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petri808 · 4 years ago

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We’ll Take Back Heaven a Nalu Yakuza Au

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A loud slam of the organization’s front door caused Levy McGarden to pop her head out of her own office. Curious, she walked down the hallway and saw a light on in her boss’s, Lucy Heartfilia. Had the noise been Lucy returning? That was strange because it was too early for the woman to be back so soon. The party should have kept Lucy out of the office until morning. Levy knocked at the cracked door before entering.

“Lu, why are you here? Are you okay?” Levy quickly added when she saw her boss’s forehead leaning on the table. “Did you drink too much?”

“No… I ran into Natsu, and we had a fight,” Lucy answered without lifting her head. “He just makes me so angry sometimes, so I stormed out of there.”

“Aww, Lu.” Levy walked over and put a hand on her friend’s head. “I’m sorry.” Both Lucy and Natsu were childhood friends of hers, so she knew the history between them. It was just like a made for television movie plot and hard to stay neutral in at times because she loved them both. “Do you wanna talk about it? Need a drink?”

Having heard the loud noise, another associate Cana Alberona also came looking for the source and stumbled upon the beginnings of the conversation. “Did I hear the word drink?” She popped her head into the office. “Oh, baby what’s wrong??” She questioned at seeing Lucy upset. Cana quickly joined Levy next to their friend. “Who do I gotta kill?”

“It’s just Natsu,” Lucy mumbled. “So, no killing.”

“Oh… him.” Cana plopped her butt onto Lucy’s desk. “Ya sure? I bet I could get one of my girls to take him out of your misery.”

“He wouldn’t be interested,” Levy piped in.

“Right… he’s still—”

Lucy sat up groaning, cutting them off. “That’s enough. I really don’t wanna think about that shit right now.”

“Fine, fine, then drinks it is. Relax, babe,” Cana playfully pushed on Lucy’s shoulder before plopping off the desk. “Then you’re gonna dish about tonight.” Cana always kept a stock of liquors at her desk. So, she grabbed a bottle of high quality flavored junmai daiginjo sake, glasses and set the girls up for a gossiping session.

It was reasons like this that really spoke to the heart of their organization. Everyone in the top level of this girl’s gang had known each other from childhood or high school. They were close, a found family of sisters who all had one thing in common— a real dislike for Japan’s outdated notions of gendered norms, well that and a desire to make money. But not in a conventional way. None of them wanted to work a boring office job only to what, be subservient to the male status quo? No, thank you. So, it had been Lucy who’d first approached everyone with the idea of creating their own high-end crime organization. It was amusing at first to think about an all-girl gang similar to the Yakuza… Oh, they all knew why Lucy came up with the idea to spite Natsu and the Yakuza’s rules, but it was an appealing idea. Everyone except for Levy’s family had some kind of ties to the Yakuza, so they were in essence raised in the lifestyle without ever being able to be a part of it because of their sex.

Together they brought their strengths into play and under Lucy’s business savvy thanks to her father, within just a short couple of years they were on the road to making a real name for themselves. Levy McGarden was at the heart of the organization as a tech person, and her skills in computer language is the reason they’re able to control a massively successful money laundering operation. Cana Alberona had great people skills, so she handled the escort services. Another, Erza Scarlet was the security expert who oversaw anything to do with the protection of their assets and employees. She also kept contacts with law enforcement. Mira Strauss handled the bookkeeping and financial side, and finally Juvia Lockser managed their soapland operation. Lucy herself held everything together but was the face of the group when dealing with knew contacts and clientele. Six primary women running the organization with underlings or regular staff to manage, they were nicknamed the Yosei girls because of the various fairy-type tattoos they all had somewhere on their bodies. Lucy preferred not to show hers to outsiders, but it was a pair of fanciful fairy-like wings that took up a large portion of her upper back. Natsu used to call her his angel back in the day…

The three girls sat huddled around Lucy’s desk after Levy dragged over a couple extra chairs.

“Seriously?” Cana knocked back a shot of sake and planted it on the table. “So, you didn’t have a chance to hit any marks?”

“Nope.” Lucy sipped from her glass. “Sure, I talked to some people, but I never made it past my first cocktail. He even blocked me from getting some action tonight from the hot bartender.”

Cana cringed. “That’s even worse!”

Levy giggled at her friend, “of course, you’d take offense to that Cana instead of the job.”

“Well,” Cana shrugged nonchalantly, “girls gotta take care of needs too, right? And if he was hot, that’s a real shame.”

The comment sent both Levy and Lucy into a giggle fit. Lucy may have started this out irritated but leave it to her friends to bring her out of her despair.

“Oh,” Lucy sighed and finished her glass, “the guy Loke was a total playboy too. Perfect for a no strings attached night.”

“Loke?” Cana questioned. “Orange hair and glasses?”

“You know him?— of course, you know him,” Lucy chuckled. “Why am I surprised.”

“I’ve seen him at other parties bartending. Flirts with all— the pretty girls. Very easy to get into bed, and not bad while in it. I got his number if you want it.”

“Natsu scared him pretty bad. I think Loke recognized him.”

“Hmm, that’s possible too. But hey, what Natsu doesn’t know…”

“Oh, my Kami, Cana! You are just too much sometimes!”

“Hey, just tryin’ to help out my bestie here,” she winked.

“Nah, I’m not in the mood tonight, Natsu really killed my joy.”

“He really thought that the guys there were gossiping about you?” Levy questioned. “Just because you didn’t have an escort?”

“Yeah, and you know even if he was right, he didn’t need to be a dick about it.”

Levy sighed, “he was probably right. It sucks, but that level of men, they look down on women like us. You provide a service, so to them they’re still using you which makes you beneath them.”

“And how dare a woman show up without a man by her side,” Cana rolled her eyes. “Oh well, less guilt for me when I’m taking their money,” she laughed.

Levy and Lucy laughed too, then Lucy raised a glass. “To taking their money! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” The girls clinked their glasses together and shot down their drinks.

“Speaking of escorts, how are things going Cana?” Lucy asked. They called their employees escorts because that’s the only service they provided. Think of them like high-end modern geisha without the traditional look. Their employed women provided companionship for events or business executives trying to look good and we’re trained well in hospitality, etiquette, and such to keep their dates happy. The women were highly compensated for what they did, so it was very lucrative for everyone. Sex was forbidden on the job and if a client ever tried to pressure an escort or roughed them up, they would be immediately barred from the service. However, if the infraction were bad enough, that’s when Erza would step in and handle things. The group was lucky this rarely took place because the male clientele they had wouldn’t want the shame of embarrassment either.

“Going great. We’re already getting booked up for the holidays and that still 4 months away. I guess they wanna make sure they can get certain girls before it’s too late.”

“Suckers.” Lucy snickered. “We’re using their own social norms against them, and they don’t even realize it.”

Between the three friends, they drank about half the bottle before slowing down. The conversation switched between work related topics, private lives, and back to Natsu until Lucy would switch the topic again. She knew of her buddy’s willful infatuation in her decades old battle with the man, but she just wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. Lucy still had a lot to process privately about the issues and though she loved Cana as a sister, Levy was the only one she’d really tell her deepest feelings to and now wasn’t the time to rehash anything. A few hours passed by when a knock at the door came. Another of their group was dropping by before heading out to work.

“Hey Juvia!” The three tipsy girls giggle at the same time.

“Wanna join us?” Cana questioned.

“Juvia would but she needs to check on Faerieland.”

“How is our soapland operation doing? Any problems I need to know about?” Lucy asked Juvia. The Faerieland bathhouse was the lowest level of their operations since flesh services were considered distasteful. But nevertheless, it was a highly profitable and legal one. What set them apart from all the others was the high-end quality of services offered to guests, providing both male and/or female “bathers” that clients could pay extra for to have a sexual experience. However, for that service, the client was required to be vetted by an inhouse doctor prior to a booking to make sure they were free of STD’s. Again, that was just one reason Faerieland was considered so high end and very exclusive. Some might have found it inconvenient, but most of the regulars appreciated the health factor. It’s what kept them coming back. All the employed bathers were screened regularly by an in-house doctor, and contrary to societal belief, were there by their own choice. So, the combination of anonymity, safety, and level of service kept the soapland business running with very little down times in between.

Juvia shook her head. “No problems, just busy due to the heat this time of year. Private bookings are scheduled out into next month.”

“That’s good to hear,” Levy smiled. “It’s nice that things have been running so smoothly.”

“Agreed,” Cana and Lucy chimed in.

“There is one thing Juvia should tell Lucy.” Her voice lowered, hesitant. “Mr. Natsu has an appointment booked for the end of the month. And he… just made it tonight.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and her voice dripped with irritation. “So, who’d he sign up to bang?”

“Nobody. Mr. Natsu only booked the deluxe bath and massage package. No sex.”

“Oh—” Lucy caught her surprise before she could show it, waving her hand nonchalantly as if she didn’t care. “W-well good for him. Not that I care if we’re making money of it.”

“Juvia is so relieved! She was worried you wouldn’t like him using our bath house.”

“It’s rare that he does,” Cana tapped her chin. “Hmmm, I wonder why he made the appointment tonight of all days…”

Levy slapped Cana on the arm, glaring at the woman to behave and Juvia just stood there wide-eyed and confused.

“What?!” Cana laughed. “I thought it was funny.”

“Ha-Ha,” Lucy mocked Cana. “What Natsu does is his own business and it’s not like he was trying to relieve himself tonight, the appointment is what, two and half weeks or so away? I’m not gonna lose sleep over it.”

“Okay… Juvia is confused but needs to go. Someone can fill Juvia in tomorrow.”

“Sorry, Juvia,” Levy apologized for the others. “I’ll fill you in later. But don’t worry! Everything is okay.”

“That’s good. Well then. Goodnight, everyone!” Juvia waved as she left the office.

“Goodnight!” The three waved.

“Cana,” Lucy reignited the debated now that Juvia was gone. “I don’t care if Natsu sleeps with other women, how can I when I have no problem sleeping with other men. We’re not a couple. But what does irritate me is that of all the bathhouses to choose, why mine??”

“It’s probably because of our services…” Levy threw in to diffuse the tension. “We do provide the best.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lucy sighed, “it just— it feels like he’s doing it on purpose.”

“You know I’m just teasing you, Lucy.” Cana retorted. “But I think you’re also reading too much into it. He’s a guy and history has shown a clueless one when it comes to women, so I doubt he’s masterminded going to the bathhouse as a way to irritate you.”

Lucy exhaled. “You guys are probably right. I guess I’m just still too wound up because of the party.”

“Maybe what you need to do is to unwind Lu,” Levy suggested.

Lucy sat back for a moment mulling over the idea. Yeah, maybe she should. It sure as hell wouldn’t hurt. Maybe let off some steam and stop thinking about Natsu, and a one-night fling could do just that. “You know what…” she turned to Cana with a new resolve. “What’s Loke’s number?”

Cana whipped out her phone. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

#nalu #nalu au #yakuza au #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu fan fic #nalu fanfiction #ch 4 #we'll take back heaven #petri808

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geekywritings · 3 years ago

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JUNGKOOK X READER PART 2 - Is this real life or am I in a drama?

Part 2 of my little Jungkook x Reader story. For all who need a recap of Part 1: You are a young vet, just trying to make your way home from work when suddenly Jungkook falls right into your car, taking refuge from a group of sasaengs. You give him a ride home and he exchanges contact details with you, promising to stay in touch.

The prompt for part 2 is: “It’s pouring rain, why are you here?”

For the next few days, all you could think about was that meeting. It still seemed so very surreal. And you didn’t even dare tell anyone about the incident, because who would really believe you? Even your best friends and work colleagues would just raise and eyebrow and shake their heads most likely. Such things simply didn’t happen to people. They were part of k-drama scripts or popular web toons and after a week, you did start to wonder if it had all been some kind of strange dream.

But exactly that evening, when you had just come out of the shower to enjoy a cup of tea and a new episode of your favourite show, your phone beeped with a new Kakao Talk message. You gave your phone a lazy glance and then almost dropped your mug when you saw it was from none other than Jungkook.

JK: “I’m sorry for the late reply, Miss Vet. Things got kinda hectic. But I have not forgotten my promise. I still owe you that thank you.”

You had to reread that message a few times and for a second you wondered if it was a scam perhaps, but who else would now about that event but him? For a second you wondered what to answer before typing:

Y/N: “No problem. You are an idol after all. And you did already thank me.”

It took only a few seconds until his answer popped up.

JK: “It still doesn’t feel like enough.”

Wow, did he know how cool that sounded?

Y/N: “You don’t have to worry. Really. I’m glad I could help.”

This time he took a bit longer to reply.

JK: “Do you like flowers?”

Y/N: “Yes of course. Who doesn’t?”

JK: “Which ones are your favourites?”

That one was harder to answer. You liked quite a few and just named them all, allowing him to make the final choice.

JK: “Great. Can I send them to your workplace? I don’t think florists deliver late in the evening.”

It was sweet that he was so dead set on sending you flowers as a proper thank you and while part of you was delighted, the other part wondered how to explain the bouquet to your colleagues at the vet office. Still, you typed in your adress and sent it out.

From then on you thought the conversation would end, but apparently Jungkook was in a talkative mood. He revealed that he had a free evening and was just relaxing on the couch with a good meal, before asking you what you were up to. You told him about the drama and he suggested watching at the same time, sharing comments through text.

You had never done anything like it before, least of all with a stranger, but Jungkook seemed so nice and it didn’t feel so intimidating to write with an idol over messages. And after the first few shared comments, you actually started to really enjoy it. You two ended up talking throughout the entire episode, which was almost an hour long and then even half an hour on top until Jungkook announced that he was heading to bed. Noticing the time, you realized it was time to hit the pillows yourself.

But as you laid there in your bed, you kept reading through the chat history, as if making sure it was still real. Especially that “Goog Night” with the cute little emoji brought a smile to your face, before you finally turned off the night light.

____

For the next two weeks, he kept writing texts every other day. Sometimes it was just a random “How are you?” or a comment to your recently posted Kakao Story that he didn’t dare post publicly. But sometimes he would ask if you were watching that drama again to share comments in real time. It had become kind of a ritual when the third week started and a day without his messages felt weird. You still couldn’t tell anyone about it, but your friends and colleagues did start noticing your smiles and your eager grabs for the phone. But whenever they teased, you just said it was some guy online. Their would never believe the truth and you didn’t want to put Jungkook in trouble either. You had seen how crazy his fans could be, so the last thing he needed was your chats to become the topic of online gossip. Besides, it was kind of exhilarating to have a secret like that. At this point, you had already totally forgotten about the flowers.

During the fourth week of knowing Jungkook, you were staying late at the clinic, taking your regular night shift to take care of your little patients. You had just made your rounds, giving all the animals their medicine and checking on their bandages, before sitting down in the reception area, in case of emergencies coming in. But it was a super quiet evening, so you took out your phone. Almost on cue, a message popped up: “Finished work?”

Y/N: “Nope, having a night shift today.”

JK: “Oh, sounds tough.”

Y/N: “Not really. It’s quiet tonight.”

Nothing came after that and you put the phone away again, turning your head to the entry, the glassdoor giving you a perfect view of the rain shower outside. It really was coming down hard today. Bored, you took another round visiting your furry patients, giving them an extra round of cuddles. Suddenly the sound of the door tore through the hallway and you were quick to place the cat with the broken paw down to go and check on the new arrival.

You were utterly stunned to see Jungkook standing in the half opened door, dripping wet and with a huge bouquet of your favourite flowers in hand.

“It’s pouring rain! Why are you here?!”, you exclaimed, approaching him with a shake of your head.

“Well, florists dont deliver at this hour.”, he said cheekily with a shrug. “So I came personally.”

He held out the dripping bouquet to you, which you took gratefully, enjoying the heavy fragrance of the flowers.

“You really shouldn’t have, but thank you. They are gorgeous.”, you said, sending him a smile, before inviting him to the staff room.

“Let me make you a tea and grab you a towel.”

“You got coffee instead?”, he asked, running a hand through his hair. It had changed color, you noticed, though you also instantly thought that you prefered it black.

A few minutes later you came back with a small towel and a steaming cup of coffee, taking a seat across from him at the small table. The entire room was tiny, but it was enough for the team.

“So this is where you work, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s a good place. It has nice people and I like how we truly take our time for each patient.”, you explained. You knew that not every clinic was like that, having done internships elsewhere during your studies.

“Aren’t you busy though?”, it was now your turn to ask him a question.

“I am most nights, but we do get our time off as well.”, Jungkook replied. “Our agency is a good place too.” You nodded, having read up a bit about Big Hit since your meeting with one of their idols. You also realized that you did know and enjoy quite a few of BTS’ songs, even though you had never been able to put a face to them. Now you enjoyed them even more.

“Do you want a tour?”, you asked, after a minute of silence fell between you, during which Jungkook tried to dry his hair. He agreed with a nod, before following you around. There wasn’t much to show, but he did spend some time in the patient rooms, giving the animals some pets and cuddles. He was good with them, you notcied and they seemed to like him in return.

“You have two cats at home, right?”, he asked, his hand still stroking a fat tabby, who was at the clinic because of stomach problems. The owner insisted something was wrong with him, even though you had determined that he just needed a change in food and a consistent diet.

“Yeah, Mr. Paws and Pogi.”, you replied. “I got them both from here, when the owners didn’t want them anymore.”

Jungkook’s eyes snapped to you, one of his eyebrows raised. “People do that?”

“Sometimes, unfortunately. Mr. Paws has a missing paw, ironically. We had to amputate it and the owner thought his cat would need special treatment because of it. And Pogi just needs regular medication and special food.” Small things really, but some owners just couldn’t handle it.

“I saw pictures of them and I never notcied the missing paw.”, Jungkook said.

“I don’t make a point of making it the focus on pictures.”

You ended the tour back in the staff room, where Jungkook took his coffee for a few sips, the drink instantly helping to warm him up.

“I have to miss our drama this friday.”, he suddenly announced. “So you have to give me detailed updates or at least a good summary.”

“You could just watch the rerun online.”, you suggested.

“It’s no fun alone. So unless you can wait a day for the new episode...”

“I make no promises, since the last episode ended on a cliffhanger.. but I’ll try to be patient.” He smiled at your humor, but you were serous. The show was more enjoyable with him.

“How did you get here?”, you eventually asked.

“I took a cab, but told them to let me out in front of a restaurant nearby. From there I walked.” In the pouring rain no less. Probably so the cab driver wouldn’t tell where he went. It was a clever ruse, but it was a shame that it was even necessary.

“Need a ride home?”, you asked. “I think I’m not a bad driver and I have some minor experience with idol passengers.”

His smile grew even wider at that. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“But I do stil have to work for an hour before I can take my break.”, you said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Just a break? What time do you go home?”

“This is just like a hospital with normal night shifts. Usually they are covered by our senior staff, but because some are on holiday, the task falls to me. So today, I’m staying till 7am. But I get the next day off.”, you explained. Those almost 24 hour shifts were draining, but rare, so you didn’t mind them at all.

“Oh, I think I will need loads of coffee to make it until 7am...”, he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I might as well keep you company. That will be the perfect way to show my gratitude.”

“You really don’t have you...”; you started.

“I have a free day tomorrow as well, so I don’t mind.”, he insisted casually. “Besides, we get a chance to talk about that drama in person. It’s easier than typing.”

You still didn’t get why he wanted to stay. Somehow you could not imagine that it was because he simply started to enjoy your company through your online talks.

For almost the whole night, you just talked and drank copious amounts of coffee. He followed you on your patrol rounds, helping you with minor tasks whenever he could. And although it was strange, it was the best night shift ever. Most of the time, it didn’t feel like you were hanging out with an idol, but just with a really nice guy. A really handsome one at that.

“This is nice.”, Jungkook said, voicing what you had been thinking. “But I do need another coffee.”

“You could also just take a nap.”, you offered. “I’ll wake you before it’s time to go.” It was already 4 am at this point.

He seemed to think about the offer. “Ok, but we will grab some breakfast together to make up for lost time.”

Did he really feel like he owed you all this time? You weren’t quite sure what to answer, so you just nodded and went to grab him a blanket. There was a small sofa in the staff room specifically for the nightshift or patients who could not see blood.

“Goodnight, Jungkook.”

“Goodnight, Y/N”

Hearing it live was so much better than reading his text you decided. And with a smile you made yourself another coffee to last the remaining hours.

#jeon jungkook #jungkook x reader #jungook x y/n #jeon jungkook x you #jeon jungkook x reader #bts army #bts fanficion #bts romance #jungkook

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ink-and-flame · 4 years ago

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Kinktober Day 10: Better than the Day Job

Kinktober Day 10 Prompts: Prostitution (actual) ~ Hairbrush spankings ~ Over the-knee spanking Fandom: Bright Tags: Exophilia, Prostitution, male escort, spankings, first time, bdsm, reader fic Pairing: Orc/Human, Nick/Reader

[Author’s note: Look. I don’t know why I am like this, I just am. I am why we can’t have nice things. It has been a while since I have done a reader fic, so please excuse any issues with tense.]

The world was a strange and scary place sometimes. You lived your life, kept your head down, worked to keep yourself afloat, took freelance jobs where you could just to make some extra cash, and tried to stay out of trouble. The neighborhood you were in wasn’t the best, but it also wasn’t the worst. It was, however, all that you could afford. The best you could do, an apartment above a shop. The noise wasn’t so bad late at night, the weekends were a bit stressful though as it was crowded and sometimes leaving your place made you nervous with all the people hanging around.

