting it. 

“You can,” Mina teases, lightly elbowing your side, “but I think we already know who your secret is.”

“You didn't...” Jiro’s wide eyes are locked on you. 

Silently, you wish the blizzard would swallow you whole. 

“It's not like that,” you mumble, “not quite at least.”

The pink face to your left closes in on you, “Go on.”

“Last night, I kissed him. Or he kissed me. Well, more bit me...” you trail off, knowing your words won’t do any justice to the story.

“He…bit you?” Mina asks as Jiro cringes next to her. “That’s interesting.”

“No, it was cute. I think?” they have you second guessing yourself, maybe it is a bit weird. You tell them what happened. How he fell and landed on you (they both agree that had to be on purpose, having never seen him trip over anything before.) When you get to the kiss part, you’re still not sure how to explain it.

“I’m not sure what else you would expect from Bakugo, he’s kind of a weird guy,” says Jiro.

“Yeah, and I mean that’s why I told him to hang out with you. I thought you’d hit it off as friends but I guess I’m not surprised. That story kind of fits you both,” Mina adds.

“Fits us both?” you ask.

“Let’s be honest [y/n], if anyone got all cutesy and romantic with you, you would run,” Jiro laughs. 

Across the room, Bakugo eyes your group giggling as you bury your face in your hands. Suddenly your phone vibrates. 

Bakugo [Don't make a big deal out of it.] Bakugo [I know what you’re talking about.] You [don’t make a big deal of Aizawa walking his cats in the snow?] Bakugo [Oh.] Bakugo [That tracks.] You [🙄] Bakugo [If you wanna impress him, let’s get a good grade. We still have to do the written part of the project.] Bakugo [Preferably sooner rather than later. You free tonight?] You [nope, verrrryyy busy] Bakugo [wtf do you have going on?] You [sunbathing] You [rooftop bars] You [yeah, tonight works] Bakugo [🙄] Bakugo [my room?] You [yeah, 7pm?] Bakugo [That works.] Bakugo [Oh, and don’t drink too much.] You [?] Bakugo [Soy Sauce and Dunce Face just walked in with a case of liquor.]

As you could have predicted, the vibe shifted quickly. Kaminari approached your table with a bottle of Rumplemintz, topping off everyone’s drinks but yours (he offered but you kept your hand firmly planted over your coffee.) Not drinking would be easy with your recent hangover still fresh in your mind.

Within the hour the volume had doubled. The boisterousness spread both in and outside, a snowball fight breaking out in the afternoon.  

After you are all sufficiently soaked through your winter clothes, you head inside to shower, change, and eat something warm. 

Both of your friends are a bit tipsy and opt to head back to their rooms after dinner rather than drinking more. Jiro warning you to not do anything stupid while Mina agrees with her before winking over her shoulder as they leave. The common room has calmed down quite a bit when you go back to your dorm to get ready. 

Get ready for what? You wonder how awkward the situation you're walking into will be. Will he just ignore what happened? Part of you hopes so, another part of you - no, let's not think about that. You’re still coming around to the idea of tolerating him, best not to let your mind wander too far. It was a one time thing specific to the situation and that’s enough.

Walking the fine line between overdressed and what Bakugo would consider too frumpy, you opt to wear skinny jeans, boots, and an oversized sweater. Touching your makeup up slightly, grabbing your backpack, then you're out the door. 

You vaguely know which room he is in but were glad when he texted you the number just in case. Arriving at his door three minutes early, you knock hesitantly. He opens quickly, ushering you in.

Dark.

Blackout curtains block the light from outside with a few lamps here and there to illuminate his room. This can only do so much when nearly all of his furniture and bedding are stark black. His decor is minimalist. Everything is perfectly in order, even the notes on his desk are organized. You weren’t sure what to expect but somehow it fits him. 

He pulls up an extra chair by his desk, gesturing for you to sit then the two of you get to work.

Much to your delight (or dismay?), he never mentions the kiss. Carrying on relatively professionally outside of a few jokes here and there. 

You’re still nervous.

Once more, his proximity makes your heart rate skyrocket. Sitting this close to him, the two of you bumping into each other every time you need to grab notes from across the desk. It’s not lost on you - the way his bare wrists feel brushing over your knuckles. His warm skin leaves tingles on yours. This is also the first time you’ve gotten a good look at him in a tank top, having to stop yourself from staring at the dragon tattoo covering his scarred right arm. In spite of the distractions, the work is easy - it’s just a matter of putting it on paper. You get through it.

“Done,” you sigh in relief after typing out the final paragraph. 

In one quick hour, you finished the project you’d been dragging out for weeks.

“Looks good to me,” he confirms, standing to stretch. “I kinda thought we’d be working on this for longer, what are your plans for the rest of the night?” 

Admittedly, you have no plans. It’s a little after eight and you were more than caught up on sleep. Normally, you’d text your friends but everyone is passed out by now. Almost everyone. 

Packing your backpack, you mention a scary movie you’d been meaning to watch.

“No shit?” he laughs, “I rented that one last night and fell asleep right after I started it. There’s still a few more hours on the rental if you wanna watch it?”

Watch a movie alone in his dark room…with him? Seems like a normal friend thing to do, you reassure yourself before answering, “yeah.”

About 45 minutes in, you both realize your mistake. The movie you thought was a thriller turned out to be a romance drama. You’d both misinterpreted the title and quick preview then spent the first half waiting for the killer to show up. After a while, you finally said something and he looked up a synopsis. Neither of you moved to turn it off, opting to talk instead, and tuning back in every once in a while to make fun of the overdramatic plot. 

“How’d everything heal?” he eventually asks after catching a glimpse of your wrist as you adjust your sleeve. 

“Healed fine,” you pull your sweater off to show him before remembering how revealing the tank top you threw on underneath is. Momentarily, you pause then decide it doesn’t really matter. It’s a snow day movie night, there’s not exactly a dress code. And it’s not a big deal, you’re just showing a friend a scar. People do that.

If he does notice, he does a great job hiding it. 

“Did heal well,“ he mumbles, running his fingers along your back, “it doesn’t hurt, right?”

“Nope.” You’re both silent for a while, trying hard to look engrossed in the movie as one of the characters drops to their knees crying in the rain. All you can think about is the thrilling feeling of his hand still lingering on your back.  The credits roll but neither of you could recount what happened if asked.

“Well, that was stupid,” he says, slamming his laptop shut. 

“And really misleading, they should give us two hours of our lives back for that,” you laugh.

“Nah, just the first. The rest is kinda on us. We could’ve found something better to do,” his hand slides to the small of your back.

“Oh yeah?” you ask leaning towards him, unsure again why you’re flirting with Katsuki Bakugo.

“Yeah,” he smiles widely before leaning in to kiss you. Pressing you back onto his bed, this time with less (but still some) teeth. One of his hands tangles in your hair, pulling as your mouth opens wide for him. Your tongues meet. He tastes like a snow day: vanilla, mint, and bad decisions. 

His other hand grips your hip, pulling you closer as he grinds you against his leg. You gasp out a moan before realizing what happened.

Are you about to become one of the girls you make fun of who ends up in his bed only to be forgotten in the morning?

Fuck.

No, you’re not.

Pushing away, you jump up and run out the door.

part 5 - series masterlist - bnha masterlist

Taglist: @anonymity-222 @k1tk4tkatsuki

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

What do we do when Harlan Guthrie rips our sanity to shreds? We write self-indulgent h/c fanfics!

Like with so many things in the years Arthur and John had been gone, it was Dennis Noel turned to first to help him care for the pair. Noel had known once he’d pulled up to the phone booth and saw Arthur stumble out that the kid would need more care than Noel knew how to give. The first time Noel had met Arthur, he’d thought the kid looked like he could be knocked over by a puff of wind. But Arthur had clearly lost weight, and when Noel had pulled him in for a hug, he could all too easily feel the kid’s ribs beneath his shirt. That was somehow more concerning than the kid’s bloodstained clothes. Or any of the scars Noel was sure were new.

“When was the last time you ate?” Noel hadn’t been able to keep himself from asking almost immediately.

Arthur had stared at him for a bit, or rather just slightly to the left. Noel had been able to see him thinking. Then finally, “I’m not sure. What day is it?”

“Shit.”

….

Noel had taken Arthur and John back to his house, cleaned them up, tended to their wounds, made them canned soup, and helped them into the guest bed. That had been five hours ago, and Arthur had been dead to the world ever since.

Now, Noel sat at his kitchen table, chopping carrots as he watched Dennis cook ground beef in a pot of some type of broth or sauce.

“Thanks for…all of this.” Noel told Dennis’ back.

“I appreciate it. I just…he’s so thin, and I know that my…erm…usual eating habits probably won’t be enough.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure!” Dennis returned, his tone light. “Y’know how fond of the lad I am. More importantly, as long as I’m makin’ food for him, I expect you to eat it to instead of yer usual swill.”

The corners of Noel’s lips twitched. It was a recurring debate between them. It wasn’t that Noel didn’t appreciate homemade meals. But the nature of his job meant he seldom had time to cook more than eggs or rice. More often than not, his meals consisted of hot dogs or anything else he could buy from a street vendor. Dennis, though, swore by a more nourishing diet and tried to push it on Noel every chance he got.

Noel was no doctor, but even he knew that Arthur needed better meals than Noel was used to getting for himself, and Dennis had been drawn to Arthur before he and Noel had ever met. The Butcher likely wouldn’t have the bedside manner Arthur and John might need, but Noel could rely on him to help Noel nurse them back to health.

“Did ‘e say anything? ‘bout what happened?”

“No.” Noel finished with the last carrot and rose to carry the chopping board over to the stove. The Butcher leaned back to let him slide them into the pot.

“Not much. Something about a castle…Castle Kerringford, I think? But he…he’s…I don’t know, Dennis. Whatever he’s been through, it’s taken a toll.”

“Mmm…” Dennis put the spoon he’d been stirring with down and turned to face him, reaching a hand out to cup Noel’s cheek. “Well, we’ll do what we can, love. Now, why don’ you go check on him? I know you want to, and I’ve got this.” He tilted his head toward whatever concoction he had decided to make. (Noel swore to himself he’s learn to cook it if Arthur needed him to, but right now, all Noel could say was that it was some type of soup or stew.)

The “we” meant more than Dennis probably knew. When Noel had escaped the Dreamlands, he’d had no one but himself. He’d managed okay. But he wasn’t confident enough that he could help Arthur and John by himself. Having Dennis there meant everything.

“Thanks.” The kiss Noel pressed to Dennis’ lips was chaster than he’d have liked, but it was all they had time for.

The bedroom was dark except for the dim light that leaked through the curtains. Noel turned on a lamp on the bedside table, both for himself and in case Arthur woke during the night and needed to find his way about. The kid still lay in the same position he’d been in for the past few hours. On his back, head tilted slightly to the right, his right arm bent at the elbow so the hand rested by Arthur’s face. The left hand was still resting over Arthur’s heart.

“You still awake in there, John?” Noel asked. He had no idea if John even could sleep. God, that would be a nightmare if all John could do was lie there and think, unable to speak to anyone, unable to see until Arthur woke. The left hand lifted and gave a thumb’s up. “I wish I could talk with you directly, but I want you to know Dennis is here. He’s cooking…some type of soup. I’m not much of a chef. But it should be good. Much better than the canned stuff.” Noel reached out to pick up John’s hand. It shifted, as if John was startled, but it didn’t pull away. “We’re both here for you two. I don’t know what you and Arthur have been through, but we’ll take care of the two of you.”

Noel pressed a kiss to the hand, then slowly placed it back on Arthur’s chest before he dropped into the chair on the kid’s side to begin his vigil.

[klarriel]

walk me home

eddie runs away to el paso.

buck runs into a dog.

they come home to themselves, and each other.

-

buddie fic set immediately after the rain goodbye

read on ao3

fic playlist

excerpt below the cut!

enjoy :)

Buck knows he looks like an idiot - drenched curls of burnt amber hair hanging over his forehead, eyes rimmed red, chest heaving in its stillness. 

The U-Haul turns the corner at the bottom of Eddie’s street, and suddenly half of Buck’s heart is ripped from his chest.

Buck is alone, and of course he wore these shoes, today of all days - the water soaks the suede so much it feels like he’s standing ankle deep in the LA river. 

He stands there for a while - he wonders, if he waits long enough, will Eddie pull back round the block, laughing at the fact that Buck thought he was actually leaving?

The moments pass, and the fresh burn he got while making those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies stings where it sits on his palm - he’s usually pretty careful, but these days he seems to get in his head too much when he’s baking.

He waits for what feels like forever.

The rain finally eases, but Buck’s feet don’t move - the water turns to stone, anchoring him against the wind that tries to ease him away from the place he last saw Eddie.

