#another day no one asked me about Kimi and yet I manage to bring him up anyway | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

writingwhimsey · 2 years ago

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My Pirate Lord and Our Life Ch. 71

Chapter 71

I woke up to the morning light spilling in through the open window. It had been a few days since Hana’s birth…how many I couldn’t exactly tell you. Days and nights were blurring together. I had been happy to learn that Kimi had managed to bring a manual breast pump, bottles, and all needed accessories for it so that everyone could help with feedings…though Motonari had pretty much been the only one.

It wasn’t that there was a shortage of people to help…it was just that Motonari was rather protective over Hana. It was actually really cute. Speaking of cute, Motonari was currently asleep in the futon next to me, Hana cradled his chest. He had yet to have skin to skin contact with her, but he wasn’t having any problems with holding her or touching her with his gloves on.

Man, I wish photography were invented right now. This is seriously too precious! I internally gushed.

“Quit thinkin’ that shit yer thinkin’.” Motonari grumbled, though he didn’t open his eyes.

“Wha…How do you even know I’m awake and thinking anything?” I asked.

Motonari’s eyes opened and he reached his arm over, wrapping it around me and pulling me close so that my head rested against the other side of his chest. He gave me a kiss on my forehead. “Ya think yer bein’ subtle when ya wake up and I ain’t opened my eyes yet.” He began. “But I can tell when ya think ya’ve caught me sleepin’. And I know you and them flowers are thinkin’ I look all cute over here sleepin’ with our girl on me.”

I gave him a pout. “Am I really that easy?”

Motonari chuckled and gave me another kiss on the forehead. “I just know how them flowers grow.”

“With you tender, love, and care.” I replied, smiling up at him.

“Deus.” Motonari muttered, a smile on his face as he hugged me and Hana both closer. “My flower girls. Now come on and close yer eyes and get back ta sleep, ‘fore little flower girl wakes up.”

I smiled as I snuggled closer to them both. It was still so hard to believe that this was all real and how far we had come. I closed my eyes, knowing Motonari was right. Though I would also need to be pumping again soon, too. I was just about to drift off to sleep, when I felt Hana squirming and then her fussing began.

“She’s trained me already. I wake up before she does.” I muttered.

Motonari chuckled as we both sat up and he passed Hana over to me. “Probably need ta be gettin’ up anyways.” He said. “I’ll go get breakfast goin’.”

“You know you don’t have to cook me breakfast every morning.” I told him.

Motonari looked at me. “I’m takin’ care o’ both my girls. Yer just gonna have ta get used to it.”

He was then getting up and getting dressed. He leaned down and gave me and Hana both a kiss before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast for us. By the time he returned, I was finished feeding Hana and was getting ready to change her diaper.

“I got that. You eat, flower girl.” Motonari instructed, reaching for Hana.

“Alright.” I agreed, handing her over.

I then sat back and ate my breakfast as Motonari was taking care of Hana. Still so gentle with her. “Let’s get ya outta this mess, minha florzinha.” He spoke to her, delicately unwrapping her from her blanket and then removing the cloth diaper. He quickly and gently wiped her down, before replacing the diaper with a clean one and wrapping her in a fresh blanket. He was tossing the soiled diaper in the basket we had for all our soiled linens and then setting it out in the hall.

He changed his gloves before picking Hana back up and coming to sit beside me. “How ya feelin’?” Motonari asked me.

“Tired…still sore, but pretty good all things considered.” I answered.

Motonari was repositioning Hana so that she was in the crook of his arm. He then used his teeth to remove a glove and then tucking it away to cup my cheek in his hand. His thumb traced the dark circles beneath my eyes. “How ‘bout I take our girl with me when I go to council? You get some rest.”

“What about when she gets hungry?” I asked.

“Ya got those bottles over there. I’ll just take a couple.” He answered.

“Won’t she be distracting?” I asked.

“Ava, all she does right now is eat, sleep, and mess ‘erself.”

“You forgot and look utterly adorable.”

Motonari chuckled. “That she does. But you’ve had a rough few days. Just get some rest.” He told me. “I got our girl.”

“Misa won’t be letting me rest.” I reminded him.

“Don’t you worry ‘bout her neither. I’ll take care o’ everything.” Motonari assured me. “You just finish yer breakfast and then rest.”

“Alright.” I agreed. I was feeling extremely tired. “But…what’s the council about?”

“Just tyin’ up loose ends from the battle.” Motonari answered.

I nodded. “Makes sense.”

Motonari was leaning in and kissing me on the forehead. “You get some rest. We’ll be back in a bit.”

I smiled. “Okay, I love you both.” I replied.

Motonari shared a tender kiss with me and then I was giving Hana a little kiss on the forehead before he left, taking some bottles and other supplies with him. I finished the breakfast he had made me and then laid back down in the futon, closing my eyes and falling into a dreamless sleep.

Motonari…

Motonari exited the bedroom, sliding the door closed behind him. Hiroyoshi was waiting for him. A fond smile came to the old man’s face as soon as he saw Motonari holding Hana. “Stop thinkin’ whatever yer thinkin’ ya old goat.” Motonari grumbled.

“Were you taking the new little lady with you to council, my lord?” Hiryoshi asked.

“Yeah, Ava needs her rest.” Motonari replied.

“Of course.” Hiroyoshi replied, still grinning.

“Make sure ta keep the room guarded and that includes not lettin’ Misa in.” Motonari said. “It’s been four days and just when Ava gets settled in ta rest, Misa comes burstin’ in ta check on her, even after we get Hana settled down.”

“Of course, my lord.” Hiroyoshi replied.

It was then as if on cue, Misa was coming down the hall, followed by Nobunaga. Motonari had to give the man credit. He didn’t give up when he found something he wanted. “I can’t talk right now, Nobunaga. I have to check on Ava.” Misa insisted.

“No, ya don’t.” Motonari grumbled at her. “Ya ain’t goin’ in there an’ botherin’ Ava.”

“I’m not bothering her.” Misa insisted.

“Yeah, ya are.” Motonari replied. “She just laid down ta get some rest. It’s been four days. Ya really keep this close of an eye on all yer patients?”

Misa crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, well…I don’t have as close of personal ties to my other patients.”

“Yeah an’ ya don’t use them ta run from yer problems.” Motonari replied, giving her a grumpy look. He then looked at Nobunaga. “You and all yer people ready for council?”

Nobunaga gave him a look, but nodded. “Yes, they have all gathered.” He answered.

Motonari looked at Misa. “There ya don’t gotta run now.” He said before heading off with Nobunaga to the council room.

Misa seemed to let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Ava and Motonari’s bedroom door, but Hiroyoshi was soon stepping in front of her. “If you will follow me, I believe the rest of your family is in the garden.” He told her. “I believe we can let Lady Mouri rest.”

Misa nodded. “Alright.” She agreed, following Hiroyoshi out to the garden.

As Motonari and Nobunaga walked towards the council room, Nobunaga couldn’t help but to notice that Motonari was carrying Hana. “You intend to bring your daughter to the council?” Nobunaga asked.

“Yeah, ya got a problem with it?” Motonari asked.

“No.” Nobunaga answered simply.

The pair soon arrived in the council room and everyone else was shortly arriving afterwards. Everyone was taking note that Motonari held Hana in his arms. “What in the world?” Hideyoshi asked.

“Ava needs her rest.” Motonari said, giving him a glare.

“What’s in those funny looking bottles?” Masamune asked.

“Milk.” Motonari answered. “Ava’s friends brought this contraption she can use to put it in a bottle.”

“Interesting.” Mitsuhide mused.

“Now if yer all done askin’ ‘bout this shit, let’s get down to business.” Motonari said. “I know damn well Hiroto didn’t need me ta do anything fer him. He was hired by someone.”

“It does seem rather odd that another pirate would think there was something he needed you for.” Mitsuhide agreed.

“More than likely some scheming snake who wants to break the alliance.” Hideyoshi said.

“Are we going to have another battle?” Kenshin asked. “That last one wasn’t enough. My blade cries for more blood.”

“And people call me a luoco.” Motonari muttered. “We gotta figure out who and what we’re up against first.”

It was then that the doors to the council room slid open and everyone was surprised to see Shingen and Sasuke walking in the room. Shingen once looking a whole hell of a lot better than he had when Motonari had last seen him. He looked like the picture of health in fact.

“Did someone say something about needing information?” Shingen asked, a smile on his face. “I hope we haven’t missed too much.”

“I didn’t think ya’d be back yet.” Motonari said.

“I haven’t figured out the time dilation exactly.” Sasuke answered. “We arrived just a couple of days ago. We were in the future for about three months.”

“You were only gone here for a few weeks.” Motonari replied.

“Interesting.” Shingen replied.

“Lord Shingen.” Yukimura said, clearly trying not to choke up on emotion. “You’re back…and you’re cured?”

Shingen nodded as he moved to take a seat. He smiled at his vassal. “Yes.”

Just then Hana started to fuss in Motonari’s arms. Motonari began to rock her gently in his arms, patting her gently on her little bum. “Shh, minha florzinha.” He spoke softly to her.

Hideyoshi blinked as he watched the scene. Still in disbelief that Motonari seemed to be taking to fatherhood so well.

“So, Ava had the baby?” Sasuke asked.

“Nah, I’m takin’ in strays.” Motonari answered once Hana had calmed down. “Yeah, four days ago.”

“It was a rather eventful night.” Mitsuhide added.

“Where is our beautiful goddess?” Shingen asked as he took a seat.

“Restin’.” Motonari answered.

“So, what all did we miss?” Sasuke asked.

Motonari and the others quickly filled them in on the situation. Shingen was nodding along. “There’s definitely someone who wants to break the alliance.” He agreed. “Probably someone wanting to take the power for themselves…perhaps a daimyo who does not enjoy their subjugation.”

“Or something else entirely.” Mitsuhide spoke.

There was much more discussion of what to do. It was soon decided that Mitsuhide would be visiting Hiroto in the dungeons, dragging out any and all information from him he could. Shingen would be sending out word through his spy network to investigate any leads and try to find Akari, since she and a good chunk of Hiroto’s crew had managed to escape.

Once the course of action had been decided, the council ended, but everyone was sticking around for a bit. Shingen and Sasuke were looking over at Motonari. “We do have one other complication that happened on our way back.” Sasuke said.

“What kinda complication?” Motonari asked.

“One that you’re either going to love or really hate.” Sasuke answered.

“I know I am looking forward to see how this turns out.” Shingen spoke up, an amused smile on his face.

“I think Ava won’t be too happy with it.” Sasuke said.

“Will ya just get it over with?” Motonari asked.

“Yes, please quit dragging out the suspense.” Mitsuhide said.

Sasuke nodded and then got up, leaving the hall. He returned a few moments later two figures following him. Motonari’s face broke out into a wicked grin as he saw the familiar faces. “Well, well look what the ninja dragged in.” He said. “This just might be fun.”

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amjustagirl · 4 years ago

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Chapters: one. ~ two. ~ three. ~ four. ~ five. ~ six. ~ seven.

Wordcount: 2.3k

Summary:

Akaashi Keiji catches glimpses of another life in his dream.He dreams of fields of endless gold, of constellation of stars that light up the night sky. He hears echoes of the birdsong in her laugher, the songs to the gods in the wind.

(Loosely inspired by Kimi No Nawa)

Masterlist link here

AO3 link here

Author’s note: This fic is a little different from my usual work, so I’m a little nervous about publishing it. If you do like it, would love if you leave a comment / reblog / anything!

If you’d like to be included in the taglist, do drop me a msg/ask!

‘It’s for my mother’s birthday’, Akaashi says, and the florist tilts her head in thought, a dimple appearing on her right cheek.

‘What about pink carnations? They’re pretty and well within your budget’.

‘Good choice – plus it means that I’ll never forget her’ he says, nodding in approval and she bustles around to gather her materials, fingers nimbly twining tissue and ribbons around the blooms.

‘Oh - ’, he begins to say in surprise when he notices she’s included a bunch of baby’s breath in the little bouquet, because a university student’s budget only stretches that much.

‘Don’t worry, it’s on the house’, she hastily reassures him, her curly hair bouncing as she shakes her head. ‘I just thought it’s sweet you’re buying flowers for your mother.

‘Thanks.’ He smiles at her. She grins back and promptly trips over her own feet as she hands the bouquet over to him. ‘Watch out’, he calls, reaching over the counter to grab her elbow in an attempt to steady her.

‘Sorry! That’s so clumsy of me. Um – I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time, but would you like to grab coffee with me someday?’ she asks, cheeks flushing as pink as the flowers in his arms.

‘Oh’, he says, dumbstruck. ‘I – uh’

She must read the hesitation in his face because she shakes her head self-deprecatingly, saving him from floundering awkwardly. ‘Sorry! I don’t know what came over me – please forget I ever said that!’ Then she bows and ushers him out of the store, waves away his apologies with a laugh and calls after him to ‘please come again!’

His mother fusses over him when he presents his bouquet of carnations to her, bending down to press a kiss to her cheek. ‘Why does it look like university is treating you so badly?

‘I’m fine, mum’, he tries to distract her with a hug, but she’s having none of that.

‘Are you really, Keiji?’, his mother asks, lips pursed. ‘I know my son well enough to know he’s not sleeping well’.

‘I try’, he offers, but he knows his excuse falls flat when she sniffs. He’s so irredeemably busy with school work and internship that sleep is practically the last item on his list of priorities and things to do and tasks at hand, but he knows if he breathes a word about the amount of work on his plate, his mother would nag him relentlessly until she’s convinced he’s taking care of himself again

So honed by years of dealing with Bokuto-san, he switches tactics to diversion. ‘So mum, tell me how auntie managed to talk Yuji-kun into going on blind dates?’ His mum brightens and immediately turns her mind to her favourite nephew’s dismal love life.

But his mother insists on him staying over that night, so he finds himself staring at the ceiling of his old bedroom, in a bed that suddenly feels too small for the worries that adulthood is cramming into his head. He’s patient, counting the spaces between his breaths but sleep eludes him and he sits up, determined to sneak in more work at the very least.