After time, you had begun to recognize the jerseys and the jackets. That specific color of orange, it was the local orc clan turned gang. You didn’t really know much about the Fogteeth, you knew enough to know to just leave them be. They really hadn’t been in your area when you moved in, now you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting one. Not that you would, you weren’t eager to get shot for throwing rocks, plus it was kind of rude.

You had never had any issues with orcs in the past, and gang or no gang, you weren’t about to start now. You figured if you left them alone, they would leave you alone, and so far that had worked out beautifully. They still made you nervous, but the reality was that almost any group or crowd kind of did.

It took time to get used to all the staring, hearing them speak their own language, knowing they were probably saying things about you as you walked by. Or maybe you were paranoid, maybe they were just talking about their days, or sharing recipes. Still, when they stared and then spoke to each other, it felt like it was about you and you just had to pretend not to notice.

Life was weird, but it wasn’t unpleasant. There were still some things missing from your life, and while you could ease some of the loneliness with online chat and meeting up with friends, they couldn’t really help you with all of it. You didn’t have a friend with benefits option to go to, and even if you did, what you were seeking was something you weren’t sure you wanted your friends to even know about.

Again, you blamed the internet. Reading erotic stories had always been a pleasant way for you to spend some alone time, but the further down that rabbit hole you fell, the more interested you became. The kink stories had slowly, over time, become your favorite and you had been fantasizing for months about strong hands holding you down. Of orders being given and rough sex. Spanking in particular had gotten you to squirming more often than not, even your dreams were filled with it. While you had no practical experience, your mind was happy to try and fill in the gaps, which was how you ended up where you were now.

There were some things in life you had never done before, lots of things actually, but the one thing you thought you would never actually do is hire an escort. Which really was just a fancy word for prostitute, but it still helped the idea go down a little better in your head. This was much easier than cruising down the street, and the website promised discreet sessions with trained professionals. You felt that going through a service was going to be safer than trying to pick up a stranger and hoping they weren’t a murderer in disguise.

Their website was nice, professional looking, and quite well organized. You could search by a variety of criteria based on what was most important to you. Skipping over gender and race, you looked for anything that would filter by kink. It took a bit to find what you were looking for, mostly because you were still learning the technology. Each profile had a picture, though because your internet was being a bit slow, not every picture was loading or loading fully. At the end of the day, looks didn’t matter, you wanted something specific and that was what was important.

Scrolling through the options you wavered back and forth between a nice female domme, and a male dom. Both had their advantages. A woman might be a bit more understanding of your first time, but that wasn’t guaranteed. In the end you went with male, because that's where your fantasies had gone. You wanted big strong hands manhandling you. Filtering on just the male profiles you had narrowed it down to two. After removing the sadists, as you just weren’t ready for that much pain. You were stuck between two that listed themselves as sensual dominants with the option for daddy dominant scenes.

All in all it was a little confusing, you had no idea what all the different types of dominants really meant, and at the end of the day, sensual sounded right to you. You didn’t want someone that was too much into pain, this was your first time after all. After flitting back and forth you flipped a coin, random was better than no choice at all and since neither picture would load you couldn’t use appearance as a tie breaker.

Jak Blackburn it was, which was a strange way to spell a name but it was probably supposed to be Jack and ended up being misspelled or was just an unusual spelling. It was likely that this wasn’t this guys actual name. Chances were he wanted some privacy. If you were an escort you certainly wouldn’t use your real name.

Now you just had to book the session and hope you didn’t chicken out and cancel it. Which you almost did the moment after you saw it processing which forced you to step away from your computer. It only took a couple of minutes to receive a notification on your phone confirming that your payment method was valid and offering a list of scheduling options. You were surprised to see a block of time available later this evening. Were you really ready so soon?

Surprisingly, you guessed you were since you clicked it and confirmed it. Your method of payment would not be charged until after the session. You would have to provide confirmation of services received, but they required a valid payment method on file in the event that someone might try to get out of paying. You weren’t too worried, though you hoped the charge showed up as something discreet on your bank statement. You really did not want to have to explain that if anyone should ever see it.

Feeling nervous you decided to clean up your place, in a mad panicked rush. Not that it was crazy messy, but it was a little cluttered and you were embarrassed by the thought of some stranger judging how you lived your life. After that you decided on a shower to freshen up, that would leave you only a few minutes to get dressed, but you weren’t worried about what to wear as you assumed you wouldn’t be wearing it long. Or that seemed like it would be the plan.

Settling on an oversized tshirt and some shorts you sat on your couch sipping a drink as you stared at your phone. Part of you hoped he cancelled, part of you were afraid he might. You were excited and nervous, so much so that when the doorbell rang you almost tossed your drink across the room. As it was you only spilled it a little bit. Setting down the glass you got up and went to the door opening it.

Of all the things you had been expecting, the tall orc in a suit was not it. There was something about him, something unusual but also familiar. It nagged at you, tugging at your mind, but you couldn’t quite place it. Realizing you were just staring you stepped aside and gestured him in. Your face was flush with embarrassment.

“You seem surprised?”

His voice was deep, quiet, gentle sounding. Closing the door you turned to him and nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I have been having issues with my internet and the pictures on the profiles weren’t loading for most of them.”

He looked surprised and his body language changed. “We can cancel at no charge. You should have informed them of the issue. I fully understand.”

He was so polite but you were a little confused. “I don’t need to cancel. I didn’t go into this with any kind of ideal in mind. Looks really aren’t what is important to me. Would you like to sit down so we can discuss?”

The orc nodded and sat on the chair near the couch. He set his bag on the floor and looked at you, his expression guarded, but gentle. He didn’t look angry, more confused than anything. You smiled awkwardly at him as you sat down and pulled your legs under you.

“So, um, this is something I have never done before. Uh, hiring an escort I mean. Well I haven’t really done any of it before and this seemed like the most logical course? I know that sounds weird but I felt that going through a website and trying to hire a professional was safer than trying to meet some rando off the internet from some dating app or chat room and hope he actually knew what he was doing, and wasn’t a murderer or something.”

“That makes sense. You chose a good site. Everyone on it has to go through a vetting process. If you are concerned I have some credentials here I can show you.”

Shaking your head you smiled. “The profiles were pretty thorough and linked to several pieces of documentation. I am certain that you can do what your profile says you can do, or I get my money back.”

Jak nodded and braced his forearms on his knees and leaned forward. “Since you didn’t know I was an orc, I know this isn’t that. So what am I here for? I don’t want to make any assumptions, but I brought enough of a variety of items with me that we should be ok, but I can also improvise.”

“Um, well, see.” Now you were feeling shy and nervous all over again. “I um. I want someone to spank me. I mean I want other things, but I feel like maybe I should start there before I get too crazy you know?” Well it was out. The cat was no longer laying comfortably in the bag.

Jak smiled, a soft smile. “I see, I can do that. Are you wanting any kind of sexual contact or just the spanking?”

“Oh.. uh.” Well that was not the question you thought you would struggle with. You looked him over and found that he was attractive to you. Not that you had ever really looked at an orc that way, but you hadn’t exactly not looked either. They tended to be tall, muscular, strong, those were ideal, but with Jak, it was simply his eyes. Despite the situation, his eyes held genuine kindness. Part of you wanted to know him, the real him, and not what you were paying for. “Do I have to decide right now?”

“It would help. There can be a sexual aspect to spanking and it would help me to know if you want any kind of sexual contact at all, or just the spanking with no other kind of touch.”

“OH. ok, I thought you meant like penetrative sex type sexual contact. Um. I don’t know? I honestly don’t even know if I will like being spanked.” You shrugged looking a little embarrassed.

Jak rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Ok, we will need to take this very slow and keep it simple. Instead of a safe word we will use color code. Red means full stop, the scene ends and does not continue. Yellow is pause, green is good to go after a pause. I will need to warm you up first. That means clothing stays on, and I will strike you gently through your clothes before we work up to clothes coming off.” The orc paused. “Would you be willing to tell me the rest of the fantasy, or what made you decide to finally try?”

“Oh, well I guess I just have been having these dreams for the last few months and they have been making me a little crazy. I don’t want to be in control. I want to be held down, to feel strong hands touching me. I want it rough and to feel maybe a little bit helpless.” Your face was bright red now and you were fidgeting a bit while not making eye contact. “I know, it is probably super cliche and silly, but that is what brought me to this decision.”

“I don’t think it is weird, and I am flattered that you chose me, even without seeing me. I hope that I can help you fulfill some of your fantasies and needs.” Jak leaned down and grabbed his bag. “Would you like to move this to the bedroom?”

Standing up you lead Jak to your bedroom and sat on the bed looking up at him. He really was quite tall and built. The suit somehow just made him look more imposing and while you still couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe you knew him, you also weren’t sure you cared. He didn’t seem to recognize you, or if he did he hid it well, so whatever this familiarity was, it wasn’t going to be an issue.

Sitting on the bed with you he reached out and grasped your hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. “Jak is the name I use for this, it isn’t my real name. Normally I don’t give my real name out, but you seem like a trustworthy person and I would actually like to hear you using my real name if you are comfortable with it.”

This was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Somehow you had made him feel comfortable with you and you were now curious what his name could be. Maybe that would give you the clue you needed to know who he was. “Of course, and I will keep it confidential, along with everything else we do tonight.”

“My name is Nick, and I appreciate the discretion.”

Nick, well that really didn’t narrow anything down. It didn’t really help at all, it only made that feeling that you should know stronger. Deciding to ignore it you squeezed his hand. “Well it is nice to meet you Nick, you can call me anything you want to.” You laughed and blushed covering your face with your free hand.

“Well then, I suppose I will just have to call you princess.” His voice was soothing as he pulled you closer up into his lap. His large hand rubbing your back in a soothing motion. “Would you like to lay across my lap for this sweetheart?”

You nodded swiftly, not trusting your voice and squeaked a bit when he easily flipped you onto your stomach and draped you across his legs. He hadn’t even strained himself, and you weren’t exactly a waif or light. Your thighs squeezed together at the thought of just how strong he really was.

When he said he would start slow, he clearly meant it. The strikes were slow and gentle at first. He seemed to know how to control his strength well enough that at first it barely felt like a tap. Soon enough you were feeling warm and squirming in his lap. So far it had been rather pleasant and your mind was running away with possible scenarios on how this night could go from here.

“I think we are ready to remove some clothing don’t you princess?”

“Yes sir?” Your voice was hesitant, you weren’t sure how to respond or if it was even right to call him sir. He did make an almost growling sound so you couldn’t gauge off that, but maybe it was a good sound.

You wiggled off his lap and stripped down to just your shirt and underwear. “Is this ok?”

“If that is where you are comfortable, then yes it is perfect.” Pulling you back across his lap Nick began again with gentle taps.

Now with only your underwear as a barrier you could feel those strikes a little more now. The pain wasn’t uncomfortable, it didn’t even really hurt. There was more of a warm feeling than a feeling of pain. When his tempo increased you felt the first sting of a real strike and it made you jump a bit. The sound you made surprised you, a moan was not what you expected, but that was what came out. You were beginning to come to terms with how much you actually liked this.

Nick continued to spank you, slowly, gently, increasing the speed and strength of the strikes as you wiggled and moaned on his lap. The more he hit you, the more you began to like it. The wetness between your thighs was noticeable now, at least you noticed it, and you were certain he did too, how could he not.

You weren’t the only one aroused. You could feel something hard pressing into you, and there was really only one thing that could be. If what you were feeling was any indication, Nick wasn’t small in that department and that just made you squeeze your legs tighter. This time when he spoke, his voice was more gruff, deeper, husky in a way.

“Are you ready to take off the rest sweetheart?”

Standing up on shaky legs you nodded as he braced you while you tried to remove your clothes. It took a few tries, but you were naked in front of him now. You wanted to be shy, but you were far too aroused to care, and he wasn’t being paid to find you attractive. That alone made things a little easier. Though you had almost forgotten you were paying for this.

“You are quite beautiful. I can tell you are aroused, so I will ask again. Would you like any form of sexual contact?”

Well he was certainly not beating around any bushes and you hesitated before nodding slowly. “Maybe go slow?”

Nick nodded and pulled you back down into his lap. His large rough hands caressed over your bare bottom and you felt a thrill go through you. Again he started with small strikes, but this time he started a little harder than before. It didn’t take you long to get worked up again as his strikes fell faster and harder. The sound of skin hitting skin rang through the bedroom and you felt yourself clenching and throbbing. A desperate noise in your throat somewhere between a moan and a whine.

“You are so beautiful like this, so very beautiful. Can you handle more? I have a paddle with me, or if you have a hair brush?” His voice had a deep growl to it when he spoke.

“Hairbrush.” You panted and made a tiny sound of distress when he lifted you with one arm and lowered you onto the bed.

He came back from your bathroom holding your brush. It had an oval shape and was made of wood. You had never looked at it that way before, as an item you could use in a sexual way. After this, you might need to buy a new brush because you weren’t going to be able to see it as anything but a paddle.

Nick lifted you back onto his lap, again using only one arm, and if you didn’t know better you would think he was trying to show off. Of course any thoughts in your head disappeared the moment the brush impacted your bottom. You cried out, loudly, as he began with slow deliberate strikes. He was more gentle than when he had been using his hand, and that was a blessing as this stung. It hurt a lot more, but it still felt good.

Your core clenched desperately around nothing as you moaned and begged, you didn’t even know what you were begging for, but you needed something. There was a moment when you felt nothing the brush no longer hitting you when you felt Nicks hand press against your back holding you harder to his lap. His other hand pushed your thighs apart and his thick fingers slid over your clit and folds. Your cries became more desperate as pleasure shot through you.

Whimpering and whining you continued to beg as you finally felt one of his fingers push into you, his thumb rubbing circles over your clit. It was embarrassing, or it would have been embarrassing if you had two brain cells to rub together, how quickly you came from just that stimulation alone.

Laying across his lap limp, panting, shaking slightly, Nick lifted you up and cradled you in his lap. You snuggled into him and now that the pleasure was fading could feel just how much your ass hurt.

“I have some lotion I can rub on you. Just lay here, I will get that and some water for you.”

Nick laid you gently onto the bed and moved out of the room into the kitchen to get some water from your fridge. He set it on the nightstand and dug through his bag producing the lotion. First he rubbed it on you, making sure it soaked into the skin before helping you sit up and holding the water while you took sips.

“What about you?” your voice came out in a croak.

His arousal had been, and still was obvious. How could he make you feel so good and not have the chance to feel good himself.

“You are sweet, but that isn’t what you are paying me for. This is about you, not me.”

“You are right Nick, I am paying, and I want you to feel good too. Show me how?”

There was something fragile in his eyes as his expression softened. You still couldn’t place who he was, but in that moment, who he was, was someone you wanted desperately to know better.

“Please?”

#exophilia #Orc x Human #orc boyfriend #bright fanfiction #Kinktober 2020 #bright 2017

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risingmoonyue · 4 years ago

Text

And A Child Shall Lead Them (Or Burn Them To The Ground)

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Rating: Gen

Characters: Sawada Tsunayoshi, Giotto/Vongola Primo

Summary:

Tsuna really, really high-key kinda hated his life. Because apparently, one is not safe from being badgered over being Vongola Decimo even 200 years in the past where no one knows him, Vongola isn’t even really the same thing, and Reborn isn’t there to cause chaos. Because of course.

Why is this Tsuna’s life?

---

In which Tsuna is sent to Primo's time, and they talk about his place in Vongola.

AO3

What led to Tsuna’s current situation was this:

Giannini had come into town again, and decided to “improve” Lambo’s bazooka again, despite being explicitly ordered several times never to do so.

So, in yet another fit, Lambo used his newly modified bazooka, which of course had, up to this moment, remained untested, meaning no one, not even Giannini, knew exactly what it would do.

Inevitably, in the resulting chaos (that was massively exacerbated by his sadist of a tutor), the bazooka hit Tsuna.

And, of course, instead of swapping with his ten years older self for five minutes, he was sent two hundred years in the past right in the middle of Primo and his guardian’s weekly meeting. For an unknown amount of time yet again, he realized as five minutes passed by and he didn’t go back yet.

Tsuna kinda high-key hated his life at that moment.

Well, good news was that Primo and his guardians took Vongola Decimo appearing in their life out of nowhere as gracefully as they could, and (mostly) accepted it in the end.

Bad news was that meant Tsuna was sent straight to the interrogation room where he was only let out after he was vetted by Giotto’s intuition seventeen times over the next three hours.

Regardless, they were getting along rather nicely now, and since they were on far better terms now than they were this morning, clearly that meant it was time for existential debates between ancestor and descendant while waiting for Talbot to come help figure out what was going on.

Tsuna really, really high-key kinda hated his life. Because apparently , one is not safe from being badgered over being Vongola Decimo even 200 years in the past where no one knows him, Vongola isn’t even really the same thing, and Reborn isn’t there to cause chaos. Because of course .

Why is this Tsuna’s life?

“Tell me," Giotto asked his descendant, "what are your feelings towards Vongola? Why are you denying the position so adamantly?"

Tsuna side-eyed Giotto solemnly for a moment, his eyes furrowed as he contemplated what to say to his ancestor. Softly puffing out a breath, he looked out towards the horizon, where the sun was setting in brilliant reds and oranges.

Softly, Tsuna spoke. "I... Was always a nobody. I wasn't good at anything, and no one expected anything out of me. If anything, they expected me to fail at life and probably die in a ditch somewhere, sad, alone, and a failure until the end. No one would help, and no one cared. After all, I'm just Dame-Tsuna." He smiled wryly, just for a fleeting moment before it disappeared under his frown.

Primo winced. "Tsuna—"

Tsuna bolstered on, unable, unwilling to stop now that he was finally saying his deepest, most honest thoughts.

"Then suddenly ," Tsuna chokes out, frustration clear in his voice, "I'm told that I have to lead a large, powerful organization that has done terrible, horrible things, strayed so far from your ideal that it was unrecognizable —not that I knew it at the time." Tsuna snorted. "My own Father , a high ranking member, never even bothered to tell me, or even make an effort to come home more often even to see Mama , let alone contact us , because he was so freaking busy with the Family he couldn't possibly come back. I thought he was dead for years."

Giotto winced. This was very clearly a sore spot, and had been repressed for ages. He supposed it was good for him to get it out? From how he was talking, this was the first time he had said any of this. But the things he was hearing... What happened to Vongola in the future, that they would commit supposedly horrendous acts and actively attempt to make a child their leader?

"...I'm sorry," Giotto murmured, downcast. "It must have been hard for you."

Tsuna wilted, his shoulders hunching up in guilt. "No," he sighed tiredly, "it's not your fault." Tsuna looked at Giotto, an apologetic and sympathetic gleam in his eye. "In the end, I got my friends, my family out of it, so clearly something good came of it." Tsuna's eyes hardened, a bright orange sheen gleaming over his eyes.

"But let me make one thing clear." Tsuna stood up straight, straighter than Giotto had ever seen him stand since he arrived in the past. His eyes narrowed as he turned to stare right at Giotto in the eyes. "There was a resolve I gave, to become worthy of the ring, so that it would accept me."

Giotto gazed wide eyed, mesmerized as he could practically see the flames of Hyper Dying Will mode on Tsuna's forehead, accentuating his eyes as the sunset cast him a bright orange glow from behind.

"If I am ever forced to inherit Vongola's mistakes... I will wipe it out myself ."

After that heavy declaration, Tsuna left.

Giotto stared frozen, stunned for a bit, before smiling softly and letting out a small chuckle as he stared at the last few dying moments of the sunset.

Despite his descendant declaring his intention to destroy everything he worked so hard to build... He strangely felt that everything would turn out alright in the end, with Tsuna.

Trusting in his intuition and his Dying Will, Giotto sat content, knowing that with Tsuna, everything would turn out just fine.

EXTRA:

Giotto: i need a successor who is strong, wise, will take care of vongola, and makes good decisions Tsuna, shaking like a rabbit: imma burn this place to the ground Giotto, immediately: i'll take him

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #fanfiction #khr fanfiction #sawada tsunayoshi #Giotto di Vongola #vongola primo #primo #khr tsuna #poor Tsuna #my writing #text post

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lunarr-rrose · 4 years ago

Video

What is the Deal with Paralegals?

https://u109893.h.reiblackbook.com/generic11/the-storage-stud/what-is-the-deal-with-paralegals/

Courtright Law specializes in real estate, litigation, estate planning, and various civil and criminal matters. We focus on serving and protecting all interests of our clients by practicing honesty, integrity, and trust in all matters. We cater to both, individuals and businesses alike. Whether it’s helping you with matters related to commercial or residential real estate, negotiating transactions, drafting contracts, or other matters, we always prioritize your best interests, while limiting your liabilities. Our dedicated team of lawyers will always help protect your assets and enforce your rights.

https://www.getcourtright.com/

Fernando O. Angelucci is Founder and President of Titan Wealth Group. He also leads the firm’s finance and acquisitions departments. Fernando Angelucci and Steven Wear founded Titan Wealth Group in 2015, and under his leadership, the firm’s revenue has grown over 100% year over year. Today,

Find out more at

https://www.thestoragestud.com

https://titanwealthgroup.com/

Listen to our Podcast:

https://thestoragestud.podbean.com/e/what-is-the-deal-with-paralegals/

With an engineering background, Fernando is able to approach real estate investing with a keen analytical mindset that allows Titan Wealth Group to identify opportunities and project accurate pictures of future performance.