His hand eventually finds its way into his pants pocket, fishing out his set of keys - the key to his loft; a keyring photo of a two year old Jee-Yun smiling widely, her face covered in spaghetti sauce; a little red fire truck keyring Christopher got him for his birthday one year; and his keys to Eddie’s.

His offer to become Eddie’s tenant feels hollow now - how is he supposed to step into that place, when the Diaz’s won’t be there to welcome him in with open arms? 

But he does - he crosses the threshold and toes off his wet shoes at the door. He peels off his clothes and hops into a hot shower, trying to wash away the remnants of the past ten minutes. 

He uses the last dregs of the sandalwood body wash Eddie left in the shower caddy, and for a moment he can pretend Eddie’s still close - laughing at one of Buck’s jokes as he brews them a pot of coffee, finger accidentally brushing against Buck’s side as he goes to fetch the honey pot.

His mind goes to their final goodbye. 

“So, general trash goes out on Thursdays, recycling on Tuesdays. Any important looking mail that comes through, just send it to my parents address - I gave you the address right?” 

Eddie hardly glances back as he carries the last box down the path towards the U-Haul, Buck lagging behind like a faithful dog. 

“And don’t forget to water my plants - at least once a week. And make sure you…”

Eddie trails off as he places the box into the U-Haul, pulling the door closed. He finally turns to look at Buck, and he smiles softly. 

“I guess you already know all of that stuff, huh?” He murmurs, and Buck shrugs, sadly. 

Eddie places a hand on his shoulder, his thumb fitting into the hollow of his collarbone. Buck can’t count the times he and Eddie have found themselves like this, and Buck wishes that it would stick this time - that they could stay like this, forever connected. 

“I’ll miss you, you know.” Eddie seems to almost choke on his words, eyes darting quickly over Buck’s face - snagging at his eyes, his birthmark, his mouth, his hair.

They fall into a hug, Buck hanging on a little too long, dignity be damned. 

“I’ll miss you too Eddie.” He whispers into Eddie’s neck.

Eddie pulls back slowly, giving Buck’s shoulder one final shake before walking away.

“I guess that’s what phone calls are for.” Buck calls after him as he walks to the car door. 

He should have stopped Eddie - should have shoved him away from that van and confessed everything right there on the tarmac - all the things he feels, and all the things he knows to be true.

Their goodbye felt so final. Sure, the house is still here, along with the Diaz’s larger items of  furniture and less important trinkets, but Buck knows how this will play out.

It might take time, but eventually, Eddie will realise how much his life and his family are rooted in El Paso. He’ll come back sure, but it’ll be to pack everything that’s left in these four walls into a moving van, and leave Bedford Street for good. Buck won’t be able to stay after that, and this house will sit vacant; a hollow chamber for a new family to move into, unaware of the life and love that filled these rooms before them.

The steam almost chokes Buck as his back hits the wall.

He scrambles to turn the water off, feet slipping slightly on the wet floor as he reaches to grab a towel. He hurriedly ties it around his waist and flings open the bathroom door, breathing staccato, desperately seeking fresh air.

Water pools on the wood floor behind him as he moves through the house. 

He’s never felt this out of place in this house. His finger traces the wall as he walks, dodging the frames left hanging on the walls. He feels like a ghost, doomed to forever haunt the building he’d once made a life in. 

He doesn’t dare look into Christopher’s room - the door has been permanently closed since he left, and the thought of a visual reminder of the fact that his - Christopher - doesn’t sleep there any more is too much to bear. It’s too much for the semblance of the heart he's got left. 

He tiptoes into Eddie’s room - he’s not sure why; it’s not like Eddie is here to catch him.

It’s exactly as it always is - pristine corners and straight edges. Leftovers from the army, Eddie had always called it. Buck disagreed - the day he walked in here, Eddie a sobbing beacon in the hurricane, he realised the scale of the chaos Eddie’s mind endured every day. For Eddie, he knew keeping the four corners of his bed neat was just one way to exert the control he felt like he didn’t have on the world around him. 

There are some signs of life - the bonsai tree on the dresser, the picture of Chris and his dad propped up next to it. Buck swallows solidly when he eyes the print on the wall - cacti in the desert, backdropped by a sunset of pinks and blues. 

Eddie’s past in Texas had always been such a big part of him - had this always been the plan, to move back to the place he grew up in? Were the friends he’d made here just a coping mechanism to deal with the pain of everything he’d endured - a stepping stone, until he was ready to return to his true family? 

Buck ignores his thoughts, instead choosing to rummage through the bottom drawer of Eddie’s dresser for any items of clothing he keeps stashed at the Diaz’s.

Buck had left a fair few items of clothing in this house through the years - he blamed his poor short term memory on fire fumes and long hours. It had become such a regular occurrence that Eddie had cleared out half a drawer in the bottom of his dresser just for Buck’s clothes.

He kneels on the floor now, pulling the drawer open. The moment he does, he realises that, in Eddie’s rush to pack, their items of clothes have mixed together in a bundle of neutrals and blues. He rummages through, finally finding an old plain green tee and grey sweatpants of his. He quickly slips them on, skin starting to prickle from the cold. He goes to shut the drawer, when he spots something, and freezes.

‘You know, you‘re here so much, you really should have a whole drawer of your own.’

Tentative hands latch on to a deep blue shirt, lifting it to hold it in front of him. He stands, letting it unfurl, and…

He would recognise this anywhere - it’s one of their LAFD shirts. Scanning it, he almost lets out a gasp when he spots the circular hole at the top right chest. 

Somehow, in the chaos of it all, Eddie had managed to keep hold of the shirt he’d been wearing the day he got shot. Buck had told him he was sadistic, but Eddie had shrugged it off, saying he wanted to keep a reminder of the time he went through hell and back, and lived to tell the tale. 

Eddie had washed it three times, managing to get most of the stubborn blood stains out. Buck remembers watching him take it out of the dryer and hold it up at eye level, his face falling. He’d retreated to his room, flinging the shirt into his bottom dresser drawer and kicking it shut. 

It hadn’t seen the light of day since.

Buck still thinks about that day all the time. He remembers the iron taste of blood - Eddie’s blood - in his mouth; he remembers the fear of rolling under that fire truck, when every instinct and the ache in his leg told him not to; the colour draining from Eddie’s face as they sped to the hospital. Sometimes, the pain of that day slips its tendrils into his dreams - forcing Buck to endure alternative endings he’d rather not imagine. Those nights, he wakes up calling out Eddie’s name, contracted muscles taking a while to adjust to the fact that he’s far from that road, and that the gravel scratching his face as he drags Eddie to safety is just the rough cotton of the blanket Maddie bought him at a Black Friday sale one year. 

Buck backs up, calves hitting the side of the bed. He falls to sit on the comforter, his eyes unfocused, as he holds the shirt to his face and inhales - there’s a familiar mix of nutmeg and musk. The notes hover over his brain and his heart, tugging at his thoughts like they’re slack ropes.

He once read that your smell is the most powerful sense when it comes to triggering memories.

He sits, and the weight of every moment he’s ever had with Eddie hangs heavy on his chest. 

Suddenly, a cluster of water drops fall onto his pants leg, and Buck is pissed, because a leaking roof is the last damn thing he needs.

It takes him a moment to realise that it’s not a leak - it’s his own tears, coming thick and fast. 

The salt of them chaps his lips raw, cascading off his face and causing damp sports on the shirt. 

He inhales sharply, shocked at himself, before he finally sighs - he decides to let go.

He sinks into the chasm formed inside of him.

He sobs, burying his face further into the shirt in his hands.

It’s over.

[babydollmarauders]

MEDIA MANAGEMENT — JACK HUGHES (23-24 SZN PART 16)

au masterlist

notes: i’ve been extremely busy and had no time to take screenshots, so all photos (except one) are from the actual photographers!

y/ndevils00

liked by john.marino97, dawson1417, and 329,615 others

y/ndevils00 we are not beating the loser allegations

we lost 3-6 tonight against the airplanes and their brick wall!

i assume everyone was reacting the same way as babygirl, slut, and i… cussing at the tv

BUT BET YOU CAN GUESS WHO SCORED TONIGHT BASED OFF THESE PHOTOS!

THAT’S RIGHT! BOTH OF MY PRETTY BEST FRIENDS SCORED GOALS TONIGHT!!

MARASCHINO CHERRY WITH HIS FIRST OF THE SEASON AND DAWG-SON WITH HIS THIRD!! I’M SO PROUD OF MY BESTIES!!!

LOOK AT THAT PHOTO OF MY MARINARA SAUCE AND MY LUKEY POOKIE, HUGGING AND SHIT!! SO CUTE!!! (they miss me so bad) ((they were comforting each other))

anyways, good luck in pittsburgh on thursday! try not to lose this time!

p.s. that third photo is the outcome of my secret agent photo taker yelling “y/n says hi!” ! doesn’t Johnny look so happy to hear he can never escape me?!

p.p.s. nothing to do with this game, but congratulations to Sid the Kid on his 13th career hat trick! … i thought he had more tbh

tagged tmeier96, john.marino97, lhughes_06, dawson1417

Load more comments

user25 did you just… go out of your way to subtly dig at Sidney Crosby? 😭

john.marino97 i thought i left you in Jersey and then i hear your name and look up to see you on facetime with a random person!

y/ndevils00 you love that you can never get rid of me 🥰 you’re stuck with me forever!

john.marino97 four years and counting… do i ever get a break?

y/ndevils00 nope!

user73 four years? but, John only joined the Devils last season?

tmeier96 i scored a goal too, you know?

y/ndevils00 yeah… you’re pictured aren’t you?

tmeier96 barely! and no congrats for me!

y/ndevils00 fine, attention whore! congratulations on your goal in a game in which we still did not win

tmeier96 i’m ignoring your sass and saying thank you anyways

y/ndevils00 asshole

tmeier96 bitch

jackhughes hey, that’s my girlfriend, Meier!

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes it’s okay baby, i can fight my own battles

y/ndevils00 HEY! I’M JACK’S GIRLFRIEND, MEIER!

jackhughes ah yes, you did so well, lovely Dove. so proud of you

user02 goddamn John looks FINE AS HELL

user81 fr! y/n has a hot ass boyfriend and some hot ass friends!

dawson1417 THANK YOU BESTIE NUMBER 3!!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!

y/ndevils00 I’LL SEE YOU SO SOON, BFFL

lhughes_06 yes, we’re absolutely mentally falling apart without you. idk how we’re still alive

y/ndevils00 i was wondering the same thing tbh. who else is gonna tell you not to eat an expired protein bar?

lhughes_06 i would’ve been fine

y/ndevils00 you would’ve gotten your stomach pumped and missed the game

lhughes_06 i don’t believe you

y/ndevils00 how did you survive this long without me?

_quinnhughes our mom

lhughes_06 @/_quinnhughes shut up, huggy

nicohischier i think you cursed more than we did

y/ndevils00 can you blame me?! these fuckers suck!

nicohischier i- you can’t say that

y/ndevils00 sure, i can! i just did!

ehaula WE suck?! YOU suck!

y/ndevils00 @/ehaula yeah, and Jack loves it!

ehaula UNCLES DON’T NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS

nicohischier NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THESE THINGS

y/ndevils00 @/ehaula prudes

jackhughes Dove, what have we talked about?!

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes that i have to stop talking about our sex life on my instagram 🙁

jackhughes mhm and what did you just do?

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes talked about our sex life on my instagram 😔

jackhughes so what do you have to say to Haulzy and Cap?

y/ndevils00 @/ehaula i’m sorry for making you privy to Jack and i’s bedroom shenanigans 🫤

[agentwhiskeysdarlin]

Eat Dessert First

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels x F!Reader

Rating: NSFW 18+ (minors dni)

Warnings: cute banter, fluffy goodness, domestic bliss, oral (female receiving), cute nicknames and the cutest ending ever

Word Cont: 1.4k

Author’s Notes: Well long time no fic huh? Life really gets in the way sometimes. I decided when the writers block decided to stick around that I would go through some old fics I never posted and see if there was anything I could change my mind on. I picked five fics that I am nervous but excited to share! Thank you if you take time to read and even more so if you leave any kind of note. I am using my old taglist so please if you want to be removed or added please let me know!! Also for my ao3 readers I swear one day I’ll get it updated.

Ao3 link coming soonish

  Your knuckles wrapped on the wooden surface of the front door as you entered the all too familiar ranch house. You were immediately met with the most amazing smell that had your stomach growling. 

  “I sure hope that’s my honeybee!” The southern drawl of the man you loved echoed from the kitchen and you smiled at the sound. 

  “Who else is going to just waltz in here barely announced?” You spoke with a smirk as you rounded the corner. 