He tucks a pencil behind his ear, ready to get cracking on his thesis when he tilts his seat too far on the back two legs of his chair and loses his balance, falling onto the floor with a thump. ‘Damnit’, he curses quietly, hoping the noise doesn’t startle his mother awake, but from his vantage point on the floor, he can see the omamori he inexplicably refused to throw away on New Year’s Day hanging on the bars of his windowsill.

‘What are you doing here’, he mutters, untying the charm and running his thumb along its fraying seams. The charm obviously does not respond - it’s an inanimate object after all, but for some reason, he slips it in his pocket when he returns to the dorm when morning comes.

The frequency of his dreams starts to increase.

He’s back in her body, curled up under a pine tree on a cool autumn day.

‘I can’t believe you convinced me to spend an afternoon running around like a forest nymph when we could be studying to ace your exams’. There is a tinge of disdain in his words because he knows her grades are better than decent, though they’d be better if only she’d spend more time on her books instead of flower fields.

‘Aww, a nymph? Someone’s feeling extra poetic today’, she teases lightly.

‘Don’t try distracting me from the fact that you really should be studying’, he insists, displeased.

‘I do study’ she protests, but he hums disbelievingly, the spectre of Waseda’s devilishly difficult entrance exam looming in his mind.

‘Not enough to get into a decent university at this rate.’

‘I don’t want to go to university, Keiji, I’ve tried telling you this before’, she sighs.

‘You don’t?’

‘Nope’ she responds, popping the word in her mouth. ‘I just want to sell flowers to people someday, is that so bad? It’s simple - they make people happy, and that makes me happy in turn. If we only have a lifetime to spend on this earth, shouldn’t we pursue what truly brings us joy instead of dreams others impose on us?’

‘ I suppose that makes sense’, he says, sounding vaguely convinced.

‘Course it does’, she responds easily, a smile flickering in her voice. ‘I always make sense. Now. Let’s not squabble, it’s my turn to tell you a story today’.

So he listens, enthralled despite himself, as she spins tales of the Kodama, tree spirits dwelling in the ancient forest, how her mother taught her to always offer a prayer to the gods before chopping down a tree - and if the tree bleeds, to back away because it means it has a Kodama living, breathing within it.

‘Are they real?’ he asks her, when she finishes a tale of a Kodama who assumed human form after falling in love with a maiden blessed with cherry blossoms in her cheeks.

‘Of course they are’ she laughs. ‘If you close your eyes and listen carefully, you can hear them sing. ’

He closes his eyes, but the forest remains eerily still. ‘ I don’t hear anything, ’ he says, disbelief colouring his tone.

‘Maybe it’s because they know you don’t really believe in them yet.’

He wakes up with the scent of pine in his nose, the lingering touch of grass against the soles of his feet.

‘Electricity is a fickle beast in this household, so the first thing you need to do when you come home is to light the fire in the irori. Even Toya-chan knows how to do that, and he’s eight!’

He stares balefully at the sunken hearth lined with stone and filled with ash, situated right in the center of the old house. ‘This is a fire hazard’, he tells her stubbornly.

‘Fire is life, you spoilt city boy! It only becomes dangerous if you don’t respect it. Now come on, or you’ll end up freezing to death and I won’t be able to save you. I always keep a lighter in my pocket and in the store room there’s coal and if really necessary, some petrol I flinched from the petrol station – ‘

‘You better make sure the teachers don’t find your lighter and think you’ve been smoking – ‘ he interjects and she continues as if she doesn’t hear him.

‘So you light the fire and hang the kettle from the iron hook, and voila! You can cook porridge or soup if electricity runs out and you can’t rely on the rice cooker or stove. And when the night is too cold to sleep in your room, you can drag your futon out here for warmth. It’s kinda nice, almost like camping. Now, let’s see you try lighting a fire yourself!’

Her fingers are thin and nimble, but they’re unfamiliar implements to him, so he fumbles with arranging the coal and scrap paper around damp wood. He has to resort to using a drip of petrol to coax the damp wood to ignite in flames but he counts it as a triumph anyway as fire dances in the sunken hearth.

He can hear her cheer – ‘Congrats city boy!’ Ignoring the implied insult in her words, he smiles.

He’s back in her skin again when her voice echoes in his mind.

‘Y’know you’re not gonna be able to learn how to put on a bra if you don’t open your eyes when doing it right?’ she says, amusement ripe in her voice. ‘Every girl has tits, Keiji . If it makes you feel better, I’ve seen your dick ’.

‘What?’ he yelps, eyes still stubbornly closed.

‘How else was I supposed to use the urinals? Goodness, being a guy is so convenient when it comes to peeing, you just point and shoot - ’

‘Right, that’s too much information, thanks’, he huffs.

‘Well, you’re gonna make me late for school if you don’t open your eyes’’, she sing songs, and he knows she’s banking on his reverence for punctuality and perfect attendance records to get him to look in the mirror, but he’s not sure it outweighs his mother’s lessons of being a gentleman.

‘Keiji-kun ’, she says again, amused. ‘I do appreciate that you’re trying to protect my modesty, but those rules don’t really apply when we’re in a situation like this, you know? If it makes you feel better, I give you explicit permission to look at my breasts when strictly necessary.’

‘Can you not say it like that’, he grouses before cracking an eye open, somewhat persuaded, and somehow manages to snap the tiny hooks in place. ‘Bras are like torture devices’.

‘Don’t I know it’, she chuckles. ‘Be glad you only have to put up with it every once in a while’.

He snorts, more comfortable once some semblance of her modesty is secured. ‘I’ll count my blessings then’. Twisting at the waist to zip up her skirt, his breath catches at a glimpse of freckles on her back in the mirror. He forgets he’s still standing in front of the mirror as his fingers idly ghost over the constellation, a spray of stardust on bare skin.

‘Keiji ?’ she asks, confused.

‘Sorry!’, he startles. ‘It’s just - I never noticed you had freckles on your back before.’

‘Yes - I’m aware I have them, and?’, she replies archly, and the irony that she’s completely fine with him staring at her breasts but not her back does not elude him, but he holds his tongue.

‘They’re arranged in my favourite constellation’, he tells her honestly and he’s relived to hear her chuckle again.

‘I’ll show you the real thing next time’, she promises, before switching seamlessly to berate him - ‘And you can stop staring at my back now, we’re gonna be late for school! ’

The next day is spent wondering if he’s a creep for dreaming about half naked sixteen year old girls – even if there’s nothing remotely sexual about his dream.

He sees her run through the woods like a fawn discovering spring for the first time, watches her come to a stop at an open clearing framed by trees. There is a shrine in the center of the clearing, cracked and covered in moss, but she approaches it reverently, dropping to her knees.

‘There is old magic in this shrine’, she whispers, brushing leaves and branches away before laying her omamori down at the altar. ‘ Do you remember the wish you made? ’

‘I wished for more time - I got greedy and asked for yesterday to come again ’, he answers, voice hushed.

‘And I wished for the exact opposite. I got impatient and asked tomorrow to arrive, as fast as it can ’, she replies, tilting her face up to the sun.

‘I suppose that’s what happened ’, he says. ‘Our wishes got tangled up, and our bodies and souls got thrown through time and space’.

‘Hm. Do you think we have souls, Keiji? ’ she asks him.

‘Yes ’, he says, sounding perplexed. ‘What else would we be swapping?’

‘What colour d’you think your soul is? ’ It’s a strange question, but he’s used to anticipating the unexpected from her.

‘Blue. It reminds me of the summer sky ’, he replies.

‘Fitting’, she laughs with a cheeky grin on her face. ‘Since the sky is a star’s domain’.

‘What about you’, he asks, so accustomed to ignoring her teasing about Bokuto-san. ‘What colour do you think your soul is?’

‘Yellow, I hope ’, she says dreamily. ‘It’s warmth and life - like flames lighting up wintry nights, or daffodils on the first day of spring’ .

He wonders if it’s a coincidence that the strange dreams hit him in full force right after he brings back the omamori.

But Kenma’s right, he’s become strangely addicted to the narrative his dreams are showing him. It’s like the books he snuck under the covers at night, emerging bleary eyed in the morning because he was intent on seeing the story end. And if he’s being completely honest with himself, it makes him feel like that he - quiet, bookish Akaashi Keiji is the protagonist in the Ghibli movies that Bokuto-san makes him watch, so he doesn’t put up a fight against the dreams that re-invade his sleep.

Taglist:

@1tooru @kageyamakock @animeflower26 @underrated-fruit-tarts-official @bongofrito

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a-very-fond-farewell · 5 years ago

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The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 15/? Kimi no Na Wa AU: “Seamless” [ok I changed stuff bc I’m well on my way to thirty and teenage love is fun and fresh until you realize you could technically be a parent yourself and then it’s all downhill from there. so the characters are adults, sorry about that] [title comes from (what I understand to be) a way of saying that goes “a goddess’s robe is seamless” which (supposedly) should mean a great plan coming together –which reminded me of fate and time and the whole underlying plot of the movie– or something perfect/the product of perfect craftsmanship. I was looking for info about weaving procedures and I stumbled across this:

From Wikipedia, under “Loom” “In Tang Dynasty, China, the goddess weaver floated down on a shaft of moonlight with her two attendants. She showed the upright court official Guo Han in his garden that a goddess's robe is seamless, for it is woven without the use of needle and thread, entirely on the loom. The phrase "a goddess's robe is seamless" passed into an idiom to express perfect workmanship. This idiom is also used to mean a perfect, comprehensive plan.”

There’s also reference to the legend of Vega and Altair, which is what the Japanese festival tanabata is based on. And my creative juices gave me a sugar high so...yeah] * No matter how isolated Gusu is known to be, preparations for the upcoming July festival attract people from all over the country. Time has relentlessly transformed what used to be a secluded and safe place for people to meditate in into a tourist location known for its cold springs and breathtaking sceneries. Yet, Lan Zhan wonders what cities and stories could possibly hide behind those mountains he has known for all his life.

Managing the temple of the goddess along with his older brother and uncle should bring him joy, but deep down he knows he’s still living beside them more out of obligation than anything else. Lan Huan himself feels trapped behind the usual mask of politeness and fake smiles, his heart still bleeding for the loss of his two precious friends in the span of five years. Their uncle Lan QiRen well may have taken them in when they were mere children, stepping in to take care of them in place of their mourning father after losing his wife... but Lan Zhan knows his brother doesn’t want to disappoint their elder in any way.

Falling in love not once, but two times in a lifetime should not be frowned upon... but Lan QiRen couldn’t stomach the idea of one of his nephews falling for a man the first time, let alone the second. Just having said goodbye to Nie MingJue when they were mere teenagers after their uncle had prohibited him from meeting with his nephew, Lan Huan thought he could have another chance at happiness with Meng Yao in his twenties... just for the other man to fall ill and move country to look after himself. Ever since, Lan Huan has stopped believing in ever being able to find happiness for himself and decided to accept his fate and manage the temple like their uncle did for most of his life.

The idea of celibacy doesn’t sit well with Lan Zhan, not for himself and certainly not for his heartbroken brother, but life outside Gusu seems so far away and unapproachable. Without them the ancient tradition of working the loom to create seamless robes would perish and most of the profits from the temple would fall dry if not for their hard work. Their mother used to be a seamstress herself, teaching them how to weave without breaking the delicate thread, setting the rhythm of their hearts with her feet moving on the pedals as they watched her work her magic day after day. Their robes are still valued for their absolute perfection, even if nowadays they’re bound to be bought not by emperors or kings, but by celebrities and politicians who just want to boast their ego in front of cameras and flashing lights. The set Lan Zhan himself has been working on will take another three months to finish and on top of that he uses his spare time to make the ribbons they sell at the local gift shop while his brother prepares the traditional talismans by hand, his calligraphy as delicate as the products of their weaving.

As the nights of the local festival approach and they practice the rituals in full traditional gear more to appease the tourists than anything else, Lan Zhan feels getting more and more tired the longer he wears the long wig and the heavy robes himself, wishing his heart could stop being so ungrateful for the life he was entrusted with. But the news of a comet quickly approaching them brings the promise of change as Lan Zhan looks up at the sky and wishes he was born in a different body. Just for once. Just to live at least once in that existence of his.

[more under the cut]

Wei Ying is in university (engineering major), living with his brother Jiang Cheng (marine biology major) in their sister’s tiny ass apartment. They keep her company while she waits for baby Jin Ling to be born, ZiXuan working day and night in the hospital fresh out of med school to get their family a bigger house. Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng moved in from the tiny Yunmeng and secretly hate the big city life, but their studies come first and they didn’t want to leave YanLi alone while pregnant. Their parents are still working in the countryside and couldn’t properly care for her, living so far away in Lanling.

Wei Ying works part time in a bar and the usual routine is so rooted in his system that he doesn’t even care anymore. Study, eat, work, sleep. Rinse and repeat. He would like to think his brother has it easier than him, but he’s even more elusive than him, studying in the library until his night shift in an art gallery as a guard. The poor guy doesn’t even sleep, let alone have a social life. Spring has just begun and YanLi still has a trimester to go, her spirits low even if she loves her child very much already. Keeping her company and helping her leading a normal life is their priority as her brothers, but sometimes Wei Ying wishes things were easier.

He doesn’t really want to become an engineer, or, at least... he used to want that. But he’s more interested in actually making stuff instead of taking a hundred calculus classes per semester. He wishes he could enjoy his studies more and maybe get a girlfriend or boyfriend to pass the time, not that he believes in romance or anything. Commitment sounds scary.

One day he wakes up and... nah, he’s still dreaming. The ceiling is wrong, he doesn’t live in an old traditional cottage with a view on... wtf is that a mountain? Fuck that he doesn’t have time to waste, he has a test today. Studied hard enough last night he fell asleep on the desk... better start getting ready.

So he goes to the bathroom and showers, too tired to even open his eyes. But the shampoo smells all wrong, what even is sandalwood? And he doesn’t like mint toothpaste. And why are his clothes a size bigger? He doesn’t even own a button down, what in the...?

Who the fuck is that in the mirror??!?