Titan Wealth Group was founded in 2015 with the vision of gathering individual investors that have the means to invest but lack either the time to find high-yield investment opportunities or the access to these off-market deals. All too often, founders Fernando Angelucci & Steven Wear came across investors who had deployed their capital only to regret the lack of consistency or degree of returns their investments were producing. In response, Titan Wealth Group provides access to highly-vetted real estate secured investments and off-market acquisition opportunities primarily in the Greater Chicago MSA. Today, Titan Wealth Group not only assists individual investors but has grown to support the acquisition goals and capital deployment of investment groups, private equity firms, and real estate investment trusts (REITs).

As a facilitator of wealth growth, Titan Wealth Group believes that success is not limited to the sum of our efforts and is infinite with what can be accomplished through partnership.

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

Fernando Angelucci (00:01):

Hello, everyone! Welcome back. So on this episode of What's The Deal, The real estate podcast that gives answers, we'll be covering What's the Deal with Paralegals. It turns out they're not parachuting attorneys, as I thought when I first grew up, but instead crucial members of the legal field. Joining me today to coordinate the truth about paralegals is a good friend and colleague, Mary Gawlak. Hey Mary, how are you?

Mary Gawlak (00:30):

Hi, Fernando! How are you?

Fernando Angelucci (00:30):

I'm doing good. You feeling better?

Mary Gawlak (00:32):

Much better, much better. Thank you.

Fernando Angelucci (00:33):

Good.

Mary Gawlak (00:33):

Thank you.

Fernando Angelucci (00:34):

So, let's start off with just kind of telling the viewers who you are and what you do.

Mary Gawlak (00:40):

Well, I am, my name is Mary Gawlak. Like you said, I am a paralegal. I've worked for David Courtright, Courtright Law. I've been here for about almost two years, but I've been working in the field since 2002. I have an extensive background with real estate and mortgages. So that's why, I guess I landed my job here.

Fernando Angelucci (01:05):

So, give me a little bit about your history. How did you get into this field? Walk me through your past here.

Mary Gawlak (01:12):

I started out as a loan officer and that's how I got into real estate. I was a loan officer for a small brokerage from 2002 to 2004. Then I went from there to Washington Mutual Wells Fargo, and then I started getting a little bit more interested when I went to work for Mac Companies. I started getting into more of the legal aspect of the real estate transactions. And unfortunately, they went out of business. So, I went out on David's doorstep and he took me in and I'm glad he did. So

Fernando Angelucci (01:55):

Yeah, I love working with David , or I should say love working with you because I think it's more you and me working together than me and David. But, so

Mary Gawlak (02:03):

Thank you. I appreciate that. Even though you drive me crazy sometimes.

Fernando Angelucci (02:08):

I know, I'm so sorry.

Mary Gawlak (02:11):

I love you, Fernando. You know i did

Fernando Angelucci (02:15):

Hey, I got you that dartboard with a picture of me and Stevens, and now you can throw darts at us.

Fernando Angelucci (02:23):

Anytime you get mad at us. So, all right. So for the people that don't know, what is a paralegal? And how are they different from an attorney?

Mary Gawlak (02:32):

Well, of course we don't give any legal advice to anybody, but I basically do everything, coordinating, everything making sure we have all the necessary documents for closing. We start out by getting in a contract. I usually start out try to call our clients as soon as possible, introduce ourselves. Let them know that, you know, when it comes to inspection time or anything, if they want to ask for any repairs on the buy side to feel free to contact us David is very good about, you know, calling people back and going over punch lists or whatever repairs at the home inspectors want. So I kind of coordinate that, everything is timed. We have certain amount of time to, you know, get attorney mod letters out and inspection requests. So we have to monitor those time periods. I helped do that.

Mary Gawlak (03:30):

And David works with me on any attorney modification letters that we sent out to the contract or that we receive. He helps answer those. Going forward then I make sure we have survey's, title ordered. We do title examination, make sure the titles are clean for closing so that we don't have any last minute issues gathering information to clear title. Making sure we have, like I said, payoff information just anything else that we might need, as far as maybe some receipts, when there are repairs that need to be done for the sales side. Well, how to make sure that we send all the receipts and coordinate closing when it comes time. So I work with the lender as well. We tried to get all the information upfront so that we can give them their loan policy accurately and you know, and then just work towards closing whatever they need. I'm the go-to person. So everybody calls me for everything. So

Fernando Angelucci (04:43):

I know when I'm, so for us in our business, I know that the second, a contract is signed between me and a seller, me and a buyer, it immediately goes to you. Usually we'll put together an email with everything. I know, usually it's not enough though. Most of the times it's not enough. And then, I usually jump on the phone with you and say, Hey, Mary, here's what I got. Is there anything that I missed or here's some special things to consider on this deal? And then you're basically my go-to person from there until the closing. And then every once in a while, David will call me to say, Hey, closing's done. You got to check waiting for you or whatever it is.

Mary Gawlak (05:22):

Yeah. Those are the nice and easy ones.

Fernando Angelucci (05:27):

So it's been, I mean, as far as our business working with you has been absolutely amazing, you know, I'm not very good. I'm not very good with details and more of a high level person. And you kind of keep me on the straight and narrow. So that helps a lot. I really appreciate you for that. So, I know you covered like all the stuff that you do, but like let's say, what does it like a typical day in the life look like? Like what are you doing?

Mary Gawlak (05:56):

Right now?

Fernando Angelucci (05:57):

Today? Yeah. Other than jumping on a podcast with me.

Mary Gawlak (06:01):

My desk is a mess. I'm working on like five files at one time. Sometimes it gets a little tricky when we have a few closings on the same day, because there's figures that need to be sent over. And then we're going back and forth with what's this fee. Why is this fee here? Where are we charging this? Where are we not charging that? So that becomes a little tricky. I also have to send out and now, especially with the COVID, we have everything pre-signed by the seller. So I have to prepare all docs ahead of time, make sure they get it notarized. And we get originals back in time for closing. So there's just an extra step now that we have to worry about. But yes, the day in my life is working on five to 10 different files at the same time. So

Fernando Angelucci (06:53):

Doing everything from chasing sellers down to arguing with buyers,

Mary Gawlak (06:59):

It's hard to say because every deal is unique. Every deal that comes is different and there are different issues and different things that need to be done and addressed. So it's just kind of hard, but I'm just here and just do what I can while I'm here.

Fernando Angelucci (07:15):

Now I've dealt with some attorneys that just do everything themselves. They don't have any paralegals, you know, why should an attorney use paralegals or have paralegals in their office?

Mary Gawlak (07:26):

Well, because it just helps with emails and especially like when there are closings and life still goes on beside, you know, behind the scenes. So when they're busy at a closing, you know, there's other work that needs to get done, that isn't getting done. It's a lot of, you know, coordination and tracking and, you know, depending on how many files you have at one time, maybe they could do it themselves. But once you get into processing a lot of files, it could be a little tricky. So yeah, I'm his go-to person. He goes to the closing, I have everything ready for him while he's there dealing with that, I'm working on the next file or, you know, hearing the, you know, so yeah, it's a matter of just having a helping hand, which, you know, helps a lot. I'm sure David appreciates that. So,

Fernando Angelucci (08:22):

So we have, a lot of range of experience of people watching these podcasts, usually all the way from, you know, first investor I'm about to get ready to close on my first deal all the way up to, you know, I do 50, 75 deals a year, should a client or a new investor inquire about, you know, paralegals when choosing an attorney to work with, or is that, do you not ask about that? What's the kind of the,

Mary Gawlak (08:47):

Well, I mean, it really depends. I mean, for the most part it's really like, I would think like the attorney is one that would probably say, okay, I need a paralegal or I wouldn't. I think you get better service when there's a paralegal. Because again, he's running around at closings, I'm on the phone with clients and taking care of things that need to be taken care of. So, I mean, I guess four hands is better than two, so that's how I would look at it. And you know, like I said, he's busy a lot of times where he can't, you know, have, doesn't have the time to reach out to the client to ask them a question or can you confirm this or how do you want to respond where? That's what I do. I'm here to do that for him. So it, I think it's very beneficial to have if the attorney has a paralegal, but again, it's just, I guess it depends on the volume of files that they have at one time. But if it's a busy attorney, I would say yes, so paralegals is very beneficial and David will agree.

Fernando Angelucci (09:57):

Yeah, I know we have a couple of busy attorneys that actually watches as well. One reached out about two weeks ago. How would you advise an attorney that's ready to hire a paralegal? How do you advise them to choose the right paralegal? What are the things that they should be asking, looking for? Cause you've been fantastic. I love you to death, Mary, and if you were not in my life, I would pull all my hair up. So,

Mary Gawlak (10:20):

Thank you. I just think it's experience and you just have to have a passion for it too. You know, it's like I get sometimes a little worked up when something, you know, when I see somebody who's trying to get away with something. So I think it's also a passion that I have for the business, but mostly mainly experience because like I said, every situation is different and you come across some things that, you know, your past experience will help a lot. So

Fernando Angelucci (10:54):

One of the things that I've noticed about you that is fantastic is, how much attention to detail you have. Like you see everything and you go everything over everything with a fine-tooth comb, the contracts, the settlement statements.

Mary Gawlak (11:08):

Yeah, too much. That's a lot sometimes. Cause I,

Fernando Angelucci (11:12):

I mean, honestly, like I'm the exact opposite, right? Like I see the forest, not the trees and little things that are actually super important. They can derail a whole deal. Like I didn't even see it. I like glimpse right over it. And then you come back and you say, Hey Fernando, here's some things I noticed on a settlement statement. What are these charges? Where's this money going to, and I'm like, just close the deal. It's fine. It's like, we can't close the deal until I get this answers, Fernando. You know? So, I'd say if there's an attorney out there watching that is looking to hire paralegal with the attention to detail thing is huge. I think that is a,

Mary Gawlak (11:50):

You're right about that. Yes. Because I'm looking at a title right now that I see there's an old mortgage on there from 2001 that was never released. So if we wait, if I didn't catch it, we'd wait until the closing table and everybody would be looking around, okay, what is this, why is this, instead I caught it and I'm gonna clear it up before closing. So,

Fernando Angelucci (12:14):

Yeah. So, I know one of the things, one of the issues that I have, and I've been getting a lot better at this is being able to delegate tasks to people, to actually have them help me and not handcuff them and then second not micromanage them. So it's kind of rolls into my next question. What are some of the common mistakes that you have seen attorneys make when it comes to utilizing paralegals? Right.

Mary Gawlak (12:38):

I haven't really, I mean, I don't, I really don't know what other attorneys do behind the scenes. I do notice that sometimes the attorney gets a little, might get a little too involved in something and could potentially maybe even, you know kill the deal. So

Fernando Angelucci (13:00):

We've seen it on our deals, right? Some of the attorneys on the other side of the table, just getting too much into the nitty-gritty and not letting their staff work through it. And then, like you said, sometimes passions run a little high and everybody just says, you know what, hands in the air I'm done, walk away from the deal. And then all of a sudden this, the client is sitting there saying, you know, Hey, what happened? I thought we had somebody to buy our property. And all of a sudden, you know, I know we've killed a few deals in the past because we saw the attorney on the file and we say, you know what, we're not either they get a new attorney or we're not working with them. You know? So, it is super important. Now on the flip side, you know, what are some common mistakes that you've seen paralegals make when it comes to working with their attorneys or working with others?

Mary Gawlak (13:47):

Maybe the same thing, getting a little bit too involved, where they shouldn't. Instead of trying to maybe, you know, calm things down, maybe making things worse or, you know, not having the knowledge of how a transaction is supposed to be conducted and then raising suspicion because they don't know how to do it, or, you know, things like that. I've seen, you know, maybe that happen. Another thing is just not, no communication. That's a bad thing. And you know, also not keeping track of the timelines that you have. I mean, you could really mess up a project. I mean, you do have contingencies, you gotta be, you know, on top of those or ask for an extension, you know, so my, you know, if you don't stay on top of that, you can really hurt your clients because they might come back and say, well, you know, this is where I'm with the inspection. Oh, no, I didn't ask for an extension of the inspection period. It's too late. So that's very important. You have to be very, you know, on top, like I said, on top of the timelines and everything from the beginning of the contract to the end, it's just constant monitoring it. So

Fernando Angelucci (15:01):

I know the communication portion is huge. I remember a couple of files. I'm not going to name names here, but two years ago or so, where we had send out correspondence to the attorney on the other side of the table and it would take them two weeks to get back to us. And usually what I noticed is this is typical of those attorneys that are kind of semi-retired let's say, they're already, they don't have any staff. They don't have an office. They travel half of the time they're in Europe and the other, they don't have a paralegal, you know? So it takes a while for them to get back. And like you said, real estate is a very time-oriented transaction. Yeah. Very time sensitive. Absolutely. So that's huge. So for some of our newer investors that are watching, you know, what advice would you give to them when they're looking to close on a property for the first time? What are things that you expect to see from them? What should they be looking out for?

Mary Gawlak (15:57):

Well, again, it's, every situation is different, but communication is the main thing. I think they should be looking for somebody that if, they can call, they can email I'm available. I answer emails, you know, sometimes 10, 11 o'clock at night. So,

Fernando Angelucci (16:14):

Midnight. I've gotten, I'm getting texts, email from you at midnight.

Mary Gawlak (16:19):

Holidays, you name it.

Fernando Angelucci (16:19):

Right! Yeah, absolutely. No, I appreciate them.

Mary Gawlak (16:22):

I don't answer all emails, but if I see that it's something concerning somebody who's very concerned or it's very important, I will answer the emails. So I think that's very important. Just communication. I think that's the biggest thing is each be able to get your attorney or paralegal on the phone when you need to, you know, and without waiting for days for a return call or so,

Fernando Angelucci (16:49):

Well, maybe that kind of rolls into the next question, which is, you know, what advice would you give to somebody considering becoming a paralegal? So maybe being available, it'd be one of those things.

Mary Gawlak (16:59):

Yeah. Again, passion, passion, passion.

Fernando Angelucci (17:03):

Passion.

Mary Gawlak (17:03):

Cause if you don't like what you're doing, it could be very stressful, I guess.

Fernando Angelucci (17:11):

Yeah.

Mary Gawlak (17:11):

Is the word. So yeah, you gotta want to do it and you have to make yourself available. I think that's very important to us here at Courtright Laws, being able, I mean, David gives out a cell phone all the time too, and you know, just being available to the clients when they need you.

Fernando Angelucci (17:28):

And I think the flip side is important too, about, you know, how can a real estate investor do things to be a better partner to you and to the attorney, to the paralegals? You know, I know one of the things for me is, like you said, just over communicating everything, making sure every we're on the same page, but then also giving them enough information from the get go. I know that's something I had to learn with you, instead of trying to piecemealing emails back and forth. Now I have this whole email template says, here's the buyer. Here's the seller. Here's the real estate consultant, here are the brokers. Here's the lender. Here's all their contact information. Here are the important dates, attorney, attorney review inspection, contingency, close date. And I know, I'm sure, you're less likely to throw darts at my face on your dartboard when I do those types of emails. So it just,

Mary Gawlak (18:19):

It just saves a lot of back and forth and necessarily if you just, here's all the different, you know? Exactly. So,

Fernando Angelucci (18:27):

Yeah. And your time is super valuable. Like you said. I mean, at any given time you're working on five to 12 files at a given time. So having to constantly say,

Mary Gawlak (18:36):

That's per day. I actually have,

Fernando Angelucci (18:36):

I need this be,

Mary Gawlak (18:37):

Yeah. There's times when I have almost 30 files in the pipeline together. So, yeah

Fernando Angelucci (18:43):

Crazy. Yeah

Mary Gawlak (18:44):

I would say at a time, I'm usually working on that many at a time, but I do have, I mean, most times I do have 30 to 35 files in the pipeline at one time. So,

Fernando Angelucci (18:57):

How do you keep all that organized? That's my mind would go,

Mary Gawlak (19:00):

I have four kids. I learned how to,

Mary Gawlak (19:05):

Multitask. I'm a multi-tasker

Fernando Angelucci (19:08):

That's good. Well, so I really appreciate you coming on Mary, you know, I've said it multiple times, so I'm gonna say it again. I love you. You have made my life so much easier. Anything you want, you ask from me? I'll get it for you.

Mary Gawlak (19:20):

Thank you Fernando. You know what I like,

Fernando Angelucci (19:20):

Yeah I do. Before we conclude, How, how can people reach you? And is there anything that they should know before they try and contact you?

Mary Gawlak (19:34):

Well, it's very simple. If you have any questions at all, just give us a call. Our office number is 7089073080. My email address is [email protected]. So up on the screen, I see. Pretty good. So yeah. So if you have any questions at all, we're here everyday, night, at least till five. If you need to reach me after hours, please feel free to send me an email. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. That's all.

Fernando Angelucci (20:09):

And you usually do really quickly. So I appreciate that. Thank you very much for coming on Mary. You know, I got a couple more files. I'm sending you away this week, so be ready for them.

Mary Gawlak (20:19):

Cool, keep me busy.

Fernando Angelucci (20:19):

Yeah, I will.

Mary Gawlak (20:22):

I know I slacked for a whole week. I went away for a whole week on vacation,

Fernando Angelucci (20:28):

Yeah, I love how, when you say your on vacation, and yet I'm still getting emails coming in each week. At the next time you go on vacation, I'm taking your laptop and your cell phone. You're just going to have to go around with a rotary dial phone, to mute yourself on accident. There you go.

Mary Gawlak (20:42):

Okay. If I had a car.

Mary Gawlak (20:46):

Okay. Hey, I appreciate you, you take your time out of your busy day and I'll talk to you soon.

Mary Gawlak (20:50):

Okay. Thanks Fernando.

Fernando Angelucci (20:53):

Bye.

Mary Gawlak (20:53):

Bye bye.

Fernando Angelucci (20:55):

Well, everybody thanks for tuning in again to What's The deal, The real estate podcast that gives answers each week, we try to bring on a professional or an expert in the real estate field that someone from the outside of someone just getting started may not really understand what the role is or their importance appreciate you guys to tune in. If you have any questions or if you have any suggested topics or suggested guests, or maybe you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, go ahead and drop that in the comments below. Make sure to hit the subscribe button so that you get up to date notifications when we're going live in the future. And for this week, the post Thanksgiving edition, I hope you guys all have wonderful holidays leading into the Christmas and New Year's. Thank you very much. See you guys soon!

#real estate #real estate investing #the storage stud #storage stud #fernando angelucci #self storage #alternative funds #Mary Gawlak

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 5 years ago

Note

Hi! Can you do let's fall in love for the night by FINNEAS with calum? Specifically the lyric "you won't stay with me I know but you can have your way with me until you go" and can the reader be that one saying or feeling that lyric? Thanks and sorry to bother, love your work!

Thanks for your suggestion and much gratitude for you patience.

Please stay safe during these uncertain times. Drop a sweet message to your favorite blogger. Reblog your favorite fic. Recommend a fic to me if you want! We need to spread some joy.

If you feel so inclined, here’s my Ko-fi. But please know that I am making this content because I want to help you all through these times.

Enjoy my masterlist!

Feel free to send me a song + a boy or small blurb request.

_____________________________

Let’s Fall

Everyone told you not to fall for Calum. Everyone told you that he was sweet and he was thoughtful but that was something he extended to everyone. You had witnessed it with your own two eyes, helping someone get a box off the high shelf in the grocery store, stopping for the gaggle of kids crossing a good foot from the crosswalk. He bought lemonade for a kid’s stand at the end of the block once. The man oozed a softness that could melt anyone’s heart.

But he couldn’t melt his own. And not for a lack of trying. Not for a lack of wanting love. But situations just never worked out. It seemed like with touring and his own lack of communicating sometimes, things kind of fell apart.

it’s a dangerous game. To play with your own heart. But you are playing it, at bat with all bases loaded. Whenever Calum calls, even if it’s just to have someone else’s voice and life and even problem fill his own head instead of the bullshit he usually spiraled down, you pour your heart out. If Calum mentions doing even the most mundane things, grocery shopping, taking Duke to the vet, you ask to tag along.

Tonight’s no different of a game. Calum’s sick of the four walls of his house, so he asks if he can crash at yours. “My apartment is tiny and you have a whole ass house.”

“I just wanna hang out for a little while. Maybe take a stroll around your block.”

You want not to flutter and squeeze at the thought of watching the setting sun in front of you guys as you wander down the block, watching birds fly overhead. Praying to the heavens none of them take your hair as a place to shit. But still enjoying the cooling breeze and possibly stopping at the convenient store not too far out of the way to stock up on cheap fruity wine and all the snacks that are no good for either of you.

But you swallow down the dream. “I don’t want you have to jostle around bringing Duke along and everything. I can just come by your place.”

“Nah, it’s not that much of a hassle. Please? I’m so bored,” he whines. And you can almost imagine him reclining into his couch with Duke in his lap. His head resting into the cushions and he’s grinning just a little knowing that soon you are going to crack.

“Really, Calum. I can just come to you.”

“What part of me asking if I can come over to your place do you not understand?”

“Alright, smart ass,” you huff.

“I’ll be there in 25,” he returns.