  The sight before you would never get old. Your boyfriend of four years cooking away in his kitchen, making dinner for the two of you. It was an almost daily occurrence but it still made the butterflies in your stomach rapid. Jack Daniels and yourself had stumbled into each other's lives and even though a relationship was far from both of your minds things just fell into place. Jack paused what he was doing to turn to you. He pulled you into him and quickly locked his lips to yours in a deep, toe curling kiss. 

  “You keep kissing me like that cowboy, we are going to forget dinner and head straight for dessert,” you smirked as he pulled away. 

  “Now darlin’ I’ve been slaving away in this kitchen but you do know my favorite saying right?” He gazed down at you with a twinkle in his eyes. 

  “Life is short. Eat dessert first,” you let out a giggle as he pulled away and went back to his cooking. 

  You knew then you had to tempt him just a little bit more so you found a clear spot on the counter and jumped, sliding yourself comfortably on the cool service. Jack gazed at you and you gave him a wide innocent smile. He let out a chuckle and shook his head. 

  “What?” You asked, teasing him, swinging your legs gently. 

  “You drive me crazy. After all these years, you still just drive me crazy.” 

  “I am simply sitting on your counter minding my business. I have no idea what you are talking about.” You couldn’t keep the smile off your face if you tried. 

  Jack sat down the spoon he was using to move around whatever sauce he was working on and stalked over to you. You now were slightly taller than him but not by much but even with slightly looking down at him you felt as if he was gazing down at you. 

  “You know exactly what you are doing darlin’ and soon what I’m fixing will go in the oven for a bit and I am going to devour you.” Jack smirked knowing his words were going to leave you wanting. 

  He had definitely raised you. Your teasing manner fell and you found yourself panting, realizing how hot it was in the kitchen. You glared at him when he gazed over at you with a winning smirk. 

  “Don’t give me that look. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen darlin’…literally.” He winked and you stuck your tongue out at him but followed up with a laugh which he joined in on. 

  The two of you fell into normal conversation asking each other about your days and anything else you had yet to discuss through the text messages exchanged throughout the day. These were the moments you always loved, the domestic ones. Simple and small but always left a lasting impression. You watched him as he moved around the kitchen before finally placing the almost finished meal into the oven and then threw the oven mitts on the counter. He all but stalked toward you and you welcomed him with opening your legs for him to stand between and laced your arms around his neck. Your fingers went into his hair as his lips fell to yours in a needy kiss. You sighed at the feeling of having him so close. So ready for him to touch you where you needed him most. 

  You had worn a pair of leggings which Jack maneuvered you carefully out of discarding them on the kitchen floor. He pulled away to look at you, his forehead resting on yours. 

  “No underwear huh? Did you plan this angel?” 

  “Maybe, maybe not,” you smirked and pulled his lips back to yours. 

  He smirked against your lips before finally moving down on you. His lips brushed down your neck and soon he was on his knees, his arms wrapping around your legs and spreading you open for him. You let out a whimper at the cool air hitting your wet center. 

  “Jack please,” you begged looking down at him with one hand white knuckling the counter edge and the other tangled in his brown locks. 

  “I’ve got you angel. Look at you so wet,” he breathed before his lips fell to you and you let out a loud moan. 

  Your head fell back to the counters behind you and your eyes fluttered closed in pure pleasure. This was something else that could never get old. The way Jack made you feel was not of this earth, hell the universe. He still made your head spin and he knew your body better than you did. Two fingers entered you and your mouth fell open in a gasp followed by a moan before you forced your eyes open to take in the sight before you. Jack’s head between your thighs pushing you closer and closer to your impending high. 

  “Jack I-,” you whimpered. 

  Jack simply answered with a moan against the vibrations coursing through you and the wave took you under. Your head went back, you back arched and you let out a loud moan that made you thankful Jack had no neighbors. He kept pushing you through your orgasm as your legs shook around him until you collapsed panting. His mouth fell away and his fingers left you causing you to feel empty. Your eyes fluttered open to be met with brown eyes gazing at you. 

  “Always so perfect and delicious,” Jack murmured as he kissed you. 

  You moaned against him, tasting yourself in his mouth. You reached down for Jack’s pants but his hand stopped you. You pulled away looking at him with a confused expression. 

  “It’s your turn,” you pouted softly. 

  “Later darlin’. We got all night,” he smirked as he gave you one more peek just as the timer went off. “Perfect timing dinner is ready. I gotta clean my girl up first.” 

  Jack made quick work cleaning the both of you up before helping you from the counter onto shaky knees. He didn’t let you go until you were stable and you couldn’t help but let out a laugh as you slipped your leggings back on as he pulled dinner from the oven. 

  “We are worse than a bunch of teenagers huh?” Jack laughed with you. 

  “Kind of but I love it.” 

  “As do I,” he leaned, giving you one last kiss before fixing each of you a plate. 

  You sat at his dining room table and dug in a comfortable silence falling between the two of you as you ate. You were glancing around Jack’s house as you always found yourself doing when you looked back at him. He had stopped eating and was watching you. You smiled softly. 

  “What is it?” You asked. 

  “Move in with me.” 

  It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement and it took you by surprise. It shouldn’t have, you had waited for it for a while now but all the same it made your stomach flip in the best way. 

  “Are you sure?” You spoke trying to keep your wide smile at bay. 

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything honeybee. It’s about time. I like the way you look here. It feels right when you are here. It doesn’t feel so big and lonely anymore and I don’t ever want it to again.” 

  You felt tears spring into your eyes but a smile split your face wide. 

  “I would love to move in. I’ve never felt more at home than I do with you.” 

  Jack’s smile matched yours and the two of you carefully leaned over the table and kissed each other. You finished your meals with bright smiles. The two of you laughed as you washed up the kitchen and made plans as you headed to bed to get you moved in. As you laid in bed Jack hovering over you already panting and wanting he smiled down at you before kissing you. 

  “Welcome home honeybee.” 

Tagged: @jimmythegirl​ @arcadianempress​ @discogrrl​ @immundusspiritu​ @someplace-darker​ @thisis-theway​ @ohpedromypedro​ @scribbledghost​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @princess-and-pedro​ @phoenixhalliwell​ @littlevodka​ @all-hallows-evie​ @mack4676​ @perropascal​ @audreyshepbvrn​ @mswarriorbabe80​ @kaqua​ @novemberrain221​ @weasleywinchester​ @lady-bess

[copperbadge]

[ID: A photograph of a building in Chicago through my window; in one corner my spider plant is photobombing the image. Through the window, snow can be seen falling against the urban backdrop.]

It's snowing in Chicago for New Year's! Everyone who bought a cute cocktail dress to wear out to the parties tonight, I'm so sorry. Maybe invest in some kind of dramatic greatcoat that will keep your butts warm.

Me, I've put the stracotto di manzo on to slow cook (fourth dish I'm cooking, third course in the Festa Alla Cinque Cibi) and I'm about to sit on the sofa and not do much for a bit.

The stracotto di manzo recipe, like the burik recipe, comes from Portico, a Jewish-Italian cookbook (there's an online version here) and I did make a few alterations; I hope people know that whenever I talk about changing a recipe it's because I'm changing it to suit my tastes or laziness, and that's not a critique of the recipe. In this case, I halved the recipe since I'm only one man and four pounds of pot roast is too much. I also replaced the sauteed onions-celery-garlic mixture with my Special Sauce, but mainly because I had the Special Sauce handy and it's the same flavor profile more or less. No celery note, but I'm indifferent to celery.

[ID: three images; left, a photo into the instant pot, showing a golden-brown mess on the bottom; center, a bottle of Bay Bridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon; right, the "special sauce" after the wine has been added, which is now a surprisingly appetizing-looking green liquid flecked with gold.]

The "special sauce" is a mixture of caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and my homemade pesto (roasted cashews, fresh basil, salt, roasted garlic, olive oil). I browned the beef chunks in olive oil and removed them, added the special sauce just long enough to get it good and hot, then added the wine and deglazed the pan. They say you should only ever cook with wine you'd drink, but I don't like wine at all, so like a good San Francisco boy I bought some California Cab in the $5-$10 range and hoped for the best. When it arrived it turned out it had been on markdown, so that is right there some of your finest $2.50 wine. I'll use the rest in a ragu sauce or to thin paint or something. How long does jet fuel keep in the fridge?

[ID: A shot into the instant-pot of large chunks of beef bubbling away in a red sauce, bits of gold "special sauce" still visible here and there. None of you can smell the garlic and basil I'm smelling right now but I wish you could.]

Anyway I didn't get a photo of the beef browning, but once the special sauce and red wine were on the boil, I added a massive can of tomato puree and the browned beef, brought it up to bubbling, then switched over to slow-cook. I've got it on the lowest possible setting but that might be slightly too low, so I'll check the temp in two hours and re-evaluate. It's just feeding me and I have no set time to eat, so if it takes all day it takes all day.

All that's left now is the second fry on the Carciofi Alla Giudia, which will be the last thing I do because you serve that warm and there's no real way to re-heat it after the second fry.

Breakfast was a slice of homemade pizza and like four amaretti cookies, because I am only ever classy by appointment.

[mega-catmuncher]

None of Our Business

Chapter 02: "The Fallout"

Pairing: College!Matt Murdock x fem!reader

Summary: You are a winner. Always have been and always will be. In your final year at Colombia you're aiming to earn an internship from an esteemed law firm which will ensure the success of your career post law school. Someone however, is making life difficult and his name is Matt Murdock. For some reason he's always in your business, everywhere you turn he's there and while you never expected it maybe he's just what you need.

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: swearing, alcohol, angst (Future SMUT I still promise 🤞🏻😮‍💨)

a/n: Thank you to everyone who showed support on the first chapter, this is my first time writing fanfic so any feedback in the comments would be MUCH appreciated. Also if any Tumblr writers could give me tips I would be incredibly grateful :)

Also sorry for taking centuries on a second chapter. Life can be a lot busier than I realized lol.

(keeping the corny summary💀)

Night Two

Living with Matt for over 48 hours has made you appreciate the life you have. Every morning that Matt wakes up you feel the need to do things for him, but he beats you to it. You try and make a coffee but when you get up a hot mug is already waiting for you on the bedside table. Laundry basket empty, apartment cleaned and grocery shopping done it’s like the man moves without you even noticing. Tonight though you felt the need to show Matt some gratitude and cooking the both of you dinner seemed like a good idea. Until at approximately six thirty, you were tripping over pots and pans, sauce splattered all over your jeans and half the stove covered in flames from the chicken you've somehow burned. This is a disaster. 

“Shit” you hissed, and just as Matt walks through the door you freeze and suddenly you get hit with a wave of emotion. Matt has done so much for you and this is how you repay him. You start to cry in defeat while Matt rushes to turn the fire alarm off and get the pan of burning chicken under control. After the kitchen situation has died down Matt sits down next to you on the kitchen floor and rubs your back as you sob. 

“ You know... I could have sworn I turned the stove off before I left the house,” Matt said with a sly smile on his face. You begin to laugh through the snot and tears. “I just wanted to do something, you do everything here and I need to make you understand how much I really appreciate what you're doing for me”. Matt takes a deep breath “ I asked you to stay with me because for once you need someone to do things for you. Since we've known each other you've been working at that bar and those customers know you because you work hard. You never miss a class and every time you show up more prepared than the professors. On top of all of that, you've managed to aim higher than any of us for a future in law. A little laundry and dinner are for me to worry about, not you”. This is not the first time you've thought about kissing Matt. 

The first time you ever thought about kissing Matt was the first time you met. It was at the freshman fair and your friends signed you up for kissing booth duty apprehensively you agreed since any money made would go to the school lunch fund. Thankfully the wet t-shirt contest was getting more attention than the kissing booth but your friend Jenna wanted to introduce you to someone. You rolled your eyes as she approached you with a stranger at her side since she's always trying to set you up with guys even she doesn't even know. “Y/N this is Matt! He's a law student too what a coincidence huh?! I have to refill the punch but I'll be back”. The first 10 minutes were pretty awkward until you and Matt started passionately debating law theory. Those last few minutes between the debate dying out and the fair getting shut down after administrators noticed the faint smell of vodka coming from the massive punch coolers, you kept looking between Matt’s eyes through his glasses and his lips. You regretted not kissing him that night when you returned to your dorm, but over the years you appreciated his friendship more than just a possible one-night stand.

Back to present day you and Matt clean up the mess and decide the safest thing for Matt's apartment would be to order some Chinese. You switch into pyjamas and Matt goes to put on the news but you ask if you can watch a movie instead tonight and for the first time in a long time, you remember what it's like to be alone with a boy watching a movie. You get up to put away the trash while Matt finds something to put on which ends up being some 80s action movie you've never seen and won't care about after tonight. You make an excuse to get closer to Matt by asking him to share the blanket and as the movie gets more uninteresting for you, Matt is surprisingly super into it. You start to feel bad about the little plan you've formulated to distract him he's an innocent guy trying to help you out and you're thinking about him hot and bothered like some perv. Until out of nowhere Matt kisses you.