On the other hand, Lan Zhan wakes up on a desk, drool on the books, late for a test an angry stranger reminds him he has to take in half an hour at best. He is presented with a soup his body mechanically ingests out of habit as he tries to politely nod to whatever the kind woman in front of him is saying. (“You look sick, are you really okay?” / “A-Jie stop babying him” / “But I’ve never seen him so... quiet?” / “He’s probably pretending so that he can skip his test.”) But if he really has given his word for such a commitment... maybe he should just go.

Still, he doesn’t remember going to any university. That may be a problem.

His body feels different, but he never paid attention to his reflection. They don’t even own mirrors back at home anyway. He doesn’t remember his hair reaching well over his ears and under his jaw. Should he consider asking his brother to cut it for him? It feels greasy, should he fix it or?

As he tucks a strand behind his ear he realizes something is terribly wrong. From the tip of his nose to the width of his shoulders, from the clothes he put on without even thinking. The window of the shop under the apartment he’s just left shows him a stranger that he cannot recognizes for the life of his.

And now some funny stuff:

(If you are not familiar with the movie, go watch it. But if you are you should be fine with the following list so... enjoy)

Jiang Cheng loves dogs, but Wei Ying is allergic and they cannot get a puppy... so he de-stresses at a local dog café whenever he can. Wen Qing works there even if she’s a cat person and comments on how he’s secretly planning to murder her so he can get her job. They’re good friends and dated for a while before Wen Qing understood her lesbianism was stronger and Jiang Cheng’s chaotic bisexuality was leaning more on the boy section of the partner store anyway. They bitch about everything and everyone anyway.

Lan Zhan (in Wei Ying’s body) manages to arrive in university and take the test, getting perfect scores even if Wei Ying’s never got such a high mark. For the rest of the day he roams Lanling in awe, believing it’s just a very nice dream. He also discovers the existence of pet bunnies in a pet store and his life changes.

Wei Ying (in Lan Zhan’s body) is a mess. Lan Huan immediately notices something is wrong, but he hasn’t really smiled in several months and whatever is happening to WangJi is extremely entertaining to him. He sees him skipping the morning prayers right in front of Lan QiRen’s salad (so to speak) and he doesn’t seem to remember the existence of their uncle’s punishing bamboo stick.

He also clearly never used a loom in his life, but luckily Lan QiRen is too busy to notice as he welcomes tourists in the temple and explains them the history behind it. Lan Huan takes “Lan Zhan” out for a stroll and they sit down as Lan QiRen’s mellow voice explains the legend of the weaver goddess and the importance of the artisanal work they still keep practicing to this day. Transfixed, “Lan Zhan” smiles big at his brother and Lan Huan knows for sure this is not his WangJi at all.

Wen Qing finds “Wei Ying” petting bunnies in the shop where her current girlfriend MianMian works and notices how... awfully quiet he is. She thinks he bombed the math test and might be sad, but he doesn’t seem to recognize her when she waves her hand at him. She then reminds him he should be getting ready for work and he blanches at the idea. Eventually asking her “where he’s supposed to depart for” and honest to the gods Wen Qing ends up convincing herself he’s high as fuck.

Imagine “Lan Zhan” being reprimanded by Lan QiRen for -gods forbid- laughing too loud? Asking for a beer at the local tea house? Saying out loud that he craves meat when he’s vegetarian? That’s just a dream for poor Wei Ying, whatever! He’s having a great time and Lan Huan is this close to lose it when they practice the traditional rites together and “Lan Zhan” doesn’t know how to put the long wig on anymore.

Now imagine “Wei Ying” not knowing how to use a shaker at work, or how to make a martini, or the fact that he and a boy named Wen Ning are actually coworkers and not strangers. He goes back home at 3am with the feeling he has forgotten something important, but when he finally (finally) finds his apartment he falls asleep on the doorway. Too drained by the city life to even change out of his uniform.

Next day there’s no switch: Wei Ying wakes up in his body by the doorway, with Jiang Cheng coming back from his night shift and panicking hard; Lan Zhan wakes up in his bed but he’s somewhat grounded at 20 for... drinking beer?

Technical stuff now!

Lan Zhan lives in 2010 and he is 20, Wei Ying lives in 2015 and he is 20.

It’s LXC who suggest his brother to keep a diary for his dreams if they get too crazy (later on it will be revealed something shocking about LXC, but for now the journaling is just a “suggestion”)

WWX and LWJ switch every other night or so, and things change when WWX wakes up in LWJ’s body and finds the diary.

They keep in touch with diaries [bc I don’t think LWJ would have a phone like...ever, but I digress]

WWX notices the two Jades of Gusu are kept outside of their peers’ circles because other people think their family is weird: they still use courtesy names; they don’t eat meat; most of their relatives are believed to have died in celibacy without actually being monks themselves; they don’t drink alcohol and are deemed unsociable... and so on.

But it’s when he overhears people bashing LXC for “his past with several boys” and for “running away from society like his father” that WWX (in LWJ’s body) actually loses it and starts a fistfight right then and there until those losers stop muttering behind their backs.

In the meantime, ZiXuan comes back home to surprise YanLi... and LWJ is there (in WWX’s body) and the younger man almost doesn’t let him enter bc he doesn’t know who this strange man is and what does he want from Jiang Cheng’s sister?

LWJ also follows JC to his night shift one day bc he’s never seen an art gallery (but apparently WWX often trails behind his younger step brother anyway, so JC doesn’t notice anything weird... aside from how quiet the other is)

JC then takes that opportunity to ask his brother (while LWJ inhabits said body) if... if he’s depressed and needs help [“Wen Qing saw you petting bunnies too many times for you to be ‘just fine’. You can talk to me.” / “it’s fine.” / “fuck that you’re not fine. Stop lying to me.” / “it’s just a transitional time for me, it will pass” / “who taught you such big words, what the fuck”] and then JC begrudgingly tells his brother than he loves him and doesn’t want him to be sad.

The next day WWX is back in his body and finds written down: “your brother tells me he loves you and that you should take better care of yourself” and WWX clowns the fuck out of JC the following day and JC is like “noPe. You’re fucking fine. Whatever, your fucking with me. You’re always fucking with me. Stupid of me to fucking care, gods forbid.”

LWJ starts developing feeling when he learns WWX defended Lan Huan + LWJ goes every night he can to the art gallery when he doesn’t have to work at the bar and learns there’s an entire section of the gallery dedicated to Gusu + but he doesn’t want to think about home for now, avoiding the exhibit, and so he learns more about JC and starts to think he would have lots of things to talk about with LXC.

Lan QiRen takes his nephews to their annual purification trip to Burial Mounds, to a cave hidden on the mountain where it is said the goddess met with her lover for the first time in the past. They leave their offerings and change the ropes securing the entrance of the cave with sturdier ones, which they have made themselves prior that year. It is said that whoever enters the cave will be granted a wish, so it’s responsibly of the Lan family to keep everyone else out until the lover of the goddess returns to be granted the wish to reunite with her. It’s a privilege the goddess has left for him to enjoy and no mortal should dare take that from him. Only those who wear the sacred headband of the Lan family can enter without being cast out of the cave and be forced to leave by the spirits.

WWX falls in love with LWJ a bit everyday: the little gifts and notes he finds on his desk for WWX to open and read every morning; the beautiful drawings LWJ makes of the mountains; the care he put in the white robes that should adorn a deity and not common human beings.

crushed with longing for WWX, LWJ wishes to meet with him one day (the real him) and so he runs away from Gusu on train and reaches Lanling and searches for him at the university. But he’s not there. He looks everywhere for him, but doesn’t find him. Until he stumbles into YanLi and it’s almost like there’s a wall between them: shocked, LWJ recognizes YanLi even if he knows she has never actually met him in real life; but the worst thing is that... she’s not pregnant. She’s not even at home as she usually is, but going to university herself and it doesn’t even seem like she’s even in a relationship with ZiXuan yet: the two of them not even sparing a glance to one another in the university corridors.

LWJ finds his words at long last, asking YanLi if her brother Wei Ying is well. She beams at him at first, elated to see her brother actually has friends outside of the family... “but you look around my age, right? What business do you have being friends with a fifteen year old boy anyway?”

Shocked, the last thing LWJ can do before leaving her alone is to give her a ribbon he made himself, the one that represents his heart. “I just know him by chance, he... he helped my brother once. I was wondering how to repay his kindness so I made this for him. Can you give it to him?”

That evening he goes back to Gusu and he prepares for the festival knowing the comet is coming. The last thing he wishes is to forget about Wei Ying, because -having realized there’s a discrepancy in timelines and that he has interacted with someone from the future for months now- he cannot possibly justify having developed feelings for a minor.

There are no more switches and WWX is left wondering what happened.

Now the sad part:

Under the weather for what happened, WWX follows JC around a lot and he even adopts a couple of bunnies to cope. YanLi is closer and closer to the due date and gets restless, forcing her brothers to clean up the entire apartment with her until everything sparkles for the baby’s arrival. They dig out an old box with all of YanLi’s stuff from university and LWJ’s ribbon appears out of nowhere. WWX immediately recognizes it for what it is.

[“I’m sorry A-Ying, I was supposed to give you this back then, but I forgot.” / “What are you taking about... why do you have a Gusu’s ribbon with you?” / “Ah, was your acquaintance from up there? He said you helped his brother once, or something like that... and he wanted to thank you. I’m really sorry.” / “How long ago was that A-Jie?” / “Five years or so? I think?”]

To this JC startles, saying that’s awfully weird, considering what happened to Gusu exactly five years prior. To which WWX is like ?pardon? and then JC takes them to the art gallery to the traditional art section, where the exhibit on Gusu is: there, WWX finally remembers how a relatively small rock has detached itself from the comet and destroyed Gusu in 2010 on the final day of the July festival.

On a display there, the siblings find one of the few things spared by the fire: an unfinished set of robes weaved with the precious heavenly silk, which was said to be made from the stars themselves.

Wei Ying cries all of his tears, neither JC or YanLi can console him and the only thing they come up with is that -maybe- their brother felt bad for forgetting to cherish a friendship... but they don’t remember if he had reacted so badly five years ago when the news of the fire at Gusu broke.

In the middle of the night, with the ribbon secured around his wrist, Wei Ying runs away and takes a train to Gusu. There are no more direct lines and he has to hike all the way up there... just to see a lake where the town was supposed to be. The crater so big it swallowed the ground where half of the city used to be.

Desperate, he wanders the mountains without knowing where to go, until his feet take him to the secluded path Uncle QiRen took him once. He follows it, noticing the same ribbons knotted around the trees he saw the first time he walked there. He follows the path and reaches the cave.

Inside, nothing happens. The talismans are still there, but -as he imagined (*eyeroll emoji*)- there’s no actual magic preventing him from entering. So he jumps over the white ropes made of ribbons and silk and gets inside the cave of Burial Mounds. He takes shelter there from the storm outside and thinks of Lan Zhan, of how much he misses him. And then he cries thinking about him and his brother and their uncle and the entire Gusu: because none of them deserved to die. And he wishes he can rewind time and save them all.

He faints in the cave and his wish is granted.

Now for the good part!

He wakes up in LWJ’s body (in 2010), the day after the boy’s impromptu trip to Lanling, the last day of the July festival. He gets to work as soon as he goes downstairs, determination painting his (well, LWJ’s) features to the point Lan Huan notices... and he has to say something.

While they ate breakfast, out of Lan QiRen’s sight, Lan Huan sits his “brother” down and tells him something unexpected: that he used to switch bodies with not one but with two people at the same time, NMJ and JGY.

That he managed to finally meet NMJ in their teens when the older boy came to Gusu for a school trip... but he didn’t want to leave bc he had finally found LXC and didn’t want to part ways. Lan QiRen put end to the older boy’s silly antics and the two friends agreed to meet in secret, before Lan Huan put a end to the relationship for fear of displeasing his uncle. The three friends kept switching bodies until one day they stopped.

Then Meng Yao came to find him and told him he had discovered the truth of what happened: that NMJ had a car accident and lost most of his memories of their years as friends and that now was living somewhere else with the woman he fell in love with. Meng Yao himself tried to live in Gusu for a few years afterwards, regardless of his poor health, eventually deciding to not make Lan Huan worry and disappeared without a word to take care of himself (or to die far away enough so that Lan Huan didn’t have to see him at his worst).

Lan Huan said that it took him years to remember their names and that he was able to finally utter them in front of his brother only the previous year, at the last July festival. He also reveals WWX that trying to remember something so simple caused him great pain, to the point he believed he could let himself die that way, starving himself from human connection.

Impressed and sorrowful, WWX cries for him and wishes things were different for Lan Huan, who’s only 23 and yet had suffered more than anyone else. But Lan Huan is content with what he has, even if he feels guilty for being the reason Meng Yao neglected his health. Yet he’s happy for NMJ and doesn’t regret befriending them at all.

With his help, WWX alerts people in Gusu: LXC finally standing up for himself against their uncle in order to gain his respect and convince him of the emergency at hand.

On the other hand, LWJ wakes up in the cave in WWX’s body (in 2015) and doesn’t know why he’s there. Yet he knows the way out and travels back following the ribbons... but when he reaches Gusu he sees there’s only a crater filled with water and doesn’t know what to do. He knows of the time discrepancy between the two realities, but he doesn’t know what to think.

WWX realizes LWJ must be in his body somewhere on the Burial Mounds, from the top of which Gusu can be seen, but he doesn’t know if he would find his own body in the cave, since the year now is 2010 and WWX reached the cave by himself only in 2015. Yet something tells him to go and so he leaves for the mountain.

On top of the Burial Mounds, he doesn’t find anyone.

But Lan Zhan is there, on the other side of the veil between present and future.

And as the light of the sun fades away and dusk approaches, Wei Ying enters his body and Lan Zhan gets back inside his own. They meet for the first time and Wei Ying doesn’t know what to say, having never seen Lan Zhan’s body from outside and feeling suddenly very self conscious and uninteresting.

To which Lan Zhan responds with “are you legal?” / “what the fuck Lan Zhan.” / “I gave you my ribbon. did you receive it?” / “yes, my... my sister gave it to me like, yesterday.” / “yesterday as in... what year?” / “2015”

And then Lan Zhan kisses the hell out of him because nothing screams romanticism to him like a relationship between two contenting adults and Wei Ying gets blissed out of his pants for that single kiss on the spot. In between kisses Wei Ying tries to convince Lan Zhan to stop, that there’s something they should remember... or at least something they should not forget.