The call ends and you’re left blinking at your phone, staring at your call list where you’re call with Calum now rests. “That wasn’t a yes,” you sigh but clean off your sofa, vacuum quickly and straighten out the kitchen table.

When Calum turns up at your place, with a backpack, Duke on his leash and a few extra bags hiked up onto his shoulder you know immediately that it’s not just a few hour thing. But you say nothing. You let him inside and turn your attention to Duke. “Your pops is a very stubborn man, you know?”

“Oh but you love me,” he hollers as he treks down the hallway to the bedroom.

You roll your eyes though your throat quivers. You had hoped it wasn’t obvious. You tried to tell yourself you weren’t falling. You were holding onto the edges of hope, hoping it wouldn’t push you over the edge. But it seemed it would. He returns, a baseball cap on his head.

“Let’s go for a walk, yeah?”

“Wine and snacks?”

“Of course.” You take Duke’s leash and your keys. The sun’s hasn’t quite started to set. The hint of spring and summer allowing you more light for longer. A few neighborhood kids are laughing into the skies, a group. And for a moment it reminds you of your younger years. When after school, you hung out in groups and even if you had no money or knew you had to be studying for a test, it was a lot more fun to linger outside and laugh over some video, or story that was being shared.

It reminds of when feelings and crushes were the biggest thing in the world and when Duke pauses to sniff out the base of a bush, you glance up to Calum. The cut of his jaw can’t be hidden by any hat, and you nearly gave. You nearly give in and stroke the scruff that’s not quite a beard.

Now love feels like a gamble. This person could break your heart. This person could crush you. And it won’t ever be permanent. You won’t be permanently hurt. But the time frame for healing doesn’t make anyone want to jump head first into heartache. The other side of that gamble is that they could be the perfect person, they could be the person to restore your heart.

But do you take that gamble with Calum?

And it’s not until after toting Duke around the convenient store and pointing out the bottle of wine you’re going to split and the snacks that will be shared begrudgingly and you’re laying on the floor in your living room with the TV playing whatever programming is set by the station that you’re giggling at the feeling of Duke’s snout sniffing at your face, that you think to yourself this is something you could get used too.

You haven’t had much of the wine and neither has Calum. A less than a third of it still rests inside the glass bottle and your glasses sit empty next to it on the coffee table. Your head is resting right next to Calum’s, but you’re feet point towards the fan and his feet are pointed down almost towards the hallway. You can feel the heat radiating off his cheeks, hearing the exhales.

“I want a garden.” The thought cross his lips so quietly that you don’t think you catch it. “Mum always wanted one and like, I don’t have a green thumb for shit, but I want her to smile when I hand her a bouquet of the flowers in my own garden.”

“Forget-me-nots are pretty,” you say, helping Duke up onto your stomach and he settles his head right under your sternum.

“I’ll plant you some. A whole corner.”

“That’s too much for me.”

He scoffs. “No, it’s not. You deserve more than a corner if I’m honest.”

While your fingers stop their work in Duke’s fur, you turn your head to look at him. He’s staring up at the ceiling. “That’s the wine talking,” you laugh. But when he turns to look at you, the tip of his nose almost brushing yours and you see the pulled down brow, you know it might be more serious than you estimated.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” The smell of the strawberry whine fills the space between the two of you.

“Why do you always reject me?”

“I’m not rejecting you, Calum.”

“You didn’t want me to come over.”

“I didn’t want you having to uproot everything especially with Duke. I was offering to come over to you,” you correct.

“You don’t want me to plant you flowers,” he continues on like you haven’t just spoken.

“I only said I didn’t need a whole corner in a garden.”

“I like you but you keep acting like you’re not good enough or something. Like you’re waiting for me to go find someone else.”

Your ears are not hearing this. You’re sure that you’re hallucinating. All you can do is blink, mouth slightly agape. Calum could never like you like that. You weren’t even supposed to be in this game at all. You were supposed to just be friends. “Are you going to like me in the morning? Are you going to like when there’s no wine in your system? Are you going to like me when you wake up to my morning breathe?”

“Yes.”

It’s such a simple answer. Three letters. One syllable. One fucking word but you’re not sure if you can fall. “You’ll leave before morning,” you start, turning and looking back up at your ceiling. And with a thick swallow, your throat starting to close up on you because you want to believe, you want to give into the words but you know it’s Calum. The man who’s sweet to everyone. You’re no one special.

“I won’t.” Calum reaches across, just to trace the side of your face.

You should be cursing yourself for turning into it, rooting into his palm. “Want to know the crazy thing?”

Calum pushes up. It’s with a small grunt and he spins on his bottom to face you, one leg tucked up the other resting extended behind your head. “I’m down for crazy.”

“You could have whatever you wanted. And I know if it were just for a night, that would be fine by me. Like literally whatever you wanted from me, I think I could give it up in a heartbeat. No questions asked. And it just hurts, it could only be for a night.”

Calum’s careful as he collects Duke and settles the old man onto his lap. HIs fingers wrap around your wrist and pull you up. Now you’re sitting cross legged in front of him and he’s staring at you. His big brown eyes look so earnest across your face. “I don’t want just a night with you.”

“Then what? What do you want?”

His smile is soft and his palms are warm against your cheeks. “All of it. All of you. For as long as you’ll have me. I wanna call you mine.”

Hope, you think, wasn’t pushing you to your demise. The first tear stings and then slips down your cheek. “Okay, like I know wine makes me emotional but I swear not this bad.”

He laughs, a soft exhalation. His palms press down a little and you know your cheeks give to the pressure. “Can I kiss you?”

“Hmm-mhm,” you hum unable to nod in his grasps. The first one is soft, barely a kiss and you’re still registering the way his lips fit against yours before he’s kissing you again. And then a third time.

-H

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avis-writeshq · 5 years ago

Text

Damian Wayne x Reader: If by Fate

Oh my god she’s writing

Requested: Nope

Pairing: Damian Wayne x Fem!Reader

Summary: Things happen for a reason. People do things for a reason. According to science, there was no such thing as ‘fate’ or ‘miracles’. Soulmates don’t exist either. But maybe, just maybe, things can happen for no reason. Maybe things can occur without a solid explanation. In other words, things can happen by fate. And if love and romance can bloom from nowhere, perhaps it really was by fate.

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, and trash writing

Other: Kinda soulmate AU? But not really? Damian and Reader are 17-18 (Bc driving and stuff…)

Word count: 6,714

Things you probably wanna know, for all you ‘x reader’ illiterates:

(Y/N): Your Name

(H/C): Hair Colour / Color

(E/C): Eye Colour / Color

(N/N): Nickname

***

You remember the day it all started. 3 years ago; the first time you had met Damian Thomas Wayne. It had been a stroke of luck, or rather, a blessing in disguise. It wasn’t the first time you had met someone on such strange accounts. If you hadn’t, you never would have met Sakura, your dearest friend. If you hadn’t met Damian Wayne, perhaps you wouldn’t be lying beside him, tucked into his side. Maybe you wouldn’t have met all your close and dear friends. If by fate this was meant to be, you were going to let it.

*** 3 Years Ago, Gotham City, Fall/Autumn ***

You let out a laugh as you weaved in and out of lampposts and people, Sakura on your heels. You heard her giggle from behind you, and you ducked from an old lady waving her umbrella around. Ignoring Sakura’s cry of slowing down, you ran faster to the grass areas where couples were enjoying the aesthetic of the red and orange leaves. You suddenly paused, Sakura almost hitting your back at your abrupt stop.

“Really, (N/N)?” She frowned, but you knew she was joking.

“Do you hear that?” Your words were quiet, contemplating your decisions.

The girl stopped for a moment, playing with a strand of her strawberry blonde hair. She was flawless like that. Tall, Sakura had brilliant blue eyes that could charm anyone she meets. She had a few guys at Gotham Academy staring after her, you were sure. “I don’t hear anything.”

“It’s a bird.” You were quiet again.

“All I can hear is a baby crying,” she drawled, a smirk playing at her lips. “Are you sure you don’t need your hearing checked?”

Ignoring her sarcastic reply, you took a few steady steps towards a bush, purple peonies growing from it. The cry of a bird became louder to your ears and you did your best to be as quiet as you possibly could. Well, you were sure you would have gone undetected if Sakura wasn’t being the whiny and complaining girl she was.

“(Y/N), there’s nothing here!” she whined, a pout on her face.

You twisted your head around to glare at her. “Shut up,” you hissed before turning your attention back to the bush. Lo and behold, there truly was a small bird in the bush. With black and grey wings with an orangey-red chest, you were pretty sure you knew what it was. The small bird let out another cry, and it was then you noticed the blotchy scratches on its wing.

“It’s so cute!” Sakura squealed, but you shot her an icy glare to silence her. “What kind of bird is it?” She whispered softly, being as quiet as she possibly could.

“Turdus migratorius, otherwise known as the American Robin,” you recited dutifully, a small smile on your face.

“You really know your birds, huh, (N/N)?” A smirk rose to her face.

“I did the robin for my 6th-grade science assignment, remember?” You rolled your eyes.

“And you got 110%! I can’t believe you got extra credit.” Her eyes lit up and she pulled you around by your shoulders. “What if this is a sign?”

“A sign?”

“You know, what if your soulmate, the man of your dreams, is Robin? You know… the vigilante who works with the Big Bat himself?” She grinned at you. “Isn’t he dreamy?”

“You’ve been reading too many fan-fictions,” you mutter, pulling away from her. “And think realistically Sakura! I’ve never met this guy before in my life, and I think that’s more of a blessing than a curse. Besides, who knows how he is under the mask?” You shook your head, attention turning back to the little bird. Taking off your cardigan, you scooped the little bird up, cradling it against your chest.

“Great. Now what, genius?”

“There’s a pet store a few blocks away,” you answered, your eyes still trained on the small bird. It didn’t struggle as much as you would have thought; instead, it let out a small chirp, opening and closing its eyes. You knew it was still alive from its breathing- but for how long was the question?

Racing to the pet store, you made your way to the counter.

“Excuse me, sir?” You offered a smile to the middle-aged man. “I found this injured bird a few minutes ago. Do you know any vets that can look after it?”

The man peered at you from behind his glasses. By now, Sakura was off looking at the little puppies being groomed. “Is it wild?”

“Yes, sir,” you nodded.

“It’s just a bird,” he drawled, and you glanced at his nametag. Mason.

“It may be just a bird, but it still deserves to live, Mr Mason,” you said coldly. “It was scratched and beaten with nobody and nothing to support it. I don’t know about you, sir, but if I was lying on the side of the road, I would want to be picked up and taken to the hospital.” You shot him a harsh glare, properly scaring him.

“Right, yes, well, I’ll see what I can do.”

“If I find out you have put him down,” you began slowly, watching the man cower in his seat, “you will be very sorry. You got that?”

The man nodded frantically, “y-yes ma’am.”

You stood up straight, a bright smile on your face. “Thank you very much. Let me know what the fees are and I’ll pay for the treatment.”

With that, you walked over to where Sakura was watching you, “wowie, (N/N)! Remind me to never get on your bad side!”

You shrugged, “he was being an ass, that’s all. I have consumer rights, ya know.”

“I don’t think that’s in the law…” she mumbled before looking up at you. “I have the tea!”

You raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I mean… guess who I saw in the pet store!” You blinked, opening your mouth to answer when she quickly cut you off. “Damian Wayne!”

“How is that ‘tea’?” you asked, referring to her elaborate word choice moments earlier.

“I know that’s not super important to you, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous! And he was looking right at you!” She let out a dreamy sigh. “You’re lucky, (Y/N). Damian Wayne and Robin… you can choose between them.”

You scrunched your nose in disgust. “Why would I have to choose? I’m not gonna have either of them. Besides, I was causing a scene before. And everyone in our school goes to the pet store. He might just be looking for a pet.” She didn’t seem to be listening as her mouth was wide open, pupils dilating. She let out a few unintelligible sounds before pointing behind you. “What are you-?”

You turned around, only to be met with fierce green eyes. “Oh, hi Damian! What brings you here?”

The said boy shrugged. “I was just looking around. I saw you at the counter just now. You rescued a bird?”

You nodded, “yeah, it was a robin. It is migrating season, after all. It must have hurt its wing while it was regaining some energy.”

Damian hummed. “You seemed to be having a hard time. Are you really going to pay for the bills?”

“I was just letting him know that he was a sorry excuse for a human being…” you mumbled, “I guess in the heat of the moment I told him I’d pay for the vet bills,” you let out a groan. “I don’t even have that kind of money! I truly am an idiot.”

The green-eyed boy just smirked. “Remember who you’re talking to? I’ll pay for the bills.”

Your eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t have to; the bird is my responsibility…”

He shrugged again. “I got it. But, do me a favour?”

With a frantic nod, you agreed.

“Please tell your friend to stop gaping at me in the halls.” With that, he turned tail and left.

You blinked, turning around before shooting you friend a glare. “You ‘gape at him in the halls’? Sakura…”

“Don’t mind about me, what was that?!” She took hold of your shoulders, shaking you. “Are you secretly dating Damian Wayne?!”

You scoffed, shrugging her hands off your shoulders. “You really don’t have a brain in there, do you?” You rolled your eyes, “he was just helping me out. Besides, he’s the son of the richest man in the world.”

“Then why did he talk to you?!”

You hummed, thinking to yourself. “I don’t know. I was his biology partner for a day and-” You paused when you saw Sakura looking at you with a smirk. “GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER, SAKURA!”

***

Damian took one last glance at you over his shoulder. You seemed to be telling Sakura off about something. With a small smile and heavy heart, he put his earphones into his ears before stuffing his hands into his pockets. Ah, the things he does for love. He never wanted to admit it, but you intrigued him. Sure, he was only in your science class and he was your partner for an hour, but you were different. At least, you were to him. You actually had the courage to speak your mind and show people who’s boss, and you did it all without violence. If it were him, he would have punched the store clerk’s face in a second.

Just as he turned the corner, he felt and arm over his shoulders. “Hey, Damian! It’s nice to see you again!”

Taking one of his earphones out of his ear, he turned to respond, but kept walking. “TT, Grayson. What are you doing here?”

“Ah, don’t be like that, Dami! I’m here for the Autumn Carnival like every year. Bludhaven holds one, too, but it’s nothing compared to Gotham’s. Maybe because Bruce is sponsoring it.” The man paused for a moment. “You are going, right? You didn’t go last year, and from what Bruce told me, you didn’t go 2 years ago, either.”

“Father needs to stop telling people about me,” Damian huffed, looking away. “And to answer your question, Grayson, no, I would not be attending the carnival.”

“Well, that’s too bad. It’s a good thing Bruce thought of something to get you to go.”

The Arabian boy eyes his older brother wearily. “And that is?”

“It’s either you go or you have to go to another one of Bruce’s balls. And…” Dick mimed a drum roll resulting in an eye roll from the younger boy. “I’ll tell him about (Y/N)…”

Damian choked, trying his best to ignore the heat that rose up the back of his neck. “TT, what on earth are you talking about, Grayson?”

“Oh, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. (Y/N) (L/N). You’ve been crushing on her for months now.”

“And how could you tell?” He challenged, “Do you have any evidence supporting your ridiculous claims?”

“Well… you were at the pet store just now, correct? From what I heard of the conversation, you’re paying her vet bills.” A smirk made its way on Dick’s face.

“You are not a clown, Grayson, you are entire circus.” With that, he put his earphone back in his ear, closing the conversation.

When Damian arrived at the manor, Dick bombarded him with questions again. “So… when are you going to ask her out?”

With an unamused eyebrow raise, Damian let out a huff. “Maybe you should annoy Drake. I heard he and Stephanie were going through some tough times.”

“That is a lie and you know it!” A voice called out from the top of the stairs. “And who is Damian asking out?”

With a pointed glare, the said boy took his leave, racing up the stairs and jumping over Tim’s sad attempt of trying to trip him. Muttering to himself, he slammed the door shut, flinching when his cat let out a yowl and jumped off his bed, scurrying away. Titus strolled up to his master, giving a pleading look. That meant either 2 things; he was either hungry or in need of pats. Damian guessed it was in need of pats.

“Stupid Grayson,” Damian muttered as he scratched Titus from behind the ears. “Always meddling in other people’s business…” the black dog nodded its head as if to agree with his master’s comment. The boy smirked. “Even you could see it, right, Titus?”

The canine let out a bark of agreement, lifting his head up for a moment. Damian smirked, patting Titus’s head fondly. “I suppose I should train now, shouldn’t I?” Another bark of agreement came from Titus. Rolling his eyes, the boy grabbed his suit before racing into the cave.

***

You let out a small yawn as you held your head on the palm of your hand, tapping your Maths textbook with the end of your pencil. It was late – too late, in your opinion, – and you were bored beyond your mind. You were doing some extra revision in your room while your parents went out for a ‘date night’. You were just about to call it a day when a shadow loomed over you.

“What…” you spun around, only to see a figurine on top of a building. “Wait until Sakura hears this.”

You rolled your eyes at the thought of your best friend fangirling about what you had just seen, when the figurine took out his grappling hook and left. You pushed your window open, shivering slightly when the cool night air hit your skin. The t-shirt and sweatpants weren’t doing any justice at the moment, and goosebumps prickled your skin. You leaned over slightly, your hair whipping around in the breeze. Hearing the flap of a cape, you looked up, only to be met with the white lenses of a domino mask.

Letting out a yelp, you jumped backwards, tripping over your own feet. You saw Robin cringe at your fall, and you shot him a glare to silence him from laughing at you. “Stalker much?” You muttered to yourself, knowing full-well that he could hear you.

“Who said I was stalking you?” Robin huffed, climbing into your room, much to your surprise.

“Why the hell are you in my room?!” You demanded, scowling at him as you pushed yourself up from the floor. “Did Sakura put you up to this?”

The masked vigilante feigned surprise. “Who is ‘Sakura’?”

You shrugged, “a friend of mine. What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be out wresting the hulk or something?”

“Trying to get rid of me so easily?”

“Considering the fact that you are inside my room without permission, yes, I do want to get rid of you.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

“Fine, then. Have a good evening, (Y/N).” With that, he jumped out the window and grappled away.

“Wait, how do you know my name?!” You yelled after him, only receiving a chuckle before silence. Yeah, Sakura was going to have a field day of fan-fiction when she hears this.

***

“ROBIN WAS IN YOUR ROOM?!” Sakura demanded, and you flinched at the cacophony she was creating.

“Shh, not so loud!” You slapped a hand over her mouth, faking a smile when one of the juniors looked at you weirdly. “And, yes, he was in my room. But it was only for a second and by mistake.”

“What do you mean, ‘by mistake’?! He climbed into your room.”

You shot her an icy glare. “I fell. He was just helping me up.” You slammed your locker door shut, clutching your science books in your arms. You spun on your heel, making your way to the Science Lab, Sakura chasing after you.

“No offence, (Y/N), but Robin has was better things to do other than help a girl up.”

“Chivalry isn’t completely dead,” you hissed. “And even though this school is the definition of haughty, that does not mean people can’t be nice. Besides, if people weren’t nice, there wouldn’t be any Robin or Bat-guy, would there?”

“You have a point,” Sakura nodded, “and it’s Batman.” She was quiet for a minute before her eyes lit up. “Are you going to the Autumn Carnival?”

You shrugged, “sure. I think my parents already bought me tickets, so we can go together. They can’t come though, another shitty business trip.”

“That’s 3 in the past month!”

“I know. Anyway, I better head go into class. You know how Mrs Medaleve gets when we aren’t in class when she is.” You huffed before giving her a look. “Don’t say a thing about what happened last night to anyone.”

“Alright, alright. Put in a good word to Jeremy for me!” She let out a sigh. “I caught him looking at me this morning. Do you think he likes me?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” you challenged, “Now go to your French class!”

“Bye!”

With a short wave, Sakura raced down the hall to her French class on the other side of the school. You rolled your eyes, a smile gracing your features. You turned around to enter the classroom when you felt a person run into your back. You let out a yelp, falling forwards, your books dropping to the ground. “Ouchie…”

“My apologies. Are you hurt?” A very familiar voice sounded from above you.

“Oh, Damian. It’s not your fault, don’t worry,” you smiled, getting to your knees to pick up your books. “I’m okay, though. Thanks.”

He nodded, picking up your biology textbooks and handing it to you. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You met Robin?”

You sighed, “of course Sakura would be loud enough to let the world know. Anyway, to answer your question, yeah, I kinda talked to him last night. It was an accident, so no biggie.” You offered a smile, placing your books down on your desk.

Damian was quiet as he placed his belongings on the desk beside you. He finally opened his mouth to comment. “That’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”

“Well, Sakura’s convinced that we’re soulmates and she’s gone off about way too many crazy things, so to tell the truth, that wasn’t the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.” You shrugged. “But it was kind of weird. Maybe he just got bored on patrol.”

“Maybe…”

In reality, Damian was bored last night. He didn’t mean to talk to you last night, though, that’s for sure. He just so happened to be in the area and you caught his eye. Well, to be fair, every single time you were within a 10 metre radius of him, you always caught his eye.

After the whole ordeal, Bruce had reprimanded him for leaving his perimeter, even though nothing really happened. For Gotham, it was a quiet night which was unknown to the established city.

Class ended on a boring note, and Mrs Medaleve had requested you to clean the classroom before leaving to lunch (it was really unfair to you because you always paid attention to her classes). Luckily for you, Damian stayed behind to keep you company and to help clean the mess your classmates made.