It feels out of character for the both of you sat on Matt’s couch making out and yet you don’t care at all. When things start to get heated and you adjust your body to get on top of Matt, his phone starts ringing. The amazing fucking timing of Foggy to call, Matt doesn’t want to pick up but the phone just keeps ringing he thinks something might be wrong. “I’ll just be two seconds, see what he wants”. While Matts on the phone with Foggy it gives you time to think about what you’re doing and you quickly make a mental pros and cons list of hooking up with Matt.

Pro: he's a good cook, con: sometimes he wakes you up by singing loudly

Pro: he cares about you, con: he snores

Pro: He’s passionate about a career in law, con: you’re passionate about a career in law

In your mind the final pro and con weighs the heaviest in this mental debate you’re having with yourself. You slowly get up from the couch and look around for some shoes and a jacket while Matt has his back turned. Before Matt hangs up the phone you’re out the door, you needed some air to really think and calm down. This whole situation has distracted you from your biggest goal in life and sexual satisfaction aside you don’t want to risk your friendship with not only Matt but Foggy as well. You can’t imagine how awkward work would be if Foggy knew you and Matt hooked up. It’s all just too much for you to put on your plate and you come to the conclusion that going back to your dorm is better for the both of you.

You’re circling your way back to Matts apartment when you see Chris across the street, he’s in his pyjamas with a pizza box in hand. You’re favourite in fact, Amaretto’s. “Hey stranger, where are you headed to ?” Chris has this haziness to his voice as if he’s just been smoking. “I’m just out for a walk I needed some air”. An awkward pause follows and you look down at the house slippers you put on in your haste to leave Matts apartment. “Can I ask you something?, are you and Matt..together?" Chris hesitates to look at you for an answer but you're stumped for what to say. "Its none of my business I'm sorry, its just I've seen you come out of his place and-" you interrupt Chris to explain "We're not together Chris, Matt's just helping me out with school. I needed a break from all the cue cards taped on my wall". Although you don't hear it Chris lets out a small sigh of relief. "Thats good to know because I was wondering if you wanted to go to the campus movie night next Friday ". What the fuck, you definitely were not expecting that and this is honestly the last thing you need right now.

In one night you've been put in a Matt and Chris sandwich which in any other case would've been a dream for you but in this moment you're at a loss for words. Realizing you're taking too long to answer you just come out with it "Yeah I would like to do that". Chris's smile makes you feel warm but then he kisses you on the cheek and you even feel even warmer. He offers to walk you back to Matts place which seeing how dark its gotten you accept.

Matts heart drops hearing the front door open and the look on his face makes you want to throw up. He looks worried, sad and even a little angry? "I have been losing my mind Y/N, where have you been?!". You couldn't decide what would be better, tell the truth or lie out of your ass and hope he believes it. But no matter what you do you're going to feel like shit. "Matt, I'm sorry but I needed to think about things, I needed to think of what would happen if we went any further and well I don't know if it would have been a good idea for us to go further than a kiss".

Matts face drops hearing you say this, he goes to sit on the couch and he's been quiet for so long you're feeling worse and worse by the second. "Matt I'm sorry but we need to think about this I mean what about school? and Foggy and-" you find yourself losing your train of thought and feel that it would be better for you to be silent for a moment. Regret washes over you completely when Matt completely explodes " What does Foggy or school have to do with this situation? I care about Foggy and school and a lot of other things in my life and yet none of that stopped me from wanting to get closer to you tonight. Im not saying you owe me anything at all but to walk away and decide that you don't want to do this because of other people and school it feels like you're making excuses Y/N".

You start sweating and can't will yourself to think of the words to say. You begin to feel tears build up and you want to let it all out but you don't want Matt to see you any more vulnerable than he already has tonight. "I'm sorry Matt but I can't let anything distract me from college I shouldn't have taken advantage of you, I appreciate what you've done for me but I cant stay here I need to go back to my dorm".

You're waiting to hear Matt stop you, yell at you. Anything to stop you but he doesn't. He sits in silence as you grab some of the things you brought over and as you're walking out it becomes clear to you that you've made a massive mistake.

[bengiyo]

Ossan's Love Returns Ep 9 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, everyone sensed that something was up with Kurosawa, and so the squad rallied to host a home party to cheer him up. Kurosawa spent much of the episode working on saying goodbye, and even left instructions for Maki with some household tips before teaching him how to make his version of miso soup. He left goodbye videos that completely destroyed me, and his final scene in the park with Haruta brought me back to the In the Sky goodbye in ways I was not ready for. I don't want to mourn him, but I feel like I already am.

I can't drink those smoothies that just taste like grass.

NOT THIS GOOFY ASS MAN MISHEARING THE DOCTOR AND JUST WALKING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!!

He kicked the doctor!!!

All this drama over red food!?!

Oh lord his home sold. Where is he going to go??

I hope the entire cast comes to visit him a little bit at a time. This is great.

"Give me back my tears, geezer!" Yes, Maki! Fight him again!!!

I'm with Haruta. I think about my parents getting older. I've been making slow preparations for the future.

Good job, Chizu. I'm glad you're still here to keep Haruta from spinning out.

Oh, thank you for the shower scene. Tanaka Kei has a great body.

Natflax real estate???? I'm gonna lose it.

This recruiter looks familiar. I'm going to need to look them up later.

STYLER JIBS!!!!!!!!!

Oh no Haruta is having nightmares now.

Whoa, is that Tabasco hot sauce???

I really do love the way Kurosawa and Maki moments have evolved over time.

I love that the whole crew is here for a surprise party, and glad Kurosawa is back to tormenting Maki.

Haruta bursting into tears whenever he feels too much love is one of my favorite things about him. He always appreciates every earnest gesture from Maki.

This is beautiful. I would love to be surrounded by all the people I love telling me all the things I did that made them feel supported and appreciated.

Takegawa got a cat! That feels so correct.

This whole sequence is incredible. It's an ongoing group hug, a party, and a talent show.

Maika is always eavesdropping and she is correct. Not all queer relationships need names that fit neatly into other expectations.

It does feel like a family photo. I have quite a few with my wider digital families.

Wow, the cherry blossoms scene was beautiful. I really appreciate how explicit this season has been about the complex nature of family and that finding community and joy in it is possible in any number of configurations.

Maro is such a dude I love him. He would absolutely get into a fandom just to be closer to his mom and wife.

Kiku and Izumi made it! Can't believe that they've grown on me a little bit.

Teppei, Chizu, and Maika having dinner with their kids as Teppei sings another song is perfect for them.

Maki stay trying to slam the door on Kurosawa.

Another almost brawl!!

"WE ARE FAMILY!!" I got all my sisters with me!! Okay, I cried.

Final Verdict: 9, Highly Recommended. I think, even if you bounced off or didn't watch Ossan's Love (2018), you should absolutely check this show out. There's so much to be had in this show about adults navigating what they want for their lives as they try to take care of the people they love. Maki and Haruta figuring out what their romance is going to Iook like when it's not just an idea landed so well for me. I like that Maki is still able to be a little bit terse or reserved, but he's finally able to say clearly to Haruta how important he is to him and he's also better able to be around others. Izumi is right that Haruta is this beacon of love that others seem inevitably drawn to. Kurosawa is such a huge presence, and he reminds me of some of my favorite gay elders. I hope to be as powerful and loved as him when I get older. I'm so glad I went back and watched Ossan's Love properly. I can't believe I denied myself this incredible experience for years.

[cibeebutinhell]

All My Kisses (ao3)

Summary:

Stolas and Blitzø goes to a Goetia party and proceed to use their mouth way too much

Notes:

This is inspired by the #fullmooncountdownkiss by @zero_lawliet

------

Stolas zoned out at the fifth gossip in the last two hours. Apparently, Duke Eli got caught red-handed trying to steal a vase at a party last week. Separ’s servant asked for a raise and, satan-forbid, sick leave, when has Hell become overrun with lazy snowflakes? And oh, have you heard about Sytry’s, ahem (at this they all leaned in to listen closely as the speaker spoke in what Solas assumed meant to be sotto voce but ended up being more so of a falsetto) unfortunate botched haircut? 

Stolas put his hands to his mouth, all four eyes widening in dramatic worry, “Oh, I do hope he survives that, sounds terminal.” Then turned away when they glared at him. Heaven-wept, he was only minding his business and these royals decided to converge and forcibly include him in their conversation, now he had to find somewhere else where no one would bother him. A Herculean task at a Goetia party, that was for certain. 

Stolas got to a shaded area of the garden, though it didn’t take long for him to be discovered. Something snaked up his thigh and waist, so familiar by this point Stolas wasn’t even startled. He tried to hide his small smile by taking a sip of his lemonade. The tail snuck into his gauzy summer robe briefly before ducking out, sending a shiver down Stolas’ spin despite the heat.

“Having fun?” Blitzø teased. He was holding a plate of spaghetti and somehow none of it made it onto his linen white shirt. He must have been making extra effort today for Stolas’ sake. 

“Now I am.” Stolas bent down to rest a palm on Blitzø’s face and bumped his beak to his cheek lightly. How nice was it for Blitzø to remind him what a handsome partner Stolas had. The breezy shirt and fitted slacks might have been for the theme of the party, though Blitzø managed to look like the clothes were designed for him in mind. The top button was undone. It wasn’t when they left the house, now Stolas’ eyes were fused to the little triangle that showed off the toned pecs underneath. 

“Eyes up, we’re at your fancy pants gathering of prudes.” Blitzø tilted Stolas’ face up with a finger under his chin, then his finger continued upward and gently flicked back Stolas’ sun hat, exposing his forehead and planting a quick kiss there. 

Stolas hooted softly, delighted. His mouth tingled with the urge to return the gesture, it was almost unbearable to stop himself, but he knew they wouldn’t have been able to stop at one kiss.

“I just need to survive another hour then we can go,” Stolas sighed. “If I had to hear another gossip about someone’s deformed toe I might actually abdicate.”

“Oh, you mean that ugly Prince Bar—“ Stolas clamped his palm down on Blitzø’ mouth to stop him as a group of guests walked past them. 

“Not so loud!”

“What? As if everyone wasn’t just sharing pictures of it.” Blitzø’s voice came muffled from underneath Stolas’ palm. 

“Unbelievable.” Stolas removed his hand and said wryly, “You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”

Blitzø shrugged and shoved a forkful of pasta in his mouth. “Good blackmail materials.” 

Stolas snorted. “Of course.” He looked out to the garden of royals, many of them ignoring Stolas and Blitzø, some of them attempted to pretend the last few years never happened and tried to get back into Stolas’ good grace by saying how adorable they found Blitzø and Stolas to be. “Funny how not long ago we were the main subject of gossip.”

“We still are, babe. Now because they’re jealous of us.” Blitzø looked up at Stolas, eyes bright and adoring with sauce on the corner of his lips. “Did I tell you how hot you look today?”

Stolas flushed. Good grief, he never would get old of being praised by this man, was he? “Many times already.”

“Not enough times because fuck, you’re so fucking pretty.” Blitzø looked him up and down shamelessly. “Good thing my pants are loose.”

Stolas choked on his laughter. “Darling!”

“Or else it would look like this.” Blitzø gestured toward his plate. Somehow he had managed to make two meatballs and a long sausage the subject of his artistic expression and Stolas had to use all his willpower to not burst out laughing right there. 

“You're going to make me laugh,” Stolas pleaded, tugging the rim of his hat down to hide his wobbling mouth.

“Duh, that’s kinda my thing.” Blitzø shoved a whole meatball in his mouth and Stolas finally let himself break, not because the act of meatball-shoving was particularly funny but because he was suddenly struck with how stupidly happy he was. 

Blitzø grinned in that soppy way whenever he made Stolas laugh. There was more sauce on his face now. Stolas reached out to wipe it off with his fingertips. When he tried to move his hand Blitzø caught it, turned his face in and planted a warm kiss in the middle of his palm, and another, pecks and pecks until Stolas was again back to a blushing, fluffy mess of feathers.

“You said it was okay to kiss hands at these places,” Blitzø glanced up through his eyelashes, still pressed against Stolas’ palm, hot lips dragging across those increasingly sensitive flesh with each word.

“You know I meant the back…” Stolas said weakly.

“Hmm.” Blitzø nuzzled into his palm, seeming content to stay there. “I can stop?”

Stolas knew they were being looked at. Probably becoming the subject of gossip again. Good, they were so much more interesting than vase-stealing, salary-denying, ugly-hair royals anyway. 