But Lan Zhan does not relent, hugging and holding Wei Ying, finally... finally keeping him close and never letting him go.

Until Wei Ying disappears and the only thing left of him is the white ribbon Lan Zhan has given him.

They forgot to write their names, so that they would not forget them like LXC has done for years.

And finally.....!

years have passed, it’s the beginning of 2020 [sans quarantine, thank you] and Wei Ying has graduated and is looking for a job. He doesn’t remember Lan Zhan.

Jiang Cheng has found a job close to the sea at the local aquarium and the only thing he talks about on the phone is “how useless his new intern is. a nobody late bloomer who discovered the mountain wasn’t for him and decided to study in the opposite direction, go figure. Gusu must have bored him alright. but the other day he reminded me mountains are actually ancient reefs and now I think I’m in love.” So all is well.

(Gusu did not fall and everyone was evacuated in time. Lan Zhan had descended the mountain and made sure his brother got his backup in convincing their uncle of the emergency. He doesn’t remember either, but he always keeps his ribbon on his wrist, feeling like he’s waiting for someone to get it back.)

On a snowy night they cross paths on a pedestrian bridge, but don’t recognize each other... until Wei Ying’s scent of lotus reaches Lan Zhan. But the other has already disappeared behind a corner of the ever busy Lanling and they miss each other once again.

The following day, when Wei Ying has just dropped Jin Ling at his kindergarten and is about to cross a road, he sees a familiar face on the other side of the street. Both of them are talking to the phone: Wei Ying to Jiang Cheng, who’s calling him from a toilet, panicking about his first date with the intern; and Lan Zhan with his brother Lan XiChen, who’s waiting for his date to come back from the bathroom in the restaurant they chose to meet at.

As they walk towards each other they sense something, but don’t stop. Until they have now reached their respective sides of the road and realize what just happened. They turn around, but there are too many cars in between them.

They look for a way to meet and run towards a pedestrian bridge right above the road. They make the steps two at a time until they’re out of breath on top and stare at each other after so long. Wei Ying has lived for five years feeling like half of him was missing, but Lan Zhan had spent twice as long waiting for something to change in his life.

(“I’m still legal, you know?” / “That’s the first thing you decide to tell me after ten years? Really?” / “you thought it was romantic last time” / “what’s that supposed to mean?” / “that you should kiss me right the fuck now, you big oaf.”)

They meet in the middle of the bridge and kiss.

Then, Lan Zhan tilts his head and ask “what was you name again?”, clearly amused, and waits until Wei Ying’s laughter resonates all around.

The fucking end.

Now I need a break.

#mdzs #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #cql #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: manga/anime inspired #mdzs/au: kimi no na wa

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non-writingwriter · 5 years ago

Text

writing masterpost

Masterpost for my works - which is mostly fanfiction, with one original short story that happens to be here. Since they are scattered on here and on ao3 it’s getting difficult to keep track so I thought I’d gather them all and add on as I write (　◜◡‾)

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

warmth, ~1100 words, hananene, rated G, hurt/comfort, fluff, they are in love but they don’t really know yet, also Hanako needs to be protected

The sunset streams in through the window, paints the bathroom in watercolour golds and pinks and oranges, and it's breathtaking. It must be warm – the light tinges his hand red and nothing else, and he does not cast a shadow against the door even though he's standing right in front of it. He doesn't exist. At least not in the actual sense of the word.

You shouldn't miss something you can't even remember, but Hanako does anyway.

now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white, ~6700 words, hananene, rated T, hanahaki disease, angst with a happy ending

(If you love someone in secret, or if your love is one-sided... sometimes, they say, if your bond is strong, your lungs will sprout flowers.

Aoi’s voice is clear as day in her memories, as is her mischievous grin while she tells her all about a curse, and about the way roots will pierce through your lungs and buds will crowd in your windpipe, like unspoken words of love do.)

It can’t be. But the the petals mock her with their beauty - she holds them between her fingers, careful, and they’re soft and fragile and she doesn’t know how something so delicate could ever cause her so much pain. She throws them away. It can’t be. It will pass.

Hanako brings flowers in his name. It��s only fair he’d bring them in Yashiro’s heart, too.

–

Assassination Classroom

the way you sing for me, ~1600 words, karunagi, rated E, aged up characters and light dom/sub

Karma has a problem. A really pretty, really loud problem. (It isn’t, in fact, a problem he has. It’s a problem the neighbours have that he happens to be accountable for.) Nagisa might be able to sneak up on Japan’s most feared assassins, but sure as hell he doesn’t make for a good neighbour. Karma tries to help. (More or less.)

The completely normal life of Karma Akabane, ~1200 words, karunagi, rated G, aged up characters and some fluff

Nagisa is a creature of habit - able to pull it off only because of the absolute surprise every day with him manages to be, with assassins still visiting them for dinner once a month and class reunions as often as they can. […]

Nagisa is set in his ways to the point that Karma knows from first-hand experience that very few things can stop him from starting to cook dinner at six o'clock.

–

Bungou Stray Dogs

Quiet days, ~1700 words, dazushi, rated G, getting-together-fluff and kind of a slice-of-life

They don’t get many quiet days, at the Agency. There are jobs to do and people to help and things to arrange, and they’re desperately understaffed ever since he can remember. No one has time for things like quiet. (Except sometimes they do.) […] Life at the Armed Detective Agency is dangerous and chaotic. An hectic mess, except when it’s not.

in your ears, eyes, hands, ~2200 words, dazushi, rated E, light dom/sub and rope bondage

He can’t see. The blindfold is securely tied over his eyes, plunging him in darkness he can’t breach with the tiger’s sight. Not that he actually can use it, anyway, not when Dazai makes sure to always be touching him. Sometimes, the tiger needs taming. Dazai is more than happy to provide an helping hand.

the mystery of love, ~1200 words, dazushi, rated G, everyone knows they’re dating except Atsushi

“Why does Dazai-san never come home for dinner?”, she asks, and he doesn’t really understand her point. Nor why she would ask in the first place - none of the others ever comes around for dinner, and she never seemed bothered by it.

“Neither does Kunikida, or Kenji, or Ranpo-san,” he says, trying to understand her reasons. She’s not fazed, taking another bite from the fish.

“But Kunikida-san or Kenji or Ranpo-san aren’t Dazai-san,” she replies, like it’s so completely obvious it’s not worth mentioning again.

during the storm, ~1200 words, dazushi, rated G, Dazai has nightmares even if he won’t admit it

He knows Dazai has a terrible bedhead in the mornings, he knows he likes to get up first and make breakfast for him and Kyouka even though he’s kind-of-probably still a guest, he knows he drinks definitely too much coffee, black and too strong for Atsushi to even tolerate its smell.

He knows what it feels like waking up next to someone and seeing their face still drowsy with sleep, he knows what it means to fall asleep to steady breathing close to him and an arm casually wrapped around his middle. He knows Dazai doesn’t sleep as much as he should, and he knows that he has nightmares on rainy nights.

He often has, but rainy nights are the worst. Atsushi is not about to ask why.

–

Boku no hero academia

waiting for you to come home, ~1500, tododeku, rated G, aged up and married characters, some sweet thing about the everyday life of superheroes

It’s hard to be one of the top superheroes in a city as busy and villain-ridden as Musutafu. Sure, it’s not Tokyo, but that somehow only makes it worse. […] It’s even harder to be married to one of the top superheroes in Musutafu. Or, in his case, to the top superhero of the city. Being heroes isn’t easy. Being married heroes just about doubles the difficulty.

–

Good Omens

oh, to be in love, ~400 combined, ineffable husbands, rated G, companion poems about love, fear, and patience

There are things unsaid unspeakable in the curve of his smile. - Honey fills your mouth hearing his name, as you pretend it is not spoken with hatred.

you can also find poem for the pining here and poem for the prisoner here

–

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

of courtains and betrayals, ~1000, banlin, rated G, prompt filling with everyday fluff and bickering idiots

Hitmen never die pretty deaths. Apparently, his not only won’t be pretty, but painful too. An extremely painful suicide. And all because he couldn’t tell the fundamental difference between forest green and peacock green. Or keep his mouth shut, for all that matters.

Poetic.

The Great Plan to Take Lin Xiaoming To The Gay Pride, ~1300, banlin, rated G, Lin has never heard of Pride and Banba makes sure to change that

There are things that everyone should do at least once before dying. And seen as likely as it is for a hitman to die any given day, before dying implies well before being twenty-one.

Those things include marching in a Pride - hell, knowing what a Pride is, in the first place.

It takes a while to explain it to him, and even when Banba manages, Lin doesn’t seem so enthusiastic.

Banba isn’t sure if it’s because he hates people or because he doesn’t believe him.

–

Haikyuu!!

to think of time, ~6700 words, daisuga, rated T, Major Character Death (for in-verse situation), a Kimi no na wa daisuga au

It feels like falling. Falling in a life that isn’t his own, he sees colours and shapes exploding in all the corners of is mind, filling him to the brink with love for someone he doesn’t know. (For him.) […] He sees dancing and sunlight, and broken smiles smiled in a mirror – and he feels so full of life he could burst, and he has no idea how all this can be only half of him. (He thinks that if he was ever to see him whole, Suga could blind him for good.)

–

Shingeki no Kyojin

unfolded in brilliant lights, ~4300 words, eruri, rated E, dom/sub play, multiple orgasms and sub!Erwin

He doesn’t say anything. They look at each other, instead, for a long moment filled with silence. Levi’s gaze is heavy, meaningful. Assessing him, too. It makes him restless, already helplessly pinned under it before Levi even talks. The alcohol is a faraway thought in the back of his mind, almost forgotten. He needs this, now. (It had started because he needed it. […] Sometimes, it’s just easier to let Levi take charge.

–

Yuuri!!! on Ice

tip of my tongue, ~3400 words, fem!victuuri, rated E, a birthday smut for Victor with face-sitting and happy lesbians in general

«Vika?» «Mh?» «Vika.» «Mmh?» «What do you want for your birthday?» «You сидишь на my face.» «What?» «Don’t know the thing. Verb. Like on a chair.» «To sit?» «Да, that. Sit. On my face. Now sleep, ’s so late.»

Viktoriya’s birthday is in two weeks, and Yuuri has absolutely no idea what to get her. Luckily, she’s not as hard to please as one would think.

–

Original writing

blood and roses (or caffeine challenge #26), ~1000 words, rated G, femslash, it involves supernatural girlfriends and some subtle pining mostly

«I saw you in a painting, once. You looked younger.» Serena would laugh, at that, if it was appropriate. She stops before going through with it, the girl’s eyes flashing deep black in her mind. Maybe she can get a little afraid, sometimes.

#writing #my writing #fanfiction #jibaku shounen hanako kun #haikyuu #hakata tonkotsu ramens #assassination classroom #bungou stray dogs #boku no hero academia #good omens #shingeki no kyojin #yuri!!! on ice #updated version!