“Thanks for staying behind, Damian,” you said once the classroom was clean.

“Take it as an apology for running into you earlier today,” he told you as the two of you walked into the cafeteria. “If you could excuse me, I have soccer training to get to.”

“Oh, sure thing. I’ll see you later, okay?” You smiled before walking deeper into the cafeteria, searching for a free table.

“(Y/N) GUESS WHAT?!” A voice sounded behind you, and you jumped in the air.

“Sakura, can you not scare me like that?” You huffed, “what happened?”

“So, Jeremy waited for me for me to finish class just now and…” she mimed a drumroll, “he asked me out to the Autumn Carnival!”

A grin stretched across your face. “Sakura, that’s great news!” You paused. “But what about my extra ticket?”

Horror dropped on the girl’s face. “(Y/N), I forgot all about that! I’m so sorry! Maybe you can come hang out with me and Jeremy, and give the ticket to someone else…”

“And ruin your first date with the guy you’ve been crushing on since freshman year? Saki, I can’t do that to you. I’ll be fine, you can go with Jeremy. I’ll find someone else to go to the carnival with, okay?”

“Thanks, (Y/N), you’re the best!” She wrapped her arms around you, smiling. “Come on, let’s have lunch with him and his friends. Maybe we could go on a double date.”

You laughed but nodded. “We’ll see how today goes.”

***

You came back to your home to find your parents out of the country. They had left a note on the kitchen counter explaining about what you’ll be having for lunch and dinner on the days they will be gone, as well as all the emergency numbers you can use in case of, well, an emergency.

You threw yourself on your bed with a groan. You were way too tired to deal with all this stuff. You probably won’t be going to the Autumn Carnival, either. As much as you wanted to go and check out the festivities, you really didn’t want to go by yourself. You sighed. At least tomorrow was a weekend. Then you could wallow self-pity for as long as you would like.

Morning came far too quickly for your liking, and you decided to take a walk. Maybe that would help let off some steam. You quickly changed your clothes and stepped outside, taking a walk to the park a few blocks down. After an hour of steady-paced walking, you took a seat on one of the park benches.

“Oh, (Y/N)! It’s a surprise to see you here!” A masculine voice said from beside you. A man with black hair and crystal blue eyes was sitting to your left, a bright smile on his face. “Wonderful morning, wouldn’t you think?”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

He was just about to respond when a very angry person yelled out, “GRAYSON, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

‘Grayson’ let out a giggle and you saw Damian come into view, absolutely fuming. You frowned. “Damian?”

“Oh, (Y/N), I would like to apologise on behalf of my idiot brother.” He pulled his older brother up by his shirt, glaring daggers into his head.

“It’s alright,” you smiled. “I was getting lonely, anyway.”

“Where’s Sakura?”

“Hanging out with her boyfriend, probably,” you shrugged. “By the way, are you going to the Autumn Carnival?”

“Damian here is a party pooper,” Grayson piped up. “He hates carnivals.”

You deflated slightly. “Well, that’s too bad. I had an extra ticket if you wanted it.” You hummed, getting up from your seat. “I’ll see you guys around.” You waved goodbye and turned to leave when you heard someone call your name. “Damian?”

“I’ll pick you up at 10.” Was all he said, looking away from you. He tried his best to ignore the heat rising up on his cheeks.

“I’ll see you then!”

As soon as you left, Dick smirked at his youngest brother. “Ooh, la la, Damian has a date.” He grinned, nudging him on the arm. “Aw, look, he’s blushing!”

“Shut up, Grayson.”

“Don’t be like that, Dami! I’ll get you ready for your date with (Y/N), okay? Relax; just leave everything to big brother Dickie!”

Damian groaned. “My dream come true…”

***

The following Saturday, you were sitting on your couch. It was half-past 9, so you weren’t fussed about waiting. After all, it was you who was early and not him who was late. You decided to wear a pretty basic outfit that consisted of a grey coat that went mid-thigh, a Batman t-shirt, blue ripped jeans, black lace-up boots and a baby pink beanie. Because, well, why not? You were pretty calm while you were getting ready and had a decent breakfast. At Wayne Manor, on the other hand? Not so much.

“Damian, come on, I told you that you would look good in the blue!” Dick whined, shoving the shirt in his face.

“And I told you that I am perfectly happy looking the way I am,” Damian deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest.

The two men were going on about outfits since 6 in the morning while Jason did his best to not decapitate both of them for not giving him his beauty sleep. Damian grit his teeth in agitation as his older brother tried his best to ‘help’ him with his outfit. Not that the younger boy needed it. He got his impeccable sense of style from his father. I mean, who else would think of putting an extra Batarang in their suit? Only Batman himself.

“Grayson,” Damian began slowly, “I know what I’m doing. I’m not a child. And I think I look fine in what I’m wearing, for your information.”

In all honesty, Damian did look good in his outfit. It was a casual red and black plaid collared shirt with black jeans. His hair was gelled back in its usual style, and instead of his usual dress shoes, he went with a pair of casual converse.

“Dammit, Dick, just let him go to his stupid date already…” Jason groaned from the other side of the wall. “He probably looks like a piece of shit like always.”

“Shut up, Todd,” Damian growled. He plucked his leather jacket off the back of his chair and powerwalked to the kitchen. Down a flight of stairs, turn left… Grabbing a pop tart from the pantry he swiftly tore his car keys off their hook and basically leapt into his car. He had 20, maximum 22 minutes to get to your house. Then it’s rush, rush, rush to get to the carnival to avoid unneeded traffic.

Being careful not to go over the speed limit, Damian pulled up in front of your house, doing his best to calm his nerves. The game plan was simple; ring your doorbell, walk back to the car without tripping on his feet, open the car door for you and attempt small talk. Not that hard… right? After all, Dick, Tim and Jason do it all the time with their significant others…

With 30 seconds to spare, Damian rang your doorbell. The door opened almost instantly, leaving Damian with zero prep time. ‘Stick to the game plan, stick to the game plan…’

“Hi, Damian!” You chirped, a bright smile on your face.

‘Shit, she’s cute…’ “Good morning, (Y/N),” Damian nodded at you. ‘Dammit, Wayne, smile for goodness sake!’

“Good morning to you, too!” You followed Damian to his car (a very expensive looking car, mind you). Like a gentleman, the young Wayne opened up the passenger side door, allowing you to step inside. With the nerves almost getting to you, you did your best not to trip while sitting down (that’s possible, by the way). “Thanks, Dami.”

You bit your lip through most of the car ride, trying to calm yourself down. The awkward tension was in the air and you tried your best to wrack your brains for a conversation topic. Unfortunately for you, your brain decided to die last minute without letting you know.

From the driver’s seat, Damian cleared his throat. “Have you been to the Carnival before?”

“I went last year with Sakura while my parents were on another business trip.” You shrugged. “How about you? I’m guessing from what your brother said, you didn’t go last time?”

He nodded stiffly, his emerald green eyes still trained on the road. “I wasn’t one for loud places.”

“Well then, thank you for accompanying me today. It really means a lot to me.” You leaned back in the seat. “People are always really busy… Sakura has a boyfriend now and had to bail on me last second. Both my parents are on another business trip and I guess- sorry, I shouldn’t be rambling to you!” You flushed, looking away.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Is there a particular music genre you listen to?”

“It depends on how I’m feeling,” you admitted. “Sometimes I listen to classical. I usually listen to soft pop, if you get what I mean,” you shrugged. “I’ll listen to anything as long as it isn’t overly loud.”

Damian hummed in thought. “I think it’s one of those things you just get used to. My other brother, Jason, plays rock music on blast all day.”

“It must be fun having all those brothers,” you said, looking out the window.

“Sometimes,” Damian admitted. “They can be nice when they want to be.”

***

Apparently, now was not one of those times. The night before Damian left to pick you up, Tim, Jason, and Dick had devised a plan to see everything that was happening. Tim, being the technology geek he is, strategically placed a hidden camera inside of Damian’s car, making sure it was properly hidden. Dick and Jason would be at the carnival; Dick wearing a full-body bear costume while Jason dressed up as a clown. They were both entirely unrecognisable. Hopefully.

“You guys know the plan?” Tim asked through the microphone.

Jason and Dick nodded, “absolutely.”

The two men were situated in the middle of the carnival area, around a large fountain. They were getting their carts read that was filled with popcorn and ice-cream .

“Let’s hope Demon Brat is too busy talking to his girlfriend to notice us,” Jason muttered through his intercom, holding onto the multitude of balloons.

“I doubt it,” Dick said honestly, rolling his eyes from underneath the bear mask. “He’s too observant for his own good. Timmy, how’s it going in the car?”

“They are… making a poor excuse of small talk,” Tim admitted. He could practically hear his older brothers sweat-drop. “Gah, they’re so in love it hurts.”

“What, what are they saying?” The eldest brother asked excitedly.

“They’re talking about… ice-cream.”

“… ice-cream?” Jason repeated.

“Yep… they both like boysenberry, though!”

“This hurts more than the time Joker killed me.”

***

You and Damian arrived at the Carnival, 10 minutes earlier than their opening time. Thanks to Damian being Bruce’s son, the two of you were allowed an early-bird entry, meaning you could play a few games without having to wait in a queue. Unfortunately, some of the games weren’t read yet, so you had to settle with the generic ones like darts. There was one particular game that you wanted to beat…

“You are aware this is rigged, right?” Damian asked as you passed the man a 5 dollar note.

You shrugged, taking the bucket of rings. “It’s still fun! Frustrating, I suppose, but fun.” You did your best to aim before launching the red ring at the glass bottle. With a clink, it fell to the side. “Aw, man.”

Damian rolled his eyes, watching you miss time and time again. With only five more rings in the bucket, you needed to get at least four of them in to win the big prize; the big teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. You threw the ring at one of the glass bottles and… missed. Again. And you kept on missing until all the rings were gone.

You grunted in frustration. “Dammit.” You shrugged, turning around to smile at Damian. “Oh well, there’s always next time. Come on, let’s go to another stall!”

The green eyes boy paused. “Didn’t you want the bear?”

“You were right, this game is rigged.” Your shoulders slumped. “It would’ve been great to get the prize, but… I don’t think anyone wins it.”

That sounded like a challenge. “One bucket of rings, please,” Damian said finally, passing the man a 50 dollar note, “keep the change.”

You raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Damian narrowed his eyes in concentration, gripping the ring in his right hand. With a flick of the wrist, the ring was shot right at a bottle. With a clatter, it landed right around the neck of the bottle.

You grinned, “you’re good.”

“Thank you,” Damian said curtly. In the span of 10 seconds, he had achieved to get four more rings around four bottles. “I believe that is the big bear, sir.”

The man gaped at the young Wayne but said nothing. Taking the bear off its hook, he handed the bear to the young adult who smirked at you with triumph. You giggled but said nothing until Damian extended his arms to you, still holding onto the oversized bear.

“I believe this is for you.”

A small blush dusted your cheeks and you grinned. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Now,” he stood up straighter. “Is there anything else you would like to do?”

With a twinkle in your eye, you looked up at him. “Photobooth?”

His smirk turned into a mischievous grin. “Absolutely.”

***

“Mayday, mayday, they just entered the photo booth!” Dick exclaimed.

“Why is that so bad?” Jason asked, rolling his eyes.

“That, my dear brother, is where couples go to do the do!”

“That’s crazy,” Tim muttered, “They’re probably just taking a few pictures, what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal,” Dick began, “is the fact that they are in there making memories! And not the photo kind!”

Jason scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You are the biggest idiot I have ever met. Look, they’re coming out now, giggling over some stupid photo they took.”

The two met watched as you tucked the photo in your coat pocket before taking Damian’s arm and walking. Wait… the two of you were walking straight to where Dick and Jason were.

“Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no!” Jason panicked. “WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS STUPID PLAN?!”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Dick hissed, nudging his chest.

From the other side of the fountain, the two men heard you speak. “Hey, Dami, do you wanna get something to eat?”

“I believe there was a popcorn stand around here. At least, according to the brochure there is.”

“Oh, they’re on the other side! Come on, Damian! We could get ice-cream as well!”

The two of you walked around the fountain and looked the clown in the eye. Of course, neither of you knew that he was actually Jason Todd in disguise. You smiled cheerfully, “Hello! Can we get 2 medium-sized popcorns and 2 boysenberry ice-creams?”

The clown nodded and took what you requested, all the while Dick watching you carefully. “That’ll be 12 dollars.”

You fished into your purse to take out your card, but Damian beat you to it. “I’ll pay.”

You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have offered.” He said, taking back his card from the clown. He was quiet before eying the clown sceptically. “You sound familiar… have we met before?”

“What? No, no, no, I would have remembered if we had, ho, ho!” Jason chuckled nervously.

Dick kicked his shin, “you’re a clown, not Santa Claus.”

Damian blinked, before shrugging. “Come on, (Y/N), why don’t we eat at those benches?”

“Sure. Have a nice day!” You waved at the clown and the bear before following Damian.

As you walked beside him, you couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy. “Is it just me, or did it seem like they knew us?”

“You felt it too?” he smirked, lowering his voice. “They’re my brothers.”

Your eyes widened, “Seriously? I bet they were following us. Wait… aren’t most of your brothers adults?”

“Even though they don’t act like it, they are all adults,” he confirmed, “Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake.”

You nodded before smirking up at him. “Why don’t we play their game?”

He raised an eyebrow but seemed intrigued. “Go on…”

***

Jason and Dick let out the breaths that they were holding, watching you with their youngest brother. Jason huffed, grumbling as he bounced the balloons up and down in his hand. “Damn, I can’t believe Demon-brat found a girlfriend before me. Gah! Can’t we just go home, Dick?”

The older man scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I have it worse than you, remember? I’m burning in this suit. Get ready for deep-fried Dick.”

Jason grimaced, shuddering. “Never say that again.”

“Please don’t,” Tim said through the intercom. “They left the vicinity, correct?”

“I saw them heading into the haunted house,” Dick said thoughtfully. “Do you think he’s using the rollercoaster effect?”

“That only works if there are no feelings to begin with,” Jason grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, and neither of them are scared,” Tim said, indignation in his voice. “Seriously, they’re just making fun of the dumb costumes.”

Before Jason or Dick could respond, Tim let out a shriek. “HOLY GUACAMOLE, I THINK DEMON GOT HIS FIRST KISS!”

“WHAT?!”

***

“Did you think they bought it?” You whispered, pulling the huge teddy bear away from Damian’s face.

The Wayne boy blew some fluff from his face before nodding. “Good thing we’re in a dark room,” he murmured back. “Tim’s watching through the security cameras. I connected their intercoms to my phone. I know exactly what they’re saying.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise before a sly grin was plastered to your face. “Let’s hear it then.”

Walking out of the haunted house, Damian handed you an AirPod and you both listened to the 3 grown men. Before long, both of you burst into fits of laughter as you listened to the immature grown men talk about the most hilarious topics.

“They must really care about you,” you said, a gentle smile on your face. “Either that, or they’re really annoying.”

“It’s always the latter,” Damian rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. Leading you to a bench nearby, he quickly changed the topic. “How is the robin you rescued?”

You shrug slightly, “I’m checking tomorrow afternoon. They sent him to the local zoo for rehabilitation. Do you want to come?”

***

You met Damian at exactly 1 o’clock the following day. Right outside of the aviary in Gotham Zoo, it was a strangely warm day for an October afternoon, so you were shifting your weight from 1 foot to the other in anticipation. Of course, the aviary was going to be no better; a lot of the birds they were boarding were from tropical climates. According to the vet and the staff in the zoo, everything was fine and the robin you rescued will be free within a week or 2. Meanwhile, Damian agreed (much to your disdain) that he would pay for the boarding and the hospitalization of the little bird.

You thanked him graciously for the rest of the day, vowing that you would pay him back as soon as you could. It seemed as though you were annoying him as you saw his eyebrow twitch upon multiple occasions. In some ways, Damian found your apologies tiresome and unnecessary. His father was a billionaire; he could board a million of those birds if he wanted to. On the other hand, he found it sweet; you truly weren’t like the other girls he met. Unlike them, you had an appreciation for the money you earned and you didn’t find wasting money to be a small matter.

When you thanked 43rd time you thanked him (yes, he was counting), Damian snapped. “You can thank me by being my girlfriend.”

He didn’t think when he said those words. You didn’t think when you responded to his words. “Okay.”

***

Nevertheless, it was smooth sailing from there. Within a few weeks you found out he was Robin, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the irony from the whole ordeal. Thus, you explained to him exactly what Sakura was telling you a matter of months ago, and he couldn’t help but smile with you.

So here you were, lying beside the youngest Wayne, his arm wrapped loosely around your torso. Within moments his eyes blinked open, revealing his bright green eyes against his sun-kissed skin. You smile at him, to which he responded the gesture.

“What are you thinking about?”

His voice was rough from the drowsiness and you felt a heat rush up to your cheeks. “Us,” you said, snuggling closer to him, “I’m thinking about us.”

**End**

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marveloussupernerd · 4 years ago

Note

"I don't love you anymore." - any Mystic Messenger character you choose, and you can choose who says it?

Thank you for being the most patient person on the planet. You know how I am with angst (probably, it makes me v sad) so I wanted to break our hearts by delivering the one person who deserves this prompt least

Breakup - Yoosung Kim

Warnings: breakup (duh), angst

Summary: with everything going on in the world, you don’t have the time or mental capacity to have a boyfriend... you just have to break it to Yoosung

He was calling again. You had missed a call from him this morning and blown off his texts. You were so busy; it wasn’t anything personal towards him. You just really didn’t want to talk about the same mindless things when you had so much going on at the moment.

You picked up the call. “Yoosung, Hi.”

“Hi,” his voice wasn’t as cheery as it usually was. Probably because you had been ignoring him. You felt bad. “I wanted to check in and see how you were doing.”

You sighed. The answer was absolutely awful, but you didn’t want to say that. “I’ve been better,” you admitted sheepishly.

“Oh... I’m sorry. Uhm... it’s Sunday. Do you wanna hang out?” You expressed your stress to Yoosung and he tried to hold back a little; you now only hung out every Sunday and maybe got lunch once or twice throughout the week. You used to spend almost every day together. The pushing back helped but... you still felt overwhelmed. “If you’re busy that’s okay.” He tried to sound upbeat, but you could hear a hint of sadness in his voice. You hated that you were doing this to him.

“Yoosung...” you were a horrible person. “I think we need to sit down and talk.” The worst person ever. Absolutely awful.

“Oh,” he whispered, his voice cracking slightly. “We can do that. Today? Or another day?” Yoosung had never been through a breakup, but you were positive he knew what that phrase meant. The way he said ‘oh’ with so much pain...

“I think today. Wanna meet up at the park?” Breakups always should happen in public places. Your mom had taught you that. Now Yoosung wasn’t threatening in any sort of way, but still, that’s what you were told and you wanted to follow it.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you there.”

He was wearing his sky blue hoodie and jeans. It was a chilly day. He sat on your park bench, the one the two of you sat at every time you went. You knew he’d never be able to face this bench again after today.

He stood up to greet you. “Hi.” He had a comforting smile on his face as the two of you sat down. “Now I, uh... I’ve never been broken up with before,” he looked down at his hands, “so maybe go easy on me.”

“Oh Yoosung,” you uttered, a laugh coming out at the same time as some tears fell down your face. He was too good. “You know how they always say ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ but they never really mean it? I mean it. Everything going on has been so stressful and hard for me and honestly I just feel like a shitty partner.”

“You’re not!” He chimed in. “But I understand why you’re feeling that way.”

“Yoosung,” you placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at you. His eyes were watery. “You deserve someone who can do so much more than me. Someone who can hang out with you more than twice a week. Someone who will answer all your texts and calls. I’m not that person. Not right now.”

A heavy tear fell down his cheek. “I think it’d be good for you to take that extra time to focus on you.” He held your hand. “But... I love you so much. Even if that means you ignoring me, I can take it! You deserve to spend your time destressinhg and not worrying about me... but I can be better for you. I’ll text less, I’ll-“

“No, Yoosung. It’s not just my stress. It’s just...” you sighed heavily. This is the only way you could get it in his head. “I don’t think I love you anymore. Not in that sort of way anyways.”

His body let out a sob unintentionally. He flipped his hood up, embarrassed, trying to hide from anyone nearby who may have overheard. “I’m... sorry. I should have done more for you.”

“Yoosung, you were a great boyfriend. Just maybe not the perfect match for me. You are so sweet and thoughtful and I really hope you carry that with you, especially into your next relationship.”

“Can we still be friends? Like actually. They always say that then never stay in touch in the movies.” He sniffled.

You grabbed a tissue out of your pocket and handed it to him. “Of course we can. We’re both members of the RFA and will be working together still.”

He cried harder. “I’m sorry... that’s just gonna suck at first.”

You were both silent. It was gonna suck.

“What about Lisa?” He broke the silence. “She’s your cat too.”

Of course he’s worrying about the animal. He’s so sweet. “She’s always lived with you, Yoosung. She’ll be okay as long as she has you.”

“That’s not true,” he pouted. He was crying hard now, not minding who noticed. “I’m almost a vet, you know, so I can say this. They do know their owners and care about them.”

“It’s not like I was living there.”