“No.” Stolas leaned down to whisper like they were planning a prank, allowing a carnal grin spread across his face. “Jealousy is such a wonderful aphrodisiac, don’t you agree?”

He received a gentle nip to his hand. Stolas scooped Blitzø up and nipped the imp’s neck in retaliation, and finally, finally their lips met, pressing until it felt like the summer heat was going to fuse them together. Not that either of them would mind.

[iamfruitie]

Caution and Care Pt. 17

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: TBA

Advice

“The heat was definitely an outlier compared to his usual ones, an outlier with most heats in general,” Henrik stated to Dark as he read from his clipboard. “As you already know, the average heat lasts between three to five days, and Anti only lasted twelve hours, according to them. It has been twenty-four hours since his last wave, and none other has come after his third wave, which is also odd to only have three.” 

“You’re sure Anti is fine with me knowing this?” Dark asked, leaning a hand against his desk and tapping a finger. “This feels like more information than I usually get.” 

“Well, from what I have been told, you are used to being told that ruts are fine and Wilford handles JJ’s heats, and everything tends to be fine with them as well. This is the first time you are handling a complication. And, yes, Anti gave his consent for you to know all this; I would not be sharing as much if he had not. I would be much more vague.” Henrik sighed and set his clipboard down. “If they are wanting suppressants, it will not be for at least a year until I feel safe doing so. I need their bodies to regulate and readapt to their new environments. Madrick will likely go into heat in the next few weeks. We have some more time to prep for him…maybe.”

“Maybe?” 

“Anti’s heat kicked in right when he and Mad finally painted their horns and saw Edward caring for Jackie’s crack. He felt safe, loved, and secure. That finally allowed his body to, well, go into instincts and start that healing cycle. Mad had been showing lots of signs of being very happy here, but something is holding his body back, and as soon as that wall is down, bam, heat.”

“Any theories?” Dark knew they got lucky with Anti’s heat kicking in when the two were already in their nest, but he worried they wouldn’t get lucky twice, and Mad’s would happen somewhere a lot more…dangerous. 

“Sadly, no. I am not sure what Mad is missing or wanting that Anti is not. We will just need to keep an eye on him. He has a strong scent, so at least any sign of preheat will show at least a little more before Anti’s did. Regardless, I will advise Edward to start getting more prepped for Mad now. I have appointments taking up most of the next few days and will be unavailable for a bit…” Henrik’s voice trailed off at the end. 

“Is there something else?” Dark prompted. 

“Edward told me why you wanted the documentation for Anti and Mad. So you know how to help, but also know who their old pack was.” Henrik chewed his lip for a second before getting his question out. “Do you plan on tracking them and doing something you probably should not?” 

“To be very honest with you, Henrik. I don’t know.” Dark confessed. 

“I do not want you to put yourself in danger because your emotions are getting in the way.”

“You sound like my father.”

“Well, sometimes fathers are right. Do not call attention to yourself that is not needed. It sounds like Anti and Mad were also outliers within that pack, but we have them now. They are safe. They are being cared for. That is what matters. Do not go on a hunt that is not needed. You are the pack alpha. You need to be level-headed about this.” Henrik picked his clipboard back up. “Anti and Mad will appreciate a hot meal, a nice, filling, homemade one.” He wasn’t subtle about his hint. “Have a good afternoon. Edward will let you know when I am free again.” 

“Thank you, Henrik,” Dark said as Henrik left the office, closing the door behind him. “Shit.” He muttered to himself, rubbing his face with his hand. Dark knew that Henrik was right.

But it didn’t make it any easier

x~x~x

Anti chuckled as Mad insisted that he sit at the kitchen table while he looked around for some food for them. 

“My heat’s done, I can help.” Anti offered, leaning back in the chair. 

“And it just finished. It’s still my time to care for you.” Mad said as he opened a cupboard. “Does anything sound good? Maybe some noodles? I think I see some sauce.” He mused on, not hearing Anti’s half-growl nor the person joining them in the kitchen as he went up on his toes and reached for the jar of sauce. It wasn’t until the person was closer and couldn’t ignore the recognizable scent that he realized they weren’t alone anymore. Mad leaned away when Murdock reached over him and grabbed the jar, holding it out to him. Anti was on his feet, and at Mad’s side in a second, lips pulled up into a snarl and baring his teeth. 

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior, Mad,” Murdock said. “I was out of line and relying on traditions I was raised with that I should know are beyond out-of-date.” Mad chewed his cheek and glanced at Anti before taking the jar of sauce. Anti still looked like he was ready to tear away some flesh with his teeth. “I understand your anger, Anti, and I do not blame you for it.” 

“Anti.” Mad leaned over and whispered into Anti’s ear, telling him that Murdock’s scent showed that he was most likely genuine. Anti grumbled before pointing a finger at Murdock.

“You’re still on thin ice.” 

“I promise to be better behaved.” Murdock gave a slight bow of his head before it tilted toward the other entrance to the kitchen, the sunglasses not allowing Mad or Anti to see where his eyes were looking. “I have some work to do.” Murdock excused himself before leaving the room, and Dark stepped in just a second after he was gone. Dark paused and sniffed the air, making a face. 

“Murdock came in, apologized, and helped me get some sauce,” Mad explained, holding up the sauce to show Dark. 

“I still don’t like him.” Anti huffed. 

“Something about his scent is off, but I can’t tell if it’s because we don’t know him that well and the bias we have or not,” Mad confessed. “I still…I don’t want to be alone with him.” 

“And you won’t be,” Dark said, stepping over and gently taking the jar from Mad. “How about I make you two some chicken alfredo? I know we have the ingredients for it, and it’s a meal I enjoy cooking.” 

“Only if you make yourself some as well,” Mad said.

“You reek of workaholic who forgets food.” Anti added as a tease. 

“I think I can manage that.” Dark chuckled, watching as Anti sat in a chair and pulled a laughing Mad to sit on his lap. He chuckled some more to himself as he set the jar down, satisfied that his scent covered Murdock’s, and he got to work on making them some food. 

[risukadarlin]

[piofiore no banshou] vol. 4: henri - track one

1; midi

masterpost

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[00:05] Oh, I’ll carry that.

You can leave the heavy lifting to me.

You can open that package instead.

I think we’ve finished unpacking now.

We only brought the essentials, so it wasn’t too bad at all, thankfully.

This is our new home.

The table.

The sofa.

The curtains.

And the bed.

I prepared the basics for us, but we can replace them if you find something you like.

It’s a bit smaller than your old room but I didn’t think a huge room would be any better.

You still seem worried whenever I’m not by your side.

That’s not it?

So… You just like being spoiled?

Don’t hide your face.

Look at me.

[01:18] You look good with your hair tied up too.

Of course, it looks just as good down.

You must be tired after such a long journey.

Even if we did stop at a hotel halfway, it doesn’t change the fact we took a longer route.

I’m sorry for pushing you so hard.

But… I’m glad we could leave some flowers for the children…

We haven’t seen them since I left everything with that person, after all.

Back then, my priority was protecting you.

I knew we couldn’t stay in that place for too long, so I even left the burial to someone else.

I know better than anyone that graves mean nothing to the dead, but…

I hoped it might bring them some salvation.

I pray they rest in peace.

Let’s go back one day.

We can’t go regularly.

But we should go again soon.

Oh, that’s right.

What should we do this afternoon?

There are still a few things we need to sort out but you can stay here and rest if you’re too tired…

Really?

Then let’s go out together.

We need things for the kitchen first.

We have a fridge but it’s empty right now.

Shopping is important but we’ve just arrived.

Shall we take a look around Bordeaux?

What do you think?

I’m glad you’re finally able to be open about how you feel.

You’re so cute.

Let’s have lunch first. We can find a cafe nearby.

Then we can look around the town for a bit.

We can buy the basics just before we come home.

Let’s buy the rest tomorrow and explore a bit more if we still have time after that.

Let’s go then!

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[03:56] How was the food?

I’m glad it was to your taste.

The food here is quite different from where we just came from.

Lyon is famous for dishes made with tripe.

Its development was driven by the production of silk, so there are a lot of labourers living there.

So, they devised a way of making cheap ingredients taste delicious.

Bordeaux, on the other hand, flourished due to trade.

It’s also especially famous for its wine.

They use bordelaise sauce with meat and fish alike. It’s made with red wine.

It’s a lot more simple than other places we’ve lived.

Though, there is the famous Lamprey à la Bordelaise. 

I don’t think I’d like it very much.

I’ll try to find a restaurant that you’ll like.

When our affairs are a bit more in order, I want us to go on a long, relaxed date.

You always make cafe au lait at home. I’ve even started drinking it when we leave the house now.

You’re looking out for me, aren’t you? I know I don’t eat very much.

You think it’s better than me just drinking espresso, don’t you?

I know hot milk is better for the stomach but I just can’t bring myself to like it.

I’m sure you know that already, though.

Anyway, we’re in an entirely new city. Is there anything you’d like to know?

I’ll tell you anything I know.

Oh, that building you can see over there is the Grand Théâtre.

Bordeaux has been a seat of the government twice in the past.

During that time, it was used as the National Assembly for the French Parliament.

Let’s go to the Opera again soon.

I’m sure they’ll show one you enjoy soon.

Is there anything else?

[06:20] You want to know why I chose to move here?

Do you remember last year, we went to Bled in Slovenia during Christmas?

When I asked you where else you wanted to go, you gave a few options.

Bavaria in Germany.

The capital of music, Vienna.

And then, Bordeaux.

You said you wanted to see the Port of the Moon at night.

Obviously, I wanted to grant one of your wishes.

But this place is very convenient for me, too.

The population is large enough and the transportation system is rather varied.

There’s a railway and boats. 

We have options if something happens.

It’s also on the West coast of France, which is ideal.

I wanted to put some distance between us and Germany, considering the state of things there.

The church is still looking for you, even now.

I don’t think they’ll be able to find us easily, but apparently he put some rather troublesome traps in place before he died.

You don’t need to worry, we’re well hidden.

All this moving from city to city is just an extra precaution.

Until a while ago, I planned to allow karma to hit me with open arms.

I believed I deserved to be punished for my crimes.

If I really thought I’d one day be forgiven for what I did, I never would have plotted revenge.

But… I never planned to involve you. Any of you.

I thought I could protect you by locking you in that small house.

But it wasn’t enough.

That’s why I won’t ever let them be one step ahead of us again.

I don’t plan to hold back against anyone who tries to interrupt our life.

Obviously, it would be best if they never found us at all.

Don’t you think?

[09:01] Are you ready to go?

What do you want to see first?

Bordeaux Cathedral? It’s around 10 minutes from here.

We can see a few sights as we walk over.

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[09:24] Bordeaux Cathedral, or the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew, was built in the 11th century.

Well, the foundations were. They’ve been adding to it ever since.

You can see the spire from anywhere in the city.

You could even say it’s the building that best represents Bordeaux.

It was once used for the wedding of the King of France.

It’s also famous for the sculptures of the Biblical Day of Judgement.

There really are a lot of people.

Come here.

It’s a famous sightseeing spot. It can’t be helped.

Stay close to me.

I don’t want you to leave my side.

Okay?

Good. Let’s go inside, then.

I’m sure you’ll love the inside just as much as the outside.

[10:41] Isn’t it bright?

Most big, historical churches end up being quite gloomy inside.

But here… It looks like the entire inside is shining white.

I don’t believe in God, but I think you look beautiful in this Cathedral.

It reminds me of Burlone.

I remember once, you looked after me in the church, right after I’d been hit.

I was shocked; you said exactly the kind of thing my sister would have said.

Oh. I never really told you about what kind of a person my sister was, did I?

Let me think… 

Chloe was bright and sociable. She didn’t get shy around anyone.

When we were with the Falzone, she spent more time surrounded by adults than with me.

It was hard, at times.

But I never blamed her for it.

She was desperate to make a place for us in that mansion.

And now I know that love makes us do crazy things.

Where do you want to go after we finish exploring here?

Maybe we should go somewhere where we can see the entire city?

Ah, before that, you should pray while we’re here.

I’ll wait for you.

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[12:54] I knew you’d like The Grosse Cloche.

Can you see the Garonne River from here? It’s shaped like a crescent moon.

It’s almost blinding in the evening sun.

I can see why they call it the Port of the Moon.

So, how is it? Do you think you’ll like it here?

I’m glad.

There is just one thing weighing on my mind.

Bordeaux is a university city.

I saw a lot of men today who are the same age as you.

I know it might sound childish but a lot of them were looking at you.

If I wasn’t here, they’d most definitely try to talk to you.

I’m a bit worried.

Your shoulder?

Oh, yes… I was holding you close to me all day.

Especially in front of the cathedral and when we were in crowds.

I barely even thought about it myself.