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crystalracing · 6 years ago

Link

https://twitter.com/JOC__1991

Kimi Raikkonen's return to Sauber in 2019 is one of the most extraordinary stories of a busy and unpredictable Formula 1 silly season. Most observers took the view that if and when Charles Leclerc was confirmed at Ferrari, the ousted Raikkonen - who turns 39 next month - would slip away into retirement. Why would he want to take a few steps down the grid when he's spent most of his career in cars that at least had a shot of winning races? But he has never been one to conform to expectations, and instead he has taken on the challenge of helping to reboot the team where he started his F1 career back in 2001. The arrangement may have seemed a strange one at first, but the more you look into it the more it makes sense for both parties. And not just because Kimi lives so close to the Sauber factory that he's even planning to commute by bicycle... Few people know Raikkonen better than Steve Robertson, who, with his late father David, managed to persuade Peter Sauber to take a driver straight from Formula Renault to F1 all those years ago. Robertson no longer manages Raikkonen's career on a day-to-day basis - Kimi completed his own negotiations with current Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur - but he still steps in to finalise contracts. "Kimi wants to drive F1 cars, he loves it," says Robertson. "People are surprised because having driven for Ferrari for so many years most people expected him to retire, sit on his yacht, and enjoy the rest of his life. "But he loves driving F1 cars, he gets a buzz from that. Kimi loves being on the edge. If he's not doing this he wants to ride motocross - but this is the pinnacle for him. "Once we knew that it wasn't going to happen at Ferrari, he wanted to do a deal. You have to look at the situation of Sauber as well. They have some backers now - two years ago, would he have gone there when the team was hanging on? Firstly, they couldn't even have afforded him, and secondly, it was a ship that was sinking. "Now they've taken on Kimi, an A-lister in F1, a world champion, and it shows their intent, where they want to be. They could have taken a driver that brings in money. At the end of the day two parties want the same thing - he wants to help them." The idea of Raikkonen returning to Sauber first surfaced in paddock gossip during the summer, but Robertson denies that it was a real prospect at the time. There has been speculation that Ferrari brokered Raikkonen's Sauber deal - but Vasseur says that it all happened without Maranello's help "I read the stories," he says. "But I never discussed it with him, because while you had Ferrari open, you're not even going to talk about that." Vasseur confirms that the early rumours were just that, and says Raikkonen joining only became a serious possibility after Ferrari finally established on the Monza weekend - albeit not yet in public - that it was taking Leclerc. "There was absolutely no discussion at this stage, it was much more speculation in the paddock," says Vasseur. "We started discussions straight after the decision from Ferrari, and it was clear that Charles will go, and Kimi was on the market." So why Sauber? One of the key triggers was team manager Beat Zehnder, who has been with the Hinwil outfit since its Mercedes sportscar days. Back in 2001 he and Raikkonen quickly formed a bond, and they have remained close friends away from the track ever since. If Raikkonen ever wanted to know which way the wind was blowing in Hinwil, he just had to call Zehnder, someone whose word he trusted. Once the Leclerc decision became clear, things moved to the next stage. "He was in touch with Beat," says Vasseur. "But like I'm in touch with Cyril Abiteboul or some other guys in the paddock, because we've known each other for years. "But we didn't start the discussion any earlier because it was unclear for me if he would stay or not at Ferrari, and I didn't want to create a mess. Honestly, I knew perfectly that it was up to Ferrari to decide the line-up first." Inevitably, there has been speculation that Ferrari brokered the deal in some way, to make it easier for the works team to drop Raikkonen. But Vasseur says that it all happened without Maranello's help. "They were not involved at all," he insists. "I think, honestly, they are happy with the situation because they have a good relationship with Kimi - as Maurizio [Arrivabene] said, they still consider Kimi as part of the family. "They are also happy that Kimi could find something else, and that he's happy with the next project. But they were not at all involved in the discussion between us." When Vasseur and Zehnder met with Raikkonen to talk about a possible reunion, things moved very quickly due to the latter's typical no-nonsense style. "I don't want to go into details of the negotiations, but it was a very straightforward discussion," says Vasseur. "We met two times, and it was done. We had a coffee together, [I asked] 'What do you want to do?' [and he replied] 'I want to race', 'Me too, let's do it!'" Vasseur was impressed that Raikkonen's focus was not on remuneration, but on how competitive the 2019 Sauber is likely to be. "I think he got some offers much bigger than us," he says. "For sure it's an effort on our side on money, but I think it's a much bigger effort on his side. It's the best proof of the motivation. "He convinced me at the first meeting on his motivation, because he was just focussed on the good questions: 'What is the simulator position?', 'What is the relationship with Ferrari?', 'How is the team running?', 'Who will be the chief engineer?', 'Where are we with the next car?' "If Kimi is fully committed, he will understand the process, and we will fix a target together. If you enjoy achieving the target, it doesn't matter where the target is" Frederic Vasseur "He was just focused on this, the questions were just on performance. I loved the approach, and I know that if he has this kind of approach, he will be very supportive with us. "I told him we are not established, that we are restructuring - building the team - and that we need to be attractive for a sponsor, for everybody. We need a full commitment from the top to the bottom - including drivers. He told me, 'I don't want to do something if it's useless'. "He loves racing, and I think he will enjoy it like this - he will be able to spend more time with the team [and] come to the factory. The first time we talked, he said 'I can come to the workshop'. He wants to be part of the project, and this is probably much easier with us than someone else. "For us it is a huge opportunity. He's more than motivated for racing, and he showed it in the last couple of events. And on top of this, in terms of development of the company, I think it's another push." The presence of former Ferrari man Simone Resta as Sauber's technical director was another key factor, as Raikkonen knows and trusts him. "We have now been focused on next year's car for a month," says Vasseur. "The car will be fully under the responsibility of Simone. It's something that also convinced Kimi - he knows that Simone is with us, he knows that we started the 2019 car quite early, much earlier than everybody else." At Ferrari, the prospect of winning races was always there, even if it has gone unrealised for Raikkonen, but from 2019 his racing life will be all about getting Sauber into Q3 and taking points here and there. Isn't there a risk that he'll get bored with that? "I don't know where we will be next year," says Vasseur. "But I would enjoy being in the top five [in the championship] much more than to win a race. You can find the motivation where you are looking for the motivation. "For us last year, it was to do Q2, now it's to do Q3, and we are happier when we are in Q3 than Ferrari or Mercedes when they are on pole position. If he is fully committed and fully involved, he will understand the process, and we will fix the target together. And if you enjoy achieving the target, it doesn't matter where the target is." Robertson insists that Raikkonen won't become bored in 2019, because he will find new motivation in helping Sauber to grow. "Personally I don't think that will happen," he says. "Because at the end of the day he will work with the team to try and improve things. He knows realistically what he's going into. He doesn't have to do it, he does it because he feels he can help them. "You have a different mindset. I would say now that the gulf to the bigger teams has widened. If, right now, you could take seventh places for the next two years - I'd take it. Because that would be the absolute best. "You've got to be realistic as well, and he'd take pride in that - helping them grow. He realises that wins, unless it's an absolutely freaky race, are not going to happen. But in terms of development, he's got a lot to offer them. "The announcement of Kimi was a huge push in terms of marketing - we will discover the impact of the situation week after week" Frederic Vasseur "He knows it's a different role from Ferrari. Kimi's know-how, his focus on development - he can really help them to get to where they want to be in a much quicker way." Raikkonen can play a big part in the development of the team in several areas. His technical input is one of the reasons why he was valued and kept on by Ferrari for so many years, and now all that knowledge can be downloaded by Sauber. "I spoke a bit about this with Beat," says Vasseur. "And with some guys that were in the team when Kimi was there [first]. There are not many now, but everybody has the same feeling on Kimi. "He has the reputation [of] a very good technician, with very strong feedback. When you are 450 people it's more important to have this kind of guy than when you are two or three times bigger. We need to have a strong leader on the driver side. He has very strong feedback, and he's probably one of the best, or the best." Having such a respected name on board will also be massively motivating for all concerned. "The reaction in the factory was huge," adds Vasseur. "It's a huge push to consider that someone like Kimi could join the project - that he trusts the team. "It's giving you self-confidence. The guy in front of me, who is a world champion, considers that I can do a good job - so full push. I was in the design office when we issued the email internally saying that Kimi will join and the reaction was: 'Wow!'" Raikkonen will not only have an impact on the current staff members at Sauber. The team has always struggled to convince foreign engineers to move their lives to Switzerland, while its recent financial struggles - and the squad's slide down the field - didn't help. But that story is now very different. "We already had the same push when Alfa [Romeo] joined," says Vasseur. "Before this we were chasing CVs like hell, and then we received tons of CVs. I think it will be the same with Kimi. This is important, recruiting. It's not a matter of numbers, you need to find the right one. "If the paddock is convinced that we have a strong project we will receive many more CVs, and Kimi is part of the motivation. He will convince the guys in the paddock. If Kimi is able to join Sauber, he trusts the project, then everybody will do the same." There's another obvious bonus to Vasseur: "The announcement of Kimi was a huge push in terms of marketing. "We will discover the impact week after week. On the grid, he'll be one of the three world champions next year, with Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, and he has a huge impact. "We are receiving offers from every single area, from sponsors - it's a very strange feeling. I probably even underestimated the impact. I'm not a big fan of social media, but I think it's a huge thing. "Kimi [joining Sauber] was unexpected 12 months ago, but 12 months ago we were absolutely nowhere. I couldn't imagine that I would convince Kimi to join the team, but [it was] thanks to everybody in the company, because we made good improvements. I think Kimi will enjoy racing with us." "Enjoy" - that, in a word, sums up why Raikkonen is joining Sauber. "I don't want to say we are taking it easy, that's not the word, but for sure he will have less pressure with us than with Ferrari - from the media, on the marketing side," concludes Vasseur. "He will have to do this part of the job, but he will probably be able to spend more time on racing, the technical side, the relationship with the engineers."

#Kimi Raikkonen #raikkonen

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genyatta-ss · 7 years ago

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Hot Chocolate and Robot Love

from @punrat to @rawrrawrpandacakes:

~ I hope you enjoy it! I’ve never written Genji nor Zenyatta, or coffee shop AU’s for that matter, but I think it’s something small, soft and sweet like a nice chocolate. Happy Holidays! - Kimi ~

…Snow had been falling from overhead not for just minutes or hours, but for days now. The streets of the sweet smelling Japanese town had been layered over and over, time and time again now with thick piles of snow. Footprints showed stray cats and dogs walking along the sidelines, couples cooped up close against a harsh winters breeze, and most importantly a pair of oddly sharp, metal feet making their way down town, in hopes of finding something to warm up that ice-cold interior. Genji Shimada, brother only to Hanzo Shimada of the Shimada Clan- you can’t really get around Japan without hearing about them- was taking his leisurely stroll down Hanamura’s wonderful backstreets, now crowded with peoples from different walks of life, either having lived there before, or coming to see the absolutely delightful winter setting. Genji, whom usually didn’t bother with clothing found it especially hard not to really care, especially when the wind was blowing hard against his metal plates, and chilling the man beneath. He was so dressed up that, upon first glance, any normal passerby would not have been able to tell it had been the well known cyborg boy- he was brandished with a thick green scarf around his neck, an insulated black hoodie and light grey sweatpants to match. However, despite this Shimada walking with a sense of diligence, he really only had one task in mind: find some sweet, sweet hot chocolate- and if you were looking for Hot Chocolate, especially in the streets of Hanamura, there was only one place to go. For about 3 or 4 years now, Mondatta’s Tranquil Treats had been an establishment that did nothing less than rule the coffee industry. It started as a small coffee house run by a few Omnics that’d stationed themselves in Japan after a series of exploratory tracks from the Nepal mountains, but as the shop grew in popularity it had to grow in both space and staff. They expanded into making specialty tea and chocolate blends, and when a certain Zenyatta Mondatta came to the kitchen, he could make nearly any damn thing a human heart could desire, including the thing most priceless in the world- love. There was a soft jingle as the door opened, which besides having been minimally decorated with in store deals, or showing the shop’s times, brandished hand made Christmas decorations. The inside of the shop, as per usual, was warm- acting as a sort of reprieve from the harsh conditions only feet away. People sat at tables and chatted with one another, a lengthy line had piled up, and some had just come in to escape the cruel punishments of the wind. When Genji walked in, however, people turned heads- the thin slit in his mask had been glowing almost predatorily so as he let out a sigh at the sweet, sweet feeling of a warm relief. A few waved at the familiar mask, others tilted their heads in confusion or intrigue. Genji simply gave them a wave and, from behind the mask, a warm smile. It was somehow very easy to tell if the man was smiling or not. As he got in line and casually chatted up the group of friends in front of him- tourists that started asking him questions, having heard about the infamous Shimada reign- he made his way up to the counter slowly and with utmost patience. With slicked back shoulders and a surprisingly casual and relaxed posture, the cyborg that had been eyeing the menu changed it’s path of direction to the Omnic behind the counter, and as he went to order, he stopped dead in his tracks. Never, ever in Genji’s life had he seen someone so.. wonderful, absolutely captivating. I mean, sure, he’d been to Nepal on his journey to find himself, and he’d seen Omnics before absolutely everywhere but this guy? He was different. Something about the way the ports for his eyes slanted outwards and down gave him a soft, innocent appearance. The way the LED implants on his forehead emanated such a welcoming blue glow- even the way his body floated absentmindedly, bobbing up and down to the rhythm of someone’s breathing. Genji stared, and as he did he had felt a familiar warmth bubble up in his chest, and those silly butterflies began waltzing around within his stomach once more. “Excuse me, sir,” came the voice from the Omnic, Genji had been drooling over from behind his mask, “It appears you have not made your selection yet. Shall I offer you a form of recommendation based on your prior experiences here?” Even hearing his voice caused Genji to lean forward more, having made his way up against the other side of the counter, before he straightened himself up and realized probably just how stupid he looked leaning over the edge of a local coffee shop counter top. He had to get his act together, if not for his own pride that began quite quickly swelling within the confines of his real, and metallic chest. “I should be the one excusing myself,” Genji finally managed to choke out, tilting his head to the side a bit sheepishly, allowing an earnest chuckle to slip out from beneath the mask, “Where are my manners?” Genji leaned over the counter that separated him and the quite entrancing Omnic, taking the worker’s hand in his own, bringing it up to the hilt of his mask just beneath his nose, as if to signify placing a kiss on the back of his hand. This earned a soft breath of laughter from the server, whom also gained a soft pink glow to the usually turquoise orbs decorating his forehead. “Shimada, Genji Shimada.” Genji’s fingers intertwined with the Omnic’s before allowing it to slowly fall back onto the polished wood between them. “May I be so gifted as to know your name, hmm?” With a light nod of the head and a fold of the hands, the omnic spoke once again, “My name is Tekhartha Zenyatta, but please, feel free to call me only Zenyatta, as many people have found it more convenient to do such.” Zenyatta was one of the sweetest and purest people, or Omnics, that Genji ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Everything about him was perfect, from the way he spoke- just how soft his voice was- to the way he moved so slowly, with elegance, as if he was in no rush and the world would stop for him at any moment. “Zenyatta, well.. I think that, in my own humble opinion,” Genji cleared his throat, allowing himself to lean over the counter a bit further, but never enough to look creepy, “Me and you should meet up again, sometime, hmm?” “Well, if you have intentions of meeting with me again, I would be happy to print out a list of my work hours, and deliver it to you personally upon your next visi-” Genji cut Zenyatta off with a shake of his head and a small burst of laughter - that laughter also earned a light pink glow, which represented the Omnic’s own form of blush, to roll from between the small holes in his forehead. “I meant off of work hours, so that me and you could get to, well, know each other a bit better. How about after your job here is done, I will take you into the city and show you a fantastic night?” The mixture of what was almost a seductive tone coming from the cyborg ninja, and the honest to god good intentions mingling in his voice made it an opportunity that one could deny- if they were flat out stupid. So many people would kill to spend a night with Genji in any way, and here he was offering himself up to a worker, an Omnic from Nepal, in front of everyone. It wasn’t peer pressure, because honestly- Genji expected a sort of turn down. He hardly hit on people anymore, as his days of being a “player” had well gone and passed, but when he did make a move on someone as far and few between as it was, it was always just as genuine as the feelings he held within his heart. “If it is a date that you are trying to ask me on, Mr. Shimada..” Zenyatta started, and Genji let out a soft sigh in acceptance. He was ready to back off, order his drink and wander the cold, snowy streets wondering what he did wrong. “..Then I would be happy to take your hand later tonight, and to explore what you may call a ‘fantastic night’ in the nearest city.” Genji, in some form of purse shock, stopped in his tracks, letting out a soft and surprised ..Eh? . The glow of his visor became an extravagant shade of green, his shoulders perked up, and from behind the metal did his eyes widen. “..For real? Well, then, Zen- if I may call you that -I’ll pick you up at 8 sharp, Make sure you dress warm, it’ll be cold out tonight.” Zenyatta gave a soft nod, tilting his head to the side a little as well, and it just felt like he was smiling, between the softness of his voice and the way his shoulders slightly raised. However, before Zenyatta could ask Genji any further questions, including what he’d like to order, Genji nodded his head with a soft ‘yosh!’ in approval, before walking to the door with a newfound sense of accomplishment, and excitement. He gave the crowd that had stopped their jobs a few waves, before he allowed himself to bound out the front doors, a bounce to his step. Everyone watched through the large front windows as the cyborg jumped and cheered from outside, like nothing short of a nerd, before he collected himself, cleared his throat, stuffed his pockets with his own hands and made his way down the street. He walked all the way back to where he had been staying, closer to inner city, when he realized it- he’d been so excited, he left without the damn hot chocolate. It was an hour after Genji and Zenyatta met up again, and Genji had only just finished showing him around the city’s finest sights. It turns out that, when Genji said a fantastic night, he truly meant a fantastic night- he had showing Zenyatta around a fantastically lit city, one that embraced the Christmas spirit more than Saint Nicholas himself did. Between the piles of snow decorating the streets, the well hung multicolored lights and the bright displays of buildings and shops, there was energy absolutely bounding rampantly through the streets. Genji had come equipped with a separate scarf, just in case the Omnic came unprepared and quite thankfully he did. About thirty minutes in or so, Genji had caught Zenyatta experiencing a strong shiver, and decided to take the opportunity to lean in and slowly drape a scarf around his neck, tightening it to the point where it would keep his exposed metal warm, and protected from sudden violent whips of wind. At around 9:30 or so, Genji decided that he would absolutely wow Zenyatta with the main show. Genji took Zenyatta’s hand within his own, intertwining their fingers a bit tightly, before casually leading him between cities and down crowded streets, where other couples bustled, watching the robot pair with soft smiles and an occasional scoff. Although the Shimada brother got quite sidetracked, and ended up getting that hot chocolate he so desired, they did end up making it to the focal point of the city, especially around this wonderful wintry time of year. “Have you ever seen a Christmas tree before, Zenyatta?” Genji had started, and as he sipped his hot chocolate, Zenyatta could catch a glimpse of the flesh and blood that hid behind metal plates. “I have only seen them in fiction, never have I experienced a real Christmas tree, as you may call it. I have decorated trees in Nepal around this specific time of year, but it has never been a real festivity, or a specific tree that had been designed for this Christmas event.” Zenyatta looked over at Genji as he spoke, floating beside him at a pace slow enough to match Genji’s leisurely walk, neither of them had been in any rush. “Well,” Genji laughed, shaking his head as he took a smaller sip of the sweet chocolate based drink, licking his lips, “do I have a surprise for you, then. Every year, this place sets up the biggest Christmas tree in Japan. Go big or go home, right?” “Go.. Go big or go home, yes. What does that mean, exactly, Genji? To go big, or to go home?” Zenyatta inquired- he may have been a being of peace, someone with immense amounts of smarts, but Genji quickly realized that he didn’t know many common phrases or things like slang. “Well, It’s like.. If you’re going to do something, you should do it the best you can or you shouldn’t do it at all. Like, they could have just made a little tree, but they made the largest Christmas tree.” Genji politely explained, finding it a bit cute at the sense of innocence this Omnic had. “Ah, I see.. So, in a way, could you explain you asking me out as going big or going home, since you have decided to ask me out to a, as you said, fantastic night just upon our first time meeting?” Genji nearly choked on the hot chocolate he’d been drinking, swallowing it sharply as his cheeks flared up with blush, topping off the already cold-induced pink cheeks. This guy caught on fast. “I mean, I guess you could describe it like that, but I see it as taking a risk, going for something I really wanted. Turns out you seemed to have wanted it too~” Zenyatta nodded his head, floating up just a bit higher. “I felt the idea of meeting someone as unique as yourself, Genji, was.. very interesting. You are a cyborg, but at the same time you are also a man. You have a heart, and a soul, a voice and a mouth. I have never seen someone quite like you before. Nobody as unique, and nobody as bold.” Genji felt his heart stop in his chest for a few seconds, before it began to beat at insane speeds. His cheeks grew so, so hot at the almost emotionless words leaving his- well, or rather not leaving his lips, shifting as his fingers squeezed around the omnics only slightly tighter. “Y’know, Zenyatta, you’re awfully bold for an Omnic too. I’ve never met anyone so interested in things before, and also so curious.” The two talked like this for almost an hour on their own, in a separate universe created by nothing but the sounds of their voices, the warmth of their bodies and the snow falling around them, creating a snow globe of peace and tranquility. However, they were taken out of this serene world by sudden bright burst of light, the Christmas tree coming into view. It was extravagantly tall, easily topping the height of most shops. It was an evergreen, one that had been obviously planted centuries ago and cared for with such exact precision. It was covered in snow from head to toe, and each branch had a custom made ornament on it, making it unique. Zenyatta let out a small gasp, something Genji didn’t quite know he could do. “Genji, this.. This tree is absolutely magnificent. It’s taller than anything I had seen in the mountain scape, or the forestry that I have experienced. It is decorated with such culture, it is obviously very well cared for.” Genji gave a nod of agreement, and he slowly pulled the awestruck Omnic down, allowing them both to sit on a park bench near them, overlooking the tree that towered above them, if not almost intimidatingly so. The two sat like this, with Genji keeping an arm around Zenyatta, keeping him not only close but keeping his metal body warmer than it probably had ever been, between the scarf and the shared body warmth. Snow twinkled against both the city lights, and the ornaments of the gargantuan tree before them. “I think that I like this.. Go big or go home, way of thinking. It is very enticing, it is very outgoing, and I think that I would like to try it.” Genji raised an eyebrow behind his mask as he slid his face plate back on, looking over towards Zenyatta. “I would like to do this again with you next week, Genji. Allow me to take you on a date as well, and show you the parts of this town that I am knowledgeable about. Allow me to go big, so that I may not have to go home.” Genji smiled, and he smiled wide as his heart pounded just a bit harder. “..I’d be absolutely delighted to go big or go home with you, Zenyatta.” They sat there endlessly, enjoying just each others time with one another as the snow slowly fell, enveloping the ground around them as their own snow globe kept them frozen in time together, and kept them warmer than any hot chocolate ever could.