“Well I did try to get you to...” it was supposed to be a joke coming out of his mouth, but it was just kind of sad. “Promise you’ll visit every once in a while? You can visit when I’m not home if you’re not comfortable with me. I just really want to make sure you don’t just disappear from her life without explanation.”

“Yoosung... you really are the sweetest boy. Of course I’m comfortable with you though.”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not. I’m a total mess right now. Look at me! I mentally prepared myself beforehand and this is still what I get.”

You didn’t know what to do. You pulled him into a hug. He settled there. “I’m sorry Yoosung.”

He pulled out of the embrace to look at you. “Please don’t be. You’re doing what’s best for you and I’m happy for you. I’d rather you break up with me then... be in a relationship with someone you don’t really love.” The last words were choked out. Why did you say you didn’t love him anymore?

“Yoosung I love you so much. My love has shifted from romantic to more platonic and friendly but... I love you so so much and I care about you.” You felt like the worst person on Earth for making this ray of pure sunshine cry like this.

“It’s okay. We’re gonna be okay.” You weren’t sure if Yoosung was comforting you or himself at this point.

“Oh! I have the key to your place still.” You felt around in your pocket. “And... I left it at home. I’m sorry. I’m no good at this.”

“That’s okay. You can keep it, use it to visit Lisa if you’re in the area.” He smiled gently. He wasn’t crying anymore.

“I’ll bring it the next time I stop by to see her. Deal?”

“Deal.”

You stood up from the bench, shaking out all the built-up tension. “Yoosung...”

He stood up and turned to face you. “Don’t apologize again. As long as you are working to be happy, I’m going to be so happy for you.”

“Someone’s gonna love you to the ends of the Earth an treat you right and I can’t wait to see it,” you reassured him.

He pulled you in for one last hug, a kiss on the head. “Take care of yourself, promise me? And if it gets too hard, call. I’m still here for you.”

“And I’m still here for you too Yoosung. I...” there was nothing more to say. “Goodbye I guess.”

His eyes were watery once more. “Goodbye...” he turned and started walking away, kicking at the gravel on the path.

#mystic messenger #mysme #Yoosung kim

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flowerfan2 · 4 years ago

Text

Group Texts Are Ridiculous (Or, Five-0 Starts a Group Text)

McDanno, T, A03, 6k so far

Summary: After Steve leaves Oahu to go find himself, Five-0 starts a group text to keep in touch while Steve’s away. Picks up after the end of Season 10.

Notes: This story is set in the present, following 10x22, but there’s no COVID in it... I wanted it to be fun. The story is complete and will be posted over the next few weeks. Many thanks as always to my awesome beta, @perryavenue.

Chapter 3

June 25, 2020

JR: What’s the name of Steve’s vet, the one he sort of dated?

QL: If you and Tani were considering a threesome you could have let me know.

TR: News to me. But I suppose we could talk…

JR: Shut up. Eddie’s hurt, do you know the vet’s name or not?

TR: Oh no, what happened?

JR: I’m not sure, we just got back from a run and he’s limping a little.

DW: Don’t go anywhere. Keep Eddie still, I’ll be there in ten.

JR: Shouldn’t I take him to the vet?

DW: Just called them. Stay right where you are.

JR: Danny, Eddie’s fine, I can just put him in the truck. He probably just stepped on something sharp.

QL: Is he bleeding? You should elevate his leg.

JR: No, he’s not bleeding, it’s not that serious.

TR: Can you tell which paw it is?

JR: Of course I can tell, it’s the foot he’s holding up when he tries to walk.

DW: Did you not understand the part about keeping him still? Walking is not keeping him still. Sit with him, don’t let him move.

JR: We’re sitting on the couch, don’t worry, Eddie is fine. He’s licking my face. Normal Eddie behavior. I think he actually forgot about his foot.

TR: Doesn’t hurt to be careful. Junes, where did you take Eddie anyway? Just the beach?

TR: Junes? You there?

JR: Sorry, had to let HPD in.

TR: Wait, why is HPD there?

JR: Apparently Danny sent them. With flashers and sirens.

TR: Of course, that makes sense.

JR: Um, no it doesn’t. Eddie is fine. And Five-0 isn’t supposed to use HPD for personal stuff.

TR: Yeah, we never do that.

SM: What the hell happened to my dog?

July 5, 2020

LG: I hate all of you, but especially Tani.

TR: It was just lemonade, Grover.

LG: No, it was iced tequila with one lemon slice floating on top.

TR: Party lemonade.

LG: It’s not very patriotic to get your elders drunk.

TR: No one said you had to drink it.

LG: Pretty sure you said anyone who doesn’t taste my lemonade has to go home.

TR: I had already had some lemonade when I said that. I can’t be held responsible for my actions. Face it, you’re a lightweight.

LG: Clearly not true.

TR: Then why did Renee make you leave early?

LG: We had another party to go to, as I told you last night. Where is everyone, anyway? I thought Junior and Quinn were on today.

TR: I’m sure they’ll turn up any minute.

LG: Junior is still asleep, isn’t he?

TR: The lump under the blankets just cursed at me when I thumped him, so no, not totally asleep.

LG: Tell him to get his ass in gear and get to work.

TR: He says his head is exploding and he wants to die.

LG: Requesting a sick day, then?

TR: I’ll come in instead.

LG: Seriously?

TR: It’ll be better than listening to Junior puke all morning.

LG: I didn’t need to know that. How come you’re all chipper?

TR: I drank a bunch of water before I went to bed. Like you’re supposed to.

LG: Hey, did Danny ever show up last night?

TR: Nope.

July 11, 2020

LG: I’m at the dock, which way should I go?

DW: Towards the boats. The big floating things.

JR: I can see you, keep going the way you’re facing, then head south when you get to the end of the

row.

LG: South? Sorry, forgot my compass.

DW: Just listen for the music.

TR: I can’t believe you know the words to Taylor Swift’s greatest hits. At least my music is relatively current.

DW: Grace was just the right age. It got stuck in my head.

JR: And now it’s stuck in ours.

TR has changed the name of the group text to Shake It Off Dance Party

QL: Be there soon. Just found Jerry wandering in the parking lot.

JG: I wasn’t wandering, I was organizing my gear.

TR: What kind of gear do you need for a boat ride?

LG: You do realize you are asking Jerry this.

JG: By the way, thanks for including me today. I’ve missed you guys.

DW: We miss you too. But if you could all hurry up, that would be great. I’d like to leave the dock sometime before it gets dark.

QL: Do you guys do a Five-0 summer outing every year?

TR: Nope, first time.

QL: Really?

TR: Yeah, generally we get enough excitement at work. And Danny has some issues with boats.

DW: I actually enjoy boats, when there isn’t any gunfire, or sharks, or poison. I only have issues with Steve and boats. Steve isn’t here, so we’ll be fine.

QL: So much to unpack there.

JR: Didn’t Steve set this up?

LG: He surely did. The boat belongs to a friend of his. I think he thought we all needed some cheering up.

TR: You mean he thought Danny needed cheering up.

DW: If Steve wanted to cheer me up he wouldn’t have sent me on a boat trip with all of you.

LG: Ouch.

JG: We may have a slight delay.

TR: What did you do?

JG: I didn’t do anything. But Quinn was texting and walking at the same time and tripped.

DW: Is she ok?

JG: She didn’t fall in the water. But her phone did, and she’s kind of pissed.

LG: Well we’ve got beer, that might help.

JG: Now’s she in the water. She’s trying to find the phone.

JG: Quinn can hold her breath for a really long time. Kind of impressive.

LG: For pete’s sake, what’s the point? She’s never going to find it, and it’ll be ruined anyway.

JG: I said the same thing, but she didn’t listen. Now she’s going to talk to the harbormaster.

TR: To report a dropped phone?

JG: I don’t know, she just told me to wait while she went to talk to the harbormaster.

TR: It’s not like we need our phones for fishing. We probably don’t get service out there anyway.

DW: Hardly matters. At this rate we’re never leaving the dock.

July 17, 2020

SM: Send help to this address ASAP. My phone’s dying.

DW: WTF Steve?

SM: Tow truck kind of help. Flat tire.

DW: It’s four in the morning here.

SM: Oh, sorry. Got up early. Not that early.

DW: Way to give me a heart attack.

SM: Sorry, didn’t mean to. You okay?

DW: Course I’m okay. I’m in bed, asleep. Or at least I was asleep. Now Eddie’s awake too and thinks it’s time to get up and go for a walk.

SM: Wish I was there.

DW: What?

SM: In bed, I mean. Instead of stuck on the side of the road.

DW: Where are you, anyway? You haven’t mentioned lately.

SM: Near Yellowstone. Been camping. Did some hiking into the backcountry.

DW: Sounds suitably outdoorsy.

SM: Yeah.

DW: Your phone doesn’t seem all that dead. You could have called AAA yourself.

SM: I wasn’t sure how long it would hold out.

DW: It’s okay. I miss you too.

July 18, 2020

JR: So we’re all ignoring that conversation, right?

TR: Yes, because we work for them, and we have better things to do today.

TR has changed the name of the group text to Luau Luau Luau

JR: Good to know you’re excited.

TR: Just cross your fingers there aren’t any murders in the next six hours. I want to be there when the pig comes out of the pit.

SM: You guys are doing a real luau?

TR: Yup. Kamekona dug the imu. Or had someone else dig it, probably. But that sucker’s been cooking for hours already.

JR: Hey Commander, how’s it going?

SM: It’s good, Junior. Thanks. How’d you get Kame to cook you a pig?

TR: It’s to thank Danny for helping him with some kind of permitting problem for his new place in Kapolei. Kame found out Danny had never done the whole pig in the ground thing, so he decided to show him how it’s done.

SM: You’re telling me Danny got up at dawn to put the pig in the imu?

TR: I can’t swear to it, I wasn’t there. But that was the plan.

LG: I was there. And no, Kame didn’t do any actual digging, he got Nahele and his friends to do it. We did have to carry some rocks.

TR: What do you think, Lou? Pretty cool, right?

LG: I am in favor of anything that combines fire and meat, you know that about me.

SM: Danny must not have gotten any sleep at all.

DW: That’s why they invented coffee.

SM: How much did Kame charge you for it?

DW: Nahele brought us all coffee from Island Vintage.

SM: What, did he come into some money?

DW: I paid him back, you dunce.

SM: I can’t believe you guys are putting together your own luau.

DW: Makes you miss home, doesn’t it?

SM: Sure does. Danny, you’ve really never been to a luau?

DW: Not really. Seemed kind of touristy.

TR: That’s why you have to do it yourself. I made chicken long rice last night, and Junior’s bringing the lomi lomi salmon.

JR: I wanted squid but Tani likes salmon better.

SM: Good luck getting Danny to eat squid unless they’re deep fried.

DW: I’ll have you know I haven’t had a fried fish in ages. I’ve been grilling mahi almost every weekend.

SM: You have? That’s awesome.

JR: He does a good job with it, too. It’s never dry.

DW: Thanks, Junior.

SM: Clearly my healthy eating has finally made an impression on you, Danny. I’m so proud.

JR: I think it was his doctor that forced him into it, but whatever.

SM: What do you mean? What’s wrong?

DW: Nothing’s wrong.

SM: High cholesterol?

DW: Shut up, I can eat whatever I want. I’m just choosing to be more aware of what goes in my mouth, that’s all.

LG: Right, that’s why you banned malasadas from the office.

TR: Maybe he’s just trying to maintain his girlish figure.

JR: Are you really trying to lose weight, Danny? Because you’re as thin as I’ve ever seen you.

LG: I’m not sure they sell those slacks in extra-slim, you better be careful.

DW: Can we please stop talking about me?

SM: Seriously, is everything all right, Danny?

DW: You guys are ridiculous. See you later at the beach. You can ogle me there as I stuff my mouth with kalua pork.

July 21, 2020

JR: Tani, you up?

TR: You know you can just come home and get into bed with me, you don’t need to say dumb stuff like that.

JR: Honestly I just wanted to know if you were awake. It’s one o’clock in the morning.

TR: LOL sorry. Yeah, Quinn just left and I’m trying to clean up. We tried to make fancy margaritas and it looks like Whole Foods’ fruit section exploded in my kitchen.

JR: What’s a fancy margarita?

TR: You know, you add in something that tastes good and something that tastes bad.

JR: That can’t really be the recipe.

TR: It seemed like it. Grapefruit and rosemary – who wants rosemary in their margarita?

JR: Ok true.

TR: Strawberry and jalapeno was pretty good though. But we put too many jalapenos in.

JR: Sounds dangerous. How many have you had?

TR: A good amount. When are you coming home?

JR: Don’t know. Adam and I are still parked down the road from the restaurant where the victim died yesterday. Danny thinks whoever was responsible, the assistant chef probably, will break in tonight.

TR: Sounds fun.

JR: I’m bored out of my mind. Ran out of things to talk about with Adam about two hours ago.

TR: Let’s play fuck, marry, kill.

JR: Okay. But let’s text just us, okay?

TR: Smart. Okay, you go first. Celebrities, fuck, marry or kill.

JR: Any celebrities? That’s kind of broad.

TR: Ok, celebrities named Chris.

JR: You’re really making me go first.

TR: You’re the one who said you were bored. I could just throw all this crap into the sink and go to bed. But I’ll go first if you want.

JR: Okay.

TR: And obviously no getting mad, right?

JR: Obviously.

TR: Fuck Chris Hemsworth, marry Chris Evans, kill Chris Pratt.

JR: That was fast.

TR: I may have thought about it before. Now you go.

JR: Fuck Christina Aguilera, marry Chris Evans, kill Chris Noth.

TR: Very enlightened.

JR: Everyone wants to marry Chris Evans.

TR: Agreed. Okay, next. Marvel characters.

JR: That’s kind of an overlap, isn’t it?

TR: Only with a few of them. We’ll say no repeats. You go first this time.

JR: Fuck Wonder Woman, marry Black Widow, kill Loki.

TR: Sure you didn’t reverse Wonder Woman and Black Widow?

JR: Nah. If I’m going to spend my life with somebody I want her to have some depth, you know?

TR: I’ll revisit that when I’m less drunk. Okay, fuck T’Challa, marry Tony Stark, kill Fury.

JR: Fury? He’s a good guy.

TR: I didn’t like the way he faked his death.

JR: You confuse me sometimes.

TR: I think that’s okay. Any sign of the assistant chef?

JR: No. And Adam seems entranced by some game on his phone.

TR: Animal crossing?

JR: I think it’s some kind of card game app. Jerry mentioned it.

TR: Why play cards on an app instead of in person?

JR: Maybe because you’re stuck at work at one in the morning.

TR: Fair.

JR: Okay, let’s do another round.

TR: Fine. Five-0. Present or former members.

JR: No way.

��TR: Come on, you must have thought about it.

JR: No getting mad?

TR: Obviously. And we can’t say each other.

JR: Obviously.

JR: You go first.

TR: Fuck Steve, marry Danny, kill Catherine.

JR: Again, you do this really fast.

TR: These answers aren’t hard.

JR: Didn’t know you hated Catherine so much.

TR: She screwed over my imaginary fuck buddy and my imaginary husband, so, yeah.

JR: I feel like you know more about this situation than I do.

TR: As with all things. Come on, your turn.

JR: This is hard. And very unprofessional.

TR: You cannot leave me hanging.

JR: Fuck Quinn, marry Steve, kill Adam.

TR: He’s that boring?

JR: He’s that boring.

TR: You know Danny thinks I’m just like Steve. In the good ways.

JR: I’m aware.

TR: You only said Quinn because you couldn’t think of any other women on Five-0, didn’t you?

JR: Ok fine.

TR: Be honest, who would you pick? Really?

JR: There’s no way you’re getting me to put that in a text.

TR: It’s just us, come on.

LG: No it’s not.

TR: Oh shit.

July 22, 2020

DW: Ok, regarding last night’s text message fiasco, I’m incredibly disappointed and have no choice but to run this by HR.

TR: Wait, we have HR?

DW: No, actually. But I talked about it with Steve and we laughed our asses off. Try to rein in the sex talk just a bit, okay? And maybe don’t mention actually killing people in our group text.

JR: Sorry, sir.

TR: Sorry, boss.

DW: And Junior’s right. Everyone wants to marry Chris Evans.

#H50 #McDanno #McDanno fic #Hawaii Five-O #H50 fic #Danny Williams #Steve McGarrett

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loveafterthefact · 4 years ago

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Love After the Fact Chapter 53: Reminder: This is NOT a Vacation

Lance meets a particular primate, which is good. He's got more than one job right now, which is bad.

First Previous Next

Walking through the city is mostly Lance watching his spouse smile and stop to play with windchimes and catch flying lizards. He doesn’t mind. It gives him a chance to avoid the unfriendly gazes of the locals.

Some are hateful. Lance assumes that these are the soldiers, the ones who fought in the war. The rest are suspicious, fearful. They hurry their kits inside, peer out at him from from behind curtains and cloth doors. A few come back out with weapons.

The reaction seems to worsen once they actually set eyes on Keith, still dressed in Altean clothes, very clearly not an adult. Lance wishes Adam were with them as an extra set of eyes, but ordered his friend to go speak to Shiro about the current political climate on Daibazaal.

“He smells different right now,” Krolia whispers in Lance's ear. “He smells like he’s in the midst of a growth spurt.”

“Can they tell I haven’t slept with him?” he murmurs back.

“Yes. It was a great risk you took, bringing him out into the open like this. Why?”

“I won’t let my parents nor your emperor go unchecked by the people. Plus, a small mercy can go a long way toward earning respect. It seems it did for you, at any rate.”

“That is not a small mercy, Prince Lancel. A Galra is tied to their mate forever. They never take another. As such, the taking of a mate is something inherently precious. To force yourself upon another is punishable by death.”

“Then I suppose it is very fortunate that I made the choice that I did... I gave my father my word. I only have a phoeb.”

“What will he do if you betray him?” Krolia’s eyes follow her son as he stops to grab some food, a loaf of bread with the inside cut out and filled with stew, the leftover bread on the side. The kit chats with the people around the pot, smiling all the while. It’s so different from how he is on Altea.

“I’m not sure. Probably not anything. These days, I am more beloved by the people, but… They fear him. Alfor has a legacy soaked in blood, blood that I inherited. Still, I don’t wish to pass that legacy on to our children. As it is, I hate that I have passed it on to Keith.”

The youth in question returns, sidling up to Lance almost shyly, slipping his hand slowly into Lance’s larger one like he doesn’t want anyone to see. Lance, for his part, beams with delight, a light blush beneath his scales as he presses a sweet kiss to Keith’s cheek.

Krolia only follows in silence, eyes lingering on how every time they stop, Keith’s tail twists around his ankle, how he follows Lance with one ear the entire walk. Lance appears to have gotten used to these things. Krolia’s unsure that she ever will.

Keith’s den, which he shared with his mother before her appointment at the compound, is about a third of the way down the mountain, looming over much of the city below. It’s simple, cut from the same red stone as everything else, one large dome as a living space, a few more attached. The ceiling is only just high enough to accommodate a taller Galra, low enough that it won’t get too warm inside during sunny afternoons.

Lance is fascinated by how Galra use their electricity and resources. And how they don’t. Most electronic technology appears to be centered in public areas for anyone to use, and the compound, for use by the Blade of Marmora and other vetted members. Meanwhile, everyday life consists mainly of manual labor and visiting with neighbors. It’s a semi-agrarian community, and seemingly more by choice than by necessity.

He wonders about the glares that have followed him all the way there, whether those are by choice or by necessity.

He follows Keith into the den, pushing aside a purple cloth hung in the entryway. A creature shrieks from a branch wedged into the dome above. Lance takes a tick to wonder how many times Shiro’s walked into it.

“BleepBloop!” Keith holds his arms out, letting the primate leap into them. BleepBloop chitters, fingers and toes struggling to find a good purchase of his clothes, but Keith just smiles, embracing his childhood friend, supporting his little body.

The bottle-green primate snuggles against his chest, having missed Keith as much as Keith missed him. The kit gently strokes his old friend, whispers in his little round ear.

Lance leans over to Krolia. “That thing… BleepBloop? It’s coming back with us. What’s it eat?”

“Oh, he'll eat anything, as long as it’s made of meat and either alive or very recently alive.”

“Gotcha. He’ll like our garden. There’s a nice tree out there. And the canopy of our bed. And the loft. My resident engineer, Pidge, can come up with some climbing mechanisms for him, too.”

“Sounds good. It'll make them both very happy.” Krolia sighs. “I’d best return to the compound. I’ll come back here around nightfall, if that’s alright.”

“Of course. He’s your boy. You’re welcome to monopolize him while he’s here. I promise I won’t hold it against you, though I might take it personally.”

The woman chuckles, slips out after planting a kiss on top her son’s head, promising she’ll be back.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’m here. I’m- I’m home.” Keith turns, still stroking his pet. He sits down on the floor of the den, removing his vest with nimble, practiced fingers. Lance goes to sit beside him, rests his head on Keith’s shoulder. He feels oddly insecure, very much like he doesn’t belong. He comforts himself with the reminder that Keith’s felt like this for nearly a decaphoeb. It’s his turn.

“I raised him from a weanling,” Keith murmurs. “His mother, TreeTrunks, died with my father when Bleeps still slept in her pouch. We spent a long while just the two of us after that. I really hated leaving him behind.”

“Looks like he missed you, huh?” Lance closes his eyes against Keith’s nod. “Do you think he’ll like Altea?”