I mean… I can certainly think of a reason why.

You said it before yourself, didn’t you?

I need to practise touching you.

It was probably because of that.

Now, I can’t relax if I’m not touching you.

It’s that time already?

I did plan on eating out tonight but maybe we should relax at home instead.

We should buy a bottle of wine and toast to our new lives.

[whatiwishfanfiction]

Reminder that Chapter 9 is up

While I like the concept of Once-ler having a mean, selfish family that shows why he turned out the way he did, I'm going to make it clear that listening to them and destroying everything was his own choice.

 

EXCERPT

It was unsettling how much having his family move in made Once-ler's life feel exactly as it had before.

Somehow they still managed to make him feel like the one imposing, despite them being in his house. It wasn't long till his closets were full of their clothes and shoes, and his ice box with things like "Brett's pickles, don't touch." "Gizette's hot sauce. No Oncies allowed" or "CHET ONLY" signs on the orange juice. Yuck. Once-ler patiently pushed the orange juice aside to fit eggs and milk for his pancake batter.

Since the time he'd seen them, Gizette had taken up soccer and now kept her equipment thrown across his lawn. It appeared she'd gotten her glasses somehow, glittery pink frames that she left laying around and never wore. Brett and Chet brought parts of motorbikes they fiddled around with, that Once-ler never saw in the long grass before they tripped him. His Ma seemed to have gotten even more knickknacks, clothes, and yarn than ever for someone who always complained about having no money.

However, he didn't know if he should complain because of how much she helped with the company. In fact, she helped a little too much, staying up all night on the phone, networking, negotiating, planning ads, and scheduling meetings for him to attend. She seemed to have become an expert manager overnight.

"Didn't you know I got a degree in business when I was in my early twenties?" she told him. "I used to help yer dad back when he was first startin' his wood cuttin’ business." Once-ler had not. She had never mentioned having any helpful skills up till this point.

Some of her ideas were better than others. Once-ler did appreciate the plans to expand the market, like with the promotions she took charge of. He liked the new top hat she picked out for him, to make him look like a proper CEO. And thanks to her fundraising efforts, the blueprints for his factory were becoming a brick and mortar reality atop the nearest hill beyond his window.

However, when it came to her suggestion about chopping down the trees to gather the leaves faster for their expanding customer base, Once-ler was annoyed.

"No. Truffula Trees take a hundred years to grow back, so that's not a good business strategy. Why don't we just use ladders?"

“Well, that’s pretty demanding of you,” said his Ma. “You make us move out here to help you, and won’t even provide the proper accommodations. Brett fell off one of those dangerous old ladders the other day, and got a big purple bruise on his nose. It’s not funny, don’t laugh. You gotta learn about bein’ a decent boss.”

Once-ler’s Ma’s opinion of a good boss seemed to be one that gave her whatever she wanted. Well, why did he have to give his family whatever they wanted all the time? His stubbornness was, indeed, the last thing still keeping him from getting out his ax and being done with it. The ladders and picker really were a pain. It would be easier to just yell “Timber!” and harvest a whole head of leaves from a fallen trunk, but he didn't want to give his family the satisfaction.

Oh, and there was his promise to the Lorax too.

[the-himawari]

A3! Hyodo Kumon - Translation [SSR] Afterschool Time for Two (3/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Waiter: Here’s your French fries.

Kumon: I’m digging in! *Munch, munch*… mm, that hits the spot! Fresh off the fryer is the best!

Azami: All you need is salt when it’s hot.

Kumon: Ketchup and mayo are still musts though!

Azami: Oi, don’t mix them with the fries.

Kumon: Aurore sauce is tasty though. By the way, Tenma-san was in the drama that aired yesterday.

Azami: Ah. Is that why everyone in Summer troupe all got together last night?

Kumon: Yep! Tenma-san wore a school uniform for his role that looked hella cool! He kinda had an aura about him! But it sounded like he had some mixed feelings… about wearing a school uniform even though he’s in university now.

Azami: But he was just wearing one a short while ago. Is that what it feels like when you become a university student? Is it available to stream?

Kumon: He said it was. I think you can still watch it!

Azami: I’ll check it out.

Kumon: Anyways, the homework I got today killed my braincells. I don’t get anything. Do you understand this, Azami?

Azami: There’s no way I’d get what someone two grades above me is studyin’.

Kumon: Ooh, good point. I guess I have no choice but to rely on Tsumugi-sensei. But I think he’s busy today…

Azami: What’s the subject?

Kumon: English.

Azami: Then you can also ask Chikage-san, can’t you?

Kumon: Ah, right! So true!

Azami: So even students who are preppin’ for their entrance exams get homework, huh?

Kumon: Well, it’s only for English and Japanese history. I ask nii-chan about my Japanese history homework.

Azami: Right. Juza-san’s only good at history.

Kumon: What do you mean by “only”!

*hits*

Azami: Dude, that hurts, y’know?

Kumon: Oh yeah! Say, Azami. I wanna go to karaoke tomorrow~.

Azami: Karaoke?

Kumon: Yeah. Also, I wanna go to the batting cage the day after tomorrow, and then the arcade next Monday~.

Azami: All you’re doin’ is goofin’ off.

Kumon: It’s fine, isn’t it! There’s not much time left in my high school life, so I wanna do everything I wanna do.

Azami: You can do all those things you said anytime. You can go to karaoke or the battin' cage even if you're not a high school student. Actually, when I see Juza-san and Taichi-san, it looks like it’s even easier for uni students to go since they have the time.

Kumon: That’s not the point, Azami! It’s like what Tenma-san said—the meaning of wearing a school uniform changes when you become a uni student. The homework will be way different, I’ll have to work a part-time job, and the cats I play with at lunch won’t be there. The only time we’re both high school students is right now. And there’s tons of stuff I wanna do with you while we’re in still high school together.

Azami: …

Kumon: Ah, I finished my drink. I’m gonna go to the drink fountain. Do you want anything, Azami? I’ll bring it back with me.

Azami: Oolong tea. Thanks.

Kumon: Okay!

*runs off*

Azami: …

*runs back*

Kumon: Thanks for waiting!

Azami: That was fast.

Kumon: Huh, really?

Azami: …Y’know, Kumon.

Kumon: Yeah?

Azami: I’ll go with you to all those things you mentioned earlier.

Kumon: Eh, REALLY!? YAY!!

*jumps up*

Azami: Shut up, dummy. Don’t stand up.

Kumon: Ahaha. Oopsies, sorry.

Azami: I doubt anythin’ will change between us once next year comes. But, we’re only high school students right now, right?

Kumon: Exactly! Ehehe, I’m so happy.

Azami: I mean, it just feels like we’re hangin’ out afterschool though.

Kumon: That’s fine! Everyone says we should do what we wanna do while we’re in high school.

Azami: Hearin’ that’s like a broken record at this point.

Kumon: Ah, I know! Adding to the list of things to do! I wanna eat a burger from “Burger Royale”!

Azami: What?

Kumon: Also, Kazu-san told me about a store that just opened last month—.

Azami: Can we go to that many places? Well, we’ll do as much as we can.

Kumon: For sure!

---

previous |

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

#7

Tuesday

Currently, Amai was teaching Taro how to properly knead the dough for some sort of mini apple pie recipe. As it turns out, it took a lot of effort and physical strength, which Taro seemed to be significantly lacking in. He looked over to Amai, who was patiently waiting with a smile. Her ball of dough was smooth and already sitting covered in a lightly buttered bowl.

She gave him an encouraging nod and he continued, using all his strength to properly roll out the dough. This was in the dining part of the cooking club. In the actual kitchen part, the other members were quietly talking with each other. Everything seemed fine up until Ajia returned back from the bathroom.

“Seiyo.” Ajia calls, her voice quiet although that didn’t ever signify if she was angry or not. “Did you put hot sauce in my rice mixture?” She asks, glaring up at him.

The blonde presses his lips into a tight line. “...it was just a drop. A-And it wasn’t on purpose! I was just… being sloppy, I’m sorry.”

“And why did you mix it in?” Ajia follows up, her nails almost digging into her own hips as she scowls at him.

“Because I thought you wouldn’t notice..” Seiyo replies sheepishly, hanging his head a bit to avoid Ajia’s gaze.

Ajia brings a hand to her head with a sigh and retrieves the bowl with her mixture. “Seiyo, it’s orange.” She says through gritted teeth.

Shoku clears his throat, still smiling. “Come on, now, we’ve got snacks to finish.” He says, his tone almost warning.

“Right..” Ajia sighs, turning her back to Seiyo, although still clearly irritated. The blonde looks guilty, but turns back to his own snacks anyway.

Taro exhales quietly, thankful that the back and forth hadn’t escalated. Amai nudges him slightly and whispers. “Sorry about that. They argue often.”

“It’s no problem.” Taro smiles at her. “I’ve heard some of their arguments in the hall.”

Amai giggles quietly. “You poor thing.” She looks back down to her finished crusts as she’s putting them in place. “I adore them, but that’s certainly one thing I don’t miss, hehe.”

Just as Amai finished saying that, Kenko came over. “Hey, Amai. I wanted to talk about the sale.” He says, folding his arms after wiping them on his apron.

“Yeah? Do you have all of your treats planned out?” Amai asks, wiping her hands as well and grabbing the bowl of apple pie filling near her.

“We all have at least three choices ready for the picking. But, uh…” Kenko hums, pulling a hand up to his chin. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to tell you about. We have everything planned out and we’ve got enough ingredients, but we might not have enough hands.” He explains.

“Ah..” Amai pauses in thought, almost spilling the filling. “I… didn’t think of that. A bake sale is a really big upgrade from last year after all…” She mutters in thought.

As Amai’s thinking, Shoku walks over with his tray in hand, smiling at her. “We could always grab some more volunteers. If it turns out that a whole bake sale is too much work, then we could even ask some students experienced with cooking to help out.” He adds on, “We could even open the club for those interested in joining for the week to try to get more folks to join.”

Amai smiles, clearly pleased with Shoku’s ideas. “All wonderful ideas! As a matter of fact, before you all get knee-deep in your cooking, why don’t you all go grab some helping hands to make your process quicker?” She calls to the rest of the club.

“Ooh, Kokona will love to help!” Saki says, immediately abandoning her tray of treats in order to run to the Drama Club.

Kenko sighs at her immediate leave and pushes the tray closer to the middle of the counter so that it didn’t fall off. “I’ll see if Himari or any of the other girls want to help. I heard they’re quite fond of baking.” He says with a calm smile, walking the opposite way from Saki.

Eventually, everyone but Amai and Taro left to go grab new recruits. Amai made sure to tell her club to gather everyone into the Home Ec room since it had more room than the Cooking Club. Shoku would take the reigns with the club for now while Amai tended to Taro.

“So, Taro.” Amai starts, slipping the mini pies into the oven. “On the topic of baking, do you have any lunch with you?” She asks, brushing off some loose flour from her apron.

Taro’s eyes widen a fraction and he groans. “God, apparently not.” He sighs, frowning. “I honestly think that Monday is just the day of the week that I forget my lunch. It might be written in stone somewhere.”

Amai giggles, raising a hand up to her mouth as she did so. “It’s a shame to hear that that’s a habit, hehe. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it, though.”

With a light scoff, Taro comments. “Yeah, well, that’s what my sister told me in grade school. The only difference is my mom can’t give me a smack over the head whenever I actually do forget.”

“Well, I’m sure Osana will do it for you.” Amai said as she looked to her list of treats. After a moment of silence, Amai realizes that that might have been an iffy topic to bring up for Taro. “Ah. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to say that.”

Taro smiles. “Don’t worry about it. At the end of the day we are still friends. And honestly, I feel like that’s a pretty good page to leave that chapter on.” He says, nodding to himself.

Amai hums in satisfaction. She brings the note over to their table and smiles along with him. “I’m impressed to hear that. It’s refreshing to see someone who takes something like that so well! Someone mature like you is destined to attract another lovely lady soon!” She assures him.

With a blush, Taro chuckles a bit. “Th..Thanks, Amai. That actually means a lot coming from you.” He says, a bit embarassed at the praise. “Ah, so… what’s next on the list, then?”

“Well, our apple pie bites are in the oven right now, so our next treat should be…” Amai looks to the next option on the list. “Ah, brownie bites. These are actually Shoku’s favorite.” She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her arm with a cute smile and wink. “We’d better make him proud, then!”

__

Amise sighs, she and Ayano walking towards the Home Ec room. She glanced at Ayano, who was gripping the bow of her uniform tightly in her hand with an evidently enraged expression on her face. “You really oughta fix your face. Shoku’s sweet, but doesn’t exactly appreciate those who ruin the mood of the event.”

Ayano turns her glare to Amise, who doesn’t seemed very phased by it. “They were practically flirting.” She growls, only illiciting another sigh from Amise.