#fanfic #submission #genyatta

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sleepyverstappens · 6 years ago

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I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck

Title: I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck

Pairing: Kimi Raïkkönen/Max Verstappen

Rating: Explicit

Word Count; ~3.9k

Tags: Asphyxiation, Choking, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Friends With Benefits

Summary: He presses down a little harder then, his hand wrapped around Kimi’s throat now. He can feel his pulse beat rapidly underneath his fingers as he puts more weight behind his hand. Kimi’s eyes grow wider then, the intake of breath a little more raspy.

He cocks an eyebrow as he leans away again, fingers leaving the delicate skin of Kimi’s throat. “You into that then?”

A/N: Once again, don't ask me how the fuck I ended up here. This picture didn't help though. (Hopefully it works now that Tumblr is a little shit)

And thanks to @captainfuu for the help with the Finnish curse words. Hope I didn't fuck it up and hope you enjoy this mess.

Read on AO3

The hotel room is dark when he walks in, the spare key card granting him access to hotel room that’s only a few floors down from the top of the skyscraper building. It seems like all the teams have chosen this particular hotel this year, some renting out whole floors for their drivers and crew. It made getting onto the right floor and to the right hotel room a little harder than usual, but the girl wearing a McLaren polo hadn’t noticed him leaving the elevator on the wrong floor, or if she did she didn’t say anything about it. The hallway had been quiet though, the Sauber crew seemingly all preferring an early night.

The only light in the room is coming from the TV mounted on the wall and the lights from the buildings outside filtering in through the floor to ceiling windows, the older man clearly nothing having bothered to close the curtains yet.

It’s a weird arrangement they have, formed two season ago, after the race in America. The third place drama forming the catalyst for it all.

“Oh fuck off, you got your podium didn’t you.” He’d said back then, when Kimi had come to him after the press conference. The Finn telling him he wouldn’t have minded losing the third place to him with an overtake like that.

“It’s just another third place,” Kimi had shrugged, making the anger coursing through Max’s veins only intensify. He was the first person to tell everyone he only fought for the first place, that top step of the podium the only thing he cared about, but at that moment seeing Kimi act so aloof about the third place position he had fought so hard for made him boil.

No matter how many people had still praised him for the overtake, it hadn’t give him the position back. Hearing that praise come from the person that had taken it away from him, had made the pent up anger he had managed to keep at bay just burst out, like magma from a volcano. And yes he fucking knew his move was deemed illegal.

An angry fist wrapped around the fabric of the bright red shirt, a shove and teeth clashing against teeth as his lips had found Kimi’s and the rest was history. The wet stain on his bedsheets and the faint bruises on his hips the only reminder of Kimi he’d had afterwards. Until it happened again of course, his drunk arse knocking on the Finn’s door in Mexico the next weekend.

“Hi,” he says now, finding Kimi’s eyes looking back at him in the dark room.

“Hi. It’s late,” Kimi murmurs back, quirking an eyebrow at the younger man walking towards the bed. He doesn’t say you’re late , but it’s what he means. What took you so long?

“Team meeting ran late,” Max says with a shrug, before he starts pulling the dark blue shirt over his head. They only really met up on Thursdays and the occasional Sunday, if their race had been particularly great or shitty. One of them would slip a keycard into the other’s hand during the day, an unspoken invitation to be used or not. “God, it was so fucking boring,” he adds as he starts tugging his jeans and underwear down.

“Aren’t they always?”

“True,” Max says as he lets himself fall down onto the bed next to Kimi, his right hand falling on top of Kimi’s thigh, fingers poking underneath the hem of the Finn’s shorts. They never waste a lot of words. Why would they? This arrangement is clear to both of them and they would much rather just get going already than waste unnecessary words.

He rolls himself further onto his side, his chest pressed up close to the other man as he leans in for a kiss and drags his hand up towards Kimi’s crotch, his mouth falling open underneath Max’s lips as he presses his hand down firmer, a choked off little moan spilled into Max’s mouth.

He can feel Kimi growing harder underneath the thin layer of his loose shorts and boxers. By now he knows how to make Kimi tick , what gets him going quickly, so he keeps the strokes of his hand light, only really pressing his hand down over the head, just how he likes it. It doesn’t take long before Kimi starts to strain against the fabric, the outline of his cock clearly visible as a low groan rumbles up his throat.

Slowly he unfurls his fingers from around the shape of Kimi’s cock, biting down on his bottom lip as he drags it with him when he pulls away from the kiss. He wants to see Kimi’s face as he pulls the shorts down, his fingers dipping underneath the waistband of the red boxers, wrapping around him without any layers in between now. His eyes squeeze shut for just a second, teeth pressed into the red of his lips, before he blinks them back open, icy blue eyes meeting his own.

Kimi’s eyes are fiery as he shifts underneath Max, his right arm curling around Max’s arm, fingers pressing into his bicep muscles as they shift and pulling him back down to his mouth again. As Max presses his lips over Kimi’s again he can feel the other man shift once more, his right leg falling back over Max’s thigh, giving him more room to work his hand over Kimi’s cock.

“Enough,” Kimi groans after only a few more strokes of his hand, the grip on Max’s bicep tightening as the other grabs at his wrist.

“Why such a rush? I thought I was supposed to be the one to skip the foreplay,” Max asks, quirking an eyebrow, the tips of his fingers teasing over the head of Kimi’s cock, just because.

“You want me to fuck you or not?”

“Who says I wasn’t gonna fuck you?”

“This,” Kimi says, thick fingers finding where his hole is already wet with lube from when he fingered himself open earlier. There’s a smirk playing on his lips as Max falls quiet, teeth finding his bottom lip to bite back on the gasp about to spill.

“Shit,” he can’t help but sigh, breath short as he waits for Kimi’s fingers to press into him. He doesn’t know how Kimi knew, maybe it was just dumb luck, but as Kimi’s fingers slip in he doesn’t care anymore.

The angle is awkward, Kimi’s wrist nearly doubled over as he fucks his fingers into Max, but there’s a smirk playing on his lips as he hears Max gasp. His fingernails dig into Kimi’s shoulder as he lets himself roll further against the Finn again.

Waves of pleasure wash over him, the feeling of Kimi’s thick fingers spreading him open sending shivers down his spine. He gets impatient quickly though, he hadn’t come prepared for no reason, he wants Kimi to fuck him, wants to feel his cock spreading him open again after two weeks of waiting.

He starts to shift around just after a third finger has pressed into him, the stretch wide, but he needs more. His hand wraps around Kimi’s wrist, just like Kimi’s had around his own earlier, stopping his movement, pulling the digits free again as he instead settles on top of the other man’s thighs.

There’s another quirked eyebrow on Kimi’s face as Max shifts, his hand falling to where Kimi’s cock is lying against his belly. He presses his thumb against the head of Kimi’s cock, pulling the foreskin down further until he sees the thick head, looking nice and red. With the thumb of his other hand he swipes at the small drop of precum there and brings it to his mouth, tongue licking up the saltiness on the digit with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Come on,” Kimi huffs, his hips bucking up against Max’s arse impatiently. He’s tempted to ignore Kimi’s words and keep teasing him, wait for the other man to take charge and make him get on with it, but he’s not feeling very patient himself either. So instead he sits up on his knees, shifting forward a little until he can guide Kimi’s cock inside of him and sink down over him slowly. He groans out at the feeling of Kimi spreading him open, eyes falling shut for a moment as he takes the feeling in and relaxes his body. As he opens them back up again his eyes find Kimi’s, his pupils blown and mouth falling open slightly as he sighs out.

He starts moving again, pulling up just as slowly as he’d let himself sink down, finding a slow rhythm. And he almost doesn’t notice the small gasp Kimi lets out all of a sudden, Max’s hand slipping as he lifts his arse off from Kimi’s thighs and loses his balance, his hand landing on Kimi’s throat instead of his chest. He lets himself sink back down over the other man, his hand sliding down and onto Kimi’s chest again, when the noise clicks into his brain. The quick intake of air as Max’s fingers had wrapped around Kimi’s throat, his body weighing down onto it.