“He’ll love the forest. The wildlife might hate him though.” Keith sighs, rests his head on top of Lance’s head. “Fuck, I’m still tired. Stupid, shitty metabolism. Sorry if I’m putting you out. I’m sure you have diplomatic schemes or whatever.”

“That’s okay, beloved. Ass-kissing can wait.”

“You go. I can-”

“Uh-uh. Listen.” Lance draws back, tucks a finger under Keith’s chin to get him to meet his eyes. “This is very important, okay? Your health is very important-”

“Yes, so I can bear you children. Gods, you’d think it’s the only thing I can do.”

“No, so you can be healthy. I care about you, Keith. You’re important to me.” Lance tips their foreheads together, leans up to get closer to his ear. “Let’s go take a nap.”

In one of the siderooms, there’s a round bed suspended by a series of ropes from the ceiling, and a curved chest against the wall. Keith rummages around, pulls out two sets of clothes, dark pants and white shirts, both loose-fit. “Want something more comfortable?”

“Yeah, alright.” Lance accepts a set of clothes, forgets what he’s supposed to be doing as Keith just tugs off his long-sleeved shirt like it’s nothing at all to him. Keith gives him a hard look.

“What, is that really all it takes for you?”

“Sh- Shut up! You-” Lance tosses the clothes onto the weird bed, glaring at his unimpressed spouse. “You forget you’re one of the first Galra except Zarkon I ever saw in person. And you’re my spouse, and I’ve literally never seen you without all your clothes on.”

“That’s not true! There was that fitting for the Frost Ball-”

“My back was turned. Doesn’t count.”

“Well, fine! If it’s that big of a deal for you, here!” Keith holds out his arms, pouting. “Behold my naked chest.”

Lance snorts, tugs Keith close by his trim waist, running his eyes up a well-muscled torso to spare collarbones and broadening but still narrow shoulders. So similar, and yet so very, very different from himself. “Ancients, you’re adorable when you make that face.” He kisses that pout away. “Also, your fur is so soft.”

“Oh, I- Thank you.”

"Hey, Beloved. Don't be so shy." Tugging on the end of Keith’s braid, Lance turns away, stripping his own clothes, pulling on the shirt and pants. They don’t fit perfectly, but thanks to their loose design, they’ll work fine.

“I can see your scales through the shirt,” Keith whispers. “You have a lot of them.”

“Yes. I do.” Lance bites his lip. “Keith?”

“Hm?” Keith raises a dark eyebrow, violet eyes smiles.

“Was this -coming here- Was this a mistake?”

“A ‘get murdered in your sleep’ kind of mistake or a ‘commit diplomatic suicide’ kind of mistake?” Lance shrugs. Keith sighs, smiles, lifts his hands to brush his thumbs over Lance’s cheeks. It’s his turn. “Lance. You are wonderful at many things. Chief among them is to dance into a room with that charming smile and make everyone feel welcome. And I love that. So much. But… You’re not welcoming my people. They have to welcome you.”

“Okay… How do I- how do I do that?”

“I don’t know.” Keith steps forward, embraces his spouse, tucks his head beneath his chin. “But I know you’ll figure it out. It’s a people thing. You’re people. I’m… not.”

“Hey, you’re people. You’re people that was just a person for a long time, but you’re people. All those other people out there? They love you and were happy to see you happy and safe. And whether anybody here likes me or not, I’m happy to see you happy.”

Lance runs his hands up and down Keith’s back, listening as he starts to purr, soft and sweet. He’s not sure when he became able to make him purr so easily, but Lance considers it a good sign, a sign that he truly does make Keith happy. He settles somewhat cautiously into the odd hanging bed, not surprised when Keith wraps his arms and tail around him, tangles their legs together. Lance tugs a blanket over them, makes sure it’s snug around Keith’s shoulders.

“Let me know if you’re hurting again, okay?”

“Mhm.” Keith’s purring softens, sleepy and content.

“Keith?” No response. He’s already asleep. “Thanks, beloved. Rest well.”

BleepBloop hops up, sniffs Lance’s hand suspiciously. Lance slowly reaches out to rub the little creature’s head, smiling at how the primate’s red eyes close as he leans into the touch. Like master, like pet, adorable and deeply appreciative of affection.

Lance doesn’t mind in the slightest, but he can't fully indulge as he carefully maneuvers them so he's lying on his back. He pulls out the collapsible datapad he'd hidden in the waistband of his pants, set it on his chest so he can project a Daibazaani import manifest from Adam and Shiro in front of him. Something about the numbers isn't adding up.

There's a weight discrepancy that might total out to about four Unilu. Or any number of things really, but he'll break it apart piece by piece, inspect a three-dimensional map of the ship in question, and then he'll scroll through security footage and interviews until his eyes bleed while he searches for answers.

It's been a phoeb and a half, but he hasn't forgotten that someone wants him and his family dead.

#LoveAftertheFact #LAtF #klance #galtean au #altean lance #galra keith #adashi #altean adam #galra shiro #voltron legendary defender #vld

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himbowelsh · 5 years ago

Note

Thank you for answering my earlier questions! I know you've written for Grant and Talbert before (I cannot remember their ship name for the life of me) would you be willing to write any modern head cannons for them? Or any general relationship head cannons for them? Those two don't get enough love together! 🙂

gralbert. talbant. grantbert? tabant? fluck? there are no good options here.

Modern Headcanons (this turned into a coffeeshop au i’m sorry):

Grant’s really just vibing through life, to be honest. Out of all his friends, he’s the one who’s got his shit most together, and that’s something to be proud of. So what if he’s still not sure exactly where he wants to be in ten years, or how he’s going to get there? It’s enough to just... exist in the moment.

That moment, currently, puts him in charge of managing a small coffee shop which has become the social hub for his entire social circle. Not only is he making great cash, he gets to stay connected with old friends and meet new people every day. Plus... he’s never short on coffee? Literally nothing to complain about.

It’s not that he doesn’t feel... well, connected is the wrong word, because he definitely is. There are just times when he feels... lonely. Chuck’s got a lot of friends, but he’s also the sort of guy who could stand in the middle of a crowded room and suddenly feel like he’s the only one there --- like no one’s really looking at him at all.

He craves attention, affection, warmth.

That’s when Dog Boy happens.

In Chuck’s defense, Dog Boy is a complete accident. The coffee shop is just supposed to be a canine free zone... so he’s completely baffled to see a guy walk in with at least five dogs, all on leashes, and order an iced coffee to go.

The guy definitely seems like he’s in a hurry --- like he really, really needs a coffee --- but Chuck can only stare. “Are those all supposed to be service dogs?” he asks.

“Um,” Dog Boy says.

Chuck points to the sign on the wall, which very clearly reads the coffee shop’s animal policy. Dog Boy lets out a weird noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “Okay, I’m sorry, I know, but can I please please just get an iced coffee?”

It looks like he has his hands full. More than full. This coffee is going to end up spattered on a sidewalk somewhere, and Dog Boy will probably cry. He looks like he might cry right now, just for the hell of it.

Chuck gets him an iced coffee.

That should be the end of it, but a few days later, Dog Boy comes back. He doesn’t have any dogs in tow this go ‘round, but looks five times as relaxed --- which is really, really a good look on him --- and promptly deposits a twenty dollar bill in Chuck’s tip jar. ��For you,” he declares, and winks.

Chuck just stares at him. “We, uhh --- we have to split the tips between everyone on shift, and there are, like, four other people here...”

“Christ,” says Dog Boy, and plucks the bill out of the tip jar --- can he do that? is that allowed? --- and tucks it in the pocket of Chuck’s apron. “For you. You saved my life the other day, with the coffee. Can’t tell you what sort of day I was having, but...”

He smiles, and it’s the ridiculous sort of smile that shouldn’t be allowed to exist on anyone who’s not in Hollywood --- casually blinding, bright enough to leave Chuck feeling warm all over.

If he had to pick the moment he knew he was in trouble... right there. There is it.

Floyd Talbert becomes a regular in the coffee shop after that. Turns out, he knows a startling amount of Chuck’s friends. It’s not long before Tab’s popping in nearly every day to joke around with Bill and Babe, cause trouble with Liebgott, or even confer quietly with Mr. Winters in the corner. Seeing Tab becomes one of the highlights of Chuck’s day; they never really talk, but he’s got his coffee order memorized, and everytime that bold smile flashes his way, he feels a little dizzy.

Is this... what it’s like to have a crush? Strange. Unnerving. Chuck hasn’t had a crush since middle school. Why now... and why, of people, on Talbert?

One look at him and that becomes a stupid question. Who wouldn’t have a crush on Talbert?

Chuck comforts himself with that knowledge ---- no doubt, Tab’s got girls lining up around the block. What interest would he have in a barista who always adds a little extra sugar to his coffee, just because that’s how he likes it?

Tab is the sort of guy who draws people to him like moths to a porch light; he’s dynamic and popular wherever he goes. Chuck has a tight group of friends who he sticks to like glue, and would do anything for; he’s always been more content to wait in the background, observing and working silently. He doesn’t enjoy the limelight. Tab attracts it.

There’s no way they’d work together, because Tab would never notice him.

Until the day Smokey Gordon comes up to the counter with a big grin on his face, and drops something in the tip jar. “Just for you,” he declares, and winks.

It’s a folded up piece of paper... and there’s a phone number written on it. Chuck blinks for a moment, confused, before putting two and two together. Smokey gave him the number as soon as Tab left the shop.

He texts it that night. “smokey gave me this number... this is chuck, the barista from the coffee shop” Waiting restlessly on his balcony with a cigarette in hand, bouncing his leg like it’s running a marathon... Chuck has nothing to do but hold his breath.

Suddenly, the phone buzzes. It startles his cat into falling off the table. Chuck nearly jumps out of his skin.

“why am i not surprised? typical smokey” comes the response, followed by a startlingly accurate bitmoji. (He uses those instead of emojis? That’s kinda narcissistic but also really cute?)

After a moment of Chuck holding his breath, searching for how to reply (he’s a very slow texter, and it drives his friends insane) another message comes through from Tab.

“good thing he did tho, because i’d have spent a few more weeks working up the courage”

Chuck has a heart attack on the spot.

“honestly,” he replies, “i’d have skipped the number and gone straight to asking you to dinner”

“wow, a gentleman!!!” His enthusiasm is adorable. “sounds great to me. are you free friday? i know a great place for burgers”

It’s across the street from a 24-hour vet clinic.

That’s why Tab wanted to go there.

They make it through half an hour of the date with Tab obviously getting restless, and Chuck is terrified he’s boring him... until Tab abruptly sets his glass down on the counter and turns to Chuck, fresh brightness in his eyes. “Can we actually go somewhere else? I’ve got some friends you might like to meet.”

Tab works at the local vet clinic, and he’s the one tasked with walking all the dogs each afternoon. Usually they go in shifts, but on that particular day, Tab was in a rush and decided to take them all at once.

“They ran me all over town,” he declares, a funny note of pride in his voice. “I was that close to passing out... but then I saw the shop, and I saw you, and...”

He trails off, gnawing at his lower lip --- his hands are occupied roughhousing with a golden retriever, while a persistent beagle noses at his elbow. Chuck blinks at Tab over the head of an enthusiastic Yorkie, and feels something warm bloom in his chest.

“Next time, I decide the date location,” he declares. Tab grins, bright and blinding as a solar eclipse. To his own amazement, Chuck feels like he’s come home.

General Relationship Headcanons:

Chuck’s mellower than Floyd in a lot of ways. He’s less emotional, better at thinking things through; when their friends are causing havoc, Tab will eagerly be swept along in the chaos, while Chuck will follow to make sure no one causes too much trouble. They both know how to have fun, though, and have equally adventurous streaks that match well together. Hiking, rock climbing, bike riding... these are all dates they’d enjoy.

Floyd appreciates Chuck’s honesty. Sometimes he can be too blunt (”What do you think of these jeans?” “Eh, you’ve worn better.”), but he never beats around the bush, and there’s never any question whether Floyd can trust his judgement. Chuck says what he thinks, and means what he says.

Floyd is gentler in a lot of ways, and this is something Chuck isn’t used to. He’s never... been taken care of before. He’s never been doted on. Floyd loves doting on him, and this takes a lot of getting used to.

Chuck is the first one to say “I love you”, and it shocks them both. Sure, they’d been thinking it for a while, but... Chuck never thought he’d find the courage to voice it, but it slips out almost unconsciously. Floyd pauses in the middle of making dinner... then chuckles softly, almost to himself, and glances back over his shoulder. “Love you too,” he replies, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. To both their surprises... it is.

Floyd’s morals run deep, and he’s got a sensitive side that’s easily stoked. Tug on his heartstrings, and he’s open to anything... which scares Chuck, who doesn’t trust as easily. Floyd’s more than capable of taking care of himself, but a part of Chuck feels like he needs to protect him from getting hurt. That’s impossible. The first time something hits Floyd hard, and he’s left pacing into the early hours of the morning, chewing his lip raw and agonizing over what he could have done differently, Chuck stays up with him. He doesn’t try to stop him, doesn’t try to calm him down... but when Tab finally collapses in a chair, exhausted, Chuck’s the one who coaxes him up and to bed.

After that, it’s his turn to take care of Floyd. This is a role he falls into with much more ease... and Floyd, as it turns out, enjoys being pampered as much as he does giving the love.

#i-am-a-lost-girl16 #chuck grant #floyd talbert #band of brothers #headcanons #grant/talbert #im so sorry this took a hot second but hope you enjoy!!!!

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nitewrighter · 5 years ago

Text

A Second Opinion Pt. 5

(Previously Titled “Villains want a Valkyrie)

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

Read it on AO3 Here

-----

Reaper was lying on his side in a hospital gown on an examination table as several labtechs fussed over him while Moira looked on. Beneath the too-cold fluorescent lights of Talon’s med-bay, it was the sort of image that would make you laugh, not because it was funny, but rather because it was uncomfortable with the unnerving vulnerability of it all, but no one was laughing. One of the labtechs handed Moira the syringe and she quietly took it.

“You know this whole mess started with me having one ass cheek out,” said Reaper.

“Ventrogluteal injections and pelvic bone marrow samples are very normal medical procedures, Gabriel,” said Moira, holding the syringe up to the light and squinting at it.

“Are you sure taking more bits out of me is going to help?” said Reaper.

“Bone marrow extraction takes its toll, but it wasn’t as if you were mission ready anyway,” said Moira. One corner of her mouth twisted up with her focus, “I am seeing some nanite particulates in your marrow, which is to be expected... obviously...” she trailed off slightly and huffed, knowing there wasn’t much she could observe just holding it up to the light, “I’ll examine it more closely and run more tests. See if there’s anything I missed since the last time.”

“See what the Doc says about it,” said Reaper.

“That’s why she’s here, isn’t it?” said Moira, no bitterness leaving her voice.

“How is she?” said Reaper.

“Stubborn and passive aggressive as ever,” said Moira.

“I mean do you think she can help?” said Reaper.

“I believe you had my opinion before we brought her her here,” said Moira.

“Moira,” said Reaper.

“That remains to be seen,” said Moira, “If she can’t, well there’s always a bullet and the canals. And if she can... there’s a bullet and the canals.”

----

“No, it should only take a few minutes--” McCree was talking into his comm, pacing back and forth in front of Athena’s monitor. Some irritated chatter could be heard on the other side. “No, I don’t only call you when I need a teleporter! That’s ridiculous! We’re buddies, right?”

McCree seemed to wince a little as he received what could only be Satya’s eviscerating assessments of his character on the other end of the comm.

“Tell you what--Do me this solid and I’ll get that weird blotch out of the orca’s couch that you’re always complaining about,” said McCree.

A monosyllabic response was heard on the other end.

“You hate that blotch!” said McCree. McCree was chewing his lip as he paced back and forth in the room, Satya continuing to admonish and verbally cut him to ribbons on the other side of the comm. He could feel Hanzo’s steady gaze tracking him back and forth, but even worse was Baptiste’s eyes on him through the vid-com.

Genji himself seemed to have gotten into the habit of repeatedly fidgeting with his prosthetic arm’s shuriken loading mechanism to try and stave off his maelstrom of worries about Angela, sliding his wrist plate back and forth and clicking the shuriken out of place and back in. We should be going now, he thought, What if they’re hurting her? She’s fighting back. She has to. And they’ll hurt her for fighting back. They’re hurting her right now and you’re here and you’re a useless useless useless stupid pile of nuts and bolts with a handful of organs slapped on there who should have gone with her to that conference. This wouldn’t have happened if you were at that conference but nooooo you didn’t want to sit through a few 3 hour lectures and now---

“...is it always like this?” Baptiste spoke a little softly to Hanzo.

“I’m still getting used to it myself,” said Hanzo with a chuckle.

They’ve been talking for five minutes and he’s got a chuckle? It took me weeks to get Hanzo to crack a smile! Okay. Shut up brain. The Doc. This is about the doc. The thought flinched through McCree’s mind and blanked out Satya’s voice on the comm only briefly before he snapped back to attention and blurted out, “Dagnabbit, Satya, lives are on the line!”

There was a pause on Satya’s end and then an, “Understood.”

“...Seriously?” said McCree.

“Lives are on the line, as you say,” said Satya, “I’ll be there with the necessary equipment for a teleporter in a few minutes.”

“Th..thanks...” said McCree, honestly amazed he managed to convince her. Then again she was . He clicked out of the comm.

“A few minutes,” he said, looking back at the Shimada brothers and Baptiste on the Vid-com, “Then we can have you over here like that.” He snapped his fingers before turning to Genji, “I can still call it off--so I want you to be sure about this---”

“I’m sure---” Genji started.

“You’re not sure, you’re scared, and that’s fine,” said McCree, “But we shouldn’t trust this guy just because you’re desperate to get the Doc back. You can’t just go on Hanzo’s word.”

Genji straightened his shoulders, “You’re right,” he said, before turning to Baptiste on the screen, “You said you worked with Doctor Ziegler in Venezuela, right?”

“Right,” said Baptiste, a little hesitantly.

“Do you have anything on you that might... verify that work together?”

“I’ve tried to leave as little a trail as possible, you understand,” said Baptiste, “Doctor Ziegler was pretty intense and secretive as well at the time, so we weren’t exactly best friends.”

“Hm...” Genji looked thoughtful.

“She was... pretty set on having no one recognize her from her posters,” Baptiste let out a hapless chuckle, “And she couldn’t stand being called ‘Mercy.’”

Genji seemed to perk up at this.

“We did take a photo or two together, but... those are back at my clinic...” said Baptiste trailing off, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to tell you. We were both very focused on helping our patients at the time.”

“You said she leaves an impression,” said Genji.

“She does!” said Baptiste, “Smart, tough, focused---But I’m pretty sure what I saw of her is what anyone would see of her.” He paused, “I will say, she brews the absolute worst pot of coffee I have ever tasted.”

Genji’s visor brightened. “What did you say?”

“Well I wouldn’t expect her to be a barista or culinary genius--” Baptiste went on.

“But did you say it was the worst?” said Genji, the lights on his shoulders practically blazing with excitement.

“Oh, by far, the worst,” said Baptiste, hardly paying attention, “It was honestly impressive how bad this coffee was--like I’m pretty sure we were only a mile north of a coffee farm. You could not have gotten more premium, locally sourced beans, and it still tasted like she filtered the grounds through the devil’s asshole.”

“They did work together...” Genji said, a breathless awe in his voice.

The door slid open and Genji, Hanzo, and McCree, all turned around to see Satya standing in the doorway.

“Satya!” McCree’s face lit up, “I can’t tell you how much it means that you’re--”

Satya stepped aside with her usual curt grace and Jack marched into the doorway. “Care telling me what you wanted a teleporter for?”

“You narc’d?” said McCree, looking at Satya. She gave him a sharp sidelong glance through her visor. His shoulders slumped. “Of course you narc’d. You’re dating the only narc bigger than you on this watchpoint.”

“Of course. You must admit that your whole situation was highly dubious,” said Satya.

Both Genji and Hanzo gave a distressed look to McCree and McCree’s stomach lurched at the thought of having to play the advocate for someone Hanzo seemed a bit too excited to bring to the Watchpoint, but he remembered Mercy still in Talon’s clutches and straightened his shoulders. They needed Baptiste. As much as McCree hated to admit it, they needed whatever help they could get.

“Well look, Jack,” McCree started, “You’re not strike commander anymore, and we handled ourselves fine for a few months without--”

McCree’s shoulders slumped at the sound of Winston clearing his throat. Winston leaned into the doorway behind Jack and Satya with an awkward-but-endearing wave.

“Hanzo,” Winston tented his thick fingers, “I do appreciate you being proactive in recruiting other members but--”

Jack pointed a finger at the screen, “Can he hear us?”

“Yes he can,” said Baptiste, flatly.

Winston cleared his throat again and Jack lowered his finger.

“As I was saying, Hanzo, I appreciate bringing in extra help, but you’ve only recently gone off probation. If anyone’s going to be doing any vetting around here, it’s going to be--”

“Satya?” Baptiste spoke up.

Symmetra suddenly perked up, “Lieutenant Augustin?”

“Oh come on, you know her, too?” said McCree.

“Only briefly--You got away from Vishkar?” Baptiste’s eyes were wide from amazement.

Satya cleared her throat, “Well--um--yes,” she said, curling the fingers of her prosthetic hand tentatively.

Baptiste huffed with some relief. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that. And you’re fighting alongside Overwatch?”