“Is that right?” Amise hums, before muttering. “You’re awfully impressionable, aren’t you?” She asks, a bit too quiet for Ayano to hear. The slightly shorter girl was too upset to be curious, anyway, though.

Amise clears her throat, hinting to Ayano to fix her face before they entered the Home Ec room. Ayano sighs, letting her face fall to its normal lack of expression after a moment. The two enter, and Shoku turns and smiles at them.

“There you are, Amise! And Ayano! I’m glad to see that you’re visiting us as well!” He says, beaming as he holds a hand to the crowd of students that littered the room. He points to each of the four counters and explains, “There are four main stations. All of them either making sweet treats, healthy treats, western-style treats and japanese treats.”

Saki had obviously gathered together her friends and boyfriend, her counter consisting of Kokona, Riku and Daku. Kokona already had a bunch of experience in the cooking club since she attended the club last year, so both she and Saki were teaching the other two what they knew.

Kenko’s counter had Himari, Sukubi and surprisingly Scilla, who was usually alone. For a moment, Ayano wondered why Sukubi would be at the ‘healthy treats’ coutner but it’s likely that they promised him something sweet if he worked on something healthier.

Ajia’s counter is where she, Osana, Kyuji and of course Raibaru were working. Ayano recalled learning that Osana and Kyuji both were incredibly interested in Cooking, so they likely saw this as an opportunity to sharpen their skills.

“I’ll be taking Uekiya, Otohiko and Kokoro back to the Cooking Club for the extra space.” Shoku said. “You two can go ahead and pick whichever station you like best, or come to the Cooking Club with me. Our station will have varied treats. Maybe a mix of all four.” He claims with a shrug, leading his few to the Cooking Club.

Seiyo’s counter held Hana, along with Cassian and Frankie, who were both transfer students from America. Ayano supposed in that case it made sense for them to stick with his treats.

Ayano immediately trailed to follow him, but Amise hung onto her sleeve. “Nooot so fast.” She says, her voice hushed. “That’s not a good idea for you, Ayano.”

Tearing her arm away, Ayano frowns. “Why not?”

“Because you might faint. Again.” Amise responds, putting a hand on her hip.

“...I.. I had a conversation with him yesterday.” Ayano mumbled, not needing to know that Amise assumed she would faint again if Taro came too close to her.

Amise gave her a shocked but doubtful look. “Really? As in a normal, back and forth conversation?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “No light-headedness with full words?”

Ayano shut her mouth, avoiding Amise’s gaze. Reluctantly, she quietly specified. “He talked to me.”

Sighing, Amise nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I expected.” She stands in front of Ayano and holds her hand to the Home Ec room. “You stay here and socialize. I’ll make sure that they don’t spontaneously make out in front of five other people.” She says, her sarcasm not much helping Ayano’s anxiety.

Reluctantly once more, Ayano sighs and walks back into the Home Ec room. Immediately as she did, Kenko turned to face her. “Hey, Ayano. Are you any good with knives?” He asks, smiling calmly at her.

“Uh.. yes, I think so.” Ayano replies approaching the counter he was stationed at.

“Great.” Kenko sighs in relief. “Sukubi is better at mixing and decorating and Himari is making trips to the Gardening Club for us. And Scilla…” He looked over to the silent boy, who spun a pair of scissors on the counter top with a curious expression. “...I think he prefers scissors over knives. Which isn’t going to work.”

Ayano nods in understanding. “Don’t worry. I can take care of anything that requires a knife.” She says as Kenko smiles and slides a cutting board with several vegetables over to her.

He then turns to Scilla and hands the glasses-wearing boy a handful of green onions. “Here, if you can make little rings with these up until the white part, you’ll have been a big help. You can use the scissors for this.”

“Oh.” Scilla pauses, taking the onions and sliding the scissors down until Kenko nods at the size. “Okay.”

Ayano immediately went to cutting the vegetables one by one. She did have to learn to cook for herself, and her mother taught her all about knifework in the kitchen. In only a couple of minutes, Ayano had just about finished cutting all of the vegetables on the board. She took the ends of them and tossed them into the bucket next to her counter that would apparently be used for compost for the Gardening Club later.

“Gosh, you’re done already, Yan-Chan?” Kokona calls, looking amazed at the neatly cut vegetables on her board. “That’s super impressive!” She says, forgetting to stir for a moment but starting again as Riku turned down the fire.

Kenko smiles. “It really is. You can come back and chop off some more veggies when Himari comes back with the next bunch. For now, though, you can help with one of the other stations if you want.” He offers, pleased with Ayano’s help as he takes her place and begins sorting the cut vegetables.

Ayano looks around briefly, before seeing Kokona’s excited grin aimed her way. With an inward sigh, Ayano walks over. “Do you all need help over here?”

Kokona nods excitedly and Daku speaks up. “We need help to keep Saki from eating all of the ingredients.” He says, taking away the ‘tasting spoon’, as Saki had labeled it, away from her before she continued eating the caramel.

“I only had, like, two spoonfuls! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Saki huffed, although the twiddling of her hair made it quite clear that her first statement was a lie.

Daku smiled briefly, “You’re being obvious about it. Maybe if you can sneak someone without anyone else noticing I’ll stay quiet.” He says, which was enough to give Saki hope of getting away with her crimes.

Kokona rolls her eyes. “Way to give her false hope. Now I’m never going to keep my eye off of her!” She claims.

Riku shook his head with a smile before looking to Ayano. “We’re making chocolate-coated caramel candies, I believe.” He explains briefly, before turning to the others. “Saki and Daku are working on making the caramel and Kokona and I are working on the chocolate.”

“If you could coat the molds in chocolate, that’d be super helpful, Yan-Chan!” Saki directs, passing her three different candy molds.

Ayano nods in understanding. “I’ll handle it.” She says, moving to her own corner to work as the others chatted amongst themselves. Occassionally, they would ask her something, but she would answer quickly in order to let them know that she was busy. Thankfully, they took the hint with no grudge.

__

“Ah, crap.” Taro attempts to brush some flour off of his uniform, but just ends up spreading it more. “..uh…” He gives Amai an unsure look.

“Aw, I should’ve thought to get you an apron! Gosh, I’m so sorry about that, Taro.” Amai frowns, looking around for a spare. “I’m sure we’ve got one around here somewhere from last year..”

As Amai looks around, Shoku walks over and slips off his own apron. “The last one we used was the spare for Toga. How well do you like pink, Taro?” He asks.

Taro chuckles, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. Is there anything else you have available?” He asks, his attention being drawn to Shoku as the taller male handed Taro his own apron.

“You can use mine until we’re able to offer you a spare. Pink might be my… third favorite color, personally.” Shoku comments as Taro takes the offered apron.

“Thanks a lot, Shoku.” Taro smiles, slipping off his jacket and putting the apron on over his button-up. “I’m going to toss this into the washer.” He says, briefly waving bye before he leaves for the Home Ec room.

A few seconds pass after he leaves, and Kokoro quietly speaks up. “..on Taro?” She mumbled to Amai. Shoku immediately turns his head to her, having heard her question due to being closer to the pink-themed girl. He looked shocked, and turned back to Amai, curious as well.

“What was that, Kokoro?” Amai asks with a polite smile.

Kokoro pouts her lips a little shyly, carefully patting the sifter with her palm to make powder sugar rain lightly atop the cooled off brownies beneath her. “I…I just asked if you had a crush on Taro.”

“Oh, my.” Uekiya holds a hand up to her mouth gracefully, looking shocked but not surprised at the typical question of Kokoro’s.

Amai giggles lightly. “I know you love that sort of drama, Kokoro, but I’ve known him for less than a week. I don’t think much if anything could bloom in such a short amount of time, hehe.”

Shoku exhales silently, visibly relieved to hear that as he got back to work on his own batch of brownies. Uekiya giggles a bit at the expression that Amai thankfully hadn’t noticed, and Shoku blushes a bit in embarrassment.

“Hm.” Kokoro pouts her lips again, this time in thought. “Okay. Sorry.” She mumbles, avoiding Amai’s gaze shyly.

After a longer moment, Kokoro’s phone rings and she immediately puts down the sifter to wash off her hands. “Be right back.” She says, louder than her previous muttering as she dashes out of the room to answer it.

From what Amise could assume, she asked Amai that to see if she and the other girls could do anything regarding those rumours. Since Amai had denied any feelings with a straight smile as always, there was no doubt that she had no feelings for Taro. So, the bullies had to think of another way to spin a rumour. If Amise knew anything about them, Kokoro was probably going to ask Taro next while he’s on his way back.

“U-Uh, Amise…” Otohiko steps closer to her subtly as he quietly calls for her. He shows her his hand, which had a small cut on it. “..I, uh… some blood got in the mix bowl. I-I cut my hand but I didn’t realize I was bleeding at all. Do you.. think Amai and Shoku will be mad if they find out?” He asks, looking down at the bowl in his hands with a frown.

Amise smiles, “Don’t worry about it. I can take care of it. You should just go wash your hands for now.” She says, low so that none of the other chattering folks could hear her.

Otohiko nods thankfully and quietly leaves the room. After he does, Amise quickly makes a small cut on her hand with a nearby knife. “Oops!” She says, looking into the mix bowl. “Oh, god, that’s no good. Amai?” She calls.

The brunette quickly walks over, noticing the blood in the mixing bowl. “Oh, gosh. Are you hurt? Is the cut deep at all?” She asks, grabbing a nearby towel for Amise.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt much. I didn’t even realize I was bleeding, honestly.” Amise says, holding out her hand and allowing Amai to wipe the cut briefly.

Shoku steps behind them and dumps out the mixture before washing out the bowl. “We have enough ingredients and treats ready for lunch time. This bowl really doesn’t make much of a dent in the rest of what we have prepared.” He explains casually.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Amise sighs in relief as Amai tosses the towel into a nearby clothing bin. “I’m sorry if this inconveniences you, though.” She says, holding her cut hand.

Amai smiles. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Accidents happen! You should go to the Home Ec room and wrap that up. Ask the nurse for some bandages if you need to.” Her smile then falters a bit as she crosses her arms. “Ah, but, you probably don’t want to do any kneading with those hands now. If the wound isn’t covered properly, it could get more blood in the pastries or get unecessary material in your wound.”

Amise nods. “Got it. I’ll go get this cleaned up, then.” She says, walking out into the hallway. As she turns the corner, Taro spots her and waves.

“Hey, Amise. You’re friends with, uh..” He pauses in thought, not recalling Ayano’s name for a moment. “..uh, Yan..Chan? Is… Is that her name?”

“Ayano. Aishi.” Amise replies, smiling at him. “I’d say so. Why do you ask?”

Taro clears his throat, looking a bit unsure of his next statement. Regardless, he does end up spitting it out. “Uh, so… Do you know if… if she doesn’t like me? I mean… um..” He raises a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it nervously. “It’s not- not like I think she’s a bad person or anything. I’m just… worried that I might have done something to disturb her?”

Amise frowns, lifting a hand to her chin. “I don’t recall you doing anything to her. Do you?”

“No, I don’t. It’s just… when I’m in her general area she gets incredibly quiet. Just now I walked into the Home Ec room and she was having a conversation with someone. But she noticed me immediately and went radio silent! I wasn’t even near her.” Taro explains with a frown, looking anxious at the thought of somehow getting someone to dislike him.

“Oh…” Amise hums in thought, before smiling and letting her hands rest by her side again. “I don’t think that she dislikes you. She’s just generally very… hard to talk to. She especially can’t stand close proximity.” Raising a hand to her chin again in thought, Amise continues. “I recall bumping into her once, and she practically ran from me! I think she’s just not used to human contact. Which is…”

Taro frowns, more so in pity than distress, though. “..sad.” He sighs. “Gosh, and I’ve bumped into her twice already. That’s embarassing.” He shakes his head, looking ashamed of himself. “I hope I haven’t single-handedly made her dislike by bumping into her. She seems like a nice girl!”

Amise chuckles lightly. “She can be. All you have to do is give her time.” She explains. “And… maybe let her be the one to approach. It’s easier to converse with her when she’s the one who initiates the conversation.”

Taro sighs, but smiles hopefully. “Got it. Thanks, Amise.” He nods to her and heads on back to the Cooking Club.

Taro was very impressionable. He’s always tried his best to see the bright side in everything, so it wasn’t hard for Amise to change how he views someone as strange as Ayano. Amise has yet to get a thank you, but perhaps Ayano will appreciate the work she’s doing for her.

__

“You good, girl?” Frankie, or fully, Francesca, bumps her hip into Ayano’s, likely harder than she intended. “You went suuuper quiet just now.” She says, coating the jalapenos that Ayano had sliced in some buttermilk and then dropping them into a flour mixture.