There’s a very faint blush on the skin now, where his fingers have left their mark. His body is moving on autopilot, his brain stuck on that noise still. He tries to look for a difference in Kimi’s gaze, something that betrays his usual blank expression. He can’t find anything there though, the icy blue eyes revealing nothing as Kimi’s hands fall to his hips instead and he thrusts up hard.

A moan tumbles from his lips then, the noise temporarily forgotten as his own filter back into his ears. He rides the waves of pleasure for a minute, the feeling of Kimi sliding in and out of him in fast thrusts overwhelming. The Finn is biting onto his bottom lip, his gaze determined as his hips thrusts up over and over again, something fiery burning behind his pupils as Max lets out a whine when he hits his prostate.

It’s good, like this fucked up thing with Kimi has always been, but he can’t stop thinking about that soft intake of breath. It’s why he places his hands higher up on Kimi’s chest when Kimi’s thrusts slow down, his own hips fucking down onto Kimi again instead. His fingertips are pressing at the base of the older man’s throat, his nails digging in just a little to hard, forming white spots around them.

There’s still no reaction from Kimi, his face a little redder now from exertion, but the expression still the same as before, the sound he nearly missed. That’s what does it, what makes Max decide to play with it a little. He wants to hear that sound again and he will do anything to have Kimi make it for him, his stubborn streak flaring up again. He has to fight back the smirk that wants to appear on his lips and if Kimi notices the new glint in his eyes he doesn’t show any visible reaction to it.

Max’s gaze is fully focussed on Kimi as he drags his fingers further up Kimi’s throat, the touch is featherlight, but he sees the way Kimi’s expression changes ever so slightly. His mouth falling open just a slither, eyes widening slightly. It sends a shiver down his spine, the iceman starting to crack right under his fingers.

He presses down a little harder then, his hand wrapped around Kimi’s throat now. He can feel his pulse beat rapidly underneath his fingers as he puts more weight behind his hand. Kimi’s eyes grow wider then, the intake of breath a little more raspy.

He cocks an eyebrow as he leans away again, fingers leaving the delicate skin of Kimi’s throat. “You into that then?”

“I-I…” Kimi looks a bit unsure then, his eyes flitting about quickly as he gnaws on his bottom lip and tries to find the right words. Then his eyes meet Max’s again, the gaze steady, unwavering, like he’s looking for something. Apparently he finds what he was looking for in Max’s own unwavering gaze, eyes alight with interest and eyebrow still cocked, because the next word out of his mouth is a confident, “Yes.”

“Shit, okay. Uhm...” and it’s Max’s turn to be unsure now, stumbling over his words. He needs to know the boundaries, knows it’s not as simple as putting his hands on Kimi’s throat and squeezing down. “Uhm, a safeword we need a safeword. Wait no that doesn’t work, fuck.”

There’s a gentle hand on his hip then, pulling his attention back to the other man. A soft smile playing on the Finn’s lips and a slight hint of awe. Like he hadn’t expected this from Max. That even though he trusted Max with this he had never actually considered Max to be thinking about this side of it.

“Relax Max, you’ll know when to stop and otherwise I’ll just pinch you like this,” Kimi murmurs before he pinches Max’s side hard, making the younger man flinch away a little.

“Right okay, yeah,” Max rambles, before he shakes his head a little and puts his confident face back on. Determination coming back out to play as he lifts himself up from where Kimi’s cock was still buried deep inside of him. ‘What a great way to discuss this,’ he thinks to himself, smiling a little at the thought.

He allows himself a few more slides up and down, one of his hands wrapped around his slightly flagging cock to bring it back to attention. That smile is still on Kimi’s face as he watches Max work himself over him, mouth open slightly as he lets his own pleasure wash over him.

Cock standing proud once more he lets go of it, the head shining red as he fucks up into nothing for a second. He sinks down over Kimi once more, dragging his fingers up his chest at the same time until he can gently wrap them around Kimi’s throat. He waits for the Finn to take a deep breath, for the small little nod he gives him, and then squeezes down. It’s just the pressure of his fingers, only the strength in his hands taking away breath, seconds ticking away inside his head before he lets go again.

Kimi’s chest heaves quickly as he gasps in air and swallows, tongue licking over his dry lips. “You can go for longer, squeeze down harder.” And Kimi’s voice already sounds so broken, yet he’s asking him for more, for longer, for harder. It’s making him feel all sorts of things, this control Kimi is giving him so willingly, so completely. He can’t deny the way his cock twitches at the thought though, Kimi’s lips turning blue and his throat painted with the shape of his hands.

A little nod, returned easily, and his hands are back there, wrapped around the delicate skin of Kimi’s throat. He feels the strong muscles underneath his finger, muscles build over years and years of racing against g-forces. His fingers twitch, Kimi’s eyes focussed on him as he teases the skin, teases until he squeezes down hard, breath stuck halfway down Kimi’s throat. He shifts a little, pushing himself up onto his knees, sliding nearly all the way off from Kimi’s cock and leans forward, body weight behind the strength of his fingers now.

He waits, hearing the raspy sound of Kimi trying to work air into his lungs. Waits as his face turns red, Adam’s apple trying to bob underneath the pressure of Max’s palms. He waits as Kimi’s body starts to struggle against his hold, the phantom feeling of a pinch on his skin and he holds on for just 1, 2, 3 more seconds.

He winces as he hears Kimi gasp in a raspy breath, a painful sounding cough rattling through his chest. He flexes his fingers, lets himself sink back down over Kimi and waits, waits for Kimi to catch his breath, for Kimi to tell him his next move.

“Again,” Kimi croaks, eyes resolute as he swallows one last time.

Max flexes his fingers one last time, the red outlines of Max’s fingers foreign against the pale ivory skin as he places his hands there once more. Squeezing down hard and slowly putting more weight behind his hands, taking away more and more air.

Kimi’s eyes blink up at him glassy, nostrils flaring as he tries to work some air into his lungs. He squeezes down and waits once more. The skin underneath his palms clammy and flushed. He waits and waits, 1, 2, 3. Kimi’s lips are starting to turn blue, sweat dripping into his eyes and Max is about to lean back, take the deathgrip of his hands away from Kimi’s throat, when he feels Kimi’s hand reach up. It wraps around his wrists tightly, holding firm, keeping the pressure right there as Kimi goes longer and longer without oxygen. His body struggles underneath Max’s grip and he’s not sure if Kimi’s hips buck up into him for pleasure or if it’s just an uncontrollable convulsion of his body, but it still makes Max gasp in a breath. The breath he’s taking away from the man underneath him, taking in oxygen as easily as he’s taking it away from Kimi.

He’s never seen Kimi like this before. The first time he’d ever seen his face when he came was the fourth time they had hooked up, Max on top of him, riding him just like now. He’d heard the low grunts he’d make as he came, but hearing it along with the visual of Kimi’s eyes squeezed shut tight, head pressed back into the mattress and mouth drooping open had been something else.

But this, this visual right now is nearly enough to have him coming right here and now. The Finn’s mouth open wide with nothing more than a raspy sound, pupils blown wide as red veins pop around them. His left hand is wrapped tightly around Max’s wrist, keeping him in place and the pressure on his throat firm as his hips buck up into Max one last time before he spills his load deep inside of him.

As Kimi’s hips still Max takes his hand away from the Finn’s throat, allowing oxygen back through. Kimi’s eyes are watery as he takes in big gulps of air, chest heaving rapidly with it as his hips keep on bucking up.

“Hel…” there a raspy cough and a swallow before Kimi squeezes his eyes shut and breathes out, “ Helvetin helvetti .”

He’s got no idea what the clearly Finnish words Kimi is saying are, but the meaning behind them is clear enough as he takes in the man underneath him. His hair is a sweaty mess and as Max draws his fingers over the red marks on Kimi’s throat he can feel how clammy his skin is. He looks absolutely exhausted, but in a blissed out kind of way, his eyes droopy as he opens them back up again and lazily blinks up at Max.

“You alright?”

“Mhm... yeah, perfect,” he murmurs, his voice rough but still the same monotone below, there’s a beaming smile on his face that belies his real feelings though. His face stays all soft looking as he brings his hand up to run through his messy hair, something he’s never really gotten the pleasure of seeing for more than a few seconds, the older man’s mask usually put back on quickly. Seems like he uncovered a whole different side of the Finn tonight, the raw looking red lines across the skin of his throat in such contrast with the soft look in his eyes.

“Good,” Max says, before he starts the squirm a little, his cock still heavy against his belly as Kimi’s cock starts to soften inside of him. “Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but uhm…”

“Hitto , yeah come here,” Kimi says, pulling him down for a quick kiss before he rolls them over, Max’s biting down on his lip hard when Kimi slips out of him in the process. Kimi’s hands are on him quickly though, the tips of his fingers brushing over the head of Max’s aching cock. Max hisses out against it, his body begging for more as he bucks his hips up into Kimi’s hand without shame.

Kimi tsks a little, his fingers leaving Max’s cock to twitch against the empty air instead. Max isn’t proud of the whine that leaves his mouth, of the way his hips buck up against nothing, but he just needs, needs something, anything.

There’s a hint of a smirk on Kimi’s lips as he slides down the bed, roles reversed again so easily. He draws a line over the shaft of Max’s cock with his finger, making it twitch up against the touch and another whine spill from the Dutchman’s lips. Then there’s nothing, nothing as Kimi waits and waits for Max to look down at him, eyes dark, and only then does he lick down over the head of Max’s cock.

Kimi’s mouth is warm around him, a tight heat making him want to buck his hips up and bury himself down Kimi’s throat deeper. His hands are firm on Max’s hips though, holding him down against the expensive white sheets. He sucks him down easily, his head bobbing up and down under the grip Max has on his hair.

He’s too far gone already, has been aching for so long now, and Kimi sucking down on him, mouth a tight pressure around him is pulling him right to the edge. A swirl of Kimi’s tongue over the head, a glint in his eyes as he looks up at Max and flicks his tongue over the slit there. And all Max can do is throw his head back with a groan and pull at Kimi’s hair in warning. He’s not getting up though, instead sinks down further and further and further still, choking himself on Max’s cock and swallowing around him. His mouth falls open wide, a shout bursting out as he comes deep down Kimi’s throat, chest heaving.

He stares up at the ceiling, eyes blinking slowly as his body twitching involuntarily and he groans out, “Fucking hell.” He shakes his head and crosses his arm over his eyes, trying to block out every sensation apart from the tingling down his legs and the way his muscles keep twitching.

He feels the bed shift as Kimi pulls himself up again, his fingers burying into Max’s sweaty hair, making him peek out behind his arm. Kimi’s lips are soft and sticky against his own as he kisses down on him languidly, Max lapping up his own taste from Kimi’s tongue.

“Thanks,” Kimi murmurs as he breaks the kiss and lets himself fall back down onto the bed.

“Hmm?”

“For not thinking I’m weird,” Kimi says softly, voice still rough and eyes flitting about nervously, as if he’s still not sure he should have confided in Max with this. “And for not killing me,” he continues with a laugh.

“Shut up,” Max says as he flicks his hand against Kimi’s side. “And you’re not weird, thanks for trusting me.”

Kimi shrugs, pulling him close instead, his face burying into Max’s hair. And Max lets him, happy with not having to leave this bed tonight.

#my fic #max verstappen/kimi raïkkönen #f1 fic #f1 fanfiction

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3one3 · 7 years ago

Text

The Sequel - 884

The End Is Near

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“Run faster!” Christina and Tom shouted in unison.

“I’m trying!” Stefanie shouted back, struggling to drag a large Hanoverian behind her.

“What does that look like to you? I can’t even tell.”

“In the shoulder maybe.”

“You think? I was going to say something high up behind, like maybe even in the spine.”

“Whichever end of the horse is the problem, it looks very bad, and there isn’t any heat or swelling anywhere at all.”

“Put him away and call Dr. Todd, I guess. Don’t give him anything in case he can come today still.”

Nick was lame again. There was no obvious reason, for a change. The fetlock with the bone chip wasn’t the problem. The other fetlock that occasionally swelled after work was tight. His knees looked fine, and he didn’t react to the hoof testers. His gait was badly wrong, but in a confusing and ambiguous way. The two most experienced people on the property couldn’t decide if they thought it was a problem with the front half of him or the rear. He pinned his ears and resisted as much as possible as Stefanie tried to jog him down the concrete patio at the back of the barn, past his stablemates’ open Dutch doors. Trotting on a hard surface helps exacerbate the pain from an injury, because it’s harsher on just about everything that could be injured than the nice soft footing in the ring, or even grass. It’s supposed to make it easier to see the source of the pain. Christina and Tom were flummoxed. And Christina’s worry about the situation wasn’t just because Nick was getting old and his ouchies were happening more often, or that he looked ready to kick someone in the face. He was supposed to be in a photoshoot with her in an hour.

The president of the Global Champions Tour personally asked her to be the cover star of the new luxury style magazine that would accompany the show series around the globe and feature articles and interviews and tons of advertising by the Tour’s sponsors, brand partners, and boutique sellers. There was going to be a big launch party at the Final, and then it would come out quarterly the following year. The defending champion wanted to use Nick since she was going to be posing by his head and modeling a diamond necklace. He had the handsomest head in her stable, and was very patient about photoshooting.

“He can still pose for a camera,” Tom countered, as if to read her mind. “It doesn’t hurt to stand still.” His point was well made. They only spotted the problem in the first place because he put him on the lunge line to give him a chance to get out any hijinks before the crew showed up. It wasn’t as if the stallion had been lying down in his stall, moaning in agony. He walked fine.

“Can I stop now?” Stefanie called from the end of the covered walk.

“Yeah,” the other two called back simultaneously. Rider was still getting used to groom being as “in charge” as he was. Isandro was more subordinate in that role, most of the time.

“Okay. Spiff him up, I guess,” she shrugged reluctantly. “But call the vet first.”

“Duuuuuh.” He mocked the way she always retorted to people who stated or asked the obvious. And she appreciated his candor and nonchalance, because it told her he wasn’t overly concerned about Nick.