“Well.. they saved my life, and I should hate to see other people manipulated and taken advantage of like I was. So... here I am,” said Satya.

“Can we maybe not spill entire agent dossiers to unverified free agents?” Jack muttered.

“No-no, let them talk,” said Winton.

“Winston--” Jack’s teeth were gritted as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“This life suits you, Satya. I like the new look,” said Baptiste.

“Oh--it’s not a new look, the hair-is--is--it’s just down,” said Satya, fidgeting with her hair a bit, “You look well, also. The beard suits you.”

Baptiste chuckled.

McCree was slack-jawed. ‘What the hell is happening’ was lined out in every crease and whisker on his face. Baptiste knew Satya. Satya, who may as well have grown up in a hyperbaric sensory deprivation chamber for all Vishkar did to cut her off from the world. And, even more baffling, Satya seemed to like him. Satya, who didn’t like anybody. Except Pharah. And Ana. And Hanzo. And Zenyatta. And Genji. And Mei. And Mercy. Okay, all things considered McCree probably just took it personally that Satya didn’t seem terribly keen on him.

“So you do know him?” said Winston.

“It... it was back when I was in Vishkar,” said Satya, turning to Winston, “So I am not sure how... legitimate my attestation may be, but I can assure you that he’s an excellent medic.”

“And with Ana and Lúcio deployed we are short on Medics...” said Winston, thoughtfully.

“I have biotic fields,” said Jack, stiffly.

Both Winston and Symmetra gave Jack an almost pitying sidelong glance, and Jack just huffed and folded his arms.

“Respectfully speaking, from what these three have told me, I don’t believe Doctor Ziegler has a lot of time for deliberation on our end,” said Baptiste, “If it helps, I can take the pulse rounds out of my biotic launcher. No offense, all medicine.”

“Biotic launcher?” said Genji.

“Modified from a standard Caribbean Coalition pulse rifle,” said Baptiste, hauling up a somewhat clunky-looking gun.

“Sure, let’s just let the guy who seems to magically know Hanzo and Satya and the Doc splash us with god-knows-what,” said McCree, rolling his eyes.

“I know what,” said Hanzo, giving a sharp look to McCree, “He’s saved many lives with that launcher. He’s saved mine with it, too.”

“...Ah,” said McCree.

“So both of you are willing to vouch for him?” said Winston, looking between Hanzo and Symmetra.

“I understand my standing in this organization isn’t as established as others--” said Symmetra.

“And mine far less so,” said Hanzo, “But yes.”

“Yes, we can trust him,” said Symmetra.

“And he did know Angela. I’m sure of it,” said Genji.

“Winston, if you’re sure about this...” said Jack.

“I’m not,” said Winston, “But losing Doctor Ziegler would not only devastate this organization, but biotic research all over the world. It’s a risk we have to take. Athena--you have a lock on his coordinates?”

“Yes,” chimed Athena.

“Satya?” said Winston.

Satya stepped forward and made a sweeping gesture with her prosthetic, “Now, this may be jarring if you’ve never teleported before.”

“I can handle it,” said Baptiste, smiling, “And... thank you. I’ll do my best to earn your trust.”

“Winston--” Genji put a hand on Winston’s shoulder, “Thank you.”

“You can thank him when we get the Doc back,” said McCree.

“Let’s just hope Lynx Seventeen has those schematics ready,” said Winston.

----

“As I suspected... no avascular necrosis...” said Mercy, pushing past several x-rays on a computer screen in her swivel chair before swiveling to face the microscope. It annoyed Moira to see Mercy working as if she wasn’t completely at Talon’s, for lack of a better word, mercy, but then again, lab work could be a comfort in and of itself. The one thing she could have control over. “He remained stable when you were taking the bone marrow sample?” said Mercy, looking through the microscope.

“He did,” said Moira, “What were your observations on the samples I gave you?”

“His white blood cell count is unnervingly low, and there doesn’t seem to be any particular spike in toxins in his urine,” said Mercy, “But from what other data you gave me, in theory the nanites should be picking up the slack with his immune system.”

“’In theory,’” said Moira, folding her arms, “His lack of any significant bacterial infections is proof enough that they are picking up the slack.”

“They’re also destroying his body. I’m going to need a clearer timetable on how fast his deterioration is going if I’m going to help him,” said Mercy.

“If I knew, I would tell you,” said Moira, pushing her red hair back, “That’s the thing about nanites--they’re meant to keep the body going even in the event of catastrophic organ failure. In theory his heart could stop and he could keep... keep...” she closed her eyes, “The nervous system and skeletal systems are probably the final threshold.” She remembered Reaper’s finger falling off and her stomach lurched, “There’s already structural failure in his extremities, but no loss of coordination yet.”

“This is what happens when you push the human body far past what it’s supposed to do...” Mercy said mostly to herself in a sigh.

Something stung in the pit of Moira’s stomach at those words. She could have just shrugged it off and called Mercy a coward with regards to science as she always did. The human body was a mess, after all--the spine and knees structural nightmares, the brain a complete mess of chemicals whose imbalances were nigh impossible to decipher save through the crapshoot of behavioral observation, and of course there was the whole matter of cells that sometimes simply forgot how to properly propagate and then ended up killing the whole damn body. The human body could be improved. The human body had to be improved. But, and in later reflections she would suppose this was probably her own distress over Gabriel wanting Mercy to feel that same guilt and fury, instead of saying any of this, she said, “Of course you feel that way, if you had your way, Genji would probably still be in crutches now.”

Mercy bristled and swiveled around in her chair. “Excuse me?”

“It was easier to ignore his true nature when he was rolling around in a wheelchair or looking up at you from those infirmary beds,” said Moira, perfectly calm.

“The cybernetics Blackwatch gave him were abhorrent,” Mercy seethed, “The damage to his mental health was--”

“What he needed. No one liked looking at what Blackwatch was doing. Not Jack, and not you. But he needed it. You have no idea how dearly he needed it. What was done to him put a hunger in him no coddling therapy could sate. You didn’t see what I saw in the Venice incident,” a chuckle rippled out of her, “And then of course Overwatch puts him in shining armor as soon as they put him on Oxton’s ever-so-marketable strike team. I suppose I can’t blame him for eventually believing he was what they told him he was.”

Mercy stood up so fast she knocked the chair back and it thudded against the table. “You have the gall to assume you know his true nature from seeing him at his lowest point?” Moira only needed to raise her withered hand, the node of her biotic rig glowing faintly purple, and Mercy drew back slightly.

“Is that not our true nature?” said Moira, she flicked her hand slightly, and Mercy flinched a little, knowing what would happen with contact, “Do what we must to survive? Do what we can to avoid pain?” She looked back at the screens displaying Reaper’s cells in their endless battle and dance. “The Americans launch the Soldier Enhancement Program so that we might survive the Omnics. I inject Gabriel with nanites so he might survive the SEP serum. You help us stabilize him in the hopes of your own survival. That’s all we ever do. That’s all we ever are,” she looked back at the nanites on the screen, “Right down to our most basic parts.”

“The world is a lot less lonely when you assume everyone is as monstrous as you, isn’t it?” the words slipped out of Mercy.

Moira didn’t want to think of what she did next as impulsive or a reaction of anger. Instinctive, maybe, a fulfillment of her word. As her hand clamped down on Mercy’s shoulder and Mercy screamed with the biotic rig sucking the energy out of her, Moira reminded herself that she had told Mercy at the start of all this that failure to comply would result in pain. But it’s not as if she’s not complying, is she? Moira’s own inner critic spoke up, You brought her here to help Gabriel. You were the one who brought up Genji--It’s almost funny how fast just bringing him up upsets her. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Moira didn’t release until Mercy’s knees buckled. She was gripping the edge of the desk, gasping for breath.

“The world is as monstrous as me,” said Moira, “Get that through your head and maybe you might live a little longer.”

#gency #mchanzo

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disaster-dan · 5 years ago

Text

Neighbor things - Winterspider Part 4

AO3 link :) you guys might wanna just look at the tags, i said this would be short but it might actually drag lol

Note: someone take my laptop away i am so not being professional.

“Hey!”

Bucky nearly dropped his keys at the shrill call. He composed himself before looking towards the voice that called him, Peter.

“H-hey.” he said, thinking the boy was just greeting him on the way.

Peter was walking out while Bucky was walking in.

Peter smiled in the distance and hurried his way over to Bucky’s place constantly.

“Hey, Bucky. Thanks for the sink-fix. Rosa got repairs so it’ll be replaced by tonight.”

Bucky nodded, happy for the boy to have his convenience.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah- I’m just going out while they go in there and do their thing.”

“Where you going?”

“Library. Or to take some pictures somewhere.”

Bucky's eyes glanced down and noticed the black camera that hung from it’s cord around Peter’s neck. He didn’t know Peter liked photography. That just made him more interesting, damn it.

“Nice camera.” he commented, hoping to ease conversation and seem human.

“Thank you.” he replied, hands touching the black device lightly. “Recently got it. It’s my favorite so far.”

Bucky didn’t know what else to say, only that he wished he could accompany Peter on his small trip and distract himself as well. But who was he to suddenly invite himself?

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” he said lamely, glancing down at the floor and Peter’s beaten shoes. “Gonna hang out with Alpine.”

Peter froze just as his face dropped, his hands stopped tinkering with the camera.

“A-Alpine?” he asked quietly, not knowing that the name belonged to a white, blue-eyed, fury with claws that liked sleeping in weird places of a cat.

“My cat.” Bucky corrected, knowing just how weird and lonely it sounded. He told everyone about Alpine, and him hanging out with Alpine was just as normal as everything else. “Roomate.”

Peter lit up again, looking relieved. “Oh! Your cat, Alpine. Cool. Wait- you have a cat?”

That was how Peter ended up meeting Alpine the cat, inside Bucky’s apartment.

If Bucky would have known that sharing the fact that he had a goddamn cat would grant his crushes to the inside of his home, Bucky would have gotten Alpine eons ago.

Alpine seemed hesitant at first, easily noticed Peter was not anybody like Steve, Sam, Natasha or Wanda. Bucky mentally glared at Alpine, praying Alpine didn’t lash out or run off like usual when rare guests came over. He wanted a good impression that he could raise proper-mannered felines.

To his relief, Alpine came from hiding when Bucky called again and went straight to Peter filled with curiosity. ��So this is your lover?’

“Alpine’s got the bluest eyes.” Peter cooed, kneeling on the floor with the cat majestically purring and nuzzling against Peter.

Bucky suddenly envied Alpine. Because he also had blue eyes.

“Blue as the sky.”

“Just like the owner.” Peter added, shooting Bucky a smile and then returning to Alpine.

Alright, Alpine was sort of like his wingman.

“They say pets look like their owners.” Peter said, taking hold of Alpine and standing up. Alpine curled against him as Peter continued to spoil. “You’re a handsome cat, aren’t you?”

Bucky felt heat rise to his face, trying hard to brush away the comment because he knew it meant nothing and his mind liked misinterpreting everything.

“Wild devil.” he muttered, eyeing both of them as he dropped his keys to a nearby stand.

Alpine mewoed from where Peter stood. Alpine wiggled lightly, and Peter loosened his arms to allow the cat to jump gracefully and trot over to Bucky. Bucky scoffed when the feline purred and nuzzled against his leg enthusiastically.

“Hello to you, stupid.”

Peter watched, completely awed over the white furball.

“I only had a fish before,” he lamented.

“Pets look like their owners.” Bucky said without thinking, remembering what Peter had said, then froze and snapped his neck to Peter. “That was a joke-”

“It’s all good.” he excused, stifling down a giggle. “I was a funny looking kid.”

“I didn’t mean it..”

“It was funny.” Peter waved off with a grin, not accepting any further apologies from the man. He glanced down and his hands played again with the camera. Hesitantly he asked, “Could I take a picture of Alpine?”

“Go ahead.” he granted, looking down at the cat who looked up at him with cat deviousness. ‘Say yes’. “Alpine loves getting spoiled.”

Bucky was going to make sure to spoil Alpine with treats and toys soon, because Peter spent a good while in their living room, taking pictures of Alpine, angling, fixing whatever cameras had to take pictures. Peter tried to excuse himself, rambled off apologies but Bucky assured him it was no problem. They both had nothing to do, and Alpine was loving every minute of it.

After some while Peter received a text, and it was their landlord notifying him his sink was finished. Much to Bucky’s dismay.

“Looks like I can wash dishes again.” he joked, shoving his phone was inside his pocket.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.” he replied, pressing a few buttons on the device and the screen faded to black. “I’ll make sure to give you some of these.”

“I have enough.” Bucky shrugged, watching Alpine lick paw fur. “I got hair everywhere, I don’t need extra pictures to remind me.”

Peter looked at him, smiled just as a chuckle left his nicely god-lined lips. In a few seconds, that smile faltered down and his eyes switched to something other than Bucky.

“What are those?”

Bucky furrowed his brows and turned around to where Peter looked. There wasn’t much on his walls, but there specifically is where he hung something special.

“My dog tags.” he answered, the light reflecting off them. “Served a few years in the military.”

“You’re- you- you’re a vet?”

Bucky nodded awkwardly, knowing he served his time well, he didn’t flash it around either.

Peter’s eyes were wide and suddenly he stood up rigid and erect.

“T-thank you for your service.”

Bucky shrugged and looked back at the carved steel.

“Thank you- I don’t know how to talk about it sometimes.” he said, referring to the ‘thank you for your service’, or the salute of young people planning to join, or anybody who found out he once served. It felt nice to receive that appreciation, though he had not served for himself to receive that recognition but for others, those in need. Knowing he made an impact- that felt nice.

“That’s awesome.” Peter said, completely now captivated by him instead of Alpine.

“I guess it is.”

Another buzz went off from his phone, forcing Peter to turn his attention to the damn thing and read the message.

“She’s asking me to go try it out legitimely.” Peter shared, looking up at the man with some aspect of loss. The face whenever a kid has to leave the park, or say goodbye to a friend. “I have to go, just to make sure it’s working fine and everything.”

Bucky’s shoulders slightly dropped but he nodded nonetheless.

“No problem. You should probably go check it out.”

“Thank you- and sorry- I just completely invaded your place…”

Bucky shook his head and waved him off. He would thank Peter to have done it in the first place. “It was no problem. I had fun.”

“You did?”

Bucky hoped Peter didn’t take it the wrong way. He timidly nodded again and shoved his hands inside his pockets.

“Yes I did.”

“Cool.” he breathed out, grinning brightly.

#Bucky Barnes #peter parker #winterspider #peter x bucky #neighbors au #danletters

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prorevenge · 5 years ago

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A complete lack of foresight.

To preface, the scenario involves my roommate (lets call her Callie), her ex (lets call him Tweakie McGee), myself, Tweakies fling, Nikki, and my roommates dog, an adorable bluenose pittie (lets go with Derpy)

Keep in mind, I myself am 25, Callie is 25 as well, but Tweakie McGee is 19. This will be relevant later.

TL:DR at the bottom. This is a long one.

Now, this story begins with my roommate. She had just gotten out of an exhausting, but not necessarily abusive relationship, and she was on lookout for something casual while she regained her independence and reclaimed her life. Unfortunately, Tweakie McGee came around and made himself at home in our house.

At first, it wasn't too bad. We're all moderate stoners, and he knew the right people, so it seemed like a fair give and take, considering we didn't pay for much smoke throughout the time he was essentially squatting, but he put forth nothing when it came to groceries and bills.

Now my roommate was far enough removed from her previous relationship at this point to be fiercely protective of her independence, but given the age difference, she chalked up some glaringly obvious red flags when they began to present.

Tweakie got his pet name for a number of reasons, but the main one was this: he had an adderol prescription (20mg). As he was prescribed the meds, he chomped on quite a few, but it quickly spiraled into a 10 pill per day habit (first, he was just chomping, but began to snort them off our livingroom table after about 2 weeks).

As his habit progressed, Callie also partook, as she has a very demanding job, and the extra energy helped her through her 70 hour weeks. I believe that this is another reason why she put up with it as long as she did. As their 'relationship' progressed, the oh so common side effects of stimulant abuse began to creep onto both of them (irritability, poor short term memory, inability to accurately communicate emotions/thoughts). Since I did my best to stay out of their relationship, (as it's not my place to interfere in something I know her to be smart and mature enough to handle) I never really got involved, but she and I had many deep conversations while he was out on runs.

I felt like our talks were making headway until one day, Tweakie McGee got a bug in his ass and started impetuously bringing up the idea of getting a dog. Keep in mind, we live in a college town, and while we're both out of school, we work full time in a very small 2 bedroom house. She was apprehensive at first since she was already going through the motions of cutting him off, but she had also wanted a dog for years at this point.

After 2 weeks of Callie and Tweakie visiting various shelters, they decided on Derpy.

Derpy was an absolutely adorable 6 month old bluenose pitbull with one of the most prominent personalities I have ever seen in a dog (my family used to train dogs professionally). Incredibly playful, super smart, and the perfect demeanor for a small house with a bigger backyard.

Now, only being your friendly neighborhood stoner, and not partaking in the speedy delights, I saw it for what it was, but she was blinded by the adorable pup. Tweakie knew that Callie was setting the stage to kick his ass to the curb, and thought that a dog was the perfect ball and chain for the situation, but his age (and addiction) caught up with him.

All the paperwork and payments were made in Callie's name, including the registration paperwork, initial vet visits, professional pet sitters, toys, ect... Since she works incredibly long hours, and Tweakie essentially being a bum, he got the thought in his head that the dog was his, and when push came to shove, he could keep him.

Well the day of reckoning came after about 3 weeks of escalating early morning arguments and general irritation, and while I was at work, the breakup finally happened. Cops ended up being called, but no blows were thrown. Tweakie packed all his shit up and drove it back to his mothers, then came back - told Callie he was leaving, and took Derpy with him. At this time, the cops that showed up had no idea what had been transpiring, and let him walk off with the dog.

Less than 24 hours later, Callie had made so many calls to the police department/lawers/pet advocacy groups, that she had her course of action laid out. After the filing was complete, she was beyond paranoid because of the threat of retaliation. (I'm a pretty big dude 6'4" 235, so I knew I could stand my ground, but she's a tiny lil' thing, and i have a full time job)

In my state, any disputes regarding animals are to be settled in civil court, and the pets are treated as property. Now I don't know about y'all, but pets are family, and do not deserve to be treated on the same base as property.

The next day, she had filed a civil suit in an attempt to get Derpy back. At her first court date, she presented all the evidence of her ownership of Derpy, as well as the resources she has available to her in order to provide the best level of care for the pup. Tweakie countered with a slew of baseless accusations essentially claiming that she had been abusive to Derpy (false) and that she doesn't have the time nor resources to properly take care of him (also false).

Unfortunately the civil court system tends to draw these things out. The court eventually ruled in her favor and ordered Tweakie to return Derpy, but when the cops turned up, apparently Derpy had "ran away". Before this, she was only trying to get Derpy back, and not really seeking any financial compensation/punishment.

By this time (Approx. 2 months after the breakup, which is bullshit on it's own) he had already been in and out of a relationship with another woman, Nikki.

Nikki had been around, and heard about the court shit, but didn't know the other party. Once she found out it was Callie who Tweakie had fucked over, she started messaging Callie, telling her a bunch of info about Derpy, as they were friends back in the day.

It turns out that in the time since the breakup, Tweakie had been staying with his mother, and honest to goodness hoarder with about 10sqft of usable space in her apartment. Tweakie was also unable to take Derpy out on walks or on pup play dates due to the fact that there was still a return order for Derpy.

One day, he took Derpy to his dealers house who also has 2 pitties of his own, however Derpy is in his teenage stage, and began.. uh.. getting fresh with one of the other pits, and ended up getting pretty brutally attacked. Since the return order was still in effect, and the info about him and the dog was given to every vet within 50 miles, he couldn't take him to get treatment.

** Tweakie also made a deal with this dealer to essentially pimp out Nikki, which was one of the many reasons she was on our side.

Upon hearing this, Callie (now off the uppers and much more clearheaded) absolutely fucking lost it. She went to her lawyer to see if there was anything she could do to expedite the return of Derpy. Turns out she had a few options.

Cut to today. Tweakie has officially been charged with felony theft and animal abuse/neglect charges, and they're wrapping up the legal process with pleas and other legal whatnot. He faces up to 8 years in prison, and if he doesn't return Derpy within 1 week from today, he will receive the maximum sentence. There is also a separate case in the works from Nikki regarding the whole shady pimping shit he tried to pull, as well as (unsuprisingly) charges for possession/manufacturing with intent to distribute Meth and Cocaine.

Part of me feels bad for him because he absolutely nuked the rest of his life at such a young age, but Callie and I both know that he wasn't going to get any better regardless. He had his chance, and he squandered it.

** Sorry for any formatting issues. I work third shift, and have been a walking zombie for a long ass time.

TLDR - My roommates casual tweaker boyfriend coerces her to get a dog, then proceeds to break up with her and keep the dog for himself, even though he has no right, and absolutely no ability to give the dog a comfortable life. Tweaker ends up trying to pimp out his new girlfriend and the dog had gotten attacked. Roomie only wanted the dog back with no financial compensation, but now the tweaker is looking at a minimum of 8 years in prison plus more for various drug charges.

(source) story by (/u/suicidal_ideation_)

#prorevenge #by /u/suicidal_ideation_#pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

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