Ayano hums quietly, noticing that Taro had left. “..yes. I was just thinking.” She replies, continuing to slice through other ingredients.

Frankie nods quietly in response, although her tapping foot indicated that she wanted to say something. “...uh, so..” She pauses, deciding how to word what she wanted to say. “You know, I recently joined the Martial Arts club. And… I was sorta complaining to them while we were training about a problem I had. And then they were saying about how you did a big fat favor for, like… all of them, and how reliable you were to them. So..” Frankie hesitates with an awkward frown, “..uh, do you think you can help me with something?”

Ayano figured that that was coming up, regardless of the amount of time it took for Frankie to finally spit it out. “It depends, but I’m open to trying.” She says casually, dropping the rest of the cut up chicken into the bowl of buttermilk.

Frankie smiles. “Good stuff! So…” She hums in thought, slowly putting her thoughts together. “..okay, so, there’s like, this dark-haired bitch who keeps harassing me. And has been harassing me since last Monday.”

“...right.” Ayano nods, pulling her lips into a straight line at Frankie’s wording.

“It’s, uh… ugh, who is that girl from 1-1..?” Frankie snaps her fingers together in thought.

Cassian, who shared a class with Frankie, spoke up. “That little short, black-haired punk?” He asks, looking offended.

“Yeah!” Frankie nods, shocked that someone else could identify the student.

“That’s Lori!” Hana speaks up, turning to Ayano. “She’s basically on parr with the delinquents with how little she obeys the staff and student council.”

Ayano turns to wash her hands and calls back. “So, why hasn’t this girl been suspended or expelled, yet?”

Hana shrugs. “Who knows. The guidance counselor might have a soft spot for the delinquent types.” She claims, before continuing. “I heard that Lori is super infamous for starting fights outside of the school for the smallest shit! Like, one time I think that one of the students bumped into her on the way outside of the school and she only rocked their shit!”

Cassian cringes. “Yeah, no, that was me.” He sighs at the memory. “You wouldn’t believe what she said to me..!”

Cassian and Hana were pretty infamous for being problematic on their own, mainly towards each other by arguing. Only when it came to gossiping and trash-talking other students they’d actually talk like normal human beings.

Ayano and Frankie tuned them out and continued on with their conversation. “Yeah, but on that note, I’m having some serious trouble with her. Literally several times, I’d have to book it home so that she didn’t drop kick me.” Frankie rants, sighing in dread at having to do it again today. “I’m not really sure what her problem is with me, but she doesn’t bother talking to me about it or anything. She just pops up and starts throwing hands!”

Ayano crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow in thought. “So, do you want me to fight her?” She asked. Despite how violent Lori seemed, Ayano was sure that she could put the girl in her place.

Frankie frowns at the suggestion. “Ah, I dunno. Despite how small she is, she’s, like, hella strong. I’d like for you to get her to leave me alone, but I’m not sure if I want you to get three black eyes in the process. Y’know?”

“I think I can hold her off while you head home at the very least. But constantly fighting someone every day before I get home might be exhausting.” Ayano claims. Her mind wanders to if Taro were to ever see her fighting. He’d probably think of her as some violent brute. “...or embarrassing.” She mumbles.

“Well, I guess I’ll be vague, then.” Frankie crosses her arms. “Get Lori off of my back for good whenever you can.” She says briefly. “Please. Getting jumped every day after school is obviously not fun.” Frankie holds out her arm, which had a bunch of bandages and bruises peeking out from beneath them.

Ayano nods. Doing something like this for Frankie, who not only was pretty popular but very well-liked could do wonders for Ayano’s reputation. Not to mention that Frankie herself would make an incredibly ally- or “friend”, Ayano should say. She’d be very useful if Ayano ever really needed it.

Seiyo speaks up, having finished a big batch of fried goods. “Frankie, try one of these.” He says, offering her the basket.

The fried jalapenos seemed to catch Frankie’s attention and she popped one into her mouth. She furrowed her eyebrows in thought before looking at the bowl that held their flower mixture. “Okay, outside of salt and pepper what did you add in here?” She asks, taking one of the chicken tenders and trying that, too.

“Uhh, paprika… garlic powder, onion powder… I think that’s about it.” Seiyo said, shrugging.

Frankie shakes her head. “Yeah, no, I see the problem. So all of those are fantastic, but it only adds so much flavor to the breading.” She says, walking over to the fridge and pulling the jalapenos back out. “So, first and foremost. Jalapeno juice in the buttermilk every time. There should be no exceptions. Even if you’re frying jalapenos. Maybe even some lemon shavings if you really want that zesty flavor.”

“Cassie’s feeling the zest at all times.” Hana snickered, earning an unamused expression from blonde in question.

“Oh, shut up. With that palm tree ponytail.” Cassie hisses back. “Maybe if you grew up with four sisters you’d have a better taste in fashion.” He snaps at her, earning a small snicker from Frankie before she continued with lecturing Seiyo.

Ayano finished her part at Seiyo’s station, so she moved on to Ajia’s table, which held her last pair of rivals and the one who relieved her from that stress.

“Do you need any help over here?” Ayano offers, folding her hands together in front of her with a neutral frown.

As Osana looks up to her in slight surprise, Ayano feels some… uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Was this the first time she’d bother to socialize with Osana? Or attempt to? Did she ever talk to her or did she just plague her mind for the entirety of last week? Regardless, there was a horrible feeling of… nervousness at Osana’s regular friendly gaze.

Osana didn’t know anything about what happened last week. She had no idea how many plans Info-Chan had walked Ayano through that could have taken her life. That fact was… chilling to Ayano. There was no reason for Ayano to hate Osana any more than holding a slight vendetta against her, but for some reason she hated looking at her. What right did she have to stand here in front of her when she was the cause of all of her stress last week?

In Ayano’s mind, Osana was already dead to her. Maybe her being alive instead of rotting in a garbage bag reminded Ayano of looking at… a ghost?

“No, we’re alright.” Ajia insists, continuing to neatly fold the sushi rolls she was making without looking up at Ayano. “The work you’ve done is impressive. You should enjoy the rest of your time before classes.”

Ayano nods in understanding. “...right. I will, then.” She says, before walking out of the Home Ec room. She could wait outside the Cooking Club and watch Amai’s behavior. Maybe throw a rock at a window if she tried something stupid.

Before Ayano could get too far down the hall, an irritatingly familiar voice called out to her. “Hey! Uh- A-Ayano!” Osana called, somewhat awkwardly walking over to her. “...hi. Um..”

Ayano lifts an eyebrow at the orange-haired girl. A bit surprised and even more uncomfortable that Osana had bothered approaching her. When Ayano didn’t respond, Osana’s face went a bit pink in embarrassment.

“Uh, so.. I just wanted to talk to you about Taro?” Osana brushes a fringe of her bangs behind her ear in slight nervousness as she continued. “I don’t know if you know this, but Amise told me that you have had feelings for Taro for a long time and were working up your courage to confessing to him some day.”

Ayano nods silently, and Osana nods as well, glad that she’d given some form of response. “So, Taro and I have been… friends for a long time. I’m not saying this because I feel like I own him or anything, but since you seem so talented and responsible, I just wanted to say that I’m glad that Taro… might fall into good hands.”

Osana smiles even thought Ayano didn’t respond to that and continues. “I was in a similar situation, but… the moron never showed interest in me, hehe. I guess I feel like we’re in similar shoes? You seem more… confident than me, so you probably don’t need my emotional support or anything, but… good luck! You’ll need it with that guy.” She says, seeming content with how she’d worded that.

Despite Ayano’s initial shock at the rant of Osana’s, she slowly looked away, feeling conflicted. “...thank you. I… appreciate your support.” She says, her hands held awkwardly at her sides. “Um. Good luck with Kyuji.”

“Hehe, thanks!” Osana beams, putting her hands on her hips. “I think we’re doing well so far!” She says, seeming happy with the ending of the conversation. “I’m gonna get back to that food, though. Talk to you later?” She waves, going back into the Home Ec room.

Surprisingly, Raibaru hadn’t bothered following her out. That could have been the perfect chance to stab her and drag her someplace else if Osana was still a concern of Ayano’s anymore.

Ayano frowns. She didn’t like that Osana was so… social. How could she even be so happy without Taro as a love interest in her life anymore? That just goes to show. She never needed Taro like Ayano did.

Ayano turns around, slowly walking down the hall again.

Yes, that’s right. Even now, her pathetic rivals prove to Ayano that she’s the only one worthy of his love and attention.

__

Ayano didn’t get any tasks done on Tuesday. But she did manage to chat with a number of people. Apparently, Ayano was better at knife work than she thought she was. That’s what all of her other peers said at least.

Nothing thankfully happened with Amai and Taro. It seemed that all they really had to talk about was the cooking lessons. But still, such close proximity could… ruin Taro’s view on Ayano. Amai may begin to look more appealing.

Ayano still had three more days left before Amai would apparently follow in Osana’s footsteps and try to confess on Friday. Everything would work out in her favor, surely. And with a better reputation, Ayano’s plans would be flawless.

She would make sure of it.

[ivory-lamps]

B17: Right Now, Once More...

Characters: Nagi, Toi & Netaro Location: Hakodate Summary: Nagi visits Hakodate on his motorbike. He reminisces the last time he came with the members of the Night Group, and revisits the places they went to. Proofreader: Shay

ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ📍 Location: Hakodate – Lucky Pierrot

Nagi: …… …Mmm.

(It’s delicious…)

(The meat patty is drenched with white sauce and cheese, and it’s very flavorful… I can even dip my chips into the sauce and eat it that way… Yeah, this is really tasty.)

(I ordered the burger I couldn’t get last time, but… the one I had before was just as delicious.)

……

(...I can see the harbour.)

Customer A: …So I’m going to my part-time job on a bike, right?

Customer B: You know that robbery that took place two prefectures over…? I’ve heard people talking about it, like, 10 times now.

Customer A: I’m not talking about that.

Nagi: (The last time I was here, I came with the Manager, Toi and Netaro, and we sat over there.)

Customer A: …So I was looking at this balcony and it still had washing out at the dead of night.

Customer B: You were looking at other people’s apartments? That’s gross.

Nagi: ……

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ📍 Flashback

Toi: Sigh~ …That was delicious. I’m stuffed.

Netaro: Gii, ahhh.

Nagi: (So much has happened since then.)

(While I was doing this and that in HAMA – feeling happy and feeling down – this restaurant has been making hamburgers. It hasn’t changed one bit. So this is what was happening here, huh.)

(A lot of people walked down that path and a lot of conversations and words were exchanged – it all converged and then went its separate ways.)

……

(It’s all so profound, huh.)

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ📍 Location: Hakodate – Hachiman Slope

Nagi: …Oh.

(So this is what the town looked like from up here. I can see the harbour I was just at in the distance.)

(...I should take a photo with my phone.)

Oh.

(It’s dead. I forgot to bring my charger.)

…Oh, well…

(The sun is setting. Night will fall soon.)

*Nagi reaches into his pockets*

Nagi: (All I have left is a little bit of my bonus and 25,471 yen.)

*Nagi smiles softly*

I’m rich.

University Student A: Woah, it’s hot in here~ Where do ya wanna sit?

University Student B: The back – head into the back.

Nagi: Ah.

(...They’re the two people that were at the burger place…)

University Student B: So tell me the rest of that story. You said you started seeing guy clothes being hung out to dry on that balcony?

University Student A: Oh, yeah. So I’ve been watching that place for a year now, ya know? Like, summer, autumn, winter, spring – all year round. And I was so surprised. Anyway, I got sick the other day, right?

University Student B: Yeah, you didn’t show up to class.

University Student A: I was coming home after my part-time job, and then I noticed the entire apartment’s curtain was gone.

University Student B: What? Did she move?

University Student A: Probably.

University Student B: What the? And here I was, hoping for some lovey-dovey development.

Nagi: (Yeah…)

University Student A: I don’t think I’d ever meet her… I mean, I wouldn’t even know what she’d look like even if we were to miraculously meet somehow.

But I bet she’s definitely alive out there – somewhere in this world.

Nagi: ……

…… *Nagi breathes in and out* 

(I'm sweating like crazy.)

(I didn’t mean to bottle so much of it up, but stuff just keeps happening.)

*Nagi thinks back to what happened at Angel Eye...

...that breakfast with Ryui and Netaro...

...and the living room scattered with flowers*

Nagi: (Regrets, anxiety, sadness, anger… I wish all this misfortune would get out of me.)

Nagi: Ah.

(I actually managed to pick the pineapple flavour this time.)

(Last time, I couldn’t get the flavour I wanted even after asking Buchi-san.)

…Yeah, it’s good.

(It’s not even 8PM, huh… Hmm, what should I do after this?)

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