“Let’s go sneak another coffee before the stylists get here and put whitening strips on my teeth,” Christina told her two very obedient Toy Fox Terriers, who were waiting by her feet. They followed her into the barn and up the central aisle toward the indoor, and she texted André to tell him about the horse. He was at training, as he should have been. His being back on the normal schedule, doing full training with his teammates and spending the bulk of each day at Brackel, required an adjustment for her that she really didn’t want to make. His girl had gotten used to him having more flexibility during his injury and rehab. He had a lot of time off, and his individual sessions took less time, and could move around. He had plenty of time to spend with her.

I want a hug, she grumbled inside while trudging up the stairs to her lounge for that coffee. The dogs raced ahead and flew through the flap in the door at the top. Her facility had a lot of cold weather considerations. It wouldn’t have occurred to her to put so many doors between the barn aisle, the bathroom, the bleachers, and the pass-through into the indoor. The architects knew better. It would stay nice and toasty warm in the lounge in the dead of winter, and also in the bathroom, while the J-shaped hallway and the stairs would be flooded with cold air every time someone opened the door to sit on the bleachers. Spencer and Lucky had beds upstairs by the couch so that they could be somewhere cozy whenever they wanted. There was a doggy-door into the tack room as well, but the door it was installed in would be opened and closed constantly throughout the day and it wouldn’t stay that warm since Christina was wary of pumping extreme amounts of artificial heat in there, on the basis that it was drying for the leather goods. She liked her tack room to be comfortable for humans in one less layer than they wore outside, and without hats or gloves. Her dogs liked sauna temperatures everywhere, all the time. They also liked the fun of hopping through three doggy doors to get to the lounge when unaccompanied by a human. They both sat like good boys by the espresso machine while she made her drink, knowing that they might get a biscuit from the metal tin next to the sink.

“I hope this shoot doesn’t take forever,” their mom told them. “I need to ride Sexy Socks and Dirk and Rio and the Iceman still, and Schü and I are going out for dinner tonight. Do you think it’s foolish of me to take Socks to Doha? He thinks it’s a bad idea, since Socks was such an assface in Barcelona. I kind of have to now anyway. I’m already bringing Rio, I clearly can’t take Nick now, Kimi isn’t ready for that, and Calvin doesn’t do long distance flights that well. Dirk isn’t ready. I could do Cartagena, maybe, but why do that when I have Socks? He did so many rounds of this championship anyway. What do you- Oh. You’re waiting for treats.” Christina cocked her head at the black and white and black and white and brown little creatures looking up at her inquisitively. At first she thought they were listening intently to her dilemma. They always made that face when someone asked them a question. But their focus and stare were too intense for that. They were silently begging her for crunchy peanut butter bones. She poured the two little espresso cups into her big, colorful Anthropologie mug and then selected two treats from the tin. The pups hopped up, excited, but hurried back to their haunches to receive them. Spencer immediately started eating his, and Lucky trotted off toward the couch with his. They were both finished devouring their biscuits by the time their human added her steamed milk and was ready to go back into the barn.

“When are you gonna get a job?” she asked Stefanie, who was sitting on the bench across from the grooming stall where Nick was getting polished and combed. There was no real reason for her to be there yet. Her horses were on the board for the afternoon.

“Hopefully never,” the younger rider shrugged. She was eating instant oatmeal in the plastic container it came in. The plumbing offered water hot enough for oatmeal making. That was one of Christina’s favorite things about the property. They could get properly hot water from any spigot, hose, or tap. The hotter the soaking water, the softer the beet pulp the horses ate in bulk with their grain.

“Dr. Todd will come this evening,” Tom mentioned from the crossties.

“Like when this evening?”

“6, 7.”

“Ugh. Okay.”

“Plans?” Stefanie asked knowingly.

“Reservations.”

“You don’t need to be here,” the groom and stable manager reminded.

“Yeah I do. It’s fine. It just means I can’t give Luke his dinner.” Actually, Christina realized, if he comes at 6, it gets in the way of my getting ready time. If he comes at 7, it gets in the way of Munchkin dinner. We have to leave at 8. Ugh, whatever. She plopped heavily on the bench and gulped her cortado. “I wish the photoshoot was later. Then my hair and makeup would be all done and everything. As it is, they’e gonna make me all pretty and stuff in a little while, then I have to wipe it all off, ride and get sweaty, and then shower and start over. Bleh.”

“Where are you having dinner?” the blonde girl inquired.

“Some American-style steakhouse I haven’t been to yet. It’s faaaancy, or so I’m told.”

“Are you wearing something sexy?”

“Of course.”

“Such as?”

“This is when I question my decision to work here,” Tom commented, speaking exclusively to Nick. “Kyle likes to talk sexy dinner outfits as much as these women. I’m surrounded by this nonsense here. In my old position, we spoke about how long our morning shits take, and seasonal beers. In this stable, there is a silver box of tampons under the granite counter in the bathroom. I don’t know how Isandro deals with these women for so long, Nick. How do you do it?”

“Okay, macho man,” Christina snorted with an eye roll. “Nicky loves us. Isa loves us. And I’m wearing this high-neck black cocktail dress with gold studded cap sleeves. I’ve had it forever- like since before I got married- and it’s one of my favorite things but I never wear it because- Well, I dunno.” Because Jill helped me pick it out. “Anyway, I have something sexier for after dinner.”

“Oooooh.” Stefanie’s eyebrows wiggled and Tom’s eyes rolled. Nick didn’t seem to have any strong feelings either way.

“Where is Isa?”

“Setting up the jump course you wrote down for the grass field.”

“Aww, I would have helped. I was going to do it tomorrow.”

“It’s not that much work. Kyle is with him.”

“Does this mean we’re doing lessons on the big course?” Stefanie’s voice and face were brimming with hope and expectation. The girls had been talking about building a grand prix style course on the grass for about a week. They wanted one with a lot of options for different tracks, in whole or in pieces. Both of them took the same special joy from the sensation of riding and jumping on grass. The sound of hooves on the ground does something to a rider. It’s almost like a primal thing, and one doesn’t get it from riding in sand or synthetic footing. A horse has to be more aware of the going, because it’s more slippery. They need their instincts to help. It makes it all more exciting. The girls hacked on the grass fairly often, and sometimes had a handful of fences out there. They wanted the competition-type jumps from the shed- the Red Bull can standards, the Chelsea planks, the faux castle, and the tall gates- all the bells and whistles. Christina sat down at her desk and drew a very exact diagram of what type of jump she wanted and where, down to the color of the poles. It took about an hour to map it out and plan challenges and questions. Contrary to Tom’s dismissive shrug, lugging those fences out of the storage shed or moving them from the dirt ring to the grass and then setting everything up was a lot of work, and it would only be worth it if they got a lot of use out of them and in different ways, so that they wouldn’t overuse the grass on one track, or kill the takeoff and landing zones at every fence. They could spread it out and keep it interesting. And they were all feeling in need of “interesting”. Stefanie was doing a lot of top-level classes, and Kyle was moving up as scheduled with both Calvin and Cartagena. Christina had been fighting boredom for a long time. They all needed to spice up their training, and that was true for some of the horses too.

“Yeah,” coach told student. “I hope we have lots of Magic Cushion.”

“Always,” Tom affirmed from behind the big dark bay horse. He was combing his tail, and talking about the hoof-packing product that helped prevent soreness from working on the hard ground.

“Are you currying Nicky’s butt or is he begging for coffee? He’s got that “aww yeah baby” face, and his lips are out of control,” Christina laughed.

“I’m scratching his dock while I brush out the tail. This tail is a triumph. It better be in the photographs.”

“My horses all have nicer, healthier tails than I have hair,” she pouted, end of her ponytail in hand. Nick, Dirk, and Calvin in particular had really thick, long, lusciously shiny black tails. Rio’s was a bit thin by comparison, Socks’ was recovering from an evidently long history of breakage, and Kimi’s was naturally almost bushy, like his mane and forelock, so it appeared less soft. Navarra constantly tried to rub the top of hers on fences and walls, and that took a toll. She was still catching up on the beauty standards in the barn. At Holger’s she was allowed to be dirty and unkempt. Isandro really liked her personality and made cleaning her up his pet project. Getting the kind of shine customary in Christina’s stable was not the work of just a few groomings.

“That’s because they don’t get shampooed every day,” Stefanie remarked.

“Neither does mine! I try to only wash it every other day. When I can. Usually.”

“Did you wash it this morning?”

“Yes, but I had to! Photoshoot!”

“And you’re going to wash it again tonight before your pre-sex steak, right?”

“Shut up.”

“I have Michael so well trained,” she bragged, almost facetiously. “He uses his fingers to comb the dry shampoo through my hair each night while we watch television. He doesn’t have to hang out with a girl with smelly, oily hair, and I get a massage and a really good brushing. I shampoo once per 5 days.”

“Eww.”

“My hair isn’t as oily as yours! And I still shower!”

“I shampoo and condition every day,” Tom shrugged on his way back to the front of the horse to give his mane and forelock one last onceover. “My hair is pretty okay, I think.”

“Boy hair is different,” Christina tutted. Then she turned back to the rider beside her. “Are you getting finger-combed at your place or are you hanging at Michael’s all the time?”

“Both. Kyle goes out a lot lately with some people who live one floor down. He’s trying to figure out how to date with limited German.”

“Girls or boys?”

“I think he’s beginning with girls.”

“He should go out drinking with Isa. Isa will get him a girl,” she sniggered. “Where is this photographer? She’s supposed to be here by now.”

“I thought photographers always want the first or last light?” Stefanie posited before scooping out the last spoonful of oatmeal. The cinnamon smell was making her trainer hungry.

“We’re shooting inside.” Said trainer slid back all the way against the bench and lifted the front of her layered waffle shirts up to scratch at her tummy. Knowing the cover shoot would involve a stylist bringing her outfits, she couldn’t be bothered changing out of the clothes she donned after her workout to play with Lukas. Her comfy sweatpants hung very low on her hips to begin with, so her shirts didn’t have far to go to make her stomach feel very cold. There was a mostly-healed scratch right under her belly button- an accident, from her son- that itched like crazy as the tiny scabs prepared to fall off on their own. “Should I call her and see if they’re lost or something?”

“Wouldn’t they call if they were lost?” Tom pointed out.

“Maybe they don’t know they’re lost.”

“Well how would you know if you called them?”

“I dunno.”

“It’s amazing that you two travel the world together, honestly.” Stefanie shook her head ruefully and got up to put the plastic container in the trashcan in the other grooming stall. She stopped to rub Nick’s forehead on the way back, and he nudged at her stomach just to let her know that he was interested in anything she might have for him, like whatever that sweet smell on her breath was. “Can’t feed the models,” she told him. “I guess you’re not mad at me for making you jog on your...whatever hurts.”

“He clearly isn’t in any discomfort right now at least,” Christina chuckled while she watched her stallion thoroughly investigate the other girl for food. Her horses all acted like nobody fed them, and she liked that, because it meant they had personalities. A lot of their kind don’t. Her band of characters brought so much life and entertainment to the day in, day out tedium of the stable routine. Keeping their training interesting and varied was one thing. The chores and care at the barn were the opposite. Everyone who worked there agreed that consistency was key for keeping the horses healthy and ensuring the place functioned safely, professionally, and efficiently. It made for a lot of monotony for the guys. An affectionate, curious, or even mischievous equine could give them moments of entertainment or enjoyment to break it up. The canine workers did too. One of them sprang into Christina’s lap to see if he was missing anything. “Hi Spence.” She stroked his mostly black little head, and he licked her fingers.

“You look like you’re at home on the sofa,” Tom commented. He wore a small, lopsided grin and was using Nick’s neck to support his left arm. “This is a horse stable.”

“I don’t wear sneakers in the house. Are you going to put him away and let him get dirty again or make him wait on the crossties?”

“Call the photographer and find out how far they are.”

Christina switched hands with her giant mug to reach into the deep pocket of her sweats for her phone. André hadn’t replied yet, which was expected. He was training. She hoped for a message from Juan though, even thought he was also training, presumably. He wrote to her in the middle of the night to ask when she was returning home. “Home” was a charged word. He could have meant London, or he could have meant himself, because she told him he was home for her, many times. Her text back to him asked if he was okay or if he was just being sweet, or if he couldn’t sleep and just wanted to see if she was magically up at that hour. She knew the Spaniard would have seen the message by then. He would have had plenty of time to read it before even getting to Cobham given how early she woke up.

“They’re about 10 minutes out,” she reported to everyone after speaking with the photographer. “You might as well put him back in his stall. It’s going to take them some time to get me dressed and blown out and made up and stuff. He doesn’t need to be spotless if they want to use him to do test shots or something. You’ll have a chance to wipe him off again before I’m ready. You could even tie him in the stall if you want.”

“Yeah, I think I will do, as long as Stef is going to be around?”

“I’ll keep an eye on him. Or ear.” Stefanie nodded and got back up from the bench to stretch and yawn. Her vigilance was necessary because Christina didn’t really like tying the horses in their stalls. There was always the risk that they could freak out about being tethered in a place they usually had freedom, they could somehow get a leg caught over the lead even though it was deliberately tied quite short, or they could manage to get it caught on a bucket or something and dump it out and make a mess. The only reason to do it was to keep them from rolling in their bedding and getting dirty, or if they needed to wait while tacked up and not get into trouble with all the equipment on. Her rule was that horses couldn’t be tied anywhere or left on the crossties unattended, and Tom was going to go do other work until he was needed to assist on the shoot. Nick’s rider gave him a nose smooch and promised him the vet would come later to make whatever was hurting him go away, and his groom took him back to his stall.

“I hope I got paid for this up front,” she yawned before moving to get a broom to sweep up the hair and dirt left behind on the rubber mat where the horse had been and then realizing she couldn’t sweep without putting her coffee down, and that it wasn’t worth it. Tom would undoubtedly be right back to do the tidying up before moving on to other chores. “I would so much rather be shopping for pumpkins with Lukas right now, or helping him with his bike. He’s really good with the training wheels. Did I tell you?”

“Yes. Like 9 times. Can I go pumpkin shopping whenever you do get to do it? I want to make one for Michael, for his desk.”

“Yeuck you’re so in love. It’s gross.”

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